If we add Jim Magnusson to The Tavern Art Mix, We'll have a Strong Rotation

I've mentioned I love +Jim Magnusson 's work in the past and Jim has been amazing with turning some of my ideas into amazing pieces of art that evoke the OSR (the above piece was done without any input from me - probably for the best ;)

The following was done with some input from your's truly -

So, new banner by +Eric Quigley and Ive already have twisted +Craig Brasco to also do one. I think if I add +Jim Magnusson to the mix we'll have a trifecta, or a hat trick or some such here at The Tavern.

Yes Jim, you have been officially added to the rotation ;)

Watch Tonight's Recording of the Brainstorm Podcast Right Here at 615 PM Eastern

Just think. Easy as pie to watch tonight's Brainstorm Podcast recording live.

AS it is St. Patrick's Day, I'll probably have a few pints in me. Should be entertaining ;)

Brainstorm Podcast Live Recording Tonight - Episode 50 - Where We Talk About Edition Wars

Can you believe we've hit episode 50 of The Brainstorm Podcast? Well, after tonight, it will be 51 episodes recorded, as we do two each week.

In episode 50 we are going to be talking about Edition Wars - why do we fight so strongly about editions (and probably some minor mud slinging among the hosts.)

I'm really looking forward to recording this episode.

You can listen and watch live by going to the Google Plus Hangout Event tonight at 615 PM Eastern time. The link is below:

Watch as we record episodes 50 and 51 of The Brainstorm

Next Artist Expected to Make an Appearance at The Tavern - Craig Brasco

+Craig Brasco probably thought I was joking when I told him on Saturday night that I wanted him to do the next banner for The Tavern.

This is notice Craig, that I wasn't joking ;)

Ideally The Tavern will have 3 to 5 banners in rotation, highlighting some of my favorite artists in the OSR.

I guess I should tell +Jim Magnusson he should start thinking now...

New Blog Header by Eric Quigley!

Short and sweet - if you want excellent art done at reasonable prices with a quick turn around, +Eric Quigley is your man.

Holy shit!

Does the Happy Dance...

Mini Review - The Snake's Heart (S&W White Box Adventure Levels 2-3)

As if to prove you don't have to be +James Spahn to do a S&W White Box release (although as I type this I see James has released another White Box adventure - the man is undead, trust me), Moebius Adventures and Wild Game Productions have released the first in a series of White Box adventures - The Snake's Heart.

From a production standpoint, the adventure is laid out like a mix between a screenplay and a traditional "Old School" adventure. My first instinct was to rebel against such a layout, but after the first encounter I realized it was so much better than the more traditional and oh so annoying "boxed text." So yes, I like the formatting used.

As for the adventure itself, the DM needs to pay special attention to the narrator text that opens each scene. This is where the flavor is, where the spice lies for each encounter. You don't need to use it, but in avoiding it, you lose much of what makes this adventure what it is. The encounters as written can play out much like any other fantasy encounter, but the narrator text is what evokes the swords & sorcery feel. Use it to it's fullest.

Like any White Box adventure, using  this with most any other OSR ruleset is easy as pie. As far as adventures go, S&W White Box is pretty much the Rosetta Stone between the different ruleset.

At $1.99 The Snake's Heart is a fine addition to your OSR adventures collection.

Patreon Highlights - Dyson Logos and his Maps for OSR Games

When you think OSR mapping these days, two names quickly come to mind - +Dyson Logos and +matt jackson . Sure, there are others, but these two stand on top of the pile. Dyson seems to have taken it up to eleven.

+Dyson Logos seems to have been mapping forever (just look at his blog), whether it was doodling out a map or putting together many levels of dungeon mapping stocked with creatures and death for the unwary. Dyson is also the first of the OSR creators to make Patreon an integral part of the process.

Let me break down the success Dyson has had with his maps on Patreon in simple numbers:

- Number of Patrons - 256

Yes, you read that correctly. 256 members of our hobby are putting money in Dyson's virtual tip jar whenever he publishes a new map to his blog (actually, not 100% accurate, as folks can limit their monthly contribution and later maps in a given month will generally fund less that earlier maps in the same month, but you get the idea - there are a ton of folks backing him to produce content for our corner of the universe.)

- Donations per map - $351.84

Dyson says he produces 8-10 maps per month. So, ideally he could potentially make $3,518 or so per month, but remember what I mentioned above - later maps fund at a lower overall donation than earlier maps. Still, Dyson isn't just a skilled mapper, but he's a successful one too.

I look at Dyson's maps and realize I'll never come close to the skill the man has but then again, I've never been much of an artist. So color me excited when Dyson hit his milestone of $300 a map  - maps that fund at $300 or more get released under a free commercial license for anyone to use (you don't even have to be a backer, but really, you should ;) Dyson has promised me a complete and detailed breakdown of this whole "use my shit for free" scheme for his highly funded map releases (which I will share in a follow up post.) As someone that likes to write small projects for his own personal use, free use of Dyson's maps combined with the stock art that +Kevin Crawford has released from his Kickstarters gives one a hell of a head start if you want to share your creation with the public at large.

Now, if you haven't gotten your fill of maps yet, the next post in the series will take a peek at +matt jackson and his excellent maps.

Far Away Land Tome of Awesome Premium Color HC in Hand (and thoughts on a NTRPG Con Giveaway)

Yesterday I received my premium color hard cover version of the Far Away Land Tome of Awesome, and it is awesome! The color pops and the pages look great. I can't thank Dirk ( +Far Away Land RPG ) enough for sending it.

It does leave me with a bit of a situation, as I now have 2 hardcovers of the Tome of Awesome - on standard and one premium - and as my lovely wife is frequently reminding me, space for my game related stuff is at a premium.

+Michael Badolato , AKA Bad Mike of NTRPG Con fame asked me if I was going to run a session of FAL at this June's NTRPG Con. I was toying with the idea, but I am now happy to say - yes I will be running a session of FAL this June. I still need to think whether I'm going to put it on the list of games or just run it off label in the Atrium, but I will be running a session.

