Ken Whitman - Further Whiticisms and Excuses - To the Summer of 2017 and Beyond!

Earlier today I posted Ken Whitman's amazing update for Spinward Traveller, where he punts the ball 12 months down the line on EVERY overdue project.

Folks have been kind enough to share updates on Ken's other examples of thievery Kickstarting, and I figured I'd put them in order here on this post. Because if there's one thing folks love, is more of Ken's drunken allegedly possibly intoxicated postings:

KOTDT Update:

Dear Backers.

We have set a new release date for August 1, 2017. Of course we hope to get your project to you way before that date, but would rater surprise you then disappoint you again.

Sorry it has taken so long, there have been many sit backs in my life, and there are a few backers that actually follow and harass me online, effecting my ability to make a living and produce this product. Although their actions are highly illegal it it very difficult to enforce laws across state lines without spending money, AND I would prefer to spend said money on this project instead. Some of these harassment include copywrite infringement, libel, slander, contacting employers, contacting loved ones, and even contact my children.

So please, if you have a problem with me, contact me at kenwhitman@kenwhitman.com, OR at least be civilized and use our current court system if you believe I have wronged you in anyway. There are much better ways of handing a situation then cyberstalking, and harassing my loved ones.

I have updated the IMDB page tonight, however it will take a few days to fix itself.
I will update you when I have downloads for you guys.

My sincerest apology for letting you down on the timeline, BUT I am going to finish this project. I have NOT given up and you will see this wonderful project.

If you would like to ask questions about the project below, please feel free to post them. I will most likely only answer questions I feel help clarify information about this project.

Here are some basic ones that will clear up some...

Q. Did you buy a car with KODT money.
A. No. (Leased? Maybe. Or maybe just test drove it for a few weeks)

Q. Did all the actors and crew get paid.
A. It took a bit of time, but yes.

Q. Did you shoot all 3 episodes.
A. Yes.

Q. Why has it taken so long.
A. I tried to produce the product without the knowledge of the true cost of production. Many companies producing 60 mins, of content kickstarter for $300k+. I have been spending my own time and money making-up for the under capitalization.

Q. Did you pay yourself out of Kickstarter Money.
A. Just like any actor or crew, I paid myself for my time producing, directing & editing. Currently to date my average hourly rate come to a little over $3.17 an hour.

Q. Have you been involved an any other Fundraiser sense your trouble her on Kickstarter.
A. No, I decided to work on these projects and will never create another fundraise for any project until my current ones are completed.

Q. Do you currently produce, direct or act in movies.
A. Yes. That is how I make my living.

Q. Have you contemplated suicide because of your finacial situation and personal problems.
A. Yes. If you have ever been cyberstalked, or have dozens of web sites dedicated to your failure, it does get a bit depressing and over whelming. If it we not for the support of a few friends, and the fact I have two wonderful children, I probably would have taken the cowards way out. But they believe in me, so I guess i have no choice but to get this project finished and done with.

Q. How is your relationship with Jolly Blackburn.
A. Bad. Jolly has spent many hours cyberstalking me on line, he continuously post on several of my hate sites (you know you've hit the big time as a con artist when your have SEVERAL hate sites) & IMDB. Behind close doors he send email telling me I am a piece of $&*^, and yet, I dredge on. Don't get me wrong, I can be a hot head, I'm not saying I did not have a few choice words for Jolly. Buts because I am passionate about creating a good piece of art.  (So, Jolly curses out Ken - Jolly is evil. Ken curses out Jolly - Ken is passionate. Makes perfect sense...) edit - read this paragraph carefully. If this is how Ken edits video, I can't fucking wait to see what he turns in. Wait, that means he'd actually have to complete one of these projects)

Q. Will we actually see a finished project.
A. Yes. (NO)

Castles & Crusades TV Pilot:

Dear Backers.
We have set a new release date for August 1, 2017. Of course we hope to get your project to you way before that date, but would rater surprise you then disappoint you again.

Sorry it has taken so long, there have been many sit backs in my life, and there are a few backers that actually follow and harass me online, effecting my ability to make a living and produce this product. Although their actions are highly illegal it it very difficult to enforce laws across state lines without spending money, AND I would prefer to spend said money on this project instead. Some of these harassment include copywrite infringement, libel, slander, contacting employers, contacting loved ones, and even contact my children.

So please, if you have a problem with me, contact me at kenwhitman@kenwhitman.com, OR at least be civilized and use our current court system if you believe I have wronged you in anyway. There are much better ways of handing a situation then cyberstalking, and harassing my loved ones.

We are creating an IMDB pages soon.

My sincerest apology for letting you down on the timeline, BUT I am going to finish this project. I have NOT given up and you will see this wonderful project.

If you would like to ask questions about the project below, please feel free to post them. I will most likely only answer questions I feel help clarify information about this project.

Here are some basic ones that will clear up some...

Q. Did you misappropriate the money.
A. No. We shot a short that was not up to snuff for the guys at TrollLord Games, and we went back to the drawing Board. Now with an script provide by TrollLord Games, and advice from their creative team, we should be able to produce a wonder product this Fall. (my God man. Is English even your first language?)

Q. Did you shoot the full episode.
A. We shot and 8 minute film that TrollLord Games will not see. (WTF does this mean? I think I know what it means, but it's Kenny)

Q. Why has it taken so long.
A. I tried to produce the product without the knowledge of the true cost of production. Many companies producing 10 mins, of content kickstarter for $30k+. I have been spending my own time and money making-up for the under capitalization.

Q. Did you pay yourself out of Kickstarter Money.
A. No, the budget of this show was spent only on production. (not even $3.17 an hour? damn)

Q. Have you been involved an any other Fundraiser sense your trouble her on Kickstarter.
A. No, I decided to work on these projects and will never create another fundraise for any project until my current ones are completed.

