"Sundara: Dawn of a New Age" Is Finally Getting Some Adventure Modules!

It's been several years since my fantasy RPG setting Sundara: Dawn of a New Age debuted with the first supplement, Cities of Sundara: Ironfire for Pathfinder. Since then there's been dozens of supplements covering cities, species, gods, cults, mercenary companies, and more, and well over a quarter million words have gone into building up this world (and that's just my contributions). One of the things we haven't released, though, has been adventure modules.

Until today, that is! Which is why I wanted to write this little update to let folks know that Isaiah Burt's module The Invocation of Bael-Kharn is now live on Drive Thru RPG and ready for you to play!

So check it out, and give this setting a look for yourself!

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 Call To Adventure in The City of Steel!

To begin at the beginning, this module is for a party of characters ranging from level 6 to level 8, and it uses the Pathfinder Classic system. According to the preview, an elf who has been working for centuries to bring down the vaunted City of Steel may be moving closer to her goal. And while there are enough mercenaries and alchemists in Ironfire to win most wars, all the weapons in the world will do one no good if you can't see the threat coming, and you don't understand where to aim them.

I don't want to give more than that away, because I want as many folks as possible to discover the world of Sundara, and this adventure, as they explore what's been presented. However, with that said, I would recommend checking out some of Isaiah's other contributions to the setting that will be great supplements to have on-hand for this module (at least for the Game Master): Settlements of The Dragonsbreath Mountains, 100 Lizardfolk of Sundara, and his novella Legacy of Flames, all of which provide solid support right alongside the initial Cities of Sundara: Ironfire book, and the companion piece 100 Whispers & Rumors For Ironfire, The City of Steel.

And for folks who want a rapid rundown, I talked about the City of Steel a few years back when I was in exile at a hotel. So consider checking out the video to see if this is something that will perk your interest!

Why Did It Take So Long For Modules To Start Dropping?

Folks have been trying to get me to write modules for Sundara almost since it started releasing going on 3 years ago. So why is this adventure the first one that we're seeing? Well, there are a lot of reasons for that, and I wanted to explain them to folks here so you all know the score.

First and foremost, adventure modules are overall one of the worst-selling types of supplements on the market. There are modules that do well, and there are writers out there who move a lot of copies of them... but that's like saying that because there are a few bestselling novelists that everyone who wrote a book is paying their bills. A lot of GMs outright refuse to use modules, so a majority of them languish, unseen, and unplayed.

Secondly, modules are hard as hell to write. You're basically writing a short story, with math, and you have to try to provide a wide list of things that individual players may choose to do so the GM has alternate paths available to them.

Thirdly, modules require more supplemental material than other kinds of RPG products. There's the interior art, the maps, the covers... all of that adds up over time. And while most writers have the ability or resources to some of the things a module requires, most of us do not have the ability to do all of those things.

And when you spread minuscule profits across a team of people... well...

Now, I will be the first to tell you there is another adventure module for Sundara coming down the pipe from yours truly... however, it comes with a catch. Because the publisher doesn't want to take a loss on producing modules (again, I do not own Azukail Games, they just publish a lot of my work), I'm accepting a smaller, up-front fee to get this thing published. However, if you want to see more modules for Sundara (or just more modules in general from Isaiah and myself), then make sure the numbers are doing some serious talking! Because if these modules sell a hundred copies (or even a few hundred copies) that is saying a lot in the TTRPG world... and a product that has a proven audience is a lot more likely to get approved in the future.

Lastly, if you've already picked up Isaiah's adventure, consider checking out some of the following from myself:

DND 5E Adventures

 

- The Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh - A trudge through a swamp full of terrors to save a small town

- False Valor - A murder mystery where the party must solve a killing to prevent a war

- The Curse of Sapphire Lake - Beowulf meets Friday the 13th in a frontier settlement to the north

- The Price of Iron - A single night watching a warehouse turns deadly when dark fey arrive

Army Men Mission Modules

 

- A Night At Breckon's Beacon - The search for a missing squad gets deadly on a stormy night

- Assault On Outpost 13 - Can the squad keep hold of a prisoner when an entire gang wants him freed?

Victorian Gothic

- Dreadful Tales - A collection of 3 short adventures for this percentile-based system for Victorian horror

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 additional audio dramas over on The A.L.I.C.E. Files! 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!

3 Tips For Writing Adventure Modules

Adventure modules are the quintessential tabletop RPG supplement. While there are world guides, NPC lists, villain stat blocks, factions, and a thousand other things, the most common item folks often add to the base game book is an adventure to run with their shiny new roleplaying game.

However, while more of us can create adventure modules than ever before thanks to the nature of modern day publishing and programs like DMs Guild and Storyteller's Vault, there are still a lot of hurdles to overcome. So if you're considering writing an adventure and putting it on the market, consider this week's tips from someone who had his share of rodeos under his belt at this point.

It's not as easy as it looks, I can tell you that...

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!

Tip #1: Get The Art First

Like this one, if you haven't checked it out yet...

I talked about this a little while back in the interview I did with Isaiah Burt, but it really bears repeating; before you put a single word down on the page, make sure you have ALL your art assets in place and ready to go.

