Kickstarter - The Lost Lands: The Blight - Richard Pett's Crooked City (Frog God Games)

You know how The Lost Lands: Borderland Provinces Kickstarter was billed as Frog God at an affordable price?

Forget all that. It's done and over.

The Lost Lands: The Blight - Richard Pett's Crooked City is clocking in at 900 pages (I believe that is the Pathfinder version page count, Swords & Wizardry should be a bit shorter)

Yep, you know that is going to cost.

$50 for the PDF, $135 for Print plus PDF.

It's also a long ticking Kickstarter with 55 days left on the clock as I type this.

A friend of mine termed The Blight as "Planescape meets Ravenloft"

Just don't drop it, you may break a foot.

From the blurb:

What exactly is The Blight, you ask? The Blight is a lot of different things to a lot of people. At its most basic level, it is the next portion of the Lost Lands campaign setting to be revealed by Frog God Games, a darkly medieval, urban horror setting that crouches on the western coast of Akados far from the other lands revealed in the Lost Lands so far--an ugly, misshapen twin who glares across the continent at its sibling on the opposite side with envy and hatred in its eyes...and not a little bit of madness. 

The Blight is a Campaign Setting and Adventure Path for Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry 

The Blight is a mega-campaign book and adventure path along the lines of Frog God Games releases like Sword of Air, The Slumbering Tsar Saga, The Northlands Saga Complete, and Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms. And like those books it includes both a vast compendium of gazetteer information about the area it covers as well as adventure, adventure, adventure!! Clocking in at over 550,000 words, The Blight is also the single-largest print product ever produced by Frog God Games...surpassing even the might of the The Slumbering Tsar Saga in its magnitude. Though it has not been through layout yet, so that a page count is an estimate at best, we anticipate that this book will be at or around 900 pages in length. 

The Blight is two books in one with the first half devoted to a campaign guide with a complete history, timeline, and overview of the city as well as new classes, players options*, and races, along with a detailed gazetteer of each of the city's 13 districts. The last half comprises the adventure path, Levee, a campaign set within the rotten and degenerate urban confines of the city, where the PCs must scratch and claw their way to survival starting at 1st level and continuing through 9 adventures -- each one highlighting a different city district -- all the way to 10th level and above. The book also includes a player-friendly, full-color poster map of the city to enhance everyone's enjoyment of the place. 

*No new classes for the Swords & Wizardry version: Matt said "no." 

As is the Frog God Games norm, the book will be produced in both Pathfinder Roleplaying Game and Swords & Wizardry versions. However, departing from the FGG standard for the Pathfinder version, the adventure path uses the Slow Advancement Track for experience points allowing the GM to create a slow build among the horror and urban sprawl of the city with no easy means of escape for the players through high-level spells or mere virtue of skill at arms. The book itself also supports Medium Advancement Track play, as do the ancillary adventure products mentioned below, but we wanted to provide this unique opportunity for players and GMs alike to really have the chance to stew amid the filth and stench of an urban nightmare like The Blight, where escape is never as easy as it sounds. 

Oh, and one more thing, The Blight is dark...so very dark. A landscape of desperation and depravity, The Blight takes the usual no-holds-barred gritty adventure style of Frog God Games and cranks it up another notch. The Blight does not violate the restrictions of the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Compatibility License and never abandons good taste, but it is gruesome and it does not paint a rosy picture. Not everything is black and white (the players frequently encountering ever darker shades of gray), the good guys may not always win (the good guys may not always be evident), and there are no guarantees of a happy ending. In the Blight, sometimes survival alone with mind and body intact (or mostly intact) is reward enough. Though don't be fooled, opportunities for heroics and great reward abound; there's just not always a simple and clear path laid at the feet of the players to choose from. Consequently the materials of The Blight may not be suitable for some audiences below the age of 13. Forewarned is forearmed, and we always advocate that game products be purchased wisely and age-appropriately.

"12 Days of OSR Christmas 2016" Recruitment of Gifters (and some changes from last year)

Alright, we are now officially in The Week of Thanksgiving (US) which means the annual 12 Days of OSR Christmas will be sneaking up before you know it. For those that are gifting and those that are hoping to score a gift or two, things are being changed up ever so slightly.

Where possible, if the gifter has a blog, website or forum that allows comments, the actual "gifting" will take place at the gifter's site. Here's what I mean:

• OSR John Smith, and OSR publisher, wants to donate 1 print copy and 2 PDF copies of his latest release, OSR Beasts & Bellies
• OSR John Smith lets me know what he wants to donate, either as a comment on this post and / or as an email to tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom
• I'll compile at list of gifters and the gifts they want to gift and work out a schedule for the gift posts
• Gifts and their respective gifters will be posted here at The Tavern and those hoping to score a gift will be directed to the gifter's blog, website or forum to make their comments there
• Closing date and time for comments will be announced at The Tavern and the gifter's website
• This should help generate some traffic for the gifter's website and get some fresh eyes on different sites
• The current gift giving site / sites will be listed in the sidebar on the right side of this page
• It should also keep me a bit saner with my current work hours. Hell, it will keep me saner no matter what my work hours might be ;)
• Gift receivers would be announced at The Tavern and at the gifting site. The gifting site would be responsible for awarding their prizes
• Some days may have more that one gift giver

I plan on gifting some RPGNow gift certificates and a small amount of print items (print will be US only as shipping outside the states probably costs more than the gifts.  Physical gifts will include an 8 GB Remix Mini as well as a slightly water damaged in transit Swords & Wizardry White Box Hard Cover.

