Northlands Saga Complete (S&W Version) Coming in Tenkar's Tavern Crate #6

I may still be feeling the lingering effects of an upper respiratory infection but I know a good deal when I see it. I have The Northlands Saga Complete sitting right to my left, in the bookshelf on top of my desk. Don't ask - its a big desk ;)

You can read a very thorough review at Nerdtrek.

Get ready for Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate #6! We have packed a stunning $125 hardback book into every box. This month we welcome the Northlands Saga in Swords & Wizardry rules. We aren't stopping there. This month also features two bonus printed modules that are not available anywhere else. We'll pick two random modules from the six we have in stock to add to your box. That puts your crate value over $150! Add to that the printed and digital campaign map and you've got yourself a Crate #6.

In the Next Tenkar's Tavern Crate - There will be Castles & Crusades

When I returned to gaming after about 10 years away, the first thing I stumbled across was Castles & Crusades. Back then, it was the first print of the C&C Player's Handbook. Monsters & Treasure wasn't even on the radar - if you wanted monsters, you broke out your AD&D Monster Manual and your DMG for magical treasures.

Well, guess what? The next Tenkar's Tavern Crate will have the latest printing of the Castles & Crusades Player's Handbook. If that isn't a sweet prize, I'm not sure what is.

But wait! You might need some treasures to go along with that book.

Nord Games is supplying it's 5e Treasure Deck for levels 5 to 8. Yeah, I know it says 5e, but I have these cards and they work just as well for the OSR system of your choice, like, say C&C or S&W ;)

There might be dice from a Gen Con back in the last century and I heard there might be something from Dyson. Rumors, perhaps, but strong ones. Oh, and other loot, but sometimes surprises are nice.

Sign up is on the right side of this page. Every subscription helps to support The Tavern doing what it does best. What's that, you ask? A little bit of this, a little bit of that, and a whole bunch of OSR.

Hmmm, maybe for December we'll need to do a White Box Christmas...

I Was Interviewed By Erik Jensen - The Crate, SWL, Press Releases and More - Come for the Drama, Stay for the Beer :)

So, Sunday afternoon I was interviewed by +Erik Jensen . Not to give away any spoilers, but the press release for the Tenkar's Tavern Crate ruffled some feathers. Having served as a liaison between two city agencies for years, I have a hyperbole filter that I tend to ignore such stuff. It was good though, because it resulted in the following interview.

As I say in the post heading - Come for the Drama, Stay for the Beer :)

Note - I corrected my typos as i found them. I don't think ER had any. Damn him!

Q = Erik Jenson

A = Erik Tenkar

Q - Perhaps we can start with the logistics of the crate.  The signups for the first month of the Tenkar's Tavern Crate are about to end (and will have ended by the time I get this interview up maybe).  Would you describe the crate's contents as a "Tenkar-curated collection"?  What's your vision for the product, and how is it maybe different from its "sister-crate" Mythoard, and any other rpg crates out there?

A - The contents of the Crate are definitely "Tenkar Curated" - it was the only way I would do it. My reputation means something to me. Whether you love me, hate me or dont give a damn you should know that when I recommend something, that I think it has value. You may disagree with me on the value of something, but not the value of my word. And if its gaming material in the Crate, its something I recommend.

Personally, I want to explore some of the older products of the OSR - such as Blackmarsh, which is often overlooked and hardly ever grabbed in print. Or some of Matt Finch’s early work. I also want to explore some of the up and comers that are creating content, like Thom Wilson and Jason Hobbs. Then maybe surprise folks and throw in some Venger Santanis. Yes, I do “shake hands and make friends” fairly well. Actually, I hope Ven goes to Gamehole Con this fall so we can repeat our Gary Con breakfast.


Q - So we shouldn't expect that Illusionist stumbles across a shipping container full of Dragon Dice and all of a sudden it's Tenkar-recommended.

