Kickstarter - Quantum Black (Ubiquity System Modern Horror)

If there is one of those new fangled RPG systems I'd like to play with, it's Ubiquity. To my aging eyes and sensibilities, it seems like a much streamlined and simplified Savage Worlds. Not that I have anything agains Savage Worlds, as it does have some excellent setting books. It just seems to me that the rules are ore complicated than they need to be. Maybe it's more accurate to say they are more complicated than I need them to be.

I've been intrigued by the Ubiquity rules ever since I stumbled across Hollow Earth Expedition. Which of course makes Quantum Black even more intriguing to me.

So, what is Quantum Black?

The Quantum Black setting is a modern day action-horror roleplaying game in a world much like ours. However, hidden supernatural threats are growing. Evil cults, horrors from beyond space and time, and other monsters all rise to terrorize the world. Someone needs to stop them. 

Are you up to the Task?  

In the Quantum Black setting, you play an employee of Quantum Integrated Technologies. You are on a secret black ops team that is out to save the world from a rising tide of unimaginable horrors. Equipped with the best weapons, cutting edge electronics, and various drones you will board the company jet to track monsters down to save the day. You are prepared for anything–or at least you think you are.  

You can have hours of fun stopping monsters and still keep your sanity intact. 

Quantum Black is a story and action driven setting that is powered by the award winning rules of Exile Game Studio’s Ubiquity Roleplaying System. The contents are compatible with other Hollow Earth, Ubiquity-powered games.

Looks damn cool.

Then I look at the support levels, and I'm left scratching my head.

So, if the Quick Play doesn't unlock (and Quick Plays are usually free in PDF but not here) you spend $10 for no reason. I see why the option has no backers.

 $20 for a PDF with no stretch goals. That's steep in my opinion.

$35 for a PDF WITH stretch goals, which may or may not be met. Yeah, er - no.

$40 for the Soft Cover, PDF and stretch goals in PDF. So, print is only 5 bucks more? Oh, and Hard Cover is just 5 bucks more than that? Oops, make that 10 bucks more now, as $45 has sold out.

Then you notice there are 51 backers and just over $6,300 in backing - that's over $120 per backer

My math only accounts for $3,330 in backing - leaving $3,000 in unaccounted for funding. Not a good sign.

Damn me and my vetting!

 

White Star Regains #1 Spot at RPGNow - Talk About Long (Virtual) Shelf Life

+James Spahn 's White Star RPG has crawled back to the #1 Hottest Title over at RPGNow. It's been unseated a handful of times but always seems to reagins the spot. Green Ronin's Fantasy Age (I want to call this a generic fantasy version of Dragon Age, but I suspect that is a simplification) is the most recent title to bump White Star, only to lose the #1 position to the very product it bumped.

Which reminds me. I need to do some more White Star content.

Another product with long life on the hottest sellers list is the Creature Compendium by +Richard LeBlanc , which has been hanging on since early April.

Yeah, I like to point out the OSR picks ;)

Next up - some not to be missed RPG Kickstarters (see, I can do positive Kickstarter posts )

Onebookself Servers Hacked

I just had this forwarded to me:

Subject: Security Notice Affecting DriveThruRPG.com Customers

Dear customer,

I regret to inform you that one of our servers suffered a security breach which may have compromised your credit card information.

You are receiving this email because you made a purchase (or attempted to make a purchase) on our site using a credit card between July 6th, 2015 and the morning of August 6th, 2015. There is a 50% chance that hackers were able to collect your credit card information. We recommend that you contact your credit card issuing bank and ask them to replace any cards that you used for charges on our site, and also look over your most recent statements for any suspicious charges.

Our technical team has identified the issue and has secured our servers. Our websites are once again safe to use.

Information such as your name and email address were potentially compromised as well.

Login passwords are stored encrypted with a one-way hash and cannot be decrypted. You do not need to change your account password, but you are more than welcome to do so on your Account page at any time if you wish.

We are truly sorry this incident occurred and sincerely regret the inconvenience it causes you. Navigating credit card company call center menus is no one\'s idea of a good time.

Security has always been our top concern and up until this incident we were proud of our security record at DriveThruRPG.com. We will continue to do everything we can to keep our marketplace secure going forward.

More information on this is available on this page:
http://support.drivethrurpg.com/entries/69850064-Security-Breach-Q-A

Kickstarter ISN'T as Bad as Some Make it Look - Balancing the Perception

As I sit at my desk brainstorming for the article I owe Old School Quarterly on the subject of RPG Kickstarters, it occurs to me that the perception of Kickstarters in our corner of the gaming universe is defined like much of the public's perception of law enforcement is defined - by a handful of bad apples in a very large bushel.

Failures, fuckovers, pyramid schemes and the like are relatively rare in the world of Kickstarter. The vast majority of successfully funded projects ship quality products. The +Kevin Crawford s (where you get the beta PDF the moment you back), +Joseph Bloch s, Melia Valors (PDF less than 3 weeks after completion), the Reapers, the Frog God Games, the Goodman Games, the Monte Cooks, +Pete Spahn s, +Peter Regan s, the Dwarven Forges, +Lloyd Metcalf s, The Steve Jackson Games, +Newt Newport s, +Lesser Gnome s, +michael mindes, the Troll Lord Games (edit more better damn you!) and many others wouldn't be producing the quality products they are if it weren't for Kickstarter.

The Gareths, Nysuls, Whitmans, Brave Halflings and a few other bad apples each define their failures uniquely. There is no singular path to failed success.

Here at The Tavern, I certainly do hold the bad projects and project creators feet in the fire if you will, as I don't want anyone getting burned by these folks in the future. The thing is, much of the future of our hobby is linked to Kickstarter whether we wish it to be or not. There are good, skilled, honest creators and companies that wouldn't be able to produce what the do - or produce it to the higher standards that they would like - without Kickstarter. Kickstarter shifts some of the risk of a project on the consumer and away from the producer (there's an article right there come to think of it.)

In any case, the articles for OSQ will need to find a balance of exposing the bad while highlighting the good. In retrospect, I think I need to find a bit more of the balance here at The Tavern.

Wayward Kickstarters - Myth & Magic Player's and Gamemaster's Guides - A Pair of Pink Elephants?

It's been a while since I posted about Tom and the Mythical Magical Mystery known as Myth & Magic. It's actually two Kickstarters - one for the Player's Guide (which i backed) and one for the Gamemaster's Guide (which i didn't back - so, no access to updates on that side.)

