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Ringworld RPG - Chaosium

Also: Midnight at the Well of Souls

BROWSE MY RINGWORLD ITEMS CURRENTLY IN STOCK




Ringworld


"The Pak looped a million-mile-wide, harder-than-steel ribbon around a star, and set the ribbon spinning. Like a lariat the scrith band spun evenly, in an orbit comparable to Earth's. Air came, and water and soil, and beneath a sun always at high noon lived and died man-like beings who knew no other reality.
Mysteriously, the Pak died out, but upon the Ring there came to be many species with intelligence — Ghouls, City Builders, Grass Giants, Machine People — and their empires and destinies grew bright or dimmed. Then expeditions from the far stars came, changing the fortunes of Ringworld as surely as Ringworld changed Known Space, the little bubble of stars which Earthmen know.
With the Ringworld game, you and your friends create and take on the life of one or more Ringworld-bound explorers: riding a starship, bearing the best 29th century gear and weapons, headed on a mission to this bizarre place previously unknown. You have few reports or rumors by which to guide yourselves.
Even if (as an explorer) you were fortunate enough to have read Niven's ancient classics concerning this place, you'll find many new intelligent species, dozens of new animals, and alien presences only hinted at. Louis Wu found Ringworld a place of surprises, and so will you.
Ringworld is science-fiction author Larry Niven's most famous creation. The authors of the Ringworld game have striven to present it in all its glory and detail."





Ringworld: Roleplaying Adventure Beneath the Great Arch [BOX SET]

Many more photos of a nice set and contents over at our game blog

"Ringworld Roleplaying: Following game outlines, players generate and then assume the personalities and physical characteristics of Known Space explorers. These explorers then face challenges and mysteries, as though in a Niven tale. During play, an additional participant, the gamemaster, interprets the Ringworld game rules and manipulates setting, time, the forces of nature, and living opponents. The players determine their explorers' actions; the game rules indicate in an impartial manner how encounters and combats are resolved. A Ringworld game session becomes a drama of successive dangers and triumphs, shared by all.

WHAT'S IN THIS BOX?
The RINGWORLD roieplaying game contains four books, several handouts, cardstock explorer figures, five dice, and other inserts. Each of the major items fulfills or supplements particular needs.
EXPLORER BOOK: explorers travel from Known Space to Ringworld for adventure, fame, fortune, and knowledge. The explorer book contains extensive rules for creating human, Kzin, and Puppeteer explorers. Skills are defined, and all important game mechanics presented. Here also are essays about species, and their major worlds and histories. The lengthy glossary at the back of the book is intended to summarize casual knowledge about Known Space. The explorer sheet-sides on the inside covers are photocopy masters.
TECHNOLOGY BOOK: a number of Human Space tools, vehicles, weapons, computers, etc., have been provided so that players can design to some extent their explorers' capabilities. With this book and the explorer book, players have everything their explorers need to visit Ringworld — except a starship. The gamemaster provides the interstellar transportation; deck plans exist as part of the scenario in the gamemaster book — permission is granted to photocopy the deck plan pages. Atmospheric and interplanetary craft are included in the technology book.
CREATURES BOOK: this book is intended mostly for the gamemaster; here is a selection of aliens, Ringworld hominids, and Ringworld animals, and their relevant statistics. A lengthy essay puts the achievements and goals of the Pak in perspective.
GAMEMASTER BOOK: also for the gamemaster, the book contains many essays about the structure and intent of Ringworld, an augmented Ringworld printout, a scenario generator in the form of unanswered mysteries of Ring-world, a short selection of Ringworld hominid technology (including archaic weapons and their statistics), an extended scenario, gravity rules, psionics rules, and a short GM glossary for Ringworld and the voyages of Louis Wu (the gamemaster should carefully examine the player glossary as well).
HANDOUTS: (1) A four-page set of reference sheets contains most of the tables needed for playing the game. (2) Stapled together are two separate items. The four-page section titled 'Autopilot Printout' gives the players a computer readout of the Ringworld system's physical parameters; the computer occasionally uses terminology inherited from previous expeditions. To understand what their explorers see, the players should read the attached essays detailing general impressions of Ringworld. The four blank explorer sheets are ready for immediate use: cut them apart (they are printed front and back) or make photocopies.
CARDSTOCK EXPLORERS: following directions, cut the large rectangles apart. The pictures represent individual explorers in a variety of poses. Both sexes are present, as are Kzin, Puppeteers, City Builders, and a Grass Giant. Use these stand-up figures to show relative positions in explorations or fire-fights.
FIVE DICE: 2D20, 1D8, and 2D6 are all the dice necessary for play. If you are unfamiliar with these interesting shapes, pages 2-3 of the explorer book explain them."

