Avoid The Algorithm, And Follow Me Directly! (Troubleshooting Current Social Media Setbacks)

Folks who have been watching my saga recently (detailed in my post Another Social Media Struggle (Reddit Has Decided To Kick Me In The Teeth, And I Could Use Some Help)) have likely noticed that one of the major challenges that every creator in the world is dealing with is that we simply cannot reach our potential audience. And the reason we can't seem to reach people is because the social media sites and groups that used to help us connect are now throttling our signals, restricting our ability to post, and trusting to bots to determine what kind of posts are allowed, and when an account needs to be shut off... even when it's wrong.

And while I'm taking several steps at present (seeking out new Discords that might appreciate my work, coming up with a fresh Reddit strategy, trying to figure out why the hell Facebook stops me from making posts anywhere but my own personal pages, etc.), there is one thing that I would like all of you reading this to do for me. I would like you to please go to my Patreon and my Ko-Fi pages, and subscribe/follow me there.

 

If you want to tip me or support me for what I'm doing, I appreciate that. But mostly I'm going to be using those accounts a LOT more, because they seem to be some of the only places that I can actually let people who enjoy my work see what the hell it is I'm making.

Because a lot of what I'm putting out is getting lost in the screaming void, and I'd like you to see it.

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!

You Get A Direct Feed (And It's Technically Free)!

The entire point of social media, from a creator's perspective, is to connect you with your audience, and your potential audience. As someone whose hair is more gray than not these days, I remember when it basically did this, too. I've quoted the numbers before, but a decade or so ago I could get hundreds of impressions from Facebook, thousands from Reddit, and tens of thousands on a good day from Digg or Stumbleupon (both of which have gone down into the dark depths of websites murdered by AI slop). These days, though, it feels like the same 17 people see all my posts on whatever social media I'm part of, and when I do manage to fly through the storm of algorithm interference it's like trying to get an emergency message to someone through a time machine.

Dearest Allies, I request your aid in this time of dire need...

Which is why I wanted to take this week's post to ask everyone who made it this far to follow me on Patreon and Ko-Fi. Because while both of those are crowdfunding websites, you can follow me for free on both of them, and get notified when I share things on them (it's usually once or twice a day in the evenings, so not a huge inbox stuffer). And I'm asking this because, just like my newsletter that I mentioned above, it's one of the only ways for you to actually see and hear what I'm doing without the algorithm getting in the way, waiting for moderators to approve a post (which can take hours, days, or weeks), or depending on your For You Page to decide that you get to see stuff that I've made, as opposed to your 19th advertisement of the day.

 

My hope is that if I can get enough folks onboard with this request that I can get direct feedback from people who want to be in my audience the way that I used to on the sites that have slammed all their doors, and which are burying creators under restrictions and inertia. Because I post dozens of things (sometimes as much as a hundred posts or more) every day... and there are a lot of people who have tried to follow me who just don't hear about it because the algorithm won't slide it into their feeds.

 

So get a direct line, and let me know what you think of my work today!

 

Lastly, speaking of Reddit, there are two subreddits that I moderate that I would like to invite folks to. I am the moderator of Tabletop Homebrew! So if you have things you'd like to share, or if you want to see the sort of things creators are making and sharing, stop in, get comfortable, and take a look around. We'd be happy to have you.

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!

Doing Something A Little Different With This Supplement For Arcane Academies

I've been writing TTRPG guides and supplements for quite a while now, and one of the unfortunate necessities of the job is that you need to write to the biggest market you can. After all, tabletop games are a pretty niche market as it is, and you need to command the biggest possible portion of that audience you can reach... which is why a majority of the stuff I've put out has been geared toward generic high fantasy with elves, dwarves, and orcs, or generic sci fi that could run the gamut from Starfinder to Mothership.

 

Sometimes, though, I find a way to step outside the usual boundaries, and to make something that will stretch into some more niche games... which is why I wanted to talk about my latest supplement 100 Sights To See At An Arcane Academy!

 

And if you haven't checked it out yet, you really should!

 

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!

