#Tabletop Nonstop

[indiepressrevolution]

It's ZineMonth!!! Lets talk about some cool games!!

There are so many awesome games crowdfunding right now that today we're just going to talk about 10 cool games that are currently crowdfunding on Crowdfundr! I'll be making more posts about more games in the future, and if you know of a cool game that's currently crowdfunding please add it on to this post!!

Grotty Gobbo's Tea Grotto lets you take control of the cosy Tea Grotto as you blend tea and build a community around you. Make friends, drink tea, go on an adventure, and stay wholesome.

The River Spirit is a guidebook for a solo journaling experience that uses a deck of cards to help you create memories of your hometown and the community found there, only to remix them into new stories and eventually sacrifice those memories for the greater good.

Tangled Blessings is a magic academy horror RPG for 1-2 players that uses tarot cards to reveal your fate.

On the eve of your final exam at Brackroot Academy, what mysteries, secrets, dread, and drama will you recall from your last four years of schooling?

In Dinocar, you and as many friends as you can gather will work together to map out a snippet of that world. You’ll paint a map, draw landmarks, slap buildings into place, and take turns going on chaotic road trips and commutes. At the end of a game of Dinocar, you’ll have a story to tell and a wonderful map to either frame on the wall or stick to the fridge.

Necro Mech Synthesis is a Bonepunk RPG about ghosts piloting mechs via possession! Fight in a world abandoned by God and defend Lady Death herself against the remaining three horsemen of the apocalypse!

Echoes in my Hull is a solo journaling game about remembering the people we have lost. Use a deck of tarot cards to become acquainted with your crew and ultimately be the last existing record of their lives.

GRANDMOTHERSHIP is a sci-fi TTRPG about senior ladies in space. Get in trouble, crochet a new scarf, go ballroom dancing, and find solutions where everyone else has failed.

My Mother’s Kitchen is a solo journaling game about traditions, change, and cooking. You play as the author of the original family cookbook, robbed of memory and trapped on Earth as the spirit of your cookbook. Act as a guardian for your family, and try to remember why you’re bound to the book as you guide your inheritors through centuries and generations. 

WANDS & LASERGUNS is a high-intensity solo roleplaying game about being a wizard trapped in an anti-magic future. Pit your old-fashioned wits and wondrous new technology against diamond-studded nobility, cybernetically enhanced gangs, dirty cops with a vendetta, and high-fashion psychopaths. The struggle is real when you're far from home.

Derelict Delvers is a thrilling, action-packed sci-fi roleplaying game that immerses players in a struggle for survival and profit. Players take on the roles of elite space troopers, scientists, and engineers who must explore derelict spaceships and space stations in order to scavenge for supplies, salvage for weapons and valuable resources, and ultimately, hunt down the monsters that threaten the very existence of mankind.

Still not enough games? Check out Crowdfundr's Tabletop Nonstop page or the ZiMo official website for more!

[crowdfundr]

Support Solo TTRPGs on Crowdfundr!

These ten games are Live or Launching Soon on Crowdfundr for Tabletop Nonstop!

Derelict Delvers from Cezar Capacle - Survive and thrive in derelict space with solo or group play.

Echoes in my Hull from Matthew Woodyard - A game from the perspective of a spaceship.

Wands & Laserguns from Christian Bahnweg - Play as a wizard trapped in an antimagic future.

Any% from S. Quinn Morris - Tarot-Fueled Speedrunning Action!

Soft Focuses from C. R. Legge - A solo journaling game about ADHD

Grotty Gobbo's Tea Grotto from Michael Sweeney - A cozy blend of tea, tarot, and journaling.

My Mother's Kitchen from Fleet Detrik - A game about traditions, change, and cooking.

Project Ecco from Elliot Davis - Track a time-consuming entity throughout an entire year and record your playthrough on the pages of a planner.

Tangled Blessings from Mothwin Productions - A solo or 2-player magic academy horror ttrpg

The River Spirit from Nico Macdougall - Create memories of your hometown and the community found there, then remix them for new stories.

[gigantic-spider]

The Stone-Flesh Gift promo

JayEmBosch on Twitter was kind enough to read through my game, so I want to return the favor for a fellow Crowdfundr...er. (Crowdfundrite? Crowdfundrian?)

