Looting the Breakables - How to Give Players Awesome Loot and Not, at the Same Time ;)

Cut glass from the Dorflinger Estates Collection

I was taking my wife and mother to different yard sales today, when we stopped at a sale at the Dorflinger Estates property in White Mills, Pa. We found some amazing samples of cut glass, and the plates were part of the Dorflinger Collection. They weren't cut by Dorflinger but by one of his craftsmen that started their own cut glass line. The blank plates or uncut ones, were made at the Dorflinger factory.

So, where is this taking us?

Sure, I've given my players bulky treasure, but how about giving them highly valuable treasure that is easily damaged and rendered worthless if they aren't careful? Drop a backpack even carefully stuffed with such glassware as you enter battle and you could lose a fortune.

Have a storeroom full of glassware and crystal, and watch the reaction as pieces fall of shelves as the party's fighter bashes the door open. Don't give your players anything to pack the glassware with - make suitable packing material part of the treasure somewhere else in the complex.

Make them earn their money or have them watch is break in front of their eyes ;)

I thought it was a vase. Apparently, it's a water bottle, to be used when drinking whiskey.
What adventurer wouldn't want an item like that in their collection?

So, what kind of breakable loot do you like to torture your players with?

edit: did I mention this shit is really heavy? ;)

Time to Decompress - In the Poconos For the First Time in 2014

2013 Ended with deaths in the family, my mother in law and my cousin's wife.

2014 started with deaths among my coworkers and their families, especially that of one of my detectives. I spoke at her memorial last Friday and went to the wake of the sister of another of my detectives the Monday prior.

Intermingled between was the death of the family dog, who was suffering long term from an enlarged heart and short term from seizures that started right after the initial deaths in 2013 and was finally put to sleep shortly after we placed my detective in her final resting place.

Did I mention the upheaval at work? The Night of the Long Knives where every boss but one at my location of the rank of Inspector or higher was transferred in an effort to bring in new blood? Or the recent fun of running two units, as another sgt was out sick for three weeks? Or the pile of shit that landed friday afternoon and waits for me when I return on tuesday?

In the meantime, I'm away from all of that. It's the first time that my wife has gone to my parents' place in the Poconos without the family dog. She wasn't ready before, and in truth, I don't think we've had a free weekend that wasn't otherwise spoken for in the last six months. We used to make the trip every three or four weekends.

Besides the usual family stuff of driving around and hitting yard sales on a holiday weekend, I plan to run my wife's first RPG session using Scarlet Heroes, do some RPG related reading and upon returning home early monday afternoon, head to the privately run post office affiliate near home and finally ship out the last two things I've had packed and ready to go for a while.

It feels strange to slow down. Must be related to being a New Yorker. Best sleep I've had in six months was last night (shortly after the 3 1/2 hr drive after work to get up here), and my wife is currently napping on the couch in the front room.

Guess I'm not the only one decompressing ;)

Sneak Peek - UNFRAMED: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters (and players too)

+Martin Ralya was kind enough to put a pre-release copy of the upcoming UNFRAMED: The Art of Improvisation for Games Masters into my hands in PDF. I immediately put a copy on my tablet and my laptop and dove right in.

This is not a review. That will be coming in early June when UNFRAMED releases. This is just a peek, which is pretty much what I've done over the last day or so.

As such, I'll make the following statements: you will find essays that will not resonate with you and you will find essays that will change the way you run games forever. Or the way you approach things as a player.

Who's written essays inside the virtual pages of UNFRAMED?

If you can't find advice that fits your gaming style from the above "A" list, you're not gaming ;)

Bundle of Holding goes Dead - Deadlands Classic That Is!

Damn! I think I own most of this in print, but I'd have to go to storage to be sure of the holes in my collection.

I suspect much of this would translate over to Savage Worlds pretty easily, as much of this is "fluff", but awesome fluff it is ;)

Probably the most enjoyable reads of any RPG books I've never actually played, Deadlands certainly appeals to me as a History major and history buff. Damn tempting Bundle of Holding...

What Do You Consider to be one of the Most Under-Appreciated Magic Items?

Wand of fireballs. Staves of power. Flametongues. Rods of Might. Kick ass magic, to be sure. Powerful, to be sure, but are they "fun"?

