Maléfices
Maléfices (French > "Evil Acts" or "Hexes") is a French role-playing game created by Michel Gaudo and Guillaume Rohmer. It was published by game company Jeux Descartes from 1985 to 1994 and was the first original French-language horror role-playing game. Although it had well-crafted adventures, it lost market share to Chaosium's Call of Cthulhu, which expanded on the fanbase that Maléfices itself had created. This is ironic because Call of Cthulhu was printed earlier under license by Jeux Descartes as l'Appel de Cthulhu, starting with their translation of Chaosium's Second Edition of the rules in 1984. In 2004 Maléfices was reprinted by Editions du Club Pythagoras, which has begun making new material and sells PDFs of old material.
The core rules have been published in three editions: the 1st in 1985 and 2nd (Revised Edition) in 1988 by Jeux Descartes. The expanded 3rd Edition (288 pages long - triple the size of the earlier volumes!) was printed in 2004 by Editions du Club Pythagoras and reprinted in 2007 by Asmodée Éditions.
Setting
Maléfices - le jeu de rôle qui sent le soufre... ("the role-playing game with the scent of sulphur")
The game is set during the early part of the French Third Republic (1870–1940). It is a time where the reason, science and industry of the cities is confronting the superstitions, legends, and witchcraft of the countryside. The players' characters are ordinary people, who belong to le Club Pythagore ("The Pythagorean Club"), an association of gentlemen (and ladies) dedicated to fighting the darkness, with the help of Faith, Science, or even Magic.
The players must expect mystery and the supernatural rather than the gore and overt fantastical elements of other horror games. However, whether the threat is a haunted house or a mad scientist, the cloven footprints of the Devil are found not far off. Much like Call of Cthulhu, Malefices was about investigators trying to stop evil forces from destroying mankind but just delaying the inevitable for a while. The First World War apparently heralds the beginning of the end.
Mechanics
The game uses a pair of ten-sided dice and a deck of tarot cards to resolve actions. A d10 roll would use the results of one ten-sided die. A d100 roll uses one ten-sided die of one color as the "tens" column and one ten-sided die as the "ones" column to generate percentages.
A color-coded table divided by percents or ranges of numbers generated by the dice indicates the results (much like TSR's Marvel Super Heroes RPG). The results are divided into "A", "B", "C", "D" and "Failure", like a report card. "A" is a perfect or "excellent" result that is an automatic success. The others are spectrums of success with "B" being "good", "C" being "average" and "D" being "borderline". "Failure" is an automatic failure, but its degree is judged by subtracting the result of the botched roll from the value of the maximum level of success.
The results are modified by drawing tarot cards, much like the Poker deck used in Classic Deadlands. One interesting mechanic is that the La Chance ("Luck") card grants the character an extra life when drawn and the La Mort ("Death") card allows the MJ (Meneur de Jeu, or "Game Master") to kill the character whenever he chooses. An interesting effect is that players who have the "Death" card hovering over them might engage in risky behavior that requires the drawing of more cards in the hope of drawing a "Luck" card, much like a gambler in the hole might do.
Attributes
Personnages Joueurs ("Player Characters") have seven attributes: 4 Bodily attributes, 2 Spiritual Attributes, and 1 Magical Attribute.
The player first picks a profession and has to roll on a d100 chart for the Age and Constitution of the character, which affect the bodily attributes. The four bodily attributes are Capacités Physiques ("Physical Abilities"), Habileté ("Ability" or Dexterity), Culture Générale ("General Knowledge" or Education), and Perception ("Alertness"). Female characters have a period-based limitation on the professions they may choose. Capacités Physiques is based on Age, Constitution, and Profession, while the latter three (Habileté, Culture Générale, and Perception) are just based on Age and Profession.
The two opposing spiritual attributes are Ouverture d'Esprit ("Open-Mindedness", or Reason) and Spiritualité ("Spirituality", or Faith). They are point-based and are created by dividing 20 points between them (much like the contrasting attributes in the Pendragon RPG). Characters start with a minimum level of 6 in either attribute. These attributes have a lot of in-game effects, but in general Ouverture d'Esprit gives a bonus to resist fear and Spiritualité gives a bonus to resist occult manipulation.
