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Saturday, December 19, 2020

News - Lets Get Physical - Gen Con Plans Return to "Meat-Space" in 2021 / PAX East Likely Returns in 2021 Too (Covid Willing)


It appears that Gen Con and PAX are working on the assumption that the current "State of the Pandemic" will be under control by the summer of 2021. That being said, they are still hedging their bets and leaving the door open to closing their doors if Covid fails to cooperate with their hopeful plans. 

It takes a lot of time - and money - to put together a convention, and the larger the convention, the more lead time one needs, and these are huge conventions.

My fear is if certain conventions are cancelled two years in a row, there may be a lack of funds to bring them back later, although that may be more of an issue for the relatively smaller conventions.

From the Gen Con website:

Holiday 2020 Message and Looking Ahead to 2021

As we approach the winter holidays and the end of the (let’s say less-than-ideal) year, we’re looking ahead to the future and know you have some of the same questions that we do about our plans for 2021.

If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that nothing is certain, and that our lives are even more interconnected than ever before. We don’t take for granted the magic of gathering en masse with all of you in Indianapolis each summer, and we can’t wait to do it again. Will that happen this August? In all honesty, we don’t know yet, but we really hope so.

Our goal for the new year is to hold Gen Con 2021 as planned, in person in Indianapolis from August 5-8. We’re working towards that objective with health and safety as our top priority. A variety of factors need to come together for a physical convention to be feasible, and we’re carefully monitoring local and national safety and travel guidelines, health data, resource availability, and the advice of our finest sages, scientists, and sorcerers.

Considering this uncertainty, we’re postponing badge registration and event submission until we have a better idea of what the year will hold. We’ll announce new dates as soon we can, and you should expect more updates from us in the next couple of months. To keep up on the latest news, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on social media.

We appreciate your continued support, and we miss you, our Gen Con family all across the world. Please take care of each other and have a safe and happy holiday season!

Happy Holidays,

Your Friends at Gen Con

 And from the PAX East website:

DECEMBER 4TH, 2020

PAX 2021 Dates

Hello PAX Universe,

We’d like to take this opportunity to announce our prospective show dates for the 2021 calendar, and before we do, we want to be completely clear about why we’re announcing them now, and how the global COVID-19 situation impacts our plans in the coming year.

We’re announcing our dates now to help partners plan for the upcoming year on how they might attend as well as provide a chance to start conversations about how to bring attendees, panelists, exhibitors, and our broader community together with these events that are 7 months away. Safety is always our highest priority, and we want to put these shows on for you and in a way that still feels like a PAX, but these things require runway. Our rationale: with things being this complicated, why not tell everyone all at once?

Let’s just say the quiet part out loud: if COVID-19 remains a major barrier to safely gathering at one of our shows, we won’t do it or we will take it virtual. As much as we miss, even crave, the togetherness and magic of a PAX, we will not put attendees, exhibitors, or our guests at risk for the sake of an event if things aren’t on the up and up.

Now, on to the good news! If things progress positively then there’s a good chance that we would be able to put on live events in the summer and later half of the year.

In that optimistic scenario our new event calendar for 2021 will be:

PAX East will take place June 3 - 6, 2021

PAX West will take place September 3 - 6, 2021

PAX Aus will have more info coming soon

PAX Unplugged will take place December 10 - 12, 2021

Unfortunately, because of what would have been the prospective timeline in early next year we won’t be able to put together a PAX South in 2021, but we look forward to bringing it back for you in 2022. We are also working with our team in Australia and the Australian government and will have more updates on PAX Aus’s 2021 show date in the next few weeks.

Expect badges, panel announcements, exhibitor updates, and the like to arrive in the new year, generally closer to the respective shows - and you can always follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for more regular updates.

Whatever form PAX East, West, and Unplugged take in 2021, please know that we are dedicated to bringing you all the community, content, and competition we’ve become known for, while continuing to create space for new, up-and-coming, and marginalized voices in gaming. “Welcome Home” isn’t just a slogan to us; we make our home every year in Boston, Seattle, Melbourne, San Antonio, and Philly - and it’s our job to make sure that we make that home safe.


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Friday, December 18, 2020

Deep D&D Discounts on Amazon - Art & Arcana for 23.37 (and more )

There are some deep discounts on Dungeons & Dragons related releases over at Amazon.

Art & Arcana, the book of D&D history via the art of D&D, is reduced to a 23.37 after coupon for the hardcover. (list price 50 bucks).

Heroes' Feast: The Official D&D Cookbook, is reduced to 14.99 from 35 bucks. This is a new release from October 2020.

As of the time I am typing this, both books arrive before Christmas if you have Amazon Prime.