 

Putting A Twist On My Normal Releases

 

First and foremost, it's entirely possible to use this supplement in a high fantasy game, and the sights contained within it could show up in a Dungeons & Dragons or Pathfinder game, particularly in the worlds/settings that have arcane colleges that train arcane spell casters. However, the mix of the weird, whimsical, and outright dangerous were more meant to evoke the feeling one would find in the great tower in Grimm where kids can learn to become witches and wizards (at great peril to themselves), or in a game like Kids on Brooms. So in the event you're running a more niche game like that where you're going to have a magic school as one of the main locations or themes, I would highly recommend grabbing a copy of this supplement and flipping through it.

 

Also, as an aside, the necromantically-charged dust bunnies are probably one of my favorite pieces in here. Since dust is primarily made from dead, shed skin, the department that deals with darker magics needs to keep a clean house... otherwise they might end up with some truly dangerous dust devils trying to bite their fingers off!

 

Not all bunnies are cute and fluffy.

 While there are the usual sentient suits of armor and odd celestial happenings, this supplement also has angry, sentient mops that will bludgeon someone unconscious if they step on the wet floor, creeping ivy that tends to steal from students who leave the windows open, and even an ominous bell that tolls to warn of coming doom... supposedly, at least. So whether you just need a bit of inspiration for an encounter, you want a touch of mystery and lore to add to your academy, or you just want a couple of organic details floating around in the background, I highly recommend giving this one a look!

 

And if you're one of the folks out there who wished I would do more weird and unusual stuff like this that isn't entirely focused on Pathfinder, Starfinder, Dungeons & Dragons, etc., then the clearest way to send that message is with a purchase and a review. Because the main reason I stick to safer waters is that everything is getting more expensive, and I have to pinch every penny I can.

 

The more niche (or at least niche-usable) supplements sell, though, the more likely it is that Azukail Games is going to be willing to give me more leash to explore with. So help me help you!

 

And speaking of other supplements that are a little off the beaten path that I'd recommend folks check out, take a look at the following if you haven't yet!

- The Blade Itself - Corrupt Equipment For Hunter: The Vigil:  Hunter: The Vigil is a game I feel doesn't get enough love, and my first supplement for it focuses on the idea of Corrupt Equipment; items that are tied to the dark force that creates Slashers and Tainted Places alike!

- Like A Good Neighbor - Portraying The True Fae in Your Chronicle: The True Fae are beings of terrible power and bizarre, inhuman natures. This guide is for Storytellers who are planning to bring them into their Chronicles of Darkness game whether it's as antagonists, "allies," or anything in between.

- 100 Academics, Adventurers, And Information Brokers: While written for the traditional Jazz Age period where many Lovecraft-inspired games take place, this supplement can be used with any pulp adventure supplement... though it does work best for those exploring the horrors of the Mythos.

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!

Moving From Reactive Characters To Active Ones In Your Tabletop Games

There is a tendency among players to be reactive. There may still be roleplay going on, and the character may still be doing things, but those things are rarely important or goal-oriented. They'll be drinking at the tavern, cooking meals in a kitchen, splitting wood, wandering through a carnival, fighting in a local pit, or any of a thousand other things, but these tasks are rarely in service to actually accomplishing anything... instead, they're merely things that can be stopped as soon as the actual task is set before them by the Game Master.

Put another way, a lot of characters are swimming around like fish, waiting for something that looks vaguely like a hook to appear. And then when the hook is there, it's like they're waiting for it to grab them, and pull them to wherever it is they're supposed to be.

However, a game often goes far more smoothly (and can actually be a lot more fun) if the player characters are actively pursuing goals and plots, instead of passively waiting for something to happen to them in order to spark a reaction.

When was the last time the king cleared the board?

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!

Motivation Is Only Part Of The Formula

When it comes to character actions, the discussion often turns to motivations and goals. After all, if a character isn't pursuing what they want, then it must be because they don't have a clearly defined brass ring they're reaching for, right? The difficulty is that motivation is just the gas in the tank; you need to have it, but the fuel isn't what drives you forward... it's pushing your foot down on the pedal that does it. It is applying action and ignition to the motivation that makes the wheels turn.

 

To continue this metaphor, you can have a character with deep, abiding motivations. They may have causes they care passionately about, or goals they must achieve if they're to move on with their life... but picking a direction doesn't mean you are moving in that direction.

 

Knowing the route isn't the same as walking the road.

