Over 200 Tenkar's Tavern Membership Cards Requested - And I Can't Send Bulk Emails - Doh!

So, I learned last night that Gmail won't allow me to send bulk BCC emails. Not 190 at a time, not 10 at a time. Which means I'm sending out nearly 200 emails one at a time, to inform folks of the bennies currently secured and to give an overview of the bennies currently being worked on.

(One of my next steps is to include a page here at The Tavern listing the current bennies)

It's also letting them know that they will be receiving an invite to the Tenkar's Tavern Community Google Group, as THAT will allow me to send group emails out (as it requires an to "opt in"). In truth, this is probably a better solution for keeping members abreast of new deals and discounts as they arise. I don't THINK you need a Gmail account to be invited to the group but who the hell knows.

I'm almost halfway to sending out the emails and then I'll start sending out the invites to the Community Group.

If you signed up for a card and need the Gamehole discount code, email me at I'll send it to you.

To think I almost only ordered 250 cards.

I'm humbled by the response. I'm figuring those requesting cards at this point are looking at 2 to 3 weeks before they get them, longer for overseas. I'm finding there's a number of gamers in the NYC area (prime attendees for a Pub Con) and Taverners from all over the world.

Don't have a membership card for Tenkar's Tavern? Why not? It's free. Really. I will mail you a physical copy anywhere in the world. What does it look like? It's pictured to the right of this post.

Note - We have over 200 requests and I'm still waiting on delivery of the cards. (I won't have an accurate number until I do the spreadsheet, as some emails requested 2 cards - couples - and a small number of requests were made via Facebook IM)

You'll need to email me your mailing address and the name you want on the card. Send the info to tenkarstavernDOTcommunity AT that gmail thing. Yep, brand new email for a brand new way to share our community. Your email may be used to offer you savings and other such exclusives to Tenkar's Tavern members and will NOT be shared with anyone.

What a Surprise - Ken Whitman is Crowdfunding his Girl Downtown Movie - Will Ship Before the Dead Kickstarters (if it ships at all)

Equipment bought and paid for by unfulfilled Kickstarters? Check!

Asking the public to crowd fund yet another film related dream? Checkity Check!

Asking $20 for sponsorship and then claiming the DVD is free? Checkity Check Check WTF?!?

The actual return on your $20 sponsorship? Feel free to fill in the blank, just so long as you realize your return will have no value...

Ah Kenny, a gift to your daughter, paid for by forgotten Kickstarter backers and fresh meat to be bilked.

At least you are true to your nature.

Kickstarter - BR-5 Isle of the Ancients - Fantasy Adventure Module (AD&D)

I guess it's about time to peek at another Kickstarter. It's a good one this time - I'll focus on some train wrecks in the days to come ;)

BR-5 Isle of the Ancients is the latest in a series of adventures for AD&D 1e and 2e (I can say that directly - they can't). The first adventures in the series were not Kickstarted, but this isnt the first Kickstarter for Dark Cult Games.

They have successfully funded and spot on as for timely completion. As far as Kickstarter goes this is nearly unheard of (if you follow my posts). Those projects were a boxed game and specialty dice, both of which had elements of completion that were out of the hands of Dark Cult Games.

It's a 40 page adventure for levels 7 to 9 set on an island, so a controlled sandbox of sorts.

Oh, and I'm really enjoying the art samples. Very evocative B&W work.

15 bucks for the PDF, 20 for the Print + PDF and 50 for the 3 part series in print plus PDF.

And of course I see the previous release in the series is Oh RATTS! Looks like I need to back for the whole series, just to see if there's 2,000 coppers to go along with it.

Tavern Membership Bennie #3 - $5 Off Any Weekend Badge at Gamehole Con

I've been talking with Alex Kammer this morning. He's the main man behind Gamehole Con (November 4th through the 6th, Madison Wisconsin) . He wanted to offer a benefit to Tenkar's Tavern card holding members and he's offering $5 off any weekend badge to members of The Tavern.

Yes, you need your free card for this.

Maybe this will convince Rach this should be our second con for this year :)

Don't have a membership card for Tenkar's Tavern? Why not? It's free. Really. I will mail you a physical copy anywhere in the world. What does it look like? It's pictured to the right of this post.

Note - We have over 150 requests and I'm still waiting on deliver of the cards. Give it 3 weeks or so for delivery.

You'll need to email me your mailing address and the name you want on the card. Send the info to tenkarstavernDOTcommunity AT that gmail thing. Yep, brand new email for a brand new way to share our community. Your email may be used to offer you savings and other such exclusives to Tenkar's Tavern members and will NOT be shared with anyone.

Tenkar's Tavern Membership Card - Over 135 Cards Requested - Ships Free Anywhere in the World - Get Yours Now!

Tuesday night I offered free membership cards for Tenkar's Tavern that I'll ship anywhere in the world for free. I figured it's your community, why not get something to show for it? The response has been amazing. Beyond anything I could have imagined in so short a time. Over 135 requests and I'm still waiting on delivery of the cards.

Even better, the card has benefits. +Michael Badolato / Bad Mike Books is offering a free Judges Guild Traveller product at any cons he attends as a vendor (and possibly just as an attendee) and +Zach Glazar / Lesser Gnome is offering 20-25% off the Death & Taxes boxed set for card holders. I've also discussed discounts from other publishers using the mailing list to offer discounts directly to card holders. Nothing to announce yet, but we've got a solid half dozen publishers interested. This is BEFORE I've directly reached out to any publishers or retailers.

