What Corner of The World of Darkness Would You Like To See Me Touch on Next?

Folks who've been following my output for the past several years know that I've been delving into the World of Darkness pretty regularly. Whether it's big things like my 100 Kinfolk Project (available as a bundle where you can get over 1,300 NPCs) for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, or smaller entries like Buyer Beware: 10 Goblin Markets for Changeling: The Lost and 100 Resources and Rumors To Find on SchreckNet for Vampire: The Masquerade, I try to offer supplements that are going to be useful to a variety of players out there.

I also try to add a little extra fun, like this dramatization of "Missed Connections" over on my Daily Motion channel for folks who enjoy audio dramas!

Background Music From Tabletop Audio: Secret Facility

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As I sit here on the spookiest day of the year, though, I find myself wondering what folks would like to see me cover next? So I figured I'd open up the floor, and see where the conversation went!

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!

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The Darkest Corners of The Setting

The World of Darkness is one of the places I feel most comfortable as a player. While I may lack the deep lore knowledge of some of the old hands (I didn't show up until right after the reboot that would become the Chronicles of Darkness was released), I never get tired of all the beautiful, horrific nonsense the games have to offer. Even games that aren't so much my bag are ones I at least try to read through and learn about because they're another facet of the setting that I enjoy.

However, WoD/CoD supplements are a much dicier proposal (pun very much intended) than a lot of the other stuff I work on. Because while the setting maintains popularity to some degree, that popularity is split among a lot of the different game lines, then split even further among the different editions of those game lines. Because for some reason players tend to find their comfort zone in this setting, and then only play that one game, rarely branching out to any of the near-dozen other options one might find... which is why a lot of the supplements I make tend to at least be usable across editions of a game, if not throughout the entire setting (like Evil Incorporated: 10 Pentex Subsidiaries which may crop up all over the original WoD setting, as an example).

Folks who are familiar with my work (check out the World of Darkness Supplements board on my Pinterest for a complete list) know that as of time of writing I've created content for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, Vampire: The Masquerade, and Changeling: The Lost. Most of it has focused on creating NPCs for STs to use in their games, along with rumors and resources players might find, and occasional strange things they might encounter for you to use as set dressing, plot devices, or both!

But what would you, my regular readers, like to see?

Would you like to see less-loved games like Promethean, Hunter, or Geist get some fresh material to spark interest in them? Do you feel like Apocalypse and Masquerade have enough content out there, and you'd like to see content for Forsaken and Requiem instead? Or are you one of the various folks who just want as much Mage content as they can get no matter what edition it focuses on?

That's what I need to know.

So take a moment and leave your thoughts where I can see them. Put them in a comment below, or leave them on social media where you found this post. Reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook, and let me know what you want to see. I listen when people ask me for things, and I take ideas that crop up repeatedly when people contact me.

With that said, I just just one caveat; don't ask for a product you aren't interested in purchasing.

Money is tight, and we're all very choosy with our gaming budgets, but generally speaking I put weeks of daily effort into creating a supplement, and then my publisher has to do layout, acquire art, and get everything arranged, while putting the product up for sale. It's a lot of work, and a lot of energy, to produce even small supplements, and nothing is worse than people saying they want something, then not actually getting copies of it when the thing finally drops.

Please, keep that in mind before you make you requests.

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 personal channel over on Daily Motion. 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!

The Flaw-Maker (World/Chronicles of Darkness Concept)

Sarah stared at him. Even in the darkness, with the flickering streetlight reaching for him, the man didn't look right. He was tall and slender, with immaculate hands, and a soft fall of dark hair. His face seemed to be made of perfect angles of light and shadow, but it was wrong. It was like looking at a pretty white mask. Behind that mask were eyes that burned in the darkness, staring at her with the feverish intensity of a rabid animal.

"Shush, now," he whispered. His voice was a beautiful violin, but in the hands of an amateur who didn't quite know how to handle the strings. "It's going to be all right."

