Where Should the Innovation in the OSR Be - Rules or Settings?

+Michael S made some good points at The Tavern earlier today and it made me think - where should

the innovation in the OSR be - rules or settings?

Mike specific brought up Empire of the Petal Throne and Blackmoor.

EPT's strength is not it's ruleset, which is basically OD&D with some houserules, but it's setting. Deep and alien and multilayered while still slightly familiar.

Blackmoor brought us the first published adventure. Common now, it was a first for the fledgling hobby.

So, where should the OSR innovate?

I think it should be with the settings, using house rules to make it unique where necessary. I have enough generic fantasy settings to last me a lifetime. We need more Spears of the Dawn and Arrows of Indra (both complete games where the innovation is the setting) and less reworks of Greyhawk and Forgotten Realms - been there, have it, don't need a pale imitation.

From my own perspective, I'm working on a series of Pocket Settings for White Star. I want a fun hook for each, but I don't expect them to truly innovate on their own. 8 pages doesn't give one much room to innovate. But I have been given peeks and "elevator pitches" of what some others have in store for their White Star settings, and some may just hit the "new and not seen before" level.

I see sci-fi as a less trod and overworked field to plant than fantasy when it comes to RPGs. Hopefully White Star achieves it's goal as a toolbox for others to truly innovate. Time will tell.

What say you? Rules or settings and why?

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 830 Eastern

Pull up a chair, grab a beer and join us for the weekly chat :)

How Big a Role Do Ability Modifiers Play in Your Game?

How big a role do ability Modifiers play in your game. I ask, because the White Box range is -1, +1 where it even exists. 3d6 in order isn't a big deal in such an setting. AD&D has a range (mostly) of -4 to +4 and I see where the 4d6 drop the lowest and arrange as you will came into play, as ability modifiers greatly effect what a character can do well (or not.)

Do you prefer the lower spread of ability modifiers, the larger spread or somewhere in between?

Kickstarter - The Zine Vault (White Boxed sized Boxes for your Zines)

I have too many zines. This isn't a bad thing (and I've got a few I need to review) but finding the ones I have is often similar to an Easter Egg Hunt - they are squirreled away between game books on my shelves and other places.

Earlier tonight +Tim Shorts pointed me towards The Zine Vault Kickstarter. My first response was "why would I need this?" After thinking for a minute it became "how the fuck have I survived without this?"

So yeah, I'll be getting 8 boxes, which if I can track down all of my zines probably still won't be enough. It should cut down on the Easter Egg Hunt tho'.

Rant - Comparing What is To What You Might Have Done But Didn't Do is Just so Much Bull....

I hate when someone says: "I had the same idea 5 years ago, but back then I thought it was lame. Or I was lazy. Or uninspired. Now someone else has done it and it's hot as shit on a stick. But I thought of it first so this thing NOW is a pale imitation of this thing THEN that never was."

It's like comparing apples to... the thinking of an apple. Well, I mean thinking about an apple. Until it is an apple it doesn't exist. Thoughts are fleeting and for the most part private.

It's the person claiming credit for a screenplay of a box office smash that was never submitted but he had the idea first but never showed anyone.

Someone else striking gold on a claim that you investigated but you never bothered to claim and being bitter about it is just... sad.

Petty Gods: Revised and Expanded is Here - Free in PDF and at Cost in Print

I have seen Petty Gods, and it is good. Really. I got my advance copy of the PDF last night and holy shit it rocks.

396 pages cover to cover. I want this in hard cover for my bookshelf ;)

It's available in three ways:

First - Free Petty Gods PDF. As in "air" and "freedom" and all that jazz. Ignore what RPGNow says about there being a watermark - there ain't none. Believe me, I checked.

Second - At Cost Petty Gods in Premium Soft Cover - $13.22 - Did I mention the PDF has 396 pages cover to cover? Huge book.

Third - At Cost Petty Gods in Casewrap Hardback - $22.47 - no idea what the heck "casewrap" means, but it must be good.

