Saturday, June 8, 2024
Friday, June 7, 2024
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
Tuesday, June 4, 2024
Heading to NTRPG Con in the AM
Over the next few days, posts may become spotty as I enjoy everything that NTRPG Con has to offer.
I'll try and regal you with con photos and more :)
Monday, June 3, 2024
Humble Bundle - Delta Green RPG Collection
I remember Delta Green when it was a supplement for Call of Cthulhu. My, how times have changed. Now it's a full-blown RPG in its own right. The Delta Green Humble Bundle is 18 bucks for 20 PDFs
This is like nothing anyone has ever understood. This is the apocalypse.
Fan of H.P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos? Delta Green is the premier modern day setting for cosmic horror roleplaying, casting players as operatives for a top secret government organization tasked with keeping the eldritch at bay. This bundle includes everything you need for endless adventure in this thrilling world! You’ll get the Agent’s Handbook and Handler’s Guide core rulebooks plus an entire library of sourcebooks, adventures, and game aids to keep your gaming group busy for as long as your sanity can handle!
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
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Final Sunday Before NTRPG
No...this year will be much more laid-back than my norm. Between a work trip kicking my ass (I brought home a summer cold that I'm just recovering from) and some unexpected home repairs having to take up my most valuable of resources....oh, and my workplace kind of sort of tried to tell me I couldn't go to the con this year. Yeah, that wasn't going to fly. I take one scheduled vacation a year (NTPRG) and they can have me do whatever for the other 360 days of the year. They've had this on the books for a year and if management cannot get the manpower figured out, that's not my burden to bear.
So yeah...I'm not going to take on undue stress so I can enjoy myself.
NTRPG is basically the beginning of the summer convention season, so if you have things you need to do before Origins, or maybe GenCon.....here's your sign to check in on your state of affairs now.
I'm happy with the games I've gotten into to play, but I don't have and guests coming in this year like I've had in the past. Just gaming...some drinking, and giving Bad Mike too much money.....
Hopefully I'll have a good end-of-con report.
Blogs of Inspiration & Erudition
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Dracula, The Hunters' Journals: 26 July Mina Murray's Journal - Mina is getting increasingly worried about Jonathan. [image: Dracula - The Hunters' Journals] *26 July.*—I am anxious, and it soothes me to express myse...1 hour ago
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In praise of Lamentations (LotFP) - I recommended Lamentations of the Flame Princess (LotFP) to someone online and they asked what's so special about it. I had already compared it to other si...1 hour ago
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Propping Up Your Pocket - From the moment you see the words “Gleason’s Department Store. Arkham, Mass.” on the lid of the patterned box you know that you have something special in ...9 hours ago
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CPT Jax Bolton [Space Patrol] - Captain Jax Bolton is an infamous pilot in the Space Patrol, a division of space cops that police the space lanes. They are tasked with the protection of c...12 hours ago
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Stonehell: Sepulture Raiders - Session 242 was played on 2/18/24 Morgana, Magic User (Rob) Borumar, ½ Orc Thief (Josh) Blotto, Goblin Fighter (Lanse) Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC) Aroon, Figh...13 hours ago
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Monster and Treasure Assortment Sets One - Three (1980) - From the web: This resource, is subtitled Sets One-Three: Levels One-Nine. All crunch and no fluff, it packs 900 monsters and 900 treasures into 33 page...18 hours ago
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Retro OSR Review & Commentary On The Fantastic Four Compendium (Marvel Super Heroes, Ma4) By David Martin (Author) For The Marvel Super Heroes Advanced Rpg system - " In this book, you'll meet all the heroes who have at one time or another been members of the Fantastic Four, the group's extended family, their friends,...1 day ago
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Churchill Mk.VII (-ish) - I've been tinkering with the estimable Mr. Bergman's 1:100 scale (15mm) Churchill Mk.IV model to make a Mk.VII.... almost. The front end of the track s...1 day ago
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On Sectors, Quickstarted. - * Less than 48 hours left! Don't miss out!* I know explaining it doesn't do it, sometimes. So let me show you. Can you see how fun sectors are to make? ...1 day ago
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What Paranoia? - I have a handful of games that I don't want to outright review, but would like to talk about briefly. Because I'm away for the next few weeks, with famil...2 days ago
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Chagrinspires Secret Rail Network 1 - Patreon: revision of vol 1 and 2 for chagrin spire books. Vol 2 has 200+ room gatehouse done - its going well Vol 3 has started - I'm ...2 days ago
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Occluded Keep of the Doomed Elementalist - By Eon Fontes-MayYouCanBreatheNow GamesOSRLevels 3-4 For as long as we can remember, the landmark has been a facade of solid stone. False windows and doors...2 days ago
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Free GM Resource (and some cheap limited-time resources): Stars Without Number - [image: Free GM Resource (and some cheap limited-time resources): Stars Without Number] Evidently I'm late to the party but there is a "Revised Edition" ...4 days ago
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Arneson's Ships, Shipbuilding and Hull Value in OD&D - So often it happens that I'm working on one thing, and in the process get pulled down a rabbit hole that leads to a treasure all its own. In this case, ...5 days ago
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Sci-Fi: The Andalusian - A Sci-Fi Heist Module - The Andalusian is a free 31 page space opera heist module, designed for my *Squishy Space* system (also free). *PDF Link* The Andalusian is not as luxuri...6 days ago
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Session Zero - I'm starting a new ShadowDark Campaign. Four players. Roll 20. Mondays 7pm to 10pm. And for the first time, for me, livestreaming the games on YouTube. S...6 days ago
