Cthulhu Insanity Dice Now On Kickstarter! Simplify Those Fear & Insanity Checks!

Ben Burns of Dark Cult Games just launched his Kickstarter for Cthulhu Insanity Dice. This set of two 10-sided dice are perfect for horror RPGs when the players fail a fear check or lose that last bit of remaining sanity. One dice has 10 different fear reactions: babbling incoherently, explosive rage, flee in panic, faint dead away, etc. The other dice has 10 phobias that could surface when the player takes enough mental damage. These dice are going to be an invaluable addition for any horror RPG player. And it's only $13 for a set! Check them out!

[Review] Evenings Of Terror For Chill 1e & Cryptworld

And now a review of one of my favorite supplements for any RPG system…

Evenings of Terror is a compilation of nine mini-adventures for the Pacesetter’s original Chill RPG. (By extension, this supplement is also backwards-compatible with Cryptworld.) Each of the horrific scenarios within this supplement are one-shots, designed to be played within a single session – the “evenings of terror” referred to in the title.

As many of you know, I’m a big fan of “microadventures”. (Heck, my Mutant Future supplement One Year In The Savage AfterWorld was directly inspired by the “quick hit” nature of the adventures in Evenings of Terror!) So this collection of Chill one-shots really scratches an itch of mine.

Each adventure is narrow in scope, taking place in a single well-defined locale, for example, a small town in the middle of nowhere or within the confines of a classic “haunted house”. There’s even one adventure that takes place in the confines of a single room! (It’s also one of my favorites Chill adventures to run at a convention.) Each of the adventures from Evenings of Terror is self-contained with a set-up and PC introduction, the adventure itself, and a resolution at the end. Each also has every NPC statted up, as well as the THING(s) lurking in the shadows. For the price of one adventure, you get nine separate horrific journeys for your players to investigate and…perhaps…survive.

Before I give you an overview of the individual adventures that make up the Evenings of Terror supplement, I need to warn those of you who may play in any of these that I might reveal the plots and twists of each one, so SPOILER SPACE FOLLOWS HERE:

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The Epidemic – Animals are disappearing throughout DeWitt, Indiana, and the players are sent to investigate. As the PCs check out the little town, the animals return…changed, somehow. This adventure is a fun little romp as the PCs try to figure out where the numerous pets have gone. And when the townfolks begin to vanish as well, they’ll have their hands full!

Lanier House – A new twist on the classic “haunted house” tale, the PCs are sent to find out what happened to the last folks who entered the supposedly haunted house. Is it a ghost or poltergeist causing the mischief? Or is it something more malevolent? (Spoiler alert: Ever seen Monster House?)

A Little Room – One of my favorite scenarios. McClellan Manor in Ontario has a terrible curse. Anyone who enters the mansion’s Overlook Room on July 19 will find themselves trapped within. On the morning of July 20, the door will reopen and the victim will be found dead. It’s said that the curse will be broken if anyone can survive the night until sunrise. A great locked-room adventure that takes place over 8 hours in one room.

Animal House – People are missing in Chicago, and unusual pet behavior is reported. The link? A mysterious veterinarian all of the missing persons visited in the days leading to their disappearance. When the PCs get too close, they may share the victim’s fate! The weakest entry, as it’s a bit of a railroad for the PCs.

The House on the Hill – The townspeople whisper that strange and foreboding experiments are underway at the house of Dr. Frankenberg. His hunched assistant beckons the players to enter as lightning flashes in the sky. It’s a scene straight out of a 1950s horror movie, but it can’t be this straight-forward, can it? A classic bait-and-switch scenario that will cure the PCs of jumping to conclusions.

Still Life – A talentless painter is suddenly creating masterworks of artistic reknown. Any who criticize these work, however, are later found murdered. However, the artist always has an iron-clad alibi. What otherworldly “deals” have been made, and what can the PCs do to break the spell? A very unusual THING haunts this adventure, and it will give your players chills!

