Lavender Moons of Cha'alt [Kickstarter]

 

I've been spending an inordinate amount of time and energy on this weekend's VENGER CON III convention.  But I also don't want to neglect my Kickstarter for a second Cha'alt webcomic.  The first being Under Fuchsia Ska'ai.

Jae Tanaka is doing the artwork and layout, I'm coming up with the story and words.  To help promote our crowdfunding campaign and to mark this momentous occasion of President Trump narrowly avoiding assassination by divine intervention, I present to you Jae Tanaka's latest piece "Fight the Federation!"

Here is the KS link - pledge generously, if you can.  There's only 11 days left and we're way behind (this image can also be found on update #2 on the KS).  

I know webcomics aren't everybody's cup of tea, but this can easily be used to create an adventure or enhance your campaign setting.  If nothing else, it grows Cha'alt... which is a benefit in and of itself.

Plus, Lavender Moons of Cha'alt is going to kick fucking ass!

Help spread the word and let's get this thing funded.  Thanks for your continued support, hoss.

VS

Lore24 Like A Fucking Boss

 

I noticed that Lore24 was something the RPG bloggers were doing this year.  Last year was the megadungeon-23 project.  So it goes...

And it just so happens that world building is the subject of the book I'm working on right now - the kickstarter still has about 2 weeks, and it's almost funded.  Check out The Cha'alt Experience: Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss.

Coming up with ideas is one thing (it's amazing, really, and I'm not trying to downplay that); however, synthesizing those ideas into a world that's going to be your campaign setting for the next few weeks, months, years, or decades is another matter... and that's where I come in.  I'll show you how.

Now, I'd like to turn my attention to a product I just released on DTRPG called Gilded Die of Satanis.  It's a genre and system-neutral game mechanic sort of inspired by the gilded dice in Candela Obscura.  But I Vengerized it beyond recognition.

If, like me, you're a degenerate weirdo who sometimes wants his sword & sorcery to include moments that could only happen in sit-coms like It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia or movies like Step-Brothers, Beerfest, Waiting..., Dodgeball, or Tropic Thunder, then Gilded Die of Satanis is for you.

It's quick and easy, and players always have the choice if they want to engage with the gilded die or not.  So, check it out and see for yourself.

Well, it's a new year.  I don't know what 2024 will bring... but it will most assuredly be a wild ride.  Hopefully, this will be the best year any of us have had for awhile.  A lot of it is beyond our control, but we can still strive for excellence.  

Onwards and upwards, hoss!

VS

p.s. If you want the Cha'alt trilogy in glorious hardcover (before my wife burns what's left in the backyard come 2025), get them through The Cha'alt Experience kickstarter.  If you want to game with me, Diversity & Dragons (the guest of honor), and dozens of other hardcore old-school, OSR, and traditional gamers in Madison, WI this July, get your weekend badge for VENGER CON III.

The Cha'alt Experience [Kickstarter]

 

It's been a little while since I've launched a Kickstarter campaign.  Well, now's the time to fund The Cha'alt Experience: Designing Worlds Like A Fucking Boss.

Here's the link.  It's already doing pretty well, but I hear that a bigger first day helps with the algorithm.  So, do what you can to pledge early, raise awareness, and spread that url around like manure.

So, what is it?  I've had such an amazing time creating Cha'alt (first as a world, then as a living, breathing, undulating campaign setting) that I wanted to share my experience, showing you what worked, what didn't, and how you can create your very own world... or simply adapt an existing world to you and your unique preferences.  

This is a subject I know well, so help me unleash my dark wisdom upon an unsuspecting universe and watch it tremble, quivering with involuntary glee!

If you have a question or comment, post something down below...

Thanks,

VS

p.s. Cha'alt hardcover books are part of the backer rewards, but now's the time to start thinking about VENGER CON III: Revenge of the OSR - info and weekend badges. 

Advanced Game Mastering

 

Have you ever seen a cover that hideous?  Yeah, it's intentionally awful... I think.  Maybe unconsciously loathsome or parenthetically obscene?  

It's like artwork for an early 90s unlicensed video game tie-in with a badly remembered toy line that jumped the cyber-shark a long, long time ago... or what Toma diarrhea looks like on Cha'alt.  Or title sequence for You Can't Fuck That On Television.  Lol

Grab yourself the Advanced Game Mastering Like A Fucking Boss PDF right now!

Hopefully it kicks ass!  I think there's enough awesome stuff in there to make it worthwhile.  It's 111 pages (the interior looks beautiful, BTW) with an introductory mini-adventure at the back and d100 random table specifically designed for both those attending and not able to attend VENGER CON in Madison, WI during the month of July (the only month in Wisconsin that we're guaranteed warm weather... by law).

The Kickstarter went well, and backers have theirs.  For those curious, I did have to let DriveThru vet the manuscript before uploading it.  I was surprised that nothing needed to be altered or removed.  I did self-censor one paragraph that was disjoined and more of a political rant than anything else before it ever got to DriveThru.  So, yeah... perhaps I've mellowed in my old age?

