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Friday, December 31, 2021

State of the Tavern Keeper - It Appears My Better Half are Heralding the New Year with Omicron

Yep, according to the home kit we used Thursday evening, after the both of us came down with fresh cold-like symptoms on Wednesday, Rach is COVID positive and the assumption is I am too.

My ass certainly dragging. 10 hours of sleep last night and a three-hour nap this afternoon.

Not the way I'd have chosen to end the year, but so far the symptoms are mild and my complaints are minimal.

All that being said, I'm (potentially) going to be far slower than usual to get to emails and PMs for the next few days. Packages coming from The Tavern directly from OSR Christmas will be delayed, as trips to the post office are not in the immediate future.

I'll keep you updated, but this appears to be more inconvenience than a threat.

BTW, Happy New Year!




Thursday, December 30, 2021

News - Ken "Turbo" Trbovitch Resigns as President of Servotronics


The "Turbo" saga appears to have come to a conclusion, with Ken "Turbo" Trbovitch resigning as President of Servotronics.

The lawsuit referred to below named Gary Con and Luke Gygax within its pages.

Earlier Tavern coverage here

THE BOARD OF SERVOTRONICS, INC. ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CHANGE (link to original article)

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Servotronics, Inc. 

Dec 27, 2021, 07:30 ET

ELMA, N.Y., Dec. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Servotronics, Inc. (NYSE American - SVT) announced that Kenneth D. Trbovich has resigned as Chief Executive Officer and President and was removed as Chairman of the Board, after a nearly six-month-long internal investigation identified grounds for his termination.

While the Board of Directors conducts a search for a permanent replacement, the responsibilities of the CEO and President will continue to be carried out by other personnel, led by Chief Operating Officer James C. Takacs.

The Board's non-employee directors stated:  "Our highly skilled workforce and experienced management team have ensured that Servotronics continues to deliver on its reputation for meeting and exceeding government, defense, commercial, consumer and other customers' high standards for quality and reliability, which has been built over more than six decades. This team has delivered sequential sales growth in the second and third quarters of this year, while continuing to invest in people, product development, and production capabilities that are designed to position Servotronics for the future. We look forward to providing Jim Takacs and his team with the resources they need to continue executing, while the Board conducts an active search for a new CEO."

Today's announcement follows a previously disclosed internal investigation, authorized by the Board on June 8 when Mr. Trbovich was placed on administrative leave, one day after a then-employee filed a civil complaint making allegations regarding the executive's conduct. The investigation was undertaken by independent, outside counsel.

On Dec. 1, Mr. Trbovich was informed that grounds for termination were identified during the investigation and a Dec. 22 meeting was scheduled for the Board to hear from the executive and consider the matter. On Dec. 21, Mr. Trbovich resigned as CEO and President. At its Dec. 22 meeting, the Board accepted his resignation, removed him as Chairman, and based on the findings of the investigation determined that he committed willful malfeasance that would have justified termination. The Company has not disclosed other findings of the investigation, as they relate to personnel matters.

While the former executive remains a director, the Company does not intend to renominate him for election to the Board at the 2022 annual meeting of shareholders.

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 affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

OSR Christmas - Day 10 - To Gift, or Not to Gift, THAT is the Question...

Actually, we know the answer. We will certainly gift :)

Here's the skinny:

Comment by 1159 PM Eastern Standard Time, December 31st, 2021 to this very post. 

        Three more days of OSR Christmas gifting after Day 10 :) 

PLEASE indicate if you are in the US. If you do not indicate, I will assume you are from outside the US, and that will affect which gifts you are eligible for.

Now, on to the gifts:

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Torchlight Issue #1 - Print (Limited Print Run - Signed by Tenkar if Requested - US Only)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.



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 affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

OSR Christmas - Time to Gift Day 9 Gifts

First, I need to apologize. I don't think I've answered or forwarded emails since the day before Christmas Eve, so if you are waiting to be gifted, it's all on me. I expect to start playing "catch up" tomorrow. Crossing my fingers. But now that we are post-Christmas Weekend, things seem to be calming down.

Now, on to the goodness!

Those named below need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing, with OSR Christmas Day 9 in the subject, and the gift you are claiming in the contnets of the email.

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

p1r8z0r

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

Ikaros

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Torchlight Issue #1 - Print (Limited Print Run - Signed by Tenkar if Requested - US Only)

Jeremy "frothsof" Smith

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

macloud

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ONE $25 DTRPG Gift Certificate (anywhere in the world)

Sj 4255

Back tomorrow with a new day of OSR Christmas!



