I'm starting to think that October is cursed. For the past 2 years every time this month rolls around, people important to me have to move. Not want to. Not start looking into it. Have to, because something has gone wrong, and their current living situation is no longer workable.
This year is, sadly, no different. But before we get into that, let me get my patron shout-out in, because you all are the ones keeping my numbers up, and ensuring I can keep the bills paid!
- Chris Dundon (To Valhalla, my friend!)
- Brenton Ayres (You're doing more than your part to keep the wheels turning!)
- Tracy Bailey-Mathews (Hopefully some of what I write is helping with the campaign!)
- Joy Von Holle (One of my oldest and most appreciated supporters on this list!)
My patrons are what make these blogs possible... so if you want to make sure I keep putting out fresh posts, consider heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page, and consider making a pledge today. Or, if you don't want a subscription, consider tossing a tip into my jar on The Literary Mercenary's Ko-Fi page instead!
For less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day, you can sponsor a creative of your very own!
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!
The Small Favor (Which Is Sort Of Time Sensitive)
I talked about this a little while back in Author and RPG Designer Alice Liddell is Moving, And Really Needs Our Help To Make It Happen, but apparently there's been some confusion regarding that post, so I wanted to clear that up for readers. I thought I was clear at the time, but to re-iterate, Alice is not moving because she wants to. Her life circumstances have taken another downturn, and she has to move... worse, this move is happening unexpectedly, and without a lot in the way of preparation, so she doesn't have the budget saved up to just get new housing with a snap of her fingers.
She's working hard, but the math simply isn't mathing. As such, I'm asking folks who read my blog to please consider pitching in to help her land on her feet so she can get through this crisis.
The post I linked above has the exhaustive list of ways folks can help (both paid and free), but I wanted to narrow that list for this week to focus on 3 distinct things people can do.
- Buy her a Ko-Fi to help her pay for necessities (moving truck, administrative fees, etc.)
Again, there are more ways you can help in the original blog link at the beginning of this section, but I wanted to narrow things down, and sharpen the call to action. Our hope is that we'll be able to handle this situation quickly, and get things settled into some kind of normalcy... but any help you could provide would be greatly appreciated in getting her through this unexpected challenge!
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!
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!
First and foremost, I wanted to apologize to folks. Things have been truly hectic on my end of the screen, with a lot of people in my circles having to pull stakes and get out of their current situation in a hurry. And one of those people is my partner and co-creator Alice Liddell. She is facing a serious uphill battle, she needs to move quickly, and could really use some help to make the ends meet on this rope trick.
I know money is tight for everyone right now, so let me say this up front. If you have money you can lend to the cause, please do that. But if your belt is tight, there are things you can do that don't cost a single red cent that will help. The full list is below, but please, if you've read this far, we need as many hands on deck as possible, and in whatever capacity you can.
Thank you in advance to everyone out there. It really means a lot to us.
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's How You Can Help
I'll get right to the point this week. We are facing a lot of expenses, and a lot of bills to make this happen. And while Alice and myself are cranking out as much content as we can for folks' enjoyment, it hasn't made us wealthy. And if you want to help get her settled in a safe place of her own where she can keep writing books, streaming, and recording more audio dramas for folks' enjoyment, please take a look at the following list.
If You Just Want To Donate Money
This is the most direct way to help ensure that Alice has cash in-hand to pay bills and cover costs. If you just want to give Alice a little extra money to cover costs (even if it's just a couple bucks), then go to her Ko-Fi page, and send a small donation.
If You'd Like To Buy Some Coffee
In addition to a Ko-Fi page (which is a place that people can go to just give Alice a tip), she also has a partnership with Bones coffee. Given that massive layoffs were just announced in the trucking industry, and the fact that the Strait of Hormuz is still closed, it might be best to have enough bags of brown joy on-hand to last you a month... or two... or six.
So go through Alice's link, buy some Bones, and you'll get tasty coffee, while she gets her affiliate payment.
If You'd Like To Buy Some Books
Alice writes a lot of books, and she's got a little something for every taste. From Succumb To Darkness, which is about vampires during the French Revolution, to Geisha Hands, which is a historical novel which she also illustrated about a geisha's life in Japan, there are a lot of options. Check out her main Amazon author page (as well as her secret Little Alice author page which has even more books) and grab something for your next read. Kindle is good if you don't mind digital, but if you get a physical copy she can sign it for you if you run into us at an event!
