[Q&A] Christopher Falco (The Blood: Expansions)

[7:39 PM]Falco: Alrighty! I’m Chris Falco (usually just go by Falco, as my nick implies), I head up Falconian Productions, a small tabletop publishing brand, and I’m also a part of the Far Horizons Co-op, where I’ve been heading the Guide to Cults simultaneously. But today we’re talking about The Blood and its kickstarter, and in particular the supplements we’re trying to fund for it. The Blood is a game about vampires as creatures of magic in a modern setting, the sort of urban fantasy game where it’s assumed the supernatural exists but isn’t in the spotlight. A large focus of the game is in integrating the unique take on vampirism with a system for magic that I’ve been putting together for a while now, to make vampires be more dynamic in their power than just mind control and transformation.

[7:40 PM]Falco: The supplements include Advanced Magic, which is exactly what it sound slike, providing new rules to expand on the magic system, like arcane projects and magical styles; and sorcerous rivals, which will contain more in depth mechanics for other supernatural beings like witches/warlocks and cambions (half-spirits), among other things

[7:40 PM]Falco: (done)

[7:41 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Thanks, @Falco! The floor is open to questions!

[7:41 PM]Dan the GMshoe: So let’s go right ahead and deal with the blood-sucking elephant in the room: Why should someone choose The Blood over the World of Darkness?

[7:45 PM]Falco: Yeah I expected that one. So, the World of Darkness is a game about a worldwide conspiracy where the player characters struggle to break through as anything more than pawns in the metaplot. The recent edition helps that a bit on some level but ultimately it still tends to feel like there’s a lot going on that can be distracting. The Blood differs in a few key areas. On the above note, the focus of vampires and their night-to-night tends to be localized to a city, and cities tend to have individualized groups that are connected to them without focusing too much on a larger picture. Yeah, they might be seeded or have sister groups elsewhere, but it’s more about surviving and empowering themselves each day than it is about some large political conspiracy. Beyond that, it’s not at all about loss of control or personal horror, per se. You don’t ever lose control of yourself like you would in those games; instead, the Blood might tempt you with the Desires it has, allowing you to use magic more easily to fulfill them, and it has a positive-feedback associated with that, but it’s still ultimately entirely up to you when you break. And of course, there’s the focus on magic and the supernatural overall. Magic in WoD, at least for vampires, is strict spell lists more or less. The Blood has a very dynamic system that integrates heavily with the systems for vampires (and will do so in very different ways with OTHER supernatural creatures).

[7:46 PM]Falco: The short answer would be if you want your focus to be on magic and supernatural power and every aspect of what that implies, you’re going to want to go with The Blood.

[7:47 PM]Dan the GMshoe: A very solid answer!

[7:47 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How common are supernaturals in this setting, and how do they stay off the public’s radar?

[7:49 PM]Henry: @Falco Do you have a link to your current project?

@Dan the GMshoeHow common are supernaturals in this setting, and how do they stay off the public’s radar?[7:51 PM]Falco: I’ve yet to go into any exact numbers and my larger answer there is “They’re everywhere, but the exact numbers will vary heavily per city/setting” On the latter note, there’s a concept called Secrecy that’s semi-ironic. The wider populace KNOWS the supernatural exists. They all have brushes with it. They don’t see a flash out of the corner of their eye, they saw a ghost head on one night in a graveyard. They don’t make fun of the back room of an old cafe with stories about “Oh what if they’re doing some weird alchemical project there?” they smell strange scents and feel an eerie energy in the place. But they don’t want to deal with it. Life’s already pretty complex, you know? Do you want to deal with a bloodsucking creature other than your landlord every night? No. So most people go to work and get on with their lives and they have a sort of subconscious bargain with that side of things that if they just leave them be, they’ll mostly behave. If they don’t, well, that’s where hunters, mysterious government organizations, and other supernatural beings that don’t want the deal mess with step in. So they don’t stay off the radar, they just make sure the radar isn’t worth looking at. (edited)

