I am not a massive fan of Supers RPGs—I never have been and never will be. That being said, if I were to play a Supers RPG these days, it would be Mutants & Masterminds—hands down. It's just familiar enough to feel comfortable.
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 Rumbleor YouTube - Tenkar
I've heard a lot about Nights Black Agents. Surprisingly, I bought this back in 2017 - I need to redownload The Dracula Dossier.
Agent! We've been cleared to resurrect the December 2017 Dracula Dossier Bundle. The Dracula Dossier is an epic improvised horror-espionage campaign for Night's Black Agents, star designer Kenneth Hite's GUMSHOE system tabletop roleplaying game of burned spies vs. vampires from Pelgrane Press.
In 1893 a visionary spymaster in the British Naval Intelligence Department tried to recruit the perfect asset: a vampire. Operation Edom contacted Count Dracula in Transylvania, set up a safe house and headquarters in England, and arranged transit. Then it all went wrong. Dracula betrayed his minder and double-crossed NID. British intelligence hunted him down on his home ground and terminated him with two knives and extreme prejudice – or so they thought. Dracula lives. Now it's up to you to finish the job.
Funded by a November 2014 Kickstarter campaign, the Dracula Dossier series follows in the fully improvisational path of the award-winning The Armitage Files campaign for Trail of Cthulhu. Players follow leads in the margins of Dracula Unredacted, a rare edition of Bram Stoker's masterpiece that reveals the terrifying truth behind the fiction. Players choose which leads to track, which scarlet trail to follow. The Director, using the clear step-by-step techniques in these ebooks, improvises a suitably blood-soaked thriller in response to their choices. Together you create your own unique story for one of the greatest RPG campaigns ever published.
This comprehensive revival once again brings you the entire Dracula Dossier line. For just US$19.95 you get all three titles in this revived offer's Agent Collection (retail value $54) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks, including the Night's Black Agents core rulebook, Dracula Unredacted, and The Edom Field Manual.
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 Rumbleor YouTube - Tenkar
What would your players' characters do if aliens crash-landed in your campaign? This adventure just may answer that question!
This is the part where I pull back the curtain. I've known Thom Wilson for years, first meeting Tom at NTRPG Con and later being a Special Guest at the first Shire Con (run by Thom) and yearly since. Thom is a skilled and prolific producer of Old School RPG material.
It Fell From the Sky is Thom Wilson's ShadowDark low-level adventure. It's 4 bucks in PDF, 15 bucks for print plus PDF, and includes shipping.
It Fell From the Sky is a 24- to 28-page adventure designed for the Shadowdark RPG. It contains enough content to last one to three sessions of gameplay for most groups. It can be dropped into any campaign or world of the game master's choosing.
This adventure will be available to backers in two formats: a PDF or a digest-sized print-on-demand book. The cover is full-color with a black & white interior.
The adventure was created and written by Thom Wilson of ThrowiGames. Eric Lofgren created the fantastic cover. Maps were hand-drawn by Glynn Seal of MonkeyBlood Design. And the original interior art was developed by Joey Docil. Of course, Joshua Newey is handling all the editing.
DriveThruRPG will handle PDF delivery, and Lulu.com will fulfill the print-on-demand copies.
This is the part where I talk about who I know, so you can read this post with open eyes. I've known Ben Burns, owner of New Comet Games, for about a decade. We set aside time to talk at every NTRPG Con, and I consider Ben a friend.
I own nearly all New Comet Games Call of Cthulhu print releases, which are well worth the investment. At 7.95, this PDF bundle is practically a steal.
Ahoy! This all-new Corsairs of Cthulhu Bundle presents Corsairs of Cthulhu: Fighting the Mythos in the Golden Age of Piracy and other historical Call of Cthulhu Seventh Edition tabletop roleplaying scenarios from New Comet Games. This piratical guide to the years 1650-1730 gives you new rules for alchemy and voodoo, historical occupations and equipment, and maps of Port Royal and far Tortuga. Your 17th-Century Investigators can crew a pirate or privateer vessel, freelance out of a Caribbean port, or sail their own ship as corsairs. They face curses left by ancient civilizations, and nightmares hidden around the Gulf and the seas beyond (waaay beyond). Join the crew, hoist the Jolly Roger, prime your pistol, and sharpen your cutlass. It'll take more than luck to save you today.
