Opifex 12

Issue 12

March-April

F r e e!

Table of Contents Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Contributors’ Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 NewsFlash: Back Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Quotes from Call of Cthulhu Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Last Stop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Return to the Monolith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Review: Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Review: Archimedean Dynasty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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Information Editor, Writer and Art Director: Michael C. LaBossiere, [email protected]. Cover and Interior Art: Michael C. LaBossiere, [email protected]. [email protected]. Writer and Archive Master:  Ricardo J. Méndez, [email protected]. Web Page The Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes web page provides readers with links to acquire the software needed to view issues, information about the ezine as well as direct access to the current issue. The address is: http://user.aol.com/ontologist/web/opifex.obm.html. ex B i - M o n t h l y : R a nd nd o m U n i v er er s es es   Acquiring O p i f ex Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes may be reliably acquired by the following means:

•Subscription: To subscribe send email with the message “subscribe OBM” to [email protected]. The subscription issues are mailed as binhexed pdf files. America Online will automatically decode such files. Users of other services may need to acquire a utility such as Aladdin’s Stuffit Expander (available for both Mac and PC platforms) in order to decode the binhexed file. Naturally, Adobe Acrobat Reader will be needed to read the pdf files. •Online Viewing: The current issue of Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes can  be viewed viewe d directly direct ly by using u sing a web browser equipped e quipped with Adobe’s Adob e’s PDFView plug-in. Viewers which support helper applications can also be used to view the pdf file indirectly by downloading the file and then opening it using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Go to the Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes main page http://user.aol.com/ontologist/web/opifex.obm.html) to link to the current issue page or go directly to http://user.aol.com/opifex2/obm/obm.cu.h http://user.aol.com/opifex2/obm/obm.cu.html. tml. •Download: The current issue of Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes  can be downloaded by opening an FTP session to user.aol.com/opifex2/obm. Simply download the issue (it will be the obmrux.pdf file, where x is the issue number). •America Online: Those who subscribe to America Online can download back issues 1-4 by going to the Online Gaming Forum. Acrobat files are in the Sci-Fi and Other Text folder and the Macintosh only eDoc standalone application versions are found in the Macintosh files folder. Back Issues Ricardo J. Méndez has set up an FTP archive site for past issues of Opifex O pifex Bi Mo n t hl y: R an do m Un i ve rs es . Each issue is available as an individual ZIP file. ZIP archives can be unzipped by a variety of PC utilities as well as Stuffit Expander

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(freeware for the Mac and PC). The site is http://www.geocities.com/~rmendez/obmru/

Legal Information Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes ©1996. All rights reserved. Fees Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes  is a free ezine. Trademarks Most product names are the trademarks of the companies producing those products. Use of a trademark to identify a product discussed in this ezine should not be taken to imply the sponsorship of the holder of said trademark, nor should the use of a trademark without explicit mention of its status as a trademark be construed as a challenge to the trademark status. Copyright Information Unless otherwise noted, all of the material in this ezine is protected by the relevant copyright laws. Contributors have given permission for their material to be used in this ezine. Contributors retain all rights to their material. Third parties wishing to make use of any material within this ezine must contact the relevant party or parties in order to secure permission. Distribution Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes may be freely distributed provided that: •The ezine is not modified. •No fee is charged for the ezine over and above the normal cost of distribution. The “normal cost of distribution” includes the fees for online services, the cost of a shareware CD-ROM and such. •Distributors who wish to include the ezine on commercial CD-ROMs or shareware collections request and receive permission for such distribution. Game Companies Legal Information Several game companies have been kind enough to give Opifex Bi-Monthly permission to provide coverage of their products. Here are the current legal specifications specifications from each company: R. Talsorian Games “Mekton, Cyberpunk 2020 are Copyright; CyberGeneration, Castle Falk are Trademarks.”

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Chaosium “Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium Inc's registered trademark for their game of horror and wonder in the worlds of HP Lovecraft. For more information, contact Chaosium Inc., 950-A 56th St,Oakland, CA 94608 -- or call us at 510-547-7681. Visit Chaosium's web page at http://www.sirius.com/~chaosium/chaosium.html.” White Wolf “This article contains terms that are Trademarks and Copyrights of White Wolf Inc. All rights reserved by White Wolf Inc., 1996. This article does not challenge any property of White Wolf Inc.” FASA Corporation X is a Registered Trademark of FASA Corporation. Original X material Copyright 19XX by FASA Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Used without permission. Any use of FASA Corporation’s copyrighted material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenged to those copyrights or trademarks. Tantalus Inc. This item is not authorized or endorsed by Tantalus Inc. and is used without permission. The item is for personal use only. Any use of Tantalus Inc.'s copyrighted material material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, this item cannot be republished or distributed without without the consent of the author.

Subscriptions Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes  is available via internet subscription. The subscription is free. How to Subscribe To subscribe send email to [email protected] [email protected] with the message “subscribe OBMRU.” Subscribers will receive a confirming email. Subscribers will receive the next issue to be released. The issues are sent out as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files which requires the Acrobat Reader. This can be acquired at http:// www.adobe.com. The files are also binhexed (.hqx) so they can be sent via internet mail. Subscribers will need a utility to convert the file, such as one of Aladdin’s Stuffit products. How to Unsubscribe To unsubscribe send send email to [email protected] with the message “unsubscribe OBMRU.” Unsubscribers will receive a confirming email and his/her name will be removed from the list.

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Contributors’ Guidelines©1996,1997 Michael C. LaBossiere, [email protected] Kelly Rothenberg, [email protected] Submission Conditions

Opifex Bi-Monthly will Bi-Monthly  will consider any submission that falls within the scope of the ezine, however certain conditions must be met in order for material to be considered. 1. The person submitting the material must be its legal owner and must give permission for the material to be included in Opifex Bi-Monthly. Bi-Monthly . 2. The person submitting the material must assume all responsibility for his/her material. 3. The person submitting the material must include his/her real name with the material along with an email address. 4. Any person submitting game related material must secure permission from the company which owns the game in question and include the company’s standard disclaimer in the material. This applies only in cases in which the company in question requires that such conditions be met. Some companies have given Opifex Bi-Monthly  permissions to publish material relating to their games. For the current list, look at the Legal Information section of this issue. 5. In no case will illegal material be accepted. 6. People who wish to make submissions submissions that are larger than 100K (compressed) should contact the staff before sending the file via email. Submission Format

General: Submissions Submissions are accepted via email. Files should be sent as attached mailings whenever possible instead of being included as text in email. Hqx files should be attached as files and not sent as email text. Files sent from users owning Windows 95/NT should use the DOS naming conventions (8.3) since there are currently some problems with handling Windows 95 files. Whenever possible, files should be compressed using mainstream compression software, such as Stuffit, Compact Pro or PKZip. Rare or unusual compression methods should not be used. The type of file(s) submitted should be identified in the accompanying email. Text Submissions: Text submissions should be in WordPerfect for the Macintosh files, if possible. Version 3.5 files are preferred, but earlier versions are acceptable.

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WordPerfect 6.1 (for PCs), RTF files, Microsoft Word (5.1 for the Macintosh or earlier), MacWrite II and plain text files are also acceptable. Contributors who cannot save files in any of the above formats should contact Michael LaBossiere ([email protected]). Text should be formatted and can be styled, but not excessively so (unless doing so is necessary). The font used should be Palatino or similar. Articles titles should be in 14 point bold, the author’s name and email address should be in 14 point plain, and the main text should be 12 point plain. Section headers should be 12 point bold. Unusual, rare or proprietary fonts (such as those in Adobe Type on Call) should not be used without making prior arrangements with the staff. Contributors should spell check their work before submitting it. Text files with embedded graphics (such as maps and illustrations) should be sent in a format that preserves the graphics and their layout. RTF is a useful cross-platform format for this purpose. Graphic Submissions: Graphic submissions should be no larger than a half page, unless the art is intended for the cover. Color art is acceptable and is, in fact, desirable. Color art should be reduced to 16-bit (or even 8-bit) whenever possible. Acceptable formats include PICT, Photoshop, BMP, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, Deneba’s Canvas, Macromedia Freehand, Microfrontier’s Color It! and Adobe Illustrator. Graphic submissions should include the artist’s identifying signature or mark in the  body of the t he graph g raphic. ic. The mail accompan acco mpanying ying a graphi gr aphicc file fi le must m ust include inclu de the t he autho a uthor’s r’s name and email address. Submission Specifics Games: The primary focus of Opifex Bi-Monthly game section is on horror and science fiction games, although general gaming material and material on other areas of gaming will be considered. Sourcebook style material, rules variants, adventures, NPCs, scenarios and such are all welcome. Many game companies are extremely protective of their games and do not pe rmit anyone else to publish or even distribute material relating to their games. Hence, those making game related submissions must determine whether or not their work infringes on the rights of a company. It is known that both TSR and Palladium do not want a ny material relating to their games distributed by others. Hence, no material relating to these games will be considered. Some companies have given Opifex Bi-Monthly permissions to publish material relating to their games. For the current list see the Legal Information section of this issue. Submissions of any reasonable size will be considered and extremely large submissions might be serialized. Send submissions to Michael LaBossiere, [email protected].

