Mini Review - Kobold Quarterly #15

Yep, time to get back to some mini-reviews ;)

Today we look at Kobold Quarterly #15.  In any ways, it is a direct descendent of Dragon Magazine (may the gods of Greyhawk rest it's soul - yes, the current incarnation doesn't count).  Wolfgang Baur is the editor, and his Open Design company is the publisher.

KQ cover' both 4e and Pathfinder, but even those that prefer Old School will find stuff to sink their teeth in.  It is invariably well written and well put together.  That being said, I find the 4e stuff to be more then I generally want, but I understand why they want to cover both markets.  It's a divided market.  The Pathfinder articles I find much more useful, as they are easier to use with older D&D variants.

This issue includes articles by James Lowder, Monte Cook, Wolfgang Baur and many others.  The James Lowder article is almost worth the price of admission by itself, as its a nice insight into the World of TSR under Lorraine Williams.

I do have some issues with the issue.  Articles are not necessarily labeled for the system they are written for, which is annoying.  I had to read a page of the article on critical hits before realizing it was for 4e.  Pathfinder stuff I can convert, 4e I generally don't bother with.  Shame too, as the article was well written.

My other issue is with the ads.  Ads in a PDF edition of a magazine should be hyperlinked as a default.  Many weren't.  Shame really.

Overall, a very good magazine, if you recognize and adapt for the inherent weakness of covering two incompatible systems.  Excellent value if you play both Pathfinder and 4e, good value if you play one or the other, and a decent value if you are an Old School gamer willing to convert some of the Pathfinder stuff.

And the Winner is...

Well, we had quality entries, if not quantity of entries ;)

So, they all get a prize, even if not the same prize.

John Stephens gets the copy of Realms of Cthulhu in PDF

JDJarvis wins a PDF copy of Fantasycraft

/Matt gets himself a PDF copy of Splicers RPG

The winners need to email me at tenkars.tavern@gmail.com to get their prizes.

Congrats to all!

Happy Halloween!

Sometimes You Have to go to the Postman

Did I mention my local Post Office sucks?  Big time?  It appears my Flying Buffalo order is being sent back, not that they ever made the attempt to deliver it.

My big T&T purchase on Ebay?  tracking finally updated last nite, it appears they've had it since LAST Friday... again, no slip to let me know, thank god for (delayed) online tracking.  All that being said, it wasn't waiting at my zoned post office, but a neighboring one.  Yep, two trips.

That being said, I now have a 2nd printing of Monsters! Monsters!, and 13 of the first 14 Solo adventures.  Oh, and a second copy of the 5e rules for T&T.

I guess you can say it was worth the wait ;)

Nother Contest Bump!

Contest ends in less then 5 1/2 hrs. I'll even add a 2nd prize, so we should have 2 winners. Let's get it done!


- Posted from my iPhone

Contest Bump!

Quick post to remind all that the current contest end tomorrow night at midnite.  You chance for a free PDF copy of Realms of Cthulhu is ending soon.

Witless in the City

I intended to post a witty piece on the use of published adventures in an ongoing campaign, but parent teacher conference earlier tonight has left me exhausted.

Police work is way easier then parenting, let me tell you ;)

I'll try and be witty this weekend.  If I'm not witty, at least I'll be verbose (SAT words for the kid's benefit)  heh

My Thoughts Posted Elsewhere

I spent way too much time posting on Greg's blog yesterday. Apparently I am like a fine beer... I take a while to ferment. Synapse Design Blog

Don't forget the yesterday's contest. Entries must be in by midnite, this coming Saturday.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Contest: Win a PDF Copy of Realms of Cthulhu

Let's get this party started!

The contest is really simple, but it will require a minimum amount of work on your part to enter.

You are going to roll up a Tunnels & Trolls character, and one random poster will win a PDF copy of Realms of Cthulhu courtesy of RPGNow.

So, what you need to do is:

1 - download a free copy of the Tunnels & Trolls rules if you don't already own a copy of the 5e/5.5e/7e or 7.5e rules - any edition of the T&T rules will work

2 - roll up a character (or many, but only the first posting will count).  You'll need some d6s for this.

3 - name your character

4 - post your character in this thread with a sentence or two describing him / her

5 - at midnite on Saturday, October 30th, 2010 I'll randomly choose one the posted characters as the winner, and send out the prize via email.

Pretty easy if you ask me ;)

P.S.  Yes, I really do have T&T on my mind these days.  So sue me!

Bits & Pieces

Well, someone was kind enough to buy me what looks to be a HUGE canning jar with a flip lid for my dice.  So, needless to say I had to order 2 more pounds of dice to attempt to fill the sucker.  Still a work in progress.

I'm pretty impressed with the Delver's Pack for Tunnels & Trolls.  While the box doesn't overflow from the cramming of too much stuff (can you really cram too much gaming material in a box), what is there is pretty good.  All that and a whole stack of character sheets (the core box just comes with 4).

I'm going to be posting a new contest in a few (minutes?  hours?), and the prize will be a PDF copy of Realms of Cthulhu.  Seems to be the right prize for Halloween ;)

Landshark! Who? Postman! OK, Let Me Open the Door... Arrggh!

Sorry, there's an old SNL joke somewhere in that title.  Must be my frustrations with the US Postal Service.

See, this is what I don't understand.

When James shipped LotFP Weird Fantasy from the netherland known as Finland, I believe it took 3 days to go door to door to my house.

CDs purchased on Ebay from Australia?  2 days.  Holy cow!

The Delver's Pack for Tunnels & Trolls that I ordered?  Arrived at the Jersey City, NJ Postal sort facility last Wednesday.  I know, I had the tracking info.   It was updated last Thursday - Jersey City.  Friday?  Updated as - Jersey City.  Saturday?  You guessed it, Jersey City.  Yesterday it finally hit my local post office and it arrived at my door today.

To put it simply, the USPS sucks a large amount of ass.  I think the postal beast devoured two small orders from Flying Buffalo earlier this month.  Rick is going to check the status after he settles in from con time in Germany.

UPS?  God bless 'em.  Never lost a package yet, and Amazon is where I do more shopping then anywhere else.

Anyhow, I'm finally getting a chance to look thru the T&T Delver's Pack.  Looks good so far.  I also got Steve Jackson Game's Zombie Dice via Amazon/UPS.  Should be some family dice fun this weekend.

Five Hundred and One

Yep, the last post was my 500th blog post.

I want to thank my readers, posters, fellow bloggers and most importantly my family... I'm sure if my son totaled up the time i've spent blogging he'd be really pissed it wasn't spent killing stuff online with him and taking their stuff ;)

Thanks everyone. You've kept it fun, which is why I come back every day. Keep up the good work and I'll try and keep my end up :)


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - The Rest of the Box

I've covered all the books and booklets in the T&T Boxed set.  Now we have the bits and pieces, so to speak.

First up is the counter collection.

Tunnels & Trolls isn't really a game that worries about facing and exact positioning, but counters, just like miniatures, can help the players visualize the game they are playing.

Fiery Dragon always does a nice set of counters, and these are no exception.

72 counters, covering both PCs and adversaries.

I believe the artist is Claudio Pozas, as he did the illustrations in the monster book and the special edition monster / magic book.  His look fits Tunnels & Trolls pretty well.

We get a handful of character sheets, which are nice but small.
I expect one would get better use out of a sheet printed off the internet, but it's nice for inclusion in a boxed set, as it adds to the idea that it is complete in the box.

There is a fold out map of Trollworld.  It's actually pretty cool, even tho' I don't know anything of the places on it.  That's a hint Ken.  Maybe a small wordbook for Trollworld, no more in depth then the 1st Printing of World of Greyhawk.  I know I'd buy it as fast as Ken puts it to paper / word processing program ;)

Last is the 4 small six sided dice, about the same size as were included in LotFP's Weird Fantasy Boxed Set.  Which means its nice they were included, but a bit small for everyday use.

I'm sure the formatting of this post is going to be all over the place, but screw it.

All in all I'm very happy with the T&T 7.5e Boxed Set.  It's a lighter game then most of the D&D OSR clones and is certainly Old School, which is where I'm sitting my gaming table these days.

