An Ask Me Anything For The A.L.I.C.E. Files... Our Next Stretch Goal!

I wanted to start this month off with a bit of good news... the audio drama YouTube channel I launched with Alice Liddell, The A.L.I.C.E. Files, just hit 300 subscribers! And since this has been a goal of ours through most of April (the algorithm has been suppressing our signal hard), I wanted to dangle a bit of a carrot for folks who want to see the new project keep picking up steam.

 

Because if we can get that subscriber count up to 350, then Alice and I are going to put together an Ask Me Anything for the channel, and the ongoing stories of Alice and the Carroll Institute!

 

If you've got a curiosity, now is the time to ask!

 

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

 

You Want To Know, And We Want To Tell You!

 

At time of writing, we're getting a lot of fresh episodes in the can for the channel, and we're finally starting to set things up for the nebulous Season 2, where we're going to start opening the doors of the Carroll Institute, and figuring out some of the mysteries that lie beyond what we see in the files sent up by the archive. And while we're really excited about that, we also wanted to take a moment and let our listeners know that if you're enjoying what's going on, we're more than happy to give folks a little peek behind-the-scenes regarding what we're doing, explaining different plot points, and tossing out some world building explanations!

 

So, if you want to see us put together an Ask Me Anything video about The A.L.I.C.E. Files, here's what we need you to do:

 

- Subscribe to The A.L.I.C.E. Files if you haven't yet

- Leave a question in The A.L.I.C.E. Files Behind The Scenes video with the tag AMA in the beginning

- Watch the videos we have on the channel so far to catch up on the plot

- Tell your family and friends to subscribe as well

 

As soon as we hit 350 subscribers, that's when we're going to go through the questions folks leave for us, put together a list, and sit down to satisfy some of your curiosities!

 

 

As a final note, if you go to the comments section and see that someone has already asked your question, that doesn't mean you shouldn't leave your two cents as well! If we see a question being asked more than once, that's going to make it far more likely that it goes on the list when we hit the magic subscriber number.

Until then, thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far, and a thank you in advance to everyone who will help us hit that goal we've set for ourselves!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Table Talk. 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 more involved audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Obligatory Patreon Shout Out (And Progress On A New YouTube Project)!

It's a new month, and you all know what that means... time for my Patreon patron shout out! So, for all the folks who shoot me at least $10 a month, you can have a spot on this list as well. Before I move on, I wanted to offer my regular (and very heartfelt thanks) to:

 

- Joy Von Holle

- Brenton Ayres

- Phillip Litherland

- Tracy Bailey-Matthews

 

If you're a patron who wants a spot on this list, check my Patreon page and see if you can get up to that level! But even if that's outside of your current budget, you have my thanks as well. Big or small, everyone helps keep the wheels turning and the lights on over here!

 

 

Seriously... without you all, I couldn't do what I do.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

 

I've Got Some Fresh Updates For Folks, As Well!

 

As I promised in the title, I do have one other update this week that I wanted to get folks in on. If you're a regular reader you might already know about this project, but in the event you aren't, I recently launched a YouTube channel with Alice Liddell called The A.L.I.C.E. Files, which is a sci fi reimagining of Alice in Wonderland. We follow Alice, a witness cataloger for the mysterious Carroll Institute as she sees the reports that agents have filed, and realizes exactly how many other dimensions there are out there.

 

 

The channel currently has 12 videos on it which follow Alice's encounters at the Institute, the files she's examined thus far, a chapter-by-chapter reading of the original Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (which may have some significance for folks who are looking for patterns), as well as our first behind-the-scenes video for folks who are curious about what it actually looks like to put together an audio drama.

 

And I bring this up at the start of this week because we've been straining to cross a certain threshold for a while. Because while the channel did very well for the first few weeks it was up, YouTube's algorithm quickly clamped on the chains to hold us back. We're currently at 296 subscribers at time of writing, and I wanted to get us at least to 300 before I offered a new incentive to get folks interested in helping us push forward.

 

So if you want to open up that door, and help me put together something new, please subscribe to The A.L.I.C.E. Files, and leave a comment on Episode 1 saying that you came there from Improved Initiative so we can track your arrival. Because while we're shooting for 300 subscribers, we need 500 before YouTube opens up some of the monetization options, and a full 1,000 subscribers before they share ad revenue, so we need all the help we can get!

 

I doubt we'll get there by the 12th of this month, which happens to be my birthday, but if you did want to give me a little present that won't cost you anything, a subscription to the channel and a nice comment will go a long way!

