Kickstarter - White Box Cyclopedia (Barrel Rider Games)

Here's the part where I reveal any biases or connections I may have to a project creator. I've known James Spahn for over a decade. I consider him a close friend and damn near family. James has produced some fantastic gaming content for the OSR and beyond over the years, and I suspect The White Box Cyclopedia will be a pillar in the OSR and a go-to ruleset for years to come.

So, what exactly do we get with the White Box Cyclopedia Kickstarter?

• Thirty Character Classes: Even the traditional Fighter, Cleric, and Magic-User classes have optional rules to make them more unique. Classic fantasy archetypes ranging like the Acrobat, Barbarian, Cavalier, Ranger, and the Thief are are joined by more exotic options like the mysterious Metaphysician, the Tomb Robber, and the Friar. 
• A Dozen Character Heritages: Alongside Humans, Dwarves, Elves, and Halflings, players using the optional rules can select crafty Goblins, powerful Troll-Kin, elusive Shadow Elves, whimsical Gnomes, and other fantastic heritages to give your campaign an exotic flavor that is still rooted in classic fantasy.
• Strongholds and Homesteads: Every character, regardless of class or heritage, can construct and maintain a stronghold that will provide unique benefits during their adventuring career and give them a meaningful way to spend their plundered wealth.
• New Spells: The White Box Cyclopedia includes over 100 spells. This includes all the spells that appeared in Swords & Wizardry White Box, dozens of new Magic-User and Cleric spells, and (by popular demand) a unique spell list for the Druid class.
• Exotic Arcane Abilities: Optional rules allow players to have psychic abilities, latent spellcasting abilities, engage in Arcane Duels, summon wily familiars, and craft magic items.
• Chivalry and Nobility: Optional Honor rules allow any character to earn their knighthood, unlocking unique abilities independent of their class or heritage.
• Genre Customization: Players aren't the only ones with new options! Referees can draw upon optional rules to flavor their campaign. So, whether you're trying to solve the riddle of steel, facing off against a vampire count in a realm of shadow and mist, or an eclectic collection of heroes on an epic quest to destroy an evil artifact, you'll have optional rules to highlight what makes those classic fantasy sub-genres unique and engaging.
• Endless Exploration: Rules for hex crawling, dungeon exploration, seafaring and ship-to-ship combat, are all included, meaning players can seamlessly travel to the ends of the world and back again.
• New Monsters: Almost 200 monsters are detailed here, ranging from classic goblins, to the familiar floating, eye-stalked Orbitus, to exotic new monsters like the Sanguine Fog and Killer Bees ("Not the bees!")
• A Hoard of Treasure: All the classic magic items found in Swords & Wizardry White Box are found here, along with new, unique treasures. Over 200 magic items are provided, including intelligent weapons.

Consider me sold! I'm backing for the limited edition, but you can grab the POD plus PDF for $30 plus shipping.

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 Rumble or YouTube - Tenkar 

New Release from Barrel Rider Games - White Box: Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd [Swords & Wizardry]

James Spahn gives us a new class for Swords & Wizardry just in time for Halloween - White Box: Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd.

Those Who Faithfully Await His Return Are Rewarded... 

White Box: Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd puts a dark twist on a modern Halloween classic, reshaping it into a terrifying and twisted class for use with Swords & Wizardry White Box and other OSR roleplaying games. 

Children who wait in the pumpkin patch sometimes receive strange gifts and become known as the Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd. Entice new followers to your dark master with sweet treats, stand sleepless and untiring in the pumpkin patch, and cut down those who would dare doubt the existence of the dark gourd that is your master with this 10-level class!

Damn it, James! Now I want to write an adventure centered around this. How much time do we have before Halloween?

White Box: Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd is available in PDF for a buck at RPGNow.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Go ahead, buy your bartender a beer ;)

The Tavern Chat Podcast - Episode 102 - Can Eldritch Tales Bring Insanity to All?

Joe Salvador really put together an amazing ruleset for Mythos Roleplaying building off of Swords & Wizardry White Box. Now I may just need to reverse engineer it to steal ideas for a more (or less) traditional fantasy campaign ;)

I've really been enjoying the time I've spent so far reading Joe Salvador's Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing. It's inspired me to think of ways to bring the game's insanity rules and class skills to both fantasy and sci-fi themed OSR rules. I may be insane myself? ;)

Link to Episode 102 - https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/Episode-102---Can-Eldritch-Tales-Bring-Insanity-to-All-e23jqu

Link to Eldritch Tales - https://www.rpgnow.com/product/250356/Eldritch-Tales-Lovecraftian-White-Box-RolePlaying&affiliate_id=1446 (affiliate link)

Link to the Tenkar's Tavern Patreon - tenkars-tavern.games/patreon

New Release - Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing (S&W)

Wow. Simply wow. I just started looking through the Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing and it is a beauty. Art? Spectacular. The layout is clean and the table of contents are bookmarked.