Q. Do you currently produce, direct or act in movies.
A. Yes. That is how I make my living.

Q. Have you contemplated suicide because of your finacial situation and personal problems.
A. Yes. If you have ever been cyberstalked, or have dozens of web sites dedicated to your failure, it does get a bit depressing and over whelming. If it we not for the support of a few friends, and the fact I have two wonderful children, I probably would have taken the cowards way out. But they believe in me, so I guess i have no choice but to get this project finished and done with.

Q. How is your relationship with TrollLoad Games.
A. Strained but okay. They believe in this project and have agreed to give us one more shot at this.

Q. Will we actually see a finished project.
A. Yes. NO

Pencil Dice

Dear Backers.

We have set a new release date for Summer, 2017. Of course we hope to get your project to you way before that date, but would rater surprise you then disappoint you again.

Sorry it has taken so long, there have been many sit backs in my life, and there are a few backers that actually follow and harass me online, effecting my ability to make a living and produce this product. Although their actions are highly illegal it it very difficult to enforce laws across state lines without spending money, AND I would prefer to spend said money on this project instead. Some of these harassment include copywrite infringement, libel, slander, contacting employers, contacting loved ones, and even contact my children.

So please, if you have a problem with me, contact me at kenwhitman@kenwhitman.com, OR at least be civilized and use our current court system if you believe I have wronged you in anyway. There are much better ways of handing a situation then cyberstalking, and harassing my loved ones.

My sincerest apology for letting you down on the timeline, BUT I am going to finish this project. I have NOT given up and you will see this wonderful project.

If you would like to ask questions about the project below, please feel free to post them. I will most likely only answer questions I feel help clarify information about this project.

Here are some basic ones that will clear up some...

Q. Did you misappropriate the money.
A. No. We had several hick-up and cost skyrocketed. We currently have the Pencil Dice Bags, and are waiting on production in China. We were told that all 6 sides could be printed in one go, apparently that is not true, and quality is a bit shotty. Because most of these will now have to be mad made and not machine made, the cost are much higher. We are looking at producing a smaller quantity for the majority of the backers, and then producing the RETAIL versions at a later time. (well, I love "mad made" pencils. That little bit of anger can come out in my writing. Really? You CAN'T print 6 sides in one go? http://www.sebastianbergne.com/portfolio/pencil-dice/ proves you wrong. Fuck, I can't take it. Ken, you admitted to misappropriating monies:

https://runkleplaysgames.com/2015/06/04/interview-with-ken-whitman-of-d20-entertainment/

Learn to keep track of your lies...

Q. Have you been involved an any other Fundraiser sense your trouble her on Kickstarter.
A. No, I decided to work on these projects and will never create another fundraise for any project until my current ones are completed.

Q. Have you contemplated suicide because of your finacial situation and personal problems.
A. Yes. If you have ever been cyberstalked, or have dozens of web sites dedicated to your failure, it does get a bit depressing and over whelming. If it we not for the support of a few friends, and the fact I have two wonderful children, I probably would have taken the cowards way out. But they believe in me, so I guess i have no choice but to get this project finished and done with.

Q. Will we actually see a finished project.
A. Yes. NO

Ken Whitman - A New Spin on Spinward Traveller - Hyperdriving to Summer of 17

You need to love Ken Whitman and his never ending list of excuses. "Maybe if I change the Kickstarter release dates to NEXT summer, backers will stop trying to send Attorney Generals after me."

Sorry Kenny, it ain't that easy.

BTW, although this the following is from the Spinward Traveller TV Pilot KS, a similar if shorter update was made to the Deck Dice KS. Complete with the same damn typos. Public school education was bad back in those days too, Ken?

Spinward Traveller New Release Date

Posted by d20 Entertainment (Creator) For backers only

Dear Backers. We have set a new release date for August 1, 2017. Of course we hope to get your project to you way before that date, but would rater (sp) surprise you then disappoint you again. Sorry it has taken so long, there have been many sit (sp) backs in my life, and there are a few backers that actually follow and harass me online, effecting my ability to make a living and produce this product. Although their actions are highly illegal it it (so nice I said it twice)  very difficult to enforce laws across state lines without spending money (and hard for State Attorney Generals to find you when you keep moving apparently), AND I would prefer to spend said money on this project instead. Some of these harassment include copywrite (sp)   infringement, libel, slander, contacting employers, contacting loved ones, and even contact (sp) my children. So please, if you have a problem with me, contact me at kenwhitman@kenwhitman.com, OR at least be civilized and use our current court system if you believe I have wronged you in anyway. There are much better ways of handing a situation then cyberstalking, (comma not needed) and harassing my loved ones. I have updated the IMDB page tonight, however it will take a few days to fix itself. I will update you when I have downloads for you guys. My sincerest apology for letting you down on the timeline, BUT I am going to finish this project. I have NOT given up and you will see this wonderful project. If you would like to ask questions about the project below, please feel free to post them. I will most likely only answer questions I feel help clarify information about this project. Here are some basic ones that will clear up some... Q. Did you misappropriate the money. A. No. (Yes! From other Kickstarters to pay for your dreams. You even admitted it in an interview. My Kenny, your memory is short and self serving) Q. Did all the actors and crew get paid. A. It took a bit of time, but yes. (and the special effects guy - did he get paid?) Q. Did you shoot the full episode.  A. Yes. Q. Why has it taken so long. A. I tried to produce the product without the knowledge of the true cost of production.  (Now THIS is truth. And pure stupidity)Many companies producing 44 mins, of content kickstarter for $250k+. I have been spending my own time and money making-up for the under capitalization. Q. Did you pay yourself out of Kickstarter Money. A. Just like any actor or crew, I paid myself for my time producing, directing & editing. Currently to date my average hourly rate come to a little over $3.17 an hour. (still vastly overpaid and I doubt the actual number) Q. Have you been involved an any other Fundraiser sense (WTF) your trouble her (sigh) on Kickstarter. A. No, I decided to work on these projects and will never create another fundraise (r)for any project until my current ones are completed. Q. Do you currently produce, direct or act in movies. A. Yes. That is how I make my living. Q. Have you contemplated suicide because of your financial (sp)  situation and personal problems.  A. Yes. If you have ever been cyberstalked, or have dozens of web sites dedicated to your failure, it does get a bit depressing and over whelming. If it we (sp) not for the support of a few friends, and the fact I have two wonderful children, I probably would have taken the cowards (sp) way out. But they believe in me, so I guess i have no choice but to get this project finished and done with. Q. How is your relationship with Marc Miller. A. Strained but okay.   He believes in this project and gives me word of encouragement to finish it up. Q. Will we actually see a finished project. A. Yes. There you have it folks. Ken Whitman, uncut. The unvarnished truth, or at least as Kenny sees it. Remember, there are lies and then there's Ken. The truth is out there, but it's certainly not here...

