"Lost In Translation" - CHA'ALT Campaign 3.3

 

I'll start out by saying we almost didn't play this weekend.  One player was on a pick-up artist pub crawl sojourn in Florida, another was terribly sick.  A third had been traveling for work and needed to spend time with his wife before leaving again.  

I suggested shortening the game to 3 hours so at least then he'd have time to go out to dinner with his wife or something.  He could hear the desperation in my text and took pity on this poor, beleaguered Game Master.  With 3 players (and no warrior in sight), we continued season three of the magnificent Cha'alt campaign.

Bandersnatch the blue-suede elf sorcerer (bard-guitarist), Thurberus the v'smm priest, and Tinker the pixie-fairy thief.  Their tour shuttle was just pulling into the golden gates of Federation Occupied A'agrybah when Bandersnatch and Tinker - but later we discovered that it was Thurberus, as well (the ones who partook of last session's Blessing of Kort'thalis) were awoken by the same dream...

They were walking down the street and passed a smiling man who held a bag of coins in his hand.  As the man went by, the adventurers turned and stabbed him in the back.  Blood poured from his wound and the PCs' mouths as they woke up to find themselves opening a door that led to a kitchen.

Sitting at that kitchen table were three mature women known as the Golden Girls... Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose.

Dorothy: "Well, who's this tall drink of nothing?"

Blanche: "I don't know, he's kind of cute for a grizzled, ruthless, cold-hearted adventurer."

Rose: "How can you tell he's grizzled?"

Dorothy: "See those muddy boots, cuts and scrapes all over his hands and face?  He's grizzled.  Let's move on."

Blanche: "Oh, Mr. Adventurer, sir... why don't you come over here and explore my love tunnel?"

Sophia [from the bedroom]: "Is the doctor here?  If he is, send him in - I'm already bent over for my hemorrhoid inspection!"

Then, the PCs woke up again - realizing they'd been asleep on the journey back from the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice.  Botsterdomus saw a flyer for droid jousting and jumped out the shuttle window.  As everyone disembarked (except H'ork, he never woke up and must have slept through a few more tours), they noticed a riot.

The PCs had a choice of pushing-through the wall of Federation soldiers and Cha'alt natives pushing back or going around the edge of the city to avoid them.  They went through.  Bandersnach was grazed with a laser blast, Thurberus got knifed, and Tinker was handed an ornately carved sandworm tooth - the eldritch glyphs were a prayer to Yog-Soggoth.  Before leaving, the elf who handed the tooth to Tinker showed his explosive belt beneath his robes.

What was the riot about?  Thanks to a protest sign that read "Stop inserting our dinner up your Federation ass!" and questioning rioters, the PCs learned that a Cha'alt insect known as the quicidia are a local delicacy, but the Federation uses them as a pleasurable anal suppository (thus, putting those insects on an endangered species list so the natives can't eat them).  Apparently, the skittering skills the quicidia learn in the wild are what Federation elite prefer, which is why they can't simply farm the insects on a space station.

Before going any farther, I'll just say that there was a lot of running around this session.  Whole lot of footwork, social interaction, and exploration, very little carnage.  So it goes...

The PCs made their way to the starport at the center of Federation Occupied A'agrybah because they needed to get paid before they could buy stuff at the other locations of interest.  Security was tight due to all the civil unrest in the city.  A dozen soldiers were scanning folks, going through baggage.  Anyone with a Cha'alt native neck tattoo was barred from entering the docking bay.

What to do?  Tinker, being only 6-inches tall, flew up and into an open window to make his way to the S.S. Motherfucker where he found a freaked-out Jay-vax.  Captain Neevo never returned and the ship's computer was locked-down unless they had a retina scan or password.  Neevo's personal computer was in his quarters, so Jay-vax and Tinker checked his browsing history - pornhub, hub-porn, you porn, porn rub, XXX-tube, Venger's lounge, vintage orgies with massive boobs and hairy snatch, along with directions to and menu options for a cantina located downtown called The Blue Banana.

Jay-vax needed to stay with the ship; he implored the adventurers to find Captain Neevo and get him back to the Motherfucker before it was too late.  Before leaving, the racoonoid gave Tinker 500 credits in walking around money, hoping that would be enough to get them in and out of trouble at the Blue Banana.

The PCs added that to their lengthy to-do list and headed to the merchant and red silk districts which were right next to each other.  Walking through streets and back alleys, they happened upon a couple of street scum abusing an orange colored worm the size of a loveseat.  The ruffians were slapping this "porch worm" around, trying to fill an empty bottle with worm wine from his neck penis.

The PCs interjected and when they were threatened by one of the scum, Thurberus blew him away with his blaster, and the other ran.  Bandersnatch used his language spell to communicate with the worm.  Apparently, his name was Clyde and he belonged to a winemaker named Julian.  Soon after, Julian found them all and invited the PCs back to his winery in the back of Julian's wine bar.

They saw a half-dozen couch-sized worms watching porn (it relaxes them) until they got the urge to pee.  Holding their neck fat at bay, Julian moved a wine bottle to the tip of one's neck penis in order to fill it with delicious and refreshing worm wine.  The PCs had just drank some with a loathsome lavender hue and the refreshing bouquet of a chilled spice-peach liqueur.  They talked a little business, possibly one day becoming off-world distributors for Julian's fancy piss - straight outta A'agrybah.  Then, departed - but not before hearing the legend of how the ancients knew a secret distillation process for making the best worm wine in the known universe.

The PCs went to Reznik's burned-out Radio Shack and got some cybernetic enhancements in exchange for all the 8-track cassette discs of porn and exploitation films they found last session.  Thurberus got a lightning hand.  Tinker got a cyclops-visor for seeing through walls and wrist-lasers.  And they all took an artificial skin-graft with them in order to hide their tattoos, if needed. 

Then, they journeyed a little ways to the curio shop where that scroll the demon lord wanted was housed - At Your Mercy.  Walking into the shop (except for Tinker as his demonic dark passenger was kept out by the shop's wards against infernal beings and magic), the owner's nephew Alkameed asked them what they needed.

When they told Alkameed they wanted the Nyazian scroll (among other scrolls so as not to be overly suspicious), the shop clerk told them his uncle Indiana would only allow it to be sold in aid of scholarly pursuits or if it were kept in a museum ("It belongs in a museum," his uncle would often say).

