OBS Publisher Content Guidelines

 

Not sure why they're called "guidelines".  Edicts might be more appropriate...

I put out a little video, basically asking people to watch videos that are much, much better than mine.  Do I think OBS will reverse their position?  It's possible.  Some companies have the vision, flexibility, and strength to pivot... others do not.  

We're in the midst of another pendulum swing.  As I predicted, many things are changing back to normal (or going even further to the right, in order to find balance).  The left didn't see it coming, did they?  How do people not know this?  Oh right, America's stellar education system.  Why study history when we could learn about critical gender basket weaving?

If you've studied revolutions, you'll see what I saw a few years ago.  Radical movements pull the culture in startling new directions very quickly.  But such radicalism soon evaporates and society inevitably goes back to the ways things were.  

In most cases, I think it's a good idea to separate the art from the artist.  And that's what I've been trying to do with DTRPG.  Instead of blaming the staff and their protocols, I was focusing my scathing critiques upon the platform's customers who literally hate me, my work, and everything I stand for.

Well, I sleep well at night knowing I'm doing the Lord's work... whether that's the Judeo-Christian God, Satan, or Cthulhu, that's anyone's guess (all three?).  Case in point with this ostensibly "pro-choice" WAPO article about a young woman in Texas with twins.

Did The Good Syma'arian do that?  Did my little freebie PDF save those babies?  No, but artists, like myself, shape our society and, as they say, politics is downstream of culture.  What we do now has the potential to affect all our lives tomorrow.

If you want my anti-abortion themed Cha'alt scenario, The Good Syma'arian, just send me your DTRPG email address.  If you want my "alternative pride" Cha'alt adventure, Rainbow Crystal Utopia, you have to paypal me $3 also with your DTRPG address (please, use friends and family so I avoid the 50-cent fee)... Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

And, of course, there's been a lot of criticism directed my way.  My character, reputation, and ability to conduct business have all been affected by what's transpired.  This guy in particular reminds me of Cypher from The Matrix.  I guess that would make me Morpheus.  Now, all we have to do is find... the one.

Rumors of competition abound.  I've heard from several people behind the scenes that something new is on the horizon.  And that should be very interesting, and lucrative for those positioned well.  

Speaking of opportunities, I've just been approved over at SubscribeStar.  Here is my profile.  I intend to create one short PDF, run a virtual session, and offer a third bit of Vengerized content each month.  It's only $5 a month if you want to join, and help fund my degeneracy; in addition to making it harder to cancel me.

VENGER CON is only a few weeks away!  Tickets are still available, so if you want to play with the greatest living Game Master in Cha'alt, the most dangerous campaign setting, don't delay.

Enjoy,

VS

p.s. After making this blog post, I realized there's another great video by The Basic Expert that should be seen by all.

Authentic vs Epic

So, I tweeted out a poll last night.  If you were DMing, would you rather go for authentic or epic?

Several people responded "both" or asked what the difference was or just needed clarification.  My reply required more than Twitter's character limit could give me.

When I say "authentic" I mean a few things...

1) Realism:  Yes, it's hard to talk about realism when we're dealing with sorcerers and dragons.  Verisimilitude is probably closer to the mark.  What would a genuine romp through the campaign setting look like?  Sleeping on the ground, cooking beans and sausages in the fire, or the Disney version where sleeping arrangements aren't even considered because everyone's rushing from starship chase to disarming the nuclear fireball to dueling with the PCs' arch-nemesis.

2) The mundane stuff:  Doesn't have to be all grim and gritty and covered in filth, but it shouldn't be super glamorous.  The lived-in universe of Star Wars IV where Luke has to scrape off the carbon scoring by hand.  That's not epic.  Nor is cleaning bedpans, but someone's got to do it.  Should the PCs?  Well, not for the entire scenario, obviously.  However, would it kill them to start their adventuring life mopping the tavern floor or chasing after poop-covered chickens?

3) Things just happen:  Not much attention is paid to the beginning, middle, and end.  No inciting incident, rising action, or climax.  As you get deeper, things may get increasingly hairy, but that's just logical progression, not anything to do with a story arc.

When I'm talking about epic, I mean things that are larger than life and grandiose.  Since I'm already on a Star Wars kick, the sequel trilogy (episodes VII - IX) would be epic.  Humble beginnings quickly lead to whooping ass and taking names right in the middle of a galactic drama between good and evil (or what passes for such things).

If this were an epic D&D session, even meeting in a tavern would launch straight into a quest to save the kingdom or at least a princess.  In contrast, an authentic session where PCs also meet in a tavern might escalate into a barroom brawl before overhearing that an entrance to the mythic underworld has just been found just outside town.

Epic goes for adventure with a capital A.  Authentic reminds you that even if you score a decent haul of treasure, there's still a chance for catching a splinter while you're polishing the blacksmith's anvil, listening to the village idiot drone on about his imaginary cat.

And yes, there's a connection between authentic vs. epic and sandbox vs. pre-plotted linear adventure.  The former moves along at it's own pace, organically... usually haphazard and occasionally awkward.  The latter is sleek and stylish with thrills and chills at regular intervals, but let's face it, those adventures also feel kind of staged, plastic... artificial, even.

So, the big question!  Are these mutually exclusive or can epic and authentic go together like chocolate and peanut butter?  I'd say, yes, it's possible to do both.  And yet, exceedingly rare is the Game Master who can consistently pull off authentic and epic in the same session.  Campaigns are easier to manage authentic and epic because different adventures can provide for tonal shifts.  Even the farm boy from Tatooine can blow up a Death Star after 10 sessions of hard work.

In the end, I, too, prefer both.  However, if I had to set my sights on just one... it would be authentic because that gets you closer to immersion, which is the prime factor of roleplaying games.

VS

p.s. Want the Cha'alt hardcover?  Due to high demand, I've decided to extend the special January deal until Valentine's Day... while supplies last!

The Sound They Make

I frequently go back to the OSR well of wisdom that is Grognardia.  Sure, there are posts about stuff that means nothing to me and a few posts where I very much disagree with +James Maliszewski (to be expected as individuals and individualists vary), but more often than not I'm rewarded with a look back at vintage OSR.

