Questions and Answers

I've been away a few days, and remiss in my postings. Does it seem like we always have too much to do and too little time? For some reason, I keep remembering the promise of decades past, and how technology will free up our time, and advancements will make us a world of leisure. Maybe I'm just in the wrong world. :)

Jeff Edwards, a writer and reviewer who occasionally posts here, took the time to interview me for Shroud: A Journal of Dark Fiction (#3). If you haven't read Shroud in the past, give it a shot. Not just because there is an interview with me in it, but because it is a slick magazine of dark fiction and art. It has 100+ pages of fiction, interviews, reviews - and a puzzle! For those of you who know me, I have some experience in the magazine business, and if you enjoy this venue, then support it.

So how did the interview go, you might wonder? Well, Jeff asked me questions, and I answered them. He thwarted my attempt to ask him questions, and let him provide the answers. He's too clever for that.

Also, I'll be interviewed live on BlogTalkRadio's Geekerati channel this September 8th, at 7:00pm Pacific time. The show will also be available as a podcast on iTunes at a later date (in case you miss it). Christian Lindke will be quizzing me about a few things, and I do know that "Cthulhu" be on the slate, as well as Pulp Cthulhu. Christian is a BTR critic and reviewer for several other sites (visit Cinerati). As for Geekerati, it is an Internet radio show dealing with popular culture, including films, novels, comic books, television, conventions, RPGs, pretty much everything "geek." :)

And, although I just put it in my convention link, I will be attending ConClave 33, October 3rd - 5th (Romulus, Michigan). This is a weekend convention, with panels and a dealer's room. However, it is possible to attend on single days as well. Simply show up at the hotel and get a one day pass. I'll be on several panels, and once the programming is finalized, I'll post it online - hope to see you there!

There are a few other interviews in progress. Once I'm given the approval, I'll post about them. Maybe it's best I don't saturate everyone with too much news. :)

Unusual Characters in Pulp Cthulhu

It has been a while since I posted about Pulp Cthulhu, so I thought I'd throw another item out there. The artists are working furiously, and hopefully things will all meet at one point soon.

While at Gen Con, the editor of Game Trade Magazine, Andrew Smith, handed me the August issue (#102). I happen to have a column in this issue about Pulp Cthulhu. In fact, the article includes a rare look at one of the unique character options available in the game - a Human Hybrid.

I cannot show the entire article, so I'm including a snippet. The complete stats are including in the article, with some interior art from Pulp Cthulhu by the artist Gwabryel. What is depicted in the article is a feral Deep One hybrid. These are fierce creatures/investigators, who have difficulty controlling their transformation. Yes, players can be hybrid humans, but you wouldn't like them when they are mad . . . or insane . . . or having a bad night.

Mysteries to Secrets

I always enjoy finishing a book. There is no ritual I perform when this happens - maybe because even when a book is finished it isn't finished. There are still potential delays. Proofs to be reviewed, mishaps at the printer, and various other events that can "open" the project again. Even with all of those potential calamities, there is a sense of completion when looking at the final galley. Or even more so when the book is shipped off to the printer.

It so happens that Secrets of Morocco (formerly Mysteries of Morocco) is at the printer. In a previous post I mentioned the difference between the two "editions" of the book. Nothing much has changed since then. The book is still set in Morocco (this is a relief otherwise the title would make no sense), and it has plenty of information about the history of the nation from its early days as a Roman outpost through the 1930s. There is one thing that I didn't elaborate on previously, and that is the inclusion of some Pulp Cthulhu content. This material can be used by Call of Cthulhu players, or by Pulp Cthulhu players. At the very least, the Pulp Cthulhu content should offer a sneak peek into the upcoming Pulp Cthulhu book.

All that is left to do now is wait...

Blackmoore Global, Pulp Cthulhu & Voodoo Virus

Blackmoore Global Laboratories

The last few weeks have seen quite a bit of news releases flying about - distributors updating catalogs, retailers listing products. These are the things that get rumors started. And normally they are the fun type of rumors. In a recent post, Rob, had asked me about an upcoming Chaosium RPG setting titled Blackmoore Global Laboratories. While this project was announced by Chaosium yesterday, it still has a SECLEV 10 clearance (meaning super secret) - sorta). But there is information on the Internet about it. Probably more than most people realize. So I'll probably turn it into a contest. See below for the Blackmoore Global Corporation (BGC) rules.

