Day 10 of OSR Christmas - The Blood of the Skeleton King was in the Bottled City's Treasury (Print - International)

Yes, we are back with more never ending OSR Christmas goodies, and what a good day it is. 

Today is four different Rob Kuntz adventures and supplements graciously donated by +Jon Hershberger and Black Blade Publishing. They will ship word wide, so this is open to all.

Next Christmas is going to be 12 WEEKS of OSR Christmas just so I can be on time ;)

- Rob Kuntz's The Original Bottle City adventure, reprinted by Black Blade this past summer;

- Rob Kuntz's Cairn of the Skeleton King adventure, originally published by Rob's Pied Piper Publishing imprint, now out of print;

- Rob Kuntz's Tower of Blood adventure, originally published by Rob's Pied Piper Publishing imprint, now out of print;

- Rob Kuntz's and Eric Shook's Campaign Treasuries supplement, originally published by Rob's Pied Piper Publishing imprint, now out of print.

Damn good Christmas, ain't it?

You know the deal. Add a comment to this posts by the early morning hours of January 20th, 2015 - this coming Tuesday. We'll pick the 4 lucky gift receivers shortly thereafter.

A WTF? Kickstarter - Shadows of the Darkest night

Sometimes a Kickstarter really talks more about it's creator rather than the project itself. At other times, while talking about the project, the creator reveals more about himself than he ever expected to.

The later is the case with Shadows of the Darkest night.

This creator has three previous projects that failed to fund. By failure, I mean no where close. Nearly unfunded.

I suspect Jessee is off his meds again.

The Receivers of Day 9 of OSR Christmas Gifting Are... (12 Bundles of Mishler Madness!)

12 Bundles of +James Mishler Gaming Madness! Or, if not madness, goodness, but it doesn't have the same OOMPH!

Each bundle contains the following:

Barbarian Class (Labyrinth Lord) 
Castle Adlerstein and Environs Map Pack 
Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map Pack 
Chaos Queen of Ants 
Hercynian Grimoire #1 
Ogres of the Olden Lands 
Realms of Murikah Midzee Map Pack
Vampires of the Olden Lands 

You can look at them all at James Mishler Games over at RPGNow.

And now for our 12 Gift Receivers:

1 - +Brett Slocum 

2 - +Matt Maranda 

3 - bogeymantone

4 - +Joel Priddy 

5 - +Kevin Searle 

6 - mike monaco

7 - 賈尼 - don't ask me to pronounce it ;)

8 - +Peter V. Dell'Orto 

9 - +Adam Muszkiewicz 

10 - +Mighty Eroc 

11 - +Steve Balog 

12 - jacob decourcey

Folks, try to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing my monday, as I'd like to get as many of u sent on to +James Mishler in one shot that I can.

edit: please put "OSR Christmas Day 9" in the email subject

Day 10 will be up tomorrow...

If You Wish Upon a Star - You Better Word the Wish Right

Wishes in Dungeons & Dragons are one of the most special yet feared parts of the game. They can save the party from certain death, or bring certain death to the greedy with a mis-worded casting of the wish spell.

From my perspective as a DM, the less greedy the player is with their wish the less likely it will screw them on some level.

It's like the commercial where the guy wishes for "a million bucks" only to be surrounded by a numberless amount of deer - if he weren't being so greedy, he wouldn't have gotten the worse interpretation of his wish.

We talk about wishes (and Sal brings up an amazing legalize "wish contract") in the latest episode of the Brainstorm Podcast. If it isn't one of our best episodes it certainly is one of the most entertaining to listen to.

How do you handle wishes in your campaigns? How far do you go in following the literal interpretation of the wish? How often do wishes show up in your campaigns?

And the Winners of Day 9 of OSR Christmas... Will be Determined Tomorrow...

Did I mention this has been a shit week at work? Heck, the first of the two episodes of The Brainstorm Podcast that we recorded Tuesday night was recorded on my commute home. I knew last Friday this was going to be a shit week, but knowing and Knowing are two different things.

Rach has also had a shit week at work. She's dealt with more convicted murderers in the last 2 days than I knowingly did in my first 2 years in the South Bronx. You couldn't pay me enough to be a social worker.

So, after an early evening doc appt for Rach it was dinner at our local pub. Our bartender knows us. He read our faces the moment we sat down. I'm ready to lay down and read the pillow now.

Tomorrow night I'll pick the 12 gift receivers of Day 9 and we'll post up Day 10 of OSR Christmas. Then I'm off for 4 days.

Holy shit. 4 fucking days away from work.

Maybe I'll accomplish something ;)

Can Spell Casters in Your Campaigns Be Interrupted While Casting?

Back in my early days of gaming, when AD&D 1e was all of the rage, we tried to stick as by the book as we could (although we never did understand weapon speed.)

Failed a save against a fireball? Time for everything you own to save too.

Casting a spell? What's the casting time? Bamn! You were hit! Lose your spell. Try again later.

Gradually we found ourselves dropping certain rules in favor of expediting game play.

One of the first rules we dropped was counting segments for spells and interrupting casters. It changed the dynamics but certainly made enemy casters more dangerous, as they always seems to have their full complement of memorized spells when the PCs encountered them. Go figure.

So, do you allow spell casters to be interrupted while casting? Do spells take a certain number of segments to cast in your campaigns?

First Tavern Talk was a Success! (Next Week - Same BatTime, Same BatChannel)

Earlier tonight from 830 to 10 pm (NYC time) we held the first weekly Tavern Talk here at The Tavern using the chat widget your see to the upper right of this page.

It exceeded my expectations by far.

At one point we had over 25 people logged into chat, and due to folks dropping in and out, I'm going to guess over 40 folks peeked in at some point (totally pulling that last number outa my ass ;)

Tonight was pretty much a "meet and greet" for members of the OSR community and I was impressed not just those that participated but by the number of conversations going on at once. It was an amazing chaos.

One of the thoughts that came up was a Beer & Pretzels Con - an informal, online con run using Roll20 - probably organized at The Tavern and on G+ (maybe a Beer & Pretzels Con community.) Pick a weekend, post game information, run and play games. I'm really liking this, can you tell?