Rounded By A Sleep – Anyone who falls asleep in Room 1010 of the Devereaux Hotel never wakes up again as they die peacefully in their sleep. Is something killing people from beyond the realm of dreams…and nightmares? A tough adventure for the PCs as they must fight the THING on its home turf – the dreaming realm!

Crime Magazine – A private eye saw two people who were shot and killed get up and walk away. He’s invited the PCs (known to dabble in “weird stuff”) to help him investigate the seedy underworld when ghouls meet gangsters! Femme fatales and mob bosses are all after a cursed object that leaves death in its wake. An adventure with a 1930’s noir twist.

Haunt Thy Native Place – A stopover in the quiet town of Tall Rock becomes a fight for survival as a dangerous creature watches the players with interest…and hunger. How fast can the players get to the bottom of this supposedly peaceful setting? A pretty standard horror adventure but fun nonetheless. 

Oh, and what of Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark? How does she fit into all of these scenarios? She doesn’t. Elvira provides an intro and outro for each adventure written in the style of our favorite horror hostess. Her photos grace the pages throughout too, but those of you fearful that this was somehow an adventure series “starring” Elvira need not worry.

As a fledgling CM, Evenings of Terror taught me that you didn’t need a world-spanning campaign that takes months or years to complete. If you want to run a quick night of horror with a host of new and unusual creatures for your Chill/Cryptworld players, I recommend you pick up a copy of this great sourcebook. You can get it for less than $10 at Noble KnightGames.

RPG-A-DAY 2015 Day 20: Favorite Horror RPG...Pacesetter Chill / Cryptworld

20. FAVORITE HORROR RPG...

Pacesetter Chill (First Edition) / Cryptworld

Timemaster was my first Pacesetter RPG. Once my group got the hang of the Action Table, we fell in love with the simplicity of the system. Wanting to cut our teeth on some horror gaming, it was only natural that we picked up and began playing Chill.

Chill's theme struck an immediate chord with my group. Rather than fighting creatures we were never going to defeat (Call of Cthulhu) or becoming the monsters ourselves (Nightlife), Chill put the players in the roles of monster hunters who might actually be able to WIN versus The Unknown. Chill's THINGS were also familiar horror tropes -- vampires, werewolves, mummies -- rather than undefinable Lovecraftian horrors, which was great for my non-Lovecraft-reading friends. For years, our brave team of secret SAVE members fought back the evil encroaching upon the living world.

When Chill 2e by Mayfair came along, I never really got into it. I think primarily it's because the Action Table was abandoned (sacrilege!), but also that the feel and theme of the game moved away from the "movie monster horror" genre I so dearly loved. So I stuck with classic Chill 1e, collecting all of Pacesetter's products and modules, and running games at conventions over the years to keep the classic horror flame alive.

Nowadays, those players who love the Chill RPG -- either 1e or 2e -- have even MORE horrific gaming choices. There's a new third edition of Chill that picked up where the Mayfair edition left off. And, of course, Pacesetter Action Table horror gaming has been revitalized by Goblinoid Games with the release of Cryptworld -- a game I'm proud to have had a hand in.

Pacesetter/Mayfair Chill (And Cryptworld) Conversion Notes

"Does anyone have a table or conversion tool to convert Pacesetter Chill stats over to Mayfair Chill, and vice-versa?"

It's a request that seems to pop up every so often. The first edition of Chill (and Cryptworld, of course!) and the second edition of Chill are somewhat close in system compatibility, but there are some differences that make mechanical crossovers bothersome. So some basic conversion notes and guidelines would be of use.

A web search some time ago unearthed an old Chill fansite from 1999 via the Internet Wayback Machine. Known as "The Home of Doctor TOC," the site compiled a bunch of Chill-related materials at his webpage. One of those pages is a compiled list of the differences between the Pacesetter edition and the Mayfair edition of the classic horror RPG along with some helpful conversion notes. And, with a bit of reverse engineering, you can use Mayfair Chill supplements with Pacesetter Chill. (And Cryptworld, of course!)