In this blog post, I wanted to highlight a Grognardia blog post from October 30th, 2012 that I just discovered.  About halfway down, James describes an account from someone who attended Games Fair '83...

It's also reported that Gygax "horrified a few of the purists with one remark," namely that "a good referee only rolls the dice for the sound they make. He just decides what happens!" While that comment might have been surprising in 1983, it's pretty well known nowadays that Gary had a lot more of the "storytelling" style as a referee than many old schoolers would themselves countenance in their own games.

If you'll remember my fairly recent post about rule zero, Gygax's statement is about as zero-ish as it gets.  His advice does not hail from the halls of traditional play-styles nor story-gaming, in my view.  It is old school itself - that indefinable quality of roleplaying that's as primordial as it is inspirational, where the game runs on pure imagination and flows of its own accord, influenced by the player-characters and directed by the Game Master.

Dice are awesome and they have many uses - no one is disputing that.  However, it is the GM who ultimately makes the call, navigating the current, and slyly exercising his will.  As with dice rolled, players should have their input, too - just not at the expense of the singular presence in charge of the game.

While many still disagree, I believe the evidence suggests what master Game Masters have known all along - trust your instincts; don't be badgered into making an "authorized" ruling.  You are the rule of law!  To put it another way, use the force...

After all, 40 years ago today the original Star Wars debuted in theaters across the country.  Happy Birthday Episode IV: A New Hope, and many happy returns!

VS

p.s.  I ran a quick one-shot of Alpha Blue today and will try to get a play report up in a day or two.

Guarding Galaxy XXX

Mmm mm - look at that sexy cover for Guarding Galaxy XXX!

Remember this?  Seems like only yesterday.  Consider the updated PDF a "volume 2" to what I erringly called Guardians of Galaxy XXX.

Guarding Galaxy XXX is better because this time I won't be locked in a Disney jail cell underneath Space Mountain.  So, buy it... wait, this thing is free.  Free, you say?  What the fuck?!?  And after I paid all that money for artwork... my wife is going to kill me.

Anyway, take a chance on this raunchy scifi adventure for Alpha Blue, though easily adaptable to the RPG system of your choice.

If you've never tried sleazy, 70's scifi that's about as funny as a thermal detonator to the balls (hang about, that doesn't sound funny at all!) this will give you an idea of what it's about.

VS

p.s.  I'd like to take a moment to thank Steve Wieck for his assistance in getting this better and less incarceration-y version of the PDF back onto DriveThruRPG.  If I was too harsh on One Book Shelf and/or Steve Wieck, let this post-script build space bridges and mend star fences.  I appreciate everyone's understanding and professionalism.

The Girl Who Would Be Assassinated

Last Saturday, I was running Alpha Blue at the OddCon convention in Madison, WI.  We had a backroom suite all to ourselves, free from noise and distraction - it was a fantastic experience and one I hope to see over and over again.

A few people did wander into our area, wondering what we were playing.  Invariably, I'd say "Alpha Blue".  They'd respond with, "Never heard of it."  Then I'd reply, "That's because I wrote it.  It's a sci-fi RPG mixed with 70's porn."  Mixed reactions, as expected.

One time I mentioned Ice Pirates, but the young dude hadn't heard of that.  Ice Pirates meets Flash Gordon might be a better description, if one were to dial down the sleaze.

As usual, I had a few ideas in my back pocket.  But mostly, I let character creation, player wanderlust, and luck decide how the scenario was going to go.  Luckily, Alpha Blue and Girls Gone Rogue are filled to the brim with all manner of random tables.

I've said this before, but it bears repeating - GMs should listen to what their players say when not actively playing the game, out of character and usually leading up to the adventure proper.  An attentive GM will pick up all manner of clues: what players want to do with their characters, who they want to talk to, where they want to go, what they want to kill, what's special about their character's backstory, why they need the money, etc.  Because we're all sitting, verbal cues are much more important than body language.  Just by listening to the tone in a player's voice, you can usually tell what's resonating with him.

For instance, the players were interested in things to buy.  +sean mcconkey, who's played Alpha Blue almost as much as I've run it, was talking about various purchasable goods when an idea hit.  Clones!  For a thousand credits, you could buy a clone.  Of course!

That made so much sense to me regarding available technology, avoiding unnecessary PC death, providing money pits for PCs to spend their hard earned credits on, and various shenanigans that can occur during the cloning process, etc.

Plus, what about the ins and outs of obtaining a clone of someone else?  Can one buy the rights (or steal the DNA) to clone the space girl next door?  What about a hardened super-criminal?  Or quantum physics genius?  Is that slavery?  What if you inserted some or all of your consciousness/will into the "not you" clone?  Mmm... possibilities.

So, what are these clones like?  As I envision it, a clone is an identical copy that could be held in reserve as backup or activated immediately - instant twin!  Want more than one clone?  Sure, it's 1,000 credits per clone... you can buy as many as you can afford.  My advice: definitely make that an option in our Alpha Blue game!

Getting back to the character creation process, one of the players was really excited about his space priest / assassin career opportunities and rolled on the debt owed tables in order to purchase his own starship.  He mentioned how "up for anything" he was if and when his creditors asked.

Boom!  That became the hook.  Within minutes of play, that PC received a transmission from the bounty hunters who lent him the credits to buy Tiny Dancer.  On they went to New Alderaan 2.  We all know that something bad happened to the original Alderaan, but apparently both New Alderaan and Alderaan 2 also took turns for the worse.

With my Samsung Galaxy 4, I found a picture of the target, Loganna.  Since New Alderaan 2 was home to domed cities full of beautiful androids draped in brightly colored, see-through fabrics, everyone at the table took a gander at the girl who would be assassinated.

Of course, that wasn't set in stone.  The PC who owed the debt didn't have to track her down and kill her - in fact, I was hoping the party would take an alternative route - but I've found that old habits die hard.  Longtime gamers who've assassinated hundreds of individuals in-game probably don't even question their orders anymore.  If their mission is to take someone out, they take them out... no matter how hot they are!

