Upcoming Reviews at The Tavern - RuneQuest Starter Set, Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, GiantLands and More

I've stepped away from doing reviews over the past few years, as I always felt conflicted about doing reviews for products that I could financially benefit from via affiliate sales.

Over the past few months, I've picked up (or ordered in the case of GiantLands) a number of RPG products directly from the publisher. Good or bad, the best deals for these products likely will be directly from the publisher (as the price will often include PDFs for instant gratification (GiantLands is an exception - no PDF).

I want to start delving through these acquisitions with a critical eye. The first will likely be the RuneQuest Starter Set, which is looking really good to my initial eyes.

More in the next few days :)

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You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Review of The Vast in the Dark – a Zine About Exploring Dark and Alien Megastructures of an Infinite Realm (Guest Post)

I'd like to thank Doug for submitting this review. As I've stated many times, but I can never state often enough, The Tavern is yours and it is significantly better when members of the community participate in its content - Tenkar

Review of The Vast in the Dark – a Zine About Exploring Dark and Alien Megastructures of an Infinite Realm by Doug Kilmer

I’ll start this review with a thank you to Tenkar’s Tavern for showcasing the Kickstarter ZineQuest (note - The Tavern's YouTube series of Fireside Chats for ZineQuest 2021 can be viewed here) I would never have been aware of this movement, or the great products that were offered this year, without the heads up. I purchased way too many products for my wallet and so far don’t regret one.  

Charlie Ferguson-Avery’s The Vast in the Dark is one of the best.  Published by Feral Indie Studio, it is not only an incredibly useful toolbox, it drips with an original atmosphere and dark character, which is hard to achieve in this now mature industry literally full of thousands of settings.  

From the back cover:

The sky is black as night. A tectonic rumbling can be heard overhead: the ruins sprawl out with a fractal madness. And a vast sea of colorless sand stretches out into the darkness.

That writing alone gets my attention.

The electronic version of The Vast in the Dark is available here for a minimum contribution of $5USD. As identified above, the product is the result of a successful Kickstarter project in early 2021 that has already delivered in full. The electronic product is 28 pages long, including front and back cover, insides of covers, table of contents, and two pages that are predominantly art. The remainder is a toolbox for the creation of this alien environment. The writing is fairly tight and concise, and it is simple and clear to read.  The booklet makes great use of evocative art that reinforces the brooding atmosphere, and the layout is functional and minimizes wasted space.

While technically system neutral, the author recommended systems include DCC, OSE, Pathfinder, Knave, White Hack, and Black Hack.  So obviously, this is going to have an old-school vibe. As a backer of the Kickstarter, I also have a saddle-stitch print version, which is a handy 5” x 8” and fits well with my Old School Essentials books.

What it has…

As I mentioned, this is a toolbox to adventure in a “crumbling alien wasteland.” At its heart, it is a sandbox for hex crawling.  Definitely OSR-ish, hence the system recommendations. Within the limited page count is everything you need to randomly generate an ancient wasteland of some past empire. The ruins of megalithic structures littering a sandy waste, dotted by conclaves of other travelers caught in the dark clinging to existence.

The Vast in the Dark is not meant to be a full setting, but rather what I will call a “side setting.” This product can pretty much be bolted on with any setting. I think it is best used as a diversion from your main campaign, possibly a jaunt on the other side of the veil or being caught up in the planes. Three to four games sessions ought to do it; enough to frustrate your players, make them appreciate escaping this place, and definitely memorable fodder for your players to talk about in years to come. 

Yes, the Vast has that level of potential to turn ugly and hopeless for the party. Walking out of here without some form of permanent mark probably won’t happen. And it shouldn’t in my opinion.

There is no wasted space in this zine. A brief explanation of the setting, rules on exploration in the Vast (e.g., navigation, becoming lost, and quirks that your character can take on due to being too long in the wastes), and an inventory system. The zine also provides a modicum of the mundane necessities of life (e.g., food), a lodestone-based (one of the few setting resources) currency system, and some discussion of the Vast’s society. There are even three representative factions that can be found while wandering the wastes.

The zine also provides a quick and simple exhaustion system.  This is key to playing in this environment, as it reflects the slow wear and tear of struggling to survive in an alien environment.  Characters gain levels of exhaustion when they miss a night’s sleep, are severely wounded, push themselves beyond the norm, and go without food. These build up and can result in an illness or injury, which puts tasks using the associated ability at a disadvantage until rested or healed. Truly reflective of the dark and gritty of the Vast, and definitely will be a challenge to even veteran players of old school systems.

Cool, but not the real treasure.  

The Good…

The random Vast generation tools are the true value. The method starts on the macroscopic level developing regional terrain maps, and then works inward to local scale hexes, and lastly ruins.  The regional and local mapping uses a die drop method to generate the locations of ruins, pillars, and empty wastes. Pillars are enormous constructs made of lodestone that seem to be holding up whatever is above beyond the sight of the ground. Like the ruins, they can also be inhabited.

For ruins, a simple room-by-room grid-based mapping method is provided that can be used on the fly. Example types of rooms, features, treasures, and encounters are all in the booklet. It comes with an associated time tracking guide for room exploration. All very old school.

The Not so good…

I only have two minor criticisms, both of which are admittedly not valid given the limited page goals of zines: not enough original monsters; and, just not enough content.  That’s it. This product definitely leaves you wanting more. I look forward to a companion in the future. Maybe something that fills in what is on top of the pillars.

