CHAOTIC NEUTRAL by Mark Sable and Chris Anderson

First Update of 2023
almost 2 years ago – Mon, Feb 06, 2023 at 09:24:36 PM

Hey Everyone,

Just wanted to give a quick update on the progress of Chaotic Neutral.

In the last update, we announced that we'd hired Ennie-award winning creator Jacob Hurst to edit and layout the adventure module (the comic has already been laid out designed by the wonderful Dave Accampo).  At that point, Jacob had sent me a slew of incredibly insightful notes.

Since then, I sent a detailed reply to his notes with answers to questions he had, solutions to problems he found etc.   He recently came back with a revised draft that incorporates the changes to the first half of the module (which comprises the overview, the town/NPCs, and the small wilderness hex crawl) and is continuing to work on the second half (the dungeon).

So far I've been thrilled with the results.  It's much clearer, better organized and more interactive.  I'm confident the module will be easier to use as a result, while at the same time maintaining the depth of I've tried very hard to imbue the adventure with.

As soon as I get and approve the fully edited draft of the module, we'll move on to layout and a bit of cartography (Chris has already created a gorgeous map for the town, we just need some maps for the wilderness, dungeon and a keep in the village).  I can't wait to share an example of what the module will look like.

From there, the next steps will be printing and fulfillment.  As always, I'm hesitant to give a specific timetable.  But know that we've been making progress and that I'll continue to update you monthly.

In the meantime, thank you once again for your support and patience.  

Best,

Mark

P.S. There's a been a couple of events in both comics and gaming I thought I should address:

In comics, Aftershock, the publisher I've been doing the majority of my comics for over the past two years, has declared bankruptcy.  To say that's been extremely upsetting and disruptive to me and my fellow creators would be an understatement.  I want to assure you, however, that it hasn't gotten in the way of Chaotic Neutral.   Thanks to all of you we've got the funds to see this through to completion, and it remains my creative priority.

In gaming, you may have heard the controversy about the OGL (Open Gaming License).  The OGL is a license that Wizards of the Coast (the current owners of Dungeons & Dragons) created that allowed independent creators such as us to legally create gaming material for current and previous editions of D&D.  

Earlier this year a document was leaked from Wizards threatening to revoke that license, causing publishers to panic (with good reason).  Thankfully, due to the fan community pushing back, Wizards has decided to leave the OGL as is - at least for D&D 5E and older editions, like Basic/Expert or AD&D. (The print version of Chaotic Neutral will be compatible with B/X and AD&D, and we'll be adapting it to 5E as a stretch goal).

As with the Aftershock news, it was definitely a source of stress, but hasn't and should not disrupt the publishing the module. 

Some good news to end the New Year
almost 2 years ago – Fri, Dec 30, 2022 at 04:50:38 PM

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to introduce you to Jacob Hurst, the newest member of the CHAOTIC NEUTRAL team.

Jacob is editing and doing layout for the adventure module.  He's an incredibly accomplished RPG creator in his own right, writing and editing such books as The Dark of Hot Springs Islands and winning multiple Gold Ennie Awards (the RPG equivalent of the Oscars) for his work (which you can check out here).  He's also run a number of wildly successful Kickstarters himself.

Writing and editing CHAOTIC NEUTRAL's adventure module has been challenge.  It nees to feel deeply connected to the comic, rewarding readers while still presenting surprises for them as players.  At the same time, I want it to be accessible to players and dungeon masters who haven't read the comic.  

Most importantly, the module needs to evoke the look and feel of old school D&D but have the ease of use that modern innovations have brought to role-playing games.  I want it to be something DMs can pick up and use with as little prep as possible, while still offering players a rich, deeply satisfying experience.

Jacob was far and away my first choice for this job, and is joining Chris and I in rising to that challenge.

He read the revised draft of the adventure that I handed to him after the last update, and responded quickly with some excellent notes about organization, clarity and concision.  I've been most impressed by his story notes - as many weeks as I've playtested, there are still questionst that players may ask that I want DMs to have answers for.

I'm now in the process of responding to those notes, and working with Jacob on editing and laying out the adventure is my top creative priority.  I don't feel comfortable giving dates for the completion of those tasks, but I'm going to do everything on my end to turn around edits as fast as possible.  

Regardless, I feel confident in saying that this new collaboration is going to result in the best possible adventure experience, to add to Chris' masterful work on the comic itself.

I'll continue with monthy updates, but until then wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year.

As always, thanks for you patience and support.

Mark

October 2022 Monthly Update
about 2 years ago – Wed, Nov 02, 2022 at 01:33:40 PM

Hi Everyone,

Wanted to chime in with a quick monthly update on the Kickstarter.

I'm finishing prepping the module for editing and layout following playtesting this summer.   The module is much bigger than I originally envisioned, and the trick is getting it to fit together with the over 40 page comic without bursting the binding and losing any content.

After the last update, some of you asked for some examples of what's inside the module, so I thought I'd share some below.  

