Saturday, December 17, 2016
Kickstarter - Fantasy 1" Grid Dungeon Tiles for Tabletop RPGs
I'll be real quick with this post, as I am worn out from shoveling and uncle duties today (not to mention the Jets self-imploding tonight)
I'm personally backing the Fantasy 1" Grid Dungeon Tiles for Tabletop RPGs at $104 for 8 sets of tiles. Tile sets have grown from 36 tiles per set from 30. So lots of gaming for your dollars (and I suspect these will work much better than three dimensional terrain when one needs to travel with it to their gaming location.)
Just over 24 hours to go.
If you are going to get in, now is the time.
That is all.
We return to OSR Christmas in the morning.
OSR Christmas - OSR Christmas - Day Five - A0-A4 Against the Slave Lords (PDF Only - AD&D 1e)
Its Day Five of OSR Christmas. Before we get to today's festivities, let's find out who is the recipient of yesterday's awesome gift.
I would do a drum roll but that doesn't work so well on a blog post. Oh well.
Dak Ultimak - congrats. Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern and we'll get you hooked up.
Now for today's gift. We are giving away the A0-A5 Against the Slave Lords (PDF Only)
Against the Slave Lords is a collection of four classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons adventure modules that form a series -- A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity, A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade, A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords, and A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords -- complete with original black-and-white interior art.
Added to the collection is an all-new fifth adventure -- A0: Danger at Darkshelf Quarry -- that you can use to kick off an AD&D campaign that pits a group of adventurers against the evil Slave Lords! Module A0, designed for levels 1-3, sets the stage for events that unfold throughout the remainder of the "A" series.
A1: Slave Pits of the Undercity: It is time to put a stop to the marauders! For years the coastal towns have been burned and looted by the forces of evil. You and your fellow adventurers have been recruited to root out and destroy the source of these raids—as hundreds of good men and women have been taken by the slavers and have never been seen or heard from again!
A2: Secret of the Slavers Stockade: The battle against the slavers continues! You and your fellow adventurers have defeated the slavers of Highport, but you have learned of the existence of another slaver stronghold, and you have decided to continue the attack. But beware! Only the most fearless of adventurers could challenge the slavers on their own ground, and live to tell of it!
A3: Assault on the Aerie of the Slave Lords: Into the Drachengrab Mountains! Hot on the trail of the marauding slavers, you and your fellow adventurers plunge deep into hostile Hills. Spurred on by your past success, you now seek the heart of the slaver conspiracy. But hurry! You must move quickly before the slavers recover from your previous forays and attack!
A4: In the Dungeons of the Slave Lords: Trapped in the dungeons of the Slave Lords! The hardy adventurers must find a way out, with only their wits and courage to help them. But can they do it before everything is destroyed by the dreaded Earth Dragon?"Comment on this post before 8 AM Eastern Time, December 18th, 2016 to be in the running for $9.99 in an RPGNow Gift Card. Against the Slave Lords in PDF is exactly $9.99 or use it for other purchases at RPGNow. The choice will be yours - if Santa picks you :)
As an aside, A1 - Slave Pits of the Under City was the first adventure I ever owned ;)
This prize is available because of readers like you. Your use of The Tavern's affiliate links allows for giveaways like this.
More OSR Christmas
+James Spahn is giving away 12 prizes over 12 days and all you need to do is comment on one blog post. You will need to follow the instructions carefully if you want a chance to be gifted.
Note: You MUST comment on the Halfling's Luck blog. This post it just to let you know where to go.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Free - Traveller5 Starships & Spacecraft-2 FIVE Deck Plan Set (PDF)
Game Designer Workshop is offering the Traveller5 Starships & Spacecraft-2 FIVE Deck Plan Set for Free (normal list price is $19.99)
Inspired by Judges Guild’s classic Traveller deck plans: Starships and Spacecraft. This new Deck Plan Pack re-imagines classic Traveller starships and adds new spacecraft and charts to the mix.
Five 22 x 34 inch black and white deck plan sheets for Traveller5 starships:
Scout/Courier, Express Boat, Free Trader, Corvette, and Colonial Cruiser. Sheets are 1:120 scale (1 inch = 10 feet; 1.5 meter square = one-half inch). Colonial Cruiser is 1:180 (1 inch = 15 feet; 1.5 meter square = one-third inch).
Plus, a sixth sheet: the Astrogator’s Starchart of the Spinward Marches: perfect for plotting voyages through the most famous of the Traveller sectors. Map scale is 1: 1,645 quadrillion (one three-quarter inch hex= one parsec).
