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Maléfices

May 08, 2024

For the film of the same name, see Where the Truth Lies (1962 film).

Maléfices (French for "evil acts" or "hexes"), subtitled "The role-playing game with the scent of sulphur", was published by Jeux Descartes in 1985 as the first original French-language horror role-playing game. Three editions, 13 adventures and a bestiary have been published, and a fourth edition is being developed.

Description edit

Maléfices is set in France during the years of the Belle Époque (1870–1914),[1] and is a mixture of horror fantasy and Jules Verne technology.[1] All player characters belong to le club Pythagore (The Pythagorean Club) in Paris, which is designed to resemble Golden Dawn, the historical British secret society that was devoted to the study and practice of the occult, metaphysics, and paranormal activities. As members of the club, player characters are recruited to go on quests or investigate unusual happenings.

Components (1st and 2nd editions) edit

The boxed set contains:

  • 56-page rule book
  • 48-page scenario booklet, contains two adventures, La Malédiction de Fontevrault (The Curse at Fontevrault) and Une Etrange Maison de Poupées (A Strange Dollhouse).)
  • gamemaster's screen
  • blank character sheets
  • two ten-sided dice
  • 20-card proprietary Tarot deck
  • 21 two-sided cardboard character figures with plastic bases

The rules cover character creation, system mechanics, combat rules, magic rules, and the creation and use of non-player characters, animals and supernatural creatures.[2]

Historical background material is divided into three parts: "France between 1870 and 1914"; a 4-page timeline of French history; and "Witchcraft, Beliefs and Superstition in Nineteenth-century France."[2]

Third edition edit

The third edition is contained in a single book that describes a great deal of historical and sociological information, as well as police services, investigative and forensic techniques of the period, the Law, procedures of trial and judgement, and typical sentences and punishments. It also includes two adventures, La Jeune Fille et la Mort ("The Maiden and Death"), and L'Enfant de Colère ("The Child of Wrath").[3]

Character generation edit

The player first picks a profession for the player character; female characters are limited to professions that were socially acceptable during La Belle Epoque. The player then rolls dice to determine age and constitution. These will result in scores between 1–20 for four physical attributes (Strength, Dexterity, Education, and Perception). The player divides a pool of twenty points between two spiritual attributes (Reason and Faith), although neither can have a score lower than 6. The gamemaster secretly rolls dice to determine a score of 5–20 for the character's magical attribute (Flow).

Finally the player draws five Tarot cards, four of which the player can see; the fifth is secretly recorded by the gamemaster. These cards can grant bonuses or inflict penalties when the player character attempts to use their abilities. For example the Archangel and the Priest give bonuses to Faith, The Devil and The Sorcerer give bonuses to Reason, and The Great Grimoire gives bonuses to Flow, Faith and Reason.

Gameplay edit

The game uses a pair of ten-sided dice and a proprietary deck of tarot cards to resolve actions. A color-coded table indicates the number the player has to achieve. Both Pass and Fail results are then graded from "A" (Perfect) to "E" (Terrible), and are modified by drawing Tarot cards.

The fourth edition currently being developed will use twenty-sided dice instead of ten-sided dice.

Publication history edit

Maléfices was created by Michel Gaudo and Guillaume Rohmer, and published by Jeux Descartes in 1985 as a boxed set with artwork by Didier Guiserix and Gilles Lautussier. Eight adventures and a bestiary were also published.[4]

In 1988, Jeux Descartes published a revised second edition and three more adventures.[4]

In 2006, a greatly expanded third edition in the form of 290-page softcover book and two more adventures were published by Editions du Club Pythagore.[5] The third edition was reprinted in 2007 by Asmodée Éditions.

In 2016 Arkhane Asylum Publishing acquired the rights to Maléfices from Michel Gaudo. In October 2018 they were crowdfunded through Ulule to begin work on a new version of the game and new adventures. They also planned to reissue revised versions of the old supplements and adventures. In 2021, with work on the 4th edition still underway, Arkhane published the first issue of L'Étoile du Matin (The Morning Star), a periodical with articles designed to support adventures that will be developed in the future.[6]

Reception edit

Léo Sigrann, writing for Chroniques d'Altaride, commented on the mix of horror and Belle Epoque steampunk, saying "the fantastic and the Jules Verne technologies coexist in exciting and tortuous scenarios." He also called the use of the Tarot deck to modify action resolutions "one of the unique originalities of the game." Sigrann concluded that the game was "a treat for the gamemaster and the players!"[1]

In his 2014 book Game Magic: A Designer's Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice, Jeff Howard notes that "the supernatural forces in the game are hidden, almost invisible, to the point that players may never actually encounter a demon even though the entire game is built around implications of diabolical influence. The metaphor of a faint 'odor of sulphur' is a fascinating design goal."[7]

