State of The Tavern Keeper - Summer 2024

As has now been stated recently by two of my doctors, my cardiologist (heart) and my nephrologist (kidneys) I need to lose weight. While I'd like to think I can do so by simply doing low-impact cardio, the truth is I need to change my eating habits. By intention, so does Rach, as I do all the cooking, and cooking for two is the same as cooking for one.

And we've been doing it, and doing well with it, for the last two weeks. Konjac noodles for Italian dishes, salads with grilled chicken, stir-fries with frozen veggies, low sodium soy sauce, and yet more grilled chicken. Sit down Chinese food with brown rice and light on the sauce. And yes, even some fast food - tonight was Checkers, but no fries (first fast food in 2 weeks) and only because this afternoon was all pear-shaped ;P

Increasing our walks with the dog - number and length, of course, is good for the three of us - Rach, our doggie, and of course, myself. 

So, if I get a bit extra cranky, here at The Tavern, in its various incarnations, or on social media in general, now you know why.

In any case, down about 4 pounds in just over a week and a half. I'll take it :)

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Kickstarter - The Shucked Oyster: A Cursed Brothel for Shadowdark RPG

A third-party supplement for Shadowdark RPG to add untold chaos to your local town.

With Venger's abrupt self-removal from the world of OSR publishing, The Shucked Oyster: A Cursed Brothel for Shadowdark RPG Kickstarter suddenly stands out. This is the type of content one would expect from V, based on the title alone. Alas, it ISN'T from Venger, as he doesn't much like Shadowdark, but damn, it would have been one hell of a crossover ;)

The Shucked Oyster Kickstarter is available for 14 in PDF, 24 in PDF plus soft cover POD, and 34 in PDF and hardcover POD.

Designed for use with the 4-time Ennie Award Winning Shadowdark RPG and other fantasy role playing games, this supplement provides an iconic drop-in location for any town or city in your campaign. The Oyster is a cursed brothel that is routinely destroyed and rebuilt after freak accidents set it ablaze! Included, you will find a slew of wild and crazy NPCs, new magic items, expanded social mechanics, unique dungeons, and enough adventure hooks for an entire campaign!

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Humble Bundle - Lost Works of Gygax (D20, 5e, OSE, C&C, CoC, S&W, 1e, SN)

There's a little bit of everything in the Lost Works of Gygax Bundle at Humble Bundle, and I mean everything. 

From Gary Gygax himself, there's Castle Zagyg: Yrggsburgh, Castle Zagyg, East Mark Gazetteer, Necropolis, Hall of Many Planes, Gord, The Canting Crew, World Building, and Living Fantasy.

From Luke and Ernie Gygax, we have The Lost City of Gaxmoor.

From Ernie Gygax, we have The Marmoreal Tomb.

From Luke Gygax, there are Tales from Okkorim (1-8), The Blighted Lands (1-3), The Chentofi Series (1-3), The Dread from Lake Geneva (for CoC 1+2), The Trouble at Loch Jineeva, Undercaverns of Gaxmoor, and Weapons of Gaxmoor.

Oh, and 28 other titles from various creators. Phew!

Gather up your party for an endless adventure with the Lost Works of Gygax Bundle compatible with a myriad of systems! This TTRPG explorer’s kit contains rulebooks, sourcebooks, and campaign resources for Marmoreal Tomb, Gary Gygax's Necropolis, and more. Get everything you need to embark on an epic journey with your friends, and help support the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society with your purchase!

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Indiegogo - Forest of Spores (OSE, C&C, & 5e)

The hamlet of Jensenville woke to a forest of mushrooms that sprang up overnight right outside their village. What's worse, the mushrooms are expanding, absorbing homes and building into their midst. The villagers need help before they are overrun. And that won't be long given how fast new mushrooms keep sprouting up.

What terror awaits in the fungus forest? Heroes are needed to venture inside...but will they return?

Forest of Spores is Rachel Marsh's first work for Frog God Games. It's funded on Indigogo and then some, and Frog God Games has a solid history of publishing its projects on time.

