A Colder Cold War

There are not a lot of roleplaying games which feature submarines. Polaris, the French roleplaying game originally published by Halloween Concepts in 1997 is one since it is set in a post-apocalyptic undersea future. Cold Space, from Better Mousetrap Games is another, presenting an alternate Cold War era in which interstellar travel has been achieved in spaceships which are designed along the lines of submarines. Then of course, Game Designers’ Workshop published a trilogy of scenarios—The Last Submarine, Mediterranean Cruise, and Boomer—for Twilight 2000 in which the Player Characters have to capture a Los Angeles-class submarine in the post-Twilight War and use it to help defend what is left of civilisation. SUBMERGED is a rules-light roleplaying game which takes it cue from Polaris in that it is a post-apocalyptic roleplaying game set under the sea. In its future, the climate did not heat, but cooled down, and the planet froze. The lucky few of the billions on Earth escaped to the underwater cities and survive under the icy waters in the ‘Sub-burbs’. Contact and trade are kept going via nuclear-powered submarines. The last contact with the surface was in 1983 when the plummeting temperatures forced the rapidly built ‘Sub-burbs’ to close their doors to more refugees. The Great Plan was to wait thirty years for the temperature on the surface to rise again and the survivors to return to reclaim the planet, but even after forty years that has never happened. In the meantime, ‘Sub-burbs’ have failed, others are barely holding on, many have become totalitarian states, and some have gone to war. With the failure of the Great Plan, the ‘Sub-burbs’ remain in a stalemate, not ready to go to war in the face of an uncertain future. Above and below, the Earth is in the grip of a new Cold War.

SUBMERGED – A Rules Light Roleplaying Game of Life Under the Frozen Oceans is published by Farsight Games and written by the designer of Those Dark Places: Industrial Science Fiction Roleplaying and Pressure. In it, the players take the role of crewmembers of a submarine trying to make a living, hauling cargo and passengers, scavenging and salvaging, smuggling, and fulfilling whatever contract they can and pays the bills, all to pay off the mortgage on their vessel. Think of it as an undersea version of a tramp freighter campaign in the vein of Traveller or the television series, Firefly. Certainly, SUBMERGED has a similar blue collar sensibility—just not in space.

A Player Character in SUBMERGED is simply defined. He has ten Skills. These are Agility, Charisma, Close Combat, Technical, Medicine, Ranged Combat, Science, Strength, Submariner, and Subterfuge, and they range in value between two and eleven. In addition, he has Hit Points starting at twelve and then modified by his Strength. He can have an extra specialist or hobby Skill which lies outside the scope of the standard ten. Lastly, the Player Character has four Submariner Sub-skills.* These are ‘Helm’, ‘Sonar’, ‘Engineer’, and ‘WEPS’, the latter being the Weapons Officer. To create a character, a player simply assigns each of one of the numbers between two and eleven to one of the Skills and decides on a specialist or hobby Skill, if any, a name, and lastly assigns six points to the Submariner subskills. Character generation can be done in thirty seconds.

* Yes. Really.

Sunday Faruku
Engineer
Agility 4 Charisma 3 Close Combat 8 Technical 9 Medicine 6 Ranged Combat 5 Science 7 Strength 10 Submariner 11 Subterfuge 2
Sub-Skills: Helm 1 Sonar 1 Engineer 3 WEPS 1
Skill: Singing 6
Hit Points 22

Mechanically, SUBMERGED is a simple. To have his character undertake a task, a player selects the most appropriate Skill and adds its vale to the roll of a twelve-sided die. If the result is thirteen or more, then he has succeeded. The Game Master can adjust the difficulty as needed. It is as simple as that. Combat is handled as opposed rolls, with the highest roll indicating the winner. Thus, Close Combat versus Close Combat in a fist fight, but Ranged Combat versus Agility if the defendant wants to dodge. A punch does 1d2 plus Strength in damage, a blade 1d4 plus Strength, a pistol 1d6+6, and a rifle 1d12+6. Most Player Characters will last a punch-up, even a knife fight, but once firearms start being used, the best thing a Player Character is to get behind cover as a rifle can kill in a single shot.

The Submariner Sub-skills are used in conjunction with the Submariner skill. They are spent on a one-for-one basis to modify rolls using the Submariner skill.

