Run, Don't Walk to Amazon for Deals on Basic Fantasy RPG!

I have no idea how long these prices will be in effect - could be days, hours, minutes.

The BFRPG Core Book for $3.85

BFRPG Adventures for as low as $2.66

All ship free if you have Prime at Amazon.

If you've been waiting to pick these up, NOW is the time.

Tenkar's Wondrous and Whimsical Trinkets and Trifles - Staff of Sneezing & Wheezing

Alright, time to kick off Tenkar's Wondrous and Whimsical Trinkets and Trifles weekly offering. This week, it's going to be reflective of the cold from hell (and the accompanying sinus infection) that I've been gifted with ;)

Staff of Sneezing & Wheezing - First created by the insane wizard Sinusitus, the Staff of Sneezing & Wheezing can be recognized by the nose like protrusion from the head of the staff that constantly drips a yellow like but harmless sap-like fluid.

When the proper command word is uttered by the magic-user holding the staff (often "Ah-Choo!" or "Prrfffttt!") the following effects will happen:

- Within a range of 60', a 10' radius circle will cause all within to save vs. poison for up to three consecutive rounds. Once a creature makes it's save, no further saves are required.

One the first round, creatures that fail their save notice their noses begin to fill with mucus uncontrollably. -2 to all attack rolls from the distraction for 3d6 rounds.

On the second round, creatures that failed their first save must attempt a second save vs poison at -2. Failure means they will spend the next 1d4 rounds uncontrollably hacking, and coughing. No attacks are possible and their AC becomes 2 points worse, as they are unable to effectively defend themselves.

On the third round, creatures that failed their previous two saves must attempt a third saving throw, now at -4. Failure to save results in death, as the creature drowns in it's own mucus.

Review - Player's Companion (for Swords & Wizardry)

+James Spahn and Barrel Rider Games have released their first Swords & Wizardry product, and they didn't aim small, either. The Player's Companion adds a virtual ton of optional rules for your S&W campaign.

Attributes over 18? Got you covered.

Appearance and Luck as optional stats? There if you want it.

Missing out on racial attribute modifiers? They're here.

Additional class features for the classes in S&W Complete? Yep

New Classes? Damn but yes.

- The Anti-Paladin would make a decent BBG but I don't see it as a player class. YMMV

- Another take on the Bard. I want to play this class so badly. It reminds me of the original class from 1e AD&D days, without needing to be a fighter and a thief first. For me, damn near worth the price of admission.

New races, at least for S&W.

- Dark Elf - If anyone tries to play a dual sword wielding dark elf ranger in my campaign, you wont survive character generation.

- Gnomes - Strangely enough I like gnomes but never play them. Didn't 4e pride itself on removing gnomes from the core races?

- Half-Orc - It isn't D&D without Half-Orcs - 'nuff said.

The new weapons are pretty cool. I like the parrying dagger myself.

The new armors are interesting. Makes me realize my PCs tend to wear lighter armor, as most of these would not be an option for them.

The new magic items is basically a GM's section in the Player's Companion. It's a fun section, especially if your like me, and like to keep your players guessing when they find new magic items.

So, overall, how is the Player's Companion? Chuck full of a variety of useful stuff. At $2.99 I strongly suspect if you only use bits and pieces, you'll still be getting your money's worth.

Indie, Meanie, Minie Moe...

So, I've been sidelined with the virus from hell since Friday. Yep, I'm actually home sick from work. Go figure.

It's also made me a bit dopey. Dopey enough that I'm going throw this question out to my overwhelmingly OSR rooted readers:

What "indie" game would you recommend to an OSR styled gamer?

With my ongoing low grade fever I don't see myself returning to work until next week at the earliest, so I figured I'd throw this question out to the masses.

Yes, I'm in need of reading material ;)

Talking About Magic Items...

Episode 11 of the Brainstorm Podcast released today, and we talk about some unique magic items that we created for our campaigns. Listening to the episode (which I do, because I rarely remember what I said unless I actually listen to it) got me thinking about the fun I've had in the past making up new magic items, both for posting on the blog and in my campaigns.

I've stepped away from it for a bit, but I think I'll get back in the saddle creating new magic weapons, armor and misc items again. Maybe a weekly post.

Tenkar's Wondrous and Whimsical Trinkets and Trifles

Of course, it could be the fever, head congestion and the medication on on giving me these thoughts...

A Kickstarter That Leaves Me Scratching My Head - Digital D20

My first thought was "isn't D20 a trademark of WotC?"

My 2nd thought was "is there a 50,000 British Pound market for a 3x adventure path distributed via tablets?"

My 3rd thought, after playing the video was "aren't these the same guys with the cardboard gaming tables?"

Actually, my wife had the same thought when she heard the voices - the Spanish accents are so strong we thought they were Italian, subtitles would have been helpful.

Then I read this:

and I knew the journey was going to be a good one.

So, Digital D20, or DD20, or D20 tabletop Role Playing Game Campaigns is a method of distributing D20 RPG adventures from DigitalD20 Ltd to your tablet, and perhaps those of your players.

