The Chill FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Table of Contents:
1. Introduction:
Welcome to my Chill FAQ, the purpose of which is to answer frequently
asked questions about Chill (obviously).
This is inspired by Lee Denklau's original Chill FAQ, and owes
a tremendous debt to him. If anyone out there knows where Lee is, please
either let me know, or get him to get in touch. He's not answered his e-mail
for some time, and I'd like to say thanks.
Chill was the first RPG I really got into. I'd played Golden
Heroes (a defunct Super RPG), and gotten a taste for game mastering, but
I was looking for a game I could make my own. That game turned out to be
Chill.
Games Workshop (in the dim and distant days when they were a proper games
shop) had a sale one Saturday, and I managed to pick up the game and every
supplement they had for little more than a song. On the way home, I pryed
open the box, started reading, and was hooked.
As a system, Chill wasn't exceptional, but it was simple, quick
and fast paced. The background was interesting, and flexible enough that
an enterprising gamer could make whatever he wanted of the world. I'm fairly
sure that some of the twists I put into my Chill campaign would
have raised the eyebrows of the original authors, but that was the beauty
of the game. A system that was practically invisible, and plenty of room
to play.
That was in 1987. I'm still running Chill, in the same campaign
world. My UK campaign ran for ten years, and you can see some of the logs
of my online campaign on my main Chill page).
When I first got on the Internet, I sought out the many and varied Chill
sites I knew had to be out there. I was rather sadly disappointed
to find only a handful of sites, silent mailing lists and no Chill
chatter in the gaming newsgroups. Even more sadly, the number of Chill
sites out there has begun to diminish, leaving a great game with almost
no net resources. Bluntly, I aim to change that. I've started a webring,
I've created this FAQ, I'm expanding the list of Arts and I'm working on
a number of net supplements designed for use primarily with Chill,
but suitable for other modern horror games as well. Yeah, I probably need
therapy. So?
While I'm not the fount of knowledge on Chill, but I do own every
supplement published for it and I have been running it for over twelve
years. That said, I still need your help, to both ask questions and to
help me answer them. If you have questions, comments on questions or answers
please
email me. All contributors
will be fully credited.
Now friends, let us join hands, and summon the spirit of Chill...
2: General Information
What is Chill?
Chill is a modern horror roleplaying game, originally published
by Pacestter Ltd, then revamped with a second edition by Mayfair Games.
As a player, you take the role of a freshly recruited member of SAVE, a
global secret society actively battling the creatures of the supernatural,
collectively referred to as the Unknown. The battle is a secret
one, as the world cannot know of the horrors that lurk in the shadows,
thirsting for our souls. Your life and the continuance of everything you
hold dear are at stake. Should you falter or fail, all will be lost to
the Unknown. And remember - Evil never rests.
Chill is mainly a game of investigation and occult detective
work, though it is flexible enough to include whatever type of horror genre
the players wish. Brawn and brute force are rarely the answer to your problems,
but the careful deployment of violence can often work wonders.
Frequently members of SAVE are left with mysterious supernatural abilities,
referred to as the Art. These powers are a double-edged sword, for while
they gift you with the ability to battle the Unknown on a more equal footing,
they can also make you a target for the darkness.
What is The
Beast Within?
The Beast Within is a variant on Chill, published in 1993.
The book contains the Chill rules set, with additional rules for the slow
corruption of envoys and their eventual transformation to creatures of
the Unknown, and a campaign background, The Feral World.
For those of us who purchased the book, The Beast Within is something
of a puzzle. While the additional rules and the campaign background are
interesting, they hardly merit a virtual re-issue of the game, and would
have been better handled in a smaller supplement. One intriguing aspect
of The Beast Within, is that it presented the option of playing
a creature of the Unknown, working with SAVE. Though the Creature
Feature book for the Pacesetter edition gave players the chance to play
monsters, in this case the creatures have the chance to be heroic; an idea
perhaps designed to appeal to players of White Wolf's World of Darkness
line.
Interestingly, though The Beast Within is mostly a reissue of
Chill
2nd Edition, and therefore contains a large amount of material contained
in the original Pacestter version, none of the Pacesetter authors are credited.
Who or what is SAVE?
SAVE is a secret society to which most player characters belong, which
is dedicated to protecting innocents from the creatures of the Unknown.
Agents of SAVE are called envoys. Though spread worldwide, SAVE can offer
little support to its envoys, beyond pointing them at the Unknown and providing
the occasional bit of additional research material. In the Mayfair edition
of Chill, it was stated that the organisation had been dealt a crippling
blow in 1989, when the main archives were destroyed by a fire caused by
creatures of the Unknown. Later supplements made it plain that SAVE still
existed, in a largely fragmented form, and that distrust and paranoia were
rampant in what was left of the organisation.
Is SAVE an
acronym? What does it stand for?
