The Maiden Saga: Role Playing Game (13 page)

Any PC wishing to play a half-man should take the above table into account.

 

There is also a possibility of encountering beasts, ravening or otherwise. These are unlikely to attack without provocation, but will defend themselves. Such conflicts are always in Power, and if you win you have either killed or captured your beast. Some values –

Riding beats can be captured by a conflict in Craft. If already tame, they can be ridden immediately, otherwise a second conflict in Craft is necessary.

If for any reason you need to take pot shots at a beast you must be carrying a suitable missile weapon. Roll the six dice and a double counts as a hit, a triple as a kill.

 

 

“Even as a massive, mail clad leg kicked in the leaden frame Elethrine was rolling from the bed. Glimpsing the strange, bird-like claws on the boot, she thought for one dreadful moment that she was under assault from some grotesque monster. The invader gave a thoroughly human roar of greed at the sight of her naked breasts as he jumped into the room, and any illusion as to what was happening was dashed from her mind. Seizing a pair of scissors from her dresser as the man's hand closed on her other arm, she stabbed at his chest with all her force, deliberately aiming for what she judged to be the strongest part of his armour.”
Captive

 

All four novels of the Maiden Saga were originally published by Nexus, an imprint run by Virgin Books for unabashed erotica. The game came be played without the erotic element, in which case it becomes a novel but straightforward RPG, but this is a fantasy world built as background for erotic stories and works best when used for its original purpose. The books are also more than a little tongue-in-cheek, and this too is reflected in the game.

Should you wish to seduce an NPC, or better still a fellow PC, this is not only permissable but actively encouraged. It is also the only way to steal glory points, a sure route to personal agrandissement and possibly victory. Indulge yourself, express your darkest fantasies and think nothing of shame, which is both fugitive and illusory. You may wish to make a great hero your besotted lover, to gather a hareem of a dozen concubines, even to be ravished by slavers, the choice is yours. The thing is to make it an achievement. (See Example 5.)

When it comes to anything but the most straightforward sex, you need to bear in mind the differences between the eight peoples and their cultures. The Hai take beauty for granted and so may take a perverse pleasure in the grotesque, while among the Makeans beauty is not only rare but in direct proportion to an individual's value as a slave and therefore the most precious of attributes. To the Aeg, to be spanked is a gesture of erotic conquest, to the people of Ythan a mundane punishment without sexual overtones. The Mund are proud and obsessed by shame, making nudity a powerful taboo, while a Vendjomois will think nothing of going naked all day. In Aprina to imagine being enslaved is a favourite fantasy, a concept that would be almost meaningless in Oretea.

The first question you need to ask is: what do you like?

The general rule in RPGs is to create a strong character: a powerful warrior, a deft physician, an adept in magic, whatever it might be. In the Maiden Saga things go rather differently, or at least they have the potential to. You might want to be a character like Talithea or Irqual, whose main aim is always their personal advantage; or then again you might want to be the slave of some vindictive Makean Elite Lady, or an Aprinian girl stranded in goblin haunted wilderness.

Anybody can be the seducer or the seduced (with the probable exception of a goblin), but which you're likely to be depends on the difference between your Allure (attractiviness in sexual terms) and your Greed (lust in sexual terms). The more lustful you are in comparison with how attracitve your are, the more likely it is that you will be the seducer, and
vice versa
. The basic values for the different peoples are as follows -

 

So, while a typical Oretean is likely to need to seduce a typical Mund, a typical Vendjomois is in turn likely to need to seduce a typical Oretean. This will not always follow for individuals, but the principle holds true.

On encountering any human individual of the opposite sex the seducer has the choice of making an advance, but if they decide against it they must make a roll of the six dice. Any triple and they are obliged to make an attempt at seduction. If any two characters have the same difference any PC involved becomes the seducer, or if two PCs are involved they must make a roll, highest score wins.

Seduction follows a simlar system to combat, with those involved playing out a conflict with Seduction Points against Resistance Points. To calculate these, the seducer should first choose any one of the eight Additional Attributes, according to how they want to play out their attempt at seduction. They should then add their Game Points in Experience to those in whichever attribute has been chosen, along with any appropriate bonuses from the following table of perfumes and potions -

Resistance Points should be calculated in the same way, but without the above bonuses. The figure should then be adjusted according to the following table, which shows the degree to which each people is intrigued or repelled by the others. For example, the highly civilised Aprinians find the great size and raw power of the Aeg fascinating, while the Aeg respond almost as strongly to the Aprinian habit of wearing as much body jewelry as clothes. On the other hand, the Mund consider the Makeans repulsive in every way, while the Makeans find the Mund beautiful but cold and savage. Peoples do not necessarily find their own kind especially appealing, and in certain cases, such as the attitude of Arpinians to Makeans, the interest is best described as erotic horror.

For example, if you are an Aeg trying to seduce a Makean you will find you exert considerable fascination, albeit mainly for your potential value as a slave, and the Makean's Resistance Points are reduced by five. If you are a Makean trying to seduce an Aeg, on the other hand, they are likely to consider you both underdeveloped and physically unappealing, so the Aeg adds 3 to their Resistance.

Certain special cases exist for the seduced, in which case they should adjust their Resistance Points according to the following table –