Monday, January 16, 2023

"Discussions of Darkness" a New Show on The Azukail Games YouTube Channel

Around this time last year I announced that I was finally going to be making some video content. This was partially due to the gentle prodding of a lot of folks who suggested that I needed to expand into that medium to reach more people, and partially because my main publisher Azukail Games thought it would be a good way to get additional eyes onto a lot of the content I was producing for them. That led to me working on teaching myself audio and video editing for the past year, and trying to find a presentation style and subject matter I'm comfortable with.

And now it's led to something entirely new... something that I've titled Discussions of Darkness!


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 This All Got Started


Back in 2021 Azukail Games tapped me to start expanding the supplements I was working on to include the World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness settings. This started off with pieces like New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla for Vampire: the Masquerade, as well as 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings for Changeling: the Lost. For nearly 2 years now I've tried to get at least one WoD or CoD project into the pipe for release every month, and this is in addition to even earlier projects I worked on with other publishers, such as my 100 Kinfolk series for Werewolf: the Apocalypse (available in a bundle with roughly 1,400 NPCs in it), as well as more general use pieces such as Deadly Country: 100 NPCs of Central Florida.

Needless to say, I've been spending a lot of time wandering the poorly-lit back alleys and dark corners of this particular setting. And this was why when Azukail Games approached me about making content for the channel, one of the things I wanted to do was create audio dramas based on the introduction fiction for my supplements, such as Missed Connections below, which is taken from my supplement 100 Resources and Rumors to Find on SchreckNet.



Background Music From Tabletop Audio: Secret Facility

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This particular video is from my Dailymotion channel rather than the Azukail Games YouTube channel, but I figured folks might enjoy the remastered edition of this little story.

Anyway, since I was spending so much time in these settings, I thought I'd go beyond just telling a few stories to get folks in the mood to play. I wanted to talk about what makes these settings unique, what some of the pitfalls are that come with playing in them, and to offer tips and tricks for players and Storytellers alike who are thinking about walking back into the strange side streets where the shadows are always darker, and the cracks run a little bit deeper.

That's where the idea of Discussions of Darkness came from; as a way to share the experiences I've had in these games with folks, and to hopefully help old hands and fresh faces alike really get stuck in before they start their next chronicles.

How You Can Help (And Influence) The Show Going Forward


At time of writing there are two episodes of the show on the channel, and a third one is currently awaiting editorial. And while I have a long list of topics I'd like to cover ranging from handling horror in dark settings, to politics or the lack thereof in a given game, to the commonly used ever-present-threat, I want to make sure that folks who are tuning in feel like the show is listening to their feedback and input.

If this sounds like something you'd like to help support, here's how you can do so without spending so much as a dime.

- Subscribe to The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (We just crossed 500 subscribers, but we need 1,000 for the channel to be considered for monetization)

- Watch The Episodes (I linked the first one above, but the second is below if you want to get something a little meatier, since it comes in at about 20 minutes)

- Share Them on Your Social Media (People are suspicious of creators who big-up their own work, and they're more likely to trust/watch something you share because you like it)

- Leave Comments (The algorithm loves comments and upvotes both, but more importantly I use comments to figure out what it is viewers want to see, and it will affect topics going forward)


My hope is that there will be enough folks who enjoy the show (and who help me keep the numbers up) that I'll be able to keep it going right alongside all the supplements I'm writing for use in the various different games attached to the setting. And everything from which games I talk about in detail (Changeling, Vampire, Mage, Geist, Hunter, etc.), to what kinds of advice I focus on, to the mechanics of different editions, will all be decided by you, the listeners.

So whether you're a long time player or Storyteller in this setting, you're coming back after some time away, or you're coming in with fresh eyes, consider pulling up a chair for a Discussion of Darkness.

And for those who would like to see more involved, longer-form audio dramas, well, my hope is that a project like that will be possible in the future. More on that in Stories of Sundara, Tales of The World of Darkness, and More! in case you missed that update.

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!

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