The Arduin Adventure Bibliography

Detail from the back cover of Michael Whelan's
Wonderworks: Science Fiction and Fantasy Art

Role-playing game bibliographies (or ‘Appendices N’ as the case may be) tend to list two categories of material:  research works and genre literature.  Depending upon the game, ‘literature’ may be inclusive enough to accommodate motion pictures, television programs, and even music as sources of inspiration.  In addition to including the aforementioned types, Hargrave embraces the aphorism that a picture is worth a thousand words and indicates specific art books in the bibliography for The Arduin Adventure (hereinafter ArdAdv).  Although it makes perfect sense, art books are not commonly acknowledged as RPG inspirations.  Hargrave specifies the following art books:  Alien Landscapes, Beauty and the Beast, Faeries, Giants, Solar Wind, Tomorrow and Beyond, and Wonderworks.  Also, I suppose we can categorize An Atlas of Fantasy as an art book.

Hargrave ends the bibliography with a few items that “have served as wonderful sources of fun and ideas.”  Included among these are Elfquest as well as Marvel Comics (“An unlikely, but valuable source of inspiration”).  If we count art books as sources of inspiration, there is no reason why we should construe comic books as an ‘unlikely’ source.  For whatever reason, Hargrave singles out Marvel Comics.  Surely, if Elfquest makes the grade, Marvel cannot be the exclusive source of inspiration among comic books.  Given Hargrave’s acknowledgement of comics and art books (especially the Achilléos book), I find it strange that Hargrave doesn’t mention Heavy Metal.  The remaining ‘wonderful source of fun and ideas’ is “The entire works of J.R.R. Tolkein.”  Complementing that assertion is the inclusion of The Complete Guide to Middle Earth and A Tolkien Bestiary in the bibliography.

For “expanded insight into what is happening in the fantasy gaming world,” Hargrave lists three periodicals:  Alarums and Excursions, Different Worlds, and Sorcerer’s Apprentice.  Notably absent is Dragon ; it’s good enough to advertize in but not good enough to endorse.

Some role-playing games have bibliographies that reference other RPGs; ArdAdv is not one of those games.  However, Hargrave does mention Chaosium's Authentic Thaumaturgy.  Speaking of Chaosium, the RuneQuest (Second Edition) bibliography lists the first three Arduin books in the ‘Other Fantasy Role-Playing Games’ section.  Additionally, the ArdAdv and Runequest bibliographies have one non-fiction work in common – George Cameron Stone’s A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, Together with Some Closely Related Subjects.

Along with Authentic Thaumaturgy, the ArdAdv bibliography has a variety of books about magic – from reasonably academic texts like The Complete Illustrated Book Of The Psychic Sciences and The Supernatural to the rather eccentric The Morning of the Magicians.  Hargrave also has The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft & Demonology.  As shown in a prior post, Hargrave prefers to spell magic with a ‘k’; he even alters the spelling when the word ‘magic’ appears in the title of a book.  Therefore we see in the bibliography “The Encyclopedia of Magik & Superstition” (sic) as well as “Magik, White and Black” (sic).

Hargrave carries his interest in Japan over into Arduin.  We find in the bibliography Secrets of the Samurai, Japanese Short Stories, Martial Arts (although the title is generic, the book focuses on Japanese martial arts), and – in another instance of ‘magik’ versus ‘magic’ – “Seven Magik Orders” (sic).  The only other reference to a (real world) culture in the bibliography is in the form of The Phoenicians.

Several books in the ArdAdv bibliography discuss fantasy creatures.  Aside from such books listed above, Hargrave includes An Encyclopedia of Fairies, Mysterious Monsters, and Zoo of the Gods.

The Fantasy Almanac has earned a place in the ArdAdv bibliography.  The remaining ‘reference books’ can be sorted into two types:  mythology (The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, Men of the Earth) and history (War Through The Ages, Medieval Warfare).

In terms of ‘traditional’ fantasy literature (besides Tolkien), Hargrave gives “Personal thanks” to Robert Asprin, Stephen R. Donaldson, and lastly, C. A. Smith “for his fantastic tales of wonder and glory, but mostly for Zothique, the true progenitor of ARDUIN.”

Future*World

Art by Earle Bergey

The actual cover of Future*World shows only the name of Steve Perrin; however, the title page gives Gordon Monson co-credit.  Monson's only other published efforts in role-playing games are contributions to a RuneQuest supplement and a Shadowrun supplement.  Like the other genre books included with Worlds of Wonder, Future*World has sixteen pages (eighteen if you count the inner front and back covers).  Yet, while Magic World is bereft of setting information, Future*World is suffused with it.  I suppose with fantasy, we need no guidance; we are familiar enough with the tropes we want.  On the other hand, science fiction requires some sort of basis for us to conceptualize and build upon.

