"The Blade Itself," Is My First (But Hopefully Not My Last) Venture Into Hunter: The Vigil

Monsters lurk in the dark places of the world. Vampires. Werewolves. Changelings. Mages. These are merely a handful of the inexplicable, supernatural creatures who prowl the shadows preying on humanity. Even in a world with cameras in every pocket, and the miracles of technology growing more fantastical every day, these things manage to slip into blind spots, unseen by most of the population.

Some people do see them, though. They become aware of the monstrous and the terrifying, and rather than closing their eyes they light a candle against the darkness, and take up the fight. Hunters come in many shapes and sizes, and they use a variety of tools to hold the line, and to defend humanity... but my recent supplement The Blade Itself: Corrupt Equipment For Hunter The Vigil gives players and Storytellers alike a whole new resource to draw on.

And if you haven't grabbed a copy for yourself yet, you should check it out!

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

The Corruption System (And What It Does)

Hunters, generally speaking, stand with their grit and determination against the monsters of the Chronicles of Darkness. While certain hunter factions provide unique equipment or unusual powers, those who don't ally themselves with these compacts and conspiracies find themselves shit out of luck when danger comes calling.

However, this supplement provides an extra option... though it is a double-edged one.

This gun's got stains on it... what's a few more?

Corruption, capital-C, is a force that hunters typically try to avoid. Associated with Tainted Places and Slashers alike, Corruption is the darkness that lurks beneath the world, bubbling up in physical places, as well as in the souls of human monsters... but it can also mark items that are associated with particularly potent legends. Corruption imbues these items (usually, but not always, weapons) and bestows on them unique properties... but every corrupt piece of equipment comes with a price. For items that are barely corrupt it might be urges the wielder has to spend Willpower to control, or nights of bad dreams that come after wielding it. For more potent items it can be loss of Integrity, debilitating Conditions, or even a loss of self to the legend of items that want to write a new legacy in the hunter's blood.

The supplement provides a simple description for this 1-5 dot merit, with the general level of a legend surrounding a piece of equipment (with the 4 and 5 dot items typically connected to Rippers and Scourges), as well as 5 examples of each level (for a total of 25 pieces of equipment). However, Storytellers and players are encouraged to create their own examples, and to forge their own legends using these items as templates.

The purpose of the Corruption system is to give hunters access to unique gear without the prerequisite of belonging to a particular faction, and given access to their unique powers and armories. Of course, corrupt items are usable by any hunter, so whether you're utilizing none of the compacts and conspiracies, a mixed bag of them, or all your players are part of the same organization, these legendary items can still come into their possession. They might be part of an ongoing plot, or merely a temptation to see whether they can maintain their integrity while dipping their toes into the darkness all while telling themselves it's for a good cause, however one chooses to use them.

Would You Like To See More Hunter Content Going Forward?

Hunter is one of those splats that all of us know, but it seems relatively few of us actually play. After all, hunters are the bogeymen in most Chronicles of Darkness splats because the monsters need to keep themselves to the shadows in order to avoid drawing unwanted attention from dangerous mortals of all sorts. The deeper I've dug into it, though, the more interesting I've found the game to be overall.

I even made a video a while back over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel about how it's actually one of the ideal entry points into the Chronicles of Darkness for folks who know little to nothing about the setting.

However, while I love this setting, I actually had to take a break from anything for Storyteller's Vault for a while. I didn't write anything for it in 2024, and in 2025 I only put out three supplements: Dark Reflections: 50 Sights To See in The Penumbra for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Night Horrors: Primordial Peerage for Beast: The Primordial (though I was just a single contributor), and Like A Good Neighbor: Portraying True Fae in Your Chronicle for Changeling: The Lost.

