What is Your Non-D&D-esque Old School Game of Choice?

Even those of us ass deep in Old School D&D and it's derivatives and offspring have a special place in our hearts for other Old School RPGs. It's OK. Really. You can have more than one true love.

For me, the other Old School systems that hold that special place for me are Tunnels & Trolls and RuneQuest - 5e and the Chaosium versions respectively, but I can make allowances for later editions. Oh, and Traveller too. Not Mega, not 2300AD, but the true Traveller of the little black books.

If they are going to find any modern love, it would be in Old School Quarterly, which should have an issue Zero this summer.

Ya gotta share your Old School love +Jason Paul McCartan . You never know what the future may hold. Tell us the Old School games that hold a special place in your heart.

Mini Review - Creature Compendium - New Big Dragon Games Unlimited)

There is so much I want to say about +Richard LeBlanc 's new Creature Compendium, but words fail me. Instead, I'll let Rich's words speak for both of us:

Stats for 0e/1e and BX? 199 more monsters? All for 2 bucks?

So good. So cool.

Why the hell are you still here? Grab a copy already!

How Detailed Should Commercial Adventures Be? (Hat Tip to Dirk Stanley)

Dirk Stanley (Mr +Far Away Land RPG  himself) posted some thoughts on his blog about adventure length and how he feels some of his later adventures are bloating in page count.

To me, it's not the  number of pages in an adventure that is the yardstick but how concise the textual descriptions are. The more verbose a room description is, the less useful I find it. If I cant tell what's in the room at a quick glance, it does me no good. Mini adventure or mega dungeon, keep the room descriptions short and concise.

So, where do fall? Concise? Verbose? Midling?

Oubliette Returns April 12th With Issue # 9 - I Got My Copy Early ;)

Issue #8 of Oubliette released nearly 3 years ago. It is very nice to see it's return.

My micro-print copy of Oubliette #9 arrived with my "Works" package of mapping goodness earlier this afternoon. It goes for sale Sunday, April 12th.

I quite simply love the cover.

You can get the the PDFs of 1-8 for $12.50 at RPGNow.

I'll take pics of the mapping goodness I received over the weekend.

So it is Written, So it Shall be Done - We'll be Giving Away a Tenkar's Tavern Tankard for Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day

Curse you +James Spahn !

It looks like your suggestion will be put into effect - The Tavern will give away a Tenkar's Tavern Tankard for Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day.

The tankard will only ship in the US, but entries will be open to all. If the lucky person is outside the US, I'll send them a $20 RPGNow Gift Certificate instead of the tankard..

So, look for the post next week as we celebrate Swords & Wizardry.

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 830 PM Eastern - You're on Your Own

I will not be at tonight's Tavern Chat. Instead, I will be in the bowels of The Bronx playing with firearms (we have to requalify twice a year.)

There is a distant possibility I may be able to drop in for a few minutes around 10 ish. Depends on the drive home.

Behave yourselves and clean up afterwards ;)

Fantasy Grounds Virtual Table Top Officially Licenses Dungeons & Dragons 5e - There Can be Only One

Now it all makes sense.

Yesterday I received 3 enquiries about Fantasy Grounds, anything from "where can a get a spoofed key?" (can't help you) to "how does it play compared to Roll20?" (FG has a heavier load for the GM to lift in prep, at least last time I checked.) Today, I woke up to an email letting me know that Dungeons & Dragons 5e had been officially licensed by Smiteworks for use with Fantasy Grounds.

Holy shit. It looks like WotC figured out a way to associate a viable VTT with their product.

We are proud to announce that we are officially licensed to sell D&D source material and content inside of Fantasy Grounds! This is the beginning of a great new partnership between SmiteWorks and Wizards of the Coast that will benefit gamers worldwide. 

You can purchase the D&D Complete Core Class Pack with all the class, feats, spells and equipment or you can purchase individual classes only. You can also buy the monsters in packs or as the D&D Complete Core Monster Pack. These products have been converted to work really tightly with Fantasy Grounds to give you the best possible gaming experience - we know you're going to love them. They contain all the great artwork and content from the official products and all the smarts and integration to work with Fantasy Grounds. Not only will you get the same content that can be found in print, but you also get an exciting new Fifth Edition theme, adventures and content customized specifically for ease of play inside of Fantasy Grounds. 

For Dungeon Masters and players on a budget, you might pick up a Player Customization Pack and one or two Class Packs of your choice. Dungeon Masters can often get by with just the Adventure of their choice and one or two Monster Packs.
Don't forget that players can gift purchases through Steam for Dungeon Masters who have linked their license on Steam. 

To read up a little more on Fantasy Grounds and the different license options available for the core software product, please follo w this link to take a tour.
See all the Wizards of the Coasts products available in the Store
D&D Complete Core Class Pack (49.99) In this module, you get all twelve core character classes converted for play in Fantasy Grounds. You get the class description, special features, spells and abilities used by your class and general character customization options such as equipment and feats. You also get: 

