Rogue Games Tabbloid -- April 29, 2009 Edition

29 April, 2009

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retails for $10.00. Though written for characters of levels 5-7, it’s easily adaptable to characters of higher or lower levels, as well as to other fantasy RPGs.

Ignatius Ümlaut Interview APR 29, 2009 12:54A.M.

In terms of its production values, The People of the Pit is probably the most attractive Brave Halfling product I’ve seen so far. Though it retains the two-column layout of earlier products, the dense text is broken up by a dozen pieces of superb black and white art by John Bingham, all of which have a terrific old school feel to them, from the hideousness of the eponymous People of the Pit to the adventurers and their pack mules

You can read a brief interview on Lulu.com with Ignatius Ümlaut, the editor of Fight On! here.

preparing to face them. I also appreciated the fact that the cover does not ape the appearance of old AD&D modules, instead opting for a unique look. Also included are four removable maps, all of which have a slightly pixelated appearance. They’re serviceable but not particularly attractive. The text itself is well-written and clear. I noticed no obvious editorial glitches beyond the fact that the module can’t seem to decide whether its title includes the definite article or not, with the outside and inside covers disagreeing with another on this matter.

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REVIEW: The People of the Pit APR 28, 2009 08:51P.M.

As one might expect from its title, The People of the Pit draws on the 1918 Abraham Merritt short story of the same name for inspiration. Indeed, the module’s text uses quotes from Merritt’s work to good effect throughout. As one might expect, I was quite pleased to see this, since Merritt is both an under-appreciated fantasist generally but also an under-appreciated influence on D&D. Gygax specifically places him alongside Howard, Leiber, and Vance, as one of the “most immediate influences on AD&D” in Appendix N of the Dungeon Masters Guide. Fortunately, many people are making an effort to bring Merritt out of the shadows and expose a new generation to his fervent imagination and luxurious language. The module itself is an open-ended one, providing multiple means by which the characters can become involved in it, as well by which they can proceed once involved. All of these events point them toward the City of the Pit, a subterranean city inhabited not only by the loathsome, sluglike People of the Pit, but also their human and demihuman slaves, as well as abominable hybrid beings that serve as the priesthood of the God of the Pit. The People’s regular communion with the God of the Pit is what enables the other-planar People to remain on the Prime Material Plane. Cutting them off from that communion would thus cast them out of the world and eliminate the threat they pose to it. Long-time D&D fans may experience moments of déjà vu while playing this module, since the City of the Pit bears many similarities to the drow metropolis of Erelhei-Cinlu from The Vault of the Drow — except, of course, that it’s likely Erelhei-Cinlu is in fact an echo of Merritt’s work, given how highly Gary regarded the writer. That said, the City of the Pit is far less of a mini-sandbox than was the drow city; it’s more like a small

The People of the Pit is, quite simply, one of the more interesting adventure modules to come out of the old school renaissance. Written by Alphonso Warden and published by Brave Halfling, this 42-page product

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29 April, 2009

subterranean wilderness area, complete with its own wandering monster table. That’s not a criticism so much as an acknowledgment that The People of the Pit feels more like a single-use module rather than as a touchstone for further adventures. That’s probably just a failure of imagination on my part, though, since there are enough loose ends and “rough edges” for clever referees to pick up and use as the basis for follow-up adventures.

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Volunteer Boys, 1780 APR 28, 2009 04:07P.M. As one of the best convivial songs produced during the war, Its authorship has been attributed to Henry Archer, a native of England, who emigrated to America in 1778, and embraced the cause of the Colonists.

If I have any complaints about The People of the Pit, they’re minor ones. First, I wasn’t especially fond of the unsubtle references to Abraham Merritt (the Kingdom of Merritt under the leadership of a chieftain called Abraham, for example). In my own Dwimmermount campaign, there’s a decadent, subterranean race of men called the Tirrem, a name I feel is a bit less obvious while nevertheless honoring their origins. Second, the adventure includes two “timed events,” which are basically encounters that occur independent of character action but according to the passage of time instead. Both these events foreshadow things the PCs

VOLUNTEER BOYS HENCE with the lover who sighs o’er his wine, Cloes and Phillises toasting, Hence with the slave who will whimper and whine, Of ardor and constancy boasting. Hence with love s joys,

may encounter later in the module. For some reason, their presentation irked me. Perhaps it’s because I think they might have worked better as entries on a random encounter table rather than as examples of auctorial fiat. That said, these are both minor issues in what is otherwise an excellent, atmospheric module that draws heavily on the game’s pulp fantasy roots. Would that more old school adventures were as remarkable as this one.

Follies and noise, The toast that I give is the Volunteer Boys. Nobles and “beauties and such common toasts, Those who admire may drink, sir ; Fill up the glass to the volunteer hosts, Who never from danger will shrink, sir. Let mirth appear, Every heart cheer, The toast that I give is the brave volunteer.

Presentation: 8 out of 10 Creativity: 9 out of 10 Utility: 7 out of 10

Here’s to the squire who goes to parade Here’s to the citizen soldier ; Here’s to the merchant who fights for his trade, Whom danger increasing makes bolder. Let mirth appear, Union is here, The toast that I give is the brave volunteer.

Buy This If: You’re looking for a mid-level adventure that draws heavily on D&D‘s pulp fantasy roots Don’t Buy This If: You’re not interested in the pulp fantasy roots of the game or in modules set in a subterranean realm devoid of dark elves

Here’s to the lawyer, who, leaving the bar, Hastens where honor doth lead, sir, Changing the gown for the ensigns of war, The cause of his country to plead, sir. Freedom appears, Every heart cheers, And calls for the health of the law volunteers.

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Henry Archer APR 28, 2009 04:08P.M. “Dr. French,” a nephew of the celebrated Jonathan French (minister at Andover, Mass.), now living in the town of Rockingham, Vermont, says he often heard his father say that ” Henry Archer, a gentleman from England,” was the author of the ” Volunteer Boys.” By referring to the Pennsylvania Packet, October, 1778, the reader will find the following: “Philadelphia Friday last, arrived in this city, Henry Archer, Esq. This young gentleman has been educated at a military school, in England, where he owned a handsome fortune, which he has lately sold,

Here’s to the soldier, though batter’d in wars, And safe to his farm-house retir’d ; When called by his country, ne’er thinks of his scars, With ardor to join us inspir’d. Bright fame appears, Trophies uprear, To veteran chiefs who became volunteers.

in order to embark as a volunteer in the American army.” Here’s to the farmer who dares to advance To harvests of honor with pleasure; Who with a slave the most skilful in France,

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A sword for his country would measure. Hence with cold fear, Heroes rise here; The ploughman is chang’d to the stout volunteer.

Happy his blood to spill, In gallant fight. To our fam’d Washington, Brave Stark at Bennington, Glory is due. Peace to Montgomery’s shade, Who as he fought and bled, Drew honors round his head, Num’rous as true.

Here’s to the peer, first in senate and field, Whose actions to titles add grace, sir; Whose spirit undaunted would never yet yield To a foe, to a pension or place, sir. Gratitude here, Toasts to the peer, Who adds to his titles, “the brave volunteer.”

Look to Sar’toga’s plain, Our captures on the main, Moultrie’s defence. Our catalogue is long, Of heroes yet unsung, Who noble feats have done

Thus the bold bands for old Jersey’s defence, The muse hath with rapture review’d, sir; With our volunteer boys, as our verses commence, With our volunteer boys they conclude, sir. Discord or noise, Ne er damp our joys,

For independence.

But health and success to the volunteer boys.

The melting mother’s moans, The aged father’s groans, Have steel’d our arms. Ye British Whigs beware! Your chains near formed are, In spite of Richmond’s care To sound alarms.

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Dutch Song, 1779 APR 28, 2009 03:58P.M.

Come join your hands to ours; No royal blocks, no tow’rs; God save us all! Thus in our country’s cause, And to support our laws; Our swords shall never pause At Freedom’s call.

This song was published in Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Packet, as “A song made by a Dutch lady at the Hague, for the sailors of the five American vessels at Amsterdam. June, 1779.” DUTCH SONG GOD save the Thirteen States! Long rule th’ United States! God save our States! Make us victorious; Happy and glorious; No tyrants over us; God save our States!

We’ll fear no tyrant’s nod, Nor stern oppression’s rod, Till Time’s no more. Thus Liberty, when driv’n From Europe’s states, is giv’n A safe retreat and hav’n, On our free shore.

Oft did America Foresee, with sad dismay, Her slav’ry near. Oft did her grievance state, But Britain, falsely great, Urging her desp rate fate, Turn’d a deaf ear.

O, Lord ! thy gifts in store, We pray on Congress pour, To guide our States. May union bless our land, While we, with heart and hand, Our mutual rights defend, God save our States!

Now the proud British foe We ve made, by vict’ries, know, Our sacred right. Witness at Bunker’s Hill, Where godlike Warren fell,

God save the Thirteen States! Long watch the prosp’rous fates. Over our States! Make us victorious;

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Happy and glorious; No tyrants over us;

contributed to rather than dispelled its muddled state.

God save our States!