 

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 additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

The Difficulty of Destined Heroes and Fail States

We have all been in those games where destiny takes a hand in the plot. Perhaps our heroes are chosen by the gods to act as their direct representatives in a spiritual proxy war (a similar setup to what I called The Cold War of The Gods). Maybe there was a prophecy that foretold them rising up to challenge a great power. Or this just happens to be the trope the GM is leaning on because it was difficult to find an organic way to get such a disparate group of killers, thieves, and liars to all come together to accomplish a shared goal.

However, there is nothing more likely to result in a clash between rules and plot than something going wrong in a destined hero game. Which is why, before you gear up to run one, you need to think through how you plan on dealing with a fail state.

The dragon warriors were supposed to free us all... but then they died. To one lucky goblin.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

How Does Destiny Manage To Weave Through Failure?

We've all read a story where a hero or heroes were destined to do something, and while things might have seemed bleak or hopeless at times in that story, the characters always seemed to make it through in an interesting way. Which is why if you're playing a game where the plot device is that your party have been chosen by fate, the gods, or some other higher force, you need to take a moment to ask how you're going to keep the game going if bad luck stalls out the story's progress.

The gods are not so easily denied, small one...

Let's start with the obvious... what happens if one or more of the characters get killed? They've been chosen for this great destiny, and they're on their way to fulfill it, when an orc ambush goes a little too well, and the party goes down. Now you've lost the champions of the plot... what is destiny going to do now?

Well, I have a few recommendations for how to handle this.

Firstly, if you're going to run a chosen one plot, wait until the PCs have gained a few levels before you start throwing around that kind of language and making them officially chosen ones. The major advantage of this is that it gives your players a couple of levels to get into the groove of their characters, and to get past the point where one good critical hit can spell an unlucky game over. The secondary advantage is that it gives the party time to become cohesive, and for players to get really attached to their characters. After all, a player wanting to bring in a completely different PC can screw with the whole destined heroes plot just as much as a character death.

However, even waiting until the PCs are a little beefier doesn't guarantee they won't meet with an ignoble end. That's why it's a good idea to have some kind of force in place to give the characters a way to survive at least 1 death. However, as I mentioned recently in both Undercutting Death Can Undercut Your Story, as well as Villains Can Cheat Death (Without Taking Away Your Players' Victory), it's important that this doesn't feel like you're just throwing your players a bone. Overcoming death should come with some kind of cost or hardship, or it should be uncertain in some important way. Perhaps a divine being must stand in the place of a PC in the Underworld until they complete their quest, or they have to make some kind of bargain with a powerful outsider.

You can even have a whole separate part of the campaign happen in the land of the dead if you want to bring in a game resource like The Black Ballad, which is all about running campaigns that take place partially (or even entirely) in the hereafter. Alternatively, you might find some inspiration in I'm Back! - 25 Reasons For A Villain's Survival.

Resurrection can be a finnicky thing.

Lastly, and this might sound counterintuitive at first, you should try to come up with fail states beyond death for the PCs.

I've talked about this before, but when it comes to a destiny-style game, consider the implications of death in the ongoing power struggle. Will killing the heroes of the prophecy actually stop the prophecy from coming true? Or will this just allow the divine essence to slip away, where it will empower a different, unknown hero that the villains will have to find and track down all over again? Do the villains want to steal the PCs destiny, but they can't do that if they're dead, so they have to be kept alive and captured? Are the PCs themselves a necessity for the villain to win, whether it's by turning them away from their current path, making allies of them, or getting them to somehow renounce the quest laid before them?

It's your game, so you're the one who gets to decide how the prophecy, destiny, or driving plot force behaves. However, providing multiple fail states, or a way for players to fail-forward is a good idea. For example, have the villains been given explicit instructions by their master to take the PCs alive at all costs? If so, then they should find themselves held prisoner in the enemy's fortress when that was where they were going anyway... the difference is that now they have to engineer a jailbreak instead of just sneaking in. Alternatively, perhaps they're in a race to acquire magical artifacts, and the fail state for that arc of the quest is not being killed, but rather the enemy acquiring the items first, which puts the PCs at a disadvantage they need to recover from in the next arc.

And so on, and so forth.

To wrap things up, I'm not saying that games where PCs are the chosen ones, or where they're fulfilling some grand destiny, are bad. Far from it. After all, everyone likes to be special from time to time. However, if that is the trope you're using as the main thrust of your campaign, it's important for you to have off-ramps and work arounds in the event things don't go according to plan.

