Miskatonic University Podcast

This episode, Keepers Bridgett and Evan discuss ten things to remember when publishing on the Miskatonic Repository! Patreon Plug & Update Hellllllo, dear listeners! Listen. No script. No hustle. No commercial breaks. No patreon advertisements. Back us on Patreon. Please, pretty please, pretty please with a cherry on top. We need honey to pay for everything from hosting fees to server fees to storage fees to spam filters and more. To back, and keep this show alive, button on the sidebar of our website, mu-podcast.com or head over to Patreon directly at www.patreon.com/mup! But for only $2/month, you, dear listener, could save us financial destitution and oblivion. And if you can’t back us… there are so many ways to support us! A like, a share, a discord comment, a review on Spotify or nominating us for your favorite podcast award. There are so many ways that you share the love. And we need it. So either back us… or have our backs.  We love you guys!  New Backers! Mush-Faker Kat The Discord Plug MUP has a Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D  And thank you to our editor NATE for editing this episode.  Bridgett’s Pet Pic Shout Out  Did we do this already? I don’t think so. Trouble the Cat, by Rach! Sleeping in the sewing basket! What a helpful cat. Main Topic  Hello, and welcome everyone to the main topic! Tonight, we discuss Ten Things to Remember When Publishing on the Miskatonic Repository.  Evan’s 5 Write for you Write what you like. If you don’t like it, you absolutely are not getting paid enough to do it. Have an elevator pitch Before you get deep into writing, you should be able to say in 1 or 2 sentences, of moderate length, what is most exciting to you about your product (scenario, source book, resource, art too!). This is what will excite others You can build off other peoples’ work One thing we can take from the example of Lovecraft and the early weird fiction writers is that they all collaborated all the time. You can co-write with people, you can build off an idea or a setting or a creature or a spell found in someone else’s work, you can create a Shared Universe. It’s polite to be in touch if you’re using someone’s material, but it’s absolutely OK to do as long as you follow the clear credit rules. Have realistic expectations of investment vs reward You probably know you’re not going to make a ton of money off this. When you’re new, and you aren’t super known in the community, you also won’t get a ton of recognition AT FIRST. So figure out what reward you’re looking for, have a reasonable expectation of how much of it you’ll get, and put in the effort accordingly. Write at your own pace, but get it done Life is life, and writing is writing, and only occasionally the twain shall meet. Bridgett’s 5 Surrender Perfect There’s no pre-check or approval process before you upload; you’re responsible for reading and understand the guidelines Perfect isn’t real; don’t gatekeeper yourself Successfully publishing, even the imperfect, is a very real requirement by most publishers (even if it’s a pamphlet adventure)  Community Support You don’t have to do it alone You can use a self guided course at the Storyteller Collectives Symphony, MUP, MR, MRCon, Chaosium Discord, and various online hubs on facebook and BRP forums, conventions (Chaosium Con, GenCon, Impromptu Con, MRCon). Find your people. There’s value there. PWYW – Don’t do this It sets a temperate that your work doesn’t have value Most people will pay $0 You don’t receive metal credits for free products NO AI – Free or affordable art alternatives  Unsplash, WikiCommons, Pixbay (make sure that you toggle human created) CHC Gig Directory Clear Credits – What’s Off Limits? Our best advice is to check the detailed credits at the front of any Chaosium book: if something in the book is listed as being used “with permission” from an author or their estate, you can’t use it in community content, because we can’t delegate that permission to you. (We’d love to! But we can’t.) If you’re using something that isn’t found in any Chaosium book, then you will have to do your own research. We strongly advise you to stay away from any original creations by Ramsay Campbell or Brian Lumley, as they / the estate jealously guards their rights (which  they have every right to do), but the general rule is that anything that isn’t clearly in the public domain is off limits for community content. Homework What is your favorite Miskatonic Repository publication? Drop the link into the Discord on episode Channel 362. 

This episode Keepers Bridgett & Evan visit Innsmouth via of Chaosium’s newest Call of Cthulhu book: Innsmouth. Patreon Plug & Update Hey guys! It’s us. Bridgett and Evan. We uh, we went to Innsmouth to do some field research for you guys, and um… now our car won’t start. It’s too far to walk. Uber and Lyft says that this location doesn’t exist. The only way out is by bus, and we don’t have any money…  We’ve risked everything to bring you guys good content. We’ve traveled to places that Papa Johns doesn’t even deliver. And now we’re struck. We need your help. We can barely afford these website fees, hosting fees, spam filter fees, storage fees, and editor payment fees, let alone a bus ticket to get back home…. But for only $2/month, you, dear listener, could save us from Innsmouth. And economic disaster. By backing us on patreon at patreon.com/MUP. We just want to get home. To you.  The Discord Plug MUP has a Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D  And thank you to our editor GENE for editing this episode.  Main Topic  Let’s take a tour of the Innsmouth book! Join hosts as we riff, play, and discuss potential story options! Homework What’s your favorite part of the Innsmouth setting? Tell us over on the MUP Discord, channel Ep 361!

