Should I Make Videos For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic"?

As most folks know, I've been contributing videos to the Azukail Games YouTube channel for a while now (and you should check them out and subscribe if you haven't yet). While I originally talked about my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age fantasy RPG setting for Pathfinder and DND 5E, I started making audio dramas for the vignettes found in my supplements soon after. That eventually grew into Discussions of Darkness where I talk about the World and Chronicles of Darkness, and Tabletop Mercenary, where I talk about the business side of publishing in general, and RPGs in particular.

However, I was wondering if folks would like to see me talk more about my first full RPG, Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic on the channel?

... what do you think?

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!

Fighting The War On All Fronts

There are some people who prefer to read articles because they consume text more easily. There are some people who prefer to see the face of the people who make the products they use, and to hear the thought process of the designer in an interview-style format. For the former there's plenty of blog entries right here on Improved Initiative about this game, why I designed it the way I did, and the potential it has going forward... but I figured that it might be worth expanding that a little bit.

And not just because the unboxing video for my copies of the game books was one of the higher-watched videos the channel has put out in a while.

While it's been on the market since this Spring, Army Men has already had 2 supplements drop for it (Threat Assessments, which has more monsters and enemies for troopers to deal with, and Medals of Honor, which includes a Medal System for giving permanent bonuses and rewards to troopers who accomplish particular feats in the field), and there are 2 more in the queu to be released by Azukail Games in the future.

Since I'm still fighting to get the game seen and played (we're only 7 sales away from hitting Copper status last I checked the figure sheets), I figured that this is one area I haven't expanded into yet, and I wanted to see what you thought of it as members of the potential audience? Would you be interested in watching me talk about Army Men, giving break downs of the game, the world, the ideas behind it, and the supplements I've both made for it, and would like to make for it?

Some topics that are currently under consideration include:

- Reviews/rundowns of the current supplements

- Discussions of future supplements/soliciting audience opinions on what should come next

- Breakdown of the lore/setting/timeline of the resinous peoples

- Advice for how to run missions with this game

If there's something you'd like to see that isn't on the list, please feel free to include it in the comments below, with one exception. While it's been mentioned a time or two that I should do a recorded play of the game with a group and put that up for folks to see how it plays in real time, that is something currently outside the scope of my space, my equipment, and my skills. If I were to put something like that together it would take a lot of scheduling, resources, and editing to make it look good, sound good, and play smoothly... and that just isn't something I'm capable of making at the moment.

So it's not out of the question, but it isn't something I'd be able to make happen this year, barring something going extremely well for the game, and a massive audience showing up out of nowhere to raise their voices for it.

With that said, though, as long as I'm putting together additional supplements, my hope is to (at the very least) continue giving my listeners glimpses into the world, and into what Army Men can be as a game, and all of the different genres it can cover, and the stories it can tell. Such as this piece, taken from Medals of Honor, which has a definite James Bond flair to it.

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 Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! 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 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!

You Can Weigh-In On Future Supplements For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic"!

It's been several months since my first RPG, Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic went live for sale! Since then we've seen the release of two supplements for it already; Army Men: Threat Assessments (which is full of additional monsters and creatures for your troopers to content with), and Army Men: Medals of Honor (which introduces the Medals System for rewarding players for their deeds done on the field, and introducing additional abilities). And while there's still one more supplement that should be coming out from Azukail Games soon titled Ungentlemanly Warfare: A Baker's Dozen of Booby Traps, I'm currently loading up my queue with fresh projects.

So I wanted to share some of the things that might be on the horizon for the resinous peoples of the Plastos Federation!

So grab your copy, and check it out for yourself!

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!

Missions, Armory Updates, and More!

I recently pu up a poll on the Army Men Facebook group (which you should join if you want to stay on top of the game's developments, and make your voices heard!), and I tested the wind a little bit as to which direction folks were hoping to go. However, if you're here reading this update, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments section below, or to reach out on social media to let your thoughts be known!

