ShireCon 2019 Recap - Voice Lost - Amazing Time

I'm in the process of losing my voice it seems. But that's okay because I had an amazing time at ShireCon.

Slept in till about 7 am. Left the house with Rach shortly after 8 am. We got to Falls Village / ShireCon around 1030.

Hung out and yapped with friends till about Noon, and then an excellent lunch. Ran Demonic Dungeon of the Bone Dreamer for Swords & Wizardry Light from 1 pm until approximately 430. It was a blast. I never sat down - but then I rarely do when GMing at conventions.

Of course, Joe Bloch picked my pocket - multiple times ;) Jeff Talanian would have, but I already owned everything.

I'd give shout outs to everyone I spoke with, hugged and hung out with, but I'm sure I'd miss a name or two. Suffice to say, it was great to meet friends, both old and new. As Rach and I discussed on the drive home, ShireCon, although small and only one day it already has the feel of NTRPG Con. That simply is amazing and no higher compliment can be made.

Thom, you did a great job, but we expected nothing less. Sign us up for next year!

(forgot to take photos this year, damn it!)

News - Cortex RPG System Acquired by Fandom

Full announcement below:

Bringing the award-winning RPG system back to the table, with digital support like never before.

We are excited to announce that Fandom has acquired the Cortex roleplaying game rules system from Margaret Weis Productions. The Cortex system was previously used in award-winning games in the universes of Marvel, Firefly, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, and more. Additionally, Fandom has brought Cam Banks, lead designer and developer of recent versions of the system, on board to guide the future of Cortex.

An updated version of the system—called Cortex Prime—was successfully funded on Kickstarter in 2017. Fandom will fulfill all the commitments of the Kickstarter, plus integrate full digital support—like we have done for Dungeons & Dragons with D&D Beyond—to enhance the experience. Cortex Prime will become the first time digital tools are built-in from the ground up to augment gameplay.

“This new and exciting direction for Cortex really checks all the boxes for me,” said Cam Banks, Creative Director of Cortex Prime at Fandom. “First-class digital support, worldwide remote play opportunities, a way to connect thousands of fans of Cortex, and of course the tremendous team at Fandom all make this the best of all possible worlds for the system.”

Cortex Prime handles multiple genres from books, television, movies, and video games—almost any genre you can imagine can be represented with the system. It has been used in the past for science fiction, steampunk, fantasy, space opera, prime time drama, super heroes, crime capers, and supernatural action. It works best for genres that emphasize a cast of interesting and interconnected characters in settings that let them show off their talents, personalities, and relationships.

Cortex Prime is built to be modular, not a single fixed set of rules. It could be considered as a toolkit, or a big box of building bricks. From a central system of dice and descriptive traits, you can assemble your own game from modular parts to best suit the way you and your friends like to play. You include only those parts that suit your preferences and leave out those that you aren’t as excited by. This process will be easy to undertake through the digital game building tools that will be a core part of the Cortex Prime service.

With Cortex Prime, the tools and resources to create your own custom-built game from a myriad of switches and dials are now yours.

“Cortex Prime will give creators and fans a unique way to participate in shared storytelling,” said Adam Bradford, General Manager of Cortex Prime/DDB. “Tabletop roleplaying games typically integrate the benefits of technology to enhance gameplay after the game is created, resulting in the digital offerings feeling tacked onto it. We are leveraging those benefits from the ground up with Cortex Prime to make the most of a flexible ruleset that props up a wide variety of roleplaying experiences for fans of any genre. This is the kind of thing I have personally wanted to see for years.”

In addition to giving fans a toolkit to create their own types of games, Fandom plans to publish our own games in the future using the Cortex system, including bespoke roleplaying experiences for some of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world today. We will share more about these exciting opportunities soon!

Special Note:
As part of this transition, all sales of legacy Cortex products on DriveThruRPG.com will end on September 30th. Between now and then, you can pick up those products there if you would like to own them in PDF format. Any PDF you purchase in this way will be available for download in your library on DriveThruRPG going forward as usual.

Kickstarter - Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games

When is a miniatures Kickstarter not simply a miniatures Kickstarter? When its the Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games Kickstarter. Because all backers, thanks to stretch goals, can receive the DuckQuest Role Playing Game ruleset in PDF for backing at any level.

Oh, and the minis look damn good too.

Less than 24 hours to go.

Humble Bundle - Old School Fantasy Roleplaying Bundle (Everything PLUS the Kitchen Sink)

This is probably the best and greatest Old School bunde anywhere - forget Bundle of Holding - the Humble Bundle - Old School Fantasy Roleplaying Bundle is what you want to grab!

Why? Well, if a picture says a thousand words, I've got a couple of thousand words for you ;)

Let's look at the One Dollar level. You get all the following for a buck:

All the above plus the following for Eight Bucks:

All the above and the following for 18 bucks:

I dare you to find more old school gaming value for your gaming dollar.

Yes, that's an affiliate link above. When you shop using The Tavern's affiliate links, a small portion of sales made go to support The Tavern. Huzzah! for beer ;)

Kickstarter - The North Road - A Fantasy RPG Campaign BOOK and PDF (System Neutral)

Sometimes I look at a Kickstarter project and all I can think of is what an Administrative Judge said to me at my first traffic court appearance as a rookie. I wrote a ticket for someone that rolled through a stop sign. At court, I testified and the judge said "Officer, you are 'this close' to the gold ring. Review your testimony and give me the missing piece." I had no clue and the summons was dismissed.

The North Road - A Fantasy RPG Campaign BOOK and PDF is probably NOT going to fund. Which is a shame, because it's an interesting looking project. There are a few issues that I have with it.