For just US$7.95 you get all four CoC supplements in our New Comet Collection (retail value $44) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete 299-page Corsairs of Cthulhu campaign sourcebook along with three 1920s-era campaigns: A Time for Sacrifice (about Mayan mysteries in the Yucatan), Devil's Swamp (the Hockomock Swamp in southern Massachusetts), and The Star on the Shore (Rockport, Massachusetts). Each campaign consists of shorter scenarios that can be played as standalone sessions, and all are fine for both beginning and experienced Investigators.
Note: These campaigns require Call of Cthulhu Seventh Edition (not included in this offer) or compatible rules such as the free and open Cthulhu Eternal.
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 Rumbleor YouTube - Tenkar
I first ran a Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying with the release of the first edition of the WFRP ruleset, and it was a blast. The system is fun, but the setting is second to none. Rich and dark, the world of WFRP is familiar to us but also significantly divergent.
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 Rumbleor YouTube - Tenkar
Friday Fantasy: Return of the Green Death
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Doom comes once again to the village of Riverside! Sixty years ago,
Terrapocalypse the Great Green Wyrm—‘The Green Death’—descended upon the
tower of the ...
Gnawgahyde (G.I. Joe) - Level 2 Expert
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No fancy intros for this one. I'm just getting down to *business*: cooking
up stats for another figure from my shelf of random nostalgia...
Let's go with...
Fantasy Fridays: Aventuras en español
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[image: Tengo D&D]
I have been very remiss at keeping up with my Fantasy Fridays. My plan was
to get through a lot more games than I did. But in my defense,...
Rappan: Running Away & Unexpected Friends
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After lunch we decided to swap to the main team for some epic game play.
Session 293 was played on 08/16/25
Morgana, wizard 10 (Rob)
Borumar, Triton Thi...
zak update
-
In case you missed it, check out the new article on Zak. Of special
interest to me are two items:
Smith was never charged with any crime but respond...
Into the Breaking
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By Dave RobinsonKEH PublishingOSELevels 4-6 Travel from the city of
Cismontane into one of the worlds beyond the Breaking on a mission to stop
a monstrous ...
Raupenschlepper Ost 1942 - test print
-
Quite some time ago, I designed this model in Blender. It's a simplified
version of the Raupenschlepper Ost, with the cab made from plywood instead
of ...
Transit
-
*Setting a Bearing*Before casting off, the ship must set its bearing to an
agreed destination. This requires a meeting of the Bearing Council, which
con...
Best Books of 2025
-
By tradition, December is marked on the 25th by Christmas Day, on the 24th
by Christmas Eve, on the 26th by Boxing Day, on the 31st by New Year's Eve,
an...
The Future of False Machine
-
Dragonmeet left me relatively alienated and thinking a lot about my
‘career’, such as it is.
Sir John Soanes House was pretty great
I don’t think I can r...
Fight On! Issue 17 now available
-
As noted months ago *here*, the Old School Renaissance fanzine *Fight On!* has
experienced its own renaissance. After spending a decade in a magically
in...
Felltower short break
-
Folks, we'll be taking a short break from Felltower. One of our regulars
has suffered a tragic family loss - someone who was also an important
friend to me...
Write
-
I've been watching content about "how to write" again. Sometimes it's
pleasant to hear about how others do it; sometimes I like to hear about
what others w...
20:1 mass combat in practice
-
Here is one huge simplification of old school D&D combat. I’ve written
about this before, and I’m sorry if I end up repeating myself.
[Also, I got a bit ca...
Toys on the (Gaming) Table...
-
As Christmas approaches, toys spring immediately to mind. Yours truly has
talked (ad nauseum) about getting Holmes Basic for Christmas, but never
that much...
Community Greyhawk – The Hunt for Malfera
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Today we have another short adventure from a familiar name; The Hunt for
Malfera by David Quadrini. It’s a 4 5 page pdf (including cover and a page
of lega...
OSR: Treasure for Dungeon / Room Stocking
-
Dungeon stocking is tricky. Over and over, people ask "How much treasure
should I include per room / dungeon level / PC?"
The answer varies enormously be...
Solo d6 Fantasy: Session 10
-
Thoughts on the system, Solo d6 Fantasy: ExpandedI think this is an
excellent option for solo play, it provides enough depth to provide an
interesting sess...
