Ok, this is my post about the new book, Advanced Game Mastering Like A Fucking Boss. 

What is it?  A full-color, 111-page PDF going for $10.  Just me trying to make sense of everything that's happened in the 9 years since I wrote How To Game Master Like A Fucking Boss.  If you already know the basics, you may be ready for a higher and more dangerous wisdom.  We'll see...

This is my blog post link about it: https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/04/advanced-game-mastering.html

Any questions, comments, or feedback is welcome!

So in theory one would need to purchase the original first, I assume? Also if there's an introductory adventure as noted on the blog, is this system agnostic or specific to Cha'alt? (Can't say I have a ton of familiarity with it, TBH, beyond knowing that people were all up in arms over it and some of the adventures being conservative or something.) Is the purchase through Drivethrurpg primarily, if somebody reviewed it there? Or is it also available elsewhere? Finally I tend to have trouble DMing adventures and campaigns that aren't modules or otherwise fleshed out solidly. Might be a lack of imagination on my part, or just that I do best with a framework to get things moving mentally and creatively. Is this the sort of thing that might help with that? Also, would you consider your advice applicable within an OSR context specifically? (I'm planning on running 1e AD&D soon-ish with some folks, trying to give them an authentic-ish experience despite it being my first time with the system and the OSR genre, and it seems like a good bit of the system and a large chunk of how it turns out...  will hinge on my DMing skills.)

Quote from: KindaMeh on April 19, 2023, 05:37:10 PM
So in theory one would need to purchase the original first, I assume? Also if there's an introductory adventure as noted on the blog, is this system agnostic or specific to Cha'alt? (Can't say I have a ton of familiarity with it, TBH, beyond knowing that people were all up in arms over it and some of the adventures being conservative or something.) Is the purchase through Drivethrurpg primarily, if somebody reviewed it there? Or is it also available elsewhere? Finally I tend to have trouble DMing adventures and campaigns that aren't modules or otherwise fleshed out solidly. Might be a lack of imagination on my part, or just that I do best with a framework to get things moving mentally and creatively. Is this the sort of thing that might help with that? Also, would you consider your advice applicable within an OSR context specifically? (I'm planning on running 1e AD&D soon-ish with some folks, trying to give them an authentic-ish experience despite it being my first time with the system and the OSR genre, and it seems like a good bit of the system and a large chunk of how it turns out...  will hinge on my DMing skills.)

Terrific questions!  I will try my best to answer them here...

Both GMing books are separate and individual.  The first contains everything that I felt like I had learned since picking up the RPG hobby with Moldvay's magenta box D&D way back in 1982 or 83.  This new one is about what I did with all my accumulated knowledge since then.  It's self-reflective and tries to go deeper into the GMing vocation or calling in the age of identity crisis.  I think pretty much every GM will get something useful out of it.

Yeah, right now you can only get it on DriveThru, but if you have a conscientious objection to that site, we could work something out via paypal or whatever.  If Advanced Game Mastering Like A Fucking Boss is as well received as I'm hoping it will be, I may include it in the back of my next Cha'alt book (hardcover).

My advice and tips is definitely geared towards the OSR, specifically rules-light OSR.  I think it will help with creating sans-module. 

Yes, the mini-scenario at the back is for Cha'alt, but could be used for any number of fantasy settings.  Cha'alt is my eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, post-apocalyptic world.  All the stat-blocks and such are for Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 (free PDF on DriveThru and Big Geek Emporium), but it's all fairly system-neutral, rules-light OSR.  I, personally, am a centrist / moderate who leans conservative these days.  I usually don't inject too much of my political beliefs into the work, but there is one scenario in particular that's decidedly pro-life.  I wrote that in response to both the overturning of Roe vs Wade and DriveThru's big bundle promotion in favor of pro-choice groups / abortion providers.

If you have any other questions, just ask!  Thanks again, hoss. 

Thanks for the in-depth response. Definitely seems worth purchasing, based on what's been said. Probably especially for me personally. I'll use Drivethrurpg if that's where it's at, just was curious if other sites also had it, as I do like the idea of alternatives.

