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Monday, February 6, 2023

Where Would You Like To See "The Irregulars" Return in Golarion?

At any given time I've got maybe a dozen different projects spinning around my work desk. From articles and blogs, to TTRPG supplements, to videos, audio dramas, and more, I generally keep things pretty busy on my end. However, one of the shifts that I made during the recent uncertainty regarding the OGL was that I started putting together some more ideas for Pathfinder Infinite content... and while doing that, an idea that I've been hemming and hawing over for a while came back to me.

In short, I'd like to get the team back together, and redeploy The Irregulars into Golarion. If I did, where would you like to see them go next?

Seriously, check it out if you haven't yet!

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Who Are The Irregulars?


My first professional writing credit as an RPG creator was a short story for Paizo's Pathfinder Tales titled The Irregulars, which is now available on Drive Thru RPG. Described as the best and the brightest of the bottom of the barrel, this squad of irregular troops specialize in sabotage, ungentlemanly warfare, impossible missions, and disruption on a scale that far exceeds their numbers. Outcasts and rebels from the ranks of Andoran's armed forces, they were given one last chance to prove themselves... and they took to the freedom of their new task with gusto!

In short, they're kind of my fantastical take on the A-Team.

We could be anywhere. Anytime. Sleep well.

I really enjoyed writing their debut adventure (the start of a campaign of sabotage in Molthune, suggested to me by James Sutter, who was head of fiction at the time), and ever since the story came out I've wanted to more with Garm, Trilaina, Chaplain, Gunner, and their half-mad commander Lieutenant Sturgeon Hook. I never really did more work for Paizo at the time, though, and response to their original tale wasn't overwhelming enough to talk about a novel for them at the time. Thanks to the existence of Pathfinder Infinite, though, I could call the squad out of retirement, and send them off to do what they do best once again!

My question for you, dear readers, is where would you like to see the Irregulars causing mayhem this time? Should they go into Isger, trying to do what they can to pry the fingers of Cheliax off the thrall state's throat? Should they infiltrate the Shackles to retrieve information, or possibly a person, important to Andoran? Does one of the gray corsairs call in a favor, getting the squad to hit a location on Stonespine Island to free a group of slaves?

My ears are open... so leave a comment down below regarding where you would like to see the squad deployed. Because if folks want to see them come back, mayhem will quickly ensue!

Of Course, There Are Other Options As Well...


While I'm really excited about the idea of a novella about this squad, I understand that might not be everyone's cup of tea. However, if military fantasy set in Golarion doesn't strike you, what other kinds of stories would you care to see? Gothic romances in the style of Ailson Kindler? Heroic epics featuring small parties of heroes? Urban fantasy where elven private eyes have to match wits with skinwalker gang lords and hobgoblin loan sharks in the City at The Center of The World?

Cause I've got some ideas for those, as well.

And if you're looking for some free samples of my stories set in Golarion thus far, check out The Silver Raven Chronicles, the (albeit unfinished) tales of my group's run through the Hell's Rebels adventure path.



But maybe Golarion isn't a setting that really draws your interest... well, what about the World of Darkness? Because as I mentioned back in Stories of Sundara, Tales of The World of Darkness, and More!, I've been actively trying to build a jumping off point out of some of the flash fiction appearing in my World/Chronicles of Darkness supplements. Because while the anthology Tales From The Moot for Werewolf: The Apocalypse was met with a somewhat mixed response, I figured that changing things up might get readers' attention.

Would you like to see a novella, or even full novels, set in the World of Darkness or Chronicles of Darkness setting? Or would you prefer a podcast series with a team of readers acting out the audio drama, like you see on the Azukail Games YouTube channel where I put shorts like the one above? Regardless of which of those you prefer, which sphere of the game would draw you most? The beautiful madness of Changeling: The Lost? The weird lines of life and death of Geist: The Sin Eaters? Do you want to hear or see Mage done some justice, or do you feel like Promethean really deserves a moment in the spotlight?

Again, toss a comment below if this sounds like something that would interest you... of course, subscribing to the channel would also send a message to my publisher that people have their ears open for that kind of project going forward.


As a final option, though, I've also been building some other universes. There are several Sundara stories in the various splat books for the setting, and most of those have been dramatized on the Azukail Games YouTube channel as well. Then there's the sci-fi shorts, like the story above, that folks have been telling me I should weave into a more cohesive narrative in a future timeline... either for Sundara in the space age, or for another sci-fi setting all its own.

While Legacy of Flames by Isaiah Burt was the first Sundara novella to be released, I'd be more than happy to pen my own if folks wanted to hear stories of my setting from my perspective as the creator. Or if you're more of a listener than a reader, I could expand the audio efforts I've been putting forth to make bigger, longer projects in a serial format. Once Azukail Games gets the channel monetized, at least, and such efforts would generate ad revenue, in addition to getting more people interested in the setting as a whole.

Let Me Know What You Want To See!


I'm in something of a unique position right now. There was a big gap created by Wizards' OGL power grab, and I'm faced with either going back to the projects I had planned, or going off in a new direction. I won't lie, the idea of writing more stories, and building stronger fiction for any of the settings and worlds I mentioned above, would be a lovely breath of fresh air in my workload. Most of the time I'm just making one list, one setting splat, or one species adaptation after another, and it does tend to get a little dull after 2-3 years.

But living under late capitalism, I can't just decide to make something new. I need to make sure my readers are coming with me, and they're going to support that endeavor going forward. So please, leave your thoughts in the comments, or get at me on social media (links below in case you don't follow me already)! I'm looking forward to building something new, and I want as many folks in on the ground floor as I can find.

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!

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