Cha'alt Stream Reflections

If you need a refresher, this is the blog post about our Cha'alt live-stream.

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, so we'll be back!  I think we're aiming for every other month.  Depends on how our schedules align. 

However, I'm still interested in a side-gig stream of all things Venger.  More info about that here

Below are some questions I received along with my answers...

1.  What (if anything) was ad-libbed or spontaneously created?

I didn't think of anyone climbing to the top of the waterfall, so that was a total blank canvas moment. But knowing the campaign world as I do, I improvised.  In my mind, I was thinking of that crystal cave scene from the old movie Journey To The Center Of The Earth (a classic and favorite of mine).  I suppose that was the inspiration.

2.  Was this scenario included in Cha'alt?

Nope, I wrote it earlier in the day.  Totally new content.

3.  What did you roll for morale?

Well, since I've been using my Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 house-rules, I didn't have anything else in front of me, such as a table or chart for morale.  In my head, I determined that if I rolled high on a d20, the blind, albino cannibals would stand fast.  I ended up rolling a 5, I think.  So, they ran away.

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That's all, folks!

VS

p.s. Want to know where I bought my chartreuse and magenta Cha'altian dice?  Over yonder.  Tell them Venger Satanis sent you!

D&D Stream Cherry Popped

You know what color Venger is today?  Cherry-red, y'all...

Last night was my very first live-streamed D&D session.  Technically, we were using Crimson Dragon Slayer D20, which is my own OSR and 5e house-rule hybrid.

It's something I've wanted to try for a long time, and feels like the preface to Purple Slime, Demons, & Radiation.

I was a little bit nervous.  While I've GMed thousands of times before, doing it "on camera" and in front of an audience was totally new.  But from what I've seen of other streamed sessions, we didn't do half bad.

If you have any feedback or constructive criticism, definitely let me know.  Keep in mind there's only so much I can do (cosmetic surgery, vocal lessons from Rob Halford, etc), but incremental improvement is my jam.

Also, if you have any questions about the session, Game Mastering, Cha'alt, Crimson Dragon Slayer D20, or Cha'alt Pre-Generated (that's where the pre-gens came from), feel free to ask.

Big thanks to Grim Jim and Cha'alt kickstarter backer Joab for playing!  They did awesome and made my job easier.  We also appreciate the people who watched, commented, laughed, and trolled us at every opportunity (Hi, RPG Pundit!). 

Enjoy,

VS

Cha'alt Pre-Gens PDF

Yes, the FREE PDF is now live!  Get your Cha'alt Pre-Generated and get playing...

If you're anything like me, you love to game but don't have a lot of time to roll ability scores, figure out modifiers, possibly skills, and come up with a suitable name.

Well, the work has been done for you.  27 pre-generated characters ready for your players to inhabit.

While you don't need Cha'alt to enjoy Cha'alt Pre-Generated, you'll want to grab the also FREE Crimson Dragon Slayer D20.  It's fast and easy, minimalist, basic D&D - combining my favorite parts of the OSR with 5th edition.

Please share the link and let me know how much you like it.  Thanks!

VS

Purple Slime, Demons, & Radiation

A couple weeks ago, yours truly was
interviewed over at 3 Toadstools blog where I was asked if I'd considered doing some kind of live stream D&D show.

After giving it some thought and realizing that I already bought a webcam and decent microphone in order to make the Inappropriate Characters show possible, this is something I want to do.

In honor of Shane's prophetic question, I'm going to call it Purple Slime, Demons, & Radiation.

Well, I'm putting out feelers to see who'd be interested in helping me create a monthly one-hour session that people can watch on youtube, twitch or wherever.  I'd be running my Cha'alt campaign using Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 because it's overly simplistic with a minimum of fiddly bits, perfect for shorter online games... essentially OSR but with a nod to 5th edition.

I don't know tech stuff, so if that kind of thing is your jam and you're excited to participate, then get in touch with me!  Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Thanks,

VS

One Of Many

There are many reasons to reject the use of that RPG consent form that's been talked about a lot on social media.

But there's one reason that I haven't heard discussed yet...

How many gamers will either consciously or unconsciously fill in yellow and red boxes because they don't want others to assume they're cynical, jaded, immoral edgelords? 

With forms in general, there's an expectation.  Remembering all the many forms I've filled out in my life, have I ever checked only one box / answer for every question asked?  No, probably not. 

There's an unspoken assumption that one has peculiarities and depth.  One is not a machine.  In fact, just to relieve the monotony, I would probably check a few non-green boxes... even though I'm perfectly fine running across any subject matter the GM describes.

When expectations influence honest answers, then forms become a sham.

If you're truly worried about going too far in your GMing, simply ask (this, too, can be a written form handed out before play begins)... "Is there any subject matter that is off limits to you?"

Nine times out of ten, you'll get a negative response.  But that one time will get you an accurate idea of what is too far for that particular player.

I remember years ago asking players before an upcoming campaign the following two questions..

1. What do you want in this campaign?

2. What don't you want in this campaign?

Not everyone answered the questions, which was fine.  But for those who did, I got an idea for their expectations.  No one ever mentioned rape, genocide, or gaslighting.  However, I did get "rules lawyering" and such.

Hope your games go well!

VS

p.s. Cha'alt hardcovers will be coming mid-October.  Will make an announcement when they arrive.  Until then, reviews keep pouring in regarding the PDF.

Getting Fit

Last night, someone asked about my workout and diet regimen. 

Since I've been trying to make positive changes in my health, I wrote out what I've been doing lately. 

Just makes sense to copy/paste that right here.