@Henry@Falco Do you have a link to your current project?[7:51 PM]Falco: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/falconianproductions/the-blood-expansions/

[7:51 PM]Falco: And if you want a link to the Basic Rules, which are freely available: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/333015/The-Blood-Basic-Rules?affiliate_id=259490The Blood: Basic Rules – Falconian Productions | The Blood | DriveT…Vampires are creatures of magic; how else do you explain the undead? Some absent god’s curse? Possessing spirits? Stra

[7:52 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Interesting approach!

[7:52 PM]Henry: Do you have art you could share that you are proud of?

[7:53 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Are all of your vampires’ supernatural abilities sorcerous in nature, or do they have innate powers as well?

@HenryDo you have art you could share that you are proud of?[7:54 PM]Falco: At the moment that’s what the Kickstarter’s about. Most of my art is public domain or generated and then altered heavily by me. There are definitely some cool things here and there but nothing I’m proud of quite yet. But I have some artists lined up that’ll hopefully add some cool color to things.

@FalcoAt the moment that’s what the Kickstarter’s about. Most of my art is public domain or generated and then altered heavily by me. There are definitely some cool things here and there but nothing I’m proud of quite yet. But I have some artists lined up that’ll hopefully add some cool color to things.[7:55 PM]Henry: Do you mean AI generated? and if so how is the process of AI generated affected your work, did you change anything to work with it or did you try and get it to work for you?

@Dan the GMshoeAre all of your vampires’ supernatural abilities sorcerous in nature, or do they have innate powers as well?[7:56 PM]Falco: Well, short answer is that they do have some advantage just by being undead. They’re resistant to damage, don’t need to breathe, don’t need to sleep (but usually do because it’s weird to jsut keep going), and so on. The more complicated answer is that most of how they work as vampires integrates directly with sorcery. The basic idea is your typical vampire powers come from how they tend to use it because of the advantages they have. A lot of physical powers come easily to them because they “Resonate” with themselves and so can easily alter their bodies with the appropriate Aevocations. A lot of mental powers come down to Desires of the blood that help them control people and put themselves high on the social pecking order. And so on.

@HenryDo you mean AI generated? and if so how is the process of AI generated affected your work, did you change anything to work with it or did you try and get it to work for you?[7:57 PM]Falco: Yeah, some of it’s AI. I’m trying to scale that back, thus the kickstarter to pay some artists. But that said, it’s a combination; sometimes it spits out what I need, sometimes it spits out something I didn’t ask for but “hey I can use that for X instead!”

[8:00 PM]Henry: Time is the currency of life. @Falco Why should people spend their time on your The Blood? In a flooded market of RPG’s what does your game provide more than any other, what makes your game unique and why should people play it more than any other?

@HenryTime is the currency of life. @Falco Why should people spend their time on your The Blood? In a flooded market of RPG’s what does your game provide more than any other, what makes your game unique and why should people play it more than any other?[8:05 PM]Falco: Well, what I’m most proud of is the magic system and how it touches on so much of everything else in it. But unlike, say, Ars Magica it’s not itself an arcane ritual to learn how to make use of it (I say that as someone who likes that system, mind you). The way the magic system works is a dynamic “noun and verb” type of concept. But instead of both being a character trait you buy, you ONLY buy the “verb,” what we call Aevocations (or “Knacks,” as an in-game colloquial thing, like “She has a Knack for Degradation”). That commands what you can DO, but that doesn’t tell you WHAT you can affect. The other piece, then, is Resonance. Resonance is essentially the magical footprint of a concept in the world, and if you know an Aevocation, you can grab hold of that concept and change it in the normal layer of reality. It can form in any number of ways, and part of the fun is figuring out how to make use of it. The most common is what we call “Epitomizing,” wherein there’s a magical level of Resonance if that concept is HEAVILY reflected in the world. Like, a minor bit of irritation won’t create an anger Resonance, but someone breaking a bottle over the bar counter and going for the throat definitely will (along with violence, in that case). For something more physical, like a cat, a normal cat won’t reflect in any usable Resonance, but a best in breed sort of cat might, or a feral colony of them. Beyond that, there’s then arcane materials that you can shape and attune to Resonant concepts, supernatural creatures that Resonate with something specific (like spirits), places of power that arbitratrily resonate, magical essence you can burn for specific types, and sacrificing something to make it resonate at a usable level. You can then use rituals and your group’s Connection to enhance those further