Future*World takes place in the time of the Third Terran Empire, which encompasses hundreds of worlds.  However, travel among these worlds does not occur by means of faster-than-light spaceships, but via interplanetary gates.  This allows Perrin (and Monson) to present a setting with multiple worlds without having to go into detail about space travel, ship plans, travel times between worlds, etc.  Also, a map of the physical space occupied by the Empire is irrelevant since the imperial 'network' of planets is not constrained by proximity to one another.

There are three types worlds in the Empire.  There are about thirty core worlds representing “the center of civilization.”  Each core world “has a population of about one billion, of which about 1% is poverty-level.”  There are about two hundred frontier worlds, “fully colonized/exploited worlds which contain no known threat to the Empire.”  One of the frontier worlds is GateHome, “which acts as a central transshipment and exploration terminal...”  Finally, there are thousands of outer worlds, many of which “are not suitable for exploitation.”

In terms of background:

No one knows if the Second Empire discovered the gates by scientific research or by looting an ancient ruin of a previous race, but those initial explorers obviously worked by hit-or-miss and were still discovering the possibilities.  Then the Second Empire was suddenly destroyed as hordes of alien invaders invaded and counter-invaded the Second Empire core worlds through the Empire's own gates.

A gate base installation focuses on the target world; no equipment is needed at the gate's destination.  Although a gate accommodates traffic to and from the destination, a gate is controlled from its base.  As a matter of Imperial policy, “There is never a gate base on an outer world that focuses on a frontier world, and never a gate base on a frontier world focuses on a core world.”  A gate base rarely has its destination on the same world for various reasons, including that such gates “have been known to go to a parallel world.”  Gates leading to a parallel world are “shut down immediately, but rumors of their existence are found throughout the Empire.”

The Empire includes many races.  Some races, such as “the catfolk of Rruuwor,” are similar enough to humans that character generation is the same.  The Rumahl are ursine humanoids.  Although friendly, they “tend to go berserk in battle.”  In terms of the Rumahls' standing in the Empire, “Socially and politically they are second-class citizens.”  The social status of robots is less than that of Rumahls.  As 'repayment' for their creation, robots are required to serve four terms of employment, after which they “face the universe on their own.”  While they have super-human Dexterity, they have low Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma.

Of course, there are races that are inimical to the Empire and Future*World describes two of them.  The Quertzl are “vaguely insectoid, and they are equipped with a hive mind...”  Quertzl come in different forms depending upon their function; the rules describe scouts, beetles, and drones.  Other than the Quertzl, there are the Sauriki, “a warm-blooded reptilian race.”  Fortunately for the Terran Empire, the telepathic sensitivity of the Sauriki prevents them from associating with the Quertzl.

Similar to Traveller, player characters in Future*World undergo terms of service in one or more careers.  Available careers include:  Civilian, Criminal, Science, Army, Scouts, and ICE (the Imperial Corps of Engineers – “an elite military, security, and law enforcement arm of the Empire, dedicated to the maintenance, protection, and control of all gate technology.”)  Each term provides a 15% increase in two or three skills allowed by a given career.

Characters in Future*World do not begin with the usual starting values for common skills afforded to other Basic Role-Playing characters.  For instance, in Future*World, the starting value for First Aid is 10% instead of 45%.  The skills of Jump, Climb, Listen, Spot Hidden, Throw, and Fist are grouped into the Future*World skill of Survival.  Although the starting value for Survival is only 20%, it counts as a single skill with regard to improvement.  Similarly, in Future*World, the skills of Move Quietly and Hide are combined into Stealth (with a base chance of 10%).

Coming of Age in Wundervale

Spring festival time in Wundervale is when “young people who have recently turned 16” participate in coming-of-age ceremonies.  The main event is an obstacles course, shown above.  The course has eleven obstacles (or 'stations') that require a participant to engage in some activity – usually requiring a skill or characteristic roll.  This allows the characters to display their abilities.  It is also the means by which The Adventurer's Handbook teaches its readers how actions or tasks are resolved in terms of game mechanics.  Below are the instructions for the course.


1.  Down Cliff
Character can choose to climb down or jump down. A successful 'climb' roll means the character spends three turns descending. A failed roll means the character falls and takes 1D3 damage; character spends a total of two turns (one to fall and one to recover). A successful 'jump' roll means the character spends three turns descending. A failed roll means the character falls and takes 1D6 damage; character spends one turn falling and 1D3 turns recovering.

