White Star / X-Plorers - What's the Difference Between the Two? (Part II)

Continuing with Part II of the comparison between White Star and X-Plorers. Part I is here.

When it comes to creatures, X-Plorers is very much a "do it yourself" type of system. There are examples (3 alien races, 3 earth creatures, 3 mars creatures, etc) but they seem to lack - something. This is purely opinion time here, so take it for what it's worth. The sample creatures in White Star seem more imaginative to my eyes but the system included to create your own in X-Plorers seems fairly complete. Something useful I may borrow, although I don't have a problem "winging" my creations.

Healing in X-Plorers is quicker than White Star, which is surprising, considering that White Star draws upon Star Wars and other recent scifi for some of its tropes. I may borrow the healing rules from X-Plorers for my White Star campaign.

Space combat is very different between the two systems.

X-Plorers 

Ÿ- Determine initiative
-Ÿ Party with initiative acts first in the following
phase order and results take effect:
   1. Navigation Phase
   2. Engineering Phase
   3. Pilot Phase
   4. Gunner Phase
-Ÿ Party that lost initiative acts in the same
phase order and their results take effect
-Ÿ Once the round is complete, roll a new
initiative and start a new round if the battle
has not been resolved (either by a ship being
destroyed, incapacitated, or having
escaped)

White Star 

1. Determine Initiative.
2. Starship with Initiative acts first (attacking, using items, etc.) and results
take effect.
3. Starship that lost Initiative acts, and their results take effect.
4. The round is complete; keep turn order for the next round if the battle
has not been resolved.

Actually, X-Plorers space combat reminds me a bit of what I remember from Classic Traveller. has much more complete starship descriptions and options. I THINK White Star space combat will play out closer to regular combat than X-Plorers space combat, but I'll have to playtest that or rely on the experience and feedback of others.
White Star

X-Plorers includes an optional psionics system. Again, it uses a skill system, which is either something you love in your old school games or you don't.

White Star includes some basic setting material (including a star map), some campaign themes as well as an adventure to kick things off with.

So, where does one stand at the end of this admittedly basic comparison?

X-Plorers has a no frill, art free PDF that can be had for free. If price is your only concern, the answer was made for you before I wrote a single word. That being said, at the price of free, X-Plorers is an excellent source of ideas for your White Star campaign.

If you compare the regular X-Plorers PDF at $5.95 to White Star at $9.95 (or $7.95 with my discount link) White Star is by far the more complete and ready to play out of the box product. White Star is also a tool box, so it expects you to add, change, warp and delete from the rules included. It's pretty durable and hard to break.

White Star / X-Plorers - What's the Difference Between the Two? (Part I)

I've gotten numerous requests to compare White Star and X-Plorers. Multiple times a day for the past week. So, here goes nothing ;)

Presentation-wise, White Star wins hands down, and I'm not just saying that because +Jason Paul McCartan is a good friend of mine. X-Plorers has a serviceable layout.

White Star evokes the feel of Star Wars, Firefly, Guardians of the Galaxy and even Battlestar Galactica. X-Plorers feel evokes the movies and TV series of the late 50's and early 60's. A big portion of that may be the cover and the Earth-centric setting (if four paragraphs a setting makes - and to think I thought four pages was limited to work with ;)

White Star uses the six attributes you already know from the OSR game of your choice. X-Plorers reduces that number to four. Wisdom is rolled into Intelligence and Strength and Constitution are rolled into Physique. Charisma is renamed Presence and Dexterity is renamed Agility. Why? No idea. White Star defaults to a -1 / +1 spread, while X-Plorers defaults to a -2 / +2 spread on attribute bonuses.

X-Plorers uses a universal experience table whereas White Star has an experience table for each class.

Both games have 4 base classes each. In White Star, they are: Aristocrat, Mercenary, Pilot and Star Knight (as well as 3 other classes - Alien Mystic, Alien Brute and Robot). In X-Plorers it's Scientist, Soldier, Scout and Technician. Pilot and Scout fill the same niche and Mercenary and Soldier. Classes in White Star have "class abilities" (think AD&D Paladin kinda sorta in the way it's handled) which are like minor powers or boosts and X-Plorer classes have skills that are rolled on a D20. This is a very major difference between the two games.

X-Plorers includes rules for multi-classing, which is pretty nifty, but it isn't really true multi-classing - it's learning skills from another class. White Star doesn't have any such rules. It might make for a decent houserule.

I'm surprised that X-Plorers doesn't use the dual stated AC from Swords & Wizardry, as it builds S&W. Not a big deal, or even a little deal, just interesting to note. White Star uses the dual stated format.
upon

Equipment in the two games overlaps at points, but either list would make a good supplement for the other's game. Armor is much more expensive in X-Plorers, by a factor of 10 or more in some cases. It is also more generic in White Star, as it is described by light, medium or heavy instead of Mesh Suit, Reflec or Combat Armor in X-Plorers.

Part II later today.

Game Called on Account of Puking - and it Wasn't Joe ;)

So, we were in the middle of a severely tough fight in +Joe D 's Blood Island campaign just a few minutes ago and had to call the session mid battle - we lost our only standing fighter to what will be an inevitable hangover ;)

We heard the wine come up earlier in the session. I must say, its a damn good mic that can pick that up from rooms away. Then it was back to the battle - for another round or so before the inevitable "I gonna go to bed" was stated.

We couldn't continue, as all that was left standing was the magic-user with his four mirror images (me) and our shaman.

It's a first for me in my years of gaming, although I have seen (and listened to) another player fall asleep and snore while sitting in front of his computer.

Ah well, next week we will see of we live or die, or puke trying :)

Further Thoughts on Pocket Settings for White Star - Splitting Players' and GMs Info

Obviously this is all in a state of flux, as the brainstorming for the White Star Pocket Settings is continuing and nothing is nailed down yet. I've truly appreciated all of the feedback and suggestions.

I do like +Dennis Higgins Pocket Player's Guide and Pocket Gamemaster's Guide idea, but I'd run with some changes:

POCKET SETTING PLAYERS GUIDE
1. Map (Sector / System / Space Station / Urban)
2. Class / Starship / Robot Variant
3. Setting Info
4. Equipment

POCKET SETTING JUDGES GUIDE
1. Deeper Setting Info / Secrets players should not know / Rumor Table
2. NPCs
3. Adversaries / Creatures / Alien technology
4. Adventure Seeds

Four pages each, so eight pages with each release. I'd aim to be monthly. It would be worked out on the blogside as a series of posts. A quick and dirty free PDF to all supporters  of The Tavern's Patreon (and possibly a print version at a certain support level) and probably a release on RPGNow every 4 to 6 months - 32 to 48 pages per compilation.