I'm a bit surprised this site is still available, but I fear the information could disappear at any time. So I thought I'd grab the data presented there and post it here for future envoys. I've made some slight formatting updates, but am presenting the info here in the manner in which it was presented at the original site. And my thanks to "Doctor TOC" for posting it in the first place!

CHILL: FROM OLD TO NEW

Rules variations between 1st and 2nd Edition Chill

This doesn't cover all changes, but the most important follow. Most changes and additions from Things and Creature Feature are also included in the CHILL hardcover book: those changes and additions are not noted herein.
In the descriptions that follow, “Then” refers to how that rule was in old Pacesetter Chill, and “Now” refers to how the same rule works in the Mayfair CHILL hardcover book.

The Following Chart Summarizes Results of Specific Checks (T# = Target Number):

L = T# through (T# - tens digit) + 1
M = T# - tens digit through (T# + 2) +1
H = T# + 2 through tens digit +1
C = 1 through tens digit
Example: T# = 66: TD = 6
L = T# thru (T# - TD) +1
L = 66 thru (66 - 6) +1 = 66 thru 61
M = T# - TD thru (T# +2) +1
M = 66- 6 thru (66 + 2) + 1 = 60 thru 34
H = T# + 2 thru TD +1
H = 66 + 2 thru 6 + 1 = 33 thru 7
C = 1 thru TD
C = 1 thru 6

THE ACTION TABLE
The old Pacesetter Action Table is gone. The major thing replacing it is a sliding scale which works in the following way:
When rolling, the number you are trying to roll less than or equal to is called the Target Number, or #. Any roll higher than the T# is a failure.
There are four types of successful results: L, a low result; M, a medium result; H, a high result; and C, a colossal result. There is no longer an S result.
* If the number rolled lies within 10 of the T# or equals the T#, the result is an L.
* If the number rolled is between 1 and 10% of the T#, the result is a C.
* If the number rolled is not already a C or an L result, it is either an M result or an H result. To determine which, first divide the T# in half, rounding any fractions down. If the number rolled is greater than half the T#, the result is an M. If the number rolled is less than or equal to half the T#, the result is an H. (See the following screened example.)
You may have noticed that the M and H results on the Result Table on p. 248-9 of the CHILL book do not match the above summary and number line. This is because the Result Table neglects the "+1's" above, thereby making things as simple as possible. It is up to the CM to decide if he wants this "margin of error" or not. (See p. 88 of the CHILL hardcover book for a more thorough explanation of the new Chill system.)

The Action Table was used in many ways. The following list briefly describes the most important of these uses, and tells how each is now resolved:

CALLED SHOTS
Then: A called shot required a "C" result.
Now: Divide the T# in half (after modifiers are applied). Reduce it even more for a more difficult Called Shot: apply regular L, M, H, and C results if the roll is successful.

FEAR CHECKS
Then: Made a WPR check, with the column determined by how scary the thing was and how many of them there were compared to the size of your party. (Success or failure was unaffected by the thing; it was determined solely by your WPR.)
Now: Make a Specific WPR Check, modifying the T# by how scary the thing is. Also:
-10 More than the number of PCs (but not twice the number);
-20 At least twice the number of PCs;
-30 At least four times the number of PCs;
etc. etc.

MELEE ATTACK DAMAGE
Then: Weapon determined column used; defender could only affect whether or not a hit was scored by hiding or by spending Luck.
Now: Make a Specific Check, applying appropriate modifiers to T#; defender can modify the T#. The Strike Rank of the attacker's weapon helps determine the actual damage.

POISONS AND ILLNESSES
Then: Made a STA check; failure meant you were dying (quickly), regardless of the strength of the poison or illness; or the strength of the poison or illness determined which column to use, thus helping determine how bad off you were.
Now: Make a Specific Opposed Check (see below); your character's Current STA opposed by the poison or illness's strength.

SPECIFIC ABILITY CHECK
Then: Made a specific check on Column 2.
Now: Make a Specific Check.

