As folks around here know, I typically wait until the third installment of an audio drama series to write a blog about it for the Table Talk section of this blog... however, this is one that I want to touch on a bit early, because I really do need readers' feedback before I decide how much further I'm going to take it. There are a lot of irons in the fire right now, and I want to make sure I'm giving the most attention to the ones that people are actually interested in.
Which is why I wanted to talk about A Trail in The Margins, which appears on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and where this dark little noir drama set in Lovecraft's back yard is going.
After all... some cases do remain permanently unsolved.
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!
A Private Eye, A Forged Tome, and A Deadly Cult
Our tale begins with A Trail in The Margins, which is the introduction story in the supplement 100 Books To Find in The Miskatonic Library (That Aren't in The Restricted Section), which was the first supplement for a Lovecraftian game I'd written in some time. In this story we meet Archie, a researcher and academic who works for Miskatonic University, and his friend Jonathan "Jack" Walker, a gumshoe who works out of an office on Arkham's north side. The two have had dealings before, and Archie has need of his friend's help when he discovers that one of the books in the university's collection is in all likelihood a forgery.
Following up from this tale, we find Jack back at his office in The Men Behind The Curtain,the opening story in 100 Whispers and Rumors to Hear in and Around Arkham. An unexpected visitor comes on behalf of a family well known for being on the wrong side of the law, telling Jack that his and Archie's mission is of great importance to these movers and shakers in the underworld. Jack doesn't take this news well, but he made a promise to his friend... it just seems like now Archie might actually need somebody with Jack's skill set to watch his back.
The third tale is coming out this month in a new Lovecraft-inspired supplement that covers informants, academics, and adventurers, and while I fully intend on adding that audio drama to the ongoing project, I wanted to ask my audience this week if this story is one they're really interested in? And, by association, do you feel I should add a few more Lovecraft-related supplements onto my to-do list for this year, or would you rather I spend my time working on something else?
Please leave your answers in the comments for the two videos above. This ensures that my publisher sees them, that I can see and respond to them, and that we can get an accurate count regarding audience enthusiasm. And if you want more people to see this story, make sure your comments are at least 7 words long, because that will make the videos rank higher in YouTube's algorithm!
Lastly, if you do enjoy these, and you'd like to see even more of my Lovecraft-adjacent work, please consider checking out the following:
- 100 Businesses To Find in Arkham: A supplement to fill out the town of Arkham itself while also providing plot hooks, this was my first contribution to Call of Cthulhu... but certainly not my last.
- 100 Gangsters, Gun Molls, and Goons: A collection of dangerous NPCs for Arkham's underworld, these characters can add that extra edge that an investigation sometimes needs.
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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!
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If you've been playing TTRPGs for long enough, there is a question you've no doubt come across several times in your career; why us? Whether it's a group of no-account drunks and thugs being asked to save a kingdom from the depradations of a lich lord, or some relative nobodies being given the task to close a hell rift, it can often feel disporportionate. After all, there are real heroes in the setting who have powers and abilities far beyond our simple level 3 party... why aren't you asking them to do it?
Or, the one that gets a lot of us in trouble, why aren't the gods handling these problems? Whether it's demons leaking through a breach in the abyss, or malignant forces belched forth from the darkness between the stars, where are the gods in this whole setup? Why do mortals have to fight these battles?
As always, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter to get all my updates right in your inbox. Also, if you've got a bit of spare cash that you'd like to use to help keep the wheels turning, consider becoming a Patreon patron! Also, be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree.
Lastly, for hundreds of extra articles on gaming, weird history, and for more free fiction, check out my Vocal archive, too!
Proxy Wars in Your Setting
For those whose history books didn't cover the topic, I'm going to lay out a few generalities of the Cold War.
So, during the heights of the twin superpowers of the USSR and the USA, tensions were running very high. These two nations both had massive nuclear arsenals, huge armies, and they weren't shy about using them... however, both sides understood that open war with everything they had was a losing proposal. This would lead to Mutually Assured Destruction, or MAD for short. And what was the point of fighting a war that would literally destroy everything and everyone?
Not much, since you ask.
The result of this was that both nations (and to some extent their allies) entered into proxy wars. They would offer arms, training, funding, and backing to a force they didn't directly control, and which was going to take actions they approved of. One of the most famous, of course, was the U.S. training the mujahideen fighters who would act as guerrilla forces against Soviet-held targets and interests. This would, of course, bite the U.S. when the very forces they trained turned on them because their interests no longer aligned (this will become important later). However, the point was that while both sides of the Cold War were engaged in spycraft, building up proxies and influence, etc., they could not take direct, overt action against one another without setting off the powder keg.
You can take this same setup, and apply it to the worldbuilding for your game.
Perhaps, in the long ago, the gods warred on the world. This incident may have been an apocalyptic event, nearly destroying everything. This would, naturally, have led to the sides who wanted to rule (not just destroy) the world to withdrawing, each menacing the other to keep them off the material plane as much as possible. They would build influence through religions, through selecting personal agents in the form of clerics, paladins, oracles, witches, and warlocks. They may even influence others, sending their lesser servants to act as guides and backers, ensuring that those who may not really be invested in one side or the other can still act in service to one of the great powers who is jockeying for position on the board.
