Deal of the Day - ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG - 3 Bucks

If you are one of the handful of people that have not yet grabbed a copy of the ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG, here's your chance to get it for three bucks.

For the next 12 hours, ZWEIHÄNDER is the Deal of the Day.

"ZWEIHÄNDER Grim & Perilous RPG is a retro-clone spiritual successor to Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay first and second editions, an unrepentant OSR 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

This 692 page, 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."

It sure seems like May is "sale month" at RPGNow. Yep, an affiliate link is above. Time to get back to more news, gaming content and #ConManKen ;)

Amazing $20 Bundle - $144 Value - Summer Indie Game Expo

That's right, $144 worth of gaming goodness for 20 bucks in the Summer Indie Game Expo Bundle (PDF). What titles are included in the bundle?

• WWII: Operation WhiteBox -  is an homage to these heroes, both living and fallen
• Midlands Low Magic Sandbox Setting - 365 pages of low magic, low prep, customisable sandbox, in a “points of light” medieval fantasy realm
• The Hero's Journey - James Spahn's classic OSR rules
• Polyhedral Dungeon - Play classic dungeon crawls with a flexible unified system that’s easy to learn
• Coin & Blood - old school fantasy roleplaying game with a twist... ...a twist of the knife
• Kaigaku Premium Edition - Kaigaku brings dramatic samurai action back to your tabletop
• 4Saken - Horror gaming that’s easy and exciting
• A Festival of Blades: A Cavaliers of Mars Jumpstart - Return now to dying Mars in its last age of glory
• Blood & Bile - Blood & Bile is a narrative, lightweight RPG of emergent storytelling
• CAPERS Preview Edition - A Super-Powered Game of 1920s Gangsters
• Murders & Acquisitions - puts you smack dab in the middle of a cut-throat corporation in an absurd, alternate version of our world where literally anything goes in terms of corporate advancement
• PERK Core Rulebook - a low-cost, rules-lite role playing system with in-depth strategy and a huge array of character options
• The Secret of Vinsen's Tomb: A Pugmire Jumpstart - A cat living in Pugmire disappears, but neither the police dogs nor the cats of the Cat Quarter know why
• vs. Ghosts - a roleplaying game in which players suit up to battle strange hauntings in their neighborhoods while dealing with the mundane non-believers that try to prevent you from doing your job
• Doodle Dice Monsters -a dice game in which players make doodles of monsters and then use dice to give those monsters abilities
• and more!

That's an affiliate link above. Keep the lights on and the taps flowing :)

The First Five Maps and Guidebook for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy is Available for Sale

Rob Conley, in association with Judges Guild, has just released the first five maps and guidebook for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. If you backed the Kickstarter, check your email for a project update with backer links.

Now, this release is available in both PDF and Print on Demand.

The Wilderlands of High Fantasy, Revised Guidebook is $4.99 in PDF, $5.99 in Print plus PDF

The Wilderlands of High Fantasy, Color Maps is $9.99 in PDF, $14.99 in Print plus PDF (note: The PDF for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy Guidebook is included in this product. You only need to buy the separate guidebook if you want a print copy of the guidebook.)

There is a FREE Preview PDF that gives a sample map and some tables from the full releases. Download the Wilderlands of High Fantasy Preview PDF here. If you do nothing else, snag the preview. It is well worth your time to peruse. Heck, you basically get one of the 5 maps and all the charts to go with it.

Prior Release: City State of the Invincible Overlord, Color Map is $7.99 in PDF, $9.98 in Print plus PDF

In 1976, Bob Bledsaw and Bill Owen went into business as Judges Guild. Their initial offering was centered on a magnificent 34" by 44" map of the City State of Invincible Overlord. First appearing at Gen Con IX, it was sold literally out of the trunk of a car during the convention. 

This map launched Judges Guild which began working on even more ambitious project, the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. This became an ambitious project of 18 22" by 17" maps covering a total area 800 miles from west to east, and 1,000 miles from north to south. Each individual map was divided into 5 miles hexes covering an area of 260 miles west to east, and 170 miles from north to south. 

Now forty years later those maps have been redrawn in full color. These maps preserves the original detail and applies known errata and corrections. Each was drawn as part of single 6 foot by 8 foot map encompassing the entire Wilderlands then subdivided and cropped.
These maps are not a scanned images of the original but have been redrawn from scratch. The guidebook is also not a scanned image but has been relaid out from the original text with errata and corrections applied. 

The Wilderlands of High Fantasy Guidebook 

This product contains a 24 page Guidebook for the five maps of the Wilderlands of High Fantasy. The books has an introduction and commentary by Robert S. Conley who has used the Wilderlands as his main fantasy campaign for nearly forty years. Each map is detailed with the following listings: Villages, Castles & Citadels, Idyllic Isles, Ruins & Relics, and Lurid Lairs. 

This product contains: 

5 PDFs of the following 22" by 17" maps: City State of the Invincible Overlord Map One, Barbarian Altanis Map Two, Glow-Worm Steppes Map Three, Tarantis Map Four, and Valon Map Five. 

1 PDF of the Wilderlands of High Fantasy Guidebook. 

The print option adds the following: 

Ten overlapping full scale maps of each half of the maps. 

You can read Rob's post at Bat in the Attic here.

Those are definitely affiliate links above. If you wish to keep The Tavern going strong while doing what you already do, please use our affiliate links prior to shopping at RPGNow and the rest of the OneBookShelf sister sites. It really does mean a lot and I thank you.

Sale - Everything Dolmenwood (Print + PDF Bundle)

I saw this mentioned on the Gamers & Grognards blog and I thought I'd share it, as its rare to see print products at OneBookShelf get discounted.

The Everything Dolmenwood Bundle gives you The Weird That Befell Drigbolton and 8 issues of Wormskin, in print and PDF, for $53.91.