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 affiliate programs that support 
The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Monday, December 27, 2021

Bundle of Holding - Stars Without Number Revised

When it comes to OSR Scifi RPGs, Stars Without Number is the granddaddy of them all, with both a free version and a more expansive paid-for PDF. It's a true OSR sandbox-style RPG.

You can snag the Stars Without Number Revised Starter Collection for a mere 7.95. It includes Stars Without Number Revised Edition, Sixteen Stars and the SWN Revised GM Screen.

The BONUS COLLECTION is approximately 21 bucks and adds in: Starvation Cheap, Suns of Gold, Skyward Steel, Dead Names, and Polychrome.

Damn, but it's a sweet collection. Check your account at Bundle of Holding, as you may have bought this back in 2019.


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 affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 


Sunday, December 26, 2021

Hoping that the Tavern had a Good Christmas 2021

Hoping that the Tavern had a Good Christmas 2021
I really hope everyone had a good Christmas. I'd wish that you got what you all wanted for the holiday, but I figure a lot of us want a bunch of OSR collectibles and there is only so much to go around.....

I kid, I kid.....I hope that most of you got what you wanted and if you're one of the unlucky few who was waiting on a Christmas present from me, so not my fault it didn't arrive. If you're one of the lucky folks who picked something up from the Tavern's 12 Days of OSR Christmas I'm jealous. Highly doubtful the bundle of New Big Dragon Games Unlimited stuff I sent off has arrived yet, but if not, it is definitely on it's way.

Now I'm going to go on a bit of a stretch here and make an assumption that my gaming holiday experience (now) is a bit on the typical side for the average Tavern patron: been gaming since back in the day, family & friends know you're a gamer, but they don't really understand what that means. Maybe they know you sling dice, but the default setting for a definition of "gamer" is that you play video games. Now I don't expect this to describe anyone (other than maybe me) to a tee, but I'm guessing there's maybe a good 50-75% similarity in there somewhere.

For the most part not really "getting it" means you're not going to be getting any cool gamer stuff for Christmas. Of course you may just luck out in that regard (and if so, please share your Christmas loot with the rest of us in the comments!), but I know I didn't. Not a complaint mom (as if she reads this), just an observation. Actually since I mentioned good old mom, I'm in a weird spot in that my mother really doesn't have a clue what RPGs are despite my feeble attempts to explain. She has no clue what D&D is even though I'm certain she's read every single TSR Novel (Dragonlance, Drizzt, Forgotten Realms, etc.) made as an avid fantasy reader.

Too bad for me since I live 12 hours away. If I could get my mother to understand my hobby a bit better she might be able to look around for the rare OSR score at second-hand bookstores that I'm unable to visit. Can you imaging how cool it'd be to have your parents gift you a good copy of an OSR book (like maybe a 1st printing of the Deities & Demigods) that she found at a garage sale for $5? Almost as good as finding that yourself.......but I kind of like the thrill of the hunt, as it was, for collectibles.

Victrix LTD Minis

Anyway, I "just" get money for Christmas. Really no complaint there as it is a gift and I can use that $ to buy some other things I didn't know I needed. On my trip this holiday season I found a new game/hobby store in Kansas City that had a bunch of miniatures I did not know I needed. I got some Warriors of the Dark Ages and Warriors of Antiquity minis from Victrix Ltd. I've never done armies of minis before, much less the mix & match sprue kind that remind me of Warhammer, but I couldn't pass these things up. I'll definitely have to work on these and report about them later as I think they have a lot of RPG potential even though they are clearly made for wargaming.

Reaper Mini Black Line

I also managed to stop by an "old" comic/hobby shop in the the college where I 1st went to school and scored some minis as well. I was at the university when this shop originally opened 30 some years ago....anyway I got some Reaper Mini Black Henchmen & Hirelings, which was pretty cool.

Altogether between these two shops I picked up 100+ minis that I can add to my collection of figures that will never get painted.

Not really a super cool score, but at least I did get some RPG stuff for Christmas and I still have a couple shops I can visit as I drive back home today.

Now I did not even know that these Reaper Minis existed and while not "super cool", I am actually excited to potentially add them to my game. I'm guessing that some of the folks here at the Tavern did get some stuff that is pretty awesome and honestly, I'd rather enjoy seeing folks share what they got in the comments. If nothing else I might get a couple of things I really want to be on the lookout for as I still have some Christmas money to spend.....