"About the Box Front: a crystal dawn, and a war band of Grass Giants lopes across the Ringworld plains, accompanied by ubiquitous scavenger dar'los. The chieftain-giant leads, in battle-worn armor. To the left and above the warriors fly observers for the City Builders. Some 10 kilometers beyond floats the City Builder enclave, a survivor of the horrible Fall-of-Cities. Aerial traffic around it is visible. To the right rise the awesome rim mountains; beyond them is a glimpse of the rim wall itself, 10,000km distant. To the top of the frame and millions of kilometers away soars the full magnificent width of Ringworld, with its characteristic day/night divisions. Painting by Ralph McQuarrie."

1984 ... Chaosium 2501-X

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Ringworld Companion
For a closer look at the Companion, visit my Game blog:
Ringworld Companion (1984): All the Missing Material from the Epic RPG Box Set

Sourcebook for the Ringworld RPG by Chaosium. INCLUDES: 11 new hominids ~ Ringworld vehicles ~ hyperspace ~ UNSS Calatorie de Soare CGP31 ~ Thrintun, Tnuctipun, Pierin, and 3 other alien species ~ Scenarios: The Kaladians; The Sand Eaters

1984 ... John Hewitt & Lynn Willis & Greg Stafford & Sherman Kahn & Charlie Krank & Sandy Petersen & Lisa Free & Mike Blum & Theresa Griffin Savoy & Rudy Kraft & Steve Perrin ... 80 pages ... Chaosium 2502

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Unreleased Supplements

Announced in a 1984/85 Chaosium catalog.

"The City and Jungle - An unfallen Citybuilder City surrounded by a vast rainforest - intrigue and adventure!

Known Space - The galaxy outside of Ringworld!"





Midnight at the Well of Souls


THE MARKOVIANS:
"Jarid Markov discovered the first of these ruins centuries ago on a planet over a hundred light-years from this spot. It was our race's first experience with signs of intelligence in this galaxy of ours, and the discovery caused a tremendous amount of excitement. Those ruins were dated at over a quarter of a million standard years old, and they were the youngest discovered to date. It became obvious that, while our race grubbed on its home world fiddling with the discovery of fire, someone else, these people, had a vast interstellar empire of still unknown dimensions. All we know is that as we have pressed inward in the galaxy these ruins get more numerous. And, as yet, we haven't a clue as to who they were."
... A lecture to students on Dalgonia by Elkinos Skander




Midnight at the Well of Souls: Roleplaying System [BOX SET]
Roleplaying in the world of Jack L. Chalker. See my blog post for commentary and many more photos.

Midnight at the Well of Souls RPG (1985): Obscure For a Reason

Saga of the Well World – My 2016 thoughts on the fiction series.

-Wayne


"ENTERED BY A THOUSAND UNSUSPECTED GATEWAYS...
BUILT BY A RACE LOST IN THE CLOUDS OF TIME...
THE PLANET ITS DWELLERS CALLED THE WELL WORLD TURNED BEINGS OF EVERY KIND INTO SOMETHING ELSE...
Journey to the Well World or adventure in the domains of the Com Worlds. Either way, this fast-paced science fiction role-playing game will fascinate
you and your friends for hours.

• 112-page game book including 150 character races
• Introductory Scenario
• Combat tables and charts
• Starship blueprints and combat system
• Partial map of the Well World

1985 ... Timothy L. Green ... TAG 1000

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