SPECIFIC SKILL CHECK
Then: Made a specific check on Column 3.
Now: Make a Specific Check

UNSKILLED USE OF NON-COMBAT SKILLS
Then: Divided the base score for the skill by 10 to find the number to be rolled against; any success was an L result.
Now: Make a Specific Check against the character's Unskilled Melee Score in that skill. (This is identical to the new Unskilled Use of a Combat Skill.)

USING EVIL WAY DISCIPLINES
Then: These were divided into Distortion (DIS) and Subjection (SUB) disciplines. For the former, you made a specific check, either on Column 1 or 3; only a "C" was a success (i.e., you made a general check, subtracting 10 or 30 from the roll.) For the latter you made a specific check against a 99 (i.e., only a 100 failed); the column was determined by the victim's WPR.
Now: There is no longer a distinction between DIS and SUB disciplines. With most former DIS disciplines, make a Specific Check with at least an M or H result required for success; a 100 (00) is always a failure. Most former SUB disciplines are resolved as Opposed Checks: the creature's skill opposed by its victim's current WPR.

VEHICLE WRECK RESULT
Then: Rolled a percent, and subtracted it from 100. Choose a column based on the speed of the wreck: applied the result as though the wreck were an attack that automatically hit.
Now: The CM determines at what speed the accident occurred: this is the Accident Number (A#). The Strike Rank of the collision is typically the A# ÷ 10. At A#s of 100 or less, characters may escape a collision unscathed. (This approach also applies to such things as failing damage or damage from being "flung" by a creature.

ANIMALS
Very small and very large animals have a modifier for their Stamina, indicating how much Stamina Loss a blow actually causes. There is a Strike Rank and a number for Wound Boxes listed with each animal and creature. The animal's or creature's Fear Modifier is applied to a character's Fear Check, rather than indicating a column on the Action Table.

Also see Converting Old Stats into New Stats, following:

THE ART
Then: To use any Discipline of the Art, you needed a PCN of at least 60 and a WPR of at least 50.
Now: Your character must have a WPR of at least 50 to learn any Discipline of the Art. The divisions of these disciplines are now called schools, each of which has one other, minimal prerequisite:
COMMUNICATIVE (PER: 60),
INCORPOREAL (STA: 60),
PROTECTIVE (LCK: 60), and
RESTORATIVE (STR: 60).
The base chance to use a discipline is now just 2/3 of the average of your PCN Score and the other prerequisite attribute; however, you can now learn disciplines as Student, Teacher, and Master Levels, which can add up to 50 to your base chance of success.

BASIC ABILITIES
Then: Basic Ability scores ranged from 26 to 80; Luck as used to adjust the result of certain rolls.
No: Ability Scores range from 10 to 90; unspent CIPs may adjust the result of certain rolls. Also, (STR + STA) ÷ 4 determines the total number of wounds your character can no take, and STR determines how far your character can throw objects.

CONVERTING OLD STATS INTO NEW STATS

CHARACTERS
There's not much difference between old and new Chill characters. If you aren't going to worry about the current point value of existing characters (we recommend that you don't), simply do the following:
* Subtract 5 from any Master Level of ability. (Master level adds only 20 now, rather than 25.)
* For each discipline known, refigure its base score using the guidelines on p. 37-42 of the CHILL book. (With the new prerequisites, some existing characters already know disciplines they wouldn't currently be allowed to learn. Don't worry about this discrepancy unless both the player and the CM agree to switch the offending discipline for a skill or for another "legal" discipline; the CM might require that up to 1/2 of all new CIPs be spent to raise the appropriate basic ability or abilities until the discipline is legal.)
* Then roll 1 die:
On a 1-6, the discipline is at Student Level; add 15 to the base score.
On a 7-9, the discipline is at Teacher Level; add 30 to the base score.
On a 10, the discipline is at Master Level; add 50 to the base score.
* For each skill and discipline, make sure that the added 15, 30, or 50 (for Student, Teacher, or Master Level) is not more than the base score. If it is, reduce the added percentage so that the final score is no more than double the base score. For example, if the base score is 43, the final score, even at Master Level, can be no more than 86 (43 x 2).
* Calculate the figures for Movement ((AGL + 3) + 20). Sprinting (AGL + 50), Unskilled Melee ((AGL + STR) ÷ 4), and wounds ((STA + STR) ÷ 4).
* Divide any current store of CIPs by 500 (rounding to nearest whole number).

