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“Harvey Selden goes down to Mars from an observation ship, and accepts an invitation to visit Firsa Mak’s house by his friend Bentham. He meets a martian woman, Lella, of a type he has not seen before. From there he is shanghaied into observing the Purple Priestess Mad Moon ritual and isn’t able to cope, but survives. The others want him to tell the Bureau, but he runs for Earth instead, into therapy. However, at the end a communique arrives from Lella, saying she is waiting for him at the next ritual.”
Welcome to the Sanctum Secorum podcast. In this episode we look at a work by the Queen of the Space Opera, Leigh Brackett. In addition, we have bonus content to bring to your DCC RPG table including a mini-adventure!
Dark Acquisitions
There is a great deal of new material to bring to the table based on this story. Below is a list, by category and author, of what has been added to the Dark Acquisitions page by the Keepers of Mysteries, based on this show. Further contributions from friends of the library will also be found there as they arrive.
Campaign Tools
Hypothermia – David Baity
Letter to Altman – Jen Brinkman
Featured Adventure
Operation: Jekkara – Bob Brinkman
Magic Items
Mask of the Mad Moon Gods – David Baity
Monsters
Khom – Bob Brinkman
Ramas – Bob Brinkman
The Stacks
Appendix N
Purple Priestess of the Mad Moon by Leigh Brackett
Adventures
The 13th Skull by Joseph Goodman
The 998th Conclave of Wizards by Jobe Bittman
Cry Freedom and Let Slip the Bat-Men of Venus by Tim Callahan
Doom of the Savage Kings by Harley Stroh
The Dread God Al-Khazadar by Daniel J Bishop
The One Who Watches from Below by Jobe Bittman
Recruitment Day for the Perilous League by Gilbert Isla
Red Planet Rendevous: The Arcadian by Tim Callahan
Red Planet Rendevous: The Phaseship of the Starmongers by Tim Callahan
Sailors on the Starless Sea by Harley Stroh
Sky Masters of the Purple Planet by Jim Wampler
Space Pirates from Beyond the Grave by Tim Callahan
The Vault of Ash by Daniel J Bishop
The Weird Worm Ways of Saturn by Daniel J Bishop
Conventions
Asheville Scarefest
Gamehole Con
Pacificon Game Expo
Map
NASA Map of Mars
Music
2001: A Space Odyssey: Original Score by Alex North
Road Crew Appearances
* September 3rd – Bob Brinkman will be launching Skull & Crossbones Classics at the Big Katts Memorial Fund Raiser – Dungeon Games, Estero, FL
* September 4th – Steven Bean will be running Rock God Death-Fugue at the Pacificon Game Expo in Santa Clara, CA
* September 11th – Jeff Goad continues the Brooklyn DCC Goodness with Doom of the Savage Kings at The Brooklyn Strategist
* October 21st – Masks of Lankhmar will be run as part of the Asheville Scarefest, in Montreat NC, on from 1:30-6:30pm
* October 29th – Dungeon Games in Estero, FL will be hosting a Carnival of the Damned funnel tournament.
Settings
Crawljammer from Moon-Dice Games
Peril on the Purple Planet by Harley Stroh
Thanks to
The ambient background of the Sanctum Secorum was created using Horror Ambiance from Klankbeeld.
Sanctum Secorum’s theme music was created using Seating Incantation by Landmark Entertainment.
Congratulations on noticing my sinister plan to infiltrate every flavor of DCC available.
I was able to talk to Brendan LaSalle at Nexus Game Fair, and the story I had mentioned to Jen as being a Lord Dunsany story is actually by Clark Ashton Smith – The Dark Eidolon. A fantastic piece that captures the spirit of DCC extremely well, I think. A beggar (starting occupation) gets trampled (Wild Child with a negative Luck modifier), then becomes a powerful wizard with a patron. Extremely worthy material for your excellent podcast!
I love the classic atomic rocket on that magazine cover. Anything with heat radiators makes me happy. Even heat radiators that would interfere with each other: heat in space moves in straight lines, so the idea configuration is a pair of ‘wings’… as seen on the international space station, and the starship in the movie Avatar [https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/jamescameronsavatar/images/1/1f/Isv.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20100127043619].
Leigh Brackett’s screenplay WAS used; but it was a first draft and she died before she could do a second; when Laurence Kasdan was brought onboard to do the next draft, he only slightly altered it, and, of course, Lucas made Vader Luke’s father.
But if you’re really interested in just how involved Leigh Brackett and Edmond Hamilton were in Star Wars, check out the evidence provided in this documentary that shows that they might have ghostwritten the original film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhR2qD7D8QY&t=13s
Wonderful, I’ll definitely take a look. I’d always heard that she had been more involved, there just hasn’t been evidence (and, more importantly, CREDIT) given to her for her work. She is a real favorite around here.