Forest of Spores is 12 bucks in PDF and 25 in POD and PDF.

Here's hoping your heroes are just what the residents of Jensenville need! 

Will they push into the forest's depths where fungi grow wild? Where other creatures wait to stop their mission? And how will they react to the mushroom-people making a new home in the dark nooks of the forest, completely unaware of the villagers' plight?

And worse still, something else waits in the forest, a threat to humans and mushroom-people alike. It's already killed a number of the mushroom-people, and it is more than happy to welcome the adventurers (aka fresh meat) into its killing ground.

Forest of Spores can be played as a standalone adventure, or it can serve as a lead-in to further investigations into the mysterious and dangerous Under Realms.

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Deal of the Day - 7th Sea Core Rulebook (Second Edition - 80% Off)

There comes a price point where a product falls under "impulse buy", especially RPGs. For me, that's the "5 Dollars and Under" point. Well, the 7th Sea Core Rulebook (Second Edition) certainly does that for me today. With a list price of 24.99, and a normal price of 14.99, until tomorrow morning the 7th Sea Core Rulebook (Second Edition) is the Deal of the Day at DTRPG (in PDF), and can be had for a mere 3 bucks!

Yep, purchased today's Deal of the Day just before putting up this post, as 7th Sea is a title I've heard much about and have yet to experience. 

7th Sea is a tabletop roleplaying game of swashbuckling and intrigue, exploration and adventure, taking place on the continent of Theah, a land of magic and mystery inspired by our own Europe. Players take the roles of heroes thrown into global conspiracies and sinister plots, exploring ancient ruins of a race long vanished and protecting the rightful kings and queens of Theah from murderous villains.

Save the Queen of Avalon from treacherous blackmail!

Thwart a dastardly assassination attempt on the Cardinal of Castille!

Raid the villainous fleets of Vodacce Merchant Princes!

Free the Prince of the Sarmatian Commonwealth from a mysterious curse!

Make decisions that alter the very course of Thean history!

In 7th Sea, you are a Hero, an icon of Theah ready to live and die for causes that matter. You bravely take on a dozen thugs with swords, knives and guns all on your own. You are the trusted knight, a loyal bodyguard or even an adventuring queen herself.

In other words—you are d’Artagnan, Milady de Winter, the Dread Pirate Roberts, Jack Sparrow, Julie d’Aubigney, and the Scarlet Pimpernel all rolled up in one!

This is a game of high adventure, mystery and action. This is a game of intrigue and romance.

This is 7th Sea. 

 

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Kickstarter - Halfjinks Roleplaying Game

 

A Family-Friendly RPG of Innocent Mischief

Let me get this out of the way immediately. I've known James Spahn for well over a decade. I consider him a brother and was his sponsor for Confirmation in the Catholic Church. James is, for better or worse, my family. So take that for what it is worth ;)

Halfjinks is James' current Kickstarter. If ANYONE were a fan of halflings/hobbits, it would be James. Complete stop. It is literally his passion and his expertise. I'm sold ;)

Halfjinks, as the pranks pulled by adolescent halflings are known to flustered locals, is a roleplaying game for the whole family! 

Inspired by and building on the Mausritter rules and using its third party license, Halfjinks is a game where players take up the roll of halfling children eager to pull a few pranks in the local community. 

They'll venture from their home ("But not too far! We need to be back by dinner!") in an effort to cause a little trouble. Whether it's hiding a live chicken in the post office, nabbing a treat from the annual Pie Eating Contest, or exploring Old Man Whipplebottom's Farm where they say a dragonslayer's tomb is hidden, they're hoping to bring a touch of fun to the dulldrum days that fill the lives of their fellow villagers.

But such brave explorers will need proper provisions and without a sturdy walking stick and a ready snack, a halfling's Comfort might drop so low that they become Bored or Hungry and decide its best to go home!

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Kickstarter - Primordial Chaos: Gonzo Like A F@cking Boss

Venger Satanis leads you by the tentacle, showing you how to make your gaming more gonzo and accessible for novices and veterans alike.

