Force, Fire, and Omega

Art by Chris Marrinan

Organizations with flashy acronyms are a staple of superhero comics and spy movies; acronyms like Subversive Hierarchy for Autocratic Dominance Over the World or, as another example, Secret Echelon for the Rapid Propagation of Ecumenical Nihilism and Terrorism.  They are such a fixture of the superhero genre that they appear even in generic settings.  The 'setting' of Superworld is no exception.

The Free Investigatory Research Enterprise (FIRE) was created by morally rudderless scientists and it controls “cover corporations and professional associations, all of which have many members who have no idea of FIRE's basic motivations.”  According to page 9 of the Gamemasters Book, “They have existed for many years in total secrecy, with no outside awareness of their megalomaniacal plots for world domination in the name of science.”  You know, because science is evil.  In contrast to their well-hidden existence, their private security force wears “a combat uniform of yellow with red trim and a red flame insignia on [the] breast.”  The FIRE motto is, “For every ember dying, two flames will grow – no one extinguishes FIRE.”  This is reminiscent of the oath for Marvel's Hydra, “...cut off a limb, and two more shall take its place...”

The description of the Federal Organization for the Registration and Certification of Exotics (FORCE) includes a political history that was current when the second edition of Superworld was published in 1983, but which now – three decades later – seems quaint.  FORCE began in the Carter administration.  Due to lobbying efforts and Reagan-era budget cuts, FORCE's scope is substantially reduced.  Law-abiding superpeople can register with FORCE and gain access to FBI and police records as well as “a computer message board on which they can receive messages and contact other heroes and agencies.”  Registered people can receive training “on proper police procedure and constitutional rights of citizens.”  Reliable heroes can become Special Deputies with “full federal police powers” and yet can still maintain their secret identities.  Finally, “FORCE...maintains a special team of heroes ready for transportation anywhere in the country as an instant response group” called 'The Flying Squad'.

The Omega Institute “was established by a major philanthropical foundation to scientifically study mutants and accidental mutations...”  The institute 'hires' superheroes and reformed villains; however...

...the institute's security has been compromised several times, and...some scientists engaged in institute research may be spies for other nations or supervillain groups.  Because of this, secret hero identities and special weaknesses may become known to underworld contacts when the institute uncovers such information.

Art by Lisa Free

Superworld

After Magic World and Future*World, the last 'rulesbook' for Worlds of Wonder was Superworld, intended for superhero role-playing.  In 1983, the year after the publication of Worlds of Wonder, a Superworld boxed set was released with a larger page count than all of Worlds of Wonder.  It enjoyed a modicum of success, even rating fifth on Lawrence Schick's Heroic Worlds' “Top Five Comic-Book Superhero Systems” (winning out over such games as Villains & Vigilantes and Heroes Unlimited).  Chaosium published A Companion to Superworld supplement and a couple of adventures but, after 1984, no Superworld material was produced.  Nowadays, “Super World” is a mere setting in Basic RolePlaying; occupying thirty pages – including super power descriptions – in the rule book.  However, the 1983 Superworld (i.e., second edition) and its attendant publications are available electronically at RPGNow or Chaosium.com.

Evidently, designer Steve Perrin felt Superworld was too similar to Champions.  Of course, any superhero role-playing game using point allocation is going to be similar to Champions, but how much is too similar?  Well, both Chaosium-produced adventures were compatible with Champions and the Superworld Companion featured rules suitable for both games as well as a conversion process between the two.  Not only were the systems similar in execution, but Superworld supplements were also marketed as Champions supplements.  Ultimately, Superworld was an attempt by Perrin to adapt a fantasy role-playing game system to a superhero system but Champions was designed as a superhero system first and foremost.  While Superworld was a good game, it trod the trail blazed by Champions.  Are you going to play with the cool kid or the cool kid's little brother?  One wonders what Perrin would have designed if he had not been familiar with Champions. 

In Champions, a player builds a character based on a concept.  Although Superworld encouraged “superhero design from concept rather than haphazard allocation of hero points,” the described method of character generation relied upon randomly determined characteristic scores.  In Worlds of Wonder, players rolled 3d6 for each Superworld characteristic (adding 3 when the result was less than 11).  In 'regular' Superworld, players rolled 2d6+6 for each characteristic (optionally rerolling the lowest characteristic until the combined characteristic scores equal at least 91).  In either Superworld, each character was allowed a number of 'hero points' equal to the total of that character's rolled characteristics.  So, a character with high characteristics obtained a larger number of hero points than a character with relatively low characteristics; poor rolling hurt two ways.  Hero points could be used to purchase super powers, increase skills, and improve characteristic scores.  With the fourth edition of Basic RolePlaying, characters can be generated exclusively with point allocation, but now they are called 'character points' and not 'hero points'.

The 'costs' of characteristics have changed through the various iterations of Superworld (as detailed in the graphic below).  Intelligence and Power have always cost three hero/character points per point of characteristic; likewise, Constitution has been consistently available on a one-to-one basis.  In (2E) Superworld, one hero/character point could be used to add 3 to Strength or Size.  Appearance (originally Charisma) declined in value over the years, once as expensive as Power and now purchased at a mere one-to-one rate.  Contrariwise, Dexterity increased in value.  Also, in (2E) Superworld, there were “purchase restrictions” imposed on the amount by which characteristics could be increased.  For instance, Intelligence could not be increased by more than one-third of the original, rolled score.

