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Showing posts with label OSR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label OSR. Show all posts

Monday, December 8, 2025

New Release - Fight On! 17 (OSR-Overview)


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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Tuesday, December 2, 2025

New Release - Labyrinth Lord: Revised & Expanded (LL 2e)


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

Dragonslayer - $9.99

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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Monday, November 24, 2025

Deal of the Day - Summer's End and Other One-Page Adventures (Questing Beast OSR)



Today's Deal of the Day is Summer's End and Other One-Page Adventures by Ben Minton/Questing Beast. For the next 24 hrs or so, you can grab Summer's End for $3, usually $7.50. Pretty good deal for a dozen 1-page adventures.

Summer's End is a 24-page zine containing 12 one-page adventures for Knave 2e and other OSR systems, each contained on a single spread. Six of these are dungeons to drop into your campaign, while the other six are "Six-Mile Adventure Hexes," local areas packed with action and mystery to spice up a hexcrawl.

Most of these adventures were originally released as Patreon exclusives, but have since been revised, redrawn, and redesigned to make the most use of the zine format.

Some of the adventures include:

  • Summer's End: A mountain hex featuring rival factions, a tree of magic swords, and the lair of the Summer Worm.
  • The Raiders of Wolfsea: An archipelago hex featuring weird pirate ships, fog wolves, civilized liches, and a treasure hunt.
  • The Wizards of Sparrowkeep: A village hex surrounded by four wizard towers, whose occupants are engaged in a slow, passive-aggressive wizard battle for the affections of a local witch.
  • The Alchemist's Repose: An abandoned laboratory overrun by fungal elves and programmable automatons.
  • The Lair of the Keymaster: A puzzle dungeon with a chained, starving dragon and the schematics to the Lock Absolute.
  • Drums in the Deep: A sewer dungeon featuring a hallucinogenic spider, three lost teenagers, and a cult attempting to summon the King of Nails

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Saturday, November 15, 2025

Kickstarter - Full Metal Tilt (Jousting Rules for OSR)



Truth be told, I don't know how much of a use jousting rules will be for the average player, but if I were playing an Unearthed Arcana Cavalier (or Paladin), Full Metal Tilt would have been a perfect fit.

Full Metal Tilt is a dynamic supplement for the Dragonslayer RPG, a classic fantasy role-playing game inspired by Moldvay Basic and First Edition AD&D, created by Greg Gillespie. It can also be used with other OSR systems. Published by Greycloak Publishing, this work is authored and designed by Travis Fauber, with editing by Fauber and Mariah Hinshaw. It introduces a detailed jousting system, allowing players to engage in thrilling medieval tournaments, jousts, and tourneys where knights compete to prove their martial prowess and honor. The supplement includes rules for jousting matches, melee combat, chivalric conduct, new equipment, ladies’ favors, heralds, crowd mechanics, two adventures, and much more. Alongside all of this are three new Dragonslayer RPG character classes (Knight and two updated optional Paladins), jousting tables, tournament brackets, and specialized Full Metal Tilt Cards for strategic gameplay. Featuring evocative cover art by Henrik Karppinen and contributions from illustrators like Frank Avila, Carlos Castilho, Del Teigeler, William McAusland, Ryan Nilsson, Paddy's Parlor, The Basic Expert, and others. Full Metal Tilt brings the excitement of lance-wielding combat to the tabletop, perfect for players seeking to test their mettle in the lists.

The list of artists is literally second to none.

Full Metal Tilt is available via Kickstarter for $20 in PDF and $30 (plus costs) for POD and PDF. You can also back it for additional adventures for Dragonslayer/OSR.

Full Metal Tilt stands out from other jousting systems in tabletop role-playing games by offering a highly strategic and immersive experience tailored for the Dragonslayer RPG and other OSR systems. Unlike other jousting mechanics that rely on basic combat system dice rolls or static outcomes, Full Metal Tilt introduces a dynamic, updated system inspired by the Jousting Matrix from Chainmail (Rules for Medieval Miniatures). You can use pencil and paper, the specialized Full Metal Tilt Cards, or The Knight Marshall to quickly determine results. The system has multiple jousting tables (Table O, A, B, C, D, and E), providing 288 unique outcomes. This variety ensures unpredictable and engaging matches. The system emphasizes tactical depth through Aiming Points and Defensive Maneuvers, where players must balance risky and safe strategies to outwit opponents, with outcomes such as Broken Lance, Crest Strike, Fumble, or Unhorse Checks adding narrative flair. Additionally, its integration of chivalric codes, detailed injury tables, crowd momentum,  and the option for melee combat resolution sets it apart, creating a rich experience. Full Metal Tilt delivers a jousting simulation unmatched in its depth and replay ability.

