OSR Christmas 2019 - Day One of Gifting

I bet some of you thought I forgot about OSR Christmas this year. While my plate is currently very full, a tradition such as OSR Christmas must live on. There will be THREE actual days of gift-giving. If you are interested in the chance of being gifted, you will need to comment on that post. It is as simple as that.

The plan, on the blogside at least, is to do the gifting on December 13th, December 19th and December 24th, with 5 days after the announcing of gifts to name those receiving and 5 days for folks to claim their gifts (unclaimed gifts will be regifted ;), so December 18th, December 24th, and December 29th will be the respective cut off dates. Gifts will be randomly awarded on the following day. Unclaimed gifts will be awarded on January 6th, 2020.  Hopefully, it will all wrap up by the end of the year. That would be a first :)

There will be some gifts gifted on the Tavern Chat Podcast side. You'll have to listen ;)

Today's Gift Pool:

1 - Moon Wizard OSR Patch by Thad Moore

1 - James Mishler Games "One of Everything" in PDF
       (19 titles in all)

From MonkeyBlood / Glynn Seal
 1 - The City of Great Lunden hardback plus Map Sets and Pregen
Character Cards (Print - Ships Worldwide)

 1 - HandyMaps Towns & Villages (Print - Ships World Wide)

 1 - Midderlands PDF

 1 - The City of Great Lunden PDF

Note - FOUR separate gifts from MonkeyBlood

From Genius Loci Games

1 - New Class Options

From Tenkar's Tavern / The Tavern Chat Podcast

2 - $10 DrivethruRPG Gift Certificates

Remember, comment before midnight, December 18th for your chance to be gifted. Want to add more gifts to the gift pool? Email tenkars.tavernATgmailDOTcom with "OSR Christmas Gifting" in the subject.

Yes, there are affiliate links above. Affiliate links keep the taps flowing and the lights on at The Tavern. As always, I thank you.

News - Starfinder To Land On Amazon Alexa - Is This the Future?

Paizo announced earlier today that Starfinder will be available on Amazon Alexa in a voice-based version of the game as of December 16th, 2019. Here's the press release from Paizo:

For months now, we at Paizo have been holding onto an incredible secret: Starfinder, the science-fantasy game that mixes dragons with robotics and magic missiles with high-tech hacking, is coming to Amazon Alexa! 

Let me repeat that. This is not a drill. 

On December 16, a voice-based version of the Starfinder Roleplaying Game will be available for free on Alexa devices through Amazon’s cloud-based voice service. We’re giving you a heads-up on this release so that you can track down any of the Alexa-supported devices and, if you want, play the moment the free episode drops! 

At launch, just say "Alexa, play Starfinder!" on any Alexa-enabled device. You’ll beam straight into an adapted version of “Scoundrels in the Spike,” the adventure I wrote for the Starfinder Beginner Box.

The adaptation script was written by none other than James L. Sutter, former Starfinder Creative Director and an amazing author whose work really makes this voice experience shine. Incredible voice actors, sound effects, and music further make this game sing. 

Specifically, when Starfinder Creative Director Robert G. McCreary and I heard the rich soundscapes of Absalom Station and felt the tension of combat with space goblins, we were gleefully astonished. This project has brought Starfinder’s world to life just as we imagined, and for me it was a truly awe-inspiring experience. 

The rules Alexa uses to run the adventure are similarly adapted from the Beginner Box. Starfinder fans will recognize the player character options as Iseph the iconic operative, Quig the iconic mechanic, and Navasi the iconic envoy. What’s more, Raia the iconic technomancer can serve as a best friend and sidekick in these adventures. Simply put, there’s a lot to recognize and love if you’re already a fan of Starfinder. If you’re new to the game or even to tabletop RPGs in general, this experience is a fantastic gateway to a lifetime of adventure and fun 

Beyond the pilot episode, Paizo and Amazon have big plans to bring more paid episodes of the Starfinder voice game to Alexa. But we’ll save that reveal for another blog—and probably a press release or two. 

Before I smoke-bomb away from this exciting announcement, I’d like to just gush for a moment about how much of a dream this project was, both as a creative and as a manager. As we’ve spun up this initiative, I’ve gotten to work with some fantastic folks at Amazon, whose excitement for this project has left me energized and astounded at the power of tabletop storytelling across all media. 

I’ve also gotten to work extensively with Rob and Sutter on this project. It’s been like a wonderful reunion of sorts, bringing me back to the days of working with those guys on the Starfinder Core Rulebook—and it’s made me realize how much I miss working with Sutter, especially since we both have a tendency to shriek and cackle when we get excited in creative meetings. I miss making that beautiful music with you, James. 

Nostalgia aside, the entire Starfinder Alexa project has involved great team members, and the Starfinder team as well as folks all across Paizo have done a great job giving us feedback on the in-development game and generally supporting us along the way.
Now, time for that smoke bomb! Check out “Scoundrels in the Spike” when it drops, and stay tuned for more Paizo-Amazon news soon to come! 

Amanda Hamon
Starfinder Managing Developer

Wayward Kickstarter - Myth & Magic Player's Guide - Would You Consider This the Offer of a Bribe?

Quick background to catch folks up. Myth & Magic was a very well-received clone of AD&D 2e, at least based on the initial reception the M&M Starter Guide received.

