Don't Look Back N e t r u n n e r Preview

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FANTASY S C I - F I 111 O R R O R Cyberpunk meets Magic in
RPG. Find out out why inside... WOTC's new card game

War baby
Introduce the ultimate
conflict to your campaign

Roru Prayingu
What the hell is going on
with Japanese roleplaying?

Woo - Woo
The golden age of steam
explored in our mysterious
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Heresy
This year's most gorgeous
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Reviewed this issue Vampire: TDA Don't Look Back Heresy Mage -
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tug any of our products please write to us at the address

gRCN: 0345 125599 (UK). +44 141 226 52
ay to Friday. Wizards of the Coast UK Ltd.
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OF T H E C O A S T
 TSR #1502
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8 randomly assorted dice • Expanded rules

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 CONTENTS April issue 1996

Vampire: The Dark Ages

7 EDITORIAL 38 SOURCESPECIAL
takes those tortured More thoughts from the What's hot and what's not in
souls we love so well almighty Steve the world of gaming snacks
back into the past.
8 NETRUNNER 40 SUBSCRIBE
Vampire: TDA review Despatch Special Join us. You know you must
on page 56 Wizards of the Coast reveal
their new card game in all its
40 ENCOUNTER:
naked glory THETRAIN
10DESPATCHES It goes chuff-chuff-chuff-chuff
We explore and delve, we risk down the track. Enter the
life and limb and all to bring mysterious and exciting world
you this news of the steam train. Next
stop... adventure
21ANDREWRILSTONE
55 GAMESREVIEWS
Charts an idiosyncratic course
War is not a good
through the troubled waters Vampire: The Dark Ages,
thing, except as a
of roleplaying's past Mage: The Ascension, Don't
narrative force.
Look Back and Heresy are the
22 WARBABY stars in this unexpectedly
War Baby
It may seem a bit drastic, but bumper reviews section.
on page 22
a good war can certainly liven Amazingly they're all mean,
up the most moribund of moody and almost equally
campaigns. Jim Swallow magnificent, making them the
suggests several methods to most highly praised collection
get your players involved in of new games we've ever had
all-out conflict at arcane. There's quite
simply never been a better
26 BITPARTS time to be a roleplayer. All
Are your players sometimes that plus another 22 sparkling
The )apanese aren't
sidelined and left with nothing game reviews. Cor
to do? Steve Hatherley has
weird, they're rust
different — take a look some unusual ideas of what 78 HOTMETAL
for yourself
to do with them They're small, they're metal,
they're miniatures
28 RORUPRAYINGU
Row Prayingu
on page 28 No, we're not taking the piss.
80 THEGREATLIBRARY
That is how the Japanese say More fantasy books come
roleplaying. To find out a lot under the microscope
more about the way 84ARCANESCRIBBLINGS
roleplaying is treated in their
unique culture look no further Your chance to tell us what
than Paul Mason's intriguing you think rather than listening
insider account to us go on and on

34WORLDBUILDER 88READERADS
In the final part of our guide Twice as many as there have
ever been before
What kind of gaming to creating your very own
snacks does the arcane
team recommend?
fantasy world, ace-architect 90 IT WAS A TIME OF
Dan Joyce discusses cities
and explores the sticky
DARKNESS
Source Special
relationship between When the going gets weird,
On page 38
technology and society the weird turn pro
r-

InsideTheNewissueIN_

"Iprobablycaremoreabout
what'sgoingoninthethird
divisionoftheBolivian
FootbalLeaguethan
Idoaboutthe
Perrier
Award..."

...says
FelixDexter,
thefunnyone
Namcorevives the goldi inTheReal
age of '80s coin-ops on
McCoy.
PlayStation—gaming
greats or rancid old tat?
Findout in PSMissue 5! Tired And Hazy Guy

Onsale ow!
SteveMartin on Sergeant Bilko, andwhy he's
spurningcinema for the stage
Stumped Again!
NickHancock,Lee HurstandRoryMcGrath
onthe return of TheyThink It's All Over._
PLUSThe 50 FunniestFilmsEver
PSlifsex,„ „,,,„teCDboas, playable NaughtyLittle Prankers
HowTo WriteASitcom
demosof TotalNBA'96, Mickey's WinAnotherBigTV
WildAdventure,Thunderhawk 2,
And TheWholeHot-DamnedFreaking
nneSoldier, and Striker! ComedyMonth In Melon-FunningReview

Issue2IsOnSaleNow
PlaySiptign
Magazn
iN
eo
5 ure Look at our Internet pages, here...
http://www.tuturenetcomkientertainmenticomedyreview.html

neckoutourhomepageson ‘ l e t athttp://wwwiuturenet.comit
 f t
_ _rfa

UPFRONT
arcane
30 Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BW
Tel +44 (1225) 442244 Fax +44 (1225) 465982
e-mail [email protected]
web site http://www.futurenet.co.uld

Steve Faragher E d for

sfaragher@futurenetcc .uk

Andy Butcher F e a t u r e s Ed tor

abutcher@futurenetcc .uk

Maryanne Booth A r t Ed itor

here are almost too many always depends on space, some months
Writers and Editorial
good games coming out are busier than others for new releases,
David Atkinson, Mark Barter, Mark Donald,
Steve Hatherley, Dan Joyce. Gideon Kibbiewhite, every month for us t o but we'll do our best.
Paul Mason, Jonathan Nash, Karen Newis,
Jonathan Palmer, Paul Pettengale, Cliff Ramshaw,
know what to do with them
Andrew Rilstone, Lucya Szachnowski, all. I mean, just check out la
James Swallow, Gm Smith, Adam Tmworth,
Ken & Jo Walton and Trenton Webb this month's fantastic menu of delights.
Photography Rick Buettner and Rob Scott First up there's Vampire, The Dark Ages Aside from that change, you'll notice
Illustration David Atkinson, Simon Chittenden,
which graces our cover. It's mostly that a few other things have happened too
Andrew Dixon, Simon Gum magnificent and Andy was lucky that he - we're increasing our coverage o f
Keith Jackson and Jason Jordache
didn't get run over on his way to work conventions in the news, for example. If
If you're having trouble getting
hold of arcane contact, each morning as he zig-zagged blindly
Tom Green Circulation Manager through Bath's busy early morning traffic
If you would like to subscribe you should telephoni with his nose firmly buried in the book.
01225 622511, fax 01458 274378, or write to
arcane subscriptions
That was after we managed to tear him
Future Publishing, Freepost BS4900
Somerton TA1 1 7BR
away from California Free State of course,
the new Shadowrun supplement which
Advertising
Duncan Ferguson practically had him bouncing through the
Advertisement Manager roof with excitement. "It's the best thing
dlerguson@futurenetcoxik
Adrian Hill ever," he said. "For Shadowrun that is," he
Classified Supervisor
ahill@futerenetcoxik added, once we'd reminded him o f
Darren Pierce
Sales Executive
universal suffrage.
And while I'm normally the taciturn,
Business
Simon Stansfield Publisher soulful type and not much given to over-
sstansfield0futurenet,co.uk
Liz Ramsay Publicity Manager
enthusiasm, Heresy the card game of
Tel 0171 331 3920
When you
celestial apocalypse - no, really - has had
Overseas Licencing write to us, me pestering people for a game and
Mark Williams
Tel 0171 331 3920 Fax 0171 331 3929
&-% please
cooing quietly over the superb artwork. I
make sure that you
love it and I'm proud.
Management
Managing Director
clearly mark the
That of course is without mentioning
Greg Ingham
Chairman N i c k Alexander
the fabulous Don't Look Back: Second
envelope with the
Edition that's had Paul Pettengale foaming there are other things that you think
Production department it's destined
Group Production Manager at the mouth (not with enthusiasm should or shouldn't be in arcane, or that
Judith Green for. 'arcane scribblings'
Production manager for the letters pages,
particularly, he was just trying to scare his you want to see more or less of, please
Richard Gingen
players - very successfully apparently). write in and let me know. We do take
Production Co-ordinator 'reader ads' for the, er,
Charlotte Brock
reader ads and so on. Oh and let's not forget Mage and Giant notice of what you say.
Print Services Manager
Matthew Parker Psychic Insects and, and ooh, loads of
Paper Controller
Fiona Deane others. If the rest of the mag wasn't so
Pre-Press Services Manager
Jon Moore
good this month I'd suggest you jumped
straight to page 55 and started drooling Talking of taking notice of what you
The subscription rate for 12 issues is:
UK 0 0 Europe f A2 U S £54.75 R e s t of World E5 8.75
along with us. say, and people writing in to arcane, I
have to say that I was really pleased at the
a r c a n e acknowledges and
recognises all manufacturers' and artists' number of top-quality letters we got this
trademarks and copyrights. Where possible we
acknowledge the copyright holder. I f there any
month. There were far too many for us to
oversights, please contact us. On the subject of game reviews, fit them all into arcane scribblings (which
a r c a n e Printed in the UK by astute readers will notice that we've got starts on page 84), but we do read them
TPL Printers (UK) Ltd
ABC Member of the our first ever four-page review this month all - and enjoy them all, even the ones we
Audit Bureau of Circulation
for Vampire:TDA. I t ' s come about don't have space to print. Keep them
All content © Future Publishing 1996
because we thought that last month we coming in. It let's us know you appreciate
Main cover image by Tim Bolton could have given a bit more space to what we're doing and it gives us a chance
0 1996 White Wolf Middle Earth: The Wizards because we felt to hear what you're trying to tell us.
This issue would have been that we had a lot to say about it. Hopefully
impossible without
Oh, hang it. It WAS impossible. in the future we'll be bringing you big, in-
ibis issue would have been a lot
etaLISHING easier without.„ Voicemail. depth reviews o f any interesting new Steve Faragher
game sytems or settings. Of course, that Editor

7
 g

ESPATCHES]

NtTRUNNtlz'
What will be the biggest collectable card game controlled everything. Now there is only
one kind o f person that can infiltrate
of 1996? Wizards of the Coast think they know those set-ups and retrieve that elusive
the answer... data: the netrunner.
That is essentially the background to
2020: IT IS A GRIM, forbidding future. highest price is information. Netrunner, the new collectable card
Genetically-enhanced street samurai There was a time when people game from Richard Garfield. And it's also
roam the filthy, crumbling cities and thought that the global computer network the background to Cyberpunk 2020, the
global mega-corporations rule the world. would bring more information t o RTalsorian roleplaying game. And the
In the seedy, neon-lit bars illicit cybertech everyone. U n t i l , t h a t w a s , t h e reason that R Talsorian won't be suing
deals are as common as illicit drug deals. corporations moved in and engineered Wizards of the Coast is that it's been a
But the commodity that fetches the their data fortresses s o that they joint venture between the two of them.
 r_
,

is partly an evolution of Vampire: TES and ;t1b

partly things I've picked u p from •
conventional card games such as Poker. I
think some of my recent interest in floMe's rOuND
German boardgames shows through in rOg t•WFWAY AND
the play too:' Ag$ MAGICA
Which is more fun to play, the part
of Runner or Corporation? As this issue went to press,
"There was a worry that people Wizards of the Coast announced
would want to play one side more than that it has managed to
the other: that people would want to play find homes for two of
the Runner because that's the more the roleplaying games
romanticised role in SF literature, but it has decided to
most of the people that have played it drop (see arcane 3 for the full
have enjoyed being the Corporation too. story). Everway, the roleplaying
So the last time we met him, we took the The different roles in the game are game of spherewalking
opportunity to ask Richard Garfield all completely different; there's a totally reviewed in arcane 1 (6/10), is now to
about Netrunner. different play style to the two sides and be published by Pagan Publishing, while Ars
Net runner will be So how does the game work? the Corporation is attractive to play for Magica, the heavily magical dark-ages RPG,
Richard Garfield's third "The game is strictly two-person. many of the same reasons that playing will be published by Atlas games.
CCG. He is of course One player plays the Corporation and referee in an RPG is so much fun: you Pagan publishing have been producing
the inventor of Magic: they have an Agenda which Call of Cthulhu supplements for years, as well
The Gathering and they want to advance. That as publishing The Unspeakable Oath, a
Vampire: The Agenda could be something magazine for CoC. Atlas Games are best
Eternal Struggle. nefarious l i k e p o l i t i c a l known for their card game On the Edge and
assassination, developing killer their roleplaying game Over the Edge. There
weapons, o v e r t h r o w i n g is still no concrete news about the future of
societies, things like that, or it WotC's other major RPG, SLA Industries
could b e something more
benign: building a marine COMPANION WITS
arcology o r advancing your FILt rOlz 13ANkizuPTCY
employee's benefits. You'll Companion Games, publishers of the Galactic
develop several Agendas over Empires SF trading card game, is filing for
the course of a game. The other Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to
player plays the hacker, the Netrunner, Unsurprisingly, a lot of the card artwork restructure its debts. The folks at Companion
and their object is to stop the Corporation will be computer generated. say they're not going out of business, and
from accomplishing their Agenda. They that sales in '95 were better than those of
do this by breaking into the computer know what's going on, you establish the '94 and '93. The problem? $60•000 in unpaid
One of the i s , systems, finding out what the Agenda is plans and the other one, the Runner, is debts from an overseas distributor, combined
Playful Al, features and then selling it to other companies or the one that's dodging the traps: with legal debts run up in a dispute with their
a picture of revealing it publicly. For both Corporation Is there going to be an option for first printer, has ruined their cash flow.
Richard Garfield, and Runner there are a variety of motives, more than two people to play?
some are good, some are evil. I don't like "There may well be in the future; kick Off
games that are too black-and-white. there isn't right now. I think that's The noble art of pumping long balls into an
"The gameplay is about twenty probably one of the first expansions we'll opponents box has now been immortalised
minutes long, similar to Magic; it's got a work on. Maybe not the first, but pretty in two brand new CCGs. Promatch 96
lot of bluffing and headgames in it, which soon after that: (pictured here) will sell at 80p
How closely have you worked with R for eight cards, but
Talsorian on it? How closely does it stick unfortunately its gameplay is
to their CP2020 universe? blatantly stolen from Top
"Well, we've tried to make it so that Trumps. Squad from
even though it's g o t R Talsorian's Waddingtons will be
'fingerprint' on it, it really is a cyberpunk slightly more expensive at
genre game and won't just appeal to the 99p for nine and will have
CP2020 player: photographs of your
It sounds irresistible, doesn't it? And favourite footballers.
judging by reports that have filtered out Although we haven't seen one yet,
of the playtesting labs it's going to mark a the Squad cards suggest a more promising
new departure for CCGs too, having been game with text such as 'Corner at +3' or
described as, of all things, more similar to 'Free Kick at +2'. We can only wait and see
chess than previous CCGs by one insider.
An arcane review will inevitably follow. a
 14-, Cii 6 s

Nncl besides
t-XPANDING wriARD9
take
Wizards of the Coast have announced two We weren't all that fond of the Star
new expansions: the intriguingly named Wars CCG, finding it fun in places
Alliances for Magic. The Gathering (about but overall an average sort of
which there is no information other than the game. You can find Out more by
name at the moment) and Ancient Hearts for turning to our review on page 70.
Vampire: The Eternal Struggle. Ancient Hearts Despite our reservations, we
will introduce two new clans to VIES: the can't help but notice that it's rather
Assamite, a non-Camarilla clan based in popular with you lot, having made
Turkey, and the Followers of Set a non- its way rapidly to number 3 in the
CamanIla clan based primarily in Haiti and arcane/Esdevium charts. So the
Egypt. One seeks to control the Camarilla, kind people at CMA (Creative
the other to destroy it Gulp. Ancient Hearts is Marketing Associates,
due for a summer release. apparently) have offered us the

ci-HuttiuON chance to give away a whole

box-full of booster packs - that's
T f t CAWS 36 packs in all - to the first person You must send a postcard clearly marked with the
to be drawn from their enormous hat. Pay words 'Star Wars Draw' to: CMA, PO Box 12, Hay-on-
attention, though: this is not a competition based at the usual Wye, Hereford HR3 SYD. The competition closes on the
arcane address. 30th April 1996.

Next month arcane hopes to bring you a first

Will Seymour's misinformed
look at Mythos, the long-awaited collectable
card game based on Call of Cthulhu The views continue to be given
office is growing hushed with anticipation.
editorial space in this
CHANGLING magazine? 'Raid so...
COLIZCIA5L-f
And while we're on the subject of card It do make mah blurcl boyal that /Yoh
games, White Wolf have announced that they GiZAT OUTING must continue with such
will be bringing out an entirely new CCG in unrestrained vigour.
July. Called Arcadia: The Wyld Hunt it will be Yet again, I have been informed o-?
based on the Changeling RPG and promises The insane irresponsibilitay of those who
to be very different from other card games. Should be setting on example to our
But then, they all say that We'll bring you you-eth Bur instead do forget the
more details as soon as we have them. esteem in which they are held and do
delight in dabbling in the degenerate
9/CFMASTT-T Mt99 doodah that is commonly known OS
It appears we have to apologise for one vital POLLY MIXTUIZeS 9- DIA/tPAM.
or oh have bin reliably informed, by
part of our Dicemaster preview last issue.
The game is being jointly produced by ICE a god-Tearing fella -from a -field in SEYMOUR J CLANCY
and UK Games Distributors Hobby Games,
who will be the sole UK distributors - a fact
Hampshire who wishes to remain anonymous
and shall therefore be known only 09 I I I ' S ql1EAT OUTINq
we neglected to mention. We've spent the 'Teej', that none other than the
intervening month rapping each other kintagtically famous and forthright Tour-letter-kNorcl-film-rnogul Quentin Tarantino is implicated in
severely over the knuckles. It's been quite The demeritous distraction of DFACONS 9- DANPUJONS. Ah know what this consists o-f• f‘h kNOW
fun, actually. what these LUCIft'g LOVt1R•G do on a Weddemesday evening when they're not blaspheming and
being violent. Indeed, it 19common knowledge that the blood of the goat 19 spilled on the shag-pile
carpet of the dahning room wahl the black candles burn, emitting Oh eeerie laht on a scene o-?
UNSPFAkABLZ I will not rest until all those who deal in PALFk5 9- DAIQUIKIS are lashed to
The altar and licked mercilessly with the TONGUE OFAAAHAWFUL WIZATH (Snip -

Seymour will reward Teej with an arcane T-shirt as befits his bravery in outing another so-called
celebrity. The 'crewsade' continues.
If you are privy to information that could assist Seymour, he would like to hear from you. And
he's not above bribery either; after all, the end justifies the means and all that, apparently.
Atclthestrugsteofvirtue...

Asatrtstmahsrlarttsorcery
Availableon
PCCD 8tPlayStation

4 4 111 °
and..MURDER! ROM PlayStation
 CARD Of -11-IF M O M
Vodka Martini Mango Mict
Win some groovy anime videos and
This wonderful card comes from t h e n e w impress your mates with your poly-
007:Goldeneye CCG. There are two principal stats in
the game and this card adds 2 to Bond's Charisma.
cultural outlook
The card text reads: "Shaken, not stirred. Attach to AS WE'VE GIVEN over quite a bit of this
any Bond card at any time. A Bond card may have month's magazine to our fascinating
any number of Vodka Martinis attached to it: So roleplaying in Japan feature (which runs from
let's get this straight, Bond's Charisma goes up by page 28 to page 32) we thought it would be
2 with every Vodka Martini he has and there's no rather splendid if we could get
limit? 27 big ones later when he's reeling around something Japanesey to give
the bar completely sodden, he has become away. And as you'll no doubt see
phenomenally attractive? We think not. when you read it, a lot of the article
If you'd like to nominate a card for card of the is given over to discussing Manga,
month, write and tell us. It doesn't have to be which is not surprising given that it's
brand new, just amusing or interesting. pretty central to Japanese popular
The address is: Card of the Month, arcane, 30
culture. So we phoned up our friends
Monmouth Street, Bath BA1 2BIAL Try and enclose
at Coalition who distribute Japanese
the card if you can (we'll send it back to you), or if
manga videos in this country, and asked
it's too precious, send us a colour photocopy. And if we
like it we'll send you an arcane T-shirt. them if they could help us out.
As we were chatting away, we
happened to mention that this month we
were also having a vampire on our cover.

THENEXTGENERATION
"Well, that's perfect" came an excited cry
from the other end of the phone, "We
happen to be releasing Vampire Hunter

OFROLEPLAYING Miyu this month, it's brand new and jolly

good, so how about giving some copies
of that away?".
Vampire Hunter Miyu. Let's hope
she doesn't poke her nose too far
into this issue,
PC 3 "
Well that sounded all right
by us, but, we asked politely,
could we have something that
was just a bit more special for the
E250 winner? "Oh, okay. How about
REVIEWED!
MAGIC CARPET every video we're releasing this
M s Nod ton consoles month plus the first episodes of
SATURN FIRST' each of those so that they're
ULTIMATE M K 3 slightly less confusing?"
Best version ever? And friends, that's just what
PICS! When they say 'Giant Rolm' they're not we've got. The winner of this
DIE HARD TRILOC kidding are they? draw will receive a splendid
Thom games In ono!
collection of manga videos comprising: Vampire Hunter Miyu (chapters 182), Giant Robo
FIRST REVIEWS!
ALIEN TRILOGY (chapters G o k u Midnight Eye (chapters 1 &2) AND Mad Bull (chaptersi&2) - eight
PlayStation
SPACE HULK videos in all. And five lucky runners up will each receive Vampire Hunter Miyu (chapters
PC CO - 18,2). Pretty splendid eh?

In order to win yourselT this pile o goodies just send us a

postcard or Ob e-mail marked clearly "Blue Magnet Sailor Chimp
Yakuza JOU". Post cards should be sent to arcane, -30
Monmouth Street, Both V I I JBW and e-mails t o
[email protected].
RULES

PC - WING COMMANDER 4 1. The closing date is 30th April 1996

',IS
PSX - WING COMMANDER 3 2. No employees of Future Publishing or The Coalition Group may enter.

3. Multiple entrants will discover themselves disqualified.

- 6 Games M a n e
4. The editors decision is final. No, it is Because rm telling you n is, that's why

1;2
 9tort9hip9 and
Spacemen
Degigned by Leonard H kanterman f a n t a g y Gaines Unifrnited, $7.00 f i r g t bublighed in 1918
In the latest of our blasts from the past, Andrew Rilstone energises his dilithium
crystals and gets-starry eyed over one of the first games he ever bought...

SINCE THE COVER of Starships & encourages roleplaying? All the way of David. The points of the stars are
Spacemen invited you to 'carry out back in 1978? Surely not! detachable delta-winged kamikaze
missions in the Final Frontier', and The character races are also rather fighter ships. Do you begin to see why
StiS supposedly since the game concerned itself with well done. Okay, we can spot the fact I fell in love with this game? The
tied in with an the crew of a Confederation Starship, it that the Taurans - think like computers, Zangids have pretended to convert to
c.,\11/1()
earlier, strategic should come as no surprise to discover usually take the job of science officer the Videni religion, and the two are
game called Galactic that it was based quite closely on a and only become interested in sex working together t o destroy the
Conquest. Earlier certain well-known SF TV show. every two years - probably also have Human-Tau ran-Andromedan
than 1078? Perhaps Is it any good? To be brutally pointy ears and silly haircuts. However, Federation - sorry, Confederacy.
we could persuade honest, no: the rules are derivative, the they are mirrored b y the highly This is all good, solid stuff: can't
Time Team to do production standards primitive, and the you just imagine the Zangid officer
a programme about it.. background painfully vague. But still, pretending to be very holy whenever
there is something about it. his Videni priest is around? Wouldn't
Although the rules start off by you like to roleplay that scene right
talking about the various 'branches of now? It's pretty sketchy - so far as I can
the Space Service' that your character tell, we aren't even told what the Videni
A lot of the earliest might want to join, they rapidly give the look like - but somehow this doesn't
game away by revealing that each seem to hurt. Maybe it even helps:
like Sti5, Aside
* R P G s had titles
'branch' - Military, Technical and some good ideas in outline form can be
from the obvious Scientific - has a number of, er, sub- more use to a referee than 2,000 pages
Dungeons ti Dragons, classes. That's right: you select your of brilliant detail he can't remember.
there was also Tunnels race, you select your class, you amass FGU didn't publish a single
ti Trolls, Bunnies ti experience points, you go up levels. Is supplement for S&S; only incredibly
Burrows and Villains St this sounding at all familiar yet? old people like me remember it; and
Vigilantes, It must have Still, this was 1978, and D&D was I'm quite sure that nobody actually
seemed really funny at all anyone really knew. The class 'n' plays it any more. But I can't help
the time. level thing suits the Trek-inspired emotional, triple-gendered, empathic, hoping that someday I'll be exploring
universe pretty well, and Dr Kanterman blue, furry (honest!) Andromedans. an alien planet and stumble through an
had obviously put some effort into Scope for some amusing roleplaying Alien Artifact into a parallel time-line
integrating it with the setting. One nice there. You've also got the Rigellians, where Advanced Starships &
idea is that the different character descendants of a lost human colony, Spacemen is about to go into its third
classes are awarded experience for whose job it is to become security edition. At a time when many people
The game was doing different types of things. People guards... and get shot at. had not worked out that wargames and
written by in the military get points for each Predictably enough, there are two roleplaying games were two different
'Capt Leonard H adversary overcome; scientists get sets of baddies: the Zangids, who are things, S & S offered something
Kanterman, MD, points for making peaceful contact with military fanatics, and the Videni, who calculated to encourage roleplaying in a
US Army Medical aliens; commanders get them f o r are religious fanatics. That they follow a background that stimulated the referee
Corps', no less. actually finishing the mission. What's Mandi makes them sound Islamic, but into having ideas of his own. For that, it
this? A games mechanic t h a t their ships are shaped like giant Stars deserves some recognition. 9
446011Venfir-
„,,Ftm r e i r i Ta r e l i t 4 111 Z 11
Cony a r e terrific
oppor t i e s o r you to see and
play the latest games, get stuck Shadowg a the
Underworld
into tournaments, meet like—
minded people and discus9 your
-favourite hobby, eat pretzels,
drink beer.- in short, they're
great fun.
From now on we'll be giving
you monthly details of After what seems like a very long wait, FASA have finally
conventions in both the uk and announced that Shadows of the Underworld, a set of
abroad, paying particular each adventures for Shadowrun, will be coming out in June.
month to one That we reckon is The eagerness with which Shadowrun fans have been
going to be definitely worth a awaiting this particular expansion may be explained by
visit. Make a date o r one af the fascination we all share for the workings of the
these happenings in the next criminal mind: Shadows of the Underworld exposes the
four months: dark and seamy criminal subculture of the Awakened
world to the light of day.
Featuring tongs, Mafia, go-gangs and policlubs, this
Bug out a t the ball supplement will explain why the criminal underworld of
On 27th April from 10am to l i p m the near future can be just as dangerous as the power of
Dudley Bug Ball the mega-corps.
takes place at the The supplement promises plenty of variety. The
Albright & Wilson various underworld elements all have their own methods
Recreation Club, of conducting their nefarious businesses, from the
Oldbury. Entry sophistication of the policlubs to the brutish violence of
costs El (50p to the savage go-gangs. Sounds like fun.
under 16s), and
all proceeds will
S. g o to local charity
Campaign A c t i o n Heart,
There'll be COMINGSOON
plenty of trade stands where you can check

City oT Choog
out and buy the latest games from the likes
of MR. Harlequin. 2nd Games Galour and
Spirit Games For the competitive there's the
AD&D West Midlands Open Championship,
the Dragon Dice West Midlands
Championship. a Call of Cthulhu tournament, Turmoil on the streets from Monocle Games
an Einc tournament, a ten-hour Civilisation
tournament and a figure painting IFYOU FIND EVENOXFORDSTREET at Christmas time a little too.., well, pedestrian, then City of Chaos may give
competition (The AD&D championship is you that vital injection of entropy that you crave.
sanction by the RPGA - RolePlaying Game City of Chaos is the first offering from Yorkshire-based newcomers Monocle Games. It's a boardgame with a
Association - an organisation that supports difference: no board. Instead, everything happens on 50 city tiles, augmented by six pewter figurines and a pack
roleplaying games through the organisation of 330 playing cards.
of events and the publication of the The game is played out in the imaginary city of Byronitar, which is besieged by the forces of Chaos. Between
Polyhedron newsletter 't one and six players take the part of adventurers attempting to discover the source of the Chaos, overcome it and
Sandwiches will he available re-establish order. Throughout their quest they will meet strange beasts, spirits, and interact with over 100
throughout the day and a bar will be open characters. The game uses random world and plot generation systems
during licensing hours to ensure that no two sessions are the same.
Although it should be easy for new players to get into - the totmatkrix
rulebook is only 20 pages long - City of Chaos, the makers
Convention diary claim, offers enormous depth and atmosphere. A n
30-31st March • CheeseCon • Robert accompanying 180-page book contains nearly 700
Gordon University Students Union, paragraphs of explanatory text that are keyed by specific
Aberdeen • Contact tel 01224 644230, web' game events. When an event happens, just look it up in
http://wwwxgi.ac sir the book to find out what it's all about.
(continued over) City of Chaos will cost .04.99 and is due for release
in April. Expect a review soon after. You can get more
details from Monocle Games on 01535 607152.

14
Youcan also write to us at
Wizards of theCoastUK, Ltd.
POBox1562,G28BW,Glasgow
or e-mail us at:
0345125599
( U f i r i l l g t e 5 2 0 5
Republic of Ireland)
'19P • a • CP amArwit - a p C I P i p o
N 4 co m-a i c t t l y 1 boo
kConve tions COMING SOON if/

Dr Who and the X-Tileg

No, it's not a TV programme about FBI agents investigating a
mysterious police phone box, but two eagerly awaited and
otherwise completely unrelated collectable card games based
on science fiction TV programmes that have achieved some
measure of popularity.
The D r Who CCG i s
scheduled for release at the
end of April. Limited edition
60-card starter decks will cost
while 12-card boosters
with additional characters, powers skills and adventures will sell for £3. In all
there will be over 300 cards to collect.
The X-Files game is being developed by NXT Games and Donruss
Trading Cards. X-Files creator Chris Carter and his team are working with the
designers to ensure that the game retains the feel and flavour of the series.
Full-colour stills from the first two seasons of the programme will adorn the
cards, which should be available by July. More information on both as soon
as it's available.

