IRPS NEWSLETTER May 1, 1996 Issue #5 Table of Contents: Club Status Report (Michael Popovich ) IRPS Monthly Newsletters What We Can Learn From AD&D (John Perch ) New AD&D Monsters (Jonathan Thomas ) DM's Advice - 1st Article (Earl Harrison ) DM's Advice - 2nd Article (Earl Harrison ) Tales of Phantasm (Anonymous) IRPS Stories The Dungeon Delver (Than Lee Caroled ) Classifieds Greyhawk Earthdawn IRC Game Books For Sale Gaming Conventions Darkcon ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Club Status Report (Michael Popovich ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello Everyone. I'm proud to say that our club has risen from 600 members to about 800 members. Soon we will start asking other internet based clubs, such as college clubs if they would like to exchange resources and information in order to benefit both of our members. IRPS has also been considering the possibility of holding a meeting on IRC (Internet Relay Chat), which is a program that allows multiple users to come together in a network and chat with each other. All that's need to run an IRC program is an IRC Client, which can be downloaded from the Internet for free. Please send me (cad@digital.net) your input about holding meetings through IRC or another medium. Also, in this ZIP file was a file called HERBS.TXT, which is also a monthly newsletter column (rather large that's why I couldn't incorporate it in to the main email). But it's written by club member Shaun Hately (drednort@bud.swin.edu.au). IRPS would also like to thank Karen Mizeri (kmizeri@mail.awinc.com until May 15, after which time it will change to kmizeri@jetstream.net) who will now edit all of the IRPS newsletters. She's currently an English major which makes her more than qualified for the position. She may need some help on the editing, so if you're interested email her. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- What We Can Learn From AD&D (John PeRich ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello all! This is my first time writing for the newsletter, as well as for ANY internet/web letter. However, I'm no stranger to either role-playing games (10 years and counting) or writing (I can't think back that far). So, I've decided to make my IRPS debut with this old piece that I had eating up disk space. From the title of this article, the first thing that might come to your minds is, "Ah, this is an article extoling the virtues of AD&D by saying how it develops imagination, vocabulary, teamwork, and basic arithmetic. I think I'll skip down to something useful." Trust me, I'm not that brite. This article highlights the major errors of the AD&D system as a whole and how they can be resolved. So, while this is still "what we can learn from AD&D", an appropriate subtitle might be "so we don't do it as well." LEVELS The biggest and worst of them all. Levels. All characters in beginning level campaigns start out at Level 1. Through the gaining of experience, they proceed all the way up to realms unknown. Fun. Now, a few problems arise from this. Every fighter, for example, requires the same amount of experience to advance between Levels 1 and 2 (this is ignoring high Prime Requisite bonuses and all). What this leads one to assume is that: a) all fighters develop exactly the same skills at exactly the same time, and b) all fighters experience life in the same way. Both of these assumptions are wrong. A good example is Inigo Montoya in the book (or movie, though I'll be quoting the book) "The Princess Bride." When Inigo's father is killed by the six-fingered count, Inigo goes out to train desperately in fencing to avenge him. Ten years later he returns, and is declared by top there. You may be working on the same thing at the same time, but people will have different ideas about it, (it's called creativity! Corporations survive off of it!) and will react to it differently. If everyone at your job was identical, you'd have an assembly-line, not a think-tank. (Note: if you actually DO work on an assembly-line, this metaphor falls through, but you see my point.) The class system has very few merits, as very few people fit into nice tight categories. EXPERIENCE POINTS FOR MONSTERS The general rules for AD&D are: when you kill a monster, you gain experience points. The rulebooks put all sorts of disclaimers on this to keep it from being abused (must advance the plot, etc.), but these are tough to identify. Slaying those suspicious-looking boars around the orcish camp can be justified, even if only for the XP a boar gives you. This is probably AD&D's weakest point. All of the hack-and-slash, combat-hungry, find-things-to-beat-up-then-kill-them-then-have-lunch mentalities connect directly to this. Granted, the PC's are adventurers, but must adventuring always lead to killing? Better still, does killing always help in adventuring? Also, the level-system ties into this folly. You gain some XP for killing an orc. You are a thief. Therefore, the logical conclusion is that slaying an orc helps your thieving skills. The next time you get a lucky backstab on that lone guard, thank the orc you slew for giving you the XP you needed (P.S. This is what is called irony). When you finally learn that "teleport" spell, thank all the orcs you've killed, despite the fact that slaughtering has little to do with the teleport spell. Obviously, this system should probably be the first to go. Whenever I start up a new AD&D campaign, I tell the players of some house rules, one of which is the revised Experience Point system. PC's get 1-5 XP's for each adventure. These can be used to increase stats, get new proficiencies or even advance in level. Of course, I don't use the PHB's same tables in this system. If I get enough requests, I may send in the full Revised Experience Point System in another article. HOW DO I KNOW THESE THINGS ARE ERRORS? . . . you skeptics are asking. Well, let me explain the one overwhelming point in my favor. NO OTHER MAJOR, SUCCESSFUL ROLE-PLAYING SYSTEM USES ANY OF THOSE!! None! I've played AD&D, Shadowrun, Hero Games, GURPS and dozens of others. Very few use those same systems, or in the same way, as AD&D does. While they don't have the head start that AD&D did, they are still very popular, regardless (Yes, I know there are some exceptions. There are probably also some RPG's that do use those systems and are successful. E-mail me and tell me how wrong I am. Go ahead. I enjoy abuse). GURPS is my favorite example, as it is my favorite RPG outside of AD&D. Every starting character gets 100 points to be used on characteristics, skills, special abilities and other fun stuff. They can take disadvantages to make up point-deficits and add depth to their character. Neither levels, nor classes, nor experience (for monsters) are used. If you need to ask more about GURPS's success, give me a call and I'll buy a bottle of paint to decorate the rock that you live under. This article wasn't solely designed to bash AD&D. Regardless of those, I still play AD&D regularly, and I still use (some of) those systems in my games. However, recognizing their faults is the best way of correcting them and enhancing the quality of your campaign. (Oh, yeah, my e-mail address is shavenyak3@aol.com. Gimme a buzz.) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- New AD&D Monsters (Jonathan Thomas ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Manticoria Climate/Terrain: Any AC: 5 Frequency: Rare Movement: 12/18(E)@6 Organization: Pack Hit Dice: 5+4 Activity Cycle: Any THACO: 15 Diet: Carnivore Number of Attacks: 4 Intelligence: Average (8-11) Damage per Attack: 1d3/1d3/1d8/1d4 Treasure: D, I Special Attacks: Poison, Singing Alignment: Lawful Evil Magic Resistance: Standard Number Appearing: 2d4 Size: L (10’ long) Experience Point Value: 1400 Morale: Elite (13-14) Much like the manticore, the manticoria appears to be a huge, winged lion with a human face. They have gigantic raven like wings, usually in black or grey. Their faces are heavy browed and jawed, hairless, and tend to be reddish or purplish. Only male Manticoria have manes, which are generally black; the females have a ridge of black hair starting between the shoulder blades and running up the neck and head to where the hairline would be on a human. Older males tend to lose the part of their manes which cover the crown of their heads. Manticoria have the tails of giant scorpions, bluish black in color. They have teeth much like any carnivorous mammal, except for the fact they sport three rows. Manticoria have high pitched piping voices, and occasionally growl and roar in a very lion like way. Manticoria are somewhat smaller than Manticores. Adults tend to be about 10’ long, about 5’ at the shoulder, and have a wingspan of 18 or 20 feet. Females are only slightly smaller. Combat: Manticoria hunt in packs and they are intelligent enough to coordinate their actions. They have amazing control of their voices, and can cause them to appear to be coming from up to 30’ away. Also, female manticoria can sing, which has the dual effects of making it very hard to concentrate and very difficult to estimate the number of manticoria that are not in view. In game terms, this means that an immediate morale check is called for at -2. Anyone trying to do anything requiring concentration (cast or maintain a spell or use psionics) must make a saving throw vs. spell to be successful. Manticoria tails carry type F poison (save or die in one round) and can strike in front of the monster. They are affected by their own poison. Tail attacks can be directed at a different target than the claw/claw/bite routine is directed at. While flying they can use their tails and claws against opponents on the ground, not their bite. Manticoria are excellent trackers (Base 16, modifiers relating only to scent apply) and will follow prey until they catch it. Fortunately, they are also noisy, and prey will know their trail has been scented from miles away under good conditions. They are not usually inclined to quiet down until the trail becomes very fresh or the prey is in sight, approximately 100 yards. Habitat/Society: Manticoria can be found in any land, but prefer temperate forested hills and other temperate to subtropical areas that offer some long range concealment. Some are partial to jungles. Manticoria are pack hunters with huge territories, often 20 miles or more in radius from their lairs. Once a pack has a scent, the only easy way to throw them off is to leave their territory and keep going. Manticoria will track prey outside their territories, but check their morale hourly with modifying it by -1 cumulatively for every hour. This modifier is also applied to any morale check they make outside their territories. (For example, a pack tracks the party to the edge of their territory and beyond. If they catch up with the party 3 hours after leaving their territory, they are -3 on any morale checks.) Manticoria Packs consist of a dominant male and female, subordinate adults, and the pups of the dominant pair. Pups take two years to mature. They are neither venomous nor airborne the first year, and have: 2+1 hit dice, a THACO of 19, do 1 point of damage with tails and claws, and 1d4 with their bites. During the second year pups: earn their wings, become poisonous at +4 on the save, have 4+2 hit dice, THACO of 17, do 1d2 with their claws, 1d3 with their tails and 1d6 with their bite. If two are encountered it will be a mated pair, the third through sixth will be pups (d4 for each for growth: 1=new born, 2=1st year, 3=2nd year, 4=grown), and any others will be adults with lower hit points than the mated pair. Manticoria typically pick the highest point in their territories in which to lair, then either find a cave near it or dig a hole in which to sleep. These areas may be buttes, hill tops, or gigantic trees. Those living in trees may forgo digging a hollow if mating season is not near, but always give birth in a sheltered area. They are slow, but even the pups are sure climbers. Treasure is gathered to line the lair and to bribe powerful monsters to leave their territories. It is generally Types D&I: 1d6K cp 10% 1d6C(30%)+1d6C(15%) ep or pp 1d10K sp 15% 2d6(55%)+1d10(30%) gems 1d3K gp 50% 2d4(50%)+1d6(25%) art Any 3 Magic + 1 potion (15%) Manticoria can and will use any magic item they can without hands. Manticoria have a god which they worship. This god is a Sidhe, a member of an extinct race raised to divinity, and will be described fully as whim allows. They can become shamans reaching 5th level, but this rarely happens. These creatures generally occupy the top of the food chain in their area. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DM's Advice - 1st Article (Earl Harrison ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- "THERE!" exclaims the over joyous thief, Timothy. "There just above the cliff three-quarters up to the left." "That is what we are looking for!" The thief latched onto the back of the broad barbarian as he began to climb the rock face of the mountain. The barbarian did not seem at all encumbered by the weight of the halfling as he made great leaps and bounds up the mountain. After many hours of climbing the barbarian hurled the thief onto the ledger just facing the lair of the dragon. Borg finally climbed over the edge, then stood and brushed himself off onto the now dust-free thief. So once again Timothy dusted himself off, all the while snarling and cursing at the bigger man. Swiftly and quietly a large two-handed broad sword is lifted out of its resting place to gleam brightly in the sun. Two small daggers, both dull, are pulled from unknown hiding places on the body of the halfling thief. "Let’s Go" commands the barbarian. As they enter the cave the stench becomes almost unbearable. After several more minutes of traveling into the cave, the barbarian begins feeling the walls to find his way when light appears from a gem that the halfling has clutched in his tiny little hands. "Humans!" exclaims the thief in a very disgruntled voice, as out from the earth jumps a very large creature. He gazes upon the two heroes with no effect. A few claw and pincer attacks and the creature must now defend himself. Three swift and powerful strokes of the sword and the Umber Hulk lays at the feet of the powerful barbarian. "HA!" laughs Borg as he lifts the corpse into the air and throws it into the hole it had created to get the surprise on the two scavengers. A few more twists and turns and just yards in front of the two are more riches and treasures than they could ever hope to carry from this place. "THUD!" a huge red claw comes crashing down just inches from the thief who had been trying to sneak into the chamber and slip off with a few goodies before the real action began. Borg leaps into the air, turns his ring and the confidence swells in him. A few well placed sword hits and the dragon rocks back onto its hind quarters. The thief jumps into the fray only to miss his first attack and the other dagger goes flying off into the darkness of the cave. The dragon rears back and belches forth a great blast of fire. Borg laughs it off and then jumps into the dragon’s face for another three strong strokes with the broad sword. After the second hit the dragon attempts a getaway, but the third and final attack strikes true and the dragon slumps to its death. Our heroes have defeated the great wyrm. "Timothy!" Borg cries into the darkness. "You can come out of your hiding place!" There is no answer. For several moments the barbarian searches for his tiny