As more people request their cards, membership just gets more valuable. There is strength in numbers.

I've had it suggested that I work out a Gamer Seeking Gamers service, as I have physical addresses for everyone, but that's not something you opted in for. I COULD, down the line, set up a page where I list folks that opt in by country / state / zip-postal code and just ID members by their ID number. Then, upon request, use said ID # to match folks up. That would be after I put together the spreadsheet or database to keep these ID numbers organized. I want to get that done early, as organization IS NOT my middle name ;)

Don't have a membership card for Tenkar's Tavern? Why not? It's free. Really. I will mail you a physical copy anywhere in the world. What does it look like? It's pictured to the right of this post.

You'll need to email me your mailing address and the name you want on the card. Send the info to tenkarstavernDOTcommunity AT that gmail thing. Yep, brand new email for a brand new way to share our community. Your email may be used to offer you savings and other such exclusives to Tenkar's Tavern members and will NOT be shared with anyone.

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9PM to 11 PM Eastern - Post NTRPG Con Wrap Up and Membership Bennies

Yep, it's a Wednesday Night and that means Tavern Chat.

Be here or be square.

We'll be talking about NTRPG Con, the new Tenkar's Tavern Membership Card and whatever else your heart desires.

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!

Tenkar's Tavern Membership - Second Benefit Announced - Lesser Gnome is Offering 20-25% Off Death & Taxes Boxes

Just a heads up. We are well over 100 membership cards requested. So, if you email me your request now, you are probably in the 2 to 3 weeks range before receiving your card. I'm guessing that number figuring a week to a week and a half for print and delivery to me.

Now on to the fun stuff.

+Zach Glazar , aka The Lesser Gnome has offered the following benefit for card carry members of Tenkar's Tavern:

I will give 20% off Death & Taxes boxes bought via mail-order with a photo of The Tavern member holding the membership card. 25% holding it in a funny way for social sharing.

Now, you physically need your membership card for this, so it will take a couple of weeks before you can cash in on this. Death & Taxes is an AMAZING release. You literally can't go wrong if you decide to use this benefit.

Purchase must be made at the Lesser Gnome webstore. Social media sharing must tag +Erik Tenkar and +Zach Glazar . We are both on G+ and Facebook, so your choice. The Lesser Gnome is the final arbitrator on whether or not your social media share is funny or not.

Don't have a membership card for Tenkar's Tavern? Why not? It's free. Really. I will mail you a physical copy anywhere in the world. What does it look like? It's pictured to the right of this post.

You'll need to email me your mailing address and the name you want on the card. Send the info to tenkarstavernDOTcommunityAT that gmail thing. Yep, brand new email for a brand new way to share our community. Your email may be used to offer you savings and other such exclusives to Tenkar's Tavern members and will NOT be shared with anyone.

Tenkar's Tavern Membership - First Benefit Announced - BadMike Books and Games is Offering Free JG Traveller Item of Choice at Cons (Membership is Free)

Yep, Bad Mike and his BadMike Books and Games is offering a a free Judges Guild Traveller Item of your choice at the cons he attend as a vendor. Which definitely means NTRPG Con 2017 among others. How do you get this free loot? You need to show him your Tenkar's Tavern Membership card.

Wait, you don't have one?

It's free. I'll mail it to you on my dime.

We're also working on getting some discounts for members on OSR product releases (notifications will come via email - these discounts will not be posted at The Tavern directly, although in the future one could sign up for a free membership and be eligible for all benefits immediately)

How do you get your free card?

You'll need to email me your mailing address and the name you want on the card. Send the info to tenkarstavernDOTcommunityAT that gmail thing. Yep, brand new email for a brand new way to share our community.

Cards are at least 2 weeks out at this point. I'll start mailing the day they arrive, but we're over 75 cards to be sent so far.

God bless you all :)

Tavern Membership Will Have Benefits, And it's Free :)

Last night I announced that Tenkar's Tavern will be mailing membership cards anywhere in the world - for free. They will have the owner's name (or online handle) as well as a membership number on the back.

I was asked if I would be forming a mailing list and at first I thought "why?" but then I had a thought. What better way to get word of new OSR releases with a membership only discount. Basically, the idea is that publishers would send me info and a link to buy their new release along with a Tenkar's Tavern Member discount.

Of course, this thought occurred to me as I laid in bed last night, so nothing in the works yet. Still, I think it's viable and an excellent way to both get some eyes on new OSR releases and save Tenkar's Tavern Members a few coppers.

How do you get your free card?

You'll need to email me your mailing address and the name you want on the card. Send the info to tenkarstavernDOTcommunityAT that gmail thing. Yep, brand new email for a brand new way to share our community.

As We Near 500 Members at The Tavern's Facebook Community, We Now Have Free Membership Cards

When I say "now" I actually mean, now ordered. These are extra thick business cards with +Dirk Stanley art on the front and a small piece of +Del Teigeler art on the back (I still need to upload Del's art into the banner rotation)

These will be numbered consecutively, with your name or online handle on the bottom left. Patreon backers will get the first numbers (it's around 42 right now) and then it will be first come, first served.