So, what's new? Here's part of the Feb 4th, 2015 update (hot on the heels of the April 2014 update.)

Now, I know the guys at NTRPG Con got one copy shipped to them just prior to the 2014 Con that June. The problem is they paid for four copies. As of June 2015 the rest of their copies still hadn't shown.

But hey, we know the copies exist, right? We have a picture of the book from March 4th, 2013 and I actually received my copy (after Tom posted my shipping info in the Kickstarter comments section - bad Tom, very bad) and it didn't come with the expected anthrax or cat piss. It's actually a nice looking book that's well laid and would probably be a fun clone to play if it didn't come with all of the attached drama.

Folks are still waiting on their copies over two years later.

Now, there's an interesting tidbit in the comments section of the Player's Guide referencing the latest update for the Gamemaster's Guide (where Tom couldn't find the time to make an update for nearly 15 months, but graced the backers with the latest news on July 16th of this year.)

So, you know those unsent copies of the Player's Guide? Looks like they don't exist. If cost is a factor, why are you rolling it all into one book if you have printed copies of the PG left to send to backers? It doesn't make sense. Well, unless your initial print run was just enough to shut folks up. Makes sense why backers of multiple copies just got one copy delivered - there literally weren't enough copies to go around. I guess my hardcover copy is a collector's item now ;)

BTW, you can grab a copy of the M&M Player's Guide for $9.99 in softcover at Lulu.

Wayward Kickstarter - Champions of Zed - Have you Seen this Creator? Last Seen on Kickstarter October 28, 2014

Yep. This was the last update for Champions of Zed. See that email? It's apparently dead now. One person in the comments section reported getting their copy. Everybody else? "Where's mine?"

Now, as Daniel states above he intended to have "them all sent by the holidays" and it doesn't state which holiday or year, I guess the idea is to keep the backers guessing.

Did I mention it's estimated ship date was August of 2012? Hey, at least we know Gareth, Mike and Ken might possibly come through on some level with physical rewards. Alright, maybe not Mike, but her get's points for admitting he fucked up. Daniel? Who the hell knows.

This could be another Myth & Magic fiasco assuming a percentage of copies start arriving to random mailboxes. Actually, another M&M update post should be around the corner.

Let Ken Whitless Teach YOU How to Bilk Honest Folks out of Cold Hard Cash

I think the picture speaks for itself.

Here's the link.

Huge tip of the hat to Eldric IV for this Whitman Gold!

Ken Whitless Greatest Hits - "You Can't Cancel What You Never Reserved" & "For Just $10 You Can Take On $10000 of Debt and Responsibilities" (More Hits Coming Daily - Act Now, Supplies are Limitless!)

The following is written by guest poster +Christopher Stogdill . Some more stuff happened overnight, which I'll highlight at the end - Tenkar

1st off I know everybody is pretty much full of Ken Whitman talk and while I get it, letting the issue die down for the simple sake of preserving one’s sanity is a tradeoff of silence that enables Ken to possibly swindle someone else. Odds are if you’re reading this you have a passing familiarity with the situation and this is at best a popcorn moment. If so, good for you…..

I’m posting this, through Erik, as part of my “not another dime” campaign, as in I want to make sure Ken Whitman doesn’t ever make another dime in this industry. I’m far from alone in this matter, but Ken still has his supporters. I have no clue why outside maybe Ken has a high CHA score.

The Mrs. and I went to GenCon for a day with only one event in mind….the Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series (KoDT:LAS) “premiere”. We had backed at $450 and the big bump in backer level was for front-row seating and an after-party. The weekend before the big event Ken got pissy and decided to cancel the after party.

Right off……I have to call some major BS here. There were to be three after-parties originally, back-to-back in two hour increments. Hell, for some stupid reason you can STILL buy tickets to these events! (http://d20entertainment.com/d20-entertainment-gen-con-after-party/) Major hint here Ken…..just removing the links to a webpage from your other pages doesn’t make that webpage go away!  The BS part about Ken’s narrative of getting mad at Jolly Blackburn and then canceling the party out of spite is that there were to be two other parties, both of which were unrelated to the KoDT:LAS. Either way you cannot cancel an event that is mythical. Ken Whitman never reserved the party location. I met with the sales manager at the hotel and confirmed that Ken had filled out reservation paperwork, but he put down a credit card that was declined. Since he never returned the hotel’s calls or emails to get updated payment, the room was never reserved.

So the parties didn’t have a venue and they didn’t have the promised attendees either. Ken never bothered to invite or make arrangements for the actors to attend GenCon and the after-party despite that being the whole selling point of that Kickstarter backer level…..and his contract with KenzerCo.

Some fans and the guys over at Zombie Orpheus Entertainment (ZOE) worked with Jolly Blackburn and GenCon to secure a room for an after party and bent over backwards scrambling to bring as many of the KoDT:LAS actors to GenCon that they could. Everyone but Christopher Folan (Dave) was able to get there, at no small expense and effort. Ken didn’t have ANYTHING to do with this after-party or the actors, but he still put out a ham-fisted effort to take credit anyway.

Barely 26 hours before the KoDT:LAS premiere Ken sends an email out to a few select folks (I counted six people) informing them of the “new” after-party at small restaurant starting at 11 PM, and hour after the “unofficial” after-party. It really seemed that maybe Ken thought he could hobble something together and consider that part of the Kickstarter fulfilled. Never mind the fact he didn’t have anything promised and paid for by backers. The actors would be at the other party and who the hell wants to start a party at 11pm? Nope, doesn’t meet the fulfillment in any real (and legal) sense.

A group of the backers arrived early to the event and saw there was a considerable line already. We formed our own group and when the GenCon staff asked us if we were there for the event some of us…..ok me, was less than nice to them in making it clear that we were backers, had no tickets, and sure as hell weren’t getting into the main line. I did apologize……and they lined us upon the opposite side of the doors. Since most of us knew each other we pretty much policed ourselves and lined up according to our backer levels. From my prime vantage spot I could listen in on the staff a bit and see that Ken Whitman was holed up in the room instead of coming out as promised in his video earlier in the week. If you haven’t seen that video, don’t watch the original…this copy is much better (http://dontfundkenwhitman.blogspot.com/2015/07/ken-whitman-faces-lie-detector-in-his.html). While Ken never left the room, he did send his girlfriend out. Easy enough to recognize her from the vacation photos.  I think she is the one that ferried a list of the backers to the staff for admittance. I saw the list and it wasn’t organized by backer level (remember two folks paid a HUGE premium for their seats) and was incomplete. Instead of giving us tickets as promised (and stated as having been sent out at least once) this list was the only information GenCon had….and I wasn’t on it, not even as a “+1”. The staff where pretty cool though and they knew that the list was messed up so for the most part they just took out word for it. Jolly and Barb Blackburn showed up and offered to help the staff, but they pretty much just decided it was a mess and assume folks were being honest.

