The Search Begins!

I just posted a few discrete "want ads" around the internet, but then thought I might as well open this up as far and wide as possible.

I'm looking for a new graphic designer, layout, and cartography person. 

An individual who is...

• Passionate about old school D&D (and similar vintage RPGs).
• Innovative, who wants their creativity to continually evolve.
• Comfortable working for a controversial publisher who gets under people's skin.
• Interested in a long-term partnership; years of working together, where a half-dozen products might come out every few months or so.
• Professional and easy to work with.

Please send your "demo reel" (by that I mean highlights of your work over the last couple years) along with your rates to: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Thanks,

VS

Kort'thalis Publishing Reviews

Yeah, some really neat ones have cropped up here and there in 2018.

Let's start with my favorite - Prince of Nothing reviews The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence.  I quoted a paragraph in our last episode of Inappropriate Characters, but really the whole thing is a fascinating, pleasurable read.

Almost as awesome is his review of Liberation of the Demon Slayer.  He's not wrong - it's a hot mess (in places).  Hey, it was my first attempt and some wires got crossed.  Still, my philosophy hasn't changed - published adventures are meant to do 85% of the work.  The remaining 15% is left for the GM to handle on his own.

This is the latest review of Alien Ass, Hydrogen Gas, or Cosmic Grass... No One Warps For Free by Endzeitgeist.  He also reviewed Dead God Excavation...

Speaking of which, the prolific and potty-mouthed Bryce Lynch also reviewed that very same scenario!  He didn't love it.  Not only did he brutalize Dead God Excavation, the man added insult to injury.

As per usual, I give as good as I get (better in some cases).  So, you can read my pithy little riposte in the comments below his review.  It's followed by occasional "witticisms" from the peanut gallery.

Last but not least, we have a brief review of Adventure Writing Like A Fucking Boss II.  I think that speaks for itself. 

I encourage more reviews, even sucky ones... like the turd that Bryce Lynch excreted from his analysis-hole.  The more, the merrier!

VS

p.s. As someone in that cavalcade of crappy comments noticed, I'm no longer fucking around.  This outspoken iconoclast has become the boss behind the boss of internet shitlords.  It's take no prisoners time, ladies, gentlemen, and za'akier!

Honorable, Senile, and Incontinent

So, there's a new g+ community calling itself The Honorable OSR.

Let's take a look, shall we?

This is their list of demands... uh, I mean community guidelines.  Such winners as...

• "Opposing the presence of aggressors anywhere in the hobby and urging audiences away from venues that accomodate them."
• "No glorious individuality unto assholery."  (Wow, get out your pulitzer prize nominations, everyone!)
• "Every profile applying for membership in this community first gets skimmed for any red flags indicating they aren't compatible with the above expectations.

And in another post on there, the rest of the OSR (or at least the more problematic elements) are labeled "regressive bigots."  Really?  Just because we want to be free to do as we damn well please (assuming we're not doing anything illegal, of course)? 

It's the OSR for SJWs then, is it?  Yeah, that's what the world needs now.  Let's punish the individual, drive people out of the hobby, de-platform, de-monetize, harass, spread lies, and just generally gatekeep the shit out of old school D&D.

Yeah, it looks like the fractional OSR is even more divided than it was last month.  For what it's worth, I'm happy to have been the straw that broke the camel's back.

While it would be nice to have unity, I'm ok just letting whatever cancerous parts of the OSR - or any RPG niche - or any group no matter what they're into - just die off already. 

The post about what to do or not do about Stuart's old OSR logo and future OSR logos is telling.  There are no leaders among the honorable OSR.  Everyone is asking questions, looking around for someone to tell them what's what.  Here's some advice - do what you think is best without worrying how it's going to look to some other person out in cyberspace.  Be an individual!  Think for yourself!

"Yes, we must be individuals; we must think for ourselves," all the gray-faced NPCs say in unison!

You guys leaving or telling us "dishonorable OSR" or perhaps "inglorious OSR" sounds better... to leave won't affect me or my work.  If anything, it'll just fan the flames of hatred towards the true fascists, totalitarians, authoritarians, SJWs, and poop-heads who are certain they know better than the rest of us.