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Rights Bi-Monthly  one-time The person making the submission grants Opifex Bi-Monthly one-time publication rights, with all other rights reverting to the author afterwards. Authors will be contacted for permission to publish rewrites. The person making the submission retains all other rights, including copyright ownership and the right to publish the material elsewhere. Payment At this time no payments or compensation of any kind are offered for contributions.

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NewsFlash:: Back Issues NewsFlash Due to popular demmand, back issues of Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes . are now available. available. Ricardo Ricardo J. Méndez has graciously set up an FTP archive site for past issues of Opifex O pifex Bi Mo n t hl y: R an do m Un i ve rs es . Each issue is available as an individual ZIP file. ZIP archives can be unzipped by a variety of PC utilities as well as Stuffit Expander (freeware for the Mac and PC). The site is http://www.geocities.com/~rmendez/obmru/.

Quotes from C a l l o f C t h u l h u  Adventures   Adventures Michael C. LaBossiere, [email protected] Here are some quotes from various Call of Cthulhu adventures I’ve run over the years. From an adventure involving some nasty undead and an alien stone: Player: “I check my pulse.” Keeper: “You don’t have one.” Player (very quietly): “I don’t tell anyone.” A player, after a bad encounter with Deep Ones: “All frogs must die. The big ones. The little ones. But especially the big ones.” A player, after toasting some bad things: “Nothing likes being set on fire.” A player, after seeing some Mi-Go: “I don’t think they’re from around here.” A player, after killing some cultists and being caught by the police: “Well, officer, I suppose you are wondering about all the dead bodies...well, it was probably a mass suicide. Like Heaven’s Gate. Yeah. That’s it.” A player, just about any adventure: “You go first.” A player, just about any adventure: “I went into the dark, scary basement last time. It’s your turn.”

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“Last Stop” © 1992, 1998 By Michael C. LaBossiere, [email protected]

Dark Conspiracy “I traced my missing friend to Wilson’s Off Road Store. It looked like any other off  highway convenience store, but something about it gave me the willies. I’ve watched it for the past three hours and I’ve seen four people go in there who never came out. I guess I’ve got to go in. I just hope I’m not number four.”

Legal Information This adventure is copyright 1992, 1998 by Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. It may be freely freely distributed for personal use provided that it is not modified and no fee above the normal cost of distribution is charged for it. Visit the Opifex Phoenix web site at http://user.aol.com/ontologist/web/opifex.anchor.html. This item is not authorized or endorsed by Tantalus Inc. and is used without permission. The item is for personal use only. Any use of Tantalus Inc.'s copyrighted material material or trademarks in this file should not be viewed as a challenge to those copyrights or trademarks. In addition, this item cannot be republished or distributed without without the consent of the author.

Introduction This adventure can be set almost anywhere that has functioning highways. It is a short adventure intended for a small group of PCs. A group of insectoid type extraterrestrials has taken over a off highway convenience store and is using it as a base for scientific experiments on humans. The aliens capture travelers who they deem fit for their experiments and who can be captured with minimal risk. It is up to the PCs to expose the aliens’ operation and put a stop to it. Getting the PCs Involved A PC’s friend or relative who is traveling to visit the PC will call him or her from a pay phone in Slaterville. After telling the PC how long they have left to travel, they will say that they are going into the store to buy some coffee. This will be the last the PC will hear from them. When the PC’s friend fails to show up, the PC is likely to want to investigate.

Investigation If the PCs decides to go looking the missing friend/relative,they will find the following information at each source they check. State Police The state police will report that a vehicle matching the missing person’s was

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found. If the PC investigates, they will find that it is not his/her vehicle. The police will list the person as a missing person, if he/she has been gone over twenty four hours. An officer will say to the PCs “I’m sorry. We do all we can, but there are so many missing people these days were swamped. I won’t lie to you. We can’t do much for you. But, off the record, we’ve been hearing some odd stores about Slaterville. You might want to look there. One last thing, if you find something bad, don’t hesitate to give us a call.” Morgues/Hospitals : If the PCs checks these places, the PCs will find a few people who match the missing person’s description, but he/she won’t be in any of these places. The Trucker Grapevine  If the PCs check the local highway rumor mill (by going to a trucker bar, for example), they will, provided they get the truckers to talk, learn that there have been an unusual number of disappearances in and around Slaterville. Many of the truckers say they now avoid the place, but others say that it’s just a rumor, nothing more. If the PC’s friend/relative was the sort of person that would be remembered (very attractive, very weird, etc.), one of the truckers might remember seeing him/her going into Wilson’s Off Road Store. Slatverville Slaterville is a typical off-highway town. It consists primarily of gas stations, convenience stores, motels, hotels, and truck stops. Due to the current conditions in the US, the town is surrounded by a barbed wire fence and most of the buildings are made of reinforced concrete. Slaterville is fairly peaceful since it is on a functioning highway, but there have been occasional raids by outlaws and gangs. Most of the time these people drive into town, throw a few Molotov cocktails at the buildings, shoot up some signs, and leave. Virtually everyone who lives in the town works in one of the businesses. There are few children and they all go to school in a nearby c ommunity since Slaterville doesn’t have any schools. It also lacks a police station, fire department, and post office. It does have a few mail boxes, however. The people are fairly suspicious of  outsiders, but they are usually polite since their livelihood depends on the highway travelers who stop for food and fuel. If the PCs ask about the missing person, everyone will say they never saw him/her. If they ask about the disappearances, the local people will either claim to have heard nothing about them or say that they are unfounded rumors.Successful use of  Human Empathy or Psychology skill (the task is average) will reveal that the locals are aware that something is wrong and that they are lying to the PCs. They are actually aware of the disappearances, but are unwilling to say anything out of fear of  losing business. Most will do their best to obstruct the PCs (by refusing to sell them food, gas, or lodging) or mislead them (by saying that the disappearances really took too k place in nearby Carterville), provided it does not put them in any danger. Some may

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aid the PCs if they are convinced that the PCs can handle the situation without ruining the town’s reputation. The average people in town are just that, average, and are novice NPCs. They should not (unless enraged to mob action) be of great hindrance or help to the PCs. Unfortunately for the PCs there is a group of Igors who are employed by the aliens. Most of them work at the store but others are under cover at other businesses. These Igors look for victims and occasionally take people (from their motel rooms, for example). They also have their eyes open for any suspicious individuals (like the PCs).If they become suspicious of the PCs they will try to drive them away (by harassing them, vandalizing their vehicle, etc.). If they think the PCs are getting too close to the truth, they will attempt to kill the PCs.

Wilson’s Off Road Store The store looks like almost any other off-highway convenience store/gas station on the surface, but beneath it is a den of alien evil. The o wner of the store, Wilson, was captured by the aliens and offered to let them use his store as a base Pumps of operations and to aid them in their activities if they would let him live. The aliens agreed and soon set up shop under his store. They have been harvesting humans M for their experiments Garage and food ever since. W ICE Store Surface Map All the rooms in the Office store are monitored by hidden TV cameras( difficult observation task to spot) which are linked to a viewer in the alien’s living area. There will always be an alien watching the viewer. Pumps: A bank of standard fuel pumps, including diesel. The pumps are full service (which is very odd in these times), but the gas prices are as low as self serve. The full service routine gives the Igors a chance to look into the vehicles to see how many people are present. There will be at least two igors working the pumps at all times. Ice: An ice machine. A sign on it indicates that it is out of order. Store: The interior contains the usual over priced snack foods, drinks, and so forth.

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Astute PCs (those that make an average observation ro ll) will note that the shelves are set up so as to block the view of the interior of the store from the outside. behind which always sits one Office: The office has the service window (bulletproof) behind  bored  bore d lookin lo oking g igor. ig or. The office offic e conta c ontains ins some s ome old, tattere tatt ered d furnit fu rniture ure as well w ell as the t he safe. The safe contains a surprising amount of money as well as items of jewelry, watches, and so forth. Many of these items can be traced to various missing individuals. There is a locked trap door hidden under the stained rug. Spotting it is a difficult task using observation skill. Men’s Room/Women’s Room : The rest rooms are fairly nasty: stained seats, damp floors, and so forth. The walls have thick panels set in them (soundproofing) which seem odd. Set into each room’s floor is a trap door. A door can be spotted by making a difficult observation skill roll. When the aliens wish to capture a victim, they lock the bathroom door using an electric locking mechanism , they then unlock the trap door and the victim falls through it. The door is then unlocked to re ady it for the next victim. If the victim avoids falling into the trap ( a difficult task using agility if  the person is not expecting trouble, average if he/she is), an alien will enter via the trap door to attack. Only one alien can enter a bathroom, due to its small size. If the victim is especially troublesome, the igors will rush to help. The aliens generally take their victims at night and select victims who are alone, or when they are a re confidant they can capture all of the victims at once. They also avoid taking the obviously wealthy or powerful, since they have been informed that that will draw undue attention. Garage: The garage is a greasy, oily mess with tools scattered about. Service is terrible here and is likely to leave the vehicle worse off than when it was brought in. The garage contains a hidden lift plate (a difficult task to spot using observation) that is used to lower victim’s vehicles for disposal. The lift is operated by a control box set into the wall. Unlike the rest of the place, the box looks new (an average observation task to notice this). There are always at least two igors here, generally smoking cigarettes and drinking beer. Subsurface Map The subsurface was hollowed out by the aliens using their advanced technology. The walls are made of a thick, chitin like material and are coated with a slimy, foul smelling substance. substance. The place is dimly lit with red lights and an alien scent pervades the air. Vehicle Area : This is where the vehicles end up that are lowered from the garage. There are tools in the room for cutting and disassembling vehicles. The igors are quite good at dismantling the cars. The parts of the victim’s vehicle are taken into the dump and disposed off.