The only issue at that point was that they didn’t have enough chairs in the room because their seating never accounted for the backers! I believe that the ZOE guys came through again and gave the staff a head’s up because they were moving in chairs BEFORE they got the partial backer list.

The showing went off well enough and everyone was pretty damned civil. I agree that Jolly did a bang-up job with the script and the actors rocked, but the two rough-cut episodes were…well, rough. I highly doubt Ken will be in any position to finish them up, much less send out DVDs to backers. I wasn’t pleased, but I’ll freely admit I went into this viewing anticipating more of Ken’s BS, but we did keep it civil, as requested. I think most of us that would have started a riot knew that Barbara Blackburn was in a bit of an anxious state because of all the drama. It was bad enough that earlier in the day some of us decided every time she said the name “Ken” she got a hug…because she needed it. At the end of the showing we had a brief Q&A, but only because Jolly and the ZOE guys pretty much took control and brought up the actors. Even though two of the ZOE troop were in the KoDT:LAS, it seemed obvious to me they were putting focus on the two newer actors (Jenny Simmons and Josh Logsdon playing Sara and Brian). The session was cut short to prep the room for the next event and everyone had about an hour to kill before the after-party.

The after-party was “meh”, but still worth attending. Geekpreacher bought me and the Mrs. each a “soda” for a total of $10. Our drinks consisted of one can of diet coke split between two glasses, with some left over. That was all hotel there. We did get some more Mike Mason and our very own Cahira doing a belly dance (full costume and everything). It was a good time to mill about and chat with folks, just wasn’t what I consider a “party”, but quite surprising when you consider the unusual constraints involved. There was some free swag donated by several game companies that knew about the fiasco and wanted to pitch in, even if just a little bit. Even though he wasn’t there, I think Ken helped cast a pall over what should have been a much brighter moment of revelry.

Now I knew of some of Ken’s breaches of contract with KenzerCo, hard not to with all the talk going on at the KenzerCo booth earlier in the day. Of course Dave Kenzer is about as cool and collected as can be. Not so much “I’m a lawyer and we have his ass over a barrel” cool, but a “Don’t give the guy any power over you” type of cool. I have always admired folks who can take in the big picture and be cool about shit, but that isn’t me. We knew that Ken Whitman was to have a meeting with Jolly and Dave regarding the contract and at the viewing Ken straight-up said he’d be giving KenzerCo the film, but instead he skipped out of the meeting and also did a no-show at the Friday 10 AM viewing. Later Ken posted on Facebook that there had been a threat on his life and that GenCon cancelled “everything except the premieres”.

Again, I have to call BS. Ken cut and pasted an email form GenCon showing that event FLM1569413 had been cancelled, but the Friday viewing was event FLM1569412. As of yesterday it was still listed as an event on the GenCon website. If they had cancelled that event then it would at least have the right number. No, I think that Ken cancelled a later showing for Thursday night quite some time ago and simply recycled the email as an excuse. This would explain why GenCon doesn’t have anything to say about the alleged cancellation for Friday’s viewing and didn’t notify ticket holders of the cancellation.

Since GenCon Ken has been emailing multiple folks in the industry trying to sell the fulfillment of the Pencil Dice Kickstarter for $10. In the email he admits to squandering the money and he had already admitted in an interview that he spent Pencil Dice money on KoDT:LAS, but what he have recently learned is that was actually Ken paying back an independent investor to the KoDT:LAS that he needed because he squandered that money.

So it appears that Ken is broke and trying to get out from his obligations…period. Ken has admitted, or had exposed, that he has spent Kickstarter money basically on anything but the projects he collected the money for in the first place. At this point people need to get the FCC and their Attorney Generals involved in this. When they do they need to make sure they are complaining about Ken Whitman himself and not d20 entertainment. Why?

Because d20 entertainment DOES NOT EXIST. It is a figment of Ken Whitman’s imagination and d20 Entertainment does not exist as a legal entity in any of the 50 states. I know because I’ve checked with the Secretary of State of all 50 states. If you go ahead and check Kentucky, the state that Ken lives in and presumably the one d20 entertainment should reside in, you will find an entry. By all means, check it out for yourself. I won’t tell you what is special about that entry, but you can figure it out for yourself.

So in the last week I’ve uncovered evidence about Ken lying about his webstore, his after-parties, his GenCon cancellation, and even his company. That is four pretty big things…..but still some people believe his BS - Christopher

Alright, have you seen this letter?

Ken was asked in the Kickstarter comments section if it was real (the phone number is) - he didn't answer that. As an aside, you can't reassign responsibilities in Kickstarter - see Dwimmermount

BTW, that car Ken was driving around to the filming set and elsewhere? According to Ken, that was a 2 week test drive that cost him nothing. Yeah... right.

Go to the KotDT: LAS comments section - but first, grab a beer and some popcorn. More drama, more laughs, more lies - simply more of everything!

Free - Night of the Mad Kobold - (S&W, PF and Savage Worlds)

Night of the Mad Kobold is a free offering from Cut to the Chase Games. CttC is apparently offering this adventure for free in 3 different flavors to bring some attention to their soon to be released Kickstarter.

The price is right. I love free adventures because I always find something to steal even if I don't use the adventure as is.

The town of Cresthill enjoys a favorable location along the winding Graywand River. Trade is good, and the prominent gnomes of House Kelver run most of the businesses to the prosperity of the people. Now, however, a dangerous lunatic—a kobold from the nearby Talon Hills—has decided the gnomes of House Kelver need to be a taught a fiery lesson, and only a band of heroes can stop his plot. 

WK0 Night of the Mad Kobold is a short adventure designed for a group of six 1st-level characters for the Swords & Wizardry RPG, but compatible with most OSR games (Labyrinth Lord, OSRIC, etc.). It is set in a generic fantasy setting, easily transportable to most fantasy campaigns. It stands alone but can also serve as an introduction to the WRATH OF THE KOBOLDS module trilogy from Cut to the Chase Games. 

A Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module brought to you by your friends at Cut to the Chase Games! 

SPECIAL PRICE! FREE until the end of the Fantasy Renaissance Adventure Module Kickstarter* (launching in early August 2015). Get it while it's free!

Wayward Kickstarter - The Life & Times of Ken Whitless, Living "Day by Day" on a Cruise - The Horrors! - Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series

Wow.

Simply wow.

Move over Gareth. There is no room in the inn Wandering Wizard. Even Brave Little Halflings are overshadowed by the man, the myth, the Mr. Whitman himself - otherwise known as simply "Ken".

I'm only going to share one of the damning Facebook conversation images here. Go to the Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series comments section for others.

Yes, Whitless is a piece of shit...

Tavern Chat Tonight 830 Eastern

Almost forgot that tonight is a Tavern Chat night.

I'll try to drop in for a bit via my phone's app. I may have to move the night temporarily with my new work hours.

Lots to talk.about :)

Pocket Weapons - Web-Slinger (White Star)

Art by Jeshields - Used with permission

The Web-Slinger is used by occupying military forces and some planetary police forces to control rioters and large crowds. Each Web-Slinger has a cartridge that holds 3 shots of a specially formulated compressed liquid polyurethane that spreads out in flexible but immensely strong strands from it's targeted location. For all intents and purposes, the Web-Slinger is is essentially a Three Charge Wand of Web in Swords & Wizardry rules (if such existed.) The Web Spell is included here for ease of reference (note, range is increased to 120 ft :

Web

Spell Level: M2

Range: 120 ft.

Duration: 8 hours

Fibrous, sticky webs fill an area up to 10 × 10 × 20 feet. It is extremely difficult to get through the mass of strands—it takes one turn if a torch and sword (or a flaming sword) are used, and creatures larger than a horse can break through in 2 turns. Humans take longer to break through—perhaps 3 to 4 turns or longer at the Referee’s discretion. 

OGL

What were the Big Gen Con Releases this Year?

To be honest, I don't seem to recall any major RPG releases being mentioned leading up to Gen Con 2015 and I don't see anything being talked about post Gen Con.

Well, thats not true. Post Gen Con talk has focused on the embarrassing stunt Cam Banks and friends pulled at the ENnies and then there is the whole Ken Whitman fiasco with his assorted video releases that weren't released (and death threats!)

Was anything of note actually released at Gen Con this year?

Free - The Sandbox #2 - Sine Nomine Publishing

+Kevin Crawford is what ever Kickstarter creator should seek to be - the ultimate professional who delivers his Kickstarters early and at an amazing value. Part of that value is that he consistently gives back to the community with free releases like The Sandbox #2.

What do you get with The Sandbox #2?

Behold the second issue of The Sandbox, a free irregular journal from Kevin Crawford and Sine Nomine Publishing. Sine Nomine fans have noticed the regular flow of freebie material I've produced, such as the Mandate Archive series for Stars Without Number, Black Streams for the Red Tide setting, and other free releases for other systems and particulars. The Sandbox is an umbrella for these free resources, packed with the short articles, quick-roll tables, and GM helps that others have found so useful. 

In this 21-page issue of The Sandbox, you'll find... 

Lifepath Characters for Stars Without Number, a new method of character creation for my free sci-fi game Stars Without Number. Use guided rolls and the Life Event generator to brew up a hero for interstellar adventure. The PCs created with this system are essentially compatible with the results you get from the standard method, so you can freely mix the two together in your campaigns. (this can easily be modified for use with any OSR based sci-fi RPG, or used as inspiration to create your own Life Path. simply filled with inspiration - ET)

The Blademaster, a new character class for Scarlet Heroes and similar old-school-inspired games. Learn the secret arts of the ancient schools of war and wield their ineffable powers in battle. It comes with guidelines and tips for creating your own blademaster schools personalized for your own campaigns. 

Quick Temples and Shrines is a one-roll generator for quickly generating a temple or fane for your freshly-brewed planet or time-lost city. Discover the problems that raddle the priests and the friends and foes that might complicate a PC's pilgrimage. 

Quick Religious Revolts will help a GM discover the details behind a recent uprising of some oppressed faith or the savage revolt of a sect of zealous fanatics. If your PCs are unlucky, they might just be able to get front-row seats to the festivities.

You can't get a better price than free. Even if you don't use Sine Nomine products (and if you don't own them, why? Stars Without Number is free too) there is a ton of inspiration here that can take you down your own paths.

New Dungeons & Dragons Movie set in the Forgotten Realms - Drizzt & Elminister Anyone?

It's official. There's a new Dungeons & Dragons movie and the works, and it might actually NOT SUCK.

Warner Bros. Pictures, Hasbro’s Allspark Pictures and Sweetpea Entertainment are moving forward on a feature film franchise based on Dungeons & Dragons, the world’s most popular role playing game. Hasbro’s Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis, Courtney Solomon and Allan Zeman of Sweetpea Entertainment, and Roy Lee (“The LEGO Movie,” “How to Train Your Dragon”) are attached as producers. 

Highlighting the priority being given to the project, Warner Bros. Pictures already has a script, written by David Leslie Johnson (“The Conjuring 2,” “Wrath of the Titans”).
“We are so excited about bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life on the big screen,” said Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. “This is far and away the most well-known brand in fantasy, which is the genre that drives the most passionate film followings. D&D has endless creative possibilities, giving our filmmakers immense opportunities to delight and thrill both fans and moviegoers new to the property.” 

“This is such an enormous opportunity to bring the rich fantasy setting of the Forgotten Realms to life and, together with the creative powerhouse of Warner Bros., use movies to tell the stories that have enchanted passionate D&D fans for decades,” said Stephen Davis, Executive Vice President and Chief Content Officer of Hasbro, Inc. “D&D is the role-playing game that started it all and now we have the opportunity to ignite a franchise for its legions of avid fans in a way never done before.”

Comicbook.com has the rest of the press release.

Notice the Forgotten Realms is the setting?  Can Drizzt and Elminster be far behind?

Kickstarter - Ernest Gary Gygax Jr.'s Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter (1e)

I've been so distracted by negative events with certain Kickstarter projects (Ken Whitman can take numerous bows and curtain calls for this) that I've managed to miss some recent well respected Kickstarter releases.

