Does Your Campaign Require a Whole New World?

I've been a gamer since I was about 19-20 years old, which at time of writing is more than a decade and a half ago. I've played a pretty wide variety of games since then; some were good, and some were bad. In all the time I've been gaming, though, I've never once decided to run a campaign in a homebrew world of my own design. And I can safely say, having been designing Sundara: Dawn of a New Age for months now, I would never even consider doing all this work if there wasn't a check attached to those efforts.

Speaking of, the floating city of Archbliss just released!

However, since it seems like a good 40-50 percent of people I talk to (and who leave combative remarks on my content) run games solely in worlds of their own design, there is a simple question I'd like us to think about today. Especially the game masters out there who are newer to the hobby, and who think this is some kind of rite of passage, or the "proper" way to run a game.

In case you didn't read the title, the question is to ask whether the campaign you're running really requires a whole new setting in order to make it work?

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The Ups and Downs of a Whole New World

Academically, I understand the appeal of making your own campaign setting for a game. It's world building in a literal sense as you rearrange everything to your liking. From altering the appearance of tieflings, to changing the assumed history of orcs, to drawing your own maps and forging your own timeline, there is something freeing about making your own setting from the ground up.

However, with that said, I feel there are a lot of stumbling blocks in this approach that we don't often think about. Because, as I so often say in comments sections, the ability to build a good world and the ability to run a good campaign are two completely different things.

Worlds are complex things.

First, let's talk about the upsides.

Making your own world can be creatively fulfilling. It can be fun to play around with the primordial goop of a setting, molding it and making something fun and unique. It can get you more attached to it, and if you play your cards right you can even get your players in on the action. Letting them contribute can give them that feeling of attachment that this is truly a shared game that you're all playing.

It can also let you erase aspects you don't like, don't want, or would rather not deal with that would have changed the core setting of the game too much to just make something a house rule.

For every up, though, there is a down.

There are downsides to homebrewing your own setting as well, though.

Perhaps the biggest issue I've come across in terms of homebrewed worlds is that a lot of GMs end up missing the forest for the trees. They focus on the handful of things that they were most interested in, or which they wanted to dedicate the majority of their time and effort to, but they end up forgetting they need to fill out the rest of the world, too.

Some examples of this from my own experience include:

- Completely forgetting to create a pantheon of gods in games with divine casters

- Having 2-3 major cities on a continent, but no other settlements

- Lacking the names and histories of ruling bodies and influential families in the capital city where the campaign was taking place

- Only fleshing out a few species in the whole world, leaving the others vague and unfinished

Even if you make an entire setting with no gaps or missing parts, though, there's often a disconnect between your setting and your players. Because if they can't actually read about things and look stuff up on their own, the world can seem ephemeral. If you are the sole lens that the players can learn information through, it can be frustrating for both of you... especially if you misremember something you told them, or there's a disagreement over an important aspect of the world, and it only exists in your head rather than on a wiki somewhere.

And if coming up with all of this stuff is hard work, then writing it all down and organizing it in anything resembling and engaging fashion is downright exhausting!

Do You Need To Do All This Work?

I'm not trying to discourage anyone from making their own settings to play in. If it's something you want to do, you should do it. However, it is important to take a moment to ask yourself if the story you're trying to tell actually requires that amount of work being done behind the scenes in order for your players to get the proper experience, or if you can just use an existing setting with a few additions in the blank spots on the map to get your game going.

Because if your campaign doesn't require a new setting all its own in order to function, then making one from scratch might be akin to one of those scenarios where a master chef tries to recreate the Big Mac. Even if you provide full flavor, great taste, and masterful presentation, it still took you hours of effort and a lot more work in terms of ingredients, sweat, and resources when just spending $5 at McDonald's would have yielded the exact same results with a lot less energy expended. Energy that you could instead focus on actually running the campaign.

Work smarter, not harder.

Making a whole setting isn't easy. It can take years of work if you're going it solo, and even a team of creators will take months to get all the details straightened out. Everything from the history of the world, to the rise and fall of empires, to the names and lineage of the Elf Kings, to the political relationships between the dwarven holds, to the names, faiths, and philosophies of all the disparate gods, that's all on you to figure out.

So take a moment and ask if you really need to do all of that work yourself, or if store bought is fine.

Because as a game master, and now as someone who's building a setting from the ground up, I can tell you that the reason Sundara exists is that it is the place for all those players and GMs who want a Pathfinder or 5E game where there's no alignment. Who want a game that's about striding forward into progress, rather than constantly referencing some lost, golden age. It's a world filled with bright, unique, and bizarre species options, strange gods, and extremely unusual places to explore.

But if a game didn't require all of that work? And if it wasn't my job to find a niche to fill for other game masters out there who might be struggling? Well, there's very little chance I'd have put this much time, energy, and effort into making Sundara a reality.

Sundara So Far

Speaking of my setting, the first 5 of the Cities of Sundara series have dropped. I'm switching gears after this to Gods of Sundara next month, and then after that delving into the species of the world and what makes them unusual and unique. If you're looking for a setting that's about progress, fresh solutions, and where the old conceits of alignment are thrown right out the window, then Sundara might be for you.

Also, you can slot these locations into existing settings to use on their own, if you're just looking for something to plug into an empty spot on your campaign map!

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 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 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 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 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 5E): A city in the sky, Archbliss was legendary among those on the ground. The home of great sorcerers, it took being born with power to ascend to that place. The flying city has stopped its wandering, and opened its gates a crack to those from the world below. Darkness lurks behind the glamour and wonder of the City of The Sorcerers, though... and once someone falls through the cracks, there's no coming out again.