I'd like to drop at least a handful of Storyteller's Vault supplements per year, and I have a lot of ideas for Hunter in particular. Some of these include:

- New compacts and conspiracies

- "Unredacted" histories for Task Force Valkyrie, discussing the conspiracy's potential deeds

- Collections of Slashers (both Rippers and Scourges)

- A supplement for play as Slashers, for player groups who want to take on these monstrous mantles

- A collection of additional combat style merits (some of which fill in gaps left by Hurt Locker)

These are just a sample of the things I'd like to spend some time on, but for folks who don't know, Storyteller's Vault content is a risk for me as a creator because I take a 50% pay cut up-front to make it. So unless I sell a lot of copies (at least 50, though preferably breaking the 100 copies barrier) it can be tricky to keep my bills paid while working on these titles.

So if you want to see me work on more Chronicles of Darkness stuff in general, and Hunter in particular, please grab a copy of The Blade Itself: Corrupt Equipment For Hunter The Vigil, and leave a review of it on Drive Thru RPG. Additionally, let me know down in the comments which of the ideas I mentioned sound interesting to you, or if you'd prefer to see me work on something else in 2026!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The A.L.I.C.E. Files Is Here (And Will Soon Be Featuring Various Audio Dramas)!

I mentioned earlier this year that I had a secret project I was working on, and that I would provide more information when it was ready to be revealed... well, that time is now! I've started a new YouTube channel in partnership with Alice Liddell called The A.L.I.C.E. Files, and it's going to be an ongoing audio drama with two different layers. On the one hand there's the tale of a young woman who ends up working for the mysterious Carroll Institute as a witness cataloger, and she gets drawn deeper into the bizarre nature of the organization's endeavors to explore parallel dimensions through the unique device known only as the Rabbit Hole. On the other hand, though, there are the stories in the files themselves; agent reports in the form of dramatized fiction from Alice, myself, and from a variety of other authors.

And at least some of these stories are going to take place in various tabletop RPG settings, which is why I'm giving the project a shout out in this section of my blog.

And if we're going to make this project soar, we're going to need your help!

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

The Settings I Have Ready To Go

While I'm writing, recording, and editing the meta stories about Alice, the Institute, and the dark mysteries that lurk within its walls, I do have a variety of stories that are ready to go, and which will begin appearing on the channel very soon! Some of these include:

- An Exalted story (which falls under the Dark Pack rules)

- A Warhammer 40K collection

- Some Lovecraft/Call of Cthulhu short horrors

- A Deadlands-inspired tale from my short story collection The Rejects

In addition to these settings (and several original stories of my own that either have been, or will be, dramatized), I also have some plans to adapt my story Devil's Night, which was the first story for my group's run through the Pathfinder adventure path Hell's Rebels.

In case folks were interested in more tales from Golarion.

I wanted to take a moment to ask my readers, however, which settings they'd like to see featured on the show. While not all of them will be feasible, I want to at least look into it, and see which stories I could spin into at least one episode of the show... though popular stories are much more likely to get sequels as long as folks keep putting their eyes and ears on what we're doing!

What Makes This Channel Different Than Azukail Games?

As regular readers know, I've been making audio dramas for the Azukail Games YouTube channel for a while now. Which, speaking of, go check out my videos over there and subscribe to the channel is you haven't done so already!

However, there are two things that make The A.L.I.C.E. Files different from what I've been doing for Azukail Games. The first is that while my Azukail Games stories are sometimes connected, generally they're stand alone stories, or they're only loosely related because the shorts come from the introductions to my TTRPG supplements that I write for the company. They're meant to draw in the viewer/listener, and to get them interested in seeing more... they're basically an RPG commercial with voice acting.

The second thing that's different, though, is the length of the average story over on the new channel. For example, consider the trailer:

It comes in at 7:33. It's short, sweet, and to-the-point, while also making sure that the listener gets a full story to draw them deeper into the Institute. However, the first episode of the show is over 20 minutes, and Dead Man's Bluff (which should be dropping next Friday) is also well over the 20 minute mark.

So, this new channel won't just have an ongoing connected story to follow (both in terms of full meta episodes, but the introduction snippets for unrelated stories will also feed into the ongoing narrative), but it will give us room to tell longer, more involved stories in ways that I haven't done before.