I'm also toying with the idea of drilling deeper with the releases - each set of four releases going from space sector to solar system to planet to urban / space station. May be more trouble than it's worth. Might try it down the line.

For the sector maps, I see Hexographer allows one to do space maps, but damned if I can figure that part out. I need to look deeper.

Beware the creative bartender, as he just may poison you by mistake ;)

You Too can Sing the Song to White Star (tip of the hat to Bill Murray)

All you need do is play the video above and insert the following lyrics for the text above:

White Star Lyrics

This is Tenkar's Tavern and I do the blogging, thank you
Let's open up with something really hot for these folks
A big hit out of the OSR

Aww... White Star, nothing but White Star
Give me that White Star
Don't let it end

Oh White Star
It rocked the OSR
You can play White Star today!

Oh hey!
How 'bout that nutty White Star badger?
Can you deny all the layout in there

And Hey!
Erik Tenkar with that drunk and smelly beard
Does he scare you as much as he scares me?

White Star, nothing but White Star
My ten millionth blog for
White Star!

(words by +James Spahn )

you can listen to Bill Murray's version below:

Thoughts on "Pocket Settings" for White Star

I was chatting with one of the regular Tavern readers last night and while talking about White Star the thought occurred to me - what I would like to see for White Star (and Swords & Wizardry and the like, but for today's post I'm going to focus on White Star) is a series of "Pocket Settings" - 4 pages meant to be printed out at 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" inches. Yep, a letter sized piece of paper folded in half and printed on both sides.

Scale could vary. For some, it might be a sector of space, a solar system, a space station, a planet, a city - whatever. Large enough to be it's own setting and sandbox.

First (front page) would be the map.

Second page would be a new class for White Star - because that makes the setting useful to folks that don't want to use the setting. Besides, new classes are cool.

Third page would describe the setting itself. Yep, you don't have much space for this so make it count.

Fourth page would be a series of adventure hooks.

My goal would be to give GMs enough to run with and be inspired by, but not so much it ties their hands. It should become THEIR setting and the setting of their players. It grows with them it ways I'd never have dreamed.

So, the question becomes - do I do this here on the blog? Do I publish it as a series of small PDFs at RPGNow? Even if I published it on RPGNow, bit and pieces would definitely appear at The Tavern - it just fits my style and method of writing.

Very much in the germination phase right now, so input would be appreciated ;)

Oh, and a big "Fuck You!" to +James Spahn . What, you think I don't have enough time sinks as it is? It's all your fault James. It's all your fault ;)

You can blame James too at a discount if you want to. Just don't blame me, I'm just the messenger.

Rikenne - The Four Armed Abomination for White Star (and S&W White Box Too)

Rikenne is a four armed Alien Mystic of a long dead race. He is rumored to buy slaves to experiment upon (or kidnap innocents depending on current funding situation). Whether these experiments are mystical or scientific (or a mongrelization of the two) is anyone's guess. None yet have survived the experiments to tell the tale.

The four arms allow Rikenne to wield two daggers (more accurately two ritual cutting knives) as well as have a light crossbow prepared for adversaries at range. Rikenne can only engage one target in a round. In melee his BHB gets an additional plus 1 due to the dual melee weapons.

Rikenne is always accompanied by 2 Alien Brutes of 3rd level (Ogres in S&W) and prefers to allow them to engage adversaries when combat necessary.

He is a cruel individual with no guilt for what he does. If asked, it is simply his nature. Who would not wish to be true to their own nature?

Stats:

Rikenne - Alien Mystic - Level 6

HP = 14

Strength          13
Intelligence     16
Wisdom           8
Constitution    10
Dexterity         14
Charisma          6

1st Level Gifts
Light
Hold Portal
Stupor x 2 (Sleep in S&W)

2nd Level Gifts
Hold Person
Phantasmal Force

Weapons
2 x Ritual Cutting Knife
Light Crossbow - 12 Bolts

Armor
Leather Vest and Helm

White Star is available here at a discounted price :)

Who Uses Electrum These Days? Apparently James Spahn Does - White Star Goes Electrum

White Star went Silver in less than 24 hrs at RPGNow (and Bronze in less than that - so quickly I missed it.)

White Star has now gone Electrum in less than 4 days. To put it in perspective in the OSR scheme of things, X-Plorers and Stars Without Number are at Silver, and they were released years ago (both do have free versions for download though, so you should definitely add them to your electronic gaming collection)

The D30 Sandbox Companion is Gold as is the Labyrinth Lord Revised Edition.

The three versions of Swords & Wizardry are all free, so they get no rankings, although over 4,100 copies of S&W Complete have been downloaded through The Tavern.

White Star Reviews:

The Other Side Blog

Die Heart

Follow Me and Die

I'm sure there are move I've missed ;)

How Walking the Dog Made Me Think About Gaming

Sunday was the first time we let my niece walk the dog on her own. Normally, Rach or I would hold part of the leash along with Shannon. On Sunday, I figured it was time to take of the training wheels.

When I told Shannon what the plan was, she was beaming (she is 4 1/2 after all) but suddenly got a very serious face: "Someone has to show me how to do it right, Uncle."

Do It Right. Is there a right was to play an RPG? Probably not. Is there a right way to introduce someone to roleplaying? Probably.

+Tim Snider did a great job handling Rach in her first group RPG session at last year's NTRPG Con. He explained the basics of the system (TimeMaster) and then said (I'm parphrasing here) "just explain your actions and I'll interpret how it fits into the mechanics of the game." After the initial instructions it was "just do it and learn from there."

With Shannon, doing it right meant wrapping the leash around her wrist multiple times so it wouldn't slip. Danke (our dog) tested her in the first few minutes before settling in to a good pace. Shannon handled the dangers of dogs, kids, kids on bikes, skateboards and such like a pro. She just did it and learned from there.

Although RPGs are in book form, it's damn hard to learn RPGs from a book. I suspect it would be hard to learn how to walk a dog for the first time from a book too.

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight at 830 PM Eastern - Flash Giveaway of White Star in PDF

Real quick, as Rach wants to eat dinner ;)

Tonight is the usual Tavern Chat at 830 Eastern. At 10 PM Eastern, I'll be giving away a PDF copy of +James Spahn 's White Star RPG to one random person that participates in the chat. How's that for fun? Just make a comment in the Chat and you'll be entered.

