With yesterday's blog entry I've been taking another look at Gamma World fourth edition once again.This one was always a personal favorite because it was usable with the old TSR Buck Rogers rpg & even D20 with quite a bit of twisting. Hell there's even a conversion article for TSR Buck Rogers game right over here.
But for some reason we're never supposed to speak about the Buck Rogers rpg because of the whole twisted history of Lorraine Williams. Personally I loath the whole affair but the Buck Rogers rpg remains a good & solid addition to Gamma World fourth edition. I've been looking into actually doing something with Buck Rogers because of my Cha'alt/Godbound rpg game.
Its been a couple of years since I cracked my notes on these two games. The Buck Rogers Rpg 'Hardware' book is awesome & is equally useful for Gamma World fourth edition. The Treasures of the Ancients book has some really nasty bits & pieces in it. There's lots of fun things to get the party into all kinds of trouble.
GWA1 Treasures of the Ancients by Dale "Slade" Henson which remains almost unsung by gamers except the Gamma World fans & players. Dale "Slade" Henson did both of these books for TSR back in '93. Recently they've become available & I've used both of these books for Mutant Future since the game came out. There's a certain Gamma World or ruined Earth flavor to these books. Plus that fourth edition Gamma World artwork on Treasures of the Ancients makes it so iconic of the 90's TSR era. 
The fact that its easily available through Drivethurpg makes me very happy for two reasons. One these books are now affordable for just about everyone. Two their easily adaptable to any of the earlier eras of AD&D first or second edition. Plus it gives me an excuse to dust off my notes for Gamma World Gamma Knights soon. 
Sure this marks a low point in TSR productions but their so much good solid classic material here to mine for my campaign.Fourth edition Gamma World's Gamma World Gamma Knights could be ported over to the Cha'alt setting allowing spice frackers & death stalker anti paladins to emerge from the purple desert sands.
I have to step up my game campaign with dreams of desert versions of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual owl bears bearing down on a party of reprobate adventurers looking to cause harm.
Let's talk about the 2 ton scorpion leaden horror in the room of my Godbound/ Cha'alt campaign. That is the Scorpion men featured in X4: "Master of the Desert Nomads" (1983), by David "Zeb" Cook.
Scorpion men are featured in several Akkadian myths, including the Enûma Elish and the Babylonian version of the Epic of Gilgamesh. They were also known as aqrabuamelu or girtablilu. But surely they can't be featured in North American mythology can they?! Well no they can't but they are featured in South American mythology. According to the Ancient Pages site here; "Similar scorpion men are also mentioned in the legends of the Aztecs. They were called Tzitzimime and considered to be spirits of defeated gods cast out of the sky after they destroyed the sacred grove of fruit trees."
Basically these things are a vile Chaos mutation that is a result of the Cha'alt warp & the exposure of humanity the Azoth that has been washing against reality.
Cacaxtla, Mural de Venus (right pillar)
Tim Zaman - Own work
The song of the chaos goddesses 'The Tzitzimimeh' warp & change mankind into scorpion men & women according to the wiki entry on the 'The Tzitzimimeh' ; "The Tzitzimimeh were female deities, and as such related to fertility, they were associated with the Cihuateteo and other female deities such as Tlaltecuhtli, Coatlicue, Citlalicue and Cihuacoatl and they were worshipped by midwives and parturient women. The leader of the tzitzimimeh was the goddess Itzpapalotl who was the ruler of Tamoanchan - the paradise where the Tzitzimimeh resided.
The Tzitzimimeh were also associated with the stars and especially the stars that can be seen around the Sun during a solar eclipse. This was interpreted as the Tzitzimimeh attacking the Sun, thus causing the belief that during a solar eclipse, the tzitzimime would descend to the earth and possess men. It was said that if at the end of a 52 year calendar round, that if they could not start a bow fire in the empty chest cavity of a sacrificed human, that the fifth sun would end, and tzitzimimes would descend to devour the last of men.[2] The Tzitzimimeh were also feared during other ominous periods of the Aztec world, such as during the five unlucky days called Nemontemi which marked an unstable period of the year count, and during the New Fire ceremony marking the beginning of a new calendar round - both were periods associated with the fear of change"
Depiction of Itzpapalotl, Queen of the Tzitzimimeh, from the Codex Borgia.
In my version of the black pyramid of Cha'alt there is a temple complex within associated with 'The Tzitzimimeh' & the coming of the Cha'alt warp has awakened them! Now the scorpion people cults are starting to grow. The ancient fires are alight again & the altars are being made ready!
