Campaign Mastery

Q1

What is the word that Eliar reads from the Knife in David and Leigh Eddings’ “The Redemption Of Anthalus”, and what is the novel about (two words hyphenated) in a Fantasy context?

A1

The word is “Lead”, and the novel is about “Time-Travel” in a Fantasy context. “Time war” would also usually be an acceptable answer, but isn’t usually hyphenated.

Q2

The third creature whose name starts with a K in the D&D 3.5 Monster Manual.

A2

A Krenshar, a creature that “seems to conbine the worst features of a wolf and a hiena” – but whose illustration suggests that all the flesh is gone from its face, revealing the muscle and bone beneath, a detail that should probably be mentioned in the description, don’t you think?

Q3

“Eureka”, “Sliders”, and “Space: Above & Beyond” – aside from being TV Sci-Fi series, what do the first episodes of all these shows have in common?

A3

The Episode Title. Eureka‘s first episode is named (unimaginatively) “Pilot”; Slider‘s first episode is a “movie length” episode also named “Pilot”; and the two-part first episode of “Space: Above & Beyond” are named “Pilot (Part 1)” and “Pilot (Part 2)”, respectively. Only in this last case can the title be justified by any content relating to piloting anything.

Q4

In Anne McCaffrey’s “Pern” Sci-fi/Fantasy series, who uses genetic engineering techniques to create the first Dragons?

A4

The character’s name is Kitti Ping.

Q5

Steve Jackson Games, through the pages of The Space Gamer and later Pyramid poked fun in mocking tones at the failures and foibles of RPG rules from everyone including themselves. In which game system did the strip suggest that 3 people were transported to the God Plane per day, every day, from a typical city population of 10,000?

A5

Runequest.

Q6

How many shelves of The Essential Reference Library for Pulp have been cataloged so far?

A6

14, there’s just one to go!

Q7

If you were to watch the first season of “I Dream Of Jeannie” today, what one thing would be obviously missing or different?

A7

The producers didn’t find the iconic theme music or produce the definitive title sequence it accompanies until the second season, which was also the first to be shown in color. The first season is sometimes omitted when the series is repeated, for this reason. The animation was the work of the famous Warner Bros animator, Fritz Freling.

Q8

There’s one anime “series” that became famous in the late 80s/early 90s amongst the Australian RPG-playing community as exemplifying the power-gamer attitude. What is the English title by which the series is known outside Japan?

A8

The Dirty Pair.

Q9

Name the novel by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle in which a science fiction author is escorted through Hell by Benito Mussolini.

A9

Inferno. There is a sequel, Escape from Hell which is relatively unknown.

Q10

Which RPG replaces dead PCs with clones of the original character?

A10

Paranoia.

Q11

In 1120, Henry I of England made peace with Louis VI of France when Henry’s only legitimate son drowned in the sinking of which Ship in the English Channel?

A11

The White Ship.

Q12

The third creature whose name starts with a K in the Pathfinder (1st ed) Bestiary.

A12

The Kyton, a creature reminiscent of the early work of Wes Craven, the horror movie producer. Sometimes known as a chain devil to those who don’t know better, these residents of Hell are not true devils. Their origins are unknown, but the write-up includes a couple of interesting speculations.

Comedy and Fantasy are not natural bedfellows but there have been numerous attempts at shotgun weddings, of varying success. Name the following three examples:

Q13

Series of short novels by Robert Asprin and later Jodi Lynn-nye which were originally intended to lampoon the most common fantasy tropes, and which were adapted into comics and a board game, both featuring art by Phil Foglio of “What’s New” fame (for at least part of the run of the comic).

A13

The “Mythadventures” series, which starts with “Another Fine Myth”. (“Mythadventures” is the second title in the seires, but the two titles would probably have been swapped had Robert Asprin thought of the second title in time. He missed the absolute, final, too-late-to-change-anything deadline by about half-an-hour).

Q14

This series of stories shows psychologists figuring out how to move from one reality to another, an the first is set amongst the Norse Gods as Ragnerok approaches.

A14

“The Incompleat Enchanter” by L. Sprague deCamp and Fletcher Pratt.

Q15

A TV series whose premise is “a supernatural being marries a mortal”.

A15

“Bewitched”. While Buffy & Spike do marry in “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, you can’t say that was the main premise of the series. The other popular but incorrect answer was “I Dream Of Jeannie”. Contrary to popular myth, “I Dream Of Jeannie” was never a rip-off of this still-popular-in-repeats TV comedy series – it was based on part of a movie, The Brass Bottle, though it was an attempt to capitalize on the success of “Bewitched” and the producers made no bones about it when asked.

