Mini Review - Tomb of Curses (DCC Adventure for Levels 6 to 8)

Time to review The Tomb of Curses (for levels 6-8 with 4 to 10 PCs) during DCC RPG week at The Tavern.

Where to start? Maybe with the beginning:

The party finds itself at the end of a particularly difficult adventure, having delved deep into the Brekshire Mines in search of the fabled Everglass of Uth’Pentar...

BTW, you are not quite at the end. You still need to fight the boss creature from the end of the last adventure that your party went on but you never ran because it doesn't exist except for the middle of the final encounter.

I'm sorry, but this is a horrid start for an adventure with ongoing characters no matter how loose some campaigns of DCC are run. Why not give us the previous encounter in whole, or even a (extremely) short adventure? Heck, why is it that except for Purple Sorcerer's additions to DCC adventuring, there really aren't DCC adventures that link to each other. Question for a later post.

That being said, if this were a tournament, convention or one-shot type adventure with pre-gens, starting out at the end of the party's previous adventure is totally acceptable. As far as I can tell, the Tomb of Curses isn't meant as a one-shot (it may lead to a TPK, but that's not an issue in DCC).

So, right from the start you probably need to do some major rewriting of the hook. Which is a shame, as the rest of the adventure isn't bad. I suspect few if any of the PCs will actually make it to the end, but isn't that what the DCC RPG is all about? ;)

One of the reviewers on RPGNow compared Tomb of Curses to the classic Tomb of Horrors, and I can understand why. It isn't just the "save or die" type of traps and the like, it's the "no save, you die" situations that will come up. I don't see 4-6 characters making it very far in this Tomb unless they bring lots of disposable henchmen to be their "mine canaries" to find the "no save, you die" traps instead the the PCs. (cover says 4-6 PCs, referee notes say 6-10)

Run as a one-shot or as a "high-end funnel" of sorts, perhaps to whittle down some prospective replacement PCs in an ongoing campaign to a more manageable number Tomb of Curses could be lots of fun. Hmm, everyone gets 3 6th level PCs and the survivors go to the "replacement PC stable" could work. Yeah, Tomb of Curses really does feel like a high level funnel without the requisite number of PCs to make it work. Making it a funnel also does away with the "starting in the middle of the previous adventure's last encounter" issue.

The art is awesome. I'm a big fan of +Scott Ackerman (who donated this blog's header) and +David Fisher. Well done gents.

With some tweaking of the opening scene, The Tomb of Curses makes for an enjoyable (if extremely lethal) DCC meat grinder. I think I've fallen in deep like of using it as a higher level funnel for replacement PCs. I may need to test the concept down the line.

Is it worth the 3 bucks in PDF? Yes. Even if you only use it for inspiration as to how to best kill of the PCs in your campaign, as there are some imaginative ways ;)

From the Blurb:

Hell hath no fury like an ex-wife scorned, and Uth'Pentar has eight of them.

For some, even death cannot trump the need for revenge. Prey to a vicious curse, the party must walk a careful path through an other-dimensional tomb to win their freedom. Can they survive the centuries-long, multiverse-spanning vendetta of Uth'Pentar's wives long enough to escape?

Mini Review - The Witch of Wydfield (0 Level DCC RPG Adventure)

Brave Halfling has released four Appendix N mini adventures for the DCC RPG at this point. The Witch of Wydfield is the fourth in the series and the third I've reviewed.

First things first. The map is simply gorgeous. Suitable for framing for sure. Probably useless for actually running the adventure (and it can truly been run mapless) as it is a bit confusing but great eye candy.  Looking forward to the print version almost for the map alone.

As a funnel it's probably too short to work with more than 8 or 9 zero level peasants. If you have have a large gaming group, the default number of PCs in the usual funnel are going to overwhelm this adventure.

Is it potentially fairly lethal? Of course - it's a DCC funnel ;) That being said, the most effective strategy is for the players to pretty much swarm everything - it's missing the thinking and puzzle solving of sorts that the Goodman and Purple Sorcerer funnels generally include.

It's a decent hook to get the PCs involved, and that's always good, especially for a funnel.

There is also a generic version of the adventure included, so you should be able to run it with the fantasy RPG of your choice should you so choose. It's a nice bit of added value.

It does put too much magic in the hands of the PCs for a 0-level funnel in my opinion, but that is easy enough to remove.

From the blurb:

The product includes:

Bookmarked Digest PDF
Map
Bookmarked Text PDF for Tablets and E-Readers
System-Neutral Template
You are abruptly awakened by the frantic sounding of the chapel bell. As you gather with the other villagers in the village square, you are told that the light of morning has revealed that Sister Thara has been murdered and the young maiden Dela, is missing. The only clue to this terrible mystery are three letters written in blood beside Thara’s body; "Y U L."

Thara was the town’s protector and healer. Now she is gone. Who will protect Wydfield now? Who will right this wrong? No man, woman or child will sleep again in Wydfield until this evil is dealt with and defeated. If there was ever a time when Wydfield needed new heroes, now is the time! Who will go?

Is the Default Campaign Type for the DCC RPG "Episodic"?

Back during my early days of gaming, we didn't worry much about the "where and why" that got our party to the adventure location - the adventure itself was the thing.

No sandbox, no plot hooks, no threads leading from one adventure to the next. Most times, not even a bar scene. Usually, you were told your motivation with your destination around the corner and went at it.

DCC RPG adventures seem to expect a similar style of play to my eyes - cut to the chase and hop right into the action.

How does it play out in your DCC campaigns?

How different is it from the expectations you have of other OSR styled campaigns?

Tenkar's Tavern is Strangely Popular in Germany These Days

No idea why. It's been like that the last few days.

Was it something I said? Damn shame my German isn't better ;)

The Kickstarters Are Landing! The Kickstarters are Landing!

On Saturday, Boss Monster: the Dungeon-Building Card Game landed on my doorstep.

Then yesterday, Drinking Quest Volumes 1, 2 and 3 were in my mailbox.

Today, my copies Dungeon Heroes arrived. Copies. Three of the core game, two of the expansion. Somehow I have one extra core copy I didn't expect. May need to do something with that.

My Reaper Kickstarter package is due via UPS sometime today.

They are landing and life is good ;)

D&D Rules Cyclopedia For Sale on DnDClassics Webstore For 10 Bucks

The classic D&D Rules Cyclopedia went on sale this morning on the DnDClassics webstore (aka OneBookShelf). For many, this book has been price out of range on Ebay and the like. It's $9.99 in PDF.

I don't know what quality the scan is, but from what I've seen so far of the WotC PDF releases, they've been pretty good.

From the blurb:

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

-All the rules from the D&D boxed set series, including Basic, Expert, Companion, and Masters
-Guidelines to develop and play characters from levels 1-36
-Comprehensive lists of weaponry and equipment
-Expansion rules including optional skills and talents
-An overview of the Known World and the HOLLOW WORLD game setting, the official D&D campaign world; and Rules to convert D&D games and characters into AD&D 2nd edition game statistics and back again
-Fully compatible with the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Boxed Set, this volume allows players the full scope of fantasy role-playing from gungeons to the Outer Planes. Now, more than ever, the DUNGEON & DRAGONS game is ready and waiting for you.

*****

Product History

The Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991), compiled and developed by Aaron Allston was the triumphant finale to the BECMI edition of D&D (1983-85). It was published in November 1991.

The End of Basic D&D. By 1991, Basic D&D was TSR's longest running roleplaying line. TSR traced the history of the game back to the release of the original D&D (1974). Even if you don't count that, the first game labeled as Basic D&D - the J. Eric Holmes Basic Set (July 1977) - appeared five months prior to the release of AD&D's Monster Manual (December 1977). It had since undergone two major revisions: the Tom Moldvay D&D Basic Set (1981), which was part of the B/X release, and which kicked off Basic D&D in its modern form; and the the Frank Mentzer D&D Basic Rules Set (1983), which was the first book in the BECMI revision.