Don't look for me to be bringing the premium copy of FAL ToA, as I'll be bringing and giving away my standard copy after the session to one of the participants randomly. Hey, another reason for you to attend ;)

One Does Not Simply Cow Bell into Mordor!

Many levels of awesomeness!

Kickstarter - Beasties & Bygones: Raunchy Comedy RPG - Dungeon World & 3.5

If this graphic isn't busy enough to turn one off...

In a recent episode of The Brainstorm Podcast, we discussed using humor in RPGs.  From my experience, it's fine in small doses or when occurring naturally, but when force upon the players or the campaign it is rarely as funny as the adventure author expects it to be. There are exceptions - Paranoia and Toon come rapidly to mind, but neither system was built with the idea of campaign play.

Beasties & Bygones appears to be an attempt to build upon the natural humor that comes from group play and make it the default style of gameplay.

The Kickstarter may very well be successfully funded down the line, but I doubt the final product will be all that successful. I'm seeing visions of Castle Greyhawk in my head, and that is not a pretty sight for anyone to see.

Many Mythical Creatures call Al'tearth their home but most Beasties were tainted upon arrival: 

Some creatures were once a daydream on Earth but now exist only in Al'tearth, like the Dingle Faeries; tainted faeries that are servants to the Excremental Gods.  

Some creatures were morphed into one like the Chupasasquatch; it was created when the Chupacabra of Mexican lore was merged with a Sasquatch or like Mime-pyres; who were Vampires that merged with Mimes. 

Bi-Nicorns are randy animals that were unicorns that grew another horn when they came over. Some say that Hermaphrodite has a special love for these creatures and watches over them, kind-a like we watch Animal Planet. 

Ancient Gods from all mythologies have been twisted into bizarre bygones of their former selves. They govern each other with a yearly award ceremony where they grant positions in the Zodiac Council. All creatures are born under a zodiac sign. The Gods govern the population based on the sign/seat they rule. For example, Leo is a seat at the council of 12. Here are some Bygones: 

Penetor, the God of Fertility was Priapus in Ancient Greece. 

Hermaphrodite wasn't always the androgynous lord of sexual ambiguity, s/he was once Aphrodite, Greek God of love, beauty, and sexual passion. 

Uranus, The Evil Brown Eye...I think you get the picture.

When I was 12, this might have been funny.

Oh, but wait, if you watch the video, you are treated to:

Which is more Useful to you as a DM - Adventures or Rules Supplements?

I ask this as a DM that loves both adventures and rules supplements (although I am more likely to use an adventure nearly as is than I am a rules supplement.) What is more useful to you a as DM - pre-written adventures or rules supplements?

Back in the days that Dragon and Dungeon produced useful material for AD&D 1e and 2e, I found Dragon to be more inspirational and Dungeon to be more practical - as the primary DM in my group, I needed adventures faster than I could whip them up myself, and Dungeon was one hell of an asset.

Of course, we have neither these days even if we do have fanzines that do their best to fill in the gaps?

So, Dungeon, Dragon, a mongrelization of the two or neither?

Never Drink with Your Wife and Kid - and other Lessons Learned not Fully Game Related

Right.

So, after an eleven hour day at work I went down to our neighborhood pub with my wife for dinner. I was non pulsed to find my son already pulled up to the bar. Ah, to be 21 again.

4 Pints, 3 shots and 2 007s later, I have come to one indisputable conclusion...

I am no longer 21.

At 21 we could drink all night (and when I was 21, the drinking age was still 18, so I had been legally practicing for 3 years.)

At 21 we could game all night. Start gaming at 6pm and game right thru to 6am - the unwritten rule with our parents was no sleeping - when you had to sleep, you went home to your own bed.

At 21 I had no bills. My money went to gaming, booze and snacks - mostly in that order. The world was care free.

At 21 Led Zep and Pink Floyd defined my life. These days, my life is defined by counting the days down to my retirement.

At 21, I gamed nearly every moment I could squeeze in. These days, work interferes more often than it has a right to.

Maybe if I'm lucky, in less than a year I can be 21 again...

Free Call of Chtulhu Solo - Alone Against the Flames

Free Solo adventure for Call of Chtulhu? All you need is the free Quickstart rules? Over 60 pages?

Where do I sign up?

I need to block out some time and enjoy this to the fullest.

Alone Against the Flames? Never alone when I have dice...

Tavern Chat Tonight, 830 PM Eastern - Be There or Be Not

Tonight is Tavern Chat night, where we use the chat widget to talk about all things gaming related.

It is very much a free for all and drop in, drop out and you literally never know who is going to pop in to chew the fat.

Later on this month I'll be hosting a G+ Hangout under pretty much the same rules - for that I expect moderate insanity will take place ;)

Hope to see you tonight, 830 to 1000 ish.

New Header Commissioned for The Tavern - I'm Giddy as a School Girl

Last night I commissioned a new header for The Tavern. Top end fantasy artist, one I'm a HUGE fanboy of. I'm so excited :)

No details yet. No name until it's ready, but I fully expect to commission a second later on this year. I'd like to have 3 or 4 in rotation.

I feel like I'm sprucing up the place.

If folks want to know where their Patreon money is going, this will be as fine an example as I could ask for.

OGL - Boon, Bane or Curse?

There was a bit of a kerfuffle last night on G+ regarding the OGL, as one small publisher has taken to republishing another small publishers work word for word - no addition or subtraction, just a copy paste job. Legal under the OGL, but bad form and in and of itself a reason not to leave one's products totally open under the OGL (my suggestion was to ensure each product contained Product Identity and designate that pieces as such.)

Sine Nomine does fine publishing OSR products under copyright - no OGL. Others do the same even though the vast majority do publish under the OGL.

Now that the cat is out of the bag and the OSR is full of clones and such built upon the OGL, how needed is the OGL going forward?

Kickstarter - From the Folks That Brought You "Pencil Dice" (twice), Deck Dice - Playing Cards with Roll-Ability!

