Pulp-Drenched Cities of Cha'alt

 

I've got a new Kickstarter focused on city-based adventuring.  

It's called Pulp-Drenched Cities of Cha'alt.  The name is a reference to the Cha'alt campaign intro I recited before every session, starting earlier this year... the legend is true.  It is the prophecy!

I really want to run more "urban" adventures next year.  Even the tunnel and cave scenarios could have more of a realistic, immersive feel, like actual people live down there.  This should open up new lore, monsters, treasure, NPCs, factions, etc.

Here's a link to the crowdfunding campaign.  Phenomenal artwork by Yannick Bouchard, don't you think?

Hopefully, you'll support my latest endeavor and continue to journey with me towards the promised land.  Cha'alt!

Thanks for checking out the KS, hoss.

VS

p.s.  Yes, weekend badges are now available for July 2026's VENGER CON V: The Will To Power.  Want a great new TTRPG community where you can hang out with other gamers, get ideas, advice, and training in order to improve?  Look no further than the fastest-growing group on X - it's the Kult of Kort'thalis. 

Beneath Kra'adumek

TL;DR: There's something awesome waiting for you at the end of this post.  Ok, cue the violins...

The Cha'alt kickstarter was doing pretty well up until about 4 days ago. It's seriously stalled.  Though, I'm hopeful for a big push here at the end!

Besides wanting to see the campaign world, megadungeon, etc. manifest in the world, I have a looming shadow of a reason for wanting the KS to fund.

I'm sure my wife isn't going to let me take another pass at Cha'alt... and this failure may convince her that my niche within a niche hobby-business isn't worth the time, energy, aggravation, etc.  She's been making that argument for awhile now.

I'll always continue to roleplay and perhaps Zoltar Khan Delgado won't fade away, either.  But the Venger you know and love will most likely no longer exist.  Sad, I know.  So, let's, you know, not let that shit happen.  Ok?  Cool, cool, cool.

In the midst of this polar vortex (yep, that's going to be incorporated somewhere along the way), I'm doing what I can to try and promote Cha'alt.  But it's not easy when I'm at home with 5 kids all day (schools shut down + weekends).

Anyway, Glynn came up with an idea for raising awareness and generating interest in the kickstarter - release the one-shot scenario Beneath Kra'adumek into the wild.  This gives everyone a taste of what Cha'alt will be like.

As it happens, DriveThruRPG is down for routine maintenance.  Great timing, guys!  So, here are the files...

Color version

Black & White version

Map (numbered)

Map (unnumbered - player friendly)

Well, that's it.  Please consider backing the Cha'alt kickstarter which only has a few days left to go!

Sincerely,

VS

p.s. I was going to upload Beneath Kra'adumek onto DriveThru in order to reach more people, but I keep getting an error.  So, that's awesome!  Will try again later today.

Under Pressure

I was re-reading my unbelievably fantastic interview at the Age of Dusk blog (really, it's so scrumptious that some cultures would probably view it as high-art erotica) while also enjoying the commentary below - then something struck me...

What are the reasons for story-gaming over traditional roleplaying? 

1. Lack of imagination - People just can't come up with anything creative because they don't have the imagination.  Hey, not everybody's wired that way.  But then why would they gravitate to RPGs at all?  So, I don't think it's lack of imagination.
2. Pressure to perform - You're expected to come up with something good on-the-spot.  Roleplaying is a performance art.  And I'm not just talking about getting your character's voice right, but tactics, strategy, logistics, persuasion, and all the little details that go into playing an RPG.  We live in an age when the fear of failure is greater than the ambition to succeed.  There are no winners or losers, just the possibility of more PC pseudo-angst.  Here's your participation award.
3. Laziness - Continually thinking of genre, character, and story appropriate things is difficult.  Wouldn't it just be easier if the rules or some play-book did the work for you?  Sure, it would.  But there goes one of the best parts of roleplaying - creating something tremendous from the humble micro-tools you start with, like profession, ability scores, name, equipment, personality, etc.  This will help without doing all the work for you!
4. Bad GMs - Sure, there are a lot of piss-poor Game Masters out there.  Sad, but true.  Some GMs are sadistic bastards or failed novelists or egotistical attention hogs.  A few RPG designers try to actively counteract bad GMing by coming up with rules that strip GMs of their power and players their opportunity.
5. Ignorance - If story-games are all you know, then maybe you're not aware of traditional RPGs.  Perhaps you've never experienced the creative freedom that comes from having a character in a fairly open, lawless sandbox without training wheels, railroad tracks, or "special moves" that hold your hand all the way to the finish line.  I'm talking about RPG sessions where virtually anything is possible!

If I had to pick just one of the five, I'd probably blame story-games on the pressure to perform.  Almost everyone gets some form of performance anxiety (even if it's extraordinarily mild or productive eustress that catapults you to new heights).  

Even though I routinely GM like a fucking boss, I still get nervous occasionally.  But I don't let nerves or anxiety stop me from enjoying an awesome game with both friends and strangers.  I simply do my best, knowing full well that every so often I will fail.  The failure doesn't bother me as much as not living up to my potential.  

Hope you got something out of this... oh yeah and Cha'alt has about 16 days left to fund! Those hardcovers are going fast.  Don't miss out!!!  ;)

VS

Cha'alt Kickstarter Struggling

In case you can't watch the video, here's a brief summary (actually, just read it.  I expanded upon some things)...

Yeah, things could be going better.  That's ok.  I'm still plugging away, and so are a few of my fanatical supporters who want to see Venger Satanis and Cha'alt succeed!

I don't make safe, normal, pedestrian, commercial D&D (or any RPG content).  Nor am I trying to out-shock anyone with super edgy, controversial on-purpose stuff. If you think a little T&A on the cover is over-the-top, then I can't help you.  My writing occasionally comes across as weird or uncomfortable because I'm just being me.  Sure, I keep the audience in mind, but at the end of the day, I'm creating content for myself. 

Check out Prince of Nothing's blog post.  It's insightful.  Plus, there was a really nice comment at the end that I want to quote, "Venger Satanis does crazy stuff and when people complain, he doesn't apologize... he fights."

That will stick with me, no matter what.  That is what's important.  Even if Cha'alt is stillborn, I have a feeling it'll live on... Maybe it'll be one of those time-capsule near-misses of history like Jodorowsky's Dune.  Almost got made; unfortunately, the stars just weren't right.  But man, that would have been fucking awesome!

Obviously, I don't have a huge fan-base.  The only crowd I cater to is the one that loves raw, fun, authentic gaming.  Nevertheless, it would be cool to have help getting the word out about Cha'alt - only 19 days before the KS is over!  We have a loooong ways to go.

Thanks,

VS

p.s. Almost finished with maps 2 and 3.  Will blog about that tomorrow.