Yesterday afternoon (and a good chunk of the evening) I hung out with +Joe D and my beautiful wife Rachel. It was her first time ever to the Complete Strategist in Manhattan. She's a trooper ;)
Afterwards, we settled into Rattle N Hum, a truly amazing NYC Pub. Great place for a bite a and few brews after some heavy "game shopping".
Anyhow, to cut to the chase, Joe brought up the idea of a NYC PubCon. We've discussed this before (while at the same pub), so it's certainly something on our minds. I can guarantee you it won't be at Rattle N Hum, as the space is limited and the cost would be more than painful.
We are still in the early stags of brainstorming this. We figure Spring 2014 at the earliest, and probably one of the outer boroughs of NYC to keep the prices down. It would also be more of an informal con I suspect than a "professionally" run one - closer to a "gameday" with adult beverages and good food. Aimed at Old School Gaming, but not limiting itself necassarily to the OSR.
The place I have in mind is blocks from the subway, easily accessible by highway and has a legit (not hourly ;) hotel within walking distance. Not sure how many would need a hotel, as this would probably be one day only at this point, but just throwing it out there.
Just trying to judge the interest in this before working out more details (like how much it may cost us and finalizing a location).
Heck, my wife even said if we move forward with this, I need to teach her how to game so she can join in ;)
We're open for input...
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Review - Five Ancient Kingdoms - Men & Mettle (Part 1 of 2)
There are three books and one adventure (and dice if you buy it in print) in the Five Ancient Kingdom set, so I'm going to try and go through the books in order. I doubt I'll be able to cover everything, but I'll do what I can.
Men & Mettle is the first volume of the three rulebooks. The default setting is bases off of the Muslim / Arab / Middle East of 800 AD or so (sorry - I don't use CE)
First things first - a small observation: The organization of the rules is not exactly what I'm used to these days, although it is reminiscent of the "Original Boxed Set". Basic explanation of task resolution, followed by classes, followed by subclasses, followed by stats and character generation rules. I'm used to stats, classes, character gen... So, I needed to adjust to the flow of things.
FAK uses d6s for everything. "1"s are read as "0"s all of the time. There are NO exceptions (at least none that I've found thus far). FAK reads much like an OSR ruleset, but I suspect it plays out very differently while retaining a similar feel.
The core classes are Hero (fighter), Magician, Saint (Shaman for those that don't follow monotheism) and Thief. Pretty much the standard fair. What really ups it a notch are the subclasses. There are eight - two per core class. Each subclass's description takes up about 3 or 4 sentences. That's it. It's really a prefect way to handle it if you ask me. Just enough to make them different - not so much that they seem like a whole new class.
Characters have both an alignment (Law / Neutrality / Chaos) and a Motivation (fortune / glory / power / etc). Calling into play your character's motivation can have a mechanical bonus as well as a story effect. Heck, it's mechanics and a roleplaying nudge all in one, which is surprising when the author refuses to label FAK an RPG in the classic sense. I suspect that is much about splitting hairs myself.
The character stats are the ones we know well: STR, INT, WIS, DEX, CON and CHA. Heck, even the order is classic. High prime reqs give and expo bonus, low scores give an expo penalty. High and low scores give an assortment of bonuses and penalties respectfully.
Stats are rolled using 4d6, drop the lowest counting all "1"s rolled as "0". The player may place the scores in any order they desire.
Hero Points are your Hit Points and are rolled each adventure (1 Hit Die per level, roll adjusted by class, all "1"s are "0").
Social Status is also rolled at character generation (and probably should have come before the description HPs, as Social Status is not determined each session but one time only). 3d6, giving a result of 0 to 18 - escaped slave to nobility. Social Status also determines starting gold - multiply by 10 and add 20 (although the example used later in this section neglects to add 20, so that might have been changed).
Last major thing to determine for starting PCs is their starting "advantage". Anything from extra wealth, failed magician apprentice (with some spell use), combat bonuses, story hooks - all are possible - 36 possibilities in all, it goes a long way to making characters unique and the concept easily translates to other OSR games.
Part 2 of the review will deal with mechanics, combats, saving throws, retainers and the like.
Friday, August 23, 2013
Hunting Down the "Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle" (D&D Next)
Yep. I did it. I picked up the GenCon exclusive "Ghosts of Dragonspear Castle", a D&D Next Mini Campaign over on Ebay for a surprisingly fair price (less than I paid for RQ6 in paperback at retail last year).
I haven't read it yet. Heck, I have barely peeked at it.
It will be reviewed over the next week or so (I need to read Five Ancient Kingdoms first).
