Free OSR - Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall (OSR Setting)

 

Note - this matches well with Dolmvay, which I highlighted earlier.

Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall

The Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall is a FREE Labyrinth Lord™ supplement that expands on the critically acclaimed Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay and details the people, layout, and government of the Duchy of Valnwall. The Duchy is presented in broad strokes and is open to customization. It was specifically designed to give Labyrinth Lords a convenient and familiar fantasy setting to place their adventures.

The Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall is largely open content. Small Niche Games would like to encourage professional and amateur publishers to use the Guidebook as a shared fantasy setting and set their commercial adventures within the Duchy of Valnwall. Labyrinth Lords (and publishers) should feel free to change, add, or remove any of the information in this book to better suit his or her own game.

The Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall contains:

-A breakdown of Valnwall adventure themes

-History of the Duchy of Valnwall

-Detailed overview of the Duchy of Valnwall including government, religion, commerce, and laws and punishment

-Descriptions of over a dozen major festivals

-An overview of the citizens of the Duchy including a breakdown of social classes, daily life for commoners and nobles, style of dress, arms and armor, rumors and gossip, and common gestures, curses, and phrases

-Geography of the Duchy including details on cities, towns, mountains, forests, other terrain features, and more. . .along with an amazingly detailed set of maps by cartographer Tom Fayen

-Descriptions of numerous factions and stat blocks for NPCs

-Descriptions of different types of settlements

-Over a dozen unique Valnwall random encounters

-Over two dozen new plants and monsters native to the Duchy

-More information about the massive seawall and megadungeon known as the Great Valnwall

The Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall is available now for FREE so check it out!

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Free OSR - Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay (City Setting)

Wow! Talk about nostalgia. I'm relatively sure I have a print copy of the Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay on one of my bookshelves. I remember when Pete was putting this together, and he inquired about including a Tenkar's Tavern in the book - there are a few places that such a place exists in published works, and the Guidebook to the City of Dolmay may very well be the first.

Dolmvay is an excellent city setting, ready to be dropped into most any Fantasy campaign. Go ahead, have your party visit Tenkar's Tavern ;)

The Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay is a FREE Labyrinth Lord™ supplement that details the people, layout, and government of the City of Dolmvay. The city is presented in broad strokes and is open to customization. It was specifically designed to give Labyrinth Lords a convenient and familiar city setting to place their adventures.

The Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay is largely open content. Small Niche Games would like to encourage professional and amateur publishers to use the Guidebook as a shared city setting and set their commercial adventures within the City of Dolmvay. Labyrinth Lords (and publishers) should feel free to change, add, or remove any of the information in this book to better suit his or her own game.

The Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay contains:

• A breakdown of city-based adventure themes
• History of the City of Dolmvay
• Detailed overview of the City of Dolmvay including government, religion, commerce, and laws and punishment
• Descriptions of over a dozen major festivals
• An overview of the citizens of Dolmvay including a breakdown of social classes, daily life for commoners and nobles, style of dress, arms and armor, rumors and gossip, and common gestures, curses, and phrases
• Layout of the city including details on architecture, street lighting, sanitation, as well as detailed descriptions of the city's wards, districts, quarters, neighborhoods, and businesses
• Descriptions of dozens of factions and stat blocks for hundreds of NPCs
• Descriptions of common shops and businesses, prices for food and lodging, and a dozen sample inns and taverns
• Over 100 unique city encounters
• Over two dozen new plants and monsters
• A detailed description of the religious organization known as the Church of Law and Order including church history and doctrine, major NPCs, and new magic items
• A detailed description of the Dolmvay Adventurer's Guild including training facilities, dungeons, and major NPCs
• A detailed description of the city's magical sewer system including dozens of unique encounters and several sample sewer geomorph maps
• Guidelines for NPC generation including common names, professions, dozens of quirks and traits, and rules for creating unique and interesting 0-level NPCs
• Guidelines for random treasure determination including pick pocket tables and random tables for determining household treasures

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Indiegogo - Shepherd’s Bane: An adventure for 5e and OSR games (OSR & 5e)

The moon is full! Can you protect the villagers from the teeth and claws of the Shepherd’s Bane?

