fvrp wyvern 5christmas2006

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Issue 3 October 2006Issue 3 October 2006Issue 3 October 2006

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Matty Rhea

ASSISTANT EDITOR: David Sharrock

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS: Steve Dean,

Suzanna Hope, Wyn F Dawkins, Nick Davis.

PRODUCTION ARTISTS: Matty Rhea, Wyn F

Dawkins, David Sharrock.

ILLUSTRATIONS: David Sharrock, Wyn F

Dawkins, Suzanna Hope

COVER: David Sharrock

d20 ADVISOR: Nick Davis

PUBLISHER: Forever People Games & RPG

PUBLICATIONS MANAGEMENT: DLS

Enterprises

merry Christmas and happy NewYear to all our readers! May yourhalls be decked, your trees beevergreen, and your chestnuts bewell and truly roasted. But let's not

forget the true meaning of this, the mostfestive of seasons, lest we forget in ourhaste to unwrap gifts and guzzle mulledwine. For this is the season in which wecelebrate the birth of another rip roaringlygood Wyvern issue! This month we have anexclusive interview with none other thanGraham P Taylor, author of Shadowmancer,Wormwood and Tersias, telling us what itfeels like to get a seven figure cheque fromUniversal Studios for film rights to his firstpublished book! We have a Christmasspecial adventure penned by DavidSharrock, 3 more of your pdfs reviewed inBroken Chest, the annual Wyvern awardswith one lucky small press publisherreceiving our first ever Happy Dwarfachievement award, a one off game calledDragon Raiders, all new Daemon Dissenter,and loads, loads, loads more. DecemberWyvern, better than socks from Granny!Ed.

AAA

Submission GuidelinesSubmission GuidelinesSubmission GuidelinesPlease send your submissions, ideas andcomments to the editor, Matty Rhea [email protected] note: there is no guarantee ofinclusion. We reserve the right to declineany submission deemed unsuitable.

FeaturesFeaturesFeatures

ScienceScienceScience---ology 4ology 4ology 4Aliens - introducing cold hard realism toone of the most innacurate themes in sci-fi

Broken Chest 11Broken Chest 11Broken Chest 11Big and small press pdf publication reviewsfrom our independent panel of writers

Beastly Behaviour 16Beastly Behaviour 16Beastly Behaviour 16More outrageous top tens from theministry of bouncy bouffants

Midwar 17Midwar 17Midwar 17Talon, last of the three sacred swords

Fatso The RedFatso The RedFatso The Red 242424A special Christmas adventure compatiblewith most fantasy systems. You'll neverplay another game quite like it.

DepartmentsDepartmentsDepartments

Pen & PaperPen & PaperPen & Paper 181818Our new monthly department presenting adifferent, one off game system every issue.

Daemon Dissenter 22Daemon Dissenter 22Daemon Dissenter 22Dissenter morphs! But who exactly doesthe daemon intend to usurp?

The FP Annual Awards 29The FP Annual Awards 29The FP Annual Awards 29This issue only! Hooked returns next issue

Small World 30Small World 30Small World 30Mini standies to go with Dragon Raiders!

Black Squid 35Black Squid 35Black Squid 35This month we ask author GP Taylor how itfeels to bag a seven figure sum for filmrights to his Shadowmancer book

Bazaar 37Bazaar 37Bazaar 37Prizes, competitions and games!

Advertising RatesAdvertising RatesAdvertising RatesDisplay advertising rates available onrequest. Mail [email protected]

DiscussionDiscussionDiscussionJoin in RPG discussions online in our forumwww.foreverpeoplerpg.com/forum

All subject matter in Wyvern is copyright Forever People Games & RPG. All rights on the content of this e-publication are reserved.Nothing may be reproduced or redistributed in whole or part without prior written consent of the publishers Forever People Games

& RPG. All opinions expressed are those of the respective authors and reviewers and not necessarily those of the publisher.


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As promised last issue, thistime Science-ology considersthat most popular sci-ficoncept, the extra terrestrial.If you've ever playedspacebound rpg like Star Trekor Traveller, you've probablymet a few already. Wierdhumanesque creatures withridged foreheads, sipping oddbeverages and indulging inintricate alien politics with aperfect English accent. Thosealiens are fun. But what if theGM fancies injecting a littlemore realism into his game?What kind of alien lifeform, forexample, would evolve on agas giant planet where thecrushing effects of denseatmospherics and the vast sizeof the world might lendstrange attributes to an alienbody? What interests wouldconsume the mind of such acreature? What of the culturein which they evolved, thesociety in which they now live?What ambitions would such anunimaginable form of lifeaspire to? Most importantly,would this creature have anyinterest whatsoever inreaching for the stars andcommunicating with othergalactic races?

around us and more solid factsgained from technologicaladvancements such as the Hubbletelescope, are less optimistic andmost serious theoreticians put thefigure of N at somewhere closer to arather paradoxical 0.08, whilesupporters of the cold hard science ofpractical application insist N can onlyequal 1, because the only observablecommunicative civilisation in thegalaxy is our own.

Sagan himself, an eager proponent ofecological issues, speculated that allvariables in the Drake equation wouldbe relatively high, but the leadingfactor in whether or not an alien racewould attain the state of an intelligentand communicative civilisationdepended on the figure of L, theaverage lifetime of the civilisationexpressed as a fraction of the life-time of the galaxy, or in other words,the ability of the civilisation to survivenot only the destruction of itsenvironment through natural disasterbut the destruction of itself from self-imposed cataclysms, such as nuclearwar.

This is an interesting theory forroleplayers, because it suggests thelevel of non-communicative alien lifeis probably quite high and therefore arich breeding ground for realisticconjecture. From simple biologicallifeforms to complicated, multi-limbed, but non-intelligent,monstrosities roaming the wastelandsof distant worlds. If there are no otherspacefarers in our galaxy, there is atleast likely to be plenty of non-intelligent aliens to encounter.

Indeed, current thinking puts thefigure of Earth like planets perGalactic system at 2, which means atleast two worlds per system where lifein its most basic form, that of theamoebic microbe, could potentiallyexist.

Is there anybody out there? Someseem to think so. In 1961 Thetheoretical astronomers Carl Saganand Frank Drake decided to removemuch of the ambiguity andguesswork involved in answering thequestion and devised an equation toindicate the number of likely'communicative civilisations' at largein the Milky Way.

N =R* x fp x ne x fl x fi x fc x L

Where N is the number ofcommunicative civilisations, R* is thenumber of stars in the galaxy; fp isthe fraction of stars which possessplanetary systems; ne is the averagenumber of Earthlike planets persystem; fl is the fraction of Earth-likeplanets where life actually develops; fiis the fraction of life-systems whichgive rise to intelligent life forms; fc isthe fraction of intelligent specieswilling and able to communicate withother worlds; and L is the averagelifetime of a communicativecivilisation expressed as a fraction ofthe life-time of the galaxy.

Many of the figures rely onguesswork, and there are a great dealof differing views on the exactquantities of each variable, withopinions changing from year to year.

TheastronomerGeorge Abellbelieved thatthe likeliestfigures wouldgive ananswer for Nsomewhere inthe 100 to10,000 millionrange. Currenttrends, fuelledby a greaterunderstandingof theuniverse

WYN F [email protected]

Using modern science fiction and sciencereality trends to create believable settingsfor your eBook or sci-fi RPG campaign.


Where are the Signs?

In the last issue we looked at space habitats, and inissue two we looked at space travel onboardenormous space-arks, similar to those conceived byArthur C Clarke in his novel Rendezvous With Rama.

If there are indeed intelligent and communicativeintelligences out there, it is highly likely theirevolutionary pattern will follow a route similar to ourown. For a civilisation to ascend, it must progressthrough certain levels of technological and scientificbreakthrough. Space flight without the aid ofcomputers is extremely unlikely, therefore we canconjecture that the development of computertechnology is a forerunner to the space-age of anyintelligent race. Furthermore, computer technologyis impossible without an advanced understanding ofelectronics, electricity and the manipulation of basefabrics such as silicon and plastic. Therefore,various levels of industrial revolution are requiredbefore a race can advance to the stage of computerdevelopment.

We can say the same of future advancements, andindeed our own race is likely to continue along a setpath as it evolves from an Earth-bound culture to aspace-faring race. Nanotechnology, advancedcommunications, the manipulation of space and theconstruction of mega-projects are all likely events inthe future of mankind. More importantly, anadvancing race, and one depending on its ownthriving population for survival, must expandbeyond the energy and spacial restraints of itshomeworld or self-destruct in an implosion ofeconomic collapse and exhausted resources.

In the future, then, mankind must step off the safeshoreline of Earth and either pioneer his way to thestars (unlikely as we have already discussed inprevious issues) or manufacture his ownenvironment in and around the homeworld usingthe basic materials available (ie, the other planets,moons and asteroids making up the solar system).This would be a gargantuan undertaking, butplausible using nanotechnology and advancedenergies such as fusion and mega-solar power. Withan artificial environment and new resourcesassured, the population would explode, quicklyfilling the system and seeking new environmentsbeyond. Scientific advancement and space faringtechnologies would also evolve, probably beyondanything we can currently conceive, and humanitywould strike out for the stars.

As scientist Robert Sheaffer puts it, "in anenvironment where life is abundant, nothing is morerare than an unclaimed resource. Are we to believethat, in a galaxy teeming with advanced civilisations,our own rich, lush, warm Earth would remainunclaimed?"