328 Character Portraits

Players Handbook custom theme
Random Tables
All feats from the PHB fully configured for Fantasy Grounds
Equipment tables fully configured for Fantasy Grounds
Weapons lists fully configured for Fantasy Grounds
All Spells from the PHB fully configured for Fantasy Grounds
Automatic addition of new class features when you drag class links to your character's level summary
You get all of this and much more
D&D Complete Core Monster Pack (49.99) The entire collection of core monsters from the D&D Monster Manual is now at your fingertips. Dungeon Masters can use this module to create encounters and combats within their campaigns. NPC records have been lovingly entered and organized for ease of use and reference during play. This pack includes:
273 monster images to share with your players
366 monster tokens for use on tactical combat maps
Full descriptions for all monsters in the D&D Monster Manual
Full stats for all monsters in the D&D Monster Manual
The complete reference material from the D&D Monster Manual
Searchable monster indexes by CR, type and in alphabetical order
You get all of this and much more - [ read more ]
D&D Lost Mine of Phandelver (19.99) Lost Mine of Phandelver is an adventure for four to five characters of 1st level. During the course of the adventure, the characters will advance to 5th level. The adventure is set a short distance from the city of Neverwinter in the Sword Coast region of the Forgotten Realms setting. The Sword Coast is part of the North--a vast realm of free settlements surrounded by wilderness and adventure. This product includes:
the entire contents of the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure
image handouts that can be shared with players
5 pregen characters to get you going quickly
maps containing Dungeon Master (DM) information with all locations pre-linked to story entries, boxed text, encounters, images and treasure parcels
player and tactical combat maps
You get all of this and much more

Ain't cheap. The Basic Rules however, are $2.99.

* The content from this module is included in the Complete Core Class Pack
Set in a medieval fantasy world, D&D allows you to experience stories and adventures full of endless possibilities and amazing surprises. The Basic Rules for Dungeons & Dragons is a PDF that covers the core of the tabletop game. 

As Mike Mearls explained in Legends & Lore, the Basic Rules for Dungeons & Dragons is converted from the PDF (over 100 pages, in fact) that covers the core of the game. It runs from levels 1 to 20 and covers the cleric, fighter, rogue, and wizard, presenting what we view as the essential subclass for each. It also provides the dwarf, elf, halfling, and human as race options; in addition, the rules contain 120 spells, 5 backgrounds, and character sheets. All of these features have been compiled into modules specifically formatted for ease of play on Fantasy Grounds at the table or over the Internet.
The PDF that this product was based on is available for free from the Wizards of the Coast website. 

This purchase includes the following items:
-A custom theme derived in the same style as the Player's Handbook
-Random tables for rolling background bonds, flaws, ideals, origins, etc.
-Equipment tables containing items that can be dragged to character sheets, treasure parcels or NPCs for ease of reference, encumbrance calculations and ease of disbursement. The searchable lists contain all items listed in the Player's Handbook (Adventuring Gear, Tools, Armor, Weapons, Mounts, Tack and Harness, Vehicles.)
-Draggable weapons that auto-enter the inventory, weight, attack type (melee, ranged, thrown) and the damage (with damage type.)
-Reference material and artwork which is not specific to any one particular character class
-A list of spells from the D&D Basic Rules, ready to drag and drop to your character sheet
-The class description from the Player's Handbook for all 4 basic core classes: cleric, fighter, rogue and wizard
-Details and features from levels 1-20 for the 4 included classes
-Automatic addition of new class features when you drag the class link to your character's level summary
-This product is licensed from Wizards of the Coast. Dungeons & Dragons is a registered trademark. Unauthorized use or distribution is strictly prohibited.

And of course, this doesn't include the price of the Fantasy Grounds software itself. Still, for the right group, this could be an excellent option,

Web Series - Doraleous & Associates - How Did i Miss This?

One of the guys in my "old" face to face RPG group sent the link to Doraleous & Associates, a web series about one screwed up adventuring group.

I'm addicted already.

The guys behind this are also behind the Battlefield series of web videos.

Sure, the humor is mostly immature, but it's funny as hell ;)

Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day 2015 is April 17th - Not It!

Remember Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day 2013? I do. It was  an amazing success. More successful than I ever dreamed possible. Which is the reason I'm not anxious to jump back in those waters ;)

+R.J. Thompson has taken the helm this year, and God bless him. It's going to be April 17th this time around (a week from Friday) but RJ would like you posts links by the 16th.

You can read more about it at Gamers & Grognards.

Now what the hell am I going to do for S&W Appreciation Day at The Tavern? Time to think...

Tavern Updates - Silent Chats and Purple Cats

Busy days (and nights) here at The Tavern.

I have a shit ton of reviews to get to. Peril on the Purple Planet and Cast Tower of the Blood Moon Rises for the DCC RPG, Silent Legions (the latest from Sine Nomine), White Box Companion II (Barrel Rider Games) among others. Full plate and then some.

I was going to do my twice a year "playing with firearms" qualification tomorrow night, but the forecast is for rain. So, it's going to be Wednesday night instead (19 years on and 13 years in rank does have it's privileges.) Which means Tavern Chat will have to make do with my absence on April 8th. I'll try to make up for it with an open Hangout via G+ later on this month.

Oh, and still working on two projects. And need to sit down with Rachel as she raids my gaming collection for the big Patreon backers.

Aye. Busy busy ;)

RPGNow "Deal of the Day" - Whisper & Venom Compendium

Holy crap! How did +Zach Glazar NOT give me a heads up that the Whisper & Venom Compendium was going on sale for $5.20 in PDF?

Grab it and enjoy a well designed, localized sandbox.

Damn you Zach! Focus!  ;)

Description from the Lesser Gnome site:

At it core, Whisper & Venom is a table-top role-playing adventure module that can be used, with an absolute minimum number of adjustments or modifications, with most any fantasy role-playing game rule set.  

Whisper & Venom was designed by Zach Glazar. It is written by Zach Glazar and John Hammerle with illustrations and gameplay maps by Lloyd Metcalf. Whisper & Venom also includes contributions from well-known and talented tabletop gaming industry artists, cartographers and sculptors. 

It is intentionally written to be evocative of the style of modules from the early 1980’s while utilizing modern production techniques and materials.

