Games Previously Ran at Australian Conventions
"Impossible odds, mentally unbalanced foes, cramped quarters for a good punch-up, and they say Iest has no night life."
-- Cerbus --
Want to know what Games we've run in the Past? Click on one of
the titles below to display an overview of the Game. Each ovweview
contains a blurb (an advertisment that explains a little about what a
Game's all-about) and links to more information, such as downloads and
Player reviews.
Please note: Games members of Pointless Mental Cruelty have co-written with other Authors are marked with an asterisk (*).
2001 | A
Tragic Toy Story
What do a wanna-be homie, a department store in central Miami, $300,000 U.S., and a pikachu toy have to do with one another??? The simplest heist in history of course!!!
Enter Bob Salvatore: An ex-cop on the take, even in his retirement. Bob seems to have found a way to pick up over ¼ of a million in untraceable, sorted and counted cash in under 5 minutes work. All he needs now is a hand to carry all that cash...
If you've ever read an Elmore Leonard novel, or seen a Quentin
Tarantino film, then be prepared for a cinematic experience you'll
thoroughly enjoy! Follow a tale of fun, blood, babies, bullets and
mayhem...
Click here to read more
abut this Game.
Click here to
download a copy of this Game.
2001
| The Money or XP
Presented by the Faculty of
PC (Player Character) Studies at
G.I.T.
(The Goblin Institute of Technology)
Aim Of Exercise: To conduct a quantitative analysis using empirical data gathered via a sophisticated sociological experimental process that has been banned by 95% of sentient life across the multiverse, due to being considered a form of Pointless Mental Cruelty.
Method: Carefully selected teams of volunteer test subjects (Player Characters) will engage in gruelling tests of their might, reflexes, fortitude, wits, common sense, and charm, competing for an ultimate Mystery Prize worth anywhere UP TO 1,000,000 Gold Pieces!
Oh how the Wheels of Fortune shall turn on those Who Want to be Millionaires! You shall come to ask Who's Dungeon is this Anyway? Which Character Class will be the Survivor? And which will prove to be The Weakest Link?
"The Money or XP" is a Freeform for teams of three players, referring to classic elements of DnD, and based loosely on a variety of Game Shows and Reality TV Programs. Come an experience a Freeform with a difference!
Click here to read more abut this Game.
2002 | Sieze the Heir
“Dear Sir / Madam:
Twelve Plotters plotting,
Eleven Priests a' praying,
Ten Nobles niggling,
Nine Schemes a' hatching,
Eight Colours Clashing,
Seven Dwarves a' drinkin',
Six Servants serving,
Five Loyal Guards,
Four Fools in love,
Three Wise Men,
Two Assassins,
....And the Death of the Patrician.
2002 | It's Always Darkest
Before Dawn
Two
Empires fight ever onwards, interlocked in a battle that has crossed
stars and spanned worlds for the past twelve years. Millions have been
sacrificed by both sides in the name of honour. Still, more
battles are fought and the blood continues to flow...
Now, a pivital opportunity to halt to the stupidity and bloodshed has presented itself. One side or the other could glean enough of an advantage to cripple their enemy and emerge victorious from the flames.
It all revolves around
an impossible mission, a moral decision, and the faintest of
hopes... Is the sacrifice of one man's life worth saving millions
from a hopeless future?
Click here to read more abut this Game.
2003 | DantE for Children
2003 | Caveman Shakespeare
"me
not me
big huh
good me if not hit rock club
or good me if hit dumb water
hit hit hit water not make
make big sleep make small sleep not make
because me talk big sleep
not make big ow not make small ow-ow-ow
me you good good
big sleep small sleep small sleep see sleep
big bad huh
if me big sleep
what me see when me go big zog night"
-- Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 1 --
Players will participate as a variety of Cavepersons (ranging from the Smart Caveperson, to the Healthy Caveperson down to the inscrutable Grunting Caveperson).