Fluide ("Flow" or "Supernatural Powers"), the seventh attribute, is secretly rolled by the Meneur de Jeu for the character and determines how well they can manipulate the supernatural realm. It grants a bonus to one of the three magical attributes. Seuil de Pratique de la Magie Blanche (SPMB, "Threshold for Practicing White Magic") and Seuil de Pratique de la Magie Noire (SPMN, "Threshold for Practicing Black Magic") are the attributes for the use of magic. Seuil de Pratique de la Magie Autre (SPMA, "Threshold for Practicing Other Magic") is the attribute for using Psychic powers or sensing the supernatural realm. Only the Mener de Jeu knows what the bonus is and to which form of magic it applies; this keeps magic and psychic powers a dangerous mystery to the players. Fluide rolls are handled as the opposite of Skill or Action rolls; a failure means there are no consequences and "D", "C", "B" and "A" are botches. A botched roll has dire consequences, with "D" being minor and "A" being serious or even deadly for the character.
Then a spread of five Tarot cards are drawn, like a hand of Poker. Four are shown to the player and one is kept secret by the Meneur de Jeu (the Dealer). They are interpreted to affect the character, granting bonuses and penalties. The hidden card and its influence is kept secret from the player.
Rules Sets
First / Revised (Second Edition)
The first and second edition rules came in a box set with the rulebook, adventure booklet, 4-panel game master screen, 2 ten-sided dice, 20 cardboard tarot cards, and 21 two-sided cardboard character figures with plastic standee bases.
The Tarot deck (referred to as "the Great Game of Knowledge") was designed by LeCordelier and illustrated by Gilles Lautussier. In the First Edition, the Tarot cards were in black and white and were unfinished pre-punched cardboard. The deck in the Revised Edition was in color and the cards were laminated.
The Rulebook was 56 pages. It contained a 2-page foreword titled "From the Sea to The Devil", 25 pages of rules, 25 pages of historical and cultural information, a 2-page bibliography, a Table of Contents page, and an afterword page titled "The Bear". The rules covered character creation, the system mechanics, the combat rules, magic rules, and the creation and use of Non-Player Characters, animals and supernatural creatures. The historical material was divided into three parts. "France between 1870 and 1914" was an 11-page historical essay covering the Belle Époque period. "Chronicle" was a 4-page timeline of French history. "Witchcraft, Beliefs and Superstition in Nineteenth-century France" was a 10-page essay discussing occult practices of the time.
The 48-page Adventure Booklet contained a four page article of cultural and sociological data about France at the turn of the century. It also contained the two beginning scenarios La Malédiction de Fontevrault (The Curse at Fontevrault) and Une Etrange Maison de Poupées (A Strange Dolls' House).
Third Edition
The third edition was a 288-page hardcover book.
A great deal of it (136 pages total) is historical and sociological information. Lever de Rideau ("Raising The Curtain") is a 23-page article describing previous historical eras in French history: the Empire [1804-1815], the Bourbon Restoration [1814-1830], the July Monarchy [1830-1848], the Second Republic [1848-1852], and the Second Empire [1852-1870]. It also discusses the great influences of the Year of Revolution [1848], the Franco-Prussian war [1870-1871] and the Commune of Paris [1871]. "The Third Republic" [1870-1940] is a 23-page section on the conflicting social and political concepts of the Belle Époque period [1870-1914], from the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War to the dawn of World War One. "Chronicle" is a 34-page timeline of French history from 1870 to 1914. "Life in 1900" is a 20-page section that details the lifestyle, fashions, leisure activities, and habits of the period for both the city and the countryside. The "Belle Époque Guide" is a 20-page section detailing printed news media, modes of travel (train, carriage and early motor cars), and communication methods (the postal service, telegraph and telephone) of the Belle Époque period. "Crime and Punishment" is a 20-page section on the police services, investigative and forensic techniques of the period, the Law, procedures of trial and judgement, and typical sentences and punishments. There is also a 16-page section on the scientific, spiritual, and occult theories and beliefs of the period like evolution, Spiritualism, and anti-clericalism.