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 YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel 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 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!

What Body Modifications Does Your Character Have?

"Did I hear you say something, stranger?" Barak growled. He was a big man, full of whiskey, and spoiling for a fight.

The stranger set his glass down, and looked at Barak. He was a long shank of a man, whipcord, and hard. He didn't seem worried, or even impressed. He let the moment swell, unbuttoning his right sleeve and rolling it back. A black serpent tattoo circled his wrist, fangs sunk into its own tail. Above that, a black heart with a dagger through it on his forearm. And in the crook of his elbow, a laughing demon.

"I said a man your size should be able to hold his liquor better," the stranger repeated.

"You're quite right, Sir," Dolomon said, snatching Barak by the arm. Though his words were jovial, Dolomon's knuckles were white. "I'll just get him sobered up someplace."

"You do that," the stranger said, returning to his drink.

Dolomon held his breath until they were outside, letting it out in a long gust. Barak was complaining, making excuses about how he could have taken the mouthy drunk. Barak had never served in the king's navy, though, and he didn't know what Dolomon knew. The black serpent was worn by Calabra Privateers, and the killer's heart only by those who'd spilled blood for their captain. The laughing devil marked the ship's Questioner... and Dolomon had heard enough rumors about what they did to know that they wanted no part of that man's ire.

Gold makes monsters of the best men... and it makes the worst of them into devils.

Tattoos and Scars

It's the small details that often makes our characters really stand out, and body modifications are one of those things a lot of us turn to for adding a touch of unique flair. Even in instances where there's no mechanical bonus (such as you get from magical tattoos, from enchanted earrings, or class features where your heavy scarring actually grants you natural armor, or adds to Intimidate checks), these features still make our characters truly stand out.

Not only that, but what these things say about our character and their histories can also tell us a lot about who they are, and where they've been.

It is rare to see one who survived the training of a Kiloshan Warlock.

Sometimes these markings might be a cultural thing, as I mention in several entries in 100 Superstitions For a Fantasy Setting. Perhaps it's the belief that an earring will prevent seasickness, and so it's common for sailors and fishermen in certain areas to have their ears pierced in particular ways. Alternatively ritual scarification might be how individuals are marked as adults in certain cultures, with the pattern saying something about their history and deeds. Or, as is mentioned in 100 Fantasy Tattoos (And The Meaning Behind Them), tattoos might mark how many children one has, what rank they hold socially, or it might even be used as a marking to prove that a particular noble is who they say they are.

However, even if your tattoos, scars, or piercings don't "mean something," they still mean something.

What does that mean? Well, even if your character got a tattoo for no reason other than they thought it looked cool, or their scarification was something they got done with a friend on their travels, or they got drunk and pierced on a lark after going through a dungeon, the fact that the marks don't have personal, religious, or cultural significance to the individual don't render them useless.

Generally speaking, certain traditions of body modification aren't going to be universally available, practiced, or even allowed across the entirety of a fantasy setting. So for a character to boast tattoos of a particular style, to wear a nose piercing with a chain hooked to an ear ring, or to bear a pauldron-flower scarification pattern means they likely traveled to a region where such an art form is practiced. And if they didn't, then they somehow crossed paths with a craftsman who was able to create the art they now bear.

In some cases the body modification might even have been as a reward for deeds done, or to signify membership in a tribe, a gang, a brotherhood, or a knightly order. From soldiers being inducted into service, to a champion who stood against a greater force on behalf of an outnumbered tribe, to someone who married into a particular culture where these markings were part of the ceremony, there's always some kind of significance to them with regards to a character's story.

So ask yourself what sort of body mods your character has. And once you know what they have, ask what personal significance they have, where they got them, how they got them, and what those markings might tell other people who see them. Because they might just be really into tattoos and piercings... or those marks might tell those with the right knowledge that this is a magus of a prestigious magical lineage, a vicious outlaw, or someone who was (at least at one time) a member of a holy order.

Additional Reading and Inspiration

For those who'd like additional reading over and above the supplements listed above, check out the following:

- Character Reputation in RPGs: The Small Legend: Reputation in an RPG setting is an important thing to consider, and for those who are known by certain body mods those decorations are going to make them identifiable at a glance.

- Did Your Character Have a Former Life?: Tattoos often hearken back to someone a character used to be, which makes this a useful question to consider.

- 100 Gangs For Your Urban Campaigns: Tattoos are often a kind of street heraldry for gang members, and this supplement has a dozen different inspirations for those looking for characters who have something of a checkered past.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat thriller Marked Territory, it's sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent 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 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!

There's a Big Difference Between "Not Optimized" and "Not Functional" in RPGs

We all know that one player who is terminally unlucky. No matter how good the stats they have are, or how small the chance of failure is, they are practically guaranteed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory if you have them roll a die. As someone who has gone entire sessions barely breaking double digits on a d20, and who once rolled half a dozen natural 1s in a row, there are theories about which ancient deity my bloodline wronged, and what sort of quest I need to undertake in order to free myself from this burden.

Changing dice doesn't help. And may curse the new set temporarily.

However, it is this tendency to roll absurdly low numbers that led to me carefully tweaking every aspect of my character builds so that even with my abysmal luck accounted for I can still succeed often enough to contribute to the ongoing game. A habit that, if I'm honest, is why I have guides ranging from The Death Korps of Krieg to Teddy Roosevelt over in my ongoing Character Conversions project. And while I've weathered my share of accusations that I'm a min-maxing, number crunching point whore who's more concerned with my stats than just "having fun" with the game, there is something that I would like to address this week.