System-wise, Eldritch Tales is built of the Swords &Wizardy White Box rules you already know with some twists. Attribute feats are checks against one of the ability scores. Basic difficulty gives a 50% chance of success on a d6. High ability scores make that a 4 in 6 chance. More difficult situations will adjust the chance of success downward. Class skills can give bonuses. Simple and effective.

There are four classes: the Antiquarian, the Combatant, the Opportunist, and the Socialite. It covers the range of what you need and the optional Occupations allow further specialization.

Wait. What about insanity? Wisdom is not a dump stat here.

Contacts are the game juice that players can use to move things along. They also add depth to the characters and the campaign. It's a great touch and could easily fit into an urban fantasy campaign setting.

I personally like the Random Occupations Table. I think it adds depth to the characters.

Alright, only six chapters in thus far. More later, likely a full review, once I digest this fully. But damn does it look good this far.

Aeons before man arose from the primordial mire, ancient creatures descended from the stars or stepped through dimensional passages to inhabit the Earth. Whilst many of these Old Ones have since passed into inactivity, the secrets they carried with them have been shared with man and now terrible cults haunt the fringes of modern society. These ancient terrors thus still menace mankind and, if the prophecies are to be believed, the Old Ones shall return to reign again over the Earth! 

Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Role-Playing in an OSR rule set with its roots in the Original version of the world's favorite RPG, but instead of exploring musty dungeons, characters in Eldritch Tales investigate Mythos horrors in the 1920s! The setting and background are based on the cosmic horror tales of Howard Phillips Lovecraft and other members of his writing circle.  

Within the pages of Eldritch Tales you will find four character classes representing many classic pulp archetypes, occupations, rules for insanity, spells, monsters, esoteric tomes, artifacts, and setting material, as well as advice on using Eldritch Tales with other White Box games. This game is compatible with Swords & Wizardry White Box and other OSR games.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above.

New Release - Untold Adventures - PWYW (Swords & Wizardry)

As many of you know, I consider James Spahn a close and dear friend. Hell, he's more family than mere friend. He's also one of the most skilled AND prolific game designers I know.

James is well known for his series of releases in support of Swords & Wizardry White Box and now he's giving us his own take on the Swords & Wizardry White Box Rules - Untold Adventures is James' version of White Box.

Did I mention there are just two classes? It's almost heresy ;)

No fancy layout. No art. No distractions. Just raw potential. 

Untold Adventures: Minimalist Fantasy Roleplaying is a streamlined adaptation of Swords & Wizardry White Box. This complete game reimagines several core concepts of White Box to create an even faster gaming experience. Classes, races, equipment, weapons, armor, magic spells, encumbrance, and several other foundational elements are modified to create super-fast play where rulings (not rules) are the order of the day! 

Yet with all its changes, Untold Adventures is 100% compatible with Swords & Wizardry products with no adaptation! You can drop your favorite adventures, items, and monsters, on the table and go! 

Priced as Pay What You Want, there is simply no reason NOT to check these rules out. It is, after all, written by James Spahn ;)

Yep, that's there is an affiliate link, Hoss. Keep your Tavern with clean glassware and fresh whiskey by using our affiliate links ;)

Deal of the Day - For Coin & Blood (OSR / S&W WB)

For Coin & Blood is today's RPGNow Deal of the Day.

Normally 10 bucks in PDF, until 11 AM tomorrow morning, For Coin & Blood is only 4 bucks.

FOR COIN & BLOOD is an old school fantasy roleplaying game with a twist... 

...a twist of the knife! 

Embracing the literary genre known as "grimdark", and inspired by stories of mercenaries, sellswords and blackguards, FOR COIN & BLOOD keeps you on your toes, as you tell stories about the terrible things that happen to people, when they head out in search of coin, passion, and revenge... 

FOR COIN & BLOOD uses a modified version of Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox, but is a complete game.

That's an affiliate link above. Keep the lights on and the taps flowing at The Tavern using our affiliate links.

Note: The Summer Indie Game Expo Bundle (PDF) also includes For Blood & Coin in the bundle.