Yes, you can't use the underlying software Gamethrough without using adventures purchased from DigitalD20. No writing your own adventure or going off the adventure path here it seems.

They do offer a sample page from the first adventure:

That is going to be painful to read on an 8" tablet, and not just because of the size of the font and the background graphics - the English is awkward at points too.

So, they give is a short write up of the campaign:

The English is awkward throughout the projects Kickstarter page. I understand the 7 people behind this project are all Spanish in background (and I'm going to guess it is their mother tongue too) but for the sake of any possible backers they are hoping to bring on board, please, I beg, grab a native English speaker to edit and make corrections. And if they are too cheap for that, try spellcheck.

They've set a fairly high goal for a project that is aiming for $80,470 using today's conversion rate. For a rule system that was supplanted by Pathfinder and a project that they can't be bothered to present in proper English.

First impressions mean a lot and Digital D20 isn't leaving a good one.

Uncle Vince has Given me the Keys to the Brainstorm Podcast - Lets Decide on Some Show Topics (Poll)

Yes, there is a poll up on the right side of this page.

Help me put together a list of future show topics for The Brainstorm Podcast.

Now, I know my ideas to the right are not the be all and end all - The Tavern's patrons are some of the most thoughtful, intelligent and opinionated members of the OSR.

Here's you chance to tell us what to do.

So answer the poll to the right - you CAN vote more than once. If you have topics of your own that you think we should cover, add it as a comment below. If we use it I'll send you a $5 RPGNow gift certificate.

So, what are you waiting for? Tell us what you think - you know you want to ;)

Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Setting has Over 90 Community Members

Yep, Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Setting has over 90 community members and over 50 hexes claimed.

In a week.

With some hexes already being detailed.

F'n amazing.

I'd like to publicly thank everyone that's participating in the crowdsourcing but especially +Milton Murphy , who quickly stepped up to help keep the herd of cats orderly. Everyone participating in the project, myself included, are in your debt.

I'm now in the second half of a four day weekend and I expect to finally expect to catch up on the hex entries from the last few days, sinus congestion from hell willing. The progress is amazing and I thank you all.

Lesser Gnome Takes on "Death & Taxes" (Kickstarter)

If you are one of those that got in on Whisper & Venom, you know what to expect from +Zach Glazar and Lesser Gnome - nothing less than an amazing Kickstarter filled to the brim with goodies, amazing production values and dare I say it? On time.

Those that missed out on Whisper & Venom, Death & Taxes is the latest boxed set adventure / setting, complete with miniatures and a whole lotta goodies as stretch goals are hit. Yes, in a box.

You want all of the goodies, for Old School, Pathfinder or perhaps even 5e? Stare Death & Taxes in the face and back this Kickstarter!

Death & Taxes is Lesser Gnome's follow-up box set to Whisper & Venom. It was nominated for an ENnie, for those of you who are into that sort of thing. Twice!* 

Death & Taxes is an adventure for 4-7 players using characters level 4-6. Although designed for classic rules, the ultimate goal is to create total conversions of the game for popular modern systems. Once the goals for project funding and the backer surpass the initial stretch goal targets all options are on the table, As backers, you will have a seat at that table to decide which one will happen first! Look for the results to be revealed in our Stretch Goals section as the campaign progresses. The Gnomes are ready start to translating Death & Taxes into Pathfinder/OGL and (we hope) fifth edition compatible versions. 

The Premise 

South of the Whisper Vale lies a land of gentle slopes with forests and greenswards. Small townships have sprouted alongside decayed municipalities. The area’s sparse populations are independent and self-reliant. Sporadic trade and a dim memory of avaricious rulers connect them. 

The Auctor

On a gentle hillside sits an imposing stronghold known as The Auctor. It has remained empty and eerily pristine since the last noble family fled south. Its majestic rooms and corridors are shrouded in fear. Living memory recalls a time when the happy glow in its upper galleries was a thin façade to its real function. 

An haute-coiffed tax collector arrives with his retinue of hairdressers, auditors of unusual size, a mason and a pack of gnolls. The collector carries important documents asserting his authority to tax the region. His orders are simple: Reclaim the Auctor and squeeze.
Mobs will form, tempers will flare, old scores will be settled and pounds of flesh will be exacted. 

Welcome to the season of Death & Taxes.

We Brainstormed Unique Magic Weapons - Psionically (Brainstorm Podcast #10)

I really enjoyed recording episode #10 of the Brainstorm podcast. I was able to revisit some of the magical weapons I created for my campaigns and the conversation also hit on the idea of designing weapons for specific characters. Oh, and we touched upon psionics in the end.

I've been pleased with all of the episodes we've recording thus far, but this episode is just a little more special ;)

It is amusing that Ashely the Cat makes appearances on the blogside and Danke the Dachshund makes audio appearances in the podcasts...

Reminder - The Tavern Accepts Guest Posts

Over the last couple of days The Tavern's posts have received over 180 comments. The community has been engaged, and I want to engage it more.

I offer my soapbox to others to stand upon, and I especially challenge the handful of commenters who disagreed with the week's posts to step up and submit a post or two on a gaming topic they feel passionate about.

