13 July 2009
Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
ROGUE FEED
Pulp Fantasy Library: The
Circus of Doctor Lao
JUL 13, 2009 12:01A.M.
“Lost world” stories, in which a modern man is flung into a corner of
reality whose physical — and metaphysical — laws are different than
those of the mundane world, were an important overlooked influence on
the development of OD&D. An uncommon but related genre concerns
incursions of the magical and the mysterious into mundane reality, often
with disastrous results. A good example of this is Charles Finney’s 1935
novel, The Circus of Doctor Lao (which was loosely adapted into the
1964 film, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao).
The novel takes place in a small town in Arizona, where a strange circus
owned by an enigmatic Chinese man named Dr. Lao pays a visit. The
circus is strange because its attractions consist exclusively of
mythological beasts and legendary people. Among its exhibits are a satyr,
a medusa, a werewolf, a unicorn, and the occultist Apollonius of Tyana,
among many others. The townsfolk are drawn to the circus and many
have inexplicable experiences as a result of their interactions with Dr.
Lao or his attractions — inexplicable in the sense that there is no easy
way for them to dismiss what they have experienced as hallucinations or
illusions even though they “know” that they could have experienced what
1
they have experienced. The exhibits of the circus challenge their
conceptions of reality and rationality.
Finney seems to have intended the novel as a critique of the modern
mindset that readily dismisses magic and mystery, closing itself off to the
possibility that reality might be bigger than what can be viewed by the
senses or explained through science. The book offers no definitive
explanations for what the townsfolk experience and even its tentative
ones are incomplete and contradictory. This might make the novel
frustrating to some readers, but that’s probably a response Finney
wished to elicit, at least as I read it. The book is an invitation to open
one’s mind and ponder how many things we’ve been told to be true
either are not or that don’t tell the whole story. It’s an ode to wonder and
awe.
I can’t claim that The Circus of Doctor Lao had much direct influence on
D&D, although the treatment of Medusa as a kind of species of creature
rather than a singular being might have its origin here. Nevertheless, the
phantasmagoric nature of the circus provides good fodder for referees
looking for unusual obstacles for their adventures. Likewise, the book’s
central theme — the openness to wonder — is one every gamer should
keep close to his heart. Lose sight of that and this hobby very quickly
becomes a joyless exercise.
ROGUE FEED
[Lost Works] Star Wars: BESM
— Part 8
JUL 12, 2009 10:14A.M.
Forces of the Empire
The Empire’s strength is protected and safe guarded by their elite
fighting forces. The military is the shinning example of the Empire’s
greatness and is a necessary tool to keep systems in check. In times of
need these forces are used to pacify systems that refuse to follow the laws
of the Empire.
The military receives a wealth of benefits and the bulk of government
expenditures. They are given the best weapons and receive the most
training. The bulk of the Empire’s military strength lies in the navy, and
is an example of the Emperor’s dominance. Star Destroyers troll the
systems and carry enough fighters and Stormtroopers to neutralize any
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
enemy.
The Empire is a part of life in the galaxy and all come into contact with
the Empire’s forces at sometime. Be it a smuggler transporting
contraband or freedom fighters waging a resistance, the Empire poses a
threat to all.
Stormtrooper Body 5 Mind 4 Soul 4 Defects
Owned by a Mega Corp – 2BP, Red Tape – 1 BP
Skills
Gun Combat (blaster) – 1, Military Sciences – 1, Unarmed Attack
(strikes) – 1, Unarmed Defense (strikes) – 1
Gear
Stormtrooper armor, blaster, 2 grenades
Derived Values
Attack Value 4, Defensive Value 2, Health Points 45, Energy Points 40
The elite of the Empire’s shock troops, Stromtroopers are the most
skilled and well trained fighting force in the galaxy. Where ever there is
trouble, Imperial Command deploys Stromtroopers in such numbers as
to overwhelm any and all opposition. It is the Stormtroopers who enforce
the Emperor’s will and ensures that his laws are enforced. Encased in
their white and black armor, Stormtroopers mere presence is often
enough to quell any opposition. Stormtroopers are loyal to the Empire
and there have been no reported cases of one ever being bribed, seduced
or blackmailed. Their entire life is devoted to discipline and they are
obedient to the end.
Snowtrooper Body 6 Mind 5 Soul 4 Defects
Owned by a Mega Corp – 2BP, Red Tape – 1 BP
Skills
Gun Combat (blaster) – 1, Gun Combat (blaster rifle) – 1, Military
Sciences – 2, Unarmed Attack (strikes) – 1, Unarmed Defense (strikes) –
1, Wilderness Survival (arctic) – 2
Gear
Stormtrooper armor, blaster, blaster rifle, 2 grenades, utility belt, high
tension wire, grappling hook, 4 flares, survival pack.
Derived Values
Attack Value 5, Defensive Value 3, Health Points 55, Energy Points 45
Snowtroopers, or Cold Assault Troopers, are one of the most highly
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13 July 2009
trained and highly specialized units in the Imperial fighting forces. They
are trained to work and survive in polar regions, and their armor is
designed to protect them from extreme cold. Snowtroopers are trained to
work in unison with AT AT Walkers. Once the walkers secure an area,
the Snowtroopers disembark and mop up any pockets of resistance.
Sandtrooper Body 5 Mind 5 Soul 4 Defects
Owned by a Mega Corp – 2BP, Red Tape – 1 BP
Skills
Gun Combat (blaster) – 1, Military Sciences – 1, Stealth (camouflage) –
1, Unarmed Attack (strikes) – 1, Unarmed Defense (strikes) – 1,
Wilderness Survival (desert) – 2, Wilderness Tracking (desert) – 1
Gear
Stormtrooper armor, blaster, blaster rifle, 2 grenades, food/water packs
Derived Values
Attack Value 4, Defensive Value 2, Health Points 50, Energy Points 45
Another of the specialized unit of Stromtroopers, Sandtroopers are
trained in desert survival. Their armor is designed to protect from the
heat and has built in cooling systems that uses perspiration and to cool
the body. The lenses of the helmet are polarized and protect from the
glare of the desert sun. In addition, the breathing plate of the helmet is
also redesigned and filters out sand in addition to trapping moisture to
aid in the cooling process.
Scouts Body 5 Mind 5 Soul 4 Defects
Owned by a Mega Corp – 2BP, Red Tape – 1 BP
Skills
Driving (speederbike) – 1, Gun Combat (blaster) – 1, Military Sciences –
1, Stealth – 2 Unarmed Attack (strikes) – 1, Unarmed Defense (strikes) –
1
Gear
Stormtrooper armor, speederbike, macrobinoculars, blaster, tent,
food/water packs
Derived Values
Attack Value 4, Defensive Value 2, Health Points 45, Energy Points 45
This specialized unit are typical stationed at garrison posts and it is their
job to maintain active patrols on pacified worlds. Scouts perform
reconnaissance functions and often they survey a planet prior to
Imperial control. Many times it is the Scouts who are the first Imperial
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net
presence on a world. By the time Star Destroyers enter orbit, the Scouts
have the entire planet mapped out.
Imperial Royal Guard Body 6 Mind 6 Soul 6 Defects
Owned by a Mega Corp – 2BP, Red Tape – 2BP
Skills
Gun Combat (blaster) – 2, Melee Attack (force pike) – 2, Melee Defense
(force pike) – 2, Military Sciences – 2, Unarmed Attack (strikes) – 2,
Unarmed Defense (strikes) – 2
Gear
Stormtrooper armor, force pike
Derived Values
Attack Value 6, Defensive Value 4, Health Points 60, Energy Points 60
The ranks of the Royal Guards are filled with only the best
Stormtroopers. Their loyalty to the Empire has been rewarded by being
chosen to serve as the Emperor’s personal guards. The Emperor hand
picks each of his guards, and they under go a rigorous training process to
prepare them for their new assignment. Royal Guards are fanatic in their
devotion to the Emperor, and place him above all things. To mark their
special status and distinction, each guard is clad in blood red armor and
long red cloaks
Star Destroyer Officer Body 4 Mind 4 Soul 4 Defects
Owned by a Mega Corp – 2BP, Red Tape – 1BP
Skills
Hyperspace Navigation – 1, Law (Imperial) – 1, Piloting (Destroyer
Class) – 1, Military Science – 1, Navigation – 2, Physical Science
(Astronomy) – 1
Derived Values
Attack Value 4, Defensive Value 2, Health Points 45, Energy Points 45
The Imperial Naval Academy accepts only the best applicant’s pilots into
its ranks. These cadets are trained in all manners of space crafts, but only
the best earn the rank of officer and are assigned to a destroyer. From
the start of their naval career, officers compete amongst themselves for
assignments and placements within the Imperial fleet. Often the first
lessons a young cadet learns is the politics that make up the Imperial
Navy. The competition keeps the officers on their toes and is encouraged
by Imperial Command.
TIE Pilots Body 4 Mind 4 Soul 4 Defects
3
13 July 2009
Owned by a Mega Corp – 2BP, Red Tape – 1 BP
Skills
Electronics (communications) – 1, Navigation – 1, Piloting (TIE) – 1,
Heavy Weapons (starship weapons) – 1
Derived Values
Attack Value 4, Defensive Value 2, Health Points 45, Energy Points 45
Those at the Naval Academy who are not good enough to join the ranks
of officer, find themselves as TIE pilots. According to many, these are
they best pilots in the galaxy, and are highly skilled with the flying of
personal craft. The training these pilots endure is long and intense, but
once completed, pilots are able to fly a variety of ships. TIE pilots are
well respected among the Imperial Navy, and have reputations of being
fearless.
Posted in Games, thoughts Tagged: BESM, Games, Gaming, Lost Works,
thoughts
ROGUE FEED
[Lost Works] Dewey’s
Manuscript
JUL 12, 2009 09:59A.M.
I’ve been a fan of Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu (though truth be told,
Pacesetter’s CHILL is my favorite horror game of all time). Between
1999 and 2000 I ran a monthly Call of Cthulhu game, which marked
the first, and last time I ran a regular campaign of the game. Nothing
against the game, but I have always found CoC to be a much better game
if it is run as a season (6 to 8 sessions forming one adventure arch). The
reason for this is that the long term sanity of the player’s characters is
such a fleeting thing, that eventually the long term exposure to things
that go bump in the night, reduce the character to a mass of mental goo.
Still, the experince of running CoC on a regular basis was fun, and I did
learn a lot. These lessons helped shape the thoughts that I brought to
Colonial Gothic.
What follows is one of the creations from that monthly CoC campaign,
The Dewey Manuscript. Sadly, this is the only thing that is left from the
campaign — I cannot find the notes or any of the other things I created
for the campaign. They might have been lost in one of the many moves
that took place between 2000 and 2007.
The Dewey’s Manuscript
Born on December 10, 1851 in a small upper New York State town,
Melville Lousi Kossuth Dewey is known as the father of not only the
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR riorio2@rogue-games.net 13 July 2009