Art is the most expensive part of most RPG products, and modules require cover art, interior art, and maps to make sure that you have all the resources possible to run your players through this adventure. And since getting custom art is expensive, it's important to make sure you have all the art assets ready to roll before you come up with the story you intend to write... assuming you want to stay under budget, that is.

The Price of Iron, pictured above, was the first time I did this, and it made everything go a lot more smoothly than previous adventures I'd written. Additionally, if you are working with the art assets you have access to, it can often make you more creative as a writer. For example, when I sat down to gather assets for the Army Men mission module Assault on Outpost 13 I was looking everywhere I could for a map of a modern (or at least semi-modern) jail. I couldn't find one, though... all I could find was a bank. Which gave me the idea to canonically write the jail the PCs have to enter in order to protect a valuable prisoner an old bank that was converted to a jail during the revolution that led to the Styric Republic, thus allowing the map to make sense, while still being an asset that didn't cost me (or my publisher) any extra money to use.

Tip #2: Don't Hide Necessary Advancement Behind Checks

So, I don't know... I guess just keep rolling till one of you manages?

A method I've developed over the adventures I've written is to use "trap mentality" when it comes to designing the mechanical challenges in an adventure module. We all know how traps work, of course. A character looks for the trap, and if they meet the Perception DC they spot it before it goes off. This gives them the ability to try to avoid the trap, to disable the trap, or to knowingly set it off in some way. However, if they don't see the trap, then it goes off in their face and they have to try to save against it, or hope their armor and speed protects them.

The same logic should be applied to everything from gathering information, to Survival checks, to Stealth rolls, in that failing doesn't stop the players' progress going forward... it just means that progress is going to happen to them, instead of the other way around.

Put another way, provide ways for players to fail forward, or ensure that success gives them a boon, but isn't required for progressing.

For example, there's a section in my murder mystery module False Valor where players get to ask around at the bar to gather information. A local girl was murdered, and the circumstantial evidence says it may have been done by factions of an elven nation in a nearby forest who once fought a war across this region. While everyone who asks around gets a base bit of information, for every additional success on a Persuasion check, the players get another tidbit of information. Those who succeed really well find out that the leader of a local gang who seems to be champing at the bit to avenge the death on the elves has a lot of ideas in his head about what the war was like... mostly because his grandfather told him a lot of lies about the glory and honor of the fighting.

Now, players don't need that information to find the answer to the mystery. If they don't hear that piece of gossip, they can still go investigate the murder scene, and even talk to the girl's family to try to gather information about the events leading up to her murder. And even if they don't do that, the perpetrators are going to end up ambushing them to try to make the party look like more casualties in an escalation of hostilities.

The only difference is the more information the party successfully gathers, the faster they can put the pieces together about what happened, and the less taken off-guard they're going to be when the confrontation occurs.

Tip #3: Multiple Paths, and Multiple Ends

This was one of the first times I experimented with this...

Let's get the obvious out of the way first... you cannot cover every, possible action the players might take. It isn't going to happen. The best you can do is set up the steps of the adventure, and how things are playing out for the Game Master, and then provide some suggestions for the most likely player actions.

What you can do, though, is create funnels to drive the players to certain events, and to provide a handful of descriptions based on these outcomes. A funnel is different from a rail. Rails are where players have to follow a specific course of events from A to B. A funnel is more like a particular event you need to get them to, one way or another, but which is more flexible with the journey overall.

For example, in The Curse of Sapphire Lake, the town is being terrorized by a massive figure in a bone white mask. Players will have a run-in with him, and whether it goes well or poorly, he retreats to his underwater lair. This funnels players to him, because waiting him out won't work; they have to go in after him. When they do they find a tragic situation at the end, and they're faced with a choice. Do they slay this figure, cutting him down? Do they allow him to live? And in either case, do they attempt to go back and tell the town chieftain what happened? Because depending on their actions there are at least 3 different ways the story could end... of course, GMs are free to add their own ending text, if the included ones don't cover enough options.

This can take some trial and error, and if you have the time (along with a dedicated playtesting group) consider incorporating some of these changes into the final product before you're ready to put it out to market!

Additional Modules

A last piece of advice I'll give is that if you want to write adventure modules you should study what other folks have done. Not just in terms of story and plot, but in terms of layout, how stats are presented, and even how maps are marked for certain incidents. Seeing what works, and what doesn't, is solid research for how to write your own modules.

And in addition to the ones I've mentioned above, I'd also recommend checking out:

- A Night At Breckon's Beacon (Army Men): Your squad is tasked with finding soldiers who went missing on patrol. Near the ruins of an old border fort, you find evidence they were here... but what happened to them?

- Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh (DND 5E): The town of Bracken is beset by something terrible. There's a bounty for those who save them from this lurking threat... but will you survive to claim the reward, or merely vanish beneath the waters of the Sorrow Marsh?

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!

A New Mission (In A New Genre) Drops For "Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic"!

We just passed the 1-year anniversary of my first RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic a little while ago, and while it hasn't blown up, the game is definitely making some gains! The core book, as well as the first supplement Army Men: Threat Assessments have hit Copper status, and are still moving copies. Not only that, but some of the other supplements are starting to get a bit of attention, which is exciting.