Hoping to Kick things off next week :)

Noble Knight Does Something Amazingly Classy - And Gives Ken Whitman a Big "Fuck You!" at the Same Time

There is class and then there is Noble Knight. I need to make some more purchases at their website this week to thank them.

Also a huge "thank you" to all those that have raised their voices to point out the low life piece of scum Ken Whitman is (allegedly ;)

AltspaceVR - A Virtual Reality Virtual Table Top Licensed for D&D 5e - You Can WTF AFTER Watching the Videos ;)

Alright, I saw a short article on this over at ENWorld. My reaction to the promo video linked there was literally "WTF?"

So I moved on to the company's actual website at AltVR.com It appears that this is an actually licensed "something" for Dungeon & Dragons 5e.

I'm head scratching at the moment. How this is more like playing at a "real" table instead of using Roll20 or the like is beyond me. I guess we need virtual avatars to more virtual pieces.

Layers upon layers of virtual reality...

Kickstarter - Car Wars Drives up a Month Early

The Car Wars Arenas Kickstarter arrived earlier this week. I would have posted it earlier, but more pressing current news and events took precedence. I am to play so catch up today ;)

Estimated delivery date? December 2015.

Well done.

The Wandering Wizard Lives! (Mike Nystul has a Good Sense of Humor)

Tonight I received my immensely huge and over stuff Death & Taxes Boxed Set (more on that later.) Inside the shipping box was the above.

Now, the wait for the Infinite Dungeon Kickstarter to complete might be infinite itself, but this is just damn cool. I tip my hat to Mike Nystul or to whoever forged this for him :)

Thank you +Zach Glazar . A better gnome would be hard to find. Even a lesser one ;)

White Box Thoughts - How to do Subclasses Without Doing Subclasses - Kinda Sorta...

Today kicks off a week of vacation (well, after waking at noon yesterday I was kinda on vacation, but I had "uncle duty" so not sure it counts ;) and my mind has already turned heavily in the direction of all things gaming.

I laid in bed last night thinking of Swords & Wizardry White Box and how easy it is to house rule. That simplicity is also a trap, as you can house rule things to be way more complicated than White Box needs.

I want barbarians, paladins, rangers and "expert treasure finders" in my campaign (and maybe various types of clerics and magic-users) but I don't want the class bloat. So, this is what I'm toying with.

- Let's take Fighters. At 2nd level, a fighter has to make a choice. They choose a path for lack of a better phrase:

• Most fighters in the campaign (at least NPCs) would choose the Path of the Warrior. Warriors would receive + 1 and + 1 damage with a single chosen weapon type - ex. long sword, short sword, battle axe, long bow, etc)
• Some fighters would choose the Path of the Barbarian. Barbarians would get to enrage once per day for 5 rounds and receive + 2 hit and + 2 damage with any hand held or thrown weapons when enraged.
• Others may choose the Path of the Ranger. They would get + 1 to hit against ogres, orcs, goblins and kobolds (certain campaigns may add or subtract to this list.) They would also track outdoors on a 4 in 6 chance and indoors on a 2 in 6 chance (dwarven rangers would reverse those numbers.)
• The Path of the Paladin requires a "just cause" to follow. Laying of Hands would heal for up to 2 HP per level per day, distributed as the Paladin wishes. He could heal 2 wounded companions for 1 HP each after a battle or 1 companion for 2 points. Or heal 1 companion for 1 HP and save the other point for later in the day.
• The Path of the Expert Treasure Hunter requires a choice of specialization of sorts. Lock Expert or Trap Expert. Expertise gives a 4 in 6 chance of success with normal locks and traps. The non-chosen specialization would have a 2 in 6 chance. Most locks and traps would be of normal difficulty, but some may be simple or more difficult and as such would adjust the chance of success up or down by 1 in 6)

I'm happy to take feedback, criticisms and such. I believe the above is broadly balanced but what the heck do I know?

Ken Whitman - 25K In Debt by his Own Account - "I'll Gladly Refund You - In Six More Months"

Thanks to my anonymous source who who forwarded me this email chain. There were four previous email requests for a refund dating back to April 3 that went unanswered.

I think the above speaks for itself...

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 930 PM Eastern

Yep. Another week, another Tavern Chat.

We've had a few sizable releases in the OSR in the last week so there should be plenty to discuss.

I am on "Uncle Duty", so I may be a few minutes late ;)

Now to work on yet ANOTHER Ken Whitman post...

