In just one year the Zweihänder has gone from a one person job to a near professionally designed journey with a suite of editors, designers and authors. The quality at which this team performs makes the editor role near redundant. This edition has no two articles alike, each providing a unique and expressive insight into a facet of tabletop and board gaming, or the author's more specificial personal interest, all crafted from a deep passion for the subject matter. In just two editions I've seen myself go from a driving force behind the reinvention to basically only directing the project. Despite this, I feel like if I'm back leading the Zweihänder next semester, I might end up just going crazy with it. What is Sutekh if not the Sydney Uni Tabletop and Esoteric Knowledge Hoard? Although some of the other editors may not go along with it, I was told that having the How Fish Is Made article be able to be read both up and down was too much of a burden on readability despite its thematic relevance. I think I'll need to flex more authority to get my insane changes incorporated. As I tell the other designers, “if Mörk Borg can do it we can do it”. Despite my ramblings, this year has seen several internal changes to the Sutekh executive and in general a whole range of organisational changes and I’m incredibly grateful that the Zweihänder has grown in such an incredible direction. Thank you for reading, and enjoy Zweihänder 2023 Volume 2.

Sam Livingston

Character Selexec-t

This semester, we have 14 executives pushing one another forward to even greater Sutekh heights. Whether it’s RPGs, card games or board games, you can be sure that at least a few of them are scheming up exciting new events and ideas at any given time.

Supporting them in this are our 4 Subcommittees, meeting in dark circles to change the fate of the world... by organising even larger-scale Sutekh projects of course.

President: Joel Donnelly @underphoenix

STR 4

SPD 1

MAG 9

Hi. I’m the president two years running now and being a part of this society has been great since I joined and was general executive 2 way back in 2019.

Secretary: Zack Alloggia @effanineffible

STR 5

SPD 4

MAG 6

The mad scientist behind the scenes. If you’ve got any questions about Sutekh (or want to play “Speed Azul”) let me know.

Editor: Samuel Livingston @samisrancid

STR 1

SPD 1

MAG 2

I’m the editor of Zweihander and other Sutekh publications which is relevant because you’re reading Zweihander.

VP (Librarian): William Ma @thatmomentwhen

STR 2

SPD 3

MAG 10

Island, go.

Treasurer: Andrew Young @mrthegonk

STR 5

SPD 4

MAG 6

Bard by trade, dice dragon by spirit.

IT Officer: Jarod Grining @jgrin

STR 1

SPD 10

MAG 4

I’m a sleepy software dude with a normal amount of LEGO. Sometimes I come close to winning at games.

Sponsorship Officer: Om Vishwanathan @lovecraftianhorrorherefortea

STR 1

SPD 3

MAG 9

Howdy folks! I'm Om, current sponsorship officer of Sutekh. If you need help figuring out boardgames, rpgs, pretty much damn near anything or just want to chat you can easily find me being extremely tired or eating something or having sugar or threatening to take the kneecaps of our president.

Publicity Officer: Esther Whitehead @potato_o3528

STR 9

SPD 2

MAG 2

Howardy I’m Esther, big fan of D&D and keen to pick up some new TTRPGs this year. For board games I love social deduction games as well anything with pretty art.

Ethnocultural Officer: Harvin Kaur Harae @harvin#1295

STR 5

SPD 3

MAG 8

Im a big fan of board games from the classics to something new. I’ll be around most Friday events so feel free to come say hi!

New Member’s Officer: William Saffery @neptunion

STR 4

SPD 5

MAG 7

Card games on computers. Computer science on motorcycle.

LGBTQ+ & Women’s Officer: Sylvie Nolf @alienshe

STR 0

SPD 0

MAG 1

If you had asked for Constitution I would have put like an 8, the Nolfs are a hardy people.

RPG Officer: Nathan Corr @nahtannathan

STR 6

SPD 4

MAG 7

Akasam dellac ecalp a ni tsol ma I, siht daer nac uoy fi.

General Exec: Charlie Haddad @corn_fiend

STR 8

SPD 3

MAG 7

Hey there, 'Im your friendly neighborhood general exec member, Charlie. Even though Im only a general exec, I have been a part of Sutekh for many years. So, if you’re a new member or long time Sutekhian, I can say with utmost certainty that you will enjoy your time here at Sutekh.

General Exec: Ethan Yin @comando1026

STR 1

SPD 1

MAG 1

Hi!! imma Ethan, Im a dnd fanatic preferring the dark strangeness of the void... I also plays board games.

Two Wretched Games

By Declan Harty

Hey Friend-O!

The following article contains spoilers for the games How Fish is Made and Fear and Hunger 2: Termina. They’re both pretty good and pretty cheap, so you might want to check them out before reading further!

Additionally, both games feature some pretty serious content warnings, only parts of which will be discussed in the article. Maybe skip a few pages if violence, parasitism or trypophobia affect you.

Now, on with the show!

DO FISH FEEL PAIN?

One of my favourite games is a student project titled How Fish is Made. This game is... weird. There is essentially no gameplay: you go places, you talk to people. It's tempting to call it a walking simulator for that reason, but that description is a little too empowering.

In its own words, How Fish is Made is "A wet & squalid narrative-driven horror game about choice." One choice, specifically: UP or DOWN. It's what everyone here is trying to figure out. Maybe that choice is why you're here. It's hard to say. You, a sardine, are dropped from a chute at the beginning of the game, and you lamely flop your way through the intestines of some industrial processing plant: sometimes literally. In one memorable section, you emerge from a tube of flesh-metal that beats like a heart around you into a tiled room lit with sterile white light that’s as appropriate for a dentist's office as an abattoir. A sea bass sits in the centre, silent. The isopod that has eaten its tongue strikes up a friendly conversation with you instead.

The isopod is one of the few characters in the game that doesn't mention that choice. Almost everyone else has an opinion on it. One mackerel is sure it has the answer: "UP... UP... UP! I've always known it was UP! I never asked, I never changed, never lied!" In the same room, another caught in a six-ring intones with all the gravitas of a prophet: "It is... DOWN. Yes, this I know for sure." They both ask you which direction you're headed, though your responses don't really matter. You won't be coming back.

It's not long before you're forced to decide for real. You flop into a final chamber. On the left a blue hallway, leading down. On the right a red one, leading up. You choose, the screen fades to black, and then...

You know I always hated hearing, "Don't worry, a lot of people are going through the same thing. You're not alone." (will be in the font with which it's actually presented in the game)

The game ends with this funny little monologue. The final line in particular sticks with me: "Don't worry, a lot of people are going through the same thing. And that's what makes it the best USP yet". It makes it too easy to write off this game as just a surreal statement on consumerism. It is that, to be clear. The isopod speaks with the grease of a used-car salesman as it extols the virtues of parasitism in a stilted musical number. But that's not all that's going on here. The barbed wire stuck in the chest of this game is really that last part, one snide remark before the end. It can't resist just a little spite.

Fear and Hunger 2: Termina

We begin in 1942, on a train en route to Prehevil, the capital of Bohemia. You pick from one of eight playable characters and go through a short introduction before dozing off.

When you wake up you're alone, and through a door in a pile of luggage you find yourself in a wooden version of the train. A naked man, flayed to the waist, forces you to assemble strange wooden cubes next to a girl in a pink dress. After a while she stands up, and motions for you to follow. She leads you into a strange dark room filled with towering figures. The screen fades to static, and you fall to the top of a tower. A man in robes stands in front of a grinning moon. “Welcome,” he says. “The festival of Termina is upon us.”

With a start, you wake up. You're back on the train.

This introduction is disorienting, to say the least, and the game does not stop being like this. You'll walk into a department store filled with screams, then leave it through the other door and immediately enter a magic store where the owner tells you to fuck yourself. It is unrelentingly strange and painful and brutal, and you will die and die and die. It often feels as though everything in the world of the game has it out for you personally, and it kind of does.