Just how many open Kickstarters does D20 Productions have? (and by open, I mean yet to be fulfilled, not necessarily still taking cash)

Pencil Dice (because an unbalanced, not truly random randomizer of the numbers 1-6 is useful in our jail system)

RPG Pencil Dice  (and still open for another 17 hrs as I type this)

Castles & Crusades: Beyond the River (TV Pilot - shudder - I dare you to watch the sample video)

Spinward Traveller (another TV Pilot, and yet more shuddering)

Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series (I've heard some not so good things about the path this has gone down, but my knowledge is 2nd hand, so maybe I should hold out some hope)

Now we have Deck Dice, for those times real dice or even Pencil Dice just won't suffice.

For Ken's next trick, I fully expect Dice Dice, for those that like dice and like rolling them too...

Torchbearers, Hirelings and Redshirts - Oh My!

When I read about the early days of gaming (Hawk & Moor) hirelings - or maybe more accurately cannon-fodder were commonplace. When I played in the early 80s, almost every character had a henchman or two in the group I played with in the Poconos (summers and occasional weekends) and nearly no henchmen in my New York groups.

The primary difference was number of players in the group.

In the Poconos we had a group of four at best - a DM and three players. We tried using two PCs per player for a bit (and even the evil DM PC on occasion) but quickly decided one PC per player and a rotating stable of henchmen and followers was more satisfying. It gave each player a singular lead character and gave an easy solution to the question "what do I do with this + 1 sword now that I have something better?" You simply passed it down.

In New York, my group consisted of schoolmates. We could easily have six, eight or even twelve or more players at the table. Hirelings and henchmen weren't feasible to add to the number of characters already in play.

When the New York group stabilized at five to six players plus DM, we did see the occasional henchman or torchbearer, but they were the exception to the rule.

These days my players often grab a handful of men at arms at first level, but by the time they've reach second level, those red shirts are either dead or dismissed. Unless they gain a henchman through roleplay and the events in the adventure, henchmen are rare indeed these days.

Where do you stand on henchmen and hirelings these days? Does it depend on the size of your group?

Picking the Patreon Patrons Picks with My Wife

My Patreon page has 2 $50 spots were backers can have my wife pick duplicate or "you're never going to use this" pieces from my collection of gaming goodness. I thought she was going to start picking through my Tunnels & Trolls collection, but she went right for the piles underneath my desk (which is "L" shaped, and therefore has much room for piles;)

"Exactly how much of this Lejendary Adventure stuff do you have? I see boxes and books - the same boxes and books? That's gotta go. Two copies of the same issue of Strategic Review? One goes. Chivalry & Sorcery? You've got two copies, both beat to hell - I'm taking one." There were other casualties, old and new. It was slightly painful, but Rach had fun and they're going to good homes. It was also fun watching her adjust the piles to fit in the shipping boxes I had saved from Goodman Games and the Trolls, but she made it all fit.

Somehow she missed the fact that I have two copies of the Red Dwarf RPG - good thing I have them stored in different rooms.

Kickstarter - Dwarven Forge's City Builder System

I'm a backer of the two previous Dwarven Forge Kickstarters. Still not 100% sure why I backed them, as 99% of my gaming is via Roll20 (and the rest is convention play.) I love both sets and I want to display them, but I don't know how much actual game use they will get.

So when I saw that Dwarven Forge had a Kickstarter for a City Builder System, I was interested, but more as someone that looks from afar. I played the video and was excited by what I saw, but I wasn't going to pull the trigger until my wife piped up from the next room: "That sounds really cool. Can I see the video?"

I have now been told that we NEED it. The painted version too. Lowest buy in that includes stretch goals. I don't recall Rach ever telling me that we needed anything regarding gaming material before, except maybe some Doug Kovak's prints at NTRPG Con last year.

So, in for the painted Hamlet level. Rach is already deciding where we are going to display it.

When things fall in place this well I'm afraid to ask many questions ;)

Mini Review - White Box Adventures: The Wererat's Well (Swords & Wizardry White Box adventure levels 1-3)

+James Spahn is at it again. Does the man not sleep? Is he cloned? I want his secret so I can bottle it ;)

Now James gives us White Box Adventures: The Wererat's Well. This follows on his well selling trilogy of supplements for White Box, which in turn followed upon the Swords & Wizardry Companion. Now you know why I asked if James ever sleeps.

The Wererat's Well is the first of a trilogy of White Box adventures (but is easily used with any OSR ruleset.) It covers about a night's worth of play (or if you are my normal Saturday night group, at least 2 sessions, as we tend to derail with practiced ease.)

It's up to James' usual standards - it's a well written adventure that will challenge the average party. It might be a bit tough to kick off a campaign with, but if your group swings towards the hight side of the pendulum in party numbers (it calls for 6-8 whereas my groups are lucky to have 4-5) my fears may be for naught.

+matt jackson supplies the dungeon map, and it is well done as usual. My only quibble, and it is a usual one for me, is that I would have preferred an unmarked and unlabeled player's map for use with the VTT of your choice. Like I said, it's on my usual wish list.

The Wererat's Well is a solid adventure and is well worth $1.99 ($1.39 for the GM's week sale.)

The only question is can James grab the top four sales slots at RPGNow yet again ;)

PWYW - The Outpost of the Outer Ones (Adventure Levels 6-10)

Right off the start, The Outpost of the Outer Ones give you something not often seen in OSR adventure - Mi-Go. Yep, Jeremy Reaban has put some Cthulhu in my OSR. It works pretty well too.

Sure, it's more dungeon crawl than CoC, but I like the nod. Did I mention it includes stats for Bigfoot? Fun stuff ;)

I also like the unlabeled players map for use with the VTT of your choice - well done.

The price is right at PWYW, so you can read The Outpost of the Outer Ones first and tip Jeremy after.