Personally, as a player and a DM, I've always felt that Wands of Wonder were under-appreciated. Just by it's very nature you can expect no two wands to be the same, because even if both wands are using the same by the book table, the results will be different.

Me, I always liked making custom tables foe the Wands of Wonder I've introduced into games.

So, what are some of the under-appreciated magic items in your campaigns?

Looking for More Whisper & Venom? Bird of a Feather is up for Preorders (Includes a nifty mini)

If +Zach Glazar understands just one thing, it's what old school gamers want to hold in their hands. Well, I suspect Zach understands a lot more than just one thing, as he consistently hits the post with his releases.

I have no doubt that Bird of a Feather will be up to his usual high quality (and highly useable) standards.

Now, the idea that the limited edition release in the old school style is awesome in my mind. What I want to know is how the fuck Zack is putting a mini of the following between the covers:

Yep, it looks like an upper class axebeak ;)

From what Zack tells me, he's putting in the order for the limited release this Saturday, which will account for what he expects to sell at NTRPG Con and some preorders via his site. So if you are interested, now is probably the time to order. Well, unless you read this post far down the timeline from when it was posted, in which case you may just have to settle on the regular release.

Here's the quick blurb:

Pre-Order your copy of Lesser Gnome’s NTRPG Con Release of Bird of a Feather! 

Comes with Rhacos figurine custom sculpted just for this release! 

Designed for levels 3-4 and suitable for any classic style Fantasy RPG System. 

Available for Pick-Up at the North Texas RPG Convention for hand delivery 

Ships to Pre-Order Customers on June 12h, 2014.  This version, printed in the old-school style, is a very limited printing. A general release is expected to be ready in August 2014.

Not having met Zach, I hope this isnt a portrait ;)

This may very well be my next desktop wallpaper
Wait a sec! Is that a dwarf he's munchin' on!

DMG to Offer Sidebars on Emulating Earlier Editions - 15% of the 5e Player's Handbook to be Available for Free Online

Psst!

Kid!

I'd like to sell you a bridge!

No, not the Brooklyn Bridge. A bridge between the new D&D Starter Set and the Player's Handbook. Here's the Kicker! It's free! Yep, about 15% of the new D&D Player's Handbook will be free for the taking so you can create characters with the Starter Set. How can you beat that? Right, you can't! Now, how about a Rolex? ;)

Interesting that part of the Player's Handbook will be available online for free to create characters. Not a PDF, (according to Mike it IS a PDF) not an SRD but an actual part of the Player's Handbook. Morrus over on EnWorld estimates about 48 pages.

And look, there's more!

Sidebars in the DMG to customize the game to match past editions of D&D. Color me intrigued. I really thought this aspect was too big a project and put to the wayside when Monte left, but if they can pull this off, it could turn 5e into a bridge between the OSR and the present AND open up 5e to a shit ton of OSR (and other earlier edition) adventures and adventuring.

Lot's of potential.

The Player's Handbook is already down to $30 on Amazon and the DMG and MM are hovering around $40.

It seems that I will now be anxiously awaiting the DMG (oh, early release dates for Wizards Play Network stores - so Amazon Discount versus early release at certain brick and mortar. Well played)

D&D Next Starter Set Box Just $12.66 on Amazon

Good, bad or indifferent, at $12.66 you owe it to yourself to check out the latest version of the Dungeons & Dragons game Starter Set when it releases. It includes dice ;)

Free Clone of "The Fantasy Trip" RPG - You Know You are Curious

The Fantasy Trip is one of the few older RPGs that are just cost prohibitive to purchase on eBay (at least for my mind), but it has been cloned. Dark City Games has cloned it three times actually.

Legends for fantasy gaming, Time & Space for sci-fi and Untamed West for a western version. Yes, a western version.

Dark City Games also sells solo adventures for the rules. They also offer four of those adventures for free in PDF - two fantasy and two sci-fi (sorry, no westerns at the moment it seems).

I've downloaded the rules and they seem simple enough. As I don't have the originals, I can say how close they keep to the originals, but the price certainly is right.

I've also purchased a few of the adventures in print. They include a map and character and monster tokens to print out.

You can grab it all at the Dark City Games website.