Review by The RPG Pundit

Far and Away Podcast Episode 2 is Available to Listen to (Far Away Land RPG)

Yes, we recorded the 2nd episode of the Far and Away Podcast on Easter Sunday. Damn, we missed an obvious opportunity to give the Easter Bunny stats for the Far Away Land RPG.

We covered character generation and answered a bunch of questions from the community and had a fun time doing so :)

RPGNow "Deal of the Day" - King Arthur Pendragon: Edition 5.1 - 4 Bucks in PDF

Wether you plan to run a Pendragon Campaign or just want an amazing sourcebook of the Arthurian Legends, King Arthur Pendragon: Edition 5.1 for $4 in PDF is a steal.

Offer is good until 11 AM Eastern, Monday, April 6th, 2016

I'm sure I've missed a few decent "Deals of the Day" as they don't seem to give any notice via email...

How Do the Characters in Your Campaigns Actually Meet?

We talked a bit about how characters meet at the beginning of a campaign during this afternoon's recording of the Far & Away podcast, although I don't recall if it was during the episode or afterwards - things tend to meld during these recordings ;)

Anyhow, we discussed how the "meet in a bar" cliche is about as over done as all hell but is still used constantly, as it has a certain sense of familiarity to it. In a way, it's part of the common experience of many roleplayers, and even if they groan when hearing it, they still willingly go along with it.

All of which got me thinking - maybe this would make for a useful random table. Then I thought further, and I realized that there is more than just one cliche (geas, political pressure, imminent emergency and and others that have been used repeatedly) when it comes to kicking off a new campaign and introducing the player characters to each other, or at least making an excuse to put them in the same place.

So maybe a table of "how the PCs meet" cliches that then takes the cliches and gives multiple ways to play each of the cliches off - a table leading to more tables.

May be worthwhile, even if not used as a series of random tables but as a list for inspiration.

Yea? Nay? Useful? Pointless? What say you? How do characters in your campaigns meet?

Why Does Easter Always Make Me Think about Raise Dead spells and the Like in D&D?

Actually, the why is kinda obvious. According to the New Testament "On the third day he rose again," referring to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

What's interesting in D&D is that the resurrection of Christ would not be a resurrection under the D&D rules - it would more likely be the result of a Raise Dead spell.

Lets see - must be raised within days of death and body must be whole - I guess we can hand wave the need for one day of bed rest for each day dead. Christ WAS the son of God after all.

Which makes me think about the use of Raise Dead and Resurrection (you died a messy death, or one a long long time ago type of spell - from the players' perspective, more likely messy death.)

In game terms, is a Raise Dead spell written as it is because the assumption is that the soul of the deceased hasn't yet reached it's final destination in the afterlife. The soul's attachment to it's mortal body is still strong, thus requiring less power (2 levels lower spell level) than a resurrection spell?

Is Resurrection (on par with a magic-user's Wish spell in power) recalling the soul from it's eternal resting place? If so, what happens if the soul recalled does not want to return?

This is what Easter does to me. Makes me think on multiple levels ;)

Far & Away Podcast - Episode #2 Records Tomorrow - Post Your Far Away Land Questions

Yes, I know tomorrow is Easter Sunday. That is why we moved the live recording up an hour to 12 noon Eastern. So you can listen live on G+ Hangouts while you get ready for Easter Dinner ;)

Anyhow, as always, the Far & Away podcast is listener driven. Sure, there is plenty of interesting stuff we have planned to talk about, but in all honesty, we'd rather be answering you're inquiries.

So, if you have something you'd like to ask of Dirk, Vince or myself that is Far Away Land related, ask it here and we will try to address it in tomorrow's show.

Why do you Prefer the OSR Clone that you Do?

Simple question on the surface, right?

It's a bit harder when you get down to the brass tacks, as the answer may be elusive, rational, emotional, unknown.

For me, Swords & Wizardry Complete is my OSR clone of choice. As I've said elsewhere, and on this very blog, it plays very close to AD&D 1e as we played it, not how the AD&D 1e rules were written.

Now, with that being said, Labyrinth Lord was the first OSR clone I considered running. It just didn't hit the sweet note for me that S&W does. Maybe it's because it draws inspiration from the B/X releases in visual presentation and my entry drug edition was 1e.

See, even for me the answer isn't fully clear why, as it seems more of an emotional choice than a strictly logical one.

So, why do you prefer the OSR clone that you do?

PWYW - Far Away Land Adventures: Dastardly Dungeon of Doom

Curious about Far Away Land but are more comfortable with dungeon crawls?

Have Far Away Land and want to see how deadly it can be?

Simply want a well written adventure for "no money down?"

The Dastardly Dungeon of Doom is your gaming destination :)

Subterranean horrors wait around every corner as your party attempts to navigate and survive a dungeon crafted by a mad dwarf genius. Traps that maim, maul, and murder fill the halls and rooms of this labyrinthine lair of last breaths. Darkness. Dread. Death...

Pull up a chair and watch your players - er, I mean their characters - fight for their lives.

(and no, i'm not "that" mad dwarf genius ;)

Remember, the Far & Away podcast records live this Sunday

What do You Look for in an RPG Podcast?

What do you look for in an RPG Podcast?

I ask this now, before we finalize the format for the upcoming podcast.

Do you like thematic episodes, recurring features or a combination of the two?

What I'd be interested in seeing would be something along the following lines: OD&D and it's related clones discussed in one episode, campaign building in another, RuneQuest in it's various incarnations in yet another and perhaps review some OSR adventures in another episode still. A broad and deep podcast that isn't attached to a single edition or even game system.