Have a Coot, Don't Pollute! (The Coot for Swords & Wizardry)

+Jim Magnusson supplied this awesome drawing of a Coot after I suggested he refer to classic RuneQuest Ducks for inspiration. I love what Jim came up with, and I have lots of plans for The Coot, but firsts things first. Jim wants some OSR stats for The Coot as an OSR creature (I'll add T&T, Far Away Land and a PC race write up in the coming week or so.)

So, what's a Coot anyway?

Coots have their roots in a the magical experiments of a long since lost cabal of magic users. As such, they have little history of their own and no great civilizations to speak of.

Most Coots live in small, nomadic tribes. They are hunters and gatherers, and rarely stay at one location for longer than a few weeks. They make enclosed nests of branches and leaves, which are often found abandoned and are occasionally used by other travellers for shelter and night or as protection from storms.

Some Coots do live a more civilized life and settle down in an urban environment. The are regarded as outcasts and quite possibly insane by their more traditional brethren. Perhaps this is why those Coots that are drawn to adventuring invariably come from towns and cities. Adventuring Coots can be fighters, clerics and thieves. Rangers and druids have been identified among the nomadic tribes and often fill leadership roles.


Coot
Hit Dice: 2
AC: 8(13) or by armor worn
Attacks: By weapon plus beak (1d4)
Move: 12" / Can fly (jump) 15' forward or 10' up if lightly encumbered
Alignment: Neutral
Challenge: 2

Kickstarter - The City of Brass (web based tabletop RPG app)

When I see Campaign Managers and the like, they are either system specific or OS specific. As an "Old School" gamer with a Mac as my desktop, I'm usually shit outa luck from one side, the other, or both.

The City of Brass seems to be the exception.

It's web based, so it's not locked to a specific OS.

It is system free, but has stretch goals to include certain open game license rulesets as stretch goals get hit.

Color me very interested, even with a monthly sub. I'm in for $39 - Beta access plus a year sub. Maybe I'll be able to work on some gaming stuff from my phone...

From the Kickstarter page:

The City of Brass is a fully-featured web app designed to manage the mechanics of pen-and-paper roleplaying games, allowing you to focus on what matters: playing that game. 

We bring together your characters, monsters, NPCs, setting, adventure, and campaign, allowing you to easily manage all these elements in a single location, from any device, anytime, and for any game system!

Create characters, creatures, and NPCs with Entity Builder.
Build your setting quickly and easily with World Builder. 
Write your adventures using Story Builder.  
Run your game and talk to your players with Campaign Manager. 
But that's not all you'll find in The City of Brass. We also have: 

A stock art library with over 100 images right now from characters, to locations, to scenes! 
Dozens of stock maps for you to use in adventures and encounters.

NTRPG Con to Supply The Dungeoneers Journal #25 for the March Mythoard

From the NTRPG Con Facebook page (and shared with Bad Mike's permission):

The March Mythoard will have a hello from NTRPGcon inside...in the form of a genuine classic Judges Guild magazine! An unused copy of The Dungeoneer's Journal #25 from spring 1981 will be in every box, courtesy of NTRPG con and Badmike's Books and Games! We hope to be a part of Mythoard for a long time...Doug and I are extremely excited and impressed at what Jerrod is doing and what is coming our way every month in the Hoard (this month includes selections from Throwi Games, Gygax Magazine, and Game Mash as well as others). Reserve your copy today, note that there is a signup cutoff every month, you don't want to be left out! http://www.mythoard.com/

Random Red Shirt Thoughts Disrupted by "Emergency" Meeting

So, I was reading more Hawk & Moor today (bathroom Kindle reading if I must confess) and I was reading about the use of men at arms - "red shirts" in Star Trek parlance - and it was noted that the use of men at arms had lapsed in later play of D&D.

This lead to some random thoughts about abstracting the use of men at arms as some sort of ablative armor.

I was still technically on lunch, about to type out this amazing post (I suspect it was amazing although I have no proof of such) when I received a call from my boss about an emergency meeting to address complaints that my unit had received from the outside agency we are the liaison for.

Needless to say, my thoughts fled faster than peasants before an ancient red dragon.

One hour and fifty five minutes later of emergency meeting time and we supplied effective and accurate answers to every complaint, but my creative juices were spent.

Dinner and pints at the pub didn't do much to renew them. I just wish I knew the details that I've lost, as it seemed like a really cool idea to abstract men at arms and the like.

Eh, maybe if I sleep on it...

And the Winners of the Far Away Land Core Rules in PDF Are...

Holy something or other!

Over 120 entries in 8 hours. That has to be a record or something. Not one of those +James Spahn records, but still impressive.

Alright, let's get right down to it. Lets give away those copies of Far Away Land Core Rules in PDF.

The first winner is: Jason Buchanan - this is the copy I'm providing ;)

The second winner is: Justin Isaac - this is the copy generously donated by +matt jackson

The third and final winner is: +Johua De Santo - this is the copy generously donated by +Tim Huntley

The winners need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom with their RPGNow info and I'll make sure it gets into the right hands.

Everyone else needs to get their own copy of Far Away Land - the PDFs are 30% off this week ;)

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight at 830 Eastern

Like just about every Wednesday Night, tonight is another Tavern Chat session here at The Tavern.

I'n sure there will be questions about the new podcast ans such. As for answers...

See you tonight ;)

Giving Away Three Copies of the Far Away Land Core Rules in PDF - Flash Giveaway

To celebrate both GM's Day and the forthcoming Far 'n Away Podcast, I'm giving away a PDF copy of the Far Away Land core rules in PDF. (edit: +matt jackson is adding a 2nd PDF copy of the core rules into the mix in honor of EGG and +Tim Huntley is adding a 3rd PDF copy)

Comment on this post before 8PM tonight (NYC time) and I will randomly award 3 PDF copies FAL Core.

