Kickstarter - DCC Lankmar

I've said it before and I'll say it again, although I support every DCC RPG Kickstarter, I do not play the system very much. I do, however, use the various adventures with the Swords & Wizardry rules, as good adventures transcend system.

There. I've said it. That all being said, having played DCC Lankmar at NTRPG Con with +Doug Kovacs , I'm damn tempted to give it a try with the system it was written for. It simply played that well.

You can back for the boxed set for as little as 50 bucks, but if you want the stretch goals that won't fit in the box you'll need to pony up 100. I'm in at 50 for now, but that may chance in the near future.

Did I mention the KS has already hit its second stretch goal and is knocking on its third?

Bundle of Holding - Advanced Fighting Fantasy

I've looked at Advanced Fighting Fantasy before before but never pulled the trigger. Now, I'm not saying I'd use the system, but I wonder how convertible the adventures would be to Swords & Wizardry.

In any case, $7.95 is certainly a fair buy in. Its about 20 bucks for the Bonus Collection. Very tempting.

Pocket Creatures Volume 2 is Live on RPGNow - PWYW

Yep, Pocket Creatures Volume 2 is now live on RPGNow. I'm very excited.

Pocket Creatures Volume 1 has been downloaded 113 times in a week and a half. That's in addition to the 50+ copies downloaded off the Dropbox link.

Did I mention we gave away over 40 copies each of Pocket Creatures Volumes 1 and 2 in print at Gary Con?

I'm dancing a happy dance :)

Torchlight Magazine - A Place for Slackers ;)

As I work on the writers' guidelines and such for Torchlight I wanted to mention something real quick. We'll be using an app called Slack for communication with contributors, whether its for Torchlight or with third parties that are working on independent Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light projects and want a link to myself and others to bounce questions / preview work / etc.

We will be using the free version of Slack, which I happen to think is pretty damn awesome.

It has Android and IOS apps as well as an app that runs on your browser, so we are well covered.

If you are a creative and wish to join the SWLight Slack Community, email me over at tenkarsDOTtavern at gmail. I'll get an invite to you within 24 hours.

RPGNow Deal of the Day - 2016 Dodecahedron Cartographic Review (Dyson Logos)

If you play RPGs, especially fantasy RPGs, you need the 2016 Dodecahedron Cartographic Review. I'm serious. Actually, you need just about all the maps that +Dyson Logos produces. They are, quite simply, amazing art that doubles as RPG maps.

This just released last week so this is fresh AND on sale! Normally $8.50 on sale for $4.25

From the blurb:

The 2016 Dodecahedron Cartographic Review is a 107-page curated collection of most of the maps and descriptions thereof that appeared on Dyson's Dodecahedron throughout 2016. Designed to be a letter-sized spiral bound book, this digital edition also includes a second version of the book where many of the maps have been resized (larger) to better fit the page once all the text has been removed.

Like the 2014 and 2015 Cartographic Reviews, this volume contains almost all the maps published to the website in 2016 except for one megadungeon map that is still incomplete at the time of publication. The PDF edition of these maps is provided as a convenience for readers of the blog and fans of RPG cartography and contains no exclusive content - everything in this PDF can be hunted down on the Dyson's Dodecahedron blog and downloaded at high resolution. What this collection gives you, however, is that material collected in one place, sequenced, and annotated from the notes on the blog.

5% of purchases made through The Tavern's affiliate links helps to fund The Tavern.

Kickstarter - Trinity of Awesome Returns! (Multiple Genre Adventure Collection)

For those following along at home, +Venger Satanis and I had a very nice breakfast and long talk at Gary Con. Surprisingly enough, or maybe not surprising at all, we have far more in common than we do differences. After all, gaming is the glue that binds us, one and all, as a community.

