The Space Gamer 071

HAL The Magazine of Adventure. Gaming $3.00 TEKUMEL Empire of the Petal Throne Swords & Glory Interview with M.A-R. Barker. SHOCKWAVE Analysis and Strategy J o STAR FLEET BATTLES RINGWORLD ANDPALM The Fast, Exciting, New PBM Game Of Intrigue And Strategic Conflict Lee Re-Use alee meet eee powerful secret organizations. Your agents eagerly await your elem UM eee RUC eC eee ela JOIN THE PBM CONSPIRACY a Nem eM cme} Fea PUI Ime ool ttT- (on RAL CME-LaLe MCs UaLoLctod Send messages through the computer Every player's position is different Rem areca crate concud foelaee ier eames clase SCRE mcm ee Tisai’ Detailed reports on all results, in English No turn deadline, no missed turns 24-hour turnaround guaranteed Completely computer-moderated cesar aearecitat (Oa Rtn ae eer] ESTER CRS Rass MM cme CRT Only $4 (U.S.) per turn — never an extra charge Iddddiddddadiddddéd “Great rules, great action, just an incredibly great Pr ee a “HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!” —Gaming Universal For information, write to: epee WU CLUE) <9 aL Lato haere Te Re econ ea CC Cece ey RC a eC ee cue Rr a Cry AWW Crier rcee tr ien reer mar) 7‘Warren Spector ‘Alen Varnoy News Editor: Scott Haring Contributing Editors: W.G. Armintrout Witla A, Barton Matinew J. Cesteo erry Enperson Publisher: Steve Jackson Art Director: ©. Mara Lee Production Artist: Kim Svombo Typesetter: Marie Mahoney Business Manager: Mark Chanclor ‘Advertising Manager: Carcline Case ‘Circulation Manager: Creede Lambard ART IN THIS ISSUE Cover: "Shen Warrior” from Empire ofthe Petal Throne, by Kim Sambo. {© Kim Stombo 1984) ‘Line Art: Graham Chattee: 1013. Denton Eon: FM. Kyle Miller: 41. Kim Sttombo: 30, 31, 38. Allon Varnay: IFM, 40. Photographs and Game Art: The Avalon + Game Company 42. Batantine Books: 42, 43, MAR, Barker 20, Biaco/Flying Buta: 7. 8, Chaosium:2, 4. Gamascience’ 16, 28. Mata (gaming: 7, Steve Jackson Games Ine: 10-13, 538, 41,52, 63. TOME: 92. Most game names ere trademarks of the companies publishing those games. In particu lar, Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, DED, ADED, and Nightmare House are vedemarks of TSA, Inc.; Marvel Super Horoos. and all Marvel charactors, of the Marvel Comics Group: Empire of the Petal Throne and Swords & Glory, of Gamescience: al other Tekumel produis, of Tekurel Games, Inc: ‘Ringworkd ‘anc Call of Cthuhu, of Ghaosium, Star Fleet Battles, of Task Force Games; The Fantasy Trip of Metagaming Tunnels & Trolls, of Blade/Flying Buia; Angroimar, The Court of Kings, ofthe Roun fable: all TOME modules, of Theale of the Mind Enterprises: and Chivalry and Sorcery, of Fantasy Games United. Use of a ade ‘mark to Xenty @ product commented on in {his magazine should not be construed as in ‘lying the sponsorship ofthe trademark noite. ‘Ogre, Mumineti, Autoduel, Convoy, Card- board Heroes, Undead, and Kier ate regis tered trademarks ‘of Slave Jackson Games Ire. All namos of other games published by Steve Jackson Games Ine. are Vacemarks of Steve Jackson Games Inc, oF usod under I ‘conse. Uso of the name of any product wihout mani of vadomark satus should notbe con- Situed as a challonge to such status. Space Gamer Number 71 Nov / Dec 1984 SPECIAL SECTION Tekumel Professor M.A.R, Barker's world of the Petal Throne has been attracting attention lately. There's a new edition of his venerable roleplaying game, Empire of the Petal Throne, and his first novel is just out from DAW Books. In our biggest issue ever, we look at Tekumel in depth. ‘An Introduction to Tekurn ‘Swords & Glory Review « F.P. Klesche lil and Steve Sherman |... 17 Interview: M.A.R. Barker Capsule Reviews of Tekumei Products * F.P. Kiesche ill 26 Company Report: Tekumel Games, Inc. * Michael Mornard 29 ARTICLES Converting TFT Characters to T&T * Tom No, it's not just by taking out the “F"" 7 1g the Shockwave: Strategy and Analysis * Philip Rennert Tips and commentary on the new Ogre/G.E.V. expansion set .... 10 Mines in Star Fleet Battles + Walt Mizia Transporter bombs and psychological warfare . 30 Searching for Cthulhu in Nightmare House + Matthew J. Costello Combining two good games. 36 REVIEWS Ringworld * Steve Peterson The president of Hero Games looks at Chaosium's new RPG 2 ‘TOME's Cthulhu Scenarios * William A. Barton Lovecrattian adventures from the Theatre of the Mind 32 Capsule Reviews 44 Ri KEEPING POSTED Angrelmar + Scott D. Haring Medieval politics by mail i 36 PEM Update REGULAR FEATURES Where We're Going « Steve Jackson Counter Intelligence * Warren Spector set a Letters 2. 42 Finieous Fingers * J.D. Webster ....... : 6 ‘Scanner a 62 Convention Calendar . a 63 Advertiser's Index rs 63 Murphy's Rules * Michael von Glahn Seeawaee transi Space Gomer (SSN 01949077, USPS 494-250 push btmontyby Stave Jackson Games Incorporated, P.O. ox 18987, Austin, TX787807967. Second dacs postage paid at Aus, TE. BOSTMASTER. Send ada “Almatenal is conyght © 1084 by Stove Jackson Gar Pratod in U.S.A by Furwra Poss, Aust. ‘Svoserpton nia toate 107/04 Inthe Unted States — Gmorth (sues $0: oe yor (Gloss) $19:2 youre (12 ues) $23. Atloine bento is $200, In Cana, 20 50 pr tu for postage and Handing: or adessas cule the US. and Canada, 26081 po esa ot frtace mai. Texas escens passe ada Si saistnx intemational rates subject o change as posta ates change. Note Allpaymenis MUST bo USS. dors, made by Irrational Menay Oder or checks drawn on @ U.S, oF Ganesan bank. ‘changee to Sd Games ine, P.O. Bor 18967, Aon, 1X 70760 8067 incorporated, Al hts reso.Featured Review Larry Niven’s Steve Peterson President, Hero Games Larry Niven’s “Known Space” novels and stories, one ofthe great science fetion series. have been tumed into a roleplaying gare by the Chaosium, Being an old fan of Known Space (and dhe Riggworld novels in particular) T waited eagerly for Ringworld wo appear. But boeing a game designer and publisher myself I've watched several companies ty (0 create & besteling game by wrapping a license around some junk: I wasn't so sure | wanted to see Ringword, Appearance Despite my misgivings, Ringworld arrive. [My ital impression was weight — with over 200 pages inside, this game is hea. The ‘cover aft is by Ralph McQuarrie, the same artist who did preproduction artwork forthe Siar ‘Wars movies, The Chaosium paid him 2 prince ly sum far the eover painting, which, unfore: inaely, is nive but not exceptional. Inside. however. most of the artwork is supplied by Liss Free, who has done a terrific job. This is the best interior antwork I've seen in any gam: ing product — a beautiful blend of syle and Sujet matter, The art by Michael Blum (et ly of gadges) just doesn’t come anywhere near the quality of Ms, Free's. Overall, though, the raphic design and artwork work very ell together, wih the excellent production values we've come to expect from the Chaosiam: The Known Space stories cover @ lot of ground (or space, if you will), but much infor ‘mation important (0 roleplayers wasn't deal ‘vith in the stories. John Hewitt and the other authors had to create an immense amount of data to Fill in the gaps. So much material as aed that it just wooki’t fit in one box (hence the Ringworld Companion (see the accom: ying capsule on paze 4). Character Creation ‘The game system is another variant on Basic Role-Playing (or the “*Chaosium Sys tem,” as Greg Slafford calls it). Character creation is handled in much the same manner a in RuneQuest — roll dice for your basic haracteristies of Strength. Mass (replaces Size). Constitution. Ineligence, Power. Dex- terity, Appearance, and Education (borrowed from Calf of Cthulhu). However, you must also rol your Home World (different gravties make a difference 19 your characterises). ‘your Defecs (From Albinism 1. Hyperspace Blindspot Phobia). and_ your Chronological Age (since hoosterspice 1s available, this is usually different from your Physiological ‘Age). The Defects seem a bit much, with & 08 chance that your character will have at leas one Defect: I don't remember quite so ‘many defective people in. Niven’s stories, especially not among explorers. Skills Skills in Ringworld are acquired italy by spending Occupation Poits; how you can spend them is determined by: your Pursuits ‘You get Occupation Points three different ways! from your Education, your Purst and your Special Interests. The problem with this generation method is that the possible range of Oscupation Points goes from 120 © 8,000 or more! What this means i « tremendous disparity between starting characters in terms oftheir Skills. (Also. eversone wants 1 be 8 Diletaie, so you can Tearn any skill ou want tp: otherwise, you'r limited 1 the skills available to your Pursuit.) “There are S0 or so skills in Ringworld, ranging from Athletics to Reactionless The number of possible skills is infinite, Skills aze sei up so you ean create specialty sfills as needed, This i a Very useful touch ‘whicn most games ignore. You get to choose skills with restrictions based upon your background. Then you invest Occupation Points in ‘making the skills beter than the starting per centage. Skills can be improved later through taining, experience, or research Combat Combat is basically the standard Chaosiom system, with a combat skill for each weapon expressed as a percentage chance: roll that ‘chance on percentile dice, and you hit. Once ‘you've hit. check the hit location ofthe blow for any special damage results. The important difference in Ringworld is in the combat sequence. Here Sherman Kahn has introduced a continuous "impulse" system. Each impulse {one second long. All explorers have an For the uninitiated . . . Lary Niven, one ofthe most popular auors inthe sence Reon ile pub Thiel Rind in 1970, The novel ene io win Hugo and Neb awards and enna sawn a seg. The Ring word rine (19) “he tro amels form a capone of sons te Nivens vohuminoss “known, Space ssanene,» lowly aranged chronic of humans exploration of space during the pert tvsind yeas, Sang enaginive background afore eco the hanFonen novels and numerous sone own Space ae advent les of sort fami o any rlepiayer Nien fe ping universe of was el hyperspace Transfer both, boostespce. ar bare tien aces ean be found World of Pos (1966), Neuron Siar 1968) 4 Gif From Ear (1968), Provcor (973) an Tales of Known Space (1975). among others. Ringworld deals with a mind-bogalingty vast structure, s Solid ring a million miles ‘ide and six hundred rllion in circumfer cence. which orbits 2 distant star like @ ‘whee rotating on its hub, The inner surface fof this mysterious artificial habitat, larger than a million Earth. is populated by t= lions (at least) of creatures of various races, both human and alien — but most are degenerate savages descended