Improved Initiative: November 2022

Monday, November 28, 2022

Ever Hear of "Weird Detective Mystery Adventures"? Well, Neither Had I!

One of the fun things about going to conventions is that it allows you to discover unique things you would never come across in your day-to-day experience. Even though I spend most of any given day up to my elbows in RPG content, I never would have come across Weird Detective Mystery Adventures, and I feel confident in saying the same for all my readers out there.

So if you've been looking for a game with gangsters, gun mals, masked vigilantes, super heroes, mad scientists, and more, this is a game you could use to scratch that itch.

An offer that might be tough to refuse.

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Let's Start With The Good

The best part of any proposal.

Right off the bat, what is Weird Detective Mystery Adventures? Well, it's an RPG that uses 2d6 and a lot of charts to help you tell stories that are just what it says on the tin. If a story can be found in the canon of weird or pulp fiction, then you could emulate it with this RPG. Whether you want to do gritty private eyes digging into gangland deals, masked vigilantes stopping bank robbers, or superheroes fighting supernatural cultists and their dark gods, all of that is possible within this system.

Aside from power scaling, which is quite important for any game, the rule book is pretty thorough when it comes to all your options. Everything from contacts you can call on, to a superhuman accuracy with firearms, to mastery of disguises, to being filthy rich, or being bulletproof and able to fly is covered in here. And while there are sequels and extra content planned for future installments, the core book is all you need to play the game.

As to the system itself, it has a decidedly old-school feel to it. A single chart is used to determine success or failure for a majority of actions, ranging from stunts and tricks with metahuman abilities, to standard punch-ups with goons in a bar. The base stats all have their own unique names one needs to get used to, but once you get in the groove figuring out success, failure, and your odds of either, the game becomes pretty easy to manage.

Now Onto The Bad

You didn't see nuthin', got it smart guy?

Nothing is perfect, and I wouldn't want anyone tracking this game down without making them aware of the flaws it has, as well as its benefits.

First and foremost, if you came into gaming via d20 games, this is going to be like learning a whole new language for you. While I've seen games with similar systems before, if you're more used to various editions of DND, or even the World of Darkness, this will be something of a rough start for you. Additionally, this book is thick... we're talking old-fashioned Yellow Pages thick. While you may not need to read all of it depending on the game you want to play, there's a lot of material in there, which will not be to a lot of players' tastes. Particularly in this age of short rulebooks and minimal mechanics gaming. Lastly, for all of the material the book does give you, this game isn't meant to take place in a particular setting or world; details like that are left largely up to the storyteller to figure out for themselves. So while you have a big skeleton with a lot of moving parts, everything from the era, to the lore, to the world is on you to figure out.

Lastly, and this is the one that struck me strange, this book is damn near impossible to come across. To get yourself a copy you must go to the Weird Detective Mystery Adventures website and buy one, or come across the game's booth at a convention. You can't find copies of it on DTRPG, nor can you locate it on Amazon. Even stranger, there is no PDF version of the game available at time of writing, and the physical copy is rather large at just under $50 for a paperback version. For someone who hasn't played the game themselves and is only curious to check it out, that is a rather large risk to take.

The Ugly

You knew this was coming.

I want to start this section by making one thing clear; I didn't dislike my read-through of this game system. While it's certainly a heavy game in terms of options, it has a certain nostalgic quality that will draw you in a bit, and it presents a lot of interesting ideas that would be fun to play with.

However, this game is definitely not going to be for everyone. Worse, though, it feels like this game is attempting to re-invent the wheel in a lot of ways.

As a for instance, everything I mentioned about different game styles, scaling power, power sets and abilities, etc., could also be said of Mutants & Masterminds. Also, while not a simple game, M&M was far easier for me to grasp when I was presented with it, and it has a great deal of supporting material one can choose to use if they want, like the Player's Guide To Emerald City, Hero High, or the Supernatural Handbook, depending on the needs of your game. And if one wanted a simpler game with easier-to-digest mechanics, but which still boasted all of those positive aspects already mentioned, then Savage Worlds Adventurer Edition would work just as well. Especially since one could add in all the other material they want for their game piecemeal, such as hunting monsters with the Rippers Resurrected player guide, Weird War I player's guide, Arcana and Mysticism, or any of a dozen other books and supplements that are available to customize one's playing experience.