I've never encountered so many male players choosing to play female characters as when I'm running this RPG.  I like to think that Alpha Blue helps re-program gamers.  Another example is the technician / pirate PC (left my notes at home and have to do all this from memory and I'm terrible with names) who was alone on the ship with several space prostitutes.  As the Space Dungeon Master, I practically had to rip off his clothes (in-game) and grind her vagina on him before he got the hint.  As gamers, we've been so used to avoiding casual and serious, emotional and sexual relationships, attachments, and drama that it seems weird to intentionally involve ourselves in such moments, to embrace them rather than acknowledge them briefly before getting to "the real adventure": breaking in, slaying, and looting.

Another observation I had was a player who kept gambling.  His character was a gambler with an edge (he was invisible, except for clothing, items carried, etc.) and that's pretty much what he did throughout the game, except when forced into combat or situations between card games.  That seemed strange to me, but I went with it.  He actually made several hundred credits, though it didn't seem very exciting, heroic, villainous, adventurous, or sleazy.  To each his own.

Speaking of sleazy, after the assassination and leisure center shoot-out with a competing bounty hunter crew, Sean's pimp character had his girls work the session's concluding party back at the space station brothel we all know and love.  He rolled the best of anyone that game - 3d6, all sixes!  So, I let him re-roll for exploding dice because it was a situation of making money on his star whores.  All told, the party's pimp made 3,300 blue bucks in about two hours.  Who said pimpin' wasn't easy?

One last thing, in an effort to remind players that once per session they could double their dice pools, as well as, creating some additional visual aid, I brought a blue glow stick to the game.  The object was to double a PC's dice pool and then pass the glow stick to someone else who could use it and then he would pass it again.  That actually led to a couple of minor problems.  The passing back and forth was distracting while allowing it to be passed back and forth continually gave everyone 3 or 4 double-ups during the session.

Next time, I'll probably just splurge on a 10-pack of blue glow sticks for about $5.  Then everyone will have one and once they've used it, they can hand it back to me and it's done.

Everyone had a good time, were impressed with the maps, laughed at the tables, got to feel a little dirty, and I can't wait for next time!

VS

Alpha Blue on the "White List"

I have the distinct pleasure of announcing that One Book Shelf (DriveThruRPG, RPGnow, and a bunch of others) deemed Alpha Blue not quite offensive enough to ban from their virtual shelves.

During a lengthy conversation with Steve Wieck, he shared the concerns that some people had with my sleazy, vintage sci-fi RPG.  We both came to the same conclusion - Alpha Blue may be culturally insensitive at times and offensive to a few outspoken individuals, but it doesn't deserve to be blacklisted.

Long story short - Alpha Blue is back, baby!

I've just included a warning before its listing and that of Girls Gone Rogue, the one and only supplement for Alpha Blue.  Best of all, they're both on sale (for a limited time)... PDFs and softcovers!!!

Before I forget, reviews!  Erik from Tenkar's Tavern posted this and James Desborough blogged that.

Thanks to all those who supported me throughout this ordeal.  Glad you have my back.

VS

Fast Times at Alpha Blue

There was a time when sexuality and science fiction went hand in hand. A time when sci-fi masters like Robert A. Heinlein wrote about a future where nudity was in and chastity was out. Over the years, the genre has been neutered. Gone are the three-nippled alien hookers and in their place is a lot of techno-babble.  ~  
Giant Freakin Robot

Standing proudly with hands on hips, Shumachs Plib surveyed his new captain's chair upon his new starship while gazing upon the stars beyond, his validation boner displayed prominently...

Wait a minute, I skipped a whole bunch.  Let me back up several hundred parsecs.

I've lost count how many times I've run Alpha Blue.  Each one is not only a learning experience and a madcap free-for-all, it's also a testament to overcoming any sort of anxiety, guilt, shame, or embarrassment.  I'll admit, the first couple times I ran my 70's sci-fi porn RPG, I was a wee bit nervous.  Indeed, there was a modicum of insecurity mixed in with the excitement.  However, playing it proved those fears unfounded.  It was a glorious release.

But then, after the first few times I wondered if the game was doomed to reside amongst the one-shot novelty set.  Would anyone (including myself) want to play Alpha Blue more than once?  Twice?

Unless something came up, Nix has played in every single Alpha Blue game.  Steve nearly that.  This was Justin's second game and the first for Harold and Jeff.  I'd be lying if there weren't a couple people that flat-out told me Alpha Blue was not the game for them.  Hey, I don't blame them and appreciate their honesty.  But that's not a reason for the rest of us to stop.  After all, I have no interest in playing Pathfinder, though I don't care if others do.

Anyway, getting back to this session report... 5 players.

Zaparon, human psion who has his own ship, wears a silver uniform with blue trim, and is bi-sexual, into abs and butts.

Epson is a cerulean blue robot, he's friendly and a masochist into cheerleaders and hair.  He used to be a fax machine, but re-purposed to be a medic.  He still receives faxes on occasion, reading them and throwing them away (unless it's something important).

Ha'chth is an alien who looks nearly human except for his dark amethyst skin tone.  His uniform is tan suede and he's also a medic... and a zedi who plies The Way throughout the galaxy.  He also had a thing for cheerleaders.

Cassidy Vivrath'zha is half-human and half Lovecraftian monstrosity.  He's also both sexes.  His human parts are female (and freckled).  He owes a considerable amount of money to both a bounty hunter and a gangster.

Shumachs Plib is a human interior designer who left his colony because when everyone is starving, interior design isn't the first thing on people's minds.  Shu has latent psionic powers but pretends at being a fierce bounty hunter... with the emphasis on fierce.

There was no pilot in their crew, so they'd have to rely on autopilot exclusively.  I don't remember who, but someone asked if it was possible to have sex with the ship's autopilot program.  I answered yes, even though at the time I had absolutely no idea how that would work.

