legion3.pdf

LEGION

issue three - july 2002

HELLO

Game Note: Like all the Witzenberg Group publication,

this is written in Classical and is invaluable for lawyers.

Any lawyer who uses this work gains a +10 to Law tests.

This is a common work, but like all of the Witzenberg

Group’s books is very expensive. Generally, this book

sells for a hundred Crowns, but lately a black-market has

been discovered. Many of the Witzenberg Group’s

warehouses have been robbed, and these books have

been found for sale at half the price. The publishers are

angry, yet lawyers are surprisingly slow to offer their

support. Mutterings suggest that this is only just

desserts, after the daylight robbery of the prices charged

up until now.

Welcome to issue three of Legion, the newsletter that

contains those articles we just haven’t got the room to

put into the pages of Warpstone itself. This time around

we have a look at Richard Martin’s artwork, a reprint

from an out-of-print Warpstone, a alternative plot for an

Warpstone scenario and other stuff. The articles

contained in this issue highlight why we started Legion.

We hope you’ll let us know what you think.

OVERDUE BOOKS

OKS

Langenburg’s Cyclopediea

Published in 2489 in Nuln, the Cyclopediea is a bestiary

written and conceived by Lou Langenburg. Though he

possessed no University ties, Lou was an explorer and

hunter who tracked all manner of animals and beasts in

the southern part of the Empire.

The work lists over four hundred types of animals,

plants and monsters. Each entry is accompanied by

sketches and information. Background on the numerous

animals and plants is accurate, but the entries for

‘monsters’ are often comical to those with experience of

them. The fact that halflings, gnomes and Dwarfs are

listed as monsters caused an outcry from their respective

communities. Many adventurers starting out for the first

time have been known to consult this. Indeed, one

possible scenario hook would be to have the PCs update

the book through trial and error.

This is a relatively unimportant work, and can be

found among many private collections. University

libraries have pulled this from their shelves because of

the many errors. The book measures 15” x 12”, and the

binding is a simple thick paper one. It is a cheap binding,

and many argue this suits the work.

Game Notes: This work is not significant in any way.

There is so much wrong with this book that any PC who

tries to use it to discern information about ‘monstrous’

flora or fauna must make an Intelligence test at –10 to

discern anything useful. Should they fail this test by 30

points or more, then the information they gather will be

wildly inaccurate and potentially dangerous. This work is

common , and inexpensive to buy at ten Crowns.

By Richard Iorio II

We printed a selection of tomes in issue 14 in the article

Between the Lines . Here are a couple more we left out for

reasons of space.

Berger’s Law Dictionary

First published in 2402 by the lawyer and scholar Konard

Berger (2362-2452), this work is the foremost authority on

legal terms and definitions. Now in its 6 th edition, Berger’s

is the one source that lawyers and students can turn to

for legal definitions.

Berger was a lawyer of great renown in Altdorf, and

his clients could be found not only in the Empire, but in

Tilea as well. His dealings with various legal systems led

him to define the terms and practices commonly found in

the courtrooms at the time. However, he went further that

this, also researching old terms and laws in order to

provide a more comprehensive history.

With the 6th edition the publishers, The Witzenberg

Group , have included Estalian, Bretonnian, and even Sea

Elf terms. The work is found on every lawyers desk, and

in every law school.

Measuring 10” x 8”, the work is cloth bound and the

five hundred type set pages are sewn to the spine. The

binding is loose, and many copies are missing pages.

Lawyers complain that every year or so a new copy must

be bought due to the number of missing pages. A solid

work, but really only useful for lawyers or students of the

law.

Editors: The usual suspects.

Legion is a Warpstone publication. Warpstone can be contacted at 11 Eridge Green, Kents Hill, Milton Keynes, MK7 6JE or contact by e-mail at warpstone@bigfoot.com

or for more info check out www.warpstone.darcore.net

Warhammer, White Dwarf and Games Workshop are registered trademarks and Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, The Enemy Within, Shadows Over Bogenhafen, Death

on the Reik, Power Behind the Throne, Carrion up the Reik, Marienburg: Sold Down the River, Apocrypha Now, Apocrypha 2: Charts of Darkness, Doomstones,

Middenheim: City of Chaos, Empire in Flames, Empire in Chaos, Realms of Sorcery and the names of all prominent imagery, places and characters within the Warhammer

world are trademarks of Games Workshop Ltd. and are used without permission. Warpstone recognises the status and ownership of all copyrights, trade marks and

registered names that may be used herein and the use of the aforementioned within this publication should not be construed as a challenge to such status and ownership.

