The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Introduction

GURPS Atlantis promises to be one of the greatest GURPS Worldbooks produced. The Worldbook/Sourcebook deals with Atlantis. It is a gamer's guide to the story, the history, and the myth. The book claims to present Atlantis out of Greek Myth, several fantasies, science fiction, and superhero comics. Even movies and Television. Jules Verne wrote of Atlantis in both 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Atlantis was mentioned in the Chronicles of Narnia, in the Japanese Animated Series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, and of course, Atlantis is the setting of a recent Disney movie that is going to be released on Digital Versatile Disc very, very soon.

When I bought this book, I was on an Atlantis trip (as in, the Disney Movie was coming out, and I wanted to see it). At the time, I was wondering if the D20 System was actually as forgiving as it is, and started to think about a Victorian Setting under the Sea when I picked this up.

I was hoping for just a Sourcebook on Atlantis and a way to produce my own campaign. But the book exceeded my expectations

OVERVIEW

Introduction The introduction discusses Atlantis, and how versatile the Myth is. And how suitable the Myth is for adaptation to a Roleplaying Game. And many Roleplaying Games have their own version of the myth. It is seen in Tribe 8, it is seen in Call of Cthulhu, it is seen in many other Roleplaying Games. It has even been used as a Basis for WTOC's The Threat from the Sea epic novel trilogy and the Sea of Fallen Stars Forgotten Realms Accessory.

Chapter One

This Chapter presents the Myth, and the Legend. From it's beginnings as Plato's allegorical story,to strange rituals, to Nazi Theosophy, Atlantis is presented in all it's glory.

It begins with Plato's accounts of Atlantis, and how the story was recieved by Greeks after Plato was gone. For instance, there was Crantor, who believed the account and journeyed to Egypt to confirm it. Unfortunately, he could not read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, so he could have been on the recieving end of a very bad Egyptian practical joke. On the converse, Aristotle pooh-poohed the story, saying that it was illogical non-sense. Fortunately, the Atlantis story lived, because Plato was hailed as one of the great minds of Western Civilization. Infact, everyone who was to recieve University Education in the Medieval period was schooled on Plato and thus Atlantis. Then came the Victorian Age.

The Victorian Age was an Age of progress, invention, and so forth. The Victorians regarded Atlantis as a classical tale, although both Jules Verne and Ignatius Donnally wrote about Atlantis. The result was rebirth in the legend.

Especially when the cultists and the fringe philosophers got their grubby hands on the legend. And then the Nazis got their version of Atlantis from these Theosophists, saying that the Aryan Race were descended from Atlantean Royal Stock (this is largely untrue, the Aryans were a Race of Indo-Europeans who lived North of the Indus Valley and conquered the peoples of the Lower Indus, ie India).

In other fringe writings, the Atlanteans were the ancestors of the Toltecs, Aztecs, Mongols, and the Semites (who "originated" in Scotland, according to one man's writings).

Afterwards, people thought if the Atlanteans survived, they would be living in Crystal Domes under the Sea.

Then the chapter explores the Modern Stories of Atlantis, and then finally, Modern Archaeology on the Minoan Civilization and the Satorini Hypothesis.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2 deals with Atlantis as that which has been lost, and an overview of various stories about lost lands, phantom islands, great floods, and cities of destruction.

In the Chapter, you get a basic overview of the Noachian Flood, the Biblical Account of an Ancient Civilization that has gone bad. In a nutshell, since the disappearance of the City of Zion, The Family of Man had grown to become completely Wicked, Degenerate, and Vile. So to save Mankind, God commands Noah to build an Ark which was to carry animals, plants, and mankind to safety. The rest was history.

Also, the book also mentions myths of a great flood from other cultures, giving Greek and Babylonian myths of such a flood as examples.

Also, the book covers Celtic myths like Avalon and Ys; Phantom islands like Hy Breasil and Brendan's Islands; lands like Lemuria and Mu, and also gives small detail of HP Lovecraft's thallassophobic stories of the Sea.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3 deals with Hard Science as well as Fantasy. The Fantasy is presented first. From descriptions of Merfolk to the Deep Ones from Lovecraft's Fiction, and even Science Fiction tropes dealing with underwater adventure. However, the meat of it deals with the Science of Oceanography, Diving, and Submarining, as well as living underwater.