Well, what are you waiting for? You have less than 12 hrs ;)

The Nominations for the Three Castles Award (NTRPG Con) Have Been Announced

The Steering Committee has come back with their choices, and the four nominees for 2015 follow: 

Castle of the Mad Archmage - +Joseph Bloch  

Scarlet Heroes - +Kevin Crawford  

Inferno: Journey Through Malebolge - Paul Elkman 

AX2: d30 Sandbox Companion - +Richard LeBlanc  

and the judges for this year's award are: 

Christopher Clark, Allen Hammack, Erol Otus, Merle Rasmussen, Steve Winter

The only entry I am not familiar with is Inferno. I guess I need to do some research. It should be a very interesting NTRPG Con in June.

(original post by +Michael Badolato over on the NTRPG Con forums)

James Spahn Captures Top Four Spots in the RPGNow GM's Day Sale Rankings

Notice how +James Spahn (Mr GM's Sale apparently) has found a way to capture the Top Four spots on RPGNow yet again (at least for the sale)? Now we need to bring up the Swords & Wizardry Companion in the rankings.

So, some quick links:

Swords & Wizardry related specials

OSRIC related specials

Far Away Land related specials

DCC RPG related specials

The One Ring related specials

Adventurers! related specials (I may run this at NTRPG Con)

GM's Day Sale is Here! 30% Off on Much of RPGNow

The GM's Day Sale is here. There are some great bargains. I'll highlight some later as I go through the offerings.

Remember, purchases made at RPGNow through links at The Tavern help support prizes and Gift Certificate Giveaways.

Bundle of Holding - Torg +2

I used to have all of the West End Games D6 boxed sets. Torg was one of them. As GM I really liked the setting, as it could never bore me. My players, however, weren't much on the D6 system, so we never really got to play it.

Torg + 2 is the second Bundle of Holding offering for Torg. I never realized how much there was available for the system.

I'll never get a change to read this in full in the near future, but I'll read it at some point. When I do, I'll be glad I grabbed it when I did.

Yeah, I'm in for more Torg.

Announcing "Far 'n Away" - The Far Away Land RPG Podcast

Yes, you seen me get all fan boy about the Far Away Land RPG here at The Tavern and the FAL bug has bit a few others in the OSR community and beyond.

One of those bit was +Vincent Florio , one of my co-hosts on The Brainstorm Podcast. He got bit so bad he started thinking about producing a Far Away Land podcast. Vince asked me if I'd be interested in co-hosting. I said "YES!" without the need to think ;)

So, then we realized we needed a third host, because all good things come in threes.

We thought maybe we'd be able to get the game creator, Dirk Stanley, Mr. +Far Away Land RPG himself to guest on the first episode, but that wasn't to be.

Instead, we have Dirk as our third host. Yes, Far Away Land's creator will be one of the three hosts of the Far 'n Away Podcast.

We are aiming to record the first episode in three weeks time (Sunday, March 22 at 1 PM Eastern). We'll be using G+ Hangouts and recording Live, so you can even watch and ask questions via chat in real time.

How's that for a surprise announcement?

We have an email address you can send questions and topic suggestions to at Podcast@FNACast.com. If you'd rather call and leave us a voicemail it's 570-865-4210.

More as we get closer to launch. The podcast will have it's own website, and we may need a volunteer or two.

edit: for now we basically need some article & show note writers for the website.

PWYW - Pawns and Knights (Far Away Land Adventure)

In case you've somehow missed it, I really enjoy the Far Away Land RPG. It's the perfect mixture of old school sensibilities, humor, atmospheric art and surprising depth. Pawns and Knights is a Pay What You Want priced adventure for Far Away Land. The sixth in the series, it may very well be the best of the lot.

It's an urban adventure / mini campaign. Like all of the FAL releases, it is open ended and sandboxie in nature. What's not to like?

Scrub the stats and it's easy enough to convert (or at least steal ideas for) OSR games of your choice.

From the blurb:

Dirty balbergulbs. Pawn shops. Gangs. Cow steed races and gambling. The grimy city of Londol. Rival crime bosses. Noknil. One-eyed giants who want revenge. Get ready for Pawns and Knights, a mini-campaign setting where your PCs work in a pawn shop for a greedy balbergulb boss who has no regard for the law. This adventure has a plethora of mini-adventure scenarios and ideas centered around the Pawns and Knights pawn shop in the city of Londol.

Bringing the OSR Superstar Competition to an Incomplete Completion

I've thought long and hard on how to bring the OSR Superstar Competition to a successful conclusion at this point, and I don't see a simple solution.

So, I'll have to be satisfied with a simple ending, and call it with the four top finalists in place. No final round, no grand winner.

Yeah, anti-climatic as all shit, but at this point, any conclusion to this would be anti-climatic.

The four top finalists will split the final cash prize, the 2 boxed sets will be randomly awarded to 2 of the final 15, and 4 the final 15 will have some mapping goodness coming from http://squarehex.myshopify.com/.

Is it the finish I had planned on? Nope. Neither was 2014 the year I had expected.

I'll be reaching out during the upcoming week to get the necessary info to award the prizes.

I appreciate the work everyone put into their entries. There was some amazing creativity that the judges and I read.

The next time someone makes a suggestion like this to me in the future I'll make sure to have my head examined before answering ;)

Kickstarter - Crypts and Things Remastered - (OSR Swords & Sorcery)

If you're like me, you remember supporting Crypts & Things on Indiegogo a few years back. It was a nice Swords & Sorcery reworking of Swords & Wizardry that really seems to excel with smaller groups. I ran a number of sessions for a pair of friends before real life intervened. They still dropped by NTRPGCon last June and are still itching to play again.

I love Crypts & Things but felt something was missing. Never quite could put my finger on it, but Newt seems to have his vision of what the revised Crypts & Things should be, and I like the direction he's going in:

Art. The art in C&T was done by various British Artists. While I stand by everything I put in the book, the overall tone was eclectic and a bit disconnected.  So David M. Wright, whose style exactly matches the tone of the game, is going to do the entire book. Therefore it will have a deliciously dark consistency and tone throughout.

Judging from the sample pieces of art, this is going to rock hard. Excellent choice.