Assuring Alkameed that the Nyazian scroll would be displayed in a museum, he sold it to them - but not before a serious price reduction owing to Sass taking the young man in the back and showing him a good time.  By the time they finished, the others had found a few other things to buy... the glass eye of a reptilian war-chief, an illumination orb that glowed glittering gold like a disco ball, and a book of dimensional magic with instructions on opening a portal to the purple labyrinth.

It was getting late, so they spent the night at Julian's wine bar.  But not before getting Uncle Indiana to ward Bandersnatch, Thurberus, and the travel tube containing the Nyazian scroll, saving them from being attacked by demons before they could send the scroll to the demon lord.  After waking, they headed over to the Cha'alt excursion tour shuttle and rode over to the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice again, finding the brush-covered cave that would lead them back to the demon lord Cholak.  The PCs forgot that there was a metallic door their former contact opened with a keycard.

I casually, but not too casually, slid the Cha'alt X-Cards over to Bandersnatch's player as they all wondered aloud how they were going to get through.  The sleaze card was stimulated and I decided that minutes later, a man wearing a black trench-coat appeared in that little cave, sure that this was the location of a sex party he'd been invited to.  Assuming that's why the adventurers were also there, he stepped up to the metal door, knocked, and when asked for the password said "Oooorrrrggyyy."

Everyone went through the opened door.  A weird pink slime was everywhere - all over the floor and stone walls.  They tracked this syrupy coating to that black devil mouth oozing a violet-magenta mist that crept along the ground.  The mist interacting with the moisture of the caves and tunnels created that strange pink substance.  Asking the orgy guy to go first, they had him wander into the devil's mouth.  When he didn't come back, they tied something around Tinker's waist and eased him through.

It was a portal to Quorta'ath.  Besides mounds of pink gelatinous slime, they saw a back temple or fortress in the distance and a tentacled pillar of purple and fuchsia darkness.  It moved towards the dude in black, eviscerating him.  Tinker saw that and quickly backed out.  Bandersnatch peaked his head in quick to confirm what was going on, then they all searched for Cholak's cave.  Sure enough, they found him sitting upon his throne of sewn corpses, his subhuman servants loped about, grunting with curiosity.

Cholak told them of the scroll's ultra-telluric glyphs (which Alkameed had already warned them about) - that they were impossible to translate, being so alien.  However, it was prophesied that ultra-telluric glyphs could be deciphered within the Temple of Unimagined Horrors located in the S'kwa'aves region of the S'kbah desert, an hour's travel southwest of the purple worm corpse.

"You may think this far too much effort simply to translate a 10,000 year old scroll, but I assure you, speaking the ultra-telluric glyphs written in zoth upon this parchment aloud - while performing the ritual of Ascension - will make me the master and ruler of Cha'alt."

So, Cholak effectively became their patron, as the adventurers agreed to help make the demon lord "President of Cha'alt."  The PCs remembered Cholak mentioning a further reward, and bequeathed to them 3 magical gifts... 

• To Tinker went a necklace of a worm fashioned out of purple jade.  Once per day, it allowed the wearer to transform himself into a giant worm.
• Thurberus was gifted a golden shield that gave Disadvantage to opponents attacking the shield-bearer.  
• The last was a turquoise helm that focused concentration and would supercharge a sorcerer's spellcasting.  

The PCs gladly accepted these gifts [man, it would be a real bummer if these magic items constantly nagged the PCs to stay on task and refused to work if they ever betrayed Cholak] and agreed to seek the translation in the Temple of Unimagined Horrors.  That's where we ended it.  Not bad for a 3-hour tour!

Since they'll encounter the purple worm corpse first, I imagine they'll explore that before the temple.  Lots of combat next session.  And one or two surprises, of course.  

I owe each of the PCs 3 points of Divine Favor (and Bandersnatch 4) for various activities and contributions throughout the session, so I'm leaving this here as a reminder.

Lots of laughs between the 4 of us.  The following were amusing and/or poignant phrases uttered around the table...

• "We'll be made dishonorary demons."
• "He's got management written all over him with infernal glyphs."
• "It was in last month's column of Places To Put Your Schlong in Dark Priest Monthly."
• "What is the air speed of an unladen sandworm?"
• "Julian wakes you up with a nice breakfast wine that tastes like cinnamon rolls."
• "The fraxel-meyer proposition."
• "We'll just wait awhile... see what happens." That not-exact-quotation from The Thing helps me remember a truism about Game Mastering.  Revelations come in their own time.  You can't force them.  Sometimes, you've just got to wait and see.
• "He who constipates an entire army, controls that army." We discussed putting those worms of Set up someone's bottom in order to control their bowel movements.
• "Anal dynamics... anal economics... anal analytics, and anal economic theory."
• "Why not start our own business - we'll be the first name in butts!" and "Butt Bugs R Us... another business plan for the Crimson Bastards."
• "I'd like to be the Secretary of Commerce," said Thurberus after finding out that Cholak will take over the world, and make the PCs his dukes, barons, etc.
• "Who am I to stand in the way of Federation elite and their butt bugs?"
• "Never look a gift worm in the mouth."

I hope you were suitably entertained.  FYI, just made Primordial Chaos: Gonzo Like A Fucking Boss 50% off on DTRPG.  If you have a question or comment, do your thing down below.  Next session is Saturday, February 22nd.  Looking forward to it!

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!

"Inhibitions Removed" - CHA'ALT Campaign 3.2

 

All 5 players returned for the 2nd session of our Cha'alt campaign (season three)...

Hork the 1/2 orc warrior, Bandersnatch the blue-suede elf sorcerer, Thurberus the v'smm priest, Botsterdomus the droid priest, and Tinker the pixie-fairy thief.

I asked them to come up with a memory from their past due to their amnesia wearing off + inhibitors soon to be removed (but we'll get to that later).  In a nutshell, here's what they either came up with on their own or rolled on the d6 table I provided.  Regardless of the method, there was a good "pitch meeting" collective imagining vibe where everyone threw out suggestions and the best or most interesting ones became canon.  

Hork allowed a woman who rejected her advances to be burned alive as a witch, despite his having evidence of her innocence.  

Bandersnatch was in a band (as you'll remember, he's a bit of a bard, as well as, a sorcerer).  He was lead guitarist for groups such as Clockwork Sex Gnomes, Epileptic Night Clowns, and Gay Demons On Zoth.  His one-hit-wonder claim to fame would be the song "Kra'adumek Rising In My Pants."  With his memory back, he longs for Matilda, his white flying-v guitar that he traded at the pawn shop in A'agrybah before getting picked-up by that slave ship, The Venturan.  