ANIMALS & CREATURES
* For each basic stat (AGL, DEX, PCN, PER, STA, STR, WPR, and EWS), take the old average value (the number in parentheses), and subtract 15 from it. This becomes the base value to which is added 2D10. The average value is retained. Thus, the Bat Lord's AGL, for example:
Old Chill 7 (105)
New Chill (90+2D100/105
* A few old statistics had an average value below 15. Those are changed to something like one of these:
(5+1D10)/15
(2D10)/15
(1D10/5
* So that players don't always know exactly what attack percentage a creature has against them, Attacks now have a random factor. The old attack percentage is rounded to the nearest multiple of 5 (for the Bat Lord, 98 rounds to 100), and 15 is subtracted:
Old Chill 98
New Chill (85+1D10)/100
In general, the number of attacks a creature had remains the same.
* Wound Boxes (WBs) and Strike Ranks (SRs) are determined by how difficult one is to bring down (e.g., for humans, 25 WBs is average, 5 is extremely low, and 50 is extremely high). Of course, if a creature can't be physically hurt, it has no WBs. Those creatures that don't have a physical attack have no SR, and those that use weapons have the SR of the weapon used.
* Fear is now a modifier to a Willpower roll. In general, the old Fear number is multiplied by -5 (e.g., the Bat Lord's 8 becomes -40).

CREATURES
Then: A creature's classes were Corporeal, Incorporeal, and Special, with Special meaning it could take more than one form.
Now: A creature's class(es) can be Corporeal (C), Incorporeal (I), and/or Gaseous (G). For example, if a creature can be both Corporeal and Incorporeal, its class is given as "C,I," and statistics are given for each possible form. Also see Converting Old Stats into New Stats, preceding.

THE EVIL WAY
As with SAVE's Disciplines of the Art, the Evil Way Disciplines have been divided into schools--Communicative (PER), Distortive (STA), Elemental (STR), Mental (WPR), Psychokinetic (AGL), and Sensory (PCN). Each school has a different base score--2/3 of the average of the creature's Evil Way Score and the other governing attribute. To that base score is added a level of ability (+15, +30, or +50), but, as with all skills and disciplines, the bonus can no more than double the base score.
The Chill Discipline is part of no school and is based solely on the creature's Evil Way Score.

GAME MECHANICS
Initiative (AGL ÷ 10) + 1D10) is now determined character by character, rather than for each side. Initiative stays the same throughout a single series of combat, but must be rerolled at the beginning of each round. Characters with higher initiative can act first, or postpone their turn until later in the round.
Since characters each take their turn in a round individually, the long-round sequence (including Missile Fire, Defensive Missile Fire, etc.) has been eliminated.
Fear Check results have been slightly modified.
You can now pull a punch, hitting someone with less than full force.
Damage is now determined both by how well you roll and by your weapon's Strike Rank. Each weapon has a Strike Rank (SR) assigned to it (the higher the better) that specifies how much Stamina Loss and how many wounds it can cause. An L result on your attack means that it does the specified damage. A better result (an M, H, or C result) means that it does the damage of a higher Strike Rank (e.g., an M does 1 SR higher, an H does 2 SRs higher, and a C does 4 SRs higher).
Collisions, falling, etc. are treated as "attacks" against a character, with very high T#s and SRs.