Content. C&T Remastered will see a a full edit of the book and streamlining of the rules. There’s a few rules in C&T that I never use in my home game, because they involve a bit too much bean counting rather than simple Roll and Effect which I prefer. These rules have been recast into something more straightforward. 

Mega Gaming Fun. This is the overall effect of the above changes. Over the years there have been some kind words said about Crypts & Things which have made me painfully aware of some of its shortcomings. With the basic goal I’m seeking to address these issues and make it a much more fun game to play and the art even more evocative. 

Smoother gameplay? Less bean counting? I'm in :)

If you backed the earlier Indiegogo project, Newt has a gift for you if you back the current Kickstarter.

True confession - I was the first backer of this project on Kickstarter ;)

 

New (and Free) Fantasy OSR Game from Sine Nomine Publishing - Exemplars & Eidolons

+Kevin Crawford likes to sneak his new releases into the world with little fanfare at times. He's done it again, as this released on Friday and I only just found it this morning at RPGNow.

Exemplars & Eidolons looks to be a very solid OSR release, but in this case the rules themselves are secondary to the presentation, as Kevin is offering this as an example of how to present a game in a format reminiscent of the old White Box releases of yore.

As usual, Kevin does some excellent work.

The PDF is free and print copies are $9.99.

At free this is yet another gift from Kevin to the OSR. I tip my hat to you good sir.

From the blurb:

Tales of Thundering Heroism 

Welcome to Exemplars & Eidolons. Within these few pages you’ll find a game of titanic heroes and glorious paragons, living legends of every stripe banding together to accomplish deeds of deathless fame. Using the basic framework of classic old-school gaming you’ll fashion fresh exemplars of daring to battle foes far beyond the compass of ordinary adventurers! 

Though actually... 

Exemplars & Eidolons is a fully-playable OSR mini-game of high-powered legendary adventurers. But what I really wrote it to be is a simple layout template for other people who'd like to echo the old "Little Brown Books" style of old-school game pamphlets. As the principles of page design are a lot easier to explain with actual game text, I wrote the game so I could have something to lay out for you. 

In this download, you'll get the game itself in two versions- one with no Commentary layer for the convenience of people using certain tablet readers, and one with a layer you can turn on via Adobe Reader to see the page design tricks and principles I used to put the pamphlet together. I've also included InDesign source files for the game, and an .IDML InDesign markup language file that should be readable by Scribus. You are encouraged to loot the styles and page objects for your own creations, whether free or commercial. 

The art used in the game is also included, and was drawn from the Spears of the Dawn Art Pack and the Scarlet Heroes Art Pack, both of which are free for commercial use and available here on DTRPG. 

Those who'd like to see how their own final product might look can order the print version of the pamphlet as well. While it's listed as being a premium color product, it's largely black and white- I prepared it that way so you could see what the paper and color quality was like for your own project before you got too far into the design. 

So go forth and make awesome things to share with other people. 

(If you like this, go ahead and grab The Smoking Pillar of Lan Yu while you're at it- it's a free module template for building 1980-style adventure modules.)

Kickstarter - Pyramid of the Lost King: Adventures in Basq (OSR Setting)

I've been remiss in my Kickstarter coverage. Well, remiss in that I've failed to cover all of the good ones, as the train wrecks (or even minor fender benders) are usually very entertaining.

One of the Kickstarters I've overlooked is Pyramid of the Lost King: Adventures in Basq, which is a foolish thing to overlook, as I've agreed to do a small part (as has +Tim Shorts , so if nothing else, my small part can be judged against Tim's small part - wait - that doesn't sound right at all.)

Pyramid of the Lost King is the newest Lands of Usarm adventure from Genius Loci Games. Pyramid takes place in the deserts far to the south of the Ruined City of Uostin where the merchant guilds of Neark are trying to open trade with the elvish forest kings of the Last Land. However, between the Lands of Usarm and the Last Lands stands the Saragubi Desert, A wild and unexplored place that offers adventurers a chance at fortune, fame, and of course certain death.   

Pyramid of the Lost King is a decentralized sandbox adventure centering around an area of the Desert known as the Narrows. The Narrows is a section of desert that is divided into a northern and southern half by a massive slab of sandstone over 200 miles wide and 300 feet in height. The only way (aside from walking around) past this slab of rock is through the narrow canyon the area gets its name form. The Narrows and the desert around it have become a hot bed of activity as the merchant guilds have come to rely on it for their caravans to the Last Lands. However, the desert around the Narrows is still unexplored and dangers, both ancient and new, encroach.

+Johua De Santo had me at "decentralized sandbox adventure"  ;)

Seriously, sandboxes are where the fun is, and no two parties ever play it the same way.

I'm looking forward to running this down the line.

Time to Award the White Box PDF Bundle Prize(s)

Yes. Prize(s). That's because in addition to the bundle that includes White Box Treasures, Bestiary and Companion, three additional winners will get to pick one of the three titles for themselves. +James Spahn , temporary temporal commander of the OSR in a generous benefactor ;)

All right, lets get to the goodies giving part :)

For the White Box Bundle - +Peter V. Dell'Orto 

For their choice of one of the three releases in PDF, we have:

+Brett Slocum 

Sir Corvus

Halenar Frosthelm

Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing. I'll need your RPGNow email and for the final three, the product that you want.

James and I thank everyone for participating.

As next week is GM's Week, I'm hoping to organize a few more giveaways. Should have one already tapped down :)

Review - Another Bunch of Content Issue #3 (OSR Supplement)

I never got around to reviewing Issues 1 and 2 of Another Bunch of Content, which is totally my fault. Well, that and work, as I've been trying to find time for reviews and they are often the more time consuming of posts.

Let me start with the simple statement - You Want This

Nothing subliminal, no beating around the bush, just a simple statement. Each issue has 26 pieces of content for your game. What kind of content are we talking about? Magic items, locations, personalities, history, spells, monsters.

It is literally inspiration for the DM that is looking for that one piece to the puzzle, but in this case they get 26 extremely varied pieces.

