I'm always looking for short adventures. Lloyd is one of the better writer/artist combinations in the OSR. I always enjoy his work, and the price is right with Lloyd's Fehu Games OSR Short Halloween Quest for Swords and Wizardry project - 4 bucks for the PDF, 17 bucks for print, and 20 bucks for both. Full disclosure, I know Lloyd personally, and greatly respect him as a creative.
Justicar Kavendish sentenced the Wrenmarsh brothers to death via oubliettes. Little did he know the Wrenmarshes are masters of the assassins’ guild and much worse, so, fearing reprisal, he must escape the city to the family hunting cabin.
Can the heroes keep the Justicar safe? What is the hunting cabin? There may be much more to this simple request than a "walk in the park".
Game systems:
These adventures are written using the newest Swords & Wizardry game system from Mythmere Games. It is fully 1E / BX / OSE / OSR compatible with minimal adjustments. A digital copy of the game can be found free online, as well as the latest print editions for a very reasonable price.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
It's been a while since your bartender has done a State of the Tavern update. As there are some things "in the works", I figured today is as good a time as any to make the announcements.
1 - I've been approached about participating in a licensed product's development based on a well-loved IP of yore. Too early to discuss details, but I am truly psyched. I'll need to find time in my busy retired guy day to accommodate this one ;)
2 - The Tavern's Substack - https://tenkarstavern.substack.com/ hasn't been updated in 3 months. Why? Because weekly was just too frequent for most of the channels we were highlighting, and it wasn't meant to simply highlight Your Bartender's Youtube Channel. So, it's going to be monthly. Secondly, we are going to add paid-for gaming content. I figure a short dungeon adventure (sort of like the one-page dungeon or a bit longer) would pay up to 25 bucks in DTRPG store credit, and a magic item write-up could be 5 bucks, a trap could be 5 bucks, etc. System neutral, so we won't need to worry about licenses. Authors retain all rights, The Tavern's Substack simply asks to publish it on Substack on a single post/issue. This would come from affiliate monies earned, and I like to give those back to the community when I can. Figure the budget will be around 50 bucks an issue, with a frequency of once a month, starting with November 2023.
3 - www.youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern - is doing well, but I want to reward our paying members. I'm thinking of doing a bonus episode or two each week, brainstorming gaming content, and releasing that for members a week before releasing it into the wild for everyone. I'm open to further ideas on this topic :)
That's all for now. Time to research how feasible it is to return to NYC tomorrow after today's flooding...
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
I'm a huge fan of Audiobooks. Whereas my mind is no longer wired to read 2 to 3 novels in a week (I'm lucky if I can hit that in a year these days) audiobook I can devour like candy.
The Iconic SciFi AudioBooks Bundle at Humble Bundle includes Larry Niven's Ringworld, a series that I always wanted to read but never did, and likely never would if it weren't for this bundle. The rest of the selection looks pretty good too. Huzzah!
In Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s bestselling Hell Divers series, you’ll explore the deadly skies of a blighted, war-ravaged Earth as humanity scavenges to survive. Close your eyes and tune into a selection of iconic sci-fi and fantasy series with this audiobook bundle from Blackstone Publishing! Discover the mysteries of an ancient cosmic artifact of mind-boggling scale in Larry Niven’s Hugo and Nebula award-winning Ringworld series. In the Runelords series by David Farland, you’re thrust into a fantasy world where great power can be transferred between beings—often at great cost. Immerse yourself in these beloved series and more—a total of 20 audiobooks—and help First Book’s mission to provide quality education for kids in need.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
No, not Monte Python's Flying Circus, but Flying Circus, the aviation-fantasy tabletop roleplaying game. So, what the heck is aviation-fantasy tabletop roleplaying?