Because as someone who feels he has to optimize his character to the nth degree in order to have any chance of success, I can tell you there's more than one way to reach a goal. Also, there is a massive difference between a character who is simply not optimized, and one that is not functional.

Before we get deeper into this, if you haven't already, consider subscribing to my weekly newsletter to stay on top of all my latest releases, updates, and projects. And if you'd like to help me keep Improved Initiative going, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Every little bit really does help.

You Don't Need To Be The Best (But You Shouldn't Be The Worst)

Something I always recommend that players think about when making their characters is asking what they are meant to do. What's their function within the party? Because once you understand what a character's job is, in a mechanical sense, you can find the rules in the game to help support that goal. That is the framework you can then attach your story, personality, quirks, goals, etc. to.

Now, some choices are going to be more "optimal" than others when it comes to achieving a goal with your character. But sometimes a player will specifically not take those options because it will conflict with the story they're trying to tell, or another aspect of their character. And they aren't "playing the game wrong" by not making the best of the best... but they still need to make sure their character can actually get the job done adequately when the dice start rolling.

Perhaps an example would help?

For instance, let's say a Pathfinder player wanted to put together a blasting caster that could penetrate enemy spell resistance. Taking the feats Spell Penetration and Greater Spell Penetration are some of the most obvious choices, as is playing a character that's an elf. Those three choices together add a whopping +6 onto attempts to overcome an enemy's spell resistance, thus making it very likely that slung spells aren't going to slam up against that natural resistance and fizzle out to no effect.

However, say that a central feature of this character's story and history requires them to be an orc. Or a halfling. Or really any species that isn't an elf. Sure, not taking that additional +2 is going to be less optimized, but the difference between a +4 and a +6 on the check isn't some uncrossable gulf. Hell, the player could even opt not to take the Spell Penetration feats, just going at enemies with raw caster levels, and that is not an inherent problem because spell resistance is generally scaled specifically to provide a challenge in this manner.

The elven wizard with the 20 Intelligence and the right feats is going to have an easier time blowing through the protections than the half-orc sorcerer with the 20 Charisma who doesn't have the feats, but both characters are still viable options capable of overcoming this challenge. The half-orc version is still functional.

What would make it less functional, though, would be if the player chose to multiclass the character, ensuring that every other level is something other than sorcerer, thus putting them at a serious penalty when it comes to overcoming spell resistance. Or even choosing a partial casting class like ranger, bloodrager, etc. instead of a full caster like a sorcerer or wizard. In this scenario it's not impossible that they could overcome an enemy's spell resistance, but the fact that their caster level is so much smaller, and that it isn't boosted by feats, class features, etc., it might mean their magic won't practically work against a lot of enemies if they try to use it as a gun.

Change Your Goals, You Change What's Functional

The key thing to remember when discussing optimization and functionality is that you can only use those terms if it's in service of a specific goal. And if that goal changes, then suddenly the specifics for what makes a "good" choice for building an effective character also changes.

For instance, take our spellcaster example above, but alter the goal. Now instead of overcoming an enemy's spell resistance, you want to make that character a more effective buffer for fellow party members. By switching that goal (and casting spells like mage armor, bear's endurance, haste, etc. to protect and boost fellow party members), this character suddenly becomes a lot more viable for the reason that they won't need to overcome spell resistance in the way they would if they were attacking foes. They're using the same tool (magic), but the goal changes, and so things that made them bad at one task are suddenly not a concern on this new one.

There are many paths to success... you just need to define what success is.

Something else to keep in mind is that the more specific you can make your goal, the better the chance you have of narrowing the field in terms of functionality. Because if you have a broad goal like, "dealing the most damage in melee combat," there is probably a single best way to get that done (likely involving an over-sized bastard sword and some combination of barbarian Rage Powers and/or fighter archetypes and features). But say you wanted to make your character Dexterity focused rather than Strength focused, and you wanted to use a dagger, or a shortsword instead. You may not measure up to the raw numbers output of the hulking brute described above by using a swashbuckler, a fencing-style fighter archetype, or one of the other finesse-leaning combat options, but the difference between that extremely optimized brute and your fancier, faster character might not be as big as you think. Again, you're still functional.

Where you will run into problems, though, is when you attempt to choose square-peg options, and hammer them into round-hole goals.

Because that fighter/barbarian with the massive bastard sword he looted from an ogre? Well, he's not going to get a lot of class skills, or skill points. And if you try to make that character knowledge-centric in their skills, chances are good they're not going to get enough points to ever meet the DC to know what a monster, noble, exotic plant, etc. ever is. If you want to multiclass your fighter into wizard, but he has an Intelligence of 9, then you have an entire class level that's essentially grayed-out because you need at least an Intelligence of 10 plus the spell level in order to cast it. And while it's entirely possible to make a sorcerer that wades into melee with a greatsword swinging, between their very low base attack bonus, inability to wear armor without penalty, low hit points, etc., that is a decision that is far more likely to lead to a quick and messy death than it is to a truly unique character who succeeds in unorthodox ways.

I talked about all this and more in Players, Remember, Just Because You CAN Doesn't Mean You SHOULD for those who missed that installment.

So when it comes to discussions about builds, and effectiveness, and arguing over what is and isn't a smart choice, do your best to clear all the static from the air. First, ask what task you want your character to accomplish. Second, ask what requirements they need to have (whether they be of a certain species, from a certain part of the world, if they need to use or not use a certain weapon, fighting style, etc). Then find a way to accomplish the goals you've set forth for them, within the constraints of both the game itself, and their character.

If you can accomplish those goals, then you don't need to be completely optimized. It's only when you can't actually achieve the goals you set out to (or when those goals aren't necessary for the game you're playing) that you end up as a fish trying to climb a tree... and that's a situation nobody wants to find themselves in.