Where then, are the space arks? The generationstarships? The ultra-advanced signs of galacticcivilisations evolving beyond their humble originsand thriving across the Milky Way? Why has Earthnever been visited by alien intelligence? And giventhe likelihood that such life would be way inadvance of our own and capable of dominating usas we dominate the animal life-forms of our ownenvironment, why have we not been crushed fromexistence long ago, wiped out as an uneccessarynuisance by an inter-system culture so advanced ourown limited intellects can barely begin tounderstand their motivations.

The Search for Alien Intelligence, SETI, has beenrunning since the early 1960s, scanning theelectromagnetic spectrum of distant stars in thehope of detecting tell-tale signs of an advancedalien race. No significant discoveries have beenmade in nearly 30 years of continual data collection.

Why Are There No Signs?

It stands to reason, that an advanced alien raceevolved beyond the constraints of their homeworldwould require an advanced energy source tosurvive. Earthlings consume vast amounts of fossilfuels and energy in their bid to survive. A systemspanning civilisation would require a system-sizedsource of energy and burning fossil fuels wouldprove both inneffective and temporary, the entiresociety collapsing with the exhaustion of resources.In the last issue I examined the Dyson Sphere, astar-encompassing globe collecting the solar energyof the sun and transferring that raw energy toelectrical plants responsible for supplying power toan entire system-wide civilisation. Could such aconstruction effectively blot out the electromagneticactivities of the civilisation itself? If so, advancedalien races and their energy output would be hiddenfrom a scanning operation like SETI. There could be


millions of advanced races, hidden behind DysonSpheres or Dyson Sphere-like matrices and wewould never spot them.

Astrophysicists commonly dismiss this theory as ill-informed. A certain percentage of solar energywould inevitably seep out of the Dyson Sphereenvelope and provide an unusual electromagneticsignature. Such a thing has never been recorded.Furthermore, the concept of a Dyson Sphere as asolid sphere enclosing a star system is a recurrentmisconception among science fiction writers andtheoreticians. In his original vision, Dyson imagineda collection of orbiting satellites, not a solid star-encompassing shell, which is the most popular butleast plausible interpretation of his proposal.

Sadly, the most likely answer to the question, whyare there no signs, is one humanity will inevitablycome to address at some stage soon.

That is: the more intelligent a race becomes, themore fractured the society and the more strainedthe environment. As space diminishes, territorialismleads to war. Politics rarely take account of aprevailing future or a healthy environment andpolitics are inevitably the driving force behind anintelligent culture. Thus environment and future aregreatly overlooked. Sagan is almost certainly right.There may be an unimaginable wealth of potentialavailable in our galaxy and the other galaxies of theuniverse where intelligent, communicative life mayone day evolve. But for that stage to be reached, thecivilisation must first survive its own destructivenature, and the balance between potential andsurvivability may be so vast as to defy imagination.

There may be no galactic network of intelligence,sharing ideas, political idioms, religious doctrinesand scientific discovery as idyllically imagined by thegenre's best minds, simply because intelligent life,by its own definition, cannot survive beyond acertain level of advancement. Humanity may be theobservable depiction of this theory as we rollheadlong toward our own doomsday, burning awaythe resources of our own fossil fuels whilesimultaneously destroying our environment andneglecting the need to invest in a stable future. Fuelis abundant in the solar system. Everything we needexists somewhere and in huge quantity. But we aredriven by -ocracies, and blinkered motivations whichsee no further than the next electoral date andserve only their own revolving cycle of subsistance,keeping us firmly on planet Earth; prisoners in adecaying jail where the food is running out. We maydestroy ourselves with nuclear war, or some naturaldisaster may befall us, but as eminent professorStephen Hawking has recently remarked, if wecannot expand beyond the walls of our own planet,our race faces almost certain extinction, andprobably within the none-too distant future.

The Exceptional Model

Throughout the history of the universe, I believethere have probably been many instances of lifeevolving to our current level and beyond. But only ahandful have managed to make that crucialtransition from primal to advanced, leaping from thehomeworld-based primitive nation, driven by politicsand the need to erode environment in favour ofimmediate survival, to an advanced understandingof expansion and space-faring, embracing mega-construction while simultaneously recognising theneed to use the basic resources available with greatcare.

The latter is a race beyond anything we can hope tounderstand. For intelligence to thrive in thistransitioned civilisation, war must be a thing of thepast, disputes over territory and religion settled.Taking civilisation from the 'kindergarten'homeworld to the 'adult' school of space will requireunimaginable cooperation between all members ofthe race in question, and such a thing would beincredibly rare.

Therefore advanced civilisations capable ofmastering the environment of space, travellingbetween stars and settling themselves in newsystems, would be exceptional. Drake's equationmay be right. 0.08 may be not only be the averagefor our own galaxy, but for all galaxies. Oneintelligent and advanced civilisation per 800galaxies.

Given the mind-numbing distances betweengalaxies, the possibility of two intelligent racesmeeting is not only unlikely but virtuallyinconceivable. Therefore, given the facts, cold andhard as they may be, the chance of our meetingintelligent alien life within our own sphere ofexistence is extremely unlikely.



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Other factors will not determine whether life evolves, buthow life evolves. The crushing weight of a gas giant'satmosphere does not mean life cannot exist, but merelymeans life must find a way to counter that crushing weightin order to survive. An incredibly complex skeleton of superstrong bone and cartilage, perhaps. In the deepest regionsof our own planet's oceans the weight of many tonnes ofwater can crumple the metal skin of a submersible and theunfortunate diver within, and yet here many species of fishchoose to thrive, their bodies adapted to their environment.

Many scientists believe the atmosphere of Jupiter couldharbour similar forms of life. Creatures adapted to copewith the intense atmospheric pressures and 'breathe' thevarious gases making up that atmosphere. Such aliens maylive tumultuous lives within the swirling maelstroms ofJupiter's planet-sized hurricanes, feeding on a richecosystem of multi-celled organisms whose propogationdepends on the very violence of the storms themselves.What would these creatures look like? We can only guess.The chances are we are as likely to meet them face to faceas we are the 'alien' fish who dwell in the deepest parts ofour own oceans.

But on Earth-like worlds orbitting other suns in other solarsystems we may encounter creatures we can relate to morereadily.

These are likely to be as bizarre in appearance to us as weare to them. The inventive GM should look no further thantheir local zoo for inspiration in dreaming up a veritablehost of oddities. Heads on long necks for reaching theleaves of tall trees; long noses with proboscis for hooveringup small insects; sausage shaped bodies for keeping low tothe ground and therefore out of the sight of predators; theideas are endless.

Fewer science fiction writers and gamers overlookecological issues in designing their alien lifeforms as theyonce did. Edgar Rice Buroughs, for example, thoughtnothing of populating his imaginary Mars in Princess ofMars with giant predatory Banths, without providing herdsof herbivorous prey for them to feed upon. There arecountless science fiction thrillers and horror movies inwhich foul tempered, beclawed monstrosities, fangsdripping with blood, seem to exist with no supportingecosystem. Thankfully, most of us are more aware thesedays of the importance of ecology and such derelictions ofduty are being replaced with some intelligent efforts toimagine aliens as realistic creatures rather than plot-servingtools.

Ridley Scott's Alien was perhaps the first movie to pioneerthis school of thought, presenting us with a terrifying aliencreature, but one with an obvious biochemistry and acomplicated means of survival, defence and propogation.We could believe, albeit with some stretching of theimagination, that this alien came from a world whereecological survival had evolved to a terrifyingly violentsituation, something not too far removed from our ownworld as it probably looked under the rule of the dinosaurs.

Truly Alien

So let's turn our thoughts away from otherintelligent alien races and concentrate onsomething I mentioned earlier: that thepotential for life within our own galaxy,and indeed our own solar system, isprobably high. Indeed, a group of Indianscientists involved in high altitudeatmospherics have recently claimed to findan alien microbe in the Earth'sstratosphere, probably deposited by ameteorite during burn-up. While this is anoutlandish claim, there is no reason not toassume microbiotic life is abundant, bothin space and on other worlds.

If microbes and even multi-cellularorganisms can exist in the magma flowingbeneath the Earth's crust, as is proved tobe the case, it seems likely life can alsoexist in other hostile environments, suchas those of the other planets or even theatmosphere of the sun.

Life abhors a vacuum, so spaceboundparasites and organisms are unlikely.However, meteorites could easily containmicrobiotic life if their core elementsprovided adequate sustenance.

Suddenly our vision of a barren galaxy,devoid of intelligent life, is replaced byone thriving with an uncountable numberof micro-organisms.

And where micro-organisms thrive, muti-celled organisms can potentially grow!They may not grow to be space-faringraces of super-advanced technology, butthey will surely grow to provide aninteresting encounter for those less thanadvanced human explorers who, as aresult of our various roleplaying devices,find themselves in far-flung corners ofspace.

Life is dependant on two factors: water inliquid state, because water acts as thesuspension medium for all the importantchemical reactions which sustain livingsystems; and the ability of carbon atomsto form long chains, so that a very larenumber of different compounds, with alarge range of possible functions, can beformed. The presence of hydrogen,oxygen and nitrogen is also generallyaccepted as being crucial for thedevelopment of life.