Fly high with this new Flying Circus Bundle featuring Flying Circus, the Apocalypse Engine aviation-fantasy RPG from Newstand Press. In Flying Circus you're a fantasy adventurer, but instead of a sword and spells, you have an overworked biplane with rusty machine-guns – and you might still have to fight a dragon. Above the sprawling industrial-fantasy land of Himmelgard, daring pilots – heroes, knights errant, and scoundrels for hire – protect small rural communities beset by monsters, bandits, and tyrants. Flying Circus optimizes the Apocalypse Engine system to support highly detailed aircraft construction rules and an authentic (and authentically dangerous) flight experience that will charm fans of anime classics like Porco Rosso and Laputa.
For just US$12.95 you get all four titles in our Circus Collection (retail value $75) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete Flying Circus Core Rulebook, previously presented in our November 2020 Indie Cornucopia 8 (plus the free Aircraft Catalogue Core) along with the expansions Horrors of the Heights, Flights of Fancy, and First Flights.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Mention the name Phil Reed, and you immediately think of system-neutral resources for the harried DM. Phil literally gives you, the DM, the resources you need to zig when your players zag and to improvise with the best of them. The Collected Book of Rumors is such a tool, or rather, a collection of such tools.
A collection of over 200 rumors for use with any fantasy roleplaying game. The Book of Collected Rumors was constructed from the content of seventeen different PDFs from the A Dozen . . . series. This duplicates material from the below PDFs:
A Dozen Disconcerting Rumors
A Dozen Dreadful Rumors
A Dozen Sinister Rumors
A Dozen Dire Rumors
A Dozen Troubling Rumors
A Dozen Distressing Rumors
A Dozen Frightening Rumors
A Dozen Terrifying Rumors
A Dozen Whispered Rumors
A Dozen Auspicious Rumors
A Dozen Loathsome Rumors
A Dozen Ominous Rumors
A Dozen Troublesome Rumors
A Dozen Vexing Rumors
A Dozen Rumors of Other Places
A Dozen Rumors of Lost Treasures
A Dozen Malefic Rumors
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
It's been an interesting month with the different DTRPG Sales, as they've been rotating a new sale on a weekly basis. This week is a Cyberpunk Sale, so, let's find the deep price plunges.
Cyberpunk Redmarked down to 7.50 from 30.00 - Cyberpunk RED is the latest edition of the classic tabletop roleplaying game of the Dark Future and encompasses everything you need to explore the post-War world of the Time of the Red, including:
A dense, deep-dive into the history and geography of Night City and the greater Cyberpunk world, and plenty of the lore about the Time of the Red.
Ten unique Roles for you to play: charismatic Rockerboys, lethal Solos, quick-hacking Netrunners, inventive Techs, lifesaving (and taking) Medtechs, hard-hitting Medias, duty-bound Lawmen, scheming Execs, clever Fixers, and range-riding Nomads.
A huge collection of useful tools, powerful weapons, protective armor, and gleaming cyberware to help you rule the Street.
Three Screamsheet adventures to show you what Cyberpunk is all about.
Pregenerated opponents perfect for populating the Combat Zones and Corporate compounds, plus encounters that use them to bring the City to life.
official Altered Carbon role playing game based on the hit Netflix series, wear any body you can afford, transmit your mind across the cosmos in an instant, and, if you’ve got the credits and political cachet, re-sleeve time and again for centuries, accumulating enough wealth and power over the millennia to become the societal equivalent of an immortal god. Welcome to Bay City.
Included inside the Core Rulebook, you’ll find:
Rules to play Archetypes ranging from Socialites to Soldiers.
Explore the expansive metropolis Bay City in both its criminal Underground, and vaunted Aerium world of the immortal meths.
A highly customizable Trait and tech system.
Storytelling-focused rules, that help create dramatic tension inside of combat and intrigue outside combat.
The means in which to transfer your characters digital consciousness into a new sleeve should they come to a tragic end.
Opponents ranging from unhinged augmented thugs to cunning and manipulative political adversaries.