2.  Steep Path
Character spends a number of turns running based on Dexterity (DEX 13 or more = 1 turn; DEX 9 - 12 = 2 turns; DEX 8 or less = 3 turns). A fumble result on a percentile roll (00) means the character falls, takes 1D3 damage, and spends an additional turn recovering.

3.  Creek
Character can choose to swim across or run downstream and wade across. A successful 'swim' roll means the character spends one turn crossing. A failed roll means the character is swept downstream and spends a total of three turns crossing. A running character spends a total of three turns crossing. Since no penalties are mentioned for fumbles, the swimming option seems to be preferable.

4.  Brush
Character must find a carved stick hidden among the brush. Each turn, a 'spot hidden' roll is attempted; if successful, a stick is found.

5.  Dogs
Dogs are tied upwind from the course. A successful 'move quietly' roll means the does do not detect the character and no not bark. A failed roll means the dogs bark.

6.  Listening Post
Character attempts a 'listen' roll to identify a sound made by a hidden person. If the roll is failed, the character either does not hear the sound or misidentifies it.

7.  Rock Pile
Character must throw a rock and strike a target at ten meters. Each turn, a 'throw' roll is attempted; if successful the target is hit.

8.  Mud Ditch
A successful 'jump' roll means the character jumps over the ditch. A failed roll means the character falls into the ditch and takes a turn to climb out.

9.  Logs
Character can choose to shinny or walk across a log that bridges the creek. Percentile dice are rolled. The roll for a shinnying character is successful if the result is less than or equal to 1.5 × 'climb' value. Success means the character spends three turns to reach the other side of the creek. The roll for a walking character is successful if the result is less than or equal to 3 × Dexterity. Success means the character spends one turn to reach the other side of the creek. Failure for either roll means the character falls into the creek and spends two turns returning to the log in order to try again.

10.  Uphill Run
Same situation as Steep Path above.

11.  Up Cliff
Character can choose to climb the rope or use the trail. A character using the trail spends three turns reaching the end. A successful 'climb' roll means the character spends one turn ascending. A failed roll means the character falls and takes 1D6 damage. A fallen character waits 1D3 turns before attempting to climb again (or choosing to use the trail).


Skills performed successfully during the course have a chance of being improved.  When checking for improvement, percentile dice are rolled and if the result exceeds the current skill value, that value increases by five percentiles.

Although the event is a race, “winning is not as important as simply doing it.”  However, “members of the guilds will watch the events of festival day.”  Apparently, guild representatives are present to recruit apprentices. Mentioned guilds include “the Adventurer's Guild, the Sorcerer's Guild, the Guild of Sages who seek knowledge*, even the Rogues' Guild, the guild of honorable thieves.”  One wonders about what apprenticeship in the “Adventurer's Guild” entails.  One also wonders about the Rogues' Guild recruitment pitch.

After completing the obstacle course (and checking for skill improvement), the book indicates the “characters can play in a low level Basic Role Playing, RuneQuest, or Worlds of Wonder game.”  For an instruction book that otherwise dwells almost pedantically on rudimentary aspects of role-playing games, The Adventurer's Handbook is frustratingly reticent on finalizing character generation.  For instance, later in the same chapter, the book uses “the method of Worlds of Wonder: Magic World” to enhance Barostan's abilities; said 'method' being part of Magic World character generation.  Even so, The Adventurer's Handbook has Barostan increase his characteristics as a result of training as warrior – something not part of Magic World character generation.

For the other characters, The Adventurer's Handbook adopts another Magic World notion – one month of training provides a skill value increase of five percentiles.  The book, seemingly arbitrarily, determines how many months in a five year period a character can train and determines the results of that training.  Rokana trains for thirty months; however, without establishing any sort of rule-based methodology, The Adventurer's Handbook provides Rokana with three spells and a minor magic item before her official training begins.  Bridla's “work and lifestyle” permits only two months per year for training.  As an apprentice of the Thieves' Guild (which, I guess, is the same as the Rouges' Guild), Dernfara gets the benefits of eleven months of training per year (which is a different benefit scheme from what the rouge profession provides in Magic World).

*  As opposed to the Guild of Sages that flavor cuisine?

The Adventurer's Handbook

Caucasian characters hover over their Caucasian players.
L to R: Aloysious, Barostan, Bridla, Dernfara, Joleen, Rokana

In 1984, our old friends at Reston Publishing produced The Adventurer's Handbook – a guide to role-playing games, “a book written for people new to the role playing field.”  It was written by Bob Albrecht and Greg Stafford.  An introductory RPG guide co-authored by one of the premiere game designers of the old school era deserves examination.