A Player's Guide and a GM's Guide were Kickstartered. Then the problems started. Backers had photos of boxes of M&M Player's Guides filling Tom's living room, and statements that they were shipped, but that wasn't the case.

I've posted about Myth & Magic numerous times. It hasn't posted an update since March of 2016 (and you thought Gareth was bad) At one point, Tom WAS actually shipping books. He was kind enough to share my full legal name and shipping info as a comment on the Myth & Magic Kickstarter (note my sarcasm) and I was forced to contact Kickstarter to have it removed. So yes, Tom has a special place in the Tenkar's Tavern Hall of Shame.

Now, folks are still commenting about the lack of actual receiving what they paid for in the comments section on the M&M Kickstarter:

Imagine that. A day AFTER I comment that I need to post an update on the Myth & Magic Player's Guide, Tom does what pretty much EVERY lawyer does (I did mention that Tom is an Attorney, right?) to make a problem go away - he offers something of perceived value.

First, he pretends not to recall sending my initial copy. Sent to appease me and silence me, as many others years later still haven't received theirs.

Then he offers me multiple copies of the DOZEN OR SO CASES OF EXTRA BOOKS he still has. Books that belong to the other backers. They don't belong to me. They don't belong to Tom. They belong to the backers

Tom, you want me to go away? You want closure? Make your backers whole. Yes, the suckers that believed in you and trusted in you, much like your clients. I certainly hope you don't treat your clients at your day job as shitty as you have treated your backers.

Quoting myself from 2015:

"I may have been unfair with Gareth, as Tom is possibly the most distasteful project creator I've dealt with on Kickstarter. He must be a hoot to have as a lawyer: "No worries Mr. Smith, I've told the IRS we'll be ready for your Audit on Tuesday. Now excuse me, I'll be out of the state for the next 13 months. Don't worry, I'll email."

Kickstarter - HandyMaps Buildings & Structures - A5 Card Handouts for RPGs (MonkeyBlood)

Glynn "MonkeyBlood" Seal. To know him is to be in constant awe of his maps. Seriously, I don't think there is a better mapper in our community. Others certainly are skilled but Glynn has a certain quality - his maps simple jump out at you.

So, that means that you definitely want in on his latest Kickstarter:

HandyMaps Buildings & Structures - A5 Card Handouts for RPGs

Here's the pitch:

I'm Glynn Seal -- artist, writer, publisher, and 2019 ENnie-nominated and 2018 Gold ENnie Award-winning cartographer for The Midderlands setting for old school games. I've previously run four successful Kickstarter campaigns, and this will be the fifth. 

Our previous campaign was called HandyMaps - Towns & Villages, and due to its success and the hugely positive feedback we received, we have created this campaign to provide some additional cards for buildings/structures. 

So, we are creating set of twenty two (22), double-sided A5 cards showing beautifully illustrated and evocative elevations and floorplan layouts for fantasy-themed buildings/structures. The map cards can be used as player handouts or tools for game planning by Game Masters. 

The cards will be double-sided in a handy A5 size (210mm high x 148mm wide OR 8.27" high x 5.83" wide) from 350gsm uncoated card stock (giving a nice matt finish, suitable for ink and pencil marking). 

Each side will be professionally digitally printed with a single full colour elevation of the building to one side, and a black-inked floorplan to the reverse, all on a parchment style background. 

The floorplan sides will all have a basic grid and minimal text labels (generally kept to suggested uses, floor/storey labels, and level change designations such as stairs and ladders), but NO title, room numbers, or compass allowing Game Masters to use them as they need for their campaigns.

 I'm backing for the boxed set.

Sale - TinyD6 Holiday Blowout - $335+ Bundle for 50 Bucks

I'll be honest. There is only one game that even comes close to tempting me away from Swords & Wizardry and my Swords & Wizardry Light rules, and that is TinyD6. Streamlined rules that are easy to understand and consistent across genres with excellent presentation and support. Its where I draw much of my inspiration when I play with the ideas of micro-settings for Swords & Wizardry.

I'm impressed with the number of releases in the TinyD6 Holiday Blowout Bundle, and my prior purchases bring my cost for the bundle down to about 40 bucks. It looks like I'm filling the holes in my collection.

Here's the description of Tiny Dungeon 2e:

Tiny Dungeon: Second Edition is the newest iteration of the minimalist fantasy roleplaying game!  

Powered by the TinyD6 engine, with streamlined mechanics that utilize only one to three single six-sided dice on every action, characters that can be written on a 3x5 notecard, and easy to understand and teach rules, Tiny Dungeon 2e is great for all groups, ages, and experience levels! 

Included are over a dozen lightly detailed settings, written by some of the best authors out there. These “micro-settings” are light-weight, open-ended and designed to be inspirational for your games and provide a fast, easy jumping point for your campaign! Covering a wide selection of fantasy genres and ideas, there's something for everyone in Tiny Dungeon 2e! 

With micro-settings by: Tobie Abad, Marie Brennan, Shawn Carmen, Elizabeth Chaipraditkul, Steve Diamond, Miguel Espinoza, Dianna Gunn, John Kennedy, Melanie Meadors, Mari Murdock, Darren Pearce, jim pinto, Steve Radabaugh, Wendelyn Reischel, Ryan Schoon, Howard Tayler, Randy Tayler, Sandra Tayler, and Ben Woerner.

