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ISSUE

103 JULY 1988

Editorial Manager Phil GaUagher EdltOl' Sean Masterson

Contributor. Mik. Brunton. Greeme Davis. Oeve Langford, Jervis Johnson. Derrick Norton, Rick Pliestlev. Ken Rolston lind Nigel Stillman

Graphic

0.-'9"

Chris Colston, Mark Cr8l11:1n, Brian George and BiL Sedgwick

An Editor John Blanche Cover B,mlBcars Jim Bums

lIluJtrllUon MOave Andrews. @Paul Bonnar. ~'crlldf8x.

!Be

a

,'

Crilchlow, CD Colin Dixon,

H, CJ.tGary Harrod. '" Pele Knihon, <».180 Miller,

!ldI Russ

Nicholson end

t Sid

'1'

Production Ollye Clemmett, Chris Colston, Nick O.d, Tony O.borne. Richerd Wright and H

Mlnlaturn PaInter8 Sid. Mike McVey and Darren Matthews

Photography Phillswis

lYpeMttlng Lind$fIV 0 I.e Dou){ F'lIton lind Dewn DuffV

IlMIluable l'yplog Mary Anne Naismith Adwrtlllnil Tim Pollllrd

Publillher Games Workshop Limited Print Buv-' Bob Malin

Publeat\on. M.naga. Alan Merrett AN'-tant ProdUC11on Mln~ Steve Bruce

Studio Manager Tom Kirby Head Honcho Bryan AnHIl

Printed by Thamesmouth Web OffHt. Basildon, UK. All correspondence eKcept subscriptions should be addreu ud to; White Dwarf, Gemes Workshop Design Studio, Enfiald ChembtU8, 14·16 Low Pllvement, Nottingham NGI 70t.

Hello, come on in. There's a lot going on in herB. When we get to Ken Rolston's Vermilion

Pawn and meet Lukas Pfandleiher, be nice to

him. Remember, it's carnival week in Middenheim and he's as busy as everyone else.

Perhaps we can interest you in some weaponry while you're here. Some fantastic workmanship has gone into this selection.

Generals, our definitive breakdown of goblinoid armies is hot off the classified list.

You may also be surprised to learn the lethality

of the latest in chaotic technology -unless you

are chaotic, in which case, just take one of these pulverisers for a test maul. Please. If it's a holiday you want, the galleries are filled

to capacity with new, exciting works. I'm sure you'll enjoy taking them in on your tour. There's sport, too. Work off that weight -lose

a limb.

Transport is'available in a wide variety of colours and weapon payloads.

You have definitely come to the right place.

Sean Masterson

CONTENTS

3

Barbeque your brain for summur.

4

"Yeah, it's magical but how dOEtS it work?" Ken Rolston asks someone who should know.

73

Dave Langford is on holiday this month, so ...

74

Where is our hero going? Does he know? What unfortunate might cross his

path?

76

Warhammer 40,000 vehicles written off by Rick Priestley.

25

The realm of readers.

29

There are two sides to consider when Jervis Johnson presents rules for Elves and Dwarfs in Bloodbowl.

32

Graeme Davis answers questions on Characters and Careers in WFRP and finds that life isn't that hard after all.

33

The biggest chunk of Realm of Chaos yet, hewn with what type of blade?

Mike Brunton and Bryan Ansell examine the armoury.

50

Stonking, spiky, swirling barrows of oblivion - the Tenderiser and the Whirlwind.

56

John Blanche with some Imperial custom jobs.

60

Hot metal and oil· in ink. Carl Critchlow.

63

The colourful history of this M.41 AFV.

69

A Warhammer Armies assault led by goblinoids Rick Priestley and Nigel Stillman.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Plln .... nd _ m_ remittance to: G""," VttIrl<~ 0.-"", St- . Hillrop. Eurwood. NQrts NGI6 3HY (USA: GIIh)~~ Work.shop Us. 1210 K." Highwsr. Bllltimore. M~ 21230USA/. ~ 107731769731. Whit.o .. ort I. i>Ubliohad monlhly. Annuol wbocriplion detalll _ ,.1 . . I .. 1 _ on p59. PIHH mab all peymtn'-'" Pomdo Starling. WIlen you lulncrlbe. pl . . . . I.1I UI .. I>oIMt you a,a ",n_1ng on old lubacription or rtlIrtlng I new one.

OVERSEAS OI&n11Bt1TORS Fraf>Cw; Cijadal

Fr."" ..

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O .. ,rf. ArticII wl>miloionllhould bot typed. d~·oplO(:od. on

one oIde 01 A4 pape' only. A r t _lhouId boo aenl in photocopy

or uonopar.ncy lorm only; 1'1& ... _ite lor OUr lubrni . . ion.

guldellna •• """,Ioalng • la'ge SSAE or IRCI.

Whan you ... nl 10 infO,m UI of • chlnga of addra •• o. lubscription ",newll. or If you h ... qUlI'y. pi . .. . wrijl 10

G.tmII _~ Ct.Jwron Sir"'. HiIIrop, E.Ofwood; Nons. NGIS 3HY....:I moI<e I . . . thaI 'fOU tall UI 'fOU' nama and p,esent oddrHl lInd 'fOU' old add ... . If 'fOU ... moYlrogl. ISSN 0265·6712

Venlu," Imam.,ion.1. 3td Floor. SI'>ortM Ho.o, 193 CI" .. "", SUMt. Sydney NSW 2000. Auat,alla. USA: Gamos WoIkailOp Us. 1220 kay Hlllhway. Bahi ... M.ry\w>d, 21230USA. "" .... t a.""..".", CitadaI GmbH. _ ... 41-43. 2000 Hamb""Q. Tha publllhe,. 01 White OWlrl 'Oil'" Ihay unnOI eCC"PI "*",,,,"Ibilily lot lin ... d.1 U...,HClionl bool_an ,.odero "nd

adwrtiHtI.

Whill Ow.rf ... _ lhI rlghl to ameod or .. jf<::1 any mlle,I,1 aubmiTtad lot i>UblK:etion al III IdwrtlHlTlftnt.

CONTRI6UTIONS

n..

..:lIto. will bot pl . . 1Id 10 accepl nny praviouoly ... P'JbIiohld articIae or Irtwork lor 1r>cIuoIorl'" White

AlI ... bjact _ In Whiuo Owort II copyright G ... Wortlhop Limited.

All righ!I on !hi eontenll oIlhi1 ~1cMiorI ... ...:I. NothIng may bot reproducld In part or In ~ wijhou\!hI prior ... in..., con"nl 01 the p\lbbh ...

() G.me. WoIkIhop Limited '955 Covet CI 'obung Artlill 1988

Blood Bowl. 01'" Future. We,hemmer F.Muy Rol.pl.y. Wo,hllmm'r 40,000 and WIIrl>.mm., FIMuy S.ttI., Third Editkm a'. trodeme",," 01 G.mel Wor~1hop Umhod.