Q16

In which Sci-Fi novel was the term “Parallel Worlds” first used, and who was the author?

A16

“Men Like Gods” by H.G. Wells, in 1923, twenty-three years after quantum theory (now inseperably linked to the concept) was first proposed and eighteen years after Einstein expanded on the theory. While Einstein was troubled by certain aspects of Quantum Theory, leading to his famous quote, “God does not play dice with the universe!”, he accepted the theory. Ironically, by expanding “universe” to “multiverse”, i.e. accepting the validity of Parallel Worlds, the aspects which troubled Einstein can be resolved.

Q17

The fourth Feat listed in d20 Future.

A17

“Charismatic Plus”, which confers two traits chosen from a list of six upon the character, giving them an interpersonal advantage.

Q18

Jurassic Park, Flash Gordon, Beverly Hills Cop, Batman – which is the oddest one out, and why?

A18

“Beverly Hills Cop” has never been transformed into an officially-sanctioned and licensed RPG. The same can’t be said of the others:

“The Batman Roleplaying Game” was published by Mayfair Games in 1989.

“The Savage World Of Flash Gordon” is an adaption for the Savage Worlds game system and available from Pinnacle Games.

“The Lost World: Jurassic Park Roleplaying Game” was a single volume with simple rules, 3 adventures, and pregenerated characters from the movies. It’s not considered very successful as an RPG on any level.

Q19

In Robert Don Hughes’ “Pelmen the Powershaper” series, who is the merchant who is trying to arrange safe passage for him and his “cargo” past the two-headed dragon when Pelmen turns the heads against one another?

A19

The character’s name is Pezi. Not sure if that’s supposed to rhyme with “Pasty” or “Queezy”.

Q20

One of the space aliens who occasionally appear in The Simpsons shares his name with a prominent Klingon in the original Star Trek series who later reappeared in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (again played by the same actor many decades apart). What is the name of the other one, Backwards?

A20

The Klingon was “Kang”, and his partner-in-space-travel is “Kodos” (who was also a [non-Klingon] villain in the original Star Trek!), so the correct answer is “Sodok” – which, ironically, sounds like a Vulcan name!

Q21

In what way does a scorched-earth policy resemble “I Dream Of Genie?”

A21

When the series was cancelled, the producers burned the set to the ground to avoid storage costs, a common practice at Hollywood Studios at the time. Only a few props survived in the hands of cast and crew, including Jeannie’s hand-painted bottle, which was kept in Barbara Eden’s personal bank vault until she donated it to the Smithsonian.

Q22

In retrospect, 1674 was a key year for the British Empire. Why?

A22

On Feb 9, Britain and Holland signed the Treaty Of Westminister, ending the Anglo-Dutch War; Under the terms of the treaty, New York and Delaware were returned to England (so you could also define it as a key date in US history even though there wasn’t a USA yet). The British were then free to expand their trade networks and prosperity while the rest of Western Europe were embroiled in debilitating wars. The net result: The British Empire.

Q23

Name the 1-page original RPG by Mike (of Campaign Mastery), written in unlicensed homage to an animated TV series starring Dick Dastardly, Muttley, and Penelope Pitstop (amongst others) and, more broadly, to the spirit of the great Warner Brothers animated cartoons. (Hint: the final two words are “The RPG”.)

A23

“Wacky Races The RPG”.

Q24

Just after Jeremy Clarkson was sacked from Top Gear (technically, asked to resign), the BBC released a never-seen-on-TV Top Gear Special hosted by Richard Hammond and James May in which they investigated motoring “if the worst should ever have happened.” Segments included driving to work in the midst of a simulated nuclear winter, how to make racing fun when there are only two racing drivers left alive, and if there was only one barrel of petrol left on the planet, which cars would each choose for their last-ever drives, and why? – What was the title of this 73-minute special? (Hint: the first two words are “Top Gear”.)

A24

“Top Gear: Apocalypse”.

Q25

Which is often said to be the first RPG to employ a dice pools mechanic?

A25

“The Ghostbusters RPG”.

Q26

Short Story by Robert A Heinlein in which the owner of a hardware store falls foul of a magic-based protection racket.

A26

“Magic, Inc.” which was also the name of the business side of the protection racket.

Q27

How many episodes of “My Favorite Martian” are there in the first season of the show?

A27

Season one contains 37 episodes, which seems an extremely odd number the more you think about it.

Q28

According to the 2014 article at Campaign Mastery, the Envelope is doing what?

A28

Ticking.