Free OSR Adventure - Vault of the Faceless Giants (New Big Dragon Games)

Vault of the Faceless Giants is +Richard LeBlanc 's (New Big Dragon Games) free release for use with their Basic Psionics Handbook, which is itself a supplement to Labyrinth Lord (but usable with just about any classic / OSR ruleset with minimal work.)

Vault of the Faceless Giants isn't in it's final state, therefore it's considered a "beta" and is currently free. If you grab it when it's free, you'll get all the updates to the file, even the final ones. So, the "free" part is time limited. Grab it while you can ;)

Although designed for use with the Basic Psionics Handbook, it can be used without with minor modifications. Vault of the Faceless Giants is a solid, low level adventure.

More Ken Whitless / Ken Whitman / Whit Whitman Dishonesty - Unloads Undelivered Kickstarter Stock at Noble Knight While Backers Still Wait for Thiers

The man who has put the "thief" back in the "rogue" class, Ken Whitman / Whitless / Whit Whitman (he has many names) has outdone himself again.

The books that the backers of the KotDT Live Action Series have been waiting for forever (it's in the mail - right, Ken?) have been found - at Noble Knight. Backers aren't getting theirs, but you can get your own copy at Noble Knight.

Way to go Ken!

So, how that movie career going for ya?

edit: I have it on good authority that Noble Knight had no idea and they are sending the books back to Ken

Swords of the Petal Throne - Kevin Crawford Does Tekumel

+Kevin Crawford , he of Stars Without Number fame and many other OSR releases, has thrown down the gauntlet and has produced an OSR ruleset for Tekumel, aka Empire of the Petal Throne.

Yes, that Tekumel.

While the current release is just a beta and not official, Kevin would like to see a free 128 page PDF release that includes his trademark adventure generator system. It might come to pass, too:

You can grab the Swords of the Petal Throne beta here.

Kickstarter Update - The Lost Lands: Borderland Provinces - Less Than 10 Hours Left (Frog God Games)

The Lost Lands: Borderland Provinces Kickstarter has been picking up speed in it's final days and now it's in it's final hours. I posted about it earlier here and I'm not going to go into full details a second time, but Frog God is putting out a campaign setting for their adventures and you can get in for as little as $35 in print for the campaign OR adventure book, $70 if you want both. It comes in Pathfinder, 5e and Swords & Wizardry flavors.

It's hit a number of stretch goals. I'm just going to highlight the ones that add more content.

$46,000 Walls of Broch Tarna: Free short-story fiction, set in the Borderlands. “The Walls of Broch Tarna” by Nathan Shank.

$48,000 Alternative Wilderness Tables (Basic tables): Region-Level Wilderness Encounter Tables as further described below.

$50,000 Stretch Goal #3:   Perilous Places #1. Specific encounter tables for those foolhardy enough to venture into the Forest of Hope or (even worse) the Creeping Mire in Keston Province.

$52,000 Stretch Goal #4:  Gods of the Borderland Provinces (Basic)! Pages added to the book, describing the most prominent of the region's deities. 

$54,000 Stretch Goal #6: Perilous Places #2: Specific encounter tables for the Lorremach Highhills, the Wilderland Hills, and the Duskmoon Hills. 

$56,000 Stretch Goal #8: Archeillus. The basic form of the deities appendix will contain the descriptions of Thyr, Freya, Muir, and Belon the Wise. If we unlock this stretch goal, the less-known god Archeillus is added to the appendix of Borderland deities.

$57,000 Stretch Goal #9: Yenomesh. Yenomesh is the god of glyphs and writing, and appears to be responsible for a miracle that happened in one of the towns of Suilley. He’s a good patron for wizards.

$59,000 Stretch Goal #11: Perilous Places #3. Specific encounter tables for the Forlorn Mountains, the Kal’Iugus Mountains, the Meridian Range, the Rampart Mountains, and the eerie peaks of the Cretians.

$60,000 Stretch Goal #12: Telophus. Telophus is a very commonly worshipped deity among the peasantry, a god of farming and grain. His church is becoming more active in the face of the oppression of farmers in some parts of the Borderlands, and would be an excellent patron for clerics who like to go around rescuing settlements on the edge of the wilderness. 

$62,000 Stretch Goal #13: Free adventure PDF “Vindication.” If we hit this stretch goal, we will give a free pdf of the Borderland Provinces d20 adventure Vindication to all backers. Vindication is not converted from the original d20 format, so it would require a bit of work to use it directly, but it provides tons of information about the Lorremach Highhills. It’s a very useful resource.