So, here's the first post rectifying that :)

Ernest Gary Gygax Jr.'s Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter is a huge megadungeon and setting. What exactly is it tho? Is it old? New? Does it harken back to the days of the hobby's beginning?

THE HOBBY SHOP DUNGEON is an adventure game setting originally created by Ernest Gary Gygax Jr. in 1978 while working as a clerk for the fondly-remembered Dungeon Hobby Shop of Lake Geneva, WI. Inspired by the many games and campaigns he played with his father and many friends, and aided by incomplete maps initially drawn by Terry Kuntz, Ernest came up with a large sprawling dungeon complex that could be used to run games at the store. Since then, more than a thousand players have explored its depths, as remembered by Ernest, including TSR alumni, family members, customers and gamer friends, up to 22 players per sitting! It has been played in a variety of venues including Margaret Weis’s and Don Perrin’s Game Guild, in California’s Dungeons & Dragons Entertainment division, as a special event for game conventions and many more besides. 

This is the entire dungeon and setting around it that GP Adventures wants to bring to publication via its Hobby Shop Dungeon game line, starting now with the Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter.

It does have history, which is exciting. What's even more exciting to me is that +Benoist Poiré has been drawing the maps. I love Benoist's style of mapping.

The project is already funded ($29k with a goal of $20k) and has nearly a month left to run. I expect a ton of stretch goals will be hit. Thus far, some have been add ons and some have added to the base reward goal.

The most recently achieved stretch goal is the add on Sci Fi Conversion, to be written by none other than +James Spahn of White Star fame:

We just zoomed past our $27,500 stretch goal, and that means James Spahn will help us flesh out the optional Science-fiction/Science-fantasy customization document we have now added to our list of Add-ons to this Kickstarter project.  

If you would like a copy, add $5 to your pledge, and you will get a digital (PDF) document detailing how to use the Marmoreal Tomb and its Expansions in a sci-fi campaign, along with a sample adaptation described using the White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying game.  

Next up are Pathfinder and 5e conversion documents.

I'm in. Probably at some ungodly amount. Need Wilderness and Underworld expansions. Player's Guides would be cool too. Damn it!

Pocket Creatures - Ginat Leaf Bug (Swords & Wizardry / White Star)

Photo by Erik Tenkar - Side Note - This critter hitched a ride from Hawley PA to somewhere on Route 15 in NJ,  holding on at speeds that exceeded 60 MPH at points

The Giant Leaf Bug comes in at a sizable 2'-3' across when it's wings are fully expended. They are hard to find in temperate zones and the like, with their natural camouflage resulting in a 1 in 12 chance of spotting the Giant Leaf Bug when coming within 10' of it.

Giant Leaf Bugs are hunted for their sticky secretions, that can hold up to 2,000 pounds with just a drop. The average giant leaf bug, when harvested by a skilled hunter, can produced 2 to 12 drops of secretions, valued at 100 GP / Credits per drop. An unskilled hunter will be able to harvest 1d6-3 drops of secretion.

Giant Leaf Bugs are solitary creatures that would rather hide or flee than fight. If they win initiative in a round, they will take of in flight, allowing creatures directly engaged with the Giant Leaf Bug a final attack at -2 to attempt to take them down.

Giant Leaf Bug

ARMOR CLASS   2 [17]
HIT DICE   3+2
TOTAL HIT BONUS   + 3
ATTACKS   1 x 1d6 
SAVING THROW 15
SPECIAL - SEE ABOVE
MOVEMENT - 9 Ground - 18 Flight
HDE/XP - 240

OGL

A Red & Pleasant Land Wins 2 Gold, 2 Silver @ the ENNies and I Find Myself Agreeing With the RPG Pundit

A Red & Pleasant Land won 2 Gold & 2 Silvers at the ENnies last night. I'm not sure if that is a record, but it should be. It's great for Zak S, great for +James Raggi and awesome for the OSR. Not so awesome for Cam Banks and crew, who threw a tantrum and heckled when the first award for A Red & Pleasant Land was announced. Talk about assholes. Then the rest of the SJWs chimed in on Twitter. Well done. You showed them, didn't you? Zak might be a dick (my own opinion) but a Red & Pleasant Land was clearly the best of the five in all four categories it was nominated.

Real simple.

Or not.

+Kasimir Urbanski points out on his blog that Zak's own math showed that winning was an impossibility if folks only voted on what they had actually read.

Obviously, that didn't happen. Zak and James won 2 Golds and 2 Silvers.

What happened?

Social media happened. Ballot box stuffing happened. Cheating, legit or otherwise, happened to ensure the best product won, which just goes to show how irrelevant the ENnies are.

+Joseph Bloch said it best tho'. Wearing a "Zak S Saved D&D" t-shirt to a con with Cam Banks, Fred Hicks and the other SJWs in attendance might just be entertaining if only for their reactions. Shame they are fairly irrelevant. Or maybe that's a good thing.

Pocket Creatures - Fell Hind - (Swords & Wizardry / White Star)

Photo by Erik Tenkar

Fell Hinds are solitary creatures related to deer and virtual indistinguishable from such without a close look. Fell Hinds evolved into omnivores and have an intelligence rating in the 3-5 range, allowing them to plan attacks with almost human like ingenuity.

While quite content to live on foliage and brush they have a taste for fresh flesh and have been known to attack other animals and even humans from ambush. Their first attack is usually a headbutting charge which inflicts double damage if successful as well as requiring a Saving Throw to avoid being knocked prone. Prone targets are subject to stomp attacks in the following rounds if prone - stomp attacks are made at + 2 to hit and inflict double damage. Prone targets can come to their feet with a successful Saving Throw. Targets may attempt this Saving Throw once per round.

Fell Hind

ARMOR CLASS   4 [15]
HIT DICE   6
TOTAL HIT BONUS   + 6
ATTACKS   1 x 1d6 and SEE ABOVE
SAVING THROW 12
SPECIAL - SEE ABOVE
MOVEMENT - 15
HDE/XP - 650

OGL

On GMs and GMing - Some Random Thoughts & Not So

Let me say this straight out of the box - Gamemastering or GMing is not for everyone. Heck, even the name is a misnomer, as it implies superior knowledge compared to mere "players." I'm beginning to think "judge" or "referee" is a more appropriate term.