Anyhow, it was a damn good time. Already looking forward to next Wednesday night :)

The Indiegogo That Got Up and Went - Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between: A Patron Sourcebook for DCC RPG - 2 Years and Waiting

I'm beginning to wonder if Sean posed for this

Hookers and blow?

I don't know.

I have the PDF and it is good. Heck, the PDF is still being sold at RPGNow.

As for the print copies of Angels, Daemons, and Beings Between: A Patron Sourcebook for DCC RPG? Never got mine.

Looks like few if any got theirs.

and the last update from the end of 2013 -

Wayward Kickstarter - Girls, Guys, and Games (or is it 2 Girls, a Few Dudes and Lots of Games?)

Alright, I've got to let this Kickstarter speak for itself:

We only need $500, but really, give us $7,500.

And we are going to do videos, but he have a static picture for the Kickstarter. Oh, don't mind that the lettering in said pic doesn't fit - its what we call in the business "an effect."

But hey, we can try and shake down some small publishers:

Well, they can't edit text, that's for sure...

Predictions From the Privy Pool - 2015 as Seen from The Tavern's Outhouse

+Charles Akins , the man behind the excellent Dyvers blog and occasional columnist for ENWorld, recently posted his 15 Roleplaying Game Predictions for 2015. Not to be out done, Grumpy has decided he wants to make his own too.

So, without further delay, here's GRUMPY!

1 - LotFP's new motto for 2015 will be "All Reprints, All the Time!"

2 - Goodman Games will publish deluxe Tunnels & Trolls as a deluxe reprint BEFORE the deluxe Tunnels & Trolls Kickstarter actually ships.

3 - Someone will Kickstart cardboard dice to go along will the cardboard tables and cardboard stools. Leave it to the Italians.

4 - Troll Lord Games will hire an editor that can read. When told he needs to edit all of the current and previous releases, he will quit before collecting his first pay check.

5 - The OGL, when finally released for D&D 5e, will stand for "Ogre Gaming License." The logo will be an Ogre menacingly holding a large stick.

6 - Goodman Games will have a kickstarter for a boxed set of +Doug Kovacs art prints. Hey, a dwarf can dream, cant he?!?

7 - Every dungeon will have a 5% slope.

8 - That Kickstarter you are still waiting on? Far West, dT&T, Powerchords, Myth & Magic, "your late Kickstarter here" - you'll still be waiting

9 - Drama, drama, drama. Followed by uncircling, unfriending and more drama

That's it. Grumpy ran out of fingers to count with...

Live Chat Here at The Tavern - Tomorrow Night 830PM EST - Tavern Talk

Just a quick reminder that +Vincent Florio and myself are hosting a live chat session tomorrow night (January 14th) at 830 PM Eastern - I may try and pop in earlier. We'll be using the chat box in the upper right of this page - no need to sign up for an account, just sign in with one of your social media accounts.

What are we going to talk about? That's up to y'all :)

We'll be doing this weekly, with the hopes of bringing the community together. well, that and bullshitting with all the amazing people in the community. Can't beat that!

Do You Allow Humanoids as PCs in Your Campaigns?

In the latest episode of The Brainstorm Podcast we discussed using humanoids / monsters as PCs in your campaign.

From my perspective, it can work if the campaign is built upon the concept of humanoids (orcs, goblins and the like) in positions of power, influence and integrated into society. It may be a society in which humanoids are dominant or one in which they are subservient (slaves and / or servants).

Much of this is due to default alignments - demihuman societies are presumed to be neutral to good whereas humanoid alignment is assumed to be evil. Actually, there is a whole 'nother post hidden in the previous sentence.

So, do you allow humanoid PCs in your campaigns? Have you run an all humanoid campaign? Let us know.

OSR Christmas 2014 Returns in 2015 - Day 9 - 12 PDF Bundles of Mishler Madness! (International)

Work and life keeps throwing curve balls. It seems like I keep rolling Natty Ones at work too ;)

Here's the deal. Day 9 of OSR Christmas. 12 Bundles of +James Mishler Gaming Madness! Or, if not madness, goodness, but it doesn't have the same OOMPH!

Each bundle contains the following:

Barbarian Class (Labyrinth Lord) 
Castle Adlerstein and Environs Map Pack 
Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map Pack 
Chaos Queen of Ants 
Hercynian Grimoire #1 
Ogres of the Olden Lands 
Realms of Murikah Midzee Map Pack
Vampires of the Olden Lands 

You can look at them all at James Mishler Games over at RPGNow.

How do you possibly get a bundle? Add a comment to this post before 8PM Eastern on Wednesday, January 14, 2015. We'll pick the gift receivers and post the names on a follow up post.

First Time Playing a Magic-User in Years (Blood Island)

It's been a while since I've played a magic-user in a D&D / OSR ruleset, or any ruleset for that matter. I tend to regard them as one trick ponies at early levels (sleep anyone?) who then need to cower in the back of the party and soak up expo, sleep, rinse and repeat. Not my usual idea of fun - YMMV.

Now, in +Joe D 's Blood Island setting / OSR houserules magic-users use both the M-U and Illusionist spell lists, including those in Unearthed Arcana. He also allows you to prepare more spells than you can cast, so at first level I can have 4 ready but only 1 spell to cast per day - one of those four. Yes, you get some versatility without gaining more firepower. It's a nice compromise.

Did I mention one of my spells is Phantom Armor, the illusionary AC 3 plate mail? Armor you can sleep in and still wake up rested and ready to prepare for a new day of spells.  At least until I get hit and it disappears ;)

Cover Your Damn Head Before You Catch Death! Further Thoughts on Helmets.

Below is one of those rules from the AD&D 1e DMG that wasn't found until we had been playing for nearly a year, and quickly decided not to follow after finding it.