If you watch my videos and live streams, you know I have no issue with the f-bomb, let alone using it myself. That being said, I think I may need to avoid using it as part of the title of a blog post.

Primordial Chaos: Gonzo Like A Fucking Boss, is Venger's latest, and possibly last, Kickstarter, as V has announced his retreat from the hobby after this Kickstarter fulfills. As I'm writing this, I'm listening to the latest (last episode?) of Inappropriate Characters, with Venger as one of the hosts. Its the end of an era.

Whether Venger is within your wheelhouse is a personal decision, and Venger doesn't shy away from offending large segments of the gaming community. All of which is a shame, as he is a very skilled creator.

Primordial Chaos: Gonzo Like A Fucking Boss is 20 bucks in PDF, but I do advise you add a Cha'alt Hardcover book (or the Cha'alt Trilogy) to your backing - it makes the Primordial Chaos PDF essentially free ;)

Unformed, omnipotent, oscillating, undulating, chromatic, prismatic, and ultra-telluric.  Primordial Chaos is the throbbing gristle of our hobby, the pale underbelly of a sandworm coughing up a hairball akin to the dark messiah who shall change the unchangeable.  Neon fuchsia reflected on the chartreuse palm of an all-seeing eye.  It is the prophecy!

Gonzo is awesome in and of itself, but gonzo can also be used to enhance the roleplaying experience in a variety of ways.  The problem is that, for many gamers, gonzo is inaccessible, hard to understand, and difficult to implement successfully.  

There's regular old surface immersion, and then something deeper, darker, stranger... a hyper-immersive PSYCHOCOSMIC experience that you just can't obtain with vanilla fantasy or plain-Jane dungeon delving.  That's right!  This book will go beyond gonzo - exploring outer depths of reality that only a madman or magician in his wildest fever-dream could conceive.  With the forbidden knowledge contained inside Primordial Chaos, your gaming will take on a reality of its own; as real as you need it to be. 

According to the RPG Pundit, I am the master of stupid gonzo fantasy.  I've made gonzo a cornerstone of my writing, designing, and gaming output.  Now is the time, I am the individual, and this is the book that will not only put primordial chaos on the bloodstained map, I'll show you how to gonzo like a fucking boss!

Do you want random tables that would make seasoned Arduin-Rifts-Carcosa gamers cross the street to avoid you?  Because backing this Kickstarter is how you get those kinds of random tables... and ants!

 

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Deal of the Day - Modus Operandi (OSR Espionage Ruleset)

I remember playing Top Secret during the weekly Physics lab in my senior year of High School. Those cheap as d10s quickly cracked being rolled on those granite lab tables. I've always had a soft spot for espionage rulesets.

Modus Operandi is today's Deal of the Day, an espionage ruleset built from the OSE SRD. Normally, it is 9.99 in PDF, but until tomorrow it is on sale for 5.99.

Modus Operandi is a roleplaying game of super spies and secret agents set against the backdrop of the Cold War of the 1980s.

Go back to basics and become an expert.

Modus Operandi is an espionage role-playing game in which you play an agent employed by a secret organisation working to stop those who would destroy or dominate the world. The default setting for Modus Operandi is the 1980s but your games can be set in any decade.

Modus Operandi is inspired by old school espionage games but, using the Old School Essentials SRD as its core, brings a fresh take to the genre. Included in Modus Operandi are all new character classes (called specialities), weapons, equipment, communications gear, gadgets and rules for contacts.

 

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Cosmic Horror & Cthulhu Mythos Bundles 50% Off at DTRTPG

Halloween is just over two months away, and it is that time of the year - the time for Cosmic Horror & Cthulhu Mythos Bundles at 50% Off at DTRPG. 

Pictures say a thousand words and these pictures show a nice assortment of horror games.

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Kickstarter - Maps For Fantasy RPGs Old School Workbooks 3 & 4

Workbooks with hand-drawn, old-school maps! Write notes & stock YOUR dungeons, on YOUR shelf! DnD 5e, OSR, OSE, D&D, Pathfinder, & Runequest.