Body horror and space: two great tastes that taste great together! The Stone-Flesh Gift is gorgeous and creepy and tactile in the best ways.

First off, the map is incredible. Navigating through stylized human organs as the map? Genius. Stunning. Feels like a Victorian anatomy textbook come to life, both familiar and alien at the same time.

The adventure hooks are good, but my favorite has to be Stone-Flesh Angel: The players, stuck on a hostile planet or decaying space station, witness the Gift land or dock near them. They don’t have time to consider the ramifications of boarding. Find out how to control the Gift.

Almost every room has a Neurolink, something a player can connect to to get information about their surroundings, but this comes at a price and isn't always clear. Instead, it's presented in poetic, metaphorical language, the way that the ship understands itself.

My favorite:

NEUROLINK (d5): 1. You tire of the pace of being. 2. You’re the tradewinds of a dried up planet. 3. You have no mouth, and you must wheeze. 4–5. You feel the bated breath of an expectant mother cradling her egg.

And if you like crafting systems and parasitic biological hazards? Well you're in luck, because this living ship has it in spades. There's just an unreal amount of gameable, engaging stuff in this zine. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

[mortphilippa]

Grandmothership - granny detectives in space!

Grandmothership by Armanda Haller is a silly ttrpg about grandmothers solving mysteries in space.

It's like if Murder She Wrote had a baby with The Expanse and then the baby grew up and wrote a comedy show about it.

Grandmothership is crowdfunding a print run with more art and layout on crowdfunder here! It is one of my sponsored picks for Tabletop Nonstop!

Tabletop Nonstop is Crowdfundr's spotlight event celebrating indie creators and their projects. Support the projects mentioned in this video ans more this month on Crowdfundr here!

Crowdfundr is the creator-friendly crowdfunding platform. It's free to use, offers multiple ways to fund your project, and directly invests in its user's success with spotlight initiatives like this one and resources like the Creator Hub. Get started now at crowdfundr.com

[reaperwh40k]

League of Votann skirmish game

[catshavenolord]

INTO THE SWAMP!

Just a quick reminder there’s still time to back the print run of Swamp Troll Witch(es) for Zine Month.

This is a cozy, GM-less game focused on exploration and problem solving with a splash of potionmaking and hot baths on the side.

Hop in now to get a print copy and early access to the updated PDF that will match the printing.

[ttrpgrisingtide]

Community Talks: Crash! Talks Blaseball, Their First Crowdfundr Project Our Community Talks series dives into what’s happening with members from our very own Rising Tide community discord.

Today, Adam interviews Crash!, and they chat about their first crowdfunded project, Blaseball: The Forbidden Book.

Adam: Can you introduce yourself, say a little about your history in games, and where people might be able to come follow you if they are interested?

Crash!: Okay! So, online pseudonym is Crash!. I'd mainly stuck to mainstream ttrpg for a good amount of time, 4 years or so before migrating to other more indie systems in the past two. Also been following the indie absurdist horror Blaseball for a while. Its game mechanics were diverse enough to where I thought it'd make a great TTRPG, and absolutely loved its community. Thank the animatics from the for that- I watch them day in and day out because they're amazing and really capture what people can imagine from just some simple text and images.

For TTRPG updates, my Tumblr is the most used. For the crowdfunding, and playtest updates, just hop on over to the Crowdfundr!

Read More!

[zees-pieces]

Get ready to show off your love for tabletop gaming with our awesome 20-sided dice earrings! These unique earrings are perfect for any gaming enthusiast and feature a fun and playful design. Brand new and never worn, these earrings are sure to add a touch of personality and quirkiness to any outfit. Made with high-quality materials, these earrings are built to last and will be a cherished addition to any gamer's jewelry collection.

[lotus-queer]

We're so close to fully funded! Let's keep this Dracula party going!

Oops, All Draculas! is live on Crowdfundr! Be the Dracula of your dreams, live in a spooky home of your own creation, and empower your magic through teamwork (and a fuckton of d6s!)

Here's some inspirations behind Draculas:

The gameplay

The Archetypes

Aristocrat

Innocuous

Nosferatu

Sentimentalist

Techno

Enjoy!