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

Tis The Season for OSR Christmas

Wow. We are already a week into December. Time certainly flies. And that means it is time for OSR Christmas :)

We'll be doing things a little differently this year. Actually having 12 posts for OSR Christmas has been insanely stressful, and it always runs long and we still rarely hit 12 days of actual posts.

So, this year there will be 3 actual days of OSR Christmas gifting posts (and possibly the same number of giveaways on the Tavern Chat Podcast)

The plan, on the blogside at least, is to do the gifting on December 13th, December 20th and December 24th, with 5 days after the announcing of gifts to name those receiving and 5 days for folks to claim. Hopefully, it will all wrap up by the end of the year. That would be a first :)

Here's what we need:

If you plan on gifting (I'll be gifting DriveThruRPG Gift Certificates) you need to reach out to me at tenkarsDOTtavernAT that gmail thing with OSR Christmas Gifting in the title and we'll start putting Santa's list of gifts together.

I thank everyone in advance for making this year another wonderful OSR Christmas :)

Raging Swan Press Annual Christmas Megabundle

I literally love Raging Swan's catalog. If you are a DM that likes to be freewheeling, let your players follow hooks and clues that you didn't even put out there and like improvising by the edge of your seat, Raging Swan is for you.

Sure, Raging Swan's Annual Christmas Megabundle is for D&D 5e (there is some hope we may get the same bundle in System Neutral at some point), but converting from 5e to the OSR is fairly easy (the reverse isn't as true).

There are many campaigns worth of material in this bundle - locations, adventures, and treasures - oh my! 50 titles for 20 bucks.

Yes, that is an affiliate link above. Affiliate links keep the taps flowing and the lights on at The Tavern.

New Release - Castle Xyntillan (Funhouse Dungeon)

I'm borrowing the following from Rob Conley's Bat in the Attic Blog:

This begins with a story, back in the 2000's a bunch of folks were organized by Necromancer Games to flesh out Judges Guild's Wilderlands of High Fantasy. The project took a lot of work but finally saw the light of day. 

One of the author involved was Gabor Lux (also known as Melan). 

So as a follow up to the Wilderlands one of the project Necromancer Games was planning on was Tegel Manor and Gabor Lux was tapped as the author. We all knew him from his blog and other writings and was excited about seeing his take on the venerable adventure from Judges Guild. 

But alas it was not to be.

Instead, we now have Gabor Lux's take on what might have been, a haunted castle reimagined. With maps by none other than Rob Conley himself.

“The immense, rambling complex of Castle Xyntillan has stood in its mountain valley for many years. Built over several generations, it has now been deserted by its former owners, and left to time and the elements. However, that is not the end of the story, for Xyntillan’s fabulous treasures and Machiavellian deathtraps continue to fascinate the fortune-seekers of a dozen lands – and never mind the ghost stories!” 

A 132-page hardcover describing the three massive levels of the eponymous funhouse megadungeon, Castle Xyntillan has been designed for the Swords&Wizardry game, and is suitable for 1st to 6th level characters. Built on surrealism and dream logic, Castle Xyntillan has been designed to be versatile, open-ended, complex, and accessible - and always a bit mysterious. From the soaring tower of the Donjon to the inky depths of the Oubliette (and beyond), this module should provide ample opportunities for exploration, confrontation, and subterfuge. Whether you would like a dungeon for one-off expeditions and convention play, or repeated forays and full campaigns, this book should suit the demands of your campaign! 

With cover art by Peter Mullen, and interior illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, Peter Mullen (again) and The Dead Victorians, Castle Xyntillan ships with four map sheets featuring GM’s and player’s cartography of the labyrinthine complex (the work of Robert S. Conley). Further free downloads are available at beyondfomalhaut.blogspot.com. 

Please note that your print order also makes you eligible for a free copy of the PDF edition, published a few months after the print version. PDFs will be delivered via DriveThruRPG to your regular e-mail address, unless you request otherwise.

You can grab a copy for 40 bucks plus shipping here

Kickstarter - Car Wars Sixth Edition by Steve Jackson Games

"A complete redesign of the original game of autoduelling. Car Wars Sixth Edition plays faster and includes new plastic miniatures."

I'll be honest. I had heard that the Car Wars Sixth Edition Kickstarter was launching and I was kinda like "eh". I have it from back in its pocket box days and later boxed sets, and while it was always a blast to play, I haven't played in years.

Over 3k backers. Over $440k pledged. 32 days to go in funding. WTF!?! I may need to ride the wave myself ;)

The first car combat game, and still the best . . . Car Wars returns in a bigger, faster edition. The detailed 1/64 scale cars move, shoot, and catch fire the way you remember, with faster car creation and play. Once again you can rule the roads! 

NOTE: All miniatures are pre-assembled at the factory and packed unpainted. Miniatures shown in the photos are prototypes. Miniatures painted by Ben Williams. 

Kickstarter - The StoryMaster's Tales "Deeper into the Woods" Hybrid RPG

"Explore more of the Weirding Woods. Fantasy Roleplaying, Boardgame, Gamebook Hybrid gateway game for all ages 7-Adult 1-5 players."

Somehow I missed the first (core), Weirdling Woods Kickstarter. I'm correcting that now, as Weirdling Woods looks like a perfect net step from the classic Dungeon! boardgame for my niece (she turns 9 in less than 2 weeks).