Which every Game Master will tell you is basically guaranteed to happen as soon as you hand the reins over to the players, and the dice start hitting the table.

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 additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Should I Make "The Galaxy's Oldest Profession" Series of Supplements Next?

For folks who don't keep an eye on every one of my new releases, you might have missed my latest which dropped this past weekend; World's Oldest Profession: 100 Titillating Titles To Find in a Lewd Library. This is the 4th installment in the World's Oldest Profession series, and while some of the titles have been more popular than others, it seems to have been pretty popular overall.

Which is why I wanted to take this Monday's post to ask folks, should I expand this into another genre? Something like The Galaxy's Oldest Profession, perhaps?

Also, for those who want to check out the older releases, check out:

- World's Oldest Profession: A Baker's Dozen of Brothels

- World's Oldest Profession: 100 Courtesans and Concubines

- World's Oldest Profession: 100 Rumors To Hear At A Brothel

Seriously, pick up the latest if you haven't yet!

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

For All My Sci Fi Lovers Out There

Folks who've been reading my supplements for a while know this, but in the event you're new here, fantasy supplements are often the testing ground for a new format or idea for me. Fantasy RPGs are everywhere, and they're some of the most dominant choices on the market, so that's where I go to test my ideas. And if something seems to be going well in the fantasy genre, I might take the same concept and switch the genre for folks playing sci fi RPGs.

It's why when 100 Random Mercenary Companies did well, I put together 100 Sci Fi Mercenary Companies. When 100 Cults To Encounter was popular with folks, I came out with 100 Sci Fi Cults as a follow-up. And while the sci fi version often does well, sometimes I'm surprised an it actually does better than the original fantasy version of the supplement!

Which is why I wanted to ask folks this week if this should be a series that gets its own re-imagining into a new genre?

Don't let the Toy Box fool you... the place is a wild time!

If this is something you think I should pursue, please let me know in either the comments, or on my social media linked at the end of this post. However, rather than just a yay or nay, I'd appreciate if you could provide some of the following input:

- Is there a particular sub-genre of sci fi (cyberpunk, starfaring, grimdark, etc.) you want to see?

- Do you want locations, rumors, NPCs, or things to find?

- Would you want it compatible with any particular rule set (Cyberpunk, Starfinder, etc.)?

These three extra pieces of information will help determine where the starting point is for the series, and the amount of replies I receive overall will determine how quickly the project moves up my to-do list.

Lastly, if you've already purchased copies of any of the 4 World's Oldest Profession supplements, please take a moment to rate and review them on Drive Thru RPG. None of them have managed to hit Gold just yet, and I'd have quite a laugh if we could manage to get at least one title to that level by the end of the year. If that happens, I promise to write a Gold-Digger post to commemorate the occasion!

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 additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Hunter Motivations Run The Gamut in The Chronicles of Darkness

A long time ago I wrote a post titled Do Content, Happy People Hunt Dragons? (More on Character Backstories). The post was meant to address the idea that so-called adventurers all have tragic backstories, chips on their shoulders, or some burning need for vengeance, which is what drives them to do the things they do. After all, if you had a loving family, a good job, and a secure social position, why would you take up the sword to stand against the horrors of the world?

As I read through Hunter: The Vigil this question of motivation becomes even more important. Because while there are going to be hunters driven by a need for vengeance because they or someone they loved was hurt by the things that lurk in the shadows of the Chronicles of Darkness, there are so many other motivations that might lead one to take up a gun and walk directly into the lion's den.

Man's gotta have a hobby, am I right?

As always, 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Human Motivations Are Complicated Things

When we think of the Chronicles of Darkness in general, and of Hunter in particular, we often think of the worst, most awful things. Someone who lost a child to a ghost, someone whose spouse was drained of blood by a vampire, or someone who barely survived an encounter with a supernatural threat themselves. These people often want payback, or they want to make sure this creature can't hurt anyone else the way they were hurt. And while those are absolutely legitimate motivations for a character, it's important to remember that's just one tiny sliver of the reasons why someone might take up the Vigil, and what their long-term goals might be.

A single light to reveal what lurks in the darkness.