Looking back at me gaming groups, I can note the following:

High School - 2 GMs, I was 1 of them

Summer Poconos Group - I was the only GM

College D&D Club - I was the only DM in a group of 12+

College / Post College Home Group - 2 GMs, I was 1

Roll20 / G+ Hangouts - of the 7 mostly regular members, everyone has run at least a session

What is it with the latest group? I think the common factor is everyone is a creative type - artists, writers or both.

We also all enjoy filling the roll of the GM or the player.

While GMing is a skill, it is also a calling. Not everyone has the desire to be a GM and that's okay. Really. At a gaming table of 3 to 8 gamers, only one can fill the roll of a GM at a time.

I'd also expect that in most groups, especially those that are composed of mostly newer players, the GM roll is filled by by one of the more experienced gamers at the table.

So, I'm going to hazard a guess that 2 out of 3 RPG gamers see themselves as primarily "players."

I do expect the poll I'm going to run will prove those numbers wrong, but I also expect that gamers active in blogs and social media are more on the GM side of the fence. 

More thoughts on this later.

Pocket Creatures - Wealdlings (White Star / Swords & Wizardry)

Photo by Erik Tenkar

Wealdlings, or Creatures of the Wood, are similar in appearance to their Treant cousins. They are, however slower, more primitive and potential more dangerous.

Wealdlings have been found in groves of as much as 100 but 2 to 12 is most common. Dormant during the winter months they have been known to attack sleeping travelers, especially those that have fire burning for safety. They attack as a pack and have the intelligence of pack hunters. Creatures killed are absorbed by their roots, providing nourishment. Solid materials - weapons, armor, coins and the like are left behind at the kill location.

Wooded areas known for, or suspected to be inhabited by Wealdlings are avoided by the experienced traveler.

Wealdlings

ARMOR CLASS   3 [15]
HIT DICE   2+2 to 6+6
TOTAL HIT BONUS   +2 to + 6
ATTACKS   2 x 1d6
SAVING THROW 15 to 11
SPECIAL - 1/2 damage from blunt weapons / -2 save vs fire
MOVEMENT - 3
HDE/XP - varies by HD

OGL

As Much Fun as a Box of Rocks. No, Really!

I apologize in advance for answering further G+ BS here at The Tavern, but as it is Zak's thread and he has me blocked, I have little choice.

This time, I answer Stacy Dellorforno.

First - I never saw you at NTRPG Con Stacy. If you saw me as often as you did, you should have introduced yourself. Rach was actually looking forward to meeting you (she knows few women in gaming) - perhaps not so much after your insult of Merle Rasmussen,

Yes, I spent much of the Con with my wife. And with Zach Glazer, Doug Kovaks, Matt Finch, Rich LeBanc, Vince Florio and his wife, David P, Mark H, Bad Mike, Doug Rhea, The Wolfes, James Aulds, Glenn Halstrom, Mike and Liz, Tim Kask, Frank Mentzer, Jeff Talanian and many others. Jeff Grubb was kind enough to ensure I'd fail my save against Gaming Greatness. I talked business with a few and bullshitted with all. I think between Wednesday Afternoon and Monday Morning we didn't have company for our meals once.

If I was having as much fun as a rock, rocks must be the life of the party.

As for the offending post that upset Stacy so much, here it is - offending post - my schtick? Women don't NEED to DM to be empowered in gaming but they do need to fly on their own. Not every player wants to be a DM.

Gamers come to gaming through the network that introduces them to gaming. If there is a dearth of women gamers in the OSR right now than the main pathway for them to be introduced to gaming is by men. Same as kids being introduced to gaming by adults. The established network brings in new blood and spouses make ideal conduits for the introduction of shared passions and hobbies. New blood will build their own networks and the face of gaming will change with it.

Back to the slight of Merle Rasmussen, the designer of the Top Secret RPG. Did you know his wife was in the room for the whole game? They introduced themselves to me at dinner after the session. Simply amazing people. I should be surprised by your rush to judgement.

Now, let me parse the logic - Old Guard game designer GM's a game for three women with his wife in the room, and it's insulting.

Zak S GM's for a group exclusively made up of women from the adult entertainment industry, and that's something you support.

I'm confused.

edit - Stacy, feel free to respond here or on G+

Zazzle has a 20% Off Sale Though Thursday - Time to Hoist a Tenkar's Tavern Tankard :)

Well, you could hoist The Tavern's Tankard (with excellent and amazing +Eric Quigley art) or buy lots of other stuff (like a mousepad or a postcard.) Seriously, the code JLYCHRISTMAS should work site wide at Zazzle.

Personally, I'm thrilled to see the stainless steel travel mug is back in stock. I'm ordering one right now for my morning tea.

I think I'll need to get the Far Away Land flavored banner on a couple of pieces too.

Kickstarter - Ken Whitman Redefines Failure Yet Again - Part III - Complete Inability to Answer a Simple Yes / No Question " - Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series

Darrly Mott Jr (a columnist for Ain't It Cool News) had a simple question for Ken Whitman:

"So you are NOT claiming that this after party (that Jolly and Zombie Orpheus are putting together after Ken cancelled the one supposedly being funded by Kickstarter finds for Kickstarter backers) fulfills the backer reward from your Kickstarter? Is that correct?"

Ken's answers are all delaying tactics for a simple YES / NO question. Of course, we already know the answer.

I do hope that Ain't It Cool has a nice barbecue ready...

Screenshot from the KotDT:LAS Kickstarter comments section.

Zak S Saved D&D - Don't Believe it? Zak Say So (Rantish)

Now, I'm not sure if Zak is selling this shit or giving it away, but he has it on t-shirts. You too can be a Zak S zombie.

Hell, I'd ask what the fuck this is all about, because if Zak S saved D&D then the RPG Pundit should be offering similar shirts, as they both had the same input on the latest edition of D&D - they were "consultants." But Zak has had me blocked on G+ for years (say what you want about the RPG Pundit, but he doesn't block folks that disagree with him.) Third parties fill me in on stuff like this. I could be wrong. Maybe this isn't on a shirt. Maybe it's how Zak counts sheep when he goes to sleep at night.

Now, I would argue that the OSR saved D&D, not as a multi-media property but as an actual, playable, living RPG system. No, I'm not talking about 5e either.

Now, if Zak had shirts that said A Red & Pleasant Land is the Shit, I'd be forced to agree, It's damn good.

