Which is More Dangerous to a Campaign - Over Planning or Lack of Planning?

Which is worse?

The meticulously planned campaign that has details for every obscure NPC or the one where the local towns don't even have a name until the players inquire?

I tend towards the latter but I've heard arguments in favor of both. I'm interested in hearing what The Taverners have to say.

So, what say you?

RPGNow Deal of the Day - ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG - 5 Bucks / Full Art (WFRP Clone)

A few days ago I mentioned that the art free version of the ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG was available as PWYW (link to the post is here). Well, today the full art version is the Deal of the Day.

Until tomorrow 11 AM eastern, you can get the ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG in its full art version for 5 bucks. Not a bad deal, especially when you can grab the PWYW without the art to see if it is the right fit for you.

ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG is an OSR Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay loveletter/retroclone/heartbreaker released under Creative Commons License Share-Alike. It is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game, one where adventurers will: 

Live in a gritty, ‘realistic’ fantasy world
Make morally grey decisions & enact vicious reprisals
Uncover insidious plots & political intrigue
Desperately fight in clandestine & open field combat
Defend themselves from injuries, madness & mutations
Take part in heart-pumping chase scenes
Venture into the wilderness & survive its perils
Encounter sanity-blasting creatures & their minions 

Using the classical D100 system, you will create grim characters, write perilous adventures and build low fantasy & dark fantasy campaigns. These rules are perfectly suitable to run Renaissance and medieval-styled adventures, too. You can also use this book to craft homebrew stories set in the works of Andrzej Sapkowski, George R.R. Martin, Glen Cook, Scott Lynch and other ‘grimdark’-inspired worlds. 

This all-in-one game includes most of what you need to play: a character creation guide, game mastery rules and a bestiary brimming with creatures both fair & foul. All that’s left to gather are a few friends, pencils and a handful of dice.

Purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links forward a portion of the purchase monies to support The Tavern.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition now available in PDF at RPGNow

Probably the longest non D&D / OSR campaign I have run was Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay from Games Workshop, what is now WFRP 1e. and the Enemy Within Campaign. I just loved the setting and the system, the mix of horror and dark humor, it was simply a blast to run. Until the campaign went down in flames - literally (our wizard, strapped down with a bandolier of oil flasks fumbled his fireball and it imploded with him as ground zero - most of the party were fatalities)

When Green Ronin released Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition I grabbed much of the line even though I wasn't actively gaming at the time. It was still great to read.

Now that Cubicle 7 has the rights to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition (we shall not name the edition bypassed) which will draw upon 1e and 2e, they apparently also got the rights to republish WFRP 2e, at least in PDF.

And guess what? Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 2nd Edition is part of the Christmas in July Sale at RPGNow. Yep, time to see which of the 25 releases I'm missing in print and fill it with a PDF or three.

All purchases made via The Tavern's RPGNow Affiliate Links helps to support The Tavern. Won't you please buy your bartender another drink? ;)

I'll Be Kicking off a Swords & Wizardry Light Campaign at my FLGS - Need Tables for My DM screen

Come September I'll be kicking off a Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light campaign at Legendary Realms in Plainview, NY. First and third Thursday of the month, 6 PM till 930 or so. If you live in the area, consider joining us.

Over the next few days I'll be reviewing some of the accessories I plan to use - (DM screen, Hexers, folding game board, dungeon tiles and such).

What I need now are suggestions for tables for the DM screen - I want to run a very loose campaign with a few hooks and let the players decide on the direction.

What four tables - any products that are OSR or System Neutral - commercial, free, on blogs - would you suggest? I have four panels on the DM's side of the screen (normal orientation), so that's why I'm asking for four tables.

Lets get some feedback, as you'll be helping more than just me with your answers...

Kickstarter - Reminder - Top Secret: New World Order - the espionage roleplaying game - 3 Days Left in Funding Period

I am so excited to get my boxed set of Top Secret: New World Order before the end of the year. (I do have a PDF copy of the rules and the system is slick - then again, I've playtested it the last 2 years at NTRPG Con)

The plan was to post a transcript of the interview I conducted with Merle - isn't happening. While the app recorded my end of the conversation fine, Merle's side of the conversation is mostly inaudible through the fault of no one. Instead, I'm going to direct you to the Save for Half Podcast, where they have an excellent interview with Merle. Give it a listen. It is well worth your time.

Then there was the play test with my regular group. Hasn't happened. The curse of summer gaming as an adult. Next to impossible to gather all of the cats at one time. I'm as guilty as any if not more. Its simply been a busy summer.

Top Secret: NWO has already surpassed 100k in funding. Its a huge success and I'm looking forward to seeing future releases in the line. There are plans for Top Secret, even if some of those plans are by necessity, Top Secret.

1,580 backers can't be wrong :)

Tavern Picks for the Christmas in July Sale - Part the Second

Yep, its time for some more Tavern Picks from for the Christmas in July Sale over at RPGNow. Lets see what we shall find, shall we?