James Spahn Prices WHITE BOX OMNIBUS at PWYW - PDF, Softcover and Hardcover

"I am once again left flabbergasted by the generosity of the OSR. As a humble thank you to the community which has been so kind to me and in response to the kindness shown to me regarding North Texas RPG Con 2018, I am now pricing the White Box Omnibus at Pay-What-You-Want across all formats; this includes PDF, softcover, and hardcover. Thank you once again to my beloved OSR tribe and their boundlessness of spirit." - James Spahn

Now you can get it all in one place! White Box Omnibus is a compilation of all the material found in White Box Companion, White Box Treasures, White Box Bestiary, White Box Adventures: The Wererat's Well, White Box Adventures: The Wizard's Tower, and White Box Adventures: The Dragon's Hoard. 

But wait, there's more! 

It includes twenty-five pages of new material never before published! Add a two-fisted monk to your adventuring party, experience the power of artifacts from ages past and encounter a plethora of new monsters! 

Bring your Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox campaign together with the Willow Valley Gazetteer! Over twenty pages of brand new material detailing the region where all these adventures are set. Easy to drop into any campaign, it'll add depth to the featured adventures and provide hooks for even more sword & sorcery thrills! Brave the Swamps of Sithiss or explore the Stoneaxe Citadel! Visit the halflings of Burrowmoor and help the citizens of Willowford find peace!
Over 130 pages of Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox fun! 

Softcover comes to $3.57 minimum and hardcover is $9.18 minimum. That is cost.

That's an affiliate link above. Keep the taps flowing at The Tavern by purchasing through our affiliate links. We thank you. 

Deal of the Day - WWII: Operation White Box (WWII Swords & Wizardry RPG)

Today's RPGNow Deal of the Day is none other than +Pete Spahn 's WWII: Operation White Box. A Silver Pick, normally $7.99 in PDF its on sale for 24 hours for $3.99. But wait! The softcover print B&W nook is normally $17.99 - on sale for $9.99 with the PDF! Pete's losing his mind - heh. Seriously, its an amazing price for an excellent game.

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a roleplaying game of WWII special forces action designed for compatibility with the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox roleplaying game. 

In WWII: Operation WhiteBox, the player characters (PCs) play the role of WWII special forces operatives. They may be formally trained and part of an officially designated special forces unit such as the SAS or U.S. Army Airborne, or they may simply be guerilla fighters dedicated to making life hard for the German Army. They may also be covert agents working for organizations such as the SOE or OSS. Whatever their affiliation, their job is to complete missions behind enemy lines, paving the way for the next Allied advance.  

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a standalone game that uses the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox rules as its base. In addition to standard gameplay rules, the game contains the following:  

• CHARGEN: This includes Attributes, Nationality, Rank, Profession, etc.
• NEW CLASSES: Eight new classes including the Charmer, Combat Engineer, Grunt, Maquis, Sniper, Tactician, Wheelman, Uberlaufer, each with their own unique abilities. 
• GEAR AND WEAPONS: A list of typical WWII weapons and gear. Weapons are statistically grouped by function (Large Rifle, Small Handgun, Submachinegun, etc.) with some named examples to add flavor (M1 Garand, Derringer, MP40, etc.). 
• PLAYING THE GAME: Rules for Saving Throws, Surprise, Reaction Rolls, Movement, etc.
• PERSONAL COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" combat including new rules for automatic weapons, using cover and concealment, and explosives. 
• VEHICLE COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" vehicle combat (basically the same as personal combat) and vehicles grouped and statted out (Small Truck, Medium Tank, Small Aircraft, etc.) with named examples to add flavor (Kubelwagen, M4 Sherman, Brirish Spitfire, etc.). 
• GAMEPLAY EXAMPLE: A gameplay write up to show some of the new concepts in action. 
• COMMON NPCs AND ANIMALS: Stats and descriptions for civilians, soldiers, and common European animals. 
• COVERT SPECIAL FORCES EQUIPMENT: Descriptions of some real world equipment designed and/or used by special forces during WWII. 
• THE WWII CAMPAIGN: This chapter gives an overview of the different theaters, major events of the different time periods, and lots and lots of tips for running a WWII campaign. 
• SPECIAL FORCES IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER: An overview of various Allied special forces units such as the SAS, LRDG, OSS, etc., resistance organizations such as the French Maquis and the Norwegian Milorg, an German special forces units such as the Brandenburgers. This chapter also runs down how to design a special forces mission as well as the different types of missions commonly undertaken. 
• WWII TIMELINE: A chronological timeline of major WWII dates and events.
• HISTORIC WWII SPECIAL FORCES ACTIONS: Contains a brief description of real world historical missions undertaken by units like the British Commandos, Jedburghs, etc.
• RESISTANCE AT THE PONTEVILLE BRIDGE: A sample mission deep in Normandy. 
• MASS COMBAT RULES: Quick and dirty rules for resolving Mass Combat as well as how to incorporate PC missions into the results. 
• MINI-SETTINGS: Nazi Superscience, Nazi Occult, and Nazi Space elements to liven up your game!

