"A Trail in The Margins," A Call of Cthulhu Audio Drama, Has Fresh Episodes Coming Up!

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:

- 50 Two-Sentence Horror Stories, Cthulhu Mythos Edition: A short collection of spine-tingling tales, these can be used to set a tone, or to inspire a game of your own!

- 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.

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

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!

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!

"Windy City Shadows" A Chronicles of Darkness Podcast Proposal

Folks who've been coming to my blog for a while have likely come across several of the little audio dramas I've been putting together over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel (which you should subscribe to, if you haven't). However, there have been a couple of folks out there who have asked why I don't take these shorter pieces, and expand them into full-length audio dramas, or even into a full season of audio dramas of a podcast.

And that's what I want to talk about today... because I would love to do that very thing. But I'm going to need you all to actually make it happen.

Blood and glamour make the word go round.

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! 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!

Windy City Shadows: A Proposal

This is not the first time I've talked about this potential project, but the video I made on the subject didn't give quite enough details for some folks to get a handle on what I'm trying to do. So I thought I'd take this week's Table Talk entry to expand on the idea as it stands right now, and to see whether it's something folks would be interested in if I put in the effort to make it happen.

As I said in the video, the idea behind Windy City Shadows is that it would be an audio drama podcast set in the world of the Chronicles of Darkness. Each season will tell a different story set in a different sphere (ideally), with characters and plot points from previous seasons being expanded on as the story bounces from one group of monsters to another... this will, at least partially, be decided on the votes from the audience.

Where I would like to start this project off is with season one, which I'm tentatively titling Grim Promises, is in the realm of Changeling: The Lost. This story features Shepherd Black, a beast who has gotten out of the games between the seasonal courts, and settled down running a little shop on the south side of Chicago. His old life comes crashing back when a face from his past calls in a favor... a favor he owes that he can't turn away. Shepherd, whether he wants to or not, must once again don the mantle he wore as Black Shuck, the Teeth of the Fall Court and the Paladin of Shadows, and go on one, last hunt before he can be left in peace.

This season will tie together a lot of the elements that have been laid down in previous audio dramas on the Azukail Games YouTube channel, including a reappearance by the character of Lucius Frakes, as well as possible roles for Wolfe, Amy Prism, and others. The person bringing us this tale, and acting as the host of the show, would be Mr. Nowhere, who I recently used to deliver an Emotional Weather Report over on my Rumble channel The Literary Mercenary.

Where I go from that first season is anyone's guess. While I would like to finish the story of Johnny Hammer and the Six Gun Saint (the Geist/Mage crossover I've been adding to for a little while now), I could also move over to Vampire after that first season, as well. Werewolf is an option, too. And, of course, there's nothing saying I can't do multiple seasons in the same sphere if folks decide they want more changeling after all.

Practicalities of The Podcast

As I said in the first video, getting a podcast off the ground is no easy task. There's the writing, casting, recording, editing, and then making sure that it gets put up on all the various platforms out there for folks to consume it... it's a lot of a lot, especially when you need to make sure the scripts fit together into a single, cohesive narrative by the end of the season.

So if this is something you're interested in making a reality, there are a few things you can do to make it happen!

First, please subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and help us get it monetized! We have over the 500 subscribers we need, but we just rounded the 1,000 hour mark of watched content, and we need to hit the 3,000 hour mark in order for YouTube to share any of the ad revenue we generate with us. Hitting that goal would be a huge sign of audience interest, and it would help persuade my publisher to greenlight this show, even if it will also appear on Spotify and other platforms, too.

Second, please share this article around so that other folks can get wind of this project, and we can build a groundswell of interest in it. Because I'll be very honest with you, dear readers, this would be a massive undertaking, and it's going to take a not-insignificant amount of eyeballs to help make it into a reality.

Third, please leave comments below about what level of interest you have, and what you'd be willing to do to help support the show. Will you tune-in to listen? Will you share the episodes around on your social media to help boost the signal? Or would you be willing to pitch in on a Patreon in order to help me pay my bills while I work on making new episodes?

The more numbers I can get regarding this, the better I'll be able to judge how interested folks are. Because I've been chewing over this idea for a while, and I would love to make it happen, but I don't want to spend that much time, energy, and cat herding making something that nobody's interested in. So speak up, and make your voice heard!

EDIT: Because there appears to be some confusion on the subject, this is not a casting call for voice actors, nor am I looking for people to help me edit or work on post-production. I have access to all the cast, writers, etc., that I would need to make the show at present. I am just trying to find the audience to listen, because to make a show like this worth the time, energy, and effort, we need people tuning in to listen, or donating to help us pay bills to keep making more episodes.

What's Next on Table Talk?

That's it for this installment of Table Talk! What would you like to see next? I'm listening for your comments and votes!

For more of my work, check out my Vocal archives, as well as the YouTube channel for Azukail Games. Or, to check out books like my sword and sorcery novel Crier's Knife, my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, or my recent short story collection The Rejects, head over to My Amazon Author Page!