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Dump:  The aliens, aware of the amount of waste material (bodies, vehicle parts) their operation would generate, dug a pit to dispose of it. The dump is a deep shaft dug in the earth with reinforcing poles of alien material set into its wall. The pit is about 10 meters deep and contains human  bones, rotting corpses, corpse s, auto parts, and small scurrying creatures not of this earth which feed on the remains. The dump site smells of  gasoline, oil, and rotted flesh. Capture Area: This is were the victims end up if they fall through the trap doors. The victims fall onto soft, squishy material which cushions their fall. There will be at least one armed alien per victim present to subdue the humans. A subdued human is stripped naked and dragged into the pen. Pen: The walls of the pen are composed of the thick, slimy chitin like material. The door is made of steel and is set into the walls. It is kept locked and is guarded by an alien at all times. There are currently six people here, including the missing person the PC is looking for. The people are in terrible condition due to the terror of the situation and the fact that the aliens don’t feed their captives. At the referee’s discretion, some of the victims may have been modified: grafted limbs, surgical modifications, modifications, cyborg parts, etc. Lab: This chamber is filled with weird looking, semi-organic Dark Tek laboratory equipment.It is here that the aliens conduct their experiments on humans. Their research is aimed at producing a human based fighter to use in their battles with other E.T.s They are working with grafting cloned organs and limbs from their own race to humans as well as cyborg modifications. So far, they have been unable to produce a controllable fighter. Most of them went mad and had to be destroyed. At the referee’s discretion, the lab might contain one or more such experiments. These  beings would w ould be b e as likely l ikely to t o attack atta ck the PCs as the t he aliens alie ns if freed. fre ed. Living Area:  This is where the aliens sleep and feed. The aliens feed primarily on the brains and central nervous systems of higher animals (including humans) and they prefer their meals as fresh as possible (alive). The PCs may run into the aliens

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while they are feeding, which would be a horrible scene to witness. Power/Computer: This room is a horrifying tangle of partially living computer and power plant components, some of which were once part of human beings. The computer is not terribly advanced or powerful and is used primarily to store data from the experiments.

Resolution The aliens will continue to operate and expand their operation (by taking over more businesses and houses) unless they are stopped. If the PCs defeat them, they will abandon their operations in Slaterville for a while, but will eventually try again. If any of the aliens escape, they will rejoin others of their kind and seek revenge. If all of them are killed, a four being team will be sent in to determine what happened and they may learn of the PCs involvement and seek revenge. Those who the PCs rescue will be quite grateful (once they recover) and may be able to aid the PCs later. The referee may wish to continue the action by having one of the aliens’ more dangerous experiments escape. It would then be up to the PCs to track the person down and stop them. The individual would have various grafted limbs as well as cyborg parts, making him/her a dangerous opponent. While the person would be insane, they would possess a great deal of cunning. NPCS Bubba Wilson Level: Experienced Skills: Small Arms (pistol) 4, Small Arms (rifle) 5, Forgery 4, Streetwise 4, Vehicle Use (Wheeled Vehicle) Physical Description: Wilson is an obese man with a scraggly beard and a balding head. His eyes constantly move about, as if he is always looking for something. He always seems slightly nervous, as if he is being watched. Personality/Notes: Wilson is a former cop (who left just before co ming under investigation) who took ownership of the store by killing the former owner and forging the deed when Slaterville was still in turmoil and largely abandoned. Wilson was captured by the aliens when he was out in the woods burying a person he had just robbed and killed. A greedy, selfish, and evil man, Wilson was only too glad to work for the aliens. He is utterly without moral scruples and will do anything to further his own profit and enjoyment. He is generally in the store at night, so he can loot the bodies of the aliens’ victims. Weapons: S&W Model 29/16.5 (always carried under his jacket), Mossberg M500 (kept in pickup, or in the office when he is there). Igors  There are fifteen Igors in the town. See page 176 of Dark Conspiracy for Conspiracy  for details. They are armed with a mix of knifes and handguns, although a few (6) have

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shotguns. They are cowards on their own or if outgunned, but are “brave” when they outnumber and outgun their victims. Type II Insectoid E.T.s (Chiikaga) St re ng t h: 6 Educ ation: 6 C o n st i t u t i o n : 6 Cha r is ma : 1 Agility: 4 Empathy: 2 Int e ll ig e nc e : 6 Initia tive : 4 Special: Armor value 1

Move: 4/12/20/30 Skill/Dam: 7/1D10 Hits: 20/40 # Appear: 1D6

The Type II Insectoid E.T.s, known as Chiikaga (what their name for themselves sounds like in English) are related to the more common insectoid E.T.s. They are not as advanced as their cousins, but are physically tougher. Like their cousins, they consider humans an excellent source of food. Unlike their cousins, they see humans are potentially useful and desire to find an effective way of using humans as troops. Chiikaga inevitably live underground when on earth, typically under an abandoned or conquered human structure. They build primarily with organic materials that they process themselves. Their lairs are very unpleasant places for humans to be, for they are vile and coated in slime (which keeps the organic walls fresh). While they are Dark Minions, they are hostile to their insectoid cousins and have fought wars with them in the past, generally over the issue of who gets to exploit and feed on various populations of other worlds. These hostilities have continued on earth. Unlike their cousins, the Chiikaga are not well established on earth. So far they only have a few secret outposts in human cities and towns towns and they have yet to become involved in corporate activity to the degree their cousins have. Physically, the Chiikaga are horribly repulsive to humans. They walk on four legs, while using two arms for manipulation. There bodie s are composed of hard chitin like material which oozes a thick slime at all times. Their heads are rather small (the brain is in the main body) and they have a wicked array of biting, grinding, sucking, and chewing organs.They also have two main eyes that detect only motion and a set of smaller eyes that are as good as human sight. Their only redeeming feature is that they can be killed.

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Return to the Monolith ©1998 By Michael C. LaBossiere [email protected] Call of Cthulhu They say foul beings of Old Times still lurk, In dark forgotten corners of the world,  An d gate ga tess stil st illl gape ga pe to loos lo ose, e, On certain nights, Shapes pent in Hell. - Justin Geoffrey, People of the Monolith

Legal Information This adventure is copyright 1998 by Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. La Bossiere. It may be freely distributed for personal use provided that it is not modified and no fee above the normal cost of distribution is charged for it. Visit the Opifex Phoenix web site at http://user.aol.com/ontologist/web/opifex.anchor.html. Call of Cthulhu is Chaosium Inc's registered trademark for their game of horror and wonder in the worlds of HP Lovecraft. For more information, contact Chaosium Inc., 950-A 56th St, Oakland, CA 94608 -- or call us at 510-547-7681. Visit Chaosium's web page at http://www.sirius.com/~chaosium/chaosium.html. This adventure is based on “People of the Monolith” which appeared as a bonus scenario in Shadows of Yog-Sothoth  , published in 1982 by Chaosium. This scenario was in turn based on “The People of the Monolith” from Robert E. Howard’s Tales  fr  f r o m t h e C t h u l h u M y t ho s , which was published by Arkam House.

Introduction This adventure is set in the 1990s and is intended to be a follow-up on the events that took place in 1920s Hungary, as detailed in Chaosium’s “People of the Monolith.” In this adventure, the investigators will be part of a team creating a documentary on ancient occult sites. More specifically, the investigators investigators will be traveling traveling to Hungary in search of a monolith with a dark and troubling past. They will find the monolith, but they will also find more than they bargained for.

Getting the Investigators Involved The investigators will be contacted by a man name Bruce Baston who is representing Steiger Incorporated. Baston will inform the investigators that Steiger Incorporated, is producing a show for television. The show is to feature several site around the world that have occult occ ult significance. Since many shows have already covered the best known areas (such as Stonehenge), this show is going to cover more obscure, but still interesting locations and features. Because of their reputation in such matters, Baston will say, Steiger Incorporated wants to hire them to work on

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one of the segments. If the investigators are interested, Baston will arrange to meet with them, at a restaurant, to discuss matters. Baston will tell the investigators that he wishes to hire them as special consultants for a segment on a curious black stone in Hungary. If they ask for more details, Baston will say that he has been informed that the stone has a dark and curious history, but that part of the investigators’ job will be to learn more about the monolith and its history. If the investigators agree to take the job, Baston will assign them appropriate responsibilities and prepare contracts which specify appropriate payments for the completion of the tasks. For example, investigators with high Library Use will be hired to do research. Some alternative means of getting the investigators involved are given below.