The Kickstarter just passed the $62 k threshold. The following stretch goals are due up next:

$63,000 Stretch Goal #14: Kamien and Dre’uain the Lame. Kamien is a goddess of the rivers, and Dre’uain the Lame is a god of industry and hard work, and his church in Keston is dedicated to re-settling the wild, depopulated lands ruined by the chaos of the Wilderland Clan Wars that took place 10 years ago. If we hit this stretch goal, Greg will do the research and writing to add details about Kamien and Dre’uain the Lame into the appendix of deities. LOCKED

$64,000 Stretch Goal #15: Spire of Iron and Crystal (paid). This module has already been published for Fifth Edition in its “Director’s Cut” format, in Quests of Doom 2. If we hit this stretch goal, we will publish the pdf of the Director’s Cut for Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry, and sell it as a $5 add-on to the Backer Kit. LOCKED

$66,000 Stretch Goal #16: free PDF of Bard’s Gate. If we hit this stretch goal, we will give a free pdf of the Bard’s Gate d20 version to all backers. This is a very large book; it is not converted from the original d20 format, so it would require a bit of work to use it directly, but it provides tons of information about one of the key cities of the campaign area. The influence of Bard’s Gate is extremely strong in the northern and western parts of the Borderland Provinces. LOCKED

$68,000 Stretch Goal #17: free PDF of Durbenford. If we hit this stretch goal, we will give a free pdf of the Borderland Provinces d20 adventure Trouble in Durbenford to all backers. This is a very large book; it is not converted from the original d20 format, so it would require a bit of work to use it directly, but it provides tons of information about the regions just to the west of the map of the Provinces. Like Vindication (Stretch Goal 13), it’s a very useful resource with many pages of Borderland goodness. LOCKED

$71,000 Stretch Goal #18: free PDF of Spire of Iron and Crystal. If we hit this stretch goal, we will give away the Fifth Edition, Pathfinder, and Swords & Wizardry PDF of Spire of Iron and Crystal to all backers. LOCKED

Lots of good stuff added already and some very attractive free PDFs potentially to be added in the next few hours.

If you haven't checked out The Lost Lands: Borderland Provinces Kickstarter, your time is running out. Frog God does some extremely high quality releases and this looks to be up there with their previous ones.

My Newfound Appreciation for Swords & Wizardry White Box (from a hardcore S&W Complete Gamer)

My love of all things Swords & Wizardry is pretty well known, but until recently that affection was directed mostly at the Complete version (Core is fine, but if you are going to go Core you might just as well go Complete INHO.)

Now, White Star builds off of S&W White Box in an exceptional manner. I am drawn to S&W Complete because it comes damn close to emulating AD&D 1e as we played it - without all of the fiddly bits but White Star opened my eyes to the idea that even further simplicity opens up way more options. More options for the DM, more options for the players, more options for the campaign. Sometimes less is more.

When I decided I was interested in developing a DragonsStar / Spelljammer inspired setting for Swords & Wizardry, I knew White Star was going to be an integral part of that. So, I went deep into my collection and pulled out my beat up copy of S&W White Box in softcover (leaving the S&W White Box boxed set safely on it's display shelf - that shit aint cheap.) Yep, +James Spahn knew what he was doing when he reached for the White Box edition of S&W.

You can download S&W White Box for free at +Matt Finch 's website - SwordsAndWizardry.com

Not only is it in PDF format but there is also an MS Word Doc version that you can houserule to your heart's content.

If print is your desire, Lulu has Swords & Wizardry White Box in both hardcover and softcover flavors.

Alright, need to get ready for work. Downloaded S&W White Box to my phone for yet another reread tonight.

Kickstarter - Gemstone Dice: Holiday Edition! RPG Polyhedral and d6 Sets (Dice, Dice, Baby!)

What is it with dice and Kickstarter recently? There seems to be more dice Kickstarters running at the same time than Ic remember happening before. I'm not complaining, just noticing.

Gemstone Dice: Holiday Edition! RPG Polyhedral and d6 Sets is a Kickstarter running to fund gemstone dice. No, not diamonds and rubies, but semi-precious gemstones.

It's actually kinda cool.

Rach is tempted to ask for the snow quartz as a gift if the stretch goal is met. Of course, they do not guarantee the dice before Christmas, so "Holiday Edition" is a bit of a misnomer. Unless your gifting holiday is Presidents Day that is.

Me? The prices seem high, but what do I know? Maybe I need some gems in my dice bag...

How Important are Nations / States / Kingdoms in You Campaigns?

I had some thoughts earlier today (later today my thoughts were all distracted.) Just how important are Nations / States / Kingdoms in your campaigns? Do borders matter? Do customs change from one location to another? Does currency source matter (is foreign currency treated as legal currency?)

I find in my campaigns that I like the idea of various nations but when the campaign kicks off, that all fades to the background.

What happens in your campaigns?

Kickstarter - Crosswell: Junction To Adventure (Generic Urban Sourcebook)

Do you remember the the old CityBooks from Flying Buffalo? I do, although I only had the first back in the day (just rectified at the FBI website) I remember they were highly thought of but the players in my group that had them.

Crosswell: Junction to Adventure is inspired by those books.

It very well be hit or miss, but there are still a handful of early backer slots for the PDF available at 4 bucks - at 4 bucks how can you go wrong?

I hope it's quality and inspires a whole line of releases. Time will tell.