(Previous picks are here. The direct link to the Christmas in July Sale is here)

Extrastellar Set One: Space Adventurers - Okumarts Games - Minis. I seem to never have enough and yet I never paint them. Then of course there is the space to store, the weight while traveling if you want to bring a bunch. Or just print them out in full color on some heavier paper. As many times as you want. Perfect for the youngins that keep losing stuff and you don't need to worry about them sucking on those old lead minis of yours ;) - "Extrastellar Set One: Space Adventurers is jam-packed full of retro sci-fi goodness inspired by movies and pop culture of the 1970s and 1980s. Designed for role playing with such games such as Traveller or White Star RPG. Explore the universe in style with this set of dynamic paper miniatures."  2.45  1.84

Scarlet Heroes - Sine Nomine Publishing - Alright, I chose Scarlet Heroes because its an awesome OSR ruleset for smaller groups and I love what Kevin did with it, but the reality is I could have picked just about anything from the Sine Nomine catalogue of releases and it would have been an excellent choice. Seriously, give it all a look. Much of it is free - "Scarlet Heroes can be used both as a stand-alone RPG and as an overlay over your favorite old-school game to make its adventures playable for single PCs or very small groups. It shares the same classic statistics and basic game mechanisms as these old-school favorites, but by changing the interpretation of these numbers it Scarlet Heroes, a GM can pull out a favorite module, grab a convenient friend, and a have a full night's adventure with no tweaking, alteration, or adjustment of the material needed."  14.99  11.24

WWII: Operation WhiteBox - Small Niche Games - You want some gritty rules for WW II and related roleplaying while still using an OSR ruleset that's familiar to you? Look no further than Operation WhiteBox. Pete Spahn did some amazing work with this game and the support of the system with new releases is nothing but stellar. Oh, and it looks like Small Niche Games has included the Print copies at a hefty discount too. - "In WWII: Operation WhiteBox, the player characters (PCs) play the role of WWII special forces operatives. They may be formally trained and part of an officially designated special forces unit such as the SAS or U.S. Army Airborne, or they may simply be guerilla fighters dedicated to making life hard for the German Army. They may also be covert agents working for organizations such as the SOE or OSS. Whatever their affiliation, their job is to complete missions behind enemy lines, paving the way for the next Allied advance."  7.99  5.99

White Box Gothic - Barrel Rider Games - Wait, a second Swords & Wizardry White Box pick? Well, its an excellent ruleset to hack and they just happen to be excellent choices. White Box Gothic from "The Other Spahn" is, quite simply, what I've wanted in an OSR styled set of horror rules for a long time and just never found. I always liked what Ravenloft could have been other than what it was. Now, if someone just added a setting for this it would be golden ;) - "White Box Gothic brings gothic horror to your Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox campaign! Inside this terrible tome you'll find a horde of horrors! Six New Classes: From the deadly Monster Hunter to the damned Dhampir. Thirty New Spells: Speak with the dead, defile the land, and bind spirits to your service! Twenty-Five New Magic Items: Draw undead servants from your Bag of Bones, learn the secrets of the Book of the Damned, and draw hope from the Symbol of Piety! Fifteen New Monsters: The lowly Cultist, the mysterious Breath Stealer, to the powerful Vampire Lord! Optional Rules: Corruption, Dread, and laying Curses!"  4.99  3.74

Victorious the Role Playing Game - Troll Lord Games - Steampunk superheroes. Really, need I say more? It scratches that itch you never knew you had :) - "Gaslight street lamps pour fitful illumination through the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian cities. Menacing figures lurk in darkened alleyways. Desperate men with nothing to lose and the determination to take what they can from others plot. This is an RPG where masked vigilantes pit their fantastic powers against all the evil that settled in the darkened streets of a Victorian past that both was and was not! Victorious, the newest core game powered by Troll Lord Games' celebrated SIEGE engine, allows you to create a wild assortment of heroes, from the wickedly smart to the inhumanly powerful! Victorious can be scaled to meet adventure with investigators of crime, defenders of society against evil monsters, and even mad scientists foiled by masked superheroes." 20.99 15.74

When you use The Tavern's affiliate links (which puts a small percentage of your purchase monies into The Tavern's coffers) you are helping to support The Tavern and the Tavernmaster in all that they do. Thank you - Tenkar AKA Poo Poo Head - Narf!

RPGNow Deal of the Day - The Wreckers of Windward Isle From Roan Studio

Today's RPGNow Deal of the Day is The Wreckers of Windward Isle. So, what actually is The Wreckers of Windward Isle, as the boilerplate doesn't say much:

Sitting at the entrance to the Bay of Spirits is an imposing rocky island that has been a hazard to ships and seafarers since the early years of exploration in the region. The weather, rough seas, pirates and the damnable Wreckers make ocean voyage in the area perilous at best. The land itself can be just as dangerous with adventure and intrigue around every corner. 

Yeah, doesn't really tell squat. Good news is that I ponied up my $1.79 (as it is 40% off of the usual $2.99) so I can tell you what it is. It is an OSR setting with adventure hooks and such. Maybe it is more accurately a micro-setting as it covers all of about 1.75 square miles.

I'm actually less interested in that than the locations and personalities within the setting, as they are generally the easiest to port to your own campaign, and stuff looks highly portable. Well laid out with pleasing art, this is well worth your 3 bucks, let alone a buck seventy nine. If I have a complaint, and its a fairly common one, the NPCs have too much magic. But that's my perspective and it may not be yours.

OSR non denominational, it should fit the ruleset of your choice with relative ease.

Normally $2.99, The Wreckers of Windward Isle is on sale until tomorrow morning for $1.79.

Remember, The Tavern gets paid a small amount from every purchase that uses affiliate links like the ones above. Please remember to tip your barman.