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Friday, October 24, 2025

Deal of the Day - Ravensrook: A Grimdark Urban Fantasy Setting (OSR & 5e)

 


It was pointed out to me earlier today that "grimdark" is currently "hot", and here we find a self-described "grimdark setting" as the Deal of the Day at DTRPG.

Ravensrook: A Grimdark Urban Fantasy Setting is today's Deal of the Day. Usable with 5e and the OSR, Ravensrook is on sale for $5 in PDF until tomorrow morning (usual price $10).

The Lands of the Free Lords is a patchwork of petty kingdoms, bandit lords, and misfit war camps sandwiched between evil empires, do-gooder nations, and religious zealots. While regional warlords rose and fell over the ages, there was one constant within this chaotic land - the famed city of Ravensrook. The Black-Winged City of Bandits and Brigands. The only proper city within the Lands of the Free Lords.

This supplement is fully compatible with 5th edition as well as the OSR.

Includes:

  • A history of Ravensrook and its region, the Lands of the Free Lords.
  • A full overview of the city’s government; Guilded-law, the Members of the Council of Lords, and the new Governor.
  • A full breakdown of the four tiers of the city, along with the prominent businesses and Guilds to be found in each one.
  • A full city map showing the locations of all the important businesses, Guild Halls, and governmental buildings.
  • Information on 14 different factions within the city that are vying for power and control.
  • Entries on the top 16 Guilds of the city.
  • 23 entries for the most important NPCs to be found within the city along with role-playing notes.
  • A listing of all the Gods worshiped within Ravensrook along with monsters specific to the city and their statblocks.

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Monday, October 6, 2025

Deal of the Day - Adventure Anthology for Shadowdark



I truly enjoy ShadowDark. It's a great crossover game for those who wish to go beyond the 5e environment and dip their toes into the OSR.

Today's Deal of the Day is the Adventure Anthology for Shadowdark. Usually $19.95 in PDF, it is on sale for $7.98 in PDF until tomorrow morning.

Adventure Anthology is our Adventure Framework Collection #1 converted to Shadowdark, with some updates to formatting, editing, and art, compiled by myself and Shadowdark veteran William Murakami-Brundage of Menagerie Press (or Facebook page here). I supplied the adventures, Will did the layout and conversion work :) 

22 adventures

220 pages

PDF and Full size B&W hardcover (8.5″ x 11″)  

The book consists of twenty two short, sharp, independent adventures, designed for low prep, improvised play. Each adventure has a hook/rumours, core scenario, random encounters, NPC details, and B&W illustrations. Nineteen have hand drawn maps. The settings are common locations such as cities, forests, mountains, underground, etc, for easy insertion into your sandbox campaign. They're suitable for PC Levels 1-7 and generally run around six to ten hours of session time.

Originally written for Low Fantasy Gaming RPG, the adventures tend to be lower magic, with a sword & sorcery bent. There are some references to the people and places of the Midlands of Argosa, but these are easily swapped out for your favourite setting.

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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.

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Saturday, September 20, 2025

Deal of the Day - Winter's Daughter (OSE)

If it's written for OSE, it will fit with pretty much any OSR system. In this case, Winter's Daughter comes in two flavors - OSE and Dolmenwood - and comes with two files.

Today's Deal of the Day is Winter's Daughter for OSE/Dolmenwood for $5 in PDF (usually $10). It's a low-level adventure coming in at 24 AND 32 pages - both ruleset flavors are included.

The tomb of an ancient hero, lost in the tangled depths of the woods. A ring of standing stones, warded by the sinister Drune cult. A fairy princess who watches with timeless patience from beyond the veil of the mortal. A forgotten treasure that holds the key to her heart.

Winter’s Daughter is a romantic fairy tale adventure designed for characters of Level 1–3. Presented in a quick-reference format, the adventure is easy to run with minimal prep.