It's only $10.  You be the judge...

While I've got you here, I plan on launching a Kickstarter to pay for the Cha'alt webcomic I've been doing with Jae Tanaka around May 1st.  And if there's money left over, it will go towards the Cha'alt zine subsidy and perhaps multiple webcomics (you'll have to wait for the KS to read more about that).

One of these days, there's going to be a Cha'alt movie... or at the very least, an off-off-Broadway play of horny cat-people with tentacles scrounging for weird-tech in the desert wasteland of S'kbah.

VS

p.s. Hell yes, I have gorgeous Cha'alt trilogy hardcovers.  Step right up, hoss!

Advanced Game Mastering Like A Fucking Boss

 

A decade ago, I started writing How To Game Master Like A Fucking Boss.  It's a platinum best-seller on DriveThruRPG.  The wisdom contained inside has helped thousands of aspiring Game Masters.

Now, I'm working on a follow-up.  It's shorter, more focused, and goes deeper than any GMing book should ever have to go... punishingly deep.

This book will attempt to crack open the cosmic egg, drenching readers in universal yoke and allowing us to give birth to the inner God that exists as potential within everyone.  

Come, join me on this journey and see what I have to show you.  BTW, the Cha'alt trilogy is one of the backer rewards.  If you don't already own these gorgeous volumes containing my eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting, do yourself a favor.  Get them.  You won't regret it.

Advanced Game Mastering Like A Fucking Boss - see you on the other side, hoss!

If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them here or on the KS page.

Thanks,

VS

p.s. VENGER CON II: Electric Boogaloo is happening this July in Madison, WI.  Link here.  My convention is for old-school, OSR, and traditional RPGs only.  It's like gaming in the old days, but with gray pubes! 

Playtest Palooza

 

Got to run another playtest session of Encounter Critical III this morning [wrote this yesterday afternoon].

Here is the Encounter Critical III kickstarter.

Fantastic game and fantastically weird!  I tried to incorporate as many of my proposed ideas as possible.  This contains the various concepts and mechanics I wanted to test out.

There was some combat, but not much, and no one rolled a critical-success or failure.  So, Obsidian Escalation didn't really come up.  Which is fine, I tried it out last session, and will include that in subsequent sessions.

I don't know if the stars aligned or what, but I had SIX players.  Normally, it's two; occasionally three.  Text only, I feel, is easier with bigger groups than voice & camera, but still challenging.

Before I dive-in, let me give you an overall impression:  I feel like the playtest was a success because the ideas seemed to fuel an immersive, fun-filled game.  And one of the highlights was having Jeff Rients as a player!  Achievement unlocked, bitches.  ;)

All the information gathering prior to the session's start had a specific purpose - to give players a better idea of their characters, so they actually had backgrounds to roleplay off of.  Any RPG can encourage backgrounds, but what I'm trying to accomplish with the new rules is in-game incentives.

The scenario was to search the interior of a dimension traveling space-worm and find an unknown artifact.

Here's a window into my playtesting soul... good, bad, and ugly.  Instead of a carefully crafted scenario providing a curated experience, I like to playtest by the seat of my pants.  Given enough time and creative juice [Venger juice], I feel like the GM can turn a shitty system with dumb mechanics into something pretty cool.  I don't want to do that because engineering a fool-proof experience isn't going to help me figure out if I'm doing something right or headed in the wrong direction.

Instead, I prefer to attune myself to the world in the campaign setting, rules, vibe, and whatever else... becoming an integral part of the game..  Having a few ideas in the form of loose notes and winging the rest will show me what I need to see.  

Every designer eventually hands-off his ideas to another GM in hopes that he'll get it and be able to run a great game.  So, the improv also helps put me in the perspective of the GM who most likely has a vague notion of what I said in the rules, or was trying to get across.

Can this anonymous GM take what I give him and make gold?  That's the question.

The players did great with coming up with background stuff.  I didn't need to break out the random tables that I had ready to go just in case.

Since this was just a one-shot, I didn't meticulously write every flaw and obsession and drive down in my GMing notes.  Everything exists in the chat log on Roll20, though, which is another good reason for running games as text-only.

But I realized the PCs had plenty of material to riff, and riff they did.  I told them about the point of Divine Favor they'd receive for roleplaying their backgrounds.  If this was several adventures into a campaign, I can only imagine the heights of roleplaying and social interaction we'd reach.  As it was, there was enough to prove my theory - an "old-school" RPG focused on social interaction (as opposed to combat and exploration) is not only needed, but totally awesome.

And I asked them to take part in a flashback scene.  I neglected to mention that relationships should include another PC, my bad, so the first thing that came to my mind was a tavern where they hear the proposed mission.  That went well.  For instance, without even realizing it, one of the players, Judd, came up with an identity for the "quest giver"... a wizard.  