Come on in and join the fun :)

I Just Shook James Spahn Down for Some Insider Knowledge on Upcoming White Star Releases

Assuming you've been reading The Tavern or any one of a dozen or so other OSR blogs, you've heard about the amazing release of White Star, the Swords &Wizardry White Box powered scifi RPG. It made Copper on RPGNow in less than 10 hours and made Silver in less than a day. As I write this it is comfortably sitting in the number one sales spot at RPGNow.

There has been lots of talk about what's next in the White Star line. By talk, I'm referring to the new found fans of the game discussing what they want to see. So I asked +James Spahn directly - "What's coming up next with White Star?" Surprisingly enough, he answered.

There are a couple of things planned out in different stages at the moment, not the least of which is a new setting book (by new, I mean separate from the setting in the core White Star book.) I've been sworn to secrecy, so I can say no more, but what James has told me has me chomping at the bit.

Folks want encounter charts / tables. The community has spoken and it shall be so. It will be one of the earlier releases.

For those that want a peek before buying in completely, James is working on a Quickstart / Fastplay edition of the White Star rules. Perfect for the GM that wants to keep some parts of the core book away from players' prying eyes during the game session.

What else? Vehicles. There are some forthcoming. All I know. I know nuthink! ;)

Discount code is still active as I post this. Grab White Star for 20% off.

Some Thoughts on "Encounter Tables" for White Star

Something I've seen mentioned a couple of times in different places is a desire for "Encounter Tables" for the White Star RPG.

Questions to those that are requesting such:

Are you looking for "Encounter Tables" or "Event Tables?" I ask, because in my mind, events are more likely in the depths of space than encounters, although an event table would by necessity include encounters.

Would you expect your Encounter / Event tables to be setting / region specific? I would, and the default setting is by deign fairly sparse. Would the setting need to be detailed further before tables could be designed?

Encounter tables by worlds I would expect to be specific to that world. Again, would that not require a fleshing out of the relevant worlds? Or would it be enough to design tables by relative tech level?

If someone were to design a specific setting for use with White Star, would you expect encounter / event tables, and if so, how in depth would you want them?

Just some thoughts in the hopes of getting feedback. I know of 2 or 3 publishers already working on settings for White Star and the answers to these questions would be helpful to all.

What Supplements Do You Want to See First for White Star?

We all know +James Spahn is the White Box Work Horse, so I'm looking for ideas to get him and others working on some White Star supplements.

I could (and probably should) put up a poll with this. Maybe later today, after we get some initial feedback.

Anyhow, ideas include:

Starships

New Classes

New Creatures (something I'm working on at The Tavern)

Setting / Campaign seeds

Encounter seeds

Tech Manual

more stuff not listed

Remember, anyone can play in the White Star sandbox. It's ripe for other publishers to expand upon and take in their own directions.

Give us some feedback.

If you haven't grabbed your copy of White Star yes, you can get a discounted copy of White Star at this link.

White Star Goes "Silver" at RPGNow in Less Than 24 Hours!

Quick and dirty.

White Star, the SciFi reimagining of Swords and Wizardry White Box by +James Spahn , Mr White Box himself, has hit Silver at RPGNow in less than 24 hours.

If that's not a record, I don't know what is.

If you haven't grabbed your copy yes, you can grab it at a discounted price in PDF at this link. Dead tree copies should be available in a few weeks from what I understand.

James, I salute you (and The Badger too ;)

Cyctile - New Monster for White Star and Swords & Wizardry White Box

Now isn't this an inspirational cover?

For use with White Star (discount link) and Swords and Wizardry White Box (free download link)

CYCTILES

ARMOR CLASS   2 [17]
HIT DICE   6+3
TOTAL HIT BONUS   +6 / +4 when throwing
ATTACKS   Fists (2d6) or Thrown (2d6)
SAVING THROW 13
SPECIAL Ranged Attack (as above) / 1/2 Damage from blunt weapons / Regenerate 1 HP per round until dead
MOVEMENT 12
HDE/XP 7/1,100

Cyctiles are one eyed gigantic humanoid reptiles. They stand between 12 and 20 feet tall and are usually found as a single specimen except during mating season, when two may be found together.

Cyctiles live to destroy technology and will attack vehicles before other being if given a choice. They attack with their fists or with a held item, such as a bolder or steel beam. Cyctiles have been known to throw large object at their targets but they do not get their full to hit adjustment when doing so, as their single eye prevents them from properly judging distance.

Cyctiles have a thick, leathery skin that is highly resistant to blunt trauma. They also have an accelerated healing factor. They will rarely fight to the death as they know a simple rest will heal them fully, whereas death is permanent. Their intellect is marginally higher than that of a beast.

White Star is NOW! Get it at a Discounted Price here at The Tavern!

Why have I been writing so much about White Star? Because it's the scifi RPG that I wouldn't just play in but I'd also run with as much enthusiasm as you've seen from my postings.

With it, I can easily run a Star Wars themed game or a Firefly themed game or a Classic Traveller universe game or Star Trek-ish or Babylon 5 or that space opera setting you always wanted to run but never wanted to get bogged down in all the rules... you get the idea. It's made to be flexible.

White Star is an OSR scifi toolbox.

White Star is a scifi sandbox.

White Star is here. Now. Today.

Did I mention it's written by the White Box Workhorse, +James Spahn  and builds off the work of Mr. Swords & Wizardry himself, +Matt Finch ?

Normally priced at $9.99 for the PDF, you can get White Star from this very link for $7.99. Yes, a Tavern Special. Spread the word and share the link, as you won't find it elsewhere. Well, unless it's shared. Then you might find it at the fringes of the galaxy. That would be awesome!

Ghostmen - New Creatures for the White Star RPG

Yes, I know that White Star hasn't technically released yet. No worries. It should in a few hours. Hey! First White Star support material ;)

Ghostmen
ARMOR CLASS   7 [12]
HIT DICE   2
TOTAL HIT BONUS   +2
ATTACKS   Slap (1d6 - 2)
SAVING THROW 14
SPECIAL Sleep, Confuse, Stealth
MOVEMENT 9
HDE/XP 4/185

Ghostmen are usually found in groups of 1 to 6.

Ghostmen are drawn to areas of conflict. No one know how they know where to go or how they get there, as there are no known Ghostman starships. Still, they find their way.

Ghostmen appear to draw nourishment from the conflicts of others and when found they are usually wandering a recent battlefield, meandering amongst the recent dead.

They are had to spot, even when in the open. Roll a d6 - on a 1-5, they will only be spotted if the party comes within 20" of them.

