Tavern Radio is Live

Yep, the Tavern Radio website is live. I'd have more to say, but four pints and three shots for my 47 birthday (which is tomorrow but who is really paying attention?)

Thank God I was sober last night when we recored episode one...

Episode 1 of Tenkar & The Badger is Recorded - Matt Finch was an Excellent 3rd Chair

Earlier tonight +Jason Paul McCartan . +Matt Finch and myself recorded the first episode of the Tenkar & The Badger Podcast. Matt was an excellent guest and a pleasure to have with us for the inaugural episode.

If all goes well, the edited and final version should be up on Friday. If not... well, hopefully we'll have some pieces from Episode Zero to torture you with fairly soon.

I'm just thankful my internet didn't start dropping until after the podcast was recording. I did miss out on some after the podcast chatter but that's fine.

I do expect the episode to spark some conversation when it releases, as The Quick Primer for Old School Gaming was a large part of the conversation, and it probably didn't go as you expect (nor did it take the path I expected, and that's damn cool.)

Oh, the TavernRadio website should be live in a day or so.

Wandering Monsters, Random Encounters or Unplanned Events?

I've been watching the puppy interact with the cats over the last few days, and it's gotten me thinking about Wandering Monsters and Random Encounters in OSR gaming and the like. Why has it gotten me thinking this way? No idea, except for all of the high energy interactions I guess.

From my perspective, wandering monsters and even random encounters are generally missing out on events - something that occurs that the players may or may not immediately interact with. Personally, I'd like to see some foreshadowing events on those random tables.

I see wandering monsters as the simplest of the tables - all monsters, damn near all combat situations.

Random encounters take the wandering monster table and add situations where the PCs can interact without combat.

Unplanned events goes one step further and adds in events the PCs see but can't interact with and events that transpire without the PCs need to interact with, but can. This could include foreshadowing, visions and natural events such as weather and the like.

Of course, the further you go from "Wandering Monsters" the more complicated and detailed the potential tables get.

Random puppy induced thoughts...

Tavern Radio has over 100 Members - Episode 1 of the Tenkar & The Badger Podcast Records Tomorrow

We hit over 100 members over the WOSR Tavern Radio G+ Community, which means everyone that's a member over there before episode 1 of Tenkar & The Badger goes out on Friday has a chance to win a $10 RPGNow GC, as we are giving away one GC on Friday.

Recording happens tomorrow night.

I figure I can't get more nervous than I already am, so it can only get better ;)

Remember, we don't supply translators, so you are on your own...

Puppy Pickup Was Successful ;)

Danke, our miniature long haired dachshund, was brought home yesterday afternoon, and is already being chased and chasing my parents' cats.

She's only loud when she's put in here crate.

I suspect I have a second model for the gaming book pictures ;)

What is Your "RPG Rule Zero?"

What is your "RPG Rule Zero?"

My Rule Zero is "You must have faith in the DM to run a fair and fun game and to interpret the rules of said game to ensure fairness and fun." This rule tends to not sit well with rules heavy games, but as I tend to avoid most rules heavy games, that isn't much of an issue.

Yes, OSR for the win! ;)

If You Have Questions / Thoughts you want Brought Up with Matt Finch, Ask Below

The first episode of the Tenkar & The Badger Podcast records on Monday evening (and should go live on Friday for the masses) - a mere two days from now. +Matt Finch will be the guest for the first episode.

If there is anything in particular you want asked, leave a comment below. No guarantees that we will get to ask your question, but we do guarantee that we will read them to ourselves if nothing else ;)

(As a small aside, if we get 100+ members in the WOSR Community before the episode goes live on August 1st, I'll give away a $10 RPGNow Gift Certificate to a random community member. As I post this, we have 88 members, so it is VERY doable.)

My POD Copy of D&D 5e Basic has Arrived!

Someone uploaded the D&D 5e Basic Rules to Lulu last week. They were only up for a day or so, but I snagged a copy while they were there.

All I can say is this: WotC should seriously consider putting up an at cost POD option for the D&D Basic Rules at the DnDClassics storefront. This is a much more table friendly version than the PDF.

House Rules - Do You Do Them and Why?

Recently I was asked if I had my house rules for S&W in one place, and the answer I wanted to give was "Yes. In my head."

It's not that I don't have them written down - most if not all of them have been posted and discussed here at The Tavern - I just don't have them all in a single post, let alone a downloadable document. Maybe with next week's mostly staycation I'll have a chance to rectify that.

The thing is, with me, I find it damn near impossible to run any game, especially an OSR game, as written. With nearly 35 years in the hobby, I have my own ideas of what works best. These days, with all of the OSR games available (many for free) making a mongrelization of the various rule sets is much like picking from the classic Chinese Restaurant menu - 1 from column a, 1 from column b, etc. Swords & Wizardry Complete is my baseline, but my games step far away from that baseline in actual play.

Do you use house rules in your campaigns? Just a few minor ones or a crapton of large ones? Maybe something inbetween. Do you RAW (run as written) and if so, why? If you house rule, why?