INSIGHT POINTS (IPs)
These are now called Character Insight Points (CIPs). Rather than earning several hundred CIPs in a game session, you now usually earn less than 10 CIPs. However, the things you can buy with them don't cost nearly as much as they used to.
CIPs don't have to be spent on developing your character. They can be saved for future scenarios, and spent to adjust the result of a crucial roll (that you are making, or that the CM is making for you) by a level or two (1 level per CIP spent) any time the rules or the CM allows.

SKILLS AND SPECIFIC CHECKS
Then: Use of a knowledge/research skill required that a specific number of available items be learned: 1 fact/place for an "L" result, 2 facts/places for an "M" result, etc.
Now: The CM classifies each item of information by how difficult it is to learn/locate (as L, M, H, or C result), thus being a Specific Skill Check.
Many Specific Checks are now Opposed Checks. If, originally, the Action Table column was determined by an opposing character (usually by the opposing character's Current Willpower or Perception), that check is probably an Opposed Check now. Skills which can now be opposed also list the results of opposed rolls.
Several skills have been modified. Some of these modifications follow:
* You don't have to have a blackjack to knock someone unconscious, but Blackjack is still the appropriate skill to use.
* Bow skills have all been combined into one skill, as have Thrown Missiles (no Thrown Weapons). The Entangler Skill has been added, and covers the Bola, Lasso, and Whip.
* There is no longer a distinction between Professional and Common skills; they are all Non-Combat Skills.
* Acting/Drama is now just Acting; Modeling is now Savoir-Faire; Outdoor Survival is now Survival, etc.
* Police Forensic Pathology is now just Forensics, and demands a prerequisite of Medicine or Investigation at Master Skill Level.
* Medicine is no longer a prerequisite for Psychiatry.

This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranties. While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this article, the author/maintainer/contributors; assume(s) no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

Cryptworld, Chill, And Other Pacesetter Horrors Discussed On The Dead Games Society Podcast

Chad and Michael of The Dead Games Society interviewed Your Truly a few weeks ago for the DGS Podcast. And today the podcast went live. It was a great interview and great fun to do. If you'd like to know a bit about the Pacesetter Action Table system, my history with Chill 1e, and how Cryptworld was developed and created, tune in and enjoy!

DGS Podcast Episode #11: Do You Feel a CHILL?

[Cryptworld] It Came Upon A Midnight Clear: A Yuletide Adventure For Cryptworld Now Available For Download

Happy Holidays everyone!

As my annual Christmas gift to readers of my blog, I present to you "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear," a horror-filled holiday adventure for the Pacesetter Cryptworld RPG! I had the idea for the scenario a while back, and I've been working on it "behind the scenes" specifically for a Christmas release. I hope you enjoy frightening your Cryptworld players with it over the holidays! Merry Christmas!

EDITED TO ADD: Link to adventure has been removed. Thanks for downloading it, but it is no longer available!

[Late, Late, Late Show] Random B Movie Title Generator

I believe my RPG of choice for the upcoming "Obsolete Simulations Roundup" will be It Came From the Late, Late, Late Show by Stellar Games.  (Role-playing in the world of cheesy B-movies!) While doing a bit of research, I stumbled across the Random B Movie Titler at Seventh Sanctum.  Not only is this PERFECT for a cheesy movie RPG, the titles it churns out is great fodder for your horror/sci fi adventures. Wouldn't YOU like to play in an adventure titled:


Annie Oakley versus The Bees

Battle Beyond Uranus

Dreadful Journey to Hyboria

Drought!, Part III

Lancelot and Aladdin versus The Ravager
Labyrinth of Satan

Mission of Bloodthirst
Plague Breaker

Ravager Attack, The Return

The Depraved Emperess Miller

The Destruction of De Sade

The Disease Breed

The Evil Case of The Heart Controller

The Eye Healer, The Final Chapter

The Minotaur from The Future

The Moscow Evil

The Paris Damnation

The Sensual Mystery of The Radioactive Eternity

Sniderman encourages you to check this nifty tool out. A bazillion inspirations await!

"Merlin? He Was A Punk." -- Help Support MAJUS, Pacesetter's New Magic-Noir RPG!