This episode, Keepers Bridgett and Evan discuss Target Audiences with Zach from Pretending to be People! Patreon Plug & Update Hey, guys! We have a patreon. That’s right. That’s how we pay our editors, web hosting, storage, spam filters, website fees, and more! And our backers make it possible. See, our backers are our target audience. They also enjoy weird or horrific roleplaying games. And they also choose to hang out with Evan and I every other week. You hear that Evan? People pay to be here. They pay to keep us going? ….What’s wrong with them? I don’t know, but we’re not in a position to look a gift horse in the mouth. Fees are going up. We need the money. And we need subscribers. So, do just like our newest backer: Matthew Dawkins just did, head over patreon.com/MUP and subscribe. For as little as two bucks a month, you too can support Bridgett as she rudely interrupts and laughs over me. Or, you can force us to continue to pander to our corporate overlords, such as this episode’s sponsor: Ad for MythosMarket Cosmic Prediction Market For Zach You’ve probably heard from your bros about their little prediction markets. “Oooh I can place a bet on the election! Ooh I can do a little insider trading on a celebrity death!” WHO CARES? Your bros are thinking small.  You know how to play the big markets. When will Great Cthulhu rise? When will the stars be right again? How long until laws and morals are thrown aside and all people shout and kill and revel in joy? You’ve studied the books bound in human skin. You’ve correlated the contents of your mind. You have the inside track on the apocalypse, and you use that knowledge on Mythos Market, the cosmic prediction market. The Discord Plug MUP has a Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D  And thank you to our editor Ben for editing this episode.  Main Topic  Hello, everyone, and welcome everyone to the Main Topic! Tonight, we are here discussing: target audiences. We’re going to define what that is, discuss why it matters, and give you some tools, tricks, and support to recognize how these strategies directly impact you! Homework Dear listener, tell us – what’s YOUR target audience? Let us know on the Discord, channel ep-360.

This episode, Keepers Bridgett & Evan discuss horror gaming ideas based on the culture, folklore, and history of Mexico with Carlos Salazar! Patreon Plug & Update Are you excited to be getting out into the world with us? Learning new things? Encountering previously-unimagined terror? Well. Honey. Doing that is not free.  That’s correct! We didn’t all get good enough grades for a study abroad scholarship… I think I’ve taken the college metaphor as far as it can go. OK. The point is, YOU can be our spiritual, temporal, and financial benefactors, by heading over to patreon.com/MUP to subscribe. For as little as two bucks a month, you can help us pay our editors, pay for web hosting, and pay for storage.  And hey, we get it. If monetary support isn’t possible, a like, a share, a nomination to your favorite podcast awards, or a review goes such a long way! Because if you don’t engage, or support, then we’re forced to include ads from our backers, like this unholy nonsense from backer James (Ibis): [In obnoxious 90s commercial screech]: Nahum Gardner’s Ba-LAaaasted Heath Sunbathing, in the West Arkham Hills mini-mall! Get a tan that is out of this world! (Editors: Gnarly 90’s guitar riff here?) Funky fake tan colors? NO WAY! Nahum Gardner uses the power of the cosmos to help you achieve color that is OUT OF THIS WORLD!  …OK. That’s as long as I can do that voice. James, thank you! And curse you. The Discord Plug MUP has a Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D  And thank you to our editor EQUINOX for editing this episode.  Bridgett’s Pet Pic Shout Out  Tonight’s Pet Pic Shout Out is of Jackson Elias, the puppers of Targard and Bev in Stitches! He’s got his eyes on you… he’s seen beyond sight… he knows beyond knowing… and hims still the bestest boy! Love you Targard!  Main Topic  Welcome everyone to the Main Topic! Tonight we are discussing horror gaming ideas based on the culture, folklore, and history of Mexico! Previously we’ve touched on the idea of looking into specific cultures for inspiration for your horror gaming, like when we dove deep into the Depression-era Mississippi Delta in our two Sinners episodes with our guest Quinn Murphy. And we’ve talked about the ways that the idea of “madness” evolves and shifts across cultures and across time.  And just to revisit a couple of general ground rules here when we start to play with the Mythos and horror and real-life cultures:  The Mythos is not responsible for factual, historical evils that humans commit. We don’t mess around with tropes of backwards tribes who worship the mythos because they haven’t been enlightened by white man. The stories and mythologies of real-world cultures are not “secretly, actually” referring to Mythos entities. We don’t do misery tourism. Define and deny racial fetishizing OK! So! Carlos, let’s dive in! Cosmic perspective in a Mexican and Mexican American tradition Curanderismo: Mexican-American Folk Psychiatry by Ari Kiev Curanderismo: Mexican American Folk Healing, 2nd Ed. by Robert T Trotter II, Juan Antonio Chavira, Luís D León Daily Life of the Aztecs Bless Me Ultima, Rudolfo Anaya Mexican Gothic, Silvia Moreno-Gracia Fever Dreams of a Parasite, Pedro Iniquez Folklore from different populations and how to use them as a jump off point for Mythos horror  Mesoamerican systems of writing and the almost near destruction of Mesoamerican texts  Also – yesterday was Mexican Independence Day! And we are just now entering Hispanic Heritage Month. Happy coincidences! Homework Dear listener, tell us – have you dabbled in horror gaming inspired by Mexico? Where would you like our Study Abroad program to go in the future? Let us know on the Discord, channel ep-359. 

