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

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

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

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

But before I get into the meat of today's post, remember, don't forget to sign up for my newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.

Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!

What Do People Respond To?

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

- What game line gets the best response?

- What format do people respond to?

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

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

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

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

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

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

So What Does All Of This Mean?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How To Make Your Voice Heard

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

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

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

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Blue Sky, Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, and now Pinterest as well! To support my work, consider Buying Me a Ko-Fi, or heading to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron. That one helps ensure you get more Improved Initiative, and it means you'll get my regular, monthly giveaways as a bonus!

"Twists of Obscenity: Esoterica of The Baali" is a Must-Have Vampire Supplement!

I first came to Vampire right after the release of Vampire: The Requiem, and I remember enjoying the experience, but being told there was an older game that offered a lot more in terms of history, lore, and options. And while I gave Vampire: The Masquerade try after try, it never really caught hold of me. Every game I played felt indistinguishable from a Requiem game, except for the fact that the mechanics were a lot more slipshod, and less codified, which left me feeling confused and frustrated.

I was certain I was missing something, and every time I asked an old hand why they kept coming back to this game they kept telling me it was for the richness of the lore and the depth of the story... but those things never seemed to manifest in any game I was a part of. It was the same old machinations, the same old brooding, and the same old aversion to actually solving plots in favor of just waiting for whatever the current threat was to die of old age... or so it seemed to me.

Well, now that I finished my 100 Kinfolk project for Werewolf: The Apocalypse (which had 100 Stargazer Kinfolk and 101 Savage Kinfolk as encore supplements for those who missed them), I circled back around to Vampire to try to stretch my horizons a bit more. I also asked a friend and fellow designer Clinton Boomer (That Boomer Kid on Tumblr) who is a huge fan of Masquerade to help me find what's captivated so many other players over the years.

While he helped guide me to a lot of things that had completely slipped under my radar in my previous endeavors, one thing that really lit the spark was one of his latest projects... Twists of Obscenity: Esoterica of The Baali.

Got to say, I think I'm getting it now.

And if you don't have a copy, get one now!

Delving Into The Mythology Behind The Masquerade

One of the major differences between Requiem and Masquerade has always been that the former is very cagey with universe specifics, never really committing to an origin story of the kindred or saying who or what created them. The latter makes it very clear they are the spawn of Caine, and they fit into a very specific place, mythologically speaking. There's some wiggling here and there, a touch of ret-conning every now and again, but it is a lot more definite regarding what the kindred are, where they came from, and what they represent.

That seems like a very small thing, but it opens up a huge world of possibilities. This is particularly true when you start delving into some of the more feared names from mythology in and around the Middle East, including beings like Moloch, Nergal, and Lilith... which leads us back to the Baali.

And the raw awfulness behind them.

The Baali typically fall into that category of content in World/Chronicles of Darkness games that are reserved only for storyteller use. This is where game elements deemed too disruptive (either mechanically, or thematically) go, and if I'm honest, I can see why so many storytellers don't want to touch them. The sheer horror of the Baali, and what they represent, isn't going to appeal to every group... or even to most of them. Vampires with a lineage that goes back to the ancient times, when fallen angels walked the Earth, and when the things that slept in the Darkness from before creation were nearer to the waking world than might be imagined are heady ideas, and that can cast a big shadow over your game. The Baali incorporate true, cosmic horror in a way that I've rarely seen brought to the forefront in any edition of Vampire, making us ask what kinds of forces could make even the worst predations of the most monstrous of kindred look like nothing more than a show on the stage of a bloody circus.

And Twists of Obscenity brings this home in a big way.

While there's the usual stuff you expect from a supplement like this, with fun additional powers and tweaks on rituals and Disciplines, it's written in a way that gives you a glimpse behind the curtain of entrails and debasement. It gives a perspective on the Baali that can allow them to be real characters in the ongoing play of dark theater that takes place in the setting, rather than just being an excuse to throw in body horror and gallons of blood. It adds weight to them, and provides a way you can make them feel like more than just a cheap scare.

In short, it brings across the very real horror of the corner of the setting that the Baali, their allies, and their servants occupy. And it lets us see the doorway they keep closed, implying what might happen if it ever opened to release the things that pre-date not only the kindred, but the creation of the world as we know it.

And that is the sort of story you can get out of Masquerade that you simply cannot out of its successor... at least the last time I checked, anyway.

Lastly, before I go, I wanted to let everyone know that my latest supplement New World Nights: 100 Ghouls For The American Camarilla is also out! It won't be the last such piece, so if you enjoyed my kinfolk supplements, you should definitely give this one a look. And to stay on top of all my latest content and releases, make sure you sign up for my weekly newsletter!

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 YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my cat noir thriller Marked Territory, 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!