Changeling the Podcast

Something fishy is going on this week, as we plunge into the murky waters of Blood-Dimmed Tides. Technically, this is a general World of Darkness sourcebook rather than a Changeling sourcebook, with material for the "Big Five" game lines of mostly 2nd Edition. (Coming at the start of 1999, this includes both notes about Vampire's recent Revised rules, and helpful instructions for how to party like it's.) But Changeling has the lionfish's share of material, with practically an entire mini-Kithbook in its chapter, dedicated to those mysterious and beguiling merfolk of the deep. Combined with things like aquatic story hooks, underwater combat rules, and ample crossover opportunities, we believe that it's still a worthy edition to the canon. In fact, it left us thirsty for more!

(But listen, if you're thirsty, don't drink seawater, because there are probably mechanics in the Appendix about how quickly it will kill you. And don't drink fishmilk unless you're into that kind of thing.)

Have a purchase of the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/342?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined! You can also put messages in bottles and drop them in various bodies of dank water:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a vial of tetrodotoxin ready for the next person who mocks Aquaman.

The very deep did rot: O Christ!

There are at least as many styles of Storytelling (or DMing, or Gamemastering, or whatever) as there are Storytellers, most of whom have Strong Opinions about the best way to do things. We've had a bit of discussion here and there over our two seasons, but this week we—along with special guest and veteran Storyteller, Fetch—are having a roundtable on advanced Storytelling techniques we favor. This is especially geared towards Storytellers who have run a few Changeling games and gotten the hang of things, but are looking to try some new and more complex methods at their table. Have a listen, and perhaps you'll get some ideas to deploy for your next session...!

We also have a whole mess of links this time around. First, two other episodes that are centered on the ins and outs of the Storytelling role:

Three other media outlets whose work we appreciate and recommend for game-running guidance:

A book of Pooka's that got mentioned for story hook ideas, and a link to Fetch's Discord for many gaming opportunities:

And our usual battery of social media posts:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is a Síocháin who bears the Mantle of the Flowchart Maker.

Our audience must experience not only the ways to free Prometheus, but be schooled in the very desire to free him.

White Wolf's "Year of the Lotus" initiative was an attempt to explore the World of Darkness' various game lines through the context of "the East" with... uneven results. Changeling was not spared, and the last book of the Year was Land of Eight Million Dreams, covering the hsien of China, Japan, and environs. There's a lot of interesting material in this book; there is also a lot of cringey, baffling, and/or confusing stuff. We're joined by special guest LewCid for a wide-ranging discussion on Orientalism in Changeling, the ways in which the fae of Asia are presented, and whether we can redeem anything from this book. The hsien in C20 core are handled quite differently, but much more shallowly, so for anyone who wants a deeper game involving them, we do our best to tease out the helpful options here.

(It is also the case that our podcast gets marked "Explicit" by default because of one error way back in the day. But we certainly have a few swears in this episode, because this book can be, to put it as mildly as possible, the occasional exercise in frustration.)

You can purchase the book at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/180?affiliate_id=3063731 if you're so inclined. Furthermore, as of this writing, it and all other Changeling books are 25% off on the Storytellers' Vault! As mentioned at the start of the episode, if you do stop by the STV to round out your collection, please consider supporting our show by adding our affiliate code (?affiliate_id=3063731) to the end of any URL on the site.

We welcome discussion and feedback on this and other sundry Changeling topics at any of the several points of social contact we espouse:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) gathers strength from the prayers of functionaries sobbing over their virus-ridden machines.

不知周之梦为蝴蝶与, 蝴蝶之梦为周与?

After teasing the nymphs in various shapes for nearly four years, Changeling's 2nd edition finally got around to giving us a supplement dedicated to the fae of nature. In this book's fullest presentation of who they are, Inanimae (and their Secret Way) are elemental dreams, the product of human imagination interacting with noteworthy hunks of rock, majestic trees, pools of water, etc. They sidestep a lot of the cultural issues and relativity of Banality that complicate the other kiths, providing another way to explore the world of Changeling. Flipping through these pages reveals much about their society, history, ecology, and magic, especially given the dearth of information that they get in C20. Read along with us as we learn who they are and what they're about...

The book in question can be purchased at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/62211?affiliate_id=3063731. (Pooka's homebrew publications, Kithbook: Ghille Dhu and The Emperor's New Coat, are also mentioned in the episode; they can be acquired at https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/381967?affiliate_id=3063731 and https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/375875?affiliate_id=3063731, respectively.)

Given how squicked the Inanimae are by the meatiness of humans (and changelings!), reading through this book gave some vibes of Terry Bisson's short story "They're Made Out of Meat." Various fun adaptations are out there, of which Stephen O'Regan's is maybe the best known? Embed below, link is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6JFTmQCFHg

And then, when it comes to films, books, etc., the classic sources for Changeling stories don't quite do justice to the Inanimae experience. Some possible alternatives:

If you have more to share, please consider doing so on our Discord! And where's the link to our Discord? Why, it's listed first here, with the rest of our social contact-points:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) cautions anyone against crossing the Inanimae spawned from the Para-Elemental Planes.

"Even a wounded world is feeding us. Even a wounded world holds us, giving us moments of wonder and joy."