Now, although the bundle counts the PDFs as having extra value and claims a discount from a total value of $123.42, the PDFs are included in the price of print copies purchased individually.

What you ARE looking at is a discount of a little more than 25% (if my mental math is right) on the print + PDF price and that is a HUGE discount none the less.

If all you want from the Everything Dolemwood Bundle is the PDFs, the discount is 40%.

I've really enjoyed the handful of Wormskins I've gotten my hands on and this offer is damn tempting.

Aye, that's an affiliate link above. Keep the taps flowing and the lights on at The Tavern when you shop using The Tavern's affiliate links.

Your Humble Bartender was Interviewed by Vince Florio for his The Roots of Evil Youtube Series

What can I say - I look like a goof. But heh, most of my readers already knew that.

In any case, go watch the video and subscribe to Vince's Youtube channel.

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern

Whenever I think I know which way the discussion on Tavern Chat is going to trend, I tend to be wrong. This week, I literally have no clue ;)

Tavern Chat is tonight at 9 PM Eastern. Conveniently held on The Tavern's Discord server. The chat is mostly by voice although there is an associated text channel. Lurkers are always welcome :)

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

Bundle of Holding - HackMaster 5e

To go along with yesterday's Bundle of Holding Post (KotDT) we now share with you the HackMaster 5e Bundle of Holding. HM 4e was the AD&D 2e riff that was a fun reimagining. (read the Wikipedia article for the history of how Hackmaster came to be) I dont have much experience with HackMaster 5e.

$12.95 gets you in the door. About $28 bucks gets you the rest of the collection. Somewhere I have a print copy of HM Basic (the first 5 levels of HM 5e) but again, I don't have experience with the system.

Bundle of Holding - Knights of the Dinner Table

At times like this, I remember about the large stack of unread copies of Knights of the Dinner Table I have waiting to be read. That being said, I love the early issues and the convenience of PDFs that can be read in bed on my tablet is certainly tempting me.

The Bonus Collection is currently priced at just under 21 bucks. Decisions decisions...

"Hoody-hoo! This all-new Knights of the Dinner Bundle brings you PDF e-comics featuring the longest-running and most successful comic strip in tabletop roleplaying game history, Knights of the Dinner Table by Jolly Blackburn. This bargain-priced offer from Kenzer and Company gives you literally thousands of pages from KoDT's entire 28-year-run. In every issue, the players in B. A. Felton's HackMaster campaign find so many devious new ways to torment their Gamemaster, you'll say "They're just like my players!" 

For just US$9.95 you get all nine comics collections in this offer's Starter Collection (retail value $86) as DRM-free .PDF comics, including the first five KoDT Bundle of Trouble compilations (reprinting KoDT issues #1-15), all three Tales from the Vault collections of scarce early strips, and the first volume of The CattlePunk Chronicles, Outlaw Trail. 

And if you pay more than this offer's threshold price of $20.85, you'll level up and also get this offer's entire Bonus Collection with eight more titles worth an additional $85, including KoDT Bundle of Trouble Volumes 6 through 10 (collecting KoDT issues #16-30); the second CattlePunk Chronicles collection, Four Herdsmen of the Apocalypse; and two standalone books, Men That Hack and The Java Joint."

RPGNow May D&D Sale - The Picks - Post #2 - Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, Rules and Adventures

Time to start sharing some picks for RPGNow's May D&D Sale. For the second round of picks, we going to look at some Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea releases from North Wind Adventures.

Note: All of the adventures listed below are "designed for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™ (AS&SH™), a role-playing game descended from the original 1974 fantasy wargame and miniatures campaign rules as conceived by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Therefore, AS&SH is compatible with most traditional fantasy role-playing games (c. 1974 to 1999) and their modern simulacra, such as OSRIC™ and Swords & Wizardry™.

Quick confession - I own them all and they are good :)

Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea (Second Edition) - (core rules) "ASTONISHING SWORDSMEN & SORCERERS of    HYPERBOREA™ is sword-and-sorcery role-playing at its pinnacle. Play an Amazon fighter, Atlantean magician, Esquimaux shaman, Hyperborean warlock, Ixian necromancer, Keltic barbarian, Kimmerian cataphract, Pictish thief, Viking berserker, or one of many other possibilities. The heroes of a HYPERBOREA campaign delve the mazes and labyrinths of vast dungeons filled with horrifying monsters, lethal traps, and bewildering puzzles. They explore savage frontiers, breach hostile borderlands, probe ancient ruins, and investigate cursed tombs. They plunder for treasure and magic in a decaying world inhabited by bloodthirsty beasts and weird, otherworldly beings." 19.00  15.20

Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes - "An adventure in Hyperborea designed for from four to six characters of 2nd through 4th level. Somewhere in the depths of Diamond Desert lie the skeletal remains of Ymir’s Serpent, a legendary Viking longship. In days of yore, Sigtrygg Forkbeard led his company upriver, piercing the desert’s hostile heart. There the Vikings unearthed a lost mine brimming with green diamonds, but the River Æolus desiccated as the Serpent prepared for launch, and the ship was swallowed by the dunes. Forkbeard and his company were never seen again, but tales of a shimmering Viking ghost ship gliding over the dunes persist to this day. Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes takes players into an action-packed realm of adventure: the mythical world of Hyperborea, a sword-and-sorcery campaign setting inspired by the fantastic fiction of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and others. "  10.00  8.00