As a race, Ghostmen are mostly non-violent and will only fight to defend themselves. Their favorite tactic is to use an innate power to cause sleep. Once per day a Ghostman can cause 1d3 targets to make a saving throw or fall into a magical sleep for 2d6 rounds. This is often used to facilitate escape.

On occasions, Ghostmen have been known to use their other innate power - Confusion (as per the Level 4 Star Knight Meditation.) This has been used to stimulate small scale fights and battles where there was none before. What benefits Ghostmen gain from such conflict is currently unknown.

I've Seen the Complete White Star RPG, and it Oozes with Goodness!

No, I'm not saying this to get folks jealous, I'm letting you know because I am just that excited about White Star. How excited?

I'm going to be tweaking one of my Patreon Milestones to reflect my excitement.

Starting with this month, the month of May, I'll be posting at least 4 encounters, creatures, locations or some combination of the above plus one mini-module per month right here on the blog. They will draw inspiration from the public domain comic art I've been digging through, and at least half of the encounters, creatures or locations with be for use with White Star. Every other mini-module will be for White Star. The rest of the content will be for Swords & Wizardry, Far Away Land and / or Tunnels & Trolls. Patrons will get this all wrapped up in a PDF once a month.

I may work on my first White Star piece tonight.

Oh, talking about tonight, I should have a special post going up 15 minutes after midnight. If you want to grab White Star at a discounted price, it is a post you should look for.

K, dinner time then back to work ;)

The Prince of Mars Returns - More Public Domain Art for White Star Inspiration

+James Spahn has inadvertantly put a lot on my plate. Curse you James!

Heh.

I'm finding lots of inspiring covers from the public domain comics and pulp mags from the 50's and earlier.

Questions:

What kind of device is the woman in green holding?

Did she somehow summon the spider beast?

What the hell are those things by the spider beast's mouth?

If he's a "prince", does that make him an Aristocrat in the White Star rules?

More Inspiration for White Star - I'm Loving Public Domain Comic Art

There is so much going on in this piece. There is the structure, the blast, the alien choking the life out of one "PC" and the other "PC getting blasted.

Oh boy. +James Spahn , you've helped create a montster ;)

Space Busters vs Amazons - Future Inspiration for a White Star Adventure?

I'm thinking of mining some public domain comics for inspiration as I think of writing some short White Star adventures.

Hey, at least I'll have free cover art ;)

The First 56 - Peeking Into the White Star RPG - You'll Burn Your Eyes Out! (Part I of II)

As I mentioned in last night's post, +James Spahn (writer) and +Jason Paul McCartan (layout / editing) gave me a sneak peek at the first 56 pages of the soon to be released White Star RPG. It's pretty much the first six chapters.

Chapter One is the introduction and the basic attributes. The six ability scores you've known and loved since 1974. Bonuses for high abilities go up to + 2. I like that James bakes an assortment of "House Rule" options right in. The assumption is that GMs are going to tweak the shit out of White Star to make a system that fits the campaign they envision - James just gives some examples.

Chapter Two is all about character classes and races. The four default classes are Aristocrat, Mercenary, Pilot and Star Knight.

     Aristocrats are leaders. You want a class that gets a bodyguard and hanger-ons at a later level? This is the one.

     Mercenaries are your brute force. Heavy armor. Heavy weaponry

     Pilots are... pilots. I love the Jury-Rig skill. It's like temporary HP for a starship. If you don't get things fixed before them temp HP are gone, you could real'y be screwed.

     Star Knights are the lightly armored Paladins of White Star. Their way is simply The Way. They get some mystic power, but those aren't detailed until Chapter 7 :(

     Alien Brutes are your Chewbacca's and Igoo's (Herculoids Cartoon.) A Mercenary in fur ;)

     Alien Mystic - Be not. Act not. Do not. Roll Nat 20 You Do.

     Robots - We all know what robots are. Danger Erik Tenkar! Danger!

Chapter 6 is where the starships reside. Yes, we are talking starship combat (we'll come back to chapters 3, 4 and 5 tonight or  tomorrow morning.)

Starship combat is much like ranged combat between characters. To hit rolls, AC, max range and even hit points. It will feel very familiar even if there are some significant tweaks (Shield Strength comes to mind.) There are 9 ships included in the core rules. My God, what a ripe niche to expand upon.

You can modify your starship with tractor beams, proton missiles, Faster-Than-Light drives and a whole lot more.

White Star is very much a toolbox. Perfectly fine to run as is but so easy to modify and tweak for your own vision.

Chapter Three covers equipment, Four covers playing the game and Five covers personal combat.

Tavern Closed for the Night - Reading the First 59 Pages of White Star (S&W WhiteBox SciFi RPG)

Just got sent the first 59 pages of +James Spahn 's White Star RPG. STOP

Installing to tablet. STOP

Falling in love for the first time all over again. STOP

Will update in morning after torrid sex reading in bed. DON'T STOP ;)

(I'll yammer in the morning)

edit: even the preview I have is bookmarked! woozah!

White Star - White Box SciFi Roleplaying - Coming Soon to a Game Table Near You

+James Spahn 's White Star RPG is coming soon. Can you tell I'm excited?

James has been nice enough to share some peeks on his G+ feed and I'm sharing them here.

I'm hoping to shake James down for a copy to give away to The Tavern's readers ;)

James has a very thorough post at his blog Halfling's Luck

White Star is based off of Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox:

How does White Star relate to Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox?

White Star is based on the Open Gaming License material found in Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox and uses the same mechanics in play. All classes have d6 hit dice, gain levels, earn experience points, can use descending or ascending armor class and have a single saving throw. In short, White Star is 100% compatible with Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox, with no conversion necessary. A fighter from WhiteBox could blast off in a star cruiser, taking your campaign from the dungeon to the stars in an instant.

Charity Bundle - Game for Nepal - (OSR Oriental Adventures Compilation)

Game for Nepal is an OSR Bundle where the proceeds go to CareNepal.

Here's the skinny:

GAME FOR NEPAL

The most comprehensive OSR Oriental Adventures compilation ever with about everything the OSR has created for Asian-themed games so far.

EVERYTHING ASIAN FROM THE OSR

All the profits of this charity bundle, save a 5% maintenance fee that will go to the distributor, will go to CARE Nepal, which is raising funds to help alleviate the sufferings of the Nepalese.

Includes:

Arrows of Indra

Crypts, Tombs & Catacombs Cut-Up Sections

Mad Monks of Kwantoom

Qelong

Red Tide: Campaign Sourcebook and Sandbox Toolkit

Ruins & Ronin

VA1 Valley of the Five Fires

All for just 15 bucks. I have all but one of these or else I've be over it like a fly to honey...

