My First Adventure For Sundara Is Finally Out!

As regular readers know, I've been putting out supplements for my own fantasy setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age for years now. The setting is available for both Pathfinder Classic and Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, and while I've covered species and cities, towns, gods, cults, and guilds, I hadn't actually written any adventure modules for it. Because... well, at the end of the day, adventures take more work and resources than any other kind of supplement I've made, and they almost always sell worse than anything except for tie-in fiction.

But the stars aligned, and I wanted to take a moment to tell folks about how my adventure A Night At The Slaughterhouse Inn came to be!

Also, I make certain to call it my first adventure for Sundara... Isaiah Burt actually beat me to the punch on writing the first adventure set in Sundara with The Invocation of Bael-Kharn, which I'd recommend for folks who are looking for a mid-range, level 7-8 adventure to run for folks!

And if you haven't picked up a copy yet, grab one for your table today!

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 This Adventure Came To Be

Rather than being something that was just put together in the past few months, I actually wrote this adventure module several years ago. I won't name names for who was supposed to release it, but after inquiring as to when it was supposed to release (and then if it was supposed to release), I finally got word back from my contact that the time had expired on it, and I could place it somewhere else if I had someone who might be interested in it.

I, of course, reached out to Adrian Kennelly, since Azukail Games handles the bulk of my gaming supplements. He was definitely interested, but wanted to know if I could gear it for Sundara, rather than just releasing it as a stand-alone module. So I broke out the red pen, and added the town of Hag's End to my setting... while also taking care to file off the alignments that had been given to various characters, as that was something that I did away with back when the setting was first conceived.

Which raises the number of smaller towns in the setting to 11.

And that, as they say, is that. This adventure that was once a stand-alone piece now invites players inside my setting, and it can act as a jumping off point to an entire campaign! An oncoming storm causes people to seek shelter at the one inn Hag's End has to offer, and it's while they're within its heavy walls that they have a chance to rest, eat, and get to know the people they're trapped with. And when something bizarre begins happening, they'll have to band together... if they don't want this to be their last night at the Slaughterhouse Inn, of course.

A Challenge That I Need Your Help With!

I mentioned in the above section that adventure modules require the most work, and they typically make some of the fewest sales. It's for that reason that I had to negotiate with Adrian as to the costs of A Night At The Slaughterhouse Inn. I accepted a higher royalty rate for it than I normally get, but that was because my per-word rate for it was much lower than I would normally receive. This was doable for me because the adventure was already written, but I would not have been able to put together something this involved from scratch under those circumstances.

However, Adrian did offer me an additional incentive. You see, most adventures don't even reach Copper status (51 copies solid), much less Silver status (101 copies sold) on Drive Thru RPG. So he made me a deal... if I can get this supplement up over those humps, he'll give me a little bonus, in addition to my royalty for managing to kick those numbers up!

It's a long way to the top, but I would appreciate some help getting there!

If you're one of my regular readers, or just someone that's wondering what I'd put out for a Pathfinder Classic adventure instead of one of the other systems I've worked in, please do the following for me:

- Buy a copy of A Night At The Slaughterhouse Inn

- Rate and review it on DTRPG

- Share the adventure on your social media pages, and tell your friends about it

I've said this before, but the only way that writers of any stripe can put out new work is if people actually consume what they make. And after at least 3 years of not being able to scrape together the time, energy, and resources for modules set in Sundara, this adventure (as well as The Invocation of Bael-Kharn) is kind of a shot in the dark, hoping to hit the bullseye.

So if you're one of the folks out there who wished that Sundara would get some adventures to help give people a taste of the setting, I could really use your help now. If you're one of my regular readers who wished I'd write more adventures, don't sleep on this one. And if you're someone who wants to have a fast adventure module you can run when the power goes out and everyone wants to gather round by candlelight while there's a storm outside, this is definitely a game you should print out and keep in a three-ring binder like an old school GM would.

And if you're one of those people who has already bought your copy of this new adventure... well, consider grabbing one of my other adventure modules! There's not a lot of them, and only a few have even earned a Copper rating for sales. If I could change that for some of them (or all of them, if I want to get crazy optimistic) that would be a pretty solid achievement to skate toward the end of the year on!