Both of these other options are available as digital copies, they're easier to learn, and they're easier on your wallet if you're looking for a game of pulpy adventure that's all over the board in terms of what you can bring to the table.

Again, WDMA isn't a bad game. But if you're interested in giving it a closer look, I would definitely recommend looking through the homepage to make sure it's going to appeal to you and your play style. Because as of this moment there isn't a free sample or a starter's guide to let you try before you buy, and it's got a pretty hefty price tag attached to it.

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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 if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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Monday, November 21, 2022

Don't Gatekeep Being a Game Master

There seems to be a debate over what makes somebody a "real" Game Master. I've seen my share of flame wars, and even caught my share of flak in comments from people who had very strong opinions on this subject. Since it seems to be a hill that a lot of folks are willing to die on, I figured I'd come in with my take on it this week.

If you run games, then you are a Game Master. Full stop.

It's not a complicated take, I'll grant you.

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It's A Thankless Job

Anyone who has ever taken the plunge and run a game, I salute your efforts to do so. Whether it was a basic game like Hero Quest, or something more complex like Pathfinder or Traveler, my statement stands. I don't care if you built your whole world from scratch, you used a premade setting and made the plot yourself, or you just ran a premade module right out of the can. Whatever game you ran, whatever system it was in, and whether it was an evening one-shot or a 6-year-long campaign, you were the captain of the ship. And I say good on you.

All of you are worthy!

There are a lot of folks who will argue on this point. Those who say you're not a "real" GM if you don't build your own setting, or create your own plot. Those who claim it "doesn't count" if you run for children, or if you run casual games instead of hardcore chronicles with serious tones and adult themes. There are people who roll their eyes at games with combat focus or heavy rules, and there are going to be people who do the same at rules light games with a story focus, each of them claiming people who run these aren't real Game Masters.

This is ridiculous behavior, and we should do our best to stop it wherever we see it.

A majority of tabletop games still require someone to sit in the big chair and run the game. Someone has to be at the wheel, setting the direction, leading the narration, and so on. Even if they want something simple, even if they want to do something wholesome, or even if they enjoy a game with a lot of numbers, or not a lot of numbers, somebody has to run. So appreciate the Game Masters you have, and support those who want to try their hand at it so that we can get fresh blood behind the wheel. Because if my experience holds, there are always going to be fewer people who want to run a game than there are going to be people who want to play.

That Doesn't Mean Every GM Meshes With Every Player

With that said, just because someone should be recognized as a Game Master, that doesn't mean they should be your Game Master.

Sometimes people shouldn't play together.

To reiterate what I said in Let People Dislike Things, we've all got our personal opinions about stuff. Some Game Masters want to have total control of a scenario, going so far as to run games where they make the characters themselves, giving their players blank sheets and leaving them to figure out who their characters are from context clues. Others want to run graphic content, or stick to sillier, funnier games. Some want to run games from the Old School Renaissance style, others want to run the current edition of a current game line. And just like Not Every Product is Made For Every Gamer, not every Game Master is going to be ideal for every player.

It's perfectly all right to have preferences. There's nothing wrong with saying you prefer not to play with someone who runs a system you don't like, who uses house rules you disagree with, or who focuses on the kinds of themes you're not interested in. But once you've made it clear that's not your bag, there's probably nothing else to talk about. So unless you have a particular subject you want to discuss, and you can do so respectfully, there's probably nothing to be gained through further participation.

There is no right answer when it comes to these discussions. It just turns into Marvel and DC, Star Wars and Star Trek, Song of Ice and Fire and Lord of The Rings... everyone has their preferences. Some people will like both. Some will like neither. But even if something isn't to your taste, don't try to slam the gate on others because they play/run differently than you like or prefer.

Extra Content For GMs and Hopeful GMs

If you're running games, or planning to run games, consider dropping by my extra large pinboard of supplements to find the tools to help you with the heavy lifting of running an RPG. In particular, consider checking out 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better Game Master! You may also find the following articles to be of-use:

- I Don't Really Care What Gary Gygax Had To Say: A lot of the time people will hold up well-known RPG designers they agree with, as if an opinion has more weight because a celebrity said it. Opinions are still opinions, and your table should find what works for them.