GameHole Con - 926 Events and Growing - 11/4 - 11/6 - Madison WI

I really wish I was going to GameHole Con this year. I've heard nothing but amazing things about it, even from one of the guys who runs NTRPG Con ( +Michael Badolato ) I just need to see how the finances stack up transitioning from paycheck to pension and this is solidly during that "transition". Next year for me.

Now, if YOU can make it, please do. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of events (maybe a thousand before you know it) and the OSR makes a very strong showing. As does 5e. As does just about everything.

I mentioned that Alex Kammer, the main man behind GameHole, is an awesome guy, right? If you are a member of The Tavern's Community and request a card, you even get a $5 discount on registration. You don't need to have the card in hand, I'm way behind on that. Just requests a card and use the link I send you to join  the community (I'm a bit behind on requests, but that should be caught up on Monday.

There MIGHT be something ready in print in time for GameHole. Not saying what. Not saying will. Might.

Kickstarter - Dungeonesque Red & White Box Sets (5e RPG)

I'm working off my new Surface Pro 4 (thanks Rach for the early bday present) and with piss poor internet, so bear with me.

There was a previous crowdfunding project for Dungeonesque, which is basically 5e returned to it's Old School roots. Well, the Dungeonesque Red & White Box Sets (5e RPG) Kickstarter takes it to a new level. Or is that old level.

In any case, I even talked about limiting class and race options in the last Path of Legends podcast, and here we have a reworking of 5e rules that do just that. You don't need these rules to experience old school play with 5e, but if you've never experienced old school play these may very well be a good option if you are coming from 5e.

Oh, and boxes. Real boxes. Never an easy thing to produce and it's being offered in 2 flavors, White Box and Red Box.

I'd back this but I need to see how far my pension stretches before backing new Kickstarters. Besides, I backed the Red Box Book earlier ;)

Piss Poor Internet in the Poconos - It May Be a Quiet Weekend at The Tavern

Yep, I've escaped to the mountains for my final weekend on the books and return to a small party at home on Sunday. Woot!

In the meantime, the internet here in the Poconos has been intermittent at best and unusable at worst. It's bad when you can't open an email in less than 5 minutes.

Good news is I may actually be productive without the internet to distract. Perfect time to put a few posts for the Saturday Knight Special blog in the hopper and ready to go.

Alright, lets see how long this takes to post and share out to the various communities...

Tenkar's Tavern Facebook Community - 603 Members and Growing

I realized yesterday that The Tavern's Facebook Community just broke the 600 mark. I'm in awe. Thank you all.

Remember, don't just be a member but be an active one. Post and comment. It is YOUR community after all. I just serve the drinks.

Tenkar's Tavern Membership cards have SLOWLY been going out. Much slower than I anticipated. Not only has work on Swords & Wizardry: Light been a bit time consuming, but wrapping up before my actual retirement date on the 17th has been a distracting time sink. A significant time sink. Not just with last minute paperwork either.

As of the 18th I am a free man. I expect to be able to focus on the various projects in the works and speed up the processing of The Tavern Membership Cards. This weekend will be a total wash though ;)

No Thank You Evil! Session Two - The Kid's All In

I had "uncle duty" this afternoon. So, after lunch and Friendly's we came back to the house. Shannie played with the dog and uncle tried to catch up on the day's events.

I heard noise in the hall and then little feet running down the stairs.

"Uncle! Come down. I want to play The Game!"

War, the card game, has been the game recently. I figured if I got lucky, I could get some Spongebob in at the same time.

Imagine my surprise when I saw No Thank You Evil! The Deluxe Box, spread out ALL over the living room. I mean, it looked like the game had exploded.

"We're going to play The Game!"

Damn. I wasn't ready. Hadn't read the second adventure in the book - ever.

"Er, yeah Pinky. Give me a few minutes. I need to read and catch up."

"I know you have to read Uncle, but I want to play. Read fast, K?" 5 year olds are not known for their patience.

I'm not going to spoil the adventure by telling it in detail, but the lass impressed me with her diving right in, not just with the pretend / roleplaying, but attempting to circumvent the rules and tell me what she did and how she succeeded before she rolled any dice or roleplayed out the encounter. Surprisingly, when it was pointed out to her that she was jumping the gun, she didn't fight it but went along, explaining what she was attempting and asking how do we find out if she succeeded.

And after she finished the scenario she wanted to keep the roleplay going.

She may be stepping up to Swords & Wizardry: Light sooner than later.

If you have young kids that have an interesting in roleplaying games, the physical components alone make No Thank You Evil! an awesome value. Stickers everywhere and enough pieces that you can lose some and you'd never notice. Wise game design, that ;)

The Gygax Memorial Fund - I Was Asked to Give Gail "a couple of weeks" - It's been 2 1/2 Months

So, just over a month ago the Gygax Memorial Fund posted their 2015 tax return. Before you ask, why so late, it wasn't submitted until June 10th (she was meeting with the accountant in the first week of May - see conversation down below)

We were promised an audit after the taxes were filed. I guess time will tell on that.