This chapter is the meatest of the book, and it provides you with the geography and geology under the Sea. It also explains how Diving was used as a skill for millenia as well as diving suit technology. From early experiments to the latest achievements in SCUBA diving. Also, Submarines are also presented. From Early experiments made by Western Man to, of course, the latest achievements. Then it deals with the problems of living in underwater cities and addresses on how one can solve the problems of food supply and Water Pressure. In the end of the Chapter, it provides sample underwatercraft in GURPS terms.

Chapter 4 We move on to the last part of the book, three Campaigns that can be used in detail. The first presents a Medium Fantasy version of Atlantis: perfect for your Dungeons and Dragons Campaign (or the beginning thereof).

Details on culture, technology, and magic are all presented, providing the Gamemaster a rich lattice-work on which to build. The next campaign is a Real World Addition to a real world Illuminated Campaign. A campaign on a Minoan Conspiracy and it's relationship to other Conspiracies are presented.

Finally, the one that I am most interested in is the Victorian/Supers setup. this also describes culture, technology, and the wierd science of the campaign.

CONCLUSION

My Review cannot do justice to the book. The Book is packed full of everything dealing with Atlantis and is enough to give a GM lots of ideas for an Atlantean Game of his own. Whether it is Palladium, GURPS, D20, or whatever. In my mind, this GURPS Worldbook is a much better source on Atlantis than say, Avalanche's offering. It is truely a Sourcebook on Atlantis and provides the GM the tools he needs to create any kind of Atlantean themed game he wants. I give this a 3 for Style (the Cover's great though), and a 5 for Substance.

