History
''HoL'' was first published by Dirt Merchant Games in 1994 and was acclaimed as an independent work of satire. In the 2011 book ''Designers & Dragons'', Shannon Appelcline commented that the game was "funny and profane – even offensive – and it went against the tropes of many RPGs. Though it was probably never played that extensively, ''HoL'' did prefigure the wacky directions that indie RPGs would take in the 2000s". White Wolf Publishing published ''HoL'' in 1995 as their second new role-playing game not related to the World of Darkness. ''Hol'' was adult enough that White Wolf was concerned it could affect their reputation as a publisher geared toward young adults, so White Wolf created the Black Dog Game Factory imprint, which published ''HoL'' and its single supplement, ''Buttery Wholesomeness'' (1995). The game was published as a 140-page perfect-bound softcover book, with design by Todd Shaughnessy, Daniel Thron, and Chris Elliot, and cover art by Simon Kono.Setting
''HoL'' is a science fiction game set in the very distant future where mankind has colonized the entireConception
The concept of HoL derived from a conversation Thron had with Cape Cod Community College classmate Duane Waters while driving to school in the winter of 1990-1991. Both were longtime RPGers. Thron, a self-taught graphic artist, was reading a copy of DC Comics' Lobo and Waters remarked that it would be cool if there were a role playing game similar to the comic. It could be called, Waters said, Human Occupied Landfill. Thron took the idea and played around with the concept for months. Todd Shaughnessy was brought in as a third major writer, with Chris Elliott contributing artwork and writing. Shaughnessy and Elliot refined the gaming system. The game was play tested in the spring of 1992 at Cape Cod Community college with the Dragons Club members and a gaming conventions (Cape Con) on Cape Cod, the University of Rochester, and the U.S Military Academy at West Point, NY.Overview of Game Mechanics
A few samples of the ''HoL'' core rules are given here. ''HoL'' uses two six-sided dice (2 d6) for all task and combat resolutions. The Game Master in ''HoL'' is known as the HoLmeister.Making Characters
The ''HoL'' core rulebook does not provide a system of character generation, instead offering a set of pre-generated characters, including a young boy with an oversized plasma gun whose survival is completely inexplicable, a pedophile priest, a gamer geek, Elvis Presley, and parodies of two Marvel ComicsStats
Each character in ''HoL'' has five Stats: * Greymatta: Intellectual capacity (if any) * Meat: Physical strength * Feets: Dexterity * Mouth: Charisma * Nuts: Spiritual resolve Stats are typically rated from -2 (terrible) to +10 (nigh godly), though both higher and lower ratings are possible.Skills
Each stat has a number of skills associated with it. Given a world of senseless violence, most skills in ''HoL'' are simply there to better bash someone's head in, or blast them to oblivion with weapons. Useful skills include: * Operate Starship and Chew Gum at the Same Time: A Greymatta skill that says it all. * Repair Toasters 'n' Stuff: A Greymatta skill for fixing things. * Turn Radios into Howitzers: A Greymatta skill for MacGyvering things. * Organize Fundraiser: The Mouth skill based art of coaxing money and other goodies out of people. * Make Someone Stop Living With Your Fist: The Meat skill for bashing in skulls while unarmed. * Making Sharp Things Go Through Soft Things That Scream and Bleed: A Meat skill. Self-explanatory. * Scathing (Ooooo, Big Word!) Sarcasm: A Mouth skill for humiliating your foes into piles of tears. * Whining Until You Get What You Want: A Mouth skill that forces victims to give in to your demands. * Make Everything You Say Sound More Important Than the Voice of God: A Mouth skill for fast talking and persuasion. * That PsychoTask Resolution
Resolving the success or failure of a task involves rolling two six-sided dice (2d6) and adding the character's Stat rating and related Skill values, plus a difficulty modifier set by the HoLmeister. Difficulty typically scales between +4 (Easier than a Cheap Streetwalker) to -4 (Bogusly Difficult), although higher and lower modifiers are possible. A total of 15 or above is a success, 14 or lower is a failure; more detail is given by the General Chart (one of many charts in ''HoL''). Die rolls of 2, "Snake Eyes", are always a very, very bad thing (regardless of bonuses), and results in whatever horrors the twisted mind of the HoLmeister decides to inflict upon the character. HoLmeisters are encouraged to take out pent up aggressions in these situations. Players may also randomly roll to determine the character's fate on another chart, where they might get lucky and only snap a groin muscle. Die rolls of 12, "Box Cars", are always a very good thing, and allow the player to reroll the dice and add it to the twelve they've just rolled. Rerolls also add a point to the "Grace of God" Pool (see below) which can save a character in moments of certain, otherwise unavoidable death. Multiple rerolls are possible, as is getting a snake eyes on a reroll.Combat
