Professional Documents
Culture Documents
In This Issue
The Journey, Call of Cthulu
Getting Together, AD&D
Moraks, AD&D
Reviews: Birth of the Federation, Half-Life , Blood II: The Chosen ,
Fate Deck
Material for the Etrena campaign, Fantasy
Issue 20
June-July, 1999
Information
Editor, Writer and Art Director: Michael C.
LaBossiere, ontologist@aol.com.
Interior Art: Michael C. LaBossiere,
ontologist@aol.com.
Writer and Archive Master: Ricardo J. Mndez,
rmendez@geocities.com.
This Issues Cover: Fishermen of the Twin Suns,
by Mervyn Boyd, jack@ktanafreeserve.ca.uk
Web Page
The 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
www.obmru.goplace.com.
Acquiring Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random
Universes
Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes may be
reliably acquired by the following means:
Subscription: To subscribe send email with the
message subscribe OBM to
ontologist@aol.com. The subscription issues are
mailed as compressed pdf files. America Online
will automatically decode such files. Users of
other services may need to acquire a utility such
as Aladdins Stuffit Expander (available for both
Mac and PC platforms) in order to expand the
file. Naturally, Adobe Acrobat Reader will be
needed to read the pdf files.
Online Viewing of PDF: The current issue of
Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes can be
viewed directly by using a web browser that has
been set up to use Adobe Acrobat Reader as a
helper application. Go to
www.obmru.goplace.com
Online Viewing as Web Page: The current issue
of Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes can be
viewed directly by using a web browser. Go to
www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Galaxy/1358/.
Download: The current issue of Opifex BiMonthly: Random Universes can be downloaded
from www.obmru.goplace.com.
Back Issues
Ricardo J. Mndez has set up an FTP archive site
for past issues of Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random
Universes . 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/
Legal Information
Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random Universes1996. 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
Opifex Bi-Monthly Random Universes
TSR
TSR, which is now part of Wizards of the Coast,
has the following policy: as long as (1) you're
not copying our text, (2) you're not copying our
art, (3) you're not copying our logos, and (4)
you're not making money off of it, you can use
our properties to make your own fan material
(within good taste - no porn, etc.). That's it.
Make your stuff. Have fun.
Contributors
Guidelines
1996,1997
Michael C. LaBossiere, ontologist@aol.com
Kelly Rothenberg, Lemarchand@aol.com
Submission
Conditions
Submission
Format
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. Acceptable formats include PICT,
Photoshop, BMP, TIFF, GIF, JPEG, Denebas
Canvas, Macromedia Freehand, Microfrontiers
Color It! and Adobe Illustrator. Graphic
submissions should include the artists identifying
signature or mark in the body of the graphic. The
mail accompanying a graphic file must include
the authors name and email address.
Submission
Specifics
Reviews
The Opifex Bimonthly: Random Universes staff is
always interested in reviewing game and game
related material, including computer games. If
you are interested in having your product(s)
reviewed, please contact the staff at
ontologist@aol.com or rmendez@geocities.com.
News/Announcements
New OBM:RU Web Site
Source: Michael LaBossiere
Information: Opifex Bi-Monthly: Random
Universes has relocated its web pages from
America Online to Geocities. The new pages
are better designed, more detailed, and offer
more features than the previous pages. Go to
www.obmru.goplace.com
The Journey1999
By Michael C. LaBossiere
Ontologist@aol.com
Call of Cthulhu
Legal Information
This adventure is copyright 1999 by
Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. 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 my web site at
user.aol.com/ontologist/.
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 510-595-2440.
Visit Chaosium's web page at
www.chaosium.com/cthulhu/.
Introduction
This adventure is set in Europe in the
1920s game period. In this adventure,
the investigators delve into the
mysteries of the Order of the Ancient
Stone and attempt to learn some of its
dark and horrid secrets.
The adventure is challenging, but not
overly so, and should prove suitable for
a group of 3-7 moderately experienced
investigators.
This adventure is intended to be a
continuation of the adventure War
Buddy. However, with some suitable
modifications it can easily be played as a
stand-alone adventure or as part of
another campaign.