The lack of unique creatures to encounter is really the only gap in this booklet.  The uniqueness of how the Vast is presented justifies the need for original creatures. There are certainly a plethora of monster manuals that can be pilfered for non-standard creatures, but I want the author’s vision on this as well.

Rating…

On the old five-star system, have to give this a near-perfect 4.5 out of 5.  At $5 for the pdf, this is one of the best values I have come across in years.  Personally, I can’t wait until my players cross the veil and realize they are not in Kansas anymore.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection.  

Review-ish - Monsters! Monsters! (2nd Edition - Tunnels & Trolls)

I'm not one to do much in the way of reviews, even though many have and still do ask me to do so. The reasons are quite simple, as I feel many others do a far better job at reviewing products than I ever could and I don't take pleasure in reviewing (let alone reading) releases that I'm not enjoying. So, for the most part, I leave reviews in the hands of others, although I do post often about new releases that spark my interest.

The Second Edition of Monsters! Monsters! was released in June of 2020, and technically is not a "new release." Quite simply, I knew it had released, I had my copy in print and PDF and I never got around to reading through it until earlier today. So, technically, it's new to me ;)

First things first, the art is damn good. The cover is awesome and the interior art reminds me of Games Workshop / White Dwarf artwork from the 80s and it fits the atmosphere perfectly.

Ruleswise, you can see the influence of later editions of Tunnels &Trolls on this edition of Monsters! Monsters! We get spite damage from T&T 5.5, stunting, and a new optional rule - Chaos Factor. Chaos factor has a huge potential to skew the power level of the game in favor of the players, but that isn't necessarily bad, just something to be aware of. You get 5 Fast Start Kindreds (and 49 altogether), so your choices as a player cover a large potential of concepts.

Still, the rules are Tunnels &Trolls rules. If you play T&T, you'll find inspiration within. The enclosed GM Adventure (not quite as rare as a unicorn in T&T, but certainly uncommon) is part setting with a large helping of adventure and adventure leads. The Ruins of Hael'Ku can be used for Monsters! Monsters! or Tunnels & Trolls, and should work well with either system - or both.

Monsters! Monsters! is 9.95 in PDF, which I think is a very fair value for what you get, especially if you are a fan of the Tunnels & Trolls rules.

T

he Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, 

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection.

 

New PWYW - Boons for Swords & Wizardry Core Rules

Hmmm. This looks interesting. Let's read the pitch for Boons for Swords & Wizardry Core Rules:

This is a D60 table I created for my home game of core S&W but it will work with any OSR style game. The idea was to expand on the class system using a random table. Players roll on the table at 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, 11th, and 13th levels. I found I wanted to jazz up the core rules a little without overcomplicating things and this table did just the trick. It adds depth to characters without the need for more complicated classes. This is exactly what I wanted. I love the simplicity and ease of play S&W offers but missed some of the elements in more complicated games. This table gave me the best of both worlds. Some of the boons can be stacked (GM’s option) if a player finds they have rolled the same boon twice.

Alright, I'm curious. Its PWYW, so you can peek for free. Let's peek (note - screenshot is for review purposes only)

Holy shit. I LIKE this. Even if only used at first level, this is pretty damn cool. It's not overpowering and adds flavor and uniqueness to PCs. I just went back and gave a buck.

Note, although it specifically calls out the S&W Core Rules, it should work fine with any flavor of S&W. Heck, pretty much any OSR ruleset too.

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Review - The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide

Long story short, I was offered a reviewer's copy of The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide by the publisher. How could I say no?  ;)

I gave my initial impressions (they were good) last week on The Tavern Chat Podcast, but how does "The Ultimate" stand up to a more thorough perusal? Very well.

Let me start by repeating something the author himself mentions - hop around the book. Use what inspires you. There is no need to use it all - hell, I don't think that is possible or even advisable. Simply use what works.

Now, I am primarily a DM / GM these days, and I'm going to ask you to note that the title doesn't say "Player Character... Guide" but "Character Guide". Think of this book not just as a useful tool for the players at your table, but an amazing toolkit to give your NPC some depth.

The first entry is a series of tables to invent your own idioms. Want an easy way to make each town identifiable for your players? Give your shopkeeper a unique idiom or two.

"Can't make a dwarf till a field."

"A foolish thief finding a dragon's horde may as well dig his own grave."

"Happiness gets you killed in front of hell's black gates."

Damn. I could really enjoy this :)

Some of the sections are of the "world building" type. Unique holy/holidays, a character's approach towards religion, details of your homeland/town/etc. These sections work best hand in hand with your DM, but also serve the DM well as he/she seeks to add depth to the campaign world - either one of their own creation or taken off the shelf. Its details like this that make an RPG campaign more than a simple series of connected adventures but a living, breathing world.

One of my favorite entries deals with what a character brings with them on adventures to keep that connection to home. Again, its presented as a tool for your players, but imagine the response when your players find the bandit leader's lair, and there is a small jewelry box filled with earth next to his bed. Is it magical? What's the purpose? (I still remember my Commanding Officer in the late 90's, when I was a cop in the South Bronx, having a small piece of Irish Turf on a shelf in his office, to remind him of his childhood in Ireland)

The most surprising thing about The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide is that it hasn't been done before. I find myself reading sections like Five Things You Can't Throw Away (applies as much in real life as it does in game) and Wanted (the joys of "Wanted Posters") and think "This is brilliant!" followed by "How come I never thought of this?" It's obvious once it's brought to one's attention, but the fact is that the obvious often remains hidden in plain sight. It takes the right person, or writer, to bring it into the light.

