A sneak peek of Aisling Rovehnna

The genderfluid BBEG really is a piece of work. Check out our preview of the head of the Vineyard!

Aisling is a tempter in whatever form is necessary to wring the secrets from mortals. A whispered voice that can be taken for one’s subconscious – a beautiful vision – a set of recurring dreams. Aisling will become anything to anyone and give them just what they want… if they serve. Everyone serves Their Majesty in the end.

Motive: Obfuscate their return and ascend to Godhood once again.

Flaws: Mortal form, reliance on scarcity of appearance, and ambitious subordinates.

Strengths: Lack of morality, skillful manipulation, and immense arcana knowledge.

A sub-plot:

• Aisling has been running a centuries-long con on the God of Wealth, presenting themself as the divine entity of Beauty.

  • The God of Wealth and those loyal to the temple have been unintentionally funding the Vineyard.

  • The God of Wealth’s influence and power has waned as Aisling’s grew, resulting in the Vineyard expanding into this economic gap.

Short bio:

Aisling’s unification with the spirit of the Undead God of Secrets was crafted by the wishes of wizards seeking lichdom. Every secret incantation, murmured ritual, and inhumane deed done in the search for immortal power had its essence tucked away by the encubus. After a century of ritual, these notes manifested into the budding next cycle of the undead deity. The Wandering Mother harnessed this process to give life to a new people in the Guts – the Whisperborne – who contributed to the rise of Aisling’s metaphysical power. Given enough time: Their Majesty will acquire enough power to unlock the Undead God’s prison and coalesce into Godhood.

Dialogue options:

Combat

“You’ll make for a fine example.”

“After I have broken you, the shell that remains will serve me.”

“You believe that you’re heroic, don’t you?”

“You may tell me your secrets now – or I can rip them from your corpse.”

“You cannot destroy me – I’m the embodiment of this City. I am the avarice of your people. I am every hope and whispered bit of grief they know.”

Diplomacy

“You must remember: Everyone serves Their Majesty in the end.”

“Debts can be collected. Always.”

“Do not fool yourself into thinking there is something I do not know.”

Transition Into Encounter

Aisling stands slowly, their robes of charcoal ruffling, form drifting between the shapes of a hundred different persons before settling. The air is suddenly sharp with the scent of sulfur. A splatter of sizzling ink gathers at their feet in a pool – grasping hands reach out from the depths to worship them.

[Ask the players to describe the person they love the most. Tell them “That is what you see in Aisling.” If they do not give an adequate response, tell them “You see yourself.”]

Pledge today! We want to bring to you the best possible book and we cannot do that without your support. Thank you to everyone who has already supported us.

Dollars & Dragons Podcast

I had the privilege of chatting with Shay Snow (they/them) who has been freelancing since 2020 and got their start from an open call on Twitter of all things. They’re worked on Pathfinder, Starfinder, Coyote & Crow, and works as the Pathfinder Society Developer now!

LINKS:

Shay’s site: https://shayjay.carrd.co/

Backwards Southern Gothic: https://backwards-games.itch.io/

Pathfinder Scenario 412 by Mahpiya (https://twitter.com/skymahpiya) (https://paizo.com/products/btq02ed6?Pathfinder-Society-Scenario-412-Negotiations-for-the-Star-Gun)

Also, we are LIVE with our Kickstarter Vineyard RPG! Please support us if you can – every pledge helps us reach our goal!

Easy as putting LGBTQ+ friendly in your title, right?

I’m back with another Kickstarter reward blog for hitting $10,000 on our funding goal!

Here’s a simple how-to guide to build a more queer friendly table:

• Listen first

• Ask clarifying questions

• Own mistakes, but don’t dwell on them

• Do not tolerate intolerance

Listen first:

It was a big change for me going from my identity as a “man” to a queer transfem. One of the biggest hurdles I personally had and I know others do: I always assume I can bring something of value, no matter the topic. If you’re not queer and there are queer issues or identity being discussed, take a moment to pause and listen to others’ experiences first.

Even if you do not “agree” with someone’s expression or life experience, it’s important not to deny that to others.