Follow Up to Last Night's Congested Conjecturing - Should Adventures Have a "Power Slider?"

So, last night I pondered Commercial Adventures - Should They Be Level-less? Tonight, based on some excellent and insightful comments, I'm going to refine the question.

Should adventures have a "power slider?"

What I mean by "power slider" is should the adventure should be written with a certain level spread primarily in mind but include suggestions and options to decrease or increase the challenges presented within?

Basically, ways to beef up or tone down the traps, adversaries and even rewards depending on the DM's actual campaign and the party of PCs it will be used with. If nothing else, these would be examples for the end user to refer to as they make their own tweaks.

And yes, still have congestion from hell...

Tavern Chat TONIGHT - 830 Eastern

Yep, another week has passed and it's time for the Wednesday Night Tavern Chat held right here using the char box to the right side of this page. It's always a fun time and you never know who may drop in.

On a side note, my seasonal allergies from hell are quickly transitioning into a cold from the Ninth Level of Hell. I'm glad I did the writing I needed to get done over the weekend - if I waited till now, I'd have been screwed.

Consider yourself warned ;)

Commercial Adventures - Should They Be Level-less?

This thought occurred to me as I was finishing up my piece for +Michael Desing 's Saga of the Splinter Realm megadungeon Vault of the Goblin - do adventures need creatures with levels? Should they even have creatures with levels? Should it all be dependent upon what the DM needs for his campaign?

When I sent Mike my completed piece, I told him to stat out the creatures at the level needed to suit where he was plugging it in to the larger adventure. I told him how to balance "A" in regards to "B", but little more.

Which got me thinking? Would adventures be more useful if they indicated relative power level to the PCs instead of being written for a specific range of levels?

Of course, this could be the decongestants speaking...

Kickstarter - Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall - Third Stretch Goal Hit and it is Short (Tim Shorts ;)

Look at the above list.

+James Spahn ? Check

+Jason Paul McCartan ? Check

+Tim Shorts ? Check

Now, admittedly, I am six stretch goals deep at his point, but +Taskboy Games and +Timothy Brannan are within immediate reach.

I have to say, the list of creators that +Pete Spahn put together is damn impressive.

Wayward Kickstarters - Far West - To Release in May 201?

Gareth just made a May prediction for Far West's much delayed release. Wisely, he failed to mention which year ;)

I know it says "backers only", but I figure the $150 I plunked down on this nearly 3 1/2 year late Kickstarter gives me some room to play.

Kickstarter - Geomorphic Beermats (mmmm... beer!)

On this side of the pond we would call these "beer coasters". Mats, coasters - whatever. Geomorphic Beermats is damn cool.

I can see myself doodling on these at the local pub. I'm sure I'd get some interesting comments.

15 Pounds for 125 is probably the sweet spot. If you are in the UK it's a no brainer, as it includes free shipping.

In the US, I'm not sure the shipping, but I'm in. Shit, this place is called Tenkar's Tavern after all!

I Have Newfound Respect for James Spahn - 2500 Words in a Day Was a Bear

+James Spahn is a workhorse. I look at, read and review his amazing output with awe. High quality and high volume.

Between blog posts and some work I owed +Michael Desing I wrote over 2500 words today (this post will inch it higher.)

I was lucky today. There were minimal distractions once I sat down to work (Rach has been catching up with her work documentation and my son was out of the house.) Heck, if it wasn't for the dog deciding she needed attention and a minimal amount of yard work, I would have been emulating my hero, +James Spahn ;)

Seriously, I have no idea how James does what he does. For everyone that thinks my blog posting is impressive, what James accomplishes blows me away. James called me a "sprinter", but he is a championship marathon runner.

Now, I did twist James' arm just a wee bit tonight to get him to agree to allowing me to preview something from his upcoming White Star release. Well, he needs to send me the preview, and it will be shortly before release, but I'm chomping at the bit for this one. I've seen peeks, and it is all I might want and more.

So, next up is a piece for +Johua De Santo . Then if folks help +Pete Spahn 's Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall hit a few more stretch goals, yet another.

Fuck, I might actually have to become a "creator" in addition to "content sharer" :)

Undead Dwarven Barkeep - for S&W, T&T and FAL

+Jim Magnusson is THE man! I really love this piece.

I've spent a good part of the weekend rewriting a piece I owe +Michael Desing for his megadungeon Kickstarter.

Things changed for me when this damn image kept coming to me when I was stuck on where I wanted to take everything. So, of course it is all being rewritten. The undead dwarves were inspired by the above Undead Dwarven Barkeep. (sure, Jim called him something else, but I see him as a barkeep)

In the meantime, let me stat our friend up for S&W, FAL and T&T ;)


The Undead Dwarven Barkeep (BUD)

The Undead Dwarven Barkeep, otherwise known as Barkeep, Undead Dwarven or BUD, is the result of a wizardly curse. The geas obliges the dwarven barkeep to continue serving stouts, ales, bitters and port until the caster dies a natural death. Sadly, in this case, the caster died prematurely from an unnatural death due to insufficient breathable air (poison gas.) Thus BUD is cursed to search for patrons to serve his ware to, whether they desire it or not.

BUD will attempt to ply his potential patrons with sour, stale and potential poisonous libations (any that drink his offerings must save vs. poison or suffer 3d6 damage as well as vomiting for a like number of rounds.)

In combat, BUD fights with a tankard and serving tray.

If slain, BUD will rise at the following dawn, cursed to wonder the world, serving libations to whomever he comes across.


Swords & Wizardry

AC: 3[16]
HD:5
Attacks: Tankard 1(2d6)
Saving Throw: 13
Special: Will offer poisonous libations to PCs before engaging them in combat. Two consecutive successful attacks on the same target means BUD forces someone to drink from the tankard. Save vs Poison or suffer as detailed above)
Move: 12
Challenge Level: 9 / 1,100 xp



Tunnels & Trolls

Monster Rating: 60

Combat Dice: 7D6 +30

Special Damage: 3/ - Tankard contents spill in ones mouth. Extra 2d6 poison damage



Far Away Land

HP: 17, AC: 1, ACT: 6
BRT: 4, DEX: 2, WIT: 1

Tankard does 2d6 damage

I Played D&D 5e and I Think I Liked It...