• The intro video is too damn long. Apparently, the guys behind the project are Youtubes, and the video is certainly well-produced, but no one who stumbles upon your Kickstarter page wants to watch an 8 minute plus video. Put it further down on the page. Keep the introduction to 90 seconds or less.
• Page count. We don't know what the page count is. Sure, it may change with layout, but give us a ballpark number. It's part of how we, potential backers, decide on the potential value of your offering.
• Pricing. 30 bucks for a PDF of unknown pages is steep. Hell, 30 bucks for any PDF seems steep. Softcover is 46, but if you want PDFs with that, it's 57. Normally, I prefer to see PDFs included with the Printed offering for free.

From the Risks and Challenges:

To avoid complexity we have kept this Kickstarter as simple as we can. All content, artwork and photography have already been completed. What remains is finalising the layout for the book and PDF. Most of the layout exists already for the PDF versions of each module, however, we will be reworking these for print (and adding some extra details).

You would think they could give an estimate on the number of pages. Awesome that it's already written. Not so awesome that you can't put a number to it.

Ah well. Not quite halfway to goal with less than half the funding period left. Maybe a cheaper option to just get the first few adventures in PDF could help. Or not.

Saving Throw fundraiser fanzine for James D. Kramer (of Usherwood Publishing)

James Kramer is probably best known for Usherwood Publishing, the most recent publisher of OSRIC.

Saving Throw — a fundraiser fanzine to help James D. Kramer

You may know Jim Kramer from his Usherwood Publishing modules & supplements, or his work helping produce works like OSRIC and Knockspell. You probably didn’t know Jim had multiple brain surgeries to remove tumors, and the battle has gotten much harder. To help Jim and his family during this difficult time, a group of his friends, collaborators, and first edition enthusiasts banded together to make this fundraiser fanzine, where all royalties go directly to Jim and his family.

This 60+ page issue of Saving Throw contains:

• Introduction by Ron Redmond
• Island Tables - random generation and inspiration tool by Steve Smith aka “EOTB”
• Sorcerer’s Stone - dungeon level by Keith Sloan
• Trolls of the Simpolo Swamps - leech-mated trollish variations by Joseph Browning
• Perladon Manor - adventure module by Gabor Lux
• By The Runes - fiction by Dan Rasaiah
• Magic Item Intrinsic Material Values - variant magic item value rules by Guy Fullerton
• Goblin Garbug Cavalry - new monster by Andrew Hamilton
• The Tiled Labyrinth - mini-dungeon by Guy Fullerton
• Lotus Blossoms - magical and special properties of these exotic flora by Keith Sloan
• Burly the Baker - ready-to-use NPC and cantrips by Gary Francisco
• Darkworld Troll - new monster by Bryan Fazekas
• Offig’s Tomb - treasure map by Steve Smith aka “EOTB”
• Lizard Man Lair - outdoor module and new monsters by Steve Smith aka "EOTB"
• Mephitic Geysers of the Intaglio Rift - treasure map by Allan T. Grohe, Jr. (“grodog")
• The Mere Beneath - dungeon level by Guy Fullerton, Allan T. Grohe, Jr. (“grodog"), and Henry A. Grohe
• Sarendra’s Crew & Kelurrin’s Crew - ready-to-use NPC parties by Allan T. Grohe, Jr. (“grodog")
• Rescue from the Sanctuary of the Leopard Goddess - dungeon module by Matthew Riedel

Featuring illustrations by Jimm Johnson, James D. Kramer, Wind Lothamer, Gabor Lux, Denis McCarthy, Peter Szmer (soon), Del Teigeler, and Alex Zisch.

For the lucky price of $13, you get two treasure maps, three referee tools, five new spells, six modules, at least nine new monsters, twelve ready-to-use NPCs, and more. Plus the knowledge that your purchase helps a family during a difficult time.

Thank you!

Note: We plan to make a print version available soon. When it becomes available, will send drivethru coupon codes to everyone who purchased the pdf so they can get a print version at a discount.

Note #2: We are still in the process of gathering artwork for some of the articles, so don't be surprised by any of the blank spots. We will notify everybody when we update the pdf with new art, and you can download the latest version from your library.

Yes, there is an affiliate link above. Affiliate links keep The Tavern's lights on and will not affect the amount of monies that will go to the publisher and James.

Kickstarter - The Book of Unusual Potions, for use with Fantasy RPGs (Phil Reed)

Holy shit I nearly missed this. The Kickstarter for The Book of Unusual Potions, for use with Fantasy RPGs by Phil Reed has less than 24 hours in its funding period as I write this but damn it looks good!

Alongside scrolls, magic potions are one of those ubiquitous magic items that many of us don’t give a second thought. Potions can heal, boost character attributes, and generally serve as a quick fix and a tool to overcome in-game complications and obstacles. Some game systems apply limits to the power of potions, while others disregard “game balance” and approach potions as more of a video game-style instant enhancement. How you personally prefer to treat potions in your campaign is far more important than what the game’s rules may say. 

Over the years, I’ve tried to make potions more than just a simple “drink this and gain Y benefit” item. I don’t feel as if I’ve quite succeeded in the past, though, in adding mystery and wonder to the magic potions that I’ve detailed in my work. 

That’s where The Book of Unusual Potions comes into frame. This is a dedicated tome in which I try to give potions more twists, turns, and strangeness than in my earlier projects, an attempt at making these potions as entertaining in terms of flavor as they are in-game bonuses.

The sample pages look sweet too!

3 bucks in PDF, 10 bucks for the Print plus PDF. You know you want it. Nearly 1,400 backers can't be wrong :)

Journey's End (for now), the Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches has been released! (Reposted from the Bat in the Attic Blog)

The following was first posted over on Rob Conley's Bat in the Attic Blog. All the following words are Rob's. Affiliate links are The Tavern's. Keep the beer cold and the lights on at The Tavern via our affiliate links :)

I (Rob) am pleased to announce the release of Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches. This is the fourth of four products covering the eighteen maps that encompass the Judges Guild Wilderlands setting. This product covers four of the maps as detailed below. The four sets combined will cover a region equal in size to Western Europe providing years and decades of adventuring for you and your group.

