Everything is on hold as I continue to fight the flu (my parents are also sick with Influenza A - Rach is as yet untouched).
I think the headache and the brain fog are worse than the congestion, hacking, and body aches - but that's from a productivity standpoint. It's hard to concentrate when your head is pounding, AND you're in a fog.
Hopefully I'm feeling better in time for Wed's livestreams...
We are kicking OSR Christmas 2025 off today - Christmas itself.
How do you get into the "gift receiving" mix?
Email OSRChristmasATgmailDOTcom (trying not to get hit by spam from email scrapers) with some variation of "Days 1 to 3" in the subject.
Let me know if you are in the US or outside the US - some physical gifts won't ship outside the states, as shipping is literally cost-prohibitive.
Note #1 - for physical gifts (including, but not limited to Arduin's Portal to Adventure, a $180 value), some may not ship until late January / February due to projects still waiting to be fulfilled.
Note #2 - all emails during OSR Christmas will be included in the random drawing for Arduin's Portal to Adventure, the final drawing for OSR Christmas.
Days One to Three wrap up Dec 27th @ Midnite. Emails must be received by midnight, Dec 27th, 2025. Gift recipients will be notified here at TenkarsTavern.com on Dec 28th, when Days Four to Six go live.
Here are the gifts for OSR Christmas, Days One to Three, 2025:
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While I'm not a frequent player of Savage Worlds, it's a solid, flexible system that should be in every RPG player's (and GM's) collection, IMHO. Well, today's Deal of the Day is Savage Worlds Adventure Edition. Usually $9.99 in PDF, until Christmas morning, SWADE is on sale for $3. That is NOT a typo ;)
Create your own setting, convert an existing one, or pick up one of our amazing settings like Deadlands, Rippers, or 50 Fathoms. The rules give players plenty of depth to create their characters and keep bookkeeping to a minimum for the Game Master. If you’re looking for a game that’s fast and easy to set up, run, and play, Savage Worlds is for you!
Savage Worlds handles pulp action, gritty noir, supers, hard scifi, space opera, horror, and anything you can imagine!
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition is the latest version of Savage Worlds. It does not, however, invalidate prior printings of the rules, which you can continue to enjoy.
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I'm a sucker for RPG settings. Those who lean dark? Even better! It means conflict is baked into the setting, the engine that drives campaigns. Formoria: The Dark Age is written for Shadowdark, but should be easy enough to convert to the OSR system of your choice, likely on the fly. Formoria is Today's Deal of the Day and is priced at $9.50 in PDF until tomorrow morning (the usual price is $ 29).
Formoria: The Dark Age is a Platinum Best Seller on DTRPG.
Rune & Relic Press invites you to the Lands of Formoria; a campaign setting in the world of Asterra with a rich history that has been developed through decades of game play. This guide offers a detailed milieu in which to place your adventures. It has a particular flavor, detailed locations, cultures, religions, politics, npc’s, and history. Although this book was written for use with Shadowdark the RPG. Most of the content here is system agnostic and entirely usable in other systems.
The setting of Formoria echoes 4th century dark ages Europe in flavor and theme. It lies on the northern fringes of “civilization” having been settled and colonized by civilized peoples from the Katalian Empire roughly 150 years ago. The world of Asterra was developed and written by Bryan O'Doherty over the span of two decades of actual game-play. The history of heroes and great deeds, magical items and artifacts and the current state of cultures, kingdoms and empires is the result of actual at-the-table gameplay since '99.
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OSR Santa has been slow at getting things organized - again - this year. It's simply incredible how many distractions the world throws at you during December.
The year's BIG GIFT is again from the guys at Emperors Choice are gifting a copy of Portal to Adventure in its protective case from their recent Kickstarter.
This is a biggie - so we are going to remind folks REPEATEDLY, and set up a special email where folks can enter to be gifted - I think we'll leave that up for a few weeks so everyone gets a chance to enter.
We also have dice, books, DTRPG Gift Certs, and a few other things in the works to be gifted.
If you are a publisher, big or small, and want to get involved with OSR Christmas, we are looking for physical and digital gifts: Email tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. Put OSR Christmas in the subject if you have gifts to donate!
Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Tenkar
I still remember the tag line of Talislanta from the ads in Dragon Magazine: "No elves!"
Today's Deal of the Day is the Talislanta Player's Guide - Epic Edition, the latest version of Talislanta. Usually $24.99 in PDF, until tomorrow morning, the Talislanta Player's Guide - Epic Edition is on sale for $7.50
Embark on an adventure through the unparalleled universe of Talislanta, where the boundaries of high fantasy are reimagined. The Talislanta Player’s Guide is your key to a realm filled with over 100 archetypes (class/race combinations) from the formidable Thrall Warriors and cunning Kang Trackers to the mystical Cymrillian Swordmages, enchanting Ariane Druas, fierce Jaka Beastmasters and the enigmatic Wizard Hunters. Each archetype invites you on a journey of discovery and heroism in a world where every character is a doorway to a new adventure. This guide is a visual masterpiece featuring stunning, full-color art that breathes life into the diverse and alien landscapes of Talislanta. The vivid illustrations serve not just to beautify but to inspire, drawing you deeper into the lore and majesty of this expansive world.