Keeper’s Background Untold years ago, people who worshipped a foul, toad-like being came to an area in what is now known as Hungary. These people raised up a monument to their god and performed terrible rites around the stone, the vilest rites taking place on Midsummer’s Night (June 23). The presence of a minion of their god, which took on the appearance of a green, toad-thing and their wicked rites imbued the stone with a great and evil power: shadows of the very beings who worshipped and presided there became part of the stone itself. The area festered with evil until Turkish soldiers encountered the toad-thing and destroyed it using blessed weapons, ancient magic and fire. Unfortunately, the death of the toad-thing did not entirely dispel the horror. As mentioned above, the stone itself had become tainted with evil and madness. Because of this, shades from the past appear around the stone on Midsummer’s Night, bringing madness and horror to any foolish enough to visit the stone. The stone’s existence was only known to the local people and a few odd scholars, until an English poet named Justin Geoffrey visited the stone, wrote a poem about it, and then went mad. Shortly after Geoffrey died in an asylum, a few brave souls were hired by his publisher to investigate the monolith. They visited the stone on Midsummer’s Night and witnessed the horror and madness. Returning home, they took up the battle against the Mythos. The stone was largely ignored by outsiders until 1995 when Dave Bunson, David Metz (now known as Christopher Russell) and Sarah Killeans went to the monolith for an occult magazine. Metz, who was into the occult, suggested that they visit the stone on Midsummer’s Night and the others agreed. This fateful decision would result in Metz (who was never very stable) going insane. In his madness, Metz killed his friends as “sacrifices.” After hiding the bodies in a nearby cave (ironically, the same place the Turks killed the toad-thing) Metz wandered the world, hoping to find a way to serve his new god. Metz dyed his hair, had some minor cosmetic surgery, changed his name to Christopher Russell and established his new identity. After that, he spent the next few years researching books better left unread and meeting with people and things

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who possessed knowledge better not known. Russell learned a spell to contact  beings,  beings , the Lesser Lesse r Toades, Toa des, which serve the god g od associa as sociated ted with w ith the th e black bla ck stone. st one. Summoning one of the Toades, he was told he would be rewarded with power if he were to revive the ancient sacrifices at the stone. Completely and irrevocably insane, Russell eagerly agreed. Through his connections connections (Russell had had rapidly built a reputation as a weird but strangely gifted photographer) Russell learned about the Steiger documentary and arranged to get on the team. Russell does not know that Steiger has some knowledge of the Mythos and is, in part, sending the investigators to see if anything is going on with the black stone.

Investigation The investigators will, of course, want to acquire some information before leaping into things. The following sections detail some of the information the investigators can turn up. Books and Articles There are several books that the investigators might find, through Library Use or other means, in the course of their search for information. T h e M o n ol ol i t h  

If the investigators seek for a reference to a monolith in what is now Hungary, they might find Dostmann’s Remnants of Lost Empires, Empires , which was published in 1809 in Berlin. This book is rather difficult to find and the full edition is available only in German. There is a partial translation in English, which was written by an American graduate student in 1973. There are only a few copies of the English partial translation, which was done by Hilary Stanton. Stanton died of a drug overdose before she completed the work. Dostmann claims that the monolith is a relatively recent c onstruction, probably erected to commemorate a Mongolian victory. Dostmann bases this on his claim that the defaced characters on the monolith are Mongolian in origin. Dostmann does admit that he was never actually able to clearly make out the characters on the monolith, yet he does not let le t this count against his claim about the origin of the stone. Dostman does note that the village near the stone is known as “Stregoicaver”, which translates as “witch town.” If the investigators find the partial translation by Stanton, they might decide to follow up on that lead. If they do, they might find an article, written in a rather dry anthropology journal, will be of interest. In her article, “Cult Artifacts in Eastern Europe”, published in 1972, she cites Von Junzt’s  Junzt’s  Inaussprechlichen Kulten. (Nameless Cults ): “Otto Dostmann's theory that the monolith is a remnant of the hunnish invasion and had been erected to commemorate a victory of Attila over the Goths is as logical as assuming that William the Conqueror reared Stonehenge." (from page 63 of Shadows of Yog Sothoth ). Stanton’s article refers to several books which will prove useful to the

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investigators. These books can also be found by independent research if the investigators do not find the Stanton article. In 1901 Ma 1901  Ma gy ar F ol kl or e  , by Dornly, was published. In his chapter on Hungarian Dream Myths, he mentions a stone knows as the “Black Obelisk.” According to Dornly, this obelisk has strange and terrible powers. If someone sleeps near the obelisk, he will be plagued with terrifying nightmares for as long as he shall live. Dornly also mentions various folk tales that speak of people visiting the obelisk on Midsummer’s Night. Such visits, the tales claim, end in madness and death. Dornly also notes that the area in which the obelisk was located was called “Xuthtlan.” Dornly points out that “Xuthltan” is not a Magyar name and is, in fact, a rather odd name. The investigators might wish to investigate the word “Xuthltan” further. A book  My thss and an d Magi Ma gicc  was published in New York City in 1912. This  by Schum S chuman an calle c alled d Myth  book is rare r are and will take some effort effo rt to t o find. fi nd. The book boo k explic e xplicitly itly mentions ment ions Xuthltan as a town with an evil reputation. According to ancient takes, the inhabitants were prone to capturing young women as sacrifices in their evil rites. Schuman writes that the the inhabitants of the the village were slain by the Turks. Later people from Schomvaal, a nearby village, village, moved into the ruins and, after rebuilding, called the place “Stregoicavar.” Stregoicaver 

The investigators might also wish to investigate more into the place known as Stregoicaver, Schomvaal and the Turkish invasion. In his 1892 work, Back Roads of Hungary, Hungary , Rachismoff writes about Stregoicavar. In his book he asserts that Stegoicavar is a “beautiful and fertile” valley in the Carpathians. As a point of historical note, he mentions that a battle took place in 1526 at Schomvall. In this battle, Count Boris Viadinoff fought against the forces of  Suleiman the Magnificent. The town, according to Rachismoff, is a three day coach ride from Biscke. Rachismoff suggests that the traveler watch for various ruins from the Turkish war along the road sides. If the investigators pursue their investigations, they can find Larson’s 1890 book, Turkish Wars . This massive six volume series mentions, in a chapter, the battle of  Schomvaal. According to Larson, An aide brought to[the Count} a small lacquered case which had been taken from the famed Turkish scribe and historian, Selim Bahadur, who had fallen in the fight. The Count took therefrom a roll of parchment and began to read, but he had not read far before he turned pale and, without saying a word, replaced the parchment in the case and thrust the case into his cloak. At that very instant, a hidden Turkish battery opened fire, and ... the walls crash[ed] down in ruin, completely covering the Count. (from page 63 of Shadows of Yog Sothoth ). Without the leadership of the Count, his army was crushed by Suleiman’s forces. The chapter closes with the lines: "Today the natives point out a huge a nd

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moldering ruin near Schomvaal beneath which, they say, still rests what the centuries have left of Count Boris VIadinoff."(from page 63 of Shadows of Yog Sothoth). Sothoth ). Justi n Geoffr ey 

The only recent book mentioned in Stanton’s article, David Dormley’s Me Dormley’s  Men, n, Myth My th,, and Madness (1970)mentions Madness  (1970)mentions Xuthltan as well as Justin Geoffrey. Geoffrey is said to have been a brilliant young poet whose career was cut short by his commitment to an asylum and his untimely death in the early 1900s. Dormley asserts that Geoffrey’s strangest poem, “People of the Monolith, was written as the result of his journey to a place called “Xuthltan.” Dormley also asserts that Geoffrey was driven mad by what he saw and experienced in Xuthltan. If the investigators seek out further information on Geoffrey, they will be able to find a collection of his poems. The work, Complete Works of Justin Geoffrey ,is still  being printed print ed by b y a small press. press . “People “Pe ople of the Monolith” Monol ith” is his last and strang s trangest est poems. The other poems are of high quality, but are quite different from “People of  the Monolith.” In the 1920s Justin Geoffrey went to Hungary in search of the monolith. If the investigators found the Complete Works of Works of Justin Geoffrey  they will learn from the introduction that Geoffrey went to Hungary and then went mad. If the investigators contact the editor of the book, Diane Hutton, she will be able to tell them a great deal about Geoffrey’s poetic style and early history. If she is asked about “People of the Monolith” she will say that it is his most unusual poem. If asked about his fate, she will tell the investigators that he went to a village called Stregoicaver. There, the story has it, he found a black stone that drove him mad. Hutton is mainly concerned with poetry and she has little information about the black stone. If the Keeper wishes an alternative way to get the investigators involved, they could be hired by the small press to research the “black stone.” The small press has very limited resources, so the investigators would have to provide their own transportation. The Missing People If the investigators are thorough, they will learn that they are not the first people to go in search of o f the monolith. Justin Geoffrey visited the stone in the e arly part of  the twentieth century and went mad. There are also some rumors and stories about other people who visited the stone, some of whom never returned. The most recent story, which is also the only one backed with hard evidence, is about two free lance  journal  jou rnalists ists who went missing miss ing in 1995 1 995.. Acco A ccordin rding g to t o the t he story, stor y, which whic h made ma de some som e newspapers in 1995, Dave Bunson and Sarah Killeans were doing a story on a “black stone” located in some obscure part of Hungary. According to the story, the two  journa  jou rnalis lists ts never nev er return ret urned ed from fro m Hung H ungary ary.. The T he local loc al author aut horiti ities es invest inv estiga igated ted the disappearance, but found nothing. Some journalists privately speculate that the  journa  jou rnalis lists, ts, who were wer e on o n assi a ssignm gnment ent for Secrets of the Occult Magazine , stumbled across some local criminal activity and were killed. It is also speculated that the local

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authorities were paid to “find nothing.” The two reporters are missing and presumed dead. Their families are still holding out hope and have made several efforts to find them. Another alternative way for the investigators to become involved in the adventure is to have them contacted by the families of the two missing people.The families have limited resources, so the investigators would have to provide their own transportation.