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 YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel 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 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 Damaging Interrupt: An Anti-Spellcaster Strategy For Pathfinder

There are few enemies as dangerous as those with magic at their command. From powerful necromancers capable of sapping away one's strength with a gesture, to evokers who act as conduits to energies more damaging than a legion of siege engines, often one good spell can send the party scrambling... or result in a TPK.

So nobody made the save? Oh... that's not good...

In a majority of games the party is going to face enemy spellcasters of one stripe or another. As such, it's important to know how you're going to come out the other side of an encounter without having been turned into a squirrel, or reduced to a smear of grease on the flagstones. And if you're playing Pathfinder, there is a little trick that can save your bacon, and cost your enemies dearly if you use it correctly.

We shall refer to it as the Damaging Interrupt.

Also, this is your weekly reminder to sign up for my weekly newsletter if you don't want to miss any of my latest releases, like Children of The Night: 100 Animal Ghouls that just came out for Vampire (Masquerade or Requiem, whichever is your personal preference), or Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms which marks the 4th in the Cities of Sundara series for my Pathfinder-compatible fantasy RPG setting!

Concentration Checks, Readied Actions, And Lost Spells

As anyone who's played a spellcaster in Pathfinder knows, weaving magic isn't easy to do. If there's adverse conditions like inclement weather, you're riding on a galloping mount, you're currently entangled, or gods forbid you take damage while trying to cast, then that is going to force you to make a Concentration check in order not to lose the spell.

The last entry on that list is the most interesting for our purposes.

Because for most of the other situations listed (casting in a storm, casting while entangled, casting while riding a mount, etc.) the Concentration check isn't terribly high. Any second-rate sorcerer is going to be able to make those checks by mid-levels even without feats or class features boosting their Concentration checks. However, spellcasters who take damage while trying to sling magic operate on a sliding scale, and the more damage they take, the higher that check is going to be.

What's the matter? Can't focus?

The way it works is pretty simple. If someone starts casting a spell, and they get hit before they complete it (either because of a readied action going off, provoking an attack of opportunity, etc.), then they have to make a Concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell level + the damage they took. Otherwise the spell fizzles without effect.

Since damage tends to scale with most character builds, take a moment and ask how many spells you could ruin with that. If a paladin hits an evil necromancer with an arrow from their longbow while they're the target of Smite, that could easily do a dozen points of damage or more. A ranger or a slayer with their crossbow could do the same, or more, to a favored/studied enemy, especially if they have a Vital Strike shot prepared. And then you get rogues throwing around wands for an easy touch attack, and adding in their sneak attack damage if they attack from the shadows, or are otherwise unseen by the spellcaster in question.

Perhaps one of the most insidious versions of this trick that I saw was an evoker who readies magic missile to use against an enemy spellcaster. So you get an automatic hit that can deal a middling amount of damage, but that "middling" amount of damage can easily lead to a Concentration check with a DC in the mid-30s to low 40s depending on how well you roll, and how nastily the spell is augmented.

Trade-Offs and Pitfalls

While this strategy is likely to catch a lot of GMs and players off-guard, it's not a guaranteed success. For example, spellcasters may be layered in protections like miss chances, or effects like mirror image that can take the hit for them allowing them to cast unmolested. They might have energy resistance to effects like scorching ray, or have a shield effect cast that absorbs magic missile without harm. This can be an issue if you ready your entire turn to counter the spellcaster, but then your shot gets stopped by their defenses, or just ill luck.

The other pitfall you can run into is a strategic one. Since most spellcasters are savvy enough not to provoke attacks of opportunity with their spells (usually by casting defensively), you are going to have to ready an action to hit them when they cast. If you have a low Initiative modifier, though, then you might always feel like you're playing catch up. Not only that, but the higher up in level you get, the more stuff you can (generally) do on your turn. But if you're going to try to interrupt an enemy caster's concentration, you're basically playing your action face-down as a trap card. You're not helping your allies right then, but acting as a counter to what the enemy might do. Of course, there's no guarantee they're going to cast a spell on their turn, and if they haven't then you may end up wasting your action.

Though this strategy can be extremely useful (especially at higher levels where more and more enemies tend to use magic to increase their threat level), understand that it is merely one option of many. It won't be the action you need to take on every turn, but it's a good thing to keep in your back pocket for when you need it!

Speaking of Countering Spellcasters...

For those who aren't sure when this strategy is going to really come up in their campaigns, I'd recommend checking out the latest release for my own setting... Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers!

If you've been looking for sinister wonder, look no further!

A city in the sky, Archbliss has been the home of Sundara's most powerful sorcerer dynasties for centuries. A place where the impossible is practically commonplace, the acolytes of the great houses are capable of wielding powers and spells rarely seen by even accomplished wizards. Of course, as the enforcers of the Black Tower would tell you, there is no spell that can save you from a well-placed blow that scatters your wits, and ruins your focus.

Archbliss is available both in a Pathfinder version, as well as in a Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition version.

Like, Share, and Follow For More!

That's all for this week's Crunch topic! For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio! Or if you'd like to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now on Pinterest as well! And if you'd like to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little bit of help can go a long way, trust me on that one.

"Temple of Dagon" From Necromancer Games is a Wild Ride!

It's been a while since I've taken Monday to boost the signal for another creator, but Temple of Dagon by James Thomas is something that deserves your attention. The adventure is available for Pathfinder, for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, and for Swords and Wizardry, so whichever edition you prefer get your hands on that one... but whatever you do, get a copy of this damn book already!

Seriously... just LOOK at it!