V's latest KS is Trinity of Awesome Returns! For as little as 7 bucks, you get three adventures in PDF format - "one eldritch science-fantasy scenario (Crimson Dragon Slayer), one retro sleazy sci-fi scenario (Alpha Blue), and one pulp / investigative horror scenario (The Outer Presence)."

If V has a strength, it is most certainly adventure writing and art choice. His art may occasionally disgust or offend, but the quality is never less than top notch.

I convert other RPG ruleset adventures on the fly to Swords & Wizardry and this shouldn't be any more difficult, which isn't difficult at all.

About 12 hours left on the KS. Blame post con sleep recovery for the delay in me getting to this posting ;)

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Post Gary Con Recap

Yep, that's me at Gary Con, at the resort that used to be a Playboy resort. Woot!

I've got some Swords & Wizardry news to share with the peanut gallery before putting it into blog post form, so if you want to get some info and other GC updates, drop into Tavern Chat tonight.

Sadly, this is NOT the shirt I was wearing when the cops from Seattle and Los Angeles "kidnapped" me for drinks. Ah well ;)

Tavern Chat - 9 PM Tonight, Eastern Time - Chat Box on the right side of the page.

ConManKen Wants to Make YOU a TV Host

What a fucktard! Wait, is that even a word?

Somehow #ConManKen can hook you up with a full time job hosting a geek show on TV? Oh wait - that's a "maybe"

If this were true Ken would find a way to make money from it. As I'm sure he is asking for money to provide the application info, I guess he has found his latest money making scheme.

Classic Kenny. How many typos?

Hey Ken, how's Marcus doing?

Gygax Memorial Fund and the Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust

It's frustrating when members of our community mix apples and oranges freely. The differences between the Gygax Memorial Fund and the Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust couldn't be huger, but the main point is - they are completely separate and independent entities even if the one calling the shots behind both of them is the same person.

The Gygax Memorial Fund Inc "is a public charity non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. The fund's tax identification number is 30-0580070." That's a mouthful but it establishes it as a public charity recognized by the US government and subject to Wisconsin laws.

What actually defines section 501(c)(3)?

Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals Organizations.

How does a memorial fall under this section? It's an interesting solution that was used for this.

The specific objectives and tax exempt purpose of this 501(C)(3) organization shall be:

• To commission and place a memorial in a public park of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to honor Gary Gygax by commemoration of literary achievement in the creation of Dungeons & Dragons and other published works
• To maintain this memorial in perpetuity
• To sponsor informational events open to the public which focus on his work
• To engage in other activities related to educating the public about his achievement
• And to establish a scholarship program in his name for students with a demonstrated need for assistance to study at an accredited college or university.

Notice those last two bullets? That firmly establishes and defines the Gygax Memorial Fund as a 501(c)(3) for IRS purposes. It would be interesting to see the monies spent on those last two bullet points as I have heard little if any discussion of efforts to fulfill those objectives. The scholarship program should have been an easy one to kick off.

The Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust is a strange beast, but the very nature of Revocable Trusts in the State of Wisconsin is strange:

What is a revocable living trust? 

A trust is a written document that names someone to be responsible for managing property for the benefit of others. A revocable living trust (also called a "living trust" or "revocable trust") is one type of trust. 

It's a "living" trust because you create it while you're alive. It's "revocable" because, as long as you're mentally competent, you can change or end the trust at any time, for any reason. You need no one's permission to do so unless you have created a joint trust with your spouse. In Wisconsin, a trust is revocable unless it specifically states it is irrevocable in the trust document. Usually a living revocable trust becomes irrevocable (not open to changes) when you die. 

A trust involves three parties: 

The settlor or grantor is you, the person who creates the trust. 

The trustee is the person who agrees to accept your property and manage it as the trust agreement directs. You can name more than one trustee, thus creating co-trustees who must act together. Usually you are the trustee during your lifetime. 

The beneficiaries are those who will receive the income from the property in the trust and, with your direction, the property itself.

