Riddle Of The Sands Commercial Beta Playtest From: madcentral@aol.com (MadCentral) Date: Wed, 16 Feb 2000 00:00:00 +0000 BETA PLAYTEST Riddle of the Sands Playtest Starts 1st March 2000! COSTS: �10.00 (includes playtest rulebook and 8-turns of playtest. After playtest the game will continue directly into the commercial version with no need to restart.) A Nexus Game by Justin Parsler and Steve Tierney for Madhouse. A play-by-mail open-ended game of power-building, exploration, empire-building and war. For more than two thousand years the Egyptian peoples entombed their leaders using elaborate rites and ceremonies. Sealed forever, laid to rest with your possessions and even with your followers, you fully expected to awaken in paradise, able to use your riches and servants in a glorious afterlife. For millenia you have slept, prepared for your new future, confident in the security of your knowledge and preparations. Until Now. Paradise, it seems, was not as you had been led to believe. After travelling with what you perceived to be Ra in his great sun boat through the night, you find yourself in a new place. A new world where, reborn to the world through a Sixth Hour Gate, you find an environment far more hostile than your native Egypt had ever been! Yet what wonderful possibilities! A new world, similar in some ways to the world you have known, in other ways very different. Yet this alien landscape offers you another chance to make your mark on the world! Perhaps even to realise the one dream you never achieved in life? To become a Pharaoh. SETUP INFORMATION ---------------------------------- In Riddle Of The Sands your first choice will be what sort of main character, or leader, you are going to control. There are two types which reflect, quite strongly, what style of play you think you might prefer. Your choices are either (a) Noble Ba, or (b) Noble Mummy. In both cases, these are members of Egyptian nobility, emtombed upon death, who have awakened in the New Nile having passed through the Sixth Hour Gate. In the case of the Noble Ba they have arrived in a purely spiritual form. This makes them very hard to kill and able to move quickly across the map, but also makes it very hard for them to have a direct effect on the real world, forcing them to always work through agents. The Noble Mummy, on the other hand, has returned to a physical form. They can have a profound inpact on battles and are extremely powerful in combat, but they can be killed more easily that a spirit. Your leader is able to absorb Sekhmet, spiritual energy, from the world around them. This can then be used to fulfill the spiritual needs of their people, or to summon new followers, called Shabti, through the Midnight Gates. Ba have the greater ability to absorb Sekhmet. Sekhmet - The Power Of Life Sekhmet is measured as a numerical figure (although in truth such things are very hard to quantify). Both the Noble Ba and the Noble Mummy start with 1000 units of Sekhmet. This can be used to summon various Shabti, or equipment, through the gates to serve them. This summoning must be done during this setup. Although it is acceptable to save some Sekhmet is you wish to, you will not find you are in dire trouble if you do not. More Sekhmet is regularly absorbed by your leader. The abbreviated term 'Sek' is user hereafter for Sekhmet. Important Note: Followers you choose to purchase with Sek during this setup are free for the duration of the playtest. This is not necessarily the case for followers you set-up once the game has begun, but your GM will advise you what may cost you additional funds. Essentially, if the follower is essential to the playtest, then its free. If not, then you can still choose to set them up if you wish but you will be paying a small fee per turn (in real money) for each you choose to take, since they are not necessary for playtest purposes. Shabti - 'I Follow' Shabti is the name of the common folk who bow to you. The word means 'I Follow'. Shabti can be broken down into several groups; "Commoners", "Scholars", "Priests", "Scouts" and "Warriors". When setting up your position you will need to choose how best to spend your 1000 starting Sek (and with only the limited information available in this leaflet, just to make it interesting for you!) For each of the five types of Shabti there are three sub-types; "Normal", "Well-Equipped" and "Very Well-Equipped". These versions cost 200, 400 and 600 Sek respectively. Commoners are used for scavenging and