OSR Christmas - Day Four - L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (1e) - Print + PDF
Its Day Four of OSR Christmas. Before we get to today's festivities, let's find out who is the recipient of yesterday's awesome gift.
I would do a drum roll but that doesn't work so well on a blog post. Oh well.
DungeonMapper - congrats. Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern and we'll get you hooked up.
Now for today's gift. We are giving away the L1 The Secret of Bone Hill (1e) in Print & PDF. This is a classic adventure and one of the very first sandboxes to be published.
Comment on this post before 8 AM Eastern Time, December 17th, 2016 to be in the running for $11.99 in an RPGNow Gift Card. OSRIC Pocket SRD, Print plus PDF is exactly $11.99 (plus shipping which is on the winner) or use it for other purchases at RPGNow. The choice will be yours - if Santa picks you :)Danger lurks in the Lendore Isles. Bands of evil creatures prowl the hills overlooking the town of Restenford, seeking unwary victims. Now you have come to this sleepy little village looking for adventure and excitement. You seek to fathom the unexplored reaches of Bone Hill and unlock the mysteries of Restenford.This module contains complete information on the town of Restenford and the lands surrounding it. Included herein are encounter tables, background information, and numerous maps of the town, the surrounding areas, a dungeon, and various points of interest. This module may be incorporated into an exisitng campaign or used in conjunction with THE WORLD OF GREYHAWK Fantasy World Setting.
This prize is available because of readers like you. Your use of The Tavern's affiliate links allows for giveaways like this.
More OSR Christmas
+James Spahn is giving away 12 prizes over 12 days and all you need to do is comment on one blog post. You will need to follow the instructions carefully if you want a chance to be gifted.
Note: You MUST comment on the Halfling's Luck blog. This post it just to let you know where to go.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Old School Blues Podcast T-shirts are Available - 100% of the Profits go to the Wounded Warrior Project
I know many of you are fans of the Old School Blues Podcast. Vince and I (along with the podcasts many well known guests) have a blast recording and we hope it shows.
If you want to show your appreciation for the Old School Blues Podcast and show it with style, consider purchasing an Old School Blues Podcast t-shirt. 100% of the profits go to the Wounded Warrior Project.
I'll be getting one for Rach and one for me. Because its prefect convention wear :)
Beneath The Inverted Church, a Door Seducing Adventure - Available for Free with Kindle Unlimited
I posted about Beneath the Inverted Church (an adventure that included the "seducing" of doors) back in September when it was actively funding on Kickstarter. It successfully funded and the Kindle ebook format of the adventure is now available at Amazon, for free if you have Kindle Unlimited.
I'll be taking a peek at this at some point, but my desk if full of titles to review and work that needs writing. If someone does read this and wants to review it, reach out to me and I'll see what we can arrange.
That is all.
Troll Lord Games Sale - Up to 50% Off - Print & PDF
Shop the Troll Lords Store and receive up to 50% off of your print or PDF order. It appears to stack with coupons, so if you have a coupon give it a try.
I have more Castles & Crusades than a single man could use in 2 lifetimes. Maybe I should see what they have for Victorious :)
OSR Christmas - Day Three - OSRIC Pocket SRD - Print + PDF
Its Day Three of OSR Christmas. Before we get to today's festivities, let's find out who is the recipient of yesterday's awesome gift.
I would do a drum roll but that doesn't work so well on a blog post. Oh well.
Erik Myers - congrats. Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern and we'll get you hooked up.
Now for today's gift. We are giving away the OSRIC Pocket SRD in Print & PDF. OSRIC is a cornerstone of the OSR. Note, the PDF is free and there is absolutely no reason anyone should not have a copy.
This book represents a compilation of rules for old school-style fantasy roleplay gaming, and is intended to reproduce the underlying rules used in the late 1970s to early 1980s. A complete game manual in itself, this source reference document (SRD) includes everything the game master and player alike require for beginning to advanced level play.Comment on this post before 8 AM Eastern Time, December 16th, 2016 to be in the running for $13.50 in an RPGNow Gift Card. OSRIC Pocket SRD, Print plus PDF is exactly $13.50 (plus shipping which is on the winner) or use it for other purchases at RPGNow. The choice will be yours - if Santa picks you :)
This prize is available because of readers like you. Your use of The Tavern's affiliate links allows for giveaways like this.
More OSR Christmas
+James Spahn is giving away 12 prizes over 12 days and all you need to do is comment on one blog post. You will need to follow the instructions carefully if you want a chance to be gifted.
Note: You MUST comment on the Halfling's Luck blog. This post it just to let you know where to go.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Reminder - Tavern Chat - Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Suggest Some OSR Christmas Gifts
Can you believe its yet another Wednesday? That means, you guessed it - Tavern Chat!