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Shoppin' through The Tavern's affiliate links keeps the taps flowing and the lights on here at The Tavern :)

Its Here! White Star: Galaxy Edition in PDF has Released!

The update many of us have been waiting for is here - White Star: Galaxy Edition has arrived. You've read White Star I hope (PWYW) . Well, this is all that and more. White Star is my go to OSR sci-fi ruleset and as it's built off of Swords & Wizardry White Box, you already know much of the rules ;) The White Star: Galaxy Edition is $9.99 in PDF - hardcover is coming soon.

edit:  anyone who buys the PDF before the softcover and hardcover releases will receive a discount equivalent to if they had bought the PDF+Print bundle. - James Spahn

Ace Pilots, dead-eyed Gunslingers, and irrepressible Star Squirrels blast off across the stars to save the galaxy from the horrors of the Void! Hellfire Mecha march across the battlefield, leaving carnage in their wake! From the galactic center of Omega Consor to the Manrash System on the edge of the universe, the galaxy needs heroes! 

Endless galactic adventure awaits you in White Star: Galaxy Edition! Integrated and updated to include material from White Star and the White Star Companion, White Star: Galaxy Edition integrates new rules, new options, and expands the original game. Now more than just a tool box, White Star: Galaxy Edition offers you a universe full of thrilling adventure! 

White Star: Galaxy Edition includes: 

• Twenty-five character classes!
• Complete rules for Starship, Vehicle, and Mecha combat!
• New Starship and Vehicle Modifications!
• New Aliens and Creatures!
• New Equipment, Advanced Technology, and Cybernetics!
• New Meditations and Gifts!
• Two new forms of Mysticism: The tribal Etchings of the Yabnab and strange Chitterings of the Star Squirrels!
• New Optional Rules, like Deeds Dark & Daring, to add pulp sci-fi heroics to your game!
• New Star Systems: The rugged Marnash Sector and strange Scuiridae System!
• White Star: Galaxy Edition is compatible with all previous White Star products and can be seemlessly integrated into White Box and other OSR material!

Why Less is Sometimes Something More and What I Learned from S&W White Box and Applied to S&W Light

In part this is in response to a recent discussion about minimalism in the OSR, but in reality it is something more. Its an observation of S&W White Box importance to the OSR and also a design goal of S&W Light. Well, observation and design are linked but not the same but are addressed together, but I digress.

I want to look at Swords &Wizardry White Box. Anyone care to guess how many games are based on that open ruleset?

Off the top of my head:

White Star

White Lies

Operation White Box

White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game

Skyscrapers & Sorcery White Box Rules

The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying 

Swords & Wizardry Light

I'm sure there are more that I've either overlooked or forgotten and I apologize in advance.

So, why do so many games build off of the S&W White Box engine? The answer is simple. Literally... It was / is one of the most basic OSR rulesets, meaning it was, and is, an easy choice to build on.

It is easier to build on top of another ruleset than to remove rules and modify and rebuild. Trust me. I have some knowledge of this, as I stripped the Swords & Wizardry White Box rules down to the four pages of Swords & Wizardry Light. The very reason I chose the White Box rules was that simplicity. Sure, there was stuff I had to strip and drop, but not nearly the amount if I had chosen S&W Complete.

I was initially surprised when other designers / publishers reached out to me as I was writing and rewriting the SWL rules, asking to see the work I had done as a guide to use for their own projects. I'm no longer surprised. Much as S&W White Box is the chassis for a number of variant rules, I suspect when the Swords & Wizardry Continual Light rules are released (16 pages or so), there will be variants and genres and rules specific settings that will use SWCL as their chassis.

Because adding is easier than subtraction.

Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light are written for the community. To be played, houseruled, hacked and mashed into what you want it to be. Add what you want. Its hard to break. The core is solid.

Heck, I have hacks in my head. Genres. Settings. Hacks. I find 16 pages of rules to be liberating, not restricting. Empowering, not powerless.

I look forward to the hacks of the future.

New Release - White Box Gothic [Swords & Wizardry WB - Barrel Rider Games)

Barrel Rider Games / +James Spahn has a new release for Swords & Wizardry White Box - White Box Gothic. I'm chomping at the bit to read it, but I figured I'd share the fact that it has released first.

