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Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Common Place Magic, and Everyday Alchemy in High Fantasy Games

In some game settings magic is a truly rare thing. Sometimes it’s because it takes a lifetime of mastery, or it is particularly resource-intensive, and thus it is only something that can be called on by the elite of a society. Other times magic is unpredictable, making it unreliable at best and outright dangerous at worst. And in some systems magic is tainted, its powers a gateway for dread powers and forces that should not be named.

All power comes at a price, after all.

However, in high magic games, magic is everywhere. Whether it’s in the inborn abilities of particular species of creatures, the commonality of spellcasting classes, or just in how readily-available items like healing potions, magic wands, alchemical charms and unguents, etc., are. And while there are always GMs who want to dismiss that commonality, you really do get a lot more creativity out of embracing the sheer ridiculousness that can come with magic being something most people have at least heard of, even if they don’t use it on a daily basis themselves.

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

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

How Does This Change and Shape Your Setting?


Consider, for just a moment, the availability of alchemy in a high-fantasy setting.

Now we’re not just talking alchemist PCs; we’re talking anyone with a formula book who can make a particular recipe to create a usable item with extraordinary properties. If you're in a high fantasy game, alchemist is likely a necessary profession in your setting; it might even have its own guild, like the Ingeneurs in my splat book Silkgift: City of Sails (available for PFClassic and DND 5E). Not only that, but since every fantasy RPG has ships sailing and merchant caravans traveling, these items could easily find their way into people’s lives and homes the world over. And the easier something is to make in a particular region, the more commonly available it's likely to be.

Got a new shipment of them just today.

But take a moment to ask yourself what alchemists, or just those who raise and care for magical beasts, could make out of the astonishing materials in your average high fantasy setting, or accomplish with the help of these unique creatures. Just off the top of my head you might find:

- A poultice made with troll’s blood, though it stings like mad, can help quickly stop bleeding, minimizing scarring, and leading to rapid recovery from even wounds. Something that was once dismissed as a swamp remedy that’s now standard practice.

- Cockatrice venom, when applied to darts, can allow for safe capture of dangerous animals and people alike. A common trick used by bounty hunters, city watch, and game wardens alike.

- Cinder lizards are practically immune to the effects of fire and smoke, making them ideal beasts of burden for assisting in large-scale foundries and forges, or for riding across deserts.

From creating new forms of smokeless lamp oil using slow-burning drake bile, to inventing a hard-drying masonry with the addition of unique components into the mixture, to coming up with an explosive mixture of powdered dragon horn and rendered animal fat used for blasting tunnels through mountains, there are hundreds of little ways people’s lives might be changed just with a little applied cleverness. Even the regular presence of healing potions and their equivalent could drastically alter how long people live, and what’s considered a death sentence in the setting.

Not only that, but the entire culture of an area might shift because of the possibilities of a single invention, or the application of particular creatures. Dwarves are always associated with mining, for example, but why not orcs, as they’re strong, tough, and can see in the dark as well as any dwarf? Or tieflings, for that matter? Even if these are just small, regional changes or local shifts in the ways we think of certain species, consider how it might change the setting in big ways and small alike.

And Then There’s Magic


Magic is, in many ways, the icing on the cake. Because in a high magic setting it’s going to be pretty commonly available. There are colleges that train new magic users every year, spellcasters are often found in specialist positions in armies or in mercenary companies, and there are usually entire guilds dedicated to the preservation and teaching of the magical arts.

And this is when things can get a little on the bonkers side.

Now, on the big end you could have places like Moüd, City of Bones (available in Pathfinder Classic or DND 5E), where the city is run by a guild of necromancers, and it is kept intact by a workforce made up of the risen dead. They clean the streets, keep the highways from being covered in sand, repair buildings, tend the orchards, and hundreds of other tasks that would be extremely demanding from a workforce that had to eat, drink, breathe, and rest in the middle of the desert. You might have a natural city where the trees have come together to form shelters, watched over and tended by a cult of druids whose animal companions and spells allow them to do seemingly impossible tasks. There might even be cities tended to by bound djinn, devils, or worse, using their powers on behalf of conjurers to create miracles for the people who live there.

Just sign on the dotted line, here. And here.

But let’s wind that back a touch.