SAVE is indeed an acronym, the meaning of which differs according to which
version of the game you have. In the original Pacesetter edition, SAVE
stood for the Societas Albae Viae Eternitata (The Eternal Society
of the White Way). In the later Mayfair version, this was modified to the
Societas
Argenti Viae Eternitata (The Eternal Society of the Silver Way),
ostensibly to avoid charges of racism.
Who or what is RAX?
RAX was the source of the disturbingly garbled commentry seen throughout
the Mayfair edition of Chill, but it wasn't until the 1993 release
of the Chill variant, The Beast Within that we were told
just who this mysterious being was.
RAX is described as the Dark Lord, a vastly powerful extradimensional
being, whose influence on the mortal plane is directly responsible for
the Evil Way and the creatures that use it. Capable of experiencing the
sensations of his followers, and existing as an aberration of their subconscious,
RAX rarely manifests, and will only be destroyed when all creatures of
the Unknown are put to rest. Curiously RAX is also described as an entity
with no conscious ambition, a description that is similar to the mindless
Daemon Sultan of the Cthulhu Mythos, Azathoth.
Who or what is AZAR?
AZAR was first mentioned in the Chill variant game, The Beast Within.
He is the first lieutenant and high priest of RAX, and is sometimes known
as the Black Bishop or the Gatekeeper. He is served by the Black Robes,
an ancient brotherhood of powerful sorcerers steeped in the Evil Way, who
have traded their souls for immortality and now think and act as one.
Able to communicate directly with his master, AZAR is often able to
manipulate the disinterested RAX into action, and has thus subjugated entire
worlds with his masters power.
AZAR is a shapechanger who can assume many forms, though allof them
are dark skinned and blind. Despite this, he sees through the eyes of RAX,
and can sense evil in all its forms. His most commonly encountered form
is that of a man dressed in flowing robes covered in serpents and limned
in flame. His voice brings misery, his passing brings disaster, and his
presence brings only madness and death.
In keeping with the comparison of RAX and Azathoth made above, it should
be noted that AZAR is a virtual double for Nyarlathotep, the messenger
of the Cthulhu Cycle Deities, and the only one with anything resembling
a personality. It might be amusing to note that the Unknown is apparently
not as politically correct as SAVE (see all the references to dark skinned
creaures being evil).
What is The
Feral World?
The Feral World is the name given to the campaign background first described
in The Beast Within. Set in the near future, the Feral World campaign
takes place in a world already consumed by darkness. Creatures of the Unknown
rule the world, cloaking the truth in illusion the better to control humanity.
Only the scattered remnants of SAVE know the truth, and they fight a desperate
battle to awaken a sleeping world to the horrors amongst them. The book
introduces a new spin on the Art, in that its use could corrupt the soul
of an envoy, gradually transforming him or her into a creature of the Unknown.
The Feral World was Mayfair's attempt to create a more adult background
for Chill, and for the most part it works pretty well. The end result,
written by Mike Nystul (who went on to create the excellent Whispering
Vault game), is genuinely creepy and inventive and is recommended for
Chill Masters whose tastes run towards the bleak.
What is a CM?
CM stands for Chill Master, the person who runs the game for the players.
In other games, the CM would usually be referred to as a GM, or Game Master.
Where can I find
Chill resources on the Web?
All of the Internet links for chill (that I am aware of anyway) are available
here.
There is a Web Ring, the Chill Web Seance,
to which you can link your site. There is also a (very low traffic) mailing
list, which you can join here.
Where can I buy
Chill stuff?
See the Pacesetter and Mayfair Games sections respectively.
Where can I get
Chill software?
Cy/Face Design produces ChillDB,
a character generation database system specifically designed for Chill
and related systems, like Timemaster and Star Ace. ChillDB is currently
in the later stages of beta testing, and is a pretty good product. All
the creatures and characters presented on my site were generated with ChillDB,
and I recommend it highly.
3: Pacesetter
Who or what is Pacesetter?
Pacesetter Ltd of Winsconsin were the original publishers Chill: Adventures
into the Unknown in 1984. They also published Star Ace (a science
fiction space opera RPG), Timemaster (a time travel RPG), Sandman
(a bizarre RPG/Mystery game for which only the introductory module Map
of Halaal was produced) and Wabbit Wampage, a toon-like board
game of farmyard warfare. All three RPGs shared the same system, with minor
variations, and with very little work an enterprising CM could combine
two or more games to generate some very strange adventures indeed. Pacestter
published a decent number of supplements for all three games over the next
few years, but went out of business for reasons unknown to me (anyone care
to fill me in?).
Where can I get
supplements for the Pacesetter edition of Chill?
Orphyte.Com Orphyte bought out Pacesetter's
stock when they went under, and stock every Chill supplement produced
by them. I've bought stuff from these guys, and they've proven themselves
to be friendly, fast and a whole lot cheaper than Ebay! They also have
complete stocks of Timemaster and Star Ace products.
