New Releases for Operation White Box - Stalingrad on Fire & Tactical Combat (Bundle Available)

+Pete Spahn / Small Niche Games has two new releases for Operation White Box.

The first is Stalingrad on Fire:

STALINGRAD ON FIRE is a support mission designed for WWII: Operation WhiteBox™. Recover secret military documents, engage in house-to-house fighting with German soldiers, and take on a legendary Nazi sniper in the ruined city of Stalingrad!
Stalingrad on Fire is designed for 3-6 characters of 1st-3rd level.  

This mission is compatible with the WWII: Operation WhiteBox™ sourcebook OWB: Tactical Combat, and comes with a download file containing Stalingrad street maps and tokens to help facilitate grid and miniatures play.  

Stalingrad on Fire can be played three different ways: 

-Print the Stalingrad street map on one page and conduct combat encounters using the Theater of the Mind. This is the default style of play for WWII: Operation WhiteBox.
-Print and assemble the Stalingrad street maps for tabletop play. Print the tokens or use your own WWII miniatures to conduct combat encounters using OWB: Tactical Combat.
-Upload the Stalingrad street maps and tokens to a VTT such as Roll20 and play with friends online! 

Stalingrad on Fire is the perfect way to kick off an Eastern Front campaign. Check it out now, Comrades! (3.99 - 28 pages)

The second release is a matching piece for the first.

Tactical Fire:

OWB: Tactical Combat is a sourcebook for WWII: Operation Whitebox that offers a more tactical approach to combat encounters.  

The combat rules presented in the WWII: Operation WhiteBox core rulebook take place mainly in the “Theater of the Mind”. This means that the Referee sets the scene and decides whether or not a character is capable of a certain maneuver, action, or attack. 

The OWB: Tactical Combat rules are designed for groups who prefer a more visual representation of combat, particularly those who play online. These rules are not meant to mimic the complexity of a true wargame. Instead, the focus is on small unit actions involving a squad of enemies and/or a handful of vehicles battling it out in a single playing area—the kind of combat most commonly encountered in WWII: Operation WhiteBox.  

If you prefer using miniatures and grid-based maps, check out OWB: Tactical Combat now! (4.99 - 53 pages)

You can save 2 bucks and grab both releases as a bundle for 6.98

Remember, all purchases made with The Tavern's affiliate links helps fund The Tavern. Its also good for karma and cures warts and arthritis. These statements have NOT been approved by the FDA.

The Far West Kickstarter was Six Years Old Tuesday - Launched July 11, 2011

Wow!

How the fuck did I miss this anniversary? Six years. Traditionally, that's a gift of Iron in the US. All I know is that as backers all we've gotten is broken promises and lies. Shit - it almost sounds like we're in a real relationship.

Gareth has been silent for over two months now. Actually, two and a half months. The update is from May 1st of this year. April 1st may have been more appropriate.

I understand family matters and obligations. These are things one has little control over. Obviously Gareth does not have five minutes in any of his days to update his backers over the last 10 weeks.

Cropped to remove overtly political themes

But look at that! Just went to Gareth's Twitter feed. Still tweeting away. Every day. All day.

Can't spend five minutes saying "Shit's still shitty. Hoping to have something for you soon. Will update in a few weeks" or some other method of appeasing the masses. Sure, it would be a stroke job, but for 150 bucks I deserve something ;)

See, this is what REALLY irks me. Its not the lies. Its not the broken promises. It the idea that after six years the backers just don't matter.

He went to a con and did a podcast interview shortly after his last update. He tweets every day. Yet for the backers that pledged nearly $50k to bring Far West alive, all we have gotten is carnival tricks. Smoke and mirrors.

At least we have gotten a view of the real Gareth Sharka. It aint pretty but its real.

Publishers - Tomorrow is Your Last Chance to Sign up for Christmas in July Sales at OneBookShelf

I got this email last night and thought I should share it. I know I've been told in the past from other publishers that they've missed certain notifications from OBS and I'm trying to expand the bandwidth.

Dear publishers, 

This is a final reminder that our annual "Chrismas in July" sale, the biggest sitewide promotion of the year, is fast approaching. During Christmas in July, we offer many thousands of titles all at 25% off, across DriveThruRPG/RPGnow, DriveThruCards, DriveThruComics, and DriveThruFiction. 