Forgotten Fane of the Coiled Goddess - "An adventure in Hyperborea designed for from four to six characters of 5th through 7th level. More than a month ago, your party found itself in Port Zangerios, where you heard of an Esquimaux thief selling a treasure map. Low on wealth but high in courage, you sought him out. The man turned out to be a fearful ex-slave who had “acquired” the map from his Ixian master. The map is incomplete but shews the Isle of the Serpent in far-off Lemuria, where rests a fabulous treasure called the Feathered Crown of Nanasa (or so thought the Ixian). Pooling your money to purchase the unfinished map, you bought passage on an Amazonian trade ship. After passing through tempests and torrential rains that shimmered with auroral light, you have come to the great city of Jhaman Ket. Now you must seek out the location of the Isle of the Serpent."  10.00  8.00

Beneath the Comet - "An adventure in Hyperborea designed for from four to six characters of 6th through 9th level. For weeks the Comet has blazed in the sky above Hyperborea, inspiring widespread superstitious dread and fear of some star-borne contagion. Under the light of this harbinger from the Black Gulf, the PCs have come to Bogrest, following a magical treasure map that reveals great wealth buried in the Lonely Heath north of the village. Finding that treasure will be no simple matter, however, for Hyperborea is a weirder and deadlier place than ever beneath the Comet."  10.00  8.00

The Mystery at Port Greely - An adventure in Hyperborea designed for from four to six characters of 4th through 6th level. Until about three years ago, the peculiar town of Port Greely was renowned as a prolific exporter of crustaceans. Then the Greely lobstermen severed all ties with outside partners. Subsequent attempts at renegotiation were shunned. More recently, a small group of Fishmongers’ Guild representatives from the City-State of Khromarium has gone missing in Port Greely, and answers have been less than forthcoming. At present, the Guild seeks answers. It wants to know what became of its representatives, and it wishes to re-establish its lucrative partnership with the Port Greely lobstermen. Your party has been contracted to help resolve The Mystery at Port Greely.  10.00  8.00

Those are affiliate links above. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop at RPGNow using The Tavern's affiliate links. I thank you :)

News - The World Health Organization plans to classify Video Game Addiction as a Disease

I received an email today linking me to the following article: 

https://www.todaysparent.com/kids/kids-health/the-world-health-organization-plans-to-classify-video-game-addiction-as-a-disease/

So, what's the main takeaway?

The WHO has said it will include "gaming disorder" in a June update to its International Classification of Diseases (ICD), defining it as a pattern of behavior "characterized by impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities to the extent that gaming takes precedence over other interests and daily activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences." 

A CAMH study released in 2016 estimated 13 percent of Ontario students-or almost 123,000 kids-have experienced symptoms of a "video gaming problem," which was up from nine percent in 2007. About one in five boys reported having "problematic symptoms" linked to their video gaming.

I wonder when table-top roleplaying games come into play?

Bundle - Mordenkainen's Marvelous Bundle (Multiple D&D Editions Included)

Mordenkainen's Marvelous Bundle is really hit or miss in my opinion, and I was on the fence about whether or not to mention it.

For some folks, the fact that it has releases from multiple editions of Dungeons & Dragons is a selling point. For me? Eh, 4e kinda stinks it up;)

Anyhow, it includes appearances of Mordenkainen in the various editions. Here they are:

• Epic Level Handbook (3e)
• Expedition to the Ruins of Castle Greyhawk (3.5)
• Mordenkainen's Magnificent Emporium (4e)
• The City of Greyhawk (2e)
• WG5: Mordenkainen's Fantastic Adventure (1e)

Yep, affiliate links keep The Tavern's lights on and that's an affiliate link above. Thank you - Your Humble Barkeep

Kickstarter - ORC STABR - One Page RPG For Orc Stabbers To Tell Legends Of Stabbin'

Wow. I hate to say it, but if you are going to run a successful Kickstarter that is a joke (mostly?), Orc Stabber! has hit gold.

$20 goal. $1115 raised thus far with over three weeks left to fund.

A video that is entertaining to watch.

A game that only gives you half the rules for backing (or at least only half the rules in print:

Yes, you get it in print for these prices, but as the rules are only a page long...

Not totally true. Full PDF will
be posted when KS fulfills

I love the risks and challenges:

Hi Folks, Liam Ginty and Gabriel Komisar here. We're the designers behind Orc Stabber and will be working to deliver this project to you all. 

There's a handful of small risks and challenges and we thought it best to address these out of character, as Limm Ghomizar can get a bit excited. 

First of all, we wanted to communicate that you do indeed only get half of a rules page with this project. We'll be preparing each page separately, personalizing them with drawings, doodles, notes special unique rules, and tearing them all separately. We think this might be a fun way to get people sharing what they have with their friends and on social media to make the full rules available. We plan on releasing the full PDF shortly after the project wraps so everyone will have the full rules. 

The only other challenge is no one on the team has ever mailed out 100+ letters all at once, but we're consulting with other successful Kickstarter runners to make sure those important deliverables are in your hands quickly!

Screw it! For two bucks, I'm in!

Kickstarter - Augmented Reality & Dragons (AR&D)

Let me just say, the above gif from the Augmented Reality & Dragons Kickstarter is inspiring. It makes me WANT to play like this at my table. But I don't think it does.

What I mean is, for this to work, you'll need to be viewing your physical table via your iOS or Android device. That's more distracting than anything else.

Exciting concept. I don't think the current implementation is feasible.

22% funded (with a goal of $250k) with just over 2 weeks to go)

You can look at more videos here: https://imgur.com/gallery/TbHjpUC

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4th Edition Preorders are Live - PDF in June - Dead Tree in July

Cubicle 7 opened preorders for the Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay 4e rules on May 3rd.

Dead tree plus PDF is 60 bucks American. "Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay takes you back to the Old World. Get the gang together, create your (anti)heroes, and set off to make your way through the vile corruption, scheming plotters and terrifying creatures intent on destruction. The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Rulebook contains everything you need for grim and perilous roleplaying adventures in the Old World. 320 pages, hard cover, full colour"

The boxed WFRP Starter Set is 30 bucks. PDF releases in August, box ships in September. "This boxed set includes an introductory scenario designed to teach you how to play, beautiful character portfolios, a guide to the town of Ubersreik and two ten-sided dice."