So, of course, I ordered the core game plus the new expansion.

About 77 bucks for both shipped to the States.

Shit - you can add soundtracks and live reads of the cards for a few more bucks. Think of the children!

Enter a world of folklore fantasy, epic storytelling, and mighty magic! Set in the Grimm world of 18th Century dark fairytales. You will make your own treacherous pathway through the wild woodlands, encounter strange mystical creatures and find lost arcane artefacts.

Alone but best played with friends, you must choose a dangerous quest but beware only those with the skill, intelligence and bravery of a hero will survive. 

Quick to learn, portable and most importantly really fun. This game is a unique hybrid of Role-playing, board and adventure gamebook.

Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying to go OGL with an SRD?

Sure, Mongoose made their licensed version of RuneQuest Open Game License and released an SRD, then did the same with the later Legend rules, which are both built off of Basic Roleplaying (BRP). But to have Chaosium do the same for their actual "house" rules? Color me surprised:

Interesting development.

Original thread here: https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/10565-new-version/page/5/?tab=comments#comment-162231

Tip of the hat to Rob Conley of the Bat in the Attic blog.

Kickstarter - The Book of Beginnings for 5e

I always enjoy low-level adventures as a GM. It always seems to be more about the play and less about "the power". Low-level adventures are also easier to run in my experience, as most rulesets tend to break down a bit at higher levels. The Book of Beginnings is a series of low-level adventures for 5e (and I suspect easily converted on the fly to one of the older D&D rulesets and the various clones and simularums)

Some of the adventures are (you get at least 10 adventures): 

Tower of Senleros: An abandoned tower seems to be active once more. A young mage apprentice went off to explore the secrets this tower may hold. The town is in need of adventurers to save the young wizard! (1st Level) 

Battle of the Dance: Local nobles are in need of fresh adventurers to be their champions at a charity ball. You must represent your patron, impress other nobles, and possibly perform bardic tale to influence. However, where great wealth gathers, trouble soon follows. (1st Level) 

Tomb of Sir Cadogan Kerrington: Adventure into a disgraced knight's tomb to find what treasures he wrongfully acquired! (3rd Level) 

Guardian of the Grove: An ancient grove dedicated to the nature god Pan is under attack. Find a way to stop the radical cultists before they defile the shrine! (3rd Level) 

Mystery at Mistwood: The town of Mistwood is experiencing unknown horrors. At night the town gets deathly chill. Townsfolk are found in the morning petrified. Investigate the village to put an end to the mysterious terror! (5th Level)

Buy-in is 15 bucks for the PDF and 30 bucks for the Print plus PDF.

More Black Friday Deals - Goodman Games 40% Off - KenzerCo up to 50% off - 2019 Palladium Xmas Grab Bag

More Black Friday Sales for gamers and the OSR in particular.

Goodman Games has a coupon code for 40% off - and more codes for 20% off most of the third party products they sell in their online store.

KenzerCo has selected Aces & Eights Reloaded and Hackmaster at 50% off as well as Back Issue Specials of Knights of the Dinner Table.

Palladium has its 2019 X-Mas Surprise Package for 50 bucks. I did it one year and got a signed first printing of Palladium Fantasy (and a bunch of other stuff) - one of my favorite fantasy RPGs for the default setting alone!

There are NO affiliate links above, but there are good deals :)

Black Friday Deals - Frog God Games - PRINT Products as much as 59% off - 2019 10" iPad for $249 - Troll Lord Sale 25% (plus 10% or 20%)

Sorry I'm late getting these deals up, but I had to confirm the Frog God Games Sale. Frog God Games is running a Black Friday weekend sale on the Frog God website. A large selection on the site, PRINT & PDF, is 35% off.

But wait! If you go to Humble Bundle and buy the Orcus' 5e Holiday Horde Bundle (an amazing value no matter the system you play, and you can buy in for as low as a buck) you get a one time use coupon for 30% off your Frog God Games order. Together, the sale discount and the coupon discount come to 59% off the regular price. Damn!

I snagged the Necromancer Gab Bag myself - normally $200, snagged for $91 plus shipping.

Then on Amazon, you have the 2019 10" iPad for $249 (regularly $329) - a hard to beat price for probably the best tablet on the market if you are swimming in PDFs like me, this is hard to pass up.

Troll Lord Games is also having a sale. Here's the skinny:

OUR BIGGEST SALE OF THE YEAR IS HERE!
Yes, that's right, Black Friday is upon us and now that we are full of turkey and stuffing and pie, it's time to get down to business!

Starting Now save on all our items, including the Castles & Crusades Players Handbook, Castle Keepers Guide, adventures, maps, 5th Edition adventures, Amazing Adventures RPG, Victorious RPG -- you name it! All you have to do is enter this coupon code at checkout: THX25 and your 25% off will be automatically applied!

That's not all!
You can save even more in our biggest blowout yet!

Spend $20 to $49.99, get an extra 10% off automatically applied.
Spend $50 or more, get a whopping 20% extra off!

There's never been a better time to stock up!
It all starts now! We'll roll this through Cyber Monday Night at midnight but don't delay as some items are low in stock.

Note, both the Amazon and Humble Bundle links are affiliate links, and a portion of your purchases will help fund The Tavern. I thank you in advance and will post more deals as I come across them.