[8:06 PM]Falco: Long response there, sorry, lol. But yeah, all of that and what you can then do with it is controlled with a simple comparison of the level of your Aevocation and the level of the Resonance itself.

[8:06 PM]anth: Are all the PC’s vampires then? Or are there other PC options?

@anthAre all the PC’s vampires then? Or are there other PC options?[8:07 PM]Falco: If you only have the Basic Rules, you’re basically stuck with vampires. However, Sorcerous Rivals will have usable rules to play the other types it’s going to introduce. Not as in depth as vampires, but enough.

[8:08 PM]Falco: Oh, or mortals. The Basic Rules can of course create mortals if someone likes playing sidekick1

@FalcoLong response there, sorry, lol. But yeah, all of that and what you can then do with it is controlled with a simple comparison of the level of your Aevocation and the level of the Resonance itself.[8:11 PM]Henry: I think there is nothing wrong with a long response its a hard question and I think you handled it well

[8:11 PM]Dan the GMshoe: What other supernatural beings share this setting?

[8:11 PM]Henry: Is your System unique to this setting?

@Dan the GMshoeWhat other supernatural beings share this setting?[8:16 PM]Falco: Witches/Warlocks are the most other populous one. They’re essentially mortals who dice into magic as a concept and let it change them to the point they can “grip” it back like more innately supernatural creatures can. Mortals who DON’T go that far into it can dabble in magic with singular spells or getting changed by it (we have a couple Advantages that cover that), but they don’t have the arcane “package” of traits that implies magic use in its entirety. They tend to be a little more scattered than vampires but do have their own loose groups. Cambions are the other big “innately supernatural” type. They’re people that either had a literal spirit for a parent or were in some way altered by a spirit in a developmental age. A gremlin infects a kid poking at their tablet, for instance, and suddenly they change. They end up Resonating with their “parent” and can take on other forms, either a direct physical representation, or if that doesn’t make sense an intangible body similar to a spirit’s. Ghuls are still in the more planning stages, but the idea for them is basically they’ve killed themselves literally consuming magic. That can include literally eating someone with a trace of it, like your typical view of them, but most of them would be more apt to break down and eat a magic wand (or whatever type of enchanted object) or even scoop up some dirt from a place of power. There’s then “Freelancers” which goes back to the mortal thing above, they tend to be more common in areas where supernatural creatures are sparse but supernatural phenomena otherwise aren’t. They’re basically mortals that decide “Yeah I’m gonna go into that back room, why not?” and then realize the only way to survive in that world is to tie themselves to a supernatural creature somehow. Their only power is usually whatever their benefactor gives them

@HenryIs your System unique to this setting?[8:17 PM]Falco: Should’ve replied to this first. Short answer is yes. It’s a dice pool system that you put together with skills and skill specialties for mundane actions, and with Refinement and Aevocation for spellcasting. With some exceptions blending between the two.

[8:17 PM]Falco: On that note, since the prep said to have a sheet onhand.

[8:18 PM]Falco:

[8:18 PM]Falco: I do plan to redo that a little more after the kickstarter, as the title implies there, but yeah.

[8:19 PM]Falco: As yuo can see, you basically end up Trained in skills and then define Specialties you have in them. Trained alone gets you 2 dice, and then specialties get you 3 to 5. You combine any two that make sense for a given roll; Skills can be added twice if needbe, specialties can’t.