A - Lol - I actually bought myself a hoard of them last year to give my niece, 5 years old at the time something to play with

But no - no Dragon Dice

Also, the OSR isn’t limited to D&D clones either. There’s Traveller, RuneQuest, Tunnels & Trolls and other games that have been around 35 years or more. They are old school. Then there are games like Polyhedral Dungeon and Far Away Land, that aren’t cloning an old school game but have obvious old school roots.


Q - The OSR focus makes sense to me, although one has to wonder how deep the catalog can go; I suppose it's all dependent on what's available to you, rights-wise, and who you can partner with.   Sounds like we can expect a broad swath of stuff.  That can be both good and bad -- as a Mythoard subscriber but not a Traveller guy, there's been plenty of JG Traveller stuff in there that didn't do it for me, but that's the nature of a crate.   Did Illusionist come to you, or vice versa?


A - They came to me. Jarrod from Mythoard recommended me to them and I respect Jarrod immensely - if he recommended me to them it was also recommending them to me in a way.

As an aside, i'd love to get some long out of print GURPS Sourcbooks in the crate. A man can dream I suppose 


Q - Couldn't hurt to ask Steve Jackson, I guess!  Jarrod's recent appearance on Drink Spin Run was interesting, hearing him talk about Mythoard on the business end.  I'd be curious to see what the Illusionist folks have to say as well.  Here's an obvious question on the Tavern Crate: the price point is a good bit higher than that on 'classic' Mythoard.  Is there a canned answer on why that might be so?  Seems a logical thing for customers to wonder.

A - No canned answer. We are looking to put more value in the crate, which means a higher price point. We'll see what the market bears. I will say this, tangentially (is that the right word?) - the OSR is an underserved market. I can see that with my affiliate reports from the current OSR Extravaganza Sale at RPGNow. Its been eye opening to me.


Q - The Tavern must have respectable amounts of traffic, I can imagine.  And surely Illusionist thought you brought audience with you as part of the equation there, so much so they apparently called you the "Voice of the OSR Market" in the press release.  What's your current vision statement on the blog, and do you see yourself as some kind of voice of the OSR?

A - Its a press release. Need I say more? I wrote the bit I was quoted on. Nothing more. I am but one standard bearer in a field of hundreds, if not thousands. I may have greater reach than most due to my soapbox *Tenkar’s Tavern”, but I openly solicit guest posters to use said sandbox. I have yet to turn anyone away. The OSR is a community of peers.

Q - It's a press release, but it's got your name stapled to it.  People can be pretty sensitive about indications that someone in a scene is claiming to speak on behalf of that scene, but even beyond that, I can see why someone might read that assertion and kind of tilt their head in a "Rooby-Roo?" kind of way.  That's why I wanted to bring it up.   

A - Understandable. I've spent my prior career reading (and occasionally writing) such stuff. Believe it or not, its part of government work, even law endorsement. Painting a Picture, so to speak. I never put much value in such but have always considered it part and parcel with marketing. 



Q - I don't think there's any question it's marketing, the question is how hyperbolic is it, is it worth the potential blowback, etc.  Tenkar's Tavern is primarily a news blog, or so it seems to me - product announcements, industry gossip, occasionally peppered with Tenkar-as-DM type posts.  Do you think that's a fair characterization, that it's chiefly an industry news blog?

A - Its chiefly "whatever comes to my mind to post" type of blog. News? Sure. Gaming posts? yep Gaming content? when I can. Kickstarters? Certainly. Hounding the... wait, I don't want #ConManKen to threaten to sue me again - I maintain a vigilant eye on those that may not be fulfilling their obligations. All that being said, I make no claim to be a news site. I leave that for other gaming sites to claim.


Q - Okay, that's fair, I think "news site" probably gives the impression that we're talking about flipping press releases or something; the Tavern is definitely a personality-driven opinion blog.  I suppose I meant that the majority of your posts are industry-focused, rather than gameable-content-focused; some blogs are the inverse of that.  Surely the Kickstarter stuff is high on the list of "things Tenkar's known for".  Do you expect that to continue with new "cases", or are we just going to hear about Far West and Whitman because they've become legacy subjects for the blog?

