7:36 PM +Rick_Hershey: I’m Rick Hershey, I own and operate Fat Goblin Games as well as do freelance illustration and design work for the industry. I also created Shadows over Vathak (with some talented designers), which we are currently doing a 5th edition version of released on Patreon.
7:37 PM +Rick_Hershey: (done)
7:38 PM +Geoff_Gander: I’m Geoff Gander, and I am a freelancer with Fat Goblin Games. I started with TinyD6 (writing Heritage Composer), and then took on some work in the vs. M. product line. I now also write content for Shadows Over Vathak, including adventures and other darkly lovely fun.
7:38 PM +Geoff_Gander: (done)
7:39 PM ~Dan: (Welcome, Lucus! We’re just doing introductions. 🙂 )
7:39 PM +Lucus: Hello Dan and everyone — I’m Lucus Palosaari, Project Manager for Fat Goblin Games.
7:39 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: I’m Ismael Alvarez, and I am a freelancer who has worked at Fat Goblin Games doing a plethora of 5th edition material. I did a lot of Pathfinder work, and have been having a blast writing for Shadows Over Vathak.
7:40 PM ~Dan: (Ready for questions? 🙂 )
7:40 PM +Geoff_Gander: I am. 🙂
7:41 PM +Rick_Hershey: yes
7:41 PM ~Dan: Great! Thanks, guys! The floor is open to questions!
7:41 PM +GKG_Alan: So! *What* is Vathak
7:41 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: (sorry, meant to say Done)
7:41 PM ~Dan: (No worries. 🙂 )
7:43 PM +Geoff_Gander: Rick and the gang are welcome to add to my answer, but Vathak is a 5E horror setting – not just any horror, however; think of it as cosmic horror (a la Lovecraft) meets grimdark fantasy.
7:43 PM +Geoff_Gander: It’s a world of infinite shades of grey vs. black and white.
7:43 PM +GKG_Alan: (I have two follow-up questions when this is answered)
7:44 PM +Lucus: The ad copy is: Shadows over Vathak blends the Otherworldly, Cosmic Horror themes of New England’s Lovecraft, the Macabre Mysteries of Poe, and the sensabilities of Victorian, Gothic Horror Adventure into an original fantasy setting
7:44 PM +Lucus: Which is a big buzzword filled diatribe 😉
7:44 PM +Geoff_Gander: I’d add it’s set on a continent long in the thrall of dark forces – the Great Old Ones, for lack of a better word – where humans are but the latest to try to settle.
7:44 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: Well put.
7:45 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: (Done, but I speak for myself)
7:45 PM +Lucus: (done unless you have a followup)
7:45 PM +Geoff_Gander: Thank you! It’s also unlike typical fantasy worlds in that there are no elves or dwarves to speak of. No dragons either.
7:45 PM +Geoff_Gander: (done)
7:45 PM +Rick_Hershey: Yes, all that.
7:45 PM +Rick_Hershey: (done)
7:45 PM +Rick_Hershey: lol
7:46 PM +GKG_Alan: Ok, so question A.) Why yet another Lovecraftian themed game? There’s loads of Lovecraft RPGs (even a few in fantasy). Why would I select Vathak over the others?
7:46 PM +GKG_Alan: B.) What makes this Lovecraftian theme different
7:47 PM +Geoff_Gander: I’ll turn to my learned colleagues. 🙂
7:47 PM +Rick_Hershey: We actually move away from dropping the “Lovecraftian” word often – when the setting was originally written, the market was not as flooded as it is now.
7:47 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: I would say that a lot of games try to mix D&D and Lovecraft in a variety of ways, but fewer of them do it well. You can’t just have a world of fantastical magic and adventure mixed with existential dread, especially if it is an idealized world where unicorns and wizards co-exist in relative harmony.
7:48 PM +Lucus: Shadows over Vathak actually as well is an older setting
7:48 PM +Rick_Hershey: But it does have a heavy dose of cosmic otherworldy creatures, which are important to the setting and its themes
7:48 PM +Lucus: We’re simply bringing it to D&D 5th Edition
7:48 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: To the point, Vathak accomplishes this by making the world one of contrasts and dread. The world is a broken one, conflict is everywhere, and there is no imminent hope for some magical fix that will solve everything and make the world better.
7:48 PM +Lucus: Rick Hershey and Fat Goblin Games originally published the core campaign book for Pathfinder First Edition in 2012.