;)

Venger As'Nas Satanis
High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing

p.s. Just in case the subtext is lost on some readers - the non "honorable" OSR (you know, the rest of us normal folks), are the ones fighting actual fascism... just like the Inglorious Bastards!

44

It's my birthday today. 

There's a lot I'm grateful for, a lot of things I'm exited about, a lot of things I've accomplished, and there's still a lot more to do. 

If you want to help me celebrate turning 44, please consider writing/posting a review of one or more of my RPG titles.  For a complete list of PDFs, here's Kort'thalis Publishing on DriveThruRPG.  And if you want to review anything on Amazon, just search for Venger As'Nas Satanis.

Your constructive criticism and appreciation is not only helpful feedback, it keeps me going.  It's one of the reasons I'm able to endure.

Thanks for all the love and support, my dudes!

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. Sorry for being incommunicado the last few days, these long holiday weekends are all about family. 

Like Looking Into Creation Itself

Today, I want to talk about that little detail which elevates a description.  The kind of detail which can only come from the guy writing the damn thing.

Not just his pen, but his life.  His worldview.  His soul.

The following tidbit from season 9, episode 7 of The Walking Dead. No spoilers, in case you're worried about that.  This doesn't have anything to do with the plot, just a throwaway line for a secondary character, an NPC, if you will...

Luke:  He used to wear this absolutely horrid shirt.

Yumiko:  It was like looking into creation itself.

Luke:  In paisley.  God, it was horrendous. 

I mean, the paisley shirt by itself is a nice touch.  Makes the character they're talking about memorable.  Specifically, though, I'm keying into "It was like looking into creation itself."

That's not tone, mood, theme, atmosphere, or the like.  It doesn't move the story along.  It's not even character development, really.  Sure, it comes out of a character's mouth, but by itself we don't have any better understanding of that character than before she said it. 

It's only when that line is spoken between the other two lines that we see an underlying meaning, hidden in plain sight - that creation itself is somehow "absolutely horrid" and "horrendous." 

It's a little bit of the author's voice shining through.  Some people might not like that.  They disapprovingly say that a room (NPC, monster, etc.) description should be just the facts, nothing extraneous.  2d4 Giant Rats, 1,000 copper pieces, and a horridly colorful paisley shirt.

Well, I'm here to say that a personal touch is what's sorely lacking in adventures, both past and present.  It's what differentiates one author's work from another - his voice.  Use it not only to set yourself apart from conventional, clinical writers, but to deepen the prose... juicing it with gravitas or je ne sais quoi!

The next time you write something for your own game or publication, remember to intersperse descriptions with something surprisingly personal and maybe even poignant, if you can manage it.  The end result should be superior to the more pedestrian version.

VS

Trans-Human-Phobia

So, I've seen my fair share of abuse, harassment, mistreatment, and outright lies spread about me since yesterday's blog post.  Wow, that was fast!

I've even had my posts/comments flagged so they were taken down by Google.  I'm disputing those, but that will surely take some time.

I chalk this up to transphobia.  Well, that and people assuming they know me better than they actually do.

For those still unsure, this is not a joke or jab at trans-people or some kind of publicity stunt.

I simply identify as a green-skinned, tentacled, alien humanoid - za'akier.  That's who I feel that I am, what I believe myself to be and identify with.

As for other trans-people, I feel for you!  Yeah, this past 24 hours has revealed quite a bit.  Of course, nothing compared to what people have to go through in real life.  My struggles are merely on the internet.  I don't really mention the whole za'akier thing with friends, family, co-workers, etc.

But we all knew the ugly side behind the civil veneer, right?  It's hard to come out and face the mob - on both sides!  So, my tentacles go out to everyone.

I'm very much a free-speech advocate and admire Jordan B. Peterson's efforts to fight against radical-left tyranny, as well as, the far-right extremists in the world.  Both are abhorrent to me!  I don't believe the government should compel its citizens to use certain words, such as preferred pronouns (even if those words are kind or appropriate under the circumstances).