Warpstone (ISSN 1465-6604) & Legion are independently produced magazines, and not owned, licensed or approved by Games Workshop Ltd, or Hogshead

Publishing Ltd. All original material is copyright to the respective author/artist.

A WARPSTONE PUBLICATION

OVERDUE BO

By Richard Iorio II

THE ARTIST’S NOTEBOOK

A Look at the art of Richard Martin

twork has alwa ys b

ys bee n very imp

n very imp or

oor tant to

tant to

Warpstone and here we tak

ok at some

sketches from Richard.

e a look at some

ok at some

sketches from Richard.

A Necromancer from issue 10. Like all sketches Richard works’

changes little from sketch to final version. The major difference

here is the lack of two ornate rings and the “reserve” of the arm.

Cleric of Morr from

Corrupting Influence.

Ghoul, also from

issue 10.

Two more necromancers. The one on the

left was on the cover of issue 10 and one

of the most popular. Note the symbol

sketches to left of figure. These are for

the brooch at the front. The figure above

is from issue 15.

Two sketches of

pictures from Chart of

Darkness.

legion - issue three

A Ar

AAr twork has alwa

o or

twork has alwa

ys b

n very imp

arpstone and here we tak

arpstone and here we take a lo

e a lo

AN EXCHANGE OF LETTERS

By T

By Tim Eccles and Leif Ulrich Schrader

The following exchange grew from a letter originally written to Warpstone by Lief. We have decided to include some of the exchange

between Leif and Tim (who wrote the article that Leif commented upon) as it raises a number of important points, all of which deserved

to be made public in order to enable further debate. Give us your thoughts on this issue.

describe (in a Marxist sense) as a defence of their

class, rather than for any aims that later became

associated with the Nazis. To be equally simplistic,

they tended to be fighting to retain the existing

(Prussian) order of the Kaiser, and certainly had no

sort of social revolution in mind of the sort envisaged

by Hitler; indeed, they would (at this time) have

likely fought equally against that. However, to

suggest that a group fighting in 1919, after seeing

their future and class privileges overturned by defeat,

then disbanded and became the SA in 1933 is a

rather tortuous piece of logic. Stretching my use of

the term to a particular Germanic phrase is simply

unreasonable. More, to most readers, “tell it to the

marines” is a much more likely origin for the quote

than Leif’s rather convoluted assertions that it has

its basis in Nazism. In fact, this was precisely my

intention. In the UK and USA, the phrases, “go tell

it to the marines/ police/ etc”, are reasonably familiar.

WFRP covers many unappealing facets of human

history - feudal despots, uncaring merchant

capitalists, mass slaughter and warfare, racist pogroms

(against ‘chaotics’) - and to pick out my use of the

term “freikorps” which I have taken simply from a

post-World War 1 postscript is highly unfair. Indeed,

for what it is worth, the word is even in my pocket

English-German dictionary as ‘volunteer corps’ -

which is precisely what the group is. I accept that as

presented in the article there is no context for the

group, but they are, in my campaign, pretty much

what the freikorps were: a group of privileged

individuals seeking to defend that privilege. One of

the things that I like about WFRP is its reality, and

sadly that includes all sorts of prejudice - as discussed

in a Correspondent article of mine. The freikorps are

simply a product of Imperial social relations, just as

in real life they were a result of the collapse of

Germany in 1918.

Another point Tim raises is that the term

“Freikorps” is, when translated, quite harmless. I

agree and I also agree that a word itself is neither

good nor bad, but neutral. But our allusions transport

the idea of a word. National-socialism is quite

harmless as a word. Literally, it simply means

‘socialism within a nation’. And many people who

believed in National-Socialism during the Weimar

Republic had nothing to do with what happened

after 1933. However, the Nazi-regime has tainted

this word. And just because the word itself is neutral

and because many people who called themselves

National-Socialists during the Weimar Republic were

followers of what later became the biggest disaster of

Europe, you would not seriously suggest that you

would give that name to a group in WFRP (please

correct me if I am wrong).