The book Lifeform, by Alan Dean Foster (whoironically wrote the novelisation of Alien) is possiblythe greatest study of alien life by a science fictionwriter. Though plot driven at times, this workencompasses many different concepts and studiesthe brutal nature of an ecosystem where everythingis adapted to survive in an alien ecology.

Alien At A Glance

Some factors you might want to consider indesigning your own non-intelligent alien life-formshould include a consistent application of theenvironmental variables. Here are a few:

High gravity (high velocity spin of the planet, orheavy density of the planetary makeup) - small,heavy boned creatures with a strong skeletalstructure, bones probably ribbed for strength, theyprobably tend to hug the gound and move along ina sloth-like fashion.

Low gravity (low velocity spin of the planet, or lightdensity of the planetary makeup) - etherealcreatures, light and hollow boned. In worlds with asuitably dense atmosphere, life would favour the airrather than the ground, though certain predatorswould hunt in both environments. Depending onwinds and weather, many creatures would use snaretraps to capture drifting prey, like webs or silkthreads.

High propensity of water over land - mixure ofreptilian, mammalian and fish but few birds. Furrymammalian creatures (otter-like) might favourcolder climes and hunt on land and sea. Shark-likeleviathons might evolve with the largest creaturesruling the water. These would feature big jaws andarmour plated flesh.

High propensity of land over water - creaturescapable of storing water in their bodies over longperiods. Camel-like aliens with reservoir organismseither internal or external. Long noses and diggingclaws for excavating sand and locating burrowingprey.

Capricious weather systems - creatures capable ofadapting to the cyclical nature of their environment,perhaps cacooning themselves during transitionalperiods, as with caterpillars and butterflies,emerging from the seasonal stage with harder,more feral bodies capable of surviving harsherweather and temperatures. Plants with spinedexteriors, like cacti, which split apart during moreclement periods to reveal beautific flowers. Earthlyexamples of such creatures include the Lung Fishwhich can go into suspended animation when riversdry up, and desert plants which only bloom atcertain times of the year.

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ImpImpImperial Age: Magickerial Age: Magickerial Age: MagickAdamant Entertainment $5.95 pdfhttp://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=20352&

Imperial Age: Magick, in the author's ownwords, is about creating a period feel formagick in an Imperial Age Campaign, whetherthat involves faerie court intrigues in London,the private wars of occult secret societies inCambridge or University Dons fighting eldritchhorrors in Oxford. With a firm footing in thed20 magic system, the goal of authors ScottCarter and Walt Ciechanowski is to create asystem specifically and inherently Victorian intone, as opposed to Gygaxian, Modern,Egyptian or Atlantean.

A bold ambition, so have they succeeded?In parts yes, in others no. This is a real doubleedged arcane dagger leaving the reader bothenthused and disappointed. Perhaps fearingretribution from buyers expecting anextensive study of all things magic, theauthors are quick to point out their ownrestrictions and the focused nature of thebook. In order to aid them in this matter, letme also warn anyone considering this book asa digital stocking filler, the context is d20magic and Imperial Age specifically. There isno 'history of magic and witchcraft' here, andrightly so. There are plenty such titlesavailable in the world of fiction, and this is aroleplaying book. So kudos and a bonus pointto mssrs Carter and Ciechanowski forrecognising their own limitations and thecategory in which they have chosen to write.

Remember that double edged dagger?Layout/design is prosaic and listless with asingle column scrolling format more akin toan amateur website than a book. Publicdomain sketches and etchings mixed withgrey tint duplications of the cover-motif donot an exciting experience provide. Is thispurposeful, I wonder? the text is clearly thejuice in this particular title, everything else(except that tantalising cover) being so muchpulp. A resource for the gamer who needs novisual stimulus then.

But enough about format, design, set ups andambitions. If I'm gonna be talking to all thosehardcore magic fans with this review, let meask the all-important question: what about themagick?

Well, apparently, Magick is inherently aboutlanguage. We're talking about the origins ofVictorian magick which has a basis in effortsto communicate with angels some 300 yearsbefore the era in question. This theme isexplored in chapter 3, the Laws of Magick,where we learn the importance of names asmagical triggers for control, and in Appendix1 where names of importance (Faust,Solomon, Endor etc) are listed to give playersand GM that authentic edge during spellcasting. Authenticity and realism are key here.

Sound details of magicand the origins of such,of course, suggest goodresearch and / or anexisting knowledge onthe part of the authors,a rare quality in thesmall press writer.Realism for an unrealconcept: magick isneither innate noreasy... the traditionalfantasy spell caster whocan toss around acertain number of fire-balls every day bysimple virtue of classand level is innapropriate in most Victoriansettings. Magick is an art and a science whoseresults are the product of study and struggle.Study and struggle? Hey, this sounds like reallife! OK, what about in campaign terms? Thistranslates as effort and cost to the educatedcharacter, of course. The sheer amount ofletters, numbers, symbols and sigilsassociated with the Victoriana of magickmeans the magician must be well educatedand intelligent enough to callibrate hyroglyphto spell. Some visuals of these symbols, by theway, would have been nice for the methodroleplayers among us. See my earlier mentionof lacklustre visuals.

A combined price and practise system offeringnine possible combinations which can besuited to the power level of play sets up thed20 splice. Most GMs will probably goinstinctively for the third practise matchedwith first price, since very few GMs, in myexperience, like to restrict their games to asingle type of magical theme and the MagicPoints style of the first price is both familiarand easy to implement. But good advice


follows on restricting magical flow to certaingame arteries in order to achieve certaineffects, atmospheres and outcomes.Investigative campaigns, for example, areeasily ruined by high level divination spells.Evocation magick entails a less than subtlegame experience, which may run roughshodover the GM's intricately crafted adventures.And with certain rigidities imposed on spellcasting DCs by way of feats, the GM will wantto give serious consideration before plungingheadlong into a campaign where the wrongspell can send his clever house of cardstumbling to the persian rug. Furthermore,power play settings using a mixture of classbased bonus feats and character level bonusfeats per level advancement to restrict thestrength and focus of magic users at highlevel should be well utilised. This highlightsattention to the GM's needs and providingways to set a magick 'level' to the GM's gamebefore things get out of hand iscommendable, and required. Good to see ithasn't been missed.

Spell casting itself is lacking. Once a spell islearned, no preparation is necessary. Inkeeping with the original doctrine,preparation could, nay, should have beenincluded (concocting of materials, scribing ofsigils or mere mental zen). 'Mentor NPCs,resources may be required' is mentioned onthe subject of learning, but for a bookprofessing to explore the authentic nature ofVictorian magick, we need more. What kind ofmentors? Where the resources? Here the d20monster rages over the delicate traceries ofroleplay, fixing the problem with appropriatebut mindless feats.

Of the prices, second is the most interesting,draining from the character's abilities ratherthan some magical reservoir of unspecifiedenergy. Thus the more magick the charactercasts the less vital they become. Much more inkeeping with the genre in question than thesimpler magic points idea, or the mannaconcept, which by the way belongs firmly insword and sorcery and has no place inVictorian London. The inclusion of leylines andmagical nodes is an interesting idea, but forsome reason restricted to the third price,suggesting a misunderstanding of the verynature of leylines- odd given the authors'educated understanding of all other magicalaspects.

In The Laws of Magick the authors warm totheir subject matter. This chapter offers atantalising bag of exciting ideas for playersand game masters alike. A host of inspirationfor using magick in a game setting; the

controlling of angels or fae creatures usingtheir secret names; the learning of secrets byhandling an article recently touched by amurder victim (the law of contagion); the needto find some lost and vital artefact in order tocast a spell whose success depends upon thematerial nature of the artefact (law ofsimilarity). But there are contradictions heretoo, mostly in tone with the lack ofpreparation in order to cast a spell, alreadyhighlighted as problematic. If a sketch of aflame is required to cast a fire spell, how cansuch a spell be cast without preparation?Sketching is a standard free action now?

In chapter four, skills feats and gear, we loseour way completely. Magick related feats arewelcome and appropriate. But ExtensiveLibrary, Gentry (nobility), Infamy etc. aresuperfluous. Skills are given the inevitableboost treatment to bring characters in linewith 'magickal' notions and Gear consists of,count 'em, two items, one of which is tarotcards. We close with a collection of resourcematerial, albeit in fairly uninspiring format,related to magick and the running of amagickal campaign. Here are occultistsocieties, empires, and a few words regardingthe Victorian era itself, with particularattention given to cults and their interactionwith society.

Fans of magic, and players who love magicalcharacters, will find much to enjoy. GMs willfind inspiration and useful advice for runningan Imperial Age campaign with a magicaltheme. As a passing muse, Magick lacks ontoo many fronts and will fail to engage withthe curious or casual reader. The visualelement, in particular, is an area the authorsmight consider revising, if only to maintainstandards of quality in the pdf market.

