Necromancer Games 5e Kickstarter Books (except Monster Book) to be Converted to S&W and Pathfinder

There's more info on the Necromancer Games 5e Kickstarter, from none other than +Matt Finch himself over at ENWorld. It's a good an informative thread, but the post that stuck out the most to me was this from Matt:

So the 5e Necro Kickstarter will eventually lead to conversions for Swords & Wizardry and Pathfinder.

Very cool.

Wherein I Play in My First DCC RPG Funnel

I've run DCC RPG funnels. I've even run DCC funnels using the Swords & Wizardry rules. Heck, I ran a short lived DCC RPG campaign and some side arcs.

Graygor, the Slightly Mad

Saturday night was my first chance to play the DCC RPG, funnel or otherwise, from the player's side of the table, and it was good. Damn good

+Craig Brasco served up a home brewed funnel and my gaggle of newbs were accompanied by the gaggles of +David Przybyla and +Keith J Davies . Thank God for Purple Sorcerer's character generation page too, as it certainly expedited the process. 

I still have all 4 of my gaggle left. Come to think of it, we've only lost one so far among us, impaled by some 3 horned pack beast as the pack descended upon us. Still looking for the mayor's missing daughter. Just buried the farmer's dead daughter. Too many daughters, damn it!

Now, there is always (or almost always) a character you want to survive the funnel. For me, that is Graygor (talks with really bad Russian accent and says stupid stuff like "in Russia, our dead buried themselves" and "perhaps if i cut off this dead man's jaw, and replace with dead demon's jaw, something may happen." Actually, something did happen, but to Graygor. I think he has a patron now. I know he can cast Spider Climb and something spoke to him in his head when he grabbed the demon jaw. I'm not sure if Craig plans to publish this adventure, but if the second part is as strong as the first part, I will do my best to strong arm him to do so ;)

Eh, he'll probably die in the thrilling conclusion next Saturday night. Still, 7 hp and zero level. He may just actually make it. 

Necromancer Games Returns with a 5e Kickstarter of mostly New Material

Necromancer Games, which I believe is fully owned by Frog God Games (but I could be wrong, and perhaps I am) just launched a Kickstarter in the early morning hours for new 5e material.

Yeah, there is currently no licensing agreement / OGL specifically for D&D 5e at the moment, but much like The Wizard's Amulet update and release for 5e, I suspect this Kickstarter will be working under / behind the OGL. Time will tell, won't it?

Three books are in the mix (below is from the Kickstarter page)

5th Edition Foes. It’s going to start with 200 monsters in it. 

Quests of Doom, an adventure book we estimate at 180-260 pages, depending on stretch goals achieved. It will contain two updates from third edition books (Demons and Devils, Vampires and Liches) that contained a total of six adventures. PLUS, it will contain 6-12 new adventures under the section titles "Bugs and Blobs", “Giants and Dragons,” “Men and Monstrosities,” and “Elementals and Lycanthropes.” 

Book of Lost Spells. This sourcebook will contain hundreds of spells, and we estimate that it will run 250 pages

So, any possible issues highlighted?

In this Kickstarter, you’re almost certain to get something that’s slightly different from the way we are planning it right at this moment, because we’re raising money and starting work before the whole game is even out on the shelves. Page counts will vary depending on the length and format of the material, licensing requirements might alter the content of updated material, and so on. (emphasis mine)

Oh yeah, it's going to be an interesting ride...

The "Free 5e Resources Link List" is up on the Right Sidebar of The Tavern

Alright, I have put up the Free 5e Resources Link on the top of the right side sidebar. It should be hard to miss.

Compared to the other free resource lists I have side-barred, it's fairly short - but heck, the rules were only officially released 2 days ago ;)

As always, feel free to point me to futher free resources as they get released,so we can keep the list growing.

As a side note, most of the OSR adventures I have listed further down the page should work with 5e with some modifications - if anything, they may be a little weak. I'm sure someone will come out with some easy conversion guidelines ;)

Putting Together a List of Free Resources for the D&D Basic Rules (5e)

You know those sidebars on the right side of this page, linking to free OSR rulesets and adventures? I'm going to do the same for 5e. It's the least I can do when WotC is giving us the core rules for free.

I'm trying to put together the list before I put it up, so if folks can point me to anything I may have missed, I'd appreciate it. Just add a comment below.

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules (5e)

Dungeons & Dragons Basic Rules (5e Printer Friendly)

The Wizards Amulet (1st Level Adventure)

5th Edition Character Sheets (WotC)

ENWorld 5e Adventure Collection

ENWorld 5e Fan Created Character Sheets

Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set Maps (DM & Player)  (apparently not free)

5e Treasure Generator

DCC RPG/Xcrawl Free RPG Day 2014 now available in PDF ($4.99)

You say you missed out on the Goodman Games Free RPG Day release this year? Now you can grab it in PDF. Only catch? It will cost you $4.99.

That's not unusual for Goodman Games - I believe they have been doing the same for the last couple of years with their Free RPG Day PDFs.

Anyhow, if you missed out on the DCC RPG/Xcrawl Free RPG Day 2014 release last month in print, you can grab it at RPGNow in PDF.

Now to track down the PDF releases of the other Free RPG Day releases...

Thinking of making My Next Campaign a S&W / 5e Mongrelization ;)

There's a lot to like in 5e, judging from the Basic Rule Set I downloaded and mostly read yesterday, but I don't think I'd want to run it. Swords & Wizardry is a system I can run virtually without referring to the rulebook. There's enough changes in 5e for me to lose that advantage. Still, there are pieces of 5e to easily steal borrow.

I like the idea of spells prepared being different from the spell slots for casting. It gives wizards some flexibility while still keeping away from spell points and the like.