Tim says that I “torture” logic and history by

saying that the “Freikorps” where the predecessors

of the SA. To cite from Chambers Dictionary of

World History: “Formed in late 1918 and 1919…

the Freikorps played and equivocal and often violent

role in the early history of the Weimar Republic…

and engaged in a campaign of terror and assassination

against prominent republican figures as well as

attempting to topple the republic in the ‘Kapp

Putsch’ (1920). Despite their official dissolution in

1920, the Freikorps maintained a clandestine

existence and were involved in Hiltler’s failed 1923

putsch. Subsequently quiescent, many Freikorps

officers later resurfaced as leaders of the SA.” I think

that this hints at a direct connection between the

two organisations. Calling this a torture of logic or

history seems a little daring.

Tim: The use of real world material in a game

always runs the risk of offending those who

experienced events or believe that they still live

with the repercussions. This is often utilised by

nationalists who simplify historical events and lay

claim to them as tools in modern debates. The film

Braveheart is a perfect example, being historical

rubbish, but appealing to anti-English Scottish

sentiment. I make no apology for utilising history

as a source for deepening the worlds in which I

game, and I do not accept that individual (or group)

perspectives upon those histories negate their richness

in source material for a fantasy game. Moving on to

the specifics of WFRP, Games Workshop (to my

mind) has always utilised what might colloquially

be described as fascist ephemera within its games.

Whilst this might be most obvious within the

worrying (and this is an issue in itself) Warhammer

40K, WFRP clearly retains similar overtones within

its dark and gothic setting. I see nothing wrong, in

principle, with this, assuming that these issues are

set in the appropriate social, economic and political

settings. Simply wishing away evils will not work,

and RPGs are educational as well as entertaining.

Indeed, I am surprised at such a viewpoint from

someone who included a paedophile NPC in a series

of characters that he wrote up for the WFRP e-mail

List. That, for me, suggests that we agree that

unsavoury aspects of the real world are valid topics

for a game world, subject to their appropriate

contextualisation. I have always viewed The Empire

as capable of the same forms of nascent racism that

found root in Germany, and which may form such

fertile ground for development of those same ideas.

The fact that I use such things by no means implies

my support for them; rather I portray them as

unsavoury groups that the PCs would find reasons

to dislike instantly. Racism is, in my view, a suitable

subject to cover in RPGs, and is already apparent in

WFRP - Dwarfs are racists by definition, as they

have animosity to Elves.

I also disagree that the Freikorps equate with the

Nazis. That is a very naïve assertion. True, the

freikorps were right of centre militias derived from

disbanded army units fighting against the leftists

who replaced the Kaiser after the First World War.

However, this group was fighting in what I would

Tim: Obviously, the bottom line is that I had no

intention of offending anyone with an article. The

quote Leif refers to has its roots in an Anglo-American

saying and not a German one at all. I quite strongly

believe that this is a completely different situation

than that of Untermensch, which I think is worse

than tasteless. In fact, I disagree with almost

everything Leif says. To suggest that a paedophile

might not be a criminal could be taken to be equally

tasteless. I recall a university academic in Wales

being sacked for suggesting something far less radical

about paedophilia. I have never mentioned the

Holocaust, nor would I, but I do maintain that

racism is an integral part of WFRP. In addition, one

of the defences of RPGs against the ‘moral minority’

and religious book burners during the early years of

my gaming was precisely that it was educational.

Many people base their WFRP campaigns upon

excerpts of history that they go and read up on. As

a Chivalry & Sorcery and Harn player, I am doubly

in disagreement with the statement. I’ll certainly

defend RPGs as educational, and continue to deepen

my own games on that basis. Leif accuses me of

being daring in my own logic. With reference to the

freikorps, the fact that individuals later joined the

SA does not alter the original premise for their

existence. Equally, that many worked towards the

1923 Putsch simply shows that they saw their

interests served in that way, not that they were Nazis

per se. Whatever else he may have been, Hitler was

a canny politician, able to twist other people’s desires

Leif: First of all I was not simply offended by a

reference to a (more or less) racist and anti-semitic

organisation or group. This is, in my opinion,

tasteless - but then the term “Untermensch” is, as I

think Graeme also stated ( Warpstone issue 14),

equally tasteless. When Tim makes a reference to

the NPC I have created I agree that it may appear to

be inconsistent on my part. However there is a

major difference between paedophilia and the above-

mentioned issue. A paedophile is a person with a

social defect (although the ancient Greeks may be an

example of a different point of view). He or she may

be a criminal, or may not, but in any case it is,

unfortunately, a human defect. What has happened

between 1933 and 1945, however, is not a mere

crime. Without going into the discussion of the

singularity of the holocaust, it certainly is beyond a

crime. I would have no problem describing murder,

and this is done in almost all role-playing games,

but I would have problems with a parallel of the

holocaust.