Unlike many setting products, the Wilderlands sketches out the overview and history in light detail. Then presents a comprehensive list of local detail in a compact format that is customizable. This eliminates much of the tedious work involved in creating a setting and allows the referee to focus on the campaign and the grand adventures the players face as their characters.

This is presented as two products both in PDF and Print on Demand.

The first product is a 44-page guidebook containing a brief overview of and commentary on Maps Fifteen to Map Eighteen of the Wilderlands along with lists covering details on Villages, Castles, Lairs, Ruins, and Islands.

Due to the extensive use of monsters from the supplements to the original edition, this release details 7 monsters and provides full statistics suitable for use with Swords and Wizardry and similar RPGs.

The Guidebook for the Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches also includes charts, tables, and rules concerning the Triumphant Grand Tactical mapping system used by the Wilderlands, how to build strongholds, and establishing baronies. In addition, information has been added on the demographics of the Wilderlands along with new rules governing pastoral and nomadic cultures. Because Tula, the City of Wizards, plays a prominent role in this region, rules for potion and magic item creations has been included. Finally, as the Isle of the Blest straddles the corners of four maps, a combined map and list has been added as a bonus chapter. This includes the background originally written by Scott Fulton in Pegasus #3.

Included with the Guidebook are a letter-sized blank map of the Wilderlands that can be used to take notes during a campaign. A PDF with the map legend. A letter-size black and white guide to the placement of each of the 18 maps within the Wilderlands.

Finally a giant-sized preliminary version of the master map that I used to crop the individual maps from. With the right printer, this can be printed as a full-scale map 5 feet wide and 8 feet long. With the PDF you can selectively copy out regions as complete maps that overlap the borders of the 18 maps. After the release of the final set of maps this file will be updated as a layered PDF allowing for custom maps of the Wilderlands to be copied or created.

The second product is a set of four maps:  Isles of the Dawn Map Fifteen, Southern Reaches Map Sixteen, Silver Skein Isles Map Seventeen, and Ghinor Highlands Map Eighteen. When ordered via print on the demand they are printed in two overlapping halves each on a 12" by 18" poster. In addition, each map is presented as a 22" by 17" PDF file.

The maps have been redrawn from the original in a color style. Instead of the distinct symbols of the original maps, the terrain has been drawn as a transparent fill and vegetation represented by colored areas. This allows both terrain and vegetation to overlap. Representing more accurately the complexity and diversity of the Wilderland's geography.

This release is the final book in a series of four covering the Wilderlands of High Fantasy.

A preview PDF

The Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches Guidebook

The Wilderlands of the Fantastic Reaches Map

Bundles

I now offer bundles of all four sets of guidebooks and maps at 25% off buying separately. There are four bundles two sets of print or PDF for the guidebooks, and two sets of print or PDF for the maps. DrivethruRPG doesn't allow maps and books to be mixed in the same bundle (or order).

Wilderlands Guidebook Bundle (PDF)
Wilderlands Guidebook Bundle (Print)
Wilderlands Map Bundle (PDF) 
Wilderlands Map Bundle (Print)

Indiegogo - Bill Webb's RPG Decks of Dirty Tricks

Why do I have an AC/DC song in my head when I think of Bill Webb's Deck of Dirty Tricks? heh.

I've been using Bill's Deck off and on for years at the various conventions I run games at. The results have always been fun and often game-changing. Certainly not for the DM that is weak of heart and unable to improvise ;)

With this project introducing TWO new decks of Bill Webb Dirty Tricks in addition to reprinting the original deck, I'm excited as all hell. One deck of your choice for 15 bucks, two for 29, all three for 42. Want to add a signed copy of Bill Webb's Book of Dirty Tricks (DM Aid)? You're at 50 bucks. Shipping not included.

The Classic Deck of Dirty Tricks

Made for use during game sessions to encourage unexpected events and player interactivity. The cards are all printed with suggestions for changes in the narration and their potential mechanical implications. It is system neutral but works best with any one of the many variations of the world's most popular roleplaying game. 

The New Expansion Decks of Dirty Tricks 

We are bringing 2 new decks for this Indiegogo project. We are also reprinting the classic (and sold out classic Deck of Dirty tricks . The expansion decks are planned for 48 cards with, often requested blank cards for creating your very own "dirty tricks" for your home or convention game.

A WTF Kickstarter - Age of Uranus

Sometimes, the name says it all. I'm sure it was a language issue that failed to see the issue with the title of this Kickstarter - Age of Uranus before launch.

I guess they released after launch, as it was canceled after not meeting projections.

So, what is the Age of Uranus? Yes, that was a bad joke, but it is funny ;)

Age of Uranus is a role-playing game in which art and mystery blend to create a unique and fascinating setting: a sublime and tormented world where signs invisible to ordinary mortals lead to weird and wonderful places and where codes hidden within works of art reveal paths to powers and long-forgotten truths. 

Players take on the role of hyper-humans, supernatural beings of great power, who covet supremacy over humans and their peers, but in hyper-human society nothing is as it seems. Characters will have to navigate this world of Mystery, Intrigue and Passion...

Ah well. It's never good to play with Uranus. Yes, I'm in high school again - signed, Dick Hertz ;P

God Bless Those Lost in the 9-11-01 Terror Attacks

September 11th is always a hard day for me. Now that I'm retired, I do my best to stay in bed late in the morning, so as to no longer be tempted to listen to the list of names of those lost in the attacks of 9-11. I cry enough on this day without such. I saw too much, smelled too much that day to ever forget.

Paul was lost on 9-11 working in the World Trade Center. He was also working at the WTC back in the '93 attack.

Paul was a member of our gaming group since high school and one of my closest friends, helping me navigate my way through the end of a long term relationship just a few years before. Always easy to talk to, always listening, always caring.

Paul could have survived that day. Others in his office did. He took a moment to call his wife and leave a message that a plane had hit the Towers and he was clearing out his staff from his office before locking up and heading down himself. Paul never got out.