The 2 year delay has been blamed on the fight with the city council on the actual location of the monument. That fight is still ongoing. Here we are, 2 1/2 months after the last update of the Fund's Facebook page, promising a "call to order". I hope Gail realizes that she will get very little response to her call when she can't even bother giving fans, friends and backers regular updates.

Now, how about part of a conversation that I had with someone that claimed to have talked directly with Gail via phone. He (who shall currently remain nameless, but I have have screenshots of the entire Facebook chat) told me the following back on April 29th (just posting highlights of what was told to me):

Ahoy ahoy! Got a sec? 

I spoke to Gail today and made some headway. 

She's going to have an audit done of the memorial and share it with the public in the next week or so. (That never happened)

Please don't quote that. Let's see if it rolls out within the next week or two. 

Speaking/exchanging messages with her is frustrating but I made some big progress today. 

I hammered her today and finally got through. Let's give her a couple of weeks. She meets with the accountant next week and told him to get a third part auditor to do the audit. 

If she fails on deliverables I'll take our entire conversation public via youZ 

You 

She "gets it" now about why silence is failing her. 

Have had two different people confirm she's in negotiations for print. (Games, maps, notes.) 

She gets it now. 

As I said I hammered her. 

Gamers. She has been burned. Badly. 

My advice is let me share my conversations with Ken Whitman with you and change the conversation for a couple of weeks. (WTF, right? I mean, Whitman writes his own updates. Is this considered bribery in the world of Journalism?)

Let's give her a chance to do right. She's asked for my help in writing updates. 

Told her she misses a deliverable I walk away. Publicly. 

I will keep you updated. Would like to trade notes. 

I think she gets it.

No, I don't think "she gets it." I don't think she ever will. I think the gaming community is seen as a tool for Gail to fund the Memorial and have it placed where she wants it, but that the Memorial was never about the gaming community. Personally, I don't think Gail has much respect for the gaming community. I could be wrong, but actions speak louder than words, and she has very little of both for the gaming community that she needs the support of.

No updates.

No deliverables.

No public walking away.

This is no longer "a couple of weeks." It's now 2 1/2 months.

All in all you're just another brick in the wall - Pink Floyd

About those bricks...

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9PM Eastern - Let Us Chat

Yep, tonight is another Tavern Chat at 9PM Eastern.

Topics?

How the hell should I know? It's not like I actually run this shit or something ;)

It should be a good time for all :)

Free RPG - Godbound: A Game of Divine Heroes (Free Edition)

+Kevin Crawford 's latest Kickstarter project, Godbound: A Game of Divine Heroes released to the general public two weeks ago, in both a free version and an expanded deluxe version.

Needless to say, Kevin was early in completion of yet another Kickstarter :)

You can grab a copy of the free 191 page Godbound: A Game of Divine Heroes (Free Edition) from this very link.

Here's the blurb:

Godbound is a game of divine heroes in a broken world, men and women who have seized the tools that have slipped from an absent God's hands. Bound by seeming chance to the Words of Creation, these new-forged titans face a world ravaged by the mad ambitions of men and the cruel legacy of human folly. Their foes are many: the jealous parasite gods that suck at the wounds of the world, the furious Angelic Host that once held Heaven against the armies of men, and the endless legions of sorcerers, god-monsters, mortal tyrants, and eldritch relicts that scourge the shattered realms. The Godbound stand against these horrors, determined to forge a better world from the fragments of the old. Still, not all these newborn divinities have a hero's soul, and some nurture red dreams of glory and unfettered rule. Will you be a merciful god to your people, or will you make them dread your holy name?

Godbound does more than simply give you the tools to create these wielders of the Words. Within these pages, a GM will find the guidelines they need to challenge the mightiest of heroes and mark tremendous deeds on the face of their world. Inside this book, you'll find… 

Everything you need to take a Godbound hero from their first uncertain awakening to the pinnacle of divine supremacy, with mighty Words of Creation, divine gifts, and enormous works of celestial Dominion. 

Fearsome god-monsters and terrifying foes to tax even a pantheon of Godbound. More than that, you'll find specific instructions and advice for matching martial challenges with situations and groups. 

Sine Nomine-style system-neutral tools for building demigod-worthy adventures and Former Empire ruins. Create noble courts, lost shards of Heaven, hidden ruins, and dire perils for your heroes to overcome. Play a different game? Lift these tools out and use them with your system of choice! 

A system-neutral Dominion and faction mechanic that lets heroic deeds have mechanically-supported effects on the campaign world. Your hero wants to build a fortress in her native village, or ward an allied nation from the scourge of a Host-spawned disease? These rules show you how to do so, and how to make it count in play. Need to find out what happens when the pantheon's holy nation declares war on an insidious empire of evil? The rules here will give you an answer you can use. 

Old-school inspired play mechanics derived from the Scarlet Heroes game system that are easy to pick up and let you loot decades of material for foes and challenges for the players. Just grab a classic arch-enemy, run it through the conversion notes in the bestiary chapter, and you've got your next campaign nemesis. 

Do you demand more? Then get the Godbound Deluxe Edition, with fifty additional pages crammed with thunderous revelations, showing you how to create mortal heroes, wield supernatural martial arts, forge titanic godwalkers, and devise themed Godbound to fit your specific campaign world! 

Every download includes the full-color, DRM-free Free Edition PDF, character sheets, .MOBI and .EPUB file versions for easy reading, and a special lightweight PDF version optimized for fast rendering and small file size. Bookmarks, topic indexes, and a full index of divine gifts are in each PDF, the better to speed your play at the table.
So get it now. Together with the calamitous woes a GM can build with the Sixteen Sorrows guidebook, Godbound gives you what you need to run a fast, smooth, easy-to-learn system for bringing the light of a new age to a world too long plunged into Uncreated Night!

