Sample file Roleplaying the Possibility Wars™ The Nile Empire The Sourcebook of Pulp Reality TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 4 THE REALM AND COSM Chapter One: Out of the Storm 6 Chapter Two: History of a High Lord 8 Chapter Three: Structure of the EmpireSample file 14 Chapter Four: Cities of Adventure 26 Chapter Five: Lands of Danger 44 THE RULES Chapter Six: World Rules for the Nile Empire 58 Chapter Seven: Nile Skills 64 ChapteT Eight: Pulp Powers 68 Chapter Nine: Weird Science Gizmos 76 Chapter Ten: Magic 85 Chapter Eleven: Miracles of Faith 96 Chapter Twelve: Creatures 103 Chapter Thirteen: Equipment 111 TEMPLATES 119 2 TORG - The Nile Empire US39506PDF Ray Winninger Design Greg Farshtey, Michael Stern Additional Material Greg Gorden Development Bill Slavicsek Editing Rosaria J. Baldari, Bernadette G. Cahill, Stephen Crane, Jacqueline M. Evans, Cathleen Hunter, Sharon Wyckoff Graphics SampleDaniel Horne file Cover Illustration Bob Dvorak, Link Mahone, Francis Mao, Allen Nunis, Dan Panosian, Tim Wright Interior Illustrations Copyright © 2014 by Ulisses Spiele GmbH, Waldems. TORG ist ein Warenzeichen von Ulisses Spiele GmbH, alle Rechte vorbehalten. Titel und Inhalte dieses Werkes sind urheberrechtlich geschützt. Der Nachdruck, auch auszugsweise, die Bearbeitung, Verarbeitung, Verbreitung und Vervielfältigung des Werkes in jedweder Form, insbesondere die Vervielfältigung auf photomechanischem, elektronischem oder ähnlichem Weg, sind nur mit schriftlicher Genehmigung der Ulisses Spiele GmbH, Waldems, gestattet. TORG: The Nile Empire Introduction ou walk down a dark city The Nile Empire is a realm where street, circa 1938. Build­ reality corresponds to the way the Important! ings rise above you, form­ world works in pu lp fiction. The This sourcebook is a companion ing canyons of brick and mundane is replaced by two-fisted volume to Torg: J?.,oleplaying the Possi­ • steel reminiscent of the action, exotic locales, and exciting bility Wars. You must have the boxed Manhattanskyline.Anewspaperdrifts adventures. Heroes are good, villains set to use much of this book, as many by on a warm, fetid breeze, its head­ are bad, and neutrals do not exist. of the concepts and rules are explained line screaming of war. The setting sun Further, the heroes of the Nile are a therein. Read the game books first, casts long shadows, and neon signs mixture of costumed crimefighters, then come back to this book for details beckon out of the gathering dusk, call­ hard-nosed detectives, stealthy spies, on the Nile Empire. ing you to come sample a variety of brave adventurers, dedicated scien­ exotic and commonplace wares. tists, psychic investigators, and rough­ But not everything is as it seems. and-tumble cowboys. The villains are The time is the Near Now, not 1938. master criminals, enemy agents., evil The Sourcebook You are walking along a Cairo street, Nile priests and mages, occult hor­ not beneath New York skyscrapers. rors, and mad scientists. In the Nile This sourcebook provides all the Thenewspaperdescribes not the open­ realmandcosm,larger-than-lifestunts information and advice needed to ing battles of World War II, but the are commonplace, and weird science design exciting campaigns and adven­ first shots of the Possibility Wars. The is real. tures set within the Nile Empire and setting sun is a mechanical construct, From the Mediterranean Sea to the Torguniverse. It describes the cul­ and the neon signs flash hieroglyphic Zaire, from Chad to Saudi Arabia, this ture, religion, and world of pulp real­ symbols, not English letters. reality has taken hold. Everywhere ity. It provides new character tem­ This is the Empire of the Nile, and mighty Imperial armies fight to ex­ plates for players to use, new rules for you are a Storm Knight battling to pand these borders. Everywhere the equipment and axioms of the Nile save Earth from alien realities. stelae creep slowly outward. Empire, and more. But for all his success, Mobius has The first section of the book con­ not yet triumphed. Costumed heroes tains source material on the Nile, from Terra - Mobius' home cosm - complete with descriptions of the The Possibility have followed him to Earth, deter­ important regions and characters mined to end his reign of conquest and within the Empire, as well as notes on Wars terror hereSample, before it can file spread fur­ the realm's axioms and the makeup of Earthhasbeeninvaded.HighLords ther into the cosmverse. Sometimes it Mobius' empire. fromdifferentcosms-differentreali­ seems as if Mobius has nothing to do The second section features rules ties - have come to our planet to with the schemes and plans of the and other information for the game­ plunder the power of the Earth itself. other