New Release - Castigant: Gothic Roleplaying in a Time of Inquisition (OSR)

Horrors of the night plague humanity... Can you find the faith to defeat them? 

Right. What can I say about James Spahn that I haven't already said, here or elsewhere? Amazing writer, true friend, and blood brother, and I was his sponsor when he was confirmed in the Catholic faith.

I may be a bit biased, but at least I am honest about that potential when it may be there ;)

I read a part of an early version of Castigant: Gothic Roleplaying in a Time of Inquisition over the summer if my memory serves me right as far as timing, and it was compelling. Gothic horror with real-world trappings and an OSR engine. I'm looking forward to snagging my copy of the final version.

BTW, Castigo means "punishment" in Spanish...

Castigant is a roleplaying game set in a world of gothic horror. Based on the adventure gaming rules found in James M. Spahn's The Hero's Journey: Second Edition, Castigant takes a dark, yet hopeful turn as the night begins to set and sorrow clashes with faith.

Five unique classes, rules for Sorrows, Faith, Intercessions, Relics and more all feature, along with a detailed bestiary of foes and copious of optional rules to help tweak and adjust the game to your preferences. 

Castigant features themes of faith, the nature of humanity, and the role of monsters in our myths and world, and tries to ask difficult questions without easy answers. Horror imagery, art, and descriptions all feature throughout the game. Featuring art from the public domain, and layout by Alan Bahr, Castigant is Spahn's most personal work to date. 

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DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar    

90% OFF THE COMPLETE BARREL RIDER GAMES LIBRARY! (White Star, The Hero's Journey, White Box and More!)

Here's the part where I bring up connections I have to people whose products I highlight. James Spahn is like a brother to me. Period. He writes some of the best OSR material available. Period.

So, here's the pitch:

For a limited time you can get THE ENTIRE DIGITAL LIBRARY OF BARREL RIDER GAMES PRODUCTS AT AT 90% DISCOUNT!

The Hero's Journey (first and second edition), White Star, White Box, Labyrinth Lord (which is 100% OSE Compatible), Untold Adventures, DCC, OSRIC, Swords & Wizardry Complete, and so much more - OVER ONE HUNDRED PRODUCTS FOR LESS THAN $30!

 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 cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar   

New Crowdfunding - By Feather and Coop, a Zine for The Hero's Journey 2e (James Spahn)

It's no secret that James Spahn is virtually my brother from another mother. I just want to remind folk, as I am highlighting a new release for The Hero's Journey 2e. For those that don't know, The Hero's Journey is as close to James' ideal vision of an RPG as we'll likely ever see, and it's pretty amazing.

So what is By Feather and Coup? Well, as stated on this post's header, it's a zine for The Hero's Journey 2e.

By Feather and Coop is a small zine supplement for Barrel Rider Games' The Hero's Journey: Second Edition! It features a new character lineage (the Bantam - yes, you can play a chicken), new spells, heirlooms, and a small menagerie of creatures!

The final zine is around 25 pages, and features new art from Nicolas Giacondino!

The PDF is fully laid-out, art complete and ready to go! You'll get the PDF when you help GallantFund this item, with the option for a printed zine. The print edition of this zine will only be available from the GKG webstore. If you get the print+PDF edition, it can take up to 48 hours for your PDF to fulfill (it's a manual process on our end at this time.)

By Feather and Coup is 3.99 in PDF, 6.99 for the Print plus PDF.

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 cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Deal of the Day - The Hero's Journey: Second Edition (OSR)

The Hero’s Journey Fantasy Roleplaying, Second Edition is a fantasy roleplaying game that blends classic tradition and modern game design to bring you an experience where players take up the mantle of heroes in a world of danger and magic inspired by classic fairy stories and timeless fantasy literature.

Truth. James Spahn, the author of The Hero’s Journey Fantasy Roleplaying, Second Edition is one of my closest friends. He's not just an amazing creator of RPG materials, but also a damn good person. The Hero's Journey is one of his finest works.

Until tomorrow morning at 11 AM, The Hero's Journey: Second Edition, is marked down from 14.99 to 3 bucks, 80% off. I wish I had a chance to put this post up earlier in the day, but you still have 12 hours to snag it at the reduced price.