Art: 3/10. Public domain stock images, novisual references, poor layout, redeemedslightly by nice cover art and typography.Resolution: 9/10. Just about as good as itgets.Writing: 7/10. Very good writing, top marksfor research and an understanding of subjectmatter. Contradictions and rushed chapterschop off two points.System Relevance: 8/10. Sound knowledge ofd20 and how the system can be used on asliding scale to keep things in check. Somesuperfluous feats and d20 takes over toomuch in places.Value for money: 8/10. A decent price,possibly a little too high, but definitely wortha purchase if you're a d20 magic afficianado.Overall: 7/10[Nick Davis]


Corsair: The DefinitiveCorsair: The DefinitiveCorsair: The Definitived20 Guide To Shipsd20 Guide To Shipsd20 Guide To ShipsAdamant Entertainment$7.95 pdf, $10.95 pod, $14.95 pdf & podhttp://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=3755&

Corsair, a d20 system 'master kit', isAdamant Games' d20 sourcebook guide tothe inclusion of ships and high-seaadventure in a d20 campaign, available asboth a pdf and a print-on-demand book. Anexisting staff RPG Now review comments onthe solid nature of Corsair; 'enough detailand ship to ship combat fun to engageplayers in the imagined salt spray, withouthaving to deal with the drudgery of sandingthe barnacles of sailing minutiae.' Thispopularising of a dummed-down roleplayexperience seems askew, and in Corsair - abook claiming to be 'definitive' by the way -the lack of 'sailing minutiae' is somewhat

contradictory.The main problem Ihave with Corsair, isthe writer'sattempt to whittle themagnificence of anocean going vesseland one of the mostcomplex modes oftransport down to an(admittedly)manageable set ofvery simple attributesand rule subsetsbased almost entirelyon the subject ofbattle. This is aquestion of

subjectivity. I like roleplay over roll-play andso for me a definitive d20 guide shouldinclude definitive detail, catering to alllevels of player and GM, from those of uswho like to rattle off our combats in a hack-and-slash manner to those of us who prefera deeper level of gameplay. In Corsair, ourpreference is decided for us.

Some of you are giving me funny looks.Who needs suspension of disbelief? This isship warfare for goodness sake. Great fun!Get with the program! No. What this is, issupplemental d20 wargame rules, ideal foruse with miniature lead ships instead ofminiature lead orcs, knights and ogres, butroleplay? Market this as tabletop rules andyou're being honest, but this is a 'definitive'

d20 sourcebook isn't it? Did I blink and missa system revolution?

There is a point, under the 'Weather' sub-heading, where a hint of roleplay teases therper with tastes of potential things to come,albeit hastily written, unproofed things tocome: "the GM should always have an ideaof the purpose of a storm before sheincorporates it into her adventure" (by theway, as a female roleplayer, this WotC-inspired politically correct insistance onreferring to players and GMs in the feminineis very annoying, highlighting the writer's,nay the publisher's, attempts to look 'right-on' rather than encouraging the inclusion ofwe strange lady-types in roleplaying games.Use 'he' guys, it doesn't matter! We don'tcare! We know what you mean and it isn'tnearly so offensive as you think!) uh, wherewas I... "incorporates it into *her* adventure.Is it going to scare the players and keepthem aware of the dangers of the dea, or bea tough challenge for them, or does it needto sink their ship so she can strand them ona desert island for the next phase of theadventure?" Bad syntax is included for yourbenefit and you're sure to enjoy all thathigh adventure on the open dea. But I canoverlook that, sort of. Even the next bit: "isit a plot decide to blow them off course?" aline written by Borat perhaps? But here weseem to be talking about plots, adventuresand desert islands! This is what I signed upfor! This is adventure on the high seas!Bring on the coarse pirate captain, the sea-monster encounter table, the whirlpool, thedeck crushing tentacles of the leviathan,blue blistering barnacles, bring it all on!

Alas, the potential moment is short livedand we soon find ourselves in the nextchapter: Battle On The High Seas. Welcomeback to the wargame. The combat sectionrattles on with an exceptionally solid seriesof d20 compatible rules, and if you love tosound those cannons, here's the chapter foryou. The advanced rules section follows,providing additional details on repairingships, making modifications (mainly forpurposes of combat, of course), replacingcrew (presumably lost during a battle) and aslightly more interesting bit aboutlegendary ships. The ship feats are primarilycombat-based: bearing down, evasiveaction, bombard, expert gunners, and so onand so forth.

Tucked away at the end of the book is a


Back to BlacktoothBack to BlacktoothBack to BlacktoothRidgeRidgeRidgeTroll Lord Games $1 pdfCastles & Crusadeshttp://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=20423&

Back To Blacktooth Ridge is ashort adventure modulewritten for the Castles &Crusades setting andpublished by Troll Lord Games,who - on their site - boast thegreat Gygax himself as a teamplayer. This is a titlereminiscent of thosetraditional dungeon crawlspopular in Dragon and WhiteDwarf before GW effectivelyeradicated the format in theearly 90s. There is alsosomething of the CompleteGamesmaster about this title. Iwas particularly reminded of the

Halls of the Dwarven Kings; a pleasantreminder, I might add, which prompted me todust off my old boxed set for a trip downmemory lane. This is, I should say, down tothe artwork and general design direction ofPeter Bradley, whose talents are, I can't helpbut feel, wasted with Troll Lords. Allremaining credit goes to Davis Chenault'simagination. Note I say imagination, notpenmanship.

I only wish I could say my Blacktooth Ridgeexperience was a good one. I wanted it to be. Ireally really did! But this is bizarre stuff, witha certain visual and ideological charm taintedby disastrous rhetoric and syntax so bad itlooks like someone set about it with a bluntedged hatchet. A wonderful cavern systemwith some great cartography and artwork bythe already mentioned artist Peter Bradleylends some real tri-dimensionality to thedungeon itself. There are ups and downs,ledges and gradients, stalagmites, stalagtitesand an uneveness you can almost feelunderfoot. Too many dungeon designersapproach their models as flat, multi-tieredsystems, with rooms and passages travellingon a straight plain and only deviating wheresteps lead to upper or lower levels. Here thecaves and tunnels truly inhabit the depths ofthe earth into which they have beenburrowed.

But even Peter Bradley's talents cannotsuppress the sheer naked incompetence ofthe writing and editing. Sometimes a properproof read does wonders. Sometimes anentire rewrite is necessary. The latter is trueof Back to Blacktooth Ridge, and for a seriousdeveloper like Troll Lord, I'm astonished thiswas even considered for release. It's that bad.

section on adapting to a fantasy setting, orrather, adapting a fantasy setting to theswashbuckling era of Earth history favouredby the author. Here the tone lifts for a briefpage or three, with some considerationgiven to useful spells, and not just those forwinning the edge during battle. And finally,we have some controversialdeck floorplans allegedlyaccompanied by some ratherworrying copy-right issues,which I have no intention ofgoing into here.

It's an interesting one. Notleast because another sort ofgamer would write an entirelydifferent, and probablyfavourable, review. From ad20 perspective this is goodstuff, merging ship to shipand crew to crew combat withthe rules of d20 in anapparently seamless fashion. From a hackand slash perspective this is also goodstuff. There's plenty for the fightingestplayer to get their teeth into, and lots forthe GM to fall back on if their particularplayer group like the rough-stuff.Unfortunately for Adamant Games, I am thereviewer. I'll leave you to decide upon whichside your own stale ship's biscuit isbuttered.

Art: 5/10. Some better than others. Theoverall design is rather tacky, with ahorrible blue vignet throughout. Saved by amagnificent array of ship illustrations and anice sumptuous cover.Resolution: 9/10. Easily readable.Writing: 4/10. In most places, better thanaverage. But why on Earth was this notproofread and/or spellchecked? A goodwriter, let down by the editors.System Relevance: 9/10. Some grumblesfrom d20 experts suggest a few flawsperhaps, but otherwise this is definitely d20through and through. Might be worthreading the RPG Now reviews if you'rebuying this for d20 rules alone.Value for money: 5/10. Worth it if you likelots of war and fighting in your roleplay.There's also something here for the d20completist.Overall: 6/10[Su Hope]



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The mechanical flaws run as deep as thesprained grammar, missing punctuation andspelling mistakes. I found no clear indicationof how the player group would progress fromlevel one to level two, for example, andassumed room 11 simply merged somehowwith room 12 (though no actual indication isgiven beyond an obscure reference aboutretreating kobolds 'from above'). Several roomreferences are innacurate, such as the koboldzombies guarding pups in area 11, when area11 is the shaman's treasury. If this kind ofthing occurred just once or twice, I couldforgive the author/editor team a momentarylapse in concentration, but Blacktooth Ridge isriddled with endemic errors andinconsistencies too numerous to mentionlitter the pages like rubble; the wrong moduletitle (Shades Beneath the Blacktooth) on thebottom of each page is one of the leastamusing. Typos, syntax boobs, repeatedwords, nonsense-text, the list goes on.Unfortunately, since her name is placedsquarely in the credits for all to see, the blamemust surely fall upon the editor, NicoleChenault, whose job it was to check throughthe title before approving it for publication.But certainly, in a publishing effort where themain writers are so prevalent in their output,the writer and co-developers, not leastStephen Chenault, should also shoulder apercentage of blame.

