MYTHOS EPIC CAMPAIGN RULES

I am writing this under an appreciable mental strain, since by tonight I shall be no more. Penniless, and at the end of my supply of the drug which alone makes life endurable, I can bear the torture no longer; and shall cast myself from this garret window into the squalid street below.

- H.P.Lovecraft , Dagon , 1917.

Welcome to the "Mythos epic campaign rules". The Epic Rules were created to make the campaign version of Mythos more storylike. Instead of playing a single game, the Epic Rules lead the investigators through a series of games, called chapters, each with its own special rules and victory conditions. Playing through the chapters, a truly epic tale of the battle against the Mythos unfolds, adding more atmosphere to the game and inspiring the players to build creative decks rather than speed decks. I have added a full campaign at the end of this document to get you started. I hope you will find this version of Mythos appealing, and will send in your own epic campaigns.

Enjoy
Martin Lærkes (plasmoid@hotmail.com)

Individual Chapter Rules

It is well that the reader accept nothing which follows as objective truth, for since the events transcend natural law, they are necessarily the subjective and unreal creations of my overtaxed mind. - H.P.Lovecraft , the temple, 1920.

To make each of the chapters different and challenging the rules differ from game to game. These changes may vary from slight alterations to effectively changing vital game machanics. For example: After reaching 25 Adventure points, you may not claim victory unless you have three different Tomes in play, each costing at least 3 SAN; no SAN is gained from visiting sanitariums; etc.

These rules and victory conditions may make it impossible for a player to join a particular chapter of the epic campaign due to the lack of the proper cards. This provides an excellent oppertunity to trade cards with your friends.

The Epic Rules.

A number of special rules apply to all epic games. These are what separate the Epic Campaign rules from the ordinary campaign rules:

• The Game no longer ends when an investigator is reduced to zero SAN. Instead, it is automatically won by the first player to both score the required number of adventure points and fulfill all additional victory conditions.
• Players may make plays that drops their Investigators' SAN to zero, but they may not make a play that would reduces them to sub-zero sanity.
• The player who has the highest number of combined Adventure & SAN points is free to reduce his or her opponents to below zero SAN through the normal means. Another player may also do this, but is then forced to lay all cards face-up on the table until the victim climbs to positive SAN.
• The victim of such an attack stays at zero SAN, but must discard a randomly selected card from his or her story deck for each additional point of SAN loss sustained. His or her current location may not be discarded in this fashion.
• Players who have had their Story Decks depleted by opponents may find themselves unable to either complete a goal or pay the 1 sanity point for a frontal lobotomy. Therefore a player with no SAN points left may declare a 'nervous breakdown' upon exhausting his or her Mythos deck. A nervous breakdown is carried out exactly like a frontal lobotomy, though it does not count as one, and costs no SAN to perform.

Winning the Game:

He reigns there still, and will reign happily for ever, though below the cliffs at Innsmouth the channel tides played mockingly with the body of a tramp who had stumbled through the half-deserted village at dawn;

- H.P. Lovecraft, Celephais, 1920.

• A chapter of an epic campaign is not concluded until a player has fulfilled all the victory conditions for the chapter and has scored the required number of adventure points. This player is the winner of the chapter.
• Adventures that have already been completed by another player during the current chapter are worth one less victory point.
• Should a player find him or herself so short on adventure points that he or she cannot score 25 points, he or she can retire from the game at any time, or may choose to stay around trying to foil the plans of his or her favourite opponent.
• If all investigators except one find it impossible to score the necessary number of points to complete a chapter (usually 25), the last player wins, even though his or her chances of victory against the other menacing players may be slim.

The Prize

In June, 1913, a letter arrived from M. Verhaeren, telling of the finding of the stuffed goddess. It was, the Belgian averred, a most extraordinary object; an object quite beyond the power of layman to classify. - H.P. Lovecraft, Arthur Jermyn, 1920.

• To add tension to each chapter, the winner of a chapter is allowed a sidedeck for the final game of the epic campaign; each chapter will allot one (or more) "prize" cards, generally of a specific type. If a player has won more than one of the previous chapters, he or she adds up all of these prize cards into a single sidedeck.
• The sidedeck is prepared before the start of the game in which it is allowed, and is placed next to the player's Mythos deck. If the deck is comprised of more than one card, these should be shuffled and cut as normal. Whenever the player is allowed to draw cards from his or her Mythos deck, he or she may instead draw any one card from the sidedeck, assuring him or her the right cards at the right moment. Once the cards have been drawn they are treated exactly like normal cards, and do not return to the sidedeck for the rest of the game.

The Story

There be those who say that thing and places have souls, and there be those who say they have not; I dare not say, myself, but I will tell of the Street. - H.P.Lovecraft , The Street , Early Tales.

The story is where the Epic Campaign comes to life. Without it you may as well play an ordinary game. When designing your own epic campaign, and its chapters, remember that you are telling a story. You may, of course, have thought up brilliant alterations of the normal rules on which to base a chapter, but without the story it becomes just that: alterations, no different from "house rules".

Thats all. Enjoy.

The PROPHECY FULFILLED campaign

First Game: Curse of the pharaohs.

The year is 1927. It is late october.

A close friend of yours - the briliant archeologist Stewart Renton - is leading the opening of the recently discovered tomb of Rama Tut. His letters, however, tell you, that up until now the project has suffered one accident after another, and is running quite some time behind schedule........

......It has been almost a month since Stewart's last letter, which was not very comforting. The letter contained very little coherent information, the only exception being the repeated mention of an ancient prophecy. Fearing for your friend's good health, you decide to travel to Egypt to bring him home.

Upon your arrival, Stewart Renton has disappeared.