I like that spell effectiveness is separated from character level and instead attached to spell level slot used. Want to cast a fireball with more d6's? Use a 4th or 5th level spell slot to cast it.

I like making sneak attach more effective than Old School BTB. If your target is engaged by another, you can get a sneak attack. Simple.

The second wind stuff would work well in a Swords &v Sorcery type setting without clerics or other healing magic. In a standard D&D fantasy setting, it seems to me to make the PCs way overpowered, but YMMV.

Just some basic thoughts. Theres other stuff that doesn't fit was well for me (skills and such), but I dont need that when making my S&W D&D Mongrel ;)

Frog God Games rereleases The Wizard's Amulet for 5e

Frog God Games has rereleased The Wizard's Amulet for the newly released D&D 5e using the traditional OGL.

It's a free download and you don't even need to sign up for a Frog God account.

5th Edition Rules, 1st Edition Feel

Thanks to +James Aulds for the hat tip ;)

Initial Impressions of 5e Basic - Cautiously Impressed

I'll admit it - I've found ideas I wouldn't mind borrowing for my S&W Campaigns.

Notice I'm not saying I'm looking to run a 5e game - I think I'd need to see the full set of releases first, but I do find that I'm not finding what I see offensive to my sense of gaming sensibilities, much as I did see in 4e.

I probably need more time to digest it all.

I suspect it should work fairly well with most OSR adventures, especially the lower to mid level ones with minimal fudging.

Of course, this could be the ramblings of someone under severe sunburn (and careless stupidity)

In Case You Missed It - 5e Basic PDF has been Released

5e Basic Credits

5e Basic is here. No, Really.

Clocks in at a mere 2.7 mb but 110 pages, so it should work fine on most tablets (will check later)

Time to read some of this puppy.

(BTW, Monte only gets mentioned under "further development by" for his 3e work apparently, not his aborted 5e work.)

Some Thoughts on a 2d6 Skill System for Thief Abilities

I need to keep out of the sun for a bit.
Damn sunburn

After reading through the Planet Eris house rules supplement, it occurred to me that 2d6 for skill checks for thieving abilities (or even other possible skills to be added later) has the huge advantage of the built in bel curve.

You can give everyone a basic chance to find traps or hide in shadows and the like, and yet give thieves better chances than other initially and allow them to increase with the bell curve.

So, say you give the basic chance to find traps as 11 or better on 2d6. That's about a 8% chance (doing the math in my head, so I could be very wrong). Give a bonus to finding for a high wisdom (+1) and / or being a dwarf (+1) would make that 9 or better - roughly 28% and never going up.

Now, if we start thief skills for thieves at 9 or better (Climb Walls and Read Languages would need to be tweaked) at first level, without adjustments for high ability scores or race, our thief is succeeding 1 in 4 times.

Give the thief 3 plus ones at 1st level and 2 plus ones at every level after that (no more than 1 plus to a particular skill at each level) and the thief can specialize, but as one gets better in a particular skill, the returns for that plus 1 get smaller and smaller. It's more effective to be a generalist, at least at higher levels.

A roll of 2 would always fail, no matter the skill level or the circumstances.

I need to really write this down and tweak it, but there is my thinking out loud, based on the Thief Skills charts presented in Planet Eris (I would move all of the 1d6 skills to the 2d6 resolution method).

Or this could all be the results of a mind suffering from sun poisoning...

I Should Have Stopped Before the Beach

I went to the beach at Lake Wallenpaupack with my niece and my wife yesterday. My niece took to the water like a fish - she is a very fearless 3 1/2 year old. We all had a blast.

Now, to back up just a bit and set things in motion properly, when planning out trip to NTRPG Con, Rachel bought solid sunscreen - it looks like and applies much like a deodorant stick. She figured this way, it wouldn't be an issue when going through airport screening, and she was right.

The problem is, the human body isn't meant to be swathed by a deodorant bar. Apparently, I had no idea where i covered and where I didn't. I look like some kind of Cthulhuian Candy Cane. Shit is painful too.

No more trips to the beach for me this vacation (not that the weather would be cooperating the rest of the week anyway.)

So - more time for reading.

Also, those lists for me Super Secret Project - I never put them in my Dropbox, so I'm having to put them together for a second time. More of an annoyance than anything else.

5e Basic releases later today - sometime during business hours Pacific time.  If nothing else, they should be interesting.

Mini Review - Planet Eris: Booklet 1 - House Rules

Planet Eris: Booklet 1 - House Rules is another purchase from NTRPG Con - and no, I'm not sure where you can find this outside of NTRPG Con (or other Old School gaming cons I'm guessing). So yeah, more cool shit that I have and you don't. Sorry about that.

Anyhow, it's a bunch of house rules that build upon the Original D&D White Box, but the source material is downright extensive. I don't have the patience to copy it all down, so here's a pic:

Yes, that would have been a lot to type.

So, the big thing that sticks out to be is the changes to the Thief class (with all I've been thinking about thieves in OSR gaming, it's not surprising that this stuck out. Anyhow, Jimm Johnson converted all of those damn percentile rolls to d6 rolls, but some are on 2d6 and some are on 1d6. I have no idea why he used both methods when dividing up the skills, but I do like the 2d6 method as it has a nice built in bell curve (I believe this is similar to Stars Without Number). I'm going to yoke this and rework it and post it when I do.

There is a nice section on hirelings, retainers and henchmen.

There are some spell tweaks. Well, lots of spell tweaks. More than I care to read.

Everyone has at least a 1 in 6. Dwarves have a 2 in 6 chance. I'm yoking this.

Jousting, disease, getting lost, starvation, jousting - even a 2 page mass combat system.