Top Option: Quick Play Scenarios

Even in the early stages of development, I knew that Army Men was going to need missions as one of its supporting supplements. Because while all the pieces are there for Game Masters to start running stuff in the world, nothing would flesh it out quite like providing some scenarios to help folks get a feel for play. It's one reason that I made sure the base book came with a starting mission, as well as some suggestions for additional hooks! However, I also know through putting together adventure modules like The Price of Iron (an introductory module about dark fey and strange promises), as well as The Curse of Sapphire Lake (the hate-child of Friday the 13th and Beowulf), adventure modules are one of those things that are a tough sell for the public... not only that, but they take a rather large amount of energy on my part as a creator. A time and energy-intensive project with minimal sales prospects is not a great way to light the fire of enthusiasm.

However, a suggestion that was made (and which folks seemed to support) was the idea of quick play scenarios for the game.

The idea is pretty straightforward. For those who haven't come across this kind of scenario before, it acts as a bare bones setup for an adventure, giving the general tools to the Game Master including maps, important NPCs, point buy layouts for gear (to represent standard, hard, and easier values). Game Masters are given a set of mission parameters and victory conditions, and then the squad is turned loose to see who wins, and who dies. All in all, where a standard adventure module will be anywhere from 7k to 10k words, a quick play scenario will probably only be 2k to 3k words... just the facts, and that's all you need!

To give this a real test run, I'm considering writing between 3 and 5 of these scenarios. That would give you enough to level up your squad (as you are supposed to level every 3 missions), or to level them twice if we include the introductory mission in the base book!

Secondary Option: Expanded Armory

While I did kick around several other options, including more detailed mission modules, guides to the various nations and their cultures, as well as expanded Exploits list, the second-largest amount of votes went to supplements that would expand the armory for players. It makes sense, after all, since the tools players bring onto the battlefield are one of the biggest resources they have to determine their success or failure.

Now, the base book already has a respectable amount of weapons, armor, and extra tools for players to utilize... however, I did have a number of ideas for supplements I could put together. The first would just be something like Army Men: Weapons Locker, with more options to go along with the standard, modern-ish feeling that most of the base book's weapons boast. This would have additional weapons, armor, and most importantly things like expanded grenades, along with the possibility of different ammuntion types that could give players a fresh, but limited, resource that would be appropriate to particular situations.

A second supplement, perhaps something like Army Men: Slings and Arrows, would deal with medieval weaponry and older types of weapons you might still find in the setting (either because the troopers in question are so old they remember when these were standard-issue, or as an extra challenge for missions where modern weaponry isn't as readily available, and players need to go Predator on the vespoids).

A third supplement, which could expand on the Experimental weapon descriptor found in Medals of Honor, would be full of high-tech (though largely untested) equipment options created in the laboratories of the various member nations of the Plastos Federation. In addition to the electric rifle found in that supplement you might find gyrojet weapons, cloaking generators, personal force fields, self-healing materials that repair damage to weapons and armor, or even stranger items!

It's All Up To You!

I've beaten this dead horse a lot recently, but it's something I like to remind people of. When it comes to the books I write, the games I create, and the supplements I work on, I'm not just doing this for my own personal enjoyment. While I like my job, I'm guided by what you, the readers and players out there, actually want to see from me! If there's something you all want to see more of, then that's the thing I'm going to pursue... and if there's something that doesn't have the support, then I can't really afford to spend my time tinkering with it.

So keep that in mind before you weigh in on what you'd like to see when it comes to Army Men. Because if you really do want to see this game expand, and you're looking forward to playing some missions at your own table, raise your voice and let me know! But if this isn't a game you're going to pick up, or if none of these sound like things you're interested in as a gamer, then I don't want to be working off bad data from what my audience wants from me going forward.

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 Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! 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 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!

Breaking Down Army Men: Medals of Honor

It's been a couple of months since my RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic hit the market. While we're just about a dozen sales away from Copper status (so pick up your copy today to help us get there!), I didn't want to let the grass grow under my feet with it. While the first supplement Army Men: Threat Assessments dropped the first month after the full game was available, the second supplement is now out from Azukail Games!

For this week's Crunch installment I wanted to take folks inside Army Men: Medals of Honor, explain its general purpose, and see if it gets your own wheels turning!

That which doesn't kill you expands your ribbon rack.

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! 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!