To Paul, his family, friends, and coworkers, to all of those that were lost that horrible day and their family, friends, and coworkers, you are in my thoughts and prayers today and every day. But for the grace of God, my name would be on the memorial.

Never forget.

New Release - Alarms & Journeys (OSR Zine)

There's a new Zine in the OSR community - Alarms & Journeys. Its just 2 bucks. Probably worth it for the adventure alone.

An OSR 'zine for use with OSRIC, AD&D 1e,2e, and others. 42 pages! (actually, more than 42 pages ;) 

In this issue! 

Editorial/ Barbarian Class page: 2 

Law and Disorder by Todd Cannon page: 6 

Interview with Joseph Bingaman
By Dave Johnson Page: 8
The Role of Books: 

Monsters and Creatures
Page: 12 

Trail of Cthulhu
page: 13 

Obligatory Dungeon
by Chris Larr Page: 16† 

The Role of Games
page: 46 

Ecology of the Gas Spore
page: 50 

New Monsters & Magic!
page: 55

That's an affiliate link above. Keep the lights on and the beer cold at The Tavern by using our affiliate links.

Indiegogo - The Folio: Black Label #2 (Oh my!) 1E and 5E

A swords & sorcery styled adventure in both traditional AD&D and modern 5th Edition D&D.

Sexy certainly sells. Suffice to say, I think The Folio: Black Label #2 will certainly sell, although not being available in physical copies at retail means I won't be able to see uncomfortable gamers at cons sneaking a glimpse at the cover. Heck, the cover art of The Folio: Black Label #2 makes me feel like I'm back in the 90s, and that's a good thing.

I've been consistently happy with the quality of the various The Folio releases via Kickstarter and Indiegogo.

The Folio: Black Label series are fantasy adventure modules that is compatible with BOTH classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and 5th Edition D&D formats.  It combines what I enjoyed most from the heady days of of the late 1970s and the 1980s swords & sorcery storytelling.  

The Folio: Black Label #2 continues in the same locations as Black Label #1, and is going to have even more adult edge than is found in the standard Folio, and yes, there might be some nudity, and maybe some horror, and maybe a twisted quality here or there, but at the base its really just about the unfettered fun of hacking and slashing your way through a pulp style adventure with blatant evil doers, magical treasures, and exposed flesh.   

So, I'm throwing out the playbook for 2019, and turning the flux capacitor back to the early days of gaming.  I hope some of you will join me. 

A WTF Kickstarter - Critical (S)hit! Diarrhea Dice

d20 and polyhedral dice sets designed after and engraved with poop! For gaming, dungeons and dragons, collectors, rpgs, gifts, and more

Just when I thought I had seen it all, Critical (S)hit! Diarrhea Dice arrived on Kickstarter. I think we've hit the point where there are now new ideas for dice - but wait! ou get a nice poop pin to go along with your $13 dice set... of poop.

We have seen that many people love the poop emoji and its various forms, so we figured it would be pretty awesome to put a big old piece of poo right on the 20 side of a d20. So that is what we aim to just do! Try to get the funding to make some crappy dice! We also decided that these dice could be extra shitty by adding a whole bunch of poop inspired colors on sets of polyhedral dice based on all the sorts of poop out there. Perhaps you've encountered some of this shit yourself. We're really down to earth, so we had to be real about it but still had to pull off a way to make the dice look cute. You've got your everyday poop, diarrhea, corn infested, and others!  

Hopefully none of you are too disgusted by the idea of these dice  - We know there were times when we felt sick (and funny) when designing them because much research and many references were needed (gross). It really was not easy to do, but luckily we had some help from a fine designer based out of Diving Hippo Studio (another Canadian association) who helped us survive the process of getting these dice designed. We pulled through, and now they're here on Kickstarter for you all to pledge for! These dice, if funded, are not going to be only full of humor and silliness, but also look great! They'll be the real shit! One of a kind!   

Oh, did we mention that we also want to make some pretty crappy pins and a dice bag for you too? One of them is very nice - for your friends to get you rolling when you game. The other one is for you gamers out there that just want the world to lose. Suck it, losers! Finally, sometimes we've all got crap in life or in the middle of a DnD game where you just need to pull out a dice bag full of attitude. We'd love to make you some golden bags that you can flaunt off in your games!  

Finally, we have some related creations for you all to add on if you wish. We've designed a dice tray cut out in the shape of poop so you can roll your crappy dice on them if you so desire! We also had the lads down at Galaxy Gaming Gear design a wicked looking toilet dice tower if you wish to add it to your pledge. This way you can get your crappy dice totally flushed when you're gaming, since you probably always roll 1's and miss the enemy all the time, anyways! May as well send them down the drain! 

I get the joke, but ts a crappy one (no pun intended) and 20 bucks after shipping for a shitty joke just doesn't cut it for me.

Fuck. the puns are like diarrhea... they just don't stop!

Humble Bundle - CRPGs - Pillars of Eternity & More - $4.40

Real quick post. The current Humble Bundle CRPG Bundle offers Pillars of Eternity and more for $4.40. Hard to pass up AND playable on OSX. Damn but I love it when good games show up for OSX.

Yes, that's an affiliate link above. A portion of sales made through The Tavern's affiliate links put coin in The Tavern's coffers. I thank you in advance.

A Look at Gamers+ - The RPGs Tabletop Network

The death of Google+ certainly left a gaping hole in the social circles of many an OSR gamer. While Facebook certainly has an OSR presence and MeWe was happy to make the Google+ refugees feel at home as best it could, there are many that just don't feel comfortable with Facebook and don't like the feel of MeWe.

Which brings us to Gamers+. I'm not so sure I want to call it a "social network" as there are no cat pictures in your feed and the talk is pretty much strictly gaming. The network's population is small, but it does have an active feed linking blog posts and vidcasts from various gaming sources. Heck, their official Discord Server is the Tenkar's Tavern Discord Server. It tickles me pink, it does ;)

Hmm, maybe they could add an "Audio Section" and we could get some OSR podcast feeds lined up. that would be an amazing resource. Hint, hint!