There is another clone of The Fantasy Trip available at Heroes & Other Worlds

Could WotC Have Found a Way to Do Organized Play Right? "D&D Adventurers League

Starting in August:

One System, Many Ways to Play 

At the core of the new D&D Organized Play experience is the D&D Adventurers League. Essentially, we’ve given the system a name, because we wanted to emphasize the connected nature of our public play programs. For the first time, we’ll have our entire public play taking place in the same ongoing D&D campaign. 

As a player, you’ll create a character for the D&D Adventurers League. You’ll be using the same rules to play at a convention, a store, or any sort of public event. There will be a D&D Adventurers League Player’s Guide available to let you know how it all comes together. Through the different programs, the D&D Adventurers League will be inviting to casual D&D players, experienced D&D players, and players looking for ways in which their characters can impact the campaign world. We want players to find the play that best fits them, and enjoy playing for years to come. 

As a Dungeon Master, the D&D Adventurers League is a great way to run fun adventures that involve a minimum of prep work. We’ll find ways to reward you for your time and effort through the various programs, and there will be additional support and opportunities to showcase your skills. 

As an organizer (either in-store or at conventions), you’ll find that the D&D Adventurers League is a great way to keep your players engaged. There will be fresh content available on a regular basis (mostly monthly), ensuring that there’s always something new around the corner.

Three Flavors:

Epic kicks off a story arc, usually at a con, and can influence how it all progresses.

Encounters is what you have now with 4e, but I suspect the combat goes quicker in 5e

Expeditions is the "Advanced Play". It's an ongoing campaign. I would guess it's similar in ways to the old "Living" campaigns.

I'm actually interested in seeing how this goes. Yes, I understand organized play is by necessity "on rails", but if the plot line is strong enough, that can be forgiven. I suspect organized play will have some say in the success or failure of the new edition. As I hope it finds success, I'm hoping the Adventurers League finds a sizable membership.

Is the Emperor Wearing Pants? What's REALLY Going on with the Release of 5e?

There is more left unsaid than said right now with the impending release of 5e. If WotC were graded on a scale of 1-10 on it's use of social media, it would be risking a negative rating.

"Mystery" Mike Mearls and his tweets are more about what isn't included than what is.

The Pundit's social media posts are all about what he knows and can't talk about, but trust him, it is great. You know what? As a paid consultant of WotC - I don't trust your opinion. I'll trust your facts when you present them, but as you can't, you have nothing.

My biggest question isn't "how can you create PCs to use with the Starter Set when the Starter Set doesn't include PC gen rules, but still, you can do it - Mike says so" but more "If there is a step between the Starter Set and the 3 Core Books AND it's an integral part of the release (enough that The Pundit says it's all rainbows and unicorns and shit) why mention it if it can't be talked about?"

Social media is aimed at current roleplayers, not newbs or boardgamers one is looking to convert. Why fuck with us? It may gain WotC publicity, but the sour taste is going to turn many away.

Really, does anyone at WotC even understand social media, because it's obvious Mike doesn't...

Maybe we'll need to open up the scrying pool in the privy to figure this shit out.

More "Mike Mearls Magic Pearls" - Tweets - Turning Board Game Geeks "Geekier"

Okay, so it's pretty much a "remedial" gaming package. Which is okay. But if this means Next will suffer from "boardgamism" like 4e, I'm not looking forward to the future.

Is this an as yet unnamed release, the new DDI, or something even more sinister?

More Mike Mearls Tweets - Starter Set aimed at DMs - No Char Gen in Box (Think Outside the Box)

So, pregens and perhaps online?

Psychic powers maybe?

Maybe even an SRD?

Break out the AD&D 1e Player's Handbook?

Possibilities are endless...

Which is More of a Carrot For You as a Player - XP or a Cool Magic Item?

D&D has multiple carrots to keep the player's motivated: XP, wealth, magic items, new spells, knowledge, connections, rulership, plot, etc.

The big two seem to be XP and magic items - unique and possibly powerful magic. Usually the end results of killing things and taking their stuff

Which motivates you the most as a player? What fails to motivate you?

Mike Mearls Tweets and Answers Questions - Kinda (D&D Next Release)

SRD upon release perhaps?

Riddles within riddles...

Kickstarter - Flying Buffalo Makes Things Right - and Then Some!

