Forgotten Futures VII
The Tsars Are Right
Adventures in the World of George Griffith's Future Histories
The Angel of the Revolution and Olga Romanoff

Marcus L. Rowland
Copyright © 2001, portions Copyright © 1993-2000



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  • Introduction
  • The Tunnelling Terror
  • They Stole Alexander's Brain!
  • The Tsars Are Right
  • Adventure Outlines


    Introduction
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    THE worldbook for this collection, Tsar Wars, introduced the setting of George Griffiths' future history. These adventures and outlines are set in that world. For convenience each adventure has been saved as a separate file.

    The adventures are not connected and are set some years apart. Each can be played in a few hours or extended indefinitely.

    Because of their size and scope most NPCs are not described in great detail; they have average characteristics of 3 or 4, and skills appropriate to their jobs or ranks. All characters and most organisations mentioned are imaginary. Maps and plans are only provided for key locations; in almost all cases details are entirely imaginary or are based on limited (and possibly inaccurate) information. Referees are strongly advised to obtain suitable maps and photographs to supplement the illustrations provided, and modify details to suit their own campaigns. Where British and American words differ the Americanism is bracketed [like this].

    All the adventures are written for groups of 3-6 players; more are usually more trouble than they are worth, smaller groups may lack some of the skills needed for success. None are written to be run to a strict timetable; in play-testing a free-wheeling approach was preferred, with events paced to fit the speed of the adventurers activities.

    The headings used for each adventure are modelled on the more sensationalist Victorian and Edwardian magazines, which often tried to pretend that their stories were "From the Files of the Secret Service" or otherwise based in reality, and gave them lurid (and often misleading) subtitles and descriptions.

    Various small handouts such as identification cards and signs have been included below; to print them from a web browser without printing the entire document, select the desired part of the text, and print the selection rather than the whole document. The procedure varies with different web browsers, printed appearance cannot be guaranteed.

    Acknowledgements
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    One of the adventures includes a section entitled "Rat on A Stick". This is also the title of a copyrighted fantasy adventure for Tunnels & Trolls, published by Judges Guild, which comes with its own food franchise. Use of this title to describe an entirely unique work unrelated to the original has been granted by Judges Guild without releasing any rights of Judges Guild to continue to publish their own "Rat on a Stick". T&T and Tunnels & Trolls are trademarks of Flying Buffalo Inc.

    At the Eastercon 2000 charity auction friends of Tobias Valois paid for his appearance as a character in Adventure 2.

    Several encyclopaedia entries are based on entries in the Nuttall Encyclopaedia for 1909.

    Some of the background data on H.P. Lovecraft, in Adventure 3, derives from L. Sprague De Camp's Lovecraft - A Biography. Numerous changes have been made for the purposes of the adventure. Some of the events of the novels described in this adventure were suggested by participants in the soc.history.what-if newsgroup and the Cix what-if conference. The Lovecraft-Wodehouse collaboration mentioned in this adventure was originally suggested by Neil Gaiman under the title What Ho, Shoggoth!. Many thanks for his permission to use it here.