Alright, here's the part where I pull back the Veil of Secrecy! Or not, as I don't think that what follows is a secret, but it does bear repeating. Necromancer Games is a publishing house wholely owned by Frog God Games. Frog God Games published Swords & Wizardry Light, written by myself with assists from James Spahn and Zach Glazar, and granted me permission to publish the expanded rules for SWL, Swords & Wizardry Continual Light (soon to be re-released in digest size as simply Continual Light). For a number of years, Rach and I helped run the Frog God Games table at various conventions. Oh, and I consider Pete Spahn a friend. Also, Tenkar's Tavern (as well as a version of one of its iconic banners) graced the contents of one of Pete's Amherth fantasy setting books under his Small Niche Games? Did I mention that Pete does some really strong old-school releases? He does! :)

So, where does that leave us? Oh yeah, that's right, Shepherd’s Bane: An adventure for 5e and OSR games is currently funding on Indiegogo. Written by Pete Spahn and published by Necromancer Games, it potentially has "conflict of interest" written all over this page. Except for the above paragraph, of course ;) 

Shepherd’s Bane is a freeform adventure that is centered around on the village of Harroch, which lies in the bleak hills and bogs of Sterling Moor. Dark forces beset the village. The trouble started with the arrival of a group of wandering entertainers known as the Calatoré, one of whom was a werewolf. A fight occurred and the werewolf was driven off, but not before it infected the village priest and the many of the villagers with its disease. The village’s women and children know that something is wrong with their sons and husbands, but they believe they are just overwhelmed by the search for the werewolf that still prowls the moors.

Shepherd’s Bane, available in both 5e and OSR for characters of levels 1st to 3rd, takes our heroes from the fog shrouded Sterling Moor into the village of Harroch as they face off against a danger that stalks the night and takes the unwary or unlucky.

Shepard's Bane is 10 bucks in PDF, 22 bucks for the PDF plus print.

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Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall Special Edition has Released in PDF

Many of you have probably downloaded and read the Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall. If you haven't, you should. Its an excellent setting book and its free.

So, what makes the Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall Special Edition so special that you should spend money on it? Quite simply, its doubled in size, and that doubling is due to adventures written by the likes of:

James M. Spahn, Jason Paul McCartan, Tim Shorts, Eric Hoffman, Timothy Brannan, Paul (greyarea) Go, Matt Jackson, Jeff Sparks, Erik Tenkar, and Dyson Logos!

Yep - 10 mini adventures. Holy carp!

Its well worth you 7 bucks. That's 70 cents an adventure with a free setting!

Announcement - Brave the Labyrinth is Back! (Labyrinth Lord fanzine - Spahn & Spahn ;)

BRAVE THE LABYRINTH IS BACK!

Small Niche Games and Barrel Rider Games have joined forces to announce the return of Brave the Labyrinth, the Labyrinth Lord™ OSR magazine! We're looking for submissions!

Brave the Labyrinth is a magazine published by Small Niche Games for the Labyrinth Lord™ roleplaying game community. It consists of fan-created material designed to cover all types of Labyrinth Lord™ and Advanced Edition Companion™ gaming.

*Submission Deadline*

Brave the Labyrinth is now accepting submissions for its fourth issue. The submission period for Issue #6 ends on October 1st. Any material submitted after this date will be considered for Issue #7.
*Submission Guidelines*

The following are the submission guidelines for the Brave the Labyrinth fanzine. Please read these guidelines carefully. If you have any questions, email smallnichegames -AT- gmail -DOT- com.

*What We Want*

New Classes: At least one new class or race/class complete with special abilities (if any), saving throw table, weapon/armor restriction, and detailed description of how and where they fit into the typical fantasy campaign world.

New Races: At least one new playable character race, complete with special abilities (if any), saving throw table, weapon/armor restriction, and detailed description of how and where they fit into the typical fantasy campaign world. This submission should be compatible with the Advanced Edition Companion™.

New Weapons and Equipment: At least five new weapons or pieces of equipment not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. If exotic weapons (katanas, falchions, boomerangs) are submitted, we ask the author to stick a specific theme (Far Eastern, Middle Eastern, etc.).

New Magic Items: At least five new magic items not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. Added background information on who and why the items were created is always a plus.
New Spells: At least five new spells not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. Added background information on who and why the spells were created is always a plus.

New Monsters: At least three new monsters not found in any of the Labyrinth Lord™ core rulebooks. The monsters should be fully statted out and described using the same format found in the core rulebooks.

Optional Rules: Submit a house rule or two used in your game or a game that you've played. Tell us what the rule is, what rule it replaces, and the issues you had with the original rule that forced you to make the change.

Short Fiction: Brave the Labyrinth will occasionally publish fan-created short stories. These stories should be compatible with the medieval fantasy nature of Labyrinth Lord™ and comply with all Brave the Labyrinth submission guidelines.