There is a contact form on the right side of this page. Use it to contact me and let me know what you want to post. It really is that simple.

So, who's up for the challenge? ;)

This is what the contact form looks like
on the right hand side of this blog

If the OSR WERE a Scarecrow, This is How it Would Look

Big thanks to +Russ Morrissey of ENWorld for sharing this and WOTC's Trevor Kidd for whipping it together.

Now, as it was posted Monday, it had nothing to do with yesterday's (and today's) continuing conversation, but it fits perfectly.

Seems like that poor adventurer is going to get a whooping ;)

(image updated thanks to mwschmeer)

Whatever the Definition of the OSR is, It's Not "Scarecrow"

GeekNative is a fairly well trafficked blog of geeky and gamey things. Today, thanks to the eyes of The Badger, the latest GeekNative post was brought to my attention. It's titled:

Was OSR just a scarecrow? A review of D&D 5e Player’s Handbook

Yeah, the title confused me too, but at least you can use the link to read the article in total as opposed to just the snippets I'll be responding to. And why is "OSR" referred to in the past tense? Where is the "the"?

I’m a roleplayer who’s preferred each generation of D&D over the one that came before. I did not like the original D&D sets and only started to play the granddaddy of the hobby until it evolved into 3e.

See, already I'm confused, as this statement initially infers he's played each edition of D&D, and always preferred each subsequent edition, and then states he only started playing with 3e. Yes, there is a reason that I point this inconsistency out.

I didn’t like all the inconsistent, often unnecessary, rules nor did I like the fact you were simply handled a randomly generated algorithm which you had to guide through algorithmically challenging landscapes. That’s to say; I’m not a min-maxer. I appreciate that’s the challenge for many gamers – building a character that survives the horrors the DM throws. It’s not for me; I need a sense of creation and ownership.

 I preferred 4e to 3e. Wow! Makes me a loner, huh?

This can't be a statement about OSR gaming, as it's pretty well accepted that 3e is not part of the OSR.

However, the OSR movement bloomed. I’ve no problem with OSR but I just don’t get it. I’ve asked many OSR fans what it is – and get different answers. OSR stands for (most of the time) Old School Renaissance. The concept is that RPGs have strayed too far from the path that made them great. It is time to go back to how they used to be.

First off, the author admits he doesn't get the OSR. It's not some much going back as it is continuing to play older rules, their clones and derivatives. New rules don't need to mean better, and old rules don't need to mean worse.

Next, we move on to a survey he conducted asking about different aspects of the OSR, and than uses each answer to show how 5e fits the same criteria. Read the original article for these bits, then return here. In any case, it comes back to this:

So, why do I think D&D 5e suggests that OSR is just a construct – a scarecrow of an argument to artificially create good and bad tropes? After all; there is no “New Style”. 

D&D 5e feels entirely modern and yet it appeals widely to many of the OSR stalwarts. It is one of the evolved RPGs in terms of flavour and rules. That said; D&D 5e draws on the previous editions of the game.

Does the author understand that the OSR predates 5e? Does he realize that folks have been playing the original rules since they were first published? The resurgence of old school play with the advent of the OSR clones has roots in 3e and the OGL, not in 5e.

But wait, heres the kicker. The author tells us the OSR doesn't exist:

D&D 5e isn’t OSR. It does not remind me of old RPGs; it feels entirely modern. This isn’t a step back but does carry forward the feeling of old D&D. 

I think D&D 5e rather proves that there is no such thing as OSR. There is nostalgia. There are gaming styles that suit certain game designs but those styles aren’t trapped in one time zone or another.

There you have it folks. 5e proves that the OSR doesn't exist. No more need to try and define it. Time to close the OSR community pages, blogs, publishers, forums and podcasts. Andrew Girdwood has just written the OSR out of existence.

Next post - what to do when your community is written out of existence ;)

Closing the Door on Dragonwars of Trayth Kickstarter - Restoring the Deleted Comments

I do believe I captured everything that was deleted from the conversation with our good friends over at Dragonwars of Trayth, as well as some G+ highlights that will probably be deleted.

At least now, with some effort, one can follow the weekend festivities. Many folks suggested popcorn to enjoy with your reading but I suggest beer. Perhaps both might be in order.

If I missed something, let me know and I'll take a second look to find it.

Alright, that's a wrap!

Kickstarter - MorGalad Fantasy RPG (some sort of d6 pool system)

We all know some of the warning signs of a potentially bad Kickstarter. Hell, regular readers just saw the weekend drama of The Kickstarter that Shall Not be Named.

Here's another potential problem - The MorGalad Fantasy RPG Kickstarter.

What are the issues?

None backed, first created. Not a death knell on it's own, but always a worrisome sign. 

A $20k goal. This is really scary. If the Kickstarter that Shall Not be Named couldn't come anywhere near $8k while using Pathfinder & OSRIC as it's rule systems, how is a "rules light D6-based fantasy RPG inspired by old school RPGs" using a dice pool system going to drawn in those very same gamers? It's not.

