#ConManKen - Kenny Takes the Show to Facebook Live - Hilarity Ensues followed by Threats of Indictment

Because I didn't have an easy way to replace him with a pile of shit

Ah, sweet #ConManKen. Never at a loss to make folks laugh. See, Kenny took to Facebook Live for a live sale yesterday and my, the laughs were flying. And yes Kenny, folks were laughing AT you.

Now, it WAS authentic Kenny as you will see from the following shots taken by one of The Taverners" of the scroll at the bottom of the feed:

Some folks went s far as commenting about Ken's Kickstarters that he's failed to deliver, failed to update - fuck it, he's basically a failure.

Then Kenny complained about the Trolls - he started deleting posts and blocking people:

This is the post that got James banned: "Will unsold product be available as a Stretch Goal reward in future Kickstarter projects?"

He also made the statement that those trolling were in violation of Kentucky Law for causing a loss of business and it was a Class D Felony. I couldnt find the relevant law.

The following does, however, seem potentially relevant:

KRS 517.120 Operating a sham or front company

Kenny, can you quote us the law you are threatening folks with in the above format? It may help.

Because folks want to know which law you are threatening them with via PMs:

Turn you over and pour you out...

Kenny, where's my FBI Agents? I've had tea and coffee cake ready for them for 15 months and they never came. What was the federal law that I was violating again?

#ConManKen , if he wasn't so full of shit, he wouldnt be Ken...

Kickstarter - For Coin & Blood: Grimdark Old-School Fantasy Roleplaying

There's just about 12 hours left in the funding period of For Coin & Blood: Grimdark Old-School Fantasy Roleplaying. It bills itself as a "grimdark" OSR styled game. While I suspect the game itself will not be something I'd want to play or run as is, I'm sure for 5 bucks for the PDF I'll find enough to rip for Swords & Wizardry that I'll get my 5 bucks back in gameable value.

For Coin & Blood is an old-school inspired roleplaying fantasy roleplaying game, which takes the direction of playing the scum and villains in most fantasy campaigns! 

Playing assassins, cult leaders, blackguards and more, For Coin & Blood is a different look at the otherside of the coin of fantasy roleplaying games. Inspired by the writings of authors such as Kate Elliot, Joe Abercrombie, Sarah Monette, Glen Cook, Anna Smith Spark, Scott Lynch, and more, For Coin & Blood is fantasy roleplaying about antiheroes, thieves and assassins, rooted in the darkest recess of mankind’s depredations. 

While most roleplaying games hide their murderers under the mantle of “hero” (I mean, what “hero” invades underground complexes in search of treasure and murders the denizens because their whole species is “evil?”), For Coin & Blood makes no pretenses about what it asks you to be. You’re the villains that other campaigns fight. You’re the cult leaders, assassins, fallen nobles, murderers, mercenaries, necromancers and thugs.

Wayward Kickstarter - Artisan Dice Does Handcrafted Polyhedrals - an Artful Fiasco?

I get it. Kickstarters run late. Kickstarters blow up (9k goal and raised over 291k) Equipment breaks down. Shit happens.

I do get that.

Over 4 years late, no update since July on the Artisan Dice Does Handcrafted Polyhedrals Kickstarter and its selling product to retailers when some Kickstarter backers are still waiting over 4 years?

That shit is like Gareth Junior type of Kickstarter running.

It sees like someone has a bad business plan.

Now, I know Artisan Dice takes a long time to fulfill their KS orders. I backed their earlier wooden dice set and that too forever. I don't remember accusations that they were filling retail orders at the time. They just seemed to be overwhelmed.

Here's the online store for Artisan Dice

The thing is, their BBB ranking is in the tank:

Apparently they are deleting negative comments from their Facebook page too (see comments on the KS page)

Are you still waiting on your dice?

Free Download - Engineering Castles (Troll Lord Games)

The Trolls have priced Engineering Castles down to the price of FREE.

32 pages of mostly charts to stock out those castles your party of adventurers may stumble into. The price is certainly right ;)

Bastions of Timber & Stone  

Adventure does not limit itself to dungeons of earth and stone, but calls the seeker to plunder the halls of war and worship; from the spires of looming towers, to castles set in forbidden glades deep in ancient heartwood and to the sunken and abandoned places lost in time. Not all are hidden – some are welcoming bastions for the wayward traveler, and others are the holdings of creatures most foul; still more bear foreboding edifices, casting a mocking shadow – be they castle, ruin or manor, each beckons a promise of loot, a glimpse of chance, and portends fate.  

Castles  

An aspiring Castle Keeper will often have many floor-plans of places through which unsuspecting player characters dare to venture, generally taking the forms of underground complexes or even wilderness or urban areas, but many likely do not have much stock for the "other" locales such as bastions, keeps, temples, and castles. This tome will remedy that situation and provide the Castle Keeper the tools and templates to design such from nothing or, if desired, to modify an existing structure with new and unknown which may be otherwise familiar traits. 

Giveaway - Dust 1947 Miniature - Gamers on Games Channel

The Gamers on Games Youtube Channel is giving away a Dust 1947 miniature. I'm not much of a war-gamer these days but I do know a significant portion of The Tavern's readership is, so here's you chance to win a free mini. Heck, even if you don't play Dust 1947, its a free mini and that's damn cool.

Watch the video, pick a winning side for the upcoming battle (and add it as a comment to the Youtube video linked above) and if you pick right, you'll be in the pool from which the winner is picked. Pretty cool.

You can enter until Feb 15, 2018.

OldSchool Counterpoint - Benoist and I are Looking for Topics

Yesterday's OldSchool Counterpoint LiveStream went very well. Benoist and I are going to make it a fairly regular "thing" - we had a fun time and the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

So, we need topics.

Some suggestions that have been made thus far are:

Min/Maxing
Gnomes - yeay or nay
Variable weapon damage or not
Level Drain

Add your ideas to the mix. Comment below. If we use yours, we'll give you credit on the Livestream ;)

Wizards Updates Terms and Conditions for WPN Store Owners - Background Checks of Store Staff now Included

So, that post from the weekend here at The Tavern talking about how stores can protect your children while they participate in the hobby, a post that I made due to a story circulating in social media. Well, it looks like the story that was circulating got Wizards to do something. WPN is Wizards Play Network.