Carbon 2185 | A Cyberpunk RPG Core Rulebook - 4.90 from 24.48 - Play as a Cyberpunk, a rebel refusing to live life by the rules of the oppressive megacorporations that rule San Francisco in this high action tabletop roleplaying game by Robert Marriner-Dodds. Carbon 2185 gives you the chance to play in the cyberpunk worlds you've seen in movies, television shows, and video games. The Core Rulebook is the only thing you need to run and play hundreds of hours of games in the world of Carbon 2185. Carbon 2185 is a brand new tabletop roleplaying game built using the D&D 5e open game license, with all the magic, magical items, and fantasy elements removed, and replaced with cybernetic augmentations, upgradable and customizable weapons, and computer hacking skills.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
So I know that North Texas RPG Con is like 27 weeks away, but this weekend is the time to begin preparing for next year.
So the last 3, maybe 4 if you count the unintentional 1st time, conventions I've hosted a tasting event. Last year's event was...well it was interesting. By most accounts everyone had fun, except maybe me. The themed...libations....I had brought, at no small expense or effort, were simply atrocious. I mean they were bad. Everyone had fun in the shared misery and in making fun of the drinks.
It was a fair cop....the drinks were pretty bad.
Thing is that I brought an extra...a bonus...drink that was supposed to taste bad, at least relatively bad, but it ended up being the group's favorite.
A couple weeks ago I delivered a walnut liqueur to my Step-Father as souvenir from the same distillery that I got a few of the bad drinks from. I don't know why I'm actively trying to avoid saying "Whisky". That stuff.....that stuff was pretty much the best alcohol I've ever tasted. Seriously....as bad as all that whisky was, this walnut liqueur was on the opposite side of the taste spectrum. I'm going to try and see if I can get some more imported since I'm not going back to Germany anytime soon.
I've already go the Whisky procured for 2024. It's actually what I had originally planned for this year before I had an opportunity to try and get some Germany Whiskies (yes, it's a thing and if you're paying attention you already know it wasn't good....I think they need another couple hundred years to work on it) and when I had a friend visiting special for the con. 2024 will be themed like 2023 was and I plan on having coasters for the participants again, as well as a special bonus drink....but this time it'll be an actual drink, and just not a taste of an alcohol.
It's a custom drink I've made before, but the infused Whisky I use takes a month or two to...well infuse...and the main ingredient/mixer will take some time as well. Today was the first stage of work on those drinks. I am not willing to have a repeat of last year, so I'm starting now so I can re-do everything in time if needed.
In addition to working on next year's stuff I finally managed to bag and box my various Zines I mentioned, I don't know....months ago. I got the bags easily enough and managed to figure out that a certain size magazine board cut in half fit the bags perfectly. I just had to spend some time to fix my paper slicer....ends up it was easier than anticipated.
The zines do fit amazingly well in those cheap Harbor Freight ammo boxes I got for about $2.50 each. I just put them all into two for right now, but I'll get off my butt eventually and actually sort/file them into a few boxes.
I only managed to snag 2 or 3 issues of Eerie over the years, and the content was, mostly very good. Sure, some clunkers were in there, but there was also some work by artists and writers that would make huge names for themselves in mainstream comic books.
Looking for some macabre reading for the spookiest season of the year? Fix your gaze upon this massive Eerie archive from Dark Horse, collecting over 130 issues of the long-running horror comics magazine! Featuring terrifying tales and astonishing artwork from legends like Gray Morrow, Frank Frazetta, Alex Toth, Neal Adams, and Joe Orlando, this Eerie library is for everyone who loves strange and twisted tales of terror, fantasy, and science fiction. Lose yourself in the Eerie Archives, and help support the Hero Initiative with your purchase!
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
I've read some good things about the Mistborn Adventure Game, but I've yet to talk to anyone who has actually played it - and I have no experience with the novels. Are any of our readers familiar with the Mistborn ruleset that can offer some feedback, positive or negative?
