Supplement V: Carcosa

For the unaware, Carcosa features magic rituals requiring sexual violence, sometimes against children. This is discussed below in the abstract. A version was created with these egregious aspects removed, although I’ve not read it myself.

I have often said in conversation that Supplement V: Carcosa (McKinney, 2008) is one of the most personally inspirational RPG works I’ve ever read. Known for its controversial takes on magic, adult content and (unfortunate) re-release under LotFP, much of what makes it so utterly compelling and strange are often ignored. This is my small effort to address that.

The imaginative scope of Carcosa is huge. Despite pulling so heavily upon the Cthulhu Mythos, the result feels utterly removed from the centre of gaming, dominated by elves and elves-with-a-twist. Furthermore, this scope is more than ad-copy, or a gesture towards a larger idea never quite demonstrated - it is executed upon, creating something directly useful in-play. You don’t need to run through a set of generators to build out the world - that work has been done for you.

Yet there is still work to be done - the hard and interesting work of interpretation and integration. Many of the hex-entries are minimal to the point of listing only a creature and how many of them are present. The prospective referee (or reader) must consider what an encounter with 389 Jungle Ants looks like. There is little thought or concern towards encounter design - by and large there is none. Instead, the facts of the world are presented, rendered in the most prosaic way possible, a flat register for a world so hostile, so alien to humanity - founded upon predation and blasphemous ritual.

These rituals - must discussed for their foul nature - directly tie the magic of the setting to the actual geography and inhabitants of Carcosa. That so many feature sexual violence, sometimes against children, is not only an aesthetic choice (of dubious value) but a statement as to what power means in such a world. Humanity, let alone human decency, must be discarded to wield the terrible powers of the alien gods sharing this living hell with you. I’ve seen defences of these rituals as “just for the bad guys” - I do not think this is the case as such. Presenting the path to power and leaving it up to the player to take those steps is far more interesting. It is worth noting that none of the rituals (on my reading) to defeat, banish or ward off the terrible creatures require such actions - only those who would summon and command the creatures need leave humanity behind like this. Beyond this element, many of the rituals require the gathering of reagents from specific hexes in the campaign world, and may only by learnt by strange actions taken in forgotten fanes and grottos beneath the watch of statues depicting inhuman deities.

The lack of editorialising gives Carcosa strength and dangerous ambiguity. In a space where known shitheads lurk and peddle their works, detailing such awful material raises hackles - justifiably. For those willing and able to take this work and think-with and through it, it has much to teach. This is no mark against those for whom the topics are intolerable - we all have our own tolerances.

This is why I keep coming back to Carcosa. It provides few answers, but gives ground to raise questions. It is a book for thinking-with, its incompleteness inspiring and demanding work from the reader, or Referee. Whether you think this is good or just my personal preference is up to you.

Question-raising is both a technique and a stance. Even if the “answer” (according to the author) is contained within the work, by creating distance between them we invite the reader to develop their own answers. When (if) they discover our answer, they are then able to disagree, to synthesise the two, or reject both and find another, novel answer to the questions raised in the text. Questions beget questions. Examples of this can be seen in using generators to ask questions (e.g. Traveller planet generation) rather than provide answers (e.g. SWN planet generation). There is an intersection here too - encounter tables answer the question, “what is here” but also raise the question “why?”.

Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Retrospective 2

It’s been about two years since I started selling Wolves Upon the Coast Grand Campaign, and about 10 months since the last retrospective. I’m not going to repeat myself, so give that a quick scan.

Accountants Upon the Coast

Data taken 27/05/23.

Calculating exact performance is slightly tricky due to the bundles combining Wolves with Volume 2: Monsters & and &&&&&&&&& Treasure - I’ve tried to account for these, but only in very crude ways.

• Total Purchases: 325.
• Total Income: $14001.

These numbers are frankly fucking bonkers. I am deeply moved by the response to the work - especially for such a plain document bucking against so many trends in the TTRPG space. Thank you.

