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    The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Scarica in formato PDF o leggi online su Scribd
    Segnala contenuti inappropriati
    1K visualizzazioni26 pagine

    The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen

    Caricato da

    Alexander Gambon
    The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Scarica in formato PDF o leggi online su Scribd
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    di 26
    oe ttn en keene Devised & Written by Baron a The Exiraoriinary Adventures Ron WViuncHavsEn A SUPERLATIVE ROLE-PLAYING GAME ina New Style by BARON MUNCHAUSEN HOC transcribed and edited by James Wallis, gentleman ; “TIT RIC ‘With assistance from Mr Derek Pearcy and Mr Michael Cule 5 CT ) — PUBLISHING Ably illustrated by Mr Gustave Doré sie bitoeicts naiiing sted ‘ Presented in the modern style by Mr Derek Pearcy Gunes ee Moral support provided by the delightful Miss Kate Berridge ‘With grateful thanks to Mr Philip Masters, Mr Steffan OSulli, Garett Lepper, Mr Mare Miller, Mr Kenneth Walton and Mr Christopher Hartford for their invaluable advice DDISCEATACER The won he hin! nd his are wed shroghou this ook a ene thind-perton singular procouns Wi hs wage the autor aman of get pln, dows nt wid imply that members ofthe aie sex aes ese likey tobave astonishing adventures than thet male counterpart deste thei iy lackof econ and get spetde for ggling ani fnting He de anda decoleage ke alabaster m take ther any lepine ogshead Publishing Lad sume that Bouncy cen munch Cer Preface. In which itis exp “The Baron introduces himself and his game, and call for more cognac. The Play of ve Game 4 ala sco hd ds ay sordid anecdoe. Equipment . vo ‘What you should send your manservant out to procute if you wish to play this game. Starting te Game Gathering the company and giving each a purse; on untrustworthy ‘servants; a digression about paper money and glass beads. Character Generation... 0.00000 5 In which the Baron tries and almost manages not to write this section Beginning she Play Choosing the first story-teller; choosing the topic of a story; beginning the telling of the tale. Fike Story Beller... occ veeecces 7 ‘A section that is explained by its ttle Objections 6: Wagers. Te cle pa cogs ne Drehneel Suber gee henclinsa apie” ‘Along, dull and entirely unnecessary digression, saved only by its erudition. Companions ‘A further digression onthe people who may accontpany noblemen on their travels and the diference between them and servants, Including many insulting remarks about the French, Odbjections & Wagers, continued........ 11 In which the Baron lifes che matter he hd eft usarawered before he began his digressions. e-W-T-S Refusal to term it the combat system; the nature of duels and duelling for which the Baron shows too much relish for good taste; ‘how to find # second at two oclock in Prague. An appeal for money. Daelling. {An which the Baron shows a lack of respect for his readers, and goes to dinner. "Whe Result ofa Wuel........ 2.2.4. 15 Rules stuff. Bounty is not explained in this section. Binishing « Story... 1S Finishing o tale; pointing FS acs tar dn ea rd forcing bores to conclude their narrative; the passing of pay. Bounty is not explained in this section either. Determining a Winner... 0.6.5 5 How to decide the best story; the method of voting. Ending de Game vo... sce e eevee 16 Mercifully a short section, mostly about buying wine. «Word oa Bactics. 00.0.6. cece 16 {In which the Baron describes why he is known as the finest ‘raconteur in al of Europe. Inwhich the Baon essays change the title ofthe section 10 ‘Historical Seting Bisstorical Seuing Aur He succeeds. brief description ofthe world a it exstsin 17—. En Conclusion . . “The Baronis closing thoughts. For those with litle imagination, the Baron here provides more than 200 ideas for adventures tobe told among the company, based on his ‘own exploits. Oe ‘The rules in brief for ease of reference and for those who have not ‘been paying attention. PREBPACE ‘The name of Baron Munchausen is one which scarcely needs any introduction at any level of society: all England —nay, all the world — has resounded to the telling and re-telling of the stories of his adventures and deeds of great heroism. Some regard his tales as exaggerations or as boasts; some see them as fables or metaphors; but there are some still who believe them to be nothing less than the unvamished truth, and I number myself among that company. Te was my great fortune to meet the Baron a handful of years before his untimely death, in the port of Dover. He had, he