fom the makers ofthe ring, whose civilization fell Mlneraly — they lived in floating cites) thousands of years apo. “The novel raises many intriguing but unsolved mysteries, The Ringworld Engi neers provides paral answers — but cre ates still further enigmas. These evidently will never be resolved: Niven has no plans for further books in the series. OF course that’s what he sad after Ringworld The EditorsTe eye for a catalogue write to” MAYFAIR GAMES‘Action Ranking based on their Dexterity: the ‘Action Rank is usally a number between 3 ‘and 6. Minor actions (ike firing a ranged ‘weapon or falling) take one impulse. while major actions (like drawing or aiming a weapon) take the explorer’s Action Rank in impalses 10 perform. The GM sar the fm- pulse count at I when the first character starts to do something, and then just marks off im- pulses until combat finishes. ‘This impulse system works very well; ia fact, Hike it beter than the thee or four other sways the Chaosium has come up with (0 se~ quence its combat, The impulse system could be adapted! without much trouble to Call of Cthulhu or RuneQuest, though Superworld might be a bit of & problem. The important thing to remember is thatthe impulse system ‘makes guns very deadly. since once you've aimed it (a major action). fring the gun is only ‘minor action, You can fire without aiming at ‘one-fourth your normal percentage. which has ‘ curious result: The slower you are the better snap-firing is for you. since you have more chances 10 hit. Gadgets ‘eautoes (Sern Ksin-mealf Sie ein ae Cone eel fee ee se i pecs deal Tne ehoegy ot Kc rer very hy vnc: in Tree er isar ea Teh tol ior above ter wed poise) Te Skt ten and ute seh fai dsr ong th soe of he cee ter opein Aveo sae rng op ern i reseed, Ss os gasne eat pote ele {Bye vat at weopensen be easly st U\nek ubicnoee giueretios ‘Bout oy wy nen pen) Te Soy tte Plge ae tested ld bea Tesla Spaying tors eb a ‘rrr te ars i necessary wp inen ome Bdge of Boron Some bt aor 'RINGWORLD COMPANION (Chx- sium, Ine.); $10. By Jon Hewitt, Lynn Willis, ee. One 84" x 11" BO-page booklet. Additional material for Ring- word. Published 1984. "This book contains material that was Jef out of Ringworid because of space con- serations, plus some new material. A set of errata for the Ringwordd ries is also provided. More aliens (including marians, ‘orcas, piein, and thrinun) are incladed, long’ with many Ringworld animals 2nd Plants, more gadgets, General Prods ‘-hull-based starship (the UNSS Unpro- rownceable), a discussion of hyperspace travel, Ringworld vehicles, two Scenarios, and more. ‘Donte fooled by the hideous cover — the Ringworld Companion is a po0d supplement. Pease, don't ever let Lisa Free ‘work in color again!) The authors have i- ‘ded some valuable material that really should have been in Ringworl, lke map which shoots pellets of compressed ait ('). oF the “frictionless armor,” which supposedly protects you because amacks slide off. (Sorry. ‘uys force is sil transmited regardless of the Tiction coefficient of the surface.) These gadgets don’t feel right next tothe ether ones. but ‘his is only @ minor law: you can leave them ‘out without affecting the game. User-Friendliness ‘The source material provided is very well presented. John Hewit's essays are reminis- ‘ent of Niven's writing. providing a very enjoyable read. The history of Known Space is Covered thoroughly. with descriptions of the various human worlds and their cultures. Each alien race is thoroughly described, with is history. physical characteristics, skill percen- tages, psychology. and such all provided. Many native creatures and plants are also described. The descriptions ae very thorough soany ofthis material could be used in another science-fiction game with some work. The ‘only lapses concer the Ringworld itself — there's no drawing ofthe Ringworkd anywhere in the game! You have to read the novels or buy the Ringworld Companion to find out What the Ringworld looks like. Also, no map of Known Space is included in te game. Couldn't the Chaosium have left outa eriter or two and ut those things in the gare? ‘The advice (0 the gamemasier on how (0 ‘run this game is nearly nonexistent — 4 pages tt of 208, You get mostly negative warnings = “don't allow players to smash and grab ‘eause it's not fac" type of things. There's a teemendous amount of information provided about creatures (both sentient and nonsentient) on the Ringworld. This information, stile very complete and nicely presented, seems not very worthwhile when a character wearing im- Pact armor and carrying 2 flashlight laser can ‘walk over almost any threat (despite what they say in the rules), And who cares what the native plants are like, when whatever you stufT into your avtochef turns into edible food? a ‘of Known Spee, a exh of he Ringword, fd a mp of the Great Oval Ocean — ‘ough why they aw fi to change the dis- tances and geographic relationships Niven created is beyond me. ‘The contents are a briliant addition to the material in Ringword, despite some problems. The scenarios are (er can be) conned to the one presented in Ring- ‘word, and are just as plain. They have ‘thing 1 do with te kindof actives or ‘excitement in Niven's novels. The art and ‘raphics are very good, although for some Featon two different pestle and formats ‘are used inthe book, whichis rather con fusing. Perhaps an hommage to Grifia Mountain? if you've got Ringword, you realy sould have this book, even Bough i Tings your tual investment op 10:35. ‘och the high rie of having fun these ays. Steve Peterson A Missed Bet Really. the Ringworld universe is not an ally good roleplaying situation in theta ditional sense. Most of Known Space is t00 ‘civilized for true action and adventure, The Ringworid itself is "uncivilized" enough, bat the technology of the explorers is so much better that they can walk ight over most native teas, Think of starting out your D&D adventurers in a first level dungcon, only the fadventurers are armed with +5 armor and vorpal swords. You'd quickly get bored. However. the Ringworld game is a good simulation, because the characters inthe ‘tories were much more powerful than the sates. But the ehallenges of he Ringword Sories arose from situations that could Tangled wah 2 Tasight sr ova varie ssword. Those neat weapons didn't mater when the whole Ringworid was falling into its sun, as in Ringworld Engineers. The characters had to solve problems with their heads, ‘not with their gadgets. Unfortunately. the authors of the Ringe world game miss that point entirely. They ‘come heartbreakingly close when they include 2 section on Ringworld mysteries — they dis- ‘euss many ofthe very important questions eft ‘unanswered in the books. But they fll short when they doa’ tte you how to use those mysteries to create scenarios Plotlines ‘The Ringworld campaign 1° like 10 run ‘would be a "third novel” in the Ringworld se- fies. I'd bring the characters tothe Ringworld ‘nce again, with some ARM or Kzinti or Pup- peteer plot behind the expedition, and then reveal some of the Ringworld mysteries (while creating more questions, of course). Then the characters have to deal with some universe- shaking problem. lke the return of the Slavers for the arrival of the Proteciors. Ringworld is the perfect senting for such epic plots. How- ever, the scenario included in Ringworld (only fone!) is very pedestrian — characters spendwo years gorting to the Ringworld, get shot ‘down by the meteor defense, and are stranded. ‘The big excitement comes when they get to do «research project to find out they can't fx the hyperdrive. Ho hum, "More tothe point, nowhere does the game discuss events that happened in Ringworld or Ringworld Engineers. The events in those novels ave a tremendous effect on any future Ringworld expeditions, or adventures in Known Space, for that mater. Ringworld adventures that don't take those events into ac ‘count don't make much sense — they fel hol Tow. Where's the writeup for Louis Wu or mee, who are sill on the Ringworid and ‘would certainly interact with the characters? ‘What about the UN goverament or the Patriar~ chy? Wouldn't they be interested in another Ringworld expedition? These are annoying “Ringworld mysteris."” Consumer Report: All ofthese complaints can be fixed with litle work on the partof the GM. Overall, the authors have done a very good job making a roleplaying game out of Ringworld. The tech nology is suitably deadly, the background is well detailed, andthe creatures are thoroughly described. The Ringworld game is defintely rot for beginners. though. With a $25 price tag, it's not much of a bargain unless you're prepared to do some work, oF unless you're a real Niven fan. The technology isso advanced that you really can't use it in Traveller or Space Opera or Star Frontiers, but the aliens STATE OF THE ART ROLE-PLAYING Games $12.00 suggested retail What Niven Thinks About Ringworld Niven himself is not_an experienced roleplayer; he's seen the Ringworld game, ‘bat "some of it is too technical for me. ‘What I understand, I like."” Niven spoke swith Space Gamer long-distance from bis ‘home m Tarzana, California. ‘Are there any features of the geme he ‘specially likes? “T haven't studied it — ‘but I can see I've been studied 1 know for about a year people [the designers} would ‘come up 10 me at conventions with questions about Known Space that would take ‘up an hour or more.” And was it worth it? don't know. I haven't played the game. [But] the LASFS (Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society) has a group that games ‘once a month; I gave it over to them io test, and they tell me it plays well.” ‘What ifthe Chaosium wanted to publish ‘a Ringworld scenario giving an explanation for some fot Known Space “mystery"? Would Niven allow it? “They and animals presemed will work well in any ‘science fiction game with some adaptation “My recommendation: Niven fans should buy it forthe essays and background materials. Role- players should be prepared to do some work ‘on scenarios: but if you do, you'll have some terrific roleplaying in a beautifully deulled ‘world. Science-fiction gamers who want to use it for source material probably won't get their 's worth, EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT.. TIMEMASTER™ ROLE-PLAYING GAME Adventures Crossed Swords ‘The Cleopatra Gambit Missing: PT 109 (TIMEMASTER Screen) CHILL” ROLE-PLAYING GAME Adventures: Village of Twilight Highland Terror Castle Dracula (CHILL Seren) FROM cesette Adventures $600 suggested retail ‘Available through your local hobby store or from Pacesetter. Ltd. Dept M POB 451 Delavan, WI 53115 ‘Add 1.50 postage and handling when ordering from Pacesetter. 