The thing is, to reach its full potential, it needs members. Growth is slow but steady, but I'm hoping this post will give Gamers+ a burst of growth. Can't hurt, right?

The Gamers+ OSR Community is currently at 25 members. We should be able to double that in a day or so, right? ;)

Excellent Blog Post at Creative Mountain Games re:D&D Legacy

Mark over at Creative Mountain Games has an excellent blog post dealing with recent muckraking going on on a certain "gaming news site" that shall not be named for the same reason we do not say Candyman in the bathroom mirror three times - you just never know who you might summon.

The insight Mark has to the actual time in history is priceless, and I suggest you read his post. It's a different perspective then you are getting elsewhere.

Here's a small piece of Mark's article:

The author of the Gygax legacy "hatchet piece" and the more recent TSR "rift" piece came to Lake Geneva and tried to interview a number of people prior to the first article and most wouldn't speak with her.  It's my understanding Gary's widow was unaware this author seemingly had an agenda.  When that writer contacted me (she contacted lots of locals who were formerly in TSR or who are in the current gaming scene), I told her to feel free to come by the game store (figuring she would anyway and I'd rather be aware she was there) but told her I wasn't interested in being recorded or interviewed, though I was happy to talk to her, since she said she was a gamer.  It was very clear from the start she was asking leading questions and looking to find quotes and sound bites to further a predetermined narrative.  She hung out around twenty minutes or so and our conversation led me to believe her gaming background was with console and video games rather than tabletop games, though she had a smattering of TTRPG knowledge.  I was not looking forward to the article given my experience talking to the author.  The second "rift" article just confirmed what we already knew from the first piece.

Read the full piece. Comment over on the Creative Mountain Games blog. It's posts like Mark's that will help put some balance back in place.

Totally Unofficial D&D Sweatshirt (with ripped off MM 1e art)

Listen, I get it. Lots of us want some of the classic D&D and AD&D art on shirts and shit. For personal use, have at it. But when you sell stuff using a trademark you don't have rights to and art that you haven't licensed, that's where you cross the line.

Case in point:

Alien Body

52.50 for the sweatshirt above. Only available in Small - all other sizes are "Sold Out".

Besides the fact that the design is shitty, using a trademark and art you don't have rights to is even shittier.

Classic LotFP Referee Book (Old Grindhouse Edition) is Free to Download

Since it looks like James and Gareth will be dueling to see who can release their overdue, unwritten crowdfunding project first, I thought I'd remind folks that the classic LotFP Referee Book (Old Grindhouse Edition) is free to download.

Might as well remind myself as to why I backed the Indigogo project, as the LotFP Referee Book (Old Grindhouse Edition) is one of the best GM resources available for any edition of The Game. (added to the DTRPG catalog back on April 20th, 2015)

The new printing of the LotFP Referee book is taking way longer than expected (surprise), so with no in-print Referee book the geniuses over at LotFP thought that maybe some sort of Ref information should be available. So here, free of charge, is the Referee book that was included in the Grindhouse set. 

Keep in mind that LotFP is a living game and this PDF here is four eight years old. The next printing of the Ref book will be a complete rewrite and expansion (will be at least three times this size), new layout and graphic design, all new artwork, etc. 

This PDF does include the beginning adventure A Stranger Storm, which will not be reprinted.

Yep, that is an affiliate link above. Yes, this is a free product, but maybe you'll buy something else when you snag this. Bartender needs beer... BADLY! ;)

Kickstarter - Far Away Land RPG: Nuzoz

I love Far Away Land. Whether it be the original game or the OSR version, the art is inspirational and the gameplay is just this side of Adventure Land :)

Nuzoz is a setting/continent for the original FAL rules, although I suspect with a little work it would work fairly well with the OSR version of the rules. At 5 bucks for the PDF, or 9 bucks for the PDF and at cost POD, it would be damn near criminal to pass this up.

The world of Far Away Land expands with the discovery of the continent known as Nuzoz! This project introduces the newest Far Away Land book to the Far Away Land Universe. New lands. New monsters. New spells. New Awesome! (This book contains rules for the originall Far Away Land rule system - not the OSR version). 

 What is the Land of Nuzoz? 

Nuzoz is a rugged land full of jungles, monsters, beaches, seas, floating landmasses, great maelstroms, towering spires, mysterious structures, rainbow lakes, rings of fire, and strange cities. Nuzoz introduces new playable PC races like the anthropomorphic parrot folk called kreeah as well as terrible monsters like Bigzilla and cave anglers. It’s a tough land that will test the mettle of even the most intrepid adventurers.

Deal of the Day - KOBOLDS ATE MY BABY! In Colour!!!

Today's  Deal of the Day is KOBOLDS ATE MY BABY! In Colour!!! Yep, the classic everyone's spoken about is on sale. Looks like I have to pick this up myself.

The Classic Game of Beer and Pretzels RolePlaying! 

For kobolds In the service of King Torg (ALL HAIL KING TORG!) their life will undoubtedly be silly, brutal, and short.  They may be crushed by cows falling from the sky. They may be obliterated by meteorites, betrayed by friends, or brained by frying pans. They may cheerily march to their death upon the beaks of chickens or from the tentacles of eldritch magicks. If they are really lucky, they may survive long enough to bring back a tasty treat to the Kobold Caves and avoid becoming lunch themselves. 

In KOBOLDS ATE MY BABY! you are a KOBOLD!
Being cannon fodder has never been this much fun!

The classic game of Beer and Pretzels Roleplaying returns in this definitive, full colour edition. This book includes everything you need to play except some dice, some friends, and a wicked sense of humour. 

A Game by Chris O’Neill & Dan Landis
Illustrated by John Kovalic 

ALL HAIL KING TORG!