Scenarios
Beginning Aventures
La Malédiction de Fontevrault (The Curse at Fontevrault) [1985] First Edition Rules (21 pages)
In July 1900, the characters are invited by the Countess Sophie of Arbrissel to her home on an isolated country estate in Brittany. There, strange events will take place. News of a dangerous escaped prisoner...a stormy night...a Spiritualism seance...what does all this have to do with the nearby prison of Fontevrault? The characters will see their nerves tested and must use their wits to understand the Curse of Fontevrault.
Une Etrange Maison de Poupées (A Strange Dolls' House) [1985] by Michel Gaudo. First Edition Rules (21 pages)
In September 1902, the characters are invited to attend a session of the Pythagorean Club by its President, Monsieur Caton. This very discreet club is interested in all activities of human thought and is recruiting members of an open, inquisitive and objective mind. A strange package arrives at the club: a doll's house, which is full of mysteries. Attached to it is a letter reading: "Businessman, to be away a few days seeks person of confidence that can keep his children. Contact Mr Léon Berthomé, Rue Pergolèse, 16th District, Paris." Will the characters respond to the attached announcement?
La Jeune Fille et la Mort (Death and the Maiden) [2005] Third Edition Rules (9 pages)
The characters attend the theater when an accident occurs. The characters must figure out what is happening.
L'enfant de Colére (The Child of Wrath) [2005] Third Edition Rules (44 pages)
fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the Children of Wrath, even as others.
The characters are members of "The Friends of Rimbaud", a literary society devoted to the poetry of Arthur Rimbaud [1854-1891]. The adventure involves the characters meeting while attending the 10th anniversary commemorative mass for the late poet, with backdrop in the towns of Charleville and Mézières in the Ardennes. They will have to unravel why one of their friends was the target of an assassination attempt. On the way they will contend with a desecrated grave, a variety of crooks and thieves, and a murderous psychopath.
Modules
No.1 Le drame de la rue des Récollets (A Tragedy in the Street of the Recollects) [1985] by Michel Gaudo.
The investigators go to Versailles at the invitation of Madame Hyacinthe Passelat, the local bookseller. Can we dream of a city quieter than Versailles, so close to the capital and yet so full of provincial sweetness? But should we trust appearances? Is her house truly haunted or is she prone to imaginary fears? However, it seems that in the night at the house in the Rue des Récollets, the walls cry! But how can anyone believe such a thing?
No.2 L'énigmatique carnet du Capitaine Pop Plinn (The Puzzling Notebook of Captain Pop Plinn) [1985] by Hervé Fontanières
Who can say what happened to Professor Labessonnier, director of the lunatic asylum at Rennes, gone nearly five months ago? Is he gone, like everyone suggests, in search of one of his own patients, Captain Pop Plinn, who escaped from the hospital a year earlier? Camille Labessonnier, the daughter of the alienist, despaired by months of fruitless searches, gathers a group of reliable friends for a last-ditch attempt. To guide them, they will have available to them the strange captain's log book, found twice on the same beach in Finistère. Is the key to the mystery hidden in the obscure prose of a madman? Can they expect to trace the two men? But what power lies at the end of this pilgrimage through the beauties and mysteries of the Breton countryside?
No.3 Délivrez-nous du mal ("Deliver Us from Evil...") [1986] by Hervé Fontanières
In the month of June, there is peace at the monastery of St. Bernard of Bel-Ange. Life goes on away from the fury of men in the quiet, unchanging rhythm of prayer and meditation. They are four monks for whom fulfillment is found within the walls of this Cistercian abbey, where they spent most of their existence and where they hope to complete it. One of their old comrades, Brother Julian, just left them. But they chased the sadness from their hearts because they are convinced that after death begins a new life. And then suddenly, everything seems to be falling into chaos. Should the cook doubt his art, the steward of his honesty, the gardener of his dedication, the librarian's ability to resist the lure of bad books? What is this storm of madness which suddenly starts to blow on the monastery? Is it a man or a demon who, in the shadow of the cloister, has vowed to plunge this house of prayer into confusion?
No.4 Les brasiers ne s'éteignent jamais (The Fires Never Burn Out) [1986] by Michel Gaudo
No, the fires never go out. In 17th century Loudun, Father Urbain Grandier, the pastor at the parish of St.Pierre-du-Marche, perished in flames at the stake. Thus ended the most famous case of witchcraft that has ever been heard. More than 300 years later, Loudon is about to feel the priest's vengeance. Will the innocent people perish? Demons lurk around the peaceful town; will they need to be paid in souls for the fires to be extinguished at last?