While Champions has the characteristics of Physical Defence and Energy Defence, the Worlds of Wonder version of Superworld offered three forms of 'Armor':  Kinetic (“Blows, falls, sonic attacks, heat, and cold attacks”), Electromagnetic (“All magnetism and electrical attacks, such as lightning”), and Radiation (“Light, hard radiation, and gravity attacks”).  In the second edition of Superworld, 'Electromagnetic' became 'Electric' (“...the interaction of electrons and describes lightning bolts and bio-electric energy”) and the definitions changed for 'Kinetic' (“...anything from the impact of a fist to the vibrations of a sonic blast.” ) and 'Radiation' (“...the atomic-level disruption caused by electromagnetic waves, Radiant heat, X-rays, and lasers...”).  In fourth edition Basic RolePlaying, separate 'Armor' is required for each of eleven types of energy:  Cold, Darkness, Electric, Gravity, Heat, Kinetic, Light, Magnetic, Radiation, Sound, and Wind.

Aside from super powers, BRP-4E describes four other 'classes' of powers:  Magic, Mutations, Psychic Abilities, and Sorcery.  Some former 'super powers' are now considered to be 'psychic abilities' and are acquired in a different fashion.  As a result, there are only thirty-three 'super powers' in Basic RolePlaying (which is slightly more than the number of powers in Worlds of Wonder Superworld).

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%).

Magic World (1982)

Art by Luise Perenne

Even counting the inner front and back covers, Magic World – the fantasy-genre portion of Steve Perrin's Worlds of Wonder – has only 18 pages.  Discounting illustrations and whatnot, there are but 16 pages of gaming material divided into five sections:  additions to the Basic Role-Playing rules, magic, creatures, treasures, and a sample scenario complete with pre-generated characters.

The 'additions' section includes skills, weapons, and combat options not covered in the Basic Role-Playing booklet as well as descriptions of “professions” that are analogous to character classes:  warrior, rogue, and sage.  (Sorcerers are covered in the magic section.)  For a character to be accepted into a profession, a certain number or less must be rolled on 1d%.  For warriors, the number is the sum of all characteristics.  For sages, the number is 5 × Intelligence.  For sorcerers, the number is the sum of Power and Intelligence (+1 for every hundred silver Crowns given to the Sorcerers' Guild).  There are no acceptance requirements for rogues.  Being accepted into a profession grants a character increased starting values in appropriate skills.  Beginning sorcerers get four spells at a proficiency percentage equal to 3 × Intelligence.

Magic World defines two “methods” of magical effects:  sorcery and ceremonial.  Sorcery is the use of “chants and mnemonics to produce immediate magical effects.”  Ceremonial magic...

...involves the use of ritual and days-long ceremony, usually to compel other beings or work one's will upon inorganic forces.  Such magics are subdivided into Wizardry (binding demons), Necromancy (raising and otherwise controlling the dead), Enchantment (making magical items), and Alchemy (making magical substances).

Ceremonial magic is not further described in Magic World since it is not usually the province of active adventurers.  Two dozen spells are described, about half of which also appear in The Adventurer's Handbook at the same prices.  While Magic World has 'Blast', the equivalent spell in The Adventurer's Handbook is 'Blaser', a contraction of “bionic laser.”

The 'Creatures' section describes twelve types of entity, including dragons, dwarves, and horses.  The Adventurer's Handbook has several of these creatures, although not necessarily with the same amount of detail.  If a Magic World ghost succeeds in an attack, the victim loses consciousness.  Interestingly, a successful attack from a ghost as described in The Adventurer's Handbook “may cause the target to flee, do as the ghost wishes, become unconscious, or whatever.”  Although Magic World only describes a dozen 'creatures', the Basic Role-Playing booklet contains armor and hit point ratings for sixty “natural animals, monsters, and intelligent races.”  Here is a brief selection:

Magic World demons each have 1d6+1 demonic features, the list of which is presented below.  Duplicate results can be re-rolled or cause the effect of the feature to double.

Using magical items requires use of an “activating phrase” which a sorcerer can discovering using a Vision spell.

The words are usually ones hard to pronounce and enunciate clearly, to guard against accidental activation, so the user of these artifacts must make a luck roll of POW × 5% to create the effect.

About one percent of enchanted items are “intelligent artifacts” that “have had demons placed in them.”

The user commands the demon on a successful roll of POW vs. the demon's POW.  If successful, the user can then command the demon for a day...[to cast] its spells.

If an intelligent artifact is somehow broken, “the demon is loosed.”

Not surprisingly, Magic World has almost no setting information.  However, we are introduced to “the city of New Sarnath in the Kingdom of Far Dales.”  Listed languages include Elven, Troll, Tzandian (old and not old), and Zirconian.  The provided pre-generated characters include Havnor (a warrior), Endras (an 'adventurer'), and the alliteration trio:  Sangor the Sorceror (sic), Rugbel the Rogue, and Sherl the Sage.  Endras is presented as a veteran of the sample scenario from the Basic Role-Playing booklet and thus is the proud owner of a suit of ring mail and a healing potion.

As an added bonus, here are the 'character silhouettes' provided with the Worlds of Wonder set.

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