[8:19 PM]Henry: What mechanic do you think we can find in your system that we won’t find in another which is unique to your setting?

[8:20 PM]Falco: Well, I think the Resonance mechanic within the magic system is pretty unique in how it works. It tends to be a good way to make players think about how they can get the Resonance they need for the spell, and also lets the Narrator guide how easy it is to get access to certain weird types of it.

[8:21 PM]Falco: Though I then also like how the Desires mechanic for vampires interfaces with that pretty directly.

[8:22 PM]Falco: So many vampire games are stick rather than carrot for whatever defines vampirism. This goes the opposite way. The stick is only in response to how you use the carrot. (It’s not a perfect analogy)

[8:22 PM]Dan the GMshoe: How do Desires work?

[8:26 PM]Henry: What makes your setting unique? There are many ‘World of Darkness’ style games what is the thing that makes yours different?

[8:27 PM]anth: Can you give me an idea of the kind of basic storylines a game of The Blood might use/suit?

@Dan the GMshoeHow do Desires work?[8:27 PM]Falco: So, the Blood is a semi-aware force, and it’s what fuels vampires as a thing. It’s half tied into the character’s own desires, half tied into something else that’s hard to track, and it wants things. Either for you, or for it. It’s not, like, evil, but it doesn’t form Desires based on larger contexts. You have three Desires, or I guess slots for them as they aren’t always full: Long-term desires are those that will basically help you in your next step tto gain magical power, or improve yourself in a way that you want or that will benefit you even if you don’t consciously acknowledge it. Players get to define that. Its main benefit is a secondary energy pool, more or less, to avoid going all into that Short-term desires are things that could be done int he next day or week or so. Cast an experimental ritual, get that next book you need, that kind of thing. If you cast a spell that will directly fulfill it or progress you to it in a straightforward way, you don’t need Resonance (up to a limit based on your personal power level, Refinement). You also get a lesser amount of Viscera if you do that. Players define it but the narrator can grab hold of it for a good reason Immediate desires are what happens in the moment and are your instincts on both a personal and metaphysical level. You have an Immediate Desire to “Kill that guy that shot you” after getting shot, whether or not that escalation is a good idea, and ALL it does is help you cast the spells that’ll help with it. The narrator always defines it.

@HenryWhat makes your setting unique? There are many ‘World of Darkness’ style games what is the thing that makes yours different?[8:34 PM]Falco: Well I covered this a bit in the above question about World of Darkness when we started, but to touch on it a bit differently, it’s that focus on magic and the balance of personal power in a somewhat fragile world that doesn’t WANT all-powerful vampires in it at a basic level. The groups are very focused on either the specific setting or a specific aspect of magic that they help push things in the direction of the story you want rather than the direction the metaplot wants. The cults and Institutions that vampires form are a lot more linked in a conspiracy-board style, too, rather than it being “These two groups want to kill this one and kinda each other.” That then goes into @anth ‘s question, too, because the story focus is different. The basic cycle of things tends to be on discovery of a supernatural oddity, whether worthwhile on its own merit or related to your Desires or your cult/Institution’s goals or your circle (player group’s) stated Connection, or whatever drives you. It’s usually then an investigation into the specifics of it, and then how to take advantage of it (if possible), and then on making sure your claim of it will stick. That last bit then might be its own “returning” thread here and there because claims never truly stick, someone always wants it. And of course, all of those things should get you caught in the aforementioned group links. As an example in my current game I’m running, the group was brought into an investigation into a decrepit apartment complex at the behest of a girl that was clearly altered by the supernatural somehow; her dad went missing. They learned he was caught up with a supernatural gang of sorts who had been using that apartment building to channel ley energies into the creation of a space-folding snake beast. So, then it comes down to, use that or get it out of others’ hands and hope for a reward?