And now I've got a fresh mission available for folks to try! It's the first to take place in the Styric Republic, but it also shows there's more than one kind of mission that troopers can be sent on.

And you should definitely grab a copy if you haven't yet!

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!

Mystery, Betrayal, And Gangland Shootouts!

Folks who have gotten a copy of Army Men (or who have simply watched a few episodes of Tactical Plastic Report over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel), often have the impression that this is a very streamlined game with a single way to play. After all, you're a squad of army men, so you're obviously out in the trenches, stalking through the woods, or raiding nests of the colossal insectoid creatures called vespoids that are the game's main antagonists, right?

And while you can make an entire campaign out of that, as I mentioned in The Threats You Face in Army Men, there are so many more problems that your squad might be dispatched to deal with.

The new mission, Assault on Outpost 13, is me giving an example of some of the other kinds of enemies you might need to fight, and missions you'll need to accomplish.

In this mission, players take on the role of troopers in the Styric Republic, called in to provide assistance to a fellow military member who needs backup. She's captured a high-value criminal target, and needs to hold onto him until he can be transferred to her commander. The Rostok crime syndicate isn't going to take the loss of one of the family's favorite sons lying down, though, and troopers are going to have a fight on their hands.

Not only that, but they might find that in addition to enemies without, there may be enemies within. A syndicate doesn't get to be that successful without at least a few state personnel on their payroll, after all...

While the previous module A Night At Breckon's Beacon pits troopers against a vespoid threat, this module asks them to do more than point and shoot. Troopers need to decide where they stand in regards to the standoff, they need to try to see behind the lying disguises of their enemies, and they need to uncover evidence and interrogate prisoners in order to get a grip on just what is happening, and what kind of hornet's nest they've put their feet into. Or perhaps they use the James West approach of shoot first, shoot later, shoot some more, and then when everyone is dead try to ask a question or two... a viable approach, but one that may make the module significantly harder for a squad of trigger-happy troopers.

And this mission gives us a couple of milestones for the game, as well! For example:

- It's the third total mission (including the mission in the base book), which means players can now have their first level-up without the GM doing any additional work!

- It's the first mission in the Styric Republic, which means we've (technically) received missions for 3 of the 4 nations that make up the Plastos Federation.

- It's the 5th supplement to be released for Army Men as a game so far, which feels pretty special to me as the creator.

So, while I'm putting in as much work as I can going forward, I wanted to ask folks out there... what sorts of things would you like to see more of for Army Men as a game? What would really get you invested? Leave your comments below, or on any of the videos for Tactical Plastic Report, because my publisher will see those and take note of them going forward!

All of Army Men's Releases So Far!

If you want to get in on this game and help me take the next hill so I can keep making cool stuff, then consider grabbing one (or all!) of the material for it linked below!

And if you do... don't forget to leave a review!

- Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic: The core rulebook, and technically the only book you need to play this game.

- Army Men: Threat Assessments: A book of extra enemies and threats for players to deal with, this expands your bestiary quite substantially!

- Army Men: Medals of Honor: This book introduces the Medals System, which allows you to reward your players from one mission to the next for their achievements.

- Ungentlemanly Warfare: A Baker's Dozen of Booby Traps: Traps are quite common on many battlefields, and if you're looking to increase the threat in your next mission this supplement has you covered!

- [Mission Module] A Night At Breckon's Beacon: Your squad is tasked with finding out what happened to a patrol that went missing in the rough country on the borders of United Polymeria.

- [Mission Module] Assault on Outpost 13: Your squad is tasked with helping protect a prisoner so he can be properly transferred. His syndicate isn't going to let him go without a fight, however.

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!

Game Masters, Pre-Made Campaigns Still Need To Be Tailored To Your Table

Have you ever noticed that when a celebrity wears a certain brand of clothing it always seems to fit them perfectly? Even if you have the same body type, wear the same size, etc., those jeans always look better on them than they do on you? Well, there's a reason for that... it's because when the rich and famous buy their clothes off the rack, they take them home and get them tailored to fit perfectly. This used to be a pretty common practice, actually. You'd go to the store, find the shirt, pants, jacket, etc. that fit you the best, then make the final modifications to it at home so it was just right.

If you're a game master running a pre-written campaign, that's the attitude you need to take. Because while the game is written for a general size and style, it is highly unlikely to be just what your group needs. So you can either grapple with the campaign being too loose in the challenge, or too tight in the story, or you can make modifications to suit the group you're actually playing with.

While it might seem like a lot of work, I highly recommend it.

Also, if you want to make sure you get all of my latest content sent right to your inbox, don't forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter!

It Saves You Energy in The Long Run

It really does, trust me.

I've got the experience of being on both sides of this particular fence, so I thought I'd share my perspective here. For folks who don't know, I authored a series of modules called the Critical Hits series from TPK Games, including the murder mystery False Valor, the slasher-inspired The Curse of Sapphire Lake, and the particularly grim Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh. These modules are meant as one shots for 1-2 level characters, and they're pretty self-contained.

