The Veterans of a Thousand Midnights

Trail of Cthulhu: 1930's London

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:27:00 +0000

You see that map there? That's 1930's London. I wrote about Trail of Cthulhu and Bookhounds of London here. Pelgrane Press' Bookhounds of London contains 18 pages of sectioned maps of London (along with many other maps). One of the main additions to Bookhounds that doesn't appear in Trail of Cthulhu is the use of Megapolisomancy, a sort of city-based magic that, to my knowledge, was introduced by Fritz Leiber in his book "Our Lady of Darkness". Having read "Our Lady of Darkness" before picking up Bookhounds I was appropriately primed to completely love it.
Anyway, since Megapolisomancy requires a sort of patterned use of locations in a city, I felt that, in order to properly use it, it required a really big map, something which you don't normally get in a game book. However, being the photoshop novice that I am, and looking at the 18 pages in the book, I thought, "Yeah, I can do this". So I stitched them together for personal use. This is an extremely small version, just to share with you. It's about 9% of actual size. So my version is huge (28 inches x28 inches) and looks amazing at full resolution, let me tell you.

It's not perfect, the pages don't line up exactly but it is good enough for me. I don't own it, I just put it together, so don't ask me for it. Also, If Pelgrane asks me to take it down, I will comply.
However, in my personal version, which is a hell of a lot bigger, I'm going through and adding in all of the "locations of occult significance" listed in the The Book of the Smoke. The Book of the Smoke is an amazing supplement to Bookhounds of London, it was written by Paula Dempsey from the point of view of Augustus Darcy, a sort of occult historian. It is set in the 1930's and is amazing. I'm also working on a google maps version of the "locations of occult significance" from the The Book of the Smoke" so if you're interested in viewing that or even assisting me in making it ,or perhaps you know of one already been made *squee*, just send me a message.

Call of Cthulhu Audio Recording: Phantoms

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:13:00 +0000

I don't know what to say except that everybody is in for a real treat. Erin read Dean Koontz's novel Phantoms and said, "This would make a GREAT Call of Cthulhu scenario". So she adapted it for that purpose. There was also a really bad movie made from the novel starring Liev Schreiber, Ben Affleck, Peter O'Toole and Rose McGowan but I think that we blew their performances out of the water. This is a long one though so settle in and don't go anywhere.

Phantoms

I played Jenny. I really got into the disease research aspect of it and put my one semester of Microbiology to good use, much to the annoyance of everyone else. What can I say, we had a good time playing this one.

I suppose I should apologize for the creaky table and the bird clock. Sorry about that. Hopefully it won't render the whole session unlistenable.

Red Wasp Design Releases "Call Of Cthulhu" Casual Game

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:43:00 +0000

Recently, Apple sent me an e-mail advertisement, as they often do, encouraging me to purchase an iPad for my romantic interest for Valentines Day. Since I am emotionally dead inside and have managed to abort every potential romantic relationship before they could blossom into anything substantial, I figured I might as well by an iPad for myself. Now, ostensibly, my decision to purchase the iPad was to aid me in reading and storing the various journal articles and PDFs that I have to read every single week as an Anthropology grad student. However, if you think that I'm going to let the opportunity to play a turn-based strategy/role-playing game that has this wonderful rating description,

Rated 12+ for the following:

Infrequent/Mild Cartoon or Fantasy Violence
Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
Infrequent/Mild Horror/Fear Themes
Infrequent/Mild Realistic Violence

...then you don't know me very well at all. My favorite game of all time (Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri) was turn-based. I'd heard about this "Call of Cthulhu: A Wasted Land" a while ago and was excited then. Now that I have seen pictures of it, I'm even more jazzed about it. The game appears to be set in a fully 3D-rendered representation of the Great War. The price is about $4.99 You control up to six characters while they attempt to "uncover...a deadly inhuman conspiracy". How did the game designers know that deadly inhuman conspiracies were my favorite kind of conspiracies? Obviously, they've tapped into some blasphemous and esoteric knowledge of their own in bringing us this game.

The only worry that I have seems to be that the reviews are suggesting that the game is currently suffering from poor controls and freezing/crashing issues. Obviously, Red Wasp Design went a little too far in attempting to incorporate the feeling of bleak futility and frustration that pervades many of Lovecraft's stories. I can't fault them for being true to the source material. It seems that, far too often (in my opinion), people expect their games to be "fun". Apparently, Red Wasp Design has managed to reject that very notion in their newest project. I look forward to providing you with more information on the game once I get a chance to play it.

On a personal note, I've never understood the trend of making various games for the iPad/iPod Touch/iPhone while ignoring the PC. You could say that by using a more restricted system, they have a lot less tweaking and support problems. I think that it's partially because people expect a lot less from casual, tablet games as far as length and quality. Also, most PC games have a starting price well above $4.99, which suggests that people who make apps are targeting a market of impulse-buyers. I just don't understand why any games manufacturer would want to artificially limit their potential user base by sticking to one operating system.

I'll leave you with a few screenshots:


It looks like SAN will play a factor in this game


Private Leas had finally had enough of that wall's mocking tone

I wonder if they incorporated friendly-fire rules?

Storytime: A Trip to the Ur-Land, part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 17:21:00 +0000

Sandy called me last night. I barely recognized his voice. I haven’t spoken to him in years. We didn’t exactly part on friendly terms. In fact, I was surprised that he even called me.

“Arthur, is that you? It’s Sandy,” he whispered, using my old screen-name.

“...Yes. Who is this?” You can’t blame me for not believing him, last I’d seen him I was applying various racial epithets to him and his immediate ancestry.

“It’s me Arthur, you know, Sandoval Velasquez. I see you’re still as dense as ever.”

“Nice way to ask for my help,” I said through clenched teeth. It had been a long time since we’d last spoken and I was no longer accustomed to his casually dropped insults.

“Oh, relax,” he said. “Don’t tell me you don’t want to meet. I know you too well.”

“I don’t know Sandy. It’s been a long time,” I replied.

“Oh come on. It’ll, it’ll be fun, like old times again.” There was an unmistakable desperation in his voice.

“Old times, like when you were passing off my words as your own?”

“I think I’ve paid enough for that. I’ve had a breakthrough. I need your help to get it to the right people.” He grew quiet and solemn then. “it’s publishable, and I can’t publish anymore.” His response was unmistakably old Sandy. The guy hadn’t changed a bit

I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d tried two or three other, more sympathetic colleagues before he settled on calling me. You see, Anthropology has many subsets, and Sandoval Velasquez’s area of study is about as far from mine as you could get and still be considered anthropology. And, we had a past. Would you be on speaking terms with someone you had caught stealing from your doctoral thesis work?

Like most areas or studies, Anthropology covers a wide range of interests. When last I’d spoken to Sandy, on that day we exchanged venomous words and parted foes, he was studying Linguistics. He’d convinced himself that if only he could trace enough languages back to their origin he’d settle upon the one origin of them all, the true primitive or prime language. In truth it was a worthwhile and fascinating endeavor, however, his modes and methods of study and research ignored the actual contemporary research into the topic. He abandoned the guidance of his peers and instead focused solely on the works of occultists, theosophists, and paramentalists. It was a move that surely would have doomed any other student in any other discipline (except perhaps occultism, theosophism or paramentalism, of course). But, somehow, Sandy made it work. While his discussion would run the gamut of wild and almost crazy conjecture, his published work was, for the most part restrained. It allowed people to argue against his point, and nothing improves the status of a scholar than being criticized and lambasted by the best in the subject. Just by being noticed and scoffed he’d managed to raise his standing. Slowly, he attracted a following.