If you would like to take part in this major promotion, please make sure to opt in using the "Opt in or out of site-wide sales" tool page 

(https://www.drivethrurpg.com/pub/sales_permissions.php) 

by 10 AM (EST) this Friday, July 14, at the latest.

Yours,
Scott Holden
Sales, Data, and Special Projects
OneBookShelf, Inc.
scott@onebookshelf.com

Which means for The Tavern's general readers - there's a big sale from OBS coming up soon :)

ENnies - Breaking Their Own Rules When it Comes to Judges (Disregard - I Can't do Basic Math)

edit: This is what happens when you are your own editor - 2016 to 2018 is 2 years? right? wrong, as we are only in 2017 - Yes, three of the four perennial judges are NOT running this year - I guess they decided to get a head start on the impending new rules THAT ARE NOT YET IN EFFECT. Kurt is within the rules to run this year - but not next. The three not running this year CAN run next.

So, read this post as an example of what happens when I do fuck up - I correct, retract but I do not delete. Enjoy my embarrassment. It is well deserved - Tenkar

Look at the highlighted part of the rules to apply to nominate yourself to be an ENnies judge:

So, you can't be a judge if you've been a judge for the last two years. Simple enough, right?

I guess two consecutive years is no good, but SIX consecutive years is just peachy! Please tell me how both the applicant (Kurt Weigel) and the ENnies "powers that be" just overlooked this.

Its all on the level kids. Its all on the level.

ENnies Voting Has Started - Time to Do Some "All Star" Voting - Here's The Tavern's List

Yep, its ENnies time. Time time to vote from every McDonalds or library within driving distance. Wait, that's what they do in Chicago or something.

Here's The Tavern's Picks:

Best Adventure
Blood in the Chocolate (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - its actually a damn good adventure that your PCs might survive.

Best Aid/Accessory
Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns (Kobold Press) - Kobold Press - need I say more?

Best Art, Cover
WGAF

Best Art, Interior
Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 2 (Metal Weave Games) - amazing art - simply one of the best.
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - also excellent

Best Blog
Gnome Stew: The Gaming Blog - To be honest, I never heard of the other four...

Best Cartography
The Cursed Chateau (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - It is an OSR pick. We gotta represent.

Best Electronic Book
Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure (DIY RPG Productions) - Stuffed full of inspiration. Savor the reading, as it is a five course meal and then some.

Best Family Game
Eh...

Best Free Product
What, no SWL?

Best Game
Not my bag, man

Best Miniature Product
Nope

Best Monster/Adversary
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - Simply on of the best. Timeless
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - 66 fucking Euros? Holy shit! No wonder I hadn't heard of it before.

Best Podcast
Spellburn - Excellent podcast and unscripted. Can't say the same about others

Best Production Values
Call of Cthulhu – 7th Edition Slipcase Set (Chaosium) - a beauty to behold - it does justice and more for CoC
Baby Bestiary, Collector’s Edition (Metal Weave Games) - you need to see it to believe it

Best RPG Related Product
Call of Cthulhu: The Coloring Book (Chaosium) - I haven't seen it but I can imagine.

Best Rules
Adventures in Middle-Earth Player’s Guide (Cubicle 7 Entertainment) - If I only ran 5e
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - How much is 66 Euros in USC?

Best Setting
Le sigh

Best Supplement
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Well, it is Tolkien

Best Website
Nothing to say

Best Writing
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - $75.32. Goddamn
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Tolkien

Product of the Year
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) Times like this is when retirement sucks.

Voting this year will take place from July 11 to July 21.

Don't forget to vote Frog God Games as Fan Favorite Publisher. Vote early and vote often. Well, I mean, get your friends, family and pets with an intelligence of 3 or higher to vote. Don't submit multiple votes yourself. That would be wrong. Neither Frog God Games nor The Tavern advocate ballot stuffing. Heck, the Frogs have no nominations and neither does The Tavern. Don't vote. See if I care.

Grumble... Grumble... Get off my lawn ya damn kids and take your peeing dog with you!

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - #ConManKen, Torchlight, Hats, Assorted Sh!t - 9 PM Eastern

Tonight is a Wednesday Night, and that means Tavern Chat.

Tonights topics may include:

#ConManKen

Hats

Torchlight

Assorted Shit

When: 9 PM Eastern

Where: Here - ChatWing Box on the right side

Why: Because its fun as shit

#ConManKen - Mad Ox Games & Comics is Closing Its Doors July 30th - Time for Another Gig for Ken

Mad Ox Games & Comics is closing its doors for good July 30th. #ConManKen's record of success (or lack there of) is maintained. The universe can now let out its held breath. All is right in the world of Ken.

