Saturday, February 11, 2017
Kickstarter - Dice Base: Master - Magnetic Game Screen - RPG and Tabletop
I find the Dice Base: Master - Magnetic Game Screen intriguing. I like the look of the wood. The idea of using magnetic ball bearings to connect the pieces at will is intriguing The flexible uses are awesome.
Then I see the pricing and I return to reality. Realizing the actual size and weight of this literally sinks in, and all my excitement is gone. Watching the mini dice trays shift away from the dice tower with every roll makes me wonder why they are even included as an option.
I really don't need more clutter on my gaming shelf.
Interesting idea an I'm sure very useful for some, but not very portable or practical.
Sale - Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons - $1.99 in Kindle Format on Amazon
Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons by Michael Witwer is currently on sale for $1.99 in Kindle format over on Amazon.
I own the hardcover and read just over the first half of the book. While at times I found it to be slow to progress, as a historical look back on the creation of Dungeons & Dragons (and what led to Gary being the man that he was) its pretty good.
Heck, I should pick up the Kindle version and finish reading this from bed at night...
If you make a purchase from the link, I make like 4%. So yeah, 8 cents or so per Kindle version ;)
Friday, February 10, 2017
Kickstarter - Treasure Decks for 5th Edition (Nord Games)
Yes, its for 5e. I know. A game I'm more than willing to be a player in but have no desire to run.
But...
Looking at the sample cards for levels 1 to 4 (above) and 5 to 8 (below) I think this could work fairly well in the OSR game of your choice with a little handwaving.
Nord Games does good work, regardless of edition. Simply put, the Treasure Decks Kickstarter looks good. I'm in for the first two decks.
Did I mention it nearly tripled its funding goal in the first 24 hours?
And thus begins work on The Hidden Sanctum of the Blood Cult
![]() |
Map by +Dyson Logos Pateron Supported |
I've been under the weather all week, literally since I woke up Monday morning. I am the definition of the tag line for Nyquil (Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aches & Fever) Which means many things, not the least of which is the cancelation of tonight's game with the B-Team, probably the cancellation of tomorrow night's game and generally feeling miserable.
What is a man to do?
Why, create a Swords & Wizardry Light adventure to follow up on Beneath the Drunken Dwarf Tavern, that's what. Actually, I was doing that anyway, but it needs a name, themes and more, and what the heck, I always enjoy using +Matt Finch 's excellent Tome of Adventure Design.
So, lets name it. I already know we are dealing with a demon cult, so it will be some rolling as well as some picking from Locations - Approach #1
The Hidden Sanctum of the Blood Cult. Yep, that works. That passageway south from the last room the party found? It will lead right to it. Yep, I've already chosen a +Dyson Logos map for the occasion.
Villain's Master Plan? Rolled a 26, as this can be totally left for chance. "Destroy Community". Holy crap, talk about fitting the concept. Of course, I guess I need to figure out the community that the Battered Dwarf Tavern is in. I'll work on that later.
"Destroy Community" has its own subtables. Method of Destruction? 37 - Plague. Ouch! Reason? 84 - Wants the bodies of the dead. Oh boy. This may turn from a singe adventure into multiple parts.
So, how does the demon Krimple fall into this scheme? Where is the cult from? How long have they been preparing? Do they need the dead to make undead, or something worse?
Time to revise a bit of what I have, because this is much certainly a better direction :)
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Free RPG - Mazes & Minotaurs 2017 Anniversary Edition - Now on RPGNow
You know about Mazes & Minotaurs, right? The game that never was, but in an alternate reality was D&D before D&D?
Yep - that's the game.
Well, its available at RPGNow for the price of FREE.
Even if you would never run the rules as is, the monster book alone is worth the download to add options to the OSR system of your choice
Mazes & Minotaurs is what the first fantasy roleplaying game could have been if its authors had taken their inspiration from Jason & the Argonauts (yes, the 1963 movie with all the cool Ray Harryhausen monsters) and Homer’s Odyssey rather than from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or Poul Anderson’s Three Hearts & Three Lions.
In other words, Mazes & Minotaurs is:
- a nostalgic pastiche of early fantasy roleplaying games
- a tongue-in-cheek tribute to old-school gaming
- a complete and fully playable roleplaying game !