Stats are for OLD SCHOOL ESSENTIALS, which is a "retro-clone" of Basic and Expert Dungeons and Dragons that is also compatible with Advanced Dungeons and Dragons.  We'll also be converting this module to Fifth Edition D&D, which we'll release as a PDF.   We playtested with four 3rd level PCs, all of whom played "basic" characters.  They did well, especially considering there were no healers in the party.

Keep in mind that everything I'm sharing is subject change after professional layout/editing.  Art is also not final - I'm using screenshots/jpegs to get it to fit in a Kickstarter update.

I'm choosing shorter entries so this update isn't too long, and also to try and avoid spoilers.

Without further ado, first up is a location from the module's starting village, along with an NPC (who is also a character in the comic):

3. ALPTRAUM ANTIQUITIES

-A bazaar of the bizarre, a hoarder’s paradise where strange items are sought but nothing is sold. Of particular note, GIANT STONE TABLETS with eldritch etchings.

GAIUS FAELYN - THE ELVEN ARCHAEOLOGIST

-haughty, pretentious bespectacled high elf in frilly collared doublet. Has a spell or two up his sleeve and surprisingly adept with his antique rapier

-FOUND: making etchings of rune covered tablets from the CYCLOPEAN RUINS.

STATS: LEVEL 3 ELF

AC 4 [15] (chainmail ), HP 11, Att 1 × spear (1d6) or 1 × spell, THAC0 19 [0], MV 60' (20'), SV D12 W13 P13 B15 S15, AL Neutral, STR 15 INT 17 WIS 6 DEX 13 CON 10 CHA 12,

Spells protection from evil (mu), floating disc, levitate,

Items Broom of Flying, Ring of Weakness

-Secretly opposes the CULT OF BAPHOBET, but not out of any sense of morality. He hopes that when they are cleared from the Cyclopean Ruins he’ll be able to retrieve more artifacts.

-Still has quite the stash of gold (350 gp), not having fully contributed to Stellan the Gongfarmer’s reward fund. He will overpay for antiquities recovered from the Cyclopean Ruins.

-The MASSIVE STONE TABLETS he’s recovered from the ruins can be used as spell books, his etchings as scrolls. Refuses to sell the former, but willing to sell the latter at double standard price. Each stone/etching has one the following spells: Identify, Protection from Evil, Floating Disc, Levitate 150 gp each.

-Considers the IMPENETRABLE FOREST’s WOOD ELF DRUID barbaric and beneath contempt.

Next up, stats for one of the bespoke monsters created for this adventure.  She appears in the comic, and will also be one of the monster cards for those of you who backed that tier/selected that as an add-on (once we have Backer Kit up an running, you can add these if you missed it during the campaign):

OWL HARPY

Half-woman, half-owl. She has an owl head, wings and talon, and a female humanoid body.

STATS: AC 5 [14] HD 4 (19hp) ATT 2 × claw (1d8), 1 × bite (1d8) or GRAB/DROP THAC0 17 [+2] MB 60’ (20’) / 150’ (50’) flying SV:D12 W13 P14 B15 S16 (3) ML 7 AL: Chaotic Evil XP 250 Treasure: 3 gems worth 333gp each

SPECIAL: GRAB AND DROP – Owl Harpy will attempt to snatch a victim and drop it from as high as possible, doing d6 fall damage per 10’. PC can make a strength check to avoid being grappled

Finally, here's a room from the big dungeon, which has over 20 named locations.  That's on top of the village, a keep within the village and a small wilderness hex crawl:

7. CULT ANTECHAMBER:

-Spartan room dominated by a 10’ basalt statue of BAPHOMET

-Torchlit. Lidded but leaking barrels of oil to dip the torches.

-THREE CULTISTS present:

-Two cultists lazily conduct guard duty, unless they were alerted by the skeletal hell hounds in the STABLES and/or combat in the AMBUSH CORRIDOR, in which case they would have left for the latter.

-A third cultist kneels in front of the statue, where a small bowl inlaid into the plinth along with a bloody GOLDEN CEREMONIAL DAGGER (worth 100 gp). He’s cutting a pentagram shape in his palm, a purely symbolic ritual required by all cultists who enter. If the PCs enter disguised, not doing so will arose the suspicion of even the lazy guards

-LEADS TO:

-CULTIST BARRACKS (8) to the north.

-AMBUSH CORRIDOR to the east (two western doors)

-Western Door leads to CULT HEADQUARTERS (9)

This is also just a small sampling of the module's content.  It's at 39 pages and 14,369 words.  That's on top of 48 page comic and Ryan Browne's multi-page "Chick tract" parody, not to mention the extras like the monster cards, fold out miniatures etc.  While I wish this was already in your hands, I feel confident the quality will be worth the wait.

As always, thanks for your patience and support.

Mark

Playtesting is complete! What's next?
about 2 years ago – Thu, Sep 08, 2022 at 03:41:10 AM

Hello Everyone!

Thought I'd shoot over an update on the progress of CHAOTIC NEUTRAL.