Where? Here
When? Tonight at 9 PM Eastern
How? Using the "chat box" on the right hand side of this page
What state will I be in? My Pub's Christmas Party is from 5 PM until 8 PM. You figure it out ;)
Talk with you all tonight!
Free Stocking Stuffer - Gongfarmer's Almanac - DCC RPG
Sometimes you just want to gift yourself. Its easier when the gifts you want are free. Such it is with the Gongfarmer's Almanac, a free in PDF DCC RPG Fanzine. Just because its free doesn't make it cheap. Grab an issue or a dozen see what you can squeeze into your OSR campaign.
Looking for an at cost, in print compilation? Lulu has you covered.
The Gongfarmer's Almanac is a Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG(TM) 'zine that is written, illustrated, edited and produced by the DCC RPG G+ Community.
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! ;)
OSR Christmas - Day Two - WG5: Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1e)

I would do a drum roll but that doesn't work so well on a blog post. Oh well.
+Wayne Humfleet - congrats. Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern and we'll get you hooked up.
Now for today's gift. WG5: Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1e), written by Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz, its part of OBS recent TSR Era POD offerings.
Four great and powerful heroes travel in search of adventure. Led by Mordenkainen, wizard without peer, they have come to mysterious Maure Castle, a forlorn and foreboding place, source of wonderment and awesome adventure, following a strange and terrible story.
For, somewhere deep beneath Maure Castle, from whence no person has returned alive, there stand two massive iron doors -- doors without latch, lock, or handle -- the Unopenable Doors.
And if the doors are opened, what then? Such potent evil, such terror lies beyond, that even the bravest adventurers may quail before the ultimate test!
Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventureis a challenging adventure for high-level play. Four original characters from Gary Gygax's famous Greyhawk campaign are included for your use.
Can you meet the challenge? Can you survive what lies beyond ... the Unopenable Doors?
An adventure for characters level 9-12.
Comment on this post before 8 AM Eastern Time, December 15th, 2016 to be in the running for $11.99 in an RPGNow Gift Card. Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure, Print plus PDF is exactly $11.99 (plus shipping which is on the winner) or use it for other purchases at RPGNow. The choice will be yours - if Santa picks you :)
This prize is available because of readers like you. Your use of The Tavern's affiliate links allows for giveaways like this.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
PSA - Playing D&D for Tree of Hope because Thomas needs to dance! - Child with Cerebral Palsy
Thomas was brought to my attention earlier today. As gamers, we tend to be a generous lot. This is simply another opportunity to be generous for a worthy cause.
You can donate for Thomas at this link
The Tavern will match up to the first £100 donated by readers of The Tavern by the end of the week, Saturday December 17th, 2016. Please indicate your donation in the comments to this post.
What follows is the text from the donation page:
We organized a sponsored 24 hour Dungeons and Dragons session to help raise money to support a young boy called Thomas with Cerebral Palsy.
I was Thomas' key person at his nursery and I can't tell you how wonderful and resilient this little guy is. He is always making everyone smile and we would love to return the favour!
It would mean the world to him and his family if you could help him get SDR (Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) surgery which is sadly unavailable on the NHS in the UK, and would greatly increase his chances of walking, running and dancing!
This would cost a total of £75,000 with surgery, physiotherapy and aftercare and so as much as you can donate would be incredible!
The stream took place on Saturday 19th November 2016 from 12pm midday (GMT) until the following Sunday 20th November 2016 12pm midday (GMT) on our Twitch stream:
http://www.twitch.tv/helpthomastodance
(You can now watch all of the sessions on YouTube here:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFjSGK2z__8B23ujBDIAM5g)
There will be one more session to support Thomas streamed on our Twitch channel in approx. 4-6 weeks!
For those who do not know what this entailed, there is around 2-3 days of planning for 4 hours of Dungeons and Dragons and so a session of this length will take around 12-18 days to plan and get ready for upfront.
It will also mean finding at least 3-4 people to play the characters in the story at a time, and will likely mean having at least 12 people involved to take turns and share the 24 hours. I was the storyteller, or Dungeon Master, throughout the entire 24 hours, helping players to find conclusions to their often questionable actions alongside enforcing rules.
The story led our characters through our fantasy world of Vanderuum, with elves, orcs, magic, monsters and dungeons. They will interact with different people, and decide how they solve problems in the world, as the story unfolds for everyone.
You will be able to watch us live through a Twitch stream so that you can watch as we play through our session, and donations during the stream will help or hinder the players through donation rewards.