7:49 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: Likely, if there is a solution, it will be a difficult one, filled with many sacrifices and loss.
7:49 PM +GKG_Alan: Good answers! I like those
7:49 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: (Done)
7:49 PM +GKG_Alan: and I will avoid the L word
7:49 PM ~Dan: Indeed!
7:49 PM ~Dan: What is the tech level of the setting?
7:49 PM +Rick_Hershey: I would say what makes it different is the “adventure horror” bit – although we do have investigations, madness, and unknown horrors – we also have a lot more action.
7:49 PM +Rick_Hershey: (done)
7:50 PM +Geoff_Gander: And this coincides with our Patreon, which is providing us a launch point to introduce it to a broader audience.
7:50 PM +Lucus: (done)
7:50 PM +Geoff_Gander: Tech level? It’s late renaissance I would say. There is gunpowder.
7:51 PM * ~Dan nods
7:51 PM +Lucus: RE: “what is the tech level of the setting” — Firearms play a major role in giving Humans an edge against the Spawn of the Old Ones
7:51 PM ~Dan: What’s state-of-the-art in firearms?
7:51 PM +Lucus: Late Renaissance/Early Modern (depending on your particulars there) is likely an accurate representation.
7:52 PM +Geoff_Gander: It’s definitely more modern than arquebuses. 😉
7:52 PM ~Dan: Flintlocks?
7:52 PM +Lucus: Varies by whom you are talking about. Every farmer, even the poorest soul, could have access to a rusty but trusty matchlock. The military though has these new fangled revolvers and the like. But ammo for such a weapon is different from the flintlock era tech.
7:53 PM +Geoff_Gander: And there is specialised ammo to deal with monstrous horror (i.e., silver bullets and more)
7:53 PM ~Dan: Are the revolvers cap-and-ball?
7:53 PM +Lucus: But to take on Spawn, that can be towering 50+ feet tall, you need cannons and siege weapons that are powered by explosives.
7:53 PM ~Dan: Or is cartridge ammo a thing?
7:54 PM +Lucus: Some would be. And those would be “common” while an American Civil War era firearm using a cased piece of ammo is the “new tech” that elite officers and the like might have access to. Potentially.
7:55 PM +Lucus: In the Pathfinder Edition, we had the benefit of my having written an extensive book detailing the 900+ years of firearm history from the simplest firework arms to early modern rimfire types. We have extensive rules to tap then to translate to 5th Edition but… much work to do as well then.
7:55 PM +Lucus: (done)
7:56 PM ~Dan: You mentioned no elves or dwarves… Are there any species other than human to play?
7:56 PM +Geoff_Gander: Yes!
7:57 PM +Rick_Hershey: We have elves and dwarves, and all the standards, they are just rare and not native to Vathak – or died off.
7:57 PM +Rick_Hershey: We talk about it in the Explorer’s Guide a bit
7:58 PM +Zack: Are there ways in which they are fundamentally different from typical fantasy races?
7:58 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: For other available races, we have creatures like the Wretched and Dhampirs that fill out those ranks. These races really drive the point home about the dreariness of the setting.
7:58 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: (Done)
7:58 PM +Rick_Hershey: We have a bunch of Vathak races; The Wretched, Hauntlings, Cambion, and several human heritages
7:59 PM +Geoff_Gander: You can play svirfneblin (deep gnomes), who come from underground cities in the Filth Reaches.
7:59 PM +Geoff_Gander: Cambion are humans who have some taint of the Old Ones.
7:59 PM +Rick_Hershey: Our first issue of Vathak Times includes Living Dolls as well
7:59 PM ~Dan: What are the Wretched and Hauntlings?
8:01 PM +Geoff_Gander: The Wretched are literally people built from the body parts of others, and animated.
8:01 PM +Rick_Hershey: Are the fundamentally different than standard fantasy races, yes. They were all chosen to fit the setting, they have ties to the world and its history that fits the overall narrative.
8:01 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: Zack, to answer your question, I’d say that our races, as well as the relative lack of other fantasy races, makes the games thematics a little bit more cohesive in play. A party will typically reflect the way a gothic horror game should feel like. (Done for Zack’s question)
8:01 PM +Rick_Hershey: And some of them are just cool and fun
8:01 PM +Rick_Hershey: (done)
8:02 PM ~Dan: And Hauntlings?