Basic D&D had sold incredibly well at first, back in the late 70s and early 80s. Thanks in large part to the extensive publicity that D&D received from the James Egbert affair, new players were flocking to try out the game, and most of them went to TSR's introductory game - Basic D&D. That interest was in large part what led to the creation of the B/X and BECMI editions of the game, each of which expanded Basic D&D to allow for even more long-term play.

Unfortunately for Basic D&D, the pendulum began to swing toward AD&D as time went on. By the mid-80s, when popular books like Unearthed Arcana (1985) and Oriental Adventures (1985) were released, AD&D was clearly in ascendency, and Basic D&D was increasingly becoming the unwelcome relative who'd overstayed its welcome. The B-series ("Basic") adventures largely ended in 1985. The rest of the BECMI coded adventures finished up in 1987; other than the production of two final introductory adventures, B11: "King's Festival" (1989) and B12: "Queen's Harvest" (1989) a few years later. The "GAZ" line of Known World setting books then stumbled to a halt in 1991, with just one book published in each of the last years.

Although there were some new efforts like the "DDA" adventures (1990-91) and the Hollow World Setting (1990-92), it was clear that Basic D&D's flame was quickly fading.

A Black Box and a Hardcover Book. TSR tried to revive Basic D&D one last time in 1991 with a pair of new rules releases. The first was The New Easy to Master Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991), called alternatively the "Black Box edition," the "fifth edition," and "ten-seventy" (its product code, 1070) internally at TSR. It was a boxed D&D set that TSR described as "the first truly introductory version" of the game (as they had with every other "Basic" version of the game). The Black Box used cards to teach the game, something that had been advocated by Lorraine Williams based on the SRA reading programs (1957).

The Black Box is reported to have sold quickly and well. Approximately a half-million copies were purchased worldwide. It was also supplemented by a set of adventures that were almost boardgame-like with their colorful dungeon maps and figures. Unfortunately, the Black Box had one problem, the same problem that D&D "Basic" sets always had: it was limited in level, though it actually went up to 5th level, a bit higher than Basic's 3rd-level standard.

This limitation dovetailed nicely into TSR's other major plan for Basic D&D in 1991. Though the BECMI set of Basic D&D rules had always been well received, everyone thought it was quite troublesome to go through seven booklets totaling 368 pages when trying to track down a specific spell or magic item. Thus TSR decided to compile all of the rules into one hardcover book. The Rules Cyclopedia was the result - and it also offered somewhere for the Black Box players to go when they finished with fifth level.

Ironically, this was reportedly the exact same setup that Gygax had planned for the J. Eric Holmes Basic Set and also for AD&D, way back in 1977.

The Compilation. The Rules Cyclopedia is a compilation of the D&D Basic Rules Set (1983), the D&D Expert Rules Set (1983), the D&D Companion Rules (1984), and the D&D Master Rules (1985). It contains not only the rules from those boxed sets, but also the monsters, making the Cyclopedia one of two great sources for Basic D&D monsters, the other being the Creature Catalog (1986, 1993). Approximately 150 pages of rules on characters and magic from the "GAZ" Gazetteers (1987-91) are also included, making the Cyclopedia a truly massive compilation of about a decade's worth of Basic D&D rules.

The Immortals Rules (1986) are notably not included in the Cyclopedia, although it does contain seven pages from the Master Rules that include basic information for immortals, including rules on PCs ascending to those lofty ranks.

Rules on jousting in tournaments and on artifacts were also left out of the Cyclopedia.

Not an Introductory Book! Unlike every other iteration of Basic D&D, this one was not intended to be an introductory roleplaying book. It was instead a reference for Basic D&D play, which matched TSR's thinking about the AD&D 2e rules.

Expanding the Known World. The Cyclopedia doesn't expand the Known World in any notable way, but it does include a rather impressive atlas, featuring 16 full color maps, including the maps from the Gazetteers and the world maps from the Master Rules and the Hollow World Campaign Set (1990).

Future History. The Black Box rules and the Rules Cyclopedia got some joint support in the form of the "Thunder Rift" series of low-level adventures (1992-93). The Rules Cyclopedia also was supplemented with a few boxed releases, the most notable of which was Wrath of the Immortals (1992), a new set of immortals rules.

However, after the Black Box was revised one more time as The Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game (1994), all support for the line ended. After 22 years (or 19 if you prefer), Basic D&D was finally dead.

About the Creators. Though lots of people worked on the Rules Cyclopedia, the two most notable creators are Frank Mentzer, who wrote all the original boxes, and Aaron Allston, who led the Cyclopedia project. Mentzer had left TSR for New Infinities back in 1986, which was likely why he wasn't directly involved in this project. Allston didn't work for TSR at all, but instead had been a freelance RPG writer since 1983. Though he only tended to write one or two books for TSR each year, by the early 90s he was writing the biggest releases for Basic D&D, including the Hollow World Campaign Setting, the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, and Wrath of the Immortals.

About the Product Historian

The history of this product was researched and written by Shannon Appelcline, the editor-in-chief of RPGnet and the author of Designers & Dragons - a history of the roleplaying industry told one company at a time. Please feel free to mail corrections, comments, and additions to shannon.appelcline@gmail.com.

Lulu Code For 25% Off July 3 - 5 ONLY

enjoy :)

Announcing the Winners of the Signed Tunnels & Trolls Goodies Contest

We had lots of entries to this contest. Damn good entries too. I added two prizes to the pool to bring the total to thee and that still isn't enough to cover all those that made +Jason Paul McCartan  and myself laugh and smile. Ah well, better luck next time for the others.

Entrants were asked to simply tell us why YOU deserve it. Be entertaining. Make it fun, as that is certainly what T&T is.

The winners are as follows:

For the signed reprint of the Tunnels & Trolls 1st Edition rules complete with typo on the cover:

+Grandpa Chet 

Why do I deserve the reprint of TnT 01? The reasons are myriad, and you already know that myriad a little lamb. Therefore, I shall number them? 

1. I shall use the material to compare and contrast all editions of TnT, Monsters Monsters, Stormbringer, and any other St Andre rolegames which use compatible mechanics. Sadly, this rules out Starfaring, but may include the Powers superheroes game. 

2. With this knowledge, I shall declare myself the Official Tunnels 'n' Trolls Historian. As such, I shall prepare an Official History and an Archive so this information will be available to fiture generations. 

3. I'll finally get that poor cover girl out of the lake and get her some clothes. After 37 years, she must be a human prune! 

4. I shall create new solos using this set of rules and no other. 

5. I shall drive my grandkids crazy running games with this. 

6. Most of all, because I shall eat pie when doing all the above.

For the signed deluxe Tunnels & Trolls 2013 Preview / Quickstart:

+Sorcerer Blob 

You know why I deserve this awesome Tunnels & Trolls 1e reprint? Because I've never played the game before. Seriously though, stay with me. 

But I will devour this book. I will use it to infect my friends and my play groups. I will convert them to the dungeon crawling ways of this edition from the pits of the past; or, 1975.  

You see, they won't know what hit them. Thinking they are safe in their typical fantasy dungeon environment, they will be wrong. The Gods of Gygaxian Lore cannot protect them from the great Flying Buffalo. No, they will weep. They will run. And when I am finished with them, much like masochists with severe Stockholm Syndrome, they will be begging for more. They will be hooked. 

Never again will they kill Goblins or Kobolds the same. No. It's not as simple as rolling a d20. Soon they will learn that one must both strength and dexterity, and perhaps a little bit of luck to pull off their acts of derring-do.  

And in my hands I will mold them with this most marvelous of tools. They will discover how to game, circa 1975. They will learn. And when I am done running through adventures within the tunnels that are filled with trolls, they will beg to run it themselves. And then finally I'll be able to run my Faerie Warrior. Finally!
---
On a less humorous note, I have heard of Tunnels & Trolls but have never checked it out or given it a shot. As I've been expanding my gaming repertoire over the past year or so, I'd love to do so further with a blast from the past that is far from my zone of safety that is D&D. 