It is assumed that an appropriate type of head armoring will be added to the suit of armor in order to allow uniform protection of the wearer. Wearing of a "great helm" odds the appropriate weight and restricts vision to the front 60" only, but it gives the head AC 1. If a helmet is not worn, 1 blow in 6 will strike at the AC 10 head, unless the opponent is intelligent, in which case 1 blow in 2 will be aimed at the AC 10 head (d6, 1-3 = head blow) (AD&D 1e DMG)

What are the odds of striking the head if a helmet IS worn? 1 in 6? Seems like it. I mean, the AC is given for a great helm in the example.

That would mean that every attack by the PCs required an extra d6 roll to determine if the head was a target or not. Not bloody likely to happen.

Was there a similar rule in previous editions (OD&D, B/X) or later editions (BECMI / 2e)?

I still prefer +Joe D 's house rules from Blood Island.

WTF Didn't I Think of This - Thank God I Had a F@cking Helmet On!

In the category of WTF Didn't I Think of This, we have +Joe D 's most awesome houserule for his Blood Island OSR rules hack / setting -

Thank God I Had a F@cking Helmet On:  If you are wearing a helmet and take a melee hit in combat (not including missiles/arrows unless large, like a boulder, nor does it apply to critical damage, backstab damage, magical damage, or damage from small weapons like daggers) that would reduce you to zero hp or less, hence dead, you can instead declare that the helmet took the brunt of the damage and you are at 1 hp, with the helmet irrevocably destroyed, whether it was magical or not. In addition you are unconscious for 10 minutes plus 1-100 minutes, and cannot be awakened before that time unless healed magically in some way.

That is a reason to wear a damn helmut.

Well done Joe. Well done.

Not 1! Not 2! But 3 Write Ups of the Latest Session of the "B" Group's Delve into the Castle of the Mad Archmage

The "B" Group, as I call them, is a mostly monthly, mostly regular group that gathers to delve the depths of the Castle of the Mad Archmage. For us, fun trumps all :)

I'm generous with expo, and I also award a 10% expo bonus to those that do write ups of the session on the blog. This week we have three write ups.

+Tim Shorts of the Gothridge Manor blog posted his. Here's a sample:

+Douglas Cole of the Gaming Ballistic Blog had his up before the last light went out on the session:

Mot to be left out, our very own +Peter V. Dell'Orto of the Dungeon Fantastic blog had this to say:

Same scene, three distinct POVs. I love it :)

Kickstarter - Grimtooth's Ultimate Traps Collection

I just love the above image. It reminds me of just how lethal the Grimtooth Traps are.

I have 2 or 3 of the original Grimtooth Trap volumes, buried away in our storage room. Much easier for me to complete my collection by backing Grimtooth's Ultimate Traps Collection Kickstarter than trying to dig them out ;)

In all seriousness, Goodman Games does an amazing job with it's Kickstarters. Metamorphosis Alpha is a beauty to behold and an awesome reprint too. The Chained Coffin adventure / boxed set is crammed full of gaming goodness.

So yeah, it didn't take me long to back this.

Kickstarter - TableGolf - Rain or Shine, It's TableGolf Time

Featured on Fox and Friends.

It has it's own infomercial.

It's TableGolf.

Apparently this is an existing product. Popular enough to have the tag "As Seen on TV" if desired. The Kickstarter is for an "upgrade" of sorts, so you can also play billiards and table tennis on it.

Only 2 backer levels - 2 t-shirts for 20 bucks and a custom mini table for $75. He's looking to raise $200k.

No, he's not actually offering a pledge level to support any of the tables you see in the video.

Want a description of the TableGolf project?

About this project

Executive Summary

Tablegolf, inc. (hereinafter referred to as “TGI”) located los angeles, CA will be in the

business of selling an exciting and newly invented product: THE ORIGINAL GOLF

TABLE. This unique product stands alone in the game table industry. This versatile

invention combines the newly invented game of Table Golf with traditional billiards and

table tennis by utilizing a table that can be flipped over in order to play each respective

game both sides. (“TGI”) also launch The Mini and Junior Combo Tables, which are

smaller versions of the Original Golf Table manufactured for a youth consumer base.

named: TABLEGOLF will be the debut product entity from (“TGI”).

(“TGI”)’s will be manufacturerd in the united states and sold through various retail

mediums, however the majority of the resale effort will be done by Internet. Franchise

retailers will be able to purchase TABLEGOLF tables from (“TGI”) wholesale. (“TGI”)

will also sell TABLEGOLF tables directly from a game table affiliate showroom

floors, product catalogue, and cable television (“TGI”) anticipates the establishment

of a measurable profit margin in the early stages of operation. Conservative sales are

forecasted within the first three (3) months of product availability to the consumer market

based on the game table industry but are expected to increase rapidly. The game table

industry is growing approximately at an eleven and a half percent (11.5%) annual rate,

however because (“TGI”) offers a unique, new exciting Table Top Golf Game, we expect

sales to be remarkably

business of selling an exciting and newly invented product: THE ORIGINAL GOLF

TABLE. This unique product stands alone in the game table industry. This versatile

invention combines the newly invented game of Table Golf with traditional billiards and

table tennis by utilizing a table that can be flipped over in order to play each respective

game both sides. (“TGI”) also launch The Mini and Junior Combo Tables, which are

smaller versions of the Original Golf Table manufactured for a youth consumer base.

named: TABLEGOLF will be the debut product entity from (“TGI”).

(“TGI”)’s will be manufacturerd in the united states and sold through various retail

mediums, however the majority of the resale effort will be done by Internet. Franchise

retailers will be able to purchase TABLEGOLF tables from (“TGI”) wholesale. (“TGI”)

will also sell TABLEGOLF tables directly from a game table affiliate showroom

floors, product catalogue, and cable television (“TGI”) anticipates the establishment

of a measurable profit margin in the early stages of operation. Conservative sales are

forecasted within the first three (3) months of product availability to the consumer market

based on the game table industry but are expected to increase rapidly. The game table

industry is growing approximately at an eleven and a half percent (11.5%) annual rate,

however because (“TGI”) offers a unique, new exciting Table Top Golf Game, we expect

sales to be remarkably.the  table golf league will be the bread winner for tablegolf

Risks and challenges

TABLEGOLF HAS MANY DIVERSE OPPORTUNITIES TO
MARKET VARIOUS PRODUCTS SUCH AS:
(1) BOARD GOLF GAME.
(2) TABLEGOLF LEAUGE.
(3) VIDEO GAMES.
(4) TABLE GOLF TORNAMENTS....IT STANDS ALONE.