For a less metaphorical example, do you play your character like Fred or Shaggy? Are you actively looking for answers, trying to find solutions, or even setting up traps, or is your character constantly making excuses, ducking plot hooks, or trying to run away unless the plot grabs them by the scruff of the neck, or they're dragged into things by the rest of the party?

 

Now, that is not to say you can't play a Shaggy. But if the entire party is reluctant to participate in what's happening, and is looking for reasons to get out of it to be somewhere else, and to do something else, then there's either not going to be a game to play, or the plot is going to have hem the party in to force them to solve a problem. However, if 3 of the 4 characters are being proactive and jumping in with both feet, this typically drags a reluctant (or a purely reactive) character along in their wake.

 

If you find yourself constantly twiddling your thumbs, looking around the table for someone to make the first move, or constantly waiting around for your character to be told what to do next, consider taking the initiative instead. Be the one who makes a plan, and gets the table talking. Call out to your companions, and tell them what you plan to do, and ask them to come with you on this endeavor. You don't necessarily need to be the party leader, but sometimes all it takes is being willing to dive in to really get the gears turning.

 

It also saves your Game Master from having to constantly prime the pump, and come up with some kind of event or NPC to give everyone a push in order to keep things moving.

 

Lastly if you are interested in a little extra motivation for your characters, then I'd recommend checking out my supplements 100 Character Goals and Motivations, which went Electrum a while back, and 100 Dark Secrets which is still Silver at time of writing, but could move up to the next metal level with your help!

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!

Again, for more of my work, check out my Vocal archive, and stop by the Azukail Games YouTube channel, or the dark sci fi saga of 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!

Back On The Road With My Latest Supplement Release! (Which is ALMOST To Copper Already)

It's been a... rough couple of months for me professionally. Trying to guess what it is players and Game Masters will actually check out is a roll of fate's dice at the best of times, and just like when I'm at the table on Thursday nights, I seem to have been hitting all low numbers. So I thought it was time to get back to basics... and it seems that for once my instincts were on the money!

At least for how the market is going in today's gaming economy...

Seriously... come check it out 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!

Filling in Those Empty Places On The Map

For folks who weren't there at the start of my career as a TTRPG writer, the supplement 100 Random Encounters For On The Road Or In The Wilderness was one of the first things I wrote for Azukail Games. In addition to the game-neutral version, the supplement has a version for Pathfinder, Dungeons and Dragons 5E, Castles and Crusades (OSR), and Savage Worlds, and most of them have earned at least a few metal levels on Drive Thru RPG. And though I've written probably a hundred or so supplements since this one left my desk (and likely more, if I stopped and took the time to count), it's one of my bestsellers that folks still pick up from time to time.

So, rather than trying to reinvent the wheel, I figured I'd try an experiment and write something of a companion piece for this older, still-popular supplement. And that is why I put together 100 NPCs To Meet On The Road Or In The Wilderness!

You never know who you'll run into out here...

The idea behind this supplement was to give Game Masters all sorts of folks to populate the highways, byways, and trackless wilds with so that you don't just have a whole bunch of nothing happening between towns, villages, dungeons, and ruins. From bandits and bounty hunters to merchants, rangers, farmers, and even a ghost or two, these NPCs come with their own descriptions, possible plot hooks, and the sorts of places you're most likely to find them. And while you can use them as agents of your plot, you can just as easily sprinkle them in for background flavor to make the world feel more organic.

My goal was simply to save all the Game Masters out there a little time and energy, and to make a fresh tool that could be combined with an older one that would help the folks running games save their creative energies for where it's really needed!

If this seems like the sort of thing you'd find particularly useful, then grab a copy of one (or both) of these supplements today! And if you have a particular edition you'd like to see this one translated to, make sure you leave that in the comments down below.

Additional Supplement Recommendations

So, I took a break from writing NPC lists for a while, but if this supplement is something you think you'll get some use out of, I'd suggest checking out some of the other so-called "blue book" supplements I've put out that cover other, similar lists. Supplements like:

- 100 Helpful Hirelings: Folks that you can bring with on your journey, or who can provide additional services.

- 100 Town Guards: The watchmen who guard the walls, and arrest adventurers when they get a little out of hand.

- 100 Merchants to Encounter: The people who sell the things adventurers need, this list will help you make quicker work of any shopping trip.

