Geists, Mages, and More, Oh My! (My Latest Steps Into The 'Chronicles of Darkness' Setting)

Around Halloween of 2022 I asked my readers what sort of content they'd like to see from me for the World/Chronicles of Darkness setting (and if you missed it, the entry was What Corner of The World of Darkness Would You Like To See Me Touch on Next?). One particularly vocal direct request was to see some supplements for Geist: The Sin Eaters, and the comments sections on most social media pages were asking for some content for Mage, whichever edition I happened to prefer.

Well, it's been a few months since then, and both 50 Geists and 100 Shadow Names have hit the market!

However, as I'm catching my breath (and finishing off another supplement for Changeling: The Lost), I wanted to ask folks once again if they had any requests... not just for which game in this setting, but also what type of content they'd like to see!

There's more ideas where these two came from, after all.

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

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

Ask, And Ye Shall Receive

Regular readers already know this, but for folks who are new on this blog, I like to try to get a sense of what my regulars want. Part of that is just good business (you don't want to spend weeks of effort making a thing nobody is interested in, after all), but the other part of it is that I want people to feel like I'm listening to them. So rather than just seeing what floats to the surface of my imagination, I wanted to ask my readers what kind of products they'd like to see for World/Chronicles of Darkness games in the future.

For instance, would you like to see me continue my Geist and Mage offerings? Or would you like me to go back to Changeling, Vampire, or even Werewolf? Should I continue with the list-based format you see with supplements like 100 Resources and Rumors to Find on SchreckNet and Evil Inc.: 10 Pentex Subsidiaries, or would you like to see me try something different? Perhaps ST guides for pre-made freeholds or territories, or guides for running certain subgenres of horror, like Midwest Gothic or Neo Noir? Or perhaps you'd like to see more fiction, like the collection Tales From The Moot, or the ongoing flash fiction series I've been turning into audio dramas?

All of these are options. And if there's something I didn't think of, feel free to make your pitch and see if it grows wings!

What I Need You To Do

If you want to make your voices heard, there are a lot of things you can do to send a message to both me, and to my publishers. Because, contrary to popular belief, I'm not the one who actually publishes these supplements on Drive Thru RPG and Storyteller's Vault; I work with Azukail Games, High Level Games, and other folks to make these things a reality. So in a lot of cases it's not just about what I want to do, but also about what the other folks involved in the process think is a good idea based on the numbers we're clocking.

Firstly, Things You Can Do For Free:

- Comment: Whether it's on this blog entry, or on social media, the more folks who speak up about what they want, the more likely it is to get made.

- Share: The more folks who see this, the more likely we are to get a lot of people participating in the conversation.

- Subscribe to The Azukail Games Youtube Channel: Admittedly, this is best for helping ensure I make more videos, but if you enjoy either my audio dramas or the Discussions of Darkness series I've been doing on the channel, helping me reach the 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watched content monetization requires would be a big help! I'd like to start doing longer, more involved stories, but I need to prove the audience is present if I'm going to get something like a full-sized podcast greenlit.

Secondly, If You Want To Send a Message With Your Money:

- Get Copies of Supplements You Want To See More Of: All 35 of my WoD/CoD supplements can be found on my World/Chronicles of Darkness pinboard. Whether you want to see more Mage, Geist, Vampire, Changeling, or Werewolf, consider grabbing some copies for yourself. The more copies something moves, the more likely it is that I'll be able to get the publisher to greenlight fresh projects in that setting, and of that type.

- Leave Reviews: If you've already gotten copies of some of my supplements, consider leaving a share on DTRPG and Storyteller's Vault. Star ratings are good, but even short reviews about what you liked about a supplement can make a big difference!

Of Course, If You Want To Help Me Out, I'd Appreciate That, Too

And for folks who just want to do their part to help me make more content, please subscribe/follow me in these locations:

- My Facebook

- My LinkTree

- My Weekly Newsletter

- The Azukail Games YouTube Channel (where I contribute video content)

- My Daily Motion Channel (longer videos that won't show up on YouTube)

And if you happen to have some spare dosh lying around, and you want to be sure my supply doesn't run low, consider become a Patreon patron, or leaving a tip by Buying Me a Ko-Fi!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

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

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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

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

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

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

Step through the door and join me, will you?