friend. He finds his friend burnt beyond recognition. He had taken the full blast from the dragon’s breath weapon and was not as lucky as the powerful barbarian. The above scenario could be played out on any given Saturday at any DM’s home, except one - MINE! If you would like to know how to scare your players and have them packing their books, grabbing their dice, and heading for the door with the mere mention of the word 'dragon' - then read on. The average great wyrm has lived for over 750 years and destroyed countless treasure raiders, how else do you think they get all of their wealth, villages and castles in their days? How many players do you know that can boast about these things? Not many! Therefore a dragon should have countless more powers and hit points than the players do. If played "by the book" then the Umber Hulk at the beginning of our little adventure could have a good shot at the dragon. But upon consideration by myself and my group, we decided that by adding two zeros to the end of the dragon’s hit dice the creature now becomes the opponent that you have only heard about in fantasy books and legends. I know some of you out there are saying, "If you would play the dragon correctly then you would not have to do that." Okay, let’s examine this. Let’s take the following character against any 15 HD dragon that you have lying around in your campaign. BORG: level 15 barbarian with a CON of 18. That equals 180 HP plus the 4 HP that he gets for the high constitution, which equals a grand total of 240 HP. Also give our hero an 18/00 STR, that gives him a +3 to hit and +7 damage. We can’t forget the +4 chain armor and the ring of fire resistance. Oh, and don’t forget the +5 two-handed broad sword. Now your little dragon has a very powerful enemy to fight. According to the Monster Manual you roll an 8-sided die to figure HP for a monster. With this in mind our 15 HD dragon can only have 120 HP when the dragon belches his breath weapon the most HP that Borg could take would be 60, remember the ring. If the saving throw is made then that number is now 30. Not a very powerful attack from such a noble creature. Consider the hero and the damage that he can dish out. Three attacks with a broad sword at 3d6+12, which comes out to about 30 HP/shot. Now combine the other two attacks for a total of 90 HP of damage for the lowly humanoid the dragon despises so much. Next round the breath weapon is now only 30 hit points of damage at the MAXIMUM! Borg makes his saving throw and he only takes 7 HPD! OUCH HURT ME! Borg attacks again and the maid is cleaning up the mess. My little idea no longer looks so dumb. Even calculating the dragon’s HP and adding one zero to that still makes the dragon a very powerful opponent. The dragon is the heart and soul of the game, hence the name. Where there are evil dragons there are good ones. The same rule applies to these as well. To make them even more powerful seek out the handbook "Dragonomicon." The dragon spells alone are worth the price of the book. One of the spells "Death’s Door", when walked through by player characters, drains 50 levels before it becomes inactive.. Try attacking the dragon now after your 20th level characters are now all 6th and 7th level. Dragons can be very powerful allies, or they can be very powerful enemies. It is all in the way the DM plays them, and the way the players treat them. It is up to your group to decide how to handle them. The next time you throw a dragon at your players, give my idea a try and see if the outcome is a bit different than the players had planed. Next time I will come down to earth a bit and tell you how to chase 10th level characters out of the kobold lair. Please send any comments, questions or even answers to dungeonm@si-net.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- DM's Advice - 2nd Article (Earl Harrison ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Consider your average 8th level party of no more than 6 characters, and send them into the cave of one, two, or maybe even 3 clans of kobolds; and witness the outcome. The fighter standing tall at the head of the party swinging his trusty sword as if cutting down weeds at his farm house back at the village. The thief sneaking around to get the surprise and backstab, and then sneaking off again to attack yet another hapless kobold. The mage at the back of the party casting his spells and destroying countless kobolds with the wave of his hand. The priest is merely reclining and twiddling his thumbs because he knows that these lowly kobolds will never in a thousand years - not even if the fighter was asleep - hit him with their crude weapons. The archer is half-way between the fighter and the mage, flipping arrows off of his bow and striking a kobold with each one. The kobolds, after several rounds, will either be dead or they will be running for their lives. The party will no doubt give chase and eventually corner the cowering little kobolds at the end of their lair and finish the job, with the priest standing outside the door. What little treasure the kobolds have can now be tallied and split amongst the party members. The thief was never seen by the kobolds. The mage and cleric were seen but they were never challenged, and the archer was also behind the fighter. If this sounds like your typical kobold slaughter, read on and challenge the 8th level party the next time they enter the lair of the dreadful kobolds! Firstly, caves and kobold lairs are dark. Who was holding the torch in the above example? The priest? Not likely! If no one was holding a torch, then everyone had infravision, right? Wrong! Not the human characters, there could not have been any of them in that fight. Secondly, kobolds would not cut out a cave that was big enough for a human or elf sized character to come wandering into. They would carve out a cave that was just right for them. This means that the elves and humans were at a -4 AC and to hit! That makes for easier targets for the kobolds, and harder targets to hit, since the humans and elves can no longer use big weapons such as long bows or long swords. How about them daggers boys! Did anyone check for those secret doors with the kobolds hiding in them that are behind the mage and priest? Won't they be surprised when 10-25 kobolds jump out from behind them and hit their measly 7 AC's and disrupt their spells. Did anyone check to see that there were 20 more kobolds just around the corner when the others went flying around it? Now the kobalds automatically get to attack first at the party of running characters. So their AC's are not what they were a few minutes ago. The kobolds have the surprise attack and the characters do not get to use their dexterity adjustment because they are battle ready. Kobolds some times train dire wolves to be used as mounts and guard dogs. Keeping in mind that the humans are bent over using daggers and blind, how are these guys going to fare against a few dire wolves jumping onto them? Can you imagine the pain of bouncing your head on the rock ceiling above, the wolf jumping for your throat and attacking with only a dagger? Shamans are another useful weapon for the kobold. You do not have to use him for offensive spells, use them for the healing and defensive spells. Invisible kobolds waiting around the corner, letting the party walk by and then attacking from behind, only to go around the corner again and wait for the party to continue on down the corridor only to attack them with another barrage of arrows... sounds fun! That little incident could go on for the remainder of the game. How about murder holes on the sides of the walls? The women and children could make this attack with little coming back their way. Not to mention the possibility of murder holes on the