current field of Library Science, but the inventor of the Dewey Decimal
System. Unknown to most, Dewey was also a scholar of the mythos and
well read on a number of occult topics.
Dewey’s interest in the occult started when he was younger. His father
was a scholar and interested in ancient cultures. As a youth, Dewey read
as many of his father’s books as he could. It was also at this time that
Dewey began to develop a love of libraries. He saw the state of disrepair
his father’s book collection was in, and he took it upon himself to
organize it and repair many of the books. While attending Amherst
College, Dewey worked as a student assistance in the library. One of his
major responsibilities was to reorganize the library’s special collections
area. It was during this project that Dewey refined a organization system
he had developed while he was younger.
classification system. Every subject is broken down and a person can
after a few minutes classify any book on any subject. Unknown to all but
a select few there are a few spells buried with in the manuscript. To cast
them, a person must start with the broad subject, and work their way
down through the tables. Once this is done the spell is able to be cast.
Another item of interest is that there are many references to mythos
topics buried within the tables. These references were dropped from the
printed version but they exist in manuscript form.
There are only two copies of the manuscript known to exist. One is kept
in the ALA archive, and many are unaware of its mythos connection. The
other copy is kept at Columbia College and is part of the Dewey
Collection. The head archivist is a member of the Inner Circle of the ALA
and controls access to the manuscript.