YOU ASKED FOR ITI YOU'VE GOT ITI A STARTLINIG NEW RANGE OF SPACE

MARINES, ESPECIALLY POSED FOR USE WITH THE RHINO AND OTHER VEHICLES

FROM CITADEL. THE MODELS (BLOOD DRINKERS IN THE PHOTOGRAPHS BELOW)

COME IN A VARIETY OF POSES SO THAT THEY CAN BE: POSITIONED AS HOLDING

ONTO THE HANDRAILS OR RECLINING ON THE BODY. THERE ARE ALSO THREE

TORSO MODELS (COMPLETE WITH HATCH PIECES) TH"'~T CAN ACTUALLY BE BUILT

ONTO THE MODEL. EQUIPPED AS A FULL FIGHTINC; CREW, THEy'RE ARMED,

POWER-ARMOURED AND SPOILING FOR A FIGHT. BEAUTIFULLY MADE FOR

COLLECTORS, FOR WH40K GAMES, AND MOST 01:- ALL, FOR SCARING THE

Ken Ro

l

ston returns to our

page

s

thi

s

i

ss

ue

as

th

e

proprietor

of

the

cur

i

ous

l

y

na

m

ed

Vennilion

Paw

n

. Ken

'

s

Dwarven

magica

l

mercantile

venture

marks the

beginning of

a new

,

occas

i

ona1 series of

Compleat Encounters

-

FRP situatio

n

s

which

incorporate intere

s

ting

NPCs

in

adventure

s

i

tuations with

l

ocations

and

background ma

t

e

rial

(such as

n

ew

i

tems

or i

nt

eres

tin

g

treatments

of creatures and

items) for easy incorporation into a

ro

l

e

playing session. Apart from

being

entertaining,

it

mig

ht

give you

some

ideas for sendi

n

g

us

your most

intri

g

uing

NPC.

WFRP

s

ituation

s

are

most

wanted

but we're also

inter

es

ted in

C

thllih

u.

Stormbringer

.

Dr

edd,

R

uneQuest.

I

n

fac

t

,

the new

WD

s

ub

missions

gu

i

de

lin

es tell a

ll

,

so

w

rit

e fo

r

yo

urs

if

you're interested.

Why are

GW

games

so popular?

Ah

,

yo

u

don't w

in

a p

ri

ze fo

r

answering correctly.

Think of

the

spee

din

g me

tal

of

Dark

Future, the

g

rim

peri

l

o

f WFRP

,

the

i

ro

ni

cal

l

y co

l

ourf

ul

4

1

s

t millennium

of

War

hammer 40

.

000

,

the parody

in

Blood Bowl.

..

T

h

e tro

u

ble with a w

h

ole

universe

is the

difficultly in getting it all into pri

n

t.

There's always a

n

other aspect

t

o

it

that

wedon't

have

roo

m

to show you. Sun::ly,

ple

nt

y of peo

pl

e

wou

l

d be

int

erested if

we

found

a way of revealing a little ml)re

of the strange

place

s,

peopl

e

and

creatures t

h

at exist in the games?

Ye

s,

but how

?

We're going

to

produce

a

high prof

ile,

mo

n

thly adventure comic. After

spe

nding

months

of

planning, thinking

and

'

getting our

heads togeth

er',

this

graff

ik

s extravaga

n

za

i

s

now

well

underway

,

with a

rti

sts and writers

gett

i

ng

t

o 'M)rk on

th

ei

r

s

t

rips. Each S

l

rip

i

s

faithfu

l

to th

e

game background

it

s

prings

from. Some are blockbusting

epics while others are

more

co

mpa

c

t

-t

h

ey're all

hard hitting

.

The comic will open up and

explo

r

e

w

h

o

l

e

new

areas of our wor

l

ds,und

we're

pa

c

king this

monster wit

h

adventure from cover

to

(48

pag

es

la

lter)

cover.

We

're

ta

l

king

to

some of the most

respected people working in the

comic

indu

stry

in

this

co

untry

.

They're as

excited as

.

we are. Apart from

the

Famous Names who'

ll

be appearing

within

its

page

s,

we

ha

ve fo

u

nd

so

m

e

new wrilCrs and artists

-

who you'

U

soon

get very excited about. Betcha. Waltch

thi

s s

pa

ce.

Meanwhile,

Peterborough Rolegames'

Ga

m

esfest 88 co

n

ve

nti

o

n

took

pla

cf:

o

n

Satu

rda

y

th

e 28

th Ma

y at the Cc.

u

rt

Ex.

h

ibition ce

n

l.rC. A good

time

was

had

by

ali, even though there was

sti

ll

room

to park a

cross-c

hannel

ferry in

th

e hal

l

where the event was held. Companies

an

d

groups

h

eld

gaming sessions

throughout the

day. The

relatively

low

attendance al

low

ed everyone

to

explore

th

e various games tab

l

es and dea

l

er

stands

at

their

own pace. GW's

srand

was

framed

by

'Eavy

Meta

l

and

Illumination

s

Live, which attracted

e

n

ough

interest

to keep

the

sta

nd

's

occupants busy

talking

,

mod

ell

ing

,

pain

tin

g a

nd

drawing for

th

e

who

l

e

day

.

On

top

of a

ll

t

h

at was

th

e

regional

Go

l

den Demon

heat.

Some interesting

music

(wet

no

thrash?) helped

add

to

the

relaxed atmosphere. Organiser Mel

Gilbert was pleased with

the

affair and

is already planni

n

g

n

ext year's

even

t

.

Go o

n

the

n

,

h

ow

man

y

of

yo

u

stayed

up

getting

sq

u

a

r

e-eyed

durin

g

lTV's

Telethon? Among the

hundred

s

of events

taking

place under Tel

ethon's

banner

,

members of

th

e

Roundabout Youth

C

lub

got together for a

marath

o

n

session of

Warhammer Fantasy Battle.

The lads

h

ad a good 24

h

o

ur bash

(t

h

eir report

i

s

c

ur

rently on

i

ts way to White Dwarf).

GW thanked

th

e

members of

th

e group

(w

ho

each received free games for their

efforts)

,

and Andy

Jone

s

organised

a

kaboodJeof phenomenal proportions to

be sent to

the

youth club's

l

eader.

Mr

Robin Dew

s.

He

will be

making

sure

tha

t th

ese goodies are now

pa

sse

d

to a

hosp

i

tal

-

where some of the patients

are

bound

to apprecialC a break

...

Members

of

the

club, together w

i

th Workshoppers

in

Dark Future

gear, presented

a

c

heque

for £300 raised

by

the game

,

GW

spo

n

sored

Mythlore. those maste

rs

of

the

fu

ll

sized

beastie,

in th

e

Telethon

director's

c

hall

e

nge.

Mythlore. who

faced

sixteen othe

r

teams in the

competitio

n

,

won the event with

ease,

even

though the

compa

n

y's

co

nt

estants

were sweating out a

Krypton

Facto

r

style

assault

course

in full

costume. A

c

heque

for

£20,000 was

pre

se

nted

o

n

behalf

of

all

th

ose

taking

pan.

Southsea

mod

els

became the

second

OW Spec

i

alist SlOckist

l

ast month.

They

opened their doors to a fevered

crowd

of garners on Saturday

1

4th

May

,

when

the

ent

hu

s

i

asts were trea

t

ed to a free

hit

on t

h

e head

(f

rom

a

rubber

swo

r

d-wielding Workshopper) with

every

purchase. Oh,

all

sorts

of

stra

nge

things

happened. Go along to an

opening

when

it

happen

s

ncar

you.

Culture Shock

ex

t

e

nd

s

congratulations

and

tentacle

s

to BiL

-

who

married

the

equally

s

tran

ge

ly

named Gabz in May.

May you both

zag

happily ever

after

and

have

lots

of gcoks!