- 3 Ways to Spice Up Combat in RPGs: As the title suggests, this list is a simple rundown of ways one can change up the fights in their games so that they're more than just you and the players quoting numbers at each other until the PCs or the antagonists fall down.

- Character Concepts: The Anti-Party: Too often we have the PCs just going up against a single bad guy... but since there's a group of PCs, why not have their dark mirror as the antagonists? Whether these are fresh enemies made during the game, or mined from their backstories, there's a lot you can do with this simple concept!

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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!

Monday, November 14, 2022

A "Chronicles of Darkness" Mortals Game, With a Twist!

I tend to give a lot of advice for Game Masters and Storytellers on my Monday posts. That wasn't what I originally intended this slot to be for, but it seems popular, so I try to go with the flow when it comes to what readers want to see more of. And as the holidays close in on us, and many of us are spending time with folks we may not get to see that often, I thought I'd share an idea for a Chronicles of Darkness chronicle that I had forever and a day ago, but which I've never had the time to actually run.

For ease of discussion, let's call it a Faces of Death campaign, as PCs dying is when things get interesting.

It might be hard to convince your players, but it may be worth the effort.

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Worse Things Than Death Lurk in The Shadows

As a quick note before we get started, this strategy can be use for both World of Darkness games as well as New World of Darkness (or Chronicles 1st Edition, if you prefer) games. But for simplicity's sake, I'm just going to stick to discussing the one edition, and the options it presents you as a Storyteller.

Now then, on to the idea!

To begin with, have your players put together a group of mortal characters. I recommend keeping special abilities or powers (like one might find in Second Sight) off the table... initially, at least. You can even run this as an avatar game setup (where players make game versions of themselves) if you want to. That might add a little spice to the game once the twist comes, but it won't be for everyone.

So what's the twist, already?

There is no fixed plot for the initial game. Whether your players are private investigators looking into missing persons cases, or they're small time hoods just trying to make a living on the streets, or there's a bizarre, occult conspiracy that has sucked them all up, the initial plot is not what matters. What matters is what happens when one of the PCs dies, or appears to die.

At that moment, you invoke the shadows of the setting, and some supernatural force manifests to bring the character back as a member of one of the spheres of the other CoD lines.

Let's say, for example, that the gang was selling drugs in a vampire's territory. Shot full of holes, they're going to die... until a figure in black grabs them, and offers them a drink of their blood. Either becoming a ghoul, or a full-on newly-forged vampire, gives the character a new lease on life. Perhaps it's the vampire whose territory the gang was unknowingly operating in, or one of that vampire's rivals eager to turn the PCs into weapons in a territorial dispute, the reason is up to you. Alternatively, perhaps the danger, fear, and injury triggers one character's latent werewolf heritage, and they undergo their first change, healing rapidly from the wounds that should have killed them. The character might take a final level of damage, and collapse into a pile of leaves and twine, as it turns out they were a fetch the entire time, and now the player gets to re-make their character as a recently-escaped changeling. The dying mortal might hear the whispers of a Geist offering to keep them from shuffling off the mortal coil, or they might actually die, only to awaken as a recently-made Promethean whose memories of the past are... fragmentary, to say the least.

Maintaining Power Level, and Avoiding ST-Assisted Death

A Faces of Death game is, in short, a way for an ST to either slowly induct the party into a given sphere of the Chronicles of Darkness setting, or to create a troupe game with everyone finding their own way into one of the various game lines. Personally, I recommend using this for a troupe game, because I feel that it provides the most varied options, and it helps you find ways to maintain power level and challenge when it comes to the ongoing chronicle.

There's a lot in there, so let me unpack it.

First of all, let's discuss power dynamics. Because it's true that whoever it is that dies first is going to wind up with a leg up over the rest of the folks in the game in some ways. Whether they become a full-on supernatural creature, or they end up with a lesser template as a ghoul, an ensorcelled mortal, etc., they're going to have access to resources and abilities that the rest of the table may not have. However, to counter that, it's important to also provide additional complications and limitations that the rest of the table doesn't have to deal with (but which could act as additional plot fodder).