Ennies Voting is Live - The Tavern Makes it's Picks

Although voting for the ENNies really has no more value than voting for the All Stars in the Baseball Classic (it more popularity contest than anything else), it does have an effect on sales. So, The Tavern, being the Bastion of the OSR (it must be so, as I said it ;) does have some suggested picks for the discerning reader.

2017 Judge - who cares?

Best Adventure - Maze of the Blue Medusa is the only thing vaguely OSR

Best Aid / Accessory - Non-Player Cards: Artful and Inspirational (misspelled on the ENNies page) NPC Generator

Best Art, Interior - Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 1

Best Blog - The Other Side

Best Cartography - Maze of the Blue Medusa

Best Family Game - No Thank You, Evil! (my niece is having a blast)

Best Miniature Product - Death & Taxes Collector's Set (go +Zach Glazar )

Best Monster / Adversary - Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 1

Best Production Values - Death & Taxes Collector's Set

Most categories I couldn't give a crap about. Vote and vote often (from other devices). Come on, you know everyone is doing it ;)

Over 4,700 Copies of Swords & Wizardry Complete Downloaded from The Tavern since November, 2013

I was just checking the download figures for Swords & Wizardry Complete and it looks like over 4,700 copies have been downloaded since November of 2013 from The Tavern. Not too shabby, and of course that doesn't include all the other ways to grab this free PDF from other sources. Initially I was distributing the copies via email, but a bit.ly link and a Dropbox folder did the trick for my sanity. If you don't have a copy yet, grab it here at  http://bit.ly/TenkarsTavern 

I'll be doing something similar for Swords & Wizardry: Light when it releases, but instead of the bit.ly link directing you to a folder, it will be a page here at The Tavern with assorted links and downloadable resources. At the moment, the page is fairly sparse (just the map of the immediate setting), but I suspect by the end of the summer there will be an assortment of links and downloads. http://bit.ly/SWLight

Another WTF Kickstarter - Games of Thrones RPG With Online play (License? We don' need no steenken license!)

First, it's GAME of Thrones - not plural.

Second, you are looking to raise nearly $325K - just who the fuck are you?

Third, you don't have the license, so how can you even raise money?

Fourth, as you apparently have difficulty using proper English or punctuation in your pitch (and can't even get the title of your Kickstarter correct), why would anybody give you anything?

You don't really exist, do you?

State of The Tavern - Updates and Notes - July 10th, 2016

Just a few quick notes.

Tavern Cards are going out, but much slower than I had hoped. It is a time consuming activity, and one that my cat likes to interrupt by lying on lop of cards, pens, keyboard - whatever she can do to stop the process. Patience. They will get to you.

The Tavern, just like the associated G+ and Facebook Communities, is a place for gaming talk. Does the real world intrude at times? Sure, events like the assassination of 5 cops in Dallas the other night might intrude on that. 20 years as a cop will do that. That does NOT mean that politics, social justice and other assorted distractions have a place at The Tavern or it's associated communities. I never knew Facebook had a report function that went to a community owner until yesterday afternoon. Apparently a number of people knew how to use it and the offending post (which I assume was mis-posted in the first place) was removed by me. Don't take it personally if I do so.

Do we need a place to talk politics? I don't know. Practically all the political discussions I've seen take place on Facebook have led to friends defriending other. In any case, The Tavern is not the place for such discussions.

Work continues on Swords & Wizardry: Light. For now, the temporary heading / logo for it is as follows:

The Saturday Knight Special blog will come back to life next week. It will be stories from my 20 year career and observations of current events from a law enforcement perspective. Probably next Monday. Fore reasons ;)

Summer Gaming Slowdown - It's an Annual Event

Every year my gaming group has trouble getting together on a regular basis during the summer months, and every year we forget the previous year's problems. And this is will a group that play's via Roll20. I can only imagine the problems one has getting a face to face to face group together

It's like Groundhog Day, the movie, without Bill Murray's character suddenly becoming redeemable ;)

I remembered this year. I warned them. They didn't listen. Ah well. Now I am at risk for Karaoke Night at the local pub. I've found a way to hold that off for the last 4 1/2 years of marriage...

Anyhow, it looks like I'll be playtesting the Swords & Wizardry: Light rules on Fridays and / or Saturday nights starting later in the month or early August. I hope to have the 4 pages mostly rewritten by the end of next week along with sneaking the Thief class into it.

Playtesting is a good for summer months, as you don't need a steady group, just volunteers that are willing to spend a few hours testing to see if anything is broken and hopefully have a good time doing so.

I'll put the initial call out to my current two groups, then expand it to members of The Tavern's online community. Once the rules get tightened, I'd probably want to find 2 or 3 DMs to run sessions with the rules to get other eyes behind the screen, so to speak.

Anyhow, no game tonight, so it's either TV time with Rach of Karaoke at the pub. I vote for the TV ;)

Deal of the Day - 5e Creature Decks (Inkwell Designs)

and we're back to posting RPG related posts ;)

Today's Deal of the Day at RPGNow is +Joe Wetzel / Inkwell Designs 5e Creature Decks. Normally $5.95 in PDF, the decks are on sale for $2.97 in PDF for 24 hrs.

I do say decks, because although just one deck is technically the Deal of the Day Joe has discounted the rest of the 5e Creature Decks.

Oh, and he's also discounted the Print & PDF option too.

There's also a bundle.

Joe's creature decks are some of the best RPG resources that fit in a pocket that I've come across. The art is top notch and cards are just plain useful. I have them in both OSR and 5e versions myself.