I'm waiting on the Delver's Pack to show up, maybe tomorrow ;)

edit:  500th post... go figure.  That kinda snuck up on me ;)

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - Hot Pursuit

Hot Pursuit is the GM Adventure included in the Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e Boxed Set.  In a sense, it suffers from a similar problem to the included Solo Adventure - it's not written for a starting party.   Instead, it's written for characters of up to 5th level, and even tho' level in T&T doesn't necessarily have the same meaning as in D&D, this isn't really written for new players or average starting characters, which is a shame as it is a well written adventure.

Still, all that being said, a smart and lucky party can probably survive the adventure in some state.  T&T is a game where character demise is to be expected, at least more-so then many other fantasy RPGs.  Besides, rolling up a new PC is quick and easy in T&T ;)

Ken St. Andre offers a nice piece of advice at the beginning of the adventure for the GM, and I found it valuable enough that I am quoting it here:

I do recommend that if you find that demanding players are causing you to make up a lot of details on the fly, you should write down what you made up so you can be consistent later. Plot developments and adventure hooks will probably arise as the adventure unravels, so jot these ideas down as they arise or as you think of them. You might want to use them later or introduce them if play slows-down or goes in a different direction from what you had planned.

There is an editing problem with some dropped text on the bottom of page 3.  It's not a game breaker, just a minor annoyance.  It's in both the print and PDF versions for the curious

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - Monsters & Magic Book (Special Edition)

The Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e Monsters & Magic Book (Special Edition) is a 22 page booklet included in both the T&T 7.5e Boxed Set and the 30th Anniversary Tin.  As far as I can tell, this booklet introduced Special Damage to the T&T game (I don't see it in my 5e copy of the rules, and I'd need to dig to find my 5.5e copy).

You can read about the Special (Procing) Damage in my previous post about the Monstrum Codex.

We also get a few paragraphs on Balancing Encounters in T&T 7e/7.5e, which is based on a 4 character party.  Strangely enough, the Balancing Rules that make mention of the Revised T&T rules (presented in the 30th Anniversary Tin and available for free at Trollhalla for registered members) refers to a Standard 3 person party.  I might need to give the Revised (think alternate) T&T rules a closer look.

In any case, the booklet details 20 creatures for use in your T&T game.

The rest of the booklet gives a short and dirty introduction to magic items in T&T.  It's enough to give the GM some ideas, but little more.  Sample staves, wands, potions and weapons are stated out.  It's a start, but leaves me hungry for more.

All in all, there's a lot of info crammed into those 22 pages.  How about we get a book 2? ;)

Today is a Do Nothing Day... Maybe

After long negotiations (all of about 2 minutes) between the kid, my girl and myself, we've decided that I need a "down day" on most weekends.  No shopping, no movies, no driving... just me and my stuff.  Unless of course, the kid wants to play a MMORPG or two... somehow that clause got snuck into the contract... at which point I'm apparently gaming.

The biggest winner in this whole thing?  The pets.  My girl's dachshund gets to have her mommy home one day a week and my feline Ashley thinks I'm home to keep her occupied all day.  Pets really are the center of the world.

Did I mention that the girl and I have now designated one weeknite a week to be "Pub Dinner Nite"?  This is working out to be a Win Win across the board!  Heh.

October is for Oktoberfest

I left Queens for a few hours this evening to head to an Oktoberfest out on The Island (just for quick reference:  NYC is The City, unless you are already in one of NYC's outer boroughs, in which case Manhattan is The City; any part of Long Island east of Queens is The Island).

The food was good, the beer was cold (and as we were guests of the beer distributer that was supplying the beer, it was all free... WOOT!).  My girl and I did notice an interesting crossover tho... the German band was mixing Irish drinking songs into their selections, and singing them in German!  It was a frikkin' hoot.  Of course, my German is piss poor, so I was singing the songs I recognized in English ;)

Imagine when the Dwarf in the party catches the local Elfin Bard singing his land's drinking ballad in Elvish... or worse, the goblins they come across in the dungeon are singing it in their tongue... fun for all if you ask me :)

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - Monstrum Codex

Continuing my way thru the T&T 7.5e Boxed set, we come to the Monstrum Codex.  Its a 45 pages of monster goodness.

How much do you really need a monster book (let alone 2) for a system that allows one to design creatures with a simple Monster Rating.  Quick refresh:  MR is a creature's CON / HP.  It determines the combat dice, and half the MR is the creature's Combat Adds.  Pretty simple and flexible system.

So, why the Monstrum Codex?  Because simplicity can be bland. The monster descriptions add flavor, which is always helpful.  Special Damage and Special Abilities add depth and surprises that will keep the party off their toes.  The Special Damage is dependent on the numbers of "6's" rolled... roll enough "6's" and the Special Damage "procs" (yep, that's an MMORPG term).

Personally, I like the idea of "procing" damage in a RPG... it keeps the Special Damage special, and out of direct control of the GM.

The book is spiral bound, just like the rulebook and the monster book... which is either a selling point, or not, depending on your point of view.

The Postman Delivers!

I always find it interesting that packages from a few states away can take 3 weeks to arrive, and other packages from across the country show up in a few days.  Gotta love the US Postal Service!  Huzzah!

Anyhow, the 2 packages that were in my mailbox today were both Tunnels & Trolls related.  The first was the T&T 30th Anniversary 7e Tin.  I like the tin even if it is smaller then the 7.5e Boxed Set.

Items of note:  a 32 page Alternative Rules booklet in addition to the 7e rules.  I need to give this a closer look.  Oh, and of course the CD, which includes (amongst other things) a greatly expanded equipment list and a copy of the T&T Computer game from 1990.  I'll need to boot my PC to give it a try later.

The other package had a signed copy of Monsters! Monsters! and two signed copies of A Fragmented History of Trollworld.  Very nice.  A weekend of reading awaits.

More Links Means More Gooder!

Yep, the New and Improved Tenkar's Tavern has added two links to the top of the page, making the Tavern "More Gooder!"

Alright, how about a little bit better?  Slightly more useful?  Skewed more in the direction of Tunnels & Trolls? (probably - its my current bag, baby!)

Trollhalla, where you get to hang with the Troll God himself, and Trollbridge, where folks post about Troll and Tunnels and other such oddities.

Now, if you wanna do me a personal solid, and expand the amount of free online storage I can squeeze outa the fine folks of Dropbox (where a large portion of my RPG PDFs currently reside), you can sign up using my referral link up on top of this page.  You get free online storage that you can access anywhere you have an internet connection, and I a bit more space to store the huge amount of PDFs I got with my donation at RPGNow for the Pakistan Flood Relief. (Over $41,000 donated by gamers as of this posting)

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - Codex Incantatem

The Codex Incantatem is, for all intents and purposes, a book of bonus spells for T&T.  The spells in the T&T rulebook have been part of the game for years, whereas the spells here, in many cases, have been published previously in T&T fanzines.

There are 39 1st Level Spells, 47 2nd Level Spells, 42 3rd Level Spells, 30 4th Level Spells and 30 5th Level Spells, for a grand total of... 188 additional spells for your T&T Campaign.  The reason I say campaign and not game, is because the T&T Solos, if they allow magic wielding characters, have a Spell Matrix or Chart that help  you work out a spells effect for that adventure - these spells do not appear on such a matrix, at least not with the current collection of solos I've come across.

Now, to put things in perspective... the core rules have 9 5th level spells, this book adds 30... and 6th level has 4 spells to choose from.  I guess when I get the Delver's Pack in the mail I can let you know about the additional higher level spells.

Are they balanced for play?  I don't know, but I don't think there is anything game breaking included.

Do they add options to your game?  Yep.  Just make sure your players earn what they get, and don't let them find anyone willing to sell any spells that you feel might upset the balance, but that's true with anny game system.

Overall, a nice addition to the core rules.

Adding My 15 Bits

Okie, so it looks looks like everyone is doing their list of 15 games.  Can't blame them, as pretty much every list I've looked at has had a few games that made me go "Damn!  I wish I had a chance to play that!"

