A New Year Is Coming For "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" (What Would You Like To See?)

As regular readers know, I've been releasing supplements for my fantasy setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age for several years now. I've covered cities, species, organizations, whispers & rumors, as well as cosmology and cults. A new year is coming, though, and I feel like it's time to step back into this setting and do something fresh with it.

The question is, of course... what do you all want to see?

There's all sorts of space on the map to fill still!

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!

Some Potential Directions For 2026

I recently made a video to close out 2026 on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and I decided to address Sundara, and some of the potential directions I could go from here. And if you didn't watch it, go check it out (and subscribe to the channel while you're at it).

In short, though, I mentioned there were a couple of directions I could go in 2026 with the setting, hoping to get folks' thoughts on it. Those include:

- Expanding the cities and towns you find in Sundara.

- Writing adventure modules that take place in some of the already-established locations.

- Expanding the player species options (minotaurs and gargoyles have been oft-requested).

However, I want to hear from all of you, the folks who read my blog and actually play my games, as to what you would like to see in the new year for this setting! I've already gotten one good suggestion that's in the running, Airships of Sundara, which would be both a big undertaking as well as a fun expansion for the sort of adventure one could have in the clouds. It might also pair nicely with a module, for those who would like to see some literal high-flying adventure for the setting!

So if you have something you'd really like to see for Sundara going forward, whether it's a particular kind of supplement, more videos, more stories, more lore, or anything at all, leave it in the comments of the video above. I'm hoping to collect all the suggestions there so that I can go through them as 2026 gets rolling, and I start deciding what I'm going to work on, and in what order.

And, as a bonus, I'm going to start working on the other 4 stories that go into the Ironfire Compact. And in case you missed the first story, you can check that out for free on the Azukail Games channel as well!

Catch Up On "Sundara: Dawn of A New Age"

Cities of Sundara

The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.

Gods of Sundara

- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.

Species of Sundara

Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.

And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.

- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!

- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.

- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.

- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!

- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.

- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.

Organizations of Sundara

Phase 3 has been going strong, but there's still a few titles left in it! So if you haven't seen them, consider checking out:

- Sellswords of Sundara: With power structures being smaller in scale in Sundara, standing armies aren't often maintained for long. As such, soldiers of fortune are quite common! This supplement contains 10 mercenary companies, their history, uniform, sample members, whispers and rumors, as well as either an archetype or subclass for playing these unique warriors. Grab your copy for Pathfinder of DND 5E.

- Cults of Sundara: Faith comes in many forms in Sundara, and there are as many gods in the Prim as there are dreams in the minds of people. This supplement contains write-ups for 10 cults, their histories, sample members, rumors about them, their beliefs and tenets, and a unique magic item for each. Get your copy for Pathfinder or DND 5E.

- Guilds of Sundara: While cities and villages may be relatively local, guilds are spread across the length and width of Sundara. From professional orders of skilled miners and dredgers, to monster slayers and bounty hunters, this supplement has 10 guilds with histories, sample members, rumors, as well as unique feats one can take to represent the skill and benefits of joining this order. Available for Pathfinder as well as DND 5E.

- Merchants of Sundara: While city states might be the largest form of government you find in the setting, merchants hold an outsized amount of power. From huge mercantile houses, to small brands infamous for their quality as much as for their price, there are a lot of options listed in this particular world building supplement.

Rumors of Sundara

The newest series of supplements in the setting, these are meant to add to the cities, and to give GMs ideas for plots, or just to provide a little extra grist for the mill in terms of what people are gossiping about!

- Whispers and Rumors For Ironfire, The City of Steel!

- Whispers and Rumors For Moüd, City of Bones!

- Whispers and Rumors For Silkgift, The City of Sails!

- Whispers and Rumors For Hoardreach, City of Wyrms!

- Whispers and Rumors For Archbliss, City of The Sorcerers!

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!

A Glimpse Into Potential Future Releases For "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age"

Regular readers around these parts know that my fantasy setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age (available for Pathfinder's 1st edition and Dungeon and Dragons' 5th) has been coming out for years now. A modular setting, it's made up entirely of splat books that can be used on their own, or which can be incorporated into your own setting.