I'm excited because I always like a little horror in my fantasy roleplaying. Not the over the top, often campy horror the the Ravenloft setting often coughed up, but something a bit more - I don't know, not realistic, thats for sure, but certainly something more.

I trust James to have delivered that "something more"

From the blurb:

White Box Gothic brings gothic horror to your Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox campaign! Inside this terrible tome you'll find a horde of horrors!

- Six New Classes: From the deadly Monster Hunter to the damned Dhampir.
- Thirty New Spells: Speak with the dead, defile the land, and bind spirits to your service!
- Twenty-Five New Magic Items: Draw undead servants from your Bag of Bones, learn the secrets of the Book of the Damned, and draw hope from the Symbol of Piety!
- Fifteen New Monsters: The lowly Cultist, the mysterious Breath Stealer, to the powerful Vampire Lord!
- Optional Rules: Corruption, Dread, and laying Curses!

Inside these fifty pages you'll find all manner of dark and dire secrets to vex your players and defy the undead!

Disclaimer - I know James. Not only is he a good friend, but he is a coconspirator with myself on future Swords & Wizardry Light releases. We wouldn't be coconspirating if James weren't damn good!

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

WWII: Operation WhiteBox Now in Print (S&W Compatible)

If you haven't yet checked out +Pete Spahn 's WWII: Operation WhiteBox because you "only buy books you can hold", well your time has come.

Softcover Print plus PDF is $17.99

Hardcover Print plus PDF is $24.99

If you grabbed the PDF prior, check your email. You should find a discount code or two for the print versions.

The blurb:

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a roleplaying game of WWII special forces action designed for compatibility with the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox roleplaying game.

In WWII: Operation WhiteBox, the player characters (PCs) play the role of WWII special forces operatives. They may be formally trained and part of an officially designated special forces unit such as the SAS or U.S. Army Airborne, or they may simply be guerilla fighters dedicated to making life hard for the German Army. They may also be covert agents working for organizations such as the SOE or OSS. Whatever their affiliation, their job is to complete missions behind enemy lines, paving the way for the next Allied advance.

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a standalone game that uses the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox rules as its base. In addition to standard gameplay rules, the game contains the following:

CHARGEN: This includes Attributes, Nationality, Rank, Profession, etc.

NEW CLASSES: Eight new classes including the Charmer, Combat Engineer, Grunt, Maquis, Sniper, Tactician, Wheelman, Uberlaufer, each with their own unique abilities.

GEAR AND WEAPONS: A list of typical WWII weapons and gear. Weapons are statistically grouped by function (Large Rifle, Small Handgun, Submachinegun, etc.) with some named examples to add flavor (M1 Garand, Derringer, MP40, etc.).

PLAYING THE GAME: Rules for Saving Throws, Surprise, Reaction Rolls, Movement, etc.

PERSONAL COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" combat including new rules for automatic weapons, using cover and concealment, and explosives.

VEHICLE COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" vehicle combat (basically the same as personal combat) and vehicles grouped and statted out (Small Truck, Medium Tank, Small Aircraft, etc.) with named examples to add flavor (Kubelwagen, M4 Sherman, British Spitfire, etc.).

GAMEPLAY EXAMPLE: A gameplay write up to show some of the new concepts in action.

COMMON NPCs AND ANIMALS: Stats and descriptions for civilians, soldiers, and common European animals.

COVERT SPECIAL FORCES EQUIPMENT: Descriptions of some real world equipment designed and/or used by special forces during WWII.

THE WWII CAMPAIGN: This chapter gives an overview of the different theaters, major events of the different time periods, and lots and lots of tips for running a WWII campaign.

SPECIAL FORCES IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER: An overview of various Allied special forces units such as the SAS, LRDG, OSS, etc., resistance organizations such as the French Maquis and the Norwegian Milorg, an German special forces units such as the Brandenburgers. This chapter also runs down how to design a special forces mission as well as the different types of missions commonly undertaken.

WWII TIMELINE: A chronological timeline of major WWII dates and events.

HISTORIC WWII SPECIAL FORCES ACTIONS: Contains a brief description of real world historical missions undertaken by units like the British Commandos, Jedburghs, etc.

RESISTANCE AT THE PONTEVILLE BRIDGE: A sample mission deep in Normandy.

MASS COMBAT RULES: Quick and dirty rules for resolving Mass Combat as well as how to incorporate PC missions into the results.

MINI-SETTINGS: Nazi Superscience, Nazi Occult, and Nazi Space elements to liven up your game!