Actually, you're better off watching the video. It's not a great quality, but at least it's interesting. The boilerplate above certainly is not.

Time to catch up on emails and messages...

There's Blood in the Water - Blood Island that Is!

Tonight (or is it now last night?) the regular Saturday Night group got to play test the latest incarnation of +Joe D 's Blood Island, which is both a setting and a set of OSR house rules (and may evolve into it's own full set of rules.)

In the previous incarnation of Blood Island, I played Gru, a Viking Berserker with a fondness for cheese dip. Not that there was any cheese dip to be found, alas.

Today I played G'Ru, a human magic-user with some flexibility in both spells prepared (not spell slots one can actually cast, which hues close to AD&D as far as I can tell) and spell lists. I have access to both magic-user and illusionist spell lists, including spells from UA - Phantom Armor kept my squish ass alive ;)

Great time, and I like Joe's variation on my variation of the Luck rules that I borrowed and hacked from the DCC RPG. I may need to use Joe's version instead, as it seems to be the proper evolution for the concept.

In any case, great game session, nice mongrelization of various OSR / Classic AD&D rules. I especially enjoyed the added granularity of using a D12 for skill checks, something that is losely based on LotFP Weird Fantasy's D6 skill check for specialists.

We're looking for more Joe. Consider this some motivation :)

Same Great Podcast - New Awesome Graphic - Brains!

The Brainstorm Podcast is now sporting a new, awesome graphic. Yes, those are three "Brain Eaters." Any resemblance to mind flayers or illithids are completely coincidental. We feed brains, they destroy them. 'Nuff said!

Don't settle for impostors. Get your Brainstorm today!

Great job by Sal and Vince setting up the new page :)

If This Brings Back Uncomfortable Memories, You Might be an Old School Gamer

This cartoon was found by one of my players in the monthly "B" team after exploring some more of the Castle of the Mad Archmage earlier tonight.

Hello nurse!

My name is Erik Tenkar, and I'm an Old School Gamer...

Do You Fear "Fear" in Your RPGs?

So, we discussed fear in the latest episode of The Brainstorm Podcast, both as a mechanic for the PCs and using it with effect on the players themselves.

As an effect on the PCs, it usually falls into one of two results - frozen with fear or "oh shit! Run!". Which is fine and all, but doesn't really replicate true fear.

Here is the Fear spell in AD&D 1e

True "fear" gets into the heads of the players. It's harder to pull off and probably works best with props - which means it's damn near impossible to pull of on a VTT.

Running away is a pain in the ass, but getting into the heads of your players? Priceless.

So, how do you instill fear in your players?

Some Random Thoughts on Moral and Loyalty in D&D

Last nite was my bureau's "After the Holiday Party." 80 bucks a head. Food sucked but at least the bar included a decent selection of bottled beers and even cider, but I digress. This is supposed to be random thoughts about moral and loyalty in D&D. I'm getting there.

One of our Inspectors, who has been out long term sicks due to slow recovery from a broken back, made an appearance. It was almost electrifying. Subordinates would do anything for this man and probably already have. I know I have in the past. He's fights for his people and they fight for him.

It's a classical high charisma score.

Then there is comment I heard in reference to another supervisor- "I'd walk through fire WITH this man." I heard this or a variation used multiple times with the same person. This seems less charisma and more leadership skill or ability. Someone who leads from within the group, instead of a long term loyalty factor that defies distance.

Yes, I'm simplifying things but it got me thinking, especially about hirelings and henchmen and going beyond charisma score for the moral bonus.

Ah well, not sure yet where this is going, but it's going somewhere...

Mark it on Your Calendars - Wednesday, January 14 @ 830 PM - Inaugural "Tavern Talk"

+Vincent Florio and myself will be hosting the inaugural weekly Tavern Talk Chat Session next Wednesday Night, January 14th @ 830 PM Eastern Time here at The Tavern using the chat widget you can see right now on the upper right corner of this page.

Vince already shared the info as an event over at G+ and the response in less than 12 hours has been very exciting.

Now, the question came up as to "what actually is going to go on at this 'chat session'?"

People will mingle, ask questions, make funny comments and most of all - make connections with other members of the OSR community and gaming at large. Sure, you might know some of the bloggers, podcasters, creators, artists, mappers and other personalities in our corner of the hobby but here is your chance to communicate with them and others in real time.

I'm excited to kick this off. It is planned as a weekly event, so hopefully it gets some real momentum going. I may get into the chat as early as 730, all depending on when my niece gets picked up. Otherwise, there will be lots of random typing going on ;)  My witching hour is 1030 my times, as I need to be at work at 6 am.

I'm trying to work out a once a month chat session in which the hours will be more friendly with those across the pond (and even further.) Give me a little time to set that up. When it's locked down, I'll announce it.

There is no need for 98% of you to sign up for anything to chat as the service recognizes most of the major social networks and online services for login purposes. Same with the forum (yeah, we have that too.)

New Year. Same Tavern. New Toys.

Damn but it's Cold This Morning - Gaming Thoughts Have Fled

It was 9 degrees when I started up my car this morning. It was mid 60s this past Sunday.

I had some gaming thoughts bouncing around my head as I showered, but the moment the cold hit me they failed their morale roll and fled.

Hell, my fingers are STILL cold.

Last night's chat session went really well and will only get better as we work on a regular day and time for this. I say WE, as +Vincent Florio is going to co-host this with me. We are leaning towards Wednesday nights, 830 - 1000 PM Eastern. Great time to brainstorm some topics for the Brainstorm Podcast (hint hint ;)

Damn, I think I need some tea to shed this chill.

Healing in RPGs - Resource Management or Daily Recharge?