Worth the cash on inspiration alone. The fact that I can steal some of these houserules as is? Damn near priceless.

And yes, i noticed the cover...

Mini Review - The Tomb of the Sea Kings (Adventure Levels 5+)

I'm going to say this right from the start - don't expect to use The Tomb of the Sea Kings in an ongoing campaign without major reworking and rewriting. It is NOT campaign friendly and failure to complete the adventure can lead to "death my a 20th level mage." No, not kidding.

That being said, as a one-shot or convention module, I think it could be aces. Sure, it's a funhouse dungeon, but that works well outside of the usual campaign type of setting / structure.

Lots of potential stat loss, stat gain, level loss, infinite pits, doors to "somewhere", naked characters - like I said, funhouse. A funhouse can be lots of fun in the right set up, which is why I see The Tomb of the Sea Kings as a fun choice for convention play with pregens, and much less fun plugged into the average campaign without a shitload of work. YMMV of course.

All that being said, there are bits and pieces I could readily steal for campaign play.

These were printed via Lulu (I grabbed my copy at NTRPG Con), but I don't think you can find it online.

On Vacation STOP Working on Secret Project STOP Going to Swim at Lake First DONT STOP

I'm away from the city for a few days as well as away from work. It's an amazing thing, this thing they call "The Country."

In any case, I need to tie of a few last end of "The Secret Project" which should be officially announced in a week or two.

I also need to read. A lot. As if I were away from cable and the internet, but I'm not. Still, I'll pretend and make it so ;)

A Kickstarter I WANT, But Can't Justify: GameChanger - Virtual Tabletop Gaming Surface

My God but I want this. GameChanger is a virtual table top for your actual table.

I'm in love. Or lust.

My wife would kill me, I have no use for it, but it doesn't stop the want.

From the blurb:

A high-quality, durable, multi-touch LCD Gaming Surface for RPGs, Miniatures and other tabletop gaming. 

The GameChanger is the first affordable, durable and widely available gaming surface.  Using recent price breakthroughs in LED panels, touch technology and mini-computers, gamers can at last take advantage of the latest technology, in an easily upgradeable and affordable way.  

We've made a huge ruggedised iPad to use for gaming —for about the same price or less! 

Now your favourite adventures (readily available on pdf or scanned) can be presented quickly and easily using whichever virtual table top, or any other tools you use for your games. 

A Scratching My Head Kickstarter - fantasy rpg travel starter set tabletop miniatures sci-fi (urh?)

First off, the title is all fucked up. Heck, it isn't even a proper title and it probably isn't an accurate description.

fantasy rpg travel starter set tabletop miniatures sci-fi

right... and the first stretch goal is... poly dice.

a proper RPG "Starter Whatever" is dice, notepaper, graph paper (maybe) and a pencil. All else is frills.

Travelling for gaming events can be tough (especially for dms) when you're lugging around all your gaming gear, me and my wife have had this problem where we never have anyway of carrying our gaming boards so we came up with a fabric scroll board its an a2 size print like the one in the picture it folds or rolls up and fits into my pocket. this very quickly developed into me wanting to make simple affordable starter sets that fit nicely into a travel package so whether you are a new player or you've been playing rpgs from the start you can get everything you need to play in one simple easy to transport package! with this kickstarter i hope to be able to get more designs for my maps with themed collections and get them manufactured on a larger scale + water proofing i would also like to improve the quality a great deal for a long lasting product.

Now, it says UK for the project, but the fucker must be from Germany, as those are some disjointed run on sentences. Oh, and capitalization wouldn't hurt either.

God, my head hurts. Make it stop. Please.

Oh, and what exactly is "map dice"?

Right. I'm am far from the grammar police, but there needs to be a summary arrest and possibly painful sentence handed down. Now. Where's Judge Dredd when you need him?

On Time Kickstarter - The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence

Yes, even Ashely notices the ass on the cover of The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence. Admittedly, it is hard to miss. Not quite what I would choose for the cover of a gaming product, but so long as the stuff between the covers is good.

I got my copy in the mail yesterday and will be part of my vacation reading (amongst many others). Technically, it arrived on the last day of June and it was estimated for July, so yes, Holy Shit, this is actually a Kickstarter that released EARLY!

Huzzah!

The PDF of The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence is available at DriveThru and RPGNow.

Dungeon Dozen on Sale at Lulu - 20% off (and an extra 10% coupon)

I caught wind of this sale over at OSR Today, but wasn't able to add the 20% coupon and combine the two discounts. I WAS able to add DISCOUNT10 for an extra 10% off, so I can't complain.

Needless to say, I ordered the Dungeon Dozen hardback ;)

You can sample the wares at The Dungeon Dozen blog.

Initial Basic D&D PDF to be More than just Character Gen

So, it looks like they changed their mind about it being just character gen initially.

From ENWorld:

I've been a bit remiss in communicating this. Mike Mearls has said multiple times over the last few weeks that Basic D&D will debut on July 3rd (at the same time Wizards Play Network store get the Starter Set). That debut only includes character creation. A whole bunch more will be added to it on August 19th, when the Player's Handbook is released. It will then continue to be updated as the rest of the release schedule rolls out.

Or maybe not. From the 6/30 Legends & Lore post by Mike Mearls

It’s hard to believe that we’re on the eve of the release of the first D&D fifth edition product. The Starter Set will be available at Wizards Play Network stores this week, starting on July 3. That day will also see the release of the basic rules for D&D on the Dungeons & Dragons web site. 

For the D&D basic rules, our initial release will include character creation. It features the human, elf, dwarf, and halfling for races, along with the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard classes, all from 1st level to 20th level. As the Monster Manual and Dungeon Master’s Guide near completion, we’ll add to the basic rules with more material to grow it into a complete game. Our goal is to continue to make updates to the basic rules for D&D until the end of the year, at which point it will be feature complete.