There has always been a rivalry between 'The Tzitzimimeh' & the Lovecraftian deity Yig. They are natural enemies because of their cult's territories going back thousands of years. The ancient serpent men of the Grand Canyon knew about 'The Tzitzimimeh'. There was occult warfare going back to the beginning of recorded time.
Now with the opening of the Cha'alt warp things are returning to the abnormal warfare. But as the song of 'The Tzitzimimeh' is mutating & causing those who come under its spell to join its armies. The sting of Chaos bites deep into the deepest parts of humanity.
Those who hear the song of 'The Tzitzimimeh' become warped & weirded by the mutations that wrack the occult energies in the sites where they appear. The most blessed are taken in as chiefs & generals of the raiders or scavengers of the scorpion men.
Reaper Miniatures scorpion men miniature available here.
Now in Arizona & Nevada there are reports of Ha'alri that the engines of 'The Tzitzimimeh' . These giant armored giant scorpion monstrosities are the eyes & ears of the goddess. They attack & raid convoys coming through the highways & backwater roads.
Giant Scorpion Reaper Miniatures available here.
In D&D terms the children of 'The Tzitzimimeh' are often giant scorpions with the unusual coloration mutation, a bit of extra armor class, & double the hit points of a stand giant scorpion from the AD&D first edition Monster Manual. But in the goddesses can always use these creatures as their eyes & ears.
To arms! To arms! The battle lines are drawn as desert men and inhuman tribes wait poised to strike on the fertile and rich lands of the east. The call has gone out through the civilized lands. The armies have been raised to match the invading foes from the west. Nobles and peasants have joined swords to greet the foes.
But Fate or Chance has decreed another role for a small few. No glorious banners will wave on their march. No squadrons of knights will charge at their word. Instead, they will fight the war through stealth, secrecy, and cunning. The risks they will take are great, but the fates of both armies lie with them.
It begins one night for your party far from the fighting. Suddenly you are entrusted with the most dangerous missions of the war. Can you cross the Sind Desert, occupied now by enemy armies, to find the Great Pass? Can you find the one known only as The Master? What will you do if your do find him?
One of the modules that I've been working with & going over from my uncle's notes is X4: "Master of the Desert Nomads" (1983), by David "Zeb" Cook. How can this module be incorporated into my current Godbound/ Cha'alt campaign. I started with the fact that there's a ton of material about the raiders from X4 that can fit the current mode of my campaign. So basically I'm taking the desert men along the inhuman tribes as the forces of Chaos for this campaign. Their another faction of the Slave Lords who have an alliance with the rulers of Elysium. The nomads & humanoids don't belong on the Earth's deserts but their being whipped into a frenzy by the thought of conquest. Again this is an invasive army on Earth. All of this ties back into the Rumbles from B2 The Keep on The Borderlands By Gary Gygax - Cha'alt/Godbound Campaign Commentary blog entry. I really can't claim credit for these ideas this was something my uncle was working on back in '87 or so.
The idea here is that there are string of forts that keep watch against the invading hordes. So an old Spanish fort in the middle of the desert isn't out of the question. Now where have I heard this story before?!
"Scorpion-man brings down the house. (Jeff Easley, from ad for Gen Con 18, Dragon magazine No. 100, August 1985; illustration originally appeared in D&D module X4 Master of the Desert Nomads, TSR, 1983.)"Totally taken from the Old School Tumbler here.
Well it seems that the Adventurer,Conqueror, King rpg's AX1: The Sinister Stone of Sakkara might be the perfect fit in with X4: "Master of the Desert Nomads" (1983), by David "Zeb" Cook. The micro dungeon is a perfect sideline as the PC's make their way to the dragon's city state. It also has the perfect base in the form of the old fort. This might give them a point
X4: "Master of the Desert Nomads" is keyed with an adventure locations happening in a point crawl fashion. These are set up in the fashion of happening when the PC's come across them. These are a totally invasive dimensional & planar order being imposed on the Earth.
So what are the consequences of this?! According to my uncle's notes the Earth & Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings such as his Sword & Sorcery Greyhawk is Fey intrusion! This is where I start pulling out my free OSR bestiary inspired by the masterful work of Henry Justice Ford. Ford's Faeries: A Bestiary Inspired by Henry Justice Ford is a perfectly suited for this style of monsters. Especially given that many of the monsters in X4: "Master of the Desert Nomads" are Hindu mythology inspired.