ceiling of a two-level or three-level lair. Hot water from above and hot steamy metal spears in the bottoms of leather bound feet. Pit traps and snares in the bigger chambers work wonders for the characters that are only watching for kobolds to jump out of nowhere to attack them. Once upside down in the snare trap, you are spear food. Falling into a pit can be big trouble for the party as well. Spears stabbing down at you, rocks being thrown at you, and the dire wolves bitting fingertips as the hapless characters try to climb out of the pit. We could also put some murder holes in the bottom of the pit with all of the above going on! If not the murder holes how about very soft mud, or quick sand, to get the party stuck, no more dexterity bonus for their AC! Now you have spears, rocks, murder holes and mud to contend with all at the same time. Do I hear the word surrender coming from the 8th level characters? Kobolds like to carve out labyrinths so as to be able to run around behind the party and attack from behind. Not to mention the secret doors everywhere. Kobolds won't all go down the same corridor. They will split up into two or more groups and go down different corridors, so the party will have to split up if they want to kill all of the them before they are able to get help. Imagine the possibilities of ten kobolds encountering three separate corridors and three going down each, one getting another ten from each corridor. The party is now split up and they are the ones running for their lives. Kobolds are very nasty creatures. When they are done with something they just pitch it into the trash and leave it there. This means anything that they are done with, old barrels, boxes, crates, wagons, the like. What if the kobolds built a maze through this junk and then lead the party into this little maze? The kobold would have to crawl through this, what is the bigger foe going to have to do to get through this to kill the measly kobold? The tide has turned in favor of the kobold. He can climb through this maze and get a good attack or two on the characters before they can get their bearings and see where the attack came from. By the time the characters figure out where the kobold is, he has already moved into another spot and attacked the characters again. A couple of rounds of this is all the kobolds need to frustrate the characters and make them want to chase them even more, only to be lead into more and more traps devised by the clever DM. Trip wires into a pit. A barrel of oil with a hole in it rolling down the corridor at the characters and a kobold with a torch at the top smiling makes the characters want to run. Kobolds love to drill holes in bare walls just big enough for them to get through so when human chases him he leads the character down to this 16" hole in the wall and escapes. Coming after the human out of a secret door are fifteen more kobolds with flaming arrows. The kobolds could even eventually lead the party back out of their cave, where the party may take the hint and leave. Who is to say that the forest around this new entrance is not trapped as much as the lair was? An underground bear's lair with a pit trap over it makes for an interesting encounter. A whole new crop of monsters could be on this side of the lair waiting for the kobolds to come out, only to see a bunch of humans and elves exit the lair. Most creatures that live in caves find humans and elves to be quite delicious. The party will not have much of a fight left in them if the kobold lair is set up like the above examples, and they just might be easy pickins' for the right group of monsters to fight. Kobolds are as bright as the average common farmer or city dweller and they should be played as such. They should have access to fire, oil and poisons just as easily as the characters have. They should never be used as flies waiting for the fly swatter to come along, to kill them just for the experience points and treasure that they hold. Give them a fighting chance against any level of characters. Challenge even the high level parties with these guys and maybe they won't try the goblins and orcs! Most players will thank you for a job well done. Some players might want to go back in the lair only to find out the kobolds have healed themselves and reset all of their traps. Maybe the party has been through only half of the lair and the kobolds will lead them through the other half this time. The party may get lost in the lair and never be able to find their way out. The kobolds would keep track of them and keep picking on them until they surrendered or the characters were all killed. Who was mapping the lair anyway? Kobolds can also be used as scouts for any city that would have them, if paid the right amount of silver and electrum. Kobolds are happy to take these coins from the city and the gypsy caravans travelling the roadways, asking for directions only the kobolds could give them. They will be loyal trusting servants for the city if treated well. They could tell the city where the next goblin or orc raid was coming from, as well as any other creature that might want to attack the city. Open field fights are not suited for kobolds because then they are flies for the swatting. They can be used in the battlements and attack wagons that are used by the armies for the protection of the city. They could also be used as bait for the attacking armies to be lead into the waiting arms of the protecting armies of the city. The city may not care if a few kobolds were taken out by the raiding armies. The city could convince them they were getting revenge for the losses they have suffered. As you can see kobolds may be just 1 HD creatures with 1-4 HP but they do not have to be played like that. They are far from just the easy slaughtering that some gamers like to do on a Saturday morning. Give the party a challenge the next time they adventure into your kobold lair. You don't even have to tell them they are going to fight kobolds. Let them figure it out and watch the fun begin when they are driven out of the lair of the lowly kobold! Until next time, Earl Harrison ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tales of Phantasia (Anonymous) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fellow RPG gamers, This is the 1996 Tales of Phantasia American petition. Are you angry when you see an awesome RPG come out in Japan, sell millions of copies, get acclaimed as one of the best role playing games ever, and then never come out in America? THIS IS WRONG! Well, Japan is going to do it to us again. In December of 1995, Namco released Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicom. This masterpiece was animated by one of Japan's most well-known and famous animators, Kosuke Fujishima. This game also features an opening sequence with a recorded theme song and vocals! REAL singing and talking are used during this game! Tales has been acclaimed for it's incredibly in-depth story line (taking up 48 megs of memory, the biggest ever!) , it's lush, beautiful, detailed graphics, and magnificent soundtrack. This isn't just another RPG. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE ROLE PLAYING GAME!!! Yet, there are no plans to release Tales of Phantasia in America. Wrong? Unjust? I think so!! Don't we Americans deserve the very best RPG's? Don't you want to be enjoying this masterpiece in your home on your Super Nintendo? Namco is trying to decide whether or not to release Tales of Phantasia in America. Let's show them that we want it! If we can persuade Namco that there is a demand in America, they will release it here! If enough replies are made to this petition, we will also send it to Namco of Japan! If this petition is successful, it will serve as a wake up call to all other RPG companies telling them, "WE WANT ROLE PLAYING GAMES IN AMERICA!" We must band together and demand what we want! We must make ourselves heard! Do you want the video game companies in Japan saying, "Americans are too lazy and stupid to understand this role playing game, let's give them some more action games!" I'm sure you don't! Together we can make a difference! If you feel strongly about the release of Tales of Phantasia in America, let Namco know! Please take some time to reply. All e-mails will be passed directly to Namco of America, and if enough replies come in, Namco of Japan. Just take a couple of minutes to tell Namco that YOU WANT TALES OF PHANTASIA IN AMERICA! Your reward could be one of the best role playing games ever. E-MAIL ALL REPLIES TO: OHKI82@aol.com. THESE GO STRAIGHT TO NAMCO. TELL THEM WHAT YOU FEEL! LET'S LET NINTENDO KNOW TOO! E-MAIL THEM AT: NOAPulse@Nintendo.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Warring In FRPG's - Part One (Dana Drury ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Note: This article is generally aimed towards DM's of games such as Palladiums RPG and AD&D. However, aspects can apply elsewhere as well as provide useful information for players. Over this serial I hope to provide some useful information on the Art of War, (although not exactly up to Sun Tzu's standards) and using it in FRPG's. One aspect I see often overlooked in most Fantasy Role Playing campaigns is war and its effects and benefits it brings upon the general populace. Benefits? How can death and destruction bring benefits? Well, in the campaign terms it can't usually, however it can provide a hook or two for an adventure, open up new territories and shut off others. War is always present, as a DM myself I used to throwing in the odd rumor of war, details of a war, or the after affects of a war. It wasn't until recently I discovered running a war with players involved can be time consuming and change the campaign completely. Sensible Software may have said "War is Fun" but sadly this isn't ways the case. If you wish to start a war in the campaign (this also applies to players) make sure you know what your getting into. Here are some things to take into consideration (there is probably more). Does your campaign need it? are the players having fun or do you need a new way to wake up your players? Some campaigns are more suited than others to a war. There is little chance of a war happening in the middle of the Forgotten Realms (although it could be interesting), and Krynn is exhausted from years of war. Mystara however is ripe for war, as is Planescape which allows for anything and everything; while in Ravenloft is almost impossible due to the problems in the world. And finally Birthright is all about war. Others, such as Palladiums RPG have left the Timro Kingdom open to attack from Ogres. Many of the books supplied with AD&D boxed sets or Palladium Source Books give indications of rising tension in areas, or wars already waging. How Big will the war be? This is a fairly important question to ask yourself. Small wars are easy to run, are not so messy, and don't have the potential to scar a campaign. However, they can provide limited adventures and even allow for players to command troops. Small wars tend to involve the characters more because they usually have status and are respected. If this is not the case a Baron/Lord/Lady sure could do with some 4th Level adventurers on his/her side. Big Wars will be costly, not only on the world but the DM running it. Larger wars can limit the players involvement, but this doesn't have to be the case. Unless the players are high level they won't be running around with an Army under their belts. Kings and Queens or Commanders may assign them to more pressing tasks such as Sabotage, Spying, or Scouting (the three S's). Assassination could prove to be an interesting task for the players. Maybe the enemy could do more damage if there were another commander leading. Such things can be used in smaller wars to great effect but large wars can range across varied terrain and places, some of which the Army knows nothing of. Thus concludes the First part of this series. In the next part I shall shed more light on planning out a war. If there is enough interest I would be happy to build up a profile adventure which you could use or modify. If anyone has anything to add: preference, place for the profile, or questions; feel free to e-mail me at dana@zipper.zip.com.au. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Dungeon Delver (Nathan Lee Caroland ) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- The night comes upon you swiftly as you walk towards your destination, the Dungeons of Kergoth. Continuing past the farms where hard faced men stare and brutal sounding dogs bark, you see a tavern up ahead; the lights casting gloom to the surrounding tree's, sounds of talking and singing coming from inside. "Aye this is the place" you say to yourself. Six more hours from here to the Dungeon's. With a proud swagger you enter the tavern. Once inside, you see the tavern is well stocked with patrons sitting around swilling ale and passing stories amongst themselves. The tavern is well kept, with blackwood tables and chairs and a blazing hearth large enough to roast a whole Ox. Hustling between tables you see several wenches serving, one smiles at you as she saunters by. Behind the black bar is a large man, a scant vest upon his frame, his bare arms and chest showing many puckered scars. One such scar runs the side of his face, his grizzled salt and pepper beard bare where it passes. You see a wry smile cross the man's features as he suddenly booms in a deafening voice: "Aha, seems we have another adventurer, and a young one at that!" Looking, you see all appraising you, some moodily stare, others laugh and offer up a smile, raising their tankards to you in silent salute. "To the Dungeon's are ye?" At your hesitant nod he bellows again. "Well then, come and have a drink. The first is upon the house", and reaching under the bar he brings up a foaming tankard. Smiling you walk forward and place yourself at the bar, sipping at the heady brew, idly wondering about the barkeep and his scars. With a start you notice that he is looking at you, "I see your interested in these here scars are ye?" Not waiting for an answer, he pulls back his vest and you see that his torso is literally traced with scars. "Each is a story and all of em I got in that dammed dungeon. Believe me, their stories are such that you do not want to experience for yourself." At that you firm your chin while you put your hand upon your weapon. "I can take care of myself". The man begins laughing, "Aye maybe ye can then! I myself was about your age when I made my first run into those dungeons, maybe you will live if you keep your thoughts in place and your arm strong. Well then, since your so bent on going you might be wantin to take a look at me books before ye go eh? They tells ya of all sorts of things, from magic to creatures and all of it good to know about iffin you run into to something in there ... and ye will". As if seeing your thought he adds "Now I got this scar here," at that he points at a puckered red scar that travels his chest," gettin out with these books. It'll cost ye 5 silver to have a look at em." With that he smiles, "After all, this really did hurt ...." With your half tankard of Norish ale you sit in the overstuffed black chair, it seems the barkeep has a penchant for black. The grizzled man has something about him that makes him a very agreeable person; either way you're glad your luck has brought you the chance to view these tomes, even if it cost you five out of the ten silver that you owned. It would be worth it if you did run into