I think I'd count the Gygax Memorial as one of those legacy subjects as well.

A - There are others that are getting long in the tooth but regularly update, so we'll see. Part of me writing posts for The Tavern is that its pretty much stream of consciousness - I don't pre-write posts days, or even hours in advance. Which probably shows with the typos. But going back to Kickstarters in particular, I get about a half dozen inquiries a week to either - look at a Kickstarter before its released to identify potential issues - or - please write about my Kickstarter, I was told if you post about it I'll make lots of money. So, some folks are learning to prevent problems and others still can't help seeing the quick bucks. I expect we'll see more hitting the highlight reel regretfully.

A little secret about the Kickstarter stuff and why its a burr on my ass. I finished my career as a Sergeant in Internal Affairs, and hated seeing the vast majority of good cops soiled by the bad ones. If I can scare future Kickstarter creators straight, so much the better.


Q - Those regular, rapid updates give the blog a newsroom type quality I think, and I suppose people shouldn't let that fool them into thinking it's unbiased or journalistic!  It sounds like you expect to continue your "ombudsman" type role when it comes to rpg Kickstarters.  Do you think that conflicts at all with your newer role as a content creator with S&W Light?  Can you critique the industry from inside it, and will that impact the Tenkar image?  Or am I presuming a semblance of aloof neutrality vis-a-vis the Kickstarter stuff that isn't there, and the question's moot?

A - I don’t think anyone that creates content is outside the community and I’ve been creating content for years. I’ve had adventures appear in two different KSs as well as three supplements for S&W from 2 different publishers over the years in addition to my recent releases re: SWL. I think the secret is being fair and honest, and knowing when you are at risk of bias. My relationship with Frog God is well known. My friendships are well known. I don’t hide them. I know my biases and will highlight such when i mention products (such as) from my good friend James Spahn. Now, when James puts out a turd, that's when I'll have to question my integrity for calling it as it is. He has yet to put me in that position and I don't expect him to.


Q - Since we've come to Frog God, let me ask about the drama some time back with Contessa and Stacy Dellorfano.  Now that you're both doing work for Frog God, have you two buried the hatchet and moved on, or should we not hold our breath for a future collaboration?

A - Stacy and I have never actually conversed directly. My understanding is she was brought in for a particular project which she successfully completed. At this point, SWL is an an ongoing project. I don't expect our paths will cross.

Q - That's a diplomatic answer and I'm sure it's accurate even if it didn't give me what I wanted there, Erik.  Safe to assume, then, that while there may be lingering beef there, nobody's interested in dredging it up moving forward.

A - I did say there may be some disappointment to this interview 

Q - I'm just asking the people's questions, man!    So no future snark re Contessa from the Tenkar then.

A - The Tavern is a stream of consciousness blog, as I said earlier. There are currently no plans to bring up stacey beyond posting this interview.


Q - Fair enough.  You mentioned James Spahn earlier - could you talk a little about Save or Die: Expert Edition, and how that shift came about?  I don't recall seeing anybody talk about the 'why' behind the transition.  As a semi-regular listener, I had assumed the previous hosts were stepping back to take a break, but then we got Save For Half.  Is there a story there?

A - Creative differences? That's just a guess, but Liz and Mike have moved on to Save for Half on a new network and are doing real well for themselves. They need to bring back Jim after the Dark Master gives him a reprieve from MCC

Q - I'm sure Corbett will be glad to hear you say that LOL

A - LOL! I think there's room for four over there 


Q  - I'll chalk it up to "network issues" until I hear otherwise, I suppose.  Between the blog and the podcast and the crate, it looks like Tenkar has a pretty loud megaphone pointed at OSR-heads, moving forward.  What do you want to do with all that?  Is there a grand vision, or are you just enjoying yourself and saying "yes" to stuff that looks fun?