Because even if magic is taught on a fairly wide scale across a setting, not all who study it will excel. Some may reach a certain point and simply no longer be able to proceed. Others may only learn a few minor spells, and be unable to master more than that… but even minor magics, spread wide, can change the face of a setting.

As an example, take prestidigitation. Put into a wand, it could be a method of cleaning one’s home, doing laundry, or tidying up a kitchen that can be done with a flick of the wrist. Whether used on clients’ clothes, or the streets of a city, this one cantrip if known by enough people, could alter communal cleanliness. Everburning torches, which are made with a simple spell, can light homes, streets, vehicles, and more, which is something those of us in the modern-day often forget was a colossal leap forward. Even a simple spell like mount would allow someone to get onto a ghostly horse that needs no food, leaves no waste, doesn’t have to be stabled, and which vanishes once the rider reaches their destination. The ability to cast create water to make clean, drinkable water anywhere could allow farms to avoid drought, would ensure city cisterns are filled, and so on, and so forth, eliminating a massive problem that could befall any nation.

Though it’s true that big, impressive spells could drastically alter the lives and expectations of those in a fantasy setting (teleporting goods and people across continents, shaping raw stone into huge buildings in a matter of hours instead of years, enchanting golems or elementals to act as the brute muscle in any kind of industry, etc.), even little things if commonly available can alter the world in big ways. So even if the magic available is just the ability to preserve meat on long journeys with something like gentle repose, take a moment and ask yourself who is going to use that magic, and what they might use it for.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!


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

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion 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!

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

Monday, December 19, 2022

If You Want To See More of a Game, Help Make it Popular!

There's an old two-panel comic that I couldn't find a copy of, but it's something I think about fairly often these days. The first panel is a gaming group sitting around a table, and a friend of theirs comes in to tell them that the company in charge of their favorite game has elected to discontinue it. Everyone expresses outrage and frustration because they love that game, and they play it every week. The second panel is one person at the table talking about how they printed off a pirated version of the rulebook, and someone else who stole several of the game's official minis, and a third player talks about how they use these other dice rather than the game official dice to play, but they're so much prettier than the ones the company put out.

And I get it; as a gamer who lives below the poverty line and has for the better part of a decade, I really do. Today I wanted to address that disconnect that so many of us have between audience lack of support, and a game, line, or setting being written off and discontinued. Because every time it happens there's gamers scratching their heads wondering why, when the answer is right in front of them.

This is not the way.

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

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

RPGs Are a Business


I've said this before, but it bears repeating; RPGs are part of the publishing industry. The purpose of the publishing industry is to sell books, and things related to books. At the end of the day, the publishing houses that make up that industry don't care if an author is supremely talented and created a rich setting full of amazing stories, or if they're a hack who spits a load of regurgitated dreck onto the page. What they care about is which books are moving copies, and which titles are sitting on the shelf taking up space?

The books that sell copies? They get sequels greenlit. The ones that don't move copies? Those authors get form letters as the company moves on to the next thing.

Prospects are bad. On to the next thing!

And for all the folks out there who are about to point out the very large market of independent creators, I want to make it clear that this applies to all publishers great and small. Whether you work at one of the big-name game companies, you're part of a smaller game publisher, or you're an independent RPG creator, anyone who does this for a living is paying attention to their numbers. If they write something that gets a lot of positive reactions from readers, or which gets a lot of positive attention, that is what they're going to want to do more of in the future. If they put out something that does poorly then regardless of how much love they have for that kind of product, or how much effort they put in, it gets abandoned.

At the very least it goes to the bottom of the priority pile.

But what about passion? Love of the game? The thrill of seeing a thing you made finally show up on the market? Those are all good things to have, and I've never met anyone who writes RPGs (or any kind of fiction, for that matter) who doesn't care about those things. However, you can't pay your rent with love of the game. You can't put passion in an envelope and send it to the power company. You can't trade your pride as a creator for groceries.

We can hem and haw about that all we want, but at the end of the day companies and creators are stuck living in the economic system we have. As such, if a game or product isn't earning enough money at the end of the day, it's not getting greenlit for expansions, sequels, or in some cases even being kept in the catalog.

So What Can You Do To Make a Game Popular?