Crosswell: Junction to Adventure is for use with any role-playing system. While designed with a fantasy flare, with a bit of tinkering the establishments presented here can be used for any role-playing game setting--futuristic, post-apocalyptic, etc. Since Crosswell is a generic role-playing aid, no game system-specific statistics are provided for non-player characters or situations. General descriptive terms are provided to aid game masters in determining how to best fit the provided material into their own game. 

edit: Free Preview of Crosswell at RPGNow. It covers the Ten Hearth Inn. I'm partial to Inn and Taverns myself ;)

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9PM Eastern

Another week has passed.

Which means time for another Tavern Chat :)

Drop in and hang out.

Tonight's topics are... whatever you want ;)

Two RPG Dice Kickstarters - One Great to Touch, One Hard on the Eyes - 3d Printers involved in Both

Two Kickstarters, One Post. It's a first ;)

Let's kick things off with the good stuff.

Braille RPG Dice.

Brilliant idea. Not sure if anyone thought of it earlier, but they should have. I'm backing this not because I need braille RPG dice, but because the world needs braille RPG dice.

Now, for the ugly.

The Dragon's Hoard - 3d printed RPG Dice, Campaigns & More!

They remind me vaguely of the "soap dice" I got with my Gamma World Boxed set. I think I see a dragon on the green die. No way this shit is even close to balanced, but as it's virtually unreadable, I suspect they wont be rolled much.

Don't watch the video. If you do, don't draw the conclusions I did. I watched Drugs Inc last night...

Dragon White Setting - Initial Bullet Points

Art by Stom Cook

I really like +James Mishler 's idea of multiple spheres aligned with different colored dragons, but I need a way to keep the initial number of spheres in play limited, thus the closed gates.

Anyhow, here's the initial bullet points if you will. No idea if it will survive the week, or at least, which parts will survive the week ;)

Dragon White

• decayed and broken empire - ruled by dragons over multiple worlds - dragonkin are their face to other races

- dragonkin - humanoids with dragon blood - magically created race

- White Box Elf Variant as base model

- can drain spells from memory to power dragonships planar gates.

     -     inner stellar travel uses ships with sails that catch the solar winds

• inter stellar travel uses planar gates - gates are paired - all gates pair with the Dragon White System - gates directly linking other systems have not been found - ex no direct link between Dragon Green and Dragon Red - think Babylon 5 for travel via gates

- dragonships have their own planar gates that can pair with any stable gate - need power and skilled navigator - rare - single digits in number

- planar gates have just recently reopened after a millennium of closure - no one is sure  

 why they have opened, or those that know aren’t talking

     - the systems / spheres are:

Dragon White - central - numerous races - a handful of inhabited moons -                

                       fragmented governments that can trace their lineage to the empire of old

Dragon Green - elf dominated - isolationist - slowly dying

Dragon Red - orcish empire - expansionist - it’s moon is a dwarven fortress

ever in resistance

     - each system / sphere is one (inhabited) planet with one or more inhabited moons

     - there are other systems / spheres - the gates have yet to be activated

     - pirates / privateers / tax officials know where the active gates are - small towns have

           sprunt up around these gates - built like endless piers with buildings / taverns /

merchants and the like - mostly lawless

OSR Bundle of Holding +3 - Time to Add to my reading Backlog

If it weren't for +James Raggi sending out an email via RPGNow, I'd have no idea there was an OSR Bundle + 3 running at Bundle of Holding. Heck, LotFP doesn't even have any products in the Starter Collection, but the do have a notable title in the Bonus Collection.

So, what do you get for the base $5.95 in PDF? A damn good amount of gaming.

Quick comments:

Slumbering Ursine Dunes - do not own and that's been my loss. Picking it up now.

Gnomes of Levnec - awesome, strange, awesome.

Strange Stars - +trey causey 's release never made my radar. Correcting that now.

Weird Adventures and Strange Tails - Trey Causey again. Must be read to be believed. I should just steals bits and pieces in every campaign I run in the future.

As for the bonus collection:

A Red & Pleasant Land - love Zak S. or hate him, this is his high water mark. Simply said, it is damn good.

Owl Hoot Trail - never heard of it prior. Into the virtual reading pile it goes.

Fever-Dreaming Marlinko - heard of it but don't really know much about it. Into the reading pile. I fucking need to retire soon.

Beyond the Wall - have heard lots of awesome about this. To the top of the reading pile

You can get it all, basic and bonus, for less than $14.

Oh, and the Original OSR Bundle has been revived too.

Chaosium RuneQuest 2 Coming Back in Print? Time to Break Out Pavis and Big Rubble :)

Although RuneQuest III (Avalon Hill) was my introduction to RuneQuest, it didn't take long for me to find RuneQuest 2 and fall in love. It was my go to system after AD&D and my group spent many a Saturday afternoon exploring the ruins of Big Rubble and the manipulations of Pavis. Good times.

To see it will be coming back in print is awesome (sure, called "Classic RuneQuest, but we know the truth - anything before Avalon Hill is gold.)  I'm very excited. Now the question is - how soon? It's not mentioned yet at the Chaosium site.