Anyhow, here's my list, in no particular order:

1 - Risk - classic set with the caltrop pieces
2 - Castles & Crusades - it made old school new
3 - AD&D - my intro to RPGs and my mainstay for years
4 - Chaos Marauders - one of our mainstays when we didn't have a full group for the gaming session
5 - Rifts - insane game, maybe that's why my first character was a "Crazy" ;)
6 - MERP - a fun alternative to AD&D.  Bolas were a dangerous weapon against the PCs
7 - Baldur's Gate Series - When all you had were yourself... and an insane Ranger
8 - Spacemaster - I ran this more often then Traveller
9 - Everquest - Because Ultima Online taught me the true meaning of the word "grief"
10 - Tunnels & Trolls - playing with yourself can be fun.  Git your mind outa the gutter!  Besides, its fun for group play too ;)
11 - Battlelords of the 23rd Century - I never understood the rules, but the guns were big and we had fun playing
12 - Nuclear War - sometime you just need to nuke someone
13 - Warhammer FRP - it was a blast the first time around, and Dark Hearsay was the first Fantasy Grounds campaign I played in
14 - Ultima Series - Sometimes a good story beats lame graphics
15 - Anarchy Online - a MMORPG that also supported solo play? go figure

And Now For Something Completely Different

I was watching the commercial for the new D&D Red Box (not watching it on TV, as I haven't seen it on TV anywhere) and while browsing a thread on EnWorld I found the extended (original 4 minute long) video that was later edited down for the commercial.

Fun stuff, if you are into poorly animated Fiend Folio creatures and Heavy Metal... apparently, I am into it ;)

Spring Cleaning in the Fall

I did some long overdue cleaning over the weekend with surprising results.  You see, I have this one shelf that has turned into a cubby hole of sorts - odds and ends get placed there temporarily, some for longer temporary times then intended.

Case in point - my Dragon Magazine Archive has been missing the first disc since, well, forever it seems.  I even went so far as to bid on another set on Ebay to replace it (didn't win).  What do I find in a stack of CDs that were on that shelf?  The missing first disc.  Nice.

I also stumbled across Scrollworks Issue #1 by Christian over at Destination Unknown.  A little piece of history was buried on that shelf it seems.

I still have to clean out the top shelf in the closet in my son's room.  There is gaming material I haven't touched in years up there.  It may be another archeological dig ;)

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - The Rulebook - Part 4

This should wind down the main rulebook overview / review.

Spells in T&T.  You either love them, or you hate them.  Not for game reason tho'.  Game-wise its a pretty tight system.  Each spell has a Level, WIZ Cost (which lowers as the character advances in level), Duration, Range, whether or not it can be powered up and then, of course, the spell description.  It's actually very well done without being overly complicated.

Nope, the love or hate is due to the Spell Names:  Upsidaisy (levitate), Healing Feeling (cure disease), Dum-Dum (lowers target's INT), Slush-Yuck (rock to mud) and of course, the (in)infamous Take That You Fiend! (TTYF - a basic attack spell).

Tunnels & Trolls doesn't take itself too seriously, although it's easy to play it as a serious game.  T&T is a flexible, lite hearted system.  If the action isn't covered in the rules, it can probably be covered with a Saving Roll (think ability or skill check, depending on where you are coming from).  Which is great, as good players  think out of the box, and a good RPG system will encourage that.

For those asking, the more I read the T&T rules, the more I like them.  Fun is more important then game balance, which I think has been forgotten in D&D's later incarnations.

Working a late one tomorrow.  Think I'll roll thru a T&T solo in the morning.  Wish me luck.  Some are more killer then the worst Killer DMs ;)

Doctors Without Borders - Pakistan Flood Relief Bundle at RPGNow

Onebookshelf / RPGNow / DrivethruRPG has, with the generosity of a number of its publishers, put together a bundle of RPG products for a price of $25, with the proceeds going to DWB.  Heres the quick blurb:

Record monsoon rains caused flooding that left almost 2,000 people dead and 20 million homeless. Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani estimates crop losses at $3.3 billion, total damage of about $7 billion. People displaced by the flooding that began at the end of July are still living in temporary shelters, such as schools, or in tents. Doctors Without Borders continues to provide medical care, clean water, and relief materials.

Following the success of our previous fundraisers for DWB during the Haiti Earthquake Reponse we have decided to put together a new charity effort to raise funds for relief efforts in Pakistan. Several publishers have donated some very cool items to help us raise funds for Doctors Without Borders. The bundle will be available until 10:00 AM EST, Monday, October 25th.

So, there you have it.  It's an extensive list of products.  I won't be listing them all, but you can look at them here.  Still, I do have my favorites:

Adventures in Oz - An RPG set in the land of Oz

Don't Rest Your Head - Fairly popular Indi-RPG

Dragon Warriors RPG - the updated version of the game previously available back in the day in mass paperback format

Exalted Second Edition - never owned it, now I will

Harnmaster Third Edition - Harn was a great source of setting material, now I can check out the rules

House in the Hills - Solo Adventure for Tunnels & Trolls

Icons - A Supers game that hit many of the sweet spots

Open Game Table - Volume 2 - if you read RPG blogs, you should be reading this

Spycraft 2.0 - I still have 1.0 packed away somewhere

Starblazer Adventures - The FATE System meets outer space - a fine piece of work

The Cursed Chateau - By the man who brings us Grognardia, a nice Old School Adventure

The Sanctuary Ruin - Another Old School Adventure

Wild Talents 2nd Edition - More Supers to shake your stick at

Wrack & Rune  - A LL Adventure - See, more Old School

These are all games I either own, or have wanted to own.  There are many more products in the bundle that I haven't mentioned

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - The Rulebook - Part 3

Alright, where was I?

Uhm, combat.  Your weapon will decide the number of dice (d6) in combat, and you get Personal Adds, which are added to the total die roll.  That is compared to your adversaries dice and adds (usually in direct correlation to its MR, or Monster Rating).  The difference is the amount of damage done to the loser.  If there are multiple characters / adversaries on each side, the dice totals on each side is added, and the losing side takes the damage (distributed amongst its members).

Armor blocks a certain amount of damage points - Warriors get to double the points that their armor blocks.  Damage is taken from CON.  Time or a Poor Baby spell heals damage.

Spite Damage is derived from each "6" rolled... even the winning side can suffer from Spite Damage.

Personal Adds are derived from 4 of your attributes... each point over 12 is +1 Personal Add.

That's the basics of combat.  The side that can maximize it's numbers in combat while minimizing it adversaries numbers in active combat will have the advantage (with the enclosed encounters from Fiery Dragon, T&T can almost become  tactical RPG).

Now spells, Saving rolls and other variables obviously will change things, but that is why you are playing a roleplaying game and not a wargame.   The combat system is pretty flexible, and the MR system allows for quick changing of monsters combat ability if you goofed in your adventure design (when the TPK is the GM's fault, not a result of poor play on the side of the players - or if the players are steamrolling everything).  Heck, the MR system allows for the quick design of monsters and adversaries, thereby allowing the GM to keep things fresh.  If only Raggi had a similar system for LotFP Weird Fantasy ;)

Spells are a whole other kettle of fish.  I'll get to them next...

Distracted by the Cowhide

I'm making today a Lazy Football Sunday.  NY Giants game started at 1 pm, the NY Jets play at 4 pm.  Happy Happy Football Day.

Did I mention i has the winning bid on the T&T 7.0 Collector's Edition Tin? More Happy Happy ;)

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - The Rulebook - Part 2

I can already see this is going to span many parts.  That's ok tho', I have a decent amount to say on the topic ;)

Character generation, at it's core, is pretty much as you know it from any of the OSR games at: roll 3d6 per attribute, either in order or assign as you will.  In Tunnels & Trolls, your race (Kindred) will determine modifiers to those rolls.  Not + / - 1 as in the games you might know, but as a multiplier: in the case of a Dwarf, x2 to STR and CON, 2/3 to CHA (Strength, Constitution and Charisma - see, you know the game already ;)

There is also a point system for character generation, sort of as a nod to modern sensibilities.  When using the point system, Kindred modifiers are not applied.

Wait, I almost forgot the rule of TARO - Triples are rolled over AND added to the previous roll.  Ex: You roll 4, 4, and a 4, which equals 12.  Keep the 12, roll 3d6 again... they total 10, your total score is a 22 for that attribute.

Me, I was always the roll 4d6 and drop the lowest type of GM in D&D and such.  Using that in T&T will greatly increase the odds of rolling a triple (if the player can choose which die to drop).  It will also improve the chances of rolling scores high enough for a Paragon (Warrior / Wizard dual class).  I don't think it would be all that balance breaking, especially as Attribute Scores will be increasing as one spends earned Adventure (experience) Points.