In the latest episode of The Brainstorm Podcast, we discussed healing in RPGs, mostly in the different editions of D&D. One thing that struck me is how the later editions made healing easier and less of a resourced needed to be managed.

Up through 2e, Clerics & Druids had to use specific spell slots for healing spells to the exclusion of other types of spells. Given a choice between Bless and CLW, I'd go for CLW every time.

3e introduced spontaneous casting of healing spells. Now you could memorize what you wanted and yet had the flexibility to burn a spell memorized to cast a healing spell. The resource management is loosening up. Oh, and healing spells at nearly every spell level. No longer are levels 2 thru 3 a barren wasteland bereft of healing.

4e had Healing Surges, which made healing much more accessible and lessened the need for specific healing classes.

5e has it's Hit Dice Pools. And long rests. Healing is no longer a resource to be managed, at least as I see it.

For me, the sweet spot is somewhere between earlier editions and 3e. I'd allow one swap per spell level, and allow the burning a higher level spell slow for a lower level healing spell.

Just some thoughts that came up after listening to the episode.

I'll Be Lurking in the Tavern's Chat Room for 830 to 930 Tonight, Eastern Time

I'm going to try and spend an hour or so catching up on communications tonight - emails, G+ messages, Facebook - it's amazing what can build up when your time isn't your own for the better part of a month.

So, as I work my way through emails and the like I'll be lurking in The Tavern's spanking new chat room. I plan on setting time aside once a week on a regular schedule to lurk in the chat room (and of course I'll pop in as time allows throughout the day.)

I'm thinking of running an AD&D 2e Trivia game next Friday, the 16th, via said chat room. Not written in stone yet, as it is the evening before a holiday weekend here in the States, but I should know by this weekend.

This weekend will also see the continuation of OSR Christmas. It's still cold, it's still Christmas season as far as I'm concerned.

As an aside, we now have 25 members in The Tavern's Common Room, the new forum that was set up earlier this week. Very cool :)

Do Your PCs Have a Home Base, or Are They Wandering Murder Hobos?

In one of the episodes of The Brainstorm Podcast we recorded last night, we touched upon "home bases" for the PCs. Do you use it, hand wave it or whatever.

In my eyes, if the PCs are the usual band of merry misfits that kill things and take their stuff, being on the constant move means one has a ready supply of creatures to kill and stuff to take. A true home base, especially at early levels, kinda defeats that purpose.

Do you use home bases in your campaign? Why or why not.

Forum, Chat Box - Just What the Hell is Going on at The Tavern Anyway? (Plans - We Got Plans)

New Year. Same Tavern. New toys for The Tavern's Community.

Some basic plans / ideas for the new features are as follows:

- with the chat, I'd like to schedule a once a month trivia contest. I'm going to guess a Friday Night from 8pm to 10pm Eastern.  Initially I'd be using the AD&D 2e Trivia cards, but I'll probably work on questions for other editions. Person with the most points at the end of the night would win a RPGNow Gift Cert. When I lock down the day, I'll post it in the blog and the forum.

- also with the chat, I'd like to host a weekly chat session, about an hour once a week with a steady day and time. Again, when I nail this down I'll post it. Should be fun to interact with everyone. (as an aside, in 2016 I'll probably add a second weekly session in hours apart from the nightly one for those in the community on the other side of the globe. may have some such sessions in 2015 as scheduling allows.)

- the forums are a work in progress. I'll be adding new sub-forums in the coming days and I'm open to suggestions. Google is going to move away from OpenID sign in (at least that's what I've read.) The Tavern's community is not strictly G+ based, which is one of the reasons I haven't moved to G+ for comments. Having our own forums will be a work around if Goggle buggers up the commenting ability on this end.

- forums live and die based on their community, or lack there off. So, I'm offering a bribe ;) When we hit 50 members, I'm going to award one random member (who has posted at least once) a $5 RPGNow GC. At 100 members, I'll award a $10 RPGNow GC. At 250, a $25 RPGNow GC and at 500 a $50 RPGNow GC. Yes, take my money, please :)

- the forums DO NOT require a new account to log in for 98% of the readers of this blog (number pulled out of my ass). If you have one of any number of social media accounts or emails - Google, Yahoo and the like, you can log in and become a member.

- if you are a publisher of OSR or Old School games or gaming material, let me know if you want your own sub-forum. Ask and ye shall receive.

- it's been suggested that I host a G+ Hangout once a month. Working on nailing that down.

- i've got some further ideas but they aren't far enough along to mention yet. not sure if they will take fruit.

- remember, The Tavern belongs to the OSR community. Tell me what we can do to make it better serve your needs, desires, dreams...

By Unanimous Voting - Presenting the New Tenkar's Tavern Common Room Forum

This forum software has some tweaks that puts it far beyond the other software experimented with yesterday, and it's not just the neater appearance that seamlessly blends in with the default colors of The Tavern.

No, the biggest bonus is... OpenID.

No need to register for yet another forum or social network. If you have anything that resembles a social media account from just about anywhere, you already have an account for The Common Room Forum.

I have a temporary banner / bar in blue on the right side of this page, just under the chat box. I'll need to commission a "true" one at some point.

I'm working on some plans to use both the forum and the chat box to really push the community to the next level. I'm really liking the chat box for a trivia game with prizes at some point.

Apparently Google is going away from OpenID for Blogger in the coming months. If so, the forums will be the key to keeping discussions going that aren't solely on G+

Thinking thoughts of further Common Room uses...

Two Forums, One Tavern - Who Will Win the Rights to The Common Room?

I'm experimenting with two different forum plugins here at The Tavern.

Do we go with Exhibit A? (uses OpenID)

or Exhibit B? (requires account registration)

Let me know in the comments. It for the community to use, so help make the decision :)

Added a Chat Box to The Tavern - Will Announce "Official" Chat Times at a Later Date

The real chat is on the right -->

Yep, in addition to the Forums, henceforth known as Tenkar's Tavern Common Room, I've added a chat box, Tavern Chat. ChatWING allows you to sign in with pretty much any of the usual social media suspects so you probably don't have to sign up for anything (the forums need an account if you want to post, but any can lurk.)