And EVERYTHING IS FREE! That’s right: every rulebook, every supplement, every Mazes & Minotaurs product is 100% FREE.
In its own alternate continuum, MAZES & MINOTAURS was the first RPG ever designed and came out in 1972 * to be followed, 15 years later, by its glorious Revised rules (presented, of course, in three corebooks) – which are now available in a special, 30th Anniversary edition, from DrivethruRPG!
Bearmageddon - From Axe Cop Co-Creator Ethan Nicolle and an assist by Sanctum Media (DCC RPG Podcast)
What do you get when you cross Axe Cop and a DCC RPG podcast?
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sanctum Media is pleased to announce that we are working in
partnership with Axe Cop co-creator Ethan
Nicolle in an effort to bring his latest project to life. Bearmaggedon tells the story of a group of slackers and a mountain man caught up
in an ursine war on humans. Bearmageddon
News Network covers the world’s news of this war, including
bear attack tips.
Through their partnership with Ethan Nicolle,
Sanctum Media will be bringing a number of the nightmarish creations of the
Bearmageddon to life and materials found in Dickinson Killdeer’s Guide to Bears of the Apocolypse: Ursine Abominations
of the End Times and How to Deafeat Them will also be
featured. Sanctum Media, and the Keepers of Mysteries, are proud to be bringing
the denizens of this unique setting to life in a fashion that can be used by
DCC Judges who are looking for something wholly outside of the mainstream.
Ethan
Nicolle (http://www.ethannicolle.com) is an Eisner Award nominated comic book creator, writer, and artist.
He has also worked with his younger brother, Malachai, to create Axe Cop
– a web comic turned comic, turned
animated series.
Sanctum Media (http://sanctum.media) produces the monthly Sanctum Secorum
podcast (featuring Jen Brinkman, Marc Bruner, and Bob Brinkman), devoted to
Appendix N literature and its inspiration and use in within the Dungeon Crawl
Classics Role Playing Game. Sanctum Media also publishes the Sanctum Secorum Companion, a free e-zine filled with playable
content for DCC RPG.
What is Swords & Wizardry Continual Light? Oh, and other SWL updates
Some of you may remember my discussion of a project called Swords & Wizardry Extra Light, where we ( +James Spahn , +Zach Glazar and myself) were going to take Swords & Wizardry Light to Seventh Level in about 16 digest sized pages plus a dozen or so pages for adventures. Well, "Extra" Light got folks thinking it was lighter and even smaller, not literally extra to it. Trust me, we couldn't go any lighter and be true to Swords & Wizardry.
Instead, we are naming the project Swords & Wizardry Continual Light. Because that is, quite simply, what it is. A continuation of Swords & Wizardry Light to Seventh level. That is the cap, BTW. No level Eight. No Fifth level spells (though what you find on a scroll could be beyond what can be in your spell book)
+Michael Badolato continues work on the SWL Monster book (yeah, he could probably use a better title than such - SWL Mini Monstrous Manual perhaps?
The SWL starter / tutorial adventure titled Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern is pretty much posted in full here at The Tavern. I need to put a quick and dirty PDF together, as I've had a request for such to be used at a convention. I'll kick off work on the follow up adventure tonight.
Off the Beaten Path - Forest Excursions. Four stretch goals hit. Two adventures added (putting it at 22). Ten days left to fund. For Swords & Wizardry Light. Seriously, check it out. Thom Wilson does good work.
Did I mention we surpassed 3,000 DLs of the SWL rules? Yep, earlier today. They are also available now at the Frog God Games webstore.
Instead, we are naming the project Swords & Wizardry Continual Light. Because that is, quite simply, what it is. A continuation of Swords & Wizardry Light to Seventh level. That is the cap, BTW. No level Eight. No Fifth level spells (though what you find on a scroll could be beyond what can be in your spell book)
+Michael Badolato continues work on the SWL Monster book (yeah, he could probably use a better title than such - SWL Mini Monstrous Manual perhaps?
The SWL starter / tutorial adventure titled Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern is pretty much posted in full here at The Tavern. I need to put a quick and dirty PDF together, as I've had a request for such to be used at a convention. I'll kick off work on the follow up adventure tonight.