Sometimes, small Kickstarters are the best option. The Maps For Fantasy RPGs Old School Workbooks 3 & 4 Kickstarter looks like one that I want to back.

I hand draw and digitally color LOTS of maps. I sell many of them in royalty-free digital packages so people can use them in their commercial projects. I always wanted a book of maps to put on my shelf, and thought: “Why not make the maps into a workbook that DMs/GMs can write in to stock each dungeon? That way the book becomes a living document they can keep on their bookshelf and re-use for new game groups, saving them time and effort!” 

MAPS For FANTASY RPGs Workbook 3 & 4  are 150-page & 138-page softcover books/PDFs with 36 (Workbook 3) & 33 (Workbook 4) black & white old school grid and grid-less maps from the MAPS FOR FANTASY RPGs 1 & 4 Digital Maps Packages and include spaces provided to name maps, stock dungeons and/or add notes as you run players through your adventures! 

These DM's/GM's Workbooks are ideal for anyone who wants to keep their dungeon/adventure notes organized and in one place - on your bookshelf, in beautiful books with gorgeous hand drawn, old school maps!

 

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Sale - ALIEN RPG Starter Set - 50% Off

DTRPG currently has a Cosmic Horror Sale going on. Most of the sale prices are 25% off the regular price, but many titles in the ALIEN RPG collection are 50% off, including the ALIEN RPG Starter Set.

Additional Cosmic Horror Bundles HERE!

I played in a few sessions of the ALIEN RPG, and it was a blast and a half. I'll be buying a copy of the Starter Set for my own collection.

This set contains everything you need to start playing:

• A 104-page rulebook with a fast and effective ruleset designed specifically to support the core themes of ALIEN: horror and action in the cold darkness of space.
• The 48-page complete scenario Chariot of the Gods by sci-fi novelist Andrew E.C. Gaska, taking you on a thrilling, terror-filled ride into deep space where no one can hear you scream. Chariot of the Gods is designed for 3–5 players plus the GM.
• Five pre-generated characters to play.
• A huge full-color, double-sided map, with one side depicting chartered space in the year 2183 and the other floor plans for the Chariot of the Gods scenario.
• 84 game markers for keeping track of characters, motion tracker pings, and more.
• 56 custom cards for weapons, personal agendas, and initiative in combat

 

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Bundle of Holding - DCC Dying Earth

The setting material / boxed sets for the DCC RPG are simply stunning in the quality and quantity of the contents.  DCC RPG Dying Earth is no exception, and it holds a prominent place on my gaming shelves. Alas, it will likely never get played, as my gaming group isn't a fan of the DCC RPG, but the books are sweet and a pleasant read.

The Starter Collection for the DCC Dying Earth Set is 17.95, and you can grab the complete Bonus Collection for about 36 bucks.

Adventurer! This all-new DCC Dying Earth Bundle presents the 2022 Goodman Games tabletop roleplaying game adaptation for the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG of the world-famous Dying Earth stories by legendary fantasist Jack Vance.

Funded in a June 2021 Kickstarter campaign, DCC Dying Earth is the newest licensed RPG version of Vance's setting. DCC Dying Earth is both a sourcebook that expands the DCC RPG core rules and a campaign setting that evokes Vance's singular setting: the distant twilight of Earth as a dim red sun sheds its last life. The world is filled with the whimsical and the curious, the evil and monstrous. DCC Dying Earth is 100% compatible with DCC RPG. Parties can jump from Aereth to the Purple Planet to the dim twilight of the 21st Aeon, where magic and science are one and the same – even back through time to the sorcerous age of Grand Motholam or doomed Ampridatvir. The four new classes (magician, wayfarer, witch, and vat-thing), dozens of new spells, new monsters, and more – all can fit any era and expand any judge's setting.

Note: This licensed DCC RPG adaptation of the Dying Earth stories is different from an earlier version published by Pelgrane Press. These adventures all require the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG rulebook, which is not included in this offer – but check our DCC Essentials Starter Pack in the Bundle Store!

