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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88s In The Offing - This is a Flak 36-38 88mm in 15mm scale (1:100) that I FDM printed a few years ago. Dragged it out of the junk pile, since I want a couple of 88s for ...1 day ago
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October Horror Movie Challenge: Death of a Unicorn (2025) - [image: Death of a Unicorn (2025)] Time for a change of pace. *Death of a Unicorn (2025)* There are movies that wear their absurdity on their sleeve, an...1 day ago
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At the Earth's Core and Pellucidar - *It was a huge tiger—such as hunted the great Bos through the jungles primeval when the world was young. In contour and markings it was not unlike the nobl...1 day ago
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Dungeons & Dragons White Box 05 - *Clerics: Clerics gain some of the advantages from both of the other two classes (Fighting-Men and Magic-Users] in that they have the use of magic armor ...1 day ago
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The Last Temptation of the DM: Why a Living Breathing World Needs Systematising - Is it possible to create a sandbox that is a 'living, breathing world'? No. It is possible to create one that to all intents and purposes *resembles* suc...2 days ago
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Some detail on local Islands around Ethyria - *Players started asking questions....Triton Island*Where fishermen of the Village Psaras who trade with Tritons say this barley exposed rocky reef of ...2 days ago
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On Bounty, Questions worth asking. - Well? Will we? Available Now! https://sinlessrpg.com ------------------------------ *Hack & Slash* Follow, Twitch, Support, Donate to end Cancer (5 ...3 days ago
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Strange Knights - You’ve probably met knights from other realms, but these are different. While they resemble familiar knights in many ways, they have a different oath and...3 days ago
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Rob Kuntz at Lucca Comics & Games 2025 - If you are planning a trip to Europe (like right now) and wish to catch up with me in person, make sure to book a detour via *Lucca Comics & Games*, ...4 days ago
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Community Greyhawk – The Song of Iara - Today’s community Greyhawk takes us to The Song of Iara, a sequel/expansion of 2019’s Ghosts of Saltmarsh. It’s a 117 page pdf, with a standard 5E interior...5 days ago
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ChatGPT seems to have opinions about the sort of games I want to play - I've been continuing my experimentation in using AI to code games/game aids by playing around with a character generator for the various threads of gamin...6 days ago
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The Follow Me, And Die! Kickstarter Is Now Live! - Follow Me, And Die! The Card Game is now Live on Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1587147156/follow-me-and-die-the-card-game1 week ago
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Random Links for 10/10/2025 - - AD&D Asassination. Seems straightforward in the PHB, and then the DMG comes and takes it away. Thanks, Gary. - Next game is in 3 weeks.1 week ago
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Stonehell: B-Team Meets the Chosen of Zunbar & Rocky - Session 290 was played on 7/27/25 Sonara, Wizard 3 (Rob) Adorellen, Elf 2 (Me) Glimmer, Kobold 3 (Lanse) Kessaren, Cleric 3 (Cindy) Loahn, Halfling 3 (Josh)...1 week ago
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What is the point of the OSR? - Over on Reddit, Kaliburnus asks What the point of the OSR is? He concludes his post with some questions. So, honest question, what is the point of OSR?...1 week ago
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Ten Marlinko Townies To Annoy Your Party With - # Name Description 1 Mother Feketa Mummified, animate matriarch who rules her tenement block from a tub of heated mud. Gives quests in exchange for...1 week ago
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Tombs: Fantasy Made Mortal... - So Gregorius 21778 has released *The Tomb of Ferkhat the Dreaded* for Blood of Pangea, complete with an excursion into an Egyptian-inspired burial. We lo...1 week ago
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A review of The Golden Peaches of Samarkand - by Edward H. Schafer tldr; this book has a whole sub-section on Dwarfs Its 1962 and Edward H Schafer delves into ream upon uncounted ream of scholarship ...1 week ago
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Unboxing the 2025 D&D Starter Set - I grabbed the 2025 Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set at Barnes & Nobles on Friday. An 'undented' copy. Because it is a Starter Set and meant to assist he...2 weeks ago
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Musings on the OSR Blogosphere and Forums - Link to discussion There are some posts on the historical OSR blog scene that I’ve read recently from the Grumpy … Continue reading →3 weeks ago
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How do you do piracy… in SPACE!? - Interstellar space travel in Iridium Moons was always going to be a form of hyperspace jump like in Star Wars or Traveller. Simply because it’s the one for...4 weeks ago