,

~~~~~,~~~i!~~~~~~~~~

Appc=arancc

Master Luw

_with

_a

_{slighlly protruding belly, an air of}

is

and Social Standing

a ple25:lnt-looking Dwarf of laic middk-2ge,

_scholar

_ly

dishevelment,

and

chuml,

penetrating blue eyes. Lubs

has

completed the equivaknt of 2n apprenticeship in Alchemy,

a

n

advanced career as Scholar, and a Level Two

ca

r

eer

in

Daemonology_ He has sioce moved aW2Y from the daemonic arts to resume a caret:r in Wizardry, and de5pltehis In"oly~ent in the darker sid(~ of magic, a nicer daemon summoner you'd

never

ho~

to meet

.

A5

a

daemonoiogisl.luk2s has suffered two disabilities, neither

i

~~~~~~~~~~§3~g~~;;:j~~~~~~

particularly disabling. Luns is allergic 10 pollen, but he St2ys

2

way

from

the

co

untrySide

.

and poll!:'n allergy

is

not

uncommon among normal folk. He has also suffered Strength Loss - Inconvenient, but hardly crippling.

A Complete Encounter for WFRP

by Ken Rolston

'Cor! That's a GOOD '1m, tblll is. Ebr. .. what is it?' 'Blazed if J knoUJ. Btlt fI's sure enough magical. Here .. feel

It

:

(Tbrustlng tbe fist-sized object tip agaitlst tlJe other's cbeek.)

'AHHHGH!' (Letlphlg fulckwards 111 terror). 'It's ALfVE!' 'No, ya ""lilY. 11 's just a rock - ( think .. .'

'Wtll, ya better be sure 'fore)'a gojammlt/' it Irlta otber folk's faces. Look ... (lem,Ingoveratuf wbisperlng) ... ma)'be )V' better take II to tbe ''ennilion PtUlm. The swl"e charges an anti (md a leg, but from what / bear he's good, ... alld discreet.'

Outline

TlJe ~rmiIlOIl Pawn and Mast~r Lukas, its propril!lor, perform

sl!rvices of vital importance in any WPRP c2mp:algn -tbe

identiflcllflon 2nd ev3Juation of magic items. Master Lukas is 2.Iso 2 sou~ of cash loans for desperate :.tdvenrurers, though they'll p2y high r;ues of imerest, and must ie:.tve magic21 lreasure behind as security.

Setting

Thl! encounter m:l)' be IOC2tl!d in llny large town or city in

your fanlllsy campaign -most plausibly in :I sell1e:mem largl!

enough 10 havl! its own college lind Magic Guild, because, in his r~search Luklls"musl occasion:.tlly rei)' on the I:uger reference Iibr.u1f!s of such instiludons.

Reputation

Among thl! common folk, who have link nil to pawn or idl!ntify magical treasures, Master Lukas and his establishml!nI ~ linle more than a \'2gue rumour:

'EIJ? lim 'tle a magical whatsls you walll priced? ~OH! Let me 100k ... No, no idea who'd)'ou go to. The Guild p'raps, or a btmker. .. tbe 'Temple .. Ob, t/Jere's the Red Prill", or something, tbat's it, dOIll~ itt tbe Frieburg .. .'

Experienced adn:nturcrs and arc:me students and pr.tCtilioners know Luk2s either from persona.l experience or direct report: ·""tll, tbere's Lllkas at the Venl/i/fon Pawn, and little else to choose. 1'1:)/1 could take to the Magic Guild, if you 'retl wizard, and If)'ou 're a member, and)'Oli know what )"Ou're about. Tby've (I library tbere, and maybe you ca" cbivy some old geezer into helping Ollt on tbe research. Bllt J bear they're none too lJelPful tlnless)'Ou 're well cmmected, and ifyotl're not a member; well, forget II.

Coune, if},OIl'rea man of the fa lib, )"011 can take It toa temple -though they don 't kt/owa lot about sorcery tbere, mid what they do understand, they're likely to requisition -'for tbe greater good' or somesl4cb.

Nope, Lukas is your best bel. III gods, his fees are blgh, but if)'Ou "eed casb, be's got it, and no questions asked. He's tlwful fast alld aWflll good - too good 10 be true some say. He's been arouTld for years, so he's got to be reliable -and, (IS J say, )'011 haven't mucb cboice.'

As a pawnbroker, Luk2s is a remarkably agreeable SOrt. He

charges a lot for his services, but so do physicians and other trained prokssion.als. He'san anU.ab1e but runt-willed bargainer: He knows he has an effective monopoly in his trade, and doesn't hesitate 10 renlind the client, 'If you don', like my prices, weU, where else can you go?'

Lukas is a respected member of the imdlectu:t1 community. Since he is an expert in magical coUectibles, he Is especiaUy favoured by rich! nobles, who are alw3YS tr-ying to wheedk

a bit of free advice out of him on what sort of treasures :Ire

particularly valuable. He is also a sought-after guest at parties,

where an offhand comment from Luk:ls - 'My, Ch:lnceUor, I see you have:l Sf't of}:u111Cek Globes: -promptS the envy and admiration of o'ther aristocratic collectors.

Lukas is quite proud of his dw:uven herilllge, and rnues :I

coocious effort 10 treat Dw;ufs generously in trade and friendship. In fuCl, his manner tOW2rd them is II bit plltronising;

'Db my, yes, WI~ DW:lrfs have 10 stick together, don't we?'

However, he is quile at home SOCiwing with human and elven

scho13rs, wiZ2J"Cis, nobles. and other professionllis.

Dwan-en Guards; Lukas tmploys six d\\'3.tVen fighters. when

he can g~ them. He outfits them with chalnmail and p2)'S them weU.1YpicaUy. twO guard his home in an upper-class section

oflown(in ]l.liddenheim, the Nordganen district). 'TWo remain allhe Vermilion Pawn at all times, while two accompllny him as bodyguards on his walks to and from his bomt, his shop,

and on his social \'isits.

Master Lu~ Pfaodldhtr; Level Th'o Wizard

M OS W I lot CI WP Fc1

}S2

2

5

3

5

18

"

6

7

S8 85 32

Sldlls: Arc:,me Langu:lges (D:lemonic Magick)j Astronomy;

Brewing; Canography; Cast Spdls(Peny Magic, Baule Magic 1 & 2, Dacmonic Battle Magic I & 2); Chemisuy; Daemon

Lore; Ev:alullle; Herb Lore; Hislor-y; Identify Plant; Identify Magical Artifactj IdeDlify Undedj linguistics; Magical Awareness; Magic Sense: Medit:ltionj Night ViSion: Numismatics; Rcad/\Vtite:; Rune Lore; Scroll Lore; Secret

Language (Classical); Spe2k Additional I.3nguages (Dllrk Tongue)

Possessions: Leather jerkin, ShOft sword, Whistle (to :lttrAct the Watch lC needed); Amulet of Adllmantine (sbaped as a daemooic hand -providtS T7); Wand ofJel (command

is "Have iU thee!" with 14 Charges remalning).

Magic Point:,: 18 AUgnment;Neuual

Petty ~gicSpells: Gift of Tongues, Glowing Ught, Open,

Prolection from lUiD, Reinforce Door, Sleep.