For the signed map of Trollworld:

+James Mishler 

Once upon a time I went exploring in Buffalo Castle. Sadly, I was caught early on in a Deathtrap, but I was able to use my mnemonic Equalizer to negate it. I then wandered in a Labyrinth for a while, Naked, and I thought I had met my Doom. But really I only ended up wandering out of Dargon's Dungeon in some sort of Weirdworld, which I felt was Overkill. I then traveled Beyond the Silvered Pane to the City of Terrors to play a game of Sorcerer's Solitaire. Following this, I became a Sword for Hire in the Arena of Khazan, but was able to escape through the Sewers of Oblivion. i then sailed upon the Sea of Mystery to the Blue Frog Tavern in the Mistywood, where I met the Gamesmen of Khazan Beyond the Wall of Tears. Amongst them I fell Captif in d'Yvoire, for a sorceress desired The Amulet of Alkti so she could join the Red Circle of magic. I then took a Caravan to Tiern to visit the Dark Temple When the Cat's Away. That's when I joined the Elven Lords on a Rescue mission and ended up here...

Thanks to all that entered :)

For the three above - email me at tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom with your snail mail address so I can get these things out to you. I'm on vacation, so it may not got mailed until early next week.

Free RPG Day 2013 - Cosmic Patrol - The Eiger Agenda (Quick-Start)

I thought this was the same as last years release, but it isn't. So, in theory, you can play at least two adventures in Cosmic Patrol before having to drop cash on the full game. Not a bad deal.

The link to this year's The Eiger Agenda and the link to last year's The Kahn Protocols. Damn covers look the same across the line ;)

Just a Wee Bit of Fiction - "The Contract"

(When +Tim Shorts told me that he and a few others were to putting together an anthology of Appendix N short fiction, I was sold. Right away my mind started churning. Below is the initial results of that churning. Just a simple scene thus far. No rewrites or editing yet - pure simple thoughts. Oh, and i find it difficult to tell stories without elements of humor, dark or otherwise. I'm a much better storyteller than i am a writer - Erik)

Skkkkttttttt!

The dwarf pulled a stone across his axe blade, then tested the edge with a finger.

Skkkkttttttt!

Another trip for the stone across the edge.

“Will you stop with the sharpening? It’s the same every night, and except for the rabbit I killed with my sling we haven’t encountered anything in this damn forest!”

Looking up from his axe, the dwarf slowly put the stone to the side. He looked at the young human, face pocked with acne, and reminded himself he was dealing with youth yet unspoiled by things left best unspoken in the world beyond.

“Lad, I’m here for me blade. Val...” he paused to spit as he always did when he called the sorcerer by name, even if he was getting to like the weird coot, “he hired you for your hands and eyes. When we get to the tower midday on the morrow, my blade will keep you alive as your eyes find the traps and your hands do what ever they need to grant us safe passage. This blade needs to be sharper than your eyes if you want to come out again.”

“Yeah, yeah! Whatever! No one told me it would be nearly a week in the wilds, sleeping on bare ground just so I could earn a full share of the treasure. This is not what I signed up for!”

“Actually” said a voice that seemed at first to come from everywhere and nowhere, “you signed a contract. You said you could read. I even had you initial each section.” Val The Sorcerer (because he wore the wardrobe of a sorcerer right down to the funny hat) approached the discussion.

Reaching into his robe he pulled out a handful of parchments, shuffled them a bit and then started reading from one.

“'I, Meagenbrand Osworth the Third, have read the above Guild Contract and agree to the terms stated herein.’ Then you signed it. Damn signature ran right into the paragraph above. So, you did read it, right Meg? You wouldn’t have just signed the silly thing without reading, because the trip, lack of accommodations, responsibility for supplying your own bedroll and rations, it was all there. Tenkar even scratched his X as witness.”

The dwarf grunted in agreement.

Meg kicked at the dirt absently with the toe of his boot.

“Val, it was two pages long. How was I to read all that and decide right then and there?”

Tenkar looked up at the youth. “Lad, you do realize that me and the sorcerer get two shares each to your one, right? ‘Tis in the contract...”

The Ogress of Anubis (Free OSR Adventure)

Here's a free Egyptian themed adventure for character levels 4 to 6 - The Ogress of Anubis.

And you know what? Even if the adventure is hard for you to slip into an ongoing campaign, it includes a series of unkeyed tomb, cave and even a sunken city map.

(Actually, it may fit well with a few tweaks into a DCC RPG campaign)

The price is free, the maps are decent - what are you waiting for?

From the blurb:

An Egyptian-themed Adventure w/ Sandbox Support
for character levels 4-6, to use with 0e/1e/BX and compatible retro-clones

Azeneth believed the life of the high priest (or priestess) should be as comfortable as that of the kings and the gods. She spoke her contempt for her father’s “weakness” loudly and publicly, almost from the time she learned to talk. As she neared her teens, she made it known her plan was to supplant her father and become high priestess of the temple, sometimes claiming it was her place as the incarnation of the goddess Nekhbet.

Many say Azeneth has the power to command serpents, and it was she who sent the asp that killed her father Kemosiri. Regardless, she siezed her position as high priestess of the temple and set about her accumulation of power and wealth.

Recently, children from the villages around the temple have begun to disappear. Rumors abound that Azeneth is sacrificing them and cannibalizing them because she believes this will make her wealthier, more powerful, and more divine. The people of the villages have begun to refer to Azeneth as the “ogress of Anubis”—believing it was Anubis himself that made this woman mad, and commanded her to consume the children she sacrifices.

Someone must end this reign of fear and terror, and try to return the children alive—if it is in the will of the gods.

Includes the following: information for adapting to different OSR rules editions; adventure background; regional overview (small map + info on villages and wandering monsters); information on the temple compound and its vicinity (including wandering monsters); a detailed map of the temple compound; a 4-page detailed encounter key for the temple compound; new monster (animal mummy w/ 7 variants, statted for Oe/BX/1e); "generic" stats for all monsters and NPCs mentioned in the adventure; 12 pre-generated NPCs w/ details; 10 adventure seeds (for continuing adventures in the area); and 8 additional unkeyed maps (7 tombs, 2 caves, 1 sunken city) for use with the adventure seeds.

Pulp Mill Press is Looking For "Appendix N" Styled Short Fiction Submissions

+Tim Shorts from the Gothridge Manor blog and a few others have gotten together to form Pulp Mill Press with the intention of publishing Appendix N flavored anthologies of short stories.

How f'n cool is that?

Here's the official announcement:

As of today, Boric G of the Dwarven Stronghold, Ken Harrison of The Rusty Battle Axe, Sean Robson of Tales from the Flaming Faggot and myself have formed Pulp Mill Press. 

We are announcing that Pulp Mill Press is putting a fiction anthology together, short stories in the tradition of Appendix N, called Libram Mysterum.  

We are looking for short stories with interesting characters and innovative plots.  If you are interested in submitting a story please read the guidelines first.  While all of us are very excited about the project, it is a lot of work, and following the guidelines will help streamline the process.

Hell, Tim gave me the heads up last night and I started a little piece. Not sure if it's the piece I will stick with, but I've got the thoughts sloshing around my head now ;) 

Mini Review - Dungeon Crawl Classics #73 - Emirikol Was Framed! (DCC RPG)

Emirikol Was Framed! has probably the most awesome trap I've ever read in an adventure. Sadly, it plays out better at the table then it does on G+ Hangouts, but that doesn't take away from the rest of this awesome adventure.

It's an adventure for six 4th level characters and it seems to have situations where each of the core classes can use their skills / abilities / shine, so a well rounded party would be the best bet (but isn't it always?)

I like adventures that kick off with the action, and Emirikol Was Framed! does such right at the start. It's an awesome way to get the PCs involved in the story and may even give them desire for a little payback down the line a bit.

Totally as a side note, but I'm learning to really appreciate having adventures in PDF format when I run games via Hangouts. I can extract the maps and reveal them slowly via Fog of War and i can extract the relevant art and treat it like player handouts when appropriate. Needless to say, the adventure's art is suitable for use as player handouts.

The meat of the adventure is some of the most atmospheric - is that even the right word? interesting? challenging? evokative? - whatever - full of shit I'd love to run or be run through. If it plays half as well as it reads, this is one of the better adventures I've come across in my years of gaming. Again, the art reinforces the written word perfectly. It's just damn good stuff.

