I want to get in some Witchcraft documentaries from the 70s. These really cover what formed some of my earliest thoughts on witchcraft and the occult.
These movies are not really horror, but they good supporting movies for all the horror movies I typically watch. All these titles received an X rating when they were released but are really all pretty tame.
An interesting note that all these films feature Alex Sanders and Maxine Sanders.
This is a nice weird one and It is part of a larger DVD/Blu-Collection I grabbed from Amazon. The first part is a slow narration over scenes of the moon and sun rising and setting in glorious black & white. It reminds me a little of the start of Aradia, Gospel of the Witches. We get to the creation of man and we see a number of neolithic shamanistic cave paintings.
We get to the part about witches with prerequisite naked dancing under the moon.
We get to see a witchcraft initiation, which looks a bit Gardenarian or Alexandrian (checked it is Alex Sanders, so Alexandrian). We get some history of England including the notion that William the Conqueror was the son of a Witch, and Robin Hood had a coven. This leads to a bunch of material about witches including the witch hunts.
Different witch rituals are shown from wicca to Luciferian with copious amounts of nudity (likely the source for the X ratings) but nothing even remotely shocking really.
Secret Rites (1971)
This one starts off with a "witches orgy" and a woman being dragged to "unspeakable obscenities" but fear not! Her lover "John Goodfellow" has come to rescue her brandishing a cross and rebuke witches as if they were vampires. The scene freezes and our narrator continues in saying that this has been the perception of witches for years. We cut to Alex Sanders who tells us it is complete rubbish.
This covers the initiation of a new witch into Alex's coven. As well as a very brief look at his discussion group (likely brief since there is no nudity), a Wiccan handfasting, and even a Great Rite.
The following were included on the same DVD.
The Witch's Fiddle (1924)
A man gets a fiddle from a witch that can make anyone dance.
Out of Step (1957)
A documentary series that covers witchcraft in this episode. Interviewed are Margaret Murry, Gerald Gardner, and Alastair Crowley's friend, Louis Wilkinson.
The Judgement of Albion (1968)
From Robert Wynne-Simmons, the director of Blood on Satan's Claw. Based on the poems of William Blake. It is a trippy little flick where faeries, in the guise of young college students, still roam "A Green and Pleasant Land" amid modern troubles. Completely experimental and yet so utterly British.
All of these movies and shorts reveal an interesting look at Britain at the end of the 60's. While in the US we were moving headlong into the excess of the 70s and "left-over hippie shit", England seemed to be two different places at the same time. A country aware that it is slowing down even as new prospects are on the horizon and a country whose Pagan past was just a little bit below the surface. These two are likely related to each other.
This Italian "documentary" follows the lives of various real witches in England. I say "documentary" because it only details the most salacious elements of the neo-pagan movement in England. It also conflates all witchcraft with satanism. Now a few of the people they profile like Alex Sanders dabbled in "the Left-Hand Path" decades before and Anton LeVey who was a Satanist, others like Eleanor Bone and Maxine Sanders were Wiccans. The Sanders in fact developed the Alexandrian Tradition of Wicca. In fact, there are many times that what is depicted on screen and what the narrator is telling us is happening are complete conflict. There is a hand-fasting between Alex and Maxine Sanders which is described as Maxine marrying the Devil in the guise of Alex. They imply that in all of these "Satanic Weddings" that Alex, as the Devil, gets to have sex with the women first. A lot of criticism has been laid at the feet of Alex Sanders and Alexandrian Wicca, but this is not one of them.
Oh there is the implication too that Brazilian witches engage in incest. If that feels like it came out of nowhere then yeah, I thought so too. In the middle of talking about proper British witchcraft we get this side trip to Brazil.
Another unforgivable sin (if that word can be used) is that the Narrator (Alberto Bevilacqua) quotes Jacob Sprenger of the Malleus Maleficarum as an authority.
Finnish witchcraft is shown to have a nubile nude witch submit to a cult leader as her future husband, chosen by the high priestess.
It is all very Mondo with plenty of blood sacrifices. There is a bit on Ted Serios and his psychic photography. Mediums. Krishna Consciousness (which is entrapping all of America's youth!) and some more on Brazil. Oh. and they spend some time on LaVey. Plenty of nude women hanging around including LaVey's own daughter and future high priestess of her own sect. There are a few scenes in the LaVey piece that I am sure got in front of some of the artists of White Dwarf.
And it ends with Cryonics, or the freezing your body after death. Cause why not. Even the start of the 70s was weird. I guess their issue was the artificial extension of life.
It feels like some Christian scare tract/documentary. Better watch out those English witches will get you!
It has an X rating, but there is nothing here that I have not seen in a "TV-MA" series on Amazon or Netflix.