PWYW - ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG (WFRP Clone-ish)

Some background on my end. I ran Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay (hereafter referred to as WFRP 1e) pretty much from release until the campaign ended when the party's aspiring mage fumbled a fireball as he wore a bandolier of flasks of oil. It was certainly a way to end a campaign on a fiery note.

When WFRP 2e was releases by Green Ronin, I grabbed much of that line. When FFG releases WFRP 3e, I picked up the boxed rules and realized the latest edition of WFRP was not for me. Cubicle 7 is releasing a 4th edition, which will harken back to 1st and 2nd edition.

So, where does that put Zweihander? Its pretty much a house ruled WFRP 1e with many of the serial numbers scratched off. It has the right feel even if much of the WFRP tropes aren't accessible due to trademarks and the like.

Oh, and its big. 631 pages big. The PWYW version is sans art and called "early access" but really, its the full game. The full art, finalized version is available for 20 bucks in PDF.

Do you have fond memories of WFRP? Never played it and want a glimpse of what it was before the horrors of 3rd edition? Here's you chance at no risk.

ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG is a bloodier, grimmer and grittier version of classic tabletop role-playing games you may already familiar with. The community calls this style of gaming the “pathetic aesthetic”, but we simply call it grim & perilous gaming. 

WHAT IS ZWEIHÄNDER? 

ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG is an OSR Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay loveletter/retroclone/heartbreaker released under Creative Commons License Share-Alike. It is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game, one where adventurers will: 

Live in a gritty, ‘realistic’ fantasy world
Make morally grey decisions & enact vicious reprisals
Uncover insidious plots & political intrigue
Desperately fight in clandestine & open field combat
Defend themselves from injuries, madness & mutations
Take part in heart-pumping chase scenes
Venture into the wilderness & survive its perils
Encounter sanity-blasting creatures & their minions 

Using the classical D100 system, you will create grim characters, write perilous adventures and build low fantasy & dark fantasy campaigns. These rules are perfectly suitable to run Renaissance and medieval-styled adventures, too. You can also use this book to craft homebrew stories set in the works of Andrzej Sapkowski, George R.R. Martin, Glen Cook, Scott Lynch and other ‘grimdark’-inspired worlds. 

This all-in-one game includes most of what you need to play: a character creation guide, game mastery rules and a bestiary brimming with creatures both fair & foul. All that’s left to gather are a few friends, pencils and a handful of dice.

A percentage of sales made through The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links are returned to The Tavern. We appreciate your support. We'll keep the doors open late...

Kickstarter - Dungeons of Doom 3 - Dragon Slayers - Star Hat Miniatures

Darcy Perry does some really fine sculpts. In his last Kickstarter, Darcy did a sculpt of Tenkar the Dwarf, and holy shit, was it on target. He sent me a painted version of Tenkar and I keep it dearly - there is magic there.

Anyhow, Darcy has a new Kickstarter with new sculpts and they look damn fine.

So, here's my suggestion. Back Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom III and ask if you can add Tenkar as an add on. The mini really is awesome. I'm so glad I said yes when asked ;)

Oh, yes, I'll be backing the latest Kickstarter from Darcy. Simply put, the man does amazing work and even if I haven't gotten around to painting minis after a year in retirement, you never know ;)

Youtube - Tim Kask on TSR - From GaryCon 2016

This video popped up in my NTRPG Con Facebok feed yesterday and it shocked me that I hadn't seen it before. Tim Kask talks about the early days of TSR and more.

Its 2 hours long and I haven't finished it yet.

Still, here's to you Tim! Cheers!

PWYW - Orb of Undying Light (Swords & Wizardry Light)

Last night Orb of Undying Light popped up on my RPGNow.com Hottest Items widget on the left side of the page here at The Tavern. Its cycled off now, but I captured it when it was up.

Orb of Undying Light is Ian McGarty's second one-sheet adventure for Swords & Wizardry Light. One sheet, two pages, pay what you want. Really, what can go wrong>

BTW, printed out it fits right into the snazzy SWL rules folder...

Remember boys & girls, purchases made via The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links return a portion of the monies paid to The Tavern. Keep a man in beer. Good beer. Mmmmmm.

Bundle of Holding - Rifts (Believe it or Not)

I did a double take when I noticed Rifts was one of the offers at Bundle of Holding. I don't see Kevin as one offering discounts that often. Then I saw the discount and I was less impressed.

$17.95 for the Starter Collection? It should be half that in my opinion. The idea is to bring people in with a nice discount and 18 bucks for the core rules a sourcebook and a fairly worthless GM kit doesn't quite do it in my eyes.

The Bonus Collection comes in at a hair under $27. While its a better value than just opting for the Starter Collection, I don't see it as all that great a value.

How the hell is "Sourcebook One" and "Ultimate Edition" trademarks? At least they aren't claiming a trademark for "Game Master Kit." Yet.

Ah well, Kevin is true to his usual self:

Tavern Picks for the Christmas in July Sale - Part the First

So, go figure. I was able to filter the Christmas in July Sale to show the Hottest OSR releases that are on sale. Damn, but that's extremely useful.

Here's the link for the Hottest on Sale OSR releases.

