Onyx Pathcast

Episode 58: Harassment

In which the trio talks about the sometimes-touchy subject of various kinds of harassment. Don't worry, the whole episode isn't doom and gloom, we swear!

Disclaimer: We are three white, cisgender people and as such we don't really go into racism or intersectional topics aside from gender, as that's not our lane or lived experience. We speak almost entirely from personal experience in this episode.
For a bit more on those topics, we recommend our discussion with Chris Spivey (episode 46) or James Mendez Hodes' website, at https://jamesmendezhodes.com, just two of many discussions on topics we didn't cover.

* WW usenet days versus today
* We didn't screw up the intro until we did
* Podcast disruptions
* Harassment based on being visible online
* Criticism vs. harassment
* Malicious intent vs. single shitty comments
* Anonymity of the internet
* Whistleblowing vs. brigading
* Transformers fandom
* Getting personal
* Company size
* A bit on the video game industry vs. the RPG industry
* On personal attacks and defending your friends
* In-person harassment
* Convention interactions
* Eddy stands up for introverts!
* Unintentional harassment
* Eddy tells a personal story
* On unwanted touching
* A hypothetical!
* On the current state of the industry
* Matthew lives in the ocean

Episode 57: Interview with a Dane: Klara Horskjær Herbøl

In which Eddy and Matthew interview Klara Herbøl at UK Games Expo!

• Eddy's radio voice
• Linguistics digression!
• Nuclear disasters
• Eddy forgets how to pronounce Klara's name
• How Klara started as a freelancer
• Insecurity, criticism, and validation
• Klara's career over the past year and a half
• Finding your limits
• Networking difficulties for European freelancers
• Drawing inspiration from real life
• Writing in American English
• Meeting peers for the first time
• We digress a bit (shock!)
• Running convention games
• Interviewing people at different experience levels
• Matthew is 85 years old
• Working with only one client
• What we're working on! (At time of recording)
• It's been a while since the three of us just chatted

LINKS

• Contagion Chronicle: https://contagion-chronicle.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
• Dark Eras 2: https://chronicles-of-darkness-dark-eras-2.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
• Chicago by Night: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/chicago-by-night-for-vampire-the-masquerade-5th-ed
• Kult Divinity Lost: https://kultdivinitylost.com/
• Klara's Twitter: https://twitter.com/xladygamerx
• Klara's Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/klaraherbol
• Lunars: https://lunars-fangs-at-the-gate.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
• Adventures for Curious Cats: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/273857/Adventures-for-Curious-Cats
• Geist the Sin-Eaters 2e: https://geist2e.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders 

Episode 56: Scion Actual Play Part Two

Episode 56: Scion Actual Play Part Two
In which Matthew, Dixie, and Eddy continue their actual play of Scion!

* Introductions
* Where we last left our crew
* Scion: Origin Actual Play
* Thoughts on the game
* Onyx Path games in stores
* Matthew's embarassing autograph signing
* Where to find us on social media

Links:
Scion Origin: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/246765/Scion-Second-Edition-Book-One-Origin
Scion Hero: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/256173/Scion-Second-Edition-Book-Two-Hero
Remember to order Scion through your local retailer!

Episode 55: Live (not really) from UK Games Expo!

In which Matthew and Eddy record their thoughts while at the UK Games Expo!

INTRO

• Eddy isn't here, but Dixie held things together
• We had a large crew at UK Games Expo, nearly all of whom were previously on the Pathcast

FRIDAY

• Emergency dental surgery, missed flights, and luggage woes
• Selling through Leisure Games
• Contagion Chronicle tournament, Dystopia Rising, and Pirates of Pugmire
• Surprise (and muffled) appearances by Klara and Burke!

