Spes Magna Games

I’ve not gotten much writing done in the past several weeks. No good reasons why. I did start outlining Commandos & Cultists, a mash-up of The Cthulhu Hack and WWII: Operation WhiteBox. As I’ve written once before, the heroes in ComCul fight against the Thule Society, an occult society that directs much of Nazi Germany’s occult activities, operating through the Heereswaffenamt (HWA) (with its Wissenschaft (HWW) and Okkulte (HWO) divisions) as well as the Ahnenerbe, a Nazi-backed archaeological and occult organization. (Nota Bene: These groups come from the “Mini-Setting: Nazi Occult” section of WWII: Operation WhiteBox.)

The real Thule Society was founded in the early 20th century. It was a bizarre mixture of neopaganism, anti-Semitism, eugenics, pan-nationalism, and occultism. Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer of the Schutzstaffel, strove mightily to make his devotion to the racialist occultism of the Thule Society into a sort of state religion for the Reich, envisioning Thule Society beliefs replacing other religions, especially Christianity, which Himmler loathed. An important part of Thule-inspired doctrines involved discovering the undiluted blood of Aryan descendants. Those with pure Aryan blood were destined to rule. Others were fit to serve, except for the lowest of the Untermensch, which had to be exterminated.

To assist with the racial classification and establishment of the race-based caste system, Munich-based Lehmann Publishers, a publisher of eugenics materials, manufactured the Augenfarben-Tafel shown in the picture. The glass eyes show 20 different eye colors used by proponents of Nazi racial ideology to help better classify individuals based on their suitability for various state-granted privileges, such as those related to marriage and children.

A small number of Augenfarben-Tafel possess magical properties. Various high-ranking Nazi officials, especially those assigned to the HWA, own magical Augenfarben-Tafel. A person carrying a magical Augenfarben-Tafel is surprised 1 in 6 times and suffers only a -2 penalty to hit invisible foes. The carrier also enjoys a +1 bonus on saving throws against being blinded. Fully 75% of magical Augenfarben-Tafel enable the user to cast Darkvision (50%), Wizard Eye (25%), or both (25%). Spells cast via a magical Augenfarben-Tafel can be used once per day.

Tags: magic items, The Black Hack, The Cthulhu Hack, WWII: OWB

Well, I’ve still not gotten much writing done. Pretend I’ve listed all of the excuses here instead of this sentence. That said, my attention deficit slipped into attention surplus long enough for me to complete about thirteen pages of Commandos & Cultists, a sort of The Cthulhu Hack, The Black Hack, and WWII: Operation WhiteBox mash-up. (I’ve mentioned this once before in another post.)

Once of the aspects of The Black Hack (TBH) that I’ve read (and cribbed for my own work) several times relates to how measurements of time are abstract. The basic unit of time is the moment. In general, moments are fleeting, lasting no more than a few seconds. In another words, a moment in TBH corresponds to a melee round in D&D.

As I was working on Commandos, I had a minor epiphany. Since TBH treats time as relative, not all moments are as momentary as other moments. When appropriate to the story played out in a game session, a moment might be six seconds long (a modern D&D melee round), a minute long (an AD&D melee round), ten minutes long (an AD&D turn), et cetera. But, in the final wash, if the GM can measure every PC’s individual actions with an identical unit of absolute time, then that unit of time can be treated as a single moment.

For example, a team of commandos wants to spread a bit of chaos and fear in the enemy ranks. The commandos plan out a campaign of nocturnal harrassment that lasts for three nights. The GM decides to treat each night as a single unit of time during which each commando can accomplish three tasks. For each commando, two of these tasks are moving into and back out the enemy lines. The third task might be stealing food, sabotaging a vehicle, absconding with classified documents, disrupting communications, et cetera.

In keeping with TBH‘s action resolution system, each commando’s actions would be resolved with a single die roll, using whichever ability score seems most appropriate. Sneaking behind enemy lines? Dexterity. Disguising oneself as a high-ranking officer and bluffing one’s way behind enemy lines? Charisma. Sloshing through a half mile of rat-infested sewer tunnels? Constitution. It doesn’t matter that each one of those tasks would take longer than a moment when measured with a stopwatch. Game-wise, treating each action as a bit of narration followed by a single die roll suffices to keep the action moving.

So, back to the commando team and their three night campaign of harassment. Each night has the potential to be resolved by as few as three d20 rolls per commando. Should a roll fail (“Ach! Your mustache has fallen off!”), then all of sudden time compresses, and a moment that before might have lasted for a few hours suddenly becomes a series of seconds-long moments in which a commando has to fight for his life.

Tags: The Black Hack, The Cthulhu Hack, WWII: OWB

Nota Bene: The H.P. Lovecraft picture is from Publishers Choice Quality Stock Art, copyright Rick Hershey/Fat Goblin Games.

Yes, I know about Achtung! Cthulhu. By all accounts, it’s a great game, but I don’t own it. I do, however, own The Cthulhu Hack and WWII: Operation WhiteBox, which are also great games. So, what if I combined the latter two, while perhaps drawing some inspiration from the second edition of the also-great The Black Hack?

In my mash-up, the PCs fight against the Axis. They’re also fighting against the Thule Society, an occult society that directs much of Nazi Germany’s occult activities, operating through the Heereswaffenamt (HWA) (with its Wissenschaft (HWW) and Okkulte (HWO) divisions) as well as the Ahnenerbe, a Nazi-backed archaeological and occult organization. (Nota Bene: These groups come from the “Mini-Setting: Nazi Occult” section of WWII: Operation WhiteBox.)