- 100 Prisoners For A Fantasy Jail: The best and the brightest of the bottom of the barrel, there are all kinds of dangerous persons in this supplement for allies, enemies, and everything in between!

- 100 Random Bandits To Meet: Much the same as the above supplement, but these folk are still at-large (and might be found out in the wilderness, as well).

- 100 Nobles To Encounter: From useless fops, to cunning patrons, to dangerous enemies, nobles come in many forms. All of them can be found in this supplement!

- 100 NPCs You Might Meet At The Tavern: My bestselling supplement of all-time (I'm pretty sure, at least), this one went Platinum for a reason!

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!

Playing Warhammer 40K, Trench Crusade, Or Army Men? Adrian Has Your Terrain Covered!

Many RPGs take place in the theater of the mind, using the pure imagination of those around the table to play out the story. And while that's all well and good for the cinematically inclined, other games focus on distances, cover, strategic maneuvers, and small-unit successes. These games can't rely on the imagination alone, because they depend on all the players viewing the same battlefield, and having the same understanding of what's happening. And whether you're assembling a table for the grim darkness of the far future in Warhammer 40K, you're joining the war against (or for) the heretic legions of hell in Trench Crusade, or you're taking up arms on behalf of the Plastos Federathion in my RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic, you owe it to yourself to check out the terrain crafting videos being done by Adrian Kennelly over on the Azukail Games YouTube channel.

From Vracks to the Somme, you'll find something you like!

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!

Table Terrain To Make Your Battles Blaze!

Before I go too much further, I wanted to offer full disclosure for folks who aren't regular readers. I'm a contributor to the Azukail Games YT channel, and I'm an author of several of the game supplements the publisher has released. And while I make a majority of the shows that are hosted on the channel, when we really started gaining momentum, Adrian started doing semi-regular crafting videos for tabletop gaming. And while several of the early videos were very much geared toward traditional fantasy gaming, a lot of the more recent additions are for terrain pieces that are much more at-home in modern warfare scenarios.

Such as the first video he made for Army Men about how to make barbed wire!

In addition to the tutorial for barbed wire, Adrian has also covered videos for making a Czech hedgehog tank trap, how to make craters, how to make ruined walls, and even how to make supply pallets for your table terrain! All of which I happen to think is pretty damn neat, and were I a craftier sort of gamer (and had more space to assemble and store this kind of terrain) I'd likely have a bunch of my own examples to show off by now.

However, I wanted to give Adrian's content a shout out this week because I know exactly how much work it takes to make videos like this. From lighting and setup, to making sure that you have just the right angle and just the right voice overs and music to keep your viewers watching while also giving them value for their time isn't easy. Not only that, but a lot of the stuff he makes also gets me fired up to play (and design) more gaming stuff... which is important when the creative side of things starts to feel like a slog!

So if this is the sort of content you enjoy (whether it's because you like crafting tutorials or you just enjoy checking out the tips and tricks of the trade), subscribe to the Azukail Games YouTube channel today, and while you're at it watch the Crafting Playlist that has a complete run of all 35 of Adrian's videos on it. I'm urging folks to watch the videos, upvote the ones they like, leave comments of at least 7 words (because that's what tickles the algorithm's fancy), and maybe share them around on your own social media pages... because few things encourage folks who make videos, blogs, and games than hearing from our audience, and being told loud and clear that they like what we're making, and we should keep going!

Lastly, if there's a particular type of terrain you're interested in, make sure you leave a comment on the videos asking for a guide! Whether you want full trenches, bombed-out buildings, sniper nests, or anything else, making a suggestion (and getting it upvoted by others) is a great way to let us know what you want to see!

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!

Breaking Down Army Men: Medals of Honor

It's been a couple of months since my RPG Army Men: A Game of Tactical Plastic hit the market. While we're just about a dozen sales away from Copper status (so pick up your copy today to help us get there!), I didn't want to let the grass grow under my feet with it. While the first supplement Army Men: Threat Assessments dropped the first month after the full game was available, the second supplement is now out from Azukail Games!

For this week's Crunch installment I wanted to take folks inside Army Men: Medals of Honor, explain its general purpose, and see if it gets your own wheels turning!

That which doesn't kill you expands your ribbon rack.

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!