What We Need From You As Listeners

First of all, we aren't asking for money. We're very new, and we're trying to earn it ourselves. However, YouTube doesn't share any of the ad revenue with creators until they have at least 1,000 subscribers to their channel AND 4,000 hours of watched content (which is over 11 watch hours per day for an entire year).

And just to add insult to injury, those watch hours can't be from people with ad block. Because our first week had 65 hours of real watch time according to our metrics, but YouTube only counted 4 of those hours as real for the purposes of our monetization.

So... you see the sort of hill we're going to have to climb here.

What I need from you, dear readers, is simple, straightforward, and best of all, it's free! Just:

- Subscribe to The A.L.I.C.E. Files on YouTube (we're 1/5 of the way to the subscriber goal)

- Watch the videos we have up (preferably with your ad block turned off, if you can)

- Upvote the videos, and leave comments of at least 7 words on them (it's for the algorithm)

- Share our videos and channel on your own social media pages (we need a bigger reach)

That's it!

My experience with getting the Azukail Games channel monetized is that what we really need is folks to show up, listen, and share if we want to get our numbers up. Because if something went truly viral today (let's say the trailer garnered oh... I don't know... 20K fresh hits who all watched the whole thing, and then at least half of those people watched episode 1 in its entirety), we'd basically be monetized by the time Monday rolls around.

But that kind of success doesn't just happen out of nowhere. It happens because an audience watches, comments, and shares videos, boosting the size of the potential audience, and getting more folks to walk in the door. So if you're one of the folks out there who has enjoyed my audio drama work, and you'd like to see me really expand on the stories I tell (and you're enjoying a broader cast of voice actors), then follow the steps above to help make it happen!

There Is A Bonus Option, As Well...

I said above that we aren't asking our listeners for money, and I mean that. At the moment we are very focused on getting the channel monetized so that we can just focus on telling good stories.

With that said, though, if you do want to monetarily support us, check the video descriptions because we will have links to the books we're dramatizing stories from. Whether it's my own book The Rejects, one of Alice's short story collections, or even novels like Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, buying from the links we have will help ensure that the channel makes some money while we struggle up the hill to force YouTube to actually share some of the profits our work is generating.

Thanks in advance to all who take the bonus option!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Table Talk. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my more involved audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Another Step Into Miskatonic Country... Should We Delve Further Into Yog-Sothothery?

For the past four years I've been delving into making supplements that pair with the Cthulhu Mythos setting. It started with 100 Businesses to Find in Arkham, and from there it expanded into 100 Gangsters Gun Molls, and Goons for criminal NPCs. I left the dark and dreary world of the Mythos behind for a time, but last year I started a new arc of supplements with 100 Books To Find in The Miskatonic Library (That AREN'T In The Restricted Section), and 100 Whispers and Rumors To Hear Around Arkham.

And this past weekend my latest supplement, 100 Academics, Adventurers, and Information Brokers just dropped!

Seriously, give the latest a look if you haven't yet!

The question I have for everyone out there, though, is very simple. Should I continue with more mythos-inspired supplements? And if so, what would you like to see more of?

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

What Parts of Miskatonic Country Would You Like To See?

The reason I keep getting drawn back into the terrible world of the Cthulhu Mythos is that it's a breath of black, cosmic wind when other supplements start feeling too samey, and I need to get a bit of variety into my day. That, and I'm a lifelong fan of cosmic horror, and Lovecraft's work was one of the early introductions for me into the genre.

And those mystery-style games are hard as hell to run... so I figure Game Masters who take up the challenge are going to need all the help they can get.

Madness and cosmic terror are hard as hell to run. Just saying.

And while I've only got five supplements for Miskatonic Country, I'd be more than happy to increase that number, as long as folks out there would find it useful. So, if you enjoy these supplements, and you'd like to see me write some more, which of the following would appeal to you most?

#1. Time Period?

My supplements have, thus far, been geared for the classic Prohibition-era where a lot of Call of Cthulhu and Lovecraft-adjacent games take place. However, would shifting that time period be of-interest to you as a reader? Supplements set during the second World War (or even the first) might work for games where mankind is trying to utilize the mythos as a weapon. Supplements for the 1950s might play into Red Scare paranoia, and supplements during the 1960s could capture the hippie movement. The hedonism of the 1980s, or even something like Modern Miskatonic might all offer their own, unique twists as well!