Anything you can donate will be greatly appreciated and will help a wonderful child to gain more independence.
If you can not donate then please share to as many people as you can!
You can follow our twitter at:
https://twitter.com/DnDtoHelpThomas
#helpthomastodance @dndtohelpthomas
------------------------------------------------------------
(From the Help Thomas to Dance page: http://www.treeofhope.org.uk/thomas-story-help-thomas-to-dance/)
Thomas and Dylan arrived on the 4th January 2013 very early, nearly 10 weeks early. Weighing less than 3lbs they had to fight hard to survive but they did and thankfully soon began to put on weight and grow strong.
After 10 weeks in SCBU ( Special Care Baby Unit) they came home and finally we were free to hold and nurse our babies- after 10 weeks in hospital we were free to take care of our boys. They thrived.
We all fell in love.
An MRI scan at 2 years of age showed that Thomas has some neurological damage. A diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy was confirmed.This explained why he had been slow to reach many of the expected physical milestones.
Thomas is now 3 years old. He continues to make good progress but he is still unable to stand or walk independently. Thomas is able to walk with his walker and enjoy chasing his brother around but he wants to do more, he wants to catch him!
He needs SDR ( Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy) surgery to increase the chances of being able to live and walk independently.
The cost of having this life changing treatment in the UK is approximately £45,000.
To give Thomas the best chance of benefiting from the surgery and subsequent physiotherapy, it’s important that he goes into the operation as strong as possible.
He needs intensive physiotherapy and numerous specialist pieces of equipment to build up this strength. The cost of pre-op equipment is likely to be £5,000 to £10,000.
Physiotherapy and equipment post-op will be a further £10,000 each year for 2 to 3 years after the operation. Therefore we want to try and raise £75,000 in order to give him the best possible outcome.
If you would like to make a donation, organize an event, be sponsored or donate a prize to be auctioned please do. Your help will be life changing and would be hugely appreciated.
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
OSR Christmas at The Barrel Rider's Blog / James Spahn - Free Loot for 12 Days
+James Spahn is giving away 12 prizes over 12 days and all you need to do is comment on one blog post. You will need to follow the instructions carefully if you want a chance to be gifted.
Note: You MUST comment on the Halfling's Luck blog. This post it just to let you know where to go.
What is James offering up to the community this year? Nothing short of his SOUL! Well, maybe that is a slight overstatement ;)
Swords & Wizardry - PDF Bundle of Boom! As Little as a Buck!
Frog God Games has a Bundle of Awesome going on for the Holidays. Its in PDF and comes in at three levels.
For a buck (you can't even buy a cup of coffee for a buck these days) you get:
Swords & Wizardry Complete Rulebook
Bill Webb's Book of Dirty Tricks
The Black Monastery
Quests of Doom
Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms
Grimmsgate
Holy shit! That is super awesome! Its also a steal. I'll pretend I didn't see it. Because stealing is wrong.
Now, for Eight bucks you can add in:
Rappan Athuk
Against Tsathogga
Cyclopean Deeps 1-2
1975
Yes, you read that right. Rappan Athuk for $8. I'll wait for a moment as you digest that.
If you hit 15 bucks, you add the following to all of the proceeding:
Mother of All Treasure Tables
Splinters of Faith 1-10
Shit. At this point you can all fund your own OSR Christmas! ;)
Seriously, if you can scrape up a buck, go in at the basic level for this bundle. You seriously can't beat the value. You can't beat the other values either, but a single buck? Holy shit!
OSR Christmas - First Day - Escape from the Shrouded Fen (DCC RPG)
Let's kick off the first day of OSR Christmas 2016!
Today's offering is Escape from the Shrouded Fen for the DCC RPG, published by Purple Sorcerer Games.
This prize is available because of readers like you. Your use of The Tavern's affiliate links allows for giveaways like this.
Today's offering is Escape from the Shrouded Fen for the DCC RPG, published by Purple Sorcerer Games.
What happens when a demon dies?
Oozing, scalding, deathblood floods the land, cursing it forevermore. Every seventeen years, the blood moon rises and the Fog Beast beckons villagers into the Shrouded Fen; those that follow never return. Now you have been chosen! Seeking ancient ruins, vast treasure, and arcane lore, you plunge deep into the mist-laden swamp. Plants impale corpses ravaged by man-eating birds, while specters of past victims roam the blood-cursed land. A mysterious floating portal defies entry, though the bog’s hidden artifacts are rumored to provide the key. Can you solve the riddles of the swamp and escape from the Shrouded Fen?
A 112 page digest-sized DCC adventure from Terry Olson that contains:
-A 0-level funnel...