Off the Beaten Path - Forest Excursions. Four stretch goals hit. Two adventures added (putting it at 22). Ten days left to fund. For Swords & Wizardry Light. Seriously, check it out. Thom Wilson does good work.
Did I mention we surpassed 3,000 DLs of the SWL rules? Yep, earlier today. They are also available now at the Frog God Games webstore.
Bundle of Holding - Advanced Adventures (Expeditious Retreat Press)
Let me start this by saying I believe I have all of these releases in print (hardcover compilations) and just bought them in PDF for the sheer convenience of reading in bed (and maps for VTT gaming) There price just can't be beat.
The basic buy in is $5.95, and for that you get:
AA28 Redtooth Ridge (levels 1-3, 13 pages, retail $6)
AA30 To End the Rising (levels 1-3, 13 pages, retail $6)
AA13 White Dragon Run (levels 2-4, 17 pages, retail $6)
AA01 The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom (levels 2-4, 17 pages, retail $6)
AA23 Down the Shadowvein (levels 3-5, 25 pages, retail $7)
AA24 The Mouth of the Shadowvein (levels 3-5, 25 pages, retail $6)
For the Bonus Collection (approximately $15.50) you add in the following:
AA17 The Frozen Wave Satsuma, AA06 Chasm of the Damned, and AA26 The Witch Mounds (retail $6 apiece)
Tournament module AA21 The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates (levels 4-7, retail $7)
Two Straight-Up Dungeon Crawls for levels 5-10: AA12 The Barrow Mound of Gravemoor and AA03 The Curse of the Witch Head (retail $6 apiece)
And two Serious Challenges for levels 6-10: AA10 The Lost Keys of Solitude and AA20 The Riddle of Anadi (retail $6 apiece)
Kickstarter - Kev Adams / Tim Prow Oldhammer Goblin Miniatures
My love for miniatures knows no bounds. Sadly, my skill at painting such is greatly limited. Still, lack of skill does not preclude me from enjoying said miniatures in their native state.
Which brings me to the latest Kickstarter from Impact Miniatures - Kev Adams & Tim Prow Fantasy Goblin & Artillery Teams.
Actually, the above screenshot doesn't do the detailing justice.
I love the expressions on their face. THAT is detail.
So, what's the background to all of this?
THE STORY
Kev Adams, Tim Prow, Chaz Elliot and Phil Lewis are names that immediately invoke images of the old school style fantasy miniatures commonly referred to as Oldhammer. Heartbreaker produced many classic fantasy miniatures sculpted by these legends during the 1990s before going out of business. When Heartbreaker closed, Chris Bledsoe was given the masters for the miniatures line so that he could start his own company ZN Games in 2001. Unfortunately Chris passed away from cancer in 2002 and his goal of re-releasing the Heartbreaker line of fantasy was never achieved.
Impact! Miniatures has been working with the estate of Chris Bledsoe to complete his goal of returning these classic Oldhammer style sculpts to the marketplace. We could not think of a better place to start than with hordes of Goblins.
WHAT ARE YOU FUNDING
The project goal when reached will fund all the costs needed to mold the old masters and bring the first 3 Heartbreaker product lines selected (Kev Adams Goblins, Tim Prow Goblins and Fantasy Artillery Team) back to market.
THE MINIATURES
All the miniatures available in this KickStarter will be cast in high quality spincast resin. All miniatures are supplied unpainted. All miniatures will come with a 25mm slotta black plastic base.The Kickstarter went live yesterday and has already more than doubled its modest funding goal. Stretch goals unlock further sets. Personally, I'd like to see Phil Lewis Knights & Wizards (22 miniatures) unlock, but I'm not trying to skew the voting or anything ;)
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Tavern Chat - Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Hopefully I'll be Awake and Join You...
Today is Wednesday, meaning tonight is a Tavern Chat Night.
Now, I've been fighting off a cold from hell since Monday morning and I have every intention of making tonight's chat, but there is the distinct possibility I won't be making it to the end. You've been warned ;)
What is Tavern Chat? A bunch of folks from the OSR Community hanging out via the chat box on the right side of this post, Wednesday nights from 9 PM to 11ish.
Troll Lord Sales - Bluffside in Print 10 Bucks - PDFs 50% Off or More at RPGNow
The Trolls have two sales going on...
Bluffside in Print is just 10 bucks from the Troll Lord Store (Normally $29.99) - Six copies left as I type this.