The free exchange of ideas before solidifying what's going on is exactly the sort of Fiasco-like scene creation I was hoping for.  The vibe was assuredly set because a little later, when I was describing the immediate, present-day environment, one of the players provided some bonus description all on his own.  "Reeks of  bile, but then again, what doesn't?"  Excellent!

So, the PCs are wandering around the inside of a space-worm traveling through dimensions... and PSYCHOCOSM was had by all.  Well, certainly me.  Staring into the psychedelic depths of the Kort'thalis meta-sigil didn't hurt.

They follow a trail of popsicle sticks (a subtle nod to Cremza'amirikza'am that one player picked-up on) to find something pretty weird, dark, and gross.  I'll save that for another time, or perhaps a future adventure that you'll be apart of.

The PCs fought some toadlike humanoids who desired tasty flesh.  Combat ensued, but the adventuring party was so large that 4 toad dudes didn't last too long.  It was pretty much over before the spellcaster could do anything.

After a bit, and learning of Xedra'as, an evil sorceress currently residing within the space-worm, the PCs came face-to-face with Xedra'as and her demon minions.

The PC sorcerer who didn't get a chance to act wanted to go first.  Since combat hadn't even begun, I said Hell yeah, go for it.  He cast a spell, and I had him roll a couple of six-siders (because I'm also workshopping an alternative system of magic for EC3 - check back here in a couple days).  He rolled really well, a critical-success, in fact.  Xedra'as and the demons were caught in the sorcerer's ectoplasmic webbing.

The session was coming to a close, all too quickly.  Some of the PCs were wondering if they should keep searching for the mysterious artifact the tavern wizard told them to recover.  They had found a magic item (and a powerful one at that), but was this what they'd been seeking?  Others wanted to leave as the space-worm seemed to be blinking out of existence as we know it.  Since we had about 6 or 7 minutes remaining and there wasn't enough time for another encounter, I decided we should do another scene.  This time a flash-forward.

The "kid" who'd been traipsing through the space-worm with the adventurers was all grown-up.  Another player volunteered to be part of the scene but only if he could roleplay an NPC who was also present during the scene.  I was all for it.

The young man who had grown since that adventure taking place several years ago was accompanied by his butler Gerhart.  The wizard from the tavern addressed him, asking what he found in the worm.

Sadly, there wasn't much interaction between the young man and the wizard, so the wizard said his peace and promptly vanished... again!

"That pain was necessary for this world to grow, to change, to become what it must. There is no stopping the evolution of Cha'alt. Freeing the Duke allowed it to evolve. That's what was needed."

It was an extremely bizarre adventure (even for me), but it was equally awesome.  And just as the camera faded to black, there was a little bit of not-quite-necrophilia, thanks to one of my favorite recurring players.  Why have an online game tagged "sleazy" without a cherry on top?

Below are a few choice lines copy/pasted from the chat log...

• "I have never been inside a purple space worm before, unless you count this one tentacled lady in Port Grenthak."
• At a lull in the conversation, full of liquid courage, the kid asks "How come you're not going?"
• "WHERE IS THE CONTROL CENTER? I WOULD HAVE HIS BODY." You see the inner mole rat tugging at various nerves/wires within the golem-body.
• Mork Borg draws his untrustworthy blade.
• "This transdimensional space-worm gets a lot more traffic than I expected."
• "Ok, here's what we need to do.  On the count of three, I pull the sheet and whoever can kill her the fastest gets it done. Ready?"
• Once again, the playthings of gods and wizards. Thus is always the fate of honest, hardworking adventurers.
• "I assumed he had a name like Slartibartfast."
• "I am Barry Fastslart, or Duke Fastslart, if you prefer.  Do you know of me?"
• I was going balls-deep as we faded out...

In a couple days, I'll post what I have for the proposed magic system (working on the details right now).

As always, thanks to the guys for playing; and thanks to you for reading.  Don't miss the next session (I'm going to squeeze-in two sessions a week for the next couple months).

VS

p.s. Like what you're reading?  Want to be part of the action?  For $5 a month, you can have first-crack at playing in one of my weekly one-shots!  Subscribe to me on SubscribeStar!

Delving Design

 

Months ago, years even, I was hesitantly perched upon a dozen different fences about what to do with Encounter Critical.  I'm Kickstarting the 3rd edition, if you didn't know!

Part of the problem was knowing that whatever direction I went, some people would be disappointed.  But the whole making an omelet thing reminds me that I've got to please myself at the end of the day... which is fitting, because I was (still am, to some degree) a huge fan of Encounter Critical after discovering it - with no small help from the imagination and blog of Jeff Rients.

At any rate, I'm trying to find a yin-yang sort of balance between traditional and what we now call "story-games".  The black (yin) has a little bit of white in it.  Basically, I'm trying to take "modern" and "innovative" RPG design and adapt it to OSR sensibilities.

I did make a video about fiction-first, Obsidian Escalation, and several other things.