invading High Lords. At other master. These rules are additions to That is the situation in the Near Now times, he seems firmly entwined in the those found in The Torg Rulebook and of Torg:Roleplaying the Possibility Wars. games of conquest they play. other sourcebooks specifically de­ Each High Lord has carved himself a This is the situation in Africa. A signed for use in pulp reality. This piece of Earth and shaped the very new Nile Empire has arisen to bring section also contains a listing of crea­ fabric of reality across that area to back the glories of ancient Egypt. But tures found in the realm, spells, and match his own desires. the empire is an evil tool of a power­ equipment. The continent of Africa has been crazed madman who fancies himself a The final section provides new invaded by a reality of pulp action and god. Besides battling the forces of Core character templates - ready made ad venture. The technology is reminis­ Earth nations that oppose his plans of characters for your group to play. See cent of Earth's own in the 1930s, but it conquest, Mobius must also deal with The Torg Rulebook for details on how to contains a level of "weird science" the heroes of his own reality. No mat­ customize them. that makes fantastic devices possible. ter how these conflicts are resolved, Now, the swirling sands beckon, Worse, it is a led by a fanatical, power­ they will have a profound and bloody and the adventure must begin ... crazed High Lord who calls himself effect on the Possibility Wars. Dr. Mobius, Pharaoh of Egypt! 4 Sample file The Realm and Cosm ~----------------~ TORG: The Nile Empire Cha1~ter One ()ut of the Storm stormsweptacrossEarth Now, three months after the initial inApril of the Near Now. invasion, Mobius continues to extend Dark clouds of forebod­ his empire throughout Africa and the ing evil filled the sky, Middle East. The Possibility Wars are • driven by foul, bitter in full swing. winds. Blc.ated with vile rain, the clouds gatlltered over Indonesia and North America, over France and Great Britain and Japan. And over Africa. The Omegatron Then, whelll the clouds were in place, "Have you ever pondered the con­ the storm blroke. Black rain splattered cept of infinity, Dr. Flash?'' Dr. Mo­ across the planet, and with it came the bius asked his unwilling guest. invaders, 1riding atop their terrible Dr. Flash slipped freefrom the fickle maelstrom bridges from their own grasp of pain for a moment and pulled cosms to 01L1rs. The bridge that struck his head back, aiming the most men­ Africa connected to the cosm of Terra, acing stare he could muster in the opening a portal for the forces of Or. general direction of his hooded in­ Mobius. Thus, one group of Possibil­ quisitor. The chains which had bound ity Raiders attacked our world. his arms and legs for the last seven hourshadfinally begun to saw into his flesh, pulling a series of unfamiliar Th•~ Possibility agonies from the shadowy recesses of his limbs. As Dr. Flash slowly sank Wars back into the sea of pain, he began to notice a shrill whine screaming in the TheSample most valuable commodityfile in distance-awhinenotentirelyunaki.n thecosmvE~ is an energy form called to that of the bone saw be had heard in "possibilil:y." This tangible power the neighborhood butcher shop as a source makes all things possible, and child. it is soughtt after by those who have Suddenly animated, Mobius began come to be known as the Possibility speaking with uncharacteristic vigor. Raiders. Each group of Raiders comes "Try to overcome your discomfort for from an alien cosm of differing reality, a moment, Dr. Flash, and roll the idea plunderinig cosm after cosm to sate about in your mind. Imagine a string their hung;er for this precious energy. ofsand grains laid end-to-end stretch­ When ft.he Gaunt Man, High Lord ing from here to the sun, or the vast­ ofOrrotSh , discovered Earth, he found ness of the Nile River as seen through a world SC> saturated with Possibility the eyes of the amoebas that explore energy as to make his goal of becom­ its waters dailv. Think of the lone ing Torg possible. But to take this pebble on the shores of the Red Sea powerful prize, theGauntManneeded and the single drop of blood fished help. He contacted other High Lords from the river spilled during the rllSt to assist hiim. World War." One of these High Lords was Dr. Dr. Flash tried to focus on what the Mobius. It: did not take much to c<>n­ madman was saying. Somewhere in vince Mobius to bring his loyal ser­ his ranting was sure to be a due on ~ants to Earth. And so the maelstrom how to escape this trap. In the shad­ bridges fell and parts of Africa were owy background Dr. Flash could see transformed. the robed priests of !<hem standing ~------------------~ .