Before we get into what I think makes this a great adventure, though, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter so you don't miss any of my updates and releases. And if you want to help keep the wheels turning so I can make even more great content, then consider becoming a Patreon patron today!

What Makes This Adventure a Must Have?

So, there are two parts of why I think Temple of Dagon is something you need to add to your shelf immediately, regardless of which edition you prefer. Let's start with the more universal aspects, and then I'll get into the personal preferences.

To start with, this adventure's layout is lovely, making things easy to follow, and providing the game master with everything in a clear, simple-to-read format. The maps in particular are very good with no overcomplication. And while it's impossible to predict all the potential things players could do, the adventure is very good about laying out specific actions that will cause particular repercussions within the story being told (such as the death of a specific NPC leading to their followers fleeing the ruins quickly, thus greatly shifting the balance of power if the PCs would otherwise have had to deal with those followers) so that everything feels organic however your players choose to progress.

As to the second part, this adventure hits a lot of my happy buttons! I love cosmic horror, I don't think enough games are willing to really embrace watery settings (they do exist, but they are a minority for most established games), and the particular choices of monsters and adventure are perfect for a romp that can be as scary or as smash-and-grab as you desire. It also gives me strong vibes reminiscent of the Fighting Fantasy novel Demons of The Deep, which I mean as a high form of praise. If you're someone who wants more single-player RPGs, then I would also recommend checking out that book as well, as that's basically what the series was written for.

If you've been in the market for a fun adventure that isn't going to be a huge commitment, but which will give your players plenty of time to stretch their muscles and try some new builds and stories on for size, then I cannot recommend this enough. Big thanks to James Thomas for giving me a chance to look it over, and pass the good word on to all of you!

Also, for those DND 5th Edition players who are looking for some more water-themed adventures with a dark undertone, don't forget to check out my modules The Curse of Sapphire Lake and Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh. Slashers, spooks, haunted wetlands, and disturbing secrets abound in these low-level modules that can make great intros for new players, and fun one-offs for experienced ones!

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 YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel 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 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!

Fun With Languages and Accents (A Trick I Used in a Darklands Game)

Every game master out there has at least one moment where they improvised something the table really liked, and which just clicked into place. Sometimes it's a big deal, like an unexpected plot twist, or a huge set piece they just spun out of nothing. Other times, though, it's the small details that leave you patting yourself on the back.

That was what happened to me when I took my players down into the Darklands.

Things get weird down there, where the light doesn't reach.

As always, if you want to stay on top of all my latest releases, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter! And for those who want to help make sure that I can keep putting new and fresh stuff out there from week to week, consider supporting me on Patreon as well.

A Whole New World

The idea for this campaign started with wanting to take my players to a unique part of the Golarion setting for Pathfinder. While there was an adventure path that took place in the Darklands (the massive subterranean realm that was like a literal underworld through huge swaths of the setting), there was so much of it still to explore. The theme of the game was that it would have heavy survival elements, in addition to the goals the party was trying to achieve. That meant it was one of those games where I wanted people to track their food and water, their carrying capacity, their ammunition, etc. A big part of the challenge was going to be resource use and conservation while in a place that was so utterly alien to most of them (one member of the party, acting as guide, was a svirfneblin come up from below).

And hostile... let's not forget about that.

A pair of characters in the game were a wandering, crossbow wielding human mercenary, and his adopted goblin daughter. He'd found her on a job, realized it was just a sprog, and took her with him rather than leave her to the mercy of the elements, and human prejudices. Neither of them had any idea where she came from, but even as a goblin she looked a little unusual. She didn't quite map to any of the clans or tribes they'd come across, and it was put forth that it would be fun to find out more about where she came from at some point on the journey into the subterranean realms.

The party had managed to survive the first four or five levels, and they were engaged in a battle with gargoyles who were guarding a bridge over a chasm, when a mysterious figure leaped down from atop a nearby wall. Masked and wearing goggles, the small figure wielded a spear, and had a utility belt of strange, unusual items. Providing necessary aid at a clinch moment, he helped drive off the gargoyles. When he removed his mask, the figure was a long-limbed, spindly-fingered goblin. A goblin who looked far more like our party member than any of those who dwelt closer to the surface had.

The issue came when he tried to talk to them, and of course no one could understand the combinations of clacking teeth, clucking tongue, and deep throaty growls. After all, they were more than a mile below ground, and none of them (even the guide) had been to this section of the Darklands before... why would they understand him? In response the party's goblin tried some of the surface dialect she'd picked up, as did her adopted dad. The new goblin tilted his head, frowned, and mouthed a few words silently before grinning.

"What's shaking daddy-o? Saw you and the hep round were in some serious shade and thought maybe you could use a few fingers, right? Call me Spider, all the rats and scaps round here do!"

What followed was one of the more amusing sessions I've ever had figuring out how to make players work for their understanding, but keeping it fun and light instead of frustrating.

Fun With Linguistics

One thing I always try to avoid when I run games is the idea of a monoculture, which seems to be particularly prevalent among non-human creatures in a lot of RPGs. Perhaps the most obvious example of this is the idea of racial languages like "elven," "dwarven," "orc," and "goblin". Just living in America I know that a majority of the population technically speaks English, but talking to someone in Chicago, versus talking to someone in Ohio, and then talking with someone from the Alabama/Florida line, or deep in Texas country, it's likely you'll run into a fair bit of confusion.

This is something I try to represent when it comes to linguistic drift, local dialects, and other aspects of communication when players are going far afield from where they're more comfortable. And I know I'm not the only game master who does this (I know there's plenty of folks who reach for the "thee" and "thou" when they want something to sound antiquated), but if there was one piece of advice I would give it's to change up the communication style and structure.

