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Saturday, March 31, 2018

Last Gasp of the Palladium Robotech RPG - Once its Gone its Gone (Unless your FLGS Has it in Stock)

Well, today is either the last day or tomorrow is, depending on the sentence:


Seems like Kevin can't get his hype right.

I'm guessing The Macross Saga Sourcebook is somehow in great demand and will sell out at 20% off while the other books are 50 to 60%. Right...

Oh, and there is still a ton of Robotech Tactics Minis just waiting for a new home:

Did I mention the email doesn't link to the Palladium webstore?

It does link to DriveThruRPG though.

Not linking to either ;)


Kickstarter - The Living Dead: Table Top RPG (Just Like D&D...)


First, let's be clear - there is no way on God's green earth that The Living Dead: Table Top RPG Kickstarter will fund. Now that we have that out of the way, let's use this as a force for good - what NOT to do when setting up your first Kickstarter.

Video - I know everyone says you need a video. That isn't true, especially if your presentation is boring. If all you are going to give us is a talking head, don't do it.

D&D - Don't mention "it" by name, just use the edition. This applies especially to project names and the project pitch:


Need to add - understand the OGL if you are going to go that route.

Preparedness - Have something written. Have an art sample. Edit your  Kickstarter copy for God's sake. This does not cut it as it tells nothing about the setting. Isn/t Walking / Living / Listing Dead all about the setting?

"The game takes place in modern society as the world has fallen to the dead. The cause is unknown and the military has disappeared.Similar to D&D 5e."

"There are currently 7 classes, 25+ backgrounds, companions, details on how to build a safe haven, how to turn your safe haven into a major faction. Vehicles in the land air and sea variety. Zombies currently just slow walking zombies (plan on adding verity as an option). Hunger, thirst, and Humanity system. Feats that are special combat abilities. Large selection of guns,and melee weapons (plan to expand it more) Special ammo such as Armour piercing and incendiary rounds, gun attachments such as suppressors, and fore grips (plan to expand even further) guns (not all) have firing modes for single, burst, and automatic, cover system for combat. apocalypse stages system and infection."

Risks - The risks with this project are not the ones spelled out in the "Risks" section: "The risks are not getting things done on time witch is why the current date is set to end of 2020. That is not the planed date a timeline will be shown once the goal is reached. Those are there for worst case scenarios. It also is to make a game that fans of D&D can enjoy. As a guy who recently has just recently come to light of this world I will need play testers to help me balance it. I'm merely one man and I can't find very error or fluke on my own. "

I see risks associated with how the "risks" are detailed.

Pricing: This is a two-pronged situation - You need to set your pledge levels at a point that you entice backers while still making some money from each pledge AND you need to set a funding goal that raises enough money to go forward while still being attainable.

$25 for early access to the rules - basically, you're playing to playtest.

$50 for a special thank you in the book - and the playtest rules.

$75 to create a faction or background, plus the special thanks and playtest. Actually, as written, background backers also get to create a faction.

$100 to get a copy of the book "and all previous award". Doesn't mention if that is a physical copy or not.

That's asking for a sizable investment from potential backers with little given back in return.

Good thing the funding goal is $10k.


Before anyone complains that I'm "picking on a kid", he's 19 and studying Criminology. He can vote. Hopefully, he doesn't ;)





Thoughts on Adding Some Meat to Swords & Wizardry Monstrosities


Last night as +James Spahn and I were talking about things related to Swords & Wizardry it suddenly struck me - each entry for Swords & Wizardry Monstrosities (currently only in PDF at the FGG store) has an event or encounter linked to it. What if we (James & I) were to do a regular posting (weekly? bi-weekly?) expanding upon some of those encounters, turning a "one and done" to a full night's adventuring?

Yeah, I get ideas like that on occasions.

The great thing about the Monstrosities book is that the content is 100% OGL, including the encounters.

It is in the brainstorming process thus far. No idea when the first post will come, but if you have ideas for creatures you'd like to see in the mix, drop a comment below and we'll see what we can do.




