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.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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?
The Tower of 10,000 Floors
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By Play The Pulp ProductionsGeneric/Universal A quick minidungeon, visit a
few floors of the mad wizards tower. OSR-system neutral. My first dungeon,
made ...
How the local church became evil
-
*d12 Reasons why the local church is corrupt*1 The local community was
taken over by a cult already who helped replace true clergy
2 New clergy were rep...
Weekly Wrapup 5/23/2025
-
- Basically no gaming this week. Lots of grappling practice. One of my
friends is competing for the first time tomorrow so that's dominated my
time.
- I d...
Evolved - Part III (Judge Material)
-
In Evolved (and all other Crawl Classics games) the gamemaster is referred
to as the judge. While it's not used throughout the beginning of the Judge
secti...
Community Greyhawk: Citadel Cavitius
-
Today we look at a new book by a name that should be familiar to readers
and viewers of my YouTube channel; Christopher Hamwell. Citadel Cavitius:
Expandin...
Fantasy Fridays: Daggerheart, Part 1
-
[image: Daggerheart]
I had a plan for today, but I want to put that off till later. Mostly
because I was not ready since I was too busy with today's new ...
Dark Tower (1979)
-
From the back cover:
*An Ancient Evil* has overtaken a once holy shrine. Thus, a sleepy mountain
hamlet becomes a focal point for mysterious disappear...
A Review of 'Memoirs of Hadrian'
-
(My friend and I did a multi-hour podcast on this. You can listen to it
here.)
A slender and capacious book, like the shadow of a flame on sunlit marble.
...
Link: Taskerland on NSR
-
This feels a bit like the old days, when we used to have a discourse about
the RPG world between our sites. Taskerland also has some things to say
about wh...
How Did they Die?
-
Old characters in *Mythic Bastionland* stand a chance of just dying
off-screen between Ages.
But what happened to that person?
*Roll d66*
11: The life...
Progress With My Card Game
-
On February 9, 2018 I was struck with inspiration for a card game idea that
I brought to Gary Con 10 and play tested away most of the rough edges. I
had th...
Pulp: Adventure Location: Trindade & Martim Vaz
-
History is fractally interesting. Start examine any event, or following any
citation, and interesting facts emerge. But some places, for whatever
reason,...
grodog's Top 10 Favorite Greyhawk Adventures
-
On tonight's *Gabbin #353* "The Top Published Greyhawk Adventures!" show,
Jay Scott, Anna Meyer, and Mike Bridges feature Erik Mona, Carlos Lising,
and J...
A long, wonderful life
-
This week my wife and I said goodbye to one of our babies. Maddie had just
hit 17 years old on Monday and left us on Thursday. It was heartbreaking as
we w...
OSRIC the Third
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The wise sages at Mythmere Games are hard at work on the third version of
*OSRIC* (“Old School Reference and Index Compilation”). You can support
this proj...
Tripping the Death-Cult OSR...
-
So last month (I don't remember when) I read a bog post (I don't remember
which, except that it wasn't previously familiar) explaining old-school D&D
in ...
Playing at the World 2E V2 Arrives
-
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 ...
FDM Bergman PzII
-
Carrying on with my plan to paint up a whole lot of old stuff that I
printed ages — sometimes years — ago, I've whacked out this early-model
Panzer II ...
Adventure Writing Session Turns Into a Hex Crawl
-
Last Thursday I got on to do another Adventure Writing Session and Paul
Turner joined me. We decided to use his zine, Critical Hit to roll up a hex
flowe...
[BLOG] News on the March! Episode VII.
-
This post continues the series of brief play reports I have been posting on
Discord. This does not cover every single session (sometimes, recon and
setup...
Blogs on Tape season 6 has begun!
-
Hi everybody! Its been a minute. How are you? Everything is awful all the
time? Horrors never cease? You’re being driven mad by the weight of the
unfathoma...
Should you PAY your GM?
-
Let's start with the conclusion: GM-for-pay is okay.
In other words: there is nothing wrong with paying someone to run a game
for you, or charging people f...
36 units sold on day one
-
Not big Kickstarter-type numbers or anything but still pretty personally
gratifying to me, because 1) it'a more copies than the first book sold on
its fi...
On the Success of the VOTE
-
You voted for it, and it's here!
All the prices on the books I sell on DTRPG will be rising in price, 40-50%
so I can maintain the same margin as now!
...
Fight On! number 16 is out.
-
The new issue of *Fight On!* has been out for a bit. You can get copies via
drivethru or lulu.
I haven't finished reading my copy, but I'd like to reco...
The Hungering Dark
-
Go into the earth, and reality will walk alongside you.
Walk further, and you will eventually be walking alone.
The world is plastic down there. Tar Lat...
Hobby Bingo 2025: January Progress
-
Welcome back to the Vault! I've painted a few bits and pieces in January
and made a dent into my Hobby Bingo card! First up is a Chaplain in
Terminator ...
Articulations
-
Creating house rules, custom rules specific to a local group or campaign,
has been common throughout the history of D&D. What makes an effective
house rule...
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
-
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...
It's been a bit
-
Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well! I've had a lot going on and
haven't had much time to blog lately. Heres a recap of gaming events and
other st...
*'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...
This is an Important Game Mechanic
-
*"That's the GM's Regional Map from my AOWG. And it's a damned good
regional map. It's not a good map for a Simple Homebrew Campaign. It does
some s$&...
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 ...
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...
And Now the News Draft Download on Patreon
-
It's self-styled Throwback Thursday and *having just released the 34-page
draft booklet of Hill Cantons news to my Patreon backers* I am going to
indulge m...
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 ...