Recognition and Reward

Rewards for your actions are pretty standard in most RPGs. In a traditional game you tend to get loot from the dungeons, or you get treasure which you haul back to town in order to buy upgraded weapons, armor, etc. In some instances you'll also receive story rewards (such as a character being knighted for their service to the crown, or being given a castle and estate) that, while impressive, doesn't really do anything for you mechanically except give you a base of operations to store your stuff.

In a standard game of Army Men, though, players are a squad of troopers acting in service to the Plastos Federation, or one of its member nations. Because they're part of the armed forces, they don't show up with their own weapons, armor, and extra gear; they requisition it before the mission. This gives the Game Master a great deal of latitude regarding how over/underarmed the players are, and the challenge they're going to have to face once (or if) combat begins. However, players also tend not to get any kind of loot on their missions, since they draw a salary from the government that employs them, and their enemies are likely to be gigantic bugs with no concept of monetary value or currency. So when the question of rewards came up in my mind, the obvious solution seemed to be medals and commendations; after all, if you show bravery in the field, and you accomplish a mission with efficiency and skill, that's usually the way to mark such a deed.

Some medals require greater sacrifice than others.

That is where Army Men: Medals of Honor comes into the picture. Because while completing missions and returning to give your post-action report is how your troopers go up in rank (the game's term for your character level), I didn't want that to be the only benefit of living to fight another day. The medals system, introduced in this supplement, allows Game Masters to give out awards to individual characters, or entire squads, who have managed to accomplish certain, notable feats while on the battlefield. And while these medals have significance to the story and the setting, each of them also comes with an additional ability granted to a recipient.

For example, the Distinguished Marksman Badge, which is awarded by the Acetal Alliance, requires that an individual trooper score a minimum of 50 critical hits against targets who are at least 30 feet away. A separate track must be kept for pistols and rifles, as each medal has its own requirement. Once a trooper has earned this medal, their critical hit range with the weapon type in question expands from natural 20s, to a 19-20 range (though a roll of 19 must still hit the target's armor class to qualify as a critical hit).

This supplement contains 50 medals, with 10 examples from each nation, as well as 10 medals given out by the Plastos Federation as an organization. While some of these medals are nation-specific (meaning that recipients must be members of that particular nation's armed forces in order to qualify for these medals), others are available to any member nation's army, or may be awarded for joint operations where multiple nations are working together toward a single end.

As With Equipment, The Power Is In The Game Master's Hands

While this system may seem like just another way for players to rack up additional powers on their sheets, since medals can grant additional skill proficiencies, bonus languages, rerolls of certain checks, and so on, it's important to remember that the circumstances surrounding these medals has to be facilitated by the Game Master. Whether it's ensuring that characters are part of a certain nation's military, or that certain opportunities come up on their missions, these medals aren't things players can get without Game Master assistance.

You need to set them up with the situation required to earn them.

With that said, if you're going to use the medals system, I encourage Game Masters to make players aware of it, and to ask what kinds of commendations they'd like their troopers to earn by the end of the campaign. Because while being rewarded for one's achievements in the field is always gratifying, sometimes it can be just as motivating knowing that every mission brings you one step closer to earning a particular medal!

Bonus Content: New Weapon Property Unlocked!

In addition to the medals system, and all of the examples I've laid out for Game Masters to add to their Army Men campaigns, I also dropped a little bonus into this supplement. We now have the Experimental weapon property, which is a property describing weapons that have yet to be fully field-tested, and which aren't entirely reliable just yet. This is meant to be a foot in the door, as one of the expansions I've wanted to write for the game is Army Men: Weird War, where in addition to a bunch of new casts, training schools, exploits, monsters, and more, I also wanted to introduce some sci-fi style weapons, armor, and equipment. Because while these weapons would put a lot of raw power into your troopers' hands, they also represent a risk if something goes wrong.

But you can't work out the bugs if you never test the equipment under battlefield conditions... right?

So if this weapon property (in addition to the sample experimental lightning rifle listed in the supplement) is something you want to see more of, make sure you grab your copy today, and let me know in your review. Additional experimental equipment suggestions are encouraged as well, so if you have something you really want to see, feel free to include that, too!

Like, Follow, and Stay in Touch!

That's all for this week's Crunch post. 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 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!