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Mutant Future chicanery for a little bit of Goblinoid Games/Pacesetter cross-promotion:

As regular readers of this blog are no doubt aware, I'm a huge, long-time fan of the Pacesetter Action Table system. I ran many games of  Timemaster and Chill at length back in the day. I own many if not most of the original materials for both games. I currently run games of both at conventions and on forums. So it is with no small degree of interest that I'm watching the Kickstarter for the new Pacestter RPG "MAJUS" written by Mike Curtis and being produced by Dan Proctor. With only two weeks left and another $1,400 to go for funding, I thought I'd use this time to talk up the system, the setting, and the game itself.

First up, the setting: MAJUS is described as a "magic noir" game where powerful modern-age sorcerers wield arcane magicks for their own purposes. Since the dawn of time, various factions have been vying for power in a battle known as the Mehen, and each has its own goals and drives: immortality, ultimate knowledge, power over reality, domination over mankind. It is into this global conflict that the players are thrust. Those who have played WW's Mage, read the exploits of Harry Dresden, or can imagine magic playing a role in a classic film noir have a good idea of the "feel" of MAJUS. Mike Curtis has several good explanatory posts of the setting and system over at his blog here, here, and here.

Secondly, the system: MAJUS is a Pacesetter Action Table system, meaning that everything is based off of and run using a single table. The system itself is incredibly simple to use and quite intuitive once you get the hang of it. For basic checks, using d%, roll under your skill, ability, or target number to succeed. For specific checks, using d%, roll under your skill, ability, or target modifier,  then take the difference between the two to determine HOW WELL you succeeded. The larger the difference, the better you did. take that difference,  cross-reference on the Action Table with the defense number to determine your success level. That's all there is to it, and all checks (skills, abilities, combat, saves, etc.) are determined the exact same way.

Since MAJUS is a Pacesetter game, it is completely cross-compatible with all other Pacesetter games as they all use the same table-based system. So...

• CHILL - Imagine a team of well-trained sorcerers up against the Unknown, or picture the SAVE Envoys tying to defeat a powerful wizard with necromatic magicks!
• TIMEMASTER - Time Corps cadets could be sent to a parallel Earth where magic is commonplace and everyone can cast spells. What if the Damoreans learned to harness magic-casting abilities? Or maybe "Merlin" encountered in medieval Europe really *IS* a wizard!
• STAR ACE - There could be a planet where the dominant race can tap into the forces of nature itself, or perhaps the Empire and Alliance are each working on expanding their own abilities to alter the forces of physics using their minds. (The Force, anyone?)
• ROTWORLD - In this newest Pacesetter game, what if the zombie uprising was caused by a powerful necromancer? What if zombies were only affected by otherworldly magics, so only a powerful team of wizards have any chance of stopping them?

As you can see, MAJUS is not just a fascinating setting all  its own, it can be blended with any number of other Pacesetter games to create a setting all your own.

I think I've blathered on enough about MAJUS. As far as the Kickstarter is concerned, get this: THE GAME IS ALREADY WRITTEN. Yup, unlike other Kickstarters I could name, MAJUS is finished and the funds raised will be going for the art and publication of the game. In fact, any backer who pledges $7 or more gets a link to the working draft RPG document so they can review it and begin playing immediately! I find this "pledge-and-play" offer to be an insanely great idea as everyone can be assured that they won't be left wondering about the status of the game. It's done now, folks. And by pledging any amount, you get to download the game right now. Awesome-sauce.

As mentioned, MAJUS is at two weeks left in the fundraising, and there is about $1,400 left to go. If you want to play a trenchcoat-wearing wizard trying to fit into The Big Picture, or if you'd like to introduce The Art into one of your other preferred Pacesetter games, I suggest you hop on over to the MAJUS Kickstarter and make a pledge.