Why would anyone want to buy a stocked Games & Comics store for $20k that is abruptly closing? I'd want to know why the abrupt closing before putting my money down.

I'm guessing the above has something to do with the store closing. Both postings were from last night.

Damn, Ken is always the victim. Now Marcus is closing the store he's been faithfully managing right out from under him.

Poo Poo Face - AKA Erik Tenkar reporting from the interwebs...

Chris Yoder (Clangador on the Dragonsfoot Forums) has Passed - Family needs Money for Burial

Stuart Marshall asked for my help and that of The Tavern's Community - and the OSR at large:

Hi all 

It'll be no surprise to most regulars when I say that Chris Yoder, known on these forums as Clangador, has passed away. No surprise, but perhaps, still a bit of a shock. His widow and teenage sons are trying to raise money to pay for his funeral. 

I'll say that again. Those boys and their mum are trying to figure out how they can afford to bury their dad. 

Now, I realise that there's a recession on. For a lot of us, money is tight. Some Dragonsfooters aren't working. Others might have jobs, but still be struggling to make the rent each week. If you're in that position, then your well-wishes will of course be quite sufficient. 

But I know that some of us are fortunate enough to be able to donate a couple of quid, a few dollars, maybe a shekel or two. For those people, I'd like to respectfully draw your attention to this link:- 

Chris Yoder burial costs 

Thanks for reading, and all the best, Stuart

Its been a rough couple of weeks here in the OSR. If you can give, literally even if its just a buck, please do. If you can't, and that I'm sure is many in this community, please share either this post or the GoFundMe link. Just by adding to the bandwidth, you are doing a great service for the Yoder family. No one should have to worry about burial expenses in the midst of such a tragedy.

Thank you,
Tenkar

Torchlight Will be Taking Submissions Starting August 1st - Plan is for a Gamehole Con Release (Swords & Wizardry)

Damn, I need a shave. I should be lucky Rach lets me in bed each night ;)

Yes, that's a Torchlight hat. I ordered from Vistaprint and one other. Wouldn't mind having a few on hand to give away. There MIGHT be something in the works for Swords & Wizardry Light hats, but all I'll say for now is "its being looked at."

Alright, so we are reopening Torchlight for submissions come August 1st. Submissions will be open for the first issue through September 15th. I'll be putting together some guidelines. Basic rule is, articles must be either system neutral or for Swords & Wizardry. The preference is for SWC and SWL / SWCL as they are the editions in print with Frog God Games, but we'll be open to all.

Of course, I don't know when SWCL will be releasing, but one can hope - soon ;)

Hat without my head:

#ConManKen - Complete With 2nd Grade Putdowns - The Return of Poo Poo Head

#ConManKen

Lets talk some FACTS about you, shall we?

1 - You told me you were going to have your lawyers sue my ass for slander. A lie.

2 - You told me you had filed federal and state level criminal charges against me. Another lie.

3 - You claimed pencil dice had shipped. Another lie. And NUMEROUS lies regarding KotDT LAS. Too many to count. You lie as easily as you breath.

4 - A listing of your unshipped / unfulfilled Kickstarters:
     - Deck Dice
     - RPG Pencil Dice
     - Pencil Dice
     - Castles & Crusades: Beyond the River
     - Spinward Traveller
     - Knights of the Dinner Table: Live Action Series 

5 - Your revised completion date for all the above - August 1st, 2017

6 - You used money from the Pencil Dice KS to pay for your exploits in film. Your statement.

Now, with the facts above, a lack of updates on any of the above listed projects, your statements about your undiagnosable but self diagnosed illness and less then three weeks before your new but already later than all of the original project due dates coming up, it doesn't take a trained investigator to conclude that the likely outcome in three weeks is more excuses, not fulfilled projects.

I know you worry that I might have a mole in your circle of friends, both in real life and online. Just know I never ran a case using informants where I had less than three at my disposal. Friends, associates, family, business partners, deli owners, the guy at the pizza shop. You need at least three to validate any one of the three sources. Not saying I have any moles, Kenny. Just saying if I did, it would be more than you think.

More Swords & Wizardry Sales from The "Bill-less" Frogs! - Tome of Horrors Complete and more - Oh My!