SATURDAY

• A wild Richard Thomas!
• Leisure Games had to go back to London for more product
• Dystopia Rising game went well
• Chatting with freelancers, business partners, and fans
• Dave Brookshaw spreads rumors
• A lovely experience so far, but an awkward ending

SUNDAY

• Contagion Chronicle tournament conclusion
• Showcasing what a game feels like, not everything that's there
• Pirates of Pugmire adventure
• Everyone gets distracted by steam engines and Transformers
• Final thoughts about the show

OUTRO

• Matthew makes it political again
• Dixie pretends she heard the episode
• Prince's Gambit was a surprise hit
• Watching conventions grow
• Dixie got a lot done while we were out

LINKS

• UK Games Expo: https://ukgamesexpo.co.uk/
• Leisure Games: https://leisuregames.com/
• Pirates of Pugmire KS: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/200664283/pirates-of-pugmire-a-realms-of-pugmire-tabletop-rpg
• Contagion Chronicle Pre-Order: https://contagion-chronicle.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
• They Came From Beneath The Sea Pre-Order: https://they-came-from-beneath-the-sea.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
• Prince's Gambit: https://www.drivethrucards.com/product/223907/Princes-Gambit-Card-Game
• Dixie's Monday Meeting Blog: http://theonyxpath.com/lizards-and-pirates-and-birds-ahoy-monday-meeting-notes/ 

Episode 54: Scion Actual Play Part One

Episode 54: Scion Actual Play Part One
In which Matthew, Dixie, and Eddy play Scion and discuss Cliffhanger (with Sylvester Stallone)!

* Introductions
* Reginald Pewty, Call of Cthulhu Anorak
* Scion: Origin Actual Play
* Cliffhanger (the movie)
* Dixie's Dark Eras 2 progress
* Matthew's Shunned by the Moon and C20 Player's Guide progress
* Pirates of Pugmire Kickstarter
* Where to find us on social media

Links:
Dark Eras 2 Backerkit: https://chronicles-of-darkness-dark-eras-2.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
C20 Player's Guide: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/274520/C20-Players-Guide
Pirates of Pugmire Kickstarter: http://kck.st/2EoRkyp

Episode 53: An En-Rich-ing Interview

* Welcome back, Rich Thomas!
* What's Rich excited about?
* Trinity!
* A bit of "back in the day" talk
* On art direction
* Pirates of Pugmire!
* Rich's Magic-card art
* State of the Pathcast!
* On working from home
* Dixie promotes...the Delaware DMV?
* Future of the Pathcast?
* Blog questions!

Links:

Us! Rich!: theonyxpath.com
MASH RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/199282/MASHED-A-Korean-War-MASH-RPG
Rose Bailey's works: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4895/Fantasy-Heartbreaker

Episode 52: Pirates of Pugmire Design Diary

In which Eddy talks about the process of making Pirates of Pugmire!

• Dixie and Matthew are bitter they're not in the episode
• How our editing skills have improved! (It's not much.)
• August 22, 2018: Outlining the book
• September 4, 2018: Concept art
• October 9, 2018: Project kickoff
• October 22, 2018: First drafts
• December 20, 2018: Deadline extension
• January 31, 2019: Redlines finished
• March 29, 2019: Development finished
• Pirates of Pugmire Kickstarter will go live next week!
• One of the rare projects where so many of us work together on it
• We talk about the success of past Pugmire Kickstarters
• Matthew sings a sea shanty! (Kind of.)
• Eddy is now the dog guy, not the vampire guy

Links:

• Realms of Pugmire: https://realmsofpugmire.com 
• Eddy and Matthew will be at UK Games Expo: https://ukgamesexpo.co.uk/
• Dixie will be at Escape Velocity: https://escapevelocity.events/ 

Episode 51: Putting the Romance in Necromancy with John Burke

Episode 51: Putting the Romance in Necromancy with John Burke
In which Matthew and Dixie interview freelance writer John Burke about his experiences on They Came from Beneath the Sea!, Dark Eras 2, Cults of the Blood Gods, and even more books!

* Upcoming Projects, including Pirates of Pugmire and Cults of the Blood Gods
* Eddy's Hair
* Introducing (for the third time) John Burke
* The Vampire: The Masquerade YouTube Experiment - Online LARPing
* They Came from Beneath the Sea! experiences
* John's work on Vampire: The Masquerade
* Dixie has high praise for the V5 Lasombra
* Working for Matthew Dawkins, Esq.
* Dark Eras 2 experiences - from the Great War to the Last Imperials
* The learning benefits of listening to podcasts, and specifically Dan Carlin
* Playing Pugmire with Eddy Webb!
* How John has improved as a writer (very useful advice here for new writers!)
* How to network online and in person in this industry
* Why we ask writers to apply Onyx Path Styles to their assignments
* Cults of the Blood Gods spoilers!
* Shunned by the Moon teasers
* Blood hummingbirds...
* Edinburgh vs. Glasgow
* Eddy's Hair, Reprise
* Where to find us (and John Burke) on social media