The following is what's on the playtest menu for the moment.  Anything can change at any moment.  I don't expect it to, but I am expecting tweaks, fine-tuning, and possibly weird organic growth that I didn't realize was part of this project's evolutionary journey.

Without further ado, here we go...

One Page Cheat-Sheet

•          Every PC must come up with a Background that’s broken-up into the following aspects: Look (appearance, aesthetics, vibe, etc.), Drive (motivation for adventuring, reason for being, core values), 2 Relationships (either members of the party or an NPC in the world), Flaw (downfall, vice, or something that keeps getting in your way), and 3 Obsessions (something you love, something you hate, and something that fascinates, perplexes, or strangely amuses you).
•          A character gets 1 point of Divine Favor every time he indulges in or falls prey to his Flaw.
•          When a character is confronted with one of his Obsessions, he’s easily distracted and/or manipulated… unless a successful saving throw is rolled.
•          If running a one-shot, start the session with a Flashback scene from an earlier time in the PCs’ lives, when they first met or were all together… perhaps a montage (micro-scenes with a common theme unfolding in quick succession) of each PC discovering the startling revelation that “reality” is merely densely coiled layers of illusion.  Ahead of the scene, the players and GM should discuss where events happened (location), who’s there and why (relationships) and the general mood, conflict, and/or resolution they’d like to see.  The GM, who should have an inkling of what’s to come, might suggest a motif, object (McGuffin), or major/recurring NPC (villain, helpful contact, rival, comic-relief) for inclusion, in order to strengthen narrative ties between the Flashback and future events.  The players roleplay the social interaction until everyone is content that the scene should conclude.  A point of Divine Favor is awarded to every player who participated.
•          If running a campaign, start each session with a Flashback scene from an earlier time in either one or two PCs’ lives (see above for details).  Players who don’t have their character present in the unfolding scene are encouraged to roleplay whatever NPCs might also be in the Flashback scene.
•          Between encounters (and occasionally during) PCs are encouraged to roleplay.  PCs earn a point of Divine Favor when they demonstrate (talk about, think about, or act out) an aspect of their Background. No more than 1 point per scene.
•          Obsidian Escalation during combat!
•          Skill-Checks: Natural 1s the GM (or mischievous player, if preferred) narrates the failure.  Natural 20 means the player can describe his own success.
•          Top result on a saving throw, skill-check, or damage die means the player can narrate his epically awesome deed with an additional embellishment that may provide a modest edge, asset, or godsend (with GM approval, of course).

This cheat-sheet is 1) based off changes or amendments to Crimson Dragon Slayer D20, and 2) written down in a sort of shorthand that's explained just enough so I know what's going on.  

If YOU would be interested in running your OSR ruleset with the above modifications, I'd love to hear your story.  Please share it with us.  Better yet, email me your feedback: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

After a few playtests of this stuff, I'm going to go back to the proverbial drawing-board with other fundamental concepts, such as magic.  I've been doing magic the same way for a few years, and want to try something radically different than my comfortable go-to system.

Feel free to comment, ask questions, throw tomatoes, or whatever.  ;)

VS

p.s. You can support me for $5 a month on SubscribeStar, and next July's Madison WI VENGER CON II is happening with or without you, so grab a ticket and play with us!

Encounter Critical III

 

What's up?  I've got news...

I finally have a new Kickstarter campaign, and it's for Encounter Critical III.

Let's get down to brass tacks, hoss.  The original EC is great and all, but many find it virtually unplayable because of its OMG WTF?!? system (game mechanics).  I want to take my version of EC into a smooth, easy, and light OSR ruleset while making the things outside the system OMG, WTF?!?

The very first playtest was earlier today, and I think that went well.  It's going to take a lot more, and each time I hope to learn new things.

Obviously, I'm building on what came before... the original EC, Crimson Dragon Slayer D20, and Cha'alt.  The concept is there, now I just need to refine it and come up with awesome stuff to make it really fly.

I'll post more about the playtest session in a couple days.  For now, I'll just say thanks for supporting me, and feel free to ask questions or volunteer to playtest Encounter Critical III as we go into fall.  

VS

Cha'altian Session Reports

 

I was able to squeeze two virtual sessions in this week.

Both were on Roll20 (I gave a couple other platforms a shot, but quickly got confused and abandoned my quest for an alternative), 90 minutes, text only, 18+ (even though we never got to explore anything sexual or erotic... hey, it happens!).

The 90 minute structure is something I'm extraordinarily familiar with.  A lot of people don't like it.  I receive a decent amount of criticism for running shorter sessions.  All I can say is that if you have 5 kids and a day job, then you know how difficult it is to carve out 4 hours on a weekly or even bi-weekly schedule.

Both sessions involved exploring a network of tunnels and caves.  Another similarity is that both sessions had two players by the end.  I accept random drop-ins, so that's to be expected.  People are flaky on the internet.

