Reminder - Tavern Chat - Tonight - 9PM Eastern

Yep, believe it or not another Tavern Chat has rolled around. Tonight's the night.

Alright, maybe not quite the song to choose, but I'm in a bit of a punchy mood. Handed in my concealed carry application this morning as a soon to be officially retired police officer, got fingerprinted for the first time in 20 years, all that fun stuff. Reality will soon be real ;)

What are we going to talk about? You tell me - but I can guarantee mapping will be on the table...

How do you participate in Tavern Chat? Look at the right side of this page (you may need to scroll down just a bit) - There is a chat box by Chatwing. That is our Tavern Chat. You can log in using just about any social media platform. See you tonight!

Other World Mapping - Playing With the Different Styles

Yeah, you might be getting a couple of posts a week on my playing around with the Other World Mapper at this point. So much to play with, so much to learn.

In any case, I spent a little time last night playing around with the above, which is a smaller part of the piece below (obviously not complete).

I like the idea of only needing to detail the part of the sandbox you players will be interesting with sooner that later, and adding in further details down the line. If I used this in play, the players would start by the lake, at the town on the eastern shore. You have the island in the middle of the lake to explore, goblins and gnolls in the hills, a dungeon not far off to the west, ruins to the south and west - yeah, lots of hooks there for the taking.

The nearest true city is east at the mouth of the norther river. As for what lies to the east...

Fun stuff in any cast. Pretty amazing what you can put together in less than an hour's time.

And the Winner of the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Giveaway is...

So, I offered up a Virtual Patreon for the Month of April package for Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day this past Sunday. I should have picked a winner yesterday, but this week has been a busy one and won't slow down until tomorrow afternoon, give or take.

In any case, the winner has been chosen, and it is...

Ben Trautman

Ben, reach out to me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing and we'll get you hooked up :)

Question for the Tavern Folk - Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map...

Earlier today I posted a mini-review of the Other World Mapper mapping software. I personally think it rocks. I suspect I'll be playing with it for endless hours, creating decent (and less than decent) maps with it. It's all part of the learning process.

As everything created with the software is licensed for commercial use by default, would there be an interest in me releasing some of these maps into the "free to use commercially" realm of usage? I'm sure the initial ones will be utter crap, but time is on my side and I may get some skill after a few hundred hours of practice ;)

Just an idea. I'd hate to create a few dozen of these that just sit on my hard drive waiting on a project to match up with them...

As an aside, I'm working out some ideas to use one of +Dyson Logos ' free to use commercially maps in a crowdsourced type of project. I'll never match the master, so I need to find my own track :)

Mini Review - Other World Mapper (So Easy Tenkar Can Figure it Out)

I guess it's pretty obvious I've been looking at fantasy mapping software recently. Why? Because I suck at it free hand, which is the simple truth. I do like mapping and maps. So, I need something relatively idiot proof.

+Zach Glazar , The Lesser Gnome and some might now say, Lesser God (I jest - Demi-God at best), pointed me at the Other World Mapping program. It was Kickstarted back in 2014 (I missed it) and is now offering it's "beta" for sale at $60. Those 60 bucks are basically the same tier and price as in the original Kickstarter (35 bucks would have gotten you the same, but only when the product was finished). So yes, you're paying a premium to kick the tires of a product still in development.

So, how is it?

I deleted 2 maps and created 2 maps - one dungeon, one outdoor, in about an hour or so. That included actually referring to some of the documentation (but like many males, I just bullheaded my way through most of it). I must say, it is a very flexible and complete program. It can certainly use more art sets, and that's in the future so I'm not fretting much.

I didn't go into either map with a theme in mind, just looking to put the software through it's paces. I'm quite pleased with the results. Imagine if I actually spent time and had an idea of what I wanted to accomplish ;)

edit - forgot to mention that the maps produced with Other World Mapper are licensed for commercial use:

DRM Free and Royalty Free 

Other World Mapper will be DRM-Free, without any online activation, always online requirements, or severe activation restrictions. 

Other World Mapper will be royalty free, for both personal and commercial use. You can do anything you want with the maps you create with Other World Mapper: print them, use them for a book, a video game or board game. The maps you create are yours!

Mapping Monday - Playing Around with Dungeon Painter Online (Free Online Mapping App)

Yep, got it in my head to check out the various mapping programs / apps available for the mapping handicapped like myself. I'm sorry, but most of the mapping programs out there have a learning curve exponentially beyond my learning curve.

The above map took about 20 minutes and that included learning the interface at Dungeon Painter Online. I wasn't looking to do anything in particular, just wanted to take it for a short test drive and kick the tires a bit. For a free online app it's easy to learn, which is good at the documentation is limited. I need to spend some more time reading the forums.

If you use the Fantasy Fortress, Old School D&D or Pencil tile sets, the resulting maps are freely licensed for use in commercial projects, which is pretty cool.

In any case, I'm sure 95% of my readers can do better than my test drive ;)

A WTF Were They Thinking Kickstarter - My Little Pony Dating Simulator Game

Let's just take a moment and thank whatever higher being you pray to that THIS will not fund.

Not much more to say other than who the hell needs a My Little Pony Dating Simulator Game?

Monday Morning Kickstarter Update - Critical Quests find Gunmetal in the Belly of Ghostbusters

One thing I'm guilty of is highlighting Kickstarters, good or bad, and then never returning them to the spotlight, which I think is a shame. Most of the good ones deserve a second look and some of the bad ones certainly have more sacrifices to make to the community on our behalf. The Monday Morning Kickstarter Update is a weekly feature (although the title itself is subject to change).

Without further ado...

Belly of the Beast RPG - 10 bucks for the PDF and code for the POD version of "a tabletop RPG about callous survivors scavenging the abyssal guts of the world-eating Beast that consumed their home." Sounds interesting, even if I just use it for inspiration and reference.