...Leading into a deadly 1st-level sandbox sandbox adventure
-Incredible artwork from Benjamin Marra, and maps from Dyson Logos!
-A host of random encounters and events to keep things interesting!
-Notes to run the funnel and first level sections as stand-alone adventures
An additional 61 page letter-sized PDF appendix featuring:Comment on this post before 8 AM Eastern Time, December 14th, 2016 to be in the running for $12.99 in an RPGNow Gift Card. Escape from the Shrouded Fen, Print plus PDF is exactly $12.99 (plus shipping which is on the winner) or use it for other purchases at RPGNow. The choice will be yours - if Santa picks you :)
-Full-sized handouts
-Author's notes
-All the statblocks from the adventure for easy reference
-A complete patron write-up with spell sheets
-All the tables from the adventure to use as judge's screen inserts
-The usual horde of Purple Sorcerer paper miniatures
-All the maps from the adventure, both keyed and unkeyed
-Every image from the adventure, many in both color and BW
This prize is available because of readers like you. Your use of The Tavern's affiliate links allows for giveaways like this.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Fat Goblin Games - Old School / Labyrinth Lord - 1 Buck a Book - 24 Hour Sale
Fat Goblin Games has marked its selection of Old School / Labyrinth Lord releases down to a buck each for the next 24 hours.
Now, while I do not have experience with the Bestiarum Vocabulum series of releases, I do own both Basilisk Goggles & Wishing Wells and Sinister Serpents: New Forms of Dragonkind. They are amazing values at full price, let alone a buck.
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! ;)
12 Days of OSR Christmas Starts Tomorrow - How Will it Run This Year?
This December has been overwhelming thus far on the personal side of things. Nothing huge, just lots of little moving parts that I probably wouldn't have been involved in when I was working. Yes, work is an amazing excuse to put aside or ignore certain family responsibilities ;)
Anyhow, OSR Christmas kicks off tomorrow, December 13th and will run for at least 12 Days consecutively, December 24th. I suspect there may be some bonus days between Christmas and New Years.
Here's how we are handling it this year:
- Each day of OSR Christmas I will be giving away RPGNow Credit equal to the price of an OSR product of my choosing that is available Print on Demand. You are not required to purchase said item in Print nor PDF, and shipping will be handled by the gift recipient. Overseas may prefer to use said credit for PDF purchases depending on the shipping costs.
- Publishers / Bloggers / Podcasts / Friends of The Tavern, are encouraged to run their own giveaways and / or sales for OSR Christmas. I will post and link to every OSR Christmas Giveaway / Sale that is brought to my attention, and will repeat the information for each day such Giveaway / Sale is in effect. How each giveaway is handled is to be determined by the gift giver. It may require commenting on a blog post, forum post, G+ post, Facebook post - such info will be included in the posting "here" that will send you "there"
- A very small handful of publishers have arranged for me to host their giveaways. This is an exception to the above rule. I have no intention to be a clearinghouse like I've done in the past, as that leads to madness (and lost packages - both in the mail and in my house - I kid you not)
- I intend to offer a Santa's Grab Bag on December 24th. It will include a shitload of stuff. It will only ship within the states. Yes, the US Postal Service hates every other country in the world.
- OSR Christmas posts for The Tavern Giveaways will usually go live in the AM. Posts for other Publishers / Blogs / Podcasts / Friends of The Tavern will generally go live in the afternoon.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Someone Cast a Raise Dead Spell - Mythoard Rises From the Ashes!
Remember last week when Mythoard was done? Apparently there is a Santa Claus, Virginia, because Mythoard is back!
+Jarrod Shaw is good people. Mythoard is an excellent project. I'm glad to see plans come together, especially when they were unplanned ;)
+Jarrod Shaw is good people. Mythoard is an excellent project. I'm glad to see plans come together, especially when they were unplanned ;)
New Release - White Box Gothic [Swords & Wizardry WB - Barrel Rider Games)
Barrel Rider Games / +James Spahn has a new release for Swords & Wizardry White Box - White Box Gothic. I'm chomping at the bit to read it, but I figured I'd share the fact that it has released first.
I'm excited because I always like a little horror in my fantasy roleplaying. Not the over the top, often campy horror the the Ravenloft setting often coughed up, but something a bit more - I don't know, not realistic, thats for sure, but certainly something more.
I trust James to have delivered that "something more"
From the blurb:
White Box Gothic brings gothic horror to your Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox campaign! Inside this terrible tome you'll find a horde of horrors!
- Six New Classes: From the deadly Monster Hunter to the damned Dhampir.
- Thirty New Spells: Speak with the dead, defile the land, and bind spirits to your service!