Adventure Points allow one to increase Ability Scores.  They are earned by killing stuff, role playing, saving rolls and other methods.  Increasing you Ability Scores can increase your Personal Adds (more on this later), make you better at relevant Saving Rolls, make you better at surviving combat (CON = HP), etc.  They also determine your character level in 7.5e (back in 5e, your Adventure Point total determined your level).  In 7e, it cost 100 AP x current stat to increase by 1 (from 10 to 11 costs 1,000 AP).  In 7.5e, that cost has been lowered to 10 AP x current stat to increase by 1 (from 10 to 11 costs 100 AP).  The lowered cost is definitely more reasonable, but I suspect the AP award for completing the included solo adventure (reviewed here) was written for the 7e rules.  Or Ken is just a very generous GM ;)

K, that's it for now.  Back later

Review - Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - The Rulebook - Part 1

You gotta start somewhere, so it might as well be with the rules themselves.  The first thing you will notice about the book s that its a bit shorter, maybe an inch, then the other two spiral bound books included in the box.  Just figured I'd throw that out there.

The book itself runs 174 pages.  14 pages of which consists of the Armor and Weapons Glossary.  Back in 4e (T&T, not D&D) they basically tell you to look the stuff up that you don't understand on your own (this was prior to the internet).  Now, 14 pages to tell you exactly what it is your character is buying.  I like it myself.

T&T now gives you the following classes to choose from:  Citizen (your average schlep), Rogue (mix a bit of warrior and a bit of wizard - reminds be of the bard class from Dragon 56 / Best of Dragon), Warrior (your meat shield), Wizard (makes things go BOOM and such), Specialist (not really it's own class, but various specialties based on some of the other classes), and Paragon (Warrior / Wizard combo - not watered down like the Rogue - needs exceptional rolls at character generation to be one).

One omission in the rules in my view, is the lack of any real description of the Kindred, or intelligent races.  The main races are Human, Dwarf, Fairy, Hobb and Leprechaun.  There are also 32 rare Kindred races.  Five of them have footnotes on the Kindred Attribute Modifier Charts.  The rest?  Nothing is said about them.  We have the stat modifiers, but I dont even know what a Urook looks like, acts like, anything.  Let alone Urookin.  A sentence or two on each would suffice.

Don't get me wrong, I love choices, and T&T is a game with lots of choices.  I just like to have an idea about my choices aside from a purely muchkin POV.  If they used the same font as the Armor and Weapons Glossary, a Kindred Glossary would take 3 to 4 pages.  Something to think about for the next printing / edition.

I know I'm sounding negative at this point, but don't let it throw you.  I really like this boxed set, and thoroughly enjoy the T&T rules.  More tomorrow about the rules.

Back to Basics

It's funny, but the most annoying part of my current obsession with Tunnels & Trolls is the noticeable lack of GM run adventures.  Ton's of solos, not so many for groups.

Then I realized something.  It's a matter of simplicity to change any Old School D&D module to T&T.  Assign the creature an MR, decide if it has any special abilities that will come into play with the roll of an assigned number of natural "6's" and you are pretty good to go.

I mean, D&D (2e and earlier) is my native born language, but I've become fairly fluent in T&T, and translating between the two doesn't appear to be to difficult (at least from D&D to T&T).

What this means is that with minimal work, I have a nearly limitless source of gaming adventures for use with T&T.  In theory at least.  I need to put the theory to the test.

Anyhow, the 7.5e review will continue, probably later today.  Oh, and some thoughts on D&D B/X (as i have the Expert rules now - never did have it back in the day - AD&D was the big boys' game)

Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e - The Photo Collection ;)

As requested, I took a bunch of photos of the T&T Boxed Set and its contents.  Without further ado, here we go:

Here's the box full of it's goodies.  Notice how it doesn't want to stay shut?

Here's the enclosed map of Trollworld

Two of the three counter sheets. (I initially forgot there was a third)

The two enclosed adventures, one solo and one for a GM / group

Here's the rulebook, spiral bound

The extra spells and monster book - spirals again

See, I found the third counter sheet.  Also, the character sheet and the SE Monster and Magic book

Here's the whole set, including the dice.

I'll start the reviewing this weekend ;)

Review - Tunnels & Trolls Boxed Set - Initial Reaction

The first thing you'll notice about the Tunnels & Trolls Boxed Set (aside from the very awesome box cover art) is that the shrink wrap can barely keep the box cover on the rest of the box.  Seriously, it is that packed.  I'm looking at a still shrinked copy as I type this (to be given away at the Gathering of Fools Winter Session).  The box is a hair smaller then LofTP Weird Fantasy Boxed set and not quite as deep. 

What does one get in their snazzy box full of T&T?

174 Page rulebook, spiral bound (selling point or a demerit depending on who you talk to).  Everything you need to run a T&T adventure is in the book.  As an aside, it is similar LotFP Weird Fantasy in that you don't have a monster listing in the main rulebook.  Monsters / adversaries are easy enough to draw up - just assign an MR number and you are good to go.  Still, for some, this omission can seem lacking.  But wait!

There is a 43 page Monstrum Codex to give you some sample monsters and unique powers for them to beat your players senseless.  Also spiral bound.

Then we have a 50 page Codex Incantatem.  More spells for levels 1-5.  Again, spiral bound.

Easy to overlook is the 22 page Monsters & Magic (Special Edition) book, or really, closer to pamphlet.  Some basic monster and magic item info.  Not spiral bound.

The Solo Adventure "Strange Destinies"comes in at 24 pages, not spiral bound.  I wrote about this a few days ago.

The GM Adventure "Hot Pursuit"comes in at 16 pages.  No spirals here.

A fold out map of Trollworld.

Character sheets.

Tokens from Fiery Dragon Press (their art always rocks)

4d6

See why it has trouble fitting in the box?  I'll do a more indepth review of the actually books over the next week or so.

The PDF version of the 7.5e Boxed Set can be found at RPGNow.

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Collecting Trolls and Trying to Avoid the Ebay Crush

Last week I saw this really nice boxed set of the T&T 5.0 rules.  Black box, gold lettering and art, with a buy it now of 80 bucks.  I watched, didnt buy, saw the sale expire and get reposted at the same price.  Damn it was purty tho.

Thing is, how can a boxed set of the 5.0 rules go for 3 times the price of the 4.0 rulebook (which I grabbed for 26)?  It's not like either was in mint condition.  Well, i waited, and found the same boxed set, slightly dinged (still looks awesome) on the outside but damn near mint on the inside, for less then 17 bucks (plus shipping).  It wound up coming from Troll and Toad even tho' I found it on ebay.  These lads know how to pack!

Yes, working at the Tunnels & Trolls collection.  Must secure as much as I can before I lose sole control of the discretionary funds ;)

I'll be posting some thoughts n the T&T 7.5e boxed set later tonight.

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Elf Free Zone - Talisanta

Every once in a while, when I troll the net looking for interesting sites, one thing leads to another and suddenly I find myself at Talisanta.com.

I remember it being advertised as a fantasy world without elves, and my perception was that it was a D&D variant of sorts. I never knew more then what the magazine ads showed me, but no more.

Talisanta.com offers free and legal downloads of nearly all the books in the Talisanta line and there are many. Others are in the process of being converted for download. It costs you nothing but the bandwidth to take a peek.


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Mini Review - Green Devil Face #4 from LotFP

Lamenations of the Flame Princess has put out a new (issue?) of Green Devil Face.  GDF #4 is chuck full of OSR goodness.  70 pages for 5 bucks.

Lets see... mini adventures?  Check.  New magic items?  Check.  New class?  Check.  New spells?  Check.  Random tables?  Check.  All that and more fully infected by the Raggi touch?  Hell yeah!

Yes, some of this has appeared elsewhere.  So what?  James has a unique touch when it comes to RPG products, and it shows here.

Alright, now for the word of James himself:

Green Devil Face is back!

The True Finnwegian Old School Role-Playing kult unearths the legendary zine from its 14-month slumber to deliver more madness to lay your players low! This isn't the solidly-composed, somberly delivered material that LotFP normally trades in, this is MADNESS UNLEASHED! Rapid-fire fuel-air explosive blasts of pure energy and creativity which will ignite your imagination because this one's just too hot! If you run an old-school game and you can't find something in here to put in your campaign RIGHT NOW you're just hopeless. You're not hopeless, are you? Then PROVE IT! Buy this PDF RIGHT NOW!