Ghostbusters: The Board Game II - I haven't put up a post about this one yet (shit, it funded in 2 hours) but I love Ghostbusters stuff, missed out on the first KS for the first version of the board game and figured this would be all around family fun. That and it keeps knocking down stretch goals. Did I mention the video is worth watching?

Quests of Doom 3 - adventures for S&W and 5e. It just funded this morning at a hair under $13k. Should be a nice addition to my Frog God collection.

Gunmetal Polyhedral RPG Dice In Complete Sets - for the dice collector who has everything. I'd just be worried about putting nicks in my desk if I used these.

5e Critical Hit Decks for Players and GMs - I'm a sucker for cards to use with my RPGs. They're visual, tangible and just damn fun.

As We Wrap up Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day 2016, I Was Pondering a Week Long OSR Celebration This Summer...

I did swear to myself after the inaugural Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day I'd never do it again - and I'm thrilled every year to see that +R.J. Thompson has picked up the reins and run with them. He does a fine job and should be applauded for all he does.

As most of you know, I am effectively retired (although actual retirement won't occur until July). Time for once is on my side of the equation. So, I was thinking, why not a week long OSR celebration this summer? Wait, make that a Week Long OSR Celebration - Monday through Friday, blog posts from the hundred plus blogs that touch upon Old School Gaming and sales and giveaways from publishers, small and (hopefully) large (I have about three months to cash in my chips with various publishers and shake hands at NTRPG Con in June to put together a prize closet) and maybe Friday Night through Sunday Night a virtual OSR con, with games hosted on Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds and the like. An informal con, with scheduling done via a forum or such.

With the potential pool of blogs, spreading the posts over five days keeps things from being overwhelming to the readers as well as giving various publishers five days to spread out deals and swag. Two and a half days of gaming probably covers what we need (the tables are virtual and potentially limitless and if the disorganized gaming is popular enough, it could be organized twice a year or more ;)

Three months is about the minimum amount of lead time to get this organized, assuming there is an interest in it.

So, is there an interest in it?

If so, state so here. I know the silent majority composes over 90% of most communities (I made that up, but I have a soapbox, so just go with it for now) but I'd like to hear from as many as possible, pro or con.

If you are a publisher and you are interested in participating (running a sale during the time in question, free PDFs or print products or whatnot) email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing. Put OSR Celebration-P in the subject and let me know your level of interest. If you are blogger, podcaster or other online creator of content relevant to Old School Gaming and have ideas or comments, use the above email with the subject OSR Celebration-C

We have a strong community, but only a small percentage actually get to go to cons like Gary Con and NTRPG Con. Getting the Old School Gaming Community together for a week of gaming related goodness, even if it's only through a virtual setting like this, allows so many more to participate. Isn't that what community is all about?

Again, tell me your thoughts...



 

Matt Finch's Eldritch Weirdness Books 3 to 1 on Sale for $2.99 in PDF

Yep, the man that started this mess, +Matt Finch has put Eldritch Weirdness Books 3 to 1 on sale for $2.99 over at TableTop Library (normal price $4.99).

In Matt's own words:

In celebration I've discounted the Eldritch Weirdness Compilation on Tabletop Library, since it's one of the more ... interesting things I've written, most of it during a pretty bad fever that happened to boost the weirder side of the creative parts of what I call my mind.

Gazebo Gazette Premier Issue (PWYW Swords & Wizardry Zine)

+Chuck Thorin is releasing the premier issue of the Gazebo Gazette today in honor of Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day.

So, what is the Gazebo Gazette?

Most of the content originally appeared on Chuck's old school blog They Might Be Gazebos.

But there's also new content as well. Inside this issue you'll find: 

-The Wand of Too Many Spells
-The Bag of Wonder
-Arachni-Apes
-Arcane Giant Silverfish
-Prismatic Ooze
-"What's Happening in The Big City" Random Table
-The Lost Crypt of Valcerak (An all new mini-dungeon)
-A Dark Take on Raise Dead 

While it's designed primarily around Swords & Wizardry, its contents can be easily used with any OSR retroclone.

White Star RPG in PDF 50% off for Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day

Press Release

TODAY ONLY

For the remainder of the day and in celebration of the best day of the year in the OSR _*White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying*_ is available for 50% off the PDF!

Use this discount link:

http://www.rpgnow.com/browse.php?discount=98de7768ee

That's 4.99 for 132 pages of Swords & Wizardry inspired space opera!

ACT FAST, THIS DEAL WILL BE GONE SOON.

Woot! It's Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day! Time to Get Me Some!

Today is Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day 2016. Can we get a "Huzzah!"?

Just after midnight I posted The Tavern's S&W App Day post, where you have a chance to score some free loot AND get an amazing discount on +Zach Glazar / Lesser Gnome's Death & Taxes Boxed Set. How big a discount? 40%, just follow the instructions at the blog post I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph.

Now, I missed yesterday's Saturday Starslinger post, but there was just too much going on that it would have been crowded out even had it been posted. I'll make it up to you, I swear.

I woke up to some Swords & Wizardry product announcement releases which I thought I'd share this morning. I expect there will be more throughout the day.

Looking for Halflings in Space for your White Star game? We'll, I know I am and +James Spahn / Barrel Rider Games is the one to do it. Just 99 cents to add a new race to your White Star campaign with the Brimling Character Class Supplement.

How about some mini dungeons you can drop into your Swords & Wizardry campaign as needed along with a small setting to help out the harried DM? +Steve Gilman s Dungeons of Fel'Valashar might be what the bloodletter ordered. Even better, it's priced as PWYW. There no reason anyone should lack this from their bag of tricks.

It's Swords & Wizardry Tax Time - Your Chance to Score Some Death & Taxes Swag Cheap

Everyone knows its Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day, right?

Wait, you forgot?

Alright, here's two chances to get some swag, either cheaper than cheap for awesome loot or free for "eh, it's okay" loot.