Kickstarter - Ken Whitman Redefines Failure Yet Again - Part II - Complete with "Guest Poster" - Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series

This really is a flaming pile of shite that's harming the gaming community as a whole. Folks that aren't deep into the whole Kickstarter for Gaming community, such as it is, only remember the train wrecks. After this fiasco calms down, I'll do a series of posts reminding folks just how good Kickstarter can be for the gaming community and the OSR in particular.

Onward to +Christopher Stogdill 's (The Frugal DM - Woot! He hit 500 posts today!) guest post on the Whitman Shit Storm.

I know I have my own blog where I can post crap, but Tenkar’s Tavern has a bit of a history with Kicksnarking, and frankly a larger audience to share important details. Sharing a brief update here is, at a minimum, a public service announcement.

Before I get too far ahead of myself, this “update” is regarding the Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series (KoDT: LAS) Kickstarter…..well, no it isn’t. This is about Ken Whitman, serial Kickstarter and all-around leech to multiple RPG fandoms. Please assume that any colorful descriptions or metaphors regarding Mr. Whitman are not only willfully derogatory, but clearly biased. I would love it if you blatantly assume I’m against Mr. Whitman and that everything I state is an outright lie……I know Ken is! Look at my previous post here at The Tavern, follow some of the links, and make your own decisions. A HUGE part of the problem is too many people have known about Ken Whitman’s fuckery and NOT spoken out about it.

Ken Whitman is behind 7 “current” Kickstarters that have raised over $171,000. This week, in a matter of days, three of these Kickstarters are to have big “premieres” at GenCon. The creative cycle so far on these projects seems to have been a detailed eight-step process:

1.       1) Take Money

2.       2) Make Promises

3.       3) Silence

4.       4) Let Complaints Build Up

5.       5) Do Stupid Stuff Online

6.       6) Let MORE Complaints Build Up

7.       7) Cycle Through Steps 2 through 5

8.       8) Shift Blame and Try to Raise More Money

I am certain there is another step or three in there about spending the money on personal stuff, but for me to state that clearly would be an absolute lie…….but if you assume I’m already lying (Paging Ken Whitman…you know he has a Google Alert set up) does that mean this is the truth?

Now I only have experience with the KoDT:LAS, but an often overlooked aspect is that there are two other “movie premieres” schedule for next Thursday. With the KoDT: LAS Ken has had an frustratingly stalwart ally of Jolly Blackburn. Jolly has been spending a good portion of the last year running interference for Mr. Whitman, trying to keep the fans (and backers) informed, and generally putting a positive spin on everything. I know 1st hand that this project…..Ken’s project…is important to Jolly. This is the 25th Anniversary of the Knights of the Dinner Table and even though this Kickstartered project is a KenzerCo license (i.e. Not something being done by KenzerCo). Jolly is emotionally invested in the outcome of the movie, not just because the Knights are his “baby”, but because so many of his friends and family have directly invested in seeing the KoDT:LAS movie.
You could easily head over to the Kickstarter comments to read the history yourself, but the summation is the eight-step process I outlined above. Promises were made to send out premiere tickets to those who paid for them. Promises were also made to be more communicative with the backers. Instead Mr. Whitman decides to spend his time working out, posting Facebook memes, and anything else but work on these movies. As the date gets closer Jolly keep reaching out for details and there is nothing but silence……

…..until Ken decides that Jolly is…..a liability. Evidently wanting backers to get their tickets and their reserved seats is too much a strain on Ken. Expecting to see the episodes to give creative feedback isn’t appropriate. Way out of line is hoping to receive the money and names/details of those who bought KenzerCo products through the Kickstarter campaign. I know that behind the scenes (don’t believe me, I’m full of it…remember) Ken has already blamed Barbara Blackburn for the delay of product and Jolly for his “inability to raise money online”.

Overtly Ken has shut the Blackburns out of the KoDT:LAS Facebook group, which has since been deleted(?). This was after Ken stole a paragraph of text off of Urban Dictionary
and posted it on his wall.

Was Ken referring to Jolly……his actions would lead me to “yes”. A hilarious….well, I found it hilarious, older meme was generated that works better than any I’ve seen in that same vein.

I don’t know what Ken Whitman is thinking, but before you start throwing stones at one of the kindest, most respected people in the industry (one of the 51 people in the GAMA Hall of Fame ) you might want to make sure you got your shit together….please ask someone else, because it is apparent you think you do have it all together.

TL;DR

Ken Whitman should never be allowed to make another dime in the RPG industry again.

addendum - +Christopher Stogdill sent me this just a bit ago:

This morning's hasty video announcement and accompanying post where Ken claims to be involved with the scramble to fill the void he left when he cancelled the after-party is just a whitewash. I don't assume everyone, much less anyone, will go through all of the comments on all of the Kickstarters, much less the other bits and bobs floating around the internet, but this is part of Ken's pattern. Silence and blame followed up by more promises. I'd posture that only the reason he did a video is because his brand of persuasion check has to be face-to-face to gain any significant modifier to the encounter and this is the best he can do to get the best bonus possible.

This is just the same MO......nothing has changed except now he's willing to not only continue his lies, but take credit for other people's work. He knows that this close to GenCon people are busy going to GenCon and if he can slip this in there those that are out driving and flying don't have enough time to properly countermand his bullshit. All he needs to do is try and sow enough confusion and deceit to take some of the heat off. He probably thinks if he can take credit that he won't be on the hook (in a real legal and financial sense) for taking people's money for the Premier and After-Party.

Nope...this is all just part of the same cycle he's been riding since day 1.

edit - Ken also implies that he is working with Jolly on getting the afterparty organized - the same party he canceled with the same actors he couldn't afford to fly out:

Kickstarter - Ken Whitman Redefines Failure Yet Again - Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series (You Know All that Shit he Promised the $450 Backers? Fuck Em!)

Where to start?

Holy shit, this is one hell of a train wreck.

I give Nystul credit for admitting where and when he fucked up. Ken? Douchbaggery and then some.

Need examples? I'm going to quote from the KotDT Live Action Series Kickstarter comments:

(From Josh who plays the role of Brian in KODTLAS. Ken was supposed to fly Josh to GenCon to be at the premiere but broke that promise.) 

--So this is what I just got from Ken.....-- 

Ken: J.Hey Josh, yeah. I could not raise the money. Jolly has pretty much fucked me from making money. It's a total fuckery. Anyway, I'm sorry, I thought I could pull out of this one and make it happen. Sorry brother (Notice how Ken tries to scumbag Jolly? 