Google Hangouts Getting an Upgrade - Looks Like Apps Will Miss the Cut - Roll20 Users Take Note

Engadget has a short article on Google's currently being rolled out update to Google Hangouts. Simpler interface, improved video quality, no apps. Yep, you read that right - those apps you love - and no, not the sound effects and the goofy hats, but apps like Roll20 - do not work with the new update.

Here's the relevant quote from the Engadget article:

Just be aware that you may lose some features you like -- as one early adopter notes, app support within Hangouts is currently missing. That doesn't necessarily mean that the support is gone for good, but you shouldn't count on it coming back.

 And here's Google's official statement:

The comments in the G+ thread are very interesting and there are some names many of The Tavern's readers will recognize.

Another interesting G+ thread:

In the meantime, here's the link to the old Hangouts:

http://g.co/hangouts

Dragon White - The Fantasy-SciFi White Box-Star Mashup - Inner or Inter Stellar Scale?

White Dragon by Storn Cook

Yes, I know this is going to be a project with a long gestation. Doesn't mean I can't map out the basics now so I have a direction to work in.

My quandary is this - do I go with a single solar system with a dozen and a half worlds or so (plus moons) that ships travel between OR do I go with a cluster of star systems that ships travel between.

The first lends itself more towards fantasy with some scifi and / or steampunk elements while the second seems more sci-fantasy. At least, that's how it seems to me.

I was working on the elevator pitch during training today at work (I'm surprised I didn't fall asleep in the middle of it - day two is tomorrow) and both are appealing in their own ways.

Single solar system is probably easier to tap down but the cluster of stars has many more options to play with, not least of which is the solar systems themselves.

All of which would get released in the one-sheet format I discussed months ago, but it would be modular in nature. A one-sheet for the system as an overview, a one sheet for a world overview, a one sheet for a nation / country / empire overview and a one sheet for a city / town / location of interest overview. The one-sheet system should keep things manageable.

Well, in theory in any case ;)

Ken Whitman Deleted from Wikipedia - Does That Mean He No Longer Exists?

Of course not! You can still sue Ken via your State's Attorney General. They'll find him in the Atlanta area, or so he says.

I guess all of Ken's editing of his own Wiki Page caught up with him...

Thoughts on an OSR "Dragonstar" Type Campaign - and Other Random Thoughts of a Dangerous Type

I've got training this week, so instead of being a vampire an working when the sun is down I'll be in training at 7am tomorrow. My mind is bouncing around, and lack of sleep this morning after last night's overnight shift has left me a little punch drunk. But hey, the Jets AND the Giants both won today. Football is alive and well in NYC :)

Anyhow, back in the D20 era, when I didn't game but I did collect gaming books, Dragonstar was a setting that really caught my eye and sparked my imagination. On the surface, it seemed similar to Spelljammer, but it was much darker (Spelljammer always felt "campy" to me.) Hmmm, the other D20 era setting that got my imagination going was Midnight. Must be the idea of dark in my fantasy.


Tonight I stumbled across the Dragonstar SRD, which to be honest is really just the 3.0 SRD with some minor additions. Of course, the fluff is not open, so it's not included, but it did get me thinking - how hard would it to be to take one part S&W White Box, one part White Star, add in some dragons, borrow inspiration from Spelljammer, Calidar and Dragonstar, sprinkle the decay of a multi-world evil empire, distill it down with White Box sensibility and simplicity and cook it on the stove of creativity?

Yeah, not something I should even be thinking off with my current screwed up work hours. But wait! I've decided to run some of the comp time I've accumulated (and vacation time I've banked) to give myself a four day weekend every other week before I hand in my shield in the Spring. If I block out some creative time I may have something usable before I retire. With some work, it may even be usable by others too ;)

I think I'm going to bring a notebook to training tomorrow. 8 hrs of lectures by folks that don't and can't, so therefore they teach. I'll look attentive, taking notes and such while I'm really mapping out universe of White Dragon (or whatever it's going to be called - for now, it's code name "White Dragon".)

The secret to anything White Box is less is more. So I need to think big and execute small.

Alright, time for sleep. I have to be at work an hour before I'd normally be heading for home. Sleep won't come easy...

Free OSR - PX2 Extra: Planar Primer

I've yet to come across a release from New Big Dragon Games ( +Richard LeBlanc ) that I haven't found immensely useful and a bargain for the price paid. The fact that Rich is giving the Planar Primer away for free is awesome. Some may dismiss it as only 7 pages long. Those 7 pages hold more useful Planar information than some 128 page books.

Did I mention the Planar Primer is free? It's also pretty much edition neutral. It might say BX / LL on the tin but the inside is pretty much game mechanic free and what game mechanics are there apply across rulesets (I can't speak for 4e, but then again, I never have ;)

Grab a copy of the Planar Primer. Study the Schematic of the Planes. I'm working on something in my head referencing it and you may be quizzed on a later post ;)

Just imagine if the Barrowmaze was below all this...

