The Gulliver Fellowship and 18th C. Torchwood?

[abdul666lw]

For reasons of 'biological likelihood' ( a totally misplaced concern, I know ) I prefer to think that werewolves actually do NOT shapeshift: rather that they are suffering from a form of rabies, during their periodical fits (for some reason often triggered by the polarized moonlight ) in their Ríastrad / Úlfheðinn rage they *believe* to have changed into wolves. By some unconscious mesmerism / suggestion other people share this illusion or believe to see a wolfish shape superimposed to that of the maniac. Since there's how they see themselves and are seen, for gaming purposes I have to problem with using 'shapeshifted' miniatures

source - marvelously atmospheric photos of superbly painted miniatures on that blog, btw:


More generally, probably because of my personal background I always prefer pseudo-scientific 'explanations' -of very, very awfully bad SciFi level maybe, but at least sounding vaguely 'scientific'- over 'mystical' ones.
Vampires are not 'undead' but suffer another form of bite-transmitted rabies (± the 'Matheson model') -almost a symbiosis rather than a disease, given the multiple advantages gained by the host. Of course they are living, they breathe and their hart beats, their body is hot -I can't see how they could be active without an intense metabolism- and they have a mirror image, the so-called 'loss of soul' merely corresponds to the drastic change of ethics induced by the parasite. For an adaptation of the anime Hellsing Ultimate to pre-technological 18th C. artificial vampires can be created by grafting a 'bud' taken from the flesh of a 'true' vampire (not dissimilar to the 'gene seed' implanted in the WH40K Space Marines).

Zombies are not undead either but mentally regressed: their brain affected by the lack of oxygen during their 'apparent death' -either the initial manifestation of another bite-transmitted disease (the 'Romero model'?) or deep catalepsy caused by the drugs of Voodoo witch-doctors turning people into 'brainless' slaves. Differences of duration of the anoxia would explain the diversity of zombie types.

Ghouls -not 'undead' in their traditional form, anyway- are just like Lovercraft's Martense degenerated inbred cannibals suffering kuru.

Demons / Devils / Elves / Faeries? Humans from a 'parallel universe' occasionally opening on ours through 'portal' (such as the 'Hellgate' under Sunnydale ).  Early during the Stone Age they developed 'parapsy / psionic' abilities instead of progressing in 'technology' -they don't know how to lit a fire 'naturally' and any device, dress or tool they may possess are copied on ours. Basically they look like us (though some 'aliens' can look really 'odd'), except for their mysterious sensual beauty: any 'monstrosity / ugliness' reflects a fashion, or is an illusion to make fun of superstitious  humans and frighten them; the same for they apparent ability to change size and shape. If the time vectors of their universe and ours are not strictly parallel, without a corrective time travel while passing through the 'portal' time will seem to have flowed differently while 'on the other side', as sometimes noted in tales of sojourn in 'Faerie'. Their self-healing / regenerative capacities look 'miraculous' but are not automatic: for instance they developed a capacity to quickly heal wounds caused by bronze weapons when 'we humans' used such but this apparent quasi-immunity was restricted to this alloy; iron was at first 'mortal' to them -well, not really, but wounds caused by iron had to heal 'normally' and their 'natural' capacities of physiological resilience are greatly regressed (nowadays they would be very vulnerable to 'new' metals such as aluminium and sharp plastic. If the parasites causing lycanthropy and vampirism came from this parallel universe it would explain many peculiarities of vampires and werewolves, provided these parasites somehow incorporate molecular support of the Fées' psionically inducted non-natural abilities. Specially, people of Faerie have lost -for lack of usage along tens of centuries- 'immunity' against wounds caused by pointed wood, and never developed one against silver. This would suggest that wooden stakes and silver blades & bullets are equally efficient against both vampires and werewolves: merely, it happened that the power of wood was accidentally discovered against a vampire and that of silver against a werewolf....


Given that 'any science advanced enough cannot be distinguished from magic' and given that many 'abnormal' behaviors and events can be interpreted 'realistically', in a 'SciFi' manner or as supernatural origin, since such personal interpretations are largely immaterial in gaming terms and have no impact on the figurines used, each player can have his (not many 'her', alas) pet ones. It's perhaps best when uncertainty is maintained so that each player can 'explain' paranormal events in the way that best suits him. When long, long ago I 'masterized' a swashbuckling campaign set in an alternate mid-18th C. France (the Fronde des Nobles had partly triumphed, the King's centralized control is no stronger than ca. 'our' 1630 period, to allow 3 Musketeers-like adventure in 1745) some 'abnormal' elements crept in. Mainly -it was the initial idea- 'James Bondesque' gadgets à la Wild Wild West of the '60; but once one a NPC intended to employ the PC wore a mask and gloves (a detail taken from Flashing Blades, I believe), obviously because he wad covered with fur. As usual three explanations were possible: 'realistic' (hypertrichosis), 'SciFi' (a kind of 'Dr Jekill & Mr Hyde' experiment turned bad) or 'supernatural' (a curse): I carefully maintained uncertainty (to 'cure' the NPC was not the assigned mission, and anyway the fluid in that vial can be either a healing medicine or a magical potion, who knows  and on the end who cares?)
Just for my intellectual comfort I prefer to 'hold as true' deep down inside me such pseudo-scientific 'revisionist' interpretations. While willingly acknowledging how artificial / hypocritical it is to support e.g. that "Vampires don't sprout wings, they can jump from incredible heights and sometime seem to fly because of their weak parapsy / psionic ability to autotranslocate / levitate"
Along the same lines of 'biological pseudo-plausibility' I had some fun to describe a possible origin of Gorgons / Shambleaux.