For a product like this, I think it's important to see some of the actual content instead of me trying to describe it, so I've included 2 fine pages as examples.

Here's The Badger's own words:

The third issue of the monthly system neutral series Another Bunch of Content has been released! Each month, InfiniBadger Press brings you 26 new pieces of open content for you to use in your games, one for each letter of the alphabet. Monsters, items, locations, people, encounters, dungeons, and a slew of anything else that that we think that you might be interested in will all be put together into these jam-packed system-neutral newsletters for your gaming utility and pleasure.

Yep, it's system neutral, uses both ascending  and descending AC where applicable and being open content other publishers can use what they like when fleshing out their own products.

It's $1.25 per issue or a subscription of 6 issues for $6. If you buy a sub now, you get the first 3 issues immediately.

Here's the ToC for issue #3:

Anarchy Bands (Item)
Bolgar's Fist (Location)
Challak Raiders (People)
Dragon Ticks (Monster)
Entirodon (Monster)
Faith's Hammer (Item)
Golem Speaking (Spell)
Hathamander, Lord of Strife (Personality)
Iambic Curse (Spell)
Jackleg (Setting)
Kaolisk (Monster)
Lesser Signature (Spell)
Mashka, Gateway to the Golden Realm (Location)
Neolithic Ward (Spell)
Octarchy of Gris (Setting)
Pannikins of Eltash (Item)
Questers (Setting)
Ravagers (Monster)
Spoileaters (Monster)
Tabinidic Demon (Monster)
Unatone (Spell)
Verbatim (Spell)
Warbler (Monster)
Xylonthi (People)
Yellow Iron Weapons (Item)
Zoo of Tyloem (Location)

One of my favorites is the Spoileaters, cannibals that eat the dead of recent battles. Lots of uses for these in dungeons ;)

James Spahn - Hottest Titles 1-4 Over at RPGNow!

I'm excited for +James Spahn and the OSR as a whole (and Swords & Wizardry in particular.)

If you thought, as I did, that James holding positions 1-3 on the RPGNow Hottest Titles list as of this past Monday was a thing beauty, holding the 1st-4th spots on that very list as of Saturday morning brings it to "eleven." (obligatory Spinal Tap reference)

For me, what is even more impressive, is that James' three White Box releases hold positions 1 through 3. I'll bet a week's pay that no one has held the first four spots at the same time.

If you want a chance to grab the White Box "Trilogy" of Barrel Rider Games releases in PDF for free you still have time. James is giving away such a bundle on the previous post. All you need to do is add a comment by 6 PM tonight, Eastern Time on the original post.

Congrats James!

White Box Giveaway - PDF Bundle of White Box Treasures, Companion and Newly Released Bestiary!

I was talking with +James Spahn of Barrel Rider Games earlier today about his newest White Box release - Bestiary - and we both had the same thought: why not do a White Box Bundle Giveaway?

So here it is.

James is giving away a PDF bundle of his three White Box Releases - Treasures, Companion and Bestiary.

Treasures is currently the hottest title on RPGNow and Companion is sitting at third.

What do you need to do to be in the mix? Simply make a comment on this post by 730 PM Eastern Time tomorrow, Saturday, February 28th, 2015.

Yep - 24 hrs to enter, so don't wait ;)

There's More Than One Way to Show Your Support of The Tavern

The Tavern's Patreon Page has been up for just over a week, and the support has been humbling. I will strive to meet your expectations and hopefully exceed them.

I've received in the past week more than a few inquiries as to ways to support The Tavern in ways other than Patreon. If you are reading this post, you are showing that support.

Yes, simply read this blog on a daily (or however often) basis is showing support, and I appreciate it greatly. Participate in post discussions. Hang out with us on Wednesday Nights for Tavern Chat. Be a part of our community. That type of support is priceless.

If you are going to shop, or even just browse at RPGNow / OneBookshelf, think about clicking one of the link from the RPGNow Hottest Items listing on the right hand side before you go there. The Tavern gets 5% back on all sales received after you click through one of our affiliate links, and those monies go to pay for the contests and giveaways here at The Tavern.

The Adsense Ad we run in the upper right hand corner is hit or miss, but it's a moderate supplement to the RPGNow monies we receive and allow for further prizes. You don't even need to click on it to make a small difference. Just do what you normally do, hang out at The Tavern.

See, all you need to do is continue what you are already doing :)

GM's Week is coming up soon and I expect to do a few giveaways. Depending on how the sale prices go, I intend to include a print item or two.

Again, thanks go out to all of you, as without you I wouldn't be doing all of this ;)

Wayward Kickstarter - Storyteller's Dictionary - Pictures Speak a Thousand Misspelled Words

Maybe the Trolls should have used a dictionary?

It's no secret that Troll Lord Games / Chenault & Gray have their own place in the "bad editing" history of gaming in general, but don't you think when you are asking for thousands of dollars you'd put your best foot forward?

I mean, they could have used any teenager for this one, as there is no way that typo would have escaped the average teen's eyes ;)

It is now fixed BTW. There is another issue with their pledge levels, but that's par for the course.

Storyteller's Dictionary - by those that can't spell ;)

Tip of the hat to The Badger :)

Minis - Yeah or Nay? Paint or Plain?

As you can see from the previous post, I got my Reapers Bones II Box earlier tonight.

I'm a funny guy when it comes to miniatures. I don't use them in game (not even in Roll20, where I have access to infinite "pogs" and the like and a perfect grid to use them with.

At the same time, I haven't painted miniatures in nearly 25 years. Simply too time consuming with a full time + job and family responsibilities.

And yet I buy more nearly every chance I get.

No to use in game, not to paint (yet).

Simply to own and love.

So, where to you fall on the miniatures grid?

Look What Arrived Tonight - Reapers Bones II :)

Compared to the size of the Reapers Bones I box, this was miniscule. I told my wife there must be more coming - if looks could kill ;)

The bottom pic shows the complete basic Reapers Bones II box that holds 150 minis. I'll pick through this a bit tomorrow, as I'm hanging out in Tavern Chat tonight :)

Chat Tonight at The Tavern - 830 PM to 1000 PM Eastern - Be There or Be Not!