7 © i924 Pacesees Li. All Rights Reserved, bought the rights, so I certainly couldn't stop them. Anything they guess at is their ‘own problem." He himself, though, would ‘ot fel bound by anything 2 game scenario established. "This brought up the obvious question: ‘Will Niven write any more Ringworld sto ries or scenarios? “To the best of my Knowledge. there will be no more Ring- ‘world books — and no Ringworld scenarios written by Larry Niven directly. But sometimes my subconscious plays tricks on sme; who knows?” AL any rate, i seems Niven isn't quite done with the Keown ‘Space universe; he’s thinking of buying fights to Ringworld background author John Hewit’s essays on the Kzinti, and ‘assigning the information to other writers 1 produce 2 series of siories on the Man/Kzin Wars. Stand by for funber developments. The Editors RINGWORLD (Chaosium, Inc.) $25 Designed by Jon Hewitt, Sherman Kakn, and a host of others. Four 846" x 11" booklets, a Reference Sheet, 27 standup ‘cardboard figures, 2 rwentv-sided dice, 2 sicsided dice, | eightsided die, boxed. Playing time and number of players indef rive. Published 1984. aNEW GAME (Ce om od to ship combat en ciae ete) cam Say : eC a Cay Pa acid Pe ee Pee nat AU ee era Sen ee mre) Rr Aa RO tee) if your ship wins it will grow RCC ee ci See Cn six (6) different polyhedral dice. a game map. and rule booklet. Caan a ee) eee) eat Dpto cere eee era : i Call (405) 226-3463 or (405) ne TORT _RBecaavisT 226-5188 of to avold COD patos PQ: Bax 2 charges sand check or mon : a ‘order only of $7.00 plus $1 Cty Ares. pes sue —A2___ shipping/handling to: Spacey Troe $602.) <4 a+2 Gamey” , 1220 Hargrove, ‘Ardmore, OK 73401. Oklahoma residenis add 3% sales tax ee ee‘As one of many gamers who thought Meta- gaming's Fantasy Trip was the only really playable FRP system, I was prety upset athe demise of Metagaming, and wortied more than T should have about whether there would lever be any new TFT material. Reluctandy, 1 began looking at other systems. I had already tried many of them and gotten no satisfaction, and most of the ones I found on sore shelves seemed no better. Then I happened on Tun rnels & Trolls, and realizod my ick had changed. T&T and TFT have an awful lot in com- ‘mon. Both require only ordinary, six-sided dice. Both are easier to learn than most other systems, Most importantly, both systems pos- ‘35a logical framework which makes it easy to apply & simple procedure — the saving roll = t0 any aumber of tasks in the game world. TAT is even more free-form, however, than TET: There is no need for a playing board 10 regulate movement, it is easier to anempt tricks and original stratagems in combat; and the monsters. can be easily adjusted to the powers of the player characters. Now that L have some experience as a GM, T ean accept this freedom a8 a positive value, and realize that in T&T T have found not a TFT substitute Dut a system with many unique virtues of its ‘When I first med 10 T&T, thovgh, 1 realized that my players would be more likely to uy iif allowed them to use their favorite TFT characters, so had to work out a method of convening TFT sats to T&T. ‘At frst sight, this task might seem simple: TET characters have ST (Strength), DX (Dex- terty, and 1Q (Incelligence); why nat jst roll for CON (Constitution), LK (Luck). and CHR, (Charisma) in order 10 complete their T&T profiles? This method did not strike me as fair. Imagine an experienced TFT character with ‘ST 20 rolling a5 for CON. In TFT, the char- ‘acter might have been used to charging reck- Jesaly at his foes. confident he could take on ‘almost anything. But in T&T he would be 3s afraid of facing trouble as & feeble old blind beggar. Clearly, he would not be the same character. TOM RILEY “The method I finaly setied on was to base CON, LK, and CHR on the average of a 366 roll and one or more TET attributes. Thus a character's TFT strengths (and weaknesses) would be carried over into T&T, but atributes could stil diverge markedly, a€ they are sup posed to in T&T. 1 base CON on ST because ST in TFT serves the sume purpose CON does in T&T; [ base LK on DX and 1Q because a nimble, clever TFT character tends 1 be luckier than his or her cohorts: and 1 base CHR on ST and 1Q om the theory tat fit, wity people are more attractive than oUt-of-shape ullards. (Most people who say muscles are ‘ugly — on women of on men — are just plain envious.) With a few more adjustments for race, possessions, and magic, this system achieves a fair and accurate translation from TET 0 T&T. “The steps in the adaptation process are as follows: 1. Find the number of attribute points the TET character has gained since entering the ame by subtracting his or her beginning at- {eibute total from the present total. From the result, subiract 2, chen 3, then 4, et. until the ‘next subtracted number would bring the result below zero, The last number you subtracted is ‘the character's TAT level. For example, TET human with attribute total 45 is 4 4ih- level character in T&T. 2, TET ST, DX, and 1Q equal T&T ST, DEX, and IQ respectively. 3. T&T.CON = (TFT ST + 346)2. T&T CHR = (TFT ST + 1Q + 26464. T&T LK = (TFT DX + 19 + 2464 4, TAT adjusuments for non-human races are now applied if the TFT character belongs 10 one of those races. However, in any case ‘where the ratio reduces an attribute, and where that auribute, in TFT terms, is less than 1 the difference between I and the TFT ate ute is added to the T&T ancibute afer the ratio is applied. Likewise, in any case where the a rato increases an anribute, and where tat ai ute in TET, is greater than 10. the difference ‘erween the TFT atcibute and 10 is subveacted from the TAT ataibue after the rat applied, Finally, after applying these adjustment. the GM should calculate minimum attbutes for the T&T races concerned, and make sure none of the character's atrbutes fall below these (TFT Reptile Men arc weated in T&T as permanent were-types, except that they retain their normal DEX and can stll use weapons. Friendly Reptile Men should be extremely rare in the T&T universe, TET Prootwaddles can safely be kept out of T&T altogether.) 5. T&T characters receive AP approp ‘o heir level, plus any TPT EP they have squirreled away. 6. Possessions are translated into T&T as nearly as possible. A magic saff in TFT is equaltoa T&T staff ordinate. A TFT staff-of- Power isa staff deluxe, but as yet possesses no spells its owner does not have. ‘There are few weapons in TFT that cannot be found in standard T&T. One exception is the boomerang, but itis not hard to come up with @ T&T equivalem for it. In TFT, a boomerang requires a ST of 11 and does as much damage asa light crossbow. If the GM assumes that a boomerang is similar in effect to a light crossbow in other ways. he might decide tat in T&T it does 4 dice damage, re- aires ST 11 and DEX 10, weighs and cosis about as much as a baton (20 WU, 10GP), and has about the range of a javelin (40 yds. This is just an example. and GMs may have other interpretations (especially if they are more familia with Boomerangs than 1). but it should not be difficult 10 come up with fair asess- ments. GMs may translate TFT magical items into TAT as they see ft — or simply declare that ‘he magic in the item has worn out. 7._A wizard whose DEX ot IQ. inherited rom TFT, is too low for a wizard in T&T has low attributes adjusted up to the T&T mini- ‘mum: DEX 8 and 1Q 10.Alien Worlds Every world is a universe. Every world is a unique and complex environment, and there are ‘thousands in the Traveller universe. Traveller boxed modules are designed to demonstrate the immense scope for adventure of a single world, described in detail. The world of the first module, Tarsus, has a gigantic axial tilt and a year only 70 days long, a diverse population with a lengthy history, and much more. Alien Minds. In Traveller, aliens aren't just people in funny suits. They're different in the way that's important to a roleplaying game: they come supplied with their own highly unusual thought patterns, customs, and civilizations. Each Traveller alien module describes one race in detail, including extensive explanatory material, a complete character generation system, and an alien Alien Mystery: The Secret of the Ancients: Who were the mysterious An- cients? They appeared suddenly 300,000 years ago possessed of unguessably high technology, ruled the known universe for a few thousand years, and then destroyed themselves in a great war which left behind the shattered remains of worlds. They carried humans to the stars, created the Vargr, and left behind a few puzzling artifacts. Each TRAVELLER: BeltStrike is the newest module; its subject is the sparsely settled Bowman asteroid belt, a lawless collection of (potentially valuable) rocks. It includes detailed information on Bowman's history, inhabitants, and mysteries, plus extensive rules for prospecting and mining the asteroids, Also included are a map of the asteroid settlement Koenig and four folders with scenarios ranging from a claim-jumping attempt to an archeo- logical dig. Each boxed module is $12. adventure. Asan covers a race of carni- vores, with males and females divided nearly into separate cultures: males are warriors, fighting ritualized clan wars, while females take care of almost everything else. K’kree (or Centaurs) are militant and aggres- sive vegetarians, their society strict- ly controlled with @ complex caste system. Their social unit is not the individual, but the ““family”” with members of several castes; each player controls a “family” Each alien module Is $6. known Ancient site is different, as if there were hundreds of independent super-races, each with its distinctive technology, but everything fits the hands and bodies of the Droyne, an unassuming race inhabiting a few worlds in the Spinward Marches. Who were they? Why did they disappear? A band of adventurers has the chance to find out as they discover a functioning Ancient base. The Secret of the Ancients: an adventure for Traveller. $5. Game Designers’ Workshop P.O. Box 1640 Biocmington, linois 61702-1646 GDW Write for our free catalog.8. If TET wizards have spells similar ¢9 higher-level T&T spell, and if they have the DEX and IQ to cas those spells, they are awarded those spells fre of charge. Likewise, any heroes with spells in TFT become T&T rogues, and get the equivalent spell they ready possess if they have the DEX and 1Q to use them. Wizards naturally inberit all the Level | TFT spells, but rogues do not 9. TET heroes without any spells must choose whether they will be warriors or rogues in T&T. The GM may allow qualified heroes to become warrior-wizards Now that the guidelines are spelled out, let's take