So, the fate of the company, designers, and/or a game you like rests on your shoulders... what are you supposed to do? After all, you're just one lowly gamer, how can you make a difference on the scale necessary to get future expansions greenlit by publishers? Or to encourage an independent designer to make more of a game/setting you like?

Well, it isn't just about money. Don't get me wrong, money is nice if you have it, but there's other stuff you can do besides just spending your paycheck on new books, minis, tokens, dice, maps, supporting a creator's Patreon and Kickstarters, and so on to boost your game of choice.

Though by all means, inject cash flow if you have the dough.

In addition to buying the game and all of its expansions (again, money talks in publishing), the best thing you can do is to try to raise the profile of the thing that you like. Whether it's a core RPG, a setting, a supplement, whatever it is, boosting that signal is often the shout that starts an avalanche.

So how do you do that? Well, you can:

- Leave Reviews: Whether on Amazon, DTRPG, or elsewhere, reviews make games easier to find, and often persuade potential buyers. Just, "I love this, and I want more!" is enough if you aren't the sort of likes to leave essays about why you love certain things.

- Talk About The Game: Whether on social media or to your friend group, sharing stories of games and supplements you love is a big deal. Sharing links is also great, as creators often aren't allowed to do this in social media groups because there are rules against self-promotion. And as I mentioned in 5 Things You Can Do To Be A Better Ambassador For Your Hobby, bringing in new people helps a lot!

- Share Posts From The Creators: Whether it's the designer or the company, sharing news about latest releases, interviews, articles, and other content helps send the word along. It can also be a big help since YouTube channels, blogs, etc., often act as secondary sources of income for smaller companies and creators.

- Follow on Social Media: Just clicking that Follow/Subscribe button makes a difference. The more followers a page has, the nicer the algorithm is to it. So if a few hundred (or a few thousand) people just show up and click, that creator/company already has a bigger reach than they did before.

- Play The Game: Just playing a game is often enough to turn your friends into true believers; especially if you make the experience a great one. For bonus points, if you enjoy doing live plays then uploading your game where others can see it might be enough to spark interest beyond your immediate circle.

- Request Channels You Like Review The Game: Whether you run a game review blog, a YouTube channel, or some other sort of content creation outlet yourself, making content about a game can often be a huge deal when it comes to finding a new audience for that creator. And if you don't make content yourself, reach out to creators you like and ask if they'd check out a game/setting/supplement and help shine a light on it.

All of the things I've listed above may take varying amounts of time and energy on your part, but a lot of them are things you can do for free. However, the louder a creator's signal gets, the more likely it is to draw in more people. The more folks who show up, the more likely it is that some folks decide to buy copies. And if a YouTube channel run by the creator/company starts blowing up with views and comments, well, the revenue generated from that can help offset the cost of something a lot of folks seem to enjoy, but which hasn't exactly flown off the shelves. Yet, anyway.

I've said it repeatedly, but creators and companies need readers in order to keep doing what they do. A lot of us like building worlds, creating new classes, coming up with adventures, and exploring the possibilities of our game worlds... but we can't do that if it isn't keeping the wolf from the door. And if the choice comes down to working on a project we aren't as passionate about, or keeping the lights on, most of us will opt for the latter.

So make your voice heard, and make sure we know what you want from us so that we can keep the content coming!

Also, Check Out Sundara: Dawn of a New Age If You Haven't Yet!


As an example of something that I've put a lot of work into, but which I've had a tough time getting people to check out, consider taking a look at my "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" setting for Pathfinder Classic and DND 5E. And if you're one of those folks who wants to hear a pitch before you make a purchase, I've been putting together episodes of Speaking of Sundara on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to) talking about some of the design strategies I've used, breaking down what's in particular supplements, and explaining some of the changes I've made to what folks might expect from a traditional fantasy RPG setting, from how I chopped out alignment, to the uncertain nature of gods, to how technology and magic both lead to unique inventions among the people of Sundara!

Check out the full 26-video Speaking of Sundara playlist, in addition to the following supplements!


Cities of Sundara


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

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

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

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

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

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

Gods of Sundara


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

Species of Sundara


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!


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

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion 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!