Last night's weekly Blood Island session ( +Joe D 's heavily modified LotFP WF) was a no go, as we didn't have enough players to have a decent change of surviving what was in store. The closest thing we had to a tank / fighter was my magic user. He has access to the Illusionist spell of Phantom Plate Armor from UA - it gives him the best AC in the party, and with the 4 HP bump from the armor, I also had the best HP in last night's potential party. Oh, and we had no healer. Oopsie!

Instead, +David B offered to run a short session of D&D 5e for the group.

About 20 minutes later, we had a human bard, a thiefling magic-user and a dwarven cleric ready to go (anyone want to guess on the dwarven cleric's player?) Those 20 minutes included rolling abilities, as none of us are big on using standard arrays and the like.

Gameplay itself was short, probably less than 2 hours.

It played closer to the classic editions of D&D than 3e or 4e did.

Now, we didn't play a long session and it's only the single session thus far, but I think I like it. It isn't love, like S&W Complete is for me, but I'd certainly play it again as a player.

I'll know more once I get a chance to play it more.

When Kickstarter Goes Bad - Time to Draw Boobs: Vol. II (Suspended)

Yes, that's right. Time to Draw Boobs: Vol. II is SUSPENDED. Much like the boobs being drawn.

Yeah, I'll let that hang for a moment.

Don't tell me. I'm such a boob. I know.

I'm not sure I'd want stretch goals associated with a Boobie themed Kickstarter.

Yes, shit like this is just asking for poor puns. I can't help myself.

Hey, this looks nothing like the nuns in Far Away Land!

I'm not sure I's want this up on Kickstarter, but I've seen more offensive projects. Not offensive sexually, just to my senses. I really wish Kickstarter did more upfront screening.

BTW, much of the Kickstarter page would be considered NSFW by many employers. Maybe that's the line crossed here.

Kickstarter - Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall (OSR Sandbox Sourcebook)

Small Niche Games (and +Pete Spahn ) are putting together an OSR Sandbox Sourcebook - Guidebook to the Duchy of of Vainwall. If you don't know +Pete Spahn 's previous work, download the free PDF of his last OSR Kickstarter, Guidebook to the City of Dolmvay.

Here's what is currently in store for the new guidebook:

Content
The Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall is packed full of usable content. All descriptions are painted in broad strokes and are designed to be easily adapted to your campaign. All NPC entries are fully statted for the Labyrinth Lord™ system. I'm estimating approximately 100-120 pages total, but that may increase significantly if the Stretch Goals are met. 

The current book includes: 

1. History of the Duchy of Valnwall 

2. Overview of the Government (Banner, Power Structure, Military, etc.)

3. Overview of the People (Social Classes, Religion, Customs and Attitudes, etc.) 

4. Overview of the Geography including Descriptions of:

-Earldoms and Baronies 
-Cities and other Major Settlements 
-Details on the nearby Elven, Dwarven, and Halfling realms 
-Details on the local Nonhuman Tribes and their Goals 
-Interesting Locales (Ruins, Castles, Temples, etc.) 
-Major Factions and NPCs of Note 
-New Monsters 
-Random Encounters (fully statted) 
-Numerous Plot Hooks, Conflicts, and Adventure Ideas

And then there are the folks Pete's corralled for the stretch goals:

Stretch Goals and the Special Edition Hardcover 

Small Niche Games has assembled an excellent group of OSR authors to help out with the Stretch Goals. Each author is set to contribute an original mini-adventure that consists of a small dungeon, a few linked encounters, or an interesting locale filled with plot hooks, NPCs, threats, and challenges. These mini-adventures will be included in the Guidebook to the Duchy of Valnwall Special Edition hardcover edition which is available to backers who pledge $25 or more.

Stretch Goal #1: ($1250) 

A mini-adventure by James M. Spahn of Barrel Rider Games. 

Stretch Goal #2: ($1,500) 

A mini-adventure by Jason Paul McCartan of Infinibadger Press and OSRToday. 

Stretch Goal #3: ($1,750) 

A mini-adventure by Tim Shorts of Gothridge Manor.

Stretch Goal #4: ($2,000) 

A mini-adventure by Joe Johnston of Taskboy Games.

Stretch Goal #5: ($2,250)

A mini-adventure by Tim Brannan of The Other Side Blog.

Stretch Goal #6: ($2,500)

A mini-adventure by author Paul "greyarea" Go.

Stretch Goal #7: ($2,750)

A mini-adventure by cartographer Matt Jackson.

Stretch Goal #8: ($3,000)

A mini-adventure by Jeff Sparks of Faster Monkey Games.

Stretch Goal #9: ($3,250)

A mini-adventure by Erik Tenkar of Tenkar's Tavern.

Stretch Goal #10: ($3,500)

A mini-adventure by Pete Spahn of Small Niche Games.

Fun times :)

PWYW - Charity Module for St Jude Children's Research Hospital

I can't think of a better cause than St Jude Children's Hospital.

PWYW, but please, pay something for the Charity Module. The list of those involved is pretty much a who's who of the OSR :)

No MEPA Con for Me and Other Weekend Updates

So, the plan all along was to go MEPA Con this weekend. It's held in Scranton PA, and the idea was Rach and I would head to my folks' place in the Poconos on Thursday night and hit the con on Saturday (maybe even Friday night too) and avoid a hotel stay.

Great plan until Rach couldn't get off Friday. No biggie, I'd pick her up from work and head up Friday evening - still plenty of time to get gaming in on Saturday. Then I was notified I had the late coverage for Friday night - I'll be at work until 930 or so tonight. Yeah, ain't happening.

So, instead I'll be writing up the rewrite of my piece of a project I owe someone. Undead dwarves and goblins, a magic gem and the possibility for the players to upset a delicate balance. Rach will be packing the 2 $50 Patreon boxes for the month of April.

I guess not going to the con has some benefits.

We will, however, be at NTRPG Con in June. Hotel room is reserved (and we got the discount this year - woot!), games are registered for and airline tickets will be researched this weekend.

RPGNow Deal of the Day - Dyson's Delves II - 4 Bucks in PDF

As an OSR gamer, the RPGNow Deals of the Day are kinda hit or miss, but when they hit the OSR sweet spot, they hit it well.

Dyson's Delves II gives you a campaign worth of dungeon maps and inspiration for a mere 4 bucks - at least until the price goes back up tomorrow.

This is what you get:

More adventures and maps set under the earth for old-school fantasy roleplaying games (OSR games).

Dyson's Delves II contains over 140 pages of maps and adventures featuring the unique mapping style of Dyson Logos.

Seven full adventures fill out the beginning of the book, followed by 44 additional dungeon maps each with a page for the GM to key and make notes about each dungeon.