And then your get to the finale and Michael Curtis take it to 11. It certainly ends on a most epic note. Wow.

All that and a new spell too.

When I get to the end of the week, I may find myself convincing my group o go through some DCC adventures...

From the blurb:

The mad wizard Emirikol is terrifying the city! Striking without reason and sending his winged apes to slaughter the populace, the famous archmage has gone too far. Now a coffer of jewels is offered to those who would dare defeat him. The ever-changing walls of his Shifting Tower are guarded by a host of diabolical traps, fiendish guardians, and unimaginable terror. Will your adventurers come out victorious…or lose their very souls in the attempt?

DCC RPG Week at the Tavern!

I have a crapload of reviews to get to during my week of vacation, and I think at least half if not ore will be for the DCC RPG. In addition to that, I expect to be announcing a DCC RPG Contest later on this week, with a number of Print DCC Adventures up for grabs as well as possibly some PDF copies. Always fun times :)

The adventures in the review hopper are:

DCC # 69 - The Emerald Enchanter

DCC # 73 - Emirikol Was Framed!

DCC # 75 - The Sea Queen Escapes

DCC Free RPG Day 2012

A Gathering of the Marked (Purple Sorcerer)

Tomb of Curses (Dragon Hoard)

The Witch of Wydfield (Brave Halfling)

The Treacherous Cobtraps (Brave Halfling)

and possibly one or two others that are due to release this week from another publisher

See, vacation is a good thing ;)

Mini Review - Pulp Weird Encounters Issue #1 - Tomb of The Squonk & The Silent Army (DCC RPG Adventures)

I wasn't kidding when i said I have a lot of review coming up this week, and the bulk will be for the DCC RPG. You have been warned ;)

Pulp Weird Encounters Issue #1 is actually two mini-adventures. Tomb of the Squonk by +Daniel Bishop  (whose work on DCC RPG Adventures I've praised often in the past) and The Silent Army  by Charlie Scott (I don't believe I'm familiar with his earlier work).

Presentation-wise it fits in well with the other 3rd party DCC RPG publishers. The font used and the layout feel familiar and the maps are well done with that quasi 3d look that's common with DCC RPG maps.

Both Tomb of the Squonk and The Silent Army are short adventures. They would probably work best as short interludes between full fledged adventures.

Tomb of the Squonk is a death trap. A well presented death trap, but a death trap none the less. If your party lacks a thief, you will soon be lacking in a party ;) Most of the traps shouldn't take an observant party by surprise, but the ones that do? Ouch! It reminds me in some ways of a modern Tomb of Horrors, which is most certainly a compliment. I suspect it would play out in a short session, assuming the party makes it to the end. Tomb of the Squonk is for 4-6 3rd level adventurers.

The Silent Army is not a death trap, but it can be deadly. It requires some puzzle solving of sorts, but that's more in the line of figuring out what's going on that anything else. It's written for a party of 1st - 3rd level adventurers. Combined with Tomb of Squonk you probably have a night of adventuring.

From the blurb:

The Pulp Weird Encounter Series comprises DCC RPG Adventures inspired by the weird pulp fantasy of the 60's and 70's.

Issue #1 introduces you to the Tomb of the Squonk and The Silent Army. 

Tomb of the Squonk: A hideous creature pleads for you to restore his human form in a weird twist on a fairy tale conceit.

The Silent Army: Something in the woods has ensorcelled the men of a woodcutters village. They stand silent and foreboding, watching and waiting for something. What did they see, and can you avoid the same fate?

AD&D is Like The Amber Series - All Games Exist as Shadows of the "One"

Last night I had a fucking blast playing AD&D. We started with G1 and it was probably the most fun I've had as a player in ages. AD&D is like an old glove. Still, I don't think I've ever played it exactly the same way with any two different groups over the last 30+ years. If AD&D is the definition of the OSR as some may say, apparently we still can't agree on the particulars.

Why do I say that? Because most house rulings remove rules from the game and others add new ones, and it's been so since I first encountered AD&D back in the early 80's.

This is what was removed from the rules / added to the rules:

Spell components - ignored
Segments - for spells - ignored
Tied initiative (this would lead to a reroll) - new rule
Weapon Speed Factor - ignored
Weapon Armor Class Adjustment - ignored
Character / Opponents with multi attacks rolled all their attacks on their initiative - new rule
The whole initiative chart on page 61 of the DMG was pretty much hand waved

I'm sure there are other aspects that I've hand waved for decades and didn't notice were removed / added. Most of what I listed above is how I run my games for the most part, so it seems very familiar.

Actually, the above comes pretty close to the restating of AD&D via the OSRIC rules. Does that make OSRIC the definition of the OSR?

I think at times we fail to see the bigger picture. The OSR isn't a set of rules or multiple sets of rules. It's a style of play that harkens back to the early days of D&D and AD&D. Even back then, the particulars of that play varied from table to table, house rules to house rules, but they were all playing "D&D". Truth to tell, I have never played in a session of AD&D that was "by the book", not even at Gen Con in the early 90's in tournament play.

If you are playing "D&D" in a manner that evokes the same response and memories of gaming in the early days of the hobby, I suspect you are gaming in the OSR.

DCC RPG On the Cheap - Be a Player With Little or No Out of Pocket

If you are an OSR gamer like I am, you like your RPGs inexpensive, at least on initial investment.  Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, LotFP Weird Fantasy BFRPG and many others have free PDFs available of their core rules and higher end PDFs as well as print versions.

I like the idea of free or inexpensive initial buy ins for RPGs, especially when one's group plays via Hangouts and the like. It's not like you can pass around a copy of the rules at the table when your players are in two different time zones (let alone two different countries).

DCC RPG is $40 for the regular edition in print and $60 for the limited edition cover and $25 in PDF. That's a significant investment for a group of 7 if all need their own copy, especially when the game might not strike the same chords for the members of the group (it happens). Who wants to pay $25 or more for a game they may only play once or twice?

Here's some resources for players to check out and even play DCC RPG on the cheap (the GM / Judge will need a full copy of the rules):

DCC RPG Quickstart - enough to generate characters for a funnel but little more.

DCC RPG Beta - much closer to the full DCC RPG than the Quickstart (and more useful), but there are some changes, large and small. Probably enough there to generate PCs, so long as everything is cross checked against the full release of DCC.

DCC Resources Page - this is where you find the DCC Reference Sheets, which includes pretty much all the charts a player needs but the spell sheets. With these sheets, one should be able to play a non spell caster without cracking open the book (once you know your class abilities - that's what the DCC Beta is for). Oh, almost forgot - not only are there character sheets here, but many of the spells have been reformatted to fit on a single sheet of paper. Not much here for clerics, but for a low level magic-user or elf, it's golden. Oh, and it's free.

DCC RPG Character Generator - for those days your really need a quick gaggle of zero level humps ;)

Spell Record Sheet - because your spells are personalized in the DCC RPG

The Crawler's Companion - Charts, Spells, Funky dice - it's all here (web, phone and tablet varieties)

One Page Chart For All of Your Zero level Adventuring Needs - Mostly ;)

Thief Skill Reference Sheet - for your thief skills - doh!

With the above and a Judge who has a copy of the DCC RPG in hand, you should be able to get a party though a few early sessions and let the party decide for themselves if it's a game worthy of continuing (and investing in).

(if i'm missing anything, let me know and I'll add it above)

Why Do I Like the DCC RPG?

I've been asked this question a bit recently and decided it needed an answer. The answer isn't an obvious one.

Believe it or not, it's not for the art. I love the art, but that's not what makes the game so special.

It's not even for the awesome maps in the adventures, many of which I'd like to have in a "suitable for framing" print. I've said this part before, haven't I?

It's not the never ending spell charts. I'm not a lover of endless charts. Ever.

It certainly isn't because of a book suitable for stopping bullets and caving in heads. I prefer my gaming books thin and svelte.

Why do I like the DCC RPG despite the above?

Because it recaptures the magic and excitement from my early days of gaming, which isn't easy to do. Hell, if I knew how Goodman did it, I'd actually make some money off of my hobby ;)

Swords & Wizardry Complete captures the feel of how my group played AD&D in my high school and college years and fits like a prefect glove.