The submarines are equally as simply defined. Each has stats for ‘Knots’, ‘Depth’, and ‘Cargo’, so how fast it can go, how deep it can go, and how much it can carry. The Armament details its weapons and defences. For the most part, operating a submarine is handled narratively until actually matters. Such as in combat. Initiative requires a Sonar operator since submarines have to detect each other, submarines have to be positioned to attack, and so on. Submarine combat is run as a series of opposed rolls. Sonar versus sonar to gain initiative; Helm versus Helm to gain a better firing position and bonus to the firing roll; and WEPS versus Helm to track a torpedo. The latter is done three times with the best out of three determining if the torpedo hits the target submarine or is avoided. Countermeasures can be launched once per combat to try and distract an incoming torpedo. Fortunately, most torpedoes are not designed to destroy submarines, but to cripple them or slow them, though a lucky—or unlucky—strike can still destroy a submarine. The crew can suffer injuries from the jolt of a torpedo explosion and damage typically knocks out a system that the engineer must race to fix.

SUBMERGED details several sample submarines, some of which are cheap enough for the Player Characters to take a mortgage out on (though if second-hand or more, it means beginning play with damaged systems), and small enough to be crewed by three or four Player Characters. Others consist of transports, defence and combat boats, and even pirate and mercenary boats. There is also a list of equipment, some suggested rates for various contracts, and descriptions of the major city states. There are scenario hooks too, plus an introductory adventure. In ‘The Blue King’s Wrath’, the Player Characters are hired by the city-state of Sub-London to infiltrate the base of a notorious pirate called the Blue King, who has established himself and his cult in an abandoned city-state project off the coast of Iceland, so threatening the North Atlantic trade route, and claims to be in possession of the ‘ultimate weapon’. The authorities in Sub-London want to know if this ‘ultimate weapon’ actually exists, what it is, and ideally, stolen from the Blue King. It is a quick and dirty affair that can be played through in a session or so. Plus, there are some secrets that once revealed the Game Master could develop into further adventures.

Physically, SUBMERGED – A Rules Light Roleplaying Game of Life Under the Frozen Oceans is a bit messy and it does need an edit in places. The main problem is that not everything is quite in the right places, but the roleplaying game is short enough not to matter very much and simple enough that the Game Master will not need to refer to the rules too often.

SUBMERGED – A Rules Light Roleplaying Game Of Life Under The Frozen Oceans has the very grubby feel of a seventies post-apocalyptic film and even a little of Escape from New York, especially in the scenario. Surprisingly, it combines quite a number of different genres in just a few pages—seventies disaster and post-apocalyptic films, all things nautical, piratical, and subaquatic, and blue collar trucking adventure—all of which will be familiar to both the Game Master and her players. SUBMERGED – A Rules Light Roleplaying Game of Life Under the Frozen Oceans is rough and ready, if not a bit damp and slightly rusty, but definitely easy to run and play. It would be interesting to see this alternate Cold War future developed and explored a little more.

Miskatonic Monday #249: The Pirate and the Bride

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: The Pirate and the Bride

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Jazmin Ospa & Meghan Kuschner

Setting: Regency-era Bahamas

Product: Scenario for In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu and Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England
What You Get: Seventeen page, 6.21 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Dagon’s ‘Red Wedding’

Plot Hook: A sudden society wedding threatens to reveal all manner of scandal
Plot Support: Staging advice, five pre-generated Investigators, eight NPCs, four handouts, and several hundred  (Mythos) monsters.

Production Values: Decent

Pros

# Strongly plotted combination of societal and nautical mystery

# Easy to run once past its issues

# Thalassophobia

# Decantophobia

# Kinemortophobia

Cons

# Needs an edit and further development

# Needs a clearer explanation

# No maps

Conclusion

# Solid scenario that needs a bit more work to make it run easily

# A ‘Red Wedding’ meets Pirates of the Caribbean is a perfectly good combination

Miskatonic Monday #246: Time’s Prisoners

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: Time’s Prisoners

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Stephen K. Stein

Setting: Regency-era South Atlantic

Product: Scenario for In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu and Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England
What You Get: Twenty-six page, 10.17 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Some doldrums are deadlier than any Navy man can imagine.

Plot Hook: “Trapped in the past, no escape from reality.”
Plot Support: Staging advice, seven pre-generated Investigators, ten NPCs, two handouts, four Mythos artefacts, and seven Mythos creatures.