[8:35 PM]Henry: What inspired you most artistically, musically or what fiction/setting inspired you most?

HenryWhat inspired you most artistically, musically or what fiction/setting inspired you most?[8:38 PM]Falco: Well, I’d be lying if I said World of Darkness or Chronicles of Darkness didn’t, with of course some desire to change things there as I’ve gone into. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina series from netflix definitely influenced things here and there. I love the atmosphere there and how magic is rarely as simple as just casting from nothing. As well as all of the supernatural layers touching upon it all. Supernatural is another obvious choice. Less from a hunter point of view, obviously, but the early seasons’ focused street-level thing of how supernatural crap could take a huge variety of forms that are usually still catalogueable on some level, and tends to be a local thing rather than a vast conspiracy. Like I said, early seasons at least. (I do liek the later ones, mind, but it’s less of an influence)

[8:40 PM]anth: That kind of reminds me a little of early X files seasons before it went conspiracy, but of course with very different protagonists

[8:40 PM]Falco: Been a while since I saw any X-files

[8:40 PM]Dan the GMshoe: I note that the game doesn’t have attributes, only skills. What was your thinking there?

[8:40 PM]Henry: The question must come, why not 5e and if not 5e why not one of its well-known competitors? Such as Power by the Apocalypse, Savage Worlds or Fate? Why put in the massive work that is making a unique system?

@Dan the GMshoeI note that the game doesn’t have attributes, only skills. What was your thinking there?[8:41 PM]Falco: My thinking was basically the Skills ARE the attributes, and then the specialties branch out from there, essentially

@HenryThe question must come, why not 5e and if not 5e why not one of its well-known competitors? Such as Power by the Apocalypse, Savage Worlds or Fate? Why put in the massive work that is making a unique system?[8:42 PM]Falco: Hiss Ahem, sorry, to avoid conflict-oriented answers, this isn’t a dungeon crawling game and that’s where I feel 5e is oriented. As for other systems, I considered several of them but they didn’t feel right. Like a lot of them have little things that are great and I have no problem using those bits in an altered, integrated form, but I wanted to do my own thing there, ultimately.

[8:43 PM]Dan the GMshoe: You said this is a dice pool system?

@FalcoBeen a while since I saw any X-files[8:44 PM]anth: Yeah, me too. Like 25 years lol I’ve not been as interested in supernatural themes since then.

@Dan the GMshoeYou said this is a dice pool system?[8:45 PM]Falco: Yeah. Roll your two traits as a pool of d10’s, 7+ is a ‘hit.’ 1 hit is usually enough, but a Threshold can subtract them (usually for things like a roll being resisted or just being difficult due to external factors), and if you get 3 hits after the Threshold it’s like a crit in level of success. It does pretty heavily lean into ‘failing forward’ and ‘success with a cost’ as options if the dice dislike you,t hough. In fact it REQUIRES you allow success with a cost if failing would just kinda ruin things, like if you’re doing an investigation and need a clue. The game encourages complication, not roadblocks.

[8:47 PM]TheHennik (they/them): That’s good. I recently ran a Fate session where I forgot the “success at a cost” portion, and nearly killed a PC by accident.

[8:47 PM]Henry: What is your least favourite aspect of The Blood?

[8:48 PM]Falco: That I have nobody to run it for me right now. lol

[8:49 PM]Falco: More seriously there are a few parts where I purposely cut complexity and parts of my gamer goblin brain hissed at me for it. Equipment is very simple, and there’s no real “money” system to speak of yet (though I’ll eventually introduce some optional rules for it down the line, likely)

[8:50 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Does this game feature a bestiary?