The maps or okay, but the art is... well, here's the cover art:

Now, this might be the greatest RPG since Quantum (that's a joke, son), but lets sample more 

potential art:

I don't know were they got their numbers from, but some of these seem excessive. I pay $128 a month for a 5' x 10' storage room in NYC. $5,000 for warehousing costs? $6,000 for taxes? I don't see $3,500 worth of art here.

Is it a definitely a "bad" Kickstarter? No. Does it have a some significant potential problems? Yes

The goal is too high. The listed expenses are too high. There is little said about the actual RPG system being developed (it apparently isn't finalized - another not so good sign). And then there is this:

Funding will also provide a solid foundation for me to hire a team to stand strong and work hard on this project because I intend on releasing one edition and only one edition of this game.

First, I don't see that as part of the estimated budget. Secondly, that is some Nystulian "putting the cart before the horse" shit. Now is not the time to be hiring a team.

Rework the budget with real numbers, lower the goal, buy some stock art, unhire the team and finalize the system. Then we might have something.

Dragonswars of Trayth - Answering the Dragon's Parting Whine

Even while shutting down their Dragonwars of Trayth Kickstarter, the fine folks of Epic Quest Publishing took some parting blows, not just at me but members of this community. I feel it is only right to address their, as of now, final comment on the Dragonwars of Trayth Kickstarter. Below is the comment in question, provided to facilitate my response.

Now, I will address each piece as best I can:

Some people who claim to BACK a project have clearly shown the integrity , or lack thereof, of their character.

This is addressed to two of members of the community who decided to engage Epic Quest Publishing AFTER EQP removed their comments from The Tavern's blog posts.

When social media opinions from people who do not create (or if they do and are criticized they start a smear campaign) rules the day instead of truth then there is no point in offering anything truly creative.

Yes, these seems addressed to me and my little backwater blog.

Let's see, do I create? I mean, besides the blog, two podcasts, a handful of products on RPGNow, organizing the Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Project - nope, I guess I don't meet their high standards.

I'd like to know what smear campaign I started AFTER being criticized. I thought the issue was my opinion of their Kickstarter that was the post that set this off. Or are they referring to my response to their threat of a lawsuit for my use of screenshots of their project that would have been covered under Fair Use. I thought the images I used to replace said pieces of art were appropriate at this point in the ongoing back and forth.

We had a private backer offer over 1 million to buy a museum, we said no, lets first see if anyone is interested else its a empty shell.

Alright. Forgive me for saying this so bluntly, but you are so full of shit I'm surprised you haven't choked to death. 19 backers after 3 weeks of the Kickstarter going live shows a very empty shell. If you turned down a million bucks for a gaming museum and let it walk away... fuck it, I can't find the right term for such stupidity. I'll leave it as bullshit.

Well thanks to those who would rather tear down things with uninformed and inaccurate comments elsewhere there will be no museum.

Stop with the whiny bullshit already. You either have a million dollar backer or you don't. You Kickstarter failure FOR A SECOND TIME has nothing to do with your fictitious museum. Your failure to fund a $8,000 Kickstarter lost you a million bucks? Anyone want to buy a bridge?

It was tried by others before us with the same result.

Huh? Are you funding an RPG product or a museum?

The gaming community has moved on and become something unrecognizable online.

I think this deserves a post of it's own. It has moved on, and grown and embraced the internet.

RPG is about getting together with others to play, have fun, and working together to achieve a common goal.

No argument.

When others are selfish in their own agendas or jealous of new ideas to the point they say they back a project that they dont well then kickstarter has lost its purpose.

Aimed at the two I mentioned above. Can I ask what new ideas are being referred to, as I know non-OGL monsters were used in the offered sample, so they certainly weren't new.

To back a project is to back an idea, NOT a finished polished product.

No, to back a project is in the hope of getting a finished, polished product. And yes, your maps sucked. Really sucked. Are you now saying what you showed was not what the finished product was to look like?

But there are those who would rather make a name for themselves than help bring entertainment to others or who think tearing up someones idea is socially acceptable.

Its called criticism. Come out from your basements and face the world.

Thus they deserve the world they have created by and through their actions.

Again, step out into the sunlight. You may find it a rewarding experience.

Im sure they will count this as some major victory and get all the social feedback they can for their ego's but it is truly a loss to the gaming community and speaks volumes about the society they have created.

The failure of this project, that was destined to fail without the help of any outside sources (Kicktraq estimated it would end with about 5K if I recall correctly, well short of the 8k needed for success), speaks volumes of the quality of said project.

Some advice. If your project fails twice, maybe you need to find a different project, as this one just isn't going to work. 19 backers after 3 weeks showed a particular lack of interest, no matter the monies raised. You had more modules planned (25) than actual backers. That is something you really need to look at once the shock and anger wears off. Because when you think about it, the community delivered the message you didn't want to hear.

Don't be angry at the messengers. Think about the message instead.

Tales from the Backwater Tavern

This weekend has been nothing if not interesting. The full frontal assault and threat of lawsuit over a negative review of the NOW CANCELLED Dragonwars of Trayth Kickstarter was a surprise. What was not a surprise was the support this blog and myself received from the community. I am both humbled and grateful.