No.5 Le dompteur de volcans (The Tamer of Volcanoes) [1986] by Michel Gaudo
A wave of madness is blowing through the Pythagorean Club. Judge for yourself: a fakir came to give a lecture - a young girl does not hesitate to tell us - on the secrets of his body. Then the rush of events: disappearances, killings, and prosecutions shake the club members. The press is unleashed, the capital is in turmoil - even the provinces are not immune. Amid this whirlwind of events, can you remain calm enough to oppose the terrible threat of The Tamer of Volcanoes? Includes a study of the Birman Fakirs and a short story by Ambrose Bierce.
No.6 Enchères sous pavillon noir (Bidding on a Black Banner) [1987] by Pascal Gaudo
The investigators buy a chest containing an old pirate flag at auction and get involved in a Caribbean deep-sea treasure hunt. They aren't the only ones, however. There is a shadowy and formidable rival group that is following their trail that is as "greedy" as they are. Also includes information about Voodoo and the lives of pirates.
No.7 La musique adoucit les meurtres (Music Makes Murders Much Sweeter) [1987] by Michel Gaudo
Human laws even pursue me with their revenge, but my conscience does not reproach me."
Wherein the members of the Pythagorean Club will get to know the little brother of Fantômas, which like his predecessor is: "...always someone (sometimes two people), but never himself". In this sequel to Une Etrange Maison de Poupées, the players must contend with a clever enemy out to exact his dark revenge upon them.
No.8 Le montreur d'ombres (The Caster of Shadows) [1987] by Hervé Fontanières
On the gentle shores of Lake Annecy, a great event is in the making. The charming resort of Haute-Savoie is home to the first congress of a newly founded academy of the sciences and humanities. Among the greatest scholars from around the world, the characters will be striving with the most illustrious. So much so that they can (why not?) lay claim to the presidency of the association. But while everyone gets drunk with pride in this race for honors, the characters are quickly and inexplicably struck by serious mental disorders that will only worsen. Will they end their life in an asylum, suffering from early senility just when Glory held out her arms? Unless the reality is much worse ... In these circumstances, is it really time to take their testimony seriously? Does an aquatic monster really haunt the lake bottom?
No.9 Folies viennoises (A pun meaning either Viennese Caberet or Viennese Madness) [1988] by Daniel Bilous & Nicole Bilous
- "Mein herr, the Waltz is a rhythm of three parts: two parts weak and a third movement that is nearly painfully accentuated. It is the exact rhythm of a heart attack. In the thrall of an intense fear, no matter how fast the chambers of the heart accelerate, the rhythm slowly becomes regular. Have you not noticed those times in the past in Vienna when the fast-paced Polka has nearly dethroned the slow-moving Waltz?"
- "So am I hearing you say, Herr Doktor, that her terror is supposed to be a normal state?"
- "Perhaps it is for the best, Herr Kommissar, perhaps it is for the best..."
A mystery that takes place in Vienna, in which a local girl goes mad from fright. The players meet Dr. Sigmund Freud, who is a consulting doctor in the case. Includes information on Vienna and the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Anarchism in Europe, and the Vienna Secession and Bauhaus movements.
No.10 Cœur cruel (Cruel Heart) [1988] by Hervé Fontanières
When reading a single letter takes you to hundreds of kilometers from home. Where a mysterious hand goes after the remnants of the past. Where the possessed babble incomprehensible messages. Where, after nearly 700 years, the shadow of the Baron still hangs over Bearn. Where, again and always, love and death find themselves united by blood ties. When life itself becomes unbearable. Where destinies are based, for better or for worse? Where finally no, you do not laugh when you do not see yourself in the mirror...