Here's a quote from Vice President of Global Brand Strategy Elaine Chase:

Recently, a few former judges and players had their sex offender registries posted to social media. In accordance with our policy, the majority had already had their access to Magic organized play suspended indefinitely, and are not active in the Magic community. 

We learned, however, that an individual reported to the Judge Conduct Committee was inadvertently not decertified by Magic Judges nor reported to Wizards. You can read more about that here. However, once this was brought to our attention, Wizards immediately coordinated with Magic Judges—an independent community-run organization that operates and manages the judge community and its Judge Conduct Committee—to address the situation. That individual has now been indefinitely suspended as a player and the Magic Judges decertified the individual’s status as a Magic judge. When Wizards learns that a DCI member or a Wizards Play Network (WPN) retailer is on a sex offender registry, we take immediate action to remove them from organized play and our promotional programs. We have a zero-tolerance policy. Sex offenders have no place in the Magic community. 

As part of our commitment to safe and inclusive spaces, tournament organizers and retailers will be explicitly required to conduct background checks for all staff (as permitted by applicable law). This includes CFB Events' Grand Prix, local store events like Friday Night Magic, and professional events like the Pro Tour and World Magic Cup as well as convention play run by Wizards. 

We remain committed to working with tournament organizers, local game stores, and the Magic community to foster safe and inclusive environments. The proper channels for reporting misconduct are as follows: report judge misconduct to the Judge Conduct Committee at magicjudgefeedback@gmail.com, and retailer or player misconduct to investigations@wizards.com.

I give Wizards credit for getting ahead of the narrative in this situation. Ir can only make gaming a safer environment for all.

Old School Counterpoint - Livestream - NOW - Secret Doors - Loath them or Love Them

Here's the link for the first Old School Counterpoint Livestream - Secret Doors, Loth them or Love them.

Yep, we started a thing ;)

"Conversation between Erik Tenkar of Tenkar's Tavern and Benoist Poire of GP Adventures regarding Secret Doors in Old School Gaming and D&D variants. Pros and cons, their usage, purpose, and how they affect game play in various ways. "

Old School Counterpoint - Secret Doors - Livestream - 5PM Eastern - Benoist Poire and Tenkar

+Benoist Poiré and myself are trying out something which may very well become a regular feature - Old School Counterpoint - where we discuss a topic within the Old School realm with differing views.

Today at 5 PM Eastern the topic will be Secret Doors - overused or the perfect obstacle? We know where I stand (overused) and we know where Benoist stands, but do we know where we'll be at the end of the discussion?

I'll put up a new post with the link to the livestream when we are closer to 5 pm so you can join us. This very well be the start of a "new thing" ;)

Frog God Clearance Sale - Cyclopean Deeps - Vol I & II - $14.99 each or $24.99 set (S&W and PF)

The Frog God Clearance Sale keeps rolling along. Added to the mix earlier today, Cyclopean Deeps Volumes I & II in Hardcover (with free PDFs) for $14.99 each or $24.99 for the pair. Choose between Swords & Wizardry and Pathfinder (like there's any sort of choice if you are a Tavern Regular ;)

Here's the link for the Frog God Hardcover Clearance Sale. You'll find a few other goodies there that might tempt you.

No affiliate links. Just damn good shit at awesome pricing.

State of The Tavern (Keeper) - Its (s)not Nice...

I'm under the weather. If you heard me in Tavern Chat last night my voice was a bit hoarse. Well, maybe a lot hoarse. Now I've got that dopey congestion fog. Started on Saturday. Yeah for me!

I'm still playing catch up with reviews and such here at The Tavern.

I know, vitamins and bed rest. Working on it. Uncle duties have been heavy this week and I have them again today. I'll try and mold Pinky into the gamer she wants to be anyway.

Alright, back tonight. I'm trying to put together a list of all of the Community Content Storefronts at OBS. Just noticed there is one now for Call of Cthulhu 7e. Holy shit but that's cool :)

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - It's NOT Hidden Behind a Secret Door ;)

Tavern Chat is tonight, 9 PM Eastern. Fair warning, your bartender is suffering from a cold from hell. I might sound like shit but thankfully germs aren't spread through Discord ;)

Where? Simply follow the invite. Open Bar is where the voice chat is. You can lurk - we don't mind...

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

Tavern Chat has been likened to a live podcast, unscripted with random guests and unrecorded - if you aren't listening you've lost your chance ;)

Kickstarter - Folio #1 1E & 5E Adventure Reprint

The Folio is one of the most successful, serialized gaming supplements available today and probably the only one that dual stats for both OSR systems and 5e.

If you missed out on the start of the series, the Folio #1 1E & 5E Adventure Reprint is your chance to grab a reprint of the first issue, which is also the first part of the Roslof Campaign.

Hurry though - just over two days left in the funding period.

Three years ago I started the Folio series with a dream of creating OSR inspired adventures that also fit into today's gaming styles.  My first adventure was entitled 'Beneath Roslof Keep'.  At the time, I had no idea that The Folio would become a 'thing', or that so many fans the world over would enjoy the exploits of this particular dungeon delve. So, as I ring in 2018, I wanted to once again touch base with Roslof Keep, and try to allow new players who might have missed this long out of print module the opportunity to lay hands on it.  As it was the first module ever produced by Art of the Genre, I also wanted to have a chance to go back in, modify the content and presentation to match what later became out standard Folio process, and also add-in content not included on first publication.  

So, if you've ever wanted to own a Folio, start a new campaign, or just want to see what we do here are Art of the Genre, this is a perfect opportunity to get in on the ground floor, or should I say, Beneath Roslof Keep.  

My Project: The Folio is a 1st Edition & 5th Edition gaming module. It will be produced as an 8x11”, removable cover [11x17" once removed], adventure with mostly b/w interior artwork. The final size is roughly 32 pages of content. 

Who’s it for? ALL gamers, both new gamers and old gamers as it is easily expandable or playable as is.The concept is to allow gamers a starting point for adventure that can be modified to their liking while providing excellent reference content and framework.The base mechanic will be for 1st Edition AD&D, while having 'grey block' stat blocks for 5th Edition D&D, but I’ve designed it to be readily modified to any fantasy game. 