I can give The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide the following praise - it's inspired me to want to kick off a new RPG Campaign for the first time in a year and a half. I want to DM a campaign and I want to play in a campaign. I want to pick through the guide for nuggets of inspiration, for added depth to my next gameworld. I can think of no better endorsement other than "this book will be used". Sadly, I can't say that for the vast majority of my gaming collection.

The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Guide has a retail price of 14.99. On Amazon, its 10.39 in softcover, 10.99 in Kindle format.  https://amzn.to/2IE1gFb

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Ramp up your role-playing game and make your character your own with this fun, interactive workbook—an essential addition to any RPG player’s gaming kit. 

You’ve chosen your class, bought your weapons, and rolled for your stats, and you’re now the proud owner of your own RPG (role-playing game) avatar. But before you begin your adventure, there’s so much more you can do with your character to make him or her your own! Just how evil is she? What does his dating profile look like? Where did she get that scar? What does he want for his birthday? With fill-in-the blank narratives, prompts, and fun activities to help you customize your character at the start of the game, or build out your backstory as you play, The Ultimate RPG Character Backstory Book will help you fully imagine your character and bring them to life for the ultimate gaming experience!

Mini Review - Temple of the Hamster (DCC RPG)

I don't do nearly as many reviews as I used to. The main reason is that I never seem to have the time needed to sit down and read the product in question. Heck, I have that issue with the gaming books I buy. I never would have guessed that retirement would lead to LESS free time ;)

This is my long-winded way of explaining that I've had a review copy of Temple of the Hamster in PDF for a week and a half and only now have gotten a chance to peruse it (there are other titles in the review pile, both older and more recent - I'm working on it)

Alright, so what exactly IS Temple of the Hamster? Its a DCC RPG adventure about giant hamsters. Sounds simple, but it isn't. There's a bit more here then is obvious with the first glance.

The town of Kamis lies in a panic. Townsfolk are missing and city watchmen lie dead; their sides split open from being over stuffed with grain. A stalwart cadre of adventurers must explore the town of Kamis and uncover the terrible mysteries of the Temple of the Hamster. These adventurers must brave terrible traps and minions before facing the dread peril at the heart of the temple. The Temple of the Hamster is packed with hamster style adventure and has been redesigned to have 100% more hamster wheels and mayhem. This level 3 adventure is compatable with the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG and guaranteed to entertain even the stoutest hamster hating heart. Also be sure to look for more forthcoming adventures from Vance Games. Mother’s Maze is coming soon!

The hook is the PCs are incarcerated and this is their chance to redeem themselves (and get a pardon to boot) While this hook is perfect for a convention session (which is where I really think Temple of the Hamster will truly shine) if you want your regular party to get involved just remind them the town watch is dead, townfolks have gone missing and they are heroes. Or at least they are a close facsimile :)

Yes, there are giant hamsters. Regular hamsters too. Hamster balls. Yep, it's a quirky adventure, but once your players get pulled along they'll soon find themselves immersed in hamster balls and giant ninja hamsters. Wait, maybe I said too much...

Beware, your player's characters can learn Hamster Style Fighting and may never be the same.

Now, it may be a bit too gonzo for some DCC RPG campaigns, but as DCC is pretty gonzo in the first place, this may not be an issue at all. As I stated above, for convention play, Temple of the Hamster is a perfect fit as is.

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Guest Review - Pyramid of the Lost King by Genius Loci Games (S&W Sandbox / Adventure)

The Tavern is always happy to share guest posts from members of the community. Just use the Blogger Contact Form on the right side of this page or email us at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing with "Guest Post" in the subject line to make your pitch.

Now on to our guest review by Doug Kilmer.

A Review of Pyramid of the Lost King by Genius Loci Games

Pyramid of the Lost King is a mini-sandbox (literally in this case!) that includes a collection of short adventures written for the Swords & Wizardry rule set, but like most OSR products it is compatible with many of the early rules versions and later clones. The product is the result of a successful Kickstarter project in 2015. The electronic product is 107 pages long, including the cover, 8 pages of interior cover, introduction, table of contents, backers list, and OGL license info. The remainder is adventure and setting information.

In full disclosure, a pdf version was provided to the reviewer gratis by Joshua De Santo of Genius Loci Games. The game is available in electronic format from RPGNow (http://www.rpgnow.com/product/196455/Pyramid-of-the-Lost-King?affiliate_id=1446)

The adventures in this product are set in the Lands of Usarm, a world that has undergone a long ago upheaval and is replete with ancient technology (magic?). Refer to the publisher’s blog (http://geniuslocigames.blogspot.com/) for more information on the Lands of Usarm and material available on this setting (more information on the setting’s history would be helpful, but is not required, to use this product. Especially if the GM drops this into his own world).