After Looking at the Classes, I May Need to Revisit the Bard

A few years back, in what is now the last published issue of Knockspell, I wrote up a bard class. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't all of that good either. Three years later I think I have a better concept of how to bring the package together, so it may be time to start doing so.

I've always had an attachment to the bard class. No, not the unworkable one in the back of the Player's Handbook, but what came later, in issue 56 of The Dragon. Now, that class might have been a bit overpowered still, what with a Fighters attack matrix, access to all weapon proficiencies and a powerful spell list, but it was the first time I remember seeing a character class in Dragon and thinking "it would be fun to play that."

So yeah, I want to make a Bard class that is fun, not over powerful and yet useful in the average party. This may be part of my month long "gaming content on the blog" project.

Is the Thief a Needed Member of the Adventuring Party?

This discussion came up with my once a month (more or less) group this past Friday. We had three fighter types and a cleric / m-u exploring the depths of The Castle of the Mad Archmage. Obviously, they lacked a thief in their number, but as was observed, the lack didn't make much of a difference.

Low level thieves essentially suck at thieving. At third level, they have about a 1 in 4 chance of succeeding with any of their basic thieving skills, which really means they fail 3 out of 4 attempts. How long is a thief going to survive failing 3 out of 4 attempts to disarm traps (let alone failing his 3 out of 4 attempts at finding them in the first place)?

At third level, he can open 1 in 5 locks - which means brute force (and wandering monster checks) will be required 80% of the time. Wouldn't another fighter type or caster be more effective with those wandering monsters than a lightly armored and combat ineffective thief?

Come to think of it, Crypts & Things allows all of the classes to attempt thief type abilities - I'm wondering if such wouldn't work well in a standard OSR game.

Just me thinking out load, as the missing thief really wasn't missed...

Sneak Peeking A Piece of the Art for the Super Secret Project

Yeah, I really want to spill the beans on the Super Secret Project.

Instead, I'll sneak a peek at a +Jim Magnusson piece that will be finding it's place between the covers.

Oh, and we have some awesome color cover art by +Craig Brasco , but that will have to wait until later.

I feel like it's Christmas morning, my parents are still sleeping, and I just ripped the tape of a corner of my biggest and bestest present ;)

A Matter of Priorities

I am on vacation. Woot!

Now it is time to prioritize and organize my time for the rest of the week.

The big project I am working on needs to be solidified and put fully into motion. I'm hoping we are getting damn close to officially announcing it. I am as excited as a young child on Christmas morning, and I'm not allowed to open the presents yet. It's killing me!

The podcast with +Jason Paul McCartan and myself is nearing launch. Yes, there is talk of transcripts for those that have difficulty understanding a Scotsman and a New Yorker in the same conversation ;)

Reviews. A Shit ton of reviews.

I'm also thinking of making July a "31 Days of Gaming Content Month" - house rules, plot hooks, monsters, magic items, spells - one a day for 31 days. Yes, +Tim Shorts , I probably am insane, but I do hope to get a head start during the week of vacation ;)

Alright, time to head to the pub for dinner with the family...

Some Further Thoughts on The Lost City of Baracus

 "As is the case with the other mini-campaign settings, this module was designed to give the characters the maximum freedom, so as much as possible, let the players dictate the action. A good way to run The Lost City of Barakus is to drop clues about certain quests and adventures and then see what most interests the characters. And then, perhaps most important of all, don’t be afraid to improvise." Lost City of Baracus, pgs 4-5

The above is part of the advice given to DMs that are about to embark on the adventure of running the adventure The Lost City of Barakus.

"Let the players dictate the action" - this is the key to any sandbox or even railroad with choice. What I like about Barakus is that even though it is a (mega)dungeon, there are hooks and plots that lie without. You don't have to go back week after week into the dungeon - there is a fairly detailed surrounding area, things to do and people to meet (or eventually kill). Actually, what I would like to do is kick off this campaign (when I do) with a DCC RPG styled (or flat out stolen and converted) funnel, tweaked to the setting.

Which leads to: "perhaps most important of all, don’t be afraid to improvise."

This.

There is no such thing as "by the book", at least not when it comes to successful and enjoyable campaigns. No adventure or dungeon writer can think up all of the things your party may attempt. If your party is much like mine are, it's quite likely your party throws curve balls not thought up by the adventure writer every couple of minutes. If so, God bless them, as your players are aces. Enjoy the exercise that comes with making sure your party's attempts to think out of the box are rewarded (although your party might not fully appreciate each such reward ;)

The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator & Solo GM Guidebook - About to Dig In

I'm still digging out from a crap-ton of RPG products to review, let alone read. Some stuff arrived right before NTRPG Con, some was awaiting my return from NTRPG Con and some has arrived in recent days.

I'm so glad I'm on vacation for a week. Time to dig into the goodies.

The Covetous Poet's Adventure Creator & Solo GM Guidebook is one of the recent acquisitions I need to really dig into. Now that Rachel has had a taste of roleplaying thanks to the NTRPG Con and excellent DM's like +Tim Snider , +Zach Glazar and +Matt Finch , I need to make sure to feed her some more roleplaying on occasions. I figure this with Scarlet Heroes would make a solid one on one gaming session.

I'll try to give it a test later on this week ;)

 

Kickstarter - The Lost City of Barakus - PDF / S&W - In Hand

Somewhere, packed away in a box in storage, in my 3e version of The Lost City of Barakus. I never was a 3e player (or DM), but I did pick up odds and ends, especially stuff with old school flavor. I must have read through The Lost City of Barakus at least 2 times and skimmed through it more times than I can count.