Kickstarter - Agent of the Imperium: Marc Miller's Traveller Novel

Maybe with proper funding they can afford proper art for the book cover

Traveller, in the Black Starter Box release, was my first non-TSR RPG. It was also the first RPG I seriously tried to house rule - where the hell were the rules for character advancement? Such an obvious omission ;)

The background of the universe as I dug deeper into the system was damn cool, even if it did get muddled in later editions. Heck, my brother-in-law, who hasn't played an RPG in over 25 years still cherishes his Traveller books.

Marc Miller, now that T5 has been put to rest (preferably buried, but that's just me) is trying his hand at a Traveller Novel, Agent of the Imperium.

Color me intrigued.

I'm happy to back just for the history aspect of the project. Well, not real history, but the Traveller Universe has always been much more than the 2d6 system that powered the Little Black Books. I want to see where this goes.

Maybe, just maybe, there's a bit of morbid curiosity involved too.

In any case, it's smashed it's meager $1k goal and comfortable sits at over $20,000 with 535 backers. It certainly has a following.

Tavern Updates - Talk, Tutorials, Tap and Pre-Podcasting

I've had uncle-duty since noon yesterday - yes, I've been a busy uncle for a nearly 5 year old girl. Needless to say, I've accomplished nearly nothing over the last two days that I had hoped to, but damn I've been a good uncle ;)

Tavern Talk was nice and lively last night even with me arriving late and leaving early due to priority commitments (my anniversary being high on that short list.) I'm really excited with Dyson's latest project (I posted about it here) and it was great to see +Dyson Logos and others in the chat last night.

Of course, Dyson's latest is part of the reason I'm trying to kick of the Tavern Chat Podcast as soon as possible. Isn't going to happen today, but with some day time training and some more time off next week I may actually be able to kick off this timely gaming news podcast.

Which leads back to the tutorial aspect. I have no problem talking, as you can see from the previous podcasts I've shared hosting duties on. Then again, this is the first one where I'm doing more than simply yapping. Time to get the moving parts down. I expect the Tavern Chat Podcast will be more "quick and dirty" than the others. By its very nature, it will have to be. I'm aiming for once a week releases initially before moving to twice a week and finally three times in March, 10 to 20 minutes per episode.

I've got my topics worked out for the first episode, but if I don't get it done this week coming up, I may need to change some of the topics, as they will no longer be timely...

Oh, and this was my latest Kickstarter to deliver. Just need to get it up and running :)

Kickstarter - Starvation Cheap: Planetary Warfare for Stars Without Number - Kevin is Early - Again - and with more Free Art

Want to learn how to run a successful gaming Kickstarter from pitch to funding to completion? Look no further than +Kevin Crawford (Sine Nomine Publishing.) Kevin sets the Gold Standard that all other project creators should be looking to emulate.

Starvation Cheap: Planetary Warfare for Stars Without Number is a month early of estimate. Sure, Kevin bakes some extra time into his estimates but he knows the process better than most.

Best of all, more free art for the community to use in their commercial projects. You can download the Starvation Cheap art pack here. Did I mention it's free to use in all of your commercial work, just like the other art packs Kevin has put together?

Another tip of the hat to Kevin :)

Indiegogo - Scrote'n'Tote: The Satchel of Life - I've got the Biggest Balls of Them All!

I've been bombarded with emails and social media messages about the Scrote'n'Tote: The Satchel of Life project on Indiegogo.

Don't want to bother reading the project website? No worries - watch the video:

How serious is the project?

I give them credit for using the fixed funding option at Indiegogo, so it's not a quick money grab at your crotch.

Bad. I know.

But it does seem legit-ish.

Although the video may suggest otherwise, this is an actual and legitimate project.
The aim of this campaign is to produce sturdy, functional, durable, high quality and of course stylish Scrote'n'Tote backpacks to be made available to aesthetes  all over the world.  

The funding goal of $33,000 will cover the cost of producing the mold for the skin textured part of the bag, which is the biggest pre-production expense.  The money also covers various smaller research costs including testing out different materials, different methods for attaching the skin part to the backpack part, producing various prototypes, quality tests, trying out different production facilities in different locations to see who can make the best product, etc.  

The Scrote'n'Tote prototype you see in the images was produced by hand by special effects prosthetics artist C.J. Goldman and is too heavy and delicate to be used as a proper backpack, on top of costing almost $1000 to produce per bag, which is why we can't use that method or materials. 

Once we've produced something functional and sturdy that looks as close to the original as possible, we'll sell the Scrote'n'Totes online for $120 USD each, plus shipping. 

However, everyone who donated $10 will be entitled to buy one for only $69 plus shipping, as well as getting the satisfaction of knowing that they helped bring the gift of scrotes into the world.   

There's also the option to put the whole $69 down right away which saves you the extra $10.

Not much to say. The whole thing kinda speaks for itself.

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9PM Eastern - Your Host Will NOT be There

Thursday's has been the night for Tavern Chat for a while now and I've been pretty good at making the chat sessions. Tonight will be different though, as tonight is Rachel and I's wedding anniversary.