This is a special promotion, and both books are also linked to here: https://amzn.to/3amYyUg. You must go to the Art & Arcana page to get the coupon for the additional discount.

The following are free in Kindle format if you have Kindle unlimited.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPGAmazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

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Thursday, December 17, 2020

Project North Moor - An Attempt to Save the Home JRR Tolkien wrote The Hobbit on the LotR In

I still remember my first exposure to The Lord of the Rings. My friend Kenny, the same one that introduced me to AD&D, read The Fellowship of the Ring for school, and then afterwards lent me his copy.

I was hooked.

Project North Moor is an attempt to save, restore and preserve JRR Tolkien's home, his home during the years he wrote The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.

Watch the video. It is certainly worth your time.

https://www.projectnorthmoor.org/

Heck, The Tavern is in for $25. It's a bargain for the enjoyment Tolkien's work has given me over the years.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPGAmazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

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Wednesday, December 16, 2020

OSR Christmas 2020 Kicks Off Tonight @ 8 PM Eastern on the Talking Crit Livestream w/ Bad Mike and Tenkar - Special Guest JoetheLawyer

Tonight at 8 PM Eastern we are kicking off OSR Christmas 2020 on the Talking Crit Livestream, with special guest JoetheLawyer.

-00YWe will be giving away 2 $100 DTRPG gift certificates randomly to two commenters on the YouTube Livestream. If we get to 200 subscribers to the channel before we go live tonight, I'll throw in an additional $50 DTRPG gift certificate on top of the 2 $100 gift certificates as a third gift. As I type this, we are at 191 subscribers.

Can't watch live? Don't fret! There will be many more opportunities to be gifted during the 12 Days of OSR Christmas here at the blog as well as for listeners of the podcast, and probably another night or two on the Livestream.

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPGAmazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

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Don't forget to subscribe to The Tavern's weekly Newsletter! We currently have 162 subscribers.               When we hit 200 subscribers, I'll award 2 random subscribers a $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate.   

Tuesday, December 15, 2020

D&D Movie News - Chris Pine (Capt Kirk in the new Star Trek Movies) Will Star

While I'm not a huge fan of the new Star Trek movies (they aren't horrible, they just aren't Star Trek), I thought that Pine was a decent pick for Kirk.

Choosing Chris Pine to star in the new D&D movie at least shows that the powers that believe in the project. It gives me hope.

You can read the full article here:

Is Chris Pine more of a lawful paladin or a neutral rogue? Deadline reports that the Wonder Woman and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement actor has closed a deal to star in the Dungeons & Dragons movie, which means we’ll finally have an answer to this very important question.

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPGAmazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTube
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Don't forget to subscribe to The Tavern's weekly Newsletter! We currently have 162 subscribers.            When we hit 200 subscribers, I'll award 2 random subscribers a $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate.   


Monday, December 14, 2020

Kickstarter - Knock! (OSR Zine)

 


I love me a good OSR zine. When the zine is the size of many zines in page count, I'm intrigued. Then I read the list of those involved and the I found myself backing before I had the chance to think otherwise. Such is Knock!

We made KNOCK! the messy, stuffed to the gills bric-à-brac we wanted. The book that earns its place on the easy-to-reach part of your gaming shelves. Now, we need you to make the inaugural, proof of concept issue of KNOCK! Magazine a thing that exists in the physical realm. You know, the world of air, earth, dice, and unhealthy snacks.

This first issue is 212 pages (A5 format, slightly bigger than digest size: 5.9’ x 8.25’) in beautiful full colour, printed on quality paper (coated 130 gr, with a cover on coated 300 gr). 

It has everything you’d want from an old school slash adventure gaming publication: articles about the history of Dungeons & Dragons, reflections about genre and gameplay, some clever rules, a bunch of maps, tons of random tables and lists, 7 new classes, 7 new monsters, and 3 complete adventures. If you’re reading this, some of the names below will ring a bell, or five: Emmy Allen, Benjamin Baugh, Joe Brogzin, Caleb Burks, Brooks Dailey, Nicolas Dessaux, Paolo Greco,  James Holloway, Anthony Huso, Arnold K, Ethan Lefevre, Gabor Lux, Bryce Lynch, Fiona Maeve Geist, Chris McDowall, Ben Milton, Gavin Norman, Patrick Ollson, Graphite Prime, Stuart Robertson, Jack Shear, Jason Sholtis, Skullfungus, Sean Stone, Chris Tamm, Daniel Sell, and Vagabundork.