I now have the PDF of the Swords &Wizardry version of Barakus, and I must say, I'm really enjoying it. If I didn't already have multiple campaigns going (and an Other Dust campaign kicking off imminently) I'd use my week off from work to fully immerse myself in Barakus with the intention of running it before the summer is out. I may still read it through from end to end this week though I'm not sure when I'll get to run it.

A mega dungeon with an fleshed surrounding sandbox and a handful of short adventure seeds to use in town and the surrounding just add to the depth.

Fun times.

Did I mention I love the cover art?

I'll post a review when I get far enough along in my reading to do so properly.

The PDF is $20. The Hardcover preorder is $40, but I do believe that includes the PDF for instant gratification (I am, however, not 100% sure, and the site isn't really clear on this. I got my PDF code from backing the Kickstarter - orders direct from Frog God DO include the PDFs for free)

(for a Kickstarter that's due in August, it's well on track)

Did / Do Illusionists Get Any Love in Your Campaigns?

I'm not going to say Illusionists were worthless in AD&D 1e - they weren't. They had their uses, but they were very specific and fairly rare. They were, however, a very poor substitute for a magic-user in the party, and if the party passed on the mage for an illusionists, especially at low levels, they were pretty much screwing themselves. (Unearthed Arcana changed this balance a bit and made the Illusionist more viable, but it was likely he would still be the second "arcane" caster i0n the party, not the only one.)

Gnome thief / illusionist made for a decent class combination - it's just a shame that folks in my groups always imagined the gnome in D&D to look like that stupid garden gnomes - as a race, gnomes never seemed to have a niche besides "talk with burrowing animals", but that's a whole 'nother post.

The fighter subclasses could easily substitute for a regular fighter, but it wasn't the same for the magic-user and it's subclass (and to some extent, that probably applies to the cleric and it's druid subclass too).

So, how much use did / do Illusionists get in your campaigns?

Laminated Micro Adventure by Tim Shorts

I received the above from +Tim Shorts (Gothridge Manor blog) in the mail yesterday (I also received a mystery envelope from Tim today - a mystery as it was ripped open and delivered w/o contents by the wonderful US Mail system). You can grab it free in PDF at Tim's blog.

This is awesome. As +Christian Walker says over at the Destination Unknown blog, a DM armed with a handful of these will never be found wanting. Good stuff. Now I feel the need to buy a grease pencil and write on the map ;)

Let's Get Physical - Has Anyone Broken Down the Math of the Physical Attribute Bonuses in D&D?

Strength, Dexterity and Constitution - all are important to your character's survivability in combat in D&D - but which is most important?

High Strength makes you hit harder and more often.

High Dexterity makes you harder to hit, so you take damage less often. It also gives a bonus to hit (but not damage) with ranged weapons.

High Constitution enables you to take more damage before going down, potentially enabling you to deal damage for a longer time (and if you are a dwarf or a halfling it gives one heck of a bonus to poison and magic saves)

So, which is the best one to put your highest score at?

I have no idea. Traditionally, my fighter classed characters have always gone Strength, Constitution and then Dexterity in order if priority, but I have no idea if mathematically that is the most effective priority.

No, I'm not suggesting that we need to do a mathematical breakdown of most effective priority, but it certainly would be interesting (and beyond my mere mortal abilities).

Instead, I'm interested in discussing the order of prioritization for your fighting type class character's statistics. Most of us do have a default in mind when we arrange our stats. There is no right answer (although math might show us a more effective answer).

And no, this post has nothing to do with work and the current attempts of the powers that be to find the most effective (in time and money) methods for each process that my office does. Because reality and theory rarely intersect.

Penny wise and pound foolish comes to mind...

Bundle of Holding - Scarred Lands (D20 Setting)

I was not a player (or a DM) during the "D20 Era". I was, however, a collector of sorts, and I do remember the "Scarred Lands". It's just that there was such a glut of D20 products being released those days that there were many lines I never had a chance to look at. Which is probably a good thing overall, but in the years between, I've heard good things about the Scarred Lands, although I still haven't checked it out.

Less than 9 bucks for the core and about 20 for the bonus supplements. Of course, the question then becomes, how well and easy will they convert to S&W and the like...

I Stumbled Across Cracked's "15 Retarded Dungeons and Dragons Monsters" from 2009

Cracked has an illustrated list of 15 Retarded Dungeons and Dragons Monsters. The post is from 5 years ago but is still fairly entertaining. I didn't recognize the vast majority, so I assume they are either 3e or 4e creatures (or possibly from the later 2e monster books).

That's number 14, the Gelatinous Cube at the top of the page.

It got me thinking about the lamest AD&D creatures. I think the Flumph get's high points here, but I still love the fuckers. Would never use them in game, but I enjoyed their appearances in OoTS.

So, what are your favorite retarded or lame AD&D creatures (I'm going to work on the assumption that most if not all will be coming from the Fiend Folio ;)

Free RPG Day Loot - WTF is with the LotFP Free RPG Day Cover?

What the fuggity fug is "The D-Cave?" "Cry al - hi - something." It's like James is speaking in code.

There is a blue crystal blocking the title - or is that a blue penis, as you really never know with James these days. Nice to see the crystal (penis?) is branded at the "head" with "Lamentations of the Flame Princess." No, we don't need to know what the product is actually called, but we'll give you the publisher's name where the title should be.

James puts together amazing products to hold, but this cover is a confused piece of something or other.

Now, I just got this and the C&C and Goodman Games Free RPG Day stuff from Noble Knight in the mail today and this just made me go "what the fuck was he thinking?" when I saw the cover. Nice dungeon map on the inside cover, but that doesn't make this mess go away.

