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Saturday, May 8, 2021

Ken Whitman's Deck Dice are At The Printers! ROFLMMFAO!!!

I was sent the above screenshot by a Taverner. Apparently, Kenny has a new scam scheme, deception, criminal enterprise, crowdfunding idea he intends to spring on his adoring fans.

I expect Ken will be seeking additional funds. This Kickstarter was due back in August of 2015.

If any readers backed any of Ken's other scams Kickstarters and he updates the project, I'd appreciate a screenshot. I can be reached at tenkarsDOTtavernAT that gmail thing. Put "ConMan Ken" in the subject to make sure I see it :)


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 AnchorYouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Friday, May 7, 2021

DTRPG SciFi Sale - Tavern Picks - Part the First

There is currently a SciFi Sale going on over at DriveThruRPG. Some discounts are as high as 33% (and much is lower than 33%). I'll be covering some Tavern Picks that are 33% off.

Hmmm, this may will take up multiple posts...

Stars Without Number: Revised Edition - is an old-school-inspired game of sci-fi adventure, one built from the ground up to encourage sandbox play and simplify a GM's job in providing it. Familiar mechanics are employed to forge new worlds and explore new possibilities, guidelines built on long experience used to help a group venture in wholly new directions. 20.00  13.39


ALIEN RPG Core RulebookSpace is vast, dark, and not your friend. Gamma rays and neutrino bursts erupt from dying stars to cook you alive, black holes tear you apart, and the void itself boils your blood and seizes your brain. Try to scream and no one can hear you—hold your breath and you rupture your lungs. Space isn’t as empty as you’d think, either—its frontiers are ever-expanding. Rival governments wage a cold war of aggression while greedy corporations vie for valuable resources. Colonists reach for the stars and gamble with their lives—each new world tamed is either feast or famine.  24.99  16.74

Traveller Core Rulebook -A brand new edition of Traveller is now available - based on the original but tweaked, finessed and updated through a massive months-long beta playtest by you, the players! Traveller is a science fiction roleplaying game of bold explorers and brave adventurers. The Traveller Core Rulebook contains everything you need to create one of these adventurers and begin exploring the galaxy. Spaceports, ancient civilisations, air/rafts, cold steel blades, laser carbines, far distant worlds, and exotic alien beasts – this is the futuristic universe of Traveller, the original and classic science fiction roleplaying game. 29.99  20.99

Shadowrun: Fifth Edition Core Rulebook (Master Index Edition) and Shadowrun, Sixth World Core Rulebook - can't decide which edition of Shadowrun to get? Get 'em both ;) - There are cracks in the world. They’re slender, dark, and often cold, but they are the only things that keep you hidden. Keep you alive. They are the shadows of the world, and they are where you live. You are a shadowrunner, thriving in the margins, doing the jobs no one else can. You have no office, no permanent home, no background to check. You are whatever you make
yourself. Will you seek justice? Sow seeds of chaos? Sell out to the highest bidder? It’s up to you, but this much is certain: If you do nothing, the streets will eat you alive. You can survive, even flourish, as long as you do what it takes. Sacrifice part of your soul for bleeding-edge gear. Push the limits of your will learning new and dangerous magic. Wire yourself into the Matrix, making your mind one with screaming streams of data. It’ll cost you something—everything does—but you can make it worth the price.

Either one - 19.99  13.39


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 AnchorYouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Thursday, May 6, 2021

Kickstarter - RPG Sidequest Decks (Sytem Neutral)


Every card is a mini-adventure! A map on one side, outline on the other: GM info, story hooks, encounter plot points, & follow-up ideas.

A few years ago, after I retired and well before The Year of the Pandemic, I was in a face-to-face gaming group out in Suffolk County, New York. We had been playing AD&D 1e for months (although it could have been for years as I joined late in the campaign). Our regular DM decided to take a break, and I was tasked with running the next campaign. The issue at hand was I did not know I was tasked with running the said campaign and had nothing prepared for the session. Ack!

I had the group take 10 minutes and I got to work. I pulled out a handy RPG Sidequest Deck from Inkwell that I had purchased prior and always carried in my Gaming GoTo Bag for just such an emergency. I quickly found a map that inspired me, made a few notes based on the short write-up on the card and did some fleshing out, broke out the Swords & Wizardry Light Rules, and we were rolling characters at the end of the prior promised 10 minutes. Three hours later we finished up a full and fulfilling gaming session.

