Some Thoughts on Mundane Magic

Yesterday's ridiculous "snow incident" in NYC, where six inches or less of snow brought the city to a standstill, got me thinking of "mundane magic." Follow my thinking for a moment.

Magic in most fantasy RPGs, certainly the OSR ones that draw their direct inspiration from old-school D&D, have magic spell lists that are geared toward adventuring - kills shit, defend against shit, find shit and the like. It makes sense, as there are the spells best suited to keeping adventurers alive.

But what of the mundane spells? The spells that no right-thinking adventurer would keep in his or her spellbook but make daily life easier for the masses. Because magic, if it did exist, would certainly replace bits of technology.

Secure communications? There's a spell for that. Cleaning a mansion? Yep, there's a spell. Butchering? I'm sure. A variation on the web spell for enhanced fishing? Why not? I'm sure there is a spell for quick and safe snow removal in someone's spellbook.

These don't even touch upon magic items that are less about adventuring but more about creature comforts. Magical hair brushes, razors, drinking fountains, lighting, warm baths, snow shovels and the like. Just because it doesn't come up in play doesn't mean it isn't there.

I'm just wondering if it should "be there" a bit more often I guess.

Ah well, back to writing. Yes, thoughts like this come up when I actually try to write. Go figures ;)

Extra Life - Friday, 6PM Eastern - 24 Hours of Live Twitch Gaming in Support of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center

Its that time of year. It's time for the yearly Extra Life 24 hours of live feed, Twitch gaming in support of Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center.

Here's Edwin:

For the fourth year running, we will be playing 24 hours of table-top roleplaying games to raise money for our local children's hospitals.  This year, we'll be starting November 16th at 6 pm, and streaming the whole thing at https://www.twitch.tv/enn321.  Please join us--for a very small donation, you can mess with the game and have a chance to win fabulous prizes from our fabulous sponsors. 

This year, the players will be searching for the scattered parts of the statue of Alexandreovich MacGuffin during 18 hours of 5e D&D.  Your donations could help or hinder them.  We will also continue our tradition of a midnight game of Call of Cthulhu to let the horror really settle in! 

Your donation is tax-deductible and will make miracles happen for families who desperately need them. You can click the "Donate" button at the top of this page to make a safe and easy online donation. 

Direct donation link:

I've watched and contributed for the past few years. Its fun getting a chance to mess with the game and it is for a damn good cause. I don't watch for 24 hours straight through - but I do drop in and out ;)

Reminder - Tavern Chat - Tonight - 9PM Eastern - GameHole Con Recap and More

I wasn't able to make Tavern Chat last week, as I was settling in at GameHole Con. Tonight I will be present ;)

Expect some GameHole Con catchup, some possibilities regarding the future of The Tavern and more to be some of tonight's topics.

Where? The Tavern's Discord Server

Link to Chat: https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

When? 9PM Eastern

We'll be using the "Speakeasy"voice channel and the "tavern-chat" text channel (for text and images)

Nearly 1200 Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server members can't be wrong, can they? ;)

Humble Bundle - Warhammer / Warhammer 40k Audio Books and Talisman for your PC / Mac

I've long enjoyed Warhammer and Warhammer 40k fiction, but I lost my ability to concentrate for a long enough time to read most novels these days. Audio books though? They work well for me, but they are often expensive as all hell. The Black Library - Voices from the Worlds of Warhammer Humble Bundle has just bestowed up me a library of audiobooks and audio dramas for months of listening. Huzza!

Then we have the Warhammer Humble Games Bundle. I'm in for 7 bucks because I want Talisman and Bloodbowl II. I'm on a Mac, so the other games won't work for me. Ah well.

There are affiliate links above. Keep the taps cold and the lights bright at The Tavern by using our affiliate links.

The Ugly, the Bad and the Good - Thoughts on the Good, the Bad and the Ugly and Gaming

I watched The Good, the Bad and the Ugly for the first time in many years tonight with Rach. Rach had never seen it before. It was a great time with many laughs and some amazing visual shots.

I hadn't noticed that the title is not in the same order as the three main characters are introduced. We get The Ugly, then The Bad and finally The Good.

Anyhow, I love how they move from scene to scene seamlessly and don't dwell and certain things - like how The Bad became a sergeant in the Union, or how easily he left said position to follow the gold. Handwave for the win.

$200k in gold fits into 8 sacks. The sacks looked heavy and gave me a good idea on how a strong large sack would look in an OSR game.

I do like the idea of finding a treasure buried in a cemetery. Makes note.