Additionally, he discovered the ability to weave spells with his guitar playing and transported himself away from the tour bus seconds before a purple sandworm ate it and everyone else aboard, thanks to the purple priest assholes who rule Kra'adumek for the alien demon-worm.

Thurberus had a childhood memory... crawling out of a giant pool of blood.  His parents, being members of a death cult, ritually suicided themselves, along with the rest of their kool-aid family.  Young Thurberus was left all alone, raised by wandering nomads.  Later, the priest made a pact with a demon lord to learn that Thurberus had a twin brother who he occassionally dreams about.  While Thurberus is the dark twin, his brother is good and virtuous.

Botsterdomus had a memory of a child asking if he was ok, and the droid responding that he'd soon be dead due to exposure.  Also, he was the general contractor for a sinister vizir who wanted a "death room."  When it was finished, the vizir ordered Botsterdomus to seal the workers inside.  Botsterdomus refused and was hunted, eventually sold into slavery and found himself aboard The Venturan.

The NPC woman, Sass, we determined, was one of the workers who Botsterdomus saved.

Last but not least, Tinker stole an artifact from a demon who occasionally inhabits his body, like when he's hedonistically enjoying a nice meal or murder.  Nixor is the name of the demon inside of him.

Approaching orbital space, Captain Neevo invites the PCs into his private quarters for a little chat.  Not knowing what to expect, the adventurers brace themselves.  As it happens, Neevo wants them to carry out a little mission for the S.S. Motherfucker.  Their ship is low on fuel and energy crystals on Cha'alt are extremely powerful and valuable.  

The mission is easy - go into some caves and collect as many energy crystals as your storage cubes can hold.  Then, return to the ship and collect 1,000 credits each.  But first, the PCs need to get their inhibitors removed (Jay-Vax helps in that regard - he knows a shady cyber-surgeon who operates in the red silk district of Federation Occupied A'agrybah).  And then, it's on to the Cha'alt Excursion Happy Fun-Time Shuttle Tour!

The cyber-surgeon Reznik's shop was a burned-out Radio Shack.  It was a disgusting dive, but he had the tools and skills to pop those inhibitors off.  Reznik owed one to the racoon humanoid Jay-vax, so it was "on the house."  But Reznik told the PCs that if they needed anything else done, he'd be most receptive if they paid him in beta-maxxx 8-track cassette disks.  The format almost exclusively carries porn, but it's a dead medium and so is extremely valuable.

Upon leaving, Bandersnatch wanted to check out that pawn shop where he remembered leaving Matilda.  Turns out, his white flying-v was sold several months ago.  If they somehow get it back, they'll call the blue-suede elf.  In the meantime, they had another guitar - a hot pink Offender.  Bandersnatch didn't have the funds, but told the pawn shop dude he'd give him double in a few hours if he let the sorcerer have it now.  Dude agreed.

Trying to find the excursion place, the PCs ran into insurgents attacking the Federation embassy.  One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter as natives lobbed thermal detonators at Federation soldiers who were illegally detaining one of their own.  The adventurers were caught between wanting to see some action and not wanting to get involved in another planet's troubles.

In the chaos, they snagged a few thermal detonators, blasters, and energy cells (important because visitors to Federation Occupied A'agrybah are not allowed high-tech weapons).  The death priest Thurberus got a few converts before slitting throats, which somehow seals the deal for him and his, presumable, death god... I'll have to ask him about the spiritual hierarchy of his cult. 

At the excursion shop, the PCs went through decontamination.  The ones who'd spent significant time on Cha'alt previously were tattooed on the neck to let everyone know they were identified as "natives."  They were also briefed on the planet, learning that the open desert which covers the vast majority of Cha'alt's surface is called S'kbah, which means "providence."  Also, removing stuff like artifacts, zoth, crystals, etc. was punishable by fines up to 5k credits and 10 years on Cygnus-Beta.

The tour shuttle soon got to the Crimson Rock of Sacrifice and a sky-elf, Quorack, showed them where to enter the subterranean cave-system where they could find those precious energy crystals.  While the rest of the tour learned about various details of the region, the PCs went in.  

They encountered 2 humans who were of the Federation but not with the Federation.  They were mercenaries sent in to locate some missing scientists.  Long story short, these caves were populated by several demon cults working together under Tek-Tular the High Priest of Pain to antagonize everyone in the area.  But no one had heard from them in almost a year.  Believing there was a lot to learn, a team consisting of an archaeologist, anthropologist, and demonologist explored, but got lost.  Hence, the mercs.  

As the PCs listened in to the 3 mercs exploring, they lost contact.  The communicators, Drane and Zeep, offered a stack of beta-maxxx 8-track cassette disks if they help out the rest of their team, and the adventuring party agreed.

They found a cave full of black marble statues of hideous demons along with a black marble obelisk containing the same number of dark-red jewels.  The PCs decided to wait on that.

Soon, they made friends with a tribe of primitive sub-human cannibals who were busy cooking and eating a dead cultist.  In the corner of this cave was a journal recording previous events.  The PCs learned about an infernal-glyph that was the blessing of Kort'thalis, a method whereby Tek-Tular created a small army of mind-controlled cultists (the eyes of Thurberus have never been wider), and the cult's last endeavor, which was to summon a demon lord to possess an acolyte of the cult... but forgot to prepare a banishing glyph.

Moving on, the PCs encountered a flesh shrine of the splayed High Priest of Pain (a la that murdered guard in Silence of the Lambs), bits and pieces of Tek-Tular hanging down from sinew-string like Christmas ornaments.  That included an intriguing demon idol fashioned out of rainbow obsidian.  Touching it gave one a strong sensory impression of the High Priest being tortured by demons.  Several PCs gave it a try.  One went back to ask Tek-Tular his secret to creating those willing slaves - "The worms of Set."  Basically, tiny wormlike creatures not native to Cha'alt but that originally came from an alien world.  Think those little eels from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

The PCs explored a cave where a demonic priest with his eyes scooped-out sat upon a throne of corpses sewn together.  Infernal-glyphs were carved into this dude's flesh.  He told them his name was Cholak, the demon lord summoned by the cult which led to the whole thing coming unglued.  This was his domain now.  While I didn't really show his power, clearly by the looks of him, he meant business.  But I'm going to add a short cut-scene which I neglected to describe during yesterday's session.  Cholak invited one of his primitive servants closer to his corpse throne, turned his hand slightly, and with that carefree gesture, ripped the sub-human apart - gore splattering everywhere.

