Croc (game designer)
Encyclopedia
Croc is the pseudonym used by a French
creator of role-playing game
s. Croc's game
s are edited by Siroz (a homophone
of the French word cirrhose, meaning "cirrhosis"), now called Asmodée éditions
, French for Asmodeus
. Croc met the founders of Siroz (Nicolas Théry, Éric Bouchaud and Laurent Tremmel) in the "20 Naturel" RPG club of Vélizy (near Versailles
) in the mid-1980s at secondary school (high school).
One of his games, In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas
(1989), led to the less controversial English-language
game, In Nomine
.
-style game. In the game, Halley's comet comes too close to Earth and causes a cataclysm that destroys civilisation.
Animonde (1988) is "poetic-fantasy" world, where technology (Middle-Age level) is replaced by animals (e.g. door hinges are crabs and swords are the legs of praying mantises).
In In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas (INS/MV, 1989), the contemporary world is the battleground of heaven and hell, in what looks like a war between two gangs or secret services. The character may adopt the role an angel or a demon, but these are very similar.
In Heavy Metal (1991), in a futuristic world, a great wall separates the rich inhabitants of the north and the poor of the south (Africa). This ultra-violent society is controlled by the CRU, the Cybernetic Repression Units (Unités de répression cybernétiques, URC). The player may play a robot from the CRU or a rebel standing against this situation. By interacting with humans, the CRU's begin to acquire human emotions and a conscience.
In Bloodlust
(1991), a heroic-fantasy
world inspired by characters such as Conan and Elric, the gods have incarnated themselves into weapons with great magical powers, and exist in a symbiotic relationship with their human wielders.
Stella Inquisitorus (1993) is a space opera
version of In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas that takes place in the year 6993.
In Scales (1994), a contemporary world, the player characters are dragons in human incarnations that ignore their true nature and discover their powers little by little.
Nightprowler (1995) is a heroic fantasy game dedicated to thieves and assassins.
In C.O.P.S. (2003), the situation is close to the style of the John Carpenter
movie Escape from L.A.
. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, all of United States' pollution and criminals are sent to California; the state decides to stop this and declares its independence as a land of freedom. It is now 2030, and a strong police force is created to avoid the abuse of freedom and control that the criminal situation has inherited from the past. The characters are members of the C.O.P.S. (Central Organisation for Public Security), a section of the LAPD. This game is sometimes considered as the fourth edition of Berlin XVIII, a game edited in 1988 that took place in Berlin (Germany), with a social and political context marked by the Cold War (recall that this date was before the fall of the Berlin Wall
); Berlin XVIII was edited by Siroz (first in the Universom collection then as a standalone game), created by Laurent Tremmel and Nicolas Thery (Croc contributed to the third edition).
boardgame and its GURPS
Autoduel version (both Steve Jackson Games
) into French, and contributes to Le Livre des cinq anneaux, the French version of AEG
's Legend of the Five Rings
, edited by Siroz/Asmodée.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
creator of role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s. Croc's game
Game
A game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
s are edited by Siroz (a homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
of the French word cirrhose, meaning "cirrhosis"), now called Asmodée éditions
Asmodée Éditions
Asmodée Éditions is a French publisher of board games, card games and role-playing games . The company was founded in 1995 by former employees of the RPG publisher Siroz Productions. The company publishes its own games, as well as French language editions of other publishers' games...
, French for Asmodeus
Asmodai
Asmodeus or Asmodai is a king of demons mostly known from the deuterocanonical Book of Tobit, in which he is the primary antagonist. The demon is also mentioned in some Talmudic legends, for instance, in the story of the construction of the Temple of Solomon. He was supposed by some Renaissance...
. Croc met the founders of Siroz (Nicolas Théry, Éric Bouchaud and Laurent Tremmel) in the "20 Naturel" RPG club of Vélizy (near Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
) in the mid-1980s at secondary school (high school).
One of his games, In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas
In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas
In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas is a French role-playing game, created by Croc.In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas was first designed by the French company Siroz, available in its fourth edition. The French edition of the game was stopped in 2006, with the publication of the sourcebook "On Ferme !"...
(1989), led to the less controversial English-language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
game, In Nomine
In Nomine (role-playing game)
In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by Steve Jackson Games, based on the French game In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas. Players typically assume the role of angels and demons in a setting that draws heavily on the traditional Christian mythos...
.