something in those dungeons. The shuffling of feet announces the man's return as he kicks open the door, his arms heavily laden with five large expensively bound and worn tomes. With a huff he sets the books on a table across from you. "Not as strong or as young as I used to be" he says, laughing as if at some great joke, "though I can live with it." Again he laughs. With a smile you get up to examine the stacked tomes. Each is capped with gold or silver and bound in precisely tooled hide, one such is bound in a pale skin with a skull worked into the hide. "Human" the man utters beside you. "Excuse me sir?" you ask. "Human skin, that's what that books bound in. A sage informed me a few years back when he stopped to have a look at these here. This one caught his attention right away and he began to mutter and wave his hands about, then pronounced that this tome was bound in human skin and worked with the suffering of others." Chuckling dryly he concludes, "I've never been comfortable with it since then. Damn me for being fickle but what if it were me own skin adornin some damn book?" nodding numbly you continue to stare at the books, "Well have a look at em, I'll leave ye to your reading and bring ye another tankard back in a little. Take as much time as ye wish, I urge ye to learn all ye can. I got them there in the Dungeons of Kergoth and I can tell ye that some of that stuff is actually down there, though most of the dungeon has been picked clean after all these years if ye ask me, but ye never know." With that he leaves, closing the door solidly behind him. Sitting once more you moodily look at the books, drinking from your tankard again before resolutely retrieving a brown covered book with a triangular symbol within a circle emblazoned upon the cover. Opening the book you see that it deals with ceremonies and worshipping of devils and elements, and how to appease and acquire their favor. With a vile oath you set the evil book aside and empty your tankard. Perhaps the dungeons had denizens that worshipped such evil and false creatures. It was something to consider about if so. Looking over the books you hesitantly reach for the pale, skull tooled tome. Opening it you begin to search through the pages, each filled with clear print and astonishingly lifelike pictures. "Yes this one will tell me much ..." Moodily, you set the last book down. The books, although full of useful knowledge about creatures, magic, and other oddities; were also vile in their content. The writers of these books were either very depraved individuals or insane beyond wonder. Either way the information, if it proved true, would be a boon to you when in a situation that called for decisive knowledge. Strangely you notice you have three empty tankards at your side, you don't remember receiving or drinking them. Standing, you stretch the kinks out of your back and legs. The chair - though comfortable looking - had the stuffing shifted in the most uncomfortable way. Opening the door you walk back down the hallway to the tavern room, noticing it is well into the night and there are no patrons left. The barkeep is busily sifting new sawdust to the floor, the old removed after the heavier drinkers were done for the night. Yawning he turns toward you: "Find anything interesting within those pages?" Slightly nodding in a sleepy voice you answer, "Aye that I did good barkeep, that I did. Though full of useful knowledge, those books leave one feeling unwashed and sick, I think they were written by evil men." With a grin he responds, "Evil he was, but no longer. I slew him twelve winters ago when I found him in those dungeons, a cult leader who lead raids to our town and used townsfolk in sacrifices. Me and others hunted him down, I took his books to see what he had. Wicked and evil he is and the books tainted by him, but I has to admit that he was a lodestone of knowledge and them books and their writtins have actually helped me out of a spot when I met up with a big brute of a thing in the swamps over thata ways." Yawning again he waves a hand toward the stairs, "Take a night of lodging on the house also. Though I don't knows ye I knows what ye are and I feel a kinship to ye even after I'd put up me sword all these years now." As you are beginning to shake your head he interrupts: "Now don't ye argue with me, I may be older but I can still whip ye if I has to, now up to the room on the first right and get a nights sleep so you can be alert when ye go on to them dungeons." Chuckling at the man's callous kindness you half-heartily wave and trudge to the second landing of the tavern and open your door. Disrobing without finesse, you lay down on the straw mattress. Sunlight streams in through the cracked shutter, dust motes traveling the rays to your bed where you lay with strewn blankets entwined about your legs. With a groan you struggle to a sitting position, wiping your fog filled eyes with the back of your hand and idly wondering the time of the day. Grunting, you push yourself off the bed, opening your hallway door to retrieve the customary morning wash basin. Shivering, you clean thoroughly, thinking it may be a time before you're able to wash again, if ever. Shaking away your dark thoughts you dress quickly, hoping that you have all that is needed. Walking slowly down the stairs you see the tavern has few customers, most eating, though a few nursing tankards. The doors to the kitchen open, and out comes a middle aged wench laden with food, which she promptly distributes to the patrons at the tables. With a cracking, nasally voice she shrills: "And what can I do YOU for?". Her obvious dislike for you shows in her looks, though whether it is your appearance or the fact that you're a stranger, you do not know. In a slightly colder tone than you wished you ask for morning feast, and with a sniff she turns back to the kitchens. "You mustn't mind Missy there, she's a good soul but sour." you hear as you see the barkeep straddle a chair and beckon for you to do the same. "So you still intent on continuing on this 'venture eh?" at your nod he smiles again, "Well then, before ye start the 'venturing I will give ye my name, ye never asked ye know!" With a flourish he stands and bows to you, "I am Delgan Roth, owner of this fine establishment, retired venture ..." a nasally voice calls from behind: "And a big windbag!" Looking you see Missy smiling and you cannot help but begin to laugh, Delgan himself joining your outburst. "Well that may be, but I thinks I earned the rights to be a windbag. As for you," he says, turning, " I will neither ask nor hear your name till you return here alive to tell your tales of the dungeon." With that you curiously look at him. "And why not Delgan?" "Because you have not yet earned your name. To me you will be known as 'Stranger' till you have earned your name, either through deeds or knowledge. That way I have nothing to mourn if you do not come back to tell your tales." With that statement he looks a little abashed and quickly takes a parcel from his pocket, tossing it to you. "Here. That there is salve for healing. I found it years ago and have not had the need to use it, and I figure that you yourself do not want to scar yourself as I have eh?" He quickly gets up and lays a large hand on your shoulder, muttering "Venture well.", and leaving you to contemplate his actions. With forced step you exit through the door you entered last night, wondering if it was hard to leave because of what you faced ahead or of what you were leaving behind. Walking, you weave your way down the road, looking at the town with an appraising eye now that you can see it in daylight, and liking it. The farms surround you in an ordered fashion, rock walls seeming to spring from the ground to mark neat