What It Has…

The core of this product is five adventures, three of which are dungeons, culminating with the title piece namesake.  The adventures are designed for S&W 1st through 5th levels.  There is a nice breadth of dungeon, wilderness, and city encounters in the document as a whole. Not only does the game provide the adventures, there is a lot of information on the sandbox setting. It includes information on the great Saragubi Desert and the significant places within: the City of Basq (a merchant-controlled trading city), the Sangab Rift, the Narrows, and numerous other locations. The setting as a whole can be easily dropped into most any campaign world. Like a good sandbox, the locales in the desert can be explored as the players choose. There is enough content to be the basis of play in this area for a significant amount of play time. It would require the GM to invest in creating encounters and finding creatures appropriate to this ecosystem, but there is a strong setting framework already in place.

The adventures are well written and are a good length for 1-2 game sessions each, depending upon how long your gaming group plays at one time. Creature stats for encounters are presented in-line with each encounter (not in an attachment at the end). This makes for easier use, but some detail on how to play certain monsters or encounters would help for less experienced GMs.  I won’t go into details of the adventures here to avoid spoilers, but have to give a shout out for several of the encounters to wet your whistles: Ratmen, Rusted Sentinels, and a Great Worm. Now, that is a nice spread that warms any dungeon crawler’s heart.

The encounter maps are also well done, in that they are actually useful as drawn. They are hand drawn black & white, clean lines with just the right amount of information – not cluttered or confusing. For those that use gaming mats or paper, the dungeons are easily recreated to scale for miniatures use. The rooms are keyed to the written content as well. I like that each location has a unique title, but also appreciate they did not put this on the maps. The hand-drawn style is an aesthetic I am particularly fond of. I would play the adventures in order as they appear in the book (which may not work with a sandbox approach), as they play well in that order and become more challenging (and interesting) in that order.

The author also went to great lengths to provide random encounter tables. These encounters are great for getting groups from location to location in play time. Each table comes with brief explanations of each encounter and quick stats – just enough info to put into play immediately if rolled but not so much that it bogs down play while the GM is reading.

The end of the document contains the obligatory new magic items specific to the setting. Nothing earth shaking here, but they are good window dressing. There is also one new spell.  As mentioned above, creatures are presented within the adventures themselves rather than consolidated at the end in a separate appendix.

The Not So Good…

There really is not much about this product that isn’t useful or well done.  As typical, we would all probably like more detail. That is the hallmark of a good setting. More guidance on how to tie the five adventures together to create a mini-campaign arc would be welcome. I would also have liked to have seen more new and original monsters for this locale, or at least a general listing of where standard monsters appear and how they can be used. Many of those in the adventures seemed like standard rules creatures with new names. Maybe just giving them some setting relevant powers would help.

There is one mini-adventure, Relics of the Lost Age, where not having more information on the history of Usarm is a bit disconcerting. The adventure involves the ancient technology, and again while not necessary, more context would be appreciated.

From a production standpoint and appearance, the artwork is a bit on-again, off again. The juxtaposition of some of the finer pieces (including a very fine cover) against the weaker work is a bit off-putting. For example, a nice black line depiction of a priestess in Temple of the Fallen God which has a nice pulp vibe is followed on the next page by an elven female adventurer or caravan survivor that is almost anime in proportion.  It is understandable and common among smaller publishers to have to use a variety of stock art to adequately fill a product, but more careful consideration of pieces used and trying to be consistent would have helped. Overall, though, the art is fairly good and it does not take away from the quality of the content.

Not sure this is really a negative, but to be used to the maximum, this sandbox like others will require some input and effort from the GM. Especially once you are past the five written adventures. It also requires good planning on how to tie the adventure locales and other random encounters together in a coherent fashion for more discerning gaming groups.

The Good…

There is a lot of good in this product as described in the preceding so I won’t rehash that. The setting, the adventures, and the quality of the writing are all notable. The content will be easily recognizable to any fan of the OSR, which I also consider a plus. The setting can be easily dropped into any homebrew world that has a varied geography. That’s actually one of the best values of this product – its depth of use and versatility. The book offers just enough detail to be playable, yet leaves plenty of room for the GM to exercise their own creativity and expand upon the setting as they see fit and as fits their world. There is a lot of value in this book at the price (pdf $10.00 as of the writing of this review). This product is more than loosely linked adventures. It truly is the basis for sandbox play. GMs and players both will get a lot of value from this book.

Rating…

On the old five star system, gotta give this a solid 4 out of 5. 

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Mini Review - B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment

I was asked the other day if we really needed another presentation of B/X D&D, as that was the purpose of Labyrinth Lord - a cleaner presentation of B/X. My truthful answer is that while it wasn't needed, it is much appreciated.

Let me explain.

B/X is a great if poorly organized system of rules over multiple vloumes. Labyrinth Lord rewrote it and presented it as a much more organized single volume of rules. The B/X Essentials series is doing much the same, but split among what will be five volumes - Core (the rule mechanics), Classes & Equipment (what I'm looking at now), Spells, Monsters and finally Adventures & Treasures.

Which method is better? All in one or five volumes. That's up to you, the consumer.

As for B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment - The presentation is easy to read, the layout is clean and easy to read, art ranges from fine to exceptional, the table of contents is hyperlinked, the classes and equipment are what you would expect and the water transportation section I may yoke for my own campaigns regardless of system

B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment is exactly what it says on the tin. Yes, you've seen it before but this is probably the cleanest and clearest presentation yet.

B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment with all of the bells & whistles is $4.99 for the PDF. Print plus PDF is a very reasonable $7.99 for a standard color paper softcover ($9.99 if you want heavier paper and staple bound instead of perfect bound)

Plain "vanilla" text version is free - perfect for a living houserules document. Also, a great way to try before you buy.