You say that role-playing has something to do

with education. I completely disagree here. Role-

playing games are, as the name suggests, games and

not education. There is also, in my opinion, not

much that can be learnt with the help of this distorted

version of Europe in the late Middle Ages.

legion - issue three

AN EXCHANGE OF LETTERS

By T

im Eccles and Leif Ulrich Schrader

Leif: I was a little surprised, to say the least, to find

the words, “tell that to the Freikorps”, in Timothy

Eccles’ article (The Correspondent Warpstone 16 ).

Probably neither Tim or Warpstone are aware of it,

but Freikorps were a radical right-wing movements

in Germany between the first and second World

War. They played a significant role in the political

and physical terror against republican politicians.

They later became Hitler’s SA troops. Although

this is tasteless enough, it is even more tasteless

when you consider that the phrase “Erzähls den

Freien” (which translates as “Tell the Freien” – a

reference to Freikorps) was a request to denounce

someone, so that the Freikorps should put them

under pressure - i.e. threaten or even assassinate

him. My point of view may appear to be rather

sensitive, but I do not think that such a reference has

any place in a roleplaying publication.

and fears to his own ends. Also, I’d strongly contest

the notion that the Chambers offers definitive proof

on the point.

discussion that suggested that the Wehrmacht was

culpably guilty, rather than an unwilling tool of the

Nazis, was very unpopular with many Germans,

was it not? Indeed, on certain housing estates in the

UK, one would undoubtedly be safer being an ex-

Nazi than being ‘different’ and thus assumed guilty

of being a paedophile. Last summer we had vigilantes

beating up people that they decided - without evidence

- were paedophiles. Innocent people were burnt out

of their houses by their neighbours. This is an

example of cultural specificity. Many English readers

of your comment would find that tasteless or worse,

whether you meant to be or not, and whether you

were intellectually correct or not.

This is a difficult problem. We have had films

about the Holocaust, whose aim was to make money.

We have museums about the Holocaust, whose aim

might be to educate, but also to make money. I’m

not sure that one can be quite this definitive about

not using ‘holocausts’ in RPGs, though I personally

would not do so. I do agree that the Holocaust is a

unique event that should not be taken as anything

other than it was. Still, I am one of those who regard

what the Germans did in South West Africa at the

start of the last century as a holocaust, and I am

concerned that the Holocaust is accorded more

importance than many African genocides, simply

because Africans are black. I see very little difference

between genetically cleansing Africans and doing so

to Eastern Europeans. I hastily point out that you

are not suggesting this, but I personally think

Germany should answer to the Africans as much as

it answers for the Holocaust. Just as we British

should answer for slavery, what happened in Ireland

and the like - though as a very generalised comment

I tend to regard the Empire as primarily paternalistic

rather than anything more sinister. From a RPG

view, I could envisage having some rather unpleasant

activities confront the PCs in Twilight 2000 and the

like - slaughter of civilians seems a part of modern

wars, and hence of games that represent them.

At the end of the day, I cannot do anything about

offending other cultures that I do not understand,

beyond being as careful as I can be. Within an

English-speaking audience - which is the market for

Warpstone - there was nothing to cause offence or be

tasteless. How something translates is beyond my

control, and also subject to the imprecision of the

individual language and person involved. I have

asked some twenty people, and none saw anything

remotely wrong. Language being what it is, I cannot

be held responsible for how any individual might

read anything that I write. I can only definitively

know what I mean to write, and do my utmost to

ensure that it is done accurately. This, in my view,

I have done, and I still believe that your extension of

the phrase is not supported by my own statement. I

am using freikorps as volunteer militias, as defenders

of their class and of the divine right of nobility.

They are clearly embedded in a WFRP context in

my mind. I do refute that it is tasteless, because I do

not accept the inference you draw.