GURPS Atlantis
GURPS Atlantis Capsule Review by Elton Robb on 15/01/02 Style: 3 (Average) Substance: 5 (Excellent!) GURPS Atlantis is more than a Campaign Setting book, it is a book that provides you with an overview of the Myth, the Legend, and the Archeology of Atlantis for use in your games. Product: GURPS Atlantis Author: Phil Masters Category: RPG Company/Publisher: Steve Jackson Games Line: GURPS Worldbooks Cost: $30.00` Page count: 128 Year published: 2001 ISBN: 1-55634-478-3 SKU: SJG02295 6536 Comp copy?: no Capsule Review by Elton Robb on 15/01/02 Genre tags: Fantasy Science Fiction Modern day Historical Horror Conspiracy	*Introduction* *GURPS Atlantis* promises to be one of the greatest GURPS Worldbooks produced. The Worldbook/Sourcebook deals with Atlantis. It is a gamer's guide to the story, the history, and the myth. The book claims to present Atlantis out of Greek Myth, several fantasies, science fiction, and superhero comics. Even movies and Television. Jules Verne wrote of Atlantis in both 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and Journey to the Center of the Earth. Atlantis was mentioned in the Chronicles of Narnia, in the Japanese Animated Series Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, and of course, Atlantis is the setting of a recent Disney movie that is going to be released on Digital Versatile Disc very, very soon. When I bought this book, I was on an Atlantis trip (as in, the Disney Movie was coming out, and I wanted to see it). At the time, I was wondering if the D20 System was actually as forgiving as it is, and started to think about a Victorian Setting under the Sea when I picked this up. I was hoping for just a Sourcebook on Atlantis and a way to produce my own campaign. But the book exceeded my expectations OVERVIEW Introduction The introduction discusses Atlantis, and how versatile the Myth is. And how suitable the Myth is for adaptation to a Roleplaying Game. And many Roleplaying Games have their own version of the myth. It is seen in Tribe 8, it is seen in Call of Cthulhu, it is seen in many other Roleplaying Games. It has even been used as a Basis for WTOC's The Threat from the Sea epic novel trilogy and the Sea of Fallen Stars Forgotten Realms Accessory. Chapter One This Chapter presents the Myth, and the Legend. From it's beginnings as Plato's allegorical story,to strange rituals, to Nazi Theosophy, Atlantis is presented in all it's glory. It begins with Plato's accounts of Atlantis, and how the story was recieved by Greeks after Plato was gone. For instance, there was Crantor, who believed the account and journeyed to Egypt to confirm it. Unfortunately, he could not read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, so he could have been on the recieving end of a very bad Egyptian practical joke. On the converse, Aristotle pooh-poohed the story, saying that it was illogical non-sense. Fortunately, the Atlantis story lived, because Plato was hailed as one of the great minds of Western Civilization. Infact, everyone who was to recieve University Education in the Medieval period was schooled on Plato and thus Atlantis. Then came the Victorian Age. The Victorian Age was an Age of progress, invention, and so forth. The Victorians regarded Atlantis as a classical tale, although both Jules Verne and Ignatius Donnally wrote about Atlantis. The result was rebirth in the legend. Especially when the cultists and the fringe philosophers got their grubby hands on the legend. And then the Nazis got their version of Atlantis from these Theosophists, saying that the Aryan Race were descended from Atlantean Royal Stock (this is largely untrue, the Aryans were a Race of Indo-Europeans who lived North of the Indus Valley and conquered the peoples of the Lower Indus, ie India). In other fringe writings, the Atlanteans were the ancestors of the Toltecs, Aztecs, Mongols, and the Semites (who "originated" in Scotland, according to one man's writings). Afterwards, people thought if the Atlanteans survived, they would be living in Crystal Domes under the Sea. Then the chapter explores the Modern Stories of Atlantis, and then finally, Modern Archaeology on the Minoan Civilization and the Satorini Hypothesis. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 deals with Atlantis as that which has been lost, and an overview of various stories about lost lands, phantom islands, great floods, and cities of destruction. In the Chapter, you get a basic overview of the Noachian Flood, the Biblical Account of an Ancient Civilization that has gone bad. In a nutshell, since the disappearance of the City of Zion, The Family of Man had grown to become completely Wicked, Degenerate, and Vile. So to save Mankind, God commands Noah to build an Ark which was to carry animals, plants, and mankind to safety. The rest was history. Also, the book also mentions myths of a great flood from other cultures, giving Greek and Babylonian myths of such a flood as examples. Also, the book covers Celtic myths like Avalon and Ys; Phantom islands like Hy Breasil and Brendan's Islands; lands like Lemuria and Mu, and also gives small detail of HP Lovecraft's thallassophobic stories of the Sea. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 deals with Hard Science as well as Fantasy. The Fantasy is presented first. From descriptions of Merfolk to the Deep Ones from Lovecraft's Fiction, and even Science Fiction tropes dealing with underwater adventure. However, the meat of it deals with the Science of Oceanography, Diving, and Submarining, as well as living underwater. This chapter is the meatest of the book, and it provides you with the geography and geology under the Sea. It also explains how Diving was used as a skill for millenia as well as diving suit technology. From early experiments to the latest achievements in SCUBA diving. Also, Submarines are also presented. From Early experiments made by Western Man to, of course, the latest achievements. Then it deals with the problems of living in underwater cities and addresses on how one can solve the problems of food supply and Water Pressure. In the end of the Chapter, it provides sample underwatercraft in GURPS terms. Chapter 4 We move on to the last part of the book, three Campaigns that can be used in detail. The first presents a Medium Fantasy version of Atlantis: perfect for your Dungeons and Dragons Campaign (or the beginning thereof). Details on culture, technology, and magic are all presented, providing the Gamemaster a rich lattice-work on which to build. The next campaign is a Real World Addition to a real world Illuminated Campaign. A campaign on a Minoan Conspiracy and it's relationship to other Conspiracies are presented. Finally, the one that I am most interested in is the Victorian/Supers setup. this also describes culture, technology, and the wierd science of the campaign. CONCLUSION My Review cannot do justice to the book. The Book is packed full of everything dealing with Atlantis and is enough to give a GM lots of ideas for an Atlantean Game of his own. Whether it is Palladium, GURPS, D20, or whatever. In my mind, this GURPS Worldbook is a much better source on Atlantis than say, Avalanche's offering. It is truely a Sourcebook on Atlantis and provides the GM the tools he needs to create any kind of Atlantean themed game he wants. I give this a 3 for Style (the Cover's great though), and a 5 for Substance.