She didn't feel the knife. All she felt was a warm wetness that started high on her cheek. It wasn't until she smelled old pennies that she realized he'd cut her. Even then she couldn't look away from those eyes. She felt another line on the other side of her face, but it was crooked. Asymmetrical.

"There now," he said, his voice shaking like he'd just defused a bomb. Or finished with a lover. "That should keep you safe. He won't look twice at you... not with those."

He'd vanished then, not a like a ghost, but into the shadows of the alley. Three footsteps, and he was gone as if he'd never been. Sarah hadn't known if she'd imagined it all, until she walked out onto the street and someone screamed.

There had been a lot of stitches. Face wraps. Medications. Even with all the recommendations from the doctors, though, she still had scars. Big, jagged, ugly scars. He said she'd be safe now, that creature that haunted her dreams. Sarah touched the lightning bolt that zagged across her cheek, looking into the mirror as her mouth began to tremble again. She was scared of the man with the knife, and she always would be. But what had he been so scared of that he'd done this to her?

And what is it hadn't been enough?

The Flaw-Maker

The world is filled with a thousand everyday evils. Violence that stains gutters red with blood, exploitation of the poor by the wealthy, and broken lives left like refuse to be collected on the sidewalks. But beneath all that lurk even darker things; horrors we've all collectively told ourselves aren't waiting beyond the light of the burn barrels, or past where our night lights can reach. Creatures that walk eternally in the light of the moon, or things that can bend reality on a whim and steal you through the cracks in the world. Beings the likes of which mortals may never truly understand, and those who try are driven at least half-mad as they warp their minds around such inhuman existences.

The Flaw Maker is one such individual, and they are driven to obsessive acts of violence to "protect" people from ever coming to the notice of these greater evils.

Picture a changeling, who knows well that his Keeper would be drawn to the smooth motion of a dancer's grace. To save her from ever having to endure what he did, the forced perfection he was made to live in Arcadia, he breaks her knees with a tire iron in an empty parking lot. He's shattered her life, but he's also made sure that alien creature won't pluck her away to be added to his collection of living music boxes. Or consider a ghoul, their muscles singing and heart pumping with their Master's vitae running through them. They know that the Beast loves to toy with those deemed beautiful, who have no scars to testify to hardships... so the ghoul finds all those it can, and defaces them. Gives them imperfections that would render them unacceptable to their Master, keeping them out of the Nosferatu's clutches even if the experience leaves them looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives.

What if it wasn't enough... and it comes back again?

The Flaw Maker is a lesser of two evils. They make themselves into a monster in the hopes that they can save people from an even worse fate. For while the scars they leave behind can break hopes and dreams, leaving people afraid of what lurks in the darkness for the rest of their lives, is that worse than the alternative? Worse than swimming in deep waters, never even thinking about the eldritch things that lurk below, and which might reach out for them on a whim?

What makes the concept truly tragic, though, is that there's often no guarantee that their actions are necessary, or even successful. The True Fae who desired beauty may have moved on, leaving that criteria behind. It's possible the vampire's eye would never have been drawn to a particular individual, and they could have lived their lives in ignorance. Worse, though, would be if the actions of the Flaw Maker actually drew the attention of the very creatures they were trying to protect people from, making them the very agents of that destruction reminiscent of a Greek tragedy.

And for an extra layer below it all, the Flaw Maker may just be trying to cope. Wishing that they could go back and scar themselves so they would never have become what they are now. To trade their knowledge of the world's greater horrors for a lesser wrong done to them. But they cannot save themselves... so they try to do something to others as a way of dealing with what they've become.

And that compulsion may be what truly drives them. Because it's possible no one is looking for these beautiful people to steal them... but the Flaw Maker can't let go of what happened to them. So to try to take control over their pasts, they tell themselves the comforting lie that they're really helping someone else... even if they're just breaking other people on the outside to try to salve how they were broken on the inside.

Ghouls, Changelings, and More, Oh My!

For folks who are curious, I've been delving deeper and deeper into the World of Darkness and Chronicles of Darkness settings, which is why I remembered this older concept of mine. While initially created for Changeling: The Lost, it's something that's quite applicable to a lot of the other settings if you adapt the beings that the Flaw Maker is trying to "protect" their victims from.