It is the Trust, not the Fund, that controls Gary's IP. While the Fund is subject to public scrutiny, the Trust is not. Do NOT confuse the two. Gary's IP is not linked to the memorial and it never has been. While the Trust could, in theory, donate money to the Fund, the Fund could not give monies to the Trust.

Is the Gygax Memorial Fund still Funded? Where is the Audit?

I woke up to phone calls and private messages in regards to +Tim Kask  's post on Facebook. "What do you know? What can you tell us? who are the sources?"

Well, I spoke with Tim a little while ago and he revealed to me, in confidence, one of his sources and exactly what was said. His source is certainly legit and honest, but would only have direct knowledge if Gail divulged directly or if the source had access to "the books". While the first is certainly a possibly the second is unlikely - hell, I'm still waiting on the Magical Mystery Audit that was promised last April.

If Gail would like to communicate with me directly to explain this current supposition I am all ears. She most certainly knows how to find me, but I suspect she will put her head in the sand as is her standard operating procedure.

Alex Gygax is more than welcome to communicate with me. I met him on Saturday night at the hotel bar (I am fairly sure he did not initially know who I was and if he did, avoid playing poker with him ;) Alex seems genuinely interested in the Gygax Memorial and the Gygax Memorial Fund and ensuring it bears fruit. At the very least, he should be taking over communications for the Fund, as he seems to have both the energy and the interest to do so effectively.

Questions that are left unanswered often breed their own answers. This issue could be easily put to bed if Gail were to open the books. I'd be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement to view said records and be able to say "all the monies are accounted for" or "there is a discrepancy" with no further details divulged. I don't think such a legal step is necessary, but with lack of public disclosure being the Fund's standard operating procedure, I figured I'd offer a potential solution to finding the truth the community so desperately desires.

As I've stated before, the Fund and the Trust are two entirely separate entities. I'll do a follow up post to explain this in full, but for now, remember the Fund is just the Memorial, not the IP.

Home From Gary Con - The Good Lord Works in Mysterious Ways - Or Was it Just Fate?

So, I left Lake Geneva this morning. Over breakfast I noticed my flight was going to be delayed a half hour, so when Uber arrived and asked if I wanted the scenic tour for a 5 minute longer trip, I said yes. My driver was a retired pilot from SouthWest Airlines - very interesting trip.

I get to the airport and breeze through security. Get to my gate, and notice my plane is now running an hour late. Sigh.

Here an announcement that seemed to indicate my flight was changing gates. "What a PITA!"

Get to the new gate and I was wrong. Its the previous flight to NYC, also delayed, with seats available. They were rebooking people to the flight that was leaving NOW! Woot!

Get on the plane, find my seat and sit down next to a young woman who asked me "Did you enjoy the Con?"

Yep. I had to go to Gary Con, have my flight delayed and my departure moved up, to find an RPG player from Brooklyn that also reads The Tavern. Not even star struck - I have +Harley Stroh for that ;)

Needless to say the flight was over before I knew it. Gave out seven copies of Swords & Wizardry Light as we disembarked. Rach and I should be gaming in a few weeks in Brooklyn at the Hinterlands Bar.

See, +Bill Webb ? I even evangelize 15,000 feet in the air ;)

Gary Con - Gygax House

Gary Con wrapped up today. I'll be giving some observations and recaps throughout the coming week.

Tonight we did a "drive-by" of the old Gygax House. It was a bit foggy. so maybe that's where we got the halo effect on the left side of the page. Interesting in any case.

Spent the midnight hours last night  drinking with a handful of gamer cops from Seattle and Los Angeles. Never would have expected to find them, or should I say have them find me. +Zach Glazar and +Michael Badolato thought #ConManKen had hired some hitmen to take me out as I was "borrowed" for a few minutes. Damn good time had by all.

Gary Con - Breakfast With the Devil and Goodman Games News

+Venger Satanis and I had breakfast together this morning. It was a great time and he awesome company. Now I just need to convert V to Swords & Wizardry Light ;)

Goodman Games had a few announcements today:

-The Lankmar Kickstarter is live. Heck, its funded almost immediately.

