The Last Year of the Phoenix Post

Scenes of pre-gen Anthony Quill at a discotheque in 1997

As we reach the end of the year, so do we conclude our exploration of Martin Wixted's Year of the Phoenix role-playing game.  Before we move on, we shall examine a few remaining points of interest.


New Player Characters

Sometimes a player's character dies.  Sometimes a new player joins an existing campaign.  What to do?  Wixted provides some helpful information in a section named 'New Characters For Players' that begins on page 35 of the Adventure Guide.  Character creation in Phoenix is geared toward Project Phoenix participants and this section provides what little information there is about creating non-standard characters.

First, Wixted describes “3 obvious choices” for the origin of a new character:  Astronaut, Time Capsule Survivor, and Native Amerikan.  Astronauts are other survivors of the Phoenix incident that arrived separately from the original player characters.  As a means of introduction to the existing group, Wixted suggests rescuing the newcomers “from the Zoviets or perhaps some natural catastrophe.”  Time Capsule Survivors (thus capitalized) may be from “specially constructed bunkers set up where people were frozen just in case [of] a calamity” or they may have been subject to a convenient “natural occurence [sic] near some arctic region.”  Wixted suggests that this may prompt strained relations within the group “due to possible orders from the patron of the Time Capsule Survivors which conflict with the astronauts' goals.”  Wixted states that Native Amerikan replacement characters may be “the simplest to justify, but the most difficult to roleplay.”  Such characters “may or may not see the Zoviet rule as oppressive.  (If you've never been out of the forest, how can you conceive of an ocean?)”  For non-obvious character choices, Wixted mentions the examples of a religious cultist or a Zoviet defector or spy.

Wixted suggests that characters younger than eighteen receive fourteen dice to allocate among the Skill Spheres instead of eighteen.  He also suggest that older characters receive an additional Skill Sphere die for every ten years of age beyond thirty.  Sadly, Wixted doesn't explain how to calculate non-Skill Sphere attributes (e.g., Conditioning and Ergs) for characters who are not astronauts.

Wixted also talks about 'Academies,' by which he means an educational environment promoting “intense study in a limited area of knowledge.”  For instance:  “tutelage under an Amerikan Bard, or perhaps the child was raised in a private Mormon school, or was raised by use of machines and drugs to become a living computer.”  Unfortunately, Wixted doesn't provide thorough rules about Academies other than how some Skill Spheres can be emphasized at the expense of others.

The section closes by listing a few Native Amerikan skills, some of which are:  History (“This is a prime skill for Amerikan Bards.”), Chirurgery, Plant Lore, and Other Lores (“There are numerous other Lores, such as Depressants, Poison Antidotes, Hallucinogens, and Stimulants.”)


Bios

          These are 'Biomechanical Soldiers.'  Bios emerged almost fifty years ago from Zoviet factories buried deep in the Ural mountains.  These things were not bright, and often malfunctioned.  The later models are more reliable, and more intelligent.
          Their design has not been duplicated, although various resistance factions have managed to capture one or two.  Bios are essentially humans somehow bred in tanks.  They receive various pieces of equipment transplanted into their body, notably artificial strength, a specialized sense or two, and some kind of computer which ties into the central nervous system and controls it.
          They are sent on missions and guard duty deigned too hazardous (or too monotonous) for humans...
          When captured, most groups have realized that these Bios have some intelligence and are eager to learn.  Most offer citizenship to these creatures, which is sometimes accepted.  One notable exception to this is the religious group named the Hounds of God, who patrol Dixie in search of heathen [sic].  Bios are branded 'demon work' and burned.

Although Wixted doesn't mention it, a Bio would be a good role-playing challenge for a player.  The Zoviets treat Bios like machines; however, many of the rebel groups consider them human enough to warrant citizenship.  This is more heavy handedness from Wixted:  Communism is literally dehumanizing while it is the nature of American idealism to foster legal equality and personal freedom and growth.  Still, Wixted describes the Bios with words like “things,”“models,” and “creatures.”  They are “essentially human,” but are distinct in that they are assigned duties not for humans.

Are they living?  Wixted says, “The average Bio soldier cannot think for himself.  Instead, he must always wait for orders from a superior (living) officer.”  So it seems they are not 'living.'  At least Wixted uses “he” and not “it” as a pronoun.  “All Bios are male in appearance,” Wixted continues, “but they are not physically equivalent to male humans.”  I think this means they are not anatomically correct.  Do they eat?  Do they breathe?  Wixted doesn't say.  However, “Bios do not have Ergs; they run off a ten-hour Power Pax.”