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Personal Reflections on the OSR at 1,990 Posts - This post is the 1,989th published at Monsters & Manuals. That's a lot. I have been writing this nonsense for sixteen years, which might actually be befo...1 week ago
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The World of 100 Wonders - On Twitter I brought up the concept of a D&D world with no magic but for 100 magical items and almost all foreign policy and intrigue was about possessing...1 week ago
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Random Links for 7/12/2024 - Happy Friday. - Grognardia has a post on one of my favorite monsters of all time, the troll. At least D&D/AD&D trolls. - These Roman Civil War minis are o...2 weeks ago
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Trampier and Amthor inducted into the Gaming Hall of Fame - There is something called “The Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design Hall of Fame.” It has existed since 1974 and includes many important game design...2 weeks ago
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[MODULE/ZINE] Khosura: King of the Wastelands, Drifting Lands, Echoes From Fomalhaut #12 (NOW AVAILABLE!) - A Triumvirate of Adventure I am pleased to announce the publication of three new release, including a hardcover sandbox supplement with city, dungeon and...3 weeks ago
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Terminator Tuesday (T2zday?): "I'm a cybernetic organism, living tissue over a metal endoskeleton." - This is cool. Also disturbing. Image and video are both from the original article HERE and are (I believe) covered by a CC BY-ND license (with attributi...3 weeks ago
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D&D's Monstrous Makeovers... - As we entertain D&D's 50th anniversary, we should consider that while mechanics evolve over time, it's content, an implied fantasy world, that makes our ...3 weeks ago
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How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox is the Deal of the Day - For those of you who are unsure about How to Make a Fantasy Sandbox, tomorrow, June 27th, the PDF version will be the Deal of the Day on DriveThruRPG. F...4 weeks ago
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New Planar Magic Items - Hellsguard, Mephrytis, Ring of Planar Vision, and Four New Potions - I've been busily working away on various projects since the end of April, including attending the North Texas RPG Con in Dallas from 5-10 June 2024 (and ...4 weeks ago
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XP Potential as Inverse Encumbrance - Back in March, prompted by a discussion on Discord, I was perusing Jon Peterson’s Playing at the World to see if there was any discussion of rerolling HP o...5 weeks ago
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A Bargain at Any Price: Unfathomable Bundle in Progress - This impecunious Underworld Otter knows a good deal when he smells it. If you crave* deep*, almost ridiculous discounts for your RPG materials, look no fu...5 weeks ago
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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 ...5 weeks ago
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Musings on Sleep in OD&D – Is it Over-Powered? - Link to discussion Let’s look at the sleep spell in Men & Magic: >Sleep: A Sleep spell affects from 2–16 1st-level types (hit dice of up to 1 + 1), from...2 months ago
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Adventures Dark and Deep Kickstarter! - The Kickstarter campaign for the revised Adventures Dark and Deep core rulebooks is going on right now. Click below for complete details! http://kickstarte...2 months ago
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Random Ship Encounters on the Sea of Fish - So over 10 years ago I said I would write a follow-up to this blog post and I never did. So this post is dedicated to DM_Lazenby who brazenly called me ...2 months ago
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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...2 months ago
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Recent painting efforts - Welcome back to the Vault. It's been quiet here, but the hobby machine keeps on running. I thought I'd post a quick update with some of the recently fin...2 months ago
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Living Rooms, Beyond the Living Room, and The Open Form Broadside - Living rooms set to liven up your RPG adventures, and a broadside journal set to stimulate those little grey cells... Rob Kuntz's latest releases! *Livin...3 months ago
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Session #12 & Adventure Sites Compilation - Firstly, I wanted to let everybody know that Adventure Sites I by Coldlight Press is now available as a free download on DriveThruRPG. It includes my own...3 months ago
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Improvised Awful Lights Missions - Asking about The Awful Lights, a commenter asks: *I'd love to hear about how this is run - with the Handler determining mission location and objectives ...3 months ago
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Jim Ward's Adventure in Gygax's Wonderland - Last weekend at GaryCon, many of us raised a glass to the memory of Jim Ward, who passed away just days before the convention. Ward was very helpful to m...3 months ago
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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...5 months ago
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*'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...6 months ago
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What Else Have I Got in Me? - Brechewold's been done for a little while. Still incredibly pumped to have this labor of love out in the company of LotFP's marvelously creative body of ...6 months ago
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Housekeeping 2024 - Coactus Illustration © Heather Gwinn. A gift she gave me in 2013 for an edition of Miscreated Creatures which I hope exists someday. Coloring by me. I am a...6 months ago
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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...6 months ago
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Sex-Crazed Falling Stars, Free Weather Magic, and Adventures: News of the Hill Cantons - *Grandma Gaya, the Rav-Witch of High Kezmarok*, seeks the stout of limb and humble of mind in the *obtaining of fallen stars* from an upcoming prophesied ...6 months ago
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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...6 months ago
