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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2017 14:07:14 GMT
EDITOR'S PREFACE
As I see it, if you are reading this, you are one of two types of people. Those of the first type always read the preface and introduction to a work before launching into its main text. If you are one of those people, then what I'm going to say below will give you a mental framework upon which to hang the things you'll encounter throughout the rest of this book. Those of the second type launch right into the body of a work, beginning with those parts that first catch their eye, then working outward to related things, and so on, until they find themselves reading the preface some rainy day when it seems there is nothing else to do. If you are of this second type, you've already absorbed this work, but what I'm going to say below will help draw it all into focus, quite possibly in a way you've never thought of before.
Gary Gygax is, undoubtedly, the most famous game designer on the planet. His original work on Dungeons & Dragons, with Dave Arneson, and his subsequent creation of the first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons have served to make the term "D&D" synonymous, to the general public, with roleplaying.
For that reason, it is pretty much impossible to talk about the Mythus game, Gary's new fantasy RPG, without comparing it to, and contrasting it with, AD&D 1st edition. In the latter game, it seems to me, Gary set out to portray a fantasy world by creating certain generic templates. That is, a fighter in AD&D 1st ed. is a set package of capabilities, a wizard another, a thief yet a third, etc., and each package has a collection of parameters that give it definition. The demihuman races also fit this pattern, and even the background "world" is sort of a template defining fantasy.
The strength of this template approach is that players can quickly latch onto an image, easily distinguishing one character type from another. To borrow a concept from my English training, the template system is something like Prescriptive Grammar. It provides for smooth interaction by ensuring that everyone is using common rules. Or, to use a different metaphor, it keeps everyone in harmony by ensuring that they are all on the same sheet of music. The long popularity of AD&D 1st edition is ample testimony to the power of that design.
But in the Dangerous Journeys system, Gary has outdone his earlier work by opting for a different approach. In this system-- and hence in the Mythus game--he uses something more like a Descriptive Grammar. It tells you what people are capable of doing; and because people really do lots of different things, it is naturally open ended. Or, to use another musical metaphor, it is like a jam session in which one mythic vision provides the unity, but the individual musicians are free to improvise upon that theme--and any sort of musical instrument is allowed.
Let's consider that mythic central vision for a moment. There are strong precedents in human history to describe human beings as having three major aspects: body, mind, and spirit. You'll notice that this is exactly where the Dangerous Journeys character design begins its division, with Physical, Mental, and Spiritual TRAITS. Then it subdivides each of those TRAITS into two CATEGORIES, and each of those CATEGORIES into three ATTRIBUTES. These are the innate characteristics of a Dangerous Journeys game persona. But humans also learn various sorts of knowledge that enhance their innate abilities. That's the reason that the Dangerous Journeys system uses skills rather than "Classes" as a way of defining what game personas are capable of. The end result of this joint attribute and skill system is an easily handled set of persona characteristics that allow for all kinds of characters and all sorts of genres equally well. In a word, in the Dangerous Journeys system, Gary has opted for an open-ended way of quantifying persona abilities, rather than a defining of limits.
Similarly, in devising the fantasy world that is the primary setting for the Mythus game, Gary has reached back into the myths that underlie our history. But he uses these sources in a way that sets up divisions without making them fences. For example, while we learn herein that the mythic world of Aerth has a counter-world called Phaeree, a place of wild magick, we also learn that the boundary between those two worlds is thin, with the result that creatures from one frequently stumble across into the other, and vice versa. Even more significantly, we discover that among the infinite possible dimensions, there are multiple worlds like Aerth and Phaeree, yet subtly different. And the magick rules provide another important example, in that while there are many different types of spellcasters, and multiple schools listed, each with their own collections of Archetypical Castings, there are also in-depth provisions for the creation of brand new "Specific Castings," so that players' spellcasting personas can grow beyond the parameters of what is listed.
In a nutshell, what Gary has done with the Mythus game is provide a carefully thought-out system that invites considerable exploration of its own contents, and infinite expansion beyond them. The system provides all the material necessary for getting adventure campaigns started, keeping them running, and encouraging their expansion. Through these rules, players and gamemasters alike are empowered to imagine and create, but they have a firm foundation from which to do so, one that will provide for growth in any direction.
By nature, an editor's job requires the taking of a purposefully critical approach when working with a project. It is my pleasure to confess that at every turn my professional skepticism has been thoroughly thwarted by the depth and breadth of the Mythus game. Thank you Gary; it has been a real joy.