[fredwkong]

Djinni's Gym: Hot Yoga

With a new gym opening in town, you had finally decided to get off your ass and try working out again. You had always been kind of shrimpy, and a few months of nonstop office work had added a bit of unwanted mass to your belly. A generous free trial of the new gym’s facilities was just the kick you needed to get back in shape.

Of course, you hadn’t counted on what seemed to be half the men in town taking the free trial as well. You shouldered through the crowd in the reception area, at least a dozen men filling out release of liability forms. “Look,” you said to the receptionist, a huge Black man, “can I at least go stretch and then come fill out the form when it’s not so busy?”

The guy looked you over and shrugged. “Sure, lil bro,” he rumbled. “The yoga studio is over there.” He lifted a massive arm and pointed across the weight room. As you nodded, you caught a whiff of the humid stench rising from his pit. As your eyes watered, you found yourself rock hard in your sweats.

“Th-thanks,” you stammered, and hurried through the turnstile, your cheeks burning. You had never reacted like that to another man. You looked around the weight room, trying to distract yourself.

The whole place was full of big weightlifters with a whole range of skin tones, all of them dressed in gym gear that left nothing to the imagination. You swallowed, your throat suddenly gone dry as a huge Indian bro grunted through a squat, sweat soaking the back of his tank top.

In a daze, you drifted across the weight room, your eyes drawn to every bouncing pec, rounded ass, and thick bulge you passed. A medley of scents flooded your nostrils, and your own cock started to leak pre into your briefs.

Finally, the door of the yoga studio closed behind you. Your head spun as you leaned against it, idly trailing one hand over your belly to cup your groin.

The yoga studio was dim, wood-panelled and, you quickly realised, heated. The thermostat on the wall read 38 Celsius. There was a single yoga mat set up in the middle of the room. To your overheated, lust-addled mind, some yoga seemed like a great idea. It didn’t occur to you that you hadn’t done a flow in years.

As you stepped out of your shoes and onto the yoga mat and stood in mountain pose, your feet tingled and expanded, darkening from toes to soles to ankles. Your joints flexed, supple and agile, as your feet began to emit a masculine scent that tickled your nose. Your cock jerked again, but you attempted to ignore the heat coiling in your belly.

You raised your arms and slipped into a forward fold, a little surprised when your hands easily touched the mat. You breathed into the gentle stretch in your hamstrings, unaware of your fingers stretching wider across the mat, their grip soft yet strong. An olive tone spread across your formerly pale hands as a sheen of sweat stood out among the thickening hairs near your wrist.

Stepping back into plank, you lowered yourself halfway and slipped smoothly into upward dog. You were surprised at how well your body recalled the sun salutation. After a few minutes in downward facing dog, you lowered yourself to your hands and knees in tabletop.

Dark skin rushed up your arms and legs. They got no longer or shorter, but tightened with lean, hairy muscle. Sweat poured off your body as you went through cat and cow repetitions, adding to the heady, musky humidity of the studio that was keeping you boned up.

You slipped seamlessly into a side split, your newly flexible hips bringing your cock and balls right down to the mat. You gasped, unable to contain yourself as your cock shuddered and grew against the rubber, thickening and darkening as a foreskin grew to cover the head. You felt an even larger spurt of precum gush into your sweats, which seemed to shrink and tighten, until you realised you were wearing stretchy yoga tights that left nothing to imagination. As you lifted out of the stretch, you left a visible pearly stain of precum on the mat, which added its own earthy musk to the air.

Finally, you lowered yourself from a plank onto your belly, resting one cheek on the mat as you breathed. Your shirt vanished into thin air, revealing your newly tight pecs, flat belly, and rippling back muscles. An olive tone swept up your neck, dusting your cheeks with stubble as your eyes darkened, hooded and lusty. You sighed in a deeper voice than you were accustomed to, relaxing into the yoga mat as your transformation ended.

The door of the studio opened behind you. “Hello?” rumbled the big receptionist.

His name suddenly leapt into your mind. “Hey Shaun,” you purred, a Hispanic accent creeping into your voice. “Want to help me stretch out?”

Shaun chuckled. “I’m on the clock, Jorge. I’ll take you in the showers after close.” He sniffed the air appreciatively. “You ready for your first class?”