The adventures in this volume are:

Trouble at Imp Brucke - strange goblins and stranger things challenge characters of levels 6-7
The Screams From Jedder's Hole - something has started screaming from under the main temple in town in this adventure for levels 4-5
Cavanaugh's Hall - a small site-based encounter around old ruins for levels 7-8
The Ruins of Corvel on the Mount - a science-fantasy delve for levels 6-7
Goblin Gully - a true classic adventure with one hell of a final bite for levels 1-2
Atarin's Delve - a dungeon turned into the headquarters of a team of unusual bandits for level 4
Valley of the Red Apes - a collection of 5 smaller site-based encounter / adventures set in a valley overrun with carnivorous red apes including:
Ziggurat of Rhissel the Morning Lord (level 6-8)
The Secret of Jen's Hall (level 5-6)
The Cliffside Stronghold (level 5-7)
A Devourer Most Foul (level 5-7)
The Silver Obelisk

Free Pick of the Week - The Flayed King - (Swords & Wizardry Adventure)

It's been a busy week. Between work and some gaming related obligations, I've fallen behind on some things blog related.

I totally missed +Tim Shorts releasing The Flayed King for free this weekend. Sorry Tim. +Jim Magnusson art too! Woot!

Enjoy.

How Not to Spam a Blog - Specifically, How Not to Spam The Tavern (Rant Warning)

I got this message on Facebook earlier today:

Random Facebook Dude:

Greets Eric, how goes it? 

Was wondering if you wanted to cross promote your blog with our event by being a part of our supporters program. Please let me know if this sounds like something that might interest you OK? 

Thanks man.  :)

So, a few questions and observations:

Point The First - What event?

Point The Second - What supporters program?

Point The Third - It is most likely The Tavern's reach is a bit greater than Random Facebook Dude and his "our" event. So, what does this supporters program do? What benefit does it offer those that join it? I suspect the benefit is to that of Random Facebook Dude

Point the Fourth - Random Facebook Dude wants me to put The Tavern's reputation behind his mystery event. Why the fuck would I do that without knowing ANYTHING about it?

Point the Fifth - That middle paragraph? Doesn't even mention the blog by name. I suspect it was a cut and paste that was sent to others. Damn it! I might not be special :(

Point the Sixth - On closer look, he appears to be a Kickstarter promoter of sorts. I guess he doesn't read The Tavern.

I have no problem helping creators and publishers in the OSR and beyond. This shit just pisses me off.

Tavern Chat Tonight - 830 PM Eastern

Yep, tonight is another Tavern Chat. Sorry for the late reminder, the lad broke out with a fever and had to take him to one of those urgent care places. He's now on antibiotics.

So, 830 tonight, NYC time.

I'll be there. Will you?

Center Stage Miniatures Files for Bankruptcy - No Surprise - The Shoe Falls Upon Deaf Ears

As I've posted in the past, Center Stage Miniatures was having some major cash flow issues. As in no cash and no flow.

Previous posts are HERE and HERE and HERE.

I was informed by someone with knowledge of the whole fiasco that Center Stage recently filed for bankruptcy. I thought they had filed back in November, but apparently the official petition was filed last week.

706 creditors. Ouch.

Kickstarter. Success can be a killer.

It's Official - Pinnacle will be pubishing Rifts for Savage Worlds - "Savage Rifts" in Time for Christmas

+Sean Patrick Fannon hinted at this overnight, but Pinnacle made the official announcement today:

Rifts is Coming for Savage Worlds! 

News from Pinnacle Entertainment Group 

For Immediate Release--April 21, 2015 

Pinnacle Entertainment Group announced today the development of Rifts for Savage Worlds, their award-winning tabletop roleplaying game system. 

Pinnacle released a mock cover, using art from Palladium’s 2005 Rifts Ultimate Edition with permission. The cover artist for the book was Scott Johnson. 

“We are thrilled to follow up Kevin’s post with this announcement that we do, indeed, have the license to develop Rifts for Savage Worlds,” said Savage Worlds creator Shane Hensley. “We are early in the process, but anticipate having a core rulebook for the setting released in time for Christmas.” 

The Palladium Books Weekly Update--April 19, 2015, written by Kevin Siembieda, recently made mention of a new roleplaying game system for the beloved setting:
“In an effort to truly expand Rifts® across the Megaverse®, in cooperation with Palladium Books, another role-playing game company is currently adapting the Rifts® Earth setting to that company’s RPG system of rules, as well as producing adventure sourcebooks.” 

Rifts is an exciting multi-genre post-apocalypse game that began publishing in 1990. Featuring elements of everything from cyberpunk and fantasy to mecha and mythology, Rifts has always been Siembieda's vision of a game with everything for everyone, tied together with a strong narrative. 

"I'm really excited to see what Rifts will look like in the Savage Worlds system," said Siembieda. "The Savage fans are great folks, and I think Rifts is going to be an amazing amount of fun for them, letting them explore all the possibilities of both the system and the setting." 

Savage Worlds was created by Shane Lacy Hensley. Savage Worlds and the Pinnacle logo are all trademarks of Pinnacle Entertainment Group. For more information, visit www.peginc.com or contact Jodi Black, Marketing Manager for Pinnacle, at PEGJodi@gmail.com. More about Palladium and the Rifts setting can be found on their website here: http://www.palladiumbooks.com/. 

Static Encounter Locations or Variable? Thoughts from the Edge of Sleep

Sometimes when you lay in bed, just as you reach that cusp of sleep, something happens that jars you awake. This time it wasnt a sense of falling - instead, it took a small dungeon area I'm working on and tossed it on its side.

I've got two undead races, each mostly on it's own level. They are cursed with a sort of Raganarok effect - perpetual war where each side's fallen arise again at the start of the new day. When not at war, they are desperately mining for a magical gem that can release them form this curse - but each morning, their mining efforts are also reset.

So, the idea is now, to determine what state the "dungeon" is in when the PCs arrive. Is one undead race or the other waging war, thereby leaving one level mostly underpopulated and the other in a chaotic state of battle? Are they peacefully mining and apt to ignore PCs that are leaving them alone? Can the status change in the middle of the PCs exploration? Can the PCs actions tip the tide of battle and allow the winning side the time to finally recover the gem they are looking for?

Probably won't play out the same for any two groups. Is that good or bad? Damned if I know...

I need to write this out in a coherent fashion ;)

LotFP Weird Fantasy Referee Book Goes Free in PDF (Grindhouse Edition)

There's a lot that can be said about LotFP Weird Fantasy. Some like the niches carved out for each class, some lament the lack of combat advancement for any class but fighters. In my eyes, the D6 skill system for Specialists is one of the best things it brought to the OSR, eclipsed only by the Referee Book.