... it's all contained within SIXTY-NINE HOT PAGES... (plus OGL)... how can you resist?


Contents of This Issue:

Knights of Science - A New Character Class by James Edward Raggi IV
The Tower - Mini-Adventure by James Edward Raggi IV (originally presented in Fight On #4 - contains more backstory than the version in Death Frost Doom!)
The Dread Sorceries of Duvan'Ku - New Spells by James Edward Raggi IV (originally presented in Fight On #4)
Fell Magick Items of Duvan'Ku - New Magic Items by James Edward Raggi IV (originally presented in Fight On #4)
Random Inn Generator - Create an Inn and its Visitors from scratch! By James Edward Raggi IV (originally presented in Fight On #2)
Wand of the Weird - A wand of Bizarre Effect by James Edward Raggi IV
House of Snails - A mini-dungeon by James Edward Raggi IV
The Frog Cult - A mini-dungeon by James Edward Raggi IV
The Tomb to Die For/In by R. Lawrence Blake
Random Treasure Generator - The Old Treasure Tables Presented in a New Way by James Edward Raggi IV
A Spell Point Theory - Another Look Adapting the Vancian Magic System to Spell Points by James Edward Raggi IV

Plus Classic Green Devil Face Tricks/Traps:

The Room of Four Pits by Ramsey Dow
The Sneaky Book Room by James Brian Murphy
The Child by Zak Sabbath
The Chamber and the Glass Box by Zak Sabbath
Shrieker Stew by Jonathan Becker
Pool of Testing by Jonathan Becker
Shaggy Dog by Jonathan Becker

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In The Hopper

Working on a mini review of Elric of Melnibone from Mongoose (uses the RQ2 rules).

Working on a full review of the Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e Boxed Set (so full that I can't even close the damn box after taking off the wrap).  I might do a book by book review of the box, like I did with LotFP's Weird Fantasy. Not sure yet.

Was hoping to game some tonight via Fantasy Grounds 2 and Rolemaster, but technical difficulties may be putting a damper on that.  Ah well, there is always next week.

When Old is New - Or Why I Should Stay Away From Ebay ;)

When I arrived home from my extended weekend earlier today, I found my Near Mint Copy of the D&D Expert rules awaiting me.  It was fairly cheap on Ebay, especially considering that it loosk like no one ever opened its pages.

Ebay, and the Flying Buffalo website, are where I've been plugging the holes in my Tunnels & Trolls collection.  Before the Outlaw Press / James Shipman debacle I'm sure there would have been alot more items on my list to buy, but that's okay.  There's more then enough for me to look for (did I mention I bought a 4th edition copy of the T&T rules?  Talk about nostalgia).

I think I'm down to 2 books for my OD&D collection: Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes and Swords & Spells.

I need to work on my man cave, so I can display my Classic Gaming Collectibles ;)

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Review - Strange Destinies Solo Adventure (for Tunnels & Trolls)

I'm on a bit of a Tunnels & Trolls kick, so you'll need to forgive me.  Still, before I dive head first into this review, you do realize you can download a free (abbreviated but complete and usable) version of the rules and can get free solo adventures for Tunnels & Trolls here, here, here and here.  Phew!

As I wrote last night, the fiancee played thru a T&T solo last night.  She had fun and got the taste of what roleplaying is about.  We used the adventure Strange Destinies, which was included in the Tunnels & Trolls 7.5e boxed set (I'll give that a proper review shortly).

First the good.  Atmosphere was great.  She really got into the mood when I read the pieces that set the scene.  When the player actually shivers with a description, you hit the right points.  Nice recap in the beginning of the adventure detailing saving rolls and such.  All in all, it was fun...

There is a "but" that needs to be added there.  This is NOT an adventure for the average beginning player character warrior type.  It is lethal, almost to the point of "why bother to roll the dice".  Case in point.  Rachel rolled triples on the score she assigned to STR.  The total was a 26, doubled as a dwarf to a 52.  She was a formidable warrior, and according to the 7.5e rules a 5th level character.  Her first encounter was with 1 Giant Bloodworm (MR 120).  It rolls 13d6 in combat with +60 adds.  The Dwarven Warrior Sheba was armed with a short sword for 3d6 and +48 adds (she also had 10 pts of armor, doubled to 20 for being a warrior).  Average rolls with adds would have been 105 for the Giant Bloodworm and 60 for Sheba.  45 damage less 20 for armor means 25 points of damage to Sheba in the average combat round not including Spite Damage.  Heck there was a 50% chance of here encountering 2 Giant Bloodworms at a pop, which would have been insta death.

My solution was to halve the MR of all the creatures encountered.  Even with that, Spite damage and combat rolls left her with 8 points left of her initial 28 CON when she found her way out.  As written, not a really good way to introduce a new player to the rules or to RPGs. as dying without a chance in the first encounter isn't much fun.  Which is a shame, because the T&T rules themselves are much fun (as was the adventure after I waved the GM Wand of Monster Nerfing).

So, nerf the monsters and you have a viable solo adventure for a warrior with decent combat adds.  It was fun, don't get me wrong, but you need to adjust it to make it work.  Or maybe run it with more then one PC.

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Old School Gaming Tunnels & Trolls Style

I picked up the 7.5e boxed set of Tunnels & Trolls to complement my PDF set of the same rules and all the solos I recently picked up. I spent some time rolling characters this afternoon, and it was fun rolling triples and adding another roll.

My dice rolling attracted the attention of my fiancée, who immediately declared the whole thing looked too complicated. I declared otherwise, had her roll a character (roll 4 dice, take best three, arrange as you will) and jumped into the included solo adventure, with myself taking the part of the reader / quasi-GM / monster roller. Even with her choosing a Dwarven Warrior, some of the random monsters had to have their Monster Ratings halved to give her a chance.

With the MR adjustment, the fights were challenging, especially with the Spite Damage (natural 6 is 1 point of unstoppable damage), but she prevailed. I think in retrospect the Adventure Point award was excessive and geared toward the 7e award system, but all that matters is in the end the lady had a blast.

Her big questions? Can I buy more equipment? And Can I only use her in solo adventures?

I might have a gamer on my hand ;)


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Barbarian Bazaar

Barbarian Bazaar is the name of a small shop in the Sugarman's Fleamarket in Dickson City, PA. Much to my surprise I found a 1e Player's Handbook (later cover image), 2 copies of the Dungeon board game and an interesting collection of other RPGs and related board games.

My son wound up picking out a Star Trek Next Generation board game and some used DVDs. I would have picked up a copy of Dungeon! But then I would have need to store it, as I doubt it would get use.


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From the Mouth of Lizzies

Last night was the first back to back Saturday Nite gaming I've enjoyed in over year. Heck, since we hadn't games since May, this was as much gaming as the previous 6 months.

Tenkar, my third level Dwarven Cleric in Castles & Crusades ( via Fantasy Grounds 2) was involved in too long of a discussion as to wether one leaves a sleeping giant lizard sleeping. Apparently, they will awake on their own and try to run off with said Dwarven Cleric. Ouch!

In the end the Lizzie was defeated, Tenkar was rescued and much gold and silver was had by all. Not bad for a nite's work.

I think we are about to hit 2 years with this campaign, and although the group has had much turnover, it has remained a very fun group to adventure with.

Now, of course, my yet to be implemented FG2 campaign first was to use LL, then C&C, but now I am thinking Tunnels & Trolls. Simplicity of system may be best for an irregularly playing group.


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Mini Review - Oubliette Issue #4

(Third try... lets see how buggered this attempt is)

It's been over 3 months since the last issue of Oubliette was released on the virtual magazine stand.  In that time, OD&Ditties closed it's doors, leaving one less magazine / fanzine covering the OSR, let alone RPGs in general.  Still, Oubliette 4 was well worth the wait.

30 some odd pages for the magazine with another 50 or so bonus material, the reader is given a lot to look at for the 2 bucks he spent.

We get an adventure (geared to firearms but they can be removed), fiction, new monsters, weapons, a cartoon, reviews... and then we get the bonus material.

From the publisher's spiel:

80 jam-packed pages including: 34 Page Magazine, 13 Pages of Magic-User Spell Cards for Labyrinth Lord, and Character Sheets, Figures and Multi-Part Maps for this Issue's Adventure.