PDF copies of Troll Lord releases are discounted by 50% or more through Friday morning.
Look at the discount on A1 ;)
Bluffside in Print is just 10 bucks from the Troll Lord Store (Normally $29.99) - Six copies left as I type this.
PDF copies of Troll Lord releases are discounted by 50% or more through Friday morning.
Look at the discount on A1 ;)
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! ;)
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Stock Art - Publisher's Choice - Fantasy Collection - Over 450 Quality Public Domain Images
If you've been following The Tavern over the last week or so, you'll have noticed I've been using some public domain art as inspiration for new Swords & Wizardry creatures.
Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that Fat Goblin Games has put together a collection of over 450 public domain fantasy themed art pieces for less than 20 bucks.
Color me pleased ;)
There are 7 categories in 7 zip files. These are large zips. Don't say you weren't warned.
![]() |
Sample from the Fantasy Collection |
Fantasy Collection - Over 450 Quality Public Domain Images
This collection of Public Domain stock art has been hand-picked and presented in this massive download for you to use in your own products. Now, we didn't just grab some public domain art and toss it together, each image has been adjusted, modified, cleaned, and prepped for your use. You can expect the following;
Images are divided into 7 categories (color illustrations, creatures, environments, figures, graphics, illustrations, items)
All images are 300dpi tiffs
All images have been cleaned up, touched up, ready for use.
All images are presented at their max recommended usage size (many of which are 8x10)
All images have been hand-picked for their usability, uniqueness, and overall quality.
Publisher's Choice Stockart is provided to aid new publishing companies in creating high-quality publications by providing the design essentials to compete with larger competitors. In addition, the line is perfect for adding fresh new content to the seasoned publisher's art library and aiding in keeping design budgets manageable.
Artwork License: A PDF copy of our license is included, allowing our customers to alter or modify any illustration in this set, in addition to rules on crediting, etc.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! ;)
#ConManKen - THIS is How You Go About Filing Criminal Charges - Don't Make any Longterm Plans
Holy crap. When a ball starts rolling it really rolls.
Edit: Wow Kenny! Is this an attempt to pay off possible witnesses? Note, its a question. Besides, you don't have the cash. You'd need Marcus for that...
You can read the link to the Facebook Post here.
Now, #ConManKen - watch what you say. You DO KNOW the authorities are watching you and probably reading these posts.
Schadenfreude. Its worth the wait. Ken, why don't you contact the imaginary FBI and maybe they can get the real Gwinnett Country, Georgia Sgt and Detectives to back off.
Damn Ken! You could have made good money for the commissary if you had only completed your Pencil Dice projects ;)
Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern - A Swords & Wizardry Light Starter Adventure - Part 5 - Laughter in the Darkness
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 as well as the ideas behind it all.
Laughter in the darkness, just at the edge of your hearing. Was it real or just your imagination?
Room 7 is the location of a Krimple. You'll need to read up on this new monster, but here is the part you really need to wrap your head around:
The Krinkle will follow the party invisibly when he can. Remember, room #3 has bags of flour. An enterprising party will use it to their advantage once they realize they are being followed.
The door to room 7 is a secret door. If the party suspects something or someone is behind the wall, they can look for the mechanism. Should they prod the floor or wall with a wooden poll adjacent to the door to room 7, the pole will rot and break and giggling will be heard.
The Krinkle is not a fighter and would rather make deals than engage in combat and risk being exiled to his usual plane for 30 days or a year. He will offer to lead the party to treasure, and he will, but will make light of any potential damage should they inquire.
Room 8 - The Tomb and Treasures Await - The door to this room is also secret but the outline is faintly visible to any that take the time to look at the wall. Otherwise, the Krinkle (if alive) will lead the party here with promises of treasure.
If the undead are successfully turned they will flee to the partially collapsed stairs leading up and cower.
There IS treasure within. A quick search will reveal 200 SP, 15 GP and a slivered dagger. A longer search (10 minutes or more) will find a gold brooch, valued at 175 GP.
The stairs can not be climbed.
Room 9 - Demon Cult Temple - The door to this room is covered with old and flaking paint. Little can be made out aside from a generous amount of red paint.