Places The following section details the places the investigators will visit during the course of the adventure. Hungary The team will fly to an airport in Austria and they will be provided with suitable transportation (vans) at the airport. From Austria they will drive into Hungary. Steiger Inc. Will have made all arrangements so their trip will go smoothly. Stregoicavar Stregoicavar Stregoicava r is not a real place, but Biscke is eighteen miles west of Budapest. The trip to Stegoicavar will take the team past the ruins were Cou nt Boris Viadinoff who was killed long ago by the Turks. In the 1900s, Stregoicavar was a quiet little town, still living in the 18th century. World War II, the following Cold War, and more recent events have all but emptied the village. Most of the structures are still standing, but the young people have mostly left in search of better opportunities. Those who remain are mostly older people.

The Inn The inn in Stregoicavar is still standing, although it has seen better days. However, it is still well kept and the team has reservations (they will be the only guests). Laszlo Yukarskin owns and runs the inn and he knows a fair amount of the local history. If he is treated well, and asked about Justin Geoffrey, he will tell them that “local legend has it that some English poet by that name went and looked at the stone. According to old superstitions, the stone is said to cause madness. In the case of the poet, it did its job. It is said he was found gibbering, drooling and moaning.” If he is asked about the black stone, he will tell the team where to find it. If asked what he thinks about it, he will say “Well, they say that the stone is...unnatural. I don’t place much stock in ghost tales and the like. Then again, I’ve no desire to visit the stone, especially at night.” If he is asked about the people who went missing, he will say that all three of them stayed at the inn and that he sent the belongings of two of them home. If asked about the third person, he will say he did not send his belongings because he was

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told that he had no relatives. If asked about the third person, the innkeeper will check his records and tell them that his name was Metz. If asked what he thinks happened, he will say that he doesn’t know. He is willing to speculate about the mafia, but he will say they seemed like nice people. Talking to the Villagers Provided the investigators are polite (and speak their language) the villagers will  be willin w illing g to talk about abou t the th e stone. sto ne. In general, the investigators will learn that the stone still has a bad reputation and that people stay away from it. Local legend has it that the stone was reared by some devil-worshippers who were killed by the Turks. Local legend also has it that there have been attempts over the years to destroy the stone. According to these tales, those who harm the stone suffer from “ fits, madness, and terrible dreams.” The best source of information in the village is Geoff Stakuski. Stakuski served in a German SS armored unit (under a different name) and retired (anonymously) to this small village. Stakuski, who married a local woman, was fascinated by the history of the area and learned a fair amount about it. He knows that the village was originally called Xuthltan. He believes that the monolith was reared by people who worshipped a “god not well known to men.” His wife’s mother befriended an American who came to the village in the 1900s. According to Stakuski, the American was part of a small group of men who came to see the stone. The men stayed in the village for some time and the American, named Sam Lorenzo, later returned for a short while, leaving some books and other items. If Stakuski is asked about the books, he will say that they were lost when the roof sprung a leak. He will say that they still have a notebook and a beaker of odd powder. The notebook is in English and is tattered and worn. The following passages are the most interesting and relevant: We have seen the horror that plagues this place on Midsummer’s Night. It is something that is not to be spoken or written of. Dr. Harveld thinks that it is just an image from the past, somehow electrically trapped in the stone itself. I think it is something far worse. I have returned again to the village to visit Mary again. She is a fine woman, but the things I have seen and experienced prevent me from asking for her hand. After all, how can I promise to protect her, when there is no protection from Them? However, I can do some small thing for her. I finally learned the secret in the Arab scroll and found that the dust is as acid to the horrors. I have created a  beaker  beak er of o f the dust, dust , suffici su fficient ent for two uses, uses , and an d I have left Mary with instructi instr uctions ons on how to use it. She seems skeptical, but she has seen the stone. I leave tomorrow in search of the island. I hope to someday return to Mary. If the investigators are persuasive, he will be willing to allow them to read the

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notebook. If they are very persuasive, he might be willing to allow them to take the powder. The powder is the Dust of Suleiman, which does 1D20 worth of damage when thrown on a Mythos creature, such as the Toade. Stakuski has two applications of the powder. Stakuski spoke extensively with Russell (then Metz) and his two friends when they came to the village. Stakuski thinks that they might have been killed by the mafia or that they had some sort of falling out. Stakuski will say that Metz “had a look in his eyes...” and that he might have done something. Because he knows that Stakuski might recognize him, Russell will avoid him. The Black Stone The Black Stone stands on the summit of a mountain near the village. The monolith is roughly roughly octagonal in shape. It stands stands about sixteen feet high and and is about one and a half feet thick. The stone appears to have been highly polished a marked with strange symbols. The stone has been defaced and the symbols have  been badly damaged. The symbols on the stone do not appear to belong to any known language and they have been so damaged that is unlikely that anyone would be able to even attempt a translation. An investigator who makes a successful Archeology roll will note that the symbols seem vaguely like those found on a large, apparently man-worked stone found in the Yucatan. Most archaeologists have dismissed the Yucatan markings as being idle scratches or perhaps some type of art. If an investigator with Geology skill examines the stone and makes her skill roll, she will be able to tell that the rock appears to be volcanic in origin, but it definitely seems out of place in this area. The stone is surprisingly resistant to damage, although the use of modern equipment (powered drills) and explosives could break the stone into fragments. Unfortunately, physically damaging the stone will cause the stone to “yield” fragments and pieces of the horrible things that happened on or near it. The effect is that as the stone takes damage, people within 50 meters will have horrible images, feelings and sensations invade their minds. In game terms, for eve ry ten points of  damage done to the stone, anyone within 50 meters must make a Sanity roll. If the roll fails, the person loses 1 Sanity Point. If the roll succeeds, there is no loss. If the whole stone is blasted at once, their will be a massive “shockwave” that will cause a 1D6/1D20 Sanity loss to everyone within 50 meters, 1D3/1D10 Sanity loss to all within 100 yards, 1/1D6 Sanity loss to all within 150 yards, and 0/1D3 Sanity loss to all within 200 yards. The “shockwave” will cause bad dreams in people within 100 kilometers of the stone itself. If the stone is blasted to pieces, it will lose all its power and will simply be normal stone.

Visiting the Stone During the Day If the monolith is visited during the day, it will seem odd, out of place and spooky. However, nothing will happen.

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Visiting the Stone at Night Visiting the stone at night is not a very good idea. Those in the presence of the stone will feel a faint chill, as if something cold is brushing their spines. The shadows falling in the area create a very convincing illusion that the stone is at the center of a vast, alien city of forbidding towers and dark, unnatural spires. Bringing artificial lights makes the illusion even stronger, as the bright lights will make the shadows seem somehow more solid. Spending time in this area at night will cost one Sanity Point, unless the investigator makes a Sanity Roll. Visiting the Stone on Midsummer’s Night Visiting the stone on Midsummer's Night (June 23rd) is an exceptionally bad idea. As mentioned above, the stone has been imbued with the horror and madness that has occurred in its vicinity. This horror and madness is partially released every June 23rd. Anyone in the vicinity of the stone at this time will hear a faint moaning noise, which sounds almost like the wind through the trees. A scene from the past will be re-enacted near the stone by phantoms of the past. At midnight faint images of people will begin to form, growing more solid appearing as they move towards the stone. As they grow more solid looking, a priest will begin to lead them in an obscene ceremony. If a pe rson watches the events that happen from 12:00 to 12:30, he will one Sanity point unless he makes a Sanity Check. At 12:30 the ceremony picks up, with young women dancing about the stone while the priest lashes at their bodies with a leather whip. While the dancing is going on, the other cultists begin to lash some terrified looking people to a wooden log, obviously in preparation for a blood sacrifice. At 1:00, those still present must make a Sanity Check or lose 1D3 Sanity Sanity Points. From 1:00 to 1:30, the cultists continue continue their rituals, rituals, culminating in a bloody sacrifice at 1:30. When the blood spills to the ground, the image of a horrid toad-thing will appear over the stone. Those seeing this phantom will need to make a Sanity Check or lose 1D6 Sanity Points. A successful roll still results in a loss of one Sanity Point. The bloody sacrifice is, as mentioned above, merely a horrid phantom from the past. While it can cost Sanity, the images are merely reenacting a scene from the past and can cause no other harm. While the images appear solid, they can be walked through. Moving through the images will have no effect on the ceremony, but will cause the person to feel the horror with even greater intensity. In game terms, the person will need to make an extra Sanity Check each time she moves through one of the images. A failed roll costs one Sanity Point. The Ruins The ruins were Boris Vladinoff died are still present, although they have been covered with years of debris and plant growth. If the investigators decide to muck about in the ruins, they will be able to find some bones, but they will also be able to tell that the ruins have been well picked over.