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

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

Rules Are Written in Blood (Advice For GMs and Game Designers Alike)

There's a story I heard a long time ago when I was working as a security guard at a steel mill. We had a few days of on-site training to go over protocols and rules, and someone kept rolling their eyes at a lot of the listed safety precautions. Because who the hell needed to be told not to do that, whatever that happened to be in a given situation? That was when the instructor told us a story about a shipping company that stored extra barrels of toxic waste against the wall in the crew quarters. This allowed them to take on more hazardous cargo and make more profit, but as you likely guessed it also meant the crew was exposed to extraordinarily dangerous levels of harmful chemicals. This led to a lot of people getting sick and dying, but the company wasn't held criminally liable.

Why not? Well, because there weren't any rules that said you couldn't store toxic waste in the crew compartment, either to pad the company's bottom line, or for any other reason.

That was when he dropped a phrase most people have likely heard somewhere before. "Every safety regulation you read, no matter how ridiculous, is written in blood."

This is not hyperbole in the slightest.

While that might sound dramatic, it's true. Even if something seems like common sense to you, there's no guarantee someone will have the same thought process and experience that you do. Someone might not know any better, they might be more concerned with speed, or with profit, or they might be looking for any way to increase results.

And this is something I wish more game designers (and Game Masters) took to heart.

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

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

Even If It Seems Obvious, Write It Down


When you are making a game there are going to be times where you feel like something is super obvious. Whether it's explaining that yes, orcs can have children with elves, or no, a high roll on a Diplomacy skill does not give the player control of another character's actions, just because something seems self-evident to you doesn't mean it's going to be self-evident to other people who read your text.

How much can I carry? It's just gold coins... by the sack...

As someone who has written my share of supplements and modules for several different systems, there's a trick I would recommend designers use if you aren't doing so yet. When you're reading over your text, take a minute and ask yourself how the rules you just created could be interpreted by someone who has no idea what's going on. Then, once you've done that, ask yourself how they might be twisted by someone with malicious intent who doesn't care what the spirit of the game is, but who is just looking for some advantage.

For example, take the spell animate skeleton. The intention of this spell is that you can create an undead, skeletal minion to haul things, act as a trap tester, fight on your behalf, etc. However, ask yourself how many people will try to use this spell to animate a skeleton inside a living person as a way to try to force them to act like a flesh puppet under the spellcaster's control? Or how many people will argue that a statue of a skeleton is still a skeleton, so the spell should work on the 20-foot-tall stone sculpture they ran into as part of a fantastical art exhibit?

Should you have to specify that the spell animates the complete bones of a dead creature? You might feel like you don't, but doing so is going to cut off a lot of complaints that start with, "Well the spell doesn't specifically state that I can't..."

The same goes when you're a Game Master, and players are asking for your interpretations of things. In order to maintain consistency, make sure you write down any rulings or changes. Again, this seems obvious, but there is no greater lie ever told than, "Don't worry, I'll remember when this comes up again." You won't. So keep a notebook, use a sticky note on the page, or keep a digital log of incidents, but make sure you fill in the specifics.

And one, last thing...

As a final note, it's important to look at things from all sides when you write or interpret rules. This is most commonly referred to as the, "if your players get it, then the bad guys get it, too," corollary. Because a rule system is supposed to be the reality in which characters exist, so it's important to ensure that everyone is on the same page, and playing by the same rules. So whether it's the existence (or non-existence) of resurrection magic in your setting, weapon degradation, or any of a thousand other things, don't just ask how it affects your monsters or your players, but try to see it from both sides. Because if a rule or interpretation puts one side or the other at a huge advantage or disadvantage, that is something you should address before it gets too out-of-control.

Speaking of Rules, Check Out Sundara If You Haven't Yet!


As an example of some of the stuff that I've put together over the past few years (much of which involves the creation of new magic items, monsters, class archetypes, spells, and more), I would recommend regular readers check out my "Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" setting for Pathfinder Classic and DND 5E. And if you're one of those folks who wants to hear a pitch before you make a purchase, I've been putting together episodes of Speaking of Sundara on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to) talking about some of the design strategies I've used, breaking down what's in particular supplements, and explaining some of the changes I've made to what folks might expect from a traditional fantasy RPG setting, from how I chopped out alignment, to the uncertain nature of gods, to how technology and magic both lead to unique inventions among the people of Sundara!

Check out the full 26-video Speaking of Sundara playlist, in addition to the following supplements!


