Kickstarter - WWII: Operation B/X TTRPG for Old-School Essentials

Wow. It has to be 8 or 9 years since the release of the 1st edition of WWII: Operation WhiteBox. What an amazing interpretation of the Swords & Wizardry White Box rules in a WWII setting. Now, Pete Spahn, along with Eric Bloat of Bloat Games, have teamed up to bring us WWII: Operation B/X TTRPG for Old-School Essentials via Kickstarter.

Bloat Games has partnered with Small Niche Games (SNG) to publish WWII: Operation B/X for Old-School Essentials, a reimagining of SNG’s hugely popular game WWII: Operation WhiteBox!  This Kickstarter will include two books: OBX: Core Rules (non-supernatural) and OBX: Into The Dark (a supernatural WWII version).

Pete Spahn of SNG and creator of Operation WhiteBox, has fully written and developed OBX and Bloat Games is excited to bring his creative vision to the world. Peter Frain of 77Studios (Movie Night RPG) has created complimentary matching cover art for both OBX: Core Rules and OBX: Into The Dark, and Luigi Castellani will return from OWB to handle the interior art needs. Eric Bloat is tasked with layout duties, and Brandon Goeringer (RPG Overviews, Pocket Fantasy RPG) and Jeffey Scifert (Evolved) are onboard to assist with editing.

From the desk of Pete Spahn:

“In 2016, I released WWII: Operation WhiteBox. In the game, characters play WWII special forces spies and operatives working for organizations like the British Commandos, U.S. Army Airborne, and Special Operations Executive. The game used the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox rules (by Matt Finch and Marv Breig) as its core and received high praise for its focus and ease of play, especially at conventions.

Almost immediately I began receiving requests for an “occult” version of the game. I hesitated. For one thing, I love history, so I really enjoyed running “pseudohistorical” games set during World War II with no myth or magic involved. What’s more, other game companies had already tackled “German werewolves and vampires” and “Nazi Cthulhu” so I knew if I was going to do WWII horror, I had to come up with my own take on the genre. Something that would be customizable to monsters, myths, and legends from all over the world.

So I started taking notes on the types of horror I liked to play and run and soon came up with something that was heavily inspired by some of my favorite media including the Masque of the Red Death/Ravenloft TSR settings, the Silent Hill games and movies, various works Stephen King, and even the TV show Stranger Things. Sprinkle in some actual Nazi occult history and lore and I had the makings of a good horror expansion for WWII: Operation WhiteBox.

I had already stumbled onto Old-School Essentials years earlier and immediately fell in love with the look and feel of the game. This was the way I had played D&D fantasy in the 80s and I started wondering what an OSE conversion of WWII: Operation WhiteBox would look like. After Gavin Norman of Necrotic Gnome gave his blessing, I decided to make it a reality. And thus, Operation B/X (core rules) and OBX: Into the Dark (occult expansion) were born!”

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The Original D&D Cartoon from the 80's is Available for Free on YouTube

We know WotC has plans for the Original Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon characters from the 80s. They appeared in last year's movie Honor Among Thieves, they appear in the 2024 Player's Handbook, and Venger appears on the cover of the 2024 DMG (there are some theories on Venger)

Enjoy the complete run of the Original Dungeons & Dragons Cartoon:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW8q9E0mB4_GgHu9cj7w6lItvJJUDo3dl

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Deal of the Day - Magical Industrial Revolution

There are some resources for RPGs that you might not need NOW, but you'll be happy to have down the line. Magical Industrial Revolution is one of those resources and, as the current Deal of the Day, until tomorrow morning is on sale for 40% off in PDF.

This book is about Atlantis before the tide turned. It’s about Hyperborea before it vanished between dimensions. It’s about Nu Yark Citee before the Mushroom Bombs hit.

It’s a setting guide to the greatest and most ambitious city in the world: Endon. It’s about a world slowly tipping onto its side, and all the interesting things that begin to slide at the start of a revolution. It’s about people with grand dreams pushing the boundaries of the possible, and the strange machines and devices they create along the way.

But mostly, it’s about magic.