And in case you missed the recent releases I've put out for both of these spheres, I wanted to take a moment to direct your attention toward a couple of releases:

- 100 Mourning Cant Dialects, Phrases, and Meanings: If you're someone who loves playing a Winter Courtier, but has a hard time actually wrapping their head around the secret languages of Mourning Cant, then this supplement comes pre-loaded with all sorts of options you can use. Great for players and STs both!

- 100 (Mostly) Harmless Goblin Fruits and Oddments To Find in The Hedge: The Hedge is filled with an infinite variety of the strange and the bizarre. If you want to have even more weirdness for your players' delves into this impossible realm, this supplement should help get a sense of the true wonder, and danger, of the Hedge.

- New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla: For those who need names and stories for those who willingly serve the monsters who live in the shadows, this collection of ghouls is a great starting place.

- Children of The Night: 100 Animal Ghouls: Not all who serve the kindred walk on two legs. For those who are looking for inspiration for unique and bizarre bestial ghouls, this supplement is a good place to get started!

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, its sequel Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories 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!

Embracing "The Tiffany Problem" in Vampire

The coterie stood in the receiving chamber, the air thick with tension. They'd left a bloodbath behind them, and the Prince had demanded their presence. None of them said anything, but none of them had to. They were in very deep shit, and if they didn't make good on this then they might not get the privilege of seeing another moonrise.

The carved doors opened, swinging on silent hinges that didn't so much as hint at the weight of the reinforced steel beneath the antique wood. Inside was a quietly lit meeting room, with thick carpet that absorbed sound, and tasteful furnishings on the walls. A ghoul sat on a piano bench in the corner, the music floating on the air as the coterie entered. A pale woman with honey hair stood at the far end, her back stiff and her eyes forward. She didn't act as if she saw the coterie, but she certainly did. The bloody cadre stopped what they hoped was a respectful distance away. Before they could say anything, a pair of fingers with manicured nails snapped, and the pianist ceased playing.

Seated in a high-backed chair, her dark hair in ringlets, was the Prince. Her skin was nearly as black as her hair, and her dress was the deep, royal blue of another era. The gem round her throat was worth more than the bank accounts of several CEOs combined, and the rubies sparkled in the dim light. She crossed one leg over another, and looked at her guests. As she watched them, the coterie felt the veil over her Beast slip slightly, and the air filled with the coppery threat of her predatory nature. They were jackals in the presence of a lioness.

"Presenting Theophania of the House of Albret-" the pale-haired bodyguard began before the Prince flicked her fingernails, and favored her guests with a smile that was not a smile.

"You may call me Tiffany," she said in a purring voice. "Once, that is, you explain to me exactly why I have had to spend capital both political and monetary to clean up the seventeen bodies you all stacked up tonight."

The coterie glanced at each other. Every, single one of them was thinking the same thought.

Tiffany?

History is an undiscovered country, kids!

Also, before we get into the meat of this week's discussion, I wanted to remind folks to sign up for my weekly newsletter if you haven't done so yet. And if you're looking for more World of Darkness nonsense to inspire, check out some of the following:

- 5 Non-Vampire Movies You Should Watch Before Running a Vampire Game

- New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla

- 100 Kinfolk Project Bundle (1,400 kinfolk NPCs for Werewolf: The Apocalypse)

The Tiffany Problem Makes For Hilarious Vampire Moments

One of the interesting things about Vampire games (whether Masquerade or Requiem) is that they have the potential for characters to have seen history first-hand. Not only that, but they've seen our actual history from Earth (or at least the grim and grimy version we see in the World/Chronicles of Darkness), as opposed to the bygone centuries of a completely made-up fantasy setting. Whether it was someone who was embraced during the Roaring 20s, who saw the bloody fields of the American Civil War first-hand, or they existed in the days of Ancient Rome, there's just so much potential there.

However, something I see a lot of tables run into is The Tiffany Problem.

Yeah... Hollywood is at least part of this problem.

