Resources for the Time Crunched DM - City GeneratorBy CrystalBallSoft

So, your players need to know more about the hamlet they stumbled into. All you thought of was the name of the inn and now they want to know about a local thieves guild and can they hire some mercenaries.

City GeneratorBy CrystalBallSoft has you covered, more or less. There is as much information as most DMs could possibly need and its fairly system neutral - just ignore the levels assigned to the common folk and such ;)

One guard, one beer merchant, one thief and one prostitute. Its like "Cheers", just Hamlet sized.

They export doves. Now THAT is interesting!

When is a Coin NOT a Coin? When its a Token ;)

A little bit of family history. My great grandfather on my mother's side own a bar in lower Manhattan in the early 1900s (and later owned a speakeasy just over a block from where I live now in Queens)

How do you get customers coming back to your bar and not going to someone else's?  Give them a token worth a 5 cent drink on their next time to your bar.

The above tokens are from the Manhattan bar.

Anyway, imagine the party thief's surprise when he picks that merchant's pocket and finds a pouch full of bar tokens. Maybe the party finds a sack of such deep in a dungeon. Can they still be cashed in? Hell, maybe there is a bar in some corner of your megadungeon and only those with the right token in their possession can gain admittance.

Not all treasure is coin, gems or magic and not all coins are coins...

Resources for the Time Crunched DM - Roll3d6.com

We've all been there. The Game is in 90 minutes and all your have is a +Dyson Logos map and nothing to go in it. Heck, you don't even have the town or a single person in it. What to do?

In my case, its "start a series of posts highlighting some free DM resources." It may be apps for your phone or tablet, programs for you to use on your PC or Mac or even a website. Today, we start with a website:

Roll3d6.com

What do you get here? You get tables. What kinda tables? Gaming tables sir!

This is quite simply inspiration with the click of the mouse.

Need the name of a village your players just stumbled across in your sandbox?

How about that tavern? They can't all be Tenkar's ;)

You get the idea. No, it can't do your work for you but it certainly can nudge you in a direction or two.

Play with the random charts a bit. I'm sure you'll find some inspiration.

Something to keep in your Gaming Bookmarks folder. Or maybe I should start a series of links on the side for these? Maybe with another 2 or 3 posts behind me.

Have ideas for other posts in the series? Mention them in the comments below.

Bundle of Holding - One to One RPGs - Bundle for Two

Yep, tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so we have a bunch of two player / one to one / one on one RPGs in the Bundle for Two.

Starter Collection is $7.95 and includes... nothing I've heard of before.

The Bonus Collection (a hair over 17 bucks) has Scarlet Heroes ( +Kevin Crawford ) which is simply amazing. I've also heard good things about Don't Rest Your Head. The rest? All new to me.

From the BoH page:

About half these games have appeared in past Bundle offers. Most of the new games are in our low-priced Starter Collection, which gives you five titles (retail value $37) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks for just US$7.95:

Romance Trilogy (Black and Green Games, retail price $10): Newly updated versions of Breaking the Ice, Shooting the Moon, and Under My Skin, the groundbreaking "Three Quick Games About the Human Heart" by Emily Care Boss.

A Single Moment (TAGSessions, retail $8): A life-and-death narrative battle between samurai, and the past events that brought them here. Additional playsets translate the drama to the Wild West, medieval England, and even romantic comedy. Includes Five Single Playsets (Riverhouse Games, retail $1), which adapts the system to new settings.

Stories From the Grave (Spectrum Games, retail $10): Anthology-based horror (think EC Comics, The Twilight Zone, and Creepshow) for a GM and one foredoomed protagonist.

Mars Colony (TCK Roleplaying, retail $8): A political struggle for the salvation of an isolated outpost. (Originally presented in our September 2013 Indie Treasure Trove.)

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $17.22, you'll level up and also get our entire Bonus Collection with five more games (mostly drawn from past offers) worth an additional $53:

Scarlet Heroes (Sine Nomine Publishing, retail $15): Both a standalone old-school game and an overlay for your favorite retroclone, Scarlet Heroes lets you run any published fantasy adventure, unaltered, with just one player. From Kevin Crawford, designer of Stars Without Number. (From the November 2014 Old School Revival +2.)

Showdown (Dark Omen Games, retail $15): A tense card-based confrontation between longtime enemies where victory always brings great cost. (New in this offer.)