A 5 Player Game recommended for people who enjoy talking a
lot, but
using only a very limited vocabulary.
Click here to read more abut this Game.
2003 | Everyday is Christmas in
Heaven
Saturday 24th December 1999, 6pm -
12am: The Divine Telethon
"An array of
stars will delight and astound viewers in order to raise funds for a
wide variety of causes across the world. Be prepared for special
guests, dazzling delights, memorable moments and life-changing
performances as we celebrate two millennia since the birth of the
Saviour of all Mankind."
Something strange is going on in
the Divine Realm, and no ones sure exactly what. Choirs are rehearsing;
Saints are singing; and every Angel's been told to get their act
together, literally. Why’s Heaven hosting a telethon? Does it need the
money? What are the Archangels up to? And why on Earth is Saint Peter,
Warden of the Pearly Gates, in charge of the show?
"Everyday is Christmas in Heaven" is a free-flowing Freeform
involving a heavenly host of angelic Characters running a Telethon.
Players will be called upon to perform as part of the show to raise
money for The Divine Cause. Prepare to be thrust centre-stage in front
of a live audience of millions of viewers world-wide for their
entertainment, all in the name of the Good Fight.
Click
here to read more abut
this Game.
Click here to download a copy of
this Game.
2004 | Saigon in Flames
Everybody wants
the "Jade Buddha with the Golden Bat", a priceless artifact with
reputed mystic powers. Secret Socieities and World Conspiracies are
racing agents and operatives to war-torn Saigon.
Can you recover
the artifact first? Can it really be used for world domination? Can you
survive the mayhem of Saigon under siege? Or will the VC get you? Or
perhaps your fellow team members are not what they seem?
"Saigon in Flames" is a team-based Freeform (3 teams of 3-4
Players) using our new-fangled "Bullets & Passports" Game Mechanic.
Elements of the Feng Shui
Role-Playing Game have been used, but lack of
rules knowledge is probably safer!
Click
here to read more abut
this Game.
Click here
to download a copy of this Game.
2004 | Saving
Grace
“My
friends… I need you to do me a favour. Someone – someone close to me –
has taken my beautiful daughter Gracie... I want you to ‘deal’ with
this person & bring her back to me. Capish?”
With New York’s toughest
mobsters & the resources of one of the East Coast’s most powerful
mafia families, how hard can it be to find a 6 year old girl?
-- “This truly is the feel-good movie of the year...” --
-- “A powerful, moving piece that packs one hell of a punch…” --
- “It reminds me of Scorsese, John Woo & Tarantino’s work…” --
"Saving Grace" is a Hong
Kong
Action Theatre! movie with a
difference...
Click here to read more abut this Game.
2005 | The Greatest American
Tragedy
"Hollywood does
Shakespeare - In Epic Style!!!
Rumours are
flying amongst Hollywood circles about Pan-Universal Studio's latest
epic blockbuster, currently dubbed with the working title, "The
Greatest American Tragedy".
Pan-Universal
are hinting that some of the biggest names in the business - both
actors and directors - have signed on for a 3-part epic movie, after
the popularity of sequals and trilogies in recent years. The studio
have reportedly allocated a budget the size of Alaskan oil reserves to
create what will most certainly be one of the most memorable, if not
epic motion pictures of all time!
Hollywood
insiders are saying that the script - based on the greate tragedies
written by the British Bard himself, William Shakespeare - have been
"adapted" by the American Screenwriter's Guild into a phenomenal tale
spanning generations. The press release promises a flick with action
and turmoil involving tumbleweeds, mobsters, and even a dark
near-future setting!
Anyone
who's anyone is involved with this project, and everyone's lips are
sealed. It will only be a matter of time before shooting starts, and
when that happens we'll find out if this movie is the tragic tale (or
perhaps, even the greatest tragedy!) ever made!"