--Lester Smith, April 1992
Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, and AD&D are the trademarks of TSR, Inc. and are used without permission.
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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2017 14:35:47 GMT
WELCOME TO THE MYTHUS GAME
Welcome to the Mythus fantasy role-playing game. There are magickal worlds awaiting within. There are worlds of palace intrigues, subterranean adventures, places which time has forgotten, and whimsical "counter-worlds" where winged sprites and monstrous things of evil dwell. Swordplay and witchcraeft, dragons and giants, alchemy and conjuration, the Seelie Court of Phaeree and the temples of the demon-servers--all these things and more are just the turn of the page away. While most people of our world don't know it, there is another world connected to ours by minor dimensional irregularities, weaknesses in the fabric of the multiverse, if you will. Sometimes strange things happen to pass through these portals, and thus we have tales of sea monsters, "little people," and the like. More frequently, though, people from here step into the beyond, disappearing from Earth forever, lost without a trace. Come with us now to visit the most magickal of the other worlds connected to our own, an alternate world called Aerth. It is a place of exciting adventure and wild things, but when you have concluded your sojourn there, your home dimension remains at hand, awaiting your return. First, you must learn how to conduct yourself in realms of sword & sorcery!
The Mythus roleplaying game is based on fantasy, myth, and legend. If you've ever enjoyed reading Robert E. Howard, J.R.R. Tolkien, or myths and fairy tales, then you have an inkling of what's in store for you within. Likewise, if you've found excitement in films such as Dragonslayer, The Three Musketeers, Excalibur, Conan The Barbarian, Robin Hood, or Thief of Baghdad, then you'll love this game. If you have never played a roleplaying game before, you'll find it to be very different from any game you've ever played before (we promise!). You can be certain that you will be most pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, if you've already experienced the enjoyment of fantasy roleplaying games, the Mythus game will bring you end innovative approaches to your cherished form of entertainment. There are complexities herein which will prove realistic, sophisticated, and satisfying to the most demanding expert. Yet the game is presented and explained clearly enough to be easily learned by complete newcomers.
This game is merely one of many from the Dangerous Journeys series of products. Perhaps you have played another of these modular systems already, but no matter if you haven't. Each game system module from the line focuses on a different genre--supernatural horror, science fiction, etc. But all of these different settings have a core system of rules that remains the same from genre to genre. This consistent "engine" works to carry you throughout the multiverse, allowing you to be a wizard facing down the dreaded Host of the Slaugh and their pack of Yeth Hounds in one adventure, then running to oppose the Accursed, evil foes of humanity, right here and now on Earth in the next.
WHAT IS A ROLEPLAYING GAME? Roleplaying is a fascinating and absorbing hobby. Unlike more traditional pastimes and sports, such as baseball, hunting, soccer, or golf, roleplaying requires little in the way of athletic ability or excellent coordination--only a good imagination, which is perhaps the greatest talent of all!
Not many years ago, though, there were no roleplaying games available. You could buy and play a table game (such as skittles, tiddly-winks, or military miniatures), a board game (such as checkers, chess, or Monopoly, or a card game just about anywhere. But up until 1974, roleplaying games (or RPGs for short) didn't exist commercially. That is now very much changed, and the best evidence of that fact is what you are now reading!
There are some elements sof the other three sorts of games in a roleplaying game, but roleplaying is unique. You will have no board, need no playing pieces, have no set moves--most of what occurs in the course of play comes directly from the imagination and creativity of the participants. Think of children's games of let's pretend, and then go a step further! In essence, roleplaying games are much the same as improvisational theater. Like the members of a dramatic cast, you and your fellow players each take a role within an unfolding story. (The role you play will be that of a game persona, or character, you yourself create.) Together, you and the other players make up a team. None of you will emerge as a triumphant winner at the expense of the other participants. Rather, you will all work together against a common foe.
Who or what is the mutual enemy? The answer to that lies within the realm of the gamemaster, the individual who sets the stage, assists each player in determining his or her role, and serves as the channel of information as it is discovered through play.