What’s in it? It has been written by myself and my OSR compatriot Mark Timm, with incredible cover art from old school masters and interior artwork by skilled black and white illustrators Travis Hanson and Michael Wilson, and even a bit of Jim Holloway because I can never get enough Holloway. We are intent on providing a polished and modern design with creatively nostalgic content that transcends a particular age. The Folio will contain a 3-D map, a Gazetteer, a monster section, a new monster unique to the setting, DM’s notes and guides, and a full adventure.

Kickstarter - Castle of the Mad Archmage: Musicland (OSR)

Its time to catch up on some Kickstarters, both old and new (or a bit of both)

Castle of the Mad Archmage: Musicland is the latest Kickstarter by +Joseph Bloch . Technically an add on or expansion to CotMA it should be playable as a stand alone adventure, simply because its a parallel dimension. Makes me think of some classic Gygax adventures. Imagine that...

Already at 4 times its funding goal in just over a week, all physical copies are accounted for. Yep, you read that right. There were 99 limited print copies and they've all been pledged for.

5 bucks gets you Musicland in PDF. 30 bucks gets you the PDF bundle that includes all of the Castle of the Mad Archmage releases - including this one.

I had a blast running the original CotMA megadungeon with my "B-Team". We never finished it but that seems par for the course with my gaming groups, but thats okay. Its the journey, not the destination that matters most.

This is the third expansion to the Castle of the Mad Archmage megadungeon adventure. In this adventure, the characters are catapulted to a parallel dimension called Musicland where musical instruments are alive, people speak in musical notes, and the King of Instruments produces melodies that embody the Platonic ideal of music itself.  

Not only will the adventurers need to navigate this strange and deadly place, but they will need to figure out a way home, as well. But where there is great peril, there is always promise of great reward, and treasures both mundane and magical await those who enter Musicland. 

Written for Adventures Dark & Deep, Musicland should play well with most any OSR ruleset. We used Swords & Wizardry Complete with CotMA and it was seamless.

Alright, expect some Folio when I awake in the morning...

Deal of the Day - 5e Creature Decks: Constructs, Giants, Humanoids, Undead (and more)

Today's Deal of the Day at RPGNow is 5e Creature Decks: Constructs, Giants, Humanoids, Undead from Inkwell Designs.

The PDFs are normally $5.95 a deck. Until tomorrow morning they are $1.95 a deck in PDF. Print plus PDF is $9.95 a deck. And yes, there are other decks on sale for the same pricing.

5e Creature Decks: More Dragons & Monstrosities

5e Creature Decks: More Aberrations & Fiends

5e Creature Decks: Dragons & Monstrosities

5e Creature Decks: Beasts, Oozes, & Plants

Crap. There are two more decks but I have to pick Rach up from work...

Grab the PDF Bundle of 7 decks for 10 bucks here and the print plus PDF bundle of 7 decks for less than $70 here.

Yep, affiliate links above. Keep the lamps on and the taps flowing. Heck, maybe we'll throw in a little heat here at The Tavern. Much thanks!

What The Tavern Being a Neutral Ground Means

So, there was a bit of a dust up yesterday due to Sunday night's post here at The Tavern. It had nothing to do with the topic - protecting our children - and quickly devolved thanks to a handful of people into "how dare you link to that site!' drama.

The story that was circulating this weekend was from said "offending site."

It was suggested I should have googled for other stories detailing pedophiles preying on children in the gaming hobby instead of sourcing the one that was making its way through social media over the weekend. This story was the current one, and thus the one linked.

It was also suggested I could have simply screenshot the story and have posted it without link or attribution because "they didn't want to make the site money by visiting it". Not only is that unethical, but if I were to do so for a site like, oh, i dunno - ENWorld - screenshot stories instead of linking when referring to something they've shared, there would be an uproar and rightfully so.

The Tavern is a Neutral Ground. I don't take a political stand. I am about a apolitical a gaming blogger as you will find (it might sneak in on police related topics and for that I apologize. I do acknowledge my own biases.) It is not, however, a safe space. I can not guarentee someone's sensibilities will not be offended. I can not foresee reactions.

We all live our lives with our own biases. Being a Neutral Ground, The Tavern asks that you leave your biases at the door if at all possible. If you can't, at least acknowledge to yourself that you have them. Gaming is our bond and our strength.

No one at The Tavern, especially me, has the intention of offending any of our fellow gamers. I ask that you not read intent where there was none.

Mini Review - B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment

I was asked the other day if we really needed another presentation of B/X D&D, as that was the purpose of Labyrinth Lord - a cleaner presentation of B/X. My truthful answer is that while it wasn't needed, it is much appreciated.

Let me explain.

B/X is a great if poorly organized system of rules over multiple vloumes. Labyrinth Lord rewrote it and presented it as a much more organized single volume of rules. The B/X Essentials series is doing much the same, but split among what will be five volumes - Core (the rule mechanics), Classes & Equipment (what I'm looking at now), Spells, Monsters and finally Adventures & Treasures.

Which method is better? All in one or five volumes. That's up to you, the consumer.

As for B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment - The presentation is easy to read, the layout is clean and easy to read, art ranges from fine to exceptional, the table of contents is hyperlinked, the classes and equipment are what you would expect and the water transportation section I may yoke for my own campaigns regardless of system

B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment is exactly what it says on the tin. Yes, you've seen it before but this is probably the cleanest and clearest presentation yet.

B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment with all of the bells & whistles is $4.99 for the PDF. Print plus PDF is a very reasonable $7.99 for a standard color paper softcover ($9.99 if you want heavier paper and staple bound instead of perfect bound)

Plain "vanilla" text version is free - perfect for a living houserules document. Also, a great way to try before you buy.

You can find the Core Rules here.

The B/X Essentials line is a restatement of the classic Basic/Expert fantasy adventure gaming rule set, given a fresh, new presentation focused on usability:

• Basic and Expert rules seamlessly combined.
• Streamlined presentation optimised for ease of reference during play.
• Meticulously researched; a guaranteed 100% accurate rendition of the classic rules of yesteryear.
• Carefully clarified, ironing out ambiguities in the original rules.

This second book lays out the standard classes of adventurer and the ways in which characters can spend their hard-earned treasure, including: arms, adventuring gear, mounts, sea vessels, mercenaries, specialists, and (eventually!) castles and strongholds.

44 pages 

I was comped a PDF copy for review purposes. Yes, there are affiliate links above. Keep the taps flowing and the lights burning at The Tavern. Thank you :)

On Secret Doors and Why I Detest Them

Secret doors. Almost every dungeon has them. I simply detest them.

