Sedna - Goddess of the Seas

Some time ago I was searching for northern legends to build into my D&D campaign setting when I came across the story of Sedna, Eskimo goddess of the seas. Sedna is bitter and vengeful, and commands all the animals of the sea and this is her story.

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In a time before there were animals in the sea, Sedna lived with her father in an igloo by the shore. Sedna was beautiful, but had not married. One day a hunter came to woo her. He was young and handsome, and asked her to join him at his home in the land of the birds. He gave her many gifts and she finally agreed to marry him. When they were at sea, the man changed into a loon; a spirit in bird form. She sat on the loon's back and they flew to his island. The island was cold and windswept, and there was only fish to eat. Soon she became lonely and afraid.

Her father came to visit her, and she made him agree to take her away in his kayak. The bird spirit chased them; Sedna refused to return with him and he called up a great storm from the sea. Her father was so frightened that he pushed her overboard to save himself. As Sedna hung onto the side of the kayak, her father struck at her hands with his knife to make her let go. The blood from her hands flowed into the water where it formed into the animals of the sea - walrus and seal and whale - as she sank under the water. The animals followed her down into the depths.

A powerful medicine-man can send his spirit to her to comb her hair which she cannot do for herself because of the pain from her hands. If she is pleased, she will send an animal to the hunters.

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This a good example of the simple creation myth that many cultures have developed. It is also a beautiful and evocative story and fits well into my Campaign Setting's frozen north.

Austerlitz

Today in 1805 Napoleon Bonaparte decisively defeated the Third Coalition forces of the Russo-Austrian army. Often considered a tactical masterpiece this battle is still taught in military schools all round the world.

Napoleon arranged Austerlitz as a masterful trap to destroyed the stronger armies of the allied army of Russia and Austria. The Allied army consisted 85,000 men which Bonapart initially faced with just 66,000 men. He tricked his opponents into thinking he was weaker than he actually was, and then called in reinforcements hidden in the mist shrouded valleys behind the battle lines. He then deliberately abandoned a strong central position on the Pratzen Heights and left his right flank weak. The Allies took the bait and moved forward to occupy the heights and then weakened their centre to crush the French right.

As the Allied forces committed more and more men to the attack Bonaparte launched a counter attack which retook the Pratzen Heights and split the enemy forces. The allied army was effectively torn to shreds and many of the routed troops were killed trying to flee across a frozen lake behind their position. French losses were about 8000 to the Allies 27000.

Napoleon was able to control the battlefield and the actions of his opponents to such an extent that victory was almost assured from the start. He also showed an uncanny ability to 'read the landscape' and used the mist filled valleys to shield his reinforcements from view until he was ready to unleash them. This was Napoleon at the height of his powers and many historians of the period (certainly the ones I have read) consider this not only Napoleons greatest victory but also one of the greatest battles in history.

We Were Newbies Once... and Young

New players are the lifeblood of our hobby. Whether it be wargaming or a roleplaying the game cannot survive indefinitely without new recruits to fill the ranks as us 'experienced' players get older. But introducing a new player to an establish group is fraught with difficulties and uncertainty both for the prospective gamer and the existing die-hard's. My own group has grown over the years with half its current members being relative newcomers. Each time we brought in a new player there was trepidation but each time our fears have been allayed and we have found ourselves a new friend.

But the anxiety must be quadrupled for the newbie joining an established group. For them they are the outsider, unsure of the rules and the player dynamics into which they must find a niche for themselves. So how can a group of old hands make this introductory period easier for the new player? A lot rests with the GM and his style of running a game. But it is also important that the group follow the GM's lead during these first tentative games. To that end it is important not only to discuss the new recruitment but also to brief everyone on the strategy for easing them into the game.

First off don't bombard a new player with the rules. A brief overview of the rules is all that is needed at first, especially if being introduced to a RPG game where rules can be played fast and loose. Once the newbie has had a chance to enjoy their first game then you can start to introduce more complex ideas and rules. Often this will be initiated by the newbie as they begin to see where rules are needed for the situations they encounter. In support of this first tactic its worthwhile pairing the new player with an established one. Be careful though because not every player makes a good mentor.

Make sure the newbie can contribute to the first game. If they spend the session on the sidelines while the old hands do everything they will pretty soon get bored and loose interest. Instead give them something to do that makes them feel important to the progress of the game and they will be hooked from the get go.

Above all go easy on the newbie for the first few sessions. Treat them like the guest they are and be polite, gracious and supportive. No one wants to feel like they are the outsider in an established clique. Friendships forged across the battlefield (metaphorically speaking) can be the strongest you will ever have, so give them a chance to flourish.

That's it really. There's no need to complicate this process. Now go out a recruit some new blood into the hobby.

Cthulhu fhtagn

I've had an awful nights sleep. In fact I had one of the most bizarre nights of my life with lovecraftian mythos inspired nightmares filling my mind for most of the night. My dreams consisted of mist shrouded coastlines, lonely clifftop paths, dark moonless nights, deserted lighthouses, decaying wharfs and warehouses and the vague outline of some massive cyclopean creature just out of view through foggy seas. I woke several times shaken and confused only to drift back off to sleep and return to this decaying New England dreamworld.

Dreams fascinated H.P.Lovecraft, indeed he often claimed that his writing was inspired by nocturnal visions he had had. Several stories featured strange and vaguely horrifying nightmares like mine. Usually as the dreamer slowly descended into madness! Eek!!