Now, the Lesser Gnome, or someone that looks mightily like him, is offering 40% off the Death & Taxes Boxed set for one day only, April 17, 2016. There's a catch though. You only have a limited time to grab the sale price... as in 1d4+1 opportunities before it's all gone.

Your choice of two flavors:

Death & Taxes Collector's Set:

Adventure Book, Game Master’s Guide, and The Salise: Regional Setting Guide
plus a box busting array of extras…
Sealed invitation letter
Handsome map folio with pull out reference maps
24″ x 18″ poster map of the Salise
Encounter Cards
Magic Item Cards
Polyhedral Dice with Dice Bag
Plus 25 custom sculpted 28 mm figurines that depict an array of friends, foes, and others…

Death & Taxes Retail Set:

Adventure Book, Game Master’s Guide, and The Salise: Regional Setting Guide
plus…
Handsome map folio with pull out reference maps
24″ x 18″ poster map of the Salise
Encounter Cards
Magic Item Cards
Polyhedral Dice with Dice Bag
One custom dice
Figurines for
The Taxman
The Herald
Both Lesser Gnomes

How do you score a chance to grab one of these boxes a 40% off the retail price? Well, you need to join the Tenkar's Tavern Facebook Community and use the code offered therein. As stated above, there are only a limited number of uses for the code, and it expires at midnight, Sunday, April 17th. In some timezone west of the east.

So, what else is up for grabs?

Add a comment to this very post and one random commenter will be made a Patron of The Tavern for the month of April. Anything I send to my patrons that back me at Patreon for the month of April will also be sent to you in PDF and Print. So far one 1 page 4 sheet Creature Sheet for Swords & Wizardry / White Star has been sent out via PDF and there should be at least one more coming.

So, join the Tenkar's Tavern Facebook Community. Buy a Lesser Gnome Boxed Set and comment of this here post. While you're at it, hit all of the Swords & Wizardry sales and posts going on today...

Gamers & Grognards is Hosting the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Tomorrow, Sunday April 17, 2016

Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day kicked off back in April of 2013 right here at The Tavern. It was an overwhelming success. So successful that I am eternally grateful that +R.J. Thompson has taken the reins for the last few years. He does a finer job herding the cats than I ever could. Let him know you appreciate all he does, as he does a crap load to keep this running smoothly.

R.J. hosts the Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day over at his Gamers & Grognards blog. If you are a blogger, publishers, fan or whatnot, it's not to late to participate:

Here's the info from Gamers & Grognards:

• BLOG POSTS, SALES and PRODUCT RELEASES:
• - Write a post, article, free pdf etc. related to any version of S&W  OR, get a sale going with product you already have OR release a new S&W Compatible product.
• -Email me with a link to you blog, website etc. By 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, April 17th. Email both your link and title/sale. 
• -Make the subject of your email: "Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day Post (or sale)" and the blog/site title. Send email to: luxfaust@gmail.com
•  -Make sure to have the actual post/sale by 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on April 17th.
• -I will have all links and titles posted here on the blog around 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time on April 17th.

I have something in the works with one of the publishers. It will be announced on here at The Tavern, probably after midnight tonight. To take full advantage of what's in the works, you'll need to join The Tavern's Facebook group. There will be something for those that don't do Facebook (a small prize is in the mix), no worries there, but there's something extra special going on for those in the group. Link to the Facebook group is in the tabs right under the header of this page.

Kickstarter - 5e Critical Hit Decks for Players and GMs

Ah, cards for RPGs. Never thought I would like something like this, let alone use them, but I've been enjoying the various monster, dungeon, NPC and other card decks I've picked up over the last year or so. Heck, my 5e monster cards just arrived yesterday.

I find cards real handy both at the gaming table as well as for inspiration away from the table. So, here I sit, at my desk, looking at the 5e Critical Hit Decks for Players and GMs has me thinking about using this in my StarSlinger setting for White Star. Because if there is one thing White Box gaming needs is more lethality :)

Nord Games does some good work and I suspect I could use these cards with Swords & Wizardry without much effort. Heck, when I get around to running a 5e session, these would be fun to add some extra bit of fun (because as I've said elsewhere, 5e lacks some of the lethality of the eralier editions)

Add some new flavor to your combat! Sure, double damage is pretty awesome when you score a critical hit, but what if your players got double damage and cleaved the orc's arm off?! What if you could impose lingering effects to your players?! What if game sessions could become more action-packed?! Well, good news! These card decks add a ton of new outcomes, both to the exciting 20 and the dreaded 1!

When your monsters score a critical hit, draw a random card from the deck for additional flavor and effects! These include lingering damage (bleeds), temporary and permanent roleplaying cues, temporary conditions, attribute and skill modifications, extra attacks and, of course, additional damage! 

52 cards for use by the GM against the players4 different outcomes per card depending on damage type: slashing, piercing, bludgeoning, or magic
208 awesome critical hit outcomes! 

When you land a crushing blow with your mighty weapon, draw a random card from the deck for even more action! This deck contains a huge variety of exciting and flavorful outcomes to the critical hits the players deal to monsters and NPCs! 

52 cards for use by the players against the GM4 different outcomes per card depending on damage type: slashing, piercing, bludgeoning, or magic
208 awesome critical hit outcomes! 

Is your d20 failing at life? Has it been 1's all night? Well, make things even more interesting with this deck of critical failure outcomes! This deck contains all sorts of consequences to the dreaded critical fail, from the dangerous to the down right embarrassing!  

52 cards for use by the players and the GM  4 different outcomes per card depending on attack type: melee, ranged, natural, or magic
208 amusing or dangerous critical fail outcomes! 

This deck of simple cards adds a whole new dimension to your game, giving the players a new Luck variable that is very simple to keep track of and extremely fun to utilize! Simply put, if you roll a 20, you'll have good fortune to cash in later. If you roll a 1... well... don't roll a 1... 