#2. Mortal or Mythos?

Most of the supplements I've written focus on the mortal side of things. They're full of books one might find, characters one might come across, places to visit, rumors to hear, and so on. While there are mythos implications of many parts of these supplements, they tend to focus on the more grounded side of an investigation... should I stick with that strategy? Or would aspects of the various things that dwell in the darkness be more useful? Whether it's cultists to encounter, visions to see while in the Dreamlands, or even more unusual things, should I get weird with future installments?

#3. Persons, Places, or Things?

I like to joke that my supplements tend to be nouns, as they're full of NPCs, locations, and items to encounter during an investigation. However, what are some of the things you would find most useful? Do you find yourself more in need of NPCs to build interactions around? Rumors for players to hear, and to use as a basis for plot arcs and investigations? Or items to locate while searching private libraries, or going through a missing person's apartment? Even visions to see, monsters to encounter, or cults that aren't detailed in Lovecraft's work or in the stories written by other contributors to the setting?

Make Your Voice Heard!

Since my crystal ball has been on the fritz for the past several years, I'm depending on my readers to tell me what they want to see. As such, please leave a comment below, or hit me up on social media, to detail the sorts of supplements that you would like to see me pen for the mythos going forward! The more folks who raise their voices, the more likely it is that you're going to get precisely what you want to see sometime in the next couple of months.

Also, don't forget to check out the audio drama series I've been putting together for the latest supplements! I mentioned this a bit ago in "A Trail in The Margins," A Call of Cthulhu Audio Drama, Has Fresh Episodes Coming Up!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Should I Expand My Monster Hoard Supplement Series?

I tend to be a bit all over the place when it comes to TTRPG supplements because, well, I like variety. That, and because even if I find something that seems to resonate with the audience, I don't want to go back to the same well so much that the novelty and fun wears off. It's why my World's Oldest Profession series only has 3 supplements so far, with a 4th on the way.

And for those who are curious, the three that have been released are A Baker's Dozen of Brothels, 100 Concubines and Courtesans, and finally 100 Rumors to Hear in a Brothel.

However, I recently dropped a supplement that was sort of a soft test for a potential series, depending on how people reacted to it. And while the numbers were all right, it wasn't exactly a ringing cheer from the crowd. So I wanted to ask this Monday... do you think I should follow up 100 Items To Find in a Chromatic Dragon's Hoard?

And, really, if you haven't grabbed a copy, you should consider it!

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Do We Need More Monster Hoards?

Generally speaking, we know what the purpose of a monster hoard is in a mechanical sense; it's to give your players loot and magic items that they can then use to buy upgrades to take on the next monsters they face. However, if it just turns into writing down numbers and doing calculations, then players can quickly lose the impact of what it means to be in a monster's den, and to really get a grasp of who the creature is... or was.

And that is where this supplement, and others like it, would come in.

Because it's not just about that glitter.

The items in this supplement aren't statted-out weapons, armor, and so on. They are the sorts of things you would find in a place where a monster lives (or lived), and which are indicative of its history, its personality, and which add flavor to the area. Like a sword that's been bent and charred because a red dragon used it as a toothpick, or a red-stained bathtub that's been pressed into service as a wine goblet. And whether these items are used as set dressing after the fight is said and done in an attempt to ground the scene and remind players of what they just accomplished, or they're used before a fight during an exploration of a lair, it comes in handy both ways.

And that is the purpose of these supplements. As long as the monsters in-question exist in your world and setting, you can use these to add atmosphere and gravitas to these scenes.

Which gets to what I'd like to do going forward. Because the obvious sequel would be 100 Items To Find in a Metallic Dragon's Hoard, so that folks have a nice yin and yang of the two major dragon types. But I could expand the series to other iconic monsters like liches, hags, bugbears, goblins, and more! Whichever monsters get added to the list, the idea is to do more than just provide a list of gold values and magic items, and to help players stay in the scene, and in the story, with a couple of curve balls.

