ILLUMINATI FOR RISUS
a campaign setting for Risus: The Anything RPG
created by David Masad
INTRODUCTION
I have always loved conspiracy theories, especially ones about the Illuminati. The concept of numerous 'illuminated' conspiracies fighting amongst themselves, as popularized in the ILLUMINATUS! trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson and in the Illuminati and INWO card games by Steve Jackson Games has everything needed for a good RPG campaign. To the best of my knowledge (apologies etc. if I'm wrong) this is the first such campaign for Risus (You can get Risus itself Here). This is the first time I'm trying to write something for Risus, to please forgive anything in it that sucks.
CHARACTERS
Characters
in Illuminati should be built with 10 dice,
plus dice for Hooks & Tales (which should be mandatory). Pumping and
Double-Pumping should also be allowed. Funky Dice are not recommended (but
hey, it's your game).
Characters can be many things - an enforcer
for the Society Of Assassins, a police detective tracking a mysterious
cult, or a journalist investigating hints of a strange conspiracy.
Some Sample Cliches:
SPECIAL ACTIONS
Characters
will undoubtedly want to perform special moves and actions during the course
of an adventure. In general, whether they can or not is up to the GM. If
the campaign is being played in a setting in which magic is allowed, characters
should be allowed to cast spells. If not, not. The GM should make sure
all the players understand the setting before play begins. Note that all
characters are assumed to be Illuminated (whatever that means), and with
above average abilities. Thus, players in a Call Of Cthulhu campaign should
be able to cast spells (once they learn how), and characters in a Matrix
campaign should be able to do all the cool running-up-walls moves. Whether
a special action requires a specific Cliche or not is up to the GM. A good
idea is to require one specific Cliche in order to carry out any special
actions (i.e. Unplugged for a Matrix campaign, Blessed for a religious
campaign, etc.)
SAMPLE SETTINGS
The basic concept of
the conspiracy campaign can have many different styles of settings. Here
are some samples to get you started. Take as many as you want, and combine
them for your own personal conspiracy campaign.
Call Of Cthulhu
Strange cults and the policemen struggling
to surpress them. Students of ancient lore rushing to prevent the spawn
of Cthulhu and a mortal woman being born. An ancient island harboring untold
riches...and untellable horrors. Secret societies loyal to rival Great
Old Ones fighting for souls to sacrifice to their masters. The stories
of H. P. Lovecraft at their finest.
Order Vs. Chaos
The Discordians trying to topple the governments
of the world and set the people free. The Illuminati trying to stop them
and enslave the people. Or are they...
Atlantis
The ancient sunken continent of Atlantis
is the resting place of riches beyond imagination. Agents of two (or more)
secret societies are attempting to capture them for their own ends.
The Manchurian Candidates
Brainwashed
assassins trying to free themselves from the shadowy masters who control
their minds. But first they must discover who these masters are...
The Matrix Has You...
Reality is
not what it seems to be. The human forces of freedom face off against the
machines with cool combat moves and ass-kicking special effects.
Aliens Ate The Second Amendment!
Aliens from
outer space have already taken control of the government, and are using
it to prepare the ground for an all-out invasion. They must be stopped!
Ave, Lucifer, Morituri Te Salutant...
A cult of satanists is attempting to bring
about armageddon. Only the brave emissaries of the one true church can
stop them and prevent the end the world. But are the satanists the evil
ones?
Banana Republic
In a remote,
resource rich third world country the president has just died, and the
agents of numerous conspiracies and governments intrigue and scheme to
get their ally "elected" as the next president.
They Came From Outer Space
We are not alone in the universe. The aliens
have found us, and they are already here. Two rival extraterrestrial races
wage a secret war here on earth with one another and with Majestic 12,
the human organization dedicated to keeping their presence secret and driving
them off.
High Tech Trouble
Conspiracies
face off using weapons and equipment that are more advanced by decades
compared to today's current technology. What moral issues face agents using
this new technology, and what happens if some of it is accidentally discovered?
Spy Vs. Spy
'Intelligence
assets' of rival countries compete for information and influence on neutral
territory. Blackmail, extortion, theft and assassination are all acceptable
tactics.
Alternatively, agents with diplomatic immunity
stationed in a foreign capital play a delicate game of cat and mouse with
the local counterintelligence department, attempting to get as much information
as possible without getting caught.
Corporate Wars
Multinational megacorporations wage clandestine
wars using hired guns. There are no set territories, and no rules of engagement.
However, caution must be used in order to hide the illegal activities from
the authorities.
Magic Powers
Conspiracies
battle each other using spells and enchantments learned from ancient tomes.
But how safe is the magic, and how much do those who use it truly understand
it...
Psyclone
Some
humans are born with bizarre psyonic talents. Forced to keep their powers
secret from the rest of the world, they band together and attempt to use
their powers to gain dominion over the less advanced majority of the human
race. But some regular humans will stop at nothing to stop the psychic
takeover, and are aided by Talented individuals who wish for the old and
new humans to coexist peacefully.
The Adventures Of Harold Porter
Under our
very noses exists a parallel society composed of witches, wizards, warlocks,
and other miscellaneous magic users who have placed themselves apart from
the rest of the world in order to hide their magical gift. But their magical
world is, as our own, full of conflict, treachery and strife.
Illuminati: New World Order
Multiple conspiracies
battle to dominate the world by taking control of real organizations, and
using them as pawns and tools in a proxy war between them. Based on the
Steve Jackson card game.
ILLUMINATUS!
A combination of all of the above
settings, and more! The craziest (and most fun) setting of all. Inspired
by the Illuminatus! trilogy.
Does this rock? Does it suck? Do you know how to
make it better? Send comments, complaints, flames (well no, not flames
please) to Dpaymas@Yahoo.com
ICQ: 53914418
