Tenkar's Tavern: 2025-09-21

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Humble Bundle - Warhammer RPG Starter Bundle

I'm a huge fan of the Warhammer RPGs and their various systems. I started with WFRP 1e, and when I returned to gaming around 2008, it was with Warhammer 40k: Dark Heresy. I have a soft spot for Warhammer RPGs ;)

Humble Bundle has a Warhammer RPG Starter Bundle. For $25, you get the core rules for Soulbound, WFRP, and Warhammer 40: Wrath & Glory, as well as the relevant Starter Sets and numerous support materials.

The Tavern uses affiliate links

Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2

The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG

DriveThruRPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446

Join The Tavern’s Discord Server: https://discord.gg/q8PnrQrMt4

Monday, September 22, 2025

New Release - Bite the Bullet

Time to show connections. I've known Jason Hobbs for over a decade. He's a skilled creator and a good friend. Bite the Bullet is Jason's latest release.

Bite the Bullet is nominally Marked by the Odd. The feel and aesthetic are familiar, and it is heavily inspired by We Deal in Lead by Colin Le Seur. What makes BtB different is its tight mechanics for physical, social, and faith conflicts in a post-apocalyptic western environment.
Struggling to survive is paramount, regardless of creed or heritage. Conflict is gritty and dangerous. Characters are differentiated by their characteristics, rather than statistics or even gear.
Buckle on your gun belts, strap on your spurs, and tighten your hat on your head. The ride is about to get bumpy.

Bite the Bullet is priced at PWYW at itch.io

The Tavern uses affiliate links

Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2

The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG

DriveThruRPG: www.drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446

Join The Tavern’s Discord Server: https://discord.gg/q8PnrQrMt4

Sunday, September 21, 2025

New From The Tavern - Minor Miscellaneous Magic

Shire Con is this coming weekend, and that means it's time for Game Prep for my two sessions. Now, I tend to run low-level adventures, but even low-level characters enjoy having some magic item(s) to play with. And let's be honest, everyone finds a +1 something or other. But that's boring, so I created some tables for Minor Miscellaneous Magic.

How about a Lantern of Thin Truths: Once/day reveals faint outlines of concealed doors within 30’ for 1 turn.
Or maybe a Vial of Fresh Air (3 Uses): Uncork to clear smoke/foul air/ poison gas in a 10’ cube for 1 turn.
I really like the Snuffbox of Gentle Sleep (6 Uses): Sprinkled herbs grant restful sleep in poor conditions (not magical sleep). Treat as sleeping at an inn for healing.

There are 12 total in the All Class Miscellaneous Magic Sheet, free to download at:

youtube.com/@TenkarsTavern/posts

You don't need to subscribe or be a member to download this PDF.

The class sheets (4 sheets of 12 Misc Magic Items each) are behind the monthly $1.99 paywall.

I'm hoping to get 2 to 4 free sheets - one-page dungeons, NPCs, creatures, magic, etc, for "generic" OSR posted per month, and likely 5 to 15 sheets per month behind the paywall.

If there's enough interest, I'll release them under the CC0, but you'll need to leave comments here or on the YouTube post to let me know.

The Tavern uses affiliate links

Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2

The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG

DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446

Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

Swords & Wizardry Light - Forum

RPGNow