Reading other reviews online I just watched the Italian version "Angeli Bianchi... Angeli Neri" (White Angel ...Black Angel), not the redubbed, re-edited "American" version.
NIGHT SHIFT and Old-school Content: A few notes.
I have had this game idea for a while now, Spirit of '76, that takes place in the summer of 1976. It has a solid Americana feel to it and it is inspired as much by movies like "Smokey and the Bandit" and "Convoy" as it is "The Omen" and "It's Alive". But this got me thinking of a similar idea, only maybe set in England during the end of the 60s, 1968 to 1972 in particular. Something very Mod but with horror and supernatural elements. I'd love to set it in London.
Watched: 55
It was really only a matter of time before I got around to posting this.
One of my personal goals with NIGHT SHIFT was to be able to create any character, any situation, I could think of. While I have dozens of characters I have created for NIGHT SHIFT I am only posting a few to show off the capabilities of the system. Since we are getting to the end of Witch Week, this is a must post.
Following up on my 2018 Update of my witches I had them coming out of retirement to battle a bloated orange monster. Looking over my recent posts of both NIGHT SHIFT characters and Baba Yaga from a couple nights ago, I wonder if maybe there is something else going on.
What if Baba Yaga was targeting the girls of the Wayward Sisters so Jodie and Donna seek out the help of Rowena (who can't help them because she is in Hell) but instead gets them in touch with Charlie, who in turn leads them to Willow and Tara. Feels like it could be a part of my War of the Witch Queens campaign set in modern times. It would be appropriate. I'd just have to figure out how to also work in the Charmed Ones!
Why go through all that effort? Well to be honest it would take something this big to pull Willow & Tara out of their comfortable retirement. I honestly have not used these characters in anything of my home games in years. Baba Yaga, especially how I am thinking of revisioning her? Yeah. That is big.
Maybe that is one of the reasons the War of the Witch Queens starts, Baba Yaga is on some other world now.
I digress. Here are Willow and Tara in their 2020 versions.
Strength: 12 (0)
Dexterity: 9 (0)
Constitution: 12 (0)
Intelligence: 16 (+2) s
Wisdom: 18 (+3) P
Charisma: 16 (+2) s
HP: 34 (11d4)
AC: 9
Fate Points: 1d10
Check Bonus (P/S/T): +5/+3/+2
Melee bonus: +2 Ranged bonus: +2
Saves: +5 to spells and magical effects
Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 105%, Telekinesis, Arcane bond (Willow), Innate Magic (Cure), Telepathic Transfer
Skills: Dance (Dex), Literature (Int), Research (Int), Theology (Int), Beast Whisperer (Wis)
Languages: English, Latin, Greek, Gaelic,
Spells
1: Bless, Cure Light Wounds*, Dancing Lights, Detect Evil
2: ESP, Locate Object, Produce Flame, Protection from Evil
3: Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic, Fly, Protection from Evil 10'
4: Cure Serious Wounds*, Dimensional Anchor, Restoration
5: Heal, Contact Higher Plane
6: Enchant Item
Strength: 9 (0)
Dexterity: 11 (0)
Constitution: 11 (0)
Intelligence: 18 (+3) P
Wisdom: 16 (+2) s
Charisma: 17 (+2) s
HP: 32 (11d4+2)
AC: 9
Fate Points: 1d10
Check Bonus (P/S/T): +6/+4/+2
Melee bonus: +2 Ranged bonus: +2
Saves: +5 to spells and magical effects
Special Abilities: Arcana, Casting 110%, Telekinesis, Arcane Bond (Tara), Enhanced Senses, Telepathic Transfer
Skills: Computers (Int) x2, Science (Int), Research (Int), Theology/Mythology (Int)
Languages: English, Latin, Greek, Hebrew
Spells
1: Chill Ray, Detect Evil, Detect Magic, Magic Missile
2: ESP, Invisibility, Produce Flame, Protection from Evil
3: Clairvoyance, Fly, Remove Blindness/Deafness, Speak w/ Dead
4: Arcane Eye, Daylight, Produce fire
5: Commune, Dispel Evil, Raise Dead
6: anti-magic Shell, Enchant Item
Yes. I can see these versions working out great, to be honest. In fact, these versions feel just as "right" as the WitchCraft RPG versions and the official ones in the Buffy RPG (which I worked on anyway). Looking over them again I maybe should have given them an extra level each. They are retired, but I am certain they still managed to stay busy.
NIGHT SHIFT Characters
This one is a last-minute find. I am going to have more to say on all my 5e reviews and how they might work together. But for now, let's look at this one on its own merits.
This one caught my eye with its very striking art. Downloaded and the art continues throughout the book and the layout and design are top-notch. I do want to get into detail about the art, more so than other products I have reviewed, but first I want to talk about the 5e content.