Games
Croc's first game, Bitume (bitume being the French word for "asphalt") (created in 1984 and edited in 1986) is a post-apocalyptic Mad MaxMad Max
Mad Max is a 1979 Australian dystopian action film directed by George Miller and revised by Miller and Byron Kennedy over the original script by James McCausland. The film stars Mel Gibson, who was unknown at the time. Its narrative based around the traditional western genre, Mad Max tells a story...
-style game. In the game, Halley's comet comes too close to Earth and causes a cataclysm that destroys civilisation.
Animonde (1988) is "poetic-fantasy" world, where technology (Middle-Age level) is replaced by animals (e.g. door hinges are crabs and swords are the legs of praying mantises).
In In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas (INS/MV, 1989), the contemporary world is the battleground of heaven and hell, in what looks like a war between two gangs or secret services. The character may adopt the role an angel or a demon, but these are very similar.
In Heavy Metal (1991), in a futuristic world, a great wall separates the rich inhabitants of the north and the poor of the south (Africa). This ultra-violent society is controlled by the CRU, the Cybernetic Repression Units (Unités de répression cybernétiques, URC). The player may play a robot from the CRU or a rebel standing against this situation. By interacting with humans, the CRU's begin to acquire human emotions and a conscience.
In Bloodlust
Bloodlust (roleplaying game)
Bloodlust is a French sword and sorcery role-playing game. It was created by Croc, the G. E. Ranne duo and Stéphane Bura, illustrated by Alberto Varanda, and published by Asmodée Éditions between 1991 and 1997...
(1991), a heroic-fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
world inspired by characters such as Conan and Elric, the gods have incarnated themselves into weapons with great magical powers, and exist in a symbiotic relationship with their human wielders.
Stella Inquisitorus (1993) is a space opera
Space opera
Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes romantic, often melodramatic adventure, set mainly or entirely in outer space, generally involving conflict between opponents possessing advanced technologies and abilities. The term has no relation to music and it is analogous to "soap...
version of In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas that takes place in the year 6993.
In Scales (1994), a contemporary world, the player characters are dragons in human incarnations that ignore their true nature and discover their powers little by little.
Nightprowler (1995) is a heroic fantasy game dedicated to thieves and assassins.
In C.O.P.S. (2003), the situation is close to the style of the John Carpenter
John Carpenter
John Howard Carpenter is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, composer, and occasional actor. Although Carpenter has worked in numerous film genres in his four-decade career, his name is most commonly associated with horror and science fiction.- Early life :Carpenter was born...
movie Escape from L.A.
Escape from L.A.
Escape From L.A. is a 1996 film directed by John Carpenter. The sequel to the action film Escape from New York, the film follows former war hero Snake Plissken, played by Kurt Russell...
. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, all of United States' pollution and criminals are sent to California; the state decides to stop this and declares its independence as a land of freedom. It is now 2030, and a strong police force is created to avoid the abuse of freedom and control that the criminal situation has inherited from the past. The characters are members of the C.O.P.S. (Central Organisation for Public Security), a section of the LAPD. This game is sometimes considered as the fourth edition of Berlin XVIII, a game edited in 1988 that took place in Berlin (Germany), with a social and political context marked by the Cold War (recall that this date was before the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
); Berlin XVIII was edited by Siroz (first in the Universom collection then as a standalone game), created by Laurent Tremmel and Nicolas Thery (Croc contributed to the third edition).
Translation work
Croc also translated the Car WarsCar Wars
Car Wars is a vehicle combat simulation game developed by Steve Jackson Games. It was first published in late 1980 .-Game play:In Car Wars, players assume control of one or more automobiles, which may include any powered vehicle, from motorcycles to semi trucks. Optional rules include piloting...
boardgame and its GURPS
GURPS
The Generic Universal RolePlaying System, or GURPS, is a tabletop role-playing game system designed to allow for play in any game setting...
Autoduel version (both Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games
Steve Jackson Games is a game company, founded in 1980 by Steve Jackson, that creates and publishes role-playing, board, and card games, and the gaming magazine Pyramid.-History:...
) into French, and contributes to Le Livre des cinq anneaux, the French version of AEG
Alderac Entertainment Group
Alderac Entertainment Group, or AEG, is a publisher of role-playing game and collectible card game products. AEG was formed by Jolly Blackburn in 1993 and is based in the city of Ontario, California...
's Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings
Legend of the Five Rings is a fictional setting created by the John Wick and published by Alderac Entertainment Group in 1995. The setting primarily involves the fictional country of Rokugan, though some additional areas and cultures have been discussed. Rokugan is based roughly on feudal Japan...
, edited by Siroz/Asmodée.
External links
- Siroz/Asmodée official website (FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
)