With Spider, I didn't want my players to feel I'd just rendered all of their languages and specialties useless because they only applied to the surface. The idea was to make Spider's lingo (and that of the rest of his tribe, if they'd ever reached them) sound outdated and confusing, but more like you were trying to have a conversation with a greaser from the 50's than to converse with a character in Shakespeare. Because it wasn't just that the words were different, it was that there were concepts in the Darklands that didn't have an equivalent on the surface, so the players needed to pick them up via context (and the occasional Intelligence/Linguistics check). Much like how there are certain ideas from 70-80 years ago that just wouldn't make sense to us today if they weren't explained.

While it started as an off-the-cuff gag, it actually turned into a whole session of fascinating roleplaying as the party tried to really pick up what Spider was laying down. Information about their current situation was exchanged (how they needed to root out the gargoyles to pass this area), but most of it was just interpersonal stuff and light RP. Stuff that still probably would have happened had I not gone all-in on an odd speech pattern, but which would have been wrapped up and forgotten about in relatively short order.

So, my advice to fellow game masters, think about how people speak in a given area. Not just the accent and word choice, but what's the culture that informs the way they think and act? Is there something simple you could map it onto to provide a kind of real world meta-reference for the players? Because at the end of the day, the way creatures talk is a lot like hit points; it's an approximation for our understanding. So get creative with it, and go a little nuts!

Speaking of Avoiding Monocultures...

This experience is actually something I'm planning on weaving into my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age RPG setting for both Pathfinder Classic and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition. In addition to tossing out alignment entirely, I'm also breaking down as many monoculture ideas as possible... and part of that means there's going to be a lot of languages in this setting (which will emphasize players finding ways to communicate as a potential challenge).

I'm currently working on the first of a new line of supplements titled Species of Sundara, but while you wait on that, I've got several fun location splat books that have already dropped! And while they're intended for use with the overall setting as it grows, you can use them (as well all the story and mechanical goodies they contain) in whatever setting you happen to be running! So if you haven't grabbed your copies yet, consider checking out the following:

- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and 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 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 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 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.

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? Or do you have your own story you'd like to share with folks?

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out from time to time. Or, to check out books like my hard-boiled cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

Activist GMs Are Something I Try To Avoid

Generally speaking we expect a judge to act dispassionately, and to weigh a case on its merits to see how the law as it's written applies to a criminal or civil matter. While these individuals tend to have some discretion in how they use their authority, the expectation is that they are attempting to implement the rules of society as they exist, rather than as they might like them to be.

An activist judge, by contrast, is someone who uses their position and authority to attempt to change or alter the law as it exists to better suit their personal belief system and ideology. This term is most commonly used for judges who sit on the supreme court in the United States, as there is not really a higher power above them that can double check their work for bias, personal slant, etc. when they rule on how a law should be applied. Best you can hope for if a ruling affects you in a negative way is that whoever sits in the big chair next undoes that ruling.

Game court is now in session!

I generally think this is a good framework to use when you're a game master as well. It isn't your job to rewrite the game, or to twist the rules outside of what they actually say because you don't like them. You're there to oversee that the rules you've all agreed to are implemented fairly for everyone.

For more use of this metaphor, take a look at my post Table Attorneys Vs. Rules Lawyers: How To Be Fair Without Bogging Down Your Game. Also, if you want to make sure you don't miss out on any of my fresh posts, be sure you subscribe to my weekly newsletter!

Rule 0, Cooperative Play, and GM Neutrality

I'm sure there are a lot of folks out there who are already preparing their rebuttals for the comment section, but before you put on your Caps Lock let me break down the totality of what I'm talking about when I say we should avoid being "activist GMs," and how that interacts with things like Rule 0, homebrewing, etc.

There's a lot of text here... so let's take it one issue at a time.

Now, to begin at the beginning, an activist GM is not someone who homebrews their own setting, who writes house rules for their game, or any of the dozens of other examples one could probably think of. I'm not advocating that we all play our RPGs exactly how they're written in the books with no changes or personal touches ever. That would make for a game that got pretty boring pretty fast.

As I've said repeatedly on here, every table is free to customize their game and setting however they choose to do so. If you want to make your own classes, alter how certain feats operate, change spells, or ignore anything from falling damage to alignment restrictions, you are absolutely free to do that... provided that as a GM you are A) up-front about any changes to your players, and B) that your players agree to the new changes and limitations you have made.

However many or few those changes may be.

So what would make someone an activist GM? Well, let's say you're looking over a player's sheet, and the swashbuckler they're running has a morning star. You decide that, though Swashbuckler's Finesse expressly says they gain weapon finesse with all light and one-handed piercing weapons that the spirit of the class was to recreate the Three Musketeers, so that ability only applies to rapiers and daggers. Also, they can no longer use the feat Power Attack combined with a finesse attack, because you feel that just isn't in keeping with how a dexterous fighter should function.

It's not that you're changing the rules... it's that you're changing them based solely on your personal opinions about what the so-called intent of the creators was (or should have been), typically in ways that disadvantage your players. Doing that without having a discussion with your players, or making it clear that's how you're going to run things just adds insult to injury.

It's like if you were making a case in court, and then the judge declared that you weren't allowed to cross-examine witnesses, or present more than three pieces of evidence, because they felt that was more in keeping with what the founders of the court intended when they wrote the law. Even if that's not what they actually put down on paper.

Let The Dice Fall Where They May

RPGs aren't perfect, and sometimes we can't house rule out all the issues we find in them before the first session. There are even times where you don't realize something is even a problem until you're halfway into the campaign, and suddenly the issues with a given mechanic are front-and-center. We're always going to have to make tweaks and changes as things go.