Upon opening the door and entering the room, it will be obvious that this was once a place of worship. Much of the paint has flaked here too, but the images that remain might be enough for a cleric to glean an idea of its history (I had the cleric roll his Wisdom or less on a d20 to see if he recognized anything during the playtest).
This was once the place of worship for a long forgotten cult that worshipped demons as gods.
If the Krimple is with the party and had previously suffered any wounds, he will start healing before the party's eyes.
And that's it. Well, not really, but that's where my party is and I don't want to spoil any surprises. I do know where this goes next...
Laughter in the darkness, just at the edge of your hearing. Was it real or just your imagination?
Room 7 is the location of a Krimple. You'll need to read up on this new monster, but here is the part you really need to wrap your head around:
Krimples can open and close locks, set traps, raise undead, sour milk, spoil wine, beer and the like, make food rot and other assorted nuisances at will. As a GM, be creative. They can also turn Invisible once per day, as per the spell. Duration is 1 Hr.Use this to your advantage in keeping the party on the edge. If they attack the giant rats in room 5 and are having little difficulty, they'll hear the loud click of a lock and the creak of a gate from the south as the Cave Badger charges in. Same will happen if they bypass room 6 to explore the hallway to the east (it should occur right as they are standing before room 7) . Should a party member fall, they will hear laughing.
The Krinkle will follow the party invisibly when he can. Remember, room #3 has bags of flour. An enterprising party will use it to their advantage once they realize they are being followed.
The door to room 7 is a secret door. If the party suspects something or someone is behind the wall, they can look for the mechanism. Should they prod the floor or wall with a wooden poll adjacent to the door to room 7, the pole will rot and break and giggling will be heard.
The Krinkle is not a fighter and would rather make deals than engage in combat and risk being exiled to his usual plane for 30 days or a year. He will offer to lead the party to treasure, and he will, but will make light of any potential damage should they inquire.
Room 8 - The Tomb and Treasures Await - The door to this room is also secret but the outline is faintly visible to any that take the time to look at the wall. Otherwise, the Krinkle (if alive) will lead the party here with promises of treasure.
"Treasure awaits, yes it does! Danger? What value is treasure without danger, and what value is danger without treasure?"The room is full of stone and wooden coffins. There are 3 skeletons, 2 zombies and a ghoul in the room. There are 7 open coffins and 3 closed coffins.
If the undead are successfully turned they will flee to the partially collapsed stairs leading up and cower.
There IS treasure within. A quick search will reveal 200 SP, 15 GP and a slivered dagger. A longer search (10 minutes or more) will find a gold brooch, valued at 175 GP.
The stairs can not be climbed.
Room 9 - Demon Cult Temple - The door to this room is covered with old and flaking paint. Little can be made out aside from a generous amount of red paint.
Upon opening the door and entering the room, it will be obvious that this was once a place of worship. Much of the paint has flaked here too, but the images that remain might be enough for a cleric to glean an idea of its history (I had the cleric roll his Wisdom or less on a d20 to see if he recognized anything during the playtest).
This was once the place of worship for a long forgotten cult that worshipped demons as gods.
If the Krimple is with the party and had previously suffered any wounds, he will start healing before the party's eyes.
And that's it. Well, not really, but that's where my party is and I don't want to spoil any surprises. I do know where this goes next...
State of the Tavern Keeper - Its Snot Right!
I am quite literally under the weather today, as it is raining here in NYC. Yesterday I awoke with congestion and before dinner, it was a fill blown cold.
I was miserable last night and feel pretty much the same at the moment. Ah well.
I'll try and get the next post up the Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern SWL Introductory Adventure. It should take another post or two to wrap it up and then I'll convert it to a quick and dirty PDF for my backers.
Alright, I think I'm going to try and sleep this cold away...
Monday, February 6, 2017
Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern - Playtest Recap - Are You Laughing at Me?!? (Part 2)
So, Saturday night we got the old group back together, more or less, and kicked off the new Swords & Wizardry Light campaign with a playtest of Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern, a SWL Introductory Adventure. I also allowed the use of any of the classes currently written for the SWL expansion, but everyone initially stuck to the four core races.
This is part Two of the playtest recap. Part One is here.
Where were we? Oh yes, we were here:
The sound of a creaking gate from behind them alerted them to the charge of a Cave Otter as the party's thief swore he heard laughing coming from nearby...