Your cock flexed, trapped between your hip and the mat, at the thought of a couple dozen sexy men getting sweaty at your command. Only long practice at containing your lust until the right moment kept you under control. You couldn’t wait to lead them through a flow, get them hot and excited, and then help them release all their tension along with their sweat and, possibly, their jizz. You had become Jorge the Mexican yoga instructor, and you couldn’t imagine a better job than teaching classes at Djinni’s Gym.

[thegreatyin]

Is there a FL TTRPG? It feels like a PbtA game setting just. Like. Purpose made for a shit ton of fun. I've heard nothing of the sort but I'd be shocked if it's not around.

funny you should ask: there isn't currently an official one, but there will be!

it's something a lot of people have been wanting for ages, and it was officially announced earlier this year. we don't have a lot of details on it, but so far it's confirmed

it's an entirely original system developed in partnership with magpie games

it uses a d6 dice pool

it's designed for 3-5 players

you can play as a nonhuman character (exciting news for the scoundrel in particular!!)

obsession is a "fundamental game mechanic". what does that imply? your guess is as good as mine

aaand a few other details you can read over here. in the meantime, there's probably a few fanmade systems online if you wanna really scratch the victorian tabletop itch.

im not sure if i'll end up playing the official TRPG myself (tabletop stuff is fun in concept, but hasn't always worked for me in execution) but if all of y'all are fans of my nonstop scoundrel posting episodes and want to experience the setting in that kind of format, i highly recommend checking it out when it launches!!

[jjkamochoso]

Helloo! I read your written about isao shinomiya and it was amazing!

Can you write another one about him like if he get jealous :) ?

Yes I can, and here it is below!! Thanks for your patience and for your support!! I’m so happy you like my work and I’m always glad to help bring your ideas to life so I appreciate you choosing me for the task!! Much love and I hope you enjoy🥰❤️🫶

Director Jealous- I Mean, General

Fluff

Isao Shinomiya x gn!reader

Warnings: none

A/n: I made up the Platoon Leader character, just fyi :)

You sighed, setting your lunch tray down with a bit more force than intended, the loud clunk of plastic hitting tabletop reverberating through the dining hall. It was another fine day at the Ariake Maritime Base but you were so exhausted that you decided to take your second meal break early. Being Chief of Staff was certainly no joke—you always had meetings to attend, battle plans to write out, training to keep your body in top shape. You loved your job, though, because it made you feel like you were truly making a difference in the Defense Force. It certainly didn’t hurt that rising up the ranks allowed you to spend more time with Director General Shinomiya, who you considered a coworker, and was the man you’d been hopelessly in love with for an embarrassingly long time. You didn’t mind pining from afar since the prospect of approaching him with a topic of anything but anti Kaiju tactics was much too scary. You also weren’t worried that someone else would confess romantic intentions to him before you ever could because his gruff demeanor and no nonsense attitude certainly weren’t causing people to fight for his affections.

Not that people were lining down the block to steal your heart, either.

You sighed again, this time taking some food to your mouth in an attempt to enjoy your meal. The saying is correct that it’s lonely at the top: you’d worked so hard in your career that you had no time for a significant other and you rarely saw your family due to other obligations. Even friends were slim pickings here at headquarters since most people in First Division wouldn’t chance talking to a superior like yourself in such a casual way and the rest of your peers were either gone on business trips or holed away in their own offices nonstop.

“L/n, right? Chief of Staff?”

You turned your head to face the person standing next to you. You recognized the smiling man as a First Division Platoon Leader. You nodded, allowing him to continue.

“Wow, I never see you high rankers out here! Can I sit?”

He motioned to the seat next to you and again, you nodded. He was right that the higher ups weren’t in the dining hall too often. You usually chose to eat in your office, trying to get as much work done as possible at all times. Today was a rarity for you in that you really needed a break. You also really needed a friend, so you let him talk your ear off as you munched away.

“I’m Kiyoshi Kato, Platoon Leader. Of course, you probably already knew that. Anyway, I’ve been working on this idea for a smoother evacuation plan…”

Kiyoshi then delved deep into his well thought out plan. You wanted to be frustrated that you couldn’t escape work in the one place that no one ever gets work done, but you had to admit, his idea was genuinely smart. You saw where improvements could be made, but overall, it was pretty solid.

“I’m impressed, Kato,” you said, giving him a hearty pat on the back, “you made some really good points in that idea of yours. Why don’t you type up a proposal and run it by my office later?”