Saturday, December 25, 2021

OSR Christmas - Christmas Day (Day 9 by OSR Christmas 2021 Reckoning)

It's been a truly blessed Christmas Day spent with family and friends. I'm literally taking a breather by putting up this OSR Christmas Post :)

Here's the skinny:

Comment by 8 PM Eastern December 28th, 2021 to this very post.

PLEASE indicate if you are in the US. If you do not indicate, I will assume you are from outside the US, and that will affect which gifts you are eligible for.

God Bless you all on this holy day of days.

Now, on to the gifts:

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Torchlight Issue #1 - Print (Limited Print Run - Signed by Tenkar if Requested - US Only)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ONE $25 DTRPG Gift Certificate (anywhere in the world)


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 affiliate programs that support 
The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Friday, December 24, 2021

Christmas Eve Thoughts - Gaming and Beyond

Earlier today we had a really amazing dinner and gift exchange at my sister's house. My niece, Shannon, gave me some amazing gifts and reminded me of the simple blessing of being an uncle.

Parking was horrible upon returning home, so I dropped off my parents and Rach, before spending nearly 30 minutes looking for parking, finally finding a spot a 10-minute walk from home. 

Fate was in my favor, because our local church was but a block away from where I parked, and I was able to say a few prayers before walking to the house.

Which almost didn't happen, as a block later, crossing in the crosswalk, I was nearly run into by a careless driver making a turn and likely thinking they had found a parking spot - it was a hydrant instead.

The driver "didn't see me" (their words), which is quite likely, as they turned the corner so sharply I expect they thought they were sliding into a hard sought-after parking spot.

My heart rate spiked about 25 beats according to my watch, and it took me another 2 blocks to appreciate what had actually happened.

Not the near accident. That wasn't an important event. It's what didn't happen, or the end result of what didn't happen.

A healthy and living me.

I'm alive, after a 2020 that could easily have flipped that script. Tonight could have flipped that script. On Christmas Eve.

Instead, I'm here, typing away, marveling at my blessings and appreciating what I have.

Today and tomorrow, heck, the whole entire year, are not times to mourn what you've lost, but to appreciate what you have.

I am truly blessed, by family, friends and community.

I'll try to improve on myself a little more in the coming months. I'll continue attempting to give back, both to my local community and our gaming community.

I have some thoughts on such, probably more on that as we get closer to the new year.

In the meantime, may God bless you all, and may your holy season be blessed - Tenkar


Thursday, December 23, 2021

Kickstarter - AEON: Ancient Greece Volume 2 - "Deeper into the Labyrinth" (DCC RPG)

An RPG zine set in Ancient Greece for Dungeon Crawl Classics.

I have the first issue of AEON, and it is extremely well done. Backing the AEON: Ancient Greece Volume 2 - "Deeper into the Labyrinth Kickstarter was a no-brainer for me.

6 bucks in PDF, 10 bucks (plus shipping) for the print plus PDF.

Get ready to take your Greek themed campaign to the next level.

Published by Sharktopus Games and written by acclaimed author Christopher Willett (Prison of the Forgotten Goddess, Planeswalkers of Ravnica, Ravnica Revealed, Creature Compendium of Ravnica, Forces of the God-Pharoah, AEON: Ancient Greece Volume 1 and more), comes the second in the series of zines designed for Dungeon Crawl Classics set in Ancient Greece.

For those who got Volume 1 and managed to defeat Asterion the Minotaur and escape from the deadly labyrinth alive. Volume 2 picks up where volume 1 ends…

*IMPORTANT*: While it’s helpful, we designed this adventure specifically so you don’t need to own volume 1 in order to play and enjoy this second issue.


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 affiliate programs that support 
The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

OSR Christmas Day 8 - Gifting the Gifts

We are sneaking up on Christmas in three days. I'm not sure whether OSR Christmas Day 9 will fall on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself, so check in on Saturday at the very least. It should be epic (OSR Christmas Day 13 will finish us for the year on Three Kings Day - January 6th, 2022).

Tomorrow I am catching up on emails, so if you haven't emailed yet to claim an earlier gift, now's the time to do so.

The gifts being gifted below are for Day 8 of OSR Christmas. See if you are being gifted:

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

goeticgeek

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

Eldric IV

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Haunt of the Kraken PDF for C&C (anywhere in the world)

GMJasonGURPS

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

IL

The above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. Put OSR Christmas Day 8 in the subject.