Tempted to make The Ugly, The Bad and The Good a series of adventure hooks and or NPCs as a regular series here on the blog. Damn notes.

Kickstarter - The Bane of Roslof Keep - high level 1E & 5E gaming adventure

I'm a big fan of the Folio series. Amazing cover art, strong adventures and compatible with 1e and 5e, so OSR and new D&D in the same neat package.

Roslof Keep is the setting that keeps on giving. The Bane of Roslof Keep is the second part of a six-part series for characters of 11th level plus. Pretty much name level adventuring.

The Curse of Roslof Keep Campaign revolves around an adventuring company moving to the city of Tiefon,  capital of the great eastern power of Thalonia, where they will match  wits against other great adventuring companies as well as the  intelligent dungeon known as The Infernal Machine.  This dungeon is laid out in 6 levels, with a Folio dedicated to each one. 

Folio #21 will provide the adventurers with access to Level 2 of the dungeon as well as new monsters and even gaming concepts in running a high level dungeon adventure.  Dungeon details include 2D standard 'blue' hex maps as  well as fully 3D renderings of Level 1.  A gazetteer will give  background on all the special events of Level 2 of the dungeon, and includes a new monster designed  specifically for this campaign.  It also features a fully removable  stand-alone cover, and two booklets (gazetteer & adventure).

I need to find more time to game. Shit, I need to get a campaign up to name level.

PDF buy-in is 10 bucks.  20 bucks get you the print plus PDF.

GameHole Con has Come to a Successful Completion. Long Live GameHole Con!

Hey! Looks like I made it into a picture ;)

Tonight is the photo dump post. I have three of the artists from Artists Row included. Give them business. They are all damn good.

Tom and Rach working the Frog God table

Can I have this on my wall, please?!?

Pacesetter Games and two generations of Barsh

Jason Braun

Terry Pavlet (Frog God Artist)

Doug Kovacs

Regular posting returns tomorrow night...

Discord - RPG Breakfast Club - 10 AM ti; Noon - Sunday, November 11th

Its time for another RPG Breakfast Club! We have a great line up tomorrow, with Smunchy, Mottokrosh, The Referee, Laramie and Melkor.

Invite to The Tavern's Discord Server:
https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

I'll still be at GameHole Con, so I probably won't have a chance to drop in, but I'll be there in spirit :)

GameHole - Day One Wrap Up - Day Two Preview

For the first day of a convention, yesterday was busy. Sales of Swords & Wizardry was surprisingly strong, which makes me feel really warm inside. Even better, I got to shake hands with a number of Taverners. Nothing quite compares to putting a face to someone you've known via comments or voice chats. Cons are great for such. Huzzah!

Industry-wise, I got to meet Steve Winter, chat some with Phil Reed and got to shake the hand of Steve Jackson himself. It was like the teen me finally got to meet the man that brought hundreds of hours of gaming fun to my group and me via OGRE, GEV and Car Wars in the 80s. Need to mark that on my bucket list.

Today its back to slaving for the man... I'll be working at the Frog God Games table from 10 am to 6 pm. Tomorrow from 9 till 1 pm I'll be running Rappan Athuk with the Swords & Wizardry Light rules, then back to the table. If you are at the con I'd love to meet you. Heck, we have copies of the new printing of Swords & Wizardry Light to hand out. If you are not at the con and you'd like a copy mailed to you, email mikeATfroggodgames.com and the Frogs will send you some goodies for free.

As for industry news...

GameHole - Day One Less Two Hours

I'm about to go downstairs for a quick breakfast before heading over to the vendors' room. I need to finish setting up the Frog God Table before doors open at 10 AM.

Expect to find Bad Mike, Zach Glazar and myself manning the booth most times, with other assorted Frogs around at random points. Bill Webb, Matt Finch, Jim Wampler, and others. You want Frogs? We got your Frogs.

Oh, and I have a preview of the upcoming Swords & Wizardry Continual Light/Far Away Lands Hack on my iPad. Dirk Stanley is doing an amazing job. Ask and I'll give you a peek ;)

Live - At GameHole - Pathfinder at 5 Bucks a Pound!

We have arrived!

The Frog God Booth will have its usual assortment of 5e and Swords & Wizardry, but we will also have Pathfinder at 5 Bucks a Pound.

Sure, it only took us two terminals and four gates to get out of New York, but Rach and I are here in Madison :)

Kickstarter - Falls Keep - 5E & S&W Adventure (PDF Only - 3 Measly Bucks)

I really like the ideas behind the Falls Keep Kickstarter. A short, one week long funding period. An inexpensive buy in at 3 bucks for the PDF. No print version. Swords & Wizardry as well as 5e.