The more I think on it, it must be a blue crystal penis on the cover. That's why it's the "D-Cave"...

Unearthed Arcana 1e - Boon or Bane?

I remember getting the Unearthed Arcana for 1e. My God, it was like opening up a present on Christmas morning.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long for High School me to realize there was ALOT that didn't belong in the campaigns I ran, such as:

- Rolling ability scores by class. That was overpowered and broken even for those of us that treated the Deck of Many Things as a "solo adventure" for between sessions.

- Barbarian class - overpowered and anti-social

- Cavalier class - not suitable at all for dungeoneering and also overpowered. Balancing class powers with roleplay hindrances wasn't much of a balance in my High School and early College years.

- New spells. Some were awesome. Some added depth, especially to the Illusionist class. Alright, maybe this I like more than I'd like to admit ;)

Anyhow, for my group, the UA was more of a negative than a positive, but as it was "official" and "core", we felt obliged to let it be used in our campaigns. Stupidity of youth, I know.

What was your experience with 1e's Unearthed Arcana? Good, bad, indifferent?

D&D Basic (5e) Releases July 3rd (Download) along with Starter Set (Wizard Play Stores Only)

As reported over at OSR Today, D&D Basic debuts on July 3rd, the same day the D&D Starter Box releases at Wizard Play Network Stores. Not sure where the download will be hosted, but I'm looking forward to it.

If you are like me and ordered your boxed set via Amazon, you'll be waiting until July 15th or so.

I must say, I do like the maps that are included in the boxed set.

Remember TARGA?

Thinking of the recent "controversies" in the OSR (mostly stirred for little more than the need for attention) got me thinking back to TARGA, the first attempt I can recall of trying to tame, define and direct the corner of the universe we refer to as the OSR.

It didn't go so well. The standard bearer watched as their desire to direct and control went up in flames.

The OSR didn't go anywhere. If anything, it just got stronger, and more diverse.

Grognardia was the next self proclaimed standard bearer. That didn't end well.

And yet the OSR still survives. Stronger and chaotic. Yes, if anything, the OSR is a thing of chaos. A many faceted gem of chaotic energy. It is within this chaos that the OSR finds it's strength.

The OSR does not need A standard bearer, as everyone that identifies themselves as part of the OSR IS a standard bearer. Each standard has equal value and equal importance. Whether one plays Original White Box, 1e as written, simulacrums, near clones or far clones, fantasy or scifi, Keep on the Borderland or Whisper & Vemom, or a mongrelization of pieces of the above and more - it's all OSR.

Embrace the chaos. Blood & souls for my lord, the OSR! ;)

Bundle of Holding - Traveller 2300 AD (Mongoose Edition)

I've always had a fondness for Traveller. I remember having "book room duty" in High School, and after spending 10 minutes delivering books, Andrew D and myself would roll up characters for Traveller as our own minigame, trying to survive character generation. Good times.

Traveller 2300 is the version of Traveller I always wanted to play, but couldn't convince any of the others in my gaming group to do so. Ah well.

This is the Mongoose version of Traveller 2300AD, which includes the Mongoose Traveller core rules. I have those but nothing else in this package. I may just have to get in on this one, as it's a short term bundle. Just about 2 days left as I post this...

Tim Shorts Suggested an "OSR Day" - I Second the Motion

+Tim Shorts , he of the excellent blog Gothridge Manor, suggested that our corner of the gaming universe have an "OSR Day", a day where we highlight free OSR offerings and hopefully get some of the OSR publishers to offer some prized pieces of their PDF library for free on that day.

In some ways, we had something similar over the weekend with the 13 Free RPG offerings I highlighted for Free RPG Day. Most of what I pointed out was OSR in nature for no other reason than that's where my attention lies these days.

I think Tim's idea is a good one. Tim also suggested I organize it, which isn't a horrible idea BUT I do have to wrap up OSR Superstar, launch a podcast in the next few weeks and announce another project that I'm really excited about but can't talk about just yet.

Here's my suggestion. If you are a publisher and have some free OSR publications you want highlighted for an OSR Day, go to Tim's blogpost on this topic and tell him you have info for him. I'm sure he'll appreciate it ;)

Or, if you don't want to harass Tim, email tenkarsDOTtavernAT that gmail thing with "OSR Day" in the topic. Let me know what you want highlighted on the as yet unchosen day. If you have something that would be free for that day only, make a special notation of such.

I suspect, at earliest, the day would be mid September, early October, but it doesn't hurt to get the ball rolling now.

Do harass Tim tho'. He'd like you to say "hi" ;)

How Unique are Your Monsters?

I have no problem with generic orcs, goblins and the like (but even with them, I'd prefer identifiable tribes to add some differentiation) but when it comes to more powerful monsters, I prefer them to be more unique.

It doesn't have to be "The Hill Giant", but "Rodger, Hill Giant of the Fells" works quite fine for me, especially in a sandbox styled campaign.

To me, once you get beyond the basic humanoids and the like, especially in the wilderness, a small snapshot of the monster or adversary works wonders in making them unique.

Dungeons are their own style of environment, and what makes sense (or one is willing to suspend disbelief) in a dungeon environment doesn't work as well when the general populace is involved.

So, how do you handle monsters in your campaigns? Grab one from the Monster Manual, roll it up using Raggi's Random Esoteric Monster Generator, something in between?

(art courtesy of the Aenglum Blog, +Jim Magnusson )

Jim Ward Suffers Setback - Still in Hospital - Still Needs Prayers

I got this from +Michael Badolato via the NTRPG Facebook group, who got the info from the Gary Con Facebook group's Steve Sullivan:

Just got off the phone with James M. Ward. He has had a setback. The water retention turned out to be a problem with his kidneys, so he's now battling against that as well as the heart issues. As a result, he will be in the hospital at least a while longer. Hopefully, the doctors can get this under control and get our friend back to his usual jolly self. Jim wants more than anything to be able to go home. 

