"Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic" Earns Its First Metals!

My first RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic dropped a little over a year ago, and I've been doing my best to get it into folks' hands, and to provide as much supplemental material for it as I'm able to. And while it can sometimes be discouraging to get lost under the constant crush of new posts and fresh games out there, I have made at least some progress on my goals.

Because so far both Army Men, as well as its first supplement Army Men: Threat Assessments, have both hit Copper metal status on Drive Thru RPG!

In case you needed even MORE of a target-rich environment.

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

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

One Step Closer To Taking The Hill!

As most folks know, Army Men was a game that actually went to Kickstarter, and that's how it got made. So since a majority of the people who knew about it already had their books bought and paid for before it went up on Drive Thru RPG, it's been tough trying to keep getting it into fresh hands. It's been Deal of The Day, we had an Anniversary Bundle for it a little while ago, and I try to cover it on this blog as often as I can, along with putting together a show titled Tactical Plastic Report over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel to give viewers a run down on what's in the game to try to increase interest.

While it's definitely been an uphill battle, early this year I finally managed this little bit of progress! And even though Copper metal status is just the first tier you can hit (50+ sales), more than half of games and supplements that appear on DTRPG don't even hit that mark. And while I mentioned a while back that the core book had hit Copper, it wasn't until last month that Threat Assessments joined it!

However, if you're a fan of Army Men, why stop there? Consider grabbing yourself copies of some of the other releases that have come out so I can keep expanding the setting going forward!

- Army Men: Medals of Honor: A supplement that introduces the Medals System to help Game Masters reward players who have survived various missions, and conducted themselves in a way becoming of a trooper.

- A Baker's Dozen of Booby Traps: A collection of nasty surprises for Game Masters to deploy in the event you plan to conduct some guerrilla warfare in your games.

- A Night At Brekon's Beacon: An Army Men Mission Module: A stand-alone mission for Army Men, this brings your squad to an abandoned ruin far off the beaten track... will you avoid the fate that befell the squad that came before you?

In addition to all of these supplements, at time of writing I also have a second mission module that's currently in layout... so stay tuned for a mission that takes place in the Styric Republic (the northern faction inspired by the Soviets)!

What Would You Like To See Next?

Army Men, as a game and a setting, is still very young. Additionally, we were only able to fit so much into the core rulebook, so there's all kinds of room for further expansion in gear, enemies, missions, and more!

The question is... what do you all want to see? And to help folks avoid getting decision paralysis, I'll make a few suggestions:

- Mission Modules: The Army Men equivalent of adventure modules, these one-shot supplements do all the heavy lifting for the Game Master.

- Additional Equipment: From weapons and armor, to tool kits, vehicles, and more, Army Men's challenge is largely decided by what kinds of gear your troopers bring to the fight.

- Bigger Books: In the past I've had such suggestions as Motor Pool for vehicle rules, Soldier of Fortune for a mercenary-style secondary way to play that's geared more toward media like the A-Team, and a few others. These would take significantly more work, and would likely need to be Kickstarted.

- Fiction: Whether in text form or as an audio drama/podcast, Army Men has the potential for some really fun fiction, if that's something folks would like to see more of (consider the sample below if this interests you!)

However, as all the war bond posters said, we can't make any of this happen without your help!

If you're someone who wants to see Army Men expand as a game, and as a setting, then you need to help me make sure the signal grows, and that we find a group of folks who want to play it, and see more stuff come out for it! As such, please do as many of the following things as you can:

- Buy Copies: The more sales a game and its supplements get, the easiser it is to get more projects green lit, and the more the algorithm pays attention. So the best thing you can do is help our numbers go up!

- Leave Reviews: If you already bought your copy of the book and supplements, leave a rating and a review on them! You don't have to get in-depth, just tell people you liked it, and maybe mention something that sticks in your mind about it. Reviews are also key to getting the algorithm to take notice.

- Subscribe to The Azukail Games YouTube Channel: Maybe you've already done the first two, or you simply can't afford new game stuff right now. Either way, subscribing to the Azukail Games YouTube channel is free, as is watching episodes of Tactical Plastic Report, and all the other Army Men-related content on the channel. Again, upvote videos you like, leave comments, and so on, because that helps us get paid, and sends a message that at least some of our audience wants MORE Army Men stuff!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

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

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary! Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, my hardboiled gangland noir series starring a bruiser of a Maine Coon with Marked Territory and Painted Cats, my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife or my latest short story collection The Rejects, then head over to My Amazon Author Page!

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

I've Gone Silver and Copper on Drive Thru RPG!

As I said way back when I first started this blog, occasionally I'm going to take some time to crow about a new release, an achievement, or something else I'm really excited about. That's why I wanted to take this week's Moon Pope Monday post to let folks know that one of my DM supplements has hit silver status on Drive Thru RPG! I wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who bought themselves a copy of 100 NPCs You Might Meet At The Tavern, and encourage anyone who hasn't checked it out yet to go give it a look.