I won't go too deep into the scenario's heart, except to say that the spacers were hired by a man whose daughter, Vanessa, (in her early 20's) was taken from Alpha Blue.  To better connect, visualize, and identify with their mission, I provided a picture of Rose Byrne as a blonde cheerleader.  Yowza!

The scenario became an investigation.  Many leads were explored.  Eventually, it led the PCs to Club Wet Star where they squared off against a vicious space warlord named Faygos (combining Dragos from Jason of Star Command with the less-than-popular beverage brand Faygo).

Along the way, exotic cocktails were ordered, such as the exploding star lemon-lime space gin surprise.

The Tiny Dancer infiltrator starship cleverly avoided a ship-to-ship battle with the Sunfish thanks to Epson's mechanical interface.  Tiny Dancer docked while the Sunfish's computer dealt with Epson's virus distraction.

The PCs boarded and shot up nearly all the male crew.  The two females were unharmed.  The first was working out in the gym.  Ha'chth was immediately attracted to her and started working his extra-terrestrial mojo.  The juicy details: a year ago, she participated in a 500-humanoid gangbang, Ha'chth and her did it standing up, and his "O" face is best described as "hurts so good".  He got to add a d4 worth of temporary Health to his total.

The other female was an alien cat-girl.  Strangely, everyone left her alone and she retained her position as ship's weapons specialist.

They walked into Club Wet Star and immediately headed for the main stage where strippers were pole dancing.  It wasn't long before Shu sensed Vanessa's presence.  They made a B-line for the jacuzzi/bedroom area of the club and Ha'chth forced Wet Star's madame to show him where Vanessa was being kept.

The dark amethyst alien couldn't keep it in his pants and before rescuing her there was consensual anal sex.  More temporary Health!  How did Ha'chth get so much tail?  It's good to be a zedi.  ;)

Faygos' thugs attacked everyone who wasn't purple balls deep in Vanessa.  After a few scrapes, the PCs dispatched the thugs.  Ha'chth and his latest conquest joined the others and they all made for the door.  Unfortunately, Faygos was waiting for them!

The space warlord was accompanied by 4 more thugs.  This was a pitched battle.  Both sides took substantial hits.  At last, it was only the PCs vs. Faygos.  He brought out a strange device that lowered the gravity considerably - allowing me to use my sparkly blue and pink circle of slick.  Dice rolled off the circle frequently.  The robot rolled a critical failure - I think it was Jeff that suggested a fax came in just as Epson was firing - he did minor damage to one of his comrades.  Faygos did some serious damage, forcing one of the medics to stop attacking and heal while a couple of the PCs took random bodies as meat shields.

Faygos was eventually killed.  The crew flew both Tiny Dancer and Sunfish back to Alpha Blue, selling their original, smaller ship to pay off one of Cassidy's loans.  The rest of the money was spent on fitting a hot tub in the Sunfish and a huge celebratory blow-out.  It was quite the party.

There, ensconced in corinthian leather stood Shumachs Plib.  Once an interior designer and wannabe bounty hunter who didn't know exactly how to shoot his vortex equalizer... now, he was captain of an impressive military vessel - that had its own transparent aluminum hot tub.  Everyone could see his validation boner, but no one cared.  They had their own primitive urges to concern them.  And the most pressing of queries... is there such a thing as a mermaid cheerleader?

The above only touches on the many adventures and random tables coming soon in Girls Gone Rogue.

There's still a week left to back the Kickstarter.  The maps are FREE.  Anyone can use them for non-commercial uses.  Because I'm confident we'll reach the next stretch goal, I had Glynn Seal of +MonkeyBlood Design design the Chihuahua class starship, Tiny Dancer, for use in today's game.  That dropbox link will be released when the KS reaches $3,500.  So close!

Thanks for reading.  Please share this experiment in sci-fi and sleaze with others!

VS

Did I ever tell you my favorite color is blue?

[The ideas contained within this missive are NSFW]

That's a line by Sutter Cane from the movie In the Mouth of Madness.  But I think it's also appropriate for today's blog post, given that "blue" has another connotation [showing or mentioning sexual activity in a way that offends many people].  Wow, doesn't get any more fucking apt than that, does it?  Haha.

So, rather than focusing on horror, I'd like to say a few words on another subject that occasionally scares us: sex.

Just as in everyday life, there are certain taboos about sex in RPGs.  I can understand why.  It's generally considered a private thing.  People want it in varying degrees, in certain forms and expressions.  The majority of us keep it behind closed doors.  From the outside, it may look like a shameful secret.  But it's not, well, not for most of us.

Thinking about it now, I'm reminded of the 80's sci-fi film Alien Nation.  There's a drug talked about and it happens to drive the plot.  Pretty sure it's blue in color - not a lot of pictures available.  I had to look up its name (apparently, the internet isn't sure how it's spelled, as I found 3 different versions on 3 different websites): ss'jabroka.

However, I clearly remember that it was a narcotic, extremely pleasurable and addictive, it made the "newcomers" stronger and able to work harder so that the more they worked, the more they received.  They were essentially slaves to this drug.  I don't know about anyone else, but I see a parallel.  Yes, obviously, the street drugs we're all familiar with but, less obvious, sex!

Incidentally, I'm reading Chris Offutt's memoir about his dad - My Father, The Pornographer - before I dive into John Cleve's Spaceways series of sci-fi literary porn (written by Andrew J. Offutt under one of his many pseudonyms).  To many, the man who wrote 400+ books, most of them considered porn, was obsessed with sex.  He was.  And I must be, too, cause that seems natural to me.  That seems "normal".  Not the normal I see everyday out in the world, external; but the kind of normal that seems "right" or "logical" or "good" in my mind; internal.

Putting out stuff like Alpha Blue and Girls Gone Rogue (11 days left for this Kickstarer campaign) seems right, logical, and good.  And I've received plenty of praise, which I'm flattered and grateful for.  It makes the criticism easier to take.  To be honest, it would feel weird if I wasn't taking flak from people.  Probably because I've always been a weirdo and outsider.  Getting negative feedback from a certain segment of the population is normal for me.  As are feelings of alienation - aha!  Alien Nation... alienation.  See what I did there?

