Cha'alt Session Report

 

I'm taking a little break from things starting tomorrow.  Between off-line and online stuff, I need to decompress and relax for awhile.  Sorcerers need mental health days, too!

Before that, let's talk about my recent session of Cha'alt on Roll20.  First, I invited my awesome subscribers on SubscribeStar to join.  If you'd like to support me at $5 a month, that would be cool.  You get the occasional freebie, too.

Second, I blanketed the social media landscape with links to my game in search of players.  While I do have a small stable of devoted players who jump at the chance to play (when they're not busy), I enjoy reaching new players, teaching new blood...

The first session scheduled was canceled because of a work-related emergency.  The second was scheduled a day later.  I was mostly bummed because the original date was H.P. Lovecraft's birthday (August 20th), and I wanted to do something special, marking the occasion.

I was also upset that a few people didn't see my cancelation announcement and were waiting for me.  Luckily, I thought, a couple of those folks re-joined for the raincheck session.  However, what I discovered might literally blow your mind!

Lol.  Anyway, those same people weren't there to play.  One guy was posting links to some OTHER game being held on guilded for some fucked up reason (I was even 5 minutes early).  And the same guy poaching my players wanted to play in my game, too, but as a "NSFW frat-boy".  All this was sounding eerily familiar as another legit player told me that he also remembered that dude and wanted to have gay sex with another PC that was supposed to be his brother, and also some kind of dog fetish or some crazy shit like that.

So, down to only two legit players, I booted that troublemaker and we proceeded as usual.  I cued up some dark ambient music on YouTube, gazed upon the Kort'thalis meta-sigil that's a portal to Cha'alt, in order to actively engage the PSYCHOCOSM, and we were off!

We started with giant scorpions surrounding an elf who'd already been stung multiple times and was about to die.  He was holding a silver key, bequeathing it to the PCs before collapsing.  Both PCs got stung by a scorpion as each flubbed his roll to grab the silver key without harm.

Eventually, the golden gates of A'agrybah opened.  Sausage, a halfling thief who got his name by beating a man to death with bratwurst, and Fujiwara, an overly-trusting human warrior entered the city in search of adventure.

A festival was taking place, so the PCs made a bee-line to the center of it, talking to folks, looking around, and picking pockets as they went.  Fujiwara gorged himself on BBQ centipede and mango-curry bug bars as Sausage looked for a priest to heal him from that scorpion sting.

I can't reveal too much, but the city's priests and reclusive astrologers got into a brawl that soon turned into a riot.  Tentacles every which way as far as the eye could see!

If you want the whole story, you'll have to actually play.  In a fortnight, when I get all these Kickstarter reward books out to backers, I'll resume weekly, 90-minute, virtual, Cha'alt sessions on Roll20.  Only an hour and a half?  I know, I know, my life rarely allows 4-hour games.  Think of it as a tightly-paced movie!

See you in a bit,

VS

p.s. When I return to the internet, I hope to discover a few Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows reviews!  You've had the PDFs for months and some of you already have the hardcover.  Now's the time, hoss.  

Game Hole Con 2022

 

I'll be running games at Game Hole Con this October!

Their covid policy is more lenient this time around - especially compared to Gary Con [info here].  That reason, the location, and focus on old-school tabletop RPGs are what drew me back.  

Last year was fun, but the masks were not ideal.  My blog posts about last year's GHC can be found here.

The 4 Cha'alt sessions I submitted were just approved.  I decided to do all Cha'alt for a couple different reasons.  First, it's just easier for me to run.  It's what I've been focusing on for the last 4 years, and it's open-ended enough to allow pretty much anything.  I can incorporate everything from snake-men sorcerers to dimension-hopping Rick and Morty to tentacled Kool-Aid man.  

I can literally start the game anywhere in the eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting, roll on a few tables, drop in a weird dungeon, monster, or plot-hook, and keep the game going based on PC action (or inaction).

Cha'alt, in conjunction with any rules-light OSR system, such as Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 (still free, still awesome) is perfect for noobs, conventions, one-shots, and games on the go.