Macabre Tales (Spectrum Games, retail $13): A Cthulhu Mythos experience that uses dominoes to create a tense, fiercely accurate simulation of HP Lovecraft's stories. Dominoes not included. (From the October 2014 Bundle of Tentacles +2.)

Don't Rest Your Head (Evil Hat, retail $5): An insomniac in Mad City struggles against monsters both real and imagined. (From the October 2013 Bundle of Nerves.)

Beast Hunters (Berengad Games, retail $5): Stalk and fight monsters that threaten your people. When you defeat them, use their blood to ink tattoos on your skin and gain their power. (From the March 2014 Fantastic Valor collection.)

Kickstarter - Critical Smells - D&D Inspired Candles with RPG Dice

Note - Die color shown is NOT what
you will receive with your candle

I've mentioned before that "smell-o-vision" and RPGs do not mix well in my opinion. There are few dungeon smells that I would consider tolerable - most would be plain disgusting. So, with that out of the way, lets look at Critical Smells - D&D Inspired Candles with RPG Dice.

Actually, something just got in the way. If, perchance, I did want a candle with scents evocative of, well, leather - which seems to make the list for 3 of the 4 candles, why do I NEED to purchase dice with said candle? Oh, and a dice bag too.

I mean, if I am such an avid gamer and all around geek that I need a "Wizard" scented candle, wouldn't you expect I'd have more than enough dice?

If I want a candle, I want a CANDLE. I don't need non candle related accessories.

Oh, and why no Cleric candle? I mean, holy candles (and unholy ones) are an RPG staple. Ranger instead? Why, so he can burn the forest down?

Seriously - WTF are you forcing dice and dice bags with the candle? Did I mention they choose the dice for you to coordinate with the candle. I get the feeling there was a deal on discontinued Chessex dice.

Its not even noon and I need a drink...

Review - Hubris: a World of Visceral Adventure - Part 1 - Race & Class & Buyin' Ass

I've been sitting on a couple of releases from the end of 2016 / beginning of 2017 that I've intended to review but just haven't had the time to do more that a quick flip through - until this past week. Being sick and spending lots of time in bed is beneficial to those that like reading PDFs on their tablets. That me. I prefer reading on my tablet to the computer screen.

Anyhow, I dove into Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure for the DCC RPG by +Mike Evans . I really didn't know what to expect. It bills itself as a Swords and Sorcery campaign setting but that is basically DCC RPG in a nutshell. What really could make that seem fresh?

Apparently, the "what" is a "who" and the "who" is Mike Evans.

Before I start. Minor quibble. The table of contents is not hyperlinked. At nearly 350 pages, a hyperlinked TOC would be helpful. Not a biggie

First, we get nine new classes / races for the DCC RPG (races are classes on DCC). They range from good but awkward to run (Mutant comes to mind) to "holy shit I want to play this right now" (Murder Machine) to "I want to convert this to Swords & Wizardry Light" (Avarian) and places in between (Alchemist, Blood Witch, Druid, Shadowdancer, Ekrask and Half Demon round out the list)

Alright, more about the Murder Machine. You know the Warforged for D&D? Now, imagine them done as psychotic killing machines derived from sentient creatures.

Got it? Well, most of them are totally converted and loyal to the Black Queen, but some go awry and have their original consciousness and personality (although severely damaged by the conversion process I expect) Yep, free will. Lollipops and wheellocks.

Oh, and Swiss-Army Hands: Swiss-Army Hand: A murder machine is built to
kill, and as such is outfitted with a hand that can rotate and become one of three weapons. At level one a player chooses three weapons from the following list: hand crossbow*, dagger, flail, hand axe, mace, short sword or wheellock pistol*

Listen, worth the price of admission for this racial class alone. I will do a S&W conversion at some point - as a monster entry, not a PC class. But man, I want to peek into Mike's head some more.

Lets bounce ahead to the optional rules. One in particular stands out to me - Weapon Damage by Class. I remember an article similar to this is a Dragon Magazine in the late 60's or lower 70's (by issue number) Of course, we were all into min-maxing back in my High School days, so we didn't think much of it but now as an adult and someone who has dabbled in system design? I like it.