In the real world, check your local games store, particulary the bargain
bins or used games section. Remember, support your local games store!
What products did
Pacesetter release for Chill?
The following is a complete list of Pacesetter's Chill line:
2001 Chill: Adventures into the Unknown (Boxed Set, including two D10's)
2002 Village of Twilight
2003 Highland Terror
2004 Chill Master's Screen (with Castle Dracula Mini-adventure)
2005 Things
2006 Vengeance of Dracula
2007 Haunter of the Moor
2008 Isle of the Dead
2009 Thutmose's Night
2010 Creature Feature
2011 Vampires
2012 Death on tour
2013 Death on the Bayou
2014 Blood Moon Rising
2015 Evenings of Terror (Presented by Elvira)
6001 Chill: Blackmorn Manor (an Adventure Board Game)
4: Mayfair Games
Who or what is Mayfair?
Mayfair Games was the publisher of the second edition of Chill in
1990. They stopped producing Chill material in 1997, when they were
bought up by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE). ICE have decided not to support
the Chill line further, and recently declared themselves bankrupt.
What happened to
Mayfair? Did they go out of business?
In early 1997, Mayfair's owners decided to sell the company, due mainly
to financial concerns. By mid February all of Mayfair's assets were handed
over to a secured creditor, and by the end of March, a majority interest
in the company had been bought by Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE), publishers
of the popular Rolemaster games. Though Mayfair continues to exist
as a publisher of board and card games, ICE have decided not to support
Chill.
However, it is still possible to buy items from the Mayfair
Chill
line from their website (I can't
vouch for the quality or reliability of their service, however). Currently,
the rights to Chill are still for sale, and anyone interested in
acquiring this property should contact Mr. Will Niebling ([email protected]).
Recently (October 2000), ICE declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy, which means
that their assets will be sold off to pay their creditors. This includes
their interest in Mayfair Games, so while Mayfair still exist, their ownership
is once again in doubt.
Where can I get
supplements for the Mayfair edition of Chill?
Though Mayfair no longer supports Chill, it is still possible to
buy items from the Mayfair Chill line from their website
(I can't vouch for the quality or reliability of their service, however).
They currently have an offer in which you can purchase a complete set of
their Chill products at a substantial discount.
In the real world, check your local games store, particulary the bargain
bins or used games section. Remember, support your local games store!
What products did
Mayfair release for Chill?
The following is a complete list of Mayfair's Chill line:
650: Chill Rulebook (Hardbound)
651: Accessory Pack (CM Screen with Isle of the Dead scenario)
652: Vampires (Reprint of the Pacesetter book, updated for 2nd Edition)
653: Lycanthropes
654: Apparitions
655: Chill Companion (Hardcover)
657: Veil of Flesh
658: Horrors of North America
660: Chilled to the Bone (Fiction Anthology - Softcover)
660H: Chilled to the Bone (Hardcover)
662: Undead and Buried
664: Voodoo Sourcebook
665: TheBeast Within
667: Things
668: Chill Rulebook (softcover)
669: Chill Companion (softcover)
670: Unknown Providence
What is the difference
between the Pacesetter and Mayfair editions of Chill?
Apart from the updated rules, the tone of the two versions was different.
Whereas the Pacesetter edition had a lighter, almost camp feel to it, the
Mayfair version was darker and more visceral. A list of specific rules
changes can be found here.
I saw an ad for
Cyber
Chill? What happened to it?
According to Mayfair, both the Cyber Chill supplement and a Chill
by Gaslight book were killed because the completed maunscripts were
simply too poor to publish. I have heard rumours that the texts are available
somewhere on the net, but since I've never seen them, I'm skeptical. If
anyone out there can comfirm their existance, please let me know, so I
can include the URL here.
Your list is incomplete!
Another FAQ has two more supplements on it!
Rest assured, the above is a complete list of all published Chill products
from Mayfair. The two supplements listed on other sites, "Orphans of the
Night" and "A Chill in the Fog", were never produced. I would be delighted
to be wrong on this however, so if anyone out there has these "missing"
supplements, a description and perhaps a scan of the covers for the gallery
would be much appreciated.
5: Contributors
Your name could be here, just e-mail me something useful.
6: Disclaimers
This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranties.
While every effort has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information
contained in this FAQ, the author assumes no responsibility for errors
or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information
contained herein. Chill, the Unknown, SAVE and other game-related
terms are the property of Mayfair Games, and their use in this FAQ does
not imply any infringement of their copyright.
Copyright (c) 2000 by Chris Halliday (AKA Doctor
TOC), all rights reserved. This FAQ may be posted to any appropriately
related USENET newsgroup, on-line service, or BBS as long as it is posted
in its entirety and includes this copyright statement. This FAQ may not
be distributed for financial gain. This FAQ may not be included in commercial
collections or compilations without express permission from the author.