gathering, for menial work and when they meet certain criteria can be trained into specialist skilled tradesmen called Ushabti who can perform advanced tasks. Commoners are the heart of your followers. Scholars are skilled in the translation of hieroglyphs. This is very important, as only they can copy down the lore which is presented on various stele into a form usable. This requires ink, papyrus and quills, which all scholars start with a small amount of. Well-Equipped scholars may start with some lore scrolls containing useful knowledge and extra writing materials. Scholars can learn to perform feats of magic or train magicians. Priests are devotees of all the (huge) pantheon of Gods. They are capable of performing all sorts of devotions at particular places, praying for godly gifts, bestowing blessings and placing and removing curses. The Gods have a very real, palpable effect on life in the New Nile. Scouts are skilled trackers, hunters and, to a lesser extent, skirmish style warriors. They can come equipped with bows, are fast-moving and can see larger areas of map than many other followers. They are incredibly useful for hit-and-run raids and for getting the lay of the land. Warriors are the toughest initial combat class. They come with a variety of different weapons depending on 'equip' level chosen. Talismans Noble Ba and Noble Mummy can carry with them various special Talismans. Many Talismans can be found by exploring the game, but only a few are available at startup. The term 'Talisman' is used generically for all sorts of special items that can be brought through the the New Nile by Nobles. Althalet Talisman: Worn by a Noble, this Talisman will help deflect harm of a physical nature, which makes it generally more useful for a Mummy than a Ba. Cost: 100 Sek Tusantos Talisman: This Talisman protects against spiritual assaults. Very useful for a Ba or a Mummy. Cost: 100 Sek Cedar Ankh: Used as a weapon, the Cedar Ankh staff allows the wielder to strike onto the spirit plane. In the hands of a Ba it allows them increased combat capacity. In the hands of a Mummy, it will allow them to hurt spirits. It is, however, useless against non-spiritual enemies.. Cost: 200 Sek Green Scarab: An item of regeneration and rebirth, the Scarab allows the noble to heal themselves of a great deal of harm, but will eventually crumble away. Cost: 200 Sek Chain Of Honour: Given in life for great achievement to the noble by a Pharaoh, the chain of honour brings with it great prestige. There are those in the New Nile who will only speak with or aid those with such a chain. Cost: 200 Sek Barley Horn: The Barley Horn is a source of plentiful beer: fueled by a little Sek. The noble can pour beer out of it, which can promote happiness in and nourish flagging followers. Cost: 150 Sek Death Mask: A golden death mask, still worn by the Noble, grants some protection against many types of attack, especially magical ones. It also acts as something of a status symbol. Cost: 250 Sek Blessed Libation: A horn of good beer blessed by a high priest in life. It can be used to make offerings to the Gods, or to make a place sacred. Cost: 50 Sek Book Of The Dead: A guidebook to the afterlife. This is a most sacred book. A lot may be learnt by perusing its pages. 200 Sek. The Set-Up Form Now all you need to do is fill in the form on the back of this flyer choosing your Noble Type, Naming them, then spending your 1000 Sek on followers and/or Talismans for your Noble! Then return the form to your GMs (with payment of �10.00 if you have not already paid it. Your �10.00 covers the playtest rules and first 8 turns. Playtest Starts 1st March 2000! ========================================= THE SETUP FORM (Clip this part of the email, fill it in, and send it back to Madhouse UK) NAME:- POSTAL ADDRESS:- POST CODE:- TELEPHONE NUMBER:- EMAIL ADDRESS:- MADHOUSE ACCOUNT NUMBER:- (If you have one) ========================================= YOUR NOBLE ----------------------- Noble Ba or Noble Mummy? ________________________ Male or Female? ________ Choose a Name for your Noble _________________________ (max 20 chars) Now Spend your 1000 Sek by choosing options as shown in the earlier section of this message:- YOUR SHABTI Quantity _______ Common / Scholar / Priest / Scout / Warrior Normal / Well / Very Well (clip & repeat for more Shabti types) YOUR TALISMANS List the Talismans you want to buy _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Playtest Starts 1st March 2000! Up