I've been asked by multiple members of the community if I had screen captured the now deleted posts made by Dragonwars of Trayth on the weekend posts in question. I believe I have most of them and what I may have missed I still have in email notifications.

I've had disagreements and pissing matches at The Tavern before. I don't retcon or remove comments or posts in such incidents. They are part of my history and the history of The Tavern, whether I was right or wrong (and I've been wrong on multiple occasions.) Some of these pissing matches have led to true friendships. I sincerely doubt this weekend's incident will be one of those times.

Tonight or tomorrow I'll be posting those now missing comments on a new blogpost so one can read the relevant posts in context using the time / date stamp to reference the deleted post in question. This is for the benefit all that commented, as it now seems we are all commenting in response to a silent ghost. It is part of The Tavern's history now.

Again, thanks for all of the support, both here on the blogside and G+, as well as the emails that folks sent. It truly means a lot to me. It's a reminder of how much community this "backwater blog" has built and I am forever in your collective debt.

Wayward Kickstarter - Dragonwars of Trayth - Tabletop RPG (Pathfinder / OSRIC) - Indtroducing The PR Fail

Sometimes folks are their own worst enemies. Take, for example, the person(s) behind Dragonwars of Trayth. There is a saying that all publicity, even bad publicity, is good publicity. In this case, yesterday's post highlighting some of the Dragonwars of Trayth's Kickstarter put some actual eyes on it. At least two dozens sets of eyes.

Does it really matter? No, it's going to be a failed Kickstarter like it's elder doppleganger. Their first attempt to fund Dragonwars of Trayth was canceled when it was obvious it wouldn't fund. So, they responded quickly with a second attempt and a more modest goal. The result?

19 backers. Over what, 3 weeks. Not even a backer a day. So yes, I understand their frustration. They have a vision that's better than chocolate and peanut butter and instead they are to be left holding nothing for a second time.

Why is that?

The art from the project looks fine. The maps, especially the outdoor maps, I compared to MS-DOS are from those old RPGs in the early 90's, but I fear I insulted those classic RPGs.

So, since I dissed their mapping, what response do I get?

Yeah, Dragonwars of Trayth excels in the Public Relations department.

Oh, and of course, nonsense on the blogside too:

Here is my informed suggestion to the fine folks at Dragonwars of Trayth - Wait an extra 24 hours, at least, before responding to criticism. I am obviously NOT the only one that found issues with your project, as 19 supporters over the course of 3 weeks can easily attest to.

Nearly all the money I've raised on this blog has gone back to the blog, either via contests or giveaways. It is not a money maker.

As for evaluating, highlighting and criticizing Kickstarters, it's one of the things I do here at The Tavern.

You'll need to grow a thicker skin for your third attempt, because next time around, you'll have more eyes on you than just mine (and the handful of folks that pointed out your Kickstarter for me.)

Free Land Available at the Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Setting Community Page on G+

This weekend we opened the door to folks so they could start claiming hexes in the Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Setting. A dozen and a half hexes have been laid claim to so far and there are many more looking for a good owner ;)

In all seriousness, I'm really stoked by the enthusiastic reaction to this crowdsourced project - by the community, for the community.

Once things really start moving full swing, I expect much of the project will move over to Obsidian Portal, but at this early stage of the game, a G+ community does us fine.

The Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Setting currently stands at 49 members and growing. Not bad for something that kicked off on October 8th. Join us and you too can have the fate of a 6 mile hex in your hands...

The OSR for the Lapsed Gamer - The Free PDFs - Delving Deeper

I apologize for the gap between entries in the series of posts for the OSR for the Lapsed Gamer. It has been a busy week.

This time around, we are looking at Delving Deeper, which is a reimagining of the Dungeons & Dragons White Box, with the addition of thieves - but not the thieves you have grown to know. Thieves are, however, and optional class, and you can leave them out to go purely White Box if desired.

Delving Deeper makes the claim that "there was no faithful emulation of the original 1974 edition. Until now." I'm not going to dig out my D&D White Box to verify that, but it certainly hews closer than the S&W White Box or LL OEC.

The thief is the big change. Instead of percentage chances to their skills that increase with level, they roll a D6. On a 3 or higher, they succeed. They can attempt to decipher treasure maps at 3rd level with the same chances and magic-user scrolls at 9th level. A roll of 3 the spell goes off but is reversed.

There were comments on an earlier post I made about Delving Deeper that imply that the original, fan created pre-Greyhawk thief class originally used d6s for skill resolution.

Two years after that first post, I'm very tempted to houserule the thieves in my S&W games to use the DD skill roles for their abilities. It simply makes them more relevant.

In any case, Delving Deeper is an excellent choice of rulesets if one wants a more authentic OD&D experience than the other clones offer (and easier to make heads or tails of than the originals it is based upon.) DD does not have the following of the other clones that have been mentioned thus far in this series of posts, but the price is right (free) and it certainly is a nice presentation of the rules.