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Action The main action will center around Russell. Russell’s general plan is to get the team to the monolith, summon the Lesser Toade and kill them all in a blood sacrifice. Russell is very cunning and will try to determine which of the investigators might  be dangerou da ngerouss or armed a rmed before taking action. action . If possible p ossible,, he will w ill try to damage dam age any a ny guns the investigators might have brought with them. If the adventure is not taking place near June 23rd, Russell will have a plan to deal with the investigators. His specific plan is this. First, he will talk the team into having a team picture taken at night. When they agree, he will summon the Lesser Toade and have it wait in a nearby cave. That night, he will say that he is going ahead to set up the lighting. He will do this, but he will also visit the Toade and tell it to attack when it sees the flash. Russell will rig up the lighting equipment to create a powerful, blinding flash of light. If the team members make a Luck roll, they will  be only on ly party pa rty blinded bl inded for 15 1 5 seconds sec onds (half ( half all a ll visual visu al based ba sed skill sk ill rolls, ro lls, such s uch as a s combat com bat skills). If they fail their Luck rolls, they will be blinded by the flash for 15 seconds (all visual based skills at 25% of normal) and partly blinded for another 15 seconds. After the flash goes off, the Lesser Toade will tear into the nearest person, ripping and biting. Meanwhile, Russell will pull out his 9mm and start blazing away. The Toade and Russell will do their best to kill everyone. If things go against them, Russell and the Toade will try to flee. If the investigators are visiting the stone in June, Russell will do his best to get them to visit the stone on the night of June 23rd. Russell will hope the events will cause some of the team to go mad, thus increasing his chances of defeating them. In this case, he will summon the lesser Toade, which will act as if it is merely another image from the past. The Toade will then watch the team, waiting for the events and its presence (seeing the Toade will require a separate Sanity Check) to take their toll on the team members. If some team members go insane, the Toade and Russell will take advantage of this to attack the team. The Lesser Toade will tear into the nearest person, ripping and biting. Meanwhile, Russell will pull out his 9mm and start blazing away. The Toade and Russell will do their best to kill everyone. If  things go against them, Russell and the Toade will try to flee.

Conclusion The adventure ends when the investigators defeat Russell and the Toa de, they flee, or they are killed (or go insane). If the investigators defeat Russell and the Toade, they should receive a 1D8 Sanity point award. If the investigators are able to destroy the monolith, they should receive an extra 1D10 Sanity point reward. If the investigators were working for Steiger Incorporated, they will be paid if they are able to complete their jobs. Steiger Incorporated will be very interested in hiring the investigators again in this case. If the investigators are unable to complete their  jobs or event e ventss go badly badl y (team (t eam members memb ers are killed, kill ed, for example exam ple), ), then t hen the Keeper Kee per will have to decide what happens.

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If the investigators flee without defeating Russell and the Toade, they will lose 1D3 Sanity Points. Russell will acquire sacrifices to bring back the “old religion” and he will soon gather a following of cultists and expand his operations. The investigators may return to face the greatly expanded evil at some point in the future.

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NPCs David Rolfe, Director STR: 14 CON: 15 SIZ: SIZ: 14 INT: 13 POW: 14 DEX: 13 APP: 13 EDU:19 EDU:19 SAN: 70 HP: 15 DB: +1D4 Important Skills: Bargain 55%, Credit Rating 45%, Direct 65%, Fast Talk 60%, Jump 45%, Law 15%, Mechanical Repair 40%, Occult 35%, German 25%, Russian 15%, Persuade 35%, Photography 27%, Psychology 37%, Spot Hidden 41%, Swim 55%, Handgun 40% Weapons: None Description: Rolfe is a tall, middle-aged man. He has tanned, weather-beaten skin,  black hair, and a neatly neatl y trimmed tr immed beard bear d and moustache moust ache.. He generally gene rally wears wear s “outdoor” style clothing when in the field. Rolfe is an experienced director and made his reputation covering various wars and disasters. Because of this, Rolfe is very good under pressure. He does not really believe in the supernatural, but will aid the investigators should he become convinced of its reality. Brent Travis, Vocal Talent STR: 11 CON:12 CON:12 SIZ: 13 INT: 11 POW: POW: 11 DEX: 10 APP: 15 EDU: EDU: 15 SAN: 55 HP: 13 DB: None Important Skills: Bargain 25%, Fast Talk 32%, German 45%, French 55%, Japanese 45%, Russian 11%, Persuade 55%, Psychology 25% Weapons: None Description: Travis is a handsome young man, with perfect hair, a perfect face, and a perfect voice. He dresses stylishly and favors expensive clothes. Travis is rather empty-headed and does not believe in the supernatural. If he encounters e ncounters anything dangerous or frightening, he will attempt to run away. Christopher Russell, Insane Photographer STR: 12 CON:13 SIZ:13 INT:14 POW: 12 DEX:14 APP:13 EDU:18 SAN:00 HP: 14 DB: +1D4 Important Skills: Bargain 21%, Fast Talk 35%, Hide 25%, Law 16%, Library Use 45%, Listen 35%, Mechanical Repair 37%, Occult 45%, Spanish 35%, French 25%, Persuade 24%, Pharmacy 15%, Photography 83%, Sneak 25%, Handgun 35% Weapons: 9mm Pistol 35% Damage 1D10 Range 20 yards Attacks 3 Shots 15 HP 8 Malfunction 99, Combat Knife 45% 1D4+2+1D4 HP 15, BlackJack 53%, Damage 1D8+1D4 HP 4. Spells: Contact Lesser Toade, Summon Lesser Toade Description: Russell (once known as Metz) is a thin, nervous looking man. He has  brown hair, which is thinning thi nning badly. badly . He is clearly cle arly well on his way to going go ing bald. ba ld. He He smokes constantly and dresses in out of date clothing, mostly army surplus. He always has at least two camera bags with him (one of which holds his 9mm). Russell is a very good photographer and clearly knows his job.

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Russell is completely insane and is the loyal servant of his new master. Despite his madness, Russell is extremely clever and is very adept at tricking people into getting what he wants. Russell prefers to deal with problems indirectly, through deception, tricks, ambushes and such. He always desires to have an advantage in any situation and will carefully plan his actions. Russell is very careful to maintain his image as an eccentric photographer and is careful to never have anything incriminating on his person or in his gear. Sam Gussett, Camera STR: 15 CON: CON: 14 SIZ:17 SIZ:17 INT: 13 POW:12 POW:12 DEX:9 APP:11 EDU: 14 SAN:60 SAN:60 HP: 16 DB: +1D4 Important Skills: Fast Talk 22%, Electrical Repair 55%, Electronics 15%, Drive Motorcycle 45%, Hide 25%, Law 15%, Mechanical Repair 60%, Operate Heavy Machinery 50%,Photography 50%,Photography 65% Weapons: Knife 35% Damage 1D4+1D4 HP 9 Description: Description: Sam is a very large, overweight man. He has dark brown hair, a thick  beard, and blue bl ue eyes. ey es. He generally genera lly wears we ars biker bik er style sty le clothing clo thing (leather (l eather jacket, jacke t, T-shirts, T-sh irts,  jeans,  jeans , and an d heavy he avy boots), boot s), a left over ove r from fro m his days in a motorcyc moto rcycle le gang. g ang. Sam is a skilled cameraman and able to lug around a lot of equipment. Sam has been in some nasty bar fights and is not afraid to have it out with people. Diane Gussett, Camera and Sound STR: 12 CON:13 SIZ: 11 INT:14 POW:12 DEX:14 APP:12 EDU: 15 SAN: 60 HP: 12 DB: None Important Skills:Fast Skills:Fast Talk 25%, Electrical Repair 35%, Electronics 25%, Drive Motorcycle 35%, Hide 20%, Listen 55%, Mechanical Repair 35%,Photography 60%, Sound Recording 60% Weapons: None Description: Diane is a thin, wiry women, with sharp and harsh features. She dresses like her husband, Sam. She has dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. She found God a few years ago and made Sam leave the gang and take up an honest life. Because of her religious beliefs, Diane does believe in the supernatural. Geoff Stakuski, Old Man STR: 9 CON:10 SIZ: 12 INT:14 POW:12 DEX:14 APP:12 EDU: 15 SAN: 60 HP: 12 DB: None Important Skills: Bargain 45%, Electrical Repair 32%, First Aid 55%, Hide 55%, History 48%, Mechanical Repair 75%, Natural History 35%, Operate Heavy Machinery 56%, German 55%, English 24%, Handgun 2 8%, Machine Gun 55%, Rifle 45% Weapons: 12-gauge Double Barrelled Shotgun 60% Damage 4D6/2D6/1D6 Shots 2 Range 10/20/50 yards HP 12 Description: Stakuski is an extremely old man, with white hair. He keeps his hair very short and does not have a beard. Stakuski was in the SS during WWII, but he

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has long since put the war behind him. As mentioned above, Stakuski has useful information for the investigators.

