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Tales from the Sanctum

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Welcome

The Sanctum Secorum podcast plumbs the depths of Appendix N as it applies to DCC RPG. Each show reviews one piece of Appendix N media — be it literature or film — and then discusses how to bring aspects of it to the table for your DCC game. We explore how the selected piece might already easily fit into particular modules and DCC settings, and we highlight one specific DCC module that really ties into the Appendix N material.

Enter the Sanctum Secorum… and be inspired.

News: The Bachwezi

Sanctum Media, in its partnership with Ugandan game designer, Ashraf Braden, is pleased to announce the third in our line of DCC micro-releases. Issued monthly, these mini-zines cost only $1, and are appropriate for printing and folding.

This month we present the Bachwezi, a tribe of invisible herdsmen who roam the African plains. Descended from the ancient Batembuzi gods, the Bachwezi have strange powers that allow them to remain unseen and to force others to do their bidding. This release brings them to your table as a fully playable character class for your campaign. Also included with your drivethrurpg purchase are pronunciation notes and audio clips by Ashraf himself, providing the Ugandan pronunciation for 4 new terms.

Ashraf has been working on the next few months of releases, and there are other potential projects in the works, beyond the scope of we here at Sanctum Media, that are all quite exciting. So, join us in celebrating new content from a new voice in the RPG community.

All of Sanctum Media’s proceeds from the purchase of this, and future releases created by Ashraf, go directly to the author. You can purchase it here!

Sanctum Secorum #50 – The Tower of the Elephant

Tonight, in their 50th episode, the Keepers of Mystery are joined by guests Stephen Newton, Francis Roberts, and the Dark Master himself – Joseph Goodman. The Keepers and their guests discuss Joseph Goodman’s favorite Appendix N work, Robert E. Howard’s The Tower of the Elephant.

In the Zamorian city of Arenjun,also known as the “City of Thieves,” a young Conan  is drinking in a rowdy tavern when he overhears a Kothic rogue describe a fabulous jewel known as the “Heart of the Elephant,” which is kept in a tower by an evil sorcerer named Yara, of whom even the King of Zamora is afraid. Conan ventures into Yara’s garden to steal the jewel and encounters Taurus of Nemedia, known as the “Prince of Thieves,” who has the same agenda. Taurus is wily and fat, but amazingly agile. Impressed by Conan’s daring, Taurus agrees to work together.

Also, be sure not to miss the information on how you may win the very last unclaimed copy of the Shadowed Grimoire, #10 of 10.

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Sanctum Secorum #50 – TONIGHT (SPECIAL TIME – 7pm EDT/Midnight UTC)

The Sanctum Secorum celebrates its 50th episode in style with a few very special guests, beginning with the Dark Master himself – Joseph Goodman – to discuss Mr. Goodman’s favorite Appendix N story, The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard.

But wait, there is more. Tonight, we will also be joined by Francis Roberts, who recently composed music for The Spine of Night (starring Lucy Lawless, Richard Grant, and Joe Manganiello) to truly dig into the musical inspirations for and from Robert E Howard and Conan.

There may even be other guests and surprises in store! Be sure not to miss our 50th show special at its special time – March 14th at 7pm EDT/midnight UTC. So, join us over on the Goodman Games Twitch channel.

Sanctum Secorum #50 – March 14th (SPECIAL TIME – 7pm EST/Midnight UTC)

The Sanctum Secorum celebrates its 50th episode with a special guest, at a special time. Join the Keepers of Mysteries (Jen, Marc, and Bob) along with their special guest Joseph Goodman – the Dark Master himself – as they discuss Mr. Goodman’s favorite Appendix N story, The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard.

Plus, we may need to dig something truly special out of the Prize Closet of Mystery in celebration…

So, join us over on the Goodman Games Twitch channel on March 14th at 7pm EST/midnight UTC

Obituary: Chris Carpenter

I bear the sad tidings that we’ve lost another one of our own. Chris Carpenter was a DCC fan and a personal friend. He fought with Glioblastoma for over two years before it took him. Chris’ passing wasn’t sudden, I suppose it wasn’t even wholly unexpected, but it is still a blow

In our gaming circles, Chris was the guy who always showed up with a friendly smile, a welcoming attitude, and a great story. While we played DCC with him a number of times, attendees of Brinkmanomicon might best know him for bringing Gaslands. His Gaslands games were so popular that we set aside the “perfect” table just for him – even raising it to increase the ease of play.

Spending time with him was… comfortable. We didn’t see one another often, especially once the pandemic hit, but we’d always pick up right where we left off. It was a rare thing.

There are many who knew him better than I, and he leaves behind a grieving family who are suffering from the loss of a husband and father. Things I can’t really wrap my head around.

In the end, Chris Carpenter was a good man, and our community is diminished by his passing. The world is a bit darker for the loss of his smile, and grown quieter for the passing of his voice.

The Sanctum Secorum Reading Room: Armor

Join two of our Keepers of Mysteries as they examine Armor, by John Steakley.

The planet is called Banshee. The air is unbreathable, the water is poisonous. It is home to the most implacable enemies that humanity, in all its interstellar expansion, has ever encountered. Body armor has been devised for the commando forces that are to be dropped on Banshee—the culmination of ten thousand years of the armorers’ craft. A trooper in this armor is a one-man, atomic powered battle fortress. But he will have to fight a nearly endless horde of berserk, hard-shelled monsters—the fighting arm of a species which uses biological technology to design perfect, mindless war minions. Felix is a scout in A-team Two. Highly competent, he is the sole survivor of mission after mission. Yet he is a man consumed by fear and hatred. And he is protected, not only by his custom-fitted body armor, but by an odd being which seems to live within him, a cold killing machine he calls “The Engine.” 

Armor is the story of humanity’s war against an alien race whose foot soldiers are three-meter-tall insects, referred to as “ants”. It is also the story of a research colony on the fringes of human territory which is threatened by pirates. The two plots intertwine and finally join at the end, with each providing answers and insight into events of the other. 

For those wishing to support Ashraf Braden’s RPG releases – click here and here!
Find the Armor II teaser that was released prior to Steakley’s death here.
Plus, tune in for our latest fantasy book give away!

Originally broadcast live on the Goodman Games twitch channel on February 28, 2023.

Sanctum Secorum Reading Room – Tuesday, Feb 28 at 9pm EST

The Keepers of Mysteries return to the Goodman Games Twitch channel with an all-new season of The Sanctum Secorum Reading Room! This month, Jen and Bob Brinkman explore and discuss Armor, by John Steakley.

Armor is the story of humanity’s war against an alien race whose foot soldiers are three-meter-tall insects, referred to in the book as “ants”. It is also the story of a research colony on the fringes of human territory which is threatened by pirates. The two sub-plots intersect at the end, with each providing answers and insight into events of the other. Join us and find how this book connects to Appendix N…

Enter the Sanctum Secorum… and be inspired.

Sanctum Secorum #49 – The Charwoman’s Shadow

Tonight the Keepers of Mystery discuss a work by Lord Dunsany, The Charwoman’s Shadow. Published in 1926, before the term “fantasy” had ever been used to describe the genre.

An old woman who spends her days scrubbing the floors might be an unlikely damsel in distress, but Lord Dunsany proves once again his mastery of the fantastical. The Charwoman’s Shadow is a beautiful tale of a sorcerer’s apprentice who discovers his master’s nefarious usage of stolen shadows, and vows to save the charwoman from her slavery.

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