Whether you’re taking a Knight clad in shining armor astride your grand steed, a cunning Burglar hoping to use your silver tongue to flatter a terrifying Elder Wyrm while your friends slip away, or a dedicated Yeoman who has given your heart and soul to defend the good and true people of the world from the strange dangers of Fairie and beyond, The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition creates a gaming experience firmly rooted traditional western folklore where the player characters are more than just sword-swinging mercenaries looking to kick in the door, kill the monster, and claim the loot. In The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition, they are all that stands between civilization and the unimaginable dangers just beyond the wild…

Why A Second Edition: It its original edition, The Hero’s Journey Fantasy Roleplaying was explicitly designed to be compatible with Swords & Wizardry: White Box and similar games. While this new edition is still rooted in that classic rules set,extensive changes have been made to almost every element of the game in order to further evoke and emphasize the tone and theme of the game. In addition, more modern elements of game design have been seamless incorporated to keep play fast and simple. Some example changes include, but are not limited to…

New Lineages: In addition to traditional fantasy lineages like Humans, Dwarves, and Elves, players will also have the option of playing the strange and obfuscated Changeling: A fey creature left as a replacement for a child stolen at birth and raised among mortals.

New Archetypes: The original edition of The Hero’s Journey featured thirteen classes. This edition has been streamlined to keep the focus on classic, folklore-infused fantasy and now features only eight classes: the charming Bard, the clever Burglar, the noble Knight, the rugged Ranger, the swashbuckling Swordsman, the stern Warrior, the enigmatic Wizard, and the stalwart Yeoman.

New Monsters: Every single monster in The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition has been given a complete overhaul to bring them more in line with folklore, fairy tradition, and classic fantasy literature. For example: Kobolds, commonly known as yipping dog-lizards to many fantasy gamers, are now strange and diminutive elementals that appear old men fading into the stone as they guide and waylay underground travelers. Several new monsters are also introduced, like the savage draconic Lindworm, which craves the taste of flesh and whose wrath can only be undone when its impenetrable scaled armor is peeled away layer by layer. There is no such thing as a “stock” monster in The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition.

New Spellcasting: The traditional Vancian magic system which previously appeared in The Hero’s Journey has been drastically overhauled. Now Wizards may cast any spell they know and each spell has a myriad of different potential effects! In addition, particularly brave and reckless arcanists may Tap the Essence and sacrifice their own body when they are otherwise unable to cast a spell. Instead of being a stock list of spells found in so many other classic fantasy RPGs, these spells have been modified and re-written to fit the tone and feel of The Hero’s Journey.

Myth Points and Magic Items: Unlike many traditional fantasy role-playing games, characters in The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition acquire magic items by performing heroic deeds that become inexonerably tied forever to the weapons, armor, and strange trinkets they carry on their adventures. As characters progress and grow, they earn Myth Points, which can be spent to create unique magic items specifically tailored by the player to their individual character instead simply finding a “better sword” in the next treasure hoard. Magics grow and develop alongside a character, becoming an important part of their legend.

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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 cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Bundle of Holding - The Hero's Journey: Second Edition

Time to put my cards on the table. The latest offering at Bundle of Holding is The Hero's Journey, an amazing OSR fantasy game written by none other than James Spahn. James is a dear friend of mine and has been a great friend for years and he added some ideas from an "experienced game designer" when I was putting together Swords & Wizardry Light and also co-wrote Continual Light with me. James has worked on more IPs and game systems than I can remember, but his first out-of-the-ballpark hit was certainly White Star. Hero's Journey 2e is likely his finest work yet, but I certainly am biased :)

The Hero's Journey: Second Edition is 14.99 in PDF at DTRPG, but you can get a whole collection of releases for The Hero's Journey: 2e for 12.95 via Bundle of Holding.

The Hero’s Journey Fantasy Roleplaying, Second Edition is a fantasy roleplaying game that blends classic tradition and modern game design to bring you an experience where players take up the mantle of heroes in a world of danger and magic inspired by classic fairy stories and timeless fantasy literature.

Whether you’re taking a Knight clad in shining armor astride your grand steed, a cunning Burglar hoping to use your silver tongue to flatter a terrifying Elder Wyrm while your friends slip away, or a dedicated Yeoman who has given your heart and soul to defend the good and true people of the world from the strange dangers of Fairie and beyond, The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition creates a gaming experience firmly rooted traditional western folklore where the player characters are more than just sword-swinging mercenaries looking to kick in the door, kill the monster, and claim the loot. In The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition, they are all that stands between civilization and the unimaginable dangers just beyond the wild…

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 YouTube - Tenkar

Extra Life - James Spahn is Raising Money to Help Children

 

I've known James for years and he is one of the most generous people I know. Tonight he is running a charity game of Hero's Journey 2e via Etra Life to support children in medical need.