If You'd Like To Check Out Her RPG Supplements
Like myself, Alice has also published several titles through Azukail Games. So if you're one of the regular RPG folks who come to this blog, I'd recommend taking a look at her titles:
While I can recommend each of these titles, I will say that if you want to get all of them we should have a bundle deal coming out for them soon. If you just want one or two, though, it's a good idea to pick them up sooner rather than later!
Free Things You Can Do To Help
The previous sections are all things that are guaranteed to put cash in Alice's hands relatively quickly, and in a lot of circumstances you also get a tasty bit of merch. But if you want to go the extra mile (or you just don't have the extra money to spare for the other options right now), then please do the following things:
- Subscribe to Alice's gaming YouTube channel KHR Arts (she needs 17 more subscribers to cross the monetization minimum, and then all she has to worry about are the watched hours before it starts paying her every month).
- Subscribe to The A.L.I.C.E. Files (this is the ongoing audio drama series she and I have been working on. We're only 109 subscribers and 1,000 hours of watched content away from unlocking the initial monetization options, which would allow us to start earning with that channel).
- Subscribe to Alice The Author (this is Alice's channel where she talks about being an author, and you could subscribe to all 3 of her channels for the hat trick. This one is only 43 subscribers away from the initial payout level, and only needs 1,000 hours and change to cross that goal, thanks to a recent semi-viral video).
- Follow Alice on Instagram, and interact with her posts (Instagram is one of the only social media sites where she was/is monetized, but she's been effectively shadow banned for being too LGBTQ+ friendly. So let's boost her numbers, and force the algorithm to give her the exposure she needs to get paid)!
- Follow Alice on Twitch (she hasn't been streaming since the basement flooded, which was the inciting incident that has led to the current troubles... but she'll be back to it as soon as she's in a space where she can, and having a bigger audience waiting for her would be pretty nifty).
All Your Help Is Deeply Appreciated
It feels like every time we turn around there's another creator, artist, or community that's in desperate need of help. So if you've read this far (especially if you did at least a few of the things I listed above), thank you. Every little bit helps, as the old saying goes, and we're just doing our best to roll with the punches... but this one is an uppercut, and it's got us seeing stars.
So again, thank you.
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!
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!
It's been one hell of a ride thus far, but I wanted to take a moment to throw some confetti in the air, and to celebrate the completion of Season 1 of The A.L.I.C.E. Files! It's been nearly a year of work (if you count all the pre-launch efforts that went into the first few episodes), and we managed to get everything out without a single delay, and only minimal problems. And even though we aren't where we need to be with it yet, I didn't want to just let this accomplishment pass by without remarking on it.
And whether you've been following the project since its inception, or you're just now hearing about it, I wanted to take a moment to ask for your help. Because in order for us to keep the wheels turning, we're going to need help from listeners like you.
Don't worry, though, we aren't asking people for money.
Before we get into the nitty gritty this week, don't forget to sign up for my bi-weekly newsletter to
get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of
spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning,
consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.
Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!
What's The Show About (And What Can You Do To Help)?
For folks who are just joining us, The A.L.I.C.E. Files is a YouTube channel I launched in partnership with Alice Liddell earlier this year. The two of us combined our efforts to produce audio versions of various stories (our own stories, public domain stories, and a couple of fan works), which are all part of an overarching narrative about a young woman designated Alice who has accepted a position with the Carroll Institute. This shadowy organization explores parallel dimensions, and the stories that Alice witnesses are the reports sent back by the agents who went through the Rabbit Hole... and even if they didn't make it back, their stories did.
So the vibe is one part SCP Foundation, and one part Delta Green, with a hefty dose of Alice in Wonderland thrown in for good measure!
The trailer is only a few minutes long, if you want to check it out for yourself before reading any further.
Now, the plan for Season 1 was to essentially lay out the general format for the show, and to get listeners used to Alice's new routine. We follow her as she explores the parts of the building she's allowed inside, we meet several of her coworkers, and we get little hints here and there of the greater lore of the setting. Mostly, though, the first season focuses on the files she witnesses on behalf of the Archive. However, sharp-eyed folks (or just those who read the entry Can You Spot The Clues in The A.L.I.C.E. Files (What Are Your Theories?)) may have also noticed that we started dropping plot seeds early, in addition to putting a couple of ARG elements into the show for those who enjoy trying to follow the bread crumbs of an unfolding mystery.