In any case, the PCs made a deal with this particular devil.  Retrieve a scroll that could be identified by primordial-glyphs created by snake-men thousands of years ago, and found in an A'agrybah merchant's shop and the debt of not killing the PC intruders will be paid.  Also, there would be something special in it for them.  The pixie-fairy shook on the deal, a tiny infernal-glyph binding the deal appearing on his wrist.  Nixon informed him that he had 3 days to complete the task or else be dragged down into Hell.  Asking if Nixon could help him out, his "dark passenger" replied that he couldn't make any promises.  

Then, they came to a "free-use priestess" of the demon cult who was stuck in semi-gelatinous slime.  She'd already gone insane by this time, being down here for months without reprieve.  After one of the primitives was finished with her, botsterdomus availed himself of the opportunity before the adventurers put her out of her misery.

Nearly last of all, they explored a cave that lit up like a giant eye.  Thurberus used his v'smm mental communication to speak with it.  The following is what he and all the PCs heard...

"You have journeyed a long way, but your death is near - so close I can already feel the vibrations in the membranous aether.  However, it does not have to end like this.  The potentiality of transdimensional instability cross-pollinates the variant timeline, manifesting a quantum meta-paradigm state.  Which is to say... it's the multiverse, baby!  Your suffering and eventual demise could be circumvented.  Find Ura'az-Vethun and claim it - stimulate the ultra-telluric glyphs upon its thirsty blade with chartreuse ichor, blood of the Great Old Ones, zoth.  Ura'az-Vethun shall protect you, and save that which is most important.  Seek Ura'az-Vethun within the purple worm corpse."

Soon after, 6 demons ran up on the PCs from an adjacent cave.  Besides Bandersnatch webbing those Federation soldiers outside the embassy, this was tonight's only combat.  At the end of the first round, the PCs had destroyed them.  The sorcerer's super-charged missile command doing the lion's share of the vanquishing.

Searching the cave where those demons came from, they found the missing mercenaries who'd been shanghaied by the demons.  Although, there was no sign of the scientific researchers.  Whatever happened to them?  Time will tell, perhaps...

The PCs hopped back on the tour shuttle just as it was pulling away and reached Federation Occupied A'agrybah.  That's where we ended the session.  Yes, an action-packed 3.5 hours!

Lots of laughs were had, as well.  From cyber-jungle fever to A'agry-go the Cha'alt version of uber-eats to "every death-cult needs a good salesman."  And so many different directions the campaign can go, a few short-term, others long-term.  The players seem to be settling-in to their characters.  At the start of session three, the PCs will have reached 2nd level (I just prefer doing it at the start of a new session rather than the end).

Thanks for reading.  Feel free to make a comment, ask questions, or whatever!

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!

Inaugural Cha'alt - Roll20 One-Shot

 

A momentous day - the inauguration of President Donald Trump's second term!

And since it was also MLK day and some folks had the day off, I decided to run one of my infrequent 90-minute, text only, 18+ Cha'alt one-shots via Roll20.  I got 4 players, and adventure was had.  

I'm not going to go into detail because the bones of this particular scenario might be used for one of the sessions I'll be running at Gary Con in a couple months.  However, there are some black pearls of wisdom I could furnish, if one were keen...

If the story setup rushes past the quest-giving, as this one did, the GM should provide another form of social interaction.  In this case, a rival adventuring party was at the starting point, and there was some interesting back-and-forth which pleasantly kept up through the middle and end of the session.

I do think it's important that all 3 pillars are represented, even in a micro session that only lasts for an hour-and-a-half.  That's one of the things I like about 5e.

For the first time ever, someone played a lizardtaur PC.  And sure enough, a special ability was suggested - summoning a lizard man who looks suspiciously like Mark Zuckerberg (henceforth known as Mark Zardberg) that can ride on the lizardtaur's back and send out mind control blasts.  I allowed it without a roll since this was a one-shot... and because it was so fucking gonzo that I didn't have the heart to refuse.

The metaverse requires your personal data... stop and watch this cute cat video.  The lizardtaur's player rolled a 17, and effectively distracted the NPC he wanted to stop.  Success!

In a moment of in-character social disarming sabotage, one of the PCs suggests they (the rival NPCs) don't even know about the cyborg worms.  I hadn't considered cyborg worms, but they will definitely show up in a future Cha'alt adventure.  It's cool when off-the-cuff remarks and throwaway lines manifest into some part of the campaign setting.  Borg-Halud and Shai-Borg were offered, but I prefer Cy-Halud.

A player asked if his character had enough explosives to make an IED later.  I told him he brought supplies to make just one.  Usually, I like to give the PCs just enough rope to hang themselves - metaphorically speaking, of course.  

Narrating inaction is one of my favorite unsung aspects of GMing.  When everyone is taking action, those who aren't - such as the droid mentally doom-scrolling through cat videos - can participate, too, sort of.  So, while the PCs were saving others or attacking, the droid NPC wondered aloud, "Why doesn't the cat just jump off the roomba?  Why is he continuing to ride it around the kitchen?"

Is it a major plot-point that furthers the story or affects the wargaming math in some way?  Nope.  Not one bit, but I like to think amusing asides make the difference between a solid session and a truly great session.

If a PC mentions something like his meow-meow beans flying everywhere after a fall, do your best as the GM to utilize that new piece of information.  Treat it like a ball thrown to you.  Do you let it sail past or try to catch it and throw it back?  In today's game, I had an NPC help the PC pick them up.  Not only was this a bit of imaginative fun, and I would say theatricality, but it showed that the NPC wasn't just a too cool for school, standoffish dick.  He was trying to do something kind, and that action colors the way he's perceived. 

I could just as easily had the NPC laugh haughtily or kick a few stray meow-meow beans into a nearby tunnel, but I didn't.  He had a reason for doing what he did, and it happened to pay off.

More and more, I try to incorporate more heccaeity into my purple prose, my purple alien demon-worm prose...

"It looks demonic... and disturbingly unhinged as if the entity had gazed too long into the burning black void."  What does that facial expression actually look like? Is the void actually burning?  Is it on fire?  Those are all fine questions, but answering them is not the point.  Deepening description, layering it with stuff you wouldn't expect but that leaves a definite and unusual mark -  that's our aim.

