Literature Review: "The Seven Geases" (1934)

This week, I wanted to give a shout out to a really interesting vintage Swords & Sorcery tale, "The Seven Geases":

Written by Clark Ashton Smith (one of the Big Three of the Golden Age of Weird Fiction, alongside RE Howard and HP Lovecraft), "The Seven Geases" is part of the Hyperborean cycle, a fictional prehistoric setting influenced by Smith's friends Lovecraft and Howard that mixes Cosmic Horror with Iron Age technology, and part of the Cthulhu Mythos.

The story follows Ralibar Vooz, a Commoriom noble out to hunt some Voormis, a race of yeti-like bipeds.  Unfortunately for the warrior, he interrupts a sorcerer in the middle of a casting a spell:

"Know that I am the sorcerer Ezdagor," proclaimed the ancient, his voice echoing among the rocks with dreadful sonority. "By choice I have lived remote from cities and men; nor have the Voormis of the mountain troubled me in my magical seclusion. I care not if you are the magistrate of all swinedom or a cousin to the king of dogs. In retribution for the charm you have shattered, the business you have undone by this oafish trespass, I shall put upon you a most dire and calamitous and bitter geas."

As a punishment for his insolence, Ralibar Vooz is magically forced to venture into the depths to seek out the toad-like god Tsathoggua and to offer himself as a sacrifice.  (Un)fortunately, Tsathoggua has no need for the noble as a sacrifice and places a second geas upon him to seek out the spider-god Atlach-Nacha and to offer himself as a sacrifice.  So, once again, Ralibar Vooz battle his way through the darkness and horror, only to have a THIRD geas placed upon him!

This happens four more times.

First published in the October 1934 issue of Weird Tales, this is a fun, witty and well-written read.  I would say that "The Seven Geases" is *TECHNICALLY* a Swords & Sorcery story (in the sense that there are swords and sorcery present) but there's relatively little action.  Instead, the focus is more on Horror and Weird Fiction, as Ralibar Vooz has to put up with a *LOT* of crap.  Moreover, there's a dark sense of humor to this yarn, especially with the highly unexpected ending!

Also, if you like High Gygaxian (e.g., the 1e AD&D DMG), this yarn is filled with obscure SAT words!  Just the first paragraph features scaurs, scoriac, blazonries, and catoblepas!

Speaking of D&D, actually, it's a bit surprising that Messr Smith is absent from Appendix N of the 1e DMG, especially given that Smith's friends Lovecraft and Howard are listed and that "The Seven Geases" is likely the inspiration for the 6th level Geas spell:

Geas (Enchantment/Charm)

Level: 6      Components: V     Range: Touch      Casting Time: 4 segments     Duration: Special      Saving Throw: None     Area of Effect: Creature touched

Explanation/Description: A Geas spell places a magical command upon the creature (usually human or humanoid) to carry out some service, or refrain from same action or course of activity, as desired by the spell caster. The creature must be intelligent, conscious, and under its own volition. While a Geas cannot compel a creature to kill itself, or to perform acts which are likely to result in certain death, it can cause almost any other course of action. The spell causes the geased creature to follow the instructions until the Geas is completed. Failure to do so will cause the creature to grow sick and die within 1 to 4 weeks. Deviation from or twisting of the instructions causes corresponding loss of strength points until the deviation ceases. A Geas can be done away with by a Wish spell, but a Dispel Magic or Remove Curse will not negate it. Your referee will instruct you as to any additional details of a geas, for its casting and fulfilment are tricky. and an improperly cast Geas is null and void immediately (cf. Wish).

That's pretty much how it goes in this story.  There are also other classic D&Disms (e.g., underground action, the astral plane, etc.)

So, if you want to read a terrifying tale from one of the greats of Weird Fiction, check out this  ripping yarn!

Character Creation: Stat Inflation

Last year, while discussing the merits of Point Buy or Random Roll for character creation, I mentioned the issue of "stat inflation," the incentive for players to play characters with higher statistics.  This week, I wanted to take a closer look at stat inflation, which comes up in games that use Random Roll for character creation.

As I mentioned before, Random Roll in character creation can produce disparate results.  These disparate results, when combined with a distribution of bonuses that is skewed toward high stats, can in turn produce starting characters of vastly different power ability.

For an extreme example, let's take a look at the Exceptional Strength mechanic for AD&D:

A first level fighter with Strength 18/00 will be in every way mechanically superior to a first level fighter with Strength 9 (the minimum required by the class) and will be the mechanical equivalent of a fighter with significant magical equipment (e.g., Gauntlets of Ogre Power)!  So where's the incentive to play a starting fighter with Strength 9?

The Exceptional Strength mechanic, of course, was introduced in Supplement I: Greyhawk (1975) as an early attempt to address Linear Fighters, Quadratic Wizards.  However, rather than buff the class directly (ala the Druid's ability to Change Shape) and boost all fighters, either only a tiny minority of fighters benefit or chargen rolls become suspicious.