Last week I posted about some of the goodies I received from the deluxe Tunnels & Trolls Kickstarter. There was a mixup, which I found more amusing than annoying - I received the 2013 Free RPG Day T&T Quickstart and not the Buffalo Castle solo that was indicated on the shipping slip.

The thing is, I have just about every FBI published T&T products - most in 2 or 3 flavors - so the mixup was, as I said, amusing. Nothing more.

I was also covering a second unit at work the last 3 weeks and my free time was greatly limited. Blog posts or read emails - I posted when I could and read next to nothing, so I failed to see Rick's emails apologizing for the mixup until I went looking for them tonight. Why did I look? Look above.

The new Buffalo Castle and 3 The Origins Metagame cards.

Now I just need dT&T so I can use the updated Buffalo Castle...

D&D Release Dates are Now Official! Kobold Press Working as a WotC Design Studio! Pigs Fly!

EnWorld, Dyver's Blog and G+ have been awash with the official announcement by WotC as to the release dates of the various D&D 5e products. Yes, even I will partake of the latest edition.

Here's the items and their dates:

Starter Set 7/15
Players Handbook 8/19
Hoard of the Dragon Queen Adventure 8/19
Monster Manual 9/30
The Rise of Tiamat Adventure 10/21
Dungeon Master's Guide 11/19
Deluxe DM Screen 1/20/15

All nicely linked by fjw70 from EnWorld. Here's the Amazon links.

A few comments:

- The Starter Set covers levels 1-5. Not a bad range of levels.

- Six weeks between releases of the core books, not three months as inferred earlier from the lack of a leaked release date for the Monster Manual

- How can a DM Screen be "deluxe" if there is no regular version

- Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamet were written by Kobold Press. They are also the first 2 adventures for the new ruleset. Well, the finalized new ruleset:

…Kobold Press, working as a design studio for Wizards of the Coast, has designed two adventures to support the upcoming Tyranny of Dragons storyline—Hoard of the Dragon Queen (out in August) and The Rise of Tiamat (October). These adventures are the first to work with the new rules set.

Interesting how WotC is farming out adventure design, at least in the early releases. I have some hope that the initial adventures may be fairly good now with Wolfgang Baur and Steve Winter doing the writing.

Now, I thought the initial adventures were going to include a self contained version of the rules - that now longer seems to be the case:

The first of two adventures in the Tyranny of Dragons™ story arc, Hoard of the Dragon Queen provides everything a Dungeon Master needs to create an exciting and memorable adventure experience.  

Or I could be reading it wrong. Wouldn't be the first time ;)

Gaming is the Fountain of Youth

When Fools Gather...

During Saturday's Gathering of Fools, Dave (one of our founding members), remarked that leading up to our final session, we were gathering at my house earlier and earlier. As early as 10 am, with sessions lasting to 7PM or later.

We knew the writing was on the wall. After the first weekend of March in '97, it was quite likely that I would no longer have weekends off - I was graduating the NYC Police Academy and would work where and when the job dictated. Weekends off like I had for the 8 months of the academy (and Sundays off for 8 years of retail) were about to be history. We knew we were squeezing in what we could, when we could. Six, seven, eight hours or more on a Sunday - we couldn't get enough as we knew it was coming to an end.

The sad thing is, after six months on the streets I wound up getting steady Sunday / Monday off, but the deed was done. Of the five of us, two were married, two were engaged and all significant others quickly found things to occupy those Sunday afternoons. In the end, we all gave up our childhood when I went to patrol the South Bronx.

Dave, Bri, Tony and  John - if you are reading this, I will strong arm you all back to gaming once a month via Roll20. Bring Kevin along for the ride and we can all be in our mid 20's again. Heck, bring Texas and it will be like the MMO years ;)

The OSR is the Fountain of Youth for gamers in their 40s and beyond...

Kickstarter - Dungeon Crawl Classics: The Chained Coffin (With a nice bunch of stretch goals under it's belt)

It's rare that I give a Kickstarter s second posting here at the blog - at least the good ones. For the most part, the good ones are "one and done". No snark, no gripping, just solid projects.

The Chained Coffin is different. Here's the basic summary:

- Level 5 DCC RPG adventure module to be manufactured with a puzzle on inside front cover that consists of 3 spinning wheels.