If you have money to burn: The Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay Fourth Edition Collector’s Limited Edition Rulebook + PDF is 120 bucks. "The Collector’s Limited Edition comes presented in a beautiful, magnet-sealed box. The cover of the rulebook is leather-effect, embossed with a gorgeous Warhammer sigil.The pages are gilt-edged, and the book comes complete with cloth bookmarks. Included in the box is a numbered Certificate of Authenticity. This a must for any Warhammer collector!"

RPGNow May D&D Sale - The Picks - Post #1 - The TSR Era

Time to start sharing some picks for RPGNow's May D&D Sale. For the first picks, we going to look at some TSR Era titles.

D&D Rules Cyclopedia (Basic) - "Whether you're a player or a Dungeon Master, the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia is now the comprehensive sourcebook you need for the original fantasy roleplaying game! For ages 12 and up, the Cyclopedia contains the complete game system - All the rules from the D&D boxed set series, including Basic, Expert, Companion, and Masters." "The Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia is a 1991 book published by TSR, Inc., as a continuation of the basic edition of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, which ran concurrently with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. "   9.99  7.99

The World of Greyhawk (1e) - "The World of Greyhawk is... suitable for use as the backdrop of a new campaign without changes; or, as an alternative, city, country or geographical descriptions can be used to fill in details for existing campaigns. The World of Greyhawk is in the form of a gazetteer written by a historian native to the region, and as such includes the calendar systems used by the peoples of Oerth, a history of the major nations over the last thousand years, a discussion of climate in the different regions of the world, and even an appendix listing many runes and symbols (and their meanings) which are found in ancient and magical writings." 4.99  3.99

S1 Tomb of Horrors (1e) - "In the far reaches of the world, under a lost and lonely hill, lies the sinister Tomb of Horrors. This labyrinthine crypt is filled with terrible traps, strange and ferocious monsters, rich and magical treasures, and somewhere within rests the evil Demi-Lich.  This adventure was originally used for the Official Advanced Dungeons & Dragons tournament at the FIRST Origins Convention. Included herein are background information, the Legend of the Tomb, and possible locations for the tomb on the World of Greyhawk map. Also included are DM notes, characters specially designed for the module, and numerous illustrations to be shown to the players."  4.99  3.99

Return to the Tomb of Horrors (2e) - "The sinister wizard Acererak took great pains to safeguard his tomb. It took many years, and many more lives, before his evil was finally laid to rest. But though the demilich is gone, he is not forgotten. Others who would become as he was have traveled to the site of Acererak's tomb seeking the secrets of mastery over death. Slowly these pilgrims gathered, eventually building in the shadow of the tomb itself a community dedicated to the dark arts: Skull City. This... adventure contains: A 160-page adventure book; A 32-page book of illustrations to be shown to players; Player handouts, including an adventurer's diary filled with clues; A 16-page book of maps and monsters; And a reprinted facsimile of the original Tomb of Horrors adventure module as first published in 1978. Return to the Tomb of Horrors is an epic adventure for characters of levels 13-16."
9.99  7.99

I7 Baltron's Beacon (1e) - (note: I never saw or heard of this release before - go figure) - "A strangely delivered advertisement has led you to a sage named Demetrios. He needs a rare component to complete a desperately needed potion. The journey to retrieve it will take you through a large, unexplored swamp to a ruined keep, the former headquarters of a vile cult that once claimed the lives of many innocent youths. To solve the mysteries of "Baltron's Beacon," the characters must excel in handling wilderness, building ruins, traps, puzzles, and new monsters. This adventure, originally designed for tournament use, is now available for your own campaign. An adventure for 5-10 characters of levels 4th-8th.  4.99  3.99

WG9 Gargoyle (1e/2e) - (Note: another title I don't recall from my earlier days of gaming - damn!) - "Ever seen a gargoyle without its wings? It's a pretty funny sight. But don't laugh out loud in front of them-they don't think it's all that hilarious? Gargoyle is an adventure set in the world of Greyhawk, the longest running of TSR's game worlds for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons game. A pair of gargoyles wake up one morning to find their wings missing, and contact the players to help recover them. A great many AD&D players have been asking for low-level adventures suitable for beginners, and Gargoyle is the first of several planned for this year. Designed for levels 2 to 4, this adventure can be enjoyed by novices and experienced players alike."  4.99  3.99

Dragonlance Classics: 15th Anniversary Edition (2e/SAGA) - "To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the publication of the first DRAGONLANCE adventure TSR proudly presents a retelling of the greatest fantasy roleplaying epic ever. Players can assume the roles of Raistlin, Tasslehoff, Tanis, and other Heroes of the Lance, or create original heroes. The DRAGONLANCE Classics 15th Anniversary Edition features many all-new scenes, including meetings with Dalamar, Ariakan, and other more recent additions to the Saga. It is fully compatible with both the AD&D and SAGA(r) game rules."

Yep, those are affiliate links above. By using The Tavern's affiliate links you help support The Tavern and all we do. Thank you in advance :)

Seattle Times runs a D&D Article - WotC Claims 12 to 15 Million D&D Players in North America

That is Seatle Seahawks running back / WotC intern C.J. Prosise on the left

The Seattle Times ran a D&D focused article today.