Most of this summer was spent on a weekly playtest of the module for CHAOTIC NEUTRAL.  Using the Old School Essentials ruleset (which is compatible with both Basic and Advanced D&D), I DM'd around 10 2-3 hour sessions.  That's a lot more than I anticipated for what I thought was a one-shot adventure.

Partly it took so long because I'd stop to take notes on things that I thought could use improvement. And it was an adjustment for me and my players to go back to old school rules after we've mostly been playing 5E (although we've played such systems as Lamentations of the Flame Princess, Into the Odd etc. and I ran a hybrid B/X and AD&D campaign for over a year).  

Also, while the players defeated (one of) the big bad(s) about 3/4 of the way through the adventure, they were generous enough to indulge me and spend time exploring the rest of the module's big dungeon so virtually no room or encounter was left untested.   That's in addition to interacting with all the NPCs in a fully developed town, and exploring a small hex crawl/wilderness area.

But, I've also realized this is more than a one-shot.   

While I wouldn't expect 10 sessions worth of play, this is definitely a module that you'll get multiple sessions out of.  I really feel we're giving you all your money's worth.

Most imporantly, the players really enjoyed the adventure.  While most hadn't read the comic, Chris was one of the playtesters, and I loved that I was still able to surprise him with things that are only hinted at in the story.  They also gave me great invaluable feedback, which I've already incorporated into the module.

So what's next?

As a reminder, the comic is done.  So is Ryan Browne's Chic Tract parody comics, the art for the monster cards and fold-up miniatures.  The custom dice have been manufacatured and are in my possession.

Currently, the module is 38 pages and about 14,000 in Microsoft Word.   The challenge now is getting that all to fit in a single issue that already has nearly 50 pages of comics.

To that end, I've been speaking with candidates for editing and layout.  I'm hoping to finalize my choice for both tasks in the next couple weeks.  When we have someone in place, I'll make an announcement.

I don't have an estimate on how long editing and layout will take.  My priority is giving you all the most polished comic and adventure as possible.

After that, we've got to print the module, monster cards, fold-up miniatures and ship them.  I'll also be converting the module to 5E along with one of my players, who is an even more experienced 5E DM than me.  We may have yet another DM playtest that version.  As the 5E version will be digital (along with the "making of" PDF), I've chosen to prioritize shipping the old school physical version first.

As all this is going on, Chris and I plan to set up Backer Kit.  This should not only allow us to collect your information for shipping, but also let Chris start working and shipping commissions, original artwork etc.

That's a lot to do, but we've had a productive summer and I'm hoping we can carry that momentum foward.

In the meantime, I've got a book out called WHERE STARSHIPS GO TO DIE from Aftershock, illustrated and co-created by Alberto Locatelli, with colors by Juancho Velez, lettering by Rob Steen and covers by Jeremy Haun and Nick Filardi that's in stores now and currently up to Issue 3.

And in November, FEAR OF A RED PLANET - a near future hard sci-fi/western is also coming out from Aftershock, with art and colors by Andrea Olimpieri, letters by Dave Sharpe and covers from my GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES co-creator Paul Azaceta.  

Both books were written before the Kickstarter campaign, and I hope you'll check them out.

As always, thanks so much for your support and patience. 

Mark

We've Got Dice!
over 2 years ago – Wed, Jul 06, 2022 at 09:46:05 PM

Quick update.

DICE DICE DICE!

First, as the subject line implies, we received the custom dice from Chessex.  These include the Black Die of Doom reward, the NYCC special "Gelatinous Cube" Green edition and the tier exclusive Blood Die.

If you didn't order one, we'll be making the non-exclusive ones available as add-ons when we get Backer Kit set up.  Regardless, I'm thriled with the quality of the dice (my photos really don't do them justice), and given supply chain disruptions I'm happy we've got one of our physical rewards in hand.

PLAYTESTING

The initial round of playtesting of the adventure is nearing a close.  I've been running weekly sessions with every week with my D&D group (which includes Chris, but he's done a good job pretending he doesn't know what's coming next).  I want to say we've done around ten three hour sessions so far.  While I wouldn't expect a 30 hour adventure - playtesting involves pauses for me to take notes and adjust etc. - I feel like this will definitely be significantly more than the one-shot adventure I originally envisioned.

Without spoiling the adventure has led to the four person party killing one of the big bads while suffering only one casualty.  We're going to continue for a bit longer just to test out some sections of the big dungeon they haven't explored.

The nexts step after playtesting will be revisions, editing and layout.  We also hope to get Backerkit set up so Chris can start on physical rewards like sketches.

SPECTRAL:

There's only 24 hours left to back CHAOTIC NEUTRAL artist/co-creator Chris Anderson's latest project, the horror anythology SPECTRAL: A SHOWCASE OF FEAR on Kickstarter.  Written and co-created by Dave Accampo (the designer responsible for CHAOTIC NEUTRAL's old school feel), it's fully funded but they are super close to some cool stretch goals.  If you're a fan of Chris' work please check it out.

As always, thanks to all of your for your support.

Mark