COMING SOON
Space Hulk i and r'exiex Ch(309
Games Workshop pump out some more goodies
SPACEHULK, THE GAME of pest-control in the 41st missing-link weapons such as the rapid-firing, linked
millennium, is preparing for dust off on 1st April. This, autocannon - the forerunner of the assault cannon.
the second edition of the popular boardgame, is an The Codex demonstrates that chaos can be a
update of the original rather than a complete rewrite. fickle master, and some elements of the army are
Packaged as a boxed set and priced around the £40 endemically unpredictable. For example, Chaos
mark, Space Hulk 2 contains a rulebook, mission Dreadnoughts suffer from psychological torments
book, new artwork on the cardboard sections that can drive them rampaging through their own
representing the Hulk, 20 Genestealers and 10 re- troops, while Daemons must now be summoned,
modelled plastic Terminators (which look spot on). with the chance of success depending on the Chaos
The gameplay has undergone minor surgery but army's ability t o create battlefield conditions
remains essentially the same, while the 18 missions conducive to each Powers' creatures. The greater the
provided are a mixture of the originals and some psychic activity generated, for instance, the greater
entirely new ones. Space Hulk i s designed to stand the likelihood o f Tzeentchian Daemons being
alone, and no supplements are currently planned. attracted to the battle.
Look out for a full review in the next issue of arcane. Chaos is also apt to spawn some rather odious
Though still under-development, Codex Chaos individuals, so characters are well catered for by the
for Warhammer 40,000 looks set to add a terrifying book. So far details have emerged concerning
new twist to the forces of corruption. The book will Abaddon, Horus' righthand man, who fastidiously
contain details of all nine of the original Traitor sports Horus' right lightning claw, and Kharn the
Legions and their allegiances to the Chaos Powers, Betrayer: a Khornate champion who could eat a Hive
plus Chapters that have rebelled since the Heresy and Tyrant for lunch. Kharn's speciality is to berserk
follow no particular god. charge round the battlefield at triple rate and pound
The Traitor Marines are living fossils, throwbacks opponents with his weapon skill o f 9 while
to the Horus Heresy, and so are still armed much as contemptuously ignoring parry attempts. Oh dear.
the marines were 10,000 years ago. Their advanced By the way, Games Workshop have asked us to
weaponry is often experimental: unstable plasma point out that while they're always happy to receive
guns that are more potent than modern equivalents contributions from players, they've got enough ideas
but likely to explode in the wielder's face. Some carry now for the Squat Codex. Thank you very much.
 GOWILD IN
TH COuNTIO
As if it wasn't enough that
hordes of peculiar people
dress up in character every
year, now somebody's gone
and made a video of them
doing it... I 111,4

THIS COUNTRY'S BIGGEST annual Live Roleplaying event is The While we accept that the Simpsons au
Gathering, where something in excess of two thousand people number-one geek icons of our general

gather (surprisingly) every year over the August Bank Holiday is pleasing to see roleplaying featured in -
weekend to take part in a massive festival of fighting, magic and a popular TV show. Tony Blews of Stafford

political intrigue. and Heather White of Tulane University have

Dungeons A Flagons (Ouch - Ed) is a video documentary A scene of epic combat unfolds as two mighty titans brought our attention to two separate
clash. In a field somewhere. But seriously kids — don't episodes that refer to the hobby. Heather
try this at home. Oh hang on, that's the point isn't it... recalls Homer goes to College. in which
Homer tells Bart he'd played DAD and Ban
based on last year's event. Anybody interested in LARP who has warns him he's becoming a nerd She sees
yet to try it will find that it gives them a pretty good overview of this as better than being called a
what's involved. The video features lots of dramatic footage from
the event itself, interviews with participants and some behind-the-
scenes investigation.
Dungeons & Flagons lasts for roughly an hour-and-a-half,
and is available from selected retail outlets (it says here). If your
selected retail outlet doesn't have it then you can always try the
makers: Abertawe Video Arts, 5 George Street, The Sandfields,
Swansea SA1 4HH. Tel: 01792 459978.

child-molesting satanic cult leader, but

doesn't like the trend
Tony refers to Iteehouse of Hallo 11
Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace. where cl vs
dork Martin Prince goes into a daydream
becomes the wizard of mathematics .'with
maximum charisma and a million hit points
All, the sunny reveries of youth Both
Simpsons fans will receive an arcane T-shirt
an item that is fast becoming a de tigew
accessory throughout the fashion world
If you'd like to be seen wearing one
tell us where you've noticed roleplaying
surface in the mass media
Write in to us at
15 Minutes, a r c a n e ,
30 Monmouth St, Bath BA1 .2B1N
or email aicaneoWuturenet co uk
and we'll make you the envy of all you meet
 it / 4 . 7
Igr F v C

COMING 900N

Alien Breed 312i

Just another shoot-'em-up, or a significant step forward for the CRPG?
The parallel between f i r s t person (such as walls, doors, switches, lights etc)
perspective shoot-'em-ups a n d can be given a value which i t can
roleplaying systems is an easy one to see. Will he be withstand before being broken. Not just
The scenario you're placed in with Doom, aggressive or
that, but each creature can have one of
for example, i s none other than a defensive? Will four distinct behaviour patterns attached
dungeon bash-'em up where you have to he stay in that
to them. And within each behaviour
collect keys, weapons, medi-kits (healing corner or come pattern there are several parameters that
potions), map an area, discover secret can be adjusted - making each creature
looking for you?
rooms, waste monsters and make your Well, you'll be an individual in its own right. judicious
way to the next level. able to decide. use of these tools could allow you to
Despite t h e simplicity o f t h e
scenarios involved, Doom was probably How does this fella fly then? It just ain't
responsible for selling an obscene amount natural I tell you.
of expensive PCs. Meanwhile, just like
Dungeons and Dragons in the '70s, the create, well, your own simple scenarios.
game has spawned hundreds of wannabe The overall scope and potential for
systems and imitators. fun is staggering. Once again the debate
The cheaper and more elegant will rage about whether creating a good
Amiga computer hasn't been immune scenario is better than playing in it. Either
from this phenomenon. Now and only way, everyone will be a winner.
now, are the technical mechanics of the Alien Breed 3D is scheduled to be
game such as running speed and graphic released on the Amiga soon. If you're
detail starting to be incidental to the plot. keen to take a look and you feel like you
Team 17's Alien Breed 2 - The Killing can't wait for the game to come out, our
Grounds promises t o herald a sister magazine Amiga Format will have a
breakthrough in the way Doom clones will demo on the cover of their May issue.
be perceived in the future. Aside from Aren't they kind?
offering 16 levels featuring complex
puzzles and missions, the game also
includes a level editor which allows the It's enough to
player to exercise complete control over

runny Peculiar
give you
his own creations. nightmares,
Using the level editor, each object isn't it?

To celebrate this months release of the stunningly excellent Wizards of Odd (see The Great Library, page
80), Souvenir Press have rummaged through their offices to find
six hardback copies to give away as competition prizes. They tell
us the book has almost sold out already, so to reserve your free
copy, write to us at: 'Why do authors always have a spare initial
in their names?' competition, arcane 30 Monmouth Street, Bath
BA1 2BW with the answer to this question:
'What is Arthur C Clarke's middle name?
The closing date for this competition is not until 31st May 1996
in effort to appease some of our vociferous
Australian readers.
Pay the following heed:
One entry good, two entries bad.
2. Souvenir and Future folk can't play
a The editor's decisions are written in stone
and carried down mountain sides on the
backs of his complaining staff.
 CHARTS
Making a welcome return this month is the orcone/sclevium chart. e X Aumnth in
These are sdevium's best-selling games in February. sclevium
Games is one oT the largest games shops in the country and has an
extensive mail order service too, as well as being a wholesale
distributor. scleviurn games can be contacted at I PickTord Street,
Aldershot, Hampshire, or on O l i S i 24116•

gPGBOARDGAMS
1 Vampire: The Dark Ages (White Wolf) £ 1 6 . 9 9
2 R o b o r a l l y (Wizards of the Coast) £ 2 9 . 9 9
3 Roborally: Armed and Dangerous
We are his spawn. Apparently. goleplaying games
(Wizards of the Coast) £ 2 2 . 5 0
have corrupted our immortal souls to The extent
4 Technocracy: Void Engineers - Mage (White Wolf) £ 5 . 9 9 That we shall never rise to the kingdom of
5 Battletech Record Sheets 3055/58 (TASA) £ 1 0 . 9 9 Heaven (not even if we roll three criticals on
6 M o r t Sourcebook - SLA Industries The trot). arcane investigates fundamentalism
(Wizards of the Coast) £ 1 4 . 9 9 and asks the question:
What the hell are bible-bashers on about?
7 Nobles: Shining Host - Changeling (White Wolf) £ 6 . 9 9
8 M o r e Excuses to Kill Things -
Macho Women with Guns (BTRC) £ 6 . 9 5
9 London's Burning; wargame of the
Battle of Britain (Avalon Hill) £29.95 Design your own roleplaying game wit) the
first installment of our three-part feature.
10 Awakenings - New Magic in 2057 -
Shadowrun (FASA) £12.99

COLIZCIAtita CARD GAIn9

1 M a g i c : The Gathering (Wizards of the Coast)

2 I c e Age (Wizards of the Coast)

Steampunk i t up with our marvellous guide to
3 S t a r Wars (Decipher) This unusual genre.
4 S i m City (Mayfair)
And all the usual news, reviews and regulars.
5 S t a r Trek (Decipher)
arcane 6 will be on sale friday 19th April 11
6 D r a g o n Dice (TSR) =CB , 2 1 , 4

To make sure of your copy of arcane every month either

7 Va m p i r e : The Eternal Struggle (Wizards of the Coast) subscribe using the card in this issue or fill in this handy form
and give it to your newsagent.
8 Fantasy Adventures (Mayfair) Dear newsagent, please reserve a lovely copy of arcane for me
every month.
9 O v e r p o w e r (Fleer)
Name
10 Guardians (FPG) Address
Postcode T e l e p h o n e
 rial Estate, Fo e l d , Nr. Aru
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NDING RANGE -

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 PA _

Ashop.. ed
His ying
There wag a time when brought us face to face with something more
terrifying than any balrog: the passage of time.
roleplaying gctmeg were Most of life is made up of mundane events,
even the life of Sir Patrick the Personable.
about unruly tnobg of
Only once a year would h e go on an
adventurerg mugging adventure, fight a battle or do anything that
was worth a roleplaying session. So, i n
innocent dragong Pendragon, each week's game represents one
treagure. Not any more. year of your character's life. It follows that if
you play your campaign on a weekly basis
Here are -ive epoch— then in 12 months you will see your character
age 52 years. Old PCs? Retired PCs? PCs with
making gameg that changed grandchildren? Our characters had suddenly
roleplaying Torever. acquired responsibilities and commitments -
things that they cared about and were
prepared to fight to defend. At long last, they
We lost our virginity with Call of Cthulhu. It AND REW had grown up.
This idea was also at the centre of Ars
taught us that PCs didn't have to be warriors
and that dying wasn't necessarily the same RILSTONE Magica, a game in which characters were
firmly committed t o their community,
thing as losing. It didn't take us long to
discover t h a t t h e average Aberrant Andrew is the editor of members of a sort of monastery of wizards.
Abomination wouldn't bat an eyelid when we Ars Magica had one final twist up its rune-
Interactive Fantasy, the journal
shot it with a machine gun. Even if it had had embroidered sleeve. Whether we were playing
any eyes. We had to use brains rather than of roleplaying and story-making Toon or Cthulhu, we did at least know the
brawn - and investigation turned out to be just difference between players and referees. Ars
systems, and is also a regular Magica tore this last page out of the rulebook,
as much fun as mayhem. We used to think that
agreat victory meant bumping off Beelzebub contributor to arcane. and declared that all players were equal. This
and getting the experience points to advance was called 'troupe play' and has been a big
to 200th level. We realised that it could be just influence on many modern games (Vampire in
as much of a triumph to discover a tiny everyone would bounce ideas off each other particular is a sort of tainted off-shoot of the
fragment of the truth about He Who Cannot for as long as it seemed funny. Ars Magica bloodline.) The idea was that a
Be Spelled Correctly. Then came Treasure Trap. Although TT playing group should work together to devise
Having faced Cthulhu, there is nothing to has long since gone to that great rubber the game's setting; they would each control
do but go insane: so that was what we did. weapons factory in the sky, i t was the several characters; they would take it in turns
Toon, Steve Jackson's game o f cartoon progenitor of the Live Action Roleplaying to referee games. The focus moved away from
roleplaying, with it's studied stupidity and hobby, and therefore perhaps the most individual PCs: the community itself was now
gung-ho attitude to rules, changed the way we influential game since D&D. TT introduced us the star of the game.
thought about roleplaying. Up until then to a new way of relating to our characters: real From mobs o f vagabonds crawling
players expected a 'scenario' to present them costumes, real swords, and even, o n around dungeons to settled communities and
with a challenging task; it should have a list of occasion, real bruises. [ARP elements entered ageing heroes with families; from combat and
monsters and NPCs, a storyline that was as mainstream RPGs. Whenever two or more mayhem t o story telling and character
labyrinthine as the floorplans. Toon chucked Vampire players are gathered together, one building; from rules and miniatures t o
this idea out of the window. Toon was most will suggest that they should dress up as their freeform games and live action - and our
fun when both the players and the referee characters and hold a live action convocation. beloved hobby has been going barely 20
were ad-libbing wildly and insanely. The Amber fanatics are almost as bad. years. Will the next decade see even more
referee would think up a strange setting; the And then Pendragon galloped into the radical changes? I don't know but Os Lister
players would think up funny characters, and fray, visor down, lance in place. Pendragon said) it's gonna be fun finding out.
 WA R ! H U H . W H AT nowhere; the PCs were acting as a battlefield and the slide towards all-out
freighter crew and getting bored with war begins...
Is I T 9DOD FOR? hunting pirates and hauling cargoes. On a While it's more engaging to have
It's not the intention Absolutely nothin' — at least in the real whim I read an old first-edition copy of your players involved from the outset,
of this article to glorify world— but for roleplayers and referees Kevin Siembieda's Methanol(' Invasion sometimes keeping them away can have
war in any way; Instead alike the clash of mighty forces presents RPGand hit on the idea of dropping the astronger effect. The PCs will be going
we're attempting to awealth of opportunities. Fortune, glory, alien invaders into m y gameworld. about their usual business as the war
illustrate the dramatic fame and painful lingering death can be Overnight the campaign was transformed starts to take effect, and little by little a
possibilities armed yours for the giving and taking. All in all, from moribundity to being fast-paced and wily referee can work in the odd hint that
conflict creates in a and as obscene as it sounds, a war can dynamic. In the end the PCs saved the something is amiss. Perhaps mail arrives
roleplaying game's give a terrific narrative boost to any galaxy and became universal heroes with a little later, o r certain consumables
ongoing narrative— campaign, giving a solid framework to enough experience points between them vanish from shops. The military will
so any concerned one that's just beginning or a fresh start to sink a battleship. become more of an everyday presence
citizens out there, to one that's flagging. War is hell, all right, but it's also a and the police will be on the look-out for
please rest easy. Roleplaying's essential core themes hell of a good story pivot. saboteurs. If the war is unpopular with the
This stuff isn't real. (for characters to be heroes, to right masses then demonstrations and riots
wrongs, to survive adversity and become
greater for it) are showcased in fictional
DISTANT THUNDER might be frequent. For shadowy PCs
operating on the edge of legality this
warfare. N o m a t t e r w h a t t h e Unless they start one themselves, most could be a real problem; likewise it could
Some good reads for environment, wartime is a breeding characters' first hint that the stormclouds be a boon to sawy black marketeers with
referees after SF ground for adventuring possibilities. You of war are gathering is when news from the right connections.
warfare source material can play it real and in-your-face painful the front reaches home. PCs will find the Worlds on a war footing change
are: The Forever War by with grunts knee-deep in blood-soaked day's paper (or vidfax o r whatever) complexion rapidly, becoming leaner and
Joe Haldeman, the mud, or cinema-clean with square-jawed reporting skirmishes on some distant meaner as the luxury of peace is trimmed
Dorsal series by Gordon heroes ripping tanks apart with their bare

All
R Dickson, Hammer's hands. However you play, where o r
Slamn2ers by David whenever your world is, war is a fact of
Drake, Ender's Game by life (and death). While this article largely
Orson Scott Card, lain concentrates on SF and futuristic themes,
Banks' Culture novels, the basic concepts here can be fitted into
Starship Troopers by almost any gaming genre. To expand and
Robert Heinlein and grow, player characters need jeopardy,
The VCs and Rogue and wars provide it in spades.
Trooper strips from The inspiration for this article comes
2000AD. from actual experience. I was refereeing a
Star Frontiers campaign that was going Is your campaign getti
reckons that a quicl
 off, and PCs living in them will have to the force of your choice. Imagine the
street samurai put into the infantry or the
follow suit. There's fertile ground here for
a behind-the-lines campaign, playing superhero in the special forces.
WAR qAMES VERSUS
resistance members in occupied territory Depending on your background WA R q A M E S
or just opportunists carving out a living in story, the PCs may even be responsible
the shadow of battle. War is so pervasive for the war, or be part of the military Player characters around during wartime are likely to end up
an influence that it will shift the PCs' home already. If they're raw recruits, a referee in a battle sooner or later, be it an urban firefight or a
ground subtly even before the enemy has hundreds of war movies from which thousand-vessel fleet action around Bamard's Star.
comes over the horizon. And, sooner or to pilfer ideas on basic training, and Depending on the positions they hold - anything from
later, they will come... there's room to run a mini campaign in poor bloody infantry to imperial commander - the conflict will
this context. I f they're already in the be seen from a different perspective. Low-rankers on an
YOU'RE I N THE forces, they have a leg up, but their outlying escort might not see much of the Battle of Barnard's
motivations must be considered. Do they Star, hut the commodore and his aides will have the whole
ARMY N o w
think this i s a just cause? I f not, theatre of war to survey. If your players are captains and
Sooner or later your player characters will somewhere along the way a line will have admirals, they'll likely want to run the battles themselves and
go to war. How they get there and why to be drawn and they'll have to choose introduce a whole new headache for the referee.
they go is as important to the campaign as between duty and honour. Players used to Many RPGs have add-on wargame systems and
the battle itself. Motivation is the key word doing as they wish in Civvy Street may not conversion rules that allow PCs to transfer roleplay skills into
here. In an up-and-running game, PCs take kindly to barked orders from officers, warrame bonusesxput often wargames and mleplaying are
may already be in some other line of work and unruly characters will soon tire of KP difficult to mix - 4 surprise hit can wipe Out that major PC, a
or involved in another organization, but if duty or being busted and locked in the victory can derail a planned plot development and force the
the war machine needs fresh bodies then brig. Two solutions are to keep the party referee into a frantic rewrite.

BABY
the draft comes into play. They can enlist group together a s some kind o f Some referees can rise to the challenge of the
or be press-ganged or shanghaied into autonomous unit fa ship's crew, a preparation and rules juggling needed to run this kind of sub-
game, while others prefer a more abstract method of a few
tactics rolls and a bit of atmospheric description. It's best to
reach a consensus with your players first, rather than
stopping the game to set up a board and dozens of counters
unannounced. Don't be afraid to use a wargame you prefer to
your RPG's add-on; Ground Zero Games' Full Thrust and
Dirtside systems are a good bet, both simple and fast-playing.

, bit stale? Jim Swallow

J.can work wonders.

•••• 4 P - M n .
 1

4- strike team, a fighter squadron) with a rehash the stereotypes, and instead to go
degree of freedom under the auspices of
THE ART O f WAR
for something fresh. Some players might
the party leader, or to give them a more be happy merely to dress up as the cast To have war, you must have a foe to fight,
TV St. personal reason to obey orders. It could of Aliens, but striving for originality and to fight you have to have a reason,
f ‘ cinema sources for be that the girlfriend of one of the PCs should be the order of the day. however flimsy i t might be. Before
warfare include was kidnapped by the aliens, that their Bear in mind that soldiers generally embarking on a war campaign, the
Battlestar Galactica, V. homeworld was vapourised by the Death fall into two categories: those that fight referee has to create an enemy. The basic
Aliens, Space: Above Star, or that the enemy commander is because they want to and those that fight criteria are simple enough.
And Beyond, the Star their estranged brother. The latter is a fun because they have to. First, who is the enemy? Is it one
Wars trilogy, Robot ech, example of a motivation that can cause all If the war constitutes your entire power or many? Are they like the PCs?
Babylon 5, Battle kinds of merry hell when you least expect campaign from the ground up, it's likely Depending on the gameworld context,
Beyond The Stars and it. Don't be afraid to mix and match, the PCs will start out in the forces. As the adversaries could b e from a
Enemy Mine. either. Never forget that the best drama such, character types and skill packages neighbouring country or aliens from
stems from characters, not contexts. will be limited or channelled into military another planet. Even a gang from the next
ends, so talents farther outside the city block needs defining. What are they
WHAT D I D Yo u D o normal curriculum w i l l take more motivated by? Are they invading or are
C V Some SE and explanation than usual - that pilot with a they defending? Most wars are started by
near-future RPGs that IN THE WAR, botany degree just happened to be the unfamiliarity and misunderstandings, so
come ready-packaged
DADDY? son of a crop farmer, for instance. the foe will at the very least be of a
with their own easy-to-
Here, characters will be groomed for differing culture, if not a different species.
start wars are FASA's Warfare is filled with some of the best- war in the creation stage, while drafted
Mech Warrior and
Why are they the enemy? Is the
known character archetypes in fiction. PCs will gain 'bolt-on' bonuses to existing point of the war to stop them taking over
Legionnaire, TSR's Star Favourites like the drill sergeant ("YEW skills as well as brand new ones. Skill and your world, or is it because they have
Frontiers, GDW's MAGGOTS!"), the flyboy ("This is Red talent levels can also b e used t o something you want? If it's a fight for
Twilight 2000, Steve Five - I'm going in:'), the commander determine military rank and position as something material, look to the culture
Jackson Games' GURPS ("Damn t h e torpedoes, f u l l speed drafted characters join up, occasionally your players inhabit and find a need or a
Lensmen and War ahead!"), the new guy ("This is my wife casting them against type. resource that the foe might possess or
Against The Cthorr, and six kids.") and the hard-nose Once again, the temptation is strong might want. The reason could be as
Task Force Games' ("Charlie's out there on the wire.") are all to load up on weapon proficiencies and arbitrary as the difference in the colour of
Prime Directive and
off-the peg numbers with matching combat skills, so referees should be wary their skin, or that they don't worship the
West End's Star Wars, emotional baggage. While they're fun to of players forging 'power' characters that fish gods like your players do. Whatever
play, they're fun to play backwards too are able to castrate a fly at 200 yards with it is, this is your PCs' reason to hate the
(check out arcane 2's feature Break The alaser rifle but unable to operate a simple enemy and it will affect their perception
Mould! for more on this). computer terminal. Referees should feel of 'the cause' one way or the other.

1
The tough part in playing wartime free to penalise this kind of player with Where is the fight? Once you're sure
characters is to resist the temptation to extreme prejudice. of the who and the why, the location of

fo*--
• -
, -
•• - -

-
-
—
the war comes next. Is the fight right on seldom result in stalemates, and after the
your doorstep, just streets away, or is it shooting stops the complexion of the THE REAL MADE UNREAL:
light years from home on some distant gameworld will have changed sharply. The
world? Location adds o r subtracts most important question is: did the LEARN FROM THE EXPERTS
familiarity, so characters far away will players win? If the answer is yes, then the
suffer different fears and hopes from characters may be treated like heroes One of the useful things about wars is that there are so many
those garrisoned close to home. when they return home, showered with of them, real as well as fictional ones. Thanks to the violent
Scale is the final consideration. How medals and accolades. Alternatively, they nature of our species we've been fighting them for ages, and
big is your war and how big is the part the might find that all is different, with old
we're now quite expert at it
characters play in it? Scale need not be a friends and lovers gone, and the lingering
Much has been made of warfare in the form of boots,
physical measure; a turf war between shadow of the fight still clinging to them. If
movies and TV series. If you're a referee lookinglor a quick
street gangs might be just as brutal and as the war was unpopular at home, they
might be treated like outcasts. off-the-peg conflict, or you need a war to take place off-
scarring to its participants as a nuclear
exchange between continents. Instead, If the PCs were on the losing side, camera or behind the scenes, an easy way to fill the gap is to
it's the degree of risk to the players and things will be even worse for them. If they take a real historical conflict and transplant it to your RPG's
their world (however large or small it may were high-profile personalities, they might setting. For example, Vietnam becomes the Moon, with the
be) - if they lose, will it mean the end for be convicted of war crimes or betrayed by Mars-backed Sea Of Rains Compact in the North fighting the
all of them, or could they survive? It also their own side to appease the new rulers. Southern Luna States and their UN allies.
relates to the characters' roles. Are they The characters' home territory might have You're free to cut and paste as you see fit, to follow or
sideliners, bit players in a greater story been destroyed o r annexed b y the ignore your model as the mood takes you (providing you're
that will come to a conclusion without enemy, w i t h people living under
consistent, of course). So long as you make enough changes,
them, or are they the fulcrum of the entire conditions worse than during the war.
the players will be too busy cowering in craters to notice that
epic, with a great destiny to fulfil? The role Here, the players could carve out new
Clavius City is a lot like Saigon or that the sub-orbital attack
acharacter plays in the story can also vary careers as pirates or resistance fighters
shuttles are really B-52s.
in relation to their actual 'job' role - for attempting to overthrow the enemy.
example, Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Again, turning an idea on it's head Using real-world examples as the inspiration for wars in a
began as a mere farmboy but ended up as also makes for interesting gaming: what if fantasy setting is even easier. As you go farther back in history
the hero of the Rebel Alliance. life under the rule of the invaders was the real and fantastical technological environments begin to
actually better? PCs caught up in the many up. Consider replaying the Punic Wars in Rune Quest or
THE AFTERMATH aftermath of war may find themselves running the American Civil War with magic instead of muskets
"Some day this war's gonna end: So said doomed to repeat history unless they can in the Forgotten Realms campaign.
Colonel Killgore in Apocalypse Now. forge a lasting peace or land the final
Eventually, after days or decades, warfare blow. While it's always gratifying to deal
burns itself out. Peace breaks out, treaties the killing stroke to a worthy foe, there's
are signed or forces surrender, but one something to be said for holding out the
way or another the fighting ceases. Wars olive branch of peace.
5
 BIT
Over-workedreferees should get their pia
"I have a problem." so that they can have some fun, I have
rarely seen other referees doing the
Actually, I had two. One was Morden, but same. Yet players seem to revel in these
worse was keeping jody's character temporary roles. They enjoy playing bit
alive. While the other characters parts every now and again - it makes a
were gods, she was a humble pleasant change. So why aren't more
gypsy and was unlikely t o referees doing it?
survive the upcoming god war. If nothing else, creating bit parts for
Although I didn't mind if she died (and I players helps cure that eternal game-
explained that she probably would), i t killer: boredom. Boredom usually
didn't seem fair.
increases as the number of players rises,
As for Morden, he was the villain of
and in a group of four or more players at
the game, the characters' nemesis: a least one person is inevitably excluded
rogue god. This was the campaign's from the action and therefore bored. I
climax - the game would end that night, blame the 'adventure party', an artificial
one way or another. Unfortunately, I do construct whose sole purpose is to allow a
not play non-player characters well. I am bunch of friends to roleplay together. But
usually juggling too much in my head to once players develop complex motives for

"Let them take part in the events that will

shape the future of their world."
pay them the attention they deserve. I had their characters, t h e y stretch t h e
afeeling Morden was going to suffer, and constraints of the 'group'.
decided to kill two birds with one stone.
Something has to snap, and usually
I explained my problem to jody, and it's the party.
she agreed to play Morden for me - I once ran a Call of Cthulhu game in
providing I could arrange a satisfactory which I knew that the investigators would
exit for her gypsy, which I did. I then gave be outclassed if bullets started flying. To
her a rundown of Morden's plans, and left assist our heroes, I introduced an old
her to it.
friend: Christian, a shell-shocked veteran
So jody played Morden. Whereas I of the Great War. Being an old friend is
would have been playing him while trying usually lethal in Clholhu, and I didn't rate
to keep track of the game's many other Christian's chances of survival too highly.
aspects, Jody devoted her skills to make But things didn't work out that way.
him a truly sinister and believable In the course of the adventure, the
character. As a result, we created a far
investigators had a minor falling out. The
more satisfying ending to the campaign character of one of the players, Tony,
than we would have otherwise achieved.
could no longer justify spending time
illustration: David Atkinson While I have occasionally donated away from h i s business. Ye t t h e
non-player characters to other players investigation wasn't over! So we agreed
)ARTS
give them a hand, suggestsSteve Hatherly.
on a compromise: the investigator left and players with an unusual option while they
Tony played Christian. considered how best to rescue their
Since Tony had already seen doomed colleague.
Christian's flaky state of mind in action, I Once players are familiar with bit
let him take control unassisted. Had I parts, you may consider the next stage:
planned something specific for Christian, scenes where everyone plays a bit part. I
then I would have provided guidelines. As once played in a routine science fiction
it was, Tony took liberties that he wouldn't bug-hunt game that involved lots o f
have taken with his own character and combat. We had been playing for a few
enjoyed the game more than he would weeks when suddenly w e faced a
have d o n e i f h i s character h a d completely different situation. An alien
(uncharacteristically) stayed to the finish. ship was orbiting Earth, and the referee
Tony's portrayal was invaluable when wanted us to play diplomats visiting the
Christian returned. Quirks and references ship. How we reacted and the events that
I wouldn't have thought of were waiting occurred would influence o u r next
for me to call on. mission. (This could have been a rescue
You might argue that if players take operation for the diplomats, or a mission
on bit parts too often they may play those to destroy the aliens. Maybe, if things
parts to further their own characters' went well, a n alien marine would
ends. However, experience has shown me accompany us next time.)
that this is not usually the case. If you are running a living, breathing
Take, for instance, the trial. The trial world, there may be occasions when
took place after a character was caught in kings a n d heads o f state meet,
the act of spying on some soldiers. While corporations negotiate or mafia conspire.
I could have skipped straight to the None of these are immediately relevant to
exciting rescue scene, I decided that a the characters but may affect the world
proper trial, with judges, a prosecutor and around them. If there is opportunity, why
defence (all played by the players, while not let the players act out those parts? Let
their own characters were elsewhere) them see firsthand what happens when
would be entertaining. the king chooses a new bride. Let them
Ihad it in my mind that the accused take part in the events that will shape the
player would eventually b e found future of their world. And who knows,
innocent, but the trial went against all my perhaps the events that unfold will send
expectations when his story fell apart your campaign spinning in directions you
under scrutiny. There was nothing for it - had never considered?
the accused was sentenced to death. As well as curing boredom, providing
When players take on other roles players with bit parts generates a wealth of
strange things occur. The trial led to possibilities. Not only do the players
complications that would not have arisen create new avenues to explore, they also
had I merely rolled the dice. For example, get to do something a bit different. And
a judge took a shine to the character everybody enjoys a change now and
defending t h e accused, a n d t h i s again. Best of all, this creative energy is
unexpected turn of events presented the free - the players do it all for you. 4
 •

prayir
Manga, anime, replays, GURPS young female pro
Even the official a t 9
books in Japan are
illustrated with Mango.
Pau/ Mason investigates the rather
Believe it or not, the
characters above are apan is a country that can make normally of the world put together. We're not talking skimpy Marvel-comic-
Det'D thieves; below is a sane writers start t o gibber about sized efforts: a typical manga is a great walloping doorstep. Manga
pair of fighters, and at inscrutability, mystery and inexplicable are the preferred reading matter of the majority—young and old
the bottom of the page alike— so their subject matter encompasses business, suicide
are a couple of dwarves.
: o t h e r nsoestrange
s s . to
Everything about
the outsider thatJapan seems
it's difficult to methods, the constitution, sado-masochism and haemorrhoids.
Most manga, though, are dedicated to light entertainment: sex,
11\14 e s t a b limpressions
i s h an that
order thetocountry
the masspresents. And
of chaotic sport, science fiction and swords & sorcery.
nowhere is this more true than in the field of roleplaying. An entire comic-based vocabulary has developed. Visually,
Perhaps the strangest thing about Japanese roleplaying is there are the huge-eyed creatures that populate manga
that, once you start to understand it, it isn't as far out as you might linguistically, there's a phenomenal battery of sound effects to
expect. In fact, the vast majority of it isn't far out at all—it's directly
copied from the West. The fantasy setting so successfully
developed in D&D forms the backdrop to most Japanese games,
so it's no surprise to find D&D itself up there as one of the most
popular JapaneseIRPGs.As you can see from the pictures on this
page though, the Japanese 'spin' for D&D is the overwhelming
presence of manga art that reinterprets our cliched ideas of
character classes in an almost unrecognizable way.
The computer scene is similar. In Japan computer gaming
means Nintendo, Sega or Sony, so local efforts such as the Final
Fantasy saga dominate, with a US rearguard action being fought
by the likes of the Wizardiy and Ultima series. Almost without
exception they too feature manga art.
To the right is GURPS
Rine-Dream, the young MAN qA MANIA
female professional So what are these manga that dominate Japanese roleplaying?
wrestling supplement. Comics, that's what. Japan produces more comics than the rest
When we asked Steve

Jackson what he
thought of it he had to
confess that he'd never G ,eutioD
seen a copy. And
strangely he has no
plans to bring out an _4 t r - T A 3 L , X I I R V E L V

English-language " I A • *) / 1
version.
 Tfi

, anyone?
anal wrestling—they do things differently over there.
A couple of mango-

'iar world of japanese fantasy gaming. mangled magic users.