Thanks to all of the gifters and to all those commenting. We are just about halfway through OSR Christmas with plenty more surprises to come :)


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 affiliate programs that support 
The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Humble Bundle is Awash with Tabletop RPG Bundles Right Before Christmas

There are a number of Tabletop RPG Bundles available at Humble Bundle at the moment, and I will list them below. It should be noted that you can gift Humble Bundles (I was gifted a bundle a number of years ago) and said bundles can make for nice gifts for the gamemaster in your life (if you wish to steer them towards a new system - hint, hint) or inexpensive gifts (at the lower price points) for the players in your group.

It should be noted, that if you use any of the links below, they are affiliate links that will go to support The Tavern. If that makes you uncomfortable, you can always go directly to the Humble Bundle site and avoid the affiliate links completely. The choice is yours.

In no particular order, the Tabletop RPG Bundles are:

Cyberpunk by R. Talsorian - If you are looking for Cyberpunk 2020 you'll likely be well covered. You can even get the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit. 18 bucks get you 30 releases, and as always you can scale down to pay less.

Digital Dungeon Maps, Tokens, & Assets featuring Alyssa Faden - a true smorgasbord of gaming resources. Alyssa's attention to detail in her maps is second to none.

Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner's Bundle - one of the best values in tabletop RPGs was the Pathfinder First Edition Beginner Box. It was a version of Pathfinder I would be willing to play, but the value of the included pogs/tokens is second to none. The PF2 Beginner Box ALSO has the pogs/tokens (I own it - my only PF2 purchase - can't speak for the rules but the contents give value for money). This bundle gives the option of receiving a physical Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner's Box. There is also a Fantasy Grounds Pathfinder First Edition Ultimate GM Kit Bundle available. (edit - I initially mislabeled this for 2e)

Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius - I should pick this bundle up just to see Gareth Skarka's pen name in print ;)

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 affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Monday, December 20, 2021

OSR Christmas - Day 8 - Haunt of the Kraken & More Goodies (and Gifts awarded for Day 7)



OSR Christmas. Never duplicated, but it should be. 

Day 8 of OSR Christmas is back to a two-day turnaround. This means you have about 48 hours to get your comments in.

You'll need to check back each day to see if you are gifted, as well as comment each day to be eligible to be gifted for each of those days.

Note, there are still unclaimed gifts from prior days of OSR Christmas. (Another note: I have emails from some recent gift receivers that still must be read and forwarded from Days 5 and 6. You are not forgotten, I've just been juggling many balls :)

The gifts being gifted below are for Day 7 of OSR Christmas. See if you are being gifted:

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

Johnathan

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

Baron Greystone

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

Dave Thompson

The gifts being offered for Day 8 of OSR Christmas are as follows. Note, you need to indicate if you are located in the US if you wish to be considered for a US-Only gift, or elsewhere for a non-US gift. Comments close at 10 PM Eastern 12/22/2021. Just under 48 hours to make your comment as I post this. Get at it!

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Haunt of the Kraken PDF for C&C (anywhere in the world)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

The above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. Put OSR Christmas Day 6 in the subject.

We have more goodies in the hopper, and if all of the planning goes off correctly, there should be three days of OSR Christmas for Christmas Week itself.

Thanks to all of the gifters and to all those commenting. We are just about halfway through OSR Christmas with plenty more surprises to come :)


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 affiliate programs that support 
The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Just Some Random Musings on OSR Magic Stuff (ok, Ramblings)

Just Some Random Musings on OSR Magic Stuff (ok, Ramblings)
So I might have mentioned that in my bi-weekly OSR (BX) game my Magic User has made it to the coveted 5th level, AKA "Enchanter" (Note: I checked I did mention it on December 5th....must be extra special proud of this occasion).

Now it has been my general experience, gaming wise, that most Magic Users are run by players that also GM. I don't know if it's a factor of the extra "stuff" that can go into playing a Magic User, the extra details having to do with spell casting, or maybe that GMs acting as players like to be able and sit back a bit more during games (low-level Magic Users are largely strap-hangers for a long time). In some, possibly crunchier games, it can be hard to play "stupid" since you have GM knowledge and maybe running a naturally smarter PC helps. My 7th level HackMaster Double Specialist Invoker had an Intelligence of 21......and hopefully that's my one HackMaster reference for the post (doubtful).