When we make those changes, though, they need to be with the consent and input of the players. Not only that, but changing something to better fit with your personal tastes or desires (whether it be giving half-orcs automatic negatives to Intelligence and Charisma because you think they're ugly and stupid, or stating that barbarian players don't get to control when or how they use Rage because you feel that's not how anger control issues work) means you're putting yourself before your players and their experience.

GMs should have fun, there's no two ways about that. You're a player, along with everyone else. However, you are just one player at the table, not a director telling the actors what to do as part of your personal vision. There needs to be room for everyone's fun and ideas at the table (within reason, of course), and you all need to be operating under the same rules.

And if those rules do need to change, they should be changed to make the game better for everyone involved, not just because they don't jive with a GM's personal image of how a game should run.

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 YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel 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 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 Chaos Magician (Arcane Spellcaster Character Concept)

Christobel sat in the center of her cell. A cracked looking glass sat before her as she wove strands of her own hair into a tight cord. Pressing the pad of her thumb onto her canine tooth, she bit down, then smeared her blood along a hollow stone she'd found in the exercise yard before sliding it onto the cord and tying the ends together. She chanted dead words in a dead language, slipping the amulet around her neck before picking up a tiny wooden trivet she'd stolen from the mess hall.

The tools were humble ones, but that didn't matter for her purposes. She didn't follow the gods whose names the spell invoked, but that didn't matter either. All that mattered was they would do for the ritual. As the power swelled and settled, Christobel smiled to herself.

"Nothing is true," she said as she stood to face the barred window, her fingers already weaving the energy into the pattern she needed. "Everything is permitted."

A saying that, in all likelihood, might be one reason I was put here in the first place.

The Chaos Magician

Chaos magic, as an idea, is one that's permeated our fiction. However, as I pointed out in What is Chaos Magic?, the occult philosophy is actually very different than most of its depictions in pop culture. In short, the idea behind chaos magic as a philosophy is that a chaos magician will use whatever tools they need for a particular task, often blending together different symbolism, philosophies, structure, and ritual as needed. While the symbolism and ideas are all directed at a singular purpose, there is no established belief system or structure to the chaos magician; everything is in flux, and they will use whatever they have to hand to accomplish their rites and rituals.

And that is something rarely tried in games that rely so heavily on Vancian spellcasting. Rarely tried isn't the same thing as impossible, though. All you need to do is to ask yourself what method you want to take to embody the chaos in your magician going forward?

If you're playing Pathfinder, for example, then one of the surest ways to accomplish this is with the occultist. Taking Alice Liddel's post The Magic in Everyday Items to heart, an occultist can use almost any sort of random collection of stuff in order to focus their powers. Whether it's a ritualized silver dagger, or a dusty skull they found in a dungeon, or a cracked mirror they took out of the garbage, the class's use of the symbolic ideas behind common items can suit this concept ideally. Especially when you consider that occultists don't need to prepare spells, so they can fire off whatever they need at any given time, but they're still Intelligence-based so it tics a lot of the boxes for folks who want to emulate the real-world philosophy.

Chaos magicians do a lot of reading, as a rule.

Some books are more dangerous than others.

With all of that said, however, it's entirely possible to put together a chaos magician as a flavor performance for a character. A wizard who draws from a dozen different sources and books, using different foci, different somatic and verbal components, etc. depending on the day is an easy example (especially if they're using those alterations to represent metamagic feats changing the parameters of the spells they're casting). A sorcerer whose bloodline is unpredictable might channel chaos in a real sense (like the wild magic sorcerer in DND 5th Edition), but they might also switch languages, gestures, even magical traditions in order to attempt to shape and control that chaos from moment to moment. Even a bard might use tonal dissonance, remixed tunes and songs, or bizarre combinations of traditions in order to produce unexpected effects.

This concept works best as an arcane caster. Chaos magic, by definition, focuses on the abilities and skills of the caster themselves, and how they channel the symbolic power of their rights and rituals. So while a divine caster could work, the idea behind divine magic is that it's spells granted by a particular deity or divine force. So while you might be able to work out some kind of pantheist, or individual dedicated to a particular concept, that's going to require a lot of cooperation on behalf of the GM, and it can get pretty messy and frustrating to find something that captures the flavor you want while remaining balanced.

Also, for further reading, make sure you check out the following from my ongoing 5 Tips series:

- 5 Tips For Playing Better Wizards

- 5 Tips For Playing Better Sorcerers

- 5 Tips For Playing Better Bards

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on 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!

Want Players to Stop Using Guns in Your World of Darkness Game? Play an Earlier Era!

It feels like I've written about guns in RPGs a lot over the past several years, but it's typically articles like 5 Tips For Playing Better Gunslingers for more traditional fantasy games where you've got flying lead alongside lightning bolts and dragons. But this resistance to high-caliber solutions isn't limited to Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons, and their kin... you also find it among World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness storytellers.

I'll take a pack of pencils, then,

Since this is something that seems to bother a lot of folks, I figured I'd get into the details of it, and my proposed solution for it, this week. As always, if you want to stay on top of all my latest releases make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates sent right to your inbox! Also, if you want to help me keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron... every little bit really does help.

Why So Many STs Seem To Object To High-Caliber Solutions

The World of Darkness, as well as the Chronicles of Darkness, are modern settings. Even if you run a WoD game in the era it was written for, it's still being run in the 90s. So unlike traditional fantasy games, where guns are often viewed as a new invention that's recently been introduced to the setting, they've been around for literal centuries. Not only that, but one of the more persuasive reasons for the supernatural world to keep its head down is that enough mortals armed with machine guns, flamethrowers, high-powered explosives, etc. could wipe them out without breaking too much of a sweat if they were all discovered and the Masquerade broken.