The more pertinent measure here is how sales have changed as the price point has increased - a $50 pdf isn’t common outside of big traditional publishers the done thing at all.

Breaking it down:

• 65 Sales @ $5 minimum over 44 days.
• 25 Sales @ $15 minimum over 64 days.
• 42 Sales @ $20 minimum over 122 days.
• 27 Sales @ $30 minimum over 79 days.
• 52 sales @ $35 minumum over 187 days.
• 21 sales @ $45 minimum over 33 days.
• 103 sales @ $50 minimum over 83 days.

(These include the bundles which will be at higher prices, as well as people who kindly over-paid, hence the minimums being specified.)

In hindsight the $5 minimum was too low, although it may have helped with the main thing that drives sales: people talking about playing it, reading it and enjoying it. The huge increase is sales has come from those who tirelessly enthuse about the game and run it. You are all the real MVPs.

A rough-and-ready Twitter poll indicated that a few people would now be willing to jump onboard a slow-fund like this, although more said this only applied to me.

those of you who bought into Wolves later on - would you be more likely to buy in early on a similar project from me? what about for other people?

— Luke Gearing (@LukeGearing) March 27, 2023

So the big question - does this work?

For me, yes. I’ve not seen anyone else do anything similar, so I can only speak for myself. To my knowledge, some of those buying in had not heard of me and my work before - but this was driven entirely by word of mouth, which is the thing I keep coming back to - success in something like this comes from people talking. There’s no art, no layout to show off. You have to actually read (or play) the game. That’s hard when you’re competing with the amazing visual talent on display in the scene. I would love to see more people operating like this, but I can appreciate why many don’t - it’s a big unknown right now, and might be too bundled up in the individuals involved to generalise anything.

Since last time, 2 people have confirmed they read the demo and went on to buy the full thing. If this applies to you, please let me know - I’m really keen to see if demos are a thing that might work in TTRPGS.

Fans Upon the Coast

More than anything, the best part of this is hearing about people playing games. The public posts and reviews drive sales which is nice but knowing that people are using the content and having a great time is why I do this. Everyone who has told me privately or posted publicly that you’ve played Wolves - thank you. The success of the project is down to all of you.

Seeing some of the stuff people are making and have made for Wolves is stunning. I’ve had people show me art they made for their games, which blew me away. I wonder if the artless nature of Wolves encourages this sort of participation. I know of at least three people expanding the Wolves map, or applying it to different settings entirely. Getting to make something that inspires others to create is an amazing feeling.

Print Upon the Coast

ARE YOU DOING IT?!?!?
Yes.

WHEN?!?!?!?
Eventually. Like, at the soonest next year eventually.

WHAT ABOUT okay, stopping the bit for a moment.

One issue with Wolves upon the Paper is that people have already bought something. I’m trying to look into ways to offer discounts or special features to those who already own the digital Wolves, but it’s going to be messy and complicated due to the shifting price point and the numbers involved. At the least, those who already own the book should expect some special edition of the print edition - even if it’s just a signed copy and/or an alternate cover.

The digital edition will be updated alongside the print text, so they will be identical in the end. This mostly means hiring an editor to tidy and clean up the prose.

I suspect the final print edition will remain artless bar covers. Currently, I want to do this as a box-set although that will depend on price point. The box-set would include Volume 2: Monsters & and &&&&&&&&& Treasure. I’m looking into a single “big book” edition too, although my heart yearns for the box.

There will be no Kickstarter if it is humanly possible. More likely is a pre-order, so I can manage the number of copies printed carefully.

Clerics

The Cleric represents something not present. A representative of an outside force - the Church hierarchy, or a God. The other classes could be agents in a similar way, but the Cleric alone must be. A mystic seeker seems better represented by the Magic User, unbound by the titles and ethos of a firm known structure. A Cleric cannot be a force unto themselves - unless they are a Heretic.