Experience and Specials

A player character receives an Experience Mark for a Specific Skill under any of five conditions:  (1) one hour of training with a teacher, (2) two hours of practice or study with other scholars, (3) four hours of studying alone, (4) eight hours of work using the skill at a job, or (5) one “skill roll (successful or not) during a game session.”  In order to improve a skill, a character must have a number of Experience Marks equal to the current value of the skill plus one.  For instance, our sample character, David Long, has Vehicle Repair at 77%.  He would need to have seventy-eight Experience Marks in that skill to increase it to 78%.  Realistic perhaps, but tedious.  This process is used for learning new skills as well as improving the Conditioning attribute.  With regard to increasing an actual Skill Sphere, Wixted states on page 18 of the Training Manual:  “Conceptually, for every 10% gained in a Specific Skill, the controlling Skill Sphere increases by 01%.  Mechanically, each time a Specific Skill reaches a percentage ending in zero...+01% is added to the Sphere.”  What if, by increasing the Skill Sphere, an associated Specific Skill reaches a multiple-of-ten percentage?  Does the Skill Sphere get another point?  This could create a cascading effect that some players would exploit.

On page 40 of the Adventure Guide, Wixted discusses 'Specials,' an optional rule.  Specials “are 'brownie points' given to a character for good roleplaying and creativity on the part of the character's player.”  Specials (also called “Hero Points” and “Lady Luck”) can be used to reduce the effects of damage or to reroll any dice roll – “This includes dice rolled by the player, other players, and even the gamemaster.”

Wixted says, “Specials are merely a game construct to encourage and reward a player in a definite and controlled fashion.”  At any given time, a player can have two Specials at most, Wixted instructs, while most players would be fortunate to have any.  “This rule is optional,” explains Wixted, “because some players feel that using Specials is a way of cheating the game's reality, and some gamemasters feel uncomfortable about judging a player's actions so obviously.”
 

Inspiration: Arisilon, Brynthia, Durnin, & Zenon

Retrieve the Ancient Magic Scepter that has been stolen by a tyrant king.  The Scepter is the Power Staff of the Empire and a Kingdom has been offered for its return.  It now lays hidden in the Dark Tower guarded by the tyrant's fierce band of Brigands.  Three magic keys will open the tower to you...

In this very special holiday installment of Thoul's Paradise Inspiration, we harken back to a Christmas years agone; a time when “One push of a keyboard button transports you into a world with fire-spitting dragons, warrior hordes, exotic marketplaces and undreamt-of-treasure!”  I speak of Milton Bradley's memorable board game, Dark Tower – “A Fantasy Adventure Game With The Unique Electronic Tower.”  Although quaint by 21st century standards, the electronic interaction offered by the tower centerpiece was a big deal in 1981.  Priced in the $40-50 range, MB put a good deal of effort in making and marketing the game; they even had Orson Welles shilling it.

In the course of the game, each player attempts to lead a band of warriors against the forces within the eponymous tower.  However, in order to gain access to the tower the player must collect three magic keys:  the brass key (protected by the imps), the silver key (guarded by the gnomes), and the golden key (kept by the faerie-folk).  Mere possession of the keys is not enough; one must also solve the “Ancient Riddle of the Keys” (i.e., the order in which the keys must be used).  So as to obtain their respective sets of keys, each player – represented by a warrior pawn – must travel around the board encountering various events and managing the three 'resources' of warriors, food, and gold.

The tower keeps track of the players' inventories and where the players are in the game (but not their exact position on the board).  On their turns, players would indicate their intentions (e.g., purchase supplies at the bazaar, explore ruins, cross a frontier, retreat from combat, etc.) by pressing appropriate buttons on the tower's 'keyboard.'  The tower would indicate the results by showing pictures, providing numbers on a digital display, and issuing forth electronic sounds (such as a portion of the 1812 Overture when storming the tower and a snippet of Ride of the Valkyries upon winning the game).

Player interaction is limited to afflicting a curse (when one encounters the wizard) and blocking an opponent's movement by placing the dragon pawn (after encountering the dragon).  Otherwise, the players are merely racing to be the first to defeat the denizens of the tower.

It looks like another blog started to adapt Dark Tower to a conventional role-playing setting, but did not get very far.  In essence, Dark Tower is a campaign in a capsulized form, complete with an end goal and roles suitable for player characters:  the leader, a scout, a healer, a wizard, perhaps even a merchant to haggle at the bazaar.

Much of what makes the game especially fun – even today – is the detail and imagery.  The 'art' of the game, perhaps more than the plot, engenders wonder and inspiration.