CHECK OUT OUR WWII: OPERATION WHITEBOX G+ COMMUNITY PAGE HERE: https://plus.google.com/communities/100846094177083736725

NOTE ON THE PRINT VERSION: The color version is the Premium Color option. These colors are not as vivid as the PDF, with the green headers and boxed text being more of an olive drab than a bright green. If color is unimportant, go with the less expensive B&W version. Thanks!

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

WWII: Operation WhiteBox has Hit the Beach!

+Pete Spahn 's long awaited WWII: Operation WhiteBox has released in PDF (dead tree to follow soon behind)

Full disclosure - Pete showed me the work in progress of WWII: Operation WhiteBox months ago. I was still actively working and I read this at my desk on the overnights. It read well then and looks amazing now. Seriously, if you want to get your feet all muddy and your uniform all bloody, your couldn't ask for better. Pete's research is well done - this isn't a hack job by any measure. I'll get a review up, hopefully in the next week or so, although my plate is fairly full at the moment.

Here's the blurb to help you decide:

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a roleplaying game of WWII special forces action designed for compatibility with the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox roleplaying game. 

In WWII: Operation WhiteBox, the player characters (PCs) play the role of WWII special forces operatives. They may be formally trained and part of an officially designated special forces unit such as the SAS or U.S. Army Airborne, or they may simply be guerilla fighters dedicated to making life hard for the German Army. They may also be covert agents working for organizations such as the SOE or OSS. Whatever their affiliation, their job is to complete missions behind enemy lines, paving the way for the next Allied advance.  

WWII: Operation WhiteBox is a standalone game that uses the Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox rules as its base. In addition to standard gameplay rules, the game contains the following:  

CHARGEN: This includes Attributes, Nationality, Rank, Profession, etc. 

NEW CLASSES: Eight new classes including the Charmer, Combat Engineer, Grunt, Maquis, Sniper, Tactician, Wheelman, Uberlaufer, each with their own unique abilities.  

GEAR AND WEAPONS: A list of typical WWII weapons and gear. Weapons are statistically grouped by function (Large Rifle, Small Handgun, Submachinegun, etc.) with some named examples to add flavor (M1 Garand, Derringer, MP40, etc.). 

PLAYING THE GAME: Rules for Saving Throws, Surprise, Reaction Rolls, Movement, etc. 

PERSONAL COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" combat including new rules for automatic weapons, using cover and concealment, and explosives.  

VEHICLE COMBAT: Rules for "theater of the mind" vehicle combat (basically the same as personal combat) and vehicles grouped and statted out (Small Truck, Medium Tank, Small Aircraft, etc.) with named examples to add flavor (Kubelwagen, M4 Sherman, Brirish Spitfire, etc.).  

GAMEPLAY EXAMPLE: A gameplay write up to show some of the new concepts in action.  

COMMON NPCs AND ANIMALS: Stats and descriptions for civilians, soldiers, and common European animals.  

COVERT SPECIAL FORCES EQUIPMENT: Descriptions of some real world equipment designed and/or used by special forces during WWII.  

THE WWII CAMPAIGN: This chapter gives an overview of the different theaters, major events of the different time periods, and lots and lots of tips for running a WWII campaign.  

SPECIAL FORCES IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER: An overview of various Allied special forces units such as the SAS, LRDG, OSS, etc., resistance organizations such as the French Maquis and the Norwegian Milorg, an German special forces units such as the Brandenburgers. This chapter also runs down how to design a special forces mission as well as the different types of missions commonly undertaken.  

WWII TIMELINE: A chronological timeline of major WWII dates and events. 

HISTORIC WWII SPECIAL FORCES ACTIONS: Contains a brief description of real world historical missions undertaken by units like the British Commandos, Jedburghs, etc. 

RESISTANCE AT THE PONTEVILLE BRIDGE: A sample mission deep in Normandy.
MINI-SETTINGS: Nazi Superscience, Nazi Occult, and Nazi Space elements to liven up your game! 

PURCHASE THE PDF NOW AND RECEIVE A DISCOUNT ON THE UPCOMING PRINT VERSION!

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

A Peek at Swords & Wizardry Light - Comparing White Box Fighter Class to Light

Folks have been asking what the changes are in Swords & Wizardry Light from the previous versions of Swords & Wizardry.

Its less changes and more "less" with some "more".

Light takes Swords & Wizardry and breaks out its core essence, and does so in four pages. With four core classes and four core races.

Let's look at the Fighter entry in Swords & Wizardry White Box.