It was recently asked why there were no mechanics for secret doors in Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light and the simple answer is it never even occurred to me. That is how much I dislike them. It wasn't even a conscious omission ;)

I find secret doors to be an overused obstacle. Just how many does a single dungeon level need?

My problem with secret doors is that they are a potential show stopper that even with good play from your players, the dice can decide the door is never found. What lies behind? For all intents and purposes it never existed if the dice decide it was never found

Concealed doors? Now THAT is something I can get behind. Look behind that armoire. Why are there curtains on this wall? What's under this rug? Good play will reveal with concealed doors what dice may otherwise steal with secret doors.

Besides, I never understood elves uncanny ability to see secret doors when others can't...

Sex Offenders and the Gaming Youth - Wherein I Comment on the Current Story

You can't miss the headline - Magic: The Gathering Has a Pedophile Problem That No One Wants to Acknowledge. Now, I know it's Milo's website, so I expect sensationalism, but the reality is there is NOTHING in the article that surprises me.

Where underage children are hanging out, those that prey on underage children will be hunting. When I was a kid, pedophiles hung out in arcades. Heck, some worked in arcades. These days, its gaming stores.

Some common sense would help store owners and Hasbro and the gaming communities they serve.

First, every state has a sex offender registry. Whether its a new employee or some volunteer organizer, get their basic info and check your state's sex offender registry. Ground ball. Its not going to catch all, but it will catch many.

Do a google search for news stories using the basic info you've already gathered. Need to be careful with this one, as you may get false hits, especially with more common names.

Most states allow you to check their correctional system records online for those that have served prior time. Personally, I wouldnt want a convicted felon interacting with children, but if the time was served for a sexual or violent offense you really can't allow it IMHO.

If children are the future of our hobby, we need to do all that we can to protect them from those that will use the hobby to abuse them.

Swords & Wizardry Super Bundle - Over $300 in S&W PDFs for $25 ($5 and $13 bundles too)

Wow. So yeah, the 5e Humble Bundle was very nice but the Swords & Wizardry Super Bundle from the Frogs is damn sweet too. I do think I already own it all in print and PDF though ;)

Here's what you get for 5 bucks ($106 retail) Tier 1:

Quests of Doom 1 - retail $30.00
The Borderlands Provinces - retail $14.00
Tome of Horrors 4 - retail $17.00
The Mother of All Encounter Tables - retail $20.00
Rogues of Remballo - retail $5.00
Adventures in the Borderlands -$17.00

At 13 bucks you get to add (another $65 retail) Tier 2:

Monstrosities - retail $25.00
Quests of Doom 3 - retail $15.00
The Borderland Provinces Gazetteer - $5.00
The Borderland Provinces Players Guide - $5.00
The Borderland Provinces Journey Generator - $5.00
Strange Bedfellows - $10.00

25 bucks adds the rest (another $142 retail) Tier 3:

Digital Maps - retail $20.00
Hex Crawl Chronicles Volumes 1-7 - retail $35.00
Chuck's Dragons - retail $15.00
Swords and Wizardry Card Decks - retail $42.00
Tome of Horrors Complete - retail $30.00

If nothing else, 5 bucks gives you years of material for your Swords & Wizardry Campaign. Its also a very low cost buy in for the Lost Lands setting. 2018 will be a big year for the Lost Lands from what I hear.

Yes, I swim in the Frog's pond these days. Doesn't make this deal any less of a deal. Look at it this way - you could get Tome of Horrors Complete at a 5 buck discount and consider all of the rest a gift with purchase ;)

Dungeon Crawl Classics: RPG Starter Box (preorder) Rulebook, 7 adventures, more - Suggested Retail - 100 Bucks (or less)

God bless The Taverners. When multiple eyes are always checking in the nooks and crannies, you never know what they may find.

Here's the link to the DCC RPG Starter Box preorder

This limited-edition DCC RPG Starter Box is only available while supplies last! It includes a special edition of the DCC RPG core book, printed with gilded edges, thumb tabs, and a dust jacket. In addition, the boxed set contains 7 adventure modules, plus stickers, a character record folio, character sheets, and more. All is packaged in a sturdy corrugated cardboard box custom-printed with the DCC RPG logo. This is a complete "campaign in a box,"

Suggested retail is $100. Preorder through above is $70.

I find nothing about it on the Goodman Games site.

I'm Swimming In Emails - OSR Santa Needs a Holiday

Alright, to the best of my knowledge, all of the outstanding OSR Christmas emails have been addressed / forwarded / SWCL ordered / etc. I say to the best of my knowledge as it is possible someone / something was missed.

There are some unclaimed gifts. Gifts still unclaimed as of January 12th, 2018 will be forfeited. Sorry, OSR Santa can be a biatch at times.

Frog God gift recipients will be having their info forwarded this weekend.

I have one thing to mail out that is not coming from Amazon - that will require a trip to the post office. That will be in the later half of next week. I'll need to dig my car out (no mail deliver the past 2 days)

If you haven't received an email from me AND your gift isnt coming from the Frogs, email me again. Damn, I probably should check the spam folder.

Now, on to reviews this weekend, as I'll be mostly stuck home with a foot plus of plowed snow keeping my car in place and single digit temperatures keeping my travels very close to home ;)

Matt Finch interviews Wolfgang Baur - Midgard Setting for S&W Officially Announced

I've been following Kobold Press since before the now defunct Kobold Quarterly. They were an early innovator of crowdfunding and its exciting to see their Midgard setting getting a Swords & Wizardry Guidebook (PDF is $5 for the PDF and $15 for the softcover - use this link and go to the bottom of the page if you are interested in placing an order - https://midgard-campaign-setting-dark-roads-and-deep-magic.backerkit.com/hosted_preorders )

Release is set for March 2017 2018 (damn year change)

Oh, the interview with Wolfgang is pretty good too ;)

If you missed it, Matt and my conversation is linked to the left... hint... hint

State of The Tavern - Snow, Emails, Videos and More

The Tavern was hit with about 12" of snow yesterday, not including drifting snow with the high winds for the storm that wasn't officially a blizzard. The side of the street I'm parked on is the side the plows pushed the snow. With single digit temps in the forecast, I don't expect to dig my car out until the first half of next week. I owe a physical copy the Midderlands from OSR Christmas - at best it will ship Wednesday, maybe later in the week. I don't fair well in sub zero wind chills. Call me a sissy :)

I am almost caught up on emails from OSR Christmas but not fully. Yesterday was lost to snow and shoveling (and sleeping until 1135 AM this morning due to - shoveling) My niece is off from school and is here - and staying the night. Hopefully emails are caught up tonight after she goes to bed. I'm working on this post in the midst of "uncleing" ;)

There are plans to kick off a fairly regular video series. There are certain releases - +Rob Conley 's CSIO maps is a perfect example - that really need more than just a text post to do them justice. I'm hoping to kick that off this weekend. Lets see if "Pinky" cooperates.