So, if that's something you want to see going forward, here's what I need you to do:

- Get a copy of 100 Items To Find in a Chromatic Dragon's Hoard. If you already have a copy, leave a rating and review on DTRPG so more folks can find it!

- Leave a comment here, or on my social media pages, about which monsters you'd like to see get a list like this going forward.

The more attention a given supplement receives in terms of sales, reviews, reposts, comments, etc., the more likely it is that a creator or publisher will dedicate more time and energy to that project. If we see there's an audience, we're going to do our best to give them what they want... so if this is something you want to see, take a moment and make your voice heard on the subject!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Build A Character For The Game You're Actually In (Square Pegs and Round Holes)

If you're a fan of RPGs, then you're likely familiar with the Character Assembly Line. This is a phenomenon that happens to both players and Game Masters alike where you start making character after character, and concept after concept, even though you don't have games to put them in right now. Sometimes you make a few notes on them, and sometimes you draw up an entire character sheet (just for the practice) and write dozens of pages of backstory, but a lot of RPG enthusiasts go through this process.

And there's nothing wrong with going back to that archive and snatching up a character when you finally get a chance to play, or when you're running a game and you need an NPC, an antagonist, etc. However, the issue comes when you choose a character whose theme, story, and tone really don't match the game you're planning on putting them in.

Which is why it's important you aren't trying to ram a square peg into a round hole... because no one is going to enjoy that.

Also, before we go any further, take a minute to check out the following supplements that have advice on this, and other subjects:

- 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better RPG Player

- 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better Game Master

Don't put the wrong concept down there...

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Make Sure Everything Matches

Consider for a moment that you're starting a new campaign. It's going to take place in the deserts of the deep south, and you're going to be dealing with fire elementals, mummies, trapped tombs, and ancient devils long-buried beneath the shifting dunes. It will be filled with horror, tension, and dark secrets of an empire long past.

Now, if you decided the best fit for this campaign was to bring an awakened polar bear that tells dad jokes whose sole motivation is a search for the world's most epic cheese, your GM is likely going to feel like you're just being a contrarian. After all:

- Polar bears are going to suffer in the desert heat, leading to massive negatives for the player

- The character has a ridiculous goal that's at-odds with the campaign

- The character has a radically different tone from the established tone of the game

This doesn't make this a bad character. It makes that character a bad fit for this particular campaign.

The bear isn't the problem, here.

The example seems obvious, but we make these kinds of mistakes all the time when we choose our characters, and try to shoehorn stories, ideas, or even builds that just don't work into a campaign. For example, playing a happy-go-lucky bard is perfectly doable in most Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder games, provided the tone of the game works for that character. But you can't take that same concept and just port it over to a grimmer, darker game like Warhammer Fantasy or Zweihander and expect it to work either mechanically, or tonally (since magic tends to come with dark, dangerous repercussions, and joy is a thing found only in stories). By the same token, playing an inflexible agent of the law (whether that be a church inquisitor or a sheriff empowered by the regional lord) can definitely work in those grimmer settings where paranoia and brutal use of force are part of the setting and story, but trying to play that same concept in a group where everyone else is planning to run heists, defraud the nobility, etc. is going to create immediate, negative conflicts.

Every character concept comes with assumptions built into it, and if those assumptions are not true in the game you're trying to put them in, it's likely that everyone is going to have a bad time. Which is why before you choose a character concept, whether it's from your archive or made fresh, hold them at arm's length and ask what assumptions have to be true for them to work.

For example, if you want to play a character that's an orc, or a tiefling, or a goblin, do those creatures even exist in the setting you're playing in? And if they do exist, do they exist in a way that allows your concept to work? If you want to play a young wizard's apprentice who is growing into their own and trying to make their way in the world, that concept only works if magic exists in a setting. And even if magic does exist, it's worth asking whether wizardry can be practiced openly in the world, or if it's a black art that's as deadly to the user as it is to those around them, because that could drastically alter the story you're trying to tell.

