Questions for the Tavern Master - Swords & Wizardry Light Omissions, Clarifications & Questions - Part the First

+Sophia Brandt emailed me some questions / clarifications regarding Swords & Wizardry Light. Without further ado, here we go:

edit - somehow blogger dropped this post)

I'm writing on a post for SW Light. First, great idea to slim down the ruleset!

Second, I have some questions + I found a typo.
a) Typos
1. The Thief:
"...Leather Armor AC 12[7]." - Shouldn't it be AC 7[12]?
ET - yep - that's a typo

2. Magic-User
Magic-user spells – Level 1 (*user* is lowercase)
ET - I'd need to refer this to one of our grammar experts...

b) Questions
Does the game assume that the reader knows Swords & Wizardry rules?
ET - No, but it does assume a familiarity with RPGs and to a lesser extent older editions of the original RPG. Basically, lapsed gamers and current players of the latest editions and those between. Can you learn to play from just these rules? Probably, but it would sure be easier to have a gamer show you the ropes, as we learn best by doing and experiencing, not by reading. With just 4 pages to play with, explaining the concept of an RPG is beyond the scope of the rules

1. Ability Scores/Ability Score modifiers
You mention that you can use the bonuses for different things, for example, STR bonus for Fighters to hit. But there is no table for the bonuses. AFAIK the modifiers between various editions are slightly different.

ET - There is no table because there is only, at most, a + 1 bonus

2. Hit Die
Is it a d6? HD is mentioned but it's not explained that HD = Hit Dice

ET - The morning tea hasn't quite kicked in, so I can't say for sure we explained that you roll a D6 for Hit Dice. A D20 and D6s are, however, the only dice used in the game. That was to simplify the learning curve, as I've noticed new players often have difficulty telling the different sized dice apart.

As for Hit Dice = HD, it is a common abbreviation across all editions of the game. Additionally, it is shown here for clarity:

3. M-U
Does the M-U get no starting weapons, no dagger? Per rules as written he only gets a spellbook.

ET - That is a big "oops". Dagger or staff. I'll update the Word file later today.

4. Does spellcasting require a test?
Couldn't find an explanation, just that the M-U prepares spells.

ET - As far as I can recall, no edition of the original RPG required a test or spell check to cast a spell (later editions did require one if struck while casting, and the DCC RPG does require such, but it is a very different beast)

All the questions may be redundant if you assume familiarity with S&W Complete. But then it wouldn't be necessary to explain a lot of other things.

ET - Excellent questions. It should be noted that the Swords & Wizardry Light Word Doc will be the living document for SWL. All corrections and edits will be made to the document you see in the SWL download folder. I'll make sure to add a "date updated" to the last page, so you know how current a copy you have. If and when there is a 2nd printing of SWL we'll make sure to include the fixes and corrections.

Please send any questions / clarifications / unlawful gratuities to tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. Put SWL in the email title if you could.

Thanks.

Tenkar

State of The Tavern - Light Posting Week and Time Sinks, Oh My!

Yep, just like last week was fairly light, this will probably be another, even lighter, posting week. I need to finish some work for +Pete Spahn , get the Tavern Talk Live podcast conversion of the Livestream done, probably record another Livestream with +Zach Glazar and deal with the ongoing drama that is my mother's cousin (amazingly NOT kicked out of Assisted Living her first weekend, but damn it was close). This is a hellova time sink. Oh, and a dozen or so other responsibilities that have crept in. Heh. Fun times.

Oh, did I mention the metric ton of product I need to review? Amazing stuff like Bard's Gate, Blood in the Chocolate, Hubris, Gramma World and others. I may need to lock myself in a room for a couple of hours a day to get all caught up.

Now, for those playing along at home, I can be found running my mouth with various others of more import than myself on:

The Old School Blues Podcast

Save or Die! Expert Edition Podcast

The Tavern Talk Livestream on Youtube (and soon an audio file on iTunes, so help me God) - I even ordered a green screen for effect - lets see if it works

Tavern Analytics - We Are an Older Bunch of F@ckers ;)

ENworld just posted their analytics results and I figured it would be interesting peeking at those of The Tavern.

79.5% of Tavern readers are 35 years of age or older. For ENworld, approximately 70% of their readership is 34 years of age or younger.

96.2% of Tavern readers identify as male, putting female readership at 3.8% (if I recall correctly, it was 3.1% back in July)

ENworld is 92.4% and 7.6% respectively.

There are observations that can be made from these numbers about the number of female gamers in the hobby, but the biggest one is that they are an untaped market for the gaming hobby in general.

68.3% of Tavern visitors are returning visitors, ENworld has a 67.3% rate. Pretty much the same.

So, The Tavern audience consists overwhelmingly of middle aged men. Sounds like my local pub :)

Save or Die! Podcast - Resurrected!

The Save or Die! Podcast is continuing in a slightly new format with new hosts. Its new, official title is Save or Die! Expert Edition in homage to the Expert Boxed Set. The main man behind the wheel is none other than +James Spahn himself.

Now, if James reaches out and asks a favor of you, who among us would say "No!" Not I, as I owe James much over the past few years, so I readily agreed to join James in his newest endeavor. Along with James and I, +Vincent Florio and +Glen Hallstrom also agreed to be part of the newly assembled team. For me, it is almost a homecoming to my first podcasting experience, the Brainstorm Podcast.

Episode Adventure#131 is actually a Swords & Wizardry Light episode. By the way, I am TM Erik - Tavernmaster :)

After hovering on Death’s Door for a few rounds, Save or Die continues! Save or Die: Expert Edition bursts on to the scene with Swords & Wizardry Light – an ultralight folio sized incarnation of the flagship Frog God Games fantasy roleplaying game. Join DM James, DM Vince, TM Erik, and DM Glen as they keep it light, keep it fast, and keep it fun!

So, if you want some behind the scenes info (and some upcoming plans) of Swords & Wizardry Light, here's your chance.

Kickstarter - The Folio #12 & #13 - 1E / 5E

Art of the Genre has issues #12 & #13 of The Folio currently funding on Kickstarter. If you've been following along at home, AoG does some high quality releases and they release on time. I know, that's a rarity among gaming Kickstarters, and R. Scott Taylor hits the mark each time. There really should be a Tenkie Award for such an achievement.

The art is top notch as always and I love the fact that the covers are folders like in the era of 1E. Yeah, I'm a sucker for nostalgia.

Folio #12 & #13, along with the prior #11, which can also be ordered from the current Kickstarter, make of the City of Taux Trilogy. You get adventure and setting material in each issue. Game information is given in both 1e and 5e format, so it is both OSR compatible as well as with the latest edition.

I haven't been disappointed with a Folio yet, but I am the type of GM that constantly mines my collection of gaming material for ideas and twists in my campaign. The Folio series has been an excellent resource for me.

Swords & Wizardry Light "Word File" and Smaller PDF (3 MB) are Now Live!

Thanks to the magic of +Zach Glazar we now have a Swords & Wizardry Light PDF that clocks in at 3 MB. The original file was a hair over 26 MB, so Zach found a nearly 90% savings for you. Yes, its now a "lighter Light" ;)

Additionally there is a Swords & Wizardry Light Word file available for download. You want to hack the rules? Have at it. I know I will. Heh.

Here's the link for the Swords & Wizardry Light folder:  http://bit.ly/2eHQNZw 

For those asking, yes, its a free download.

Work continues on Swords & Wizardry Extra Light, which is extra goodies for SWL, not a more stripped down SWL, as that would be crazy talk...

Old School Blues Podcast - Episode #8 - How can you have any Black Pudding if you don't eat your meat!?!

Last night, Vince, Colin and myself reviewed Black Pudding #2 on the Old School Blues episode #8. How did it go? Well, I'm going to quote the great DM, Tim Connolly:

It was just like having you and Vince in my car with me whilst I was driving to Levittown and back again to Glem Cove afterwards. 

I'm awarding it 6 tankards!

There you have it.

Listen to the podcast, but before you do, download your copy of Black Pudding #2 so you can follow along at home. Unless you're driving. It that case, read Black Pudding later ;)

Save Failed! Save or Die! Podcast Loses its Hosts

The Save or Die! Podcast hosts have left the podcast. Liz, Mike and Jim are moving on. To what? No clue. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a new project involving one or more of the team - podcasts rarely die, they just reincarnate as new beasts ;)

So, where does this leave the Save or Die! Podcast? Sadly, the last episode with the current team was a Email Hot Tub episode. Its no secret that I dislike email features of podcasts in general and having a whole episode dedicated to it? Needless to say, I won't be listening to episode 130. I hereby declare that the last Liz, Mike and Jim episode of SoD was episode 129, when they reviewed The Hero's Journey - that way their run truly ends on a high note.

Will Save or Die! continue? I suspect so, but it won't be the same creature. I'm interested to see what Wild Games Productions has in store for the future of SoD. +Vincent Florio , can I request less emails? ;)

Why I Focus on the Kickstarter Con Men - Hatred or Diligence?

There is currently a discussion going on in a Google Plus Community that has come down to this - is shining a continual spotlight on certain reprehensible individuals (my words, not theirs) that have abused the Kickstarter process to harm our gaming community an act of hatred or diligence?

Let me get this out there. I hate neither Gareth nor Con Man Ken. I do, however, loathe them for what they have done to the gaming community and to the Kickstarter process.

You see, no project creator on Kickstarter is in a bubble of their own (well, maybe Monte). When someone abuses the process, there are repercussions throughout this hobby of ours. I can't tell you the number of communications I've had with folks that tell me its because of Gareth, #ConManKen, Brave Halfling, Nystul, Myth & Magic or some other "took their money and failed to deliver" Kickstarter creator that they are now gun shy when it comes to supporting further Kickstarters.

Can you blame them?

Kickstarter funding requires trust and that is something that can not be bought, only earned. It is easy to lose and difficult to regain. And its a fucking shame that shitty people have taken the money of others and given back nothing that was promised, even years later.

Some do try to make right. Others, like Nystul, fall on the sword and admit to their failures. I can respect that. I might not be happy with the results, but it takes a certain amount of introspection to admit you are a failure. It also requires honesty.

Neither ConMan Ken nor Gareth are honest. They have yet to show they have the potential to be so. I will continue to shine my light on the pair of them until they either provide their backers with the products that were promised them OR fall on the sword, admit to their lies and failures and cease trying to fleece honest people of their money. They are a blight on this hobby of ours. Maybe by keeping this pair in focus I have discouraged others. Maybe...

So no, its not hatred. It isn't just diligence. Its a responsibility that I take seriously, even if I do make some of the posts lighthearted at times.

There you have it.

Darkzel Art Scholarship 2016-17

+Grim Jim / James Desborough and I do not see eye to eye on everything but we do have some significant common ground. I've always felt that artists in our hobby are underpaid, whether they are "A" names like Doug Kovacs or skilled unknowns just finding their way, taking their first steps to getting their works published in this hobby of ours. Yes, I call it a hobby - its my perspective. For others, this is a business and a livelihood.

Well, James has put together a scholarship fund to assist artists like the one this scholarship is named after:

This will be the fourth annual fundraiser in memory of my long-time art collaborator ‘Zel’ Harris, cruelly taken from us in a terrible accident, putting paid to what I always thought was a very promising career in art. In his memory and given working for me helped him through his education, I have set up an annual scholarship to aid genre artists working their way through college or in reduced circumstances such as disability, long term unemployment, mental health crises and other hardships. 

The fundraising part will run through the month of December and we’ll be accepting entries through December and January before awarding the scholarship by the end of February. 

We already have a fund of $100 from this year’s art sales, I’ll be seeking to raise another $500 on top of that for a total of at least $600 as a scholarship. 

The aim is still to make the scholarship self funding and it has become apparent that a much stronger effort is going to be needed to make this happen. As such I’m doing a big push this year for donation art. As well as supporting with financial contributions, sharing on social media etc I will be hitting up artists for contributions that can be sold to help support the scholarship in the coming years. 

More information will be coming soon, but for now if you’re an artist or know artists and are willing to help, please contact me about submitting a piece for sale (as stock art) to help continue to fund the scholarship. Your work will be sold electronically and will be used – with credit – by multiple role-playing and publishing companies as well as contributing via the sales to the fund. 

These pieces should be genre fiction (science fiction, fantasy, horror, superheroes or similar) and 300-600dpi. Old pieces or concept pieces you haven’t otherwise sold are perfectly acceptable. 

I think you, in advance, for your aid, whether in donating art or helping with the publicity and fundraising in the near future! 

Love and bunnies,
Grim

So, how can you help?

Here's the link to enter if you are an artist in need of assistance or have art to donate.

Here's the link to donate to the fund.

If you do donate, please make a note of it in the comments below. The Tavern will match the first $50 raised by Tavern Readers by 1159 PM, Eastern, Sunday January 8th, 2017.

Tales From the Yawning Portal - Against the Giants, Tomb of Horrors, White Plume Mountain and others coming to 5e this Spring

Forbes has an article on Tales From the Yawning Portal (are they getting paid by WotC?) but the gist of things is seven adventures from various editions are being converted into a D&D 5e adventure path this coming April.

What's included?

-Against the Giants
-Dead in Thay
-Forge of Fury
-Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan
-Sunless Citadel
-Tomb of Horrors
-White Plume Mountain

I wonder if they will be using any of the crowdsourced edition translations that have been published on the DM's Guild / OBS site in whole or as a resources. Do you give up all rights to your work when you do said translations?

The Brain Gorger's Appetite releases at Frog God Games Online Store

The Brain Gorger's Appetite (for 5e) just released at the Frog God Games webstore. From what I can tell, this is the first third party product carried at the FGGs store, which is impressive unto itself. You know its a quality release if Bill Web approves of it. Heck, its the rare gaming release I read cover to cover.

Remember, orders of physical items, such as The Brain Gorger's Appetite, will have a copy of Swords & Wizardry Light included in the package for free. Just sayin'. $14.99 in Print. $5 in PDF.

The Brain Gorger's Appetite is the first official convention module originally released at GameHole Con 2016.

For the most part, the town of Ockney’s Hold has always been a peaceful place—bordering on boring. The most interesting things going on in this frontier mining settlement include the annual livestock fair, the cost of spirits at its various inns, and speculation fueled by those same spirits as to what foul things are being dumped into the river by the ore refinery. Recently, however, the usually placid Baron Reinson has begun to act erratically, ignoring most of his counselors, giving more responsibility to his equally erratic chamberlain, and replacing key figures in Ockney’s Hold with outsiders. With no clear answers as to what might be behind the baron’s strange behavior, his last loyal counselor seeks out a band of adventurers to help. Will these brave heroes be able to get to the bottom of a widening conspiracy? And can they expose the terrible and unseen forces manipulating the baron in time to save Ockney’s Hold?

Gareth is Adamant He will Release... Anything but Far West: Thrilling Tales 2e: Pulp Villains - The Subterranean Monarch releases for the New Year

Ah, you gotta love it when one flat out lies to one's backers about putting product into their virtual hands before the year is out (yep, never happened - color me surprised) and yet finds time to release a product for yet another product line.

Thrilling Tales 2e: Pulp Villains - The Subterranean Monarch

Awesome! So, this means all proceeds are going towards putting already paid for physical copies of Far West into backers hands, right?

Er, right?

Maybe?

Far West. When tomorrow is always a day away.

In all seriousness, the reason that Far West is Far From Complete is because there is no money in it. The money is long ago spent and the layers of media that were planned to be built upon the Far West property have rotted away over 5 years of falsehoods and misdirection.

New releases, semi detached from the Albatross can generate income for Adamant / Gareth. Far West is a time and money pit with no current upside - all the upside was spent up front with little if anything to show for it.

This is why there are no refunds - there IS NO MONEY left to refund anybody. I'm not going to guess what it was spent on, but it certainly wasn't held aside to ensure print copies went out to backers.

There is mismanagement here, not just of time but of the funds and it should serve as a warning for anyone looking to do business with Gareth in the future.

Remember, if it never releases, there will never be further refunds. I think I understand now...

Oh, and those "beta versions"? Four months later - haven't happened.

Tavern Chat - 9 PM Eastern Tonight - Talk on the Livestream and More

The Tavern Chat Livestream kicked off last Friday. Although it had a rough first few minutes, it went amazingly well over all and we'll be converting it to an audio podcast too.

Tonight is the regular weekly Tavern Chat, where everyone who wants to gets to join the chat room and chaos ensues.

My day has led me to crack open a bottle of red and I'm quite sure I'll be done with that bottle before 9 PM - Yep, we may have our very own chaos.

See y'all tonight :)

TSR Tuesday,er, Wednesday - New PoD Releases

I missed this post last week and I'm late with it this week. as I've said elsewhere, life has been busy (and today has real doozy potential ;)

This week we have two TSR Era POD releases:

GAZ6 The Dwarves of Rockhome - it's a Gazetteer about Dwarves. Really, do I need to say more?  I'm tempted, because I never owned this back in the day and well... dwarves!

CM3 Sabre River (Basic) - I never owned the Companion rules, so I never owned this adventure / setting back when, but my God, it includes wresting rules for BECMI. +Douglas Cole you might find this interesting. $9.99 in Print

The Tavern Chat Livestream will soon be available as a Podcast

We've gotten some very nice feedback on The Tavern Chat Livestream that +Zach Glazar and I recorded last Friday night. Going forward, the goal is to record two sessions a month, with Zach and / or other guests from the OSR community. Just as last Friday, most of the discussion will be fueled by questions asked by out live audience.

As an aside, I'll be keeping the Adult Swim green screen effect and probably swap out art with each episode ;)

I do realize that watching Youtube videos isn't everyone's "cup of tea". The idea is to give you options to access the content. I'll be working on getting the audio uploaded as a podcast feed available on iTunes and other podcatching software. I'm hoping for mid week of next week to kick off the podcast side, but that's a soft date. I'll also be working on editing the Swords & Wizardry Light rules into a word doc for your houseruling pleasure during this time.

As for who the next guest will be, I guess we'll find out next week...

Its 2017 - Where's My F@cking Far West!?!

Gareth, he of endless release dates, promised to release Far West by the "end of the year" even if it was a dump of an incomplete manuscript.

So, where is it Gareth?

Failed again? Say it isn't so. After five fucking years there must be SOMETHING to show for the effort.

How about some words of wisdom attributed to Mister Big Time Publisher?

Gareth, after five years, this is your baby and yours alone. There is one thing I do understand about publishing - if the manuscript isn't complete, it can't be published. Gee, who has supposedly been working on the manuscript for the past five years?

Don't blame Cubicle 7 at this point. They jumped in to save your ass and you had nothing to give them in publishable form.

If you have nothing, be a man and admit it. Right now you've been playing the gaming community for a bunch of fools almost as long as Con Man Ken.

The Tomb of Imperishable Darkness - Background and Intro

-Prince Calishun, First Dwarven Lord of the Imperishable Darkness, knew his day of death was soon approaching. He had created a tomb for himself and his undying servants and for now it served as both temple and residence. Each night he threw the bones of destiny. Each night all he knew was his time was near. Then soon became now, and he barred the entrance to the tomb, his tomb. He went to his crypt and started the ritual that would make him one beyond the undying. He would leave the mortal realm and embrace his destiny. And then there was darkness...

-One of Grunx's kobold scouts reported finding doors in a shallow cave. Doors often meant halls and rooms made by the builders, and that meant warm nights and a sleeping mat. These things were important to Grunx. An ogre considered large even my his brethren, Grunx had learned long ago the secret to survival - let others fight for you and if possible, let others find your food. Finding a leaderless war band of kobolds was a win win for both. Grunx was an able leader and the kobolds had good survival instincts.

The scout was right, there were doors - double doors to be correct. Old doors. Heavy and barred doors. It took Grunx nearly 5 minutes to get the doors open and in doing so, he removed the right door completely off of its hinges. Inside was a hallway. This was promising. Grunx reattached the door as best he could and led his band of Kobolds into the darkness beyond.

-Tomas the Hunter followed the kobold tracks back to a small cave. He didn't get too close, but now he knew where they were based at. Their ogre leader couldn't be far and that was an encounter he didn't wish to have. The caravan masters would pay well for this info and bands of adventurers were rarely hard to find.

Yep, that writer's block is gone. +Pete Spahn , it shouldn't be long now. Maybe I should run a fever for full effect ;)

Creativity is Fed by Illness it Seems

So, yesterday I was pretty much laid out for the day and something strange happened - the writer's block I've suffered recently didn't just end, it started me back at the beginning and moved forward.

Whereas before I had a half dozen adventure seeds that weren't able to get over the creative hump, last night I had an adventure outlined on paper, rooms being detailed and everything already detailed in my head. Surprisingly, I don't seem to have lost anything in that head of mine after a solid 10 hours sleep.

Now, life rarely cooperates with such niceties, and lo and behold, Pinkie and my sis are coming over in half an hour. Thankfully, Pinkie, all of six years going on middle age in some ways, has been known to order me to sit at my desk and write - just need to see if I can convince her to do the same today.

So, a dozen kobolds and an ogre walk into a tomb...

Inauspicious Start for the New Year? - A Stomach Bug Welcomes your Bartender to 2017 - But Then...

Yeah, today has NOT been a fun day. Its been a good day for NYC NFL teams, but instead of watching the games from the pub or the couch, I've been watching mostly from bed. I've been knocked down by a stomach bug. Hasn't been fun.

There have been some bright spots though :)

+James Spahn forwarded the current draft of what is being referred to as Swords & Wizardry Extra Light and damn it looks good. I might have some occasional good ideas, but James has constant good ideas coupled with amazing writing skills. If all goes well the draft will be put into play next weekend.

Did I mention there is a Tenkar the Dwarf mini in the works? +Darcy Perry of Star Hat Minis is leaving me in awe with each update. Yep, that's the WIP pictured above.

Well, if I need a stomach bug to have such awesome progress being made on projects I am personally invested in, I guess I can handle it. 2017 looks better already ;)

The Tenkar's Tavern 2017 Predictions From the Privy Scrying Pool

Yep. Last day of 2016. Time to wake up the Grumpy Dwarf and lead him to the Tavern's Scrying Pool, complete with runnoff from the privy.

Grumpy Dwarf here. I don't give a Rat on a Stick's Ass how accurate my predictions were for 2016. 2017 is right around the corner and its time for predictions!

1 - Far West WILL NOT RELEASE IN 2017! It will not release in a box. It will not release on a dock. It will not redeem a career. It will not do anything I fear - The Grumpy Seuss

2 - Con Man Ken will move YET AGAIN! You read it here first. The man has had more addresses than a Hunt's Point Hooker has tricks on New Year's Eve (and at least the hooker will give you what you paid for)

3 - The Gygax Memorial Fund won't look any different than 2016. or 2015. No bricks will be sold, no groundwork will be laid, no call to arms and no audit. Why fix something that's broken?

4 - There will be no further Holiday purges at WotC. There is no staff left to purge.

5 - The Greyhawk Setting will be resurrected. Joe the Janitor will have it added to his portfolio of responsibilities at WotC.

6 - Swords & Wizardry Light will spawn other pared down rulesets in the OSR. Light Labyrinth Lord (LLL), Mini OSRIC (MOSRIC), Tiny Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (TASSH) are just a few examples.

7 - Frog God Games will absorb Kobold Press. The first release of the expanded company will be a 550 page Pathfinder release, 500 page D&D 5e release, 350 page Swords & Wizardry release of the mega-dungeon Klomoring Kobolds of Doom for levels 1 to 12. The Pathfinder version will be rated IIIA by the NIJ when worn in a backpack, the 5e version IIA and the S&W version I.

8 - Starfinder will release from Paizo. Grogs will be disappointed that your character can't die during character generation. They will be further disappointed when they find their characters can't die during play.

9 - Fake News will find its way into the RPG field with the announcement of completed Kickstarter Projects that faded away. The first such will be Quantum soon followed by anything still owed by Nystul.

10 - The Tavern will appear in one version or another in many different mediums. Er, wait, this is already happening...

Frog God New Year's Sale - 25% off Print or PDF (and get a free copy of Swords & Wizardry Light with Print orders)

Frog God Games is running a 25% off sale through the end of the year.

2016 is over and your players crave a new party. This is your chance to give it to them. From now until January 3rd, 2017 take 25% off everything* in the store.

Use Coupon Code - 2016-IS-OVER

*Excludes Bard's Gate and Sword of Air

I do believe all order of physical books will include a copy of Swords & Wizardry Light.

As a side note, Tome of Adventure Design is back in print AND included in the sale. I can't recommend it enough.

State of the Tavern Tavern - Livestream, Swords & Wizardry Light and More

+Zach Glazar and I recorded the first ever Tavern Chat Livestream earlier tonight. It was a blast. Suffer through the first few minutes as we figure our shit out and it gets better ;)

Seriously, it went well.

+James Spahn spilled some Swords & Wizardry Light plans, Zach and I answered numerous questions and a good time was had by all.

I expect attendance will only grow as we get more familiar with the set up and word grows. That being said, you can watch the entirety here:

I'll be awarding the Mythoard gifts tomorrow and the last day of OSR Christmas (and the Tenkar Box of Goodness) will probably be New Year's Day.

BTW, I do not live in Lake Geneva. Unless I win Lotto. Then perhaps...

Tavern Chat Livestream is Live!

Yep. we promised to kick this off before the end of the year and we did. We make no promises of quality or content. Expect some adult language because simply, it's live.

Still, it should be a fun time. Feel free to ask some questions via the chat feature.

As for topics? We don't need no steenkin' topics!

Join us for the free BYO beer and booze ;)

Here's the link:

http://youtu.be/4hdRWbFsAZQ

First Tavern Chat Livestream - Tomorrow - 730 PM Eastern

Tomorrow night at 730 PM Eastern, give or take, +Zach Glazar and I will be kicking of the first of the semi regular Tavern Chat Livestream sessions. Oh yes, live interaction. You can ask questions. We may even supply answers. Possibly even puppets.

Now, being it will be the first, I'm sure there will be many firsts, as in screw ups. Please, be patient with us.

It will be available via a Youtube Hangout link. I'll post it tomorrow when we have the link. If you miss the live chat, you'll be able to catch it at a later time.

Ken Whitman now Produces Commercials - Using Equipment Paid for by Kickstarter Backers

Ah, you really have to give it to Ken / Whit Whitman. Having burned every possible bridge in the film industry in Atlanta (Ken, how many folks are trying to track you down for services paid for but never fulfilled?) has now landed in the area of London, KY. I'm guessing Toronto actually has standards and that's why "Con Man Ken" didn't make it to our neighbors up North. Shame really, as I suspect Ken would have had a great time with the Toronto film industry.

In any case, Marcus King has gone "full enabler" now, which is a damn shame, because if it weren't for "Ken, I Allegedly Bilked Honest Folks Out of Tens of Thousands of Dollars to Make Myself Great" I've heard only good things about Marcus. But then he became Ken's Uber Enabler, and now, sorry to say, Marcus is going to have his rep tarnished by none other than one of Kickstarters most prolific con artists - allegedly.

At least backers know what their monies paid for - the equipment Ken is using for these cut rate commercials.

Here's the link for the commercial Ken did for Marcus. Aren't you proud of your Kickstarter dollars at work?

A WTF Kickstarter - Cage Hat - Bobble Head American Football

Listen. Watch the video. I beg you. Maybe not all, but the first 30 seconds or so and then come back here.

Now, if there were any interest in this, it would have funded privately.

I have an interest in this, but only along the lines of Bobble Head American Football would be funny as hell to watch.

A modest goal of $5k. $29 raised.

The moon is calling, it wants its astronaut back.

Tavern Chat - Reminder - Bard's Gate and Other KSs Arrive and Talk About the Livestream

It's Wednesday. That means Tavern Chat. 9PM Eastern. Here, in the chat box on the right side of the page.

Potential topic?

Livestream

Bard's Gate (with bonus Swords & Wizardry Light)

Other Kickstarters

2017 and beyond

9PM to 11PM ish

Best Laid Plans and all that Crap

So, today was set aside for projects - as in writing.

Yeah, that didn't last.

Pinky called to strong arm me into taking her to a movie. I punted that to another creative day I had planned - tomorrow.

Then another phone call, something not puntable. Ah well, best laid plans of mice and men.

All this and my son wants to take me to lunch (normally he tags along with me because I'll pay the bill ;) Can't pass up free food now, can I?

Maybe tonight I'll catch up on last week's email and get today's planned writing in.

Oh, and Tavern Chat...

Getting Closer to the First Tavern Livestream Event

New camera? Check

New software for that green screen effect? Checkity check check

Finding awesome pieces of art for such effect? Fun times

Never again see that basket of laundry in the corner of the room? Rach thanks God ;)

Where's the top of my head? Eh, its optional anyway...

OSR Christmas - Bonus - 2 Physical Boxes of Goodies - 2 Gift Receivers - Mythoard

The OSR Christmas season is still upon us. I'll close it out at some point with a box of goodies from the Tenkar Games Collection, but in the meantime we have more gift to give.

+Jarrod Shaw , he of Mythoard, the monthly box of gaming goodies that had its own resurrection of sorts, has offered up 2 past Mythoard collections to the readers of this fine Tavern.

Here's the deal. These are physical copies, so US only. Comments must be made by 8 AM Eastern Time, Friday December 30th, 2016. As for the comments, we are going to do things just a tad differently. You need to include the following in your comment:

- an old school release (old or new) that you don't own and wish you did AND why

Yeah, a bit trickier than The Tavern's usual ;)

Good luck to all!

Swords & Wizardry Light - Plans for 2017 - Zine, Rules, Settings and More

Swords & Wizardry Light has taken on a life of its own and I couldn't be happier. New classes, pocket settings, adventures and more, all already published or in the works by members of our community. Huzzah!

So, what "official" plans are in the works for Swords & Wizardry Light for 2017 and beyond? Good question. In no particular order:

- The release of the rules in print by Frog God Games, available free with purchase of physical product from their webstore. If they are sending something to your house, you can expect a copy of SWL to sneak into the box.

- The release of a SWL Zine called, appropriately enough, Continual Light. Adventures, monsters, classes, spells, magic items, etc.

- The release of the SWL rules in a Word.doc, so you can hack and houserule to you are content. I'm the hold up on this - aiming for mid January release.

- Extra Light - building off of the SWL rules, this 28-32 page digest sized book will include leveling to 5th or 7th level (still working out the details), new spells, new classes, new monsters and a sample adventure for each level. +James Spahn is co-author on this, so if we give you a product you don't like, blame me.

- Torchlight - a series of One-Sheet releases of various types (creatures, adventures, locations, etc)

- Pocket settings - not much is more than a basic outline for this concept yet, but thinking genre toolkits instead of detailed locations - so, rules for low fantasy, American westerns, sci-fi, horror and the like. Hmmm, would this be the Pocket Light series of releases? heh

+James Spahn and +Zach Glazar are my coconspirators. I truly couldn't ask for a better team to cover up and correct my mistakes ;)

Is there more possible than what is listed above? For sure, but the above I'm fairly confident of.

Now, stuff that is needed. Title graphics for Continual Light and Torchlight as well as a Swords & Wizardry Light Compatibility Logo. If you are an artist with some ideas, we need to talk :)

Endzeitgeist Reviewed Bard's Gate - and this Humble Tavern gets a Mention

Endzeitgeist is one hell of a review site. The reviews are in depth, extensive and no holds barred. I literally don't know how they do what they do and do it so well.

Today Endzeitgeist reviewed Frog God Games latest release - Bard's Gate. I have the PDF and impatiently await the printed copy to ship because it is damn good (I backed the Kickstarter). I saw the map at NTRPG Con last spring and now have the remorse of not having such a huge map to hang behind me during vidcasting and online gaming and such. There is so much to love about the book, the maps, everything. There are easter eggs for those that look - and some aren't hard to find at all:

So, go read the rest of the review at the Endzeitgeist site. If it doesn't make you want to to order a copy for yourself or your DM, I don't know what kind of a gamer you are. Well, maybe one that doesn't explore urban locations. Ah well ;)

I'm hoping to get a short review up myself by the end of next week. No guarantees. Plate is full and I'm falling behind on most everything, but yes, Bard's Gate is as good as the review you just read. You did read it, right?

Frog God Games PDF Bundle - Swords & Wizardry Starting at a Buck - Last Night!

Last Night for the Frog God Games Bundle. Available in Swords & Wizardry and Pathfinder flavors, we know you probably don't give a fig about the Pathfinder version.

That's fine.

Grab the Swords & Wizardry version. Buy in is as low as a buck. Cults of the Sundered Kingdoms for a fucking Buck - excuse my French ;)

Rappan Athuk gets thrown in at Eight Bucks. Holy shit! The be all and end of of Mega Dungeons.

Splinters of Faith and Mother of All Treasure Tables is added at Fifteen Bucks. Awesome! I still think the sweet point is Eight Bucks.

Do eeettt!!!

Hydra Collective Titles on Sale in Print and PDF

A number of Hydra Collective titles are currently on sale at OBS.

Slumbering Ursine Dunes, normally $9 in PDF and $25 in Print + PDF is currently $5.40 in PDF and $10.72 in Print + PDF.

Misty Isles of the Eld is normally $9 in PDF and $28 in Print + PDF is currently $7.20 in PDF and $12.12 in Print + PDF.

Similar sale prices are in effect for their other releases.

No idea how long the sale prices are good for.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Thanks to the member of The Tavern's FB Community who brought this to my attention.

James Spahn is Introducing a New OSR Tradition - OSR Box Set Day

From the Halfling's Luck Blog:

Today is December 26th, known in many nations as Boxing Day. Today, I'm starting a new tradition in the OSR gaming community. With that I wish you a happy... 

That's right, Box Set Day. How does one celebrate Box Set Day? Well for me, that means giving away an RPG Box Set. This won't necessarily be an OSR game, but it will always be an RPG Box Set. So, this year I'm giving away a complete Pathfinder Beginner Box. While I'm not a fan of Pathfinder's endless supplement glut, the core game is a great RPG and the Beginner Box has more than enough to keep a campaign going for quite some time. Rule book, adventure, color cardstock minis, maps, four pre-gen characters with rules for taking them to 5th level, and a set of dice. It's very open-and-play. 

This Pathfinder Beginner Box is VERY SLIGHTLY used. I took the shrink off, looking through the contents, and then shelved it. It can be yours, but you have to comment today, December 26th, and tell me your favorite RPG box set. I'll select a winner on the 27th. The contest is open to all US residents, and it will be shipped media mail.

Now, obviously you don't enter here but over at +James Spahn 's Halfling's Luck Blog.

For me, the Pathfinder Beginner Box is very special, and not just because it showed me for the first time that Pathfinder was actually playable without a laptop and spreadsheets. My review of the Pathfinder Beginner Box went viral, and was my most trafficked post for years.

Later today or tomorrow I'll post the Huge Grab Bag post, closing out OSR Christmas for 2016 ;)

Christmas & Hanukkah & Winter Solstice Wishes to All!

Its just past midnight here in New York, so its officially Christmas. Its also my first Christmas that I'm retired for, which feels... strange. Good, but strange. 8 Christmases spent working retail, 20 as a cop, 1 now retired.

I'd like to wish everyone that reads The Tavern a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanukkah and a Joyous Winter Solstice. To some extent, you are all my extended family, and I can't imagine The Tavern without you.

December has been a busy month for me, which in and of itself is nothing strange - it always seems to be a busy month. This is the first time I've had to deal with court and legal guardian issues, which has been time consuming. Long story short, my mother's cousin was declared incompetent by the courts and has been appointed a legal guardian. I considered taking the responsibility myself, but the paranoia combined with dementia convinced the family it was better for a third party to be put in that position. That being said, I've become the family liaison of sorts (go figure, last time I was a liaison I was working ;)

January 3rd is the magical day we go from nursing home (at over $15k a month) to assisted living (at $5.5k a month) Better food, wine with dinner, freedom to come and go, an actual 1 bedroom apartment. Hell, I found it damn tempting for myself - sadly I'm too young ;)

Anyhow, things should sort out with that soon and my focus should return. There are plans for Swords & Wizardry Light, but that's for another post (some of those plans are posted in a thread at The Tavern's Facebook Community earlier tonight, but we'll try and get some things nailed down with a real update)

Deal of the Day - Apes Victorious (LL goes Planet of the Apes)

Apes Victorious is the Christmas Eve Deal of the Day. I'm not even going to touch on how Planet of the Apes drew some inspiration from the story of Christ - oops! I guess I touched on it ;)

Anyhow, Apes Victorious, normally $4.97 is on sale until tomorrow morning for $2.98 - 50% off. This is for the PDF version.

Apes Victorious is a roleplaying game in which you take the role of an astronaut from the 1970’s who finds himself marooned on a future Earth ruled by intelligent apes. Players may also take the role of an ape, a degenerated human, or a psi-active underdweller. Fight to survive in this post-apocalyptic future ruled by four species of apes. Or play apes who hunt humans for sport. For a different kind of campaign, play highly intelligent but insane underdwellers who have advanced technology and powerful psi powers. 

This book contains:

-A complete game
-A post-nuclear apocalyptic setting in which apes have become the dominant species
-Seven player classes
-Animals and creatures of the post-nuclear future
-Campaign advice
-A complete introductory adventure
-Conversion notes for compatible games including: Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, Starships & Spacemen

OSR Christmas - Day 11 - The Gifting - Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells - Print

Just a reminder - Day 12 of OSR Christmas won't come around until Monday. I figure between Christmas and Hanukkah there will be plenty of gift giving this weekend. Besides, my free time is tapped out until Monday.

Still, that doesn't mean there isn't a gift to award.

Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells in Print. The PDF is PWYW so there really isn't an excuse for everyone to at least peek at the rules.

Anyhow, the winner of the Print copy of SS&SS is:

+Lincoln Shone 

If you are looking for those that are receiving copies of Crypts & Things Remastered, here is that post.

Winners should reach out to be at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing.

OSR Christmas - Bonus Gifting - Crypts & Things Remastered - 1 HC Print and 2 PDF Copies Will be Finding Homes with this Post

+Newt Newport / D101 Games is offering an amazing set of gifts for OSR Christmas. Three fine gift receivers, three fine gifts. One person will receive Crypts & Things Remastered in Hard Cover Print shipped anywhere in the world. Two others will receive Crypts & Things Remastered in PDF. Can I get a Huzzah!?!

The hardcover is a $40 value and the PDFs retail for $13.

Crypts and Things (C&T) is a Swords and Sorcery Roleplaying game based upon the Old School Rules of the 70s/80s. It also draws upon the British fantasy games and game-books of that period to bring a distinctly dark and dangerous feel to the game.
It was originally released back in early 2012 and after a highly successful Kickstarter in 2015 it returns in a Remastered edition, with revised and expanded content and completely new art by David M. Wright. 

Contents
-Introduction : An over view of the book.
-The Scrolls of Wonder
-The Player's section of the game, which explains how to create and play the character who will be the player's alter ego in the game.
-Creating a Character: Guidelines for creating the player's fictional alter-ego in the game.
-Character Classes: Nine character archetypes for players to choose from. Four Core (Barbarian, Fighter, Sorcerer, Thief) and five exotic (Beast Hybrid, Disciple, Elementalist, Lizard People and Serpent Man).
-Life Events: Quick background events tables which briefly detail the character's origin and what they did before adventuring.
-Spell Lists: Black, Grey and White Magic, plus Elemental Magic.
-How to Play: The game's simple and straightforward rules.
-The Continent of Terror: A brief overview of the game's included setting.
-What the Elder Told Me: Each of the eight human cultures of the setting detailed in ten questions and answers from a young adult to a respected elder about their worldview. 

The Book of Doom
-This is the referee's section of the book.
-Secrets of the Continent of Terror: A deeper view of the setting for referee's, with -The Greater Others and their Works: Three of the terrifying Greater Others and their followers detailed for use in play.
-Snake Dance: A closer look at the society of the insidious Serpent Men.
-Scourges of the Dying World: Five evil nemeses to thwart and oppose the player characters.
-Ill Gotten Gains of Dark Desire: Treasure and perilous magic items.
-A Compendium of Fiends: Dark and deadly monsters to populate your adventures with.
-The Halls of Nizar-Thun: An introductory underground adventure.
-The Haunted Lands: An introductory wilderness adventure.
-Port Black Mire: A fearsome city detailed for urban adventures.
-Notes from the Abyss: A compilation of articles and resources to aid the referee.

So, who are the receivers of these very generous gifts?

The Hardcover Copy of Crypts & Things, shipping anywhere in the word goes to:
Scott Jenks

The PDF Copies of Crypts & Things go to:
Jargogle Bamboozle and Peter V. Dell'orto

Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing and Newt and I will work out the details. Its the holiday weekend, so please forgive what I expect to be some lag.

OSR Christmas Will Return with a HUGE Grab Bag on Monday, December 26th

I was hoping to kick off the Huge Grab Bag of Gaming Goodness tomorrow, but Christmas weekend is just too busy for me to pull it off. So it will kick off on Monday and it will accept comments through Wednesday.

What is going to be in it? Even I'm not sure. Rach thinks it will require at least 2 boxes to send out (yes, these are duplicates from my collection) and the plan is for the Post Office to pick up a bunch of mail next Thursday or Friday.

There is certainly a complete set of Castles & Crusades Core books (the green covers - not even sure the edition) and a bunch more from the depths. I'm sure some Tunnels & Trolls will slip in ;) Only shipping to the States, as it will be insane otherwise, but this was probably the most Worldwide Friendly OSR Christmas that has run so far.

I'll certainly be posting this weekend, but it will have to squeeze into the "moments between"

Alright, back to the grindstone...

Far West - Blame the Delay on the 2016 Presidential Elections - Maybe - But We DO Have an Update

Hold your loved ones.

Why?

Because apparently 2016 was just such a year.

Does Gareth come out and blame his depression on the 2016 elections?

No.

But it certainly seems to be be the theme.

Ah well. Trump is as valid an excuse for 5 years of delays as anything else we've seen from Gareth. Hell, I'm willing to bet if he could find a way to pin Trump for 5 years of delays, he would. Its at least as valid as Con Crud.

Do I expect to see anything by the end of the year?

Fuck no!

I could be surprised, but I doubt it.

Still, lets punt the ball. I'll hold my family close there holidays, but it has NOTHING to do with 2016, Far West or any other debacle. I'll hold them close because I love them.

OSR Christmas - Day 11 - Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells - Print

Its Day Eleven of OSR Christmas. Before we get to today's festivities, let's find out who is the recipient of yesterday's awesome gift.

I would do a drum roll but that doesn't work so well on a blog post. Oh well.
skeetyrbug - congrats. Email me at tenkarsDOTtavernAT that gmail thing and we'll get you hooked up.

Now for today's gift. We are giving away Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells in Print (the PDF is PWYW, so everyone should grab a copy). This print copy was donated by the author of SS&SS and will be mailed out by me. The US Postal service will be cursing me out next week ;)

Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells is a rules-light, sword & sorcery, old school role playing game inspired by the original fantasy RPG and the Old School Renaissance movement as well as the stories by such authors as Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber and Michael Moorcock. With this book, you and your friends will be able to play exciting adventures with bold barbarians, witty thieves and cunning sorcerers without worrying about complex rules and tiresome preparations. 

ATTENTION! Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells is not a Simulacrum of an older edition of the world’s most famous fantasy RPG! Although inspired by the original game and the OSR movement, the game was designed to be have its own unique system, more suitable to the Sword & Sorcery genre the author has in mind. The following author's work inspired the mechanics of this game: Gary Gygax, Dave Arneson, David Black, Christian Mehrstam, John Cocking, Peter S. Williams, Joseph Goodman, Harley Stroh, Jason Morningstar, Ian Livingstone, Steve Jackson, Simon Washbourne, Kevin Crawford, Sandy Petersen, Mike Manson, Jay Little, James M. Spahn, Ben Milton.

Comment on this post before 8 AM Eastern Time, December 24th, 2016 to be in the running for Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells, if Santa picks you :)

This prize is available because of readers like you. Your use of The Tavern's affiliate links allows for giveaways like this.


More OSR Christmas

+James Spahn is giving away 12 prizes over 12 days and all you need to do is comment on one blog post. You will need to follow the instructions carefully if you want a chance to be gifted.

Note: You MUST comment on the Halfling's Luck blog. This post it just to let you know where to go.