atypical TFT character and see how be converts to T&T. Our convert is Arkebus, an Elvish Wizar, TFT Character Record Name: Arkebus. Race: Elf ‘Type: Wizard ST 12. Spells and Talents: DX 12 Human, Elvish, Literacy; Light 1Q 14 ning, 4-Hex Mlusion, Glamor, MA I2 Curse, Sleep. Summon Bear, Reverse Missiles, Dazzle, Fie, Aid, Staff, Detect Magic EP =32 Possessions: Labyrinth Kit, 2 Rations, Staff, 2 GP, 30 SP. Step 1: Atkebus stated with 32 atribute points. He now has 38.38 — 32 = 6.6-2= 4.4=3= 1,1 = 4 = =3. Since subtracting 4 brought the tral below zero, we disregard the 4 and go back to the 3 subtracted before ‘Arkebus i 4 3rd level character. Step 2: Right now, Atkebus has TFT ST 12, DEX 12, and 1Q 14. ‘Step 3° Arkebus roils 11 on 346, then ‘averages this roll with bis ST for a CON of, 11.5. Rounded up, this gives him a CON of 2. ‘Arkebus rolls 346 again, and gets a 4. He wulplies this by 2, adds his ST and 1Q, and divides by 4. Result: CHR = 8.25. Rounded up, CHR ‘Arkebus rolls 346 a third time and gets @ 12. He multiplies by 2, adds DEX and 10, and divides by 4. Result LK = 12.5, rounded up to 13, ‘Step 4: The TFT Peters-McAllister ratios for Arkebus" Elvish heritage are applied. ST 12, 19 = 21,LK = 13, CON = 8, DEX 18, and CHR = 18, However, because Arke- bus! TFT 1Q was already 4 points over 10, his TAT IQ = 21 ~ 4 = 17. Likewise, his DEX = 182-16 Step ‘5: Arkebus’ AP tial = 3,000 (Gecause he is level 3) + $2 = 3,082. Step 6: ln exchange for his labyrinth kit, ‘Arkebus might be given the standard T&T clothes and pack. His two rations might be worth two days’ provisions. His magic staff is TAT salf ordinate. And be has 2 GP and 30, SP. ‘Step 7: Not applicable to Arkebus. ‘Step 8 In adétion 10 his Level 1 spells, ‘Arkebus might be given Blasting Power (L3) for TFT Lightning, Rock-A-Bye (L3) for Sleep, Curse You (L2) for Curse, and Mirage (12) for 4:Hex Mlusion. Although he has the DEX and IQ to leam LA spells, none of his TFT spells parallel them, so he doesn't get them. (And ifhe wants to buy them, he'll have to increase his assets considerably), ‘Step 9: Not applicable to Arkebus ‘The final result: T&T Character Record Name: Atkebus. Type: Wizard, Kin: Elven male. Level: 3rd ST12 1917 IK13_ CONS DEX 16 CHR 18 ADDS 5 ‘Weight Possible: 1200 ‘Weight Carried: 132 Gold: 2 GP, 30 SP. AP: 3,052 ‘Weapons: Magic Staff (Quarter Saif, 2D, ‘Costs 10, weighs 50) Armor: None’ Languages: Eivish, Common, Dwarvish, Goblin (the ast two rolled randomly from the Language Table). ‘Magic: All L1 spells, plus Mirage (2), Curse ‘You (12), Rock-A-Bye (L3), and Blasting Power (13) ‘Other Possessions: Clothes and pack (10 WU), 2 days’ provisions (40WU). “Askebus’ height and weight can easily be rolled up without reference to his TET exis- tence. And if his brother Arbeles a warrior wants to keep his TFT skills, they can easily be Adapted into T&T with the sil system from ‘Mercenaries, Spies, ond Private Eyes. (Any TET skills without specific MSPE equivalents ‘can be treated as Special Interests). V think ‘Arkebus and Arbelest will enjoy their adver ‘ures in the T&T universe, and I believe they ‘can carry on their careers from TFT with a minimum of system shock. Moreover, do not think the two Elves will be alone in their new- found gaming pleasure. o s- --. And Adapting Them Back Again ‘Characters who have found and enjoyed, adventures in the T&T universe may none- theless not want to stay there forever. Pes haps they eft frends inthe world of Cid. Perhaps they have a favorite Microquest they're dying to get back to. Or perhaps ‘things are just geting to hot in a world of MR270 Flame Demons. Whatever the rea- son, players may want to convert their ‘characters from T&T back to TFT. (ln my ‘campaign, for insiance, Tam using T&T for PEM encounters and both T&T and TET tor face-to-face play.) The reconver sion is not difficult at all. ‘An imporant diflerence between the 0 systems is that T&T tends toward bigger numbers. Weapons do more damage, amor ‘Stops more hits, magic costs more ST, and, ‘once characters have begun to advance, at ‘ibutes increase to much higher levels. ST ‘@) characters are quite common in TAT: ia TFT, the suggested natural lid on the ST of thurman characters (30 pts.) is rarely needed, for few characters even get that strong. (The T&T character will need this extra ST, and it can be argued that ST 60 in T&T is ‘actually equivalent to, say, ST 25 in TFT). The point is that, once a character reaches the higher levels of T&T experience, high attributes eannot be transposed unchanged imo TFT. ‘The fae thing to do is to keep a copy of your TFT character sheet once you have ‘finished transiting imo T&T. Every time your T&T character goes up e level, add ‘ne attribute point 19 his or her somnolent TET counterpart. If T&T level bonuses 89 to ST, DEX, of IQ, add the point othe cor- responding TFT atribut; if CON, add to TFTST. Ifo LK, add either TFT DX oF 1Q (player's choice; if to CHR, add either to ST or 1Q (again. player's choice). ‘The basic rae is that after some time inthe T&T world, one T&T character level ‘equals one TFT atibute point — a conver son factor which allows 9 fair balance between systems. (And if you choose the T&T option which allows you to add to ST ‘and CON, be careful to add only one point to your TFT ST.) ‘Conversion of property, spells, and skils ftom T&T to TFT requtes the old zamer’s standby, common sense, Just re- Verse the guidelines in the main article. T&T Adventure Points and TFT Expe- rience Points may be considered roughly ‘equivalent, s0 points gained in a quick ad- Venture in one system may benefit the character inthe other system, ‘Soe the first warrior on your continent to go through both Deathtrap Equalizer and Death Test. And don't be surprised when the innkeeper says: “There's something strange about you, traveller.” Tom RileyAIDING THE OMnOCAWAVE ANALYSIS AND STRATEGY BY PHILIP RENINERT Steve Jackson's long-awaited expansion set for Ogre/G.E.V. has been published. 1's called ‘Shockwave, and it includes a bunch of new ‘nits and scenarios (also 2 new map which fits ‘onany side ofthe G.E, V. map). The new units introduced are the cruise missile, which comes ‘ona missile crawler (MSL CRWLR). the laser and laser tower, the light GEV (LGEV), the GEV personnel carrier (GEV-PC), the super heavy tank (SUPERHVY). and earine infan- tay. There ate also trucks and hovertrucks. but these are unarmed and tend to be targets only like to discuss how these new units interact cach other and the older units, and offer some strategy suggestions forthe new scenar ios. (And I'l be making a few comments on Phit’s ideas here and there — Steve Jackson.) WER UMTS: ‘The first and most devastating of the new nits is the crise missile. They cary fairly large nukes: They're what made the eraters on the Ogre map, When acruise missile goes off, everything in its hex is destroyed, and a shock wave is generated which atacks units up to 5 betes away, depending on unit type. I's easy to see that cruise missiles are death on everything, and especially on hover craft. However, there isa defense: You con shoot down the ervise missile before it gets to ‘you. When a cruise misile is launched, every ‘thing stops while the missile is moved, a hex at a time. If the missle passes within range of defending units, cach unit gets one free sex at it. The odds aren't very good, bu ifthe missile has travelled fr, it's easier to track and hit. IF crue missile ie hit, it's destroyed, but it has 2% chance of exploding in the hex where it ‘was shot down. ‘Sore things can be seen from ths: 1) Cruise missiles can be used in two ‘ways: Fly ino the target's hex and obliterate him for sure (if you make it), or detonate just ‘outside his range and kill him with the shockwave. The frst method will ppeal to gamblers: ‘The oxids will often be that your expensive cruise missile will be shot down, but if you ‘make it, you can wreak great havoc. The sec- ‘ond method is more conservative: There's no risk, but the damage will be less against anything except hovercraft; GEVs are excep- tionally susceptible to destruction by shoek- wave. It's clear that nai-biting decisions will ‘be made about whether to detonate now or 30, for one more hex. Cruise missles introduce a not entiely welcome element of “he whole ‘game on one big roll (actually alot of low= ‘odd rolls) into. Ogre/G.B.V., which has remained relatively free ofthis until now. 2) The distance a cruise missile flies i ex tremely important Infantry, for instance, is twice as likely to shoot down a cruise missile which has flown II hexes as one which has flown 10. A laser tower will esttoy 72% of ‘off-board cruise missles the instant they enter the map. Ifyou plan to attack with the shockwave, it doesn't matter, bu if you're going to give anyone a shot at your expensive cruise ‘missile, you must make every effort to launch it from within 10 hexes of the target. 3) Infantry has found a new purpose in life: shooting down cruise missiles. For the price, nothing is as good at it as infantry Every big. expensive unit needs an infantry MIESILE CRARILER 10 screen around it to help proteet it From mis~ siles. 