The short version is that The Tiffany Problem refers to how most people have a very skewed and factually incorrect version of what history was actually like, often to the point that when presented with facts about history they refuse to believe them because it doesn't jive with their preconceived notion of the past. Like how the name Tiffany actually goes all the way back to the 12th century, and isn't something from the 1960s just because that's when it got popular in America.

And I see this a lot when it comes to Vampire games where people just assume older vampires from certain eras will need to have modern ideas explained to them very gently. After all, they're very old and set in their ways, and the modern era can be very confusing and scary for someone not adjusted to it.

Take a kindred from the days of ancient Rome, for example. There will be some things that won't make sense to them, such as computers, smartphones, or the physics of the internal combustion engine. However, assuming they can make themselves understood in a modern language, there are going to be a lot of things in today's world they grasp easily, or which they'll see society as terribly backward on. A shopping mall, for instance, will feel very familiar, given that Rome had similar constructions filled with merchants and fast food thousands of years ago. They'll be able to recognize a boxing match easily enough, and the kindred might shake their head at celebrity endorsements since gladiators did much the same thing at the height of the empire (for much the same reasons). The only thing a kindred from those days might find confusing about the issue of gender and sexuality in today's world is why there are so many people who are so concerned with heteronormativity, as bisexuality was quite open during their time, and trans people were a part of everyday society. These were just standard, accepted facts, and seeing the arguments modern people have might leave them shaking their heads, asking why this of all things has become a hill people are willing to die on.

Embrace The Weirder Parts of Our World

The key for what I'll call a "Tiffany Vampire" is to take some aspect of history most people may not know about, and to make that a core part of your character's history or schtick. Playing a brujah embraced during the Victorian era? Make them a mixed martial artist who studied Bartitsu, and who is more than able to wax philosophical about the melding of unarmed combat styles. If your character is from the Viking age (easier to do in Requiem than Masquerade, but I digress), then make them someone immaculately groomed who challenges people to rap battles and uses the court system, as skaldings and legal cases were just as culturally significant in Scandinavia as piracy. At least give them a ghouled cat, since Vikings helped spread cats around the world.

And so on, and so forth.

History is a bizarre and undiscovered country. And whether your character was a female samurai, a pirate queen, an Olympic wrestler turned philosopher, or something else that sounds made up, you can find examples of all these and more in the annals of shit humanity has actually done in the past.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

That's all for this installment of Unusual Character Concepts. Hopefully this one gave you something to chew over, whether you're a player, or a game master.

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my alley cat noir novel Marked Territory, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my most recent collection of short stories 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!

That One Time I Shocked Storytellers By Solving Vampire Plot With Violence

I discovered Vampire: the Requiem right around the time it was first released. It was my first exposure to Vampire as a game, and though I eventually tried Vampire: the Masquerade out as well, I found that I much preferred the mechanical simplicity and altered setting of Requiem. So, when I found out there was a Requiem LARP in my area many years ago I was thrilled to break out my best black suit and put in an appearance.

Fangs were optional, but I found a set to bring all the same.

This game was not my first rodeo when it came to LARPing, but it was one of the biggest regular games I'd been to in a long time. On a slow night there were 20 players, and on a busy night there could be as many as 50. And there was a lot of RP going on in this venue. Solid costuming, commitment to character, and generally a great venue to be a part of. It was the sort of place where a Harvard graduated psychiatrist who'd been around since the 1940s could feel comfortable discussing his work on post-life states and their effect on the psychological well-being of the Kindred. I met brothel owners, political movers and shakers, deranged artists, and tortured souls... but I noticed something that I thought was very strange the longer I played.

No one ever seemed to actually do anything when a threat presented itself. Ever.

Attention Everyone... There Are Hunters on Premises!

Generally speaking, there's supposed to be a diversity of skills and abilities in any Vampire LARP venue. Some players are going to lean more toward information brokering, some will have political influence, some will be more magically inclined, and at least a handful of them will be combat brutes. Normally these are the ones placed under control of the sheriff, and when something goes wrong they'll handle the issue.