I simply LOVE Inkwell's SideQuest Decks, and I'm happy to say I'm backing the RPG SideQuest Decks Kickstarter. A single deck is 12 bucks, 10 decks are 100 bucks. (I'll let you guess how many decks I'm backing for ;) Honestly, you can't go wrong, especially if you are a DM that likes to run games by the seat of your pants.

Sidequest Decks are system agnostic tabletop RPG plot outlines & maps. They  are perfect to pull out when your players unexpectedly take a casual  comment for a story hook and you need an adventure idea, or for planning  what dangers lurk in your kingdom. You may even chain several together for an entire campaign!

Each poker-sized card has a map on one side and a mini-adventure outline on the other side. The outline starts with a short description for the GM.  (Skim these to find an adventure that fits the circumstances.) Choose  between a couple of story hooks to get the adventure started. Next several encounter ideas move the game along. Customize them to match what your players do (drop some, change them to fit circumstances). Finally each card wraps up with one or two follow-up adventure ideas.

We've made 11 of these decks over the past few years, and now we're planning four more.


 

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 AnchorYouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Wednesday, May 5, 2021

Zak S vs Gen Con Lawsuit - All Current Paperwork for Your Perusal

I've been doing a deep dive into the Zak S vs Gen Con lawsuit that was dismissed last Friday, with prejudice. While the dive is certainly interesting, I have no desire to give out info that is publicly available, if admtedly difficult to find, in dribs and drabs.

Therefore, I'm linking a Dropbox folder with all of the documentation from the lawsuit within it.

Here's the link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pjgit0b2qlt5uhe/AAAMTNKjKVOrq3L9rerELrFTa?dl=0

Enjoy. The link should be live at least through the weekend.

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 AnchorYouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Zak S vs Gen Con Lawsuit - I'm Digging Through a Document Dump

As always, a HUGE thank you to the Tavern's Community, as it was a member of the community that got me a full document dump of the lawsuit of Zak ' vs Gen Con, which was dismissed on April 30th, 2021.

I'll be delving into the rabbit hole today (and I expect longer). 

Those that want to hear my reactions to, and interpretations of, the documents I'll be reviewing, are advised to follow The Tavern's YouTube Channel at:

YouTube.com/TenkarsTavern

I'll be using the blog to share relevant documents, like the screenshot above.

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 AnchorYouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Zak S' Lawsuit Against Gen Con WAS Dismissed - Full Document Attatched

Thanks to JoetheLawyer, we got to see the original document from the King Count, Washington Court dismissing Zak S' lawsuit against Gen Con. It still needs to be filed - thus it is with Zoom court sessions in the world of Covid.

I did the attached video a few minutes before Joe got his hands on the original document, so now we know it was truly dismissed.

Last week's YouTube recap may be delayed ;)

edit - We should have access to all of the paperwork filed and generated for this case. I'll read through it tomorrow and share what I can.

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 AnchorYouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar


Monday, May 3, 2021

Deal of the Day - Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe Edition

If you are an OSR gamer, you've probably heard of the Low Fantasy Gaming RPG, if you haven't already played it. It's an old-school rulest with a huge amount of flexibility and just the right amount of deadliness (along with some ideas borrowed from 5e). I've played in a few sessions of Low Fantasy Gaming and they were a blast. The classes all seemed to have their own shine and time in the limelight in each session.

Normally 20 bucks in PDF, until tomorrow morning Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe Edition is on sale in PDF for 10 bucks. If I didn't already own the PDF I'd jump on this.

Low Fantasy Gaming is a tabletop RPG built for gritty adventures in low or moderate magic settings. It has simple rules, dangerous combat, flexible PC customization, and mysterious, unpredictable magic. Designed for short, episodic adventures in sandbox worlds, LFG provides the mechanics and tables needed for easy GM improvisation. It’s a heady mix of the best old school, modern, and new game design, wrapped around a familiar d20 core.


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 AnchorYouTube or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Sunday, May 2, 2021

Finding Some RPG Art (Attend a Con!)

 

Finding Some RPG Art (Attend a Con!)
One thing I like to do when travelling, more travelling for fun than for work, is to bring home some artwork. Since a lot of my "fun" trips are gaming/convention related, I tend to pick up RPG art.