Cities of Sundara


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

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

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

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

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

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

Gods of Sundara


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

Species of Sundara


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!


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

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion 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!

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

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Stories of Sundara, Tales of the World of Darkness, and More!

Folks who are regular readers of this blog probably know me best for my work on various tabletop RPGs. However, as I mentioned back in I Just Want To Write... on my sister blog, I sort of fell into writing for games by accident. When I started this leg of my career, I was actually focusing on writing short stories and novels. While I haven't stopped writing fiction, it's been tough to work it in around the edges because it just doesn't move the kinds of copies (or get the kind of attention) that even my less popular gaming supplements do.

I have pulled a bit of a sneaky trick recently, though. And my hope is that if folks enjoy it enough that it might lead to some new and interesting projects!

Step through the door and join me, will you?

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

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

An Ogre's Bargain, A Changeling Drama in 3 Parts


Since the start of this year I've been making videos for the Azukail Games YouTube channel, which belongs to one of my publishers. While a lot of these videos are just talking about the Sundara setting I've been working on, a lot of them are miniature audio dramas taken from many of my gaming supplements as a way to get listeners interested. And while a majority of those stories are disconnected from one another, I tried a behind-the-scenes experiment that I wanted to let readers and listeners know about.

In short, the introductory stories from 100 Gateways Into (And Out Of) The Hedge, 100 Ensorcelled Mortals, and 100 Frailties, follow the story of a Summer Courtier named Jacoby. A one-eyed ogre who lives primarily in the Hedge, he tries to keep his busted nose out of other people's business. But when a fellow Summer named Wolfe comes asking for help, Jacoby feels honor and oath-bound to help... which puts him squarely in the sights of Lucius Frakes, an Autumn Court power broker who's pulling the strings.

All three parts of the story are dramatized below!




The full tale is about 22 minutes or so in total, and it took quite a number of hours to get it done from start to finish. However, it's definitely something I'd like to do more of... but I'm going to need help from my readers/listeners to get there!

Potential Plans For The Future


So what's the plan for this going forward? Well, I'd like to write and publish some tie-in short stories, audio dramas like the above tale (without breaking them up into bite-sized pieces), and possibly even writing some novels if that's something folks would like to see. I have ideas for several spheres of the World of Darkness (including Vampire, Werewolf, Changeling, and Geist are currently leading the pack), as well as additional stories for my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting. Both of these setups would likely come with additional gaming content in the back (write-ups for characters, magic items, spells, and so on) as a bonus, too, if that would interest some folks.



But it's going to depend on numbers. Because the publishers I work with look at what an audience responds to, and the more traffic something gets, or the more sales something earns, that's a project they dedicate more time, energy, and money to.

So if this is something you'd like to see happen in the future, all you need to do is follow these simple steps:

- Subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel. It takes 1k subscribers to get a channel considered for monetization, and if the channel tips over that level, it would allow projects like this to act as their own source of income/funding going forward.

- Watch the videos on the channel, and share them on your socials. The other half of YouTube's requirements is that a channel must have 4k hours of watched content in the past year, which boils down to about 11.5 hours of content per day.

- Leave comments. Comments on the videos, comments on this blog, and on whatever social media platform you saw this link on help boost the signal and spread the word.

- Check out/get copies of existing content. Whether you're in the market for books like the Werewolf: the Apocalypse anthology Tales From The Moot, or you want to check out some fantasy fiction like my Silver Raven Chronicles, anything that boosts the figures on this work makes it more likely to get sequels, audio adaptations, and more.

My hope is that if I can find enough listeners/readers that I'll be able to convince some of the folks I've put out content with to let me take a risk with stuff that leans more into the fiction side of things. Not only that, but I have several performers (including a few who've already helped out on several of the smaller audio dramas) who are ready and willing to step up to the mic and give listeners a full cast experience.

But, as with everything else online, you have to prove to the folks who cut the checks that there's an audience big enough to warrant the investment. So whether you're just hearing about this project, or you've been waiting to see where things were going to go with my updates, consider lending a hand and helping me make this happen!

What's Next on Table Talk?


That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like 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 FacebookTumblr, 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.

Monday, December 5, 2022

Towns, Cults, and Mercenaries... What's Next For Sundara?