Trench Crusade: A Miniature Skirmish Game You NEED To Check Out

The drums of battle sound, and the hymns of war boom through the conflict, carried on the burning drafts of artillery. Blasphemous slugs tear through the air with a demonic screech, rending apart the flesh of those whose faith isn't strong enough to see them across no-man's-land. Devils prowl the trenches, and the zealous howl their prayers so loudly they can be heard over the thunder of the guns.

The Crusade marches onward... do you have the conviction to see it to the end?

It smells your fear... and it will feast on the souls of those weak enough to let it.

What The Hell is Trench Crusade?

Trench crusade is a grim look at an alternate timeline of horror where a portal to hell opened in the center of the Holy Land. From that point onward, the war never stopped, and now in addition to steel and faith it's a clash of arcane powers and infernal machinery as the dark reflections of the worst of humanity try to push into our world, and to claim more and more of it for themselves.

That short description is fun enough by itself, but the art is what sells this game for me. Looking like the bastard hate child of Beksinski and Bosch, these hellish illustrations (many of which already have minis) will call out to the hearts of those who love Dark Souls, Bloodborne, and Warhammer 40K, along with other terrible, grimdark fantasy settings. Mike Franchina is the major name and talent behind much of this art, and in conjuction with designers like Tuomas Pirinen (a designer who worked on Mordheim) and sculptor James Sheriff, this game looks just the right kind of disgustingly beautiful!

Come on... LOOK at this damn thing!

The playtest rules, and a lot of the lore are currently available at the Trench Crusade website, and I highly recommend folks grab them and take a look. Not only that, but you should follow them on Twitter to make sure you get their updates as well!

As a final note, I owe a small bit of thanks to the folks who have been pitching a fit about wokeness ever since Games Workshop announced there were (and retroactively always had been) female members of the Emperor's Custodian Guard. It appears that many of them jumped ship from Warhammer 40K (good riddance), and started looking for other communities to take their unwanted views to. A lot of them found Trench Crusade, and started trying to plant their flag in this game. However, as the mods in their communities made clear, Trench Crusade is not a place for people to discuss real world politics. They also made it clear that a person's sexuality and gender presentation is not a political issue; it is simply who they are, and they should be respected as individuals. People who wanted to start a beef over that have found very quickly that this community has no time for any of that nonsense.

So, if you ask me, that's one more great reason to go and support this game! Or at least check it out so we can keep getting art, lore, and minis for it.

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 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!

Myrrorside- A Horror Experience You Should Definitely Check Out

While the Halloween season is officially over, there is one, last item on my to-do list that I've been meaning to cross off. And since I don't want to be haunted by a review I didn't get around to, I figured there's no time like the present. So if your need for a horror game hasn't left you quite yet, and you still haven't tried anything that's really scratched that itch, let me invite you to take a walk with me.

... a walk to the Myrrorside.

It's wild out there, trust me.

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!

So Just What IS Myrrorside?

The world around us seems solid enough, at a glance. And in the light of day, all the myths and whispers about people who've disappeared, or monsters crawling out of the shadows, seem ridiculous. There are some places, though, where the boundaries wear thin, and where one might find themselves falling through a hole in the world. A hole that tumbles them into a place where everything is upside down, and where the normal rules of reality don't make sense. A place filled with the hostile, and the alien, where the comforts of logic and science crack apart, and where dark magics and terrible legends reign supreme. It is a place where nightmares stalk, where the currency is screams, and where terror is the only feeling that can survive.

A dark reflection of the world we know, this place is the Myrrorside.

It is a grim world full of horror and dread.

As a setting, Myrrorside puts me most in mind of Changeling: The Lost, though with heavier doses of Beksinki in its makeup. Not only that, but characters are even more at risk, since they are assumed to be normal mortals who have stumbled through the darkened mirror, and found themselves on the other side of reality. A place where monsters dwell, and where true horror stalk their steps. If they survive long enough they might grow wise to the ways of this place, and perhaps even learn some of the tricks known to the creatures who reside here. Of course, those who remain too long may find themselves unable to return back to the mortal world, finding that in their attempts to merely survive they've grown too adapted to the Myrrorside to ever leave.