While I've produced a lot of content for it (links below for those who are curious), there have also been other contributors who have expanded the setting with me over the past few years. And I recently sat down to talk with one of them about it... so whether you're a fan of mine, a fan of Isaiah Burt, or you're just curious where this setting is going to go in the near future, I highly suggest everyone reading this week's update check out the video below, along with my highlights from the conversation!

Along with some of the releases we've been putting 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!

Proposals For New Directions!

A couple of weeks ago in my post More Updates For "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" Are On The Horizon I discussed some of what's going on with Sundara, but I primarily talked about finishing up the 4th phase of supplements (the Whispers & Rumors series), as well as teasing the video below. However, now that Isaiah and I have had our interview, I wanted to touch on some of the things we talked about, and get our audience's thoughts on it!

For those who haven't watched the video (though you should to help us boost our numbers, and subscribe to the Azukail Games channel while you're at it), some of the major ideas that I feel had promise were:

- Expanded player species options for the setting, with the first two being gargoyles and minotaurs (though not necessarily in that order).

- A book of prestige classes to tie characters more firmly to the setting (and likely additional Cities of Sundara releases to fill out the setting a little more first).

- Even more arcane and advanced tech options that, while rare, are certainly out there (possibly adding mechs into the mix alongside air ships and pressurized gas weaponry).

- (Stretch Goals) More in-depth fiction, as well as adventure modules (if the setting's popularity and player base increase).

While we still have a couple of existing supplements to wrap up and release (I still have 2 more supplements for the Whispers & Rumors phase to actually write, and only 1 of them has dropped so far), I feel there is a lot of potential in the ideas Isaiah and I discussed, and they're something we could definitely work on going forward.

However, and say it with me now everyone...

All Of This Depends On You!

I say this in probably half the posts I write, but I feel this is important to remind people. Folks who write professionally, whether they're novelists, RPG creators, or even folks who make scripts for YouTube videos, are not solely driven by passion and creativity. We aren't doing this for ourselves... we're doing this, hopefully, for you!

So if these projects sound like something you'd get a kick out of, and it's something you want to support, Sundara needs you to keep growing! And if you aren't sure how, you can do any of the following things to make a difference:

- Buy copies of the supplements (listed below), and review them on Drive Thru RPG

- Subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel and watch the playlist for Speaking of Sundara (where I talk about the releases we've had, the setting so far, and bring everyone up to date)

- Boost Sundara's signal on your own social media feeds (the algorithm is a serious bastard to overcome without a lot of community help)

If you can take the time to do those things, it will help more people find out about Sundara, boost the metal tiers the supplements reach on Drive Thru RPG (which puts them in front of more people's eyes on the site), and it will help show that content about Sundara is getting more attention, which means the publisher (along with myself and other contributors) will be able to afford to lean into the setting. If you have money you want to throw at Sundara, or you just have enough curiousity to watch some videos about it and dig through this blog, anything that makes the numbers go up helps at the end of the day.

And speaking of links for all the interested gamers out there...

Catch Up On "Sundara: Dawn of A New Age"

Cities of Sundara

The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!

- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.

- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.

- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.

- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.

Gods of Sundara

- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.

Species of Sundara

Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.

And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.

- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!

- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.

- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.

- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!

- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.

- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.

Organizations of Sundara

Phase 3 has been going strong, but there's still a few titles left in it! So if you haven't seen them, consider checking out:

- Sellswords of Sundara: With power structures being smaller in scale in Sundara, standing armies aren't often maintained for long. As such, soldiers of fortune are quite common! This supplement contains 10 mercenary companies, their history, uniform, sample members, whispers and rumors, as well as either an archetype or subclass for playing these unique warriors. Grab your copy for Pathfinder of DND 5E.

- Cults of Sundara: Faith comes in many forms in Sundara, and there are as many gods in the Prim as there are dreams in the minds of people. This supplement contains write-ups for 10 cults, their histories, sample members, rumors about them, their beliefs and tenets, and a unique magic item for each. Get your copy for Pathfinder or DND 5E.

- Guilds of Sundara: While cities and villages may be relatively local, guilds are spread across the length and width of Sundara. From professional orders of skilled miners and dredgers, to monster slayers and bounty hunters, this supplement has 10 guilds with histories, sample members, rumors, as well as unique feats one can take to represent the skill and benefits of joining this order. Available for Pathfinder as well as DND 5E.