You can find the Core Rules here.

The B/X Essentials line is a restatement of the classic Basic/Expert fantasy adventure gaming rule set, given a fresh, new presentation focused on usability:

• Basic and Expert rules seamlessly combined.
• Streamlined presentation optimised for ease of reference during play.
• Meticulously researched; a guaranteed 100% accurate rendition of the classic rules of yesteryear.
• Carefully clarified, ironing out ambiguities in the original rules.

This second book lays out the standard classes of adventurer and the ways in which characters can spend their hard-earned treasure, including: arms, adventuring gear, mounts, sea vessels, mercenaries, specialists, and (eventually!) castles and strongholds.

44 pages 

I was comped a PDF copy for review purposes. Yes, there are affiliate links above. Keep the taps flowing and the lights burning at The Tavern. Thank you :)

New Release / Mini Review - The Manor, Issue #9 (Swords & Wizardry Light)

I've been subscribing to +Gothridge Manor / Tim Shorts The Manor since the first issue. I've used bits and pieces in my campaigns over the years. Its really good stuff.

The Manor #9 isn't just good stuff. Its awesome stuff, and I'm not just saying that because its an issue dedicated to Swords & Wizardry Light. I'm saying it because it simply is true.

First we get 4 god specific take on the Cleric class. While only cover through 3rd level (or 4th, depending on how you look at it) its easy to extrapolate the full seven levels for Swords & Wizardry Continual Light. Well thought and and inspirational for others that might want to do similar for their own campaigns.

Next up is a listing and defining of new monster traits. Monster traits are what makes monsters different from each other and this is a damn solid list. Tim, I'll be stealing this.

Then we get the table set - well, random table that is - with detailed encounters. I've already got this pegged for use in my SWCL game that is restarting in January at the Farmingdale Library out on Long Island.

Last but certainly not least, Tim gives us the Crooked Man Tavern. Its a tavern meant to be placed in a local dungeon and its oozing with atmosphere. Besides, I'm partial to Taverns. Now, how do I place this in Barrowmaze for next month's festivities? ;)

Yes, it was a long wait for the current issue of The Manor but it was well worth the wait.

Five Tavern Steins for The Manor, Issue #9 (and no short pours either). The Manor #9 is $2.50 in PDF from RPGNow and $7 for print from Tim direct (Gothridge Manor)

(did I mention the art i by +Denis McCarthy ? more awesome ;)

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Mini Review - Merchants & Markets

I've really failed to keep up on the reviewing side of The Tavern. Just so much to do, and so little actual time in the day to do it. So, with all of that said, I'm doing a short review today for Merchants & Markets by Throwi Games.

Merchants & Markets is an amazing city / town resource. No, its not a bunch of maps. Instead, its a bunch of tables for various types of merchants. Now, each store that the PCs visit can actually be unique.

As I am kicking off a new Swords & Wizardry Light campaign in September, this will be a Godsend. I like to DM loosely, generally prepared but giving the party freedom to go anywhere and screw with what I have planned. Merchants & Markets will fill my needs perfectly.

No longer will I have to default to my "generic" blacksmith - now each vendor the party visits will be unique in about a minute of rolling.

Did I mention its System Neutral? OSR to 5e to GURPS Fantasy and beyond. This is where System Neutral really shines.

The following screenshot is just a small sample of the section on Blacksmiths, to give you an idea of the type of detail you have access to.

The following is the Table of Contents:

As you can see, you get a lot of value for your $7.50. You should never be caught una-wares again! ("wares" - because you sell "wares" - its a bad attempt at humor, I will admit)

This is going into my "must bring to the gaming table when I DM" list.

As game masters, we've all spent time designing our dungeon adventures to the fullest detail only to see our players spend a considerable amount of time in the local shops looking for goodies.  We don't always plan out those parts of our adventure and usually have to improvise.  What if we had a few generic or named shops with details on inventory, the shopkeeper and even a few side quest adventure hooks sitting off to the side for those occasions?  That's where this book comes in! 

Merchants & Markets is a system neutral, fantasy roleplaying supplement, designed for GMs who need to add more depth to their village, town and city designs. Over 100 merchants, markets and caravans are found within these pages, including blacksmiths, fortune tellers, herbalists, magic shops, potions shops, weapon dealers and several unique vendors. This book also includes a page of basic floor plans and five mini-adventures!

Throwi Games gave me a free PDF of the rules for me to use as I see fit. I would have backed the Kickstarter, but it somehow escaped me. Purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links help keep your bartender in fresh beer via the 5% of the purchase price returned to The Tavern.

Review - Treat N Ink Issue #7 - Kreature Kompendium

A couple of weeks ago, Jethro Wall, the main man behind the Threat N Ink zine reached out to me and asked if I'd be interested in reading a copy of the most recent issue. Figuring I'd be getting a PDF, I readily said "Yes!" and forwarded my email address. I was corrected and my snail mail address was requested. Never having heard of Threat N Ink prior, I was intrigued and Jethro mailed me a copy.

100 of 100. Damn!

Then it arrived. Holy crap, its digest zine sized in diameters but not in page count. 84 pages. Its a hefty tome.

My first impression was that the Kreature Kompendium was reminiscent of the original Fiend Folio. Having read it, cover to cover, it replaces the Fiend Folio in my mind. Monsters across the board, strange, bizarre and some from delightfully damaged minds.