With her new work hours, I suspect we won't get out to dinner until 8ish and back by 10pm at the earliest. Which means I'll miss the kick off of the chat but might make the last half.

Play nice amongst yourselves ;)

Want something to discuss? Dyson's Monster Manual Madness. There. Drops mic and leaves the stage...

Dyson Does... Holy Sh!t What Dyson Does! Monster Manual Madness

I cut my RPG teeth on AD&D 1e. As +Dyson Logos says on his blog post (where I "borrowed" this pic from) there is just something special about the 1e rules.

Me? I remember reading the Dungeon Master's Guide and Player's Handbook from front to back and back to front. I had to wait a bit for the Monster Manual but when I finally had a copy I wore it out. I'm pretty sure my MM would open to the same page if dropped on a table. The same page it would open for just about every teenage boy that played AD&D in the early 80s.

I loved the art in the Monster Manual. It fit the vision I had of Dungeons & Dragons at the time, or maybe it formed that vision. Damned if I know.

I never thought that it could be improved upon.

Damn you Dyson! I'll never be able to look at my Monster Manual the same again. What you're doing is making the Monster Manual magical again. It's beyond amazing. It's jaw dropping.

I hope you keep us constantly updated as this project progresses.

I'll need to save my pennies for the future when you auction the complete illuminated copy off...

RPGNow Deal of the Day - OpenQuest 2 Deluxe

Ask me my favorite flavor of D&D and without hesitation I'll tell you "Swords & Wizardry." I like them all up to 2e as well as the various clones (and 5e is certainly playable) but S&W is the version that plays the smoothest for me.

Ask me my favorite flavor of Basic Roleplaying, the system that powers everything from CoC, RuneQuest, Legend, Elric and so much more and I'll tell you "OpenQuest." It doesn't overwhelm and works pretty well will adventures and settings from the various other flavors of Basic Roleplaying.

Until 11am tomorrow morning, you can get the OpenQuest 2 Deluxe rules in PDF for $7.50 (normally $15.) Not sure? Grab the OpenQuest 2 Basic Edition in PDF for free.

Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls Hardcover in Hand and it's a Beast

Sure, I've had my 10 pack of Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls softcovers for a few weeks now but the hardcover is something special. One thing that is striking right off the bat (and it applies to the soft covers too) is that the font sized used is perfect. Easy to read, no squinting - simply a pleasure. I guess you need old folks to edit books for old folks to get books that are easily readable by us old folks ;)

Look how well the hardcover lies flat. Plop this on your desk or table and you are ready to go, no need to hold the pages down. I really need to budget some time to give this more than a scan - I really need to dig deep into the new edition of T&T.

Strangely enough, it came pack in a 5e T&T box (there are also some character sheets and some poster-y stuff packed inside the box. Except for a razor cut on one of the four sides, this 5e T&T box is in better condition than any in my collection. Go figure.

And now you can consider the Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls Kickstarter fulfilled ;)

RPGNow Deal of the Day - Starter Adventures (by GM Games / AKA Tim Shorts)

Back in 2014, +Tim Shorts was nice enough to give me a comped copy of Starter Adventures with the intention of using it to give my wife Rachel a nice introduction to the world of RPGs. I was very impressed with what I saw. I still am.

Starter Adventures is the prefect way to introduce a new player to the world of RPGs, or a more experienced played to the corner of the worlds we call the OSR. There are four adventures, each tailored to one of the four classic classes. They get to learn about their chosen profession as they learn about gaming. Or simply use the enclosed adventures as seeds for further adventures. Hell, it includes a Tavern, but not The Tavern. Damn oversights ;)

Four bucks. Four adventures. Today only.

Do it. They'll thank you in the end.

From the blurb:

Starter Adventures is where you learn to fight, steal, cast spells and heal.  You'll have to use your wits to figure out puzzles.  Use a sword to murderize goblins.  And crumble the undead beneath the power of your god. 

It's time to grab a weapon, memorize a spell and strap on some armor.  This is going to be fun. 

Starter Adventures is targeted toward introducing a new player into RPGs.  Inside are four short adventures for each of the four main classes, a tavern to hangout in, and a full-fledged adventure when they've got enough blood encrusted on their blades. 

You Can Run, But You Can't Hide - Ken Whitless Moves to Atlanta

Kickstarter related lawsuits got you down? State attorney generals on your ass? Ownership of a certain fairy game going to court? Trying to dodge possible pending criminal charges for a domestic incident with your on again, off again, on again, off again girlfriend? (note - due to multiple deleted Facebook posts by the alleged victim, this part is mere conjecture - if you want my professional opinion, you know how to contact me)

No worries!

Move to Atlanta and leave your Kentucky troubles behind you!

Ken Whitless. Support the Kickstarters for the dream. Stick around for the drama.

BTW, did you see Ken's horrible release for the C&C TV Pilot? No, neither did the backers. Nor can I find the link. I saw it, and wasn't impressed.

Oh, and rumor has it Ken is growing a beard. Still can't hide that lovable mug.