Ask clarifying questions:

When you’re confused and want to learn more, you can ask questions. However, it is not a requirement that every queer you meet educates you on a topic. In fact: It can get pretty exhausting if they’re already doing so for friends or family in their own community. I believe a good middle-ground is to ask: “Do you recommend any resources I can look over to learn more about that?”

Own mistakes, but don’t dwell on them:

I mess up pronouns frequently as a queer person. It takes some getting used to being corrected, but if you are then just accept that and move on. The more you react or make it a scene, typically the less welcome you can make a queer feel at a cis-majority table.

Do not tolerate intolerance:

Insert Nazi analogy. If you do not stand up for the queers at your table, do not expect them to stick around. There’s always other places to go online, which is why many queers attempt to find community there in the first place. Many queers do not have the safety to be themselves with others in their local community.

I hope this was helpful. Thanks so much to our Kickstarter backers! See you again at 12k! Check out the Vineyard RPG on Kickstarter today! Every pledge matters.

Listen to learn more about the project!

Listen to our AMA with RPGBOT and learn more about the project. We talk about our adventure the Tower of Atonement, the art, and more! We’re joined by a few on the team including: Kienna Shaw, Nathaniel Kreiman, V.J. Harris, Matt Duckett, and Dave Walker!

Support us on Kickstarter here! Your pledges are very important for our success!

Check out RPG BOT!

Aisling Rovehnna, the crime boss origins

I entered the scene in 2020 as an open call performer to a D&D show. 6 months later: I was putting together an actual play show. I was freshly out of the military and had GM’d a single AP one shot a Candlekeep Mysteries adventure the same week the book released. I read the adventure at midnight and prepared for my first on camera GMing experience about 18 hours later.

When I first started getting involved in the channel I was eager to learn more. I found myself gravitating toward more managerial duties, production, etc. A lot of my inclination was to take everything very “seriously” because I very much was in love with the idea of theater once again being in my life. It was such a free-spirited place to exist after over a decade of regimented behavior, expectations, and gender.

I enjoyed mentorship, community, camaraderie – all of that – in the military. There was something uniquely different about it in the creative industry I was entering, though. It was just plain weird interacting with people “normally”. I remember weeping in my bed for hours because I’d misgendered a coworker. I wanted so badly to be accepted in this new group – a new community for me that might accept me for who I was.

I was not out yet. I didn’t plan on coming out. I didn’t really know. Then I saw and heard more trans stories. I kept saying “I can relate” often. Wait – why do I relate to all these trans people? Oooooh. Right.

When I came out to my wife she rolled away from me, asked me not to touch her, and we weren’t intimate ever again after that. Coming out to my wife and being rejected, then my father and being denied my identity, then ostracized by some people I thought were my friends in the Marines – 2021 was a lot.

It was around that time when I was developing that AP show and crafting this story I built of a city split into different districts. They were ruled by their respective merchant oligarchs with the law enforced by mercenaries. I included The Vineyard as a “cool idea” I hadn’t thought about too much other than: undead crime mob. There were some other factions, too.

While I retreated into playing various fem forms I had developed Aisling Rovehnna, a gender fluid crime boss. They were everything I wish I could be, wrapped up into a neat mysterious package. The AP party only encountered her once; Aisling warned the party not to take sides with a rival of theirs.

Our artists: Yorsy, Matt and Elaine (artist and Art Director) have done such a fantastic job recreating the intensity of Aisling. There’s something different from each interpretation that you’ll find in the paintings done by the artists. A new perspective on the same enigmatic figure.

I think it is important to say intentionally and meaningfully: I developed Aisling as I was introduced to queerness. For me, Aisling is a vessel for purity of purpose. They are absolutely devoted to themselves, who they are, and they’re selfish. He absolutely believes he deserves it, whatever it is. She is comfortable in every sort of presentation, masc or fem. Something I wish for myself someday.

They’re also a terrible corporate ghoul, but you know, everyone has a toxic trait.

If you enjoy these Director’s Blogs, please share them, comment, etc. Also pledge to the Kickstarter!

Here’s how to build camaraderie

Hey y’all!

One of the most frequent questions that I get as a pro GM is: “How do I build camaraderie at my pro tables?”