No.11 Le voile de Kali (The Veil of Kali) [1994] by Michel Gaudo & Pascal Gaudo
The story that the characters will be involved has an international dimension. Involuntarily, they will find themselves immersed in a conflict that is between the French intelligence services and their German rivals, in this case represented by a secret society: The Holy Vehm. French and Germans will try to capture the terrible secret of the Veil of Kali. Very soon they will find that it is extremely dangerous to handle dark forces ... especially when you do not control them! Perhaps had they been wiser not to attempt to lift a corner of the veil... But now it's too late to turn their backs to dark powers that once lay dormant for centuries but were woken from their torpor. There remains only one solution ... to conquer or die!
No.12 Danse macabre (The Grim Dance) [2004] by Daniel Dugourd
The adventure starts with a formal dinner, followed by a seance. On the way home, the characters witness a robbery and murder at the Musée de Cluny. The investigators must investigate the crime (and discover what Camille Saint-Saëns' composition Danse Macabre has to do with it all...). Contains historical information on the role and influence of the Catholic Church during the Third Republic and the conflicts between religious and anti-clerical groups in France between 1870 and 1900. Also includes 32 pages of handouts, including a Club Pythagore membership card and letter of acceptance.
No.13 La cornemuse du vieux Jeremiah (Old Jeremiah's Bagpipes) [2005] by Daniel Dugourd
One of the characters has recently inherited an estate and a title from his recently deceased rich uncle...along with a family curse and a haunted castle. While staying at his estate in the Highlands of Scotland, he and his guests hear the mysterious sound of bagpipes playing on the moor. Who is playing the bagpipes? And who is trying to kill the host, the last member of the St.Simon family? Contains a map of Scotland, historical information about Scotland from ancient to modern times (1880s), and 37 pages of handouts.
Les Chasses du Comte Lassary (The Hunts of Count Lassary) [1991] by Michel Gaudo.
When a tiger wishes to kill him, he calls it ferocity..."
The characters have been summoned to the reading of the will of the late Count Lassary, a celebrated hunter. The will appears fake but declares that the testators are all here to search for the real will to give the Count's estate to the true heir.
l'Oeil du Diademe ("The Eye of the Tiara") [?]
A scenario that is about to go into production.
Supplements
A la Lisière de la Nuit (At the Edge of Night) [1986] by Hervé Fontanières, Michel Gaudo & Guillaume Rohmer
A Sorcery supplement that brings together magic rules and historic examples of spells. Black magic is used for personal purposes and can be done by making a pact with the Devil, while white magic aims for spiritual elevation. These sortilèges de malefices (hex spells) are not instantaneous and spectacular like balls of fire or curses. No, they are subtle, like protective charms and potions of Love and Luck.
This supplement covers magic and folk superstitions rather than Spiritualism and psychic powers.
Le Bestiaire (The Bestiary) [1988] by Michel Gaudo & Pascal Gaudo
The sourcebook is a series of extracts from a variety of sources about animals and monsters, rather than full of statistics or concrete depictions. It is more of an atmospheric guide to help stimulate the Game Master's imagination (and keep investigators from guessing what's really going on). It also contains a brief recounting of the magic rules from A la Lisière de la Nuit.
Enfer et Lieux Maudits (Hell and Cursed Places) [Unpublished]
A sourcebook full of sources describing Hell and The Devil and listing famous cursed locations across France was proposed. However, the series was cancelled by Jeux Descartes in the early 1990s before it could be finished and published.
CatéSchisme (A pun implying Doctrine of Factionalization) [2007] by Olivier Babarit, Daniel Dugourd, Michel Gaudo, & Jean-Philippe Palanchini Third Edition Rules
This supplement is composed of a new four-panel Game Master screen, a new color 22-card Tarot Card set, and a 32-page information booklet about Spiritualism.
The booklet is divided in 3 parts. Superstitions et Diableries ("Superstitions and Deviltry") is a sermon given by a horrified Catholic priest that denounces Spiritualism. Les Forces Invisibles ("The Invisible Forces") is by a scientist who attended Spiritualist seances and is trying to explain what he saw scientifically. Sciences Secrètes des initiés ("The Initiates' Secret Knowledge") is a lecture by an occultist named Dr. Theobald to a society called the Voiles d'Isis ("The Veils of Isis") on how occultism is superior to Science and Spiritualism.
Sidebars contain rules for carrying out Spiritualist rituals and using Spiritualist paraphernalia like Spirit Mirrors and Ouija Boards to aid in investigations.