You're not alone on the train. There were fourteen of you, when you arrived, and on your second visit to that tower in your dreams, the man will tell you the goal of the Termina festival: make fourteen become one. It's a death game. So, you obviously have a choice. Burn everyone else from that train on the pyre of your own ego. Or, sacrifice yourself to save them. UP or DOWN.

The easy choice is to become a monster. There's a scene about a third of the way through the game in which you come across one of the contestants holding two others at gunpoint. Unless you intervene, he'll kill them, and if you do decide to put yourself in the way, you have to kill him. This teaches you something important: whenever you kill a fellow contestant, you steal their soul and gain the ability to put points in their skill tree. Every life you take makes you stronger.

If the two men being held up survive, you can later find them practising boxing together. This teaches a different lesson, by showing the little moments of humanity sprinkled throughout this world. Marina bringing peace to the bookshop, Henryk making dinner for 13 strangers, Daan pouring cocktails at an abandoned bar. It makes it worth trying.

If you choose the path of sacrifice, you're presented with an image. The train car, everyone occupying their proper place: except for you. If you choose the opposite path, you get a picture of yourself alone. UP or DOWN, OTHERS or SELF. There's an extra dimension to this binary that How Fish is Made lacks. There, no matter the choice you make, it's always for yourself. You still have to leave the prophet to his fate in the six-ring as he struggles to breathe, you still have to abandon the isopod's 'Friend-O' to the mercy of his coworker. You are not allowed to help.

These games are both interesting and special, but the specific kind of nihilism that Fish presents is too caustic for long exposure. It only works because of its length, a minnow next to Termina's whale. In the case of the latter, it's those tiny moments of empathy that keep me coming back for more. They're a reminder that no matter how bad things get, we can still hope.

PODCASTS Of Modest Length

BY JESSIE MAI @tea.bandit

Looking for amazing podcasts you'll actually be able to finish? Congrats, you've found them.

The Amelia Project

Genre: Comedy, Spy Thriller, Magical Realism

Length: 66 episodes (20 minutes each), Ongoing.

Listen if you enjoy: British Comedy, Inside Job (Animated series), The Office, conspiracy theories about celebrities not being dead.

The Amelia Project is a hilarious fiction podcast about an organisation that fakes deaths for their clients and sets them up with a new identity. The main draw of this podcast isn't so much the How, but Why the client needs to have their death faked in the first place, which is revealed over the course of an interview.

Much of the humour comes from the organisation's wacky clients (a cult leader, a sapient AI, a telepathic baby, a MI6 defector and a South American dictator to name a few) and their banter with the cocoa obsessed Interviewer whose job is to vet them. Assisting behind the scenes is his delightful manager Alvina and the two assistants Joey and Salvatore (who may or may not have been Italian mobsters in their previous lives).

The progression of the series is fantastic, with new lore and new antagonists (all the world's intelligence agencies to name a few) being introduced each season. The characters also undergo their own subtle development, giving the series an emotional depth that surprised me considering its light comedic tone.

Best listened to in a comfy armchair with a nice hot cup of cocoa.

Case 63

Genre: sci-fi, thriller, time travel.

Length: 10 episodes (10 mins each).

Listen if you like: 12 Monkeys, Contagion, Terminator, Silence of the Lambs, Oscar Isaac (especially as Miguel O'Hara in Spiderverse).

Case 63 is one of those stories that's so well written and engrossing that it doesn't seem possible for it to fit into just ten 10 minute episodes. Oscar Isaac plays Peter, a man in an asylum who claims to be a time traveller from the future trying to prevent a viral pandemic from wiping out the earth's population. Julianne Moore plays his sceptical psychiatrist Beatrix Knight.

Case 63 has one of the most harrowing visions of the future in fiction, described to us second hand as Peter relates to Dr Knight the pandemic ridden world of the future in hopes of enlisting her aid for his mission. Full of suspense and mystery, Case 63 is a twisty sci-fi thriller that is, at its heart, about the power of love to transcend even time and space.

The Bright Sessions

Genre: superhero, mystery, thriller

Length: 64 episodes (15 mins each).

Listen if you like: X-Men, Jessica Jones, Worm (web serial), therapy, superheroes.

The Bright Sessions is a high quality award winning podcast about Dr Bright, a clinically trained psychologist who gives therapy for people having trouble with their superpowers. Each episode is a recording of her therapy sessions with a revolving cast of patients - there are time travellers, empaths, telekinetics and even a sociopath with mind control powers. But as the story develops, it becomes clear that there are darker forces at work. What happened to Dr Bright's missing brother? What role does the secret organisation known as the AM play in all her patients’ lives?

Mission Rejected

Genre: Spy Comedy, Work Sitcom, Parody.

Length: 4x12=48 episodes (30 mins each). Ongoing. Monthly Release.

Listen if you enjoy: Mission Impossible, James Bond, Archer, Get Smart, Brooklyn 99, Naked Gun, Leverage, Joey from Friends.

Mission Rejected is a hilarious parody of every spy movie you've ever heard of. When super spy Chet Phillips decides to use his 600 days of accrued leave, the beleaguered director of the EMF (no, we won't tell you what it stands for) is forced to promote a ragtag band of misfits to take over as the backup team and pick up the slack.

Full of smart witty dialogue and ridiculous plots, this podcast is guaranteed to make you laugh at the team's disastrous antics. In one episode the team are chasing a street racing gang (a la Fast and Furious), in another they're trying to take down a cartel of evil cattle barons planning to spike their beef with addictive drugs.

Loveable, quirky and always ready with a quip or one liner, the team consists of leader Skip (a former desk jockey who is a stickler for the Rules), washed out Sitcom actor Bowden (a master of disguise), criminal hacker McGrath (she's only here to shorten her life sentence) and happy go lucky former White House intern Gloria.

If you're looking for a high quality podcast with great sound design, tightly written plots, exotic locations, fabulous disguises and light hearted humour, then give this series a try!

Goblin Playstyle

Part 1 - Goblins

“What is the optimal Goblin gaming playstyle?” is a question originally posed by Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel in what is considered his magnum opus, the Phenomenology of Spirit (1807) . The question, much like the history of philosophy and Hegel's more minor contributions to it (dialectics etc.) is mostly inconclusive despite later developments. To truly understand the problem however, one must understand the origin of the goblin and its current relation in the contemporary Zeitgeist (another of Hegel's minor contributions).

The Goblin originated in the Middle Ages as a term to describe ugly or misshapen fey, later more specifically denoting fey with malicious intentions. They were characterised by many of the traits we see today in goblin media: small, thievish creatures with a penchant for causing chaos. Stories of “house goblins” making lives difficult for families by banging pots and pans, scattering garbage and rearranging items in the house are remarkably similar to many contemporary goblin activities. Goblins were also recorded as being helpful servants in homes, especially in German folklore. Goblins became prevalent in their more malicious capacity in children's stories as evil creatures used to inspire terror in children to ensure good behaviour. Around the time Hegel was writing, there was a renewed vigour for the goblin in literature. Possibly the most famous of these was the 1962 poem Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti, in which goblin merchants manipulate, trick and coerce children by selling them cursed fruit. These authors also began to feature a strong bacchic element that later came to the forefront in the more morally fluid modern goblin.

This modern goblin is most aptly described not by any history but instead by its newfound cultural usage as an adjective. “Goblin Mode'' is a neologism that, while coined in 2009, has come to the forefront of internet culture in the 2020s. Its dictionary.com entry defines it as “a slang term for a way of behaving that intentionally and shamelessly gives in to and indulges in base habits and activities without regard for adhering to social norms or expectations“. It was voted word of the year in 2022 by the Oxford Dictionary. Notably the term is almost exclusively used positively–it’s a lifestyle that you actively embrace. This has been noted as a growing cultural rejection of the highly filtered and unrealistic portrayals of lives in the media; instead, Goblin Mode embraces the rough, messy, but equally joyous parts of living.

