Where Would You Like To See "The Irregulars" Return in Golarion?

At any given time I've got maybe a dozen different projects spinning around my work desk. From articles and blogs, to TTRPG supplements, to videos, audio dramas, and more, I generally keep things pretty busy on my end. However, one of the shifts that I made during the recent uncertainty regarding the OGL was that I started putting together some more ideas for Pathfinder Infinite content... and while doing that, an idea that I've been hemming and hawing over for a while came back to me.

In short, I'd like to get the team back together, and redeploy The Irregulars into Golarion. If I did, where would you like to see them go next?

Seriously, check it out if you haven't yet!

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Who Are The Irregulars?

My first professional writing credit as an RPG creator was a short story for Paizo's Pathfinder Tales titled The Irregulars, which is now available on Drive Thru RPG. Described as the best and the brightest of the bottom of the barrel, this squad of irregular troops specialize in sabotage, ungentlemanly warfare, impossible missions, and disruption on a scale that far exceeds their numbers. Outcasts and rebels from the ranks of Andoran's armed forces, they were given one last chance to prove themselves... and they took to the freedom of their new task with gusto!

In short, they're kind of my fantastical take on the A-Team.

We could be anywhere. Anytime. Sleep well.

I really enjoyed writing their debut adventure (the start of a campaign of sabotage in Molthune, suggested to me by James Sutter, who was head of fiction at the time), and ever since the story came out I've wanted to more with Garm, Trilaina, Chaplain, Gunner, and their half-mad commander Lieutenant Sturgeon Hook. I never really did more work for Paizo at the time, though, and response to their original tale wasn't overwhelming enough to talk about a novel for them at the time. Thanks to the existence of Pathfinder Infinite, though, I could call the squad out of retirement, and send them off to do what they do best once again!

My question for you, dear readers, is where would you like to see the Irregulars causing mayhem this time? Should they go into Isger, trying to do what they can to pry the fingers of Cheliax off the thrall state's throat? Should they infiltrate the Shackles to retrieve information, or possibly a person, important to Andoran? Does one of the gray corsairs call in a favor, getting the squad to hit a location on Stonespine Island to free a group of slaves?

My ears are open... so leave a comment down below regarding where you would like to see the squad deployed. Because if folks want to see them come back, mayhem will quickly ensue!

Of Course, There Are Other Options As Well...

While I'm really excited about the idea of a novella about this squad, I understand that might not be everyone's cup of tea. However, if military fantasy set in Golarion doesn't strike you, what other kinds of stories would you care to see? Gothic romances in the style of Ailson Kindler? Heroic epics featuring small parties of heroes? Urban fantasy where elven private eyes have to match wits with skinwalker gang lords and hobgoblin loan sharks in the City at The Center of The World?

Cause I've got some ideas for those, as well.

And if you're looking for some free samples of my stories set in Golarion thus far, check out The Silver Raven Chronicles, the (albeit unfinished) tales of my group's run through the Hell's Rebels adventure path.

- Part One: Devil's Night

- Part Two: From The Ashes

- Part Three: The Raven's Nest

- Part Four: Circles in Salt

But maybe Golarion isn't a setting that really draws your interest... well, what about the World of Darkness? Because as I mentioned back in Stories of Sundara, Tales of The World of Darkness, and More!, I've been actively trying to build a jumping off point out of some of the flash fiction appearing in my World/Chronicles of Darkness supplements. Because while the anthology Tales From The Moot for Werewolf: The Apocalypse was met with a somewhat mixed response, I figured that changing things up might get readers' attention.

Would you like to see a novella, or even full novels, set in the World of Darkness or Chronicles of Darkness setting? Or would you prefer a podcast series with a team of readers acting out the audio drama, like you see on the Azukail Games YouTube channel where I put shorts like the one above? Regardless of which of those you prefer, which sphere of the game would draw you most? The beautiful madness of Changeling: The Lost? The weird lines of life and death of Geist: The Sin Eaters? Do you want to hear or see Mage done some justice, or do you feel like Promethean really deserves a moment in the spotlight?

Again, toss a comment below if this sounds like something that would interest you... of course, subscribing to the channel would also send a message to my publisher that people have their ears open for that kind of project going forward.

As a final option, though, I've also been building some other universes. There are several Sundara stories in the various splat books for the setting, and most of those have been dramatized on the Azukail Games YouTube channel as well. Then there's the sci-fi shorts, like the story above, that folks have been telling me I should weave into a more cohesive narrative in a future timeline... either for Sundara in the space age, or for another sci-fi setting all its own.

While Legacy of Flames by Isaiah Burt was the first Sundara novella to be released, I'd be more than happy to pen my own if folks wanted to hear stories of my setting from my perspective as the creator. Or if you're more of a listener than a reader, I could expand the audio efforts I've been putting forth to make bigger, longer projects in a serial format. Once Azukail Games gets the channel monetized, at least, and such efforts would generate ad revenue, in addition to getting more people interested in the setting as a whole.

Let Me Know What You Want To See!