- B1 & B2 - Classic adventures from Basic Dungeons & Dragons will be reprinted faithfully to their original releases AND converted to Dungeons & Dragons 5e,

Woot!

Huge Goodman Game Announcement Later This Morning - Gary Con

+Harley Stroh is Awesome!

Goodman Games is making a huge announcement later this morning. Actually, pretty much all of their announcements are huge ;)

I'll try and sneak away from the Frog God Booth and post it here when I have the info.

Did I mention +Harley Stroh is fucking awesome? He is :)

Behind the Table and More - Gary Con

I'm gob smacked by the amazing people I've talked to at Gary Con and there are still 2 days to go. I know some folks say "pictures or it never happened, so here are some pictures ;)

Behind the Table

Pacesetter Games

The Original +Doug Kovacs 

Mutated +Jim Wampler 

+Lloyd Metcalf , Where is your hand?

+Bill Webb Holds Court before the inevitable Total Party Kill...

Gary Con Day One - Kinds Words From Frank and More

+Frank Mentzer  stopped by the Frog God booth today and gave me some amazing words of encouragement. Really appreciated and I'm very grateful. The old school is really a great community.

There is some exciting news for Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light that should get announced in the coming weeks. I am so psyched!

Met some great folks today. Haven't gamed yet but more importantly, I've spent time with fellow gamers and that is priceless.

Let's Talk Swords & Wizardry Light - Gary Con

Gary Con officially kicks off this morning. +Michael Badolato and myself will be walking the con (and hanging out at the Frog God's booth), looking to discuss and give away Swords & Wizardry Light goodness.

Find us. Chat us up.

We'll be walking around with free physical copies of Swords & Wizardry Light and other stuff.

Gary Con Day Zero - Setting up The Frog God

Today was spent setting up the Frog God booth here at Gary Con. There is a whole lota stuff here, so someone please buy it all - else we'll have to pack it up on Sunday ;)

Shook a lot of hands and caught up people I normally only see at NTRPG and the con doesn't officially kick off until tomorrow.

Expect lots of photos. Of course, many are on +Zach Glazar 's phone. Need to make that gnome work ;)

I'll try and follow up after dinner. If not, Day 1 of Gary Con is tomorrow. Woot!

We're Number 1 - Hottest Small Press (43rd Hottest Overall ;) - Pocket Creatures Volume 1

I woke up to a wonderful surprise. Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is currently (920 AM, March 21st, 2017) the Hottest Small Press seller over at RPGNow. (Number 43 overall)

Thank you all for your support. If something like this doesn't ignite creative fires, nothing will ;)

I head out to Gary Con early this afternoon, so posting will be sparse.

Thanks again. I'm all googlie inside ;P

We're Number 4! (Hottest Small Press)

As of 3/20/17, at approximately 1015 PM Eastern Time, Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is sitting at #4 for Hottest Small Press. While I know that position is fleeting, I just want to thanks everyone for their support.

Expect Pocket Creatures Volume 2 in a week - I'll push it live at RPGNow when I return from Gary Con.

The content for Volume 3 is mostly ready, but it will be the first one laid out with InDesign, so give me a few weeks to get a hang of that.

Remember, Pocket Creatures is laid out so that you can print it in booklet form if you would like - 4 pages, 1 sheet. Or if you have something like the Swords & Wizardry Legion folder (check out the Swords & Wizardry Legion Facebook Community) a single sheet per monster starts a nice Creature Collectanea :)

Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is Live on RPGNow - PWYW So Grab a Copy

Yep, Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is LIVE! Seems the process itself confused me and I missed a step in the submitting process, so it looked submitted but it wasn't. I'll know for next time. Which may be soon, as Volume 2 is ready to go ;)

Its PWYW, so really, there is no reason not to grab a copy.