As far as Season 2 goes, Alice was given a serious choice in the finale. Confronted by a bizarre being she can't explain, she's handed a key, and a mystery. Will she report it to her superiors? Will she follow the mystery as it's handed to her? Or will she simply push it out of her mind, put her head down, and just try to keep doing her job? Our goal with Season 2 was to start branching out into an in-universe storyline, and to incorporate a number of popular creepy pasta stories and ideas into the plot, in addition to the more traditional dramatized stories we put together in Season 1.
However, if we're going to get through this, we're going to need help from readers like you.
Again, we're not asking for money. Just the press of a few buttons, and your ears.
Our goal when we started The A.L.I.C.E. Files was to get the channel monetized so that we could earn money from ad revenue, audience tips, and all the other methods available to creators. It would be a tough road, given that YouTube requires a channel to have 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 hours of watched content in a 365-day period (which is roughly 11.5 hours a day, every day, all year long), but we were confident that we could do that. It might take us a while, but we knew we'd be able to get there eventually.
Unfortunately, thanks to a decision from YouTube, we don't have eventually anymore. We have until the end of the year, sink or swim.
I recently laid out the details over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, but the short version is that YouTube is doubling the amount of watch hours a channel needs to have before it can be monetized starting early next year. So we no longer have a couple of years to build up multiple seasons and a large enough audience... we have just under 4 months, and the clock is ticking!
So whether you're just finding out about the channel, or you've been cheering us on since we started back in the spring, please, do the following to help us keep the wheels turning:
- Upvote episodes you like, and leave comments (the algorithm likes it when people do that)
- Share the show on your social media pages to help more people find out about us
At time of writing we have 369 subscribers, and we're just over 1,600 watched hours. We've still got some time left, but we need as many people out there to please add your voices, hit the buttons, and tell people about this project.
There are already a lot of shows that got a 1-season trial, and then disappeared due to audience disinterest. If we can get people to click that subscribe button, and actually show up for our episodes, we've got at least 3 seasons planned. Possibly 4, if folks really want to see more! But if we get the door shut in our face by YouTube, then sadly we might have to move on to something different instead.
Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!
That's all for this week's Table Talk. To stay on top of all my content and releases, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter at the bottom of the page!
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!
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 adventureA 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!
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.
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:
- 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!
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!
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:
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!
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!
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.
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!
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!
Regular readers around these parts know that one of my more infamous series of supplements is the World's Oldest Profession books. I figured that since there's always been some variety of brothel in our games, why not rip the band aid off and stop playing coy about it? Well, the first book sold a lot better than I expected it to, and the ones that followed in its footsteps did pretty well, also. I don't want to chase that vein so deep that the joke gets old, though, so I try to space out those releases.
However, Adrian recently came to me with a fresh idea that plays on the same taboo nature, and gives Game Masters a little more to work with in terms of unique places for players to enjoy some "recreation" while also picking up rumors, meeting NPCs, and all the other activities. That idea? A Dekas of Drug Dens, since you ask!
However, should this be a one-off supplement? Or should it follow the same pattern as the previous series I mentioned... links below, for those who are curious!
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!
An Alternative To The Run-Of-The-Mill Tavern?
The tavern is one of the major staples of most games, and they're often the centerpiece of any town. After all, it's why my supplement 100 Random Taverns is a gold bestseller on DTRPG. But sometimes you want to give your players somewhere different to go to... like a rotting hole full of psychadelic mushrooms overseen by a fungus-possessed troll, perhaps? Or maybe a former mine owned by a mad alchemist who is producing some kind of black crystals meant for smoking? A former holy site where people inhale hen bane vapors to commune with their ancestors, an underground club in a graveyard where people perform unspeakable acts, and more are all available in this supplement!
My question for you, the audience, is should we expand it, and go even further?
Temporary, or permanent, stat negatives may occur.
Whether it's to put together a list of NPCs one might find at these hives of ill repute, assembling a list of whispers and rumors to hear, or maybe even putting together a list of unique drugs for the GMs to use... though that one would likely have to be game-specific, since different games have different rules and stats for drug use, addiction, and what the short and long-term uses of the drugs are.