Dungeon Crawl Classics captures the magic I felt when first learning to play AD&D. DCC most certainly isn't AD&D and doesn't try to mirror the system, but somehow has found a way to extract the magic of those early days for me.

The DCC adventures keep that magic rolling, and I suspect they would keep much of that magic even were I to convert them to S&W.

Maybe I need to houserule a DCC / S&W Hybrid ;)

Mini Review - The Vile Worm (DCC Adventure)

The Vile Worm is the second in a series of adventures to be published under the Appendix N Adventure Toolkit banner. Like it's predecessor, The Ruins of Ramat, it's digest sized and clocks in at 12 pages.

Physically (as I'm holding the dead tree version as I write this) it's impressive for the $5.95 price tag. The cover, which is removable, hold the adventure's map on the inside. While not as exciting to look at as it's predecessor, it's still a pleasant map with accompanying art. Two player's handouts on card stock round out the package.

How is the adventure itself?

Lackluster. Six rooms and not much to encounter. The Ruins of Ramat squeezed a lot of gameplay into those 12 pages. The Vile Worm, not so much. If you have a short session (2 hrs or so) and need a short adventure, this would fill the bill, but I can't recommend The Vile Worm over The Ruins of Ramat all things being equal.

$5.95 in dead tree (dead tree + PDF subscription for $26.00), $2.95 in PDF.

Tonight I Get to Play Some AD&D For the First Time in 20 Years (By "Play" I Mean as a Player)

My most frequent role in my gaming groups is the GM. It's been like that pretty much since I started gaming back around 1980 / 81.

The times I was a player, it was rarely AD&D. For some reason, others would run Rifts or Battlelords or whatever, but AD&D was my realm to run. No one else wanted to step up, and most of what we played was AD&D.

My last AD&D session was at Gencon, back in 1993 or so.

Tonight, +Joe D is running G1 for our group and I'll be using one of the pregens from the back of the module, and I'm going to game like it's 1993 again.

Review - Monsters & Magic - Part 3 - Taking Action and Refocusing

Actions are, not all that surprisingly, the things you can do whose success or failure comes down to an "Action Check".

So, what does it cover?

Melee attacks, spell casting, finding hidden things (this is your secret door check), non magical healing, hiding and moving silently, helping or hindering another character's action check, intimidation, making camp (this kinda falls into the "why" category, but whatever), making a "touch attack" (formerly known as "hitting AC 10"), persuasion, picking pockets, terrifying someone (wouldn't this fall along the lines of intimidate?), traversing the wilderness (what, no tracking?), tripping an opponent and shooting a bow are examples.

The above come with a short paragraph with examples suggesting the stat you would use to resolve the check. I'm kinda surprised that find / remove traps and picking locks weren't listed examples, as they are certainly more prevalent in "Old School" play than "making camp".

In any case, class abilities, combat situations and situations that might otherwise fall under a general "DM Fiat" ruling get wrapped up nice and neat into the Actions that PCs can make. I've participated in conversations / discussions / rants about DM Fiat in the past, but to summarize my thoughts on it, I think it's one of the things that defines "Old School Play".

Which brings up something that I think needs to be pointed out. Monsters & Magic is not an "emulator" of "Old School Play". You are not going to use M&M to game with the expectation of a 0e experience. This isn't a way to install Windows on your Macbook.

Instead, Monsters & Magic is more like a "translator" of sorts. You get to play your classic adventures in a "New School Environment" with minimal fuss. It's a different experience. It's closer to using Pages in an OSX environment to manipulate a Word document. Maybe not a prefect example, but it helps.

This means I need to do a 180 on my approach to M&M, which had been "how well does M&M evoke 'Old School Play' with modern play additions". Instead, I need to look at "how well does M&M translate 'Old School Adventures' to a modern play system". Two very different questions, and part of the reason for the length of time between the 2nd and 3rd parts of this review as I struggled to redefine my focus.

It's not that Monsters & Magic isn't up front with the intention of being a translator and not an emulator, but the presentation and trappings are certainly old school in nature even if the system isn't.

I'm not sure I'd still refer to it as "New Wave OSR" as I dig deeper, as the Old School is in the translation and not the play. I'm impressed with what I see so far, and as a tool to bring some classic adventuring to players on the modern "storytelling" type of RPG it seems to be on the money. The play will be different, but those coming from outside the OSR probably will never notice the difference ;)

I'll probably hit on "Effects Points" in the next part.

A Hollow Earth Expedition Kickstarter Hits on July 1st - Revelations of Mars

I think I've mentioned before that I've really had a difficult time wrapping my head around the Savage Worlds ruleset. No idea why. I've heard it's simple enough and I own multiple versions of it (and would love to run or play in some Solomon Kane at some point) but it has never "clicked" for me.

The Ubiquity system as first seen (as far as I know) in the Hollow Earth Expedition RPG is about to get some more visibility - on July 1st the Hollow Earth Expeditions: Revelations of Mars lands on Kickstarter.

If you haven't noticed yet, I'm on a bit of a Kickstarter diet - lots of cash tied up in extremely overdue projects. Still, this is one I'll be keeping an eye on, as I am a lot closer to grocking Ubiquity than I am Savage Worlds and I do like the setting of HEX.

There's Little Better Than a Week of Vacation - Except Maybe Reading Zine Submissions Over Vacation.

Well, except maybe two weeks :)

I'm on vacation for until the 8th of July. The plan to head to the Poconos for the first half of the vacation has now changed to the second half of vacation, as my beautiful wife was unable to get off the 1st and the 2nd but has off from the 3rd.

Still, plenty of time for reading, reviewing and hopefully looking over some more zine submissions to Unofficial OSR. You still have more than a month to get your submissions in, but the sooner is always the better so I can guesstimate the number of pages we'll be running at. Fun times. Send you thoughts, questions, ideas, etc to tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom

Hey, being home on Tuesday means I'll be around for my Reaper Bones delivery! Rockin!

Looking Back at the DCC Beta (and Forward too)

I just re-downloaded the DCC RPG Beta rules from the Goodman Games website and see they are dated June, 2011. Kinda makes sense, as the Goodman Free RPG Day 2011 release was for the DCC RPG and for use with the beta rules.

Holy shit but I was not impressed with the beta rules. I'm not 100% sure why that is, but I do remember my disappointment with the funny (funnier?) dice and the idea of the character funnel did not sit well with me.

Oh yeah. The charts. Overwhelming at the time.

Strange how I like the total package these days. Heck, preordered the rules when preorders opened even though I didn't particularly like the DCC Beta, mostly because I trusted Goodman to put out a good game. He did. The DCC RPG is a good game. Damn shame I'll probably never get my regular group to play it.

Why?

The size of the rulebook.

They would probably be fine with it after playing a session or two. The DCC RPG kinda get's it's teeth in you and you find yourself a convert. I need to get them to the table first, and convincing the others to invest the time (50 bucks now) and time in this tome is a hard sell. Especially to OSR players who are used to the try and then buy method.

So, I was thinking of directing them to the DCC BRPG Beta download, but I know the game has strayed from the beta a bit. Experience points is the one thing that sticks out mostly to me but I know there are other parts that changed. Did anyone ever put together a document that explains the changes?

I wonder how useful it would be to update the beta to the final rules, so less a beta and more of an introduction to the rules. It might be too labor intensive, but if not, it may be a great way to expand the DCC RPG player base. If you are going to do it, now is the time, before "Next" becomes the next big thing - or not ;)

(what is it with "summer" and DCC for me? heh)

Mini Review - Crawl! #7 (DCC RPG)

I misplaced Crawl! #7 after it was delivered without reading it. Actually, for a while I was doubting that I even ordered it. I found it yesterday :)

Dak continues to do a fine job with Crawl! and I really like the fact that much of this issue is easily transportable to other fantasy RPGs with little if any conversion if needed. Don't believe me?

Kirin Robinson's "Lost in Endless Corridors" is an article about using mazes to drive your PCs crazy. Stat free and good with any RPG system.