First and foremost, the evocative art of Bob Pepper creates a distinct, exotic ambiance.  This site is dedicated to Dark Tower and displays all of Pepper's art for the game as well as his art for the card game Dragonmaster, published contemporaneously by Milton Bradley.  Here is Pepper's depiction of “brigands,” the foes of the players' warriors.

I do not know why MB chose to refer to these thoroughly inhuman opponents as “brigands” rather than hobgoblins or bugbears or some such.

MB provided little plastic buildings and flags for the kingdoms instead of going the easy route and just depict those things on the board.  Instead of using just one mold for the warrior pawns, differentiating them only by color, MB supplied a distinct figurine for each player/kingdom.

L to R:  Arisilonish, Brynthian, Durniner, Zenonite

Another remarkable component of the game is the two-piece board and the fantastic terrain it depicts.  Although the terrain has no effect on gameplay, it engages the player and enhances the experience of the game.  I have endeavored to craft a composite image of the board for the edification of the reader.  I present the humble result of my effort below.

As can be seen, the board primarily shows the kingdoms of Arisilon, Brynthia, Durnin, and Zenon, as well as the frontiers that separate them.  Each kingdom contains equivalent locations:  bazaar, citadel, ruin, tomb, and sanctuary.  The tower, of course, stands at the center, equally accessible from any kingdom.  Each kingdom possesses examples of noteworthy terrain that hint at exciting adventure.

Brynthia:  The enormous plant growth near the tower, the pinnacle next to the bazaar, the chasm above the ruin, and the immense desert near the Arisilonish frontier

Durnin:  the tableland upon which sits the bazaar, the mist enshrouded hills that host the tomb, the outcropping of green crystals near the tower, and the valley of mushrooms

Zenon:  the forest of lightning, the badlands, and the trees that dwarf even the gigantic Brynthian plants

Arisilon:  the huge craters near the tower, the shattered spires near Zenon, and the feature resembling Devils Tower near the sanctuary

In the instruction booklet the accompanies the game, the board is specifically referred to as “the gameboard empire” suggesting – at least to me – that the four kingdoms are the fractured remnants of an ancient empire.  The scepter gained by the victorious player, “the Power Staff of the Empire,” would seem to be useful in unifying the kingdoms once more.  “[A] Kingdom has been offered for its return.”  Why should the player, a successful leader of warriors, settle for a mere kingdom when he (or she) can take the reins of destiny and create a glorious new empire?


It's More Than a Game, It's an Experience

Combat in Year of the Phoenix

The Year of the Phoenix boxed set comes with a 17" x 22" sheet Martin Wixted refers to as 'the Battlefield.'  Printed on this sheet is a “grid of alternating squares.”  (see below)  This arrangement is something I like to call 'a poor man's hexes.'  “Each square represents 1 meter.”  I'm assuming each side of a square is one meter in length.

On page 38 of the Training Guide, Wixted remarks:

          All forms of combat are mutually-agreed-upon rules for attempting to inflict injury upon one another.  If this were untrue, there would be no such thing as 'fighting dirty'.

Wait...Wouldn't 'fighting dirty' be a form of combat?

Anyway, for purposes of combat or other fast paced game events, game-time is measured in 'Sequences.'  How long is a Sequence?  In general terms, a Sequence has a duration of one second.  However, Wixted tells us on page 15 of the Training Guide that “Sequences can expand or contract...to fit the dynamics and pacing of the adventure...”  This deftly curtails player arguments about what can and cannot happen during the span of a second.

Actions a character can perform require one or more Sequences to be spent, but the number of Sequences spent can vary among characters.  For example, it would take David Long – the character we made over the last couple of weeks – two Sequences to fire a pistol.  Firing the same pistol in the same circumstances would take only one Sequence for pre-gen 'Keeps' Keeler, but would take three Sequences for pre-gen Julie Whitmore.  These differences occur due to the Phoenix concept of 'Skill Speed' which is inversely proportionate to skill percentage; the better a character knows a skill, the faster he or she can perform said skill.  This is where the system gets a bit clunky; characters have Skill Speeds for Skill Spheres as well as for Specific Skills.  The 'highest' Skill Speed value is five and the 'lowest' is one.  Outside of combat, for long term tasks, Skill Speed can represent minutes, hours, or days.