You had never seen someone’s eyes light up quicker than his did in that moment.

No one had ever seen a man’s eyes darken as quickly as Isao Shinomiya’s did when he saw you speaking with and smiling at a subordinate. As he stood in the doorway of the dining hall, an unfamiliar squeeze of his heart was harshly felt. He had come by your office earlier, hoping to catch a glance of you and exchange pleasantries, but when you weren’t there, he frowned deeply. Where could you be? You were always in your office. In fact, he walked by there so often he inadvertently learned your schedule. It was only 11:30am; you usually didn’t leave for lunch until 11:47am. Lo and behold, he found you at the dining hall, much too early and off schedule for Isao’s liking. He wanted to walk forward and break up whatever moment you two were sharing, but he found himself unable to move, his gaze frozen on the scene in front of him. You had been smiling that wonderful smile of yours, but something was horribly wrong—your hand was resting on the back of another man. Isao’s own hand was clenched in a fist by the time you moved away from the mystery man, and his boots hit the ground with a heavy thud of each step as he finally reached your table.

“L/n. When you’re finished with your meal, I need to speak with you.”

The words left his mouth before he could convince himself it was a bad idea to approach you. What he was going to speak to you about was yet to be determined, but he knew he couldn’t stand seeing you with this other man for another minute.

“D-director General, sir! I was just leaving, sir!” the man saluted nervously, turning to you and saluting you as well before clearing his tray in a hurry. Isao wanted you to have friends, but you deserved to be around someone who actually understood you, someone who was of a higher caliber and rank.

Someone like him.

“I think you scared off poor Platoon Leader Kato,” you joked, letting out a laugh that rivaled the lightness of a feather.

“Hm. If he’s that scared of me, he shouldn’t have that job,” Isao said, his harsh tone holding more disdain than usual, but you didn’t seem to notice.

“I’ll be on my way. Enjoy your meal,” he told you, quickly turning on his heel and all but running out of the dining hall. He needed answers, quick.

“Narumi! What do you know of a platoon leader named Kato?”

The Director General found himself in the middle of the disheveled room of the man who knew almost everything about everybody in the First Division—Gen Narumi. That is, if this Kato guy was powerful, anyway—if he was a weakling, Narumi wouldn’t have the slightest clue as to who he was. Isao didn’t know whether he preferred the guy to be strong or a bumbling fool.

“Huh? Why are you being so loud so early?” Gen questioned, emerging from a pile of blankets with his handheld gaming system.

“I don’t have time for your games, Narumi, this is important.”

“Fine, fine,” he groaned. “Kato, huh? Name rings a bell. He’s smart but his strength could use some work. Why, what’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Isao snapped, way too fast to avoid suspicion by the dark and light haired man.

“Oh, really?” Gen asked, a sly smile working its way on his lips, “‘cuz I think you’re lying.”

“I’m leaving,” Isao said, walking away, but Gen spoke up once more.

“This is about y/n, isn’t it?”

Isao stopped dead in his tracks. “Don’t use our Chief of Staff’s first name. I won’t tolerate that kind of blatant disrespect.”

Gen raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, sorry. This is about L/n, isn’t it?”

Isao’s silence was all Gen needed to know his assumption was correct.

“He didn’t try asking them out, did he?” Gen wondered, his eyes wide.

“He better not have,” answered Isao, his blood pressure steadily rising. “Did he mention doing such a thing?”

“No, it was just the first thought that came to mind.” Gen was furiously slamming the buttons on his gaming console. “Now that I can see you’re clearly jealous for whatever reason, would you care to tell me why?”

Shinomiya wanted to be surprised that Gen guessed correctly, but he figured that he was being much too obvious about his interest in you that even the man who never took his eyes off the screen in front of him could see right through the lovesick director.

“I’m not talking about this with you, Narumi,” Isao grumbled. “I actually have to get back to work. Unlike someone.”

“Whatever you say, Director Jealous,” teased Gen, wearing a knowing grin. Isao so desperately wanted to chew him out for being so, well, Gen, but he had to get back to his office before you got there. Without a second glance, Isao exited the room with a slight slam of the door. Walking down the halls, he pondered Gen’s words. Was he actually… jealous? The Director General, jealous of a platoon leader who dared to speak with someone Isao was fond of, but never declared himself to be? He scoffed internally.