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

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

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

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

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

All three parts of the story are dramatized below!

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

Potential Plans For The Future

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What's Next on Table Talk?

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

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

A "Chronicles of Darkness" Mortals Game, With a Twist!

I tend to give a lot of advice for Game Masters and Storytellers on my Monday posts. That wasn't what I originally intended this slot to be for, but it seems popular, so I try to go with the flow when it comes to what readers want to see more of. And as the holidays close in on us, and many of us are spending time with folks we may not get to see that often, I thought I'd share an idea for a Chronicles of Darkness chronicle that I had forever and a day ago, but which I've never had the time to actually run.

For ease of discussion, let's call it a Faces of Death campaign, as PCs dying is when things get interesting.

It might be hard to convince your players, but it may be worth the effort.

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

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

Worse Things Than Death Lurk in The Shadows

As a quick note before we get started, this strategy can be use for both World of Darkness games as well as New World of Darkness (or Chronicles 1st Edition, if you prefer) games. But for simplicity's sake, I'm just going to stick to discussing the one edition, and the options it presents you as a Storyteller.

Now then, on to the idea!

To begin with, have your players put together a group of mortal characters. I recommend keeping special abilities or powers (like one might find in Second Sight) off the table... initially, at least. You can even run this as an avatar game setup (where players make game versions of themselves) if you want to. That might add a little spice to the game once the twist comes, but it won't be for everyone.

So what's the twist, already?

There is no fixed plot for the initial game. Whether your players are private investigators looking into missing persons cases, or they're small time hoods just trying to make a living on the streets, or there's a bizarre, occult conspiracy that has sucked them all up, the initial plot is not what matters. What matters is what happens when one of the PCs dies, or appears to die.

At that moment, you invoke the shadows of the setting, and some supernatural force manifests to bring the character back as a member of one of the spheres of the other CoD lines.

Let's say, for example, that the gang was selling drugs in a vampire's territory. Shot full of holes, they're going to die... until a figure in black grabs them, and offers them a drink of their blood. Either becoming a ghoul, or a full-on newly-forged vampire, gives the character a new lease on life. Perhaps it's the vampire whose territory the gang was unknowingly operating in, or one of that vampire's rivals eager to turn the PCs into weapons in a territorial dispute, the reason is up to you. Alternatively, perhaps the danger, fear, and injury triggers one character's latent werewolf heritage, and they undergo their first change, healing rapidly from the wounds that should have killed them. The character might take a final level of damage, and collapse into a pile of leaves and twine, as it turns out they were a fetch the entire time, and now the player gets to re-make their character as a recently-escaped changeling. The dying mortal might hear the whispers of a Geist offering to keep them from shuffling off the mortal coil, or they might actually die, only to awaken as a recently-made Promethean whose memories of the past are... fragmentary, to say the least.

Maintaining Power Level, and Avoiding ST-Assisted Death

A Faces of Death game is, in short, a way for an ST to either slowly induct the party into a given sphere of the Chronicles of Darkness setting, or to create a troupe game with everyone finding their own way into one of the various game lines. Personally, I recommend using this for a troupe game, because I feel that it provides the most varied options, and it helps you find ways to maintain power level and challenge when it comes to the ongoing chronicle.

There's a lot in there, so let me unpack it.

First of all, let's discuss power dynamics. Because it's true that whoever it is that dies first is going to wind up with a leg up over the rest of the folks in the game in some ways. Whether they become a full-on supernatural creature, or they end up with a lesser template as a ghoul, an ensorcelled mortal, etc., they're going to have access to resources and abilities that the rest of the table may not have. However, to counter that, it's important to also provide additional complications and limitations that the rest of the table doesn't have to deal with (but which could act as additional plot fodder).

For example, let's say that one character did become a vampire. Now they have to follow the rules of the masquerade, and they have to do what they can to exist in the world of the night. They might have new powers they can use, such as moving faster or becoming stronger, but their powers shouldn't immediately fix problems presented in the chronicle. The mortal hacker, or the socialite with connections among the business community, are still going to be useful when it comes to investigating mysteries and solving crimes, even if the group's bruiser no longer has a pulse and has to drink blood, for example. Most importantly, though, one character becoming a vampire now means you can bring in the lore, enemies, and plots involving those monsters going forward. And every time you bring in a new creature or game line, the amount of stuff you can call on just gets bigger.