Kickstarter - Dragonwars of Trayth - Tabletop RPG (Pathfinder / OSRIC) - Revised with new Pics and Awesome Legal Threat!

It is hard to review a Kickstarter based on initial impressions, but we all do it. Kickstarters succeed or fail based upon their hook, and Dragonwars of Trayth - Tabletop RPG is no exception.

The latest hook is available here, at http://www.dragonwarsoftrayth.com/gauntlet%20osric.pdf

It's a single encounter of a larger adventure. There is some kind of
contest where, if you run the encounter with your gaming group and submit a video recording, you would be entered to win the first six adventures in the series in print. That is, assuming the Kickstarter even succeeds, which is far from a given at this point. You have until the 17th of October to submit your entry.

If this encounter is the best example they have to show, it's a very sad thing. Sure, its a death trap, but not a very exciting one. The way it is set up pretty much requires the use of a battle map. Now, not that I have ever played Lazer Tag, but it was pointed out to me that the map is very reminiscent of a Lazer Tag Arena.

The maps, by the way, are reminiscent of old MS-DOS RPG games and the maps and graphics you would encounter. This isnt a good thing. I can't sample how bad the world maps look, as they are only shown in the video, but you can see a sample of a dungeon map below (yes, this is a matter of taste - some may love the retroDOS look of the maps - I see it as an eyesore, especially when compared to the amount and relative quality of the art.)


Oh, before I forget - needless add ons. T-shirts, lanyards, water bottles, mugs - even messenger bags.
These have fucked up far more Kickstarter projects than they have ever helped. Not a good sign that they are so prominent.

I should also point out that, at least as far as I can tell, Dragonwars of Trayth - Tabletop RPG is NOT an actual RPG, but a setting and series of adventures. It is not a self contained ruleset and you'll need either Pathfinder or OSRIC (or some other OSR / D&D clone ruleset) to use it.



edit: I've been blogging for over 5 years and NO ONE even threatened me with a lawsuit (although a few might have offered to meet me in a dark alley.)

here it is folks - the first, the only, threatening to sue you for things I can't but fuck it, let me send it as a private message on G+ anyway:

well, I've saved this little ditty too :)

Jim Gives us the Brain Dead Undead Dwarf

Did I mention that I really love +Jim Magnusson 's work? It was really good when I first found Jim's stuff, but recently he's been hitting the ball out of the park. It looks like there's an undead dwarf in The Tavern's cellar!

You can grab Jim's blog at Aenglum and sample other pieces of his art.

And if you want to go the extra step, you can support his Paetron project!

Looking for the Definitive "OSR" Definition? Old Shit Rules!

It seems like today is the day to define what "OSR" truly means.

Who am I to fail to play the latest round of the game?

OSR - Old Shit Rules!

If it it looks like, feels like, plays like and smells like old shit, it's OSR.

"Shit" in this context is defined as: When something is really cool, awesome, or in someways really interesting.

Sure, you could go here or here for other definitions of the day, but by tomorrow, they'll be obsolete. Old shit will always rule ;)

Do You Use Local Superstitions in Your Campaigns?

For the Halloween episode of The Brainstorm Podcast, the plan is to cover the topic of
"Superstitions" in campaign use. This means we are probably recording this episode next Tuesday night.

Now, I could rack my brain thinking up a handful of superstitions that would be handy to drop in game, but I figure it's more fun to have my readers help. So, hear's what I'm going to do with you:

- Add a superstition or three to the comment section below this blog post before midnight, Saturday, October 11th, 2014

- Listen to the Halloween episode of The Brainstorm Podcast soon after it goes live to the masses. If you hear your submitted superstition mentioned AND are one of the first two to comment that you heard your superstition mentioned (comment on this same here post) on the podcast, I'll send a $10 RPGNow gift certificate your way.

Pretty simple, right?

In any case, I'll put all submitted superstitions into a numbered table for random superstition generation (to be posted both here on the blog and downloadable at the Brainstorm Podcast website) and will also suggest it as a source of inspiration for the Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Project

Those That Came Before - Previous Civilizations on Tenkar's Landing

The island referred to as "Tenkar's Landing", named for it's main commerce and shipping center, was colonized about 200 years ago by the unnamed (and now fallen) empire to the north. There were few indigenous humans, demihumans or humanoids on the island at the time of colonization, and those that were there hadn't established any types of civilization larger than the occasional hamlet or forts built by adventuring types.

There were, however, civilizations that had existed hundreds of years prior.

The first of these was more advanced than the current technology level - think renaissance or possibly even steam punk. They used constructs to dig deep underground and occasionally built above ground, and the remains of the above ground towers and such can be seen in The Ruins of Azagath. What brought an end to them is unknown, but Azagath is a cursed place with craters, leaning towers and mutated creatures roaming the ruins.

The second race would be very similar to Picts, a tribe that came from the far west. They settled the island, mostly avoiding the north, and their burial cairns dot the island. Some conceal the entrance to a single chamber, others are many rooms and many levels deep. Only a handful have been fully explored and many of these cairns are rumored to be trapped or cursed. In some places, the stones no longer mark the entrance to the burial chambers below.