- False Valor: A murdered girl might be the spark that reignites a war that's been over for nearly a hundred years... but the elves of the dark woods have long memories, and they don't reckon things the way a man would. (DND 5E)

- The Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh: An isolated town along the Old Swamp Road is beset by horrors that come when the sun sets. Mercenaries and crusaders alike have come to free the town from its fate... but will they be able to? (DND 5E)

- The Curse of Sapphire Lake: An old settlement seeks to rebuild, but they are beset by a phantom that's destroying roads, smashing homesteads, and driving off people who'd hoped to put down roots. Something from an old and terrible myth, will those summoned to the north lands be able to stop this threat? (DND 5E)

- Dreadful Tales: A collection of three short adventures, my dark little drama involves a doctor that's gone missing. The only one with a clue to his whereabouts is a scarred, violent criminal who won't say what's happened. Those who dig, however, might find the answer curdles their dreams, and keeps them awake at night. (Victorian Gothic)

- The Price of Iron: A simple job guarding a warehouse takes a dark turn when terrible fey monsters are unleashed within the structure. The only thing standing between them, and the unsuspecting city, are the ones who gave their word to stand their ground. (DND 5E)

- A Night At Breckon's Beacon: A squad went missing while out on maneuvers, lost in the rugged country along the Polymerian frontier. You and your fellow troopers are charged with finding what happened to them... but will you survive a Night at Breckon's Beacon? (Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic)

- Assault on Outpost 13: A dangerous scion of a crime family has been taken prisoner, and your squad is called up to help hold him until reinforcements arrive. Corruption runs rampant through the Styric Republic, though, and you will need to figure out who you can trust if you want to get out of this alive. (Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic)

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 the ongoing audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! 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 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!

Going Electrum on Storyteller's Vault... Can We Make Gold? (Breaking Down Trends)

In the past I have been a regular contributor to Storytellers Vault, and I've created supplements for a variety of games in both the World and Chronicles of Darkness. However, as I've talked about previously, one of the reasons I stepped back from doing as much with that platform as I had previously was that it just wasn't financially feasible for me. I take a 50% up-front pay cut whenever I write something for the platform (1 cent instead of 2 cents per word) and when you're writing tens of thousands of words, that adds up.

However, the other day I noticed something... several of my supplements have actually crossed the line into Electrum metal sellers (meaning they've moved at least 251 copies through the One Bookshelf websites). It was actually a surprising number of them. And since folks seemed to enjoy the break down I put out in An Autopsy On My Recent Deal Of The Day, I figured I'd take a moment to talk about what the numbers are telling me, and what this may mean for future supplements from me in the future.

And if you have opinions, there's going to be a way for you to contact me directly!

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!

What Do People Respond To?

This is the question that every creator asks when they put something together, and throw it out into the void to see if it can find an audience. More specific aspects of this for Storytellers Vault include:

- What game line gets the best response?

- What format do people respond to?

- Do people prefer mechanics over flavor, or the other way around?

- Is there a particular subject that seems to be more popular than others?

Well, let's see what the numbers say, shall we?

To begin at the beginning, Werewolf: The Apocalypse has the most Electrum sellers for me. Whether it's the 101 Savage Kinfolk collection I wrote for the Savage Age, or the more "normal" kinfolk supplements I wrote many years ago, it's one of my most popular games. However, interestingly, only the 100 Kinfolk supplements for Glasswalkers, Get of Fenris, Silver Fangs, Bone Gnawers, Shadow Lords, and of course the Black Spiral Dancers have made it over that Electrum line. And while I've written supplements for things other than NPCs, those seem to be the supplements that have moved the most copies for this game.

The second-largest number of Electrum sellers comes from Changeling: The Lost. And unlike Werewolf, the offerings here are a little more diverse. The high sellers include: 100 (Mostly) Harmless Goblin Fruits And Oddments To Find In The Hedge, Buyer Beware: 10 Goblin Markets, 100 Hobs To Meet In The Hedge, 100 Strange Sights To See In The Hedge, and 100 Frailties. While there's a mix of mechanics and flavor in there, what seems very clear to me is that (for Changeling, at least) my top sellers are for things that concern the Hedge. And after all, why wouldn't they? It's a huge, constantly-shifting realm that's full of possibility, and a lot of Storytellers need some kind of starting point to help the Hedge take a more concrete shape in their games. While I've put out far more supplements for Changeling than just these 6, the ones that focus more on mortal world NPCs, on whispers and rumors, or even on the True Fae themselves just don't seem to be as popular.

Lastly, while I've written supplements for several other splats, the only other one that's reached Electrum status is 100 Resources and Rumors To Find On SchreckNet for Vampire: The Masquerade. While I have a handful of other supplements for Vampire (mostly focused on ghouls, but with another providing a list of potential havens), this seems to be the only one that's remained popular. And while it seems to go against the grain of the previous two games, where the most popular supplements seemed to be widely applicable overall, this supplement seems to be doing well exactly because of how specific it is. Which, when one considers that Vampire is the largest game in terms of the sheer amount of supplements and overall content made for it, makes sense from a marketing perspective.

