I've stepped away from doing reviews over the past few years, as I always felt conflicted about doing reviews for products that I could financially benefit from via affiliate sales.
Over the past few months, I've picked up (or ordered in the case of GiantLands) a number of RPG products directly from the publisher. Good or bad, the best deals for these products likely will be directly from the publisher (as the price will often include PDFs for instant gratification (GiantLands is an exception - no PDF).
I want to start delving through these acquisitions with a critical eye. The first will likely be the RuneQuest Starter Set, which is looking really good to my initial eyes.
More in the next few days :)
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.
You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Holy Christmas! I can't believe we are actually here. OSR Christmas Day 13, Three Kings Day!
Today is a HUGE day. Lots of Gifts. And to be honest, I may have forgotten one or two with the Omicron brain fog. So, if you are donating for OSR Christmas, and I've missed something, PLEASE PM me on Facebook or email me and I'll add it to the list of gifts.
But first, we need to gift the gifts from OSR Christmas Day 12:
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)
Mickey G!
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North Texas RPG Convention Mystery Gift Bundle (US Only - direct from the NTRPG Warehouse)
Torchlight Issue #1 - Print (Limited Print Run - Signed by Tenkar if Requested - US Only)
dogrodeo
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ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.
IL
Now, on to OSR Christmas Day 13!
Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away One of Nearly Everything Arduin, in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package) This is THE ARDUIN PACKAGE!
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Frog God Games Gift Bundle - Stoneheart Value and 4 Modules for Swords & Wizardry (US Only - direct from the NTRPG Warehouse)
FloofQuest in Print by Lloyd Metcalf (US Only - Shipped by Tenkar, so figure in COVID delay ;)
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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.
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One $25 DTRPG Gift Certificate - Anywhere
Comment below, indicating if you are within the US or outside the US (sadly, it matters for certain things that are shipped) by 9 PM Eastern, Thursday, January 13th, 2022 to be considered for a gift.
Yes, a full week to enter.
Seriously, thanks to all, the gifters and commenters both, for making this the best OSR Christmas ever.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.
You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
The Expanse on Amazon Prime is wrapping up its final season, and damn what a wonderful ride it has been. So, it's no surprise that Bundle of Holding has relaunched The Expanse RPG and Modern AGE Bundle of Holding.
Now, you should note that although The Expanse RPG takes the first position in this offering's title, you'll need to kick in at the higher LEVEL UP pricing to get The Expanse Material (currently nearly 31 bucks).
There's talk in my Monday group about running an Expanse game arc next month. Exciting times :)
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.
You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
For those following at home, Rach and I started coming down with Omicron symptoms last Wednesday, and Rach tested positive last Thursday. The worst has been the brain fog. It cleared for a few hours late yesterday afternoon, but returned last night. I HAVE NOT looked at/read/forwarded ANY emails since, and likely will not until it clears again.
Thankfully I used the hours of clarity to clear out a huge backlog of OSR Christmas emailed gift claims.
If you claimed a gift from OSR Christmas Day 10 or before and don't hear anything in the next 5 days or so, email me again. I'm currently a bit addled ;)
Now I need to truly focus and award the gifts for OSR Christmas Day 11.
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)
Torchlight Issue #1 - Print (Limited Print Run - Signed by Tenkar if Requested - US Only)
Doug
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.
Dave Thompson
Note, the above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing with OSR Christmas Day 11 in the subject and the gift you are claiming in the body of the email. Anything that will help my brain fogged mind ;)
Addendum - Torchlight mailings are likely delayed due to brain fog and quarantining.
Now, on to the gifting for OSR Christmas Day 12!
Woot!
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
North Texas RPG Convention Mystery Gift Bundle (US Only - direct from the NTRPG Warehouse)
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.
Comment below, indicating if you are within the US or outside the US (sadly, it matters for certain things that are shipped) by 9 PM Eastern, Thursday, January 6th, 2022 to be considered for a gift.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.
You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
For those following at home, Rach and I started coming down with Omicron symptoms last Wednesday, and Rach tested positive last Thursday. The worst has been the brain fog, which lifted late this afternoon, but seems to be returning as I type this.
Thankfully I used the hours of clarity to clear out a huge backlog of OSR Christmas emailed gift claims.
If you claimed a gift from OSR Christmas Day 9 or before and don't hear anything in the next 48 hours or so, email me again. I'm currently a bit addled ;)
Now I need to truly focus and award the gifts for OSR Christmas Day 10.
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)
Torchlight Issue #1 - Print (Limited Print Run - Signed by Tenkar if Requested - US Only)
Vance A
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.
macloud
Note, the above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing with OSR Christmas Day 10 in the subject and the gift you are claiming in the body of the email. Anything that will help my brain fogged mind ;)
Addendum - Torchlight mailings are likely delayed due to brain fog and quarantining.
Now, on to the gifting for OSR Christmas Day 11!
Woot!
(Day 11 looks much like Day 10 ;)
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)
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.
Comment below, indicating if you are within the US or outside the US (sadly, it matters for certain things that are shipped) by 9 PM Eastern, Tuesday, January 4th, 2022 to be considered for a gift.
Yes, it is a quick turn around, but Days 12 and 13 are coming up and you don't want to miss out :)
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.
You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Today I'm travelling for work and I'd normally pre-load a post or ask Erik to cover, but he's sick and since it's been more than a year since I've traveled (thanks Covid!) my ability to properly prep/manage my pre-trip time socks more than it should.
The great thing about travelling, gaming-wise, is that I get the chance to (hopefully) find some new game stores. My last trip I mentioned a cool couple of finds, one in Kansas City KS, and the other in Ames IA.