If you want to play in one of my GHC games, I've got one on Friday, two on Saturday, and one on Sunday.  Hope you can make it, hoss!

Yes, I'll have a few books of the Cha'alt trilogy at the convention.  So, if you want to buy one, or just chat, feel free to say, "Hey, Venger!"

VS

p.s. About 5 more weeks before I launch the new Encounter Critical III Kickstarter campaign.  In the meantime, you can support me on SubscribeStar.

Why VENGER CON is better than GenCon

 

I made a video about it, but here's the entire exchange if you'd prefer to read it yourself... 

Hello,

Woke is a compliment not a disparagement. Since I am type 2 diabetic, I can only attend conventions that wear masks and people get vaccinations.

Wow, a lot to unpack here! Where to begin?

Assuming this isn't a joke/troll, here goes...

1) Woke has a whole range of meaning besides mask + vax. It's radical-leftism and the political weaponization of consideration for others. For me, woke is a disparagement because I'm against cultural fads that have appeared in the last 5 minutes of human civilization (men and women being interchangeable), rather than objective facts that have been proven true over thousands of years.

2) The CDC's latest guidelines, and the country's own anecdotal analysis, has determined that both masks and vaccinations are more or less ineffective when it comes to covid-19.

3) With type 2 diabetes, your best defense is going to be diet and exercise. One way or another, you're going to get covid. I'd be very much surprised if you haven't had it already. And if you have, then chances are good (99.8%) that you won't need to be hospitalized or die from it.

4) The first VENGER CON from a couple weeks ago had an outbreak/spread of zero covid (and monkeypox), unlike GENCON. Yes, I know GENCON has several orders of magnitude greater attendance than my little convention, but it goes to show that 27 people in close proximity for an entire weekend without masks and questionable vaccination/booster status posed LESS risk of getting or spreading covid than a convention that pride's itself on masks, vaccinations, boosters, etc.

5) Besides standing out like a sore thumb, diminished vocalizations, and not being able to emote with your face, you can wear a mask at VENGER CON. I'm not going to rip the mask off your face. You can also vaccinate and booster yourself up the wazzo, but I'm not going to be the vax, booster, mask police for those who aren't interested.

Have a good weekend,

VS

_______________

p.s. The fact that Dragon's Foot forum locked the VENGER CON II thread because it "leans into politics" is both hilarious and pathetically distressing for those who love old-school, OSR, and traditional RPGs.  Your hobby is being stripped of its awesomeness right before your eyes, hoss.  Wake up!

Gary Con vs VENGER CON

 

Well, it's a good thing there's VENGER CON because Gary Con isn't working out... at least for me.

As you might have seen on Gary Con's website or Tenkar's video, Gary Con requires whatever the CDC "recommends" as "up to date" on your subscription model covid-19 vaccine series of boosters.  

For now, that means the original vaccine and 2 booster shots.  That's today.  Gary Con is in March of next year.  I have no doubt, that's going to jump to at least 3 booster shots by then.

Obviously, you can do what you want.  Your body, your choice (luckily, there's no pesky human baby getting murdered).  I'm not going to take the chance after seeing stuff like this or this.

VENGER CON doesn't care what your vaxx/booster status is, and won't ever make you wear a mask.

I missed Gary Con last year because of their mask mandate.  And I was told by a number of people that I should have gone because it wasn't strictly enforced.  Well, I'm not going to take that chance... plus, there's the principle of the thing.  

So, Gary Con is out for me... again.  But thankfully, VENGER CON II: Electric Boogaloo will happen again next July in Madison, WI.  Check it out!

I have one of Kort'thalis Publishing's house-artists working on updated banners.  That should be done by the end of next week.  The current one has a cool design (that will influence the final version) but yeah...

So, I'm again capping the convention at 100.  26 attendees last VENGER CON was great.  If I can double that number, I'll be happy.  But reaching 90 or so would be great, as well, and then maybe I can fly Pundit out to game with us!

That's it for now... if you have questions or comments, go right ahead.

Also, Noble Knight Games is selling my books for jacked-up prices.  I made a video about it.  If you want one or more Cha'alt books, I sell them direct.  Email me for questions, prices, and ordering details: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

VS