The party was just north of the secret door at Room 7. The Cave Otter was charging from Room 6. The party's cleric still had the key to the gate in his pocket. Someone, somewhere was laughing.
Blows were exchanged and finally the party fought off the Cave Otter and it retreated downstream of room 6. Deciding to grab the ale while they were where the ale was, the party again locked the gate upon leaving.
Returning to Room 3, they decide to confront whatever is left of the Giant Rats in Room 3. Five emaciated Giant Rats swarm the party. A good fight is fought but the magic-user falls under the onslaught. He doesn't have much worth looting, but the party does fine a silver chain in the rats nest.
They hear distant laughing.
The party thief decides to open a sack of flower and spread its contents along the souther end of Room number 3. If there is something watching them, perhaps invisibly, he wants proof. He also fills a small sack with flour to take with him.
The ale is brought up, along with the nibbled on body of their deceased brethren. They tell the barkeep that there is some kind of poltergeist in his basement. He demands they put an end to it. They demand a part ownership of the tavern. They haggle a bit, a deal is struck and the young dwarf receives the angry ire of his uncle.
A bard joins the party (maybe 5 minutes to create the character) and they rest overnight.
Returning to the basement the party finds tracks in the flour laid out on the floor. Vaguely humanoid tracks. They follow the tracks south of Room # 3, turn east, past Room # 6 before the tracks literally stop in the corridor - well, in the south wall - just north of Room # 7. Suspecting they have found a secret door, they search for the mechanism - they find it and open the door.
There is a small room, unoccupied, which can't be right. The thief throws in the flour, and sure enough, there is a short, humanoid creature hiding in the corner, After a short fight, it surrenders.
"I just having fun! No, your friend dying was not fun, but watching the fight was! Watching you scare of that creature was great fun! It was great fun watching your dinner the other night!"
Not sure what they have (and with the party's fighter eager to kill it) they tie it up tightly and try to elicit more information from it.
"Treasure I know! Yes, treasure. Take you I can, great fun!"
He leads the party to Room # 8. He reveals the secret door and tells them that great treasures await behind the door. When asked about any danger, the response is "What is treasure without danger? One brings value to the other. Great fun!"
Opening the door reveals a room full of wooden and stone coffins as well as a half dozen undead. The cleric turns them successfully, and they try to flee up the stairs, but that entrance had collapsed year ago. They do a quick search, find some valuables and close the door behind them.
"See! Treasure as I said!" the creature tells the party proudly. "Not great fun, but treasure, yes? I bring you more treasure?"
The passageway turned mostly south and the party follows it until they encounter a door on the west wall. The door had been painted at some time in the past, but now most of the paint had flaked off.
The party opens the door and enters Room # 9. It has many doors and appears to have been a place of worship in years in the past. The cleric racks his brain, trying to determine if he knows anything about this religion (I ask him to roll under or equal to his Wisdom - he does) He's not sure the name of the cult, but they worshipped demons as if they were gods. Its at this point that the party notices that their captive's wounds are healing before their eyes. The decide to quickly back out of the room and discuss their options.
Thus ended the playtest of Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern.
ConManKen - Felony Theft by Deception? Say it Isn't So!
#ConManKen
So, I woke to an email pointing me to this Facebook page. It appears Kenny has a hard drive problem. This is the very same problem Kenny had with the KotDT: LAS.
Don't worry too much Kenny. I doubt Georgia would go through the effort to extradite you for this obvious misunderstanding. That's all it is, right? A simple misunderstanding.
This isn't imaginary though.
I just called my imaginary contact at the imaginary FBI and they told me you never filed imaginary charges with them for non existent offenses.
Ah well. If you do get served with charges at least you'll know what non-imaginary charges and a real criminal offense looks like.
So, I woke to an email pointing me to this Facebook page. It appears Kenny has a hard drive problem. This is the very same problem Kenny had with the KotDT: LAS.
Don't worry too much Kenny. I doubt Georgia would go through the effort to extradite you for this obvious misunderstanding. That's all it is, right? A simple misunderstanding.
This isn't imaginary though.
I just called my imaginary contact at the imaginary FBI and they told me you never filed imaginary charges with them for non existent offenses.