 Then I confess that, while ready to accept that vampires can seem to turn into giant bats

or swarms of (large but) ordinary bats

I'm uncomfortable with minis of vampires with additional bat wings

(source): not only, like angels, succubi, centaurs and alas most dragons, they have to come from a world (Barsoom?) where vertebrates have more than two pairs of limbs à la Green Martian, but where are the powerful muscles required for flying -the 'normal' arms are on their way- and the *huge* breastbone to attach them It's fantasy, but I prefer when fantasy respects a minimum of verisimilitude: I wish Smaug will be built like manticore, like the best dragons in movies (Vermithrax Pejorative of 'Dragonslayer' or the dragons in 'Reign of Fire').

[kidterminal]

It's lucky then that the Underworld movies attribute vampire and werewolves to a retrovirus. France is a perfect home of werewolves after all, what will all the wolf hunts of the 17th century.

[abdul666lw]

 

These could easily by adapted to the 18th C. -not only in FIW Canada or Transylvania but in remote, isolated parts of France or Germany:

[kidterminal]

Yes the French country side is perfect for a game like that.

[abdul666lw]

If you want your 'heroes' challenged by evil clockwork automatons


Dr Who Micro Universe has two male ones

Now, it would probably not be very difficult to obtain more by (paint, basically) conversion? They look rather like late 17th C. minis with a kind of KISS make-up / venitian mask and (thick paint?) gloves

[kidterminal]

The clockwork men are great. They do make good villains.

[d phipps]

The clockwork men are great. They do make good villains.

Indeed!


I'd like to find some of those Tekumel figures. I think they'd make good Amazons for our Venus campaign.

Thanks for sharing.



HAVE FUN

[abdul666lw]

The Cavalcade Wargames Amazons of the Dragonblood Axibalan Empire look quite good also -for Mars, Venus, Lovecraftian Mu or 'At the Earth Core' Atlantis [what about a Royal Society-sponsored expedition of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen there? Lost Continents are good 'Lacepulp / Lacepunk' settings]- but the range has only 3 different figurines and was not expended for years:



 

[Franz_Josef]

If you're going Lost World amazons, I imagine many of the Tekumel Project lady warriors would fit right in.

[abdul666lw]

Galloping Major 'FIW Preacher'

is perfect for such a game, and the figurine is not restricted to Protestant backgrounds. 18th C. 'socializing' Catholic priests did not wear their cassock, but dressed in black 'secular' clothes; their only distinguishing features were the (black pipped white) priestly collar and a tiny calotte over their tonsure:

If some priests dressed so to enter the wittiness contests of fashionable salons, one can suppose a priestley  field operative (a jesuit of the C.R.O.C.? A Papal Assassin of Iscariota - not as comely as this one?) would wear such practical clothes when 'evil hunting'. Thus Galloping Major's Preacher, painted with a black (pipped white) collar, becomes a 'combat priest' (in Gévaudan, maybe, or in Nouvelle France?). Most of the 'armed settlers' would also fit perfectly.

[Galloping Major]

Abdul - thanks for showing my preacher, this is an amazing thread 
I plan to sculpt more C18th characters which may prove to be of interest to you 


Cheers,
Lance

www.gallopingmajorwargames.com

[abdul666lw]

Great news, Lance!
 Indeed as a 'not mainstream' period for Fantasy / Horror gaming, regarding miniatures the 18th C. is privileged with several sources of 'armed civilians': highwaymen, 'treasure island'-type pirates (and some lovely pirettes) and the growing 'FIW armed settlers' ranges.
Besides, regular military types with tricornes but in unhistorical uniforms are available for 'anti-supernatural SWAT' teams / factions: Black Scorpion Marines, Privateer Press Cygnar Arcane Tempest Gun Mages...

(Galloping Major)




For 18th C. 'Gothic Horror' games rules are certainly not lacking. But most are quite specialized with regard to the 'monster type' they cover (automatons, witches, zombies...) or the setting (17th C. English countryside, D'Artagnan's Paris, an evil-haunted mansion, revolutionary Venice...). Thus to play a more 'generic' campaign or one of one's own design, one has to add additional elements picked here and there. Alternatively one can start from a tried historical (or semi-historical: pirates, swashbuckling...) set of rules and add fantasy elements (Brink of battle seemingly is designed for such 'modular' construction).
Donnybrook is an upcoming "set of skirmish rules for 1660-1760" using the fashionable 'factions', each with its special abilities. To add 'supernatural factions' should perhaps be not too difficult?
Another point: the cover art is the work of one of the coauthors; look at the damsel in distress:

Someone appreciating Frazetta art cannot be totally bad