Deal of the Day - Tales of Argosa (Low Fantasy Gaming)

In the time before COVID, my gaming group was playing with Low Fantasy Gaming. While not a ruleset I would have chosen at the time of play, it felt similar to an OSR ruleset, in that ruling , not rules, ruled the day. There is much I would borrow for my OSR gaming.

Today's Deal of the Day is Tales of Argosa, which is essentially Low Fantasy Gaming 2e. Normally, 24.95 in PDF, until tomorrow morning, Tales of Argosa is on sale for $9.98.

Core Features

• Familiar d20 based system. 
• 9 Classes Artificer (or Alchemist variant), Barbarian, Bard, Cultist, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue & Magic User; only two of which involve magic.
• 9th Level max caps PC power levels.
• Flatter HP Curve Most PCs will have approx 10-40 hit points over their nine levels. 
• Unique Features Every 3rd level design your own PC ability in conjunction with your GM, or choose from 40+ examples. 
• Roll Under for Attribute checks, making every stat point matter. Degrees of success via Great Successes and Terrible Failures.  
• Roll High for attack & damage rolls.
• Wisdom is split into Perception and Willpower. Perception mod applies to ranged attacks instead of Dex.   
• Simple Skills grant a +1 bonus on relevant Attribute checks, but more importantly allow a PC to access their limited Reroll Pool if they fail. The Variant Rules chapter includes a further simplified "Class, Race & Background" combo to replace the skill list, if desired.    
• Minor, Major & Rescue Exploits on top of damage, not in lieu, promote improvised stunts and moments of greatness.
• Fast Initiative Side based initiative, but a different PC rolls each round. Initiative is a derived stat (average of Dex & Int). If the PC makes their Initiative check the party goes first, otherwise the monsters do. On a Great Success the party also acts before any Heavies or Bosses. 
• Diminishing Luck attribute replaces saving throws, ratcheting up the danger with each save.
• Fierce Battle Martial Exploits, Nat 19s, Crits, Fumble ripostes, Morale checks, Trauma rolls, Heavies, and Bosses make for action packed battles! When reduced to zero hp, healing takes 1d3 minutes (magical or otherwise). Players don't roll to find out if their PC lives until after the combat, when an ally checks the body...
• Unbalanced Encounters ToA is designed for unbalanced combat. Clear escape rules put the fate of the PCs in the players’ hands - do they fight another round, or run?
• Short Rests PCs make two Willpowers checks during a Short Rest to attempt to recover hp and class abilities, encouraging them to press on rather than camp. 
• Dark & Dangerous Magic Roll to Cast and DDM tests threaten to unleash Veil monsters, madness, mutation, or worse! 
• Downtime Rules for Carousing, Pets, Black Market Trade, Masterforged Gear, Gambling, Recovery, Potion Brewing, Magical Research, Scroll Inscribing, Rumours, and more.
• Emergent Play & Solo Support via mechanics, procedures, and massive GM Toolbox to facilitate improv, including: Lone Wolf PC rules, Range Bands (for smoother Theatre of the Mind), Reaction & Activity rolls, Major Exploits & Rescues, Morale checks, Consult the Bones Dice Oracle, Read the Signs Card Oracle, Hexploration Procedures, Dungeon Tally & Events, Travel Events, Random Encounters, XP Awards, NPC Tables, Treasure Tables, Madness Table, Disease & Parasite Table, Trap Tables, Dungeon Generator, and more!
• Easy Compatibility with most OSR and 5e style adventures; just swap out monster stats, treasure, and spells for ToA equivalents, and you're good to go! We've been playtesting with adventures from LFG, Forbidden Lands, Dragonbane, B4 The Lost City, Hot Springs Island, The Toxic Wood, Mines of Perinthos, and very recently Moria (from The One Ring, alpha PDF). Conversion tips are included. 
• Rules as Guidelines - The GM is the final authority on all rules, which are expected to be tweaked to fit table preferences. The Variant Rules chapter includes suggestions such as more/less deadly, less dangerous magic, movement in feet rather than range bands, individual Initiative checks, etc.
• Creative Commons Licence - ToA has been released under CC BY-SA 4.0. You can create and sell your own supplements, adventures, etc, without needing any authority from us. 

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Deal of the Day - Tales of Argosa (Low Fantasy Gaming 2e)

I played some Low Fantasy Gaming 1e a few years back, and it felt very old-school in nature. Probably the low hit points and the high mortality rate. It was undoubtedly a good time.