Gary Con's "Arbor Day" for Chill and "The Day The Sky Fell" for Timemaster Now Available

It's not Mutant Future-related, but I wanted to share the two adventures I've run over the past two days here at Gary Con. Thought there may be fans of the original Pacesetter First Edition Chill RPG who could use a new adventure for their SAVE Envoys. Also here is my adventure for the Timemaster RPG which, as you're no doubt aware, is now owned by, carried, and supported by Goblinoid Games! So here you go -- click the covers to download 'em from Google Drive:

Horrific axe murders committed in Oregon's Tillamook State Forest are identical to those committed by the legendary "Paul Bunyon Killer" 40 years earlier. However, the original murderer -- now elderly and feeble -- remains behind bars. Has a copycat killer surfaced, or is this the work of the Unknown?

It's 1979 and Topeka, Kansas, has been burned off the face of the Earth. Surviving victims claim they saw the Sun itself cut a path of destruction through the city, killing tens of thousands. Tensions between the U.S. and USSR have never been higher, and World War III is imminent unless Time Corps agents can determine what happened and stop it before it ever occurred!

(And for who need a Mutant Future adventure to run, stay tuned! There may be some Lords of Light and Demon Dogs on this blog soon! Ahhhhhhhhhhh-heee!)

At Gary Con V, There Will Be Mutants, Time Travelers, SAVE, And Thundarr!

We're less than 100 days away from Gary Con V to be held in Lake Geneva, WI, on March 14-17, 2013! Sounds like next year's celebration of gaming's roots will once again be The Convention Not To Be Missed! Gaming legends playing and hosting classic (and more modern) games in the town where it all started? Everything from OD&D to Pathfinder and everything in-between? A true "OSR feel" to the event and amongst the attendees? Why haven't you signed up yet?

I've turned in the games I'm planning to run. I'll be running one game for the Dead Games Society, and the rest of my events will be Goblinoid Games / Pacesetter events (presented by the Labyrinth Lord Society). Here's a sneak-peek of the Gaming Goodness I'll be hosting this year:

DGS Presents: Arbor Day
Chill - 1st edition
Horrific axe murders committed in Oregon’s Tillamook State Forest are identical to those committed by the legendary "Paul Bunyon Killer" 40 years earlier. However, the original murderer -- now elderly and feeble -- remains behind bars. Has a copycat killer surfaced, or is this the work of the Unknown?

The Day The Sky Fell
Timemaster
It’s 1979 and Topeka, Kansas, has been burned off the face of the Earth. Surviving victims claim they saw the Sun itself cut a path of destruction through the city, killing tens of thousands. Tensions between the U.S. and USSR have never been higher, and World War III is imminent unless Time Corps agents can determine what happened and stop it before it ever occurred. This is a Labyrinth Lord Society production.

Thundarr the Barbarian: Warlord of the Sacred Library
Mutant Future
Lords of Light! Drakexx the Unstoppable has established a stronghold in the forbidden Congers Library where thousands of Ancient texts are stored. What use does a warlord have with these tomes, and what secrets does he hope to unlock? The tribal shaman of the village of Linkon has tasked Thundarr, Ookla, and Princess Ariel with stopping and driving out the mindless brute! This is a Labyrinth Lord Society production.

Dead in the Water
Mutant Future
Mindless, water-logged abominations have been coming ashore, attacking fishing villages along the coast of The Rainbow Sea and dragging their victims off to a watery doom. Can a ragtag party of post-apocalyptic miscreants discover the answers on the Island of Fire? This is a Labyrinth Lord Society production.

You Oughta Be In Pictures
Antiquities & Arcana
Curators of the Smithsonian Institute’s “Special Antiquities Collection Division” are tasked with retrieving any historically significant items imbued with unearthly abilities. Two days ago, 27 audience members at an all-day film festival in Louisville, Kentucky, vanished without a trace. The PCs must discover what caused the mass disappearance and secure any responsible “heirlooms.” After all: “Magic is all around us. Your job is to find it and lock it down.” Come playtest this setting using the Pacesetter Action Table System. This is a Labyrinth Lord Society production.