And even if there aren't fundamental issues between your character concept and the setting, they might still be a bad fit for the job. If the campaign is going to be focused on investigation, mystery, and politicking with relatively little (if any) combat, then bringing a character that's a bloodthirsty berserker that lives for battle is going to be a mismatch for the game. If the game is going to be set in the middle of a war where constant fighting and strategy need to be utilized, that is probably not a great game to bring a soft-hearted poet with no viable combat skills to. And if the game is dealing with cults who worship eldritch fiends, and said fiends are an open and understood part of this world, no one wants to have an elven academic constantly trying to debunk the existence of the devils when they are very real, very present, and they go next in the initiative order.

Seriously, my guy... just cast something please?!

Again, all of these character concepts can work well in the right game. Players simply need to make sure they choose the character that is going to fit the campaign they signed up to play, and tailor that character to fit so they're a fun, engaging, and interesting part of that campaign.

Lastly, and this is just as important, if you don't vibe with the sort of game being proposed, remember that you are not obligated to play. If you're really jonesing for something upbeat, simple, and fun, but the groups want grim, serious, and complicated, that's not a game you're going to enjoy. If your creativity and your desires as a player aren't meshing with the game, or with the direction a group is going, it's perfectly okay to sit this one out. No game is better than a bad game, and when you aren't having a good time, that's going to send ripples through the rest of the table.

Find a character that fits the world and story, and find a table that fits for you and your needs as a player.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

My First Patreon Shout Out (And A Big Thanks For All The Help!)

February has been a busy month so far, and unfortunately it doesn't look like that's going to change any time soon. I was at Capricon this past weekend (my first time there since 2020, now that they're in a more accessible location), and now that I'm back I've got dozens of projects to pick back up.

However, it's also the first time I've posted in a new month since my Patreon page shifted to a monthly tier system, instead of a per-post system. And since I promised to give a shout out to my supporters who have moved to at least the $10 a month level, I wanted to take a moment to do that.

To Phillip Litherland and Tracy Bailey-Matthews, my thanks for putting yourselves on this level!

Seriously, thank you!

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

All Support Is Welcome (And Very Much Needed At This Point)

For folks who don't get all of my updates on their For You Page, at the start of the year I officially transitioned my Patreon from a per-item account (where followers were charged for every blog I wrote) to a monthly account (where it's a flat fee every month). I have the full details in my recent post Improved Initiative's Patreon is Now Monthly (And I Could Really Use Your Help), but the short and sweet of it is that I made this transition because there had been rumblings that soon there would be limitations placed on the per-item account option and I wanted to get ahead of that as a creator.

The issue I've run into is that Patreon just left everyone at whatever their previous amount was... the issue for me is that instead of someone paying $1 per blog I put up (so $10 to $12 a month), it's now $1 a month. So my Patreon has gone from earning between $180 to $200 a month (which was my grocery and utility money) to about $65 a month.

So in addition to shouting out the folks who have stepped up to help in this time of transition, I wanted to take a moment to ask others out there to help me get back on my feet. Whether you're already a paid patron who hasn't upgraded their tier yet, or you're someone who wants to toss your coin in the cup, I definitely need all the help I can get right about now.

Any and all help is appreciated!

While this is a new step on a new path, it's also proving to be a treacherous one full of spikes! Which is why I wanted to ask those reading this a couple of questions:

- Do you find any of the current tiers on my Patreon appealing?

- Is there something else I could offer as a creator that would get your interest?

- What is stopping you from supporting me as a patron?

There are no wrong answers to any of these questions, I'm just trying to get a sense of where my audience is at, and if there is anything I could do to make my blogs (and other projects) even more appealing and/or helpful and useful for my readers!

As I've said more times than I can count, creators live and die based on audience support. So if you're here and supporting me, in whatever form that takes, thank you. I'm going to keep pushing on, and I hope you'll come on this new journey with me!