- Twenty-Five New Magic Items: Draw undead servants from your Bag of Bones, learn the secrets of the Book of the Damned, and draw hope from the Symbol of Piety!
- Fifteen New Monsters: The lowly Cultist, the mysterious Breath Stealer, to the powerful Vampire Lord!
- Optional Rules: Corruption, Dread, and laying Curses!
Inside these fifty pages you'll find all manner of dark and dire secrets to vex your players and defy the undead!
Disclaimer - I know James. Not only is he a good friend, but he is a coconspirator with myself on future Swords & Wizardry Light releases. We wouldn't be coconspirating if James weren't damn good!
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! ;)
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Snowy Sunday Reading - The Brain Gorger's Appetite - 5e
Well, its not a lot of snow, its more of a dusting. It also hasn't been as much reading as I had hoped for - cleaning, measuring for new storage shelves for my game collection, multiple loads of wash, a Jets / SF game that went into overtime - before I knew it the day was nearly gone.
I did, however, squeeze some time into do something I rarely do with a gaming release - start reading it from the front on the way to end (I tend to bounce around). I don't have a choice this time - the adventure in question is a mystery, and although as the GM you know the mystery, you need to read it carefully so you play the mystery out properly for the players.
The highest compliment I can give The Brain Gorger's Appetite is this - I haven't skipped a word in my reading yet. The story is good, the mystery is solid and I want to be sure I have all the bases covered if I decide to run it. I also want to see if there are any holes in the story - I haven't found any yet and I suspect I won't.
Expect a full review in a day or so, assuming life cooperates. The family has three birthdays this week, my mother, my sis and my niece, pinky - as well as the pub's Christmas party, my twice a month face to face AD&D 1e group and a trip to assisted living with my mother's cousin to see if it meets her approval. Oh, and general Christmas prep. Full plate this week ;)
Kickstarter - Valley of Kildar | For 5th Edition and other RPG games
It seems The Taverners have taken it upon themselves to make a new challenge - who can find gaming Kickstarters with possible red flags. Now, just because something raises flags, doesn't mean its not a valid project. It does mean you shouldn't just jump in without doing some vetting on your own.
Which takes us to Valley of Kildar | For 5th Edition and other RPG games. Its a setting and adventure package. The map looks fine if a bit simple although many old school gamers would find issue with the walled off nature of the setting. These are not flags, just observations.
here come the flags:
1 - PDF buy in is just $5 American. For that you get -
• Color Map of the region
• "Zoom in" maps : town, village, forest, mountain and more...
• More than 20 quests (adventures) ready to play
• 12 dungeons with complete descriptions and layouts
• 15 buildings with complete descriptions, facades and interiors
• An illustrated Bestiary containing 12 "monsters"
• More than 20 NPCs with description and background of each character
• 32 battlemap sections
How will all of this be produced for 5 bucks?
More importantly -
2 - Print plus PDF buy in is $19 American. That apparently includes shipping.
It includes all the above in print plus:
• 32 battlemap sections printed on cardboard
• DM Screen
When the price is too good to be true, it means one of two things:
a - it literally is too good to be true and its a scam - or -
b - the project creator is clueless as to the cost of his project
I'm willing to give the benefit of the doubt here and go with clueless.
As an aside, there is no indication as to the size of the printed color map of the region not the printed "Zoom in" maps.
1st created, 1 backed.