After all, I put together Silvertongue for Bastards of Golarion, so it's not like I'm exactly new to the idea of making in-game drugs!
But if this is something you'd like to see happen, there are a few ways you can raise your voice to be sure that both I, and my publisher, hear you.
- Buy a copy of A Dekas of Drug Dens, rate it, and in your review, tell us what sequels you'd like to see
- Leave a comment on this post, telling me what you want to see
- Make your opinion known on social media where you've seen posts about this article, or the supplement
These are in descending order of power. The publisher is always going to listen to the paying public first, but those who make a lot of noise on blogs, the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or on one of our social media pages, may end up getting their wish.
So please take the actions you feel you can if you want to see this supplement series expand!
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!
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!
Folks who have been watching my saga recently (detailed in my post Another Social Media Struggle (Reddit Has Decided To Kick Me In The Teeth, And I Could Use Some Help)) have likely noticed that one of the major challenges that every creator in the world is dealing with is that we simply cannot reach our potential audience. And the reason we can't seem to reach people is because the social media sites and groups that used to help us connect are now throttling our signals, restricting our ability to post, and trusting to bots to determine what kind of posts are allowed, and when an account needs to be shut off... even when it's wrong.
And while I'm taking several steps at present (seeking out new Discords that might appreciate my work, coming up with a fresh Reddit strategy, trying to figure out why the hell Facebook stops me from making posts anywhere but my own personal pages, etc.), there is one thing that I would like all of you reading this to do for me. I would like you to please go to my Patreon and my Ko-Fi pages, and subscribe/follow me there.
If you want to tip me or support me for what I'm doing, I appreciate that. But mostly I'm going to be using those accounts a LOT more, because they seem to be some of the only places that I can actually let people who enjoy my work see what the hell it is I'm making.
Because a lot of what I'm putting out is getting lost in the screaming void, and I'd like you to see it.
But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to
get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of
spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning,
consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.
Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!
You Get A Direct Feed (And It's Technically Free)!
The entire point of social media, from a creator's perspective, is to connect you with your audience, and your potential audience. As someone whose hair is more gray than not these days, I remember when it basically did this, too. I've quoted the numbers before, but a decade or so ago I could get hundreds of impressions from Facebook, thousands from Reddit, and tens of thousands on a good day from Digg or Stumbleupon (both of which have gone down into the dark depths of websites murdered by AI slop). These days, though, it feels like the same 17 people see all my posts on whatever social media I'm part of, and when I do manage to fly through the storm of algorithm interference it's like trying to get an emergency message to someone through a time machine.
Dearest Allies, I request your aid in this time of dire need...
Which is why I wanted to take this week's post to ask everyone who made it this far to follow me on Patreon and Ko-Fi. Because while both of those are crowdfunding websites, you can follow me for free on both of them, and get notified when I share things on them (it's usually once or twice a day in the evenings, so not a huge inbox stuffer). And I'm asking this because, just like my newsletter that I mentioned above, it's one of the only ways for you to actually see and hear what I'm doing without the algorithm getting in the way, waiting for moderators to approve a post (which can take hours, days, or weeks), or depending on your For You Page to decide that you get to see stuff that I've made, as opposed to your 19th advertisement of the day.
My hope is that if I can get enough folks onboard with this request that I can get direct feedback from people who want to be in my audience the way that I used to on the sites that have slammed all their doors, and which are burying creators under restrictions and inertia. Because I post dozens of things (sometimes as much as a hundred posts or more) every day... and there are a lot of people who have tried to follow me who just don't hear about it because the algorithm won't slide it into their feeds.
So get a direct line, and let me know what you think of my work today!
Lastly, speaking of Reddit, there are two subreddits that I moderate that I would like to invite folks to. I am the moderator of Tabletop Homebrew! So if you have things you'd like to share, or if you want to see the sort of things creators are making and sharing, stop in, get comfortable, and take a look around. We'd be happy to have you.
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!
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!
We've all heard that philosophical argument about how if a tree falls in the forest, but there's no one around to see it or hear it, did it actually fall? Well, that's kind of what being a creator is like. Because it doesn't matter how amazing your art is, how engaging your book might be, or how deep and thoughtful your video essays are, because if no one knows they exist, they can't actually become fans of your work. And since most creators don't have money to spend on advertisements, or doing dozens upon dozens of conventions where they take a loss every time as they try to build an audience, we rely on social media to get the word out about what we do.