The book is a 'guide' in two ways.  Part 1 (with 145 pages) discusses how to play RPGs while Part 2 (with 50 pages) is a then-current overview of role-playing games including a chapter that lists companies that publish RPGs and/or RPG accessories.  For example, the entire description for Ral Partha states, “Figures are the mainstay of this company, with many high quality lines of figures.  Small games, using special (simple) rules are also made, including Witch Mountain and others.”  (I think they mean Witch's Caldron.)

Part 1 is presented in an 'educational' format; questions are posed to the reader and the answers are provided at the end of each chapter.  An example question:

You are playing in a game and you need to roll 1D20.  Oh oh!  You can't find your D20, with sides numbered 1 to 20.  However, you do have a 20-sided digit die, with sides numbered 0 to 9, each number appearing twice on the die.  How can you use your 20-sided digit die to roll D20?

Reston seems to have published many 'educational' books, such as Essentials of Soil Mechanics and Foundations and Tailoring: Traditional and Contemporary Techniques.  It also seems that Albrecht's other writing credits are limited to 'educational' books about computer programming.  Part 1 teaches the reader about RPGs and gradually introduces an actual system.  According to Chapter 1, “Our system will prepare you to understand and play Magic World (from Worlds of Wonder) and RuneQuest.”  In fact, Part 1 concludes with an Adventurer's Handbook character sheet printed opposite a Magic World character sheet.  Also, one of the example characters, Rurik, is a RuneQuest character somehow visiting from Glorantha.

Part 2 rates RPGs of the time from one to four stars as an indicator of suitability for beginners.  Of the major games systems (identified as D&D, Tunnels & Trolls, Chivalry & Sorcery, Traveller, RuneQuest, AD&D, The Fantasy Trip, DragonQuest, and Worlds of Wonder), all receive a four-star rating except D&D, AD&D, and C&S.  (The Fantasy Trip receives three stars on page 175 but four stars on page 186.)  The authors specifically recommend T&T and Worlds of Wonder.

In its section on Worlds of Wonder, Chapter 11 mentions Worlds of Wonder #2 as though this product was available.  It is described thus:

This is a set of three additional games that explores the available possibilities.  It includes Mutant World, Robot World, and Dinosaur World.  Future releases will explore historical and traditional themes as well.

Sadly, this product never reached market and Worlds of Wonder fell by the wayside.

The point of an introductory handbook about role-playing games is to educate people about the hobby and potentially bolster the ranks of RPG players.  As such, the tone should be welcoming.  A cover that features half-a-dozen white folk and no concession to other ethnicities sends a message of exclusion.  Of course, half of the players and their respective characters are female.  This is interesting in that, according to the handbook's character generation rules, gender is determined by a die roll.  An even result indicates the character is female.  “(After all, you didn't think two male authors would dare use 'odd' for female, did you?  You did?  Beware!)”  Evidently, misandry is real.

The Adventurer's Handbook does a thorough job of presenting the mechanics of RPGs but it could have provided more information about the nuances of being a player.  There is no advice on being a game master, but the book doesn't claim to be a resource for game masters.

Chapter 2 contains a section about probability called 'You will probably skip this section'.  Although such knowledge might be helpful, it certainly isn't necessary for a beginner.  It would be better suited as an appendix instead of a section early in the book where it might intimidate someone trying to learn about role-playing games.

An introductory guide does not need irrelevant comments inserted by the authors.  Members of the Thieves' Guild in the handbook's setting “may not steal from the poor.”  This is immediately followed by, “In our time, most large corporations and governments could not qualify for this Thieves' Guild – there are other, less honorable guilds for them.”  Elsewhere in the handbook, “Note:  In America, we have kings and generals who love war machines more than they love people.”  Whether you agree with the sentiment or not, these statements have no bearing on the subject matter; they serve only to distract.

As a last observation for this post, the art in The Adventurer's Handbook is simplistic and bland; even a book on soil mechanics deserves better.  I mean books in Braille have better illustrations.

Pulse-pounding RPG action!  Will he leave a tip?!?

Gods of Questworld

Ishtar in Hades     Ernest Charles Wallcousins

In RuneQuest, in order for a character to cast Divine Magic he (or she) must be (at least) an initiate in a cult.  Other than magic, cults offer a social network for characters, opportunities for training in cult related skills, the potential for divine intervention, and special benefits.  In any RuneQuest setting where religion plays a part, cults are important.  Glorantha has many detailed cults; Questworld has three.