Folks who've been keeping an eye out for my work may have noticed that early this month one of my supplements was the Deal of The Day over on Drive Thru RPG. As a result, Towns of Sundara (which has 10 towns complete with maps, histories, NPCs, notable locations, and plot hooks) is the first book from my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age RPG setting to hit Silver metal status! And since some folks seem to be using that supplement as a jumping off point to explore the rest of the setting (judging from my royalty report, anyway), I wanted to take a moment to talk about my setting, what's been going on with it recently, and what are some things I'd like to do with it going forward.

Of course, the final course is set by you, the readers!

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

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

Recent Additions, And Future Possibilities


While it was the deal of the day, Towns of Sundara actually came out back in June. It was sandwiched between two other supplements, Sellswords of Sundara (available for DND 5E and Pathfinder) which came out in April, and the much more recent Cults of Sundara (available for DND 5E and Pathfinder) which just dropped last month in November! The former title has 10 unique class archetypes/subclasses to go along with each of the mercenary companies described, and the latter contains 10 unique magic items to go along with the cults laid out in the collection.

Each of these three supplements was meant to add more details to the setting, give glimpses of its history, and allow players and Game Masters alike to take a few more steps into Sundara, while still providing resources that could be easily set down in a homebrew game, or in a comparable setting if one so wishes. And while I wouldn't call them placeholders, they were definitely not part of a definitive series that followed a given theme and structure the way earlier releases were.

In short, I wanted to do something new, and sort of feel out what players and GMs wanted to see more of.


Like I said back in the Speaking of Sundara: AMA! that came out at the end of the summer, the setting is still pretty fluid, and open to the desires of those who are interested in it. Unlike some writers, who have a full and complete schedule that's set in stone for their worlds and releases, I want to try to keep this setting responsive to what the audience asks for.

With that said, there have been some suggestions put forth as to what might turn up going forward. These include:

- Merchants of Sundara: similar to Cults and Sellswords, it fills in the commerce of the setting and provides GMs with one more unique resource they could use in various games if they so choose.

- Stories of Sundara: While lots of small audio dramas from the setting are currently available on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, the idea of telling longer, more involved tales that come with NPC, magic item, or class archetype write-ups at the end has been proposed as well.

- Adventures in Sundara: Adventure modules are thought of as the bread-and-butter of RPG settings, but the irony is that they also tend to be one of the worst selling products on the whole. Still, this is on the table if there's demand for it.

- Sundara... in... SPACE!: While I view this as a far-off option, there is a definite movement in the market for sci-fi based RPGs. Suggestions have been made to release far-future products from the setting, asking what things would look like in the sci-fantasy future.

- Setting and City Expansion: With 5 locations in the Cities of Sundara series, and 10 towns in Towns of Sundara, that's enough to provide some starting places, but it's far from a complete look into the world. It's been suggested by some folks that I should go back to the well with this bucket, and release even MORE location books, complete with lore, maps, history, and unique items, creatures, spells, etc.


These are, of course, just a few of the stronger options that have been suggested by market trends, my publisher, and the few folks who have followed Sundara as a setting so far. None of these are set in stone, and which order they go in (or if we jump back and forth to keep things fresh on the release schedule) is currently up in the air!

If you have thoughts about what you'd like to see, and when you'd like to see it, this is your chance to make your voice heard! Leave your comments below, direct them to me on my social media channels (found at the end of this article), or toss them in the comments on Facebook or YouTube! My publisher and I read what folks have to say, and we do our best to tailor the setting toward what people tell us they want!

Need To Catch Up On Sundara?


Whether this is the first you're hearing about Sundara, or you're one of the folks who picked up the Deal of The Day and are curious about what else you can find in this setting, the older supplements are all listed below! Additionally, I've been putting together episodes of Speaking of Sundara on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to) talking about some of the design strategies I've used, breaking down what's in particular supplements, and explaining some of the changes I've made to what folks might expect from a traditional fantasy RPG setting, from how I chopped out alignment, to the uncertain nature of gods, to how technology and magic both lead to unique inventions among the people of Sundara!

Check out the full 26-video Speaking of Sundara playlist, in addition to the following supplements!


Cities of Sundara


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

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

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

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

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

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

Gods of Sundara


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

Species of Sundara


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!


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

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion 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!

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