Light, medium and heavy weapons, with fighter types getting the most of the damage potential and the squishy arcane casters getting the least. I would bump the thief up a notch with heavy weapons myself, but other than that I really like the list.

Oh, favorite table thus far?

That last line? When I worked the South Bronx in the late 90s we had a number that "Walked the Point" that fit into that category.

On that note...

I'll be back in a few days to delve into the Territories of Hubris. Random tables that scream sandbox. And more :)

From the blurb:

Hubris is a weird fantasy setting that  uses the awesome Dungeon Crawl Classics rules! 

In this book you will find 10 territories filled with tables and charts to generate interesting locations and encounters, new occupations, 4 new classes, 5 new playable races, 3 new spells, 4 new patrons, including 3 patrons spells for each, 11 new and terrible gods, 14 tables and charts for a GM to use to aid them in their game or create interesting/fun situations, two new adventures to kick off a campaign, and 51 new enemies (including enemies that are unique thanks to random generation).  Hubris is hackable!  Each territory can be used as the GM wills!  Need a desert, swamp, or frozen tundra for your game?  Use what's in Hubris! 

Campaign Summary 

Legend states that Hubris was created from the fetid corpse of a long-dead god. Hubris is a land of terrible creatures, grand inequality, strange and cruel gods, dangerous magic, opulent nobility, destitute commoners, people that have become corrupted and turned to savage beasts, constant wars, and worse.

The kingdoms are not kind or benevolent: In the Blighted Sands the Klind are slavers and openly practice sorcery, offering sacrifices to their depraved serpentine god, Set. Across the continent the Fairweather kingdom is governed by a corrupt and inbred royal family with the nobility following suit. Esenbar is ruled by a staunch xenophobic theocracy that tolerates little outside of their strict doctrine. The barbaric Ingvar of the Frozen Wastes wage vicious battles against the savage frost giants of The Crag, and care little about the goings on of the world; their life is cut from battle with an axe or sword. The Black Queen rules the citizens of the Floating Island of Terror from her throne of bones and dreams terrible machinations for Hubris. Shadowfall, built in the remains of the burrow of a gigantic worm, is ran by vampires and their thralls, and they welcome all who are devious, vicious and cunning.

There are no easily recognizable heroes in the world. You wander the wilderness or delve into ancient ruins: out of desperation, some crazed need for adventure, or for some bizarre belief that the world can actually be made a better place. Though civilization offers you security and comfort, you shirk those in the hopes of gaining riches and power. But when you die, no one will sing songs of your deeds. You will die a horribly bloody death at the hands of some twisted abomination or by the knife of an assassin sent by some fat, scheming noble.

Your epic tale will be forgotten in days as the dangerous world continues on without you and the apathetic masses stay complacent to dogmatic control of their government.

This is not a fairy tale or an epic ballad. This is a savage world. This is Hubris.

Sale - Far Away Land RPG - Best RPG that isn't SWL ;)

I do love Far Away Land. The art, the writing, the simplicity with unexpected depth. Oh, and the humor. Deadpan and subtle and oh so effective.

Did I mention even I picked up on the rules within minutes? You'll notice its OSR roots even if it isn't an OSR game.

Well, its on sale.

Let me show you (BTW, the Architect series of cards is worth its weight in gold. Get 'em!)

We've lost our hive minds!
​
We are offering a huge discount on all of our Far Away Land RPG books, Dungeon Architect Cards, and World Architect Cards. Our online store is crawling with discounts so make like a cow steed herder and grab some of our books and cards today! We have limited quantities on most of these items. Also, all print books ordered from us will be signed by yours truly.  

Here are our current sale prices... 

FAL Tome of Awesome (Hardback): $35 (was $45 = you save $10!)
FAL Core Rules (Paperback): $10 (was $15 = you save $5!)
FAL Creatures Vol. 1 (Paperback): $10 (was $15 = you save $5!)
FAL Companion Rules  (Paperback): $10 (was $15 = you save $5!)
​FAL Tales of Awesome (Paperback): $10 (was $15 = you save $5!) 

Dungeon Architect Cards (Physical Deck): $10 (was $15 = you save $5!)
World Architect Cards (Physical Deck): $10 (was $15 = you save $5!) 

And, all of our pdfs are now $5 each! 

I'd be all over this if I didn't already own it all :)

Head over to the Far Away Land blog for links to the sale.

