Christmas in July Sale - Tavern Picks - Part II - Classic TSR Era Settings and Rules

Today I continue with further Christmas in July Sale Picks. As stated previously, everything that is on my pick list for the current Christmas in July Sale at DTRPG is something I own, either in print, PDF, or both.

My Christmas in July Picks Part I post can be found at this link.

Now, on to today's Classic TSR Era Christmas in July Picks:

Planescape Campaign Setting (2e) - Sigil - The City of Doors. There is so much I liked about this setting. My players, however, preferred Dark Sun. 

Discover the multiverse! Enter infinite universes of infinite variety, worlds beyond the prime-material settings of the AD&D game. Explore Sigil, the City of Doors, filled with portals to every layer of every plane. All you need is the right key, including. . .

• A Player's Guide to the Planes: A 32-page primer that introduces DMs and players alike to the grand design of the multiverse.
• A DM's Guide to the Planes: A 64-page book of valuable information solely for the Dungeon Master.
• Sigil and Beyond: A 96-page gazetteer that introduces Sigil and its surrounding plane as the starting point for planar adventures. From Sigil all the Outer Planes may be sampled by novice and veteran explorers alike.
• Monstrous Supplement: a 32-page, full-color Monstrous Compendium booklet.
• Four poster-size maps depicting the planes.
• A four-panel DM screen designed especially for planar campaigns.

Normally 14.99, on sale in PDF for 11.24

Gamma World (1e) - The first RPG I bought for myself, the whole "Constitution Score equals the number of Hit Dice" caused a lot of head-scratching back in the day.

In a quest for survival and in search of a better future, the players adventure across the land, enduring hardships and encountering dangerous obstacles and mysterious foes - never knowing quite what to expect. The result is a game that can go in many directions, but which will be challenging and fascinating no matter what the outcome.

The GAMMA WORLD™ Set includes all the basics needed to set up your own "world": game booklet (packed with terrible mutants, as well as guidelines for creating additional ones of your own), a large campaign map (designed to be easily modified by individual gamemasters), and a full set of polyhedra dice. The only other things necessary are a good imagination and a spirit of adventure!

Normally 9.99, on sale in PDF for 7.49

Spelljammer: Adventures in Space (2e) - Forget the City of Doors. Give me a ship that sails the skies and I'm good as rain!

Multitudes of worlds wheel through Wildspace. The crystal shells that encase them bob and drift in a turbulent, rainbow ocean which fills all the cosmos. Sturdy merchants, bold pirates, and daring explorers venture into the great, unknown vastness of the universe, seeking wealth and adventure.

The SPELLJAMMER Game puts you in command of a fantastic ship capable of spanning the tremendous distances between planets. Graceful elven flitters, stately illithid galleys, deadly beholder tyrants, and the awesome Spelljammer itself carry trade, emissaries, and heroic action throughout all the worlds of the AD&D game.

Normally 9.99, on sale in PDF for 7.49

D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Basic) - Often referred to by many as the single, best rulebook of the era, I remember houseruleing my AD&D campaign with rules taken in whole from the Rules Cyclopedia.

Whether you're a player or a Dungeon Master, the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia is now the comprehensive sourcebook you need for the original fantasy roleplaying game! For ages 12 and up, the Cyclopedia contains the compete game system and hundreds of features, including the following:

• All the rules from the D&D boxed set series, including Basic, Expert, Companion, and Masters
• Guidelines to develop and play characters from levels 1-36
• Comprehensive lists of weaponry and equipment
• Expansion rules including optional skills and talents
• An overview of the Known World and the HOLLOW WORLD game setting, the official D&D campaign world; and Rules to convert D&D games and characters into AD&D 2nd edition game statistics and back again

Normally 9.99, on sale in PDF for 7.49

Star Frontiers: Alpha Dawn - I bought this game for my sister to play, so in the end it became mine ;) 

Alpha Dawn... stage one of the Star FrontiersTM science fiction game system.

A great way to enter the world of science fiction role playing.