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Play Report: Skull Mountain - At the end of the last Skull Mountain session the PCs had retreated to safety at Owen's redoubt, met with visiting elves, and recovered from injuries ...8 months ago
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Moving On... - So, my D&D 5e experiment has blown up the lab in a puff of green smoke leaving my face blackened like Wile E. Coyote after a failed roadrunner Acme trap...1 year ago
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How to Keep Megadungeons Fresh - People often consider megadungeons boring. Not because the play style is boring, but because they are in the same locale for a majority of the campaign. If...1 year ago
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Master Treasure Seeker: A Dungeon23 MegaDungeon - Introduction - Sean McCoy, author of Mothership, posted an article on his substack titled Dungeon23 and it's taken the indie RPG scene by storm. So, I'm throwing my hat...1 year ago
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Genteel Magistrate at FenCon XVIII - Victorious author Mike Stewart will be a guest at FenCon XVIII this weekend at the Sheraton DFW Airport hotel, 4440 W. John Carpenter Freeway, Irving, TX, ...1 year ago
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Osamu Tezuka (1928 - 1989) - [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970]Shonen Magazine Cover, 1970 [image: Osamu Tezuka - Shonen Magazine Cover Illustration 1970]Shonen Maga...1 year ago
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Helvéczia: Journal de Campagne, 3 - We resumed play this past week, joining the company still within the farmstead where those that remain of the seven knaves are restrained or incapacitate...2 years ago
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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$&...2 years ago
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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 ...2 years ago
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My RPG Zine Trilogy is on Kickstarter! - I can't believe I didn't post about it here! The Dead are Coming, Screams Amongst the Stars and Running Out of Time are on *Kickstarter right now!* Thes...3 years ago
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Maximum HP 004, one week to go - Just one week to go for Maximum HP issue #004, the undead. We are pushing through stretch goals and wracking up contributions for the best issue yet. We...3 years ago
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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...3 years ago
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The Hero’s Journey 2nd Edition, Campbellian roleplaying at its best! - (this review done using the reviewers own purchased copy) I have been a James Michael Spahn fan since he wrote his Swords & Wizardry Companion. His writing...3 years ago
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Undermountain Map Origins - As documented on the Ruins of Undermountain sales page, "TSR didn't actually use Ed Greenwood's original maps," at least not in their entirety. This post d...4 years ago
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WB:FMAG Total Print Sales - Hello Folks, The last time I did a quick sales report was in September 2018. I pulled reports from Amazon, Lulu and DrivethruRPG from October to current fo...4 years ago
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The Minotaur for Old-School Essentials - *Minotaur* *Requirements:* Minimum STR 9, Minimum CON 9 *Prime Requisite:* STR and CON *Hit Dice:* 1d10 *Maximum Level:* 8 *Armor:* Leather, including shield...4 years ago
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WIZARDS OF POHJOLA - Init +0 Melee Atk • sword or dagger +1 (1d5 or 1d3) Ranged Atk • hot iron sparks +3 (1d4+2 to two targets within 20' but not closer than 5') AC 14 HD 12d...4 years ago
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The Withered Crag custom print version for sale again - Just re-enabled the direct sales button for the custom print (classic style detached cover) version of F4 The Withered Crag, and also for F3 Many Gates of...4 years ago
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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...4 years ago
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D&D Sling Damage vs. Large Targets - In many early editions of D&D, weapons were assigned two damage values: one for small/medium targets (i.e. man-sized) and one for large targets (giants and...5 years ago
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James A. Smith, Jr. Memorial Video - A beloved father, devoted friend, and D&D Dungeon Master extraordinaire. We miss you! To view video, click here Memorial Video Note - The original video...5 years ago
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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...5 years ago
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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...5 years ago
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SHORT BREAK. - I'm going to take a break for a week or so and will start up again in the New Year. Thanks for reading and we'll start with Level 6 when I get back.5 years ago
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Iain Lovecraft, 3D Sculptor - Nope, it's got nothing to do with Cthulhu. I just did a video conversation with Iain Lovecraft, who designs 3D miniatures and terrain. If you're not doi...5 years ago
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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...5 years ago
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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...5 years ago
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Mord Mar - Session 6 - We weren't able to play Mord Mar last week, due to a family funeral. This week we played on Monday for the first time, due to kids returning to school and ...5 years ago
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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....6 years ago
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Don’t Sleep It’s Broken - Expanding/editing my comments from What Makes Something Broken G+ thread: “Broken”, for me, is anything that makes normal character choices, tactics, or ro...6 years ago
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Swords & Wizardry Light-Themed Birthday Party - Last month, my wife and I helped our oldest to celebrate his birthday in style. Ever since 2013, we have hosted a themed birthday party for our now-15-ye...6 years ago