The Tavern will match the first $250 raised by members of this community. Use this link and drop me a note in the comments section of this post with the amount you are donating.

We know times are hard now but we are trying to make them better at least for those few we can make an impact on.  Our club, the Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) is a small one but if we can raise some money it will go to the Extra Life Charity.  The charity raises funding for local Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and we are big fans of helping children in need.  

The Royal Dragoon Guards (RDG) is an inclusive gaming organization that promotes the gaming hobby.   The Extra Life Charity is about gaming to raise money.  You can see why we make a good team.  We love to game and raise money for charity while they love to take the money we raise.  

Seriously though, come watch us on our Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/RDGExtraLife donate while we play and help influence the game through your donations.  

This weekend’s game session will be a story created for “The Hero's Journey 2nd edition” role playing game.  Which is a fantasy genre game with a Tolkien feel.  The story will be led by the creator of the game and a member of the Royal Dragoon Guards.  James Spahn.

The game promises to be a lot of fun and we think you will enjoy it if you come to our site and journey with us.  The Session will start at 7 pm and continue late into the night.

Also for every $500 raised James is going to be sending a signed copy of The Hero's Journey to a random viewer.

We really do love giving back to our community so please help us support the Children’s Miracle Network.

We need your help!

Your donation is tax-deductible and will make miracles happen for families who desperately need them.

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 the affiliate programs that support The Tavern.

Kickstarter - The Hero's Journey 2e - Last 14 Hours!

The Hero's Journey 2e Kickstarter is coming to a close in 14 hours or so as I type this, so you have until about 10 AM Eastern time, January 31st 2020 to back it. You have backed it right? It's written by James Spahn, one of the most skilled RPG ruleset writers in the OSR Community and beyond (I'm not just saying that because he is one of my closest friends, its the simple truth :)

Over 730 backers can't be wrong ;)

The game is written, the art is done, the editing is finished and layout is done! The PDF has already been uploaded to DriveThruRPG, and proof copies ordered! 

This game is ready to go. We just need your help to get the word out about it, and help make sure everyone gets paid!  Gallant Knight Games has already paid for the art, layout, and editing, but making games is more expensive than that.  

The long term success of a game can often depend on retail stores, gaming groups and more. The goal of our project is to run a focused, tight campaign that will allow us to make a high-quality offset print run of the corebook in both softcover and hardcover. We believe James has created a work of art here, and we want to show case that with the best print run we can do.  

The day the funds are delivered to Gallant Knight Games you'll get your PDF and we'll put the game to print. This will be a very fast turn around and a very tightly focused project. We're producing one book, and everything else is digital. 

Kickstarter - The Hero's Journey 2e

I've been waiting for The Hero's Journey 2e Kickstarter to launch for a while now. I've known about it, I've gotten sneak peeks and I'm truly amped up.

Full disclosure - James Spahn is probably the closest I've come to having a brother. We've both been there for the other at the drop of a dime. I can't think of a truer friend.

I also can't think of a more skilled, talented and prolific write of RPG material. Name the property - The One Ring, Star Wars, OSRIC, Swords & Wizardry - fuck it, here's a more complete listing: https://rpggeek.com/rpgdesigner/34854/james-spahn

The Hero's Journey 2ed is James' baby, perhaps nearly as much as his daughter Trixie. We've spoken about his passion for the project, and it shows. Trust me - I've read much of it ;)

The Hero’s Journey Fantasy Roleplaying, Second Edition is a fantasy roleplaying game that blends classic tradition and modern game design to bring you an experience where players take up the mantle of heroes in a world of danger and magic inspired by classic fairy stories and timeless fantasy literature. 

Whether you’re taking a Knight clad in shining armor astride your grand steed, a cunning Burglar hoping to use your silver tongue to flatter a terrifying Elder Wyrm while your friends slip away, or a dedicated Yeoman who has given your heart and soul to defend the good and true people of the world from the strange dangers of Fairie and beyond, The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition creates a gaming experience firmly rooted traditional western folklore where the player characters are more than just sword-swinging mercenaries looking to kick in the door, kill the monster, and claim the loot. In The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition, they are all that stands between civilization and the unimaginable dangers just beyond the wild…

The game is written, the art is done, the editing is finished and layout is done! The PDF has already been uploaded to DriveThruRPG, and proof copies ordered! 