Olivier Caïra counted Maléfices among those role-playing games which introduced more complex narratives into the genre in the 1980s.[8]

Other reviews and commentary edit

  • Casus Belli #30 (January 1986, p.58)
  • Casus Belli #42 (December 1987, p.30)
  • Jeux & Stratégie #37[9]
  • Backstab #48[10]

List of related publications edit

Modules edit

  • No.1 Le drame de la rue des Récollets ("A Tragedy in the Street of the Recollects") [Jeux Descartes 1985 (1st edition)] by Michel Gaudo. (24 pages)
  • No.2 L'énigmatique carnet du Capitaine Pop Plinn ("The Puzzling Notebook of Captain Pop Plinn") [Jeux Descartes 1985 (1st edition)] by Hervé Fontanières
  • No.3 Délivrez-nous du mal ("Deliver Us from Evil...") [Jeux Descartes 1986] by Hervé Fontanières
  • No.4 Les brasiers ne s'éteignent jamais ("The Fires Never Burn Out") [Jeux Descartes 1986] by Michel Gaudo (48 pages)
  • No.5 Le dompteur de volcans ("The Tamer of Volcanoes") [Jeux Descartes 1986] by Michel Gaudo
  • No.6 Enchères sous pavillon noir ("Bidding on a Black Banner") [Jeux Descartes 1987] by Pascal Gaudo
  • No.7 La musique adoucit les meurtres ("Music Makes Murders Much Sweeter") [Jeux Descartes 1987] by Michel Gaudo
  • No.8 Le montreur d'ombres ("The Caster of Shadows") [Jeux Descartes 1987] by Hervé Fontanières (56 pages)
  • No.9 Folies viennoises (A pun meaning either "Viennese Cabaret" or "Viennese Madness") [Jeux Descartes 1988] by Daniel Bilous & Nicole Bilous
  • No.10 Cœur cruel ("Cruel Heart") [Jeux Descartes 1988] by Hervé Fontanières
  • No.11 Le voile de Kali ("The Veil of Kali") [Jeux Descartes 1994] by Michel Gaudo & Pascal Gaudo (112 pages)
  • No.12 Danse macabre ("The Grim Dance") [Editions du Club Pythagore 2004] by Daniel Dugourd (76 pages)
  • No.13 La cornemuse du vieux Jeremiah ("Old Jeremiah's Bagpipes") [Editions du Club Pythagore 2005] by Daniel Dugourd
  • Les Chasses du Comte Lassary ("The Hunts of Count Lassary") [1991] by Michel Gaudo.

Supplements edit

  • A la Lisière de la Nuit ("At the Edge of Night") [Jeux Descartes 1986 (1st edition rules)] by Hervé Fontanières, Michel Gaudo & Guillaume Rohmer (104 pages)
  • Le Bestiaire ("The Bestiary") [Jeux Descartes 1988 (2nd edition rules)] by Michel Gaudo & Pascal Gaudo
  • CatéSchisme [Asmodee Editions 2007 (3rd edition rules)] by Olivier Babarit, Daniel Dugourd, Michel Gaudo, & Jean-Philippe Palanchini

See also edit

  • Paris in the Belle Époque
  • Daniel Dugourd, "Maléfices : odeur de soufre sur l'École des chartes", Olivier Caïra (ed.) and Jérôme Larré (ed.), Jouer avec l'histoire, Pinkerton Press, 2009 (ISBN 978-2-9533916-0-2)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Sigrann, Léo (August 2014). "Lumière sur le jeu de rôle présenté... Maléfices". Chroniques d'Altaride (in French). No. 27. p. 37. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  2. ^ a b "Maléfices". Guide du Rôliste Galactique (in French). 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  3. ^ "Maléfices". Guide du Rôliste Galactique (in French). 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  4. ^ a b "Maléfices". boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  5. ^ "Maléfices (3eme édition)". boardgamegeek.com. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  6. ^ "Etoile du Matin, le". Guide du Rôliste Galactique (in French). 2009-05-08. Retrieved 2022-04-02.
  7. ^ Howard, Jeff (2014). Game Magic: A Designer's Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice. CRC Press. p. 255. ISBN 9781466567870.
  8. ^ Caïra, Olivier (2007). Jeux de rôle: Les forges de la fiction. CNRS. p. 242. ISBN 9782271064974.
  9. ^ https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-37/page/18/mode/2up
  10. ^ https://archive.org/details/backstab-048/page/n15/mode/2up