I'm avoiding the scheduling function of G+, because it spams the notification. I'll be sharing this on G+ in the usual locations, so the word should still get out.

Although Tavern Chat officially starts at 830 PM , I'll probably be in around 745 or so.

Join us. It's always a blast.

We use the Chatwing chat box on the right side of this page.

Purple Sorcerer Games releases Sorcerer’s Grimoire online app for Testing (DCC RPG)

+Jon Marr has done it again!

Every DCC RPG player knows about The Crawler's Companion. So long as you have a smart phone, tablet or computer near by, you can roll just about anything and any table in the DCC RPG.

0-Level Character generator? Purple Sorcerer has you covered.

Now, Jon allows you to print out the spell tables for your character, one sheet per page with the Sorcerer's Grimoire. My God, the amount of page flipping done away with is going to save lives ;)

As always, its free.

Well done Jon. Well done.

The King Asked for a Duck and Got a Coot - Coots Rule! (Patreon Funded Art)

I've mentioned in the past that +Jim Magnusson does awesome work, but this simply rocks the house.

I was thinking of ducks from classic RuneQuest when I made my request to Jim, but I wanted the result to be meaner. Ducks were lame.

Jim gave us a Coot.

I'll give this some Swords & Wizardry stats later this week, both as a PC race and as a monster to kill and take it's stuff.

Damn the inspiration!

(Jim's Patreon page, where you can toss him a few coins for the amazing work he does, is here)

Blogger to No Longer Allow Sexually Explicit Material

You know those blogs on blogger that make you affirm that there is adult content before you can proceed to read it?

Google-owned blogging platform Blogger will no longer allow its users to post sexually explicit content, the company confirmed today. In a statement sent via email to selected Blogger users, Google said it would no longer allow blogs to feature "graphic nude images or video" from March 23rd. Any blogs that continued to show explicit images would be made private after that date — while graphic images and videos would remain, Google says they would only be visible to the blog owner, admins, and other people with whom the owner shared it. (The Verve)

I guess it IS better to host your own, like your own Wordpress blog than use a host like Blogger, at least for some. Doesn't effect 99% of us, but for the few it does, it's gonna be a huge PITA.

And this right after Zak S pulled the upcoming revamp of I Hit it With My Axe from The Escapist over the views of a newly hired staff member.

Dungeon Desk Pad - Free in PDF (Print at Home)

Well, print at home if you printer can handle the size. That being said, if you like the idea of this being Kickstarted but don't like the shipping costs from the UK to where you are, taking the file of the Dungeon Desk Pad to a print shop may just be the thing.

Of course, I went in head first for the Kickstarter. Even with the shipping costs.

Because mapping is as good as meditation :)

James Spahn Holds First 3 Spots on RPGNow's Hottest Titles List

In all my years of blogging and covering RPGs (especially Old School RPGs) I don't recall a writer ever holding the top three sales spots at RPGNow.

This evening, +James Spahn has the honor.

James is one of the authors of The One Ring - Ruins of the North and the writer and publisher of White Box Treasures and White Box Companion, both for Swords & Wizardry.

Now I need to work on reviews of James' two White Box releases...

More Far Away Land Styled Art by Reid San Fillippo

When is an Ent not and Ent? When it's in Far Away Land :)

I really love the work +Reid San Filippo has been doing with these conversions. Very inspirational.

White Box Treasures Releases (S&W White Box)

+James Spahn has released his second in what promises to be a series of "White Box" releases. This time James presents us with White Box Treasures, 100 magic items for your White Box (or most any OSR) game.

I'll review this over the next few days.

Open Call for 5e Adventure Designers - D&D Adventurers League

If I recall correctly, the D&D Adventurers League is WoTC's organized play arm for D&D 5e.

Here's the skinny:

Only 8 days left for the Open Call! The design test is only 2 encounters, give it a go, you never know if you’ve got what it takes unless you try! 

Have some great ideas for adventures? Want to hear all the great stories your friends will tell about the time they played that amazing adventure you designed for the D&D Adventurers League? Then take the first step towards being a D&D Adventurers League adventure designer! Check out the instructions in the Adventure Design Application and send your submission to Resource Manager, Bill Benham at submissions@dndadventurersleague.org. We will be accepting submissions for this open call until February 28th. 

You do not have to have previous design credits, but it helps!

You can see the rest at the Open Call link here.

Entries must be submitted by February 28th, 2015 - next Saturday.

Patreon Highlights - Jim Magnusson and his "The Lost Monster Manual" Page Postcards

I wish I could remember how I first came in contact with +Jim Magnusson , but I can't. I do know it was related to The Tavern and art. I can say that one day Jim pretty much pulled up to the virtual bar and said - "I'm here. What do you want me to do?"

I love Jim's work. It's tight with just a side of insanity.

The postcards are really cool. I like to imagine the look on my postal carrier and he sorts the mail for delivery ;)

I support Jim at an insanely high level, but I like having the influence. The dwarf on the right? That was done with me in mind. The next one coming up might have to do with "ducks."

You can't go wrong with "The Lost Monster Manual" Page Postcards. Jim's work can also be seen in some of the releases by +Tim Shorts of the Gothridge Manor blog.

The full list of Patreon Projects I support is here.

Kickstarter - Dungeon Desk Pad (Mapping Madness Lies Within)

Maps. Paper. Paper for mapping. Practical and useful. +Peter Regan knows mapping paper like no one else. He also knows how to run a successful Kickstarter. This Kickstarter is reminding me I need to get back to mapping.

If you are in the UK The Dungeon Desk Pad is a no brainer. Outside the UK, shipping is painful but doable for the smaller packages.

Of course, this is the one I want. Most certainly NOT a smaller package. It is, however, my previous. It will me mine. Yes, it will be mine.

And this is the struggle I had during the writing of this post, for those that have asked where Ashely has been :)