"Roguelike Fountains" by Thom Hall is about, you guessed it - magic fountains. Some parts of the tables may need minimal conversion, but there is a lot to like here for any OSR game. A d30 would help, but that's the first weird ass die I owned way before the DCC RPG ;)

"Consider the Ogre" by Sean Ellis is an article about making Ogres "fresh and mysterious". It's an awesome article and nearly worth the price of admission on it's own. Works with any OSR system

Jeffrey Tadlock gives us "Critical Table T: Traps". Use it for inspiration and you can simply pick and chose what works in your game without conversion. I'd use the crit table in place of the regular trap damage in a game like S&W just for the flavor. Probably more valuable for DCC referees.

"Shadowsword of Ith-Narmant" by Jurgen Mayer is a sword with awesome flavor, lots of power and one hell of a price to pay. It would work very well in a LotFP Weird Fantasy campaign with some conversion from the DCC RPG specific mechanics.

"My Gongfarmer Can't Do Shit!" by Paul Wolf is a one page article on how to make your zero-level profession useful in later levels. Pretty system specific in nature.

Crawl! is consistently one of the highest quality zines being published these days and it's available in digest sized print and PDF for the unbeatable prices of $3.95 shipped in digest size and $2.95 in instant gratification PDF.

You owe yourself an issue of Crawl! no matter what RPG system you play.

New DCC RPG Podcast - Spellburn

Consider me very pleasantly surprised with the Spellburn podcast. There are 3 episodes out and I've listened to 2 1/2. It's just damn fun to listen to and I listen to a wide range of gaming podcasts.

Yeah, they do the same damn stichk as the others on the same network - "This is DM Dip and I'm DM Stick" but they use the "ref" term from the DCC RPG and then seem to forget it, which is good.

Why is it good? Because they sound like a bunch of knowledgeable guys talking about the hobby they enjoy and aren't going out of their way to impress. They sound real, both in their manner of talking and in their enjoyment of the DCC RPG. I suspect it's a fine listen even if you don't play the DCC RPG, although you might be tempted to after listening for a while.

Now, can they keep that realness going without turning into voices reminiscent of minor market radio personalities? I hope so ;)

Kickstarter Question - Why Does it Seem That For Every Kevin Crawford There's a Half Dozen "Nystuls" Looking For an Easy Score?

Alright, maybe a half dozen "Nystuls" is an exaggeration.

Still, while most RPG Kickstarters fall into the realm of "terminably late", the severe fuck ups like Nystul greatly outnumber the +Kevin Crawford s of the Kickstarting world.

Shit, I'm still waiting on my Myth & Magic Player's Guide - maybe we need to send someone to the Boston area to bid on the storage unit the books are supposedly in - because it's been over two months since the last update and those books are still sitting somewhere - then again, we've only seen pics of a single book.

Far West, Quantum RPG, Axes & Anvils, Infinite Dungeon... fucking sad state of affairs.

Notice how few new Kickstarters I talk about these days? I don't kick in to the very end if I even do. Too much tied up in projects that are spinning their wheels.

But Mike is special - Oh For Three!

Mike Nystul the Fiscally Incompetent Washes Himself Clean of Yet More Responsibility - Passing the Buck on Cairn

Lets see. Mike ran out of money (which was probably shortly after he received the Kickstarter funds which were spent on his own personal fantasy - Castle Nystul - and a pointless Dwarf Con) without producing anything for his three Kickstarters (oh, almost forgot his scamming through Indiegogo after the fact).

At best, Mike is a foolish, incompetent, idiot that should never be allowed near adult responsibilities again. At worst, he's a thief.

Mike's found a sucker partner to take responsibility of The Infinite Dungeon. Mike claims to be getting the mini rewards together, but the last update was a month ago. Don't expect much from Mike's side of this.

Two weeks ago Mike promised a playable PDF of the Axes & Anvils game. It isn't here yet and again, don't expect physical rewards. The money was spent on staff for the company that can't complete a product.

Today's announcement is for Cairn. This is where I tapped out on Mike, as it was his third Kickstarter with nothing in hand and warning bells went off in my head. Guess what? He has signed over the property to a third party that will complete the project and will offer it in print to backers (just pay shipping & handling) but the Kickstarter promises and stretch goals all remain with Mike.

Is it better than getting nothing? Sure. Is Mike still a fuck up that lived up to his namesake spell in AD&D 1e? You tell me.

Oh, here's part of his Risks and Challenges part of the Cairn Kickstarter. Talk about lying through your teeth:

We have the game in hand being edited even as we speak. The art is mostly blocked out and is being inked. The cover is done, layout has been designed and we are all set to put the thing together as soon as it looks like we have the backing we need.

Here's today's Cairn update:

Dear Cairn Backers, 

Real, substantial news has been a long time coming. I hope here to clear up a little of the confusion around the Cairn Kickstarter, let you know what’s going on, and what’s coming up next. 

First, this is not Mike from Castle Nystul. I am Ross A. Isaacs; some of you may remember me from a previous update. I have freelanced for Chaosium Inc., Holistic Game Design, White Wolf, and AEG, and I’ve been employed as a full-time employee at Last Unicorn Games and Decipher. I am a seasoned professional with a proven track record for producing quality game products. 

My involvement with Cairn, up until this point, was as a freelance writer and editor. I joined the project in 2012 because I truly felt it was a wonderful game in a unique setting, and brought something new, fresh, and charming to the tabletop gaming world. 

When Castle Nystul announced that all of the capital from their three Kickstarters (Axes & Anvils, Nystul’s Infinite Dungeon, and Cairn) had been exhausted, I was as surprised as you. All three projects were effectively on hold, waiting on whatever solution Castle Nystul could craft, which could mean potentially months (or even years) until new funding could be secured. 

Mike was looking for a solution. I decided to step up and do something. Which is why I’m writing to you today. 

Cairn is a wonderful title with a great deal of potential, into which the writers and contributors have poured a great deal of themselves. It’s a truly delightful family-oriented game. It’s a game that you’ll be happy to play with your kids. 

You want the game. I believe it deserves to be out there. So I’m going to make that happen. 

When it became clear that the Cairn rights were available, I approached Mike about transferring the intellectual property -- the writing, artwork, and any future Cairn projects. He agreed, and we’ve negotiated a settlement. The Cairn title is in capable hands and hopefully my industry pedigree reassures you in that regard. 

I am forming a small, independent game publishing company with help from a few of my friends. 

The Bad News 

You might have read a few things in various places, or been told the status of the project outright. I’d like to draw a line in the sand and look forward, not backwards.
We had a version Mike was considering publishing in his rush to get something out. But the work stopped when the money ran out and the net result is not something I am comfortable bringing to market. Moreover, key elements were left on the cutting room floor and two chapters have yet to be written. The book is not finished nor is it in layout. 

All of the funds raised by Castle Nystul’s three Kickstarters is gone. Getting Cairn into print will be at my own expense. As I am sure you will agree, this is quite the financial undertaking. I hope you will understand that any promises made by Castle Nystul during the crowd-funding process remain with Castle Nystul. This means that no other perks can come from my company. I simply do not have the money to cover the production costs for the plushies, the miniatures, the storybook, the hardcover Cairn rules, and so on. 

I am taking on the Cairn IP and future publishing rights. I am not taking on the responsibilities of the Cairn Kickstarter.  (emphasis mine)

But There’s Good News… 

I’ve got a large personal investment in this that is about to get even larger. I have good friends and family who have invested in the project. You paid Castle Nystul for a copy of Cairn. I want to make that happen. Call me “old fashioned” but I believe this is just the right thing to do. 

I am therefore offering all of Castle Nystul’s backers a FREE copy of Cairn from the first print run. I will have to ask you for shipping, but I assure you that it will be for whatever I have to pay to get the book in your hands. And I’ll be offering pickup of your copy from future conventions where Cairn has a presence (wherever possible). More details on this to come. 

I understand that you might not be happy with this. You’ve already paid money, and gotten nothing for it. All I can do is get you the roleplaying game you were promised. It’s the best I can do. 

If you want your FREE copy of Cairn, please email souljar.info@gmail.com
What Happens Now?  

To the beginning of August, I will be finalizing Cairn writing and artwork. Layout is slated to begin on the third week of August. 

In mid-September, the layout should be done. I will provide you with a PDF at this time. The book goes to the printer. 

Printing should be done by the third week in October. 

Any Cairn backer who wishes to get a FREE copy (plus shipping & handling) will be sent their book at the end of October. 

If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. I will address your concerns as openly and honestly as I can. From now on, please visit http://www.souljar-games.blogspot.com/for further updates and information on the Cairn RPG. Thank you. 

Ross A. Isaacs

Ross, God bless you for taking part of this project over but I'm glad I don't have to pay shipping for something that was already paid for.

Games From the Basement - Space 1889

Strangely enough, I don't think I ever really read the rules to Space 1889, let alone ever tried to get my group to play it. Heck, it's not like the John Carter books were on my list of things to read - knew about them and had no interest at all.

Why I spent 30 bucks on this in the late 80's I really have no idea. 25 years on the bookshelf and I looks like I just bought it.

Maybe I should read it some time (there's a recent Savage Worlds adaptation of this if I recall correctly)

Timothy Brown to Release "Spiritual Successor" to Dark Sun - Dragon Kings

You know what?

I wish there was more to this press release than is given, as I enjoyed Dark Sun back in my 2e days and I'd love to see what Tim Brown has in store:

Hello, I’m Timothy Brown. 

I’ve made games for many years, including the Dark Sun universe, the science-fiction setting 2300AD, and most recently the End of Nations computer game. 

I’m also a musician. I’ve played with a number of bands, including Head East (if you’re an old classic rock fan, you’ll remember them). I’m a big Rush fan, too, and I always wanted to make my own 2112. 

I’m creating a new role-playing game universe that I want to conceive in fiction, art, and music all at the same time. I’m calling it Dragon Kings, and it will be my ‘spiritual successor’ to the fantasy setting Dark Sun. 

Khitus, the World of the Dragon Kings

Right now I believe that will include: 

· A progressive rock CD
· An art-intensive ‘album’ or ‘concert’ style book that expands heavily on each song (with lyrics, more stories, maps, specific art, etc.)
· A hardbound game book 

That’s the plan! 

Watch this space. I’ll be putting up ideas and art, even scratch tracks and finished songs as we go along. I’m recruiting a lot of old friends to contribute, and some really talented people who I’m working with for the first time, too. 

It’s going to be a journey, kind of an adventure in itself, and while I have all the basic concepts designed now there’s still a long way to go. 

The collaboration with other talented people is just beginning, and those aspects of the world are starting to take shape. I’ll tell you one thing: I haven’t had this much fun in years! I think you’ll enjoy it, too, and look forward to sharing it with you as it comes to life! 

Timothy Brown
May 2013

If you enjoyed Dark Sun, you’ll enjoy Dragon Kings, as well.

I'd like to know if this is going to be a new system, OGL based or some other type of ruleset.

Not so interested in the progressive rock album, but ya never know.

Tunnels & Trolls Contest Time - Signed, Limited Edition T&T 1e Reprint With Typo to be Given Away

Take a close look at the cover of this Tunnels & Trolls 1e Reprint and you'll notice a typo. There are only 10 such copies in existence and thanks to the generosity of +Jason Paul McCartan I have two such copies. One is personalized to me by the great +Ken St. Andre (that's mine) and the other is signed with a note from Ken.

That second one is the one I'm giving away.

What do you need to do to one this rare piece of Tunnels & Trolls memorabilia?

Simply tell us why YOU deserve it. Be entertaining. Make it fun, as that is certainly what T&T is.

I'll leave this post's comment section open for your entries until midnight, Friday June 28th, 2013.

At that point, Jason and I will decide on the winner (shared responsibility Jason). I may have something or other in my collection for a runner up - I need to check the prize closet ;)

How Important is Art in an RPG Product?

Yeah, I know this is a very individual taste type of question, but then most opinion questions are.

When I look at released from Godman Games or LotFP, one of the things that really stands out is the art. It's not just good or damn good, frequently it's of the "holy shit I want a print of this to fram and hang on my wall" type of quality.

Good art isn't cheap. Well, it can be, but not if you are paying something close to what it is worth. Art will certainly effect the bottom line of a product.

So, when it comes to art in the RPG products you by, how importnat is it to you compared to the rest of the product?

Thoughts on a DCC RPG "Basic Box"

The DCC RPG rulebook is "friggin' 'uge!" Hell, it's damn near intimidating.

The reality is much of that size is due to the numerous spell charts, but until you open the book up you might not realize that.

I think the DCC RPG might be well served by a "Basic Box" or "Basic Set".

Levels 0-2 only.

A small, handpicked selection of spells.

Humans only to keep the class selection simple.

A zero level funnel, two short first level adventures and a short second level adventure - just enough to entice players to move on the the full rulebook.

Everyone knows boxed sets look nice on store shelves, and if the funky dice were included it really would be a complete introduction to the DCC Game.

Hey, a man can dream, can't he?

It's a better option in my opinion to putting out the core book with a new cover every 6 to 9 months...

I Love the OSR Extremes - Swords & Wizardry and Dungeon Crawl Classics

I almost went with "like", but I like nearly all of the systems in the OSR realm of gaming. I fucking love S&W and the DCC RPG, and they seem like such polar opposites.

S&W is concise and simple and if it weren't for spells could probably be run with just the adventure in hand after the DM has a few sessions under his belt. It feels very close to AD&D 1e as we played it back in the day, especially when you add in the classes from S&W Complete (and maybe houserule the stat adjustments just a wee bit).

The DCC RPG is almost nothing like my AD&D 1e of old, and yet it evokes much of the same magic and excitement of my early days of roleplaying. Every spell is something new and exciting. Fighters with their Might Deeds can push things beyond anything I could have accomplished in my days of old. Magic-Users are truly magical. The book can be intimidating, but so was the AD&D 1e DMG.

And then there is the DCC RPG art. Holy fucking shit, the only other publisher that even comes close is LotFP. I love the art because it reminds me of the awesome art I saw as a teenager in the Player's Handbook.

So, what do I run on a mostly weekly basis? AD&D 1e / OSRIC. Notice that both of the systems I mentioned evoke feelings of AD&D 1e for me?

Coincidence? I think not :)

ConTessa Video Panel: WTF is the OSR?

I had no idea this panel was going on last night or I would have watched live and annoyed the panel with questions and comments like I did with the Marketing Your Game panel.

It's an interesting video to watch and in a way I'm happy to see no one can really agree what the OSR encompasses. I like a little anarchy in my OSR ;)

There were shouts out / mentions / praise of folks like +matt jackson , +Stuart Robertson and +James Raggi to name a few (much praise for the Referee Book for LotFP Weird Fantasy, ans I've been praising that for years it seems).

Nicely done all :)

What Are the Best Judges Guild Products?

Serious question.

I have a handful of Judges Guild stuff in print (Rat on a Stick, some RQ stuff, a EotPT adventure) and I'm now checking out the Wilderlands in PDF.

What's the stuff I should be setting my sights on?

Would You Believe I Never Owned The Wilderlands of High Fantasy From Judges Guild...

I have the 3e boxed set of the Wilderlands that was released by Necromancer and I have a handful of Judges Guld Products, but I never owned the originals.

I still don't, but I just grabbed the map pack in PDF for $10 off of RPGNow and I think I've found a new love.

Current game plan is to snag stuff in PDF from RPGNow first, then decide if I should hunt for certain items on Ebay.

I need to buy ink for my printer too, as there are like 90 pages worth of maps to print out.

Hell, 3 bucks for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy booklet in PDF? (maps not included) No brainer. I think I'm in trouble...

Mini Review: DCC #74 - Blades Against Death (Level 4 DCC RPG Adventure)

I'm trying hard to get through a huge backlog of reviews and I've noticed I have fallen behind on Goodman Game's latest DCC RPG releases. In part when it comes to the DCC RPG, I haven't had an opportunity to run a session since last fall. Summer is here, and I'm hoping to squeeze in some random DCC RPG as my schedule permits.

First, let me start out by saying that Blades Against Death oozes with atmosphere. It also reminds me that the DCC RPG needs a setting of sorts to place the official adventures in, as they feel disconnected otherwise. Sure, when I started gaming and DMing over 30 years ago, I never had a setting and the players went from adventure to adventure without worrying about the nebulous connections. I'm 30 years older - show me a setting please ;)

On to the adventure. If you're working from the PDF like I am, I don't care if your are reading from your computer screen or a tablet - print out the two maps. Seriously. This applies to most adventures no matter the system, but the maps really help you visualize the accompanying descriptions in Blades Against Death. Of the two maps, the second one is definitely suitable for framing. +Harley Stroh tell Joseph that some of us want to buy these maps as prints suitable for framing.

It takes some mental adjustment on my part to remember that level 4 in the DCC RPG is somewhere around level 8 in other OSR games based on relative power and rate of advancement. The fact that much of the first part of relies on stealth (or at least, the attempt of stealth before it all goes to shit) is something that I'd really enjoy playing through, both as a GM or as a player. Success in most DCC RPG adventures relies upon brains (and luck) as much as it does combat - this is no exception, especially the first half.

That is one of the nice things about this adventure - it feels like two interwoven adventures and you get your monies worth with this one.

Blades Against Death is most certainly a "two nighter" as the first part has it's own climax (assuming the PCs are successful) before they land in more trouble. Actually, the second part has even more atmosphere than the first part. The players have a chance to cheat Death himself, and that's no small task. I am sorely tempted to convert this adventure to OSRIC just to give my players an entertaining side trek from Rappan Athuk. Heck, I could probably do it on the fly if needed. Damn, I'm derailing myself here...

Eh, I'm derailed. The blurb will have to suffice for the rest:

Punjar: wide-eyed madmen stalk the streets pronouncing the end of days, mail-clad priests crush the skulls of heathens underfoot, and timorous virgins are offered up in sacrifice within sooty temples. But even the greatest of shining temples and the strangest of mystery cults don’t dare to challenge the terrifying finality of Death.

Until now. In Blades Against Death, the adventurers cross between the realms of the living and the dead, and wager their souls in a desperate bid to steal a soul from Death’s hoary grasp. To win over the God of Dooms, you must be the most daring, stalwart and cunning and – when all else fails – willing to test your blades against Death!

A mid-level adventure for the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game, Blades against Death offers characters a once in a lifetime escapade. Those that return from the Realms of the Dead will have earned the true title of adventurer, while those that fail will spend eternity in Death’s service.

Games From the Basement - Steve Jackson's MAN to MAN (Fantasy Combat from GURPS)

I remember using this for small unit skirmishes when we only had two or three players show up for a gaming session.

There was more than enough here to get me warmed up for the full GURPS release shortly after I found this. Even though I ran some GURPS Fantasy back in the day, I don't think any of us in the group fully understood the magic system (a problem we also had with sorcery in RQ3)

MAN to MAN even came with free "Cardboard Heroes" Miniature - I still have them in the ziplock in the back of this book.

BattleTech: A Time of War: Quick-Start Rules (Free RPG Day 2013) (Free PDF)

It looks like the Free RPG Day 2013 PDFs are trickling out.

BattleTech: A Time of War: Quick-Start Rules (Free RPG Day 2013) is available over at RPGNow for the price of FREE.

Time to grab my copy...

There is Now an OSR Forum Sub-Section at ENWorld

Now, before anyone goes on about ENWorld in general (I've seen the rants - heck, I've written some of them), this specifically can only help our little corner of the D&D Universe.

Why?

Because unlike other forums such as Dragonsfoot, Knights & Knaves and others that are already preaching to the choir, having a sub-forum for the OSR on ENWorld can only add to the visibility of the OSR. As the D&D Brand transitions from 4e to Next we have an excellent opportunity to showcase the type of gaming the OSR is known for.

I haven't been a big forum guy since I started blogging, but I'll have to change my habits slightly and check on the OSR forum over at ENWorld a few times a week. It's just a shame I didn't notice this before today, as it's been live since May 12th.

(yeah, there are older OSR posts in the OSR Forum, but the actual sub-forum - not just the "tag", went live last month)

Looking For a Bargain Price on "Dyson's Delves" in PDF?

Hell, I have the dead tree version of Dyson's Delves and I'm hankering for the PDF for easy integration of the maps into Roll20 (and I really don't want to write in my dead tree version).

Dyson is working with the Delvers podcast to offer a 25% discount on the Dyson's Delves PDF.

More info at the Delvers Podcast site. While you are there, listen to the podcast. It's the best produced "real play" podcasts I've listend to.

First Look - Shotguns & Saddles (Classic Western OSR RPG)

With Shotguns & Saddles, +David Bezio (he of X-Plorers fame) brings the American Old West genre to the OSR. There are some notable changes to the system most of use are familiar with, which is why I'm making this post a "First Look"and not a mini review (that will come later). I want to look at the core of the system David is presenting in Shotguns & Saddles.

There are 12 attributes in S&S, not the usual 6 (or 7 for the 2e crew). Athletics, Book Learning, Fighting, Frontier, Grit, Horsemanship, Perception, Presence, Shooting, Stealth, Strength, and Quickness. Some of them are obvious reskins of OSR attributes, others aren't. Rolls range from 3-18 which then get converted to a score from -2 to + 2

The Background table adjusts 2 to 4 of these attributes by +1 depending on your roll. A Teacher would get bonuses to Book Learning and Perception while a Railroad Worker would get Frontier, Grit and Strength.

How fast you more is determined by athletics and a high quickness will help with your Defense (kinda like your AC, but as you don't wear armor, it also gets better with leveling).

Hit Die size is determined by you Grit score.

There is even an alignment system, but it is labeled by hat color: White Hat, Brown Hat, and Black Hat. You can probably guess the generalities of how the hat colors are defined.

You also get a randomly determined Special Ability which helps differentiate your PC from the others.

So, much of the above seem familiar enough and I doubt the the transition would be all that hard. I'll review this when I finish my way through the rest of it. I'm really hopeful that converting some Deadlands stuff, at least in a general sense, shouldn't be too hard.

Mini Review - The Ruins of Ramat (DCC RPG Adventure)

I recently received my dead tree copies of the first two Appendix N Toolkits - The Ruins of Ramat and the Vile Worm. With this post I'm taking a look at Adventure Toolkit #1, The Ruins of Ramat.

Right off the bat, I need to mention that the quality of the map is right up there with the best of the Goodman Game DCC RPG Adventure releases. You know how I harp about wanting to frame some of these awesome maps as prints? The copy of The Ruins of Ramat I unwrapped (I'll be giving some away in a contest later this summer) came with two wrap around covers. That means it has two wrap around maps on the inside of the cover. One for use in game, one for me to frame. +John Adams , the Lord does work in mysterious ways sometimes ;)

It also comes with two full page player handout inserts on cardstock. I always enjoy player handouts, so this is very cool. In the PDF version they are easy enough to load up in a application like Roll20 or print out as needed.

Regretfully, the player introduction is cut short, but as it is basically the same hook that's on the back cover of the adventure, it's omission isn't a huge issue. Still, here's the two paragraphs complete from the PDF version (the rear cover also refers to 4 handouts - there are two - the rear cover of the PDF version correctly refers to 2 handouts):

It is mid-spring, the time when the land’s rulers and their men-at-arms go to war with
their neighbors. Nearly every able person is already involved in such conflicts, or helping the remaining militia protect the local village. 

A little girl comes running and crying into the center of the village. When questioned, she sobs that she and her dog were playing just outside of town, by Rose Hill, when a giant,clawed creature came up out of the ground and took her dog. The girl is completely terrified and her dog, which never normally leaves her side, is nowhere to be seen. You and your companions volunteer to look into the matter. (the last few words are the ones cut off)

The adventure itself is relatively tame for a DCC 0-Level funnel. By that, I mean that I'd expect a sufficient number of survivors without the need of mid adventure 0-Level "recruits" ;)

$5.95 for the print version of this a well worth it ($2.95 in PDF).