The interaction of Cha'alt with Earth has created pockets & eddies within the planes. This causes bubbles & currents of Azoth to leak through. This creates micro gateways into the realm of Fey & Fairylands. This lines up with some of the guidelines we've seen in Castles & Crusade's The Codex Celtarum by Brian Young.
The forces of Chaos here are represented by the humanoid armies & so forth. This planar contamination of the local time space continuum lines up with some of the ideas found in the Lion & Dragon rpg. 
The Fey are the foils of Chaos & there are certainly evident on my version of Cha'alt in spades. The black pyramid continues to spin its dark influence across the Earth. Cha'alt's Lovecraftian forces are looking at this tasty morsel called Greyhawk now?! And there are already adventurers within California working for the royals of Hommlet.
So a while back I was working on DM Steve's Godbound Campaign & I was supposed to be getting paid for it. Steve ran into some fianiancial difficulties & I totally get that. Since that's the case I'm continuing to work on it but I'm gonna use this material for my own games.
When it comes to settling into Kuntz & Ward's Dieties, Demigods, & Heroes especially the Conan mythos section. Its ineresting looking at this book after a couple of months & then stumbling upon the Cobra Crown entry;
"COBRA CROWN
A mind control device able to work on 1-1000 beings at once. The wearer cannot be surprised
and can read minds at any distance."We're not talking about the Serpent Crown here from the Marvel Submariner comic books but the Cobra Crown. Who created the Cobra Crown?
According to Marvel Fandom.com entry on the crown;
"The Cobra Crown was created by L. Sprague de Champ and Lin Carter as part of the novel, Conan the Buccaneer, and was later adapted to the Marvel Universe by Roy Thomas and John Buscema as part of the Savage Sword of Conan magazine series."
The Cobra Crown was created by Set back before the time of the Serpent men. But Set has always been problematic at best in the Robert E.Howard & Marvel Conan comic books & magazines. There's always been this connection between Yig Father of Serpents & Conan's Set. These two entities have almost always been two faces of the same serpent deitic coin. Hell, even Kuntz & Ward's Dieties, Demigods, & Heroes explains it this way; "SET
The God of darkness and the Lord of Shadows. This being is wholly dedicated to evil. Take the
information from the Egyptian section for his powers"
Let's see the Egyptian god stats in Kuntz & Ward's Dieties, Demigods, & Heroes;"SET GOD OF EVIL AND THE NIGHT
Armor Class — 4 Magic Ability: (See Below)
Move: 18" Fighter Ability: 17th Level
Hit Points: 275 Psionic Ability: Class 6
Set is a scaled humanoid with the head of a fierce jackal. He is totally dedicated to the spreading
of evil and has attributes to match. He can change any being's alignment from neutral and
lawful to evil (saving throw applicable) these changed beings becoming Minions of Set. He can
shapechange, make all light turn to darkness, and call on 2-200 Minions of Set. He enters battle
with a Javelin of Darkness. This night black shaft has a plus 4 hitting ability and does 9-90
points of damage.
There is a 5% chance that Set is watching when a being does a highly evil act (judge's option) and
if he is he will give the being 2-20 Minions of Set with no strings attached being confident that
the being will only do evil with them.
MINIONS OF SET
Armor Class — 2 Magic Ability: (See Below)
Move: 12" Fighter Ability: 10th Level
Hit Points: 25 Psionic Ability: Class 6
Minions are able to transform themselves into giant snakes. They also fight as 10th level lords.
They appear in plate armor and use a broadsword. They are fully intelligent and often act as gobetween for Set and man. These beings never check morale."
There's a lot to unpack here Set has been a thorn in mankind's side since we first crawled out of caves! This isn't your normal Great Old One & Set could well be an aspect of Yig given its nature. "The Curse of Yig" is a short story by H. P. Lovecraft and Zealia Bishop in which Yig, "The Father of Serpents", is first introduced.Native Americans in Lovecraft's story, Yig is regarded as "bad medicine". According to Lovecraft's story, Yig is also alluded to in western American folklore: he is identified with the Mesoamerican deity Quetzalcoatl, and may be a prototype for that god and other serpentine gods worldwide. Some authors identify him as the Stygian serpent god Set from Robert E. Howard's Conan stories, and also with the Great Serpent worshiped by the Serpent Men of Valusia from Howard's Kull stories."