Artwork and Maps: Any fantasy medieval artwork and any medieval-style maps (castles, dungeons, taverns, cave systems, etc.). Whether you're a professional artist or just like to doodle, show us what you can do.

Cartoons: 1-3 panel cartoons showcasing something amusing about the game we love. No serials at this time.

Locales: A shop, home, cave, ruin, or any other location that can be easily dropped into any settings. Submissions should contain a simple map, statted NPCs/monsters, and at least three adventure hooks.
Adventures: An adventure can be a dungeon, series or wilderness encounters, a trek through a city, or anything else the author desires. we're looking for 5 - 10 page adventures that can be easily dropped into any setting.

Anything Else: Did we miss something? If so, send us an email with your idea and if it's Labyrinth Lord™ related, we'll consider it!

*What We Don’t Want*

Brave the Labyrinth is a PG-13 publication so graphic depictions of sex and/or violence will not be accepted. Content that is felt to glorify or promote hatred against a specific (real world) gender, (real world) race, or (real world) culture will not be accepted. Pretty much anything else is open for submission, though.

*Rights*

Any content submitted to Brave the Labyrinth is assumed to be an original creation submitted by the sole author. Brave the Labyrinth accepts reprints for consideration, but prefers previously unpublished content. _Small Niche Games_ retains the right to publish accepted content for any future issue of Brave the Labyrinth, including Best Of's and Anthologies. The author retains all copyright to his or her own work, but is asked not to publish submitted content (if applicable) until one month after that issue of Brave the Labyrinth is released.

*Stat Blocks*

The following stat blocks should be used for all monster and NPC entries. The first stat is a template; the second stat is an example of it in use.

*Monster*
Monster Name: AL ; MV (); AC ; HD ; hp ; ‪#‎AT‬ ; Dmg ; SA ; SV ; ML ; XP .
Giant Spider: AL N; MV 60' (20')/web 120' (40'); AC 6; HD 3; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 2d6 (mandible) + special; SA poison; SV F2; ML 8; XP 80.

*NPC*
NPC: AL ; MV (); AC ; Class/Level ; hp ; #AT ; Dmg ; S , D , C , I , W , Ch ; SV ; SA ; ML ; XP ; magic items (if any), equipment (if any), wealth (if any).

Drumas Long: AL N; MV 120' (40'); AC 7 or 6 (unarmored or leather armor); T5; hp 16; #AT 1; Dmg 1d6+1 (short sword + Str), 1d4+1 (dagger + Str); S 13, D 17, C 13, I 15, W 13, Ch 12; SV T5; SA backstab, thief skills; ML 8; XP 800; pick locks 35%, find/remove traps 33%, pick pockets 40%, move silently 40%, climb walls 91%, hide in shadows 30%, hear noise 1-3; potion of poison, potion of healing, thieves' tools, 27 gp, 34 sp, 13 cp.

*Open Game Content (OGC)*
Brave the Labyrinth will comply with the terms of the Open Game License. All stat blocks for any submission will be considered OGC. The individual author of each submission may designate which other items are OGC (if any) and which are Product Identity.

*Compensation*
Brave the Labyrinth depends heavily on fan contributions. The PDF of Issue #6 will be offered as a free download. The author of accepted content receives a free print copy of the issue, to be delivered within one month of the issue's publication.

*Amateurs*
If you've never been published before, chances are you've been gaming for years, and you can't roleplay for that long without coming up with some cool ideas. So take some time, jot some of those ideas down, and send them in. Who knows? You might get a call from a big-time publisher. You gotta start somewhere! :-)

*Publishers*
RPG publishers are encouraged to submit. Publishers whose content is accepted to Brave the Labyrinth may send one 1/2 page ad per issue to be placed in the back of the magazine. As the free fanzine will most likely be downloaded by hundreds, if not thousands of gamers, this is a great way to get some free publicity for your campaign setting, new products, and/or your company.

*How to Submit*
Submit content to smallnichegames -AT- gmail -DOT- com in the body of the email (preferred) or as a rich text document. Place [BtL Submission] followed by the title of your submission in the subject line of the email.

*Issue #6*
Issue #6 is currently scheduled for publication in the fourth quarter of 2016. We look forward to seeing your submissions!

Kickstarter - Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall - Third Stretch Goal Hit and it is Short (Tim Shorts ;)

Look at the above list.