Tales of Argosa is essentially LFG 2e, and I'd snag a copy myself, but I'll likely never run it with my current group, and one does have to make a stand at some point before the wife agro kicks in :)

Tales of Argosa is usually 24.95 in PDF, but until tomorrow morning, it is on sale for 12.48.

Tales of Argosa (aka Low Fantasy Gaming 2e) is a Sword & Sorcery inspired Emergent Play Adventure Game, for groups or solo. Adventures are short, sharp, and focused on dangerous wilds, treacherous cities, fierce battles, daring exploits, perilous magic, fabulous treasures, and cosmic weird. 

Core Features

• Familiar d20 based system. 
• 9 Classes Artificer (or Alchemist variant), Barbarian, Bard, Cultist, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue & Magic User; only two of which involve magic.
• 9th Level max caps PC power levels.
• Flatter HP Curve Most PCs will have approx 10-40 hit points over their nine levels. 
• Unique Features Every 3rd level design your own PC ability in conjunction with your GM, or choose from 40+ examples. 
• Roll Under for Attribute checks, making every stat point matter. Degrees of success via Great Successes and Terrible Failures.  
• Roll High for attack & damage rolls.
• Wisdom is split into Perception and Willpower. Perception mod applies to ranged attacks instead of Dex.   
• Simple Skills grant a +1 bonus on relevant Attribute checks, but more importantly allow a PC to access their limited Reroll Pool if they fail. The Variant Rules chapter includes a further simplified "Class, Race & Background" combo to replace the skill list, if desired.    
• Minor, Major & Rescue Exploits on top of damage, not in lieu, promote improvised stunts and moments of greatness.
• Fast Initiative Side based initiative, but a different PC rolls each round. Initiative is a derived stat (average of Dex & Int). If the PC makes their Initiative check the party goes first, otherwise the monsters do. On a Great Success the party also acts before any Heavies or Bosses. 
• Diminishing Luck attribute replaces saving throws, ratcheting up the danger with each save.
• Fierce Battle Martial Exploits, Nat 19s, Crits, Fumble ripostes, Morale checks, Trauma rolls, Heavies, and Bosses make for action packed battles! When reduced to zero hp, healing takes 1d3 minutes (magical or otherwise). Players don't roll to find out if their PC lives until after the combat, when an ally checks the body.
• Unbalanced Encounters ToA is designed for unbalanced combat. Clear escape rules put the fate of the PCs in the players’ hands - do they fight another round, or run?
• Short Rests PCs make two Willpowers checks during a Short Rest to attempt to recover hp and class abilities, encouraging them to press on rather than camp. 
• Dark & Dangerous Magic Roll to Cast and DDM tests threaten to unleash Veil monsters, madness, mutation, or worse! 
• Downtime Rules for Carousing, Pets, Black Market Trade, Masterforged Gear, Gambling, Recovery, Potion Brewing, Magical Research, Scroll Inscribing, Rumours, and more.
• Emergent Play & Solo Support via mechanics, procedures, and massive GM Toolbox to facilitate improv, including: Lone Wolf PC rules, Range Bands (for smoother Theatre of the Mind), Reaction & Activity rolls, Major Exploits & Rescues, Morale checks, Consult the Bones Dice Oracle, Read the Signs Card Oracle, Hexploration Procedures, Dungeon Tally & Events, Travel Events, Random Encounters, XP Awards, NPC Tables, Treasure Tables, Madness Table, Disease & Parasite Table, Trap Tables, Dungeon Generator, and more!
• Easy Compatibility with most OSR and 5e style adventures; just swap out monster stats, treasure, and spells for ToA equivalents, and you're good to go! We've been playtesting with adventures from LFG, Forbidden Lands, Dragonbane, B4 The Lost City, Hot Springs Island, The Toxic Wood, Mines of Perinthos, and very recently Moria (from The One Ring, alpha PDF). Conversion tips are included. 
• Rules as Guidelines The GM is the final authority on all rules, which are expected to be tweaked to fit table preferences. The Variant Rules chapter includes suggestions such as more/less deadly, less dangerous magic, movement in feet rather than range bands, individual Initiative checks, etc.
• Creative Commons Licence ToA has been released under CC BY-SA 4.0. You can create and sell your own supplements, adventures, etc, without needing any authority from us. 