And you’ll recognise some of the artists too: Ivan Caceres, Didier Guiserix, Matthew Houston, Christophe Johnston, Li-An, Dyson Logos, Evlyn M, Tim Molloy, Luka Rejec, Michael Sheppard, Jason Sholtis, Dan Spencer, and Niklas Wistedt. We’ve used their art as inspiration for some fancy, bold page design.


About $31 for print and PDF (plus shipping ). 19bucks for just the PDF.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPGAmazon, and Humble Bundle are the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTube
or wherever you listen to your podcast collection.

Don't forget to subscribe to The Tavern's weekly Newsletter! We currently have 162 subscribers. When we hit 200 subscribers, I'll award 2 random subscribers a $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate.   


Sunday, December 13, 2020

Gift-Giving Around the Gaming Table

 

Gift-Giving Around the Gaming Table
Now that Chrismahanukwanzika is just a couple weeks away....and yes, I actually use this term, more ironically than anything (I like to offend everyone equally this time of year).....you might be wondering what to get for your gaming group this time of year.

I can try to make suggestions, but I don't know your group and your fellow players, so a) take these suggestions with a grain of salt and b) maybe take more go heart suggestions of not what to get.

1st off, the best thing I can recommend is something picked out special for your players. I know, this is a huge "Duh" things, but let me step it back a bit and specify that this special pick is NOT directly gaming related. This is an important distinction because grabbing some gaming gear can actually backfire a bit. If you've got a dice junkie in your group it makes sense to buy them some dice, right? Yeah....no. You buy some Chessex dice and then find out they prefer Gamescience dice. You get the Gamescience dice and no, they only want to use translucent purple ones. What about a cool mini of their PC? Yeah.....thanks, but no thanks...."that's not how I envision my PC" or "Great, another mini I need to paint." What I suggest as far as gaming-gear is more generic-type stuff. If you know they like to use a certain kind of pencil (I like to use .9mm metal engineer pencils, for example) or a certain type of notebook, that's the kind of thing that can make a good gift.

That's maybe a bit on the easy side. Stepping up your gift-giving a bit might be making or having made some custom gaming gear, like a dice-rolling-zone (DRZ) or a storage box. If you have access to quality leather/wood, and the appropriate tools/skills, go nuts. One year I was able to go to my local hobby store and purchase some inexpensive wooden boxes. Some sanding, staining, and sealing....then lining with stiff cut leather and I had some nice little storage boxes that could double as a DRZ. It wasn't a Christmas gift, but I was able to get a nice wooden storage box for a Scotch bottle (thanks to working in a Liquor Store) and make one of these for Mrs. Tenkar. I've seen great (and easy) dice bags made of leather and/or felt, custom coasters, and even some custom dice towers. Now if you don't have the resources, motivation, or inspiration to do this work yourself there is always the option of farming it out. Etsy is a good choice and I've seen one enterprising GM hire the services of a mini-painter to have PC minis (of the player's choice) painted up as a gift. If you want something customized though.....for the likes of Etsy it might be too late.

A 3rd idea, is one of those things I'm normally not a fan of giving in general: gift cards. Not just any gift cards, although if you've got a Starbucks snob in your group that could be an easy choice. No, I suggest you try to get a gift card/certificate to your Favorite Local Game Store (FLGS). This way you get to support a valuable resource for the gaming community and your recipient can get something they actually want/need....maybe a bit more on that later.

If, like me, you don't have a local group, but an online group.....getting a FLGS gift card/certificate might require some extra legwork, or you can get a virtual one from the likes of DriveThruRPG. You could also give a gift certificate to the likes of HeroForge (let them make their own mini).

In general, as I might have alluded to earlier, I would avoid gifts of special "stuff" that people tend to get picky/choosy about. The best I can do is suggest you think if you'd like a gift that was a little bit off from your preferred thing. I mentioned my specific pencil preference, but would I get worked up if I didn't get a 0.9 Pentel GraphicGear 500? No, but if I got a mini of my PC that I was expected to use at the table....probably. OK, I'm overblowing things by stating "worked up". This might be just me, but I'd avoid gifting food items/snacks as well, unless the recipient is known for liking something specific. If they're big Pocky fans and you can get some unusual flavors not normally available.....go for it. A generic plate of brownies like everyone else is getting....between holidays and COVID I don't need more food to shove in my face.

In the end though, this time of year is...or at least should be...more about the people in our lives and less about the stuff. A gift given is far less important than the shared experiences and time spent together at the table. People tend to undervalue what I truly think is the most valuable resource we have....the one thing we can never get back: the gift of time.

I hope you get more opportunities to share the gift of time around the gaming table not just this season, but for all of next year. Hopefully 2021 will be a much better year for gaming.


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