This all-new Mistborn Adventure Game Bundle presents the tabletop game from Crafty Games based on the bestselling Mistborn® fantasy novels by Brandon Sanderson. Explore the world of Scadrial under the Final Empire and beyond, and learn the magical secrets of Allomancy, Feruchemy, and Hemalurgy. Your brave (or foolhardy) heroes may be former slave skaa, disenfranchised nobility, or travelers from the far-off Terris mountains. They may wield magic or have the clout to summon armies, stymie lords, or rouse the masses. Their common cause drives them to change the world.
For just US$17.95 you get all five titles in our Mistborn Collection (retail value $69) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete 585-page Mistborn Adventure Game Digital Edition core rulebook (plus the free Preview, Primer, and Sheets Pack); the campaign supplements Alloy of Law and Masks of the Past; and the sourcebooks Terris: Wrought of Copper and Skaa: Tin & Ash.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
I really enjoy the various Knights of the Dinner Table series, but I'm running out of room (damn RPGs ;), so I do nearly all of my comics reading on my iPad. So, when KotDT pops up on Bundle of Holding or as the Deal of the Day on DTRPG, I'm all over it.
Today's Deal of the Day at DTRPG is KoDT: Tales from the Vault vol. 5.Normally 7.99 in PDF, until tomorrow morning it is on sale for 3.20.
This volume of the Tales from the Vault includes the "Dawn of the Zombies" web saga (a 32 page story arc) and KoDT strips that appeared in the HackMasters of EverKnight comic book.
Strips include:
Recipe for Diaster
It Takes 4 to Tango
Tap Dancin'
I Motion to Adjourn
Red-faced Ensign (Black Hands strip)
Ark in the Dark (Black Hands strip)
The Brain Drain (Black Hands strip)
Rumors Abound - Bonus strip
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Investigator! We've resurrected our June 2021 Yellow King RPG Bundle featuring the surreal supernatural tabletop game The Yellow King from Pelgrane Press. Designed by Robin D. Laws (Cthulhu Confidential, The Esoterrorists) and funded in a June 2017 Kickstarter campaign, the brain-bending YKRPG uses the fast-playing "Quickshock" GUMSHOE system. Investigate the malign influence of Carcosa in mysteries of reality-changing horror across four different timelines inspired by the famous horror stories of Robert W. Chambers collected in The King in Yellow: 19th-Century Paris, a Continental War across Europe, civil war in an alternate America, and even a world that looks like our own – except....
This bargain-priced June 2021 revival once again brings you DRM-free .PDF ebooks and MP3 music tracks for The Yellow King RPG and a congeries of Carcosan creations. For just US$17.95 you get this revived offer's King Collection (retail value $60) with the complete four-volume The Yellow King RPG (retail price $55), along with the six atmospheric music tracks in James Semple's The Yellow King Suite.
And if you pay more than the threshold price of $28.08, you'll level up and also get this revival's entire Scholar Collection with four more titles worth an additional $56, including a big compendium of stunning YKRPG handouts, Absinthe in Carcosa; Kenneth Hite's erudite edition of the original Chambers book, The King in Yellow: Annotated Edition from Arc Dream Publishing; and two volumes of Carcosan fiction by Robin D. Laws: the alternate-history novel The Missing and the Lost and the story collection New Tales of the Yellow Sign.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast - Welcome to the latest in the popular series of guidebooks penned by Volothamp Geddarm. You hold in your hands and overview of the most important inns, taverns, shops, and tourist attractions in the western Heartlands, the coast of which is known as the Sword Coast. These lands begin south of fabled Waterdeep and the Savage Frontier, continue up the northern borders of Amn, and reach east as far as the desert's edge and Tunland. This perilous region sees some of the heaviest caravan traffic in all the Realms.