claimed, ridden over from Erance on the back ofa sea-horse in order to visit Lord K—, whom a few years previously he had saved from a sudden death at the rim of the volcano tna during a military campaign against the fire-sprites which had recently laid waste to so much of Italy. (The Baron contended that it was these sprites, and not the barbarian hordes, which had caused the fall ofthe Roman Empire). He professed toa great love of our capital city and an unfortunate shortage of capital wealth, and accordingly 1 suggested to him that after he had visited the noble lord, he should spend a few days in London to enjoy the hospitality of :y brother and myself, and where he could create a new game for us, based on his famous travels and adventures. It had been the Baron's scheme to proceed from Lord K—s estate in H—shire to Scotland, where he proposed to harness a carriage to a flock of golden eagles and fly them to the Sun, as a gift for is friend the King of that sphere. However, he agreed to honour us with his presence in London, and duly arrived with usa few weeks later, where we began to essay the creation of his game. Perhaps it was my fault for an excess of zeal atthe prospect of, publishing the design of so august a nobleman; or perhaps it was a mistake to leave him under the sole editorship of my son “Edward, who had of late been spending much time visiting gin- shops and dens of ill-repute in the company of younger designers of games from the Americas. Whatever the problem, and whereinsoever lay the blame, the manuscript which the two of them produced had, I discovered soon after the Baronis departure, captured altogether too much of the Baron's style as a raconteur and bon viveur, and little of the rigour which must inform great designs, such as Edward can produce when not under the influence of foreigners and other undesirables. (1 recommend his game An Arithmetical Pastime, published this year, a8 a fine example of his work. He is not a bad lad.) A game of such a radical type would, I know, have no success in the is majesty, King ofthe Sun London of the eighteenth century nor, I believe, of the nineteenth century neither. Itis therefore my intention to seal this valuable — and, 1 should add, expensive; the Baron being a man accustomed to the grandest living, and the finest wines and liqueurs, of which he completely emptied my cellar — manuscript, together ‘with this leter, in a place wherein one of my descendants may find it and, recognising that the fashion in games has changed sufficiently for a curiosity such as this to find its audience at last, may publish it to the acclaim it deserves. John Wali, publisher of games of quality No. 42 Skinner Street, Snow Hil, London this year 1798. ‘What he said. James Wallis, director of Hogshead Publishing Led June, 1998. INTRODUCTION Jn which the Baron explains the reasons for his game As1amaman whois known as much for his scrupulous honesty in the telling of his tales as for is amazing adventures around, across and in some cases through the circumference of the globe, 1 am constantly asked by my friends why I should wish to put my name — an old and ‘most distinguished name: according to my family records there was a Munchausen stowed away upon the Ark — toa game forthe telling of extraordinary tales and unlikely anecdotes. My answer is simple. My reputation, and wih i the retelling of ev eral of my astounding adventures, have spread throughout the civilised world, across oceans, to deepest Afrique and farthest Nippon, to the twin worlds ofthe Sun and the Moon and the strange peoples who live there, and even into France. Therefore, wherever I travel I find mysel constantly prevailed upon to tell these stories, which requests I never ¢, being a man of noble breeding. Accordingly, | find myself without a moments’ peace from nincom: who would hear once again the tale of how my companions and 1 were swallowed by a whale, or how I rode a cannonball through the sky over Constantinople. And often Lam rewarded with nothing but a small glass of the roughest brandy, or even nothing at all! Am T some poor storyteller to act for their amusement? No! arm a nobleman, a soldier and an adventurer, while they are ninnies all, and 1 will have naught more todo with them, or be damned, With the publication ofthis game (which I here humbly dedicate 1 the two people mose important in its writing: viz. myself and the Empress of Russia) I mean to provide those who would prevail upon me with the means to tell astounding stories to each other out of my presence. This, not solely a great boon to civilization and a source of ‘which reason, | assure my