This is the modern goblin, no longer relegated to the other. It is instead a more neutral portrayal–of course, they love mischief, and they’re often gross and ugly, they steal and are full of vice, but so are we! Goblins are weak and fragile, constantly punchlines to jokes, constantly suffering and stupid, yet possessing an inextinguishable sense of humour and joy, of cunning and community. This recently rediscovered complexity is what has reinvigorated the search and the necessity of this playstyle’s development.

Part 2 - Goblin Gaming

I’m glad it's me writing this article because as many of you know, I am arguably the most qualified goblin gaming expert in the local area. As the creator of the world's leading goblin-themed wargame Grobplins, the owner of several goblin Magic decks, several goblin wargaming armies, and a regular Goblin Mode enjoyer, my qualifications should be self-evident.

To truly get to what must be captured in a goblin playstyle, we need to borrow yet another philosophical concept. In “The Birth Of Tragedy”, Friedrich Nietzsche describes the concept of the Apollonian and Dionysian as different aspects of life by categorising them into the two portfolios of the Greek gods. Apollo embodies the sun, art, music, poetry, plague and disease, of rational thinking, individualism and order and appeals to logic, prudence, and purity, and stands for reason. In contrast, Dionysus embodies wine, dance and pleasure, of irrationality and chaos, representing passion, emotions, unity and instincts.

It would be most people's first instinct to categorise goblins squarely in the Dionysian camp just as many of the 19th & 20th-century authors did, however, that is overly reductive. Yes, they are often cruel or evil, but what of the original German house goblins? These may be typically hedonic or stupid but what of their cunning? Their petty individualistic disputes dismissed by this overwhelming categorization of hippie communalism? Instead, it is a dialectic. Nietzsche claims that these Apollonian and the Dionysian ideals have not been successfully unified since the original Greek tragedies, and in many ways this is true, however, I believe that conceptually the ideal goblin playstyle would be the first since to truly harmonise the Dionysian and Apollonian.

Through this, we can truly conceptualise the ideal goblin playstyle. The goblin must be chaotic, each a single individual but also plentiful and horde-like. They must feel like a unified force but be intrinsically self- antagonising with the seeds for their destruction embedded in their own nature and choices. Despite this, a goblin must have the ability to make the rational Apollonian choice but still be at the whims of their inherently Dionysian fate, while retaining an indomitable spirit. As such the goblin must also be able to improvise. You should never lose with goblins entirely because they must always have a chance of overcoming any challenge, no matter how slim. As such, they should have a toolbox of tricks and niche abilities that become suddenly perfect for the strange situations that they find themselves in. This leads to a playstyle of constant reinvention. While mechanically this can be expressed in a range of ways, the essential thematic roots and foundational game feel should remain.

In actuality, however, this conception of the goblin is really a caricature of the ultimate human playstyle. When we write goblins we are writing about ourselves, because as Nietzsche expresses, the Apollonian and Dionysian are two halves of personhood. While many people play games to be specialists, to escape into roles that are unrealistic in life, some choose to play as the goblins. The cosmic punchline, the Sisyphean existential joke, of inconsequential revels and squabbles and improbable triumphs. When playing goblins, we are playing a microcosm of our own lives. To express the optimal goblin playstyle is to complete the unification that Nietchze sought to see once more expressed, to answer the final dialectic of humanity. A task we have finally completed–Play Grobplins.

Obsession - Board Game Review

By Andrew Wu

Pride, Intrigue, and Prejudice in Victorian England

Have ever invited your significant other to partake in your favourite scifi strategy boardgame, only to hear the response, "This looks too hard and boring, why don't we watch the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice instead"?

Fear not - for board game designer Dan Hallagan might just have the solution for you!

Having lived through this almost exact scenario, Dan had the inspired (or maniacal) idea of combining the vibe of Jane Austen and Downton Abbey with crunchy, strategic Euro style games. Thus Obsession was born into the world. And just to clarify, we are looking at the second edition specifically. Not the older sibling first edition; we don’t talk about that one.

Obsession, as you may have guessed, takes place during 19th century Victorian England. You will play as one of four families; Asquith, Cavendish, Ponsonby or York, and vie to become the most prestigious family in Derbyshire. The arrival of the county's most eligible siblings, the Fairchilds (step aside Charles Bingley) marks a most excellent opportunity to promote your family's standing through a little something known as marriage. Or at least the prospect of it. To this end, you must manage and improve your family’s dilapidated estate, dwindling wealth, limited servants and non-existant reputation over the course of a year in a bid to lure the Fairchilds to your estate. Each season they will pick a family and estate to visit, but ultimately only one will truly captivate them. There they shall woo and wed that family's eldest. But beware! For your redoubtable opponents are looking to do the same in this cut-throat world of social dance and jostling.

Mechanisms and theme

The mechanisms employed in the game are no doubt recognisable to those familiar with designer board games. It is a blend of tableau building, shared market, hand management, worker placement and manipulation, and resource management. But with this basic set of mechanisms, the game manages to achieve its single most impressive feat; to meld the Victorian theme and gameplay so exquisitely that almost nothing feels contrived. Players begin the game with their estate, five basic tiles, a set of servants, and a hand of gentry cards that for now only contains family members and immediate friends. Each estate tile, including any extra you may purchase from the builders market, can host a particular activity with the invitation of the gentry in your hand. Once the tile is used, it is flipped and although can be visited again, provides considerably fewer benefits than the first. After all, who would want to play lawn tennis or discuss politics more than once? Preposterous! Now, each guest sans your immediate family requires certain servants to attend to them at events and will reward you with boons for your hospitality. Expended guests are discarded and may only be retrieved later by passing a turn. The servants then go on cooldown for a short time to signal that they must rest before they can perform their duties again. But as serious as the theme gets, you can't help but laugh at some of the dubiosity that reveals itself from time to time. For example, political debates in the library can only be attended by the men, whilst archery and 'constitutionals' may only be enjoyed by the women (and no that word has no legal connotations whatsoever). Or the one improvement tile that enables you to call upon servants before they are fully rested – is this employee abuse? Perhaps the fact that your servants are never paid a single pence despite working every day on end. Have an unsavoury guest in your hand? Worry not, for only the countess has the ability to remove them from the game, silently exiling them from your friendship circle. I personally find all these little insinuations absolutely hilarious.

Victory

Like just about every Eurogame on the market, you win by scoring the most victory points. These are obtained from a number of sources such as the guests you invite, the Fairchild you may or may not seduce, the grandiloquence of your estate, and the seemingly nebulous objective cards. Players can also incur victory point penalties from guests of more questionable character. From gambling debtors to promiscuous fellows and cads, these make up a fair portion of the common guest deck. Most helpfully included in the rulebook is something more games ought to have – a small pie chart roughly indicating the distribution of victory points in the game. Surprisingly the lion's share of points come from gentry cards and improvement tiles, which oddly enough makes it more likely to win without the Fairchild’s hand in marriage. Which is exactly what transpired in my first game with my girlfriend. Although she won the heart of Elizabeth Fairchild, I somehow won the game with the power of capitalism and material wealth?

Art & design

The best way to describe the art in Obsession is simply… sufficient. Nothing wildly beautiful, sorry to say. It is quaint and unassuming but overall still rather elegant. All the illustrations in the game are essentially public domain images. The box cover and round track board is the real life Audley End House repurposed into the fictional Alderley Hall. Each gentry card has a greyscale portrait taken from photos of real people around the Victorian era. The designs on each board, card and tile however elevate the look into something that almost requires it be accompanied with a posh accent and cup of tea. An enormous number of flourishes, embellishments and crests cover just about every inch of the game. All of this gives Obsession a positively regal feel.

Storage

The storage solution is really a marvel. Inside the game box is, well, more boxes! Not only do they fit nicely next to one another, but each one neatly houses all the starting components of a single house. The ability to hand each player their own box of goodies at the start makes the life of the player explaining the rules a smidgeon more bearable.