Keeping with dark themes, there may be a hunter who has coped with violent impulses their entire life. Knowing there are things out there they can vent their fury upon with little-to-no consequences from the law and society (particularly if the hunter is part of a compact or conspiracy that will clean up their messes) may act as a perfect pressure valve for them. Another hunter might be fascinated by the supernatural, seeking to catalog and understand it like the Jane Goodall of monsters. Still another hunter might seek to pit themselves against the most dangerous creatures in the world, finding that big game no longer provides a challenge. And there may be hunters who envy the strength and power of the monsters of the world, hoping that by killing them they may be able to unlock a portion of that power for themselves.

These motivations map pretty well onto organizations in the game, such as Null Mysteriis who seeks scientific explanations for the supernatural, the Ashwood Abby (which was moved into Tending The Flame) which is a depraved hunting lodge seeking their own twisted version of "sport," or even the Cheiron Group which seeks to disassemble monsters for their parts and pieces while installing them into their field agents. However, this is just a bare handful of potential motivations hunters might have that go beyond revenge or loss. Some hunters might feel they have a duty to their community to keep it safe from the things that lurk in the darkness. Some might feel an existential need to do something to reaffirm their own power in the world. Some might feel a holy mission, and that they have been chosen by a higher power to fight against these creatures (and they might even be right).

The motivations range as far and wide as people themselves... because at the end of the day, that's what all hunters were before they took up the Vigil.

When The Vigil Is Their Secondary Concern

There is one other category of hunter that's worth mentioning here... those for whom the supernatural monsters are often a secondary concern to the real monsters they prey upon. For a comic book reference, this is what happens when the Punisher ends up burning down a vampire hive... Frank wasn't there to kill vampires, he was there to kill dangerous criminals. It just so happens that the vampires were part of this operation, and they got burned down along with everyone else.

Parasites are all the same.

The world is full of mundane evils and wickedness, and a lot of hunters are more focused on those then they are on werewolves, changelings, or the walking dead. Maybe your hunter tracks militant hate groups, sabotaging and countering their efforts. They might be interested in protecting sex workers, and other minority groups that end up as victims of social violence. Your hunter might even be focused on fascists, corrupt cops, or corporate attempts to engineer widespread misery in order to reap a few more dollars off the bent backs of the working class.

All of these things can, and do, intersect with the supernatural in the Chronicles of Darkness setting.

The reason I gave this type of motivation its own section is that it's important to talk with your Storyteller, and your fellow players, if you want to bring in this sort of motivation for your character. Because while there are organizations like the Loyalists of Thule or the Crimson Halo that fit the concept to a T, it's important that your character's pursuit of these other ends jives with the other hunters in your cell, as well as with the plot your Storyteller has planned.

Because if everyone at your table is down for taking on a neo-Nazi street gang that ends up being the servants of an upstart vampire turning them all into ghouls to act as muscle while he claims turf and territory, then everything is hunky dory. But if your character's main motivation is opposition to fascism wherever it rears its head, but your ST has a game that's more about your cell having to deal with a pack of werewolves causing problems in rural Appalachia, you might feel like you brought a crowbar to a chainsaw duel.

Lastly... Should I Do More Videos On Hunter?

I've been dropping occasional videos over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel about Hunter: The Vigil, and there were at least a few folks asking to see more. So if you've read this far, let me know in the comments what you'd like to see more of! Should I talk about more supplements, like my collection of corrupt equipment The Blade Itself? Should I talk more about other compacts and conspiracies? Would folks like a series about Slashers, as one of the only really iconic monsters for Hunter: The Vigil?

Let me know your thoughts, because I'd love to factor them in going forward!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Fluff post. 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 the dark sci fi saga of The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Villains Can Cheat Death (Without Taking Away Your Players' Victory)

I recently wrote a post over on my sister blog The Literary Mercenary titled Undercutting Death Can Undercut Your Story. And while I wrote this from the mindset of an author, there were quite a few references to RPGs and comic books about how introducing mechanics that render death mutable or reversible can have a major effect on your story's stakes, and with how seriously we take death as a consequence.

And this week I wanted to elaborate on this a bit for the Game Masters out there... because while it's true that what's available to the player characters is available to their enemies, if you're going to bring back a villain after they were killed then you need to do so in a way that doesn't feel cheap, or undermine your players' success, and which adds to the ongoing story.

Also, a shout out to Adrian Kennelly's supplement I'm Back! - 25 Reasons For A Villain's Survival for Game Masters who could use a bit of a kickstart on this topic.

It's a delicate balance... but you can manage it.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Should You Bring This Villain Back?