When two ''HoL'' characters meet, they usually end up trying to kill each other, so combat is just one of those things a character could face every minute of their ''HoL'' life. As in most RPG systems, opposing forces roll for initiative (a d6 roll + Feets Stat) to see who goes first. There are two kinds of attacks in ''HoL'', Melee (with hand-to-hand weapons) and Ranged (with projectile weapons). Attackers attack, and Defenders either Dodge or Parry the attack. The Attacker rolls 2d6 + Stat + Skill to attack, rolling on the Combat Chart (which is similar to the General Chart, i.e. rolls lower than 15 miss). The total attack roll is modified by the Defender's Feets Stat + 2d6 (this acts as the base Difficulty Modifier against the attack) plus any other modifiers the HoLmeister sees fit (e.g. for cover). Range attacks are modified by range. Things that are really close get a +4 bonus to hit, and extremely far get a -4 (or worse) penalty.Damage
Weapons in ''HoL'' can be anything; a rolled-up newspaper, broken bottle, Enemy-B-Gone™, Kitty Kitty Bang Bangs™ or whatever. Every weapon has an Anguish Value and a Damage Number. Anguish Values are rated from 1 (staple in a finger) to 20 (Unprotected Re-entry into the Atmosphere). The higher the number, the more the weapon "hurts" the character, and is strictly for the enjoyment of role-playing. Damage Numbers have no upper limit. Everyone in ''HoL'' has 20 Wound Levels that start at zero and increase according to how much damage they have taken. To figure out damage, the character's Meat Stat + Armor Value (if any) is subtracted from the weapon's Anguish Value. Once that number is determined the character finds the number on a Damage Multiplier Chart and rolls a d6 to determine the intensity of the multiplier of the weapon's Damage Number. The weapon's Damage Number is then multiplied that many times (from x1 to x5) and added to the character's current Wound Level. Characters suffer Stat penalties that worsen according to how many Wound Levels they have taken:Rewards
Surviving is the best reward. A more generous HoLmeister can reward players P.R.I.C.Kudos, which can raise a Skill point by one or add another first level Skill to a character's sheet. They can also reward Big P.R.I.C.Kudos that can raise a Stat by one. Another feature of the game is the "Grace of God" pool. Each character is given a random number of GoG points at creation, rolled by the HoLmeister, but never revealed to the player. In situations of the direst peril, a player can utter the words "Praise Jesus" and spend a GoG point. This sets into action a series of seemingly random and freakish events that prove to be the character's salvation from their current predicament. The example given in the core rulebook depicts a space station's re-entry into HoL's atmosphere being broken by a fruitfly, thus saving the character. Because the player has no idea how many GoG points the character has, it is likely that eventually the rule will be invoked without any GoG points actually left in the GoG pool. This garners the character one "Wrath of God" point. Some HoLmeisters activate the WoG point immediately after the situation the characters were in is resolved by the GoG mechanic, while others save the resolution of the WoG point for later, but in either case, the character is marked for the most unfair, heinous and unforgiving fate the HoLmeister can dream up. These situations are clearly defined as "worse than any snake-eyes roll" and the section explaining the WoG reminds the players once again that "the HoLmeister is allowed to cheat. Whenever he wants to. Period."Reception
In the November 1994 edition of '' Pyramid'' (Issue #10), Derek Pearcy recommended the game, saying, "Enter ''Hol'', you won't be sorry." In the May 1995 edition of ''Reviews
*'' Shadis'' #27 (May, 1996) *''Rollespilsmagasinet Fønix'' (Danish) (Issue 8 - May/June 1995) *''References
{{Authority control Comedy role-playing games Science fiction role-playing games White Wolf Publishing games Role-playing games introduced in 1994 de:Black Dog Game Factory#HoL: Human Occupied Landfill