The Heretic is against an orthodoxy. They are unsupported by their ‘home’ religion - consider that the OD&D cleric cannot call upon support from their religion, despite nominally being its representative. Rather than adventuring for the glory of the Church, they instead gather power to build a new temple - the centre of their new sect. They gather the “faithful” (converts) and build strength, independent and answerable to only their God. By reading the Cleric as a Heretic, we solve many of the issues with them as adventurers, contrasting with the self-interested mercenary aspirations of Fighter or Magic-User. This also retains the different relationship to magic they have as compared to Magic-User: the MU uses Magic to achieve something. The Heretic remains devotional.

That even this most spiritual of classes must rely upon the acquisition of wealth through guile and violence seems notable. Contrast with the NPC Clerics who collect tithe from those passing by, or task them with missions, ensconced in their strongholds.

On the Thinking Adventures discord, Milton from The Last Redoubt found this extra context:

The “turcopole”-type here as well is interesting and really lend this as well as your concept of clerics not being part of local power center.

During the period of the Crusades, turcopoles (also “turcoples” or “turcopoli”; from the Greek: τουρκόπουλοι, literally “sons of Turks”)[1] were locally recruited mounted archers and light cavalry employed by the Byzantine Empire and the Crusader states.

A perennial problem for the Christian states of Outremer was the limited quantities of Frankish manpower, horses and weapons available. To a certain extent this weakness was redressed through the employment of locally recruited turcoples, riding indigenous horses and using the same equipment as their opponents.

The Mamluks also considered turcopoles to be traitors and apostates, killing all those whom they captured.

Wolves 3rd Party Shit

So you want to make shit (meaning books) for/with Wolves?

1. If you want to just use the rules chassis as its own thing without using the name, feel free. Saying thanks is nice but not required.
2. If you want to use the Wolves name on something, make it clear you’re not associated with me.
3. If you want to make Wolves content (i.e. something that integrates with the Grand Campaign, Volume 2: Monsters & or &&&&&&& Treasure) make it clear you’re not associated with me and that this is a 3rd party addition/expansion/whatever. You may reference stuff from any of the Wolves content, but may not reproduce it (e.g. you can say “Treasure Type Bandits III” or list a magic item from &&&&&&&&& Treasure but not copy the text of the item itself.)

In any of the cases above, you’re all good to make money on what you make.

Exceptions:
If either…

1. You personally or as a business entity have an annual gross turnover in excess of $100,000 and/or….
2. You are planning on using the content on Kickstarter or any other form of crowdfunding.

…then you must contact me to reach an agreement to do any of the above.

If you just wanna do a stream or video or whatever go nuts. Anything else check in with me first.

Writing NPCs

When writing NPCs, you can communicate 2 or 3 things, or 4 related things. Anything more than that, and you’re either going to be ignored by the person running the game, they’re going to change it, as is the nature of translation, or they’ll be checking your notes so often that they do a worse job of running the game than if they’d just winged it.

That said, NPCs changing when used in play isn’t a bad thing - it just means you can’t rely on things being true about them any more. Experience reproduction is something I’m actively against in RPGs: this is more about using your various pieces effectively.

I’ve been running Classic Traveller Adventure 08, Prison Planet, which has a shitload of NPCS and communicates them super effectively: the other trick it uses is the UPP, which encodes some general info into the stats and skill. The order for the stats is Strength Dexterity Endurance Intelligence Education and Social Standing, using hexadecimal notation (e.g. A=10, B=11 etc.) Below is an page of NPC stats. Personally I’d use a name to refer to the rumours so I can immediately tell which rumour it’s in reference to, but otherwise this is great - gives you plenty to riff on, doesn’t take ages describing the character, and doesn’t set up stuff to get ‘wrong’.

Haystack, Oregon.

An adventure for Delta Green. I’m running it using Violence. You could run this for any modern paranormal game with a little work: mostly replacing MJ12 and DG with appropriate factions.