At the risk of fueling discord over what is, let'sbe honest, a one dollar title, let's just discussthe general state of the pdf roleplayingmarket a moment, (*clambering ontosoapbox) because releases like this, no matterhow liliputian, are, in the future, going tomake or break the genre. White Wolf's ownSteve Weick claimed in our last issue that themerger between Drive thru and RPG Now wasdesigned to encourage development of theRPG pdf market. This is commendable stuff,but stands for nothing if the publishersthemselves do nothing to bolster the effort.Yes, the price of Back to Blacktooth is low, butdoes that mean a developer like Troll Lordshould feel at liberty to tout rough drafts asfinished products? Maybe the answer is qualitycontrol at a distributor level, which entails apre-check of each title listed before sale.Maybe the answer is a price minimum,ensuring developers cannot fall back on thepoor excuse of low quality for low price. DriveThru used to impose this limit, by the way,but since One Bookshelf took its first tentativesteps have dropped the limit considerably. Weshould expect some self-regulation bydevelopers themselves. But the market lacks asolid community with a common forum where

All opinions expressed are those of individual reviewers and not necessarily those of Wyvern. All files for review should be sent [email protected] Be warned- reviews are honest and frank. We do not promise glowing reviews in return for the fileyou send us. All reviews are accompanied by a clickable link to a pdf, hard-print or POD URL where the reader can buy your product.

both developers and buyers can set thestandard, so self-regulation is only ever goingto be based on individual or companyintegrity, and as we all know, nothing's fair inlove, war or business, not unless some kind ofauthority imposes regulation. Thedistributors, to their credit, have done theirbest. We have a smart reviews system on boththe leading sites with buyers able to openlycriticise any problems. But a public reviewssystem is open to abuse by the developersthemselves. In my opinion, some kind ofcommunity regulated checkmark is requiredto set the tone. Perhaps something like thefeedback system of eBay, where buyers canleave their comments and sellers are awardedpos or neg and appropriate stars in return,with an open, clear and publicly available linknext to each title being sold leading to thefeedback page. This would encourageintegrity and establish quality control, butone controlled by the gamers themselves.This, of course, would lead to fewer titles onthe market as the chaff would soon beseperated from the wheat, and this in turnwould lead to less profit for the One Bookshelfproject. But if, as Steve Weick says, the mergeris designed to encourage a strengthening andevolution of the pdf market, profits would beless important than principles.

In light of that suggestion, I'm afraid Back toBlacktooth Ridge gets a neutral. I loved thedungeon design. I loved the artwork, themaps and the Castles & Crusades setting isworth a look. But rough drafts as finishedproducts are not acceptable, as pdfdownloads any more than they are as booksin bookstores.

Art: 8/10. Peter Bradley is a talented artistand lifts this title from the depths of utterdrudgery. Would have got a 9 if not for someconfusing aspects to the cartography.Resolution: 7/10. Very small text makes ithard to read on screen, but ideal if you planto print your file.Writing: 2/10. Good prose is let down inspectacular fashion by one of the worstproofreading jobs I've ever seen. The twopoints are for imagination.System Relevance: 7/10. Set in a worldfamiliar to players of Castles & Crusades.Value for money: 2/10. Should I let this titleoff the hook because it sells for $1? In thisdeveloping market, no. Titles like Back toBlacktooth are more damaging than I thinktheir publishers know.Overall: 4/10[David Sharrock]


Our new lettersbox section is foryour letters and comments. Thisissue: Steve Beasley fromCheshire writes:

Dear BeastlyI thought I'd drop you a note to tellyou about my last game session.You won't believe this, but whoshould turn up to play- BritneySpears and Paris Hilton! Well, youcan didn't even know theyliked laying RPG. But they sureliked and in no time were

anties and then she gother out and jiggled them!

iicked Britney on thethrobbing by now. So I

was ver enis and put it in heranyway otroking it up and downwith kidn't know how much

a allall over Paris. Anyway, asyou can imagine, I'm lookingforward to my next game! I neverknew RPG was so much fun!Yours Steve Beasley

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Midwar is our regular column for playersand GMs using the Middlemist fantasycampaign setting from Forever People.

The SacredThe SacredThe Sacred SwordsSwordsSwords'Talon''Talon''Talon'By David Sharrock

Talon is the third of the sacred swordssought after by the Bleak Revival. Thismagical elven blade was given to the famouselvish explorer Gellert Aelandiar by theEladrin of Clanmarch.

Gellert was the son of the great elvish kingElric Aelandiar, the true elf king ofClanmarch between the full seasons 220pN(pre-Nirgal) and 40pN. In 125 pN, trained asa defender of his homeland and a paladin ofAerdry, Gellert left the safety of the king'scity of Mahrsomn to travel the bredth of theClanmarch and meet the people he wouldone day command as king.

The people loved Gellert and his father Elric,whose term of rule had provided a newlushness to the greenery of Clanmarch and athriving vitality to the elves living there. AsGellert traversed the country he met manydifferent types of elf, from the Spire elveswho gave to him a staff made ofdragonstooth ivory, to the Bralani who gavehim a magical flute which would playbeautiful music of its own accord. TheGhaele gave him the cloak of Nagador, amagical artefact enabling the wearer to turninvisible at will. The Valley elves trained himin the complex art of hand to hand combat.

The sword of talon is the most well knowngift procured during Gellert's trek across hishomeland and has become the focus ofmany elvish fables, stories and songs, themost popular of which is the fair song ofElmidrandill Mythaeloress (Gellert Aelandiar'sSword).

Freth Elmidrandill laes khanlanMarch randil Elrik Aelandiar clanLert middel, Elmidrandill ril ClanmarchEfran middel, inthrim, mythtarchLansonelrik elnu enyatoermSpeskeron Eladrin OermRandillallimy negellindorypAeloress Aerdketh eth darintip

Only the elves know the true origins of theblade, which is now kept securely in thevaults beneath the library of Elthastellithor.

Many thousands of full seasons ago, whenthe desert of Arnheim was still a realm ofthick vegetation friendly to the needs ofelves, the empire of Urmshiem threatenedthe integrity of the Clanmarch borderlandsand the elves were forced to use the heartstone Eurskellindor to defend themselves.

The stone repelled the vast imperial forces,but in so doing laid waste to a great swatheof Middlemist now known as Arnheim. Thethick jungles and forests crumbled to dustand, bereft of nutrients, the once-fertileground turned to sand.

Out of this new wilderness there came adistant song, heard only by the Eladrin elvesof deep Clanmarch. They travelled far to findthe source of the beautiful song and there,in the most distant part of the desert, founda sword embedded deep within a stoneplinth. As the elves approached, the songtook form and words could be heard. Onlythe true lord of the elves, so the songproclaimed, could hold and wield the sword.All others would fail to unsheath the bladefrom the stone, and any unworthy who heldthe blade thereafter would live a cursed lifewithin the tainted desert of Arnheim untilsuch time as the sword found a true master.

The scout party returned to their homelandwith news of the sword and in time manychampions, both mighty and courageous,rode to Arnheim to claim the sword. Allfailed with the exception of one; an elf bythe name of Aerdthen. He drew the swordand carried it back to the cities of theEladrin, there to be hailed as lord of theelves, Aerdthen Clanrandill Aelandiar, first ofthe elf kings.

The sword remained with the Eladrin, thoughthe lineage of the royal family moved fromthe heartland of Eladrin society to the saferand more central command city ofMahrsomn.

The magic of Talon (a name given the swordby Gellert himself) is deep and mystical,related directly to the health of Clanmarchand believed to be an artefact forged in themagical destruction of Arnheim.

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PEN & PAPER IS OUR NEW GAMERS SECTION PRESENTING A DIFFERENT MINI-GAME SYSTEMEVERY MONTH. THIS TIME, DAVID SHARROCK, WYN F DAWKINS AND MATTY RHEA PRESENT...

The SetThe SetThe Set---upupup

Rule over the land of Thurgaar is in dispute.The evil lord Scavengar, vying for the humankingdom Thelinor, has enlisted the aid of thehumans' most ancient enemy; the BlackDragons of Khrell. The human queen,Maelindar, has been assassinated by a BlackDragon rider and spiritual strength now ebbsfrom the land of Thelinor. Much of thequeen's own army have fled for southernlands, fearing death. Those who inhabit thefields of north Thelinor expect swiftannihilation at any moment.

Thus, a small band of mercenary humans,without a queen or an army, but intent onsaving their farmsteads and villagesnonetheless, have travelled to the far land ofBrowfath and enlisted the help of strangeallies.

For centuries the Bright Dragons ofBrowfath's borderlands have been enemiesof the Black Dragon scourge. Many yearshave passed since the Brights and thehumans fought together against theircommon enemy, but now the enemy is

has the Black Dragons of Khrell and thechaos warriors of Scavengar and the otherplayer, or group, has the human mercenariesof Thelinor and the Bright Dragons ofBrowfath.

Next print, cut out and assemble the sceneryand distribute as stated below around atabletop space no wider than 20"x20" ideally.The battle takes place in Thelinor pass, amountainous canyon on the border betweenThelinor and Khrell. Print multiples of themountain range images and line these alongtwo opposing lengths of your game table.They represent the edge of the battlefield.Allocate an open edge to both the BlackDragons and the Bright Dragons and nameeach edge Thelinor or Khrell respectively.

Place the villages and farmsteads along theThelinor edge of the table, within four inchesof the table's edge.

The object of Thelinor's player(s) is either towipe out the invading force of Black Dragonsor break their moral, causing them to fleeback across their own border. The object ofKhrell's player(s) is to destroy all villages and

returned in strength andboth must unite to savetheir respective realmsfrom certain destruction.

The BasicsThe BasicsThe Basics

Dragon Raiders is a minitabletop wargame formultiple players (minimum2). Each player controlsone side of the table and ahoard of miniaturecombatants. The miniaturestandies and scenery forDragon Raiders can befound in this issue's SmallWorld. Print, cut them outand assemble as shown.Split your standies so oneplayer, or group of players,


farmsteads and/or get at least 10 blackdragons across the border into Thelinor(effectively moving them off the Thelinoredge of the table).