Battle Magic I (including Daemonic); Aura of Protcction, Cause P2nic. Mystic Mist, Summon Energy. Zone of

Six Dwarf Bodyguards

MWSBSS

T W I A IA. Inl

CI WP

fel 365225

4 9

34 2204731 52 48 20 Skills: Disarm, Specialist Weapon (Fist), Sm:et Fighting,

Strike Mighty Blow, Strike to SlUn.

Posscsslons: Knuckle-dusters, Axe, Sleeved M:dl Coat, Mail Calf, Shield,

206

GCs.

Lukas's Routine

Lukas keeps ir~gularwork hours· to discoUf"olge plouers, he

says. Chances of finding bim :11 the shop during daytime Is 50%; 10% during the night. The rest of the time he is either

at home -where he

refuses

to see clients, doing research at

the Magic Guild or the University, or on social engagements,

When he's at the shop, guards fetch food for Lukas, and in

addition several dozen live rats are delivered weekly -most

of which

are

fed to the dogs (but sec lK'low).

The

Pawnshop

The formidable stone structure squats among shabby old book stores. alchcmlcaJ

wholesalcrs and other shops of scholarly

:lOd antiquarian interest. (In Middenheim, the shop is in the frieburg, on a nameless

alley off the northeast edge of the Grt.."at P:lrk). Loc:uing the place is a simple matter

of Inquiring among the local shopkeepers, or wandering around looking for a stone

building with a red chess pawn on the

door,

The shop itself is a massive, windowless stone "ault, -resembling a military

blockhouse. The stonework is dwan'en,

dry·mort'.ared and ponderously secure.

The arched stonework of the roof is

supported by thick interior walls ·

. Bedrock solid!' a Dwarf might remark

with satisfaction, 'and as good as you're

likely to see above ground.' Built by

dwarven Stonemasters, the Vermilion

P-,lwn appea.rs to lK' (and is) more .secure than the 2ver.tge bank or prison.

A walk 2fOund the building reveals only the {rom door and a sturdy timber shed wilh a rear entrance.lf M25ter Luk2S is in,

two war dogs on disconcertingly long chains are tethered In the back, ever· so-enthuSIa5tica.l1y greeting any casu21

v!si[ors.

During construction, Lukas made filings from worthless cursed m2gic items, and SC2t1ered them in tbe stonework to

confuse magical probing. To Magical

Awareness, the entire structure radiates

magic power.

Front Door: LOL'a(ion I

This is thick 02k, reinforced by iron. A red pawn is painted

on the door togeth.er wilh Ihe follOWing notice: 'Knock loudly and wait.'

Lukas scrutinises visitors from the Service Chamber through ;J concealed wide·angle peep lens. Unless a Daemon or a full

regiment threatens, Lukas then releases the locks and bolts.

Booth: Location 2

This narrow room is fitted with a wooden bench for patrons.

'Come in, and dose the door behind you, for your

own

pri\'2CY and mine; Lukas invites, and will procttd no fumer until the outer door is closed and locked.

Lukas watches patn)Ds through peep holes. If he suspects foul play, he releases 81ack Lotus powder bombs through a

mechanism in the ceiling of the booth. He dumps the first dose, and, if the miscreants seem merely foolish or stupid,

he may open the locked door and allow them to escape to

warn others against funny business. If his victims appear 10 be real criminals, he leaves the door locked, dumps 2 second

dose, and sends a guard for the City W2tch.

If 211 is in order, Lubs opens the iron shutters on 2'x2' window between the Service Ch2mber and the booth. All business is

conducted through this window, 2nd at the fltSt sign ofuouble,

Lukas slams the shutters 2nd pours on the Black lotus.

==

1ft

c:

1ft

I

-c

o

z

;

z

Service Chambe

r

:

L

oca

ti

on 3

Lukas keeps his business records and minor magiCOll trinkcts in here. along with a few bulc rekrence tats and analysis

tools. ThC'M: allow him to Identify most common potions and

devices whilC' the patrOn waits.

ALL ITEMS MUST BE ANALYSED AND APPRAISED BY LUKAS BEFORE HE WILL EVEN DISCUSS OFFERING A LOAN

AGAINST THE LTEM, OR BEFORE CONSIDERING PURCHASE

OF THE ITEM.

The procedure is simplC'. Lukasaplains his lerms (see bdow),

and if the patron agrees he is charged an Initial10GC for each ilem 10 be identifled, appr:alsed, pawned or offered for nJe.

Luw then withdr:aws and seals the shut~ while he perfonns buic tC'Sts on the items. NOle that if Luku can't identify the object with simple testS, the client slillloses the: IOGC adv:rnce, u Luw al'W:I.YS warns his customers.

U

the tC'$tS re\-'eal the nature 2nd value of the item, he opens

the shutters, and collecu the balance for his analysis, before

2IU1ouncinghis fmdings. If the Item requires further study and

l"C5e:l.rch, Lukas iruorms the cUents and estimates when they should retum for the fin21 f(:port,

Patrons interested in purchu ing somethlng from Lukas must

explain what they seek and how much they are willing to p2y br:fore Lubs will fC'VC':I.1 whether he h:lS the item in question,

or wh:1t he will ch:uge for It. B:ugainlng will :dfect [he sale

price in the usual manner.

If the barg:l.ining is successful, the shutlers ~ sealed, Lulus retri('\'es the object, returns, opens the shutter, and concludes

the deal, If lum and the client cannot come to IUms, Lubs

politely asks the client to 1e2ve, and closes the shutlef$. Troublesome-clients are usisted from the premises by the

guards or. or if necessary, the W2ICh.

Lucas's Business Practices

Paw1II"g Items

Lubs offers 5Q.% of appraised value u a cash Joan secuf(:d alPinst the item. His terms:lre 1% interest per day on the 10m,

with a minimum credit ch:uge of 20Ge (to cover the COSI of

his :lpprais:l..l).

Thw, if he :lppraises your Ring of W:1r<ling al 500GC, he'll loan you 250GC on the ring, You t:I..I.::e the loan and repay It in teo days. At 1% per day, Lukas requif(:s the 250GC loan, plus 25GC lnterest for 10 days, for a total off 275GC, If you

paid it back in one day, you'd only owe 2Y.!GC in inlerest, but you'd still have to pay the loan (25OGC) plus the 20 GC

minlmum credit charge.

Ide"tlfylng Items

A flat fee of 20GC

+

5% of :lppralsed value is charged for

item analysis, wilh IOGC paid in :ldvance.

H.is sl2nding offer is, 'IJ you think my :lppraised value is too high, I'll buy tbe object from you for the apprused value. If

you think the \'3.I.ue is tOO low, be thankful - your 5% fee is

thereby reduced:

U luku aln't fully identify the Item with his bulc analysis tesl, he offers his Adv:rnced Resc:lrch services. 'If I can't identify il by mundane methods, you can eilher take the object to someone else, or p2y my advanced research fee: 200GC and

5

% of appraised value plus

expenses

for :.Idv:mced resurch.'

Advanced Resc:lrch t:I..I.::es from

4

-6

weeks, with no gU:lr.lRtee

of success. However, if Lubs can't identify the item, the client only p:lys the: IOGC buic fee, and is always free to recrkve

the item and take il elsewhere for identiflc:ltion.

Identifying Magical Items

In addition to revealing whether or nOl:.ln item is magical, the skill Magical Sense :llso reveals tbe number of powers

(Ie how powerful the item is), To discover JUSt wh:lt Ihese powers are, a ch2J"':lcter wllh the skill Identify Magical Artifact must hold the item, :lnd for each successful WP

test a single power is rC'Yealed. Once the ch2J"':lcter fails the

test he cannOI lPin 2ny mort' information.