The Journey
Assuming the investigators agree to
accompany him, Father Henesey will
book passage on the next vessel to
Scotland.
Henesey will not inform the
investigators, but he will intentionally
allow the Ancient Order of the Stone to
learn which ship they are traveling on. It
is a bit of a gamble, but Henesey hopes
that the cultists will send their agents on
the same ship. This way, the good
Father hopes, the investigators will be
able to confront and defeat the cultists
before reaching Scotland. This way,
reasons Henesey, it will be some time
Opifex Bi-Monthly Random Universes
Conclusion
8
#1
13
12
12
10
9
12
12
+1D4
Knife 61%
1D4+2+db
#2
13
15
16
10
9
11
16
+1D4
Knife 55%
1D4+2+db
#4
12
13
14
13
11
14
14
+1D4
.38 Revolver
23% 1D10
15 yard base
range, 6 shots,
Attacks 2.
Mythos Beings
Lesser Blood Vortex, Lesser Servitor
Race
Description: Blood Vortexes are terrible
beings that must be summoned through
a special blood ritual (see below). In
their natural state, Blood Vortexes are
loci of energy and malign intelligence
that dwell in the empty places of space.
When summoned, they form swirling
bodies from the spilled blood of the
victims used in the ritual.
Blood Vortexes move by flying and are
remarkably fast and agile. In combat,
they slash out with pseudopodia of
blood. These tendrils rip at their victims
and pull blood from their veins. These
attacks inflict 1D6 damage per hit. In
Characteristics
STR
CON
SIZ
INT
POW
DEX
HP
Damage Bonus
Rolls
2D6
3D6
2D6
3D6
2D6
5D6
Averages
7
10-11
7
7
7
17
10-11
0
#1
8
13
8
7
8
21
14
0
#2
9
12
10
6
5
22
14
0
Move: 10
Weapons: Tear 60% Damage 1D6
Armor: None, but mundane weapons inflict only minimal damage. They sustain full
damage from enchanted weapons and spells. They also regenerate (see above).
Spells: None
Sanity Loss: 0/1D6 Sanity Points to see a Lesser Blood Vortex.
Spells & Items
Create Silver Blood
Knowledge of the ritual to create silver
blood enables the caster to transform a
mixture of mercury, iron shavings, and
a small portion of his own blood into
silver blood. The ritual takes three hours
of mixing and tracing symbols and
patterns into the fluid. The caster must
expend six magic points to create
10
Getting Together1999
By Michael C. LaBossiere
Ontologist@aol.com
AD&D
Action
The following details the events that
are to take place in the adventure.
The Journey
The journey across the Friendly Sea
will be uneventful, unless the DM
decides otherwise. The Friendly Sea
deserves its name as the weather is
generally mild, the winds tend to be
favorable, and the only predators are
purely natural ones, such as sharks.
The Friendly Sea is also reasonably
well patrolled by ships from the human
kingdoms of Trelshan and Balcha. The
Elves of Sidihan also patrol the waters
around the island of Avila.
The only real danger on the sea, at
least in times of peace, comes from the
Kelkha. The Kelkha, a tribal affiliation of
fierce humans, live on the same island
as the Elves of Sidihan, but are kept at
bay by an ancient wall, constructed
during the time of the Ventanni Empire.
The Kelkha do not have any large seagoing vessels, but they do have small
14
Conclusion
NPCs
Sailor Billin
AC: 10
Lvl: 0
HP: 7
Weapon: Dagger 1-4
Description: Billin is an experienced
sailor, but has no desire to seek any
adventure that does not involve being
on the sea.
Sailor Joshut
AC: 10
Lvl: 0
HP: 6
Weapon: Dagger 1-4
Description: Joshut is young (15 years
old) apprentice sailor and is eager for
adventure. His enthusiasm might well
cause lead to trouble. He has the
potential of earning levels as a warrior,
should the DM wish to add an NPC to
the party.