I've got plans for The Tavern in 2018 and more video posting is just a small part of that. I'd like to get an active series of guest posters (each once a week or so) and things are in the works but there is no time frame to kick it off. When its ready, its ready.

Alright. Back to uncleing. Duty calls...

What Exactly Happened to Remove The RPGPundit's Latest Release from RPGNow?

In case you missed it, the RPGPundit's Lion & Dragon RPG got delisted and then re-listed at RPGNow, initially losing is "Copper" seller status, issuing it a new link and certainly losing its place on the Best Sellers list (currently at #28 - it was Top 10 prior.) You can read the Pundit's post on it here.

So, what happened?

According to The Pundit, OBS said when The Pundit's publisher uploaded the file to be published, there was  "some kind of an 'error'." They said 'the system' mistook some prototype page for the real page we'd been using all month, and that now it couldn't be switched back and the old page was lost.
At first they gave us a new page with no pdf option, without our copper status. After some gentle shouting and threats on my part, they restored the copper button."

I've only uploaded three products to OBS's servers for sale. As far as I know, there is only one way to do it. Assuming that is the case, it wasn't an error on the publisher's part but on the end of OBS.

Question - Has this happened with other publishers? Has this happened to you?

Now, The Pundit thinks this was an act of intentional sabotage over his anti-censorship stance. If you are going to go that route, you may as well throw in his right wing political stances into the mix too. I don't see the evidence for either. Not saying The Pundit is wrong, I just don't see the hard evidence.

There IS some hard evidence to take from this and The Pundit made the observation himself:

They restored my copper bestseller status (though now that we know they can fiddle with the numbers who's to say that they won't be secretly keeping me from reaching Silver or higher, or for that matter that games that have reached to high positions like that got a "little help" for being ideologically correct??) - emphasis mine

I've already asked OBS in the past about certain sales numbers and rankings I felt didn't add up. Their answer was plausible but this observation from the Pundit is making me think. Its certainly something to keep an eye on.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Keep the taps flowing here at The Tavern with your patronage.

Reminder - Tavern Chat - 9PM Eastern - Welcome to the Year 2018

New Year. More Chat!

Tonight is the first Tavern Chat of 2018.

When: 9 PM Eastern

Where: The Tenkar's Channel Discord Channel
https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

I'm thinking of adding an off time once a month Tavern Chat to accommodate those that that work off hours - Europe - Aussies and Kiwis. Weekdays of weekends? Let me know.

And if you somehow can't get enough of your favorite bartender, watch myself and +matt finch discuss all things OSR...

Almost Caught Up with OSR Christmas - Almost

This morning I started emailing folks that are receiving  gifts as well as gift givers from the 12th Day of OSR Christmas (and days 11, 10, 9 and some others) - Hopefully I'll get to the rest later this afternoon. +Pete Spahn , I probably filled your email box ;)

Note, if you are receiving a gift from Frog God Games, Zach is on vacation this week - info will be forwarded this weekend.

Thanks to all for your patience.

Tenkar

So, ConManKen DID NOT Buy a Store? Color Me NOT Surprised

With the New Year the entertainment from #ConManKen is simply priceless, Well, Marcus the Enabler is certainly skilled too and together they are simply gold.

Gotta love it when Marcus expects the blowback right from the start.

Remember when Marcus was going to sell close his second location at the end of last July?

Then Marcus decided to sell it instead (after clearing dead inventory from both store and selling it as clearance in the soon to close store - allegedly)

Then Ken bought the store...

for no money down at that. Little Monster is the new name of the store under Ken's watch - I mean ownership - or is it simply management?

See, look at the first screenshot. "He (Ken Whitman) is the manager of a store in Kentucky" - emphasis is mine. The follow up to that screenshot is priceless as Ken's rep is apparently well known and hasn't gotten better with age (i have more screenshots), but I'm more concerned that Marcus would attempt to add Ken to a Facebook Group for hobby store owners and yet introduce Ken as a manager.

It brings up some interesting questions:

Who REALLY owns Little Monster?

Who actually runs Little Monster?

Did Marcus retain defacto control of the shop when he "sold" it to Ken for "no money down"?

If Ken doesn't own the shop, why make it look like he does?

What are the tax implications?

RPGNow Deal of the Day - Bard's Gate (5e - Frog God Games)

Let me give you a small piece of inside information on Bard's Gate. Your humble bartender was approached to write a small entry for an establishment that would have effectively been Tenkar's Tavern. While I agreed without hesitation, the events in my personal life at the time (especially my impending retirement and crazy work hours) kept me from accomplishing what was needed. Who do you turn to in such a predicament? None other than +James Spahn . So, when you read the entry for what is effectively Tenkar's Tavern, know who it was that pulled my butt from the fire...

Oh, needless to say I think its one of the best Frog God releases ever, and I have nearly all and there are few that aren't readily available on my nearby desk shelf, waiting to be used or referenced. It has nothing to do with The Tavern being within the city walls. Well, maybe a wee nit ;)

There are also a crap ton of Easter Eggs within for those that know personas in the gaming community, past and present. NPCs, locations, streets - many names will look familiar and even their placement often has a hidden meaning.

Anyway, today's RPGNow Deal of the Day is for the 5e PDF of Bard's Gate. Currently $100 for the Print version and $40 for the PDF version at the Frog God Store, for the next 24 hours (well, slightly less as I'm typing this) you can snag the 5e PDF of Bard's Gate for $8.04 at RPGNow.