Remember, these would be 30 minute or less episodes, so there is a practical limit to what will fit the format.

Let us know what you think.

Why I'm Leaving The Brainstorm Podcast

It's time.

All good things come to an end. Sadly, we often miss the proper time to pull the plug. After I listened to Episode 51 of The Brainstorm Podcast, I realized my time to leave was now.

I think we did a great job over the past few months. Interesting episodes and engaging topics. I'm proud of what we gave back to the gaming community.

I still want to give back the gaming community, but it's hard to do so when you no longer look forward to what you are doing. I enjoy podcasting, which is why I'm involved in getting a new podcast of the ground. No details yet except for one. I think the 30 minutes or less is spot on, so I expect to continue that with the new cast.

I wish nothing but the best for The Brainstorm Podcast.  For now, you can still catch me with +Vincent Florio and Dirk on the Far & Away podcast.

So, more info on the new podcast as it gets closer to release. And yes, we have our Wordpress guy.

I love this community.

Rock on!

Tenkar's Tavern Zazzle Store is Live - Grab a Tankard :)

The Tenkar's Tavern Zazzle Store is live - sorta. I think we have mugs and tankards and maybe a mousepad thus far. You may need to use the direct link on the right for the first day or so.

I'm looking forward to getting +Jim Magnusson 's art on a few items, but +Eric Quigley 's is amazing. I want the travel mug in stainless steel. I will have to wait it seems :(

Reminder - Tavern Chat 830-10PM Eastern - Tonight

Be there or be not, and be not is not an option - or something ;)

Seriously, stop by if you can. We always have a fun time.

No Joke - Podcast Needs a Wordpress Designer

I know it's April Fool's Day. Heck, I've been pranked already, thank you +Jason Paul McCartan :)

Sometimes things run their course. Sometimes they need a fresh coat of paint. Much like the new blog header (and future headers) here at The Tavern, change keeps things fresh.

So, I need someone that has leet Wordpress design skills for a project that is podcast related.

Hit me up at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing and I'll give you the skinny. And no, The Tavern is here to stay. Don't believe the Badger unless I tell you it's okay ;)

Tenkar's Tavern Tankard - Take 2

This is the Zazzle version of the Tenkar's Tavern Tankard. I like the base color and highlights of this tankard better than the previous one. Of course, getting an in focus shot is hard as shit - keyboard reflection doesn't help either I think I needed more light. Ah well.

Kickstarter - Car Wars Classic Arenas (Steve Jackson Games)

Car Wars.

I started with the pocket sizes rules and a few of the supplements before moving onto the boxed set. Fun times and fun stuff, but probably not a good fit for the picnic table in the backyard on a windy day ;)

I still have my boxed set.

I'm getting both the boxed classic Car Wars rules and the Arena Box - $40 plus shipping is a steal for the fun within.

I want to see a proper computer version of this. Turn based, just like the original. A man can hope, can't he?

Suppressed Rant and Some Thoughts on the Lack of Social Skills Among a Segement of Gamers

Last night I thought a good night of sleep would take my desire to rant away, but instead it seems to have festered in my dreams. Ah well, this too shall pass.

In the meantime, I was thinking of social skills among gamers, or the lack there of among a certain segment of it. We addressed this in part when discussing group etiquette on episode 46 of The Brainstorm podcast, but I think we missed part of the point - certain gamers are simply attention whores.

We've all seen it - no matter where the enemy is, they are there. If the dialogue is happening two towns away, they have input that you MUST listen to. If there is a magic sword (and they are playing a magic user) it must be theirs.

I'm not sure if it was a lack of attention in childhood or a lack of self worth in real life, but the game is everything and everything is the game. If the spotlight isn't theirs and theirs alone, they bitch and moan and make everyone else miserable. Sharing and teamwork is a foreign concept to them.

I thank God that in my years returning to gaming, I've only had to deal with one person with the above traits (and they are not in my current gaming groups) but in my high school and college years they seemed more common. Perhaps most do grow out of such habits.

I do not know how to turn them into team players. I don't know if they have a desire to learn.

Look at that. A rant that wasn't the rant I was looking for ;)

Do You Use Rule Sub Races in Your Campaigns?

This is going to be one of the topics for tomorrow night's recording of the Brainstorm Podcast - creating sub races for pre-existing fantasy races.

Do you use sub races (grey / high / wood elves and the like) and if you do, do you create your own?

Do you prefer to stick to just the default version of the race? Why or why not?

Are sub races purely flavor, or should they have a game effect?

Let me know your thoughts - and you can hear mine on the podcast ;)

Next Tavern Header - Work in Progress by Jim Magnusson

As I've mentioned previously, the goal here at The Tavern is to have a series of blog headers / banners from different artists in rotation. It keeps things fresh as well as highlights some of the work of my favorite OSR artists.

Currently, +Jim Magnusson is working on the next Tavern banner. Somehow, I think he's caught the proprietor of Tenkar's Tavern in an awkward moment...

The Winner of a Free Print Copy of Sword for Hire / Blue Frog Tavern is...

Wow. We really have had some cool giveaways in the last week. I tip my hat both to the generous donors and all those that have commented. Well done all :)

The dice have decided, and they have decided it is:

+Johua De Santo

Josh, email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing and I'll forward your snail mail address on to Vlark so he can get you your T&T goodness.

The Coot (Far Away Land and Tunnel & Trolls)

When I asked +Jim Magnusson to create a monster inspired by the Classic RuneQuest "Duck", I didn't know what to expect. Amazingly enough, he gave us the Coot.