It's one reason why Armory and Armory: Reloaded are two of my favorite books for Chronicles of Darkness, as they offer some pretty persuasive arguments why you should not start trouble with the mortal world.

Despite this, there are a lot of Storytellers out there who get their back up when someone attempts to use a mundane technological solution over a supernatural one, particularly when it comes to the more nitty gritty aspects of the game. Because while it's possible to create an enchanted thunder maul that strikes like lightning and can be thrown a dozen yards in combat with unerring accuracy, a fully-automatic, drum-fed riot shotgun with incendiary rounds deals exactly as much damage to a target without the need to entreat the spirits, prove your worth, or conduct a full-moon ritual sacrifice. You just need to put in a call to Paul, the balding nerd with the weird gun fetish, and spend the necessary cash to get it in your hands.

No parley? Shame... shame...

The argument, in this case, is startlingly similar to what you'll see in a DND or Pathfinder game. Storytellers, when I've managed to nail down definite, specific answers, always bristle that there's a completely mundane tool, weapon, or solution that's as powerful as magical ones, but which don't have the same limitations and controls as the magical ones do. You just need the proper Resources or Allies to get your guns from the black market, and all of a sudden you can punch way outside your weight class regarding the kind of foes you can take on.

While that is true in some respects, there are two salient points that need to be made here that I think a lot of STs overlook, or forget about.

First, big, powerful guns tend to be tough to hide both during transportation, and during use. Because while the weapon described above might tear through the ranks of fomori, it's not something you can just hide under a coat. And when you hold down that trigger, it's likely going to break windows at 10 yards just from the sound alone. So even if a player has access to these weapons, they aren't going to be able to use them cavalierly unless you're constantly attacking them in either the middle of nowhere, or in the unique pocket realm that it seems every sphere has one of.

Secondly, because these tools are completely mundane, they're going to be investigated and noticed by the mundane world. If a PC runs amok with their mini-Mjolnir cracking skulls and casting lightning bolts, mortal investigators aren't going to be able to make heads or tales of the evidence without concocting some bizarre story. No one is going to put out an APB for a man carrying a magic hammer. By contrast, black market firearms are going to get noticed by local cops, and possibly by the ATF, which means players need to be extra careful with when they choose to cut loose, and when they use a quieter solution. Even legal, commercially-available firearms require permits, and using them in public can lead to a lot of nosy questions from the authorities if players aren't very careful with how they do things.

Don't Want Modern Solutions, Don't Run a Modern Game

There are other advantages to guns in the World of Darkness as well. They allow you to attack multiple targets in a single blast, their ammunition can be modified to take advantage of enemy weaknesses, and in the Chronicles of Darkness they ignore defense and can only be countered by armor and cover. So if you're going to be running a game with a lot of combat in it, then it just makes sense that at least some folks are going to gravitate toward the most dangerous tools to ensure they come out ahead when all is said and done.

Choose your next words carefully, I've got silver loaded in here.

However, the solution is not to simply tell your players they can't have guns. With so many ways to get your hands on these tools (especially if your game is set anywhere in North America) it breaks immersion really fast that someone with underworld contacts, a lot of money in the bank, or just the ability to machine and tool their own parts and pieces cannot acquire these weapons. They're a ubiquitous part of the modern world, and telling players they can't have or use them would be no different than making them write letters and send telegrams instead of making a phone call.

This extends to basically any other form of modern technology, too. Whether it's STs tired of hackers destroying an area's security system, or players using vehicular combat as a way to turn a dump truck into a battering ram, if you don't want players to use modern solutions, then don't run a modern game.

Instead, run something in the past. Period, full stop.

I Guarantee You'll Have Just as Much Interest

On the one hand, running a game set in the past is more difficult than one set in the present. The cast of current NPCs running things is different (for those who use the existing lore), certain major events may not yet have occurred, and then there's the matter of making sure you have a firm grip on actual world history so that you can convey the proper setting and tone for your players.

With all of that said, though, this is one of the most organic ways of rewinding the progression on technology that also creates an utterly unique experience that your players are not likely to forget anytime soon.

We're going werewolf hunting, you in?

Whether you want to go full Van Helsing in the 1800s for a Hunter game, you want to run Mage set in the dying days of the Roman empire, or you want to play a Vampire game during the Black Death while the Inquisition is hunting the supernatural community, this one change is going to create one hell of a game. Even if it's something short-lived, like participating in the hunt for the Beast of Gevaudan in Werewolf, or a short arc for Changeling set during the spiritualism craze of the Victorian era in London, changing the era gets you what you want (removing the smorgasbord of modern-day technologies that can feel ubiquitous), while also giving your players a unique experience (an entire period of history they've likely never gotten to play in).

While it might seem like a lot of work (and it is, don't mistake me on that), I guarantee this approach would go over a lot better than just handing your players a list of tools and tech they're not allowed to use, or which you're going to restrict because you feel it isn't fair to the more spiritually-inclined players to have their magic eclipsed by the latest from Smith and Wesson.

Hell, there's even an entire Dark Ages series you can use! If this is something you haven't considered before, then check out the following titles to get your brain wheels turning:

- Dark Eras (Chronicles of Darkness)

- Dark Ages: Vampire

- Dark Ages: Werewolf

- Dark Ages: Mage

- Dark Ages: Fae

- Dark Ages: Inquisitor

- Dark Ages: Blood and Silk

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 YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, its sequel 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 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!