When I wrote them, I had to do my best to think of everything players might realistically do given the situation presented. Hence why there's usually 2-3 looping paths to lead the party to the information they need, and to reach the conclusion of the adventure. And when I chose the monsters in question, I had to try to find a balance for them. Because if the players brought a bunch of expected, in-the-box PCs, I didn't want the enemies to steam roll them. On the other hand, if the players souped-up their characters with high stats, good spell and gear choices, etc., I didn't want them feeling like it was on easy mode.

I tried to build the modules to suit the hypothetical "average" party. The problem is that, even while I was doing that, I knew that such a group doesn't actually exist.

It's all about prediction... and players are unpredictable.

According to the feedback I got, some groups were able to run the modules as I wrote them with no problem whatsoever. Some groups almost got wiped out by what I'd expected to be easy encounters, either due to bad rolls, or unforeseen choices being made (an all Small-sized party getting swallowed by giant toads, thus making them a far bigger threat than they were intended to be). Other games found the monsters far too easy, again either due to lucky rolls (two crits in a row on a big-bad that was a sack of regenerating hit points, but which wasn't built to take that kind of punishment), or due to highly competent player builds.

As the creator, I could only predict so much. In short, I was making size 36 jeans. There were some groups who could just take that module off the rack, slip it on, and bam, a perfect fit! Other groups were going to have to hem the legs so they didn't drag, or let out some space in the crotch because the GM opted to give everyone much higher stats, or to run a party of 6 PCs instead of the recommended 3-4. Some groups might need a belt in the form of a helpful NPC to provide support and healing because the group is a little on the thin side, and others might tear the seams because they're trying to play a lower level module with characters that are too beefy.

In order to make that game fit your table, the game master needs to look at the characters that are actually present, and tailor the experience to fit them.

Maybe that means adding a few more bandits in the ambush, or taking a few out. Maybe it means skipping a skill check that no one's proficient in to get them information more expediently. Or perhaps instead of snooping around town the barbarian decides to get drunk with the local hard cases, who attempt to recruit him to the race war they're trying to start with the elves, spilling their guts when they get too many shots in them. Whatever is going to make the game smoother for your table, the GM needs to do that.

Because it's impossible for someone writing a module (let alone an entire campaign) to predict exactly who or what is going to be at your table, let alone the actions they're going to try to take! The best they can do is offer a framework that should get the bulk of the heavy lifting done... but you still need to fine-tune it in order to get the most out of the experience.

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!

Chronicles of Arcaea: A Solid "Module" For Pathfinder 2E Players

As most folks around here know, I'm on the record as someone who was not very impressed with Pathfinder's second edition. I felt it streamlined far too many aspects of the game, took away a lot of player customization, and I have a standing dislike of most games that lean on automatic progression as a character grows in experience. However, I'm also a realist, so I don't close my eyes, stuff my fingers in my ears, and pretend the new edition doesn't exist. It's why earlier this year I gave a shout out to the talented performers in Loaded Dice Rollers in Looking For A New Gaming Podcast? Check Out Loaded Dice Rollers!, after all.

Today I'm in rather a similar situation. So while I'm normally not a 2nd Ed. sort of guy, I can say that if it is your bag and you're looking for something new to try out then you should consider giving Chronicles of Arcaea by J Honea a look!

If you haven't come across it, don't worry, we'll get into it a bit.

4 Levels, and Over 200 Pages!

In a nut shell, the first book of Chronicles of Arcaea is a straightforward level 1-4 "module" or mini-campaign, depending on how you look at it. It's open to all base classes of the second edition, and players are encouraged to take on the role of traditional heroes as they protect average people from above average threats descending on them. The game is also structured in such a way that you can run it as a cohesive game, or as a series of one-shots, whichever better suits you and your players' style. There are even sections dedicated to things that often get overlooked, such as helping GMs craft effective encounters, and providing proper motivation for the PCs to get involved in all of this very dangerous nonsense.

The book is over 200 pages, though! What the hell is the rest of it dedicated to!?

For my two cents, that's where you get your money's worth. Because the rest of this book lays out the setting of Arcaea (or at least the parts you'll be playing in), giving you maps, cultures, gods, histories, and all sorts of other building blocks to help you really improve and expand your game. It's not a full world guide, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it's enough to give you a glimpse into what's being created. And while it might be a little rough around the edges (we don't all have our own art departments we can call on to slather on the polish), there's definitely solid creativity that will spark plenty of ideas in your mind as you go through it.

This Won't Be The Last We See of J Honea

While this is the only product up on Drive Thru RPG under his name at time of writing, it's far from the only thing the author has put out there. So check out J Honea's Facebook page, along with his Patreon page to help urge him to make more stuff!

And, if Pathfinder 2nd Edition is really your thing, you could do a lot worse than Chronicles of Arcaea as a starting point for your next campaign!

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!

The Critical Hits Trilogy From TPK Games is Finally Released!

Most folks who read my blog with any regularity know that in addition to writing books like my recent short story collection The Rejects and my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, running two blogs, and keeping up an archive of articles over on Vocal, that I also write RPG supplements. And while most of my supplements recently have tended to focus on the fill-in details that DMs need for their games, like pre-made NPCs, or mercenary companies, cults, etc. a lot of folks have been asking when I'm going to actually write some full-on modules.