Its for Swords & Wizardry Light but compatible with all the OSR systems.

A WTF!?! Kickstarter - Dungeons and dragons: the whispering ring

There is SO much wrong with the Dungeons and dragons: the whispering ring Kickstsarter (and yes, that is the exact title of it.) Let's see, where shall we start?

1 - Maybe the damn title itself? You can't call it Dungeons & Dragons (or Dungeons and dragons - its the same shit)

2 - Look at the pic above. Look at the spine of the book. Yep. Can't miss it, can you?

3 - Anyone want to take a stab at editing the pic below?

I count at least 11 edits needed. I may have missed one and I'm not counting awkward grammar.

4 - Kickstarter charges between 8% and 10% in fees. Something doesn't add up:

5 - Read what I highlighted below:

I thought the problems with universities and unprepared students were unique to the US. The person that is running this Kickstarter is graduating university in the UK and this is how they present their best, most professional side while begging for money using another company's property.

Hasbro shouldn't even bother with the takedown, as this won't even fund.

I needed this right before Gary Con ;)

edit - in the time it took me to type this post, they edited the title and the main graphic - doesn't change the piss poor editing...

Gary Con Prep Complete - Should Have 5 Alpha (pre-edit) Copies of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light to Give Out

Phew!

50 copies each of Pocket Creatures Volumes 1 & 2 printed and ready to go.

10 copies of the pre-edit Alpha of the Swords & Wizardry Continual Light rules. Five of those copies are spoken for by Frog God Games and associates, so five copies to give out (and maybe one more on Sunday if I give up my play copy) Again, this is the pre-edit version. There are typos fixed, editing changes and some rules changes in the final version (plus a page of optional rules) That being said, if you want a peek of what is coming up for SWL, track me down at Gary Con and you can page through SWCL (as well as get your Swords & Wizardry Legion pack)

Gary Con Prep - Pocket Creatures Volumes 1 & 2 Are Printing - Swords & Wizardry Light

It doesn't look like I'll have a final beta of the Swords & Wizardry Continual Light rules ready for Gary Con. I MAY bring a handful of pre-edit copies. These are like Alphas. If I do bring, they will be to show and use during pick up games.

I WILL, however, be bringing printed copies of Pocket Creatures Volumes 1 & 2. Probably 50 copies of each.

You'll need to look for +Michael Badolato or myself, as they will be included in the first Swords & Wizardry Legion packs we will be handing out.

What is Swords & Wizardry Legion, you might ask?

Here's a pic of some of the goodies being given out at Gary Con:

There's a whole lot of gaming going on there :)

How do you find out more about The Swords & Wizardry Legion?

Check out the S&W Legion Facebook page.

And Just Like that, I Went with InDesign...

Part of me wanted to strike my own path into the wild world of layout, but in the end you can't beat having friends that can hold your hand, and that's what I have opted for InDesign. Got my cloud account. Its for realz, yo! ;)

Seriously, LucidPress isn't a bad option, and if I was without those willing to teach InDesign, I probably would have stuck with it. That being said...

I know some truly talented layout persons, highly skilled and willing to help me when I ask - and probably even when I'm too stubborn to ask.

Torchlight, either as a zine or a magazine, needs the best support it can get and this is certainly the best route to take for it to succeed.

Upon returning from Gary Con I will be immersing myself in InDesign and InDesign video tutorials, so expect a few more PWYW releases hitting RPGNow in the next month or two as I put my new skills into play. Wait, the first one still hasn't been approved after 72 hours. Hopefully it gets approved before I leave for Gary Con ;)

Current plan is a 16 page Issue Zero of Torchlight to be released as a preview for what we have planned. That will be PDF only and PWYW. Pricing and format(s) for the full Torchlight is being discussed by the Triumvirate.