26 good luck cards for use by the players and 26 bad luck cards for use by the GM  Roll well and you'll have an additional arsenal against your foes, roll poorly and bad fortune awaits you! 

Ken Whitman - Video - I'm a 90 Percenter, Yes I Am

Ken - KotDT and Spinward Traveller are "90% done" - sure, that last 10% is probably 90% of the work

Ken - "Jolly and Mark asked me to take 5 minutes out of my time..." -  Actually, less than half of that

Ken - "Tried to make everything at 1/10 what a professional would charge" -  So, I'm short 90% and Kickstarter won't let me start new projects,

Ken - "When we ran out of money I had to get a day job" - I'm guessing this is AFTER the monies from the various Pencil Dice projects ran out. Yeah, day jobs are rough. 90% of us work them. (Ken killed the ability to watch from anywhere aside from YouTube - here's the direct link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x1gezv3OVQ&feature=youtu.be)

Ken - "I'm 90% done and still working on this" - I'm a 90 percenter, yes I am.

Ken - "When it gets out, and it will get out" - by my hand or that of my grandchildren.

Ken - "My plan is to give Mark materials, somewhere in the summer time" - which summer? damned if I know. does the Lovin' Spoonfull know?

Ken - "Its not over until I give up" - as long as there are more monies to squeeze from this shit, it ain't over...

I doubt Mark and Jolly are giving Kenny ANY more funds at this point. Interesting that there is no promise as to when episodes 2 and 3 of KotDT LAS are to be released. Could the rumors that the footage was irrevocably lost be true? Only Kenny knows and he ain't tellin'.

Stay tuned for more on your favorite Kickstarter network... ;)

edit: I've had 5 people send me the link to Ken's video - Long Live The Taverners!

Common Room Spotlight - Cut to the Chase Games (50% off S&W Adventures This Weekend Only)

Time to kick off the Common Room Spotlight series of posts. The first one is timely, as Sunday, April 17th is Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day this year, and in honor of that, Cut to the Chase Games is offering their Swords & Wizardry Adventures at 50% off through April 18th.

Cut to the Chase Games also offers their adventures in DCC RPG, Pathfinder, 5e and Savage World flavors for those with other gaming preferences.

Monkey House Games (Jeff Dee and Jack Herman) Reaches Settlement to Publish Villains & Vigilantes

It's been a long road, which included a GoFundMe to help pay for the legal costs, but Jeff Dee and Jack Herman now have the rights to publish Villains & Vigilantes.

Here's the relevant wording from the recently updated Villains & Vigilantes page at OBS:

This latest version of the game- dubbed version 2.1- revives the 1982 version with a few corrections and rules additions. It also features brand new illustrations from co-creator Jeff Dee. Villains and VigilantesTM is a trademark of Scott Bizar, used with permission.

Jee and Jack didn't win the final lawsuit, but at least there is a settlement.

You can read a much more detailed article over at Workbench. Rogers does a nice job following the case through the courts. Give it a read. It's well worth your time.

Tip of the hat to +Harley Stroh

Tavern Chat is LIVE (until NTRPG Con game registration at 1AM Eastern)

Yep, I'm hanging out in Tavern Chat for the next few hours, eagerly awaiting the chaos otherwise known as NTRPG Con Game Registration.

I was going to have some wine but I think lots of tea will be the drink of choice instead.

Something about caffeine.

Must stay awake...

New Email on the West End Games / D6 System Purchase From Stewart Wieck (POD and New Releases in the Works)

It's a new era for West End Games & the Open D6 System!

So, I had this email waiting for me. It looks like good things are in store for the D6 system.

Greetings, perhaps for the first time. I'm Stewart Wieck. I founded White Wolf in 1986 and co-created the World of Darkness and games like Vampire: The Masquerade. I've since sold White Wolf and started my new company, Nocturnal Media. Today, I announced that I've purchased West End Games from Eric Gibson. I published an article about it on the Nocturnal Media website: www.nocturnal-media.com. I hope you'll take a look.

As you've purchased/downloaded D6 product at DTRPG, I hope you'll be excited by the propsect of a D6 System revival. We'll soon make available print-on-demand editions of the core D6 rulebooks like D6 Fantasy and D6 Space. Soon after that, there will be a POD version of Bill Coffin's Septimus. With plenty more to follow, including new titles.

Beyond the D6 System, West End Games will return with new editions of games like Greg Costikyan's Web & Starship, an asymmetrical SF board game first published by WEG in 1984. We'll fund a new edition of that game on Kickstarter starting April 19th.

Speaking of Kickstarter, as a D6 fan, you obviously appreciate cinematic narrative in your roleplaying games, so please consider supporting our current project for Storypath Cards. This project ends in about 24 hours, so don't delay! For only $12 (+$2 outside the US), you can get a deck of tarot-sized cards that encourage and empower players to add to the narrative in any RPG.

I will periodically reach out via DTRPG mail, but if you'd like to remain in a more constant loop of news about D6, West End Games and our plans, then please do any/all of the following:

follow me on Twitter @stewartwieck
"Like" Nocturnal Media on Facebook
"Subscribe For Updates" at the bottom of www.nocturnal-media.com
Thanks for supporting the D6 System in the past. Here's to a bright future!

Tenkar's Tavern Mid-Week Roundup for Thursday, April 14, 2016

What is the mid-week roundup?

It is events and interesting posts from our corner of the OSR. Could be links to previous posts here at The Tavern or from other blogs in my "I read their blogs" circle or other stuff that strikes my fancy. Just call me "Mr. Fancypants"

The Six Unholy Pillars of the Vinagroon by +matt jackson is another example of awesome mapping. Matt has an excellent intuition for the use of color. Can you tell I love maps? Can you tell I'm piss poor at making my own? Matt does many of these maps with the support of his patrons over on Patreon.