Well, I have been. And though they've slipped under the radar for the most part, all three of them are finally out, so I thought I'd collect all of them in one place to let my readers know!

And for those who didn't see it last week, well, this is the most recent release!

Critical Hits: How They Came To Be

For those of you not in the know, I wrote three one-shot modules for Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition several years back. While the first two, False Valor and The Curse of Sapphire Lake have been out for a little while now, Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh has finally dropped. So, now that they're all out I figured I'd take a moment to let folks know, and to give you a bit of background on how they came to be.

Every great game needs a little backstory, right?

Our tale begins several years ago. I was sifting through my email in between reviews and posts, when a unique project proposal came across my desk. The client was looking to make a website where dungeon masters could create slick, sleek-looking modules with relatively little effort, and almost no desktop publishing knowledge. However, to provide a kind of proof-of-concept he needed some writers to create modules using the site to show off what could be done with it.

He'd seen some of my other work, and decided to offer me a shot.

Now, writing modules wasn't really something I had a lot of experience with at the time, but if the site was as easy to use as the client claimed I figured it couldn't be too difficult. Especially since he didn't want anything huge; just a simple, one-shot module that could be used to fill an evening. Something he could use as an example, and to give away for free to prospective DMs who joined. With a competitive per-word rate, I told him sure, I'd be able to get something up in fairly short order.

The first module I wrote was actually Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh. A simple module where something dangerous is assaulting the one road into the town of Bracken, and the heroes need to fight off whatever it is, and track it back to its source in order to end the threat. Grim, dark, and dreary, it had a basic hook, a simple setup, and could be played through by experienced players and new ones alike. I was about 80 percent done with the module, and I'd just finished up the text for the adventure's Big Bad, when the client reached out and told me he was shutting down the site. He apologized profusely, gave me a generous kill fee for the project, and wished me luck.

Problem was that I now had a module that was most of the way done, with no one to publish it.

That was, of course, about to change.

I'd been in the game for a while, so I reached out to Total Party Kill Games (whom I'd created feats for in the past), and showed them the module I had. They liked it, but were a little unsure about its length. They really wanted something a bit meatier, which would justify a print run and putting the story out in multiple formats. Rather than re-work the module I had, I offered a counter-proposal; I could write several more modules just like this one, and they could be bundled together. Each one could offer different themes, different hooks, and different tones, the collection acting as a kind of gaming sample platter for DMs and players who might want to try a horror game, a murder mystery, etc., but who didn't want to commit to an entire campaign.

Said idea was approved, and that's how the Critical Hits series came to be!

Why Are There Only Three?

It's been several years since the project was first given the okay, and as sometimes happens in publishing there were snags. Existing projects had to be rearranged due to new editions coming out, creative teams got reshuffled, and so on, and so forth. As I said, despite Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh being the original module that kicked off the whole project, it was only just released at the tail end of this initial run.

And while I don't have anything in the pipe right now, that could all change depending on you my dear readers.

What can we do?

As I confided to my friends when I first started working on these (I finished all three modules over the course of the summer, by the by), I would be more than happy to keep creating modules as long as people were playing them. And generally speaking, publishers take notice if they put out a product that starts climbing up the medal scale over at Drive Thru RPG.

So if you've seen these before (or if you're just now finding out about the series, and would like to see it grow), here's what you can do to help. If you have a couple of bucks, by yourself a copy. If you already have a copy, leave a review since that helps more people find the modules. Share the link, and tell your friends about it. And it you've got a gaming podcast, a blog, or a YouTube channel, consider using that platform to help me boost the signal on these. Heck, if you want to do a play through or a review, just email me and I'll make sure you get yourself a reviewer copy of any or all of these!

And I'll do my part to share the signal boost back your way!

And if you're not sure which game would best suit your needs (or if you don't like to buy things blind), I'll do my part to try to guide your decisions.

False Valor: Written second, but released first, this module is a murder-mystery investigation. A girl was killed in a way that resembles the execution method used by war criminals generations ago, and it's got tensions running high. Are the elves starting hostilities again, or is something else happening? This module was meant to show players (particularly newer ones) that hacking and slashing won't solve all your problems, and that you need to find the true enemy before you can hope to fight them.

The Curse of Sapphire Lake: We're only halfway to Halloween, but this one was very specifically meant as a love letter to all my fellow slasher fans out there. An ancient campfire tale stalks the town of Kingsbridge, but is it just a monster from out of the mists, or is there something more going on beneath the surface? Piecing together what's happening now with the events that led the settlement's founder to be slain decades ago could be the key to unlocking what the masked figure stalking the town wants... and what will make it stop.

Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh: Meant to evoke the danger of the world beyond the safety of the walls, and the claustrophobic air of an unknown threat (something I daresay we're all much too familiar with these days), this module is meant to be tense, grim, and a little frightening. Everything is damp, dreary, and the horror of what's truly happening out in the wetlands beyond Bracken can leave players horrified. While it doesn't have mature content, it's the bleak way the module presents what it has that might make it something your group loves, or hates, depending on their tastes. If you're a fan of Dark Souls, Shadow of The Demon Lord, and other grim tales, this one should definitely be on your shelf.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday!