So What Does All Of This Mean?

Sadly, even going over the numbers and successes, there is no clear formula for writing a supplement that is guaranteed to do well. Everything is a roll of the dice, and nothing is certain when it comes to popularity or sales.

With that said, however, the trends that I've noticed are:

- Supplements that provide support for the vague other-worlds of games often do all right

- Supplements that are hyper-specific to a part of the lore can do well

- Supplements that have broad use for Storytellers and players alike often do well

- Supplements in a complete series/bundle tend to do well (once the series is complete, at least)

I'm hedging my language a bit (if you'll pardon the Changeling pun) because even following these simple findings don't guarantee good sales. After all, Dark Reflections: 50 Sights To See In The Penumbra for Werewolf never even broke Copper, even though it's functionally very similar to supplements I wrote for Changeling. Is it the format? The fact that more Werewolf games are focused on exploring the real world and its plots instead of diving deep into the Umbra? Is it there are more Umbra-based resources, whereas the Hedge was still big, vague, and largely undefined for so long? It could be any or all of those things... but there's just no telling what.

I've often compared writing RPG supplements to gazing into a crystal ball. I can see some vague shapes and patterns, but there is no clear reception. So at the end of the day, I try to follow what trends I can, and to incorporate past successes... but there's often no way to know for certain which things are flukes, and which things are actual trends. And worse, there's no knowing how long a trend will hold true before what was once a solid investment of time and energy simply stops being popular with players.

How To Make Your Voice Heard

I've often said that to make up for the loss in initial income for a Storytellers Vault supplement, every, single one I release would need to hit Gold status (501 supplements). Not a single one of the things I've written out of the 40-something supplements has done that well... yet, anyway. As such, I am taking an initial loss on writing these... I repeat this to drive home to folks how much I love these games, and how refreshing it can be to dip back into them from time to time.

But it is a lot easier to work on more of these if I actually have a definitive idea what it is folks out there want to see more of.

 

Now, if you're someone who has a strong opinion of what you'd like to see me (or Adrian) release for future Storytellers Vault supplements, here's what you need to do. Go to the video I linked above. Leave a comment telling me what you want as specifically as you can (because saying, "I want more stuff for Mage," is less helpful than something like, "I would like a supplement for running the awakening scenes for new mages in Mage: The Awakening."). Once you've left your comment, toss the video a like, subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel if you haven't, and share the video around so we can get more people's opinions.

These actions accomplish several things. First and foremost, the publisher gets pings when new comments are left, so this means you're going to get a direct line to us. It lets us see at a glance what people want us to work on. Also, the more views, comments, etc. a video gets, the more likely it is that the algorithm boosts our signal, and the more people will find out about who we are, and what we do.

Because Storytellers Vault might be a relatively small pool, but I'd wager a majority of folks who play these games have no clue who I am, who Adrian is, and that Azukail Games even exists. So helping shine a spotlight on us, while also sending us clear messages about the kinds of games we should be working on, will help a lot!

Lastly, I do still have a pair of supplements that haven't even hit Copper status yet. So if you have a moment, consider helping these two get their feet under them:

- Dark Reflections: 50 Sights To See In The Penumbra (Werewolf: The Apocalypse)

- Agents and Assets: 100 Personnel and Contacts For Task Force VALKYRIE (Hunter: The Vigil)

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 the ongoing audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! 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 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!

Monstrous Appearances - Symbolism and Story

Iconic creature design sticks in the imagination, and can create an undeniable mood among players. However, while it's easy to just throw in shock for shock's sake, monsters (and even characters) can be far more impactful if you take some time to ask what their appearance actually means, and why it is the way it is. Because while not every monster is a metaphor, those that are tend to linger in the imagination long after an encounter is over.

Ask what the monster represents, and how that manifests.

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!

Examples of Symbolic Design

Sometimes a monster is just a monster, like a shrieking goblin, an animated skeleton, or a hungry land shark. However, monsters whose appearances, or even their abilities, are part of their lore and story tend to be significantly more flavorful... and the same rules apply for your characters as for the things they might have to fight.

For one of the most iconic examples of symbolism in a terrifying creature, consider the ghost of Jacob Marley in A Christmas Carol. Marley is often played for laughs, but take a moment to consider him. He's twisted, broken, still dressed in the rags of his funeral finery, and bound with chains whose burden he can never escape. Chains that are not just a physical weight, but an ectoplasmic repository for the guilt, pain, and shame he must carry for his afterlife, giving him no respite from the harm he caused.