This game is ready to go. We just need your help to get the word out about it, and help make sure everyone gets paid!  Gallant Knight Games has already paid for the art, layout, and editing, but making games is more expensive than that.  

The long term success of a game can often depend on retail stores, gaming groups and more. The goal of our project is to run a focused, tight campaign that will allow us to make a high-quality offset print run of the corebook in both softcover and hardcover. We believe James has created a work of art here, and we want to show case that with the best print run we can do.  

The day the funds are delivered to Gallant Knight Games you'll get your PDF and we'll put the game to print. This will be a very fast turn around and a very tightly focused project. We're producing one book, and everything else is digital.  

I'll be grabbing James for a Fireside Chat in the next few days :)

In the meantime:

The Hero's Journey Gets Reviewed on ENWorld

Well well. The Hero's Journey got a nice, if short review over on ENWorld.

The Hero’s Journey is a neat rulebook with a clear layout, offering multiple optional rules for basically everything. What’s missing? Random encounter tables, adventure creation guidelines, and substantial GM advice. You could use the player-facing rules and the bestiary as is in conjunction with your favourite GM-facing procedures, or just steal your favourite bits and merge them with your own old-school frankengame.

It actually says nice things about THJ, but I think looking for adventure guidelines and substantial GM advice from a ruleset that will probably not be anyone's first foot in the OSR is repetitive. Now, of course I love me some random tables so...

There's more to the above review which s linked here.

Did I mention that some of the commenters do not know what a homage is? Sigh.

Using The Tavern's affiliate links keeps the coffers from emptying. 5% of sales via RPGNow's affiliate links go to fill those coffers.

Deal of the Day - The Witch: Hedgewitch for the Hero's Journey RPG

The Witch: Hedgewitch for the Hero's Journey RPG is today's Deal of the Day at RPGNow. Written by +Timothy Brannan (well known for his love of Witches in RPGs as well as a good friend of The Tavern) it is 68 pages of OSR goodness. Written for the Hero's Journey by +James Spahn it should be an easy fit for all of the clones but especially Swords & Wizardry.

The PDF is normally $5, on sale for $1.50. Print plus PDF is normally $15, on sale for $6.99.
New material for your Hero's Journey RPG. This book includes:

New Race: The Gnome
New Professions
The Witch class and Hedge Witch tradition
80 spells new to The Hero's Journey
15 new monsters
Is your witch ready for her own heroic journey?
Now she can be! 

For use with The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying or Swords & Wizardry.

Remember, 5% of all purchases made via The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links go to support The Tavern. It is one of the easiest ways to support The Tavern.

The Hero's Journey - Now in Print (With Lulu Code for 25% Off and Free Shipping)

If you are going to strike on this deal, do it now!

+James Spahn 's The Hero's Journey, is now available in print in BOTH color and Black & White versions.

Here's the link for the black and white print copy.

Here's the link for the color copy.

and of course, if you haven't checked this out yet, here's the link for the PWYW PDF copy.

Oh, and here's the Lulu code for 25% off AND free shipping:   LULURC 

(I already ordered my copy)

No idea how long the code is good for, so don't wait too long...

Barrel Rider Games Releases "The Hero's Journey" RPG as PWYW

+James Spahn had shown me an early beta version of The Hero's Journey. I liked what I saw, but lack of free time prevented me from giving it a proper review. Now that time is freeing up, I should get to that review in the next week or so. Which is good, as James has released The Hero's Journey as a PWYW product on RPGNow.

Here's the blurb:

The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying™ is a complete tabletop roleplaying game based on and compatible with Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox™. It provides fourteen classes, a complete bestiary, rules for adventuring, with optional rules to help you tailor your gaming experience and tell the legendary stories that you've always imagined. All you need is this book, a few dice, and a stout heart. 

Inside these pages you've find information from previous supplements in the White Box line of products published by Barrel Rider Games that have been compiled, updated, streamlined and integrated with the material found in Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox™ to create a complete roleplaying game. This information has been packaged in a clean, visually appealing design to create a game with the options of fantasy gaming from the 1980s and 1990s while holding to the simplicity and flexibility of the early days of the hobby. 

Download it. Use it whole or use pieces of it.