Skullport - Skullport, the Port of Shadow, is perhaps the best-kept secret in all the
Sword Coast. A mile and a half beneath the orderly streets of Waterdeep squats the most wretched and lawless pit of thieves, buccaneers, slavers, and sellswords the Realms has to offer. Under a moldering tangle of catwalks threaded between the stalactites and stalagmites of the cavern city, illithids, drow, beholders, and other plot and trade with emissaries from the surface. Monsters prowl the dark recesses and alleyways, gangs of zombies shamble about performing menial labor; here, anything and everything can be bought and sold—lethal poisons, foul tomes of forbidden magic, and slaves.
Sea of Fallen Stars - For years beyond measure, folk of Faer?n have sailed and swum the Inner Sea from the Lake of Dragons to the Alamber Sea, but few believed there was more here than a vast expanse of blue water filled with fish, a few sea monsters, and ever-present pirates. Come, take another look and discover new worlds above and beneath the sea. Once you enter the Sea of Fallen Stars, you may never want to go home again.
The Moonsea - Its waters are the deep purple of the most precious amethyst; its
shores hold some of the most dangerous locations in Faerun. It is the Moonsea, home to Zhentil Keep, the Citadel of the Raven, and thousands of ordinary folk who merely want to make and honest living. Hark to the words of Melandryll Belarod, the bard whose writings form the bulk of this material. He has experienced firsthand the horrors of ruined Hulburg, he desolation of Sulasspryn, and the stench of Mulmaster. His travels aboard the Devawing have produced this chronicle of the towns and people of the Moonsea, including both havens and dangers. Belarod knows of the Citadel of the Raven, a ten-mile-long series of fortresses and barracks, site of a terrifying betrayal. He also has evaded the Zhentilar, the crack forces garrisoned at Zhentil Keep.
Port of Ravens Bluff, The Living City - Cast off for adventure with the members of the RPGA Network. Get to know one of the busiest ports of the Sea of Fallen Stars, where adventure awaits on land, at sea, and below the waves. Pirates, honest sailors, smugglers, fishermen, and water creatures rub shoulders with stalwart adventurers bent on exploring the ships in the harbor, businesses on the waterfront, and a few mysteries less audacious locals prefer to ignore. This product contains new buildings and personalities for the Forgotten Realms Living City campaign setting, and your own 3-D fold-up ship.
DMGR9 Of Ships and the Sea - Of Ships and the Sea is packed with information on the ships of the AD&D game, rules for sailing them to exotic lands, and two system for conducting naval combat. The action extends below the waves, too, as this book also reveals the secrets of underwater adventuring and exploration-rules for travelling, fighting, and casting spells underwater, new spells, new magical items, and a new character kit, the fathomer.
ALQ1 Golden Voyages -Inspired by the tales of Sinbad, Golden Voyages provides the source material and adventures needed to run a mini-campaign on the Crowded Sea. Detailed backgrounds, perilous locations, and wondrous NPCs populate the enchanted seas. Player characters will discover wildly different adventures as they sail from place to place.
Golden Voyages includes six booklets filled with mini-adventures, an overall framing adventure, expanded rules on ships and sailing, details and background concerning topography, tribes, and new locations, and plenty of maps and player handouts. Recommended for use with the Al-Qadim: Arabian Adventures rulebook.
Corsairs of the Great Sea - Set Sail with the Pirates of Chaos!A thousand welcomes, noble friend! I see your eye is as keen as the eagle and your mind as sharp as my jambiya, for you hold in your hand a great treasure. This box contains everything needed to launch an epic adventure featuring corsairs and mamluks: A stunning poster map of the Corsair Domains and Zakhara's northern shores. Six full-color cardstock sheets containing maps and player aids. An 8-page booklet filled with new monsters, including the dreaded ghul-kin. A 32-page sourcebook detailing the wily pirates of Hawa and their greatest enemies, the stalwart mamluks of Qudra, plus several new magical items. A 64-page adventure book presenting a fabulous array of tales set in or near the Corsair Domains. Meet the beautiful and notorious Jayani al-Jasir, called by some the Queen of pirates. Face untold perils to fetch the wondrous waters of the River of Gold. Save Hawa's people from the horrible Soultaker, and much, much more. But beware! Treachery awaits at the hands of those you trust most! Recommended for use with the Arabian Adventures rulebook.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
Aargh! Best time t' be a pirate is all the time! Heh. There is a sale on pirate goodness (is that a thing?) over at DTRPG, with some titles going for as much as 80% off.