Q29

The fifth skill listed in “Star Trek: The Next Generation RPG” from Last Unicorn Games?

A29

Artistic Expression. – the description of which sounds fine until you realize that it’s INT based and not emotive in nature, when the reverse probably makes more sense. Some users of the game system might also be thrown by the fact that it applies to all forms of artistic expression equally (I was!) until you realize that each time you improve this skill (like others within this game system), you have to define a speciality within it. Then it seems clever.

Q30

The Daleks are arguably the most iconic villains in Dr Who. Why would you be in trouble if you had to spell the word “Daleks” using only the chemical symbols of the elements?

A30

The “K” and “S” are easy – Potassium and Sulphur. There’s no element with the chemical symbol “E” and there’s no “Le” either. Finally, while there are three elements whose symbols start with a “D”, there are none that are “D” on its own, and none of the three is a “Da”. So it can’t be done. The best you could do is equate the first 26 elements with the letters of the alphabet – in which case, the sequence would be Be-H-Mg-B-Na-K, or Beryllium – Hydrogen – Magnesium – Boron – Sodium – Potassium. Ironically, if my memory of chemistry is correct, these are five of the elements that react most energetically (i.e. explosively) with oxygen.

Q31

In Lyndon Hardy’s “Master Of The Five Magics,” what is the name of the alchemic ointment that Alodar and Saxton seek to make from the formula found in the Iron Fist?

A31

A “caloric shield”.

Q32

Name the famous robot who appeared in the first-ever Columbo mystery?

A32

Robbie The Robot, of Forbidden Planet fame, who has probably appeared in more movies and TV shows than most people expect, including The Invisible Boy (1957) and episodes of The Gale Storm Show, The Thin Man, The Addams Family, Lost In Space, The (original) Twilight Zone, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Mork & Mindy, Project U.F.O., Space Academy, Gremlins (1984), the 1988 direct-to-video movie Phantom Empire, and a 2006 TV Commercial for AT&T. However, not all of these are of the original (which was modified for reuse along the way); that was retired and placed in a Museum in 1971. ‘He’ was inducted into the Robot Hall Of Fame (yes, there really is such a thing!) in 2004.

Q33

What was the first RPG to represent a product exclusively licensed to the game company?

A33

Some people will think it was Call Of Cthulhu, and expect me to tell the story of Chaosium vs TSR (TSR had obtained some licences for use in the AD&D Volume “Deities & Demigods” (and mistakenly assumed that the works of Lovecraft were in the public domain), so they didn’t check up, a costly error. The second printing of the D&D volume was without the Lovecraftian Mythos as a result) – but the correct answer is a tie (by year) between “John Carter, Warlord Of Mars RPG” and “Star Trek: Adventure Gaming in the Final Frontier,” both published in 1978. Some sources suggest that the John Carter game beats out Star Trek, others reverse them or stand mute on the subject. This is all particularly surprising because the Estate of Edgar Rice Burroughs are known to be extremely protective of his legacy, and RPGs were still very much a new thing at the time. I smell more to this story! But, in the absence of any definitive source, I would accept either of these – and give a bonus half mark for both. (And simply answering “a tie” is only worth 1/2 a point!)

Q34

True Or False: There is more oxygen in the top few feet of soil than there is in all the atmosphere above it.

A34

True. Silicon Dioxide contains two atoms of oxygen and is the basic formula of quartz and sand, ubiquitous in soil. Being a solid means that it packs those atoms millions of times more compactly than oxygen in a gaseous form. Add the CO2, NO2, and H2O in the atmosphere (and all the other oxygen-bearing gaseous compounds as well) and it’s still nowhere near enough.

Q35

Some sources state that no-one knows where the term “Mexican Standoff” originated. Others point to its first use in print in work of fiction from 1871, or to a supposed US Warship that was actually alleged to be a pirate vessel in 1865 – but there is no actual record of the term being used at the time in describing what became, indeed, a Mexican Standoff in the modern meaning of the term. Some suggest the Spanish-American war as a likely source, but with no evidence, while others claim that it is offensive because the term “Mexican” was used at the time as a derogatory term to imply inferior workmanship within the US – even though a Mexican Standoff, being three-way and completely evenly-balanced, is clearly a superior form of a Standoff. Finally, and here’s the question, some sources – without explanation or attribution – claim that the term is slang from another country despite it being quite unlike the usual forms of slang used there. What is the name of that country?