Empire of Imagination - 30 Kindle Copies Sold Yesterday!

Yep, 30 copies of Empire of Imagination were sold via The Tavern's Amazon affiliate link yesterday. That is simply amazing. I'm sure more copies were sold today.

At $1.99 for the Kindle version of the book (at least in the US) its a hard price to beat. Screw that, its an impossible price to beat, especially for an inside look at this hobby's early history.

Some quick thinks to point out:

- The Tavern's Referral Rate at Amazon for the month of February went from 4% to 6.5%. So, it wasn't 8 cents a book sold that went into The Tavern's coffers - it was 13 cents ;)

- That 6.5% applies to all future sales for this month too.

- If you want to support The Tavern doing what many of you (including myself) already do, which is shop at Amazon, using The Tavern's Affiliate link helps us and costs you nothing.

Thanks to all. Your support is truly appreciated. Now, back to work on The Hidden Sanctum of the Blood Cult.

Kickstarter - Dice Base: Master - Magnetic Game Screen - RPG and Tabletop

I find the Dice Base: Master - Magnetic Game Screen intriguing. I like the look of the wood. The idea of using magnetic ball bearings to connect the pieces at will is intriguing The flexible uses are awesome.

Then I see the pricing and I return to reality. Realizing the actual size and weight of this literally sinks in, and all my excitement is gone. Watching the mini dice trays shift away from the dice tower with every roll makes me wonder why they are even included as an option.

I really don't need more clutter on my gaming shelf.

Interesting idea an I'm sure very useful for some, but not very portable or practical.

Sale - Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons - $1.99 in Kindle Format on Amazon

Empire of Imagination: Gary Gygax and the Birth of Dungeons & Dragons by Michael Witwer is currently on sale for $1.99 in Kindle format over on Amazon.

I own the hardcover and read just over the first half of the book. While at times I found it to be slow to progress, as a historical look back on the creation of Dungeons & Dragons (and what led to Gary being the man that he was) its pretty good.

Heck, I should pick up the Kindle version and finish reading this from bed at night...

If you make a purchase from the link, I make like 4%. So yeah, 8 cents or so per Kindle version ;)

Kickstarter - Treasure Decks for 5th Edition (Nord Games)

Yes, its for 5e. I know. A game I'm more than willing to be a player in but have no desire to run.

But...

Looking at the sample cards for levels 1 to 4 (above) and 5 to 8 (below) I think this could work fairly well in the OSR game of your choice with a little handwaving.

Nord Games does good work, regardless of edition. Simply put, the Treasure Decks Kickstarter looks good. I'm in for the first two decks.

Did I mention it nearly tripled its funding goal in the first 24 hours?

And thus begins work on The Hidden Sanctum of the Blood Cult

Map by +Dyson Logos Pateron Supported

I've been under the weather all week, literally since I woke up Monday morning. I am the definition of the tag line for Nyquil (Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aches & Fever) Which means many things, not the least of which is the cancelation of tonight's game with the B-Team, probably the cancellation of tomorrow night's game and generally feeling miserable.

What is a man to do?

Why, create a Swords & Wizardry Light adventure to follow up on Beneath the Drunken Dwarf Tavern, that's what. Actually, I was doing that anyway, but it needs a name, themes and more, and what the heck, I always enjoy using +Matt Finch 's excellent Tome of Adventure Design.

So, lets name it. I already know we are dealing with a demon cult, so it will be some rolling as well as some picking from Locations - Approach #1

The Hidden Sanctum of the Blood Cult. Yep, that works. That passageway south from the last room the party found? It will lead right to it. Yep, I've already chosen a +Dyson Logos map for the occasion.

Villain's Master Plan? Rolled a 26, as this can be totally left for chance. "Destroy Community". Holy crap, talk about fitting the concept. Of course, I guess I need to figure out the community that the Battered Dwarf Tavern is in. I'll work on that later.

"Destroy Community" has its own subtables. Method of Destruction? 37 - Plague. Ouch! Reason? 84 - Wants the bodies of the dead. Oh boy. This may turn from a singe adventure into multiple parts.

So, how does the demon Krimple fall into this scheme? Where is the cult from? How long have they been preparing? Do they need the dead to make undead, or something worse?