There will be no charge for the cards. I'll send them anywhere in the world. They're thicker than credit cards with a matte finish, so they should stand up to some abuse.

I was trying to figure out some way to say "thank you" to all the fine members of the OSR gaming community, and this just seemed like a fun way to do so.

I should receive the cards in about a week.

You'll need to email me your mailing address and the name you want on the card. Send the info to tenkarstavernDOTcommunityAT that gmail thing. Yep, brand new email for a brand new way to share our community.

edit - 502 members as of 1115 PM, Tuesday June 7th 2016

Ken Whitman has a Movie Listed on IMDb - Will "Girl Downtown" Stay Up or Go Down?

Now I know the above storyline was submitted "by the community" for Girl Downtown and not the world famous Ken Whitman, but it is a hoot. Ken actually is doing this "movie". Wait, no, Whit Whitman is doing it.

Want more of a hoot? I give you Kenny's IMDB:

Whit was born and raised in Fort Knox, Kentucky. He majored in Art Education and switched to Graphic Design at Murray State University in Murray Kentucky. He has had a lifelong passion for gaming, traveling and enjoying the arts (not to mention bilking customers and Kickstarter backers for YEARS). He works to produce many different forms of entertainment (and if you follow the Kenny drama, the lies, misstatements, threats and fraud, it has the entertainment value of a train wreck) and specializes in geek culture. Whit is well-known in the gaming and fantasy industry (infamous would be a better choice of words), having worked in the industry for over twenty years. Some of his most notable moments include working on products for the World Wrestling Federation, Ralph Bakshi's Wizards, The Three Stooges, Sergio Aragone's Groo, Drazonball Z, Dungeons and Dragons (notice not ONE of his failed to deliver Kickstarters made this list. I'd say any one of them are more notable moments)Whit looks forward to an exciting future in the entertainment business (bilking a new community out of their hard earned cash)
- IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Smith (with comments by Erik Tenkar)

Guest Poster - Chris Kutalik - Behind the Scenes in the Misty Isles

First, a little background. I mentioned to as many people at NTRPG that I could that The Tavern is always open to guest posting. For The Tavern to truly be the community it is becoming, it needs more than my voice on these posts. I may be the one paying the bills, but there would be no Tavern without readers like you and guest posters like Chris.

+Chris Kutalik is a founding member of the Hydra Cooperative, a publisher of OSR styled RPGs and supplements. Check out their website and see who they are. You may be surprised.

He is probably best known for Slumbering Ursine Dunes and the Hill Cantons but Chris has been involved in many more projects than just those. 

Misty Isles of the Eld is Chris' latest project. I received the PDF in the days before NTRPG, but haven't gotten to the point that I can do a proper review. I'll rectify that in the near future. Chris was kind enough to write out some thoughts behind Misty Isles of the Eld as well as forward me some amazing art from the project that wasn't used due to lack of space. 

Here's Chris:

Behind the Scenes in the Misty Isles

Misty Isles of the Eld was pretty different from my previous two installments in the Dunes Kickstarter series (Slumbering UrsineDunes and Fever-Dreaming Marlinko). And not just for the obvious reasons like the fact that's it significantly heftier (almost double the length of the Dunes main adventure) and packed with art. Several things set it apart and gave it a totally different dynamic when putting it together:

1. Not Ripped Wholly out of Campaign Play. The Misty Isles is the first of the series that the players didn't reach. I mean sure I had some sketchy maps and the main tentpole dungeon, the Vat Complex, was played the hell out of (it was situated in the same plane but through a different place in the campaign), but it was the first published thing that I really built from the bottom up and independent like. For better or worse the previous two are almost like frozen (though more developed for a broader audience) moments of play at my table. I like to think that's for the better, that they are not artificial and impossible to play, but it does kind of back you into a corner when you are writing. Misty Isles was the first thing I could hog wild with a number of ideas for an adventure and mini-setting that were burning the back of my brain and old notebooks.

2. Luka Rejec. Working with Luka was a helluva positive experience and really his aesthetic vision—and drive to get it done—was so strong that I like to call him my other co-author (along with Robert Parker who wrote some great bits in the monster and artifact section). We had originally expected to get him to do a cover, eight interior illustrations and maps (he did an amazing job with the ones in Marlinko). But see we never even did an art order. The guy just set down read the manuscript and seemed to get totally inspired—and churned out 60-plus illustrations totally on his own intiative—and what illustrations! They were all so charming and fittingly weird that I am not ashamed to say that I ended up adding whole pages of new characters, gear and sites just based on what he was pumping out.

There were so many illustrations that sadly some of them had to get cut, some of my favorites even. But hey you can see them here below (actually, throughout the post) One of them is of Eldmen, slaves of the Eld who emulate the bulby heads of their masters with fake heads (yeah a Jack Vance homage), working the Plantation, one of the four adventure sites.

3. Extra-Planar Adventure. Misty was my first attempt to do a proper extra-planar adventure and it was surprisingly hard to get the weirdness of something that alien without making it so dang incoherent that  like a bad dream sequence in a movie you just shrug your shoulders. Like we don't really have many good examples in doing D&D adventures wholly off the prime material plane (leaving aside Planescape which gets some right and a lot wrong), so I found that challenging. A fun challenge yeah, but a challenge.