Now, anthropologists cannot agree on whether the discipline qualifies as a science or a humanity or something that exists somewhere in between. It certainly doesn’t qualify as a hard science, not in it’s entirety anyway. It’s origins rest as much in the humanities as it does in solid scientific proofs and evidences. I was a hard scientist, bringing together my training in the biological, geological and medical disciplines while attempting to answer age-old questions of foundings of civilizations and cities as well as transitional phases and collapses, whether by catabolic means or perhaps through warfare or barbaric looting and pillaging. Of course, this inability to agree on the focus of anthropology as a study led to inevitable disputes and arguments among the many subsets. Often, the debates would rage over what constituted legitimate study and what should be rejected as nonsense or even outright chicanery.

But, while Velaquez’s discussions would range all over topics of xenoglossy, Adamic and Enochian languages, Lingua ignota, and that infernal Aklo script, his academic discourses would refer to the mother languages of Pali and Sanskrit as well as the Proto-Human or Ur Languages reflecting a return to sanity and reason. However, he nearly always insisted that the majority of scientific study on the matter misplaced it’s geographical location entirely. Yes, while many insisted that, as humans came out of Africa so too did the Proto-Human language. But not Sandy, due to some, obviously misplaced patriotism or familial allegiance, he insisted vehemently, that the true Ur Language was to be found within the myriad of Islands that dotted the South Pacific. His fantastical self-delusion was so strong that he even maintained that such an island existed, as yet untouched by man, where not only did they speak their ancestral Proto-Human language, but also practiced a proto-culture that served as a template for all modern cultures and civilizations!. All discussions of inter-island communication, cultural transference and even citing the example of the Easter Island tribal extinction did nothing to dissuade him. Once, not long before I discovered the plagiarism that would eventually lead to his academic dismissal I had a discussion with him.

“I don’t get it. On what grounds can you claim this outrageous theory, a Polynesian source for the Ur Language? Preposterous” I said lifting a tumbler or scotch to my mouth. I was not willing to give him an opportunity to weave his argument but my desire for a sip of the amber liquid won out.

“Grounds !?!?! grounds!?!?! Did Oxford, Bacon, Derby, and Marlowe need grounds when they authored the transcendent works of William Shakespeare? Did Novo and Sturgis need to clarify their plan to assassinate JFK with grounds when they were soliciting support from both the CIA and the Soviet Union? And, and, and, the 9/11 Twin Tower jobs,” he stammered, “pivotal societal change on a massive scale, all contrived to secure Middle Eastern oil rights. Patriotic manipulation on a scale not seen since Hitler faked his own death. And speaking of faking your own death, Saddam has been seen on no fewer than four Caribbean Islands since his supposed execution. Now, what grounds can you claim for that? None, no grounds at all. Little conspiracies give rise to larger and larger ones in much the same way that white lies encourage larger and larger fabrications in order to protect the interested parties from the truth. It’s not behavioral, it’s physical, it’s psychical. The mass energy of human thought and belief masks the truth from even our own discerning eyes. The various cults of religions, with their God and gods, not to mention creation myths, obfuscates the true truths from even those who want to find them”.

“Well,” I jumped in as he paused to take a breath, “wouldn’t such an influential population, this Polynesian Ur-Culture have spread out into the world, becoming a center of culture, technology, and economics rather than hiding in isolation as you so seem to have convinced yourself?” I braced myself for another tirade. But, Sandy only smiled, knowingly to himself. His smug self-assurance, so initially attractive, had long ago over-stayed it’s welcome. It’s not fun to argue with a man who refuses to concede even one of his many, fevered convictions.

“It hasn’t been found because it cannot be found. The combined mental might of the myopic intelligentsia...”

“Of which you are most assuredly one,” I interrupted, although if he heard me he certainly gave no sign.

“...has combined to form a sort of impenetrable cocoon around the island. As the natives languish under the oppressive thought-bombardment daily aimed at them by every individual belief system that declares supremacy and primacy within the world, so too do we stumble around it, unable to penetrate this veil of disingenuous and rampant cynicism. Just as the Puritan settlers of Salem suffered from ergot-induced mass-hallucinations so too do we suffer a similar mass-hallucination, brought upon, not from a malicious fungus but by our own social unification. As the population grows and becomes more homogenized, so too do the self-applied delusions. This Polynesian Ur-Land, as I like to call it, is just one of many. Some, I cannot even begin to endeavor to uncover”.

“Ha, you talk as if you were someone who engaged in fieldwork when you and I both know that your every day since you entered school has been spent in libraries or surfing conspiracy theory websites,” my ad hominem attack was as much an attempt at ending the discussion early as it was a pass at flustering him. As often was the case with Velasquez, it only succeeded in strengthening his resolve.

“Poor Arthur,” he called me, condescendingly, like a bored babysitter whose charge has stubbed their toe, “You, like my other contemporaries, fail to recognize that knowledge is the key to truth, that true truth which cannot be refuted by articulate, or in your case inarticulate, arguments”.

“True truths, that’s the second time you’ve said that, what does it even mean?” To my credit, Sandoval Velasquez sucked-in air sharply, as if by doing so he could unsay the words he had spoken.

“Who said that?,” he laughed, nervously, “I never said that”.

“But you most assuredly did,” I replied. His eyes swept nervously around the room.

“I don’t know what you heard but what I said was... was...,” his lips flapped spasmodically and his jaw waggled and clenched. After a few moments of this he leaped to his feet. “I have to go, I’m so close Arthur, so close!”

I’ll never forget that look in his eye’s. I’ve never seen such a mixture of horror and excitement on one face, and I hope never to again.

* * *

A few days later my words, my words were identified in the midst of one of his newly published works and he was summarily dismissed from the university. He put up no kind of fight. Apparently there was a strong contingent of tenured faculty at the school who were eager to see him go. He had no hope of advancement there and after the incident of plagiarism he had no hope of advancement anywhere, if he could even manage to get an appointment or a position at all.

The last I’d heard of him, before that phone call in the night, he’d accepted a teaching position at some community college in the Appalachian region of West Virginia. They’d made him sign a contract that he’d never attempt to publish any work. I laughed when I heard this, as if a contract would dissuade a man who’d already attempted to pass off someone else’s work as his own. And, in fact, it hadn’t. He’d found other alternative avenues for his wild theories. The internet has a lot of space and a lot of wackos. Of course, he ‘d used a well-disguised pseudonym. But, I recognized that prose, that seemingly incoherent, paranoid rant that always led meanderingly to a point, no matter how obscure that point was.

I identified multiple screen names with his unmistakable style. I dedicated my free time to discrediting his outrageous theories and fantastical delusions. I used my own screen name: Arthur1491. But his fanatical followers were always more numerous than my supporters. I didn’t care, I was an academic success. I had publications in first tier periodicals, even a few covers. And what did he have? A few poorly managed forums on obscure websites, and a classroom full of future business associates, dropouts and administrative assistants. If there was any doubt as to whether or not these screen names were the same person, or even Sandy for that matter, the signatures all bore the same sentence, perhaps a message to me, personally: “I need not find the Ur-Land, for it will come to me”.