Some takeaways / numbers / figures given by WotC:

• 44% growth for the D&D brand in 2016
• 12 to 15 million D&D players in North America (note - NOT USA alone)
• 40% of D&D players are female
• 50 percent of those who started playing D&D since 2014 watch games online
• they need an actual blacksmith IN STUDIO for the “The Stream of Many Eyes” Twitch D&D show / game that will originate from a Los Angeles soundstage June 1, 2 and 3.
• no actual sales figures

May D&D Sale at RPGNow - 20% Off and More

May is the D&D Sale Month at RPGNow. 20% off many titles, not just D&D 5e but also OSR titles. Starting this weekend I'll start putting together a Tavern Picks series of posts. In the meantime, you can make your own picks at The Tavern's Affiliate Link.

Yes, an affiliate link. You - yes you - help support The Tavern with your purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links.

State of The Tavern - May 4th Be With You

I may break out some Star Wars to watch this afternoon, as it IS May 4th, the unofficial Star Wars Day. I'm more of a Trekkie myself, but I do like me some Star Wars.

I'd like to thank all of The Tavern's readers. We've seen a significant uptick in web traffic the past two months or so and that wouldn't be possible without you. Yes, I've seen some folks posting links to The Tavern on G-Plus and Facebook recently, encouraging people to check The Tavern out. I can't thank you enough for the support.

I've even had someone suggest that The Tavern, or at least, your local bartender, should have a paid column at one of the larger gaming sites. While I appreciate the kind words, the success that The Tavern has is due in large part to the fact that neither myself nor any of the others that occasionally post here are beholden to some sort of proper corporate thinking. I know that there are times I offend some of my readers and for that, I apologize. I do not, however, regret it. If I never offend The Tavern would be boring as hell ;)

Folks have asked the best way to support The Tavern. If you are so inclined, we do have a Patreon, but I know for many on tight budgets, and for those it simply isn't an option. If you are already shopping at RPGNow / DriveThruRPG - and who among us isn't - there is a link to The Tavern's OBS affiliate link at the top of this page. By using that link, 5% of your monies spent at RPGNow / DriveThruRPG are returned to The Tavern. Simply for doing what you are already doing.

Same goes for Amazon. There is a link to The Tavern's Amazon affiliate on the left hand of this page and using it returns a percentage of your purchase dollars to The Tavern. I myself spend WAY too many dollars on Amazon (I use St Jude's affiliate link when I may my purchases and it cost me nothing - it's a good cause too and I'd be just as happy if you chose St Jude over The Tavern)

By supporting The Tavern you keep it free of outside influence. I've turned down offers to run ads (aside from Google) from various gaming ad-aggregators and the occasional publisher. I feel much better being beholden to my readers than an entity that may unduly influence posts at The Tavern.

Alright, back to the real world. Its been a busy week for Rach and I - between the two of us we've had four doc appointments / MRIs, time sinks. Looking forward to the weekend with eager eyes ;)

Goodman Games 3e PDF Sale - 1 / 3 / 5 Bucks a Pop (Most are a Buck)

I received the following email earlier today:

All Goodman Games 3E PDF E-Books Are On Sale! Most are only $1.00! Exclusively at RPGNow.com!

Remember the era of D&D third edition and the D20 license? Whether you called it D20, 3E, 3.5, or something else, it was a good time to be a gamer. It was one of the most fruitful eras in the history of role-playing, where thousands of gamers came back to the fold! And a time when publishers released an astounding array of creative content. (And a couple real duds, but that wasn't us, we swear!)

Goodman Games is celebrating that era this month with our 3E Throwback Sale! All of our third edition titles are on sale and most are only $1.00! Visit the sale page now!

That's right! Most of our 3E PDF e-books are only ONE DOLLAR! And a couple of the bigger hardbacks are $3 and boxed sets are only $5!

Link to the Goodman Games sale.

I've converted Goodman 3e adventures to S&W on the fly in the past and plan to make some additions to my Goodman Games collection with this sale.

Today wound up being a day of sales and freebies ;)

That IS an affiliate link above. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to do what you do anyway - buy games. When you use The Tavern's affiliate links, 5% of your purchase price goes to support The Tavern.

Free Game - Alpha Blue (Full Rules) - Through Sunday (Venger / Adult Material)

From now through Sunday, Alpha Blue, the raunchy (and behind the OBS Adults Only wall) SciFi RPG from non-other than Venger Santanis, is FREE in PDF through Sunday.

This is your chance to peek at this controversial RPG (due to content) without spending a dime.

Why is it free? Venger explains over on his blog.

Here's the link for Alpha Blue.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Sure, Alpha Blue is free but maybe you'll want to grab something along with it that isn't free ;)

Sale - Amazing Adventures Core Books - $10 Each in Print - Limited Time (Troll Lord Games / Siege Engine)

For 48 36 hours, Troll Lord Games has the three core books for its Amazing Adventures RPG on sale, in Print, for 10 bucks each. As much as 30 bucks for the Core rulebook itself normally, its a huge sale.

Amazing Adventures is 100% compatible with Castles & Crusades and uses the Siege Engine.

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Lets Talk About...

News. Holy shit, its been one hell of a busy news week at The Tavern.

I expect there will be lots of questions and discussion tonight, about topics shared at the Tavern and ones that haven't even been touched on yet.

Should be fun :)

Here's the link to the Discord Server:

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

See Y'all tonight ;)

Mad Ox Host Quits Live on Air (Marcus King / #ConManKen)

Here's the link to the six minute video:

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=167599120738621&id=100024656025672&_rdr

Seriously, watch it. It is eye opening and simply amazing.

Now, this is the same Jason that Marcus praised earlier this week:

My plan for the Little Monster location was to close it, but my new partner (JIM), wanted to keep it open, so we tried. But, MOST of what I acquired by merging with Little Monster was their inventory, and their customer base, and their manager (Jason, still works for me, does a great job)

He mentions Kenneth that was fired - this is NOT Ken Whitman.

The woman that shared the video -  is an ex-gf of Ken Whitman.