KISS (keep it simple, stupid) for the win ;)

Falls Keep is a fun adventure, with some unique monsters ready to roll when your campaign is in one direction, but the players go in the other direction.  

It is intended for 4-5 adventurers at level 3. 

Rumors flow through town and along the road of Lord Venwexal and his descent into madness. No one knows what really happened when the locals gathered a revolt and hunted him down. All that remains is a mysterious pair of towers at the head of a waterfall. 

Perhaps a visit to Wheatwey Farm will provide some answers, and a hot meal on the road.... good luck with that. 

Risks and challenges 

The risks are EXTREMELY minimal on this Kickstarter. We are not printing or shipping, only delivering digital PDFs. 

The writing is complete, illustration nearly complete, layout already underway and conversions in process (All before we launch).  

We only need funds to clear and a few layout details to arrange.

Distracted Today By Seven Years of Wedded Bliss - The Tavern Wouldn't Be Here Without Rach :)

Seven years ago today, I became the luckiest man alive when Rach gave me her hand in blissful wedding matrimony. In truth, she had stolen my hear over two years prior and does so again every day.

In truth, The Tavern would not be here today if Rach hadn't been with me all these years. She encouraged me to blog, supported me emotionally early on when I just wanted to throw it all away, has been my sounding board and honest critic when needed, and most importantly, has allowed me to spend as much time as I need on all things Tavern.

She is my partner, my best friend, and literally the best part of me.

The first anniversary we barely saw each other, as I was working long hours with the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy. I got home after 10 PM, shared a hug and a kiss and was promptly told "You need to get your post up for today! Get to it!"

I am truly blessed. And just think, Alex was nice enough to schedule GameHole Con right around our anniversary. You might almost think he planned it that way ;)

State of The Tavern - Con Prep and Clean Up

Rach and I leave for Gamehole in three days. God, its come up quickly. Of course, that means last minute con prep. I'm really good at "last minute" prep. Procrastination for the win ;)

I'll be running the 3d Rappan Athuk table using the Swords & Wizardry Light rules Friday and Saturday mornings at 9 AM. The new shipment of rules arrived at The Frogs so copies will be available for free. I'm fairly sure the slots are sold out, but I can run with up to a dozen if needed and I really hate to turn folks away.

I'm bringing cardboard minis from the Pathfinder Beginner Box. Lighter than metal minis and takes up less space in my luggage. I actually had to pop them out of their sheets. Shame really, it's a great product. Almost like an OSR friendly version of Pathfinder.

This morning was the second weekly RPG Breakfast Club on The Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server and it looks like we have a hit on our hands. Sunday mornings at 10 AM, every week. The hosts/guests change almost every week, and it's never the same experience.

The next week may be a bit light on the posts. Expect your daily post, but multiple post days may be rare. Or not. Gamehole may require multiple updates each day ;)

The Tavern Chat Podcast has certainly hit its stride. I had a blast recording the Tavern Spike episode with Colin Green. Expect guests/crossover episode later this month. I'll try and put together some special episodes while at Gamehole.

As a side note, I've hooked my Xbox One up again. Timesink trap! Be very careful. Heh heh. Pinky loves the racing games.

David Baity has a Raffle with Major Goodies - Benefits Feral Cat Rescue

Every fall for the past few years, David Baity has run a fundraiser / raffle for local feral cat rescues. This is actually an issue close to my heart, as a feral cat had kittens in my yard back in May. I came damn close to snagging one of the kittens before their mom moved them in in early July. Next spring Rach and I plan to get certified by NYC to participate in the catch and release program to spay and neuter feral cats. So yes, David, I have your back.

Here's the posting from David's G+ Posting (note - entries can be purchased through November 11th)

For a look at the prized go to David's G+ Thread linked below

(link - https://plus.google.com/+DavidBaity/posts/iRAZQijvLq4?fbclid=IwAR1DojmZnosH7pMwXs2LW56nD0zIZfwo0-gwI5A5LgvhLTWeP-Q6W5-Etvo )

The 2018 Charity Raffle starts today. Please share and donate to
paypal.me/mysticmousers

I’m running late with getting this going, so today is the day! Those of you who know me may be aware of a charity raffle I do every year to help support feline rescue. I always feel bad asking for money, so the idea is to build a treasure vault of goodies people might like through the year and give them away in a random raffle at the end of 30 days.