A Trip to the Ur-Land, part 1 by Chase W. Beck is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

Malleus Monstrorum Contest Entries

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 22:13:00 +0000

Recently, I was made aware through Yog-Sothoth.com, that the authors of the second volume of the Malleus Monstrorum (appropriately titled Malleus Monstrorum 2). The Contest was called: Design-A- Great Old One, so I did. Unfortunately, I lost. So, the prize, a free copy of Malleus Monstrorum 2, will go to someone else. I'll have to buy my own. Which, if it is anything like the first one, will easily be worth it.
But, I thought that I could at least share my efforts here, with you guys. You'll, undoubtedly see why I didn't win. However, I feel that my execution was sound if my ideas were a little flawed. First, a little background: The Rules (from YSDC):

Using the two short (and admittedly vague) story quotes below, I want YOU to come up with a description, details, cult, and statistics for the two Great Old Ones mentioned in the quotes -- Noth-Yidik and K’thun. Be creative -- I'm not looking for a Cthulhu knock-off. Be different, original, unique! But give it some thought and pay attention to details. It should "make sense", or as much sense as such a thing can make! Here's those quotes:

“Fool! Spawn of Noth-Yidik and effluvium of K’thun! Son of the dogs that howl in the maelstrom of Azathoth! You would have been sacred and immortal, and now you are betraying It and Its priest!" -- H.P. Lovecraft & Hazel Heald, "The Horror In the Museum."

"Aye, I speak of the very Hounds Of Tindalos themselves, those Hunters From Beyond that be the Spawn of Noth-Yidik and the effluvium of K'thun, and that howl forever in the maelstrom that is dread and fearsome Azathoth; aye, They be none other than the very minions and servitors of the Daemon-Sultan, under Their ghastly sire and dam, Noth-Yidik and terrible K'thun." -- Lin Carter, "The Madness Out Of Time."

The Malleus Monstrorum is an amazing book hat manages to present Mythos monster as they would appear in a historical context. If you haven't checked it out I would highly recommend it it is seriously the last Mythos monster book you will ever have to buy, with the possible exception of The Malleus Monstrorum 2. What I like most about it, besides the really inventive art, is that the detailed entries make excellent guides for creating your own monsters to suit your campaigns.

And now, my entries:
K'thun, Great Old One. Aye, I speak of the very Hounds Of Tindalos themselves, those Hunters From Beyond that be the Spawn of Noth-Yidik and the effluvium of K'thun, and that howl forever in the maelstrom that is dread and fearsome Azathoth; aye, They be none other than the very minions and servitors of the Daemon-Sultan, under Their ghastly sire and dam, Noth-Yidik and terrible K'thun. -- Lin Carter, "The Madness Out Of Time."

Alternatives Titles: The Fisher From Beyond, The Seeker From Outside, The Trap

DESCRIPTION: K'thun has trouble entering our realm. Largely non-moving, the creature is content to stretch forth its sticky tentacles, grasp hold of a victim and draw them back to its mouth, awaiting them just outside of our dimension. Invisible to us, K'thun is easily seen in the presence of a Tillinghast Resonator. In this light, K-thun is an unsegmented worm of enormous size. Its body is lined with vestigial legs. At its head is a massive mouth with retractable black fangs. Lining the mouth are impossibly long and slender tentacles. If pressed by attackers it could potentially shift its bulk to roll onto them, crushing them to death. The main threat are the countless, smooth, sticky, and mostly invisible tentacles.

DETAILS: Fueled by an unending hunger, K'thun's only desire is to feed. Its feelers relentlessly scour every realm and dimension until they find a welcome source of sustenance. Once located, K'thun will choose to feed until all are devoured. If it so chooses, K-thun can refrain from consuming it's victims and rather, reduce them to lures. These lures lose all sense of self-preservation and become puppets, mere shells for K'thun's manipulating limbs. K'thun must devote one of its tentacles to maintaining this connection.

CULT: No known human cult knowingly worships K'thun. However as a force of destruction or all-consuming entity, K'thun has many worshippers with no specific organization.

ATTACKS & SPECIAL EFFECTS:
STATISTICS:
K'THUN, The Endless Hunger

STR 60    CON 50    SIZ 100    INT 15    POW 9
DEX 6    Move 0            HP 130
Damage Bonus +9D6.
Tentacles of K'THUN
STR 10    CON 5    SIZ 10    INT N/A    POW N/A
DEX 20    Move 6            HP 5
Damage Bonus +0

Weapons: Countless smooth tentacles that adhere immediately upon contact. K'thun gets 1D6+1 tentacle attacks/turn. Grapple upon contact - drag on next turn for 1D3 damage, dependent upon terrain. drag distance per turn is 20 meters minus the size of the investigator or NPC.

    Dominate POW vs. POW upon contact with tentacle, Any character so dominated loses 1 permanent point from any characteristic for every minute dominated up to a maximum loss of half of each stat. K'thun can maintain 1D6+1 connections at a time re-rolled at the beginning of combat and every round thereafter

Armor: Body - 15 points of muscle, regenerates 3 HP per round, Tentacles - None
Spells: None
Sanity Loss: 1D6/1D10+5 Sanity points to see K'thun or be attacked by its invisible tentacles

By JoeViturbo

As you can see, I went with two distinct ideas. I wanted the two to be linked somehow but felt that I wouldn't win if one entry relied upon the other. While my description of Noth-Yidik is inspired by Werner Herzog's Soliloquy in "Burden of Dreams", I think that, despite my effort to distinguish it, ultimately, it's a Shub-Niggurath, the Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, rip-off. I also would have liked to of added in a few more wrinkles. There are ideas here that I would like to use, expand upon and test. There is an inherent difficulty in creating a God in that it should not be possible to destroy or kill them. However, they still need to provide a form of conflict for the players.

The winners were:

With his really cool version of Noth-Yidik is winner Rookery and for his equally-cool design for K'thun is Ghoth the Burrower!!! Thanks guys. And thanks to everyone who participated. There were some really wild entries, and it was a tough decision, which is part of the reason its taken me so long!

I for one, am greatly interested in seeing their entries, you know for comparison purposes. I'm quite certain that not only will I be greatly impressed, but also I will look forward to using those characters in my own games.