Time to revise a bit of what I have, because this is much certainly a better direction :)

Free RPG - Mazes & Minotaurs 2017 Anniversary Edition - Now on RPGNow

You know about Mazes & Minotaurs, right? The game that never was, but in an alternate reality was D&D before D&D?

Yep - that's the game.

Well, its available at RPGNow for the price of FREE.

Even if you would never run the rules as is, the monster book alone is worth the download to add options to the OSR system of your choice

Mazes & Minotaurs is what the first fantasy roleplaying game could have been if its authors had taken their inspiration from Jason & the Argonauts (yes, the 1963 movie with all the cool Ray Harryhausen monsters) and Homer’s Odyssey rather than from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings or Poul Anderson’s Three Hearts & Three Lions.
In other words, Mazes & Minotaurs is: 

 - a nostalgic pastiche of early fantasy roleplaying games
 - a tongue-in-cheek tribute to old-school gaming
 - a complete and fully playable roleplaying game ! 

And EVERYTHING IS FREE!  That’s right: every rulebook, every supplement, every Mazes & Minotaurs product is 100% FREE.  

In its own alternate continuum, MAZES & MINOTAURS was the first RPG ever designed and came out in 1972 * to be followed, 15 years later, by its glorious Revised rules (presented, of course, in three corebooks) – which are now available in a special, 30th Anniversary edition, from DrivethruRPG!  

Bearmageddon - From Axe Cop Co-Creator Ethan Nicolle and an assist by Sanctum Media (DCC RPG Podcast)

What do you get when you cross Axe Cop and a DCC RPG podcast?

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Sanctum Media is pleased to announce that we are working in partnership with Axe Cop co-creator Ethan Nicolle in an effort to bring his latest project to life. Bearmaggedon tells the story of a group of slackers and a mountain man caught up in an ursine war on humans. Bearmageddon News Network covers the world’s news of this war, including bear attack tips.

Through their partnership with Ethan Nicolle, Sanctum Media will be bringing a number of the nightmarish creations of the Bearmageddon to life and materials found in Dickinson Killdeer’s Guide to  Bears of the Apocolypse: Ursine Abominations of the End Times and How to Deafeat Them will also be featured. Sanctum Media, and the Keepers of Mysteries, are proud to be bringing the denizens of this unique setting to life in a fashion that can be used by DCC Judges who are looking for something wholly outside of the mainstream.

Ethan Nicolle (http://www.ethannicolle.com) is an Eisner Award nominated comic book creator, writer, and artist. He has also worked with his younger brother, Malachai, to create Axe Cop – a web comic turned comic, turned animated series.

Sanctum Media (http://sanctum.media) produces the monthly Sanctum Secorum podcast (featuring Jen Brinkman, Marc Bruner, and Bob Brinkman), devoted to Appendix N literature and its inspiration and use in within the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game. Sanctum Media also publishes the Sanctum Secorum Companion, a free e-zine filled with playable content for DCC RPG.

What is Swords & Wizardry Continual Light? Oh, and other SWL updates

Some of you may remember my discussion of a project called Swords & Wizardry Extra Light, where we ( +James Spahn , +Zach Glazar and myself) were going to take Swords & Wizardry Light to Seventh Level in about 16 digest sized pages plus a dozen or so pages for adventures. Well, "Extra" Light got folks thinking it was lighter and even smaller, not literally extra to it. Trust me, we couldn't go any lighter and be true to Swords & Wizardry.

Instead, we are naming the project Swords & Wizardry Continual Light. Because that is, quite simply, what it is. A continuation of Swords & Wizardry Light to Seventh level. That is the cap, BTW. No level Eight. No Fifth level spells (though what you find on a scroll could be beyond what can be in your spell book)

+Michael Badolato continues work on the SWL Monster book (yeah, he could probably use a better title than such - SWL Mini Monstrous Manual perhaps?

The SWL starter / tutorial adventure titled Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern is pretty much posted in full here at The Tavern. I need to put a quick and dirty PDF together, as I've had a request for such to be used at a convention. I'll kick off work on the follow up adventure tonight.

Off the Beaten Path - Forest Excursions. Four stretch goals hit. Two adventures added (putting it at 22). Ten days left to fund. For Swords & Wizardry Light. Seriously, check it out. Thom Wilson does good work.

Did I mention we surpassed 3,000 DLs of the SWL rules? Yep, earlier today. They are also available now at the Frog God Games webstore.