Maybe I am over-reacting, but I am certainly the

wrong person to determine this. I do not “blame”

you for missing the meaning of the phrase for a

German speaking audience, especially since there

may be not too many German readers in Warpstone’s

audience, and perhaps even fewer who know about

the meaning. However, the whole ‘difficulty’ could

have been avoided by not using the term “Freikorps”,

since this term is the trigger. Another name, like

Freischar (which basically mean the same), may

have been more appropriate. Such a neutral term

would never have carried the “taint” of Freikorps.

You are speaking of a convicted paedophile in

your reply, which I wasn’t. Still I do have a problem

with saying that even a convicted paedophile is

committing a felony or misdemeanour when he thinks

about it. Besides the obvious difficulty for the British

Criminal Prosecution Service of proving it, this

would be something quite diametrical oppose to

around 1800 years of legal tradition. Looking at

pictures of child pornogrphy is also a crime in

Germany. In fact the possession and distribution of

it is a punishable offence. Still when I wrote about

paedophilia, I was only talking about a paedophile

- that is, a person that is sexually attracted towards

minors. You, however, are talking about a convicted

paedophile and, in the second case, about

circumstances that are punishable per se and not

only in connection with paedophilia.

“Following orders” may under special

circumstances be an excuse (not a justification) for

an offence. Besides there are of course various grounds

on which murder is justified (most notably self-

defence). This however does not weaken my

argument, that thinking about killing someone is

not an offence. It becomes punishable when the person

has crossed the line and made an attempt. There are

very few crimes in Germany that are punishable

even at the stage of planning it (e.g. preparation for

an aggressive war).

The so called “Wehrmachtsausstellung” was very

popular and I do not question its basic statement,

that soldiers of the Wehrmacht did participate in war

crimes, the holocaust and the systematic execution

of civilians in the occupied territories.

I am full aware of the reactions in Great Britain

towards the “News of the World” story. This reaction

can also be seen in the “Little Rascals” trial in

Carolina or the Worms-trial (a town, not the insect)

in Germany. But I would never ever put myself on

the same level with the people lynching others.

These people were committing a crime and should

be punished. I understand that no one wants to live

near a person convicted of child abuse, but does this

give them the right to do what they have done? I

was trained as a jurist and passed the first state

examination, therefore my background is different

from most people in Germany.

I agree that RPGs can be educational. I do not

think that they help kids to read and write, since the

two are vital for playing and you have problems

with playing RPGs when you are illiterate. It can

help with social skills. But being a follower of, say

Ms. Britney Spears, can also help one to socialise.

Every activity that involves more than one person

can help you to socialise. Creating structured

discussions, researching in-depth detail etc. can all

be developed in RPGs, but this depends very much

on your personal style of playing. I have seen people

that role-play who are very unlikely to ever gain

these skills in this way.

I agree that you cannot possibly avoid any

kind of misunderstanding. However you can try to

do so. In this case, all that would have been

necessary was to avoid the term Freikorps and

replace it with a more neutral term like Freischar.

Leif: It was never my intention to suggest that you

wanted to offend anyone.

The quote may have its roots in Anglo-American

usage; I have never said that it did not. However, it

also has a connection to Germany and you have (and

I believe that it happened by chance) used a phrase

that has a negative allusions, to say the least, for

German speaking people.

I still state that a paedophile is not necessary a

criminal. A paedophile is a person with a sexual

desire towards minors. He only becomes a criminal

when he commits a crime. If he rapes, abuses or

molests a child (or an adult), he is a criminal. He

may, however, need psychological treatment in order

to prevent such crimes. However, I completely

disagree that someone is a criminal only because he

has certain feelings, emotions or desires. When I

think that I want to kill anyone, am I a criminal?

No, neither in Germany nor in Great Britain. I only

become a criminal the moment I commit the crime.

Any other answer would be unbearable and would

eliminate any kind of freedom - and not only the

freedom of thought.

The fact that someone was sacked for something,

as you say, “far less radical”, should not be confused

with crimes. A person can get sacked because he has

neglected his deeds; is he then a criminal?

I have never said that you have mentioned the

Holocaust. All I wanted to state, and I am sure that

you know this, is that there is a difference between

describing a crime, such as murder, or opinion,

such as racism, and describing something that

consisted of such things. Is it okay to describe

murder? Probably! Is it okay to describe racism?