8:03 PM +Rick_Hershey: Hauntlings are a type of living ghost, often times stealing the bodies they inhabit
8:03 PM ~Dan: (Howdy, Eric_E!)
8:03 PM +Lucus: The Races can be divided into Human (we have 3 distinctive ethnic groups with varying beliefs and customs) and Human+ largely. The Hauntlings are human-like creatures that have a dead person’s soul attached to them (think a ghost that got to come back as a human). The Wretched are a Frankenstein’s Monster. While Witchwovles are descended from
8:03 PM +Lucus: werewolves.
8:03 PM +GKG_Alan: This si cool
8:03 PM +Geoff_Gander: And Dhampirs are half-vampires. Basically.
8:03 PM +Lucus: Then too we have the stranger races like the living dolls, and deep gnomes (the only Old Race that has sufficient numbers)
8:03 PM +Eric_E: (Heya Dan!)
8:04 PM +Lucus: What happened to the Elves and Dwarves and like is part of the game’s premise and mystery.
8:04 PM +Lucus: (Done)
8:04 PM ~Dan: Are all of the monsters horror-related?
8:05 PM +Geoff_Gander: A lot of them are, with horror ranging from classic to eldritch, but there are more mundane critters too.
8:06 PM +Geoff_Gander: So some D&D fare is there.
8:06 PM +Rick_Hershey: not entirely, I mean we have a lot of them, but we also cover natural creatures (animals) that live in Vathak.
8:06 PM ~Dan: Well, let me rephrase: Are there any “traditional” fantasy creatures?
8:06 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: So, many of our monsters are horror based, or are ahem… reskinned from traditional monsters to be something more, something grosser. However, Vathak would have creatures that are also normal, but tougher to reflect the unforgiving world. An ecosystem reflecting the horrors of that world’s reality. (Done)
8:06 PM +Geoff_Gander: Yes….damned Old One influence.
8:06 PM +Lucus: Even fairly mundane things have a horrific edge, at least potentially. An animal attack “hits different” when its not just running from a forest fire, but one that is animated by an evil spirit of Telegoth and if might even be a possessed bear, driven mad with hunger and rage at humans for what they have done to it and the land, seeking revenge on
8:06 PM +Lucus: behalf the Spirits of the Land.
8:06 PM +Lucus: (done)
8:07 PM +Rick_Hershey: There are, we stay away from certain ones, but a lot of common fantasy creatures do exist to a degree
8:07 PM +Lucus: Part of what helps to define the setting, in our minds as designers, is what is missing (and then the why it is missing).
8:08 PM +Lucus: Dragons are not a standard thing people know of — though the term exists and is used by people to describe monsters of various assortment perhaps.
8:08 PM +Lucus: As a for instance.
8:08 PM +Lucus: (done)
8:08 PM ~Dan: Why do people want to settle Vathak? What’s the attraction?
8:09 PM +Lucus: Like in-game why did people take over the land? Or why do they stay?
8:09 PM ~Dan: Both, I suppose.
8:09 PM +Lucus: Geoff et al I can take this one
8:09 PM +Rick_Hershey: go for it
8:10 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: Please do.
8:10 PM +Lucus: Historically, the vindari (one of the human groups) came to the land called Vathak as an invasion force BUT ALSO seeking a new homeland. They were literally run out of theirs. Pushed to the sea and fled.
8:10 PM +Lucus: They took their ideals and religion, the Church of the One True God, and found the shores of the land that came to be know as Vathak.
8:10 PM +Lucus: There they found a range of peoples.
8:11 PM +Lucus: The brhiota (another human group) being one of the earliest human-types. The romani had been there a long time as well, slave-like peasants and workers of a ruling class of vampire lords.
8:11 PM +Lucus: In the minds of the vindari and their relgion, they were liberators and bring “civilization” with a “convert or die” mentaltiy
8:12 PM +Lucus: Atrocities were waged on the people. Purges of those that would not/could not convert occurred.
8:12 PM +Lucus: *** ROMNI sorry… I think my keyboard corrected to Romani. Not the same, for many reasons.
8:13 PM +Lucus: The things that were done changed the land
8:13 PM +Lucus: There’s much, much more
8:14 PM +Lucus: But in the eyes of the vindari, the “dominant class” of people and race “evil” lurked in the land to be rooted out
8:14 PM +Lucus: And still does to this day.