Friday, March 30, 2018

Humble Bundle Book Bundle: Tales From the Worlds of Warhammer


I've always enjoyed Warhammer and Warhammer 40k fiction, and I'm just now realizing its been a few years since I've delved into such. Looks like I have some catching up to do with the Humble Bundle Book Bundle: Tales From the Worlds of Warhammer. Even if you just grab the 1 buck level, its a heck of a lot of reading.


Yep, I'll be loading these up on my Kindle Oasis.


Yep, that's an affiliate link above (and below). Your purchases made through The Tavern's affiliate links help generate some revenue and keep the taps flowing.

As a bonus, even if you aren't looking to read any of the above, Humble Bundle is giving away a free game:


Use the link below - its good for 24 hours from the time I post this:

https://www.humblebundle.com/store/spec-ops-the-line?partner=tenkar






Kickstarter - Rappan Athuk for 5e $160k Stretch Goal Revealed - Go Down The Well and Make Me a Jolly Grip!


Ah, fun times:
As stated earlier in an update the $160,00 Stretch Goal is.. 
Mystery Stretch Goal from Bill Webb free for everyone who gets a physical copy of the book- including the softcover Pathfinder & Swords & Wizardry updates. We will keep you postered on the reward as it gets closer ;) 
Well, we can now reveal that it is... 
A handsome 2-panel color poster folded for proper placement inside your books. All backers receiving a physical book in their pledge get the Poster free. Oh, yeah a free high-resolution PDF of the same is available for FREE to all backers of $5 or more.
Ah, to be a "Jolly grip" has been a lifelong dream. WTF is a "Jolly grip" anyway?

 Rappan Athuk: Reborn for Fifth Edition! Go down the Well!

9 hours left and almost at the $160k stretch goal...

News - Announcing the Wilderlands of High Fantasy Revised Editions

Note, this was originally shared at The Bat in the Attic blog and the City State of the Invincible Kickstarter by +Rob Conley . Shared with permission - Tenkar

Wilderlands of High Fantasy Announcement 

In November I promised to revisit the issue of the Wilderlands maps if nothing has been released by March for the Judges Guild's City State of the Invincible Overlord Kickstarter. I was able to work out a publishing agreement with Robert Blesdaw II to release the 18 maps I drew for the kickstarter project. In addition, I am permitted to publish a series of revised guidebooks to accompany the maps.

Each guidebook will be around 20 to 32 pages and will contain the original listings edited for known errata and corrections. To avoid the issues of cost that accompanied other releases of Wilderlands of High Fantasy, I am following the pattern of the original releases.

The maps and guidebooks will be divided into four products, the Wilderlands of High Fantasy, Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde, Wilderlands of the Magic Realm, and the Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches. Unlike the original releases, Map 6 Viridistan will be included in Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde although edited down to the format of the other four maps.

The retail cost is yet to be determined as I am testing the various print options. I am targeting $20 per bundle of printed map and guidebook. The maps will be printed as two 12” by 18” sheets. There will be five maps in Wilderlands of High Fantasy and Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde, and four maps in Wilderlands of the Magic Realm, and Wilderlands of Fantastic Maps. The backer and retail costs will reflect the quantity of maps within a product.

The PDFs will be free to all Kickstarter backers. The printed cost to backers for all 18 maps will be slightly less than $20. The printed cost of the guidebooks for backers should be around $3 to $4 depending on which print format works out the best. I am tacking on a one dollar charge so it will count as a sale on both OBS sites, RPGNow and DrivethruRPG. There will be shipping charges from One Bookshelf.

I am doing this because as a Judges Guild licensee, the problems of this Kickstarter affect my sales of the Majestic Wilderlands along with other projects using the Judges Guild IP. The above is what I can do to help with the resources I possess. Robert Bledsaw II is aware of what is going on and has worked with me to come up with a solution to get a portion of the product you paid for into your hands.