This was my response.... 

Josh: I have to disagree man. I don't see how Jolly made you squander that money and screw us all out of this project. I really hope that if future episodes get made, we don't get recast because of our association to the fuckery that was last summer's shoot. I really hope you can get those 3 episodes to him. The fans and backers that have put so much into this project deserve it. There's two ways out of this mess. You man up and give what you've got to the fans so that Jolly and Barb aren't left holding the bag and save some face or you tuck tail and run. I would highly advise against the latter. The people who believed in you and supported you are owed more respect than ignored messages. The fans deserve the first three episodes and the actors who want nothing more than to bring this project to life, deserve the first three episodes. I'm really hurt at the way you're treating them. It's not right man. I know you have your own side to the story, but you have to get it together. You made a promise. Stick to it. I'm not talking about flying me up. I'm talking about the episodes. Release them for Gen Con. You had a gift the fans gave you and you wasted it on looking good or making big promises. Real art isn't about that man. Film making is not about that. It's about the work. It's about creating something and not getting caught up in the money. They didn't give you that money to buy a chrysler 300 M so you could look like a producer. They gave you that money so you could create something. It's the only right thing to do. We deserve better! 

--Feel free to post that response!--

Nice little inside peek at the mind of the man who admitted that he does serial Kickstarters because he squanders the money from the previous ones.

But wait! Theres more! Buy now and you can watch how Jolly and Barbara get booted from the Facebook page of the KotDT Live Action Series for advocating for the backers of this very Kickstarter:

Jolly - Well I tried folks. Ken is not talking about the premiere at all. No invitations to the premiere have been sent out. None of the actors to my knowledge are going to be at the premiere (no fault of their own - mostly due to failure on d20 Ent's part to make proper arrangements). Ep2 and Ep3 were in very rough shape last time I saw them. No idea what's going on since Ken refuses to even give me answers. And for asking publicly his response booting me from the group and deleting my questions and those of other backers. Guess we're all going to show up at GenCon and be surprised.

Wow. Simply fucking wow.

But hey. At least the backers at $450 are going to get front row seats to the Premiere, time with the actors, a Q&A and an after party, right?

Jolly - So Ken just posted this apparently;
"All three episodes of KODT will be premiered at Gen Con in various states. They are not done, and a work in progress. (this shit was supposedly done earlier this month I thought)
We are working on having them done, and ready for download in August.
We will then produce and ship the DVDs as soon as we can.
For those of you with Premiere tickets, there will be a second line at the show for you. You will be seated first.
There will be no actors at the show and therefore no Q&A, and there will be no afterparty. Sorry for the problems."
'various states"...?
No after party?
NO Q&A.
Ken you are a coward. Face the backers and answer their questions at least face to face at the premiere.

But wait. Ken still hasn't emailed those Premiere tickets, has he?

Now, I'm not calling Ken Whitman a crook. He gets upset when folks label him.

Instead, I'm going to give y'all a textbook definition of a crook.

Crook - a dishonest person, especially a sharper, swindler, or thief.


Oh, and then there is this ;)

Never Rob a Tavern Frequented by the Watch

It's rare that I embed (or attempt to embed) a video, especially one that isn't directly gaming related, but in a way, it is.

How many times have your players robbed a merchant, trashed a tavern or just caused general mayhem? Now, imagine if the person that they messed with were connected to law enforcement. Or if the town's law enforcement had magical access to getting the word out quickly and effectively. Oh, and of course add in a 1000 GP bounty by the town on the PCs heads.

This Deputy Sheriff is definitely going to be a character in my next campaign...

RPGNow Deal of the Day - Encounter Decks 1 (Inkwell Ideas)

I'm disappointed +Joe Wetzel didn't give me a heads up on this deal as the price is damn fine and the Encounter Decks are just chuck full of inspiration. 

Here's the specifics from the blurb:

Note: In addition to today's "Deal of the Day" on this product, we're also offering our  Encounter Decks 2 and our brand new Encounter Decks 3 at a special price.  And the printed versions of each card deck have also been reduced in price. 

What would happen if you crossed the Book of Lairs (single page mini-adventures) with cards? Encounter Decks. (Deck one features black & white maps, but all the content is different from deck two.) 

Each of the 54 encounter cards helps you build a dynamic mini-adventure! Draw a card for an adventure outline. The outline includes backstory, ways to get the PCs involved, several encounter ideas, and two suggestions to wrap up or follow up. 

Draw other card(s) for a map. If it doesn't fit the story, draw another. Maps are buildings, dungeons, caves, or wilderness. Some maps are designed to connect to others and can also connect to DungeonMorph Cards. Draw other cards for trap ideas or plot twists as needed. 

If you don't like the suggestion on the card you pick, draw another. 

Tired of giving out another 100 copper pieces (edit - shouldn't that be 2,000 coppers - Tenkar)? When the situation arises, look for the "Trivial? Treasure" suggested on a card. 

Encounter Decks are perfect for stocking a hex crawl or developing a side trek on the fly!

Less than 2 bucks to get Encounter Deck 1 in PDF - less than 9 bucks for print and PDF.

Damn it. +matt jackson is one of the mappers. Take my money...

Random Thoughts - Podcasts, Podcasting and Pods

I've been in a bit of a podcasting hiatus of late. The Brainstorm Podcast wrapped up, the Far & Away Podcast went on hiatus with the theft of our producer's (and cohost's) hardware and The Badger is preparing to launch an OSR Magazine, so the relaunch of Tenkar & The Badger is being delayed further.

I have been approached by a good friend about kicking off a new podcast. The logistics may be a bit difficult, as I no longer have evenings free nor do I have Sunday afternoons. The thing is, the podcast should rock. Just need to work out some details. For those that care, the aim will be 30 minutes or so per episode - it really does seem to be the sweet spot.

Now, a thought did occur to me. What if I did some short podcasts for the blog, riffing off or expanding up certain posts? These would be 5 to 10 minutes at most, and would be behind the scenes if you will. Each would be tied to a specific post and would be bonus content. The trick would be to also have the bonus podcast pieces stand on their own. I wouldn't be surprised if these got recorded on my commutes to an from work. Garageband 6 on my Mac should do this well.

Anyhow, the last bit is mostly me thinking out loud. Not sure if it's going to happen but it could be a fun experiment. Whether it would be time well spent, thats another question ;)