Included in the Questworld boxed set, there is an eight-page introductory pamphlet.  About one page of the pamphlet is devoted to an article by Steve Perrin, “How to Develop Gods for Questworld.”  Perrin suggests that a Gamemaster may “transship the Gloranthan gods wholesale,” but acknowledges that not all Gloranthan gods are appropriate for Questworld.  In my opinion, the Gloranthan gods belong to Glorantha; placing them in another setting just doesn't feel right.  Of course, with a change of name and some cosmetic alterations, a Gamemaster can deploy what Perrin calls “Gloranthan Look-alikes.”

Perrin also offers advice for those interested in developing original gods:

In establishing a pantheon, the beginning godmaker should to account for certain phenomena.  These include storms, the sun, growing things, emotions, death, secret knowledge, and the general perversity of the world and events.

Perrin points to “the mythos of Mother Earth” for examples of pantheons.  For creating original cults, Perrin refers the “godmaker” to examples in specific RuneQuest supplements “and various issues of Different Worlds.”  While Perrin does an adequate job discussing 'how to develop gods', he refrains from supplying practical information on cults – how those gods relate to characters.

The three Questworld cults are detailed in the 'Candlefire' book written by Alan LaVergne.  The gods of these cults aren't an appropriate cornerstone of a Questworld pantheon.  Of course, it wasn't LaVergne's responsibility to create a pantheon.  Steve List, in his review of Questworld for the premiere issue of Fantasy Gamer (Aug/Sep 1983), decries LaVergne's “overuse of what he considers to be humor.”  List feels that the three cults “are almost parodies of 'real' cults.”

Without further ado, the Questworld cults:

Panash:

...the Panash cult today is for all those who adventure primarily for the fun of hit, and who are concerned with cutting a proper figure.  Bravado and feats of derring-do are highly prized by the Panshees (as cult members are called).  Genuine courage and actual recklessness are respected, but not always emulated.  The looks of the thing, not the actuality, are what count.

Panash Rune Lords are called “Flynns.”  There is an NPC Flynn named Fayer Banx.

Nik-El:

Nik-El has been worshipped wherever beings take chances, either for profit or for the sheer enjoyment of risk and adventure...A Nik-El temple is usually a casino, brothel, or pawnshop.

Nik-El is a goddess of luck; associated elementals are called 'Tumblers'.  (Think slot machines.)

(The history of Nik-El mentions she participated in “the Gods War” and “the Compromise,” events in Gloranthan mythology not applicable to Questworld.)

Vrang 2jhomang (sic):

Vrang 2jhomang is the cult for metal workers not smart or clever enough to belong to an armorer's guild.

Before ascending to godhood, Vrang was a blacksmith – albeit not a very competent one.  He gained the nick-name 'Two-Finger Jho' after smashing three fingers on his left hand.  He is known for inventing horseshoes (both the game and the equine accoutrement) and teaching men and dwarves how to use a hammer to fight.

Gwydion Conquers Pryderi     Ernest Charles Wallcousins

Questworld Means Adventure!

Mark Roland © 1982

Notice anything interesting about this painting?  Of course not.  Oh, it's competently rendered, even frameworthy in a we-should-hang-something-in-the-hallway sort of way.  But there's nothing interesting about it.  For whatever reason, this image was used as the cover of a fantasy role-playing game product.  The usual tropes are not present; no scantily clad barbarians, no slavering monsters, no exotic scenery, no inclement weather...nothing even remotely suggesting action.

The product was Questworld, a boxed set published by Chaosium in 1982 and presented as “9 Gateway Adventures for RuneQuest.”  RuneQuest was Chaosium's premiere role-playing game, the setting of which was founder Greg Stafford's intricate Glorantha.  Third party development of RuneQuest material was impaired by Glorantha's idiosyncracies and its “closed” nature.  Questworld was Chaosium's attempt at alternative setting for RuneQuest.  According to the eight page introductory pamphlet:

Questworld is intended to be an open campaign world for RuneQuest and its variants, and for the constantly-expanding Basic Role-Playing family.  Chaosium will minimally direct the development of this planet, intending it to serve as an example of an open world in the same way that Glorantha has been our example of a closed world.

'Basic Role-Playing', first published in 1980, was Chaosium's attempt at creating a universal role-playing system based on the mechanics of RuneQuest.  Originally 16 pages, the current edition of Basic Role-Playing is approximately 400.  At the time QuestWorld was published, other BRP games were Call of Cthulhu, Stormbringer and Worlds of Wonder, a boxed set with three 'genre' books:  Superworld, Future*World, and Magic World.