I'm going to try and work out a schedule where a night or two a week I will definitely be lurking in chat for an hour or two, answering questions and generally chatting. I'll be there often anyway, but knowing when can make it a regular weekly event.  I do like the idea of an RPG Trivia Night. That could be really cool.

2015 - New Year. Same Tavern. Some new decor ;)

Introducing the "Tenkar's Tavern Community Room" - A Forum of Sorts

New year. New experiment.

One of the things I love about G+ is the lively discussions. One thing I hate is the damn near impossibility of finding a thread days, let alone weeks later.

I want a place where The Tavern's community can post about looking for games, looking for players, excellent gaming blogs and resources, Kickstarters (good, bad or simply amusing), suggest blog post topics, elevator pitch guest posts, suggest topics for The Brainstorm Podcast, give feedback on what we do here - basically all the good things about a forum except for the name calling ;)

So, I've put together a forum for use here at The Tavern. It's integrated into it's own Blogger page. If it does well and gets used, I'll pony up the cash to run it ad free after the first month. If it turns into a forum wasteland, I'll let the ads run.

This doesn't replace commenting on blog posts or discussions over on G+. Think of it as a supplement for The Tavern. Completely optional. Hopefully useful.

The Tenkar's Tavern Community Room can be found at this link as well as the link on the right side of the page.

I may need to commission a button or banner for this...

What you see to the left are the yearly post totals here at Tenkar's Tavern going back to back to 2009 (2008 had one post, and that was just to secure the the blog over at Blogger.)

As you can see there was a significant ramp up of posts thru 2012 / 2013, with a noticeable drop off in 2014. Still an insanely huge number, but a drop off of nearly 200 post a year is significant. Considering the type of year 2014 was for me and my family, I'm actually surprised I surpassed 900.

One thing I do pride myself on is not missing a day of posting in 2014 or 2013. It could go back to 2012, but that would require me to do some heavy scanning of a couple of thousand posts. Ain't happening anytime soon ;)

One thing I might do for 2015 is put a couple of potential posts "in the hopper" so to speak. Life does not politely ask when it's a good time to intrude, and having stuff ready to go would be nice. I've never done it before, but it seems like it would make sense.

What does 2015 hold for The Tavern? Damned if I know. Mini reviews, Kickstarter highlights, gaming thoughts and observations, some gaming content - probably some Tunnels & Trolls goodness if deluxe T&T ever releases, OSR articles, some 5e thoughts if I ever get the time to read the core books, and whatever news, drama and loopiness that effects this hobby of ours.

That in and of itself is the main reason I don't write posts in advance - how do you write about a vibrant and constantly growing hobby and it's community and then put it on a back burner for weeks or months? I've seen that with some gaming podcasts - they talk about events in gaming that are current when the episode was recorded, but it's all over and done when finally released.

I'm still open to guest posters, as The Tavern is a community first and foremost. I'd like to get the community more involved with the blog and I'm certainly open to suggestions. I'd add a forum, but they tend to either be wastelands without activity or battlefields of personalities.

So, goodbye 2014 and hello 2015! May you be a kinder mistress going forward ;)

River of Heaven (OpenQuest / D100 SciFi) Giveaway - PDF - Awarding the Prize Bundle

Strange how time off from work doesn't automatically convert into free time. Anyhow, it is time to award the River of Heaven PDF Prize Bundle to a lucky reader.

+Jon Hershberger - woot!

Jon, you get a PDF copy of River of Heaven (and it's companion PDF, the adventure Reunion)

Thanks to +Newt Newport for generously offering this bundle. I look forward to hearing Jon's feedback ;)

edit - Jon, email me at tenkatsDOTtavernAT that gmail thing :)

Kickstarter - Micro Quest Cards - By Lloyd Metcalf (RPG Greeting Cards / OSR)

Over the next day or so there will be a handful of Kickstarter posts. If you have no interest in Kickstarter and the gaming material available from creators that use the system, you have been warned ;)

+Lloyd Metcalf (Lesser Gnome art jockey) gives us Micro Quest Cards - greeting cards and RPG adventures all rolled into one.

Lloyd, I fucking curse you, as now I will HAVE to send out greeting cards in 2015 - at least to certain patrons of The Tavern.

It's like chocolate and peanut butter, an impossible combination until actually done, at which point folks go "holy shit this is good!"

Yeah, I'm already in for this. Lloyd has come through in a timely fashion before, and as he has nearly a whole year to get these done (he is aiming for April 2015 - I'll need to give these to my wife or I'll lose them in the intervening months.

In +Lloyd Metcalf 's own words:

Micro Quest Cards 

Will combine the lessons learned from My RPG Greeting Card Kickstarter and my RPG Mini Mod Kickstarter into a new and fun RPG supplement that I have dubbed Micro Quest Cards.

These will be 5x7 greeting cards in all respects, except these cards are more adventurous and unique.

Instead of having blank interiors and simple images, these "Greeting Cards" will be 5"x7" 4 page adventure hooks and lair encounters printed on the same superior quality 14pt scored greeting card stock I used before.

Why waste interiors and backs of greeting cards with blank space... for what?
So you can profess your love?
Wish holiday greetings?
Write mushy sentiment?

Trust me on this, you are FAR better off sending an edge of your seat adventure!
It's a greeting card like NO OTHER ready to be added to any RPG table as a GM extra!
The card REALLY IS the gift!

Give ADVENTURE not sappy greeting cards with cats!!

Late Night Thoughts on Ruling and Rules, or Why I'll Never Run an RPG "By the Book" Ever Again

I've been thinking of the whole "Ruling vs Rules" juxtaposition and I find it literally eye opening. OD&D was written with the idea that players would come up with ideas literally "outside the box." If a player wanted to play a dragon, the DM should work with the player to make it happen (assuming it fits the campaign I suspect.) Very open ended. The assumption is gaming group will make the game their own. The original Basic D&D Boxed Set kept to that feeling of openness.

