Neal Litherland
Founding member
Bio
Neal Litherland is an author, freelance blogger, and RPG designer. A regular on the Chicago convention circuit, he works in a variety of genres.
Blog: Improved Initiative and The Literary Mercenary
Stories (309/0)
The Adopted Adventurer
"That does sound like quite a dangerous endeavor," Maxine Hillcrest said, sipping at her cup of tea. The short, plump halfling woman looked up at the three humans who had stopped near her home, weighing them with her gaze. "Now Hildebrant, can you promise me you'll keep a close eye on my boy if I let him go with you?"
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
Who Does Your RPG Character Care About?
Garran sat by the fire, reading over a letter. A long, thin man with dueling scars on his cheeks, and hands that always seemed to twitch toward the daggers on his waist, his face was usually set in a hard mask. He was smiling now, though, and his eyes were warm. A far cry from the man most saw when they were on a job together.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
- Top Story - March 2022
The One Time A Storyteller Played Chicken With The Venue
When you show up to a game, you expect the person running it to have a story ready for you. Or, failing that, to at least be willing to follow the players if they take initiative to try to accomplish goals and tie-off existing plots. What you don't expect to happen is for your storyteller to put down roadblocks, warnings, and to get involved in a game of chicken with you when you try to play the game.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
The Death Wish
They rode quietly through the mountain passes, their weapons and tack muffled by cloths to prevent any sounds that might travel to unwanted ears. Garrus kept one hand on his saddle horn, and one hand on his wand, but the young wizard couldn't help but notice Valgard's face. They'd ridden together for months now, and in all that time the big man had worn an expression like a thunderhead, barely speaking more than a handful of words. But now it was like the sun had broken through. His sullen eyes were bright, and his dour countenance uplifted. There was an eagerness about him that made him seem lighter. It was difficult to tell through his beard, but he appeared to be smiling.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
5 Films You Should Watch To Really "Get" Changeling: The Lost
The World of Darkness, as a setting, speaks to some of the darker parts of our mythological monsters. Not only that, but it finds a way to show the human aspects of the inhuman. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, demons and more become people we can understand, and even identify with even as they step further and further away from humanity. However, of all the lore that has been added to this modern fantasy mythos, none is as confusing to some folks as that found in Changeling: The Lost. The tagline A Game of Beautiful Madness is well-earned, and it can be intimidating for players who aren't used to a setting that's quite as fluid, or where the darkness hides behind whimsy and wonder.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
Silver Raven Chronicles Part Four: Circles in Salt
The Humbert House was a wreck that had only been made worse by the passage of time, and the company that had come through its doors. Tables and desks were splintered to kindling, stacked in piles that had begun to rot over the years. Mildew climbed the walls, and somewhere water dripped from one of the holes in the roof. The floor seemed sturdy enough, but there were places where it buckled if you put a foot wrong. Names had been scratched into the walls, and a dozen different gangs had tagged the place at one time or another, each crossing out the other’s street heraldry before making their own marks bigger and louder to declare the place theirs. Gnawed bones were scattered in heaps, and someone (or something) had been using one of the back rooms to do their business instead of going out to the jakes.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Fiction
The Fylgja Warlock
Aendra lay back, exhausted, sweat dripping from her face as she tried to catch her breath. Her pulse hammered, and her vision swam, but she clung to consciousness. She drifted in a silent moment that seemed to stretch for eternity, and then she heard the crying. It was outraged instead of scared, and despite herself she smiled.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
What is Your RPG Character's Theme Song?
Creating a character for a roleplaying game can be tough. In addition to their species, attributes, skills, special abilities, templates, and all the other mechanical considerations, you then have to breathe life into them to make them feel like a real person. Everything from a family history, to a list of personal desires and motivations, to hopes, fears, and personality quirks needs to be mixed together in order to create a unique, memorable individual who's just as much fun to play as they are to play with.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
How To Build The Mandalorian in The Pathfinder RPG
A lone gunman who takes the hardest jobs, and who always delivers. A dedicated protector who will stop at nothing to ensure the safety of a foundling. A man with a code in a galaxy in turmoil where everything is up for sale to the highest bidder. Bounty hunting is a complicated profession.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
How To Ruin a Promising LARP in 3 Easy Steps
For readers who don't know me, I like to consider myself a fairly big LARPer. While I've tried a little bit of everything, one of my absolute favorite games is Changeling: The Lost. It's varied enough to allow you to play nearly any concept you can think of, and the tone can run the gamut from dark and terrifying, to whimsical and haunting.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Gamers
Field Test
Commander Garroskin stood atop the battlements, if the blocky assemblage of ferrocrete could even be called such, and surveyed the battlefield through his binoculars. Lines of trenches surrounded the central bastion, all of them manned by regiments of the guard. Several artillery batteries were in place as well, their heavy barrels pointed out in all directions. In the distance their armor rolled with a rumbling, clanking tread that shook the ground. Huge iron hedgehogs were embedded with their spines facing outward in a haphazard pattern that made them nearly impossible to navigate, and hidden within their shadow were caltrops with hooks to prevent them being torn out once they’d sunk in. Though it was hard to see, he knew there were stretches of razor wire, along with carefully concealed landmines just waiting for an unwary step. Outpost Avernus would be a tough nut to crack, but as an explosion lit the sky and the vox crackled to life he knew the enemy was about to try.
By Neal Litherland2 years ago in Fiction