For example, let's say that one character did become a vampire. Now they have to follow the rules of the masquerade, and they have to do what they can to exist in the world of the night. They might have new powers they can use, such as moving faster or becoming stronger, but their powers shouldn't immediately fix problems presented in the chronicle. The mortal hacker, or the socialite with connections among the business community, are still going to be useful when it comes to investigating mysteries and solving crimes, even if the group's bruiser no longer has a pulse and has to drink blood, for example. Most importantly, though, one character becoming a vampire now means you can bring in the lore, enemies, and plots involving those monsters going forward. And every time you bring in a new creature or game line, the amount of stuff you can call on just gets bigger.

Additionally, as the game goes on, your players have to deal with the competing interests of the different factions they belong to, and they have to choose sides in what's happening. As an example, if one of the other party members becomes a changeling, does their assistance with someone else's vampire have political ramifications? Can the werewolf and the promethean still work together, or does the werewolf risk ostracization from their community if they don't destroy something that unnatural? What kind of political points can be scored by forging alliances, or toppling existing rulers? These are the sorts of opportunities a Faces of Death game can present, if you choose to pursue them.

What was that last part, though?

Once players realize that they get an upgrade when they die (assuming you didn't start the game off explaining this twist), it's possible that folks begin taking on suicidal acts hoping that this is the time they get their monster badge. It's important for you, as the ST, to discourage this behavior up-front by explaining that purposefully putting your character in danger for the hope of more power, rather than for story purposes or because of the roll of the dice, won't result in a positive outcome.

However, if someone's mortal character doesn't die, make it clear that they can still get their own upgrades so they don't feel like the token PC in the monster chronicle.

Characters who manage to outlive their compatriots might find themselves awakening as Mages simply from the constant exposure to all of the supernatural goings-on around them. They might end up becoming a part of a Hunter faction, gaining access to the gear, resources, etc., of those who bump off the things that go bump in the night. They could also combine the various boons that can be given to mortals, such as drinking blood from a vampire to become a ghoul, swearing an oath with a changeling to gain additional skills and power, etc. You can even break out books like Second Sight, granting them their own set of powers they can use to keep up with the rest of the table.

Final Recommendations and Challenges

A lot of the following pieces of advice are going to depend on your table, and your players. It's also going to depend how much they trust you. Generally speaking, though, these are areas you should address before you begin.

- Would your table react well to the twist being secret? Some players would think this was an awesome continuation of a character, while others might think this was a big manipulation. If you're not sure you can always err on the middle ground of telling your players there's going to be a twist, but asking if they want you to spoil it for them or not.

- Ensure that players are onboard with roleplaying the transformation and understanding of a monster's new life. Part of the fun of this change is seeing characters alter and adjust to their new life situation. How do they deal with their new urges, their altered perceptions on morality, or the new responsibilities they now have to deal with? Even if we, as players, know the mythos and the ins-and-outs of the monsters, playing them from the perspective of an established character who has to see it all with fresh eyes is part of the challenge.

- Ask yourself (if not your players directly) what kind of monster they would most enjoy playing (or which ones they definitely don't want to play). This is another that's going to vary by player and table. Part of the challenge of a Faces of Death game is that the specific monster the PCs end up becoming should vary by plot and circumstances. For example, if you're doing a vampire arc, then becoming a ghoul or a vampire is the most thematically-appropriate option. However, if you know a given player really doesn't care for vampires, and wouldn't enjoy playing one, then perhaps they're approached by a Geist that was a victim of that same kindred in the past. Maybe this is where their latent werewolf heritage comes out. Even if you want to give your players input on what kinds of monsters they'd like to become, consider a ranked-choice system, or a general template, but not giving them specifics. A player might pick "vampire" as their creature, but surprise them with the particular clan they're turned by, for example.

- Remember to include the mortal side of things, as well as the supernatural. As I said back in World of Darkness Storytellers, Don't Forget The Mortal Side of Things, but it bears repeating. All the supernatural wooge in the world does you no good if you have to blend in and mix with the normal folk in order to complete the plot, so keep that in mind when you're designing your challenges.