I should have put this up LAST night, but I went to bed early (I had Uncle duties early this morning)

Yes, the Frogs are having another Swords & Wizardry Sale.

So, what do they have for you this week?

Sword of Air, Tome of Horrors Complete and ToH4 are 10 bucks each in PDF using the following coupon:

BILL-CAN-TAKE-IT

If you don't have Sword of Air - GET IT! Tome of Horrors? No matter the OSR system you use, grab the bugger. Same goes for ToH4

Wait, you want more?

Okay, but for this one you need to get the coupon code from the Swords & Wizardry Legion Facebook Group

What do you get?

The Legion Bundle is horrible...as in Tome of Horrors, Hall of Bones and Hex Crawl Classics 1 in PDF More Hex Crawls get added as bundles get sold.

I make no monies off of the sales of Frog God products. I share this as a service to The Tavern's readers and because the products are damn good. Yes, I now swim in the Frog God Pond. I always thought the Frog's products were damn good ;)

Looking for #ConManKen? He's Managing a Games and Comics Store in Somerset Ky

Yeah, I've been slow on #ConManKen news. Sometimes the rest of the world is simply more interesting than Ken

So, Ken is now managing Mad Ox Games & Comics in Somerset Ky. I hope its in walking distance for Ken, as I've heard rumors he no longer has a valid driver's license. Not confirmed, just a rumor mind you. Besides, with self declared Alzheimer's he shouldn't be driving anyway.

In any case, if someone were looking to have Ken served, you now have a location where he should be at 40 plus hours a week. I'm glad to see that even those with self diagnosed Alzheimer's can find themselves gainfully employed. I'm sure he'll find the time to complete all of his outstanding Kickstarters by August 1st. Gee Ken - three more weeks! You're on perfect pace to be the failure we all know and - well, hate is too strong a word. I'll settle on "strong dislike."

Oh, you want an address?

LIGHT #24
4440 South Hwy 27
Somerset, KY 42501

While you visit, ask for this comic:

Could someone tell me how a fictitious character can sign a comic? Not the author. Not the writer. Not the editor. Not the letterer. The main character.

Someone better be counting that till on a daily basis, as Mr self declared Alzheimer's seems to be a little confused (or working a "con")

Should ENWorld be Endorsing Ennie Nominations?

Tip of the hat to Venger Santanis for pointing me in the direction.

Sean Fannon's Picks of the Week for July 8th. Its a regular column that is also posted on Sean's own blog, but of course, ENWorld is what drives the traffic.

and so on for categories such as:

Best Electronic Book
Best Writing
Best Setting
Best Rules

I'm sure I'm going to surprise many when I say I don't fault Sean for his picks nor posting them at his own blog. Heck, I made picks of my own.

The issue here is that by posting this on ENWorld, the company / site that is the force behind the ENnies (as well as lending its name to them) this sure as hell comes of as picking ENWorld favorites for certain categories. This NEVER should have gotten past Morrus or anyone else that might do the editing (if there is such) at ENWorld.

As the organization running the ENnies, ENWorld should be above reproach. Ethically, they should not give the appearance of endorsing any nominations and they sure as hell look like they are doing so.

This is ground ball shit. Simply another reason to hope that there is some transparency to the ENnies process in the near future.

Kickstarter - Dungeon Crawl Classics Scratch-Off Character Sheets

This is either the most awesome Kickstarter run by Goodman Games to date or the most insane.

For a second, I thought these were "scratch and sniff" character cards. Yes, I am a child of the 70's :)

DCC RPG Scratch-Off Character Sheets. You know you need them. Or want them. Or something...

10 sheets for 10 bucks. The more packs sold, the more sheets in a pack. Perfect for convention play and just screwing around with your home group ;)

The Tavern has some Suggestions for The ENnies (and we're soliciting your suggestions too)

So, I've criticized the ENnies voting process in the past (and the ENnies process as a whole) and Hans Cummings, ENnies Submissions Coordinator has suggested that he was open to feedback, so here we are.

Personally, I think much of the issues resides in the "judges round" where the submissions get cut down to five nominations per category.

Strangely enough, I can't find the ENnies judges for 2015 on the ENnies site (but have have found it with some digging off the ENnies site) but Kurt, Stacy, Jakub and Kayra have been judging for a number of years. At least five years for some (and is Stacey Muth related to Mathew Muth?)