Here a screenshot of the original share:

and then, there's this:

I'm guessing Jason isn't going to get a good reference from Marcus...

Far West Update - One Year Later - The New Hope

Gareth gave us an update on the Far West Kickstarter this afternoon - exactly one year AFTER his last update. I'm surprised to say that today's update leaves me hopeful that this project will actually complete. Yes, I find it really strange to say that. Open d6 is a solid system and is probably a better fit than many of the alternatives. If only this turn of events had happened sooner.

Gareth says he will be sharing regular updates and plans for the PDF to be in our hands by the end of July. My birthday is July 30th. I'll withhold judgment until then. I mean, what's another missed delivery date for Far West in the grand scheme of things ;)

Update #234 

May 1 2018

A Long-Overdue Update on FAR WEST -- or: What the hell have you been doing, Gareth?

I had promised myself that I wouldn’t be doing an update until I had a major delivery ready… that the incremental “I’m still working” updates didn’t tell anybody anything new – and wouldn’t convince folks who don’t believe that’s the case. So, doing them seemed like a waste of time. Plus, being completely honest, dealing with the minority of hyper-critical voices had led me to view those updates with growing anxiety. I wrestle with depression & anxiety quite a bit – so I made the choice to avoid a source of it.

However, a twitter discussion with a backer has convinced me otherwise – you folks deserve to know what’s going on. So here we are. I’ll just cut to the chase:

What’s been going on?

I’ve been completely redesigning FAR WEST, from top to bottom.

…

I’m sure that a lot of you are now utterly convinced that I’m crazy. Maybe so.

Allow me to explain.

…

Last summer, a friend of mine died. An industry colleague, a guy I’d known for decades, who I’d first met when I was living in Atlanta in the late 80s. More pursuant to this update, however – he was one of the folks who’d stepped up to help me get FAR WEST completed.

He died suddenly – no indication of ill health. There one minute, then gone.

My first reaction, to my shame, was to worry about what this meant for FAR WEST.

Yeah. I felt pretty awful for thinking like that. Still do.

But then, I found myself dwelling on the fact that he was gone so suddenly, with so many plans left unfulfilled. Not just his helping me – he had a bunch of things he was doing, which now would never be done. He was just gone. You know that I’ve had my own brushes with mortality – most recently in 2014. I kept thinking about that. I went into a pretty major depression.

One of the things that I realized during this period was that I wasn’t happy with FAR WEST. I kept coming back to the idea that it was so late, that the delays had been so long… and I asked myself: When you finally release it, will you be proud of it? Will you feel that it was worth the time that it took?

The answer was no.

I tried to avoid looking at that answer. At this point in the process, I couldn’t face that answer, really. If the answer really was “no, I’m not proud of it – I don’t actually like what I’ve got here” – then what the hell was the next step? I felt as though I was committed, at this point.

I had long talks about this with my wife, Laura, and my partner at Adamant Entertainment, Eric Trautmann, and both of them ended up saying variations of the same thing (paraphrasing here): “It’s already late. Make it something you ARE proud of.”

So I decided to do just that.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I love the setting. A testament to how much I love the world we’ve created here is that I still get excited about it, even after all the anxiety & negative shit that has floated around the delays, etc.

I even love some of the rules design I’ve come up with. But overall, I wasn’t happy with the system. It wasn’t feeling right in play. And I couldn’t get it to where I was satisfied. When I did come up with something that felt right, it would inevitably break some other part of the system. Frustration mounted.

Talking with Eric, he cut through the chaos (he’s really good at that) by asking me “well, what game had more of the feel you’re trying to hit?” And I said the old Star Wars game from West End. (And I wasn’t just stroking Eric’s ego there – he was the Creative Director for Star Wars at West End back in the day – but we’d been talking about the system in discussions on a different project, so it was a common frame of reference.)

Which led to a three-word solution:

Well, why not?

The original system of Star Wars, West End’s D6, is also available as Open Content, a framework in which I was already working. I know how the underlying math works, so I was able to take the rules elements that I was really happy with from the existing FAR WEST design, and port them over for use with D6. And the game plays faster and more cinematically – which is EXACTLY what I was hoping for.

So that’s what’s been happening, since around September of last year. And all of a sudden, I was happy with what I was producing. So that part has worked!

Anyway – this is getting long. I should probably switch to a simple Q&A summary:

When are we going to see this?
I am planning on giving you a completed manuscript (and we’re talking the whole thing, not just the rules) in July – although possibly earlier. (I’m actually shooting for close to my birthday in mid-June, if I can manage it).

What happens next?
  That’s when I turn the manuscript over to Eric for layout. Yes, you read that right – I’m not insisting on doing everything myself. The layout will be largely the same as the existing one (I like the look of it), but I’m handing it off to an actual graphic design professional, who actually knows his stuff, so it will happen a HELLUVA lot faster. Eric designs all of Adamant’s other stuff, and he’s also the graphic designer for comics like LAZARUS, BLACK MAGICK, ATOMIC ROBO graphic novels, etc. (You can read more about his work here: https://www.erictrautmann.us ) Once layout is done, we go to press (and yes, I still have partners helping with that), and you get the full PDF, and then the book.

What can you tell us about the new system?
We’re calling it “D6 PLUS” – the base framework is the Open Content D6 system from West End, which we think are a rock-solid set of rules for fast, cinematic style play. To that framework, we’re adding additional elements (the “Plus” part), drawing from more modern, “story-game” styles of play (as an example, the Spirit & Aspects system from the first version of FAR WEST).

But I liked the system we had!
I’m glad to hear that – and if there’s enough interest, we might go ahead and eventually complete that version, as an alternate rules set. There is also potential for licensed versions using other rules systems as well, down the road, which some folks have already spoken with us about.