Ah well. If you do get served with charges at least you'll know what non-imaginary charges and a real criminal offense looks like.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern - Playtest Recap - Stop Ghouling Around! (Part 1)
So, last night we got the old group back together, more or less, and kicked of the new Swords & Wizardry Light campaign with a playtest of Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern, a SWL Introductory Adventure. I also allowed the use of any of the classes currently written for the SWL expansion, but everyone initially stuck to the four core races.
Roll20 was our VTT of choice. Its a smooth as silk interface AS LONG AS YOU DON'T USE THE INTEGRATED VOICE AND VIDEO! Holy shit, what a fucking nightmare. Normally we would have used Google Hangouts and opened the Roll20 app from within, but no, Google had to fuck up a good thing and make that impossible to do these days with their new Hangout interface. After nearly half an hour of trying to get video and chat to sync for the five of use (best we got was 4 out of 5 working fine but there was ALWAYS someone who couldn't hear someone else) we threw in the towel and opened up Hangouts for voice and chat and Roll20 on its own. Not the perfect solution but it worked.
Character generation was a breeze. 3d6 arrange as you see fit. If you don't have at least one score at 15 or higher you could re-roll. Max HP at first level. Magic-user starts with 2 random spells. It went quickly. No shopping list, just choose your weapon combination and your starting gear pack. Not having to track XP was seen as a good thing.
We had a PC of each of the four core classes, including a halfling thief. A balanced party, go figure. Heh.
In the opening scene the ghoul burst forth from the storeroom during dinner and chaos ensues. The bartender gives his impassioned speech to save his ale - oh, and his wife's nephew. It was on and the players engaged their adversary. Magic Missile for 1 point of damage. Two Handed Sword for 7 points and the danger was dealt with, or at least the immediate danger.
The party investigated the ghoul's remains and noticed that the arm it had been chewing on was long dead, so it was not the dwarf lad's arm.
Encouraged to go below and save the boy - and retrieve the ale - the PCs entered the storeroom and lowered themselves via a series of metal rungs to the basement below. They immediately found and assumed possession of the Torch of Continual Light, which was wise.
The short corridor lest to a room with three doors - north, east and south. North door had recent claw marks, east door had a plank across it that read "Keep Out!" and the south door was ajar.
The party quickly decided the south door was the direction the ghoul had come from and quick spike the door shut. The clawed door to the north indicated there was possibly someone or something behind the door and was a likely place to find the young dwarf.
Sure enough, the door to the north wasn't locked, but did appear to have something blocking it from opening. Calling out, they asked if the dwarven lad was inside and lo and behold, he was. He moved the crates and barrels away from the door and asked the party to return him to The Tavern. The party asked him about the door to the east and he explained that a month ago, giant rats had found their way into the storeroom. Unable to safely engage the vermin, the bartender ordered the door remain closed and they would wait out the rats. Sooner or later, they would simply die of starvation.
The players retuned the young lad to his uncle, who promptly set him to work cleaning up the ghoulish remains in the tavern's dining section. The bartender then asked the PCs to retrieve his ale, because a tavern without ale is a tavern without customers.
Returning to the basement, the party headed through the south door. A corridor in front of them quickly turned east. Shortly after turning, there were a series of bars replacing the south wall for a 10' stretch along with an iron gate with a key sitting in its lock. Beyond, the party could see the barrels of ale sitting in the cold spring water. Not wanting to leave an unexplored corridor to their east, they locked the gate, took the key and investigated further east.
The sound of a creaking gate from behind them alerted them to the charge of a Cave Otter as the party's thief swore he heard laughing coming from nearby...
More to come
What Do You Give to Someone That "Allegedly Stole" Nearly $70k from Nearly 800 Backers for the Third Anniversary of "The Alleged Theft?"
#ConManKen
Three years as of February 5th. Yep, 2/5/14 is a day that will live in Kickstarter infamy. The day the Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series funded and #ConManKen started counting his gold. Fools and their money were already parted - now he just needed something to spend it on.
A cruise, perhaps? Maybe some film equipment that would allow him to get himself off, knowing that the money received would never go to finishing this project or any other project? Yep, other peoples money burns a hole in #ConManKen's pocket extremely fast.
But hey, it IS an anniversary after all. Third anniversary and all that. Lets see, what choices do we have?