Rules Editions of Winter's Daughter:

This product includes two versions of the adventure:

For the Dolmenwood RPG. 32 pages long, with additional art.

For Old-School Essentials. An older version of the adventure, 24 pages long.

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Tuesday, September 2, 2025

Kickstarter - Inn To The Deep: Deluxe Edition For Shadowdark and OSE


Hmmm. OSE and ShadowDark. Decisions, decisions.

I'm well known as a Kickstarter Junkie, but I have been trying to cut back on my intake. I'm currently only backing two open Kickstarters - trust me, that's me cutting to the bone.

Looks like you can shortly make that THREE current Kickstarters backed, because Inn To The Deep: Deluxe Edition For Shadowdark and OSE looks very solid. Not saying I need it, I'm saying I WANT it!

Inn To The Deep Deluxe Edition is a collection of four awesome ready-to-run dungeon adventures for low to mid level characters, contained in a sturdy box along with some other goodies! The box's contents include:

• 5 saddle-stitched books ranging in length from 36 to 60 pages.

• 6 11"x17" battle maps for 25mm-32mm miniatures, folded twice so as to fit in the box.

• 6 player handouts.

GM-friendly The adventures are written with brevity and designed with bullet point descriptions and a clear, user-friendly layout. Room descriptions are presented on the same spread as relevant map locations, dispensing with the need for the GM to flip back and forth between pages.

Annotated Maps The AMAZING maps are annotated with notes on saving throws, NPCs, monsters, and traps! Even the direction doors swing open is on there!

The Bog Inn The dungeons are all linked by The Bog Inn, a ramshackle establishment that caters to adventurers and hirelings. PCs can return to the inn after their adventures to savor their victories, replace dead hirelings, and find new adventures. Each time the PCs visit the Bog Inn, the referee rolls on a table to see what changes have taken place since their last visit, and to see what is happening at the very moment they enter!

Replayability Most dungeon rooms have at least one random element, including number of monsters present, surprise occurrences, and when certain events will occur. Each time the referee runs a given dungeon, it will play out differently from the previous time!

Flavor Inn To The Deep takes its inspiration from the British adventure modules of the 1980s. That means quirky and often deranged NPCs and monsters, lashings of dark humor, and the ever-present spectre of a TPK!

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Thursday, August 28, 2025

Deal of the Day - Wind Wraith - A Generative Wavecrawl Setting Toolkit



I love books that are random tables PLUS (yes, JoetheLawyer may have a stroke when I state this - sue me Joe ;)

Wind Wraith is today's Deal of the Day - usually 18.99, Wind Wraith is currently on sale for 5.70

Wind Wraith is a toolkit that you can use to generate your own fantasy post-apocalypse ocean world, complete with scattered islands, factions, ships, and ancient arcane machines. Play as the descendants of the survivors of a great flood, explorers in a fallen world, as they build and upgrade their ship and crew. Attempt to unravel the mysteries of the past and survive with limited resources. Wind Wraith was made for the old school essentials rule system but can easily be converted to many other rule systems.

Inspired by Yoon-Suin, Wind Wraith is a generative setting toolkit. This means every game master will generate their own unique flooded world with the book. This is achieved through a pipeline of random generation tables that begin with broad brush strokes and gradually zoom in to a micro scale. Also included are quick-start rules and detailed pre-generated islands so you can start playing right away.

Content Included:

  • Quick start island
  • Sea generation
  • Island generation
  • Entomologist class
  • Aquatic elf playable class
  • Tyrant generation
  • NPC and faction generation
  • Ships, crews, ship combat & exploration
  • Arcane constructs
  • Monster generation
  • Additional game master tools

 

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Thursday, August 21, 2025

Deal of the Day - Content Conversion Guide Second Edition (Pathfinder / 5E / P2E / OSR / DCC / d20 3.5 / AD&D 2e)

Some people do these conversions on the fly, based on feel. Others like to have it spelled out for them. I'm in the former category myself, but if you are in the latter, today's Deal of the Day - Content Conversion Guide Second Edition (Pathfinder / 5E / P2E / OSR / DCC / d20 3.5 / AD&D 2e) is the guide for you.

If you've ever wanted to take adventure content from one system and use it in another, this book has been designed to be of invaluable help. 

With full support for 3.x and AD&D 2e, you can easily convert decades-old campaign material for use with more recent rules systems, or vice versa.