sections and rows. Ahead of you the road weaves through the green hills. The large elm trees are yet untouched by the oncoming fall, their leaves still large and green. Over the hills in the distance you see a dark splotch upon the landscape, it could only be the Eldritch Forest. Kergoth was said to have been a War Master of unmatched skills and unmatched evil. To consort with devils and element lords. To kill for no reason. Only the combined might of several armies could defeat him and even then half of his fiendish army escaped, some returning to the Dungeons of Kergoth to harry the land again. With a shiver you remind yourself it happened well over a hundred years ago, and that Kergoth was dead. Tightening your hands upon your sword you begin walking toward the dark in the distant. Five hours should find you at the border of the forest. Another hour, if the track signs still remain, should find you at the ruins and the dungeon. Not for the first time you fervently wish for a horse, wondering why life is so unfair. Inwardly groaning you continue on, passing the thought around of Delgan Roth and his hospitality. It is unusual in these days to find fairness and kindness in complete strangers, though you speculate that it stems mostly from you being a new adventurer. Either way, your stay was a boon beyond your hopes. The books alone gave you knowledge you had not possessed, but the solvent Delgan gifted you with and most importantly, Delgan himself were valuable. True friendship is rare and you promise yourself that you will make a name for yourself and return to tell your tale. You quicken your pace. In front of you lies your destination, the land filled as far as you can see with the dark Eldritch forest. The trees form a large canopy over everything, branches of different tree's starting where another leaves off. A queer silence emanates from the dark. A feeling of malice washes over you as if something watches. Hissing, your sword pulls free of the scabbard and you stand, watching and waiting for something to rush from the undergrowth. Minutes pass by and the only thing you see is a large black squirrel tittering from branch to branch, pausing only long enough to chatter at you then bounding off into the forest. Sighing, you decide to enter. Looking above you see that you have a few more hours till darkness, which alone should be enough to find you to the ruins and entrance to the dungeons. With your sword at ready, you tighten your pack straps and march into the forest. Immediately the light dims. The foliage overhead filters what little light does escape through to the leaf and rubble strewn ground. Tight brambles clutch at your clothing as you pass twisted dark trees, the leaves seeming to be diseased or sickened. Nature itself seems to have been perverted by the evil that once lurked here, and still might. The thrashing of squirrels above diverts your attention long enough for you to stumble, barely catching yourself before you fall to the forest floor. Angrily you kick the stone that tripped you, only to have your foot crunch into the moss covered rock. Sickly you see that it is a not a rock, but a skull, and one that is definitly not human. With a new eye you scan the surrounding area, seeing more skulls and full skeletons, all covered in moss and leaves. What you thought was the crackling of leaves was actually the breaking of aged bones. Apparently there was a skirmish here at one time or another, the dead where they had fallen. Gripping your sword tighter you move on, wincing every time you break another bone. These bones, you hope, means that you are getting closer to the ruins. Hopefully you will be there within the next half hour. For another quarter hour you walk on, peering into the dark hoping that nothing will disturb you, though getting desperate to find the ruins. As you contemplate your next action a noise comes to your ears. Harsh guttural voices issue from your left, the language, clearly non-human. Momentarily you freeze, thinking your life at an end; but regaining your senses you quickly scale a tree, hiding deep in the foliage. Long minutes pass by in silence and you begin to think that once more you are alone, until you see a spear head emerge from the underbrush followed quickly by a squat green-skinned creature. Course black hair pulled into a topknot reveals beady cautious eyes, the face tattooed in swirls of bright orange ink creating a fierce expression. The goblin, for it could be nothing other, is clothed in a overly large, blood stained tunic, a ragged hole sliced into the side. Bare feet make no noise as it comes into the small glen where you are hidden, its eyes scanning the leaf strewn ground before it. With a silent curse you see that he has noticed your tracks, his eyes curiously traveling the ground before him with his spear held level, walking toward the tree you are now hidden in. As he walks towards your position you silently pull your dagger, praying the gods are with you as you launch yourself from the tree. The goblin glances upward as your shadow crosses him, the dagger taking him full in the face. With a grunt you push yourself off of the goblin, grabbing for your sword, only to notice that the creature is dead, your dagger protruding from his brow with dark blood covering it. Turning, you crash through the bushes beside you, leaping a fallen limb and hurtling through the foliage to your right, leaving the corpse and your dagger behind for fear that your struggle was heard. Within moments a strange hooting issues from behind you, the sound quickly being echoed behind you. Several moments pass and the hooting still follows, with the crashing of undergrowth to spur you on. As you run through a glen you throw a backward glance and spot two darting shapes in the undergrowth, drawing steadily nearer. Awkwardly drawing your sword you swiftly turn and run at the nearest shape. With a strangled start a goblin leaps from the growth, only to be skewered by your brand. Twisting, you pull it free just as a spear takes you across the back from a goblin rushing you from the side. Swinging wildly you knock the spear from its hands. Fear upon it's face, it rushes into the undergrowth, alluding your sword. The crazed hooting begins again, though now it travels away from you. With a sigh you sheath your sword, thanking your luck that goblins are cowardly creatures and that more were not closer. Looking at the goblin you surprised, you see it too is tattooed, though in black ink. Bending over to inspect the corpse you gasp and grab at your back, feeling the skin widely laid open across the ribs and spine, your tunic opened and bloody. Gritting your teeth you quickly riffle the body and find nothing of use. "By Devi's skull this hurts!" you splutter. How Delgan had accepted the pain from all his hurts begins to amaze you as you look to the darkening sky. With a painful lumber you trot away from the goblin, hoping others don't return to hunt you. The dark is traveling fast, descending upon you a quarter hour later. With weariness you look for a suitable camp, deciding to take your night beside a large boulder and brush sheltered tree. With practiced ease you scrape a fire pit and set dead wood to fire. Looking to your pack you see a cut, your rolled pup-tent inside sliced clean through and stained with your blood. Once again your luck has held, the pack taking most of the blade and leaving you alive, if worn. Riffling your pack you bring out the salve gifted to you. Opening the side of the package to find a white paste which smells odd though mildly pleasing. Setting it aside you pull your tunic off, the blood matting it to the wound and tearing your skin. Covering your fingers with the salve your uncomfortably massage it onto the wound, noticing