Bundle of Holding - Advanced Adventures (Expeditious Retreat Press)

Let me start this by saying I believe I have all of these releases in print (hardcover compilations) and just bought them in PDF for the sheer convenience of reading in bed (and maps for VTT gaming) There price just can't be beat.

The basic buy in is $5.95, and for that you get:

AA28 Redtooth Ridge (levels 1-3, 13 pages, retail $6)

AA30 To End the Rising (levels 1-3, 13 pages, retail $6)

AA13 White Dragon Run (levels 2-4, 17 pages, retail $6)

AA01 The Pod-Caverns of the Sinister Shroom (levels 2-4, 17 pages, retail $6)

AA23 Down the Shadowvein (levels 3-5, 25 pages, retail $7)

AA24 The Mouth of the Shadowvein (levels 3-5, 25 pages, retail $6)

For the Bonus Collection (approximately $15.50) you add in the following:

AA17 The Frozen Wave Satsuma, AA06 Chasm of the Damned, and AA26 The Witch Mounds (retail $6 apiece)

Tournament module AA21 The Obsidian Sands of Syncrates (levels 4-7, retail $7)

Two Straight-Up Dungeon Crawls for levels 5-10: AA12 The Barrow Mound of Gravemoor and AA03 The Curse of the Witch Head (retail $6 apiece)

And two Serious Challenges for levels 6-10: AA10 The Lost Keys of Solitude and AA20 The Riddle of Anadi (retail $6 apiece)

Kickstarter - Kev Adams / Tim Prow Oldhammer Goblin Miniatures

My love for miniatures knows no bounds. Sadly, my skill at painting such is greatly limited. Still, lack of skill does not preclude me from enjoying said miniatures in their native state.

Which brings me to the latest Kickstarter from Impact Miniatures - Kev Adams & Tim Prow Fantasy Goblin & Artillery Teams.

Actually, the above screenshot doesn't do the detailing justice.

I love the expressions on their face. THAT is detail.

So, what's the background to all of this?

THE STORY 

Kev Adams, Tim Prow, Chaz Elliot and Phil Lewis are names that immediately invoke images of the old school style fantasy miniatures commonly referred to as Oldhammer. Heartbreaker produced many classic fantasy miniatures sculpted by these legends during the 1990s before going out of business. When Heartbreaker closed, Chris Bledsoe was given the masters for the miniatures line so that he could start his own company ZN Games in 2001. Unfortunately Chris passed away from cancer in 2002 and his goal of re-releasing the Heartbreaker line of fantasy was never achieved. 

Impact! Miniatures has been working with the estate of Chris Bledsoe to complete his goal of returning these classic Oldhammer style sculpts to the marketplace. We could not think of a better place to start than with hordes of Goblins. 

WHAT ARE YOU FUNDING 

The project goal when reached will fund all the costs needed to mold the old masters and bring the first 3 Heartbreaker product lines selected (Kev Adams Goblins, Tim Prow Goblins and Fantasy Artillery Team) back to market. 

THE MINIATURES 

All the miniatures available in this KickStarter will be cast in high quality spincast resin. All miniatures are supplied unpainted.  All miniatures will come with a 25mm slotta black plastic base.

The Kickstarter went live yesterday and has already more than doubled its modest funding goal. Stretch goals unlock further sets. Personally, I'd like to see Phil Lewis Knights & Wizards (22 miniatures) unlock, but I'm not trying to skew the voting or anything ;)

Tavern Chat - Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Hopefully I'll be Awake and Join You...

Today is Wednesday, meaning tonight is a Tavern Chat Night.

Now, I've been fighting off a cold from hell since Monday morning and I have every intention of making tonight's chat, but there is the distinct possibility I won't be making it to the end. You've been warned ;)

What is Tavern Chat? A bunch of folks from the OSR Community hanging out via the chat box on the right side of this post, Wednesday nights from 9 PM to 11ish.

Troll Lord Sales - Bluffside in Print 10 Bucks - PDFs 50% Off or More at RPGNow

The Trolls have two sales going on...

Bluffside in Print is just 10 bucks from the Troll Lord Store (Normally $29.99) - Six copies left as I type this.

PDF copies of Troll Lord releases are discounted by 50% or more through Friday morning.

Look at the discount on A1 ;)

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!  ;)

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.