Probably! But it is okay to create a parallel to the

holocaust, even if it was a combination of racism

and murder (but of course much worse than a mere

combination)? Certainly not!

If you want to use roleplaying games in an

educational way, this is fine by me. You can make

soccer an educational game if you want to. But the

game itself is, in my opinion, not educational.

Tim: The problem with this argument is its cultural

specificity. I agree with Habermas that German people

have specific responsibilities for the Holocaust, just

as British people have for the Empire and (for example)

Ireland. However, there is little I can do when writing

with an acknowledged widely understood English

term, in English, that it might cause upset to a

German audience - or indeed to a Japanese, Somali

or Martian audience. I still think you are over-reaching

yourself to say that my phrase equates to the phrase

you offered. Again, it’s a matter of information. I

don’t know German, so don’t know the phrases

you do. Being accused of using offensive terms,

when translated into another language and context

is, in my view, simply not valid. This is an English

article, utilising a piece of 1919 history and a well-

known saying for a FRPG.

With reference to the convicted paedophile,

“thinking” might indeed be illegal inasmuch as

such a person would have to prove that whatever

they were doing is innocent - walking past a school,

standing on a street corner, visiting a corner shop,

or talking to a kid might immediately lead to re-

conviction. Also, talking about it, looking at

pictures, etc. are also all crimes. Nor is “killing”

instantly a crime. Soldiers do it all the time. Officially

most Germans – and most Nazis – were innocent of

murder. “Following orders” was deemed an acceptable

defence for many. And a recent exhibition and

Leif: I do agree that Germans have a very special

and quite sensitive attitude to whatever happened

on the way to the so called “Third Reich”. Such an

attitude is understandable after what Germany - both

its leaders and, especially in the Second World War,

some of the so called common people in the ranks of

the German army - has done during the first half of

the last century. And in contrast to other nations,

the thorn sits deep in the German mind. There are

very few, as far as I can recall, discussions of the

British role in the Boer Wars in Britain, and the

USA do not have similar problems with the events

during the time of slavery.

legion - issue three

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

Alternative Headhunters by Rob

Alternative Headhunters by Rober

e ert Re

t Rees

e es

I enjoyed the scenario “Headhunters” in

Warpstone issue 14, but felt it contained a few

weaknesses. The issue of a wife not recognising

her husband immediately struck me as a difficult

one so I felt the need to add a bit more background

to make the whole issue more plausible. Really

the issues I think need to be addressed are whether

Karl’s true son would not realise that his father

had changed? Would he stand by the impostor if

he did know? How would he feel about his half-

siblings and particularly his mother if he discovered

the truth? Here is my take on it. You will need to

refer to the original scenario for details of the

various people involved and the basic outline of

the plot.

whether you are happy having an NPC who is willing to seduce his

half-sister (and belief he is right to do so) in your game or not.

I have decided to go with a bitter, vengeful and angry character but

you could also have a complicit Siegfried, an understanding Siegfried

or just a fairly stupid one who doesn’t realise anything has changed.

The thing I liked about having Siegfried as this subtle, sinister

character is that the group really have to make a choice about what

they are going to do about it as they will have the power at the end

of the scenario to ruin either Siegfried or his sister. If you start off

with PCs as employees of the family then obviously this choice is

really going to have a big impact on their future (particularly as

whoever wins might want those who know the truth out of the way).

nt Direction

While running this variation in an improvisation at Dragonmeet

2000 I decided that as it was a one-off the PC’s would be employees

of the Reuters who (by chance) happen to be the first people to

encounter the ghost. They are thereafter charged with discovering

why it is haunting the Reuter household.

The PCs joined up when Anne was taking control and take their

day to day instructions from Magnus. They know from some of the

older employees that Karl also had a prodigal son who left under a

cloud after quarrelling with his father. They have never met Siegfried

however and have only glimpsed the reclusive and ailing “Karl”.

Similarly they may only have caught glimpses of Annett before her

death.

The result had an interesting “Hamlet” feel with Siegfried as a

brooding, vengeful character literally haunted by his dead father.