Written for Labyrinth Lord, but also ideal for use with any Basic/Expert/Advanced original or clone, with little or no adjustment required.

Full Contents:

# Weapons Test - A Labyrinth Lord Adventure with Guns

# Monster Club #6 - Zombies

# Firearm Rules for Labyrinth Lord Part 3 - The Monsters Fight Back

# Tales from Hell - Buckets of Legend

# Monster Club #7 - Monster Scaling

# A Hunting We Will Go - An Encounter for Labyrinth Lord

# PC for PCs - Featuring G1 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief

# Purist to Puerile - The Orc

# Seven Magical Mirrors

# Reviews

# Free PDF Round-Up

# Mouse Watch - A Cartoon for Grown-Ups

# The Song of Sithakk - Part 4 of our serialized story

# Plus loads of Bonus Material including: Magic-user Spell Cards for Labyrinth Lord and Large Scale Maps and Character Sheets for the Adventure.

Warning! Oubliette may contain content that is suitable for adult audiences only. Persons 18+ only.

Heading to the Mountains

Back to posting when I get settled tomorrow.


- Posted from my iPhone

New Khazan - Tunnels & Trolls In Spaaaacceeee!

Sorry about that, but somehow the Muppet Show's Pigs in Spaaccceee! popped into mt mind with the title.  In any case, New Khazan is a nifty little sourcebook to bring something akin to DragonStar (a very cool 3e setting for D&D) to your Tunnels & Trolls game.  I'm not saying it is like DragonStar, but it seems a closer fit for this purpose then, say, Spelljammer.

So far I have done little more then check out the first few pages, as somehow it failed to synch with my DropBox folder, which means it wasn't available for bedtime reading last nite, but I plan to correct that in a few minutes.  I'm sure I'll come back to this again in a few days, after I get a chance to read further.

Anywho, here's the blurb (gotta have the blurb):

More than elves and trolls in outer space, more than star warriors casting spells, New Khazan has its own unique flavor of space fantasy.

This supplement begins with the assumed background of Tunnels & Trolls, then extends all those fantastic creatures and spells into a distant future where reptilian astro-gators guide ships through tunnelspace and police subdue criminals with Hold-That-Pose nets and TTYF guns powered by smaller versions of the same Kremm crystals that drive starfaring battleships.

New Khazan gives you descriptions of the worlds, prominent kindreds, civilizations, technology, and common character types of the fantastic future.

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Mini Review - The Inn of Lost Heroes

The Inn of Lost Heroes is a Labyrinth Lord Adventure for 3-6 character of 3rd to 5th level.  As this is October, this is a horror themed adventure, which may or may not suit your group and play style.  The author is very up front with that.  From the blurb:

Everyone loves a good barroom brawl. But what happens when the fight gets out of hand and innocents are harmed? Witness the innkeeper's wife Evelyn Mortigan. When her entire family is killed in a fire caused by drunken adventurers, she utters a curse with her dying breath and returns to torment all those who would practice the adventuring trade. Can the characters escape her wrath, or will they be forever trapped in the Inn of Lost Heroes?

The Inn of Lost Heroes is a Labyrinth LordTM adventure for 4-6 characters of 3rd through 5th level (about 15-20 levels total). This adventure was designed as a one-shot that can be dropped into any existing campaign. The party should ideally contain at least one fighter or dwarf, one magic-user or elf, one cleric, and one thief or halfling character. The adventure centers around an inn that has become trapped in the nightmares of a vengeful spirit. Escaping the inn is the primary goal of this adventure, however, resourceful characters may also find the courage to free the trapped souls of former adventurers and finally lay the spirit to rest.

Author's Note: Know your group! This adventure begins by trapping the characters in an extraplanar dream world where some of the game mechanics they are accustomed to are slightly altered or do not work at all. It contains strong elements of horror as well as thematic material that may be disturbing to some. Common horror tropes of isolation, injury, and "taking the toys away" are also present. This is not an adventure that can be overcome by combat alone. If you suspect your players would not have fun with this type of setup, you may want to pass on this module.

Definitely not your run of the mill advnture, it might prove a nice change of pace for the proper group.

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Midweek Update

I am temporarily covering for another supervisor for the next few months. It's almost like inheriting a well oiled gaming group, except that I inherited the "does not play well with others" gamer as a last minute addition. Ah well, can't always have it easy ;)

This Saturday nite looks to be a go for C&C / FG2. Our DM should be emailing me the file today or tomorrow, so I can get my net book all set up for the weekend. Gaming 2 weeks in a row after not gaming for about 4 months is a beautiful thing.

All that and a 3 day weekend to boot!


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Tunnels& Trolls Tuesday - October 5th

Yep, its Tunnel & Trolls Tuesday here at the Tavern.  To start everyone off on an even foot, I'm going to direct you to a free download of the Tunnels & Trolls Rulebook (abridged 5.5 version)

Got it?  Good.  Give it a quick read.  It's pretty easy to comprehend, yet flexible too.

Now head over to the Free Dungeons Website.  This is a troll's heaven.  Another free version of the rules can be found, character sheets, and adventures (automated even).  Yep, you can play solo on your computer.  You don't even have to break out any dice (tho you will want to when you move on to other dungeons).

Rinse.  Repeat.  Enjoy.

One Down, One to Go

Psikonetic picked up his prize code today.  Still waiting on kalpesh sorthiya. 

I have a Old School style module or two to review.  Hopefully a day or two and I'll have somethng written up.

Tuesdays are going to be Tunnels & Trolls Tuesday at the Tavern, because somebody needs to show the other Old School game some love.  I'm not saying other days won't have something T&T related, but Tuesdays WILL have something T&T related.

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Completing my OD&D Collection, and Other Assorted Thoughts

I need Gods, Demi-Gods & Heroes (Sup IV) and Swords & Spells (Sup V) to finish of my OD&D collection.  Ebay can be a wonderous and dangerous place ;)

I'm going to attempt to complete a Tunnels & Trolls Collection of sorts going forward.  I think I've found the system that both interests the future Mrs Tenkar, and is made for solo play.  I see no reason why I cant run some of the solos with myself as the GM. Besides, the more T&T I read, the more I like the system.  Wish I wasn't such a closed minded gamer 25 years ago, or I might have some classic OD&D and T&T stuff without requiring Ebay, but back then it was AD&D, Rolemaster and all the "crunchy"  crap ;)

I need to see if I can track down a T&T Character Sheet for Fantasy Grounds 2, as that is really all you would need to run a game using the system.

Last night was the first session of Castles & Crusades via FG2 that we've has since before the summer.  As we only run once a month for the most part, a session recap before start is damn important, and I missed the major recap as I was 90 minutes late.  Hopefully we can sneak another session in next week (looks good so far)

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It's Time to Give Away Stuff - The Tavern Has Hit 60 Followers!

Thanks to MelondraBee the Tavern has received it's 60th follower.  Which means I get to give away some free swag! 

Lets see, time to break out the dice!

d3 and a d20 = d60  :)

Rolled a 48 and a 18.

Psikonetic gets a PDF copy of Fantasycraft

kalpesh sorthiya gets a PDF copy of SplicerRPG

Games provided by OneBookshelf / RPGNow / DrivethruRPG

The winners can email me at tenkarstavernATgmailDOTcom and I'll send you the code to redeem your prize.  Congrats to both!

(get in touch by next Saturday, October 8th, or the prize will be passed on to someone else)

Tunnels & Trolls - What's in My Bag?

My package arrived from FlyingBuffalo yesterday.  I was a little disappointed at the size, as I had the mental image of 5 books and the 2007 Free RPG Day adventure taking up far more shipping space then they actually did.  I was fine after I popped the sucker open tho: 4 Corgi double adventure books and the City of Terror (and the above mentioned 2007 Free RPG day adventure).

I think I'll be working on getting a complete set of T&T adventures, theres is something fun about rolling dice and progressing your chartacter, even if it is solo.  The included abreviated rules include spell lists thru 9th level, so you really could play these without even referring to the T&T rulebook.  I'll be surfing the net looking for a write-up that details all the changes between editions, although it appears everything is backwards compatible for the most part.

As a side note, the Corgi books were printed back in 1986, so they are classics already ;)

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To Review, or Not Review... That is the Question

I haven't been keeping up with my usual reviews.