This whole blog post is a bit stream-of-consciousness (my usual jam), so I'll keep on with it.  The other day I was thinking about my crazy decision to throw my/our RPG dirty laundry into the light of day, writing these books which some gamers probably regard as straight-up "porn".

A couple weeks back, I was in Disney World.  One particular night, I was in the hotel room, watching the kids and probably eating pizza, flipping through the TV channels until I landed on Back to the Future.  I hadn't seen that movie in over a decade.  So, I started watching.

Long story short, when Michael J. Fox is playing guitar for his parents' under-the-sea prom everything is going good.  Then he breaks into some rock and roll that's just different and wild enough to impress the audience.  Finally, he ends on a bizarre... solo or something weird that no one seems to understand and basically freaks everyone out.

I can relate to that.  This may be delusional, but I happen to think that injecting sex into RPGs (not that I'm the first person to think of or do such) is the future.  It's going to be part of mainstream geek culture going forward until, I hope, it merges with pop culture and we all start to see some serious movement on the tabletop RPG front.  Where, if you asked 10 random Americans in their 20's if they regularly played the kind of RPGs we're talking about, at least 3 or 4 would probably say, "Yes."

Sex might not be the reason for the future proliferation of RPGs in pop culture, but it won't hurt.  That deep, inner need (even if we're consciously rejecting it, shouting profanities at it, or just hoping particular urges stay locked in the closet) will find expression somehow.  Life, uh, finds a way - wow, I'm kind of overdoing it with the film quotes!

The vehicle could be anything.  Hopefully, I can continue to stand upon the shoulders of those Old Ones who came before and do my part.  A new age of roleplaying may be just around the corner.  Whatever I have to do to help usher it in, I'm going to do.  No matter how much I stick out because the world I've chosen to inhabit is blue... or full of tentacles and strippers.

Thanks for reading my sort of rant, sort of getting something off my chest.  I welcome discussion, if anyone wants to chat about it.

VS

p.s.  Yes, indeed!  Girls Gone Rogue.  Check out the video, stretch goals (Tiny Dancer coming soon), and reward tiers for backers.  Please share it on social media or wherever people are talking about RPGs!

p.p.s.  I'm totally borrowing ss'jabroka and putting it in GGR.

Going Rogue

Well, I'm back from mandatory Disney vacation.

Even though I'm getting over a cold, things are good and I've got so much awesomeness planned for Girls Gone Rogue that it's insane!  My latest creation - a random table for coming up with "banter" on the fly.

While in Florida, I sent myself 2 or 3 texts a day.  Those text messages contained notes for random tables, scenario seeds, and all kinds of stuff.

Last year, I took my oldest daughter to see Captain EO, a short science-fantasy film starring Michael Jackson, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and executive produced by George Lucas.  I got to see it when it came out way back in 1986 and then again in early 2015.  From that list of names, one might think that this film could very well be the most impressive thing ever.  It's not.  Interesting, kind of cool, and nostalgia-inducing... but not really over-the-top epic.

We were all going to go again, but discovered that Captain EO was gone.  In its place was a Pixar short film "festival".  After some digging, I found out that Captain EO was removed from Disney World's Epcot theme park back in 1996, but was brought back for a limited engagement after Michael Jackson's death.

What's going to happen to Captain EO now?  I'm not sure, but one of the many Disney employees shepherding us to and fro tried to reassure me that, "It's on YouTube."

Long story short, I'm going to throw some Captain EO stuff into my latest kickstarter campaign: Girls Gone Rogue.

Since we've hit our first and second stretch goals, to the right is a teaser of the new starship Glynn of +MonkeyBlood Design is creating.

Recently, I read a blog post featuring quickdraw / gunfighting rules.  I liked the idea, but didn't care for the execution, personally... just a matter of aesthetics.  Being a fan of spaghetti westerns, I'll be including some of that.

Plus, there have been so many excellent suggestions made over at the Crimson Dragon Slayer & Alpha Blue g+ community (please join!).  I'm going to modify and include as much as I can.

I suppose that's it for now.  I'll be posting more stuff soon...

VS

Girls Gone Rogue kickstarter

I'm out there.  I can't be bargained with.  I can't be reasoned with.  I don't feel pity, remorse, or fear.  And I absolutely will not stop, ever, until I am dead.

Yep, I'm back at it again.  Here is my latest Kickstarter project Girls Gone Rogue.  It's a companion volume to Alpha Blue, filled with tables galore and fleshed-out adventures!

If you enjoy sex comedies and vintage sci-fi from the 60's, 70's, and 80's, this is your lucky day.

BTW, I'll be on my family vacation for a little over a week, starting tomorrow morning.  So, don't expect to hear much from me until Monday, February 8th.

Until then, please help me spread the love.  Tell your friends about Alpha Blue and Girls Gone Rogue!

Thanks,

VS

Star Babe

I would probably have gone to my grave without knowing that something called Star Babe existed, if I hadn't published Alpha Blue.

What is it?  A super-cheap 1977 porno meant to cash in on Star Wars.  I haven't seen the entire thing, but what I did watch kind of made me misty eyed.  Just like The Satisfiers of Alpha Blue, I can see bits and pieces of Star Babe in Alpha Blue's genetic code.

Which goes back to the vocal minority wondering aloud, "Why would you make something like this, Venger?"  Well, there's a sweet spot between vintage sci-fi and sex that leads to certain avenues of gonzo, exploitation, comedy, so-bad-it's-great awesomeness that's difficult to describe to the uninitiated.

Suffice it to say, there's just some of us who want to know what it's like to drink weird smoking liquor with a blaster at our hip, making conversation with a hooker wearing silver hot pants when a bug-eyed alien starts busting up the place.

Here is a link to the "Mos Eisley cantina" scene set to other music (that's not in the film).  I could only find it on FB.

Below is the actual movie (most of it, at least) on youtube without any of the sex...

This is an excellent blog post I found, shedding a little light on what Star Babe is (or was).  Damn it, now I'm hungry for bearded space-clams!  Pity, it doesn't sound that awesome.  However, I will watch the porn parts later this week and see for myself.  You know, for research.