[MODULE] City of the Ape-Men (NOW AVAILABLE!)
-
City of the Ape-Men
I am pleased to announce the publication of *City of the Ape-Men*, a
56-page adventure module for levels 5–8, and the first new release...
Test Print of Card Game Ordered!
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I finally ordered the test print for the card game! It took about 6 hours
to get all the cards the right dimensions, the template left off the extra
for th...
Weather in the Yatil Mountains
-
The players in my D&D campaign will soon be headed into the Yatil Mountains
in search of the lost treasure hoard of the Archmage Iggwilv (see module
S4: ...
Mutants and Wizards
-
Heya folks, long time no see.
I've just started working on something new called Mutants and Wizards. It's
going to be an OSE/OSR post-apocalyptic game t...
G.I. Robot Was Right
-
I found this while scrolling yesterday. I love GI and just ordered a “GI
Robot Was Right” shirt yesterday. I think it might be time for another
Punch A Naz...
Free GM Resource: HexLands Web App
-
[image: Free GM Resource: HexLands Web App]
I haven't done a Free GM Resource in a while, and I almost missed this one (*despite
several emails on the sub...
Ten Friggin Hill Cantons Wizards
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10 Wizards of the Hill Cantons
#
Name
Description
1
Magister Dobromil the Cauterizer
Specializes in magical “cleaning” of reality leaks. Wears fou...
On Bounty, Questions worth asking.
-
Well? Will we?
Available Now!
https://sinlessrpg.com
------------------------------
*Hack & Slash*
Follow, Twitch, Support, Donate to end Cancer (5 ...
Rob Kuntz at Lucca Comics & Games 2025
-
If you are planning a trip to Europe (like right now) and wish to catch up
with me in person, make sure to book a detour via *Lucca Comics & Games*,
...
What is the point of the OSR?
-
Over on Reddit, Kaliburnus asks What the point of the OSR is? He concludes
his post with some questions.
So, honest question, what is the point of OSR?...
Musings on the OSR Blogosphere and Forums
-
Link to discussion There are some posts on the historical OSR blog scene
that I’ve read recently from the Grumpy …
Continue reading →
How do you do piracy… in SPACE!?
-
Interstellar space travel in Iridium Moons was always going to be a form of
hyperspace jump like in Star Wars or Traveller. Simply because it’s the one
for...
Eyes of Idola, Part 2
-
This is Part 2. Here is Part 1.
*Concept 1: Entering the Dungeon*
Descending the stairs into B1, the party reach rooms that are dark,
crowded, flooded, a...
A long overdue hobby update!
-
Welcome back to the Vault everyone! 2025 is going by in a blur; I last
posted in February, almost started a post in March and now it's the end of
May. W...
Playing at the World 2E V2 Arrives
-
With the release of its second volume, the second edition of *Playing at
the World *is finally complete. The two books combined total well over
1,000 ...
Blogs on Tape season 6 has begun!
-
Hi everybody! Its been a minute. How are you? Everything is awful all the
time? Horrors never cease? You’re being driven mad by the weight of the
unfathoma...
Articulations
-
Creating house rules, custom rules specific to a local group or campaign,
has been common throughout the history of D&D. What makes an effective
house rule...
Writing playlists for all occasions
-
Hello again! Going off the idea of inspiration elaborated on by the prior
post, I also have music playing while I write my various games and fiction
pieces...
The Tarot of Pips
-
Somewhere in your dice collection is a die like this one, the humblest of
dice. Although you don't know it, this small white die carries with it a
secr...
Pirates and Necromancers, a Play Report
-
Over the Thanksgiving weekend we did a lot of gaming ranging from
“off-table” domain level stuff to some solo adventures to spell and magic
item rese...
It's been a bit
-
Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well! I've had a lot going on and
haven't had much time to blog lately. Heres a recap of gaming events and
other st...
*'s in SpaaaaaAaaaace
-
A lot of SF (including a certain 2D6 RPG grandaddy) deal with ancient
aliens taking humans from Earth and dropping them, fleas and all, on one or
more w...
Last move - to self-hosting!
-
As my vote regarding Substack in the “marketplace of ideas”, I’m moving to
self-hosting.
I’m now at (and hopefully staying for a long time at)
Blog: ht...