Dungeons & Dragons Movie to Focus on the Eye of Vecna, Will Feature a Forgotten Realms Character (Comicbook.com)

Comicbook.com shared an article about the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie (due Summer of 2021) - Thanks to Luke Gygax for sharing the article on Facebook

The upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie will feature at least one character with ties to the Forgotten Realms and will focus on a quest for an iconic magical object. ComicBook.com can exclusively report that the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie currently in development by Paramount will focus on a group of adventurers looking for the Eye of Vecna, a powerful artifact that dates back to the earliest days of the game. Vecna is a powerful lich turned god whose hand and eye (remnants from when Vecna was a mortal) grant unspeakable power. Both the Hand and Eye of Vecna come with a terrible cost - in order to use either artifact, the user must remove their existing eye or hand and then replace it with the artifact. 

Additionally, ComicBook.com can exclusively report that Paramount was looking for a male actor to voice the dragon Palarandusk, a dragon that lives in the Forgotten Realms. Palarandusk hasn't played any major roles in any D&D adventures, but the dragon was named in several Dungeons & Dragons sourcebooks as a protector of the village Ieirithymbul who concealed his true identity as a gold dragon. While Palarndusk's involvement in the Dungeons & Dragons movie indicates the movie will take place in the Forgotten Realms, our source indicates that the dragon will act as an ancient leader of a group of Triadic Knights. In D&D lore, Triadic Knights are followers of the gods Ilmater, Torm and Tyr. 

Our source indicates that Dungeons & Dragons will feature a group of adventurers led by Raven Hightower, a warrior with a magic flamesword that's haunted by his sister's death. Other characters include the "half-dragon" Hack Karroway, the gnome thief Olivan Trickfoot, and a masked warrior named Alyssa Steelsong who is set to take over Palarandusk's role when the dragon dies. Additionally, the main villain of the movie is a male drow named Razer Horlbar who once kept Raven and his sister as slaves, along with a female tiefling named Damala and a brutish warrior known only as "The Beast."

You can read the rest of the article here.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Humble Bundle - Orcus' 5e Holiday Horde (Frog God, Troll Lord, Kobold Press and More)

I've been really enjoying the Humble Bundle bundles that Frog God Games has been putting together, regardless of system. Sure, I'm mostly a Swords & Wizardry / OSR guy, but I've converted 5e and DCC RPG adventures to S&W on the fly - I doubt it would work so easily the other way around ;)

For the Holidays, Humble Bundle and Frog God Games has organized Orcus' 5e Holiday Horde.

There is a HUGE amount of amazing stuff in this bundle regardless of the system you mostly use:

At a buck you get 30% off coupons for Frog God Games, Troll Lord Games, and Kobold Press. 25% off of World Anvil is simply amazing. I may need to do that myself. Encephalon is from Casey Christopherson - need I say more?

9 bucks gives you City of Brass, a campaign worth of material and simply amazing art. How Orcus Stole Christmas is perhaps James Spahn's finest work. Crypt of the Science Wizard by Skeeter Green is a pleasure to read and run. I am curious about the Lost Lands fiction in Tales from the Roadhouse. And more that I haven't read yet.

 

If you run games via a Virtual Table Top, you want to buy-in at the $18 level. Not only do you get Rappan Athuk, but you get maps for Rappan Athuk AND City of Brass, with player's (unkeyed maps) and GM maps. Oh, and a huge amount of VTT tokens for Rappan Athuk, but you know you can use them anytime they are appropriate. Oh, and Fantasy Grounds ready modules for Enchephalon Gorgers of the Moon, The City That Dripped Blood and How Orcus Stole Chrismas. Oh yeah, and more stuff.

A portion of monies raised goes to support the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society.

Remember, by using The Tavern's Humble Bundle affiliate link, you help support The Tavern. I really do appreciate it.

Cubicle 7 Loses Middle Earth License - The One Ring 2nd Edition Cancelled

From the Cubicle 7 website:

Date Posted: 27-11-2019

UNEXPECTED TOR2 UPDATE

‘I am with you at present,’ said Gandalf, ‘but soon I shall not be. I am not coming to the Shire.’

We have some very unfortunate and unexpected news to share. Contractual differences arose recently which we have been unable to resolve, and so we have decided to end our licensing agreement with Sophisticated Games. It is with regret that we have made this very tough decision to withdraw.

This means we will cease publishing The One Ring and Adventures in Middle-earth™ in the first half of 2020. Unfortunately, this doesn’t give us enough time to release the much-anticipated The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game second edition.

As many of you know, our first edition of The One Ring is eight years old, and we had high hopes of a full product line to support our second edition. Our team have worked incredibly hard on this new edition; with many of the announced titles already written and edited, so being very close to completion makes this decision even harder.

Although we were very close to the finish line when these issues arose, as gamers ourselves we did not feel it was right for the game, or fair to you, to release a new edition which we would be unable to support.

We appreciate how passionate so many of you are, especially those who have followed our journey from first edition or have pre-ordered the second edition. Thank you for your support over the years.

Pre-orders and refunds
Our immediate priority is to make the refunding process as easy as possible for those who pre-ordered from us. We understand your frustration and we sincerely apologise for this disappointment. If you pre-ordered The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game (standard or collector’s edition) or Rohan Region Guide directly from our webstore, you should have already received an email from us detailing your options and outlining any action required on your part.