[8:51 PM]TheHennik (they/them): (Dan looooooooooves bestiaries.)1

[8:52 PM]Falco: Not reeeaallly. There’s a supplement that already exists for spirits, though (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/409128/Drops-of-The-Blood-Spirits?affiliate_id=259490) and the sorcerous rivals book will have some NPC blocks. I do have “random supernatural oddities” as something on my supplement list for down the line, though, which would include plenty of that kinda stuff. Possibly sooner than later depending on public opinion if this KS manages to hit a second stretch goal.Drops of The Blood: Spirits – Falconian Productions | The Blood | D…Drops of The Blood: Spirits is a supplement for The Blood, compatible with the Basic Rules/Quickstart. You need those ru

[8:55 PM]Dan the GMshoe: What are your spirits like?

[8:56 PM]Henry: Imagine The Blood has gone triple platinum, people no longer say I am going to play D&D they say Blood instead. People cosplay as characters from your game and people wear merch about The Blood like Nirvana T-Shirts. They say things like ohh that game that was based off the movie ‘The Blood’ yeah I guess, that level of success. Imaging that. 1. How does it make you feel? 2. What is the thing that gets you in trouble? 3. What is the one thing you loved from your game that now makes you cringe?

@Dan the GMshoeWhat are your spirits like?[8:57 PM]Falco: Spirits are magic. They’re formed when Resonance does weird things or there’s just so much or such a sudden burst of it that it pools on itself and forms a thing. Exactly how that happens sort of defines their “species,” so to speak. Ghosts, for instance, form because of the massive amount of Resonance caused by an emotional human death (notably NOT the actual human, but they get a clumsy imprint of their mind at the time). Fae form when bargains, oaths, or other oddities of humans’ weird social structures get taken to an extreme. Mechanically, they’re very simple and mostly defined by their magical ability. The idea is you can create one off the top of your head without any mental strain.

@HenryImagine The Blood has gone triple platinum, people no longer say I am going to play D&D they say Blood instead. People cosplay as characters from your game and people wear merch about The Blood like Nirvana T-Shirts. They say things like ohh that game that was based off the movie ‘The Blood’ yeah I guess, that level of success. Imaging that. 1. How does it make you feel? 2. What is the thing that gets you in trouble? 3. What is the one thing you loved from your game that now makes you cringe?[9:00 PM]Falco: 1. That’d at the basic level make me very warm and fuzzy that my ideas hit the cultural zeitgeist like that. That so many people vibed with the random brainworms that became a game. 2. I imagine the D&D gamers that are now a minority probably dislike me and are talking about how crummy my system is for not even having a Beholder in it. I probably would get in trouble for engaging more than I should until I got used to it. 3. After the initial novelty wore off, I’d cringe when people used “The Blood” to mean “Any tabletop RPG.” Like, “Oh man, you play The Blood?” “No, this is FATE”

[9:01 PM]Falco: Oh wait I think I misread 3 a bit. About my game personally that I loved BEFOREHAND, hmm

[9:03 PM]Falco: That’s honestly a good question. I’m not entirely sure. Probably people overusing game terminology as slang? Though that’s probably not the best answer there

@FalcoThat’s honestly a good question. I’m not entirely sure. Probably people overusing game terminology as slang? Though that’s probably not the best answer there[9:04 PM]Henry: I think that I like this question because its motivating but it also helps people think in terms of what is my project is super successful rather than what if it fails.

[9:04 PM]Henry: @Falco What is the one thing you wished people asked about The Blood but haven’t yet?

[9:05 PM]Falco: Can I answer what I’m glad they DIDN’T jump immediately to? Because I think most of the stuff I really wanted to talk about I did.

[9:06 PM]Falco: Which I guess still ends up fitting it because it would probably be better if it eventually got asked, so long as it wasn’t the first thing.

[9:07 PM]Falco: Which would be “How does combat work?” as a straight out the gate thing. lol

[9:07 PM]TheHennik (they/them): How combat-focused is the game?