One of my favorite lines came from the barbarian, "His suffering will improve him, but only if he lives."

The thing I love about virtual text-only sessions is that it gives me an extra few seconds to consider my options before responding.  Sometimes, an extra 5 seconds can separate the wheat from the chaff.  But if we had played in-person, the session would have been longer, juicier (I don't think there was even a hint of sleaze mentioned), and I could have busted-out (there it is, Lol) this lovely map I recently finished.

So, yeah.  A great session to commemorate a great day!  I encourage you to think about the topics I brought up in this post and see if you can use them in your own GMing.  If you do, please share what happened with the rest of us so we can continue to learn and grow.

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!

"Are You Not Entertained" - Cha'alt Campaign 3.1

 

Getting Acquainted

We're finally back with the season three opener!

Seems like a weird fever dream that the antibiotics took care of, making us well again, but they eventually ran out and now we've returned to a universe of alien strangeness, crude sexual humor, and the desire to fuck shit up - the skinematic Vengerverse lives!

I was happy to see all the regulars again.  5 or 6 really is the best number of players.  Since character creation in Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer is so quick, everyone started talking about what they wanted to play and made their PC right at the table before we got started. 

We have the warrior Ha'Ork or Hork; the sorcerer / bard (electric guitar is the focus of his magic) named Billy Bandersnatch, a blue-suede elf; a v'smm priest named Thurberus; a droid priest named Botsterdomus; and Tinker McStabby a pixie-fairy thief.

Giving them the lay of the land, I told them that they knew their own names and bits of pieces of their former lives, but nothing concrete; everything was hazy.  Something was preventing them from remembering.  Additionally, they had a limiter (got that from Blake's 7 - my review of the first season coming soon), but the players started calling it an inhibitor, which I actually like better.  So, they each had an inhibitor surgically implanted upon their temple.  When performing certain actions, it would give them a searing brain scorch for about 30 seconds.

I had them roll a d100 to see how many days they'd been there (the longer they were, the greater chance for a mutation), and also a d12 for distinctive markings.  

Hork had been there 18 and he could create a dazzling light as many times per day as his level) along with tribal scarification, Bandersnatch only 1 (with numbers and letters laser-grafted onto his forearm, a tag to let the penal colony on Cygnus Beta know who he was), Thurberus 2 (subdermal import jacks), Botserdomus 63 (an organic upper-right section of his torso was flesh rather than machine, making him something of a cyborg rather than full droid, along with a large purple bruise on his shoulder - can't recall his mutation as my note-taking got rusty, apparently), and McStabby 44 (all hair removed with the mutant ability to regenerate quickly)

Alright, so I divided the group up into existing factions wherever they've ended up.  

Divide and Conquer 

Billy Bandersnatch and Thurberus both assimilated quickly into the Jurtwee faction (heretofore known by the PCs as Jerk-Weed).  These guys were anti-technology.  A dozen humanoids congregated into a large mud hut, a cinnamon scented incense lit with several large grubs or centipedes giving off a bio-luminescence.  Everyone hung their head low in solemn prayer - "Machines are evil - death to Magrose - technology is the ultimate corruptor!"

Minutes later, another from their tribe brought in a drowsy (possibly drugged) humanoid with a prosthetic cyber arm.  "What's happening?" the stranger said as the tribe's leader instructed the newest members of their tribe, Thurberus and Bandersnatch, to use sharpened rocks and take the blasphemer's lifeforce, thereby solidifying the bond between the Jurtwee and their god.

Thurberus took the rock and immediately tried to dislocate the cyber arm from the man's shoulder.  Bandersnatch stood there wondering how he could get out of there without doing harm to this guy or bringing the wrath of these cultists down on him.  After a few rolls, the cyber arm guy fired a small missile from his arm directly at Thurberus' chest, nearly killing him.  As cyber arm dude escaped out of the mud hut, Bandersnatch jumped on his back acting like he was attacking him with his sharp rock.  

Seeing them make some distance from the Jurtwee, the v'smm priest ran after them.  Once they got clear, they let the cyber arm sacrifice go and began to explore.

The other 3 PCs were part of the Zevateef tribe, even more primitive wearing animal skins, and most of them were mutants, having been here long enough to acquire one or more mutations.  The tribe gathered in a ruined temple.  Each held a cylinder with exterior holes, allowing one to see the bright green radioactive whatever inside.  For a moment, Botserdomus had a memory flash - this was a plasma reactor core.  

Each held the "holy vessel" above their mouth and recited the sacred words, "This holy vessel is the fruit of our race."  As it was passed, the guy before Hork got a drop in his mouth and started convulsing and turning green.  Hork did the same and nothing happened.  Same with Botsterdomus.  But when it came to Tinker McStabby, he got a whole big glob of green goo all over him, and rolled a 1 on his saving throw.  

Now, this being the first session, I decreed (as it was in the previous season of the Cha'alt campaign) that any natural 1 would be special in some way, perhaps the equivalent of a critical-success.  McStabby survived and gained the mutant ability of intuition.  

After the ceremony, the PCs were instructed to follow Raheed into the grasslands to search for a second holy vessel that would be found beneath the black panel of colorful stars.  Apparently, the Zevateef tribe wanted another plasma reactor core.  So, they left.

Together Again

Soon enough, all the PCs were in the same general area, a black panel next to a massive wall that spanned 2 or 3 miles decorated with red bars that were the same as the red bracelets that everyone here wore.  Next to the black panel was a set of stairs going up.  20-feet up was another level.  The "sky" dark but lit by several small suns or large stars and the temperature was always 72 degrees.

A guardian lurked the stairway, stopping people from climbing it.  However, occasionally the stairs were clear, allowing folks to scavenge for food or supplies.  Here on this level, food was dispensed from nozzles in the wall - a porridge type substance, not unlike shredded wheat.   

Raheed had a dagger and the 2 PCs belonging to the other tribe tricked him into believing there was a "super inhibitor" they could outfit him with, if they killed the guardian.  Raheed got halfway up the stairs when a giant manta-ray scorpion floated down, eventually stinging Raheed to death.  The other PCs wanted nothing more to do with the guardian and instead focused their attention on the black panel.