Its happens to all of us. Your players get lucky, and they sink a critical hit at a bad time. Or maybe you forgot about an ability on their sheet that stripped away your villain's exit strategy. Or for the first time in recorded history one of those one-hit-kill powers actually worked, and it dropped your big bad instantly. Well, you had plans for this villain in the narrative going forward, but the numbers made it clear that your players won this round, and your villain is dead.

First and foremost, ask yourself why they shouldn't stay that way. Aside from the fact that it would make your life easier as the GM, who in your ongoing campaign has a vested interest in that villain remaining on the mortal plane? And, perhaps even more importantly, what role are they supposed to actually serve in the ongoing narrative?

You had one job, Crassus... now go do it!

Take a moment, and ask who this villain is. Are they a hired mercenary who was just working for the real villain? Are they a servant of a cult, who might have access to relics or rituals that can bring back their servants? Or does this villain serve a dark god, or powerful necromancer, who might decide their minion has skills and abilities that would be too hard to replace at this stage of their plans? Did they make a deal with someone, or something that isn't going to let them out of it so easily?

All of that context matters. Because if your villain was just some guy who had a certain set of skills, but not a particularly rare one, then they shouldn't be resurrected unless the circumstances of their death were genuinely up in the air. If they fell off of a cliff and into a rushing river, then maybe they could survive, for instance. But if the PCs stabbed them to death, dismembered them, and burned their body, that villain is dead for sure. In that situation it's better to bring in a new villain who will take their place, and who might be looking for vengeance on those who killed that original bad guy. Maybe it's an old war buddy, an enraged father, a vengeful mother, an even more evil twin... someone who fills the role nicely, and who shows the party their actions have consequences, and what they do affects the story as it unfolds.

However, if this villain was truly difficult to replace either because of their unique power level, or you really wanted to build up more of the personal antagonism between them and the PCs, then consider using any of the absurd methods you have on-hand for resurrecting them. For example, could their parts and pieces be reassembled with dark technology, or terrible magic into some kind of angry cyborg a la Darth Vader, or an evil Robocop? Could they be truly resurrected by a patron, or a deity, who marks them in some way to remind them they have failed (perhaps removing a finger, like a Yakuza soldier, or marking them with terrible brands, taking an eye, etc.)? Or are they resurrected with a template added onto them, perhaps as a powerful undead, or some kind of horrible demon hybrid creature?

Or are they operating under a curse, like those who wield the Widowmaker, a terrible, corrupt weapon found in The Blade Itself for Hunter: The Vigil?

Give it a look if you haven't yet!

Now, the key here is that for this villain to come back it can't feel like you just hit the undo button behind the GM screen, and invalidated your players' victory because it was inconvenient to the narrative. This resurrection should clearly have come at some kind of cost to the villain, and it should be uncertain as to whether it will happen again. Even if you want to use resurrection or reincarnation as a kind of power for this particular enemy, the challenge will then become finding the thing that truly kills them for good so they stop coming back. But it should never feel like a victory (hard won or otherwise) is just being handwaved away because you couldn't be bothered to draw up a fresh villain, or to modify a story because you were operating under the assumption that this particular bad guy would be present and un-murdered for what comes next.

Remember that you can get creative with this! Just be sure that your resurrection feels well thought-out, appropriate to the story, and that the cost of it undercuts exactly how far the villain is willing to go to thwart the party... especially because their new lease on life may very well depend on them succeeding where previously they failed!

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 additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Willpower Is One Of The Most Important Resources in Hunter: The Vigil

The darkness encroaches on the edges of the world, but there are some who are willing to take up the sword and the flame to hold the line. People who will look the monsters of the world in the eye, and refuse to back down. Hunters of the Vigil have many resources to call on in this fight, but one of the most important things they need to hold the line is sheer Willpower... and it's a resource that both players and Storytellers occasionally overlook.

Also, if you want to add a double-edged sword or two into your game for Hunter, consider picking up a copy of The Blade Itself: Corrupt Equipment For Hunter: The Vigil.

No... you move.

As always, 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Hunters Are Creatures of Focus... Of Sheer Will

Your Willpower in the Chronicles of Darkness is the combination of your Resolve and Composure. This gives you a minimum of 2 dots of Willpower (for the exceptionally weak-willed) and a maximum of 10 Willpower (for the absolutely iron-willed). Hunters can spend a point of Willpower (usually as a Reflexive action) to do one of the following:

- Gain a 3-die bonus on a single roll

- Gain +2 to resistance against a single action

- Activate miscellaneous powers (Endowments, psychic/supernatural merits, etc.)