Though he is not currently online, Jim really appreciates your continued thoughts, prayers, and well wishes -- so please keep posting them to his wall and anyplace else you think appropriate.

Prayers, well wishes, whatever you've got - Jim could use them.

Free RPG Day Pick #13 - The Caves of Ortok (Adventure with S&W, LL and OSRIC Editions / PWYW)

Now this, I can talk about, as I ran a playtest of the Caves of Ortok using my house ruled S&W rules. It plays out very well, and only smart play from my players (and the DM - that's me - missing a small bit of info I just happened to forget) kept us from losing multiple characters. It's a challenge, but a damn good one.

Caves of Ortok comes in three flavors - S&W, LL and OSRIC flavors. The link on this post takes you to the S&W version, but there are links on that page to the other versions.

Caves of Ortok is PWYW, so grab it, read it and if you think it's worth it, toss a few silver into the tip jar.

Oh, and yes +Jason Paul McCartan , you got the 13th spot ;)

Free RPG Day Pick #12 - Delving Deeper ("White Box" Clone)

Of the numerous clones of the original flavors of D&D, Delving Deeper often gets overlooked, which is a shame. It hues fairly close to the original White Box and all you need to play is included in three small PDFs.

The price is right at free, so why not check it out?

Free RPG Day Pick #11 - Stars Without Number (Free Edition)

Want to play sci-fi with rules that feel comfortable and are easy to learn, especially if you are going from the OSR side of the hobby? Look no further.

Stars Without Number is probably the most complete sci-fi OSR ruleset you could find. A sandbox enabling sci-fi ruleset at that.

Simply amazing that +Kevin Crawford gives it away for free. If you don't yet have it in you gaming collection, grab it now. There are also a bunch of free supplements to use with you new copy of Stars Without Numbers

Free RPG Day Pick #10 - Westwater RPG (OSR Western PWYW)

So, you say that Westerns are under represented in the OSR, and you would be right.

Therefore, let us present (for free / PWYW) Westwater, a full (no art) western RPG that should be real comfortable to those that enjoy playing the classic fantasy game and it's clones.

Heck, I'm sure you could even find a way to make a workable version of Far West if one desired - probably a more playable version than the still unreleased Kickstarter too.

from the blurb:

Back in the early 80s, B/X was one of my groups favorite RPGs.  While there were Wild West RPGs that existed, we really wanted to play in that genre using Tom Moldvay's system.  Thanks to the OGL, we can now share that with you!

Westwater uses the OGL to be completely compatible with any other B/X rules system.  While the core of the game mixes traditional 19th Century history with fantasy, there are guidelines that allow you to play the game modeled after realistic 19th century themes, or with a fully magical and fantastical theme.

So choose your gunslinger, holy man, monster hunter, mountain man, outlaw, and more classes, and earn your name in the Wild West!

Free RPG Day Pick #9 - Quick Primer of Old School Gaming

Want to know what the OSR is about?

How about why the term "OSR Taliban" has no relevance? (actually, that is NOT in the Quick Primer of Old School Gaming, but I'll give you the answer anyway - the first to use the term "OSR Taliban" and the latest to throw it around like it's a 5e rally flag are irrelevant to "old school gaming" anyway - drama is the only god the term "OSR Taliban" serves - but I digress).

Anyhow, I present to you the free Quick Primer of Old School Gaming by +Matt Finch

"You are the rulebook. There is no other rulebook.

Make it fast, make it colorful, and make it full of decisions for the players."

Free RPG Day Pick #7 - TM1 The Ogress of Anubis (Adventure Levels 4-6)

How often do you find an old school adventure that is Egyptian themed and free on top of everything else? Shall I included the small fact that is was written by the 2014 Three Castles Award winner at NTRPG Con?

Hey, I just described the Ogress of Anubis!

Free RPG Day Pick #8 - 0A The Tomb of Rakoss the Undying (Adventure Levels 4-6)

Now this is a f'n cool cover! It's worth the price of admission on it's own - and the cost is free.

Yep, The Tomb of Rakoss the Undying is yet another free adventure being highlighted at The Tavern on Free RPG Day (weekend).

Free RPG Day Pick #6 - Age Past: The Incian Sphere Primer

What is the difference between the $15 Age Past: The Incian Sphere RPG and the free Age Past: The Incian Sphere Primer? The color version is $15 bucks and the greyscale version is free.

Yep, that seems to be the difference.

B&W get's you a 399 page RPG for free.

Is it any good?

I don't have time to read 399 pages to find out, but maybe you can do the rest of us the favor and let us know. In any case, the price is right...

Free RPG Day Pick #5 - RuneQuest Essentials

RuneQuest 6 is an amazing RPG that is as intimidating as it is awesome. I gave up on it.

Then came RuneQuest Essentials, a "Pay What You Want", stripped down but still complete at 200 or so pages.

So yes, you can check out the new RuneQuest for free. I advise that you do so, as it is the granddaddy of d100 based RPGs and the price is right at free ;)

From the blurb:

This special, 'Pay What You Want' version of RuneQuest 6th Edition is designed to introduce players and Games Masters to the essentials of the game. In this book you will find the core of the RuneQuest engine, in a stripped-down format, but still complete enough to create characters and begin adventuring with one of roleplaying’s most enduring and respected systems.

The intention is that this book will give you a taste of the mechanics and encourage you to move onto the full edition of the rules. The full rulebook contains much, much more: more game options, more magic, more monsters more cults.

But for now let RuneQuest Essentials be your gateway to fantastic adventures with heroes and magic!