I notice they credit Davis A. Trampier as one of the numerous artists. I'll need to make that my "Easter Egg Hunt" as I read through it ;)
Thursday, August 22, 2013
Dungeons & Dragons the RPG - Alas, I Knew You Well (D&D GenCon 2013 Presentation)
Sadly, adter watching this video I now know what "Dungeons & Dragons" means - recycled fiction, 2 MMORPGS, lego like ugly ass crap with one recognizable character from the Drizzt series of books and it isnt even him, iOS Battlegames, iOS Boardgames, re-released 20+ year old computer games and if you are lucky there might be an RPG - but that's just to drive sales for all of the previously listed money makers.
Yes, I know this shit is a business, but WotC has gotten so corporate it's scary.
They will never sell the D&D trademark, but perhaps, one day, an RPG titled Dungeons & Dragons will live up to it's heritage in the hands of others.
Micro Review - Labyrinth Lord Gnome Class (Free OSR)
Now THAT'S a Nose! |
I really can't make Labyrinth Lord Gnome Class a mini review - as the actual product less it's cover is a page long.
So Micro Review it is.
Magic User / Thief hybrid class that get's advanced (+2 level) thief skills and comparable MU spells for the same level. It's a bit over powered at early levels, but screw it, it's free, right?
My one concern is the lack of the OGL in a product that claims LL compatibility. No impact on gameplay, but I do believe that is a violation of the applicable licenses.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Is D&D Next "Close Enough to Emulate" the OSR, and is That Good or Bad?
I REALLY need to catch up on the latest release of the D&D Next rules, but as I'm sure others already are caught up, I pose the following questions to my readers:
- Are the rules close enough to the OSR to emulate OSR / Old School style gaming - or is this just a simplified 3x with some other pieces bolted on?
- Have they figured out the simple / complex - basic / advanced in the same campaign paradox that they were trying to implement? Does it do what it "says on the box"?
- If it can come close to Old School style gaming, is that good for the OSR in general or a sign of the forthcoming gaming apocalypse?
- Are the rules close enough to the OSR to emulate OSR / Old School style gaming - or is this just a simplified 3x with some other pieces bolted on?
- Have they figured out the simple / complex - basic / advanced in the same campaign paradox that they were trying to implement? Does it do what it "says on the box"?
- If it can come close to Old School style gaming, is that good for the OSR in general or a sign of the forthcoming gaming apocalypse?
D&D Next Playtest is Coming to a Close - Is It Actually Done?
Got this in my email this morning:
A few days ago, the D&D team announced that the next playtest packet will be the last in the public playtest. That’s why it’s more important than ever that you provide feedback. Today’s survey focuses on content that was updated in the August 2nd playtest packet, such as feats and classes.So, if the public beta is done, does this mean the rules are ready to be finalized?
My group tapped out of the playtest in late spring of 2012 and I really haven't followed the updates all that much recently.
I know the initial vision of all things for all editions is pretty much out the window, but for those of you that have kept up with the beta, do you think we have a winner or another loss of market share?
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Mini Review - Gygax Magazine Issue #2
I guess Two is better than One ;)
I wasn't all that impressed with issue #1 of Gygax Magazine, as it was full of a significant amount of "here's my Old School Cred" and very little material that was worth something to "Old School Gamers".
Issue #2 of Gygax Magazine has measurable value for "Old School Gamers". There are other games represented too (including The One Ring, which is tempting me to sit down with the rules and maybe learn them).
So, what old school goodness do we have?
First, the Jeff Easley cover. Well done and very evocative of the classic Dragon Magazine covers from the mid 80's. It sets a nice tone.
Next up is Leomund's Tiny Shelter - Len Lakofka talks about death in AD&D. A bit chart heavy for me these days, but certainly the type of article you would find in a classic issue of The Dragon.
Jon Peterson has an article about what might be the earliest version of the D&D rules. Yep, he's the guy that wrote Playing at the World. The article is a good chance to see if you like his style of writing. It's a very interesting article at that.
Ken St. Andre +Ken St. Andre writes about ordinary characters in fantastic worlds. No game rules, just ideas and thoughts. Systemless.
The Old School Renaissance gets some attention from +Vincent Florio .You know, the guy behind ENnie winning Mazes and Perils. A decent article to point those interested in the OSR in the right direction.
+Jeff Talanian presents an article on adding some Lovecraftian strangeness to run of the mill fantasy. Or even taking it further, and moving on to "strange new lands" inspired by Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith and leaving the stale fantasy behind. Again, systemless but easily used for inspiration with the OSR ruleset of your choice.
The Blighted Lands are a peek at +Luke Gygax 's upcoming campaign supplement. It looks to be AD&D compatible. The dead tree version will even have fold out maps. My one complaint is that the introductory adventure starts out with three paragraphs of text to be read to the players - my group will zone out some where after the third sentence ;)
Did I mention the very nice maps? I'll be eagerly awaiting my print issue to arrive in the mail.
