More info here: http://2013.internoscon.it/it/chi/rafael-chandler

“Government created super-agents go rogue to stop a foreign plot. The US government turns a semi-sociopath into a vampire to work for the CIA. The future of foreign policy? Action, intrigue, character, novelty, action, entertainment. And lots of people die.”

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15747388-hexcommunicated

Here are the core rules. You’ll probably want to print out your character sheet and refer to it while reading this.

VIEWSCREAM

TL;DR version — Our ship is in danger. You’ll be required to co-narrate our current situation and our problems (“We’re leaking oxygen! I’m surrounded by hostile aliens! I found a mutilated corpse in the cargo hold!”), and you’ll need to work your own personality and backstory into your narration or exchanges with other players.

We’re all cut off from one another — by fire, or xenomorphs, or hull ruptures — but we can communicate via viewscreens, and we can affect each other remotely (we can’t physically help each other).

Important! About 5 minutes before the game starts, I always ask, “Ready?” — and I won’t start the game until everyone’s confirmed that they’re good, no more questions. The person running this game will probably do the same. And you all will be in character the whole time (except for questions in the chat window) from that point forward.

BASIC RULES

1. Personality & Relationships — On your character sheet, Personality and Relationships should help you decide how to play your character and how to interact with others.

2 Player Role tells you what your job is. For example, you may be the one who prompts other players to address their problems — this should be a big part of your focus during play, because there’s no GM in this game.

3. One other thing — Under the Relationships section, there’s some additional role-playing info. If it instructs you to add some information, or answer a question, please do so! And if it tells you to be on the lookout for some other trigger or game situation, then please keep an eye out for that.

4. Mechanics — Page 2 has the mechanical stuff: Problems, Solutions, and Locations. Let’s start with Locations — these just provide some color, some background, a bit of context for the action. “I’m in the Quantum Mechanical Bay, and I could use some help here!”

5. Problems guide play. You have 3, and each one is tied directly to the skills of another crew member. A problem marked “Engineering” can NOT be solved by the Medical Officer or the Bridge. Each time someone fixes one of your problems successfully, you cross out that problem. If the game ends and you still have a problem left, you’re dead. It’s over! If the game ends and all of your problems have been solved, you make it to the escape pod, or you escape some other way!

6. Solutions — You have 4. Some will succeed, some will fail. Next to each solution, write down Success or Failure. If your character sheet tells you that you have 2 of each, that means your write Success twice and Failure twice. If the character sheet says (Failure 1, Success 3), then only one of your Solutions has Failure written next to it, and the other three say Success.

7. Gameplay — During play, other characters will ask for help. When you try to fix a problem, offer a solution — and if they accept, describe what you’re doing, and then tell them the result. Tell them in character, so it’s not just, “I succeed,” it’s more like, “Okay, I’ve got the nanogen antidote uploaded into the replicator, and — yes, we’re at 100%. You should be able to inoculate yourself now.” And if the Solution has Failure next to it, then you say something like, “Okay, I’ve got the nanogen antidote uploaded into the replicator, and — ah, dammit, it’s destabilizing! Something went wrong! I don’t know what. I’m sorry, I don’t know why this isn’t working.” When you try to use a solution to help someone (regardless of success or failure), you cross it off your character sheet.

8. Ending the game: The game ends when all players have exhausted all solutions. If you still have a problem left, but no one can help you with it (because that person can’t offer a solution to help you), then you’re dead. And your death is horrific and lonely. But it happens off-screen, after your farewell speech. There’s just enough time for you to realize that you’re not going to make it, and you have one final opportunity to make your farewells.

If all three of your Problems are solved by the game you reach the end, then you’ve made it to an escape pod, or found a way to teleport off the ship to the M-class planet below, or discovered some other way to survive this crisis.

One by one, each player narrates the escape to safety, or makes quiet farewells, or issues angry and bitter rants, then clicks off the camera button and goes dark.

Then you buy the book, because it will make you tall and famous and wealthy. http://www.rafaelchandler.com/rpgs.html

Have fun!