@FalcoWhich would be “How does combat work?” as a straight out the gate thing. lol[9:07 PM]Henry: How does combat work?1

@TheHennik (they/them)How combat-focused is the game?[9:08 PM]Falco: Not very, but it’s easy to tune it how you want. In my current game we’ve had sessions with a couple combats (which is a bit much) and several without any, which is fine and good.

[9:08 PM]anth: I was going to ask whether it was social, or more combat focused but asked about a typical game instead. I thought that would be better to get a sense of it

@FalcoNot very, but it’s easy to tune it how you want. In my current game we’ve had sessions with a couple combats (which is a bit much) and several without any, which is fine and good.[9:08 PM]TheHennik (they/them): I prefer combat-light games, myself, so that’s a plus for me!

[9:09 PM]anth: I like playing a mix of games, combat focused is ok as long as it’s not the only type of game I am playing. (edited)

[9:10 PM]HOO (Biological Male): I come from a wargame background,so Ilike combat-heavy games! But I’m open to other styles. (edited)

[9:10 PM]anth: I don’t play in depth heavy lore / setting oriented games though as I can’t remember all the details required to keep up with them.

@HenryHow does combat work?[9:11 PM]Falco: Well, it’s a variation of ‘popcorn’ initiative. Essentially, whoever goes “I attack” first does so, barring some magic getting in the way. They then choose who goes next, which means barring any outside interference or very specific oddities in the context of the combat, that side likely would all go and blow everyone away. Except you can strain yourself mentally to interrupt an enemy’s ability to choose who goes next, and go next yourself instead. Logical limits apply; you can’t do it if you already went. Magic can also let you do that more freely But you have a health bar that tends to tick up incrementally without direct one-shots, pretty typical stuff. Successful attack is a tick, complete success is two. Options for making it more deadly are in sidebars.

[9:11 PM]Falco: As for the lean, I’d say investigation first, social second, combat third, at least as a focus. Doesn’t mean you won’t make more social rolls than, like, your “Look at crime scene” dice pool over the course of an investigation

[9:12 PM]Falco: Or have to fight if you provoke Sue the Jerk into attacking you first to ruin her reputation

[9:12 PM]Falco: And in all cases the game’s very blatant that singular rolls can be made if something’s not important

[9:12 PM]Falco: If the jerk at the bar isn’t going to take down 3 vampires, just roll once to knock him over

[9:13 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Who are the main antagonists?

[9:13 PM]TheHennik (they/them): It’s me.1

[9:13 PM]Falco: Everyone else. Everything else. TheHennik in particular, yes.

[9:14 PM]Falco: Not trying to be evasive there, the idea is there are a lot of little supernatural groups who aren’t like in some war but they definitely look out for number one

[9:14 PM]Falco: The main antagonist is whoever out there has an incompatible goal with you at this moment

[9:14 PM]Falco: And beyond that the supernatural oddities you’re looking into are no fun if they just open up with their secrets (edited)

[9:15 PM]Falco: The building you just stepped into literally was a gateway into the realm of “The Floor is Hot Lava”

[9:15 PM]Falco: (Don’t ask how that realm formed)

[9:15 PM]TheHennik (they/them): My secrets mostly involve cheese for some reason…

[9:16 PM]Falco: You probably have cheese spirits1

[9:17 PM]anth: Sorry to harp on comparisons but how would you compare a game of The Blood to a game of Urban Shadows?

[9:19 PM]Henry: @Falco I have asked you a few questions and I hope they have been helpful, so this is my… Final Question. What are people not talking about in the Roleplaying community that should be and why?

@anthSorry to harp on comparisons but how would you compare a game of The Blood to a game of Urban Shadows?[9:19 PM]Falco: Oh man I haven’t read urban shadows in ages. I think It ried it one time? Uhhh off the top of my head IIRC I’d say The Blood will be a lot more “high magic” at least in PC capability, and it’s less likely things explode if you do too much magic. Magic’s drawbacks mainly come into play if you overrely on it and it gets antimagic’d, or if you choose “Success with a cost” when you fail your spell roll.