Return to the realms of Greyhawk, Mystara, Planescape, Al-Qadim, Dark Sun, Kara-Tur, Birthright, and even Hollow World, or explore them for the very first time, in the rules system of your choice!

Extend and enhance the options available for settings that have been republished, but much more sparsely than the hundreds of sourcebooks and adventures that are available over the decades for older systems. Ravenloft, Forgotten Realms, Spelljammer, and more: if you liked the material that is available for 5E, you'll gush at the opportunity to delve into hundreds of sourcebooks that have come before.

Relive, or relish, HUNDREDS of ancient sourcebooks, adventures, and options, in the modern rules system of your choosing.

Take the hundreds of first-party, and thousands of indie, adventures and sourcebooks that have been published for P1E and other older systems, and use them in 5E or another supported system of your choice.

Convert any content, from any of the supported rules systems, into any of the other rules systems.

Only with the Content Conversion Guide: Second Edition.

Existing CCG Owners: Why Do You Care?

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Wednesday, August 20, 2025

Deal of the Day - Knave 2e



Knave 2e is today's Deal of the Day (usually 20, marked down to $8 in PDF). Play it as is, or use it for inspiration with the RPG of your choice.

Knave 2e is an exploration-driven fantasy RPG and worldbuilding toolkit, inspired by the best elements of the Old-School DnD movement.

This edition expands on the intuitive core of the original game, featuring elegant, modular subsystems for hexcrawling, dungeon delving, potion making and downtime activities, all in a 80-page digest-sized hardcover lavishly illustrated by Peter Mullen. The book features:

  • A world-class GM's toolkit. Roll and combine results from 75 d100 tables to rapidly generate dungeons, overworld regions, cities, monsters, items, spells, NPCs and factions, or just scan the pages for inspiration. These are especially useful for people who enjoy playing RPGs solo.
  • Intuitive, unified d20 mechanics that allow new players to make characters and start playing in minutes. Ability scores, armor, and difficulty ratings are placed on a 0-10 scale, yet remain compatible with the adventures and monsters from the last 50 years of fantasy roleplaying. The rules can also effortlessly switch between player-facing and GM-facing rolls.
  • A slot-based inventory system that makes tracking what you carry both easy and mechanically meaningful. If you take enough damage, wounds can begin filling items slots, forcing you to drop gear, treasure, or weapons.
  • Classless character generation that lets PCs draw from multiple archetypes at once. Any PCs can cast spells, call down miracles and use any weapon or armor. Their effectiveness is only restricted by what abilities they choose to improve and how they fill their limited item slots.
  • A d6 Hazard Die system that condenses tracking encounters, clues, weather changes, fatigue, torch burn, and resource depletion into the roll of a single die.
  • A utility-focused magic system that empowers PCs to alter the world in creative ways with 100 level-less spells. Also, a huge spell generator for groups who want chaotic, randomized magic.
  • A relic-driven divine magic system in which PCs complete missions for deities to gain their blessings. Generate new deities including their domains and symbols.
  • A monster-hunting alchemy system where PCs can hunt down magical creatures for their special abilities and then refine them into potions.
  • Downtime activities where PCs carouse, gamble, recruit hirelings, and build bases.
  • A tactical warfare system that resolves mass battles in minutes.
  • Straightforward GM and player principles for getting started running an old-school style game.
  • Designer commentary that explains the reasoning behind the rules.
  • Easy-to-use "control panel" layout.
  • Stunning art by Peter Mullen.

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Tuesday, July 22, 2025

OSR Christmas Pick - Flint: A Cairn 2e Solo Handbook


Full confession - I'm fascinated by solo play RPGs. Not so much solo adventures, but the ability to take an OSR ruleset and embrace solo play. It's not that I lack friends or a group to play with, but gaming on demand does have its appeal.

Flint: A Cairn 2e Solo Handbook is currently $6.29 in PDF, normally $8.99. I'll have to check this out :)

FYI, I just ordered Flint and the Cairn Player's and GM's books in PRINT (free in PDF) - there will be a review later this summer.

This supplement for Cairn: Second Edition invites you into a symbolic, character-driven experience that preserves the unique narrative-based progression mechanics of Cairn and marries them seamlessly with a new quest-based advancement system that will make you rush home from work just to keep playing.