Pulp Cthulhu

Is it coming out? Will it not come out? I've had many emails quoting the Indiana Jones films regarding Pulp Cthulhu ("You make hurry fast...," etc.). I'm presently doing the art direction, and I'm working with several fantastic artists. It would be nice to see the book at GenCon, and I think every effort will be made to make this happen. The project has changed hands several times. It moved from a d20 system to a BRP system, to the system I developed for Pulp - a Pulp BRP system. Those who have played it at GenCon will certainly know the differences from the Call of Cthulhu system (CoC) and Pulp Cthulhu. Still, all CoC books can work with Pulp Cthulhu - so there is a vast amount of resources out there already.


Voodoo Virus

Here is one that has popped up a few times. This is a "zombie" novel (or survival novel) that I'm writing for Chaosium. In Chaosium's history, they have published several non-cthulhu related books. This is another one of those. It is not under the "Call of Cthulhu" fiction line; rather, it is under a new series line, "Voodoo Virus Chronicles." And Jeff recently made remarks in a post comment about this book as well. The common email I've received on this is: Will there be an RPG setting. Let's hope so. :) But right now, it is a novel.


BGC Contest Rules

There are no rules. So, like the former Frontier Cthulhu, people are free to post what information they can, and any thing they decode. The three people who post or email me the most information about Blackmoore Global Laboratories (or corporation) will win a free copy of the book when it is published. It must be valid information.

This contest will run until July 1st (the book is slated to appear later this year - maybe August). Please share information with each other. Once your name is identified with the data, you will get credit for it - and remember the folks at Blackmoore Global Corporation are watching you as well. :) And that information you provide might help others. Of course, the point is to have fun.

Herbert West in Pulp Cthulhu

As promised, here is another -- almost monthly in the gaming world -- update on Pulp Cthulhu. A number of people have inquired recently, and my thanks go to them for keeping in touch with the project. While I cannot state a release date, I can say that I'm working with a gaggle of artists from around the world on the inner art. Basically, providing details for spot art and supporting art. After that stage comes layout, and the book will be printer ready. In that area, all I can say is that Chaosium is dedicated to getting the book released as soon as they can. And for anyone interested in playing Pulp Cthulhu, try by the CodCon convention if your in the neighborhood. I'll be a Guest of Honor, and there will be pulp.

For this months peek into the game, I thought I'd take H.P. Lovecraft's literary creation, Herbert West and transform him into an investigator for Pulp Cthulhu. For those who've read "Herbert West - Reanimator," you'll know that he is quite a devious and troubled character. For those who haven't read the tale, give it a try. It is quite fun. (And for those new to the blog wanting to find other Pulp Cthulhu articles, just go to the TOPICS heading and click on Pulp Cthulhu.

Dr. West is a very pulpy character by most any standards. However, as most everyone defines "pulp" differently, I've tried to keep the game mechanics flexible enough to allow "pulp" to be anything form a hyped action/adventure game to a super-hero game. The players tune the engine to meet their needs. In this case, I'm creating a High Pulp character, using 3-5 Traits. It will be the Traits that allow the player to bring out the aspects of Herbert West, and make him unique as compared to . . . say another player's Reanimator.

Herbert West Reanimater
Academic Lore, Academic Standing, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Conceal, Dodge, Fast Talk, Hide, Library Use, Medicine, Occult, Other Language: Latin, Persuade, Pharmacy, Psychology, Spot Hidden.
Traits: Agile, Haunted, Gifted, Weird Knowledge

Traits:
I've selected 4 Traits that help Herbert gain needed skill levels and arcane knowledge to "become" the character he was in Lovecraft's tale. I'll gloss over the Traits to offer some insight about their selection and game use.

Agile will aid him with his surgery -- and it may be argued that West wasn't a very skilled surgeon. But, to stitch together body parts did take quite a bit of talent given he did it in the early 1900s.

Haunted is just what West was by the end of the story. In Pulp Cthulhu, this Trait adds personality to the investigator as well as provided roleplaying opportunities and some bonus points to the Cthulhu Mythos skill (needed for what West does). Keepers can have quite a bit of fun filling West's mind with nightmare's (part of the Haunted Trait).

Gifted provides some extra points for skills, and allows for the insane genius of Herbert West. Note, an investigator need not be insane if he or she is Gifted. I'm using Herbert West as a model, so the abundance of intelligence in this case were used for sinister endeavors.