Components

The quality of the components in Obsession is rather astounding for a game without dozens of plastic miniatures to boast. For starters, each wooden servant meeple is cut in a distinct shape and coloured according to role. The ruffles of the head maid’s mob cap differentiates it from the butler and under-butler's serving trays. The string bag that holds the improvement tiles is sturdy and Cadbury purple. As for the cardboard components everything is cut from the thickest of cardstock to make them immensely satisfying to handle. And as a cherry on top, the cards and all the cardboard bits feature a textured linen finish that just feels oh so premium.

Recommendation

After all that, would I recommend Obsession? Should you wave your hard earned cash at the local game store? Short answer is no. Long answer is possibly yes. As much as I have talked about the magnificence that is Obsession, there are some qualities of the game that may deter you. Most obviously is the Victorian era theme. Obsession is a thematic experience through and through and you may simply not care for it at all. As a Eurogame, the game also lacks much player interaction. You may be all seated around the table oohing and aahing at the flavour text but the game is for the most part, inwards looking. At times you might curse at an improvement tile being taken or be on the receiving end of a vile rumour that trashes your reputation but the game is really about how well you can build your own board. For the player who prefers a tighter game with highly tactical and strategic elements, then the randomness of the card and tile draw may also not be to your taste. Some guests are clearly superior to others and certain tiles that you desperately need may never enter the market, so often you will end up with forlorn objective cards who dream of one day being fulfilled. That is not to say that Obsession is a random game; the game forces you to make meaningful decisions, sacrifice and divert strategies, and rewards forward planning. It is still immensely satisfying to build up your estate, efficiently manage your servants, and draw guests, all the while challenging you with a competitive and solid puzzle.

If everything you have read thus far has failed to entice you into trying it out, this game is not for you. But if you now feel a desire to dabble in this game, then I whole-heartedly recommend it. Obsession is an endearing labour of love crafted from the ambition of a single humble man and will undoubtedly be a unique experience for you and whomever you choose to share it with.

Poems of Kadmiel

Warhammer Crusade Report: Semester 1 2023

+++ BEGIN TRANSMISSION

+++ DATE: UNKNOWN

+++ REF: UNKNOWN

+++ FROM: HIGH COMMAND

+++ TO: WARLORDS OF THE IMPERIUM NIHILUS

+++ RE: THE FATE OF KADMIEL

TRAITOROUS FORCES TAKE ACTION! WITH KADMIEL UNDER SIEGE, A DESPERATE CALL TO ARMS IS MADE…

Kadmiel is besieged upon all sides. A cruel universe awakens dark technology deep in the Imperium Nihilus, a weapon to be used against the Imperium of Man. The weak and faithless gather their forces yet again, having raised an abomination against the God-Emperor. A Chaos Titan, an unholy amalgamation of Machine and Daemon. The system burns, and those who would tear humanity down are legion. In our darkest hour, our forces are few, and our enemies many. As long as the God-Emperor watches over us, we shall not fall.

+++STRATEGIC VALUE: UPMOST

+++ACTION TO BE TAKEN: PURGE

Advancing onto the Forge Temple, the forces of Chaos seek to steal and twist the resources of Kadmiel to their own ruinous goals. This palace acts as the central command centre for all the planet's operations. Nothing shy of complete and utter control for this sector is mandatory. Should chaos find victory here, and take control over the Titan production facilities, their control over the surrounding system will be complete. Terra High Command has sent the Lord Commander Solar, Arcadian Leontus, as well as having blessed us with permission to raise a God-Engine of our own. It is said that no weapon in the arsenal of the Imperium or the Traitor equals the Titan on the battlefield. In truth, a Titan has only three enemies: folly, hubris, and another of its own kind.

The forces of the Imperium on Kadmiel were three-fold:

The Blood Angels of the Adeptus Astartes, immortal sons of the Primarch Sanguinius. Able to suffer wounds that would kill a lesser being several times over, only to live to fight again. Clad in ancient power armour and wielding the most potent weapons known to man, the Space Marines are terrifying foes, and their devotion to the Emperor and the Imperium of Man is unyielding. They are the God-Emperor's Angels of Death, and they know no fear.

The Adeptus Custodes, responsible for protecting the Imperial Palace and the physical body of the Emperor of Mankind, as well as serving as His most important emissaries, His companions, and the keepers of His many secrets. An elite cadre of genetically-engineered transhuman warriors who are even more potent in combat than the Adeptus Astartes. They are to the Space Marines as the Emperor is to His Primarchs, and it is rumoured that each was created by the Master of Mankind personally. His might permeates them, burns in their eyes, and flows through their veins as surely as their blood.

The Astra Militarum, the largest coherent fighting force in the galaxy. They serve as the Imperium of Man's primary military force and first line of defence from the myriad threats which endanger the existence of the Human race in the 41st Millennium. Composed of countless billions of men and women -- hundreds of thousands of different regiments, supported by a vast array of light and heavy armoured vehicles that provide the Guard's primary offensive punch. Supported by legions of heavy armour and thundering artillery, the Imperial Guard fight a never-ending war for the survival of Mankind in an unrelentingly hostile universe.

The following account describes the battle waged on the surface of Kadmiel, where two titans exchanged blows and the planet trembled. The report was pieced together from footage uploaded from servitors observing from the planet’s surface, images taken by satellite, and the comm-records provided by the Blade of Fury, a Blood Angels battleship orbiting Kadmiel.

Tasked with defending the planet’s surface from the chaos horde, the loyalist defenders took position. Countless hundreds of thousands of guardsmen, half a dozen squads of Astartes, 12 Custodes warriors, and two Dreadnoughts. All these, led from the front lines by the Lord Commander Solar, Arcadian Leontus, along with the Warlord Titan raised to Kadmiel’s defence.

Their opponents–- vile heretics. Chaos Marines of the World Eaters and Death Guard, with their own Knight Abominant, alongside a battalion of Traitor Sisters, backed up by the unholy might of a Chaos Titan. Such a force would be enough to hold an entire system single handedly, let alone just one planet. The faithless traitors were first spotted during a routine scout patrol, and their movements during their approach onto the forge temple had been tracked by SGT Thaddeus and CPL Bruls of the Blood Angels 10th Company, 9th Vanguard Squad. Clad in Mark X Phobos Power Armour, Ninth Squad utilises a wide array of equipment to distract and exterminate their quarry. Deploying ahead of friendly lines, they both provide vital reconnaissance and disruption to enemy forces.

On the mark of Sgt Thaddeus, the Imperial Alpha Strike began. The full firepower of the Imperial Warlord Titan was focused on the heretical God-Engine, alongside a barrage of ground-to-ground fire from multiple Militarum emplacements, including the heavy guns of a Rogal Dorn class Battle Tank. With the full firepower of Kadmiel’s forges and the Planetary Defence Force combined, the Chaos Titan fell, leaving only the traitor Astartes and Sisters remaining. And so it was that loyalists and traitors met blades, and the battle for the fate of Kadmiel began. Squads of Deathshroud Terminators teleported into the backfields to tear asunder the brave guardsman of Kadmiel’s Armour Company, rendering the Rogal Dorn pilotless, alongside several Leman Russes. A horde of Possessed Chaos Marines piled into a 10 man squad of Blood Angels Assault Intercessors, dispatching the loyal marines down to the last man. Under cover fire from multiple squads of Marines with Bolt Rifles, Cpl Bruls’ squad moved to retreat from the frontlines to regroup at a further distance, andbut was swiftly cut down by the autocannon of the encroaching Blightlord Terminators.

Lord Solar Leontus met the onslaught with implacable resilience, taking the fight to the deep-striking terminators to protect a crucial missile battery emplacement. With the aid of three Vertus Praetors, piloting Dawneagle Jetbikes, the incursion was beaten back, leaving only the remaining chaos force on the steps of the Forge Temple left.

Countless Death Guard Terminators swarmed up the stairs, cutting down all opposition with ease. Behind them, a Lord Discordant, bellowing profane litanies as his scuttling Daemon Engine charged into imperial lines. Their march was cut short, met by the spears of two Custodian Guard, fitted with Allarus terminator armour, joined by their Shield-Captain, also in terminator armour, ready to eradicate the chaos threat to the planet. With the traitor’s advance stopped temporarily, a violent stalemate was found in the heat of battle, as neither side found any crippling advantage. Across the planet itself, countless guardsmen sacrificed their lives holding back further chaos incursions, as slowly but surely, the imperial lines were eroded away.