Over the years, I've developed a workout routine that works for me. I have no idea if it'll work for anyone else, but here goes...

I go to the gym about 4 times per week, but only spend about 10-15 minutes there each time. This is what it looks like.

Day 1: one or two warm-up sets of bench press or dumbbell press and then a single set with enough weight to max out between 5-10 reps.

Day 2: warm-up of squats and then single set with enough weight to max out between 7-12 reps.

Day 3: general warm-up of the muscles (like stretching), then do as many chins as you possible can. Then do one set each of stomach crunches and reverse stomach crunches.

Day 4: one or two warm-up sets of deadlifts, then max it out for 5-15 reps.

That's pretty much it. I usually take a day off between day 3 and 4, then take the weekend off. Every other week, I usually do a set or two of military press with a bar or dumbbells, as well.

Because you're putting maximum effort into each non-warm-up set, you're muscles are getting a workout. It may not seem like much, but over time it pays off and you won't have to worry about over-training. Plus, how hard is it to spend 15 minutes at the gym?

Diet is also really important. I guess you're going to ask me about that next...

____________

1) focus on protein... steak, chicken, eggs, fish, shrimp, hamburger, turkey, ham, protein powder, etc. Don't eat too many carbs. But if you are going to eat carbs, it should be the first meal after your workout.

2) try to eat just below your calorie maintenance. If I feel a bit hungry here and there throughout the day but not starving, then I know I'm somewhere in that zone.

3) Intermittent fasting is one of the best things I discovered. I eat as many "meals" as I want within an 8-hour window. The rest of the time, I drink water. It both helps cut calories (skipping breakfast is the way to go) and helps you deal with hunger. Takes a couple weeks to get used to it, but then your body learns, adapts, and helps you out.

My biggest lifestyle change, when I go from non-diet to diet, is giving up both soda and desserts. Maybe you'll have to give up snacks, like chips... or excessive amounts of bread. Give yourself a cheat day once a week if you need it to stay sane. I love pizza, so limit myself to pizza just once a week... and then I'll have a non-addictive soda (without caffeine) like Ginger Ale, rather than my precious... the cold master... Mountain Dew.

If you combine the workout regimen with the diet, your body fat will slowly go down, while your strength and muscles will slowly go up. Don't expect to see significant progress for at least 6 weeks.

VS

Platinum Like A Fucking Boss

I'm not sure when it happened, but Adventure Writing Like A Fucking Boss has gone Platinum on DriveThruRPG.

That's awesome!

As a thank you, I'm practically giving it away at $1 for the next few days.  If you don't already have it, now's your chance to pick it up.  If you do, let a friend know it's out there.

I wonder which title will become a Platinum best seller next?  Hmm...

VS

p.s. If you loved it, please let me know.  Why not post a short review?  ;)

Goodbye to Roll20?

So, I've been getting a few questions about how or why I deleted my Roll20 account.  here goes...

This morning, I went to look at my listing to see how many people wanted to join today's game.  All I found was a comment from someone quoting Roll20's rules against advertising. 

I did have a link to Cha'alt... praise be its name, in the thread about my game.  The subject line was "What is Cha'alt?" and it directed people to the DriveThruRPG page where Cha'alt... praise be its name, is available (including the 32 full-page preview).

I also had a link to my own Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 house-rules (free PDF), so players would know what to expect.  I created it specifically to get Roll20 players up to speed on how my D&D is different than all the other versions out there. 

I didn't have a lot of time before the kids got up for school, and I wrongly assumed this guy was some kind of Roll20 admin or staff.  Since I'd had a few negative experiences with Roll20 in the past, I decided to simply delete my entire account in a fit of pique.

After getting the kids to school, I looked up the person who posted Roll20 rules on my thread.  Turns out, he was just a "member" who'd joined Roll20 six months ago.  WTF, who does that?

9 times out of 10, when I delete my account from a website, there's some kind of backdoor to reverse it.  Not so with Roll20.  So, that account is gone. 

I created another one because I really wanted to GM today.  When I get some free time, I'll look for an alternative virtual RPG platform.  But for now, it was easy enough to simply create a new account and make another listing for today's game.

That's it.  Looking forward to introducing new players to Cha'alt... praise be its name.  See you at the imaginary table!

VS

The City of Vermilion

"No, no, no.  Veng-baby, you've got it all wrong.  The karneblaspha'aks must be chartreuse with magenta and tan stripes.  It's the propelveenz that wear their azgoba'ats with chartreuse and fuchsia polka-dots.  Quit snorting that crystallized Purple Prizm and get it fucking right, you za'akier glip-glop!"

That direct and very literal quote from Prince of Nothing is exactly what it was like to work under my Cha'alt consultant's iron heel.  Muy brutales!

But... in the end, he guided my errant hand in fashioning what is the greatest RPG book of all time and space - Cha'alt!!!  Praise be its name!

So, in gratitude, I shall initiate the pimpage of his Kickstarter called The City of Vermilion.  Well, that's another color gone, but no matter - Prince of Nothing and the Merciless Merchants are awesome at writing, old school to the core, and not afraid of doing things their own way.

Like you, I'm sure, I probably have enough gaming material at my house, if I'm being honest.  But think of it this way, there are lots of creative individuals out there working their asses off to raise the bar of adventure writing. 

If we don't collectively encourage them, all those dudes will simply go away... off to write their crappy novels that remind you of the golden years of gaming you had once upon a time, but refused to financially assist. 

I guess what I'm really trying to say is, "Back that shit up, yo."

VS

p.s. Look at that kickass artwork on the KS page!  Damn, hoss.