From the blurb:

Today (July 9th 11am US Eastern to July 10th 11am) this is the deal of the day!  But we've also reduced the price of the other 6 5e Creature Decks we've made. (7 Total.) 4 Decks have all the creatures in the official 5th edition System Refence Document of the world's best known role-playing game. The other three decks have more creatures converted from other editions. 

5e Creature Decks (PDFs Only) [BUNDLE of all 7 Decks]
5e Creature Decks (PDFs & Printed Decks) [BUNDLE of all 7 Decks]
5e Creature Decks: Aberrations, Fiends, & More
5e Creature Decks: Beasts, Oozes, & Plants
5e Creature Decks: Constructs, Giants, Humanoids, Undead
5e Creature Decks: Dragons & Monstrosities
5e Creature Decks: More Aberrations & Fiends
5e Creature Decks: More Constructs, Giants, Humanoids, & Undead
5e Creature Decks: More Dragons & Monstrosities 

The cards are a deck of 58 cards (56 creature cards, one cover/checklist card and one license card). Note that one creature (the vampire) is split between two cards because it had a lot of game information. 

The document is a PDF of cards set up to be printed at 2.75"x3.75" and trimmed to 2.5"x3.5". Also included is a second PDF with all the cards on 8.5"x11" pages, 4 cards per page. 

The text on the cards is generally a 9pt font, but some cards have 7pt to 8pt font if the text wouldn't otherwise fit on the card even after shortening the text.  (All meaning/game information was preserved.)

My Muse is in Mourning - No Gaming Related Posts Today

I went to sleep catching a news blurb that 2 Dallas Police Officers were shot. No details.

I woke to the news that 5 Police Officers were dead and another 6 hospitalized with gunshot wounds.

I spent the day watching the news for updates in the futile hope that some sense could be made from this insanity. It hasn't happened.

I feel guilty that I'm retired and the battle is no longer mine and thank God the battle is no longer mine and have yet more guilt again as I worry about the safety of those cops and detectives that were my charges until a few short months ago.

I am proud that my brothers and sisters in Dallas went into danger when right minded civilians fled, officers doing what they swore to do - serve and protect the citizens of this great nation. We run towards gunfire. It is, quite simply, our nature and contrary to what the average citizen would consider common sense.

I mourn the loss of five brave officers, but even more so, I grieve for the families they left behind.

The world is a dangerous place and the wolves are hunting not just the citizens but their protectors as well.

May God bless and keep us all safe.

The Steven Russell Memorial Fund Has Been Set Up

His sister set up a GoFundMe fund for funeral and other expenses:

Steven Russell, my brother, was killed in an auto accident on July 5, 2016 . There are no words that can express the grief our family is experiencing. My heart breaks for our father,  his wife, my children, his extended family, and his many friends that knew what an amazing man he was. Maybe the most heartbreaking, he was looking forward to welcoming  his first child and being a father himself this winter.  He was a man who loved life and lived it to its fullest. He had the most creative mind, had a passion for gaming and all that it entailed. He loved his family and friends with the same passion.  

Your generous gifts and donations will help with the expenses his family is now faced with. 

Thank you

I'll be leaving this as the only post until tomorrow morning.

Steven Russell, Rite Publishing, Has Passed too Soon

The news of Steven Russell's passing made it's way to me early in the evening yesterday. It took me a few moments to digest the news and even then I didn't want to believe it and needed to confirm it with an actual online new story, which I did.

And I still didn't want to believe it.

I first got to know Steve with his early patronage projects. He was basically doing Kickstarter before Kickstarter was a thing, and he did it well. Communications weren't just top notch, they were personal. I remember bouncing a handful of emails back and forth with Steve while backing one of those early projects, but I'll be damned if I can find them or remember the details. I just remember how it felt to actually talk with a creator of games so freely and easily. It felt good.

When the Kickstarter for Lords of Gossamer & Shadow was in the works we exchanged a few emails. I was excited to see someone take up the threads of the Amber RPG and breath new life into a system that was too important to be forgotten.

And now he's gone.

I regret not knowing the man better than I did and consider myself blessed for the contact we did have.

There will be a gathering in his memory during Gen Con in Indy in August. Wish I could go. Details are on Facebook for those that knew him.

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9PM Eastern - I May Miss It

I may miss tonight's Tavern Chat, as Rach is working late and I need to pick her up from work and then grab her dinner.

Ah well.

I'm never really needed anyway ;)

Hopefully I'll catch the tail end...

Swords & Wizardry: Light - Sandbox Setting Map - Tweaked and Finalized

Click on the map to see a larger version

So, the idea is that this map will be a 2 page spread in the middle of a 4 page release. It will be released without a grid (but with a distance indicator) with a gridded version of the map available for download. It looks much cleaner without the grid in my humble opinion and if someone wants to use a grid it's easy enough to print.

I tweaked some stuff with the latest revisions to make the labels easier to read. As the overwhelming response was to go "Print" or "Script" (and I agree, it is much easier to read) I did so.

There are three unnamed hamlets and one unnamed tower on the map. I don't expect to name them or describe them at this point. Yep, leaving more stuff in the hands of the GMs. Heh.

There is a ruined city on the coast, a ruined tower over at Far Point, a haunted battlefield, a mad hermit, a wizard's tower, a diseased forest, two indicated dungeon locations in the mountains, five noted population centers, a keep, ruins of an ancient city beyond the mountains and a huge city to the north. And probably about 2 pages to describe it all. The aim will be "hooks" over "details".

I'm figuring the first adventure will take place in the Town of New Velgare. Centrally located and a good starting location for the PCs.

Alright, I need to get back to the Tavern Cards. Many more to fill out and mail out.

Print or Script? Another Map Question

I know - lots of mapping related posts the past day or so.

This time, I'm looking for opinions on the above.

Print or script font?

I like the way the script looks, but I think the print font is clearer.