To stay on top of all my latest releases, follow me on Facebook, Tumblr, and Twitter, as well as on Pinterest where I'm building all sorts of boards dedicated to my books, RPG supplements, and greatest hits. Lastly, to help support me and my work, consider Buying Me A Ko-Fi, or heading over to The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page to become a regular, monthly patron! Even a little donation can have a big impact.

The Noir Investigator

This town's full of big names, and walking legends. The golden and the chosen. But when you rise up that high, you cast deep shadows. That was where guys like me lived. Skulking in the alleys, watching doorways to see who came and went with their hoods up and an eye on their back trail. I found people who didn't want to be found, and ferreted out secrets people would rather keep hidden away. It didn't pay much, but it wasn't usually as dangerous as breaking open lost tombs, or starting trouble with dragons.

Usually being the key word.

I was leaning up against a post outside a cathouse, trying to look like a drunk minding his own business, when a fist came out of nowhere. Old instincts kicked in, but not soon enough to duck the punch entirely. I hitched up against the grimy bricks, my head ringing like a fight bell. I shook the echoes out of my ears, and saw two burly bully boys facing me. One gave me a smile, flashing a hint of a tusk with a gold cap on it.

"Stay away from this corner, old man," the half-breed said. "Folks round here don't like pokers. You hearing what I'm saying?"

I fished a flask off my hip, and took a nip. My tongue tingled, and the elixir started doing its work. I gave the bruiser another look over, and ran my tongue over my teeth. They were all still in place. I straightened up slowly, and pulled my collar straight. Then I drove my fist up hard under his jaw, right in the sensitive spot where the bone met muscle. His mouth clacked shut, and I heard teeth splinter as he fell back into the post. I thumbed my nose, and spit blood from my split lip into the gutter. I rolled my shoulders, and brought my fists up.

"Sorry, I don't listen all that good," I said. "Care to say it again?"

"If you can get it out, that is."

Performance and Mechanics

A big part of this particular concept is in how you roleplay it, and in the story you're trying to tell. Heroes in noir stories tend to be hard-edged, hard-boiled, and unshakable. They've led hard-knock lives, and they usually have a black mark or two on their history. They're smarter than they look, they're good at their work, and no matter how hard you try to scare them off they always come back with just one more question.

And while you can make all kinds of classes into noir heroes, in this case, we're focusing on the Investigator. You get access to alchemy, you can disable traps, and there are archetypes that even give you access to firearms if you want to pull your gat and stick it in a mug's face when he tries to jump you. You could even throw in a mix of other classes, like brawler for combat prowess, or the thug archetype for rogue to show that you know how to make a threat stick. Whether you mix or go straight, though, you've got enough skill points to sneak around, make some threats, and wheedle a favor or two from people who can help you unravel a mystery.

Perhaps the most common feature of noir detectives is that they used to be part of a violent profession of one stripe or another. If you were a prize fighter who just didn't have the skill to make big purses, and your nose got broken one too many times to keep getting in the ring, then the trait Heavy Hitter might be appropriate, giving you a +1 trait to unarmed strike damage. If you used to be a cop, or a soldier, then you could take a trait like Eyes and Ears of The City to get a +1 to Perception while making it a class skill, or you could take something like Reactionary to get a +2 trait bonus on Initiative checks to show that you're always operating on high-alert.

It's not just that you are used to rough work, though. Noir heroes also tend to be damaged goods in some way, shape or form. That very damage might be the reason they find themselves following philandering husbands, and scaring off stalkers. If they used to be a fighter, maybe they couldn't leave the violence back in the right, and it started scaring off friends and loved ones, breaking trusts in ways they couldn't repair. If they used to be a soldier, or a guardsman, they might have started drinking to cope with the things they'd seen and done. When the drinking got out of hand, though, they were discharged. Or maybe they were used to getting results with a heavy hand, but when they broke a drunk's collarbone, the boy turned out to be the son of a judge instead of just another loudmouth, and suddenly you found yourself with skills, but nowhere to employ them.

And, in some circumstances, your preferred methods of getting results simply weren't acceptable as a member of an official force. As a private operative, though, people are more than willing to look the other way as long as you don't get caught.

So ask who you used to be, and if that reputation still follows you around. And was that reputation better, or worse, than the person you've become? The Small Legend: Character Reputation in RPGs talks a lot about this as a potential tool for making your PC known to others you end up working with. Then ask what you did, or what happened to you, that brought you low. Was it pushing too hard on a case where you were sure they arrested the wrong guy, but the powers-that-be cut you off rather than listen to the truth? Did your vices get out of control? Were you betrayed by the organization you worked for, whether it was secular or religious, leaving you to go your own way? Or is this just the best work someone like you can get in a town like this (if you're a half-elf or half-orc, a commoner in a town with a heavy noble family presence, etc.)?

Most importantly, though, ask where your from. What place do you call home, and how has it molded you? Whose streets have you wandered, and what mark have they left on your speech, your habits, and the company you keep? Because while we often think of the wilderness when we head out on adventures, but noir heroes tend to call the stone canyons of big cities home. Doesn't mean they can't leave, or that they don't know what to do once they're in the rough, but they're most definitely an urban class of bruiser.

Like, Follow, and Stay Tuned For More!

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

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

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