It's simple, it's straightforward, and with the right description, is terrifying. But if you add a few details (perhaps a belt of dangling, bloody coins around his waist, each one a slug for a person whose death he caused, or mentioning the fine watches, gems, and sacks of coin tangled in the chains that he coerced from people out of greed) the torture can become personalized. Not only that, but if it's turned into something concrete, then that knowledge leaves players taking in the big picture of just how heavy the ghost's burden is, realizing the sheer amount of harm he's done no matter how pathetic and wailing his cries are now.

This kind of symbolic thinking and description can add weight to your bestiary, your encounters, and even to characters (if they get to play people who have been altered, such as in Changeling: The Lost).

Rather than just listing more examples, though, I'd like to draw your attention to two properties that have done this rather well.

First on the list is Silent Hill. While the series on the whole at least tries to put symbolism into its monsters (since they're meant to be direct interactions with the psyche of those who witness them), the second game is really the one most people think of when it comes to the high bar. From the horrifying, unstoppable force of Pyramid Head (a stern, ultra-masculine figure here to punish the protagonist for his transgressions), to the nurses (the hideous face atop the sensual body speaks to guilt, confusion, and mixed needs of the protagonist), to the twisted bed monster (something representing intimate abuse as it twists together sex and violence into a horrifying whole), the creatures are universally unsettling. What really makes them sink into one's memory, though, is the fact that they're not just random design elements thrown together to be weird, but they are manifestations of particular traumas.

All the best monsters are just mirrors showing us the worst parts of ourselves in ways we don't expect to see them.

As with Silent Hill, Fear & Hunger is a horror game with disturbing visuals and horrifying monsters. In the second installment of the franchise (a terrifying take on this setting's first World War), the characters find themselves contestants in a terrible game of death. Even worse, the grinning moon is twisting those caught in its light into terrible, monstrous versions of themselves... horrible forms that represent their dark secrets, personal fears, or which twist them out-of-true.

The child soldier becomes a horror known as the Weeping Scope, a terrible creature with an organic weapon for a head. He is molded into what he tried to avoid; a living weapon with a gun for a face that destroys whatever it looks at, unable to have purpose beyond bringing death. The boxer who is afraid of what might happen if he loses control of himself turns into a terrible giant, his hands fused into pummeling pistons, unable to think or speak, lost to the pure brute fury that always bubbled inside of him. The wheelchair-bound academic is twisted into a biomechanical horror referred to as the Mechanical Dance, a stiff, machine-like horror resembling an iron maiden, representing the human trapped and bound within a thing that was supposed to be her aid, but which has become her prison.

Whereas the monsters in Silent Hill are pure representations of twisted psyche, the moonscorched of Fear & Hunger begin as humans with their own histories, flaws, and stories, and we see how they're warped and changed. This gives us a unique look at who they are as humans, before their inner selves (or at least their struggles and private horrors) are manifested by the moon god (or the other forces at work in the dark festival). The ability to follow the path of transformation can really drive home the horror, and how something so monstrous can represent turmoil and trauma in a way that's unsettling, but understandable when one thinks in terms of symbolism.

It Can Take Practice (And Won't Be For Everyone)

Symbolic monsters, threats, and even player characters are not going to be to everyone's tastes. There will always be players and Game Masters who want things to be more straightforward, and who aren't interested in adding extra layers of meaning to the game. This is a matter of matching the right table to the right game, and ensuring everyone is onboard, and looking for the same kind of experience.

Everything else just comes down to practice.

But what does it mean?

Whether you're designing creatures from the ground up, or merely deciding how to present them, take a moment and ask what their appearances and abilities might mean, and what unnatural reflection one might find in them. Perhaps it's a demon with eyes and claws like mirrors, representing its ties to pride or envy. It might be whipstitched flesh golems that were purposefully perverted into walking horrors, each representing a different facet of the maker's personality. It could even be a sorcerer with a scaly hand he conceals beneath a gauntlet; something representing his infernal bargain that grows and grows as the darkness within him tries to consume him physically, as well as spiritually.

However you choose to mold your monsters, ask what story these visuals are telling. Because even if players don't want to dig beneath the surface, symbolism can often stick with us even if we can't put into words exactly why it clings to our memories.

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!