4) For reference purposes, to have a 50% chance of stopping a eruse missile you need: (© 8 squads of infantry oF lage armor © A laser and 4 INF Ifthe missle has gone moze than 10 henes, 3 INF, ora laser and 1 INF. ‘An intact Mark IIL Ogre has a 79% chance of stopping a close-range cruise missile: this drops 0 60% if the Ogre's missles have been fired. For a Mark V, these figures are 97% and 77%. To turn this stound, a close-ange cruise missile has a 40% chance of destroying an otherwise intact missile-less Mark Ill Ogre 23% for a Mark V) if no other units are round 10 help the Ogre. A few squads of infantry or some nearby armor can be a big help here. '5) The shockwave/range ratings. (12., how strong an attaca cruise missile ean make without coming into range ofthe unit) of various units: © AllGeys 41 © LeTank 1 © nr 2 © MyyTank Ld (Other units can’t be shockwaved from outside their range. Cruise missles are expensive. For the price of three armor units, you get a missile Crawler (defense 2. moveinent I) carrying. a single crvise missile. When the missile is fired, what remains is an unarmed crawler {enovement goes up to 2) which you then try 0 evacuate off your board edge, since the enemy ‘counts one armor unit (6 victory points) if be day” work. “This is nota work for immature gamers, howe lever. Ebon Bindings is graphic nis descriptions Of various Demons and uals — Vd give ita “PGI” ating i were 2 Mlle, However, there has always been a sighy “grity” side 1 the religious fe on Tekumel and Fbon Bindings ca- Fleson tis wadition. Demons described include Missum, He Whose Name is Death, Master ofthe Forty Sih Cirle, Servitor ofthe Lord of Worms; Vela, The -Matd of Despaing Delight, Mistess ofthe Fit th Circle, She ofthe Thousand Acts of Lubricity: Geveshma’s, He of the Mound of Skulls; and others. Tht book Is another fascinating facet of ‘he EPTISAG game universe. and one well worth exploring f you're not faint of heart THE TSOLYANI LANGUAGE, VOLUMES 1&1 (Tokumel Games, Inc}; $11.95. Writen by MAR Barker Two 515” x8” 59. and 128:page books. Gaming supplements (OF the Empire of the Petal Throne and Swords & Glory roleplaying systems. Published 1978, “Totally the invention of MAR. Barker, the languages of Tekurnel add an extra dimension 10 the EPFIS&G games, 3 dimension missing from ‘many other gamer sich s Dungeons & Dragons, The Tselvani Language is meant for reat EPT fanatice — thove who want to get deeply ito the Universe of Tekumel. Not everyone will be inte- ‘ested in noun clases, quantifies, and personal atttude prefixes. However, even if you delve ‘nly britly into the language, twill certainly 2dd 22 new dimension of mystery and exetement 10 your game: Volume One is devoted to the basis ofthe ‘Teolyani language and includes discussions of Pronunciation and grammar. This is followed by {in excellent section ealed "A Guide for Travel less” which features many stock phrases and an example of conversation. Referees and players should be able to employ many of there stock Drases, thus incorporating the language ito the {ame with 3 minimum of work Volume Two isan Engish/Tsolyani — Teolyanienglsh vocabulary. THs contains most(not all) ofthe words that one should need in ‘he course of any gaming situation. Theres ako a Section on the rghriove. linear Tsolyan serif ‘Aga, this could be alate to gaming use qule simply by wating English using Tsolyanileners — ding 2 puzzle tothe game. These volumes are highly technical and not for casual veading, Given Professor Basher’ lin- suite background, they are technically correct {and s lite dy). They are not meant for every gamer or referee, butt you want add an excep onal smount of realism toa game of FPTIS&G, ‘his will prove tobe an invaluable guide. "Me, masun umraraatekh gual dopa” DEEDS OF THE EVER-GLORIOUS: HISTO- RIES OF THE TSOLYANI LEGIONS (Tekurel Games, Inc), $7.95. Weiten by MAR. Barker. (One 51x84" 102-pape book. Gaming supple- rant for the Empire of the Petal Throne’ and ‘Swords & Glory roleplaying systems. ‘Deeds ofthe Ever Glorious outlines the histo ties of 85 of the legions in the Empire of Teolyanu. Mentioned here are the great Imperial, Legions, such as the Omnipotent Azure Legion the eves of the Emperon, The Fist Legion of EverPresent Glory, and The Legion of Potent Destiny, the Legions of the various temples — The Legion of Hala, Master of Light, The Phalanx of Loud Dultamish ofthe Roted Face; and the Legions of the various cites ~ Legion of Mighty Jala, te. ‘Legions in Tsolyanu ao raised in a varity of fashions: by direct Imperial writ, by individual ‘ovens of temples, and sometimes by individual Lords o Ladies. These Leglons become "pesoni= fied as time passes. Their deeds are recorded and sung about feasts are held in their honor. Legions may die in dishonor and be expunged from the Book of Records, or new Lesions may be bin, with es much joy a6 the bith of a new chil, Dads a fascinating supplement for EPT player. The other EPT supplement: and rule- Books have not really detaied the histories and personalities of these impotant_insttutions. Many of thete — especially the Omnipotent ‘Azure legion — play an important loin the day= to-day afairs ofthe Imperium. Deeds goes deep Inv the history ofthese various Legions — outline ing theirbinh,Imporant events, and how various Emperors and Empresses have influenced them oF abused them, ‘Deeds is an excellent supplement for those Involved with EPT/S&G. Much of the history Bivona be used in campaigns on Tekumel, 0 ‘embellish adventures, fil in backgrounds, tc. Highly recommended. PUBLICATIONS THE MAN OF GOLD (DAW Books) $3:50 writen by Profesoe MAR. Barker, One 367-page novel, set inthe universe of Tekuma, as popularized by the Empire of the Petal Throne and Swords & Glory roleplaying systems. Pub: ished 19, The Man of Golds the fs ofa series — may itbe a long one! — that takes place on the planet ‘of Tekumel. Iisa fie novel, much beter than ‘other effors to “novelize” roleplaying games, ‘2g, Andre Norton's Quag Keep of Rona fale’s Mazes and Monsters The sory concerns a priest of Thumis fone of the “Lords of Change”) named Harsan. Harsan a scholar, a student of languages — especially of the “dead language of Llyanl an ancient empire ‘ofthe planet Tekumel, Harsan ges caught Up in the quest forthe Man of Gold —an ancient ech- nological device of unknown powers. The Baron Of Yan Kor is seeking. revenge upon all-of Teolyanu and has launched an allour military tack "with his own ancient technological ‘weapon. As the book progresses, Harsan is Caught in a mysad of ples and counterploss Invoiving those who are tying to help or hinder the quest, Many of the names familiar to players Of EPTIS&G ~~ General Keto, Prince Eselne, Prince Ohichne, the Baron of Yan Kor ~ are 2 countered a5 the Book progresses. Harsan also travele to several famout sites of the game-universe, inluding one ofthe Underwords [enjoyed this book immensely. It made Tekure! come alive for me, more alive than any of the other source materials I've seen. It is expecially useful in “showing how diferent ‘Tekumel is from our own society. For example, ‘one of the main characters is "siafigured’” in the a captivating novel ‘Tekumel is a distant world populated by humans who have, over thousands of years, built up a vast legacy of lore filled with gods and ‘demons, alien races, and mon- archs ancient, medieval, or still Ibis the setting of the inning fantasy-role game, Created and masterminded by MAR. Barker. Follow now the quest of Harsan, acolyte of the temple of Thumis, ashe goes forth to seek a forgotten empires super- weapon, known only asthe Man of Gold... DAW SUPERSTAR/$3.50 “The Excusive Scenca Fiction and Fantasy Lines Selectod by ‘DONALD A, WOLLMEINA DAW. FANTASY yes of her society by something that we would Steept as commonplace. “The only complaint I've heard about he book Isthat some feel that you need to have played the sume (or have some familiarity with Tekumel in ‘order to understand fully all that oceurs. While it ig tue that thee is no separate inoduction designed to fll in background, the story itself xp sins al “reign” terms anda good poron of ‘Telumel’s history and customs. itmay ake few hundred pages 10 get it all, But the time spent ‘well worth Gy "bravo" © Professor Barker and Impa- sionly await the next Tekumel novel, lamesong. you love the fantastic Fiction ofA, Mere, Clark ‘shin Smith, or lack Vanes, you wil find anew love in The Nan of Gold. An excellant fst navel and another fascinating facet of one man’s un verse — the Empire of the Petal Throne THEMIAN OF GOLD JAR. BARKER Tekumel:The Empire of the Pata Throne Distributed by NEW AMERICAN LIBRARYTHE JOURNAL OF TEKUMEL AFFAIRS/THE TEKUMEL JOURNAL (Tekumel Games, Ine): ‘Salyer, Edited by Jeff Barry. Published se times 2 year. Gaming magazine devoted tothe Empire Of the Petal Throne and Swords & Glory role. playing systems. “The ournal is a periodical that has appeared sporadically so faras Ive been able 10 deter- rine! since 1977. Recently, it was acquired by Tekumel Games, the new gaming company that is devoted to products reloted to the EPT/SEG roleplaying systems. ‘Volume Il, 2, the isue reviewed, i a rans tion isu — thee are thee diferent ypelacesur- ted in the magazine! The magazine features lew pieces of artwork, made up of 16 xeroxed ages, s stapled, and has many handwrien page humbers, “continued roms” Now, from the above description, i¢ would sound asf completely panning the magazine, However, as sated, this fs tansiion sue — probably rushed out in order to meet on Origin ‘04 deadline. Once you get pas the production problems, you'll find an invaluable source of ideas and materials about Tekumel. For example, the lead aticls is a description of “The Temple ‘of Karakan,” by none other than MAR. Baker imei. The atcle is more than a rehash ofthe Information given in the various editions of the ‘les — it contains much new information, espe Cally specifies on the Temples and ries of Karakan, War God ofthe Lords of Sabilty ‘Also of use is an article on New Magical Items for EPT" by Mark Penigrew. Fieen new ‘magic items are listed, with physial descriptions, explanations of special powers, and statistics for “gaming” the items. Especaly amusing "The Marvellous Inkpot of Gratis the Wise” and ‘Ae Chol warrior, from Qadardaliko “The Talisman ofthe Blue Lady." Other articles Include a description of armor and some brief ‘ews items that could be nicely worked fo 20 ‘ongoing EPT campaign. “Tekurel Games has 2 few back issues stil available. The company plans to issue 2 single- ‘olume "Best of he Journal” that would include the most uieful and interesting tems. from past Tssues, Submissions 10 future issues are being eagerly sought in Sum, 9 useful item especially ifthe com pany can overcome production and transition problems and son puting out an item of higher production quality. Well wort looking at MINIATURES QADARDALIKO! ("The Great War") (ekumel Games, inc: $9.95. Designed by fell Bary and MAR. Gatker. One 8" x 11" .page book, Foran indefinite number o pay es, playing time indefinite. Published 1983. ‘Not being 2 miniatures but, and having been asked to concentrate on items useful for the Foleptaying versions of EP, | can't really com- ‘ment dretly on the quality ofthese rules. How: ever, Qadardaito is a wellpredced rulebook, vwellweten, and e3sy to understand. Athough | 2 sill not minitures bull | understand that panicular gaming passion alot more row. “This book dots have some use for RPGs. It describes the Armies ofthe Five Empires the a ‘les of the various nonhuman races: and 3 lage fhumber of tacical and sialic maneuvers and formations, The book s embellished with 3 large numberof beautiful lustrations of various ma tial scenes Spells employed onthe bated are described, and naval bates and equipment are mentioned, “The book can be applied to the EPT roleplay: ing game in a variety of ways, Descripfins of rly equipment are ceralniy usetul; depic tions of all ofthe Human Empires and most othe ‘ronhuman races ctainly come in handy. Aref. ‘ree willing to work ean adapt the description® of naval batles ard banle magic to a roleplaying Situation. ‘Qadardalkol is thus a mixed blessing to £PT IRPGers. Most ofthe information pertains to miniatures, and