With a tarot deck as your compass, you’ll uncover quests, endure trials, and interpret the shifting winds of fate as you wander the vast lands of Vald. Whether you’re forging mythic skill paths or wrestling with fateful omens scrivened from the Major Arcana, every choice deepens your story. There are no rails here—only echoes, intuition, and the quiet weight of consequence.

This is not a game. It’s a guide to a solo campaign of Cairn 2e (free). No AI oracle or random table will tell you what happens next—you will. With nothing more than a tarot deck and the core rules of Cairn 2e, you’ll generate your own campaign, character arc, and fate.

Inside you’ll find:

  • A tarot-based quest system that powers advancement through emergent story
  • Four attribute-aligned skill trees, each with five tiers and tons of new upgrades, tactics, and abilities
  • Two simultaneous oracle systems; one that paints detail into every nook & cranny and another that forges narrative turning points—both wondrous and grim
  • Support tables for generating NPCs, locations, traps, encounters, and treasures from each of the 78 tarot cards.
  • A formidable overview of the Arcana including the basics and history of Tarot as well as universal interpretations of each.
  • Over 80 quest prompts matched to the numbered and court cards of the four tarot suits
  • Designed for solo play—but modular enough to use in cooperative or GM-less modes
  • Balanced for Cairn but easily adaptable into any of Cairn's cousins (Into the Odd, Knave, Maze Rats) or OSR systems

Since you've made it all the way down here, that must mean you're into this kind of thing, so just between me and you...

What if we assumed for a moment that what happens in a game is not a game.  That it is real.  That the lands you can discover are being terraformed as we speak.  That the treasures are hiding themselves away, the monsters are readying themselves to strike, the swords are sharpening themselves against flint ready to be drawn and plunged into that which deserves them.

This is the premise of Flint.  It's all real.  And you can discover it all on your own.

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Tuesday, July 8, 2025

New Release - West Marches Campaign Playstyle Guidebook



While not NEW new (as the West Marches Campaign Playstyle Guidebook was released in PDF in mid-May of this year, and in that time has gone Platinum for sales, the Print on Demand just went live, and both print and PDF are discounted this week.

The West Marches Campaign Playstyle Guidebook is 4.99 in PDF, 12.99 in print, and 15.99 for print plus PDF.

PS - I ordered the print plus PDF and will try to get a review up in the next few weeks.

This handbook is your guide to running and playing in a West Marches-style campaign. 

Inside, you’ll find clear, practical advice on preparing sessions, running the game, and embracing character-driven storytelling.

The West Marches method of play is perfect for modern lifestyle gaming with busy schedules and full calendars. 

Designed to be system-agnostic, this book works with any RPG and helps GMs and players alike focus on exploration, discovery, and meaningful consequence.

Whether you’re just starting out or ready to level up your game, this handbook will walk you through the process step by step.

Note: The POD is now LIVE (4th of July) and will be on SALE this first weekend. Enjoy! 


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Friday, July 4, 2025

Bundle of Holding - His Majesty the Worm



I see His Majesty the Worm Bundle as an aspirational purchase. I doubt I'll play it as is, but I hope to find parts that I can use with other OSR rule sets and future campaigns. For those purposes, 14.95 is a bargain.

Adventurer! This His Majesty the Worm Bundle presents His Majesty the Worm, a megadungeon-crawling fantasy roleplaying game from Josh McCrowell at Rise Up Comus. The Underworld blasphemes the earth under the City at the center of the world. You and your guild-mates have personal quests that compel them to step through the gate into those lightless depths. If you fulfill your quests, you can finally retire. Until then – in the cycle of descent, exploration, return, restock, rest – all that protects you is your Bonds of loyalty, rivalry, mentorship, and even love. Play them to the hilt, and you might survive

His Majesty the Worm page 26Eight years in the making, His Majesty the Worm reimagines the traditional dungeon crawl in a highly playable structure that spotlights the necessities of Underworld exploration: food, light, time, and the allies who keep you alive. Use tarot cards to generate the City, Underworld, characters, and monsters, and to run an action-packed Challenge system that ensures all players have interesting choices throughout every round of combat. With this .PDF rulebook you'll see why the Exalted Funeral His Majesty the Worm hardcover sold out in three hours.

