"The Curse of Juo" is a haunting tale that has been passed down through generations in a remote village in Africa. Legend has it that Juo was an ancient witch doctor who possessed immense power and knowledge of dark magic. While respected for his abilities, he was feared for his malevolence and rumored to have made a pact with dark spirits. According to the legend, Juo cast a sinister curse upon villagers who crossed his path or dared to defy him. It was said that these cursed individuals would suffer immensely, enduring endless misfortune, illness, and even death. The curse of Juo was believed to be unbreakable, making it a terrifying prospect for those who fell victim to it.
Дайте отпор захватчикам, применяя магию, разные виды оружия и уловки. На поле боя для рыцарей-ведьм нет ничего невозможного: они быстро летают, превосходно сражаются и даже умеют изменять реальность.
Both Social Class and Professions provide bonuses to a character s Common Skills and Advanced Skills, the value each of which is derived from the character s characteristics. Noah McKay is the son of a rich Edinburgh merchant who could afford to send his son to university to study medicine, first in Edinburgh and then in Paris.
The curse of Juo was believed to be unbreakable, making it a terrifying prospect for those who fell victim to it. Families would be left in despair and desperation, seeking ways to rid themselves of the terrible curse. Throughout the years, attempts to lift the curse were made, with villagers consulting other witch doctors, participating in rituals, and even traveling long distances to find a cure.
Combat is witchcraft deluxe
From the designers of the award-winning Abney Park’s Airship Pirates, Renaissance Deluxe is set of rules designed to handle adventures and campaigns during the Early Modern period, between the Middle Ages and the Age of Revolutions. It is a game that thus encompasses three hundred years of history, from 1500 AD to 1800 AD, taking in changes weapons and warfare—the change from plate armour and swords and shields to wheellocks and flintlocks and pikes and swords; of education and reason as the printing press spreads, leading to a rise in literacy and political agitation; of exploration and conquest as the Age of Sail heralds the discovery of new lands and peoples everywhere. In England alone this covers much of the Tudor, Stuart, and Hanoverian monarchies, the English Civil War, the Jacobite Risings, while elsewhere it takes in the discovery of the Americas and the founding of the colonies, the Indian Wars and the American War of Independence, the Thirty Years War, and the French Revolution. This is not say that the game is entirely a historical affair, for the rules also cover alchemy, magic, and witchcraft, as well as sanity and insanity, and various fantasy creatures.
Renaissance Deluxe is a percentile RPG that uses OpenQuest, an Open Game License iteration of Chaosium, Inc.’s Basic Roleplaying that is based on the Mongoose RuneQuest SRD, as the basis for its rules and mechanics. What this means is that they will be familiar to anyone who has played Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, and other similar percentile RPGs descended from the original RuneQuest from 1978. For those not familiar with OpenQuest, RuneQuest, and Call of Cthulhu, what this means is that the rules and mechanics provide a skill-orientated system that gives dangerous combat and a gritty playing experience. The rules are simple and unfussy, being relatively streamlined in comparison to other iterations of the Basic Roleplaying family.
Character creation in Renaissance Deluxe begins with a player rolling his character’s characteristics—each on a scale of three to eighteen, before choosing a Social Class—Peasant, Townsman, Middle Class, Gentry, and Nobility—which determines what Profession he can select. From Agitator and Camp Follower to Witch Finder/Inquisitor to Woodsman, most of the given Professions are quite mundane, although the Alchemist and the Witch/Warlock provide outré options. Both Social Class and Professions provide bonuses to a character’s Common Skills and Advanced Skills, the value each of which is derived from the character’s characteristics. On top of that, a player receives 250 points to assign to his skills. A table of connections and past events enable a group of adventurers to create links with each other.
Our sample character is Martin O’Connell, an ex-mercenary who fought for various armies in Europe, but sickening of the slaughter decided to return to England. He came to the aid of one Noah McKay, a Scots doctor in Paris who was set upon by ruffians. Not only did Doctor McKay buy him a drink, but hired him as a bodyguard. McKay’s family does not approve, especially as Martin is Roman Catholic. Martin is confident of himself and a doughty man to have in a fight. He thinks McKay is an odd fellow, but enjoys his company and his coin. Much of the latter he sends home to his family.