A - A "grand vision" assumes a lot :) I want to be busy enough in this hobby of ours that Rach isn't tempted to find me "real work" in my retirement. I'm having fun "working" in my hobby. It was my dream 30 years ago and now I'm doing it. Could I live on it without my pension? Hell no! God bless them with the skill and tenacity to do so. But I'm happy making content and writing and talking and... its pretty damn cool.


Q - Let me ask you as a commentator then - where do you think this 'OSR' thing is headed next, and where _should_ it go?  I ask only because I'm told you're the Voice of the OSR Market, you see.

A - Heh. Zing! Alright, I see the OSR as an underserved market that deserves more respect. 5e is huge for the OSR because writing product for 5e and converting to the OSR is much easier than going from 4e or Pathfinder. There is synergy between 5e and the OSR. Some folks want to see new clones - I want to see new hacks. Hack SWL or the Black Hack or some other OSR game and give us a western, supers, space opera, sci-fantasy, godzilla monsters - whatever! I think the future of the OSR is finding new genres and not new systems. Or I could be totally wrong. But I think the OSR is just going to grow in the number of players at this point and we have 5e to thank for it.


Q - Underserved?  Huh, I don't think that's a word I would've used to describe the OSR market; I often wonder how much 'product' the OSR market can actually bear.  I'm not sure it's all that much.  But perhaps that's a discussion for another time.  Thank you for taking the time to chat with me regarding the questions that came up the other day in a G+ thread.  Everybody has opinions, and I don't know if anyone will have their opinion changed or vetted based on this interview, but data is data.  Always better to ask than assume.



A - My pleasure Erik. 

Last Day to Sign Up for the First Month of the Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate

Yep, today is the last chance to sign up for the inaugural Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate. If you sign up tomorrow you will be starting with the second crate and miss out on all of this month's goodies.

I've been asked what my curating philosophy is for the OSR Crate. Here's how I answer the question:

We have about 15 content creators looking to participate in the monthly crate at the moment with others interested but waiting on their new content. Personally, I want to explore some of the older products of the OSR - such as Blackmarsh, which is often overlooked and hardly ever grabbed in print. Or some of Matt Finch’s early work. I also want to explore some of the up and comers that are creating content, like Thom Wilson and Jason Hobbs. Then maybe surprise folks and throw in some Venger Santanis. 

The OSR isn’t limited to D&D clones either. There’s Traveller, RuneQuest, Tunnels & Trolls and other games that have been around 35 years or more. They are old school. Then there are games like Polyhedral Dungeon and Far Away Land, that aren’t cloning an old school game but have obvious old school roots.

So, there you have it.

edit: Links are on the right side of this very page

Reminders - Tavern Chat Tonight 9 PM Eastern - Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate Sign Ups for July Delivery Close June 12th

Its a two-fer Wednesday!

Its Wednesday, so that means Tavern Chat at 9 PM Eastern. I know I missed last week due to NTRPG Con (the Con of Cons if you are OSR in your leanings) I'll be here tonight. I will discuss stuff that although not "secret" is certainly not on the radar. Does it involve Swords & Wizardry Light? Most certainly :)

How do you log into tonight's chat? The chat box on the right side of this very page. Use the social media log in of your choice.

Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate is also on the right side of this page. Get in early - meaning the first month (July) and we have something special for you. How special? Well, I'm going to do something and then professionals are going to come up behind me and make it "professional". Certainly Tavern related.

As a side note, the interest of publishers, big and small, to be involved in the Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate has been gratifying. I've contacted those that handle fulfillment with your contact information earlier today and I'll be personally reaching out to y'all today and tomorrow.

Great Tenkar's Crate Jimmy! We have Nearly a Dozen Publishers Interested in Jumping in The Crate

Yesterday was a day that went by in a whirl. By the time we got back to the hotel room I barely had the energy to put up a late night post. I was excited, as a couple of my friends in the industry were at the con early and expressed interest in having their products in the monthly Tenkar's Tavern Crate (of OSR Goodness)

Then I opened my tenkarsDOTtavern email, and saw the inquiries from other publishers. If the current OSR Extravaganza Sale at RPGNow is any indication of the potential strength of the OSR market, the emails I read have shown me this monthly box of OSR goodies will be filled with some of the best products an old school gamer would want to get their hands on.