For those curious, I usually don't have anything specific in mind when constructing these maps.  I just start drawing.  Automatic drawing is a technique invented by Austin Osman Spare.  I've forgotten more than I remember about him, and don't think scribbling lines via my mouse counts as a magical act, but it is part of the greater whole.  And I do view my current roleplaying sessions as magic rituals.

As usual, I gazed upon the Kort'thalis meta-sigil as I prepared for my sessions.

Before I get into more detail, here's a list of guidelines that have appeared out of play...

• If a player has not chosen a race for his character, I'm just going to assume he's human.
• If a player suddenly disappears, the GM (me) will roleplay his character - assuming there's a small party of adventurers.  It's not fair to a pair of adventurers who go in a dangerous environment when they believed there were three of them.  If the party wouldn't miss a character, then I occasionally describe his gruesome death as that abandoned PC steps in a trap or fiddles with sorcerous runes discovered on a cave wall.
• Engagement is crucial!  With noobs, I'm constantly inviting them to take part in the action, make decisions.  "While the thief is scouting up ahead, what is Ba'ab doing?" Stuff like that.
• If players make leaps of logic, I'll usually let the first one or two go, but then will quickly put the kabosh on that stuff when it seems less likely and/or taking advantage.  For instance, Vindl, a thief cyborg wanted to use the phosphorescent fungi in the cave system for energy, and be able to turn his mechanical arm into a blaster.  So, I said sure.  But shortly after he wanted to construct a shield out of scales picked off a dead creature.  I told him it would take time and the proper tools.

Halfway through the second session, I took over the missing player's character, Ja'ay the demon warrior.  Every GM worth his essential salt knows that GM NPCs shouldn't overshadow the actual PCs.  So, I used Ja'ay as an interesting background character, spurring action like taking one tunnel over another when the PCs couldn't make a decision.  Precious minutes ticking away.

The second session was the first game after vocalizing my theory... the GM's paradigm should make its presence known every single encounter!  While I've been doing that, more or less, unconsciously for years, this session I consciously looked for opportunities to make the game's reality feel more eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, and post-apocalypse.  Did it change the session dramatically?  No, I don't think so.  But going back and observing the session a day later, I'd say consciously trying to infuse my chosen paradigm into every single encounter improved immersion and the game in general by about 5-10%.

Going back to the first session, the couple of PCs were too intimidated to fight the giant Lovecraftian spider things in their network of tunnels and caves.  You know me, I'm all about quick and easy minimal rules.  So, each PC incurred an attack of opportunity whenever they ran past the creature in order to evade it.  I think that worked well.  It happened a couple of times and each time one PC was wounded.

Oh yeah, I got to use my Eldritch Hit Location table over on my SubscribeStar page (publicly available). I think the players got a kick out of slashing or bashing large, scaly rodents in the umthra'ax.  I'll need to use it once or twice more before seeing the true value of something like that.

I don't want to ruin the endings of either adventure because I like running the same adventure (with small variations each time) with different players.  Both were fun, though!

As sometimes happens with my open and welcoming drop-in approach to running sessions, I popped someone's roleplaying game cherry.  That player had never played before, and somehow wound up at my virtual table.  Introducing people to the hobby is definitely a highlight of my weird journey.

Will probably run another session or two next week now that ALL KICKSTARTER CHA'ALT BOOKS HAVE BEEN MAILED OUT TO BACKERS!!!  Yes, I finally got to the end, and it feels fantastic.  Gonna make the most of my free time - it's all about playing, well mostly about playing.  I'd say at least 85%.  Writing and designing game mechanics and such is absolutely worthwhile, but creating a world through the act of roleplaying is something that's above and beyond the background construction.

Last night, I tweeted something out that seemed profound at the time when I was not totally baked.  I'd like to share it here.

"Creating tales of pulp sword-and-sorcery is all that is."

That's it.  That's the tweet.  Lol.  Focusing on that, while leaving all the peripheral bullshit fiddle-faddle outside, will restore your faith in this hobby.  And that's something I believe is in short supply.  

Being part of the magic, fashioning awesome stories of wizards, warriors, dungeons, and dragons will get you closer to PSYCHOCOSM than worrying about campaign lore, balanced encounters, extensive PC backgrounds, the unfairness of monsters critting, and "racist" flying squirrel-monkeys in space.

Lose yourself in the fantasy, and that becomes reality.  

VS

p.s. My new Kickstarter campaign for Encounter Critical III just got approved, so will launch that early next week (probably Tuesday).  

Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows

 

By now, you've probably heard about the third book of the Cha'alt trilogy - Chartreuse Shadows.

I'm only a couple days away from finishing my shipping duties.  By next Tuesday, all Kickstarter backer rewards should be out the door (pre-sales, as well).  Damn, that was a long time coming, but I'm so glad the end is in sight.

That means I'm officially opening the way for regular old sales.  Here's the price guide...

• Cha'alt - $50 (add $40 for non-USA shipping)
• Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise - $50 (add $40 for non-USA shipping)
• Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows - $65 (add $40 for non-USA shipping)
• The entire trilogy - $140 (add $60 for non-USA shipping)

All books are fancy, hardcover, first editions, signed, numbered, and personalized by me.  These gorgeous tomes will go up in value, just as Cha'alt will take over the world one day!