No dragon or ground unit may cross themountains on either side of the pass. AnyBright Dragons or Thelinor ground unitsmoving off the Khrell side of the table areconsidered captured and effectively removedfrom play.

The BattlefieldThe BattlefieldThe Battlefield

Your battlefield is set up as follws. TheThelinor player(s) begin by building theirside of the table, which should beapproximately half the table on the Thelinorside. The Thelinor group start with 50scenery points and must spend those pointson the scenery as listed below.

A river can be included but must have atleast two bridges. The river can run acrossthe full width of the pass if all players agreeto this. Hedgerows should be placed tocreate fields no smaller than 3x3 inches. Anyfield thus created must have at least onefarmstead or village inside. Farmsteads andvillages may also be free standing, withoutfields. Stonewalls may be placed end to end(straight line or angled up to 90 degrees),but must otherwise be at least 4 inches awayfrom one another. The same applies toreinforced walls. Villages must be at least 5inches apart and farmsteads must be at least6 inches apart. Villages and farmsteads maybe placed anywhere within the 4 inches atthe edge of the game table on the Thelinorside.

River section = 20 ptsRiver section with Bridge = 25 pts1 lngth hedgerow = 1pt1 lngth stone wall = 3pts1 lngth reinforced wall = 5pts1 village (minimum 1 req.) = 20pts1 farmstead (minumum 1 req.) = 3pts1 castle = 35pts1 woodland = 5pts per scenery section1 forest = 10pts per scenery section

After the Thelinor player(s) have placed theirscenery, the Khrell player(s) do the same ontheir side of the table. An imaginary centralline should divide the table in half and this isconsidered the border. If a dispute occurs, areal line should be fashioned using string.

Build Your ArmiesBuild Your ArmiesBuild Your Armies

Each side starts the game with 150 armypoints. These are spent on game pieceswhich you'll find in this issue's Small World:

1 Melee/Ranged Dragon = 25pts1 Melee/Ranged Wizard Unit = 25pts1 Melee Ground Unit = 5pts1 Melee Cavalry Unit = 10pts1 Melee/Ranged Archery Unit = 3pts1 Melee/Ranged Seige Engine = 50pts1 Ranged Cannon = 35pts1 Ranged Catapult = 20pts

Stats and Using StatsStats and Using StatsStats and Using Stats

All units have the following stats:

STR (Strength)DEX (Dexterity)DEF (Defence)HPs (Hit Points)Range (range of fire)ATTKs (Attacks per round)MOV (Type of Movement)

In melee combat (any type of melee unit,dragon or engine vs another type of meleeunit, dragon or engine where hand tohand/claw to claw/engine to sword combattakes place) STR is matched against DEF.Both sides roll 1d6 and add the number totheir respective stats. The higher total wins.The loser deducts 1HP from their unit. Atzero HPs the unit is spent (all soldiers killed)and removed from play. Units capable ofmore than one attack per round may roll2d6. Note: ranged units with no meleecapability, such as the catapult or thecannon, cannot fight back. If they win theroll the attacking unit does not suffer a HPloss.

In ranged combat (any type of ranged unitfiring upon another unit) DEX is matchedagainst DEF. Both sides roll 1d6 and add thenumber to their respective stats. The higherroll wins. If the target loses, they deduct1HP. If the firing unit loses, there is nopenalty.

Melee combat takes place when two unitsare moved next to each other. Each unit hasfour sides and attacks may occur on eachside, though the attacks take placeseperately and do not stack.

Dragons may move on the ground or in the


air, leaving them free to ignore restrictionsimposed by scenery. Ground units mustmove on the ground and all sceneryimpositions apply. Seige weapons like thecatapult and cannon cannot move through orover scenery. The seige engine, a huge tanklike machine, can crash through hedgerows,woods, forests and stonewalls without amovement restriction, but cannot movethrough reinforced stone walls, villages orfarmsteads.

Range restricts the distance a unit may firetheir ranged weapon. Dragons shoot flamefrom their mouths and two riders on theirback shoot two arrows per round. Thisamounts to three attacks per round, or 3d6added to DEX vs the targets DEF. If theplayer wishes, they may distribute the 3d6among different targets, adding only 1 or2d6 to DEX. The first 2 HP damage are takenby the riders who are killed, removing 2d6from the attack.

Archery units can only fire at targets on theother side of walls. They cannot fire throughor at villages, farmsteads or other scenery.

Melee units can meet on each side of a stonewall to fight. Melee units other than thedragons, catapult or cannon cannot attackvillages or farmsteads.

Dragons in close proximity (touching edges)to an enemy unit, village or farmstead mayattack with their fiery breath (ranged) andteeth and claws (melee), giving them 2attacks per round. The 2d6 are added to DEXand STR respectively, with each total beingcompared seperately against the same DEFscore of the enemy.

Order of PlayOrder of PlayOrder of Play

The Bright Dragons and the Black Dragonsstart the game together. Both players orgroups position their dragons along theedge on their respective sides of the table.Dragons hold two dragon riders which canfire a maximum 2 arrows down upon theenemy during a round. If a dragon takes ahit, the riders count as the first two hit pointlosses (they are killed), all subsequent lossestaken from the dragon itself.

Ground units on the Thelinor side also enterthe battlefield at the beginning of the game,having emerged from the villages andfarmsteads. The Thelinor player(s) nowdistribute the ground units along the edge ofthe table on their side and move forwardaccordingly in their next turn. Distributing

the pieces counts as a turn.

Once the Khrell player has had at least 4turns, their ground units arrive. At this pointthey may move their dragons and distributethe ground units along their edge of thetable. Doing so counts as one turn. Theymay move their troops in the next turn.

RoundsRoundsRounds

Rounds go as follows:Movement - the player moves, starting withthe Khrell player who distributes his dragonsprimarily. The Thelinor player distributes hisunits and dragons, then the Khrell playermakes his first move.Magic/archery - all ranged attacks andmagic casting takes place.Melee - any touching units fight.Retreat - any unit wishing to retreat may doso at a loss of 1d6 HPs. Only a defendingplayer may do this and his unit must move inthe opposite direction from the attackingunit.

Magic SpellsMagic SpellsMagic Spells

Both sides have access to magic users. Onlyone unit of magic user per side may cast aspell in any one round.

Fireball - causes 2HP damage. Target mustbe within range. Treat as ranged attack.Booster - fired at a friendly unit within themagic unit's range. The friendly unit gets a+1d6 boost to their DEF for the next roundonly. Can be cast on self.Dragon Repel - causes a dragon withinrange to retreat automatically in his player'snext retreat round. Treat as a combat spell,using DEX.Crumble - causes 1HP damage to structuressuch as village or farmstead. Causes 1length of stone wall or hedgerow to collapse(removed from play). Doesn't work againstreinforced walls. Treat as a ranged attack.Storm - spans the whole battlefield. Causessix random lightning bolts which deduct6HPs from up to 6 enemy units or buildings.Attacking player decides which. Costs hiswizard unit 1d6 HPs to cast.Speed - gives a boost of double movementrate to friendly unit. Can be cast on self.Target must be within range.Wall of Fire - sets one length of hedgerowpermanently on fire for duration of enemy'snext turn, making it impassable for groundunits during this time. Wizard unit must betouching hedgerow.



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'Tis the season to be jolly, drink lots, eat lots and save the world from certain doom. In the spirit ofall that, here's a special festive, one off adventure scenario for you to play prior to, or even on, the

big day. This is very much a tongue-in-cheek fantasy outing, not to be taken too seriously...Written by David Sharrock, based on an idea by Suzanna Hope

Player IntroductionPlayer IntroductionPlayer Introduction

The group have just completed a ratherexhausting adventure and find themselves ladendown with a nice bit of treasure, or not as the casemay be, and travelling across wintery fieldscovered in snow and icy mist, searching for a placeto shelter from the cold. Their path eventuallybrings them to the crumbling carcass of a largegothic-looking temple, stonework chalked whitewith snow and frost, a chill mist swirling aroundthe old structure like a living thing.

This place is well known to locals as BlackHoodlum's Chimney, a haunted ruin where banditsand ne'erdowells hide out after jobs. The PCs givethe place a once over as they walk by and thinklittle of what they see; fallen columns, brokenwalls covered in climbing ivy and choking lichen,the odd carved face of some god or another.Nothing of value, in short.

Then again, this is a ruined temple, these areadventurers, and it is bloody cold. There could besomething here worth finding- a hidden crypt filledwith gemstones perhaps? A tomb containing theremains of an old priest and all the gold platedreligious paraphenalia that entails? Somewhere tolight a fire and unravel a bedroll? So, like idiots,the party investigate the temple a little closer,which is when they come across Fatso The Red.

Fatso is a large bellied man dressed in red robesfringed with fluffy white wool. His enormous beardis equally fluffy and equally white, while his cheeksglow the colour of cherries. He looks frightfullycheerful despite being surrounded by an ugly gangof evil bandits, two of whom are sharpeningvicious looking knives and grinning at him in anone-too-wholesome way.

When Fatso spots the adventurers he pleads,"please help me, you girls and boys won't get anytoys if you can't get me out of this pickle."

The bandits round on the PCs and draw swords.

GM InformationGM InformationGM Information

Fatso is not really this man's name, but it is thename given to him by the bandits who found himloitering here in 'their' temple and Fatso is honourbound to accept as written any name given to himby those who believe he exists. Thus, in this world,he is Fatso the Red and from this day forth, heshall always be known as such to all who chooseto believe in him.