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If you haven't yet snagged one or more of Kevin Crawford's "Without Number" rulesets, do yourself a favor and do so. Kevin is very generous with the free rulesets he gives to the community.
Currently, Kevin has a Worlds Without Number Bundle on Bundle of Holding.
For just US$12.95 you get all three titles in our Numberless Worlds Collection (retail value $55) as DRM-free ebooks in both .PDF and ePub formats, including the complete 400-page Worlds Without Number Deluxe Edition corebook (previously in our November 2023 Sine Nomine Corebooks offer) along with two supplements new to the Bundle of Holding: the 223-page gazetteer Atlas of the Latter Earth and the introductory campaign setting Diocesi of Montfroid.
Even if you don't run it "as is", the tools included will help ANY DM looking to run a sandbox campaign.
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Fight On! #17 (recent release) delivers exactly what longtime OSR fans crave: a massive, creativity-packed issue overflowing with fresh classes, monsters, adventures, tables, and setting material. Calithena kicks things off with a thoughtful breakdown of Reptile Men and Samurai design, a great peek into how broad-stroke class concepts can be shaped for old-school play. From there, the issue launches into a rich mix of articles, including martial options, grimoire lore, and a flavorful Knight & Knaves scenario, all packed with gameable ideas.
One of the standout features is James Maliszewski’s Eshkom District, a full hexcrawl dripping with atmospheric detail—settlements on the brink, strange wilderness threats, and classic exploration hooks that practically beg to be dropped into a campaign. Philipp H.’s Under Samora: Al’Murtok’s Refuge adds a compelling dungeon expansion full of memorable rooms, clever items, and encounters that feel straight out of the best early megadungeon traditions. Grodog’s deep dive into the myth and evolution of the Thoul is another highlight, blending RPG archaeology with a fresh monster variant ready for the table.
The middle and later portions of the issue serve up a treasure trove of random tables, adventures, setting snippets, and RPG wisdom. Attronarch shares practical advice for running online games (mt bladder won't last 3 hours without a break, but otherwise good advice ;). Bill Webb covers techniques for large groups (I've experienced Bill running large groups - he's spot on with his advice). The Tables for Fables section delivers a joyous variety of tavern events, strange books, and situational prompts ideal for improvisational refereeing. Fiction, lore pieces, and tributes—such as Michael Mornard’s heartfelt memories of Dave Sutherland—add depth and warmth to the issue.
Rounding things out are adventures like Demonweb Savanna and the Rose Bush Hedge Maze, along with the wargaming-focused Chainmail/Sarissa content and a wonderfully quirky Random RPG Name Generator that captures Fight On!’s playful spirit. Taken as a whole, Issue 17 is a vibrant celebration of the OSR’s do-it-yourself heart—packed with material you can run tonight, mine for ideas, or simply enjoy as a love letter to the hobby’s roots.
At $4.99 in PDF, Fight On! #17 is a treasure trove of OSR goodness.
Join The Tavern on December 17th @ 8PM ET, as Jim, Bad Mike, and Tenkar will be joined by Ignatious Umlaut to discuss Fight On! #17 and more!
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I touched on HexCrawls recently on The Tavern's YouTube Channel. Done right, they are one of the most enjoyable aspects of campaign play IMHO. The FlexTale Hexcrawl Toolkit is a fantastic tool for the toolbox of any GM seeking to run a hexcrawl or a sandbox.
Usually, $19.99 in PDF, the 400+ pages of the FlexTale Hexcrawl Toolkit is $4.00 in PDF until 11 AM ET December 8th.
This book was designed to be the most complete, most comprehensive, most innovative authority on hexcrawl roleplaying game adventuring ever produced.
After more than 35 years of gaming, both old-school through to today's most popular systems, the Hexcrawl Toolkit takes one of the hobby's oldest and most enduring concepts, and provides a passionate and well-organized guide for running hexcrawls, either as part of your campaign, or as the focus of them. Designed to be used by new players, veteran G/DMs, those entirely new to hexcrawls, and solo players alike, this book will be immediately useful to any gaming group, in any context, using any rules system, for campaigns of any length--even those already in progress!
The goal of the book is to guide readers through the concepts at the reader's own pace and preference.
If you've ever seen a module or other book with a hex map, and thought to yourself, how do I make one of those? How do I make the one that's there better? This book is for you.