These Basic Rules teach you how to create characters, move and fight on the game map, and how to create adventures of your own. The included adventure, Crash on Volturnus, is simple enough for both beginning players and referees.

Stage two... expanded rules and much more!

Picture the world-famous Dungeons & Dragons game. Now imagine this same excitement in a science fiction setting. You'll find our Expanded Rules add that kind of challenge, detail, and opportunity for victory. 

Everything you need: This set includes the Basic Rule Book, the Expanded Rule Book, the Crash on Volturnus Adventure Module, printable full-color map, printable counters.

Normally 9.99, on sale in PDF for 7.49

Dark Sun Boxed Set (2e) - A great dark setting for D&D. I don't think WotC could do it justice in today's environment.

Amid the barren wastelands of Athas lie the scattered city-states, each in the grip of its own, tyrannical sorcerer-king. Protecting their own positions with dark magic, they demand absolute obedience. The restless mobs are placated with bread and circuses --the arenas overflow with spectators seeking release from their harsh lives.

The land outside the cities belong to no one. Savage elves race across the deserts while insectoid Thri-Kreen satisfy their taste for blood. Dwarves labor at projects beyond the scope of men, and feral halflings lie in ambush.

Athas is a land of deadly magic and powerful psionics that offers promise of glory or even of survival. Those who do not have the cunning to face life on Athas will surely perish - leaving nothing but bones bleached white under the blistering rays of the DARK SUN

On the sands of Athas you'll face:

• Three new PC races!
• Muls - half-dwarf, half-human; specially bred for combat!
• Thri-Kreen - the savage mantis-warriors of the Barrens!
• Half-giants - bred for tremendous size and strength
• Three new PC classes!
• Gladiators - heroes of the arenas, the ultimate warriors!
• Templars - Wicked priests who serve the sorcerer-kings!
• Defilers - wizards whose powers drain the life around them!
• More powerful PC's
• All Dark Sun game characters begin at 3rd level!
• Ability scores that can go as high as 24!
• All PC's have one or more psionic powers!
• The new character tree allows players to advance many characters at once!

Normally 9.99, on sale in PDF for 7.49

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 

Thoughts on an OSR "Dragonstar" Type Campaign - and Other Random Thoughts of a Dangerous Type

I've got training this week, so instead of being a vampire an working when the sun is down I'll be in training at 7am tomorrow. My mind is bouncing around, and lack of sleep this morning after last night's overnight shift has left me a little punch drunk. But hey, the Jets AND the Giants both won today. Football is alive and well in NYC :)

Anyhow, back in the D20 era, when I didn't game but I did collect gaming books, Dragonstar was a setting that really caught my eye and sparked my imagination. On the surface, it seemed similar to Spelljammer, but it was much darker (Spelljammer always felt "campy" to me.) Hmmm, the other D20 era setting that got my imagination going was Midnight. Must be the idea of dark in my fantasy.


Tonight I stumbled across the Dragonstar SRD, which to be honest is really just the 3.0 SRD with some minor additions. Of course, the fluff is not open, so it's not included, but it did get me thinking - how hard would it to be to take one part S&W White Box, one part White Star, add in some dragons, borrow inspiration from Spelljammer, Calidar and Dragonstar, sprinkle the decay of a multi-world evil empire, distill it down with White Box sensibility and simplicity and cook it on the stove of creativity?

Yeah, not something I should even be thinking off with my current screwed up work hours. But wait! I've decided to run some of the comp time I've accumulated (and vacation time I've banked) to give myself a four day weekend every other week before I hand in my shield in the Spring. If I block out some creative time I may have something usable before I retire. With some work, it may even be usable by others too ;)

I think I'm going to bring a notebook to training tomorrow. 8 hrs of lectures by folks that don't and can't, so therefore they teach. I'll look attentive, taking notes and such while I'm really mapping out universe of White Dragon (or whatever it's going to be called - for now, it's code name "White Dragon".)

The secret to anything White Box is less is more. So I need to think big and execute small.

Alright, time for sleep. I have to be at work an hour before I'd normally be heading for home. Sleep won't come easy...