Brings back memories
of that D&D cartoon,
express every sound you can imagine, and many you can't. This doesn't it?

vocabulary carries over into the world of Japanese animation, or

anime. Improbably huge eyes, improbably long legs, characters
distinguishable only by hair colour (in a country where almost
everyone has black hair), flamboyant costume (or lack of it) and
primary colours are the norm. These elements have made
Japanese animation a world leader. They even spill over into live
action; where do you think Power Rangers came from?
Japanese kids live and breathe manga. Aside from text books,
all their reading matter is likely to be in manga form. The art that

This is GIMPS, manga-style. As you can see, the presentation is a little more
colourful than that of its Western counterpart.

looks so kitsch and stylised to us is regarded as utterly normal by

Japanese kids. To them it's the artwork of Western roleplaying
games that seems exotic.
The worlds of manga, RPGs and computer games feed
each other. As Japanese companies excel at cross-marketing, it's Just about all D&D
often hard to tell in which field a product began. Is it the toy of the manga characters are
anime of the Nintendo game of the manga? Or the manga of the improbably leggy, with
anime of the roleplaying game? the exception of the
Ah yes, roleplaying... plump priest, natch.
And don't you just love
WORLDS Of WONDER the elves' floppy dog
You thought I was kidding when I mentioned the anime of the ears, below?
roleplaying game. I wasn't. The computer game Final Fantasy has
its own anime show, and a pencil-and-paper game called The
Record of Lodoss War has spawned an even more successful
anime series. You can't tell whether some of the recent fantasy
worlds originated in manga, anime or roleplaying form. Most
RPGs in Japan, though, are direct descendants of Sword
World, the country's most popular roleplaying game.
Sword World is an interesting case to look at to give you
some idea of what a JapaneseRPG is really like. Although it wasn't
the first Japanese-designed game (The Roads To The Lord claims
that distinction), it was the first to be released in small-book
format, which is probably the cause of its extraordinary success.
It enabled Sword World to be sold in Japan's bookshops alongside
the Fighting Fantasy series, leaving its competitors to languish in
 THROUGH THE MANGLE
A lot of the terms used in Japan come either straight from Pronounced F r o m Meaning
English CRPG', 'player', 'session', 'game master anti so on) or are Otaku- F a n Maniac
completely Japanese (for example 'teibansaigenkei RPG', which Yuuzaa U s e r Anyone involved in a
means a scripted game). But it's not quite that simple. Despite roleplaying game, player or
The number pouring billions of yen into teaching written and spoken English, referee
imported games the Japanese just can't leave well alone. Telburutohku Tabletalk A face-to-face RPG
stocked in )apanese Part of the problem is pronunciation. There are many Kyara Chara(cter) P l a y e r character
games shops over the English sounds that don't exist in Japanese - the most well Manga Japanese comic
last five years has known being the letter A s such, when an English word gets Anime Animation J a p a n e s e cartoon
drastically reduced as imported into Japanese it is modified to suit Japanese Famicon Family computer Nintendo, Sega etc
the home-grown ones pronunciation. The problem is compounded by the Japanese game
have found their feet delight in coining new words, or chopping and changing old ones Ripurei R e p l a y A write-up, manga or
to suit themselves. Now and again this produces a winner, like otherwise, of a game
'tabletalk' (see the table at the right). At other times... session. See 'Replay It
Even in their own language, the ever-playful Japanese can't Again, Sam'
help messing around. To give you some idea of the sort of Gaapusu GURPS N o , seriously...
vocabulary you'll have to master if you want to make a splash in Baakohdo atama B a r code head Y ' k n o w Rab C Nesbitt's hair
the Tokyo roleplaying scene, here's a crash course: style? Well..

specialist game shops. Sword World has also D&D adopted the small-book format, and for a while Warhammer
been generously supported with supplements, gave it a go. Now, though, both have been ditched. The Japanese
adventures, magazine coverage and t h e are now so adept at parroting Western fantasy clichés and
uniquely Japanese idea of 'replays' (see the roleplaying design that they don't need the originals.
'Replay It Again, Sam' panel), Of the other Western games to make an impact on Japan, the
For many people, Sword World was the incongruity of two makes them stand out. One is James Bond
first Japanese-language roleplaying game 007. Although it has never been translated, it is cited by many
they experienced, and its devotees Japanese designers as a major influence because of its task-
are fiercely loyal. Don't resolution system and its hero points. The
expect an English-language other is Torg. Maybe because it lends itself
translation o f the game, to the free-for-all anything-goes style of
though. There's nothing in it 0 S-PLIs, Game
• m a n g a , and because i t has plenty of
—not in the rules or the
171/4if-l"X supplements (quickly translated i n t o
' Japanese), Torg has carved out a niche for
eponymous w o r l d t h a t
accompanies them — that
D&D itself in Japan.
)11—)111t-OUIN5*-47(1)
hasn't been directly lifted i Ts R i n e , 6 1 ! A A A / W E B A)

from American games of the q.• CARD CRAZY

Guardian Heroes, above, is the latest 'true RPG' '70s a n d ' 8 0 s . M o s t And, o f course, there's Magic: The
[/
for the Sega Saturn console; while the graphical Japanese non-Sword World Gathering. Despite being (until recently)
technology of Virtua Fighter 2, below, could fans regard it as altogether untranslated, it has been just as big a hit
revolutionise computer-based roleplaying games if lacking in 'charm points'. here as anywhere else. Given how difficult
Sega put their muscle behind it, The b o o k f o r m a t , some of the cards are to understand for
however, w a s clearly a 4' non-native English speakers, that's some
winner. One of the foreign success. A translation has just appeared, but
games tussling with Sword others are hard on its heels: Doom Trooper,
World is the translation of for example, numbers Japanese as one of its
GURPS, which has been rather cleverly 13 languages. Judging
marketed. It was released in small-book format, by the past, the first
and Japanese writers were encouraged to
develop their own supplements. The result is
that Japanese GURPS now sports a dazzling
array o f manga-decorated supplements,
mostly set in proprietary fantasy worlds. It has
also inspired some sourcebooks weird even
by GURPS standards: anyone for GURPS
Ring*Dream, the game of young female
professional wrestling?
Other foreign games
have tried the same tack:
Japanese trading card games won't be around for another year or borders Germany and Austria, it features Giant
two, and when they arrive they'll be carbon copies of their Robot Panzers. It is based on a successful
Western cousins, but with the inevitable manga art. computer game, which in turn was based on...
asuccessful manga. I expect you're beginning to
HOME-q1lOWN HEROICS understand the way things work here by now.
You may think I'm being harsh in describing Japanese roleplaying And I'm sure the appeal of fighting the Nazis in
games. There are a few gems and novelties, but overall, as with a1930s Mekton is equally obvious.
manga, it's a sea of blandness. With Japanese designers the same If you have an ounce of interest in Japan
word keeps cropping up: 'manpower'. They don't worry about you're probably wondering if there are any
creativity: it's just a matter of getting the manpower together to samurai games. O f course there are. M y
assemble a new game. The Japanese approach game design in favourite is Daikatsugeki, which describes itself
much the same way that they approach auto manufacturing. as the game of TV samurai dramas. It's no more
As in the car market, copies abound. Once GURPS 'realistic' than Bushido, b u t i t has t h e
established itself as a success, a Japanese company just had to considerable advantage of being set in a genre
come out with a generic, universal system called WARPS (Wild with which its players are intimately familiar.
Adventure Roleplaying System, if you must know). It's a trend Japanese samurai dramas all have the same plot
you'll see repeated again and again, not least in the various and, despite the preponderance of 'chambara'
'tributes' to Cyberpunk fighting, you rarely lay eyes on a drop of blood. Daikatsugeki Magic: The Gathering
It's not all imitation, though. Apart from the aforementioned features the same kind of task-resolution/hero-points mechanics - even without a

GURPS Ring*Dream, there's the Sangokushi Engi (Romance of the found in almost all Japanese games. It concentrates on providing translation it's still

Three Kingdoms). Produced by Koei Corp, the computer games plenty of concrete background and copious illustrations of period managed to take over
giant specialising in historical strategy games, it's based on a buildings a n d s c e n e r y, Japanese magazines,
Chinese legend of the third something that's often neglected
century. While it owes a lot to in our games.
D&D, it features an atmospheric
version o f that favourite o f CONVENTIONAL
Japanese designers: the hero- CHARACTERS
points system from James Bond One o f the most distinctive
007 in which characters have trends to emerge recently in Games that

specific hero abilities tied to little Japanese gaming is the scripted haven't been

phrases, such as 'you think your game. Here, the players know translated into

puny arrows are going to harm pretty much what's going to Japanese include the
me?' or 'isn't there anyone here happen in the scenario, so World of Darkness

brave enough to face me?' instead o f enjoying t h e series and, surprise

Soemthing else uniquely unexpected, the players can surprise, Bushido.

Japanese is the RPG Fortune Bag, concentrate on really getting

an a n n u a l anthology o f into their roles. I n Japan,
roleplaying g a m e s a n d where knowing your place and
backgrounds, perfect for those fitting in are so important, it's
who favour rules-light games o r like t o tinker with rules. not surprising that such a style of gaming should be warmly
Containing half a dozen games for a tenner, it's an idea that might received and it's interesting to contrast it with Western society's
profitably be taken up by some Western publisher. concentration on 'independence' and the vehemence that one so 1
Japan's games designers have also come up with Tokyo often hears directed towards referees who 'railroad' their players. The Japanese
NOVA, which is a sort of romantic cyberpunk game using cards (I Scripted gaming is also admirably suited t o play at created the giant
know it's hard to imagine, but it's true). Although the cards are conventions. The Japanese are loath to entertain at home, which robot genre but US
similar to those of Everway - they're identified with the Tarot - means that clubs flourish and mini-conventions have become a companies dominate
they're more prosaic and a little less, well, Californian. common fixture. While most of the action takes place in Tokyo, the associated

Kotetsu no NO is one of those peculiar games that you knew even a city such as Nagoya (a Japanese Birmingham) boasts seven roleplaying market.
the Japanese would produce. Set in or eight conventions every month. While fairly small (a The Japanese are
1937, in a small country that capacity of 250 is on the large size), these regular events fighting back, though:
give garners an opportunity to meet each other and Bandai are currently
experience a wide variety of systems. Because they are engaged in a legal battle
organised by garners for garners, the with FASA.

emphasis is on playing: people save their

shopping for visits to games shops. It was
through this convention network that
Magic: The Gathering, despite the
linguistic hurdles, spread so
rapidly among Japanese garners.

The Japanese GURPS owes much of its success to clever marketing; its release
in a small-book format meant that it made it into plenty of Japanese
bookshops, and writers were encouraged to develop their own supplements.
 --1 ) 0/ ' 4

One of the biggest problems with roleplaying has always been

explaining how to do it (as discussed in Andrew Rilstone's
column in arcane 4). This has been particularly worrying for
the self-conscious Japanese. •p
Their solution is ingenious: replays. A replay is a blow-
by-blow account of a gaming session. It may be told in prose
form, but many adopt the medium of mange to make their
message clear and more accessible.
A replay portrays not only the characters and their
adventures, but also the players and referee as they
participate in creating the adventures; by showing exactly

2 • •
ffi A
h fOt C 11
KO I M
7:c t" t :
0 6 k -

So as we can see, in terms of imaginative innovation,

Japanese roleplaying has no great lesson to teach the West.
Like its cars of the '60s and '70s, Japan's games are
manufactured according to principles of efficiency,
uniformity and saleability—with very little design flair.
Whether the games can be made sufficiently universal
7>, (t0 to repeat the world-conquering act of Toyota, Nissan
et al in the '80s is another matter.
If the Japanese are going to make a significant
breakthrough it'll be in the world of technology. After
all, this is the country that produced the video games
1.14 (a Virtua Fighter and Tekken. Now that designers have
ditched those boring old sprites of Street Fighter, the
prospect of a roleplaying game in an electronic virtual
This, believe it or not, is a manga Magic The Gathering replay.
world seems a little closer. Already Sega have realised
what the garners say and do, replays give the lead to nervous that part of Virtua Fighter's appeal is the ability it gives
purchasers and demonstrate what roleplaying is all about. players to interact with others and a 'tournament'
The success of these books is phenomenal. Most games version of Virtua Fighter 2, in which teams of five
sport more than one book solely composed of replays, and challenge each other, has just been released.
Sword World has volumes. Don't confuse these with game- And this technology has wider implications.
related novels: the Japanese have plenty of those, too. Graphical computer MUDs a r e already
While campaign write-ups in the West have been a available, but imagine what could be done if the Giant robot fans should check out Coietsu no Niii,
source of embarrassment more than anything else, in Japan corporate muscle of Sega went to work in this a game set in an imaginary Europe of 1937 in
they have become a flourishing industry in their own right. So field. If this is really where the future o f which you get to stomp the Nazis in Sattlemechs
much so that Magic: The Gathering replays are already roleplaying lies, then it's well worth keeping an - sorry, pegers.
starting to appear. eye on Japan. 4

132
 Will Murder to Cormyr
clot by Chet Williamson
On Sale in March
ISBN 0-7869-0486-0
Sug. Retail $18.99;
CAN $23.99; E10.99 U.K.
TSR #8655

You play fantasy adventures. You read murder

mysteries. Now the Mystery Writers of America's
Edgar A w a r d n o m i n e e s C h e t W i l l i a m s o n ,
John Maddox Roberts, and Richard S. Meyers
blend the two genres to weave webs o f deceit in
your favorite fantasy worlds. Join sleuth wizards,
fighters, and thieves as they investigate who,
or what, is guilty of murder!

Murder in Tarsis M u r d e r in Halruaa

by John Maddox Roberts by Richard S. Meyers
On Sale in June .
On Sale in October A d e a d l y n e w
ISBN 0-7869-0500-X I S B N 0-7869-0521-2
Sug. Retail $18.99;
CAN $23.99; E10.99 U.K. CAN $23.99;$18.99;
Sug. Retail E10.99 U.K. s e r i e s f o r 1 9 9 6 !
TSR #8656 T S R #8657

TSR, Ltd. • 120 Church End • Cherry Hinton • Cambridge, England CB1 3LB • Tr 01223-212517 (Int, 44-1223-212517) • Fax 01223-248066
0 and '"' designate trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. 01995 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 ,? s•Z
--1174k_

In the final part of his epic

series Dan Joyce explores cities and
technology, and looks at how to incorporate
them both into your strange new world. So strap
yourself in as we look at the hows, whys and wherefores
of moving your world into the near future._

• „
,

, -

- 2.-2.•±',••••••

Agnter,
 WORLD BUILDER DART 5:
CITIES AND
TECHNOLOgf
C I T Y F O U N D AT I O N S Waterwodd or the satellite world o f M A p p I N q THE CITY
Settlements don't spring out of nowhere. Freeside i n W i l l i a m G i b s o n ' s Once you know where your city is and
They take root for a reason and grow - Neuromancer. why it's there, then, and only then, can
layer by layer, a bit here, a bit there - by As to the 'where', look at real-world you map it. First off, sketch geographical
aprocess of accretion. The only town or maps for inspiration. Almost all big cities features such as rivers, marshes and
city you'll get if you start with nothing lie on rivers and/or coasts. No water: no mountainsides. Secondly, ask yourself:
more than a pen and a blank piece of major settlement. Desert dwellers are what has it grown up around? The docks
paper is a bland and soulless one. Like nomads (or live in river valleys such as or the spaceport? Start there and work
Milton Keynes. that of the Nile). Tundra dwellers tend to If you're outwards. Is i t a market town on a
Two m a i n factors determine be nomadic too, whereas an agricultural running a crossroads? Draw the roads first, then fill
settlement patterns a n d growth: plain like that of the American mid-west modern or in the details.
economics (why) and geography (where gives rise to small towns and villages that futuristic game, get Don't forget that few cities are minty
and how). Every settlement has to have an are spaced out roughly equally around hold of a current street fresh a n d new. Show their age.
economic b a s e , w h e t h e r t h a t ' s road intersections. map or OS map and Incorporate old parts of the city: the old
agriculture, fishing, forestry, mining, The form the town o r city takes adapt that. OS maps are perimeter wall now swallowed up by the
tourism... whatever. And it has to have depends on the type of terrain of its locale available from as early new city; the disused docks and the
access to basic living requirements: water, (although not exclusively - it's harder to as the 1800s, so they're decaying shipyards; the mediaeval church
food, fuel and building materials. build into an estuary, but Venice proves handy for Cthulhu or in a modern city; Big Ben in a future
Cities also need some sort o f that it is feasible) and, historically, on its CtInilhu by Gaslight London. The city o f Pavis i n t h e
communication network (for instance, defensibility. Forts were built on hills, referees. You can Runequest world o f Glorantha i s
roads, rail, rivers, sea, airport o r mediaeval cities in meander loops, and so contact Ordnance interesting in that it is, i n fact, Pavis
spaceport). Since a city's population on. The more work the topography does, Survey on 01703 'outside the walls'. The original city, now
density precludes everyone living off the the less the people have to do in building 792635. the derelict Rubble, is behind it.
land, food will have to be imported, even walls and ditches. When building a city, bear in mind
if only from outlying areas. Once established, a city tends to that size is relative. Historical cities were
Given a civilization with enough grow outwards along roads or rivers, smaller than you might think. Babylon, the
resources, i t ' s possible t o import eventually swallowing up its outlying biggest city in the world in 600BC, had a
everything, as is the case on Pyrrus in settlements and transforming them into population of just 80,000. The whole city
Harry Harrison's Deathwodd You can districts of the city. state of classical Athens (including its rural
even import t h e structure o f t h e inhabitants, slaves, foreign merchants and
settlement itself, like the floating city in so on) had a population of less than
 - -- -
rat , 111: r

THE WORD ON THE

The trouble with technolosry STREET
Which brings us neatly on t o the
atmosphere o f the city. The best-
Once you get into using advanced creditable job of keeping everything designed city in the world will fall flat if
technology, you have to be careful to together. But better still is Alan the players walk down silent, sterile
keep it all in check. Jump forward too Moore's Watchmen. The hard-to- streets, seeing, hearing and smelling
fast and you end up scratching your believe-in Dr Manhattan seems far 'nothing of interest'.
head trying to work out what impact it more real and believable because of Atmosphere i s everything. Take
would have on society. Take those the role he plays: not bashing up bad Batman's Gotham: it's dark and brooding,
transporters on Star Treks Enterprise. guys but subtly changing society... all stone gargoyles a n d concrete
were here? They don't make sense. Why not just "The technology that Dr canyons. Or the sets in Blade Runner,
A . W i s h you
Fun cities the have some bigger and better ones Manhattan has made possible has with their winking neon, urban decay,
arcane team have back on earth and forget the changed the way we think about our sushi stalls and gloomy weather. Great
been stuck in: Enterprise altogether? clothes, our food, our travel. We drive stuff! How different from that beatific rat-
5. Sanctuary The problem is even more acute in electric cars and travel in leisure hole, Hobbiton.
(Thieve? World, in Superhero games, which often and comfort in clean, economical Each different part of the city will
Chaosium, Out of print) incorporate fantastic technology while airships. Our entire culture has had to probably have a character all of its own.
Bogenhafen being based in present-day Earth. contort itself to accommodate the Sanctuary has The Maze, New York has
(The Enemy Within, Spaceships, cybernetic devices, laser presence of something more than The Bronx. Docks stink of seaweed and
Hogshead, £895) guns and so on are rife. And they human, and we have all felt the results outflow pipes, and are shrill with the
3, London seem, so... daft. They don't fit. of this... We are all of us living in the sound o f seagulls. A street full o f
(Queen Victoria and the The Wild Cards series of novels shadow of Manhattan:' armourers' shops would be ringing and
Holy Grail, Games by George R Martin and others does a Go read it. clanging. And most mediaeval cities just
Workshop, Out of print) stank, everywhere.
Pavis
The defining factor of a city is its
(Glorantha, Chaosium, people. There are lots o f them. They
Out Of print) 4- 100,000. 14th century London had a certainly a lot easier than roleplaying should be in the way, arguing, emptying
I. 1E64n population o f 50,000. B y contrast, everyone on the fly. chamber pots, rushing about, chatting,
(White Dwarl42-47). modern-day New York has a population The situation becomes even more doing deals. Sure, you don't want florid
of around 9,000,000. complex in the case of larger modern or descriptions every time the characters
But whether there are 10,000 or futuristic cities. Obviously you can't map nip across the road to the tavern, but
10,000,000 inhabitants, you'll never be everything, so do no more than a street they're not walking through an empty film
able to detail everything and everyone in or street intersection in each sector. set either.
your city. Sure, you might map and detail Design the floorplans for a typical shop, a The question of city-based scenarios
some taverns and temples where you typical house and so on. Don't go into is best left to a separate article, but you
know the players will turn up, but do you massive detail, s i n c e these a r e do need to pay attention to how, and by
really want to get bogged down with all improvisational aids only, although they whom, the city is run. Remember here
those shops and houses? could easily be used as the springboard that the most visible aspect of a city's
Take this tip from Paul Vernon for further scenarios. organisation i s i t s means o f l a w
(which he used in his now out-of-print And don't worry if the map doesn't enforcement. The kind of people who
Starstone campaign): just detail a look too inspiring afterwards. Unless constitute the police force and how they
representative sample. So you want a you're a cartographer, it won't. It's the act says a lot about the a city, so it's more
street of leatherworkers and armourers in scenarios and storylines that hold the important that you detail them than some
your city? Work out the details for one of place together. The map for Sanctuary (in obscure official that the players will never
them, giving the proprietor his own the Thieves' World books and the meet. If you've got a corrupt city you get
character, motivations, relationships with campaign pack b y Chaosium) was corrupt cops. Or you get a Tempus
other city dwellers, and so on. Then if the nothing special, but the feel of the place (Thieves' World) or a Mega-City...
players decide to visit an armoury, no was great. For ideas on just how different your
matter which door they knock on they city can be from the norm, check out Italo
happen upon this particular one. It's Calvino's Invisible Cities, an imaginary
 'O
D

account of Marco Polo's travels as related inventions, for use by the military. Score Seven. It's just guns instead of swords -
to Kublai Khan. one point - and one point only - for that no problem.
awful JC Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren In a futuristic city, with huge spire-
film, Universal Soldier, over Isaac Asimov like tower blocks, flying cars and an
and his Three Laws, of Robotics (which unwritten law that says 'height equals
THE USES AND ABUSES are, roughly: don't harm a human, obey status', shanty towns won't be absent;
Of TECHNOLOqY humans, keep yourself intact, in that they'll be on the ground. Likewise, bank
By this point you should have a pretty order). Given that the first use for robots robberies, drug cartels and so on will still
good idea o f h o w technologically would likely be in battle, the Laws don't exist in one form or another. It's possible
advanced your world is. If you're playing really hold up. they might not; we might get an egalitarian
GURPS or Traveller then you'll have even One problem that seems to occur society like that of lain Banks' Culture. But
assigned a Tech Level, which determines with high-tech games is that, particularly if since we don't know, it doesn't matter.
what is and isn't available. you're playing a physicist, you can feel Where it can become awkward is if
Fantasy worlds, by some strange law, foolish, as if you're operating along similar you ignore the technological limitations of
seem to be stuck with 14th century lines to those '50s dreams of food pills, the past. Then you can get anachronisms
technology. Very dull. Shifting everything manned rockets to Jupiter and so on. It that grate. Mediaeval hospitals, f o r
up or down the technology scale can doesn't matter. Don't let the technology instance, were n o t merely simpler
make a huge difference. Try adding hot-air take over. For one thing, SF has always versions of the ones we have today. Most
ships (they could even powered by fire been ahead of technological development of the doctors were operating (excuse the
elementals), gunpowder o r sewers. - ideas of Asimov and Clarke have set the pun) o n an entirely different level,
Warhammer, whatever its faults as a game pace for some real-world inventions - so Castles were not made bleeding the patient even when it might
system, has bags more character in its you're in good company. And, secondly, defunct by the kill him so as to restore the balance of his
late-medieval/renaissance world than the crucial aspect is how the technology is invention of 'four humours'.
most fantasy games c a n boast. used in society. gunpowder. They were Few of us are historians, so no game
Alternatively, you could try taking one If some boffin invents teleportation, already falling Out of will be perfect. But even Shakespeare
step back in time to a dark-age era with no with, er, microwave radiation being used use the century before included some anachronisms. If you don't
plate mail, no crossbows and no castles as to transmit disassembled bodies and, er, there were guns notice them, no problem.
such - this too will give you an entirely it's the end of travel as we know it - you're powerful enough to
different world. stalling. I f s o m e b o ff i n invents breach a castle wall,

Technology can and does change teleportation, gets assassinated by a simply because the

society, but it doesn't change people. This consortium o f Swiss bankers and the feudal society that BRAVE NEW WORLD
created them was One of the biggest impacts technology
can have on your game world is when it
"The best-designed city in the world will fall collapsing.
can create or dramatically alter the world
flat if the players walk down silent, sterile itself: terraforming. Here we're talking
about making barren planets capable of
streets... atmosphere is everything." supporting human life, o r creating a
Niven-esque Ringworld. We looked at that
is why all that '50s and '60s brave new device is stolen by the CIA or the Mafia - back in issue 1._
world stuff is so much guff. People stay now we're talking. If you can't explain it,
the same. We're more likely to emerge don't. Just go with it and explain the
into the worlds o f William Gibson consequences.
(Neuromancer) or Jeff Noon (Vurt) than NEXT MONTH
we are into those of Star Trek or The Six And so the circle is complete and the
Million D o l l a r M a n . Cybernetic worldbuilding series is ended. Hope you
enhancements and virtual-reality gizmos SAME WORLD, all enjoyed it and found lots of ideas to get
almost certainly won't go to the disabled, DIFFERENT STUFF you going.
the needy or the righteous: they'll go to Since new technology only changes the Next month we move things up a
those who can buy them for hard cash, trappings, not the people who use them, gear. All right, so you can make your own
probably on the black market. you can easily transpose scenarios worlds, but what about designing your
And initially they'll be developed, as forwards in time. That's why the Seven own game? Lee Brimmicombe Wood has
is the case with so many real-world Samurai is still okay as the Magnificent afew ideas he'd like to share with you. 4
 ffit 6 w e t
Z6C.IcAt
At arcane, we appreciate the central importance of snack
foods to the roleplaying table—so the sourcetakes a diversion
this month, down to the garage for somegaming goodies...

Twiglet9 Cheesy Bicuitg

Use these Marmitey treats These are like gold pieces.
Throw handfuls of them at
to make log-cabins, (they
have to be licked heavily smithies and inkeeps to show
you mean business.
before they'll stick
together). Alternatively, a
pile of them produces a
good representation of a
camp-fire. Set fire to them
and tell the other players
interesting tales from your
character's youth.

DrayRoasted
Peanuts
Amaze your friends with your
gastronomic savoir-faire. Or
just flick peanuts at the referee
and be terribly annoying
Chocolate Bi9cult9
whenever you're bored.
Annoy the most patient of referees
by leaving a packet of heavily
coated chocolate biscuits near
the radiator for half an hour and
then opening it up just after they've
agreed to your inspecting the
contents of their brand new boxed
set edition.
 S— 0,/
— '
—6 – ,

0 6 . 11 And the players said...

& C L I F F "Pizza is the perfect modular
dinner creation system; the referee lays out a
sturdy, deep-pan base with tomatoes, basil,
oregano and grated mozzarella, and players
take it in turns to decide what topping they'll
have, all in character of course'
Jelly Bableg
I L J O N "Yeah, right. I play a dwarf, so I'd add
With their dog-like snouts a generous sprinkling of smoke cured ham
and extended bellies, these make from my mountain village. But if I was a
wizard, I'd cast 'Summon Anchovies', while, if
excellent snotling miniatures. Eat the little
I was an elf, I'd go into the woods to look for
monsters as they are slain, thereby keeping an some edible fungus, or somesuch."
accurate check of the number yet to be ' G I D E O N " N o man, you're both

defeated. Players won't mind a bit of hack 'n' wrong. It's pig's trotters, with a hearty potato
broth. If the party's in a village, that's what
slash if there's a tasty gibberling to feast on
the peasants would eat. Not pizza but a good
every now and then. healthy dish of pig's trotters:'
S T E V E " E r, yes. Thank you, team.
Crisp, anybody?"

Many people consider these a

good dinner substitute but they are not suitable
for gaming evenings. Roleplaying with a
mouthful of crisps is bad form.

MaItesers
Better for Subbuteo

•
tournaments than roleplaying
games, to be honest. Spitted Goat
What better than a real goat roasting slowly
on the gaming table? You might think. However,
apart from the amount of firewood you'll have to
gather on the way to the game, the sight of you leading
Marshmallows a live goat into the dining room could cause
These aerated treats can represent the
raised eyebrows amongst your host's flatmates ear-bona-red cirink9
and assuring them you merely intend Most magazines nowadays will go to any
hammer descends on its
to eat the beast may not be enough lengths to justify the inclusion of a picture of
hapless victim's bonce, bring
to assauge their fears. Pamela Anderson in their pages. Not so
your fist forcefully down
arcane, you'll be pleased to hear. We just
onto the marshmallow with a
print pictures of Virgin Cola bottles that are
blood-curdling scream.
shaped like her. Rather sad, isn't it?