diligent readers, ‘was hindmost in my mind during the composition of this work — will also mean chat Iam able to spend more time with those to whom my presence and charisma is more desirable: to wit, the ladies of the company. I believe that this may be the greatest innovation in game design since the Collectible Tarot Deck, which I invented while incarcerated in the Bastille on a spurious charge of importing quinces coma Sunday. But I digress. ‘minor income to myself I shall begin to describe the game presenaly, but first Iroust remind my readers of one important fact. This is a game of telling stories, and cach ofthe had tell are fictions, my adventures are all true in every detail. To say other: wise is to call mea liar, and to pretend your fancies happened to me is side and give you such a show of swordsmanship that will so greatly that you will be blinded by its sparks for a month, I am a nobleman, si, and I am not to be trifled with ‘Now pass the cognac. No, clockwise, you oa Lhe Play he Game ‘My game isa simple one, based upon a ritual I observed in the tribes of| the remote Amazon, which they practise while preparing food. I was stories wll be based on the astonishing adventures I have in thei style, if not in their content. But, while the stories you I me a charlatan, and sirah, if you do either Ishall take you out able to study the ritual in some depeh since I had undergone the mis fortune of being captured and was indeed the food in preparation. the rituals used to purify and entertain the food, and to dedicate ito their berbarous gods; and once 1 had escaped by convincing them I was in sooth one of those gods —ah, but Iam meandering again, The game is simple. The players sit around a table, preferably with a bortle of an interesting liqueur or a decent wine to moisten their throats, and each takes a turn to tella story of an astonishing exploit or adventure. The telling ofthe tale is prompted by one ofthe others, and the rest of the company may interrupt with questions and of tions, as they se fit, and which itis the job ofthe tale teller to rebut or avoid. When al are done, he who has told the best story buys drinks for his companions and, the players being suitably fortified, the game may begin again, T well remember one evening in a coaching-inn outside St. Petersbur Myself and several other travellers, many of us adventurers and soldiers of great renown, were ‘caught there by a sudden blizzard and forced to spend the night there. However, the inn had a startling lack of rooms. Having agreed firstly to allow the ladies ofthe company to retire to bed, the gentlemen agreed in the early spring of to 8 contest t0 see who would receive the remaining unoccupied rooms, and who would be forced to bed down in the stables or — an ‘even worse prospect — with the servants. Accordingly we agreed to a contest or ‘wager, and when it was discovered that none of the company had cards, dice, eetorums or backgammon board about them, we agreed t0 contest of stories. Each member ofthe com: pany took a tum at asking his neighbour to recount one of his most extraordinary adven tures; and the others of us then tested the tale con the wheels of veracity, credibility and lau: ability. When all were done a vote was taken and by sheer cunning, came third — which position exiled me to a tiny atic garet, the location of which allowed me to sneak out when all were asleep and enjoy a most remarkable night warmed by the caresses of the Duke of Normandy's daughter, whose beauty and room 1 had noted before the game began. In truth, 1 tell you, it counts not whether you win ot lose, but how you play the game, This game itself follows in similar fashion, bur without the presence of the noble Duke’ aforementioned daughter. More’ the pity ‘Ta play my game, you will require three or more stout friends, prefer ably of noble ora least gente birth; a table; several chairs a copious supply of drink, preferably with a charming wench to serve it; and some coins to servess stakes and to pay the reckoning when alls done. Ifyou have such things to hand, then some parchment, pens and ink, ‘cold night, «roaring fire and a good supply of food are also advised, and itis always provident to have a manservant or two in artendance. ‘You will need naught else, sve fora few tifles such aI shall set forth hereto. Starting tke Game Gather the company and count its members. ft is atin the evening then aka manservant ot pot-boy odo i for you. Make sure that each player has a purse of coins before them equal to the total number of players — do not ak a servant odo this servants being by nature Shifty end feckless lot who