Free GM Resource: Prism Dice over at The Frugal GM. The shame is it's a Windows based dice app and I'm a Mac user these days. Still, for those of you using Windows (even as far back as Win95) you should be able to get some use out of this. Not so sure why it's called Prism Dice, but hey, it's free.

Crypts and Sewers is the latest map posted by +Dyson Logos . I've got an idea for this map that I may run past Dyson himself. As many of his maps are, this map is made available to  a free license for personal or commercial use thanks to the supporters of Dyson's Patreon Campaign. Yes, I'm a bit of a map fiend. Seems like maps are constantly making this weekly roundup.


As if there wasn't enough drama in the old school gaming arena already, here's your links to more. Do you want to read about Fake-Activist Swine Totalitarians in our hobby trying to use claims of harassment to take over tabletop gaming. How about White Male Terrorism... and what you can do about it! Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. Shock jockery and old school gaming. But hey, at least now you know what folks are talking about in social media.


Need to clean your palate after clicking on the above links? Need to be reminded about the true depth and generosity of the old school gaming movement? Want a chance to win something cool? Win a Far Away Land Quick Start Rulebook! I really enjoy the FAL system and brought some PAH (printed at home) copies of the FAL Quickstart to last years NTRPG Con. This is an honest to god, color cover, professionally printed FAL Quickstart. Time to enter runs out at midnight, Friday April 15th, 2016.

The Common Room "Pick of the Day" Starts Tomorrow

So, last night I was shooting the shit with someone who is well known for their good ideas and successful projects in our corner of the universe and they mentioned "The Common Room is a great idea! You should really highlight those that are listed - you know, publishers, bloggers, podcasters, artists and the like."

It was such a good and obvious idea. Sometimes you need someone to look in from the outside ;)

So, here's the current game plan:

- One "pick" post each day

- Three publishers, three blogs and one "other" (podcast, artist, etc) highlighted each week.

- If you are a publisher, blogger, podcaster, etc and you have a special event coming up (sale, special post, special podcast, whatever) reach out to me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing with the subject "The Common Room" and we'll try and schedule the post to match up with your event. That IS the purpose of The Common Room - getting the movers and shakers of the OSR more eyes on target (I was going to say "exposure" but with the current events traveling through the world of gaming, it just seems like a wrong choice of word ;)

With current number of participants listed at The Common Room, we're looking at about 12 weeks just to get through everybody. As the list grows organically, I'm expecting it to be even longer before we get back to the beginning.

We're going to kick this off tomorrow. Why on a Friday? Why the hell not ;)

NTRPG Con Reminder - Game Registration is 1 AM April 15th Eastern Time (So Stay up Late Tomorrow)

NTRPG Con Game Event Registration goes live 1AM Friday Morning (April 15th, 2016) - so stay up late tomorrow night ;) There are already 290 folks registered for the con with just 60 slots left open. If you plan on going, time is running short.

I (and probably a few others) will be running some games "off the grid" in The Tavern's OSR Community Room (Trinity I). My plan is to run at least one session of White Star / Star Slinger and possibly a session of +Pete Spahn 's WWII: Operation WhiteBox (I have a beta version of the rules, so even if it isn't released by then we can still get a session in).

Games at The Tavern's Table will be scheduled AFTER April 15th, as I see where I'm at in regards to games I'm registered for as well as some other Tavern readers. I'm planning on 1 game each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from the official grid, which leaves plenty of time for off the grid gaming (including Wednesday Night and Sunday)

We will announce The Tavern's Table Games here on the blogside, as well as 2,000 Coppers on G+ and The Tavern's Facebook Community. The G+ and Facebook Communities are also the place to ask to reserve table time off the grid if you'd like to run something. I'll be blocking out time at the table for the use of various podcasts and podcasters, but there should be plenty of time for gaming.

Oh, and plenty of Drinking Quest in the evenings. +Tim Snider says so ;)

As a side note, there will be a bonus Tavern Chat kicking off around midnite tomorrow as I get ready to register myself and Rach for games.

Nocturnal Media Acquires West End Games

Well, this is interesting news. I know West Ends Games (WEG) had been for sale by Eric Gibson for a while but no one before had been willing to pay the asking price (don't ask me how much, I do not know).

The d6 System has been open and free for years (bundle of free d6 rulesets here) and now Bill Coffin's Septimus Setting is free too (over 360 pages and a fair amount of WEG drama over the years). There will soon be POD versions of the d6 Core books and Septimus which is damn good.

The Open d6 System is a good one. I'm happy it will see some attention in the near future.

As for the man behind Nocturnal Media, it's the original White Wolf himself - Stewart Wieck.

Here's the press release:

NOCTURNAL MEDIA ACQUIRES WEST END GAMES
April 13, 2016
I’m pleased to announce that I have purchased West End Games (WEG). Founded in 1974, WEG initially published a number of wargames and a decade later branched into roleplaying games, including the first Star Wars RPG as well as original (very original!) works, such as Paranoia and Torg.

My nostalgic ties to earlier days of roleplaying games and companies made this opportunity impossible to ignore. I believe WEG stands in the company of other great RPG publishers of the 1980’s and 90’s like my prior company, White Wolf, as well as Chaosium. This is due to the wonderful games WEG published and especially because of the outstanding designers who created those games. In my pre-Vampire: The Masquerade days, I wrote for both Star Wars and Torg and found WEG an extremely hospitable and well-paying home to freelancers.

While the majority of the iconic West End Games properties have already found other homes, WEG still owns the D6 System as well as a handful games, mainly hex-and-counter wargames. The D6 System remains available under an open gaming license as Open D6.

Departing owner of WEG, Eric Gibson told me, “I look forward to a new era, as an eternal fan, for West End Games and related properties.”