Step 1: Take a deep breath.

Step 2: Read the rest of the article.

The Check-In

Typically people arrive and there’s a sense of needing to go through the formalities of “Hello, how are you?” I’m not a fan of that conversation, personally. Most of the time I’m wired up for the work day and I may or may not be dealing with a ton of stress. Instead, I ask “Do you have anything from your week you’d like to share?”

This does two things: It relieves the pressure of someone talking about their present feelings and also allows them the freedom to pick what they’d like to discuss that’s important to them.

The Bio Notes

When you’re dealing with 20-70+ people a week that cycle in and out, it can be difficult to keep track of everyone! Which is why I recommend that you keep some notes on players so that you can help build a stronger relationship. These do not have to be elaborate – they can simply be: Occupation, hobbies, other unique things about them.

Active listening

Taking the time to actively listen to your players during play and while socializing is integral to conveying that you care about them. You do not have to pretend to be their friend before it feels natural. That is part of the process to earning long-term players, though – is becoming more comfortable with one another. Actively listening is imperative for you to build bonds with your players.

Letting people tell their stories

Encouraging people to tell their stories is all well and good, but ultimately you need to help them feel comfortable enough to do so. That comes in time. Share a bit of your story and then invite them to, too.

The Vineyard RPG Kickstarter & new articles

I’m going to be writing a new article for Dollars & Dragons for every $2,000 we earn over our current amount, which is 7k. So at 9k, 11k, 13k, 15k, etc. (Until we hit goal.) That’s a total of 20 Dollars & Dragons articles!

If you enjoy my work and want to support our team, please do so here:

Pledge to the Kickstarter here!

We need your support!

The Vineyard RPG Kickstarter

I’ve been working on this for a very long time and have had the pleasure of working with an incredibly skilled team to help elevate this dream into a reality. If you pledge in the first 24 hours you’ll receive an Early Bird special price. Time is running out!

What does corporate greed look like in a fantasy world? Presenting: The Vineyard RPG! Fight or join an undead criminal organization that expands its influence through monetary debts, blackmail secrets, and political manipulation.

Our book features 9 compelling villain dossiers each outfitted with a biography, plot hooks, lair, and stat block that you can integrate into over 20 locations. Resist undead corporate greed by fighting their influence or join them by signing a contract to gain power – for a price. Trade your darkest secrets for boons Their Majesty Aisling Rovehnna can grant, unlocking your dreams and nightmares alike.

Over 20 incredible industry pros have breathed undead life into the Vineyard RPG. But none of this would be possible without your support. We’re paying all of our contributors at above industry rates because unlike these undead villains: we aren’t maximizing profits over people.

Download our preview adventure The Tower of Atonement to join the playtest. Pledge during our Kickstarter campaign for exclusive pricing and additional limited tier rewards. Thank you for your support.

Check out our early bird prices!

I’m not freaking out, I promise.

Vineyard RPG is just a day away from launching on Kickstarter. Please hit the “Notify Me On Launch” button so that you can enjoy great early bird prices! We won’t be able to do this without your help. Thanks so much for being a reader & listener of Dollars & Dragons.

Let’s goooo!

Sunday, 4pm PST – submit your questions!

I’m joining forces with RPG BOT for the Vineyard RPG AMA this Sunday, April 2nd at 4pm PST! You can join the Discord here and post your Qs ahead of time if you’re unable to make it in #the-vineyard channel, AMA thread. We’ll host via the Stage, so be sure to hit the “interested” button on the event. (It will be recorded and released later in the week.)

Get a sneak peek of the Kickstarter launch page, our preview adventure The Tower of Atonement, and know everything before we launch at 8am April 3rd!

Dollars & Dragons Podcast

This bonus ep we talk to Michelle Nguyen Bradley (she/they) of Tabletop News! Support them on Kickstarter here! With more high quality productions like Tabletop News we can invite more advertising (and more money) into TTRPG. That’s not trickle down economics, that’s just how growing industries grow! Also, it’s just a cool show. We also chat about hosting, being a producer, Michelle’s brief fashion industry business, and actual plays.

LINK:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/watchtabletop/tabletopnews