will most likely be useless. However, there is much usetl stuff for those who are wi Ing to work a litle THE ARMIES OF TEXUMEL (Tekumel Games, Inc: Volume | — Tsolyanu (WA.. Barker and Cary Rudolph, $4.95, 1981), Volume ll — Yan Kor and Alles (Barker and Rudolph, $4.95, 1981), Volume I~ Mu’Upatavya (arker and Bob Brynaldson, $3.95, 1983), Volume IV. — Salareya (Baker and Brynaidson, $3.95, 1983), Volume V — Livyanu and Tsol| (Baier and Brynaldson, $3.95, 1963). Five 4" x 11" books. Foran indefinite numberof payers; playing time indefrite ‘This: fvevolume series Is designed prima rly for use. withthe -EPT mioiatures” rules (Qidardalikes, Each volume describes the armies of one or two Tekumelani empires: Fist itgives 3 {general description, then i aiscuses each of the Various legions — eg, Tsolyanu's “Ormipotent ‘Azure Legion,” Mu'Ugalavja's "Verillion Ba talon,” and s0 on, llusation are provided for ‘many ofthe ypes of soldiers, showing diferent armament, vations between legions et. Finl- iss each volume provides a punting guide keyed 10 the illsvation, including color guides to the ‘avious nonhuman races. ‘Although much ofthe information provided is a eyed for use with Qadardalil, there are some items useful to 2 reeree ofa roleplaying game. Names, locations, and strengths of various lesions Can be used in encounters or rumors. Ref frees can use the illustrations and painting guides ot oly or painting miniatures, but ast help in descibing people that players encounter ‘Volumes 1 and i ae typeset using 2 fal clean, readable typeface. Later volumes use 2 dor ‘marrx prnface which is almost unreadable in Several places. We may hope future editions will be reset using a more readable type. ‘This-can be a sell tem i you're willing to ig out the information for RPG scenarios. Other ‘wisa, you can probably skipit and your eampai willbe just 5 exiing Definitely 9 “look belo buying item, PT Miniatures (Tekumel Games, Ine. prices vary fror 608 to $35. Sculpted by’ill Murray, “Tom Myer, lef Barry, and Brian Apple, Produced in 1983. Tekurel Games ' producing quite line of ERT rriniatures. Currently for soon to be) avail ‘ble ae afl ine of Tsolyani, Yan Koryani and ‘Ma'Uglavyani military figures 2 number of fHendly nonhurnans (Shen, Pe Cho, et several tnfiendly nonhumans (Su, et); tree ereatres; ‘nd four cleisl figures. | purchased a variety of Tsolyani military fig. resto Black Ssu, a Huss, and a priestess of ‘Avanthe, The miniatures are 25mm in sale, and ‘arericelysculped. Most do noteeauie assembly ae Seu and one ofthe mltary figures come in ‘wo pieces, and only the Hluss came in more than two ports. Each miniature was fee of fash, Fighly detailed, and painted up nicely and clean: hy Problems withthe line are few. There isa pre: ponderance of miliary figures, mosy because the fgures are primarily meant for use in the vniatues game Qudardalikol. There are no lian” miniatures townspeople, generic” ‘adventurers, etc) as yet, and only three females (a Driestess of Avanthe, a priestess of Dlamelish, and ‘59 A‘idani with 2 javelil. Tekumel lends tell to beautifol miniatures, what withthe elaborate costumes worn by the Briess and priestesses and the detailed armor ‘worn by the military. is nice to se that Tekumel ‘Games has been able to care this beauty nto the miniatures. Future Tekumelrelated products include 2 series of adventure modules designed for begn- ning gamers. By the ime you finish these sarer ‘modules, you will be familiar with roleplaying and with the world of Tekumel. Other future Teleares include an intioductory version of the Source Book, more miniatures, more adventure ‘modules, nd acolection ofthe best ails rom past sives of The Tekume! oural, ‘Outside submissions for The foural, mod. ules, adventures, and supplemens are’ being sought “To otder protic fom Tekumel Games, In, senda check forte amount ofthe product) plat TO% for shipping and handling wo “Tekurnel Games, Ine. 1278 Selby Averue ‘St Paul, Minnesota $5104 Copies of The Man of Cold should be available at your local bookstore. To order By taal, send $3.50 per copy, plus $1 for shipping ‘nd handling. to: DAW Books, Ine New American Library P.O. Box 999 Bergenfield, New Jersey 07621COMPANY REPORT Tékumel Games, Inc. ‘Tekumel Games, Inc. is a company dedicated to the promotion ofthe game warld of Tekumelceaed by Profesor MAR. Bakar and fist brought tothe public eye in 1975 in the game Empire ofthe Petal Throne. Working in cooperation with Gamescience of Gulf- port MS and Professor Barker, Tekumel Games is developing and producing a number of Tekumel-elated items Since Tekumel Games is based in the Twin Cities, we have direct. access to Professor Barker. The company policy isto do everything. ‘possible to insure that all Tekumel Games products are fully com- patible with the “real” world of Tekumel as envisioned by Professor Barker. To enhance this process, Professor Barker isa member of the company’s Board of Directoss, giving him direct and quick access to the workings of the company. This access has also been extremely helpful to Tekumel Games, enabling the company not only to insure Broduet authentic, bu alo giving us ready accesso a valable Tekumel Games carries a diverse line of products. We offer a bimonthly magazine, The fmperial Courier. This journal of things Tekumelani includes studies of languages and scripts, suggested rules for covering things such as the Hirlatke arenas and military ser- vice, war news, chronicles, new races — anything on Tekumel, This magazine replaces The Journal of Tekurel Affairs and The Imperial Miltary Journal. Both these earlier magazines have been absorbed into The Imperial Courier. Also, a “Best Of" compilation is being prepared from these earlier magazines. We cary the entire line of Tekumel miniatures, not only the line previously offered by Old Guard and Ral Partha, but new figures as ‘well, with more planned. The Northwest Frontier maps give the er- ran for the batlefields of the great war between Tsolyanu and her northern neighbor, Yan Kor, to be complemented in spring of 1985 by the Northeast Frontier maps In non-military marters, we have The Book of Ebon Bindings, the definitive work on religion, magic, and demonology on Tekumel. The language of Tsolyanu, the largest and greatest empire on Tekumel, is presented in 2 two-volume work entitled, logically, The Tsolyani Language. In addition, The Tsolyani Primer offers a course ‘on "*basie Teolyani in 17 easy lessons" in a less technical, though less complete, manner than the Language volumes. Tekumel Games is a young company, having incorporated only earlier this year, withthe support of the new Gamescience products and the fist Tekumel novel, The Man of Gold, we have a strong ‘growth potential. We are actively seeking submissions of any sor relating to the world of Tekumel, and expect to be limited only by what we can afford to do at one time. Thanks to the support of ‘Gamescience and Professor Barker, we are in a very trong position regarding Tekumel, and we hope to continue making more and more of the world of Tekumel available, ‘Michael Momard, President TTekumel Games, Inc. THE WERGAD EMPIRE WAS AT THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE. IT WAS THE STRONGEST AND WEALTHIEST — AND RULED ALL OTHERS. AT THE HEAD OF THE EMPIRE WAS DUNCAN MACLUIA. HE WAS DESCENDED FROM A LONG LINE OF WARRIORS, ALL OF WHOM ADDED TO THE FAMILY'S HOLDINGS THROUGH INTELLIGENCE, CUNNING, STRENGTH AND BRAVERY. HIS WIFE, VERA, WAS WEALTHY IN HER OWN RIGHT. TOGETHER, THEY HAD ‘THE STRENGTH OF INHERITED WEALTH AND TRADE; AND THEY WERE ABLE TO GOVERN ALMOST AN ENTIRE UNIVERSE WITH A STRONG, BRILLIANT HAND. .. IT WAS THE LONG AWAITED DORTCHIAN RISING AND REPRESENTATIVES FROM ALL PARTS OF THE EMPIRE HAD GATHERED FO} R THE HOLY CELEBRATION. AFTER THE FINAL RIGHTS AND PRAYERS HAD BEEN GIVEN, ALL RETIRED. DURING THE “SLEEP”, DUNCAN AND VERA WERE MYSTERIOUSLY MURDERED. .. ‘A Computer Moderated PBM of Science Fiction Planets and be creative. and Fantasy. Command Starships, Conquer $12.00 for Rulebook and your first excursion Into THE ULTIMATE $3.00 per NO HIDDEN CHARGES, DISCOVER THE LON ADVENTURE move |G LOST PLANET FOR A CASH REWARD. SHANNONDATA P.O. BOX 208 « UNION 3 CITY, GA. 30291by Walt Mizia ‘The most neglected weapon in Star Fleet Battles is xe mine. Be ita devastating nuclear space mine or a mere transporter bomb, this ‘orphia offers a muldiude of tactical options to the player who can be creative with the rules By making the most of each ship's mine load, ‘you can increase your combat potential signfi- ‘cantly — and surprise your opponents, “There are many different types of mines available in the Star Fleet Battles arsenal ‘This article will deal withthe two types nor rally carried by mos starships: the nuclear spice mine (warhead strength of thiry-five damage points) and the lowly transporter bomb (T-bomb), which does ten points dam- ge. Background ‘The normal mine load of staships in Star Fleet Battles is twelve transporter bombs per Ship. Romulan War Birds, War Eagles, and ‘helt derivatives also pack a nuclear space ‘mine. Mine layers have varying mine capaci- ties, depending on the class of ship. You can lay an effective minefield using the normal mine complement of an average starship. A ‘euisersized ship carries a forward shield of bout tity boxes. One T-bomb will puta sub- stantial dentin this most important shield. A. clear space mine will take it out completely ‘Starships lay mines in two ways. Small Figure 1 Mine Laying. The £3 and shields are dropped to allow the transporters to place T-Bomb ou fo 2 range af five exes, Other mines canbe oped ott ofthe shure bays withthe shields up ifthe drop i prep IN ae FLEET BA aoe mines ee as transporter bombs are transported up to five heres from the ship, using one transporter per T-bomb (Figure 1). A Shield must be dropped for the entre aura to ‘use this method, and this condition must be n- nounced to the opponent. ‘While in most cases shields away from an cenerny’s line of fire can be safely dropped for lwansporter use, two weapons, the Hydran Hellbore and the Enveloping Plasma Torpedo, can thwart this tactic. Either ofthese weapons ‘will affect all shields of a target simultaneous- ly. However, the Hellbore requires two turns to load and fire, while the enveloping Plasma Torpedo takes three turns. The mine laying player ean wait fora reloading turn to safely ‘rop masked shields, "when faced with an enemy that can use multiple eaveloping weapons with staggered Toading eyeles to provide complete coversge every tur, the mine layer has two options eof up tho general shield reinforcement to mitigate internal damage through the open shield; or forego