Now, on to the picks ;)

Class Compendium - Barrel Rider Games - James' quality and production speed simply can't be matched. If you are looking for class options for your B/X / Labyrinth Lord game this is simply, off the shelf goodness. Most of this will also work off the shelf with Swords & Wizardry and other OSR games although you will need to use the occasional tweak. "Class Compendium compiles the best classes from four years of material previously released by barrel rider games into a single tome – and a whole lot of extras! New art, rules for firearms and weapon mastery, new equipment, and three never before released classes! Top it off with an indexed spell compendium featuring every spell used by every class found in these pages, and you've got it all in one package!" Over 50 new classes.  9.99  7.49


Dyson's Delves - ZERO Barrier - Dyson does maps. Period. Wait, that doesn't explain much, does it? Dyson is one of the premiere mappers in the OSR or the hobby as a whole. His work, showcased at his Dyson's Dodecahedron are simply amazing and the style is uniquely his own. With the support of his Patreon backers, Dyson releases maps every month for free commercial use. You want maps? Dyson does maps. "Adventures and maps set under the earth for old-school fantasy roleplaying games (OSR games). Dyson's Delves contains over 140 pages of maps and adventures featuring the unique mapping style of Dyson Logos. Five full adventures fill out the beginning of the book, followed by 44 additional dungeon maps each with a page for the GM to key and make notes about each dungeon.  9.99  7.49

Tome of Horrors Complete - Swords and Wizardry Edition - Frog God Games - True story, I used to keep the hardcover of ToHC right next to my desk. My cat, Ashley, who sees my desk as her own playground, knocked a glass of water partial on ToHC because I wasn't giving her enough attention. Ah well. This book has been my go to for a number of years. Its worth it for the encounters alone. "Monsters from the aberrant to the yellow musk zombie appear in this book, and everything in between-that's over 700 monsters. But it's more than just that, because the entire compilation has also been updated to the Swords & Wizardry rules for release as another version of the volume. And in this version, the space freed up by the smaller stat blocks is filled by sample monster lairs and encounters with the hundreds of different monster types featured in the tome.  So you've got the monsters-both from the original edition of the game and new-the templates, the multiple appendices on rules, planes, and the n'gathau, and a truckload of sample encounters and lairs to throw at your players, all together in one easy-to-use book. That's why we call it The Tome of Horrors Complete!"  29.99  22.49

Sorrowblight Fields- A Swords & Wizardry Mini-Dungeon - Creation's Edge Games - Notice a trend here? Yeah, its no surprise that I am a HUGE Swords & Wizardry fan. I also like things that are small and yet still packed with options (thus Swords & Wizardry Light) Well, Snowblight Fields is that - 11 pages of OSR adventure written for S&W characters of levels 1 to 3. Heck, seems a perfect fit for SWL ;) "A strange disease is spreading quickly across the farmlands, devastating the local crops. And now there’s news of goblins being spotted in the hills to the west. Is there some connection between the goblins and this blight? Sorrowblight Fields is the first of a series of mini-dungeons designed to drop into existing adventures or campaigns. Use them as side quests or a way of getting in a quick adventure when you’re short on time." 1.50  1.13

Amazing Adventures! - Troll Lord Games - Looking for some Pulp in your OSR gaming? Swords & sorcery in the roaring 20s? Well, this might be the pick you've been waiting for. Its a good game built off of the Castles & Crusades Siege Engine and often overlooked. "Amazing Adventures: The RPG of science, sorcery, pugilistic pummeling, gun-toting, sword-wielding, B17-flying, gadget carrying adventure! Whether your game is 1920's, 30's, 40's, 50's or modern, Amazing Adventures will get you there! Complete rules to create and run games, character creation, combat, secret societies, a rogue's gallery and an attribute check system that allows the game master and player to pummel any challenge to a pulp! Amazing Adventures! It’s yours! Take it!" 20.00  15.00

Alright, those are my picks for tonight. Remember, purchases made via The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links goes to support The Tavern. Show Rach that in my retirement, blogging and writing is better than some part time gig ;)

Christmas in July Sale at RPGNow - 25% off Many PDFs - Tavern Picks will be Forthcoming

Yep, its that time of the year again - its Christmas in July at RPGNow, with a whole swatch of PDFs at 25% off.

I'll be going through some of the offerings and highlighting those that may be of interest to The Tavern's readers. There are 1,530 products under the OSR label that are on sale for Christmas in July (and a whole bunch more that aren't yet labeled OSR I'm sure, so digging will be needed)

In the meantime, Black Pudding #3 just released in PDF. +James V West has done an amazing job yet again. It PWYW, so there is no excuse for you not to grab a copy. Trust me on this. You WANT this. (You also want issues #1 and #2 if you haven't snagged them yet)

Now THIS is a Christmas in July Gift :)

Remember, all purchases made with The Tavern's RPGNow affiliate links return a small portion of the purchase price to The Tavern. As always, we appreciate your support.

Doctor Who RPG at Humble Bundle - Starting at a Buck!

I'll be the first to say I don't follow Doctor Who all that closely. Sure, I used to watch the earlier Doctors on PBS in my younger days and in truth, I had no idea WTF was going on. Cheap and campy scifi for the win, it was still fun even if I was lost while watching.

I understand there is some controversy over the next season / next Doctor. Whatever.

All I know is for 15 bucks I know have access to all of the Doctor Who history that I never knew I wanted, but now I find that I do. Its by Cubicle 7 too. I expect quality when I get around to reading these.

Here's the Humble Bundle Doctor Who RPG link.