Its Old School without a set format for stats. It varies from author to author and while for some that may be distracting, I find it to be part of the charm.

Even more enjoyable is the art. I love it with all the styles across the board. Nearly 30 artists with email addresses. So if you are a publisher, big or small, this is an excellent sampling of artists and their contact info.

The Kreature Kompendium sits on my desk these days. Don't tell my players, but the KK has sat on my desk the past few Saturday Nights, waiting for an opportunity to drop something into The Lost City of Baracus. Because surprises are the spice of successful gaming ;)

Want a copy? Reach out to Jethro. Each issue has its own theme. They are NOT all gaming / rpgs / OSR. That being said, if the quality falls in line with issue #7 (note, issue #7 is a double sized issue) I may need to pick up the previous six - because no matter the theme, art is the key, and Threat N Ink is strongly about the art.

jethrobot.com  wemakezines.ning.com/profile/jethro +jethro wall +threat nink

or snailmail at Threat N Ink PO Box 12556 Costa Mesa, CA 92627

Remember, this is a print zine and well worth the 10 bucks in my opinion.

Mini Review - Broodmother SkyFortress (LotFP)

Look, I have this habit. Its a bad one. I generally pick up all of the Lamentations of the Flame Princess releases even if I know I'd never run them. Fun to read. Total party killers by nature, at least for the past couple of years. Maybe that's too broad a statement, as the party killing aspect is certainly a +James Raggi feature, but its not always as strong when he hires other authors.

Still, unusable or not, LotFP releases are always top notch in presentation, art and readability. Broodmother SkyFortress is no exception to that, except it is an exception. Not only is it playable but its a great resource beyond the adventure presented within. How did that happen? Simple. +Jeff Rients .

Jeff gives us an adventure that might not be world shaking, but is certainly a major campaign event that your players should want to stop. And yes, you need a campaign world, because terror, death and destruction falling upon towns and cities your players have connections to just makes the adventure stronger.

I really like Jeff's approach to Broodmother SkyFortress - tight enough that the storyline is easy to follow, loose enough that you can flex it to the needs of your players / campaign world. That is always a trick, as most adventures are written for a certain campaign world and setting, even if that is never actually said in the adventure.

In a way, its an Adventure Toolkit with a set theme. There is no "this is how this plays out." Jeff asks questions. You provide the answers. No two groups will see this play out the same way.

Can the location withstand attack by giantish bludgeons and hurled boulders? 

Will it be completely smashed or mostly damaged or relatively unscathed?

Charts are the core of this adventure. Heck, there is so much here that you could easily use the charts provided to seed other adventures down the line.

I can see the build up to this adventure take months of real life, weekly gaming, before the players know what's going on and how they can try to stop it. Its like fishing, and with enough play in the fishing line your party should get hooked and hooked well.

As an aside, although written for LotFP WF, Bloodmother SkyFortress is easily run with any of the OSR rulesets in circulation. Play what you want, how you want to. Its what the OSR is all about.

Beyond the adventure, which is the first 90 or so pages, we have 80 or so pages of tables and articles from Jeff's blog, going back years. It really is a "Best of Jeff" selection and is well worth the price of admission on its own and I don't say that lightly. Sure, you could read through Jeff's blog and read through years of excellent posts or just grab Broodmother SkyFortress and have the cream skimmed for you, ready for you to consume, or read.

I'm a backer of this crowdfunded project. Money in, amazing content given in return. I am happy.

On that note, I will leave you with this:

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Podcast - Old School Blues - Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells - Review

On Friday Night I got together with Vince and Colin to review Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells, a PWYW OSR styled release for the Old School Blues Podcast.

I think we did an excellent job covering it and the great thing is, you get three perspectives on what is a very solid product.

So, head on over to the Old School Blues Podcast website and give it a listen. Heck, download a copy of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells before you do so and you can follow along at home. Its Pat What You Want, so if you like it you can always go back and tip the publisher / writer. I suspect many of you will do just that.

First Review of Swords & Wizardry Light - OmnusCritic does a Video Review

Wow. There is little more heart stopping than listening to someone review your work. Looks like we made the cut...

Its about 14 minutes long. I can breath again. Heh ;)

Mini Review - Caverns and Creatures - Book 1 (RPG Fiction)

Caverns and Creatures: Volume I (Books 1 - 4) (This is a link to the book at Amazon - Print / Audible / Kindle format - the book and most of the series are free in Kindle format if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited)

Critical Failures (Caverns and Creatures Book 1) (Book 1 only - 99 cents in Kindle format)

See what it says on the faux cover of Caverns and Creatures Volume 1? Swords. Sorcery. Dick Jokes.

Well, it delivers on all three.

I'm trying to think of what series of books I could compare this to. I guess Joel Rosenberg's Guardians of the Flame, but without the harsh reality and with the harsh dick jokes.

I must admit, reading this in bed I woke Rach up a number of times with my chortling, snorting and outright giggling. I finished the first book and I'm about a third of the way through the second. I assume the jokes will go stale at some point but there are a ton of books in the series.

The writing is special, but the situations and the jokes are.

And the vast majority are free if you have Kindle Unlimited.

It's a fast, enjoyable read and it's pretty obvious the characters were playing D&D before it all goes south on them.

From the blurb:

Tim and his friends find out the hard way that you shouldn't question the game master, and you shouldn't make fun of his cape. 