(for those wondering who "Reed" is, he's a retired adventurer, of course! heh)

What Mapping Program(s) Do You Use?

As you can see from my earlier posts today, I've been enjoying playing around with Other World Mapper. It simply does what it says it can do and the learning curve is small.

I've tried to use many versions of Campaign Cartographer and it is simply way beyond my ability to understand. It's not that I do poor maps with it, I just can't do ANY maps with it.

Hexographer is great for hex maps. It does what it says it will do. I'm looking for a different look with the map I'm currently toying with, but I'd certainly use Hexographer again.

Those are the ones I have the most experience with.

Of course, this question is asking about outdoor and setting maps, but what do you use for your dungeon maps? I know I can do them with Other World Mapper, but options and ideas are always a great thing.

This MAY Be the Map used for the Swords & Wizardry: Light Sandbox Setting (WIP)

This may wind up being the core map for the Swords & Wizardry: Light Sandbox Setting. If we start the PCs in the town between the lakes and set the hex size to 6 miles across, they have fairly good info on anything in a 25 to 30 mile radius and some general knowledge of locations further out.

It leaves undefined space for each campaign to grow with it's own needs.

Made in about 2 hrs using the Other World Mapper and graphics from the program as well as those purchased from MonkeyBlood Design. Good stuff.

I'll link the map on it's own page at The Tavern when I'm done tweaking ;)

Path of Legends Podcast Episode #5 Has Been Released in the Wild - Your Long Wait is Over ;)

There had been a bit of a hiatus with the Path of Legends podcast, a 5e podcast from the eyes of grognards. We lost one of our hosts due to real life issues and then picked up 2 new hosts for episode #5.

I have to say, I'm pretty surprised and impressed with how well episode #5 went with all of the changes.

Even better? We don't all agree and you can hear it, which I think is great. You don't want a homogenized podcast, you want one with live cultures ;)

We are back with a brand new show! 

Join Vince and Erik as they are joined by two new co-hosts, Steve and Tim! Show topics include: 

Adventure Path – DM ADVICE #1 – Cheating players
Monster Hunters – Goblins
What’s old now is New – Exploring limitations on what races can play a class
Presto’s Hat – Obscure Rules Chart

This is NOT the Swords & Wizardry: Light Setting Map - But it WAS a Great Exercise in What Can Be Done in 90 Minutes with the Right Tool

So, last night I got to thinking that it had been a while since I'd used the Other World Mapper program. Since I plan on making a small sandbox setting for Swords & Wizardry: Light,I opened up OWM and had at it.

The above is after about 90 minutes of tweaking. Far from finished, it did get me thinking about simple "how and whys", such as why the huge canyon, who or what is in the lands that aren't under control of a noble or some such, trade, resources and the like.

Now on to mapping something out in Black & White, as color won't work so well when something is meant to be printed at home.

A WTF Kickstarter - Courts and Castles (Uno meets Risk meets Battleship)

The ranks of The Taverners can be scary, at least when they identify a What The F@CK? Kickstarter, and this one is a class all by itself.

Doesn't the above pic just make you want you to run out and grab a copy of Courts and Castles? No? Why not?

How about 79 pledge levels? No, I didn't count but +Rick Hull did.

79 pledge levels, and not one actually gets you a copy of the game.

So, what is the game about?

I have no idea what was held back. I couldn't justify reading the 19 paragraphs that followed. He says he simplified it from an earlier version, so it's complex but not head scratching. I have my doubts.

Name a serf for a buck or a city-state for $150, you still don't get a copy of the game. Which is probably best.

I'm still stuck on 79 pledge levels. I don't even know if the limited pledges (as each pledge level is limited) would allow the goal of $3,690 to be met. God only knows I'm not doing that math...

Lesser Gnome Death & Taxes Collector's Set Snags Two ENNies Nominations

A HUGE congrats to our very own +Zach Glazar for grabbing 2 ENNies Award Nominations for this year's awards with his / Lesser Gnomes Games Death & Taxes Collector's Set release.

Best Miniature Product and Best Production Values. When Frog God picked up Zach, they leveld up :)

+Timothy Brannan also grabbed a nomination for his The Otherside Blog. Alas, The Tavern is always a bridesmaid, never a bride ;)

Thoughts on a Swords & Wizardry: Light Sandbox Setting and More

I think 4 pages is the key to Swords & Wizardry: Light releases. It's forces one to make sure everything is nice and compact and a single sheet is all you need to print.

Needless to say, I'm now thinking of a sandbox setting for S&W: Light. Perhaps 8 5 miles hexes E/W by 10 5 miles hexes N/S.

A sentence or two highlighting each hex. 3 or 4 paragraphs giving an overview of the area in general.

Now, obviously there would be dangers where 3rd level characters just shouldn't be poking around. Which brings us to the next topic of discussion.

There have been a number of inquiries as to whether or not to allow characters to advance under the light rules instead of moving on to one of the fuller S&W rulesets. I do appreciate that lighter is often better for some, some I'm toying with the idea of an "Extra Light" release, adding advancement and monsters for characters of up to 7th level.

So, we are looking at the following releases:

Swords & Wizardry: Light ruleset

Swords & Wizardry: Light Intro Adventure

Swords & Wizardry: Light - Deadly Machination - tables, charts, additional rules and DM advice

and possibly:

Swords & Wizardry: Light - Adventure Sandbox

Swords & Wizardry: "Extra" Ligt - Advancement to level 7

All 4 page releases.

Give me your thoughts :)

What's Missing? A Goblin Army...

I took this pic about an hour before sunset. Catskill Mountains viewed from the Poconos.

When I look at the resulting pic, all I could think of was a goblin army moving through the field.

I need to start drinking for the night ;)

In any case, this is my best place for thinking...