9
i t s k u l l s of your foe. As your dwarven
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this issue of arcane.
 the train
next stop could be
Victoria or Venus... but will
certainly be adventure.

by Ken & Jo Walton

 arcane proudly presents
another excellent 11-page
scenario that you can use
with any games system.

the
I didn't catch the name of the station, or even gee it properly
through the streaming rain on the windows. I t looked run—down
and dilapidated, but the symbols on the signposts seemed
Strangely uturistic• I returned my attention to my paper as
the train pulled out.
It Wag then that the stranger, hatless, rain dripping horn
his sodden mackintosh, leapt into the compartment "Just made
it," he said. "I didn't know they still can steam on this line." He
took off his coat, folded i t and placed i t on the luggage rack
above his seat i3efore settling himself he examined the tnirrorS
and the woodwork of the carriage. He ran his hand across The
brass curtain rail, as if admiring the workmanship.
The train went raffling over, the lines, gathering speed.
We pas9ed brie-fly through a tunnel, and the carriage was
plunged into darkness. As we emerged once more the train
whistled, the two notes echoing in the night. I pulled out my
watch and consulted it; almost time to make my way to the
dining car. Thug i t was that I could later give the detective the
precise time, almost to the minute, that we heard the scream.

locations
From the time the train pulls out of the station you're in a
little moving world of your own, a world with a limited cast of
The Camiage
characters and e w ways to escape. fm train provides an ideal The train may pull in to a platform on either, side of the
location o r a number of different kinds of adventures. This i9 carriage, go both sides have doors. c o r r i d o r rung along one
a steam train, suitable as a modern steam—enthusiasts' train or Side. A t the end of the corridor there are toilets and acce99
a standard form of -h-an9port o r any period from 1830 to to the next carriage along.
1940. The characterg deScribed ore from 19'30'9 Fritain but Inside the carriage are the travelling compartments: one
need only slight changes to i t into any country or period. Second—class with seats in rows, the other a f irst—claSS
sleeper. There are windows on both sides of the compar-Nents,
one gide showing the corridor and the other the outside world

You're a smart person, right? We don't need to patronise you with detailed rules on how to translate these people and events into your
own system, do we? But just in case you're uncertain, here's a couple of tips. Whenever we do a character description (though there
aren't too many in this scenario), we'll say something like 'Doctor Bloggs has a fine, incisive mind and this is complemented by a
strong, athletic body. As a child, however, he suffered from a rare lung disorder that means he has difficulty in sustaining effort. He is
also prone to making rather impulsive decisions.' In game terms this would mean that Doctor Bloggs has above-average strength,
intelligence and dexterity and below-average constitution and wisdom. Exactly how much above and below average is up to you and the
strength of your party of adventurers. This is also the case in systems that use levels. Give the encounter's characters the sort of levels
that will make them a challenge for your players. You'll find similar descriptions of all important physical objects, such as 'the door is
paper-thin' or 'this glass is ballet-proof'. Now stop reading this wibble and get stuck in.
 as i t speeds past. All of these windows have
Connection9 be e e h arhiages
curtains. Above the seats are luggage racks made Before 1890 most -trains had gaps between carriages that had
of metal mesh. to be stepped across. After 1890 the much safer 'vestibule
connection', similar to that in a modern train, started to

UMW= become the norm.

each sleeper compartment sleeps four people,

separated from each other by curtains. During the
02-CLEI
day they sit beside each other on the lower bunks. The front of the engine, the engine proper, consists of a coal-
At night the upper- bunk is pulled down and the Tired boiler and a steam engine Tor providing power. On the
lower bunk is transformed into a bed. Both outside are a number of funnels, whistles and a bell. All these
passengers whose bunks are on the same side of and the engine itself are controlled by levers in the cab. There
the compartment must retire and get up at the will be at least one member' of the Black Gang (see below) in the
same time. cab at all times. Behind the cab is the coal truck; coal is
Sharing the compartment with three strangers shovelled through into the engine by the stoker.
may cause f riction. On some trains, for an
additional charge, i t is possible to book a sleeper
for one's exclusive use.
The Guard's Van is used Tor storage of luggage and mail, which
The Pining Cah is carried in sealed sacks. Occasionally, IT the train is full,
passenger's are allowed to stand in the guard's van. On long
Some trains do not have a dining car, meaning that journeys the guard and off-duty members of the Black Gang
passengers must leave the train when it stops and from the engine room sleep on the sacks.
go to the station buffet f or meals. This causes
many obvious problems, not least of which is the
prospect of being stranded in Bucharest because
you were standing for too long in a queue for a It is possible to climb out of the doors and windows of the
sausage roll. compartment and make your way along the top of the carriages.
The dining car' does not have a corridor -
passenger's walk between the tables to the end. I t
can only be entered from the other carriages and
the kitchen, not rom the platform. Lunch
There are places o r fifty people to eat at 4 francs (without wine)

once in The dining car. There are first and second Eggs or Fish
sittings f or both lunch and dinner. The waiters
Hot meat and vegatables
glide among the tables with sure steps, never
Cold meats
stumbling, even when carrying ull plates of soup.
Dessert
Marl
What is on the menu depends very much what sort of train i t Dinner
i5. British trains have traditionally bad english food. Continental 6 francs (without wine)

trains may offer delicious meals. On long journeys some dining Soup
cars will run out of certain items on the -first day. Some menus Hors d'ouvre
may name something that is always unavailable. Peter Fleming, Fish
travelling on the Trans-Siberian railway in the 19305, notes
that the bottles of wire on the tables are merely there as Two plates of meat and vegetables
decorations and never opened. On a long journey it may be Dessert
effective to have the -food deteriorate as time goes by - start
with delicious four-course meals and end with only coffee and
Stale rolls being available. One thing is consistent.. -food on
Sundries
Bread 0 . 1 5 centimes C o l d meats 1 . 5 0 francs
trains is over-priced. Butter 0 . 5 0 centimes G o o s e liver 2 . 0 0 francs
Eggs 0 . 7 5 centimes P o t a t o e s . 7 5 centimes

MilE1222 Beefsteak 1 . 7 5
Lamb cutlet 1.75
Veal cutlet 1 . 7 5
francs V e g e t a b l e s 1.00.h-tine
francs C h e e s e . 5 0 centimes
francs C o l e s l a w 1 . 5 0 francs
The kitchen is a hot and unpleasant place, with the cook and
his assistants overworked and unhappy. Shouts can sometimes •
be heard coming from this area.
Wine
Between 1.75 and 12 francs a bottle, depending on quality
Here's a Menu adapted from the Orient express of the Tea.- or coffee 50 centimes B e e r 1.00 franc M i n e r a l s 1.00 franc
1880s, at which time i t cost 10 francs to go across
Prance from Paris to Nancy in Alsace.
This is strictly Torbidden by the Railway Company. IT you do Scotty' Grab - -ngineer
This you should be careful to hold on, and to watch out o r low In the early days cR steam, engineers all over the world were
bridges and tunnels - you'll have to -fling yourself flat against Scottish. Scotty is carrying on the great tradition, which he
The roof to avoid Them. hopes will last well into The future. He is a thin, serious young
IT anyone attempts to use a firearm from the top oT a man with carrot-red hair and a pasty complexion. He will ignore
moving train The disorientating swaying o-T the carriages should Paul's jokes. I t is his job to keep the engine in-tune and
be taken into account. running. On long journeys he alternates with Pave in the engine,
but both lend a hand iT they are needed. He will always be on
hand with an explanation o r any accident.
Quote: "We took The corner too Tast IT we can get her

People up I Think she'll run."

Dave *Zimmerman - treman/Stoker

'The a c a n '
Pave is a strong, solid man, usually heavily covered with coal
The Slack Gang are the men who keep The engine going, so dust. He does a dirty but essential job. He looks aTter the
called because They are always black with smoke and coal dust. engine by keeping up the Tire and water levels. He obeys the
In a game where The train regularly crosses international instructions oT Paul and Scotty. He is a bit in awe o-T Scotty
rontiers i t can be a good idea to make the -three men oF but enjoys a joke with Paul. These three men have been
different nationalities but still Triencls. They could also all be together o r a Tew years, work well together and are loyal to
involved in some minor peccadillo or other, small-scale Smuggling each other.
Tor instance. Quote: "I just shovel The coal. IT you want to know about
anything you'd better ask Scotty - I mean Mr Grant."

Paul is a strong man who has always wanted to be an engine

Mr Wal h - a t i o n a s t e r
driver and has managed to work his way up to achieve his Mr Walsh rules his station with a firm hand. Trains arrive and
ambition. He resides in a cottage near the railway, and lives and depart precisely on time or be knows the reason why. He is a
dreams Steam plump, officious man who will act obsequiously to passengers
He will not risk his position under any circumstances and while bullying his staff. He wears his splendid uniTorm at all
cannot be bribed, since nothing is more valuable to him than his times. Nothing is ever his fault, in his opinion. He will always find
job. His responsibility is to drive The train and get it there on someone else to take the blame. His station is immaculately
time. He has a sense o-T humour and enjoys a drink when off kept, with no weeds in the hanging baskets and the timetable
duty. Very occasionally he turns up too drunk to drive, but hung exactly straight. He keeps two copies oT (3-adshaw neatly
Scotty and Pave cover o r him. placed in his office. He loudly berates the guards oT trains that
Quote: "Maybe I shouldn't say it, but I love my engine more come in late, sometimes waking passengers in the sleepers in the
Than anything." middle oT the night. Trains have been known to take risks by
travelling too fast just to avoid being a
Tew minutes late and enduring the vvrath
oT Mr Walsh.
Quote "Seven minutes late. Seven.
just can't understand it. There's
absolutely no excuse o r it, and I won't
have it, do you hear?"

Andy was invalided out o-T the army aTter

he lost Three fingers from his left bona.
This doesn't stop him carrying luggage and
wheeling trolleys. He has been a porter
or ten years. He always presents his
wounded hand when asking o r tips, and
will talk about his 'terrible wound' iT Mr
Walsh tries to blame him o r anything. In
Tact it doesn't trouble him at all, and he
plays i t up o r sympathy.
Quote: "Carry your bags, ma'am?
Thank you kindly; CI man needs a little
extra when be has to live with a
mutilation."
 •

I _ MIR

'naps 0 arcane Illustrated by Keith Jackson

,• ,

, •••• ,

.11-611Ler,

maps i0 arcane illustrated by Keith Jackson

 10 11 1 4 ) /

Marcel is a Frenchman Trorn Calais Ibi-)o has worked cis a guard

on trains all over, The world. He has only recently joined This This young couple are on Their honeymoon. They clearly love
train. He IS oT small build with black hair and a small waxed black each other deeply and spend all Their time holding hands. They
moustache. His eyes are keen and sharp. He speaks english with are an attractive couple, with many bags. Marianne has blonde
a strong French accent. ringlets and Claude looks honest and straightforward. They
On some trains he may be entitled to issue tickets; on all Should be english or American. They are friendly to everyone all
trains he will check tickets, arrange sleeper reservations and The time. They are likely to overhear and see suspicious things.
tell people when the dining car i9 open. Marcel has an They may well have something to hide, and this should come out
overbearingly charming manner, which repels many people. He in questioning. I t may be that they are smugglers, spies, or
bows over ladies' hands. He can quickly lose the charm iT merely not actually married. This pair make good villains since
conTronted with what he calls 'a stowaway', a passenger without They are so unlikely to be suspected.
a ticket. In a crisis he will tend to panic. Quote: "We only got married the day before yesterday.'"
He is very reluctant to let anyone into his van without a
good reason. The Black Gang are suspicious o-T him, as a
Frenchman and a newcomer to the train, and suspect That he
may reveal their secrets to Mr Walsh.
Quote: "You very lucky. I zink we have sleeper empty." Irma is a beautiful woman -prom eastern europe• She wears -T urs
and travels Tirst-class, but her past is mysterious. She has
dark hair and Tlashing eyes. She is in her early Thirties, and her
nationality is not easy to guess.

The Passenbas Irma can be used o r anything. She can be a villain or a

heroine. She may be a White Russian princess, or involved in
some Balkan intrigue, or even a spy. She can be given an english
The passengers are here first described as they seem and then name and passport iT she has at some time been married to an
in terms oT plot hooks. For a murder game i t is a good idea to englishman. Whatever her true position, she will immediately
decide well in advance who is not what they seem and what appear mysterious and suspicious.
Their motive might be o r committing a murder. Make sure it is Quote: n e v e r think about the past"
not too easy to guess straight away, and decide who secretly
knows each other. In a Cliffhangers game i t might be amusing o r
once to make all the passengers (except Mrs B-S and The
party) be spies o-T various nationalities who all know each other. Advetures
The Obnoxious tnglishwoman: MP9
faultero —Smythe and Cuthbert on a Train
Mrs Faulteroy-Smylhe is a fussy rich widow. Cuthbert is her
little Cairn terrier. As a dog be should travel in the guard's A train is a good place o r encountering strangers, uncovering
van, but WS F-S is capable oT making so much fuss that she mysteries and being forced into involvement in an adventure. I t
always manages to keep Cuthbert with her. They are both is a microcosm - a world that can't be left while i t is moving.
overfed and bad-tempered.
Mrs F-S is acts as a red herring in any plot. She always
Thinks The worst oT everyone, never knows or sees arythir9 oT
significance, and is no more nor less than what she seems. She It isn't necessary to be a train spotter or to know everything
always makes herselT important and brings herselT to the about everything to make your railway seem authentic. You just
ToreTront, but she is nothing but background colour. Cuthbert need to drop in the right word at the right moment.
has no abilities except o r his loud, high-pitched bark. He Here's how to bluff your way through running a train
cannot follow a scent or recognise people's natures - be just scenario. Carriages are coupled together, and to The engine.
bates everyone. The stops at the end o-T platTorms to catch the train are
Quote: "What are you doing to Cuthbert, you horrible buffers. The difference between a broad-gauge and a narrow
little man?" gauge line is how Tar apart the rails are. Broad-gauge is
Standard. Only British stations have high platforms. In other
countries you climb up steps on the side oT the carriage to get
from rail level into the train. /Ai Bracishow is a timetable. From
Mr Brown is an anonymous business traveller. He wears an the Victorian period until the Second World War it was possible
inconspicuous suit and carries a briefcase. He may be a spy, or to use i t to learn the times o-T trains all over the world.
an assassin, or just a businessman. He is reserved and quiet
He is polite in all circumstances and follows the code oT conduct
oT an english gentleman. IT he is not what he seems then as a
clue you might let The players see him kick Cuthbert. The train is the perfect place o r unexpected meetings. You
Quote: "No, Thank you." may just be travelling somewhere in the Victorian period or the
 la fit C 11 , 1- v

19505 and The train is the ideal way to get there. OT course,
your worst enemy wants to get there too. Naturally, sparks The train is an environment with its own potential problems -
start to T ly when you all meet in the dining car. attack by hostile natives, runaway engine, crash, Someone tied
on The line ahead. I f you are running a train mystery This kind
of Thing can provide a sudden reminder oT the outside world.

There is no better environment for running a murder mystery -

The suspects are limited and The possibilities o r observation of T . T I I M M I 0 Train
clues are unparalleled. Long journeys work best o r This. The local pulls into platform three - but the crest on the side
Have the party meet the victim and the suspects during looks subtly wrong. 13y appointment to her Imperial Majesty
their, f irst day on the train. Make sure that they interact. You Julie oT Dalmatia?" This train is going down the track, but it's
can involve them in the investigation in any number a ways. An out of control. The rails seem to lead straight ahead, but who
amusing option is to have one of them -find the body and can tell where the next stop will be? This train is cursed, or
immediately become The suspect, and have everyone work to blessed, with The ability to find its own way between alternate
clear the PC's name. realities. These may be alternate versions of our history, or
entirely different worlds. Any world which has stations may see
The unexpected arrival (DT the Transdimensional Train, its crazy
crew and peculiar passengers. There's 110 going back!
The Ghost Train is The train that isn't supposed to be There;
the train that had something terrible happen to it a long time
ago and which still haunts the rails that saw the disaster.
Maybe The driver was drunk and The train went off the rails Trains are inherently romantic: not just steam trains, even
into a ravine, killing everyone. modern trains have a certain glamour. Use That glamour. Give
Whatever you decide, the train should be looping through your train a name: the Trans-Siberian express, the Orient
The events leading to its disaster, a t first seemingly normally express, the Trans-Pennine Mail. evoke the spirit oT the age
but growing progressively stranger. Like all ghosts, a ghost before cars and planes made travel streamlined.
train needs to be laid to rest, most probably by completing its
Journey. This could climax with The PCs trying to bring the
increasingly ghostly train into the station before dawn breaks. agic rains'
This works better as a creepy scenario rather Than 'buckets oT In a T antasy world steam trains are less likely to spoil the
blood' style horror. atmosphere than any other form oT rapid transportation. They

51)
 la e 1 1 1 1 '

are achievable at fairly low levels of technology -

the most difficult thing is building a boiler that will
not burst. With judicious use of magic to create
the steam pressure and a wizard instead of an
engineer, i t can be full steam ahead. 5,1ild a railway
across your favourite fantasy world to connect up
the cities or penetrate the wilderness. Or have an
evil empire buying up land and building railways
across i t for its own nefarious purposes.

When trains were new and companies were

competing with each other to get lines to the
cities, i t was an exciting time to be involved in the
railways. There was a cut-throat atmosphere and
much double dealing. Railway companies are a must
for any Victorian game.

There are some wonderful books about trains

available. Particularly good for pictures are The
Golden Age of Trains, 1830-190, published by
idamlyn, and The Peile Epoque of The Orient
Express by M Wiesenthal. Novels that provide
particularly useful train ideas for adaption to
roleplaying games include Agatha Christie's Murder
on the Orientexpress', Graham Greene'S etainboul
Train, Jules Verne's Around the World in Eighty

Pays, which is chock full of train adventures,

and, for modern adventures on a train, Lisa St
Aubin de Teran's glow Tram t o Milan I f you
are running a game in a specific period and
want details i t is always worth seeking out
period travel books, for example Peter (brother
of the more famous Ian) Fleming's Travels in
Tartory and also period Pradshaws. There is
an excellent board game called FailWay givaig
about the period of building railways. There are
also some computer games based on the
subject: Railroad Tycoon is fun.

Nextmonth
Let loose the arrows into the skies and hear
the injured roar. L e t the trumpets blare, and
unfurl the pennants that they might flutter and
flap in the sweet wind of chivalry. As someone
once said. Sort of. In next month's encounter
we'll be visiting the romantic and chivalrous
keep, where the peasantry gape and gasp as
noble knights meet in combat to win the favourS
of ladies fair, and where more modern
adventurers will no doubt find the odd unquiet
spirit that needs laying to rest...
 C)7ANIPIRE
Prim DARK AGES

Five years ago White Wolf turned the world of role playing
games upside down with the release of Vampire: The
Masquerade, the best-selling, critically acclaimed storytelling
game of personal horror.
Now Vampire: The Dark Ages takes you to the twelfth
century when the Kindred ruled as lords. Unfettered by any
Masquerade, they built kingdoms and bathed in blood. Glory
and terror await in the shadows of the past.. .but beware, the
darkness you need fear most is the darkness within yourself.
Vampire: The Dark Ages is a hardcover, stand-alone game that
is completely compatible with Vampire: The Masquerade.

S p r i n g , 1 9 9 6
Featuring artwork by John Bolton

Retailers inquire with Esdevium Games.

Tel (01252) 26116
11111E W V ' Fax (01252) 342600
CINt STUDIO

Vampire: The Masquerade is a Registered Trademark and Vampire: The D a r k Ages is a Trademark e l White Welt Inc. All rights reserved.
 1./1) rip( * i

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Issue 2 explored AD&D.' Skills &
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THEMONTHINGAMES
he index...
MEM -

The best collection of gannes we've seen? Probably...

AND THAT'S NO LIE. What with Vampire: The know you can buy it with confidence; if we slate it, To all our reviews...
Dark Ages, Heresy, California Free State and the well... it's your money.
second editions of Mage and Don't Look Back, we All our reviews are by experienced garners jc AD&D: Cleric's Challenge 2
reckon that things have never looked better. No and independent, professional journalists; people
matter what game you're playing at the moment, who play the games you do. This is the place for 71 AD&D: Forged of Darkness
we seriously recommend that you raid the piggy definitive reviews of games and expansions. 68 AD&D: Mind Lords of the
bank and buy at least one of these superb new (And while you're here, a note about prices. A Last Sea
games—and get stuck in. lot of stuff reviewed in arcane is imported from the 14 AD&D: Monstrous
Our policy is t o review honestly, fairly and USA by a number of different distributors, so the Compendium Annual 2
incisively all the major roleplaying, CCG and prices we've given must be viewed as guidelines AD&D: Neither Man nor Beast
related game releases. If it's praised in arcane you only. Fluctuating exchange rates or something...)
69 Secrets of Ariya
Dick of m o n t h
‘ J F • 11 % f f • • • m•w ‘ • g • • • WM •
AD&D: Secrets of Talinie

AD&D: The Silver Key

"Emphasises "Packed with
70 AD&D: Warriors and Priests
personality over ideas, inspiration
numbers" and plot hooks" 74 AD&D: Warlock of the
Va p r (-fee Stonecrowns

The Dark Ages State o AD&D: Windriders of the

Page 56 Page 86 Jagged Cliffs
7E Blood Wars: Tactical Manual

7•1.;-Changeling: Nobles
The Icons ore' 60 Don't Look Back 2nd Edition
Each review in arcane is identified with Everything reviewed in arcane gets a mark out of 10. Don't Look Back: Giant Psychic
arather nifty icon showing what kind Here's a guide to what the individual marks represent... Insects from Outer Space
of game it is. Here's what they mean: Score 10/10 Perfect. There's simply nothing better. 7- Dragon Dice: Monsters &
Amazons
Score 9/10 Excellent; a classic. Highly recommended.
& o r e 8/10 Very good, with few problems. Recommended. Heresy CCG
Score 7/10 Good, but not exceptional. James Bond: Goldeneye CCG
Roleplaying Collectable card
systems games and
Score 6/10 Above average, but not without problems. Lost Worlds
expansions Score 5/10 Average, or a mixture of good and bad.
Mage: The Ascension 2nd Ed.
Score 4/10 Below average, but not without merit.
Rifts: South America
Score Sir Poor, crucially flawed in some way.
Board games,
Score2/10 Very poor; should be avoided.
Shadowrun: California Free
State
miniature systems Dice games Score 1/10 Appallingly bad, no redeeming features at all.
and expansions Star Wars CCG
arcane seal of approval
Each month we fight and argue bt- Vampire: The Dark Ages
among ourselves to select that 7' Werewolf: Red Talons
one extra-special product most
deserving of your money and Wraith: Sandmen
Computer games Books and the coveted arcane accolade.
and utilities supplements
A roleplaying same

Vampire: The White ttott Gamesr 001 404 292 1819 E16.99 O u t now

Before the rise of science, when only candles

held back the nisrht, vampires must have had
It easy. Of did they?
he idea of playing the 'bad guys' is hardly that offers great opportunities f o r
new to roleplaying a f t e r all, even in vampires—but also great dangers.
cops 'n' robbers, somebody had to
play the robbers.
In most games, though, these
The nature of
potentially interesting roles have been
assigned to the referee, to be used as
the beast
opponents for the players to defeat. So As you might expect, Vampire: The Dark
when White Wolf released Vampire: The Ages bears many similarities to Vampire:
Masquerade i t The Masquerade, not the least of which is
was v i r t u a l l y the layout of the rules, which are here
unique in casting the once again divided into three 'books' and
players a s t h e nine chapters.
'monsters' — n e w l y The first book, Background, is just civilisation and live in the wilderness,
created vampires struggling that. It begins with the obligatory — while the Lasombra believe themselves to
to survive in a darkly gothic although quite well done — introduction be the superior to all other Clans, and are
version of the modern world. to roleplaying games, then outlines the consumed by a lust for power.
Since then White Wolf have World Of Darkness version of the 12th At the time of The Dark Ages there
released a series of games, all Century, dealing with both mortal and are 13 of these Clans from which players
based in the same World Of
Darkness setting, and all but one
- M a g e : T h e Ascension - "The system's at once both simple and
concerned with a different form
of monster. Vampire: The Dark
elegant, allowing for different degrees of
Ages returns to the World Of
Darkness, and once more casts
success and failure with a single roll"
the players a s nocturnal immortal society. Finally, it describes the can choose. The chapter describes each
predators. What makes i t various Clans. Clan, its history, organisation, attitudes,
different is the date. In the World Of Darkness setting, all relationships with other clans and so on.
The Dark Ages is set in vampires believe themselves t o b e The second book, Becoming, deals
Europe at the end of the descendants of Caine, the first murderer with the nuts and bolts of the rules.
12th Century. When the who God cursed to walk the Earth forever Vampire: The Dark Ages uses the same
Roman Empire fell the whole with the mark of His wrath upon him. basic system as all the World Of Darkness
continent was plunged into a However, not all vampires are the games. All characters are rated in nine
chaos that lasted for hundreds same. Over the ages specific 'bloodlines' Attributes and variety of Abilities (skills),
of years. Gradually, though, have sprung up, each with different both of which normally range from 1 to S.
form of stability has innate powers, outlooks and weaknesses. To succeed at a specific task, the player
returned. It's a time For example, the Gangrel turn away from rolls a number of ten-sided dice equal to

5'6
 V

Dark l e s
the sum of a relevant Attribute and an
Ability, and every dice which exceeds the
Difficulty of the task is counted as a
success. It's at once both simple and
elegant, allowing for different degrees of
success or failure with a single roll.
In keeping with the nature of system, BOOKTwo: DESCENT
character creation is also simple, and O n t a c a t atatra t a t p a n d blame tared malts l e a n La.... a l a t i t
b o n . mvull, a n d p e r t , . f o r t b a
t a n n a t t u n , s s t tar t a t Cant and m a s a , tar 113,

places an emphasis on personality over Olt. . ramaatic awl t a d * b a t * e a p a n d p l a a a a n t ratWtt l a b t a

datnatana-aatn
s• a t a t a . a
l o v a
n *
tbart a t 3 r a t t a t a t , t n a
n n o t Ao tat

numbers. Players first decide on a general -onttat t a t t a t a d not oat. l a u g h , grahtna a , t a t • a r . . O a a ,

concept, Clan and basic personality traits. d L . Oa.. 0 0 6 , 0 . , •••• G k .

at a t a n k a t I t a in a n d baat Om- t a r t Ott Raab a n a t , ' a t m a w t a i l , . 1

The different categories of Attributes and ba,416 * 1 1 1 c . • l a , t ,

,taaattat a n d Z a t i Nap tna a . , glad
t t a a t t i ta, I t t e c t

taxa t • a l k t , ota ao a k a a t a l b a r n rata. tratn totem 3aan twa m a t :

Abilities are then prioritised, and points t . a n t 0 a . t . a a m a t , r a f t , ' El $art ewe a x
a , a m I t , . tatatl a a w n * * thaa. and a Ira t h a k a a a t a a t
o a t , Ofx L a * ,

P t a t a a , n - , t • n r , , a , aw t a - - , a t a
assigned t o them. Disciplines (the
supernatural powers o f the vampire,
which v a r y f r o m Clan t o Clan),
Backgrounds (specific advantages such as
wealth o r loyal retainers), and Virtues
(broad definitions o f the character's
mental and spiritual makeup) are next.
Finally there are a couple of calculations,
and the character is done.
The last book, Permutations, i s
largely aimed at referees, and includes ALthough not every piece of artwork in the book is superb, nearly all of them
various systems for dealing with specific help create the moody atmosphere that's one of Vampire: The Dark Ages'
situations such as combat, a discussion of greatest achievements. Even the fonts have been carefully chosen.
storytelling, and a description o f the
various groups and individuals that the In many ways, Vampire: The Dark
vampires will probably find themselves Ages is attempting to serve a dual
pitted against. purpose. On the one hand it's a stand- . 4
Vampire: The
Dark Ages is
the first release in a

new range of 'historical'

stand-alone games from
White Wolf. Next up is
Werewolf: The Mid West,
which details the

struggle between the

Native American Garou

tribes and the European

'invaders'. Look Out for

more news in coming

issues of arcane.
 A- •

Which leads to the biggest potential

drawback to Vampire: The Dark Ages -
this is not a game for beginners. For a
start, although the layout of the book is
an improvement o n Vampire: The
Masquerade, it still leaves something to
be desired. Different rules and terms are
defined at different points, making it
potentially confusing.
For example, the book never clearly
explains the basic nature of vampires in
the game. Given that every book and film
to feature vampires has dealt with them
differently, and often ascribed them
different powers, you'd have thought that
it would make sense for the rules to begin
with a description of what this version is
like. No such luck. Instead, you have to
piece it together from the rules given, and
you're still left with several questions.
Likewise, the setting itself is only
described in the broadest terms. Unless
you happen to be an expert on the 12th
Quite possibly one of White Wolfs best ideas, the referee's Century, in order to run a game o f
section demonstrates a section of play using this 'graphic novel' set of rules, and every time this problem Vampire: The Dark Ages you're going to
format. The page on the left tells the story, while the page on has reared its ugly head. It has to be said have to put a fair amount of work into
the right steps through the same scene in game terms. that some work has been done, but not fleshing out the basics given here.
enough. I t ' s f a r f r o m Although the basic setting is clearly
insurmountable, a n d a n y presented, detail about the politics and
alone game, while on the other it's of moderately experienced countries would have been very useful.
obvious interest to existing players of referee should have little Finally, the subject of the game itself
Vampire: T h e Masquerade. T h e difficulty in fixing things, but - the vampire, and through it the darker
shortcomings of the game depend on what i f you're n o t a n
which way you look at it. side of human nature - is not an easy one
experienced referee? to deal with. Running a n effective

A new "However, it's not without great

beginning strengths and key among them is
Technically As a game in its own right, Vampire: its atmosphere"
speaking, 1197 The D a r k A g e s suffers
falls somewhat after the from many of the same
problems as the others campaign will take a lot of work and
historical Dark Ages.
in t h e World O f dedication, from players and
But you have to admit, referee alike.
Darkness series. The
Vampire: The Dark
Ages sounds a lot cooler
first lies i n t h e
mechanics
The war
than Vampire: Towards
The End of The High
Middle Ages.
themselves.
Although t h e
of Ages
system itself is a Players o f Va m p i r e : T h e
Masquerade, o f course, will
breeze, and very
easy to get to grips have a lot less problems to
with, it's not without deal with. None o f t h e
its idiosyncrasies. shortcomings in the mechanics will
Perhaps t h e be new, you'll already have a good
understanding of the nature of the
most disappointing are
the combat rules, which game's vampires, and perhaps
are c o n f u s e d a n d most importantly of all, you'll
unclear. If you count the already have experience o f
various second editions, creating and playing stories
this is the ninth time that involving them.
White Wolf has released this However, the lack of enough
background information s t i l l

A
raises its ugly head. What makes Vampire: Of course, the very form of the main 11111V the players
The Dark Ages different from The protagonists helps. Vampires are amongst
Masquerade is its setting, and although the most fascinating of monsters, perhaps "This game oozes atmosphere
there is a lot of information included, a lot because their once-human natures allow from every pore:'
of work will still have to be done to us to empathise with them more easily The dark ages are the perfect
actually play the game. than with many creatures. However, while tting for Vampire. I loved it"
Given that a great deal o f the they certainly give the atmopshere a kick- If you've ever wanted to play
information included here - the extra start, the fanged ones alone aren't always a Tzimisce warlord, this is
clans, their Disciplines, the system o f enough; just think of all the appaling finitely for you."
Merits and Flaws, and the concept of the vampire movies you've ever seen. 's certainly interesting,
Road (or Path) - has already been covered What makes The Dark Ages so I prefer the modern
in various supplements, you may well effective, then, is the interaction between setting of The Masquerade"
already have it. What you're effectively the the vampires and the setting. Where
buying the game for is the history of the The Masquerade played
Clans before the formation o f the on the contrast between
Camarilla and the Sabat, and it would have these ancient creatures
been good to see this side o f things and the modern world,
covered in slightly more detail. The mediaeval setting of
The Dark Ages is used to
The last compliment the characters
that the game portrays.
embrace The grim realities of
the mediaeval world are, in
Vampire: The Dark Ages, then, is not many ways, the perfect
without problems, many of which stem backdrop f o r t h e s e
from its attempt to be two things at once nocturnal predators. I n
- both a new game and an expansion for this age before science
Vampire: The Masquerade. However, it's and reason, when only
also not without great strengths, and key candles and torches held
amongst them is its atmosphere. the shadows of night at

bay, the vampire was truly a horrific

Things that go bump in the night figure, and held great power.
The flip side to this coin, though, is
Of course, vampires are not the only supernatural beings stalking the world of The that this is an age where people know that
Dark Ages. All the beings described in White Wolf's other World Of Darkness games - the vampire exists, and have greater faith
Vampire
werewolves, magi, wraiths and changelings - are also present in this brooding is a word that
in the powers of the Church. The cities,
mediaeval setting. As well as detailing these creatures in game terms, the Antagonists occurs in French,
the vampire's natural habitat, are smaller,
chapter of Vampire: The Dark Ages details something of their history and offers so the activities of the vampire are more
German, English and
suggestions for referees who own the games and are interested in running a cross- easily noticed. There are no phones,
all Slavic languages.
over campaign. faxes, computers or 24 hour stores, and if
It first appeared in
Unfortunately for fans of five hundred pound eco-warriors with fangs, The Dark avampire wishes to deal with a mortal,
the Dark Ages, and
Ages is a less than ideal setting for werewolves. The prophecies of the Apocalypse are they must do so face to face.
nobody knows where
hardly credited, the natural world has yet to be badly damaged by humanity, wolf it came from,
Vampire: The Dark Ages does an
Kinfolk are common, and servants of the Wyrm are almost always obvious as such. admirable job o f both capturing this
While these factors make Garou less interesting characters to play, though, they do atmosphere and presenting it in a way
mean that werewolves are more powerful foes for vampires. which p r o v i d e s n e a r l y endless
Likewise, changelings offer several problems as characters, being far more possibilities for gaming. Everything from
powerful in this Age. Faeries do offer some intriguing possibilities as non-player brutal struggles for survival to political
characters, but introducing them into the Dark Ages could quickly ruin the atmosphere intrigue is possible. Whether you're new
of the game. to t h e White Wolf games o r a n
Wraiths, however, offer many possibilities - and there are many ways in which experienced hand, there's enough
vampires can come into contact with the spirits of the dead. Although the politics and potential here for years of gaming.
structure of Shadowlands are quite different and many of the Amanoi either have no - L i k e its predecessor, Vampire: The
mediaeval equivalent or will require significant changes, the setting has a great deal to Dark Ages is not an easy game to play, but
offer players of Wraith: The Oblivion. it is a great one.
Perhaps the best candidates are magi. Although few of the Traditions are active Andy Butcher
and the Technocracy has yet to be formed, Vampire: The Dark Ages is set at a time
when the Order Of Hermes has yet to realise the true nature of the change in its allies,
the Ventrue. There's a lot of potential in this situation, either for groups of magi or a
mixture of mage and vampire characters.