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Free GM Resource: Freep!k Icon Generator - [image: Free GM Resource: Freep!k Icon Generator] Last week I mentioned a *secret project* and while I'm not going to divulge the project yet, I am bringi...4 weeks ago
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The line has been crossed - I hope all you fuckers enjoyed your Blue Sky. It is coming. You reap what you sow.The right to free speech is a hill I will die upon.Slight update: Anyone...5 weeks ago
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Zock Bock Radio return engagement - German AD&D superfan and podcast host Settembrini (who already had me on his show a couple-three years back) recently completed a two-year-long run thro...1 month ago
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Greyhawk News You Can Use - Harvester 2025 Edition - I’m well-overdue for another Greyhawk news roundup, and a recent post by /u/talktoh in /r/Greyhawk prompted me to complete catchup on Greyhawk news for the...1 month ago
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Against the Starmaster: Playtest materials available - I thought that I would mention that there is a space opera version of *Against the Darkmaster* coming out. It’s called (somewhat unsurprisingly) *Against ...1 month ago
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Tomb of the Blind and Deaf Dead - So the cat is out of the bag thanks to Tobias Schulte-Krumpen, who posted the above image to the Lamentations of the Flame Princess facebook group. I ...1 month ago
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Eyes of Idola, Part 2 - This is Part 2. Here is Part 1. *Concept 1: Entering the Dungeon* Descending the stairs into B1, the party reach rooms that are dark, crowded, flooded, a...1 month ago
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[BLOG] News on the March! Episode X. - This post continues the series of brief play reports I have been posting on Discord. This does not cover every single session (sometimes, recon and setup...2 months ago
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The First Dungeon Crawl in History - Mapping a Lost Session Report, Part II - Today detailed reports from game sessions are common. Until recently, some of the oldest I knew of were to be found in Alarums & Excursions, but only ra...2 months ago
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A long overdue hobby update! - Welcome back to the Vault everyone! 2025 is going by in a blur; I last posted in February, almost started a post in March and now it's the end of May. W...4 months ago
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Pulp: Adventure Location: Trindade & Martim Vaz - History is fractally interesting. Start examine any event, or following any citation, and interesting facts emerge. But some places, for whatever reason,...5 months ago
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All Work and No D&D Makes Homer Something Something - I have a problem. I haven't played an RPG in about a year. Circumstances in my life are such that I have precious little free time. Now that I've written...5 months ago
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Playing at the World 2E V2 Arrives - With the release of its second volume, the second edition of *Playing at the World *is finally complete. The two books combined total well over 1,000 ...5 months ago
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Blogs on Tape season 6 has begun! - Hi everybody! Its been a minute. How are you? Everything is awful all the time? Horrors never cease? You’re being driven mad by the weight of the unfathoma...5 months ago
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Lexicon of Klarkash-Ton, Hierophant of Atlantis: Lupanar - This time, we follow the good High Priest to the far future, to the final continent of Earth, Zothique, for a a tale of ennui and love: Morthylla. Witho...7 months ago
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Articulations - Creating house rules, custom rules specific to a local group or campaign, has been common throughout the history of D&D. What makes an effective house rule...9 months ago
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Writing playlists for all occasions - Hello again! Going off the idea of inspiration elaborated on by the prior post, I also have music playing while I write my various games and fiction pieces...9 months ago
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The Tarot of Pips - Somewhere in your dice collection is a die like this one, the humblest of dice. Although you don't know it, this small white die carries with it a secr...10 months ago
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Pirates and Necromancers, a Play Report - Over the Thanksgiving weekend we did a lot of gaming ranging from “off-table” domain level stuff to some solo adventures to spell and magic item rese...10 months ago
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It's been a bit - Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well! I've had a lot going on and haven't had much time to blog lately. Heres a recap of gaming events and other st...1 year ago
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*'s in SpaaaaaAaaaace - A lot of SF (including a certain 2D6 RPG grandaddy) deal with ancient aliens taking humans from Earth and dropping them, fleas and all, on one or more w...1 year ago