Can you use this readily with an OSR ruleset? I think so. I find setting material to be easier to convert on the fly than adventures (and i convert those on the fly too, so maybe I am not the one to talk ;)

City of the Lyre  

Established centuries ago as little more than a ferry for travelers between the ancient cities of Tsen in the north and Remenos and Curgantium in the west, over the years Bard’s Gate has grown from a small river crossing tended by a pig farmer into an important center of learning and trade. The city is famed far and wide as a bastion of the arts that welcomes bards, performers, writers, artists and crafters of all sorts. It is a beacon of civilization and a pillar of the western world.Yet this citadel of enlightenment is also threatened by dark forces — gnolls and orcs from the Stoneheart Mountains, cults of evil gods lurking within and without, and the machinations of rivals and allies alike threaten the city daily, for the very freedom that draws artists and musicians from around the world also allows evil to flourish.  

City of Adventures  

While Bard’s Gate serves as a cornerstone for The Lost Lands, it is also a fully-developed fantasy city that can be used in any campaign. A wide range of businesses and shops, churches and temples, homes, taverns, inns and other locations are described in detail, ready made for your ease of use. Bard’s Gate is filled with unique NPCs, from the most influential leaders and wealthiest merchants on high to the lowliest beggar living in the gutter.After a decade of playability, with the associated stories, tall tales, lies, and legends, Frog God Games presents you with the updated and reimagined The Lost Lands: Bard’s Gate. In striking full-color, and more than doubling the size of the original, The Lost Lands: Bard’s Gate details hundreds of individual locations and NPCs, gives an overview of the Lyre Valley and a complete history of the city, and quadruples the number of adventures that were found in the original, raising the total to 8. The adventures contained within are suitable for player characters of 1st level to 10th and even beyond. More than 20 pages of random encounter tables and descriptions give additional unique opportunities to fine-tune the city to your tastes. The Lost Lands: Bard’s Gate is not just for The Lost Lands campaign setting, it is designed with enough flexibility to be used in any campaign. Whoever you may be, whether prince or pauper, if you are a seeker of adventure, Bard’s Gate welcomes you!

I swim in the Frog's Pond these days, but I'm barely a pollywog. James Spahn is a damn good friend of mine and not just because he pulled my ass from the fire. Neither makes this anything less than the amazing deal it is. Yes, that's an affiliate link above. Affiliate sales are the magic that keeps the taps flowing here at The Tavern.

Frog God Games Clearance Sale - Stoneheart Valley - Print plus PDF - $12.99 (S&W and PF)

New Year. New Sales.

Frog God Games has put Stoneheart Valley on sale for $12.99 in Print with the PDF included (choose between the Swords & Wizardry and Pathfinder versions - as if there truly is any choice ;)

Finally, welcome to the World of Necromancer Games! From Bill Webb and Clark Peterson's home campaign comes the old-school setting of The Lost Lands: Stoneheart Valley. For over a decade, fans of Necromancer Games and Frog God Games have been asking to see the world behind the adventures. And at long last, here is where it all began, in the Stoneheart Valley near the town of Fairhill. This mini-campaign was originally presented to the fans of Necromancer Games in three separate modules: "The Wizard's Amulet", "The Crucible of Freya", and "The Tomb of Abysthor". Frog God Games has taken the full series from the 3E version plus supplemental material previously available only online, and converted it all to the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game system and the Swords & Wizardry Complete ruleset. 

Weighing in at 192 pages for Pathfinder (retail $32.99), and 144 pages for the Swords & Wizardry Complete rules (retail $29.99), this new product is the first offering in The Lost Lands setting, coming from Frog God Games. Expanded, enhanced, and providing hours and hours of adventure, this hardbound book is intended for characters of levels 1-8 (and beyond), including dungeon, wilderness and city encounters.

Matt Finch Interviews Your's Truly for Old School Gaming Radio

I'm actually nervous sharing this. Not a lot nervous, just a little. You see, when I do podcasts, we have a general idea where the conversation is going to go and I am not the focus. With +Matt Finch I really didn't know where the conversation was going to go and i WAS the focus.

We did I have fun, that's for sure. I haven't watched it yet so I can't tell you whether it went well or not, but shit - it had Matt and that's about all a video needs to have for success.

Watch the video. Subscribe to the channel. Hit the website - Old School Gamer Radio. Tell Matt that "Tenkar sent you" ;)

Far West - Six Years Late and Still Not Done - Seven Months of Silence from Gareth (but not on Twitter)

Can you believe it? Six years have passed since Gareth's completion date for Far West. Six fucking years. I wish I had spent my $150 on something more useful, like a toilet paper / sand paper combo Kickstarter or some such.

Last Update from "an Icon in the RPG Industry?"

Weeks, months, years - really, what does it all mean when you tweet every day (and multiple tweets at that) but don't even attempt to live up to your financial obligations? Get your head out of the sand and man up Gareth!

Yeah, this is NOT the man I'd ever want to do business with in the future.

Now, about that pre-ordered Buckaroo Bonzai RPG I heard about...

The Tenkar's Tavern 2018 Predictions From the Privy Scrying Pool

Last day of 2017. Time to wake up the Grumpy Dwarf from his winter nap and lead him to the Tavern's Scrying Pool, complete with runoff from the privy. Ignore the floating feces please...

Look yass lazy bastitches - I know the first two are the same as last year - doesn't mean they wont come true yet again - Grumpy

1 - Far West WILL NOT RELEASE IN 2018! It will not release in a box. It will not release on a dock. It will not redeem a career. It will not do anything I fear. No, Far West is something I no longer held dear - The Grumpy Seuss 

2 - The Gygax Memorial Fund won't look any different than 2017. or 2016. or 2015. No bricks will be sold, no groundwork will be laid, no call to arms and no audit. Why fix something that's broken? 

3 - Paizo will find that the Pathfinder money cow is running dry and that the Starfinder money cow was not as large as hoped. Prepare for SuperFinder and GangFinder, their Supers and Gangbusters attempts to kill a dead horse.

4 - Steve Jackson Games will announce the GURPS SciFi Boxed Set Kickstarter for early 2019. Unlike Paizo's StarFinder, it will actually, honest to God be Sci-Fi.

5 - Frog God Games will announce a new megadungeon - Rats in the Athuk. It will ship with counters for 2,000 coppers.

6 - Goodman Games and Steve Jackson Games will jointly publish the Dungeon Crawl Classics Munchkin Card Game. The cards will be cut for three, seven and fourteen corners.

7 - The Tavern will livestream the writing of each blog post. This will be followed by tears of blood from viewers.