Monsters
The Moraks (Goblins)
AC: 6
Movement: 6
HD: 1-1
THAC0: 20
Damage: 1-6
Size: Small
Morale: 10
XP Value: 15
# HP
Weapon
16
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
7
6
4
4
5
5
4
3
Milre
Balcha
Hobre
1 Square = 50 Miles
Avila
Trelshan
Kelkha
Michan
Oset
Velaynder
Sidihan
Oshun
17
Myths of Etrena
Michael C. LaBossiere
Ontologist@aol.com
Introduction
Being a fantasy world, Etrena is heavy
with myths. The following myths are
mostly from the human perspective and
this, of course, colors them. The veracity
of these myths is ultimately left to the
game master.
Many of these myths were collected by
Pleny, the Seventh Sage of Tursen, and
bound into his exceptional work, the
Book of Seven Hundred Legends. These
myths are also located in lesser works
and are, of course, passed on from
generation to generation.
The Myth of the Minotaurs
Before the time of the Ventani Empire,
there was a small island kingdom,
known as Mino. This island was famed
for both its strong warriors and fine
cattle.
For centuries the island kingdom
supplied both warriors and cattle to the
surrounding kingdoms. Beyond this,
Mino had little influence on the area.
However, a king took the throne who
intended to change all that.
King Rutek assumed the king ship
after his father. King Hullus, was gored
and trampled to death by a huge black
bull that shed arrows and sword blows
like water. King Hullus had been a
brave man, but was little concerned
with expanding his kingdom, much to
the dismay of his wife. Hence, it is
believed that Ruteks mother, the
Sorceress Lutella, had a hand in King
Hullus death.
King Ruteks set out to expand his
army and to prepare for war. His first
campaign was a success and his army
easily conquered a neighboring island.
This merely slaked the Kings thirst for
18
Languages of Etrena
Venti
Ventani
This is the ancient language of the
Ventani people. When the Ventani
formed the Ventani Empire, they
attempted to make Ventani the official
language. This did not, of course, work.
Because of the influence of the various
cultures within the Empire, the official
langauge eventually had three
divisions: High, Middle and Low. The
Emperor and the highest officials used
High Ventani, which was the original
language. It was also popular among the
mages. The provincial officials, who
were not native Ventani, tended to
speak Middle Ventani, which was a
slightly corrupted version of the
original. Low Ventani, which was used
by the common folk, was a highly
corrupted version of Ventani and it
eventually became the language known
as Venti.
20
Moraks1999
By Michael C. LaBossiere
Ontologist@aol.com
AD&D
DMs Background
Legal Information
This adventure is copyright 1999 by
Dr. Michael C. LaBossiere. 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 my web site at
user.aol.com/ontologist/.
TSR, which is now part of Wizards of
the Coast, has the following policy: as
long as (1) you're not copying our text,
(2) you're not copying our art, (3) you're
not copying our logos, and (4) you're
not making money off of it, you can use
our properties to make your own fan
material (within good taste - no porn,
etc.). That's it. Make your stuff. Have
fun.
Introduction
This adventure is suitable for a party
of low level (1st-3rd) PCs. It pits the PCs
against a small tribe of Moraks that has
entered the lands around Velaynder in
search of raiding opportunities.
This adventure assumes that the PCs
have completed Getting Together.
This adventure is in this issue, above.
There is also other material for the
Etrena campaign in this issues. If the
22
Maps
The following maps detail the
locations covered in the adventure.
Main Map
The main map shows the general area
of the adventure.
Road to Velaynder: This is the road that
leads to Velaynder. The road is mostly
dirt, but there are some sections of
cobblestone that are left from the
Ventani Empire. The road is usually
reasonably well traveled by merchants,
wanderers, and adventurers.
Road to Glyarnd: This road leads to the
village of Glyarnd. Human survivors of
the Judgment founded Glyarnd.
Explorers from the New lands
encountered the inhabitants of Glyarnd
about 300 years ago. The inhabitants of
Glyarnd, after some initial distrust,
welcomed people from the New Lands.
Glyarnd is best known for its famous
Firedrake Inn and a battle that took
place there between the forces of good
and the servants of Durakor, a god of
the Undead.