8:14 PM +Lucus: That’s where the “war” on the Spawn of the Old Ones is a long, long one
8:14 PM +Lucus: The story of the day goes that it is close to being done. Just a little more land to conquer
8:14 PM +Lucus: A few more people to “free” of their evil wicked ways
8:14 PM +Lucus: By conversion or death… makes no difference to the One True God
8:15 PM +Lucus: But… things of course aren’t that clear cut.
8:15 PM +Lucus: (Done)
8:15 PM ~Dan: What forms do these Spawn take?
8:16 PM +Lucus: A quick answer is “Horrific beast, spawns of Hell — but also temptations, dark arts, a smile from a woman that intends to seduce you to a darker world and sin” 😉
8:16 PM +Lucus: But that’s only if you ask the Priests of the One True God.
8:16 PM +Rick_Hershey: We have 4 known Old Ones, Spawn generally take different shapes associated with the domains of those
8:17 PM +Lucus: If you ask the soldiers that have fought in the trenches — its more tentacles and teeth and inhuman horrors that tear at the mind
8:17 PM ~Dan: What are the four Old Ones like?
8:17 PM +Lucus: Ka’sogroth — Worm of the Black Earth
8:18 PM +Lucus: Orthu’mech — The Sundered Sea
8:18 PM +Lucus: Telegoth – Fire-in-the-Sky
8:18 PM +Lucus: Yeghniths — Creeping Cold Death
8:18 PM +Lucus: Each has many names
8:18 PM +Lucus: But their very loosely align with elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Air
8:19 PM +Lucus: Specific dark aspirations of those things
8:19 PM +Lucus: Their forms are legion
8:19 PM +Lucus: But Telegoth and it’s Spawn are typically “fire” or “burning”
8:19 PM +Lucus: From a tentacle of lava to the actual sun in the sky burning down on you as your skin blisters from sunburns and heat
8:20 PM +Lucus: The fury of hurricaines, winged beasts of the sea, and serpents of the oceans deep are Orthu’mech’s chosen
8:20 PM +Lucus: And on down the line — massive dhole type “worms” for Ka’sogroth,
8:20 PM +Lucus: And Yeghniths is the artic air and foul miasmas of death and pesitlience
8:21 PM +Lucus: etc
8:21 PM +Lucus: (done)
8:21 PM +Lucus: Actually I have one more side comment
8:21 PM ~Dan: Do your Old Ones correspond more closely to HPL’s Great Old Ones or his Outer Gods?
8:21 PM +Lucus: Related to things above and before
8:22 PM ~Dan: Insofar as the former are essentially horrific aliens and the latter are actual gods.
8:22 PM +Lucus: It’s easy to see there is a “One Church” and assume it’s “good” and the Spawn and the Old Ones are “bad” but it’s not meant to be presented black and white
8:22 PM +Lucus: But all greys
8:23 PM +Lucus: And as to the HPL “Great Old Ones vs. Outer Gods” — they are meant to largely be “cosmic evil” but are known by some (mostly the bhriota) to be “Spirits of the Land” and in their stories, Telegoth WAS a loving and peaceful thing
8:23 PM +Lucus: It was the sun that brought light to the land
8:23 PM +Lucus: The elves held festivals in honor of their god Telegoth and the joys of summer and spring
8:24 PM +Lucus: But, they were corrupted — again according to bhriotian tales — by the vindari invasion
8:24 PM +Lucus: The same for the others
8:24 PM +Lucus: So — cosmic evils that warp the mind but also spirits of the land worshiped in a form of animism
8:25 PM +Lucus: I’m uncertain if that makes them more Great Old Ones or Outer Gods
8:25 PM +Lucus: (done)
8:25 PM ~Dan: Do the Old Ones oppose one another?
8:26 PM +Lucus: “Depends on who you ask”
8:26 PM +Rick_Hershey: You might be getting into territory we have only theorized in development and never discussed openly
8:27 PM +Rick_Hershey: I would agree with Lucus
8:28 PM +Lucus: The design of the Patreon is for us to slowly roll out things, some of which we did put out for PF1 but almost none of which we’ve had a chance to push in 5th Ed. But from PF1 we presented the Old Ones as having three sets of followers: Cultists, Secret Society Members, and tribal worshipers. These groups could be at odds with one another but also
8:28 PM +Lucus: don’t have to be and could work with one antoehr — they all oppose the Chruch. And the Church roots out all of thm
8:29 PM ~Dan: How active are the Old Ones themselves (as opposed to their Spawn)?