Urban Decay: Taking A Step Into Zombie Apocalypse Supplements

You've all heard the story. Life was grinding on with everyone paying their bills, their taxes, and as little attention as possible. People got coffee in the morning, takeout in the evening, and just tried to make it one more day... then the dead started walking! Whether it was a curse, a plague, an alien invasion, or something else entirely, the world fell apart, and the survivors now have to make their homes in the ruins of the old world while trying to avoid the shambling, hungry corpses that fill the streets, and wander the countryside.

Whether it's All Flesh Must Be Eaten, AZ: After Zombies, Survive This, or some other game, there are a lot of systems out there that have geared themselves for games set in the zombie apocalypse. However, it's only with this past weekend's release from me, 100 NPCs To Meet In The City After The Zombie Apocalypse, that I've thrown my hat into this particular arena.

My question for you all is should I keep going after this one?

Seriously, give it a look 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!

A Slight Change Of Pace (That Could Grow)

I've mentioned a few times on this blog that I need to keep things fresh as a creator, and do my best to actually tread new ground from time to time. Even if something doesn't look like it's going to be a big-time bestseller, sometimes you just need a change of scenery to give your brain a break. Well, since Azukail Games had already released a lot of zombie-related supplements in the past (including pieces like 100 Descriptions For Modern Zombies, What's The Best Weapon For Fighting Zombies, and 100 Rumours To Hear During The Zombie Apocalypse) I figured that I'd see if I could supplement them a bit with my own contribution.

As with a lot of my other recent releases, though, whether this ends up going somewhere is up to all of you!

After all, there's quite a lot to see here!

What else would I add to this list? Well, a few ideas that occurred to me include:

- Concrete Castles: Survivor Communities To Find In The City After The Zombie Apocalypse

- Urban Decay: 100 Sights To See In A Zombie-Choked City

- Rotten Luck: 100 Things That Could Go Wrong After The Zombie Apocalypse

These are just a handful of ideas to get us started! However, I wanted to hear from folks out there about whether this is something they'd like to see more of, or if this is a direction folks aren't really interested in. And, of course, the surest way to make sure that you get more zombie apocalypse supplements is to pick up your copy of 100 NPCs To Meet In The City After The Zombie Apocalypse, and to leave a rating and a review with a comment of something you'd like to see next!

And, of course, you can also leave your comments on this blog, or get hold of me on social media wherever you see this post. Because it was a lovely little break from my usual fare, and I think I'd like to head back down some of those dark and dangerous alleyways... but I can't do that unless at least some of you are coming along for the ride!

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 the ongoing audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! 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 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!

High Lethality in RPGs (And What Kind of Stories It Tells Best)

A while back I offered a popular piece of advice in Dungeon Design Tips: Find A Reason For PCs To Survive (And Try Again). The purpose behind the post was to remind Game Masters that in a lot of RPGs, death is a particularly boring fail state. After all, you want your players to keep playing, to overcome challenges, and to keep striving... but if they feel like they're going to have to roll up a new character every time they fail a saving throw, or choose the wrong door to walk through, that can get discouraging.

While I stand by that advice, I feel it is important to mention that it is advice given mainly for games where the entire goal is to follow the saga and growth of a single party of characters throughout their adventures. Whether it's one of the later editions of Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, most of the Chronicles of Darkness, Exalted, or any of three dozen other games I could mention, they are structured so that player characters can survive trials and tribulations to persevere. Many of these games even have resurrection spells that allow players past a certain point of growth and resource acquisition to return to the world to continue their quests.

But that is not some universal truth of RPGs. There are games that are intended to be highly lethal. Games for which that is not a flaw, but a feature of the challenge. It's part of the tension that keeps them running, and it's part of the appeal of that kind of play... but if you're going to run a game with high lethality, then you need to make sure you're telling the kind of story that benefits from that kind of Sword of Damocles hanging over the table.

I feel we might be in danger, my friends...

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!

Fragile Characters, More Contained Stories

Whether you're running something like the doom metal game Mork Borg or one of its imprints, something like OSRIC, or something a little more mechanically complicated like the latest edition of Warhammer Fantasy, there are a lot of RPGs out there where the world is supposed to be lethally dangerous. Games where even experienced characters can die due to a lucky shot from an enemy archer, a missed save against a spell, or just being surprised by an enemy at the wrong time.

However, when that is part and parcel of your game, it's important to recognize that you need to change your storytelling style, stakes, or both to reflect this sharp curve up in lethality. And there are a couple of games I would recommend GMs examine, as well as an entire genre that a lot of people have forgotten about in the dusty tomes of the pulp era.

Namely the Sword and Sorcery genre, which had a much greater impact on the early days of gaming before high fantasy rose to eclipse it.