II is this latter skill thai Lukas uses, and the fml power

learned wiU alw:l.ys be 2 gener:al notion of the objec!'s

history or function. A Cure Light injury ring, for ex:.unple,

would be identified:lS a healing ring, ora Dagger-a/Death

might berecognlzed:lS the WOrk of Ma..rlo Fettucini,:I Tile-.m

sorceror fom'lerely employed by the Assusins of the Bbde.

With tepe:lted WP tC'StS, speCific powers (wilh passwords if applic:l.ble), can be obtained. Most items require aspecllc

invoc:ltion to activate their magic:l..l properties, and since

this is generally asecurlty precaution, r.uely is the Invoking

phrase clarly ma..rked on the device.

In addition to tbese Sl:lndard methods of investigatiOn,

Lubs also bas recourse to a vaSt collection of books :md

tools which he can use ifhis /(le1lt/jj'skill is Dot sufflciem. This reference m:lterial and equipment forms the Msis of

his Advanced Research, and allows him 10 continue gaining

Information where he lefl off: le:lrning everything about

an item is exTremely difficult for a typical advenrurer, but

mere child's play for aperienced m:lgic h2ckers like Luw .

Again, Luw must ,na.ke a WP test to obtain inform:l.lion on each power.

Items with functions purposely or acddently obscured, and items of inherently obscure function are more serious

ch2.l1enges to magic hackers. V:lrious elabor:ate research

procedu~ llrC' available, most of whicb ~ either

time-consuming or dangerous, and none of which guarantee

success,

For these vc'ry difficult cases, Lukas can always :lsk his daemoll cabl1letfor an appraisal. Luw generally saves this :is a !:lSI resort, since the Daemon charges in quarts of

bumanoid brood. Lukas is 2 nice fellow, and dislikes such

practiCes, but he is alSO:l practic:l..l bUSiness man, and will

~

~

'

Ere! Bob Olley'z dun loadsa Gobboes. an

'

they're

dead good

,

jus' like

'

is uvver stuff! An

'

Iron Claw

minnichers

,

they're fish'ly appr

...

er

,

yer can usc '

e

m

in

y

er WAR:AMMER armies. no !rubble! So watcher

w

aitin' fer! Cerronwivit an

'

get stompin them Stuoties!

(JOBLINS

26

27

"

Designed

by

Bob Olley

Painted

by

Citadel Figure Paint

e

rs

z:

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Purcbasing Items

Lukas sells items for double Iheir appraised value. On the black

market he sells for a lower price, but does a greater volume, Since it is almOSt impossible to buy magical items elsewhere, the doubled price is really rather fair -'Folk looking for a specific item are happy to pay, and folk who complain about

the prices have no business shopping in the first place.' The following magical ilems are for sale, and :lte stored on shelves behind the curtain, out of sight of the clients. Lukas's appraised value and his asking price:lfc Listed after each ilem. Lukas honestly represents the true capabililies of the items to his clients· a polic), he steadfastly adheres to. (For details

of

magical functions refer

to

WFRP

pp183-

1

90

.)

Mor

e

expensive items are available to the right sort of people, bur Lukas keeps rhese secure in a special cabinet (see below).

Lukas may accepr less than his askingpricc, but never less than

the appraised value. Factors inclining Lukas to accept a lower price are package deals or asuccessful use of

Bargain

.

Obvious e1perts in magic gain + 10% to the

B

arg

ai"

rcst OUI of professional respect. None of the following are panicularly remark:able or valuable as collector's items.

Items

for

Sale

Rlllg

0/

Gift 0/ TOllgtU!s; 2 magic poims remaining. Invoke with 'Speak and Be Known to Me: (120Gc/240GC)

Rlllg

0/

Magic Lock; 9 magic points remaining. Invoke with 'Bu to Mine Enemy.' (190/380GC)

Ring o/Cure Light bljury; 10 magic points remaining. Invoke with 'In SbaUya's Name: (200Gc/400GC)

Ringo/Cure Light Injury; 6 magic points remaining. Invoke with 'The blessing of ShaJlya on this one, wbo comes in ) humble supplkation.' (I60GC/320GC)

II Ringo/Cureligbt Injury:, 2 magic poims remaining. Invoke With 'In Ulric's name, heal this warrior.' (120Gc/240GC)

,

I Ringo/

Protection

Against Chaos; IO magiC pointS remaining. When invoked by the pbrase. 'Cbaos Avert! In SoUtan's Name!' a magic point is ex:pendcd, and protection lasts for 7 rounds. (200GC1400GC)

Rblg 0/ Protection Agllinst Chaos; 6 magic points remaining. When invoked by the phrase, 'Deatb to Chaos!' a magiC poiO[

is expended, and protection lasts for 7 rounds. (16OGC/320GC)

Ring 0/

P

rotection

Against

Chaos:

5 magic points remaining. When Invoked !by tbe phrase, 'By the Hammer ofSigmar, Blast

Ye, Cb:l.os Fiend!' a magic point is expended, and prOiection

lastS for 7 rounds. (150GC/300GC)

Kni

g

h

t

's

Helm

+

J: in battered condirion. (IOOGCI200GC)

Swordo/

P

rot

ectlo,,

;

+1 AP to::t.ll body areas, 10 magicpoims.

When invoked by tbe phrnse, 'Ward mine enemies!' a magic

point is ex:pet:lded, and protection lasts for 206 rounds. (300GC/600GC)

Sword

0/

F

ear;

5 magic points. When invoked by the phrnse

'Yield or die!':1 magic point is expended, and protection lasts for 206 rounds. (200GC/400GC)

Dagger

0/

Death

;

+ 2 <hmage, 6 magic points. No command word but with each successful :l.ttack, a magic point [s expended, and the additional damage is inflicted . (400GC/800GC)

AJa

ce

o/Sleep:

4 magic points, Invoke with 'Sweet dreams',

a magic point Is expended, and victim struck makes a Magic

test ar ·30 penalty or falls asleep for 206 turns (300GCl600GC)

Spear Head

of

UTldead BaTIe

;

7 magic points. Invoke with 'ServeMorrand die, undead!' a magic point is expended, :l.nd

bane effect las'tS for 10 rounds.(170GC/340GC)

The Lab

;

Lo,calion

4

Here Lukas does most of his Advanced Research. Hjs e1iem services take up only as small portion of his time. The remainder is spent on personal projects· magical studies or researching items he has purchased for his own collection. The Magic Guild itself does not have such a fine collection of magical references pertinent to Lukas's trade. The value of the reference works and tools alone is over 8000GC. (J'd love to list each dll,e and tool, but we're running:l. bit long here.

if the player (:har2cters get inlO the I:l.b and sian asking embarrassing qluestions aboulLukas's equipment, I'm sorry, but you're on your own.)