The titles I find most tempting are Tiny Pirates (using the Tiny d6 rules) and Pirates of the Spanish Main(using the Savage Worlds rules. So many pirates, so little time ;)
My Kickstarter history has been quite varied and *most* have been successful, but I'll admit there seems to be an inverse relationship between the expense of a Kickstarter and fulfillment.
Looking at you Kenny!
A couple of years ago I helped fund an interesting RPG game that had it's normal COVID delays, problems with production (as in actual printing and assembly) and I think I spent close to $200 after shipping for this thing. Luckily the creator was actually good at communication and I figured I'd get it when I get it..,,or not. At the $140ish price-point and my particular history I knew I was gambling a bit.
I actually got this HUGE box for the League of Dungeoneers game earlier this summer, but I had put off opening it until today, mostly because I was afraid of losing something from this massive TTRPG.
MASSIVE!
Seriously, this thing was shrink-wrapped over a nit-actually closed box because there was just too much add-on stuff inside. I think was close to throwing out my back carrying this around for pictures (22 pounds or so)! To show the scale I've put my KenzerCo Dwarven mini and my two Gamescience D30's on the box for scale.
That's the top view, but it gets even more ridiculous when you see the side view.....I'm not kidding when I said the box doesn't close.
Good thing is that after they shrunk-wrapped it it was covered with custom-fit foam and placed in a perfectly sized heavy cardboard box. They did not skimp on packaging and I'm grateful.
The reason I was willing to risk a couple Benjamins and wait a couple of years for this game is because it's a solo/co-op game for up to four players.....it's a TTRPG that doesn't have a GM!
There are rules for how the monsters work and IIRC there is some randomness worked in such that you can't easily cheat the system (assuming you're playing by the rules...anybody can just straight-up cheat) when running the bad guys.
As expected there is a load of internal components and I'm actually a little overwhelmed by so much stuff. One of the coolest things about this game, and I'm 110% certain it factored into my purchase decision, is that a lot of the "stuff" in the box could be used for other games. There's a couple of maps (one is a neoprene placemat of sorts) a ton of tokens, and a bunch of nice, thick cardboard room/map tiles. I think I'll have to pull the plastic doors from the box to close it for storage, but no biggie.
This seems to be such a cool game I'm seriously considering bringing it to NTRPG and running a couple of sessions. If I do that I'd take the place of the player's DM/GM actions so four people couple just play and not have to worry about knowing the rules at first.
1-4 players......oh boy do I look forward to League of Dungeoneers (company website). The only thing I'm missing, and will most certainly pick up, is the PDF of the rulebook.
The Macuahuitl is 10 bucks in PDF, 12 bucks for POD plus PDF, and 32 bucks for offset print plus PDF.
It is the age of the 5th sun. The Mexica (Me-Shee-Ka) people settled and conquered the valley of Mexico. The grand city of Tenochtitlan is feared throughout the valley. The Tlaxcala Confederacy and other kingdoms and cities resist the might of the Aztecs, but for how long?
Macuahuitl is an old-school game using modified Whitebox rules to allow for gritty sword and sorcery adventuring in the age of the Aztec Empire (prior to the Spanish conquest) during the rise of the Triple City Alliance. Players will roll up characters and select a class from iconic warrior societies from within the empire. As a group, they must survive not just the human foes of the Mexica, but the supernatural forces hailing from the 13 heavens that lurk in the wilderness as well.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
I've been a fan of Harn since I first found the original World release of Harn back in the 80s. So detailed, so realistic. Almost too much so for my players, LOL. Now, you can sample some Harn for free.