While your at Lulu, you may as well add the Old School Adventures™ Accessory CC1: Creature Compendium for $7.99. An excellent value and it's keeper than paying for shipping twice ;)

Or find some more goodies at Lulu. Buy 4 and get the one of lowest cost for free. Code: TRGE15

Looking for Advice From the Tavern's Patrons on a Laser Printer Potential Purchase

As I get closer to refining the whole Pocket Settings concept for White Star, I'm realizing that my current ink jet is not quite up to spec. I'm running through ink way to fast, including color which I don't actually use. I think there is some sort of magical drain on the color ink cartridges.

Anyhow, with the pocket settings currently being worked on, I'm considering sending print "ash can" copies to some of the higher end supporters of my Patreon as well as giving away a copy or two of each one when completed here on the blog.

So, I need a better printer. I'm looking at the Brother DCPL2540DW Wireless Compact Laser Printer on Amazon for $139. The price is right and the reviews look good, but I'd like to get opinions of others.

I'm listening, so comment away :)

Resources - Found an Excellent Resource for Detailing Star Systems (and most anything else for all RPG Genres)

Donjon. I'm sure I've heard it mentioned before, perhaps whispered of in side alleys, but this shit is the real shit. You can drill down and detail the planet itself.

If you share the "random seed", all someone has to do is input that seed on the proper page to pull up the same thing on their end. Pretty snazzy.

I do so like the Random Tavern Generator. Is anyone surprised?

Oh, and the star systems are plotted on the map - now to detail some of them.

Resource - Found an Excellent Resource for Blank Numbered Hex Maps (and other goodies)

I was trying to find a usable and numbered hex map to start working on the sector map for "Tales of the Ratcatcher" for my upcoming White Star Campaign. Finally found it at The Isomage's House. Map generation of all types, and if you do Traveller, they'll map it out in Traveller format. Damn sweet stuff.

Of course, I just need a blank map to work on, so I got that (resize to 80% if you want it to fit on a single 8 1/2 x 11 sheet.)

White Star - Pocket Settings - Tales of the Ratcatcher - New Ship - Ratcatcher

Art by Shaman's Stockart

The Ratcatcher is a modified troop transport ship. As originally designed, the bottom half of the ship can detach from the upper part, allowing the lower part of the ship to land and disembark troops while the main half remains in orbit. 18 high speed entry capsules (9 per side) would allow for space paratroopers to descent directly from the edge of the atmosphere.

As currently modified, the troop transport section is now a pressurized cargo hold for the transport of goods. Black market and restricted items are often stored in the high speed entry capsules, allowing for quick removal of illicit goods before the authorities are close enough to detect them.

It got the name Ratcatcher from it's previous Captain (and current owner), who in addition to being a legitimate merchant (and occasional black marketer) was known to take on Bounty Hunter contracts. As such, one of the 8 staterooms in the upper part of the ship is modified for gravity enhancement of up to 5 times standard, a very effective way to help ensure control of one's temporary guest.

These days the Ratcatcher is leased to a party of traders and explorers - with the option to buy if they can raise sufficient funds.

It is much like a medium transport from the core White Star rules, except as noted above. When the two halves are disengaged, the upper half has a movement of 9.

We'll be Kicking off a White Star Campaign in Two Weeks - Now I Need to Prep

Art by Shaman's Stockart

Next Saturday night I'll be putting the Far Away Land Quick Start rules through some testing before bringing them to North Texas RPG Con. I'll be running a different adventure than the one in the Quick Start.

The following Saturday I'll be kicking off a White Star Campaign. After talking with my group, I'm thinking "Tales of the Ratcatcher" (subject to change depending on player pushback ;) borrowing inspiration from Firefly, some classic LBB Traveller and using Stars Without Number to help with the sandboxing. Yes, the plan is some smuggling, plot seeds, sandboxing and more.

