Author: M Van Vleet

Darkness Below the Ice

A Darkness Beneath the Ice is a terrible RPG I improvised as I wrote while drinking beer in the Ocean View brewery in Albany, CA. It was inspired by Dan Simmons’ THE TERROR as well as the front of the postcard I was scribbling on.

What I didn’t expect was that a stranger on Twitter would take the time to program this game into being using Python, but when @mypantsaretorn pinged me to let me know the “meta is broken” I found that my terrible game idea was now something that could be compiled and played… whether it warranted the effort or not.

Didn’t expect that at all.

The Signal: EP173

A black and white animated image of a man smoking a pipe, listening to a record, viewed from behind. Text: The Signal: EP173

The Signal: EP173 – The exact 45 minutes of music you need to steer you through this year of solitary activity! This time out we’ve got Australian punk, gloom pop, a remix of a harp-playing pixie, some dub sounds, hip hop, ska, UK grime and some German electronic sounds.

Download by clicking on the link (or image) above. The file is available only for a limited time. If you’re interested in the tracklist, it’s in the mp3 itself, in the id3 tags.

We couldn’t find everything on Spotify, but we found most of it:

The Signal: EP172

The Signal: EP172 – Exactly 45 minutes of music for cloud heads, mist faces, vapor tops… and YOU! This time out we’ve got Australian jam goodness, lots of polyrhythms, Turkish funk from the Netherlands, a steel drum hip hop cover, a dub jazz standard cover, blistering rockabilly and much more!

Download by clicking on the link (or image) above. The file is available only for a limited time. If you’re interested in the tracklist, it’s in the mp3 itself, in the id3 tags.

The Signal: EP171

The Signal: EP171 - The dog Laiki's head, visible in the nose cone of a rocket.

The Signal: EP171 – Exactly 45 minutes of music suitable for cosmonaut activities or, uh, whatever you’re up to right now. This time out, we’ve got a lot of Russian synth pop and rock for you as well as some electronic sounds. A bit less eclectic than the usual Signal mix, but say what you will, it’s still definitely 45 minutes long.

Download by clicking on the link (or image) above. The file is available only for a limited time. If you’re interested in the tracklist, it’s in the mp3 itself, in the id3 tags.

Moon’s Shot

I wrote an adventure for Troika! It’s fun! It’s about a group of adventurers who think they’re going to the Moon, but it turns out it’s hard to get to the moon so the techs who were supposed to manage the project decided instead to send the expedition to an underground cave they disguised as the Moon.

Much easier to lower a rocket via rope and pulley than blast it up into the sky.

The Signal: EP170

The Signal: EP170 – Exactly 45 minutes of music for party buses of all sizes and shapes and, uh, qualities. We’ve got quite a haul for you this time out. This mix has some Hindi funk, Argentinian cumbiapop, Turkish psych electropop from the Netherlands, MF Doom over 80s J-pop, Beck remixed via 00s J-pop, dubstep, turntablism, dub, drum & bass from London and a spoken word cherry on top.

Download by clicking on the link (or image) above. The file is available only for a limited time. If you’re interested in the tracklist, it’s in the mp3 itself, in the id3 tags.

Other Side: A Microfiction Minizine

Did you ever want Michael’s tweets to have visual accompaniment that elevates them beyond social media scribblings? Well, you’re in luck, because seven of them have received that treatment.

You can grab a copy over at Gumroad if you like.

Sounds cool, gimme!
Published
Categorized as Webloggery

Withdrawn From Circulation

The world of shadows needs a wider pool of spooky and cursed books to choose from and that’s why we present Withdrawn From Circulation, a sourcebook zine for any horror or dark fantasy game. In it you’ll find a selection of six horrible magical objects,  system agnostic and ready to be slipped into your favorite RPG’s  Secret Library or onto the dais of whatever Squid Cult you’re using.

Features contributions from Michael Van Vleet, Aaron King and Gabriel Robinson! Design by AJ Summers.

Skeletal Drug Test Admin (a background for Troika!)

There are libraries of knowledge to be discovered and lingered over in a simple cup full of urine. Skin only gets in the way.

Possessions:
• Tiny l’il cups
• Urine spectroanalysis mechano-tongue

Advanced Skills
Truth 4
Drugs 3

KNIFE GAMES for 2 Players

  1. Stabby Dodge-y
  2. My Knife Is A Question
  3. Finger Parade
  4. Where’s the Pirate Ship, Matey?
  5. Catch
  6. Right Side Up
  7. Pumpkin Jack
  8. Toothpick Tango
  9. Swisharoo
  10. Who’s the Butter / You’re the Butter
  11. Kansas City Handshake
  12. Bootlegger’s Kiss (optional rules for 3-4 players)
  13. Down the Lane
  14. Tic Tac Poke
  15. Hide
  16. Where She Lands
  17. The Game of Knife (aka “Knife Game”)
  18. All Meat
  19. I Don’t Like This Game
  20. Connect Four (with a knife)