8:29 PM +Lucus: In the lives of the adventurers — they will interact with followers and Spawn with great regularity.
8:30 PM +Rick_Hershey: They influence over being active – good or bad I think.
8:30 PM +Lucus: A cultist will claim they drowned someone because Orthu “told them too”
8:30 PM +Geoff_Gander: I would add the Patreon is scaled so that the more patrons we have (and it’s growing), the more scope we will have to delve more deeply into the affairs of cults and other groups.
8:30 PM +Lucus: The madman claims that Telegoth instructed them to burn down that orphanage
8:31 PM +Lucus: The Secret Society Member is amassing great wealth because the bones instruct them to which they believe “speak for Kasogratha”
8:31 PM +Lucus: Are these the actions of the Old Ones? Directly
8:31 PM +Lucus: ?
8:31 PM +Lucus: Or are they people making excuses for being human and horrible>
8:31 PM +Lucus: ?
8:31 PM +Lucus: (done)
8:32 PM +Geoff_Gander: That gets us back into the moral greyness.
8:32 PM ~Dan: What is magic like in this setting?
8:32 PM +GKG_Alan: (this all seems great)
8:33 PM +Lucus: The default magic at this point presented in 5th Edition should all be assumed to exist.
8:33 PM +Lucus: As time goes by and we can build up the number of books released by the Patreon
8:33 PM +Lucus: There will be a natural shift towards “spells” and the like that are “normal” for Vathak that may be unorthodox at your standard 5th Edition Fantasy game
8:34 PM +Lucus: Fortunetelling, for instance, is all the rage
8:34 PM +Lucus: Which is and isn’t the same as standard “divination”
8:34 PM +Rick_Hershey: Yeah, with the patreon we want to build on what people already know, give them magic we want to present, but also move where their interests are as well.
8:34 PM +Lucus: The normal means of divining don’t work quite the same for the user but the spell, mechanically, can be the same
8:35 PM +Geoff_Gander: And with the Patreon people can get insights and interact with us more directly, as well.
8:35 PM +Geoff_Gander: (i.e., through out Discord channel)
8:35 PM +Geoff_Gander: *our
8:35 PM +Lucus: We are focusing on “Adventure Horror” so while you’re facing off against the Unspeakable and Vampire Lords and worse — you’re expected to be able to be triumphant. Magic is part of that for sure. But your average farmer or soldier is more likely to rely on a firearm than a spellbook.
8:36 PM ~Dan: Are there any unique classes, and are any traditional ones missing?
8:37 PM +Lucus: We intend to slowly roll out “original classes” and character options.
8:37 PM +Lucus: But by default — no class is bared.
8:37 PM +Lucus: And again — to bring up the PF1 version — we actually included ALL of the classes PF1 had at that time. There were 37.
8:37 PM +Lucus: We included 2 archetypes, specific to the setting, for each one, in our Player’s Guide.
8:38 PM +Lucus: We also had 4 original classes/alternate classes (the Soldier class was an Alt Class for Fighters)
8:38 PM +Rick_Hershey: All of the classes and archetypes we did for PF1 will make it over in some form or another, ideally
8:38 PM +Lucus: Each with 1 archetype
8:38 PM +Lucus: We had in-world a space for every form of “class” and we will for 5th Ed.
8:39 PM +Lucus: So you can play a barbarian, and it might be a bhriotan tribal woman that uses rage at oppression to fuel her attacks
8:39 PM ~Dan: That’s cool.
8:39 PM +Rick_Hershey: Re-animator and Fortune-teller are ones I am excited about.
8:39 PM +Lucus: But you might also be a madman vindari, living in the cities, that uses their anger at the world to fuel barbarian like rage
8:40 PM +Geoff_Gander: There are also saints in the One True Church, and they bestow boons on the faithful – who don’t always have to be clerics.
8:40 PM +Lucus: We also had a Disciple class that relates largely to the Church of the One True God and exists along side Clerics and priests and such
8:40 PM ~Dan: Who do the non-vindari humans worship?
8:41 PM +Lucus: I mean if you ask anyone on Vathak who they worship they ALL say “The One True God of course”
8:42 PM +Rick_Hershey: The romni worship the Court of Signs, a collection of folk heroes
8:42 PM +Lucus: But even the priests aren’t always being honest
8:43 PM +Lucus: Excuse me – I need to leave to tuck my kid in for the night and take care of some other things. It was a pleasure — I’m sure Geoff and Rick and Ish can take it from here. Sorry for dominating the floor guys!