The Gamemaster Let us consider the role of the gamemaster more fully. The gamemaster (GM for short) is the producer and director of the game action. A GM must know the game rules, the premises upon which they are constructed, and then prepare for play. Because a fantasy roleplaying game (FRPG for short) is a long-term activity, a GM must have materials prepared for game action spanning days, weeks, months, and possibly years of roleplaying activity by the player group. Such materials, in toto, are referred to as a campaign. A play episode which has a start and a conclusion is usually referred to as an adventure or scenario, while a portion of an adventure is usually called a session. As noted, a campaign lasts for as long as the group involved desires. An adventure might conclude in two or three hours, or it might require 10 or 20 times that to be resolved. In part, the time required is dependent on how well the player team operates, how well it uses its creativity and imagination in problem solving. The length of an adventure also depends on the complexity of the particular quest or mission involved.
Gamemasters know all the secrets behind each adventure situation, but they reveal information only as their players' game personas discover it through their announced actions and observations. Thus, the GM is not only the producer, director, and source of all information, but also the sole player of those roles not taken by the other game participants. Does the character encounter a guardsman? A Gypsy fortune teller? A learned sage? A powerful villain? All of those will be played by the gamemaster.
As an impartial and disinterested participant in the story, the GM
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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2017 15:34:56 GMT
serves both to help and hinder the player group. The GM lays out the scenario, provides information to the players, acts the roles of minor characters, adjudicates disputes between the players' personas and characters they meet, interprets the game rules, and critiques play after the completion of an adventure by awarding merits to individual players for the skill with which they played during the game. That brings us to just what it is you will do as a player in the Mythus game.
The Roleplayers By first rolling dice to determine certain basic facts about your character, and then through the process of actually playing the role, you create a unique game persona. Often referred to in roleplaying as a player character, this make-believe person will become your alter ego, a brave adventurer in a world of high fantasy. Therefore, in the Mythus FRPG such an alter ego is called a Heroic Persona (or HP for short). This isn't flattery or exaggeration. Your Heroic Persona will fight against the most vile and malign forces in the multiverse. That is truly heroic!
Before you begin play, you will create your HP by determining certain background facts. Some will be determined randomly, others by selection of a Vocation, and the rest by your own decisions.
While you may still have many questions about roleplaying in general, and this game in particular, the answers will all be revealed through play and further reading. The first thing to learn, however, is what's going on in the world of the Mythus game.
GAME PREMISE Your Mythus campaign is assumed to take place on the alternate world of Aerth in a time line absolutely parallel to our own--but where magickal power, Heka, works, and science is rather a useless thing. The date is exactly 1000 years before our own time, so years are easy to keep track of--i.e., 1992 is 992 on Aerth. The world is very much like our own, but its culture and society are a mix of Medieval and Renaissance, with utter barbarism in its out-of-the-way places. Aerth is more than merely one world, too. It is filled with adventures, intrigues, and the incredible-but-true.
Probability dictates that whenever there is some radical change in the course of events, the continuum of time and space diverges. That is, there is a branching, and where once was one world and one cosmos, there are suddenly two, each separated from the other, invisible to each other, but existing in the same space. Each alternate reality is operating on a different vibratory pattern. In an infinite multiverse, all things are possible, for there is an infinity of possibility.
Such a split in probabilities occurred when humanity began to examine magickal forces in prehistoric times, for instance. Here on Earth, the force of Heka is weak, so magick is uncertain and difficult at best. It's another story entirely on Aerth.
Where there's smoke, there's fire. Simply put, the legends and myths, the body of tales and stories regarding strange races and creatures and magick which are occasionally related even today, and the rare news of seemingly fantastical happenings are the smoke. The stuff gets to us from those weak places in the vibratory patterns of the two worlds we told you about earlier, so what is our myth and legend is often Aerth's plain fact. Because our two worlds continue to diverge, as Earth's science grows ever more complex, and Aerth's use of Heka becomes ever more practiced, the vibratory patterns of the two cosmos grow farther apart. Once they were more nearly attuned, so there were many portals between the two worlds. Now these gates and doorways are rare. A few still exist, of course. Perhaps you will choose to play a persona from Earth who has passed through one such coterminous place to discover the realms of fantasy which lie but a step beyond. Or, on the other hand, you might choose to experience the multiverse of magick from the perspective of a native of Aerth. In either case, you will see that the so-called fables and fancies of our own world, Earth, are quite literally based on the facts and realities of the alternate world, Aerth, a place so much like this one and yet so different.