The sequence of colorful stars or buttons was supposedly implanted in Hork's mind.  So, he started pushing buttons... red, chartreuse, lavender, and indigo-blue.  Instead of a plasma reactor core, a small panel opened to reveal a special big button that eventually someone else pushed.  It created a hologram of a member of the Great Race of Yith that spoke in a foreign language, "Seeklu bla'ath blee zai-kone yavlo."  

Therberus used his racial telepathic powers to translate the repeated holographic message and eventually got the following... "The ultra-telluric glyph is the most precious super-science technology on the Venturan - you must save it!"

Not knowing what to do with that information, they filed it away and kept pressing buttons.  A viewer popped out of the black panel.  Putting their eyes up against it, they saw several people entering a dimly lit rusty metal room as a purple light descended upon them.  Within seconds, everyone in that metal room was dead.

Soon, they got a proximity alert that another ship was approaching and preparing to dock.  A ship that would transfer its prisoners to the Venturan.  Attempting to push more buttons in the hopes of contacting the ship or trying to interact with it in some other way, a couple security droids came by and forced the PCs to move along.  

Botsterdomus tried to smack one of the droids and for his trouble got blasted nearly to death.  Oh yeah, Therberus' healing powers were accompanied by that searing pain for 30 seconds, but he was still able to heal himself from earlier and now the droid priest.

Wandering what soon became clear as their artificial environment inside a prison ship, they found a woman with pale skin and pink mohawk wearing a black silk outfit named Sass.  She was struggling to insert a data cartridge into a rectangular gray box but it wouldn't fit.  It was technology she found just outside the punishment dome.  She'd just arrived onto the Venturan but also wasn't sure of her memories.  But she knew that the sign of voorax could occasionally save people from phenomena similar to the descending purple illumination.

She came with them as the party then encountered a man-sized crab-mollusk creature with leopard spots.  He confirmed that they were, indeed, aboard a prison ship.  He was once a man, but stopped eating the provided food that contained memory erasing drugs.  Instead, he ate the weird plants around here and that accelerated his mutations.  This crab dude also had the power to explode peoples' heads, and said he'd help the PCs overcome the stair guardian.

They promised to come back for the crab after checking out the punishment dome.  As the adventuring party reached the dome, they heard something on a loudspeaker about the prisoner transfer and security droids should report to red sector-B.  The PCs could hear the security droids coming because they were a short distance away from red sector-B.

A door opened that led to one of those floaty corridors between ships and there were port-holes confirming that they were traveling through space.  

The PCs had a decision to make, and time was running out as 5 new humanoid prisoners were escorted through the corridor and onto the Venturan.  They decided to make a break for it and run into the corridor and to the other ship as Sass distracted the security droids by asking about the two incompatible mechanical parts.

Only the last 2 were spotted by the security droids and got fired upon.  Luckily, they missed and Sass ran behind them.  Once across and aboard the other ship, Hork pressed buttons to close the door and send the floating corridor adrift.  Meanwhile, McStabby used his intuition to find the bridge.  A blue-skinned guy holding a big laser rifle stopped them, questioning who these people were, assuming they were stowaways.  

They did their best to convince the blue guy that they were part of the new crew just arrived to help man the ship.  The PCs were told to wait in the lounge as blue guy went to confirm their story with the captain.  As he turned his back, McStabby attempted to backstab but failed and played it off like he was trying to pat him on the back or something.

The PCs explored the ship, finding a restroom complete with 3 seashells, a nearly empty crew quarters that had decent clothes and a laser pistol (Tinker also found a living green leprechaun hat with pink fringe and tentacles that attached to his skull like a symbiote and somehow ate / pooped-out his inhibitor).  They saw a vulcan talking to a wookie in the hallway, then wandered into the lounge where a humanoid raccoon was trying to play 17-dimensional chess solitaire.  Happy to have some company, the racoon named Jay-vax welcomed them aboard and got Hork some "crisps" from the lounge vending machine - first making sure that he didn't want a pair of used panties, instead.

Jay-vax was the engineer and tech-guy of the ship, so he tried to pop those inhibitors off their craniums.  He didn't have the right tool (I rolled a 2 on the skill-check), and couldn't get them off.  Jay-vax played 17-dimensional chess with Therberus, winning because he rolled a 1 as they were playing "Albuquerque rules" (it wasn't Albuquerque, but I can't remember the fictional city Therberus claimed to be from).  

At some point, Therberus picked up a puzzle piece from a nearly completed puzzle on some random table, and the party visited the bridge so they could talk to the captain and get it over with - surrender themselves, keep up the ruse, take over the ship, or something else.

Turns out that captain Neevo was extremely accommodating.  He let the PCs pick their own specialty and join his crew upon the S.S. Motherfucker.  Neevo informed them that they'd reach the next destination, a fairly dangerous and somewhat civilized desert planet named Cha'alt in about 5 or 6 standard hours and they'd get a chance to leave the ship and stretch their legs for a couple days before heading out.

That's where we left things.  Although, the PCs talked about future plans, like starting their own cult and livestreaming their adventures.  On Cha'alt, "like and subscribe" has been replaced by "insert the tentacle."  Good times!

Aftermath

The following are some phrases of note.  There should have been a few more, but like I said, my GM note-taking has taken a dive since we last gamed.  Next time, I'll record more of the good stuff!

• "Some people can't handle their green shit."
• "Banana-shaped shank."
• "Toilet paper turban."
• "Scumdogs in Paradise." 

Because of the inhibitor, the PCs didn't get to use much of their class abilities.  They'll have ample opportunity (most likely) next session.  But to recap, here are the roleplaying incentives we'll be playtesting for this campaign.  I've shortened them for ease of use...

• Thieves can earn luck by stealing shit.
• Sorcerers can earn arcana by gaining a better understanding of mystical / magical shit.
• Priests can earn religious renown for bolstering their religion / cult (of personality) and working miracles and shit.
• Warriors can earn epic deeds by being a master of warfare and shit.

Overall, I was pleased with the session.  The groundwork has been lain, and I have an idea of what will likely happen next session.  And yet, it's so open-ended that the possibilities are nearly infinite.  The players mentioned, after the game, they were sure a lot more of the punishment dome was waiting to be explored.  Plus, they liked the crab-mollusk with leopard spots and wanted to hang with him again.

I told them in reply that, yes, there was more exploration to be had.  Cheer up, I said.  You haven't seen the last of the Venturan, I'd wager! 

