The cover image of R'lyeh Antique. You can click on it for an enlarged version, as you can with most of the images in this document. TRPGs (tabletop roleplaying games) have managed to attract a following in Japan, but only in recent years (thanks to the efforts of Evan Cluney, among others) have we begun to truly experience what kinds of TRPGs and gaming fun Japan has developed. While enjoying Haiyore Nyarlko-san!, I noticed that the Call of Cthulhu TRPG was being mentioned regularly. What I did not know until reading it at Nyaru References, is that the show was also referencing a book which told what happened during a playthrough of the game. This book in question is by Uchiyama Yasujirou (内山靖二 郎) and is titled "Ruruie Antiiku" (るるいえあんてぃーく), or "R'lyeh Antique". As a tribute to Nyaruko-san, Call of Cthulhu, and as a test of my own ability as a translator, I will be translating the book into English. 今るるいえあんてぃーくを英語に翻訳しています。 The document follows,and will be added to until it is completely translated. I've included ost and sfx for this book. You can open a youtube link in another tab and enjoy the music while you read, if you wish. A link marked SFX can be opened in a tab and left alone to play. Eventually I'm going to convert this to a PDF version so that people can read it on their e-reading gadget of choice. Parts of this translation will look better with the MGS2 Menu font installed. (It doesn't play nice with css, so we are doing this the old-fashioned way.) Here are some Lovecraftian Japanese words and their English equivalents: Byouteki (病的) - morbid, abnormal Boutoku teki (冒涜的) - blasphemy, blasphemous Magamagashii (禍々しい) - ominous, malign Konton (混沌) - chaos, chaotic Kinshi 菌糸 【きんし】 - fungous Fukitsu 不吉 【ふきつ】 - ominous Hiyukurido 非ユークリッド 【ひユークリッド】 - non-euclidean Shiwakucha 皺くちゃ 【しわくちゃ】 - rugose Iu ni iwarenu 言うに言われぬ 【いうにいわれぬ】 - unspeakable If you need more Lovecraftian adjectives, we've got you covered . 「お前、名状しがたい～とか冒涜的～とか枕につけば何でもクトゥ ルー神話みたいに考えてないか」 You're thinking you can make any random thing belong to the Cthulhu Mythos by prefixing it with "unspeakable" or "blasphemous," aren't you? -Yasaka Mahiro, Haiyore! Nyaruko-san, Episode 2. Keepers who want to run this with Secrets of Japan should make some alterations to the characters. For example, Sayaka-san does not have Bushido, but it would be very useful to combine Bushido with her Martial Arts skill tests as well as her checks to maintain composure. Bushido is detailed on p. 63 of SoJ. It starts at 10% for native Japanese Investigators but is 00% for foreigners. Bushido can be rolled to see through Bargain, Credit Rating, Fast Talk, or Persuade, but it can also deflect detection by the same (both parties can roll against Bushido; the character with the lowest roll wins.) If a social skill is seen through with Bushido, the Bushido user may deduce the person's true intentions or motivation. If using a Martial Art during an extreme time of stress, points in Bushido can be added to the Martial Arts skill during a skill test. An optional rule states that if a temporary insanity result is rolled, using the Bushido skill (once per gaming night) will allow an Investigator to negate the result. If you are using those rules, I'd also recommend a specialization in Karate under Martial Arts. I also changed her Arts (Antiques) skill to Evaluate Treasure, as that skill is more appropriate for appraising the value of gems, rare objects, antiques, pieces of art, etc. I have also made one other edit: the characters start with EDU x4 percentiles in their own language, as per the rules in Secrets of Japan. The author of SoJ observes that Japanese has 2,000 ideographic characters as well as 2 other phonetic alphabets, making it one of the most difficult languages to learn (p63, SoJ). This is why the Own Language skill for native Japanese characters starts at EDU x 4 and not EDU x 5. Other skills from SoJ that might be relevant can be found on pages 62 through 69. I didn't add Bushido to Sayaka's sheet because it would have affected the skill rolls her player already made in the game. Likewise, although SoJ states that native Japanese characters begin with a Martial Arts base skill of 15%, this hasn't been added to the sheets because it would affect rolls that were already made. SoJ can be used to add more Japanese artifacts and Mythos texts to this scenario if the Keeper feels the situation warrants it. Finally, this translation is by heavens-feel.com . Feel free to link to it on your site, but don't host it there. This translation is updated frequently - I tend to add 2-3 pages' worth of material to it per week. Look towards the bottom of this long page for the updated text - it's always added at the end. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ R'LYEH ANTIQUE ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Translator's Notes: TRPG stands for table talk roleplaying game, and is a common acronym used by gamers in Japan. Replays are direct serializations of TRPG sessions (games experienced by players and run by a Storyteller, which in this system is called a Keeper of Arcane Lore, hereafter abbreviated as Keeper. The Cthulhu Mythos is a set of shared concepts created by H.P. Lovecraft and others in his 'circle of friends', including Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, August Derleth, Robert Bloch, and so on.) Japanese honorifics don't convert well into English, so I left them in. Niisan, Oniisan (brother, or older man), Neesan, Oneesan (elder sister, or older woman) You probably already know san, sensei, dono (lord), etc. ======================= Table of Contents ======================= - The Beginning p.003 - Prelude p. 004 - Introducing the Investigators p.007 - Previous Campaigns and Notes for the Keeper p.011 - Scenario I [The Case of the Handcrafted, Closed Polyhedron] p.13 Intermission, Conclusion, Miyako-chan's Reflections p.98 - Scenario II [ The Case of Pickman's Painting] p.103 Intermission, Conclusion, Miyako-chan's Reflections p.168 - Scenario III [ The Case of R'lyeh Company's Stolen Objects] p.173 - Conclusion of the Campaign, Reflections and Reminiscing p.244 - Final Thoughts p.250 - Wrapping Things Up: What is a TRPG? p.252 ======================= The Beginning ======================= OST: [1] This book is sold by EnterBrain. It is a replay of the Cthulhu Mythos TRPG (trans note: Call of Cthulhu) and, predictably enough, follows the format of replay books. Minato will explain these two concepts further. The Cthulhu Mythos TRPG is based on 1920s era fiction created by author H.P. Lovecraft. The concepts of the stories were then put into a TRPG. A foreign game company, Chaosium, published this game, and from the time TRPGs came to Japan it has continued to be loved by an eager base of users. The characteristic entities within the Cthulhu Mythos, if known by humans, would seem transcendent to human beings. Compared to them, Earth and the humans on it are so much dust. The predecessors who wrote these Cthulhu Mythos stories had created 'Cosmic Horror'. It has the ring of science fiction, doesn't it? And so, even within the Earth that will live in, secretly horrific beings lurk. But compared to those monsters who seek blood and meat from humans, or corrupted humans and devils, humans aren't paid much attention by malign entities. Among these beings, perhaps the most conspicuously powerful is Azathoth, who exists mindlessly in outer space, indifferent to all. But thanks to that, human civilization, even our existence itself, has been possible. Even so, there have been times when humans have made a furtive glimpse of this malevolent beings. This replay of the Cthulhu Mythos TRPG focuses on characters controlled within it, called Investigators within the parlance of the game. They don't have magic, ESP ability, or advanced weapons, but they do not silently wait to be sacrificed. That wouldn't be interesting. So to help them escape from this problem, they collect information, analyze it, use reasoning, occasionally collide with it, and make efforts to survive the situation. Even though this is a fantasy war, this is not an action movie. The characters are ordinary people like us. Armed with wisdom and bravery, they have a hard time overcoming these terrors from outer space. It is this type fo drama that makes the Cthulhu Mythos TRPG so pleasurable. Well then, let's look at the story of four souls who have become connected to a certain antique store, and enjoy their tale of cosmic horror. ======================= Prelude ======================= OST: [1] In place of a counter was an ancient desk I am sitting at, with my cheeks in my palms as I quietly watch over the store in the owner's absence. This place is on the outskirts of Tokyo, in an area dotted by houses, and is a small antique store. It is called 'R'lyeh Company. The shop's owner is my uncle, but due to his habit of wandering he rarely is here. So when it comes time for someone to look after the store, well, I have to do it. It's just your usual antique store, and it's messy and only has old things in it. No two things in the store are the same. On top of the desk, which showed fine workmanship, is a golden brooch. Also in view is a creepy-looking oil painting. This was not unexpected. It's an antique store. In addition to the other curios, it is also full of old books.