AD&D was written with the idea of a set of rules for tournament play that would be in universal use (from the DMG Introduction):

Thus, besides the systems, I have made every effort to give the reasoning

and justification for the game. Of course the ultimate reason and justification

is a playable and interesting game, and how much rationalization can

actually go into a fantasy game? There is some, at least, as you will see,

for if the game is fantasy, there is a basis for much of what is contained

herein, even though it be firmly grounded on worlds of make-believe. And

while there are no optionals for the major systems of ADVANCED D&D (for

uniformity of rules and procedures from game to game, campaign to campaign,

is stressed), there are plenty of areas where your own creativity and

imagination are not bounded by the parameters of the game system.

These are sections where only a few hints and suggestions are given, and

the rest left to the DM. (emphasis mine)

I started with AD&D, and of course the first thing we did was houserule the shit out of it (we never called it houseruling). I don't think I ever read this passage until 30 years later. Still, as intended, the game was not meant to be tweaked to fit your home game and your players - the players were to conform to the rules.

2e begat more rules and 3x even more. The idea that sufficient rules could negate the need for rulings meant that all DMs, if they were fluent with the rules, could, in theory, be created equal. All players would be on firm ground in organized play, as the rules in use would be consistent. I believe 4e moved even further in this direction, but I'm no expert, so I could easily be wrong.

5e seems to be a step back in the right direction, at least in part. Discretion is given to the DM to tweak the default rules to make things a better fit for his campaign and the players therein. If 5e grabbed any inspiration from the OSR, it is here. Not in the rules themselves, but in the flexibility of the rules.

Do you need to have all of your options spelled out? Height, weight, age - all determined randomly by dice and charts, like in 1e? Or can you just as easily decide those on your own? They don't effect the mechanics of the game, just the roleplay - and it seems like every edition after the White Box started putting more and more emphasis on roll over role and rules over rulings.

Maybe that's why I like the clones so much, as they tend to put more of the weight on rulings over rules.

Heck, even the current AD&D 1e campaign I'm playing in, which hues fairly close to being BTB, didn't have us randomly determine our age or physical stats. Which is right, even if the rules say it's wrong. No set of rules should need to define how you are going to roleplay your character beyond general class and race tendencies. If I want to play a portly and balding Tavern Keeper (Barliman Butterburr anyone?) I don't need rules telling me I'm short, thin and 18+ 1d4 years old.

Of course, I could just play myself, but where's the fun in that? ;)

Gamer's Gate - From the Perspective of a Tavern Keeper Blocked by All of the Main Players (Rant)

This post will make me few friends, That's okay tho', because those that will be most offended already have me blocked on social media ;)

Here is the story of "Gamer's Gate" in a nut shell, broken down to it's core existence. Names have been changed to protect the assholes involved at the core - the nuts in the center of the shell if you will.

On the one side we have "The Dark Side", which is strange as she see's herself as a force of good. Her main henchman - the infamous "Research Assistant."

On the other side, we have "Punk Porn", who also sees herself as a force of good, albeit with tattoos and piercings and other aspects that are not regarded as usual by those that are boring and usual. Her main henchman - the short and smug "Third Rate Porn Actor Artist."

Both sides claim to speak for all sides, even those that have taken no sides.

If you fail to agree with "The Dark Side", all hell and wrath shall be brought upon you, ye unbeliever, harasser and general evil doer.  Beware, the "Rainbow Haired Master of Fate" my come to their aid, and then begins the true name calling. Social media blocking may come at a later point, but not before they attempt to brand you with a Scarlet Letter.

If you disagree with the "Punk Porn" side of things they will simply talk over you in a louder voice before you eventually get blocked from this and all further communications. They simply don't have patience for those that don't toe their line, and as they are smarter than the rest, or at least, more smug, they'd rather just converse with their converted. Their sometimes aid is "Destructo."

Both sides share one common trait - inability to listen to anyone that disagrees with them in the least. Both sides could be considered fundamentalists of sorts, preaching to their drones and then sending them out to do battle with the opposing side.

I'd tell both sides to go fuck themselves, but all the main players have me blocked. I guess it was obvious fairly early on that I was not convertible, that I would walk my own path. Thus, like I would assume the majority of The Tavern's readers, I am damned to Gamer's Hell by both sides. In this case, it is better to game in hell than listen to the same drivel about full length chainmail armor on fictitious female characters and bronze braziers. Remember, it's all in the mind anyway.

Sure, maybe it's not a PERFECTLY accurate story of Gamer's gate, but it does put it all into perspective ;)

Wayward Kickstarter - Nystul's Infinite Dungeon - Infinite Nystulian Magic (update)

As Mike's last update was back in mid August on this project, I figured I'd share the latest:

Update #68

Jan 2 2015

Happy New Year!

3 comments

 Like
 2 likes
Many thanks for the good wishes.

I have the files from D3 I will need to get the final version of the initial project to you. I have to do some layout and put in what art I have to make it look as good and be as useful as possible.

Beyond this I plan to put together some additional materials since even though I will be sending out a version of the Infinite Dungeon that you all will be able to use I would like to get you some resources that will better fit the definition of "Infinite". I will say no more since at this point I think simply getting it to you like I did the dungeon tiles will be more effective.

I hope you are all off to a great start his year!

Best - Mike

oh, and Mike's response to a request for an ETA:

Creator Mike Nystul about 11 hours ago
ETAs are useless. I can post something but people will respond "lies - you have given ETAs before and they mean nothing". Thing is - they would be right, My track record on this project (and the other Kickstarters) has been awful. There are reasons, but they are immaterial. What matters is performance. All that really matters is what I get to you.

I believe we released an ashcan of the original ID some time ago which was the project developed when I had a team working on it and hoped to do a series. It focuses on an island and an order that protects a dungeon. I can see if that ashcan is still somewhere I can repost if you like.

If anything, Mike is perhaps understating how bad his Kickstarter track record is, but he is better at admitting it than most these days. I will give the man credit where credit is due.