The community helped me raise just over 3k dollars last year and I hope to make it more this year. Unfortunately, this year the lovely June Hancock of KitsNKats rescue decided to push away from the everyday stress of rescuing, fostering and seeing to the medical needs of felines after several years of helping countless felines. This left me with a dilemma on who should benefit from this year’s raffle.

After doing some nosing around and meeting with some local rescues I’ve decided that Feline Lifeline (you can find them on Facebook and the internet at https://www.felinelifelinesc.org/) is a solid recipient for the money raised from this event. Ralph Carbone is a wonderful man with the heart of a lion, who leads a team of folks that do so much for the felines in the area. They feed feral colonies in addition to catching and having them neutered/spayed, which helps control the population.

In addition, they foster kittens and cats and tend to their various medical needs. After attending a Feline Lifeline meeting I learned that most of the money for food, litter and vet bills come from their own pockets. I’d like to help their cause as much as possible, which leads me to the 3rd “save the kitties” charity raffle. In short, these folks have a huge heart! They give so much of themselves and I’d like to help them with some funds.

Below you’ll see pictures of items I have been buying and begging for over the last year. I tried to cover several avenues of gaming so that there would be something for everyone in the loot pile. Entering is simple! All you have to do is donate $1.00 to the cause. This gets you on the list of potential winners. You are entered once for each dollar you donate, so throw in $10.00 and you have ten entries!

Every penny donated goes towards the charity! At the end of the 30 days, I’ll have someone take the list of names and randomly draw three winners for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. From there, each will have a pick (in order from 1st to 3rd) to build their own prize pack! As you’ll see, several items have been grouped together (as shown) to make the process run smoothly.
So, this is where I beg, plead, ask you to throw a little money towards this effort. Just donating a dollar is huge folks! If you can’t contribute PUH-LEEZE share this post anywhere you think it might get some support! I may add some additional items as we go, but there are already a ton of cool prizes, including board games, miniatures, and RPGs.

Let’s not forget original art from Erol Otus, who took the time to donate an original freaky cat sketch! Throw in art by +Doug Kovacs and +Stefan Poag and you have some unique  prizes!

For folks out of the country. I’ll help as best I can with shipping but considering the weight of these items it might not be feasible to ship. Apologies

Update 10/22: I wanted to take a second and thank everyone for the donations that have been made so far! We're sitting right at 1,700 and I'm hoping we'll get to what I raised last year (3k) by 11/11! Last year I added items to help sweeten the pot and get more folks interested, so this year is going to be no different! I'm adding a brand new board game called "Blood Rage" which is a blast to play (it's in my personal collection). I'm also going to add some D&D 5e products! I'm throwing in a copy of the Players Handbook, The Dungeon Masters Guide and Xanathar's Guide to Everything. And what would this offering be without a set of new dice!?? Again, all it takes is a buck to enter the raffle and have a chance at winning, so throw your name in the hat and spread the word!

Update 10/30: as the end draws near for the 2018 charity raffle I'm adding some fun items in the theme of our favorite tentacled friend! This week's sees the addition of three smaller games perfect for times when some of your group can't show, or for times when you just want something fun and quick! These items will be packaged together asone of the many prize options. Cthulhu Gloom is a fun card game based off the popular Gloom game. Next we have Twilight Creations " Hastur La Vista Baby" which is a fun game based off of their Zombies game. I'm also throwing in a copy of Lost in R'lyeh Card Game by Deluxe Games and Puzzles. These three addition s will be topped off by an adorable 12"plush great for getting those babies into the cult scene before they're cutting teeth! Remember guys, 11/11 is the deadline! All it takes is a dollar to enter to win a metric butt-ton of prizes! Share if you care!


Update 11/03: We're getting close to the end of the raffle and I thought it was time to sweeten the pot! I'm throwing in anotger prize pack for the winners to choose and its Cthulhu themed and brimming with tentacled evil! First, we have a game by Twilight Creations called "Cthulhu Hastur La Vista Baby". Next up is the Cthulhu version of Gloom which is a great card game! Not enough? How about the Lost in R'lyeh card game?? And to get those kiddies into the cult early I'm also throwing in a 12" tentacled cuddle-buddy. Please share and donate if you can! Oops! Almost forgot, Bob Brinkman and the wonderful Sanctum Secorum crew are throwing in a print version of their latest Halloween spectacular! Thanks guys!

Sunday - 10 AM Eastern - The RPG Breakfast Club - Live on the Tenkar's Tavern Discord

The RPG Breakfast Club is the latest, regularly scheduled live chat event on the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server.