Recognition and Reward

Rewards for your actions are pretty standard in most RPGs. In a traditional game you tend to get loot from the dungeons, or you get treasure which you haul back to town in order to buy upgraded weapons, armor, etc. In some instances you'll also receive story rewards (such as a character being knighted for their service to the crown, or being given a castle and estate) that, while impressive, doesn't really do anything for you mechanically except give you a base of operations to store your stuff.

In a standard game of Army Men, though, players are a squad of troopers acting in service to the Plastos Federation, or one of its member nations. Because they're part of the armed forces, they don't show up with their own weapons, armor, and extra gear; they requisition it before the mission. This gives the Game Master a great deal of latitude regarding how over/underarmed the players are, and the challenge they're going to have to face once (or if) combat begins. However, players also tend not to get any kind of loot on their missions, since they draw a salary from the government that employs them, and their enemies are likely to be gigantic bugs with no concept of monetary value or currency. So when the question of rewards came up in my mind, the obvious solution seemed to be medals and commendations; after all, if you show bravery in the field, and you accomplish a mission with efficiency and skill, that's usually the way to mark such a deed.

Some medals require greater sacrifice than others.

That is where Army Men: Medals of Honor comes into the picture. Because while completing missions and returning to give your post-action report is how your troopers go up in rank (the game's term for your character level), I didn't want that to be the only benefit of living to fight another day. The medals system, introduced in this supplement, allows Game Masters to give out awards to individual characters, or entire squads, who have managed to accomplish certain, notable feats while on the battlefield. And while these medals have significance to the story and the setting, each of them also comes with an additional ability granted to a recipient.

For example, the Distinguished Marksman Badge, which is awarded by the Acetal Alliance, requires that an individual trooper score a minimum of 50 critical hits against targets who are at least 30 feet away. A separate track must be kept for pistols and rifles, as each medal has its own requirement. Once a trooper has earned this medal, their critical hit range with the weapon type in question expands from natural 20s, to a 19-20 range (though a roll of 19 must still hit the target's armor class to qualify as a critical hit).

This supplement contains 50 medals, with 10 examples from each nation, as well as 10 medals given out by the Plastos Federation as an organization. While some of these medals are nation-specific (meaning that recipients must be members of that particular nation's armed forces in order to qualify for these medals), others are available to any member nation's army, or may be awarded for joint operations where multiple nations are working together toward a single end.

As With Equipment, The Power Is In The Game Master's Hands

While this system may seem like just another way for players to rack up additional powers on their sheets, since medals can grant additional skill proficiencies, bonus languages, rerolls of certain checks, and so on, it's important to remember that the circumstances surrounding these medals has to be facilitated by the Game Master. Whether it's ensuring that characters are part of a certain nation's military, or that certain opportunities come up on their missions, these medals aren't things players can get without Game Master assistance.

You need to set them up with the situation required to earn them.

With that said, if you're going to use the medals system, I encourage Game Masters to make players aware of it, and to ask what kinds of commendations they'd like their troopers to earn by the end of the campaign. Because while being rewarded for one's achievements in the field is always gratifying, sometimes it can be just as motivating knowing that every mission brings you one step closer to earning a particular medal!

Bonus Content: New Weapon Property Unlocked!

In addition to the medals system, and all of the examples I've laid out for Game Masters to add to their Army Men campaigns, I also dropped a little bonus into this supplement. We now have the Experimental weapon property, which is a property describing weapons that have yet to be fully field-tested, and which aren't entirely reliable just yet. This is meant to be a foot in the door, as one of the expansions I've wanted to write for the game is Army Men: Weird War, where in addition to a bunch of new casts, training schools, exploits, monsters, and more, I also wanted to introduce some sci-fi style weapons, armor, and equipment. Because while these weapons would put a lot of raw power into your troopers' hands, they also represent a risk if something goes wrong.

But you can't work out the bugs if you never test the equipment under battlefield conditions... right?

So if this weapon property (in addition to the sample experimental lightning rifle listed in the supplement) is something you want to see more of, make sure you grab your copy today, and let me know in your review. Additional experimental equipment suggestions are encouraged as well, so if you have something you really want to see, feel free to include that, too!

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 my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! 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 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!