One thing I do really enjoy in a less "crunchy" OSR game is magic in general. Since I'm sitting at someone else's table (so to speak since I'm in an online game) I might have some some assumptions about how the magical world works, but I'm constantly surprised by how another GM interprets or even tweaks their particular campaign/game wurld/rules.

For example I have a list of spells my PC already knows and they're in my spell book. Now I've gone above & beyond statting out my spellbook particulars, largely using HackMaster 4th edition rules.....because I want to. It's probably more something that my GM can handicap with in the future, but whatever. I also currently have a captured and I know what spells are in that particular book. When my PC leveled the GM had me roll up a new spell and *ding* that's a spell I now know. While he was at it he had me make a few other rolls and *ding* there were some other spells I was automagically able to figure out. The rationale was that I'd been kind-of taught these spells before, but I just couldn't "get them" until this point. Since this was an OSR game and not my all-too-often-referenced HackMaster, this was pretty much handwaved as opposed to the result of a bunch of tables after having ponied up a bunch of GP and formally sent my Enchanter off to a training school to formally level up.

Close enough to the same results but this go-around was so much less constrained and clearly simpler. The thing is I don't think I'd have done this easy hand-waving bit if our roles were reversed. I'm not even sure it would have occurred to me. Now I may very well have sent the PC to do some research/mentee program and used those HackMaster tables for the results and hand-waived the nit-picky costs and formal schooling bit, and maybe even tweaked the results as needed, but to skip the tables entirely? Probably not.

Probably just me. I clearly like coming up with, or straight up "borrowing" cool tables and using them in my game. I prefer the creativity of coming up with possible results and letting the dice fall where they may (that tweaking earlier wasn't so much results based, but which tables and modifiers to use).

Now in this case my PC automagically knew those spells, but the GM could have had me roll to see if I actually understood them, based on my INT. Access to said spells is, or could be, one part of the equation. The ability to comprehend could be another. Is there a maximum number of spells of each level my PC is able to learn? Again, these are already HackMaster concepts, but I've seen a mix and match in other systems as well. I could very well see my GM not having these limits because of reasons, but I could also see being presented with a "You already know 8 1st level spells, well that's your limit........" and I don't think I'd even be mad because in-character how the hell would you know there's a hard 8 spells per level limit? Sure maybe knowing there is a limit, but the actual number....meta-gaming right there.

Having played such a strict, crunchy, game for so long (it was strict for the purposes of Tournament play....it didn't have to be otherwise). Not knowing things is really getting back to the OSR roots, more rulings than rules. Of course this particular GM has a tendency to through new OSR supplement ideas at us for playtesting, so even if I knew the original rules front & back I'd still have plenty of new stuff coming my way if we were playing with a more strict direct interpretation of the BX game.

If you're coming to the Tavern from a stricter game, like HackMaster or one of the more current editions of D&D, you might enjoy picking up some dice and playing in an OSR game.

Saturday, December 18, 2021

Day 7 of OSR Christmas, Because Great things come in Threes (and check to see if you are being gifted from Day 6)


OSR Christmas. Never duplicated, but it should be. 

Day 7 of OSR Christmas is back to a two-day turnaround. Three days of OSR Christmas in three days, can there be anything sweeter?

You'll need to check back each day to see if you are gifted, as well as comment each day to be eligible to be gifted for each of those days.

Note, there are still unclaimed gifts from Day 1 and Day 2 of OSR Christmas. (Another note: I have emails from some recent gift receivers that still must be read and forwarded from Days 4 and 5. You are not forgotten, I've just been juggling many balls :)

The gifts being gifted below are for Day 6 of OSR Christmas. See if you are being gifted:

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

Aidan The Hostile

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

JasperAK

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

Holiest of Rages

The above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. Put OSR Christmas Day 6 in the subject.

The gifts being offered for Day 7 of OSR Christmas are as follows. Note, you need to indicate if you are located in the US if you wish to be considered for a US-Only gift, or elsewhere for a non-US gift. Comments close at 9 PM Eastern 12/20/2021. Just under 48 hours to make your comment as I post this. Get at it!

Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

If the list looks identical to Day 6, it is :) We have more goodies in the hopper, and if all of the planning goes off correctly, there should be three days of OSR Christmas for Christmas Week itself.

Thanks to all of the gifters and to all those commenting. We are just about halfway through OSR Christmas with plenty more surprises to come :)

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 affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on AnchorYouTubeor wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

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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