Kickstarter - Clash of Steel: A Tactical Card Game of Medieval Duels

Before I even talk about the Kickstarter itself, lets look at the graphic above. Nice art, states the buy in, players, game time and of course the name of the game. If you want your project to be effectively shared in social media, the above is a perfect example of what to do. Well done.

Now, on the the Clash of Steel Kickstarter.

12 buck buy in and 15 minute gameplay? I'm nearly sold on it already.

As for gameplay?

Gameplay focuses on managing your limited stamina, predicting your opponent's actions, and whittling their defenses down until you can land a final, crushing blow. 

The game takes about five minutes to learn and 10-15 minutes to play. There are no random elements -- the only unknown is which cards your opponent's playing and how much they're willing to spend to gain the upper hand.

At its heart, Clash of Steel's gameplay is a series of tactical decisions. Do you want to hurt your opponent, stop them from hurting you, or edge for an advantage? 

You won't be drawing random cards from a constructed deck; there aren't any lucky streaks; it's just several careful decisions, round after round, until one duelist is mangled to the point of defeat. 

Every round works the same way, making the game quick to learn and easy to play, but allowing for enormous tactical variety. 

One round you might fight aggressively, selecting cards to inflict maximum damage. But in the next round, you might take your time, reposition to a range more suited to your weapon, or try to mitigate your foe's advantage.

That was easy. I'm in :)

Torchlight - Mock Cover and Further Thoughts

Art by Patrick E. Pullen

So, I decided to mock up a cover for Torchlight. I think it looks damn inspiring myself. As for the featured articles listed, they probably will be regular features by James and I.

Now, the color adds punch, even to what is otherwise B&W art. Needless to say, I like the idea of color and B&W mixed.

I am floored by the interest we have for submissions. I wish I could name drop - heh. We'll definitely have some guidelines ready by the first week of April, if not sooner. Bear with us. Gary Con is next week.

We are also discussing format. 16 to 20 page zine or 32 to 40 page or so magazine. Going the magazine root would mean POD and probably full size pages as opposed to booklet. It also gives the opportunity to use color not just for the PDF but print copies also inside and out.

So much to discuss at Gary Con...

In the end, the community will have a direct voice, because magazine size will need more content than a zine and that content will need to be borne in large part by the community. In the meantime, I'll be working on some more "Pocket" releases to get my layout chops in order ;)

Bundle of Holding - Space:1889

I first came across Space:1889 when it was released by GDW. I liked the setting and the concept, didn't like the rules system so much, so it sat on a shelf (and now sits in a closet)

A few years ago Space:1889 was relaunched using the Umbiquity system, which is something I can mostly wrap my head around ;)

Now it's on Bundle of Holding. $6.95 for the basic buy in. A hair under $19 for the whole deal.

I may just have to buy this...

Torchlight Zine for Swords & Wizardry Light - Submissions

Art by Patrick E. Pullen

I've had a number of inquiries as to submissions for the upcoming Torchlight Zine. While we won't be posting submission guidelines until after Gary Con, I figured I'd address some of the basics.

Torchlight is a zine to support Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light. By extension, that means it is compatible with the various flavors of Swords & Wizardry - White Box, Core and Complete. That being said, articles should be submitted with SWL in mind or system neutral.

We are NOT looking for conversions of standard OGL content to SWL. We ARE looking for new content - new spells, magic items, creatures and the like. Short (2 to 4 pages digest sized) adventures are also needed. Remember, SW Continual Light only goes to seventh level, so keep that in mind.

Compensation. We would like to compensate you. No details yet. First issue will be PWYW and probably written in house for the most part.

Frequency of issues. We were thinking quarterly, but if there is enough material submitted, we may go bi-monthly.

Size. 16 to 24 pages, at least initially.

Art. We have a sizable library of stock art but we will always consider paying for unique art from artists in the OSR.

Alright, that's enough for now. If you have further questions, post them here or email us at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing.