Greg Bilsland to Leave WotC - Will the Last to Leave Please Turn Out the Lights?

Greg Bilsland is leaving WotC. He was one of the few left actively working on / with the D&D team. I feel like I'm reading an Agatha Christie novel in slow motion.

From Greg's Linked In:

Marketer, Digital and Content
Wizards of the Coast
July 2014 – Present (2 years)Renton, WA
Manage content and design for Dungeons & Dragons website, as well as directing editorial for D&D's digital magazine app and collective social media channels.

Here's his announcement from Facebook:

I’ll be leaving Wizards of the Coast on June 21st. It wasn’t a decision I made lightly—working on D&D was my dream job, and it gave my wayward, 24-year-old soul a bit of direction. I came to D&D just before the announcement of D&D fourth edition, and now I leave as the fifth edition tabletop roleplaying game reaches new heights and expands to new horizons. It’s been a wild, crazy adventure (as any good D&D adventure should be), but and now I’m off to pursue new endeavors—including starting my own business. I’m excited for all the unpredictable things that come with that, if a bit trepidatious. I hope to stay involved in gaming as much as possible with writing, editing, marketing—and whatever else may come my way. 

Gary Gygax said “random chance plays a huge part in everybody's life.” I think that’s as true about taking chances as it is about a roll of the die. So I’m rolling the die and taking a chance on something new.

Back From NTRPG Con - Boy, am I Tired ;)

photo by Jonathan Perkel

Lets see. Not only did the TSA in Dallas - Fort Worth feel a need to pat me down, they also swabbed my fingers. Rach also got patted down (hair only) and had to show her fingers - no swabbing? Is NTRPG Con flagged for extra attention? Bad Mike, what's the secret?

That being said, the flight arrived at Laguardia 30 minutes early. Can I get an amen? (we heard lots of "Amens!" during the revival services happening right next to Merle Rausmussen's Espionage session yesterday)

I literally have way too many people to thank individually. I'm afraid to even try.

To everyone that took the time out of their gaming schedule to say "hi!" not only to me, but my wife Rach (and yes, they knew her name - it made her feel very special and probably proves they read The Tavern with some frequency) I say "thank you". Some of you made me blush, some of you shared selfies with me, some of you took selfies of me. Some of you gamed with Rach and I, some of you gamemastered for Rach and I. Some gave me gifts of gaming material, one made me a gift to store my gaming material and one gave me a gift of a selfie stick. Many of us shared meals, drinks, stories.

All gave of themselves to go to NTRPG Con and to be part of one of the most amazing communities in the OSR if not RPGs.

I'll be doing a series of posts about the gaming sessions, the con in general, acquisitions and reviews. More importantly, I'm asking you, my fellow NTRPG Con attendees, guests, hosts, sponsors - if you have a story to tell about the con or gaming in general and you don't know how or where to share it, share it here at The Tavern. Email me at trublunite at that gmail thing or contact me using the Blogger contact form on the right side of this page. Just because NTRPG is over until next year doesn't mean the stories need to stop flowing :)

edit - Jonathan, Rach simply loves this shot. You done well :)

NTRPG Con - Auction Win - Signed by EGG Dangerous Journeys Book II

I bid on many things in the Saturday afternoon auction at NTRPG Con, but winning isn't something that comes to me (the midnight auction is another kettle of fish).

This year, I actually won something. A copy of Dangerous Journeys Book II: Mythus Magick - signed by E. Gary Gygax to Steve March in 1992. I then asked Steve to sign it for me and he did.

Winning bid was $170. Not bad at all.

I also picked up 2 other signed items on my trip to Texas. More on that later ;)

Kickstarter - Michael Satran's Journey to the Center of the Earth! (Champions / Savage Worlds / Mutants & Masterminds)

I'll be the first to admit that I don't play much in the world of supers. I love my superheroes but most of the adventures I've seen are more of the same old same old.Now, having just interviewed +Jeff Dee last night at NTRPG Con for Roll For Initiative and getting to flip through the latest printing of Villains & Vigilantes, I've got my eyes on the superhero RPG scene.

So, peeking at Kickstarter, there's Michael Satran's Journey to the Center of the Earth! for Champions (with conversions for Savage Worlds and Mutants & Masterminds). I'd come across it earlier but hadn't looked close enough until now. This is a supers adventure that isn't something that's been done time and time again.

Jules Verne. The Lost World of the Warlord. Doc Savage. The Challengers of the Unknown. The Fantastic Four! The Savage Land! As long as there have been stories about explorers and superbeings, there have been stories of strange underground lands and societies at Earth's Center. This campaign supplement for Champions by veteran game author Michael Satran fits easily into any campaign world - and in glorious full color! It addresses a variety of differing power levels, with many options for adjustment and expansion. 

This softcover campaign supplement for Champions Complete using Hero System 6th Edition rules runs approximately 280 pages, including art and maps. All backers at the $20.00 or more level will also receive a zip file containing not only the PDF of the book, but additional PDFs character sheets and information for Savage Worlds and Mutants & Masterminds as well. 

Sinister sorcerers, Reptile Men, underground supervillains, hidden temples, evil cultists, and awesome archmages! This one's got it all! 

