A review of Other Hands Issue 26: Dark

Undead
Editors: Chris Seeman and Charles Watteyne

ISSN: 1081-8359

by Joe Mandala © 1999

Contents

Editorial: On the Move, magazine news

Dark Undead, a treatise on the undead in Middle-earth
Denizens of the Dead Marshes, a description of three Mithril Miniatures depicting
Tolkien's undead
Rastarin's Log Chapter Eight: The Gwaedhel-Sword, fiction

The Authors

 Chris Seeman: Dark Undead, Denizens of the Dead Marshes Chris

Seeman is the publisher of Other Hands and has worked extensively on
MERPTM (Kin-strife, Southern Gondor, Arnor, Northern Waste, Hands of the
Healer). In real life he spends his days trying to finish a doctoral degree in
Near Eastern Religions at UC Berkeley. He is a noted Tolkien scholar in
gaming circles.
 Sam Daish: Dark Undead Sam Daish lives in the home of Peter Jackson's
Lord of the Rings movie - Wellington, New Zealand, where he has put his
classical studies degree to good use as a Human Resources Advisor for a
leading Bank. He confirms that security is tight around the various filming
sites. If he's very lucky you may see him in one of the movies as the 39th orc
from the left.
 Bridget Buxton: Rastarin's Log Bridget Buxton, a New Zealander, is
currently working on a Ph.D. in Ancient History and Mediterranean
Archaeology at UC Berkeley. Her interests are Roman and Hellenistic
history and archaeology, and anything to do with the outdoors. She played
and wrote Rastarin, and hasn't been the same since the latter exploded.

Editorial: On the Move

Here the editor discusses magazine business, the beginnings of the troubles with
ICE's Tolkien License, and Middle-earth miniatures (Mithril and Harlequin). There
is also an update on The Oathbreakers, a Middle-earth module being written to
cover the denizens of the Paths of the Dead. We can't wait for the finished product!
Dark Undead

At the beginning of this article, the authors set forth their two-fold purpose: to
present a picture of the undead in Tolkien's world taken from primary source
material, and to suggest suitable game mechanics for the implementation of this
picture in a role-playing game. The authors also make the strong caveat that
interpretation of the source material is in many cases subjective and in all cases
complex. With that they endeavor to explain Tolkien's undead.
In their first purpose, the authors succeed very well. There is discussion of the
purpose of the undead in Middle-earth, and the literary function they fill. Examples
of possible undead from the legendarium (the body of work written by J.R.R. and
Christopher Tolkien dealing with Middle-earth) are examined. A long section
dealing with the nature and definitions of undeath as a concept dealt with by
Tolkien sheds much light on the subject. The practical results of undeath are
discussed in detail, especially pertaining to the Rings of Power. Here, there is a
departure from the legendarium into other, more philosophical, writings of Tolkien
(namely, "The Notion Club Papers"). This is an excellent use of secondary
material, and its presentation is both timely and useful. It leads into an exhaustive
discussion on the relationship of the soul and body in Middle-earth that is highly
educational.
Next follows a short discussion on the creation of undead as it occurred in Middle-
earth. Here, again, the Rings are brought into focus and explained. There follows a
more practical discussion on the appearance of the world of the undead and the
methods by which the undead interact with the living world. The apparently special
ability of the undead to foresee future events is discussed, and then the authors
explain several seeming vulnerabilities which all undead share. Limitations on
movement and location are then explained, and the article then moves on to its
conclusion, summarizing the main points of the discussion.
Again, the authors succeeded brilliantly in their first purpose. The picture of
Tolkien's undead is clear, consistent, and true to the primary material. An
exhaustive cross-checking of source material revealed no significant flaws.
Extensive use of endnotes provides an excellent point from which to continue the
exploration without disrupting the flow of the essay. Over all, this is an excellent
scholarly treatise on the undead in Middle-earth. It grants no assumptions, and
states things from the point of view of the original authors (many times in contrast
to most of the gaming material that has been published on the subject). With that
said, the following criticism is much easier to make.
The article fails in its second purpose: to provide suitable game mechanics for the
undead in a gaming world. This is not to say that such mechanics could not be
derived from the article. Indeed there is a large amount of useful information to
take advantage of in all gaming systems. This is, in large part, a good thing. Rather
than tying themselves down to a specific system, the authors basically chose to
present the material in a general manner. Mostly in the second half of the article
(the sections on the creation, interaction, and limitations of the undead), the authors
present methods by which the undead operate. Any GM who knows his system
tolerably well should be able to take this information and fit it into his campaign
with a little work. (Editor's Note: A supplement was sent to subscribers with more
information on game mechanics in RoleMaster. It includes information on undead
stat interpretation and information on undead presence and detection. Please
contact Chris Seeman for more information.)
The article is an excellent one. It delves into a difficult subject and comes out intact
- coherent and consistent with the legendarium. It would have been useful to some,
perhaps, to have stat tables and creation mechanics with resistance rolls etc., and
those people expecting them to have been included may end up disappointed. Such
tables would have limited the usefulness of the article to the general community,
however, and the authors should be commended for staying with a more scholarly
approach. I would highly recommend this article to anyone wanting to understand
Tolkien's idea of the undead, and to anyone who wishes to bring their game more in
line with Tolkien's vision of Middle-earth.

Denizens of The Dead Marshes

This is a short piece designed to fit with the main article of the issue (Dark
Undead). It lists three figures of the MithrilTM Miniature range: M253 Swamp Star,
M250 Corpse Candle, and M168 Ghoul. The figures and their inspirations are then
given short descriptions, and tied to the MERPTM modules Dagorlad and the Dead
Marshes and Ghost Warriors. Contact information for a retailer from whom the
figures can be obtained is included.

Rastarin's Log Chapter Eight: The Gwaedhel-Sword

What can I say? I laughed and laughed; it was better than Tarzan. The amoral
hedonistic Captain Rastarin is at it again:

"Rastarin and Clennan team up with Konar the barbarian to recover the
legendary Gwaedhel-sword from Fuinur's Well, and get more than they
bargained for when Clennan decides to rekindle an old flame - rather
explosively. Undaunted by ethical complexities, Rastarin attempts to
combine their mission for World Peace with a bit of piratical plundering. As
usual, however, her cunning plan turns out to be not quite cunning
enough...."

This serial publication is possibly one of the most ribald, sacrilegious, and incorrect
representations of Middle-earth I have ever seen, except perhaps Bored of the
Rings. That said, it is funny. Sometime it is hilariously so. If you ever saw Kevin
Costner as Robin Hood, you can understand what I'm trying to say here: that movie
is to the Robin Hood legend as this story is to Middle-earth, with one exception.
This story does not take itself seriously, and endeavors to draw chuckles from the
reader.
Rastarin's Log bears the mark of all successful (as I deem it) tongue-in-cheek
literature; as I was reading it I chuckled, and every time I chuckled my wife would
lean over and demand, "What?! What's so funny?" I enjoyed sharing it with her. It
shares one other thing with most successful farces - it keeps your interest (at least it
did mine). It's a little like Jack Tripper - disgusting, silly, and completely
unbelievable; but you watched it anyway, if you know who he is. If you don't know
who he is, ignore the previous sentence and consider yourself lucky. It's also a little
similar to the old Groo comics. The hero isn't really a hero, the villain is generally
likeable, and everything is a bit over the top. The dialogue is an artful balance
between dry and ribald, and it works very well. So if you get the chance to read this
story, watch out for dead parrots-that-aren't-parrots, exploding corpulent ladies, and
sarcastic Cat-lords. And don't forget the scrumpy ...