"The Greatest American Tragedy" is a 2 session, 5 hour
Freeform
spanning three generations, genres and directors! Players play actors
playing characters on-set, with everyone aiming to get the film in the
can before it wraps! We guarantee there will never be a dull moment...
Click
here to read more abut
this Game.
Click here
to download the Academy Awards and Film Review from the Game ran at
Arcanacon 2005.
2005 | Four Fists of Righteous
Fury!
“Once upon a
time in China, long before the great heroes of that proud and vast
nation roamed the land, there was a simple man schooled in the way of
the warrior who served the Emperor of the time. Being a simple man of a
simple heart, the Emperor had come to know and trust this man
implicitly, unlike so many others within the Court. And so, when it
came time, he gave this man the most honoured of tasks - the title of
Imperial Champion. Many of his Courtiers coveted this position,
believing themselves to be more worthy than a simple man from a simple
home who simply was not meant to hold such rank.
"And so
it came to pass that one evening, in the dead of night, whilst all of
China slept, this simple man found himself the victim of the jealousy
of one such Courtier. This tale is not about that simple man, but his
legacy, and the Courtier who turned a simple man's life into the most
complicated of plots."
"4 Fists of Righteous Fury!" is a 4-Player tabletop set
somewhere in the mysts of Ancient China inspired by the noir of Lone
Wolf and Cub and other recent cinematic releases.
Click here to read more abut this Game.
2006 | Baron Munchausen
"My Lords
and Ladies, Nobles and Nobodys, You are kindly invited to an afternoon
of tall tales, amazing adventures, epic journeys and fantastic feats as
told by your fellow peers! Come and join the celebration and share your
stories! Beverages will be provided!"
An Event that is open to all and a little different, with a
focus on fun. Take a look at Hogshead
Publishing's web site for more
information on the Game.
Click
here to read more abut
this Game.
Click
here to download the Question & Answer sheet and Alternate
Rules used for Baron Munchausen at Arcanacon 2006.
2006 | Brotherhood of the
Caribbean: The
Island of
Las Aves
January 2,
1678: In one of the Great Marityme Disasters of all
Time, almoust the entyre French West Indies Fleet has been a-wrecke'd
on the Treach'rous Reefs of Las Aves, a tiny isle off the coust of
Venezuela.
An ally'd fleet
of Buccaneers, hyred by the French to help
conquer the Dutch Fortress of Curacao, lyes beach'd upon the isle
a-midst all the flotsam. Supply'd with tyde-borne Barrels of Wyne and
Brandy, the Pyrates, Buccaneers, Freebooters and Pryvateers settle down
for an impromptyu Pyrate Meeting.
Ne'er
before has such a powerful force of utterly Independent
Nature been assembl'd. What course shall they chart? Who would be-come
the Most Famous Pyrate of all Time? The infamous Blackbeard? The dread
Pyrate Roberts? The fam'd Pryvateer Sir Francis Drake? Terra Australis'
own William Dampier? Or one of t'other notourious Sea Reavers?
The island of Las Aves 'tis a Historickal Pyrate Setting, 16
of the leading figures from the Golden Age of Pyracy vye t'with each
other in Politicks & Plunder, Swashbuckling & Villainy *
"The Brotherhood of the Caribbean" 'tis a resolution-based
freeform brought to you bye Pointless Mental Kruelty (Argh!).
* Pointless Mental Cruelty
wishes to advise that while we
adhere to our usual policy of writing in neutral manner, the Characters
for this Freeform are all based on HISTORICAL events and figures, and
history can be quite unforgiving! We leave it up to each Player's
interpretation as to how challenging they wish to be.
Click here to read more abut
this Game.
Click here to
download a copy of this Game.
2006 | Global Frequency *
Transcript
10/28/2004
My name is
Miranda Zero.
We are not the
government that doesn't trust you. Nor are we the private corporations
you don't trust.
We are not
asking you to question authority. We don't have a political agenda.