It’s made specifically for play via video-chat programs like G+ Hangout. It’s about four officers (Medical, Bridge, Weapons, and Engineering) aboard a damaged starship, in great peril. They’re cut off from each other, and can only communicate via viewscreens throughout the ship.

It usually ends badly!

Features nine adventures, including Cancel Christmas by Jason Morningstar, Vermilion Letters by Jack Shear, and War Room by Kerra Bolton.

Here’s some actual play:

PDF version: http://rpg.drivethrustuff.com/product/113064/ViewScream

Print version: http://www.lulu.com/shop/rafael-chandler/viewscream/paperback/product-20954093.html

(Note: If you buy the print version, forward your Lulu receipt to digital at rafaelchandler dot com, and I’ll email you the PDF version of the game for free — usually in under 24 hours.)

My debut novel, Hexcommunicated, is now part of the Bundle of Holding!

A fellowship of leading RPG designers-turned-writers is offering their novels for a short time in a DRM-free ebook collection at a pay-what-you-want price. The Bundle of Holding not only supports indie authors, it benefits two fine charities of interest to gamers: Child’s Play and Reading is Fundamental. Roll the dice and give it a try!

Our collection includes recent novels andnd stories by Matt Forbeck (Brave New World), Chuck Wendig (Hunter: The Vigil), Jenna Moran (Nobilis, Exalted), Stephen D. Sullivan (D&D/AD&D, Chill), Sarah Newton (Mindjammer, Legends of Anglerre), Derek Pearcy (In Nomine), Aaron Rosenberg (Asylum, Spookshow), and yours truly (Teratic Tome, Scorn, Spite).

To get in on this awesome bundle, please visit www.bundleofholding.com.

Teratic Tome is available now!

Torn from the pages of the Books of Pandemonium, these horrific fiends — including the grotesquely talented Curhadac, the sadistic Eremite, and the death-singing Acronical — will test the mettle of any adventuring party.

Teratic Tome is an OSRIC-compatible bestiary featuring:
* Strange variants: Brine orc, gelatinous pyramid, and azure slime
* Undead: Ivory banshee, demimondaine, ash ghast, and verminated zombie
* New threats: Remnants, karkinoi, pontiffs, craanoi, and ingenues
* Unique entities: Baskra, Lunamic, Malchior, Pantagruel, and the Seamstress

Purchase link: http://rafaelchandler.com/rpgs.html

Buy the print version from Lulu and you’ll get an automatic email (subject line: A Lulu Thank You) with a download link for the free PDF version. Buy the PDF version, then later decide you want to buy the hardcover, let me know and I’ll knock $6.66 off the cover price.

Here’s the 20-page preview:

http://www.rafaelchandler.com/teratictome-preview.pdf

Game on!

SEAMSTRESS

Created by Heather Chandler
Illustrated by Metalhead

FREQUENCY: Unique
NO. ENCOUNTERED: 1
SIZE: M (5′ tall)
MOVE: 60 ft
ARMOR CLASS: 8
HIT DICE: 20 hit points (3+1 hit dice)
ATTACKS: 1
DAMAGE: 1d8
TAZ: 16
SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells
SPECIAL DEFENSES: None
MAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard
LAIR PROBABILITY: 95%
INTELLIGENCE: High
ALIGNMENT: Chaotic evil
TREASURE: Personal, none; in lair, purse
LEVEL: 5
XP: 375

The Seamstress is a demented old sorceress with a single blue-green eye in her forehead and a sagging mouth full of mismatched teeth that she extracted from a dozen victims. Her patchwork skin is a riot of hues, as it was cut from humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and goblins. She stitches bits and pieces of her victims into her skin, her clothing, and any of her other creations; the flesh is rotting, and reeks of putrefaction.

Though slow, the Seamstress is quite deadly, due to a handful of spells and an animalistic cunning. The witch is capable of contorting herself to fit inside tiny places, and she rarely exposes herself to combat, preferring to attack from shadows, then escape.

Her lair is a bright-colored house covered in fabric, decorated with giant stuffed animals in the yard. Once she’s set the house up, she alters her appearance with magic and lures children inside. Most are killed for their skins, but some are kept alive and forced to assist her with the sewing and stitching.