Meet the King of the Reptile Men, and find out why he wants to go to war with the surface world! 

Face The Oligarch, guardian of the laws of magic, and learn his hidden agenda! To many on the surface world he is a sinister villain! To others, a bold leader! 

Face cybernetic mole men, explore the underground, deal with earthquakes, lava, and hidden civilization. 

Additional information about underground environments and combat. 

Tons of ideas for your superhero game even if you don't play Champions, Savage Worlds, or Mutants & Masterminds! 

Maps of the Center of the Earth, including a typical city, key areas of the Reptile Empire and the Oligarch's Dark Spire! 

Learn secret objectives of the Cult of the Ebon Flame! 

See how other criminal organizations and governments deal with the Center of the Earth! 

Rules for how much knowledge the characters should have in different types of campaigns! 

Unique flora, fauna, and cultures! 

Over 30 new characters to bedevil, confront, and aid your heroes! 

Hundreds of plot seeds, ideas, and ways to mix things up to make your game unique!

So yeah, this excites me. Enough that I got Michael to send me a piece of art that hasn't been shown yet for the Kickstarter.

Go figure. Me and supers RPGs. Who'da thunk it?

NTRPG - Roll for Initiative Podcast - The Old School Interviews Episode

+Vincent Florio and I had a blast interviewing folks from the hobby last night at NTRPG Con for the Roll For Initiative Podcast . We scored some really great interviews.

Who did we interview you might ask?

+Richard LeBlanc
+Zach Glazar
Jeff Dee
The Frugal GM +Christopher Stogdill
Mike and Liz from Save or Die
Jim Wampler from Save or Die
DM Glen from Thaco’s Hammer
Jennell Jaquays

Give it a listen. It was a lot of fun and you can hear the Con energy in the background.

Photo courtesy of +Tim Snider , who we failed our roll to interview, but will have to track down at a later date. We understand there are apes in his future...

NTRPG Con - What Makes Skeeter Green?

Something goes horribly wrong at the Midnight Auction

Live From NTRPG Con - Roll For Initiative Episode #179

Last night +Vincent Florio and myself did a short, special episode of Roll For Initiative from The Tavern's Community Room (Trinity I) at NTRPG Con.

We discussed some of the game sessions we had participated in and some of the cool gaming stuff available at the con.

Shout outs to +Bill Webb , Chuck Wright, +Joe Wetzel and +Christopher Stogdill

Deal of the Day - Feast of the Preserver (DCC RPG)

Feast of the Preserver is the Deal of the Day at RPGNow until 11am Eastern Tomorrow. For a limited time, you can snag a PDF copy for 3 bucks. It's a 44 page DCC RPG Adventure for 3rd to 4th level characters by +David Fisher .

Here's the blurb:

Feast of the Preserver is a survival horror adventure designed for a group of 5 to 8 characters of levels 3 to 4. 

“Welcome traveller to the quaint village of Barrowton. You’ve arrived just in time for the annual Endfast Feast!” 

Something is amiss in the isolated village of Barrowton. Only courage, skill and a lot of luck can aid the adventurers in facing the horror that has taken hold of this once idyllic place. Can the adventurers save the village from a terrible fate or will they become the Feast of the Preserver? 

Features: 

Mystery and excitement compatible with Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG but easily converted to other systems
Over 40 pages of blood chilling suspence and horror
Beautifully rendered isometric maps by Brian Van Hunsel
New evil magic to destroy or be destroyed by

Chuck's Dragons - Benefit Adventure for Chuck Wright is Now Available

Chuck's Dragons, a benefit adventure for Chuck Wright, art director for Frog God Games, released earlier today at NTRPG Con.

If you are at the con, you can pick up a copy at the Frog God Games table in the main ballroom. It comes in Swords & Wizardry, D&D 5e and Pathfinder flavors. Unsigned is $30, signed is $100. All profits go towards Chuck's expenses for medical and physical rehabilitation.

If you aren't at the Con, you can grab a copy at the Frog God's webstore, which also offers a PDF version for $15.

It's for a good cause and you get to own an adventure written by +Bill Webb and +Matt Finch .

For those that donated to the GoFundMe and are waiting on gifts, Monday and Tuesday of this week a bunch of emails went out. Many more  will go out when I return from NTRPG. No one to blame for the delay but me.

New Release - Mazes & Perils Deluxe Edition - Only a Buck in PDF for a Limited Time Only

I've written about Mazes & Perils Deluxe Edition already (click here for previous post) and as I said before, I was impressed.

Well, M&P Deluxe released earlier today and it's on sale for a buck for a limited time only. Really, at a buck can you go wrong?

Even if you use it just for source material for other OSR games (especially for the new classes) you owe it to yourself to grab a copy of Mazes & Perils Deluxe.

NTRPG Con 2016 - Ghostbusters - Baby's First Mjölnir

I've said this before (2 years ago) and I will say it again - +Tim Snider runs amazing con games. This time is was Ghostbusters.

We had a really strong group of roleplayers and it showed. We kept Tim (and ourselves) laughing constantly. I had a blast playing Phil Philbin, Newscaster and Reporter for the Public Access TV Ghostbusters News Channel.

I don't think any of it played out like Tim had planned it to, but isn't that the whole point?

Tomorrow it's +Doug Kovacs and some DCC RPG action.