The Delta Green Green Box Generator Returns

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 03:12:00 +0000

A while back, the internet lost one of the greatest sites ever created, the Green Box Generator. For those not in the know, a green box is a sort of weapons cache for active cells in the Delta Green RPG. They can contain all of the illegal weapons, magic items, and mundane tools necessary to successfully orchestrate a massive Lovecraftian Mythos cover-up. Often, a green box can serve as a form of communication between the field team and the home office. And, at its worst, the green box can become the repository for things best left unfound, those artifacts or entities which should never again see the light of day. For a good example of a Green Box used in play, you should check-out Ross Payton's Role-Playing Public Radio gameplay recording Lover in the Ice, by Caleb (last name unknown - sorry Caleb).
Anyway, the point of this post is that the Green Box Generator is back (YAY!!!). Since this website has recently become a place where I post links of sites that I want to visit but can never find, it only fits that I post a link to the Delta Green Green Box Generator here. There it is again. We have Isak Strom to thanks for this phoenix-like revival of this wonderful Delta Green Role-playing tool. Watch-out for that golden-headed manakin

Pelgrane Press: Trail of Cthulhu Character Generator

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +0000

You may recall that a little while back I wrote about an IndiGoGo campaign to fund a Trail of Cthulhu online character generator. Well, it's out. Except that I can never seem to find it when i need it. And I need it almost every week now since I found three guys who are willing to play it over Skype with me on a weekly basis. It's a lot of fun and terrifyingly simple. The GUMSHOE mechanic makes other game systems seem archaic and cumbersome by comparison. That's not to say that it should replace every game system, just that it's the kind of system that doesn't get in the way of the story. It fits the Lovecraftian setting of Trail of Cthulhu excellently.

Anyway, the reason that I decided to make this post, other than I'm on break from school and finally have five seconds to catch my breath, is that I can never seem to find the Trail of Cthulhu Character Generator when I need it. So, rather than save the site in my bookmark or favorites tab, I thought that I'd make a post about it with links in the post. That way I can find it, and you can find it. It's a win/win for everyone involved.

I've played a couple of sessions of Trail of Cthulhu now and I have to say that I love the rules immensely. The mechanics are a little simplistic, the only dice you'll ever need is one D6, but it really makes the storytelling flow naturally. The feeling really brought me back to my very first days of playing Dungeons and Dragons (my first experience with a tabletop roleplaying game). It was the story that captivated me, before it got all bogged down in fight mechanics.

While I have loved other game manuals enough that they have fallen apart from overuse, Ken Hites expansion to Trail of Cthulhu, Bookhounds of London, is the very first that I read through from cover to cover. It's just that god, and the maps are not only he best that I have ever seen in a gaming book, but also the most evocative. I'd like to write more about it later.

Anyway, now, I'll be able to find the character generator. Now, you'll be able to find the character generator and everybody will be happy.

Hallowe'en Horror Movie Roundup

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:14:00 +0000

My 2011 Horror movie list of Watch Instantly films is available over at Mr. Movie Fiend
you may remember my link to last year's post. This year includes all of the links to last years films as well as new alternatives. You should check it out.

If you're too lazy, I'll post two videos here for you
Stuart Gordon's From Beyond, featuring a terrific performance from Jeffrey Combs

And in honor of Halloween, Carpenter's classic film

aka the one that started it all

And, because I think you're special, here's a link you won't find at the other site

yup that's Bing Crosby narrating

Here's a Little Something To Darken Your Day

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 18:06:00 +0000

I saw this on the Delta Green Yahoo group and just had to share it. You'll probably be wishing that I hadn't. It's definitely NSFW but not for excessive nudity (if you know what I mean).

DYE "Fantasy" Official Video by JEREMIE PERIN by TIGERSUSHIRECORDS

So, there you go. A little classic body horror. Reminds me of Cronenberg's "They Came From Within"

The Delta Green/Unspeakable Oath Panel: The Audio

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 04:28:00 +0000

You've waited for it and here it is, the actual recording of that now infamous panel. You can pour over it exhaustively finding all of the discrepancies between what happened and what I posted happened. It'll be like a really boring version of telephone.

The Audio

I haven't listened to it myself yet. I lived it.

Shane Ivey Talks GenCon 2011 and the New Delta Green Game

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:56:00 +0000

Since V1kM was apparently the goto site for the information in the Unspeakable Oath/Delta Green GenCon Panel, I thought it'd only be right to direct any stragglers to an actual authority on the subject. Shane Ivey just made a post on the Arc Dream Publishing website so you can now get your information firsthand instead of filtered through my paranoid world-view.

I really like some of the news here. Recently the discussions have been all over the place on what sysem to use now that DG is going rogue. Well, Shane took the time to clarify it:

"It will be its own game, not a supplement to Call of Cthulhu, but it will incorporate parts of BRP and CoC that have been released in the Open Gaming License as well as new system elements"

There is a lot more information at the Arc Dream site so what are you still doing here? Get over there. No, wait...finish reading this post first, or don't I don't care.

I'll try to keep you updated when the actual audio from the panel gets posted.

News From GenCon: Delta Green and the Unspeakable Oath Panel

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:40:00 +0000

Thursday night (Aug. 4th) at GenCon was an exciting event. The authors/Creators of Delta Green in it's various incarnations, met for a panel discussion.

Monte Cook, Kenneth Hite, Shane Ivey, and Greg Stolze first met for a question and answer session about The Unspeakable Oath. They've recently revived this long hibernating periodical. The main discussion concerned what the people in attendance would prefer to see in new editions of the Unspeakable Oath. The comments ranged from new plot/story hooks, to info on how to make games scary (Stolze [jokingly] recommended that gemers play inside sparse and utilitarian concrete boxes), and primers on writing their own scenarios/campaigns. It was early agreed that the scariest things were not big monsters but those things that were unknown and unknowable. At one time the question was posed as to whether or not The Unspekable Oath should contain scenarios for other game systems. Many attendees agreed that other systems were welcome inside the pages of The Unspeakable Oath. The members of the panel finished the discussion by encouraging us to submit our own content for consideration.

Then Adam Scott Glancy arrived and it was time to talk Delta Green. He began with the revelation that they would be moving away from the Chaosium license. This decision was made to allow them (Arc Dream) to produce more content. Without the license, Chaosium would no longer cap the maximum number of products release every year. Additionally, since Chaosium does not own the Lovecraft Mythos, there would be little to no change in actual content of the previously published Delta Green material.

Some changes would occur however, including the loss of the BRP System as the rules setting for Delta Green. Additionally, some specific content, like spell names and things not created by Lovecraft and similar individuals would have to be changed. Chthonians, created by Brian Lumley, were given as an example of something that appears in the Chaosium Call of Cthulhu rulebook that might not make it into newer editions of the game. If a replacement rules system was mentioned I missed it. They finished this announcement by assuring the audience that they had no intention of republishing the current Delta Green rulebooks to reflect these rule changes. The authors want to ensure that the already published content will be useful into the future. They are unwilling o charge people for content they already own. They are more interested in providing valuable content, and asking people to support it by buying it

Then, talk moved into the realm of modernizing Delta Green. The first rulebook was written in the 1990's and is a reflection of that time. The panel mentioned that they would like to bring Delta Green into today, specifically, a post Osama-assassination world. Delta Green would become more international in it's role and would include operatives in agencies from other governments. However, certain aspects of the game was written to allow players the opportunity to make their own choices. Adam Scot Glancy is unwilling to clarify how Delta Green would interact with PISCES and GRU SV-8 in this world. It is up to the players in their local campaigns to determine how this turns-out. One of the biggest revelations about how Delta Green would function in the modern era is a potential spoiler so do not read it if you are a DG player and not a GM.

*spoiler (select text to view)* Delta Green could become an officially sanctioned government agency, meaning that it will no longer be working without the benefit of the law *end spoiler*

All in all it was a very interesting and fun panel. The atmosphere was quite comfortable and even though the guests were behind a table and had glasses of water, it certainly felt like everyone in the room had valued opinions and could share their thoughts, concerns, and experiences.