On a final note, those who want to give me a one-time tip rather than committing to becoming a monthly patron, please consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi! Thank you.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Dark Social Maneuvering in The Chronicles of Darkness (Forcing Confessions and Cooperation)

When last we met to discuss rules, I was talking about Social Maneuvering in The Chronicles of Darkness (A Simple, Elegant System). This rules system is meant for those social checks that are more than a simple yes/no, pass/fail, and they give you a varied, useful mechanic for actually winning hearts and minds (or wearing down resistance) over time.

However, sometimes you don't have weeks of time to spend on flattery, false friendship, and persuasion. Sometimes you need an NPC to give you what you want right fucking now. And when you find yourself in those high-stress, high-risk scenarios, you end up using the second half of the social maneuvering rules... or, as the game calls it, forcing doors.

For more of my articles on interesting rule systems in the Chronicles of Darkness, check out:

- Vehicular Combat is Always an Option

- "Down and Dirty" Combat Doesn't Get Enough Love in The Chronicles of Darkness

As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Dark Social Maneuvering

To recap for folks who didn't go back to review the last post, when you want to socially maneuver a target to get what you want, this creates a number of Doors that you have to go through that are based on that NPC's resistance, using the lower of their Resolve of Composure. More Doors are added based on whether the thing you want the character to do goes against deeply held principles, if it would put them in danger, etc.

Now normally when you use the social maneuvering rolls you're trying to persuade someone, or to get on their good side so they want to help you. You might even be bribing them. However, there may be times where those kinds of actions would simply take too long, or you simply don't have the social skills it would take to go that route. If that's the case you have the option to force doors open... but while this might get you what you want, there will likely be repercussions.

It's just you and me here... sooner you talk, the sooner I can get you out of this chair.

Forcing Doors happens when you take actions to terrify or obligate someone into doing what you want, and it's an all-or-nothing situation. When forcing Doors open you make a single roll, but the number of unopened Doors acts as a penalty to your roll. So, say you wanted to threaten someone into giving up blackmail material they've been hiding, or to hand over the name of a contact. The player character might leverage their force of personality with a Presence + Intimidation roll, using their specialty in Explicit Threats. However, the person they're threatening has 3 Doors that need to come down, giving the PC a -3 penalty on the roll.

Now, if a player really wants to swing for the fences, they can also include Hard Leverage. This is basically the dark version of a bribe, in that it's physical violence, kidnapping, blackmail, or something else that will add weight to their side of things, and make forcing those Doors open that much easier. And if that Hard Leverage would cause the player character to suffer a breaking point, then it can remove Doors entirely, making the penalty that much smaller. If the action is egregious enough to give the player character a -2 on their breaking point roll, it removes 1 door. If it's -3 or higher, that removes 2 Doors.

So what does all of this look like?

Dane needs the name of a criminal contact. He knows a street pusher who could give it to him, and he doesn't have time to mess around. So he kicks in the pusher's door, pulls a gun, and cocks back the hammer. Dane might be a crook, but he's not generally a violent guy. Perhaps he and Slick are actually friends, in a way, and this is really breaking Dane's idea of who he is, and what he's capable of. That threat with a deadly weapon would likely be enough to automatically remove 1 Door. And if he went further? If he put a bullet in Slick's leg, or pistol-whipped him to make it clear he was serious? That level of line-crossing might be enough to remove 2 Doors.

Given that average Resolve and Composure are 2 dots, it's entirely possible that by not leaving this up to chance and going full-tilt, Dane could force Slick to comply and give him the information with ease. However, while he'll get what he came for, there are costs to this approach. There's the breaking point roll, which might end up costing Dane some Integrity. There's also the matter of burning the bridge he had with Slick (assuming Dane doesn't disguise himself in some way), as well as painting a target on his back if Slick chooses to send violent reprisals his way in the future.

Like it says on the tin; high risk, high reward.

With that said, though, the fact that the social maneuvering rules are robust and flexible enough to account for various different approaches, molding them to the intention of the players, makes this one of the greatest advantages for the Chronicles of Darkness... and this is especially true for adding tension and challenge to the influence game which is so often part of any chronicle!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post! To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!