willas soon rob man bind abel him ou ‘ofa ditch, and Ihave been robbed in enough ditches to now If your company numbers les than fv, then give each man Sve coin. fit ‘numbers more than twenty then think not of playing the gume: instead 1 advise you to pool your purses, hire some mercenaries and plan an invasion of Belgium. “The exact sort ofeoin you use is notimportant but wll makes ew salientobservations onthe subject, drawn rom my experiences of et- ing his game inthe cout ofthe Orient where, despite the fact that spoke none oftheir language and they none of mine, played toler bly well. Firstly all che coins should be of the same value, to save on arguments. Secondly, they need not actually be coins — I have played with coloured glass baubles in darkest Afrique, where the natives pos- sess such things in abundance — they are given them by missionaries and, having eaten the missionaries, have no use forthe beads. Thirty, anyone who proposes playing with paper money — fit for nothing ‘more than wiping one’ a—e— isclearly no gentleman and should be drummed out of your company and your cub forchwith, If the company are not foo drunk, tired or bored, then you should move to Character Generation. Otherwise you may omit it. Or simply ‘omit i altogether. Character Generation ‘My publisher claims that he has consulted with the greatest living authorities on such matters, and tells me that itis necessary for games such as mine to have a section of this ilk. 1am hoping that these few lines will suffice, and that my publisher will have been so far in bis cups last night that he will recognise the heading above and will not notice, is eyes stil befuddled by cheap gin that [have merely made a few pointed observations to my readers on the perils of dealing with such Grub Street types. No. Its scarcely credible that a man who has drunk so much gin could form even one syllable, let alone the stream of foul oaths which are pouring forth from his blistered lps bu itseems that my gare will be forced to include some words on character generation afterall. ‘othe mater then. To essay the business of character generation you will require a piece of parchment and a pen —1 assume that, heving received a proper education, you are abe ro read and write; in Latin at least. f not, it is my experience that passing priests will ofen agree to perform ths service for you. If no priest or clerk is handy, summon ‘one. fone isnot to be found, or you are unable to procure the services ‘of one through pecuniary difficulties, say by having lost your fortune {nan unwise beton the growth of an asparagus-spear with the King of the Moon, then 1 advise you to pass this section without a second thought, ‘Write, or ask your companion to write, your name atthe top of the paper, with the prefix‘Baron! —or ‘Count, ‘Loe; ‘Duke or whatsoever honorific is appropriate. If your company includes those of foreign extraction, you may instead wish to use a ttle suck as ‘Graaf’ ‘Don, ‘Sultan, ‘Sheik, Amic’ or, as 1 guther isthe fashion in the Americas, ‘Chief Executive Officer. In this age of universal suffrage, now that they have finally won the right they have gainsad for generations, we must not forget the failer sex too Baroness, ‘Countess and so forth are equally permissible. If you must. If you were not born to such rank then, since this is naught but a game, you may write whatever takes your fancy — but srr, I warn you that should I meeta man who claims to be of noble blood but who {snot —and with my age, experience and prodigious nose, together withthe art of scentserying as taught to me by an Esquimau in reward for saving him from a herd of walruses, Lean smell them, strab, I can smell them — then I shall so dizzy him with my rapier that he be tunable to remember his own name and the direction he faces, much less the noble ile he pretends to Underline your name. Nay, underline it again, fr its importance is uttermost. Below your name, add the place of your birth and, I presume to pre- sume, your estate), and its country: Medals and other decorations are best left unrecorded at this tage. ‘Beneath this, write whatsoever takes your fancy have found it most useful for recording the calling addresses and pedigree of any young ladies who catch my eye during the evening. ‘So much for character generation. Beginning te Play ‘Once alll the company have generated char- acters or not — and I recommend not — then yu are ready to commence the pay of ‘the game itsel£ The player to start is the mem- ber of the company with the highest rank in society (standard protocol applies: religious tiles are says deemed greater than heed tary