Thanks, hoss!

Regarding alternatives, as do I.  You can grab several freebies from Kort'thalis Publishing over at Big Geek Emporium.  And there's another online PDF retailer that's in the works.  I'll be uploading some special stuff there, too, eventually.

VS

FYI, some guy complained that I was sticking up for men in the "discussion" area.  I wasn't going to engage, but he illustrates my point.  When men stick up for themselves, they're immediately targeted.  We live in a feminist culture.

Quote from: VengerSatanis on April 21, 2023, 06:25:32 PM

FYI, some guy complained that I was sticking up for men in the "discussion" area.  I wasn't going to engage, but he illustrates my point.  When men stick up for themselves, they're immediately targeted.  We live in a feminist culture.

It was admittedly interesting to note how he seemingly ignored the point that was made with respect to how left-wing assertions about inclusion and equity have become part of the rules in many games. There is a preferred way the company wants you to play, and it involves "ham-fisted politics", though they may dress it up as though that has no relevance. Had he bothered actually reading the whole segment of your work that he referenced, I feel like an argument was made that personal moral and religious values can just as viably have their place in gaming and gaming philosophy/theory. (Though I must admit to being less of a gnostic  myself, it was still an interesting read. I'm not very far in on either of your books, but I'm working on properly digesting the early bits.)

I don't comment on Drivethrurpg myself, but I was tempted to say something. I'll say it here instead, I guess.

Another thing, when that guy brought up "If you're so persecuted, then how can you succeed enough to write a book or become a Game Master?"

Ok, by that logic, if women are oppressed, then how can they manage companies, get college degrees, hold political office, write their own books, GM, and a million other things?  Either we're all potentially oppressed (to one degree or another) and still capable of overcoming obstacles, or none of us are. 

Yeah, it's ridiculous... and they closed the RPGpub thread about my book because enough people finally got to dogpile ridicule me for them to be satisfied.  I'd be angry if it wasn't such a lame self-own on their part.  Pathetic.

Quote from: VengerSatanis on April 22, 2023, 02:38:18 PM

Another thing, when that guy brought up "If you're so persecuted, then how can you succeed enough to write a book or become a Game Master?"

Ok, by that logic, if women are oppressed, then how can they manage companies, get college degrees, hold political office, write their own books, GM, and a million other things?  Either we're all potentially oppressed (to one degree or another) and still capable of overcoming obstacles, or none of us are. 

I think that's a very solid point.

The Left likes to claim privilege and discrimination are all-determining and only flow in one direction between categories, that they're monolithic rather than contextually determined. Pretty clearly bs when you actually think about how they don't count discriminatory actions on the part of government giving favor on the basis of race and sex as institutional racism and sexism, especially when within the demographic of lower income folks it's generally harder as a result to get help if you don't check those little boxes. Sometimes being a white dude is an advantage, sure, but I'm pretty darn sure that is not referring to the white and poor within a context where meaningful discrimination against people of color in the environs is not crazy rampant. Because you will get more help if you're a minority, both from nonprofits and from government contracting and oftentimes even initiatives like hiring requirements. Your children will get into better schools. You may also get more direct aid as a result of your demographics if you are not within this category.

It's contextual. Do men make more than women on average? Sure. Women on the flip side go to college more frequently, have lower rates of suicide, work less dangerous jobs, are less likely to be homeless, are less likely to be unemployed, are at times more likely to own a house whether alone or with a partner, and may even own more wealth when entitled alimony rates and divorce split probabilities are factored in. Also, women tend to have education in lower paying industries and sectors, which helps explain a fair bit of that first fact. I'd be willing to bet a lot of the male disadvantages can also be explained into less relevance, in part via well-reasoned statistics. Again, it's not like oppression or what have you is monolithic or acontextual, there is or at least should be nuance if you're honestly looking into that kind of thing. But for the most part, I'd say folks aren't interested in nuance, and it reflects in a lot of our politics and policy these days.