Sgt Thaddeus communicated all this, and more, having found a spot to observe enemy movements and transmit them directly to Captain Rael, Acting Commander of the Blood Angels Strike Force Zarian, and the orbiting Headquarters for the defence of Kadmiel, the Blade of Fury. It wasis this intel that allowed the imperial defences to hold so long against the tide of chaos. Explosions fired off in the distance, and the screams of the dying surrounded the remains of Ninth Squad, and the extended battle began to take its toll. Battleshocked, Helix-Adept Pieron, brother to Thaddeus, spotted the charging Lord Discordant but a second too late. The Vox-Comms to HQ were suddenly silent, save the sound of blades being drawn, and battlecries made in the face of death. The Helstalker reared up, bringing its front legs down through Pieron’s chest, right through the Imperial Aquila that adorned the front. A sacred symbol, used in countless rituals of worship and homage to the divine Emperor of Mankind. Destroyed by a vile daemon engine in the name of foul heresy. Thaddeus felt an uncontrollable rage take over, as the Flaw of the otherwise noble Blood Angels took hold of his mind. Looking up, he met the eyes of the Arch-Traitor himself. ‘LUPERCAL!’ he shouted, rousing the others of his own squad, as if they had been in a deep sleep up until this very moment. ‘LUPERCAL! TRAITOR!’ The cry came from his brothers, each joining him in absolute fury as they tore into the flesh and metal of the heretic before them, taking their vengeance for both their lost brother Pieron, and their fallen Primarch.

Surrounded by the corpses of innumerate Plague Marines, finally the last of the Custodian Guard, the Shield-Captain himself, fell to the horde. Thaddeus and his squad were slain, cut down by autogun fire as they attempted a suicide charge across no-man’s land. Intercessors of the Blood Angels, joined by armoured Sentinels, held the line, sending volley after volley of bolter ammunition across the battlefield. By destroying the enemy’s titan, they had dealt a great blow to chaos forces in that segmentum, however, should the imperial God-Engine be taken, all that effort would have been wasted. Even the planet itself, having the facilities to produce titans, could not be allowed to fall into the traitors’ hands.

Fire support for the heretics arrived, in the form of twisted Penitent Engines of the traitor Sisters, providing the bulk of the infantry for the great enemy. Further and further, defensive lines across the planet fell, as victory for chaos looked inevitable. Already, countless Blood Angels had been lost, their geneseed rendered irrecoverable.

And so it was that HQ determined it necessary to order Exterminatus upon Kadmiel, to prevent the traitors from acquiring both the titan, and the means to construct more. From the moment the order was given, all lives on Kadmiel were considered forfeit, save one. Arcadian Leontus. The Vox-Call was made, direct from Captain Rael. A beacon location set, to teleport the Lord Solar onto the deck of the Blade of Fury. Kadmiel’s fate had been settled. Cyclonic Torpedoes were dropped by the Blade of Fury, leading to the complete destruction of the planetary biosphere. Its atmosphere was burned away into the void, and its oceans boiled to vapour, leaving behind the barren bedrock of a Dead World. The blast radius of each torpedo was large enough to be seen from space, and the detonation powerful enough to crack the planet's crust and destabilise its core. As the first bombs began to drop, Leontus reached the extraction point, offering a prayer to the nearby statue of the God-Emperor before being teleported into safety. The ground shook as the atmosphere ignited, and the planet broke.

+++ ESTIMATED CASUALTIES: 15,383,892,301

+++ OPERATION STATUS: TOTAL SUCCESS

+++ END TRANSMISSION

How To Lose an RCQ

By William “Rae” Ma

Vice-President, Sutekh Librarian

Having been introduced to Magic through the commander format, I’ve always seen Magic as a casual, social game. A game of kitchen table deals, janky strategies, and arch-enemy situations. Over the winter holidays, out of boredom I re-downloaded Magic: The Gathering Arena and over the course of a sweaty weekend, climbed all the way to Mythic. Wow, this is what Javier Dominguez must have felt when he won the 2018 Magic World Championships. From that moment, I was hooked; to me, 60-card constructed is the greatest thing since sliced bread. And soon, I found myself in the middle of it, in my first ever Regional Championship Qualifier.

As the Magic spikes amongst you may know, this season’s RCQ format is Pioneer, Magic’s youngest paper eternal format. Over the short time I’ve been immersed in the format new innovations and archetypes such as Boros Convoke, Boros Pia and Azorius Lotus have arisen and made splashes and waves on the pioneer meta. Over the last few weeks the indomitable titan of the format that is Rakdos Midrange seems to have fallen off, supplanted by its cousin Rakdos Sacrifice—completely independently of some format-warping pushed new set release or bans. Pioneer is affordable, powerful, and popular with a varied, constantly evolving, and healthy meta-game. If you ever want to get into competitive constructed Magic, it is probably the best starting point.

Anyway, enough with the fluff and onwards with the content. I humbly present a set of lessons which I hope will help anyone (even YOU) to lose their very own Magic event.

For this tournament I ran the premier (Spirits (clearly a tempo deck) players cope and seethe please) aggro deck of the format; Mono-White Humans.

Game One – Rogues. Matchups matter

There’s no denying that Magic: The Gathering is a complex game, but in many ways, it is also a game not unlike rock, paper, scissors (albeit one where rock has a very real chance of beating paper). At the heart of Magic is a set of fundamental strategies, Aggro, Midrange, Control, Tempo, and Combo, each a foil to another. Nowhere is this truer than Pioneer, a world where durdly combo decks like Lotus Field are punished by fast aggro decks such as Humans who in turn have an unfavourable matchup against decks such as Rakdos Sacrifice.

As we can see above, matchups do indeed matter (although much less so in smaller events such as the one I was attending). Furthermore, due to the Swiss system, early tournament success may lead to more or less favourable matchups later in the event (for example, early tournament success means you are more likely to face well positioned decks in the meta such as Mono Green or Rakdos, while a poor early game showing may mean facing less represented decks such as Angels) which is highly problematic especially for decks designed to beat specific decks with meta calls and techs. The larger the event, the more this is likely to hold true. This is further enforced in games two and three by the sideboard where slots are more likely to be dedicated to combat decks which are highly represented in the meta.

This game was heavily tilted in my favour and I really felt it. 2-1.

Games two and five: Rakdos Midrange, and Rakdos Midrange. Again - Variance matters.

Game one was fantastic. It's a common sentiment amongst Pioneer players that Rakdos Midrange is a deck of nothing but removal, lands and Sheoldred, and oh boy did I see a lot of those. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Humans engine manage to persist through a critical mass of fatal pushes, go-for-the-throats, and stompings, and put constant pressure on my opponent’s life total. It all came down to one fateful turn where I managed to turn a board of a couple 2/1s and a Thalia’s Lieutenant into 13 power, enough to kill my opponent in one final attack if they did not have… oh Fatal Push? Game two?

Countless theses have been written about the maths behind Magic: the Gathering, and to sum it up, sometimes your deck screws you up, and oh my god did my deck screw me up. My Humans list ran 22 lands and a curve that capped out at 3 mv. Matchup notwithstanding, it is generally OK to keep hands with two lands and to ship hands with an excess of lands (it is also very important to remember that Pioneer is a Thoughtseize format and sometimes we just have to take the L and keep playable but not stellar hands). I don’t think any Magic gamers amongst us will fault me for shipping a zero lander, but to mull into another zero lander was actually heartbreaking and my sigh was audible. Surely this wouldn’t… Oh no. One of the key aspects that makes Magic fun is variance, and well, sometimes that variance happens to you. Sure it’s astronomically unlikely, but when it happens you just have to take it on the chin. 0-2

Sometimes, you just have the perfect sequence of draws, a perfect one, two, three curve. Sometimes your threats manage to magically manifest themselves onto the top of your library just when you need them, or just after your opponent Thoughtseized another copy from your hand, thinking they were safe for a turn. There is a magical moment in Magic, the look of despondence on your opponent’s face as you announce your wedding for the third time. Sometimes luck is just on your side. Unfortunately this was in the most inconsequential game of the event (the 1-3 bracket). 2-0

Game three: Izzet Phoenix. Sideboard construction matters.