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Last move - to self-hosting! - As my vote regarding Substack in the “marketplace of ideas”, I’m moving to self-hosting. I’m now at (and hopefully staying for a long time at) Blog: ht...1 year ago
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Osamu Tezuka (1928 - 1989) - [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970]Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970 [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover Illustration 1970]Shonen Maga...3 years ago
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Clean Your Room - Looking back at my little blog here. That last post… wow, I was having fun playing WOW Classic! That was August of 1999 and I was having a blast… it was ...3 years 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...5 years 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...5 years ago
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ToAD Monster of the Week: Crocoman - Now that I'm back doing the blog thing I thought I would use Tome of Adventure Design to create monsters for The Black Hack. Using the monster tables in th...5 years ago
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More Arden Vul Art - Another great piece from Del, this one's the Forum of Set: a place that the PCs may spend quite a bit of time within.5 years ago
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OCHRE SAND - Init +0 Ranged Atk • fire burst +3 (1d14+1, 20') AC 17 HD 3d6 MV 60 Act 1d24 SP 'breath' weapon, sideslip, perfect silence, morphing Fort +5 Ref +8 Will...5 years 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...5 years ago
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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 customiz...5 years 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...6 years ago
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Fiction in Airhde - On a whim this weekend, I picked up some fiction off the TLG store. *A Houseless God & Other Tales* and *The Mirrored Soul & Other Tales*, both by the T...6 years ago
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Ravensburg Reboot: Streamlined City Map - I mentioned in my last post how I was tweaking and reworking parts of my Ravensburg setting. Today I streamlined the city map. The old map had lots of redu...6 years ago
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The Withered Crag available now - I just enabled the sale of the PDF version of The Withered Crag at DriveThruRPG a few minutes ago, and the custom print version will be available startin...6 years ago
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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 years ago
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James's Celebration of Life - We could not have asked for a prettier day for James's service. It was a bit chilly and windy but gorgeous. A heartfelt thank you to all that joined us tod...6 years ago
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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 ...6 years 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...6 years 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...6 years ago
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MIDDLE DUNGEONS LEVEL FIVE 158 STAIRS. - 158 STAIRS. These stairs descend thirty feet to Area 79 on Level 6.6 years ago
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Please, I don't do paid advertisements - don't ask. - A little note since people have asked me about this. My video channel's *not* an advertising platform, so I'm not available for hire if you want to promote...6 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...6 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...6 years ago
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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*...7 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 megadunge...7 years ago
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Mord Mar - Session 5 - We had another successful delve into the dungeon yesterday. The delvers: Moira, the Magic-User Radovan - Human Cleric (of Odin?) Khazgar Stonehand - Dwarf ...7 years ago
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Yodeling For Yokels or The Further Misa(d&)dventures - This is the one of those posts that points out the lack of current posts. Over the last week or three, there has been postponed Labyrinth Lord (twice, one...7 years ago
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Bundle of Fantasy Age - Bundle of Holding: Dragon Age/Fantasy Age: Available until March 12. PA Presents: Fantasy AGE Freeport live play Green Ronin in 2018 The Fantasy Age RPG ma...7 years ago
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New Free PDF Module: The Hyqueous Vaults - A new dungeon module—written in celebration of OSRIC's 10th Birthday—by Rebecca Dettmann, Allan T. Grohe, Jr., Jimm Johnson, Matthew Riedel, Alex Zisch, a...7 years ago
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Session XCIII: One Pissed Off Dragon! - Our ongoing Swords and Wizardry sandbox campaign... *Current Player Characters:* *Thenus* (Ranger) *Wang Du* (Monk) *Wolfheir* (Viking) *Arg* (Half-orc) ...8 years ago
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Swords & Wizardry Light: Session # 6 - Two months after our last session (thanks to things like 8th grade finals, a 4 year-old's birthday and party, Father's Day, etc.), we finally had our next ...8 years ago