Heck, there's even a page of Order of the Stick :)
Well, there's other stuff too, but I must say the amount of articles aimed at and usable by old school gamers like me is impressive. Issue #2 of Gygax Magazine has leveled up.
Well done.
Contents for issue #2 of Gygax Magazine
Tactics in Samurai Battles by Tim Kask
The evolution from wargaming to role-playing by Ernest Gary Gygax Jr.
Hitchhiking in Doctor Who by Jay Libby
Leomund's Secure Shelter by Len Lakofka
A forgotten grimoire and its curse by Jon Peterson
From one geek to another by Jess Hartley
Building a winning spellbook for Mage Wars by Bryan Pope
Heroes, kings, and champions by Ken St. Andre
The old-school renaissance by Vincent Florio
Weird vibrations by Jeffrey Talanian
The inkubus by Gordon Dritschillo
The hare and the hill giant by Shane Ivey
Special Attraction
The Blighted Lands by Luke Gygax
The Kobold's Cavern
Super-science in fantasy games by Eric Hindley
Dueling through the AGEs by Rodrigo Garcia Carmona
Lost wonders of Caelmarath by Brian Liberge
Comics:
Full Frontal Nerdity by Aaron Williams
Order of the Stick by Rich Burlew
Why Do You Go to Gaming Conventions?
GenCon is over, but there are other cons left for the year.
So, why do you go to gaming conventions?
Is it to...
play games?
shop the vendor room?
attend seminars?
meet various gaming friends?
meet publishers?
pick up con exclusive releases?
all of the above? some? none? other stuff?
Let us know...
So, why do you go to gaming conventions?
Is it to...
play games?
shop the vendor room?
attend seminars?
meet various gaming friends?
meet publishers?
pick up con exclusive releases?
all of the above? some? none? other stuff?
Let us know...
Monday, August 19, 2013
Mini Review - The Twice Robbed Tomb (Labyrinth Lord Adventure)
The Twice Robbed Tomb is a nice little adventure for LL or really any OSR system of your choice. It's not huge and is probably playable in a single session, unless you have to herd an unruly pride of cats like I do every Saturday night, in which case it may take multiple sessions ;)
![]() |
Ah, to be a teenage boy w/o the internet again ;) |
no exception.
I'm not so sure about the level spread. A party of 6 2nd characters will probably get their asses handed to them. I'd personally move the range to 3-4, with 5-6 characters, but that's because I'd hope to see most of the party survive. Maybe I'm not "Old School" enough... heh.
I do like the adventure. Just enough surprises to keep it fresh, some "save or die" moments that give the observant players ample warning and just enough to play in a night of gaming. For 2 bucks it's damn close to a steal.
From the blurb:
The long-disappeared loot of Pheniket the Pharaonic’s tomb was indeed a mere distraction, a few baubles hidden from the looting rebels. The opening of the tomb fifty-odd years ago allowed some of Pheniket’s almost completed efforts to come to fruition, and a demonic being known as a succubus has set up in the uncompleted lower level of the tomb, served by a large pack of ghouls attracted by the necromantic powers of a node of negative energy secured by Pheniket in his last days.
To build her power, the succubus, Invexia, has used her powers of temptation to start a campaign of corruption and seduction, using greed to bring gullible adventurers to Pheniket’s tomb. She knows of the other of Pheniket’s creations, a portal to the Plane of Shadow that he used to control his fledgling kingdom. It is this nexus of power that subsequent plunderers unknowingly seek. She solved the entrance requirement- a certain astrologically-shaped golden key- and is now sending charmed catspaws to ‘sell’ maps and keys to greedy adventurers, bringing loot, prospective undead soldiers, or perhaps even playthings and minions to her spider’s web beneath the Twice-Robbed Tomb…
A Labyrinth Lord adventure for 4 characters of 3rd level, or 6 or more of 2nd level.
First Look at "Five Ancient Kingdoms" ("OSR" Ruleset)
What is Five Ancient Kingdoms? Apparently it's NOT an RPG but a Fantasy Adventure Game. Semantics aside, if you like OSR gaming (and are a bit of a completist) this is probably something you should take a look at.
It comes in with 3 booklets, a short adventure and a set of 4d6. These aren't your usual d6, as where one would normally expect to find a "1" you find a "zero" instead. I need to look deeper to find out how that effects the usual number spread.
So, you get your six "OSR" stats, which are generated using 4d6, drop the lowest and re-roll Zeros. You get the usual 4 core classes (even if they are renamed) and a butt-load of subclasses.
You also get "advantages", which is almost like a prior profession / skill acquisition. You get one randomly determined at 1st level.
Hit Points are randomly determined each session. That's damn interesting.
Alright, enough random observations from the first booklet - time to read this a bit more in depth.