The PDF is 121 pages for $13.00. That might sound like a lot, but given my guidelines of 10 cents per page that is only a buck more. So that is fine. You also get a mobile version for your phone or tablet.
This looks like the first OGL book for this author, prior to this they have had some DMsGuild Titles.
This witch appears to be based on the Web Comic "Pepper & Carrot" which helps explain the art. Again, more details on that in a bit. But for playing purposes this is part class and part world guide. The world of Hereva to be precise.
The Witch Class
The witch class presented in this PDF is a full 20 level caster. They do get spells up the the 9th level, but they do not have the normal spell progression as say Wizards or Clerics. They have known Cantrips (max 4) and known spells (max 15). It is the same as the warlock, without the Invocations. They do get Spell Research starting at 11th level and something called Rea ("Reality") Points starting at 1st. Rea points to power your spells. Doing some quick mental calculations this means that there are many spells that will tap out your Res points quickly. This makes this spellcaster a bit underpowered compared to others. They do have some other powers though.
I supposed here it should be noted that this is not a generic Witch class, but rather a Witch of Hereva.
This witch gets 1d8 hp per level and is a Charisma-based spellcaster. You do get familiars, and they have a mechanical benefit to the characters.
Witches of Hereva's archetypes or subclasses are known as Houses. A nice change from the others I have reviewed all month. You get your House at 2nd level.
These witches also can brew potions (3rd level) and get Broom riding at 5th level.
There are six Witchcraft Houses. Each provides an additional list of spells and powers. Each also has its own special niche to cover in the world.
There is a chapter on Player's Options. This includes a number of backgrounds. Most are specific to this world, but all can be altered as needed and easily done. There are some Feats as well that fit both the world and the witch in general.
The magic chapter has the witches' spell lists as well as 43 new spells. It also 74 new magic items for witches. Making this chapter a step above many of the other witch classes I have reviewed all month long.
There are also two Appendices. The first covers Familiars. The second monsters. Both feature creatures that are unique to this world.
We end with some art credits and the OGL.
The Art and Artist
I grabbed this product because of the art. It has a cool "Kiki's Delivery Service" vibe about it and that is something I have been wanting to play lately. I thought this might be the product to do that, but I was prepared to like it anyway if it wasn't.
Since this is based on a webcomic I thought I should check it out. After all, the art here is fantastic. The webcomic is "Pepper & Carrot", Pepper is the witch and Carrot is her cat familiar. It is created by David Revoy. You can find him at davidrevoy.com and the comic at peppercarrot.com.
It was here I discovered that Revoy releases his comic into the public free as Open Source! I mean wow. The comic is supported by his Patreon who charges per comic released. That is seriously cool. The comic looks fantastic and I am going to have to start reading it. I went to his story to see if there was a paper/dead tree version of his comics, there are, and to see if there was a paper or even PDF version of this D&D 5 supplement. There wasn't. Ok, no big. Did some digging.
So according to this post the Witchcraft: Magic of Hereva (5e) was a Kickstarter project (again, no big deal) BUT the comic creator didn't know anything about it. He was not consulted or asked. Now that all seems to be fine with Revoy, he released the comic as Open Source after all, so it fits with his overall philosophy. There is a bit about how any new art created will be released back into the public domain via Creative Commons. That sounds nice and Revoy seems to take that as good enough. The author of this game supplement Xacur did in fact do that. But it was only two pieces of new art; a broom and a wand. The Kickstarter for this PDF raised a little over $3,100.00. You would think that most of that money would go for art, as typical for a Kickstarter, but all of the art was free/open source.
I can't help but think that this PDF adheres to the letter of Revoy's Open source philosophy while violating the spirit of it. No mistake, the class is fun and the spells and magic items are very nice, but I was drawn to this product based on the art and style. That all belongs to someone else's vision. Strip away what started with David Revoy and what is left? Well. Mostly an underpowered warlock with some powers I have seen in various "Hedge Witch" products. I mean the author didn't even have the decency to list Revoy as the artist on the DriveThruRPG page. Note: He is listed on the supplements for this class.
Is this a playable class? Yes. Is this a fun playable class? Absolutely.
Could have Xancur created this class without the influence of the webcomic? I don't think so.
But there is something here that I feel is a bit distasteful. I know that David Revoy is likely ok with all of this. But it feels a little off to me.
Here are the links to David Revoy's sites.
In the end, you have to decide if this product is the one for you.
Part 2 of my Halloween-themed Kickstarter round up. Today I have mostly some comics.
Brian Pulido's Newest: Hellwitch: Sacrilegious #1!
Brian Pulido has assembled an all start group of comics writers, illustrators, and colorists to bring the latest in his Hellwitch Saga. I have picked up a couple of these over the years, but have been looking to complete my collection. This looks like a good way to do it.
This is the same talent that brought us Lady Death. I will admit I have used more than a few things from these comics in my own versions of Hell for my games.