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 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!

I Write More Than RPGs (Games and Giveaways!)

Most folks who stop by this blog do so because they're looking for thoughts, advice, reviews, and news on tabletop gaming. That's kind of my schtick, after all. However, for those who don't know, I also create other types of content! And given that so many of us are currently practicing social distancing, I figured I'd take this week to offer some sign posts, and some free material, so we can all avoid the encroaching boredom that's starting to grow teeth in some areas.

Such as this reading I recently did of the short story "Dressing The Flesh" from my new collection The Rejects!

Also, a big thanks to Dungeon Keeper Radio for hosting this video, as I ran into last-minute problems with it and had nowhere else to plop it down for listeners' consumption.

What Else I've Made (That You Should Totally Go Check Out)

So what else do I have out there right now? Well, I'm glad you asked!

The list is growing a little... expansive.

Let's begin at the beginning. If you want more free gaming resources, then you should definitely check out my Vocal archive. For those of you who read my character conversion guides and my 5 Tips lists, you're probably familiar with some of what I've put on that site, but my archive has grown a great deal over the past year. I've been transferring over a lot of content from an older site that had some of my work, and at time of writing there's 145 articles in that archive. They're all free to you to read, so take a spin through and see if you like something! Every read helps my earnings, and one way I decide what sorts of content I'm going to create more of is what gets read, and what doesn't. So please, if you like a thing, share it around so I can make more like it!

Speaking of free gaming resources, you should also check out the channel Dungeon Keeper Radio. In addition to hosting my latest reading, there's more than a year of videos that I helped write and voice. The channel has mostly been in stasis for the past several months because YouTube moved their goal posts, making it very difficult for the channel to get monetized, but if folks show an interest then that could re-light the spark under the team. Especially if you've got the spare scratch for a Patreon pledge for them. Just saying.

In addition to gaming content, though, I also write fiction. Since some of my readers on here have mentioned that the little bits of story I put into my unusual character concepts are always interesting, I figured I'd direct those folks to my broader body of work.

If you're in the mood to read something that's free, and Pathfinder related, you should take a moment to read the short story The Irregulars that I wrote for Paizo several years ago. While that story got a lot of praise from early readers, I was sadly not asked to turn it into anything bigger for the company. If you'd like more short stories, then you should also check out The Rejects, but if you're more in the mood for a sword and sorcery novel, I'd direct your attention to Crier's Knife instead. Both books have fairly long free samples that should let you know just what you're in for. And if you find yourself curious about other books I've been a part of, then I'd urge you to check out my Amazon author page and take a look around!

What About The Giveaway?

As I said in the title, I've decided to run a giveaway over the next month or so. In addition to all the free stuff I've got listed above, if you'd like a collection of DMing supplements, a one-shot module written by yours truly, or even a free ebook, all you have to do is use the Contact Me gadget on this blog to send me a message. Just reach out to me with your email address, and the free thing you'd like (supplements, module, or ebook), and I'll make sure it's on its way to you promptly!

Supplies are unlimited when stuff is digital after all!

And if you wanted to make some specific requests, feel free to take a look at my Drive Thru RPG listings! I've got over 73 products with my name on them, and though I don't have giveaway copies of everything, I will try my best to get people stuff they'd like.

Also, if you're interested in supporting Improved Initiative as a Patreon patron, keep in mind that I host regular giveaways for my patrons. Just something to keep in mind if you could stand to part with at least $1 a month!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday! Hopefully it's given some of my readers some fresh avenues of content to check out to while away their hours!

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 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!

You Are Not Obligated To Like Games Just Because They're Popular

Like a lot of gamers, I came into the tabletop RPG hobby through what was then the current edition of Dungeons and Dragons. This was right around the time that 3.0 was making its transition to 3.5, for those of you looking to construct a timeline. I'd had brushes with funny-shaped dice and narrative gaming before, but that was when I really committed to the hobby.

It wasn't long after that my dice collection began to become... an issue.

Also like most gamers, the longer I was in the hobby, the more games I discovered. The World of Darkness got its reinvention not long after I became aware of it (the games now referred to as the Chronicles of Darkness for those feeling confused), and several groups I played with ran stuff like BattleTech, Call of Cthulhu, and in one night of zany experimentation, Paranoia. And one of my clearest memories as a gamer was when Wizards of the Coast brought out the 4th Edition of DND.

Like a lot of gamers who'd gone all-in on 3.5, I hated 4th Edition. I felt the lack of customization was a major flaw, and I disliked how it felt more like an MMO or a minis war game than the sort of RPG I was used to. My group all shared the same opinion, and we decided to stick to 3.5 until we found something we liked better. Which we did when Paizo released Pathfinder. It was everything we liked, plus some extra wooge, and we couldn't have been happier.

I Told You That Story So I Could Tell You This Story...