The Seamstress loves sewing notions: the inside of the lair is cluttered with needles, rotary cutters, pins, scissors, and a treadle-powered sewing machine. When not covering her wrinkled body with her skin suit, she also creates quilts, bags, and pillows made out of skin. These creations are quite valuable to demons, devils, and other powerful evil entities, who may pay as much as 500 gold for each one.

In combat, she attacks with a massive pair of sewing shears that inflict 1-8 damage. Once per day, she can use the following spell-like abilities: change self, charm person, darkness 15′ radius, hold person, invisibility, polymorph self, scare, and shield.

I just saw the year-in-review post over at Fangs for the Fantasy (“The latest in Urban Fantasy from a social justice perspective”), and this is what they had to say about my novel:

What was your favourite indie published book?

That definitely has to go to Hexcommunicated by Rafael Chandler. This book ticked all the right boxes – not just in terms of an excellent world, an excellent protagonist and a truly original concept and a very inclusive cast as well.

What are you looking forward to being released in 2013?

…. I don’t know if Hexcommunicated is going to get a sequel – but I want it! Yes yes I do.

You can read more here:
http://www.fangsforthefantasy.com/2013/01/2012-year-in-review.html

Andrew: I don’t think we can publish an actual play without censoring most of it. Good game though. I won’t look at a disco ball the same way again.

Gary: It’s a daemon-killing weapon so awesome Scott threw away his primary tool (etched human femur with nails through) to own it. Fear the tiny tiny mirrors. For now I can give you the Drives that all got achieved.  The tricky thing was making sure the demon pregnancy was a surprise and I’m rightly proud I managed it.
* Oh my God, he exploded!
* Why do I always end up dangling off high places?
* Blood bath in a hospital.
* Unexpected demonic pregnancy.
* A garbage truck just crashed into an ambulance.

Andrew: I think I can go as far as to say the pregnancy was unexpected as it involved Coroner’s son and a demonic cardinal. No one saw that one coming.

And then Gary posted this full report:

I’ve tried to sanitise this as much as I can, there’s much less ejaculate and talk of willies than there should be for example. Still, might not be for everyone, but here’s an actual play of how my first game of Rafael Chandler’s Scorn : The First Book of Pandemonium went at IndieCon this weekend. There’s some system bits mixed in with the general How It Went stuff. Enjoy!

Props to Scott Dorward, Andrew Kenrick, Dave Blewer, Jonny Gray’s Brother, and The Other Tijs for showing up and bringing the narration in spades.

We had some characters in the stats sense of the word, some numbers on a sheet and a bunch of spells and stunts for each, but that was about it. First order of business was to get these fleshed out, and before you know it we’ve got an ex-hooker, disgraced surgeon, scrawny drug addict, and so forth. We then got a bunch of NPCs put down on paper, with some relationships between them. Scorn has a sort of points system for this, but in practice it was better to just shout out some people and make a few relationships between then in a freeform style (for our purposes).

With some Drives in place (one liners that should come up during the game session) we hit the ground running. The group decided that their haven was an abandoned night club on the site of an old lunatic asylum. Some local heavies turned up claiming to have bought the building, but it quickly became apparent that six weren’t going to be enough, so they called in another dozen reinforcements. The characters chain-sawed and disco-balled their way through them in a matter of seconds. Everyone rolls initiative, the highest player goes first and picks who goes next, then he picks the next etc. Once all the players have acted the DM gets a go. I didn’t roll any dice, its all up to the players to roll defence if I strike at them.

The Vicar then turned up and hit the players with a Trigger (a start to an investigation of a demon), before leaving them to it. The Cabal heads off past the suspicious mounds in the nearby wasteland, clouds of flies sensing the many dead bodies, and stray dogs scratching at the ground. At the hospital the Cabal have been directed to – Coroner’s son is paralyzed, but has vivid visions – they note the Cardinal’s vehicle (he’s hear blessing the kids) and a suspicious clown car (old garbage truck). As always happens, they decide to split up and go about their own business.