One minute, they're drinking away the dreariness of their lives, escaping into a fantasy game and laughing their asses off. The next minute, they're in a horse-drawn cart surrounded by soldiers pointing crossbows at them.  

Tim now has the voice and physique of a prepubescent girl. Dave finds that while he lost a foot or two in height, he somehow acquired a suit of armor and a badass beard. Julian's ears have grown ridiculously long and pointy. And Cooper... well Cooper has gotten himself a set of tusks, a pair of clawed hands, and a bad case of the shits. He also finds that he's carrying a bag with a human head in it - a head that he had chopped off when they were still just playing a game. 

Shit just got real, and if they want to survive, these four friends are going to have to tap into some baser instincts they didn't even know existed in their fast-food and pizza delivery world. 

It's fight, flight, or try to convince the people who are trying to kill them that they don't really exist. 

Meanwhile, a sadistic game master sits back in the real world eating their fried chicken.

Remember, all purchases using Amazon affiliate links puts some kinda % of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

The Not so Ugly Truth as to Why There are Few Negative Reviews in the Gaming Community

There was a discussion on social media this past weekend about honest and accurate product reviews for RPG products, whether affiliate links muddy the waters and how much disclosure is needed regarding relationships and such. Opinions ranged across the board. One thing is certain though - the RPG Hobby / Community / Industry does not have professional reviewers.

Before anyone gets bent out of shape, let me explain what I mean. Unlike the film industry, we don't have full time (or part time), paid for by a third party (media / news outlet) reviewers / critics. Heck, we have few full time creators in the RPG industry. Most folks that create do so on the side - they have "real jobs" that pay the rent, put food on the table and hopefully offer health benefits.

Our "reviewers" are pretty much the same. They review on their blog, podcast or YouTube channel on their own time. Nobody pays them to review products (that's where affiliate links come in - that's fodder for another post).

So, what does all this have to do with a noticeable lack of negative product reviews?

Simple. There are basically two ways for a potential reviewer to obtain a product for review. The first is to buy it themselves and the second is to be comped / gifted a copy to review, usually from the distributor (OBS / OGS) or from the publisher / creator themselves.

If I'm going to buy something for review purposes, I'm going to pick something that I have high expectations of. The publisher / creator will have a history of releasing top notch work. It's likely to be something I could see myself using in my own campaign.

What I've done here is I've filtered the results of the potential review pool. I am, most likely, going to have a product that will have a positive review.

What about review copies? If you are a reviewer for OBS, you likely get numerous emails each day containing links to comp copies of products to review:

Now, how many of those will I actually download and review? Very few. One in a hundred, maybe. It really has to strike my interest to want to grab a copy and review it, even if it's free.

Why?

Because its no fun reading crap and generally speaking, its even less fun writing a review about crap. So I self filter, again. Looking mostly for OSR releases and even then, looking for something that I may actually use at my table.

Products aren't chosen for review by a random lot, at least not by me. They are chosen based upon my interests.

If they were random, I'm sure there would be a spike in negative reviews. Come to think of it, if they were random I'd be less likely to do them at all. As stated earlier, writing reviews of RPG products generally isn't a paying gig. Affiliate links to the products reviewed aren't just about the immediate sale but the long tail and later sales. I don't post reviews hoping to sell copies at an online store. I do hope that folks will be interested enough to check out the online store and maybe make a purchase down the line that suits their interests.

I do post some negative reviews, but that isn't by design. I just happen to grab the occasional product that, despite my best hopes, isn't up to par.

As stated, reviewers generally are filtering what they will review, not how they will review it. That initial filter does keep the number of negative reviews in check.

Mini Review - Edgar Rice Burroughs Adventures (Pulp RPG)

This is going to be a fairly short review, but that's appropriate, as the page count comes in around 66 pages.

So, what is Edgar Rice Burroughs Adventures? It's a fairly simple, mostly d10 based system. Attributes are generally rolled using a d10, but there are alternate methods depending on the source material you plan on using (John Carter roll 1d6 + 4, Tarzan 2d6, etc). Success is determined by rolling a d10 and determining your level of success, or failure.

Adding to the attribute scores are skill, and not having a skill means that your relevant attempts are judged as one success level lower. That's pretty much it.

Character generation and system explanation takes up 44 of the 66 pages of content, and that's where Edgar Rice Burroughs Adventures falters. When you think ERB, you think Tarzan, you think John Carter and the like. Having roughly 8 pages devoted to the three covered settings (Pellucidar, Caspak and Barsoon) is a huge fail. That's not 8 pages per setting, it's less than 3 pages per setting.

I really wanted to like Edgar Rice Burroughs Adventures but there just too little setting for a game that is setting derived and driven.

As a total aside, the PDF clocks in at 342 MB. That's not a typo. Crypts & Things Remastered comes in at 13 MB. On top of that, the ToC is not hyperlinked. ERBA is $4.99 in PDF.

Ah well. Maybe I'll have better luck next time.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Review - Event Horizon (White Star Adventure)

Last night in Tavern Chat, Rob G and myself discussed Event Horizon, a White Star Adventure by +John Reyst and +Johua De Santo .

Event Horizon bills itself as Sci-Fi Horror and it hits the mark, so long as you aren't expecting slasher flick horror. This is horror more akin to the Alien(s) series of films and similar works.