Things are terrible, and they're only going to get worse.

The first game I would recommend is Darkest Dungeon, a dungeon-crawling RPG where your "heroes" delve deeper and deeper into dark dungeons in search of treasure and answers, surviving battle with horrible foes and fighting off madness. The second game I would recommend is Fear and Hunger, where players must survive the terrors that lurk in the forgotten depths of an ancient dungeon, and where the simple, initial motivation of freeing a prisoner becomes far more convoluted by the game's end.

Content warning for both of these video games if you've never come across them. We're talking some Lamentations of The Flame Princess level stuff, so proceed with caution.

However, while both of these video games are survival horror wearing the skin of sword and sorcery, they illustrate in both tone and mechanics what I'm talking about in this week's post. Because in both games there is a high amount of lethality, and even if characters survive they may be crippled in mind, body, or both. Every encounter poses a serious risk, and every step further into the darkness comes with the potential for risk and reward alike. Additionally, both games are built on a basis of players feeling like they're gambling with their character's lives with every decision they make.

This speaks to the kinds of stories high lethality games tend to tell. Because if player characters could die on any given roll of the dice, then grand, sweeping epics where we follow their entire journey aren't really a good fit for those mechanics. Rather it's a good idea to focus on something smaller, tighter, and more serialized. Also, it's a good idea to not put combat as the central focus of the games, or the sole method for achieving goals.

For those who haven't seen this video, I talked about this diversity of solutions regarding the World/Chronicles of Darkness a while back.

Consider, as an example, the humble dungeon crawl. Yes, these adventures are inherently dangerous, and there is at least the opportunity for combat to occur, but these locations are also filled with traps, puzzles, and natural disasters. And while we often focus on the dungeon part of things, the crawl is there because they're meant to be tense. Players are meant to move quietly, carefully, and to make sure they don't step on a concealed switch, rest their weight on the wrong board, or rush headlong into an ambush. While the foolhardy might charge forward shouting a battle cry and banging their ax on their shield, that's a good way to die a quick, pointless death.

But high-lethality games are good for more than just dungeon crawls. They're great for high-stakes heists, for mysteries (particularly murder mysteries), and for games that tend to focus on a single, relatively contained story. Rather than using the Lord of The Rings as the framework, where we follow the fellowship across their massive walk across the continent, consider something more akin to Conan, Solomon Kane, or even the James Bond stories where we follow the characters through adventures that each stand alone as their own chapter but could be connected into a series if you wanted them to be.

Build The Story As It Goes

Another contention I have seen from the old guard who grew up playing high lethality games is the aggression toward the idea of working out a character's story before the game even starts. As the argument goes, "Your character should be a blank slate, and they should be shaped by the adventures they have!"

I disagree with this on a fundamental level, however, I feel like this comes from a lesson learned in high lethality games. Namely that you need to come to terms with the fact that your character is likely going to die long before they get within bow shot of old age, unless they're starting the game as a senior looking to go out in a blaze of glory. If you're going into a meat grinder, don't get attached to an endgame you're probably never going to reach.

This goes for players and Game Masters alike, though, so perk up your ears for this one!

Because there's a LOT of stuff to take in here.

Just as players should probably have backup characters and concepts for when their current character dies a horrible death (it's statistically likely, after all), Game Masters shouldn't count on the characters making specific decisions, acquiring particular items, or even surviving in order to create a single, unbroken plot.

 

Now, those who've played adventure paths or pre-written campaigns have likely noticed that they read like long novels. You can switch characters in and out as it goes, but they're meant to act as supporting stories for the same characters from beginning to end. High lethality games, though, work better as a series of modules, each of which might be a chapter of an unfolding campaign. Because characters might die, but it's far easier to come up with some kind of way to continue on (and to introduce replacements) if you're just flipping back to the start of last session.

 

Think of it like how a video game might start you back at the current level when your character dies, instead of sending you back to the start screen to do it ALL over again.

But this is where building the story as it goes comes in, as well as collaborative efforts between the GM and the players. Do the players just want to put together a whole new party, and start a whole different adventure? Do they want to put together a new party that all have reasons to seek out their previous characters? Do they want to put together a new party to complete the adventure that killed them, but they want these new characters to be utterly unconnected to their previous characters and whatever stories they had going on?

If you've been planning specific arcs and long-term goals, then as a GM this will be intensely frustrating for you, because now all the things you'd planned as character moments or opportunities for the first band is going to waste because they're dead. So the Game Master also benefits from not planning too far beyond the current chapter, because they don't know if the characters are even going to be around when it wraps. So plotting for a high lethality campaign is basically akin to prepping a series of modules... you can't go too far down the line, because if you do there's a good chance the characters in question will all be dead, replaced by fresher faces.