Additional Resources

Regular readers know I've been making WoD/CoD content for a while now, and I've got an RPG pin board with the 30+ supplements I've made for Werewolf, Vampire, and Changeling. However, some supplements that will be most useful for populating a Faces of Death Game include:

- Deadly Country: 100 NPCs of Central Florida: While this one is location-specific, the characters can easily be shifted to most other parts of the country, as the Storyteller needs.

- 100 Ensorcelled Mortals: A Changeling: The Lost supplement, this one is quite useful if you want at least one member of your chronicle to have a brush with the world of the fae.

- New World Shadows: 100 Ghouls For The American Sabbat and New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla: While originally written for Vampire: The Masquerade, these NPCs can be easily shifted and re-imagined for whatever edition of the setting you happen to be using.

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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!

Monday, November 7, 2022

Not Every Product is Made For Every Gamer

As gamers, all of us have different wants and needs when it comes to our favorite pastime. Some of us want games that are extremely rules-light where we just have some vague boundaries for our collective storytelling experience. Some of us want games with a lot of heavy crunch where we can chew through a complex and robust rule system. Some of us like dark themes that can leave us dealing with heavy issues and existential questions, and some of us want games where we can just fire lasers at space Nazis.

Most of us understand this. There's some folks out there, though, who seem confused that just because they don't want a particular product, that doesn't mean other gamers out there share that opinion.

And if you don't need it, you don't have to buy it.

Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!

Sometimes You're Not The Target

On the surface, most of us get this. If you don't play Blades in The Dark, for instance, then you know instinctively that when someone writes a supplement for it that they aren't thinking about gamers like you as their target audience. We also get it that if we prefer games with fire-breathing dragons and arcane orders, then all the content coming out for Cyberpunk RED isn't aimed at our wallets.

It's when we have more general use products, though, or gaming supplements that appeal to a specific type of play more than a particular game that (for some reason) a lot of us lose our grip on this objectivity.

Like this one, for example.

I ran into some of this push back with both Towns of Sundara above, as well as its predecessor 10 Fantasy Villages. Both of these supplements provide pre-made towns with maps, NPCs, rumors, histories, and little plot hooks should you want to use them as the starting point of a campaign, or you just need a little inspiration for side quests. And for some Game Masters this was just what they were looking for (given that the fantasy villages supplement is currently sitting at Electrum status), but for some reason there were some people who felt the need to leave derogatory comments on posts about it. It seems that, to these particular individuals, any Game Master who didn't build 100% of their own setting with their own hands wasn't a "real" GM, and they didn't deserve to sit in the chair. As such, they felt the need to turn their nose up at a product that offered pre-made towns with advice, NPCs, etc.

That attitude probably merits a blog all its own, but it's useful for illustrating the point. If that's the way you feel about RPGs, and you have zero use for a supplement like either of these books, then you can rest assured that you are not the type of gamer I wrote them for in the first place.

If you don't like modules, horror games, or DND 5E, then my horror module The Curse of Sapphire Lake for DND 5E isn't a product you're going to want. If your group is steering clear from games with dark themes and topics, or you have really good communication with your table, then the tools found in the free supplement Consent in Gaming might not be something you want or need. If you're confident in your style and abilities, then you may not feel the need to check out 100 Tips and Tricks For Being a Better Game Master.

And all of that is fine. You should, as I so often say, do what works for you.

At the same time, though, if something isn't for you, then don't engage with it. Whether it's a strategy you don't want to use, or a game you have no interest in playing, or a setting you don't want to touch, you're perfectly within your rights to say no to it. Hell, as I pointed out in Let People Dislike Things, you can even go complain about it, if that will make you feel better. I've done that very thing on this blog more than once, and it can be quite therapeutic.

But if a game's only sin is that it doesn't appeal to you, remember that it probably wasn't made for you in the first place. There are other gamers out there who might enjoy it, even if it's not your preferred brand of beverage... so keep on scrolling. It's a silly hill to die on, and there's no reason to make a stand when you can better spend that energy finding things you do like, and enjoying them instead.

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