Tomorrow morning, Sunday, November 5th at 10 AM Eastern join our hosts from some lively gaming chat. It's like being at a live podcast - uncensored, unedited and completely uncut ;)

Who's in the lineup for tomorrow?

Douglas Cole (Gaming Ballistic)
TheGlen (Welcome to Mystra)
Vince TheEvilGM (Wild Game Productions)
Joshua Desa (Genius Loci Games)
Hack & Slash (Hack & Slash)

Yep, we have an all-star line up lined up for Y'all. Set your alarm because you won't want to miss it. If you need to skip church, just mail in your tithe ;P

Here's the link: https://discord.gg/wHCS85

Episode #1 of the TavernSpike Podcast - Join "SpikePit" and Myself on a Podcast Crossover (Tavern Chat Episode #170)

This morning Colin and I recorded the first episode of the TavernSpike Podcast. It's also Episode 170 of Tavern Chat as well as the latest Episode of the SpikePit Podcast.

I think it's an excellent way to get listeners exposed to other podcasts and its something I encourage other podcasts to do. Sometime after I get back from GameHole (leave in 5 days for Madison) I'll be doing something similar with the fine folks over at the Save for Half Podcast (tentatively called "Save The Tavern") I strongly suspect this is going to be an ongoing thing and I am very excited that others are joining in.

Colin and I recorded Episode #1 of TavernSpike in front of a live studio audience. Well, not exactly, but we did have live listeners as we recorded this morning over at the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server.

Here's the link and we hope you enjoy the show:

https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/episodes/E170---Episode-1-of-the-TavernSpike-Podcast---Join-SpikePit-and-Myself-on-a-Podcast-Crossover-e2h596

Kickstarter - HYPERBOREA: Players' Manual, Referee's Screen, and more!

My God! The HYPERBOREA: Players' Manual, Referee's Screen, and more! Kickstarter launched yesterday and it has already surpassed $21k in funding. Why do I feel like I am late to the party ;)

So, what is Jeff offering this time around?

From North Wind Adventures, an exciting new Kickstarter campaign for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™, a role-playing game of swords, sorcery, and weird fantasy. This bundle features four new products intended to improve the fun and excitement of your AS&SH™ game day.

The Hyperborea Players’ Manual compiles Volumes I, II, and III of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea, as originally presented in the AS&SH 2E hardback. The milieux of AS&SH are inspired by the fantastic literature of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and Clark Ashton Smith. AS&SH rules and conventions are informed by the original 1974 fantasy wargame and miniatures campaign rules as conceived by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.

The Hyperborea Player Character Folder is a valuable supplement for players of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. This 9 × 12-inch,two-pocket folder will feature wraparound cover art by Del Teigeler, with colours by Glynn Seal. The folder will contain 10 booklet-style AS&SH character sheets, each measuring 8½ × 11 inches (i.e., a single 17 × 11-inch sheet folded in half) on classic goldenrod paper. Additional AS&SH character sheets can be downloaded and printed from our website at www.hyperborea.tv. Keep your character sheets, notes, and maps organized with this great new resource! 

The Hyperborea Referee’s Screen is a useful game day accessory for referees of Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. This 44 × 8½ inch, four-panel screen will feature an exterior panoramic scene of Hyperborea, with art by Diogo Nogueira and colours by Daisey Bingham. The interior will display the most relevant AS&SH tables for ready reference.

Rats in the Walls and Other Perils will feature the classic Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea adventure, “Rats in the Walls”, by Jeffrey P. Talanian. This adventure, originally published in 2014 as a special “swag bag” giveaway at Gary Con VI, was inspired by the eponymous story by H.P. Lovecraft. This revised and lightly expanded version will bring that title up to date with our current catalogue of adventure modules.

Rats in the Walls and Other Perils also will include two more short adventures: Chainsaw’s “The Brazen Bull”, and “The Lamia’s Heart”, by Jeffrey P. Talanian. (An early draft of the latter was published in the AFS fanzine.) Edited by David Prata, all three adventures are set in the dismal City-State of Khromarium and designed for from four to six characters of 1st or 2nd level. Like our popular adventure module The Anthropophagi of Xambaala™, we think you will find this to be a great AS&SH campaign starter. It contains just enough mystery and danger to whet the appetites of your players, introducing them to the weird world of sword-and-sorcery role-playing in the City-State of Khromarium. 

There are MANY different backer levels for PDF or Print, with the above on their own or bundled.