I will have the package of the first five maps and guidebook released by mid-April as the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. I am trying to have remaining maps and guidebooks done by the end of May so I can release them for North Texas RPG Con, a convention focused on older edition gaming. But it may not be until June until I get Fantastic Reaches out. The PDFs will be done first and I will release preliminary copies as soon as I am able. Rob Conley




Thursday, March 29, 2018

First Print of Swords & Wizardry Light Nearly Gone - Second Print Will be Another 10k Run


If you were listening to last night's Tavern Chat, you would have heard Bill Webb (Frog God Games) mention that there are about 550 print copies of the first print run of Swords & Wizardry Light left in the possession of Frog God Games - from an initial print run of 10k (plus the 250 or so printed locally for Gamehole 2016). That means that over 9,500 copies have been put in the hands of gamers in less than 18 months.

Damn.

Bill announced the second print run of SWL will be another 10k copies. Yep, I'm grinning to ear to ear.

Oh, it was also revealed that +Rob Conley 's sandbox for the Swords & Wizardry Continual Light update will be set in Frog God Games' Lost Lands setting. Happy dance.

Rob also had snuck in a Wilderlands announcement - more on that tomorrow.

Kickstarter - Rappan Athuk: Reborn for Fifth Edition! Go down the Well! (28 Hours Left Reminder)


Time is running short to back the Rappan Athuk: Reborn for Fifth Edition! Go down the Well! Kickstarter. 28 hours and counting as I type this. If you are a 5e player, especially a DM, it should be a no-brainer. But what if you are a Swords & Wizardry gamer or (gasp!) Pathfinder? What's in it for you?

The sweet point is the $35 backer level for folks like us.


Now, what stretch goals are included at the $35 level?

UNLOCKED $33,000 High-Resolution Wallpaper #1 FREE

UNLOCKED $43,000 High-Resolution Wallpaper #2 FREE

UNLOCKED $45,000 New Level from Bill Webb and Tom Knauss available to all backers as a bonus (5e/SW/PF PDF only)

UNLOCKED $50,000 Player's Guide to Rappan Athuk (2012) PDF free to all backers

UNLOCKED $75,000 The First Ever Release of Rappan Athuk, The Upper Levels, for D20 becomes a free stretch goal PDF for all pledges above $5. ($3.99 value)

UNLOCKED $100,000 Adventures in Zelkor's Ferry by Alex Kammer for Fifth Edition, Swords & Wizardry or Pathfinder. Add-on $15 Softcover / $7 PDF

UNLOCKED $120,000  The second ever Rappan Athuk title, the Middle Levels, for D20 becomes a free stretch goal PDF for all pledges above $5. ($3.99 value)

UNLOCKED $140,000 The third ever Rappan Athuk title, the Lower Levels, for D20 becomes a free stretch goal PDF for all pledges above $5. ($6.38 value)

LOCKED $150,000 Mystery 3-D print file stretch goal.

LOCKED $160,000 Mystery Stretch Goal from Bill Webb free for everyone who gets a physical copy of the book- including the softcover Pathfinder & Swords & Wizardry updates. We will keep you postered on the reward as it gets closer ;)

Pledge level is just short of $144k as I type this.

Pretty good value for your 35 bucks...


RPGNow Deal of the Day - Umerican Survival Guide, Chase cover (DCC)