I almost missed this. About 12 hours left in the sale as I type this.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Keep the beer cold and the lights on at The Tavern by using our affiliate links. 

Kickstarter - Bloodstone Dice RPG Dice Set

That's it. I'm done with dice Kickstarters. Why? Because there is nothing left that's new. I'm pretty sure I've gotten dice just like this somewhere in my hoard of dice.

No mas overpriced dice that offer nothing new.

Bloodstone Dice, you were the straw that broke this camel's back.

After meeting some dice companies at GenCon 2018 I was inspired to try my hand at designing some RPG Dice and these Bloodstones are the first of many I want to retail out to consumers.

Unlike most Dice Kickstarters I want this one to be straight forward, short and to the point. 

This is Kickstarter is for a 7 die set of Bloodstones. That's is. No hidden stretch goals locked away under a crazy high price, no 101 sets to choose from, no hidden strings. 

These dice have a Bloody Red font and have tiny particles of crimson glitter to help the color POP! 

James Raggi offers an Update on the LotFP Ref Book - Its Not What One Expects

I'm offering this without comment here on the blog. My commentary is offered on the accompanying Tavern Chat podcast episode  

The Grand Plan to Finish This Damn Thing 

OK everyone! ACTUAL NEWS! It took a little longer than planned to get going after Gen Con, but I have a major update. 

I have reached an agreement with a freelancer, Göran Stahl, to be a consultant/taskmaster to get this damn thing done. He is a lifelong RPG fan with knowledge that reaches from the 1974 OD&D boxed set to the latest indie obscurities, he's into horror movies and heavy metal, and he is quite familiar with LotFP. 

We had a long session this week discussing RPG writing and LotFP's approach to it, my personal style and how it is that I work, and how that relates into the hows and whys of this project being so damn delayed. I think we've found a way forward. 

The issue identified, and this is a good chunk of the problem, is that I'm using existing GM guides in the industry as a format guide, and then what I've been attempting to do for years is sit down and attempt to express my ideas in a format that I don't really believe in. That I actively hate when reading it from other games. "If I just come up with the right turns of phrase then it'll all be great!" But there aren't enough genius turns of phrase to make that format any good, and I've known it for a long long time, and that's why I've been writing and trashing so much over these years, never happy with anything. Even when I was making what I thought was major progress over the winter, revisiting that now is sterile as all fuck. 

But when I talk about any of the subjects that the Ref book will contain, I'm a motormouth. I can go on rants about how things should be done, and the failures that occur in games when things aren't done right. There is energy and flow that just dies instantly when I sit down on try to communicate that in written form. 

So I had the idea that I'll just talk about everything that needs to be in the book and record it all. Stahl is onboard, and will act as producer-interviewer-facilitator (his official title will be "Consultant") to the process, and had great ideas about how to go about the whole thing. Our meeting made me have dreams that the final product will be to regular RPG GM books as METAL's Reborn Through Hate issue, or ISTEN's Mädchen issue are to the usual music magazine format... 

I know that referencing metal fanzines from 1997 and 2001 means exactly zero of you know what I'm talking about, but that's kind of the point. The presentation of this book can not be the same old presentation that's always been used, or it will never get done. With the added bonus that if it's done right, it'll be on its own an engaging read and be a valuable addition to the RPG canon. 

So I'm basically going to ghostwrite my own book. He'll prepare his questions and bullet points, and I'll have my own notes and bullet points from all the work I've already done. When we have the recordings, I will hire someone to transcribe them. Then I will work with an editor (maybe this will be Stahl, maybe it won't) to determine how much verbal cruft needs to be taken out to make everything readable, and whether the conversational format serves the book. If not, we edit it down to something that does, and how that's done may change section to section. Whatever best communicates what needs to be communicated at the moment. 

The key at this point is that everything going forward is collaborative and not just people waiting for me to get something done alone in front of my computer. 

I will be traveling to Stahl's location for the first two sessions next week. After we see how those go, we'll figure out the schedule moving forward. When he's available, I'm available, until we're done. 

I'll update at the end of next week on how things went.

New Release - Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy: Rules Tome

For those that did not back the Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy Kickstarter, you can now pick up the Old-School Essentials Classic Fantasy: Rules Tome in PDF for 19.99 at DriveThruRPG. 

Old-School Essentials is an adventure role-playing game of exploration, danger, monsters, and magic. The game is intentionally rules-light, putting the focus of play on imagination, improvisation, and fun. The rules are optimised for ease of use at the table, with meticulous attention to wording and layout clarity. What's more, Old-School Essentials is 100% compatible with the classic Basic/Expert game from 1981, meaning that decades of adventure are at your fingertips! 

A Complete Game All in One Book 

Old-School Essentials is a modular game where the core rules of the game are extended by additional "rules modules" which add content for different genres of fantastic adventure. The Old-School Essentials Rules Tome is a compilation of the core rules plus four rules modules, forming a complete game for Classic Fantasy adventures:
Core Rules: Rules for character creation and advancement, adventuring in dungeons, the wilderness, and at sea, magic and combat. 

• Classic Fantasy: Genre Rules: Seven classic classes (cleric, dwarf, elf, fighter, halfling, magic-user, thief), complete lists of weapons and adventuring gear, extensive lists of vehicles, mounts, and vessels, mercenaries and specialists for hire, rules for stronghold construction.
• Classic Fantasy: Cleric and Magic-User Spells: The complete set of 34 cleric spells (from 1st to 5th level) and 72 magic-user spells (from 1st to 6th level), for use by players or cleric, elf, and magic-user characters.
• Classic Fantasy: Monsters: A selection of over 200 classic monsters to challenge adventurers of all levels.
• Classic Fantasy: Treasures: A hoard of over 150 wondrous magic items.

The material in this book forms a complete clone of the classic Basic/Expert game, including all rules, classes, spells, monsters, and magic items.