I'm in something of a unique position right now. There was a big gap created by Wizards' OGL power grab, and I'm faced with either going back to the projects I had planned, or going off in a new direction. I won't lie, the idea of writing more stories, and building stronger fiction for any of the settings and worlds I mentioned above, would be a lovely breath of fresh air in my workload. Most of the time I'm just making one list, one setting splat, or one species adaptation after another, and it does tend to get a little dull after 2-3 years.

But living under late capitalism, I can't just decide to make something new. I need to make sure my readers are coming with me, and they're going to support that endeavor going forward. So please, leave your thoughts in the comments, or get at me on social media (links below in case you don't follow me already)! I'm looking forward to building something new, and I want as many folks in on the ground floor as I can find.

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 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!

Using Roleplaying Games as Fodder For Fiction

Anyone who loves genre fiction (which I'm assuming is everyone reading this and countless other gaming blogs out there) is aware that roleplaying games have had a huge impact on the authors of today. From George R. R. Martin to Jim Butcher the influence of tabletop games is strongly (and occasionally a little too easily) seen. In fact last year The New York Times actually admitted Dungeons and Dragons was influential when it came to the storytellers of today.

Better late than never, right?

Roleplaying games are good for creative types in general, and authors in particular. It isn't just the ease of character creation, or learning how to judge the ebb and flow of a tale with the whims of your dice, either (though that certainly helps). Often your next big project is going to start life while you're drinking Mountain Dew and pretending to be a wizard surrounded by some of your friends in a basement somewhere. There are a lot of authors out there, yours truly included, who start a character or adventure with a D20, but who just have to finish them off with a word processor.

I'll even let you behind the scenes a bit and tell you which pieces began their lives as character sheets.

Which Stories Started At The Table?

Perhaps the most widely-read story directly influenced by my own gaming habits is my short story The Irregulars, written for Paizo's Pathfinder Tales. If you haven't read it, but you're a fan of Pathfinder, click the link and check it out. It's free to read, and it's a great introduction to my fiction if you're one of my readers who didn't know I wrote more than character builds and gaming guides.

"Go on, he'll wait" - Lieutenant Sturgeon Hook, Irregulars Commander

While most people who've read my work know me for that one story, there are actually a number of pieces I've had published that were born directly from tabletop games I've played.

One of them is actually in my recently-released book New Avalon: Love and Loss in The City of Steam.

There are two free stories in the preview, as well...

While this book is a collection of noir steampunk stories, buried right in the center of the book is a tasty tale titled The Legend of Black Jack Guillotine. It tells the story of a disgraced headsman who lost the woman he loved, and now haunts Headsman's Wharf exacting revenge on mortals as a way of doing penance for his own sins. His original incarnation was actually an urban legend in Waterdeep handed to the DM to keep the party from committing too many atrocities in the Dock Ward. Chase that innocent girl up a blind alley, and the next thing you know snicker-snack goes bloody black Jack.

It worked surprisingly well, and the concept just wasn't satisfied with remaining a homebrew addition to a single, short-lived campaign.

While this is the most recently-published story to draw on my gaming experience, there are a lot of others my fellow gamers might enjoy. One of my only self-published stories was Jungle Moon, which is a real Vietnam ghost story starring a character I guided through a horror game until he met a messy and untimely end (the full story on that campaign is right here). My story Terror on Saturn VI featured in the collection "Big Damn Heroines" was actually the continued adventures of a squad of female Imperial Regulars that were part of a home-brew Warhammer campaign run by a former DM. Even my story Paths of Iron and Blood featured in "Shadows of a Fading World" has a lead that began his life as a Kellid barbarian I wanted to play, but which I never got the chance to.

As always, thanks for stopping by Improved Initiative! If you want to support me and my blog then check out my books, tell your friends, or if you want to be a little more direct just stop by The Literary Mercenary's Patreon page and become a patron today! And if you want to make sure you're getting all of my updates then be sure to follow me on Facebook and Tumblr as well.

Improved Initiative is Giving Away Free Stuff This Holiday Season!

This Monday I've got great news for all of my readers; this post marks the first centurion of complete entries on Improved Initiative! Gaming geeks everywhere celebrate!

... yay.

Also, since it's the season for giving, I'm making all of my readers a special offer! Anyone who sends me an email through the form on this blog or on my sister blog The Literary Mercenary will be entitled to a free ebook! Several of my titles are up for grabs, including a number of ebooks that have recently gone out of print. Take it for yourself, or give the story to that hard-to-shop-for friend on your Christmas list.

For those who are iffy about giving me a try, remember that my work has appeared in the Pathfinder Tales (and that you can still read The Irregulars right here for free)!

Seriously, you won't want to miss what Sturgeon and his team pull off in Molthune.

In addition to this giveaway I'm also offering a free story to anyone who becomes a Patreon patron before the end of 2014. If you'd like to become a patron, help support Improved Initiative, and get some more free swag then check out my Patreon right here!

Thanks all, have a happy holiday, and follow me on Facebook and Tumblr if you haven't already!