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Creatures Lesser Toade

Description: The Lesser Toades are hideous, toad-like beings. These horrid creatures are servants of Tsathoggua and are related, in some odd way, to the Formless Spawn. The Toades are intelligent, speak many human languages and often serve as emissaries for Tsathoggua when that horrid deity has business in the world. They look like very large toads with oddly gelatinous bodies. Unlike typical toads, the Toades are huge, have jagged black fangs, and sharp claws. In battle, Toades attack with both claws and bite at their foes with their crooked and jagged teeth. Because of  their odd, gelatinous composition, Toades sustain only half damage from kinetic energy weapons, such as guns and knifes. All Toades know two spells, Contact Tsathoggua, Contact Formless Spawn. Characteristics R o l l s

Averag e

Stats

STR

3D6+6

1 6 -1 7

18

CON

2D6+6

13

16

SIZ

3D6+8

1 8 -19

21

PO W

3D6+3

1 3 -1 4

15

DEX

3D6

1 0 -1 1

12

HP

1 5 -1 6

19

Damage Bonus

+1D6

+1D6

Move: 7 Weapons: Two claws, 55% 1D6+db, Bite, 55%, 1D10 Armor: None, but a Toade sustains half damage from all kinetic energy weapons. Spells:Contact Tsathoggua, Contact Formless Spawn Sanity Loss: 1/1D8

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Handouts Handout #1 An aide brought to[the Count} a small lacquered case which had been taken from the famed Turkish scribe and historian, Selim Bahadur, who had fallen in the fight. The Count took therefrom a roll of parchment and began to read, but he had not read far before he turned pale and, without saying a word, replaced the parchment in the case and thrust the case into his cloak. At that very instant, a hidden Turkish  battery  batte ry opened o pened fire, and ... . .. the th e walls wa lls crash[ed cr ash[ed]] down dow n in ruin, complete comp letely ly coverin co vering g the Count. Handout #2 We have seen the horror that plagues this place on Midsummer’s Night. It is something that is not to be spoken or written of. Dr. Harveld thinks that it is just an image from the past, somehow electrically trapped in the stone itself. I think it is something far worse.

I have returned again to the village to visit Mary again. She is a fine woman, but the things I have seen and experienced prevent me from asking for her hand. After all, how can I promise to protect her, when there is no protection from Them? However, I can do some small thing for her. I finally learned the secret in the Arab scroll and found that the dust is as acid to the horrors. I have created a beaker of the dust, sufficient for two uses, and I have left Mary with instructions on how to use it. She seems skeptical, but she has seen the stone. I leave tomorrow in search of the island. I hope to someday return to Mary.

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Review: Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight, LucasArts Ricardo J. Méndez, [email protected] 5 out of 5 System requirements 100% Windows 95, DirectX compatible computer Pentium 133 MHz (Pentium 166 MHz recommended) PCI graphics card (graphic accelerator recommended) 16 MB RAM, 32 MB recommended 2x CD-ROM, 4x or better recommended

I played my head out when I found DooM. I also did it it with DooM II, but  bythe end I was already al ready more than a little tired of it. Then I found LucasArts' Dark Forces, their first foray into the first person shooter that took things so much beyond what DooM had accomplished. Its extensive, wonderful levels, strong story and great variety of missions made such a strong impression on me that I decided that 2-1/2D engines couldn't be taken  beyond  beyon d that, tha t, and an d I stoppe s topped d playing pla ying shooters shoot ers until u ntil Quake came out. But then I got a PC Gamer issue with a preview of Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight and its true 3D engine. By this moment, Jedi Knight has gathered quite a few awards. PC Gamer's Game of the Year, Computer Gaming's Game of the Year, Gamecenter's Action Game of the Year and Gamespot's Best Action Game of the Year are only a few of  the waves this game game is generating. You have most likely read a review already, already, and also read somewhere on the net that it doesn't measure up to Quake or Quake II standards in graphics, or that it's AI is less than stellar, or that the deathmatch mode can't even start to lick Quake's boots. Well, if you're an action gamer and you haven't checked out Jedi Knight you're really cheating yourself out of one of the best games out there. Indeed, the models used for the enemies have less polygons than Quake's, and indeed it doesn't include include cooperative mode. But what else is there about Quake  beside  bes idess high-p hi gh-poly olygon gon count cou nt enemie ene mies? s? Lots Lot s of o f runni r unning ng around aro und and running run ning into switches. When I downloaded the Quake shareware version, I was blown away. It was the

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most impressive graphics that I had seen, and they moved quite smoothly on my Pentium 90. As eager as the next guy, I started running around, shooting my enemies off the face of the planet and opening as many doors as I could to get to the next level. About the same thing on the next next level, and the next, and the next... When I got to the end of the first episode, I was so bored with the repetitive gameplay and I never got around to buy buy the full retail version. version. At the same time, I started waiting for Jedi Knight. I waited for about two years for it to come out, in fact. When I was finally able to get my greedy paws on the demo, which I was a little disappointed at first to see that included only one level. But by the time I had finished that impressive, huge, huge, well designed level, I just had to sit back and breath for a moment before I started it again. I played it from start to end for about 3 times before I got myself a 3D accelerator. And then I had to play it all over again to see it in a whole new light, and ran to the store to get a copy of the full version. Send Quake to the scrap pile. It was *then* that I was really blown away.  Jedi  Jed i Knigh K nightt had ha d all a ll the t he featur fea tures es Quake Qua ke didn't did n't have: have : logi l ogical cal enviro env ironme nments, nts, story sto ry and level related puzzles, great cutscenes to advance the story, two camera modes (first and third person), incredible levels, duels with o ther Jedi and something that Quake had never heard about: a branching story that depends on how you act. Let's start with that. Please stop me if you've heard this this one before. You're a young man called Kyle Katarn, and you just learned that your father got murdered by a Dark Jedi. You embark on a trip for revenge and adventure, discovering meanwhile that you have powers inside inside you that you didn't know. The power of the Force. But that's unfair. After this rather familiar familiar start, the game develops a story of its own, a story that unfolds with each mission and that differs later on depending if  you choose the Dark Side Side or the Light Side. You'll find more and more about what is going on when you finish the levels via cutscenes that mesh perfectly with the story. Only in Realms of the Haunting I have seen live action video meshed so well with the game. The level design in Jedi Knight is impressive. The levels in the game are fully working pieces of a greater world: you get aqueducts, ventilation system, innocent  by-standers  by-stande rs fending off thugs, thug s, even eve n bar brawls. b rawls. The weapon selection hasn't hasn't changed much since since Dark Forces. Some weapons have been modified, modified, though. For example, the sequencer sequencer charges can now be set on walls. There are only two additions: the tusken bowcaster, and the Jedi Light Saber.  Just let me say s ay that when you find the light saber, sabe r, the t he other o ther weapons weap ons will start gathering dust, and yes, you can deflect laser fire with it and chop arms off. Han Solo never knew how wrong he was about old religions and blasters. And speaking of which, which, the old religions are alive alive and well. One of the great things Jedi Knight has are the Force Powers. There are 4 general force powers, and 5 for each side of the the force. This introduces a small small roleplaying element element to the game, since you have to assign Force Stars to these force powers and the number of Force Stars they have assigned will indicate how strong you are in that power. Force Stars