I've spoken highly about the Ref Book in the past and was disappointed when it was not released as a free PDF when the core rules for WF Grindhouse were released to the masses. Disappointment no more.

The new printing of the LotFP Referee book is taking way longer than expected (surprise), so with no in-print Referee book the geniuses over at LotFP thought that maybe some sort of Ref information should be available. So here, free of charge, is the Referee book that was included in the Grindhouse set. 

Keep in mind that LotFP is a living game and this PDF here is four years old. The next printing of the Ref book will be a complete rewrite and expansion (will be at least three times this size), new layout and graphic design, all new artwork, etc.

The advice contained within the pages of the LotFP Weird Fantasy Referee Book is applicable to any OSR game. Heck, much of it fits well no matter what system you are running, OSR or not. Pick and choose what works for you.

The price is free. The reward itself is priceless.

Rifts Setting to be Published Under License by a (as of now) Unannounced Third Party and a Different Game Engine

On thing I've wanted for a long time is to see the Rifts setting detached from it's Palladium RPG Engine. The system is a mess (IMHO) but the setting itself has a lot going for it. Now, Kevin is letting someone else play with his baby. Huzzah!

Rifts® is heating up 

There has been a flurry of interest in Rifts® by third parties these past few months. Nothing big like a Walt Disney movie yet (waaahh, are they ever going to make a Rifts® movie?!), but a few things we think you’ll find fun and exciting. 

Something new and exciting. In an effort to truly expand Rifts® across the Megaverse®, in cooperation with Palladium Books, another role-playing game company is currently adapting the Rifts® Earth setting to that company’s RPG system of rules, as well as producing adventure sourcebooks. This is only the second time in Palladium’s history that an outside company will create new game material under a different set of rules. 

Rumor Squashing: No, Palladium is NOT going to stop publishing Rifts®, nor change to a completely different set of rules. Far from it. In fact, Palladium expects to release six new Rifts® titles in 2015 and 98% of all Rifts® titles are in stock and available for purchase right now! The idea is that by offering Rifts® via another game company’s set of popular rules it creates a parallel dimension of gaming enjoyment. An expanding Megaverse®, if you will. This is a bit of an experiment, but we are excited to see how it all unfolds. 

A few steps toward Rifts® comic books? First, there is Imaginos Plus #1 created by Palladium artist and pal, Mark Dudley. It is a full color, 32 page, anthology comic book that features four 8 page “teasers” for different comic book titles created by Dudley and the Imaginos crew — including Rifts®: The Adventures of Young Erin Tarn™. I was impressed by the work in Imaginos Plus #1 and the Erin Tarn story is just a glimpse at a potential 12 issue comic book series. All 12 issues are completely plotted out and the first six issues are completely scripted. By the way, Imaginos Plus #1 is available from Palladium Books for $3.99 plus shipping. 

Second, Palladium Books has recently agreed to a one-shot deal with a notable independent comic book company to publish Ramon K. Perez’s Rifts® Machinations of Doom as a full color graphic novel. If the graphic novel does well . . . who knows what might follow? 

I apologize that I cannot reveal who these partners are or when you can expect their products, at least not yet. These other companies will make the big, full announcements when they are ready; probably sometime over the next 4-10 months. When they do, I’ll be sure to let you know and provide more details.

So, who is the mysterious company? What is the system that's going to be used?

Here's my guesses and non-guesses:

- It's not D20 OGL, D6 OGL, FATE, Traveller, Legend or any other "open license" system. See all those "®" above? Kevin does not like open. Kevin is serious about his trademarks.

- I doubt it is MWP and any flavor of Cortex. They license media properties, not other RPGs.

- HERO? I don't see it and it's not known for licensing properties (even if it did license back Champions.)

- GURPS? Probably the most likely of the bunch. SJG has licensed everything from Conan, The Horseclans, Discworld, Vampire the Masquerade, Werewolf, Traveler, Prime Directive and others I'm sure I've missed. Yep, SJG does conversions. The thing they haven't done much of recently is GURPS in print. I'm surprised they haven't found a POD provider to fill that gap for them and keep all of their products in print.

Savage Worlds? It's a possibility. Pinnacle has done licensed products (Solomon Kane comes directly to mind.)

It will be interesting to find out who got the license.

Big Purple has a discussion thread here.

You can read the announcement on the Palladium site here.

Kickstarter - Labyrinth Lord - The Computer Game (RPG)

Hat tip to +James Aulds ;)

Labyrinth Lord - The Computer Game - kinda has a ring to it.

Sadly, there's little more.

Lets be honest, the old computer RPGs many of us cut our teeth on in the mid and late 80s had their charm, but even if one were to recreate it today, your audience would expect more. Just like the retroclones allow us to play the older systems but with rewritten wording and cleaner presentation, I'd expect similar for a game looking to recreate SSI Gold Box games, or the Bard's Tale, or whatever.

Actually, I've played similar clones on my iPad and Android tables, and quickly put them to the side. It's not like folks have stopped producing such clones. I just find that the ones produced these days do not come anywhere near the depth of the stories that were present in the games of old.

I'd gladly play the game pictured here if it were well written as many of the titles of old. Regretfully, there is no mention of the underlying story or hooks in Labyrinth Lord - The Computer Game. The graphics themselves are 30 years old. The tactics are 30 years old. If Pete can present something as engaging as The Bard's Tale, the SSI Gold Box Series, Ultima and the like I'd gladly back this.

The above games were always more then their graphics, mechanics and combat options. I'm not sure Pete understands this. If he does, he doesn't indicate it in his pitch.

Lankmar: City of Thieves - For Savage Worlds?

Color me surprised when I noticed Lankmar: City of Thieves released for Savage Worlds. The only Lankmar releases I knew were forthcoming were for the DCC RPG.

Needless to say I plunked down my $9.99 for the Lankmar Savage Worlds sourcebook in PDF and eagerly await to devour it in the week to come. Today I record a podcast for Far Away Land and after celebrate my 8 year old nephew's birthday, so I doubt I'll get much time to look at it today.

Exciting times for Lankmar fans like myself.

The Tenkar's Tavern Tankard Goes to...

We gave away a Tenkar's Tavern Tankard in honor of Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day this year and now it's time to award the fine drinking vessel.

May the gods of random generation shine upon thee!

The winner is:

+Wayne Humfleet

Wayne, email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing and we'll place your order :)

Thanks to all that commentred.