Production Values: Reasonable

Pros

# Elder Thing in a top hat

# Sail into danger and out again adventure!

# Easy to run

# Cannibals and zombies, oh my!

# Chapodiphobia

# Teraphobia

# Kinemortophobia

Cons

# Elder Thing in a top hat

# Sidequest left for the Keeper to develop

Conclusion

# Elder Thing in a top hat. Is this not a good enough reason for you?

# Straightforward, sail into danger and out again, easy to run adventure

Miskatonic Monday #233: A Dive to Strange Depths

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: A Dive to Strange Depths

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author Matthew Tansek

Setting: Jazz Age Pacific

Product: Scenario
What You Get: Fifty-six page, 97.03 MB PDF

Elevator Pitch: Potential prequel to Escape from Innsmouth?

Plot Hook: A ship adrift and suspected foul play...

Plot Support: Staging advice, six pre-generated Investigators, five handouts, one set of floorplans, seven NPCs, and two Mythos monsters.

Production Values: Good.

Pros

# Can be connected to Cults of Cthulhu

# Action-packed scenario

# Feels like it should be run with Pulp Cthulhu: Two-fisted Action and Adventure Against the Mythos

# Easy to adapt to Cthulhu by Gaslight or modern day

# Megalohydrothalassophobia

# Thalassophobia

# Batrachophobia

Cons

# Needs an edit

# Weird order of handouts

# Was there meant to be a handout #4?

# Where does the film come from?

# Where is the body found?

# No Deep Ones

# Flowcharts as map ignore any sense of scale

Conclusion

# Action-packed scenario that feels more like a detailed outline which is undeveloped in places

# Good set-up and plot

Miskatonic Monday #230: Forbidden Seas and Perilous Coasts

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: Forbidden Seas and Perilous Coasts

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Alexander Smith

Setting: Regency-era South America

Product: Scenario for In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu and Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England
What You Get: Twenty-three page, 13.03 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: A tale of exploration and retribution—and not in a good way

Plot Hook: Explore the island for King and Country.
Plot Support: Staging advice, six pre-generated Investigators, one map, and three (plus more) Mythos creatures.

Production Values: Okay

Pros

# Straightforward exploration and reaction scenario

# Easy to run

# Pleasingly odd illustrations

# Skelephobia

# Insulaphobia

# Cartilogenophobia

Cons

# No investigation

# No handouts

# Some locations on the map left undescribed

# Scenario title possibly too generic

Conclusion

# Easy to prepare, straightforward scenario for In Strange Seas

# Not so much one note as two note scenario—exploration and retribution

Miskatonic Monday #225: A Drop of Nelson’s Blood

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: A Drop of Nelson’s Blood

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: SR Sellens

Setting: The Admiralty, 1815

Product: Scenario for In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu and Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England
What You Get: Fifty-two page, 24.42 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but with half the attendees and celebrating the life of Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte.

Plot Hook: A dinner at the Admiralty turns deadly in celebration of the life of Nelson
Plot Support: Staging advice, five pre-generated Investigators, eight NPCs, seven handouts, two floorplans, one Mythos tome, one Mythos spell, one unnatural creature, and a sea shanty.

Production Values: Excellent

Pros

# More a scenario for Regency Cthulhu than In Strange Seas

# One-session, locked room dinner party murder mystery

# Decent pre-generated Investigators

# Very well presented NPCs

# Could be run as a LARP

# Good handouts

# Phasmophobia

# Hemophobia

# Phonophobia

Cons

# Sea shanties

# Needs a slight edit

# More a scenario for Regency Cthulhu than In Strange Seas

Conclusion

# Well appointed scenario that can be run with just Regency Cthulhu rather than In Strange Seas

# Classic murder mystery dinner party with manners, Mythos, and nautical theme that is absolutely perfect for Trafalgar Day (and other days)

Miskatonic Monday #222: The Pursuit

Between October 2003 and October 2013, Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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Name: The Pursuit

Publisher: Chaosium, Inc.
Author: Cameron Hays

Setting: Regency-era mid-Atlantic

Product: Scenario for In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu and Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England
What You Get: Eighteen page, 5.42 MB Full Colour PDF
Elevator Pitch: Sometimes the pressganged are worse than the dregs society has to offer... 

Plot Hook: Rounding the Horn to avoid danger is definitely going to make things worse.
Plot Support: Staging advice, six pre-generated Investigators, two NPCs (plus more), and two handouts.