So, here's what you get for a buck, eight bucks and the all in price of fifteen bucks.

Enjoy. Even if you only sag it for a buck, the price is impossible to beat.

Frog God Games Books - 30% Off in Print With Coupon

Yep, Bill is back from his European Vacation and he's offering the entire line of in Print Frog God Games books for 30% off (note: Sword of Air is NOT included in the sale due to extremely limited quantities. Sale lasts for a week)

How do you make this work?

1 - Simply go to the Frog God Games web store at http://www.froggodgames.com/

2 - Add what you want to the cart (physical copies include the PDF for instant gratification)

3 - Use BILL-SELLS-BOOK in the coupon box.

4 - Download your PDF copies in the meantime as you await the physical glory of The Frog God to arrive at your abode.

Note: I DO NOT make affiliate monies from sales at the Frog God web store but I do swim in the Frog God pond. Frog God offers high quality RPG books and I do recommend them, but they are not inexpensive. 30% off of print is a damn good deal.

18 Sets of Poly Dice - $25 Bucks

Believe it or not, this was cheaper on Prime Day at Amazon last week, but I missed the sale. Still, bought them right after and received them last Friday and I was impressed. See, I'm used to the ugly dice and incomplete sets one gets with the various Pound of Dice options you can find. Lots of dice whose main benefit is you certainly don't care if you lose any.

Thats not the case here. These 18 sets are high quality, good looking dice of pleasing to look at colors. Color me very surprised. Gems, solids and shell / opal (effect) are the types.

I am now down to 13 sets, having given one set to Rach, another set to my son's fiancee and letting Pinkie pick out three sets this past Saturday. All I can say is ladies certainly prefer the gem dice.

Oh, and a huge dice bag to hold them all.

My one complaint? Only 1d6 per set - I've gotten spoiled and expect three these days in a set ;)

$24.99 for 18 sets of poly dice on Amazon. Ships free with Prime.

Another alternative offers even more for less, but I can't (yet) speak for the quality of the dice. 20 sets for 20 bucks. Yeah, I may need more dice. Heck, at prices like this I could give away a set of dice to players at my next face to face game or when I run some SWL at a con.

$19.99 for 20 sets of poly dice, again at Amazon with free Prime shipping. Can one really have too many dice?

Purchases made through The Tavern's Amazon Affiliate links return a portion of the purchase price to support The Tavern. As always, the Great Poo Poo Face appreciates your support.

DCC RPG Quick Start Rules are On Sale - 5 Bucks plus Shipping

Before you ask - yes, these are the same rules that were given away for Free RPG Day last month (the same day I got rear ended on the way to my FLGS - so THIS is how I'm getting my copy)

The DCC RPG Quickstart Rules cover the DCC RPG rules from Level 0 to Level 2 and includes both a classic funnel and a NEW Level 1 adventure.

+Jim Wampler is the one that took Joe Goodman's original work and whittled it down to something slightly simplified and hopefully not as intimidating as the full DCC RPG rules.

At long last, the DCC RPG quick start rules! Only $5! 

These starter rules were written specifically to introduce judges and players to the DCC RPG system. In some areas, rules have been condensed and simplified. These rules will serve primarily to get characters through their first level 0 adventure and their first level 1 adventure. Although the rules go up to level 2, for the full DCC experience and play at levels up to 10th, please refer to the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG rulebook! 

This book includes two adventures! You get the enduring classic Portal Under the Stars 0-level adventure for new players, plus in a flip-book format, an all-new level 1 adventure, Gnole House by Michael Curtis, inspired by the works of Lord Dunsany and Margret St. Clair who first wrote of the creature called the “gnole,” which Gary Gygax later evolved into the better-known gnoll! 

These quick start rules & intro adventures were originally released on Free RPG Day.

With shipping it came to 10 bucks. Maybe I should have added an adventure or three, but I was just too excited to be able to order the DCC Starter rules (which is more accurate than Quickstart in my opinion, as you get to level and explore what a campaign actually is)

Nope, no affiliate money changes hands here. Goodman publishes excellent products. I expect this to be nothing less than excellent.

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM - Poo Poo Face is Signing Autographs - NOT!

Yep, its a Wednesday Night and you know what that means! No, its not half price drinks at the watering hole - its Tavern Chat tonight at 9PM

What is Tavern Chat? - a bunch of folks from the OSR get together and use the Chatwing widget on the right side of this very page to "chat". Yes, its very old school - its similar to an old chat room at AOL.

We literally never know who will show up but I can guarentee there will be names you will recognize.

It takes place from 9 PM to 11ish Eastern.

I'll see you there and please, BYOB ;)

The OSR is now "A Thing" at OBS - Interesting to Look at How it Tracks Differently at the Two Store Fronts

If you browse from the drop down list and select "OSR" at RPGNow or DriveThruRPG, you get a Hottest Sellers listing for the OSR. Its interesting to see how the market differs between the two storefronts.

At RPGNow, LotFP's Vaginas Are Magical sneaks into the first spot. Its 10th over at DriveThruRPG.

The DCC RPG comes in in the first spot at DTRPG. At RPGNow, its 9th.

Actually, only four releases make the Top Ten of both lists: VaM, DCC RPG, Beyond the Wall and Hubris.

Not sure what to make of it, but it is interesting to note that the two storefronts obviously have differing customer bases, even within the OSR.