The Umerican Survival Guide, Chase cover (DCC) is today's Deal of the Day at RPGNow. Normally $8.70 for the PDF, until tomorrow morning the price is reduced to $3.48 - a savings of 60%.
A Gonzo Post-Apocalyptic Campaign Setting and Sourcebook based on the articles of Crawling Under a Broken Moon. 
Within this irradiated tome you will find: 
  • A dozen new or revised character class options, nine of which are unique to Umerica: Clerics of the Wasteland, The Cyborg, Feral Urchin, Fossiorian, Grays, Mutant, Petrol Head, Robot, Scavenger, Technologist, Wasteland Warrior, Wizard of the Wasteland.
  • New piecemeal armor system that incorporates damage resistance, ablatives, and armor degradation
  • An extensive, revised mutation system usable by all characters and creatures
  • An expanded vehicular creation and combat system for all of your petrolhead needs
  • A pantheon of Umerican Gods and Patrons, old and new
  • A comprehensive section on the Citadel of Scrap, a good campaign starting point for exploring Umerica
  • Dozens of random tables covering aspects of everyday wasteland life, finding salvage, and adventure creation plus much, much more!
  • All fully compatible with the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game from Goodman Games.
Yep, that's an affiliate link above. You keep the taps flowing at The Tavern when you use our affiliate links for your purchases.

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - So Tell Me, How Can We do Better?



How can we do better? Sounds like a customer service survey ;) In all seriousness, The Tavern is looking to "up its game" and all feedback is useful, even if it doesn't necessarily appear to have an impact. Trust me, it all gets into the mix at some point.

Anyhow, today is a Wednesday and that means tonight is a Tavern Chat Night. Tavern Chat is a voice chat (with an accompanying text chat channel) that kicks off at 9 PM Eastern and continues until 11 PM and beyond. You can lurk in the voice chat - many do - and it is sort of like a live, unrecorded podcast where anyone can participate.

Here's the link:

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

I'll be grabbing dinner before the chat and probably large doses of caffeine. Had another doc appt today (went well if long) and I'm still recovering from last week's infected tooth / abscess draining so I might not last as long as I might want in the chat, but who knows...

Oh, for an Easter Egg, there is something on The Tavern's homepage that is new and a hint at The Tavern's future. I'll award a Marvel No-Prize to the first commenter that mentions it :)

Kickstarter - Its Not Pencil Dice, Its a Pen WITH Dice Within!


I would have missed this without one of the Taverners sending me a link to The Dice Pen (with Standard Dice and CCG Dice).

Not Pencil Dice. No, its a pen with dice within. Small d6 or micro-small d6.

Besides the fact that I probably can't read dice of this size very well, at least without picking them up to look at the number, which kinda defeats the purpose, how long will the ink actually last?

They offer a CCG Dice counter option, but not a FATE dice option. Weird.

10 bucks a pen, which is probably better priced and more useful than Pencil Dice. Thank God Ken never thought of this...



Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Rantish - My Thoughts on Gatekeeping in the OSR


There was a comment made in The Tavern's Facebook Community yesterday that got me thinking about gatekeeping in the OSR. It essentially called the OSR clones "PDF edits of the originals with minor house rules thrown in" and proceeded to talk about the virtue of learning the original D&D White Box in middle school. Essentially, the clones have no value.

edit - For clarity, the original quotes: 
"we might actually have had to play with our original D&D books instead of derivative pdf files of minor edits to the original game. The horror!" 
"hard for new players? Most of us learned to play it in middle school!
Further edit: those that don't have access to the original books at an affordable price or would prefer to read a more modern presentation - in print or PDF - are effectively dismissed. That is my interpretation. YMMV,

A month or so ago, in another Facebook Gaming Community, a different poster went on a rant about Swords & Wizardry Light, where he wrote (not quoting exactly) he didn't understand why Frog God Games was putting so much time, money and effort into SWL, "the dumbing down of an already dumbed down game."

Gatekeeping is alive and well in the OSR, or at least the mindset is.

If it isn't the original rules, it has no value.

If it's easy to learn its been dumbed down.

Which are fine attitudes to have at your own table but not the ones needed to grow the Old School Gaming Community or even keep it viable, Those of us that started with "the originals", be it OD&D, BX,  BECMI, 1e, 2e and the like - we are getting older. If we want to bring others into our love of Old School Gaming, we need to be welcoming, not excluding.

When my niece, who was 5 years old at the time, saw that I had written a 4-page Swords & Wizardry Light ruleset she exclaimed: "Uncle, you wrote a 4-page Dungeons & Dragons? You can teach me to read 4-pages. You wrote this for me!" I guess I did.