Adventurer: Martin O’Connell
Nationality: Irish Age: 31
Homeland: Ireland Gender: Male
Social Class: Peasant Profession: Mercenary
Family:
Connections: Political Affiliation:
Righteousness
Righteousness Points: 50
Faction: Roman Catholicism Faction Zeal: 25
STR: 15 CON: 13 SIZ: 16 INT: 14
POW: 11 DEX: 12 CHA: 10
Damage Modifier: +1D6 Combat Order: 12
Spellcasting Order: 12 Movement: 15 metres
Armour
Type: Buff Coat AP: 2/1
Hit Points
Maximum: 15 Current: 15
Major Wound Level: 8
Sanity Points
Maximum: 11 Current: 11
Major Insanity Level: 6
Basic Skills:
Athletics 47%, Close Combat 69%, Culture (Own) 58%, Dance 22%, Dodge 62%, Drive 36%, Evaluate 54%, First Aid 36%, Gun Combat 66%, Influence 52%, Insight 25%, Lore (Ireland) 58%, Perception 45%, Persistence 42%, Ranged Combat 35%, Resilience 56%, Ride 23%, Sing 31%, Sleight 22%, Stealth 35%, Unarmed Combat 47%
Advanced Skills:
Beliefs (Catholicism) 53%, Boating 48%, Craft (Baker) 25%, Dual Weapons (Sword & Main Gauche) 55%, Dual Weapons (Sword & Shield) 25%, Engineering 28%, Language (English) 54%, Language (Gaelic) 45%, Language (German) 25%, Lore (Plants) 28%, Lore (Tactics) 38%, Play Instrument (Pipes) 22%, Survival 24%
One notable addition to the characters are the rules for Righteousness, which represents each character’s belief in a creed or organisation. This could be his religion, a secret society, his clan, his master, his guild, or personal self-interest, such as honour or greed. It is a percentile score that can go up and down according to a player’s actions. For example, a player who has the Faction of Rebellion (Jacobite) would gain points for defeating a band of English soldiers in a public brawl, but lose points if he was defeated and captured. A character’s Righteousness can also contribute a bonus to skill, such as Close Combat in a fight or Influence in a debate. A Faction can also hinder a character. Obviously, a Faction may well call upon a character for certain tasks, but it might also get a character into trouble if his Righteousness is called into question or tested by another Faction. It is also possible for the Righteousness a character or NPC has in Faction to be driven to zero, in which case he is ripe for conversion to another Faction.
Righeousness then, is a roleplaying tool. It is there is to gauge, push, and pull player character actions and motivations. It is befits the period with its religious divisions, division between religion and science, and so on. Four sample Factions are included, so the GM will probably need to create more.
Mechanically, Renaissance Deluxe is a percentile system—a player generally needs to roll under an appropriate skill to succeed. Critical rolls and fumbles are also possible. Combat in Renaissance Deluxe is designed to be fairly unforgiving—the average character only has to take seven points of damage, which most weapons are capable of inflicting—and he suffers a Serious Wound, such as broken ribs or a scar across the face. Typically, minor NPCs will be hors de combat, but player characters and major NPCs are capable of suffering even more debilitating Grave Wounds. Armour is available, but not particularly effective against firearms.
Most characters have access to weapons of all kinds, these being covered by the broad Close Combat, Gun Combat, Ranged Combat, and Unarmed Combat skills. The signature combat skills of the period fall under a number of Advanced Skills—Polearms and Bows are covered by their own skills, whilst Dual Weapons is covered by a number of separate skills, such as Sword & Pistol, Sword & Main Gauche, and Sword &bShield. Firearms take too long to reload, so are generally used as one-shot weapons before melee weapons are drawn. Critical and Fumble tables are provided for the various weapon types in the game.
In comparison to NPCs, player characters have Hero Points. These are used to gain re-rolled skills, downgrade Serious and Grave Wounds, to avoid death, and for alchemists, to design new spells. Characters also earn Improvement Points through play—these can be expended to improve skills, learn new ones, and even improve their characteristics.
