Free OSR - Prison of the Hated Pretender (Low Level Adventure)

Prison of the Hated Pretender is a classic adventure from the OSR's Gus L. Priced at PWYW, it is a Platinum Best Seller at DTRPG with an excellent 4.8-star rating.

A sculpted tower's blank eyes stare down from the lonely in dry hills beyond the last withered turnip fields, the doorway in its eternally screaming mouth beckoning daredevils and foolish fortune hunters.  Haunted, shunned and anathema -- spending a night in The Prison of the Hated Pretender will certainly give you bragging rights in the coast's dusty hamlets, and if the rumors of ancient gold within are true enough to buy passage to a less wretched land.

Prison of the Hated Pretender is an introductory adventure for 4-6 characters levels 0-1. This new 2020 edition updates and streamlines the 2012 adventure (originally published on the Dungeon of Signs blog) and adds suggested guidance and playstyle notes to assist new Game Masters unfamiliar with the principles of classic play. It also includes conversion notes and statlines necessary for playing the adventure in both the classic (Basic) and most recent (Fifth) editions of the game.

A review of the original Prison of the Hated Pretender:

"As an introductory adventure this is great. The setting is a classic one. The monsters are wonderfully different. And there are hooks and mysteries. WONDERFUL hooks and mysteries. [...]  The mind races to find excuses to use this adventure. That’s a good supplement." -- Bryce Lynch, Ten Foot Pole"

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Free OSR - The Count, the Castle, & the Curse (Low-Level OSR Adventure)

I get the most use out of low-level adventures, because it's rare that my campaigns get above 6th or 7th level. The Count, the Castle, & the Curse is for levels 1-3, and it is priced at PWYW, just up my alley.

An invitation from a Count whose name you’ve never heard. From a Castle in a land unknown around these parts. And a Curse which plagues him, pleading for each of your aid—by name—in exchange for an offer too tempting to ignore.  

By next morning a horse-drawn carriage awaited each of you. The dark horses stood silent, their black eyes seeing everything and nothing. The sharp-collared driver shifted on his bench, mumbling to himself. You climbed in anyway.

The carriage lurched forward the moment you clicked the door shut.

The Count, the Castle, & the Curse is a tabletop roleplaying game adventure designed to be run in one single four-to-five hour session intended for player characters of low level (1-3) in which they must escape the Count and his haunted Castle before midnight, using their wits, skills, & perhaps a brooding Curse inside them to escape before their Stress Level climbs too high.

Designed to be used with most d20-focused rule systems in mind such as Shadowdark RPG. This adventure features several alternative rules to better suit the gothic horror themes presented within.

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Free OSR - Temple of the Beggar King (OSE 9th-Level Adventure)

High-level adventures for old-school D&D are rare to find these days. Or any day. Let alone priced at PWYW. Temple of the Beggar-King fills that niche for OSE.

Temple of the Beggar-King is a level 9 Adventure for Advanced Old School Essentials. It requires Old-School Essentials Advanced Fantasy to play.

One-thousand years ago the royal guard of Leon III, the King of Kings, set out into the desert to find and destroy the stronghold of the mad prophet of the eastern wastes, the Beggar-King. Into the desert the royal guard, the hand of Leon, marched. It is not known what they encountered, just that they, and the Temple of the Beggar-King, have been lost to time ever since.

Temple of the Beggar-King is an exploration of the strange, often involving a dark interpretation of Buddhist themes and ideas. This adventure involves both elements of horror and violence, as well as high weirdness. It’s aim is to both horrify the players and leave them curious, to draw them deeper and deeper into it’s ensnaring mystery. Some Referee discretion is required as to whether or not this adventure would be appropriate at your table.

It will likely take several sessions to complete and involves the exploration of the ruined temple of an ancient cult. After ascending the Beggar-King has become entombed within it and has become something far stranger and deadly then his dark enlightenment would suggest.

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Kickstarter - Port Mirror (ShadowDark/DCC RPG)

Port Mirror is a 0-Level gauntlet/funnel adventure for Shadowdark and the DCC RPG.

I've known Matt De Micco for several years, thanks to NTRPG Con, and I'm a fan of the work he does in our hobby. Port Mirror is his latest Kickstarter, and it is a funnel for ShadowDark and the DCC RPG. I'm a $15 backer.

Port Mirror is the first installment of the Wythmail setting for Dungeon Crawl Classics and Shadowdark. Judges and Game Masters can easily run the adventure in either game system, as stats are provided for both. Play in the setting of Wythmail, or add the town and adventure to your own existing campaign. The adventure features:

• A 31 page adventure with 17 pieces of original art and maps.
• Several new monsters like the fiendish cockroach, river reaver, and the Haeyer turtle. 
• NPCs that you can add to your existing campaigns like Jake, a mastiff war dog, you can befriend and add as a companion.
• An introduction to Wythmail and its 21-god pantheon with added material for Haeyer (the god of the sea, discipline, and hardwork) and Vorkalth (the god of disease).