2015 Judges

2013 Judges

All FOUR judges from 2016 were carried over to 2017.  Reece Carter was added for 2017. I suspect we'd find a similar trend with the prior years which I can't find on the ENnies site. (I found the trend)

The first thing to do is limit judges to one year at a time - no consecutive years of judging. This really is a no brainer. Biases are natural but bringing in new blood every year will do well at balancing out those biases.

Now, choosing the judges is a popularity contest, and much like in real world politics, the incumbent is at an unfair advantage. One year terms - it really is that simple.

About the judging process? Is there a set of guidelines the judges are expected to follow? Is it public? It should be.

Product is submitted as physical product and shipped around the world at considerable cost to the publishers seeking to be considered. I suggest requiring all submissions be made in PDF. Why? Why not? The judges are volunteers reviewing product. They don't need physical products to do their review.

Switching to digital submissions would remove much of the cost involved. It would also remove the idea that judges are being monetarily compensated for their work, as the post judging Ebay sell off is certainly a thing. And hey, we'd save some trees.

I would also suggest disclosing the votes of both the judges (for the nomination process) and the voting public (for the awards) after the award ceremony. Nothing is better at showing the legitimacy of a process than full disclosure of the process.

If only one thing were to be done, just one - limit judges to one year terms.

So, what are your suggestions?

edit: so, this is a thing. no more than two consecutive years as a judge - I'd prefer one year but its a start:

Free RPG Day PDF Releases - Past and Present

Yep, there's a whole bunch of releases, going back years for Free RPG Day.

Here's the main link to all of the "Free" Free RPG Day releases in PDF at RPGNow

Some releases from this year:

Conan: Free RPG Day 2017: The Pit of Kutallu - PDF The Pit of Kutallu is a scenario which was part of FREE RPG Day 2017 and is self-contained standalone adventure featuring a cut down version of the 2d20 system for Robert E. Howard’s Conan: Adventures in an Age Undreamed Of, a game of dramatic pulp adventure and heroic conflict.

All you need are to play are two twenty-sided dice (2d20), a dozen or so six sided dice (d6), paper pens and some tokens or beads to track momentum, a group of friends and your imagination!



Vaginas are Magic! - Vaginas are Magic! is a book of blasphemous, dangerous magic featuring spells that only women characters can cast. It also includes a new magic system for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess and all other traditional class-and-level tabletop role-playing games.

This is a book of 20 longform spells, a new magic system, and a short essay about magic. Each spell has its description, a half dozen effects if the spell is improperly cast, and a full page illustration accompanying it. Yes, that's 20 pages of art.

Spells are each named after a metal song. Of the twenty spells, three have sexual content, and three of the twenty illustrations could be considered explicit in that way.

RuneQuest Classic Quickstart - free in PDF https://www.chaosium.com/blog/free-rpg-day-is-over-heres-how-to-get-your-copy-of-the-rq-quickstart-if-you-missed-out/ but damned if I can find it at the site.

edit - and here's the RQC link:

https://www.chaosium.com/content/FreePDFs/RuneQuest/CHA4027%20-%20RuneQuest%20Quickstart.pdf


Torg Eternity - Free RPG Day Special - They came from other cosms—other realities—conquerors joined together to steal the Earth's living energy…to consume its possibilities. The Possibility Raiders brought with them their own realities, turning portions of our planet into someplace else.

High Lord Baruk Kaah, a lizard-like humanoid from a world called Takta Ker (which literally translates to "The Living Land"), rules a primeval, mist-shrouded realm that now stretches across wide swaths of North America.

But you were just an ordinary person living an ordinary life on the day the Maelstrom Bridge crashed down and New York began to transform...

Kickstarter - The Midderlands - An OSR Mini-Setting & Bestiary

About time I got to looking at Kickstarters again, right?

This time we are looking at The Midderlands - An OSR Mini-Setting & Bestiary.

Wait! Do you see that? "An OSR Mini-Setting & Bestiary" - I think I'm in love ;)

Oh, and its by Monkeyblood Design, which is a seal of quality in the OSR.

The Midderlands is an old-school game setting with bestiary for use with old-school role-playing games. It is based on Swords & Wizardry Complete, but could easily be used with other old-school systems and even non-OSR systems such as D&D or Pathfinder. 

It is a green-hued, dark-fantasy, late-middle ages, early-renaissance view through grime-smeared spectacles. The setting itself is based on an area in the middle of England near where I live called The Midlands. Many of the locations are loosely based on reality, but others are pure fantasy from an addled mind. 