8:43 PM +Lucus: Goodnight
8:43 PM ~Dan: Take care, Lucus!
8:43 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: No worries. Later!
8:43 PM +Rick_Hershey: The Court of Signs correspond with the months of the year and make up their zodiac
8:44 PM +Rick_Hershey: the bhriota typically worship the old ones or versions of them
8:44 PM +Rick_Hershey: we also have ancestor worship and Saints, etc.
8:45 PM +Rick_Hershey: And nothing is set in stone, different races belong to religions not of their own, especially the human races
8:45 PM +Rick_Hershey: (done)
8:46 PM ~Dan: How are you presenting this setting in terms of products?
8:47 PM +Geoff_Gander: The main engine right now is the Patreon.
8:47 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: We are looking to put out things like monsters and player options for patrons, so they will get the first look and a say in how and what we release, especially at the higher pledge levels.
8:48 PM +Rick_Hershey: The bulk of the releases are adventures, creatures, and character options on patreon (but will also be on Drivethru at a higher price point) – our monthly zine, Vathak Times gets a bit more into the setting. For major setting books, they will be released when we hit certain goals on the Patreon.
8:48 PM +Geoff_Gander: We are also focusing on releasing adventures (a couple a month), as well as the Vathak Times, which is our newsletter-on-steroids.
8:48 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: We are also releasing adventures, which will likely showcase the material we release. (Done)
8:49 PM +Geoff_Gander: Here is one that came out this week….
8:49 PM ~Dan: So you’re introducing adventures before a core book? Doesn’t that present some difficulties?
8:49 PM +Geoff_Gander: Not as such. The material is 5E compatible so anyone can hit the ground running.
8:50 PM +Rick_Hershey: Not at all, we released the Explorer’s guide that gives a run down of the setting basics, and we give setting suggestions in each adventure- but we want the content to be useful even if you are playing in your own setting
8:50 PM ~Dan: Ah, I see. That makes sense.
8:50 PM +Geoff_Gander: Dan – how do I insert cover pics?
8:50 PM +Geoff_Gander: I have samples
8:51 PM ~Dan: You’re using KiwiIRC, correct?
8:51 PM +Rick_Hershey: So, its generic horror with sprinkles of the setting – and those who want more Vathak content will have plenty of it at higher support tiers
8:51 PM +Geoff_Gander: Dan – yes
8:52 PM ~Dan: If so, there’s an upload button on the lower right-hand corner next to the emoji button.
8:52 PM +Geoff_Gander: Uploaded file: (Link: https://uploads.kiwiirc.com/files/5d11c8b1d782185f14aa03d76d44045e/explorers%20guide%20cover.jpg)https://uploads.kiwiirc.com/files/5d11c8b1d782185f14aa03d76d44045e/explorers%20guide%20cover.jpg
8:53 PM +Geoff_Gander: This is the Explorer’s Guide that Rick mentioned. It contains the basic info to get started.
8:53 PM +GKG_Alan: So we just back the Patreon right?
8:53 PM +Geoff_Gander: That’s the easiest way.
8:54 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: Indeed.
8:54 PM +Rick_Hershey: Yeah, joining at any level gets you the Explorer Guide for free as well as the world map. All tiers get you at the least 4 adventures and 4 new creatures a month
8:54 PM +GKG_Alan: BOOM
8:54 PM +Geoff_Gander: We have many tiers – starting at $5 per month.
8:54 PM +GKG_Alan: Backed
8:54 PM +Geoff_Gander: 🙂
8:55 PM +Rick_Hershey: Awesome, and you’ll get access to everything we have already released
8:55 PM +GKG_Alan: 😀
8:55 PM ~Dan: Is there a bestiary planned?
8:55 PM +GKG_Alan: I’m very excited about this
8:55 PM +Geoff_Gander: And access to our Discord channel where you can get advance notice of new stuff, talk to us, and more!
8:55 PM +GKG_Alan: it all sounds very cool
8:56 PM +Rick_Hershey: Eventually, yes we will do a bestiary, most likely as a Patreon goal
8:56 PM +Geoff_Gander: The first Goal is a book on Religion in Vathak. Once we hit 100 patrons we’ll do it.
8:57 PM ~Dan: Vathak is the name of the continent, right?
8:57 PM +Rick_Hershey: and everyone gets those, regardless of tier pledged
8:57 PM +Rick_Hershey: yes
8:57 PM ~Dan: How big is it compared to IRL continents?