The RPGNow OSR Hot List is here.

The DriveThruRPG Hot List is here.

The Tavern uses affiliate links to both of the above storefronts. A percentage of sales go to support The Tavern. The OBS Christmas in July Sale starts friday.

Inkwell Designs - SideQuest Decks - Pick a Card, Any card (or store)

Inkwell Designs has its SideQuest Decks available to order from three different store fronts:

Amazon - $14.95 with free Prime shipping

RPGNow - $14.95 with the PDF of the deck included

Inkwell Designs - $13.95 with the PDF of the deck included

From the Inkwell site:

We’re excited to revise, expand & update our popular Encounter Decks to Sidequest Decks! 

Why the name change?  It is a more accurate description.  As you likely know, each card is a mini-adventure, not just one encounter. 

What else is new?  Decks 1 & 2 didn’t have the map match the adventure on the other side of the same card.  Now the map is the most important/unique map to the adventure, as in Decks 3 & 4.  If the adventure needs other maps you may pick another card’s map as needed.  Also, Decks 1, 2, and 3 have been sorted into four new decks based on sub-genre/setting and new adventures have been added.  Another improvement: many new maps have been added even for previous adventure outlines to ensure the map matches the adventure.  The new maps are wonderful and some older maps have been tweaked for easier reading. Deck 4 (Science Fiction) only changed the name.

I have the original decks and their are great for inspiration (or emergency adventures when unprepared)

Given the choice I'd get the decks directly through Inkwell Design, as +Joe Wetzel will keep a bigger cut of the price and supporting publishers is where's its at. Purchases made through The Tavern's Amazon or RPGNow affiliate links will generate a portion of the sales to support The Tavern, but I'd rather you support Joe directly. He offers some really solid releases for the gaming community.

If You're Waiting on Me to Vet Your Upcoming Kickstarter...

you may have a while yet to wait. I have a baker's dozen of projects, Kickstarters and apps, that have asked me to look at their work and offer critiques. At the moment, I simply do not have the time. Sadly, my own projects are taking precedence at the moment.

It has gotten me to thinking about releasing a How to Avoid Crowdfunding Failure book. Well, book may be to large a word - I'm thinking 16 to 20 pages on the basic do's and don'ts to give your Kickstarter, Indigogo or what not a fighting chance. It would not guarentee success, as that can only come from the project creator, but it should offer clear warning of the most prominent (and less prominent but still potentially disastrous) pitfalls and suggestions to increase the chance of successful funding (and surviving the success of successful funding)

Maybe $2.50 in PDF, impulse pricing for POD - maybe $3.00 plus cost.

Don't even ask about fucking Kickstarting it...

Noble Knight is Selling CURRENT POD Releases at Over 100% Mark Up

+Rob Conley mentioned this at Bat in the Attic earlier today and I'm doing what I can to spread the word.

Noble Knight is selling currently available Print on Demand books at over 100% mark up. While it is certainly legal, it is something the RPG Community should be made aware of. Don't be taken advantage.

Rob's Scourge of the Demon Wolf is $14.99 for the Print plus PDF at RPGNow.

How much does Noble Knight want for the same book in Print only? $35 ($30 for a VG+ copy)

And here's the kicker - they claim it isn't in print.

Of course its in print - its f'n Print on Demand!

But its not just Rob's stuff. Venger Satanis has even a huger mark up.

Venger's The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence is $14 for the Print plus PDF at RPGNow.

How much is it at Noble Knight? 50 Bucks. Oh, and apparently not in print either. More BS.

Revelry in Torth? $11 Print and PDF at RPGNow. $25 at Noble Knight.

Liberation of the Demon Slayer? $12 in Print and PDF at RPGNow. $25 at Noble Knight.

This is all I checked. If there is a need I'll dig deeper but this goes to show its not a one off mistake but a deliberate and huge markup to catch their customers unaware. Remember, these products are Print on Demand and available as such. They are most certainly NOT out of print.

Edit - Noble Knight games has posted contact info in the comments if there are future pricing issues that rise to the level of notification: (608)-758-9901 or sales@nobleknight.com

Extra Edit: No caffeine makes Tenkar a Grumpy Dwarf - I was grumpier than usual, and more than KNG deserved. They have promised to address such issues going forward. I promise try and be less Grumpy.

I've included affiliate links for RPGNow for the above products. Purchases made through The Tavern's affiliate links got to support The Tavern.

Officially Retired for a Year - The Point of No Return - State of The Tavern

I didn't sleep well last night. I've been looking forward to today and yet dreading it for at least a year. Today is my official Day of No Return - I am no longer able to rescind my retirement papers. I've had the Kansas song Point of Know Return going through my head for days no - seems like my official soundtrack ;)

First, I want to thank each of you, the readers of The Tavern. You support over the years and especially the last year have helped keep the fires burning, the drinks flowing and the posts coming. I can't thank you enough.

The main challenge with being retired at the ripe old age of nearly 50 (happens 2 days before #ConManKen's Kickstarter fiascos are due) is being busy enough that Rach doesn't get any ideas about me working some square badge security gig to keep me busy. So far, I've been doing okay.

As you can guess, The Tavern is a huge time sink. Multiple posts per day don't happen on their own. Further work on SWL, the Torchlight mag, some random side projects and such keep me busy. They don't really make me much income, but that is what the pension is for.