The short version is, Coroner discovers the Cardinal is actually a demonic manifestation that has made his son pregnant. There’s a viscous fight, but elongated members and massive crab claws don’t mix, so strike one for the “good” guys. The demon spawn is ejected from the premises via the top floor window. Skingraft spots a clown in the children’s ward and goes for a take down. He’s part of the agency of demon hunters that use children’s entertainers as a cover, but that doesn’t stop the psychotic Skingraft from throwing him out of a window to his doom. This doesn’t make the kids happy. Mustang and Hazmat alternately seduce a sentient cancer and the gang boss it inhabits to get some cryptic clues. They then choke his brother to death on the tumour they’ve removed from the gang boss. Gorman is relatively on it and actually goes to the records room and morgue to get some actual clues.

During all that madness the players have used some vibrantly detailed spells, racked up some Decay (too much and you become that which you hunt) by initiating stunts and got down with more of the fight mechanics. If you succeed in a roll, the person one side of you narrated what happened. If you failed the person on the other side. It took a couple of goes to get into this, but after a short while it really worked. It keeps everyone listening to what’s going on as they could be called to describe events a lot more often than you’d normally expect.

A demonic manifestation tries to make a run for it in the clown’s garbage truck outside. The Cabal are ready for this and launch into an all out assault, letting rip with spells and Decay and somehow manage to stop the thing, although not without serious blood loss from being battered with tumescent tentacles. Hazmat takes a unique approach to distracting the demonic spawn (to a happy finish) and it gets a mirror ball to one of its many faces. The children of the kids ward look out in astonishment. The Cabal decides to leg it. They get a line on the Demon using Investigation. The Investigator class allows the player to come up with clues from virtually anywhere, so soon the Cabal are heading for the conference centre, where the demon is no doubt ready to give a big speech, hiding as it is in the body of the police commissioner.

We break out the other stunts, such as Inverted Cross that allows you to switch things round on the dice rolls to low is good, instead of high. Everyone is getting the hang of Cabal Points too. You spend these to allow re-rolls for another player. One point means you can re-roll ones. Two points, re-roll ones and twos etc. up to six points per roll. Players get to add a die into their rolls if they use colourful and cool narration too. Everyone has been doing this from the get go and it requires no input from the GM. Enough investigation has been done so that the Cabal has an extra die each when fighting the demon too. Time for a showdown.

The Cabal insinuate themselves into the conference hall as band members and waiters and prepare for the guests. During the course of the meal it becomes clear the demon worshipers have riddled the drinks with demonic love juice, and Hazmat’s decision to tip loads of Viagra into the punch now seems a bad idea in retrospect. The Cabal making knowing looks at each other and its clear they’re going to burn the whole place down with everyone in it. As the commissioner gets ready to start his speech about the crackdown on crime, Mustang gets the mic and starts hammering “F%$k the Po-lice”.

Through investigation we’ve determined the demon can’t abide water and so its not long before someone’s started a fire and set off the sprinkler system. Demons appear weak (compared to the Angels in Spite for example), so mine quickly developed some armour to make a fight of it. The demon spurted in the eyes of some SWAT and FBI and turned them against the Cabal, and many stunts were pulled, exploding gas canisters thrown, and destroying anything that could be thrown, shot or moved in some way, the fight raised all kinds of mayhem. Two characters reached retirement in the fight – they would last until the big finish, but then must die and everyone else shuts the funk up while they describe that for us.

The demon was killed and the flaming carcases of Mustang and Skingraft came flying out of the conference centre, allowing a way out for the innocents and surviving cabal members. If there were further adventures planned, the two players without characters would roll up new ones, and the others would reset Decay, Blood, Cabal Points etc. ready for the next case. Agonising death or becoming a demon. It’s the only way its going to end. But for three of them at least, not today…

Great game – probably went a bit too Gonzo for me, but lots of memorable bits (a lot of which I’ve had to redact) and good times. The game needs a polish before its released as a proper version, but to say its free, you can do a lot worse than downloading a copy and getting your blasphemous-full-metal-demon-hunting game on. I’ll be running it again.