Magical Industrial Revolution: A Pre-Apocalyptic Setting Guide contains a wealth of information to supplement Role Playing Games, including:

• Maps, People, Buildings, Dungeons, Factions, and Villains of Endon

• Eight Pre-Apocalyptic Innovations

• Hundreds of Magic Items and Spells

• Rules for Magical Industry

• Useful Tools for Urban Campaigns

• Horrible Monsters and Nightmarish Creatures

• And much, much more.

By Skerples, the author of the CoinsandScrolls blog, Tomb of the Serpent Kings, Kidnap the Archpriest, Epochrypha, and Magical Murder Mansion. Art by Jonathan Newell, Logan Stahl, & Luka Rejec. Editing, layout, and incalculably valuable assistance by David Shugars. Additional editing by Fiona Geist.

Three very useful pamphlets featuring magical industrial tips, hanging ballads, and local attractions are provided along with the 156 page book. The PDF is fully optimized and bookmarked.

 

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Bundle of Holding - Crown and Skull

Crown & Skull talk has been making the rounds recently. From Runehammer, the creator of Index Card RPG and EZD6 (both really well-done RPGs), Crown & Skull is a game I had yet to come across. You can grab the player-facing rules for free here, but the full Crown & Skull digital package of the rules and digital media can be snagged at Bundle of Holding for 7.95 (normally 30 bucks at the Runehammer website)

Adventurer! This all-new Runehammer Crown and Skull Bundle presents Crown and Skull, the newest tabletop fantasy roleplaying rules system from Index Card RPG designer Brandish "Runehammer" Gilhelm at Runehammer Games. Crown and Skull puts the players at center stage: Players can build their own custom equipment and spells, roll all the dice in combat, and discover new setting locations, inhabitants, and events – and the Game Master is right at the players' side, discovering all this with them, and using the game's inventive no-prep tools to improvise legendary adventures across the North Holds. Characters earn hero points in play and grow their own way, eventually making the fateful choice: Crown (service to the kingdom) or Skull (independent destiny)?

For just US$7.95 you get the complete Crown and Skull Digital Bundle (sold on the Runehammer Games website for $30) with the 356-page, DRM-free Crown and Skull core rulebook, the North Holds setting map in hexgrid and no-grid versions, 30 image tokens suitable for virtual tabletop (VTT) platforms, and 23 atmospheric MP3 music tracks to enhance your game sessions.

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New FLGS Store: Other Realms (Honolulu, HI)

So last weekend I mentioned I was in Hawaii and thankfully I'm back home. I'd wanted to post about a FLGS in Honolulu, but the only store I went to was some small hole-in-the-wall I stopped at with a coworker. I'm the only gamer in my workplace....ok the only TTRPG gamer, but at least one other guy likes comics so he was willing to swing by the one place that was on way back.

The next day I was able to get back out & about and found the store I actually wanted to go to....and holy crap the difference a day makes. The Other Realms was an awesome store, easily one of the top ten, if not top 3, game stores I've had the pleasure of visiting. Seriously, if you are on vacation to O'ahu, or on a business trip like I was, you need to make a side visit to Other Realms.

Getting there was kind of odd because it is nestled between (actually behind) a big-box retailer and a small industrial park. It really is a destination stop, because I cannot fathom accidentally finding it while out & bout. Parking also seemed a bit limiting as well, which means a customer really needs to intend to check out & shop here.

Right off the bat, the store was really clean but absolutely packed with product, pretty much floor-to-ceiling.  You'd think there wasn't a stockroom, but there was...I saw it. There was also a small back (game) room on the opposite side. Roughly one half of the store was comics and the other half games. The sales counter was more on the comic book side, but a large back-issue table occupied the games' side, so it was pretty even.

This place seemed to have a little bit of everything, but that was more of an initial impression. I didn't see any used TTPG or OSR materials, and they had but a single HeroQuest item (an expansion pack). Still, there were a lot of minis and maybe a solid three-foot section of Munchkin. The available board games were essentially the entire front wall (not pictured). I finally found myself a copy of Tiny Epic Dungeons, which I had been looking for over this last year or so. Other Realms pretty much had the whole Tiny Epic line, whereas I'm lucky to find one or two of the line elsewhere.