Available in print only I believe, but a PDF version would look nice on my iPad ;)
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Just a Wee Bit More Fiction - "The Door" (Swords & Sorcery)
Following up on "The Contract" and leading up to "Who Knows What", "The Door" is the next part of my submission to the Librium Mysterium. Heads up to +Tim Shorts , +Ken Harrison and the rest ;)
The dwarf ran his hands along the surface of the tower door. It was made of stone, but his fingers could feel light etchings along the surface.
“Val” the dwarf paused to spit before proceeding, “as you suspected, this door was made by the hands of my kin. If we open it in the wrong manner I suspect it will lead to death.”
The sorcerer acknowledged the dwarf’s observations by summoning their recently hired “apprentice treasure finder”.
“Meg, have you estimated the height of the tower yet? ‘Cause even if you haven’t, we need your skills here” as Val gestured at the dwarven made door.
The young man scurried down off of his nearby perch, where he had been scanning the tower for additional ways of egress. He failed to find any.
“Why do they call this the Tower of the Purple Sorcerer? It’s not purple, it’s grey.” Ever the observant was Meg.
“It isn’t the color of the tower, but the title of the one that built it. Powerful sorcerers rarely use their birth names and colors often have other meanings. In this case, the sorcerer in question was insinuating that he was of high noble birth, perhaps royalty or the bastard son of such. After nearly 400 years, I assume he is dead. Hopefully his treasure remains. Which is why you are here. Tenkar says the door is of dwarven make, possibly trapped. Time to earn your share lad.” Val gestured towards the door in question.
“Aye lad, I suspect it is trapped. We’ll look for prying eyes as you do your work.” Both the dwarf and the sorcerer made their way to the nearby outcropping that Meg had previously used.
The young man focused himself on the stone door. Running his hands along it’s surface, he felt the nearly invisible etchings Tenkar had found before him. This was no simple lock to pick - there was no visible lock. Instead, he ran his hands along the stone surface surrounding the door.
There!
One. Two. Three barely perceptible raised stone buttons, invisible to the eye but found by well trained hands.
One of these will open the door, Meg thought to himself. The others are probably trapped. Which one? Dwarven door - dwarves are short - the bottom button.
As Meg pressed the bottom stone button a soft “click” was heard from above before the stone door swung down and outward on a pivot approximately 1 foot off of the ground. Meg threw himself to the side, the heel of his right boot ripped off by the falling stone slab.
“Lad, didn’t they teach you to open dwarven doors from the side?” Tenkar asked of the now dirt covered and one boot heel short Meg. “Keep getting lucky like that and you may actually earn that share” the dwarf said with a grin.
“Val” Tenkar let loose a globule of spittle inches from the still prone Meg, “can you shed some light for us before we go in. Place is as dark as a tomb. Which is a good sign, I might add.”
The dwarf ran his hands along the surface of the tower door. It was made of stone, but his fingers could feel light etchings along the surface.
“Val” the dwarf paused to spit before proceeding, “as you suspected, this door was made by the hands of my kin. If we open it in the wrong manner I suspect it will lead to death.”
The sorcerer acknowledged the dwarf’s observations by summoning their recently hired “apprentice treasure finder”.
“Meg, have you estimated the height of the tower yet? ‘Cause even if you haven’t, we need your skills here” as Val gestured at the dwarven made door.
The young man scurried down off of his nearby perch, where he had been scanning the tower for additional ways of egress. He failed to find any.
“Why do they call this the Tower of the Purple Sorcerer? It’s not purple, it’s grey.” Ever the observant was Meg.
“It isn’t the color of the tower, but the title of the one that built it. Powerful sorcerers rarely use their birth names and colors often have other meanings. In this case, the sorcerer in question was insinuating that he was of high noble birth, perhaps royalty or the bastard son of such. After nearly 400 years, I assume he is dead. Hopefully his treasure remains. Which is why you are here. Tenkar says the door is of dwarven make, possibly trapped. Time to earn your share lad.” Val gestured towards the door in question.
“Aye lad, I suspect it is trapped. We’ll look for prying eyes as you do your work.” Both the dwarf and the sorcerer made their way to the nearby outcropping that Meg had previously used.
The young man focused himself on the stone door. Running his hands along it’s surface, he felt the nearly invisible etchings Tenkar had found before him. This was no simple lock to pick - there was no visible lock. Instead, he ran his hands along the stone surface surrounding the door.
There!
One. Two. Three barely perceptible raised stone buttons, invisible to the eye but found by well trained hands.
One of these will open the door, Meg thought to himself. The others are probably trapped. Which one? Dwarven door - dwarves are short - the bottom button.
As Meg pressed the bottom stone button a soft “click” was heard from above before the stone door swung down and outward on a pivot approximately 1 foot off of the ground. Meg threw himself to the side, the heel of his right boot ripped off by the falling stone slab.