- Spinning wheel edition to be produced with limited edition silver foil cover, at $30 price. "Regular" color cover edition is also available (featuring the wheel graphic without the moving parts) at a price of $10.

- Written by Michael Curtis with inspiration from Appendix N author Manley Wade Wellman. Includes additional mini-adventure "The Rat King's River of Death" by Steven Bean.

But with the additional stretch goals, the $30 limited edition foil cover will also include:

"The Almanac of the Shudder Mountains, which is packaged separately with the silver and gold foil editions, will now be expanded to include a Magic section. This is in addition to the Bestiary and other material from prior stretch goals: the gazetteer, patron writeup, random encounters, and 7 additional variations on “the cover art monster.” Plus the extra player handouts in the main book. And all of this is IN ADDITION to the 0-level module that will also be included! Next up is stretch goal #9 to expand the Almanac from digest-size to normal 8.5"x11" size, with even more gazetteer material!"

You Can Go Home Again - Gathering of Fools 2014

Saturday afternoon through evening was the annual sprint Gathering of Fools. It's when my old gaming group from high school, college and beyond (at least until March of 1997). We do aim for more than once a year, but the springtime is sacred - we gather to remember out friend Paul, who we lost when the Towers came down.

I gave away copies of Hackmaster Basic and Scarlet Heroes AND got a commitment from 3 of the 5 in attendance to aim towards a once a month Roll20 Hangout session. Sure, it's the guys without kids that agreed, but hopefully the ones with kids will find a more immediate use for the Scarlet Heroes ruleset.

It was a good time, with good beer and good food and general shenanigans. Isn't shenanigans one of the best reasons to game?

You Too Can be a "Grand Knight Commander" for Just 250 Dollars! (operators are standing by)

+Jason Paul McCartan had a pretty good rant on Knights of the Crusade (the C&C "Fan Club" of sorts) over on G+, but I felt a need to add a few cents of my own.

I remember when the Trolls killed The Doomsday Book, a C&C fanzine, because it was in competition with the official Crusader magazine. How well did that help Crusader? One issue in the last 2 years or so? Oh, and the last half dozen issue or so were filled with so much filler they might as well have given up completely.

Recent C&C Kickstarters have been to make the current core product line of rulebooks "in color". How many different ways do the same rulebooks need to be offered? How many copies of the same rules does one need?

Now, you can pay for the privilege of being a fan of the Castles & Crusades RPG. Oh, and be required to join 2 mailing lists for said privilege. Oh oh, and provide free content for The Trolls while you are at it.

Oh course, The Trolls have many different levels one can be shaken down for...

Really, is it wrong for me to see this as a money grab? And why does one need to subscribe to the Fat Dragon Games Newsletter?

Hey, the free option doesn't require you to submit anything nor subscribe to anything. I don't think you get anything either.

Look, if you do work for free, you get free titles too!

Castles & Crusades was my gateway back to the OSR. It was accessible and evocative of old style gaming. I have a lot of respect for the system, if not the current manner of marketing and separating gamers from their cash repeatedly for the same product packaged slightly differently each time.

There are better ways to building a community for an RPG line and this is too expensive and too damn complcated.  Having players pay for the privilege just makes it seem like a cash grab. Especially when there is a yearly renewal for repeated shake downs.

DC Heroes on Sale At OBS - Full set of books

Everything above comes to less than $20. Each is $4.95

Damn tempting to pick this line-up up, as I was a DC fanboy back in my comic book days. Don't expect I'd ever run it, as I'm not that big on supers RPGs.

Still, less that 20 bucks for the full line of DC Adventures RPG? (in PDF for those that need the clarification) Pretty good deal.

Wayward Kickstarter - Legend: Fantasy RPG in the World of Thera (Shoot for the Stars, Land on Your Ass)

Isn't the next generation fantasy RPG based on the popular d20 system D&D 5e?

Legend (isn't this becoming one of the most overused titles for an RPG these days?) is a classless D20 system that has already been Kickstarted. Wait, nope. Just another D20 OGL game with the same fucking title.

 Illustrating Legend is the original that used the "Legend" name. It asked for $3,500 and took in over $11,000 back in April of 2102.

You can actually download the original PDF for free here. I'm not passing judgement on it, just pointing to where it is freely available.