That being said, I am truly grateful to everyone that uses my affiliate links when making purchases at RPGNow and Amazon as well as clicking on the ads that interest you. It really does help. The budget is tighter than I was used to while working but the little extra income goes further than you might think.

Thank you for joining me on this amazing ride.

Remember, The Tenkar's Tavern Facebook Community is the backwater dive of the OSR, with your bartender Poo Poo Face (thank you Ken for finding such an amazing moniker for me) 1,590 members and growing. Grow with us :)

Ken Bought Mad Ox Games & Comics - At a Discount and No Money Down - Who's the Bigger Fool?

So, Marcus sold the money losing, poorly managed Mad Ox Games & Comics to the above mentally disabled (self diagnosed) alleged con man and serial Kickstarter Project creator who has yet to fulfill a project.

Ken was the last manager. He didn't hit his numbers, but he'll be a success as a store owner!

Marcus was asking $20k, so he sold it for $13k. But wait, no money down! Of course, if Ken had money to put down, he'd put it towards that Kickstarters that are due in 2 weeks - Ken's own timetable. I mean, he would - right?

My God - Ken's doing Kickstarter stuff? Probably so he can sell it in store ;)

So, I'm thinking we should run a pool a as to how long it takes for Kenny to:

a - default on paying Marcus

b - default on the lease

c - default on utilities

My money is on 60 days to default on utilities with a trifecta at 90 days.

Now remember, #ConManKen has a self diagnosed mental disability, so when he forgets to pay a bill, he has a built in excuse. Not a valid excuse, mind you, but an excuse none the less.

This is Poo Poo Face with yet another installment in the saga affectionately known as #ConManKen, the Self Diagnosed Mentally Deficient Store Owner and Serial Kickstarter Abuser.

I've Been Playing Dungeon with Pinky - The Six Year Old Gets It!

I picked up the new version of the Dungeon! boardgame to play with my niece. She's six and ever eager to play Dungeons & Dragons with Uncle, so I figured Dungeon! would be a great introduction.

Simply put - it is. Its also a great learning tool.

She enjoys the game play and accumulating treasure. She High Fives when she kills an especially tough monster. More importantly, uncle told her once she can read the names and titles of all the level 1 to 3 cards (monsters and treasure) we'll move on to D&D. More accurately, we'll move on to Swords & Wizardry Light.

Guess what? She's sounding out the cards and making guesses when needed. She's adding dice rolled real quickly and even remembers to add in the plus 1 when she finds a magic sword. When she lost a combat, rolled a 12 to see what damage she took and lost all treasure and had to go back to the beginning? She ran off but came back real quickly - ready to kick the monster's butt and get back her treasures - she's learning more than words and numbers - she's learning to get knocked down and come back up swinging.

Come to think of it, she made a point of NOT adding the plus 1 from her magic sword when she dropped all of her loot. Which was kinda awesome :)

Dungeon! has become a learning tool hidden behind a fun game and she doesn't even know it.

Best purchase I've made with the lass in mind, bar none. Besides, its fun to play as an adult too ;)

Dungeon! is available for $17.16 at Amazon.

Note: A percentage of all sales made with The Tavern's Amazon affiliate links goes to support The Tavern.

Playtest Impressions - Bunny & Burrows Light - No Animals Were Truly Killed in the Playtesting of These Rules

Friday night I was asked an important question: "Do you know of anyone that might like to playtest the Bunnies & Burrows Light rules?" What a loaded question! I spent hours talking with Dr. Sustare one night at NTRPG Con about Swords & Wizardry Light, a new edition of Bunnies & Burrows and the idea of Dennis putting together a "Light" version of the Bunnies & Burrows rules. My answer was "Send me the rules and I'll run it tomorrow night!" and they did and I did.

I sent the rules, character sheets and cards to my Saturday Night Irregulars and assembled out bunny posses. We had three bunnies. I suggested someone name one of their bunnies Hugh Humpalot but wisely no one bit at it.

The bunnies, all young, had to find some Rabbit Flower at a nearby marsh to help heal their den mother who was suffering from an as yet undefined disease.

It really does change the whole narrative when gold and treasure is not the driving force behind an adventure (because even ones that have other motives driving the action still supply opportunities to loot the dead)

Our brave bunnies:

- didn't find and didn't fall into a trap.

- hopped / climbed a tree for a better view, as they had no map (bunnies don't map) and just a vague direction of the marsh they needed to locate.

- were pounced on by a persian kitty who got rabbit punched to an early grave. Rumors that humping bunnies were running amok after their victory is greatly exagerated.

- located the marsh ad Rabbit Flower, but now it was dark

- drove a snake from the hollow of a tree trunk so they would have protection from predators over the night's passing.

- were attacked by and drove off a dachshund (the fact that my wiener dog was barking in the background for the prior half hour simply added to the scene)

- found and fell into that trap they missed the first time

- got the Rabbit Flower to their mother in times to heal her.

Created characters and ran the adventure in about 2 and a half hours with another 15 minutes of post playtest critique.

Damn but I'm looking forward to more Bunnies & Burrows.

Bundle of Holding - Colonial Gothic (18th Century Colonial Horror)

Colonial Gothic is one of those games that I've picked up occasional pieces of over the years because of my love of history and the twist that Colonial Gothic gives to it. An opportunity to pick up over a dozen books for it for about 20 bucks is simply a no brainer.