And while social media enshittification has been hitting hard, I've been managing to tread water... until recently. Because the last piece of driftwood I was clinging to seems to have snapped underneath me, and now I'm back to trying not to drown.
And this, of course, involves the hive of scum and villainy that goes by the name Reddit.
A hand up would be deeply appreciated right now...
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!
The Social Media Saga (And Why This Is Such A Problem)
The official term for what we're all struggling with these days is Platform Decay, but most of us refer to it as Enshittification. Essentially social media started off as a free, functional way for us to keep in touch with our friends, family, and creators, celebrities, etc. that we liked to follow, and it mostly worked. But over the past several years it's been deliberately sabotaged, twisted, and made impossible to use as a creator (and nearly impossible to use for regular people, too). I talked about this more in-depth in The Reason Social Media Sucks For Everyone These Days (Not Just Creators) a while back, for those who missed it.
For those who like numbers, I have a couple of Before and After averages to share, from about 10 years ago, and today. Keep in mind that my subscriber count has only gone up between these two time periods, so if anything I should have held steady, instead of decreasing to a fraction of engagement.
- Average Facebook spread used to net between 400 and 1,000 impressions. Now it's barely 25.
- Average Twitter blast used to net between 100 and 250 impressions. Now it's less than 20.
- StumbleUpon netted me between 50 and 500 impressions. The site is unusable anymore.
- Digg would net between 25 and 1,000 impressions. AI slop broke the site entirely, and it's closed.
For sites that aren't listed, Tumblr and LinkedIn both have significantly lowered engagement. Pinterest is a ghost town that's jam-packed with AI slop. Google+ is gone, of course, and sites like MeWe have never been worth more than a few dozen views. Blue Sky has never been great for creators (though it's quite a nice platform for journalists and news creators), and places like Discord and Mastadon have no discoverability because all the servers are separate, with no way to cross-pollinate.
And in the midst of all of that, Reddit was a website that has been chugging along. You could even keep using the old version of the site, which made it easy to see and understand at a glance what was happening. My current Reddit account has over a quarter million karma (not bragging, just pointing out the amount of positive interaction I've had on the site), and it's been active for 11 years.
Then I was shadowbanned last week. No warning, no explanation, just POOF, your account is gone. I appealed, and got it back, but the issue I was facing was that even though the decision was made by a random bot (and was immediately overturned by a human), being shadowbanned immediately hid all of my submissions to the website.
So while my karma count was still intact, over a decade of posts were just swept under the rug, and unable to be seen by users. And while I don't usually use language quite this strong around here, this incident has fucked me as a creator... and to make it worse, at time of writing, I was randomly shadowbanned again, likely because a bot just decided that I'd crossed an unspoken line and had to be removed, even though nothing about my behavior has changed in a decade on the site, and it's never been a problem before today.
Why This Is Such A Big Damn Problem
The reason this is a massive problem for me is two fold. The first is fairly obvious; if I'm shadowbanned on Reddit (or if I keep getting shadowbanned by AI-driven bots) then I cannot share links to either my work, or anyone else's work. I try to maintain the balance and not just talk about my stuff all the time, and I mix it up with videos, RPGs, etc. by other creators that I enjoy, and think more people should hear about.
However, I want to circle back around to how it has hidden a decade of my submissions, essentially making them unusable. Put another way, that's somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 posts just poofed out of existence like a Thanos snap. That's also a low-balled guess as to just how many posts I've made over the past 11 years.
If you want to know what that's worth, most days when I check my DTRPG earnings, I had between $10 and $25. That's not an amazing income, but it adds up at the end of the month, and it paid most of my half of my rent. Ever since I was shadowbanned, and all those posts were removed? I'm making somewhere between $3 and $8 a day. This past weekend I had the first day in 4 years where I didn't sell a single thing on DTRPG at all, and it's directly correlated with this decision.
This shadowbanning didn't remove any of the blog entries I'd written, of course. It didn't delete articles or videos. It just made all those things less visible, effectively slamming the door on people randomly stumbling across my work while running searches or browsing the site. And again, if people don't see this blog, my videos, my supplements, etc., then they can't interact with them, which means I can't pay my bills.
EDIT: Apparently it's just regular banned, as my account was basically shuttered up. There's no "shadow" about the whole process.
And since no other sites are working either... you see where this is going...