Furthermore, I don't believe in hate-speech.  Who decides what is hateful?  By their own standards, many SJWs who've interacted with me yesterday and today would be guilty of such a thing.  Yet, I wouldn't want any of them to be fined or imprisoned for speaking their mind.

A couple people mentioned something about doing a charity thing for some of my products.  I think that's awesome, but don't want to strong-arm anyone into donating or having to decide which charities are the most worthy or anyone wondering if I'll pocket the money because I'm some kind of scumbag (I'm not, actually).

So, instead, I'm simply making certain titles FREE from now until after my birthday on November 25th.  If you're so inclined, donate the money saved to whatever trans-person or otherkin charity of your choosing.

Here is the core rulebook Alpha Blue.

Here is the best-selling Adventure Writing Like A Fucking Boss.

Here is everybody's favorite OSR campaign setting / adventure by Kort'thalis Publishing The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence.

Enjoy,

VS

VS Is No Longer Human

Whew, deep breath...

For a considerable amount of time, I've felt like someone else.  Not necessarily uncomfortable in my own skin... just different internally than who I was on the outside and how society viewed me.

I know the internet feeds on disagreement, but I'm hoping that many of you will accept the fact that I don't consider myself human anymore... and haven't for a long time.

Strangely enough, it was briefly mentioned in the Alpha Blue series of adventures, Kobayashi Maroon.  Looking back, I've used creative (RPG) writing as a way of becoming the real me.

But over the last couple weeks, I've decided to come out regarding my transition into a za'akier.  What's a za'akir?  I'm glad you asked... a green-skinned, tentacled, alien humanoid.  In many ways, quite human-like, but of course it's not the same thing.

Biologically, I'll probably have to remain the way I was born.  However, I identify as za'akier.  When referring to me, please use my preferred pronouns are za'a (he), zul (him), and zal (his).  Yes, I'm still very much "male."

While I don't expect the vast majority to respect my choice or preferences, all the same, I wanted to come out to you all because it's who I am now.

Thanks to everyone making my transition easier!

VS

p.s. November 12th - 19th is Trans Awareness Week, so it seemed fitting.  ;)

Sexual Predators PDF

I'm pleased to announce Sexual Predators is live on DriveThruRPG!!!

I put everything I had into this one (uh, I mean... Zoltar Khan Delgado put everything he had into it).

It's what you've come to expect from an Alpha Blue publication... advice, options, artwork, random tables, and a plethora of scenarios (including a real space dungeon)!

In a couple weeks, Sexual Predators will combine with Kobayashi Maroon to form The Last Alpha Blue Supplement softcover over on Amazon.com.

And then it's onto the next chapter in my RPG life... Cha'alt.  However, there will always be a special place in my heart for sleazy scifi.

If you get a chance, please write and post a review!

VS

p.s. Speaking of sleazy scifi, remember this?

Free Speech = Hate Speech

Yes, state an opinion, cite a source, mention a statistic, or even reveal a deeply-held belief...

Now, you're in danger of using hate speech, committing a hate crime.  Basically, you're a Nazi, or at the very least, a white nationalist. 

Jesus H. Christ on a pogo-stick!  James Raggi IV is somehow in trouble for having a picture of himself taken with Jordan B. Peterson while holding his Lamentations of the Flame Princess rulebook. 

There's a lot to unpack here, but I'll be as brief as I can.

Two high-profile LotFP collaborators, Zak S. and Kiel Chenier, believe what James Raggi did was a big mistake, that James has something to answer for.  Namely, his crimes against the LGBTQ+ for associating (or not utterly disavowing) the clinical psychologist, philosopher, best selling author, and free speech advocate Jordan B. Peterson. 

Kiel Chenier won't work with James / LotFP anymore and here's Zak S. telling people on reddit that James did something wrong, has to apologize, etc.

Here's a video where Peterson speaks for himself.  If you haven't read his book or listened to him debate the issues of the day, be careful of those putting words in his mouth because it serves their loathsome political agenda...

This shouldn't even need to be said, but Jordan Peterson is not Alt-Right.  He doesn't speak for them or espouse their political beliefs.  Well, that's if your definition of Alt-Right includes fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and white supremacists. 