using transporters to place mines, relying exclusively on pre-ploted ‘drops through the shutle bays. ‘That's the other method. Mines can be dropped. in hexes that the starship passes through by dropping one mine per shutle bay cach tum. Shields stay up, but the mine henes ‘must be pre-ploted. You can drop both nuclear space mines and T-bombs this way. ‘Mines laid by starship inthe heat of batle normally operate in the automatic mode. Once sctivated, a mine will detonate if any moving object enters is own hex or the six hexes sur rounding it. All nits in this area suffer the full effects of the mine blast, Mines can also be designated o explode only when influenced by ‘specifi size of ship, ignoring any that donot ‘meet the criteria for detonation, Only one ‘mine per hex, per impulse, per influencing object can deronate. You should always use the secret placement option — otherwise, what's the point? ‘There are various ways o avoid detonating ‘mines. Stationary objects will not set off a ‘mine. Ships moving at five hexes per turn or less can roll a die to detormine if the mine ‘explodes. Ships may be able to avoid mines Depending on the ype of sip, its speed, and the number of imines, detection is possible from one to ten hexes away ‘Cloaked ships have cercin advantages and disadvantages when dealing with mines. A cloaked ship ean drop mines from its shutle bays into pre-ploted hexes. It can employ transporters to project T-bombs, bat this will void the cloak for the impulse the transporter is activated and the following impulse. Uncloaked ships must roll adie upon entering 2 mine detonation zone to determine if the ‘mine will explode. Rolling a one, of any num ber less than the ship's speed, will low up the ‘mine. Ships under the cloak get to ada three to their die rolls, reducing the chance of seting off the mine, However, cloaked ships lose the ability to detec neal Figure 2 “The Sanctuary. The placement ofthe mines allows a secret slo for frend ansit of the mine field Shute and fighters are In position to challenge itrers, Nowe tha his Tormation uses only the mines cartied by one average starship. 30The Fundamentals ‘The most common batle scenario is the ship-o-ship duel. A minefield can tip the ods ‘oward en opportunisie commander. Concealed by your batle maneuvers, planta secret garden of transporter bombs. By deft manipulation, you can coax your enemy to transit the mine field. Two or three collisions with T-bombs are not good for the forward shield Ifthe enemy vessel isa different size from your ovn, you can set the mines specifically for the enemy's starship class. Then you can cross the mine field freely. — and hope your enemy will follow. ‘A mine feld can be used 10 negate an enemy's strength. Ifthe enemy's strong suit is drones or fighters, a string of T-bombs pro- ‘grammed for these small units ean erase their threat in short order. The Sanctuary ‘The sanctuary tactic is used to gain a ‘breathing spel curing a battle. Hide behind it hil recharging plasma torpedoes; you pre- fer long-range battles, build a wall of mines to keep the enemy from closing in. ‘The sanctuary is setup by laying a string of mines to form a barrier Figure 2). The mines Should be thee or four hexes apt and at east two hex rows deep. Leave secret openings in the barre allow your forces to sally out for close assaults. Seal the flanks with mines laid at the end of the barrier and behind the prin- cipal mine lnc, to catch enemy ships making end runs, save some mines as a reserve for ‘opportune situations. Use fighters and shales to guard the mine lie and to serve as a reac- tion force to thvart penetrations. “The first time the enemy commander stum- bles into the sanctuary, he will hit few mines due to his ignorance of the situation. Just because he has alow, sloping forehead, don't think he ean be had the second time around, He will figure out counter-tctcs. So change the rules by using one of these variations on the sanctuary theme: The Hoax. Fake the laying of the mine field. Manewer frielly forees just a5 inthe basic sanowary scenario. Operate the friendly forces asia minefield were in place. Launch the fighters and shutles to patol the phony bari. The enemy's psychological fear of it ting what he cannot see will keep him fom pressing an attack. Afer observing. the Enemy's pattem of movement, drop the mines where he is sure to run into them. Don’t signal this drop in any overt manner; lt him find ou the hard way. Tre Slot. Lay he batier, but lave a wide slot for the fend forces to get uhrough the nine field. Be obvious as its location. ‘Temp. the enemy to use it and 0 attack through i ‘When he takes the bait, drop mines or trans port them in place From ships sanding by for Sich a purpose. The Misplaced Mine Field. Lay the mine field ten hones closer to the enemy than nor smal. Deploy you forces o deceive the enemy. Leave a few sally ports to run starship atacks through. IF the enemy uses standard senctuery fountersacties, he Will find out early in the battle where the real barrier is waiting. Inslt his intelligence when he blunders into the ‘mines, then finish him off. ‘The sanctuary concept lends itself to inf nite variation, These are examples of many possible mine deployments. The rule is, “Do the unexpected.” Mines as Anti-Drone Weapons Mines and transporter bombs canbe effective weapons against drones. All drones inthe mine's three-hex-wide area of effect will be destroyed. Ifyou set the mines to explode only ‘on drones, they woa't restrict your own move ment, I the attacker's drone wave isin 2 tight formation, one mine might take out the entire drone wave. There are various ways of apply ing mine tactics inthe ant-drone role. Drone attacks on the mine layer can be negated by allowing one of the batle line to 4rop is shield and lay a barrier across the line of approach ofthe attacking drone wave. ‘Another method of laying 2 barrier for @ static bate: all the ships advance in line abreast to the proposed barrier line. They all the intended barrier line, then the ships pro ceed to their bombardment positions (Figure 3). No shields need be dropped when laying ‘mine, nor need the enemy know mines are in place. The first wave of enemy drones will ‘waste itself on the secret mine barrier. A ship can be detailed to replenish the barrier with transporters as the original mines inthe barrier are used up. ‘A bate line can advance and use T-bombs against drones. Each ship in line abreast drops shield facing away from the enemy (e-., the number two shield). Each ship can place transporter bomb in front of his neighbor, in this case, tothe right, As the drones approach, they willbe killed wen they hit de T-bombs. Only the ship on the left end will be unpro- tected; it should be furthest from the enemy. "This same tactic can be used to Kill enemy fightors and shutles. Be sure to exempt this class of your ships from seting off the mines! Figure 3 “The Ant-Drone Bari. The mine layers 9 proach te itnded mine base, drop min io Sree peponed postions, do a high energy rn, tnd pecs wo bombardment poo foresee a Mines and Retreat Mines dropped in the path of pursuing ships can destroy the forward shields of the ‘chaser and break up the chaser's formation. Go to top speed, to force the chaser to stay ‘as close to the reteatng ships’ plomed courses 2 possible. Ifthe chaser is too far toone side, rake a few turs to bring him onto the same ‘course. If running at top speed, the chaser’s power will be used for movement, not for Shield reinforcement. lotall mines to drop ina string inthe path of the chaser (Figure 4). Only one mine ean Getonate on one ship per hex, so don’t drop al the mines in the same hex. Ifthe shields are ropped to transport T-bombs, you have to tel {your opponent the shields are dawn, so he may ‘suspect the trap, “Mines exert psychological influence far out cof proportion to their actual physical effet. ‘An enemy stung by a mine will be forever ‘mindful of the trick in fume high-speed chases. This to0 can be of use to the runner in those future retreats. Duplicate the condi- tions of the firs incident and the chaser will find himself spreading out his fleet (reducing the effect of his firepower by dissipation), reducing his speed, and increasing shield reinforcement (enabling a runner to increase his sistance). This psychological handicap may allow a runner that would fall easy prey to a etermined chaser to escape Conclusion Mines obtain their potency from a combi nation of surprise and uncertainty. An unex pected explosion on the forward shield can Shake the confidence of any commander; and ‘once mines ate known tobe in use, uncertainty ‘takes its toll, Precautions taken to avoid dam- ‘age hinder batle effectiveness. Power nor mally allocated for offense is transferred to shield reinforcement, Speed is curtailed to allow for mine detection, Pursuit ploting becomes an open invitation for a sting of mines to be laid in the path of the starship. Figure 4 A Surprte forth Chaser. Once te cater has gone pursipoting, the runner ean dopa tag ‘mies inte chasers pth ad ake oth forward Shel Drop one mine per he.Whispers of Things Lovecraftian TOME’s Cthulhu Modules by William A. Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu RPG has proven itself to be one of the most popular roleplaying games of recent years. A lot of ‘gamers, it seems, enjoy becoming Cthulhu- fodder. One mark of a Successful game is its ability t0 spawn licensoes — geme companies ‘other than the parent who pay forthe right to produce supplements and adventures for the ‘game. CoC has already spawned (hate 10 Sound repetitive, but the word is so apr for (CoC) one such licensee — Theatre ofthe Mind Enterprises, Inc., which has, to date, published four Scena‘io books for the game. One ‘of the more recent isa 70-page, three-scenario collection titled Whispers from the Abyss and Other Tales. Background Before examining this lates glimpse of ‘ancient horrors, brief profile of TOME might be in order. The name "Theatre ofthe ‘Mind” comes from Herman Hesse's Steppen- wolf in which a character sees the name on a sign'in an alley and finds himself mecting Goethe, who tells him the meaning of life ‘Before ‘being applied to the company, the name belonged to an “interactive theatre run by Larry Flournoy, whose artwork graces the ‘over of Whispers and other TOME books. (The theatre, TOME’s Steve Rawlings told ‘ue, continues under the name "Gaslight Mys: tery Theatre," and presents live mystery dramas in which guests come out of the audi fence and take part in solving the mystery at hand — very much like a roleplaying game.) ‘This theatre connection lives on in TOME's ‘senarios, all of which are divided into “Acts,” the characters described as the Cast," and soon. ‘TOME cuune into being in August of 1982, when the people who now make up the com: ‘pany — all with various talents in publishing, fart, ele, — joined forces to put together what they conceived as 2 different type of RPG scenario, one in which background detail would bbe emphasized. They decided on Call of (Ctfuilfus as the game best suited for this, and secured a contract from Chaosium to publish four scenarios: The Arkham Evil, Death in Dunwich, Pursuit 10 Kadath and, of course, Whispers From the Abyss. TOME’s offerings are all intended for CoC, though, in some instances, the Cthulboid ‘connection has been tenuous at best. (In one of the scenarios in Whispers, tere isnone atl.) This is a tendency for which TOME has re- ceived. some criticism. Arkham Evil was [probably the most Mythos-related product of the lot so far, its three interconnected scenar- fos featuring a mumber of standard Mythos ‘monsters and situations. The second TOME. adventure, Death ia Dunwich, was almost completely devoid of Cthulhoid trappings ex- = cept that Lovecraft's town of Dunwich was the setting for part ofthe scenario, a version ofthe (CoC Resurrection spel was in play, and there were several clues (red herrings, actually) that seemed to lead to answers of Cuhulhoid sign ‘cance, but which proved more mundane in uth. ‘Death was lambasted ina least one review for playing with the expectations ofthe investigators in such a manner. While this is valid ctteism, especially for Keeper running a ‘group of inexperienced players, the scenario ‘could also be viewed as an interesting change ‘of pace for experienced CoC investigators Ginilar to 2 couple in Chaosium’s The Asy- Jum and Cthulliu Companion). With a few ‘changes, it could even prove suitable for use ‘as an oveulcoriented scenario for such systems as Mercenaries, Sples & Private Eyes, Daredevils, ot Tri-Tac’s Stalking the Night Fantastic. ‘iil, it did introduce even more non-Cthulhoid occult influences — two warring fccult societies (one associated with the Bavarian Lluminati), zombies, and s0 on, ‘Pursuit to Kadath was TOME's worst of- fender in this regard. While the main scenario and shorter onus, The AllSeeing Eye of the Alskall, di have more Cihulhian references ‘than their predecessor — including Nyarlatho- tep, the A-aei, Yig, Father of Serpents, and a new Cthulhoid race, the Alskali (one-eyed ‘giant cyclops) ~ the mix of non-Mythos occult ‘materials was even more pronounced. Yig, in particular, was distorted almost beyond recog nition as far as any past Mythos references. The greatest criticism that can be leveled ‘aguinst this scenario, however, ists name: In the stories of Lovecraft and his imitators, Kadath was the mythical land of dreams — or 1 blasted plateau inthe cold waste — as noted in The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, Yet in Pursuit, the Kadath ofthe tle isa town in Turkey, not the Lovecraiian Kadath at all. According to Rawlings, TOME felt that a scenario set inthe surreal Kadath of the Mythos ‘would be to dificult oo right, s0 they opted for the more concrete seting of the “real” Kadath, The tte was not an intentional decep- Whispers from the Abyss Whispers from the Abyss and Other Tales, a leet in the title scenario, turns avay to an extent from the altered (or misleading) Mythos trend ofthe lst two TOME produts. I consists of three scenarios: On the Wings of Madness by Chip Bickley, De Schip Zonder Schadiew by Ed Wimble, and Whispers from the Abyss by Tom Bally. In all thes sce- ratios, TOME shows its commitment tem ‘asizing background data — expecially in De Schip Zonder Schadaw, which includes sev-eral lengthy sections of log entries ftom an ae~ tual book called Voyages 10 the East Indies. a Madness, the investigators must retrieve a stolen papyrus manuscript ofa version ofthe Egyptian Book of the Dead from its thieves aboard the German zeppelin Friedrich der Grosse, k's different from other CoC scenar- fn in that it takes place not inthe "20s, but in 1933, and almost entirely aboard the zeppelin ‘This has one obvious advantage in that gunplay must, of necessity, be kept to a minimum to avoid the untimely deaths of the players in a hydrogen fireball — a good way to Keep the scenario from degenerating into a shoot-'em- up, as can too often happen with “over- enthusiastic" (translation; gun-happy) play ters. The book includes a cardstock insert showing a sideview of the zeppelin, with Seckplans ofthe passenger gondola. Unforts- nately, other sections of the craft, where action may also occur, are not depicted. ‘This scenario isn't developed as well s it ‘could have been. The backgroud information describes two versions of the Book of she Dead, one a published version and the othe the manuscript; the text of the scenario itself is sometimes vague ot contradictory as to which is being referred to. Other than interacting with the passengers and crew of the zeppelin, and snooping around in other people's quar- ters, there isn't lot forthe investigators todo. ‘The Cuhulhoid tes are again somewhat tenuous, =the only actual Mythos connection being a ‘group of Byakhees kept in a secret compart ‘ment (a second compartment contains giant ‘cagles). There are some touches of humor here and there, and in the hands of a Keeper and players who enjoy roleplaying characters to the hilt the scenario could be enjoyable (as long as the Keeper is prepated to improvise 2 Jot). Stil, On the Wings of Madness isthe weakest of the three scenarios in the book. De Schip Zonder Schaduv is more intr esting in that player-characters actally find themselves trapped aboard the legendary Flr- ing Dutchman! This isthe longest ofthe three scenafios, and also the only one with no CCthuthu connections at all. Paradoxically. it proves tobe the most intriguing ofthe lot, and ice change of pace for veteran players. Cn ‘explaining way TOME's CoC scenarios often have 80 lite 1 do withthe standard Loveeraft Mythos, Rawlings affirmed that it was because so many players are so familiar with the Mythos, ether through the original stores oF the CoC rulebook, that TOME prefers to ex- plore variations on occult themes — not an ‘unreasonable consideration.) Schip stars out with another zeppelin cide, this time on the vessel Der Gross Kurfust Player-characters have been hired by a Mr. Feldspar (ihe patron in Death in Dunwich) for one of three purposes: 10 “recover” — ice, steal — a certain gem being transported aboard the zeppelin: t0 protect the gem; or they may simply be aboard the zeppelin for ‘other, unrelated reasons. Eventually, the investigators wil be throw together in a common sicuggle for survival when the 2eppelin crashes atsea, An old-time sailing ship near the site of the crash rescues" the characters, but things aren't quite what they appear to be, The char- ‘acters spend the rest ofthe adventure figuring ‘out just. what they've gotten themselves into ‘and how to extricate themselves from trouble. The back ofthe cardstock insert in the book shows the deck ofthe sailing ship, De Theis, ‘hough no interiors are depicted. As an added bonus, the scenario includes a section on gen 5 player-characters in CoC variations as “Politician”, ‘with several new criminaloriented_ skis ‘These are all note options, unofticil, ad lions to the rules, but they are helpful (0 Keepers and players. ‘The main problems in Schip are the organization of the background material and the slow development ofthe scenario once the players become aware of what's happened 10 them. While the extensive background on Captain Vanderdecken and his sip is intecest- ing itis not necessary to playing the scenario; ‘a simmary would have done jus as well. And the manner in which it is presente, spersed with passages about the zeppel ‘confusing at times. Sul, for those who don’t ‘mind the absence of the Mythos. this is pos- sibly the best scenario of the the. ‘The tile scenario, Whispers from the Abyss, will probably be the most satisfying for those who require at least some Cthulhoid traces in # CoC scenatio. It concems the dis- appearance of the colonists of Roanoke Island, ‘Virginia between 1587 and 1590, A number of Some People Hunt Ghosts We Exterminate Them... STALKING THE NIGHT FANTASTIC Stalking the Night Fantastic is a game of supernatural intrigue where players become agents of a super secret and sophisticated agency called “Bureau 13" roads of They travel the ‘America in search of the destructive forces of the evil of the 1980's. Stalking the Night Fantastic is the first role playing game to deal with modern magic, monsters. witcheraft, technology and 3001 Stalking the Night Fantastic $13.00 Tri Tac, Inc. P.O. Box 61 Madison Heights, 48071-0061 ichigan“answers” to this mystery have appeared in coccult, fantasy, and SF literature over the years, and it" seems only natural that a ‘Cihulhoid explanation would eventually be advanced (and that TOME would be the company to do it). Again, the Cthulhoid connection is vague, but itis there, in the form of a new Mythos creature, the Crowten. ‘One area where TOME's products have really improved over the first couple releases ‘sin arwork, The interior antwork on Arkham and, especially, Dunwich, was. atrocious. ‘While a couple ofthe illustrtions in Whispers ae rather crude, most are of professional ‘quality. Sadly. while the artwork seems 10 have improved, the text has deteriorated. ie eel Whatever new typeseting system TOME used {or this book produces text that is highly unat- tractive, and there are a great aumber of ‘ypos, transposed pages (49 and 30), completely dropped lines, and poorly justified ‘margins 25 well 'm hoping ths was a tompo- rary experiment and that in future publications TOME will go back to its old type style Whispers is the last of TOME's original four-scenario CoC contract, It won't be theit last scenario, however, as the contract has ap- parently been renewed and more TOME CoC adventures will be fortheoming. TOME has also obtained the rights to publish a series of, Napoleonic products and, among ether proj ect, has plans to go into miniatures, CoC will HE WEAPON 1 ne exctng new comeazer moderates, mt layer PSM gare of space expaaton. CGrovt ene Yolomacy Tnevense imine tans tan ants mane order wang the enue 9 ‘Site desig snvomps ram sma uout ves to wpe areadnaughtscontacnng THE WEAPON, te Inow awesome fore the unweree Gare rcludes Segoe laa Senses conduc. ae, aoocs ef wor ae shp snip comb THE WEARS sas co earh yer sastyngly complex Me Toit enpreaetatle rare ot utspayer quo THE WEAPON ns Beta tharougny iy este! a Stating poseons ae avaole NOW" Send $200 US fer ecules and more nox,
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