Not even 1/3 of the store

There was a great selection of comics as well, at least as far as comics I care about. I'm not a huge comic nerd, I mean I have a bunch, but I'm really only ever on the lookout for one particular comic. If I see a single Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos it's like a good month(?)....no, more like season. Other Realms had maybe a good dozen comics, including some single-digit issues. I picked up only half of what I wanted, which was half of what they had..... 

....seriously, if you find yourself in O'ahu you need to check out Other Realms. Just do it....

Deal of the Day - Fantasy City Sites and Scenes III

Phil Reed does some amazing work in the RPG industry, and he always gives value for the dollars spent.

Fantasy City Sites and Scenes III from Phill Reed Games is today's Deal of the Day. Normally 9.95 in PDF, until tomorrow morning Fantasy City Sites and Scenes III is on sale for 4.98.

This companion to Fantasy City Sites and Scenes and Fantasy City Sites and Scenes II presents new city locations and encounters that can be dropped into almost any fantasy campaign. 

City sites. Each of the sixteen locations detailed in the book is presented on a two-page spread (for a total of 32 pages worth of locations) and includes a few assorted details the gamemaster can use to add flavor to the site, as well as assorted other bits of info that vary from location to location to give the site a little personality. Hooks that may lead to adventure are sprinkled throughout this section of the book.

City scenes. In addition to the city sites, the book also includes twelve pages of encounter ideas and two pages of random rumors. 

 

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Humble Bundle - Talisman: The Complete Collection Returns

I remember playing TONS of Talisman back in the day. For a board game to even come close to replicating the feel of dungeon delving is a rare feat, and Talisman did so quite well.

Well, Talisman is currently up on Humble Bundle for Windows and OSX. For 10 bucks, you can snag Talisman: The Complete Collection Returns. I see some wasted hours in my near future ;)

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Humble Bundle - Dynamite 20th Anniversary 20,000 Page Mega Bundle

Holy crap! 20 bucks for 20,000 pages of Red Sonya, Project Superpowers, Army of Darkness, Vampirella, Tarzan, John Carter, Green Hornet, and much more.

Dynamite 20th Anniversary 20,000 Page Mega Bundle is a mere 20 bucks.

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Kickstarter - Nuclear Destruction - a Nuclear War Card Game

Sadly, my Nuclear War and Nuclear Escalation game boxes have long since disintegrated, and what's left is incomplete. That being said, these games WERE the go-to games (along with Chaos Marauders from Games Workshop) when we were looking to drink and chat instead of delving into a deep RPG session. Beer & Pretzels? Nuclear War is the game for you.

All of which is why I'm excited to see Nuclear Destruction being Kickstarted, as the game's lineage is impeccable. MMMMmmmm! Beer & Pretzels are back on the menu! A bargain for 39 bucks, although I got the bundle that included Nuclear War's 50th Anniversary Edition for 69.

Nuclear Destruction is the 4th release of the Ameritrash Classic Nuclear War. 

Building on the foundation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, we've introduced a host of exciting enhancements to improve your gaming experience. Enjoy an array of new cards, expanded player mats, a new propaganda system, and the ability to play with up to six players, ensuring every game is packed with maximum fun. Its full-color cards are compatible with EVERY version of Nuclear War. It is designed as a stand-alone installment or to be combined with the 50th Anniversary edition for even more fun!

Invented in 1965 by Doug Malewicki, Nuclear War has seen many editions and expansions over the years. The folks at Mr. B. Games have acquired the rights and are here on Kickstarter to try to revive this classic and bring it back to print - with your help!

 

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Bundle of Holding - Rifts

From the Summer of '94 until the Winter of '97, my gaming group played a shit ton of Rifts (when I wasn't running AD&D 2e). Sure, the system needed to be balanced, if not totally rewritten, but the setting lore was second to none. It simply oozed flavor and adventure hooks.

Currently, Bundle of Holding has two Bundles with Rifts material - one is the Rifts Core Megabundlecore:

Adventurer! This revived December 2022 Rifts® Core Megabundle once again gives you a gigantic array of .PDF rulebooks, supplements, and sourcebooks for Kevin Siembieda's Rifts tabletop roleplaying game from Palladium Books. You have a new chance to get everything you need to run a complete campaign of mind-blowing adventure across a future Earth shattered by countless otherworldly invasions.