If, on the other hand, you define Alt-Right as populists, nationalists (like President Trump), free speech advocates, and alternative right-wing individualists, then sure, he's Alt-Right - and so is half of America!

But the radical-left doesn't mind offending 50% of U.S. citizens.  They're too preoccupied assuming that they're correct and everyone else is wrong.

So, shame on Kiel Chenier and Zak S. for shooting down their former creative comrade.  Hey, what's wrong with a little friendly fire?  James is just collateral damage in the greater fight, I guess... the fight against freedom.

What's worse, James took the photo down?!?  Why?  I mean, I know there's an impulse to be agreeable, to cave in the face of the SJW mob, their Ctrl-Left vitriol and outrage, but we all have to reach beyond that kind of weakness.  Peterson talks about courage, and that's what it takes to stand up to the far-left cyber bullies... well, that and balls.

Over the years, James has thrived being apolitical and kind of sitting in the middle of the culture war, unscathed.  His RPG stuff is occasionally offensive and in bad taste, but LotFP shielded itself by paling around with the totalitarian left.

Of course, as we all know, that side of the fence has no qualms about eating its own.  Purity tests are all the rage, and James Raggi IV has been found to be less than ideologically pure.  So, he must be disavowed, purged, blacklisted, and made an example of.  Because what else can these SJWs do to him, besides un-buy his products (and not purchase any more)? 

As the RPGpundit has taught me over the years, these people cannot be left alone.  We must struggle against them like weeds in our garden.  We ignore their backwards, regressive values at our peril.  The radical-leftist ideologues Peterson fights on YouTube are cut from the same cloth as the SJW censorship-fascists we face in the RPG trenches.

So, free speech is hate speech.  If thinking for yourself and speaking your mind makes you a Nazi, then I guess we're headed for even more interesting times.

Venger As'Nas Satanis
High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing

Describe Your 2018 Roleplaying in a Word

My wife saw something about describing your year in a single word in one of her FB groups.  Interesting exercise, I thought.

Since this is an RPG blog, I'd like you to describe your 2018 gaming experiences in one word...

That's it.

For me, I'm choosing "sleazy."  Sure, I ran several sessions of D&D over the summer (and those weren't sleazy at all), but I never felt like I hit the right groove with that mini-campaign. 

All my sessions of Alpha Blue were not only easier to prepare and run, but a lot more entertaining.  Plus, the vast majority of my output this year was for the Alpha Blue line. 

So, how about you?

VS

p.s. Almost forgot, zazzle has a 50% off sale on canvas prints (ends tonight)!

D&D 5e Survey

I have some burning questions for 5th edition gamers.  Hopefully, you guys can answer them.  It'll help me prepare for the Cha'alt kickstarter that will launch just before Thanksgiving...

1) Back in the day, when playing AD&D many gamers defaulted to the basic version of the game, similar to original D&D, rather than using all the extra mechanical bells and whistles contained within the AD&D rulebooks.

What I want to know is how many 5e gamers play their D&D in a simplified or old school / OSR way?

Specificly, would you consider full 5e stat-blocks to be essential in a 5e compatible product, or would providing the most important stuff be an option / acceptable?

2) Since official D&D 5e settings are few and far between, how much campaign setting material would you like to see in a published adventure?

3) How much guidance (or hand-holding, if you prefer) would be ideal, in your view?  A sentence here and there about the designer's intention or what's going on in general?  Paragraphs on setting things up before each chapter?  Or pages about how to run scenarios with boxed text and sidebars containing GM advice throughout the book?

____

Thanks for taking the time to answer this questionnaire!  Keep an eye on this blog for mentions of the upcoming Cha'alt news.

VS

Last Piece of the Puzzle

I don't know what other creators do, but these days I like the last thing I write for a big project to be the introduction. 

That might sound counter-intuitive, yet there's method to my madness!  Saving the intro for last allows me to encapsulate the whole in a snapshot.  If I wrote the introduction at the beginning, it would not be a true reflection because all my writing is organic, evolving as it goes.  Whatever I planned on day 1 is not what happens by day 35.