The way I see it, you don't even need to use the system behind the books to enjoy the books (I probably won't) but I could see myself hacking Swords & Wizardry Light to run something like this.

Damn these useful Bundles of Holding!

This one has a short window - just over 2 days left.

Hero! The Founders bring you the Colonial Gothic Bundle, featuring the new Third Edition of the supernatural flintlock-horror tabletop roleplaying game Colonial Gothic from Rogue Games. Uncover the secret history of America's 18th-Century frontier, where monsters stalk the woods and ghosts haunt every sleepy hollow. This bargain-priced offer brings you almost the entire Colonial Gothic line -- everything you need for a complete campaign of magic and mayhem in the shadows of early America. 

For just US$8.95 you get all six titles in our Starter Collection (retail value $40) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks, including the complete Colonial Gothic Third Edition rulebook (retail price $10), three essential supplements (Gamemaster, Adventure, and The Player Companion, total retail $21), and the 174-page Beginnings adventure (retail $8) that kicks off the massive Flames of Freedom campaign that will encompass the entire American Revolution. NEW! We've just added The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (retail $1): Washington Irving's classic 1839 story of a haunting in upstate New York, plus gaming notes adapting it to Colonial Gothic. 

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $20.59, you'll level up and also get our entire Bonus Collection with almost every book in the Colonial Gothic line -- ten more supplements worth an additional $70: 

Three sourcebooks: The Grimoire (retail $6), Gazetteer (retail $7), and Bestiary (retail $7). 

Three setting books: Settings (retail $8), New France (retail $7 -- previously presented in our August 2013 Bundle of the Ages), and The French & Indian War (retail $8). 

Lovecraft (retail $7): Bring the Cthulhu Mythos onto the American frontier. 

The Templars (retail $5 -- also from our August 2013 Ages offer): Colonial Gothic's secret history of history's most secretive bunch. 

NEW! The Defeated Dead (retail $8): A ghost story of vengeful soldiers at the site of the US Army's greatest defeat. 

NEWER! The Landlord's Daughter (retail $7): Secret societies, pirates, betrayal, witchcraft, and a mysterious illness in Marblehead, Massachusetts.

Note, although OneBookShelf delivers copies of these PDFs, I do not make affiliate monies from these sales. I bring offers like this to your attention because I think they are amazing deals and I'd hate for my readers to miss out on them. You can always buy me a beer later ;)

TSR Era POD - B1 - In Search of the Unknown

I've been lax at keeping up with the lasted Print on Demand (POD) releases from the TSR era. Well, today I'm trying to do some catching up.

The latest POD release of TSR goodness is B1 - In Search of the Unknown. After the Dungeon Geomorphs and before B2, B1 was the adventure you found in your D&D Basic Set.

Pricing is $4.99 for the PDF, $7.99 for the Print and $9.99 for the PDF plus Print.

"In Search of the Unknown," forms a complete adventure for use with Dungeons & Dragons Basic Set. It is especially designed as an instructional aid for beginning Dungeon Masters and players, specifically created to enable new Dungeon Masters to initiate play with a minimum of preparation.  

In addition to descriptive and situational material, this module also includes special informational sections giving background history and legends; listings of possible monsters and treasures, and how to place them; a list of adventuring characters; tips on various aspects of play for the Dungeon Master; and helpful advice for starting players.

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.

Bundle of Holding - CityBooks - Grimtooth's Traps - Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes (Flying Buffalo)

There is currently a Flying Buffalo / Catalyst bundle at Bundle of Holding and its a good one.

For 7.95 you get CityBooks I, II, III - Treasure Vault and Grimtooth's Traps 1 and 2. That is quite simply an amazing value for the old school resources you get.

Up your buy in to about 20 bucks, and you add in CityBooks IV, V, VI, VII - Grimtooth's Traps 3 and 4 - and the real gem IMHO, Mercenaries, Spies & Private Eyes (it includes the Adventure of the Jade Jaguar solo adventure)

20 bucks for seven CityBooks, four Grimtooth's Traps, Treasure Vault and MS&PE? You simply can't beat the value. Less than 2 bucks a book.

Note, although OneBookShelf delivers copies of these PDFs, I do not make affiliate monies from these sales. I bring offers like this to your attention because I think they are amazing deals and I'd hate for my readers to miss out on them. You can always buy me a beer later ;)

Back to Basix Issue #1 - Now Trending as #2 Hottest Small Press at RPGNow - (B/X BECMI)

Thom Wilson / Throwi Games has released their OSR / B/X / BECMI fanzine, Back to Basix Issue #1 in PDF.

I have B2B in print, as it released at NTRPG Con and Thom was nice enough to hook me up and it is very nice. Popular demand convinced Thom to release it in PDF (as the print run was limited) and it is available for $1.50. Back to Basix is currently sitting at #2 on the Hottest Small Press sellers at RPGNow.

So, what's inside?

This fanzine celebrates, highlights and supports one of the original roleplaying game systems of the 1980's, the Basic and Expert editions of Dungeons & Dragons.  Each issue will provide or highlight content within the Holmes, Moldvay, Cook and Mentzer edited rules from TSR's Gary Gygax.  

Issue contains:  Product Spotlight, Spell Review, New Magic Items, New Monster, Short Encounter, Full page comic "Dungeon Delvers", and interview with Merle Rasmussen (of Top Secret fame).

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.