When +Bill Webb decided to publish Swords & Wizardry Light (and +Matt Finch gave me his blessings), when Frog God Games decided to print thousands of copies to give away for free at conventions and via mail, its because they understood the value of making the entry bar to the OSR and gaming in general easier for potential players to cross, not harder.

The clones don't have the same nostalgia value for me that my original 1e books have - my entry to the hobby, but when I ran a 1e game a few years back I ran it using OSRIC - the organization was better, the writing was clearer and it was all in one book. Old school gaming meets modern day presentation.

I want the OSR to not just survive, I want it to thrive. I think many 5e players will find Old School Gaming an alternative (not a substitute) for the latest release of the D&D rules for the times they want a looser playing ruleset, but that's only going to happen if we welcome them, not exclude them.


Monday, March 26, 2018

BBC News has a 3 Minute Video on the Beginnings of Games Workshop


One of The Tavern's Discord members shared the link to a recent BBC News story on the beginnings of Games Workshop. It clocks in at just under 3 minutes so it won't keep you from doing your usual responsibilities, like writing bills or cleaning the cat's pan ;)

Seriously, its 3 minutes well spent.

Here's the link to the video.

Enjoy.


With Permission, I'm Stealing Lists & Links from Old School Gamer Radio - Now 73 Blogs Come a Callin ;)


Last night I added a link to various Old School Podcasts. This morning I yoked links to 73 Old School Blogs (I would have yoked 74, but for some reason, I couldn't get Castle Triskelion to take)

At some point, the blogs will have their own permanent page here at The Tavern where they will be listed alphabetically with descriptions (and possible commentary by yours truly).  They are currently linked below the blog posts themselves - 73 blogs listed by the most recent updates.

Why by updates? Because active blogs should be rewarded. Recent posts should be seen. Alphabetical lists favor the "A"s and hurt those that start with a letter in the middle of the alphabet, which is fine for a list, not so much for an active blogroll. 

Want to add your blog to the list? Drop me a line at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing with a link and a description and we'll get it added.

+Matt Finch (Old School Gamer Radio) and I are working together on ideas to strengthen and grow the gaming community we both love.

Come to think of it, you've subscribed to Uncle Matt's D&D Studio Youtube Channel, right? Interviews, live play podcasts, gaming thought - the works.  Over1,100 subscribers can't be wrong ;)



Sunday, March 25, 2018

With Permission, I'm Stealing Lists & Links from Old School Gamer Radio - First Up, Podcasts


With +Matt Finch encouraging me to yoke the amazingly complete lists of podcasts, blogs, social media groups and vidcasts from the Old School Gamer Radio website and mirror them here I'd be a fool not to do so.

First up is podcasts. I've manually updated the links on the left side of this page and will be adding a permanent page where comments and suggestions for additions can be made.

We're trying to get the best bang for the buck and increase the visibility of all of these resources, and this is literally the first step of many that we've talked about.

Here's the list from Old School Gamer Radio:


PWYW - Black Pudding #4


I quite simply LOVE the Black Pudding Zine. Every issue thus far has been useful and entertaining and Black Pudding #4 is no different than its predecessors. Or it's very different than its predecessors while still being very much alike.

You'll see when you read it.

What's in it?
In this issue you get new classes, a double helping of Meatshields, and a 15 page OSR play book, complete with the basic classes, rules, and Black Pudding flavor to enhance or replace your current play book. For use with dice of funny sides. Inspired by games such as Labyrinth Lord, The Black Hack, and Swords & Wizardry White Box.
The playbook is awesome, with lots of little bits I'm considering stealing for my own SWCL games.

Did I mention it just released this morning?

The price is right at PWYW, so peek and throw a few coppers later if that's how you roll, but certainly peek. Black Pudding #4 is oozing with OSR goodness (see what I did there? ;)

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Help keep the lights on and the taps flowing at The Tavern with your patronage.

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

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