Adding into the horror, the Myrrorside is accessed through places that have endured great tragedies, and suffering. Sites of mass violence, torture, senseless crimes, and other places that usually end up with the label of haunted are often the thin places in reality where one might step through into this dark and dreadful realm. Or, almost as bad, these are places where residents of the Myrrorside might emerge, hungry, and looking for prey... or just to lay hands on a piece of the mortal world before their time runs out, and they must return to the terrible place they call home.

Maybe your players fell through a hole in the world, and they're trying to get out again. Maybe a monster is stalking their home, or their neighborhood, and they have to figure out how to send it back. Perhaps they wind up in a psych ward where no one believes the patients' panicked screams about the things living in the walls. There's all sorts of ways this game could go, depending on how creative you want to get.

How Does It Play?

Regular readers know that, generally speaking, I'm not a fan of rules-lite games. With that said, Myrrorside bears a strong resemblance to Savage Worlds, which is about as rules-lite as I'm willing to go when it comes to sitting down and rolling the dice at my own table.

Like most RPGs, Myrrorside gives you a list of Attributes, and a list of Skills, and like Savage Worlds each one of them has a die type ranging from 1d4 to 1d12. When you roll a check, you roll both applicable dice (Attribute and Skill), and take the better result before adding any appropriate modifiers. 0 is considered a Pyrrhic victory, where you do what you wanted, but there's complications. A -1 is just barely failing to do what you wanted. +10 is considered a monumental success. -10 is considered a colossal failure. If you come into a situation where you don't have a particular skill then you can often roll just your Attribute die, and hope for the best. Additionally, you may have situations where you gain Advantage and Disadvantage, and it works the same way as in DND 5E; except in this game you might be rolling 4 dice and choosing the best of your results.

The last thing that makes it really similar to Savage Worlds, to me, is that there's no hit points. I know the SWADE system isn't the only one that does that, but it sort of goes with the comparison. Where Myrrorside innovates is that you can go down levels physically, psychologically, and socially, meaning that you can injure your body, your mind, and your reputation, which can make for interesting challenges as the tale unfolds. And of course your body heals faster than your mind, which heals faster than your social standing... particularly among those who call the Myrrorside home.

Consider Giving It a Try!

The usual warning for content here, Myrrorside is not a game for the faint-hearted. It really embraces the horror aspect, and from the eldritch to the splatter there's some stuff in here that might be disturbing for some gamers. So before you crack these covers, take a deep breath, and make sure you're in the headspace for a game that can get bleak if the dice aren't with you.

If that sounds like your cup of bloody tea, though, then grab a copy of Myrrorside, as well as The White House, an adventure that will really grab you, and suck you into the setting for your first time!

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 Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, 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!

5 TTRPG Supplement Categories: Which Do You Want To See More Of?

I've said it before, but in the event you aren't a regular visitor to this digital space, I'm planning on changing up my TTRPG supplements in the near future. It will take a little while for the changes to become evident (as it takes me a month to write them, and then another month or so for the supplements to show up on DTRPG), but I'm trying to get as much input from my readers as I can during this transition period.

And whether you're one of my regular readers, or you've only picked up one or two of my supplements, I want to gather as much of your input as possible so I can take it into consideration going forward!

Because an author is nothing if they don't have an audience to read their work!

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!

Supplements Come in Many Shapes and Styles

For a lot of us out there, TTRPG supplements are just one, big blob of content. Anything can be a supplement! However, while you can break supplements down by the game or setting they're meant for, as well as by genre, you can also break them down by topic.

And that's what I'd like to do this week! While this not an extensive list of every possible topic or category a supplement could cover, these are the most common ones I've put out so far. So if you see something that would really help you at your table (whether you're a GM, a player, or some combination of the two), please leave your input down in the comments, or tag me on social media with your thoughts!

#1: NPCs

Just as an example.

Whether it's the 1,000+ NPCs that are part of my 100 Kinfolk Bundle for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, or something like my 100 Prisoners For a Fantasy Jail, this has proven one of the more in-demand types of supplement over the years. After all, coming up with NPCs on the fly is tough, but it's something you have to do if you don't want your game world to feel too empty. This is, honestly, the category I use most as a Game Master, so it's the one that I tend to default to when I try to think of new projects... but is it the kind you would use the most, or is it one of the others?

#2: Things

After all, you've need something to read on that riverboat ride.