The broad swathe of Renaissance Deluxe’s historical setting is supported with rules for travel and weather, illness and disease, an extensive list of poisons, ship travel, and naval combat. The latter is streamlined for ease of play. Where Renaissance Deluxe begins to diverge from a mundane treatment of its history is with Alchemy, one of two magic systems in the RPG. The other being Satanism. Alchemy revolves around the four elements—air, earth, fire, and water, as well as aether—and requires that the alchemist create a Philosopher’s Stone, in which he stores the energy to fuel his spells. The RPG’s short spell list is perhaps too cumbersome, each entry being named something along the lines of For to Speak unto the Mind of Another or For to Steady the Hands of a Marksman, and thus too awkwardly named to find with any ease. The rules also cover the making of potions and the summoning of familiar. Guidelines are also included so that the GM can alter these rules create the magic system that he wants.
Most spell-casting characters in Renaissance Deluxe will be alchemists. Two other options are available. Galenic physicians balance their patients’ humours as part of their treatment, though some also two or three healing spells. Our second sample character is an example of this. The second option is Witchcraft, which Renaissance Deluxe divides between that used for good and that used for evil. Cunning Men and Wise Women use it for good as do unaligned witches and warlocks, whilst Satanic Cultists, Witches, and Warlocks put it to malign purposes. Unless the entire party is evil, it suggested that evil practitioners of witchcraft be NPCs. Alternatives are suggested if the GM wants to adapt the rules of Witchcraft to suit his gameworld.
Noah McKay is the son of a rich Edinburgh merchant who could afford to send his son to university to study medicine, first in Edinburgh and then in Paris. Currently Noah is building up a practice tending to his friends of both his mother and his father, who wish that he would marry. This is marred by his own sickness, consumption that has left him weak and sometimes feverish. This has also left him little time to continue his studies, especially his alchemical ones, the latter his having first studied with colleagues he met as a member of the Freemasons. His poor health means that it is rare for McKay not be seen wearing a thick coat and his skinny appearance means that he is sometimes an easy mark for muggers. For this reason, he carries a walking stick as a means to protect himself.
Adventurer: Noah McKay
Nationality: Scottish Age: 29
Homeland: Scotland Gender: Male
Social Class: Middle Class Profession: Physician (Galenic)
Family:
Connections: Political Affiliation:
Righteousness
Righteousness Points: 50
Faction: Freemasons Faction Zeal: 25
STR: 07 CON: 08 SIZ: 11 INT: 14
POW: 11 DEX: 14 CHA: 14
Damage Modifier: None Combat Order: 12
Spellcasting Order: 12 Movement: 15 metres
Armour
Type: Buff Coat AP: 2/1
Hit Points
Maximum: 10 Current:
Major Wound Level: 5
Sanity Points
Maximum: 11 Current: 11
Major Insanity Level: 6
Magick: 3
Spells: For to Bring the Touch of Healing (2), For to Ehance the Hands of Healing
Basic Skills:
Athletics 21%, Close Combat 41%, Culture (Own) 58%, Dance 38%, Dodge 28%, Drive 28%, Evaluate 42%, First Aid 78%, Gun Combat 28%, Influence 78%, Insight 45%, Lore (Scotland) 63%, Perception 35%, Persistence 52%, Ranged Combat 28%, Resilience 36%, Ride 35%, Sing 35%, Sleight 28%, Stealth 28%, Unarmed Combat 21%
Advanced Skills:
Alchemist 25%, Art (Prose Writing) 35%, Beliefs (Freemasonry) 53%, Commerce 28%, Courtesy 58%, Elemental Casting (Earth) 25%, Gambling 38%, Healing (Galenic) 55%, Language (English) 78%, Language (French) 38%, Language (Latin) 38%, Lore (Law) 28%
The RPG’s bestiary consists of a mix of ordinary animals, such as boars and wolves, cats and dogs with the more fantastic, including basilisks, dragons, ghosts, and ghouls. Goblins and Orcs are also included, as are dwarves and elves, the latter two as playable races, though sadly, halflings are not listed. The Sanity system in Renaissance Deluxe is again, a slimmed down version of the rules seen elsewhere. It treats Sanity as a type of mental hit points rather than the percentile ‘death spiral’ of Call of Cthulhu, with the horror checks being made against the skill of Persistence. This does place a lot of reliance upon the one skill, especially in a horror game or setting—such as in Dark Streets, Cakebread & Walton’s setting of Lovecraftian investigative horror. That said, just as a player character’s hit points can recover, so can his Sanity points.