This match was one of the better games of Magic I have played in a while, and really highlights the power of Phoenix and the ass whooping they pack if you fail to respect them. Game one was close; pre-boarded Phoenix runs a decently packed selection of removal in the main deck but a Thalia, Guardian of Thraben (protected by a Dauntless Bodyguard, and Coppercoat Vanguard) proved backbreaking.

From game two, however, things became interesting. Phoenix often brings in more removal and efficient sweepers such as Brotherhood’s End or Cinderclasm. Thing in the Ice, once a maindeck staple having lost its spot to the multi-format all-star Ledger Shredder, still remains a potent sideboard option especially in matchups like these. I, on the other hand… err… well… had no idea what to bring in. Efficient removal such as Portable Hole can come in to replace a highly vulnerable Brutal Cathar hitting important targets such as Thing in the Ice or Ledger Shredder (although much to my opponent’s chagrin after the game, they sideboarded out all their Shredders >-<), the rest of my sideboard lacked any bite in this matchup. Transformative sideboards can offer a significant advantage in certain matchups (although do remember to not over-sideboard as you still have to execute a set game plan). A Thing in the Ice flip followed by two Phoenixes in the yard closed out what was overall an enjoyable and close game.

Game three was kind of a non-game, bringing down the hype of the last two games, as I opened a 6 lander, mulled into a 0 lander, and was forced to keep a 1 lander on 5. I proceeded to get stuck on the 1 land for the entire game as 3/2 birds beat me to death.

Game four: Player skill matters

I’m going to confess something here. I suck at the game of Magic: The Gathering, a trading card game for ages 13 and up. I miss triggers, fail to see obvious lines and punt away games. This game was against Gruul vehicles (the toughest matchup) and probably a very important one. At my current record, if I were to win this match and the next, I could theoretically make it to the top 8 (Spoiler alert: I did not). At this point, the dam had burst, and my poor command of the deck was on full display. It’s important to remember that no matter how good you think you are, your opponents often have the same perception of themselves, and more often than not, they're right. 1-2

And so dear reader. What do my escapades inspire? Fear? Joy? Perhaps even pity? I hope you enjoyed this article regardless and have maybe, hopefully. found yourself enticed by the emotional rollercoaster that is competitive Magic: The Gathering. Pick up a (pioneer?) deck yourself in my honour, and mayhaps, we shall find ourselves seated across from each other one day, and armed with my sage advice, you proceed to lose, netting me a free win. One can only dream.

Librarian’s deck recommendations

UW Control. The premier Control deck in pioneer. With this deck you can enjoy all the joy of stopping your opponents from playing the game of Magic. Harness inevitability with some of the sweetest planeswalkers printed in recent decades, and savour the salt as your opponent writes a Reddit post about how unfun playing against control is as you tick up Teferi.

Izzet Phoenix. Once a titan of the format, and in my opinion, heavily slept on. Harness the power of value as you make full use of one of the most powerful mechanics in the history of Magic (delve!) and beat your opponent to death with birbs.

Azban Greasefang. Controversial opinion, but Rats on motorcycles?! In my fantasy Trading Card Game?! Sweet! Greasefang’s potential to combo off on turn three, and the backup of a reasonable midrange game plan if things go awry makes it probably the premier Combo deck in the Pioneer format. Harness the power of cheese with the joys of turn 1 Thoughtseize, followed by turn 2 Raffine’s Informant discarding Parhelion II, and turn 3 Greasefang.

Dear Belle, Faerun’s Premier Divorce Lawyer & Love Expert

Belle Babock, Esq.

Got problems? Write Belle, P.O. Box 666, Waterdeep

A Bard's Life

DEAR BELLE—

I am a successful Bard (Male Human) with adoring fans across Faerun, but find myself worrying about my life expectancy. It keeps me awake at night and I have to resort to drugs to get some sleep.

Is it true that Bards can expect much shorter lives than ordinary people? What am I looking at and how can I improve my chances of not dying before I get old?

ROLLING STONER

Belle Says: Dear 'Stoner',

The average life expectancy for a human male is about 60 years. From anecdotal evidence I think that bards can expect, on average, to live 30% less than non-bards due to a hard partying lifestyle. This would give you a life expectancy of 42 years. Unless of course you live in Baldur's Gate, where you can probably halve it.

If you want to have a higher life expectancy, my advice would be to either go sober or become a lich. For the latter option, you will have to find a steady source of souls to eat though, but as a famous bard with lots of fans, this shouldn't be a problem.

However, if the immortal lich lifestyle does not appeal, you could instead try making healthier lifestyle choices. Avoid drugs and alcohol, smoking, excessive adventuring, driving fast carriages and get plenty of exercise (sex doesn’t count).

Above all – try not to sleep with any dragons (polymorphed or otherwise), it rarely ends well.

Noise Problem

DEAR BELLE—

I have got a great girlfriend apart from one problem: when we make love she howls like a wild animal. At first I thought she was joking and laughed my head off, but I soon realised she does it all of the time. Even when we stayed at my parents’ house; she started howling and I had to stop, coitus interruptus.

I’ve tried asking her to keep the noise down – all to no avail. She starts crying and says I don’t love her if I mention it. She’s great otherwise with a fun sense of humour. I don’t want to dump her but I don’t know if I can stand the howling any longer. Help!

SLEEPLESS

Belle Says: Dear 'Sleepless',

What an unusual problem! Tell me, does it get worse when there’s a full moon? If it does, your girlfriend may be a werewolf. If I was you I’d get a silvered blade or silver tipped crossbow bolts just in case. Watch her like a hawk when the full moon rises; see if she starts growing fur and eating people. Mind she doesn’t devour you – have the silvered bolts ready, loaded into a great big lethal crossbow so you can shoot her in the heart when she comes for you. I hope you love her because she can only be killed by the hand of the one who truly loves her.

If the howling isn’t moon related then she’s simply a noisy bonker. You will need to stick something in her mouth to shut her up, whatever comes to mind (I’ll leave it to your imagination). Tell her to shut it. If she starts crying it is emotional blackmail – don’t let her get away with it. It’s tough love, silver or no silver, that’s what is needed.

Animal Sacrifices

DEAR BELLE— I am studying wizardry at a prestigious arcane academy and have to write a dissertation on the subject of ‘Sacrificing Pets in Fiendish Pacts’. Let me explain. It is well known that Demons and other Fiends like to take innocent souls when making deals with mortals; and what could be more pure or innocent than the soul of a beloved pet?

My logical reasoning is this – pets are much easier legally to sacrifice than other people, and no one can disagree that they are on average, more capable of love and loyalty than most humanoid species.

The main conundrum I have is the relative worth of the soul of dogs compared to cats. Are the souls of dogs worth more than cats since they are widely known to show more love to their owners? Do smarter pets imply that they have a more valuable soul, or do dumber pets mean that their souls are more innocent since ignorance is bliss? Would I therefore get more "bang for my buck" so to speak if I sacrifice a trained police dog as opposed to a dumb but loveable pug with asthma problems?

At the same time, some people would argue that cats, being independent apolitical creatures, would be the better option for a blood sacrifice, since many working dogs are complicit in the sins of their humanoid owners, especially if they work for the military, police or in the beef and cattle industry which is well known for its animal cruelty.

I have carried out quite extensive research into what the leading figures in magical theory and philosophy – such as Elminster and Mordenkainen– think, and would welcome your opinion on this conundrum, as a world expert in moral affairs and current thinking.

Help me Belle, you're my only hope for a passing grade. Do you think it would be better to sacrifice a dog or cat to the devil?

SEBASTIAN

Belle Says: No comment.