+James Spahn ? Check

+Jason Paul McCartan ? Check

+Tim Shorts ? Check

Now, admittedly, I am six stretch goals deep at his point, but +Taskboy Games and +Timothy Brannan are within immediate reach.

I have to say, the list of creators that +Pete Spahn put together is damn impressive.

Mini Review - Brave the Labyrinth - Issue #5 (OSR / PWYW)

The latest Brave the Labyrinth released this weekend and as always it's filled to the brim with OSR goodness (Labyrinth Lord is the particular flavor.)

I'm a big fan of +Pete Spahn and if somehow you haven't grabbed a copy of the Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay, click the preceding link and do so. It is "Pay What You Want" and it's a great example of a crowdfunded project giving back to the community. Heck, the Tavern even makes an appearance.

Back on target. Brave the Labyrinth Issue #5. See the cover art above? That's part of a multilevel castle for you to use and drop into your campaign, including a dungeon level. Nothing is state out. All the rooms are yours to fill as you see fit. Fun :)

This issue also has an article about a demon lord, which is like serendipity, as we just talked about demons on The Brainstorm podcast. Seriously, the episode dropped yesterday.

We are introduced to two new elf subraces - the Phase Elf and the Void Elf. The first has it's roots in inter-dimensional space while the second subrace was formerly star-faring. Both make elves something "not of this world" and make for interesting twists and assumptions.

+James Spahn (no relation to Pete, James is known for Barrel Rider Games) has an article on the patron saints for the church of law and order.. If you are using Small Niche Games Amerth setting they would drop right in.

Next up is an article for mundane and magical items to assist those with dishonest (or thieving) tendencies. I like it. I'm going to steal much of this for my Swords & Wizardry campaign.

Werewulfs and Familiars is more of a niche article - well written but only applicable to certain campaigns, but definitely mineable for ideas.

Ampulex the Emerald Jeweler is full of ideas and plot hooks.

Beetlemirth (cartoons), a review of The Caves of Ortok and an excerpt from Time of the Dying Stars rounds out the issue.

At 39 pages, Pete is not fooling around. Well done and packed to the gills.

Kickstarter - TROPES: Zombie Edition (Small Niche Games)

I am not "All OSR, All the Time" even if I am heavily weighted towards the OSR. Then again, even some of the more prolific small press OSR publishers aren't "All OSR, All the Time." Variety is good.

edit - it would help if i refreshed the page over the last day or so - it is now funded and closed ;)

TROPES: Zombie Edition is a light RPG about the Zombie Apocalypse by +Pete Spahn under his Small Niche Games label (which is fairly well know for publisher OSR / LL compatible adventures and setting material.) So yeah, it's an OSR guy doing a non-OSR game that is made to play quickly and pull out for a change of pace or when some members of the group can't show but y'all still wish to play.

It's funding goal is low ($500 and it's already met) and there are about 3 days left in it's funding period. Pete is know for putting out his Kickstarters on time and I expect nothing different this time around.

Here's some more info from the Kickstarter page:

Ever wanted to play a game that explores the deep personal horror of the zombie apocalypse? Where the choices you make in times of crisis define who you are? Where zombies are only a backdrop and humans are responsible for the true evils in the world? 

Well, go find another game! This game is about killing zombies, so you can forget all that touchy feely crap! 

TROPES: Zombie Edition (TZE) is a game of post-apocalyptic zombie survival horror. TZE is about surviving the zombie apocalypse for one more night. It is designed for one-shot play and should be cinematic and action packed! 

Picture this: You're minding your own business on your way to work or school. You've had your nose buried in Facebook all morning, so you don't really know what's going on in the real world outside of who woke up on the wrong side of the bed, what type of coffee your friends are drinking, and who got the highest score on Candy Crush last night. The light turns green, but traffic is gridlocked and no one is moving. Suddenly, there's a commotion up ahead and a bunch of people start screaming and running towards you. Close behind them, you see a mob of freshly risen zombies shambling in your direction. What do you do? 

That's the start of a typical zombie Outbreak in TROPES: Zombie Edition (TZE). TZE is the culmination of many years of gameplay and "rules light" game design. The system is easy to learn and fast in play. Task Resolution uses a d6 dice pool which counts successes, making it a breeze to teach newcomers. Veteran gamers will appreciate not having to learn a whole new set of complex rules just for a one-off game. TZE is especially great for when players cancel at the last minute, you've been too busy with "real world" stuff to prepare for your next adventure, or you just need a change of pace from your weekly campaign. 