During a combat situation, the gamemaster literally counts out the Sequences.  In the combat chapter of the Training Guide, a section called 'The Combat Clock' explains the four 'steps' of performing actions.  The steps are:  (1) Announcing Intentions, (2) Counting Down to Action, (3) Acting, and (4) Recording Changes. The phrase 'Counting Down to Action' can be somewhat confusing because the progression of Sequences goes from lower to higher numbers.  Players are supposed to track the actions of their characters and – at the appropriate Sequence – inform the gamemaster that a given action has been performed and needs to be resolved.  Actions can always be cancelled, perhaps to perform a defensive action (all of which only require a single Sequence).  Alternatively, the multiple skill use rules can be used to perform two actions simultaneously (such as attacking and defending or defending against two separate attackers).

Within a given Sequence, the character with the fastest “raw Skill Speed” acts first.  In the case of ties, actions are simultaneous.

The 'Moves' value indicates the number of meters a character can move in one Sequence.  It is determined by subtracting the character's Kinetics Skill Speed from six.  Thus, our character David Long would nave a Moves value of two (i.e., a Kinetics Skill Speed of 4 subtracted from 6).  Different forms of movement are derived from this value; running distance per Sequence is twice Moves.

Characters can reduce the number of Sequences the performance of a given skill normally requires by 'Shaving Speed.'  Each Sequence 'Shaved' off of a skill attempt incurs a penalty of one Difficulty level and an additional Erg loss.  Although not expressly stated, one supposes that Skill Speed cannot be Shaved to less than one Sequence.  Wixted warns us on page 16 of the Training Guide:

          Players should refrain from using this technique often, because a character's self-preservation instincts have a tendency to override such foolishness.

On the other hand, characters can obviate a Difficulty level by taking an extra Sequence (and an additional Erg loss).  Curiously, this can only be done to counter Difficulty penalties; it cannot be used to gain a bonus by virtue of preparation.  With regard to aiming an attack, the combat rules on page 39 of the Training Guide offer two methods.  Both methods regard hitting a specific 'Hit Location.'  Method One allows a player to modify the Hit Location roll by one for each extra Sequence consumed (to a maximum number of six).  Method Two imposes a Difficulty penalty based on the size of a given Hit Location (e.g., 2 Difficulty for the chest, 5 Difficulty for the left hand, etc.).

Aiming isn't the only circumstance for which Phoenix addresses alternate rules.  With regard to “dealing with ammunition,” Wixted says on page 40 of the Adventure Guide,“Some gamemasters will ignore the question entirely, while others will want a detailed account of every single bullet expended...”  Wixted suggests that a rapid-fire gun run out of ammunition when the roll for using said gun results in doubles or a klutz.  This means on any given use (including the first), the gun has about a 1-in-8 chance of being out of ammunition.  Ultimately, Wixted writes, “...when it is dramatically necessary to run out of ammunition, the firearms should do so.”  Immediately following this statement Wixted scribes, “Naturally, common sense should prevail.”

We close this post with some good advice from Wixted:  “When designing the combat area decide if it would make a good setting for a movie.  If not, open it up.”

The World Didn't End!

Say good-bye to the Mayan calendar and say hello to the bold new era of Synnibarr: Invicta.  Yes, Raven c.s. McCracken has a new Kickstarter project, somewhat more modest – and more likely to be successful – than the first one.  Your humble host told his readers that McCracken is not a quitter; Synnibarr: Invicta is inevitable.

Quoth the Raven:

          The important point is that NOTHING can stop me from doing this project. This time the resources are vast and the publication virtually effortless compared to hand “blue-lining” every page and cutting and pasting the text by hand page by page.
           I have published this by myself, eight times from 1980; I will do it once more.

The way is open for YOU to “be a part of the Ultimate Action Adventure as the Worldship saga continues...”

In the interests of padding out this post, let's take a brief look at one of the monsters of Synnibarr.

Nerieye cats weigh 10 to 30 pounds and stand 1 foot tall at the shoulder. These animals have wings and can enlarge themselves to the size of a lion once per day for 2 hours.

Their 'maximum flight speed' is 200 mph.  Nerieye cats are creations of the Ravashem.¹ They can amplify the powers of their masters based upon their breed / fur color (e.g., 'red' amplifies mutations, 'Siamese' amplifies psionics, et al.). These creatures suffer an allergic reaction to forgotten steel.²

1 “The Ravashem are a mysterious race known as the Blood Mages...They live within the Garden of their capital city, Dorvendor, which lies on the west coast of the Dark Isle.”

2 “Forgotten steel is a very special metal derived from the ore shaniteum, or the forgotten ore. Its color is silver. This ore is found only on the Shandreall Plains of Mists.” It can focus life energy, mutations, and magic. It has a melting point of 2,795 °F.