Rounding out Renaissance Deluxe is a section of GM advice. For the most it is a bit too broad given what it has to cover—essentially not a straight treatment of three centuries of history, but a fantasy one too… This is not say that its advice is bad, more that it is short, being mostly pointers and thinking points for the GM.
Physically, Renaissance Deluxe is a black and greyscale book, which combined with the somewhat dark art, gives it a grubby look. This seems fitting given the grubbiness of the period it covers. That said, the book is clearly written and well-organised.
Renaissance Deluxe joins a number of RPGs and settings that cover the Early Modern period, such as Games Workshop’s Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, Rogue Games’ ColonialGothic, Arion Games’ Maelstrom, and more recently, scenarios like Forgive Us, Death Love Doom, and Tales of the Scarecrow for Lamentations of the Flame Princess:Weird Fantasy Role-Playing. Indeed, it would be possible to pick any of the supplements or scenarios for those games, and with a little adjustment, the GM could run them using Renaissance Deluxe.
If there are issues with Renaissance Deluxe, it is that the book does require the GM and his players to know a lot about the history of the period. A timeline and a deeper overview of the period than the one given would have been helpful, as would a bibliography. Although the book is supposed to cover three centuries of history, it feels distinctly slanted towards the earlier half of the period. It would have been nice if the book had included some setting pitches too for the GM to develop further as well as an accompanying bibliography.
Renaissance Deluxe is not written with the novice game in mind. It is all a bit grey and ever so slightly intimidating, and it is lacking in the history of the period—it may just not be ‘deluxe’ enough. As a ‘core’ book though, it has much to recommend it. The book is well-written, the rules decently presented, and for the GM and the player who has any experience with any iteration of Basic Roleplaying and grasp of the game’s intended historical setting, Renaissance Deluxe is accessible and easy to grasp.
Posted by pookie at 12:37
However, every effort proved futile, and the curse persisted, leaving the village paralyzed with fear. As time went on, the legend of Juo and his curse grew, reaching neighboring villages and attracting the attention of adventurers and historians. Many sought to uncover the truth behind the curse and its origins, hoping to find a way to break its hold on the afflicted. One particularly determined researcher delved into the history of the village and discovered a long-forgotten document hidden within a monastery. This document held the key to finally understanding and potentially breaking the curse of Juo. With the newfound knowledge, the researcher returned to the village, sharing their findings with the villagers. Together, they embarked on a journey to find the hidden relic mentioned in the document, hoping it would hold the power to vanquish the curse. After days of search, they stumbled upon an ancient shrine deep within a dense forest. With bated breath, they performed the sacred rituals described in the document, praying for deliverance from the curse. As the rituals concluded, a sense of relief and calmness washed over the villagers. They felt a weight lifted off their shoulders, and the dark cloud of Juo's curse dissipated. Finally, the village was free from the torment that had plagued them for generations. From that day forward, the legend of Juo and his curse became a cautionary tale, ensuring that the villagers would never forget the consequences of treading into the realm of dark magic. The curse of Juo, once feared and unbeatable, was vanquished, and the village could rebuild and prosper once more..
Reviews for "The Battle for Redemption: Confronting Juo's Final Curse"
1. Rachel - 1 star
I was extremely disappointed with "Juo the final curse". The plot was poorly developed and the characters lacked depth and development. The storyline itself felt disjointed and confusing, with many loose ends left unresolved. The acting was also subpar, with several moments feeling forced and unnatural. Overall, I found this film to be a complete waste of time and would not recommend it to anyone seeking a quality horror movie experience.
2. Michael - 2 stars
I had high expectations for "Juo the final curse" but ultimately found it to be underwhelming. While the concept had potential, the execution fell flat. The scares were predictable, and the jump scares felt cheap and overused. The pacing was also off, with several scenes dragging on unnecessarily. The film attempted to incorporate social commentary, but it felt forced and poorly integrated into the story. Unfortunately, this movie did not live up to the hype and left me wanting more.
3. Sarah - 2 stars
I was excited to watch "Juo the final curse" as I heard great things about it, but I was left feeling disappointed. The plot had potential, but it was convoluted and filled with plot holes. The character motivations were unclear, making it difficult to empathize or connect with them. The visuals were decent, but they couldn't make up for the lackluster story. Overall, I was left feeling unsatisfied and wouldn't recommend this film to others unless they're die-hard horror fans desperate for something new to watch.