If vampires are more your speed then might I suggest meeting Jessamy from the world of Stake.
David A Byrne has also brought us an A-Level team for this comic. I know less about it, but the art is fantastic.
Looking forward to reading more on this one too.
And finally!
Elvira's New Comic Book Quarantine Special!
Do I really need to remind everyone here how much I love Elvira? No? Good.
It's Elvira. She has a comic from Dynamite Entertainment. That's all I need!
Another one that has been on my list for a while now. I had it on tap for 2018, but for some reason, I never got around to it. I think I just forgot about it. Actually, it is perfect for this year and right now.
Before I get into the plot, such that it is, I want to talk about what this movie represents. All month long I have been focused on the time period in Europe, and mostly Italian and Spanish cinema, just right before the Exorcist hit. The sweet spot for me has been 1971 to 1973. Now maybe someday I'll do a post Exorcist run of movies, but until then this is the film that I will hold up as Exhibit A as to the effect the Exorcist had on filmmaking.
Demon Witch Child, aka The Possessed and La Endemoniada, has a pedigree of sorts. Marián Salgado who plays Susan, the titular "Demon Witch Child," was the Spanish voice actress for Linda Blair's Regan in the Exorcist. So she was handpicked by director Amando de Ossorio for his Exorcist rip-off, er, homage. The fact that she also bears some similar facial features to the old witch played by Tota Alba helps.
The Exorcist influences are all over this movie. Susan crawls around, her body (not just head) spins around 180 degrees. She swears, she makes rude sexual comments all the time, she speaks in different languages (though we never hear them). And it is all a little weird. I honestly got the feeling that the movie was written one way, but when the Exorcist hit more was added.
An old witch desecrates a church and is arrested. She is suspected of kidnapping a baby, but instead of talking she throws herself out of a window. Her daughter (played by Kali Hansa who also spent some of time working with Jess Franco, including one of his hardcore outings, Weiße Haut und schwarze Schenkel, 1976) witnesses this and decides to curse the daughter of a local politician, Susan.
Susan it seems is now possessed by the spirit of the dead old witch. The make-up effects are pretty good and do a good job of making Marián Salgado look like Tota Alba.
Sadly the movie goes nowhere really. Susan sacrifices babies, eats them, gets people killed, murders a reporter, and comments on how well hung he is before castrating him. But there is also a surprising lack of gore or nudity for the time. There is a subplot with a priest, our would-be exorcist, how before he became a priest he was engaged. It is all very random in places.
This is not the only movie I have seen from the time that suffers a lot from comparisons to The Exorcist, but this one of the most glaring ones.
Watched: 52
New: 36
Ok, this is not a witch RPG per se, but that is not going to stop me.
Also, this one appeared on my doorstep and I have no idea if I ordered it, if it was sent to me, or what. I looked back and I have no interaction with the author or the company Strange Machine Games (SMG).
So let's get into it.
Charm is a "universal" RPG designed to be quick and usable across any genre or playstyle. It advertises itself as being portable enough to keep your character sheet in your pocket and use a dice roller app to play.
For this review, I am considering both the softcover physical book and the PDF. The book is 158 pages, 8" x 8" format. The covers are color, the interior art is black & white.
A quick note about the art. I like it, it does have a comic-book, almost anime style to it, but it also fits the game well.
The first 40 pages cover the basic rules and the remaining 100 or so cover the seven different sample "worlds" you can play in.
The rules are pretty simple, roll a d20 (sometimes with a d6) to get over a particular Target Number set by the GM. Greater levels of success or failure result in added effects. Rolls can be modified. You add the d6 when your character is particularly good at something.
Characters regardless of the Power Level of the game are assumed to be good at what they do. So out of the gate this game is going to have a more "Cinematic" feel to it. A thief will almost always be able to break into a place or steal something for example. Rolling occurs only when there is a chance of failure, combat (or other opposed rolls) or the GM needs it.
The Challenge Threshold, or target numbers, are pretty easy to use and memorize, so players and GMS will catch on very quickly. The levels are all multiples of 3, so abstraction of the rules is easy.
Characters are built using some basic abilities in a way that reminds me of Fate, but a little crunchier. To me this is a GOOD thing. I find Fate a little too fluffy for my needs. This includes the use of a similar term, Aspects. At first level you have three aspects rated at 4, 3 and 2 points. As you level up you can add points to these or gain new aspects. A list of sample aspects is given with guidelines on what else can work.
And that is it. Not difficult to learn and certainly very easy to play the first time. Get together with some friends, decide on a world and then make characters with various aspects. You are ready to go.
While not as crunchy as say GURPS it is crunchier than Fate or FUDGE. I'd put it just south of True 20 and Unisystem in that regard.
The seven sample scenarios are:
