Mini Review - The Manor # 6 (OSR Zine)

+Tim Shorts has done it again. Well, in this case, +Tim Shorts and esteemed guests.

If you haven't checked out The Manor yet, you should. It's an irregular OSR zine that is easily mined for goodies and goodness. This morning I'm looking at the PDF of Issue # 6 (I have my paper copy coming via snail mail).

The Brothel of Wargumn is written by +matt jackson (who also supplied a map or two). What can I say about a brothel that includes a Lamia, A Succubus, a Vampire and an Annis Hag amongst their "working staff" that hasn't been said already? Actually, I've never seen a brothel that even comes close in any setting. +matt jackson , you're leaving me speechless ;)

The Guard Class is an excellent write up of a fantasy "law enforcement" type of class by +Tim Shorts . Needless to say, I really like it.

Guard Greetings is a random table to be used when the party interacts with the town watch. Parts of it made me chuckle, and I can see myself using this in game.

Getting From Point A to Point B is a series of "puzzle / teleportation rooms" that are presented in matched sets by +Ken H . They remind me in part of the Trap series that Flying Buffalo used to put out. Well done even if not totally my bag. I think I'd need to build an adventure around one of these sets as opposed to finding a place for these in an adventure. Hmmm, actually, building around the rooms might work really well.

In Witches of the Dark Room, +Tim Shorts mixes in a +matt jackson map and art and monsters by Dylan Hartwell. It's got were-spiders and missing children. Tim says it's a low level adventure. I may need to playtest it just to find out where the TPK waterline lies.

Good stuff. I'm especially looking forward to harassing my players with the Guard class.

PDF  $2.50

Print  $4.00

and the Free LotFP PDFs Go To...

It's 740 PM - close enough to 8M, so I'm closing to entries and awarding goodies NOW!

Sixty entries - 4 goodies

A Single, Small Cut goes to frothsof and Craig Jannsen

Death Frost Doom goes to Tony T.

Tower of the Stargazer goes to imredave

email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing if you are listed above and I'll get your codes to you

And Now an Osquip for Today's Earlier Dungeon Map!

+Jim Magnusson posted the above on his blog after seeing +Simon Forster 's excellent map with Osquip tunnels earlier (but I'll post it again for easy reference).

The fuckin' OSR is one amazing community!

Wait a second, that osquip is holding a human head...

must... not... launch... new... contest... before... concluding... current... on... need... beer...

Amazing Mapping by Simon Forster!

Pure mapping awesome by +Simon Forster !

Really, someone needs to use his stuff in some published works.

Just goes to show there are always new ways to do the tried and true.

I need to do some more mapping myself, although mine is more "Amateur Hour at The Tavern" ;)

Mini Review - Pocket-Sized Adventures #3 - Skull Cave (Swords & Wizardry Adventure)

I've been meaning to do this review for the better part of a week. Damn the distractions!

+Jeffrey Tadlock has found a nice niche with his Pocket-Sized Encounters line. They are longer than one sheets or micro adventures and include background for the DM and adventure hooks. It's not that background or hooks are needed, but they add depth that is often lacking in shorter adventure presentations, which can only make the DM's job easier.

Skull Cave has five numbered locations within a small cave complex. Not a huge amount, but there is enough here to make this a decent side quest on the way to a full sized adventure. The final encounter is worth the price of admission (new monster too)

Interestingly enough, Jeffery gives us a Lair Treasure Table which is to be used to generate the treasure for the final encounter. The great thing is the table is reusable and portable to other adventures of the DM's design, or when he / she is looking for some inspiration along those lines.

Actually, I like the Random Burial Mound Table to determine items in various debris piles in in the caves - something else easily reused elsewhere.

We also get a new form of Demon (pictured above). Really, how can you go wrong with a new form of demon? ;)

Did I mention the grid and gridless maps, both in DM and and in unkeyed player flavors (suitable for VTT play - thanks for listening Jeff)

Skull Cave is a S&W adventure for levels 4-6

Now, I wonder if +Jeffrey Tadlock will be putting out a print compilation when he hits PSA #6 or so? ;)

From the blurb:

Centuries ago nomads found a cave and felt drawn to perform their death rites to dark gods within its confines. Years of ritualistic offerings to malevolent forces has fed demons deep below the cave. The nomads have long since disappeared, but a recent earth tremor has freed the demon spawn from their prison deep below the surface. Seeking blood of victims to fuel their infernal fires they have moved closer to the surface and begun their hunt.

A Pocket-Sized Encounter compatible with the Swords & Wizardry rules system for 4th to 6th level character.

Pocket-Sized Encounters from Iron Tavern Press are shorter scenarios designed to be dropped into an existing campaign with minimal preparation. Use them for shorter sessions, provide your players with choices that won’t derail your campaign or even as a launching point for a new campaign path.

Included in this product are:

New Bloodfire Demon Monster

Multiple adventure hooks

Location based encounter area maps (GM, Player versions in grid and gridless format)

Seeds for expanding the adventure

Random Treasure Hoard table

Just Because - Giving Away Some LotFP Adventures in PDF - for Free :)

It seems that I've gotten some codes PDF codes for backing some LotFP crowdfunded project or another. In truth, they are all overdue and I no longer recall which ones these were rewards from. The thing is, I already have them all in PDF, even +Michael Curtis 's new adventure (well, just got it before I saw the email with the code)

In any case, I have a code for each of the following. Three codes in total. Three random winners in total. Add a comment here on this post at The Tavern before 8PM Saturday night, May 10th, Eastern Time to have a chance to snag a code.

A Single, Small Cut

Death Frost Doom

Tower of the Stargazer

Good luck to all!

(on a side note, hope to have the round 2 winners for the OSR Superstar Contest announced tomorrow :)

Which of the Core Four Classes is Most Easily Forgotten?

Neither group I current run has a thief among them (although the Saturday group does have a S&W Monk, which covers most of the needed bases). Therefore, I find a lot of 10' pole tapping (obviously linked to early dungeon maps being gridded out in 10' hexes), axe hacking at locked doors, crow-barring of locked chests and the like.

Oh, and much finding of traps the old fashioned way - "Ouch! Shit! There's a trap here guys!"

All of which leads to the question - of the current list of 4 core classes, which class can the party do without and still get by? (edit: I realize the Thief was a later addition to the core)

I would lean towards the thief, but in actual play I've seen more groups without a cleric of any sort than a thief. Figure that one out?

I Seem to Have a Plethora of DCC RPG Adventures - Time to Convert Some more to Swords & Wizardry

I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again, my players really enjoy the DCC RPG adventures, but they were less sold on the DCC RPG itself. A bit too "swingy" in it's spell casting especially, or at least, that is the feedback I've gotten.

All that being said, they really get immersed in the flavor and strangeness of the DCC RPG Adventures, especially the ones from Goodman Games ( +Harley Stroh and +Michael Curtis seem to be the favorite authors thus far, but we haven't delved into the complete well of authors yet).

I tend to convert from DCC to S&W on the fly, but what I really need to do is put some of my conversion results into a blog post. Well, some of the various adversaries and such.

My party is hitting around 5th level these days - I think The Croaking Fane will be the next conversion ;)

How Do Your Roll For Initiative?

I was listening to the Roll for Initiative podcast on the commute home from work, and they were discussing, what else, rolling for initiative.

It seems that few, if any, that I know do this "by the book".

I run with - roll a d6 for each side, adjust that number by individual reaction speeds, and then count down from the highest number.

When using reaction speed adjustments, I really should be using individual initiative numbers, but ain't nobody got time for that!

Alignment Tongues - Do You Use Them?

I've been listening to the latest Roll for Initiative Podcast, where they are rolling up AD&D 1e characters, and alignment tongues or alignment languages came up.

Vince and the others are right. As best I can recall, they aren't explained very well in the core books and I don't remember ever using them in game. Sure, everyone had one, but it never got used.

Do you use alignment tongues? If so, how do you define them (spoken, secret signs, etc)?

Revisiting My Conversion of "DCC RPG Luck" to Swords & Wizardry (or any OSR ruleset)

Don't you wish you could reroll that save?

I've running with a "Luck" ability in my OSR games for a while now, and I've found it to be an excellent addition to a PC's resources. It doesn't take away tension. Instead, I've found it adds to the tense moments and makes gameplay just a tad more exciting. Of course, like most houserules that I've introduced in the past, I tend to initially make them needlessly complicated, almost as a justification for the rule itself.

Now I'm going to simplify it after using it with 2 different groups and 3 different campaigns.


"Luck" in Swords & Wizardry (or really any OSR ruleset)

Every PC starts out with 5 points of Luck. Thieves add 1 point to that total as well as Halflings (so a Halfling Thief would get 7 points)

Luck may be used the following ways:

     * 1 point of luck may be spent to add + 2 to any D20 roll after the roll is made. This can turn a miss into a hit or a failed save into a save.

     * 1 point of luck may be spent to add + 10 to any % roll after the roll is made. This can turn a failed remove traps roll into success

     * 2 points of luck allows the PC to reroll any die (or dice for a damage spell) - attack, save, damage, even HP gained from level advancement if they have 2 pts of luck left in their pool when they are awarded their new level. It can also be used to force an opponent to reroll an attack, save or damage roll. The reroll replaces the original roll, even if it it worse than the roll it is replacing.

Luck may only be used once per "situation" or encounter.

Luck resets to the PC's maximum amount at the beginning of each session, so there is no reason to hoard it (except for the possible reroll of HP gain due to leveling)

If there is a way to add to a PCs permanent Luck Score, I haven't thought of one yet. I've sure it would involve some major forces if it did.

You could introduce something like an altar or a fountain, that if used properly, could restore some luck mid session. Hmmm, I should actually try that ;)

What is Your Default "Adventure Kick Off Location"?

We all know the scene:

You're all in a tavern, eating and drinking, when a mysterious stranger approaches you with a "situation" that could use the assistance of experienced adventurers such as yourselves. He leans in and tells you a story of betrayal and death...

We also all know the above is well overplayed to the point it's a joke. Doesn't stop us from using it tho' ;)

So, how and where do you like to kick off your adventures?

OneBookShelf Purging Some "Self" Reviews (Publishers, Don't Rate Your Own Works)

A publisher friend of mine got an email from OneBookShelf informing them that OBS was removing one or more reviews that they had made at OBS / DTRPG / RPGNow.

Criteria for removal? They had either highly reviewed one of their own products, or gave someone else a poor review.

The letter itself was a a form letter, written in general with no specifics as to his / her actual offense.

Apparently, nearly 100 publishers were "caught" in this audit, but at this time, all they are doing is removing reviews that violated a previously unwritten policy. I mean, in retrospect, this is a no-brainer - I surprised it hasn't come up previously.

Now, I know of a product that released yesterday, got a 5 star review, and the first name and first initial of the last name of the reviewer match that of the publisher. I suspect that went up after the audit.

OBS reviews have been controversial at times, as it is an open secret that "featured reviewers" aren't supposed to make negative reviews on the OBS sites.

Kinda makes those OBS reviews a bit less valuable if you ask me.

Bundle of Holding - Trail of Cthulhu

The Trail of Cthulhu Bundle of Holding excites me less than it should, to be honest. The Gumshoe system is solid, it just doesn't fit my style of gaming. It may, however, fit yours, and if it does, Trail of Cthulhu is a fine flavor of the rules.

Wayward Kickstarter - The Quantum RPG is Dead, Toast, Ain't Gonna Happen

The latest (and probably last) update from Josh - yes, backer only but as the project is dead, I'm sharing it - submitted without further comment:

Project Update #83: I Don't Even Know What to Title This
 Backer_white For backers only Posted by Joshua Frost ♥ Like

I've spend the better part of the last 8 months trying to decide how to write this post. I'm just going to say it:

This project is dead. For now. Possibly forever.

I've spent the better part of the last two years trying not to throw anyone under the bus regarding the project's tardiness. I've been non-specific about details, taken the blame for it, watched people compliment the reason the project was late and is now dead as being a hard worker while I'm some asshole slacker.

Now, I haven't been perfect. I've made key mistakes--mistakes born of inexperience running an entire company and mistakes of trust.

I built an amazing business plan and budget with the help of a non-profit in Seattle that does just that for new small businesses. I hired what I thought were the right people, and for the most part, they were. Though there were complaints, we released the Beta on a timeline I was comfortable with.

And that's where the problems broke the company.

See, Hugo Solis has a problem with deadlines. I noticed it before the Beta, but since we didn't need everything done by the Beta for the final book, I let it slide. Around July 2012 I informed Hugo that I absolutely, positively, needed all of the art for the book done by September 1, 2012. The Beta was releasing in August 2012 and the business plan and budget I'd developed with the help of Community Capital Development in Seattle said I had some wiggle room, but if I didn't have the book off to the presses by October 1, 2012, I was going to be in some real trouble.

Hugo informed me around the end of July that he would have everything done by September 1, 2012. He even created a handy little graphic of an August calendar that showed everything he would finish and when it would be finished by. This was about the time I started saying the following: "I need the full color world map done first. It'll take at least a week to edit it in Photoshop to add tags, borders, country names, etc. I can't get that last."

To this day, I still don't have that map.

Hugo spent August 2012 working on his free frog PDF that he made available on my previous employer's website. I spent August 2012 freaking the fuck out and constantly badgering him over and over and over for the art he promised. When September 1 blew by with only a very small percentage of the remaining art completed, I knew Infinite X Studio was in real trouble.

So I did the dumbest thing I've ever done: I started a new Kickstarter hoping it would generate the revenue I needed to finish project #1, probably with a new bunch of artists rather than one single artist, from which I would use the proceeds to finish project #2. You know, the TSR model. And that worked really well for TSR.

Thank all the gods ever created that Kickstarter failed. That would have been a fucking disaster.

After that Kickstarter failed, I generated new budgets and a new business plan and spent a few months pitching the project to anyone I knew who had money and would be willing to buy a piece of the company to help me get over the hump and finish the book. While I was doing this, I was also pushing Hugo quite frequently to finish the fucking art already. I received numerous promises of completion, numerous excuses for the lack of completion, and aged about 15 years in a single season.

I also spent that time feverishly re-writing the game. Because as luck (???) would have it, I had a profound insight that made the game unbelievably better. I wrote and wrote and wrote and wrote and, meanwhile, art failed to arrive, art failed to arrive, art failed to arrive.

Sometime around May-ish 2013, a hard look at my family's finances made it very clear to me that I wasn't going to sustain not having a job or even having a company for much longer. One of the additional downsides to blowing the budget and business plan to pieces was that I couldn't even afford to renew the LLC in fall 2012. This meant that, for all intents and purposes, Infinite X Studio ceased to exist then. I hoped I would be able to find away around that and I did not.

This was about the time I fired Hugo.

I then set about pitching the project to every artist I could find and afford. Guess what those artists wouldn't do? Create art without being paid up front! Do I blame them? Hell no! I paid Hugo 50% up front. Will I ever do that again? Hell no. Of course, that presupposes I ever try to create something like Infinite X Studio again and, at this point, that seems highly unlikely.

Hugo begged his way back into the project with additional promises. A few new small pieces of art came in. I continued to say again and again and again that I needed the full color world map done IMMEDIATELY and it continued to fail to arrive.

In August 2013, reality finally broke my little bubble and I realized I needed a fucking job.

So I started working part time as an admin at a sporting goods store. For those of you who fucking hate me right now, feel vindicated that I now have a horrible, demeaning job well below my talents and job experience. Hurray me.

Even after starting the admin job in September 2013, I continued pushing for more art and trying to balance a new life schedule around work. And then in early November 2013, I lost all the steam I'd built. Lacking money, any new art in months (and definitely no fucking sign of the largest part of the entire project, the full color world map), I focussed on work and the family and decided I was done with marketing, business, the hobby gaming industry, the Internet, Facebook, and 99% of all forms of communication. In January of this year, I began the process of wracking up massive debt (hurray America!) to return to school and get a degree in something I'd come to love in the past 10 years that would keep me as far away from the hobby industry as possible: Physics. So for those of you who fucking hate me--sorry, that's actually going pretty okay right now.

Now you have the history. Now you have my frustrations. I've endeavored to present them in a way that's void of marketing speak and bullshit reality dodging. I'm sure I've left out a few things here or there, but the story is the simplest version I could write.

So here's the deal:

Technically (and quite legally, in fact), this project died when the LLC died. I still want to finish this thing, but in order to do so, I would need money to start a new LLC (the smallest cost) and money to hire an artist or seven to finish the project (the largest cost). For all his professing that there's quote, "Art just laying around" waiting for me, there's absolutely nothing in the past two years that leads me to believe this is in anyway true whatsoever. And, on the small chance I'm wrong and it is true, there's zero trust remaining between myself and Hugo Solis. Hiring him for this project, despite his obvious and incredible talent, was the biggest mistake I've ever made in my professional career.

While there may be future updates and while there's a slim--oh so slim--chance a miracle might happen and money might fall out of my ass, you should assume there will be no further updates from me. The project is dead, no longer has a timeline, and has no plans to resume.

Unless, like I said, money falls out of my ass.

Josh

Why is Free RPG Day 2014 So "Eh" This Year?

About the only things I find interesting are the Goodman Games DCC Adventure and the LotFP Quickstart.

Cosmic Patrol I have picked up the last two years and have never come close to using and even the C&C adventure lacks excitement to my eyes.

Maybe the Valiant Universe RPG Quickstart could be a pick-up. I guess I should check out the free quickstart of the Valiant system on DrivethruRPG

There was a T&T Quickstart last year to get folks excited for Deluxe T&T, but that Kickstarter is going to be at least a year before it releases.

Yes, I'm bitching that free games aren't all to my liking. I know...

Fight On! Issue #4, Free in PDF (limited time)

For a limited time only, Fight On! #4 is available for Free in PDF.

Get it before it's gone.  Well, rather, no longer free.

Thanks to +Heron Prior for pointing this out over on G+

Kickstarter - The Chained Coffin (DCC RPG Adventure)

Even if this Kickstarter failed to fund (it's already funded and has 27 days to go) the adventure would still have been published. The Chained Coffin DCC Adventure Kickstarter is to make the adventure "more better" - it's kinda like the Six Million Dollar Man of DCC RPG Adventures - or maybe not quite, but it is being built better.

You see, the Kickstarter is funding a special version of the adventure that includes a prop - the wheel you see above, with three sets of markings for the players to figure out how to match up (regular version of the adventure will have the above without being preassembled separate wheels - cut out your own ;)

Is the prop needed? No.

Is it cool? Yes

Do stretch goals add content to both versions of the adventure? Yes  To be determined - aaargh!

Can you order other, discounted DCC RPG goodies? Yes

I'm already in for $30. My players love the DCC RPG adventures, even if I do convert them to Swords & Wizardry these days ;)

I Want HER To Do Segment Intros on the "Tenkar and the Badger" Podcast

Listen and weep for "your chubbiest friends."

(can't embed this one) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nP34-UrXTxs

My wife laughs uncontrollably when I play the clips.

I think someone will need to record "Tenkar & The Badger, it supports even your chubbiest friends!"

Mini Review - Secrets #1 - (S&W Fanzine)

I'm not sure whether I'm on a fanzine kick or not, but my God there are a lot of awesome fanzones out there for those that dig such things.

Secrets #1, Omens & Portents is an old school fanzine, nominally for Swords & Wizardry but suitable for the Old School RPG of your choice.

This is very much a "gaming resource", as it has a section on divine spells (new clerical and druidic spells - well, not all new to the OGL, but new to S&W). It also has a handful of new monsters which are pretty cool.

More exciting (and extremely useful to me as a S&W DM) is the section on new magic items. Holy crap but there is some fun stuff here. The versatility of the rods makes them very powerful, although not as powerful as they might seem outright.

I'll be stealing some of the magic items for my own campaign, and I'll be giving access to the clerical spells to the party's cleric.

Did I mention I really love the cover?

+Nathan Irving is the guilty party behind this new fanzine and it is good.  Not a surprise, really, as his blog is also an awesome gaming resource.

Secrets #1 is $4 in print, $2 in PDF and $6 for the combo.  Print prices include international shipping, which makes it a steal of a zine for those outside the states.

At this rate I'll need a special box to keep all of these fanzines in order.

Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between the CHAMPIONS OF ZED - When Crowdfunded Projects Go Dark

I like Kickstarter. Heck, i can even find myself liking Indiegogo, although it's ease of separating fools from their money makes it more prone to scams than Kickstarter.

I'm not calling either project a "scam", BTW. They both do exist in PDF format, it's just that the promised and paid for print editions do not seem to be forthcoming, and both project creators seem to have gone to ground.

CHAMPIONS OF ZED looked damn cool and hit all the notes old school gamers like to hear:

Champions of ZED is the first and only comprehensive SANDBOX edition of the world’s first fantasy Role-Playing game!  Champions of ZED weaves together the scattered notes and guidelines of the two original designers who created the fantasy RPG genre, and includes revisions drawn from the long lost Beyond This Point Be Dragons manuscript.

Sadly, August will make it 2 years late, and the creator, Daniel Boggs, hasn't been seen nor heard from on the project's Kickstarter page since the end of January. I have the PDF. I'd like to see the book I paid for.

As for Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between, a Patron Sourcebook for the DCC RPG. I've had the PDF in hand for ages. Print copies were due in December of 2012.

The last update is from six months ago:

hi all it is with great pleasure that i can tell you that everything has been dispatched.It should be with you by Christmas.
Sorry for the delays at the end but it will be worth the wait.
Thank you all for your support and we all look forward to your feedback.
If you do not not have your order by Christmas Day please email me directly to update me. xxxxxxxxxxxxx@me.com
Many many thanks
Sean Connors   

I never received my copy. Folks actually involved in the project never received their copies. See, Myth & Magic is not alone, and in that case, I know copies exist and some actually shipped. If you know of a dead tree copy floating around, let us know in the comments attached to this post.

Mini Review - Crawling Under a Broken Moon (DCC RPG Fanzine / Setting)

The DCC RPG scene seems to draw fanzines unto itself much like a flame draws moths. Strangely, the fanzines in question don't get burned, perhaps because they are in many respects the jewels of the DCC universe. I need to do a post that just highlights DCC RPG fanzines - I'll add it to me todo list ;)

Crawling Under a Broken Moon is the latest DCC fanzine to reach my virtual table, and although it draws much of it's inspiration from the classic Thundarr the Barbarian cartoon, there is much here that would work well in converting DCC to a Gamma World type setting (which I believe may already be in the works by one of the hosts of the excellent Spellburn podcast, but I digress).

+Reid San Filippo was kind enough to send me a PDF copy, so of course my first question is going to be "where can I find this in print and add it to my fanzine collection?" And the answer is the Crawling Under a Broken Moon Blog ;)

So, what do you get in issue #1 of CUBM?

You get a brief overview of the setting in Welcome to Umerica. A new glass class (damn typos) with the Technologist (which is kind of a gonzo gadget using scientist). Weapons and the Wasteland is a stripped down reworking of +Dak Ultimak 's firearms article on guns, aimed at post apocalyptic gamma gonzo. New monsters with the Twisted Menagerie and finally An Interesting Place to Die gives one a drop in location / encounter.

Each article is pretty good taken on it's own, but the project is pretty damn amazing when one considers it pretty much arrived from off radar - or at least off my radar.

If you play the DCC RPG at all, Crawling Under a Broken Moon is pretty much a must buy. If you buy any of the old school fanzines, this should be right there on the shelf with the rest of your collection.

I'm looking forward to more issues - and the print copy I just ordered ;)

PDF is $2.99

Print plus PDF is $4 domestic, $5.50 international

Swords & Wizardry Combat Charts Converted to Simple Pluses

I find simple addition to ones roll is much easier than looking up charts these days, so for my own sanity I've converted the S&W Combat Charts to simple pluses, at least thru level 11 or so.


Clerics, Druids and Monks:

Levels 1-2     + 0
            3-4     + 1
            5-6     + 2
            7-8     + 3
              9      + 4
           10-11  + 5


Fighter, Paladin and Ranger:

Levels 1-2     + 0
              3      + 1
            4-5     + 2
              6      + 3
              7      + 4
              8      + 5
              9      + 6
           10-11  + 7


Magic-Users, Thieves and Assassins:

Levels 1-3     + 0
            4-5     + 1
            6-7     + 2
            8-9     + 3
             10      + 4
           11-13   + 5


Monsters:

+ 1 Per HD up to 15 HD

Games From the Basement - True 20

During the time I was no longer actively playing RPGs but was most certainly buying and reading them, I found True 20. Heck, i was even played in a play by post True 20 game WAY back in the day, but getting caught posting from work kinda put a damper on that ;)

I think what I liked most about True 20 were the sample settings. Damn, I need to dig out that True 20 setting book (Worlds of Adventure) I have buried somewhere and convert one or two of them to Swords & Wizardry. Should be easy enough, as they were mostly fluff if I recall correctly.

Shame it pretty much is "abandon-ware" these days. I think the surge in popularity that Savage Worlds went thru, as well as the pull back on D20 games in general, pulled the rug out from under True 20.

Do You Allow Players in Your Campaigns to Research and Design Their Own Spells?

Maybe "allow" is too strong a word, but "encourage" probably wouldn't be right either.

Do players in your campaigns research and design actual new spells - something unique to your ruleset?

I remember back in my college years, I'd have players occasionally express a desire to tweak a spell already in one of the AD&D books with the desire to give it their own flavor, but nobody was designing anything truly new. I haven't come across even a desire to tweak a by-the-book spell in any of the campaigns I've run / played in in the last few years. Maybe it's a "lack of free time issue".

So, do you or your players research and design their own spells??

Wayward Kickstarter - Phase Shift - The Kitchen Sink RPG (I Think, with the dirty dishes and other assorted crap still in it)

"Phase Shift is a tabletop RPG, set in the far future, in a universe where science and technology are hybridized. You're as likely to see a cyberthaumic warp core as a cannon that shoots healing explosives. Also, you can fight a cyber angel as a LASER MAGE. Look me in the eye and tell me that's not awesome."

Dude, it's... not awesome.

First, the video was humorous, but I doubt for the reasons those in it wished. It's just bad.

As for the game itself?

We're raising funds in order to get a large print run for our first release! (no, never attempted this shit before and backed only one prior project - a Con) We are also getting money to start a tour of conventions in the general area around Washington, DC! (so the money you pledge isnt going to just go towards getting the game published, but to hook us up) Printing a manual the way we want it to be costs a lot, especially when we're dealing with full-color art and quality materials. (why do things right when we can jump into the deep end of the pool right from the start) This is a standalone RPG system, completely separate from all existing systems, and we're trying our best to keep it an independent project! You know you love indie stuff! (we do?) This is as indie as it gets! 

Phase Shift is gameplay unleashed! It takes a lot more involvement from players because they have to be much more creative and involved about their character choices. (because we dont have rules for the stuff you are used to having rules for apparently) We streamline fighting so that you don't have to worry about what you can do. Basically, you can do whatever you want, as long as it's something your character COULD do. (OK - dont worry about what you can do, just worry about what you could do - WTF) Ever wondered why in SOME games *cough*dragons*cough* you can't just try to grab someone and toss them off a cliff using Unarmed Combat? (because your DM sucks?) Well, if you haven't wondered that, you SHOULD!  

The setting is pretty awesome. (we have to say so ourselves,more than once, because we doubt you will say it) Factions control the galaxy, and mercenaries are in extremely high demand, due to the chaotic things that happened after two universes, one magic-filled and one scientific, merged in a dramatic event called the Phase Shift (hence the name). Gods took physical form (and started laying claim to people's souls) (sweet - the Avatar event for 2e) , psychics began appearing, and races from both universes were now cohabiting this one. There are thousands of different subspecies of humans, as well as Mekkos, sentient robots who are just looking for a place in the universe where they won't be discriminated against. 

Er, right.

You know what - I'll leave it at that.

Go to the Kickstarter page of Phase Shift and view the video. You'll be sorry you did ;)

Oh, and the rewards are print or online - no PDF. WTF is up with that?

Push my Button - I DARE You!

Wayward Kickstarter - Washington State Attorney General Sues Kickstarter Project Over $25k Project that Failed to Deliver

I need to tip my hat to far too many folks to even mention. Thanks to all that brought this article to my attention.

Washington’s attorney general, calling it “the first consumer-protection lawsuit in the nation involving crowdfunding,” sued a Tennessee firm that got $25,000 from backers but delivered nothing, 

Washington’s attorney general is taking consumer protection to the next frontier: crowdfunding. 

The state’s top lawyer, Bob Ferguson, said Thursday his office has filed the first consumer-protection complaint in the U.S. to target a Kickstarter fraud. 

The lawsuit alleges Edward Polchlopek III and his company, Nashville, Tenn-based Altius Management, in 2012 raised more than $25,000 from 810 people in order to print a deck of “retro-horror”-themed cards designed by a Serbian artist. 

Among those backers were 31 living in Washington state, according to the suit, which was filed in King County Superior Court. 

Altius’ fundraising campaign promised backers that in exchange they would receive playing cards and other freebies, such as poker chips, dice and “even a costume straitjacket,” the complaint alleges. 

But two years later, the attorney general said, not a single backer has received what was promised, and no money was returned. The suit seeks restitution of the cash, as well as fines up to $2,000 per backer for violations of the Consumer Protection Act, meaning the total could top $1.6 million.

You can read the rest of the article at the Seattle Times.

What does this mean to the Toms, Mikes, Joshuas, Gareths and the rest that take in funds and deliver squat years later? Depends on whether or not backers in Washington state bring their complaints to the state's AG. Even if it goes nowhere, the legal costs to defend against such a lawsuit is beyond the scope of 99.9% of Kickstarter creators out there.

I firmly believe that few project creators go into it planning to fuck their backers over, but I also believe more than a few go into it thinking "if i all goes pear-shaped, I'm really not on the hook for anything and it's not my money being risked".

A lawsuit like this means it IS their money being put as risk. Maybe it will keep those that expect Kickstarter to be their cash making machine with no risk to think twice.

Or not.

WOSR 74.O Tavern Radio featuring Tenkar & The Badger - The Unnamed Podcast is now Named

+Jason Paul McCartan and I spent about 2 hours last night talking about our upcoming podcast. Format, tech, short term and long term plans. You know, all of the goodness. Probably the last thing we hashed out was the name.

We wound up going with a radio theme. We like the naming format, as it allows for expansion down the line. Real play, an all interview program (probably hacked together from previous episodes) or what not can all be Tavern Radio, just different lines. Shit, that sounds very 2e-ish ;)

The hope is to get the first episode up by the end of June or so - time will tell.

There will be a "Tavern Radio" community over on G+ for news about the podcast as well as the usual updates here at The Tavern. Well, it's there now, just nothing "therein" at the moment. Work in progress. Hang at The Tavern in the meantime.

BTW, the "O" in 74.O is pronounced "oh" - it's the letter, not the number. Seventy Four Point Oh. Because that's the way we roll :)

Wayward Kickstarter - 4thWar Equipment - Wargaming Table - Backed Six, All Current (Follow Up)

So, they often say one should see if the folks behind a Kickstarter project have backed others, as failure to have done so is often a sign of not fully understanding the process or even a simple cash grab.

4thWar Equipment has backed six other projects, which isn't a bad sign - until you notice they are all current. Kickstarter is something that just recently came across their radar, and they are trying to build cred. Sad.

At the very least, they should have learned the importance of editing their Kickstarter page by a native English speaker...

I Like My Random Tables - Now if I Could Just Integrate them into The Tavern's Posts

I really enjoy random tables for inspiration. They are often my "go to" resource when my players zig instead of zagging, or when I need something quickly that is going to fuel my imagination. Which is why I need to work on an inspirational table for some of my blog posts.

Hmm, could even carry it over to the podcast...

All I need to do is figure out format and die size ;)

Deadlands Series in Development for XBOX TV (Video Streaming)

Deadlands, the wild west with magic and undead, is coming to an XBOX near you - not as a game, but as a TV series.

Wasn't Far West supposedly developed with the hopes of going multimedia?

Projects in Development 

“Deadlands” 

Xbox Entertainment Studios has committed to a script based on the successful pen-and-paper role playing game created by Shane Lacy Hensley. “Deadlands” is a genre-bending alternative history of the Weird West, filled with undead gunfighters, card-slinging sorcerers, mad scientists, secret societies, and fearsome abominations.

Microsoft article here.

Forbes article here.

Bleeding Cool article here.

Kickstarter - Myth & Magic - The Truth Be Told, At Last (update 63)

The Myth & Magic Player's Guide Kickstarter. What can I say about it now that I haven't said already? Not much. It was, truth be told, so full of blatant lies that it was almost humorous to follow. At least until Tom decided to post my name and tracking information in the comments section of the Kickstarter for all to see. Yeah, I contacted Kickstarter for that bit of "unprofessional conduct" and they removed it.

I expected my copy of the M&M Player's Guide to be either piss soaked or covered in anthrax after that little incident, but it arrived clean and unscathed- just so I could be shut up. See, I wasn't bitching so much about the lateness but the lies piled upon lies.

Apparently, Tom has decided the truth will set him free. Not that he admits to lying in so many words. He is still, by training, a lawyer:

Project Update #63: Things are still moving, but...
For backers only (I think folks deserve the truth, so here it is, with snarky comments provide by your favorite Tavern Keeper)
Posted by New Haven Games
Hi Everyone...

This is going out to the backers of both Kickstarters.

I wanted to drop a much-needed update to tell you that I'm still here and still working to complete the GMG and PG shipments. You have asked multiple times for the true reason for the Kickstarter fiasco. I tried, as politically as possible, to dodge the question and to keep you all positive (lets call bullshit what it is... bullshit. Tom lied. Now he tells us the justification for lying). Well, my attempting to keep you (and me) positive turned into untruthfulness (see, lawyer 100%) and I can't run away from the issues any longer.

The site is no longer active. In fact, NHG is no longer active. For the last few months, I have been trying to form a plan to complete the projects as quickly as possible. Part of that plan includes not funding anything outside the projects.

The first cause of all the problems is that I underestimated the cost of the Player's Guide KS, artwork for the GMG, and international PG shipments (I'll give him some play on this - he went high on the hog when it came to the art and international shipping costs rose tremendously as the project got delayed). Not having the proper business foresight (translation - "I had no idea WTF I was doing but the money coming in seemed nice"), I didn't control the early spending and went overboard with quality. So, I've been self-funding the final leg of the PG shipments and everything since the first draft of the GMG; and by extension, everything to be completed moving forward is to be funded with my money (because Tom can't budget for shit - not uncommon in the world of Kickstarters). The second cause has been a lack of time outside of my work and family. I wrote this game and began marketing it before I was working. I always naively thought that I would be able to manage it all. Well, I was wrong. (honesty - doesn't it sound nice for a change?)

The cold hard truthful reason why things have crawled to a temporary stop is that I don't have enough money stored up to quickly fuel the projects (did he piss it all away on hookers and blow? no - he suffered from some of that Nystulian syndrome - can't run a business for shit)

Now, having said all of that, I'm NOT GIVING UP. It's hard enough to think that NHG is no more, but even harder to think that I have let down the players that made the game possible. And for that reason, I vow to get this done. I have begun to look into various loan programs and for a few private reasons, I should be able to secure the necessary funds by the end of Summer. Mid-September to be exact. (I'm glad Tom is looking to make things right. Doesn't explain away all of the lies, nor does it earn forgiveness for said lies, but it's more than some other project creators have attempted. Assuming it's not more lies...)

A few things must happen. It doesn't cost any money to release the full art-free GMG, so I can realistically get that to the GMG backers on or before the first week of May (nicely done). I will also continue to send out small quantities of books with my private money until I get the loan. These shipments will also include the Players Guides ordered by GMG backers. As I said, any loan will most likely come through in mid-September. At that point, whatever orders are not received or needing to be re-shipped will be immediately shipped out. I would love to get all international orders shipped before the loan, but some of them are $80 to $100 a whack! I will still try though. My goal, in terms of the GMG, is to have it printed and shipped before the end of the year. (lofty goals)

Trust me, I understand your frustration. You have every right to be frustrated and even angry. We all had an amazing time collaborating and creating this game. The only thing I ask for is more patience and more time. Please. Nothing happened as a result of bad faith or any intentional scheme to defraud you (except for the lies. That built upon more lies. And when confronted with evidence of lying, more lies still). It was all a matter of my mismanaging the PG Kickstarter. It's a beautiful book, but dammit, it was my undoing!

Another factor of my undoing was not communicating enough (no - Tom's undoing was the lying. That, more than anything, has hurt whatever business he had.) I was embarrassed. Add in the hate mail and hate comments, and running away from the updates and comments was the only way I could avoid having a nervous breakdown. You may or may not know this, but I have two small children. I can't let them see me fall apart over this. (understandable. lying puts a horrible toll on folks, especially when they want to do right and are confront by their bullshit)

My next update will include the GMG pdf and an update on how many additional shipments I was able to send out. I will also set up a new dedicated email address to start fresh with everyone. The other email addresses are filled with vileness. I hope we can just start over, with a new email, and have some better dialogue. I probably will not read the comments here so that I can try to focus on what's ahead, but I will update you more frequently.

Well, that's it - the entire ugly truth. I'm still here and still dedicated. I have the right mindset now to get this done and I will get this done!!

T

It's not the entire ugly truth, but close enough. The angry comments (and blogposts) were due more to the outright lies, especially about having shipped out hundreds of shipments, than being late. If Tom truly (there's that fucking word again) attempts to do right now, much of his earlier deception will be forgiven, but probably not forgotten.

Damn shame as Myth & Magic had the makings of a fine game.

Steading of the Hill Giant Chief - Cartoon Walkthrough - WotC

How did I miss this? (probably because it just released today ;)

You can grab the full size maps / strips (there are 2) at the WotC site (linked for your enjoyment)

Magic Items - How Unique Do You Want Them?

Every player worth their salt has memorized the magic item tables of the rulebook of your choice. Really, just ask them.

So, not only are weapons and armor with simple plus "ho hum", but so is just about every magic item published in a core book. They can recite the abilities of that Staff of Power or the Elven Cloak they just found once they ID them (and probably before as they pelt you with guesses).

Do you create magic unique magic items for your campaigns? If you do, is it there to add spice to the basics ones or do you replace all of the standards with unique items of your own design?

Wayward Kickstarter - 4thWar Equipment - Wargaming Table - (built by Anton Jackson)

Wait, you don't remember Anton Jackson, the homeless character from In Living Color? He could do magic with a cardboard box:

Apparently, so can the the Italians that are bring us cardboard gaming tables at the 4thWar Equipment Wargaming Table Kickstarter.

Where shall we start? Despite what the Kickstarter says, they aren't located in NY, NY. Or maybe they are, as the Kickstarter appears to have been written with a NYC Public High School education (I live here, I should know):

Put the LEGS on your HOBBY! Fully crafted cardboard table for wargamer and tabletop gamer. By a player mind for players fight! 

If you have any trouble understanding english, in the link below you can find the video with ITA & FRANCE subtitles: (strangely enough, the English subtitles are as hard to understand as the English is)

 Just who the fuck proofread this before going live?

anyone want a "chep kit"?

and I really can't make heads or tales out of this shit:

but in any case, they do supply boobies:

it's not like you could put HER on the table - it's just cardboard. Actually, my wife says that would be the true stress test for this table - damn, but my wife is as bad as me.

You want to raise $99,000? maybe spend a couple of hundred to have a native english speaker proofread your project.

I sincerely blame +Jason Paul McCartan for bringing this to my attention...

and the Winner of the $25 RPGNow GC From Post 4k is...

Jonas.

I had my wife pick a random number from 1 to 13, and see chose "11".

So, Jonas, send me an email at tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom with your info and we'll get that RPGNow credit out to you.

New up will be 5 years of blogging at the end of May....

Early Peek at The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence - The Art (OSR Adventure / Mini Sandbox)

Luis Merlo

+Venger Satanis was kind enough to forward me some art of the art (and unformatted text) from his upcoming The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence. It's an adventure, sandbox styled setting and some accompanying house rules. I've barely hit the house rules, and already I've found something I'm going to port into my own game sessions. More on this with a later post

+Dyson Logos will be providing the dungeon cartography and +Alyssa Faden will be providing the island cartography. Hard to beat those choices.

As for the interior art?

I want to know WTF is going on the the scene above, because I want to put my players through that nightmare.

As for the the creature below, I want a print of this. Really. Want.

Iguana

Mini Review - CrawlJammer #2 (DCC RPG in Spaaaace!)

There is something I really like about CrawlJammer, and that is it's freshness. Admittedly, there is something fresh about most of the DCC RPG adventures out there, but CrawlJammer stuff is fresh and unique. Putting the DCC RPG into space seems like a no brainer now that +Tim Callahan has done so.

Last things first - CrawlJammer #2 has an adventure that takes up the second half of the issue - Red Planet Rendezvous: The Arcadian. Space combat and some derelict spaceship "dungeon crawling" give one the last of both new and old. Very well done.

Back to the beginning - Space encounters give you both a random encounter table and some CrawlJammer monsters which would fit well with little adjustments into any DCC RPG Campaign - or with more adjustments as inspiration for new creatures and adversaries in any OSR game.

The Technomancer is a new DCC RPG class for a CrawlJammer Campaign. DCC magic is something I've always had trouble wrapping my head around fully, so all I can say is it looks good, but no idea how it would turn out in play. Same goes for the new spells.

Hail Bob's is a space bar and random tables for both patrons and drinks. Very random. Very cool. Easily yoked for most OSR games.

CrawlJammer is well worth the $3.95 shipped asking price in print. Really. Whether you play the DCC RPG or not. It is simply inspirational.

Post 4k - Tell Us Your Favorite Blogposts and You may Win a $25 RPGNow Gift Cert

This is the 4,000 post here at The Tavern.

Holy

Shit

I'd like to share the excitement and offer $25 of RPGNow credit to a random blog reader. Here's how to enter:

- Link BOTH your favorite post from Tenkar's Tavern AND your favorite RPG blog post from another gaming blog. Here's a chance to highlight what YOU like.

- Do this by 7PM Eastern Time tomorrow night (April 29th, 2014).

- I'll pick a random commenter for the GC tomorrow night around 8PM

See, easy as pie.

Good luck to all and thanks for being part of this amazing ride.

Erik

Working the Senses - How Much Sensory Information do you Give your Players?

Saturday night's game session turned into a bullshit session, and one of the topics that came up was sensory information - smells, touch, visual and audio.

It got me thinking - we tell the players what they see and often tell them what they hear, but how often do we tell them what they smell? (touch always seems to be the odd one out)

Even when I described my first crime scene, with the brains and blood having the appearance of raspberry jam, I didn't include the smell of gunpowder and copper that just wouldn't leave my nose even hours later. The visual is burned into my memories and is easy to bring forward, but the smells kick in on their own when something "dings" that memory.

Just wondering if occasionally adding another sense to sight and sound might be the way to immerse the players just a wee bit more...

(post 4k is next)

Dwimmermount - Labyrinth Lord Version is Essentially Complete - Golf Claps Please

No, not the cover for the Dwimmermount Kickstarter, this is the cover of "what almost was"

Now, I say "essentially complete", as there is still proofing, spell checking and layout to do, but Alexander Macris says the Labyrinth Lord edition of Dwimmermount is complete.

I do not doubt the effort that has been used to get this monster of a Kickstarter completed, but I suspect the hands of three very different creators are going to have a bit of a "Frankenstein" effect. I could be wrong. Hopefully I am wrong, as I invested a pretty penny in this cursed project. It's good to see there will be some closure soon, no matter what the end product finally is.

Here's the first paragraph of the backers only update that was sent out late this afternoon:

Hello Dwimmermount backers. I'm pleased to report that I've just uploaded three huge word documents to the backer dropbox: Chapters 1-7, Chapters 8-20, and Appendices A-G. To put it bluntly, the writing of the Labyrinth Lord version of Dwimmermount is complete. 

It's still in .docx format and multiple files. I'll wait for the "maybe ready for prime time PDF" before I spend any time pouring over this.

High or Low - How Do You Like Your Fantasy RPG Setting?

Quick question for this fine Sunday morning.

Do you prefer your fantasy settings in high or low flavor? Lots of magic and magical creatures or a bit more gritty with little magic and a very humocentric base?

Or are you somewhere in between?

Forgotten Realms is very much high fantasy - you can't walk down a road in 2e without bumping into a god's avatar ;)

I like to think I prefer low fantasy, but the reality is my games run fairly weighted to the side of high fantasy.

Games From the Basement - Demons (Mayfair Games)

Remember one of the biggest changes to AD&D 2e? No, I'm not talking about the removal of assassins or half-orcs from the roles of PCs. No, it was something that got my gaming group riled back in the day - the removal and Demons and Devils from the monster manuals and renaming them Fred and Ethel (or Tanar'ri and Baatezu - I forget which). It was, for lack of a better word, sacrilege.

So, up stepped Mayfair with it's Demons line of supplements. Made for AD&D 2e, they included new demons, new spells, a players book to get them in the mood, poster maps and other goodies. I have 2 boxed sets and 4 folios from the line. The demons come on their own hole punched pages, made to be inserted in the horrible AD&D 2e Monster binder.

Did I ever use it? No - I've never have included named demons or devils in any of my campaigns (although Azmodious did appear in a random dungeon room of a dungeon I rolled up back in High School). We did include the basic unnamed ones as "just another monster". It was just the idea that TSR was "dumbing down" or making D&D "politically correct" back in the day that annoyed us.

I don't recall if there is a matching "Devils" line of boxes and books.

Games From the Basement - Tunnels & Trolls Rulebook (Corgi Paperback Edition)

I'm a big fan of Tunnels & Trolls. I have every edition published - 1st and 3rd (oopsie - no third edition owned - cover is same as 2e - no idea the differences between 2 and 3) edition are reprints, 2nd is Ken's very own copy, 4e, multiple copies of 5e and 5.5e, unofficial 6th and 7e and 7.5e. Notice multiple copies of 5Xe? That's because there are multiple flavors.

My favorite of ALL the editions is the Corgi printing of the 5e rules from 1986.

Why?

Not because they renamed some of the more silly sounding spells (leaving Yessa Massa as is still surprises me when they changed Poor Baby - a healing spell - to Restoration).

It's because of the convenient size (slightly oversized paperback) and the affordable price, even for the time - just under 3 British Pounds.

Corgi also packed many of the classic T&T solos in double titled paperbacks. So you got two solo adventures AND a stripped down version of the T&T rules - enough rules that you could play some sessions with other players with what was provided.

Sometimes I think I'd like a copy of S&W or LL in such a convenient, portable and affordable size, but I guess that's what PDFs and tablets are for these days...