Although distinct from Glorantha, Questworld incorporated Glorathan creatures and deities.  Otherwise, Questworld was a blank slate – perhaps too blank.  Other than some geographical information and the adventures, there are no details.  No further Questworld products were published, either by Chaosium or third parties.  This suggests a lack of interest and/or a decision by Chaosium develop their licensed properties.  Contrary to the phrase on the side of the box (“Questworld means adventure!”), Questworld was a dead end.

Perhaps Questworld ought to have been packaged as a Magic World setting – completely divorced from – but compatible with – RuneQuest.  Instead of three adventure books, it could have included an enhanced Magic World rulebook, a setting book, and a book of introductory adventures.  With a fantasy setting more 'generic' than Glorantha, it may have been more appealing to players willing to entertain an alternative to D&D and thus be more successful.  Of course, a more exciting cover would have helped too.

 

A Role Playing Game of Man's Greatest Adventures

Art by Ephraim Moshe Lilien

Man, Myth & Magic is a fantasy role playing game set in the ancient world.  A world not seen from our modern perception; but rather through the eyes of the people who lived it.  A world filled with magic and sorcery, demons and monsters, and incredible powers and forces that hold the key to the domination of mankind.

The game is Man, Myth & Magic and it's a “role playing game of man's greatest adventures.”  This does not mean that MM&M is misogynistic – two character classes are available only to female characters – but that player characters may only be human (with one arguable exception).  The setting is not some fantasy realm populated by elves, dwarves, and whatnot; it is the ancient world seen “through the eyes of the people who lived it.”  (I feel that RuneQuest did a better job of evoking the ancient world paradigm, but that hardly invalidates MM&M.)

An important aspect of the 'ancient world paradigm' is magic – perhaps the most important aspect with regard to RPGs.  (After all, it is Man, Myth & Magic.)  Book II devotes a half-page to an essay on magic which states “...some magic worked, at least some of the time...Why magic worked is another question; and one that doesn't have a single answer.”  The essay then discusses five 'reasons' why magic worked:

• Magic as Coincidence

Somebody laid a curse and the next day the victim walked over a cliff.  The fact that the victim was blind drunk at the time cut no ice with anybody; it was the curse that did it.

• Magic as Science

“Magical” swords made from Damascus steel were a case in point.  You forged as good a blade as you could, then heated it until it was red hot then plunged it into the body of the nearest human being.  According to the theory, the victim's soul passed into the sword and made it work better in battle...Swords treated this way were harder and stayed sharper longer.  (The reason was the absorption of carbon molecules by the heated steel.  When it was finally discovered you could get exactly the same effect by plunging the blade into a water barrel full of old cow hides, people became a lot less wary of blacksmiths.)

• Magic as Psychic Phenomena

The human mind has always been full of odd powers which surface now and then...

• Magic as Trance State

If a person in a trance state – perhaps augmented by “psychedelic mushrooms” – believed he was flying, then “the experience was valid enough,” especially if other mushroom consumers imagined he was flying.

• Magic as Lost Knowledge

...it has to be admitted the Ancients knew a thing or two that we've forgotten.  Those old Egyptians, for example, knew how to grow multicoloured cotton...Maybe in that body of lost knowledge there were more dramatic discoveries.

The essay neglects to touch upon the power of suggestion as a 'reason' for why magic worked.  Even in our enlightened age, believers in such practices as Santería and Vodou feel the effects of magic because of their belief; magic is part of the cultural construct in which they live.

Thus we have a rationale for the 'why' of magic, yet the 'how' of magic eludes us.  Perhaps that's the point; if it didn't elude us, it wouldn't be magic.  Regardless, we have a better appreciation of the ancient 'mindset' toward magic – not as a rubric of duration, effects, and saving throws, but as mysterious circumstance, awesome and frightening.

The Second Pandora

Art by Liz Danforth

Contemporaneous with the publication of Empire of the Petal Throne, Tunnels & Trolls was “...perpetrated on an unsuspecting world.”  Which game is the “second” role-playing game is a matter of debate.  Regardless, both games are important in the history of the hobby and each has a distinct reason for being.  It is my belief that EotPT is more of an adaptation of D&D while T&T is more of a response to D&D.