Magical items of greal value or interest:ue stored inside whal appears to be a mew cabinet. This is in fact, a Lesser Daemon,

bound into thc; form of a cabinet, and sworn to serve Lukas

for 1001 years. The Daemon is intelligent, can speak and Is incredibly vicious. It can form Ihousands of tiny toothy mouths, each of which delivers a serpent's poisonous bite. Lukas feeds il a live roll daily· a rather discouraging experience

Sikinnes - the Daemon Cabinet

Slklnnes normally keeps his mouths shut, as ordered by his mastCr'. However, If someone touches him without Lukas's consent, Sikinnes gleefully forms lOG mouths and cbC!\fs on

the improvident victim, aUlOmatically-"deliverlng 106 bites

at 51, och with the additional effect of adder

root

(see WFRP pB'2). Un2ble to conWn"l\is amusement, Sikinnes then chatten

like a magpie, glo:uing o\'er his triumphant attack, mocking the probably-dying victim, and generally making a nuisance of himself.

ute

as a cabinet is nOi such

a

hardship

for Sikinnes, 'Try a couple of aeons 2S

a

Lesser Daemon somet~ 2l1d

see

how

)'OU like it,' he observes, 'The Greater Daemons stand around aU day and,kick

molten rock and ectoplasmic slime on

you. No fun, believe you me:

In his cabinet form. Sikinnes doesn't

cause fear, nor is he subject to

"'stability. Ifhe takes damage from any

physical or magical :J.tIack, the spell

binding him

as

a rulnet is disrupted, and

he is free to attack as a Lesser Daemon.

(It's a good thing Sikinnes doco't know

Ihis; he'd probably goad the PCs Into

all·.tcking him.)

Contents

of

the:

Cabinet

In Ihecabinet arc four items for sale, all

quite valuable but fairly unremarkable.

Note that the values listed are (or

collectors; no sensiblc advcnrurer would

ever consider paying sucb prices. Thro

othc.r items are not for sale, neither

are

particularly valuable, but both are diStinctly remarkable.

•

BOOIS ofGucci: 3 magic points. When invoked with 'Grace is beyond style: In

TiJean, a magic point Is expended, and

the wearer receil'es a + 40 bonus to

Fellowsbip as long as the boots remain

on the feet. Primarily of interest to

collectors, for Gucci is a enchanter of

wide renown. (B,OOOGClI6.000GC)

The Sword ofTt4fn-Ella: 0 magic points.

The secrets of recharging this eiven

sword. as weU as the function of the device are lost, but the sword ret:lins its

enchantment. n in·elia is recorded as a St'a !lIven merchant prince of late 23rd Century. A collector's item.

(t500GC/3000GC)

..,.

1"be Hand ofHartlarln: a Wand of Jet in the form of an ebony

staffwitb a carved fist at the top, Currently it will only function when invoked by Hardarin -do d for 75 }'an. Thecommand phrase could be altered by a master enchanter, but it would destroy the collectible value of the item, (S,OOOGClIO,OOOGC)

Tbe ROd of the Flftb Pari: an ancient device of obscure origin

and function, but has a wide reputation in folklore as a staff of great power if the other parts were assembled. At present, no more than a fabulously·expensive curiosity.

(IO,OOOGCJ'20,OOOGC)

Not

for Sale

A badly battered mini:l.ture suit of armour fora humanoid two

inches tall, engraved with three power runes, none of which

have been identified by Lukas. Origin, function, and value

unknown.

A gold-plated Fimir skull, Lukas has identified it from ancient chronicles as a decoration from a Fimir battle standard. but

has been unable to determine any details of the object's

function. Value unknown.

Rear Vestibule

:

location

5

When Lukas is not present, two Wolf dogs

are here, unchained. Or.lterwise, they arc:

chained outside the rtlr entrance.

An)' attempt to open the false door

causes a triple dose of Black Lotus bombs

to drop from a concealed trap door in the ceiling, Between two stones to the

left of the fa1.sedoor at knee height is the

release catch for the secret door. A thin object three inches long must be inserted

between the stones and pressed down

in orde:r to release the catch. which then

remains open for one round· just time e:nough to step to the se:cret door and go through. HOwever, pressing the catch

does not revollhe location or the secret door, so tbose cleve:r enough 10 find II will probably assume it opens the falK'

door -heh heh!

Guard Room

:

Location

6

When Lukas is not present, twO guards sit here and take turns napping, When Lukas is present. his personal bodygu:lrds takc over, pe:rmitting the

regul:ir

guards 10 run errmds or take time

off. (Lukas is a gracious aDd generous employer,)

Both Lukas and the guards on duty have keys to the sturdy locks on the rear

entrance. Only Lukas has the key to the

locks on the door from the guard room

to the: rear vestibule.

Addltional Security Measures Player characters contemplating

breaking and entry upon The Vermilion

P2wn should be permitted an

Intelligence lest to :lnticipate the

following deterrents, or may be

informed of such by locaJ criminals, al

}'our discretion.

Lukas has designed elaborate

prec2utions to protect his !:I.b 2nd hiS

wares, but he knows that making his

shop a fortress is n')l suffidefll to discoul'2ge the dedicated

thief. Therefort' he p2yS a substantlaJ protection fee to the

prominent nckeue:ring bosses of the city. No sensible locaJ thief would think of encro3ching on the territory of these powerful crime boHses.

Further, Lukas has powerful friends in the Magic Guild who would be happy to help him tnck down anyone who vio!:l.ted his privacy or ranS'lcked his magiC21 treasures and reSCllrch

facilities. Consequently, Lubs would not risk his Ufe in ddence

of his shop. confidt:nt that he could pursue thieves !:I.ter and wre2k a terrible ve.ngeance upon them.

"""""" """""'" 9

- t

==

1ft

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=-=

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Cast out by his own kind, the Dwarf Engineer Thymbrin Snakebc:ard turned 10 Chaos, Now he dClligos and m:mub.crucrs dCVUI:lllng war

machines (or Chaos umies, crewed by the ferocious and powerful Chl105 Dwarf Boar

Centaurs which he has bred specially for this p ...

Two of his creations, the Whirlwind and the ~ndcrisn, mY!: been ff:cmued in mlnlaturc: by the shotl bul spiky Mike Perry.

A successfu

l Bl

ood Bow

l

team needs a

good offence and a good defence. and

these two can provide t

h

at vital ext

r

a

power in either role. The Ogre player, designed by Jes Goodwin, and the Troll player, designed by Mike Perry, are

practically guaranteed to improve your

team's touchdown averages and kill ratios· and the transfer fee is a lot less than you might expect.

CHAOS DWARF

~&\R

MACHINES

ORC

CROSSBOWS

Dead good, these

crossbows.

An' jus' C02

the Stunties use

'em

don't mean we can't.

S'grate

-

yer can stick a

Stunty m

il

es away. A

n

'

why

should

them

Gobbo

bowboyz

'ave

a

ll

the fun? That Kev

i

n

Adams

come

up w

i

v the

goods again - loadsa

crossbow

boyz f'yer

War'ammer

army -

aU

wiv them new p

l

ashc

Slkinnes

•

Lesser Daemon

In unbound form Sikinnes :.ppears much like a tradition:.1

Daemon, but with a very long tongue that flicks around

with lighming s~d. His bite attack is poisonous, and as with the Daemon's bound form, has the effect of mlder root.

This unique Daemon :.150 has the skill 1{lefitifY Magical

Artifact, and is allowed as m:my attemptS at discovering

powers as he has quarts of blood: failu~ to make the WP

roll does not preclude further dfort, and only a highly

protected Item will be: inunune from the monster's probings.

Since changing from Daemonologist, Lubs has used this power rarely.