titles, and those higher than military tiles if of sila rank then compre sub sir tle, mamber of estates or centuries thar the title has been in the family; youth defers 10 age; when in doubt the highest malay decoration takes senior, an for the ret [refer yout the works of Messrs Debretsor Bucks) If by some mischance of brth othe poor organisation of your host you are all Commoners then the fist player sal be he stho was wee enough 0 purchase his game 1Fseveral hove, then Thank them al fone have then T worry if you poses suficent altitude of attitude to play a game such as this, which relies on nobility, generosity of spirit td pure, and not being 2 mise If tis ‘manner of beginning is not agreeable, then the player to star should be he who was ast tore the company’s gases However you do so, once the person to sarthas ben determine, hems bein the ‘game. To do that, he must turn to the person sitting at his right hand and ask him to tell the company the tale of one of his famous adventures. By way of example, therefore: Dear Rar, enerin an with your recole- tions of the war of 17—, which you fought Singleshanded aginst the French and won” or: “Most honoured and noble prince, if you Could refan from the gracious compliments you are paying to my ser for & moment Inayhap yom might sxisty our cosy on the matter of how it was that you escaped The Turk allowed me to choose which woman I would like. from the prison of Akkra after you had been hanged there wo days err” For those unable to think of a sufficiently extraordinary and humorous topic fora story, I have included in an appendix some two hundred of the subjects of my own exploits, a mere fraction of the total, which the less quicke-witted player may use for inspiration. Whether you choose to tse one of my examples or one of your own mind, emember tal imes that the subject ofthe tory to be tld should only be revealed 0 the person who mat tela few seconds before they sar their narative Through his suprise, mich god humour may be gained The player thus surprised must now recount the story — perhaps basing it on an adventure of his own, or creating it from the whole cloth of his imapiings. He may, however, pause fora moment of thought before commencing his tale by exclaiming, "Ah" and then peeps adding, "Yes" Any further prevariation s nseemly Thro a bread olathe fellow wo burzy him along ‘Tales should be short, of around five minutes, and told at a good pace with- out heaton or undue pausing for thought Inlections, gestures mimes, props and strange voices may all be used, although the narrator is warned not ‘to go too far: he is, afterall, born to the aristocracy — o pretending to be so. 1 well remember playing this game with the Grand Seignior of Turkey while he held me for ransom in Constantinople. For one story he hired a troupe of ‘actors, a band of tumblers, conjurors and dancing girls, and six elephants. The tal ted tre dys and our nights and when the company did not elect it the best, prefercng my own anecote on how I ciscvered the secdlee ‘grape, he had us all beheaded ... but enough of that for nov. Hf & Story Keller Should Bull Up Ifa player is unwilling to tell his story to the company, or falters in the recounting, then he may plead that is throat is too dy to tell the tae; and good manners demand that the company must let him retire hhonourably, However, od manners also demand that he must obtain a drink to wet his throat, and in doing so it would be greatly impolite ‘ott furnish the rest of the company with refreshment also. In short, player may decline to tell story, but must stand exch member ofthe company a drink ifhe so does Having so declined, and the drinks having been ordered, the player {n question should tur tothe player on their right hand and, a isthe form, propose the subject ofa tae for them to ell. Gbyections & Wagers Forthe benefit of my duller readers should point out that this section ‘on challenges and wagersis the cleverest pat of my game —although due tothe ridiculously rigid structure imposed on me by my diligent ‘but perhaps over-stict publisher, I must wait until later to explain ‘exactly why diss the clever part, ‘The course of «narrative never shall run smooth or the other play- crsof the game may atany point interrupt the storyteller with a wager or an objection. This is accomplished by the player pushing forward cone (and never more than one) ofthe coin before him— we sal call iethe stake —and breaking ino the low ofthe tale. A wager would be castin the manner ofthese examples: “Hager, Baron, that beyond the door you mentioned was an entire

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