Now I've been really lucky over the years......helps that one con I went to every year had a huge art auction for their charity efforts. Mostly smaller local/regional artists that you wouldn't know (but should.....if they still painted)

My whopping three visits to North Texas has gotten me some larger or better known artists. I was able to pick up an original Doug Kovacs ink used in the original Dungeon Crawl Classics book (and all subsequent reprints IIRC). I've managed to pick up some Diesel prints which are simply HUGE. I will have to re-do the matboard for one of the prints as the upper left corner is messed up a bit. 

On a side-note, if you can cut mat board well (I've done ok up to that one attempt), you can either cut plexiglass with a fine-tooth table saw blade or even have the big-box home supply store cut glass/plexi for you. Couple with some reasonably priced frame pieces ("chops") and you can frame your own art for probably less than a 1/4 of the price of getting it done "professionally".

Special note/plea: I was going to my favorite frame supply place online so I could provide link to you fine folks, only to discover that they've closed up shop/retired after 48 years in business. They literally closed up shop last Friday. If you have a good alternative please, leave me a comment so I can check them out.....I still have stuff to finish framing!

I also managed to pick up a Jeff Easley artist proof last year, which I'm going to hang by the trio of Elmore prints I picked up years ago at GenCon.

Now I've clearly thrown around a few big names who might very well be on people's wish-lists. I've got some pieces by some "big names" that might not be so big to other people, namely Jolly Blackburn and the Fraim Brothers. Now I've "showed off" Jolly's print (it is still one of my most prized possessions) and I know if talked about the Fraim Brothers, but probably on one of my other blogs.

Fraim Bros Commission

I really do want to sing the Fraim Bros praises for a hot minute here, if not for the reason that they were the inspiration for todays post in the first place. Now if you read The Knights of the Dinner Table you've undoubtedly seen their work. The thing is these two brothers are.....prolific, AND they take reasonable commissions. I've commissioned them I think four times now to do character portraits for me and my (ex) wife's PCs, and I've been blown away. At $50 a pop, so worth it! Turn-around on their website is listed as 2-4 weeks, but every time for me was less than a week. The picture on the right was off their old website.....and one of my ex's PCs. It's subtle, but you can actually tell she's missing a finger on her right hand!

Now they only take commissions that "interest them", but what I think helps is to just let them go nuts. What I did was describe each PC in detail, but only a paragraph or so and made it clear that I'm looking for their take on what I gave them and not a graphical representation of what's in my head. I think giving the artist carte blanche and letting them know I'm not expecting a bunch of approvals and revisions is important. First, they are more likely to accept the commission, and second......well let's face it: You're hiring them for their expertise! There is no way I could have envisioned a better "picture" of Arainell (pictured here) that what they came up with.

$1 Tina Bongomo Illustration

Now I have smaller pieces from even smaller artists that I got here & there for a buck or five. I like the tables at the "Artist Alley", assuming the con has one, and if they're offering a small print for a few bucks or even some on-the-spot "Draw your PC for (usually $1-$5)".....I'm down. I'll pick up a badly printed piece of decent art or commission a cheap PC portrait in a heartbeat. I might only use the portrait for one game, but it's all good. This piece on the Left was a $1/60 second art piece of my Dwarven PC. All I said was "Male Dwarf with a big-assed hammer". I think she actually took about two and a half minutes, but who am I to complain. BTW you can find the artist (Tina Bongomo) here.

I actually have all of my RPG art, save one huge HackMaster Poster framed and up on my walls or on my bookcases. I'd guesstimate that it's a good 50/50 split between larger and smaller pieces. I've run into a bunch of folks that have said something to the effect of "I'd love to get some RPG art....but..."

....but nothing. I originally started this post with the intent of highlighting a single commission artist (well a pair of brothers, but still), but it got me thinking about RPG artists in general. I can tell you that outside of the rare piece at a FLGS (which is almost never for sale), you generally have to go somewhere the artist has the opportunity to reach a large audience....like a convention. If you can pry yourself away from the gaming table, and away from the dealer room, visit the Artist Alley. Smaller cons tend to put the Artist Alley in with the dealers and if you can find an artist self-publishing some RPG material you might find they have original art as well, though that's more a side thing for their table. 

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