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are won at fixed points during the game. I strongly suggest that you look for for each and every secret on a game, since that will get you an extra force star. The good news is, secrets are relatively simple to find if you're careful. Hard to reach areas or slightly cracked walls are premium candidates for secret rooms. The music in Jedi Knight is a nice mix of John Williams' original soundtrack, and is linked to the sections sections of the levels in a great way. For example, the generic music will start to change to the the Cantina Band Theme when you get near a bar. And I've got to say that there is nothing mo re ominous that when the music suddenly go es silent and start playing dark notes when you're about to open a massive door. The game includes 21 levels, levels, 7 of which are duels with with Dark Jedi. These are maybe the best part of the game, and you'll have to carefully examine e xamine their fighting method, since there is not one technique technique that will work for all of them. They are also played best from the third person view. Multiplayer games are quite good, and here are two modes: Capture the Flag Flag and Jedi Training (death (death match). But the multiplayer games have a great twist on them, since each player can configure his character both with different force powers and physically. If you're thinking Bobba Fett with a light saber, you can get it. And last but not least, this game might be one of the best reason to get a 3D accelerator. It doesn't just give you eye candy, but the level of detail that is added to the game is amazing. You'll be able to see traps better, you'll see the shadows your light saber casts or displaces on dark corners, and you'll see it all with no performance hit. As if we weren't getting enough, the game is one of the most stable games I've played. In the countless hours hours I've spent on it (having finished finished it twice, once for each side of the force), it hasn't crashed on me even once. Not in multiplayer games, not on the single player games. For all it's good things, there are a couple of things that could have been improved. The two paths don't differ that much. They give you a different set of force powers, and there is one duel that is different. Also, there are a few more cutscenes in the Light Side, although the Dark Side has a quite more satisfying ending; but I had had hoped for at least an extra level for each side. Oh, and the average enemy AI is just plain dumb. Once you relieve them from their weapons, they'll just run around and not even try topick them up or punch you. But don't worry, the duel AI more than makes up for the rest of the grunts. While the cutscenes are good and the rendered scenes are great, the actor that plays Kyle is just plain bad. bad. I'm sure he was selected just because because he looked like the art on the first game, although the drawing was a better actor. The game could also have used a replay camera á la Tie Fighter for the duels and some nice scenes that just just happen. It is something that that is sorely missing, missing, and apparently it is not going to be fixed in the upcoming expansion set. But let's wrap things things up. Believe me, if you've had the patience to read this far, you should just go out and get Jedi Knight. If you have the bucks, get a Stealth II while you're at it and play it with hardware acceleration. And when you're awed by the architecture, just remember that it gets better as the game goes on.

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Tips and tricks - The levels weren't thrown in at a whim, young jedi. When you are stuck on some puzzle, try to act as you would if you were inside a Star Wars movie. - Use the external camera Luke. At least when you're using the light saber. - Use Force Pull on your enemies, and they will just run around like blind pigs and you'll be able to do some nice saber practice on them. - There is a point in the game where you can assign force stars to both light and dark powers. Whatever stars you assign to the light side will be lost if you choose the dark side later on, and the other way around. - The AT-ST can be harmed only by explosions or your light saber. - When dueling with the Dark Jedi, don't bother to use anything but the Light Saber and your force powers. powers. They seem to be almost immune immune to any other kind of  weapon. - On multiplayer games, try the following: place 4 or 5 sequencers one on top of the other, and then slowly slowly walk away. The explosion will kill anyone nearby when when it goes off.

Review: Archimedean Dynasty From Blue Byte and Massive Entertainment Ricardo J. Méndez, [email protected] 4 1/2 out of 5 System Requirements - 486/100MHz or better (Pentium 90MHz recommended), 8 MB RAM (16 recommended) - Hi-Color SuperVGA 640x480 (supports 3DGFX chips) - Sound Blaster or compatible sound card - CD-ROM drive (double speed or  better), joystick recommended

Blue Byte Software (Publisher) http://www.bluebyte.com/ http://www.bluebyte.com/ Massive Entertainment (Developer) http://www.massive.de/ http://www.massive. de/ Finally, it has happened. We blew one nuke nuke too many, and humanity has been forced to live under the the sea by its own carelessness. carelessness. There is has thrived thrived for

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hundreds of years, clustering on several communities all around the globe, usually where old underwater mines were set, separated of course by the same social issues that divided them when on the surface. Now it's the year 2661, some good 600 years after the cataclysm ca taclysm started aboveground. On that scenario your adventure adventure starts. There you are, Emerald "Dead Eye" Flint, Flint, one of the best sub pilots in all of Aqua, plowing along on the quiet seas, guarding a sulphur shipment and wondering why someone thought that sulphur would need such a high escort. But suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere a group strikes, stealing the cargo you were guarding and destroying your sub with barely enough time for you to escape on a life pod without a clue about who would want to steal sulphur so bad as to attack a heavily guarded boat. It also leaves you with bad news to report to your employer, a grumpy mancalled El Topo, who sent you on the mission. Who might as well have set you up, for all you know. So begins Archimedean Dynasty. To be completely sincere, when I saw the advertisement for the game on early 1997 I didn't take it too seriously. When a game promises to be the "underwater simulation of the decade", with among other things an "impressive arsenal of weapons", interaction "with hundreds of characters" and a "realistic motion simulation", you just can't take it too seriously. But then I started reading favorable reviews and comments about it, so I decided to go for it. Well, I have to say that that this game gets 99% of everything right. right. Even the box in which the darned game comes in. It's an amazing surprise to see a game that really delivers all that it claims on its advertisements. But Archimedean Dynasty manages to deliver in almost each and every aspect. There are a few details, but we'll get to them eventually. Let's first talk about the game itself. The long video introduction is not just window dressing, but the setting in a carefully designed mix of action and adventure with a little dash of trading. Yes, this game is not just another shoot-em-up, but has a storyline that you follow along with its missions, and several side missions that you can choose to take if you wish. We could say that there are two play modes, and you're constantly going from one to the other during the game. One consists of traveling traveling from city to city, having conversations with the locals to gather information; upgrading, repairing or restocking your submarine; and maybe take on a mission or two. The other is the combat mode, where you are on the sub and have to fight your way to whatever the mission goals are. The missions are plentiful, plentiful, varied and interesting. Some consists of your typical kind: protect someone, take a package from city A to city B, destroy ship X, etc; but others are somewhat different, like escaping from pursuers or delivering and picking up a diver who has to deliver a bomb. What makes the missions really stand apart form the pack is the way that they are

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implemented. On a bodyguard mission mission you spend some time quietly swimming along the mother ship with the other gu ards, listening to their engines and all of  their radio chat. Suddenly you an enemy sub comes into view and all your comrades jump into action, action, their chatter changing. You can almost taste the switch from boredom to sudden urgency on those messages. The sub simulation is nothing to to scoff at, either. Underwater currents are simulated, and if you learn to ride them you can sometimes just turn off your engines and glide along undetected by the enemies. Also, your ship's shape affects it's performance underwater, as do the kind of engine you have put on it, the angle at which you're going and a lot of other small details. All of those details are explained in not one but two printed manuals. The User's Manual has both the explanation of how the game works and all the background information by way of stories, transcription of speeches, timelines and even a map of how is the world organized today; and the Weapons Manual describes all the different subs, vehicles, torpedoes, magazines, turrets, engines, armour and a host of  other add-ons, including software that will allow you to automate the turrets in case you wish to do so. Besides taking missions, another way that you can make money is a rather simplistic implementation of trading. Some cities sell and buy equipment equipment at higher prices than others (and the way they're distributed makes perfect sense, by the way), so you can make a pretty penny out of knowing where to sell that special magazine you just got at a fair deal. Unfortunately, you can only only sell the equipment you have installed, and all the tripping back and forth can get a little repetitive. But with all this this banter we're leaving out the real star: the story. The problem with the "sulphur" shipment is just the beginning on a intricate plot which is further developed after after you solved the problem. Every time you do something something relevant to the story, story, you'll be rewarded with with a cutscene that advances advances it. All of  these are simple but great looking, and have voice overs by Flint himself explaining what is going on, or rather, rather, what he believes is going going on. The actor they chose to play Flint's voice really fills the part as the world-weary underwater warrior. So, if it's so great why not give it a 5 out of 5? Well, it does have some minor problems and details. details. The engine slowed down sometimes on my K6-166MHz on uncomplicated scenes, but that's understandable since the engine is taking a lot of  items into account like about a three dozen ships, water current, torpedoes and so. There were also some clipping problems, and on one weird occasion I found myself  at -100 meters *below* the bottom of the the ocean, which is impossible. impossible. On a funny detail, sometimes when you blow up a ship a small corpse stays floating on the water but when you shoot at them the corpse explodes too, as if it was full of  powder. Also, some of the later missions missions can take you about half an hour to finish, finish, and since you can't save during a mission replaying them can get a little annoying. And In these days of 3D acceleration, the vanilla graphics look a little bit dated. When you get to the e nding of the game, it's so satisfying that all this minor quibbles don't really matter. And since Massive is working on a sequel, the best thing you can do for yourself is getting Archimedean Dynasty right now that Blue

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Byte is offering it at the ridiculous price of US$10 and play your head out until the second part comes along. I just hope that it includes Direct3D support. Tips and tricks

- Stick to the bottom of the ocean when being chased by torpedoes. - The sonar helps, but not always. When an enemy is trying to lock on youfor a torpedo attack, turn it off so that the your noise level is reduced. - When destroying turrets, turn off  sonar and engines (not the same as  juststopp  justs topping) ing) so that th at they th ey don't d on't detect dete ct you. y ou. - Ride the currents whenever possible. - Turret software to target torpedoes helps, but it is better to have software that targets your enemies, even if if with a low accuracy. That way you'll keep them too  busy to fire any torpedoes torped oes at all. a ll. - Some places sell equipment at a higher price than others, so you can make a pretty penny via arms dealing. Later on the game and depending on what you trade, you can make over 30,000 credits on one trip. And believe me, you'll need need the money to pay for all the upgrades. (Graphics for this review were downloaded from the developer’s and distributors’s web sites.)