Two Wardogs

MWSBSS T W I A Ld lot CI WP Fel

6 41' 0 :}

₃

₇

₃₀

Both a~ trained only to accept food from Lubs.

Adventure Hooks

I. A vaJuable magical item is stolen from the player ch:lr2cten, or from a patron or cult of the PCs. h is suggested that they :.tpproach Lukas :.tnd enlist his :.tId, anticipating that the thieves may try to pawn the purloined m:.tgical Item at his shop. 2. A master sorceror with a unique teleport bootb mlistS the

:.tid of the PCs. 'A fellow has a fine:: p:.tirofmagical bootS I want.

I'll teleport you Inside:: his l:.tb. right past all his de::fences, and all you have:: to do is find the boots. I'll gi~ you one hour,

then I'JI Ieleport you right out. Safe as houses:

3. Lubs gelS:.t wind oh plOt to bre:.tk into to his l:.tb. He hires

the PCs as ext.ra guards, though as he says 'I doubt I'll need much belp, I can take care of myse::lf.'

Pride cometh befo.fC' a fall. Four Chaos mutants enter the

p:.ttron's parlor. One with inc~dible strength rips the iron shutters aside before the Bl:.tck Lotus takes effect. The PCs, sitting in the guard room, heou:.tshriek:md:.t sound of rending

metal shuue::n.

Now what? Lukas has not $Cen fit to reve:d the security secrets of his lab to his temporary employees. Lukas manag~d to open

the front door before he W:.tS b:.tshed unconscious. Now the

mutmts, still groggy from the Bl:ir.ck Lotus, :.tre loose Inside

the l:.tb.

4. A squadron of pixies th~at~n to set up houseke~plng with

the PCs unless aid~d in recovering:.t precious pl.xi~ :.tncestral treasure from Lulas's shop. (Sure, pixie armor. Set :.tbove: If don't beUev~ me.) '.oon't worry, humans,' Ihe pixies sque2k, 'we'll help you with our marvelous magical powers!'

With :.t dozen pixies :.trmed with halr·br:.tined scheme::s concealed in their shirtsleeves, our heroes more or less

confidently enter l.ukas's front door ...

Campaign Tip, Magical Items

The magical items listed for sale embody my two basic principles of the Idol Fanwy Magic Item;

CokJurflli Detail; The invoking phr.;LSe5 and curious histories,

for example. give the items :.t little pcrson:.tlity. Without this

appro:.tch, m:.tgic ill .. "01s ~ generic shotguns in their f:mtlsy contexts.

Limited Power and Uses: Import:mt for t"Wo ~sons· first,

because it keeps tbe campaign's Magic Quotient under the GM's control, and second h«:.tuse Invoking :m item with limited 'charges' is

-a

significant t:l.ctical decision, developing

prudent 2pplications of a scarce resource.

A Final Note

My one regret :.tbout The Vermilion P:.twn is that Sikinnes the Daemon Cabinet is. in a place where no PC is ever likely to encounter him. Perfectly plausible. and a great relid to Ihe

PC, no doubt, but it seems :.t sh:.tme to wa.ste 50 ch:.trming :.t

little nasty. So m:.tybe lots of sorcerors, Chaos b:.tddies, :.tnd

rich, evil folk h:.ve.cabinets like SUdnnes lying around where

PC burgulars can find them.

Or maybe you w:.trtt to leave onc lying around in (he:: Slft:et somewbere. You'~ welcome.

;!

1ft

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:z

:z

e

:z

5

THf UfRMILION

PA~UN

~

Secret

~

~

o=J?:=~:r=.

\5J

Door

(locked)

Service

Tl~Chamber

I"'.£~'"

I'

items

'M~'~

'

I

for

I r

sale

Window

Patrons'

Parlour

Entrance

1 (locked)

On th

e

B

e

a

c

h

In other periodicals you often

see.

instead of a regul:1r colunmist, lhe ~rds "Fred Bloggs is on

hoUday". This may mean " .... 'C·ve sacked him",

or "he W.JS too drunk 10 write this week's picce".

or "He sent it on a computer which we

accidentally wiped", or "if we'd printed it,

Maxwell would have sued", or even, sometimes.

"Fred Bloggs is on holiday". I'm on holiday myself, but afler a day of building. sandcast/es

I haul out a portable computer and write furtive reviews ... Are you going to admire my dedication? I thought not.

Haifa Glass of

Moons

hin

e

by Graham SUllStan

Martin (Unwin

179pp

£ll.95) is lhe fourth adult

novel by a writer who's been gcltingconsistentJy Deller since I aUoued faint praise: 10 lhis first,

The SOIlI Masler. This latest is one of lhe few intelligent books whose mainspring is the

"paranonnal". having not only a good slOry wilh

nifty characters but a background of intelligent theory. Its closest thloretical rival is Ian WaI:SOfl'S

bizarre Miracle Visitors, which tackles the

problem of inexplicability and irreproducibililY with arguments from rnathc.mllticallogic - our

universe, as Godel's theory shows for complex

formal systems, contains unprovable truths.

Marlin's best-arliculated approach is neurotogical, a matter of perception: our universe

may

contain tnlth.~ which forexccllent Darwinian

reasons aren't usefully detectable. E~ple.~ are

given: MOOOllshil1e's cheekily Carroll ian and Tolkienian ooapter-headings conceal several

rabbit-punches, most effectively wben the

amiable craziness of the Mad Garde/lCr's Song

(SyMe &: Bruno) ~kes a nighunarecase-hiSIOry from the pages of OrO liver Sacks. Initially sl~

mcNing and thrifty with its fantastic/n'ssons, tlle

book takes the well-drnwn heroine Kirsty on

journeys outside rationality to a conclusion as satisfying

as

the rules allOY! -depending

on

the

angle of your question, the final answer is (a) a Iife-SlN'ing jU5tirLcation of everything that's gone before, or (b) a lemon.

1

enjoyed this one hugely.

Moonshil1e has been given Unwin Hyman's new

"posh" look, apparently reserved for ~rk oot

easily forced into genre pigeonholes. It's a

striking design: broad while bands above and below a central picture whose dominant colour

is picked up in the initialleuers of the title. In

the same format are two good short story collections, Garry Kil~rth's The Songbirds of

PIlin (1!npp £2.95) and M John Harrison's The

Ice t\fonkey (l44pp £2.95), Kilwonh is a highly effective shon-slory writer with a particular gift for exotic locales and nerve-tingling insights.

Harrison's main theme here is top class kitchen

sink fantasy, inner--city sleaze with ambiguoill,ly nasty implications; in ICI! Monkey, the

individually fine stories add up

a

little

oppressh-ely, and outdoor

pauses are

needed to

clear one's head of the metaphysical stench.

Gollancz indicate their front-runner books with

colour covers (to lhe discomfonure of authors

who only ever getlhe grony st.andard design);

one

such is Greg Benford's Great Sky Ril'er

(326pp £\1.95). This features electronically enhanced humans pursued by inimical machine inteUigenceacross a dying ~rld nearthe central

black hole into which our galaxy is gurgling luke

bathwater: ambitious stuff, conscientiou!;ly

~rked out, Rod I wish I could enjoy il more. Benford's (mure people are such dim and

unsympathetk: hicks. so lumpish in their slang and so wilfillydelermined not tousethe wisdom of the ages built into their augmented memory banks, that the pursuing "Mantis" mach.1ne

deserves to win. This is theoretically a good

book. but something's gone wrong in t.he

execution: theskilled imaginings (think ofa vast

electromagnetic intelligence anchored in and

powered by the black hole's stormy accretion disc) can barely fight their way throu.gh meticulous but uninspiring prose.

