We played Transylvania on Sat July 29, 2000. It was supposed to be a small fill-in quest while I prepared my huge quest (which turned out to be 'Wishbringer') but predictably this one ended up being a massive amount of work for me in its own right. Based on a favourite old TSR boardgame of mine, it also proved to be insanely frantic to manage in real time. It was fallible as @#!@!!, heck, people even complained afterwards (especially you Vill :P), but it was fun.
You can read the rules and have a look at the 'playing cards'.
Here are the instructions for the Friday 28 July at 9pm EST game:
Transylvania
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This is a game you will play with Count Dracula, as he attempts to spread his empire across the mud. You players will compete to stop him. To win a round, you have to be the first player to find 3 of Drac's coffins in that round.
Here's how it works. The Count will arrange dozens of hiding places with his allies in the following areas:
Arachnos, Haon-Dor, Forest, Circus, Ofcol, Corinth, Rome, Drow City, Sahaguin, Dwarven Kingdom, Shire, Elemental Canyon, Thalos
This list is the basic one. It might be subject to change.
At his hiding places, Dracula alternately stores
(a) Extra Coffins: ALL-IMPORTANT! If Dracula moves about the land, he needs a safe resting place for each day
(b) Treasures: To pay off his henchman and bribe officials to his cause
(c) Monsters and Guards: To attack you
(d) Nothing: Many hiding places are just decoys
When a game begins, all players can run off to search for the hiding places. They look like this:
-- You see a marker.. you've found one of Drac's hiding places!! --
There will be at least one in each area mentioned, and probably more in larger areas.
When you find a hiding place and you want to search it, you have to pick up the marker, HALT right where you are, and yell out to me (IE Gossip 'Marker!'). Then I will come and collect the marker from you. At that point you will learn what you've discovered in that hiding place - nothing, a treasure, a monster, or a coffin. If you found nothing, start searching again immediately. If you found a treasure, keep it to be cashed in for money at the end of the round. If you found a coffin, keep it. Gossip as soon as you have got your 3rd one. In any case, that hiding place has now been searched and is out of the game.
THE MONSTER RULE - If you were unlucky enough to reveal any monster(s) in your search of a hiding place, you have to kill them ALL before you can play on!!!! You won't be allowed to search any more hiding places until all monsters you've unleashed are dead - I will just ignore your calls. Move around all you like while fighting the monsters, though.
PENALTY RULES: If you actually move any marker: IE pick it up and walk around, or drop it elsewhere, I'll know, and you're out of the game and all subsequent rounds =)
The Only Thing you can do with any Marker is to pick it up, then stand absolutely still and gossip 'Marker!' to have your hiding place turned out. If play gets really hectic, you may have to wait temporarily while I'm collecting someone else's marker. It's first come first served, so you gotta wait.
Oh yeah, don't cry wolf. If you yell 'marker' and you don't actually have one cos you didn't find a hiding place, you'll be out of that round straight away.
Finally - I will need ALL the coffins and treasures back at the end of (each?) game. So don't go souveniring them ;)
You are searching the area.. IT'S AN AMBUSH!!!
You hear the battlecries of 3 Black Shieldmaidens.
You hear the dread wailing of rapidly-approaching Pandoras!
You wince at the creaking of stone as 3 Gargoyles slip from their hiding places.
You hear the footfalls of the undead, and your skin crawls.
You are attacked by 3 Gypsies, henchmen of Dracula.
You face 3 Day Guards who were watching over their master's hiding place.
.. you uncover an old mage's robe. But wait!
You stand amazed as magic fills the air and the robe stirs with life!
.. UGH! The ground bursts open and feral rats pour out!!!
.. a blood-curdling howl suddenly cuts the air.
You are confronted by a werewolf. She's sniffing around for prey.
.. uh oh.
You feel a chill in the air, and sense the arrival of something ghostly.
.. you sense something sneaking up on you and you spin around!
You are faced with a bride of dracula. Blood drips from her bared fangs.
.. What's that behind you??
You are confronted by the pale Nosferatu, who guards this place.
