Supplement V: Carcosa (split)
Valamir:
The content of the rituals doesn't bother me at all. But I would be interested in a discussion as to their purpose.
In the grand scheme of "what am I going to fill up my page count with", I don't see the logic of using that much space on that sort of content. Logically it would seem to me that anyone interested in this sort of thing already has the background to invent their own grotesque hoops to jump through; or just give one or two as examples to set the desired tone. Given all the other things that could have been expanded upon about the setting...choosing this over all else seems strange to my mind.
James_Nostack:
Ralph, the short answer is that different gaming sub-cultures prefer different amounts of Setting/Color/Situation. Many of the Forge designers and players, for example, have no use for "Campaign Settings" that take up hundreds of pages. But for the tight-knit Original D&D community even the dozen or so pages of setting common in Forge games is considered excessive. So, for this group, Carcosa's minimalistic setting is, if anything, too intrusive, a break from the setting-less OD&D Supplements like Greyhawk and Blackmoor.
But the longer answer is that the Rituals are actually a little bit like adventure-seeds or Situation. That ritual I cited below, for example, links characters to the Mutant Forest, a chain forged in an earlier age of the world, a village of folks whose grandmothers have been kidnapped, and of course, a ghastly creature from beyond the stars. Along with anybody who's already gotten word of ritual and seeks to co-opt or prevent it.
In a way, it's a bit like Charnel Gods, where the Summoning ritual is presumed to include some kind of Dungeons & Dragons style quest, subsumed into a single roll. But, since Carcosa is a Dungeons & Dragons supplement, you get a bunch of Lovecraft-meets-Lindsay style adventure prompts.
Overall, I'm probably in close agreement to you, but that's because I'm not really the intended audience, which is a small group of people who are totally committed to exploring and explicating the earliest version of Dungeons & Dragons and playing in a manner reminiscent of whatever was going on in the hobby circa 1974.
greyorm:
Quote from: Valamir on January 08, 2009, 01:20:31 PM
In the grand scheme of "what am I going to fill up my page count with", I don't see the logic of using that much space on that sort of content. Logically it would seem to me that anyone interested in this sort of thing already has the background to invent their own grotesque hoops to jump through; or just give one or two as examples to set the desired tone. Given all the other things that could have been expanded upon about the setting...choosing this over all else seems strange to my mind.
I'm going to disagree with James. It's D&D, Ralph, old school. This isn't "make that stuff up yourself" territory. Old school D&D is folks who want (or make) rules and descriptions for all the things that might possibly happen in the game: if bloody sacrifices to elder gods are an option, they want them described so they're being done "right" in play (hence, the on-going success and publication of Dragon, and things like write-ups of rules for orgies). If something exists -- if some specifically named action can be taken -- then it must be described in the rules.
I think, though, the best answer is: er, ask the writer?
Ron Edwards:
Hey, hold on a minute. I am seeing this discussion tank because no one can tell what it's about.
Ralph, it kind of hinges on you. If you are asking how this supplement fits into the D&D zone, historically or otherwise, then people can answer. But if you're saying that to you, and in your experience, it doesn't, then such answers will seem like arguing with you or telling you that you're wrong or limited or something. The proper response on my or others' part in that case is, "Yes, I see how it would be weird."
Best, Ron
James_Nostack:
In an attempt to be useful: a One Sheet,
Carcosa
Tone - Cthulhu meets Conan.
Humanity - Moral Progress, maybe.... (I always falter at this step, because it seems to me that in every sorcerer game I've ever read about, the humanity defintion works out to Compassion in practice. But that might just be me). At Zero Humanity, you devolve into a shambling ape-creature, a brutish madman knowing only the simple pleasures of fornication and cannibalism.
Lore - knowledge of the inter-dimensional sciences which shatter Time and Space
Sorcerers - proto-scientists, "natural philosophers," historians, scavengers, laboratory assistants, failed experiments
Demons - the reality behind our illusions of progress and civilization.
Rituals - bloody spectacles of genocidal human sacrifice and rapine, whatever atrocities make you think our species is better off dead.
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