May 08, 2024
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For the film of the same name see Where the Truth Lies 1962 film You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French April 2022 Click show for important translation instructions Machine translation like DeepL or Google Translate is a useful starting point for translations but translators must revise errors as necessary and confirm that the translation is accurate rather than simply copy pasting machine translated text into the English Wikipedia Consider adding a topic to this template there are already 6 184 articles in the main category and specifying topic will aid in categorization Do not translate text that appears unreliable or low quality If possible verify the text with references provided in the foreign language article You must provide copyright attribution in the edit summary accompanying your translation by providing an interlanguage link to the source of your translation A model attribution edit summary is Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at fr Malefices see its history for attribution You may also add the template Translated fr Malefices to the talk page For more guidance see Wikipedia Translation This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Malefices news newspapers books scholar JSTOR April 2022 Learn how and when to remove this message Malefices French for evil acts or hexes subtitled The role playing game with the scent of sulphur was published by Jeux Descartes in 1985 as the first original French language horror role playing game Three editions 13 adventures and a bestiary have been published and a fourth edition is being developed Contents 1 Description 2 Components 1st and 2nd editions 2 1 Third edition 3 Character generation 4 Gameplay 5 Publication history 6 Reception 7 Other reviews and commentary 8 List of related publications 8 1 Modules 8 2 Supplements 9 See also 10 ReferencesDescription editMalefices is set in France during the years of the Belle Epoque 1870 1914 1 and is a mixture of horror fantasy and Jules Verne technology 1 All player characters belong to le club Pythagore The Pythagorean Club in Paris which is designed to resemble Golden Dawn the historical British secret society that was devoted to the study and practice of the occult metaphysics and paranormal activities As members of the club player characters are recruited to go on quests or investigate unusual happenings Components 1st and 2nd editions editThe boxed set contains 56 page rule book 48 page scenario booklet contains two adventures La Malediction de Fontevrault The Curse at Fontevrault and Une Etrange Maison de Poupees A Strange Dollhouse gamemaster s screen blank character sheets two ten sided dice 20 card proprietary Tarot deck 21 two sided cardboard character figures with plastic bases The rules cover character creation system mechanics combat rules magic rules and the creation and use of non player characters animals and supernatural creatures 2 Historical background material is divided into three parts France between 1870 and 1914 a 4 page timeline of French history and Witchcraft Beliefs and Superstition in Nineteenth century France 2 Third edition edit The third edition is contained in a single book that describes a great deal of historical and sociological information as well as police services investigative and forensic techniques of the period the Law procedures of trial and judgement and typical sentences and punishments It also includes two adventures La Jeune Fille et la Mort The Maiden and Death and L Enfant de Colere The Child of Wrath 3 Character generation editThe player first picks a profession for the player character female characters are limited to professions that were socially acceptable during La Belle Epoque The player then rolls dice to determine age and constitution These will result in scores between 1 20 for four physical attributes Strength Dexterity Education and Perception The player divides a pool of twenty points between two spiritual attributes Reason and Faith although neither can have a score lower than 6 The gamemaster secretly rolls dice to determine a score of 5 20 for the character s magical attribute Flow Finally the player draws five Tarot cards four of which the player can see the fifth is secretly recorded by the gamemaster These cards can grant bonuses or inflict penalties when the player character attempts to use their abilities For example the Archangel and the Priest give bonuses to Faith The Devil and The Sorcerer give bonuses to Reason and The Great Grimoire gives bonuses to Flow Faith and Reason Gameplay editThe game uses a pair of ten sided dice and a proprietary deck of tarot cards to resolve actions A color coded table indicates the number the player has to achieve Both Pass and Fail results are then graded from A Perfect to E Terrible and are modified by drawing Tarot cards The fourth edition currently being developed will use twenty sided dice instead of ten sided dice Publication history editMalefices was created by Michel Gaudo and Guillaume Rohmer and published by Jeux Descartes in 1985 