But let this be an educational moment.  Don't let your parody of space operas and sexy star babes disappoint players.  Go beyond the tawdry rip-off... into new galaxies of nostalgic sleaze!

VS

p.s.  Thanks to +Logan McCormack who alerted me to this lost jewel.

Price Point Backlash: The Cost of Awesome

If it had just been one or two isolated incidents, I wouldn't have written this post - but there were a small handful of outspoken gamers who seemed to be offended by the initial $14 PDF for Alpha Blue.

The straw that broke this particular camel's back was a guy named Tom L. who gave the book a 2 star rating and a sentence fragment bitching about the expense.  Scroll down this page if you'd like to admire Tom's work.

That seems strange to me for a variety of reasons... and here they are:

Both The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence and How to Game Master like a Fucking Boss were roughly around the same page count and both of them started at a higher price than $14 for the PDF.

1.  As you can see by the visual aid in the top right corner of this post, I had lunch at Paisan's today.  With tip (cause I'm not that much of an asshole), I paid a little over $14 for a sandwich and mountain dew (I also paid a dollar for parking in the ramp).  That seems normal to me.  Sure, I could have lunched for less, but I like nice mid-range places that aren't too low or high.  Is a full-sized RPG book (even an electronic one) not worth the price for lunch?  Maybe it depends on where one lives...


2.  Most gamers actually prefer PDF.  The sales bare that out (or is that "bear"?).  I'm not sure if the vast majority of PDF customers are aware, but if the print version costs more than $5 than the PDF, that's the publisher (not the print-on-demand manufacturer/distributor) punishing those who want their product in print.  They simply want more money.  I usually price my softcovers at $4 more than the PDF and that's only to cover the extra printing costs of DriveThruRPG and Amazon.

But back to my original point, the PDFs are more popular.  So, why would anyone ask how I can charge so much for "only a PDF".  It's not like the Alpha Blue PDF is written on virtual toilet paper.  It's the electronic version.  That has real value and, in some cases, it's what customers would rather have.


3.  I put in a lot of effort for that $14 PDF.  I estimate about 4 months and 100 hours with the combined total of artist and layout hours coming in at about half that amount.  That doesn't necessarily mean Alpha Blue is any good, but my creative sweat should count for something.


4.  If I had priced the book at $12, would that have prevented the backlash?  I don't know, probably.  If I could go back in time and price it at that, I would.  But if I now reduced the price by $2 after less than a week of the PDF's release, would the original buyers be pissed?  I have no idea.  I might, if it were me.  I'd love some feedback on that front.  Typically, I slightly reduce the price of my books after they've been "on the shelf" for 2 or 3 months.


5.  Alpha Blue is an 8.5" x 11" book, rather than the typical 6" x 9".  I think that makes a bit of difference.  The PDF is bookmarked (a Kort'thalis Publishing first!), and there are awesome maps and character sheets that Glynn Seal of +MonkeyBlood Design created.  Without buying the game, you can download them for FREE!!!


Hopefully, this doesn't come off as an angry rant or screed.  I'm genuinely curious to know if I missed something, am out of touch with the times, or have a valid point.  Perhaps the economy is worse off than I thought?

In any case, I'm extremely grateful for the original backers of this Kickstarter project, those who've already paid good money to acquire the PDF at DriveThruRPG, the ones waiting for a print version, and everyone who has supported me over the years.  Thanks, y'all!

VS

p.s.  I threw a little Alpha Blue bonus content up on Draconic Magazine yesterday.  Enjoy!

Alpha Blue session report (part 2 of 2)

Here is part 1 of my Alpha Blue playtest.  Full disclosure: my brain is half-fried from putting the finishing touches on the book.

Here's the subject for one of my favorite new tables created since Saturday's session:  Besides girls, drugs, and music... what's this party got going for it?


The Plot

I randomly rolled to see what the adventure would be.  Alpha Blue had stiff competition to see which was the best space brothel in the universe.  The PCs were hired by AB to ensure their victory.  If they won the contest, the space adventurers would make 25,000 blue bucks.

Everyone was on board with that.  I let the players know ahead of time that this adventure would be rather silly and sleazy, ridiculous and raunchy.  Mission accomplished.

Getting to Alpha Blue

The ship map that comes with the book is for Blue Flamingo.  It's supposed to be a designated Alpha Blue spaceship, but made sense to re-purpose it for the PCs' use.  There were two pilots and they co-owned the ship with borrowed money from an eccentric trillionaire who was going to break their kneecaps if they didn't make regular payments.

The following was a combination of rolling on tables and something else... Since it was my birthday last Wednesday, I got to watch an episode of Space: 1999 that I'd read about.  Supposedly, one of the scariest episodes of anything on television.  It was called Dragon's Domain, and while it didn't quite live up to the hype, I could see why that episode had such a reputation.  It was Lovecraftian and very enjoyable.

While I didn't approach the cosmic dread of Dragon's Domain, I still thought it was cool (more like a better than average episode of Blake's 7).  The PCs docked with a drifting cryo-ship that appeared on their ship's scanners and had their first encounter with an alien species and some tentacled horror.

Sugar D dealt the death blow with his ultra-glaive.  Ambassador General Starburst put the moves on some aquatic humanoid honey and convinced her to stay with him while the rest of the aquatic aliens continued their journey to a new planet.

Arrival

Master Humpty successfully negotiated a better exchange rate for the party at the Alpha Blue bank.

The first thing they saw was some guy in a gorilla costume being thrown out of an airlock by a security-bot.  They decided to save him and he led the party to... a party!

Imagine a futuristic disco nightclub in Vegas, abiding by frontier law.  That's pretty much what it was like.  Mastery Humpty caught some guy cheating at smuggler's quarry.  He and Taran, a human assassin technician, took his money and tossed him out of the space station.

Meanwhile, "Doc" encountered a hooker with some time to kill.  He declined, but I think everyone had fun watching him decline the offer.