Below is a testimonial from a KS backer...

I honestly didn’t know what to expect from physical editions of your work. I’ve supported a lot of KS with physical printings, most of which were zine-styled stapled prints, but some were hardbacks and full-color and just felt cheap. I know there are lots of reasons dictating printing bla bla bla, but I was a little nervous of pledging for physical editions.

Dude, these are great. Thank you so much! Honestly, I didn’t get far into Chartreuse Shadows, but my group knows I have pulled from Fuchsia Malaise. I think there might be a tableflip when I show up with a hard copy 🤣

What is Cha'alt?  Glad you asked, hoss...  Cha'alt is my home campaign, my own little slice of heaven (or Hell, depends on your point of view), an eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse world where I come home to hang my Game Mastering hat.

Also, I'll be launching a new Kickstarter campaign towards the end of September... and it's for Encounter Critical III.  

What else?  I've got some new (publicly available, not behind the paywall) content over at SubscribeStar.  If you want to support me at $5 a month and get the occasional freebie along with first pick of the online games I run, I'd love to have your patronage.  

Don't forget about VENGER CON II: Electric Boogaloo.  Just a nice, intimate (50 - 75 attendee) convention for those who love old-school, OSR, and traditional RPGs in Madison, WI next July.  Join us!

VS

Encounter Critical update

 

I haven't written much about Encounter Critical.  This blog post will serve a meal-delaying appetizer until the eagle is ready to sink his fangs into the main course.

I should have the gorgeous hardcover books for Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows by the end of June (tentacles crossed).  In July, I have VENGER CON to run (Kickstarting the additional 70 tickets in a day or two).

After the convention, my plan is to tackle Encounter Critical with another Kickstarter.  My first inclination was to go all-in on a new edition with fancy hardcover books.  Now, I'm thinking maybe start slow... come up with a 15-20 page PDF, test that out for several months and, if I'm going in the right direction, expand it.  If I decide to go another way, I'll create a new, but still short, PDF and see how that shakes out.

I'm really of several minds about the evolution of Encounter Critical.  Wanting to keep its flavor but also make it way more usable.  I'd like it to be standard OSR D&D compatible but also retain something of its mechanical weirdness.  I'd love to present it as an elaborate joke, prank, and awful parody... yet still be fully functional, not just played for laughs.  A game that veterans familiar with EC will love just as much as curious noobs intrigued by something different.  

Yeah, it's a tall order.  I have my work cut-out for me.  In the meantime, my mind is ever so slowly processing in the background.  Be patient...

Thanks,

VS

p.s. More Cha'alt one-shots on Roll20, deep immersion, and Kort'thalis meta-sigil paintings on the way!

Kickstarting Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows

 

It's been a long time coming, but the wait if finally over...

Today, I launched my Kickstarter campaign for book 3 of the Cha'alt trilogy.  Here's the link.

If you're interested in eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting, adventures, and a brand-new megadungeon, back Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows (and get the previous two luxurious hardcover books while you're at it).

As the last two installments, this cover art is also by Monstark.

I'm putting my nose to the grindstone for the next few months, attempting to squeeze every last bit of non-standard genius juice out my brain.  This might be my coolest project yet... we'll see.

Thanks,

VS

p.s. Hope to see some of you at Game Hole Con next weekend!

Crimson Escalation Kickstarter

 

The future of combat is now!

You've heard me talk about it for a few weeks now.  And if you've been in one of my virtual games on Roll20, you've seen it in action...

Crimson Escalation is, in my opinion, the greatest innovation to D&D (and every game similar) since Advantage/Disadvantage.  I believe it will revolutionize combat!  

Find out about this mechanic in the Kickstarter's description.

Only a $1 pledge, 21 days left to back, already 222% funded, $1k stretch goal that you won't believe.  Give it a try!

Thanks for your continued support,

VS

p.s. I'm open to interviews (Rob Couture, who came up with the original idea, might be, as well).  Email me at Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Cha'alt on Roll20

 

Do you like eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic adventures?

I'll be running 2 or 3 different Cha'alt sessions on Roll20 this week.

The first one is this afternoon, 1pm central standard time.  Join if you can.  I'll update this blog post with future dates, once those are locked in - so check back!

Here's the link!

I believe you need to message me to join and then I can invite you.  I've never been on the player-side of Roll20, so not entirely sure.  

If there's an issue, just contact me: Venger.Satanis@yahoo.com

Thanks,

VS

p.s. My xxxtra sleazy Cha'alt After Dark Kickstarter (more scenarios) is doing xxxtremely well.  See what I did there?  Only 10 days left to back.  Those gorgeous signed, numbered, limited-edition hardcovers are at a special discount... don't miss out!

Cha'alt After Dark Kickstarter

 

Ok, I'm finally opening up the Kickstarter for my Cha'alt After Dark collection of adventures.  