(that should be a decent enough background seed for others to work off of)

"Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Project" G+ Community Goes Live (ish)!

I've had a few requests to open up the G+ Community for the Tenkar's Landing Crowdsourced Sandbox Project for those that can't wait for the weekend when I hope to have all my ducks in a row.

So, it's open. Use the link above and ask to join. I'll approve you as quickly as I can.

For now we are going to use Swords & Wizardry as the base ruleset, if for no other reason than it uses both ascending and descending AC in it's stat block which gives us basic compatibility with all of the core clones. Whitebox, Core or Complete - use what you want. That being said, the less crunch used, the better. This is, of course, subject to change at the will of the community.

I'll need to work on the other core deity, quick write up of the native population, 30 second history and a bit more on the Town of Tenkar's Landing itself. Then the true creativity, that of the community, begins.

Oh, and start assigning hexes. That won't happen until this weekend. (those that made requests in mid September will have until the 15th of October to confirm)

Of Gods and Men - Religion in "Tenkar's Landing" - Part 1

I'm thinking of using two established churches in the setting of Tenkar's Landing (and of course there are other religions in Tenkar's Landing, just not established.)

Probably the most influential, especially on the north side of the island, will be the Church of Bazadan, "The Just One". Initially brought to the island when it was a colony of "The Empire", it is now a separate church with it's own hierarchy from that of it's "parent" church. In the remains of the empire, the Church of Bazadan is referred to as "The Hand of Justice."

Clergy are known as "The Just Ones" or "The Hands", mostly by the average peasant and town folk, and nothing is quite as exciting as watching a "Hand" disembark from a merchant ship in Tenkar's Landing coming to blows with the local "Just Ones." "Hands" and "Just Ones" see the other as heretics.

The "Just Ones" are invariably armed with long sword and shield, and their shields are usually painted with a fist holding a sword upright. The "Hands" usually wield maces, but have been known to wield other weapons that have been bloodied in previous battle but now deceased heroes of the faith.

On the island and in the remains of the empire, Bazadan is worshiped, or at least prayed to on occasion, by members of the military, mercenaries, town guard and watch and the nobility. His name is invoked prior to any trial to ensure that justice is the final result.

From a rule perspective, "Just Ones" are required to wield long swords. They also find it difficult to lie, preferring silence to intentional deception.

Next up will be a nature god of sorts...

Tim Shorts Wants You to Show Your Maps - Why Aren't You?

+Tim Shorts , he of Gothridge Manor (All Hail his Lord and Master!) has put out a call to the mappers of our blogosphere:

Hear ye! 

Hear ye! 

Will all the map makers of the realm gather round.  Sheath your quills, we will not have another ink fight like last time. 

+Dyson Logos  please refrain from crosshatching +Simon Forster 's forehead.  And that Jackson fellow, +matt jackson +matt jackson drawing contour lines on the Most Wanted posters while amusing it is illegal.

Where was I?  To all maps makers out there, if you would, please share your most favoritous map.  It may be difficult, but chose only one and show the world.

+MonkeyBlood Design  ,  you can stop drawing fill in dirt in the dirt.  It's dirt.  

Please pass this along and see if we can get back to yapping about the important things in gaming and in life.  Fluffy trees or bare trees.  Contour lines or boobie hills.  Filled in squares or detailed roofs.  

+Michael Prescott  yes, that does look like its a 3D map of a horse and yes it is ironic you drew it on a horse. 

If you think you suck at maps, share one anyway.  The only way you can suck is if you don't share.

Shit. I may have to dig out one of my own. It will suck. Guaranteed ;)

The Brainstorm Podcast Episode 7 - Fleshing Out the "Big Bad"

Yesterday episode #7 of the Brainstorm Podcast hit the interwebs, and there was much rejoicing.

I must say, I think with each episode +Vincent Florio , +Glen Hallstrom and myself are hitting higher and higher notes. Maybe not in quality of content (that's for you to judge) but in the interpersonal chemistry department. Episode #7, Fleshing Out the Big Bad was simply a blast to record. We're having fun recording the podcasts, and I suspect you'll enjoy listening to them.

We recorded two more episodes tonight, one designing deities and one about reskinning monsters. they'll be out in a few weeks. At least one of my blog readers was mentioned and quoted during the recording of the second episode tonight.

I've been talking with the others about some cross promotions between The Tavern and The Brainstorm. The deities episode has an open call / challenge to the listeners, and when it releases, I'll be supporting it with a giveaway here at The Tavern. Expect more cross promotions / giveaways as we get further along.

Good times!

Hawk & Moor - Initial Impressions (D&D History)

I'm not far enough into Hawk & Moor to give a review (10% into the Trilogy according to the Kindle app), but I can give me initial impressions.

- It's approachable and an easy read. In some ways, it reminds me like a Time-Life book, but with abundant footnotes.

- The author admits to connecting the dots and filling in gaps. Not necessarily in a bad way, but with sometimes conflicting source material there are times one needs to make a best guess. There are a number of direct quotes, which is very helpful.