I’m like a child with a schoolyard crush.

He checked his watch and cursed. You’d be arriving at his office any moment and he was still pretty far from his destination. He doubled down on his speed, eventually throwing himself in his desk chair, acting as nonchalant as possible with 30 seconds to spare.

“Director General? You wanted to speak with me?” you asked, knocking on the door.

“You may enter.”

Isao tried to calm his beating heart. It was from all the fast walking, of course, not from the prospect of seeing your lovely face sat across from him.

No, not that at all.

“How may I help?” you chirped happily, taking up a spot in the chair in front of the Director’s desk.

“What did Kato want from you at lunch?” he inquired, not wasting another moment to get to the bottom of this. The real question was, how would Isao react if Gen’s first thought was right—if Kato tried asking you on a date? He felt murderous intent slowly creep up inside him and he tried to shove it down while he waited for your answer.

“Oh, that! He had a fantastic idea regarding evacuation routes,” you answered. “I told him to prepare a proposal and we’d look it over when he was finished. Nice man. Very intelligent.”

“I’m sure he is,” Isao said, clasping his hands and resting them near the bridge of his nose. “He didn’t… ask anything personal, correct?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

You looked very confused. That was a good thing, meaning Kato hadn’t approached you with romantic intentions, but Isao didn’t know how he’d explain such an odd question. Was now the right time to tell you the truth?

“L/n, listen. I…” He stopped. You were looking at him with such kind eyes that he didn’t how to form a sentence. It had been many years since he fell for somebody, and now that a person has finally stolen his heart once more, he couldn’t remember how to act accordingly.

“I didn’t like how he encroached on your free time with talk of business,” he said, a half truth coming from his mouth.

“I promise he didn’t bother me, Director. I took lunch early anyway. He probably tried to find me in my office first.”

“No he didn’t,” Isao mumbled, but you caught what he said.

“How do you know?”

Uh oh.

“I know because… I was looking for you at that same time,” he admitted, trying desperately to suppress the blush that threatened to overtake his cheeks. He was a grown man, for heaven’s sakes, he shouldn’t become a bumbling mess when talking to a person he found attractive.

“Oh? You must really enjoy talking to me, then, if you were searching me out prior to my impromptu meeting with Kato,” you gently joked.

“I do enjoy spending my time with you, yes.”

You didn’t falter. “Well, I’m pretty fond of you as well, Shinomiya.”

“I didn’t like how friendly Kato was with you,” he finally blurted out, the silly confession making him wish he was anywhere but within those four walls of his office.

“Am I wrong to assume that you’d wish that was you taking my up time at lunch instead of him?”

Isao’s eyes widened slightly in shock. “How did you…?”

“I had a hunch, that’s all,” you said, wearing a coy smile. “Shall we discuss your jealous tendencies over a coffee sometime? Maybe, say, 11:30 tomorrow morning?”

Isao was never the type to be taken aback so easily, but it felt like his world was being flipped completely upside down right now. It was like being on a rollercoaster, but he didn’t think he ever wanted to get off the ride—not if you were there next to him.

“I’d like that, L/n,” he answered, his softened eyes betraying his normal stone-like expression.

“Good, I’m looking forward to it. If you’ll excuse me, I have to text Narumi a thank you.”

Isao resisted the urge to growl out profanities. He was gonna kill that meddling kid!

[indiepressrevolution]

Not Yet Funded Zinemonth Projects

Even more TTRPG campaigns, but as of posting none of these have hit their funding goal yet! Please check them out and help make these games a reality! Want more? Check out https://zinemonth.spread.name/ and https://crowdfundr.com/spotlight/tabletop-nonstop/

Please feel free to add projects onto this post or shout them out in the replies as well!

[torao-chan]

So going back and forth about Leander I was wondering how quick you caught on to his scheming. Because I first I didn’t like him but I didn’t really have a reason why I just didn’t. But upon rereading his dialogue I was like hmmmmm

Oh man, I clicked like. maybe three lines in.

I have what my friend affectionately dubs an 'evil-dar'. I may not be able to tell you exactly why someone's fucked up, but if I see them and I immediately like them- they fucked up.

Probably, I think the earliest sign for me, was the emphasis on performing.