We will be refunding you completely, or alternatively we would like to offer you 125% of the value of your order in Cubicle 7 store credit as a gesture of goodwill. This credit can be used across all of our other lines and future products. While those who pre-ordered Rohan Region Guide will have already received the PDF version, we will not be printing this title and you will also receive a full refund.

We are commencing our Black Friday offers today which include 50% off current The One Ring first edition stock and 30% off Adventures in Middle-earth™ stock, see our webstore for more information.

If you have not received an email, please contact us as soon as possible at info@cubicle7games.com.
If you wish to receive a full refund, you do not need to respond to the email, we will automatically process your full refund within the next 14 days.
If you wish to opt for 125% store credit, please reply to the email stating this by December 4th and we will arrange your credit.
If you ordered from your local games store, please contact them directly as we cannot comment on third party pre-orders.
We would ask that you bear with us as we do our best to organise these refunds as efficiently as we can, but it is a considerable administrative task as we have a substantial amount of web store pre-orders to manually process.

Thanks to our team
We would like to thank our talented team for their amazing work on The One Ring – The Lord of the Rings Roleplaying Game, including our producer, editor, artists, graphic designers, sales and marketing team, and all the freelancers involved.

Any freelancers with outstanding work on these lines who have not been contacted by C7, please contact their usual contact immediately.

Thanks for your support
We have enjoyed sharing glimpses of our vision for The One Ring second edition over the last number of months, and we are disappointed that we cannot bring our extensive plans to fruition. We’d like to take the opportunity to thank you all once again for your incredible support, patience and understanding in this matter.

What’s next?
This year has been Cubicle 7’s most successful year to date. We have been awarded funding from the Irish Government to support our continued development, and have recruited new staff to our passionate and dedicated team.

Work continues on Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay, led by our new WFRP Producer Pádraig  Murphy. The PDF of Enemy in Shadows Companion will be released imminently. We are excited to continue working on Warhammer Age of Sigmar: Soulbound, Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory, Lone Wolf and Doctor Who.

We are looking forward to 2020, which is shaping up to be our busiest year yet with many exciting releases planned!

Thanksgiving Week Sale at DriveThruRPG - 35% Off Many PDFs

DriveThruRPG is running a Thanksgiving Week Sale from now through Monday, December 2nd. Many PDFs are 35%. They are also promising special sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. I'll post those specials when they go live.

Here's the link to the OSR releases on sale.

Yep, those are affiliate links. Affiliate sales keep the taps flowing and the lights on here at The Tavern.

Luke Gygax Shared Some Photos and News Clippings on Facebook that his Mother Sent Him

I know not all of my readers do Facebook, so this is pretty much a photo dump of Luke Gygax's recent photo shares:

Bundle of Holding - Worldbuilder's Toolkit 6

Worldbuilder's Toolkit 6 is an interesting bundle. It offers tools to build and enhance your campaigns.

What do you get for 9.95?

Hex Kit is a multi-platform desktop application that lets you quickly and effortlessly create hex maps for your RPG campaign. Hex Kit is a lightweight, art-focused program that emphasizes simplicity, variety in tile placement, and use for online play. Created by designer-artist Cecil Howe and published through his company Cone of Negative Energy, Hex Kit includes hand-drawn black-and-white hex images, and you can easily import custom color tiles as well -- both your own drawings and commercial expansion tilesets. (Two sets of color tiles are part of this offer's Bonus Collection.) 

Export maps for your printers or optimized for screen-sharing. By controlling the information visible on the map, you can make versions for both players and gamemaster. Share a player-facing version of the map to a second monitor, a projector, or over any screen-sharing application. Hide unexplored regions with fog-of-war, and update the map in realtime as players discover new areas.

Kenzer & Company's Trove of Treasure Maps provides ready-to-go action. Simply drop one of these seven mysterious hand-drawn player aids on the table and let the players take it from there. You have full knowledge of what awaits them -- plus an accurate map of your own.

• "Crowns": A hidden stash of royal genealogy could spark the beginning of a civil war.
• "The Battle of Murnig Heights": An ancient battlefield is rumored to hide riches, but there may be surprises for those who tread in the footsteps of fallen soldiers.
• "Lucky Bob's Prize": Lucky Bob was a pirate of great renown, so his lost prize must be a thing worth having. But beware the mocking voices.
• "The Moon Key": The Church of the Night's Beauty has been sacked, and one of its most holy relics is lost. Can your players unravel the riddles and withstand this divine test of heroism?
• "The Tomb of Prince Thiebault Ironhelm": A fallen dwarven prince lies buried in a forgotten mountain stronghold. He will not rest until he fulfills his oath to avenge his clan.
• "Toby's Tomb": The corpses of two gnome adventurers need to be returned to their home for a proper burial -- in the heart of ogre territory.
• "The Underwater City of Hurjurta": A sunken city holds relics of an ancient civilization. Cryptic runes show the path to the true prize.