While Eric’s efforts to revive WEG after he purchased the company in 2003 didn’t bear the fruit he surely hoped, he served the fans well by putting the D6 System into OGL and by offering the core books as free downloads on DriveThruRPG.com. The three main books D6 Adventure, D6 Fantasy and D6 Space are all as part of the convenient D6 Core Set bundle download.

Also still available as a free download on DriveThruRPG.com following my acquisition of WEG is creator-owned Septimus by Bill Coffin. This enormous Space Opera setting book is 350+ pages long and features cyberpunk, mecha and a huge Dyson Sphere “universe” to explore. The setting is supported by the Septimus QuickStart that includes the introductory adventure “Flight of the Argosy” and four pre-generated characters.

"I am thrilled to see Stewart bring the D6 family of games to new heights, and to new fans," says Bill Coffin. "I know Septimus fans will be excited by this news, and I hope this will be the start of big new things for D6 science fiction gaming."

Plans for the D6 System are still in development, but I invite fans of the system to comment and make suggestions in the Nocturnal Media forums. In the meantime, the long out-of-print core rulebooks will soon have print-on-demand (POD) versions available on DTRPG. A POD version of Septimus will follow shortly thereafter. Other books will surely follow.

To celebrate this rebirth of West End Games, the next Nocturnal Media project on Kickstarter will be a new edition of WEG-great Greg Costikyan’s Web & Starship. First published in 1984, this asymmetrical game was built from the ground up for three players. Published with Greg’s consent and involvement, the new edition will feature higher quality components than the original as well as include a number of tools to ease play, such as a chart of star distances to replace the need for the Range Finder.

The Web & Starship Kickstarter project will launch at noon CST on April 19th. Sign up for notices from Nocturnal Media at the bottom of the home page to receive more news.

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Your Host Will be Late

I have to pick Rach up from work in Manhattan at 9PM tonight - she's working a late one. I probably won't get into Tavern Chat before 930 / 945.

What does that mean? Absolutely nothing. Y'all have carried on without me in the past and y'all will do so again for part of tonight. BTW, having gone to NTRPG Con 2 years running, I'm allowed to say "Y'all" ;)

Thinks that won't be discussed tonight:

"White Male Terrorists"

"WotC's new President"

"Anything to do with Cheetos"

That is all. Carry on...

Mini Review - The Undercroft #9 (LotFP)

The Undercroft is always a mixed bag, not so much in quality but as to what can (or will be) used at the gaming table. Being that is a zine dedicated to Lamentations of the Flame Princess' Weird Fantasy RPG (available for free - Rulebook and Referee Book) that really shouldn't be a surprise. The Undercroft pushes the envelope. What envelope? All envelopes. If you want to avoid the chance of being offended or disturbed, it might not be right for you. If you are willing to take the chance, you might find a goldmine of inspiration, not just for your LotFP Weird Fantasy Game, but other OSR games too.

Here's the Table of Contents to The Undercroft #9:

Skinned Moon Daughter
A new class for games in the Great North

101 Uses of a Hanged Man
Systems and advice for preparing alchemical concoctions from the criminal dead

The Doctor
A new class separating the divine from the healer

Everyone is an Adventurer
A deconstruction of multi-classes down to its base integers

The Sickness
A sex beast

Dead Inside
Replacement classes for a world of sadness and pain

Cockdicktastrophe
A sexy beast

Nine Summits and the Matter of Birth
Cosmic disasters and antinatal cults among the island people

The Undercroft #9 is priced at $3.56. There must be importance to that number but damned if I know what it is.

Now for some details and possible offending art - going to jump break in

3...

2...

1...

Path of Legends Podcast Episode #3 is Now Live for Your Listening Pleasure

What can I say about episode #3 of the Path of Legends Podcast? We (your hosts) were having a blast. It was a helluva lot of fun to record.

Of course, Danke the Dachshund makes an appearance. One day she'll be quiet ;)

Here's the details:

In this very episode, you will get the following:

In the Adventure Path we chat about Advantage/Disadvantage vs d6 method used by the D&D creator Gary Gygax as we explore both and decide which one would work out the best for your games in our eyes!

In Monster Hunters we talk about a staple creature in D&D games, the Orc, as we compare how much more deadlier the Orc has become since 1st Edition.

In What is old, Now is new, we chat about magical weapons from the old, something that seems to be missing from 5e.

In Presto's Hat we go over a web resource called The DM's Binder.

Update - Time Sensitive Troll Lord Games Sale - Ends at 10 AM Eastern, Wed April 13, 2016 - The Tavern Has Four Bargain Picks for You

I don't normally do double posts, but apparently for the Trolls, a 24 hour sale lasts 48 hours. As I post this there is currently a hair of 18 hours left in the sale. What follows are my picks. There are many like them, but these picks are mine (original post and comments are here):

I almost missed this email from yesterday, so I'm going to be quick (BTW, the link in the email does NOT go directly to the Trolls sale at RPGNow - no idea why)

Most of the sale prices are... pretty crappy, especially if you snagged anything from the Trolls 99 cent print and PDF sales from last week. There are, however, three bargains one should not pass up on, regardless of system of preference.

Tomb of the Unclean - $1.99 - A nice selection of demons and devils. It looks like the project will never complete (as it hasn't updated in six months or so) but for $1.99 it's worth what's there and if there is more coming? even better.

Lost City of Gaxmoor - $1.99 - A 120 page adventure to take your party from newbs to level 10. See the names on the tin?

Town of Kalas - $1.99 - 80 page urban sandbox. Well worth the money, it's a bargain and a half.

Free City of Eskadia - $1.99 - 130+ page urban sandbox. grab it!

Bundle of Holding - Dungeon Crawl Classics 3.5 Era Adventures

Currently on Bundle of Holding...

Goodman Games has an assortment of it's 3.5 Era Dungeon Crawl Classics adventures on sale at Bundle of Holding.

Let me flat out say that the $9.99 basic buy in level is an awesome deal.