As their memories slowly return, I'll throw in some recollections.  Perhaps like the Lost flashbacks.  For next session, I'll award a point of Divine Favor for every PC who comes up with a memory, something from their past they can roleplay.  If no one prepares anything, they can either spontaneously come up with something, or I'll simply come up with a memory, myself... perhaps a random table?

Ok, that's it for now.  If you have questions or comments, leave them below.  Next session is in 2 weeks - Saturday, January 25th.  Until then, hoss!

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!

Cha'alt: Season Three [roleplaying incentives]

 

I should just make a part 2 of this blog post, but instead will update it.  Thinking about the sorcerer, in particular, I felt like gaining Divine Favor was simply too... pedestrian a reward.  So, I've changed it.

Shit... I just realized that now the warrior class feels shortchanged.  Damn it.  Ok, I'll revise that, too.  I want this page to be something we can all refer back to, so it's just going to become an ever-evolving mutant horrorshow.  

Cha'alt season three begins a week from this Saturday, one-eleven.  Can't fucking wait!

Same campaign, but different characters and story arcs.  Every year, I'm going to try to hit 20 sessions per "season," which means the PCs cap-out at about level 10.  That way the greater Cha'alt campaign keeps going, but still (hopefully) remains fresh and exciting for those interested in playing.  

I was scrolling through X last night and stumbled upon a post by my good friend, gamer extraordinaire, and VENGER CON alumni... Lord Matteus.

He was asking for GMs to reveal a roleplaying incentive from their own game.  For example, he gives extra XP to paladins for purging every living thing found in a goblin warren, gnoll pack, orc camp, etc., doubling it if they shot "Deus Vult!" while doing so.

Feeling inspired, I set myself a challenge to come up with four brand-new roleplaying incentives, one for each class in Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer.  I posted them last night and will set them before you here for examination.  

Remember, these are roleplaying incentives that exist as incentives to award roleplaying!  Qualification can be determined by the table majority; however, as with all things, subject to the GM's inviolable will and ultimate authority...

• Warriors get an Epic Deed point when they announce a particular fighting strategy, novel combat maneuver, or Leeroy Jenkins their way into battle.
• Sorcerers get a point of Arcana each time they take a break from adventuring in order to consult their zoth-writ parchments of forbidden lore, dark prophecies, and ancient parables.  They may even consult with their sorcerous peers or travel to strange places in order to bolster their understanding of esoteric subjects.
• Thieves receive a point of luck every time they successfully burgle something of value.
• Priests earn a point of (religious) renown every time they gain a new follower, but would also lose that point if the follower was lost... unless he died a martyr.

Sleaze Points: A new metacurrency I created towards the end of the second season of our Cha'alt campaign.  Basically, every point accumulated can be spent to boost or add onto another roll (doesn't affect critical failures, though).  

Sidenote:  I'm going to reserve the "jerk the milky white dice upon the centerfold" sublimation for when the PCs get their math-rocks off over something different, something special.  Not just the usual roll in the hay, which will be rewarded with the standard sleaze-factor-5 bonus.

Luck: Just like sleaze points, except they have nothing to do with sleaze.  Can other classes earn luck points?  If so, for what?  That remains to be seen.

Renown: The renown points metacurrency can be spent, narratively, to temporarily bolster renown; momentarily - or at least to whoever that PC is currently addressing - (re)casting the individual PC, including but not necessarily entailing his reputation, calling/vocation, racial differences, religion, god, noble house, family crest, cause de jour, etc. in a more favorable - or at the very least, formidable - light.  

Renown isn't necessarily concerned with fame or infamy, individuals in the presence of greatness can decide that sort of thing for themselves.  Renown, in this instance, is more a measure of having an impact on the world.  Aside from priests making converts (new souls for the faith), adventurers can earn points of renown by making waves, putting themselves out a bit, and changing the course of their destiny and that of Cha'alt.

Arcana:  Allows sorcerers to do what most magic-users aren't able to do... most of the time.  They can alter their own spells, that of their opponents, or even forge new one's, create dimensions and domains, and alter the very fabric of reality.

Epic Deed:  Warriors can spend an epic deed point to do something in the realm of combat which would normally be impossible - a feat of strength and agility and battle prowess which makes them a paragon of war.

Ok, I'm hoping this gives players something to contemplate as they decide what kind of character they want to create before the first session starts... or maybe we'll start playing and let character creation be part of the introductory scenario?  Time will tell, hoss...

What else?  PCs will start off at level 1 and will go up a level every other session, just like the previous seasons.  Special abilities found in Cha'alt Ascended [now found in the Advanced Crimson Dragon Slayer rulebook (PDF and print-on-demand softcover available on Amazon) will be granted at levels 3 and 7.  Upon reaching level 4, PCs will be expected to "prestige class" into some unique and idiosyncratic version of their base class, granting them a specialty within that particular sphere.

Happy New Year!

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!

Like Clockwork

 

My kids go through different phases of movie watching.  Sometimes, they're pretty easy going and flexible, able to sit down with something that I've picked-out for them without a problem.  Other times, like last night, they're motherfucking intractable and I have to suggest half-a-dozen movies before I hit upon something they'll willingly accept.  

That's why we watched Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery last night (again).  It's a good movie, I laughed... whatever.  Towards the end, Austin Powers mentioned the "Fembots" by name when he probably shouldn't have known what the bad guys were calling them.  

My 2nd eldest daughter caught that and remarked on it.  I said, yeah, that's true... but what about the part of the movie or story that we can't see?  Not like "behind the scenes" as in documentary footage about how the movie was made, but everything that happens with the characters, plot, etc. not shown - because on some level, there must be stuff going on that we're not privy to, that occurs when the camara isn't on them.  It goes on in the background.  We don't know everything, just the highlights, but it still exists somewhere, the story playing out, away from our perception.

And then I told her, "That is the essence of D&D."  When I asked if that made sense to her, she looked at me and said "What?  Oh, I wasn't listening."  And so it goes... I simply left it at that because, after all, we were watching a movie.  No one had paid good money to hear me lecture about roleplaying games.  But since you're here reading this blog post, let's dive-in a bit before toweling off.

The kind of immersion that makes you feel like you're really there, experiencing events first-hand, is only part of the whole, but probably the most obvious.  Another part is the sense that the world and story are happening whether the players and their characters are paying attention to it or not.  You know how babies learn about "object permanence"?  It's a little game called peek-a-boo.  You hide your face behind your hands and the baby learns that just because it can't see you, that doesn't necessarily mean you aren't still there.