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Free OSR - Low Fantasy Gaming (Original)

There was a period in time when I gamed on Saturday Nights. The last campaign I played with the old Saturday Night group was Low Fantasy Gaming, and it was a blast. Played well and fast, with minimal referring to the rules after getting the hang of it.

Low Fantasy Gaming (Original) is available for Free in PDF.

WHAT IS LOW FANTASY GAMING?

Low Fantasy Gaming (“LFG”) is a tabletop role-playing game built for sword & sorcery adventures in low magic worlds.

Rules Light

LFG is rules light (184 pages), with a heavy emphasis on Games Master (“GM”) rulings. It’s a hybrid of old school and modern game design, based on the 1d20 Open Game Licence.

Fast & Engaging Combat

Combat is designed to be fast and engaging, with minimal waiting between turns. Creativity is encouraged via martial exploits and magic.

Dangerous & Gritty  

Battle is genuinely dangerous and every skirmish takes a toll. The threat of serious injury or death is never far away.

A “Realistic” World

LFG worlds tend to mimic our own classical or medieval periods. Humans are the default player race. Magic and fantastic monsters exist, but are very rare. The Midlands Low Magic Sandbox Setting supplement is an example (also on DTRPG).

Dark & Dangerous Magic

Magic is not only rare, it is dark and inherently dangerous. Sorcery is a power not meant for mortals, and adventurers engage with it at their peril.

Riches & Glory

LFG is about exploring the unknown; delving into the lost places of the world to unearth new mysteries. Player characters are not epic heroes charged with saving the world; they are bold adventurers seeking riches and glory.

Open World

LFG is made for short, episodic adventures in an open world. Mechanics and random tables support GM improvisation, empowering the referee to handle any situation or side trek.

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Deal of the Day - Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe Edition

I played in a Low Fantasy Gaming campaign a few years back and it was a blast. It kind of made me think of what 5e would have been if it hewed closer to its old-school roots.

For 4 bucks, Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe Edition is a steal (normally 20 bucks in PDF, it is the Deal of the Day until tomorrow morning at 11 AM Eastern, so there is still time).

Low Fantasy Gaming is a tabletop RPG built for gritty adventures in low or moderate magic settings. It has simple rules, dangerous combat, flexible PC customisation, and mysterious, unpredictable magic. Designed for short, episodic adventures in sandbox worlds, LFG provides the mechanics and tables needed for easy GM improvisation. It’s a heady mix of the best old school, modern, and new game design, wrapped around a familiar d20 core.

Main Features

• Full Colour and B&W Line Art versions.
• 9 Classes: Artificer, Barbarian, Bard, Cultist, Fighter, Monk, Ranger, Rogue & Magic User; only two of which involve magic.
• 12th Level Max eliminates the most powerful spells, and keeps the mightiest monsters scary.
• Unique Features: every 3rd level design your own PC ability in conjunction with your GM. Don't want to make your own? Choose from 36 examples instead. 
• Roll Equal or Under for attribute checks (including degrees of success) makes every stat point matter (rather than just the modifiers).
• Skills provide access to a level based Reroll Pool, smoothing the fickleness of d20 probability distribution.
• Willpower & Perception attributes replace Wisdom.
• Diminishing Luck attribute replaces saving throws and powers some Martial Exploits.  
• Minor, Major & Rescue Exploits on top of damage, not in lieu, promote improvised stunts and moments of greatness.
• Dangerous Combat: Dropping to zero hp requires a roll on the Injuries & Setbacks table and healing is delayed by 1d3 minutes (magical or otherwise). Players don't roll to find out if their PC is All Dead or Mostly Dead until the battle ends and someone checks the body.
• Party Retreat & Chase rules allow the GM to throw whatever makes sense at the party, unshackling them from balanced encounters and quarantined zones.
• 5 minute Short Rests allow PCs to attempt Willpower checks to recover hit points and class abilities, encouraging the party to push on rather than camp.
• Long Rests take 1d6 days (or 1d4 in a safe, comfortable environment), mitigating the nova, rest, repeat problem for adventures with long periods between battles (eg: wilderness treks).
• Dark & Dangerous Magic tests and Divine Rebuke tests make all spell casting inherently uncertain. No at-will, teleport, mind reading or resurrection magic. Magic Users are less reliant on spells, proficient in one handed weapons and light armour.
• Evocative Spells: Spells have been tweaked and renamed, eg: Silent Image, Invisibility, Magic Missile and Hold Monster are instead Shadows & Dust, A Wisp Unseen, Lash of Unerring Pain and Crush of the Warp.
• Rare Magic Items, with obvious and discreet attunements, that unlock as their owners level up.
• GM Tables for Weather, Exploration Events, Random Encounters, Traps, Treasure, Disease, Madness, Tavern Brawls, Hirelings, Mass Battle, Naval Combat, NPC Quirks, Rival Adventurers, Blackpowder, and more.
• 130+ Monsters including effective Boss Monster options (eg: Off Turn Attacks match the party's action economy, and Stronger Luck grants saves even when a save is not normally permitted), plus Custom Monsters guide.   
• Online Play Support: custom LFG character sheets are available for online VTTs Roll20, Fantasy Grounds MoreCore, Foundry, and Tabletop Simulator!
• Open Game Content: 99% of LFG text is "Open Game Content" under the Open Game Licence. Want to make your own adventures or expansions for LFG and sell them? Go right ahead!
• Character Sheets: Illustrated Colour and B&W character sheets (including a B&W Form Fillable PDF) are available as free downloads via DTRPG.
• GM Screen: 4 panel GM Screen PDF is available for free download via DTRPG.
• Starter Adventures: Three starter adventures are available for free download via DTRPG (Revelry in Northgate, Call of the Colossus, and Gift of the Silent God).
• Rules as Guidelines. The GM is the final authority on all LFG rules, which are expected to be tweaked to fit table preferences.

