BRP Monograph 308
Chaos Cults of the Young Kingdoms
AKA Gods of Chaos

Monograph 308 Original
Monograph 308 Original Interior Page
Monograph 308 Revised

Provenance
The Author
Introduction
Cults of Chaos: Progression through the Cults
About the Player's and Gamemaster's Sections
Arioch
Balan
Chardros
Conclusion

Provenance

Chaos Cults of the Young Kingdoms (hereafter Chaos Cults or Monograph 308) is among those BRP monographs that were republished, in this case by the author, who made it available on the excellent Stormbringer RPG site.

The Chaosium version of Monograph 308 (titled Gods of Chaos) was published in 2004; Mr. Green's subsequent republishing includes a 2008 copyright.

Chaosium's 2004 Gods of Chaos was published under the MULA imprint rather than the University of Cadsandria imprint; my guess is that the University of Cadsandria imprint hadn't yet been created.

Monograph 308 frequently references The Bronze Grimoire, a supplement for the Elric! version of Stormbringer. Despite that, I think it is written for Stormbringer 5th Edition. There are multiple citations to page numbers of an unspecified Stormbringer rulebook (listed in order of appearance in Monograph 308):

  • Pages 72 - 73, professions
  • Page 147, Buzzard Eyes spell
  • Pages 260 -261, Allegiance rules
  • Page 144, learning spells
  • Page 60, characters starting with bound demons
  • Page 120, Pan Tangian plate armor
  • Page 163, Magic Point/POW draining
  • Page 222, shark stats
  • Page 172, Shape Change demon ability
  • Pages 221 - 228, NPC stats

Each of these topics are found on the cited pages in Stormbringer 5th Edition.

The Author

The writing in this monograph is excellent, and I've discovered a prolific RPG writer in the author - "discovered" because he's new to me. Charles Green has written sourcebooks and games for several systems including but not limited to BRP, RuneQuest, Stormbringer, D&D, and Savage Worlds, and for several publishers, including but not limited to Alephtar Games and Mongoose Publishing.

In the conclusion of another review, I suggested that the benchmark for quality would be set too high, because it was so well written. Given Mr. Green's depth in BRP games and his excellent writing, that concern was unfounded (at least for this review).

Introduction

The introductory section describes some motivations for the Lords of Law and Chaos (collectively the Lords of the Higher Worlds). It very concisely explains how humans (and human adjacents like Melniboneans and the Mabden) fit into the picture.

This section explains a bit about subsequent sections, and concludes with with a suitably ominous warning about succumbing to the temptation that is Chaos.

Cults of Chaos: Progression through the Cults

In this section, the various ranks one may attain in a cult are explained - along with requirements, privileges, and responsibilities. It's explained that the ladder of progression comes from the Church of Chaos in Pan Tang, which the various cults use as a pattern for their structure.

It's noted (as one might expect from Chaos) that the progression as described isn't an invariant across cults. A couple of notable exceptions are provided. I would also assume that each cult might choose different names for their ranks.

Agents are discussed also, as sort of wildcards in terms of the hierarchy of a Chaos Cult.

This exposition on progressing through the levels of authority in a cult, and some of the risks involved in holding those levels of authority, seems a rich source of adventure seeds for those who enjoy political intrigue.

The progression detailed in this monograph, and its relation to Pan Tang's Church of Chaos, is (I am assuming) influenced by the Stormbringer 4th Edition supplement Sorcerers of Pan Tang, which has a section on the Church of Chaos, and also on the same section in Stormbringer 5th Edition.

About the Player's and Gamemaster's Sections

The meat of this monograph, the Player's and Gamemaster's sections, each detail the same eight cults:

  • Arioch
  • Balan
  • Chardros
  • Hionhurn
  • Mabelode
  • Pyaray
  • Slortar
  • Xiombarg

The Player's section lists each as "Cult of ...", and the Gamemaster's section lists each as "Secrets of...". For example, "Cult of Arioch" and "Secrets of Arioch".

Each of the Player's cult sections is organized with the following outline:

  • Observations
    • Affiliation
    • Character of Cult Members/Ideology
    • Clerical Vestments
    • Common Methods of Worship/Important Rituals
    • Size of Cult
    • Major Worship Centers/Places Of Power
    • Current Goals & Activities
  • Followers
    • Allegiance
    • Skills (some cults)
    • Spells
    • Additional Benefits (some cults)
    • New Spells
    • Spells from The Bronze Grimoire
    • Demon Pacts (some cults)
    • New Demon Abilities (some cults)

The Player's sections provide excellent motivation both for players and GMs.

The Gamemaster's cult sections are not as uniform as the Player's sections. They vary, with some including quite a bit of backstory and many plot hooks, and some being fairly brief. Some include new demon breeds, stats for noteworthy NPCs, and new spells or items.

Rather than reviewing each cult's material in detail, I'll discuss some of the things I found to be interesting1 or particularly useful in the first three: Arioch, Balan, and Chardros.

Arioch

The Duke of Hell · Lord of the Seven Darks · Knight of the Swords

The discussion of organized Arioch worship services in the Player's Section feels almost cinematic. I can imagine the impression it could make on players having it described to them for the first time, whether as participants or observers. The spectacle of bloodletting and a temple blood fountain could be striking.

Balan

The Grim · Lord of Pain and Ecstatic Agony

The history of Kardo V'ash is a fun read, making for morbid but rich history. The inclusion of his Iron Helm and notebook - artifacts that are obviously meant as plot hooks - is a nice addition. Even if one isn't interested in using those items specifically, the story and items are excellent inspiration for inventing one's own artifacts.

Chardros

The Reaper · Chaos Lord of Death and Darkness

Because the cult of Chardros is the most influential within the Church of Chaos, it's great to have the detail and information provided. The author takes pains to point out that the cult of Chardros is one of the most significant factions in the Young Kingdoms, and thus potentially one of the most significant in a campaign. The plot hooks and examples of scenario creation are very good.

The details on necromancy and how it might be used promises fun whether viewed from a player's or GM's perspective. Everyone loves skeletons and zombies.

As with the section on Balan, the backstory and artifact introduced (in this case the Skull of the Theocrat) offer great plot hooks and inspiration. There's also a worthy foe in Aldomar Chu, Agent of Chaos and Priest of Chardros.

Conclusion

As mentioned, the writing in Monograph 308 is excellent. There are very minor punctuation and grammar issues. This is nitpicking really - there's nothing terrible, and it would disappear with the support of a full publishing crew.

My own Stormbringer games have not tended to focus much on the Balance, or the Lords of the Higher Worlds. That wasn't by design, it's just how things evolved for my group and I2.

After reading Chaos Cults, I think I would do Stormbringer differently. By this I mean I would avail myself more of the intrigue and bizarre spectacle offered by the motivations and constraints found in the pantheon of the Lords of Chaos. Whether this would materialize as main plots, side quests, one shots, or just flavor, I think it could only make things more interesting.

As with all games, Your Stormbringer May Vary3. For those who wish to flavor their Stormbringer deeply with the spirit of Moorcock's Young Kingdoms - the struggle between the Lords of the Higher Worlds - Chaos Cults is an excellent, perhaps necessary supplement. My suspicion is that after I read Mr. Green's Monograph 335: Gods of Law, I will feel the same about it.

The fact that Monograph 308 would change how I would do Stormbringer is, I think, a clear statement about how good it is. Read this monograph - it will improve your life and games.

1

At least, interesting to me.

2

I suspect it's also due to the fact that we (exclusively, I think) played 1st edition rules, which while very enjoyable, didn't have quite the depth that later supplements provided and that 5th edition rules seems to have out of the box.




 

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