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Free RPG - Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine - Quickstart

It was Free RPG Day this past Saturday. I no longer pay as close attention to it as I used to, but some of the releases DO make it into PDF format.

Chaosium has released the Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine - Quickstart for Free RPG Day 2025. This quickstart includes three adventures in different genres to highlight the system's flexibility, and is well worth the price of "free." 

Powering some of the most influential and celebrated roleplaying games of all time, Basic Roleplaying is presented here in an easy-to-use, intuitive, and accessible quickstart. The system is at the heart of Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, Pendragon, and many other popular games. This quickstart gives you an easy entry point into the Basic Roleplaying world. 

The Universal Game Engine

Basic Roleplaying is an ideal beginner’s game, but also appeals to those who wish for clear, concise rules that are easy to explain in play. Characters are based on what they can do: defined by skills and abilities rather than abstract roles or classes, and they advance by using their skills successfully in play. 

Inside you’ll find: 

Core rules for adventuring, conflict, and combat.

Rules for creating characters from a variety of settings. 

Three complete adventures spanning three settings: swashbuckling France, a hostile alien planet, and a ruined temple devoted to an evil god.

This standalone product is an excellent introduction to Basic Roleplaying-powered games, and introduces the fundamentals of the system in an easy-to-use format. With this quickstart, worlds of wonder and imagination await!

Free RPG Day

Chaosium’s offering for Free RPG Day 2025, the BRP Quickstart is a quick and easy entry point to Chaosium’s robust line of products, from Call of Cthulhu, RuneQuest, Pendragon, Age of Vikings, and more! Inside these pages are the core of the BRP system and three sample adventures with ready-to-play.

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Kickstarter - His Heinous Harvest - A Survival Horror Mega-Adventure (OSR & ShadowDark)

Persevere through the vile backwater “Colony of Dripwater” in this intense mega-adventure. Designed for characters ranging from levels 1-4.

I've known The Wonkee for several years, thanks to NTRPG Con, and it's been exciting to watch him grow as a creator. I am excited to be a backer of His Heinous Harvest (I'm in at the Great Harvest - Collectors Bundle level - 90 bucks)

Trekking far beyond the borders of civilization, hunting after a thief who has stolen the property of a powerful wizard, to the isolated puritanical “Colony of Dripwater”. The respite granted from reaching the colony quickly proves itself to be less than fruitful. The dwindling stragglers of this decimated population fuel the horror of their shared reality through the use of a magical deliriant, “Giggle-Tar”. The entire community has become enslaved to the tar, propelling an endless cycle of hyper-psychosis that devolves into ritualistic gang warfare and tribal terror tactics each night. Slammed by an unforgiving wave of comprehension as the source of Dripwater's corruption is revealed, each character must confront primal horrors alien to human understanding, discovering for themselves exactly what life is worth. Finding a thief within this village of nightmarish lunacy proves no easy task, as each turn unearths clues to problems best left buried. The deeper one digs, the more clearly it's revealed that the forsaken community above is only a reflection scratching the surface of the corruption that grows beneath the colony. Will the party be able to recover the vengeful wizard's property, or be reaped within His Heinous Harvest? 

A monstrous mega-adventure for 4-8 Player Characters spanning 1st through 4th Level, compatible with Shadowdark RPG & Oldschool Dungeon Crawlers. (Ages 18+)

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Kickstarter - Temple of The Sheep God (ShadowDark Adventure)

 

Here's the part where I talk about connections. I've known Ian McGarty for about a decade. He's very creative, a truly loyal friend, and quite often a pain in the ass. That pretty much sums it all up ;)

Temple of the Sheep God is a ShadowDark adventure by Ian McGarty. It's part sandbox, part dungeon crawl, and 100% Silver Bulette. $It's 25 for print plus PDF.

This adventure for the Shadowdark RPG takes place in a dangerous 24-mile hex filled with remnants of past battles, where players encounter various creatures and challenges. The setting includes a temple dedicated to a sheep god, featuring unique encounters, treasures, and magical items. The Temple of The Sheep God is an adventure for Shadowdark for characters levels 2-4. The characters have a chance to explore the grasslands around an ancient temple that has gained some new inhabitants. This adventure has a dungeon containing more than 20 room locations. All locations are extensively mapped and filled with exciting puzzles and encounters. 

The book contains maps, art, and original monsters and encounters, including the deadly Boggle!

The temple features various unique rooms with magical items and challenges.

Rooms include the Mushroom Cave, the Infernal Coop, and the Rare Cheese Sanctum, each with distinct creatures and treasures. ​

Players can find items that enhance abilities or provide unique effects, such as the Rod of Life and the Ring of the Rams-head.

At this point, this project is in the final layout touches, most art is in and ready to go, and is otherwise print-ready. The final product will be about 50 pages of perfect-bound 8.5 x 5.5 sized digest, like the Shadowdark core book. 

This product will be printed in the USA and distributed from the beautiful NH mountains with as much child labor that ice cream can buy.

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