Yep, that is an affiliate link above. Using The Tavern's affiliate links keep the taps flowing and the beer cold. 

Want a free peek?

A 56-page, art-free sample of the basic rules of the game required by players is available here:

• The full introduction and character creation rules.
• The four core human classes: cleric, fighter, magic-user, thief.
• Full lists of adventuring equipment, weapons, and armour.
• The rules for dungeon adventures, encounters, and combat.
• The full rules for spell casting and the complete set of 1st level spells.

Bundle of Holding - Goodman Gems

Looking at the Goodman Gems Bundle of Holding I realize I have everything listed above except for the DM Campaign Tracker. If owning everything else isn't high praise I don't know what else I can say ;)

Adventurer! This Goodman Gems Bundle assembles the crown jewels of Goodman Games: The Dungeon Alphabet and other system-neutral supplements and sourcebooks for fantasy tabletop roleplaying games. Entertaining and inspirational, these key works of the Old School Revival enhance any fantasy campaign with new character backgrounds, locations, setting elements, monsters, a yearlong calendar, and two alphabetic compendia that help you rethink your OSR games at a fundamental level. 

For just US$9.95 you get all four titles in our Starter Collection (retail value $37) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks, including The Adventurer's Almanac, a calendar of events to fill your campaign world's year; the handy DM Campaign Tracker; and two collections of tips and tricks for players and gamemasters, PC Pearls and GM Gems. 

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $25.73, you'll level up and also get our entire Bonus Collection with six more titles worth an additional $61, including the latest edition of the famous Dungeon Alphabet, along with its sequel The Monster Alphabet; two collections of fantasy world settings, Points of Light and Points of Light 2: The Sunrise Sea; The Random Esoteric Creature Generator; and the popular treatise How to Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck.

Kickstarter - Tales From the Sorcerer Under the Mountain (OSR / 5e)

"A rulebook/adventure for OSR/5th editions inspired by 80s British Fantasy Roleplaying Games."

A few quick notes: I really enjoy everything Newt / D101 Games has put out. Be it Crypts & Things (his S&W Swords & Sorcery hack), Openquest and all of the related adventures. Simply immensely playable. Newt's Kickstarters are pretty much on point each time and his track record is quite good.

Which should make it obvious that I'm backing the Tales From the Sorcerer Under the Mountain Kickstarter ;) Seriously, I can't get my fill of Swords & Wizardry hacks, and Newt has done it well in the past.

There are two books you can back in this Kickstarter:

Tales from the Sorcerer Under the Mountain, an A5 hardback OSR rule book, which as well as a concise version of the Swords & Wizardry rules, with a chapter which holds the House Rules I use in my games, and contains the adventure with OSR stats. Overall it weighs in about 230 pages, with black and white art throughout, cover by Jon Hodgson.

as well as:

The Sorcerer Under the Mountain, 5th Edition Adventure module in 8″ by 11″ format, black and white art throughout. 

The 5e adventure is $10 for the Print plus PDF. Shipping extra.

The OSR book in at cost POD plus PDF is 12.27 (as of right now ;)  Obviously, you pay for the cost of the printing and shipping after the Kickstarter funds.

Flying Buffalo Update - The Loss of Rick and What now?

(this has already been shared via Kickstarter and Facebook)

By Steve Crompton

Loss of our friend: By now many of you may have heard the sad news that Rick Loomis, President of Flying Buffalo and a gaming industry legend, passed away on Aug 23rd, just a few hours before his 72nd birthday.  Rick created and ran Flying Buffalo for almost 50 years, and was also President of GAMA (Gaming Manufacturers of America) on several occasions.

Rick's loss leaves a huge hole in our hearts and Flying Buffalo.  Rick was our mentor, our friend (a brother for his sisters) and the intermediary between the high-flying goals of the creative team and the real world. He helped us stay on track and reminded us of the limits of our budgets. Rick also made sure that whatever we created would be something that players would want.  And many, many times he made suggestions that made a game more playable or an adventure more usable. We will miss Rick every single day, and we plan to honor his wishes and hopes for the future of Flying Buffalo going forward.

So What Happens now?: While Rick was fighting cancer and was unable to attend to his work on processing the Kickstarter orders, he did manage to teach me how to do that, and I have been doing so since early July.  (Rick did everything before then.) 

Rick's sisters and the entire Buffalo team are committed to continuing to process and ship out your Kickstarter orders.  In fact just today I did another 25 orders and they are now in shipping, ready to be packaged up. And tomorrow we'll be taking 40 finished orders to the post office. As of now, we only have about MSPE 175 orders left to ship out of the original 675 we started with.  And we will continue to ship out your orders until all of them have gone out.  We have everything in from the printers and everything that Mike was supposed to sign has been signed, so its just a matter of continuing until we are done.

Down the road there will also be new products for T&T, MSPE, Nuclear War, and Catalyst books like new Traps and Citybooks. They may not come as quickly as we'd like right now, as there is a lot to do in regards to taking care of Rick's estate and Flying Buffalo. But rest assured, we are soldiering onward.  That's what Rick wanted us to do - and we plan to do just that. So you don't need to worry - your items will be shipped out.

Please feel free to  post you comments below and if you want to contribute to help with Rick's Medial bills, funeral arrangements and other outstanding bills that have accrued due to Rick's illness you can contribute to his Gofundme campaign.

Thank you all for your concern, your patience and your belief in Rick's dream - Flying Buffalo.

Kickstarter - The Lost Depths of the Ageless (Systemless)

"A System Neutral dungeon adventure in PDF designed using a sensory descriptive style approach. Less text, more clues, maximum fun!"

The Lost Depths of the Ageless is the latest Kickstarter from Thom Wilson. Instead of collections of one and two-page adventures, this project is a single adventure - starting at 8 pages and increasing with stretch goals.