Dewey’s System was one based on a number classification scheme. This
scheme is based on a well-developed hierarchies and a network of
relationships among topics. The system is dived into ten main classes
which cover the entire world of knowledge. Each main class is divided
into ten divisions, and then each division is further dived into ten
sections. What his system allowed was a way to easily and quickly
catalogue books and make their retrieval easier. This system was a
success and soon every major library was using it to organize their
collections.
Dewey’s Manuscript—in English, by Melville Dewey, 1876. Sanity Loss
1D3/1D6. Cuthulhu Mythos +5 percentiles; average 4 weeks to study and
comprehend. Spells: Curse of Darkness, Keenness of Twoalike, Unmask
Demon.
Posted in Games, thoughts Tagged: design notes, game design, Lost
Works, thoughts, writing

Besides the creation of his classification system Dewey changed the

vocation of librarianship to a modern profession. In 1876 he helped
establish the American Library Association and served as the
organizations secretary from 1876 to 1890. he also served as the ALA’s
president during the 1890/1891 and 1892/1893 terms. He also was a
promoter of library standards and was a pioneer in setting standards for
library education. If that was not enough he also formed a company to
sell library supplies which eventual became the Library Bureau. In 1883
he became the librarian of Columbia College, and while there he founded
the first library school in January 1887. In 1889 he became the director
of the New York State Library and retired from this position in 1906.
besides his interests in library science Dewey was a spelling reformer.
Some of the first printed editions of the classification scheme was done
in reformed spelling.

Unknown to many but the inner circle the American Library Association
was formed so that students and scholars of the Mythos could share
knowledge. This inner circle used the guise of librarians to collect,
catalog and share numerous books dealing with not only the Occult but
the Mythos. Dewey, who by 1876, was a respected authority of the
mythos and worked hard to amass a collection of as many books as he
could. He used his position as the librarian of Columbia College and the
New York State Library to build a collection that members of the ALA
inner circle could use.

Dewey’s Manuscript is the original handwritten draft of what would

become the 1st edition of the Dewey Classification System. The
manuscript numbers a total of 800 pages, and is stored between two
simple wooden book covers. These covers are then secured with a red
ribbon. The bulk of the manuscript is devoted to the number