For just US$19.95 you get all seven titles in this revived December 2022 offer's Corebook Collection (retail value $71) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete Rifts Ultimate Edition core rulebook (plus the Rifts Primer); the Adventure Guide, Game Master Guide, and Game Master Kit; and Index and Adventures V1 and V2.

And if you pay more than this revival's threshold price of $40.60, you'll level up and also get this revived offer's entire Sourcebook Collection with eleven more titles worth an additional $129, including Sourcebook One, Book of Magic, the Bestiary, Black Market, the Bionics Sourcebook, all three Conversion books (Book One, Two: Pantheons of the Megaverse, Three: Dark Conversions), and three more sourcebooks: Vampires, The Mechanoids, and Mindwerks.

The other bundle is the Rifts Coalition Wars Bundle:

Look sharp, adventurer! This Rifts® Coalition Wars Bundle is the second of two offers in progress featuring .PDF ebooks for the Rifts tabletop roleplaying game from Palladium Books of a shattered Earth invaded by countless realities. If you're new to the game, start with our revived December 2022 Rifts Core Megabundle in progress. Then return here for this new companion bundle with sourcebooks and storylines that showcase one of the setting's dominant powers, the high-tech Coalition States.

For just US$17.95 you get all seven titles in our Coalition Collection (retail value $72) as DRM-free ebooks, including Coalition War Campaign, Coalition Navy, Secrets of the Coalition States, and four supplements about the soldiers-for-hire who fight this war: Mercenaries, MercOps, MercTown, and Mercenary Adventures.

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $38.53, you'll level up and also get our entire Tolkeen Collection with eight more titles worth an additional $97, including the most recent Rifts supplement, Coalition Manhunters, and the entire seven-part Siege on Tolkeen campaign: Coalition Wars, Coalition Overkill, Sorcerer's Revenge, Cyber-Knights, Shadows of Evil, Final Siege, and Aftermath.

 

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Kickstarter - Adventures Dark and Deep Core Rules 2nd Printing (OSR)

I'm a huge fan of everything Joe Bloch / BRW Games publishes. Joe simply knows OSR gaming like a pro, and his Greyhawk knowledge is second to none. I can't wait to get my copies of Adventures Dark and Deep Core Rules 2nd Printing. If you still need to snag AD&D2P, you only have three days left to back the Kickstarter.

Consider this your official Last Call! ')

Adventures Dark and Deep™ is an expansion of the first Advanced version of the world's most popular roleplaying game. Originally designed to include all of the classes and other material that the original designer couldn't include in the 1980's, the game is even more expanded to include a skill system, more new classes, and much more. 

Adventures Dark and Deep™ is a comprehensive rules system, designed to allow play in a variety of different styles; dungeon crawling, exploration, epic storytelling, and more.

Adventures Dark and Deep™ is my attempt to show what would AD&D would have looked like if Gary Gygax had stayed at TSR. It starts with the AD&D 1E rules, includes all the new character classes he mentioned in Dragon magazine in the 1980's (bards, jesters, mountebanks, etc.), plus other changes and additions he mentioned over the years in online fora.

In recent years, the game has grown beyond that basic concept to include more things, and also includes expansions on things Gygax had pioneered (like the skill system, which is based on the concept he had for a skill system for C&C). This new version brings everything together, reorganizes it, and re-edits everything to make it clearer.

This second printing incorporates numerous errata, expands the material with new classes like the blackguard and skald, and centaurs as a player race, and makes many other improvements to the original three books. In addition, the original three books have been consolidated into two; the Core Rulebook and the Core Bestiary. Everything is being comprehensively re-edited and re-organized to make it much easier to use. 

The Core Rulebook has all the rules you need to play the game: ability scores, character races, character classes, secondary skills, creating characters, cost of equipment/services/etc., combat, magic, treasure, the game environment, creating the setting, and game master advice. See the FAQ for the complete table of contents (subject to change).

The Core Bestiary is a complete collection of monsters, including all of the classic monsters, plus many more, for a total of nearly 900 creatures both old and new. See the FAQ for the complete table of contents (subject to change).   