Anyhow, this new d20 Legend RPG is asking for $25k. For what, you might ask? Let me show you the "pie chart":

Now, they've only raised $290 of the $25,000 they are seeking, so that pie chart is about 99% empty right now. I expect it will remain around that level.

And look, the project creator is so knowledgeable about Kickstarter that he's supported a whole TWO whopping projects, both of which either just closed or are about too. Both funded with much more realistic goals too.

Why do so many creators use "Legend" in their RPG titles when "Heartbreaker" would be much more applicable?

Bundle of Holding - Numenera

I have Numenera. Haven't done more than skim it, but I have it. It's by Monte Cook, so it's got to be good, or at least, decent. Right?

My one complaint is the watermarking on the pages makes it damn difficult for my eyes to read. YMMV.

Your Bundle of Numenera is here.

How Strict Are You With Alignment?

I've seen a lot of talk about how alignment isn't realistic, that the 9 alignment system is too strict, that the only thing the Palladium system got right was alignment, law and chaos is the way to go, good and evil are matters of perspective and more.

Alignment seems to be the one thing gamers are least likely to agree on.

Do you use alignment in your campaigns? Do you track it and force change (and repercussions) to those that stray from the path? Do you hand-wave the whole thing?

Wayward Kickstarter: DRAGONHEIM, A Classic Fantasy Roleplaying Game

he's a plumber, a preacher, a designer that changes gears midstream and can't handle criticism.  we have the makings of a true winner ;)

DRAGONHEIM, A Classic Fantasy Roleplaying Game 
Update #17 - For backers only Dec 30 2013
One Update to Rule them All
8 comments
Hello everyone,

First let me say, even the best laid plans of mice and men sometimes go astray.

With that being said, the project is still very much alive and kicking. No one has received what they were promised yet, and certainly not on time, but everyone will receive what they were promised (Except that is will be Completely Different).

So what have I been doing for the past three months you ask? I have been creating a new game system unlike anything I've ever played.

Why haven't I kept the backers in the loop? Because I've come to realize two things. First, whatever I present to the group is subject to change, and second, whatever I present to the group is subject to criticism. Criticism destroys my creativity. I can't work with it. Sorry. Personal fault. That's why I'm self employed and work mostly alone I suppose. (Danger Will Robinson!)

So what happened to the character creation packet? Well, it was almost complete when I noticed something. All that I had created was just another version of d20 with some extra rules. And to be honest, Pathfinder had already done it way better. They're a large company, they have art departments, and teams of experienced writers.

Let me put it this way. I enjoy watching those "history of video games" shorts on YouTube. There is one thing I notice that some of my favorite games have in common. They had a very small team working on them with very small budgets, and lots of memory and technical limitations to deal with. All of these restrictions forced them to innovate and invent in ways that they otherwise wouldn't have. And in my opinion it made the project better, because they created something that was groundbreaking.

What I have created, if you will allow me, is something so new, and so different, that some of you are probably going to hate it (and hate me for creating it). With that being said, if you want your money back, say so now. I've already received a threatening letter from Kickstarter warning me that if I don't deliver on my promises, they may take action (Holy Shit! This is a first!). At the risk of sounding disinterested, this doesn't bother me. Anyone who wants their money back please respond to this thread saying so, or contact me privately. No hard feelings. For anyone who still has faith in the project, and is willing to accept that I am just one man, who probably promised you too much too soon in order to get you on board, things will get much better for the project starting today. (No refunds to date apparently - no game - neither the one Kickstarted not the one he decided to do instead)

Let me be perfectly transparent. I'm a plumber by trade, not a professional writer. I have a writing credit on one project ("Westward" available as a free download through DrivethruRPG). A few months ago, I also took up the pastorate at a small church. This means that I now write three sermons per week and have responsibility over a congregation. My time isn't what it used to be, but I still pour every free hour I have into Dragonheim. I still believe that I can create a really stellar and original role-playing game. If that ideas I put forward during funding hadn't led you to believe this, we wouldn't be talking now. You all know that I can create something exciting and new. I just need the time.

So that's where we stand, for better or worse. Once again, no hard feelings, and while i appreciate that you'd all have liked for things to have gone closer to plan, they simply haven't and if this frustrates you the best advice I can give you is to ask for a refund.

Thanks,

Varon

And the Free Codes for the Audible Version of My Sister's Debut Novel - "The Hollow Ground" Go To...