This is what you get for $9.99:

- DCC #2: The Lost Vault of Tsathazar Rho (level 1) (retail price $7): An introductory scenario by D&D5 lead designer Mike Mearls set in a temple infested with Lovecraftian creatures.

- DCC #29: The Adventure Begins (levels 1-2) (retail $20): A huge 268-page anthology of novice-
level adventures. Each can kick off a whole campaign.

- DCC #36: Talons of the Horned King (levels 3-5) (retail $9): Fantasy meets future tech in a wrecked spaceship filled with cyborg monsters.

- DCC #7: The Secret of Smuggler's Cove (levels 5-7) (retail $7.50): One of the most admired DCC modules, a rescue mission into a haunted lighthouse that pays homage to the classic Saltmarsh series of AD&D adventures.

I'm less enamored by the High-Level Crawls currently at an additional 7 bucks ($16.99)

Time Sensitive Troll Lord Games Sale - Hours Left - The Tavern Has Three Bargain Picks for You

I almost missed this email from yesterday, so I'm going to be quick (BTW, the link in the email does NOT go directly to the Trolls sale at RPGNow - no idea why)

Most of the sale prices are... pretty crappy, especially if you snagged anything from the Trolls 99 cent print and PDF sales from last week. There are, however, three bargains one should not pass up on, regardless of system of preference.

Tomb of the Unclean - $1.99 - A nice selection of demons and devils. It looks like the project will never complete (as it hasn't updated in six months or so) but for $1.99 it's worth what's there and if there is more coming? even better.

Lost City of Gaxmoor - $1.99 - A 120 page adventure to take your party from newbs to level 10. See the names on the tin?

Town of Kalas - $1.99 - 80 page urban sandbox. Well worth the money, it's a bargain and a half.

edit:

Free City of Eskadia - $1.99 - 130+ page urban sandbox. grab it!

Mini Review - The Class Hack (The Black Hack)

Unless you've been off the net for a while, you've heard of The Black Hack RPG from +David Black and published by +Peter Regan 's Gold Piece Publications. If not, you are herby notified. It's a nice OSR hack of D&D that speeds up play and comes in at under 20 pages. If it lacks one thing, it's a large selection of class choices, but that's by design, as its influence is Original Dungeons & Dragons.

+Mark Craddock has recently released The Class Hack - 10 ‘OSR’ First Edition Classes (just a buck) for The Black Hack (which is just 2 bucks in PDF). It's pretty much what it it says on the tin, with the Cabalist being the only class that doesn't have "official" roots in the 1e Players Handbook or Unearthed Arcana. Alright, a 5th level Illusionist was a "Cabalist", but I'm not sure if that counts ;)

The Class Hack is a buck and does a fine job of adding some class depth to your Black Hack campaign. Really, not much more to say than if you want some "advanced" classes in your Black Hack, The Class Hack has you covered.

14 pages - Cover, credits, OGL, back cover and 10 classes at a class per page.

Assassin, Acrobat, Barbarian, Bard, Cabalist, Cavalier, Druid, Monk, Paladin, and Ranger.

Monstrous Mondays - Three Armed Squat - White Star / White Box

Publisher's Choice Quality Stock Art
©Rick Hershey/Fat Goblin Games

Aye, I've seen the beast, and beast it is, even if it stands on two legs. It's simple minded but cunning. You'd think it's short legs would make it slow, but when it starts charging it's a fearsome sight.

The say it's third arm is the result of it eating its sibling in the womb and I wouldn't be all that surprised. Thing is, that arm seems to have a mind of it's own. It senses things. I've seen a Three Armed Squat lose it's eyes and that third arm shoot a pocket pistol 50 feet as well as if it had been point blank.

They understand tech. Not like you or I, but enough to pull a trigger. Cunning, like I said.

WotC Get's a New President - Chris Cocks

Greg Leeds is Out, Chris Cocks is in. Shit, that doesn't sound right. In any case, there is leadership change at the top of WotC.

I'm going to highlight one quote, then follow with the press release (link):

“As an avid fan and player with extensive digital experience, I’m confident Chris is the right person to help us build on the tremendous momentum around our brands and take the franchise to the next level by delivering exciting new experiences to our growing and passionate fan base around the world.”

PAWTUCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hasbro, Inc. today announced that Greg Leeds has resigned as President of Wizards of the Coast, and will be replaced by Chris Cocks who joins the company from Microsoft. Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, offers games and entertainment under world-renowned brands such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and DUEL MASTERS. Leeds has served as the President of Wizards of the Coast since 2008, and started at Hasbro in 2001. He will stay on to ensure a smooth transition to Cocks, who will officially join the team in Seattle on June 6.

“We’re very excited to welcome Chris to the Wizards of the Coast family”

“We are incredibly thankful to Greg for the tremendous contributions he has made to Hasbro, especially during his time leading Wizards of the Coast,” said John Frascotti, President, Hasbro Brands. “Today, thanks to Greg’s commitment and passion, Wizards of the Coast’s brands are stronger than ever. Though MAGIC: THE GATHERING was introduced more than 20 years ago, it is more relevant and popular today than it’s ever been, with a record number of people around the world playing the game and participating in MAGIC organized play events.”

Leeds will be replaced by Chris Cocks, who most recently served as Vice President, OEM Technical Sales at Microsoft Corporation, where he led a global sales and technical engagement team. Prior to his eight-year tenure with Microsoft, Chris served as Vice President of Educational Games at LeapFrog, where he led a cross-discipline team to drive hardware planning, software design and development, marketing and channel management. He began his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble and served in product management and marketing leadership positions in Xbox and MSN, including work on hit franchises like Halo and Fable, prior to joining Leapfrog. Cocks is an avid player and fan of Wizards of the Coast brands, including MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

“We’re very excited to welcome Chris to the Wizards of the Coast family,” said Frascotti. “As an avid fan and player with extensive digital experience, I’m confident Chris is the right person to help us build on the tremendous momentum around our brands and take the franchise to the next level by delivering exciting new experiences to our growing and passionate fan base around the world.”