- Merchants of Sundara: While city states might be the largest form of government you find in the setting, merchants hold an outsized amount of power. From huge mercantile houses, to small brands infamous for their quality as much as for their price, there are a lot of options listed in this particular world building supplement.

Rumors of Sundara

The newest series of supplements in the setting, these are meant to add to the cities, and to give GMs ideas for plots, or just to provide a little extra grist for the mill in terms of what people are gossiping about!

- Whispers and Rumors For Ironfire, The City of Steel!

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!

"Trust At The Table" or "Why I Like Games With More Rules"

For those who don't know, I went to school for criminal justice. Which is a fancy way of saying that I sat in a lot of classes and discussed the origin of the legal system, the workings of government, and understanding how everything from enforcement to punishment came to be what it is today. It was interesting, in its way, but by the time I had my degree in hand I really didn't want to be part of that field.

However, there was something I learned there that I feel applies to my outlook as a gamer. Namely, that a system of law where the limits of rights, authority, and power is spelled out in exhaustive detail might take a lot of time to learn and master, but it is ultimately a good deal fairer than one that doesn't have those limits written out.

Don't worry, I'll bring this back around to gaming shortly.

And that is why, as a player and a DM, I will always prefer a system that spells everything out so that I'm on the same page with everyone else at the table.

How Far Do You Trust Your DM?

The first RPG I actively played was Dungeons and Dragons 3.0. I moved up through 3.5, and then as my regular readers know I settled into Pathfinder and got comfortable. While I've played other games (most of the World of Darkness, a few different Savage Worlds titles, 5th edition, Pugmire, and others), my preference is always for games that spell out all the rules for you. From falling damage, to what check you have to roll to disable a trap, to figuring out whether or not someone is surprised when combat starts, I want it all there in black and white right in front of me.

Even if we're talking about spell vectors and bullet drop-off. I want it in the game.

The comparison I like to use to explain my feelings on the subject is between frontier justice, and today's modern legal system. A lot of folks romanticize the days when a judge was just a guy full of folksy wisdom, who used his own common sense to cut to the heart of disputes. The problem is that system depends pretty much entirely on who is sitting in the chair, how they're feeling, and what they think is right... which is not an ideal system for a fair and level playing field. The modern legal system is far from perfect, but it lays out what procedures have to be followed, it gives specific acts that must be committed in order for something to be a crime, and it limits the power of those who sit in the judge's seat. It doesn't take it away by any means, but a modern judge can't simply sentence someone to hang because they want to; they have to follow the procedures, and act in accordance with the rules.

And yes, I'm comparing older, more free-form games like Dungeons and Dragons 2nd edition (and its modern incarnation 5th edition) to those frontier days. Because, on the one hand, they are simpler. Just like you could be a frontier judge with little to no knowledge of the law of the nation, so too you could be a DM for those looser systems without any exhaustive reading. Unfortunately, those systems also require you as the DM to make a lot of judgment calls because the system hasn't gone down a list of every possible thing that can happen, and made a rule for it.

On the other hand, learning more rules-heavy games takes time, energy, and a lot of work on behalf of players and DMs alike. You need to know the difference between actions, you need to know all the things that provoke attacks of opportunity, and you need to know the difference between spells, spell-like abilities, supernatural abilities, and extraordinary abilities. There tends to be a greater depth and breadth for options, and layers of rules for how the world functions. From rock slides and volcanoes, to severe cold and drowning, it's all there. And that takes more effort, just like how becoming a prosecutor or a judge in today's legal system requires you to go to school, pass the bar, and all the other stuff that comes with being a lawyer. At the same time, though, you don't need to do anywhere near as much personal ruling as a DM for a system like this, because the rules encompass so many more options. So whether someone is a good DM, a mediocre DM, or even kind of a bad DM, players can (at least in theory) hold up the rules as a way to protect the integrity of their choices, and maintain their agency. Because if the book already had rules for what happens when you're entangled, then amending those rules on the fly is not something the judge can just do because he disagrees with them.

But The DM Can Just Change The Rules... Can't They?