Oh, and a Tavern Irregular bought me a selfie stick. Beware, as I'll be a man on a mission tomorrow :)

First Art Acquisition of NTRPG Con 2016 - Lloyd Metcalf

Forgive the poor hotel room lighting

If I have a weakness at NTRPG Con, it's for art. I just can't stop myself. I simply love really strong fantasy art, and +Lloyd Metcalf  is one of the best in the OSR.

This is a rather small piece, so I acquired it for a steal. His daughter, Raven has some really nice original pieces for sale too.

Crap. It's already inspiring some ideas for a Polyhedral Dungeon adventure. It sure looks like it could use some building inspectors...

NTRPG Con - Tavern Community Room - StarSlinger Session 7PM to 10PM Tonight - Players Wanted

I'll be running a White Star / StarSlinger session tonight at 7PM at the open table in the Tavern's Community Room - Trinity I.

Kyn Vittman has something he needs recovered to give a kick to his gambling establishment and it's up to the party to bring it back. Of course, Careth the Hut and Pystule have different ideas. As the saying goes, there is no honor among thieves, and these are the most notorious thieves in the town of Eastwood.

Can the party of Snake Oil Salesmen, Star Crusaders, Men With No Name, Scoundrels and Star Marshals come out of this without their heads in a noose?

Looking for 3 to 5 players (Rach is the sixth)

Its going to be a very free flowing session. Characters will be provided, but you must provide the names.

Drop a comment if you're here at NTRPG Con if you're interested.

After the game we will be moving on to the hotel bar and possibly some Drinking Quest ;)

So Many Peoples at NTRPG Con, and Me Without My Selfie Stick

Its the day before the con, and so far Rach and I have met, conversed, eaten with or shared drinks with (or some combination of the above): +Tim Snider , +Zach Glazar , +Joe Wetzel , +David Przybyla , +Matt Finch , Paul & Brenda Wolf, +Jason Hobbs , +Michael Badolato , +Doug Kovacs , +Michael Curtis , +Dennis Higgins , +Richard LeBlanc , +Frank Mentzer ,  david welborn, doug reah and others whose names escape me. All were saved from the selfie stick because I forgot the damn thing when I was packing.

Imagine what tomorrow may bring...

Have Arrived At NTRPG Con - We Can Use Tavern Chat / Chat Wing to Arrange Pick up Games for Tavern Regulars

I bumped into +Jason Hobbs a few minutes ago, and he wanted to know if there was a Hangout or some such to schedule pick up games at NTRPG Con

As far as I know, it's hard to get people to drop into a Hangout uninvited, but it's damn simple to use Tavern Chat.

Just log in with the social media service of your choice and chat away.

You can even download the ChatWing app to your phone for access everywhere.

So, I'm suggesting the use of Tavern Chat (it's to the right of this post) to recruit among The Taverners ;)

What Wonders a Three Day Weekend Getaway Can Do for Your Mental Health

For those of you following at home, May was not a good month for your tavern keeper. Issues with my mother's cousin (and my "retirement burden" as had been mapped out prior) went south early in the month, which resulted in her being placed by the state in a nursing home and the state declaring her incompetent. We've had tons of trickle down stress, cleaning of the house, searching for documents and financial info, other assorted bs and associated family guilt for those first few weeks. Just prior to that I turned in my shield as I finish my last steps to full retirement. It was emotional and occupied it's share of my thoughts. Then we had the small health issue that left me bed ridden for nearly a week and for which I finally finished the antibiotics this past weekend.

Posting for May was down by about 35 percent compared to April. Shit, I may as well have still been working midnights ;)

I literally needed a reboot, and that is what this past weekend was. I feel refreshed. I no longer feel like my mind is going in multiple directions. Oh, and the ability to painlessly sit is seriously under-appreciated by the world at large.

I got to very few of the Chuck Fundraiser gift emails during May (passing info on to those offering gifts for those donating) It finally got rebooted today and will continue throughout the rest of the week. Yes, I'll be at NTRPG Con, but that's never stopped me from posting and it wont stop me from emailing. I'll just bring my printed lists with me.

StarSlinger material will be returning to The Tavern. I've also found it a home (or rather, a home found it) for when it comes time to publish it. I'm very comfortable with the situation. It couldn't have worked out better.

Alright, time to pack for the morning flight to Dallas.

Kickstarter - The Driftwood Verses - (OSR / LotFP)

This is going to be a first. I'm going to suggest you watch a Kickstarter video because it's damn good. How much does it have to do with The Driftwood Verses itself? Damned if I know. Looks great and it's nice and short. Go and watch it. I'll wait.

Back?

It was good, right?

If The Driftwood Verses setting comes close to half the atmosphere in that short video it will be amazing.

So, what are / is The Driftwood Verses?

The Driftwood Verses is a gloomy, nautical fantasy campaign setting for old-school tabletop role-playing games. It's directly compatible with Lamentations of the Flame Princess and more broadly compatible with a large selection of traditional systems. The contents can be used as a stand alone setting or slotted into your existing kitchen sink fantasy campaign as a distinct region in a larger world. 

The setting was conceived as a Dark Sun-esque re-skinning of standard D&D tropes, starting with the conceit that "whales are dragons." It has since developed into something well beyond that original idea. The major inspirations include stuff like Moby Dick, Dishonored, Sunless Sea, Dune, The Scar, and the Monster Blood Tattoo series. 