Why You Can't Just Bring Them Back

Have you ever seen a parent that counts down from 3 when a child is misbehaving? The child knows that if the parent counts down to 0 then something is going to happen... but if the parent gets to 0 and they don't do anything, now the kid knows it's a bluff. From that point onward, there's always a chance that nothing is going to happen.

This is also what happens if you have a high-lethality game, but you look for reasons to resurrect/save characters who should be dead. Much as with several of the games mentioned above, once resurrection makes an appearance (or once death stays its hand), it takes away the tension and the bite. So while I will absolutely advocate for chases, and the lesser fail states like being taken prisoner or having to face some kind of additional challenge, games that are supposed to be lethal are the ones that don't benefit from allowing characters to just come back from the dead... not unless there's something going on beneath the surface, at least.

After all... coming back wrong can be useful for Game Masters. Especially if it means there's a ticking clock over the character's head that might lead them to taking a few more risks than they normally would to try and escape their dark fate.

On the subject of resurrection, though, I would check out the sourcebook for The Black Ballad (which is all about campaigns set in the underworld once a party dies), the supplement I'm Back: 25 Reasons For A Villain's Survival, as well as my older post Villains Can Cheat Death (Without Taking Away Your Players' Victory).

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 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!

An Autopsy On My Recent Deal of The Day

For folks who haven't been keeping an eye on things, I was recently the Deal of The Day over on Drive Thru RPG. My supplement Beyond The Black: 100 Dread Scenarios On Stranded Starships was on-sale for 50% off for 24 hours or so, and I figured I would take a moment to delve into what happened, and to draw a couple of conclusions from the results.

Before we get started, though, if you grabbed a copy during the sale (or really at any time) please take a moment to leave a rating and review. And if you didn't get a copy... well, consider doing so today! The sale was enough to push it from Silver to Electrum, and I'd love to get it up to one of the even rarer metals if I can!

If you run any kind of sci-fi game, I'd highly recommend grabbing this one.

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!

Let's Break Down The Numbers, Shall We?

So, let's break down exactly what all went down for this particular sale, because it was one of the best DoTD sales I've been part of so far!

- 240 sales (at roughly $0.38 per sale)

- Roughly $90 in sales for that singular supplement

- Around 11 additional sales for related sci-fi supplements

- Total cumulative royalties of $100 for all sales during this period

Now, that's just royalties during this period. However, I sold 261 total supplements during this time. And $100 for a single day? Well, that's pretty good money for someone in the small press, digital only side of things, right?

It sure as hell is! However, take a moment to consider that, on average, I sell somewhere between 3 and 15 supplements a day that I have royalties in. Some days are serious outliers, though, and I'll move 20 or even 30 supplements (usually because someone decides to buy an entire series, or a bundle deal gets popular). But consider that difference for a moment. 30 supplements, versus 261 supplements. This sale performed over 8 times my normal outliers. So, one of my really good days, times 8.

That sounds amazing, right? But let's extrapolate.

Let's take a moment and say that I somehow managed to perform at that level all the time. I've got something like 216 unique supplements out there with my name on them that I've written over the past decade and change, so it's not out of the question. Now, let's say I'm making $100 a day. $700 a week. $3,000 a month or so. $36,000 a year (or $36,500 if we want to take a full accounting of the days).

Sounds like a lot, doesn't it?

It's about to get a lot smaller...

 

Unfortunately, this doesn't take into account taxes. And if I somehow managed to make $36K a year in taxes, I'm probably going to have to write a check for around $6-8K or so, depending on exactly how many deductions I can claim. So we'll take the smaller number, and say I still clear $30K in a year in sales. That means I lose my health insurance, and as an independent creator I don't really have options to go get an affordable plan anywhere else. I also lose any eligibility for most government programs (utility assistance, SNAP, etc.), so all those doors are now shut in my face. And yeah, I might have some additional earnings from affiliate sales, royalties for my novels, and up-front costs from freelance RPG work, but that's pennies per word, and I cannot physically churn out that much stuff every year to make a meaningful dent.

And this is something I've been thinking about today. Because even if I somehow managed to multiply my best days 10-fold and to make that my new norm... I would still be financially screwed in this economy we're operating in.

You can't buy a house on $30K a year. Hell, you probably can't even rent a 1-bedroom apartment in any place worth living for that much, while also buying food. You can't get health insurance. You sure as hell can't afford luxuries like going to conventions, or buying a new car when your old one craps out.