A35

Australia. What I think probably happened was that the concept originated during the Spanish-American War, was reinforced by reports of the incident in Melbourne Australia with the suppposedly American warship, and so entered the American zeitgeist, and was then immortalized in print in the novel of 1871 – in other words, that there’s a grain of truth in all the theories. Proving it would probably require finding the term in personal correspondence prior to 1871 but not before 1865. That’s a very narrow window, and to the best of my knowledge, no such search has ever been undertaken, and it’s entirely possible that no such usage has survived, anyway. So we may never know for certain.

Q36

What is the title of the sequel to WarGames?

A36

“WarGames: The Dead Code” Most people are surprised to learn that there even is a sequel.

Q37

In the D&D 3.5 DMG’s example of play, who gets the 6th passage of dialogue?

A37

Tordek, a Dwarf fighter, reminding the GM of his character’s Darkvision.

Q38

In Andre Norton’s “The Beast Master,” the protagonist has a psychic bonds with an American Black Eagle, a pair of Meerkats, and a great cat crossbreed. I’ve often referenced the novel in thinking about Familiars for D&D. What is the protagonist’s name?

A38

Hosteen Storm, a Navaho Indian. This novel is very useful for getting a handle on how Familiars and Animal Companions might translate into roleplay.

Q39

Name the Alice Cooper album famous for the extended monologue by Horror legend Vincent Price.

A39

“Welcome To My Nightmare” which includes the iconic title track and the hits “Department Of Youth” and “Only Women Bleed”.

Q40

According to the the series at Campaign Mastery, a good name is what?

A40

Hard To Find.

Q41

According to an interview he gave to Atlas Of Adventure, how many copies of original D&D did Gary Gygax expect to sell when he released it in 1974?

A41

50,000 at best.

Q42

Why is the chemical symbol for Potassium a “K”, anyway?

A42

The “K” stands for “Kalium”, which is the medieval latin word for Potash, from which Potassium was first extracted. I would also have given half marks for “It’s the latin name for Potassium” – not entirely correct but not completely wrong, either. The name Potash represents various salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form; it derives from “pot ash”, which refers to plant ashes soaked in water in a pot, which was the primary means of manufacturing the product before the industrial era.

Q43

The original printing of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” had a subtitle that is now often left off in reprints, so famous has the main title become. What was this subtitle?

A43

“Or, The Modern Promethius”. Half-a-point if you left out the “or”.

Q44

TV shows are often ‘tweaked’ after the pilot episode airs. What prominent casting change was made after the pilot episode of My Favorite Martian (which was also entitled, “My Favorite Martian”)?

A44

Mrs Brown’s teenaged daughter was written out. In the pilot, Mrs Brown teaches her daughter how to manipulate men while protecting her from the advances of wolves like Tim and is rather less ditzy and scatterbrained than she is depicted in the rest of the series.

Q45

In the section “Cross-Fertilizations: Metagenres in SF” in Star Hero from Hero Games, what is the Sixth “Metagenre” listed?

A45

There isn’t one, this is a trick question. “The Return Of Hamlet” is presented in a similar manner to the Metagenres, but is in fact described as a subgenre of the “Tragedy” Metagenre.

Q46

Name of the novel in which computers create a simulation of Ragnerok for the entertainment of the population of Muspell’s Planet, and its author.

A46

“Project: Millennium” by Curtis H. Hoffmann. I’d recommend a copy, it’s a fun blend of sci-fi and fantasy, but they are very hard-to-find these days.

Q47

Stargate: SG-1 created a parody of itself as the centerpoint of an episode in their 5th season (I thought it was the 100th episode but didn’t seem to be when I went back and counted – though I may have mis-counted). What is the name shared by both the episode and the spoof TV show?

A47

“Wormhole X-treme” – ‘because having an “X” in the title always makes something sell better,’ a comics in-joke from the era.

Q48

When did Polaris become the North Star?

A48

“Stellar precession” is the term used to describe the motion of the point in the sky that coincides with Earth’s axis of rotation. In about 500 AD, which is roughly 1518 years ago, this process brought Polaris into line (more or less) with that axis, making it the North Star or Pole Star. In 3,000 BC, a star named Thuban (Alpha Draconis) was the North Star, and in about 13,000 years, it will be Vega (with a couple of others along the way in the meantime). A complete precession cycle is 25,800 years in length – so in 26,300AD, Polaris will once again become the North Star.

Q49

The most powerful weapon in AD&D was arguably the Vorpal Sword. Can you name the poem from which the term Vorpal derives?

A49

“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll.

Q50

Name of the novel on which RPGs have become a combination of cosplay, live roleplaying, virtual reality, and special effects, which takes place in a custom-built amusement park?

A50

“Dream Park” by Larry Niven and Stephen Barnes.