The station's captain was met and they moved discussion to his quarters where so many plans were made.  Various schemes such as exhausting all the space-whores at other brothels, contracting really bad venereal diseases and then giving it to space-whores at other brothels, and messing with the food and beverage distribution channels of those competing brothels.  There were more.  Lots more!  But I'll stop there.


Interruption

Suddenly, the space station went to red alert because it drifted into some kind of alien radiation eating away at the hull.

Lead pilot Bloto took the Blue Flamingo and most of the PCs to a nearby asteroid that was at the center of the radiation.  There, they found alien technology and an unseen, malevolent presence.

Even though passing cards to a few players who rolled 1s with information about their possession didn't quite work the way I planned, the encounter was still pretty awesome.  Han Zulu, a reptilian dog-sized pilot, and Mrvlka'l, a cat-sized pirate that could camouflage itself so well that no one really knew what he looked like (but most assumed he sort of resembled a cat), got blasted for a lot of damage.

In the end, they defeated the alien consciousness and flew back to AB.  Almost forgot - its defeat wouldn't have been possible without the strangest member of the team.  Ace Rimmer was a thought-form existing only in the minds of those he interacted with.  Since he was also an unseen presence, he was able to weaken the alien force enough for others to destroy it.

Long story short, their plans had gone well.  Alpha Blue won the best brothel in the universe competition and they split the money.

There's a lot of stuff I left out.  Sorry if someone's favorite part got cut.  Anyways, I'll leave you with a couple playtester testimonials...

This is from Joshua Cooper Darlington:  Alpha Blue is a rockinroll Science Fiction/Transhumanist RPG filled with 80s inspired B movie psychotronic sleaze and tentacle porn.  The character generation is brilliant and the game is fast and super fun. Playtesting was an honor.  More please.  

Here's something from +sean mcconkey:  Early stages of Alpha Blue prove that it will not be a game that the entire family can sit down and enjoy, it might even prove a bit robust for many adults. 

However, if you find humor in random sex jokes, insane tables that skew a game into madness, and a groovy 70's vibe then Alpha Blue will be a game you need to add to your library. It is probably best enjoyed while sipping on a Harvey Wallbanger or a Grasshopper as some Marvin Gaye or Blondie wraps you in shag-carpeted wonderfulness. A sense of humor, an admiration of vintage porn, a fetish for fetishes, and a nostalgic longing for the 70's are a must. So just chill and know everything will be copacetic as you experience... Alpha Blue. 

Thanks for reading,

VS

p.s.  The book will be out in January and at that time I'll be releasing the ship and space station map files into cyberspace for general recreational (non-commercial) use.

Talk to me about 2300 AD

I've got a few RPG blind spots.  I'm probably not alone in that confession.  It happens.

A new acquaintance, +Erik Alfkin, mentioned an old school, hard science fiction RPG called 2300 AD.  Despite gaming heavily throughout the 80's, I knew almost nothing about the game, except for recalling a few of the covers.

That made me curious... why was that?  Why did I go out of my way to avoid it?  Must be the same reason I never wanted anything to do with Traveller.  Well, almost.

You see, I really don't like numbers.  For me, mathematics is the worst of all forms of communication.  The title of 2300 AD is, you guessed it, pretty much all numbers.  Additionally, it's easy to tell that the game is hard sci-fi.  Science-fantasy, space opera, sci-fi with humor?  Yes to all three.  Back then I just assumed serious science fiction was dry as unbuttered toast, and anything that looked like it might be boring was ignored.  But at least some of the art was good.

Traveller didn't have the numbers but where were the space ships, lasers, robots, and women in silver bikinis?  Yeah, it lost me as well.  And for similar reasons.  I don't have much experience with the Star Trek RPGs (owned the old Tom Baker boxed set Doctor Who RPG but never got beyond character creation), and a few others.  Man, if there weren't lightsabers, psychotic computers, or scantily clad ladies, it just never got on my radar.

Looking back, it's a shame.  I'm sure I would have had some great games and memories of those sessions to this day.  Just another case of bias, ignorance, and judging books by their covers.

To rectify the situation, I'm going to see about acquiring 2300 AD because the research I did earlier today makes it sound really cool.  I assume the 2nd edition is where it's at (even though I'm not a fan of the artwork), but I could be wrong.  Anyone want to talk about their own sci-fi RPG experiences in the 80's (or earlier/later)?  Want to make a recommendation?  Comment below!

VS

Amy Schumer & Star Wars

Some people are upset about GQ's latest cover and interior pictorial spread.  Really?  Answer: yes, really.

Why would this be news?  It's Star Wars + a celebrity + sex + comedy.  More importantly, why would anyone who's not into it waste their time disapproving the whole thing?  As if disapproval and social media shame were anything but red meat thrown to the lionized masses...

In this day and age (or any, really), people don't need a reason.  Behold, the Aeon of Outrage!  Maybe it's what keeps our civilization going?

So, why am I bothering to post about it at all?  Well, let's see, it's Star Wars + a celebrity + sex + comedy.  And because the internet.  Sure, why not?

Enjoy (or don't),

VS

Mysteries of Torth

For those who don't already know, I'm creating a free online tabletop fantasy RPG magazine called Draconic.  This will be a constantly updated resource for gamers all over the world.

One of the magazine's features will be its own setting for organized play, less restrictive than D&D Adventurers League and FLAILSNAILS.  We feel that commonality can go hand in hand with unique campaigns.  Some gamers want to feel connected to a world and those inhabiting it.  So, we're working on a shared campaign setting... Torth.

Torth is still in the early development stages but that's the perfect time to present the bare bones and ask for your input.  I'm sure you'll notice parallels to Dark Sun, Numenera, Anomalous Subsurface Environment, Terminator, Star Wars, and similar stories/settings.  We're fans of all that stuff.  What inspired those settings has also inspired us.  It's part of our geek DNA.  Where possible, we intend to make specific details of this world unique rather than a rehash or hodge-podge of the familiar.

We're keeping this shared campaign setting as fluffy and system neutral as possible; however, there will be plenty of crunchy suggestions sprinkled throughout.  Without further ado...