Professor Barker saw D&D as a way he could express his invention, Tékumel.  The most important part of EotPT is, of course, the setting.  However, Barker did not use Tékumel as a backdrop for D&D ; he crafted his own rules.  Admittedly, they were “inspired” by D&D, yet he chose to implement certain changes not as a consequence of the setting, but because he felt the changes resulted in a better game.  I mean changes such as (to name a few) percentile characteristics, the workings of magic, and the introduction of skills.  Just as Tékumel was an artistic endeavor, so was the game.  Barker had a career; he didn't expect to make a living off of Empire of the Petal Throne.  The changes he implemented represented an intellectual exercise equivalent to artistry.  Esthetics applied to game design?  Gygax thought so.  He wrote in the foreword for EotPT, “I simply state that it is the most beautifully done fantasy game ever created.”  Sure, Gygax had an interest in promoting the game; his company published it.  Still, there are many things Gygax could have written, yet he chose to describe the game as he did – as a thing that (in terms of beauty) surpassed his own creation.

One of the earliest versions of Tunnels & Trolls is currently available as a PDF.  In the introduction (technically it's a section called “Troll Talk”) Ken St. Andre states:

The people who created the game that T&T reacts against did the whole gaming world a tremendous favor in their pioneering of certain original concepts that all of role-playing gaming is based on.

It has been my impression that many gamers disdain Tunnels & Trolls.  I think they consider T&T to be a “rip-off” of D&D ; that T&T is an affront to the original role-playing game.  This is an unfair notion.  Quality and innovation are the products of diversity and competition.  Besides, in terms of actual “rip-off,” TSR did not have clean hands given their improper use of the intellectual properties of Tolkien and Burroughs.

As St. Andre indicates, Tunnels & Trolls is a reaction to D&D.  He recognized the wonderful potential of RPGs and tried to make a game that was more accessible than D&D.  While Barker focused on artistry, St. Andre focused on practicality.  To this end, he created a game (1) with a lower price, (2) that required only 'normal' six-sided dice as opposed to exotic polyhedrons, and (3) eschewed the complexities with which D&D was fraught.  While less complex, the rules were not altogether intuitive, even for people with D&D or wargaming experience.  Yet T&T continued to be developed and refined and, even now, “Deluxe” Tunnels & Trolls is in the works.  Regardless of it's longevity, Tunnels & Trolls let the genie out of the bottle or – perhaps more accurately – opened Pandora's box a second time.  D&D no longer had the field to itself; yes, Gygax and Arneson were the 'pioneers', but now the frontier was open to other creative efforts.  Among those efforts was RuneQuest, a game that diverged further still from the D&D paradigm.

RuneQuest dedication

The Book that Appendix N Forgot

On this date, twenty-five years ago, Barbara Ninde Byfield passed away.  She was an author and an illustrator.  More to the point of this post, she wrote and illustrated The Glass Harmonica: A Lexicon of the Fantastical, since re-published as The Book of the Weird.  The complete subtitle reads:

Being a most Desirable Lexicon of The Fantastical, Wherein Kings and Dragons, Trolls and Vampires, to say nothing of Elves and Gnomes, Queens, Knaves and Werewolves, are made Manifest, and many, many further Revelations of The Mystical Order of Things are brought to light.

The back of my copy describes the book as “a treasure chest of hidden knowledge for those who fancy venturing into the twilight worlds of the Heroic, the Occult, and the Romantic.”  It is, in effect, an encyclopedia of fantasy and fairy tale tropes.  Doubtless, it is the book to which Zeb Cook refers in his foreword to The Dungeon Alphabet.  Cook says, “...I cannot remember the title or artist...It fueled my imagination with possibilities and led me to incorporate that fantastic whimsy into my own games – to want to create worlds with those touches of detail, irony and just out-and-out wonder.”

As an example of Byfield's whimsy, here is a portion of the entry on Hermits:

          ANCHORITES show a preference for thorns, drought, and meditation.  Certain that the next world will be without the above afflictions, they relish their present discomforts, which may include beds of thistles.

As examples of Byfield's illustrative prowess, see her 'Castle' diagram below and her 'Landscapes' diagram at the close of this post.

When I say, “The Book that Appendix N Forgot,” I am referring to the Dungeon Masters Guide Appendix N; Byfield's book is given due credit in the RuneQuest Appendix N.  This is curious in that the influence of The Glass Harmonica is more apparent in AD&D than in RuneQuest.  Some other blog does a capable job of demonstrating the artistic similarities between Byfield's work and 1e AD&D, so I will not duplicate the effort.  However, I will speculate that, in the absence of Byfield's entry on Trollops, Trulls, Bawds, Doxies, and Strumpets, the DMG 'harlot table' would be much less colorful or might not exist at all.  Also, I must wonder if “Rods, Staves, & Wands” would have been so grouped by Gygax in AD&D if not for Byfield's categorization of Wands, Staffs, and Rods.