The setting part of the book contains something I call "game-juice". Not heavy of history and monotonous detail, but enough to get the game-juices flowing and let the game master twist and tweak as they need to in order to fit their campaign. 

There is also humour and occasional swear words.

Even some Swords & Wizardry Complete loving.

Shit, I'm in. PDF is $13, Print + PDF is $39. I'm going in for $39.

Fat Dragon Games Printable Terrain - PWYW Selection Through This Weekend

Yes, I feel like I've been playing catch-up for this week. My holiday weekend in the Pocono Mountains of PA was an amazing recharge of my battery but I'm still not where I should be when it comes to posting.

That being said, Fat Dragon Games is offering SIX of their printable terrains at PWYW pricing through the weekend.

This is an amazing offer and your are limited only by the amount of paper or card-stock you feed into your printer.

E-Z DUNGEONS: Deluxe Edition - Normally $15, you can often find it on sale for $7.50 - PWYW

Ah heck, just catch all SIX at this page. Grab them all. You would be a fool not to.

5% of all sales made through The Tavern's affiliate links go to support The Tavern. Thank you so much for your support.

The Tavern has Matched the First $500 Raised by Taverners for Mona Dowie's Cancer Related Expenses

Ignore the naysayers. The OSR is one of the most caring and giving communities to be found. Anywhere.

By my calculations, readers of The Tavern raised at least $625 for Mona Dowie's cancer related expenses. I'm sure I missed some donations and more will be coming in the future.

I had initially offered to match the first $250 raised by Tavern Readers. Tom Tullis / Fat Dragon Games and Tim Riley together matched my match - we now had $500 in matching funds and the community just blew us away by donating over $600.

I can't tell you how proud I am to be a member of the OSR and the community that has grown around The Tavern. You folks literally are the best.

Thank you.

Thank you all.

Mona's GoFundMe can be found here. Just because we met out matching goal doesn't mean Mona and her family no longer need support. They do.

The Ennie Nominations Have Been Announced - Should You Care?

So, the Ennie nominations have been announced - should you care?

Probably not. If you read The Tavern you are at least nominally interested in the OSR and as a rule, the OSR gets vastly overlooked (I must say LotFP snagged a few nominations, but that's an American in Finland publisher, so James gets extra points when scored ;)

Before I point out some things you MIGHT want to vote for, let me make a few observations:

1 - WotC got ZERO nominations. They did get a "Judge's Spotlight" for Tales of the Yawning Portal but no actual nominations.

2 - Paizo got ONE nomination - for its "pawns" (miniatures) - no nominations for actual gaming content.

3 - LotFP got SIX nominations - Veins of the Earth got four of them. They also snagged a "Judge's Spotlight".

4 - Only one of the five nominated blogs comes close to The Tavern's traffic - Gnome Stew. Actually, that's a well deserved nomination.

Alright, so as far as Tavern Picks go:

Best Adventure
Blood in the Chocolate (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - its actually a damn good adventure that your PCs might survive.

Best Aid/Accessory
Kobold Guide to Plots & Campaigns (Kobold Press) - Kobold Press - need I say more?

Best Art, Cover
WGAF

Best Art, Interior
Baby Bestiary Handbook Vol 2 (Metal Weave Games) - amazing art - simply one of the best.
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - also excellent

Best Blog
Gnome Stew: The Gaming Blog - To be honest, I never heard of the other four...

Best Cartography
The Cursed Chateau (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - It is an OSR pick. We gotta represent.

Best Electronic Book
Hubris: A World of Visceral Adventure (DIY RPG Productions) - Stuffed full of inspiration. Savor the reading, as it is a five course meal and then some.

Best Family Game
Eh...

Best Free Product
What, no SWL?

Best Game
Not my bag, man

Best Miniature Product
Nope

Best Monster/Adversary
S. Petersen’s Field Guide to Lovecraftian Horrors (Chaosium) - Simply on of the best. Timeless
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - 66 fucking Euros? Holy shit! No wonder I hadn't heard of it before.

Best Podcast
Spellburn - Excellent podcast and unscripted. Can't say the same about others

Best Production Values
Call of Cthulhu – 7th Edition Slipcase Set (Chaosium) - a beauty to behold - it does justice and more for CoC
Baby Bestiary, Collector’s Edition (Metal Weave Games) - you need to see it to believe it

Best RPG Related Product
Call of Cthulhu: The Coloring Book (Chaosium) - I haven't seen it but I can imagine.