What is This Thing?
The Hexcrawl Toolkit contains dozens of topics, organized into the following sections:
- Introduction, QuickStart, & Checklists
- Planning
- Movement, Speed, & Visibility
- Navigation & Long Journies
- Points of Interest
- Encounters & Combat
- Survival
- Mapping & Cartography
- Appendix: Utility Tables, Visual Reference, & Blank Hex Grids
- Why Do You Care?
This book was written to contain any and all of the rules a G/DM or solo adventurer could possibly want or need to run their own hexcrawl campaign, design and build their own hexcrawl map, or even author and publish their own hexcrawl worlds.
This book will help you if:
- If you're new to TTRPGs entirely.
- If you're new to hexcrawls and have never seen a map with hexes.
- If you're a veteran G/DM who wants to elevate the scope and scale of their adventures.
- If you're an experienced hexcrawler who wants to take the detail, realism, scalability, or thoroughness of their approach to the next level.
- If you're designing your own fantasy world, and want to use a hex map to represent your vision.
- If you have no time before the next gaming session, and the PCs are traveling across the wilderness.
- If you want to dynamically generate an infinite diversity of adventure content on a continental scale.
- If you're a solo player who's looking for that ever-elusive element of surprise and inspiration for massively-detailed, ever-unfolding adventures on a realm-wide scale.
The FlexTale Difference
The goal here is that if you have ten minutes, or ten weeks, to prepare for a game session, there's something in this book that will help you out enormously.
The Hexcrawl Toolkit features the FlexTale approach to gaming design: the content herein supports ANY set of PCs of ANY level, and scales accordingly. No two adventures or quests are the same.
The majority of the book is system-agnostic, and can be used easily with any TTRPG system. Some specific tools and elements contain rules language tailored to 5E, Pathfinder, Pathfinder Second Edition (P2E), OSR, and Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC).
What's Included
The Hexcrawl Toolkit features:
- Over 190 tables, each designed to take minimal time to randomly determine dynamic adventure content or select from amongst well-described and easy-to-implement options.
- Simplified FlexAI rules to drive dynamic and interesting creature behavior in combat and in social interactions.
- And much, much more!
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I've known Glen for nearly 15 years. He's been a fellow podcaster, vidcast partner, and, more importantly, a good friend. Now, he's also an author.
Glen sent me a digital copy of When The Fat Orc Sings: A Lumpers Adventure, about a month ago. I sat in for about a week, not because I wasn't interested, but because I've been having trouble reading books these days. Chemo from 20 years ago rewired my brain - reading 2 books a week (on average) has become less than 2 books a year for me. Less ability to concentrate, traded for more creativity.
When I finally got around to reading that first page, I was surprised to find myself suddenly nearly ten pages into the book without even realizing it. Glen drags you into the story so painlessly that you feel you are part of it. Glen is truly a great storyteller (as those who have followed Glen on podcasts and YouTube over the years probably already know.
It makes an excellent gift for the fantasy game during the holidays - hint, hint!
When The Fat Orc Sings: A Lumpers Adventure is $10.99. Ships free with Amazon Prime.
It was a grey day in Puddleton when she glided into the office. Seems her husband went out with a merchant caravan and
never returned. What unfolded was typical but dangerous. Dragons, gnolls, fat orcs and a nasty little transmuter gave the Lumpers quite a ride. In a story more Chandler than Tolkien, Lojak, Byron and Dinkus try to make sense of this case which involves dark magic and shady characters. A tale of pulpy goodness full of action, humor and the answer to the question: what's a Moobit? Just make sure your sword is sharp and you got paid upfront When the Fat Orc Sings.
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The new edition of Labyrinth Lord was released last week. Whether you refer to it as its official title, Labyrinth Lord: Revised & Expanded, or more commonly, Labyrinth Lord 2e, it is different from its more classic (and nearly 20-year-old) predecessor.
It should be noted that there is a bit of a price war going on in the OSR right now.
Labyrinth Lord: Revised & Expanded - $10
Labyrinth Lord: Revised Edition - $8 (classic rules)
Labyrinth Lord: Advanced Edition Characters - $6.99 (Likely Black Friday Pricing)
It's a great time to explore the OSR :)
Back to the Basics of Fantasy Gaming
Enter a world filled with labyrinths, magic, and monsters!
You take the role of a burglar, cleric, cyclops, brownie, dwarf, elf, fighter, hobfolk, or wizard, on your quest for glory, treasure, and adventure!
This is a complete roleplaying game. All you need are a few sheets of paper and some dice.
The Labyrinth Lord awaits your arrival. Can you survive the dangers of the labyrinth?
Revised & Expanded!
• Two new classes
• More monsters
• Expanded play advice
• New adventure by Pauli Kidd!
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