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Deal of the Day - Midlands Low Magic Sandbox Setting

Sometimes all you want out of a setting is useability. Midlands is that and more. Normally 10 bucks in PDF, until tomorrow morning, Midlands Low Magic Sandbox Setting is a mere 5 bucks. (a huge thanks to a Tavern Regular for the heads up)

But what do you get? A setting, tools, and more!

The Midlands PDF (original version softcover/hardcover available via Lulu) is 365 pages of low magic, low prep, customisable sandbox, in a “points of light” medieval fantasy realm. The setting is written for the Low Fantasy Gaming RPG system, a d20 variant under the OGL, but is easily adapted to any fantasy RPG.

The Midlands is half setting, half DIY toolkit (per the Contents in the preview); filled with tables and tools to assist the GM to run an improvised sandbox, including fifty Adventure Frameworks to sprinkle around the region (mini adventures with enough meat to kickstart an adventure, but enough flexibility to expand/adapt to player choices).

The Midlands' main themes include:

Grim Cities - Humanity shelters behind six isolated, walled cities, struggling for opportunity.

Deadly Outlands - One hundred leagues of trackless wilderness, plagued by skorn, thuels, & monstrous beasts.

Dangerous Magic - Sorcery was not meant for mortals; magic is rare, dark, & inherently dangerous.

Silent Gods - Deities are ineffably distant; offering no miracles, nor intervening in the world in any obvious way.

Ancient Mysteries - Despite the dangers, the wilds beckon with crumbling ruins, lost treasures, & forgotten secrets.

Free Downloads - High resolution images of the isometric Region Map, Six City Maps, 1st level Pregens, Illustrated Character Sheets & GM Screen Inserts are available for free download via the Low Fantasy Gaming RPG site.

Hex Map - As of Feb 2019, a top down colour Midlands Hex Map (with and without labels) is separately available for $5 via DTRPG.

Open Game Content - For those interested in publishing related materials, the vast majority of the Midlands is designated Open Game Content under the OGL.

 

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Deal of the Day - Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe Edition

If you are an OSR gamer, you've probably heard of the Low Fantasy Gaming RPG, if you haven't already played it. It's an old-school rulest with a huge amount of flexibility and just the right amount of deadliness (along with some ideas borrowed from 5e). I've played in a few sessions of Low Fantasy Gaming and they were a blast. The classes all seemed to have their own shine and time in the limelight in each session.

Normally 20 bucks in PDF, until tomorrow morning Low Fantasy Gaming Deluxe Edition is on sale in PDF for 10 bucks. If I didn't already own the PDF I'd jump on this.

Low Fantasy Gaming is a tabletop RPG built for gritty adventures in low or moderate magic settings. It has simple rules, dangerous combat, flexible PC customization, and mysterious, unpredictable magic. Designed for short, episodic adventures in sandbox worlds, LFG provides the mechanics and tables needed for easy GM improvisation. It’s a heady mix of the best old school, modern, and new game design, wrapped around a familiar d20 core.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar