Stock Art - Publisher's Choice - Fantasy Collection - Over 450 Quality Public Domain Images

If you've been following The Tavern over the last week or so, you'll have noticed I've been using some public domain art as inspiration for new Swords & Wizardry creatures.

Imagine my pleasant surprise when I found out that Fat Goblin Games has put together a collection of over 450 public domain fantasy themed art pieces for less than 20 bucks.

Color me pleased ;)

There are 7 categories in 7 zip files. These are large zips. Don't say you weren't warned.

Sample from the Fantasy Collection

Just so everyone knows - I bought this collection shortly before this post. I'll do a follow up post as I wade through the abundance of images :)

Fantasy Collection - Over 450 Quality Public Domain Images 

This collection of Public Domain stock art has been hand-picked and presented in this massive download for you to use in your own products. Now, we didn't just grab some public domain art and toss it together, each image has been adjusted, modified, cleaned, and prepped for your use. You can expect the following; 

Images are divided into 7 categories (color illustrations, creatures, environments, figures, graphics, illustrations, items) 

All images are 300dpi tiffs 

All images have been cleaned up, touched up, ready for use. 

All images are presented at their max recommended usage size (many of which are 8x10) 

All images have been hand-picked for their usability, uniqueness, and overall quality. 

Publisher's Choice Stockart is provided to aid new publishing companies in creating high-quality publications by providing the design essentials to compete with larger competitors. In addition, the line is perfect for adding fresh new content to the seasoned publisher's art library and aiding in keeping design budgets manageable.

Artwork License: A PDF copy of our license is included, allowing our customers to alter or modify any illustration in this set, in addition to rules on crediting, etc.

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!  ;)

#ConManKen - THIS is How You Go About Filing Criminal Charges - Don't Make any Longterm Plans

Holy crap. When a ball starts rolling it really rolls.

Edit: Wow Kenny! Is this an attempt to pay off possible witnesses? Note, its a question. Besides, you don't have the cash. You'd need Marcus for that...

You can read the link to the Facebook Post here.

Now, #ConManKen - watch what you say. You DO KNOW the authorities are watching you and probably reading these posts.

Schadenfreude. Its worth the wait. Ken, why don't you contact the imaginary FBI and maybe they can get the real Gwinnett Country, Georgia Sgt and Detectives to back off.

Damn Ken! You could have made good money for the commissary if you had only completed your Pencil Dice projects ;)

Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern - A Swords & Wizardry Light Starter Adventure - Part 5 - Laughter in the Darkness

Part 1,  Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 as well as the ideas behind it all.

Laughter in the darkness, just at the edge of your hearing. Was it real or just your imagination?

Room 7 is the location of a Krimple. You'll need to read up on this new monster, but here is the part you really need to wrap your head around:

Krimples can open and close locks, set traps, raise undead, sour milk, spoil wine, beer and the like, make food rot and other assorted nuisances at will. As a GM, be creative. They can also turn Invisible once per day, as per the spell. Duration is 1 Hr.

Use this to your advantage in keeping the party on the edge. If they attack the giant rats in room 5 and are having little difficulty, they'll hear the loud click of a lock and the creak of a gate from the south as the Cave Badger charges in. Same will happen if they bypass room 6 to explore the hallway to the east (it should occur right as they are standing before room 7) . Should a party member fall, they will hear laughing.

The Krinkle will follow the party invisibly when he can. Remember, room #3 has bags of flour. An enterprising party will use it to their advantage once they realize they are being followed.

The door to room 7 is a secret door. If the party suspects something or someone is behind the wall, they can look for the mechanism. Should they prod the floor or wall with a wooden poll adjacent to the door to room 7, the pole will rot and break and giggling will be heard.

The Krinkle is not a fighter and would rather make deals than engage in combat and risk being exiled to his usual plane for 30 days or a year. He will offer to lead the party to treasure, and he will, but will make light of any potential damage should they inquire.

Room 8 - The Tomb and Treasures Await - The door to this room is also secret but the outline is faintly visible to any that take the time to look at the wall. Otherwise, the Krinkle (if alive) will lead the party here with promises of treasure.

"Treasure awaits, yes it does! Danger? What value is treasure without danger, and what value is danger without treasure?"

The room is full of stone and wooden coffins. There are 3 skeletons, 2 zombies and a ghoul in the room. There are 7 open coffins and 3 closed coffins.

If the undead are successfully turned they will flee to the partially collapsed stairs leading up and cower.

There IS treasure within. A quick search will reveal 200 SP, 15 GP and a slivered dagger. A longer search (10 minutes or more) will find a gold brooch, valued at 175 GP.

The stairs can not be climbed.

Room 9 - Demon Cult Temple - The door to this room is covered with old and flaking paint. Little can be made out aside from a generous amount of red paint.

Upon opening the door and entering the room, it will be obvious that this was once a place of worship. Much of the paint has flaked here too, but the images that remain might be enough for a cleric to glean an idea of its history (I had the cleric roll his Wisdom or less on a d20 to see if he recognized anything during the playtest).

This was once the place of worship for a long forgotten cult that worshipped demons as gods.

If the Krimple is with the party and had previously suffered any wounds, he will start healing before the party's eyes.

And that's it. Well, not really, but that's where my party is and I don't want to spoil any surprises. I do know where this goes next...

State of the Tavern Keeper - Its Snot Right!

I am quite literally under the weather today, as it is raining here in NYC. Yesterday I awoke with congestion and before dinner, it was a fill blown cold.

I was miserable last night and feel pretty much the same at the moment. Ah well.

I'll try and get the next post up the Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern SWL Introductory Adventure. It should take another post or two to wrap it up and then I'll convert it to a quick and dirty PDF for my backers.

Alright, I think I'm going to try and sleep this cold away...

Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern - Playtest Recap - Are You Laughing at Me?!? (Part 2)

So, Saturday night we got the old group back together, more or less, and kicked off the new Swords & Wizardry Light campaign with a playtest of Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern, a SWL Introductory Adventure. I also allowed the use of any of the classes currently written for the SWL expansion, but everyone initially stuck to the four core races.

This is part Two of the playtest recap. Part One is here.

Where were we? Oh yes, we were here:

The sound of a creaking gate from behind them alerted them to the charge of a Cave Otter as the party's thief swore he heard laughing coming from nearby...

The party was just north of the secret door at Room 7. The Cave Otter was charging from Room 6. The party's cleric still had the key to the gate in his pocket. Someone, somewhere was laughing.

Blows were exchanged and finally the party fought off the Cave Otter and it retreated downstream of room 6. Deciding to grab the ale while they were where the ale was, the party again locked the gate upon leaving.

Returning to Room 3, they decide to confront whatever is left of the Giant Rats in Room 3. Five emaciated Giant Rats swarm the party. A good fight is fought but the magic-user falls under the onslaught. He doesn't have much worth looting, but the party does fine a silver chain in the rats nest.

They hear distant laughing.

The party thief decides to open a sack of flower and spread its contents along the souther end of Room number 3. If there is something watching them, perhaps invisibly, he wants proof. He also fills a small sack with flour to take with him.

The ale is brought up, along with the nibbled on body of their deceased brethren. They tell the barkeep that there is some kind of poltergeist in his basement. He demands they put an end to it. They demand a part ownership of the tavern. They haggle a bit, a deal is struck and the young dwarf receives the angry ire of his uncle.

A bard joins the party (maybe 5 minutes to create the character) and they rest overnight.

Returning to the basement the party finds tracks in the flour laid out on the floor. Vaguely humanoid tracks. They follow the tracks south of Room # 3, turn east, past Room # 6 before the tracks literally stop in the corridor - well, in the south wall - just north of Room # 7. Suspecting they have found a secret door, they search for the mechanism - they find it and open the door.

There is a small room, unoccupied, which can't be right. The thief throws in the flour, and sure enough, there is a short, humanoid creature hiding in the corner, After a short fight, it surrenders.

"I just having fun! No, your friend dying was not fun, but watching the fight was! Watching you scare of that creature was great fun! It was great fun watching your dinner the other night!"

Not sure what they have (and with the party's fighter eager to kill it) they tie it up tightly and try to elicit more information from it.

"Treasure I know! Yes, treasure. Take you I can, great fun!"

He leads the party to Room # 8. He reveals the secret door and tells them that great treasures await behind the door. When asked about any danger, the response is "What is treasure without danger? One brings value to the other. Great fun!"

Opening the door reveals a room full of wooden and stone coffins as well as a half dozen undead. The cleric turns them successfully, and they try to flee up the stairs, but that entrance had collapsed year ago. They do a quick search, find some valuables and close the door behind them.

"See! Treasure as I said!" the creature tells the party proudly. "Not great fun, but treasure, yes? I bring you more treasure?"

The passageway turned mostly south and the party follows it until they encounter a door on the west wall. The door had been painted at some time in the past, but now most of the paint had flaked off.

The party opens the door and enters Room # 9. It has many doors and appears to have been a place of worship in years in the past. The cleric racks his brain, trying to determine if he knows anything about this religion (I ask him to roll under or equal to his Wisdom - he does) He's not sure the name of the cult, but they worshipped demons as if they were gods. Its at this point that the party notices that their captive's wounds are healing before their eyes. The decide to quickly back out of the room and discuss their options.

Thus ended the playtest of Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern.

ConManKen - Felony Theft by Deception? Say it Isn't So!

#ConManKen

So, I woke to an email pointing me to this Facebook page. It appears Kenny has a hard drive problem. This is the very same problem Kenny had with the KotDT: LAS.

Don't worry too much Kenny. I doubt Georgia would go through the effort to extradite you for this obvious misunderstanding. That's all it is, right? A simple misunderstanding.

This isn't imaginary though.

I just called my imaginary contact at the imaginary FBI and they told me you never filed imaginary charges with them for non existent offenses.

Ah well. If you do get served with charges at least you'll know what non-imaginary charges and a real criminal offense looks like.

Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern - Playtest Recap - Stop Ghouling Around! (Part 1)

So, last night we got the old group back together, more or less, and kicked of the new Swords & Wizardry Light campaign with a playtest of Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern, a SWL Introductory Adventure. I also allowed the use of any of the classes currently written for the SWL expansion, but everyone initially stuck to the four core races.

Roll20 was our VTT of choice. Its a smooth as silk interface AS LONG AS YOU DON'T USE THE INTEGRATED VOICE AND VIDEO! Holy shit, what a fucking nightmare. Normally we would have used Google Hangouts and opened the Roll20 app from within, but no, Google had to fuck up a good thing and make that impossible to do these days with their new Hangout interface. After nearly half an hour of trying to get video and chat to sync for the five of use (best we got was 4 out of 5 working fine but there was ALWAYS someone who couldn't hear someone else) we threw in the towel and opened up Hangouts for voice and chat and Roll20 on its own. Not the perfect solution but it worked.

Character generation was a breeze. 3d6 arrange as you see fit. If you don't have at least one score at 15 or higher you could re-roll. Max HP at first level. Magic-user starts with 2 random spells. It went quickly. No shopping list, just choose your weapon combination and your starting gear pack. Not having to track XP was seen as a good thing.

We had a PC of each of the four core classes, including a halfling thief. A balanced party, go figure. Heh.

In the opening scene the ghoul burst forth from the storeroom during dinner and chaos ensues. The bartender gives his impassioned speech to save his ale - oh, and his wife's nephew. It was on and the players engaged their adversary. Magic Missile for 1 point of damage. Two Handed Sword for 7 points and the danger was dealt with, or at least the immediate danger.

The party investigated the ghoul's remains and noticed that the arm it had been chewing on was long dead, so it was not the dwarf lad's arm.

Encouraged to go below and save the boy - and retrieve the ale - the PCs entered the storeroom and lowered themselves via a series of metal rungs to the basement below. They immediately found and assumed possession of the Torch of Continual Light, which was wise.

The short corridor lest to a room with three doors - north, east and south. North door had recent claw marks, east door had a plank across it that read "Keep Out!" and the south door was ajar.

The party quickly decided the south door was the direction the ghoul had come from and quick spike the door shut. The clawed door to the north indicated there was possibly someone or something behind the door and was a likely place to find the young dwarf.

Sure enough, the door to the north wasn't locked, but did appear to have something blocking it from opening. Calling out, they asked if the dwarven lad was inside and lo and behold, he was. He moved the crates and barrels away from the door and asked the party to return him to The Tavern. The party asked him about the door to the east and he explained that a month ago, giant rats had found their way into the storeroom. Unable to safely engage the vermin, the bartender ordered the door remain closed and they would wait out the rats. Sooner or later, they would simply die of starvation.

The players retuned the young lad to his uncle, who promptly set him to work cleaning up the ghoulish remains in the tavern's dining section. The bartender then asked the PCs to retrieve his ale, because a tavern without ale is a tavern without customers.

Returning to the basement, the party headed through the south door. A corridor in front of them quickly turned east. Shortly after turning, there were a series of bars replacing the south wall for a 10' stretch along with an iron gate with a key sitting in its lock. Beyond, the party could see the barrels of ale sitting in the cold spring water. Not wanting to leave an unexplored corridor to their east, they locked the gate, took the key and investigated further east.

The sound of a creaking gate from behind them alerted them to the charge of a Cave Otter as the party's thief swore he heard laughing coming from nearby...

More to come

What Do You Give to Someone That "Allegedly Stole" Nearly $70k from Nearly 800 Backers for the Third Anniversary of "The Alleged Theft?"

#ConManKen

Three years as of February 5th. Yep, 2/5/14 is a day that will live in Kickstarter infamy. The day the Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series funded and #ConManKen started counting his gold. Fools and their money were already parted - now he just needed something to spend it on.

A cruise, perhaps? Maybe some film equipment that would allow him to get himself off, knowing that the money received would never go to finishing this project or any other project? Yep, other peoples money burns a hole in #ConManKen's pocket extremely fast.

But hey, it IS an anniversary after all. Third anniversary and all that. Lets see, what choices do we have?

Leather? Not going near that one again. Hmmm. Crystal or glass. Lets see what we can find that is appropriate on the interwebs.

Brisbane though. Not sure if the Aussies would even let #ConManKen in the country. He would have access to fresh marks though.

Tonight We Playtest "Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern" for Swords & Wizardry Light

Map by +Dyson Logos 

I've been releasing parts of Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern, an introductory adventure for Swords & Wizardry Light in pieces here at The Tavern. You can read what's been released so far here.

Most of it is written up in the manner it has been posted on the blog but some only exists in outline form. We will see how far the party gets tonight.

We'll be playtesting the additional rules proposed for Swords & Wizardry Expert Light. Can't find out what's broken without breaking things - meaning both the adventure and the rules ;)

We'll be using:

- Roll 20 for the Virtual Table Top with Fog of War enabled and some portraits for the new creatures the party may encounter

- Swords & Wizardry Light (obviously)

- Swords & Wizardry Expert Light (new classes and leveling to Level 7 - only the additional classes will possibly come into play right now)

- Voice & Video - because sometimes you just make more sense when you can be seen

After I get the full adventure posted at The Tavern I'll put it in a quick and dirty PDF for my Patreons and any that may be looking to run it at a con (just email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing with "SWL Con" in the title if you need it for a Con) Later on we'll put out a more professional version for release at RPGNow as PWYW. It will be the same for the Creature Collectanea - quick and dirty PDF for the backers once we get enough creatures, than PWYW at RPGNow after we pretty-fi it ;)

Ideas for Those That Don't Mind Their Campaigns Topping Out at Level 3

K, so you've played a couple of sessions of Swords & Wizardry Light and your players' characters are all maxed at Third Level, as that is as far as the 4-page folio will take you. What are your options?

Well, you could convert your campaign to Swords & Wizardry Complete. I'll be putting together some conversion guidelines in the next few weeks. Its mostly common sense and is certainly an easy way to continue your campaign.

In the next few months we'll be releasing the Swords & Wizardry Expert / Extra / Enhanced / Whatever We Call It Light Rules. About 16 pages of rules taking your campaign to level 7, with magic items, traps, new classes, new spells, new monsters and more. Tack on 7 one and two page adventures and maybe a small setting and we should come in around 28 to 32 pages. But that's later. Its not now.

Your other option is to keep playing at Third level, but allow the PCs to improve as they adventure further. How so?

Perks :)

Here's how Perks work. After attaining 3rd level, PCs can still accumulate game session "credit" and they can spend this "credit" as follows:

1 Credit - Add 1 HP to the HP total. Can buy this Perk a maximum of 10 times. Note, these are not HD and a Constitution Bonus does not apply. 

2 Credits - Lower Saving Throw by 1 point. Can buy this perk a maximum of 5 times. 

2 Credits - Fighter Only - + 1 to BAB - Can buy this Perk a maximum of 3 times. 

2 Credits - Cleric and Magic-User Only - Add 1 First Level spell slot - Can buy this Perk a maximum of 3 times. 

3 Credits - Cleric and Thief Only - + 1 BAB. Can only buy this perk once. 

4 Credits - Thief Only - Add a 1 in 6 chance to Thief Skills. This Perk may only be bought once. 

4 Credits - Magic-user Only - Add 1 Second Level spell slot. Can only buy this Perk once.

There you have it. A way to make three levels a tad more than three levels. Kinda like Spinal Tap without all the deaths of drowning in vomit ;)

Creature Collectanea - Krimple (SWC & SWL)

Henry Justice Ford - Public Domain

Krimples are demonic creatures that exist solely for creating mischief. They have a very warped sense of humor and find perverse entertainment value in adding to the suffering of others.

When found walking the earth or its dungeon depths they will have often already caused trouble for others and have remained in the area to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

Krimples are only found singularly, as working in pairs has led to Krimple-cide or worse.

Krimples stand 3' tall and when wrapped in a cloak and from a distance can attempt to pass themselves off as halfings. They smell of rotting flesh and any within 5' of a Krimple will notice such an odor, it is impossible to mask.

Killing a Krimple with non-magical weapons removes them from the prime material plane for 30 days. If they are killed with a magical weapon, they can not return for a year. Krimples find their time away from living creatures to be painfully boring, a year long exile even more so. They have been known to return after such a year with a mischievous vengeance.

Krimples can open and close locks, set traps, raise undead, sour milk, spoil wine, beer and the like, make food rot and other assorted nuisances at will. As a GM, be creative. They can also turn Invisible once per day, as per the spell. Duration is 1 Hr.

Swords & Wizardry Complete

Krimple
Hit Dice: 3
Armor Class: 4 [15]
Attacks: 1 Bite (1d4) 2 Claw (1d3)
Saving Throw: 14
Special: Assorted mischievous effects
Move: 12/12 (flying)
Alignment: Chaotic
Challenge Level/XP: 5/240

Swords & Wizardry Light

Krimple
AC: 4[15]  HD: 3   Attacks: bite (1d6+2)  Move: 12 (Fly 12)
Special: Assorted mischievous effects. 

OGL

Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern - A Swords & Wizardry Light Starter Adventure - Part 4 - Splish Splash!

Part 1,  Part 2, Part 3 as well as the ideas behind it all.

The south door of Room #3 is slightly ajar. Upon opening the door the party will see a passageway, 5' wide, heading south before turning east. 

After turning the corner the party will notice that the south wall has bars across it as well as an iron barred door on the western most part of the opening. There is a key already in the lock, waiting to be turned.

There is a room of sorts to the south behind the bars (Room #6). An underground stream enters from the west wall and fills a 5' wide canal of sorts that flows south. There are five barrels sitting in the water of the canal, almost up against the bars. At least one barrel is is label "ALE".

If anyone in the party listens closely they will hear splashing coming from further down the water tunnel. A thief that makes a Hear Noise roll will recognize it as feet of some sorts splashing in the water.

Note: the small stream that fills the canal runs fast but very shallow - about 4 inches deep. The canal itself is about 2 feet deep and the water is slow moving but very cold.

The splashing is from a Cave Otter (described in a previous post) This is a young Cave Otter. It has 11 HP. The statistical write up is below for your convenience. 

Cave Otter
AC: 5[14]    HD: 4   Attacks: bite (1d6+2)   Move: 9 (18 in water)
Special: On a roll of 19 or 20, inflicts double damage with tusk impale

If the Cave Otter receives 6 or more HP of damage, it will attempt to flee downstream. It has no treasure.

The canal returns to underground stream width 15' south of the southernmost part of the canal indicated on the map. The party is too tall to follow the stream 

The ale is exactly what the bartender ordered.

Next, go East young adventurers...

Kickstarter - Game of Dragons - Trial 4 (If at first you DON'T succeed, try, try again...)

When I was looking through Kickstarter just before I thought to myself: "Game of Dragons looks damn familiar" and sure enough, it was. This is the FIFTH attempt to fund it. Safe to say there with be a Sixth, because this attempt won't be successful either.

There needs to come a point where you say to yourself: "Maybe I need to let this one go..."

Here's the pitch:

Game of Dragons - Funding unsuccessfully since August 2015! Why tie up your money in projects that fund and never deliver. Here are Game of Dragons, you can back our projects and never be out a dime. We don't deliver, but we don't take your money either. So, pledge and feel part of the project - for the fifth time! Help us not reach our goal of $50K!

Finding the True Trends of an Active Kickstarter via Kicktraq

You ever look at Kicktraq? It has interesting stats and projections about currently funding Kickstarter projects. Now, as I'm sure you've heard elsewhere, number can lie. That is not true. They can, however, mislead. Its all in the presentation.

Lets look at The Ultimate Apocalyptic Planet - 77 Worlds RPG James M Ward Kickstarter, because its a prime example of how numbers can mislead.

Looks pretty healthy, right? I mean, numbers don't lie and even the low end of the projection is well above funding.

Hey, what is that "Mini Chart" tab?

Wow. Now these are numbers that tell a story. Notice the little dip from Tuesday to Wednesday? That was the loss of a backer at 70 bucks and one gained the next day for 30 bucks. So, between Tuesday and Thursday, there is a net loss of 40 bucks. Doesn't look to be trending towards goal, let alone thousands more.

So, why is the first chart deceptive? Simple, its front heavy with the backing raised from the first two days.

The trend is downward. Project creators like to show off the Cone Projection (first chart) and ignore the rest, but digging deeper is where the numbers start telling their true story.

I mention my issues with this project on a previous post. My suggestion? Cancel the project, spend a few weeks tightening the Kickstarter pitch (which is horrid) and relaunch after Valentines Day when money might free up for folks. But hey, what do I know? It might actually fund. If it does, it won't be by much (and will probably need a ghost backer or three to get there). There is no harm in admitting you need a better pitch, presentation and system explanation.

Creature Collectanea - Cave Otter (SWC & SWL)

Androvandi - Public Domain

I'll be writing up a series of creatures for Swords & Wizardry using various sources of public domain art for inspiration. The Cave Otter is the first in the series.

The Cave Otter appears to be a cross between an otter and a wild boar. While primarily found deep in wet underground caves they can also be found around fast flowing waterfalls and rapids above ground. While preferring water to land, they will often venture upon land to hunt. The stand nearly 2 feet tall and 3 feet from snout to tail.

Cave Otters attack with their fearsome bite. Their tusks can be deadly. On an attack roll of a natural 19 or 20, a limb of the opponent is impaled, causing double damage.

Primarily solitary creatures, they can sometimes (1 in 6 chance) be found in a mated pair. Much like otters, they are attacked to shiny things, and their nests have been known to hold coins and gems they have found prior.

Swords & Wizardry Complete

Cave Otter
Hit Dice: 4
Armor Class: 5 [14]
Attacks: 1 Bite (1d10) / Special - On a roll of 19 or 20, inflicts double damage with tusk impale
Saving Throw: 13
Special:
Move: 9/18 (swimming)
Alignment: Neutral
Challenge Level/XP: 5/240

Swords & Wizardry Light

Cave Otter
AC: 5[14] HD: 4 Attacks: bite (1d6+2) Move: 9 (18 in water)
Special: On a roll of 19 or 20, inflicts double damage with tusk impale

OGL

Nearly 1 AM and The Tavern Lights are Still On

Tonight's Tavern Chat was "the real deal".

If you missed it, you can always scroll through the chat log.

+Jim Wampler discussed a very interesting DCC RPG project he is involved in. Not sure if its been mentioned elsewhere, but it looks like the DCC RPG will be getting some Starter Rules. You can blame Zach and I ;)

I started looking through some public domain art and found some excellent inspiration, but I can always use more.

If you know of any resources for fantasy themed public domain art, please link it in the comments below. I want to start cranking out some S&W Complete / S&W Light creatures starting this weekend (if not sooner)

Maybe I should finally go to bed ;)

Far West - The Dog Ate My Project - New Excuse, Same Results

So, what's the first Far West update of 2017? Computer problems, so Gareth can't do layout.

Now, mind you, we were supposed to get a work in progress before the end of last year. We didn't. Official explanation? None. But there was some blaming of Attorney Generals.

I'd love to see the "words of encouragement" he's been sent. Must be via Twitter, because it hasn't been on Kickstarter.

I'm waiting for the excuse that the dog ate the project...

Beware the Red Hands of Justice

Its Wednesday and that Means Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern

Yep, tonight is another Tavern Chat. Let general mayhem ensue! Or major mayhem. Maybe sergeant mayhem?

Anyhow, its always a good time. Topics range from, well, practically everything. I do expect the call from PETA to do away with "fur" on Warhammer 40k minis will get a mention.

9PM Eastern. In that little chat box on the right side of the page.

I have a pre Super Bowl party to attend in the interim. Lets see what state I'm in when I return ;)

Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern - A Swords & Wizardry Light Starter Adventure - Part 3

Part 1 and Part 2 as well as the ideas behind it all.

When the party drops from the storeroom (room #2) to the hallway below, they will find the hallway lit by a magical glowing torch. The torch can be removed from the sconce it is held by. As stated in the previous post, treat as a light spell that does not cease unless dispelled.

The short hallway leads to Room #3. It is 15" wide by 25" tall. The part enters from the west wall, south end. Each of the other walls has a door made of wood. There are crates along the west and east walls, labeled with various goods: potatoes, carrots, onions, flour and the like. the temperature is a steady 55 degrees F which helps keep the long term perishables fresh.

The door to Room #4 has claw marks in the wood and appears to be stuck. Repeated tries to push the door in will make it apparent that something or somethings have been piled against the door to prevent entry. This was done by the bartender's nephew when he saw the ghoul enter from the south door of room #3, causing the lad to flee to Room #4. If he is called out to, the young dwarf will remove the barrels of wine and vinegar and allow entry into the room. He will explain what happened and ask to be returned to his uncle.

The door to Room #5 has a single wooden board nailed across it with "Keep Out!" written in red paint. If the dwarf from Room #4 is present, he will explain that the storage room beyond was infested with giant rats and the door hasn't been opened in nearly a month. Anyone listening to the door hears vague squeaking. A thief that makes a successful hear noise roll will hear the squeaking of approximately six distinct creatures. If the party decides to open the door, it opens into Room 5 without effort. The wooden board is nailed into the door frame, not the door itself. Inside the room  5 very hungry Giant Rats charge to attack!

Rat, Giant AC 7[12]  HD 1-1  Attack Bite (1d6)

Note: HD 1-1 means roll a 1d6 -1 for the HP of each creature, treating "0"s as "1"s. For this, we rolled: 6, 5, 3, 2 and 1. After adjustments, the HP of the 5 Giant Rats are: 5, 4, 2, 1 and 1.

After the Giant Rats are defeated the PCs may want to search room 5. It is full of rat feces and has a horrible smell. Any goods stored here have been ruined. The rats have, however, found a sliver chain valued at 10 GP and buried it in their nest in the north east corner. Anyone prodding with a 10' pole (preferable) or their hands (less preferable) will find it. There is nothing else of value in this room.

Onward to the door in the South Wall...

For Those that Missed Monday Night's Tavern Talk Uncut, Here are Some Quick Swords & Wizardry Light Updates

If you have the time, watch / listen to this past Monday's Tavern Talk Uncut - Episode # 3. You'll get some interesting info on what lies in the future for Swords & Wizardry Light, some insight into how it came to be and some upcoming projects for Frog God Games. Now, all that being said, here's the quick and dirty SWL highlights:

- See the screenshot above? Thats a snippet of one of 4 character cards being put together for SWL. One side will include the class info, attack matrix, spells, etc and the other side will be your character sheet. The idea is postcard sized. Ideal for convention play but also suitable for campaign play. Go Zach!

- Swords & Wizardry Light Monstrosities - well, we aren't sure what the document is going to be called, but Bad Mike (Mike Badolato of NTRPG Con fame) is converting a nice assortment of creature from the S&W Monstrosities book for use with SWL. I've reviewed the work in progress and it it excellent. Nice and short and a great resource for GMs

- Slack - we are using Slack.com to organize communication and the sharing of works-in-progress amongst those of us working on SWL projects. Its really an amazing tool for project coordination. If you are working on a SWL project and wish and invite, contact me at trubluniteAT that gmail thing. If I don't catch your email right away it may fall off screen, so give me a day or three to clear emails before worrying too much.

- You've been reading The Tavern, so you already know about the tutorial adventure. There's other stuff in the works, but for that you should listen to Tavern Talk ;)

The episode comes in at just over half an hour.

Kickstarter - The Ultimate Apocalyptic Planet - 77 Worlds RPG James M Ward

The Ultimate Apocalyptic Planet - 77 Worlds RPG by James M Ward. Or is it The Blasted Earth: The Ultimate Apocalyptic Planet? What about the Lost 77 Worlds? I'm confused already.

First, look at the art / splash above. Personally, I think it looks like shit. It tells me nothing about the game and is depressing as hell. Sigh. We are not off to a good start.

Second, James M. Ward on the tin is both a blessing and a curse. Mr. Ward certainly has cred, but then one remembers the recent fiasco known as the Metamorphosis Alpha KS with Jamie Chambers. The less said about that, the better.

Third, they are selling the digital as if it is a selling point on its own. If you want PDFs with your printed book, you need to add the full price of the PDFs in question to your pledge. Decidedly NOT cool.

Fourth, the few comments in the comments section are about the confusing support levels and project description:

Fifth, its great that the rules are written. Maybe give us a hint at the type of rules they are. What is the resolution system? Inquiring minds want to know.

Sixth, sadly, this inquiring mind does not want to know. There needs to be a focused description of this project, not something that rambles and bounces around and contradicts itself. I don't have the patience to track down the answers to my questions and in truth, I don't think the answers matter much. The only answer I need is that this project isn't for me.

Edit - Fuck me, I looked deeper. It uses a deck of cards for game system. Definitely not for me...

PETA - Boldly Going Where No Sane Group Should Go - Trying to Make Games Workshop "Fur Free"

I first saw this yesterday and initially figured it HAD to be a joke. PETA, the animal advocacy group, wants Games Workshop (Warhammer, Warhammer 40k, etc) to stop sporting figures with fur.

Now, follow this.

This are "miniatures" - they are not real. Which means that any fur detailed is not real.

But what about art? Its not real.

How about in computer games? Its not real.

No animals were harmed in the creation of any of Games Workshop's IP.

Wait... do they still sell horse hair brushes to paint these fur wearing miniatures? Are the horses harmed? It may be time for a revolution!

Now, if Games Workshop were to declare the not real fur in the first place to be faux fur, would that make PETA go away? Probably not: "While we appreciate that they are fictional, draping them in what looks like a replica of a dead animal sends the message that wearing fur is acceptable"

How many Warhammer players drape themselves in fur? Fuck, who could afford to at the price GW minis cost.

Grounding in reality is weak in this one.

For fuck's sake...

And Here I Thought it was an Email about Swords & Wizardry...

Ah well, guess not. I HAVE been fielding a number of questions regarding publishing supplements and adventures for Swords & Wizardry Light (SWL) but this wasn't one of them.If I haven't gotten back to you, email me again.

Sauerkraut.

Damn.

In any case, if you haven't caught the latest Tavern Talk Uncut Videocast, do so. SWL, Frog God, assorted sundries...

An 11 Year Old Runs a Session of Swords & Wizardry Light - and she LIKES it :)

I'd like to thank +Christopher Bishop for the excellent post at his Rolling Bones Blog. Nothing warms my heart as much as seeing my little offering to the gaming community find a proper home. The fact that the home it has found is with Chris' 11 year old daughter makes me want to jump up and down too ;)

A small quote from Chris' post:

So I printed the rules out from the Swords & Wizardry Light dropbox site on cardstock and laminated them.  Four pages folks, just four pages!  I handed them off to my daughter who promptly went like a troll back to her pink cavern of doom, also known as her room.  She spent the better part of an hour looking it over and came out with a huge grin on her face.  

"Dad, I understand this and it's so much easier to find everything, IT'S ALL RIGHT HERE!  They even have monsters and spells!!!!"  She actually jumped for joy folks, not a literary expression but a physical 98 lb girl jumping in the air with glee.  I gave her a little one-page adventure to run that I whipped up from a DCC one shot, told her to just ignore the stats and look at the name of the creature and use the light rules monsters in its place for stats.  So we went from her taking an hour or so to familiarize herself with the rules to sitting at the table and rolling bones in the next hour.  Might I add her confidence level was hugely boosted by the fact that she had the rules sitting in front of her like a DM screen, and everything was there that she needed.  She even embellished the short session which ended up being 3 hours long with added stuff on top of the one-page adventure because she said the rules were simple enough she had time to think about where the plot was going.  

The real reward for me at least was seeing the huge grin on her face.  There is no greater feeling as a parent than seeing your child enjoy something and get the same kind of glee out of it that you did at their age.

Yep. Makes all the effort worthwhile.

Kickstarter - One Hundred Dungeons: A Make/100 Dungeons Project (Crowdfunded and Crowdsourced)

Alright. The One Hundred Dungeons: A Make/100 Dungeons Project makes me scratch my head a little:

1 - Its crowdfunded - obviously

2 - Its crowdsourced - "everyone who backs at the Dungeon Builder level (up to 100 backers) will become an active participant in the creation of this Mega Dungeon.  You will be able to see and comment on layouts, room elements, traps, monsters, quests, and even the overarching storyline.  You can be as involved as you like -- you can even submit dungeon layouts or object and artifact suggestions, that we can then vote on as a group." bTW, this level is 75 bucks.

3 - Its a "megadungeon" of 100 levels, but the sample maps shown only show one set of stairs each, so they aren't leading to other levels. That does not make a multileveled dungeon let alone a megadungeon.

4 - at the $75 level, you get commercial use of the art assets of this project, which aren't bad. The corridors and rooms are nothing to get excited about, but the dungeon trappings look decent and were hand drawn. I'm not saying they are worth $75, but if you buy into the concept of the project, its a nice bonus,

5 - Its for 5e, which gives it a welcoming source of funds.

6 - Its a "megadungeon" - sure, I mentioned this already but megadungeons generally need a theme to be successful. 100 random levels doesn't seem like much of a theme. As an aside, are 5e players particularly fans of megadungeons? Oh wait, I was wrong - classic megadungeons don't have themes:

One Hundred Dungeons is an attempt to build an old-school MEGA DUNGEON -- an insanely deep and varied dungeon -- with this one having 100 different levels -- each a complete dungeon on its own that can be explored (some small - some large - some enormous), but together they form a Mega Dungeon that can provide years of adventures for your party. 

Most classic Mega Dungeons are deep labyrinths without one real overarching narrative -- you can simply explore, find treasure, fight monsters, and discover various secrets while your party ventures through the dungeon. 

With One Hundred Dungeons, what I hope to do is create a classic Mega Dungeon -- but one that comes with an optional overarching story -- and which you could alternatively use for individual stand alone adventures with your group. 

Still, like I mentioned earlier - you still need a way to get from level to level, and the sample maps are missing that.

I'd be interested in the theme or narrative that can carry through 100 levels and possibly that many creators inputing their ideas.

This is not my type of megadungeon. It may be yours...

Tavern Talk Uncut # 3 - Livestream Link Enclosed

Live at 7ish PM tonight.

Join us and talk Swords & Wizardry, Frog God Games, OSR and assorted gaming goodness.

Yes, you can use the chat window to ask us questions and converse ;)

Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern - A Swords & Wizardry Light Starter Adventure - Part 2

I realize in retrospect that we didn't discuss Turning Undead in the previous post. If the Ghoul is successfully turned (requiring a roll of 13 or better on 3d6 by a 1st level Cleric) it will attempt to flee. In this case, it will attempt to flee whence it came, which is the trap door via room 2. In this case it will drop itself the 15' or so to the floor beneath, and will avoid using the metal runged ladder it used to climb from the cellar to the tavern's ground floor.

Did I mention hexes are 5'? Oops ;)

Room 2 is a storage room for less perishable items such as flour, dried meats and fruits, potatoes and other vegetables with a long shelf life, along with pickled cucumbers and wine. Ale is generally served chilled (at least when initially tapped) and is stored in the cellar. Hidden beneath bags of flour in the S/E corner of the room is the tavern owner's suit of chain mail (dwarven sized)

(f) indicates a pulley system that allows for the floor (5' square) to lower to the cellar and return with goods needed for the tavern. There is also a series of metal rungs on the north wall that can be accessed if the floor in question is lowered at least 5'. Currently the floor is lowered all 15' to the cellar below.

The hallway below is lit by a Continual Light spell cast on a metal rod, which serves as a removable torch. Treat as a Light spell that does not cease unless dispelled.