And hunters can typically regain Willpower by:

- Getting a full night's sleep (1 Willpower)

- Meaningfully act in accordance with their Virtue (twice per chapter for full Willpower recovery)

- Meaningfully act in accordance with their Vice (once per scene for 1 Willpower)

- Defending a relationship with one of their Touchstones (1 or full, depending on the gravity and risk)

- Risking Willpower (gain 1 point on success)

It's quite a game of math.

As a side note, Risking Willpower is something hunters have access to, and mortals don't. When a hunter is acting in pursuit of the Vigil (according to page 135 of Hunter: The Vigil), they can choose to risk a Willpower instead of just spending one. When they risk a Willpower it allows them to gain 2 benefits off the list on page 135, and if they succeed they keep the point of Willpower they risked, and they gain another point (up to their maximum).

Now, I front-loaded all of that information to explain how important Willpower is. It is a way for hunters to give themselves the necessary edge over the monsters of the world, and to activate the various powers from the different Conspiracies. It's also a necessity for activating many supernatural and psychic merits. Hence why it is important for a hunter to build up their Willpower as high as possible.

The key, if you are a player, is to juggle/cycle your Willpower use. Whether it's by regularly indulging in their vices, risking their Willpower in calculated ways to never use too much at once, or using merits like the Harvest Psyche ability in Psychokinetic Combat merit, players should be regularly spending/risking their Willpower in order to get the most bang for their buck.

From Behind The Storyteller's Screen

If you're a Storyteller, you've got a lot of things coming your way from a cell of hunters. Whether it's hellfire and castigations, psychic fury, or just a barrage of slings and arrows, it's a miracle any of your monsters make it out alive.

However, when it comes to Willpower, you need to think of it like bullets in a gun. This resource is potent, but it isn't bottomless. So make sure you're keeping track of it, and throwing a couple of spanners into the works so your players have to think about what they're blowing their chips on.

How are they going to spend these points?

Because on the one hand, hunters are using their Willpower to give themselves that necessary edge to resist dangerous powers, activate their own supernatural abilities, or just to give themselves a better shot at slaying the monster of the week. However, if your hunters are constantly topping themselves off on Willpower (especially if you've implemented the Beats as Bennies rule that was suggested in Deviant: The Renegades), then it might feel like they have a bottomless fuel tank.

Remember that anyone who receives a single point of lethal damage, or has all their Health boxes filled in with bashing damage, gains the Beaten Down tilt (which means they have to spend a point of Willpower every time they want to take a violent action in the current combat). Ask yourself if monsters whose Dread Powers siphon off Willpower are an appropriate threat. And, above all, remember that the number of enemies, and the number of encounters, can make a huge difference.

If a cell of hunters can just kick in the door and fight a single vampire, or a gigantic spider, or a werewolf, then they can probably go all-out and win. But if they first have to slog through layers of ghoul security, or a brood of lesser spiders, or they have to deal with the werewolf's mate and kin, then suddenly a battle that was quite winnable is looking like a dangerous, resource-intensive slog.

Hunters travel in packs... but keep in mind that monsters are rarely lone wolves.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post! 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 the dark sci fi channel I contribute stories to, The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

To Ragnarok! (A Big Thank You To Several of My Patrons)

When I made the changeover to a monthly charge instead of a per-item basis over on Patreon, I had to come up with new tiers to try to get folks invested and involved. And like most folks who've been on the platform for a while, I made the first tier the $1 level (essentially just a way for folks to leave me a tip as a thank you). The second was the $5 tier, and that's where you actually get some kind of reward (free copies of my latest supplements when I get giveaway links). At $10 you get a shout out (thanks very much to Phillip Litherland and Tracy), and at $15 I'll put out a monthly query asking your opinion on future posts. There's a few more above that, but most folks have ignored those so far.

I put the $50 a month tier in mostly as a joke, because I didn't expect anyone to go that hard. But for both Joy Von Holle and Brenton Ayres, I salute you! When I find myself upon the field of Ragnarok, know that my battle charge shall be in dedication to your aid!

I will see you there, at the end of the cycle.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

Any Other Takers?

I really cannot overemphasize how surprised I was when someone stepped up to the Ragnarok tier... but I figured I'd at least ask... do we have anyone else interested in that einherjar-level support?

Because I know I emphasize this fairly often, but my Patreon really has been a huge boon to me for the past decade or so I've been on the platform. And though there have been ups and downs, over the past several years I've come to depend on it for food and expenses during the month. I've never been well-funded enough that it was rent money... but hey, I can dream can't I?