I've already stated the Coot up for Swords & Wizardry, so here are the Far Away Land and Tunnels & Trolls versions.

Enjoy :)

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.

Tunnels & Trolls

Monster Rating: 15

Combat Dice: 2d6 + 8

Special Damage: None

Note: Can fly short distances (up to 20' forward or 10' up) in lieu of attacking.



Far Away Land

HP: 12, AC: 0, ACT: 6
BRT: 2, DEX: 3, WIT: 1
Boons: Melee and Crafty

I need to right up the Coon as a PC class for all three systems, as I think it fits well in such a roll.

Is this a good time to mention that +Jim Magnusson is working on a banner for The Tavern? Soon we will have a proper rotation in place. I wonder if Jim will let me sneak a peek to the readers of his work in progress...

The Silent Legions Art Pack has been released for Free to the Public for Personal and Commercial Use

+Kevin Crawford , the man behind Sine Nomine Publishing and perhaps best known for Stars Without Number, has released the art pack from his most recent Kickstarter - Silent Legions - into the hands of the public.

The Silent Legions Art Pack is a free collection of 56 black-and-white line images and one color cover first used in the Silent Legions Lovecraftian horror RPG. As part of the successful Kickstarter campaign, I arranged to buy full rights to the art from the original artists, allowing me to release it for free personal and commercial use by other publishers. 

You are welcome to use these images for your own creation, whether for personal use or commercial products. As a matter of courtesy, I ask that you credit the original artists for their fine work.

There you have it. Kevin has put more quality, affordable art in the hands of other publishers than the rest of the OSR combined as far as I can tell. Kev, I tip my hat to you.

A HUGE "Thank You" to the Patrons of The Tavern!

early Quigley sketch

As March draws to a close and I find myself with my nose to the virtual grindstone, working on creature write ups and small pieces for some projects I promised to participate in, I find I need to thank the readers of The Tavern.

As I've stated before, you don't need to be a Patreon Backer to be a supporter of The Tavern. In addition to shopping through our links at RPGNow and clicking on ads that interest you, we've had some generous donors in the past week, giving away keys to Pillars of Eternity and a Corgi edition of the Tunnels & Trolls solo - Sword for Hire / Blue Frog Tavern (of course it had to be a tavern ;)

I've always regarded Tenkar's Tavern as less of a blog and more of a community - and I've seen so much community here in recent months I'm thrilled to have been proven right and then some.

I owe a G+ Hangout to this very community, pretty much on the level of the weekly Tavern Chat. I don't think the hangout will kick off until the weekend after next, although I could be wrong. It is possible that the stars will align for this coming Sat night. When i know, you will know.

Thank you all. Each and every one of you. If you are reading this, yes, I do mean you :)

Brainstorm Podcast - Episode 50 - Edition Wars! - Which Edition did i Call the Crystal Meth of Gaming?

Sometimes you forget what you said in the heat of the moment. Heck, I mostly forget what I said 5 minutes ago, let alone a week and a half ago.

This time, I called an edition of D&D the "crystal meth of gaming" and it would rot your mind and your teeth.

Overall, I think it's an excellent episode, but I probably should have avoided the "crystal meth" reference. Maybe I'll refer to heroin next time ;)

You can listen to +Vincent Florio , +Glen Hallstrom , +Ordo Monstrum (Sal) and myself give our opinions and have to defend them here at The Brainstorm Podcast site.

The Official Unofficial Announcement - Old School Quarterly from InfiniBadger Press

Some of you may have heard rumblings, but I've been given the go ahead to make the official unofficial announcement (or it an unofficial official announcement) - +Jason Paul McCartan and his InfiniBadger Press label will be putting out a quarterly RPG magazine - Old School Quarterly or OSQ for short.

Jason has set a high bar - approximately 256 digest sized pages quarterly. He's damn close to having the content ready for Issue zero too. I do need to write my regular column - it's Kickstarter related. Who would have guessed? ;)

Print on Demand and PDF versions.

Oh, and it's not going to be solely D&D / D&D Clones either - if it's old school in nature, it very well could make an appearance.

The cover (as well as the logo) is a mock up, so it may not remain the same, and the systems indicated may change too, but the plan is to have multiple adventures from multiple systems in each issue.

There'll be paid submissions (paid for in part by advertising) , so Jason will be looking for contributors, artists, etc in the future.

Website will be up and running in a few weeks. I'll make sure to link it when it does.

Shit, I probably should interview The Badger for more details...

Giving Away a Free Print Copy of Sword for Hire / Blue Frog Tavern (Tunnels & Trolls Double Solo - US Only)

Thanks to the generosity of Tavern patron Vlark (a finer dwarf is hard to to find) and an extra copy being placed in a package by Flying Buffalo, we have a print copy of Sword for Hire / Blue Frog Tavern (Tunnels & Trolls double solo with a fairly complete version of the T&T 5e rules included.)

Vlark is willing to ship via media mail to any address in the United States, including Hawaii & Alaska.

If you are in the confines of the US and are looking to snag this, comment below. Tomorrow night, sometime after 8pm New York time I'll pick a random winner from the comments below.

Good luck to all :)

The Winners of Keys to the Computer Game Pillars of Eternity Are...

Time to award the keys to Pillars of Eternity that were generously donated by a patron of this very Tavern. Three cheers and hip hip hooray!

Key number one goes to - mwschmeer

Key number two goes to - erik johnson

I need the above to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing and I'll get those keys to you.

Another giveaway coming up later today - this time it's in print, US only and generously donated by another patron of the tavern :)

Kickstarter - Darkplane (a 5e Setting)

I fully blame +Timothy Brannan for pointing me at this.