Production Values: Decent

Pros

# Close knit, closed-world investigation as the Investigators sail into danger

# Potential for inter-party conflict

# Solid advice on investigative paths

# Agoraphobia

# Pagophobia

# Hemophobia

Cons

# Cult leader’s Sanity is impossible

Conclusion

# Solid sea-going one-shot for In Strange Seas

# Enjoyable emphasis on human monsters rather than the Mythos as Investigators must navigate a society a world away from Regency England.

Miskatonic Monday #216: In Strange Seas

Between October 2003 and October 2013,Chaosium, Inc. published a series of books for Call of Cthulhu under the Miskatonic University Library Association brand. Whether a sourcebook, scenario, anthology, or campaign, each was a showcase for their authors—amateur rather than professional, but fans of Call of Cthulhu nonetheless—to put forward their ideas and share with others. The programme was notable for having launched the writing careers of several authors, but for every Cthulhu Invictus, The Pastores, Primal State, Ripples from Carcosa, and Halloween Horror, there was Five Go Mad in Egypt, Return of the Ripper, Rise of the Dead, Rise of the Dead II: The Raid, and more...

The Miskatonic University Library Association brand is no more, alas, but what we have in its stead is the Miskatonic Repository, based on the same format as the DM’s Guild for Dungeons & Dragons. It is thus, “...a new way for creators to publish and distribute their own original Call of Cthulhu content including scenarios, settings, spells and more…” To support the endeavours of their creators, Chaosium has provided templates and art packs, both free to use, so that the resulting releases can look and feel as professional as possible. To support the efforts of these contributors, Miskatonic Monday is an occasional series of reviews which will in turn examine an item drawn from the depths of the Miskatonic Repository.

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In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu takes Call of Cthulhu in a new direction. Or rather, In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu takes Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England in a new direction and over the horizon. Regency Cthulhu took Call of Cthulhu back to the Regency era where men and women of good character must find a way of confronting the Mythos without the loss of their character and their reputation, let alone their sanity. In Strange Seas takes that sensibility and sets sail with it on to the high seas during the war with France and Napoleon. As crew and officers face death from storms and disasters, let alone battles with the French and her Spanish allies, as well as poor food and rigorous discipline, there is chance of promotion, opportunities to be brave, hope that prizes will taken and fortunes won, and perhaps the happenstance that their names will be made and they will ascend the social ladder and acquire status that their births never gave them.

In Strange Seas introduces the Royal Navy of the later Napoleonic Wars, that which Horatio Nelson served in. In parts more readily egalitarian than the rest of Georgian society, the nature of the Royal Navy of In Strange Seas is more readily egalitarian still, allowing all genders and orientations to serve, but taking a more modern and inclusive approach as modern-day Navies do. This is undeniably anachronistic and as an extension of Regency Cthulhu it goes further than that supplement does in terms of inclusivity, so that adjustments would have to be made to the core Regency Cthulhu setting were an Investigator shift from one setting to the other. Ultimately, the choice whether to accept the anachronism of In Strange Seas will be down to the Keeper and her players and there is nothing wrong in that. However, In Strange Seas could—and certainly should—have handled the issue in a less proscriptive way, and discussed the choices between running In Strange Seas in a historical fashion or a non-historical fashion, so that the Keeper and her players can make the choice.

For the most part, In Strange Seas presents the historical nature of life aboard ship and in the Royal Navy as you would expect. Covering daily life, positions amongst both commissioned and uncommissioned officers as well as the crew, clothing, meals, and discipline, the Admiralty, and the various types of ships serving in the Royal Navy and their typical duties, as well as a tour of a frigate, all of this will be familiar to anyone who has read the Hornblower novels of C.S. Forester or the Aubrey-Maturin series by Patrick O’Brian or the various nautically themed roleplaying games released in the past few decades, starting with Privateers and Gentlemen, published by Fantasy Games Unlimited in 1983. For the uninitiated landlubber, it is another matter. The content is informative and useful, as are the details on the superstitions and then the prejudices, etiquette, and traditions for landlubber and jack tar alike. It notes that life aboard ship for those that ignore these prejudices, etiquette, and traditions can be worse than for those ashore who simply have their reputations damaged, and that does not take into account the nature of punishments which can arise should the Articles of War be contravened.