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The Origins of Rule Zero - The idea that a gamemaster has the discretion to alter or discard published rules was not an invention of role-playing games: it derived from a wargam...20 hours ago
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Presenting the Zihindian Pantheon - We continue our exploration of the distant land of Zihindia with the first in a series of articles on the Zihindian pantheon. Zihindian religion is an inte...23 hours ago
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Vampire: The Masquerade: Northeast Passage - On the Reeperbahn, late half past one If you got a girl, or got none You will have great fun, that’s the way it’s done On the Reeperbahn, late half past on...1 day ago
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Tomb of the Witch Queen, D&D adventure review - By Jon Paget Jon Pagat Roleplay 5e Levels 1-12 (scales) My New Years resolution is to only review good adventures! Let’s go! 🙂 News has got out about a to...1 day ago
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New Cover for The Salt Mine - Heya folks, got a new cover in for Dark Matter (The Salt Mine 15) and thought I should share.1 day ago
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Geeky SKAturday: More love for Pokémon, with upbeats - Today's intersection of ska and geekdom comes courtesy of Jeremy at Skatune Network...who has to be one of the most musically talented individuals I've eve...1 day ago
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Dungeons & Dragons: a TV series and a Movie? - It looks like a *Dungeons & Dragons* television series is now in the process of being developed by Derek Kolstad (the author of the script for the first ...1 day ago
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Silver Highway Encounters - More for my Broken Hill post apoc adventure trail as im running it next after current game melts down. Of course, running stuff in play makes new dema...2 days ago
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New Release: Miscreated Creatures - Miscreated Creatures in Hardback (Lulu) Miscreated Creatures in PDF (DriveThruRPG) If we lived in a world without adventure games, I think I’d still have w...3 days ago
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Dwarven settlement & a new podcast episode - Hey! I finally got off my duff and created a new episode of "Gilligan's Isle Of ADD". You can listen here: https://anchor.fm/gilligans-isle-of-add/epis...4 days ago
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On Artifices & Deceptions: Triggers, Proximity - This trigger is an extremely sensitive device that detects vibrations, most often transmitted through the air. They are generally sensitive and only used ...4 days ago
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DIY Dice - I ordered a set of silicone dice moulds from Bangood, and they just arrived, two weeks earlier than their estimated ETA, which is nice. The basic set ...4 days ago
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Song of the Ash-Sea Pirates - Many say the Great Ash Sea which spreads westwards from the furthest shore is impassable and empty, barren as a frozen heart, yet consider this song sung b...4 days ago
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Free GM Resource: Goobertown Hobbies YouTube Channel - [image: Free GM Resource: Goobertown Hobbies YouTube Channel] I know that I missed last Monday. Last Monday kind of sucked because I lost my job and had a...5 days ago
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Space, as Douglas Adams used to say, is big. - *Traveller* is a pretty funky little system for creating sci-fi universes, but, like any game, it has its limits. For one thing, the excellent mapping sy...6 days ago
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Wednesday Lunchtime D&D Call to Arms - In these literal and figurative dark times, what we need is the light of Our Lady of Dungeons & Dragons to shine forth upon us. In that vein, I'd like to r...6 days ago
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Ask the Stars - The Signs - The Signs are designed to work as oracles, similar to how I've used Spark Tables but with a dash of Tarot's symbolism and openness to interpretation. I w...6 days ago
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Necrotic Gnome Website - It's been a long time since I last posted on this blog... and the reason for that is that I'm now posting news and updates at necroticgnome.com directly....6 days ago
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Why I Don't Mind Aerith and Bob - Although I have gone into details on names in my campaigns before let's talk about it again. Why? Because it is on my mind, no more than that. In the B...1 week ago
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Minimalist D&D VII - Six skill sets - Here is part VI. You asked for it, and you shall receive! More minimalist D&D is coming... hopefully, until it becomes an entire game. I talked about skil...1 week ago
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Pits and Progress, Perils of Product... - Okay, sad news. Life happens, and real life takes priority over our imaginary ones, even the semi-real companies that publish the games we play. Recent...1 week ago
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Behold! The World Breaker! - I got this beautiful beast today. A antique gold, metal 100 sided die. It weights almost a pound! This thing can do some damage. I love the look of it. ...1 week ago
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[BEYONDE] Nox Archaist, the Hottest Apple ][ Game of 2020/2021 - Nox ArchaistA little known but useful Internet fact: Ultima fans and their money are quickly separated. Yes, Gentle Reader, *YOU too* can make good money...2 weeks ago
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Majestic Fantasy RPG Release, Wilderlands Deal, and more. - Happy New Year everyone! It is 2021 and several Bat in the Attic Games items are happening right out of the gate. *Basic Rules for the Majestic Fantasy...2 weeks ago
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2020 Year In Review - I’ll just post the numbers of my various sites, and leave the rest of the year below if you want to read about 2020 from my perspective. Twitter – Down 3...2 weeks ago
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10 Stupid yet Robust Games for Video Calls - 2020 is a weird year. A lot of people are relying on video calls for holiday gatherings. This is fine, but it does limit the type of holiday games that c...2 weeks ago
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TANX - [image: TANX - 16] [image: TANX - 05] [image: TANX - 11] [image: TANX - 06] [image: TANX - 03] [image: TANX - 14] [image: TANX - 12] [image: TANX - 15] [i...2 weeks ago
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Labyrinth Lord OEC Player Quickstart - I thought I’d post the player quickstart I’m using for my Labyrinth Lord OEC campaign. If you’ve seen the other … Continue reading →2 weeks ago