The book focuses on a blighted maritime region called Walfismeer. It's an impressionistic fantasy setting, a collection of symbols and metaphors come to life. Anachronisms abound. Grizzled mariners pilot haunted, tentacle-powered iron ships across a sludge-poisoned sea. Sinister roachmen quad-wield black powder pistols in hungry cities ruled by vice and bloodsport. Secretly trained navigators employ esoteric disciplines to guide vessels across a mysterious psychic barrier called The Reef. Desperate meerfolk raise sonorous hymns to Leviathan in deep-sea, whale-corpse cathedrals. 

This is NOT another rehash of the typical age of sail/talk-like-a-pirate setting. It's something slightly weirder. It's like Melville's Nantucket meets Leiber's Lankhmar with an oil-spill-chic soundtrack by Tom Waits and Bathory rattling in the background.

12 bucks for the PDF. 25 bucks (+5 for shipping) for the Print plus PDF.

I'm in for the Print plus...

Happy Birthday to Tenkar's Tavern - 7 Years Old Today

Yep. 7 years old today.

I wish I could explain the longevity and success of The Tavern, but it's beyond my ability.

I do know that it wouldn't have happened without you, the readers, the regulars at The Tavern. Quite simply, without the community, there would be no Tavern.

Okay, time for bed. Lots of emails to catch up on before NTRPG Con. Tomorrow will be busy.

Thank you all. Here's to seven more :)

No One Expects... The Building Inspectors (a Session Write Up & Play Review of Polyhedral Dungeon

Last night, while enjoying the calming sounds of rain falling on a tin roof, I hopped into a Roll 20 session of Polyhedral Dungeon run by none other than my good friend and writer of said game, +Jason Paul McCartan . Joining me in acts of virtual depravity were +James Spahn , +Keith J Davies and +David B .

Not so long set up shortened, we were recruited to recover three identical statues from a bunch of evil cultists. Of course, evil cultists means carte blanc for acts that aren't normally approved by the average adventurer's guild.

I'm going to borrow the following from a comment Keith posted on G+ earlier today with additional info provided by me:

We walked up to the big oak doors of this place, they weren't locked. So we pulled them open and, since they were on pin hinges, popped the pins and the door fell down.

Explanation: The halfling (James) wanted to remove a door so we couldn't get locked in. He wanted to borrow the dwarf's hammer (me) to do so. Instead, I took down the door

Cultist/priest came running out.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"
"Building inspector. You know what the penalty is for having doors that can fall on and injure someone?"

Yep, my line. Because of 20 years of civil service, I know the hoops you can make people jum through.

"They didn't do that until you go here!"
"Yeah, clearly they weren't to code. Have you got a signed inspection report?"
"GAH!" walks off
*twang* (crossbow)

That was all James. Halflings are violent, yo!

"What, he was coming right at us." removes crossbow bolt, rolls body over, jams it into the front
...
after following cultists who fled down some stairs 

"Inadequately lit stairway, no hand rail. Total health and safety hazard here. See? We've got a couple people injured at the bottom of the stairs right now." thoroughly apply hammer to the one still twitching "Head injuries are a serious problem in unsafe conditions like this. I want to see a handrail and proper lighting when I come back."

This was a bit of everyone throwing out lines ate this point. Polyhedral Dungeon expects you to come up with a Schtick or gimmick for your character to make them moire memorable, as well as a quote. For me, these came up in play during the first session.  "No one expects... the Building Inspectors!"

Beyond some excellent roleplay we got to give the PD rules a shake too. Keith remarked that they reminded him a bit of Far Away Land, and he's right, they did in a way. Just like in FAL, once your grok the rules they kinda fade to the back of your mind. Advantage, attacks (and defense), damage (and armor) and the painful disadvantage that taking damage does to both PCs and the adversaries.

Unlike D&D type games, a damaged opponent is less of a threat than an undamaged opponent. Whittling down multiple adversaries instead of concentrating on taking out a single one appears to be more effective.

I used brownie points to negate the small amounts damage I was taking in combat with a half dozen skeletons, because I immediately saw how a little damage can easily be a rolling stone towards death.

One thing that needs to be spelled out a bit more, at least for those of use coming from the OSR end of the spectrum, is how to effectively put oneself in position to gain advantage. Sometimes we just need some examples spelled out for us.

In the end, it felt like D&D without being D&D. I'm still partly amazed at how easily the rules faded into the background, just like they do for me when I play most OSR games that are built on the rules I've played since I was a teenager. That says a lot.

I'm looking forward to the next game session of "Calishun BrightAxe, Independent Building Inspector."

Polyhedral Dungeon Hits Silver on DriveThruRPG - I Get to Play it Tonight!

Polyhedral Dungeon hit Silver over at DriveThruRPG last night (still Copper over at RPGNow) Pretty exciting for a game that I was getting sneak peeks during the creation.

Even better, +Jason Paul McCartan is running a session of PD tonight so I'll be able to post a "play review", hopefully before I head to NTRPG Con.