Darkplane is a "weird" horror setting for 5e. More importantly, the art is awesome. Damn, I'm really becoming an "art" guy, even if it's just as someone that appreciates awesome art.

Here are a few ways that the Darkplane setting changes the core assumptions of a campaign.

The World Appears Mundane. To the everyday inhabitants of Vinramar, magic is only a dark legend. Half-believed traditions of the supernatural prevail among commoners—whispers of spirits, strange magic, and unexplained terrors—but few people come in contact with such things. Darkplane campaigns focus on those special few.

Perilous Horrors Hide Under Every Stone. Beneath the facade of the everyday world lies a nightmare realm, the true reality that would drive common folk to madness. Magic is rare and dangerous. Vengeful abominations creep into the natural world from other dimensions, sowing chaos and fear. Frightful vestiges of pre-human civilizations lie hidden in the earth, and some of their immortal denizens live unseen among mortals. When such supernatural forces come in contact with average people, the scars they leave are deep and troubling.

God is Dead. Shortly following the creation, the supreme creator Sowm was killed by Her son Daemoth, plunging the Heavens into an endless war. The key players in this conflict are unfathomable gods who rarely visit the mortal realm, but their followers are all too eager to drag the world through milennia of bloodshed and carnage. These priests might be showmen, sages, or warmongering vipers, but if their faith is sufficient they can channel powerful wonders.

Industrial Revolution Has Created Wide Technology Gaps. Some cultures resort to ancient practices like hunting and gathering to survive, while others have developed specialized crafts like printing and glass blowing. In Trentsmund, steam power has irrevocably changed the kingdom’s infrastructure. Traffic between these societies is still limited enough to preserve the technological disparity.

The Darkplane Encompasses All. The four worlds are surrounded by an endless void beyond natural reality, called the Darkplane. The Darkplane is populated and ruled by mysterious aberrant powers so unnatural that their comprehension is almost beyond mortal minds. Daemoth’s slow conquest of the Darkplane has driven these alien horrors into the four worlds, where their presence infects and twists natural creatures into unspeakable aberrations.

Now, what entails "weird" horror led me to follow a link to darkplane.com, where I found the following:

The Darkplane universe is a campaign setting for 5th edition that blends Gothic horror and weird tales with a rich, culturally diverse history. Its mortal world, Vinramar, can be a perilous place, whether you’re leading witch-hunts in Trentsmund’s colonial provinces, searching forgotten ruins for the secrets of the cosmos, or taking desperate flight from the cannibal-infested wastelands that once were the kingdom of Welluxia. 

Darkplane is weird fiction. That means its stories rely on an overarching, seductive sense of dread and mystery. It’s about cults, hauntings, twisted monsters, and breaking away from moral simplicity. While there are elements of high fantasy, it won’t take you long to see that this is not a setting modeled on Medieval Europe. It pulls from the mythologies and folklore of many different cultures in an attempt to support a wide array of horror stories.

I don't like "Darkplane is weird fiction." Roleplaying might be a form of story telling, but fiction is not an RPG. Writing an RPG adventure or setting is not writing fiction. Yeah, this irks me a bit. Can you tell?

But then this part of the Kickstarter page kinda explains it:

I'm Graham Ward, a writer, actor, and filmmaker living in Denver with my awesome wife Bethany. Darkplane is my baby. I began early work on it in the days of 2nd edition D&D, when story and imagination were at the center of the game. I've been writing adventures, running campaigns, and expanding the world of Vinramar ever since. It's been a huge source of fun for my friends and me.

I'm the creator and lead writer on this project, but I'm helped by a great team of collaborators who have contributed concepts and writing over the more recent years of the setting's development: Kristy Eagar, Mike Eagar, Adam Rodger, Derrik Young, and Kent Lloyd. 

I started playing D&D at age 10, and it's stuck with me for most of my life since. I've run campaigns all over the country in various cities I've lived, and even ran a short campaign in London while there for a study abroad. 

Right now I work full-time as a professional actor at several theaters in Colorado. It's a bizarre career, but I love it. More recently I've been getting traction as a writer and filmmaker. Check out my recent no-budget short film...

There's more, but I stopped reading. Graham is very creative. We get it.

I'm intrigued by the setting, but that's because I took the extra step to actually find additional info. The Kickstarter is funded and jumping through stretch goals, so Graham has done something right.

Then there is this piece from the "Risks and challenges":

A note about copyright: Wizards of the Coast owns Dungeons & Dragons and its associated intellectual property. This project will not be published or distributed in any way that violates copyright laws. It's a personal project that will be delivered as a gift to those who help fund its creation. No profit is expected, and no infringement intended. If no other avenue is provided, in a worst-case scenario, it will be printed without system-specific rules and backers will be provided with digital packets of the "crunch" for printing). 

TRADEMARK DISCLAIMER 

"Dungeons & Dragons" and "3E" are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, LLC. Graham Ward and Darkplane: A Campaign Setting are not affiliated with Wizards of the Coast LLC. We make no claim to, or challenge to, such trademarks.

I don't think that not expecting profit makes a difference if WotC thinks its copyright is being violated. I'm not saying WotC is going to go in that direction, but I don't think it would be a defense if they were.

I'm conflicted on this. Weird fiction isn't about story telling or story creating or looking back and saying "holy shit, that makes an excellent tale", it's a story that is written and told. Maybe "weird fiction" is just a poorly chosen phrase.

Do I back or do I not back.