Turn a boring, static weapon into something flavorful and story-driven with Be a Better Weapon Master Practical advice, tools, tips, and inspirational roll tables unsheath hundreds of options for fun and unique weapons. Bestow legendary names and rich histories on your weapons with robust generators; invigorate your tavern brawls with 40 distinct improvised weapons; wade through waves of enemies with exotic weapons from throughout history. Your weapons will never be boring again.

and finally:

The Books of Random Tables give you items for a wizard's chambers, campsites, desks, and more -- random encounters for different terrains -- names for humans, elves, dwarves, halflings, goblins, orcs, kobolds, inns, clans, and knightly orders -- and flavorful, fun encounters for any kind of terrain. Just a few of the tables included:

• Items in a Troll's Cave, a Dragon's Lair, a Cell, a Wine Cellar, a Wagon, Saddlebags
• Spices, Musical Instruments, Maps, Adventuring Gear
• Booths in a Market, Notes in a Bottle, Talking Inanimate Objects
• Fortunes, Insults, Beers, Epitaphs, Spices
• NPC Reaction to Failed Pickpocket Attempt, Critical Fails for Melee and Spell Attacks
• Reasons a Player Character is Absent for a Session, Causes of Death

Indiegogo - The Lost Crypt: A Classic Crawl (S&W / 5e)

"Ever wonder what it would be like to write an adventure with Gary Gygax? Around the year 2005, Gary started working with a small number of authors on a project to write new material for his world setting (which was totally not called “World of Greyhawk”). Bill Silvey was one of those authors, and this book includes the story of working with Gary as well as the adventure Bill wrote for inclusion in Gary’s campaign world. For obvious legal reasons, none of Gary’s original material is included in Lost Crypt: this module is all Bill’s work. However, those who are interested in Gary’s world setting will be interested to read material that would have been included in it if Gary had lived to see the project through..."

I love finding gaming stuff that was written far earlier than the day it hits publication. It's like finding a time capsule of RPG goodness that you don't have to stress about removing the shrink. To my eyes,  The Lost Crypt: A Classic Crawl is a modern release of a piece of gaming history.

Almost lost to the pages of history!

The Lost Crypt, originally inspired by master of role playing game adventure himself was almost lost to the annals of history. Until now! Written by veteran RPG scholar and scribe Bill Silvey, The Lost Crypt is an old school rules style romp through an ancient tomb and hidden lairs filled with clever monsters. Originally written for OSR rule is designed to be a challenge for veteran characters of 7-8th level.

• Authors notes on the inspiration behind the Lost Crypt and his legendary adventures working with Gary Gygax, co-creator of the most famous role-playing game in the world!
• Loads of traps, puzzles, and adversaries to keep characters on their toes as they navigate the terrors of the Lost Crypt
• Cover and interior art by acclaimed artist Hector Rodriguez.
• Can be played as a stand-alone, one-shot adventure or be fit into a larger campaign, or made part of a larger dungeon complex!
• Hand cartography by Ian McGarty of the Silver Bullettes
• An original piece of art from TSR veteran Tracy Lesch whose work is featured in Dungeons & Dragons Art and Arcana: A Visual History.

6 bucks for the PDF, 16 for the Print plus PDF. The Lost Crypt: A Classic Crawl is offered by Necromancer Games. Yes, THAT Necromancer Games!

So, of course, I had to find out more details of the rebirth of Necromancer Games, and here we go: Necromancer Games is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Frog God Games. As an imprint, it is like the punk rock side of Frog God - good stuff that might not fit well under the Frog God banner, but under Necromancer Games and its storied history, it becomes a perfect fit. I've been told of some future projects under the Necromancer label (I'm effectively under an NDA) and I am truly excited :)

CaveGeek Art is Offering The Tavern's Community a 15% Discount on Giclée Reproductions

Last night I interviewed Kfir Mendel (CaveGeek Art) on The Tavern Chat Podcast. My God, his work on buckskin comes out looking amazing.

Here's some background on Kfir from CaveGeek Art:

I was focusing on making what is known as Traditional Brain-Tanned Buckskin for a living. It is an ancient (yet still valid)  natural technique of making an extremely soft, supple, luxurious, and yet strong and durable leather. 

It took a few years, but eventually my love for all things geeky began to merge with my love for all things natural and primitive. I started making bone knives and swords inspired by weapons I saw in movies or by various cultures. Soon, I got interested in Pyrography and started burning all things geeky on buckskin. It actually started with a map of Middle Earth. To my surprise, art burned on buckskin acquires a 3-Dimensional look. I just cant get enough of it! I keep thinking "Wow! This is so cool!" every time I finish a piece. And it seems that, fortunately, I'm not the only one who likes my work. Which is why this website exists.

Want to buy some for yourself? I know I do :)

Go to CaveGeek Arts and use the code: tenkar to save 15%

Kickstarter - Spin Dice and Gaming Gizmos: An RPG Player's Dream

Keep track of health points or current score in games like D&D and Magic: The Gathering!

Wow. As random number generators, these things do not impress. They take up more space than actual dice, requires respins when it isn't clear which number was landed on - or just chose the more advantageous one I guess, and doesn't seem to "spin" all that well either.

The Spin Dice and Gaming Gizmos: An RPG Player's Dream Kickstarter is not MY dream.

In the video, the spinners for the different dice appear to be different sizes, but not so in this pic.

I guess the ones made to track your health points in Magic the Gathering might be useful for such.

45 bucks for a "full set of dice", if you want to include a d100. Shipping in the states is free, the rest of the world appears to be 20 bucks to ship.