Cure For Heartbreak

DEAR BELLE— I have been depressed for several months after my wife ran off with our neighbour’s son, a 21 year old Paladin just returned from the Crusades. I hoped that she would get bored of him and come back to me, but she hasn’t and I have consoled myself by drinking heavily and crying all night.

I miss her so much and I don’t know how I am going to get through this, my only comfort is my memories and drink. Please help me, I feel terrible.

MICHAEL

Belle Says: Dear 'Michael',

I’m so sorry to hear about the breakdown of your marriage. It’s not unusual to become depressed in such situations. It is easy to turn to drink at such times, but drinking is not the answer and will make you more depressed.

You should seek comfort elsewhere. Being a drunk is hardly the best way to entice your estranged wife back. I bet the 21 year old Paladin is too busy giving her a good time to stop for a beer, his taught young muscular body glistening with sweat as he shows her his magical sword (wink) and divinely chiselled abs.

Channel your grief into anger. Start going to the gym or join an adventuring guild or start learning a deadly martial art, anything that allows you to work out your grief and aggression in a positive way. Imagine stabbing them both with a sword or running a carriage over them. It will liberate you.

Please don’t actually kill them though; there is, after all, a slim chance that she may get fed up of shagging him and come crawling back to you. If she does what do you want her to find – a depressed drunk or a lean, mean fighting machine?

Better still, in your new contented state of mind, pull yourself an even younger bird. Your wife has got a 21 year old, so you get a 20 year old. Or an older, richer woman, such as a renowned agony aunt with lots of realestate and an aching desire to help comfort lonely single souls such as yourself. Anything that will annoy your wife and tempt her back.

And if she does come back, tell her to get lost. You don’t need her. You are a strong attractive man and it is her loss, after all what has a 21 year old Paladin got that you haven’t? Besides his youth, physique, stamina, looks, sobriety and the ability to summon magical steeds?

If your wife does come back and you do resume your marriage, move away from any attractive young adventurers, so she is not tempted again. Perhaps live on an uninhabited island or in Thay, where half of the men are undead and won't pay her any attention.

Be strong. Forgive her if she comes back but make it clear that it’s her last and only chance. If she loves you she will be true. If she can’t keep her hands off her Paladin, leave her to it and get on with your life. There’s plenty more fish in the sea.

(PS. If you do get a divorce, hit me up — my rates are hourly)

Dungeons and Dragons is Weird

Book recommendations, and why there can and should be many fantasies

Rena Gao (.tevildo)

Have you ever looked through a Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition book and asked yourself, “Why is this thing like that?” Over its 50 year history, many parts of the game such as the core classes, alignment, magic, and combat have fossilised into obscure and twisted shapes. Appendix N in the 1979 Advanced D&D Dungeon Master’s Guide offers some clues as to their origins. The author Gary Gygax lists sci-fi and fantasy authors who he claims inspired the design of the game. Here are my recommendations from that list. I guarantee if you’ve ever played D&D you’ll have at least three “Oh! So that’s where that comes from!” moments per book.

The Dying Earth (1950) by Jack Vance

This book is the reason for the term Vancian Magic, of which 5e’s magic system is an evolution. A quote might be the best commendation (yes that is THE Prismatic Spray):

“These were … spells, so cogent that Turjan's brain could know but four at a time… [H]e sat down and from a journal chose the spells he would take with him. What dangers he might meet he could not know, so he selected three spells of general application: the Excellent Prismatic Spray, Phandaal’s Mantle of Stealth, and the Spell of the Slow Hour.”

Three Hearts and Three Lions (1961) by Poul Anderson:

Danish man gets isekai-ed into fantasy mediaeval France. In Anderson’s world, the cosmic forces of Law and Chaos are locked in an eternal battle and all beings belong to a particular side whether they know it or not. This inspired the original three-alignment system (lawful, neutral, chaotic), later expanded to five, then nine alignments. Three Hearts and Three Lions also features the D&Disms of Niels Bohr, everyone doing really bad accents, random encounters, regenerating trolls, and an adventuring party consisting of a Scottish dwarf, a girl who turns into a swan, a normal man, and a big horse. It’s in the Sutekh library.

The Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories by Fritz Leiber

I confess I’m recommending the last two books mostly out of historical interest. On the other hand, the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser stories are some of my favourites. The writing is incredibly evocative (well, also sometimes incredibly racist and sexist), and many of the stories are highly gameable, with dungeons that could be one-to-one translated into a session. I love them very much.

Much of the inspiration for the Rogue class (originally called the Thief) and specifically the 5e Arcane Trickster subclass comes from the Grey Mouser, a master thief whose boyhood magical training was cut short by Tragic Backstory. Leiber was the one who invented the Thieves’ Guild (later borrowed by Terry Pratchett in the Discworld books).

Two stories I recommend (both available in Sutekh’s library) are:

Ill Met In Lankhmar (1970): Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser meet for the first time and plan the stupidest, D&Dest heist ever, with tragic consequences. Features what would become a staple: low level PCs killing rats in basements. Rats are a recurring villain in Leiber and you’ll never think of them the same way again.

The Bazaar of the Bizarre (1963): Magic items, a dimension-hopping, monster-concealing magic item shop, and annoying wizard patrons (also endless shipping possibilities).

Here are two bonus non-book origins of D&D things:

D&D Monsters

Many D&D monsters are derived from other books or real world mythologies, but some are original. The prototypes of owlbears, bulettes, and rust monsters were found by authors Gary Gygax and Tim Kask in a bag of toys possibly meant to be Ultraman knockoffs made in Hong Kong. No wonder the bugbear is so huggable.

Wargames

Before and alongside D&D, the authors were writers of wargames and skirmish games. Basically they thought, what if we wrote rules for individual combatants, and roleplayed the non-fighting parts? The most direct ancestor of D&D in this respect is Chainmail (1971) by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren.

D&D is specific, not universal

I hope now you can see that D&D is weirdly, highly specific. It was written by white American history buff wargamers in the 1970s, and the game they wrote using the tropes from their favourite pulp fiction has, by a fluke of history, travelled far beyond that context to become a byword for “generic RPG”.

Why does this matter? Well, knowing this gives us the freedom to tell different stories in our roleplaying games, using different mechanics and media influences that are to our individual tastes and worldviews.

Many words have been written on the colonialism inherent in the basic gameplay loop of D&D: “discover” exotic locations, fight “monstrous” beings, take their treasure. Though I think there are still valuable and enjoyable things to get out of this type of game, there are so many games that are designed to tell other stories.

So here’s another list of recommendations:

Social Media

Check out the #RPGLATAM hashtag on itch.io or Twitter to see what Latin American game designers have written, or #RPGSEA for the same in South East Asia. One exceptional example (I think) is Zedeck Siew and collaborators. Not only are the aesthetics grounded in SE Asian mythology and history, but PCs interact with the world in a different way. For example, do they choose, whether actively or passively, to benefit from the trading company draining resources from the locals, or do they take action with little reward?

Powered by the Apocalypse

Powered by the Apocalypse (PBTA) games span an enormous range of subject matter. There’s Apocalypse World, Monsterhearts (teen drama but the teens are fantasy monsters), Masks (young adult superheroes) World Wide Wrestling (wrestling), The Warren (Watership Down rabbits), Brindlewood Bay (old women solving mysteries), and hundreds more.

Belonging Outside Belonging or, No Dice No Masters

The Belonging Outside Belonging/No Dice No Masters system. Whereas D&D is usually about individuals doing their own thing, these games are often about marginalised people situated within a community. Games include Dream Apart and Dream Askew, Révolution, Balikbayan, and Wanderhome (whose aims are specifically nonviolent).

Finally, a thought experiment in random table form. What if modern roleplaying games were built on a different set of mechanics and influenced by a different set of texts? Who would have invented them? What stories and themes would emerge? (I’m pretty sure many of these exist as games already, but anyway.)