The free codes for my sisters book "The Hollow Ground" in Audible format go to...

- Jon Middleton and ENN

lads, send me an email at tenkarsDOTtavernAT that gmail thing and I'll get them out to you.

now to award the prizes on the G+ side ;)

Do You Have a Default Equipment List for Your Characters?

One of my players ( +Joe D to be exact) has a default equipment list that he buys for all of his characters once they have the gold to purchase from the list. It's made up of a myriad of little things (and I really should find out how much it all weighs, but I've never been a stickler for that).

It includes stuff like small flasks of acid, chalk, flour, honey, iron nails, small hammer, string, etc - I'm sure iron pyrite is on there somewhere. It's a huge friggin' list that pops up in the Roll20 chat box each time we start a new campaign (or Joe has a new character). It's basically his "bag o' tricks".

Do you have such a list for your characters? Would you use such a list if it were available?

Kickstarter - Dragon Warriors (It's a Movie, Not an RPG)

Uhm, for a movie that is going 95%+ green-screen, this is pretty damn amazing.

Definitely a "B" movie, but looks far better than any of the Dungeons and Dragons movies that have been made.

Heck, even includes nipple twisting ;)

Watch the trailer at the Dragon Warriors Kickstarter site. It's not half bad...

Send in the Clones, Where Are the Clones? There Ought to be Clones...

On Monday I bumped into my boss in the maze of hallways at work. He saw me, straddled the demarcation line between the tiled kitchenette area and the carpeted hallway, faced me and asked: "Who am I?"

The answer, of course, was me. I've had each of my two feet running two separate units for the last 2 1/2 weeks, covering for another Sgt. who is out sick. Not sure how soon that will be changing. Long ass days in the meantime, but they do seem to go by fairly fast.

It does bring to mind the Classic Paranoia game for me. Damn, but I loved sending my troubleshooters to their untimely (and even timely) demises. "Bring out Butt-R-Ball 2!"

What I need is Supe-R-Visor 2 ;)

Alright, back to writing the eulogy for Friday's memorial service and sorting out the Round 2 winners of the OSR Superstar Contest.

Never a damn clone around when you need one...

What's "Next"? When's "Next?" More Talk of "July 15th"

Just as we posted back on March 2, the latest rumors at ENWorld are putting the release date of the "new" D&D Starter set at July 15th and at 20 bucks.

Is it a box? Is it a book? Is it a book that can be displayed like a box? No idea, but if WotC wants to get this on the shelves at Walmart and Target, it will need to be "box-like". So, if WotC wants to grow the market, look for a box (even if the boxed set barely breaks even or sells at cost).

Player's Handbook in August and the DMG in November - which if true is surprising. It means no full ruleset until 2015 (assuming the Monster Manual is to follow).

Tyranny of Dragons is supposed to be stand alone, and that could be the actual starter set or a parallel product.

I do find it surprising that they are not releasing the Core 3 books as a set, as you need all three for a "complete game", or so it has always been prior. Buy the PH and wait 3 months for the DMG and 3 months more (theoretically) for the MM? Great way to lose momentum with the sales...

Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe this will build up 6 months of anticipation in the player base on top of the 2 years + we've already had.

Or not.

Or the dates are all wrong.

Or some combination of the above.

Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls Kickstarter in Hand...er, not quite...

So, I came home today to find a small package from Flying Buffalo. I knew they were going to send out some of the add ons and such separate from the actual dT&T gamebooks, as that shit just aint done yet.

What did I get?

- a set of 3 T&T dice

- a T&T pencil

- 2013 Free RPG Day dT&T "Preview Pack"

- City of Terrors poster

- Trollworld Poster Map

- some "Fellowship of the Troll" poster

now, my packing slip lists:

- 1 set of Demon Dice (check!)

- Trollworld Map (check!)

- Buffalo Castle (nope)

- T&T pencils (check - assuming "pencils" quantity "1" means 1 pencil)

I dont think we have an ETA yet on the actual dT&T rulebooks yet.

What 2nd Level Magic-User Spells are "Must Have"?

For the most part, 2nd level spells for magic-users in D&D and AD&D are pretty much a wasteland. Sure, Knock and Rope Trick have their uses, but the main excitement of hitting third level as a magic-user isn't the access to 2nd level spells, but watching your first level Magic Missile spell get a 2nd missile (at least in AD&D).