8 - ConMan Ken will NOT enjoy 2018 and doctors STILL won't be able to diagnose CTE on a living subject. Self diagnosis STILL won't be valid.

9 - You know that "big" announcement about the Transformers Guy and the Gygax IP from 2016? It will still be just a story in 2018.

10- Your Bartender will have a busy year in 2018. Busy but content. Oh, and beer.

A Look at The Tavern's 2017 Predictions from the Scrying Pool with Privy Runnoff

Yep, its time to look back at the predictions made on December 31, 2016 for 2017. This should be interesting.

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

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

1 - Far West WILL NOT RELEASE IN 2017! It will not release in a box. It will not release on a dock. It will not redeem a career. It will not do anything I fear - The Grumpy Seuss - Well, this was a ground ball - fuck, we dont even have an update since may 2017

2 - Con Man Ken will move YET AGAIN! You read it here first. The man has had more addresses than a Hunt's Point Hooker has tricks on New Year's Eve (and at least the hooker will give you what you paid for) - Ken is - allegedly - living in the stock room of "his" comic book store. 

3 - The Gygax Memorial Fund won't look any different than 2016. or 2015. No bricks will be sold, no groundwork will be laid, no call to arms and no audit. Why fix something that's broken? - Apparently, no audit will be done and 2016 tax returns won't be posted either - ah, you've gotta love ground balls

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

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

6 - Swords & Wizardry Light will spawn other pared down rulesets in the OSR. Light Labyrinth Lord (LLL), Mini OSRIC (MOSRIC), Tiny Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (TASSH) are just a few examples. - Well, it did influence the DCC RPQ Quickstart. Never saw that coming.

7 - Frog God Games will absorb Kobold Press. The first release of the expanded company will be a 550 page Pathfinder release, 500 page D&D 5e release, 350 page Swords & Wizardry release of the mega-dungeon Klomoring Kobolds of Doom for levels 1 to 12. The Pathfinder version will be rated IIIA by the NIJ when worn in a backpack, the 5e version IIA and the S&W version I. - Heh - not absorbed, but certainly siblings of sorts these days, going as far to "share" a Humble Bundle

8 - Starfinder will release from Paizo. Grogs will be disappointed that your character can't die during character generation. They will be further disappointed when they find their characters can't die during play. - It certainly released to less excitement and more falling apart core books than expected.

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

10 - The Tavern will appear in one version or another in many different mediums. Er, wait, this is already happening... We added a Discord Server :)

Actually, we did pretty well considering many of these predictions were made - at least in part - in jest. I'll put up the 2018 list later today.

2017 in Review - The Tavern, Continual Light and You

I must say, 2017 was one hell of a ride.

In no particular order: we launched a Discord Server (now with over 300 members), published our first small publications (Pocket Creatures 1 and 2), released Swords & Wizardry Continual Light as a Limited Beta, then a Revised Beta, followed by a PDF release on OneBookShelf (and a Copper Ranking on RPGNow) and a Print release on Amazon.

Ran a nice handful of sessions of SWCL at my FLGS and had a blast.

All together, Swords & Wizardry Continual Light has sold over 1k copies - 852 in PDF and 192 in print - and that doesn't include the 50 signed copies brought to GameHole Con and the 6 proof copies. All since mid October. That success lies firmly in your hands.

The Tavern's Facebook Community hit over 2k members before it was 2 years old. Yep, you guessed it. You again.

2018 promises to be even more awesome. Details will come soon enough. Its enough to keep me busy and excited in the coming year. I hope you'll share the excitement with me.

Thanks to everyone that reads, comments, listens to the weekly Tavern Chats, pipes in to the chats, drops into the Facebook community - each and every one of you has literally made my year. I feared that retiring from my regular employment would leave my sense of community with a bit of a hole, but that hasn't been the case at all. I couldn't ask for a more welcoming, kinder community to be a part of.

Thank you. Thank you all.

Your Humble Bartender,

Erik Tenkar

OSR Christmas - The Final Gifting - 2017

Yep, its Saturday, December 30th. I wish I could say I've caught up on all pending emails but that is NOT the case. We are actually looking at 1 to 3 inches of snow in NYC today, so I'll be shoveling the cold stuff later. Sigh.

But its STILL OSR Christmas here at The Tavern and there are still gifts to give :)

So, here we go:

Print Copy of Dice Roll Zine - Omnusl

PDF Copy of Dice Roll Zine - Erik Jensen

4 - copies of The Midderlands in PDF each with The Midderlands Additions in PDF - Evan Lindsey, Jake Parker, Michael Gross and Wolfgang Coe

4 - copies of The Demon Stones (Swords & Wizardry version) in PDF  - grayhawkbard, Josh Beckelhimer, Tony T, Pete V. Dell'Orto

1 - White Star Galaxy Edition PDF - Jason Vines

1 - The Hero's Journey PDF - Jan Egil Bjune

1 - $20 Gift Certificate to the Frog God Store - Chance Phillips
                       
1 - $10 Gift Certificates to the Frog God Store - Jeremy Smith

1 - Supergame: Super-Powered RPG (Classic Reprint) in PDF - goeticgeek

3 - Copies Wizardry Unearthed in PDF - Mike Bauer, Denis McCarthy and faoladh

1 - Copy Swords & Wizardry Continual Light in Print - Stu Ordona

1 - Orb of Undying Discord in PDF and 1 Copy of tSilver Bulette's next release (PDF) - V.A.

The above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing. Put "I've Been Gifted" in the subject and tell me Day 12 and the gift in the body of the email - if its a gift in print a mailing address will be required ;)

Phew! I hope to have all of this sorted shortly after the New Year.

Thanks to all that donated, all that participated and to everyone that has visited The Tavern over the past year. Remember, its YOUR Tavern. Participate in our Facebook and Discord communities. They are there for all of us to connect and share.

One Dollar Stock Art Sale - Fat Goblin Games - Limited Time

From an email I just got from Fat Goblin Games:

Hey Everyone, for the last few days we have been selling stock art at the mad price of $1. This is to raise some funds for a woman battling stage 4 cancer with a son, the mother of one of our team members. This is the last chance to get this art and help out. We won't be having sales like these in 2018, and will be focusing on new methods of charity. So, if you need art, make sure to stock up (that is a pun). You have until tomorrow, and then I switch all the prices back. Seriously.