“Lad, didn’t they teach you to open dwarven doors from the side?” Tenkar asked of the now dirt covered and one boot heel short Meg. “Keep getting lucky like that and you may actually earn that share” the dwarf said with a grin.
“Val” Tenkar let loose a globule of spittle inches from the still prone Meg, “can you shed some light for us before we go in. Place is as dark as a tomb. Which is a good sign, I might add.”
My Family / Friends Went to Gen Con, and All i Got Was a Lousy...
Some of you went to Gen Con this year. Hope you had a blast.
Most of us didnt get to attend.
For those that did, what items did you pick up for friends and family.
For those that didn't get to attend, what exclusives do you wish you had a chance to get.
For me, it was Gaming in the 'Verse for the new Firefly game, but I can grab that for 10 bucks in PDF on RPGNow if I decide I really want it.
The DnD Next exclusive would have been nice, but as I have less desire to even catch up on reading about the updates (let alone download the actual updates and no desire to play) that's a loss that I can easily suffer through ;)
Most of us didnt get to attend.
For those that did, what items did you pick up for friends and family.
For those that didn't get to attend, what exclusives do you wish you had a chance to get.
For me, it was Gaming in the 'Verse for the new Firefly game, but I can grab that for 10 bucks in PDF on RPGNow if I decide I really want it.
The DnD Next exclusive would have been nice, but as I have less desire to even catch up on reading about the updates (let alone download the actual updates and no desire to play) that's a loss that I can easily suffer through ;)
DCC Session Recap - Doom of the Savaged Judge
Last night was our DCC RPG session and our second session since the funnel that kicked things off.
Warning - minor spoilers follow for Doom of the Savage Kings.
The party was in search of the village of Hirot, and were almost there when they saw a large group emerge from the mists - 3 dozen peasants in a mob with a tied and gagged young woman at the front and the town leader and his guards bringing up the rear.
Hail and well met? No...
Halt! What is going on? No...
Instead, fizzled Charm spell at the obvious leader of the armed men, followed by the Wizard stating he's casting Sleep while the Elf states he's casting Choking Cloud on the soldiers.
Wizards rolls a natural 20. Elf rolls... a natural 20. Halfling offers to boost the sleep spell to "all hostile targets in 200'"
Now I need to have the Wizard and Elf roll initiative against each other. Wizard's sleep comes off first. Choking Cloud on the Jarl and his men follows.
32 peasants plus the ties and gagged on - asleep.
Jarl rolls nat 20 against sleep and nat 19 against the Choking Cloud - his men and their horses are not so lucky.
Jarl runs and gets chased down and killed.
Party takes no damage - not even an attack in their direction.
We end the session (which was over 2 hrs of blabbing before we kicked things off anyhow).
I have until next Saturday to figure out the new direction of the adventure.
The Doom of the Savage Kings savaged me, but it was a f'n blast to watch it play out ;)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Tenkar's Tavern is supported by various affiliate programs, including Amazon, RPGNow, and Humble Bundle as well as Patreon. Your patronage is appreciated and helps keep the lights on and the taps flowing - Your Humble Bartender, Tenkar

Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition
-
-
Stone Age Hexcrawl - So this follows on from my encounters tables and fits in with my random valleys and caves. This will be some tables to help fill ...5 hours ago
-
Sacrifice (D&D 5e) - are you WILLING to DIE? - Here is an idea I mentioned a few times, in improved form, and in one single post. In short, it is this: if you want to fight to death, you can fight past ...6 hours ago
-
AEC Armoured Car(s) - This is what I've been working on for the last few days — a British WWII AEC armoured car, with turrets for the Mk.III (75mm, on the body of the vehicle) ...7 hours ago
-
A Plague of Goblins! - Look at that glorious little goblin. A piece from the AD&D Monster Manual. Goblins are my favorite old fashion D&D critter. Over the years I've adapted ...12 hours ago
-
Zatannurday: Lucifer and Constantine on Crisis - A special sort of Zatannurday here today. This past week we saw the Crisis on Infinite Earths on TV. Something I have been wanting to see for years. I go...16 hours ago
-
(5e) The Hanged Man - By Davis Chenault Troll Lord Games 5e Mid Level? or High Level? It says both ... A long journey under an azure sky filling with brackish, boiling clouds en...20 hours ago
-
Simply Weird - Published by the Melsonian Arts Council, *Troika!* is a Science Fantasy roleplaying game of baroque weirdness that lies beyond eldritch portals that open ...21 hours ago
-