The books are written, and are estimated to be over 500 pages each once editing and art is complete (all details are subject to change as the editing and layout process progresses). The money raised will be used to pay for new art and editing. The retail price for the books will be around $65 each.

 

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Lucky Opportunities to Spend My Money.....

Every once in a while I feel like I luck out, but I'm sure that's because I put myself in a position to be lucky.

This week I was on a business trip to Hawaii, where I got to stay in Waikiki. Believe me it sounds a helluva lot nicer than it really is. The weather is NOT cooperating and any free time I have is mostly occupied by heavy rains. The beach that is "right there" isn't much of an option and it's hard to enjoy sunsets when the sky is overcast.....

....and don't even get me started on the traffic. My work location is not far away (Oahu isn't that big), but it's at least an hour there and another back.

Meh....it's work and hey, I'm being paid to got to Hawaii, so if I get a nice hour here, I'm ahead of the game, right?

Yesterday I had the day off and despite the impending rain I managed a quick trip to the "local" Naval Exchange to look for souveniers. While I can get some cheap stuff at the local markets nearby, I wanted to favor Hawaiian-made stuff as much as possible. I had no intention to buy myself anything, but then I saw it: the Reyn Spooner (i.e. high-end) D&D 50th Anniversary Aloha/Hawaiian Shirt, and it was on sale for 20% off....and in the appropriate "Fat Guy" size (AKA Gamer Medium). While I didn't feel like a $100 shirt.....you know I NEEDED THIS.

Originally I expected to post today about some hole-in-the-wall Hawaiian FLGS. I did get to stop by one, but it wasn't the one I was hoping for....oh well. It was tiny and clearly a hangout for locals, but it was Warhammer heavy (not judging) and the board game selection was a bit "meh"......until I saw it. This store had a 2nd edition (2019 printing) of Steve Jackson's Illuminati. I've played like 2 or 3 games of Illuminati more than a decade ago and it was on my wish-list, but I've never seen one for sale before. I think it's a bit too obscure and the 1st edition was just too big of a box, which I assume didn't help secure shelf space. The 2nd Edition isn't much bigger (if at all) than a copy of Munchkin and while I'm already pushing the max for baggage......well I had to pick it up.

So buy keeping my eyes open in a new town I found a few trinkets that I'd probaby never see otherwise.......not sure if that's actual luck...but I'll take it!

Deal of the Day - For Coin & Blood: Classic Edition (OSR)

Today's Deal of the Day is For Coin & Blood: Classic Edition. Built off of the Swords & Wizardry: White Box Edition, For Coin & Blood is on sale until tomorrow morning for 2 bucks (normally 9.99).

FOR COIN & BLOOD is a classically inspired d20 fantasy roleplaying game with a twist...

...a twist of the knife!

Embracing the literary genre known as "grimdark", and inspired by stories of mercenaries, sellswords and blackguards, FOR COIN & BLOOD keeps you on your toes, as you tell stories about the terrible things that happen to people, when they head out in search of coin, passion, and revenge...

FOR COIN & BLOOD uses a modified version of Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox, but is a complete game.

 

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Bundle of Holding - Wyrd Breach

Some games look interesting simply for the default setting. The Wyrd Breach Bundle is in that category. I'm not sure I'd play the system, but I may snag it at this price for inspiration.

Fated one! We've resurrected our November 2021 Wyrd Breach Bundle featuring the Through the Breach Lovecraftian-Wild West-steampunk tabletop roleplaying game based on the Malifaux miniatures game from Wyrd Games. In the magic-saturated parallel world of Malifaux, you take on the roles of unique Fated citizens such as Gunfighters, Drudges, Dabblers, and Entertainers. Your destiny, or Fate, is created during character creation, and it affects every aspect of your life. As the game progresses, the destinies of the Fated entwine, driving you all inexorably toward a final reckoning. Will you fall to Fate, or cheat it?

This revived offer once again gives you five Expansion Books and many adventures. For just US$17.95 you get all five titles in this revived offer's Starter Collection (retail value $100) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete, full-color 412-page Through the Breach Second Edition core rulebook (2017) and four full-length Penny Dreadful adventures, ideal for introducing the Gothic, necromantic-industrial city-state of Malifaux: Days Without Accident, Fire in the Sky, The Obsidian Gate, and A Stitch in Time.