It would be nice, not gonna lie.

I just wanted to take a moment to remind folks that the changeover has been rough, but I feel like I'm finally getting back on my feet a little bit thanks to the generosity of some of my patrons. If you're a regular reader who wants to help, though, consider tossing me an extra $1 a month or so... or if you want some free swag, $5 is my recommended amount. Heck, if everyone currently on my free subscription converted to that level, I really would be making rent money...

As always, don't go into debt to support me as a creator. I know money is tighter than ever for a lot of folks out there. But if you do have a bit spare, I can promise you that I'll be paying bills and buying tacos with it. No funny business over here... just fuel for the brain so I can keep the lights on and the wheels turning!

Also, If You Enjoy Free Stuff, Check Out This Channel

Regular readers already know this, but if you enjoy all the free stuff I'm putting out (and you're looking for more gaming and gaming-related entertainment on a budget) I'd highly recommend checking out the YouTube channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! An ongoing fiction channel I launched with Alice Liddell a little while back, it tells the story of a young woman given a job by the mysterious Carroll Institute... but in between installments of that story, we get tales of alternate dimensions where you hear about weird west card sharps, literal avenging angels, deals with devils, and more!

And if you're wondering how those two plot lines merge, check out the first episode below... and if you want to help me keep this project going, please subscribe to The A.L.I.C.E. Files, and watch the videos we're putting up. We need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 view hours, but at time of writing we've got 271 people, and about 205 hours.

It's a long way to go, but you could help us get there!

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 additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Need More Grimdark Tales? I've Got My Own Playlist Over On "A Vox in The Void"!

For all the books I've written and short story anthologies I've been a part of, it seems like most people who know my name recognize me from the work I've had featured over on the YouTube channel A Vox in The Void. From tales of the grim darkness of the far future like Waking Dogs or The Final Lamentation, to installments like my Pacific Weird War story Where The Red Flowers Bloom, or the Dead Space tale Black Marks, literally tens of thousands of people have heard those stories because they appeared on the channel.

But I've hit something of a milestone recently, and I wanted to share it this week... because enough of my tales have appeared on A Vox in The Void that I now have my own playlist!

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

Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

13 Tales of Blood, Death, and Vengeance!

I've been working with A Vox in The Void for several years now, and I've watched their channel grow, and their professional career take off. I won't say I'm responsible for it by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm glad to have done my part to help grow things, and I'm glad the audience seems to like my work overall. However, given how the Internet is these days, it's entirely possible that there are regular readers here who haven't been over there yet... and if you're one of those folks, take a moment to, at the very least, give my stories a listen!

Additionally, if you find a story on that list that you really like, consider leaving a comment and saying what appealed to you about it! And if you want sequels to any of the stories, make sure you let me know. I only add to things that it seems folks want to read, so your voice is what helps me lock-in to make more stuff!

And Once You're Done With Those Stories...

I will admit, I've only got 13 stories on that playlist. For most folks, that's going to be a long day of chores, or maybe half a week of commuting. If you need more, I have two specific recommendations for you to check out, both of which would help me a great deal!

The first is the ongoing audio drama YouTube channel I just launched with Alice Liddell titled The A.L.I.C.E. Files. In addition to the individual, stand alone stories we're presenting, there's also an ongoing narrative about the new "Alice" who just accepted a job with the mysterious Carroll Institute which is finally starting to rev up a little bit. We've had trouble getting eyes on this channel, and any subscriptions and views would be greatly appreciated!

If you managed to get through all of that, and you still find yourself wanting to listen to more audio fiction from yours truly, I have a rather sizable playlist on the Azukail Games YouTube channel. This is where I first started refining my skills, and if you listen to the playlist from back to front you can actually watch as my audio dramas evolve in real-time. All views are appreciated, as they help put pennies in the jar for Azukail Games, which is my main employer and publisher these days.

For all the folks who check these stories out, upvote, and subscribe, thank you. I like writing stories, and I like making audio versions of them... but doing it for free takes a lot of eyes to make the wheels turn. So if you're willing to put your shoulder to that wheel to help push, I (and all the other folks who work to bring these stories to life) are very grateful for it.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Table Talk. 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 more involved audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

Another Dip Back Into Changeling: The Lost (Since Folks Asked For It)

While a majority of the gaming supplements I've written over the years have been for general RPG genres, a not-inconsiderable amount of my work has gone into the Storyteller's Vault platform. The simple reason why is that I love the World & Chronicles of Darkness games, and I want to leave my own little mark on them. And while I had taken a break for financial reasons, I've been dipping a toe back into the platform to see how viable a return might be... and this time around I decided to write a companion piece to an older supplement of mine that was based on reader requests.