About Hasbro

Hasbro (NASDAQ: HAS) is a global company committed to Creating the World's Best Play Experiences, by leveraging its beloved brands, including LITTLEST PET SHOP, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, MONOPOLY, MY LITTLE PONY, NERF, PLAY-DOH and TRANSFORMERS, and premier partner brands. From toys and games, television programming, motion pictures, digital gaming and consumer products licensing, Hasbro fulfills the fundamental need for play and connection with children and families around the world. The Company's Hasbro Studios and its film label, ALLSPARK PICTURES, create entertainment brand-driven storytelling across mediums, including television, film, digital and more. Through the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility, including philanthropy, Hasbro is helping to build a safe and sustainable world and to positively impact the lives of millions of children and families. Learn more at www.hasbro.com, and follow us on Twitter (@Hasbro & @HasbroNews) and Instagram (@Hasbro).

About Wizards of the Coast, LLC

Wizards of the Coast LLC, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ:HAS), is the leader in entertaining the lifestyle gamer. Wizards' players and fans are members of a global community bound together by their love of both digital gaming and in-person play. The company brings to market a range of gaming experiences under powerful brand names such as MAGIC: THE GATHERING, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and DUEL MASTERS. Wizards is also a publisher of fantasy series fiction with numerous New York Times best-sellers. For more information about our world renowned brands, visit the Wizards of the Coast Web site at www.wizards.com.

© 2016 Hasbro, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

HAS-PR

Contacts
Hasbro, Inc.
Julie Duffy, 401-727-5931
julie.duffy@hasbro.com

Monday Morning Kickstarter Update - S'rulyan rises like a Phoenix, but Pencils of Doom await in the Keep

One thing I'm guilty of is highlighting Kickstarters, good or bad, and then never returning them to the spotlight, which I think is a shame. Most of the good ones deserve a second look and some of the bad ones certainly have more sacrifices to make to the community on our behalf. The Monday Morning Kickstarter Update is a weekly feature (although the title itself is subject to change).

Without further ado...

The S'rulyan Vault (Fantasy Map) - let's keep it simple: there's a single level to support at (5
bucks), it comes in one format (PDF) and what we have so far looks excellent. This should be on time or damn well near to and in truth, you can't beat the price.

Phoenix Legacy: Core Rules - I'm going to keep this even simpler. Beware the Woofman!

The Dungeons Keep, Wood Dice Cases for RPG tabletop gaming! - this one funded and just collected pledges. We'll have an update when we receive our wooden dice case. Hopefully it looks as good in person as it did in the pics.

Quests of Doom 3 - Adventures Worth Winning for 5E and S&W! - funded with 6 days to go. Frog God hardcover game book for 32 bucks?

WHAT!? Pencil Dice - not funded with 6 days to go. Maybe a joke just isnt enough to build a Kickstarter on?

Tavern Room at NTRPG Con 2016 - Updated Info

I should have done this last weekend, but retired life is busier than expected ;)

Anyhow, here's the deal. There are 2 vendor tables in The Tavern Room. Half of a table is reserved for +Inkwell Ideas and the other half for +Christopher Stogdill (Frugal GM)

I had inquiries for the other table, which will be split into half, but damned if i can remember from who and email, G+ and Facebook are a horror for me to track this info down. If you inquired about vendor table space from me earlier, let me know either as a comment on this post or at tenkars DOT tavern at that gmail thing along with information for me to track down your original inquiry. If there is still table space open after April 15th I'll post it here.

There are two gaming tables in The Tavern Room. The first is scheduled by NTRPG itself. The second table is NOT being booked on the gaming grid. It will be used to record podcasts, run some of the off grid games for Tavern Patrons / Readers / Drinkers and act as a general space for this community to meet and bullshit.

I will post slots for a StarSlinger session and at least one Drinking Quest session here, at The Tavern, on G+ and The Tavern's Facebook community NEXT WEEKEND after the regular NTRPG Con game session reservation has gone live.

If you are attending NTRPG Con in June and want to find the room, it is Trinity I.

If you want to run a game at The Tavern's Table, let me know and I'll see where we can fit it.

If you need space to podcast, let me know and we'll arrange something.

This sponsorship was possible due to the generosity of The Tavern's Patreon Backers as well as those kind enough to shop at RPGNow and it's sister companies using The Tavern's Affiliate Links. Thanks to all of you.

A WTF Were They Smoking?!? Kickstarter - Phoenix Legacy: Core Rules

One of the Taverners (yep, that's the name we're going with for The Tavern's army of investigators) brought the Phoenix Legacy: Core Rules to my attention. He also said "watch the video"

So, let me say unto you - watch the fucking video. Well, at least listen. You too will be in fear of the Woofman! (thanks to my wife for catching this and making me play that part back a half dozen times)

Rach: "He wants $5,000 for this bullshit and he couldnt pay some schlub off the street to do a better voiceover?"

Yes, it is that painful. The fact that the last 90 seconds of the video is scrolling credits is simply icing on the cake.

Below is the entire project, with the exception of the $80 level (I'll add that below)

Here, let's go point by point.:

1 - This sounds like they need someone to actually write the rules

2 - Uhm, try OneBookShelf. And edit your shit.

3 - Something tells be this is never going to happen.

4 - Isn't this much like #1? Again, edit your shit.

5 - Edit your... never mind. I'm tired

6 - Yeah, whatever.

As for the Risks and Challenges:

2% to 3% of the RPG Market in the first six months? 3% to 5% in 18 months? WTF is he smoking!?! There isnt even a physical product being offered.

WTF does this mean? Edit your FUCKING SHIT
Do you even get a PDF copy?