/
 — I *

A modern-day horror roleplaying system

Don't Look Back:

Terror is never far behind(2ndedition)
NI 1

E13.98 Mind Ventures 001 601 324 3931 Out now

could this be the x-ciies-stvle Rpq

we've all been waiting for?
eality is an illusion - a pretty trust your sanity to last the ride. And boy
convincing one, sure, but it's only is it going to be a rough one. All those
convincing because The Powers things that your parents told you aren't
That Be decree that it should be true - the bogeyman, the people with
so. Governments are blissfully pigs' faces, brutal killers and the things
unaware t h a t they're b e i n g that go bump in the night - they're real
manipulated, and that their power alright, and they're on your case.
is no more real than the reality Or rather, as a player in this second
they subscribe t o . Paranoid? edition o f Mind Ventures' chilling
Maybe you should be... modern-day horror/conspiracy system,
Welcome to the sublime world of the roles are reversed and you're on the
Don't Look Back. There is no escape: case of these defilers of nature. You take
you're here now, and all you can do is
"There is no escape: you're here now, and
stuck right in all you can do is trust your sanity to last"
There are two fairly short sample scenarios that fill the last 20 pages the part of a college student with an plus-page rulebook and the (slightly less
of the Don't Look Back rulebook. The first, The House on Dolly Hill, is unhealthy thirst for esoteric knowledge, a serious) scenarios in the Giant Psychic
designed to introduce both novice referees and novice players to the reporter for an occult magazine, a Insects from Outer Space supplement
game. To this end it works well, although it's not that inspired and you clergyman who's on a crusade against (reviewed on page 69), I feel that it's as an
can't help but think that, even though it does a good job of helping hidden evils or a government operative X-Files-style game that Don't Look Back
the players get used to the rules, it's not generally reflective of the working on the fringes o f the law,
'feel' of the game as a whole. It concerns the haunting of an old endlessly searching for answers which
house on a hill, a house which is stumbled upon by a group of will always evade you.
students (the PCs), and the events that occur thereafter. The real-world setting of this novel
Far better is the second scenario, The Facade, which has the game makes the subject matter - hidden
PCs playing the role of Federal agents in a newly created subdivision horrors, alien abductions and secret
of the FBI whose job it is to look into occultist activity (concern that societies - all the more disquieting but,
the Waco incident was just the beginning has got the US justice by the same token, that much more
Department more than a little nervous). The PCs hear of what looks believable. If the referee runs it seriously,
like a major cover-up – a woman is found dead, with puncture marks this could be one of the most disturbing
at the side of her throat, her body completely drained of blood. roleplaying experiences his players are
Weeks later, following the post mortem, her cause of death is stated likely to come across. Want to recreate
to be a gun-shot wound to her chest, and, somewhat surprisingly, the grim surrealities of the recent smash
she's now got her full quota of the old red stuff. When the PCs film Se7en? Go ahead - make your
discover that this is not the first young woman to wind up in similar players' nightmare...
After running the longer of the two
[_circumstances , they start to get very suspicious indeed..., I sample scenarios at the back of the 200-
 There are few

changes between
And the players said...
teg this, the second
-FIONA "It took a while to work out
Ta-igr.-69Em edition, and the
first edition rules. what was going on, but once I
Notable differences did it became a must-play— very

include penalties for

atmospheric!"

bad roleplaying (Bad

DAVE "I was expecting a full•on horror

Karma points that the

game, something akin to Call of
Cthulhu, but it's more subtle
referee can use against
than that. Excellent stuff."
the PC) and revised
rules for handling
L E S L E Y p r e f e r fantasy settings, but
situations where a there was more than enough
character here to fire-up the imagination."

tries to perform
a number of actions
at once.
would be an ideal game for beginning
players, i t might be tough going for
inexperienced referees.
As you may have gathered by now, I
think Don't Look Back is a superb RPG.
works best. Lightening the tone to that of things which hold this masterpiece of One of the few
The subject matter offers flexibility in
the X-Files helps to make the game more implicit horror together? terms of gaming style (ranging from dark
things that isn't
fun than running it as attempt to scare This is a rules set that hangs together and brooding through vaguely sinister to
great about
your players half to death. Sure, some extremely well, in a minimalist kind of way. Don't Look Back is the
downright f a r c i c a l ) , a n d t h e
teams may thrive upon the recreation of The system itself is fairly simple - it's implementation of the system is a breeze.
quality of the
extreme fear but, given the tone of the based on skills and tests being pitted illustrations, Other than
When you read through the rules
rules, I don't think this is the intention of against a suitable characteristic using the you have trouble controlling the streams
a few fine drawings,
the game's designers. best or worst three scores rolled on a of scenario ideas that come flooding
the standard would
The X-Files precepts translate varying number six-sided dice. make A-level art
through, and that, i f anything, is an
perfectly i n t o D o n ' t L o o k B a c k The system works well - it's fast indication that this is a game with staying
students cringe.
campaigns: having the player characters (especially the character generation power and lasting interest for both players
adopt the roles of Federal agents and referee. I shall, without doubt, be
gives the referee (or Guide, as he is playing this one a great deal.
called within this rules set) a reason
to place the PCs in the areas where Paul Pettensale
his adventures are set. It's normally
difficult (as referees o f Call o f
Cthulhu campaigns have no doubt
discovered) t o come u p with
adequate justification f o r
involvement on the part of PCs, but
this is not the case if the PCs are
working for an agency who's very
job is to get to the bottom of things
when all is not well. The 'interested
student' a n d t h e
'debutante with nothing
better to do' character
types just don't wash in games system, which assumes that if you're of a
such as this. certain profession you're going to have a As you can see,
So, you're now more or certain number of fixed basic skills, and the illustrations
less aware of what Don't Look which concentrates more on making your are not very good,
Back i s about. I've been character an individual by attributing a but luckily they
deliberately vague because to background a n d s o m e s p e c i f i c don't ruin the
reveal the specifics would be advantages and disadvantages), and that's atmosphere of
to destroy a great deal of the what counts in my book, because the this otherwise
excitement for potential and faster the system the more time you can fine game.
existing players of the game - spend on playing through the scenarios.
trust me, there's stuff going on It has to be said, though, that Don't
that you don't even want to
think about at this stage. But
Look Back relies quite heavily on the
judgement of the referee, and it offers
Score 8/10
how about those rules? The little guidance in this regard. Although it
M a g e : The Ascens,
A roleplaying ganne E16.99 W h i t e Woti 001 404 2921819 Out now

Reality isn't what it seems. few see the truth

Mage is the middle and can manipulate the world. They are the
game in White Wolf's
Storyteller system.
The others are
masres, and they stride the Earth. carefully.
Vampire: The
Masquerade, Werewolf:
order and reason. They're dull, but very,
The Apocalypse,
f i t at one time o r very deadly. The Mauraders seek only
Wraith: The Oblivion
another. We've all chaos and eternal change. They're mad,
and Changeling: The
dreamed of bending but very, very deadly. The Nephandi seek
reality to our will, death, destruction and a final oblivion for
Dreaming. We are still
awaiting Mermaid; The
0 • f r o m wishing time the Earth. They're corrupt and very... oh,
Dehydration. W • would
e've allmove
wantedfaster,
to do I'm sure you get the idea.
to making something (or someone) that just to make the Mages' lives even
gets in your way disappear. Of course, it more entertaining, their main ability isn't
never happens. easy to wield. You see, the Technocracy
But just imagine that one day it did. has been winning the Ascension War for
Imagine that one day you discovered that centuries, and people, on the whole,
reality is not the immutable, static thing don't believe in magick. So if mankind's
you thought it to be, but something that is collective unconscious catches anyone
subject to your will. You would be
awakened to a whole new way of living. "It emphasises roleplaying and original
This is the life of a Mage.
Players take the role of Mages,
solutions over silly spells.
practitioners of magick that can doing magick, it gets a bit miffed and mage's body to his exile in a little
shape reality. All around them slaps the culprit back into place with a dimension all of his own for a while,
the Ascension War, a struggle force called Paradox. The consequences giving him time to think things over.
between four factions to define of Paradox can take the form of anything To avoid this, most magick must
and control reality to their own from a minor physical change in the appear coincidental: when you cast a
ends, is raging. The players are
members of one of the ten
traditions, orders o f mages
that fight to restore a
magickal high age
that was lost many
centuries a g o .
Arrayed against them
are the forces of the
Technocracy, t h e
Marauders and the
Nephandi.
Members o f
the Technocracy
seek t o bring a
magick-free reality to
the world, replacing
it with a structure
based o n logic,
)n 2nd Edition There are two things you need
to do in order to play maga
First, get a 'find obscure White
Wolf rule' skill at rank four.
And second, f"k the Paradox!
Er, what
happened? What's going on?
e good ol' dark and nasty
Book Two: The Spirit feel is still there, but the only
NL1d One
real change is clearer magick,
that main
making even Marauder-
Ascension has a
dunk t i t a t . . . “ - a s r corno of au ,Sam
f M a g e : The wannabes like Chris think
background called
twice. Occasionally.
arcane which, oddly
enough, is not the
ability to produce a
generation and the rules, right? No. What
roleplaying magazine.
you get is background, background and
N... to k v I A , It's the ability to appear
background. And just when you think
too ordinary to notice or
there can't be any more to say, there's
remember. Hmm.
some more background. Oh, and then a
few rules are squeezed in at the back.
That's the nature o f this game,
though: i t emphasises roleplaying and
original solutions over silly spells and
fantastic powers. It's true that a sufficiently
powerful mage can create a nuclear
The rules themselves take second place to explosion in a tea cup with a snap of his
a wealth of background detail adorned fingers, but hey, try and come up with a
with sumptuous artwork. Players of other So, what advantages does this second edition offer to those who play coincidence to explain that...
Storyteller games should find plenty of the first? Well, for a start a nice hardback book that shrugs off coffee This system is going to upset those
relevant information here, too. spits with consummate ease and makes a satisfying 'thunk' when people who don't really see magick as
used to discipline errant players. However, most garners will look a working that way. Equally, it can be heavy
spell you have t o come up with a little deeper than that before shelling out their money. going for a novice faced with the task of
coincidence to explain why it wasn't really Don't expect a major rules revision. The basic Storyteller grasping both the background and exactly
magick at all, honest, guy. For example, if system remains intact. It is in the game-specific rules that the changes how everything works.
amage should wish to strike an attacking, are obvious. Several rules have been tightened up and better The magick system is very free form,
knife-wielding thug with, say, lightning, he explained, most noticeably those dealing with Quintessence and giving only general parameters of what a
might suddenly notice that the thug's Paradox. Much of this will already be familiar to owners of the Mage can do a t each stage o f his
previous knife lunge had slashed through supplements, particularly the Book of Shadows. Even if you haven't advancement path. It's up to the player,
an electrical cable connected to a nearby read them, the chances are any half-competent group will have guided by the few examples given, to
lamp, and... oh, dear. It's shocking when resolved these issues themselves. come up with practical applications. It can
that happens. The magick descriptions have been tinkered with a little, so the be very involving, though. Developing
The background and concepts in top level of each sphere is a little more powerful, but given the your own personal style of magick and
Mage: The Ascension are vast in scope, changes to the Paradox rules, it's nothing that's going to make much getting away with using i t can b e
and they can be bewildering for the player difference to the game. immensely rewarding. It's just not easy.
who is new to the game. Yet for the novice That leaves the much-expanded and developed background. The This is a pretentious, dark and often
gamer the system itself is wonderfully concept of the Mage's path is a good addition to the game, giving a difficult game. However, it can also be a
simple. Tasks are resolved by rolling a much more defined aim for the players than just filling in those dots lot of fun, and it repays time invested in it
number of Di Osequal to the sum of your on the sheet. The greater detail on the Ascension War and the many times over. The infinite number of
character's attribute and skill. The results relationship of the various factions could well provide a source of other-worldly realms give opportunities
are measured against a difficulty number inspiration if you are beginning to get stuck for ideas. But you'll be for any number of styles of play.
determined by the Storyteller (referee). hard pushed to justify spending nearly E17 for inspiration alone. If you like involving and challenging
How well you do is determined by the That said, if you're the sort of person who has sat around with games you'll enjoy this. If you want spell
number of successes you get. For the all five of the Storyteller games and tried to figure out how they all fit lists and easy-to-use world shaking
experienced gamer who is used to making together, buy this book. Now. Probably because it's the first of the powers, look elsewhere.
single rolls, it's a bit of a bugger to get games since the series was completed with Changeling: The Dreaming Adam Tinwortil

Score 8/10
your head round. to reach second edition, it gives the most complete picture of the
Pretty much the same feeling applies various Umbral realms yet. You'll sleep much better at nights once
when reading the rulebook. You'd expect you know. Trust me.
an introduction, followed by character
 Last Unicorn Games-
ertes NI 1
A collectable card game

001 717 7309693 O u t now

Starter Decks E7.95 lb-card boosters E2.25

j u s t what would happen if H e av en and

Hell collapsed? TIMM. good question • • •

don't know about treated with a wax laminate (like arcane's certain Influences in order to bring some
you, but I've never cover) that makes them feel as good as cards into play, as you do in Vampire:
really been bitten by they look. But, above all, I think it's the TES or Shadowlist.
the collectable side of subject matter that appeals most: angels Where Heresy is unique is that the
the collectable card and demons collide with high-tech lands that you bring into play are divided
game phenomenon. equipment and weird humans, and that's into two clearly different kinds: Domains
I've always l i k e d a lot more refreshing than any tired old and Arrays. Domains are lands in the
i f iga, p l a y i n g games — not Tolkien re-hashes. These are eminently traditional Magic sense, b u t Arrays
just roleplaying games but all collectable cards. represent computer networks, and it is in
sorts of games — and to me Heresy is a post-apocalyptic game these that you must store the Tau you
Magic is just another game. It's for two to five players. Heaven and Hell need to win. Your characters can jack in
an extraordinarily good game, have fallen and all the Celestial beings and o u t o f these
and one that I still enjoy playing, but if now inhabit a grim near-future
anything the collectable bit of the game populated by cults and mutants. You
gets in the way: it stops you from playing play the part of a major Celestial
working on Heresy
the game you want to; you are always being, and the object of the game is
. g is Tim Bradstreet,
Among the artists
limited by the cards that you've bought to collect enough mystical energy, or
one of Andy's
rather than your imagination. But now Tau, and re-ascend to a higher plane.
favourites. He's that I've seen Heresy! realise my problem The gameplay is very similar to
best known for his was that I wasn't into collecting Magic Magic: The Gathering. You bring into
work for White Wolf.
cards for their own sake. All that has play lands that provide you with power
especially on the first
changed with Heresy. to summon beings who fight for you;
These are beautiful cards, featuring there are Enhancement cards that add
edition of Vampire.
He's also done a lot of
dark and sombre illustrations in the powers to your beings; there are Miracle
work for Shadowrun. graphic-novel style. They're shaped like cards that provide you with unique
Tarot cards and are actions that you can use to counter your
opponents; and there are Artifacts that
have special uses. Instead of the five
different colours of Magic (plus Artifacts, Arrays and some
of course, making six really), there are characters (Constructs) are a special kind
eight different Influences to which all that can only exist in the Arrays. This
the cards belong. In addition to means that you have two different battle
these similarities t o Magic, grounds in play; you must defend and
there are also aspects o f attack in both the real and the Array's
many other CCGs present. virtual worlds. All of this adds greatly to
For example, there's a the strategies and tactics you need to
voting system similar to employ to win.
the one you'll find in Rage Heresy also has the advantage of
and you need to control being a late starter in the CCG stakes. You
 There are 376
atmosphere. This is partly a function of cards in the And the players said...
the superb cards, but it also owes a great
Unlimited Heresy
deal t o the game mechanics. Your
set (which is the one
ANDY "The rules may not be
Celestial beings, for example, have Ranks particularly original, but it's
reviewed here).
and can gain Titles that allow them to do Last Unicorn seem to great fun."
certain things; they can join together in
be more generous than
, CLIFF "Good atmosphere, but I
great Assemblies to attack or defend, found it slightly lacking in
other card companies,
giving them greater power than i f tension:'
though, with 3 rares
they acted individually, and they have and 12 uncommons ION "I love it, let's have another go."
a sense of individual honour that lets
in each starter deck.
you call o u t challenges across the proves that startlingly original atmosphere
battlefield. These challenges are resolved is just as important as innovative
can see this in the celestial senate, or Aereopagus, mechanics in CCGs. All right, i t does
most clearly in with each player being able to cast votes suffer from being just a little
the rules which, although far from perfect, for the challenger o r challenged. I n too much like Magic, and it has
are still some o f the best and most addition, the Matrix (which been o u r experience that
sensible CCG rules we've ever seen in the is the term used for the games can stagnate a little
arcane office. They take the time to collection o f computer towards the end, but that
explain everything in detail, as a result of Arrays) has a completely probably stems as much from
which there are very few queries that different atmosphere to our lack of cards and deck-
cannot be resolved with the application of the rest o f the game; building experience as it does
alittle common sense and some careful here Viruses lurk ready from any real failing in the
re-reading of the appropriate section. to ensnare the unwary, game itself. After all, the basic
These are also the first CCG rules I've Intrusion Counter-measures mechanics behind it are very
come across t h a t made m e feel guard t h e powerful tried and tested.
sufficiently comfortable to start playing a networks a n d w e i r d Steve Farasher
r0),
game after reading them through for the electronic beings f l i t M o n . Clusna.s, ( K r u m , L h a a u f mvdt, p o o A m s . . . w o . .

first time.
Once you get into the game, the
about the grid.
Heresy is a
. n o t M g t . . . . . M t am
S c o r e 8110' ,A•too.r •

first thing to strike you is its unique wonderful game that

HOW SHE IS PLA

To the left is an Array with three points of Tau stored on it.

A Construct called Juggler is at the Array and could help in Domains provide aura,
its defence, if necessary, or attack an opponent's Array. which is necessary to
bring other cards into
play. The symbol on
M i n i t argrt
• - the top right of the
card is the Influence. In
this case it's devotion.
There are two sets of
numbers on the left of
the card. The first gives
the attack and defence
values of the domain.

On the left is a
straightforward
Heathen Group.

To the right is a
Celestial Host to
whom a Title,
conferring a special When a card has had its action it is Opened, or
ability, has been turned sideways. Reminds me of another game
attached.
that, but I can't quite put my finger on which one.
 A sourcebook for Shadowrun

CaliforniaaFree FASACorp 0 0 1 212 242 5660 E12.99 o u t now

Abandoned by the government, invaded by

the Japanese and under threat from the
north and the south. sounds tough.
lthough FASA's Shadownin was originally deals with any new rules and other, well,
set in 21st Century Seattle, in the years game information. There are also a
since the company has proceeded to number of maps of areas and cities, and
describe more a n d more o f t h e afold-out overview of the entire State.
surrounding game world. California Free The source information itself is split
State is the latest in the line of 'area' into sections, each dealing with a
sourcebooks and, as the title rather separate area of California - the
strongly suggests, deals with California. Northern Crescent, Central Valley, San
As with most sourcebooks f o r Francisco Bay Area, Big Sur Coast, Los
Shadowrun, California Free State is split Angeles, and the Mojave Desert
always suffered into two main parts. The bulk of its 160 complete with the usual comments,
1 # California has
from a shortage of pages are taken up by the sourcebook rumours and opinions posted by
water— most of it is proper, which once again takes the form characters from the game world. It
reclaimed desert, after of an 'electronic document' posted to the begins with a brief introduction that guerillas, much of the land to the north of
all. In Shadowrun's game's Shadowland BBS. A shorter gives an overview of the entire state, the city is still 'disputed'. With neither side
version of the State this Game Information section at the back including information on how to get currently willing to start another war, the
problem has got even Crescent has been left to fend for itself.
worse, and in certain "California Free State is without a The result is an anarchic patchwork of
small towns, each with their own leader
areas runners can make
a lucrative career from doubt one of the best 'area' sourcebooks or council, all competing and squabbling
'water-jacking'. for Shadowrun so far." with each other. Oh, and there's a dragon
involved as well, just to makes things
there, local price variations, and a even more interesting.
California uber alles? timeline of major events over the last 60 The Central Valley was once dubbed
years or so. California has been a 'free 'the salad bowl of America', and in 2057
Although California Free State is a great sourcebook, packed full of state' - effectively an independent agriculture is still the mainstay of the area.
inspiration, any referees thinking of shipping their players off to the country - since being kicked out of the It's also the only place where the
2057 version of the 'Sunshine State' should be aware that racism, of United Canadian and American States in 'government' still holds some semblance
one sort or another, is inherent to much of the area.
2036. The new government
was unable to cope with the
h coursen, the
Of between
topic
h is hardly d
new to Shadowrun
meta-human- :he game has used
demands placed on it, and
metaphor for modem-day discrimination right from the start. For the almost immediately gave up
most part, though, the subject has been something individual referees on large areas of the State.
can choose to ignore or avoid dealing with to a great extent. The Northern Crescent,
California Free State is the first supplement in which the issue is the northern-most area of
inherent to the setting, especially in the Northern Crescent, Central California, was invaded by
Valley, and San Transisco areas. Tir Tairngire as soon as the
This is not something that's going to bother everyone. But if dealing UCAS t r o o p s w e r e
with the issue of racism in your gaming sessions doesn't appeal, bear withdrawn. Although the Tir
In mind that you'll need to make some quite major changes to some elves w e r e eventually
of the background. pushed back from the city of
Reading b y Californian

6,6
 t F i r

;tate
of power. Unfortunately, what power it
does have is supplied by the mega-corps
which prop i t up, and most o f the
politicians holding positions of power are
white human supremacists.
Ever since the Japanese effectively
invaded the city, the San Francisco Bay
Area has been an low-level urban war
zone. Just about everyone who didn't
work for a Japanese mega-corp was
immediately kicked o u t i n t o t h e
surrounding areas, and they didn't like it
Shadowrun California Free State, though, is
much. A coalition of the urban poor and Finally, there'shte
sr'the Mojave Desert.
meta-humans now does its best to make With t h e exception o f the heavily players ideally suited as a setting for Shadowrun.
concerned The whole book is packed with ideas,
life difficult for the occupiers. defended resort of Palm Springs, this is a
The Big Sur Coast, largely deserted harsh, unforgiving environment with few with the apparent inspiration and potential plot hooks, and
when Aztlan invaded and captured San towns, even fewer people, and some very increase of magic in the the different situations in the various areas
Diego, is now an area of contradictions. strange magic. game should be pleased allow for many different styles of game.
Much of the area (and the ocean nearby) The potential for gaming offered by by California Free State's Anything from the subtle conflicts of
host of more 'mundane' power politics up to open warfare is
is horribly polluted, but the agri-corps still places like this is probably obvious, and
run huge fish-farms off the coast to the California Free State is without a doubt opportunities. Not that possible, all within the same State. Rather
north. In the south, most of the land is one of the best 'area' sourcebooks for the potential isn't there than being stuck for ideas after a couple of
controlled by three pirate bands, all Shadowrun s o far. There's been a if you want it... adventures, the problem facing the
locked in a vicious struggle for power. tendency in the past for FASA to publish referee will be what to do next.
The results of
Los Angeles, still the State's largest sourcebooks about areas of the game Regardless of what style of game you
the UCAS
population centre, is now a free city. world that, while important and often play, then, California Free State has a
Abandoned by the government and left to interesting, were really impractical places election — which begins great deal to offer any Shadowrun group.
its own devices, the rich and powerful to set your games - unless you had with the release of Excellent stuff.
entertainment corporations have walled incredibly tough player characters or were Super Tuesday in April Andy Butcher
feeling particularly sadistic. Just getting —might have
off large areas. Inside the enclaves the
ultra-rich and ultra-famous live a life of into or out of some of them is virtually
score 9/1C1
significant effects on
the Free State, with
luxury. Outside, people starve. impossible, for a start.
some candidates feeling

rIlL I•I— 4 k - -
that California should

become part of the

TIlL Union once again.

HUEY
J't

• 1 • • • • • • 4••• • •
 ,

Cleric's Challenge
An adventure for AD&O
Two Dark Sun campaign expansions for AD8D ISRi*0122.3 212517 O u t now

Winc,„ p i c tjust
u r ecome
the scene: you've
back from
pub, all bevied up, and you're
the I

Jagged Cliffs mid in the mood to give the forces

of evil a piece of your mind.
Trouble is, there's nobody else

of Sea
around except the mate whose
arm you regularly twist to
referee... That's where TSR's one-on-one
adventures come in.
This one is for a cleric between
E9-99 & E11.99 TSR--e501223 212517 O u t now
fourth and sixth level, preferably one with a
It's not all desert on Athas — there's water and wind, too. fondness for the odd tipple. You are sent
into a rural community of competing
he first examples of the Wanderer's wineries. Years ago its temple was razed,
Chronicles, these two accessories the priest went missing, and the wineries'
detail areas of Athas far from the city rivalry turned sour. Your mission is to go to
of Tyr. Both boast the same page count the village and help the new priest, who is
and follow the same format - blurb on the location having difficulties attracting worshippers to
and an introductory adventure - but whereas the rebuilt temple.
Windriders is a self-contained volume, Mind Lords is Upon your arrival you discover
split into two books and costs two quid more. Each something that smells strongly of brandy is
comes with a fold-out colour map. conducting a series of bizarre murders. It's
Nestling in communities dotted along the faces something of a who's-doing-it: you must
of the Jagged Cliffs is a race of halflings that traces use your powers of roleplaying and
its lineage directly back to the Blue Age. Unlike the deduction to interview the diminishing cast
more common feral halflings, these form a of colourful locals to find the source of this
sophisticated society steeped in ritual and history. evil and do away with it.
They place a high value on life of all sorts and, by Not high fantasy by any means, but
means of half-remembered fantastical genetic Cleric's Challenge II is sufficiently intriguing
engineering techniques, manipulate it to create their new rules, equipment and modes of behaviour. and original to keep most players
own tools and creatures. Among the highlights are the beach druids, who entertained for a night or two.
An awful lot of sustained creative effort has spend their days surfing and seeking fulfilment in Cliff Rannshaw S c o r e 7/10
gone into Jagged Cliffs. The halfling society is the perfect wave.
concrete, detailed, believable and As the players' first experience of the Jarries Bond 007:
enticing, and the accompanying • Last Sea area, the Mind Lords adventure Golden Eye
adventure, while not earth- is poor. For a start, there's hardly A collectable card game
60-card Starter Deck E6.75 1 5 - c a r d
shattering, serves as a decent anything to kill - instead, the
Booster packs E1.99 Heartbreaker
introduction to the area. characters must spend most of their 001 610 626 2259 O u t now
Mind Lords, by comparison, time tracking down (I kid you not) the
fails to convince. It depicts a missing brain of one of their number.
society, like that of Jagged Cliffs, It's one of those adventures where the Q fforth
all the
thiscard games
month, spewed
007:
isolated for thousands of very existence of the entire realm Goldeneye will probably be
years from the remainder of hangs in the balance, which is remembered as the one with the
Athas, in this case by the will of all very well for high-level most potential, a potential which,
three psionicists who have characters, but it seems over-the- unfortunately, hasn't been realised.
immortalised themselves. top for new arrivals on the scene. The cards look the part, with stills from the
Things are pretty quiet And, to top it all, the characters' Bond movies, snappy one-liners and
around the Last Sea, actions don't affect the outcome. If enough icons and stats to give the
especially in the Mind Lords' city, they succeed (or rather fail, since there's a impression that there's going to be

1
where people are happy by decree. Mental time-travel twist involved) then all's fine; if gameplay depth, but this is not the case.
harmonisation awaits those who can't settle down. they fail, then a super-powerful Mind Lord 007 plays like a game of Magic that
The most unusual aspect of the Mind Lords' comes along to set everything to rights anyway. has gone stale - you know the kind, where
domain is the sea itself. Such a large body of water Contrived and pointless. each player is laying down forces but
is unheard of on Athas, and entails a whole load of Cliff Rarnshaw never has enough of an advantage to make
it worthwhile launching an attack. To win
Windriders Score 7/10 Mind Lords Score 4/10 the game you must accrue Plot Points,
achieved by laying down Plot cards of your
own and 'overcoming' (read: capturing)
your opponents'. You capture them by
using your Bond cards, augmented with
An adventure supplement
various items developed by 'Q' and by
friendly personalities.
for Don't Look Back
It sounds great, but in practice very
little gets done - it's too hard to get all of
the necessary icons and scores together.
Lti ant A'syctito
Instead, each player builds up his own
Plots until he has the required number, at
which point he declares himself a winner.
from Qulf '''‘!)ace
1-'
It's more of a race than a game of strategy.
E10.95 M i n d Ventures - ; i * 001 601 324 3931 O u t now
Paul Pettensale Score 5/10

Player's Secrets of Artya I t ' s n o t as s i l l y as i t sounds. Honest...