Well, same goes for the entire campaign setting.  Make the characters and their players believe that it exists outside of their perception and interaction.  Even if they didn't exist, the world would be there and things would be going on, involving various people, creatures, magic, the Gods, and forces of nature.

Not only does this help mitigate continuity errors, it's what gives RPGs their power.

Rather than having me rattle off a list of hypothetical examples, I want to hear from you.  Ok, ok... just one.  The next time a PC wants something from an NPC, say something like "You approach Karl huddled close to the other hirelings.  Seeing you, Karl breaks off from his conversation with his peers to ask if there's anything you need."  

It's obvious that the NPCs were talking amongst themselves, some communication excluding the PCs.  Perhaps not by design, but regardless, the player (even if his character doesn't mention it) will be wondering in the back of his mind what the Devil the NPCs were conversing about - he might wish he was more engaged or be curious about what he'd missed out on or worried that the NPCs are plotting against him.  If he asks in-game, have Karl say "Oh, it was nothing."  When really, you know they were arguing about the color orange (which came first, the color's name or the fruit?).

Now, it's your turn!  Comment below with something you've used to make the campaign world "real," continuing to run like a wound-up watch, even when no one is looking.

Hope everyone had a magnificent Xma'as (feel free to tell me about it below)!  Before the new year, I'll blog about my having watched the first season of Stargate SG-1.

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!

Primordial Chaos

 

I think there's lots of good stuff for everyone in this book.  You get a better idea of what gonzo is, what it can be, and the future of that niche.  It comes with a lengthy adventure, plenty of random tables, and gameable tips, tricks, and techniques to get more gonzo out of your gaming.

You can download the PDF here.  For the softcover print-on-demand book, that you can find on Amazon.  If the title doesn't do the trick search for Venger Satanis and/or Kort'thalis Publishing.

Now, that KS backers have their copies, I want to make this title public.  Hopefully, the feedback is positive.  The artwork, which is all from actual human artists, cost a pretty penny, but I'm glad that's where the majority of the budget went.

Speaking of budgets, with the ordering of softcover print-on-demand books to send out, I'm over the limit on money in versus money out.  But hey, this is a labor of love... and perhaps Primordial Chaos: Gonzo Like A Fucking Boss will pay for itself in post-Kickstarter sales?

The lesson is that gonzo is everywhere, all around us.  Maybe not in the direct, in-your-face, floating-shark-down-orange-hallways gonzo, but this world is all kinds of fucked-up.  Use it.

Thanks for your continued support and Merry Christma'as, hoss!

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!

The Slow Blade Penetrates The Culture

 

Like the new map?  I made it with my own tentacles!  ;)

I was on a FB group devoted to David Hargrave and Arduin, posting something about my latest book, Primordial Chaos: Gonzo Like A Fucking Boss (now that KS backers have theirs, I'll be releasing it to the general public tomorrow morning), when I find myself embroiled in a discussion.

A dude commented on my post, letting me know that I'm no Dave Hargrave, and Arduin "wasn't as gonzo as you think."  When I mentioned that things change over time, he said that I'm nowhere near as good as Hargrave.  

All props and praise due to those who came before... Gygax, Arneson, Hargrave, and so on.  This isn't about who's better or worse.  It's about how culture moves through the decades.  While there are certain factors that balance and mitigate, restrain and conserve what was, an even greater force constantly pushes things forward, making them faster, stronger, easier, more efficient, longer lasting and tastier.  Yes... 3 steps forward, 1 step back.  Regression and going in the wrong direction are built into "progress."  In other words, it's not always a good thing.  Nevertheless, we can't stop moving forward in time.

When gonzo was new and fresh, a little went farther than it does now.  Sure, the odd laser-shark floating down an orange stairway can give 2024 players a minor shock, but chances are we've been there, done that, seen it all before.  If you want the same kind of reaction today that you'd get in the late 70s, you have to up the ante.  

Sticking with that poker metaphor, if you always play Texas Hold'em at the $1 / $2 tables, say after 20 years, it can still be quite challenging and fun.  But that same rush you got at the beginning won't return until you move up in stakes to $2 / $5 or perhaps even $5 / $10 (my next personal poker goal) and beyond.  Additionally, common sense strategy, not to mention optimal game theory, back in 2009 looks a whole lot different than 2024.  That's because the game changes.  Not like another edition, because chess and Texas Hold'em aren't changing the actual game, but the way people play changes over time.

My stuff, especially my Cha'alt stuff, might be "ahead of its time" or simply yet another "wrong direction" because it sticks out like a sore thumb and isn't all that popular.  But even if Cha'alt is just garbage to certain people, it represents movement, conscious movement or evolution towards something - the next stage of gonzo, perhaps...  

One of the things that resonated in me regarding the OSR was the renaissance.  Taking what was and remaking it.  I know the term "modern sensibilities" is so beyond cringe that I didn't even want to bring it up.  Let's just say it's getting slapped with a new coat of paint.  

[Same map; laminated... will be using this at VENGER CON in July]

Gonzo was amazing in the 70s and 80s, and probably through the 90s, but gonzo in 2024 is different, by necessity.  Same fundamentals, but updated understanding and execution.  For gonzo to survive, it can't stay the same - just like you can't put your hand into the same river twice.

Let me put it this way because I don't want folks to get the wrong idea.  I love The Twilight Zone.  Always have, always will.  If I was creating my own show in the same vein, with the same vibe, I wouldn't just slavishly copy what The Twilight Zone did in the late 50s.  I'd take that awesomeness and go even harder so that same feeling the audience had back then, they'd have today.

Ok, I'm excited to show you Primordial Chaos: Gonzo Like A Fucking Boss tomorrow morning.  The artwork, the advice, the random tables, the Cha'alt adventure at the back is one of my best, and will bring your table multiple sessions of eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse, humor, sleaze, pop-culture, and grindhouse exploitation enjoyment.

Thanks,

VS

p.s. Want the hardcover Cha'alt trilogy?  here's how!  Want to join the Kort'thalis mailing list to stay up-to-date on what's going on in the skinematic Vengerverse?  This is it!!  Last but not least, I'm organizing a based-as-fuck RPG convention in Madison, WI this July.  Grab your weekend badge for VENGER CON IV: Post-Modern Apocalypse!!!