Without going to deeply into the story / plot, as that would pretty much kill the adventure for any that plan to participate in it, the story kicks off either with the party being captured or after the party is captured. I'm glad it's presented as an option, because the groups I've played with generally believe in death before capture. Starting off captured is a whole 'nother kettle of fish.

The adventure is about survival with a time limit before shit hits the fan. If I were to run this at a convention, I'd like to use a countdown timer as a prop. Set it for 4 hours and have the players watch that clock and understand just how limited their time is. Wish I had thought of that last night during the discussion.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the black hole in space. It's going to mess with reality and warp time. Oh, which means you could suddenly add or remove time from that timer I mentioned. Damn! I'm really liking this.

Did I mention it includes Insanity rules? Something easily portable to White Star in general of Swords & Wizardry.

There is a lot to like with this adventure. The scenes are well described. The adventure pushes the PCs forward while giving them freedom to explore the ship, there's tension and more than simply hack and slay.

While I mentioned using it for convention play (for which I would or would not use the opening scene, depending on the size of the time slot) it also works as en excellent way to kick off a campaign. Heck, if the players survive, they'll have a ship and probably have no clue where they are. Time to explore.

Overall, an excellent adventure. It does require a bit of prep on the GM's side of the table, as you really need to be familiar with the material to run it at full potential, but it should be worth the effort.

Disclosure: Both Rob G and myself were supplied with review copies of Event Horizon for the purpose of reviewing. I'm also a huge fan of White Star. ;)

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's Open Gaming Store affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Mini Review - Sinister Serpents (Labyrinth Lord / OSR book of Dragons)

If there is a singular problem that I have with dragons in my campaigns, its that my players have their abilities memorized, which takes some of the magic away from a most magical creature. Give the color of the dragon to your players and they'll tell you the type of breath weapon without batting an eye. AC and HD soon follow.  Generally speaking, I don't use dragons in a game that has "Dragon" in the name of the game that the OSR is firmly rooted in. There are, of course, a plethora of dungeons ;)

That is why I was initially apprehensive when Fat Goblin Games offered me a copy of Sinister Serpents, a monster manual of sorts for dragons using the Labyrinth Lord rules (but totally suitable for Swords & Wizardry and other OSR games.)

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found NOT the expected retread of the chromatic dragons but over 3 dozen new takes on dragons. Some are meant to be foes, others potential allies, all are unique and well thought out. Not all will fit in your campaign, but that's not the point. The idea is to pick the ones that will.

For some damn reason, this one is my favorite. The potential for some interesting campaign events tied to a Mad Brewer Dragon are simply endless and I like the idea that not every dragon has to be seen as a combat foe.

There are 37 other dragon types in the book which clocks in at 29 pages. Its $5.95, so that comes to less than 20 cents a dragon. Don't ask me how to convert that into treasure hoards ;)

If you are looking to add some unique dragon types to your campaign Sinister Serpents might be just what you are looking for.

Disclosure: I was given Sinister Serpents to review (or not review, the choice was given to me to simply read and enjoy) by Fat Goblin Games.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Dragons are the iconic creatures for most fantasy games. They come in all shapes and sizes, can fill almost every niche that a game master can imagine and are usually highly magical. They can be monstrous ends, wise oracles, sources of insanity or keys to reality. Here are 38 new species using Labyrinth Lord statistic blocks. They can be used in most other OSR games with little difficulty in conversion. 

Mini Review - Goldenrod Guide: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat (Open Gaming Store)

The other night +John Reyst and I got to talking. I've kinda slacked of on doing reviews. John would like some of the OSR products at his Open Gaming Store reviewed. Two needs. Simple solution. So I don't pick titles that I'm predisposed to, John is going to pick the titles (today is an exception, as Goldenrod Guide: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat struck me as fitting fairly well with Ale & Advice column dealing with Swords & Wizardry Combat)

I made it clear to John that the reviews are going to be my truthful feedback and I was going to identify them as being comped copies from the Open Gaming Store. He agreed without hesitation. I'd say it is in John's best interest to pick the better apples for me to review ;)
Goldenrod Guide: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat is written by +R.J. Thompson . If you don't know who R.J. is, he is the brave soul that picked up the mantel of Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day from me. His system of choice? Swords & Wizardry.

Now, what I'm holding in my virtual hands is optional combat rules for Swords & Wizardry Complete. For those that aren't familiar with S&W Complete, think of it as AD&D 1E, where all the complicated rules that few if any groups used are thrown out. The ease of use of Basic D&D with the class options of AD&D 1e. Some groups bemoan the loss of some of the more in depth rules, sensing a loss of the granularity and options. GG: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat allows one to add some of those options and depth back in.

The great thing about GG: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat is that the options are modular. You can mix and match for the most part without anything breaking. New rules for two weapon fighting, disarming, called shot, unarmed combat, disengaging combat, missile combat, critical hits and more are here as well as weapon proficiencies, weapon specialization and fighting styles. Heck, even tournaments are covered. There literally is something for everyone.

While much will be familiar to the former AD&D player, some is new and almost all is tweaked to better fit the simpler Swords & Wizardry rule set. Its an excellent mix of options to add to your S&W game. There are a lot of content squeezed into these 16 pages. I suggest you stick with adding a small handful of options at a time, see what works for you, discard what doesn't and then move on to more options if you so desire. They do generally add some complexity but they also add flavor and depth to the combat system. The flexibility and modularity of Swords & Wizardry is impressive.

May your gaming never grow boring :)