That's all that i can remember for now, let me know what you think. Were you there? Did I miss anything? Did you walk away with a different feeling?

Problems With D&D 1

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:43:00 +0000

    I love Dungeons & Dragons. I play it, even though it’s a broken game and it’s been broken since it was invented. Half-Orc Wizard, Halfing warrior, Dwarven Druid: These are character combinations that would not work in even the most screwed-up fantasy worlds. Dwarven Druid: they don’t have plants underground. What do they have underground? Only some of the most terrifying creatures kn own to man. Eye-less fish, albino crayfish, blood-sucking leeches, cockroaches the size of Duane The Rock Johnson’s thumb. Some of the most messed-up creatures you’ve ever seen. And that’s just real-world stuff, we haven’t even gotten to the nether-demons of the subterranean under-dark. Not to mention the necessity of SUNLIGHT for plant growth. But, what it all boils down to is that a Dwarven Druid is not a druid. He’s a wrangler of beings straight out of your most frightening and scream-inducing nightmares. Which would be great except that this “Dwarven Druid” should be equally terrified in the great wide-open up-world.
    “Dear Moradin what is that terrifying blue-colored ceiling and why is it so far away?”
    They’ed be attacking all the trees (Not a very Druidish thing to do)
    “By my almighty Ironfell hammer these foul monstrosities will be destroyed tiiiiiimberrrr”
    And now you’re stuck with a Dwarven Lumberjack. Good luck with that. I’d imagine that with a fantasy world as screwed-up as yours is, you wouldn’t have any trouble finding Dwarven-sized flannel button-downs.

Thanks to Brian’s Pickle and the rest of the V1kM for the help

Delta Green Fiction Kickstarter

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 31 May 2011 22:28:00 +0000

Dennis Detwiller, co-creator of Delta Green, wrote a book. It's Delta Green fiction. It has been reviewed, revised, and edited. Now, it needs to be published. They've figured-out a price that they need in order to publish the work and pay the author. That number is $26,000. Now $26,000 is a lot of money. It's more money than the guy at Delta Green have. So they put the project up on Kickstarter. A the time of writing this post, they have $14,578 with 19 days to go.

They need our help

So I've compiled a list of "Reasons to Donate to Delta Green's 'Through a Glass, Darkly' Kickstarter Project"

10. They've provided excerpts so you know what you're buying: Excerpt 1 , Excerpt 2

9. They're testing this method out as a way to release more content like Delta Green: Failed Anatomies, a collection of short stories. Here's an excerpt from "Intelligences": Excerpt 3

8. With a donation of as little as $30-$35 (depending on your location on this fine planet) you'll get a limited edition hardcover copy of the book!

7. Delta Green represents the pinnacle of modern Lovecraftian horror. This is how you keep it alive. This is how you ensure that there will be more in years to come.

6. Because Dennis said so:

If you love Delta Green, get out there and vote with your dollars. This project will determine the future of all Delta Green fiction. If this does not move forward, it's unlikely we'll see any future DG fiction releases of similar print quality (that is, it's likely the end of printed DG fiction -- instead, it'll probably just be relegated to PDF only). If you're like me and love reading a nice, solid book this does not sound good.

So, any who have not posted to the ransom and are hoping for future DG fiction, get out there and do so!

5. Because the Government Conspiracy doesn't want you to, man

4. With a donation of as little as $60-$70 (depending on your location on this fine planet) you'll get a limited edition hardcover SIGNED copy of the book!

3. It's the type of fiction H.P. Lovecraft would be writing were he alive today.

2. Because I told you to. You trust me, right?

1. it's what Cthulhu would do were he not stuck dreaming in R'lyeh. Ph'nglui Mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn!!!

You just can't say no to that face

The Unspeakable Oath #19

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 03:06:00 +0000

The Veterans of a Thousand Midnights were lucky enough to be able to participate in the playtesting of one of the scenarios for the Unspeakable Oath #19!

It was a lot of fun so check out The Unspeakable Oath #19 in both PDF and Print Form (coming soon).

"Suited and Booted" by Adam Gauntlett (@ag_Karloff on twitter) was a ton of fun and really kept the action at a constantly high level. The SAN losses were also highly amusing, probably moreso for me as the Keeper than for the investigators.

We just finished playtesting the Shotgun scenarios from the Delta Green Yahoo group's 2010 competition. The scenarios include "Let's Learn Aklo" by James Haughton, "Secret Agent" by Bret Kramer, and "God Will's it Thus" by David M. Jacobs.

I recorded them just in case we get the go ahead to post them (since they were already available for mass consumption on the internets). If you'd like to hear them let those guys know. They don't always respond to my emails in a timely manner. They are awfully busy publishing a periodical you know.

EDIT: I've got good news! I got the go ahead to post the audio from the playtesting session. I'll get started on those so you guys can hear it.

The Haunting (1920's Call of Cthulhu)

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 10:42:00 +0000

Yes, it's the original introductory campaign from Call of Cthulhu. This is the single most played and recorded campaign from Call of Cthulhu. Chances are, if you're trying to find an example of CoC gameplay on the internet (and by now you should know never to use the Veterans for that) you'll turn-up a recording of this scenario.

Listen Here

Now, it's time to pay the bills:
If you are looking for a fascinating career with real-life drama, check
out a forensic scientist education.

Last Stand at Echo Base: Masanari's conclusion

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:33:00 +0000

"What the hell was that?" Vorfrum trembled with a mix of boiling rage and lingering hypothermia. "You could have gotten me killed out there, pulling a stunt like that! These suits aren't insulated, and this wasn't damned dogfight! Fights like this take time, you fool!"

Masanari didn't look up. He sat perched on a durasteel crate, loading fresh rounds into his scatter gun before jamming another medpack into his thigh. Around him, the rest of his squad rushed to load their starfighters and the transports for their escape. The Nagai's hands shook badly, and he fumbled his ammo, not for the first time.

Vorfrum paused and raised the Duros equivalent of an eyebrow. "What are you doing, Masanari?"

"D-didn't you hear me?" his teeth still chattered as he fought to force out the words. "Vader's coming." He said nothing more as he plucked a pair of stims from one of the nearby medical kits, checking their contents.

"Are you insane?" Vorfrum demanded quietly.

The assassin didn't meet his companion's gaze, instead squinting at the label on the stims more closely. He winced as Vorfrum grabbed his chin and turned his head to face him.

"Look at you! You're going through hypothermia, your digits barely work, you took a hell of a beating out there...and your eyes are looking terrible. They were finally getting over that frag, and you can bet your ass that blizzard out there made 'em worse than they ever were! Why didn't you at least take your goggles with you, you idiot?"

"The goggles? They do nothing. I needed to see while I was out there."

"And you can barely see now. You can barely move now. A Trooper could take you out now, much less Vader."

Masanari snarled and batted his friend's hand away. "I've got explosives! I can do this!"

"How?" Vorfrum demanded. "With stims and meds shooting through your systems until you make a mistake and get yourself blown up, if you even last long enough to?" He sneered at the blind desperation in his friend, feeling a hint of pity for his obsessive drive.

"If I have to, yes! It ends here!!" Masanari roared into his friend's face as he stood, and when his eyes wouldn't focus on Vorfrum at all, the Duros shook his head.

