MUP Episode 169 – Scum and Villainy

Mar 19, 2019

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This episode we’re gonna be baaaaad! Jon, Murph, and Chad workshop how to make good bad guys. This episode was recorded on March 14, 2019. We want to hear from you! By email: mup.feedback@gmail.com By phone: (401) 400-0MUP (0687) By Twitter: @MU_Podcast By Speakpipe: (Click the floating tab on the far right of this page) On our forum: mu-podcast.com/campus. On Discord: https://discord.gg/tMT2EcE Like what you hear? Please become a Patron! >> mu-podcast.com/patron << Campus Crier

The National Library of Australia recently approached Chaosium to ask if the company would donate Terror Australis to their collection, as part of the library’s mission to collect resources “of national significance relating to Australia and the Australian people”. So they sent a copy of the new edition plus the original version from 1987. The new edition is currently available in PDF, and it will be released in full color hardback later in March.
Chaosium’s “Berlin: The Wicked City” will be released by the time this episode drops. Did you notice the title change? It used to be something like Secrets of Berlin. Now the full title is Please note, the new title of this Call of Cthulhu release is: “Berlin: The Wicked City, Unveiling the Mythos in Weimar Berlin.”
The Miskatonic Repository has several new editions; included are:

NPC Sheets for CoC 7E & Pulp (resource), by Joshua Certain – Free
Voyage of Terror (scenario), by Stephen J. Jones – $6.00
The Solo Investigator’s Handbook (resource), by 5E Solo Gamebooks – $9.99
Cinematic Environs: Desert Wastes (resource), by Alex Guillotte and Davae Breon Jaxon – $4.95
When the Light Goes Out (scenario), by Megan Tolentino – $2.95
Unremembered (scenario), by Heinrich D. Moore – $4.95

There are many more quality fan-made products available in the Miskatonic Repository. So go check ‘em out.

A company called Just Crunch Games has released a new scenario for the rules-light system called The Cthulhu Hack. The scenario is called Valkyrie Nine, set in the late 21st Century on a lunar station. Valkyrie Nine is available in print (All Rolled Up) and PDF (DriveThruRPG).
Chaosium’s Miskatonic University – The Restricted Collection game is out in the wild!
Modiphius Entertainment have released Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition versions of their Achtung! Cthulhu Investigator’s and Keeper’s Guides.
At the time of this recording, Oscar Rios will be launching An Inner Darkness Kickstarter at midnight, Eastern. A sneak peak of the Kickstarter video was posted on Facebook, and it looks amazing. If you’re listening to this episode soon after it went live, you still have time to back this book.
2019 marks the 40th anniversary of Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking film, ALIEN! To celebrate, six short films set in the ALIEN universe are coming out from AlienUniverse.com . There were some public screenings at Emerald City Comic Con and C2E2, and the online releases of the films will be on IGN every Friday, starting on March 29th.

The Card Catalog: Longtime friend of the show, Graham, submitted an entry for the Card Catalog… The Chemical Formulary – A series of books that contain the formulas for a wide variety of compounds and items; for example: solidified fuel, tracer ammunition, epoxies, adhesives, resins, gums, and waxes. The first three volumes of the 1933 work are on the internet archive. Volume 1 Volume 2 Volume 3 Keepers might mine The Chemical Formulary for inspiration in scenarios where the investigators need to concoct their own chemical tool or chemical weapon. The formulas may also inspire Keepers to create their own Mythos Chemical Formulary. Thank you again to Graham for sending in this fantastic Card Catalog idea. If you have an idea for a Card Catalog entry, please email us or post it in our forums. The Listening Room: Mr. Tyler is back again – Back in Black, one could say, with a look at The Black Paintings of weird Spanish painter Francisco Goya. Please remember that if you have any interest in producing a segment for the podcast, please email us or post it in our forums. Main Topic: How to Make the Best Villains Questions to think about.

How do you define a villain? (for example, I’d say they are antagonists that are relatable on a human scale, and they have a certain competence about them.)
What is one of your favorite human villains in published scenarios? Why?
What’s the best Mythos villain? Why?
What makes a villain memorable?
What character traits make the best villain?

Online Resource: Left Behind author, Jerry Jenkins wrote a very interesting article designed for literary villains, but can also be applied to the creation of a good RPG villain. Jenkins even includes a Villains Characteristics Checklist:

He’s convinced he’s the good guy
He has many likeable qualities
He’s a worthy enough opponent to make your hero look good
You (and your reader) like when he’s on stage
He’s clever and accomplished enough that people must lend him begrudging respect
He can’t be a fool or a bumbler
He has many of the same characteristics of the hero, but they’re misdirected
He should occasionally be kind, and not just for show
He can be merciless, even to the innocent
He’s persuasive
He’ll stop at nothing to get what he wants
He’s proud
He’s deceitful
He’s jealous, especially of the hero
He’s vengeful

MUP Rando Human Villain-Making Exercise: http://cthulhugen.abillionmonkeys.com/ http://writingexercises.co.uk/random-job-generator.php https://www.dholeshouse.org/ https://twitter.com/BotCharacters Classic 1920’s Dorothy Pickman F 39 Butler Str 70 Dex 30 Int 70 Con 80 App 70 Pow 35 Siz 70 Edu 90 Luck 60 HP 15 MP 7 SAN 35

Using randomness websites above, generate a random character.
Pick one of the following flaws (or roll a 8-sided die)
1. Pride
2. Greed
3. Obsession
4. Envy
5. Decadence
6. Wrath
7. Hubris
8. Curiosity
Discuss what the character wants.
1. Method 1: Roll a random monster from Malleus. Discuss how the character THINKS this entity/creature might help the character get what they want.
2. Method 2: Pick a random Mythos artifact that the character THINKS will help the character get what they want. (will have to figure out how to randomize that).
How does it all go wrong?

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