Clean Your Room
-
Looking back at my little blog here. That last post… wow, I was having fun
playing WOW Classic! That was August of 1999 and I was having a blast… it
was ...
Steve Jackson Interview
-
James Maliszewski recently did an interview with Steve Jackson over on his
Grognardia blog. Steve chats about the beginnings of The Fantasy Trip and
upcomi...
ToAD Monster of the Week: Crocoman
-
Now that I'm back doing the blog thing I thought I would use Tome of
Adventure Design to create monsters for The Black Hack.
Using the monster tables in th...
Strange, Dangerous, and Inhuman: The Fey and Fairie
-
When I was a boy I loved fairy tales. Jack and the Beanstalk, Puss in
Boots, Rumpelstiltskin - I devoured all of it. My fascination that there
was a strang...
Dungeons & Dragonmead Fall Schedule
-
*As you know, I run public classic Dungeons & Dragons games at **The Loaded
Die**/Metro Detroit Game Night's Board Game Nigh at **Dragonmead**, in
Warren...
Fiction in Airhde
-
On a whim this weekend, I picked up some fiction off the TLG store. *A
Houseless God & Other Tales* and *The Mirrored Soul & Other Tales*, both by
the T...
Ravensburg Reboot: Streamlined City Map
-
I mentioned in my last post how I was tweaking and reworking parts of my
Ravensburg setting. Today I streamlined the city map. The old map had lots
of redu...
The Withered Crag available now
-
I just enabled the sale of the PDF version of The Withered Crag at
DriveThruRPG a few minutes ago, and the custom print version will be
available startin...
Annihilation Rising Goes live
-
The latest in Fail Squad Games’ Quick Kick projects has gone live and needs
your support!! This project is only running 11 days and ends on 5/28/2019!
...
James's Celebration of Life
-
We could not have asked for a prettier day for James's service. It was a
bit chilly and windy but gorgeous. A heartfelt thank you to all that joined
us tod...
Trap Tuesday: A step back
-
I will get back to Tomb of Horrors soon. I found a topic that was
interesting enough to take a break. While interacting in a 5E group on
Facebook I talked ...
Let's Talk About Pacing!
-
The idea, I think, is that the RPG is ultimately about the long game. Even
rolling back to the early days of Basic & Expert, the goal of the player
was...
Profane and Profound Prep Part 2
-
This is part 2 of my work to edit my magic items for a DMsGuild release,
along with adding cursed items along the way. Here is part 1. Bone of a
Saint 8000...
Please, I don't do paid advertisements - don't ask.
-
A little note since people have asked me about this. My video channel's
*not* an advertising platform, so I'm not available for hire if you want to
promote...
New website!
-
Slowly but surely, all the content here will make its way — in updated
form! — to my new website: timbannock.com. For fairly obvious reasons, that
site wil...
Please Update Your Link!
-
If you're seeing this, it means your link to the Greyhawk Grognard blog is
out of date.
Please update your link to www.greyhawkgrognard.com (RSS feed is
h...
Total Sales for WB:FMAG
-
Hi Folks,
It's been a long time since I provided an update for the sales of White
Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game.
*LULU*
Print: 396
PDF: 433
*OBS*...
How can We Destroy this Campaign World?
-
d12
1. You must trick a bard into strumming the *Chords of Fate* on the *Lute
of Annihilation*
2. Legends tell of thermonuclear weapons beneath megadunge...
Mord Mar - Session 5
-
We had another successful delve into the dungeon yesterday. The delvers:
Moira, the Magic-User
Radovan - Human Cleric (of Odin?)
Khazgar Stonehand - Dwarf ...
Bundle of Fantasy Age
-
Bundle of Holding: Dragon Age/Fantasy Age: Available until March 12. PA
Presents: Fantasy AGE Freeport live play Green Ronin in 2018 The Fantasy
Age RPG ma...
New Free PDF Module: The Hyqueous Vaults
-
A new dungeon module—written in celebration of OSRIC's 10th Birthday—by
Rebecca Dettmann, Allan T. Grohe, Jr., Jimm Johnson, Matthew Riedel, Alex
Zisch, a...
Swords & Wizardry Light: Session # 6
-
Two months after our last session (thanks to things like 8th grade finals,
a 4 year-old's birthday and party, Father's Day, etc.), we finally had our
next ...