This is around the time where someone clears their throat and informs me (as if I don't know) that actually the rules are just guidelines, and the DM can just change them if they want to.

To which I say I agree with the former, but not with the latter.

How does that work, exactly?

Another remnant of the frontier-style of system (and for me as a player, the old-school way of playing) is the belief that the DM is god. Good or bad, they can do whatever they want, whenever they want. Just like how a judge in those olden times could deliver whatever sentence they felt was appropriate. I disagree vehemently with this setup, because while the players need a DM, the DM also needs players. You're all in this together, and you all have to agree mutually to the rules you're playing by. And while those rules can be changed to suit your style of play, those changes have to be agreed to by everyone sitting at the table. Because it's a cooperative game, even if the DM is running the monsters.

Like any other game, you can alter the rules to fit your particular style and design. However, if your DM is like that kid on the playground who calls on his everything-proof shield any time you have a clever idea, or unexpected strategy, then an effective rebuttal is to point at the rules you all agreed to and remind them that shield isn't an option. Because if you, as a player, have to follow the rules, then so does the DM. And given that the DM has access to every monster, spell, NPC, and natural disaster in the known cosmos, it doesn't seem like much asking them to get a table consensus before putting white-out over how an already-established rule works.

Ending Caveats

Because I want to make sure I'm seven shades of crystal clear on this one, I thought I'd add in some ending caveats. I am not, in any way shape or form, saying that more complicated games are better than simpler ones. Nor am I implying that disagreeing with my opinion means you're doing something wrong as a gamer. And if you prefer to give the DM total authority at your table, and you're okay with that, that is still a decision you actually made. Also, since I'm sure someone will suggest I play with DMs I can actually trust, let me assure you that I trust my regular DMs. But I also join new groups a lot of the time, and when the DM is a wild card, knowing that the rules lay out 99% of anything I'll ever try to do as a PC is a comfort.

As I so often say, you live your life, roll your dice, and tell the stories that make you happy. I'll do the same.

However, as someone who is more at home in rules-dense games, and who feels frustrated by rules-light ones, I wanted to put some of my thoughts and opinions about my experiences into words. Perhaps someone reading this might have trouble putting words to their own feelings, and might find this helpful.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday update. We all play differently, but this is the frame of mind I typically have when coming at a game. If you'd like to see more content from yours truly, then take a look at my Vocal archive, or stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out from time to time. To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you'd like to help support Improved Initiative, then head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, or just Buy Me A Ko-Fi! My eternal gratitude, and some free stuff, will be yours.

Starfinder is My Biggest Gaming Disappointment of 2017

Ever since the book flew off the shelves, everyone and their mother has been asking me what I think of Starfinder, Paizo's stab at sci-fi after becoming one of the top names in fantasy RPGs. The core book sold out at Gen Con this year at a rapid pace, and it seems like the only thing people can talk about in most of the gaming groups I follow and post in.

Well, I finally got my hands on a copy of the core book. I settled into my chair, opened it up, and went cover to cover. I am, by no means, an expert on the system. However, after giving it a read, I can describe my opinion thusly.

Pretty much this. For days.

Before I cracked the cover, I was hopeful, and excited. I was eager to see how wide the possibilities before me spread. After my read I was bored, frustrated, and genuinely angered as a gamer in a way I have not been in a very long time.

What I Was Told, Versus What I Got

When I first heard the spiel for Starfinder, I was stoked for everything I was hearing. Paizo was going to stride boldly into the sci-fi genre (or maybe just finish the sidestep it had been taking, given that we already had androids, crashed starships, and Old Ones), and it was going to do so with the same flair we'd come to expect.

Furthermore, we were going to get a continuation of the core world! Golarion, and its solar system were still the setting, and there would be a timeline from where we were, to where we are now. So anything your group did in adventure paths like Curse of The Crimson Throne, Rise of The Runelords, Mummy's Mask, etc. would all still be universe canon at your table. It would even be possible to play descendants of those old PCs, especially if they came from long-lived races that kept careful track of their bloodlines. This filled my head with images of deep space sorcerers, alien druids, phase rifle wielding void troopers, and tech-head ghosts that infiltrated the worst places in the cosmos, and vanished without a trace.

That is, of course, not what I got.