As We Await Approval from RPGNow, Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is being Released for Free in The Tavern's Facebook Community

I don't know how much longer it is going to take to get approval at RPGNow for Pocket Creatures Volume 1. Until its approved, it won't show up for sale. With the weekend knocking on our door quickly followed by Gary Con I'd like to get this in the hands of gamers sooner than later.

So, I'm releasing it to The Tavern's Facebook Group in a few minutes.

On RPGNow it is going to be PWYW, so it isn't going to be a money maker, but if you like it you can always re-download it later at RPGNow. Heck, you could even throw in a few coppers too ;)

Pocket Creatures Volume 2 is laid out and ready to be submitted.

I'm not sure we'll have a print ready copy of the Swords & Wizardry Continual Light rules in time for Gary Con. If that's the case I'll bring a few dozen print copies of the two Pocket Creatures Volumes to hand out.

Kickstarter - Satanic Panic - Buy it - for the Children

What's the pitch for Satanic Panic?

Satanic Panic is a tabletop roleplaying game set in the fictional 1970’s and 1980’s where players take on the role of secret government agents tasked with combating the evils of tabletop. The players work as a team with the common purpose to contain, control, and eliminate the threats to our world. They must do all this while keeping the truth from the public, lest a panic ensue.

Interesting pitch Not sure if it makes a great RPG, sounds more like an awesome novel, but its not my KS.

I say the above in part because the "core mechanic" doesn't excite me:

Still, interesting game concept and setting that has nearly double its $10k goal with 2 weeks left to fund.

As a side note, your KS video is NOT a graphic that is made to be used on blogs or in social media (I had to take a timed screenshot) If you want social media to spread the word on your project, make it easy for them to do so. Okay, rant off.

Am I going to back this? Too early to say. retirement does mean I have to pay attention to where my monies are spent and this is a game I would certainly read but its doubtful I'd ever play.

Pocket Creatures Volume 2 is Almost Ready for Prime Time - More Swords & Wizardry Light Monster Madness

Yep, I'm on a "layout roll" ;)

Seriously, as I await RPGNow to clear Pocket Creatures Volume 1 for the market (at PWYW) Volume 2 is nearly ready to be submitted. The material in Volumes 1 and 2 were already posted at The Tavern over the past few years but have been heavily edited and rewritten for use with Swords & Wizardry Light (although they fit perfectly well with other Swords & Wizardry flavors as well as most other OSR rulesets)

If all goes well, Volume 2 should be ready some time this evening and it will roll out to Patreon backers of $1.50 a month or higher. If you are a Paypal backer, you may need to remind me or simply wait for it to go up at PWYW, probably this weekend.

Neither volume is going to be watermarked and both print out nicely in booklet form form on a single sheet.

New creatures will be a feature of the Torchlight Zine, but I enjoy creating monsters and such for my games, so expect more releases in the Pocket Creature line going forward (but at a reduced productivity rate ;)

Art for the above was by +Jim Magnusson

Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is Laid Out and Done for Swords & Wizardry Light

I started thinking "layout" earlier today as it comes to the Torchlight Zine, so what better way to get myself in the right mindset than to start laying out the Pocket Creature collection.

It will be three creatures per release, priced PWYW at RPGNow (waiting for my first product to be approved) and mailed to my Patreon backers via email (check your notifications - went out about a half hour ago)

No longer sure we will have a print ready copy of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light ready for Gary Con, but if not we'll have a few 4 page volumes of Pocket Creatures. BTW, the PDF is not watermarked at is perfect for printing at home.

I'll post the link when its up at RPGNow :)

Looking for Advice on Adobe Indesign Alternatives...

+Zach Glazar laid out Swords & Wizardry Light.

+James Spahn laid out Swords & Wizardry Continual Light.

I'm looking to take over layout duties with the Torchlight Zine.