The bigger kick in the nuts here is that while Reddit can absolutely erase over a decade of submissions to the site on the word of a bot, it can't restore them. You basically have to ask the subreddit mods to pretty please go through the removed posts and reapprove them, or resubmit those posts. Mods are not willing to do this, and certainly not to the extent that would be required for some of the subs I regularly post in where there are hundreds (potentially thousands) of posts going back for years (since some I posted in weekly, and others I posted in daily). And while there's nothing stopping me from resubmitting my posts (except the site's bots deciding that me submitting things is suspicious), I built up that 11 year archive organically. I didn't just show up all day, every day blasting my own signal for hours at a time. I shared my own stuff, yes. And then I shared actual plays that I'd seen. Or I commented on a topic. Or I told everybody about this other game, supplement, etc. that I'd seen. Or I shared bundles, such as the Owen Stephens Summer Survival Spectacular to help Owen Stephens pay the bills for his fight against cancer. You get the idea.
You can't just replace all those posts in a few months, or even a year. It took me 11 years to submit them in the first place, it would take me a decade to get back to that point. And even after that decade of posting, assuming everything went perfectly and I wasn't randomly shadowbanned, I still wouldn't have my archive restored. Because you see there were a lot of subreddits that I was no longer allowed to post in, but they still had all my previous posts acting as one more place someone might stumble across me... those are gone, and cannot be replaced.
So... yeah. I was already trying to crawl out of the muck, and now because an overzealous collection of 1s and 0s decided I wasn't up to their secret standards, I've now been kicked in the teeth, and thrown back down into some fairly desperate circumstances as a result.
What I'm Going To Do (And How You Can Help)
Wallowing isn't going to help me, especially since I need to get back on my feet before yet more bills come due. Unfortunately, there's only a few things I can do. First and foremost, I'm trying to appeal the shadowbans, to get some statements from the site about what's happening, and to stop this cycle from happening again. I'm also looking for alternative sites, Discord servers, and communities where I can make up at least some of the lost audience potential. And, lastly, I'm going to keep making stuff for people to enjoy, and hope that I can overwhelm the algorithms with the sheer volume of projects I'm churning out.
I don't really have any other options.
However, I'm basically at the mercy of you all. I'm in the Colosseum fighting for my life, and I need the crowd to roar in my favor so that I can be allowed to live and fight another day. So if you made it this far, I have a list of things you can do to help me for free, and a list of things you can do to help that will cost a bit of money... not much, though. As art goblins go, I'm a fairly cheap pet.
- Share my articles, videos, RPG supplements, and anything else I make on your own social media pages (and if you're a Reddit user, tell your favorite subs about stuff I make out of spite)!
- Buy Some of My TTRPG Supplements (link goes to a pin board, but you could also search "Neal Litherland" on DTRPG to get the full 200+ list of things I've made)
The reason I put all of this out there is that I literally do not care how my bills get paid. If 50,000 people decide to buy copies of my hardboiled cat novels Marked Territoryand Painted Cats, then I'm going to pause a lot of projects to write a third installment in that series. If a bunch of people decide to support me on Patreon, then I'm going to make sure my blogs are polished up, and that everyone is getting their money's worth. If a couple thousand people decide they want to get my RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic, then I'd focus on expanding that game, or if folks picked up supplements like The Blade Itself: Corrupt Equipment For Hunter: The Vigil, Like A Good Neighbor - Portraying True Fae in Your Chronicle, or Night Horrors: Primordial Peerage, I'd put a lot more time and energy into extra content for Hunter, Changeling, Beast, or other spheres of the Chronicles of Darkness.
And, of course, if folks want to see more of The A.L.I.C.E. Files, I'd be making bigger, longer, and more complicated soundscapes to tell some of my rather... involved stories.
This whole situation has put me in something of a bind, but I'm not just sitting here twiddling my thumbs hoping things get solved. If you can help, please do so, because I need every hand up I can get. Even if you just follow my Patreon as a free supporter to stay up-to-date, or you just subscribe to the YouTube channels, or share my supplements online when you see them, it makes a difference. And if a few hundred individuals who think their efforts won't matter all pitch in, then you're going to be a damn potent force.
As always, stay tuned for more updates, and thank you in advance to everyone who helps me stop this slide toward the cliff's edge before I go over.
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!
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!