This is a striking change from Original Dungeons & Dragons (i.e., not including the Supplements),  where ability scores are mostly for roleplaying purposes and generally have little to no mechanical effect (e.g., a Fighter with Strength 9 fights as well as a Fighter with Strength 18).

Furthermore, stat inflation is also "incentivized" for all classes (e.g., Cleric's bonus spells, Thief's bonus to Thief abilities, etc.) in AD&D.

I discussed this issue with my old AD&D DM and his recommendation for a PC with low stats is to play a Magic-User, since M-Us don't get bonus spells at first level.  However, by the book, a Magic-User with Intelligence 18 will still be significantly superior in the long-run compared to a Magic-User with Intelligence 9 because of the Minimum Intelligence to Use Spell, Chance to Know Spell and Maximum Spells per Level mechanics:

People say that it's Old School to play with low or average stat characters and there's some truth to that POV. Additionally, it is true that some people aren't bothered by playing a significantly weaker character than other members of the party.  For others, however, it is hard not to be understandably jealous.

One can, of course, make house rules to curb or address Stat Inflation.  This is the path I've taken for the rule set I'm designing: I want to keep an Old School feel of Random Roll for ability scores but I also use a Point Buy system where the number of creation points increase as starting ability scores decrease.

Movie Review: Hercules, Samson and Ulysses (1963)

This week, I wanted to give a shout out to a ripping Sword & Sandal yarn that puts together two great tastes that taste great together and that kicks more butt than you can shake a Bible at, "Hercules, Samson and Ulysses":

Exotic lands!  Dangerous women!  Evil tyrants!  Legendary heroes!  Mighty thews!  This movie has it all!

The action begins in Ithaca, where a fearsome sea monster (*cough*sea lion*cough*) is ravaging the coast.  Brave Hercules, crafty Ulysses and a few redshirts ship out to stop the beast but end up shipwrecked in Judea!  Meanwhile, Samson is hiding out from the Philistines for killing a number of their men and generally resisting their rule.

Then, there's a bit of mistaken identity when Hercules slays a lion with his barehands, since only one guy is supposed to be able to do that...

Meanwhile, the Philistine King engages in a bit of ethnic cleaning and kidnaps Hercules' friends, with the help of sexy troublemaker Delilah.  To free them, Hercules has to bring in the rebel Samson, setting up the epic no holds barred smackdown of the ages!

Made toward the end of the golden age of peplum films, "Hercules, Samson and Ulysses" is as good (or bad) as you might expect.  This is fun film about manly men and superheroes teaming up to fight evil.  It is a (mostly) lighthearted romp that is gloriously and unabashedly cheesy (e.g, there's an obvious English language dub, the "rocks" are clearly Styrofoam, etc.) but in a way that simply adds to the charm.

The story is straightforward but not aggressively stupid.

The fight scenes are good in a chop socky way and the acting is played straight is mostly effective, with some fun flirting between Hercules and Delilah.  Also, it is super nice to see real sets and animals rather than CGI!  And the ladies are easy on the eyes.

So, if you want to see big, beefy, sweaty dudes wrestling in a totally not homoerotic way, check out this classic flick!

On Vacation!

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Movie Review: Aragami (荒神) (2003)

With All Hallows' Eve soon upon us, this week, I wanted to give a shout out to a rare gem, a spooky samurai film, Aragami:

Directed by Kitamura Ryuhei, "Aragami" is a low fantasy, horror action film featuring badass samurai and philosophical musings.  The movie begins with a pair of seriously wounded samurai who seek shelter from a storm and their enemies in a remote and forbidding temple in the mountains.

Next, one of the previously wounded samurai wakes up to find himself mysteriously healed and that his friend is suspiciously missing.  He then finds that the sole inhabitants of the temple are a sinister warrior and a strangely silent woman.

"Aragami" is not a conventional horror film (there are no jump scares), but it does brilliantly succeed in being mysterious and creepy.  From the beginning, there's a growing unease as it becomes increasingly clear that something is not right about this lonely temple.

As events unfold and the truth is revealed, things are not what they seem, as the samurai is in for a really bad night.

This movie is part of the Duel Project, a challenge issued by producer Shinya Kawai to Kitamura and fellow director Yukihiko Tsutsumi.  The goal was to film a feature-length movie with only two actors, battling in one setting, and to be completed in only one week.

However, despite (or perhaps because of) these limitations, Kitamura manages to put together a film that is both slick and stylish, as well as clever and thoughtful. There's a close feeling, sometimes  intimate, sometimes claustrophobic, sometimes terrifying.

Unsurprisingly, "Aragami" seems a lot like a play, having only a single location and only a handful of characters.  It's quite atmospheric, with thoughtful ruminations on the nature of war and conflict and the boredom of immortality.

There are also lots of nice touches, such as the weird purple glow in the background for most of the movie and the subtle black humor.

The acting and score are excellent.  The fight choreography is also good, if fantastical.