Gonna be another hot one in the Poconos today. Time to head out for a heart attack breakfast ;)

On Monday, The Tavern Will Have Served Beer and Sausages for 7 Years

Yep, on Memorial day, May 31st, Tenkar's Tavern will turn 7 years old. Seven years already. Holy shit.

While heavily focused on the OSR, we've also ventured into Kickstarters - the good, the bad and the downright evil. Some indie games, some random thoughts.

So, it occurred to me earlier today. With all this talk about women in gaming, just how many read The Tavern? Damn if I know. It occurred to be that The Tavern's Facebook Community page could give an idea. Lets see. 476 members. How many can I identify as women? Six, although one is the daughter of Gary himself.

Still, six women (maybe more where names are initials and the graphic gives no hint). We're looking at less than 2%. Let's assume the numbers are screwy and double them. Less than 4% (closer to 3%)

Is it me? I don't think so.

Is it the OSR? More likely. I'd say NTRPG Con comes in between 10-15% women attendees, many of them with their spouses.

Why is that? Is it that old "men are from Mars and women are from Venus" shtick? We're wired differently and enjoy different games and genres?

Apparently so. Its simply the nature of Nature.

Some women do enjoy "kicking ass" as my wife so gleefully just reminded me. Next thing I know she'll take kickboxing up again.

Women, ladies, girls, butt kicking goddesses of goodness - whatever they want to call themselves, are always welcome at The Tavern. I, and The Tavern itself, are true to our very own nature and have been for seven years.

So please, come into The Tavern for the beer and sausages, but stay for the conversation and the community.

Finally Away for an Overnight for the First Time Since Last Summer - Laptop, Tablet and DT&T Came with Me

Rach and I hadn't gotten away from the city since last summer. My change of days off and work hours, first to evenings and later to midnights, made getting away for even a weekend nigh impossible. With me retired, we no longer have the same restrictions.

We're in the Poconos thru Monday morning, then off to NTRPG Con on d Wednesday. I struggle with the gaming material I wanted to bring with me tom read, then settled on Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls along with a table full of PDFs. dT&T is a spare copy, so it will stay at my parents' house You never know when a game of T&T may suddenly break out.

Tomorrow night I'll be plying in a Polyhedral Dungeon session run by none other than The Badger ( +Jason Paul McCartan himself). Expect a review / play report with be posted prior to our heading out to Dallas.

92 degrees in the Pocono Mountains in May. I wonder if Dallas in June will be cooler?

Kickstarter - Bard's Gate - With Stretch Goals for Non-Backers Too!

Bard' s Gate is the latest Frog God Kickstarter and it comes in the usual three flavors these days - 5e, Swords & Wizardry and Pathfinder. In less than a day it's hit a third of it 75K goal, but that's not the big news. The big news is that Frog God Games is working with TableTopLibrary, the new online RPG distributor of PDF and Print gaming goodies and hopeful competitor to OBS. They have set stretch goals that will be given to ALL registered TableTopLibrary customers if the numbers are reached, whether or not the TTL customers are backers of the Bard's Gate Kickstarter or not.

That makes for a pretty good reason to check out the TableTopLibrary site if you ask me.

+Matt Finch mentioned the details on his blog and I'm going to add to the bandwidth below:

We’re excited to announce our cooperation with Frog God Games on the Bard’s Gate Kickstarter. This project funds an epic, full-color book describing the iconic fantasy city of Bard’s Gate, and the Kickstarter is already on track to a massive success. 

And we thought to ourselves -- because we do that sometimes -- “Why limit stretch goals just to people who pledge for a Kickstarter? If it does well, let’s give everybody some stuff!” 

So here’s the plan – it’s a type of cooperation that hasn’t been done before between an online retailer like us, working with a publisher like Frog God Games. If it works well, we’ll do this with other Kickstarters in the future to help boost their signals. 

For ALL registered customer here at Tabletop Library, if the Bard’s Gate Kickstarter does well, we’ve arranged with Frog God Games to put up some of their Bard’s Gate related products for free until (just after) the end of the Kickstarter. So don’t forget – if you’re not already registered as a customer at the www.tabletoplibrary.com, you should register now to be included in these goals! 

Here is our schedule of the Tabletop Library Double-Rewards for the Bard’s Gate Kickstarter: 

$25,000: Gulf of Akados Region Map. If the Bard’s Gate Kickstarter reaches $25,000 in pledges, we will put the Gulf of Akados poster map (pdf) up as a free product until just after the end of the Kickstarter. The Gulf of Akados is the region where Bard’s Gate is located. 

$45,000 Sinnar Coast Region Map. If the Kickstarter reaches $45,000 in pledges, we will put the Sinnar Coast Region poster map (pdf) up as a free product until just after the end of the Kickstarter. The Sinnar Coast Region contains the Bard’s Gate colony-cities of Eastgate and Telar Brindel. 

$75,000 Rogues in Remballo Adventure Module. If the Kickstarter reaches $75,000 in pledges, we will put all three versions of the module Rogues in Remballo (5e, PF, and S&W) up as free products until just after the end of the Kickstarter. Rogues in Remballo concerns matters involving the House of Borgandy, a banking family in Suilley that has extensive financial dealings with Bard’s Gate.

Did I mention the Bard's Gate Kickstarter is going to have some Easter Eggs of interest to members of the OSR community and gaming in general? I didn't mention it? OK... I said nothing, I know nothing...