I'm on the fence on this one. Thankfully I have over 2 weeks to decide

One Day Sale - The Black Monastery - HC $20 - Frog God Games (S&W and Pathfinder)

Today's Daily Deal: The Black Monastery Hardcover Only $20! (Regularly $34.99) Use this coupon code during checkout: DD-BLACK-8532 Shop Now! Offer expires Midnight Tonight! (PST) This is one that has slipped by my radar. $20 for Print and PDF of The Black Monastery and available for Swords & Wizardry? May need to add this to my endless gaming collection myself. Level range 7-9.

Giving Away Two Keys to the New Computer RPG - Pillars of Eternity - Comment, Friend... and Enter

"Eternity aims to recapture the magic, imagination, depth, and nostalgia of classic RPG's that we enjoyed making - and playing. At Obsidian, we have the people responsible for many of those classic games and we want to bring those games back… and that’s why we’re here - we need your help to make it a reality!

Eternity will take the central hero, memorable companions and the epic exploration of Baldur’s Gate, add in the fun, intense combat and dungeon diving of Icewind Dale, and tie it all together with the emotional writing and mature thematic exploration of Planescape: Torment."

So, I've got 2 Steam keys for Pillars of Eternity to give away thanks to an extremely generous patron of The Tavern. They will work on Windows, OS X and Linux.

How do you get into the mix?

Comment on this blog post. Sometime on Saturday morning I'll be randomly picking two commenters to receive these free keys.

So, what are you waiting for? You know you want this :)

(these are $45 retail)

Tenkar's Tavern Tankard - Currently One of a Kind

I must say that +Eric Quigley 's art looks damn nice on a beer stein!

Would there be an interest in me getting these up for sale via Cafe Press or the like?

I know I'll be ordering a few more for myself ;)

I Suspect a Far Away Land Adventure is Hidden in This Bag

Sometimes inspiration is found in the damnedest things.

There is an adventure in this bag of gummy bears for Far Away Land.

Where do you find your inspiration?

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 830 PM Eastern - Right Here at The Tavern

Tonight is another weekly Tavern Chat. We use the chat box on the right hand side of this page.

I am wary of setting topics, as the participants seem to do a fine job of finding their own.

We did launch the Far & Away podcast for the Far Away Land RPG this past Saturday. If you haven't listened yet, there is a player for the episode in the upper right hand corner of this page - or you can find it on iTunes :)

What Would be Your Top 10 List of OSR Games?

Logo Dysonized by Dyson

+The Padre asked me about a Top 10 List of OSR Games / Rulesets earlier this evening, and it got me thinking about how varied the answers would be if thrown out to the OSR Community.

I would consider OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord and Swords & Wizardry as the triumvirate of the OSR, but once you go beyond that I think the list would grow in some awesomely divergent manners.

So, I ask you. What is YOUR Top 10 List of OSR Games?

Doing the Death Spiral - Bringing T&T's Death Spiral to S&W and FAL

If you don't know about Tunnels & Trolls' "Death Spiral", this is it in a nutshell. As a monster takes damage those numbers come off it's Monster Rating or MR. Damage dice and adds are directly determined by MR (MR doubles as HP in D&D terms. MR is recalculated at the start of each round, so as a monster takes damage, it's ability to deal damage also goes down - therefore the "Death Spiral."

As I've said elsewhere, converting to another system is more art and less science - you go for the feel, not the reproduction.

For Swords & Wizardry, you could replicated such an effect by making it "1" harder for the monster to hit for every 5 points of damage taken as well as make it "1" easier to hit them for every 10 points of damage taken. I think something like this would be more appropriate in a Swords & Sorcery styled campaign, where heroes are expected to be heroic and perhaps in sessions with fewer PCs, as it helps change the balance as an encounter goes on.

Far Away Land has a much smaller power curve than S&W or T&T, so I would go with a lighter touch - when a monster has taken half it's hits in damage, remove 1 die from Brute / Str for purposes of attacks. At 1/4 hits, remove a second die. At no point can a monster go below 1 die.

So, Why Does the Same Creature have Such Completely Different Stats in Three Different Systems?

Over the weekend I wrote up the Failed Lich for S&W, T&T and Far Away Land. Three different systems. Three very different write ups, even if the non-stat description is the same.

What's up with that?

Well, I tend to start with Swords & Wizardry as my baseline. I can think in S&W - it is a language I am fairly fluent in.

I'm also fairly fluent in Tunnels & Trolls. As such, I know it's weaknesses (at least in 5x.) One of those weaknesses is ranged attacks. it throws off the math. I either avoid it like a plague or a count it as a long melee attack. That's why the failed Lich's attack become a spite damage fueled extra fire damage.

Far Away Land is a system I'm still feeling out in many ways. I'm not even sure if my FAL Failed Lich "works", but I think it's close enough.

In any case, that's why the three versions of the same thing are so different.

Pile That Plate High - A Look at the Projects And Other Time Sinks I Have In Place

Last week, one of the players that played in my short run Sunday Morning Crypts & Things campaign two years ago wanted to get members of my old (high school, college and beyond) to commit to a Sunday morning ongoing campaign via Roll20. Needless to say, I'd be running it.

I felt a need to point out the following: I'm in a regular Saturday Night Roll20 group and run a more or less monthly Friday Night Roll20 group. I moderate a chat here at The Tavern on Wednesday Nights and record The Brainstorm Podcast on Tuesday Evenings. Every other Sunday afternoon, we record the Far & Away Podcast and I owe the fine patrons of The Tavern a monthly Hangout on G+. I owe two fine folks content for their Kickstarters, I owe my Patrons content on the blogside and I put multiple blog posts up on a daily basis. Not to mention a 43 hr work week when not working overtime as well as finding time with my family (uncle duty is most Wednesday Afternoons and Saturday - All Day - auntie is on duty too.)