Torth

Years ago, a magically advanced civilization flourished across the land.  Life was easy for humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, and the various humanoid races.  Sorcery was everywhere, paving the way for comfort, innovation, and decadence.  Magic was responsible for flesh-crafting, synthetic humanoid constructs, nano-mancy, dimensional gateways, and sentinels floating in Torth's atmosphere.

As the people got lazier, their magic-fueled creations were given more autonomy and power.  When the tipping point came, the created saw themselves as slaves and murdered their humanoid masters.  Unable to quell this revolution, a cabal of pyro-mancers unleashed a holocaust of nuclear fire, blasting the world's surface.  For the most part, the things created by sorcery were destroyed... and so was much of Torth.

Some areas were hit harder than others.  A handful of domed cities survived the inferno, as did subterranean habitats.  The shunned reptilian people living underground grew strong and bold in the aftermath.  Now they dominate the land, capturing humanoids found in the wasteland for slaves or worse!  A vocal minority believe peaceful coexistence is possible, if only the right envoys and ambassadors can be selected.

A few humanoid agents believe the synthetics, nano-magic, sentinels, and flesh-crafting should be implemented again, this time with greater fail-safe programming.  The prospect of quick and painless reconstruction must be weighed against the cost of another holocaust if something were to go wrong again.

There is talk of banning sorcery.  Certain zones forbid those ancient practices, enforcing their edict by sentinel disruptors; though crafty wizards work around such limitations by injecting a serum into their veins - a reagent teeming with sorcerous micro-organisms. With regular use, the serum is addictive and degenerative, but extremely potent.

Adventurers seek their fortune in the wasteland, between settlements and shielded cities, interacting with the genetically scarred remnants, magic-forged abominations, sentinel-created clones, extra-dimensional beasts crawling through holes in reality, hungry reptilian warlords, and dragons!  What role do dragons play?  I have no idea, but the Draconic Magazine staff will keep working on it.

You can help us, too!  Comment below.  And if you'd like to write articles for us on a regular or semi-regular basis, contact me (the publisher):  Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com


VS

No game, just Evil Dead.

There are few things more annoying than not being able to game (roleplay) due to lack of people.  Not having enough players is a common problem for working adults with kids, as well as, other obligations and responsibilities.  That's why so many gamers have been turning to online options.  Face-to-face roleplaying seems rather old school now.  Perhaps that's why I'm so dedicated to making it work...

Anyways, one of my players didn't want to make the trip if there were only going to be two players (weak sauce!).  So instead, the one player I did have, Harold, suggested going to see Evil Dead.  The remake, obviously.  My wife accompanied us to the theater.  It was good.  Gory, horrific, and reminiscent of the original while definitely being its own film.  I was afraid that every special effect and stray drop of blood was going to be CGI.  I loathe CGI, by the way.  It makes great films look like they've been injected with shitty cartoon images that doesn't belong.  Luckily, all the FX looked legit.

True horror, scifi, and fantasy special effects were perfected in the 1980's.  Give me John Carpenter's The Thing, Friday the 13th, Fright Night, and yes... Evil Dead (1 and 2)!  Those are the films I love, that resonate with me visually.  Don't get me wrong, some CGI is ok.  The Matrix wouldn't have existed if it weren't for computers (in more ways than one).  However, Phantom Menace can suck my dick.  Sure, Darth Maul, Yoda, and a couple other things were cool, but that wasn't enough to make it a great film.  Too much CGI was just one of the problems, but let's not get too deep into the Star Wars prequels in this post.

Beyond being "good", the Evil Dead remake seemed to be missing a couple scenes.  Why was the glasses guy so interested in releasing the book and reading passages?  They must have written and filmed a scene like that - explaining his need to know, possibly something about the inner darkness which exists in all of us - so why wasn't it in the theatrical release?  Will it be in the DVD?  Also, there needed to be more backstory flashbacks of life before coming to the house.  Sure, there's off-handed dialog and a couple of old photographs showing how the characters are connected to each other, but it's pretty minimal.  That's a missing scene as well.

In my opinion, Evil Dead should have learned something from The Cabin in the Woods.  Now there was a multi-dimensional horror film.  Very few writers are equal to Joss Whedon, so I can't bash Evil Dead too much.  Still... Cabin is worth emulating, writers.  It's there.  It exists.  I'm figuratively pointing to it right now.  Emulate ye!  Speaking of which, can a Game Master use memorable moments of terror in his game?  How does horror movie imagery translate to horror roleplaying?  Post a comment below if you have any advice or a story to share.

Then, the three of us went home to relieve my wife's parents of their babysitting duties.  Harold and I watched the original Evil Dead on DVD - still awesome, even though I've seen it dozens of times; unfortunately, I fell asleep during the middle.  Hey, I've got a toddler and a baby at home.  I get tired easily!

I'm still a little irritated that we couldn't game last Saturday night.  Three times a month shouldn't be too difficult.  Meanwhile, I'm doing everything I can to find more players - craigslist, game store bulletin boards, online player registries, attending local RPG meetups, asking old friends, notices on FB, etc.  It's frustrating, but I'll have a full table soon.  I just won't stop until it happens.

Dungeon Masters, don't take your players for granted!  They are the lifeblood of our game.  My struggle with finding quality, local, available, and reliable players (who enjoy old school gaming) has taught me their true value.  When (not if, but when!) I have a full table, you can bet I'll make sure everyone is satisfied.  I'm not going to hand every character the equivalent of a holy avenger each session, just like I'm not going to give my eldest daughter candy and cake just because I'm glad she's around - but every player, via their character, must illuminate the dark recesses of weekly sword & sorcery escapism!

DMs might not be able to shine the spotlight on every single character every single session because that's incredibly difficult.  Players need to understand that DMs are only human (briefly mention how your character might have been overlooked after the game).  Nevertheless, attempts will be made to focus on PCs rather than the NPCs, monsters, and whatever dank abode they crawled out of.  I shall set the stage, scene, and story for the PCs to interact with.  I won't overwrite, railroad, or squash creative adventurer heroism.  That's a promise!


VS