Without further ado, here's a sneak peek at the introduction for the Sexual Predators PDF (available next week) that will soon be included in The Last Alpha Blue Supplement softcover (available just after Thanksgiving)...

So, you purchased this book.  What now?  Well, ideally, you'll use what's in here to create your own simulated reality of starships, lasers, and alien droids with spectacular boobs - far, far away from the mundane world we all know and hope to escape.  

Immersion is key, after all.  However, don't be fooled into thinking that an immersive experience has to be serious or boring and tedious.  We should take immersion seriously, yes.  But experiencing a different reality can be done while ad-riffing off the seat of our pants, quick and dirty hot-takes on what it's like to walk into a nightclub with space disco blaring and reptilian bounty hunters trying to fill out TPS reports before their Zith Lord master comes back from the restroom.

What's new in this PDF (or softcover book combined with Kobayashi Maroon)?  As always, the solar winds of change keep me on my toes.  Just when I think I have the geo-political and social construct models of the entire universe figured out, a Ta'arakian monkey-lizard alters the time-lines, crosses the space-lane streams, and poops in the Purple Prizm punch-bowl.  

The Federation is cracking down on all manner of sexual activity in hopes of creating an egalitarian socialist utopia as inclusive, diverse, and harmless as possible.  The Federation is recruiting hundreds of new planets, and they've learned you'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar.  Rather than threatening to destroy their world if they refuse to join, it's just so much easier to simply promise them free education, health care, and emotional support animals.  I mean, who wouldn't want a college degree, trips to the doctor, and cuddly kittens with zero personal responsibility?  

The economic plan behind all of this?  Tax the rich, tax the dwindling middle class, and redistribute all the wealth to these newly-established worlds.  Of course, after several years of prosperity, those new planets become old planets which have to pay for newer planets joining the Federation.  And so it goes...

Where was I?  Oh yeah, it's a lack of sex bringing everyone down.  Federation scholars believe that decades of sexual freedom has led to unhealthy levels of filthy klorians, which, in turn, give rise to independent thought, anti-authoritarianism, individualism, free-speech, and slack (self-serving, rather than merely lazy).  Clamp down on the free love and what do you get?  Social scientists have run extensive studies and the data reveals that sex-starved citizens are more docile, trusting, obedient, prone to outrage, and self-censor themselves so as not to offend anyone else in the Federation (comprising sextillions of lifeforms).

That means there's a random hooking-up tax, casually dating tax, booty call tax, glory hole tax, random strangers meeting in a bar tax, ordering a pizza for the sole purpose of getting it on tax, the boss wants his secretary to come into his office for a private chat tax, and so on and so forth.  Ten standard months of sex-based taxation have caused sexual relations among non-committed lifeforms to plummet.  And what little government-approved sex is doled out goes to either long-term relationships or is divided between marginalized groups like the 17th Gender Coalition and citizens who are only interested in sex with Zepe the cyber-prawn.  

It's harder to get a piece of ass in Galaxy 5 than templars worshiping the blue god Viagra!  

And yet, there are points of light in the darkness... Open rebellion against the Federation has caught fire with the outer rim territories.  The Ta'andor galaxy formed its own Deplorable Republic.  The space station of lust Alpha Blue just told the Federation to go fuck itself.  

Unfortunately, the rest of the known universe is still very much under the Federation's thumb.  Everyone is being monitored constantly, and not only monitored but graded on loyalty to the Federation's ever-changing standards and practices.  Those wanting to do their own thing are considered dangerous pseudo-intellectuals, infidels (depending on how much the Federation is cozying up to the Interstellar Caliphate this week), and even space Nazis by those without any sense of history or decency.

If you can stomach the betrayal of everything our forefathers fought and died for, as well as, yet another cold shower (also taxed), then keep shuffling along with your head down and gray bowl of NPC conformity porridge outstretched so the Federation can reward your unwavering devotion with three brand-new fruit-tastic flavors... bubblegum peach, watermelon cherry, and grape prism plus!

Yeah, totally worth it.

______