Mechanically, naval combat can be complex. In Strange Seas presents a more narrative approach, though one still driven by the Investigators’ skills and time in the spotlight. The advice is to keep it moving, keep orders coming, emphasise the horror—since the noise and the chance of bring crushed by fallen rigging or having a leg blown off are ever present, and keep it fresh and varied. Anyone coming to In Strange Seas expecting detailed naval combat will be disappointed and will have to look elsewhere. The ‘Naval Combat Cheat Sheet for Keepers & Investigators’ does instead, listing the broad actions that the Investigators will take, such as manoeuvring, firing the cannons, boarding, avoiding flying splinters and falling, and suggesting the appropriate skills to roll. For the savvy shipmen, this will be enough, but for the nautical naïve it is likely too little, but after watching some of the suggested viewing given in the bibliography, he should be fine.

In terms of creating an Investigator, In Strange Seas suggests that skills and occupations be adjusted by age. Sailors tend to be young and often lack the more refined skills their land-going counterparts might have. The Occupations include Commissioned Officer—which needs to be adjusted according to rank, Bosun, Carpenter, Chaplain, Gunner, Marine, Master, Purser, Forecastle Sailor/Topman, and Afterguard/Waister. It is otherwise unchanged from Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition. It does, however, give two means of handling Reputation. One is ashore reputation, the other at sea. The first is in line with the Reputation rules for Regency Cthulhu, whereas the latter is Reputation at sea only. Included alongside this are some possible losses and gain in service, from “Dropping your messmates’ Sunday plum duffs on the way back from the galley” to “Taking a severe punishment without complaint or crying out”. The campaign advice is similar to that of Regency Cthulhu, in that Investigators should be roughly of the same or near rank so that socially they can converse and interact, or at least in the same working party otherwise; use other ships or posts of call as a ready source off news and rumour; and of the Mythos, that again, like Regency Cthulhu, the Keeper should allow space in which the social ramifications of encountering the Mythos can be explored. How will affect the more of the crew? Will the Investigators be believed? Of course, defeating the forces of Cosmic Horror cannot be reported in the London Gazette, the Admiralty remains willfully ignorant of such forces. The supplement also include some handouts, a recruiting poster for His Majesty’s Navy and a number of recipes for shipboard food to add that little bit of extra detail.

Scattered throughout In Strange Seas are several Mythos Hook scenario seeds. Some are better than others, but all require full development upon the part of the Keeper. Fortunately, In Strange Seas comes with a separate, eleven-page scenario. ‘Wonders in the Deep’. Set in 1811, the HMS Caliban is sent to the Spanish coast in search of the French brig Prodige. Aboard is an important passenger, who unfortunately is killed on the voyage and the Investigators have to step up and fulfil his mission. With the curse of being an unlucky ship, the HMS Caliban chases down its quarry and battle ensues. It is a solid scenario which combines the ordinary life aboard ship with the thrill of battle and an encounter with a strange adversary. It comes with two, somewhat plain handouts, and a nice selection of new nautically themed spells, such as Bait Humans and inflict Scurvy!

Physically, In Strange Seas is presented tidily enough. It needs editing here and there, but it is neatly illustrated with a series of period pieces.

In Strange Seas is in some ways only an introduction to roleplaying in the Royal Navy in the Napoleonic War. It could have done with more detail about combat to help the Keeper visualise it, and much like Regency Cthulhu, there is no guide to Mythos activity—human or otherwise—during this period, and certainly not as it relates to His Majesty’s Navy. This is despite the far-flung operations of the Royal Navy meaning that the Investigators could find themselves very far away from Bath and its restorative waters. Which gives it potential for a very nautical globetrotting campaign!

A most serviceable supplement—though a Keeper will probably need to do much more research on the setting that a fuller book would avoid needing—In Strange Seas: Horror in the Royal Navy for Regency Cthulhu pressgangs Regency Cthulhu: Dark Designs in Jane Austen’s England into the Age of Sail and In-Sanity.