The PCs on the other hand were almost like the clowns Rosenkrantz

and Guildenstein, essentially humorous, marginal hangers-on within

the family slowly uncovering the family’s dark secret and the bidding

of the unsuspecting Magnus. It felt both darker and yet more humorous

than the original “straight” material, the conclusion is also sharper

due to the strength of feeling on all sides and the consequences of the

decision.

nt Direction

amily

Annett was initially in love with Lucas but was

bullied by her family into marrying the heir, Karl. Although she

played along like the good daughter she was always bitter about the

affair and still carried a torch for Lucas. When Lucas was brought

home by the prison guards, she was shocked, but saw a way to have

her revenge and end up with her real love.

After Karl was executed Lucas collapsed with relief, guilt and

physical exhaustion leading to a number of months closeted away in

a delirium. During his recovery Annett coached him about being

“Karl”, teaching him all the necessary knowledge by rote.

This had one slightly unforseen circumstance in that at the end of

it all Lucas genuinely believed he was Karl. His injuries prevented

him from returning to the soldiering career and he quietly turned to

his family trade. The town council at this time discreetly purged

references to Lucas (who in his youth was as prominent and well-

regarded citizen as his brother). Out of respect for “Karl”’s feelings

the local citizens rarely mentioned the “traitor” and Lucas passes

out of memory.

Siegfried is the only person who suspects something is wrong.

Being only a child there was little he can do and the family servants

try to tell him that men often change when they come back from

the wars. They think that Karl’s different demenour was due to the

shock of the betrayal of his brother and “bad nerves” after his

collapse.

Time passes and Annett and Lucas have two further children who

go on to run the business as Annett and Lucas age and sicken. Siegfried

however is more convinced than ever that “Karl” is not his father,

after talking to veterans of his father’s army he hears of the massive

stomach wound that Karl suffered on his last campaign (the shoulder

injury being a little too subtle) and decides that he has to know. He

spies on his “father” and finally discovers that “Karl” has no such

injury.

He confronts Lucas and Annett, Lucas (who genuinely thinks he is

Karl) is deeply wounded by his son’s accusations and only Annett’s

pleading stops Siegfried from creating a massive scene in the town.

Instead he quits the town disgusted by his mother and wanting to

avenge his father. Lucas cuts him off from the family for his

“madness”.

He later returns in disguise (he colours his hair, grows a beard,

affects an accent and so on) as the head of a wealthy merchant house

many years later. He is careful to avoid Annett but his half-siblings

seem not to recognise him (they after all are quite a few years

younger than him and have not seen him since he departed). He

decides to woo Anne and marry her, recovering his inheritance

hopefully killing his uncle with shock and breaking Anne.

With Annett’s death Siegfried is about to put his plan into action

when he hears of the ghost haunting the family house. He decides to

wait on his plan and hopes to discover whether this is truly the spirit

of his lost father (who he has obviously come to idealise).

This version of Seigfried is quite nasty and it rather depends on

Head of the Family

amily

etail

I also think it’s a bit difficult to explain how a nearby village has a

tradition of playing “football” with “the traitor’s head” without

anyone in the town having heard of it. Perhaps it was actually held

by some secretive gentlemen’s club as a macabre trophy. Another

more hidden tradition might be used instead, perhaps it is in the

“Black Library” of a cult or part of a collection of historical oddments

from the town’s history held in the headquarters of a local guild.

It is important that the head be hidden from public view and also

difficult to acquire without explaining the situation to the owners

(or at least being able to substitute a convincing facsimile). It is also

good for an ongoing game if after having given up the head the

former owners have some possibility of exploiting the incident to

gain various favours from the Reuters family.

etail

Conclusion

“Headhunters” is a great scenario and is the kind of material that

you subscribe to Warpstone for. Its central conceit though is a little

hard to swallow. The suggestions above plug the gap but put a darker

complexion on things. Take your choice or use both sets of material

to create your own view of the haunting but whatever you chose

make sure you have fun playing it.

I am really quite excited about the idea of seeing this “alternative” in

Legion as I hope it will lead to more of the great writers that read

Warpstone contributing alternatives to various scenarios, articles and

cameos. If everyone pitched in two pages of additional ideas for

scenarios then it would ensure that scenarios could be reused for

campaigns in slightly different circumstances and that any player who

happened to read a scenario could never be a hundred percent sure of

what was happening and what combination of possibilities the GM was

using.

legion - issue three

TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

e er

Alternative Headhunters by Rob

t Re

Heading in a Differe

Heading in a Different Direction

Head of the F

A Final D

A Final Detail

Conclusion

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