Seriously, we've got a little bit of everything in this one.

I've Got Half A Dozen Coppers, Too!

For folks who aren't sure why hitting silver is a big deal, Drive Thru RPG has a rating system for products based on how well they sell. It starts at copper, when you officially sell 50 copies of a particular game. From there it goes up to silver, electrum, gold, platinum, mithral, and adamantine. The site is pretty cagey with how many sales you need to make to hit levels after copper; all they've really confirmed is that it isn't just a doubling of the previous tier like it is at some sites.

However, once you reach certain metal levels, it means your products are now grouped together on a page. This makes you easier to find, more likely to see more sales, and helps you reach new gamers. Which is why I'm ecstatic that, in addition to my first silver metal level, a bunch of other stuff I've put out over the past year has finally hit copper status!

And with your help, dear readers, might eventually get up to that gold level!

My recent copper mints include:

- 100 Random Taverns: This one literally came out a year ago, and went up on my birthday. It sort of snuck up on me when it went copper, but I was quite pleasantly surprised.

- 100 Oracular Pronouncements: An oldie but a goodie, I'd nearly forgotten about all these cryptic fortunes and strange predictions. But it seems some folks out there have been putting them to good use!

- 100 Characters You Might Meet in a Star Port: This was the first piece I came out with for use with Starfinder, and it's been slowly growing in popularity. It also pairs very well with 100 Sci-Fi Cocktails, and my most recent release 100 Space Bars, for all the sci-fi gamers out there!

- 100 Nobles To Encounter: This was the fastest collection I've ever written to hit copper status; it happened in just a few weeks after release! I was blown away, though for folks who have this one, it also works great in conjunction with A Baker's Dozen of Noble Families, which offers more of a deep dive into a smaller number of nobles.

- 100 Merchants to Encounter: I was super surprised at how popular this one was. Though looking at the supplements available, it might be simply because there just aren't as many NPC lists specifically dedicated to the shopkeeps, hawkers, and peddlers you could run into during your travels.

- 100 Random Bandits to Meet: From big bosses like the Dark Skull, to cooks, lieutenants, and enforcers, this collection had a little bit of everything for adding personality and story to characters typically seen as 1st-level cannon fodder. While I remain very proud of it, I am still surprised at how positive the reaction has been to this one.

Where I'm Going From Here (And How You Can Help)

I've always got new stuff coming out on Drive Thru RPG and its sister sites, and my hope is that all of it does well enough to reach those metal levels. But I'm gonna need a little help from you all out there to keep pushing stuff up the ladder!

And how much is this gonna cost?

Don't get me wrong, I'd love it if everyone who reads my blog bought a copy of the supplements I put out, but I know that's just not feasible. After all, not everyone plays the same games and editions, and everybody's money is tight these days.

However, there's ways you can help me spread the word that won't cost you a dime!

Firstly, if you have a copy of any of my supplements (or books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife), thank you for your patronage! If you have a little bit of time, leaving a review on your purchase can go a long way toward boosting the signal and helping me find a wider audience. Also, if you have something I've written that you really like, then take a moment to share it with your friends and family! A post on Facebook, a share on Tumblr, or just a Tweet can do a lot more than you think... especially if you're one of dozens of people doing it.

Also, I'd like to take a moment to talk about two ongoing projects of mine that could use a little more love, if you're looking for something new to try out? And if you want to keep track of all my latest releases, I've put them all on a simple Pinterest board!

Critical Hits!

The first is Critical Hits, a project I've been working on for Total Party Kill Games. The idea was to come out with one-shot modules for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, specifically focusing on lower-level content that you can use as filler, an intro to a campaign, or just for fun. The first in the series, False Valor, came out way back in September, and acts as a murder mystery where players need to use their skills and insight to figure out whodunnit before things get out of hand. The second, which was just released recently, is the above-pictured The Curse of Sapphire Lake. If you've ever wondered what the bastard child of Beowulf and Friday the 13th would look like, this module will answer that question for you!

And suddenly... werewolves!

The second project is a little out of left field, but I've been working on it for a bit now. Through High Level Games, I'm releasing character guides for kinfolk NPCs for use with Werewolf: The Apocalypse on Storyteller's Vault. My goal is to write up one guide for every tribe of werewolves, and at the moment the 100 Get of Fenris Kinfolk, 100 Glass Walker Kinfolk, and 100 Black Fury Kinfolk are the only two that have been released. I'm going to talk more about this at a later date, but if you're a fan of the World of Darkness, I'd recommend giving this one a look!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Sorry for being late with this one, but Memorial Day threw me off. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to form and schedule in the coming weeks!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal and Gamers archives, and stop by the YouTube channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, 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!