Looks like I'll be working on two pocket settings concurrently ;)

AD&D 1e DMG Has a Reference to 2,000 Coppers in a Treasure Hoard - How Did I Miss This!?!

Is that 2,000 coppers in your pocket or are you
just happy to see me?

A tip of the hat to +Greg Christopher for finding this diamond in the rough ;)

From page 92 of the 1st Edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide:

Electrum will be most unusual, gold rare, and scarcer still will be a platinum piece or a small gem! Rarest of all, treasure of treasures- the magic item - is detailed hereafter (PLACEMENT OF MAGIC ITEMS). If some group of creatures actually has a treasure of 11 gold pieces, another will have 2,000 coppers and yet a third nothing save a few rusty weapons. Of course, all treasure is not in precious metals or rare or finely made substances. Is not a suit of armor of great value? What of a supply of oil? a vial of holy water? weapons? provisions? animals? The upper levels of a dungeon need not be stuffed like a piggy bank to provide meaningful treasures to the clever player character.

Now if only I could find a reference to nine giant rats in the 1e DMG my quest would be complete...

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

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

ISHTARIAN

ARMOR CLASS   4 [15]
HIT DICE   5+1
TOTAL HIT BONUS   +5 (+7 / +3)
ATTACKS   Pincers 1d6 (on a roll of 6, add another 1d6) 
SAVING THROW 14
SPECIAL move thru earth at 6, attack from surprise 1-4 on a d6, 1st attack is at +2 to hit, subsequent attacks have a -2 penalty to the hit roll
MOVEMENT 12
HDE/XP 5/600

Ishtarians burrow through the ground as their preferred manner of movement.  Usually hunting in packs of 3 to 8 (1d6+2) they attack their prey from below. They can sense the vibrations of movement above them and usually surprise their prey. 

Their purple leathery skin is prized in the making of handbags and boots on certain worlds, and will fetch a high price. Leather armor made from their skin sells for 5 times the normal price and offer 1 point of AC protection better than normal leather. It is also quite stylish looking.

RPGNow Deal of the Day - Barrowmaze Complete

Yeah, it's been a while since I highlighted a Deal of the Day, but this one is worth it, at least for some folks.

Barrowmaze Complete is $21 today in PDF (normally $35). Hardcover is $75 and with PDF $85. It's not cheap but there is a campaign (or two) worth of material within.

If I didn't already own this from backing the Indiegogo project I'd be grabbing the PDF today. Barrowmaze Complete is really two megadungeons in one neat package, but it's more than that. It's made so that much of the content can be used on it's own and dropped most anywhere - modularity is it's strength.

From the blurb:

Local villagers whisper of a mysterious place deep in the marsh - a place shrouded in mist and dotted with barrow mounds, ruined columns, and standing stones. The tomb-robbers who explore beneath the mounds - or rather the few who return - tell tales of labyrinthine passages, magnificent grave goods, and terrifying creatures waiting in the dark. Are you brave (or foolish) enough to enter the Barrowmaze?

Barrowmaze Complete (BMC) is a classic old school megadungeon for use with Labyrinth LordTM and other fantasy role-playing games. BMC includes everything in Barrowmaze I and II in the same book in addition to new material, art, layout, and cover art by Ex-TSR artist Erol Otus.

Barrowmaze Complete will keep your players on their toes and your campaign going strong.

BMC is brought to you by the Old School Renaissance (so don’t forget your 10’ pole).

This edition includes art by the aforementioned TSR artists Erol Otus, as well as Tim Truman, Jim Holloway. New old-school artists include Peter Pagano, Cory Hamel, Stefan Poag, Zhu Bajie, Stephan Thompson, and others.

Mini Review - Outer Space Raiders Volume 1: Classes (White Star)

White Star hasn't even been out two week and the 3rd party releases are already hitting OneBookShelf. It looks like +James Spahn will get his wish - White Star will be well supported.