We are one
thousand and one specialists, linked by a revolutionary communications
system.
We are here to
help you and we're a word away.
We are the
Global Frequency.
</END>
You are on the Global Frequency - an international smartmob to
deal with 21st century phenomena; secret atrocities from secret wars,
the neo-paranormal, things you can't see and a future you can't fight.
"Global Frequency" is a 20 player Multiform of 2 sessions with
mature themes, theoretical quasi-science, rescue drama and things
better left weird and unexplained.
This game is based on the Global Frequency series of comics by Warren Ellis and was written by Alex Loke, Hilary Callander, Jye Nicolson, Mark Philp and Mitch Polley.
2006 | The Manor of Darkmoor *
Dr Burrows
Private Practise & Rooms
Middendell
Yorkshire
Dear Sir/Ma'am,
I
regretfully inform you that your uncle, Lord Vermont, has recently
passed away into the arms of Our Lord after a long-fought illness.
Prior to his untimely death, I was authorised to attend to his estates
and carry out the fulfilment of the Will.
Having no children of his own and few relations, your uncle has named
you as a beneficiary of his inheritance. In line with his last
wishes, it is requested that you attend the reading of the Will at
Darkmoor Manor in Yorkshire upon the 31st of October in this year of
Our Lord, where the issue of the division of his worldly possessions
Will be resolved.
I
have presumed to enclose a train ticket and £10 in this letter
for the long journey from London to Yorkshire. I am staying at
Darkmoor Manor until this matter has concluded where I may be reached
by mail if you wish to write unto me.
Yours
faithfully,
"The Manor of Darkmoor" is the tale of four inheritors and a strange village that holds back the darkness that has always threatened to engulf our world.
2006 | Save Bill!
In 2002, D'n'D
met Reality TV...
In 2003, there were Furious Angels...
In 2004, Saigon itself fell to the Viet Cong...
In 2005, there was no EgoCon...
In 2006, PMC are back with a vengeance!
Presenting
our 4th Game for Conquest (and now our first Game for Vorpalcon
2006)... SAVE BILL!
He's the President. You're his staff. How on Earth are you
going to save the most powerful man in the world from his own worst
enemy - himself?!?
Click here to read more abut this Game.
2007 | Mythbusters B.C.
"Sons of Atreus," he cried, "and all other Achaeans, may the
Gods who dwell in
Olympus grant you to sack the city of Priam, and to reach your homes in
safety;"
--- The Iliad, Book I: Homer ---
It's a
tough job seperating truth from legend, but the Mythbusters have heard
King Priam's call to serve!
That's
right, they'll do more than explain
how the Fall of Ilium may or may not be scientifically possible.
Through trial, error and the assistance of their test dummy (named
Icarus), they'll actually demonstrate it! There are 12 Classical myths
to bust, and the fate of Troy lies in their hands...
"Mythbusters B.C." is a 12-player Freeform set during the 10th
year of the Trojan War. Can the walls of Troy forged by Poseidon be
destroyed? If Helen is not returned to her husband, will the Trojans
fall? Is Achilles REALLY invulnerable? Come defend the doomed city from
the Greeks all in the name of science!
Click here to read more abut
this Game.
Click here to
download a copy of this Game.
2008 | The Long Walk
"The Revolutionary Tribunal has found you guilty of counter-revolutionary activities in supporting the return of the detested Bourbon Monarchy.
The Committee of General Security has graciously arranged your incarceration at the Concierge Prison for an undefined period of time until M. Sanson, the Public Executioner, can attend to you.
We recommend you use the time remaining to: put you affairs into order, rediscover your true dignity, revive your patriotism and ensure that your legacy for future generations is one that will be proudly remembered.
Signed
M.
Robespierre
Committee of Public Safety
March 17, 1794
Long live the revolution!"
A Freeform
for 12 convicted counter-revolutionaries.
Click here to read more abut
this Game.