No roll is needed to descend using the metal rung ladder. PC's deciding to drop the 15' (10' or so if they lower themselves off the edge of the floor) must roll a Saving Throw or suffer 1d6 damage. A generous GM may decide to give them a bonus of + 2 to the Saving Throw as it is a controlled fall.

Into the Cellar...

Tavern Talk Live Uncut Vidcast # 3 - Livestream @ 7 PM Eastern Tonight

Can you believe it? We are actually sneaking a third Tavern Talk Live Uncut Vidcast into the month of January.

Join +Zach Glazar and myself and a live audience (live and able to chat and ask questions via chat- not live as in "studio audience" ;). Ask us about Swords & Wizardry Light, current Frog God goings on, make suggestions - the world is your oyster ;)

7 PM tonight.

I'll add a link to this post and drop a new post when we go live.

My Goal With the Swords & Wizardry Light Starter Adventure - Assume Little and Explain Everything

Many of those running adventures with the Swords & Wizardry Light rules will fall into one or more of the following categories:

- Lapsed gamer / lapsed DM

- New gamer

- Current gamer / new to the OSR

- Simply a new DM

So, what I've set out to do is breakdown the processes required to run a session of Swords & Wizardry Light or most any OSR game (or even 5e) (as started with an earlier post today)

In the first encounter I explain how to roll initiative, what happens if the initiative rolls are tied, what happens if a PC is hit by the ghoul and fail their save and the like. In a way, its the exact opposite of the succinct presentation of the SWL rules themselves.

The rest of the adventure will be similar, explaining concepts as they occur.

I'll aim for a room a day (more or less) posted at The Tavern. A quick and dirty PDF will be put together when the adventure is complete and sent to Patreon backers and then a "professionally" laid out version will go up with some art as a PWYW release at RPGNow.

Thus is the purpose of Beneath The Battered Dwarf Tavern.

Patreon - James Spahn is Creating Old School Roleplaying Games

You know +James Spahn I hope. The man behind White Star, the various White Box supplements and of course more Labyrinth Lord classes than you can shake a stick at. He's also a co-conspirator on Swords & Wizardry Light.

I'll bet you didn't know James has a Patreon Page.

Backing James via his Patreon really is the best way to get sneak peeks of some of his upcoming projects (and he has some nice ones in the works - but I'm sworn to secrecy)

Personally, I think Arcane Trickster is the sweet spot.

If you back for $20, James will run a game for backers at that level once a month on a Saturday evening (Eastern Time) using his White Star rules via Roll20. Most likely you'll be playtesting new material and, as such, be given playtester credit. Now, James doesn't know this part yet - but I volunteer to assist, fill in for an empty seat or roleplay NPCs if James requests. Not sure if that's a boon or a curse. James will need to decide ;)

The Polls Have Closed - Lets Look at What Resources are Currently Desired for Swords & Wizardry Light

First things first - it isn't much of a poll. 23 votes in all, so while it may give some hints it certainly isn't enough of a sampling to draw any huge conclusions.

That being said, two things stand out:

- One-sheet / Short Adventures were an indicated desire by 78% of those that responded. That works well with the adventures that are in the works, from +Tim Shorts (Gothridge Manor), +Thom Wilson (Off the Beaten Path, Forest Excursions KS) , myself and others. This need will be addressed ;)

- Sample Setting came in at 43%. I have something that could be put together fairly quickly here at The Tavern and possibly put together as PWYW in PDF. I agree that this would be very useful.

As for the rest? The sample size wasn't really large enough. I think its all viable but the two above are a more immediate priority.

Alright, back to productivity...

Swords & Wizardry Light Campaign Kickoff Adventure - Picking Up Where I Left Off

https://rpgcharacters.files.wordpress.com/2016/05/tavern-and-understructures.jpg

I really like this +Dyson Logos tavern and associated cellar. I had plans for this back in June of last year but events got in the way. Now to pick up where I left off while including some instructions to the new Swords & Wizardry Light GM.

A foul looking creature bursts forth from the storeroom of the Battered Dwarf Tavern. It holds a gnawed arm in its mouth as it surveys the dinner crowd. The arm drops to the floor with a thump as it softly slurs the word "buffet."

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

"The facker! My wife's nephew was gettin' the next cask of me 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 me ale!  Oy, and the boy too I reckon, or whatever is left 'em. Heck, I'll go so far as offer room and board for a month - but yaz needs ta triple up in the room, mind ya. A dwarf's gotta make a profit still."

The creature is a Ghoul and has a chance to paralyze any foe it strikes. Have one of the players roll 1d6 for Initiative and you roll 1d6 for the Ghoul. The side with the highest roll attacks first. In case of a tie with the Initiative Roll, everyone on both sides of the combat rolls their attacks and, if applicable, their damage, but damage does not take effect until everyone has had a chance to attack and any failed saves are applied after damage is accounted for.

Ghoul - AC 6[13]  HD:2  HP:8  Attack 1d6 (if hit is successful, target must Save or be paralyzed for 3d6 turns - 30 to 180 minutes)

Note: If the dropped arm is examined, it is obviously from a long deceased and decomposing corpse and not that of a young dwarf.

One or more characters may be paralyzed for 3d6 turns if they were struck by the Ghoul and failed their save. Kuzder (the bartender) will patiently wait for any paralyzer characters to recover but will prod the party when all are capable again with phrases like: "Me poor wife's nephew! Ain't ye gonna rescue him?" and "We've got no ale to sell! How can ye run a tavern without ale!" and "Time is money! Without ale I'm losing money!"

Onward to the Storeroom...