Cepheus Journal #3 is avaiable!

"The Cepheus Journal is a free and ad-free Fanzine for the Cepheus Engine RPG. We will cover all sorts of settings that uses the Cepheus Engine rules. That could be Science Fiction, Fantasy, Modern, Historical and more."

The Contents:

• Alpha Centauri
• The Quarlon
• Additional Shield Rules for Sword of Cepheus
• Disarm Rules for Sword of Cepheus
• Factions
• People’s Army of Vietnam Rifle Platoon
• Vega Subsector
• Provincial Cruiser
• The Gebbebem
• Tau Ceti
• TSAO Review
• The Nissi

Excerpts from Disarm Action and Shield Rules

Whiteshadow, a PC sorcerer, is Charmed by an enemy magician. The enemy instructs him to disarm Cuthden Redfang, his comrade, who is attentively watching the stairwell down to the next dungeon level. Redfang is guarding against an attack from below, so he does not notice what Whiteshadow is doing. The Referee decides Whiteshadow gets Surprise in his lunge for Redfang's two-handed sword.

Whiteshadow: No STR DM, +1 for Melee Cbt, +2 for Surprise, total +3

Redfang: +1 STR DM, +2 for Melee Cbt, +1 for heavier weapon, +1 for wielding a sword, total +5.

Redfang's player threw a 4 +5=9. Whiteshadow's player threw 5+3=8. Whiteshadow fails to get the sword out of Redfang's hands. Now Whiteshadow's player gets to do some role-playing to explain his curious behavior. Redfang is unlikely to attack his comrade without clear evidence of treachery, but Surprise is lost. Without it, Whiteshadow's chance of success is slim.

The Shield of Sligh the Invincible

This mythical weapon of great potency guarded the mightiest warrior of the Eastern Steppes as he waged relentless war on the Central Kingdoms. It was described by some as a circle of mirror-bright metal which no sword or ax could mar nor dull. Fearlessly Sligh stood against hordes of foes bearing the shield which only he was strong enough to hold. At the Battle of the Sundered Slopes he alone held a narrow defile against the Army of Five Kings while his forces raised a breastwork in the gorge behind him. 

After his death the Shield of Sligh became the prize in a mighty tournament fought by the Five Kings, as they all coveted it. A mysterious knight calling himself The Disinherited One entered the contest, and besting all comers, rode off with the Shield. None were able to follow him, or learn what his right name was. The shield vanished from men's tales after that contest. 

Yes, these are the two bits that I wrote for this issue.

Here's a Link to Issue 002

Here's a Link to Issue 001

Check it out!

Play Report - Mission on Mithril

Finally, after 38 years.

A Mission on Mithril Play Report

While my elder son was home on leave from the Air Force (Flyers, term 1) we got in a little Traveller. With his time at home limited, we opted for a standalone adventure rather than launching a new campaign. What better time to go ad fontes (back to the sources)? At their request, I pulled down Mission on Mithril.

MoM may seem like a very 'linear' adventure. On inspection it has enough variety & flexibility that you could run it over and over, with a different adventure each time.

The general layout of the adventure is this: a small Scout ship crew are stranded on Mithril in the Sword Worlds. Mithril is cold, as in arctic cold, and almost uninhabited. The Class E starport does not draw much traffic, so the chance of beneficial starship encounters is low.

Their ship has a malfunction which prevents them from jumping out-system. 

What Kills Travellers?

“I've treated bullet holes, knife wounds, laser burns . . .” - a frustrated ship's Medic to his Captain.

“Some of our jobs are more interesting than others,” - the Captain.

The Universe of Traveller is full of danger. The mini-game that is character generation (rather than character creation) emphasizes the fact that a Traveller universe can be deadly. But what particular things are likely to kill a Traveller?

 

Simple answer: bullets. Most fights in Traveller are gun fights, and it takes only 2-3 bullets to end a Traveller. So avoid those. But how, you ask?

I considered this question after reading Rick Stump's blog post on Low Level Encounters in D&D. In that game, PCs at lower levels are fragile and not powerful. They tend to die a lot. Traveller PCs are not “first level”, but their experience does not make them more resistant to damage, unlike D&D. TTB has no guidance at all about how difficult any type of encounter may be. The Referee can put any obstacle in the PCs' way.