1d6 twice	Game element	Genre
1	Improv games	Detective fiction
2	Choose your own adventure gamebooks	Chinese classic literature
3	Playing cards: roll 1d4: 1. French suited. 2. Tarot. 3. Japanese hanafuda. 4. German suited.	Southern European folk tales
4	Divination: roll 1d4 1. Aeromancy: things in the air (clouds, birds, planes). 2. Bibliomancy: writings. 3. Astragalomancy: bones or dice. 4. Aleuromancy: baked goods.	German Expressionist cinema
5	Chess, go, or other abstract board games	Pulp romance
6	Mock trials	Magical realism

A Creed of Fire

A line of many soldiers, a pastiche of humanity.

But all of their eyes sparkled red.

And right at the front, my father stood.

His heart was full of flames.

We live a life built on a frictioned trinity: war, upholstery and art.

Every vehicle we ride, every weapon we use and rebuild, is transfigured beyond the wildest dreams of its original physical form; painting a sacred flower on the canvas of time with its transformations.

Up and down, let them go; keep the wheel spinning.

The box sat before me, vestigial wood sections curved around its stainless steel body. Two red lights sat above the latch, with a small camera between them. Strangely, the lights felt more like eyes than the camera's gaze did.

It was an anquan box, or heir's chest; a stone faced man had left it at the front of my tent. I'd carefully pulled it inside and sat before it; or maybe it sat before me. A low whirr echoed from my left hand as I mindlessly fidgeted.

I looked at my dusty bookcase in the corner of the tent, one of its few pieces of furniture. Each row overflowed with weapons. A large holster was attached to a belt slung over the bookcase’s right side and a light armour set hung on its left corner.

The armour had combustion-assisted movement powered by Hydros. I'd taken it for repairs, and general enhancements hundreds of times and it had seen me through many years of training. It glowed faintly in the dark from the many gem-like lights that encrusted it.

The weapons were much less impressive, a quite standard mixed array of colour coded arms.

The most prominent weapon sat at the top: a large shotgun, vaguely reminiscent of a classic pump-style weapon from a cliche zombie movie of a long gone millenia. It had a more vertical grip of exaggerated width and length, segmented by gears and other moving parts before meeting the back of the frame. A dented drum magazine leant against a swollen section in front of the trigger. The gun propelled shells faster than just about anything that wasn't mounted on a plane, and its aim was assisted by small rotary engines. It shone a bright green laser when in operation, shifting to remain on par, and could synchronise with eyeware for a more direct indication.

I looked from the shelf to the box, and back; nervousness forming choreographed extraneous movements.

I felt very strange, just a couple of days ago I was training at a Leor tent, a couple of weeks ago I was fighting in a regular competition, a month ago I was refurbishing my armour at the Parimba tent. Work punctuated by little moments of peace. A life that hadn’t done much to prepare me for big moments of chaos.

He had fallen, in battle presumably, and his legacy sat before me.

My calm and rage, the natural figure of eight, arrhythmia under an unthinkable sadness.

But I knew what had to be done.

I leaned forward and aligned my eye with the centre of the box. A loud twang echoed through the tent, undercut by the whirr of many motors. An arm opened the box from the inside and started to unpack the newly inherited anqgear on the floor, replaying their last movements around my father in reverse.

The Leor and Parimba tents ran training and enhancements until 8pm, so I had an hour to take the first step.

I picked up the long rifle from beside the box, an ornate jade dragon laid along its hilt that opened at the end, a mythical extension to a users’ wrist.

But its link was the wrong type of socket, and besides, I’d prefer a third barrel.

City93 - A Card Game In Progress

A Creed Of Fire is a short story about a member of the Yamyr Flames, a faction in my new game City93. In City93, factions are intended to paint distinctive pictures of different post-apocalyptic societies.

City93 (aka SU-TCG) is a project to collaboratively develop a new trading card game internally at Sutekh. The game revolves around racing your opponent to develop your society the fastest, while disrupting your opponent through combat.

The latest iteration of the beta ruleset can be found here. The game has been through three (successful!) playtests so far. The plan is to continue testing and development through the semester.

We’re currently looking for people interested in playing and testing the game, but if you’re interested there's room for more people to become involved in development as well.

More information can be found in the relevant thread in the trading card games channel on the Sutekh discord server. Please let me know via Discord (my user is Neptunion) if you’re interested!

OUR SPONSORS

Howdy folks! Ever wonder where you can get some nifty discounts for board games? Let me be the first to tell you about our great sponsors! Hopefully this list will expand over the year, so keep your eyes peeled for more discounts and sponsors supporting Sutekh!

BEHOLD GAMES

Our first amazing sponsor is Behold Games, located at C17/99 Jones Street, Ultimo, on the corner of Macarthur and Jones, who have an amazing vibe with extremely friendly and helpful staff. They have an excellent selection of board games, miniatures, paints supplies and a tidy selection of Magic the Gathering cards. Be not afraid, as the owner is really nice and will help you get the things you want and will even order games for you if needed.

For such online orders we (Sutekh) have a discount code, a nice 10% off if you use the code SUTEKH on checkout, and you can always choose to pick up your order at the store if you’re buying something in-stock. Furthermore, every time you use the code SUTEKH to save on gaming supplies, you help us purchase even more board games for the society! Last year, this enabled us to get Root and the Marauders expansion, Wingspan: Oceania and Quacks of Quedlinburg.

Website: beholdgames.com.au

GOOD GAMES

Our other great sponsor is Good Games, who have locations all over NSW. Good Games has an enormous selection of board games, dice, miniatures, wargaming supplies and card games. If you can’t find something in one store, then the staff will be more than happy to direct you to another store that stocks it.

All Good Games locations run events throughout the week, however these events are not covered by Sutekh’s discount. Speaking of the discount, excluding the Miranda and Wollongong stores all you need to do is just show your Sutekh QPay card to receive a sweet 5% off your purchase (unfortunately the discount doesn’t work online)!

Website: www.goodgames.com.au

A Year in Review - Tabletop Roleplaying at Sutekh

Nathan Corr

	Roll 1d6	Effect
1	LAMPLIT & LOST	Lamplit & Lost has been a unique, multi-DM D&D experience. For years many Sutekh members have craved a setting and adventure that was all Sutekh’s own. It has been a wonderful success and I hope everyone has enjoyed playing! It’s still open so head to ttrpg-events and come play!
2	WWOT	We hope that you got to experience the WONDERFUL WORLD OF TTRPGS with a new TTRPG this year! There are so many amazing games and systems out there! This year we ran games of Cyberpunk, MORK BORG and Sign!
3	FESTIVAL OF CREATIVITY	The most exciting set of events this semester is yet to happen! We have so many fun & creative events in store, and so many feature TTRPGs at their centre! Play games with the people who made them, make your own, and hear from those in the industry about making games!
4	INTRO TO D&D	Twice the fun! With 2 introduction to D&D sessions this year there was nearly 100 people that learnt how to play one of the most popular TTRPGs!
5	MATCHMAKING	With our matchmaking form just having closed, we look forward to giving everyone a campaign table with other people in the Society!
6	WHAT”S NEXT?	I would like to thank the wonderful TTRPG subcommittee for all their help in creating this amazing year, with more tabletop roleplaying than ever before! I hope that next year we can keep these amazing events ongoing!

Zweihander Comic Returns

By Kin Lok Leung

A black and white comic in 5 panels

Panel 1: A boy sits at his desk. The laptop screen shows the words ZWEIHANDER and a video game character. The books on the shelf include the Zweihander archives and RPG books.

Panel 2: A voice from the computer says, "Before you choose you can ask one guardian one question. This is the riddle of the Osirans. Which is the Guardian of life?"

Panel 3: The boy is startled as behind him an otherworldly voice shouts in hieroglyphs.

Panel 4: He slams open his door, and calls, "Why is it so noisy out here in the living room?"

Panel 5: The boy sees Anubis, the dog headed Egyptian god, sitting in his armchair, holding a video game controller.

Bottom text: What will Anubis do to little TImmy? Check in next time in Zweihander 2024-1!!!