If asked, however, he will state a preference for

one of his other names; Saint Nick, FatherChristmas, Santa Claus, the list goes on. When thePCs have despatched the bandits, Santa willexplain that he has no memory of a time before hefound himself at the temple. One minute he was afigment of somebody else's imagination, now heseems to be a real person in an apparently realtemple lost within... he isn't sure, but he thinks itmight be something rather odd.

Santa Claus believes the answer lies in the tunnelsbeneath Black Hoodlum's Chimney. He isn'tentirely sure how he knows the tunnels are there,nor how he knows the answer lies within, he justinsists that he does know, and will pay the PCshandsomely in toys if they agree to find theanswers for him. At the back of the temple is ahuge sleigh carrying a payload of several tonnesof toys - Bratz dolls, Playmobil, Scalectrix etc. - andsurrounded by a dozen or so reindeer (one ofwhom has a bright red nose). Most of this stuff isuseless to the PCs, but anyone who finds the stashof candy canes in the back of the sleigh andsneaks a taste will realise payment is assured. Thecandy will sell for a high price to a cityconfectioner or provisions seller and is of thehighest quality. Actually the candy will sell foraround 300gp if touted to a store-owner. If thePCs are enterprising enough to spend a few weeksselling the candy themselves on the streets of abusy enough city, they can expect to double thisfigure.

"And that's not even counting all the artefactsyou're sure to find under the temple" Santa ho hohos.

What Lies BeneathWhat Lies BeneathWhat Lies Beneath

1 - a flight of stone steps lead down into thetunnels from the temple floor. The bandits havebeen using room 1 to store their loot and theirmeagre supplies. Here are a few rusty weapons,some stolen goods (GM can supply any items hefeels would be useful at this point), some meat,turnips and caskets of ale.2a - this vast cavern with its huge arcing roofhouses a wide lake of crystal clear water and 2a isthe north shore of the lake. Anyone casting alantern across the water will see all manner ofnasties swimming about down there: pirahnas,fresh water crocodiles, electric eels and a wholelot more besides. Anyone setting foot in the waterdoes so at great risk.

Luckily, help is at hand. A small creature withgossamer wings descents from the roof of thecave and alights on whatever shoreline (2a, 2b or2c) the PCs occupy. At first glance she resemblesan aging fairy. Her grey hair is tied up in a rather


dishevelled bun and her face is a map of lines andwrinkles. She takes out a small brown bottle andtakes a swig, wipes a hand across her mouth andbelches loudly.

"I am the fairy godmother," she slurs, "I forget towhom," she swigs again, "my memory ain't whatonce it was. Anyway, the point is, ask of me anywish and it is within my limited powers to grantyour desire be true. With a wave of my wand," shewaves the bottle, sloshing super-strength ale allover the nearest PC, "I shall realise your dreams.Just in case any of that wasn't clear, you have twowishes. Don't take too long comin' up withsomething. I ain't got all bloody day."

The players will get very excited. Everyoneknows the system of wish-granting is open to allsorts of abuse. For one thing, there's the 'I wish foreternal wishes' wish.

"Can't do that. We got regs now, y'see. Notallowed to grant any more 'more wish' relatedwishes. I'd love to, but it's more than memembership to the wish-granters guild is worth.Nope. Come up with something else."

Then, of course, there's the 'I wish I was a genieand could grant my own wishes' wish.

"Can't do that either. You don't even have agenie certificate an' I don't even want to get intoall the 'elf an' safety issues." If asked, the fairygodmother will explain that Ansafety the elf israther stringent when it comes to local fairybylaws and would come down on her like a halftonne of bricks if she trod on his pointy toedshoes.

What about the 'I wish for limitless treasure'wish?

"Limitless treasure ain't possible. Not with myexpenses the way they are."

The 'eternal life' wish?"Can't do it. Only demon types can do that one. I

don't have the right receipt book."'Endless Strength?'"If you don't mind me shrinking you to the size

of a gnat's arse. Only way I can do it see. Gottacover me expenses."

Eventually the PCs will realise the fairygodmother is only capable of granting or willing togrant two wishes. The first is 'I wish I was on shoreX of this underground lake', the other is 'I wish thisbloody fairy would bugger off and leave us alone'.2b - see 2a2c - see 2a3 - Lurking in this small cave is a snivelling littlepixie dressed in green and wearing a ridiculouslooking hat with a big black belt buckle in its deadcentre. He has wirey red hair and a swollen nose.

This is Lemmie the Leprechaun and he's nothappy. For one thing, he doesn't know why he'shere in this cave, though he does know what aleprechaun is, and furthermore knows that aleprechaun should have some kind of lucky charm.For the second thing, he doesn't know where hislucky charm is.

"Find me lucky charms!" he begs in a thick Irishdrawl. "I'm a crappin' leprechaun I am. Can't be acrappin' leprechaun without me lucky charms, canI."

If the PCs agree to help Lemmie find his luckycharms he will travel with them, annoying themregularly with random cries such as "dingle medangledrops, where oh where are me lucky

charms!", "Joggle me dingledanglies, whose stoleme lucky charms!", and "dangle me berries, if onlyI could find me crappin' lucky charms!"4 - This cave is eerily dark and smells of rottingflesh. The bandits have given this place a wideberth ever since they first started using the caves,but in fact, their presence has been forcing theinhabitant of this room to give them a wide berth.

He creeps out of the shadows as the PCs enter."I thay, you chapth, have you theen thome ratherbotherthome banditth around here? Been trying toget out of thith blathted plathe for monthth now,but they keep clogging up the only way out."

The owner of this distinguished voice is a sevenfoot tall slavering werewolf with bright yelloweyes, drooling fangs and hooked claws as long andsharp as steak knives. "It'th been a frightfulbother, don't you know. There'th really not verymuch to eat around here, not to mention I can'tfind a dethent thet of cutlery. I don't thuppotheany of you have a glath of therry or port on you? Athigar?

Every now and then the werewolf undergoes ahideous transformation and turns into a six foottall, dashing nobleman dressed in a paddedsmoking jacket. He fiddles with the monocle on hiseye and twitches his moustache before promptlyturning back into a slavering werewolf.

The wolf has no idea how he came to be here,nor indeed where 'here' is. He just knows that hisconstant transformations are 'a terriblybotherthome bind, what' and he desperatelycraves a comfortable leather chair, a log fire and aglass or two of sherry.

If the PCs inform the werewolf the bandits havebeen despatched, he will bound off into theentrance chamber and exit the tunnels. If they askhim whether he knows anything about Fatso theRed, or the mysterious circumstances surroundingthe temple, he will just shrug, "who knowth."

If the group ask the werewolf to accompanythem as an NPC it will only be a matter of timebefore he tries to eat one of them. He will beterribly polite in this matter, tapping the meatiestof the adventurers on the shoulder and askingthem very politely if they wouldn't mind awfully if


he bit one of their 'least used' limbs off. At thispoint a battle will probably ensue.5 - In this cave lives Rumplestiltskin, a mean littlegnome with a foul mouth and a nasty look in hiseye. He presides over the chamber from a ledgehigh on one wall. Meanwhile, on the straw coveredfloor of the cave, a fabulously beautiful wenchworks ceaselessly at a spinning wheel, turningstraw into gold.

The gnome will spit and curse at the PCs whenthey enter:

"You smell like an ogre's arsebelch!""You Sons of a nostril discharge!""You look like the back end of a soiled

jockstrap!""Here's a thought, my arse, your mother's face,

perfect match!""I got a phlegm ball right here with your name

on it" - hocks a big gob of phlegm at the nearestadventurer.

"Ladies and gents, the world's ugliest, stupidest,smelliest individual has entered the building!"while the maiden will beg them to rescue her fromthe gnome. Only the hardest heart could refusethe girl. If her pleas fall on deaf ears she'll show abit of leg in an attempt to play the fabulouslybeautiful wench card.

Rumplestiltskin is an easy foe to despatch, anddespatch him the party should. If he remains alivehe will bug the group throughout their dungeoncrawl from this point forth, setting silly little trapsin their path, rushing by every now and then tospit at them and call them insulting names.6 - A large cavern inhabited by THE BOGEYMAN!The bogeyman is four feet tall, wears a dress andprefers to be called 'Sally', though he will initiallyintroduce himself as 'the bogeyman'. "It's just notfair," he laments, "nobody asked me what I wantedto be did they? Nobody gave me the choice? Whycouldn't I be the fabulously beautiful wench? Look- this is my own dress. She didn't have her owndress. She had to borrow one from the tooth fairy.Ttt, amateur."

If the confused PCs ask 'Sally' what he'sblithering on about, he'll just shrug and smile andsay "boo!"7a - A deep chasm opens into the belly of theworld and is surrounded on three sides byprecarious ledges of crumbling rock. If the PCshave met the bogeyman, he sits on ledge 7b,dangling his legs over the edge and preening hislong green hair. "It's where we all came from," hecalls out, pointing down into the pit.