[Fanzine Focus XXVIII] Crawl! Number 11: The Seafaring Issue

On the tail of the Old School Renaissance has come another movement—the rise of the fanzine. Although the fanzine—a nonprofessional and nonofficial publication produced by fans of a particular cultural phenomenon, got its start in Science Fiction fandom, in the gaming hobby it first started with Chess and Diplomacy fanzines before finding fertile ground in the roleplaying hobby in the 1970s. Here these amateurish publications allowed the hobby a public space for two things. First, they were somewhere that the hobby could voice opinions and ideas that lay outside those of a game’s publisher. Second, in the Golden Age of roleplaying when the Dungeon Masters were expected to create their own settings and adventures, they also provided a rough and ready source of support for the game of your choice. Many also served as vehicles for the fanzine editor’s house campaign and thus they showed another DM and group played said game. This would often change over time if a fanzine accepted submissions. Initially, fanzines were primarily dedicated to the big three RPGs of the 1970s—Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest, and Traveller—but fanzines have appeared dedicated to other RPGs since, some of which helped keep a game popular in the face of no official support.

Since 2008 with the publication of Fight On #1, the Old School Renaissance has had its own fanzines. The advantage of the Old School Renaissance is that the various Retroclones draw from the same source and thus one Dungeons & Dragons-style RPG is compatible with another. This means that the contents of one fanzine will compatible with the Retroclone that you already run and play even if not specifically written for it. Labyrinth Lord and Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Roleplay have proved to be popular choices to base fanzines around, as has Swords & Wizardry. Another choice is the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game.

Published by Straycouches Press, Crawl! is one such fanzine dedicated to the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game. Since Crawl! No. 1 was published in March, 2012 has not only provided ongoing support for the roleplaying game, but also been kept in print by Goodman Games. Now because of online printing sources like Lulu.com, it is no longer as difficult to keep fanzines from going out of print, so it is not that much of a surprise that issues of Crawl! remain in print. It is though, pleasing to see a publisher like Goodman Games support fan efforts like this fanzine by keeping them in print and selling them directly.

Where Crawl! No. 1 was something of a mixed bag, Crawl! #2 was a surprisingly focused, exploring the role of loot in the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game and describing various pieces of treasure and items of equipment that the Player Characters might find and use. Similarly, Crawl! #3: The Magic Issue was just as focused, but the subject of its focus was magic rather than treasure. Unfortunately, the fact that a later printing of Crawl! No. 1 reprinted content from Crawl! #3 somewhat undermined the content and usefulness of Crawl! #3. Fortunately, Crawl! Issue Number Four was devoted to Yves Larochelle’s ‘The Tainted Forest Thorum’, a scenario for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game for characters of Fifth Level. Crawl! Issue V: Monsters continued the run of themed issues, focusing on monsters, but ultimately to not always impressive effect, whilst Crawl! No. 6: Classic Class Collection presented some interesting versions of classic Dungeons & Dragons-style Classes for Dungeon Crawl Classics, though not enough of them. Crawl! Issue No. 7: Tips! Tricks! Traps! was a bit of bit of a medley issue, addressing a number of different aspects of dungeoneering and fantasy roleplaying, whilst Crawl! No. 8: Firearms! did a fine job of giving rules for guns and exploring how to use in the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game and Crawl! No. 9: The Arwich Grinder provided a complete classic Character Funnel in Lovecraftian mode. Lastly, Crawl! Number 10: New Class Options! provided exactly what it said on the tin and provided new options for the Demi-Human Classes.

Published in September, 2015, Crawl! Number 11: The Seafaring Issue takes the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game onto the ocean waves with a quintet of articles that provide new rules for sea going action and adventure, a new monster, and some campaign tools. Half of the issue is dedicated to a single article, ‘Naval Warfare for Ocean Crawlers’, by Bob Brinkman. This defines a ship by its type, size, crew types, propulsion type, top seed, Hit Points, Damage Reduction, and Armour Class. Two types of propulsion are discussed, oars or sails, and their strengths and weaknesses highlighted. Ships under sail are much faster, whereas ships propelled with oars are slower, but more manoeuvrable in close combat. The enormous size and sturdiness of the ships means that are actually hard to damage and so have Damage Reduction, the bigger the ship, the higher the Damage Reduction. For example, the Pinta, a caravel, has a Damage Reduction of ten, whereas a viking longship, has a Damage Reduction of four. However, ship’s weaponry, such as cannon, catapults, and fire throwers not only do damage, but also reduce a vessel’s Damage Reduction. Heavier cannon reduce Damage Reduction more, and the Damage Reduction can be cut even further depending upon the type of shot used. Similarly, spells capable of inflicting damage also reduce the Damage Reduction, with higher Level spells reducing it more. If a ship’s Damage Reduction is reduced to zero, it is no longer seaworthy. 