Clearing every room - CRPG or TTRPG? - "*I've been largely operating via a classic RPG mentality of "clearing" every room even if the monsters are initially friendly.*" - Chester on the Camelot ...22 hours ago
-
OSR: Generic Cult Lair + Generic Wizard Tower - The *Monster Overhaul* will contain a few very basic dungeons. What's a Minotaur without a Labyrinth? Here are two examples. They're designed to be very ge...1 day ago
-
Enough Classes - On my closed blog, The Higher Path [available through Patreon], I addressed how the general discussion of D&D on the internet fails to intrinsically addre...1 day ago
-
Jason Voorhees (TinyD6) - Since I'm getting into TinyD6, I thought I'd stat out Jason Voorhees. He is built to stalk survivors built using Tiny Living Dead. Jason Voorhees HP: 14 (H...1 day ago
-
OSR Front Line - X1 Isle of Dread By David "Zeb" Cook and Tom Moldvay & OSR Deep Dive Session III Report - The battlefield rages across California, Nevada, & parts of Arizona while bands of heroes struggle with influx of alien monsters, weird creatures, & bands ...1 day ago
-
Dab on them haters; The Sabbat Worlds Crusade by Dan Abnett - *DESCRIBE WHAT THIS IS* For anyone who doesn't know what this is; For twenty years and fifteen novels, Dan Abnett has been writing the 'Gaunts Ghosts' s...1 day ago
-
Diaphanorama (Projection Lantern) Paintings, 18th-19th Century - [image: Projection Lantern Paintings - 01] [image: Projection Lantern Paintings - 02] [image: Projection Lantern Paintings - 03] [image: Projection Lantern...2 days ago
-
At the crossroads - There comes a time in the life of an adventurer when they consider making a deal with the devil at the crossroads. *The Deal* Your soul in return for the ...2 days ago
-
Podcast Episode 21 - Lessons from Recent Games, Perspective on AD&D Combat - I've had a busy couple of weeks with a lot of games, so I share some of the things I've learned and observed. Plus, I get to a topic that I've really been...2 days ago
-
A Doodle Is Worth A Thousand Hallway Descriptions - About two years ago Diogo Nogueira wrote a post which eloquently explained the importance of contextualizing choices in a dungeon. The referee cannot simpl...3 days ago
-
The Starship Warden Kickstarter - Originally the Starship appeared in James M. Ward’s Metamorphis Alpha RPG, published in the bygone days of the 1970s. It has seen many iterations since the...3 days ago
-
Adrasteia Winterthorn, Vampiress - The dungeon dweller’s vampire Adrasteia Winterthorn is a wonderful figure. Really classic look, and a well sculpted face. This is how Reaper's in house art...3 days ago
-
Barsoom, OD&D, and Story Games... - Robyn and I love stories, but neither of us are what might be called a story gamer. As a crusty old grognard I prefer the traditional model, with a clear ...4 days ago
-
On Violence: The Irishman, In Bruges, You Were Never Really Here - In recent years I've more or less stopped watching films and TV. But with my wife and bairn away, the last three nights I sat down to watch *The Irishman*,...4 days ago
-
Less than 24 Hours left for Bastionland! - This is your last call! Less than 24 hours left to back Electric Bastionland! Head over and get your copy secured.4 days ago
-
re: Zak - I know a lot of people have ghosted Zak and most people don't want to discuss him at this point. I'll be as brief as possible. It was my understanding that...4 days ago
-
Stat Blocks and Table Space - On a post from 2015, Ruprecht recently asked: I'm curious what people think about the way the modules are handled. They just say Knight (for example) and ...6 days ago
-
Crunch and Fluff (Part One) - Welcome back to the Vault my fellow Venturers. I've had a couple of fruitful painting sessions this weekend laying down base colours on two units of Prima...6 days ago
-
Merlynd the Magician: A Remembrance of Don Kaye, TSR's Co-Founder Now Available - LINK to Description and Ordering: https://www.tlbgames.com/collections/the-red-book-line/products/merlynd-the-magician6 days ago
-
[BEYONDE] Random Encounter in Ohio - Now that the first 75 or so copies of *Castle Xyntillan* are in transit (and some are already arriving at European destinations!), and I have an evening w...1 week ago
-
Where in the World is Blackmoor? - Despite being a locale successfully utilized by many gamers for nearly 5 decades now, the town of Blackmoor seems surprisingly agile, appearing to wander a...1 week ago
-
UCon 2019 Post-Con Post - UCon 2019 ended on Sunday, November 24 and I am finally writing about what happened. I mentioned what was on my schedule in my last post. Pick Up Games I...1 week ago
-
New Class – The Psychical Researcher - Greetings all, While at the convention earlier this month, someone mentioned the idea of the “Skeptic” of supernatural phenomena that was a mainstay of the...1 week ago
-
SPI - DragonQuest Rulebook - *From the back cover:* *The most powerful and comprehensive fantasy role-playing system is now even easier and more fun in the thoroughly revised se...1 week ago