A minimum* 8-page adventure in PDF designed for any fantasy RPG system. Each standard letter-sized page will be filled with encounter details in a style that is geared toward character senses: "What do I see? What do I smell? What do I hear?" Instead of walls of text to parse through, GMs can quickly look at the details by sense to get the answers to the players' questions. 

For those that prefer to craft their own backstories and would rather not use pre-written read-aloud text, this adventure is for you. You'll get a couple of short paragraphs of background before the book delves right into encounter areas. It is up to the GM to develop adventure hooks and detailed reasons for the Lost Depths to be what they are and why they exist.  

The adventure is designed as System Neutral. This means that empty stat blocks for foes, treasure, traps, and other system-specific points will be provided for the GM. The GM can add the stats for their preferred system into the space provided. Since this is a PDF, it can be printed out several times to be run for different systems!  

*Minimum 8 pages; likely more with project funding total stretch goals 

Here are the stretch goals:

The funding period is very short - just five days. The basic backer level is 3 bucks. Want your name as a supporter in the PDF? 5 bucks. That's my kinda Kickstarter ;)

State of The Tavern - August 25th, 2019 - Thank You!

As I posted yesterday, Rick Loomis has succumbed to cancer. A truly sad outcome. I am hugely proud of this community. You gave over $500 to assist Rick and his family with related expenses (which will now include funeral expenses). The GoFundMe has raised over $39k to date. I offered to match the first $200 raised by our community (I'll make that donation tonight) and another donor who promised to match a second $200 raised by The Tavern's Community. You can and do make a difference.

There is something else I want to thank the community for - The Tavern's Alexa Ranking. We've been on fire this summer, and that's all because of you:

The past six weeks have been insane.

For comparison:

I am humbled by all of you. Again, thank you.

Announcement - Rick Loomis (Flying Buffalo) Has Passed

It is with a heavy heart that I must announce that Rick Loomis, best known for being the man behind Flying Buffalo, has passed.

I'm quoting Steve Crompton below:

Fate is a strange mistress. For today is August 24th and that is Rick's Birthday. Unfortunately today is also the sad, sad day that I have to tell you all that Rick Loomis passed away, just seven hours before his birthday of complications of his cancer. 

Rick was an amazing person. He had the ability to inspire and nurture talented people to be more talented than they thought they could be. He had the ability to give his people the freedom to develop their own solutions to problems and then he would calmly guide them. He did this in every facet of his life, whether it was in gaming or management or even his church softball league. Maybe that's one of the reasons why so many people loved Rick and loved working with and for him and why he attracted so many talented people like Mike Stackpole, Larry Ditillio, Liz Danforth, Jennifer Roberson, Ken St Andre and so many others who went on to create entire worlds and realms -- Rick encouraged that in a way few do. 

Rick sacrificed his life for a dream. A dream of wonderful, fun games and worlds of adventure. Games that inspired creativity and fun. Rick' s games were always in the end, about fun - not winning. Rick's dream will live on and we who he has left behind will do our part to carry that dream forward. 

And we will never forget what he taught us - patience, persistence, fun and kindness. 

That is what Rick stood for. His loss will leave a hole in our community, our industry and our hearts - but I urge you to remember to be kind to each other, be patient with each other and don't let go of your dreams. Rick never did.

The world is lessened by your absence Rick, and you are missed...

I'm literally at a loss for words. Cancer is such a fucking horror. For a civilized word to be no closer to a cure today pisses me off. Not at the world. Not at science. But fucking cancer.

The Tavern's Community raised well over $400 for Rick's cancer-related expenses. I offered to match the first $200 raised and we have an anonymous donor who offered to match another $200. I'll be putting The Tavern's match in before the weekend is out.

You can still give at this link.

Prayers and tears for Rick's family and friends. The tears may be mixed with survivor's guilt.

But for the grace of God go I.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Loomis

Bundle of Holding - CATALYST Collection (Flying Buffalo)

Some of the best systemless RPG supplements ever published were from the CityBooks line of releases from Flying Buffalo. As for traps, few were as entertaining as the Grimtooth's Traps Collection.

You can get CityBooks I-III, Grimtooth's Traps I and II as well as a book on unique magic items in the Catalyst Bundle of Holding for just 7.95. That is a bargain and a half.

If you step up to about 23 bucks, you add the following:

• CityBooks IV-VII: Four more sets of people and places you can easily drop into any city adventure -- IV: On the Road, V: Sideshow, VI: Up Town, and VII: King's River Bridge.
• Grimtooth's Traps 3-4: Titled Fore and Ate (don't ask us why), these two books give you hundreds more traps to waylay dungeon delvers.
• NEW IN THIS REVIVAL! City of the Gods Map Pack: The wondrous place built by all the pantheons of Earth after they left this world behind.
• Mercenaries Spies & Private Eyes: Michael Stackpole's classic action/espionage RPG inspired by Tunnels & Trolls. Includes the Adventure of the Jade Jaguar solo adventure. (Both were also part of our September 2018 Tunnels & Trolls Bundle.)
• NEW! Mugshots No. 1 - The Case of the Pacific Clipper: A high-flying pulp-era solo adventure for MSPE written by Dungeons & Dragons co-designer Dave Arneson.

Personally, I love Mercenaries Spies & Private Eyes (just got my Kickstarter hardcover of the rules delivered yesterday). All that said, the seven CityBooks are worth the extra money on their own.

The usual 10% donation from Bundle of Holding is being given to Rick Loomis to help offset expenses related to his current cancer treatment.

Kickstarter - Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games

I'm a longtime fan of RuneQuest, having found it first with Avalon Hill's RuneQuest III, but then went back and found Chaosium's RuneQuest II, complete with Ducks. I was in love :)

All that means is that I am seriously predisposed to like Star Hat Miniatures for DuckQuest Fantasy Role Playing Games Kickstarter. It doesn't hurt that Darcy also did a limited run miniature of your favorite dwarven barkeep in the past. Heh

I must say, the Kiwi Dollar conversion to USC greatly favors the US.

Reminder, minis come unpainted.