RAINN RPG Benefit Bundle (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

RPGNow is offering a huge bundle of RPGs to benefit RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network)

For 25 bucks, you get the following in PDF (there are also fiction {$15}and comic book {$25} bundles):

Some Thoughts on Dyson's Creative Commons Released Maps (Go Patreon!)

As I've mentioned before, the new work hours are putting some major hurt on my creativity. Sliding into bed at 645 in the morning (or later) just runs roughshod over any kind of real life scheduling.

Which means I'm looking for inspiration, and +Dyson Logos has inspiration in spades.

On the chance you don't already know, Dyson has a Patreon campaign where, if enough money is raised each month, the maps that he draws and posts on his blog are released for free to be used personally or commercially. Here's the link to the free maps. Heck, you don't even need to be a backer to benefit from this but the more backers the more maps potentially released into the gaming wilds.

Anyhow, here's two that I'm currently looking at to inspire some of those drowsy braincells...

I figure the above would make for a nice city to kick off a S&W campaign when I finally get back behind the screen next March.

This would be just the right size to kick off a dungeon, and the river might even lead the players elsewhere.

Plenty of time for me to work on this but the fact that i want to work on this is pleasantly surprising. I may be awaking the inner muse ;)

Kickstarter - Attribute Shirts (Leading to Another "WTF?" Moment)

A few quick observations about the Attribute Shirts Kickstarter:

- It was canceled back on August 20th and rebooted shortly thereafter

- 3 backers, $63 of $10k goal - how much money do you really need to print shirts?

- shirts are priced at challenge level - WTF?

- I'm going to guess the stats are based on Warcraft? I have no idea

- somehow this was categorized as "Gaming Hardware" - I don't get it

- Backer rewards are interesting. Yes, you can back for a coupon to use at a store that doesn't yet exist (and probably will not)

You know what? The shirts are so easy enough to obtain you should probably have your own made for less. That's assuming there is even a market for this. I'm going to hazard a guess that there isn't/

9-11 Fourteen Years Later (NOT Directly Game Related)

Tip of the hat to +S Robertson 

Fourteen years later.

I remember working on crime maps that Tuesday morning and being told a plane had hit the WTC. I turned the TV on in my Captain's office (he wasn't in yet) and was watching the live coverage when the second plane hit. I called out to my Sergeant we needed to suit up (we worked in civies) as this was no accident - 30 seconds later the announcement came over the intercom - we were going from the South Bronx to the World Trade Center.

I drove the van that day filled with 8 cops and a sergeant. I drove down the FDR until it stopped moving, down avenues, streets and even sidewalks. Saw a homeless man and a business man directing traffic on Houston Street - the businessman's briefcase lay atop the homeless man's shopping cart. The City, New York City, has a habit of pulling together when things are at their worst.

We got as far as City Hall Park, right near the Brooklyn Bridge before the sea of humanity stopped us. I've never seen such a mass of people in my life, all heading north to go uptown or east to cross into Brooklyn. I didn't initially see Tower 2 come down - I felt it. The van shook and I looked out the windshield to see Tower 2 coming down like a house of cards. "Of fuck! Oh fuck! Oh my fucking God!" are the words I've been quoted as saying.

The number of people killed that day is staggering and I counted myself blessed that I only directly knew one person lost that day (Paul, we miss you every day - keep rolling 20s my friend) but the truth is 9-11 has been a long term killer. Cancers, lung disease and other ailments have been killing people almost daily in the 14 years since then. I myself came down with cancer a few years after 9-11 (and thankfully I'm still here.)

If you are religious, please pray for those that we lost and those that are sick from the events that happened 14 years ago. If you aren't religious, kind thoughts and words do a fine job too.

God bless.

Tenkar

(back to normal posting with the next post - thanks for taking the time out of your day to remember)

Tavern Chat Tonight at 9PM - Be There or Be Not!

Yep, tonight is the new night for Tavern Chat.

9PM Eastern

Join us and BYOB ;)

Never Go Into Battle Without Your Battle Tavern! (Jim Magnusson Does IT Again)

+Jim Magnusson NEVER ceases to amaze me. We toss some random ideas back and forth and THIS happens.

Holy Shit!

Really, you folks need to support Jim's Patreon.

This will be going into The Tavern's rotation of headers. I'm trying to find a way to get the ones I have to rotate randomly, which would simply be way too cool.

Oh, and I need to stat this out for Swords & Wizardry...

Kickstarter - The Folio #4, 1E/5E Format Adventure Module

This almost passed me by. I've been watching the releases of The Folio on Kickstarter and I've been impressed with what I've see with the first three (PDF only for me.)

Folio 4 wraps up funding in less than 18 hours as I write this. 5 bucks for the PDF is a bargain and a half.