If you emailed me about participating in Tenkar's Tavern Crate I have read your email. I'll try to respond later today and will forward your information on to those that do the real work behind the scenes.

Damn. I want to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming :)

Announcing the Tenkar's Tavern Monthly Crate of OSR Goodness - I Kid You Not!

Here's the official press release announcing the Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate (I told you there was something special coming on the 8th Anniversary of The Tavern) 

Illusionist Investment Group Partners with Tenkar’s Tavern 

Erik Tenkar, the populist old school roleplaying (OSR) commentator and blogger, has granted theexclusive monthly subscription box license to the Illusionist Investment Group entertainment collective. 

Houston, TX, May 30, 2017 (www.illusioni.st) - Monthly subscription services are key to the growth of the Illusionist Investment Group (IIG). IIG brings scale, corporate business support, capital, technology resources, marketing specialists, and strategic relationships to key celebrities and creative studios within the tabletop game industry. 

“Tenkar’s Tavern brings a bold and edgy commentary to the adventure trade with blogs, social media, convention appearances, and brand licensing across many verticals,” said Jared Nielsen, Principal Investor of IIG. “We believe that with additional investment the Tenkar’s Tavern brand and IIG can mutually grow together.” 

When asked what appealed to him about bring involved with a monthly crate, Erik Tenkar responded: “To be honest, I love getting monthly surprises in the mail, especially those related to RPGs. An offer to help curate a monthly crate of OSR goodies was something I just couldn't pass on." 

About Illusionist Investment Group LLC 

The Illusionist Investment Group is a woman-owned, Houston-based company focused on developing entertainment properties within the tabletop game industry that includes board games, card games, roleplaying games, miniatures, web games, mobile apps and augmented reality games. 

About Tenkar’s Tavern 

Tenkar’s Tavern is a cutting edge network of blogs, events, social media and convention
appearances led by its namesake, Erik Tenkar. Over time Erik has become the voice of the old school roleplaying market with his edgy humor and incisive wit. An avid gamer, Erik not only comments on the games he reviews, but he creates his own content and inspires and assists other small press publishers using his podium as a megaphone. He is respected by old school grognards and newbies alike for his fairness and transparency with industry reporting and game information. 

About Tenkar’s Tavern Crate 

The Tenkar’s Tavern crate is a monthly subscription box filled with a mystery selection of OSR gaming products. Products range from RPG books, scenarios, adventure modules, dice, tabletop game accessories, miniatures and much more. With a changing selection each month this crate aims to satisfy collectors in the old school roleplaying market segment.

Media Contacts:
Trina Burns
Illusionist Investment Group
(832) 664-7993
trina@illusioni.st
www.illusioni.st 

So, what does this mean for you?

Well, if you are a gamer I hope to present you with a deep selection of OSR goodness. You've been loyal readers for years, some of your for the full eight years, and this is part of me paying you back. Seriously, I love getting my Loot Crate and Mythoard every month, but the idea of a monthly shipment of OSR picks landing on my doorstep is simply awesome. If you've been following the current OSR Extravaganza Sale at RPGNow, you know the waters of the OSR are deep and full of life. Its time to take a swim in those waters.

If you are a publisher of OSR or System Neutral products, rulebooks, adventures, accessories, settings, etc and you would like to be part of the Tenkar's Tavern Crate I need to talk with you. Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing. Put "Tenkar's Crate" in the email heading. We'll talk gaming and TPKs before getting down to the nitty gritty.

If you are a publisher and will be at NTRPG Con this week, we WILL talk. Trust me on this :)

As if you can't tell, I'm extremely excited to be a part of this. I've been dying to talk about this for weeks!

Doh! Sign up is on the right side of this page! DO spread the word! The more folks that sign up for the crate the better the crates are for everyone. Now to put my Tenkar's Tavern Crate Wishlist together...