Kickstarter - Time of the Dying Stars: Book One (LL Fiction / Sourcebook)

Yeah, I know I mentioned this already a few weeks ago, but as I'm doing The OSR for the Lapsed Gamer series of posts, I figured I'd point a finger again at +Pete Spahn 's Time of the Dying Stars, which will be both fiction and a sourcebook for his world of Amherth (but could easily be ported elsewhere.)

Now, you don't have to support the project to benefit from it, as Pete's going to release it in a Pay What You Want format at RPGNow. No, you want to support it because your want the cool stuff that comes from supporting the projects, like a printed copy of the book, copies of Small Niche Game's other releases, new Labyrinth Lord classes by Barrel Rider Games and the chance to see a dwarf named Tenkar try to save the world, or something like that.

If you want an idea of the kind of work that Pete puts out under the Small Niche Games imprint, check out The City of Dolmvay. Also PWYW, so please, grab it and find Tenkar's Tavern within it's very pages :)

Kickstarter - Time of the Dying Stars: Book One (Small Niche Games)

+Pete Spahn is at it again. Yep, he's got another Kickstarter out, this time for fiction in the World of Amherth plus gaming material. Time of the Dying Stars: Book One stars a dwarf named Tenkar showcases a dwarf named Tenkar a dwarf named Tenkar makes an appearance in the story. Now, that in and of itself should sell this Kickstarter, but wait, there's more:

Yet another Spahn, +James Spahn of Barrel Rider Games, will be contributing Labyrinth Lord classes to the project. Two Spahns, not related except for love of the game.

Time of the Dying Stars: Book One is the first of three books set in the City of Dolmvay. It is a collection of interlinked short stories that follow the events leading up to an ancient prophecy. This novella provides insights into the city's politics, religions, and the lives of everyday citizens. It also features cameos of favorite NPCs such as Tenkar the Tavernkeep, Dyson the Cartographer, and others. Time of the Dying Stars: Book One is a must-have for OSR Game Masters running adventures in the City of Dolmvay.

The Kickstarter went up today with a modest goal of $500. as I type this it sits at $479 in less than 24 hrs, with a full month to go.

+Pete Spahn 's work speaks for itself. Grab the PWYW City of Dolmvay and see what Pete's previous Kickstarter has wrought :)

New PWYW Release - Brave the Labyrinth #4 (LL Zine)

Brave the Labyrinth Issue #4 has been released into the wilds, and as always, it is prices to move - that's because it is priced under the Pay What You Want method. Grab it for free, and if you like what you see, toss a few silvers in the direction of Small Niche Games.

Here's the ToC:

-Two (2) new Dwarven races (Clockwork and Stone)

-Chaos magic to beef up your humanoid shamans

-The Demonologist class for Labyrinth Lord

-Two island maps (Player's and Labyrinth Lord's)

-New ideas for terrifying fantasy zombies

-Health insurance for adventurers

-One (1) adventure for 1st-3rd level characters (The Ruined Tower of Hilsosk the Mad)

-One (1) article on weapon mastery

-Six (6) new faerie magic items

-Beetlemirth!

-One (1) Review of Red Tide: Campaign Sourcebook and Setting Toolkit

So, what are you waiting for? Grab a copy - NOW!    ;)

Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay - Released on RPGNow as PWYW (OSR City Setting)

The Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay has been released and I'm pretty pumped. +Pete Spahn puts out some damn good stuff, so when he Kickstarted this I was all over it.

There is even a Tenkar's Tavern located within.

The price is right at PWYW. Take a peek and download it. If you find it useful, and you will, toss Pete a few scheckls. Trust me, it's worth it.

A review with be coming soonish, as soon as I review the things that are sooner ;)

In the meantime, step in Tenkar's Tavern...

Tavern Art from the Soon to be Released "Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay"

Tenkar's Tavern. The brazen thief Janni the Lucky takes bids on a (stolen) portrait of what appears to be the young wizard Kormydigar surrounded by angry demons. The curio shopowners/ pawnbrokers Abah the Dealer, Bekker of Malthaven, and Cadfan the Moneylender make offers while the grumpy dwarf Tenkar the Barkeep looks on disapprovingly. The Valenon guardsmen stop by for a chat.

Yep, the above will be in +Pete Spahn 's / Small Niche Games Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay. As if visiting The Tavern's blog isn't enough excitement for the average gamer, your PCs will soon be able to wet their whistles there ;)