This moral confusion was made worse by the fact that in most traditional swords-and-sorcery literature, there aren’t a lot of “monsters,” let alone intelligent ones. The enemies against whom Conan or Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser fought, for example, were generally other human beings, none of whom were portrayed as evil by nature. They were enemies because they opposed the protagonists, not because of what they were. D&D, though, borrowed many surface elements from high fantasy writers like Tolkien, elements that, when stripped of their larger context, don’t mesh well with the pulp fantasy superstructure of the game.

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Irredeemably Evil APR 28, 2009 03:52P.M. Commenting on an earlier post of mine, Steven Marsh asks a question I think worth pursuing,

Thus, the importation of the irredeemably evil orcs — and the extrapolation by Hit Dice of other related races — introduced a wrinkle into the implied setting of the game that it couldn’t easily contend with. Whereas Conan’s slaying of an individual man could be potentially be justified on the basis of the individual’s actions, humanoid monsters

I’ve had a personal distaste for many years for many “old school” conventions of slaying, say, a village of goblins, just because they’re evil. Is it considered to be just for “heroes” to slaughter them all? Is it right to never offer quarter to sapient foes, but rather barge into a dungeon room with swords drawn? etc.

don’t seem to enjoy that same status. They’re evil because they are evil and no further justification is needed. Tolkien himself seemed to waver on this point later in life, but D&D, for most of its existence, has not. Add to this the naturalistic presence of non-combatant females and young, and you have the recipe for some very thorny questions that D&D‘s incoherent moral structure just can’t handle.

Personally, I can really only enjoy hack-n-slash if there’s either a strong moral compass for the heroes (requiring those who follow good to offer quarter, not taking lives needlessly, etc.), or if those the heroes act against are by definition irredeemably evil (demons, devils, undead, Cthulhu-esque horrors, etc.). But I admit I’m weird and don’t judge other viewpoints... and it’s not like I’m consistent in this view. (I don’t like heroes killing orcs just because they believe they’re evil, but I don’t think a player of the Russian side in Axis & Allies is tacitly approving of Stalin’s actions.)

I say that not as a criticism of Dungeons & Dragons. I don’t personally have any problems with this incoherence, mostly because it’s precisely this that makes the game so accessible and malleable to many tastes. But there’s no denying that the incoherence is there and that, without some thought on the part of the referee (not to mention the cooperation of his players), the game can quite easily degenerate into something that some might view as indefensible from a moral point of view.

Generally, I don’t give a lot of consideration to questions of this sort, because, in my experience, they’re often insincerely asked. That is, they’re really a cover for a hidden agenda of some sort, including (but not limited to) a general indictment of D&D and/or swords-and-sorcery gaming generally.

Again, let me stress that I’m not saying that this has to be the case or even that it’s much of an issue for me personally. I’ve dealt satisfactorily with these matters in my own campaigns, but doing so required that I deal with them. I don’t recommend making them the focus of one’s campaign (or one’s thoughts about it), but I also think avoiding them isn’t viable in the long term. Or at least it’s never been so for me. I much prefer to address moral questions head on, even in RPGs, and it’s precisely this that I think too many referees don’t do, thereby lending ammunition to those who would argue there’s something inherently immoral about swords-and-sorcery. That’s why, like Steven Marsh, I think a moral compass of some sort is needed to combat this false accusation.

In this case, though, the question included reference to a moral compass, something I’ve previously commented upon as a necessity in D&D. Indeed, my feeling remains that the game implicitly holds to a rather traditional moral structure derived from a kind of “fairytale Christianity” that partly provides a counterbalance to the game’s other, more unsavory implications — but only partly. That’s because D&D has never been a systematic game, particularly in its inspirations. While pulp fantasy writers like Howard, Leiber, and Vance, none of whom were much concerned with “moral” questions, are the game’s primary influences, they’re not its only ones. Both Gygax and Arneson were interested in medieval history and its events, both real and legendary, also loomed large in their imaginations. It’s from here that deviations from the comparative amorality of pulp fantasy entered the game, aided no doubt by the authors’ own moral beliefs. The end result is a game with some very muddled moral stances, complicated by the fact that many of D&D‘s internal mechanisms, such as alignment,

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Solomon Kane Fan Film APR 28, 2009 02:00P.M.

One of the big influences on Colonial Gothic is the history, but a lot of fiction set during the period had as much an impact as well. One work, Robert E. Howard’s Solomon Kane, had the most impact. Howard’s writing captured part of the tone I wanted to have. Anyway, in case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s a short fan-produced film that dramatizes the Robert E. Howard poem, The Return of Sir Richard Grenville.

This issue contains posts from between Apr 28, 2009 07:08a.m. and Apr 29, 2009 03:03a.m.. Visit the Rogues on the web: http://www.rogue-games.net

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