Senses and memories and fae (oh my!) mix in very particular ways. Enchantment brings mortals into the chimerical world; the Mists blur the details of that world even for changelings. While the mechanics in are solidly established in Changeling: the Dreaming, more or less, it can be tough to incorporate those two aspects into a game. This week, we're exploring how to handle that from a Storyteller and player perspective, across editions of the game. We talk about the role of enchanted mortals, the particulars of memory loss, mechanics we think would enliven the systems a bit, and more...! Have a listen, and you'll be forgiven if you can't recall any of it afterward.

A couple shout-outs from this week:

If you want to remain around sufficient Glamour to keep your knowledge of the podcast from fading in your mind, we've got a few different balefires you can sit around:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) proposes that the Mists are at their most irritating when you can't find those keys you were just holding.

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!

We're jumping over the Lughnasa bonfires to bring you our first full-on episode in six weeks...! Herewith our dive into the Changeling Storytellers' Guide. This is the only proper ST-focused volume the line ever got, and while it's uneven, there's still plenty to enjoy within. Advice on planning the story and managing the table, reprinted crossover rules and thoughts on alternate settings, art that baffles as much as it inspires and an attempt at what the charitable would call a game-wide index—it's all here. Join us as we flip through its pages and get back into the groove of the podcast. We missed you all!

For the completionists, the book in question can be purchased at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/55?affiliate_id=3063731

Our merry selves can be found and contacted via:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) keeps adding more Storytellers' screens to the table despite the players' pleas. Just keeps on adding 'em.

"To hell with facts! We need stories!"

Surely you didn't think we were going to leave you all completely hanging during our summer hiatus...? Granted, this is only a mini-sode, but we hope it still serves a pleasant tidbit in between are larger installments. On this occasion, we are exploring the (general) World of Darkness supplement, The Bygone Bestiary, full of all your folklore-steeped medieval-and-Renaissance creature needs. The book claims that it can be fairly easily integrated with Werewolf, Mage, or Changeling, but in practice, it's more of a Mage: the Sorcerer's Crusade book. We are nevertheless giving our best effort to talk about how you could use this for Changeling. A system for building chimera, examples of interesting lore for common creatures, ideas for bringing actual mythic beasts into the Autumn World... the possibilities, if not endless, are at the very least intriguing.

The book is available on the Storytellers Vault at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/50?affiliate_id=3063731

Herewith also a shout-out to our sister podcast, Mage: the Podcast, whose episode on the book can be heard at: https://magethepodcast.com/tomes-of-magick-bygone-bestiary/.

And then, share your questions, comments, or screams of terror about your favorite beasts with us at:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) has a permanent observership among the College of Sea Cardinals.

"O to be a dragon,

A merry solstice to all! Keep an eye peeled for any fae wheelings and dealings in your neighborhood today, and be sure not to stray into any mysterious mushroom rings... In the meantime, you can also have a listen to this state of the podcast for the first half of Season 2, where we do an assessment of how things are going so far and our plans for the rest of the year. (Just a short audio morsel to tide you over.) The biggest news herein is that we are finally converting episodes to video format for upload to YouTube. A link to the podcast channel will be included in our social media bundle moving forward, and the individual episodes uploaded so far—in case you want to go back to the beginning—are as follows:

The rest of the usual links:

Thanks for your listens and supports! And we are steadily working away for our own late-summer Resurgence...

Our fiftieth (full-length) installment! Thanks to all who have been listening, especially those with us from the start, and we hope the next fifty are enjoyable. It seemed right to close out that milestone, and the first half of Season 2, with something a bit more relaxed. So here we are with another inspirations episode, this time on thirteen films that we think are particularly suited for Changeling: the Dreaming. (It would've been ten like the other inspirations episodes, but there was no way we could have kept it to that few.) This is a mix of movies officially recommended in the books and some of our own picks, a balance between overtly fae-themed films and others that more generally reflect the themes of the game. In order of discussion, here are the trailers. Some of them are excessively Hollywood, for which you have our apologies:

We also mention like thirty others at different points, including those suggested by our listeners. And where can you get in touch with us if you have comments or contributions to share? Well:

Our freehold is always welcome to you, so do stop by.

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) moonlights as a nocker projectionist at the local cinema..

"Un film est une source pétrifiante de la pensée. (A film is a petrified fountain of thought.)"

We'll be the first to admit that the Southern US is not our primary field of expertise, and to point out that TTRPG books—especially some of the 90s White Wolf ones—are not the greatest resource for learning more. That being said, the Kingdom of Willows supplement on the Kithain realm of the same name, covering that part of the world, is one of the more robust entries in the canon. It has its curiosities, and it has its cringes, but few Changeling books can match it for density. This week, we're talking about its usefulness for running games set in that part of the world and its approach to detailing the setting, as well as its crucial role in advancing the metaplot for 2nd edition. (We also fly through the seventy pages or so of NPC biographies at breakneck speed, because those things were lengthy.)

The book is available on the Storytellers Vault at: https://www.storytellersvault.com/product/173?affiliate_id=3063731

As per usual, reach out and touch Glamour at:

And we also threw references to a couple STV supplements, plus a bonus item from the outro:

Josh Hillerup (any pronoun) is moss-covered, moonlit, and eerie as the Devil waiting by a crossroads at midnight.

"I agreed to spend the afternoon, if only to understand the mystery of how a place could feel so strange, and yet so familiar."