Work Has Begun on the Intro Adventure for Swords & Wizardry: Light

map by +Dyson Logos 

A foul looking creature bursts forth from the storeroom of the Battered Dwarf Tavern. It holds a gnawed human arm in it's mouth as it surveys the dinner crowd. The arm drops from it's mouth as it softly states "buffet."

The bartender, an old and bearded dwarf, shouts to the assembled patrons.

"The fucker! My wife's nephew was gettin' the next cask of ale to be brought up. I'll pay the tab of any that dispatch this beast and then go down the basement and bring up the ale!  Oy, and him too I reckon, or whatever is left. Heck, I'll go so far as offer room and board for a month - but ya gotta triple up in the room, minda ya. Man's gotta make a profit still"

And so it will go from there.

No need to awkwardly set up the party - they are at the only place in town that serves hot food and beverages.

If the ghoul is too much for the party, the bartender or other patrons can assist. The small basement will lead to further adventure as they seek to discover who opened a new corridor into the basement and where did the ghoul come from.

Pocono Productivity Spell in effect ;)

As an aside, I picture the voice of the bartender to resemble that of Mr. Crabs from Spongebob Squarepants. Heh

And no, the f-bomb won't be in the final version ;)

Frog God Games 33% Off Site Wide Sale (50% off for Armed Forces Service Men and Women)

Yep, the Frogs are having a 4th of July Sale with two awesome discounts. Note, some of the more recent titles are excluded from the sale:

Link to the Frogs' Store.

Swords & Wizardry: Light - Dropping the 3D6 Optional Resolution Method - There's an App for That!

Sometimes you overthink things, especially when you want it to be "right" and cover all bases. Such was the 3d6 hack I was working on for combat and saves for Swords & Wizardry: Light. I wanted to make sure even if the gamers lacked a D20, the material would work for them.

It was going to take up space to explain it and it wasn't going to be a perfect fit, but I was aiming for "close enough"

So, leave it to my sister to come up with the obvious solution.

"There's an app for that, right? I mean, nearly everyone has a smart phone or a tablet and you're expecting folks to have computer access to print copies and distribute. So why not just use an app?"

See, there's a reason she's a published author.

Another example of not seeing the forest for the trees and needing an outsider to point things out.

Yes, there are apps for that. Free apps.

K, time to play on my Android phone ;)

Kickstarter - The Lost Lands: Bard's Gate (Complete with Tenkar's Tavern Easter Egg)

I really wish I had taken a picture of the MASSIVE map Frog God Games had hanging up at their booth of Bard's Gate at NTRPG Con. Alas, I just didn't think of it at the time. Instead, I spent a good deal of time chatting up +Skeeter Green about the various easter eggs, not just in the Bard's Gate book but the map itself.

Yes, there will be a Tenkar's Tavern in Bard's Gate (it will be recognizable and is full endorsed by your's truly). I was approached about the possibility early on in the process and would have had a hand in the relevant text myself if the wind down at work had gone smoother.

The map at NTRPG had the streets labeled and my God, there are a huge number of easter eggs to be found. Some will make you smile, some may make you snicker. Some are obvious, many are less so but from what I can gather, all will have meaning. I'm really looking forward to this release.

How important Bard's Gate to the Lost Lands setting? I'll give you +Bill Webb in his own words:

Ok, so Bard’s Gate and the pitch. Those of you who know the Lost Lands know the name Bard’s Gate. It’s basically the hub centerpiece city of both the wilds of Akados and the Sinnar Coast. This place is integrally linked to Rappan Athuk, The Sword of Air, Stoneheart Valley, The Borderlands, Barakus, The Sundered Kingdoms and about a dozen of the Quests of Doom adventures. Heck, it’s the starting point for Sword of Air. Anyone playing in the Lost Lands will benefit greatly from this book. 

If you don’t play in the Lost Lands, but just need a city, it works for that as well. Ok, time to do a Grognard check—how many over 40’s used the City State booklet for every city in every area of their game world? The best part about a book like Bard’s Gate is that you can grab bits and pieces of it for use as a city adventure or you can use the whole as canon material—your choice. After all, who doesn’t want to visit Tenkar’s Tavern or Thilo’s Scriptorium? There are Easter Eggs galore throughout the city, and dozens of side quests and adventures that can be tailored for low, medium and high level player characters at the GM’s discretion. 

Skeeter and Casey have done a wonderful job of expanding and re-imagining the work that Clark Peterson and I produced back in 2003-2004—this city is much bigger and better than it was before—this is not just a window dressing of the existing material. We have modified most of it and added over 120,000 words of new material. 

We designed this book to be used, not to sit on the shelf (ok, the metal one is designed to sit on the shelf, it weighs too much to use at a table I fear). Care was taken to make it so you as the GM can easily read, find and follow plot lines and connections within the book and thereby maximize its utility. After all, since the player characters need to return to a city after killing the dragon and rescuing the princess, you might as well have something waiting for them that wants to kill them! 

So that’s about it, except for one final note about the giant maps—these are an experiment, and literally can be used as a table cloth or shower curtain. I know they are pricy, but as we are unlikely to make many of them, our costs are fairly high. They are made of cloth and are quite durable. We had one prototype in Dallas last month, and about 20 folks wanted to buy it from us. I can say that one will be going on my wall (and used as a table mat when the party enters the City). Again, we focused this on utility. It makes it very easy to tell where folks are if the party decides to split, where one goes to the armor shop and another goes to the sewers to visit a certain guild. While not quite to miniature scale (it would have been 14 feet long), this still may be the coolest map I have ever seen (ok, geek mode off). 

Thank you all again for your patronage of FGG, and I hope we continue to delight you with our books and other products. 

BW
30 JUN 16

Crap. I really want one of those giant maps. No idea as to where I'd put it. Hmmm, maybe I can get my son to move out sooner than later and turn his room into my man cave. Damn, and Rach's yoga room. Still, she loved the map hanging at NTRPG Con too...