Special Rules:

• Lots of interesting paraphernalia were discovered at the tomb site; thus all Artifacts cost 1 less SAN to bring into play. (Use cost actually paid for the purposes of meeting Adventure requirements).
• You may not leave the Middle East.
• You must earn 25 Adventure points.
• Winning this chapter lets you add 1 Artifact to your sidedeck for the final game.

Second Game: And so it was written...

Early january 1928. England.

While enjoying an early breakfast on the family estate you notice an interesting photo in the morning paper. The photo depicts some ancient scrolls and a mysterious idol recovered from a tomb in Egypt. Although it is the idol that catches your eye at first, the scrolls prove to be the most interesting by far. Upon closer examination, you are able to make out and translate a small part of the text - and the result is stunning to say the least.

It seems to be a very early version of an occult text well known to you, describing the Apocalypse and the the star constellations that will precede it - however something is amiss.

As you compare the ancient text to a translation found in your library, none of the omens are the same. How could these passages possibly have been misinterpreted?

You must get your hands on an older copy of this text.

Special Rules:

• You start the game with one Tome in any modern European language, and within it, one Spell of your choice. When you claim victory, you must either both have a more potent version of this Tome (higher SAN cost and/or higher Spell capacity) in play or in your Story Deck and be able to read it, or you must have three different versions of another occult Tome in play or in your Story Deck.
• As your journey through Europe is solely dedicated to the location of the rare text passage, you may play any Tome as a free action immediately upon arrival at any Location bearing the Tome attribute.
• You may not leave Europe.
• You must earn 25 Adventure points.
• Winning this chapter will let you add 1 Tome and 1 Spell of your choice to your sidedeck for the final game.

Third Game: A living nightmare.

You have lost all concept of time or date.

Waking every night in a cold sweat, you struggle to recollect your feverish dreams, screaming at the stars that mock you and tearing at the bars blocking your tiny window. The doctors have to calm you down....

You are unaware of how much time has passed, but the dreams are clearer now. Knowing what is about to transpire rips at your last threads of sanity, but you musn't give in to the soothing darkness...oh sweet darkness...

Your only chance is escape, for perhaps outside these walls you will find someone who will believe in you - perhaps even help you prevent the coming Apocalypse....

Special Rules:

• You start the game at a New England Sanitarium, afflicted with a Phobia of your choice other than Acrophobia. This Phobia cannot be cured by any means.
• Whenever you visit a sanitarium you must pay the cost for visiting twice.
• For each 2 points of SAN loss (round down) you inflict on an opponent you may choose to immediately play a Phobia instead of inflicting the usual SAN loss.
• During the Day, you must walk between City Locations in the same Sub-Region (Travel cards are still allowed), as you try to walk the streets unnoticed by ordinary folk.
• You may not leave New England.
• The agents of evil conspire to stop you. Playing a Corrupt Ally as a Monster does not cost SAN and does not require you to be in the right City in order to do so, although these Corrupt Allies must be available in your current Time, Dimension, and Region (Lovecraft Country).
• You must earn 25 Adventure points.
• Winning this chapter will let you add 1 Ally and 1 Weapon of your choice to your sidedeck for the final game.

Fourth Game: Time is of the essence.

The midnight lamp burns late this cold winter night as you ponder the words of the madman.

Why did he come to you? You have no idea, but he has shown you things that you cannot begin to explain. Wherever this poor wretched man points his finger you discover little pieces of evidence that, vague though they are, all point to the same fact - that the end of the world is coming.

You have established contact with some gentlemen of notable esteem who, like yourself, are in possession of disturbing knowledge of what you still pray is not to be. The group of you work feverishly into the night trying to piece together the details of what might be done to end the terror before it has even begun.

The island holds the answer - of that there can be no doubt.

If only you had more time...

Special Rules:

• You start the game at an Island of your choice in the South Pacific.
• Before you can leave the South Pacific you must complete one Adventure of your choice; any further Adventures you complete before leaving the South Pacific score an additional +3 victory points and +2 SAN points.
• It takes 3 successive Passes to end the turn (four if Tulzscha is in play).
• Your Mythos deck may not include "An Unexpected Calamity", "Townsfolk Riot" or "Drought".
• In order to win this chapter you must return from the South Pacific with absolute proof that the Apocalypse can indeed still be stopped. This is accomplished by voluntarily discarding a Tome containing at least 3 Spells while at a non-South Pacific Location. This is considered to be a free action.
• You must earn 25 Adventure points.
• Winning this chapter lets you add a Great Old One or Outer God to your sidedeck for the final game.

The Final Game: Prophecy Fulfilled.

Upon your return you quickly gather your allies and reveal what you have found. All the passages and all the artifacts point to one place - "the womb of the Gods" - a place riddled in legend and not of this world. Yet you must find it, for the end of the world is nigh. The Earth's very crust is writhing like a giant beast gasping for air as the sky turns black as pitch and madness strikes down sane men.

Clutching tight to your crucifix and your fading faith you finally know what must be done...

Special Rules:

• You start the game with 3 Steadfast Allies of your choice in play; one from the Middle East, one from Europe, and one from New England.
• When the game begins, Great Cthulhu is in play, and will remain so until any player wins the game (see below).
• Investigators may gain SAN regardless of the number of Outer Gods or Great Old Ones currently in play.
• Any Outer God or Great Old One that is put into play is only removed by active banishment; it will not leave after two turns as in standard play.
• In order to win, a player must first score 30 points from Adventure cards, and then travel to an Exotic Location and there banish Great Cthulhu Himself
• The winner of this game is allowed a sidedeck of one non-Adventure card for all the chapters of your next epic campaign (and has probably earned it...).