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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2017 19:26:24 GMT
Heka--the energy that powers magickal castings and all manner of things fabulous to Earth--is as dear to Aerth as electricity and other forms of "scientifically" developed energy are here. Aerth's technologies revolve around Heka, so its forces are used to construct major building works, cure humanity's ills, fight its wars, and explore the unknown. Our televisions, radios, airplanes, automobiles, telephones, gunpowder weapons, and all manner of other "modern conveniences" would be considered fabulous there. However, we on Earth don't have the forces of Heka to serve us, either--no countering of natural diseases through the offices of priest or healer, no accurate foreseeing of events, no wonders of conjurer and hedge magician to entertain us, and no granting of "wishes" here, to point out only a few. But they are a certainty on Aerth, if only you can obtain them.
The fantasy milieu is wondrous in many ways. It provides sophisticated interpersonal actions in Renaissance-like kingdoms, castles of all sorts throughout lands such as Francia and Atlantl, and the exotic Oriental palaces of Sindraj, Siam, and Ch'in. Then there is the maze of places which honeycomb the underground world known as Subterranean Aerth. And, of course, there is the expanse of Aerth's hollow interior to explore, too, but those are just the beginnings of the marvels to be found in this milieu! Consider Aerth's alter-reality of wild Heka force, the counter-world of Phaeree, where elves, goblins, dragons, leprechauns, and thousands of other strange creatures inhabit realms which parallel those of humanity.
The players' Heroic Personas are gathered together and charged with helping humanity and those benign "others" of the world of Phaeree and elsewhere in their continuing struggle against the forces of Darkness and their malign servants--on Aerth, Phaeree or wherever they may be. There are whole states permeated by the power of Evil; there are malign beings hidden amongst the aristocrats of the most enlightened nations; and there are demon-servers and witches amongst freemen and peasants, of course. The fight is on all levels, in all lands and places.
You see, there is a guiding force behind the machinations of the Netherrealms, and this manifestation of benighted influence is called the Accursed. Perhaps you are already familiar with these vile ones, but if not you will be soon. (See "Appendix D: The Accursed in the Fantasy Milieu" for a brief overview.)
In such a multifaceted setting, your Heroic Personas will venture forth to right wrongs, gain all sorts of new knowledge, destroy evil, acquire some impressive skills, and possibly become famous champions, great sages, court officials, arch-priests, high mages, nobles, or even lords of their own realms. You've already taken your first steps toward the awaiting portal. Advance!
GAME CONVENTIONS As with any other hobby, roleplaying gaming has its own jargon, abbreviations, and technical terms. It is a rich milieu, and one that you will learn through experiencing its breadth and depth. Following are a few notes regarding the way such things will be arranged throughout the work.
The Epic of Aerth & Mythus Magick Set aside, for now, the Mythus Magick book and the Epic of Aerth companion volume to these rules. The first contains expanded magick rules to the game. The latter work contains background information needed to set the stage, so to speak, for the adventures and excitement to come. It provides all sorts of fascinating details about where your Heroic Personas will adventure, who or what they will encounter, and why those creatures behave as they do. But first you must learn to adventure. That is the domain of the work you now hold.
Basic and Advanced Games First of all, two different groups of rules (almost two separate games, in fact!) are provided within this book--the basic rules and the advanced rules. The basic rules are presented within Part One of this tome, the section called Mythus Prime. This section is designed for those who are new to roleplaying as well as for those who want to start playing immediately. The Advanced Mythus rules--Part Two of the book--are intended for veterans and for newcomers who don't mind studying the game for some time before beginning play.
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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2017 19:49:52 GMT
Common Vocabulary: The Heroic Persona (or HP for short) referred to earlier is an imaginary person who exists in the game world but is controlled by a real person in the actual world, the player. An Other Persona (or OP for short) is any persona besides an HP. Most--if not all--OPs are controlled by the gamemaster (GM for short). One class of Other Personas consists of those which are inimical to good and right, and these personas are usually referred to as Evil Personas (or EPs for short). There are other types of OPs as well--see Chapter 15 of the Advanced Mythus rules for details.
Sheets: Reference will often be made to the various kinds of sheets--as in sheets of paper. Basically, these are preprinted items which are found in the back of this book and may be photocopied and used in play. Glance over them when you want to take a moment from reading text. The most important type of sheet is the Heroic Persona Sheet on which you will fill in information about your HP. The methods by which the information listed there is determined is discussed in Chapter 1 of the Mythus Prime rules, as well as Chapter 10 of the advanced rules, under "HP Creation."