The Fighter 

You are a warrior, trained in battle and in the use of armor and weapons. Perhaps you are a ferocious Viking raider, a roaming samurai, or a medieval knight. Whatever type of Fighter you choose to play, you will probably end up on the front lines of your adventuring party, going toe-to-toe with dragons, goblins, and evil cultists, hacking your way through them and taking the brunt of their attacks.  

The Fighter character is best equipped of all the character classes to dish out and absorb damage. Clerics heal, and Magic-users cast spells, but the down-and-dirty hack and slash work is up to you. 

You’re going to serve as the party’s sword and shield, protecting the weaker party members and taking down the enemies before you. Perhaps one day they will tell legends of your battle prowess, and followers will flock to your castle stronghold—where you revel in your fame, riches, and newly earned nobility. Fail, of course, and you will die—just another forgotten warrior in a dangerous world. 

Table 5: Fighter Advancement 

Level    XP HD BHB ST
1         0    1+1   +0  16
2   2,000     2     +1  15
3   4,000     3     +2  14  

(add in levels 3 through 10)

Fighter Class Abilities 

Weapon/Armor Restrictions: Fighters are trained in warfare and as such have no armor or weapon restrictions. 

Combat Machine: Against foes of one hit dice (HD) or fewer, Fighters get one attack per level each turn. 

Saving Throw: Fighters get +1 on saving throws vs. death and poisons. 

Establish Stronghold (9th): At ninth level, a Fighter character who chooses to build a castle is considered to have the rank of “Baron” bestowed upon him by the local ruler or monarch and may choose to attract a body of loyal men-at-arms who will swear fealty to him. 

XP Bonus for Strength: This class bonus is due to a high strength attribute.

Here's the Fighter entry from Swords & Wizardry Light (prior to final edits)

The Fighter 
You are a warrior, trained in battle and in the use of armor and weapons.
Hit Dice: 1+1 HD at 1st level, a 2nd HD at 2nd level and a 3rd HD at 3rd level.
Saving Throw: 16 at 1st level, 15 at 2nd level and 14 at 3rd level.
Basic Hit Bonus (BHB): +1 at 2nd level and +2 at 3rd level.
-    Fighters start with either Long Sword or Battle Axe (1d6 damage) and Bow / Chain          Armor and Shield AC 4[15] or Two Handed Sword (1d6+1) and Crossbow / Chain          Armor AC 5[14]
-    Fighters have no armor or weapon restrictions. Against foes of 1 Hit Dice (HD) or            fewer, Fighters get one attack per level each round. Fighters also get +1 on saving            throws vs. death and poisons.

Not only are you getting information on what your character can do, you are also getting weapon and armor choices as well as the damage they do and the protection they give. The idea is to expedite character creation and get the player right into the game. Four classes as well as the spells for Cleric and Wizard fit on one page.

Spells were tweaked for both space concerns and usability. For example, Knock and Wizard Lock became:

Knock – Lock
Range: Close  Duration: Permanent until dispelled - The targeted door, gate or portal can be opened or locked by this spell. A locked target is unlocked and opened (including those locked by this spell) Targets locked by this spell can be unlocked by this spell or broken by brute force (GM’s discretion)

There you go. A short peek of what's in store. Now I need to spend some time on the Light Support Page ;)

Trimmed Swords & Wizardry: Light to Four Pages - Now to Rewrite & Rebuild

I do believe that is 18 monsters, all on one sheet. You should note that four pages is without an item list (weapons and armor are chosen by class and an adventurer's pack will cover the other items). Magic items are also not included, as they are meant to be special and unique and to be explained in the 4 page adventures meant to accompany the Light rules (and possible elsewhere, see below)

Spell lists are whittled down, but again, new spells from the various Swords & Wizardry rules can be introduced via adventures.

I am considering an optional Deadly Machinations four page pamphlet, which would offer GMing advice, sample magic items, random encounter charts, adding in alignment and languages and other ways to get your PCs in trouble. For the folks looking for a Thief class, this would be where they'd make an appearance, assuming they did.

The whole key to this is keeping the releases at four pages, so you can print it on one sheet at booklet settings.

Simple, short, cheap to print and viral in distribution ;)

First Pass Done - S&W Light Distilled Down to Six Pages - Second Pass This Weekend

At the moment, I've distilled S&W Basic down to six pages for S&W Light. This is the first pass, there are still some tables that need editing and there is a bunch of stuff that needs rewriting for space and explanation purposes.

BTW, that's 6 pages using the Word document. Laid out properly it's probably around 4ish.

All 18 included monsters fit on one sheet. Most monsters took 2 lines but a few took 3, such as the Giant Fire Beetle.