Outer Space Raiders Volume 1: Classes is 16 pages of gaming material covering new classes for White Star for $1.49. It's also the first release from +Chuck Thorin 's Magic Pig Media.

First, a surprise. The Table of Contents has hyperlinks. Nicely done Chuck.

Now, on to the content linked to via the Table of Contents ;)

The Alien class is the first one we come across. Not content with just 2 options in the core book, your Alien characters can now pick 2 special abilities from a list. Yep, they can now be fairly unique.

Astromancers fit into "the world was once much more advanced than it is" type of setting. The get "Formulas" which is kinda like spells. They won't fit every setting, but for Swords & Super Science they may a good fit. There are a few pages devoted to their Formulas.

Engineers are the gadget freaks: "Highly skilled Engineers can build a laser pistol out of a rock, a magnifying glass, and some duct tape." This is my kinda class. They have a well detailed list of their abilities per level.

Lost Worlders are the barbarians of the future. If you want to kill things and break things and aren't concerned about using advanced technology, this is the class for you.

Scoundrels fit into just about any sci-fi campaign. Han Solo and Mal are just two examples I can think of off hand. They get lucky breaks and a random bonus determined at the start of each game session. Pretty neat.

Warp Ninja - a monk like character that harnesses the power of a dark star. Not going to fit in the average sci-fi setting, but might make for a good NPC bad guy.

Random Humanoid Species Appearance Charts - want to make sure that all of your humanoid races don't look like straight up humans? These charts are for you. I'm a big advocate of less is more, so I'd probably only roll on one or two charts per species but they do make for great inspiration.

Pretty good value for a buck fifty and an excellent first product for Magic Pig Media.

Free - Far Away Land Quick Start

It's here!

Far Away Land (FAL) is a fantasy heartbreaker-esque role-playing game set in a strange and bizarre fantasy heartbreaker-esque world. Players take on the role of a character and adventure and explore in a medieval fantasy world created by the Game Master (GM). The world is quirky and weird and strange and sportive. The mechanics are sandboxy, open, and lite in both form and spirit. And now they are available... for free.

Here they are, the Far Away Land RPG: Quick Start Rules! Get into the epic world fantasy world of Far Away Land right now. The Quick Start Rules contain...

Conflict Resolution to get you playing in minutes.
Character Creation
Gear
Experience and Levels
Magic and Spells
Combat Rules
Character Sheet
and the FAL adventure module Isle of the Rat Wizard

The Quick Start Rules are a no-risk way for you to pick up and play FAL right now. What are you waiting for?

Mini Rant - Apparently I'm Not Negative Enough...

Let's see.

I really like Swords & Wizardry. Scroll down the right side of this page and you'll find a quote from me about that very topic.

I REALLY like White Star. Is that a secret?

Apparently I REALLY like it because +James Spahn is my friend. Therefore, the posts about White Star Pocket Settings and the work I'm putting into it are for James' benefit and not because I'm fucking enthused to the point that I lie in bed brainstorming at night.

Here's a little secret. I enjoy writing about stuff that I like much more than I do stuff that I don't like. Imagine that.

White Star hits those special gaming pleasure zones for me. Ready to play out of the box and extremely easy to house rule without breaking. Oh, I really like to house rule. Ask any of my players. I don't do "by the book" very well.

So, if you are offended by my "Bully Pulpit" because I don't post the "right" posts (but you read The Tavern every day anyhow), go fuck yourself and get your own.

(negative enough for ya?)

Far Away Land - Quick Start - New Art and All You Need to Play the PWYW Adventures - Coming May 15th

Tomorrow you'll be getting the nuts and bolts of the Far Away Land system for free with the Quick Start.

I'll try and run a pick up session in late June or early July via Roll20 (as well as run a session or two at NTRPG Con the first week of June.

White Star - Pocket Settings - Sailing Upon the Sea of Black - New Class - High Programmer

Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic...