as a boxed set with artwork by Didier Guiserix and Gilles Lautussier Eight adventures and a bestiary were also published 4 In 1988 Jeux Descartes published a revised second edition and three more adventures 4 In 2006 a greatly expanded third edition in the form of 290 page softcover book and two more adventures were published by Editions du Club Pythagore 5 The third edition was reprinted in 2007 by Asmodee Editions In 2016 Arkhane Asylum Publishing acquired the rights to Malefices from Michel Gaudo In October 2018 they were crowdfunded through Ulule to begin work on a new version of the game and new adventures They also planned to reissue revised versions of the old supplements and adventures In 2021 with work on the 4th edition still underway Arkhane published the first issue of L Etoile du Matin The Morning Star a periodical with articles designed to support adventures that will be developed in the future 6 Reception editLeo Sigrann writing for Chroniques d Altaride commented on the mix of horror and Belle Epoque steampunk saying the fantastic and the Jules Verne technologies coexist in exciting and tortuous scenarios He also called the use of the Tarot deck to modify action resolutions one of the unique originalities of the game Sigrann concluded that the game was a treat for the gamemaster and the players 1 In his 2014 book Game Magic A Designer s Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice Jeff Howard notes that the supernatural forces in the game are hidden almost invisible to the point that players may never actually encounter a demon even though the entire game is built around implications of diabolical influence The metaphor of a faint odor of sulphur is a fascinating design goal 7 Olivier Caira counted Malefices among those role playing games which introduced more complex narratives into the genre in the 1980s 8 Other reviews and commentary editCasus Belli 30 January 1986 p 58 Casus Belli 42 December 1987 p 30 Jeux amp Strategie 37 9 Backstab 48 10 List of related publications editModules edit No 1 Le drame de la rue des Recollets A Tragedy in the Street of the Recollects Jeux Descartes 1985 1st edition by Michel Gaudo 24 pages No 2 L enigmatique carnet du Capitaine Pop Plinn The Puzzling Notebook of Captain Pop Plinn Jeux Descartes 1985 1st edition by Herve Fontanieres No 3 Delivrez nous du mal Deliver Us from Evil Jeux Descartes 1986 by Herve Fontanieres No 4 Les brasiers ne s eteignent jamais The Fires Never Burn Out Jeux Descartes 1986 by Michel Gaudo 48 pages No 5 Le dompteur de volcans The Tamer of Volcanoes Jeux Descartes 1986 by Michel Gaudo No 6 Encheres sous pavillon noir Bidding on a Black Banner Jeux Descartes 1987 by Pascal Gaudo No 7 La musique adoucit les meurtres Music Makes Murders Much Sweeter Jeux Descartes 1987 by Michel Gaudo No 8 Le montreur d ombres The Caster of Shadows Jeux Descartes 1987 by Herve Fontanieres 56 pages No 9 Folies viennoises A pun meaning either Viennese Cabaret or Viennese Madness Jeux Descartes 1988 by Daniel Bilous amp Nicole Bilous No 10 Cœur cruel Cruel Heart Jeux Descartes 1988 by Herve Fontanieres No 11 Le voile de Kali The Veil of Kali Jeux Descartes 1994 by Michel Gaudo amp Pascal Gaudo 112 pages No 12 Danse macabre The Grim Dance Editions du Club Pythagore 2004 by Daniel Dugourd 76 pages No 13 La cornemuse du vieux Jeremiah Old Jeremiah s Bagpipes Editions du Club Pythagore 2005 by Daniel Dugourd Les Chasses du Comte Lassary The Hunts of Count Lassary 1991 by Michel Gaudo Supplements edit A la Lisiere de la Nuit At the Edge of Night Jeux Descartes 1986 1st edition rules by Herve Fontanieres Michel Gaudo amp Guillaume Rohmer 104 pages Le Bestiaire The Bestiary Jeux Descartes 1988 2nd edition rules by Michel Gaudo amp Pascal Gaudo CateSchisme Asmodee Editions 2007 3rd edition rules by Olivier Babarit Daniel Dugourd Michel Gaudo amp Jean Philippe PalanchiniSee also editParis in the Belle Epoque Daniel Dugourd Malefices odeur de soufre sur l Ecole des chartes Olivier Caira ed and Jerome Larre ed Jouer avec l histoire Pinkerton Press 2009 ISBN 978 2 9533916 0 2 References edit a b c Sigrann Leo August 2014 Lumiere sur le jeu de role presente Malefices Chroniques d Altaride in French No 27 p 37 Retrieved 2022 04 02 a b Malefices Guide du Roliste Galactique in French 2009 05 08 Retrieved 2022 04 02 Malefices Guide du Roliste Galactique in French 2009 05 08 Retrieved 2022 04 02 a b Malefices boardgamegeek com Retrieved 2022 04 02 Malefices 3eme edition boardgamegeek com Retrieved 2022 04 02 Etoile du Matin le Guide du Roliste Galactique in French 2009 05 08 Retrieved 2022 04 02 Howard Jeff 2014 Game Magic A Designer s Guide to Magic Systems in Theory and Practice CRC Press p 255 ISBN 9781466567870 Caira Olivier 2007 Jeux de role Les forges de la fiction CNRS p 242 ISBN 9782271064974 https archive org details jeux et strategie 37 page 18 mode 2up https archive org details backstab 048 page n15 mode 2up Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Malefices amp oldid 1210358323, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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