Upon the Pacific coast rests Haystack, a crumbling town of 687. Boats rust in the harbour, and trash accumulates in the streets. De-industrialisation and a failing fishing economy leaves most of the population retired or unemployed. The sea does not weep for them.

Timeline

• ~130 years ago: The people of Haystack enter into a blasphemous concord with the Deep Ones living off the coast. In return for carrying their progeny to term, the creatures ensured bountiful waters, teeming with fish pliant and fat.
• ~30 years ago: As a result of Delta Green operations, the Deep Ones severed their contact with the surface. The waters begin to grow barren.
• ~10 years ago: Falling harvests combine with a downwards turn economically. The town begins to rot.
• ~3 years ago: Imogen Moss begins to have powerful dreams of a great destiny, a return to the ways of Old. In truth, a Mi-Go wishes to capture a Deep One for study and experimentation - and finds the best route is to ensnare a human into trying the rituals required. The economic downturn drives many to join Imogen’s group: The Hydrean Order, promising the return of prosperity.
• ~2 years ago: Rachel Foster returns to Haystack, having been initiated into the usage of the Voor’s Head Device. She begins teaching it to those she believes to be receptive.
• ~1 year ago: Delta Green agent, Nick Poacher, conducts genealogical research and discovers his family originates in Haystack. Cross-reference with his case files reveals the Deep One taint present within the town.
• ~3 months ago: MJ12 detects Grey related activity in the area and dispatches Declan Booth to investigate.
• ~1 month ago (early July): Nick Poacher seeks answers in Haystack. Unmarried and friendless, his absence is not noted.
• 2 nights ago (July 31st): The Hydrean Order detect and capture Nick Poacher. He manages to dial out to his DG handler before being pulled away. Declan Booth had been observing Poacher, and goes into hiding after witnessing the capture.
• Now: The player characters are briefed.
• In 3 days time: Declan returns from hiding, actively seeking any further outsiders who may be associated with Poacher.
• In 6 days time: Poacher is used in a successful sacrifice at midnight. The Order re-establishes contact with the Deep Ones.
• In 7 days time: The Mi-Go abducts a Deep One envoy.
• In 8 days time: 352 Deep Ones invade Haystack and kill everyone.

The Brief

It is 9AM, August 2nd, 1990. The Player Characters have been summoned by their handler to a truck-stop motel on Route 101, about 2 hours drive from Haystack. Room 23, unlocked, contains a manilla envelope marked with the usual green triangle. Within is a printout and a cassette tape. The printout reads:

“Your fellow, Nick Poacher, has disappeared on unofficial business in the town of Haystack. Determine what he was doing. Recover him if possible. Close any business he may have opened. Enclosed is the recording which informed us of his issues. The call was made at 9:32 PM, 31st of July. Destroy this note.”

The following transcript details the recording:

Side A
[Immediate sound of banging.]
[Metallic echo, rustle. Banging continues.]
Man 1: Shit. (Panicked, quietly.) [Metallic clatter.]
[Sound of splintering wood, door slamming.]
[Several male voices shouting.]
Man 2: Don’t you fuckin-
[Several wet thuds.]
Man 3: Motherfucker.
[Spitting.]
Man 2: Get the feet.
[Knocking, banging, muffled swearing.]
Man 2: Close [indistinguishable]… don’t you…[indistinguishable]… [~55mins silence.]
Side B
[~55mins silence.]
Man 4: Okay, tidy up the blood. Put the broken shit in a bag. She’ll let you know when you can go home.
[Recording Ends.]

The silence has not been edited out.

Characters

Imogen Moss

The leader and founder of the Hydrean Order. 45 years old and on the fringes of the old Haystack, Imogen has been manipulated via her dreams and deeply layered psionic suggestions. She carries a silver cylinder she believes to be an artefact from the Deep Ones, enabling her to commune with a Deep One elder keen to begin the concord anew. In truth, the Cylinder contains a human brain, used a psionic interface for the Mi-Go controlling the situation. It wishes to capture and dissect one of the creatures - and is happy to wait the multiple years required to make it happen.