Thus we have High Programmers, humans cybernetically enhanced with matter and energy manipulation protocols that "execute programs" powerful enough to violate the laws of reality as understood by the common man.

High Programmers are the only ones that can work the more advanced technology from the Age of the Imperium. Almost a secret society, High Programmers do not share their knowledge with outsiders, although they will work with outsiders to recover ancient technology.

They use the magic-user class from S&W White Box with the following basic changes:

They start with four programs (spells) of 1st level and learn two new spells with each level of advancement of a programming level they can access. Programs are rarely found otherwise. (i may tweak the list)

They do not need to prepare programs in advance. So long as they have available programming (spell) slots of the appropriate level, they can execute the program.

They can only use primitive weaponry, as the energy fields of high powered technology weaponry disrupts their cybernetic energy field.

The replacement of one eyeball with a cybernetic replacement results in a -2 adjustment on all ranged attacks. In exchange, they can "see" heat signatures within 10'.

(work in progress - but a good idea  on where I see it going as a White Star class)

Coming Soon to RPGNow - Far Away Lands Quick Start Rules

Soon.

Very soon.

Assimilation countdown starts now...

Elevator Pitch - White Star Pocket Settings - Sailing Upon the Sea of Black (Piitch #1)

(I'm going to be doing a series of "elevator pitches" for the White Star Pocket Settings series of posts. Let me know what you think of them.)

Sailing Upon the Sea of Black

In a planetary system of eleven inhabited planets (and an assortment of moons) ships sail the Sea of Black using solar winds. Pirates and privateers, emperors and bandit kings, magic and technology - all vie for supremacy amongst the scattered ruins of the Imperium.

Search for artifacts from the Age of the Imperium, make your fame and fortune under the color of your letter of marquis and perhaps claim a moon of your very own.

Uses both the White Star rules and the Swords & Wizardry White Box rules

The Poll Has Spoken - The White Star Pocket Settings will be (mostly) Unconnected

The poll on the Pocket Settings closed last night, and the vote (with nearly 50 votes counted) was 2 to 1 in favor of independent settings. Which it will be, mostly. There may be times where I have an idea that fits well with a previously posted setting and I won't avoid that, but I'll try to make the linked setting pretty stand alone at the same time.

I've been brainstorming ideas, and some are pretty much sci-fantasy in nature. With the straight up compatibility of White Star and S&W White Box, that shouldn't be a huge surprise. Consider yourself warned in advance.

If all goes well I'll have some "elevator pitches" ready to be posted in the next few days.

Thoughts on Random Encounters - How Random is Random?

If an encounter, of any of the possible types, will happen six times in six chances, is it really random? Sure, the event chosen is random, but the chance of there being an event isn't - there WILL be some kind of encounter or event each time.

That's my main issue with Star Temple of Saturgalia.

But lets take it in another direction. What is to prevent a GM from rolling the random encounters ahead of time? Not the chance for an encounter to happen, which should always be it's own roll, but the actual encounters itself.

Say, for example, your encounter / event table is as follows:

Roll 2d4

2 - 2d4 orcs
3 - 3d4 giant rats
4 - 3d6 coins scattered cross floor
5 - random piece of writing on wall
6 - 1d2 ogres
7 - 1d4 giant spiders
8 - 3d4 goblins

Now, you plan on rolling a 1 in 6 chance for an encounter / event every turn (10 minutes) and again when they make significant noise (smashing doors, fighting, etc)

You guess that 6 or so random encounters will happen during the game session and you decide to roll them in order in advance. It's still random, but rolled prior to the session, giving you time as a GM to make them somewhat special. I have 2d4 right now, so lets make this a live experiment.

I roll 2, 4, 3, 8, 6 and 5.

So, the first random encounter will be 2d4 orcs. I roll a 3. 3 orcs wielding spears and shields. They are moving fast, as if they are fleeing from something.

Second encounter / event is 3d6 coins. 11. I figure 4 coppers, 6 silvers and 1 gold along with a coin purse they spilled from.