In case folks out there wondered, I do listen, and I do take feedback into account for my writing schedule.

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my 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! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

New Changeling (And Potential Future Additions)

For folks who missed the announcement, the supplement that dropped this past weekend was 100 Unusual Things To Find At A Goblin Market. This list includes bizarre items from Arcadia and the Hedge, unsettling things like a sealed jar of baby teeth, as well as physical embodiments of unusual emotions, or whimsical proverbs that have become actual merchandise (since any Changeling game is made better by the inclusion of a few puns). This was a topic that was oft-requested over on the Reddit forums, and it dovetails perfectly with one of my earlier supplements Buyer Beware: 10 Goblin Markets.

Seriously, go pick yours up today if you haven't yet!

In addition to being my favorite game in the Chronicles of Darkness (though Hunter is earning a lot of points with me, which is why I recently put out The Blade Itself for the new Corrupt Equipment mechanic), Changeling also has the second-largest number of supplements I've written for a single game line coming in at 11. And while I do have a few more rounds in the magazine as far as my ideas go, neither the current supplement, nor the previous book Like A Good Neighbor - Portraying True Fae in Your Chronicle have been burning up the charts of-late. There's some sales here and there, don't get me wrong, but it's definitely more of a trickle than it is a flood.

And while I've explained this in earlier posts, as well as in the video linked above, I'll restate it for folks who don't know. When I write Storyteller's Vault supplements I take a 50% reduction in up-front payment from my publisher. Given the word count for some of these, that's not a small sacrifice. To make up some of that amount in sales, I'd need to move at least 100 copies every time something new drops... and most of my supplements have struggled to even cross the 50 sale line to make it to Copper metal status of-late.

So, if you are someone who enjoys my Storyteller's Vault supplements in general, and my Changeling: The Lost work in particular, please take a moment to consider supporting me by doing the following:

- Buy any supplements that appeal to you.

- Leave reviews on the supplements you have (even just 5 stars and a "Good Job!" goes a long way).

- Leave comments on the video I linked telling me what Changeling supplements you'd like to see in the future.

As always, if buying new stuff isn't in your budget, I completely understand. But watching through the Discussions of Darkness series I have over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel is also a handy way to show your support, and to make sure that both my publisher and myself are hearing what you want!

Requests For A Changeling Story (And The A.L.I.C.E. Files)

On a final note for this week's update, I've recently launched a new audio drama channel on YouTube in partnership with Alice Liddell, and it's called The A.L.I.C.E. Files. I talked about the show more in-depth in the recent post The A.L.I.C.E. Files Is Here (And Will Soon Be Featuring Various Audio Dramas), but the short version is that the channel has an overarching story about the mysterious Carroll Institute, but a bunch of mini-stories about the different dimensions its agents have visited. A lot of those mini stories will be set in worlds that are inspired by (or come directly from) various tabletop RPGs.

I bring this up because one of the channel's big supporters, Sam Furlano, has specifically requested a Changeling story to be found in the files. Given that this falls under the Dark Pack agreement, this is absolutely something I could do... the question I have is whether it's something my readers/listeners out there want me to do?

So, if you'd like to have one (or maybe several) stories from the Chronicles of Darkness turn up in The A.L.I.C.E. files, here's how you can make your voices heard:

- Subscribe to The A.L.I.C.E. Files on YouTube.

- In the comments section for the Trailer, tell us which Chronicles of Darkness setting you'd like to see stories from (preferably with 7 words or more, just to kick the algorithm into gear).

- Watch the rest of the videos, and upvote the ones you like!

It's still a new channel, so if there's any spike in activity we are going to notice it. And if there's enough folks to get us up to the 3,000 watch hours and 500 subscribers we need to hit our next goal? Well... then whatever it is you all ask for, I can promise you we're going to try to deliver on it!

(Lastly, if you've been waiting for updates on Windy City Shadows, I assure you have neither forgotten about it, nor abandoned the project. But there are only so many hours in a day, and I'm trying to free up as much time and energy as I can to complete as many projects as possible. Stay tuned for updates on that podcast as they develop!)

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 additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!