Now, if you have not read the core book for Starfinder, let me tell you that what I saw is not what I had hoped for.

Before we go forward, I will say that I felt many of the rule alterations and additions were quite sensible. For example, of course a sci-fi setting uses credits as currency. I like that classes get more skill points, because if there's more knowledge and education, folks are going to have more skills. And there needed to be some new skills added, like Computers to account for the setting's futuristic nature. Reducing armor to only light and heavy makes sense, since we're dealing with futuristic and tactical armors, not the more traditional fantasy armor. I like that it was made clear that you don't need a partner to strap you into a suit of heavy armor anymore. The gravity and environmental rules were, of course, going to come up for things like zero g combat, and going to alien planets.

Here's what I don't agree with, though. I don't agree with making two dozen subtle changes to the core mechanics of the game so that it reduces player options for customization. I don't agree with going from a rich world of options where we had dozens of races, and hundreds of classes, archetypes, and prestige classes (not to mention feats, spells, and unique traits), to only a half dozen races and classes, as well as a few pages of feats and spells, to play with. I disagree that in a world with space-age alloys and super-advanced technology that there aren't shields, whether they be adamantine or entirely energy-based. I also disagree on decisions that made the game feel more like an attempt to ape Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition style and flow. Lastly, and most strongly, I disagree with the dismissive tone, and token attitude, that infuses the "legacy conversion" section in the rear of the book. A section that I feel was one of the game's major selling points, but was littered with comments like, "at DM discretion," and, "isn't really meant to work in Starfinder," or, "is going to be difficult."

Why Angry, Though?

I mentioned that I was not just disappointed by this game, but that I was genuinely angered by it. Allow me to explain that statement.

If Paizo had set out to just make a sci-fi RPG, then I would say that Starfinder is definitely a success in terms of that goal. It's perfectly functional, do not misunderstand me on that score, and if I was in the mood for a sci-fi game I wouldn't kick it out of bed. In fact, I'd play Starfinder over most other sci-fi games (particularly the Star Wars RPG) hands-down if we're just talking about the mechanics.

So why you mad, bro?

What makes me mad about the game is that it's claiming continuity with one hand, and slamming the door in Pathfinder's face with the other. It's going to continue the story of the same world, but it doesn't want you to use any of the other books you already bought to open up the horizons, and populate the world. It wants you to ignore archetypes like the Tech Slinger, or the Cyber Solder, who would have been perfectly at home in a setting where their power sets matched the tone of the game. It wants to slap your knuckles, and chastise you for trying to use your old bestiaries, even though they're jam-packed with monsters from outer space and other planes who would be right at home in ghost ships, or on hellish, alien worlds.

Aside from making world continuity a selling point, there's another reason this setup displeases me so much. Because there was no reason for most of these changes to be made in the first place.

If you dig through the Pathfinder books, there are already rules for running a futuristic game peppered through the material. The game's rules for modern firearms are to simply take the guns we're used to, and make them simple weapons instead of exotic ones. Cost adjustments were also listed for worlds where firearms were common, rather than rare. There were already feats for technological weapon proficiencies, so everything from monofilament whips to chainswords could already be wielded by any class who took the right feats, or had the right proficiencies. There were already rules for creating, and using, high-tech items in the Technology Guide, and we already had rules for piloting and building ships both normal and magical.

With all the rules that had already been established, there was no need to re-invent the wheel. The Starfinder core book could have collected all these rules, put them in one place, and then added a few, simple tweaks to embrace the futuristic setting fully. Things like giving armor or shields the ballistic quality, meaning they count against firearm attacks, though not against rays, lasers, or other force effects, for instance.

The only reason to make all of the re-designs that I can see was to make it so players would have to either sweat bullets to put square pegs into round holes trying to convert the dozens of Pathfinder books they already have, or just buy the new material for Starfinder as it comes out. And honestly, with so many technological rules already in the books, and available online, you could just take the minor changes from Starfinder, and play the game with all your favorite classes from the barbarian to the kineticist fully intact.

Because sure, I think the Vesk are cool. I like some of the fun stuff the Soldier and the Operative offer. But when a game purports to be set in the same world, but limits my options for play from thousands of unique combinations to a paltry handful of puzzle pieces, that is not a game I'm down with. I expected better, and was severely disappointed both by the content itself, and by the tone of a game which boasted a rich history, but then locked it behind glass where we're not allowed to touch it.