Imogen’s sense of reality and dream has been entirely eroded. The role of leader feels inconsequential to her, and she shows no real talent - her followers are similarly controlled through suggestion and dreams.

Nick Poacher

51 and with little to show for it but nightmares. Nick has been with Delta Green for 20 years, and has killed scores in what he believes to be a righteous cause. Discovering that this underworld might be in his blood nearly broke him - only the idea he might disprove it by travelling to the source kept him going.

Declan Booth

A 32 year old professional with the NSA, suborned to NRO DELTA as a low-profile field investigator. Delcan truly believes what little he knows of MJ12’s mission - protecting America from the threat of the Greys by first letting them show their hand. He knows nothing of Delta Green, but is thrilled at the idea of another group working against the extra-terrestrials. He has yet to call anything in to HQ, and will bend the truth if asked to keep anyone’s involvement quiet - even exchanging encrypted contact details to help with new friends. He has come up blank in finding Grey involvement, and only knows a little of the Hydrean Order.

The Town

Haystack is filled with the desperate. The mass loss of jobs with the closure of the canning factory and decline of fishing waters traps many within the town, unable to leave, their property valueless. The coastal air is always moist, leaving the entire area feeling clammy. All of the cars rust aggressively, the streets are pocked with holes in which trash gathers, huddling for warmth.

The Hydrean Order lurks in the shadows - they do not yet have the authority to operate in the open, nor do they want the attention. Where needed, isolated individuals are threatened into compliance or silence. Most of the members are old folk who remember the bounty purchased by their blasphemous congress with the Deep Ones. Few in Haystack are happy to talk with outsiders - especially those with government badges.

Joe’s Motel

A slowly decaying 2-storey motel on the edge of Haystack. On the desk during the day is Chloe Ellis (36). She is happy to have a job, and will not risk it for anything except cash - she has nearly saved enough to move away from Haystack. The night clerk is Lucy Wallace (42), the wife of Joe Wallace. She is domineering but extremely chatty.

4 rooms are registered as in-use currently:

• Jenson Wright (32) - A salesman for boat parts, specialising in older out-of-production models. Here to potentially purchase some of the condemned vehicles for parts. Here for the past 2 months.
• Erin Wallace (24) - Her life destroyed by the death of her husband and son in a car accident. She is here to join the Voor’s Head Device community in the woods, but is mustering up the courage to face them. Here for the past week.
• Van George (46) - Kicked out by his wife, Alice, for sleeping around. A Haystack local, he was never initiated into the mysteries that kept the fish plentiful. Here for the past 2 weeks.
• Jake Taylor - The false name used by Declan. His room has been half-emptied, dirty clothes in heaps. Left behind:
  • A receipt from a nearby outdoor goods store, dated the 1st of August. Items bought: all-seasons tent, hikers map of Haystack State Park, 2 weeks trail rations, fishing rod.
  • The case for a set of high-powered binoculars.
  • Phone tapping equipment with signs of recent use. The records show that ‘Jake Taylor’ has been here for 3 months. He was last seen at 11AM on the 1st of August, leaving in his Ford Granada by Chloe.

The Waterfront Motel

Ten rooms, all dirty and damp, face the harbour. The owner, Callum Marsh (59) is a huge man of few words. He is a member of the Hydrean Order, and informs Imogen of anything usual via telephone. The check-in book was “lost” recently - burnt after the capture of Poacher. Callum is happy to share that 3 of the rooms are currently in use:

• Charlie Howard (42) - A day-labourer, staying here due to proximity to the harbour. He overheard a scuffle on the 31st, but has been intimidated into silence. He is looking for quick work to buy a bus-ticket out of Haystack. He has been here 3 weeks.
• Chelsea Webb (19) - A sex-worker and Haystack native. She has plans of moving away once she has enough money saved. She was out with a client on the 31st. Here for the past 3 months.
• Cody Lee (31) - A member of the Order, told to stay here and watch to see if anyone tries to follow Poacher’s trail. He joined the Order at the insistence of his father, but is happy to have the direction in life. Asked, he claims to be a boat mechanic. Beneath the bed, he keeps a sawn-off shotgun. On the wall, in green ballpoint, a triangle has been drawn below an airduct, the cover loose. Within the vent, a bag containing:
  • A 9mm handgun, loaded.
  • A mobile phone, battery long dead.
  • A weatherpoof tear-away notepad. Only one used page has not been torn out. It reads: “Someone is bringing it back. Hostile looks, scared looks when you ask about the Old Days. Esp. Old Folks. No sign of Poacher. Dogs at the old canning factory. Someone watching - Ford Granada”

Sheriff’s Office

The sheriff, Nathan Simpson (37), aims to be genuinely helpful with anything unrelated to the Hydrean Order. Any questions on the subject, or related to it, causes Nathan to inform Imogen of the investigators. He warns people away from the Canning Factory, claiming he suspects dangerous “drug-users and squatters.” For anything unusual in the area, he directs investigators to “the old Posser place near the state park” - the manor used by the Voor’s Head Device group.

Harbour

Rusting fishing vessels bob, crewed only by seabirds. Small crowds of hopeful day-labourers compete for positions on the 3 remaining working boats. All this is nominally watched by the harbour-master, Frankie Mason (71). Half blind with drink, he happily gives access to his records. Four vessels are marked as having left recently:

• The Orca, a fishing vessel under Harvey Perry.
• The Warlock, a fishing vessel under James West.
• The Delight, a fishing vessel under Ollie Cox.
• The Bachelor, lacking a name under the Captain column. Being used by the Hydrean Order to hold Poacher.

Those waiting into the deep evening see all boats return bar the Bachelor.

The Bachelor

An hour out to sea, the Bachelor floats, lights on. Aboard are Madden Burton (61), Gideon Lindsey (52) and Elliot Roberson (21), all three with hunting rifles. They have been told to guard Poacher, as he has been selected for a special destiny. He lies in the hold, occasionally fed and watered from the large coolers of supplies. The three Order members sleep in shifts. Elliot is keen to prove himself, whilst Madden will only spill blood in self-defence. If the situation turns sour, Gideon will hold Poacher hostage to save his own life. All three know how to operate the radio to call for assistance from the shore - another 10 Order members arriving aboard the Lucky, a leaking tug barely seaworthy.

On the 8th, Imogen arrives at night aboard the Lucky, carrying the Cylinder and unknowingly accompanied by the Mi-Go. After an hour of preparation, Poacher is ritually emasculated and thrown into the water. The Deep Ones respond, giving Imogen tokens with which to contact them again.

The Canning Factory

A 10’ high fence, topped with razor-wire long rusted, surrounds the old canning factory. Only a single road allows access via a gate. 6 Order members patrol at all times, accompanied by 6 guard dogs. All carry rifles. Imogen spends her time within the main office floor, interpreting the dreams and suggestions given to her. Unbeknownst to all, a Mi-Go lurks in the rafters. If gunfire starts, Imogen flees in a car kept covered in the carpark, accompanied by d6 Order members. The Mi-Go follows carefully if dark - otherwise staying put.

A large radio-set up keeps communication with the Bachelor, and a notepad shows their latitude and longitude. Once a day, one of the members of the Order checks in.

The Manor

Slowly being consumed by the forest, a crumbling manse in the Victorian style. Squatting here are 8 devotees of the Voor’s Head Device, a thick black hood worn over the head to grant mystical insight. This community is led by Rachel Foster, who is happy to talk to visitors - offering to guide them in the usage of the hood. None here have yet glimpsed the Black Ocean.

Camping nearby, car hidden under a camouflage net, is Declan Booth. He mostly tries to stay hidden and out of sight, although he has been trying to determine the nature of the Voor’s Head group whilst hiding out.