This episode, Keepers Bridgett and Evan discuss Survival Horror with Matthew Dawkins! Patreon Plug & Update Do you enjoy this content? Would you like to help us create more of it? Would you love to go to sleep at night knowing that you did your part to directly support this show and our surrounding community? Well. Do we have news for you!  You can be the hero that MUP deserves, and needs, by heading over to patreon.com/MUP to subscribe. For as little as two bucks a month you can help us pay our editors, pay for web hosting, and pay for storage. Do you know how much storage we go through each month? We need monetary support!  And listen, if monetary support isn’t possible, a like, a share, a nomination to your favorite podcast awards, or a review goes such a long way! Because if you don’t engage, or support, then we’re forced to include ads from our backers, such as this gem from Antonio Marchen:  This episode is brought to you by Grandma Sally’s Soap Shop, your online source for handcrafted soaps, beauty products, and other personal care items. We make our products in small batches using traditional methods, natural ingredients, and Grandma Sally’s own proprietary premium tallow blend.   Unlike mass-produced corporate soaps, Grandma Sally’s products are rendered slowly over an open fire in an authentic iron cauldron. Quality is assured by the watchful gaze of powers older than mankind. Customers describe our cleansers as “surprisingly fresh,” “deeply satisfying,” and “uncomfortably personal.” At Grandma Sally’s, we put a little bit of ourselves into every product. And sometimes… a little bit of somebody else. The Discord Plug MUP has a Discord and we are all there! We invite all of our listeners to come and enjoy the community of horror gaming and cute pet pics. Link in the show notes: MU Discord server invite link: https://discord.gg/vNjEv9D  And thank you to our editor NATE for editing this episode.  Main Topic  Welcome everyone to the Main Topic! Tonight we are discussing Survival Horror. What it is, what it isn’t, what makes it unique, and how to use this subgenre of horror as a vehicle to enhance and diversify your storytelling.  And to help, we’ve brought on prolific writer, award winning content creator, and honestly one my favorite GMs of all time, Matthew Dawkins! Matthew, please introduce yourself to the people! So, we’re jumping into Survival Horror. Before we proceed, let’s first define it- Matthew, what is survival horror? What is it NOT? Let’s clarify by contrast, what is survival horror compared to cosmic horror, investigative horror, apocalyptic, or psychological horror? What type of core elements can you expect from survival horror? According to the internets:  scarce resources, Isolation   unreliable combat,  unexpected attacks,  puzzle solving,  evade versus confront enemies,  vulnerable characters,  maze-like environments,  perception limitation  What types of gamers or playstyles would be most attracted to survival horror? What do you personally enjoy most about survival horror? What are your favorite games/system that rely on this texture of storytelling? Ten Candles Mutant Year Zero Twilight 2000 Alien: the RPG Locus https://cobblepath-games.itch.io/locusrpg This War of Mine https://awakenrealms.com/games/awaken-realms/this-war-of-mine The World Below https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/500655/the-world-below-core-rulebook What should you remember when creating survival horror content? Accounting for PC deaths early in the session? Connect with Matthew Dawkins https://www.patreon.com/matthewdawkins https://www.matthewdawkins.com https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/onyx-path/jadestorm Homework Dear listener, tell us – what is your take on survival horror? Where has it be done well in your gaming experience? Got links? Drop em!