-
Castle Xyntillan now avaliable - This begins with a story, back in the 2000's a bunch of folks were organized by Necromancer Games to fleshed out Judges Guild's Wilderlands of High Fantas...1 week ago
-
Rules option #2: Swords & Six-Siders (and the OSR as a whole) - Another strong option as a framework to build a MotU-inspired miniatures game on top of would be something in the realm of the Old School Renaissance. No ...1 week ago
-
Symbaroum Campaign Pitch - The great war, the hungry hordes of the Dark Lords—a nightmare that lasted for two decades … Twenty-one years have passed since the Dark Lords were vanquis...1 week ago
-
New Map of the Elf Empire and Southern Isles - I’ve been having fun developing a new map-drawing style that I think is finally reaching a certain level of maturity. And yeah, it owes a lot to Matthew Ad...1 week ago
-
Eye of Vecna coming to the big screen? - The possibility of new *Dungeons and Dragons *film has popped up from time to time for years now (I last mentioned it here in February 2016). But it now lo...2 weeks ago
-
From the Vaults - World of Greyhawk Rarities for Your Games - In this "From the Vaults" series of articles, I'm going to present and summarize information about obscure, rare, and less-well-known *World of Greyhawk* c...2 weeks ago
-
On GNS in my OSR? It's more likely than you think. - My own words from 2000, a few short months after the genesis of the threefold model. From: Courtney Campbell Subject: Re: Getting player buy-in to a surpr...2 weeks ago
-
Old School Essentials: Review - I remember when *B/X Essentials *first showed up on the OSR scene, and to be honest I was really pretty skeptical. I thought "Oh, this is literally just a ...2 weeks ago
-
Limiting Ink Density - If you're printing at Lightning Source, e.g. because you're doing a POD product at DriveThruRPG, you have to abide by LS's printing specifications. One of ...2 weeks ago
-
Monsters with Triggered Abilities - Everything on this page (except for the gribbly) is meant to be accessory monster. They aren't going to be the biggest monster in the fight; they'll be fl...3 weeks ago
-
Chronicles of Nolenor Play Reports #22-24 – Return to the Chaotic Caves - Real dates: 2/2/19, 2/9/19, 2/16/19 In-game dates: November 18th-19th, EY632 PCs: Ambrose (Hero – Fighter L4) Zort (Curate – Cleric … Continue reading →3 weeks ago
-
New AD&D Greyhawk Campaign Notes - I recently launched a new AD&D campaign on Fantasy Grounds. Although we're using the 2e ruleset FG released earlier this year, my only books for reference...5 weeks ago
-
DM Report: Expedition to the Barrier Peaks - As I have mentioned before, over the years I have very rarely used a published module and, when I do, I heavily modify it. The exception has been that ov...5 weeks ago
-
The Diselpunk Post - I like dieselpunk a lot. I want other people to like it. Having said that, the major hurdle is to make it look retro in a way that appeal to people in the ...1 month ago
-
The Faithful - An Optional Archetype for Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells Revised Edition - Work on the revised edition of Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells is moving along. This will be a hefty tome, with a LOT of tools and new options to customize...1 month ago
-
A Visit to the Mighty Eighth - I had the opportunity today to visit the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force in Pooler, GA. What a wonderful time! It’s a collection of memorabi...1 month ago
-
Free GM Resource: RPG Dice Roller v2.3 - [image: Free GM Resource: RPG Dice Roller v2.3] It's been a month since I've posted last...for reasons, but I'm prepared to come back to regular Free GM Res...1 month ago
-
Dolmenwood Campaign Book: Planning Update - As work on the final digital rewards for the Old-School Essentials Kickstarter is entering the end stages, my thoughts are slowly returning to "the next bi...1 month ago
-
Regimental Goats, Bounties, and Free Pasturage for All: News from the Hill Cantons Returns - We return to our regularly scheduled program of fortnightly updates from the Hill Cantons campaign. *And Now the News...* Agents of *Koza the Regimental ...1 month ago
-
Another holiday treat - In the same spirit as my last post, here's another preview of content that will eventually appear in The Heroic Legendarium that seems to capture that cree...1 month ago
-
Midderlands - The hamlet of Whorle - I have recently started up a 1on1 game with a friend, as we are both very busy, we figured this was the best way to get some gaming in. I have owned all th...2 months ago
-
The Withered Crag custom print version for sale again - Just re-enabled the direct sales button for the custom print (classic style detached cover) version of F4 The Withered Crag, and also for F3 Many Gates of...2 months ago
-
