Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse

Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I last made a post open to all Patreon members, even free ones, so I thought this was a good moment to do so. I assume most of you are aware of my recent release: Machine Gods of the Noxian Expanse, a little rules-light OSR-adjacent RPG.

This is a is a dark fantasy/science fiction tabletop role-playing game set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity's technological golden age has ended in catastrophe. In the aftermath, AI systems evolved into machine gods, and human society has rebuilt itself into a feudal structure, with people interpreting advanced technology through a mystical lens. The game focuses on the fragmented region known as the Noxian Expanse, a vast wasteland dotted with ancient ruins and dominated by city-estates ruled by different machine gods and their noble houses. Players take the role of Reclaimers, a specialized class of adventurers and scavengers who explore the ruins of the previous age and interact with forgotten technology. Reclaimers are valued for their ability to interface with old tech, making them useful problem solvers, but also potential heretics. If you want to read more about it, you can do so here! I even shared a small play report of my first session with the game over here.  

This time around, I'm doing something different: the game will not be available via DTRPG, Amazon, or itch.io, as is usually the case. Those platforms are a godsend for small indie publishers like myself, but they also take a big chunk of the profits, and I want to see if I'm capable of generating enough interest in my work without making it easily available. This means that Machine Gods will only be available via this Patreon. I am planning on printing a few physical offset copies and sell them directly via blackoathgames.com, but the usual method of distribution will be this Patreon. For those who don't know how this works, simply for joining this Patreon at the Evocatus level or higher you immediately receive the Core Rules PDF (via DTRPG, so it can be in your library forever, and I can update it with ease). It doesn't matter if you do so now, or in six months: anyone who joins gets the Core Rules PDF. Master and Grand Master members also get the at-cost PoD codes from DTRPG, once they're available.

Moving forward, though, I will do things a bit differently. My intention is to keep releasing additional books in this setting; as a matter of fact, I already have two planned and in the works:

• Advance Rules: This will add modular rules to add complexity and options to all the existing systems: character creation, combat, exploration, and core rules. Emphasis on the "modular" aspect, since I want people to be able to pick and choose what they want to use. This way you can have as much crunch and detail as you want, or none, and just use the core rules.

• The Voidspire Territories: I'm actually already working on this, and it will be the first setting book, detailing this region. I'm drawing inspiration from the old Greyhawk gazetteer books, so you get an idea of what my goal with these is: to zoom in into the different regions of the Noxian Expanse, and offer gameplay opportunities unique to those regions. The Core Rules offer exploration rules, but they are very general, so I think it can be interesting to see what's special about each region and city-state.

If things go well, I will keep releasing these on a semi-regular basis (you guys know I have a million projects in the works and I'm just one person, after all...). This poses a question, though: will new Patreon members also get these additional books upon joining? The answer is no; if you want access to these additional books in the Machine Gods setting you must be a Patreon member when they are released (so you get them as part of the monthly rewards, as I've been doing for years now with all my work), OR purchase them directly from me whenever I decide to print some physical copies.

I think this post is already long enough, so if anyone has any question regarding the game and its release format, please, don't hesitate writing me via info@blackoathgames.com.

-Alex