Additionally, as the game goes on, your players have to deal with the competing interests of the different factions they belong to, and they have to choose sides in what's happening. As an example, if one of the other party members becomes a changeling, does their assistance with someone else's vampire have political ramifications? Can the werewolf and the promethean still work together, or does the werewolf risk ostracization from their community if they don't destroy something that unnatural? What kind of political points can be scored by forging alliances, or toppling existing rulers? These are the sorts of opportunities a Faces of Death game can present, if you choose to pursue them.

What was that last part, though?

Once players realize that they get an upgrade when they die (assuming you didn't start the game off explaining this twist), it's possible that folks begin taking on suicidal acts hoping that this is the time they get their monster badge. It's important for you, as the ST, to discourage this behavior up-front by explaining that purposefully putting your character in danger for the hope of more power, rather than for story purposes or because of the roll of the dice, won't result in a positive outcome.

However, if someone's mortal character doesn't die, make it clear that they can still get their own upgrades so they don't feel like the token PC in the monster chronicle.

Characters who manage to outlive their compatriots might find themselves awakening as Mages simply from the constant exposure to all of the supernatural goings-on around them. They might end up becoming a part of a Hunter faction, gaining access to the gear, resources, etc., of those who bump off the things that go bump in the night. They could also combine the various boons that can be given to mortals, such as drinking blood from a vampire to become a ghoul, swearing an oath with a changeling to gain additional skills and power, etc. You can even break out books like Second Sight, granting them their own set of powers they can use to keep up with the rest of the table.

Final Recommendations and Challenges

A lot of the following pieces of advice are going to depend on your table, and your players. It's also going to depend how much they trust you. Generally speaking, though, these are areas you should address before you begin.

- Would your table react well to the twist being secret? Some players would think this was an awesome continuation of a character, while others might think this was a big manipulation. If you're not sure you can always err on the middle ground of telling your players there's going to be a twist, but asking if they want you to spoil it for them or not.

- Ensure that players are onboard with roleplaying the transformation and understanding of a monster's new life. Part of the fun of this change is seeing characters alter and adjust to their new life situation. How do they deal with their new urges, their altered perceptions on morality, or the new responsibilities they now have to deal with? Even if we, as players, know the mythos and the ins-and-outs of the monsters, playing them from the perspective of an established character who has to see it all with fresh eyes is part of the challenge.

- Ask yourself (if not your players directly) what kind of monster they would most enjoy playing (or which ones they definitely don't want to play). This is another that's going to vary by player and table. Part of the challenge of a Faces of Death game is that the specific monster the PCs end up becoming should vary by plot and circumstances. For example, if you're doing a vampire arc, then becoming a ghoul or a vampire is the most thematically-appropriate option. However, if you know a given player really doesn't care for vampires, and wouldn't enjoy playing one, then perhaps they're approached by a Geist that was a victim of that same kindred in the past. Maybe this is where their latent werewolf heritage comes out. Even if you want to give your players input on what kinds of monsters they'd like to become, consider a ranked-choice system, or a general template, but not giving them specifics. A player might pick "vampire" as their creature, but surprise them with the particular clan they're turned by, for example.

- Remember to include the mortal side of things, as well as the supernatural. As I said back in World of Darkness Storytellers, Don't Forget The Mortal Side of Things, but it bears repeating. All the supernatural wooge in the world does you no good if you have to blend in and mix with the normal folk in order to complete the plot, so keep that in mind when you're designing your challenges.

Additional Resources

Regular readers know I've been making WoD/CoD content for a while now, and I've got an RPG pin board with the 30+ supplements I've made for Werewolf, Vampire, and Changeling. However, some supplements that will be most useful for populating a Faces of Death Game include:

- Deadly Country: 100 NPCs of Central Florida: While this one is location-specific, the characters can easily be shifted to most other parts of the country, as the Storyteller needs.

- 100 Ensorcelled Mortals: A Changeling: The Lost supplement, this one is quite useful if you want at least one member of your chronicle to have a brush with the world of the fae.

- New World Shadows: 100 Ghouls For The American Sabbat and New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla: While originally written for Vampire: The Masquerade, these NPCs can be easily shifted and re-imagined for whatever edition of the setting you happen to be using.

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 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 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!