Dungeon Crawl Classics module 5 Penumbra of the Polar ApeThis all-new offer has everything you need to begin adventuring in the 21st Aeon. For just US$17.95 you get all four titles in our Starter Collection (retail value $61) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete DCC Dying Earth core set and the first three modules: Dying Earth #0: The Black Obelisk, #1 Laughing Idol of Lar-Shann, and #2 Sorcerer's Tower of Sanguine Slant.

Dying Earth campaignAnd if you pay more than the threshold price of $35.39, you'll level up and also get our entire Bonus Collection with seven more titles worth an additional $67. The centerpiece of this Bonus Collection, debuting exclusively in this offer, is the Casebook of Arcane Apocrypha, a collection of stretch goals from the DCC Dying Earth Kickstarter campaign. And this Bonus Collection also adds DCC Dying Earth modules #3-8: #3 Magnific Machinations at the Grand Exposition, #4 Mind Weft of the Moonstone Palace, #5 Penumbra of the Polar Ape, #6 The Great Visp Hunt, #7 Phantoms of the Ectoplasmic Cotillion, and #8 The House on the Island.

The Casebook of Arcane Apocrypha debuts exclusively in this offer and is not yet available on DriveThruRPG. Download the Casebook from your Wizard's Cabinet on this site.

 

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Humble Bundle - Star Trek Adventures RPG 1e from Modiphius

Here's a bundle that will likely be on the list of many to snag - Star Trek Adventures RPG 1e Bundle from Modiphius. Even if you simply snag it for the Star Trek lore (it even has a book on the classic Star Trek TOS Cartoon) you'll likely get your money's worth. Still not sure about the bundle? A single buck gets you the Star Trek Adventures Starter Set AND an adventure. 36 PDFs for $25!

Assemble your Starfleet crew for this Star Trek bundle of tabletop role-playing books from Modiphius! This TTRPG explorer’s kit contains new character templates, expansions, and campaign guides for the original series, The Next Generation, Discovery, and more. Get everything you need to embark on an epic space journey with your friends while supporting Girls Who Code. Get the bundle and take your Star Trek Adventures experience to the next level!

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Kickstarter - Stalwart '85 (Supers RPG)

The World's Niftiest Superhero Roleplaying Game

I've been a fan of Mike Desing and his works, such as The Splintered Realms and Army Ants, for over a decade. I did some work for Mike on The Splintered Realms WAY back in the day. Mike is passionate about RPGs, which shows in the games he publishes.

Stalwart '85 is Mike's fifth Kickstarter, and you can back for everything in PDF for as little as 10 bucks. Everything in print is 25, and that's where I'm happily at :)

Stalwart '85 is the World's Niftiest Superhero RPG. Set in a 1980s that only happened in my imagination, and based on a comic series that was published there, Stalwart '85 is the game I wish I would have had in 1985, set in the comic book universe I wish I could have created then.

It is a low/medium crunch tabletop superhero RPG system, using dice ranging from D4 to D20 (with the awesome D16 joining in the fun). A few key design concepts include:

A consistent focus on authentically emulating comics of the era. The game leans hard into simulating 'comic book action'. This is supported by a hits system where your character can be 'felled' (knocked out of combat), but can repeatedly get back up. 

A simple action management system that allows you to either take a few big actions each round or several smaller actions; you can decide from round-to-round how you are managing your actions. You can try to take out several thugs in one round, or you can land a few haymakers on Simian Prime, because his battle suit is harder to bust through.

The "In Real Life" sub-system, where the events outside of your heroic life have a direct bearing on your performance as a hero. If Uncle Marty didn't get his medicine and you bombed your physics test, it's going to impact your effectiveness.

A focus more on character building and being awesome, and less on game balance. Some gifts (powers) are simply better than others; the game makes minimal effort to ensure that wall crawling is as cool as true magic. It's not.

A simple hero point system that gives you opportunities to push your powers and abilities far beyond their normal capacity, or to use them to create unique stunts on the fly. 

Options for either random or custom character generation. You can build the character you want to play, or you can let the dice determine your fate.

 

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