So, if you are a fan of low fantasy, samurai films and/or interesting and clever stories, you owe it to yourself to watch this film!  However, don't just take my word for it.  Here's a link to the film from the director himself!

RPG Design: Player-Facing Mechanics

This week, I wanted to discuss a New School fad that has popped up in a number of tabletop RPGs: Player-Facing Mechanics.

No dice for you!

By "Player-Facing Mechanics," I mean that the mechanical parts of the rules set (e.g., rolling dice) are handled by the players, often to the exclusion of the Game Master.  For example, in RPGs such as Numenera (2013), the players are the only ones to roll dice.

Fate Points, and other types of Player Narrative Fiat, are another type of Player-Facing Mechanic.

Myself, I see mostly Player-Facing Mechanics as a marketing gimmick.  Some people claim that they speed up the game, but unless the number of actual dice rolls are reduced, I am skeptical of such claims.  For example, there's no mechanical streamlining by replacing an enemy's attack roll with a player's defense roll, simply re-fluffing.

Another argument made by fans of Player-Facing Mechanics is that they promote Player-Empowerment.

Here, I would agree that they do make the game more player centric.  This change fits some genres and play styles, but not others.  For example, Old School D&D is, to many, a gritty game with death around every corner and about trying to strike it rich.

Some games with Player-Facing Mechanics, such as Dungeon World (2012), go so far as to deliberately undermine Rule Zero, presumably since that rules set does not trust the GM to be fair.  However, if players don't trust the GM, why are they playing with him/her in the first place?

Player-Facing Mechanics also make it more difficult to for the GM to fudge rolls.  This can help prevent GM tyranny but, again, if players don't trust the GM, why are they playing with him/her in the first place?

For my own group, Player-Facing Mechanics would probably produce worse outcomes for my players since I do occasionally fudge rolls, but I only do so in the players' favor when Random Number Generation produces a result that I think is too harsh.

In any event, I don't have any problems with Player-Facing Mechanics, per se.  However, that's just not the type of game that I usually prefer to play.

Also, I like rolling dice when I GM.

Literature Review: "The Tombs of Atuan" (1971)

Last year, I discussed a work that is both one of greatest fantasy novels AND one of greatest young adult novels, Ursula K. LeGuin's "A Wizard of Earthsea."  This week, I wanted to take a look at the sequel, "The Tombs of Atuan."

In a somewhat surprising move, the second entry in the Earthsea Cycle has a new main character!  Rather than Ged from "A Wizard of Earthsea," we follow the action through the eyes of Tenar, a young Kargish girl who is the high priestess to the "Nameless Ones" at the titular Tombs of Atuan.

The Tombs are the center of religious activity for the Kargish Empire (one of the antagonists in "A Wizard of Earthsea") and feature several different faiths that seem to get along quite well.  Oldest and most sacred (but also neglected) is worship of the "Nameless Ones" and their high priestess is the "undying" Arha- undying in the sense that every time the incumbent high priestess dies, the other priestesses find a girl child born at the same time, while apparently becomes the new vessel for the "undying" Arha.

As so it was with Tenar, taken as a child and raised in this strange place by strange women for this strange purpose.  She loses her name (becoming the new Arha) and grows up a lonely servant of a mostly neglected religion.

Ged does show up, but only half way into the book.  He has recovered half of the broken ring of the archmage Erreth-Akbe is looking for the other half, hidden in the Tombs of Atuan.  Once rejoined,  the ring will reveal the powerful magic rune of Peace.  Arha/Tenar manages to trap him in the underground labyrinth but will he escape?  No spoilers but this *IS* the second book in a trilogy...

After "A Wizard of Earthsea," I found "The Tombs of Atuan" to be rather disappointing.

Like its predecessor, this is another coming of age story.  However, unlike Ged, Tenar is a victim of kidnapping and brainwashing and has no special powers.  Unsurprisingly, she has very little agency and spends the most of the book simply reacting to other characters.  In fact, when she asks to become an apprentice sorcerer, Ged shoots down this idea and she simply accepts his judgment!

So, why exactly would young girls want to be her?

The tone and feel of  "The Tombs of Atuan" are also vastly different.  For example, there's no exploration, and very little sense of the magical world of Earthsea.   In addition, the pacing is quite slow for most of the book.

Another area where the story is weak is that, rather than presenting a more balanced view of the Kargish, they are still portrayed unambigiously as the bad guys.  They worship the clearly evil "Nameless Ones",  They are okay with child slavery.  They even banned literacy!

Doing so, LeGuin turns them into orcs.

Of course, "The Tombs of Atuan" does have good points.  It's well written and imaginative and it does shed light on some of the events in the first book.

However, if you are expecting another fantasy adventure tale, you will be quite disappointed, as "The Tombs of Atuan" is more a psychological character study of a pretty weak character.  There are also some horror aspects, but frankly, this is not a frightening tale as I never felt that Tenar or Ged were in serious danger.

Let her be Eaten?  Whatever.