If the PCs send a light into the pit they willilluminate a canyon far below containing hoardesof fairytale folks; a fairy wearing a big white hatshaped like a tooth, three little pigs smokingcigarettes and chatting with a wolf, four littlechildren (one in a red cape, one slurping from abowl of porridge, and a boy and a girl chewing onhuge sticks of candy cane), six or seven witchesmilling about the place picking their noses orbiting their fingernails. As the PCs watch, morecharacters seem to come into existence, fadingout of the shadows and into the light; a giantholding a boulder under one arm, a man in a greencap surrounded by unseasonably merry men andsome kind of monk, a troll asking around ifanyone has seen a bridge, something like a largeegg with legs leaning casually against the wall ofthe chasm while soldiers in red uniforms and a

dozen horses hang around nearby.If the PCs are yet to meet the fairy godmother,

there seems to be no way across the chasm andthey will need to figure out something using theirown smarts. If they have visited the subterraneanlake, the fairy godmother descends from the roofof the cavern, hawks a huge blob of snot out ofone nostril, swigs from a can of special-brew lagerand asks if they want another wish granting. Thusensues precisely the same scenario as occured intheir previous meeting with this character. Theonly wishes she'll grant is to teleport them acrossthe chasm or to leave them alone.

When the group finally reach the ledge at 7c,something on the roof of the cavern catches theireye and they look up to see several huge faceslooming above, staring down at them. The imagelasts less than a second, but leaves them feeling alittle disconcerted and nervous.8 - Seven gnomes sitting in a circle in variousstates of undress draw the eye upon entering thiscavern. A fabulously beautiful wench with snowwhite skin sits among them smoking a pipe andlaughing raucously. Of the group, she is the onlyfully clothed member. All of them hold playingcards.

When the PCs are spotted, the gnomes leap totheir feet and rush over to say hi:

"I'm happy!" says happy, shaking the hand ofeach PC in turn, his flushed cheeks red asrosebuds. "Very happy to meet you."

"BleeeeaaAAAAATHEW" says sneezy, grinningand wiping his hand on his breeches beforeshaking hands.

"Mn" says bashful, turning a bright red. Hesmiles shyly then hurries back to the girl's sidewhere he sits in a bashful manner, gazing at thePCs with a look of utter bashfulness.

"Well, well, well," says Grumpy, "look what thecat dragged in. About bloody time you lot showedup, I say. What do you think this is, some kind offamily outing? You think we're enjoying any of thiscow-crap? If you want my opinion (which I don'tsuppose you do, but tough luck because you'regonna get it) you should have been here hoursago."

"Uuuuh. Is you come to fix us up real good?"chortles Dopey, shaking hands with his nose.

"Of course they have," says Doc, who shakeshands last, "save us from," he points upward, "andher," he jerks his bearded chin in thedirection of the wench. "Twentyeight games down, and we'reyet to see anything morethan half a nipple," Docsighs, "the problem is,we dwarfs suck atpoker."

If Doc is pressedabout his crypticremarks he willexplain further, "Idon't know thewheres or howfors,but you'll find theanswers on theother side of thechasm. One thingI do know, youlot are the onlyones who can


save us. Don't ask me how I know that, I just do."9 - Sitting on a gold throne surrounded bycourtiers is a naked fat man wearing a crown andholding a fan. He smiles at the PCs as they enterand flutters his fan at them, "oooh, greetings.Come to admire my new threads, I suppose? Verywell, very well." He stands and his courtiers bustleand fuss around him. One or two give the PCsmeaningful looks, but it isn't clear what messagethey may be trying to convey. "Grand aren't they?"the man twirls and poses, flicking at imaginarycoat tails and adjusting imaginary lapels. "Notethe no-expenses spared paisley lining."

If anyone points out the fact that the man isnaked he will crumple to the floor and burst intotears, "don't you *sob* think I don't know that? It'sstupid. Idiotic. A grown man, I am. A grown man.Reduced to... to this! But what choice do I have? Itis written, therefore I must comply!" Moments laterhe'll be back on his feet continuing the charade.10 - This cave is empty save for a small desk andchair lit by a single candle. An old priest sits in thechair, reading a book. He glances up when the PCsenter and smiles.

"Ah, I was wondering when you would come."

The Tale EndThe Tale EndThe Tale End

The priest explains:"Many moons ago, we priests of the Chimney

inhabited the temple above. We believed a sacredartefact, cast down to the world by our god, hadbeen buried in the ground hereabouts. A manysided object covered in sacred symbols which wassaid to grant the holder ultimate knowledge of life,the universe and... well... everything really. So wedug deep into the earth and found the artefactand we brought it up from the ground and gavethe thing to our eldest priest. He took the artefactand chanted the words of knowledge and within afew seconds, he broke down crying with laughter,pointing at the sky. He had seen the truth, yousee, the ultimate knowledge of life, the universeand... well... everything. He found it quite amusingreally. Then he seemed to lose all his humour anddied."

"We were all very scared and tried to rebury theartefact in the ground. One or two of us musthave touched one of the facets of theobject activated by the elder priest andthey were granted ultimate knowledgetoo. They also laughed out loud, pointedat the sky, and died. The last to diemanaged to say something before hisdemise, "the ultimate secret is verydemeaning. We don't matter a rat'stoss."

"We buried the artefact and coveredit with earth. But from that day forththe faith of the priests died and with itthe temple. Most of the priests left, but Iremained, vowing to guard thesacred artefact to ensure noother fool would uncover itshideous truths, and vowingto keep my faith despite it all.That was many many yearsago. I am old now, and tired.I believe my continuing faithhas kept the power of the

of the artefact at bay, but now my life ebbs awayand the artefact grows too strong for this world.The burial pit has caved in and the artefact is laidbare."

"I foresaw your coming in a dream. You willdestroy the artefact. You must. If you do not, thecreatures of the chasm will multiply and spread,filling the world until there is no more room. Butbeware. Only one of you should destroy theartefact. He who does so will have a glimpse ofthe ultimate truth, the meaning of life, theuniverse and... well... everything really.

"It is not pretty, I am assured. It may drive youmad. But it must be done. Will you take up thisquest? Will you choose one among you to destroythe artefact and save the world? Only one, mindyou. And you others should do everything youcan to resist temptation. Do not look upon theultimate truth, for it will probably destroy you!"

The players should decide which of them willdestroy the artefact. If an NPC is chosen, he orshe will not be able to carry out the destruction,will see the ultimate truth, burst into tears, uttersomething about everything being a total wasteof time and promptly die. Only a PC can destroythe artefact.

The object lies at the bottom of the chasm. ThePCs must climb down somehow (the fairygodmother could come in handy here) and find itamong the many fairytale characters.

One player and one player only should beselected to destroy the artefact unless all playersagree to touch the thing and learn the ultimatetruth. If only one or a select few players wish totake the risk, the GM should take them to oneside, well out of earshot of the others, and tellthem what they see as they destroy the artefact.

Home TruthsHome TruthsHome Truths

The GM should hand the player in question a d20and announce, "here is the sacred artefact. Noreally, that's exactly what it looks like."

When (PC name) touches the artefact, the truthbecomes humiliatingly clear. He/she, and

everything he/she knows to be real, ispart of an imaginary roleplaying

game dreamed up by somespotty nerd for the amusementof a few geeks who get

together once or twice aweek and play their game

around a table in a fairlynondescript room in a fairlynondescript house in a world farless interesting than the oneknown to the PC.The PC, in short, doesn't exist,is merely a figment of a lessermortal's imagination. He/she is

not a hero, but a means ofescapism for a teenager withtoo much time on his/herhands.Worse still, now that the PCknows this, nothing he doeswill matter. He knows he ispointless. He knows his life


has less meaning than a passing thought, and hewill be at huge risk of death from the sheer horrorof this realisation. Luckily for him/her, the horror isnot so great as that felt by the priests when theyfirst touched the d20 artefact. For them, therealisation was far worse. They were not even a herocreated to represent the escapist ideas of a 'playerof the game', they were merely incidental NPCs in ashort, and rather silly, Christmas adventure scenarioin a free eZine (not even a published magazinebought at cost!) This was too much and the NPCsprompty died from disappointment, and because thestory said they would.

The PC will survive if he can bury the knowledgeand the memory deep within his subconscious.This translates as some kind of roll madeagainst an appropriate attribute, of course.If successful, the PC will live the rest of hislife in a state of self-imposed oblivion.His repressed memory will resurfacenow and then as a bizarre phobia ofmulti-faceted objects, but he will neverremember the full, horrifying truth.

The d20 artefact is easily destroyed by thePC who literally absorbs its absurdity into hisown suppressed memory. If he fails the savingroll, he promptly dies and one of the other PCsmust take on the challenge to learn the secret oflife, the universe and... well... everything.

The fairytale characters pouring into the game worldhave been coming through the d20 via theimaginations and memories of the playersthemselves. If the GM wishes, he can replace thefairytale NPCs with favourite characters from filmsthe players have watched or books the players haveread and talked about before, though this may givethe twist ending away before time.

Once the artefact is destroyed, the fairytalecharacters disperse in a spectacular whirlwind ofblended colours, voices and faces. The whole issucked down into the chasm where it vanishes.Almost immediately after, the tunnels will begin totremble and the caverns will start to shakethemselves apart. The surviving PCs must nowescape the tunnels before they and the templeabove collapse completely.

The GM should stress to the player who learns thesecret of his PC's life, universe and... well...everything, that he/she should NEVER disclose thesecret to any other player, no matter how much theybeg, plead or pay him for the information.


Before I begin, I would first like to thankeverybody who downloaded and supported ourproducts during the past year, but also all theregular readers of Wyvern who have helped tokeep the eZine free and our writers motivated.

Our first award is theForever People Guildof Master CraftsmenAward for our in-houseWilderness Encou

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