Now, about those other Kickstarters languishing under the effects of Nystulian magic...

The Grumpy Dwarf Critiques - Kickstarter "Spam" - Letters From the Mindless Marketers and Amateur Manipulators - Part the First

No, I ain't referin' to "spam" such as you get from certain "trolls" every time they launch a new Kickstarter severely in need of editing. No, I'm talking about the shite sent directly to Kickstarter creators, promising everything from raising millions of dollars to larger penises.

Lets all given some of these gems a look, shall we?

Hello there (gotta luv the impersonal greeting),

My name is Nick and I'm the lead crowdfunding Ad Specialist (me, myself and I) with Kick Me in the Nuts (not their real name). We're a unique service that specializes in launching highly targeted Facebook promotions for live Kickstarter campaigns like yours (yes, you Kickstarter campaign that we know nothing about).

Your project caught the attention of myself and my team (hey! look, we might have a new mark!). We noticed that you're not driving as many supporters from Facebook as you could be (because we have special powers), so we wanted to get in touch. How is your campaign going so far (we have no idea, so we need to have you tell us)?

If you want to cover all your bases, our targeted Facebook promotions are a very inexpensive and aggressive way get in front of your target market and drive new supporters. Learn more about our program here: Kickmeinthenuts.com/HowItWorks

It really doesn't get any better than our guaranteed reach too (or out reach around) (especially when you're crowdfunding on Kickstarter). I wanted to say that based on everything I've seen with your campaign and how many days you have remaining (because if we gave details, we'd actually have to look at your project, and we ain't wasting time on that shit), our promotions seem like a perfect fit for you.

Please take a look at our 3 different packages available (our most popular being the "Drive Supporters" package) on our website here: www.Kickmeintheasss.com/budget

Let me know which one you're most interested in (the one where you never email anyone ever again). I'd also like to talk more about your campaign and what your biggest headache has been when it comes to getting new supporters (I suspect emails like this)!
__

Looking forward to your reply,

Nick -- Ads Team

Call Us: (800) 999-Nevermind
Email: Nick@Kickmeinthenuts.com
Kickmeinthenuts.com -- We Make it Easy to Crowdfund with Facebook!

P.S. I'm always available to help! We've especially had a lot of success with campaigns
like yours in the Games category (we have absolutely no idea what your project is about)! Checkout some of our recent clients and testimonials here

unsubscribe from this list  (this means someone subscribed you to a list - naughty naughty)

Talk about an obnoxious pice of shit. Nick needs to get kicked in the nuts.
__________________________________________________________________________
JerryTheDick says:
I don't notice very much related to your project from a advertising perspective. You may possibly want to have a look at these crowd funding professionals (the only crowdfunding professional I know of is The Pundit - cough! cough! gag)

www.goo.gl/IEatPaint

they do a excellent job on social media. You could tweet to over 1 million targeted members for basically $10 "basically $10 (as in, "not really $10 but it sounds nice"). I've noticed them supporting other projects with crafting and publishing press releases as well.


Good luck!

At least Jerry is short - and still doesn't give a shit about who he is talking to. Yet ANOTHER form letter.
__________________________________________________________________________
Lali says:
Hi (faceless dude behind a Kickstarter),
Kickstarter uses an algorithm to rank campaigns on featured sections, the algorithm takes into account the number of contributions, social shares, unique site visits and other campaign activity. We offer services to boost those factors, starting at only $5!
We will make you a complementary contribution to your campaign (pay us $5 to support your project at the $1 level), we will share your project on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn with a combined total of 28 thousand followers (awesome - dumb fuck - I've got over 9k on G+, and they aren't paid or zombie nor do they expect to be constantly spammed by a spammer. Oh my God. Shit like this just pisses me off). If you are interested visit the link below to order my service.
http://bit.ly/kickstarterinthebutt

You will not receive any more messages from us unless you contact us.

I wish you lots of luck with your campaign!


Cheers

What the fuck is it with the impersonal form letter shit? I mean, if you want to manipulate someone, at least try to do so on a personal level.
____________________________________________________________________________
Scott Shitberg says:
Hello Niche (note - this is being addressed to +Pete Spahn at Small Niche Games),
congratulations on your success! (we don't need no proper capitalization!)- Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay
I have a great idea too, but I don't have enough funds to build the prototype (prototype?).
I am trying to raise money by selling the book I wrote (it's a fucking book! the prototype is the written words printed out on paper - if you can't fund that, Kickstarter can't help you)- http://goo.gl/griftingformoney
To be honest it's nothing special, but your support will be greatly appreciated http://goo.gl/griftingformoney)

Thank You!

No, thank you!

Alright, thus ends Part the First. Thanks Niche!

So Many Games - So Little Time - My 2015 "To Read" List

You would think that my recent vacation would mean I'd have time to read through at least some of my recent gaming purchases, but alas, adult responsibilities intrude even on one's vacation. I strongly suspect that much won't be properly read until early 2016.

The Chained Coffin arrived last week. This is a DCC RPG boxed set by +Michael Curtis . This won't be waiting until 2016 to be read. My God but it's a full box.

World of Calidar by +Bruce Heard scratches my SpellJammer itch. I'm working my way through the book now. As an aside, the most recent episode of the THAC0's Hammer podcast discusses, what else, SpellJammer.

Metamorphosis Alpha - Collector's Edition - pretty book, this will probably sit on a shelf until I find myself in a game of MA. Assuming I can find a shelf big enough.

Designer's & Dungeons - the 4 volume history of RPG - current bathroom reading

Dwimmermount appears to be a successful conclusion of what was nearly a horrible Kickstarter implosion. Sadly, it's sitting low on the list of stuff to read.

Lost City of Barakus looks to be my next campaign when I pick up the weekly GM reins again, which leaves me some time before I need to dig in deeply.

Transylvanian Adventures for the DCC RPG - not sure I'd even run it, but my God it looks sweet.

BreachWorld - basically Rifts via OpenD6. Need to find the time.

River of Heaven - because I do love OpenQuest and good scifi.

Yeah, I need a clone...