I've heard nothing but good about Indesign - except for its pricing. I think I'd be paying for more horsepower than I need and certainly for more than I'll make my money back on. While you don't publish RPG material to become rich, you don't want to become poor ;)

Scribus gets some good talk and it is Mac friendly although I tend to find open source software to lack a certain depth of documentation. The price is certainly right.

LucidPress looks very interesting. Online app accessible from all devices, you OS is irrelevant. Starts at $5.95 a month with a yearly sub.

I'm sure there are many others.

I'm looking for inexpensive publishing software with a small learning curve, preferably for OSX (although I can boot into Windows, I'd rather not). It will mostly be used for laying out zines of about 16 or so digest sized pages and occasional adventures about the same size.

If you have advice, I am all ears. I'm also all noob ;)

White Star and the White Star Companion go Pay What You Want - PDF & Print!

The gaming community just funded +James Spahn 's trip to NTRPG Con this June thanks to a GoFundMe set up by +James Shields . As a thank you to the community that has gifted James with the opportunity to be present when the Three Castles Award is announced (James was nominated this year) James is pricing White Star and the White Star Companion at PWYW pricing. There is no minimum price for the PDF but there is an "at cost" price for the print versions.

Here's what James posted in the NTRPG Con Facebook Community:

Je Shields was kind enough to start a GoFundMe in an effort to get me out to North Texas RPG Con this year. That in and of itself is an act of amazing generosity. What has been even more generous has been the fact that a plethora of folks from the OSR community chipped in and made it happen - and in less than four days! 

I kept silent during the funding, but wanted to now say "Thank You,." This whole experience has been quite humbling and has left me in shock at the kindness shown by everyone. 

So, I'd like to show some kindness in return. From this point forward both *_White Star*_ and the _*White Star Companion*_ will be set at a Pay-What-You-Want price. This includes PDF, Softcover, and Hardcover. For hardcover and softcover, you will still need to meet the cost to cover production - but that's it. I wanted to do this as a way to show a small measure of appreciation for all your kindness. 

So, I guess the only thing left to say is: I'll see you at North Texas RPG Con!

Thanks to +James Shields , +Pete Spahn , +Jacob Ross and everyone else that made this possible for James.

Because of the generosity of this community James is a winner no matter what.

Oh, and BTW. Because of you all, the first issue of the Torchlight Zine will be PWYW too. Well, PDF only. Print will be hand assembled and PWYW isn't feasible ;)

TSR Tuesday - New Print on Demand Title - Villains' Lorebook (2e)

I'll be honest. I don't recall the Villains' Lorebook from my earlier days of gaming. There were so many Forgotten Realms releases covering just about everything you could imagine, this one escaped me back in the day.

I thought I read a lot of Forgotten Realms fiction back in the day, but the the list that Appelcline gives includes a bunch of characters I simply do not recall:

The Moonshae Trilogy. Cyndre, Hobarth
The Druidhome Trilogy. Deirdre Kendrick
The Icewind Dale Trilogy. Artemis Entreri, Dendybar the Mottled
The Legacy of Drizzt. Jarlaxle
The Finder's Stone Trilogy. Cassana, Flattery Wyvernspur, The Mouth of Moander, Zrie Prakis
Masquerades. Victor Dhostar
Prince of Lies. Fzoul Chembryl
The Cleric Quintet. Aballister Bonaduce, Ghost, Kierkan Rufo
The Harpers Novels.
Red Magic (#3). Maligor the Zulkir of Alteration, Szass Tam the Zulkir of Necromancy
The Ring of Winter (#5). Kaverin Ebonhand
The Shadowking Novels (#6, #11). Lord Cutter of Iriaebor
Song & Swords. Elaith "The Serpent" Craulnober, Kymil Nimesin
King Pinch (#1). King Manferic III
War in Tethyr (#2). Baron Faneuil Hardisty
Escape from Undermountain (#3). Halaster Blackcloak

Ah well. I guess I don't know the Forgotten Realms as well as I thought I did.

$18.99 for the POD