Now if we look at the Cobra Crown from Jason Vey's original Dungeons & Dragons hacks he did of Conan under his nom de plume of Grey Elf. Then the crown is a very lethal artifact from the age beyond even King Kull.
Basically the Cobra Crown survives the storming of Heaven in Godbound & begins to set up serpent cult cells & covens as its passed from owner to owner. The artifact not only creates initiates, priests, etc. it corrupts them bringing them under the will of Set.
This is the perfect opportunity to pull out Rafael Chandler's Obscene Serpent Ritual or as one observer wrote "This is a write-up of a serpent cult, suitable for old-school D&D-alikes. It details the cult's aims, goddess, holy quests, and the like. But there are six options at every turn: six different goddesses, six different sacred sites, six different divine blessings, so you don't get just one cult, you get many potential cults. Provided you follow the instructions ("Roll the dice. See what happens.") you will have a totally adult secretive, violent, creepy, Obscene Serpent Religion in your fantasy game."
Still not enough well then what about using a modern super hero or Pulp villain group after the Cobra Crown? How about Light City Foes Cobra by 'A pay what you want' book of serpent themed villains perfect for a low level D&D or OSR pulp game.
Basically Set/Yig survives as a parasite god on the Earth of a Godbound prime material plane. Its been using its influence as a god to rebuild its cult's bases across the globe as well as space time. His mate Yidhra helps to emass his influence in several sub cults & the cobra crown's influence continues to spread. The evil of the Great Old One can be encapsulated in the children of Ayi'ig. These are the dragons of Amazing Adventures! rpg Manual of Monsters, these dragons are spread throughout the California, Texas, Mexican, & South American regions of North & South America. 
Now the next question is are the towers of set going up in your home games? The minions of set might be seen among the local cult posing as regular members just waiting for adventurers & the trouble that they bring. There are several reasons for this:
- The cult of Set/Yig is still techinically in a position of vulnerablity & might become unseated quite easily until the full influence of the Old One comes to bare.
- The cult has been in operation since the time of Conan's Hyborian age & have access to all sorts of twisted magics. Their influence should not be under estimated.
- Minions of Set are only one group of enforcers of the cult of Set, he has many more. There are many options to use from the AD&D first edition Monster Manual, The Fiend Folio or the Monster Manual II any of these monsters should work with out modification
- Custom magicks, minor items,etc. for the cult should reflect the serpent motif but the cult could appear more of a conspiracy then simply as yet another cult to strip for treasure.
- Horror is their tactics & M.O. they excel at it.
- The cult will cause chaos when & where it needs to be the most effective. Even the gods hesistate around this type of cult.
- Dark Albion's Cults of Chaos can be very useful here. Moral & ethical corruption are areas that these cults use to expand their operations with campaigns.
- Cults in both ancient & modern settings may have access to the advanced & weird technologies of Valusia
- Several options for dragons, serpents, and other very dangerous servants of such a cult should be on the table for a DM
- The cult could operate right out in plain site such as store front church or other fringe religion within a campaign.
I've been speaking with some of my players about running a Godbound & Stars Without Number: Revised Edition campaign. Some of my players are thinking of switching to the back of the screen & over the years have had lots of experience in this regard. Why?!
"Backwards compatibility, as the Revised Edition is built to work cleanly with existing Stars Without Number supplements and materials. The new systems slot in smoothly, and you can take or leave them individually as your group prefers." This also means being able to be use both OSR & D20 products with Godbound.
The fact is that many of the OSR products are D20 OGL based so there easily a backwards compatibility that goes all of the way back to my other half grabbing Troll Lord Game's Mythos Bundle as a gift last year. 
The OSR is created on its own term by your players & you as the dungeon master, this allows a group of players & their dungeon master to take full advantage of the derth of classic TSR era products that are on the market these days. For myself this means taking advantage of a recent gift from DM Steve a great copy of Jeff Grub's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Manual of the Planes.
While this campaign is in the preliminary stages, but I've already got the backing of my players & my network. So now we see how this plays out but the campaign writing is already done. So now its a matter of watching this space. Stay tuned for further updates.
I'm planning on taking full advantage of the catalog of the Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventures. With the upcoming kickstarter I can see the writing on the wall. "This is the preview link for our next Kickstarter campaign, HYPERBOREA: Otherworldly Tales. "
Harley Stroh's Dungeon Crawl Classics #84: Peril On The Purple Planet (box set) for Dungeon Crawl Classics rpg for a long time & using this box set for my upcoming campaign.