Part of the reason has been a shortage of actual releases that I have an interest in. If there is no chance i'd ever use the piece, why waste my time and that of the publisher. I do have one or two reviews that I might get to this weekend. Time will tell.

The rest of the reason? I'm simply having way too much fun going thru my classic ebay purchases. When I get my package from Flying Buffalo full of Tunnels & Trolls goodness, watch out world! Heh

Picking Thru the OCE (D&D 6th Printing) Box

I have been trying to pick a copy of the OCE (Original Collector's Edition) of Dungeons & Dragons for a while, but the prices were out of whack compared to what I could pay at Troll & Toad (or is it Toad & Troll).  In any case, I got my copy today, and I'm very happy with it.  The box is VG/FN but the books are all VF to NM.  What better way to end a month then by starting to read thru the original D&D rules.

I can already see that I'm glad I have a copy of Chainmail on the way, as there are many references to the rules that started it all.  Maybe Chainmail has a reference to the size die one rolls to determine HP.  From the example shown, the range rolled falls from 1 to 6, so a safe assumption could be made that 6 sided dice are rolled, but I have yet to see it spelled out.

Advancing beyond name level is explained, with the painful exception of experience points required beyond name level. 

The AC charts cover from 2 (plate and shield) thru 9 (no armor).  If magic brings the AC below 2 one can extrapolate easy enough, but it is a bit of an omission (at least in retrospect).  Hmm, or magic doesn't change the AC, just the base scores to hit, but that's the same thing but more complicated.

Saving Throws:  Everyone advancedon the same table, just at different rates.  Just like the Combat Charts.  But then shouldn't the charts have been set up in the same fashion?  Levels from top to bottom and save type from left to right would have worked just as well for the Combat Charts as they did for Saving Throws.  I know, Monday Morning Quarterbacking and all that jazz ;)

More reading ahead for me.  Later

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Progress Isnt Always Progress

It's pretty much the crux of the whole OSR argument. Has progress in the "science" of gaming really been progress, or is it just change. If it isn't broke, why fix it?

I'm feeling that way at work today. I'm in training for a computer system /software that will bring my job into the 21st century. As that century started 10 years ago, it's actually fairly quick for my job.

Only problem? The software is an outsourced buggy mess of poo. I can see what they want to do, and it might be great in the end, but the transition will be painful, buggy and flawed. Kinda like changing to a new edition of D&D ;)

Got my White Box today. I'll post a bit about it tonight.

B2 - You Sunk My BorderKeep!

I just received my TSR Silver Anniversary Boxed Collector's set from Ebay - still sealed in the original wrap.  Of course, the first thing I did was rip the sucker open! heh.

B2 is the first reprint I've looked at so far.  (My original copy of B2 is packed away "somewhere").  Damn but they packed a lot into a 28 page module back then.

I like the nice touch of including a 2 sided D&D reference sheet with perforations for "easy removal".  It always good to have a cheat sheet, especially for new gamers.  Lets see, the sheet has:

-Magic-User spell lists thru Third Level spells,
-Cleric spell lists for First and Second Level spells
(These lists are name only - no data, but its a cheat sheet, so that's fine)
-Saving Throw Table
-Equipment and Weapon Listing with prices
-Wandering Monster Tables for dungeon levels 1 to 3
-Cleric Turning Table thru level 3
-Die Roll For Character to Score a Hit, By  Opponent's Armor Class (To Hit Table) for Normal Man and Characters of 1-3
-To Hit Tables for Monsters thru 11 HD+

That's a friggin' nice cheat sheet.  A decent DM could run an adventure with just that sheet for reference.  Very well done.

Okay - Time to read some more.  Can't wait for my White Box to arrive.  Amazing what a little cash overtime can do.  (Besides, I need to "Grandfather" some purchases before the young lady receives full veto power ;)

Going Fourth With Holmes

Let's hit page 22 again.

As a guideline, it should take a group of players 6 to 12 adventures before any of their characters are able to gain sufficient experience to attain second level.  This guideline will hold true for successive levels.  So, 12 to 24 adventures (not sessions) before one will need to move on to AD&D?  Bad marketing move EGG.  Assimilate faster, just like the Borg. 

Bandit entry.  Every 30 bandits means a 4th level fighting man, every 50 a 5th or 6th, and every 200 a chance of a magic-user of 10th or 11th level.  At 300+ definitely a magic-user and a chance for a cleric.  No idea what level the cleric might be, but as the rules only cover up to third level, its kinda moot in all these cases.

Rust monster - destroys all armor and weapons, even magic ones, to rust instantly.  Wether you hit it, or it hits you.  Appears there is no save.  Does your metal armor's AC help protect you from the attack (it shouldn't)?

Damn, 1 in 10 magic swords are +3, just as likely as a +1 sword.  1 in 5 swords are cursed. Ouch!

Page 41 for this quote:

The game is intended to be fun and the rules modified if the players desire.  Time to homebrew and houserule!

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New Header, Same Great Taste

Greg, of the Synapse Design blog, just sent me the file for the great header you see above.  Took me all of 2 seconds to decide to use it after seeing it.

Thanks lad, you can drink for free.  Domestic only tho.  ;)

Sneaking up on 60 Tavern Patrons

Currently the Tavern has 57 Patrons / Customers / Google Connect Followers. When we hit 60 I have 2 PDFs to give away courtesy of RPGNow, so if you are a regular reader and aren't yet a Google Connect Follower, sign up and follow. At 60 2 random followers will get a PDF each.

Not sure which ones they are, so I'll add that info when I get home later. Still, a chance for free swag for reading what you read anyhow can't be bad ;)


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Third Peek at Holmes

I've gotten some excellent feedback and info on my previous two posts. I can't thank everyone enough.

Today I'm going to quote from the Preface.  Yes, I'm going to pick and choose certain pieces. 

This book is based upon the original work published in 1974 and three supplementary booklets published in the two year period after the initial release of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.  It is aimed solely at introducing the reader to the concepts of fantasy roleplaying and the basic play of this game.  To this end it limits itself to basics.  - I still don't see Storm Giants as "basic" but I digress ;)

This (the minimum necessary rules to conduct basic games) is absolutely necessary because the game is completely open ended, is subject to modification, expansion and interpretation according to the desires of the group participating, and is generally not bound by the conventional limitations of other types of games. - True words of wisdom buried in there

Players who desire to go beyond the basic game are directed to the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS books. - Wait, didn't the preface say something that this written to simplify D&D play?

Yes, I know TSR was a bit dysfunctional in it intentions for D&D and AD&D.  I do find it interesting that AD&D was found worthy enough to be BOLDED.

I'm very glad they mention that monsters use 8-sided HD.  When I started playing with just the AD&D PH and DMG, i thought HD was somehow HP.  Monsters were pushovers until we got a copy of the Monster Manual :)

Page 22 talks about scaling down high monsters to give a low level party a chance to defeat it.  Okay, I'll accept the Giants into the rotation now.

I just received the Moldavey Basic Set via Ebay.  I'll give that a few thoughts when I finish with Holmes.  Trust me, I still have some more thoughts on Holmes - I just need to gather them.  Hey, doing pretty well staying on target.  Heh

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Second Look at Holmes

This is going to be a piecemeal series, as I'm just posting crap as it occurs to me. Kinda like GADD blogging ;)

I can almost understand why Dragons are included in the monster section, as everyone loves to beat up on a "young" dragon and taking it's stuff. Besides, the name of the game is Dungeons & Dragons. But why the hell are Giants included? From Hill at 8 HD thru Storm at 15 HD, I can't see how a party could hope to defeat them. Besides, this is "Basic" D&D - killer DMs should be in the Expert Set, or the Advanced rules ;)

If they knew you were to "graduate" to AD&D after third level, might it have been easier to keep the class' HD in line with the new game? Oh, and perhaps stat bonuses too?

There are 4 references to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in the first 7 pages... perhaps they could have lined the systems up a bit closer for compatibility? I mean, this was meant to lead one to AD&D.


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My First Look at Holmes

I just received a near mint Holmes Basic Rule Book. Never actually read one previously.

Some quick thoughts as I am away from my computer:

Why be a Fighting Man in the Holmes rules? A cleric with 15 con has the same HP, same armor, same thaco.

What ever happened to the promised Witch class for AD&D?