I've been to this location a few times before and there is a cool hole-in-the-wall store I like to drop by, but I'm hoping I get a chance to branch out a bit more.
The thing is, and this is something I really should bug Erik about, is that we need our own (managed) listing of Favorite Local Game Stores (FLGS). Probably something to go along with a convention listing. I've found some gems in my travels, but really only by dumb luck. I've always wondered how many great stores (and finds within!) I've just driven past. A couple of years ago I spent almost a month in Florida and I didn't find diddly-squat.....but I bet there was a great store I just couldn't locate.
I really miss the days of ads in the back of Dragon Magazine.....but those days I didn't travel very much.
I know there might be some listing to be had somewhere.....anyone care to share some links?
Your Advanced Player’s Handbook
-
Depending upon your point of view, when it comes to roleplaying games, we
live in an age blessed or cursed by choice. There are too many to choose
from, t...
October Movie Challenge: Monster Marathon
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[image: Blood Tide (1982)]
It's the weekend, and that means double feature time. Though I am likely to
hit more double features snce I still have a lot of m...
Adventures in Gloomwood
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By Roberto MarcariniOld School FoxOSELevels 3-4 Beyond those tangled
boughs, deep within the forest, the cure that could save Baron Duncan
Bravewater and h...
Basil and Pandora
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Just to make a change from tiny aeroplanes for a moment, here are a couple
of character minis I made for a *Fantasy Hero* campaign I was running,
years...
Mini Thoughts: When the sculpt starts to bug you
-
Have you ever found yourself working on a mini, and there’s something about
it that just… isn’t right? Some aspect of the sculpt that just feels wrong?
L...
Unfulfilled Aspirations
-
Sometimes it’s enough to know that something is possible, even if you never
achieve it.
I’m drawn back to playing Frontier as a kid. I played a lot of t...
5e-splaining the OSR
-
I recently watched an interesting YouTube video in which Ben Milton and
somebody I have not heard of before called Daði discuss, among other
things, OSR ...
Free GM Resource: d4 Caltrops
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[image: Free GM Resource: d4 Caltrops]
This week's Free GM Resource is a blog with, at the time of this post, 319
random tables. Now d4 Caltrops has more ...
Simple Transit Tables & Rates
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Just some tables for land and sea trips
*Coach Rates*
-cross a city ward 1cp 10-30 minutes
-cross a city ward in a posh ...
The Spellbooks of Mydwandr...
-
Spellcasters in the *Mydwandr* RPG (and its eponymous setting) exploit a
natural talent known to few beyond the mysterious elves, shaping the
materials o...
Money in Mutants & Wizards
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Money and wealth is always an issue in Post-apoc gaming. Mutants & Wizards
uses precious metals with the expectation of bartering occurring where
that's ...
Geeky SKAturday: The Family Business Ltd.
-
Life is wild. Sometimes I'll have a stretch of time where I feel like I'm
truly in a groove accomplishing the things I was presumably put upon this
planet...
Crypts and Things: Deal of the Day at DriveThruRPG
-
I thought that I would mention that my favourite OSR ("Old School
Renaissance") RPG -- *Crypts and Things* -- is currently on sale (60% off
the PDF!) at ...
Why is the Ogre there?
-
Joe's post on the Quantum Ogre raises an old question about sandbox play:
when does moving an encounter around interfere with players' freedom to
decide...
Dragonne #2 now available
-
The second issue of Dragonne is now available! BRW Games’ occasional
journal of old-school gaming is back with two new features; To subscribe
for free, and...
Vanishing Blogs From The Old Days
-
There are so many RPG related blogs on every genre and category of RPG.
Periodically I discover that another blog is no more when an app on my blog
reports...
Murder mystery
-
The local adventurers guild named "fernleaf and associates" is basically a
sleuthing agency. The patron is an older elf named Flynn fernleaf. He
pays wel...
The Common Store of Monsters
-
I am slowly grinding my way through the re-writes for Veins of the Earth.
As part of the re-write I have re-organised the ‘Pariahs of the Earth’
monsters ...
The Old School (Hyperborean) Renaissance
-
Are these poorly-masked adventure hooks? Yes, yes they are.
For the last century a peculiar fever has gripped the learned societies of
Marlinko, Kezmaro...
Micro-Adventure - #114 RATS!
-
Dungeon tropes are a thing to embrace, not to dismiss. It's simple to
handwave the storm the orc infested tower to save the princess, evil wizard
in a t...
Moldvay Basic D&D now Available in Print
-
Just a quick note that (finally) Moldvay Basic D&D is available in POD from
DTRPG – previously, only the Cook/Marsh …
Continue reading →
Abstraction in My Liege,
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I think the aspect of *My Liege,* that could potentially put off the most
people is its lack of accounting granularity. It does not track Court
wealth in...
Consolidated AD&D Weapon Characteristics List
-
Having spent the last few days down a research rabbit hole, I ended up
compiling a chart of AD&D weapon characteristics, adding some "missing"
entries an...
Referee Sabotage
-
It is an old saw that players are bad at executing their plans. Imagine
this common scene: the party have some big job that requires planning;
perhaps robb...
On a Happy New Year
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We are about to experience the most social upheaval since industrialization.
What will that look like in sixty years?
Sinless is starting it's third yea...
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*,
...
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...
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...
Playing at the World 2E V2 Arrives
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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 ...
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...
The Tarot of Pips
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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...
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...
*'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...
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...
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 ...
The Worm Ouroboros
-
The Worm Ouroboros is a proto-fantasy (the in the genre sense) novel by E.
R. Eddison, originally published in 1922. It is an amalgam of mythological
tradi...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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!
...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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*...
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...
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 ...
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...
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...
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 ...