If you just want the Player's book, the GM screen and the adventures in PDF its 25 bucks.  If you want it all in Print plus PDF (including "goldenrod character sheets and a folder) its 90 bucks. In my opinion, those are the sweet spots.

With all due respect to Jeff - Fuck You! Just take my money damn it!

Tavern Chat Podcast - Live Episode - 10AM Eastern Friday Nov 2 - Crossover with Colin Green / Spikepit

Tomorrow morning at 10 am Eastern, Colin Green and I are going to be doing a live episode of the Tavern Chat Spikepit Tavern Spike Podcast. Yep, two hosts, one episode, shared on two podcast streams. Should be fun.

Drop in if you can. If not, I'll share the link when it goes live.

Link to The Tavern's Discord Server:  https://discord.gg/JJ2SFZ

Kickstarter - Socks of Speed and Socks of Elvenkind (for realz!)

It's not often that I find myself at a loss for words. When I was sent the link to the Socks of Speed and Socks of Elvenkind Kickstarter.

I don't even know where to start. It is tempting in the same way buying pairs of superhero socks when my son was staling my normal socks - I KNOW no one but me would wear them.

Did I mention the video is 7 seconds long and has nothing to do with the socks? Go ahead, watch it. I dare you ;)

A single pair is 15 bucks plus 4 for shipping. Four pairs are 45 bucks plus 4 for shipping. Want 10 pairs (5 of each)? 75 bucks plus 4 for shipping.

Shit. Sweet point is 10 pairs. Maybe I could give some as gifts...

Kickstarter - The Dreams in Gary’s Basement: A Documentary on Gary Gygax

There are a number of interesting Kickstarters on the gaming radar right now, and I'm going to do my best to get to them in a timely (meaning - still funding) manner.

The Dreams in Gary’s Basement: A Documentary on Gary Gygax is what it says on the tin - this isn't a D&D focused documentary, instead it's focused on one D&D's co-creators (and the wind beneath the sails and sales of D&D - see what I did there?;)

I must say, it does look very interesting. I may be a bit gun shy after dueling D&D documentary Kickstarters spent years duking it out in court - and I still don't know what, if any, is going to see the light of day from either.

Here's the pitch:

Gary Gygax was one of the great minds of the 20th century – his innovations have influenced generations of artists and spawned tens of billions of dollars in global revenue. 

With Dungeons & Dragons, Gary crafted a vehicle for engaging the mind at a creative, analytical, social and even emotional level - all at the same time. There is truly nothing else like it. 

Gary's work has woven itself into the fabric of our culture, yet there is no monument to recognize him, not even in his own hometown. (wonder how that failed to happen?) We intend this project to be a filmic monument of sorts – a high-quality, emotionally engaging record of Gary’s story that can be appreciated by gamers and non-gamers alike for generations to come.

As a lifelong player of D&D, I feel this project has been a dream come true. I've met so many of my idols, made so many friends, and developed a deeper understanding of Gary Gygax and his magical game. 

This movie has been three years in the making and is now just months from being completed. We have dozens of interviews and hours of other great footage, and in a rough cut, it already tells a compelling story. 

With your support, we can bring it across the finish line by giving the movie high-end color grading, sound mixing and additional archival photos and video. We have a talented post-production team in place and ready to work as soon as we fund.
Please help us bring Gary's inspiring story to life and create a lasting addition to his legacy. 

- Pat Kilbane, Director

Watch the video on the Kickstarter page. It's less than 3 minutes long and I find it enticing. 

Still not sure I'm going to pull the trigger on this one, but it has funded and is hitting stretch goals.

Reminder - Tavern Chat - 9 PM Eastern - Where the Cool Geeks Hang ;)

Alright, I'm not so sure how well the words "cool" and "geek" matchup, but there you have it :)

Tonight is a Wednesday Night and that means Tavern Chat, a voice and text hangout on the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server starting at 9 PM Eastern.

Here's the invite: https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

We now have multiple voice hangouts throughout the week, with Frog Chat on Tuesday Night's at 9 PM and the RPG Breakfast Club at 10 AM on Sundays (all times Eastern).

Huzzah!

Join us tonight. It's like participating in a live, uncensored (and unrecorded) podcast ;)

Kickstarter - DCC Annual (and other forbidden tomes) - Goodman Games

Goodman Games seriously knows how to make gaming releases for collectors. We are now (as of this Kickstarter) on the 7th Print of the core DCC RPG rules. I think I have three copies myself and I don't even play DCC ;)

So, what does the DCC Annual Kickstarter offer that you, that as a DCC RPG player or judge, need to have?

