episode 135 — the god-machine update

The time has come to put aside the old new World of Darkness and move into the Chronicles of Darkness, as we read through the God-Machine rules update. This is the back half of the God-Machine Chronicle released in 2013, which revised and expanded the rules for nWoD's first edition and would later become the basis for the second edition ruleset in Chronicles of Darkness (which is also lightly being considered here). Some of the changes are small; some of them are large; and some of them are just downright baffling. But as we continue to advance through the wilderness between Changeling: the Lost's initial and subsequent conceptions, we're taking the opportunity to observe this museum of ludic experiments and delights along the way. So strap in, prepare yourself for the unholy abomination that is the God-Machine's brass-meat angels, and listen as we discuss the finer points of experience costs and Morality systems and whatnot.

The God-Machine Chronicle book is no longer available for purchase, having been supplanted by Chronicles of Darkness corebook (https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/168428?affiliate_id=3063731). You can still get the rules update as a standalone (https://www.storytellersvault.com/en/product/114078?affiliate_id=3063731), but why would you want to? As we discuss in this episode, although the one was based on the other, the material from the update was not copied over to CofD wholesale; further tweaks and occasionally annoying omissions were made. Depending on how completionist you feel, get one or both, or neither!

For non-book-buying purposes that are purely social in nature, some other links for reaching out to us include:

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• Email: [email protected]
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082973960699
• Mastodon: https://dice.camp/@ChangelingPod
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• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChangelingThePodcast

your hosts

Pooka G (any pronoun/they) "accidentally" made an angel out of glowsticks and VapoRub, for the God-Machine is a raver god. Amelia Fetch (she/her) favors the Goddess-Contraption, which is like the God-Machine, but looks way better with those shoes and that hat.

And God created man; and man created machine; and machine— machine created music. And machine saw everything it had created and it said: behold. —Apoptygma Berzerk, "Kathy's Song (VNV Nation mix)"