Guard Tower: While many creatures
perished in the Judgment or fled the Old
Lands, a significant number of beings
remained. Some of these beings were
evil and, to this day, they (or their
descendents) still present a threat to the
human settlements. To counter these
threats, Velaynder has constructed
guard towers to provide vantage points
and housing for the patrols that protect
the land. Each guard tower houses a
force of thirty men.
Fourteen of the men are horsemen
who ride patrol, ten of the men are foot
soldiers who man the tower, four of the
men are support personal (such as
cooks) and one man is the captain of the
24
Action
The following details the events that
take place in the adventure.
The Moraks
Since the Moraks can leave the area
and are intelligent enough to be flexible,
many things can happen when the PCs
try to deal with them. The following are
some guidelines.
Scouting
The PCs first mission is to find the
Moraks and gain as much information
as possible about them. If the PCs know
that the Morak camp is in the ruins, they
can head there for the search. If they do
not have this information, they will
have to search the entire area. The PCs
might encounter Moraks while
searching.
Morak patrols: The Moraks send out
regular patrols of at least four Morak
warriors. These patrols will no more
than a half a mile from the camp. If the
PCs enter this area, they might
encounter Moraks. If encountered (1 in
10 chance an hour at night, 1 in 20
chance an hour during the day, or at the
DMs discretion), they will attempt to
avoid detection. If that fails, some of the
Moraks will try to lead the PCs away
while one runs back to the encampment
to warn the others.
Morak hunting parties: To get fresh
meat the Moraks send out hunting
parties at night (to get animals when
they are asleep). These parties will
consist of 2-6 warriors. They will go as
Opifex Bi-Monthly Random Universes
Conclusion
The adventure ends when the PCs
either defeat the Moraks, are killed, or
give up.
If the PCs defeat the Moraks, the
authorities in Velaynder will be pleased
and will be favorably inclined towards
the PCs. This can lead to other
adventures in which the PCs are sent on
missions for Velaynder.
If the PCs are killed, its time to roll up
new characters. If the PCs flee, the city
of Velaynder will eventually defeat the
Moraks. However, the authorities will
30
Monsters
The following details the monsters the
PCs will face during the course of the
adventure. There are two main groups
of monsters. The first is the Chipped
Fang Tribe of Moraks and the second
are the guardians of the shunned tower.
The Morak Chipped Fang Tribe
(Goblins)
Morak Warriors (42)
AC: 6
Movement: 6
HD: 1-1
THAC0: 20
Damage: 1-6
Size: Small
Morale: 10
XP Value: 15
#
20
Weapon
Spear 1-6
16
Short
Sword 1-6
Short Bow
1-6
Hit Points
3,4,5,4,2,1,5,3,2,2,
3,4,3,4,5,4,3,3,2,5
4,4,2,1,3,2,2,3,4,3,
4,5,4,3,3,4
6,5,4,4,34
Magic Items
Soldiers Flask
A Soldiers Flask is magical item from
the days of the Empire. At the height of
the Empire, its power was so great that
it could afford to provide even its
common soldiers with at least some
magic. One of the most common was the
Soldiers Flask. A Soldiers Flask
appears to be a well-constructed metal
flask, typically decorated with fierce
animals, battle scenes or similar things.
The flask will always be found with a
stopper on a chain. The magic of the
flask is such that if emptied, it fills with
cool, clean water up to three times a
day. Once a day, at dinnertime, it fills
with wine.
The water and wine produced by the
flask are normal. The flask also only fills
up so that it could not be used, for
example, to flood an area.
1 in 20 flasks have gone sour. The
water they produce is stale and warm.