RIVAL PARTY - ELF - Init +1d4 Melee Atk • dagger +0 (1d4) Ranged Atk • sticky explosive +5 (1d7+2, special, 100') AC 11+ HD 5d8 MV 40 Act 1d20 SP shapechanging, second head...2 months ago
-
Dungeons & Dragonmead Fall Schedule - *As you know, I run public classic Dungeons & Dragons games at **The Loaded Die**/Metro Detroit Game Night's Board Game Nigh at **Dragonmead**, in Warren...2 months ago
-
Saving Throw fundraiser fanzine for James D. Kramer - You may know Jim Kramer from his Usherwood Publishing modules & supplements, or his work helping produce works like OSRIC and Knockspell. You probably didn...2 months ago
-
Home Sweet Home Azeroth - A very simple mash up of the World of Warcraft Cinematic Trailer and Classic Announcement set to Mötley Crüe “Home Sweet Home” from the Theatre of Pain a...3 months ago
-
-
D&D Sling Damage vs. Large Targets - In many early editions of D&D, weapons were assigned two damage values: one for small/medium targets (i.e. man-sized) and one for large targets (giants and...4 months ago
-
Offworlders - Play Session with Daughter - Player: Amelie (12 years old) Character: Jade Abilities: Ghost, Blast Gear: Light Armor, Light Blaster on wrist, Medium Blaster Sidearm Mission: Respond t...5 months ago
-
Exorcists For Hire - Three months back I wrote about giving quest givers some kind of existing relationship to the PCs to make adventures more personal and to create a stronger...5 months ago
-
Annihilation Rising Goes live - The latest in Fail Squad Games’ Quick Kick projects has gone live and needs your support!! This project is only running 11 days and ends on 5/28/2019! ...6 months ago
-
Mysthea (something epic this way comes) - [image: Mockup of the hardback book] *An ancient, crystal-encrusted planet is rocked by war. As Kingdom fights Empire and the borderlands are caught in th...7 months ago
-
James A. Smith, Jr. Memorial Video - A beloved father, devoted friend, and D&D Dungeon Master extraordinaire. We miss you! To view video, click here Memorial Video Note - The original video...7 months ago
-
Trap Tuesday: A step back - I will get back to Tomb of Horrors soon. I found a topic that was interesting enough to take a break. While interacting in a 5E group on Facebook I talked ...8 months ago
-
Let's Talk About Pacing! - The idea, I think, is that the RPG is ultimately about the long game. Even rolling back to the early days of Basic & Expert, the goal of the player was...8 months ago
-
The Complete OD&D Illusionist - The Illusionist in *Dungeons & Dragons *was created by Peter Aronson, an early Boston-area fan. In 1975, Aronson submitted an initial description of Illu...9 months ago
-
Profane and Profound Prep Part 2 - This is part 2 of my work to edit my magic items for a DMsGuild release, along with adding cursed items along the way. Here is part 1. Bone of a Saint 8000...10 months ago
-
SHORT BREAK. - I'm going to take a break for a week or so and will start up again in the New Year. Thanks for reading and we'll start with Level 6 when I get back.11 months ago
-
Iain Lovecraft, 3D Sculptor - Nope, it's got nothing to do with Cthulhu. I just did a video conversation with Iain Lovecraft, who designs 3D miniatures and terrain. If you're not doin...1 year ago
-
New website! - Slowly but surely, all the content here will make its way — in updated form! — to my new website: timbannock.com. For fairly obvious reasons, that site wil...1 year ago
-
Please Update Your Link! - If you're seeing this, it means your link to the Greyhawk Grognard blog is out of date. Please update your link to www.greyhawkgrognard.com (RSS feed is h...1 year ago
-
Total Sales for WB:FMAG - Hi Folks, It's been a long time since I provided an update for the sales of White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game. *LULU* Print: 396 PDF: 433 *OBS*...1 year ago
-
How can We Destroy this Campaign World? - d12 1. You must trick a bard into strumming the *Chords of Fate* on the *Lute of Annihilation* 2. Legends tell of thermonuclear weapons beneath megadungeo...1 year ago
-
Mord Mar - Session 6 - We weren't able to play Mord Mar last week, due to a family funeral. This week we played on Monday for the first time, due to kids returning to school and ...1 year ago
-
A Small, Quiet Plea - There has been a great deal of discussing political agendas, social grievances, and personal attacks within the little corner of gaming that is my hobby....1 year ago
-
Don’t Sleep It’s Broken - Expanding/editing my comments from What Makes Something Broken G+ thread: “Broken”, for me, is anything that makes normal character choices, tactics, or ro...1 year ago
-
The Warlock's Tower - *F*or over eighty years, the Warlock lurked in his tower of stone, crafting all manner of trinket and bauble for the many curious novice and veteran travel...2 years ago
-
Swords & Wizardry Light-Themed Birthday Party - Last month, my wife and I helped our oldest to celebrate his birthday in style. Ever since 2013, we have hosted a themed birthday party for our now-15-ye...2 years ago