Special Powers in Daredevils

The third section of the Daredevils rule book is called 'Optional Systems.'  (The first section is 'The Characters' and the second is 'The Game.')  Optional rules appear throughout the book, but the 'Optional Systems' section is reserved for rules that don't appear elsewhere.

There are rules that cover 'Gimmicks' – I would call them gadgets.  “Gimmicks are technological devices, usually ahead of their time, that are used by Daredevils on their adventures.”  The rules cover how player characters can create Gimmicks, provided they possess appropriate skills.  A Task Value is determined for any (potential) Gimmick in part by multiplying Value Factor by Weight Factor.  Value Factor is generated by assigning numbers to one or more of seven classifiers (e.g., reduction in size, change appearance) coded 'A' through 'G.'  (Yawn.)  Surprisingly, there are no rules regarding the monetary cost of developing a Gimmick, just the time involved.  Ten Gimmick examples are listed, including genre appropriate devices like mercy bullets and a grappling cane.

Luck Points share some of the functions of Hero Points in RuneQuest; however, I don't think that Hero Points were extant in the then current edition of RuneQuest.  Before an adventure, a player rolls dice to determine how many Luck Points his or her character has.  For short adventures, 1D6 is rolled; for longer adventures, 2D6.  As an alternative, the Gamemaster can roll and record Luck Points so that players are unaware of how much luck their characters have.  Luck Points can be used to “[r]eroll any one die roll” (1 point), reduce the effect of non-fatal critical damage upon a character (2 points), or prevent an effect that would cause the death of a character (5 points).

Special Powers represent abilities beyond those of normal men.  Characters generated via the 'advanced' method can obtain ten 'purchase' points for each “Preadventure career” year spent.  Two options are provided for 'basic' characters.  In the first method, the player rolls 1D100; the result is the number of 'purchase' points available for Special Powers.  Also, the difference of the result from 100 is divided by five; this is the number of additional points that may be applied to the character's Attributes.  In the second method, the player rolls 1D100 and consults the 'Randomly Acquired Special Powers' table.

The most likely result on the 'Randomly Acquired Special Powers' table permits the player to roll once on the 'Nature of Powers' table.  Other results allow the player to roll twice or three times on the 'Nature of Powers' table.  Some results preclude a roll on the 'Nature of Powers' table, but grant five or ten additional points to allocate among the character's Attributes.

Three paragraphs discuss the possibilities of player characters gaining Special Powers “in the course of play.”  In brief, such possibilities should be uncertain, difficult, and require a long amount of time.

The most likely result on the 'Nature of Powers' table is “Talent Ability” and the second most likely result is “Talent Power.”  There is a 57% chance of obtaining one of these results.  For Ability or Power, the particular Talent is determined randomly.  In a 'basic' game where talents are not used, 2D10 are rolled to determine a value for the “Talent.”  If the purchase method is in use, a Talent Ability costs five points and a Talent Power costs ten.  (The Ability and the Power for a given Talent can be purchased together for twelve points.)  An Ability or Power reflects a given Talent's sphere...usually.  The Esthetic Talent Power is essentially the same as 'Danger Sense,' a non-Talent power.  (The Esthetic Talent Ability allows a character “to evaluate the worth of an artwork.”)  The Natural Talent Ability gives a character “an innate sense of direction” and the 'Power' provides “a natural empathy with beasts.”

Examples of other Powers include Escape Artist (10 points), Heightened Senses (10 points each), Hypnosis (10 points), and Invisibility (30 points).  'Cat' Ability (15 points) gives a character “a heightened kinesthetic sense,” which allows the character to take less damage from falls, climb more easily, walk tightropes with no chance of falling, etc.  Spirit Power (15 points) allows a character to achieve any of three effects:  increase the value of a Skill, increase the value of an Attribute, or “reduce the immediate effects of wounds or injury.”  Each effect is temporary (lasting one 'Detailed Action sequence') and requires a successful roll (based on the character's Will Attribute).

The 'Ancient World' of Avalon Hill's RuneQuest

Apart from the 'Fantasy Europe' map in the boxed set, Avalon Hill's Deluxe Edition RuneQuest contained two maps of the ancient world, both attributed to the fictional Korybos of Tiana; the 'Ancient Map of the Western World' on page 11 and the 'Ancient Map of the Eastern World' on page 83.  They were obviously two parts of a single map and your humble host wanted to see the combined whole.  Other than defacing the book, the only option was to re-create the map.  Without further ado, you humble host presents the meager fruit of his amateur effort.



'Blue' signifies coastlines, 'Gray' signifies mountains