City of Shiran is a full-sized Harn release detailing a small city. You can use it as it is, or pull out elements that you want for your own urban environment. Besides, the price is right - it's free!
Shiran is Hârn’s smallest city. Located on the north bank of the Thard River near Lake Benath, it is the second-largest settlement in the Thardic Republic and capital of Shiran Province, one of six in the Republic. Shiran is one of the Republic’s economic and cultural centers. The city has a reputation for corruption and hedonism and is known throughout Hârn as the “City of Sins.”
Shiran offers game masters many opportunities as the site of urban intrigue and adventure.
The Shiran article contains an overview of the city's history, economics, religion, government, and military forces. In addition to a full-page color player map, color GM maps are provided for each district of the city and more than 125 locations are described. Color floor plans and detailed descriptions are included for the Pamesani Arena, site of gladiatorial games and depraved spectacles; the Crimson Palace, Hârn's most famous house of courtesans; and the Temple of Halea, the Empress of Opulence and Queen of Pleasures.
Some material in this article was originally published in Cities of Hârn (1983) and Son of Cities (1987). The article has been greatly expanded and organized to allow for future expansion of new plans and sites within the city.
This article now includes a 2-page expansion of the Bull Ring Tavern, located in the cellar of a nondescript warehouse in the Kobar District, home to many of Shiran's poorer residents. Although most popular with ordinary folk, the Bull Ring is also frequented by members of wealthy land-owning clans seeking a taste of the forbidden. Some patrons appreciate the poor illumination and the lack of questions as long as one’s coin is good. Some activities demand privacy and discretion. The tavern features a fighting pit, where men and animals fight for the entertainment of the crowd. The Bull Ring is a nasty, merciless place, and is owned by Goril of Ardair, the head of the local Lia-Kavair (Thieves' Guild).
This location expansion describes the establishment, its proprietor, and the sordid events that take place. Full-color plans of the building are included, along with several adventure hooks the GM can use to bring the location into play.
The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar
(Not) What I'm Looking For
-
Lately I've found that I'm much less interested in backing new games, and
much more interested in things that provide inspiration. 2 years ago I got
myself...
Abbotsmoore
-
By Stuart WatkinsonSelf PublishedOSELevels 1-3 What was once a sprawling
expanse of magical innovation is now a few scattered buildings covered in
muck. Ye...
Quick-Start Saturday: The God Beneath the Tree
-
Quick-starts are means of trying out a roleplaying game before you buy.
Each should provide a Game Master with sufficient background to introduce
and exp...
The World of Greyhawk (1980) - 6th Printing
-
From the Foreword section:
So the players have been complaining that the campaign is too dull, eh? Not
enough detail? Why is this country at war with its...
Happily Never After
-
Watching this REC 3: Genesis has become one of the only Valentine’s Day
traditions I have. I originally reviewed this one for the October Horror
Movie Chal...
Friday Roundup 2/14/2025
-
Fun stuff for a Friday. Warning: may not include actual fun.
- Ian McCullom / Forgotten Weapons takes apart a functioning replica of
Deckard's pistol from ...
Bad Things Happen: Unknown BFGs, Twits and Witches
-
As a father I have become reacquainted with the books of Roald Dahl, most
of which I haven't read for well over thirty years. One of the things I
have been...
In Search Of...Drelnza, Iggwilv's Treasure
-
[image: Drelnza, Iggwilv's Treasure]
Drelnza holding Daoud's Wondrous Lanthorn aloft.
Art by Jeff Easley, 2012.My son is getting ready to run Module S4, The...
Under the Plateau of Peril
-
*Under the plateau of peril, behind the great cliff waterfall is a vast
cavern where Underland folk and monsters dwell.d12 Cav...
Stars & Worlds
-
Here's what a star currently looks like in *Intergalactic Bastionland*.
Remember, this isn't space as we know it, so here the usual black void is
replace...
My statement on design 'copying'
-
I am a firm believer in that we, as humans that have been on this planet
for 200k years, are inherently creative but almost nothing we make is
'original'. ...