Needless to say, I could only commit to every other Sunday Morning ;)

Actually, if I showed this breakdown to Rachel, she'd probably tell me I'm insane... heh

Buy One, Get One 50% Off Sale - Frog God Games - Until Midnite, March 24th

There's still time to get lucky!  For St. Patrick's Day, we are having a  Buy One, Get One 50% Off Sale!  Use the following Coupon Code at Checkout to get 50% off of one item when you buy one of equal or greater value.  LUCKY-50 Shop Now! (offer expires Midnight on March 24th, 2015)

The Failed Lich - Swords & Wizardry, Tunnels & Trolls and Far Away Land (Stat Blocks)

Nichole Cardiff

The Failed Lich

Swords & Wizardry

AC: 2[17]
HD:8
Attacks: Hands 2x(2d4)
Saving Throw: 6
Special: Can throw balls of fire up to 2x per round
              for 2d6 damage each
Move: 12
Challenge Level: 9 / 1,100 xp



Tunnels & Trolls

Reid San Filippo

Monster Rating: 80

Combat Dice: 9D6 +40

Special Damage: 3/ - Flaming Fists do an extra 5d6 damage



Far Away Land

HP: 25, AC: 1, ACT: 10
BRT: 2, DEX: 2, WIT: 4

Magic: Fire Beam 1d6+2


and here's the "fluff from the previous post:

The Failed Lich is pretty much what is says on the tin. When a high level wizard attempts to grab nigh infinite power and undying life, their chance for true success is minimal. Blinded by thoughts of what may happen they fail to take into account what probably will happen.

Burned to a cinder with their soul shredded and shared by devils and demons alike is a far better failure than ending up as a Failed Lich, so close to success that is now forever out of their grasp.

Unable to rest, forever seeking a state of existence denied to them, the Failed Lich is obsessed with extinguishing life. They hope that with every life they take they'll be closer to either Lichdom or oblivion, but their curse is that lives lost at their hands heal them by absorbing some of their victims souls. 

If they are defeated, they will rise again in 1d6 days if their skull is not crushed under the heal of a hero. What defines a "hero" is open to much debate.

There are reasons the Failed Lich has different powers for each of the three systems, but that's the topic for a whole 'nother post ;)

Further Thoughts on Converting Established Settings to the Far Away Land RPG

Now, I say "further thoughts", as this was one of the questions brought up on the first episode of the Far & Away Podcast - do you tweak the rules to fit the setting or do you pick from the setting to bring pieces to Far Away Land?

I said "leave the rules intact and bring in the setting in pieces" but in retrospect, that answer is a little lacking and depending on the setting, it might not be the totally correct choice.

Case in point: I've got this idea burrowing around my head to use the FAL rules to run a Red Dwarf campaign (you know, the classic British SciFi show). This would require a mostly new set of boons, which is easy enough to do but kinda opposite of what I suggested with my original answer.

So, my revised answer would be pretty much as follows: understand the setting you wish to port over and what defines it. Don't worry about rules so much as history, personalities, geography and the like. Port that over. Tweak the FAL rules by adding or removing boons from the list - allowing one to change flavor without effecting the core rules system.

The core rules of Far Away Land are easy to learn and use, but you don't want to tweak them to make them needlessly more complicated. If you find you can't convert the setting with a light touch, it may not be a good fit for FAL.

As a side note, the power curve in FAL is greatly tamped down compared to most OSR games. PCs remain vulnerable to weaker threats throughout their careers. Settings like Forgotten Realms may not fit well without changing some of the base assumptions of the setting.

The Far & Away Podcast Episode #1 is Released!

I've got to hand it to +Vincent Florio . He turned the episode around in record time, as we had just recorded it earlier this afternoon. I must say, I had a blast recording this with Dirk ( +Far Away Land RPG ) and Vince.

Want some highlights?

- Dirk talks about some ideas about a NTRPG Con themed Far Away Land adventure

- We discuss ideas on converting OSR adventures and settings to the FAL ruleset

- Lean the background behind the FAL setting

- FAL Quickstart?

- Dirk discusses licensing plans

- Info on the upcoming seaborne supplement

- Lots more!

It's about 51 minutes from start to finish (well, Youtube video is a tad longer.)



It's not up yet on iTunes (not sure how long that takes) but you can listen to the episode here onYoutube:

Mini Review - White Box Omnibus - The Kitchen Sink for Swords & Wizardry White Box

What can I say about the White Box Omnibus that I haven't previously said about some of it's previously released parts? Quite simply, the sum is far greater than it's parts.

To the new classes previously presented, we now get a monk, the implementation of is simply dead on and a perfect fit for White Box.

To the adventures previously presented, we now get a micro-setting, town and sandbox included ( +James Spahn is the hex map 5 or 6 miles per hex or something else? I can't find the scale - edit - 20 miles per hex - thanks James - no longer a "micro"-setting ;) Oh, and of course some adventure seeds to truly expand your use of the sandbox.

There is enough here between new classes, class tweaks, new magic items, new monsters, adventures and micro-setting to keep a campaign fresh for months of not years. All in one 120+ page offering.

If you haven't picked any of James' White Box offerings yet, THIS is the one to get. If you have picked up some of James' White Box offerings previously, you should have a discount link in your email (I did.)

Edit: James told me I'm allowed to share the discount link with all, so here it is:

White Box Omnibus $7.99 Discounted Price

James, I do have one further question - when is the POD of the Omnibus coming out?