A sourcebook for the
AD&D ,Birthright campaign g . ook no further than the title of this
E4.50 T S 1 : 0 1 2 2 3 212517 O u t now
supplement for the excellent Don't Look
Back RPG (see page 60 for a review of
Although they're
very worthy, many the second edition) and you'd be forgiven
Birthright sourcebooks for thinking that it's a typically outrageous scenario
read like history lessons for the equally excellent Paranoia (West End Games'
on crop rotation and highly humourous game of a dark future). Either that
begetting. Ariya, a sun- or a piss-poor 1950s B-movie. Peel back the cover
kissed domain on the and start reading, however, and it soon comes to
south coast of Khinasi, is exceptional if light that this source material and series of three
only because rather than yet another linked adventures is not as over-the-top as it might
variation on Northern European feudalism first appear.
it's an altogether more romantic, magical Brief plot summary (players close your eyes
and unfamiliar place - one that owes much now!): an alien race that has been studying
to the Arabian Nights. humanity for more than a decade, conducting
The theocratic domain is ripe for rule 'intimate' tests on human subjects and then
by a paladin or lawful-good priest. Until brainwashing away the memories of the victims, has
recently, rulers have been strangling their run into a problem - one of its spaceships has
siblings on ascension to the throne, but crashed near a remote American town. The only
Ariya is moving with the times: nowadays it survivor, a young woman upon whom the aliens first that they're supposed to be investigating the
suffices to keep them locked in a tower. were intending to experiment, has been taken in by disappearance of a young woman. There is an
Although the domain of Ariya is alocal boy, not knowing that the alien blood that option to introduce the PCs to the scenario by
imbued with a spicy richness, the plot covers her contains nanotech microbes which, if casting them as abductees held within the space
hooks that end the sourcebook are , they get into the bloodstream, slowly transform the craft when it crashes, but I wouldn't advise this
somewhat ordinary. There's a religious war recipient into a half-alien hybrid... route - it makes the whole campaign a bit obvious
From here the plot thickens until it's positively from the outset.
threatening from the west, another war
solid - competing groups with interests in alien There are flaws in this series of scenarios (in
from the north, pirate activity... They're
not bad, just not as imaginative as the activity try to outwit each other and the PCs, all truth there are only two investigations - the first of
setting itself. Still, there's plenty here to get vying for proof of alien activity (or, in the case of the three adventures plays out the crash on the
agood referee improvising. one secret society, to make sure the world remains assumption that the PCs are in the ship and is very,
Cliff Rarnshaw S c o r e 7/10 oblivious of the alien threat). The PCs should remain very short), the most significant of which is the way
largely ignorant as to what's going on, thinking at the second and third adventures are linked
Player's Secrets of Talinie together. The PCs have to be lucky (or extremely
A sourcebook for the AESD unfortunate!) to make the link, and it's likely that the
Birthright campaign referee will have to fudge it, making things
E4.50 T S F I S 0 1 2 2 3 212517 O u t now somewhat contrived. Also, despite the fact that this
alinie is a theocracy supplement is almost 100 pages long, the scenarios
suitable for rule by don't take long to play through: ten hours would be
aLawful priest or a about right for an average group. Having said that, it
:atadin with a penchant is fun, it gives ample opportunity for future
-or flowers, but not scenarios using the new alien race, and it reflects
the feel of the Don't Look Back game well.
!wrything is sweetness
Paul Pettengale
wkd light. The heavily
•ooded, mineral-rich land has been
tensfvely exploited in an effort to Score 7/10
r-corove the economy. The policy has
worked, but the price is environmental - *
 4- degradation and control of the mining
A collectable card gartie

Star Wars:
and timber guilds passing covertly to
foreign powers. How can you heal the land
without impoverishing your people?
On the southern border the army of
Boeruine is ready to provide the same sort
of support that Czechoslovakia and

Custonnizable Car' l Paame Afghanistan received from the USSR. Your

high priest pursues religious unity with a
vigour to make Spain's Grand Inquisitor
blush. There's also the thorny question of
60-card Starter Set E6.98 1 5 - c a r d Expansion Set E2.80 D e c i p h e r Inc - in the UK progress. Your wizard has discovered how
to maximize the land's magic potential
contact CMA - - i * 01497 847209 O u t now (depleted by cultivation and mining), but
the ethics are ambiguous to say the least.
l E R I A long time ago in a galculy n o t very far away, This sourcebook should appeal to the
'set the world to rights' brigade. It's just as
the most popular science fiction film of all time
well that there's so much going on,
was released. NOW, 19 years later, the though, because the domain itself, for all
its crofts, flower gardens and glass
collectable card game has arrived. blowing, won't hold your interest for long.
Cliff Ran-Ishaw S c o r e 6/10
996 is going to working things out for yourself and reading through
be the CCG year the inevitable Frequently Asked Questions list - fine Warriors and Priests of the
of licence'. We've for those with Internet access who can get hold of Realms
had T h e Crow it, but not very helpful for those who can't.
(arcane 3), Middle-earth: The Wizards (arcane 4). The central flaw, though, is the way in which An accessory for the
Realms AD8D Forgotten g
campaign
E11.99 T S R 0122.3 212517 O u t now
Now James Bond (page 68) and Star Wars are here. Decipher have split up the cards, with rarity
Star Wars is a two-player game. One controls equating to power. All the major film characters are ant distinguish
the Dark Side of the Force, and the other the Light. rare cards. Worse, a starter deck only contains one between your
The cards are split into two sets, one for each. The rare for each side, and a booster only has one rare, warriors? Is the number of
object is to drain the opponent's Force (represented which may be Light or Dark. In addition, many of cure spells all that
by his deck) to nothing. the common cards rely on rarer cards to be useful. differentiates your priests?
The game is cleverly The basic set of Star Wars doesn't This collection of character
designed, and simple to play. even contain some of the film's kits aims to help.
The idea of using your deck as most popular characters (to get Each kit lists basic class information
your 'life' is an interesting one, Chewbacca, for example, you're (ability requirements, starting money and
and the game lends itself to a going to have to wait for the first so on) and proficiencies, followed by a
variety of styles and strategies. expansion set). general overview, a physical description,
The cards themselves - all of From eight starter decks and roleplaying cues, and advantages and
which feature stills from the film over twenty boosters, I got one big hindrances. Warriors are organised
- are well presented and character: Luke. However, I was stuck geographically, priests according to faith.
manage to capture the with dozens of cards like 'Han's Back', The information is specific to the Forgotten
atmosphere and 'feel' of Star Wars which allows you to bring Han back Realms campaign, although it is possible to
surprisingly well. into play if he's killed). tailor everything to your own world.
Which makes the game's problems so Building a tough Star Wars deck, or even one As well as the (mainly) uninspiring
disappointing. Star Wars is let down by two things: that features some major characters, will take a lot kits, the Harper and Crusader character
it's rulebook and the distribution of the cards. of money. The only people who benefit from this classes are detailed. Harpers are fighter-
The rules aren't well written: to get anywhere are the speculators, not garners. It's in sharp rogue types given to combating evil, while
with the game you'll need to spend some time contrast to the policy adopted by ICE for Middle- Crusaders are fighter-cleric types, a little
earth: The Wizards, for which even a single starter like Paladins, but of any alignment.
deck is guaranteed to contain at least three big Really, if you're stuck for ideas on
characters, and where common cards are the most how to characterize your newly rolled
general-purpose, with Fares being progressively fighter then you ought to consider giving
more specialised. It's also exactly the same problem up fantasy roleplaying - it's not as if there's
that Decipher had with their Star Trek: The Next ashortage of archetypes to choose from.
Generation CCG. Some companies never learn. Priests are more tricky, and the priest kits
Andy Butcher definitely exhibit more imagination than
their warrior counterparts. Even so, do you
Score 8/10 really want to spend this much money to
flesh out one or two characters?
Cliff RarrIshaw S c o r e 4/10
 Forged of Darkness g
A supplement for AESD
E L M T S R 0 1 2 2 3 212517 O u t now
A fantasy combat game

k 9 artifacts
new and have been
ungodly
unearthed in the world
of Raven/oft. Each has
Lost Worlds
its own vile history and,
V E 3 . 9 5 F l y i n g Buffalo t 4 5 0 0 1 602 945 6917 O u t now
used properly, a
wonderfully evil future.
Most D&D concise rules for pure, unadulterated hacking and slaving -
artifacts are baubles that can only be what more could vou ask for?
dangled in front of players to tempt them
into campaigns, but never given to them nyone remember the rather spiffing Ace
because their extraordinary power is too of Aces air combat game? Two players
disruptive. Those that have been Forged Of took the part of fighter pilots locked in
Darkness, though, are a little different. mortal combat. Each used an illustrated
Each item described in this 'catalogue book that described the action and included a nifty
of items arcane' offers great - but not cross-referencing system that enabled the players to
extreme - powers and, in keeping with the determine the consequences of their combined
Raventolt ethic, the price for their use is manoeuvres. Lost Worlds is along the same lines,
suitably nasty. These relics are also and by the same designer, but in a fantasy setting.
refreshingly bizarre, not limited to the Currently there are four booklets available,
normal swords, shields, rods and rings, each representing a different fantasy character (a
which makes working out their powers and magical centaur, a mummy, a barbarian beauty and
curses that more entertaining. ascorpion wizard) and costing £3.95; more are
The creations of master toy maker planned. The players each select a character, and the next go. If you are disarmed, for example, then
Guiseppe, the time pieces fashioned in the combat begins. Both players choose their moves you must make a successful 'retrieve weapon' move
Workshops of Klorr and the Hands Of The (there are specialised rules for fights involving more before you can use that weapon again. The
Dead are the highlights. As collections they than two players); a couple of page turns and cross simplicity is reflected in the rules: three sides of A5
offer a range of intertwined powers around references later and they arrive at the pages are all you get, although a bit more would have
describing the outcome. Strikes and spells remove been nice - there are one or two unclear points.
asingle theme, which adds to the all
pervading sense of menace. 'body points' from the opponent; once an The Lost Worlds picture books are being re-
All referees who manipulate a opponent reaches zero body points or below the released. What differentiates the new improved
Raven/oft world will want to unearth these game is over. items from their forebears is (surprise surprise) the
items. Low-levellers can be sent to recover The system is both incredibly simple - there addition of Fantasy Cards. These detail items, spells,
or transport them for others, while more aren't even any dice rolls involved - and luck and the like that enable players to modify
potent players will get some serious fun wonderfully ingenious. Different characters have damage and body point scores throughout the
from playing with these toys. They're different manoeuvres available. For instance, the game. Four come with each booklet. Booster decks
barbarian beauty can choose between shielded will be available in due course.
dangerous, but for Raven/oft that's ideal.
Trenton VVebb S c o r e 8/10 attacks or attacks with both sword and dagger, While flying one plane in Ace of Aces was
while trampling and kicking options are open to the pretty much the same as flying another, the
Monsters 8, Amazons centaur and spells to the scorpion wizard. Certain characters of Lost Worlds are strongly differentiated
An expansion for Dragon Dice outcomes modify the moves available to a player in with their own sets of moves. While this adds extra
Eiaht-dice kicker pack 24.09 T S R interest to the format, it also presents
'ie!5 01228 212517 O u t now difficulties. In play you often find yourself in a
situation with no clear idea of how you got
f TSR normally do
A one thing really
RGON there. It's difficult to join up the dots, as it
well, it's produce ICE were. Both players must make a special effort
to 'narrate' their actions and help each other
support material for
their new games. So a
visualise what is happening.
scant four months Although Lost Worlds is fun, there isn't a
after we saw Dragon great deal of longevity in the format. It's not
Dice we're already being treated to the first going to keep you occupied for hours at a
time. On the other hand, it represents a great
expansion set, Monsters & Amazons.
Unfortunately it turns out to be not as
means of resolving certain combat situations in
much of a treat as you might expect. This your RPG system of choice.
Cliff RanishaxAl
is because of the distribution of the dice.
Each of these Kicker Packs contains eight
dice, but the one that TSR sent me had Flying Buffalo are asking other companies to release Lost
only two Amazon dice and just one Worldsbooks too and are also producing tournament rules.
monster; the other five dice were

I/ n
 A sourcebook for Wraith: The Oblivion ones I'd already collected from the basic
set. And frankly, that's not good enough. I

Guildbook:
wouldn't expect to pay a fiver for three
useful dice, would you?
Once you've got over the
disappointment the Amazons look rather

g Sandmen
good. They tend to have a bit more magic
than the older races, but that's balanced by
them being unable to double their magic at
certain locations. Their other abilities
include being able to count manoeuvre
results as missiles when they're on flatland
E8.99 W h i t e Wolf Gamest45 001 404 292 1819 O u t now
terrain (to represent the added impetus
Nisrhimares, fantasies and dreams: tricks of given them by their chariots apparently)
and they may also use missile fire from the
the mind, or of the dead? reserve area, although only to their home
or an opponent's frontier terrains.
The monsters are similarly exciting,
Darkness, the living are a fundamental providing all kinds of one-off talents such
source of power. It's their activities, thoughts as Smother, Confuse, and Regeneration to
f k or andthe restless dead
memories thatofprovide
White Wolf's
Wraiths World of
with your army. However they do suffer one
Pathos, the force that fuels their afterlife. But few are
major problem - because they're ten-sided
the ways that Wraiths can interfere with the living. dice the area of each face is too small for
One of these is through invading and manipulating them to have the correct number of icons
dreams, and the practitioners of Phantasm, as this
printed on them. This means that you have
ability is known, are referred to as Sandmen. to count each monster icon as four
This supplement is the second of the
ordinary icons. Not very convenient when
Guildbooks that develop the various Arcanos
you're trying to tot up quickly.
(wraithly powers) from Wraith: The Oblivion, and
So, interesting new dice but frankly
the culture and societies that surround each. The
not enough of them. I hate to think what it
first dealt with the Guild of Artificers, delightful would cost to get together a decent
ghosts who specialise in melting down other wraiths
theSandseaSoortebookforWraith:.The Amazon army...
in soulfire forges and hammering them into swords, cuilibok
Steve Faragher S c o r e 6110
coins, buildings and, occasionally, garden furniture.
It was something of a disappointment, parading a Rifts: South America 2
series of hoary clichés about blacksmiths. always seems to find distasteful) while the fourth A Rifts supplement
Guildbook: Sandmen is an altogether better has sample characters. £11.99 P a l l a d i u m Books
affair, giving a fascinating and original look into the Out now
Throw in an expanded character sheet,
theatrical nature of the Sandmen, their political specifically for Sandmen, and the second part of a a l his, the second Rifts
intrigues and the multi-faceted uses of their abilities. story that will continue through all the Guildbooks 1:supplementonSouth
= M r 011.110 .441,10.11•
ainilleff.620Z

The main section of the book is divided into and tells of the long-outlawed Guilds' attempt to America, covers a broad
four sections. The first explains the history of the regain their place in wraith society, and you have variety of different regions
Sandmen, both in Stygia, the West's underworld, the complete package. and factions. Ancient
and elsewhere. The second explains the Guild's The concept of Sandmen as the actors and civilizations, remnants of
current role, the different forms of Sandmen and entertainers of the underworld is an intriguing one. alien invasion forces,
their relationship with both the underworld and the In a game where gloom and despair are prevalent, transdimensional mercenaries, a
other denizens of the World of Darkness. The third they add a needed light touch, without detracting homestead populated by pre-rifts genetic
gives a few rules additions (something White Wolf from the game's nature. It's also easy to integrate experiments and a city of pro-human
into an existing campaign, an advantage in a system fanatics to name just a few. As if the
that already demands much from the storyteller. tensions between these factions isn't
This book is by no means an essential buy, as enough, there are also giants, raiders and
the ideas won't suit every group's style of play. But hidden cities of undead.
for any campaign that features a Sandman, it is a The setting manages to combine the
useful source of inspiration and colour in an things that Palladium Game fans want -
environment that, by nature, lacks either. If the mega-damage weapons, power armour,
Guildbooks continue to improve like this, the cybernetics and mutants - with traditional
Shadowlands have the potential to become one of South American mythology. There are also
the richest of game settings.. afew interesting twists such as early Incan
Adarn Timworth mummies, brought to unlife by the Great

Score 7/10 Cataclysm to turn on those who created

them, and alien, cybernetic monsters with
chameleon systems, who seek out worthy
opponents to fight. Predators? Yupl Most
of the material is combat-orientated but, A supplement for Marveling The Dreamin

Nobles: The A
with that limitation in mind, what is
presented is good.
There is no index, but there is a good
contents list and Quick Find Table. New
material - such as Nazcan line magic - is

Shining Host
highly useable and straightforward. If you
are used to Rifts or other Palladium
systems, you shouldn't have much trouble
with this. However, this isn't a book to buy
as your first Rifts supplement because it
constantly refers to other Palladium games. 0 . 9 9 W h i t e Wolf Ganes 1 5 001 404 292 1819 O u t now
Lucya Szachnowski S c o r e 6/10
Discover the secrets of the rulers of the faecies...
The Silver Key
An adventure for AD&D his Changeling supplement is about the The storytelling section gives
E4.90 TS1144301228 212517 O u t now fae nobility, or sidhe. These natural rulers away a few more secrets about fae
oon there will be are the most beautiful of the fae and the history, details some excellent
most inclined to fall in love. Their courts adversaries and menaces and also offers
war. Orcs roam
are rife with political and romantic intrigue which tantalizing hints on the truth about Arcadia.
the country and the
they consider to be a high art form. Storytellers would do well to keep players from
humans of the city of
This covers changeling politics, the ranks and reading this section, though this may be impossible.
Horonshar prepare for
The new abilities,
the inevitable. Days privileges of power, and
romance - both in official backgrounds and arts are a
ago a force of human worthwhile addition. In
soldiers was ambushed proceedings and behind-the-
scenes plots, skulduggery and particular, I expect a lot of
and an important military officer taken
machinations. The information Changeling players will want
prisoner. With him was the Silver Key, a to have characters who can
magical item that aids teleportation. A on changeling courts, the
Parliament of Dreams, the manipulate time with the
party of two to six adventurers, of levels
strata of nobility, political Chronos art. My concern is
two to eight, must infiltrate the orcish
factions and secret societies '<?1 that cantrips which let
fortress, rescue the officer and retrieve the
is detailed and useful - players change the outcome
key before the ores learn how to use it. of events or see into the
The catch is that the adventurers especially for use in
freeform or live action past could create
must be polymorphed into orcs before
roleplaying games. nightmares for GMs.
they start. A new set of rules details how Nevertheless, Nobles:
The book is written
players gain 'orc points' for convincing
with a lot more style, The Shining Host is an
roleplaying. Get too many points and your
atmosphere and panache example of White Wolf at
character becomes an ore permanently.
than the main Changeling its best. It is evocatively
Fun, but unfair on the better roleplayers.
rule book and contains written, full of useful
The Silver Key is also unusual in that
more information than material that inspires
no map is given for the orcish fortress.
many of the Vampire scenario ideas, has lovely,
Instead, a flow chart is used. Regions of
clan books. There is a wealth of supplementary full-colour artwork and is reasonably priced. Despite
the chart determine encounters and
background on changeling history - though its excellence, though, it's not without fault.
information yielded, and the party moves
obviously from the point of view of the sidhe - and The lack of an index is frustrating, and an
from one region to another by means of
dice rolls. It's more like Monopoly than anew noble house, House Scathach. inadequate contents page doesn't make up for it.
Additionally, as with other Changeling books, it only
ADM); there's even a 'Go to jail' - sorry,
deals with the lands and personalities of Concordia,
'Busted' - region. Unfortunately, this
which consists of the North American Continent.
innovative method of portraying strangers'
While containing essential information if you are
confusions in a fortress preparing for war
running a scenario set there, only the background
means that players have next to little say
over their own destinies. Even the two key
details, atmosphere, new rules and cantrips will be
locations here don't warrant maps.
useful if you are running a campaign set, say, in
Britain. That probably doesn't matter to White Wolf,
The Silver Keys originality is marred
who know where their biggest market is, but it will
by an over-reliance on the dice, its
leave those who prefer to set their Changeling
occasionally ambiguous rules, and a
games in the UK with quite a bit of work to do.
paucity of detail for critical locations and
Luoya Szachtlowski
encounters. Experienced referees could
turn it into an enjoyable jaunt; those less
so should steer well clear.
Cliff Rarrishavv S c o r e 6/10
 , 1W-

A Birthright adventure for AD8D Monstrous Compendium

WadockOT the
Annual Volume Two g
A thing for AD&D
E10.99 T S R '301223 212517 O u t now

StonPr;rowns
Compendiums
f e r onstrous D ra_ s r a

are odd beasts. They

appear to offer vast new
gaming options but
rarely deliver. Their
'superstar' creatures
' E5.99 T S R i * 0 1 2 2 3 212517 O u t now
invariably prove too powerful, the 'exotics'
are exciting but awkward and the more
The players finally get their hands dirty. manageable monsters are - to be honest -
alittle mundane.
his is more like it. Too many Birthright
Serious work goes into bringing the
adventures, overly concerned with issues
beasties to life, but the crippling list format
of nobility and politics, suffer from
means they limp rather than leap (or crawl,
vagueness or over-linear plotting, but not
or slither, or fly for that matter) from the
this one. This one boasts action aplenty.
page. A fault this work compounds by
The plot, though, is firmly rooted in the Birthright
further tweaking the experience points
world. It concerns the Warlock, a scion of the
system. A factor that's made all the more
awnshegh Gorgon, who is building an army in his
frustrating when it becomes apparent that
Citadel in the Stonecrown mountains. He plans to
the Monstrous Annual 2 dangles some
wreak vengeance on his father, and he means to do
delightful creatures before referee's eyes.
it by conquering or extorting alliances from
It brings together the best of TSR's 1994
neighbouring domains.
menagerie, collating animals historic,
Various hooks into the adventure are provided
natural and fantastic from the company's
- all compelling - but the most likely is the players' many realms.
need to investigate the sudden depletion of realm The star, without a shadow of a
magic sources in domains adjacent to the
Stonecrowns. With the aid of an enchanted doubt, is the shambling Umpleby.
Effectively a Bigfoot whose woolly hair
cauldron the Warlock is accumulating realm magic
generates shocking levels of static
to further his evil scheme. Each stage of said
electricity, these hulking eccentric
scheme is detailed in a four-year chart, so it's
simpletons will test any parties patience
perfectly reasonable for the heroes to tackle the
and ability to save against cuteness.
adventure piecemeal, coming back whenever the personality and behaviour of each group and Even without the Umpleby the
they've gained sufficient experience to tackle the important NPC is given. The citadel is pretty much Monstrous Annual 2 would be a necessary
next hazard. A party of four to six characters of as you'd expect (there's only so much originality resource for all mainstream refs. With the
levels four to ten is recommended.
you can apply to this sort of thing, after all) but is shaggy-haired one, though, it rapidly
just as the hooks are varied, so are the routes
augmented by the Warlock's fiendish magical traps. approaches the essential.
to the citadel. Parties travelling overland are likely to One interesting innovation is an adjacent shadow Trenton Webb S c o r e 7/10
encounter the Warlock's army, while those that world, which uses the same map as the citadel
stumble upon an underground network of caves proper (rather like the alternate world of Nintendo's
and passages may experience several encounters Zelda). Characters entering the shadow world can
Neither
A scenarioMan NorRavenloft
for AD&D Beast g
on the way. Suggestions for these are given, but gain valuable information, and face some truly E5.99 I S R ' 0 1 2 2 S 212517 O u t now
details are left for the referee to flesh out. horrific foes.
* v i c i o u s storm maroons
The citadel itself is described in great detail. It's The whole thing climaxes with a showdown m your party on a desert
packed to the gills with the Warlock's minions, and between the heroes and the Warlock. He's a bit of a island. The good news is
monster, this one, but in certain circumstances he's that you're all alive and in
prepared to deal. The module thoughtfully outlines possession of most of your
the deals he's prepared to make and the kit. The bad news is that it's
circumstances under which he'll stick to his word. quiet - too quiet...
This is an open-ended adventure blessed with It's a classic kick off for a classic
agreat deal of design attention, proving that detail scenario, which combines wilderness
is not inimical to freedom and that there's plenty of wandering, temple exploration, internecine
life left in the 'us chaps against the darklord' plot. fighting, bad magic and some heavy duty
Cliff Ramshaw deceit. Neither Man Nor Beast leaves a
party stranded on a small and inhospitable
Score 8/10 island until they work out what's going
down or get killed. And death is a very real
option, as really it should be for any poor
soul that becomes marooned here in the
Demi-Plane of Dread. A sourcebook for Werewolf: The Apocalypse

Red Talons
Sadly, the fun of this scenario relies
heavily on intricately linked secrets, which
even if alluded too would ruin the game.
So it's hard to describe much more than
the locale - because even the island's
name contains clues to its true nature. The
fun is in the finding Out, though, and the
excitement in surviving to tell someone just
what it was you found.
Neither Man Nor Beast is an elegant
Tribebook
E8.99 W h i t e Wolf -;'t 0 0 1 404 292 1819 O u t now
standalone adventure. It could slot into
non-Raven/oft campaigns easily - everyone of all the garou, the deadly Bed Talons are closest to the
goes to sea eventually - but it's best for
folk who already know the Demi-Plane of wilds. But how do you foleplay a beast?
Dread. For when the island's secret is
revealed they'll know precisely how slim II the Tribebooks for Werewolf, The
their chances are. Apocalypse follow the same format, so if
Trenton Webb S c o r e 0/10 you've seen one, you'll have some idea
of what you're getting for your money
with the Red Talons Tribebook. Namely, the history
Warlord's Tactical
A players' guide Manual
for Blood Wars g
of the tribe seen through their own eyes; the tribe's
E0.95 T S R t410122.3 212517 O u t now
customs and beliefs, their unique gifts and some
templates for various tribal members.
O ffering several
variations on play, If any tribe needed this level of detail, it was
new official game rules the Red Talons. While most werewolves are an
and a full pictorial card uneasy balance of man and beast, the Talons are all
listing, the Warlord's wolf. Almost all of the Talons are lupus, born of
Tactical Manual should werewolf and wolf, and spending almost all of their
have been in the life in the wild in lupine form. They are also the
hands of all Blood most extreme of the Garou, who believe humanity
Wars players about six are agents of the Wyrm and need to be
months ago. Arriving on the scene now, it exterminated. They have few friends, even among
is sadly a classic case of too little too late. the Garou, and a lot of enemies. Their lives revolve
Blood Wars has unfortunately never around hunting, territory and war.
appealed to anything more than a minority Playing a Talon can be tough, as you need to This is a shortcoming as Talons will be very
of players, being, as it is, so heavily develop a convincingly non-human character: hard to integrate into a pack with other garou, due
influenced by TSR's AD&D campaign world Talons are the essence of Werewolf, a mixture of to basic communication problems and their extreme
of Planescapp This book is really just a pathos and rage, a dying breed of warriors fighting a outlook on life. There are only two pages that
life-belt that's being thrown to an already losing battle of genocide against humanity. specifically address roleplaying a Talon. Far more
drowned man. As with most White Wolf supplements, style depth can be found in The Way of the Wolf, a
The book itself is mainly composed often dominates substance, and the Red Talons supplement that covers lupus in general and the
of illegible, poor-quality pictures of all the Tribebook is often more of a story than a rulebook. Talons in particular.
cards from the Duel Starter Decks through It reads beautifully, supported by the usual superior The Talons are a challenge worth persevering
to Escalation Set 3. Although Escalation artwork, but these are impressions more than with, though, if only to see the faces of your
Sets 2 and 3 are listed separately, the instructions. The deliberate emphasis on mood and packmates when you sniff the backside of a Shadow
cards from Booster Set 1 and the Starters atmosphere is its strength as it fires the imagination, Lord dignitary during delicate negotiations or try
are listed together, which inevitably causes but it often ignores the practicalities. talking to the water spirits in the toilet bowl.
confusion, especially for the collector who This material is not essential to play the game,
is card chasing: Which set does which but it brings more life and colour to the most
card come from? intriguing of the tribes. You, a human, will play the
In all, this offers nothing to interest role of a wolf who lives to slaughter humans in
players who are not familiar with the revenge for their slaughter of wolves, and see your
Planescape setting, and for owners of own species from a different perspective. For me,
Blood Wars its only redeeming factors are this is the epitome of what makes roleplaying so
the hints on deck building, the tournament challenging and inspiring.
rules and the clarification of some of the Mark Barter
original obscurities. And even these are
probably not enough to justify the steep Score 7/10
asking price.
Chris Baylis S c o r e 4/10
 Can C S I le
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'Tref.- a free fist ta i l a b l I Tr a d i n s o
0181 6 7 5 1998 R O L E - V E A V I N G G A M E S

New & Used Science Fiction Fantasy figures, garner. roles. RPGs etc.
Magic The Gathering, TSR Ltd, White Wolf,
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— - Star Trek, Star Wars and other,
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ALL FIGURES ETC. ARE AT DISCOUNT PRICES ne St.
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Tel/Fax. 01233 630 680
fiction-fantasy©dial.pipex.co.uk
We now have an on-line Internet catalogue — please visit our web site
httplidspace.dial.pipex.comitownisquareigi41
Stockists of: We have an in-store Gaming Club where club members can
Advanced Dungeons & come during the day or on club nights to play, trade, o r
Dragons discuss games, gaming, o r whatever takes your fancy.
Mutant Chrope, Please contact us f o r membership details
Star Wars REG We also stock single cards, which we sell and
Earthdawc,
Battletech trade for the following games,
Shadowrun * Magic The Gathering
* S t a r Trek: The Next Generation
-•/mptre. The Moyauer,,te
W e r e w o l f The A'_1:.iC-3pse * Vampire: The Eternal Struggle ISSUE10ON
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the a r e o r .yliSOD enni the world

april issue: 51 ane classified

 HOT METAL
A seeminglyendless array of small metal figurespasses
before the ever-eager, discerning eye of Karen Newis
Blessed Legionnaires familiars
(tor Mutant Chronicles) These six tiny creatures (02017) will complement your mage
Four gruesome chappies (9506, 31mm high) to give any player the willies. Delightfully character in practically any game. In fact anywhere you need a
ugly and misshapen, these pus-laden freaks look more than capable of handling sitting cat, a standing cat, a bird, a weasel, a bat or a
themselves in a bar brawl, but are also armed effectively for more serious conflicts. dragonette, you're sorted. The tallest is a mere 16mm high.
Literally dripping detail from head to toe and well-moulded, these guys are a breeze to They're very well detailed given the size and not dreadfully
paint. The bodies and the clothes might be somewhat tattered, but the guns look perfectly cast, although the bottoms of the bases aren't exactly flat and
functional, and they have plenty of spare ammo. will need careful doctoring if the figures are to stand.