How You Can Use This Setup
If you choose to put this setup in place, it provides you a great deal of interesting leeway when it comes to your plot, and the position of your party in the Great Game. If you need a convenient way to give out loot, divine intervention could literally lead your party to find items that are far greater than they should normally have (as in the TikTok example above with the holy avenger), which might lead to them asking what they need such items to do? It might lead your party, no matter how small they are in level, being used to fight in a series of proxy actions that seem unconnected, but when viewed from a divine perspective are all parts of a great whole. You could even use this setup to create antagonists, such as proxies who once fought for a given divine power, but who have now turned their backs to fight against that same divine power, once their initial enemies were overcome (told you to remember the mujahideen).
As the Game Master, you can choose to make this the blatant setup of your campaign, with the PCs playing a role in the ongoing divine power struggle for dominance and influence. Or you can choose to leave that running in the background, only occasionally cropping up to intersect with the adventures your PCs are currently on. Which one you choose is up to you!
However, if you're looking for some extra inspiration, consider checking out some of the following:
- Gods of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The unique setup for gods in my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age setting may be of interest for folks who are looking for a Cold War style setup.
- 100 Random Oracular Pronouncements: The gods often speak through oracles, but if you need unique pronouncements to drive the PCs in a particular direction, this may be of some assistance.
Also, if you need a little advice for keeping the cloak and dagger in the divine, check out the video I made about this very topic below!
Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!
That's all for this week's Fluff post. 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 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've been keeping an eye out for my work may have noticed that early this month one of my supplements was the Deal of The Day over on Drive Thru RPG. As a result, Towns of Sundara (which has 10 towns complete with maps, histories, NPCs, notable locations, and plot hooks) is the first book from my Sundara: Dawn of a New Age RPG setting to hit Silver metal status! And since some folks seem to be using that supplement as a jumping off point to explore the rest of the setting (judging from my royalty report, anyway), I wanted to take a moment to talk about my setting, what's been going on with it recently, and what are some things I'd like to do with it going forward.
Of course, the final course is set by you, the readers!
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!
Lastly, to be sure you're following all of my followables, check out my LinkTree!
Recent Additions, And Future Possibilities
While it was the deal of the day, Towns of Sundara actually came out back in June. It was sandwiched between two other supplements, Sellswords of Sundara (available for DND 5E and Pathfinder) which came out in April, and the much more recent Cults of Sundara (available for DND 5E and Pathfinder) which just dropped last month in November! The former title has 10 unique class archetypes/subclasses to go along with each of the mercenary companies described, and the latter contains 10 unique magic items to go along with the cults laid out in the collection.
Each of these three supplements was meant to add more details to the setting, give glimpses of its history, and allow players and Game Masters alike to take a few more steps into Sundara, while still providing resources that could be easily set down in a homebrew game, or in a comparable setting if one so wishes. And while I wouldn't call them placeholders, they were definitely not part of a definitive series that followed a given theme and structure the way earlier releases were.
In short, I wanted to do something new, and sort of feel out what players and GMs wanted to see more of.
Like I said back in the Speaking of Sundara: AMA! that came out at the end of the summer, the setting is still pretty fluid, and open to the desires of those who are interested in it. Unlike some writers, who have a full and complete schedule that's set in stone for their worlds and releases, I want to try to keep this setting responsive to what the audience asks for.
With that said, there have been some suggestions put forth as to what might turn up going forward. These include:
- Merchants of Sundara: similar to Cults and Sellswords, it fills in the commerce of the setting and provides GMs with one more unique resource they could use in various games if they so choose.
- Stories of Sundara: While lots of small audio dramas from the setting are currently available on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, the idea of telling longer, more involved tales that come with NPC, magic item, or class archetype write-ups at the end has been proposed as well.
- Adventures in Sundara: Adventure modules are thought of as the bread-and-butter of RPG settings, but the irony is that they also tend to be one of the worst selling products on the whole. Still, this is on the table if there's demand for it.
- Sundara... in... SPACE!: While I view this as a far-off option, there is a definite movement in the market for sci-fi based RPGs. Suggestions have been made to release far-future products from the setting, asking what things would look like in the sci-fantasy future.
- Setting and City Expansion: With 5 locations in the Cities of Sundara series, and 10 towns in Towns of Sundara, that's enough to provide some starting places, but it's far from a complete look into the world. It's been suggested by some folks that I should go back to the well with this bucket, and release even MORE location books, complete with lore, maps, history, and unique items, creatures, spells, etc.
These are, of course, just a few of the stronger options that have been suggested by market trends, my publisher, and the few folks who have followed Sundara as a setting so far. None of these are set in stone, and which order they go in (or if we jump back and forth to keep things fresh on the release schedule) is currently up in the air!
If you have thoughts about what you'd like to see, and when you'd like to see it, this is your chance to make your voice heard! Leave your comments below, direct them to me on my social media channels (found at the end of this article), or toss them in the comments on Facebook or YouTube! My publisher and I read what folks have to say, and we do our best to tailor the setting toward what people tell us they want!
