what I meant by "and we come full circle" (to the Haitian revolution)
is in my rewrite of the previous post, which I then posted rather stupidly over there. In brief:
the Haitian Revolution is the great granddaddy of most of our horror tropes - possibly the very Matter of Horror as we understand it; the spectre of our white colonialism falling down before a black Spartacus revolt, combined with the spectre of the rational project failing before the Chaotic Hydra. Zombies? Madness in the face of disorder? Cannibalism and were-creatures and voodoo and amok possession and the killing jungle and hearts of darkness? It all starts in Haiti.
(discuss? I can't promise to keep up if princeofcairo drops by, especially if he brings Europe's Inner Demons with him.)
...So if I do run a Carcosan-themed game* it’ll be a Haitian slavery and revolt game - maybe in glittery drag - and it’ll lead to harder questions about trust and despotism and violence than Flash or John Carter ever have to face.
* it’ll also be mashed up with Barsoom - if only because ERB’s yellow and blue men are too good to pass up, and because I prefer Tharks to ghouls - and it’ll owe as much to De Laurentian Flash and Bollywood as to Lovecraft and McKinney. And although all the usual trappings will be found somewhere in the setting, on Carcosa itself there will be no money - all transactions are barter and there are no fixed exchange rates. Precious metals will be unknown - there is jewelry, but it’s valued purely on appearance: nobody cares if it’s real gold or not. But trophies taken from enemies will be taken very seriously indeed - vital for establishing your credentials and therefore for leveling up. And you'll test magic and batteries with your tongue.
Oh, finally: Jim Stutz's review of Carcosa, in case it's still not clear (sheesh): What we end up with are dinosaur-riding sorcerous cavemen exploring ancient ruins and pursuing the Greys for their nifty rocket launchers while being pursued in turn by Nyarlathotep and some undead mummies.
the Haitian Revolution is the great granddaddy of most of our horror tropes - possibly the very Matter of Horror as we understand it; the spectre of our white colonialism falling down before a black Spartacus revolt, combined with the spectre of the rational project failing before the Chaotic Hydra. Zombies? Madness in the face of disorder? Cannibalism and were-creatures and voodoo and amok possession and the killing jungle and hearts of darkness? It all starts in Haiti.
(discuss? I can't promise to keep up if princeofcairo drops by, especially if he brings Europe's Inner Demons with him.)
...So if I do run a Carcosan-themed game* it’ll be a Haitian slavery and revolt game - maybe in glittery drag - and it’ll lead to harder questions about trust and despotism and violence than Flash or John Carter ever have to face.
* it’ll also be mashed up with Barsoom - if only because ERB’s yellow and blue men are too good to pass up, and because I prefer Tharks to ghouls - and it’ll owe as much to De Laurentian Flash and Bollywood as to Lovecraft and McKinney. And although all the usual trappings will be found somewhere in the setting, on Carcosa itself there will be no money - all transactions are barter and there are no fixed exchange rates. Precious metals will be unknown - there is jewelry, but it’s valued purely on appearance: nobody cares if it’s real gold or not. But trophies taken from enemies will be taken very seriously indeed - vital for establishing your credentials and therefore for leveling up. And you'll test magic and batteries with your tongue.
Oh, finally: Jim Stutz's review of Carcosa, in case it's still not clear (sheesh): What we end up with are dinosaur-riding sorcerous cavemen exploring ancient ruins and pursuing the Greys for their nifty rocket launchers while being pursued in turn by Nyarlathotep and some undead mummies.