Best Rules
Adventures in Middle-Earth Player’s Guide (Cubicle 7 Entertainment) - If I only ran 5e
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - How much is 66 Euros in USC?

Best Setting
Le sigh

Best Supplement
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Well, it is Tolkien

Best Website
Nothing to say

Best Writing
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) - $75.32. Goddamn
The One Ring – Horse-Lords of Rohan (Cubicle 7 Entertainments) - Tolkien

Product of the Year
Veins of the Earth (Lamentations of the Flame Princess) Times like this is when retirement sucks.

Voting this year will take place from July 11 to July 21.

Don't forget to vote Frog God Games as Fan Favorite Publisher. Vote early and vote often. Well, I mean, get your friends, family and pets with an intelligence of 3 or higher to vote. Don't submit multiple votes yourself. That would be wrong. Neither Frog God Games nor The Tavern advocate ballot stuffing. Heck, the Frogs have no nominations and neither does The Tavern. Don't vote. See if I care.

Grumble... Grumble... Get off my lawn ya damn kids and take your peeing dog with you!

Deal of the Day - Play Your Character Like A F@cking Boss

Yep, Venger did it again.

You've got to give the man credit - he knows how to name a product ;)

Until tomorrow morning 11 AM Eastern, Play Your Character Like A Fucking Boss is the Deal of the Day at RPGNow, on sale from $3 to $1.80 in PDF

No, I don't own it, but I'm rarely a player these days.

Anyhow, here's the pitch:

Don't let the other guy have all the fun!  It's your game, too.  Roleplaying is a contact sport, so get in there and make it happen!!! 

There may be a reason why your games aren't as awesome as they could be.  Could be the system, might be the GM, or possibly it's you - the player.  I'm not saying this little self-help guide will turn you into the fucking boss overnight, but it's a start. 

How to Game Master like a Fucking Boss has done a lot of good for GMs over the last couple years.  This shows the other side of the curtain, and I believe it's just as vital for GMs to know what's going on with players as it is for players to examine life behind the screen.   

It's a quick but important read with tips, tricks, and techniques for getting the most out of your roleplaying game.

Remember, your purchases made through The Tavern's Affiliate Links warms the heart and raises monies for The Tavern. I am not affiliated with Venger Santanis, but we did have breakfast together at Gary Con and he's quite personable. Perhaps even talented ;)

Tavern Chat - Tonight - 9 PM - I may not show

Tonight is a Wednesday Night, and that means Tavern Chat.

I may or may not show up tonight for the chat - I'm just in a kinda funk with recent events.

Don't let me stop y'all from enjoying yourselves, just use the chat window on the right side of this page :)

Posting Returns Tomorrow - Rest in Peace PO Miosotis Familia - NYPD

I'm kinda stunned and numb today.

I know the risks associated with police work. Every cop does. Assassination isn't on the list of risks that I was familiar with.

Forgive me from straying from the usual game related post. Well be back to regular posting tomorrow. In the meantime, there is a family that could use some prayers and kind thoughts.

http://www.odmp.org/officer/23305-police-officer-miosotis-familia

Police Officer Miosotis Familia was shot and killed from ambush as she sat in a marked command post vehicle at the intersection of East 183rd Street and Morris Avenue in the Bronx. 

As she sat in the vehicle at approximately 12:30 am a male approached and fired one shot through the window, striking Officer Familia in the head. 

Officers responding to the call of an officer down confronted the male subject fleeing the scene. The officers shot and killed the subject in an exchange of gunfire. 

Officer Familia had served with the New York City Police Department for 12 years and was assigned to the 46th Precinct. She is survived by her three children.

Back at the Homestead - Ashley Hibernated for the better part of 5 Days and What's in The Hopper?

I took this photo of Ashley the night before the holiday weekend

So, I'm back in Queens, one of NYC's "outer boroughs" after spending Friday afternoon through morning today in the Poconos. We brought Danke (she travels well and loves to take country walks) and left Ashely with my son. Chris had one sighting in 5 days - on Sunday she asked for food, ate a whole can of cat food and wasn't seen again until she greeted Rach and I on our return this afternoon.

Lots of things to post on - I will get to them in the next 24 to 36 hours. Posts such as:

- An update on the Mona Dowie fundraiser (hint - I think we hit the $500 mark from the OSR to match dollar for dollar - woot!)

- Free RPG Day releases from last month are making their appearances in PDF - I'll give you the links to find them and do the Google-Fu for you ;)

- Ennie Nominees have been announced. No, Swords & Wizardry Light didn't make the cut. I'll tell you who did, make some Tavern suggestions on who to vote for and point a few interesting things out.

- I pick my car up from the body shop tomorrow. It was the victim of a rear-ending on my excursion to Legendary Realms on Free RPG Day. Needless to say, I never made it there. Wait, that's not a post.

- Kickstarter info - because you know you want it.

and more. I think I need a second screen for my Surface 3 - I'm spoiled by my home set up which makes posting and having multiple screens open a breeze.

In any case - I'm back! Er, not that I was really gone ;)

Deal of the Day - Kobold Guide to Magic

Today's Deal of the Day is the Kobold Guide to Magic. Normally $14.99 in PDF, until tomorrow morning it is on sale for $4.99.

I have only the highest regards for the Kobold Guides series of releases. This is one I do not have - time to rectify that.

As an aside, it is system neutral.

Remember, 5% of sales made through The Tavern's affiliate links go to support The Tavern.

The popular and wildly useful Kobold Guide series tackles the biggest subject in fantasy: Magic! 

What makes a fantasy fantastic? Magic, of course! Whether it’s unearthly beasts, scheming sorcerers, legendary swords or locales that defy logic and physics, a compelling fantasy story needs magical elements. The tricky part is that in order for the story to work, you have to get your reader or player to believe the unbelievable. 

The Kobold Guide to Magictakes you behind the scenes to learn the secrets of designing and writing about magic from 20 top fantasy authors and game designers. Find out how to create more compelling, more interesting, and more playable magic at your table or in your stories—with the word from some of the most talented creators working today.
The topics are wide-ranging, from the secrets of Irish magic to tricks of impractical magic, from how to generate a sense of wonder at the gaming table to how to rejigger the teleport spell for stronger adventures tohow to sell a character's soul and how to run a game with visions and prophecies. There's even sections on the magic of J.R.R. Tolkien and the tools available to a game master for making magic their own. 

The Essential Guide to Magic in Fiction and Games 

This essential companion for fantasy gamers and readers alike feature essays by: 

Wolfgang Baur
Clinton Boomer
David Chart
David "Zeb" Cook
James Enge
Ed Greenwood
Jeff Grubb
Kenneth Hite
James Jacobs
Colin McComb
Richard Pett
Tim Pratt
John Rateliff
Thomas Reid
Aaron Rosenberg
Ken Scholes
F. Wesley Schneider
Amber E. Scott
Willie Walsh
Martha Wells
Steve Winter 

This latest volume in the best-selling and award-winning series of Kobold Guides tackles the mystery at the heart of the fantasy genre. Improve your game and expand your magical power with the Kobold Guide to Magic!

10 Buck Bundle at The Frogs - Tome of Adventure Design, Book of Dirty Tricks and More - S&W Legion has the Code

First things first - Tome of Adventure Design is easily worth more than 10 bucks in PDF on its own. With the coupon you can get at the Swords & Wizardry Legion Facebook page (membership has its privileges), you get TOAD, Bill Webb's Book of Dirty Tricks and S&W Treasure Deck 1 in PDF.

For every 10 sales of the bundle at the Frog God Website, the following will be added retroactively (they will be added for all after the sale has completed):

For $10! And for each 10 bundles sold we add another S&W Design Deck: 

Encounter Deck I
Encounter Deck II
Equipment Deck
Hireling Deck
Spell Deck I 

And once we hit that goal. we'll think of something else! 

Who wants Bill to stay in Europe for the entire summer???

 https://www.froggodgames.com/summer-legion-bundle-iii

Apparently, I am a "Gainfully Employed Geek" ;)

So, we spent some time in Honesdale, PA yesterday. We had the car for a few hours and Rach wanted to hit the homemade soap shop which expanded to homemade teas, iced teas and some pastries (that's the iced tea above - yum)

Rach was already known so she introduced me to the two proprietors as her retired husband. When I explained I had been a cop neither thought I looked like one ;)

When asked what I did to keep busy, I mentioned I wrote games - Dungeons & Dragons (the universal example)

"Oh, so you are a gainfully employed geek!"

Kinda.

I certainly don't make enough from blogging or writing to live on but it is enough to supplement my pension with some discretionary funds.

Gainfully Employed Geek. I actually like the title...