Need To Catch Up On Sundara?
Whether this is the first you're hearing about Sundara, or you're one of the folks who picked up the Deal of The Day and are curious about what else you can find in this setting, the older supplements are all listed below! Additionally, I've been putting together episodes of Speaking of Sundara on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should definitely subscribe to) talking about some of the design strategies I've used, breaking down what's in particular supplements, and explaining some of the changes I've made to what folks might expect from a traditional fantasy RPG setting, from how I chopped out alignment, to the uncertain nature of gods, to how technology and magic both lead to unique inventions among the people of Sundara!
The setting first began with the Cities of Sundara splats. Self-contained guides to some of the larger and more powerful centers of trade, industry, arms, and magic, these unique locations provide plenty of fodder for character generation and plots. Not only that, but each one comes with unique, mechanical goodies for players and GMs alike to take out for a spin!
- Ironfire: The City of Steel (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built around the Dragon Forge, Ironfire is where the secret to dragon steel was first cracked. The center of the mercenary trade in the region, as well as boasting some of the finest schools for teaching practical sciences, Ironfire is a place where discovery and danger walk hand in hand!
- Moüd: The City of Bones (Pathfinder and DND 5E): An ancient center of trade and magic, Moüd was lost to a cataclysm, and then buried in myth. Reclaimed by the necromantic arts of the Silver Wraiths guild, this city has once again become a place teeming with life. Despite the burgeoning population, though, it is the continued presence of the undead that helps keep the city running, ensuring that Moüd is not swallowed up once more.
- Silkgift: The City of Sails (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Built on the cottage industry of Archer cloth (an extremely durable material used for sails, windmills, etc.), Silkgift is a place that prizes invention and discovery. From gravity batteries that store the potential of the wind, to unique irrigation systems, to aether weapons, the city positively churns out discoveries... and then there's the canal they cut through the mountains that makes them a major center of trade across the region.
- Hoardreach: The City of Wyrms (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A center of power across an entire region, Hoardreach is ruled over by a Cooperation of five different dragons. A place for refugees and outcasts of all sorts, Hoardreach boasts some of the most unusual citizens and creations from across Sundara. Infamous for their sky ships, which require the cast-off scales and unique arcane sciences of the Dragon Works to take to the air, one never knows just what they'll find in this city built atop a mountain.
- Archbliss: The City of The Sorcerers (Pathfinder and DND 5E): A floating city in the sky, Archbliss has been a refuge for sorcerers for thousands of years. It's only in relatively recent years that the city has allowed those from the ground below who lack the power of a bloodline to join them in the clouds. However, while there are certainly amazing wonders to behold, there is a darkness in Archbliss. Something rotting away at its heart that could, if not healed, bring the city crashing to the ground once more.
Gods of Sundara
- Gods of Sundara (available for Pathfinder and DND 5E): In a world with no alignment, and where the gods are often genuinely mysterious forces that are far too large for mortals to truly comprehend, the divine feels genuinely strange and unknown... something that really does have to be taken on faith. This supplement provides a sample pantheon for Sundara, but also provides instructions on how to easily make your own gods in a world where you can't cast a spell and tell whether someone is good or evil.
Species of Sundara
Sundara is filled with creatures that many of us recognize, but I wanted to give greater depth to their cultures, and a wider variety of options. After all, humans always get 15+ ethnicities, languages, and unique histories, while elves, dwarves, orcs, halflings, etc. are almost always left with footnotes, or maybe with a handful of offshoots. So, in short, I wanted to give all the fantastical creatures the treatment that humans usually get in our games.
And there is no human book yet. If readers demand to know more, then I may sit down to pen one... but I figured that humans didn't need to be front-and-center in this setting just yet.
- Elves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Elves are one of the most quintessential fantasy creatures... but if you want to see more than just high elves, wood elves, and elves of the sun and moon, then this supplement has you covered!
- Dwarves of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): The children of the primordial giants who were meant to fill in the details of the world they'd made (or so the myths say) there are as many kinds of dwarves as their are kinds of giants... and possibly more, depending on who is keeping count.
- Orcs of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Supposedly a creation of the elves, none can say for certain exactly how or why orcs have been made. What most agree on is that these creatures are far more than most may think at first glance.
- Halflings of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Little cousins to the dwarves, halflings are tough, clever, and not to be underestimated. From living beneath the hills, to taking up residence in the deep forests, halflings in Sundara come in quite a variety!
- The Blooded (Half-Elves and Half-Orcs) [Pathfinder and DND 5E]: When orcs and elves mix their bloodlines with other creatures, the result is one of the Blooded. This inheritance takes many forms, and it can even wait generations before manifesting when the right combination of individuals come together to have a child.
- Gnomes of Sundara (Pathfinder and DND 5E): Gnomes are strange creatures, found in places where the spirit of the land has coalesced and made children of its own. The sons and daughters of the ancient nymphs, they are the stewards of these places, and they change as often as the weather and the land.
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 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!