The reason I told you all of that is to establish that for the first decade or so of my gaming career, I was a gamer who found that most of my wants and needs were in sync with the broader strokes of what was popular in the hobby. I came in when the dominant game design philosophy was to make games that focused on giving players the ability to fully customize their characters, and where the DMs had to do the minimal amount of improvisation regarding common rules (there were charts and scales for falling damage, weather, monsters and traps were fully statted out, skills had specific thresholds and modifier, etc.).

However, over the past several years as both a player and a designer I have noticed that the pendulum is definitely swinging the other way now. 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons came back hard from 4th Edition's failure, and gobbled up a huge amount of the market. Thanks to shows like Stranger Things, simpler editions of DND are coming back in vogue. And, generally speaking, the market is filling up with games that have a lot fewer moving parts, and which require a lot less investment and time on the part of players and storytellers alike.

Just what the hell is going on here?

There are a lot of reasons for this. One is that with gaming's increased accessibility, gamers are reaching for the editions they see in their favorite shows (Critical Role, in particular, I hold responsible for a portion of 5th Edition's booming fan base). Another is that more gamers are adults, and adults with jobs (and sometimes kids of their own) don't typically have hours upon hours to dedicated to learning labyrinthine, complicated storytelling systems. When you add in that lots of games are also geared toward shorter campaigns, and even one-shots (I'm looking at you, Dread), the market is clearly changing to fit a much different audience. And since shorter, less complicated games require a lot less work to make, they're popping up in greater numbers.

This is a gaming demographic I'm not part of.

This is frustrating both as a gamer, and as a game designer (though in my defense I'm stretching out and following the curve with 5th Edition DND modules like False Valor and The Curse of Sapphire Lake), but meditating on it has lent some clarity. Once upon a time the things I liked in games were popular, and that drove profit margins. Now my style of game is less popular, and as a result there are fewer companies putting out the type of content that I enjoy. That's not a slight against me, that's just how the free market works; if there were more gamers in the hobby who wanted what I want, it's what companies would produce.

And that's fine (at least personally; professionally it's a different kettle of fish). I am under no obligation to buy the games being produced if they're not the sort of things I want to play. No one is going to make me move on to Pathfinder's second edition, or Dungeons and Dragons' fifth, in the same way that no one forced Vampire: The Masquerade players to move onto Requiem when it was released. The games I like still exist, and I have full control over what I play in my own time. We all do.

With That Said... Let People Enjoy Things

Having said all of that, not liking something doesn't mean that you should volunteer your opinion in places where it isn't wanted. If people are talking about their latest campaign, and your only contribution is to disparage the edition or system they're using, just shut up. Move on from that conversation, because it's not for you, and no one is asking for your input.

"In my day, natural tharks weren't an auto-success!"

As geeks and gamers (particularly those who are used to being the dominant audience), we occasionally get confused and think that other people beyond the folks we play with care what we think. We fall into that trap where we mistake not being catered to with having our interests ignored, and too often we end up trying to spread that negativity around. Like how grown men will rail against the popularity of boy bands or romance novels just because something that isn't made for them is popular and successful.

So the next time you get ready to hold forth about something you don't like that's popular in gaming, or how this or that group who's clearly having fun is contributing to the popularity of the "wrong" kinds of games, take a moment and ask if anyone solicited your opinion. If you were specifically asked to share, consider whether what you're about to say will have a positive impact on those who hear your words.

Take my advice on this one; your games of choice will not get more popular if you shout about how they're superior to all the stuff people are playing and enjoying now. Instead, make a pitch for what your games do that other games don't. Put on your salesman's cap, and hold the door open for gamers who may not have heard of your favored system, or preferred edition. Be an ambassador who persuades those watching to give your style of gaming a try.

Because in this instance, you will catch far more flies with honey than you do with vinegar.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday. Hopefully you found this suggestions useful!

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 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!

What Does It Take To Be A Professional DM?

So, you're one of those relatively few people in the gaming community that actually likes being behind the DM screen. You enjoy the heavy lifting of world crafting, the swift motions of acting out the drama, and watching your players' frustration or tension turn to joy when that die comes up with a natural 20. You know you're a rarity, and if you're any good as a dungeon master, then your skills are going to be in fairly constant demand.

And, of course, you know what that means.

If you're good at something, never do it for free.

That's right; the basic law of supply and demand says that for every need, there's a profit to be made in filling it. And if you're already going to be a dungeon master for your friends, putting in all the hard work and careful plotting, then you might as well earn a living behind the screen.

Can you do that? Of course you can. The gig economy is responsible for some amazing things, and one of them is that you can carve a niche with practically any skill. However, not everyone out there is like Timm Woods, a professional DM covered by Wired. So, if you want to duplicate that success, there are a few things you need to do.

Step #1: Git Gud

The first thing you need to do is pick your system(s), and drill to kill. You don't have to memorize the game guides, but you need to be able to help people build characters, design entire encounters, internalize your world lore, and make damn sure you are running a game where people are having fun. That is the most important thing to remember if you want to take your show on the road as a DM; you are no longer doing this for your personal enjoyment, or just to share a story with the group gathered round your table. You are a professional entertainer, and win or lose, you need to make sure every player at that table has a good time. You should also make sure you have access to all the accouterments your game needs (minis, dice, map, markers, etc.) in order to run it, because if you're providing the service, you need to have the tools on hand to do your job well.