that the salve is numbing your skin on both your back and hand. Blackly you think upon your failed search for the ruins, your lost dagger, and the cut upon your back. "Not a good start ..." With a shiver you look into the night around you, the strained silence setting you to edge more than screaming howls would. Wincing, you sit back against the tree, noticing absently the unusual projections of the dancing fire on the boulder across from you. For a few more minutes you stare into the night then heave into your pack in search of supper. It is going to be a long night. With a lurch, you start from the ground, cursing yourself for falling so deeply into to sleep. Wondering darkly how many creatures could have easily crept upon you in your sleep, you bend to retrieve your satchel only to start upright again, grabbing at your back. There is no pain! Quickly you pull your tunic up and run an apprehensive hand across the skin, only to find it unbroken. It is healed! With a whoop you tattoo a jig upon the ground, only to stop quickly and peer hurriedly about. Grinning widely you grab your pack and turn to exit through the brushes only to once more receive a sight which surpasses the last. The shadows which played upon the boulder last night were not only shadows. The boulder before you is worked with intricate symbols. Though weather worn they still showed clearly, though their meaning is lost to you. Grinning, you pat the rock fondly and step out of the camp to find yourself upon a bluff overlooking the ruins. Eyes wide you snatch your blade from its scabbard, holding it before you as if to ward a blow, your fright written upon your features. When you camped for the night the seemingly endless forest stretched before you, but now, as if magically appearing the ruins sprawl brokenly across the vine covered ground. Jagged, broken tower's reaching for the heavens as would a dying soul, are outlined against the pink morning light. Crumbling, broken walls litter the ground, nature retaking its own. With wide eyes you stare at the ruins before you, here you will find the dungeons, the way mapped out by explorers before you. Your glory will be sung by all the bards in the land! With a hesitant step you walk slowly down the bluff, your sword held at ready and your eyes darting to each shadow; seeking signs of occupation or trouble. Ahead of you lies a single jutting tower, the rocks black and rough. Winding your way through the rubble you loose sight of it for a moment, as you scramble over a broken wall a chill seizes chest and before you the earth churns and is thrown in the air with a rumble. Spitting and coughing, you wipe the dirt from your eyes and in horror find yourself staring wildly at a yellowed skeleton. UN-DEAD! With a hoarse cry you launch your sword at it, only to have it raise it's bony arm in defense. With a crack, your sword cleaves the skeletal arm in twain, the skeleton not seeming to notice as it jerkily pulls it sharpened finger bones across your chest, leaving bloody furrows. Yelling, you turn and doggedly jump over the rubble you had moments ago crossed, fleeing the creature of bones and running wildly across the ruins. With fear coursing your veins you see several more explosions of earth erupt about you and spew forth their skeletal remains. Behind you the clack of bone against bone can be heard, wind howling through their empty sockets. A ts about this story whether they are good or bad, just email me at taverntales@iquest.net ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monthly Club Advertisements ------------------------------------------------------------------------- As always, this section is always free for our members. If you wish to put an advertisement into the newsletter, feel free to email me at cad@digital.net and I'll be sure to put it in next month's newsletter. These must be sent to me sometime before the 25th of each month or they will have to go into the month after. Joe Hackett Subject: Greyhawk Greyhawk Survivors: DM's, GM's, players, still active in the world of Greyhawk, I am forming a support group to bemoan the lack of support. I Would like to exchange ideas, progress, NPC's and the like with anyone still active in this gaming world. Contact me at jersey@internauts.ca Jeff Hazen Subject: Gaming Materials Is anyone in possession of the AD&D supplement _The Will and the Way_ that they would be willing to sell to me? It seems that it's either out of print or the bookstores here have just stopped stocking it. Email me at avedis@u.washington.edu (or jhazen@linknet.kitsap.lib.wa.us if I don't respond within 24 hours). Richard Tomasso Subject: Earthdawn Hey Earthdawn fans! Do you have ideas/fiction/adventures/etc for the game? Do you like to write and share your thoughts and ideas with others? Then please consider joining _Legends_, the first and only Earthdawn APA. For those who don't know, APA stands for Amateur Press Association. It is a group of people who share a common interest (in this case Earthdawn) and write about it and share those writings with the other members of the APA. If you are interested check out the Legends web page at: http://www.tripod.com/~LegendsAPA Daniel Demole Subject: IRC Game Hello All IRPS members. If you're interested in playing a game via IRC please contact me at danield@digital.net with your experience and when you'll be able to play. Bruno Diotte Subject: Books For Sale I have a selection of used RPG books to sell. I have books from various RPG systems: AD&D (1st and 2nd ed.), Rolemaster, Gamma world, Battletech, etc...) All my books are approximately 50% off regular store prices. The complete list (200+ items) can be found on the web at the following address: http://www.administration.umoncton.ca/usagers/etudiant/brunod/index.html Or I can send you the list via email. Also, the prices are in Canadian currency. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gaming Conventions ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeremy Fowler-Lindemulder Subject: DarkCon Press Release DarkCon III is Oklahoma's largest gaming convention. It will be held on July the 19-21, 1996 at the Central Plaza Inn, in Oklahoma City. Featuring events such as: R.P.G.A. Sanctioned Masters, Living City, Living Jungle, Decathlon, Teams, Benefit, and Star Wars. Sanctioned Magic the Gathering Tournaments Types I, II, & Sealed Deck. Live Action Vampire run by the same people who do GEN-CON. Warhammer 40K Demos, New Gaming system Pelicar "Fantasy Role Playing," Rifts, Axis & Allies Tourney, Johnny Reb, Naval Engagements, D.B.A., Chill, Heroes, Champions, Rage, Werewolf, Adventure Maximum, and many more. Dice Games, Computer games, Live Action events, Artists, Discussion groups, Card Games, War Games, Board Games, and Role Playing Games Galore. So much to do there is not enough time in the weekend to complete everything. Cost for this convention is $10.00 till April 15th. Then it's $15.00 till July. $18.00 at the door. All sanctioned gaming will have a cost of $1.00. Everything else is free to the attending public. The hotel room rate is $50.00 per night for four guests to a room. $65.00 per night in suites. $5.00 per each additional guest. For additional information, including rates for convention book advertisements, call, write, or Email: DarkCon III P.O. Box 6021 Moore, Ok. 73160 Telephone (405) 329-3302 Email DBULLOCK@gslan.offsys.uoknor.edu WEB PAGE http://www.brightok.net/~jandk/DarkCon.html Reserve your room now by contacting Central Plaza Inn at (405) 235-2761 or write: Central Plaza Inn 112 S. Martin Luther King OKC. Ok. 73117 We also plan to have 20 computers to offer Doom, Heretic, Rise of Triad, Descent, and other related games like Sega and Ninetendo systems to offer the TV. buff a little entertainment.