What I started to realize the more characters I interacted with, and the more games I attended, was that practically every PC in the venue was focused on wealth, art, and status. No one had gained control of the police. No one had paid off the district attorney. No one had gangs of mortals ready to handle problems with a snap of their fingers. And while there were one or two vicious mongrels, those characters weren't always in attendance.

As a result, when plot did show up (albeit rarely), it seemed the venue's main course of action was to stick their fingers in their ears and wait for it to go away.

You want to go out there? Oooh... direct action. How novel!

I'd been attending game for roughly four months or so (long enough for my psychiatrist to grow an alternate and quite violent second personality for the Malkovian bloodline), when the sheriff came in and announced the venue Elysium was being held in was currently being surrounded by hunters. Plural. Since this was important enough to warrant a warning being given, I figured that something should happen. The extent of the reaction, though, was that there was a polite murmur of acknowledgement, and then everyone went back to cocktail hour.

I'd expected the Prince to wave his hand, and send out a squad to deal with the problem. Or at the very least for the sheriff to do something... instead he sat down and started playing cards with another Kindred. When Henry made anxious but polite inquiries about what was being done, he was told that nothing was being done. It was raining outside, and there was a barricade manned by mortals. As long as we stayed inside we would be safe.

That didn't sit well with Edward. So when Henry excused himself with the intent of leaving a dangerous situation, it was another man who took to the streets. A man with murder on his mind.

You Want To Kill Them? Well... I Suppose You Could...

Once the face switch had happened, I approached on the storytellers and told him my cunning plan. I'd been banking XP for the past several months, and had just spent most of it on increasing physical prowess and combat skills (since the character had begun as a genius and a doctor, he had some areas to compensate for). With the ability to turn himself invisible, and a full pool of blood to spend, Edward wanted to hunt the hunters.

I will never forget the look on the ST's face. He'd been helping run the Requiem game for over 5 years, and in all that time he had never once had a player walk up to him and declare they were going to initiate combat. He went from slightly mystified, to gleefully excited. It was the most life I'd seen out of the staff the entire time I'd been coming to the game, and the feeling was contagious.

Let it ride! Let's see how far you can take this...

Finding the hunters wasn't hard. They'd split up, and were converging on the Elysium from three different directions. Lightly armed and staggered out, they made for surprisingly easy prey.

The first went down in a single strike, as a broken broom handle rammed straight through his heart from behind. Drinking his fill, Edward left the body in a dumpster, and then retreated to begin the stalk once more. The second hunter trigged that something was up, but not fast enough. He survived the first skull-shattering blow from the shadows, but before he could scream had his throat torn out by a pair of fangs. The third hunter, realizing he was alone, tried to retreat. He backed right into Edward's embrace, meeting the same fate as those who came before.

The scene was tense, engaging, and despite the brutal slaying, I felt like my character was really at-risk for the first time since I joined the game. I had to leave soon after that, but the storyteller who'd run my scene was excitedly sharing the tale with the other members of the staff as I went. When they said they hoped I'd make the next game, there was an animation there I'd never heard before.

A Markedly Different Experience

Most Vampire players I speak to, regardless of which edition or setting they prefer, tend to have stories of games that are all combat all the time. Constant stand-offs with werewolves, honor duels and infighting, and dozens of other threats that must be handled with tooth and claw, blade and blood. And honestly, I long for that kind of experience. Because while I appreciated the thought, the energy, and the roleplaying that I experienced at the venue... I didn't realize until I was breaking the Hippocratic Oath along with a hunter's entire rib cage just how bored I'd been exchanging pleasantries and listening to players talk about imaginary mansions they'd bought with imaginary fortunes.

So remember... sometimes it's good to get the blood flowing. Because if you never feel like you're at risk, then there are no stakes in the game. Pun very much intended.

Next Time on Table Talk!

With so many games paused thanks to the pandemic, my Runelords tales are on-hold for the time being. But hopefully I can keep sharing a few amusing asides like this week's tale until we can finish out the last of that campaign. So stay tuned, and I'll see you next time on Table Talk!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio where I help out from time to time. 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.