Yet the urge to create is a hungry god, and gods demand nourishment. It was originally conceived that an annual publication would exist in some form to showcase the brilliance of the DCC RPG community. This would be the DCC RPG Annual, published each year to distribute these gaming creations. 

The best of things happened: the DCC RPG Annual was never needed. The DCC community burst forth a verdant jungle of inspiration, with ripe fruit on every limb. Blogs and personal posts; zines; community publications; the Gongfarmer’s Almanac; officially licensed third-party works: there is a vast supply of inspiration from whence the DCC judge can draw and iterate. 

And thus we come here to Kickstart a volume which has no place. If you are a DCC fan, you absolutely do not need to support this Kickstarter. Should you to desire to do so, however, you will receive a book that has become a legend, despite never before being published.

Interesting that the fan base supplied what the annual was conceived of to do.

But wait, there's more!

There's the new 7th printing of the core rules and a hardcover edition of the Chained Coffin.

But screw all that. What if you've never played the DCC RPG before? It's expensive to make that leap, right?

Not any more:

I have a copy of the DCC RPG Quickstart rules and they are good. Quickstart rules, in print AND three adventures in PDF, print copy shipped anywhere in the word - all for 2 measly bucks? I don't care if you play the game or now, this is simply too good a deal to pass up on. If you do play DCC and have no interest in the rest of this Kickstarter, it is STILL too good a deal to pass up on ;)

DnDSports is Now RPGSports - Why the Name Change?

I missed this change in title (and website) as well as the drama over the invite / revoked invite / never invited Youtube personality (pick and choose what happened, it matters little)

Anyhow, DnDSports is now RPGSports. Now, why would one change their name from "KleenexSports" to "TissuePaperSports?" Here's the official announcement of the name change (with some relevant highlighted comments from myself):

We’ve heard a lot of great feedback, but one thing we weren’t expecting was SO much interest for us to expand outside of just Dungeons & Dragons! (somehow I doubt this) Therefore, we’ve decided to broaden our approach and become RPGSports! 

We have a new Twitch channel here! 

This wider umbrella means that we can position ourselves to easily collaborate with other tabletop games. What other tabletop games would you like to see in a competitive style in the future? 

Of course, in other ways this doesn’t change too much. The first RPGSports tournament this November will still be played using the Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition rules. We noticed some confusion online, and so wanted to take this opportunity to clarify that this is an EncounterRoleplay production. While D&DBeyond are sponsoring this tournament, Wizards of the Coast are not affiliated with RPGSports. (emphasis mine - read these two sentences carefully)

We’re excited to start releasing more information on rules, to announce the star-studded teams, and to tell you how you can get involved in RPGSports! 

Thanks for sticking with us while this exciting project continues to expand and grow.

Then there is THIS later down the page:

Who is involved? 

The EncounterRoleplay & D&DBeyond crews have teamed up to bring this production to life! While we’re playing Dungeons & Dragons, we don’t have any affiliation with Wizards of the Coast. (again, emphasis mine)

It suggests to me that the DnDSports title was politely contested by a company distinctly not affiliated with the project

You can read the latest PR share at ENWorld.

Note: D&D Beyond is NOT a WotC or Hasbro company. They have a D&D license.

Do You Run "Horror Themed Adventures" around Halloween?

I was thinking about this last night. I haven't run a "themed adventure" it at least 25 years. There was a stretch where I ran a Call of Chtuhlu session the weekend before or after Halloween. One year I ran The Created, a puppet-themed low-level Ravenloft Adventure for AD&D 2e.

I had fun doing so. Kinda wish I had set something similar up for this year.

Do you run special adventures for the Halloween season? If so, which ones?

Kickstarter - Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair tabletop fantasy RPG game

Sometimes a game looks interesting, then you see the lack of backers and it makes you dig a bit deeper. Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair tabletop fantasy RPG game is just such a game.

Launched on October 19th, its had 8 days to find an audience. In that time, its found 12 backers and about 7% of its funding. No, it's not doing well with 19 days to go.

A unique tabletop fantasy RPG adventure game where YOUR CHOICES and the ROLL OF THE DICE determine the OUTCOME of the story and game.

Wait, isn't that pretty much ALL games that aren't pure skill or pure chance?