Exactly what you've come to expect from Cha'alt - eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse - but these scenarios are even sleazier!

Check it out here.

The first 2 adventures, Cha'alt After Dark and So Beautiful, So Dangerous, are already 90% written.  That's why I only did a 20-day crowdfunding campaign.  

And once this KS has been fulfilled, I'm going all-in on the next edition of Encounter Critical (kickstarting that in August).

If you have any questions, suggestions, comments, or anything else, let me know.  Also, please share the Cha'alt After Dark Kickstarter campaign on social media.  

Thanks,

VS

Summer Kickstarters

 

Yeah, I've got another one coming up in a week or two.  However, I wanted this blog post to shed light on a couple of lesser known Kickstarters...

The first is something called Revenge of the Gobcocker!  Come for the 13th Warlock's erotic computer generated art, stay for the miniatures.  I used a number of his images in latter-day Alpha Blue supplements.  Good stuff!

The second is for Creature Feature Quarterly, volume #6.  Who doesn't need more fearsome foes and creepy creatures to fight in their OSR games?  Jeremy Hart illustrated a gorilla monster with tentacle arms in, I believe, Revelry in Torth.

I'll do an announcement post for my own Kickstarter somewhere between June 10th - 15th.  Until then, have a great gaming summer!

VS

Cha'alt After Dark [actual play]

 

Remember the first game?  It's here if you need a refresher.

So, last night was the second playtest.  I added a lot of backstory to the scenario which involved the PCs tracking down a lead to their missing friend.

For some reason, it never occurred to me that a group of bloodthirsty adventurers would just up and kill the principle antagonist and his entourage shortly after their introduction.  But to be fair, the entourage ran away.  I mean, the sexy slave girl was "freed" by multiple strapping young heroes and the henchmen sort of scattered after the initial blows knocked the boss elf to his knees.

Luckily, I gave the skeletal structure of this adventure enough realism (everyone has a reason for doing what they're doing) to ride the sand worm of chaos all the way to the end.

The game only lasted 90 minutes, which seems short, but we covered a lot of ground for a couple different reasons...

The very first being the "perfect" rule-set.  Guess what?  There is no perfect rule-set, just whatever works best for you.  I made Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 to suit my specific rules-light "arcade mode" needs.

Anything that wasn't necessary and/or didn't move the adventure forward, I either axed or handwaved.  For instance, if the reptilian humanoid Sq'sha'al wanted to eat the heart of a fallen opponent, I let it happen.  Of course, that doesn't mean I can't narrate the scene.  I'm pretty happy with the following quote I got off the chat, "You rip out his heart. It's still beating grossly red in your reptilian hand as the midday suns slowly descend in the fuchsia sky."

If the PCs want to fallback to avoid the swarm of angry demon wasps, they flee.  I present choices which eventually lead to different outcomes as the story unfolds, rather than relying on mere dice rolls to decide if PCs can do a thing.  Players don't want to be told they can't do something.  Instead, they'd rather see the options in front of them, knowing that if they choose the wrong one, it could lead to disastrous (or potentially awesome) consequences.

Aside from combat, there were precious few rolls made.  The droid CB-69 rolled to see if he had a can of RAID in his internal equipment.  He rolled poorly, so nope.  Earlier in the scenario, those allowed rolled to see if they could decipher an ancient glyph.  The rest was all roleplaying.  

GMs who struggle to come up with spontaneous answers, outcomes, and dialog should work on that.  Start by doing it a little bit in each scenario until, with practice, you get good enough to riff off the cuff.

For instance, I never planned on Grimm Da'ark the Savage asking the one-eyed prostitute her price list.  Without missing a beat, I typed the following... "5 talons for hand stuff, 10 for mouth stuff, 20 to go all the way, and 35 for the really weird shit."

The second technique I use for these types of games is this - when a consensus has been reached amongst the players, regarding the characters' next course of action, I don't sit there with my thumb up my ass waiting for the last straggler to say "Yes."  Nor do I pause the game in case someone changes their mind because they noticed a squirrel and got momentarily distracted.  If over 50% of the group says they want to go to the red-light district or the city gates or the well of souls, then they start walking.  Assuming they don't have an encounter on the way, the next thing I type is that they arrived and I start describing what the PCs perceive.

Anything else, I've found, holds up the game.  These shorter virtual games are no nonsense.  The GM has a mandate, and time/energy must not be wasted!

So, at the well of souls no one gets tentacle raped... but it was close, just a bad die roll away.  The adventurers got to explore that subterranean area a bit.  Their reactions gave me a better idea of how to improve the cavern they explored.  Which is one of the things a playtest should do (the other is find glaring holes in logic that break immersion).

My only regret is that the scenario wasn't dirtier.  I could have injected a little more sex and sleaze, like last session.  This session was more straightforward swords, sorcery, and blasters.  But I have ideas for adding little lascivious touches along the way.  ;)

The Kickstarter campaign for Cha'alt After Dark should (Cthulhu willing) launch June 10th.  It's pretty much all written.  I just need touch-ups, expand random tables, and suitable artwork.