[9:19 PM]Falco: Or wait, Imay be thinking of the wrong game there.

[9:20 PM]anth: That’s cool. Was just curious.

[9:20 PM]Falco: Yeah I think i was thinking of unknown armies. i never played urban shadows. My bad

[9:21 PM]Acsidol: Unknown armies in urban shadows sounds like the foot clan. (edited)1

@Henry@Falco I have asked you a few questions and I hope they have been helpful, so this is my… Final Question. What are people not talking about in the Roleplaying community that should be and why?[9:21 PM]Falco: Well, the easy answer here is indie TTRPGs in genereal, so many “Only 5e” sorts are still out there and the love needs to be spread more. There also needs to be more talk about marginalized folx being made to share space with those that would see them harmed, and the harm that DOES happen to them.

[9:21 PM]Dan the GMshoe: In the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?

[9:22 PM]Acsidol: Can you describe your game in 5 words to get an acquaintance hooked?

[9:22 PM]Acsidol: >.>

[9:22 PM]TheHennik (they/them): Such as your favorite cheese (or cheese pun)? (No idea why I chose cheese tonight, but here we are…)

@TheHennik (they/them)Such as your favorite cheese (or cheese pun)? (No idea why I chose cheese tonight, but here we are…)[9:23 PM]Acsidol: It’s a gouda choice. Can’t dis a brie.

@Dan the GMshoeIn the time remaining, is there anything we haven’t covered that you’d like to bring up?[9:24 PM]Falco: Well, since I just mentioned antimagic, I’ll touch on that real quick. Antimagic is basically where a lot of vampire weaknesses come from, and weaknesses of ‘magic’ in general. Just about any human can make use of it to tamp down or protect against magic, but few really know how to do it. Those that do can be dangerous very quickly. There’s banishing, warding rites, and naturally-occurring fire also counts as a special form of it (thus witches burning and vampires not liking fire in many mythologies). It’s also something that tamps down the power of the magic system, in that having a bunch of permanent spells that you went through a ton of effort for is a good way to be targeted by a hunter who can just knock them all down if you misbehave.

@AcsidolCan you describe your game in 5 words to get an acquaintance hooked?[9:25 PM]Falco: Hmmm. Usually I just go with “Vampires as creatures of magic” or “Vampires fueled by the arcane” as the 5-word thing. “Vampires and magic” for the even more condensed 3 word. There are a lot of people that like that intersection, I’ve found. lol

@TheHennik (they/them)Such as your favorite cheese (or cheese pun)? (No idea why I chose cheese tonight, but here we are…)[9:25 PM]Falco: I like a lot of cheeses in the right circumstances. But I dislike bleu cheese as a rule.1

[9:26 PM]Acsidol: Vampiric sorcerers taking over the world?

[9:27 PM]Falco: lol that’d likely go badly.1

@FalcoWell, the easy answer here is indie TTRPGs in genereal, so many “Only 5e” sorts are still out there and the love needs to be spread more. There also needs to be more talk about marginalized folx being made to share space with those that would see them harmed, and the harm that DOES happen to them.[9:27 PM]Henry: I hope my questions have helped you promote your game and I hope you as a game maker found them interesting. I wish you the best of luck and I think you had great answers. Good luck and farwell

[9:28 PM]Falco: Thanks! I appreciated the interest and the thoughtful questions, yeah

[9:28 PM]Dan the GMshoe: Thanks very much for joining us, @Falco!1

[9:28 PM]Dan the GMshoe: 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 https://www.ko-fi.com/gmshoe. Anything’s appreciated! Ko-fiBuy Dan Davenport a Coffee. ko-fi.com/gmshoeBecome a supporter of Dan Davenport today! ❤️ Ko-fi lets you support the creators you love with no fees on donations.

[9:28 PM]Dan the GMshoe: If you’ll give me a minute, I’ll get the log poste and link you!

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