Pay just US$14.95 for our Worm Collection (retail value $58) with DRM-free .PDF ebooks of the complete 411-page His Majesty the Worm rulebook, along with the cozy halfling-village game Under Hill, By Water and its travel expansion Walking Holiday.


Monday, June 23, 2025

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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Thursday, June 12, 2025

Deal of the Day - Brink of Calamity (OSRIC)


Today's Deal of the Day is Brink of Calamity, a 180-page campaign and setting for OSRIC, AD&D, and OSR. It's a (potentially) year-long hexcrawl, covering levels 1 to 6. Typically, 14.99 in PDF, until tomorrow morning, Brink of Calamity is marked down to $6.

The town of Warnell, straddling a trade route that crosses two great forests, seems at first like any other backwater on the borderland of civilization, but menace and mystery lurk beneath the surface: a rash of disappearances from the shanties outside the town walls, a ruthless drug cartel operating with impunity while the town watch are powerless to stop them, and marauding bands of brigands and slavers ravaging the countryside. Rumors point would-be heroes and fortune seekers to the enigmatic sanatorium and casino outside of town that draw strange and wealthy travelers from far-away lands, to the abandoned (and reportedly haunted or cursed) old salt mines, to a remote mist-shrouded logging camp with an unsavory reputation, and deep into the trackless primeval forest where the xenophobic elves have forbidden all trespassers. While these locations likely hold death and destruction for the careless and foolhardy, they may also hold the keys to drawing this afflicted town and its hapless inhabitants away from the brink of calamity.  

A First Edition fantasy campaign adventure for 4-20 players with characters of levels 1-6, compatible for use with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition), OSRIC, or other old-school style fantasy roleplaying game rules and utilizing the concepts and rules additions found within The Heroic Legendarium.

This book, years in preparation and playtesting, presents a complete ready-to-play campaign in a book that covers an 8,000 square mile wilderness map with 30+ detailed locations, a detailed town (plus two detailed villages), five dungeon areas with 16 combined levels and several mini-dungeon lairs, 7 new monsters, 4 new magic items, 140 named & detailed NPCs, extensive rumor and random encounter tables, dozens of potential plots and character interactions, and notes for further expansion. Enough to easily fill at least 20 sessions of play. Includes a revised and expanded version of the previously-published (award-winning) Melonath Falls dungeon together with over 150 pages of never-before-seen new material. 

Note to buyers: If you are purchasing the print edition please buy the print+pdf bundle (which costs the same as buying the print edition alone) so that you can print out extra copies of the maps for use during play. Due to the limits of POD formats the maps are bound into the back of the book rather than in a separate booklet so if you only have the book you will have to flip back and forth to the back of the book during play which would be a hassle. 

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Friday, June 6, 2025

Kickstarter - Fantasy RPG Zine Double Feature - Delver 18 and Runes 7


Here I am at NTRPG Con, when I should be shopping the vendor tables, and instead I'm searching Kickstarter for OSR releases. Have no fear - I'll be shopping the vendor hall tomorrow. Today, I am looking at an OSR zine Kickstarter - Fantasy RPG Zine Double Feature - Delver 18 and Runes 7.

Now, I am familiar with Delver Zine, having snagged an issue (or three) in the past, and I was pleased with what I had. I've yet to catch a copy of Runes (it's for ShadowDark, so I should snag it), but I expect it will be of the same high quality.

Print plus PDF is 13 bucks (the pair is 24). I expect I'll be backing this Kickstarter when I'm home from NTRPG Con...

The Fantasy RPG Zine Double Feature will offer up two zines for GMs and players, every other month, for a total of 12 issues per year. 

Delver magazine (zine-format, 5.5 " wide x 8.5" tall) is for GMs and Players of OSR fantasy RPGs such as Old-School Essentials, Swords & Sorcery, and Basic Fantasy RPG. Runes is an identical zine-format that focuses on the Shadowdark RPG.

Both issues provide OSR content for GMs and players looking for a return to the style and feel of classic dungeon crawling; each zine provides a mix of random tables, new magic items, new spells and much more. Further, each issue provides an article of interest and an adventure complete with room descriptions, maps, NPCs and new creatures and notes for the GM on running the adventure.