Free RPG Day Pick #4:Mazes & Perils (2013 Gold ENnie for Best Free RPG)

Winner of the 2013 Gold ENnie for Best Free RPG, Mazes & Perils takes "Holmes" Basic to the next step and envisions it as a full RPG.

Guess what?

It's also free ;)

Free RPG Day Pick #3: BLUEHOLME Prentice Rules - The Maze of Nuromen (Holmes Clone)

I'll make this a dual pick, with both the BLUEHOLME Prentice Rules and the introductory adventure The Maze of Nuromen available as "Pay What You Want" - so download them both, read them, play them - and if you feel the author deserves a few silvers, you can throw a handful his way.

It really is a nice clone of the Holme's Basic Rules and you can't beat the price...

Free RPG Day Sale - Buy a PDF Copy of Nebin Pendlebrook’s Perilous Pantry and receive a free PDF of A Gathering of the Marked (DCC RPG)

+Jon Marr over at Purple Sorcerer Games is running a sale for Free RPG Day. Buy a copy of Nebin Pendlebrook’s Perilous Pantry (from this link) and you will receive a free PDF of A Gathering of the Marked.

I ran A Gathering of the Marked over the course of three sessions a while back via Google Hangouts, and it was damn fine. Everyone had a good time, including me as the DM ;)

Think of it as a buy one, get one free offer ;)

From the Blurb of Nebin Pendlebrook's Perilous Pantry:

The tiny village of Bitterweed Barrow is unaccustomed to mysterious tunnels, missing halflings, or the need for brave adventurers, but now it has all three! Can a band of gong-farmers and shoe-cobblers muster the courage to descend into the darkness and confront the terror that waits beyond Nebin Pendlebrook’s unexpectedly perilous pantry?

Designed to be completed in a single furious session, this Instant Action 0-Level Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure drops your players into peril straight away. Dangerous foes, wicked traps, and ancient secrets await!

Features:

42 pages of classic 6'x9' digest-format old-school b/w dungeon fun.

Designed to be completed in a single 4 hour session, perfect for convention or demo play, but with enough hooks to become a centerpiece for your beginning campaign.

37 page appendix contains paper miniatures of every combatant, initiative cards, battlemaps of the entire dungeon, and printable pics of every image in the adventure.

Free RPG Day Pick #2 - VA1a The Lost Caverns of Azgot (New Big Dragon)

The Lost Caverns of Azgot is a free mini adventure from the guy who won the 2014 Three Castles Award. It's short, it's free and it's old school.

As a bonus, if you go to +Richard LeBlanc 's blog (Save vs. Dragon), he has 3 free d30 charts up for Free RPG Day.

Remember, my Free RPG Day picks aren't the same one you'd be getting at your FLGS - but they are just as free ;)

From the blurb:

Only a minimum number of monster encounters have been included in this adventure. Instead, it is designed to allow “population” of the caverns as the DM deems fit, allowing it to be easily adapted into almost any existing campaign (old-school or new).

While this adventure is not part of Old-School Adventures™ Module VA1: Valley of the Five Fires (winner of the 2014 Three Castles Award), it has been designed to be used in conjunction with the setting it creates. Furthermore, its format allows use with almost any early edition of the original role-playing game (Oe, BX, 1e) or comparable retro-clone (e.g., S&W, LL)

Free RPG Day Pick #1 - Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay

Alright, I'll admit it. Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay is "Pay What You Want" all of the time in PDF. Today is, however, Free RPG Day, and since not all of us have the time or inclination to make a trip to their FLGS (or may lack a FLGS) I'll be highlighting some inexpensive and / or free products one can add to their RPG toolbox over the weekend.

So, what makes Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay an excellent pick for Free RPG Day? It's a complete and fairly generic city that is close to be drop and play in most any campaign. When I say it is "generic", I don't mean that it's boring or the same old same old - what I means is that it is very flexible in the settings it should be able to fit in without major (or even much minor) work. Wnat to drop it in Greyhawk? Go ahead. How about Forgotten Realms? Easy as pie.

Heck, maybe you just want to steal bits and pieces, like neighborhoods or even just business establishments and possibly some NPCs. Have at it. Nothing says you need to take it whole cloth. Just take what you need for now and you can always come back later. I hear there are some decent taverns described in Dolmvay ;)

Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay is "PWYW", so you can check it out for free and if you life what you see, you can always toss Small Niche Games a few silvers. In any case, the price is certainly right and the amount of game-able material is excellent.

Castle of the Mad Archmage - Adventures Dark & Deep - 30% off PDF and Print - Thru June 22!

Forgive me if there are any glaring typos in this post - my son just took my wife and I out to the local pub for her birthday - five rounds of beer and shots in less than two hours will leave you feeling it. I'll admit to getting old ;)

+Joseph Bloch is putting his BRW catalogue of releases on sale for 30% off through June 22 - basically through the end of the weekend. This applies to PDF AND Print versions, so if you've been holding off on getting the Adventures Dark & Deep RPG or Castle of the Mad Archmage now is the time to pull the trigger.

I think I'm going to bed now...

Purple Duck Sale - 33% Off DCC, LL, S&W, Stock Art

+Purple Duck Games is running a sale on it's entire catalog.


DCC RPG adventures, Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, Stock Art and more.

I may need to pick up some more stock art for the "Secret Project" I'm partnered up in...

You can find the Purple Duck page here.

20% Off Lulu Coupon - Looking for Suggestions

Alright, OSR Today has a Lulu Coupon code posted of JFS20 - good for 20% off. Today is my wife's birthday, so I need suggestions of what to buy myself (she already has a MacBook Air coming her way, so she's more than good.)

Add suggestions in the comments below...