Players Companion for Shadowdark
-
*This post includes affiliate links. *
A grabbed a copy of Greg Christopher's Player Companion for Shadowdark a
while back. And since then it has been ...
More glancing blows (and near-saves)
-
A quick rule for any D&D game. I'm certainly not the first one to suggest
the "half damage" part.
---
*Glancing blows*
*When you roll the exact number n...
[CAMPAIGN JOURNAL] News on the March! Episode V.
-
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...
The Three Prongs of Art's Dilemma...
-
Okay, so the title's a bit misleading. There's lots of great artwork in the
gaming hobby, with something good for everyone, whether old school's amateur
...
Here we are again.
-
I've given up on running TTRPG campaigns for the foreseeable future,
because I've got sick and tired of never knowing from week to week whether
the game...
A Brief History of Ukrasia
-
This post provides a rough overview and timeline for the World of *Ukrasia*
(the setting for my “*Against the Court of Urdor*” campaign). The history
is ...
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 ...
NTRPG Gaming Weekend
-
[image: NTRPG Gaming Weekend]
This weekend was a "game day" for North Texas RPG Con, held at the same
hotel the con is held at. I haven't slung dice since...
The Stats of a Dave Arneson Player Character.
-
If you want to find the details for one of the characters that Gary Gygax
made and played as a PC, perhaps to use as an NPC in your own game, it
isn't t...
Brink of Calamity proofs ordered
-
Hello, blog family. It’s been a minute. I’m happy to inform you all that
I’ve just ordered a proof copy of *Brink of Calamity* from DriveThruRPG.
When I ...
Check out this fashionable fellow.
-
I was looking at the *Tunnels & Trolls* stuff on the ebays and stumbled
across this guy. I love his visor, though I think it would be better if it
was p...
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...
Bat in the Attic Games and 2025
-
Happy New Year Folks!
This would be a good time to update everyone on what has been happening
with me and my plans for the upcoming year.
Personal
I ...
A Fiftieth Anniversary Year
-
The 50th anniversary year of *Dungeons & Dragons *is drawing to a close. A
number of projects I'd been planning for this year finally came out, and I
...
A Quick Look at The Wizard’s Scroll II
-
October of this year saw the release of The Wizard’s Scroll II, the second
issue of a White Box Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game (FMAG) zine whose first ...
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...
Blue Sky Temple, Revised
-
Last week, we made a crowdsourced dungeon on Bluesky.
It was fun and it yielded a cool dungeon with a lot of good ideas mashed
together.
This week, I ...
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...
OSR: Magical Industrial Gunboats
-
Here's some useful information for river-based adventures using *Magical
Industrial Revolution*. Skip to Part 3 or click this PDF link if you just
want t...
Welcome new Greyhawk Fans!
-
With the publication of the new Dungeon Master’s Guide, there are doubtless
going to be a lot of new D&D players interested in my favorite setting, the
Wor...
Grimdark vs. Eucatastrophe
-
Noisms has some interesting ideas in this post about his desire for some
depth to his grimdark, and turns to Gene Wolfe and Tolkien for relief.
Now, it ...
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...
The Economy Engine, v0.2
-
I made a thing. For D&D 3rd edition, so it might not be that interesting to
a lot of people. But I made it and I think it’s cool. The 3rd edition
Dungeon M...
*'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...
Time Rolls On
-
Today is December 31, 2023, in the mid-afternoon. In less than ten hours it
will be 2024. 2023 2023 was a good year. But all years are good years. Both
goo...
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...
New Map of the Elf Empire and Southern Isles
-
I’ve been having fun developing a new map-drawing style that I think is
finally reaching a certain level of maturity. And yeah, it owes a lot to Matthew
Ad...
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 ...
A Small, Quiet Plea
-
There has been a great deal of discussing political agendas, social
grievances, and personal attacks within the little corner of gaming that is
my hobby....
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 ...