Here's the links:

Main Links: http://www.rpgnow.com/browse/pub/3865/Fat-Goblin-Games/subcategory/7767_9508/Publishers-Choice-Quality-Stockart&affiliate_id=1446


http://www.rpgnow.com/browse/pub/3865/Fat-Goblin-Games/subcategory/7767_25088/Publishers-Choice-Subscriptions&affiliate_id=1446

Maps link: http://www.rpgnow.com/browse/pub/3865/Fat-Goblin-Games/subcategory/7767_27373/Elven-Tower-Cartography?affiliate_id=1446

Those are affiliate links above. Help keep the taps flowing :)

Announcement - OldSchoolGamerRadio.com is Live

Its official. Old School Gamer Radio dot com went live this afternoon shortly after 4PM Eastern time.

+Matt Finch , +Zach Glazar and +Jim Wampler did a livestream to make the announcement and answer related questions.

If The Tavern is one of the main social hubs of the OSR (Matt and I had this discussion earlier today - that video will go up on Monday, January 2) OldSchoolGamerRadio.com aims to be the media hub. Its where you will go to find blogs, podcasts, vidcasts and more - all linked in one place. Really, you should visit it to see how it works. It worth the trip.

I'm excited as all hell, because anything that puts eyes on the OSR is a good thing. There are many sources of info for OSR gamers but few ways to track it all down - OldSchoolGamerRadio.com should fill that gap.

+Matt Finch also mentioned his Swords of Jordoba liveplay S&W campaign. Its an online vidcast that doesn't use a virtual table top but an actual table with terrain, dungeon walls and minis.

Cool stuff.

Anyhow, OldSchoolGamerRadio will only be as good as you make it. Matt and his team needs links - to blogs, podcasts, vidcasts, forums, Discord Channels and the like. It will only be as "complete" as you help make it.

Want to help support OldSchoolGamerRadio? The Patreon is here: https://www.patreon.com/mattfinch

Want to help support the Swords of Jordoba liveplay S&W campaign? The Patreon is here:
https://www.patreon.com/Jordoba

Reminder - Uncle Matt's D&D Studio - 2018: Year of the OSR Livestream - 4PM Eastern

See? I told you I'd find the link ;)

This afternoon at 4PM Eastern, +Matt Finch and +Zach Glazar will be streaming live at 4 PM Eastern. The topic will be 2018: Year of the OSR.

Use the link above and abuse them... er... chat with them as they livestream.

I'll be there. Heck, I just finished recording an episode of Old School Gamer Radio with Matt minutes ago (should be up on Monday)

Its noon. Time for lunch...

Looking for a List of OSR Discord Servers

The RPG Pundit asked over at The Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server if one could search for servers by type or topic on Discord and I haven't found an effective way to do so.

Aside from the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server and the Frog God Discord Server, I don't really know of any other Discord Servers for old school gaming or even tabletop RPGs in general.

If you know of any, please add them to the comments below. If you have an invite link to the server / servers in question, please include them too.

I'll make sure the collected info is forwarded to Old School Gaming Radio.

Invite link to the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server:

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

Invite link to the Frog God Games Discord Server:

https://discord.gg/ecjnPaH

Tomorrow - Matt Finch & Zach Glazar - Livestream - 4 Eastern, 3 Central - 2018: Year of the OSR

Giving a quick heads up on this as I suspect there will be a number of announcements included - perhaps even about Old School Gamer Radio. You know - the Kickstarter. Can't wait for my hat :)

+Matt Finch and +Zach Glazar will be doing a livestream on Youtube tomorrow starting at 4 PM Eastern / 3 PM Central about upcoming plans and projects for next year. They are calling it 2018: Year of the OSR.

I plan to watch it live an abuse both via live chat. Why don't you join me? ;)

I'll do a followup post tomorrow afternoon complete with link to the livestream the moment I get the link but I wanted to make sure folks knew to look for it.

New Release - White Box Arcana (Swords & Wizardry)

Just in time for the New Year we have a new White Box release from none other than +James Spahn :

White Box Arcana

Magic-users are more than just fragile spell-slingers! With White Box Arcana you'll bring new options to your arcane apprentices and exceptional archmages! Inside this 32-page supplement you'll find all kinds of simple, yet exciting resources to your magic-user, including:

• Latent Spellcasters: Now other classes can have a touch of the arcane!
• Arcane Duels: Complete rules for wizard duels to decide who is master of the magic arts!
• Stronghold Construction: Build a laboratory, design a library, or head-up a magical academy!
• New Spells: Everything from binding familiars and creating magic items, to walking the planes of existence and breathing dragon fire! Over 30 new spells!
• New Magic Items: Over 25 new magic items to add to your campaign!

White Box Arcana clocks in at 32 pages and is priced at $1.99

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Affiliate links keep the lights on and the taps flowing here at The Tavern.

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - No Rest for the Wicked

It's been a busy month at The Tenkar Household and needless to say the holidays haven't slowed anything down. Accomplished absolutely nothing with my niece spending the night and day and night... at least she's having a blast :)

Anyhow, tonight is Tavern Chat! Huzzah!

What is Tavern Chat? I've been told it is quite like an unscripted gaming podcast recorded live - except that we don't record and if you miss it you have literally missed it. We don't have scheduled guests but we do have some regulars (and irregulars) that take part in the chat.

All you need are headphones (or speakers) to log in and listen. I mic helps if you want to join the voice chat.

We also use a text chat channel for additional conversations, links, pics, videos and the like.

Here's the link to The Tenkar's Tavern Live Discord Server:

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

"Open Bar" is where the voice happens:

tavern-chat-wed-9pm is where the text takes place for the night:

The common-room is where the daily text chat takes place.

Tavern Chat is Tonight from 9PM Eastern until "whenever".

Steve Jackson Games regains rights to The Fantasy Trip RPG

There's an announcement today over at Steve Jackson Games regarding Steve's earlier work for Metagaming and The Fantasy Trip RPG:

At the beginning of my career, long before GURPS, I created a roleplaying game called The Fantasy Trip. For decades, the rights have been held by Metagaming, a publisher which is no longer in operation. I'm very pleased to announce that I have regained the eight TFT releases that I wrote myself: Melee, Wizard, Death Test, Death Test 2, Advanced Melee, Advanced Wizard, In the Labyrinth, and Tollenkar's Lair.

Head over to Steve Jackson Games for more info (and an opportunity to discuss on the forums)