8:59 PM +Rick_Hershey: That’s a good question
8:59 PM +Rick_Hershey: We actually figured this out and I don’t recall off the top of my head
9:00 PM ~Dan: What is the rest of the world like?
9:01 PM +GKG_Alan: The art here is stunning
9:02 PM +Rick_Hershey: The rest of the world is where are various other settings takes place – some of those have been released in some form, others are just piles of notes. We always try and keep our settings as singular isolated areas so that you have the choice of what you want to be out there
9:02 PM +Rick_Hershey: Thanks GKG_Alan
9:03 PM +GKG_Alan: I’m super stoked about this now
9:03 PM +GKG_Alan: I think I’m gonna start an online game
9:03 PM +Rick_Hershey: We even have a region called the Colonies set up as sort of a transitional spot for bringing characters in from other lands
9:03 PM +Rick_Hershey: Vathak could be a part of your Ravenloft game or off the coast of Faerun, if you choose
9:04 PM +Rick_Hershey: (done)
9:04 PM +Geoff_Gander: There’s a lot to keep exploring. We’ll be touching on more of the world and its people in future issues of Vathak Times.
9:04 PM ~Dan: To each of you: What is your *least* favorite part of Vathak?
9:05 PM +Rick_Hershey: As a creator or publisher?
9:05 PM ~Dan: Either one!
9:06 PM +Rick_Hershey: As a creator – there is so much content developed for the setting that just sits in my head and I’ve discussed with other creators and a lot of it doesn’t make sense to develop or work on yet, even though it is super cool
9:08 PM ~Dan: Geoff_Gander, Ismael_Alvarez? 🙂
9:08 PM +Rick_Hershey: As a publisher – my least favorite part is people asking “what about XXX” when I know it fits in Vathak, but not how they want it
9:09 PM +Geoff_Gander: As a creator, it’s coming into the world and hitting the ground running (which is fine – I’ve done it before), but also assimilating so much material.
9:09 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: As for me, as a writer, I think my least favorite part of Vathak is Khrota. And that’s kind of misleading of me to say. It’s a land that is so overrun with spawns of the old ones that it resists the Vindari conquest. It’s a great idea, but more difficult to integrate into player friendly material. No one would want to go there without serious
9:09 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: prompting. But that being said, it is a pretty good blank slate that can have more interesting things expanded into it. I say it’s my least favorite, but only in the sense that it has potential that hasn’t been yet realized. (Done)
9:10 PM * ~Dan nods
9:10 PM ~Dan: Cool.
9:10 PM +Geoff_Gander: There’s a huge collection of lore to be developed in some way, and it will come eventually, but I really feel like I’m dealing with an iceberg.
9:10 PM +Geoff_Gander: Not that this is a bad thing!
9:11 PM ~Dan: Indeed!
9:11 PM ~Dan: Is there anything we haven’t covered that any of you would like to bring up?
9:11 PM +Rick_Hershey: yeah, wait till you learn about Nosferatu Kings and who the One True God really is!!!
9:12 PM +Geoff_Gander: LOLI’d like to add that
9:12 PM +Geoff_Gander: I’d like to add that we *really* want to hear from patrons.
9:12 PM +Geoff_Gander: We appreciate and love your support, and want to know what you want to see.
9:12 PM ~Dan: Nice.
9:13 PM +Geoff_Gander: (done)
9:13 PM ~Dan: Do you guys mind wrapping up a bit early? I’m pretty much tapped for questions.
9:13 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: I just want to add that I’m excited for all the things that were hinted at in prior versions of the setting finally seeing some sunlight, so to speakl (done)
9:13 PM +Rick_Hershey: Thats fine with me DAn
9:14 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: Me as well, no worries.
9:14 PM +Ismael_Alvarez: Great discussion!
9:14 PM ~Dan: Okay! Thanks very much for joining us, guys!
9:14 PM ~Dan: Usual reminder: If you’ve enjoyed this Q&A and would like to treat me to a coffee or two, you can do so at (Link: https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe)https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe . Anything’s appreciated! 🙂
9:14 PM +Rick_Hershey: Thank you!
9:14 PM ~Dan: Now, if you’ll give me just a minute, I’ll get the log posted and link you!
9:14 PM +Geoff_Gander: Thanks for having us!
The Hardboiled GMshoe's Office 