Third is 3d4 giant rats. We get a 9. They are charging through the corridors in search of food or prey. The party will hear their chittering as they approach.

Fourth is 3d4 goblins. There are 7 of them. They are encountered in a tight formation, nearly a circle. If the party charges them, they will flee in the opposite direction as fast as their feet can take them. If the party holds it's ground, they will throw their spears while being ready to flee if approached. If the party flees, they will chase them, screaming war cries the whole time.

Fifth encounter is 1d2 ogres. We roll a 1. The ogre is surrounded by 3 orc corpses in addition to the one he is currently gnawing on the arm of. Around his waist hang 4 dead giant rats, apparently food for later. The ogre will leave the party alone if they leave him alone. Subtract 5 HP from his HP total for prior wounds.

Number six is writing on the wall. We decide it will make reference to the giant spiders roaming the corridors - "Beware the tangled web."

Now, i am not good enough to come up with these fleshed out encounters on the spot while interacting with my players. Simple truth. So may be able to pull such off, but its not me.

So, do you prepare your random encounters in advance?

Mini Review - Star Temple of Saturgalia (WhiteStar Adventure)

You and your team have been sent, or forced to go, to the Star Temple of Saturgalia. There you hope to find the fabled Star Amulet that may turn the tide in the Space War. Ignite your Star Saber, strap on your blaster, and prepare to avoid the Imperial Customs - you're going on an adventure. Prepare to enjoy a couple of hours of FUN!!!

Uhm, maybe I missed it, but I failed to find Imperial Customs in this 4 page adventure (6 less cover and OGL.)

There is now way this adventure will last hours. Two tops. Well, unless you go along with a 5 in 6 chance for a space encounter checked for 3 times and a 6 in 6 chance of a wilderness encounter checked for twice.

I always though it was supposed to be a chance for an encounter and than a roll to see what it was. Or at least no more than a 3 in 6 chance for an encounter.

The problem with the random encounter reliance is that it puts at least half the game session on the GMs hands to improvise on the spot. It's lazy adventure design.

The adventure itself is a basic dungeon crawl, which isn't bad in and of itself, as it allows for players used to traditional dungeon play to have familiar yet different surroundings. The dungeon, while small, doesn't force a railroad on players. There are multiple choice of direction to take, which is rarer than it should be. Score points for dungeon design.

BBEG could be the start of a series of adversaries the players are always one step behind. There's potential here for long term use.

Overall? Well worth the buck the Star Temple of Saturgalia costs, but make your own random even tables.

Oh, almost forgot the Reaction Chart for Diplomacy. That might actually belong in the White Star rulebook.

New Tavern Banner - Far Away Land Style

I had to crop it to fit the banner in from the banner - er, you know what I mean. Here's the full piece of work. I'm the bartender with glasses ;)

I'll do a proper cropping job later.

Big thanks to Dirk, otherwise known as Mr +Far Away Land RPG

White Star Pocket Setting Survey - Time for Input

This is the plan on how I'll make the presentation of the Pocket settings work.

Each month I plan to present approximately 8 pages of material for a White Star setting. Backers of The Tavern's Patreon will get a quick and dirty PDF of the material, but it will all be available freely on the blog. Every four months or so, it will be put together as an inexpensive PDF on the blog and possibly in print for some of the higher Patreon backers. Depends of feasibility.

This week I'm going to brainstorm some setting ideas. That will be a poll for a week from now more or less.

So, here's are the poll questions more or less:

Do you want an 8 page monthly pocket setting (sector / system / planet / space station every month) that isn't related to the previous month's material?

Do you want a series of monthly material on the same setting for 4 months (32 pages) but at different levels of detail (each month would be either sector / system / planet / space station / intro adventure?)

Easy peasy.

Edit - Poll gets chopped off in Chrome on my mac but looks fine using Chrome on my phone. Anyone else having issues?

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!