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OD&DITIES Goes Back on Hiatus

As detailed here, OD&DITIES Magazine is ceasing publication.  It was fun while it lasted.

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Long Island City Craft Beer Festival

There is only on thing better then a craft beer festival... A comped ticket to a craft beer festival. Damn skippy!

Alright, four days at GenCon probably beats a four hour beer tasting, but not by much ;)


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Sometimes the Best Review is No Review at All

Over the last 6 days I've been eligible to review one Gmail screen-plus worth of products from RPGNow.  I may have peeked at a dozen or so on the web, and actually grabbed 2 or 3 for later reading / reviewing.  So what about the rest?

They way I see it, if there is no chance that I will EVER use the product in any way, shape or form, I'm probably better off not snagging a copy.  Pathfinder stuff falls into that category, except for the modules, as they are easily converted and I still speak the language, if not the dialect.

4e stuff is out.  A pain to convert to anything that resembles OSR.  Ah well.

Most things that give out the "overpriced vibe" unless they look fricken awesome.  I'd hate to grab a reviewer copy of something that I suspect is over priced and find out that I was right.  Besides, I suspect reviewer copies are counted in the sales levels / awards (this is a guess only), and I don't want to boost the numbers of an item I expect to not justify its price in my eyes.

Most adventures for games I don't own the rules to.  There are exceptions.  Sometimes an adventure / module look so damn intriguing I'll buy the rulebook just to enjoy the adventure.

Foreign language products.  If it isn't in English, I won't touch it.  German language products are tempting, to see how far my college German can take me, but I suspect after the first page I'll give up ;)

Diorama products, as I have no space to display anything that I might actually produce from it.

So yes, I leave about 95% of what I am eligible to grab just where it is... but I'm getting fairly good at ensuring the other 5% is worthwhile, which ain't that bad ;)

Job Title of the Day

At today's promotion ceremony, the title of the day was Assistant Supervising Supervisor, outdoing his boss, the Supervising Supervisor. And I thought some of the AD&D level titles had some lame entries.

I feel bad for the above civilians that were promoted as hardened cops burst out laughing when they were announced.

Worse even then calling our Detectives Defectives ;)


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Bits N' Pieces as the Week Winds Up

Anyone know of any decet blogging software for the Mac?  I'm using Quamana at the moment, and while it isnt bad, it isnt the best I'm sure.  Figure I'd throw that at my fellow bloggers for some input.

I'm going to work on a quick iPad, Kindle, Kindle DX comparison postfrom personal experience.  Depending on what you are looking to get out of your device, each has its own, well served, niche.

Going to a beer tasting on Saturday, and thanks to my brother in law who is in the industry I'm going for free.  Only thing better then microbrew beer?  Free microbrew beer ;)  Maybe I better not post directly after returning from the event... heh

Oh, and my Detective is officially promoted to Sergeant tomorrow.  Congrats Maria!  Now that you are out of my office maybe you can stop dissin' on my blogging ;)

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PDFs on the iPad, Why I Don't Mention the View in My Reviews

I was looking at the tags on my blog posts, and I see the Kindle DX is still pretty high on the tag list... and I haven't used my DX since I got my iPad in late Spring. So, why a lack of iPad mentions? It's simple really... most (99%) PDFs work perfectly well on the iPad. They are certainly easier and more convenient then reading them on the computer screen. And yes, they look much nicer then the Kindle DX.

Which is why I tend to forget to mention how they look on the iPad. So for now on, if I don't mention how they look on the iPad, it is safe to assume they look great ;)


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Confessions of a Completist

I'm a bit of a completist.  I think many gamers are.  Some of us want more stuff for the sake of having more stuff.  Case in point, I ordered (and received) the D&D 4e Rules Compendium and Heroes of the Fallen Lands.  I yet to play a game of 4e, and beyond possibly playing thru the solo in the Starter Set, I probably never will... but the prices were right on Amazon.  I must say, I do like the size of the books.  Nice and thick, but smaller then regular gaming books at about 6 x 9, so reading in bed wouldn't be bad (of course, they would be even better in PDF, but that's a whole 'nother kettle of fish).

To balance out the 4e-ness of my recent purchaes, I found and bought (Buy it Now) a Holmes and a Metzner Basic Rule Books.  I already had a Metzner, but I figured an extra copy wouldn't be bad to have.  Now I think I'll search for some Tunnels and Trolls goodness and call it a nite ;)

(edit:  Between Ebay and the Flying Buffalo website I have a crapload of T&T solos on their way.  I feel better now, having balanced the 4e karma with some T&T Old School karma ;)

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The End of Summer, the Return of the Game

I was just thinking that in my High School and College years, the summer meant weeks of gaming 4, 5, 6 or sometimes 7 days a week. Front porch, backyard, dining room table or basement - we found ourselves places to play.

Now, at the ripe old age of 43, I'm happy the summer has drawn to a close so I can return to the once a month C&C game I play in via Fantasy Grounds.

Something tells me I need to find more time to play these days ;)




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Shadow, Sword & Spell - If it is Basic Where's the Advanced?

Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic is an RPG set of rules for Humanistic Fantasy roleplaying.  In simplest terms, it means a game without elves, dwarves, hobbits and gnomes (actually, gnomes are missing from more then this set of rules, but that's an old issue).

I've just started digging thru the rules (as you can see, I'm digging thru a whole slew of rules at the moment... I need to focus).  The 12 degree system seems workable (after reading a handful of pages for opposed rolls, but I'm not sure how useful degrees of succes will be outside of combat, as an "impressionistic" approach is suggested (DM fiat or just wing it).

It looks like it should be a quick and enjoyable read.  Hopefully I can get it done before the end of the month and post a short review on it.  I am curios as to why this is "Basic", as it infers an Expert or Advanced edition.  Eh, just me picking nits again it seems.

In the meantime, here's the blurb from RPGNow.

In Shadow, Sword & Spell: Basic, you create a character embarking on an adventuring career. Some event or desire, drives you to thumb your nose at your lot in life and seek out a destiny of your choosing. Society holds no bounds for you and you choose the life you want to live. Why should the only wealthy be wealthy? Why should only the baron own his own land? You want that — and more — and by Azathoth’s Radiance, you will!

In Basic, your character adventures and grows, becoming not only stronger, but more influential. Over time, a character can acquire not only wealth but power. Your influence and fame enables you to command armies, rule a kingdom, influence society — but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Basic gets you to this point, if you survive it…

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It's Almost Time to Homebrew

Gaming is always a better experience with a nice cold one in hand, at least when I'm gaming from the privacy of my own computer via Fantasy Grounds. There is just something very relaxing as I nurse a single glass ( fairly large tho') throughout the night.

The return of cooler weather means not just the return of the C&C game I play in, but also the return of my opportunity to make some more home-brewed beer. Mmmmmmmm. Beer.

Anyhow, I need to figure out what the first batch of the season will be. I'm leaning towards using my Cooper's kit, although I will need to see what I have waiting.


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Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul - Free Quickstart

Seems like Supers have been all the rage this summer (wait, is summer over yet?). 

Spectrum Games has released Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul - Quickstart Preview at RPGNow.  Lets see, we had the Villains & Vigillantes new edition released (and the original edition re-released), Icons, DC Heroes... I'm missing another, aren't I?  In any case, there's a new Supers game on the block. 

If I only played the genre, my options would be endless ;)  It's free, so why not give it a peek?



From the Blurb:

Imagine, if you will, a superhero role-playing game that emulates how comicbooks actually work. When comic writers sit down to pen a story, they don't have a character sheet in front of them that defines precisely what the characters can do... how strong or agile they are, what skills they demonstrate, what the exact parameters of their powers are.

Instead, they give the characters what the story demands of them. If the story requires the power-armored hero to have stealth armor, he'll most likely have it on hand. Should it be critical that the hero with the magic amulet needs to generate a mystic shield, you can almost bank on her getting it. Does the hero with normal human strength desperately need to lift a gargantuan chunk of concrete off of his ally? Chances are, he'll be able to muster up the power to do so. It all comes down to what makes for a more entertaining story.

Capes, Cowls and Villains Foul, takes this fully into consideration by offering a game system that is open-ended and flexible, treating the players and Game Master like comicbook writers rather than just some people playing a game. The sky really is the limit... so why not soar through it like the hero you've always longed to be?

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