How can we see it or play it sooner?
If you want to get a chance to look over the rules, run a few sessions, etc., before the delivery of the full manuscript in the summer, drop me a line at gms@adamantentertainment.com, and I’ll send the rules portion out to you later this month. (It won’t have the setting or game mastering tools, but the rules will be there, enough to create characters and run sessions.) Obviously, this offer is only open to Kickstarter backers and pre-order customers, despite this update being made public.

What about updates? Are you going to go silent again? No, I’m not. I’m committing myself to updating you weekly on what I’ve been doing. Those updates will be public – posted here, and over at my blog (http://gmskarka.com). The day of the week will vary – it depends on my work load that week, stuff going on in my life, etc. But you’ll be hearing from me once a week from now until we’re done.

OK – this thing is already 1200 words long, which is WAY longer than I intended. I’m going to get back to work. I’m available to answer any questions you have – the absolute best ways to contact me are via email at gms@adamantentertainment.com, via Twitter at @gmskarka or via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/gmskarka . Those are the methods which I will reliably see, get notification, and be able to respond to the quickest.

As always, I remain forever thankful to you. Thank you for sticking around through my dark days, and believing in me. I can’t wait to show you what you’ve helped to create.

Gareth-Michael Skarka
Lawrence, KS
May 1, 2018

Dueling Dungeons & Dragons Documentaries Lawsuit "Discontinued with Prejudice"

Definition: In the formal legal world a court case that is dismissed with prejudice means that it is dismissed permanently. A case dismissed with prejudice is over and done with, once and for all, and can't be brought back to court.

Remember the dueling D&D documentaries that turned into an expensive lawsuit? I'm not even referring to the dollars involved - it cost the gaming community a true gem or two. Now, hopefully, these gems will see the light of day.

You can read some articles on the original dispute at The NY Times and The Verge

News - Netflix to Focus its Originals on Fantasy / SciFi

Here are the bullet points from Business Insider (full article at the link):

• Science fiction and fantasy" became the most popular genre of Netflix original show among subscribers in Q1 of 2018, according to data compiled by the analytics firm Ampere Analysis.
• Netflix has been able to "anticipate" an increase in demand for the genre by rapidly expanding its production of original sci-fi and fantasy shows and movies, according to Ampere.
• More than one quarter (29%) of upcoming Netflix originals are in the sci-fi and fantasy category, higher than any other genre.

It's a good time to be a fan of Fantasy and SciFi :)

Ken Whitman Responds and Answers Some Questions

The following comment was left by Ken Whitman on yesterday's post regarding the sale of Little Monsters. I'm reposting it here with minimal commenting as I feel it should be shared and read and not lost in the comments section of a prior post. The following is unedited - Tenkar

Jesus H Christ... Do you guys just speculate and make stories up for no good reason?

1. Marcus sold me the store for $320 a week for three years.
2. I have not been able to make a payment since January, and defaulted on the loan.
3. Marcus had me stay on until he found a new buyer.
4. A few weeks ago, Jim wanted to be bought out from Marcus (he was Marcus minority shareholder, he got a percentage when sold Little Monsters Comics, LLC to Marcus), so Marcus paid him money and gave the old store back to Jim.
5. Jim found a buyer. yesterday was my last day as manager as I was training everyone with the new management.

TA DA!

Q. Did Ken own the store.
A. Yes till I defaulted on the contract.

Q. Does Ken have anything to do with Little Monsters Ent?
A. No.

Q. Is Ken still working on Kickstarters?
A. Yes

Q. Is Ken going back to GA?
A. None of your damn business.

Q. Has Ken answered the NYC Lawsuit?
A. Yes Amazing how no one posted anything about it.

Q. Why did you shut down your facebook?
A. So I can move around the country, make money and finish my kickstarters without Harassment!

Q. What about the $250k in GA?
A. The woman drop charges when she figured out the files were on the disk, but she was using a PC & not a Mac and could not see them. Look using a Mac and TA DA! Why was that never posted?

Q. Do you ever get tire of people making stories up about you and then trying to convince others they are true.
A. There is no such thing as bad publicity.

Q. What do you think about the disbarred Attorney that keeps filing suits against you.
A. I think its a shame that he wasted $250k+ on a law degree, and then disbarred for being an aggressive bully asshole.

Take care you speculating libel bastards.

New Release - The Little Book of Adventuring Classes Vol. 1 (Swords & Wizardry)

I was excited when I had heard that Jason Paul McCartan, he who is InfiniBadger Press, was working on a book of classes for Swords & Wizardry. Jason does good work and I was looking forward to seeing what he would come up with. Then he teased the cover art in The Tavern's Facebook Community. Damn but its a good cover!

Well, this morning I received notice that The Little Book of Adventuring Classes Vol. 1 had released. 40 pages including cover. The classes look solid (I'll offer a review later in the week) and there even appears to be a class inspired, in part, by our very own #ConManKen. I'll let you guess which one that is ;)

Here's the boilerplate:

The first volume in a series of minimalist design, small page-count books offering big play options for your gaming table. 

In this volume, we present 5 new races for your games, along with 8 new classes tied to some of the races as well as races in the core book. Will you play a Bugbear Stalker, a Halfling Grifter, or a Dragonkin Radiant? What about a Goblin Firespitter, or a Dwarven Bloodstormer? If your current character dies, will they come back as a Reaver? 

This supplement for the Swords & Wizardry roleplaying game works best with the Complete version of the game, but can easily be converted to work with the other older versions. The content within can also be readily used with other roleplaying game systems if you have an alternative favorite rule set.  

Includes 8 New Classes: 

• Bloodstormer
• Deathwitch
• Firespitter
• Grifter
• Radiant
• Reaver
• Stalker
• Waterstrider 

and 5 New Races: 

• Bugbear
• Dragonkin
• Goblin
• Sahuagin
• Unliving

It's $2.99 in PDF.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Keep the lights on and the taps flowing at The Tavern with your support.