 

So what sounds like an impossible fortune (which would honestly be several thousand more than I've ever earned at any job I've ever had in a year) is still just enough to fall short with.

This Is Why Creators Need Your Support

Buying merch from creators is just one form of support. And while buying books, funding us on Patreon, and giving us tips on Ko-Fi certainly help, there are also free things you can do to help us pay our bills, too. Because if you watch our videos on platforms like YouTube, and subscribe, then that means we earn ad revenue. When you read articles on places like Vocal.media, that earns us money. When you share videos, supplements, or just the posts we make on your social media, that gets us an organic reach that we cannot duplicate, and that will help draw other people to the stuff we're making.

If you want to help a particular creator (whether it's me, or someone else entirely) it costs you effort. But putting a playlist on in the background, hitting a few buttons to subscribe, and leaving a review of something you really liked so others will check it out all adds up at the end of the day.

Almost no one who writes RPGs "for a living" makes enough money doing it. So help folks where you can to ensure they can keep putting food on the table, and keeping the utility company happy.

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 the ongoing audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! 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 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!

Agents and Assets... Providing Backup For Task Force VALKYRIE

It's been a tough year for finding space to write new Storyteller's Vault supplements... however, I have managed to get a couple of submissions in here and there. However, back in February of this year I made my first foray into Hunter with my supplement The Blade Itself: Corrupt Equipment For Hunter: The Vigil. The idea behind corrupt equipment is that it develops a reputation, and grows into a legend of its own, which taps into the same dark force that empowers slashers, while also giving both independent hunters as well as those who have banded together with the more powerful conspiracies another tool to take on the creatures of the night.

And speaking of powerful conspiracies, I recently managed to find time and space to work on another supplement for this corner of the Chronicles of Darkness... which is why I wanted to let everyone out there know to check out Agents and Assets: 100 Personnel and Contacts For Task Force VALKYRIE!

Which I'd recommend getting your hands on, if you need some NPCs to toss into your chronicle.

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!

Here Come The Men In Black

When I decided to take a second swing at Hunter, I wanted to put together an NPC list that would be useful for STs who were running Vigil chronicles, but also for those who were running games in any other part of the Chronicles of Darkness as well. Because while a lot of Storytellers don't relish the idea of bringing in multiple books and running several rule sets simultaneously, hunters are always a threat that's lurking in the background of any game. Vampires, werewolves, prometheans, sin eaters, changelings, and all the rest try to keep such a low profile because they all know down in their bones that mortals can be dangerous... especially when they have the ability to bring know-how and firepower to the fight.

And that is why the agents of Task Force VALKYRIE are always on standby for an ST who wants to make it clear there are consequences for crossing the line, and getting noticed.

The last line of defense for humanity.

To sum up, this supplement is good for STs who are running a Hunter game because Task Force VALKYRIE tends to be such a large presence in the setting. Even if the characters are a lower tier of hunters who are part of a compact, or they're just running the streets on their own, the presence of these shadowy government operatives and their networks is an ideal way to get the hunters information, to steer them toward particular objectives, or even to get them access to unique resources if they play ball with the suit who insists his name is Agent Smith. And on the other hand, Task Force VALKYRIE has enough firepower, skill, and presence to be a genuine threat to any supernatural community, giving players ample reason to maintain the masquerade and keep their heads down lest they become a reason for black choppers, strike teams, or even "accidents" that will be swept under the rug by the black books organization.

Where Should I Go Next?

I've said repeatedly on this blog, and over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, I don't have a crystal ball, so I have no idea what supplements are going to go over well when I put my lists of ideas together. That's why I would like your input as folks who read my blog (and who hopefully enjoy my contributions to Storyteller's Vault). So if you would be so kind, please leave a comment down below including the following:

- What game line would you like to see me contribute to?

- What subject would you feel most useful?

 

As a bonus for folks who are interested, some of the specific ideas I've had include a collection of True Fae titles and a collection of loyalist NPCs for Changeling, and for Hunter I've been considering putting together a collection of slashers as well as some other support lists for conspiracies outside of Task Force VALKYRIE. I've even considered putting together some new courts for changeling, or making my own conspiracy or compact for Hunter to add to the list we already have to choose from. So if any of those things sound tasty, make sure you add that in your comment so I can tally up the votes!

And if you'd like to make EXTRA sure I see your vote, consider leaving it in the comments section of the video below:

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 the ongoing audio drama channel The A.L.I.C.E. Files! 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 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!