"You're right. It does."

For all his flaws, Vorfrum was a warrior at heart. Without hesitation, he acted on his companions weakness, dropping the wounded Nagai with a powerful blow to his midsection.

"Dammit, Mas; we could have really used you on our way out of here." He hefted his friend easily and called above the clamor, "Make some room on that last transport! We're going to need a tank set up!"

Story by Will Custer
Star Wars, the Star Wars logo, all names and pictures of Star Wars characters, vehicles and any other Star Wars related items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd., or their respective trademark and copyright holders...
The Official Star Wars site can be found at www.starwars.com.

D20 Star Wars All Wings Report in Session 07

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:25:00 +0000

You've waited long enough. It's time for the epic battle of Hoth. The tension is palpable but will Green Squadron be able to put their differences aside and work together to protect the Galaxy's only hope? No, no they won't.

but first: Ads!!!, well, an ad anyways

Looking for a break from working on your paralegal
certificates? Read on!

Artwork by Jon Watson

I think that most of us at the V1kM are a little to blame for how this one turned-out, some of us more than others. I for one take a large portion of the blame for refusing to look-up the rules for a specific game mechanic when it didn't fit with my view of how it would work. But let's not point fingers because it's really all Wizards of the Coast's fault for writing such uneven rules for the setting. I mean really, a starship maneuver that has "formation" in the title that requires the vehicle piloted to have shields before it can boost them. That's just obscenely stupid. Well, you'll get the point when you listen to the audio. This one really has it all folks. Re-stating in the middle of a battle, a capricious DM with a ridiculous homebrew rule that negates the ability of a starfighter pilot to go into battle properly attired for such an action. And it all works, it made it one of the most fun sessions to play and to listen to. It's probably a good thing that we took a break from Star Wars for a little bit after this session.

Now, like Vasko, you can re-enact your own version of the battle of Hoth with official Hasbro toys like this one!!!
Download this episode (right click and save)

A little something to pass the time before the battle of Hoth Part II

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:53:00 +0000

Vorfrum rode through Echo base on the back of his newly acquired tauntaun, weaving around ships, ground transports and people. The Duro was excited to finally be doing something that he was good at. Fighting enraged ice beasts would be a delightful change of pace from the day to day monotony and ever present cold of Hoth. But he needed to prepare. His mother had always taught him not to antagonize wild and ferocious animals unless you were ready to finish the job. He reared the tauntaun to a halt next to a decrepit hunk of space junk. A Wookie and unkempt Corellian seemed intent on proving that this piece of debris was space-worthy.

"Looks great Captain Solo, a real improvement," Vorfrum's emphasis on Han's rank made it sound more like an insult than any sort of rank or honorific.

"I see they've finally got you doing something useful around here, I thought for sure you'd have been court marshaled by now, what with that incident in the ladies showers and all," Solo shot back.

"It was nice and warm in there, and you and I both know that gender assignment between species is not always clear nor is it unchanging," Vapebait recited in his defense.

That might have worked during your pre-trial but you and I both know you've not the faintest trace of female inclination in your bald, blue-skinned carcass. If you did, you'd never be safe from Lennox's...attentions. I bet you had to beat him off with a vibroblade when you took to wearing dresses to support your argument," stated Solo.

"And YOU, Solo! That ship has more horrible malformations and parts falling off than Lennox's loins!" replied, Vapebait, losing his temper.

Vapebait turned to leave, only to have a blaster shot hit so closely to the tauntaun's feet as to cause the creature to rear and buck wildly. Lieutenant Thelkiss almost lost his seat. He managed to cling on, but just barely.

"And YOU should have learned long ago not to turn your back on someone you've just insulted. The only way to survive in this galaxy is to ALWAYS shoot first," Han, having finished his lesson, holstered his heavy blaster with a flourish.

"Oh yeah, well...," Vapebait, unsettled by the creature’s movements and out of insults for once, turned and rode off, as angry as ever.

* * *
"Hey, wake up. I’ve got an assignment for us," Vorfrum said, standing next to Masanari's bunk.

"Mmrph," was the only reply from inside.

"What, I can't understand you when you try to speak Basic," came Vorfrum's antagonistic response.

"I said I wasn't interested. Now, leave me alone!"

"We get to kill stuff,".

The Nagai jumped from his bunk so fast he nearly cracked his skull. He began rapidly readying himself, holstering weapons, and searching through his equipment locker. Fully ready, he ran from the room only to be brought up short by Vorfrum's tauntaun, waiting outside.

"Myammyammyamymam," The startled creature gurgled.

"Ah, watch out for that," Vorfrum warned, “They're notoriously bad-tempered,”.

"Reminds me of someone else I know,".

"Hey, you think that Leia chick is hot?" Vorfrum asked, changing the topic.

"...," Masanari's reply was, noncommital.

"I think she looks pretty good, for a human. Just imagine how she'd look bald...and a bit bluer. You know some humans turn a rather appealing shade just before they pass out from asphyxiation. You think she's had sex with Skywalker yet? I bet Lennox bedded her, he gets all the cute ones, of course, he gets all the ugly one too," the Duro went on as he launched himself expertly into the creature’s saddle.

"I really couldn't care less about the sexual habits of Echo Base's inhabitants. Just what do you think you're doing with that smelly creature?" questioned Masanari.

"I need it...for bait," came Vapebait's grinning reply.

* * *

"You know, it's not necessary for you to still ride that thing," Masanari remarked as they traveled deeper into the tunnels of Echo Base. "Nobody's keeping an eye on you down here."

Vorfrum shrugged. "I don't know. I'm starting to get used to it. I have a better line of sight up here than I would on the ground and it works as a nice body shield should we actually run into any of those things down here."

“Myammyammyamymam," the tauntaun grunted angrily in response, as if the Duros' intent were understandable to the creature.

Howls echoed from the dark halls before them. Neither of the pilots believed it to be the wind this time.

"I suppose we should have looked for some help from the others. I hate to say it, but Bluegrass is about the only member of our Squadron that hasn't screwed up terribly at some point." Vorfrum clumsily unslung his riot gun, only now realizing how difficult it would be to fire the two-handed blaster while holding the tauntauns reigns. The trio: Duro, Nagai and tauntaun began listening more attentively.

Masanari's voice dropped to a barely audible whisper. "Nice to know I'm not the only one that made that observation. But I haven't seen him fight on the ground." As another howl reverberated down the icy corridor, Masanari slowly sidled away from Vorfrum and his mount, disappearing into the shadows. "They're coming. Get ready to cover your eyes."

Vorfrum broke his forward gaze to look in the direction Masanari's disembodied voice had come from. "Cover my eyes? I don't think that's going to make them go away. Wait...'them'?" He looked around again, frantically. "How many do you think are down here?"

"At least enough to go around."

A few dozen meters before the next bend in the hallway, where both had anticipated the attack to come from, the heavy ice wall of Echo Base suddenly collapsed, opening a void into a rough-hewn ice tunnel. Just as suddenly, three large, rampaging wampas billowed out of the void. At Masanari's word, Vorfrum ducked and covered his eyes as one of the Nagai's makeshift flashbangs exploded in midair before the creatures.