Instead of wine, vinegar is produced. 1
in 100 have been cursed in such a way
Opifex Bi-Monthly Random Universes
Road To
Glyarnd
Ruins of Telshen
Heavy Woods
Heavy Woods
Empire Road
Lake
Garla
Heavy Woods
Guard Tower
Guard Tower
N
1 Square =1/2 Mile
33
Velaynder Farms
Road To
Velaynder
Guardpost 4
Guardpost 1
Foundation 1
Morak Tower
Guardpost 2
Guardpost 3
Foundation 2
1 Square=20 Feet
Foundation 3
34
Tower
First Floor
Common Area
Storage
Kitchen
Second Floor
Hall
Barracks
1 Square = 10 Feet
Sergeants Captains
Quarters
Quarters
35
Morak Tunnels
Basement
Hall
Warren 2
Warren 1
1 Square = 10 Feet
36
Shunned
Tower
Basement
1 Square = 10 Feet
37
Reviews
A set of nice looking cards, but don't get
it looking for a full game.
Fate Deck
Company: TSR
Author: Steve
Brown, Steve
Miller and Ed
Stark (designers)
Price: $12.95
Pages: 84 Fate
Deck cards, 16
character cards
and 16-page
booklet
Overall: 4 out of 5
TSR's new interesting Saga system has
some pretty interesting rules and an
overall fresh feel, and its hell-bent focus
on role-playing is quite a worthy effort.
At its heart lies the Fate Deck, a set of 84
cards that you now use instead of dice.
What do you get with this set? The Fate
Deck (and some character cards), a small
booklet detailing the basic Saga game, a
Dragonlance adventure and the
somewhat forgettable Dragon Wars
game. While the Saga rules are touted
as a role-playing system you could use
with any of your fantasy games, don't
expect to be able to just get a Fate Deck
and start playing right away. Basic
game rules are included on the set, but
they are woefully incomplete (is there
initiative? what sort of school do Sleep
or Charm spells fit into?) and nowhere
near those included on the Fifth Age set.
So, just what is the Fate Deck supposed
to do for you? If the Hounds of
Tindalos chewed over some of the cards
that came with the Fifth Age, the Fate
Deck is a somewhat inexpensive way to
replace them. If you've played with the
Saga before, you could conceivably start
38
J. Mndez rmendez@geocities.com.
40
Half-Life
System requirements
Minimum
CPU: 133 MHz +
24MB RAM
Available Hard Disk Space: 400MB
Recommended
CPU: Pentium 166+
Memory: 32MB Ram
Video: 3D accelerator card (works
with OpenGL and Direct3D, but I
suggest OpenGL)
Overview
Like Microproses Master of Orion
games, Birth of the Federation is a
strategic game of galactic conquest. You
start out controlling a single system and
your goal is to become a galactic power
using economics, technology, espionage
and, of course, warfare.
Unlike the Master of Orion games, Birth
of the Federation is set within the
universe of Star Trek: The Next
Generation. You should keep in mind
that Microproses license is limited
strictly to STNG, so all the ships, races
and such are from that series. If you are
looking forward to sending Constitution
class starships on five-year missions,
you will be disappointed. However, the
game is very faithful to the series. So, if
you want to boldy send out Galaxy class
starships, you might find exactly what
you are looking for here.
Description of game
At the start of a new game, you get to
choose the nature of your virtual
universe. You select the starting
technology for each race, the relative
42
Minimum
CPU: 133 MHz Pentium
RAM: 16MB
Graphics: 800X600 X16-bitcolor (2MB video RAM)
Available Hard Disk Space: 160
MB
CD-ROM: 4X
Sound Card: Direct-X
Recommended
CPU: 200 MHz Pentium
RAM: 32MB
Available Hard Disk Space: 180
MB
CD-ROM: 8X
Network Play
Null Modem: 2 players.
IPX, TCP/IP: 2-5 Players.
Internet: 2-5 Players.
Street Price: $39.99
Overall
Birth of the Federation has a great deal
of potential and some excellent features.
Because of this, it feels like a great game
that was released a bit too early.
I enjoyed playing the game, but the
flaws and bugs seriously detracted from
an otherwise pleasant experience. If you
really like Star Trek and you like
strategic space games, pick up a copy. If
you are just looking for a good strategic
space game, pick up a copy of Master of
Orion I or II.
-Michael C. LaBossiere
ontologist@aol.com
45