By contrdSl, though

Garry

Kil~nh has linlenew 10 say in Cloudrock(Unwin 16Opp£ll.95). and his low-tech tribes

are

shackled by still less

defensible practices like ritual cannibalism and

incest, lhe colourful story e:oceeds its moc1est

ambitions and -in a ~rd -works. This clo:sed environment tale of a jungle in the sky ga.ins power not from scientific lhinking (theset-u-p is just barely plausible) but from psychological and anthropological conviction. Oddly enough. Kilwonh's primitives sound both more convinCing and more literate that Benford's

enhanced folk: their difference is conveyed through omissions and tone of voice, rather than

a

mass of jargon.

Michael Scott Rohan and Terry Pratchett

conlinue their fantasy sagas with the "Winter of

the World" conclusion, The Hammer or the Sun (Macdonald S02pp £1I.9S), and the fifth

DisC\\'Orid farce, Sourcery (Gollancz 243pp £10.95). Rohan's trilogy is well above average, marred only be sluggish trnnsilions involving rather too many words: as soon as our

Mastersmith herosenJesdown 10 his forge again,

the inventiveness is compelling. Halling previously sussed carbon fibres and

electroplating, he

now goes

on 10 inl-ent weather

control, Greek fire, distillation, napalm, poo.o;ered

nightand the solar furnace, while casting

impressil'e mythic shadows as crippled Vu.lcan and, later, Thor. As for the Hammer of the Sun

itself. the final masterstroke against lhe Powers which plan anetemal ice age ... it's sooutrageous

that Rohan hints at its fullll81ure only indirectly. Sourcery (sic) is also outrageous, if II fraction less triffle than it's predecessor Mon. I'd describe. ii, bUi I don't think your feeble minds could withstaod being told of a magical disaster

so

appalling that even the bedbugs nee Unseen University, taking their mattress homes with

them; of the horse tbeft resulting in One

Horseman and Three Pedestrians of tbe Apocalypse (we also discover Pestilence'S

favourite tipple, a small egg

nag

with a cberry in it); ofverse rewrites to mllke Omar Khayyam

rotate at

15000

rpm in his grave; of eldritch

footnotes and abominable puns beyond the grnsp of sanity ... All right, read it; don't say you weren't warned.

The Misenchanted S

w

ord

by Lawrence Watt

-Evans (Grafton 332pp £2.95) is an absolutely bog-standard famasy novel. [n a hau of magical absolutism and spelllevcls suggesting a heavy RPG influence, our hero acquires a charmed/cursed sword which preserves him from

death and when drawn the first

100

times gives

him an infallible kill, but (isn't there always

a

But'! isn't it always ridiculously arbitrary'!) will then smite him and give the next user 99 sure kills until ~!) the one after that gelS 98.., This "countdowD" plot dtNice resembles Robert

louis

Stevenson's "The Bottle Imp', which was satisfyingly concluded in about 30 pages. Wall

-Evans takes 332 pages to avoid any exploration of the long-term events he's set up. For a while it does

seem

that he's going 10 tackle seriously

the hero's lilhonus problem (the sword keeps him

alive, not young), but all is solved by a second and not even hard·won dose of magic. a

conclusion which is unsatisfying and flabby. Inoffensive; instantly forgett.ablc.

Slow Fall to Dawn by Stephen Leigh (Headline 16Spp £2.50) is

a

first navel: ~nhy but slightly

overwrought SF with distant ed\Ots of Frank

Herbert, eg much mental debate (here kept to

Ii reasonable level), a feudal, Guild-based future society, and unlikely excuses forswa~hbuck1ing

swords and daggers when lasers and sonic

weapons exist. The action centres on an Assassins' Guild which sportingly rigs the odds

so

15 % of contracted vK:iims scape (it

seems less

sporting forthem 10 ~ire payment for failures).

When a politically important kill joins the

15

%,

the Guild's essential neutrality is called into

question, and the story takes off from there. I boggled on finding that not one of these frightfully honourable people questions the mornlity of assassinlltion, and became altogether incredulous when this obscure planefs offworld embaSl>)' start.'i talking turkey wilh the assassins. like

a

British Raj civil servant giving serious consideration to the officially sanctioned export of Thuggee to ViclOrian England. Leigh writes

v.-ell

but not quite convincingly.

Lastly, a worthy reissue: The Intrepid Enchanter by L Sprngue de Camp and Fletcher

Pratt collects all their humourous fantasies about

Harold Shea, the incautious academic who

traVels to ftCtionai ~rlds via "syllogismobile" 10 mess up the action of Norse. chivalric. Finnish and Irish mylh. Neither author achieved quite this light touch when ~rking alone. If I had II collaborator. maybe we'd think of a winy conclusion for this column. but instead I'll just

note that the cover -Ian Miller's quirky stccl

engraving style -is a welcome change from facile

PLANETARY RAIDERS, WORLD-BURNERS,

SPACEWAY SCUM ... CALL 'EM WHAT YOU

LIKE THEY'RE ALL THE SAME - ALL DIRTY

ROTTEN PIRATESI STAMP ON ONE NEST AND

ANOTHER SPRINGS UP, BUT DEEPER,

DARKER, BETTER HIDDEN. IT IS BITTERLY IRONIC THAT THERE IS NO SHARPER THORN IN THE SIDE OF THE IMPERIUM THAN ITS OWN KIND GONE BAD.

,

.

CHAPTER APPROVED

Following the revised Dreadnought rules in WDIOO, many readers have asked for vehicles to be given a similar treaunenr. As with the Dreadnoughts in the WH40K book, the vehicle rules were designed to be generic so that garners CQuid field their own conversions and scratch-built modeJs. Howe\"er, now that Citadel produce a range of vehicles, with more on the way (including the much awaited Rhino, see pp51-S4), it seems appropriate to overhaul the existing material.

These new rules are in

t

ended to ma

k

e vehicles more effective

on the baulefield. Their survivability has b~n increased by the conunon use of power fields and power field synchronisers adapted from the Dreadnought rules. In addition,

they

can now carry far more equipment and weaponry. putting them

on a new plane of dfectivenc:ss. Although I anticipate most players welcoming these changes, they are by no means

compUlSOry. Players may opt to use only sections of the new rules, depending on the scale of battle being fought.

TURNING

The turning rules don't change but let's go through them here to make sutt everybody's clear on how the system works. A vehicle with a move of, for instance, 10" can turn either left or right throughout any pOrtion of its movement. For example, it could move stl'2ight ahead 3 ", turn left through

3", move Straight ahead a further 2" and tum right 2". The total dislance moved is 10". Any combination of turns and straight movement is permitted, so long as the total equals the vehicle's movement dislance. Players are recommended to stick to whole inches.

When moving forward simply measure directly to the vehicle's front. To malee a turn to the left or right, move the vehicle

so that its path describes

an a

rc.

The vehicle makes a turn to the left or right.

)

~

...-

-"

'b'

--IJ

?fr=

.

~

~

JleL'"

..::

"-

":

.-: _t?

[I

---

~

,

'c,

"

..

F""

,

..

*

r -

Weigh tbe fist that strikes men down

~ And nlutes tbe biltlle won.

,