Damn. I need to make my dinner to take to work tonight. Where did the day go?

From the Kickstarter page:

The Folio #4 is a 1st Edition & 5th Edition combined gaming module. It will be produced as an 8x11”, removable cover [11x17" once removed], adventure with mostly b/w interior artwork. There are two interior booklets, The Gazetteer and The Dungeon, with the final size being roughly 40 pages of content.

The bulk of the module is complete, we only need to be funding so we can begin the full printing process. This means that PDFs will go out after the campaign wraps in September, and the physical copies should be to you no later than November!

So much good gaming material, so little free time...

Kickstarter - Foot Soldiers P&P RPG

I really like this piece of art. It has a nice feel of action and movement and does a great job of showcasing the chaos of the battlefield. The amount of red used certainly makes one think of blood. Heck, I'd like to use this piece as my screen's wallpaper. They certain picked a nice piece of art to showcase the Foot Soldiers P&P RPG.

It's just that something seems missing. Let me try to put my finger on it...

Ah! Yes, that's what's missing. Foot Soldiers.

If you can't show at least one foot soldier in the art that you're using to showcase a game called Foot Soldiers, you're doing something wrong.

Well, that or you're telling your audience that foot soldiers just aren't all that exciting.

Here's a bit abut the gameplay. Not my cup of tea, as it seems to infer way to much to track in game for my taste, but it may appeal to others:

In Foot Soldiers, you are not what we consider "the hero." Characters in Foot Soldiers have no plot armor. Every violent encounter is a brush with death. A weapon is a weapon, intended to maim and kill, and even the unskilled can deal serious damage to an unlucky foe. 

Foot Soldiers models locational damage, which means that every hit lands on a body part. Its location chart is based on a bell curve, meaning most unaimed hits will land on the torso, followed by the waist and head, with arms and legs being less likely, and a hit to the foot or hand being the least likely of all. However, in real combat, both opponents look for an opening wherever available, and will not hesitate to strike an extremity if it may be done without counter-attack. 

Foot Soldiers also models bleeding, limb crippling, and dismemberment. It is a real possibility that your character may be disfigured or killed every time he or she enters combat. Medieval fighters played with live weapons, and armor was sparse. Not every injury will be a permanent one, and your characters will likely rack up more scars than missing limbs (after all, emotional investment in a character is difficult to justify if they could die at a moment's notice), but Foot Soldiers simulates the real fear of violence and encourages players to avoid combat where possible. 

When played with a grid, proper positioning, tactical planning, and decision-making are vital to survival. The depth of the combat system allows for real teamwork and ensures that no one build is too overpowered. The acquisition of better equipment, skills, and knacks will result in a noticeable improvement in combat prowess. 

Of course, physical violence is not the only threat to your life. The English landscape is harsh, and characters will need to ensure that they have enough to eat and drink, and a warm place to sleep at night, both of which cost money. Traveling too much without equipment is rough, and characters must ensure they dress appropriately, which also costs money.

If nothing else I'll be using the art above on a personal level.

Reminder - Tavern Chat has Moved to Thursday Nights - 9PM to 11PM Eastern

For those that may have missed the announcement over the past weekend, Tavern Chat has been moved to Thursday Nights from 9PM to 11PM. My work shift has moved to the overnites - Thursday and Friday night are the only nights I am home.

Now, this doesn't stop folks from holding their own Tavern Chat tonight, but the official one will be tomorrow night.

Okay - Carry On!

RPGNow Deal of the Day - Creature Decks: Fate Core RPG Aberrations & Magical Beasts (and also On Sale in OSR and System Neutral Versions)

I just woke up 30 minutes ago. I'm surprised the dog was happy to go a second round of sleeping after she slept all night with Rach (and I got home from work at 630 AM - these overnights are a biatch.) What do a find in my email upon getting to my desk? A note from +Joe Wetzel , he of Inkwell Designs.

It appears that Creature Decks: Fate Core RPG Aberrations & Magical Beasts is the Deal of the Day at RPGNow, at least until 11 am tomorrow morning. $2.38 for the PDF and $8.95 for Print & PDF. If only I grocked FATE.

But wait!

All of the Creature Decks are on sale. The rest are priced at $2.95 PDF and $8.95 for Print & PDF. Notice that bit? The printed cards are normally $11.95 a deck and you can get the Print & PDF for $8.95.

In an OSR version at that!

I'm grabbing all 5 decks in the OSR version. They are simply a great resource for use at the table in game - if you like to run a sandbox, the Creature Decks along with the Encounter Decks (priced at 1 buck more and I have sitting at my desk) are priceless resources.