Dice: In the Mythus game, the general course of events in an adventure is determined by player decisions and their interaction with the goals of OPs. But details such as the results of a bargaining session, or the flow of a combat, often have a bit of randomness added in through the use of dice. The two types of dice used in this game are those of the six-sided and 10-sided variety. Most everyone is familiar with six-sided dice, and you probably have a few lying about the house. If not, you can get them at the same places you will find 10-sided dice, such as hobby shops, comic book shops, specialty bookstores, and the like. Ask a sales clerk about "10-siders" if you don't know what they look like. Note that the faces on a 10-sided die are numbered from 0 to 9. Just treat the 0 as a 10 when you roll it.
This brings up dice notation, which is perhaps the most important type of abbreviation to be found in any RPG. Basically, dice notation consists of an upper-case letter "D" with a number on one or both sides. The number on the right side refers to the type of die to roll by listing its number of sides, and the number to the left refers to the number of dice to roll. Thus the term "1D6," for example, means roll one six-sided die, and "1D10" means roll one 10-sided die. The term "2D6" means to roll two six-sided dice and add the results together, while the term "2D10+5" means to roll two 10-sided dice, add the results together, and then add 5 to that--if you rolled a 5 on one die and a 9 on the other, you would have a total of 19 (5+9+5).
There are also three special kinds of rolls which are frequently employed in the Mythus game. These rolls are basically variations on the above, and come in three types--the D%, D3, and D5. The D% roll, also known as "percentile dice," is the most frequently made roll in the game. The way it works is you take two 10-siders, preferably of different colors, and designate one as the "tens" digit and the other as the "ones" digit. Then when you roll, you read them in such a way that the dice yield a result from 1 to 100. For example, if the tens came up a 6 and the ones die came up a 5, you would have rolled a 65. If the tens came up a 1 and the ones die came up a 1, then the result would be an 11. A roll of 0 on the ones die means that the result will be a multiple of 10 (only the tens die counts). A roll of 2 and 0, for example, would thus count as a 20. A roll of 0 on the tens die means the result will be a one-digit number--a roll of 0 and 1 would thus count as a 1--except in the special case when both dice come up with 0, in which case you have rolled a 100.
The second type of die roll is the D3, which is much simpler. To make this roll, you need only roll a D6, divide by 2, and round up fractions. (Note that this is nearly the only instance in the entire game where you do round fractions up!) The following table summarizes the results:
D6 Roll = D3 Result 1 or 2 = 1 3 or 4 = 2 5 or 6 = 3
The third sort of roll is the D5 roll. It is simply a halved D10 roll, just as D3 is a halved D6. Its results are summarized on the following table:
D10 Roll = D5 Result 1 or 2 = 1 3 or 4 = 2 5 or 6 = 3 7 or 8 = 4 9 or 10 = 5
Note that it is possible to make rolls which are multiples of these, or to combine them with other sorts of rolls. For example: 2D% (added to get results of 2 to 200) 3D3 (a 3 to 9 result) 4D5 (for a range of 4 to 20) 1D3 + 1D5 + 1D10 (a 3 to 18 spread averaging 10)
Gamemasters should note that it is easy to gain other results using the two types of dice used in the Mythus game. If you want to get a 1 to 12 range, first roll 1D6. Then roll another die to determine whether or not to add 6 to the result--a low result on this second die (1-3 on 1D6, or 1-5 on 1D10) means "yes," and a high result (4-6 on 1D6 or 6-10 on 1D10) means "no." For instance, a 1D6 roll of 5, followed by a 3 on the second D6 would become 11--but if followed by a 4 instead would remain a 5. You can get a range of 1 to 20 using 1D10 and 1D6 in the same way, with the second die determining if the 1D10 roll is to be read as is or with a +10. To get a 1 to 30 result, roll 1D10, then roll 1D6 divided into three determining steps: 1 and 2 indicate nothing is added to the 1D10 roll, 3 and 4 mean add +10, and 5 and 6 mean add 20. A 1 to 50 result can be found by rolling 1D10, then rolling a second 1D10 divided into five steps. In short, you can get just about any random numbers you might want with a simple D6 and D10.
USEFUL ITEMS Besides dice, pencils are necessary for play, of course. Access to a photocopier will come in handy, as will a pocket calculator when generating personas for the Advanced Mythus game.
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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2017 20:15:47 GMT
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Post by Admin on Feb 27, 2017 20:15:58 GMT
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