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $31.34, you'll level up and also get this revival's entire Bonus Collection with eleven more titles worth an additional $164, including five Expansion Book rules supplements – Above the Law, From Nightmares (play a monster!), Into the Bayou (play a Gremlin!), Into the Steam, and Under Quarantine – and six short Penny Dreadful One-Shots designed for a single play session each: Bubbling Up From Below, The Iktomi Shuffle, Jurassic Faux, The Show Must Go On, Silurid Showdown, and Uncontainable.

 

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.

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OSR Sale - Ambition & Avarice: 2nd Edition

It's Greg Christopher's Birthday Week, and he's put Ambition & Avarice: 2nd Edition on sale for 5 bucks in PDF (regularly $15). A&A 2e is one of the best OSR games on the market (and I'm not just saying this because Greg is a good friend, which he is). A&A 2e should be on every Grognard's game shelf, as the equipment charts Greg has included would be an asset to any OSR campaign, regardless of the ruleset.

Ambition and Avarice is an action-adventure roleplaying game with an easy-to-understand OSR chassis. The 2nd edition maintains focus on character classes and races that walk the line of respectability.

2nd Edition at a Glance:

- Simple OSR-style resolution mechanics

- 10 Races: Dark Elf, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Hobgoblin, Human, Lizardfolk, and Orc.

- 12 Classes: Brigand, Conjurer, Cultist, Elementalist, Enchanter, Knave, Ranger, Savage, Shaman, Witch, Veteran, and Zealot.

- More powerful low-level magic users + more powerful high-level mundane characters.

- Pre-built backpacks to grab off the shelf for quick character creation.

- The most comprehensive medieval fantasy equipment chapter in the RPG industry (I checked).

- Monster trophies to take after the battle and use as magic items; Cyclops eyes, Giant frog tongue, Nymph hair, and more.

- Catalysts: A spell component system that is actually fun to use.

- Clear and useful rules for hex crawling, managing retainers, and building your own barony.

- A complete customizable cosmology system with major/minor gods and demigods of your own creation.

- 596 spells: a mix of old favorites and reimagined wonders divided across six traditions: conjuration, elementalism, enchantment, primeval, salvation, and vexation.

- NPC design system mixing reaction rolls and attitude to determine exactly how far each NPC will go to help or harm you.

- A dungeon familiarity mechanic to allow the players to gather information BEFORE going down the steps into darkness.

- Full Bestiary of 182 monsters with a simplified combat stat block system for easy management.

- Monster entries include formulae for creating your own twisted undead.... if you don't mind dabbling in necromancy.

- Treasure chapter with rules on magic item creation and numerous treasure tables to stock your dungeons.

Each class features;

- Expertise in a class-specific task; like the Conjuror's binding circle ability or a Cultist's ability to sacrifice humanoids to curry favor with their god.

- Identification of something in the world; like the Witch's ability to identify sickness/disease or the Savage's ability to recognize familiar scents and follow them.

- Recruit followers to serve as henchmen; like the Knave's ability to recruit spies or the Conjurer's ability to create imps to serve them.

Six flexible magic-using classes have a varied selection of new and exciting spells. There are easy methods to create your own enchantments, raise unique undead to serve you, or craft cursed items to give to your enemies. The non-magical classes have their own rich choices and don't fade away in importance as the magical characters advance in level.

These classes can then be combined with 10 classic fantasy races; from elves and dwarves to orcs and lizardfolk. You can combine them however you wish, creating everything from goblin rangers to dwarven brigands. Your race is no longer central to your destiny, playing a marginal role in restricting your actions in the game world.

The entire package is designed to allow quick character generation and presented in a format that is clear and easy to read. The text is packed with explanations of not just the rules, but the reasons behind the rules. It is an ideal choice to hand to a new player who is looking to get into the great game, but turned away by dense technical rulebooks with byzantine organization. The adventuring mechanics are also OSR compatible and allow easy integration with a variety of old school campaign material. You can pick up this game, grab an old module, and get playing in a very short amount of time.

 

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