Oh, and yes - Jason is a good friend of mine. Despite that fact, he does damn good work and this appears to be more of his high-quality work :)

#ConManKen - Marcus King Throws Ken Under the Bus - Time to Protect the Assets

The following is from Marcus King, posted on Facebook earlier this afternoon. I am sharing it with some commenting by your favorite bartender:

Marcus King
Admin · 1 hr

Ken Whitman, Kickstarters & Marcus.

Ken has been my friend for about 20 years.

In 2006, as I have described elsewhere in detail, Ken Whitman spent about 3 hours preventing me from committing suicide. Consider, if you can, what you might do to repay such a debt.

Ken and I never worked on any kickstarters. I never backed any of his kickstarters, either. In fact, I have backed about 5 or 6 kickstarters, ever. Two from Reaper, one of two from Dwarven Forge, a couple others. Maybe.

I never received money from Ken about or over or from his Kickstarters. (Please DO NOT consider my assets as a liability to Ken's current lawsuit)

About a year and a half ago I absorbed the assets (and not the liabilities) (Good deal if you can work that out) of another store, the owner, whose name does not need to get muck/dragged - we will call him JIM. He owned Little Monster in Somerset, KY. About that time, Ken Whitman came to work for me as an employee because he needed to work to eat, plain and simple. (Ken could have gotten three squares and a cot another way...) I hired him to work in my store. He did some good work for me for a few months. But, some of my staff did not like working with Ken. (Wow! Is Marcus saying that Ken does NOT work well with others? What a surprise...)

After a few months of Ken working with me, he had proven capable when on his meds, and erratic when not (Oh My! This says so much. Perhaps we are setting up a possible defense for the lawsuit). I suggested to Ken that I pay him $8 an hour (what most of my 12+ staff get paid) for 20 hours a week to do projects for me (like casting terrain, and making comic lots, etc), and also pay him 20 hours a week to work on old kickstarter projects (and thus allowing him to work for me, but not with my other staff) (if Ken was really such a liability, why hire him at all?). I was willing for him to start using my computers or equipment, paying him $8 an hour for 40 hours, and he could live in my home if need be (in most states, after 30 days you cant evict him, either). Thus, using his pay to buy whatever other supplies he needed (like pencils or what have you). Ken went off to work for Troll and Toad instead. (uhr?)

Meanwhile

My plan for the Little Monster location was to close it, but my new partner (JIM), wanted to keep it open, so we tried. But, MOST of what I acquired by merging with Little Monster was their inventory, and their customer base, and their manager (Jason, still works for me, does a great job). I did not want to keep the store open. So, we tried making it a pallet store, didn’t work. I tried to gift it to my daughter and her boyfriend, and give them a good start. REALLY didn’t work.

Finally, Ken not wanting to work for Troll and Toad any longer, he asked about buying the store (oh boy). Jim wanted to get out of the lease. I agreed to sell it way below value to Ken, as long as he covered the lease. We agreed, signed documents, etc.

A year went by. (I thought it sold in July of 2017. We are in April of 2018)

Jim decided he wanted OUT of being my partner. Suddenly. Like, about two weeks ago. (because lawsuits are scary, especially when you might be liable)

I paid Jim some money, and gave him back controlling interest in the debt owed by Ken to us. He worked something out with Ken, which documents I have not seen, the details of which I am not privy to. (I need to protect myself and my assets. I am not and have not been linked to Kenny financially or legally. For realz!)

This is where things stand now. (sure they do...)

I am no longer associated with Little Monster. (because that might cost me money)

I am no longer financially associated with Ken. (ditto)

I am 100% owner of Mad Ox. (and nothing else, and all of this went on BEFORE Ken was served, I swear!)

Jim is bought out and now has only to deal with Ken. (But wait! I thought the business was sold by some Jim Sears! Oh wait, it was. Ah, so Ken's debt is owned by Jim Sears, and Jim sold Ken's current girlfriend Little Monster out from under Ken. But wait, Ken claims he sold the store...)

Ken blames me for his financial troubles (heh heh - Ken blames everyone but himself), even though I had recently agreed to buy the pencil machine for him to make pencils for his old Kickstarter thingy (mostly because he now has financial responsibility to Jim, instead of me, and I had not required him to make a payment in months, and had previously said I never cared if he made another payment to me or not). (so Marcus bought Ken a pencil machine BECAUSE Kenny was not making monthly payments for the purchase of the store. Sure, makes perfect fucking sense)

My long term loyalty to Ken has been because he saved my life.
It is not because we are tied at the hip financially (please PLEASE don't include me in Ken's lawsuit, which looks valid to me and I REALLY don't want my assets on the hook for Ken's shenanigans) . His buying the store from me/us at the time really was only of benefit to Jim, because it relieved Jim & Ken - allowing Ken a source of income (but will the associated costs, what real income was there - oh, that's right, Ken wasn't making payments), and relieving Jim from the financial responsibility of the lease, which I never was party to or responsible for (see me wash myu hands of as much financial responsibility as I can)

I just wanted to post this to let there be a public record of what has transpired (keep this in mind with Ken's lawsuit. I beg of you!) 

If you want to bash me for my past blind loyalty to someone who saved my life (eh, I'll leave that to others. besides, this is just an attempt to protect yourself from Ken's liabilities), I reckon I got it coming from many of you.

I now wash my hands of all association with Ken (I think its too late for that Marcus. Seriously, if any part of the lawsuit against your were to stick to Mad Ox before, this doesn't chance shit), other than being his friend, if he decides he wants to remain friends.

Marcus King
Owner
Mad Ox Games & Comics