Weird Knowledge is a broad Trait. It basically grants the investigator pre-game knowledge about the occult and Mythos -- not much, but a mild insight. As with most Traits, there is a price to pay with Sanity Points. From a roleplaying standpoint, this makes the investigator quirky. He's seen things other humans have not. He has a deeper understanding of the uncaring universe, and this shapes or re-shapes him.

The important thing to remember is that Traits do provide game mechanic advantages or disadvantages, but they also drive the role play. Traits are at their best when "played" beyond their game effects. A Haunted character will be suffered from night terrors, and when she has Weird Knowledge added to the mix, her fearsome dreams are all the more horrific! (Haunted investigators also have a basic talent at dreaming -- it comes from trying to avoid spooky dreams). Likewise, Gifted investigators can be subtle or annoying (having a super intellect has many facets).

So what I'm saying is that the Traits are both a part of the rules offering bonuses and alterations, but mainly they are elements that expand the personalities of the investigators. That is why I opted to use names such as "Weird Knowledge" and "Just Won't Die." These titles focus more on the roleplaying aspects than the "numbers."

As this is becoming a lengthy post, I'll continue the discussion in my newsletter. In Pulp Cthulhu there are some altered skills, such as Dodge and Block. These skills are very different in a pulp setting where the bullets are always flying.

Pulp Cthulhu - Professor of Arcane Studies

It is about time I posted about Pulp Cthulhu, and many thanks go to Walt for the gentle reminder. I thought it might be interesting to explore a character template with the Traits customized. As a quick reminder, the number of Traits vary with the level of "pulp" play desired. In this case, I'm putting together an Professor of Arcane studies, with a bit of a twist for the player.

While the templates suggest various Traits, they are not fixed. It is possible to mix and match. The goal is to use the Traits to add personality and history to each investigator in Pulp Cthulhu.

Professor of Arcane Studies

Academic Lore, Academic Standing, Library Use, Occult, Other Language, Persuade, Psychology, and any two of the following as a personal specialty: Anthropology, Archeology, Astronomy, History, Literature.
Traits: Haunted, Gifted, Super Memory.

While the Traits listed above are Haunted, Gifted, and Super Memory, I'm going to change them to Immortal, Cynical, and Frail. This is a character from a Gen-Con game, and below is a description of the Traits mixed with the character background. Players are free to use the standard Trait descriptions, or embellish upon them as I did here:

TRAITS
Immortal: You are 300 years old, although you appear to be in your early 40s. You have been granted the gift, or as you often see it – the curse – of immortality. You have lived years, seen many things, and learned the folly of humanity. The source of your longevity is unknown to you, but you have revealed it to no one for fear of being thought a "monster." The years have taken a toll, however. Humanity's cruel acts and endless wars, murders and wretchedness have cost you Sanity. However, there are advantages. While being immortal does not mean "forever young," (as you do age), it does mean your body can regenerate to some degree. When you are reduced to "0" Hit Points or less, you regenerate 1D4 HP a minute until you regain consciousness. After that, you heal at a normal rate. (Decapitation and burning both will kill you).

Cynical: The centuries have made you cynical; you've lost your faith in humanity, yet you endure life. You tend to disbelieve what others long to believe – trust in humanity, "good always wins." You've become world-weary, and it shows in your character. This gains you bonuses to Bargain, Psychology, Spot Hidden skills, but it has reduced the charm you have with other people – they find you to be depressing at times.

Frail: Your not sure why – you suspect it has to do with your immortality, but you suffer from a frailty of bones – they break easily. Any damage over ½ your Constitution requires a Opposed Roll (damage vs CON) to determine if you suffer a broken extremity. Similarly, you suffer from asthma. In stressful situations, you are prone to attacks of this pulmonary disorder. To counter it, you have a tonic, and dried medication that must be boiled and inhaled. The tonic (sometimes) works quickly, preventing the use of the other medication. You are very aware that this aliment cannot kill you; your immortality would keep you alive, but you still fear the "dying" experience. You never know what is waiting to capture your essence.

Each of these Traits allows the keeper to create opportunities and plot devices to keep the investigator and player involved in the game, and present challenges. It might seem that Frail would be a Trait that many players would not take; however, it is very popular. There are some advantages granted, as characters who are Frail are less likely to be physically active, but perhaps intellectually active instead (bonuses to Education, Int, Pow). And being Immortal does allow for extra Skill Points (depending upon how old the investigator is), but aging still takes place, and the effects of aging take place as well. Also, an Immortal is likely to be dissected by a curious pulp scientist or re-animator investigator.