A pair of gilded boots stride across the tabletop. "Seriously, you dogs? Again?" Scattered laughter and cheers rise from the audience. I drag my eyes upwards... a well-dressed man stand on the table in front of me, his broad shoulder framed by the thick lapels of a trench coat. "This really is the last time, alright?" This time, when he speaks, the audience falls silent, as though bewitched by his magnetic presence or rich, low voice. But nothing is as captivating as his smile. He beams at the crowd around him, a performer on his makeshift stage. "Don't blink, or you'll miss it."

These were the bits the immediately drew me in, the bolded bits. And it's the bolded, italicized bits that immediately made me go 'he's hiding something, and it's horrific, and I want to know more.'

Gilded boots in a downtown pub; carefully designed, likely expensive in taste, and yet he's in the slums- the place where people pull a face when you mention going there. It doesn't say cheaply gilded, or with a fancy design- it's just gilded. It's intentionally not giving us much, but telling us something important- this is a man who is conscious of his appearance. Of how he looks, how he presents, right down to the design on his boot. And he cares enough to throw money at it. If it was just from his upbringing, he wouldn't maintain them, wouldn't still have them today. We don't have a word describing how put together the boots are, how well maintained, but we do immediately get told that he's a performer. It's highly likely that they are chosen and maintained intentionally.

"This really is the last time, alright?" is tasty tasty to me. How will this be inflected, when voiced properly? Is this an establishment of boundaries, from a man placating his pack of puppies? A certain firmness there, that indicates that his word is law here; he's not joking this time? Or is it a man caving to the pleads of his people, throwing them another bone to keep them satisfied in between working on other schemes? Either way, this is a man who has power and is prone to indulging people; and indulging them in a way that indicates he is above them. Whether intentionally or not, consciously or not, this is the stance it takes- to me, at least.

The audience is bewitched by him, the mage. His charisma is high, he's generally liked and adored, and that means he's a man who can get away with a lot of shit. He can work a crowd, appeal to masses and individuals as one, and makes them all feel special- whether they're all together or by themselves. This gets emphasized a lot later, too, and in a lot of his profiles and lil details, but this is when I knew that. He knows how to work a person, and that usually comes from trauma or social ambition, and either way- I'm interested and hungry.

The fact that they outright state he's "a performer on his makeshift stage" makes me so ravenous alksjgldsjgl. The table is his stage, the pub is his stage, heck! The whole town is his stage and he's performing nonstop the entire time we interact with him. Fake or real, undecided- but performing nonetheless. A performance doesn't have to be dishonest, but it is intentional. And intentional means that there's a goal to be achieved- grand or otherwise.

And then there's the warning.

Three lines in (damn, I was right- literally three lines of dialogue from him).

"Don't blink, or you'll miss it."

Such an enticing statement, always. It's so easy to miss, his flashes of soul under the performance. The moment in the pub, later, when he's content to leave the chaos to reign until the player turns to him for help (and then he sighs, like he didn't want to, wasn't planning to, but who was he to let down a new audience member?). The moment of flat on his face, when you refuse his hand, and he grabs you anyway, determined to pull you into his web, into his puppet show. You could be a valuable piece- a fresh pawn off the woodcarver's table, and unblemished, yet, by the rest of the city. The moment when he looses his composure slightly, unaware to what extent Kuras had seen you during your examination.

There's so much there that sold him to me immediately as a favourite, as a schemer, as someone to watch out for because they've always got a knife three inches from your back, and that is super attractive, but man.

Yea, three lines of dialogue in, and I knew.

As my friend said, I have an 'evil-dar'. asdlkjlgsjg if I like the character, she knows 9/10 times, they're definitely fucked up in some way aslkjdklgsdg

[mortphilippa]

Zine Month 2023

I hope you're excited for zine month as I am!

This year I am working with Crowdfundr on their Tabletop Nonstop event, a spotlight event to showcase indie creators.

Support the projects mentioned in my videos this month on Crowdfundr here!

Crowdfundr is the creator-friendly crowdfunding platform. It's free to use, offers multiple ways to fund your project, and directly invests in its user's success with spotlight initiatives like this one and resources like the Creator Hub. Get started now!

[stephank]

I'm very lucky to be able to spend a week DMing a tabletop show almost nonstop as my job, so part of me is like "I don't DESERVE to be exhausted right now" lol