Step #2: Get The Word Out

Once you've polished up your dice, invested in your campaigns, and you've got all the materials you need to run your game, you need to get the word out about yourself. If you want to at least get a little compensation while you do that, there are a few ways you can get started.

Stack that gold, son.

The first thing you should do is have a talk with your friendly local gaming store, if you've got one. Store owners know that DMs are essential when it comes to having games run, so see if they'd be willing to compensate you in the event you run a regular game, and bring in players. A lot of the time DMs can earn store credit, allowing them to get more gaming resources without forking over cash. And if there are folks walking through the store, you can set up a sign, or hand out cards, letting them know that you will perform the same service for their group for a reasonable fee.

If you don't have a store game (or even if you do), you should consider broadcasting one of the regular games you already run. All it takes is a webcam, and a good group, to show off your skill behind the screen. Start a regular vid cast, and maybe intersperse it with DM advice during the week. Build a following, and let people know about the service you offer. Advertise your rates, where you host (or if you prefer your clients to host, then the area you're willing to travel to), and really pitch your skills.

Lastly, get involved on the convention circuit. If you volunteer to be part of the gaming department (or if you're going to a gaming convention like Gen Con), you can often get all sorts of stuff comped. Badge, room, and sometimes more, all while giving you a chance to strut your stuff, and hand out your card to people so they can tune-in, if you have a channel, or so they can hire you the next time they need a DM.

Step #3: Schedule, Run, Repeat

Being a professional DM isn't all fun and games. It's your job now, and you need to be on top of your form every time. So that means your work life is, essentially, going to be game prep, and keeping a dozen different groups straight in your head, while ensuring that some folks get to run individual mods, while other clients can enjoy long-term campaigns.

Not only that, but you might even have to handle downtime actions and questions from your clients. Providing advice on character builds, filling in the gaps with what happened in last week's session, and making sure everyone is updated on what they need to prep for.

I recommend investing in a lot of these.

If you live in an area where there are a lot of folks willing to hand over a c-note for a a few four to five hour gaming sessions, then you may quickly find your schedule full. However, if you still have days where you're not working, then you'll have to hustle to get them filled. That probably means you're going to be working a lot of weekends, since that's when average groups have time off, but that's the price you pay when you want to go pro.

Additional Things To Think About

So, if you still want to try your hand at being a professional DM (especially if you're hoping to do it full-time and not just for pizza money), there are a few more things you should carefully consider.

Assuming, that is, I haven't murdered your enthusiasm yet.

First and foremost is you need to establish a code of conduct, both for yourself and for your players. Make it clear what your customers are paying for, and what is not included. For example, you might want to have a policy that states your dice will be rolled in full view of the players, and that no mechanical alterations will occur as part of the game. If you win, you won, if you died, that's how the dice rolled. You may also want to point out that you will run certain lengths of game (one-shot, three-game arc, and campaign), and that you will run certain systems, but not others. You should also make it clear the behavior you expect from your players, themes you will not run or allow, and even the age of players you will run for.

This accomplishes a lot of things for you. Number one, it lets players know what they're in for up-front, and it sets expectations. It also stops you from getting hired to run for a game of four players, whom you assume to be adults, but who in actuality are a group of twelve-year-olds, which means the content you were planning on running is a little inappropriate. It also stops you from being corralled by a group of gamers entirely made up of that guy. You know, that guy who has a reputation in the local gaming circuit. That guy no one wants to play with because of his tone, his temper, or because he just sucks the fun out of the game. The sort of guy who, unfortunately, might be forced by circumstance to look up a mercenary DM in order to get a game going on the regular.

Here are a few final thoughts. Consider the benefits of technology. Thanks to PayPal, you can accept money digitally, so there's no need to wait until the end of the night to find out you're getting stiffed or short-changed. Consider running games over the Internet in order to fill your schedule, and perhaps reduce the overall cost for players since there's no physical meeting place you have to go to. Talk to your potential players first, and find out the sort of game they're interested in to create a tailored experience. Ask your players to evaluate you after the game is over, and listen to their feedback. Also, keep your receipts, since you can write off gaming expenses, card printing, travel, and a slew of other stuff on your taxes as business expenses if you are doing this professionally.

Lastly, this sort of thing takes time to build. While you might already be an accomplished dungeon master, if you're not known on the convention circuit, on the Internet, or by the folks who game in your area, then you need to start building your legend. So, while it is possible you'll be able to DM for a living, it isn't going to happen overnight. You'll need expertise, a soap box, exposure, a whole lot of hustle, and when all is said and done, more than a little luck.

May the dice roll ever in your favor!

That's all for this week's Moon Pope Monday, even if it is a day late. If you want to get even more gaming content from yours truly, then check out my archive over at Gamers, and head over to Dungeon Keeper Radio on YouTube where I and other talented gamers put together our own little world. If you want to keep up-to-date on all my releases, then follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter. Lastly, if you want to help support Improved Initiative, then head over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page. For at least $1 a month, I'll be sure to send you some great gaming swag as a thank you.