A category that gets a lot of looks, but which never hits the same numbers as NPCs, is things. Objects. Stuff. Sometimes describing these as "flavor" supplements is literal, like my 100 Fantasy Foods or 100 Sci Fi Cocktails, but this can also cover books to read, random pieces of loot as in 100 Miscellaneous Pieces of Tat to Find, and other such volumes. Flavor supplements often fill in those broad categories of a setting, giving you interesting details to add, or fun pieces of culture and style, like in 100 Fantasy Tattoos (And Their Meanings). This is particularly handy for those who can get the broad strokes of a game down, but who can get tripped up by trying to come up with all the details.

#3: Places

For those looking to go back in time.

Our made-up worlds are big places, and outside of the main areas where plot is happening, we often find a lot of rolling, empty space. The third part of the triumvirate of nouns is places, and though a lot harder to write, they come in two basic varieties for me. On the one hand you have a lot of smaller places that can be used as a snapshot, or to fulfill a specific role, such as the 100 Arkham shops pictured above, as well as 100 Space Bars for sci fi settings, and 100 Random Taverns for fantasy settings. On the other hand, though, you have supplements that have a smaller number of places, but which go significantly more in-depth on them (typically providing maps, histories, notable NPCs, plot hooks, and other points of interest). Supplements like Towns of Sundara, as well as 10 Fantasy Villages, are perfect examples of this kind of format.

#4: Factions

Every game has factions, but we sometimes forget there should be more of them at play than whatever side the PCs belong to, and whoever represents the villain. These factions might be smaller antagonists, allies of your cause, or just parts of the world to make things feel fully fleshed-out, but they usually tend to make most games better overall.

As with places, factions tend to come in two varieties for me. There's supplements with a lot of factions, but which only give brief overviews, like you get with 100 Knightly Orders For a Sci Fi Setting, or 100 Gangs For Your Urban Campaigns. And then there's supplements where you get fewer factions, but they're far more in-depth, usually covering their history, motivations, sample NPCs, rumors about the faction, and some kind of mechanical benefit one gets for joining them. Examples of these bigger, more in-depth factions can be found in Sellswords of Sundara (for DND 5E or Pathfinder), Cults of Sundara (for DND 5E and Pathfinder), as well as in Guilds of Sundara (for DND 5E and Pathfinder).

#5: Modules

For those looking for some dark fey danger, check this one out!

I've said it before, but I feel I need to say it at least one more time. While modules are the main supplement a lot of us think of, they're the toughest ones to actually sell. Part of that's because they're usually game specific, but part of it is that the amount of energy and work they take is just tough to make a return on investment with. And, of course, a lot of GMs want to make their own stories from the ground up, rather than using anything written by someone else.

In addition to The Price of Iron (a module with dark fey and terrible risks), I've written False Valor (a murder mystery where you get to kick fantasy Proud Boys in the teeth), Ghosts of Sorrow Marsh (a horrific adventure where a town is besieged by terrors from the marsh that surrounds it), and The Curse of Sapphire Lake (the hate child of Beowulf and Friday the 13th). I'm not averse to writing more modules for other systems (I should have between 1 and 2 Pathfinder Classic modules finally coming out onto the market in the near future), but they're a truly tough sell for the amount of work they take.

Cast Your Vote!

I try not to pluck ideas from the void, and just hope there are gamers out there who'd be interested in them. So if one of these five categories appeals to you as a player or a Game Master, please leave it in the comments below, or on whatever social media platform you were on when you found this article! Even better, find me at my socials below, and drop me a line to let me know.

Lastly, I know I didn't include fiction as a category here. But if you like game tie-in fiction, I'd highly recommend checking out some of my previous work like Tales From The Moot for Werewolf: The Apocalypse, The Irregulars for Pathfinder, or even my recently re-released dystopian sci fi thriller Old Soldiers!

And if you're a fan of audio dramas, make sure you check out the Azukail Games YouTube channel, and take a listen to the dozens of tales we've got up so far! We're still over 1.5 thousands hours of listen time away from getting monetized, so please stop in and take a listen... we need all the help we can get!

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 Daily Motion channel!. Or if you'd prefer to read some of my books, like my dystopian sci-fi thriller Old Soldiers, 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!