Heartbreaker — available from Gamecraft

---eS 0151 207 3737 tAtround ,t 4.95

, Reaper Miniatures, Texas USA

001 214 434 3088 Around ,t 1.99

Triton's Sea Chariot

This diorama (1042, 95mm long) is of (surprise, surprise) Triton in his sea chariot, pulled by three dolphins and
decorated by two mermaids. Unfortunately the superb sculpting and entirely competent casting is a little marred by
the difficulty faced in deciding where the mermaids should go, no handy little diagram from these guys. Triton himself
has a strangely stiff torso, but the mermaids' bodies are certainly (ahem) fluid in pose.

Awesome Enterprises
i e ) 0115 967 4454 Around A t i
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Data Banks i3u9bear Champion

This pack of data banks from Grenadier (1537, an average of 25mm high) is From the aptly entitled Nasteez range, the Bugbear
just the thing to complete your science fiction diorama. They're not hugely Champion (1084, 45mm high) is a very cleanly cast
original, nor are they brilliantly detailed, but they are nonetheless good solid model and shows reasonably good detail. At first,
chunks of hardware. You may want to buy a few packs if you expect your you'd be forgiven for thinking it's a minotaur - it
ship's bridge to have a uniform appearance, because as you can see from the takes a while to dissociate yourself from the
selection here, some are more Red Dwarf than Star Trek - but on the positive standard bull man pose and notice its large ears. I
side at least you get a good choice of styles in every pack. The miniatures are guess it's not bad for the price - it is a very solid hunk of
pretty tidy, but you may find that a little cleaning is required before any metal - and for those of you deeply ensconced in
painting commences. dungeon delving it'll almost certainly become a staple of
your collection, particularly as it's the sort of large
creature miniature that can quite easily be used to
represent any number of assorted bad guys.

Grim Reaper Miniatures —

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Devil Hunter Yoko Pack

Not usually one to rave about 'babe' figures, I have to admit that these
mango cuties (APM-010, 25mm high) are delicious. The Demon
Queen's face is a little mangled, and Yoko's Granny is, well, old; but
aesthetes should prepare to drool at Yoko's beautiful form, twice - once
in full gear and once in her body stocking - that's her to the left. Four
figures that are in true 25mm scale for a very reasonable price, and well
cast too, makes these highly recommended.

Anime Projects 0 1 2 4 8 370044 SRP •t4.99

Steel Worriorg Avael and Helmet Bectrer

More cheap and cheerful plastic miniatures from Hmm... the head is awfully small for such a
Hobby Games. 30 ston kingly good robots, with many large outfit, the bearer is awfully small for
interchangeable bits that fit very well for less than a such a large helmet, and quite what the two
termer. A licensed ICE product, they are however extra bits are for is beyond me. Still, it
easily used wherever an armed robot is required. could all be deliberate, and at least the
This is good news indeed. Clean detail and the helmet bearer is kinda dinky, The weapons
silvered colour of the plastic makes them good are enormous, but thankfully the flash is
enough to use without painting if you're feeling lazy. not. All in all, another quirky offering
from the Warhammer 40K range.
Hobby Games, 0 1 9 0 3 730998
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figur
 , ,---

f a'r 5

THE ql1EAT LIBRARY

Wherein the latest literature is unravelled and the
creatures of fantasy made flesh.
Black Rock
Martha Wastorigton 1
by Steve Harris P u b l i s h e d by Victor Gollancz
Hardback E16.99 O u t now

goes to War It you like torture, you'll like this book. If you
ft like wife-beating, you'll like this book. If you
like the idea of a portal to hell being accessible
by Frank Miller and Dave Gibbons
from a geomantically centred house on the
Published by Titan Graphic novel E10.99 O u t now north coast of Cornwall, you'll like this book. If
you don't think your sensibilities are up to this
ihAt hilUIR 1!6113t1S
t sounds like a comic fan's sort of thing, don't read this book - it will
MARTHA offend you.
Miller, he of The Dark WASHINGTON If, however, you do, you're in for some
I d r eKnight
a m doesn't
Returns it? Frank
fame, teams IWE dramatic special effects, some handy tips on
up with Dave Gibbons, the genius how to write a convincing novel, and a hurtling
who drew Watchmen, and ride towards an archetypal haunted house near
between them they deliver a biting Tintagel. Your companions are not the
satire on modern America. stereotypically stupid, hard-boiled sceptics of gothic horror; this is a
Unfortunately Martha Washington modern-day story of a book editor's ex who reads a manuscript by an unknown
Goes To War doesn't quite deliver. author about a girl, herself, as it happens, who lives at Black Rock. The
Don't get me wrong: this is mysterious manuscript is a potential masterpiece. Indeed, the characterization is
good comic work. With the a little too good for our heroine and she doesn't like the way the plot's turning.
sumptuous Dave Gibbons artwork, Ofti y 8tows up heili.)e a writer. A y pu.o al
superbly coloured by Angus
kind - 2 - 7 . 1 k ! l i r e a d s
McKie, that leaps off every page and jumps straight into your face, the tale
of feisty Martha's exploits as a soldier during the Second American Civil
War is entertaining, and the novel is jam-packed with ideas that an Black Rock is not a masterpiece; the characters flatten out as the plot
enterprising referee could add to his or her campaign with little difficulty. develops and I lost interest in their fate; but it is a good book. When Steve Harris
aen i V- ,3 a Kid a . o t bullies masters combining good plots with convincing characterisation, he'll write some
better books. He just hasn't quite perfected his craft yet.
co- ,3red me in the playground because Jonathan Palmer S c o r e 7/10
I was small."
But while the ideas expressed in this novel are of a very high quality,
the writing lacks Frank's ordinary venom, and the political bite of this
satire is hard to find. Aside from the intriguing way that he uses issues of Shadowdance
competence and non-competence to explore totalitarianism (this is a by Robin Wayne Bailey P u b l i s h e d by White Wolf
future where nothing works properly - an idea he freely admits he has Paperback E3.50 O u t now
'borrowed' from Ayn,Rand), there seem to be very few genuinely new
discussions of the issues of race, power and technology that are at the
core of this novel's narrative. Martha's gung-ho character jumps from A c r isundown
p p l e d orphan
and sunrise.
namedThe
Innowen
beautiful
is given
witch the
responsible
ability to for
walkbestowing
between this
adventure to adventure with scarcely a second thought and the rather miraculous gift asks for one thing in return: he must, without fail, dance nightly
clumsy philosophising is left to the secondary characters. in order to perpetuate his nocturnal mobility.
Frank Miller doesn't seem to be running out of things to say, just out Here begins a very dreary tale. As a direct result of his newly granted ability
of new ways of saying them. to walk, Innowen is distastefully violated by his faithful guardian Drushen, who
Steve Faragher rounds off this bad behaviour by abandoning the young charge. Innowen
Score 7/10 becomes painfully aware that his gift is cursed, making voyeurs of his dance
incapable of suppressing their darkest desires.
The story limps along, devoid of any real excitement. When events do pick

830
up momentum at the end of the book, they're
handled clumsily; having waded through three
quarters of the book you just don't feel rewarded
The Wizards of Odd
by what transpires. The main problem is that the
Edited by Peter Haining Published by Souvenir
plot is predictable and simple, and the writing style
basic and uninspiring.
Press Hardback E15.99 O u t now
"Vashni's pantings and thrustioge
• ou could review this
grew or-hl'nrr-4piri9ly loud."
fantasy collection by
The only thing that differentiates this novel just listing some of
from others of its genre is that homosexuality is the writers. For in it
COMIC TALES OF FANTASY
very heavily hinted at and apparently quite you can find Fritz Leiber, HG Wells, CS FRAM/yr
acceptable. Innowen forms a rather close relationship with his male companion, Lewis, Phillip K Dick, Douglas Adams,
which nobody questions as being extraordinary. The two gratuitous scenes describing Ursula K Le Guin... Need I go on?
some rather nasty sexual acts are the only things that makes this book an adult read. Okay then: Isaac Asimov, Larry
Maryanne Booth Score 3/10 Niven, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C
Clarke... Brian Aldiss, Stephen
Donaldson, Henry Kuttner... Do you
need any more?
Vamps This is good. Forget your worries,
by Elaine Lee and William Simpson P u b l i s h e d by Titan put the cat out, and settle down.
Graphic novel E13.99 O u t now Escape for a little while - you're in good hands. Not only are all the
people who contribute to this book great novelists, they are for were)
,• amps is a compilation of the limited-edition comics of the same name. The great short story writers too. The Wizards of Odd is a gathering of their
book tells the story of five modern-day more lighthearted and quirky works.
female vampires, all created as 'brides' by the
rather unpleasant Dave. It begins with the "The whistle blew half an hou
group deciding that they've had enough of Hop to work.' Work-k-k?' The man
being treated as slaves and lackeys. seemed to have trouble with the
Unfortunately for Dave, he doesn't see
the imminent revolt coming, and is swiftly word." from The Twonky
dealt with. Free from his influence, the five Henry Kuttner
vamps - Howler, Screech, Whipsnake, Skeeter And many of the stories make you laugh, too; others cause variously
and Mink - head off across country. But broad smiles or faint ones, or perhaps just raise an eyebrow. I defy
Howler, the newly elected leader, is haunted anyone to read the Douglas Adams story without chuckling at least once;
by a secret from her mortal past, one which and the Avram Davidson work is worth singling out too - if you've never
she feels driven to deal with. read anything of his before, you may want to after this. Some of the
stories, like the one by Lord Dunsany, are truly ahead of their time; and all
'They measure tirro, I r i n k s downed and quL,, 3
of them possess a great measure of poise and timing.
an( the r ' i s their lemy... "
I don't really like recommending books for their 'value' to referees,
The resulting story is a thoroughly modern look at vampires, and is by turns but there are so many unusual worlds, unlikely characters and strange
interesting, shocking and disturbing. Although the art is far from the best, it situations in the collection that it will prove a regular source of inspiration.
serves its purpose, and there are several very evocative sequences. This is one tome that won't be allowed to gather much dust.
Vamps caused something of a stir when it was first released as a limited edition It's difficult to award any anthology a perfect ten because some
series, and it's easy to see why. In many vampire stories the underlying themes of stories are inevitably better than others; The Wizards of Odd, though,
sex and death are dealt with on a subtle level, but not here. Vamps is in your face, comes close: a great nine. Gideon Kibblewhite
and may well cause mixed reactions, depending on the tastes of the reader.
Nonetheless, this is a well-crafted story, with some interesting new takes on Score 9/10
one of our most popular myths. It's well worth a read. It's also a rich mine of
ideas for referees running a modern-day game featuring vampires (of either sex).
Vampire: The Masquerade referees, in particular, will find more than enough that aim to flesh out the ethos of the Dragonlance
inspiration here for a complete campaign. world. Hrumphl
Andy Butcher S c o r e 8/10
"Kaz did not doubt that he would
have reason to wield his axe on
his bourn'
Land of the Minotaurs There is a bit of a plot: minotaur empire in
by Richard A Knaak P u b l i s h e d by TSR Paperback E4.99 O u t now decline; baddy minotaurs in control of the capital
city; good minotaurs in small, idyllic encampment
(yes, all the basic neo-fascist imagery of pure nature
Apparently
good trackthis is a New
record; York Times
apparently bestseller;
minotaurs apparently
can happily the outside
survive author has
of a versus nasty city is ready and waiting). Good
Greek legend. And apparently we still have to put up with pot boilers like this minotaurs are the final bastions of true 411DIFIFF•FNI.Awww.o.ogvam.ffsomor
4- minotaurism. Bad minotaurs have corrupted the original spirit - which Richter 10
essentially involves twatting every other race on Krynn. Bung in some dodgy by Arthur C Clarke and Mike McQuay P u b l i s h e d by Victor Gollancz
priests, old enemies, a few dragons and some questy bits and bobs, and you've Hardback E15.99 O u t now
got the general formula to work with.
This should have a small logo with a piece of ancient hemp-rope and a
dollar sign somewhere. You're better off sticking with your own imagination, A r t hEr,uno.
r CUnfortunately
Clarke, eh? This'll be worth
not. Come reading
again? Well,then.
for a
which will far outshine anything you can find here. TSR must do much more to start, the old man didn't actually write it himself.
support their games than knock out this old, formulaic, badly crafted pap. Richter 10 began life as a movie outline. Arthur
Tim Smith S c o r e 2/10 couldn't be bothered to finish it himself so he passed
it on to his friend Mike McQuay. I don't think it was a
particularly good idea in the first place, really -
perhaps that's why Clarke lost interest - but McQuay
certainly bodged it.
Really? He's an award winning writer too, isn't
The Encyclopedia of he?Yep. He got the Phillip K Dick award for Memories, but this is bilge. More a
high-tech thriller than a science fiction novel, it's about a mad scientist who can

Fantasy and Science predict and prevent earthquakes. No one believes him, of course, when the 'Big
One' is about to strike.

Fiction Art Techniques 'Nothing's wiong with me.' He pointed at the bolos.
'7.17ntiQ what's wrong. This island is about to crack up...
by John Grant and Ron Tiner Published by Titan Jure into Rifle pieces!'"
Hardback E16.99 O u t now All The words 'well trodden' and 'ground' spring to mind. Yes. The
characters are very poor, too. It will still be a blockbuster, though, even if the
hen I was earth didn't move for me.
starting out, Gideon Kibblewhite S c o r e S/10
books like this
used to turn me 40,
off. I'd look at the square of
sample technique - brushwork, Battletech: Star Lord
hatching, scumbling etc, and
by Donald G Phillips P u b l i s h e d by ROC Paperback 23.50 O u t now
then I'd wonder how these
effects become the sensational
images filling the book. After Tukayyid Inner
f•irst-time authorSphere and,
Phillips' despite
novel is setan interesting
circa 3057 in the post-Truce of
years of flops and failures, I central concept, Star Lord plays it pretty much by
found the key: obsessiveness; being obsessed with all visual qualities and numbers; you have your group of disparate
ways of representing them. The Encyclopedia goes a good way towards mechwarriors thrown together by forces beyond their
encouraging this in the developing artist. control; you have your colossal threat to the galaxy; and
"As you draw, ideas win flow, because you have your requisite number of Battletech
punch-ups. No surprises here.
drawing and imagining have become
two parts of the same activity." "Like no-tx ° d a y . I alone
First, it is led by concepts rather than technique; if you are gripped
possess the a hc I alone arn the
by an idea, techniques have to follow to make the idea come to life. rightful heir i _ he f League. I min the
Second, it has a realistic approach to the demands put on the Star Lad."
artist/illustrator. There are 'brainstorming boxes' or trial projects The story concerns a descendant of Stefan Amaris
challenging the reader to form ideas. And third, there's an invaluable - the Hitler-like scumbag warlord who murdered the entire ruling Cameron
section on how professionals have developed some of their concepts, bloodline, drove out the Kerenekys and helped drop the Star League into
with preliminary sketches, visual stories and character developments, barbarism three hundred years ago - who has decided to regain his ancestor's
together with commentaries on how they progressed. place as Star Lord.
The Encyclopedia surveys a predictable field of imagery. The His first step is to destabalize the Inner Sphere's fragile peace by recruiting
encouragement that this book gives is not to emulate the predictable but mechwarriors and disguising them as House Marik's Knights of the Inner Sphere.
to find a personal angle. The authors stress drawing from life and then Cue the arrival of a misfit team of unlikely undercover agents, all seeking
coming to an understanding of how drawing works for you personally. Out revenge, and the stage is set for mech-skirmishes aplenty.
of this struggle comes an attitude and a style. This book is a place to start Most of the characters are pretty thinly drawn types, doggedly motivated by
and develop, but it is worth remembering that all artists have to be born their quest for some kind of vengeance on Amaris, and while the fight scene set
with talent. Even a good book can't give it. pieces are okay, the story occasionally meanders or makes jarring narrative
David Atkinson leaps. A fine core idea, though, that would probably make an even better
Mechwarrior scenario.
Score 8/10 Jim Swallow S c o r e 5/10
 'ies • deaths • hoaxes • crop circles

rtfi_m
i etdrophhoecri
• vampires w e i r d s,

lour
Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters
by Andy Mangels P u b l i s h e d by Boxtree Paperback E14.00 O u t now L.;

w o ' -
Q ( tar Wars: The Essential Guide To lhes • K i n g animals • psi • a
Characters is exactly what it says it is...
excepting the 'Essential' bit. .u11 • S • e i r d s • stigma.
It's an alphabetical listing of characters, c 0 . . • 111-
each featuring a line drawing, 'vital statistics' -qaurs • •isas ers
such as height, preferred weapons and
politics, and up to several pages of biography.
Additional illustration is provided in the form
of monochrome stills from the movies or
oltergeists • NUFO,
ec
• lhecie
frames from the comics.
s • fetishes u c limat i o n
The huge success of the Star Wars films
has lead to numerous spin-offs. What makes .nnrtntinn • a
NOME. SNAKE-PIT HELL VIDEO STORY

The Essential Guide To Characters slightly more interesting than it first appears is
the inclusion of characters and events from these spin-offs.

"What emerged from the fiery pool was a burnt husk of a ers Ot StPange P h e M n e n a

man carrying in him hatred for Kelobi, and fbe 7.0wer of Aracies •
the dark sl, Qin living?
atanorm
So, although the biographies are somewhat disappointing - for the most
part just detailing the actions of the character in the films and not really revealing
shan, - ri0SaUr
anything new t h e y do summarise the plots of the various books and comic
stories. It's this that might make Star Wars: The Essential Guide To Characters
IL .overig
worthy of purchase. Fans of the films will find precious little new information
about the characters' pasts or backgrounds, and referees of West End Games'
Star Wars roleplaying game would be better off spending their money on one of X-Files Part 2
the company's excellent background sourcebooks. For real completists only. co PyschicCops
Andy Butcher S c o r e 5/10
pa Tibetan Horses
sha
tele
Blood Hostages animals
by 3 Robert King P u b l i s h e d by TSR Paperback E4.99 O u t now ahaviou -
a l his book may be formulaic fantasy but ncount
it's fun. Perverse enjoyment comes from spir
the ceaseless parade of fantasy fiction
conventions, while genuine pleasure comes
par
from the headlong charge through the bizarre shaman
Planescape multiverse. • teleportation
It shamelessly employs every fantasy animals • freak
cliché: a kidnap reveals an uncle's dark past;
his teenage rescuers endure a process of self-
• ur • !linos
discovery that reveals royal parentage; a enco
mysterious mentor assembles a company of
conspirac•
rogues to aid them; the kids have one of the es
most powerful magic items in the world; and a
aranorm I r a
demon-god aims to use it to rule the universe. • fetish,.- . t-ittring nim 'duct ions
"How strange, to have been awake only these few
• x • stigmata
moments and already have my mind raped by a god." manimals • re nib • cults • •
Despite this, it's a tolerable read. The flat characters are rescued by the ehaviour • dinosau • dis t • i d • se
energy, variety and weirdness of the planes. No attempt is made to explain how lens •
each world works: the characters only see how that plane affects their skills,
co p circles •
echoing the style of the Planescape manuals. Experienced Planescape players
will warm to Blood Hostages as their game world is brought, somewhat paranormal exp' • miracles • prophecies •
functionally, to life. It's a useful source of planar descriptions, an example of how cults • living dinosaurs • psi cops • x-files • hoaxes •
they can be played and an excellent introduction for those who wish to explore
teleportation * vampires • weird sex * stigrriata •
them. Just don't turn to it for plot inspiration.
Trenton Webb S c o r e 5/10 ft on-line: hftp://alpha.mic.dundee.ac.ukiftlft.cgi?-1,ft
• poltergeists • UFOs • aliens conspiracies • deaths
s$,
 arcane
9cribbl1n99
We've had to re-design the letters pages this month to fit more in—you
certainly are a mouthy lot. Keep 'em coming to the address below.
Dear arcane, of y o u r p l o t , a n d , similarly, makes, which is to assume that his character. If your story doesn't give
Stonkin' issue 4 ! The Stormburg sometimes y o u have t o make view is the correct one. them what they enjoy, then it's your
Encounter is the best yet, and I agree adjustments to your plot to take into It all begins with the idea that own selfishness that prevents the
(almost) wholeheartedly with Lee account different events. the story is an end in itself. This is an game from being a success.
Made-up-name-Brimmicombe- By and large these changes are obvious viewpoint for a referee, but Lee does have one good point -
Wood's article. Snobs who try and not too noticeable. As a referee you it's a very selfish one. Going through when you have fun, you have to make
push roleplaying as an intellectual don't railroad your characters into a the story as planned is very satisfying sure you don't ruin the game for the
exercise in performance art - like that particular course of action, you coax to the referee, but means little to the others. But i f this is true for the
lot w h o r u n Interactive Fiction them. In the same way, when they're players, especially if the characters players, it's doubly true f o r the
magazine - are a total pain in the dice presented with a number of choices, have no interest in it and just feel referee. It's not only the referee's job
pouch. I don't think that the story is you don't expect players to go out of compelled to play along because the to create an adventure which will be
always the most important thing in an their way to find alternatives which referee wants them too. fun for everyone - she must also be
RPG session, though; some of my will deliberately upset the plot. To make a successful story, the prepared to deal with any problems
fondest RPG memories start along It is important for both the ref referee should take into account the that arise. It's not an easy job, but
the lines of 'sod the Crack of Doom; and the players to realise and accept characters, or at least be prepared to
let's kill a lot of orcs!' someone's got to do it, and throwing
this so that both may enjoy the game. handle t h e m . I n Lee's space ice picks at people who like a certain
Mark Langford Martin Grimes adventure, it was indeed his fault for style of play doesn't solve the matter.
spending hours arguing, and h e Eyal Teler
Dear arcane, Dear arcane, might have solved the problem by
Great mag, keep it up! The m a i n p r e m i s e o f L e e doing exactly what James did - acting Well, Lee does seem to have touched
I've j u s t r e a d L e e Brimmicombe-Wood's article 'The in character. Was the crime boss a nerve here, doesn't he? He did
Brimmicombe-Wood's article 'Heart Heart of the Matter' is that acting in a making i d l e threats'? James's write his article with the aim of
of the Matter' in March's arcane, and roleplaying game is selfish because it character might have become more starting a debate and it looks like he
I have to agree wholeheartedly with disturbs normal gameplay, annoys reasonable after having his sister succeeded well...
many of the points raised. the other characters and detracts kidnapped o r his finger cut off. I t
I have run, and will continue to from the story, which is the truly could have created an interesting Dear arcane,
run, plot-centric AD&D games. I important part o f the roleplaying fight scene, anyway. And i f this Please help. I am currently reading
enjoy setting out an involved and experience. I strongly disagree. wasn't enough t o convince t h e Shadow Moon by George Lucas and
interesting story for the players to In his article, Lee (I use his first character, then killing him would Chris Claremont. I noticed it's the
battle through. name because i t ' s short - n o have done the job. first part in the Chronicles of the
Obviously, players need to be disrespect is intended) makes the This might seem drastic, but Shadow War. Could you please tell
occasionally steered in the direction same mistake that the actor player players who act their characters me when the next part of Shadow
correctly should be willing to accept War is coming out?
the consequences, as long as they Desperate to know,
are logical. Clare Angela Hill
Don't assume that a player who
If you'd like to get in touch with arcane there are several ways. The doesn't want to go along with the Erm, well_ seeing as you asked so
most traditional is to send us a letter clearly marked 'arcane scribblings' story is the one ruining the fun for nicely, Shadow Dawn will be
and addressed to arcane, 30 M o n m o u t h St, Bath BA1 2 B W. The everyone. She may be ruining the fun published by Transworld on October
slightly more technically advanced can send us a fax on (01225) for you, but it's entirely possible that 3rd. Hope that's not too long a wait
465982, while all you fully fledged InfoCyberOtakuNauts out there players won't like your story, and just for you.
can e-mail us at: don't want to have to sit through it
and suffer. You, the referee, might be Dear arcane,
a r c a n e @ f u t u r e n e t c o . u k o r visit our web site on:
in it for the story, but players and Why do you only paint small parts of
h t t p : / /www. f u t u r e n e t . c o . u k / e n t e r t a j n m e n t / a r c a n e . h t m l
their characters may be in i t for some of the figures in the 'Hot
We look forward to hearing from you. collecting magical items, for killing Metal' feature? It only serves to
evil creatures, o r f o r playing i n detract from the effectiveness of the
 arcane s or s
My age still makes me eligible Letter
OTThe
Bits that didn't make i t into
The main letter's section.
MONTH
I wonder i f maybe y o u c o u l d

Dear arcane have a s m a l l s e c t i o n w h e r e

I did not have a survey form in issue 1, but your age chart on page 23 of issue 4 will have to be altered somewhat. I am newcomers' q u e s t i o n s c o u l d b e

one of the older group, having been interested in fantasy for many, many years. My age is 67, and I am an ardent fan of answered? Q u e s t i o n s l i k e : ' I n

Dragonlance, Forgotten Realms etc. I subscribe to Dragon and occasionally buy White Dwarf and Dungeon etc. AD&D, c a n t w o o r m o r e

My main problem is also my age, because when I enter a fantasy shop to buy what I need the shopkeepers in general characters c l u b together t o

don't believe in me and ask why I haven't brought my grandchildren with me. They just don't think that my age still makes fight a monster?'

me eligible for all the joys and excitement that goes with roleplaying and reading. Lea S h a r p

Still, one must take the rough with the smooth. Long live the world of fantasy and all that goes with it.
Colin Lee Well, t r y j u s t w r i t i n g t o u s .

E r, y e s t h e y c a n , L e a .

Well done, Cohn: that should put paid to all the whingeing 'I'm 43 and still roleplaying; am I too old?' letters that we've
been getting. You're never too old to have fun. You win an arcane T-shirt which we hope you'll wear proudly. When r o l e p l a y i n g g a m e s f i r s t

But of course, this raises another question. Is Colin the oldest roleplayer in the world? Or do you know better...? came o u t , i t wasn't long

b e f o r e p e o p l e who knew

nothing about them decided

they were s a t a n i c and t r i e d

pictures. Either paint the whole thing Dragon's Lair and Space Ace will can only be good for the industry as t o h a n t h e m . B u t n o w, t h e

or don't bother! never know how good they were. awhole. National L o t t e r y turns up and

A Mackenzie I believe that one day they will Anne G Drop causes o b v i o u s c u l t u r a l

return and people will experience degeneration and greed, a n d

We paint part of the figure so that them as I did. Probably on the PC or Dear arcane, nobody g i v e s a m o n k e y ' s .

you can see how well it would paint next-generation consoles. In regards t o the competition for Funny o l d w o r l d , i s n ' t i t ?

up while also having a _fair idea of Please bring them back. I would Lieutenant Commander Data's head: [email protected]

what it looks like unpainted. Does love to play them again. the crew of the Enterprise-D visited
anyone else feel strongly about this? Elliot Harris the contemporary c i t y o f San Yes.

We're willing to change if you want Francisco in the year of 1 893 (or
us too. What should we do better? Elliot, you're mad. They were two of thereabouts) in Time's Arrow. I t seems t h e r e ' s a l w a y s r o o m

the lousiest 'railroading' games ever. Nicholas Kuyken f o r moaning when i t comes t o

Dear arcane, How anybody who reads a PS In light of the fact that we don't Games W o r k s h o p .