Leather? Not going near that one again. Hmmm. Crystal or glass. Lets see what we can find that is appropriate on the interwebs.
Brisbane though. Not sure if the Aussies would even let #ConManKen in the country. He would have access to fresh marks though.
Three years as of February 5th. Yep, 2/5/14 is a day that will live in Kickstarter infamy. The day the Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series funded and #ConManKen started counting his gold. Fools and their money were already parted - now he just needed something to spend it on.
A cruise, perhaps? Maybe some film equipment that would allow him to get himself off, knowing that the money received would never go to finishing this project or any other project? Yep, other peoples money burns a hole in #ConManKen's pocket extremely fast.
But hey, it IS an anniversary after all. Third anniversary and all that. Lets see, what choices do we have?
Leather? Not going near that one again. Hmmm. Crystal or glass. Lets see what we can find that is appropriate on the interwebs.
Brisbane though. Not sure if the Aussies would even let #ConManKen in the country. He would have access to fresh marks though.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Tenkar's Tavern is supported by various affiliate programs, including Amazon, RPGNow,
and Humble Bundle as well as Patreon. Your patronage is appreciated and helps keep the
lights on and the taps flowing. Your Humble Bartender, Tenkar
Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition
-
-
Dungeons & Dragons White Box 03 - *RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT:* *Dungeons & Dragons (you have it)* *Dice — 1 pair 4-sided dice, 1 pair 8-sided dice, 4 to 20 pairs 6-sided dice, 1 pair 20-side...2 hours ago
-
October Horror Movie Challenge: Nosferatu (2024) - [image: Nosferatu (2024)] Tonight is a good one. I saw this near when it came out and was going to talk about it then, but I think tonight is a good nigh...4 hours ago
-
OSR Review & Commentary On The Gansu Subsector for The Earth Sector Rpg By Authors John Watts and William Fisher From Independence Games or Your Old School 2d6 Science Fiction Rpg's - " Welcome to the Chinese gate.""Gansu Subsector, Subsector B of Earth Sector, is one of the few subsectors within the sector that is not named for a mythi...12 hours ago
-
On Bounty, Questions worth asking. - Well? Will we? Available Now! https://sinlessrpg.com ------------------------------ *Hack & Slash* Follow, Twitch, Support, Donate to end Cancer (5 ...19 hours ago
-
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...1 day ago
-
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*, ...1 day ago
-
Teaching Tricks to Lego Cars: Being an NPC talking to an NPC - At the pub the other night a friend of mine was recounting an episode from the Tired Parent Wars. Apparently, his young son has got into a routine of tak...1 day ago
-
Prismatic Worms (Prismatic Planet) - Did you ever notice how *purple worms* are listed under “P” in the D&D monster manuals, but *red dragons* are under “D”? Not sure where I’ll file my entrie...2 days ago
-
October Horror Movie Challenge - Berberian Sound Studio (2012) - SynopsisBritish sound engineer Gilderoy arrives at the Berberian film studio to work on what he thinks is an equestrian film. Soon his grip on reality sta...2 days ago
-
Jonstown Jottings #101: Spiders Gorge - Much like the Miskatonic Repository for Call of Cthulhu, Seventh Edition, the Jonstown Compendium is a curated platform for user-made content, but for ma...2 days ago
-
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...2 days ago
-
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...3 days ago
-
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-game4 days ago
-
The Shrike - By Leo HuntPublished by Joel HinesOSELevel 1? The Shrike is a world of decay – rusted iron, crumbling stone, saltwater, blood, and fog – surrounded by a ro...4 days ago
-
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.5 days ago
-
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)...5 days ago
-
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?...6 days ago
-
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...6 days ago
-
Quick Reviews from Mail Bag - Still waiting on Dolemwood Arrivals: The Caverns of Thracia Yoon-Suin 2nd Ed BX Essentials Ryecroft *The Caverns of Thracia ...1 week ago
-
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
-
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
-
DTRPG Loot - These just arrived for me today from DriveThruRPG. They took about a week to get here, much faster than used to be the case, as DTRPG now has PoD resou...2 weeks ago
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
[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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
*'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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
MIDDLE DUNGEONS LEVEL FIVE 158 STAIRS. - 158 STAIRS. These stairs descend thirty feet to Area 79 on Level 6.6 years ago
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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