Some character classes come from WWII: Operation WhiteBox. These are the Charmer, Combat Engineer, Grunt, Maquis, Sniper, Tactician, Wheelman, and Überläufer. There are also civilian assets, specifically the Bruiser, Ruffian, Adventurer, Philanthropist, and Scholar, all adapted from The Cthulhu Hack. Or, at least at the moment, I’m thinking that’s how things could work out. Thus, a group of PCs could be comprised entirely of commandos, entirely of civilians, or of a combination of the two. I also might adapt The Cthulhu Hack classes into expanded background “packages” for the military and partisan classes.

For example, let’s explore what the Charmer might look like. This is a very rough draft. The Commando Usage Die would apply to doing commando things, like scaling a cliff, setting an explosive charge, et cetera. It represents the “Special Forces Training” rule found in WWII: Operation WhiteBox (p. 37). Flashlights, Sanity, and Smokes work as described in The Cthulhu Hack.

The Charmer
Charmers rely on a combination of wits and natural charisma to influence others and avoid trouble. They often play support roles in operations, acting as negotiators, translators, and liaisons, but charmers can pull their weight in a fight when necessary.

Starting Stats
Starting HP: 1d6+2
Starting HD: 1d6
Attack Damage: 1d6 or 1d4 in unarmed

Usage Dice
Commando: d6
Flashlights: d8
Sanity: d8
Smokes: d10

Special Features
Detect Deception: Roll with Advantage when attempting to detect deception.

Loyal Allies: The Charmer has a special Loyal Allies Usage Die that starts at a d4. Given time and the proper means and location, the Charmer can call upon a number of allies equal to the Usage Die roll.

His Mind of His Own: Roll with Advantage when resisting attempts to influence the Charmer.

Gaining a New Level
Acquire and share a number of Experiences equal to current HD to advance a Level. When a Level is gained:

Attributes: Roll 1d20 for each Attribute. If you roll over, that Attribute goes up by one. Make an extra roll for either Dexterity or Charisma.

Hit Dice: Gain one HD. Roll 1d6 and gain that many additional maximum HP.

Usage Dice: At every odd-numbered level, increase one Usage Die by one step.

Tags: Character Classes, The Black Hack, The Cthulhu Hack, WWII: OWB

Emerging from the darkness, bones sizzling and glowing, hovering just above the rippling water, nearly as tall as a man. Frog wraiths!

Nota Bene: All links below are affiliate links.

*****

For The Black Hack:

Frog Wraith (HD 5)

Chilling Touch: STR (1 Close) 6 dmg
Croak: DEX (1 Nearby) 6 dmg

Incorporeal! Ignores all damage from even damage die rolls.
Soul Rending! Armor Dice cannot be used to negate damage dealt by the Croak.

*****

For Mutant Future:

Frog Wraith
No. Enc.: 3d6
Alignment: Chaotic
Movement: fly 120′ (40′)
Armor Class: 7
Hit Dice: 6
Attacks: 1 (cold ray)
Damage: 4d6
Save: L3
Morale: 10
Hoard Class: None
XP: 1,000

Mutations: Energy Ray; Unique (Out of Phase, Vampiric Croak)

The strange, deadly frog wraith attacks either with a ray of intense cold out to a range of 50 feet or else with its vampiric croak, a mental attack with an effective WIL of 2d6+6 that drains 2d4 hit points from each affected creature within 30 feet. These absorbed points go into a separate reserve for the frog wraith, and any damage inflicted on the frog wraith is taken from these reserve points first. Frog wraiths exist partially out of phase with reality. Non-mental attacks are 50% likely to not harm a frog wraith.

Tags: monsters, Mutant Future, The Black Hack

Yes, that’s right. Quetzalcoatl lives in the Chrysler Building and Shelly Desai offers sacrifices while David Carradine and Richard Roundtree try to stop the monster and the murders while dealing with the vainglorious Michael Moriarty, who delivers a performance so method that it’s almost a caricature, especially within the context of a joyfully B-movie. Trivia: David Carradine’s half-brother Bruce plays “The Victim”.

Q – The Winged Serpent: The only 80s monster/crime drama that features a police officer/mime silently emoting his horror and anguish while watching a fellow officer die off-screen.

(Nota Bene: All links below are affiliate links.)

*****

For The Black Hack

Q (HD 8)

Part bird, part serpent. It’s Q, and it hungers for sacrifices!

Claws: STR (2 Close) 5 dmg
Gotcha! Deals Ongoing Damage that requires a STR Test to end.

Bite: DEX (1 Nearby) 9 dmg
Bloodthirsty! Deals double damage against targets below one-half their maximum HP.

*****

For Swords & Wizardry

Q
Hit Dice: 8
Armor Class: 6 [13]
Attack (Damage): 2 Claws (1d6), 1 Bite (2d8)
Move: 9/15 (when flying)
Save: 8
Alignment: Chaos
Challenge Level/XP: 9/1,100
Special: Grab

If Q’s target is hit with a claw and fails its saving throw, Q holds the target, struggling, until a saving throw is successful.

*****

For Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay

Q
Alignment: Chaotic
Psychological Traits: Q causes fear in all living creatures.
Special Rules: Q flies as a swooper, and the Move score given below is for ground movement. Q attacks with one bite and two claws. Its claws inflict one-half Strength damage.

Basic Profile
M 3, WS 75, BS 0, S 6, T 5, W 40, I 30, A 3, Dex -, Ld 45, Int 30, Cl 45, WP 45, Fel –

Tags: monsters, movies, Swords & Wizardry, The Black Hack, Warhammer