Edit: Also, I'm Bored

After some time to think about it, and answering comments on this piece, I realized something else about Starfinder that I have a complaint about; it's boring.

I don't mean it's boring in that the writing is bad, the setting is uninteresting, or that you can't play fun games in it. I mean that it's sci-fi by the numbers. When you heard there was a class-based sci-fi RPG, this is exactly what you'd expect. There's the tech guy, the stealth operative, the soldier, the techno wizard, the weird spiritualist, etc. Even the races are just paint-by-numbers.

I didn't get my version of the game, but just as Pathfinder blended sci-fi into fantasy to create a unique combination you couldn't get in other games, so too I was hoping Starfinder would blend some fantasy into sci-fi to make something equally unique. So you could have a cyborg druid, or a wizard with a ray gun, or a medium that would channel the alien spirits of long-lost battlefields. Stuff that would upend genre expectations, and be unexpected.

Instead of giving us exactly what the genre ordered.

That's all for this Moon Pope Monday update. I'm sorry it wasn't more positive, but it's something I really needed to get off my chest. If you're looking for more content than I have on here, check out my Gamers archive. It's still growing, and I'm not stopping anytime soon. If you want to stay on top of all my releases, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you'd like to support my work here, head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron today. All I ask is $1 a month, and in exchange I'll keep doing what I do in addition to giving you some sweet swag as a thank you!

The "Modern Adventures" Kickstarter Has Begun!

Admit it, we've all had that thought. That thought that goes, "what if we could take all the stuff we like in this fantasy RPG, but set it in the modern day?" You know, so you could have elf politicians arguing against term limits because they're prejudiced against long-lived races. Or gangs of goblins on the lower east side that you need to either fight, bribe, or win Diplomacy checks with to make your allies against greater dangers. Maybe you want to see dragons protected as an endangered species, or ask what it would be like to see a team of orcs play football.

Rather than hammer your head through the table trying to adapt Pathfinder to do all those things, check out the Kickstarter for Modern Adventures.

Your otyugh problem's fixed. Bathroom's a mess, though.

Now, I haven't read the rules myself, but it looks like a project worth checking out.

What Makes Modern Adventures Different

So what's the big deal about Modern Adventures? Well, the most obvious change is that it takes place in the modern era. That means guns are pretty common, Internet exists, and you can still go down to the corner cafe to get a grande latte. The difference is that your barista might be a gnome, and you might have a halfling correspondent on the news, telling you about the day's happenings.

Weather's great out in Shire, California. Back to you, Cliff!

The other big difference is that this game isn't set in Golarion, or any other fantasy world you'd typically play Pathfinder in. It's set on Earth, and it's meant to reflect the reality we know through a slightly fractured lens. So, while the ancient Persian empire still happened, it's possible that the Immortals were, in fact, a contingent of full-blooded orcs. There may be elven veterans who remember, and talk about, the American Civil War. And when urban blight gets bad, it might create a home for aberrations, monsters, and dangerous creatures, in addition to opening the doors to drug abuse, poverty, and all the ills we see from our purely human civilization.

Is It Worth A Look?

I repeat, I have not seen this book. I have not read the changes it made to the skills, and I haven't see what stats it created for heavy weapons, kevlar, etc. I have not see what explanations the game makes for how we got to the modern world we're all familiar with, even with trolls, magic, wizards, and clerics who can call upon the divine to turn belief into fact when it comes to religion. Nor have I seen how the game eliminates spell levels, and instead gives all spellcasters control over a kind of pool of power.

I do know that all those things have been promised. I'll be withholding judgment on the game as a whole until I can look at the content, but I know that some of the things I might think of as flaws would be features to other players. So, go look at the Kickstarter, and see if Modern Adventures is a game you've been looking for.

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday installment. Hopefully you find something worth chatting about, whether or not you become a backer. If you're looking for more content from yours truly, check out my Gamers archive. It's growing all the time. To stay up-to-date on all my latest content, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. And if you want to help support me and my work, head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a patron. All it takes is $1 a month, and you'll be helping me out in addition to getting some sweet swag as a thank you!