Quickly and silently, Masanari rushed from cover and unslung his scattergun. Closing with the nearest wampa, he pressed both barrels into the stunned behemoth's throat and pulled the trigger. The beast's life ended amidst a shower of bone and brain. "That's one, Vofrum! Come on!"

Neither of the pilots had thought to prepare the tauntaun for the grenade, though, and the beast had panicked and bucked furiously, throwing Vorfrum from the saddle roughly before charging forward wildly.

Masanari backpedaled to help his friend up as the infuriated wampas tore the tauntaun apart.

"I was just starting to like that thing," Vorfrum lamented.

"You don't like anything, Vor."

"I like not being corrected. Let's go!" Each side having lost the element of surprise, the two pilots raced back the way they had come, Vorfrum shouting warnings ahead to any personnel that may be in the area while Masanari continued to fire over his shoulder, antagonizing whichever beast was gaining on them the quickest. Casting a glance over his shoulder, his eyes widened as he saw another pair of creatures following in the wake of their pursuers.

"This way!" Vorfrum grabbed the Nagai's forearm and jerked him sharply to the right, into a large, empty storage room.

"A dead end?" Masanari frowned. It was hardly an ideal escape plan.

"Y-yeah..." Vorfrum blustered. "We can...lure them in here and then lock the room behind us!"

Masanari's eyes narrowed behind his glasses. "After we escape, right?"

The Duro nodded quickly. "Yeah, of course!"

As the two looked around and realized this one-time munitions store-room was in fact lined with durasteel, rather than walls of ice, it actually began to seem like a brilliant suggestion.

"Too bad we're out of tauntaun...that would have been a good bait to use." Masanari and Vorfrum locked eyes and scowled at one another. "Only one way to decide this."

"Rock!" shouted Vorfrum.

"Paper!" came Masanari’s simultaneous reply.

"Dammit!" groaned the Duro, having lost the game and been consigned to the role of "bait".

"No race with less than five digits ever picks scissors. Food for thought. Now get in the middle of the room." Masanari flashed a brief grin and readied a pair of sonic grenades, the last of his late droid's homemade plot dev...err...explosives.

Swearing loudly in his native tongue, Vorfrum assumed his position as the creatures arrived, rushing into the room. For some reason, seeing all four up close suddenly made this seem like a very bad idea. The cantankerous pilot began wildly taking pot shots at the wampas, not even bothering to aim before releasing hails of blaster bolts. The tactic effectively enraged the wampas, drawing their attention as Masanari assumed his position at the doorway.

"Now!" Masanari yelled, throwing the explosives to the far end of the room. The wampas turned to face him just as the grenades detonated, their sonic pulse amplified exponentially in the cramped room, yet another unanticipated variable. The four wampas went into a berserk rage at the noise, and Vorfrum swayed unsteadily on his feet, the reverberations threatening his own hold on coherence and consciousness. The Duro's constitution prevailed, though, and he managed to stumble into Masanari who managed to help him from the storage room.

As the two sealed the door, breathing heavily and clapping each other on the back, they came face-to-face-to-face with a wampa who had apparently been a late arrival to the party.

His riot gun still raised, Vorfrum started firing wildly at the gargantuan wall of fur before them. The creature, shocked, drew back, giving Masanari just the opening he needed to draw his blade, rush forward, and drive it hilt-deep into the monster's chest. The wampa responded with a bone-jarring slug of its colossal arms to each of their heads. All three collapsed in a heap.

* * * * *

"I say, R2-D2, it seems these two have managed to not only slay one of these beasts, but imprison others in this room here. Quite a spectacular job, wouldn't you say?"

"Boop boop beep beep."

"Well not all of us have rocket thrusters, and you haven't used yours in twenty years, you trash can."

"Bwoooo..."

"Hey, what're you two doing down here?!"

"Master Solo! We-we came across..."

"Stow it, Threepio. Good job finding these two. Looks like they barely managed to take down this guy before passing out. Nice move, you two tricking those other wampas to trap themselves in this room here. We'll get you medals... or something, maybe public accolades or...a drink. Let's go! We'll send one of our male nurses down here to tend to these two!"

At the sound of the three of them departing, the barely conscious Vorfrum grumbled faintly, "Hate you...Solo...so...so very much...so much..."

* * *
"Hey get up you y'all, it's time to leave," came a voice out of the dark

"You all 're gonna miss the battle," there it was again. It sounded like Dusty.

Masanari tried to open his eyes. Brilliant light stabbed into his brain.

"Oh my head," Masanari groaned as he clutched his skull and shielded his eyes

"My ovaries," Thelkiss added, mostly out of habit...mostly.

"Stow it Thelkiss. You two missed the announcement, it's time to get off this rock or die trying," Bronn words served to convey his enthusiasm.

The two, having just awoken from the beds upon which they were resting in the medical bay (Bacta tanks were for heros and high ranking military leaders only), fumbled with their clothing and equipment.

"Looks like we can kiss this ice planet good-bye," Thelkiss said

"And not a moment too soon," Masanari replied.

"I hope we're going someplace warm for a change" Thelkiss responded.

"You said it, and without indigenous beasts hungry for our flesh" Masanari’s face, twisted in a horrific manner which Vapebait finally recognized as a smile...he hoped.

Story by Will Custer & Chase Beck
Star Wars, the Star Wars logo, all names and pictures of Star Wars characters, vehicles and any other Star Wars related items are registered trademarks and/or copyrights of Lucasfilm Ltd., or their respective trademark and copyright holders...
The Official Star Wars site can be found at www.starwars.com.