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Links to Blackmoor Play on Youtube - Watching other people play online is a mixed bag, but can be both informative and entertaining. I'm tempted, but I won't bore you with a discussion of ...3 weeks ago
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Muster - Eero Tuovinen is crowd-funding a discussion about old school play: Muster: A Friendly Primer to Challengeful Dungeoneering. Why, you might ask, is another ...3 weeks ago
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That information is not available… - One of the more…interesting?…Yeah, let’s go with ‘interesting>’! One of the more interesting parts of being a Genteel Magistrate is to keep a group of hero...4 weeks ago
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AD&D Poison Notes - In *Dragon* magazine #81 (January 1984) the article "Taking the Sting Out of Poison" by author Chris Landsea offered truly exhaustive coverage of the top...1 month ago
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Some Brechewold Forest Spots - These are a few hexes that will be part of the preview chapter of *The Yellow Book of Brechewold*. B1. Waterfall Mine and the Crone - Lan...1 month ago
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My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter! - I can't believe I didn't post about it here! The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are on *Kickstarter right now!* Thes...1 month ago
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The Inn Between - This all basically grew from the idea of What If Spirited Away, But D&D? First of all, wiser souls have spoken of this before. The ruleset would be GLO...1 month ago
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Prospects and Retrospects - 101 posts From Kuroth's Quill - Due to the vagaries of real-life timing winning out over planning, my 100th post in *From Kuroth's Quill* arrived uncelebrated as my compiled (and still ...1 month ago
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Quantum D&D - A funny thing happened to D&D in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s: it got popular. It went from a game everyone learned from someone whose knowledge of the...2 months ago
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Dolls and Devils - French Resistance sent a bizarre tale to Allied Intelligence. A French doctor, a Vichy traitor, was collaborating with the Third Reich. Doctor Le F. had...2 months ago
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Maximum HP 004, one week to go - Just one week to go for Maximum HP issue #004, the undead. We are pushing through stretch goals and wracking up contributions for the best issue yet. We...2 months ago
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The Bombing of the Quick Stop Gas Station Bench - *One of the ingredients that's coalescing for Bunkers & Billionaires is a completely surreal mission landscape. Rogue intelligence agents and terrorist c...3 months ago
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Steve Jackson Interview - James Maliszewski recently did an interview with Steve Jackson over on his Grognardia blog. Steve chats about the beginnings of The Fantasy Trip and upcomi...4 months ago
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The Hero’s Journey 2nd Edition, Campbellian roleplaying at its best! - (this review done using the reviewers own purchased copy) I have been a James Michael Spahn fan since he wrote his Swords & Wizardry Companion. His writing...4 months ago
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Undermountain Map Origins - As documented on the Ruins of Undermountain sales page, "TSR didn't actually use Ed Greenwood's original maps," at least not in their entirety. This post d...6 months ago
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Sometimes, the best move is not to play... - I had to do something really hard this weekend, I had to cancel my monthly tabletop Zoom AD&D game, as well as my bi-weekly online AD&D game. I'm taking a...7 months ago
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A to Z of Megadungeons - I've seen a couple of A to Z's lately and decided we needed one for megadungeons. So here, we go. A is for Architect Someone needs to build the megadungeon...7 months ago
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A Campaign Begins for Newbies - Like many of you, the affects of the Coronavirus pandemic has disrupted how hundreds of millions of us fellow mutants interact and function in our jobs, co...8 months ago
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WB:FMAG Total Print Sales - Hello Folks, The last time I did a quick sales report was in September 2018. I pulled reports from Amazon, Lulu and DrivethruRPG from October to current fo...8 months ago
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The Minotaur for Old-School Essentials - *Minotaur* *Requirements:* Minimum STR 9, Minimum CON 9 *Prime Requisite:* STR and CON *Hit Dice:* 1d10 *Maximum Level:* 8 *Armor:* Leather, including shield...9 months ago
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The Mauve Plague, Gravy Urns, and Batlace Frills: News from the Hill Cantons - And now the News... In a statement beamed from the Oracular Society today *Morafans the Rickmaster*, the Psychosocial Health Minister of the Overking, ha...10 months ago
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WIZARDS OF POHJOLA - Init +0 Melee Atk • sword or dagger +1 (1d5 or 1d3) Ranged Atk • hot iron sparks +3 (1d4+2 to two targets within 20' but not closer than 5') AC 14 HD 12d...11 months ago
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Strange, Dangerous, and Inhuman: The Fey and Fairie - When I was a boy I loved fairy tales. Jack and the Beanstalk, Puss in Boots, Rumpelstiltskin - I devoured all of it. My fascination that there was a strang...1 year ago
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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-magician1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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...1 year ago
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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.2 years ago
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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...2 years ago
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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...2 years ago
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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...2 years ago
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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...2 years ago
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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 ...2 years ago
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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....2 years ago
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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...2 years ago
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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...3 years ago