- It succeeds at "paining a picture", as I find myself visualizing certain scenes in my head.

Is it as true to it's source material as Playing at the World? I don't, but Hawk & Moor seems to give more opinions or rather, interpretations, whereas Playing at the World is a drier read with an impartial author's voice.

In any case, I'm thoroughly enjoying Hawk & Moor. At this rate, I'll probably have a review ready (and the trilogy finished) in another week to ten days.

How Do You Know When Your Campaign is Over?

Sometimes as DMs we plot out the direction of our campaigns. Players being players, if you give them any sort of freedom it is doubtful they will follow the path of least resistance.

How do you know when your campaign is over?

Player apathy? DM apathy? Player goals reached? Just feels like it? The itch for something new?

I will freely admit as a DM I probably have about 6 months before the next great campaign idea hits me - usually for my players, the desire for change lags behind my own.

When is the right time to bring your campaign to an end, and is it necessary to have everything tied up neat in a bow, or can it end like the second book in a trilogy, with more stories to be told, but in this case no one to tell them?

Roll20 Usage Report for the 3rd Quarter of 2014 - We're #20!

First, I need to point out that only 15k players of the 600k registered users of Roll20 participated in this survey. I know myself and my group didn't participate, but then again, none of us follow the Roll20 forums with any regularity.

I suspect FATE will see a bump in the next survey due to it's ENnies, as will the OSR (as I'll ensure my groups and readers of The Tavern that use Roll20) have their votes counted.

In any case, even getting 15k responses from players (and 25k for games - meaning GMs I suspect) is still pretty impressive. 4.1% of games run on Roll20 identify as AD&D, OD&D or OSR. Nearly 27% identify as Pathfinder, 3.5 at nearly 18% (so 45% are effectively playing 3x), 4e is around 11% and the new baby in the D&D era of games, D&D 5e comes in at a hair over 12%.

Over 70% (give or take, as more than one choice could have been chosen) of the games being run on Roll20 are D&D in heritage. Interesting numbers.

Do You Re-Skin Monsters in Your Campaigns?

You know the feeling. Orcs, goblins, ghouls and the rest of the Monster Manual - they are all known by the players the moment you start to describe them. Heck, you probably can't finish the ghoul description before the cleric in the party yells out "I turn them!"

In one of the episodes of The Brainstorm Podcast that we are recording tomorrow night, +Vincent Florio , +Glen Hallstrom and myself are going to be discussing "re-skinning" monsters in a campaign - methods to keep your players guessing. Sometimes it's as simple as making the ghouls cursed instead of undead - watch the surprise on your players' faces when the swarm of ghouls ignores that guaranteed "Turned" result ;)

Here's you chance to get your ideas mentioned on the podcast. Do you re-skin monsters in your campaigns and do you have any special methods or techniques for doing so?

How Important are The Gods in your Campaigns?

I remember the games I ran back in the early 80's - low on details, high on dungeons. Cleric's worshiped some unnamed force until I bought the Greyhawk folio, and even then it just was a name filling a caption on the character sheet.

After seeing the detail given in Dragon Magazine to the racial and Greyhawk deities, I tried my hand at designing my own deities (notice I don't mention Deities & Demigods, as it always seemed more like a high level monster book it my eyes.) Although I want to say they were well designed, I can't find the notebook that contained them, and I suspect they were pretty crappy. Still, I used them in my own home grown campaigns, which always seemed to take up more time preparing the background for than was ever used in game.

Now, I've swung back the other way, where deity details are glossed over in my campaigns. One of the nice things about the limited sandbox of Tenkar's Landing is I can probably get away with detailing just 2 or 3 deities to begin with without worrying about whole pantheons.

How important are deities in the campaigns you run and / or play in?

And Now a Different Version of the "Tenkar's Landing" Area Map

I had totally forgotten that +Michael Garcia had this map done for an uncompleted project we had been working on. The artist goes by the name "Diamond". Literally, that is all we know besides his statement "I release it to the public domain."

I guess this was the first donation to the crowdsourced project ;)

So, we have two versions of the map to work from.

I still need to settle on a scale...

Latest on "Tenkar's Landing" Crowdsourced Sandbox Project

My goal is to open up the "Tenkar's Landing" Crowdsourced Sandbox Project next weekend to those that wish to participate. I know some folks have already stated an interest in certain hexes, and my plan is to grant the wishes of those that have shown such an interest in advance.

The idea is that the island that the project takes place on can be dropped into most campaign settings with little issues, so I'm avoiding things like pantheons and I am describing the off map areas as declining empires / smaller kingdoms to explain why the island is "mostly" left along by outside political forces.

No, I haven't named the island, but that's okay, as I suspect it will be known under a few names in any case.

There will be a G+ Community for the project for those that want to participate in it and share ideas. You do not have to participate in the community to participate in the project - it will be there for those that want it, nothing more or less.

At this point I'm trying to decide if we should go systemless or use one of the OSR Rulesets as a base. Heh, maybe that should be a discussion for the G+ Community when it goes live ;)