A little something to pass the time before the battle of Hoth

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:40:00 +0000

Once Rookie Squadron made it to Echo Base, they had a little free time:
"Tauntaun!!! What in the Galactic Core is a Tauntaun?"
Vorfrum (Vapebait) Thelkiss shivered in disbelief at the pen full of the furred bipedal creatures. He shivered in exhaustion as well. In fact nearly every emotion and mental state elicited a shiver from Thelkiss. At least, that's what he hoped the source of his unending shivers was. He'd already found the warmest places in Echo Base and been forcibly removed from all of them. Apparently, it was essential for Vapebait to "contribute" to the cause in ways that didn't involve him in a starship. The thought made him shiver...again.
"I'm going to die here on this sun forsaken planet I just know it", he thought to himself, "one morning I won't report for duties and they'll find me frozen stiff in my bunk."
"Well, what are you waiting for?", Deck Officer Tamizander Rey asked, "An invitation?"
"I'm waiting for you to shoot it, skin it, sew it into a seat, and install it into a starfighter cockpit", Vapebait said sullenly. "Dammit, I'm a pilot not some backwater nerfherder. If you think that I'm going to mount that disgusting creature then you must have me mistaken for another member of Green Squadron," Vapebait replied.
"If you're referring to Lieutenant Lennox, I'll have you know that he has taken to tauntaun riding quite well. In fact, he described it as not unlike sexual intercourse with a t'landa Til," answered Tamizander in a verbal parry.
"Listen to me very carefully, pinkie, because I'm only going to say this once: there is no way in the galaxy that you are going to get this rocketjock," he said pointing to himself, "onto something so foul-smelling and bad tempered".
"Well, it's funny you should say that as I happen to have just received this order from General Rieekan himself, it says, and I quote, 'All rebel soldiers found unfit for duty as mechanics, or unable to serve in the war room,' that's you isn't it Thelkiss?" Tamizander gloated, "must volunteer for and serve in patrol..this means you Lieutenant Thelkiss,' Well, I'd say that's pretty cut and dry wouldn't you say?"
"Let me see that sheet," Vorfrum demanded.
Vorfrum read it and found Tamizander's representation of the orders to be accurate to the letter.
" I don't believe this" Vorfrum said.
"Suit-up flyboy," responded the grinning officer.
Less than five space-minutes later Lieutenant Vorfrum "Vapebait" Thelkiss found himself astride a pitching, shifting tauntaun which seemed only interested in not having him there.
"I don't belong here," Vapebait protested feebly, "have I ever told you how I single-handedly blew-up a Star Destroyer?"
"I believe the other members of Green Squadron might take issue with your use of 'single-handedly', Tamizander stated matter-of-factly. "Also, weren't you once single-handedly blown-up by a star destroyer? I do believe that you are listed here as the most expensive surviving pilot in Rebellion history".
"Stow it" muttered Vorfrum, this time from the ground having been unceremoniously removed from the tauntaun by the beast's incessant bucking and shaking. "If I recall correctly, Rebellion history is laughably short and poorly recorded".
The tauntaun moved off to forage for lichen in the permafrost of the cave that served as Echo base for the Alliance.
"You know what they say Vorfrum; If you fall off the tauntaun, pick yourself up-"
"-and shoot it in the head," Vapebait improvised the end of the quote .
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. While we're here on Hoth, tauntauns are honorary members of the Alliance infantry. In fact, right now I'd say they're far more useful than you are," Officer Rey said through laughter at the pilot's discomfort and pain.
"I think I broke a rib," Vapebait said through clenched teeth while rotating his left arm through its full range of motion.
"Oh don't be such a youngli-," Tamizander's rebuke was cut off mid-sentence by a message on his helmet comm. "Looks like you'll get your wish," Tamizander continued after receiving the message. "It looks like that attack on Commander Skywalker-".
"Oh, please tell me the message was that he died," Vorfrum interrupted with glee.
Uh...No... It appears that the attack wasn't an isolated incident. We're getting reports of multiple attacks by similar creatures throughout the base. You'd better go take care of it. Oh and, grab Masanari too, he's been moping and whining the same story since you guys got here, something about being a miller...swiller...spiller, whatever, just have him help you out, make him useful ".
"By the Emperor's black heart, finally something I'm good at" exclaimed Thelkiss as he turned to run off.
"Hold on a parsec there chief. You're going to want to bring old Adelaide over there with you" Officer Rey responded while gesturing to the tauntaun Vorfrum had just been riding."
"By the twin suns of Tatooine, which I hope to never see by the way, why would I want to drag around a vermin infested tauntaun?"
"Well, that thing ate Commander Skywalker's didn't it? She'd make great bait. If you were to be carried off and eaten I'd never get to see you demonstrate your leet starfighting skillz," Tamizander retorted.
"I hate you...," Vorfrum searched for an appropriate epithet and finally settled on, "...humans so much".
Vorfrum effortlessly jumped into the saddle.
"You know, I'm starting to find it hard to discern the difference between the Imperials and the Rebels..." Vorfrum began to say as he circled Tamizander Rey from the back of the reptomammal , "...you both seem so insistent on killing me".
"The Imperials are the ones murdering, imprisoning, and enslaving all non-humans, not just you," replied Officer Rey.
"Oh..right," replied Vapebait over his shoulder as he rode off, the tauntaun at full gallop.
"Just as I suspected," the now alone Deck officer spoke to himself, "That piece of bantha fodder just needs the right motivation to get himself going".
Deck Officer Tamizander Rey made the proper notations on Vorfrum's personnel evaluation form, taking the time to read over the multiple entries of "unhelpful", "uncooperative", "insubordinate", and even a few "seditious", and "treasonous". "You'll probably never realize this, and certainly few here would admit it, but the Rebellion might just be the best place for you".

Story by Chase Beck
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Hi Lucasfilm!!!

Trail of Cthulhu Character Generator

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:53:00 +0000

The awesome people over at Pelgrane press have decided to make a character generator. But, they need our help funding it. Go on over to: Indiegogo to support it. I'm really looking forward to this. The v1km have not yet played any Trail of Cthulhu but I own supplements and am looking forward to it.
For anyone who might be unfamiliar with Trail of Cthulhu it is Lovecraftian horror but the scenarios and characters tend to lean more towards pulp. So think of it like Call of Cthulhu with a litle Indiana Jones splashed in. But not "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" because that was just bad. I mean, parts of it were good bu the pars that were bad were just really bad. Like the prairie dogs and the refrigerator and the swinging with the monkeys and the triple waterfall. Don't even get me started on the African ants in South America...
Ahem, excuse me.
So, just to reiterate, Trail of Cthulhu = Lovecraft + Pulp

Check these guys out at Keeping Cthulhu, they're playing a Trail of Cthulhu game.

V1kM 2011 preview audio

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 22:45:00 +0000

Whoa, another year has gone by. As anyone who has played a Table-top RPG knows, you tend to get off topic...a lot. Now most of the time, I am faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to delete the off-topic ramblings of the Veterans or leave them in. However, during our last session, we got way off topic and began discussing what we have planned for the next year.

So, I put the audio into a little file and decided that you would enjoy a taste of what you can look forward to for next year.

Will is currently interested in presenting a return to one of my favorite settings: The BPRD 1940's Era. I was fortunate enough to participate in the original BPRD 1944 session. He used Mutants and Masterminds to allow each player to create their own superhero character.

Vasko too, is looking forward to a break from All Wings Report In to provide us with a long overdue return to Dungeons and Dragons 3.5.

Now, there's no promise that these campaigns will take us all the way to December 2011. Also, I must remark that the V1kM are a fickle and vacillating bunch. There's a small chance that we'll change our minds to something else entirely.

Finally, I personally know that there will be other sessions that have nothing to do with whats on the audio. I for one have been gearing-up for the excitement of providing the V1kM with occasional breaks from heroic invincibility with the unutterable cosmic horror of the Call of Cthulu supplement Delta Green single or two session scenarios. I'm looking forward to running The Haunting - the oldest Call of Cthulhu scenario written by the games original creator Sandy Petersen; Night Floors by Dennis Detwiller, one of the co-creators of Delta Green; and Digging for a Dead God, part 1 of Curse of the Yellow Sign, a somewhat controversial series of scenarios by John Wick

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D20 Star Wars: All Wings Report In Episode 06

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 14:33:00 +0000

Happy Holidays

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Buy your friends or yourself something nice :

All Wings Report In Star Wars Campaign Ep. 5

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 01:34:00 +0000

The waiting is the hardest part.
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You'll be happy to know that episode 06 has already been recorded and should be up within the next few weeks. Unfortunately, due to the busy-ness of the holiday season, episode 06 will probably be the last episode for at least a little while.

Hey, you could always start your own campaign.

Or, you could even start an alternate scenario of what our campaigns would be like if you were to pretend to be us. But, I have no idea what module that would use.

All Wings Report In Star Wars Campaign Ep. 4

noreply@blogger.com (Chase Beck) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 15:55:00 +0000

Look who's back for more. Listen...you know you want to

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