LABYRINTH: THE LICH LORD'S LAIR
Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair is a tabletop, fantasy role-playing, multi-path adventure game that is unique in the sense that YOU (and/or your party, if you are playing with multiple players) choose your own destiny(s); that by your own choices YOU determine the OUTCOME of the story. In fact, sometimes, your very fate(s) might even depend on the roll of the dice....

I got drawn in by the art and the title. I must admit the pitch is pretty horrid, claiming uniqueness fr something that is very NOT unique.

But wait, there's more!

SO... WHAT MAKES THIS GAME UNIQUE? 

You get to decide where the story goes! By no means a new concept, Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair is a multi-path, tabletop game modeled after the Choose Your Own Adventure and Fighting Fantasy style books. Because the outcome of the story is determined by the choices you and/or your party make, this creates a more intimate gaming experience for everyone, and a new adventure every time you and your friends play! It is also the first in a series of Labyrinth adventures to come! 

An engaging storyline, coupled with tons of incredible artwork from high-caliber fantasy artist, Ilya Shkipin. In fact, all of the artwork above that you see in this campaign was created by Ilya specifically for Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair, and are just a taste of what is to come!  

Single Player or Multiplayer! Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair can be played by yourself, or can be modified to create a multiplayer adventure experience for you and your friends!
 Simple game mechanics! We at EndGame wanted to create a game that you, the player, can actually spend playing, not learning, but enjoying, without feeling intimidated by it.  We want our adventurers to get right into it, without wasting precious time doing a bunch of math, and filling out tons of confusing boxes that only further complicate the game play. With our game, character creation is super easy, and our simple turn-based, dice roll combat system delivers a fast-paced, edge-of-your-seat combat experience that is both engaging, and maintains the flow of the game.  

Appealing to gamers of all different levels and backgrounds! In fact, a recent beta test of the prototype/draft of this game received rave reviews and positive and enthusiastic responses from both hardcore and casual gamers alike! 

Approximately 2-1/2 to 3 hours tops to complete an adventure! One of the more engaging and attractive aspects of this game is that it was created knowing that people like you lead active and busy lifestyles.

Different strokes for different folks! For the avid reader and casual gamer, Labyrinth: The Lich Lord's Lair will be available as an adventure gamebook in a PDF version, complete with all of the artwork, that you can take anywhere with you on your mobile device, tablet, or laptop or play on your desktop at work when the boss is not around. For the tabletop enthusiast, the game will be available as a tabletop game in a full-color box, complete with a high-quality, fully-illustrated ADVENTURE book, CHARACTER PROFILE sheets, a BATTLE CHEST containing one set of custom HERO dice and one set of custom ENEMY dice, CREATURE CARDS, INVENTORY CARDS, TREASURE TOKENS, and a tabletop SATCHEL for your INVENTORY CARDS. And finally, if we hit Stretch Goal #2, we will be bringing the Lich Lord to PC as an exciting, interactive fantasy RPG video game. Each format of the game will obviously have unique features that the other ones will not.
 

Sorry, this is not unique. Buy in for the game is 80 bucks, which isn't horrid, but I've literally seen a dozen or more of these "fantasy heartbreaker" boardgames. Some even fund. This one won't.

Ah well, maybe I can count those 80 bucks as "money saved" ;) If only Gareth hadn't bilked me for 150 7 years ago...

 

Looking at My Original AD&D 1e Player's Handbook is a Peek Into My Gaming History

I talked a bit about this on The Tavern Chat Podcast yesterday, but I think it's an interesting enough topic to also explore a bit on the blog side looking at my old gaming books is like a peek into my personal gaming history. Thankfully, with the blog, I can use photos ;)

Look at the beat up and worn out cover. This book has been used. And yet the binding is still holding tight - not like my Unearthed Arcana and 2e books. I guess TSR changed to a cheaper printer down the line.

Even back in 1980 (6th print), it was important enough for me to highlight a certain sentence. This is the ONLY highlighting in the entire book and is the one rule that applies to every game I've ever run or played in.

I think I made the pencil change for half-orcs for my sister who wanted to play a half-orc thief, but I'm far from sure 38 years later...

This isn't a bad photo, it's a bad print of A Paladin in Hell. Too much black ink on the page for the printer to handle I guess.

I was house ruling the Ranger class before house ruling was a thing apparently ;)

Looks like I failed a roll to learn Feather Fall. WTF was I marking this in the book of all places?

Yep, 4 pages (2 sheets) are missing. They were perforated and that was an invite to "pull them out" and I did. No idea if I still have them tucked away in a folder or not.

I'd love to hear about (or see) the stories of your gaming history tucked away in the books that brought you into the hobby.