Does anyone remember Dragon's roleplaying magazine can enjoy receive arcane in Australia until one D a v i d J Wood

Lair and Space Ace, the Laser-disc games that repeatedly give you 'a or and a half months after the people of
cartoon arcade games? I d o . I b' choices rather than real freedom is England do, could you please make Yes, b u t n o t m u c h .

completed them both. So that means beyond us. the c l o s i n g d a t e s o f y o u r

that I've experienced them from competitions a bit later? Like I s a i d , no-one can

beginning to end. Dear arcane, expect y o u r w r i t e r s t o have

They were the most thrilling and I think the first half of Mr Pergon's You'll be pleased to know that you read e v e r y t h i n g . B u t perhaps

exciting games I've ever played. letter last issue was a l o t more made the closing date of the Data's they ought t o be reminded

While guiding the hero, with timing relevant than the last. Yes, the card Head competition by two days. We that they haven't?

and quick reactions, my heart would game boom is very similar to the are aware that some of our readers Phil Masters

pound through the whole game. Fighting Fantasy gamebooks, but I live far away and we do try and have
There was never a game as good; the have to disagree when he suggests at least one competition every month Consider them reminded.

hero would even act exactly the same that the failure of a Magic RPG will that has a long entry time.
as how the player felt at every turn. prevent Magic players trying RPGs. None o f t h e r e v i e w s i n i s s u e

The artwork and animation was Anything that gets more people Dear arcane, 4 was o f t h e s l i g h t e s t

so good; it was better than on most interested in gaming, gets people into I hate to whinge in two successive i n t e r e s t t o me. T h e p r e v i e w

PCs and next-generation consoles. the shops and makes people start letters, but does anyone find i t as of Dcagonlance was, b u t why

These games were brilliant, thinking of fantasy-based games as difficult to buy dice as I do? preview i t ? Why n o t j u s t w a i t

totally different from any normal an enjoyable hobby has to be good. Here I am, in the process of u n t i l i t ' s available t o you

game, b u t people c a n barely Listen, Daniel, just because setting up a Wraith campaign sorry, for a f u l l review?

remember them; they were forgotten people enjoy card games doesn't chronicle a n d trying to pick up the Phil Giles

years ago. mean they are going to play RPGs umpteen 10-sided dice I will need.
There were a few games that less: in fact the amount of time I Fundamental things, easy to find, you We p r e v i e w e d D r a g o n l a n c e ' c o s

were slightly similar, but nothing spend playing has considerably might think. Not so, alas. we t h o u g h t y o u ' d f i n d i t

compared to the originals. Dragon's increased. It's probably higher now I trekked around all the game i n t e r e s t i n g . Yo u d i d . S o what

Lair 2 was released but it was a flop than when I was a student. shops from here to Croydon (yes, I was y o u r p r o b l e m ?

and was nothing like the first. Anyone I think the level of enthusiasm was that desperate) without success,
playing it without seeing the original and interest generated by these cards except for a few paltry mixed —)
 4- tubes that were of precious little have realised that some of the best together and spend hours playing produce it in the near future. Several
use. I found miniatures and paint games you can play in the World of roleplaying games. weeks of play later it finally appeared
aplenty, novels coming out o f my Darkness are as a mere mortal. Talk On the positive side, I suppose in his hand. He played it and she
ears (but you don't want to hear about the underdog. With Project you do give sad people the chance to accepted. Everybody say 'aaaah'.
about my physical deformities) and a Twilight you can really give Mulder be heroic, wonderful or even cool,
veritable mountain of CCGs. But no and Scully something to worry about, even i f it's only for a few hours. Dear arcane,
dice. None.
and as for The Inquisition.., well, Maybe in future issues you could I wish t o express my views on a
Although a n independent have you ever read the Warrior Nun offer an anorak or some thick-framed subject that you have given a lot of
games shop just off Charing Cross comics? Say no more... NHS glasses as a competition prize; coverage: ' H a v e C C G s k i l l e d
Road eventually sorted me out, isn't it Here's looking forward t o I'm sure it would inspire a massive roleplaying?' Personally I don't think
a trifle stupid for all the others to be arcane 4. Keep up the good work. response from your readers. that this is true. About a year ago I
selling the games without the dice? Andy 'Mad Baz' Tucker The real world was introduced t o Magic: t h e
Dan Pergon
Gathering by a friend. Since then I
A 50/50 chance of getting to arcane Hmm And you expect us to rise to have become m o r e a n d m o r e
Yes, Dan. It is.
8? We're going all the way to issue 50 that? Honestly. interested in other aspects of gaming,
and beyond, 'Mad Baz'. In fact, i f such as roleplaying.
Dear arcane,
you were smart you'd be booking Dear arcane, And those people who feel
About two weeks ago I picked up your place at the table for our I have become a player of Magic fairly strongly about the subject - why
arcane 3, mainly on the strength of Golden Jubilee celebrations now. recently, but though I like the game don't they just leave it alone? No one
the Molesworth RPG cos i am a
and the cards I am not enough of a is going to force them to play card
compleet fan of mister surls literary Dear arcane, fan(atic) to try to collect a set or build
(cheers cheers) wurks. I w a s games, but in my opinion it's their
My younger brother has recently a tournament-busting deck. The one loss if they don't. With all that time
impressed enough to head out and started t o b u y y o u r so-called sad thing is that I (and I'm sure loads wasted thinking about 'those terrible
hunt down the first two, and was magazine. Initially I saw n o real of other people too) would really like card thingies' t h e y c o u l d b e
similarly impressed. I give you a problem with this, until I noticed my to create and use my own cards but I
50/50 chance of getting to arcane 8 contemplating the more important
brother and his friend spending can hardly see an opponent allowing aspects of life. Such as 'when will
and beyond, which is more than I'd hours sitting around a badly drawn a Blue Peter sticky-back plastic card Games Workshop realise that Blood
give any other new gaming magazine map, rolling dice and discussing how in a game, and the chances are WotC Bowl was really good?'
nowadays. (Wot, cynical? Me?) much dexterity Dr Von Erhart has. I are not going to publish my ideas... Ross Gribbin
However, regarding one of your consider myself to be in touch with I was thinking (given the date -
comments in the Freak Legion review something that all of you roleplaying 14/2/96) wouldn't it be a nice idea to Yeah, it was really good wasn't it?
in arcane 2 , namely Japanese people have obviously yet to come to give my wife a special Valentine's But surely Games Workshop know
manga films.., demons.., most o f grips with... reality. Magic card. This would be 'Hearts that. Don't they?
them.' N o t true: o n l y a small I have sat down and looked at and Flowers', a two white mana
percentage are of the demonic and your magazine and it looks rather like instant t h a t y o u g i v e t o y o u r Dear arcane,
tentacle porn variety. These only get a consolation for the un-socialised opponent (for them to keep in their I just finished your first issue (the mag
greater recognition because more nerds of this world. I read the article hand/deck) and you gain two life. takes some time to get to Australia),
people in Britain buy them than the on page 25 of your February edition Then I thought about creating a whole and I like the whole thing - yes, even
mainstream cute/huge robot anime. ('How to explain roleplaying games to Valentine's set which would be sold the ads! EXCEPT FOR one little
Still, you're right that Freak your granny). You seem to recognise during January as boosters of one paragraph on page 9 - WHAT were
Legion allows you t o mimic this that there is a problem in getting non- rare Valentine among seven other you thinking when you wrote a n d
genre. There's an interesting idea in roleplaying types to understand what common Magic cards. There would the system sucks big time._ '?
the Manga Video release Devilman you are doing. be 'Cupid's Arrow' - an enchantment Spelffire - yes, that's what we're
(more demons, l e s s naught y An obvious question comes to that prevents the target creature from talking about. N o w I admit the
tentacles): a human accepts demonic mind: why do people get involved doing anything; 'Blind Date' - one artwork is, well, CRAP - repeated
corruption to gain the power to fight with RPGs? I can only assume that random untapped creature of your images and mismatched characters
other demons, keeping himself under your lives are so dull and boring that opponent is matched with a random abound - but the system is great. As
control by his willpower and still-pure you have to pretend to be someone untapped creature of yours, and both a multi-player card game it walks all
spirit. This concept makes much more exciting. As I conduct my life I are removed f r o m t h e game; over Magic: the Gathering, which
more use of Formori than playing the often wonder about those people 'Jealousy' (a black spell) - target works best as a two-player game.
bad guys does, and can form the with no dress sense, no friends, no creature must always attack.., the list With three or more players Spelffire is
basis of an ongoing game. sex appeal and little intelligence. goes on!
Of late, with their Year of the great fun; it's also simple so those
Thank you. Now I know what they all Martin Norris
Hunter releases, White Wolf seem to who m i g h t n o t normally p l a y
get up to at weekends: they all get
complicated games like Magic can
When we met Richard Garfield in enjoy a game. Oh yeah, it's also
Dublin for the interview that significantly cheaper than Magic.
appeared in arcane 2 he told us that Lyndon Samson
he'd used a Magic card to propose to
his wife. He had a special card made Everyone's entitled to their opinion
up, called 'A proposal', and pat it in Lyndon. Even when they're as wrong
his deck expecting to be able to as you are.

$0,
 t

tAk e i .
The Internet. It's great isn't it? So many different people, so many
different things to look at. Futurenet, the web site run by our sinister
parent company, is one of the largest in Europe and contains, amongst
many other things, the arcane forum. Here's a taste of what it's like._
Here's an excerpt from a long- r e a l l y good r o l e p l a y i n g magazine.
The r e s t of the s i t e
running argument about the
content of (arcane_
ri 1 1 1 1 The r v ieFwoForumonr,rol Boning _ its past, present, future and anything else you feel like
Of c o u r s e , a r c a n e w o u l d h a v e m o r e talking about - w i t h us and other garners.

Um_ i s i t j u s t me o r i s a r c a n e contents i f i t d i d n ' t completely

M I M I Contacts
Having trouble finding garners in your area? Our Contacts page is designed to help you get
l a c k i n g i n c o n t e n t ? I mean I ' m ignore l i v e roleplaying.. In touch, wherever you live.

not o n e t o complain u s u a l l y b u t [email protected],7.

0 Looking loran
I I I Reader Ads Out of print Traveller supplement? Want to sell that incredibly rare Magic:
i t seems t o me t h a t w h a t t h e y The Gathering cord you lust acquired? Post a message here.

have g a i n e d i n q u a l i t y , t h e y l o s e Which leads us neatly on to some

If you'reWants
I l k ' 1 1 . arcane a w r i t eYou
r or an artist and you're Interested in working for arcane as a
i n q u a n t i t y. I t h i n k arcane needs extracts from the lively freelancer, we want to hear from you
to t a k e a l i t t l e dekko a t SEX and roleplaying debate_ arcane l i n k s
slit Take a look a t some of the best sr lee from all around the world and some of the worst
maybe r e f o r m a t i t ' s i n t e n t i o n s from Norwich,

from t h e r e t o make a n a l t o g e t h e r LRPers a r e a v a l i d p a r t o f

b e t t e r magazine. roleplaying i n general but you

arcane is on sale now in y o u r local newsagent o r game s t o r e f o r only E3. I f you
e • a c •uk can't go i n t o your local have any t r o u b l e finding i t , please e-mail us a t [email protected].
newsagent a n d f i n d a m a g a z i n e

I agree e n t i r e l y t h a t arcane i s that w i l l show where groups a r e

Part of the tidily designed arcane web site.
lacking i n content. F o r starters or f i n d i n f o about u p and coming

i t should drop the generic LRP c o n v e n t i o n s . I would l i k e t o Champions ( t h o u g h t h a t ' d b e a think the basic system i s easy

scenario a l t o g e t h e r. People want know p e o p l e s ' t h o u g h t s o n L R P b e risk). I f t h e GM w a s r e a s o n a b l y for novices t o grasp.

to see t h e r u l e s and they want they o f scorn, p r a i s e o r b r i g h t , GURPS i n s o m e f l a v o u r [email protected]

scenarios f o r s p e c i f i c embarrasment! G e t y o u r c o z z i e s o n would b e s a f e .

backgrounds. What t h e g e n e r i c and b e F R E E ! ! ! urn @phrnm. d - m o n . c o . u k As a r e l a t i v e n e w c o m e r m y s e l f ,

scenario does i s please no one. [email protected] (about 5 months) I haven't played

Put i n s y s t e m s p e c i f i c s c e n a r i o s P e r s o n a l l y, t h e f i r s t g a m e I e v e r many s y s t e m s . B u t y e a r s a g o I

and i t w i l l a t least please Yep L R P - g r e a t s t u f f . A n d y o u ' r e p l a y e d w a s Wa r h a m m e r F R P ( n o , I s t a r t e d o n Shadowrun a n d i t

somebody. I t b o i l s down t o t h e r i g h t - unless y o u know o f a w a s n ' t a n a v i d wargamer) a n d I d i d n ' t c u t t h e mustard as f a r as

fact t h a t arcane does n o t provide group y o u a r e g e n e r a l l y s t u f f e d . found i t f a i r l y simple t o pick up I'm concerned, maybe now I ' v e had

s u p p o r t f o r t h e g a m e r. I t Yo u ' l l f i n d m o s t u n i v e r s i t i e s r u n the r u l e s a n d t h e n experiment. experience i t would be b e t t e r . . .

p r o v i d e s i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t games, LRP e v e n t s , b u t a p p a r e n t l y s o m e No-one e v e r s a i d y o u h a d t o g o b y k

but n o t f o r games. won't t a k e outsiders. Other the r u l e s - I n fact a l l you

[email protected] people t o t r y a r e , o f course, Cyberpunks o u t t h e r e w i l l As you can see there's lots of

L a b y r i n t h e . Some f r i e n d s o f m i n e p r o b a b l y come b a c k w i t h r u l e lively debate going on. And this
I'm responding t o t h e view t h a t are w o r k i n g o n s t a r t i n g one u p no.4: really is just a tiny part of the
arcane i s l a c k i n g i n c o n t e n t - a t t h i s summer s o I ' l l k e e p y o u BREAK A L L T H E RULES! -forum - there are currently 39
least content which i s s p e c i f i c informed as t o t h e i r progress. u g 1 0 3 4 @ s e e s . b a n g o r. a c . u k different topics being discussed
t o c e r t a i n games, T h e p r o b l e m uk with over 2.00 individual postings
with that i s that there're so I'm surprised no-one's mentioned in all. And that's when this nag
many r o l e p l a y i n g s y s t e m s o u t There's also a keen debate on the S t o r y t e l l e r system y e t . goes to press. By the time you
there t h a t i t would be impossible which system novices should Although i t ' s n o t my a b s o l u t e read this there'll be even more.
to g i v e them a l l f a i r coverage. I start gaming with. favourite, I like i t a l o t and I So why not come and have a go?
t h i n k t h e way arcane i s heading

is probably t h e best way - a I t depends v e r y much o n w h a t

method w h i c h o f f e r s h e l p f u l i d e a s you know a b o u t t h e b e g i n n e r s .

about d e s i g n i n g gaming For r e l a t i v e l y m a t u r e t y p e s Our forum page is just part of the arcane web pages. They can be found at:
environments e t c . I n t h i s way any with a possible aversion t o h t t p : / / w w w. f u t u r e n e t . c o . u k / e n t e r t a i n m e n t / a r c a n e . h t m l .
sensible gamer can a p p l y t h e number-crunching, I might well In addition to the foram there are also links to many other sites of special
material t o whichever r o l e p l a y i n g suggest E v e r w a y, w h e r e a s a roleplaying interest, there are reader ads, contacts to be made around the
system t h e y p l a y . bunch o f s l i g h t l y n e r d y
world, articles reprinted from earlier issues of the magazine and, ooh, a
I t h i n k i t ' s great that we've computer programmers m i g h t
couple of other things as well. Come and take a look.
f i n a l l y g o t what looks t o be a even e n j o y s t a r t i n g w i t h
tree reader acig A
Got a, rare Magic card you want to sell or trade? Having trouble finding fellow garners in
your area? Got a club, organisation or fanzine you want to promote?Fill in the form, send
it to us and well print it next month.

• M,IG Leviathan, Chaos Moon, War • Rage Wyrm cards, past lives, chase, Trek Join our playing group in Bristol. Call
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• Mega Traveller, Golden Heroes, 275267
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sports management (similar to American • Anybody got Populous 182, Utopia • Birmingham Central Roleplayers. • RPGA Network roleplaying club. New
Football). Jon on 01246 853138. Powermonger or Mega-lo-Mania for the Thursdays 7.30. Ladywood Community members welcome. Sunday afternoons
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magazines and fanzines. Send large ssae • Car Wars, the old plastic box fella, with Steve Jones 0121 5857263. Rd, Arnold, Nottingham.
for lists. Mark Gilby 47 Reservoir Road, any related stuff, especially the Cars • Black Country RPS. Thu 7.30. Albright • Shadow Warriors West London branch
Surfleet, Lincs PEll 4DH. Wars/Champions supplements. 01226 & Wilson Rec, Station Rd, Oldbury, W of The Guild of Melee and Magic meets
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• Storm bringer boxed 1st ed. Vampire, cards. Will pay reasonable price, Melee and Magic meets every Monday Melee and Magic meets every Sunday.
Werewolf and supplements. Dragon Pass depending on condition. Alex Gay, 40 and Tuesday. Phone Jason on 0181 Phone Jon on 0181 6999654
boardgame. Other RPGs, boardgames. Rayleigh Road, Pennfields, 7158675. • Sword 8- Sorcery LRP in Manchester
Adrian 0114 2668364 evenings. Wolverhampton WV3 OAP, tel 01902 • East London branch of The Guild of area. Contact 'Nemesis' on 0161
• Tolkien Fans! SPI Middle-earth c 1977. 713151. Melee and Magic meets every Thursday. 7476905 or write, 2 Whitegates Rd,
Three games, complete except War Of • Gamesmaster Pack and For Your Phone Douglas on 0181 5535332. Cheadle SK8 lEA.
The Rings rules pamphlet. Offers please. Information supplements to James Bond • Elemental Lords LRP based in • The Dark Door Club runs
Rod Cornaby, 35 Beechcroft Road, 007 by Victory games. Desperately Worcester; a fantasy game of magic, ahuthu-esque LRP adventures. For
Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 6BB, 01473 743619. desired. Please help me. Maggie, 498 mayhem and monsters. Contact Paul information contact P Hardy, 32 Park Hall
• Unwanted competition prizes, Whitton Ave West, Greenford UB6 OEG, 01905 425672. Road, London SE21 8DW.
Pendragon 4th Edition, GURPS Basic 3rd tel 0181 422 4771. • Exeter University Games Society meets
Edition, GURPS Magic 2nd Edition. Offers. • Has anyone Out there got any Sundays from 2pm in the Cornwall House
contacts
Dave 0121 628 6142. unpainted White Wolf miniatures for sale? Refectory, Exeter University Campus. • 18 year old seeks others to game with
If so, contact lain on 01651 872416. • Fantasy/Vampire LRP, (gm or player) in Oxford area. Call Liam
• I'm looking for Harlequin and Derby/Nottingham. Contact Martin Lee 01608-810827.
• 600 basketball cards for £175. Nick DNA/DOA for Shadowrua If anybody can 08501 89892. • AD&D player looking to join (or start)
and Michael, 12 Castle Street, Biloeia help, phone Douglas Thompson on • Fomoria LRP Club. Adventure in club in Worcester Park, Stoneleigh area.
4715, Queensland, Australia. 079 01382 552742. darkest Dorset. Inexperienced LRPers Ringieffrey on 0181 3373138.
922111/923135. • Looking for old TSR module B/X/ welcome. Unique, fully playtested system. • AD&D, GURPS, WFRP, Runequest and
• 900+ Spellfire cards for sale. 1st Night's Dark Terror. Can swap unique Contact Darren 01725 517322. Judge Dredd player seeks club in Pitlochry
edition Ravenloft, Dragonlance. 100+ material. H C A-de, St Olefsln 26, 261 3 • Glasgow University Gaming Society area. Also played Traveller. David 01796
rares. £30 ono. Call James 01670 EJ, Delft, Holland. meets Thurs 5pm, Queen Margaret Union, 472211.
518706 after 5prn weekdays. • Magazines wanted, Pegasus, Beholder, University Gardens. Term time only. • Beginner player, 26, seeks maturer
• Iyhad cards for sale or swap. Contact Adventurer, Dungeoneer, GC. Laurent Non-students welcome. group for adventure. Willing to play
Samantha 01202 428082. Picard, 63 rue Leberthon, Appt 121, • IOW, Masquerade, Vampire LARP anything. Herts/N London area. Call Julian
• Legend of the Five Rings. Trade? Tel 33000 Bordeaux, France. meetings every other Sunday, Newport 01727 838975.
01225 332385 evenings. • Magic cards bought, sold, traded etc. Youth Centre, 7.15pm. Details 01983 • Contacts required to form circle. Into
• M,TG collection. 4,000+ cards, Phone Steve on 01245 784515 after 528758 Nigel. New members wanted sci-fi, horror, gaming, fantasy art. London
including Time Walk, Beserk and other 6pm. Will travel to play and trade! • Inverness roleplaying and wargaming area. Call Nick on 0181 6772293.
oops and Fares. Will accept E500 ono. • Previous edition (preferred hardcover) association, meets Railway Club (upstairs) • Contacts wanted in n/e London area.
0161 4459605. Warhammer FB and Warhammer Armies Mondays, 6-10pm. Fee, E1.20. First RPGs or wargames. Call Steve 0181
• M:TG collection. 4,300+ cards inc rulebooks. Contact Rod 01603 486327 night free. 5212064.
100s rares, cops. Scrye value g2,500+. evenings or Sunday • Leatherhead Games Club. Small group • Crowthorne novice seeks garners. Any
E500 ono. John 0181 4586581. • Rage tWyrn-d wanted, Malleas, Enticer, meet Mondays in Leatherhead. Currently level. View to forming club. Write, Myi,
• M:TG Ice Age set, Revised set, 4th War Knife. Buy or trade for most Rage, running Earthdawn campaign. Interested? Cypress House, Pinewood Ave.
Edition set - £200 each. Ring Chris on Vampire, Magic, Shadowfist. James 01705 Jef on 01372 375202. Crowthorne, Berks. RG45 6RS.
01472 601004 after 6pm. 378442. • Magic, The Gathering Star Wars & Star • Cumbria. Male (31) seeks group in

-
 "LT V i t t _
a

Keswick/Penrith/Workington area. Open • Novice gamer into PBM and Magic Age 17+. Vampire, Storm bringer, weekdays after 3pm.
to all RPGs; would like to try some new seeks penpals for tuition and brainstorm. Darkside. Jo Smith, 89 Hexthorpe, • Role Call - A4 fanzine for console
ones. Mark, 017687 75184. Gael. 13 Hillside Ave, Silverstone, Doncaster, S Yorkshire DN4 OBE. RPGs (FRI/etc.). Four issues available
• Cyberpunk players and GM wanted, Northants. 01327 857488 • Small roleplaying group seeks new El .20 or E7 sub (6 issues). Rachel Ryan
aged 13 to 16, in East Kilbride area. • Novice roleplayers aged about 13 in players in Felixstowe area. 16+. Wide 01925 490910.
Contact Andrew at 01355 245120. Edinburgh/Midlothian area write to David variety of games played. Call Paul 01394- • Warpstone, the Warhammer FRP
• Epic Space Marine player seeks players Storey, 14 Inkerman Court, Peniculk, 276975. fanzine. El from John Foody, 10 Colenso
in London area 0171 6145705 Ken. Scotland EH26 OLS. • Wanted: players (18+) for weekly game Road, Clapton London E5.
• Epic Warhammer 40,000 player seeks • Novice RPG player needs group of in Southend on Sea area. Mark on 0171
adults to game with. Any system. 3682213 daytime.
ther gtu
other adult players in Chippenham area.
Please call on 01249 462073. Chester-le-Street, County Durham 0191 • Warhammer 40k player in Cambridge • 24hr charity gaming marathon,
• Established veteran RPG group seeks 3885691 Alan. area seeks other players over 16. Call 29/30th March, Eastbourne. Contact
fresh input. Glasgow area. Own transport • Novice seeks RPG group aged 17-20. Tom 01638 780745 after 5pm. Jarec: tel 01323 500624 email
useful, not essential. Contact David 0141 Mix of genres and systems preferred. • Warhammer 40k player seeks fellow [email protected].
6384170. Chesterfield area. Contact Richard 01246 garners in West Yorkshire area (14+) • Clan Amber, a residential Amber RPG
• Experienced GM/player (22) seeks 233435. Phone Chris 01943 602852. convention in Edinburgh. 8-10 Nov.
other roleplayers, novice or veteran, in • Opponents needed for any game • Warhammer 40k/AD&D player seeks Contact Niclv Cannon 70/5 Craighouse
Dumfries area. Contact Rich 01 387 systems, especially tabletop wargames. to start a game club in Smethwick. Phone Gardens, Edinburgh EH10 5UN.
250875. Years of experience with GW games. Mark 01 21 5558290. • Dudley Bug Ball (27.4.96) presented by
• Experienced GM seeks three or four Contact Chris 0181 3109360. • Wathammer 40k/Quest player seeks the Black Country RPS, a Midlands RPG
players (18+) for AD&D campaign. North • Players in Edenbridge and surrounding players 16-19. Bridgwater area. Please convention in aid of charity. El Details:
London. Ring Simon on 0181 3723449. area wanted. All systems GM'd or played. contact Paul, 45 Friarn Ave, Bridgwater, Steve Turner 01384 235244.
• Games Workshop and TSR player Near Tunbridge Wells. Douglas Jessup, 17 Somerset TA6 3RE • Fantasy maps for sale. Vast worlds. For
seeks fellow garners in Craven/Airedale Park Avenue, Edenbridge TN8 5LA, tel • White Wolf/Palladium etc players/GMs details send sae to Mike, 10 Wordsworth
area soon. Ages 12-16. Contact Ashley 01732 864 346. wanted (144 Leeds area. Contact: Sean, Vale, Acklam, Middlesborough, Cleveland
01535 633472. • Players wanted for fantasy and sci-fi 5 Raynville Grange, Bramley, Leeds, W TS5 8PL.
• Hammaster players in London please postal RPGs. Please write to Stewart Yorks LS13 2QD. • Games Workshop Squig picture by
contact Edward on 0171 3597318 Leary, 9 Oundle Road, Alwalton, Mark Gibbons for sale. Framed, signed
(evenings). Have campaign will travel. Peterborough PE7 print. Two in existence. Offers to Colin on
• Help! Student (20) novice roleplayer • Players/storytellers wanted for • Chaos Trail interactive fiction. Epic, 01733 574498.
seeks RPG group in Middlesborough area. Werewolf: the Apocalypse. Also maybe gothic, atmospheric. Superb narratives. • Market research needed for combat
I've general RPG knowledge but little other RPGs. Strood area. Neal 01634 Purity of vision. Flat 3,153 Lincoln Rd, play by mail. Interested? Contact D Riven,
experience. Douglas Watson, 52 Kingston 719194. Peterborough PE1 2PW. 3 Mead Crescent, Forest Hall,
St, Middlesborough TS1 4HD. • Playtesters required for new LRP game • Entity, the skiffy fanzine. Fiction, PBM. Newcastle/Tyne NE12 9RP.
• Help. GM requires inspiration for Rifts, called Conflict!. It's Fantasy based. Send 40p and ssae to Entity, Old Barn, • Roleplayers of Chester M:TG
Cyberpunk, Cybergeneration, WFRP. Interested? Call Mark on 0181 4915382. Hundley Way, Charlbury OX7 3QE. tournament (Type I & II). Sat, 30-3-96,
Contact Mark 0122 4581388 or • Rage, Magic, Blood Bowl! 13-year-old • New fanzine: RAGE!. It covers RPGs, 10am. Chester Rail Club. Admission E2.
[email protected]. player needs somebody to play with. PBMs, CCGs, sci-fi & lots of other stuff. Contact Ged 01244 314435.
• I am a novice Magic player looking for Nicholas Gunn, Laverstock, Salisbury Win X-files Guide (RRP E9.99) when you • Write to Trevannion House, Cardrew
a club in the Halesowen or Birmingham 01722 337382. subscribe. E7 per year (six issues). Lane, Redruth, Cornwall for free RPG by
area of Midlands. Neil Hickman 01384- • Roleplayers wanted. Doncaster area. Telephone Peter on 01291 421105 on mail! Leave Address. Ten players needed.
836343.
• In limbo AD&D veteran (player/DM) r --
keen to roleplay again. Try anything!
Please place my free ad under Terms and conditions
Bristol area. Call Tim on 01275 830080.
• All ads are accepted in good faith
• Inexperienced player seeks gaming the following heading • arcane reserves the right to refuse or amend ads at our
group in London. Any fantasy, horror, discretion
science fiction or cyberpunk. Contact • We cannot vouch for the quality of goods and
Andy 0171 7031167. Games for sale services offered in this section
• M:TG, LRP, Necromunda, WFRP
players wanted Sutton/Surrey area. Must
Cards for sale April 1996

have sense of humour and like beer. 18+ 1I Wanted

WRITE Y O U R FREE A D HERE I N B L O C K CAPITALS, USING O N E BOX PER W O R D . REMEMBER
TO INCLUDE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS IN THIS SPACE ALSO.
only. 0181 7155658.
• Magic: The Gathering players and card II Clubs
swaps, near the Islington, London area. S
Hong 0171-2789596. All welcome. Contacts
• Mature roleplayer seeks group of
garners into Warhammer FRP, AD&D, Fanzines
CoC, Stormbringer etc. Dave 0121 628
6142. Other stuff
• Nephelim GM seeks players (French
scenarios in English). Only over 17s.
arecine
Central London location. Contact Jonathan
reader ads are open to
0171 3510470. individuals and bon-proNt
making organisations
• Newcastle/Durham area. V only.
experienced GM/player seeks group.
Owns AD&D, Storyteller, Cthulhu,
Name
Battle Tech plus. Alan 0191 3887122.
• Newcomer seeks letters from anyone
Address
into roleplaying. Gael Bladen-Hovell, 13
Hillside Ave, Silverstone, Towcester NN12
8LR. Telephone P o s t c o d e
• Noble and Elf Ranger seek other
Warhammer Quest roleplayers in the SEND TO: arcane READER ADS, 30 MONMOUTH STREET, BEAUFORD COURT, BATH BM 2BW
Huddersfield area 13+. Contact Sir Albert
- -
Uttergeit 01484-511170.
 17•110t-

WAS A TIME
DARKNESS
by TB Falsename Episode Q
PREVIOUSLY ON "IT WAS AUNT-STR R Mere - S t r a n g e r ,
- gimpy midget. (Smoothly) My partners and I are
A TIME OF DARKNESS"; puzzled, Dixdastardlax. We were under the impression
Escaping death a t the hands o f the villainous we had a deal. If memory serves, in return for our
Captain Raxinfraxin, Princess Breasts flees with Ash agical powers, you'd persuade Mortleigh to go on
and Inspector Petit-Pivic, unaware they are being at crusade, suggest to Saxinraxin and the Captai
spied on by the wily magician Dixdastardlax. ou could rule as a tnumvurate, then double-cros
Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away, a space axinfraxin, elevate doubles of his sons to the thron
rincess and a courageous farm lad discover too eclare a holiday, blow up the palace, use the sacred
te that they are related, and their cretinous inbred tools o f Peyton Pendant to spin the soul o f t
ffspring prove a poor match for the evil Lord Princess into the fabric of the new building, declare
orkshireman-in-a-Cape. • ' war on the entire legion and have the Princes
Now read on. creature seize control of the other kings when they
attended the truce talks
Celle: The spiral staircase of Raxinfraxin's prison DIXDASTARDILAX: Yes, well, things have become a
wer. H e descends leisurely, accompanied b y ftlittle complicated since then That cursed Inspector's
another henchman, Endo M'b. Soldiers follow.) bargained for the aid of the wood god Ash.
ENDO (a lounge-lizard): You have to practise, Rax, GAUNT-STRANGER (curtly): He is merely a hire
m'dear. The people aren't going to stand for a failed power. We want results, Dixddstdrdlax, extremely soon
dandier as Lord Protector. What the devil? (I le vanishes in a blinding flash, during which we cut to
(They have reached the bottom, emerging into the to a boat sculling downriver under cover of darkness.)
carnage left by the .smashing fight from last episode. PRINCESS: Now, Petit-Pivic t e l l me of the dangers ts
Hid° barks orders, a n d soldiers rush about. facing Akansaxchukabuk.
Raxinfraxin sternly attarts a report.) PETIT-PIVIC: Looking directly past the spites of the
ENDO: There's no sign of the princess, of course. palace into the sun, I suppose. Oh, right. Well -
The horses have been driven off. We found SH (cutting in): Silence. I sense a presence on the
Rochangrafel run through. Somebody finally beat him tPbank. (His voice booms.) This boat is under my
to the draw. ersonal protection. Any threat of violence will be
RAXINFRAXIN: How vexing. ost severely dealt with. I repeat, most severely.
NDO: The men ask permission to bury the body. VOICE (010: Oh, there they are. Fire.
4RAXINFRAXIN (absently): Here in the swamp? ASH: No, wait, it was a ventriloquial jape.
NDO: It's a common religious belief among the (Arrows splatter into the boat)
'cher& They have t o bury him where he fell
painting his skull with 'head lines t o ward o f f Os the Princess's company doomed? Will Raxinfraxin
demons. Apparently the reeds circling the tower can discover Dixdastardlax's treachery? What is the new
be used as brushes. threat to Akansaxchukabuk?)
RAXINFRAXIN: You see, Endo, this is what I mean.
Akansaxchukabuk is in the stone age. I want to bring ,tt TO BE CONTINUED...
into the present - a fast-paced, modern city with
vendors on every corner selling exciting
handise t o an efficient, ambitious populace.
.5.) Let them bury Rochangrafel, and have
orporal Max run up to the belltower and signal for a
coach. A n d bring m e t h e schedules a n d
orksheets; I'll go over them while we wait.
ENDO: Right, Rax. (Shouts.) Headlines! Reeds all
about it! Max back up stack to blag Rax tax! (Hands
over itinerary.) Your paper governor.
(Cut to Dixdastardlax's inner sanctum. His servant
faces the cadaverous gaunt stranger.)
PEN-Y-BHYSTAB: What do you want, gaunt stranger?
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