What are your "go to" 2nd level spells for magic-users? Which spells of 2nd level do you feel are undervalued by most players?

Is There an MMORPG Setting You Would Use in Your Campaign?

I know there was a D20 version of Everquest, and off hand that is the only MMO setting I can think of that has been converted to a TT RPG.

With World of Warcraft, Guild Wars, Ultima Online (long dead, I know) and a dozen or two other MMORPG settings out there, are there any that you would want to see converted to the Table Top RPG of your choice? It doesn't have to be an OSR ruleset, but bonus points if it is ;)

Giving Away Free Codes for the Audible Version of My Sister's Debut Novel - "The Hollow Ground"

I know it isn't strictly RPG related, but mine tunnels always make me think of dungeons anyway ;)

My sister's debut novel, "The Hollow Ground", releases tomorrow, and I have a bunch of codes to give away for the Audible version. If you want to "read" a book on your daily commute, this is an excellent method to do so.

This is how I'm working the giveaway:

- I'm giving away copies to two random readers of this blog that comment on this post.

- I'm giving away copies to two random readers that post on the associated main thread over at G+

- I'm giving away one copy to a random reader that posts on the associated thread over at the 2,000 Coppers Community at G+ (membership in the community is open to all)

So, 5 codes up for grabs, 3 ways to enter. One entry per method (so up to three entries in total per person).

Entries must be in by 7PM on Wednesday, May 14th, 2014 Eastern Time.

If you are in the Long Island area, my sis will be doing a reading from the novel at the Carle Place Barnes & Noble at 7PM. I'm sure I can get her to sign a copy or two (I'll be there too)

So Close I Can Taste it...

I have the judges' votes from round 2 of the OSR Superstar Competition, I just need to tally them, break ties and award prizes. I was hoping to sit down and grab and hour or two to do so and write up the post (which doesn't write itself on the commute or the crapper as 95% of these posts do) but Mother's Day weekend had a mind of it's own.

If I don't get it done tonight, Wednesday night would be the night (tomorrow night I'm at a reading for my sister's debut novel, The Hollow Ground). Free time is at a premium, as I have temporarily inherited responsibility for a second unit at work, so free time is at a premium (literally - I'm working overtime to keep my head above water in both of my units).

Oh, and I need to write up a eulogy between now and noon on Friday for my detective that was lost to cancer in January. Public speaking is not my cup of tea.

So that's where we are.

Send in the Clones! Where are the Clones? There aught to be Clones! (Paranoia flashback, but applicable)

Sell me on the HERO System - if you Can ;)

RPGNow is running a sale on the HERO System.

I remember playing Champions back in the day when it was a boxed set that requires a shit ton of D6s to game with. Now it seems like you need a shit ton of books. Still, the price is right to take a peek, assuming the peek is worth taking.

Is the HERO System worth the taxing on my mind it will entail to learn a new system (I'm assuming what i played back in the day is barely recognizable compared to what I played in the mid 80s)?

Lamentations of the Glory Hole - or "The Lost City"

Well, actually, adventuring in The Dwarven Glory Hole was back in March, it just wasn't until last night that the phrase "Lamentations of the Glory Hole" came to us, as we are using a heavily houseruled LotFP Weird Fantasy Blood Island setting when +Joe D runs the sessions.

Last night we hit B4, The Lost City. "Lamentations of the Lost City" just wouldn't be the same.

Highlights of last night's session:

My Viking Berserker killed a beetle with a glowing ass. He cut off said glowing ass and stuck it on his helmet (Int 5, Wis 5, Cha 8). Which kinda made him head negotiator when the worshipers of glowing shit and he crossed paths.

Eating glowing beetle ass will not kill you, but will make for a really awkward blog post - you have been warned. I did bond with the other glowing beetle ass eaters, which was followed by...

Leading people to the light above so they can be killed by fellow vikings is awesome.

I hate bees. Especially the 1' long ones.

Killing small winged creatures that can curse you and wearing their wings from your helm like a Valkyrie while still having a glowing beetle ass on said helm.

Anyone have a visual on a Viking Berserker wearing a glowing beetle ass and fairy winds on his help, let me know. My google foo is failing...