Rick identified four factors that the Referee must keep in mind to avoid creating Killer Encounters resulting in a TPK. I have nowhere near Rick's amount of experience as a Referee, so I take his ideas as a guide. Looking at the rules, these four things are what players, rather than Referees, should watch out for.

Four Things

Product Review - Cepheus Atom

Cepheus Atom by Omer Golan-Joel; published by Stellagama Publishing through DriveThruRPG.com

I'm using my old review format from the Amber Zone reviews to discuss this game book.

C-Atom is a compact (less than 50 pages of rules!, and that's digest-sized pages) rules-light game set on Earth, after a cataclysmic war that ended the world. Nuclear weapons, poison gas, germ bombs, you name it. All the nasty stuff you can think of has happened. C-Atom is not set up for complex characterizations, and nuanced interactions with exactingly detailed NPC societies. It's a 1950's vintage Atomic Horror movie. The author calls it a “beer and pretzels” game.

Location: The game's setting implies that the whole Earth was affected by the Final War. So the PCs can begin play in their own home town if they want, or pick any place on the planet. It's terrible most everywhere, though, so expect trouble wherever you begin.

Mission: Survive! Maybe the PCs can find someplace that isn't ruined by Contamination where they can find a bit of peace and begin to rebuild the world. The rebuilding part, however, is outside the scope of the game.

Complications: There are mutants and monsters and out-of-control robots aplenty to ruin the PC's day. Even the environment is out to get you; Contamination is everywhere, and will Mutate you with enough exposure. Most of your equipment must be scrounged. Fortunately there are some high-tech goodies to be found - like Jetpacks!

Strong Points: C-Atom gets a lot done in not a lot of space. PCs and NPCs are super-fast to create, and with a familiar setting (Earth) play can get started right away. The game's objectives and story-focus is not limited – it's precise. It is trying to do just one thing, and that it does nicely. Imaginative players can throw in whatever sub-plots they may want, or concentrate on blasting that next Lobstrosity or Spidergoat before their ammo runs out.

Weak Points: Okay, a quibble. Mutations are referred to in one place as Flaws and Perks, but not in the tables that explicate what the mutations actually do. It should be consistent.

What I'd change: This setting is not my cup of coffee, but like every other RPG product I get my hands on, I pored over it looking for things I can use in Traveller (and now also Cepheus Light & Sword of Cepheus). So not to change, but to <ahem> borrow: the Mutations fit in well with my concept of Genetically Modified Humans. C-Atom presents Mutations both beneficial and baneful, and I'll use both. The Contamination idea in general is usable as a different environmental hazard to encounter. The Unusual Weather table is handy – throw a quick complication at the PCs while they're out exploring.

In My Traveller Universe: Mutations, radiation and nasty WMD's could appear anywhere in my TU.

To Sum Up: A mechanically-simple game that your game group might try for a change of pace. It is simple enough in concept and execution to spring on a party or family get together for an impromptu game that will surely bring lots of laughs. Not a game for the serious role-player, or for those who don't want to suddenly develop Laser Eyes.

Omer was kind enough to send me a complimentary copy of Cepheus Atom. 

The Perfect RPG Book?

 According to James Maleszewski, author of the blog Grognardia (far more knowledgeable and prolific than I am), there is a perfect RPG book, and it is:

The Traveller Book.

It has been my Traveller rules-of-reference since I got my copy as a gift from and old friend. Mine doesn't have the dust jacket, and I've penciled in lots of house rules, and stuck in rules/ideas printed from other sources. It is the book I turn to when I need to know the order of results on the Rumor Table or what small craft a Type-C cruiser has aboard. I admit that after 30 years, I've got so much of the rules memorized (or think I do) that I don't have to consult it except for details like table entries. I even wrote an index for it once, just for practice.

Read James' explanation here.

Image borrowed from Wayne's Books.

Military Reputations in the Corriodor

This is a panel from a G I Joe: A Real American Hero comic from back in the late 1980's. I've edited the text balloons a bit to reflect the situation in Holtzmann's Corridor. In case it's not obvious, a Raid and Hostage Rescue has just taken place. 

Now this is just a bit of silly fun on a Friday night, but it does reflect a bit of the political rivalry that exists in my Church and Empire setting. 

What could be said about the Pocket Empires or the Third Imperium & its rivals in your game?

Bonus points if you have this issue, and can tell me who these two mercenaries were actually talking about.