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Thursday, May 29, 2025

Deal of the Day - Gods of the Forbidden North: Volume 2


I've said this before, and it bears repeating - I'm a sucker for settings. I rarely use any as written, but for inspiration, I find myself constantly adding to my collection.

Gods of the Forbidden North: Volume 2 details the underworld, which is an often overlooked setting. I may need to snag a copy for this reason alone. At over 500 pages, there is a huge amount of gaming material within, earning an excellent 4.7 stars with 17 ratings.

Normally, 24.99 in PDF, Gods of the Forbidden North: Volume 2, is only 10 bucks through tomorrow morning.

Gods of the Forbidden North is a massive, three-volume mega-adventure series written for the Old-School Essentials: Advanced Fantasy tabletop role-playing game by Necrotic Gnome. It details a campaign setting, a wilderness hex-crawl, a sprawling underworld connecting to multiple entrances on the surface, and most importantly, an enormous megadungeon.

Volume 1: The first book covers the arctic frontier's settlements, cultures, religions, and its vast wilderness regions. It includes 1 urban starter quest and 5 low-level dungeons.

Volume 2: The second book details the underworld below the continent's surface, plutonian settlements, 4 mid-level dungeons, 1 urban investigation adventure, and 1 high-level dungeon.

Volume 3: The third book explores the last undescribed hex on the wilderness map (hex 10.02) that contains the legendary Castle Thar-Gannon megadungeon, its upper and lower halls, 3 mysterious towers, and 3 vast dungeon levels. It also includes the Cyclopean City of Chaos, with 23 unique tower dungeons, plus the secret entrance into the Tesseract of Time.

The 532-page second volume is designed for a heroic party of 6-8 adventurers to begin at 5th level and reach a minimum of 9th level by the book's conclusion, although most parties will hit 10-12th level if all underworld encounters are exhausted. Though the mega-adventure was originally designed as a sandbox campaign, it also supports episodic adventure path playstyles, as well.

This second volume begins with the heroes returning to Kangkul after dealing a fatal blow to Ashuraga in the Tower Vartoriak. In “Diggers of Dul’ghuun,” the adventurers rest in a popular tavern called The Beating before heading off on their next adventure, but while therein, a small group of ravenous undead emerge from the tavern’s cellar and attack the patrons. After the party destroys them, they discover a tunnel into the caverns below the establishment. The heroes reach the massive stone doors of an ancient dwarvish citadel called Mimnohgrod and must explore its depths to determine how this attack occurred.

In “Children of the Green Light,” the heroes venture back to Valkengard to sell the treasures they’ve obtained in Vartoriak and Mimnohgrod. Lady Thora visits the adventurers. She has a new lead on her missing son, Itarus, who vanished after being kidnapped by the Graven Wolves in months past. Thora hires the heroes to find her only surviving family member. This urban investigation takes the party across multiple city districts and eventually into the Valkengard sewers where they uncover a heinous plot by a noblewoman (and secret Magoth cultist) named Lady Moranna. If the adventurers act quickly, they might rescue Itarus from the sinister woman’s clutches and eradicate the cult’s underground operations.

As the party wraps up their previous quest, they learn vital information concerning a long-standing nemesis: the infamous crime boss, Yagha-Shahn. In fact, the heroes discover an arcane means to enter the Nol’ocuul Syndicate’s headquarters. Seeking to settle old scores, the adventurers activate the Shadow Door and step inside the Tower of All-Seeing Eyes where they face extreme peril. If the party emerges victorious, they have permanently crippled the syndicate’s operations in Titherion, slain Yagha-Shahn, and taken his fabulous wealth (gold and jewels beyond measure)!

Obtaining Fire-Eye’s notes on a secret smuggling lane into the underground, the adventurers may decide to finally journey into the legendary “Malgorgia the Endless Underworld.” This staggeringly huge subterranean network of caverns, tunnels, and waterways crisscrosses the full breadth of the Forbidden North below its frigid surface. Within its shadowy depths, the heroes might find the secret entrance into the “Green Dome of Foranadoth,” the “Black City of Morgathaur,” the perilous “Malum Hateus,” and the “Brass Temple of the Magoth.” The stalwart companions also get the chance to recover both halves of the Tabot of Law, fight against two more members of the Tarngrak, as well as eradicate their ruthless foes within the Cult of the Magoth. The party might even discover secret pathways into the lower dungeons of Castle Thar-Gannon.

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