Wayward Kickstarter - Odin's Ravens - Where a Refund Offer is More Like an FU Moment

I never backed this, so it wasn't on my radar until this update. After reading the above, I have a few comments:

- If you backed the Odin's Ravens Kickstarter you aren't getting a free copy if you pay shipping - you are paying shipping to get the copy you previously backed for.

- I'm happy the backers (and the actual game designer) have found an alternate game publisher

- 2 1/2 years of silence since Odin's Ravens funded. That's more than flaking out. That's more than mental problems. That's a fucking scam and a half.

- But he is offering refunds, so I guess all of the money wasn't spent on hookers and blow.

- I stand corrected. Refund offers that by design can't be completed and a project creator that can no longer be contacted, thus, no refunds.

Well played!

Kickstarter - The Lost Lands: The Northlands Saga Complete (Swords & Wizardry / Pathfinder)

Yep, the Frogs are bringing us another installment in The Lost Lands campaign setting, and this is a huge one.

The Northlands Saga Complete has been touched on with the Northlands Saga series of releases back in 2010 and 2011, but now it goes to 11. Or 20 if playing Pathfinder.

The book is estimated to come in at 800 to 900 pages and I'm assuming that is the Pathfinder page count. Swords & Wizardry will probably be about 75 to 80% of that count - still a huge book if you ask me.

Some of the text from the Kickstarter page:

Now The Northlands Saga Complete updates and expands those original adventures with new material, completing the saga with six more adventures by Ken Spencer, Greg Vaughan, and Kevin Wright that follow directly after the originals. If you want, you can resume campaigns that “ended” after the last adventure was released in 2011, or start fresh. In addition, an eleventh new adventure is added as a “prequel” to the original four, so you can play an entire adventure path to take PCs from level 1 to 20 (about level 1 to 9 in the Swords & Wizardry version). You can play any or all of the eleven adventures as standalone sessions, or you can use them as a single continuous campaign to explore the Northlands and beyond. And as a bonus, authors Ed Greenwood, Ken Spencer, Kevin Wright, and Jeff Provine have committed to write four more adventures as stretch goals to take your campaign beyond the adventure path. This book has an estimated page count of 800-900 pages (this will vary depending on the number of stretch goals reached), and will be library bound, for years of use.

As a part of the Lost Lands campaign world, The Northlands Saga Complete includes a full-color poster map as well as a complete campaign guide detailing the cultures, history, races, nations, languages, geography, new monsters, magic, and equipment unique to those lands. In the Pathfinder version there is also a chapter dedicated to new optional rules that you can use in your game to capture the authentic spirit of the Northlands with rules for things like a character’s wyrd, death speeches, becoming a jarl, the examples of early representative politics in the Things and Althing, and trial by combat in the holmgang. In addition there are a multitude of new archetypes, feats, player-character races, and character traits for use in your Pathfinder game! (emphasis mine) When you delve into The Northlands Saga Complete, you step into the living, breathing world of the Northlands. 

Actually, maybe change the page count for the Swords & Wizardry version to 65% or so of the Pathfinder version. I guess the PF page bloat is paid for by the higher print run, as the Pathfinder / Swords & Wizardry pledges are running about 3 to 1 right now.

I'm in for the S&W version. I need lots of reading material when retirement hits in March 2016 ;)

Of One Page Fanzines (Guest Poster Tony T)

Never Too Young

In my younger years, one of the best thrills each month was to open the mailbox to discover the latest
issue of Dragon or Dungeon magazine waiting for me. Back then, there was no worry about bills; only the discovery of the newest spell, magic item, or place to take a side adventure to and conquer the evil.

Recently, I discovered the one page zine called the Tolling of the Great Black Bell by +Christian Walker . I ordered an issue and a few days later open the mailbox and there I am again some thirty plus yearsago with excitement to see what awaits inside.

This zine stoked the muse inside of me and now I have started my own venture into the world of one page zines. I believe there such a great idea to reap some new into a long-running campaign. Take a break and do a one page quest of some sort before you continue on in saving the realm.

So I encourage my fellow RPG friends to support these authors in their contribution to our hobby. They are doing this because they hope you'll open that mailbox and for just a few moments, you'll forget about the bills and the stress of this adult life.

Tony T.

Here is a current list of the authors and their zines:

http://thegreatblackbell.blogspot.com/
+Christian Walker  The Tolling of the Great Black Bell

http://swordplusone.blogspot.com/
+Mike Davison   Boarding Action

http://www.msjx.org/p/the-ten-foot-pole-opz.html
+matt jackson  Ten Foot Pole

http://goblinminimart.com/dark-ruins-adventure-mini-zines/
+Wayne Snyder  Dark Ruins

http://outpostowlbear.blogspot.com
+Tony T  Outpost Owlbear