Thursday, June 9, 2016

El Libro del Lamang-Lupa





"Fat Jack", the alcoholic DC-2 pilot played by Bob in our Achtung! Cthulhu campaign, was given a strange little loose leaf notebook by a Catholic priest in the Philippines. 

El Libro del Lamang-Lupa is a folio of handwritten notes and illustrations believed to have been compiled by a late 16th/early 17th Century Jesuit priest in Luzon.  The core narrative was clearly written down by the priest in archaic Tagalog, with many explanations, textual commentaries, and jottings in Spanish in the marginalia.

The text purports to be the "confession" of an earth-dwelling dwarf-like creature caught while trying to escape the clutches of the priest. With all but its head and neck buried in the damp earth, the dwarf's discourse describes several indigenous monsters found in the archipelago, including the manananggal, the mambabarang, kapre, and duwende. There are illustrations of these creatures as well. This is followed by a detailed description of numerous native plants and their virtues.

The final narrative section is in Spanish, and describes "El Otro ArchipiƩlago", a chain of islands that certain Dreamers reach using charms, prayers, and medicinal plants. This other island chain includes several large and wondrous cities, rustic marvels, and novel means of transportation including skyships, wasp-like flying creatures, and sea-cows. Perhaps the priest, who refers to himself in Spanish as "The Confessor", was a himself a Dreamer...

The book also has spells or charms; these are in Tagalog.

Understanding the Spanish text requires a success with a raise. Understanding the Tagalog test requires one additional success with a raise.

Friday, June 3, 2016

Sgt. Rock


As a kid, I was a regular reader of Sgt. Rock. This image is very much how I remember him.  I'm sure I had this issue!

The Wikipedia entry gives his full name as Sgt. Franklin "Frank" John Rock. The FDR reference in his name marks him simultaneously as an Everyman, as well as the greatest man among us.

At least one version of Sgt. Rock was killed by the last enemy bullet fired on the last day of the war. In Unknown Armies terms, I suppose that makes him a Godwalker.

I wonder if anyone has statted up Sgt. Rock for Savage Worlds?

Thursday, June 2, 2016

Paris Catacomb Crawl


We didn't have our entire player group tonight, so rather than progress with the Assault on the Mountains of Madness, Jay, Alan, and I had another test drive of the Savage Worlds combat rules.  Diverging from the main campaign narrative, British (and maybe some American) commandos entered the Paris catacombs to rescue civilians from their Nazi captors.

Jay's Wild Card was Agent Corporal Carter, and while Alan recycled Sgt. Dawson-Frost from Assault as Sgt. Davenport. Each Wild Card had a team of three Extras with them.

Saturday night Jay and I ran a part one of the Paris Catacomb Crawl. His commandos faced some stiff opposition from Werhmacht soldiers and Lovecraftian ghouls. In part two, the opposition was Brandenbergers, a Nazi sorcerer (who really didn't get to do too much), several francisca axe-chucking, umm, Frankish zombie warriors in rusty chainmail, and a female zombie who had been empowered by the Sword of Liberty with special ranged weapon with a bite: her own head.

This is my fourth combat session, and the action is getting easier to adjudicate. Jay also sketched out a combat flow chart, so I am going to start researching how to put together a GM screen for Savage Worlds. This is a game that really needs a screen.