In addition to a handful of example ships, the article also covers combat manoeuvres such as boarding and ‘Crossing the T’, and the role of the Player Characters in nautical adventures. One thing the article does make clear is that they are not invulnerable at sea. A direct hit from a cannon will kill a Player Character, and there is a table of ‘Brutal Injuries’, which includes flying splinters, falling rigging, and more. There are also tables for ‘Cannon Crits’ and ‘Cannon Fumbles’, ‘Fire Thrower Crits’ and ‘Fire Thrower Fumbles’. Further, like the sailors of back in the day, Player Characters cannot swim! Not so much sink or… as just sink. Notably, the rules in ‘Naval Warfare for Ocean Crawlers’ are sort of designed to be used on a hex grid and run as a kind of naval wargame, though this is suggested more as an aside in the text. Overall, the rules are serviceable and should provide a gaming group with enough to take their Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game to sea.

Accompanying ‘Naval Warfare for Ocean Crawlers’ is ‘Nautical Mighty Deeds’, also by Bob Brinkman. With tables for ‘Mighty Deeds of Boarding’, ‘Mighty Deeds of Gunnery (Cannon)’, and ‘Mighty Deeds of Piracy’ gives the Warrior-type Classes of Dungeon Crawl Classics with some nautical options to enhance the Mighty Deed of Arms mechanic, especially if a player wants his Warrior to be piratical!

Reverend Dak expands on the propulsion type in the earlier ‘Naval Warfare for Ocean Crawlers’ with ‘Fantastic Forms of Sea Ship Propulsion’. This offers eight alternatives to ships being sail or oar powered. These include sunjets, starsails, and moonsails for environmentally powered vessels before adding odder and odder options. For example, the Eel-ship is a deck and seats straddling the length of a giant eel, whilst the Turtle Ship is built into the shells of giant shells, and both require careful handling and feeding lest they dive under the sea! Two options are given the undead, especially if the captain is a necromancer or has a necromancer on board as a crewmember. One is having skeletons as crews of rowers, the other is Wind Wraiths. These are the angry spirits of bitter sailors that died at sea, ripped from their corpses and mounted on the rigging. Full stats are provided and they make for very grumpy shipmates!

With ‘The Deep Elder’ Daniel Bishop mixes some classic not-Mythos style creatures with some classic Dungeons & Dragons colour coding and ties it in with the Purple Duck Games scenario, The Portsmouth Mermaid. These starfish-like creatures worship Dagon, come in blue, green, and yellow flavours, each with their own weekly power. The blue Deep Elders cast Weather Control once a week to create storms that can isolate sailors in the dark; green Deep Elders can enthrall a target for up twelve rounds once a week; and yellow Deep Elders can cast Ray of Enfeeblement once a week. All of which is to work them into positions where they can posses any living creature and survive out of the deep ocean indefinitely… This enables them to further Dagon’s plans on land. One interesting option allows for Player Character possession and for the player to continue roleplaying the character. Such a character gains the ability of the Deep Elder, but loses his Class abilities. He can even gain a new Class and keep when the Deep Elder is driven out! It also represents a fantastic roleplaying challenge for any player.

Lastly, ‘Life Aboard’ by Sean Ellis presents a set of tables for running events at sea. These cover ‘Ship Morale’, ‘Wind Speed’, and ‘On-Board Events’, such as a Halfling Bumboat selling food and other goods or the crew hosting a ‘Church Service’ to some strange god in an act of impromptu religiosity. Accompanied by notes for health aboard the vessel, this is not a system for running campaigns at sea, but rather a collection of notes and prompts that the Judge can use to help her run her game.

Physically, Crawl! Number 11: The Seafaring Issue is decently done, a clean and tidy affair. The artwork—done by Mario T—is once again a lot of fun and has a nice sense of the nautical.

Crawl! Number 11: The Seafaring Issue is another serviceable issue. It is very specific, so if the Judge does not want to take her campaign to sea, then it is not as useful, but if she does, then the rules are very workable. It is a pity that it really on addresses the role of the Warrior Class at sea, but that is really the only downside to the issue. Otherwise, the Deep Elders could be a fun monster to work into a campaign, and the rest is shipshape and Bristol fashion enough for any seafaring Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game campaign.