(c)Content copyrighted by Chaosium and William Jones

CodCon and Pulp Cthulhu

I'm quite pleased to announce that I will be a Guest of Honor at the CodCon convention held at the College of DuPage in Illinois. This is a wonderful gaming convention, with myriad RPG, board, card, and miniatures opportunities. For those interested in playing a few games of Pulp Cthulhu, do drop by the convention. There will be more posts, as the con is April 11th - 13th, 2008.


I will be there running some Pulp Cthulhu and Call of Cthulhu demo games, and there will be plenty of Call of Cthulhu products and fiction books in the dealer's hall -- and a few giveaways. At the moment the schedule is not set, so keep an eye on CodCon's site, or here for future information.

Now, what's up with the undersea, Lovecraftian critter image? Don't know. Can anyone come up with a story for it? Maybe 1000-1200 words? I might be able to work into a Call of Cthulhu scenario at CodCon (feel free to email or post questions). As for the photograph, I took it in New York City your while at the Museum of Natural History (famous now for one book based on it, and a series of Pendergast novels that center around the museum. If you've not read them, do take the time.

Pulp Cthulhu – A Glimpse of the RPG

A while back I had posted that I would add additional Pulp Cthulhu “peeks” each month. A number of recent emails reminded me that I need to do that.

For those who are not familiar with Pulp Cthulhu, it is a roleplaying game set in the 1930s, focused upon the Call of Cthulhu background and system. When I was devising the pulp design, I decided to make the system malleable, allowing players to use any time period or level of pulp play. Three basic degrees are stipulated in the present Pulp rules: Low, Medium, and High (pulp). But, these are just guidelines. Any level can be produced by simply increasing or decreasing the number of Traits in the game. The system is also backward compatible for those players who want to use existing CoC material.

Many people have asked for more information about Supernatural Skills and Traits. Think of a Trait as a characteristic, an attribute, a “trait” of a particular pulp hero or villain from fiction. Conceptually, that is a Trait. Because the RPG has not yet been released, I’ll not delve into the mechanics. But, Traits are things that add to roleplay and allow investigators in Pulp Cthulhu to expand a character mentally, physically, supernaturally, or in background, abilities, and even “weird” abilities.

Supernatural Skills are additional skill sets that are not normally associated with the mundane world. An investigator with Supernatural Skills is likely to have a Trait that allows for these skills. They range from elements of the Mythos to the paranormal.

Below is another basic investigator template – the paranormal detective, or occult detective (I’ll include the “Reanimator template the next time). This template includes a new supernatural skill, and a few other Traits.

SUPERNATURAL DETECTIVE

City Lore, Disguise, First Aid, Fast Talk, Hide, History, Law, Occult, Sneak, Spot Hidden, Sensitive (supernatural skill), any one other skill as a personal or specialty.
Traits: Addiction, Haunted, Mentalist.

(c)Content copyrighted by Chaosium and William Jones

It is possible to see the other Pulp Cthulhu posts by selecting the label: pulp cthulhu

Pulp Cthulhu -- Reckless Adventures in the 1930s

For those who have been following Pulp Cthulhu, the manuscript is resting with Chaosium -- no publication dates have been set yet. However, the kind folks at Chaosium did give me the okay to post some snippets. So leading up to Gen Con, I'll occasionally post various bits about the project. One of the things I thought it best to start with was the basic template for a "Two-Fisted Adventurer" (given the subject of Pulp Cthulhu). Those familar with Call of Cthulhu will recongize some of the material; however, there are a few additions.

Not included are numbers or the various additions from hobbies or education. This is simply the basic template, which can be customized by players.

ADVENTURER (TWO-FISTED)

Natural Skills: Block, Catch, Dodge, First Aid, Hide, Listen, Mechanical Repair, Revolver, Sneak, Throw, any one other skill as a personal or specialty.

Traits: Ambidexterity, Blind Luck, Just Won’t Die.

(c)Content copyrighted by Chaosium and William Jones

So what has changed? The rules for "Block" have been altered quite a bit. Investigators can use most anything from a table to a book to absorb damage from an attack. Also, the "Catch/Throw" cominbation works well with the altered combat system rules, allowing a character to catch an object (such as a knife) and throw it in the same round of action -- or perform other melee actions.

Also, Traits are something new. The number of Traits is determined by the level of "pulp" the players want in a game. This allows for settings with mild elements of pulp action or high levels of pulp thrills, depending upon the final number of Traits. Likewise, there are a Supernatural Skills, but those are more likely to be used by other investigator types.