Links:
Pugmire RPG: https://www.realmsofpugmire.com/
Dark Eras 2 Backerkit: https://chronicles-of-darkness-dark-eras-2.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
They Came from Beneath the Sea! Backerkit: https://www.backerkit.com/projects/200664283/they-came-from-beneath-the-sea-a-tabletop-roleplay
Vampire: The Masquerade YouTube Experiment: https://www.facebook.com/groups/133797270159827/
Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/

Episode 50: Are We Having Fun Yet?

In which the trio attempts (and likely fails) to define "fun."

* It's episode 50!
* What is fun? Clowns?
* "Fun" is really hard to define
* Eddy has spoken about this and speaks on it here!
* A healthy debate on win conditions
* A bit on play style
* When aren't games "games," we ask, and a bit on puzzles
* Sometimes players change the game you're playing
* Mystery book digression
* What we enjoy out of a game
* Skyrim, somehow
* Social elements of games
* Fun vs. Engagement
* OBLIGATORY WRESTLING
* Matthew doesn't know what roller derby is
* Dixie explains roller derby badly
* Diplomacy
* Online roleplaying
* LARPing
* What do we find NOT fun?

 

Links:
A Theory of Fun: https://www.theoryoffun.com/
Eddy's website: http://eddyfate.com/
Fiasco: https://bullypulpitgames.com/games/fiasco/
Dread: http://www.tiltingatwindmills.net/games/dread/
Gone Home: https://gonehome.game/
Dear Esther: http://www.thechineseroom.co.uk/games/dear-esther
Life is Strange: https://lifeisstrange.square-enix-games.com/en-us/games/life-is-strange
Myst: https://cyan.com/games/myst/
The 7th Guest: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7th_Guest
Yggdrasil: http://cubicle7.co.uk/yggdrasill-a-look-at-the-nine-worlds/
Doki Doki Literature Club: https://ddlc.moe/
Promethean: The Created: http://theonyxpath.com/category/worlds/chroniclesofdarkness/prometheanthecreated/
Wraith: The Oblivion: http://theonyxpath.com/category/worlds/classicworldofdarkness/wraiththeoblivion/
Horror on the Orient Express: https://www.chaosium.com/horror-on-the-orient-express-pdf/
Skyrim: https://elderscrolls.bethesda.net/en/skyrim
Diplomacy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy_(game)
The Extraordinary Adventures of Baron Munchausen: https://www.fantasyflightgames.com/en/news/2016/7/27/the-extraordinary-adventures-of-baron-munchausen/

Episode 49: Deep Dive - Scarred Lands

In which Eddy, Dixie, and Matthew take a deep dive into the Scarred Lands for Pathfinder and D&D Fifth Edition!

• Matthew is running out of greetings
• Farewell to the Contagion Chronicle Kickstarter!
• Dixie is editing Dark Eras 2
• Matthew is redlining Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition
• Eddy is working on Trinity Continuum: Aberrant
• History of the Scarred Lands property
• What we like about the Scarred Lands
• Races
• Classes
• Magic
• Monsters
• Tattoo magic
• Balance of politics and adventure
• Tons of interesting locations and characters
• Worldbuilding!
• Religion
• Lots of places to check out the Scarred Lands

LINKS

• Scarred Lands (Pathfinder/5e version): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing/subcategory/8329_24824/Scarred-Lands-new
• Slarecian Vault (Scarred Lands Community Content): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing/subcategory/8329_29809/Slarecian-Vault
• Scarred Lands (original d20 version): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing/subcategory/8329_19342/Scarred-Lands
• Vigilant novel: https://www.amazon.com/Vigilant-Through-Shadows-Dreams-Scarred-ebook/dp/B07KFTWZ67
• Matthew reads Vigilant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SU1fgtGxSjw
• Dark Eras 2 Backerkit: https://chronicles-of-darkness-dark-eras-2.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders
• Mummy: The Curse (first edition): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/4261/Onyx-Path-Publishing/subcategory/8329_20630/Mummy-The-Curse
• Aberrant (first edition): https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/3/Aberrant-Rulebook