There is no XP entry as we are leaving out the concept of XP. Two adventures to reach level 2, five more adventures to reach level 3, at which point the player is expected to move on to one of the three Swords & Wizardry rulesets with 5,000 XP

As I Was RedLining White Box, I Noticed a Problem With the Sleep Spell

I've been "red lining" a spare copy of Swords & Wizardry White Box for the S&W: Light project I'm working on. I stumbled across the Sleep Spell table, and noticed something wrong with it. Two somethings actually.

"1+" is on both the first and second line of the chart and "2+" isn't even taken into account. Now, for the purpose of White Box, I'd probably change the first line to "Less than 1 to 1" and the second line to "1+ to 2+". For S&W Light, I want to save space and do away with the chart all together.

So, I'm going with 2d6+3 HD of creatures, with less than 1HD counted as 1HD and ignoring "+'s". Any HD that can't be fully allocated are lost. Takes into account mixed groups fairly well and does away with the chart.

Snip snip...

Time to "Red Ink" White Box - Trimming the Fat to Get to S&W: Light

A while back I stumbled across a really good deal on Swords & Wizardry White Box softcovers. I ordered a half dozen with the intention of giving out copies to my old face to face gaming group at our next annual gathering. Once I got them, it was kinda obvious they weren't being sold by Matt or Mythmere Games. I wish I had paid closer attention. I wasn't going to hand out bootlegs, but throwing away gaming material felt like just compounding a bad situation. So, I put them on a shelf and there they sat. Until now.

Now that I'm working on what is tentatively titled Swords & Wizardry: Light, these books are a boon. I get to "red ink" - in metallic no less - a hard copy of White Box. It's actually a thrill to go through and trim what isn't needed.

The idea is that some of the material trimmed could be added back in a series of adventures. The same adventures that will be written to help a lapsed gamer regain his game mastering footing.

Now to rewrite the Sleep spell...

Here's the Current Intro Hook for Swords & Wizardry: Light

Back home to my desk, refreshed and rejuvenated. I've got 20 requests to catch up with for The Tavern Membership Cards from the weekend, so there's some work to do.

I also plan to start posting the rule modifications and the like to The Tavern's Google Community either later tonight or tomorrow.

In the meantime, I've got the intro hook for S&W: Light (working title for now). The intro will certainly go through revisions, but does a decent job (INHO) of potentially evoking memories in lapsed gamers (which I think is a more viable target audience than totally new gamers).

Remember the days of yesteryear? When battles were won with sharp swords and well timed spells. When wit and daring could overcome most odds, and when they couldn’t, fast feet were worth more than any gold coin. These four pages of Swords & Wizardry: Light will awaken the long forgotten gamer in you with a call to arms! What are you waiting for? It’s time to roll them bones!

Alright, time to get to work crossing out text in my copy of Swords & Wizardry White Box...

Working on Distilling Swords & Wizardry White Box down to Four Pages / One Sheet

If you are part of The Tavern's Google Group Community, then you already know. If not, I'm now announcing it at The Tavern. I've been brainstorming with a writer / publisher to distill Swords & White Box down to four pages, printable on one sheet of paper in digest form.

This all came about with the conversation on Friday that A) OSR games are under represented on Free RPG Day; B) Free RPG Day isn't about growing the hobby but rewarding the current customer C) it's damn expensive for any publisher to participate in Free RPG Day.

What if you had a self contained OSR ruleset in 4 pages, that covered the core 3 classes, the first three levels of advancement, was able to be played WITHOUT a D20 if needed and was aimed not so much as the new player but the lapsed gamer? You now, what I was from 1997 to 2006 or so.

Free in PDF, printable at home, made to be evangelized. Leave a dozen copies at the game store or library, printed on colorful paper to grab the eyes. Maybe leave a stack at a comic con. Wherever you think a lapsed gamer may find it. Maybe left with different community written 4 page / 1 sheet adventures.

Compatible with Swords & Wizardry White Box and written that any of the Swords & Wizardry Rules are a natural progression, it's aim is to be the re-entry engine for the lapsed gamer.

Brainstorming has gone well and there is a lot to trim to bring this down to size but I think it can be done, and done effectively and still approachable and readable. Something that Rach, who it loathe to read any RPG rule book will look at and not feel intimidated by.

Progress reports and rules in progress will be posted on The Tavern's Google Community Group. There will be updates posted to the blog, but the bulk will be in the Community Group.

Ask for a free card and be part of the fun. Use the link in the upper right corner. I've been away for the weekend, so it might take 2 or 3 days before I answer your email (and a few weeks before you get your card - just bought 400 self sealing envelopes today)