Thanks to the 7 players on Roll20 who allowed this to session to happen!

VS

p.s. I still have gorgeous hardcovers of both Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise.  Order your book(s) today!

Cha'alt After Dark (part 2)

I'm running a 2nd playtest session for Cha'alt After Dark this Saturday night.

Should be just as awesome as the 1st session - read the play report.

Briefly, it's a mix of Alpha Blue sleazy aesthetics in the eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalypse world of Cha'alt.  Should go together like chocolate and peanut butter.  I'll be crowd-funding the adventure starting on June 10th.

In the meantime, if you want to play with us on Roll20, come join us!  First come, first served.  90-minute session, text only, 18+ due to sexual content, mature themes, and graphic violence.

VS

p.s. If you're asking about the gorgeous Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise hardcovers, I've still some left.  Ordering details here.

Perfect Outcome?

 

As you might have already heard, Luke Crane has been forced to resign over the stupidest weak-sauce bullshit you could imagine.

Similar to what's been happening to Governor Cuomo in NY, Cuomo should be getting his ass handed to him over killing all those elderly people in nursing homes and then trying to cover it up.  But instead, the left wants to beat him over the head for sexually crude comments and trying to kiss a secretary or two.

What can I say, the progressive, radical-left are fucking insane... and they're ruining this hobby.

Luke Crane got in trouble for having Adam Koebel as a contributor to his KS project when the real reason he should (or should not, depending on your view) be scrutinized is that Luke Crane was head of the RPG division of Kickstarter, creating conflict of interest red flags.

I, and many others, have discussed the Adam Koebel nothing burger until we're blue in the face.  From now on, EVERY SINGLE SESSION I RUN FOR THE REST OF THIS YEAR will include the pushing of a button to simulate at least one (probably multiple) non-consensual robot orgasm.  Jesus tentacled Christ, who the fuck cares?!?

Getting back on track, the social justice warriors seem to think this hobby is theirs, that "the community" is so important, so evolved, so much better than the OSR and regular gamers who don't want politics in their RPGs.  

Yes, the collective can be as seductive as an angry mob to certain people.  If you join, you get perks!  But don't be fooled.  It robs you of your identity (ironic when you think of identity politics), controls you, and eventually leads to the death of freedom.  Hello, cancelation! 

And to all the people who've said that either cancel culture doesn't exist or "it's just fine," let me remind you - ignoring the problem won't make it go away.  You guys are just as guilty of poisoning elf-games as those vilifying individuals just trying to live and make a living irrespective of the woke authoritarian regime.

Makes you wonder what would happen if Koebel, Crane, and the rest of the SJW gamers just refused to apologize, refused to recede into the shadows.  Can you be canceled if you don't let it happen?

Well, it worked for Gina Carano but didn't work for Zak (though, he's still blogging and putting content out there).  Both are talented, but the former seems like a sweetheart (confirmed by Bill Burr) while the latter... well, yeah.  He'll probably always be a hyper-argumentative asshole demanding his version of objective truth and unequivocal apologies.  

Anyway, goodbye to Luke Crane, a continued farewell to Adam Koebel, and adios to every other SJW who crosses the ever-encroaching and self-imposed line of what's "socially acceptable".  You guys are spineless, easily offended, back-stabbing, cry-bully collectivists.  Fuck all y'all!

VS

p.s. Want the best in eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic gaming?  Luxurious, signed, limited edition Cha'alt and Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise hardcovers... ordering details here.

Cha'alt Book 3 next year?

 

Ok, so the first two Cha'alt books turned out great.  The Kickstarters were both successful, and the quality is off the charts!

Next year... yes, I'm talking about 2022, I'd like to Kickstart the third Cha'alt book.  To the right, you can see a quick concept sketch for the Cha'alt: Chartreuse Shadows cover art.  

It's a mish-mash of awesome stuff I've grown up with over the years... Beastmaster, Indiana Jones, Conan (sword), Lovecraftian tentacles, and hot fantasy ladies.  What do you think?

However, I've been reliably informed by my wife that until I get the 1,000 print run of Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise sold (200 of those already out the door), I can't move forward - except for commissioning the cover art, of course.

So, in the meantime, I'm launching an in-between Kickstarter to help sell Fuchsia Malaise books, as well as, one or more short PDF adventures set in the eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic campaign setting of Cha'alt.  The further we break stretch goal barriers, the more adventures will be released into backers' hands.

That KS has already been submitted for approval with a launch date of February 5th.  It'll run a full 30 days.  Should be pretty cool.  The more $ it makes, the better value backers will get.  I have many adventure ideas just waiting to be uncaged!

So, check back here for details.  If you have questions or suggestions, definitely let me know.

VS

p.s.  Why wait for the Kickstarter when you can order your luxury hardcover Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise right now!