A big "ehhh!" from me.

State of the Tavern - Torchlight Zine Recruitment Started Without Me ;)

Low and behold, over the past weekend, over on the MeWe social media platform, someone inquired in the group chat of the Inglorious OSR Group, if I was looking for artists for the upcoming "Unofficial" Swords & Wizardry zine, Torchlight.

Within the next day or so, we now have 3 confirmed, highly talented artists on board. I guess it is time to put out the general recruitment call for those looking to provide content for or help with the Torchlight Zine.

We are looking for writers and artists, and I suspect someone who can layout 8 to 12 pages - potentially more, per month. The size of the zine is digest-sized.

When it was going to be a mere 4 pages a month, I was thinking I'd do the layout with my pedestrian at best skills, but I don't want to take the work of skilled contributors and lower them to my layout ability (or lack there off)

I believe in compensating my contributors, even with small projects like this.

The first issue will be PWYW. Later issues will be a buck or 1.50 depending on the number of pages. PDF only initially.

65% of the sale price is what we get to play with. 10% to the publisher, 55% to be split between the artists, writers and (hopefully) layout person. I do believe I should be able to set things to automatically send shares to each contributor's DTRPG account.

Contributors retain all rights to their work. The publisher retains perpetual rights to include the work in Torchlight and potential annual POD compilations of the work. If I would like to use your work in a separate publication (monster book, etc) we will negotiate new compensation if you wish to allow your work to be reused.

Customers will have express permission to print at home for their own personal use, and I may print limited numbers for distribution at conventions I attend.

Yes, we are not talking much in the way of monetary compensation, but hopefully, we get to bathe in the glory of a thankful Swords & Wizardry Community.

All contributors will have links to their storefront / etc hyperlinked to their name in the credits.

As for content? 1 or 2-page adventures, short encounters, adventure hooks, monsters, spells, magic items, new classes - if in doubt, make a pitch ;)

As an aside, Triumvulate Tavern Publications is now Tenkar's Tavern Gamen (olde English for "games"). Figure that should help with visibility ;)

So, if you want to contribute, email me at tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom, put Torchlight in the subject and let me know what you are offering to do. Looking forward to hearing from you :)

Deal of the Day - Wilderlands of High Fantasy, Color Maps

Note that buying the Wilderlands of High Fantasy, Color Maps will get you the Guidebook PDF as well. There are 18 maps to the Wilderlands divided into four sets of guidebooks and maps. This deal is for the first set of five maps including the City State of the Invincible Overlord.

The guidebook has an introduction and map commentary by Rob Conley. Each map in the guidebook is detailed with the following listings: Villages, Castles & Citadels, Idyllic Isles, Ruins & Relics, and Lurid Lairs. Any statistic or rule is compatible with Swords and Wizardry and various classic editions of the original roleplaying game. (Borrowed from Rob's Bat in the Attic post)

Normally 9.99, as the current Deal of the Day it is on sale for 4.99

Product Description

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

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

Now forty years later those maps have been redrawn in full color. These maps preserves the original detail and applies known errata and corrections. Each was drawn as part of single 6 foot by 8 foot map encompassing the entire Wilderlands then subdivided and cropped.

These maps are not a scanned images of the original but have been redrawn from scratch. The guidebook is also not a scanned image but has been relaid out from the original text with errata and corrections applied.

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

This product contains
5 PDFs of the following 22" by 17" maps: City State of the Invincible Overlord Map One, Barbarian Altanis Map Two, Glow-Worm Steppes Map Three, Tarantis Map Four, and Valon Map Five.
1 PDF of the Wilderlands of High Fantasy Guidebook.

The print option adds the following:
Ten overlapping full scale maps of each half of the maps.
There is a separate print product avaliable for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy Guidebook if you want a print copy of the Guidebook. Otherwise the PDF for the guidebook is included in this product.

This product is a authorized Judges Guild release for the Wilderlands of High Fantasy.

Note: That is an affiliate link above. I thank you in advance.

Kickstarter - Silver Swords: a role-playing zine issue 2 (OSR & 5e)

I like zines. I really like RPG zines. Silver Swords looks like a really cool RPG zine.

32 pages and digest-sized is right in my wheelhouse.

OSR and 5e content? I'm definitely in :)

The content of the zine will be made up of OSR and 5e related content. 

This edition will include both old and new authors with many fresh ideas for your RPG experiences! We will also be including some comics and maps with this issue, so if that's what you want, then look no further!

The articles will give a good look from many new perspectives at different parts of the role-playing experience you may never have thought about. And who doesn't love the feel of a good zine in their hands? Flipping through the pages and enjoying the comfortable, nostalgic art and the well-written articles that are the hard work of dedicated authors. It doesn't get much better than that.

I'm in for issues #1 & 2 in Print and PDF.

Sale - Dragonlock 3d Printing Sale - up to 75% off (Fat Dragon Games)

If you know Tom Tullis, you probably know he's dangerous, but in a good way. Well, Tom Tullis is the man behind Fat Dragon Games, and the tempter of all things 3d printing has to offer is offering a sale on his Dragonlock series of 3d printing files - up to 75% off.

I really need a 3d printer. Well, "need" might be the wrong word. I desperately want a 3d printer and openly covet those of my fellow gamers. Tom is not helping me...

The quality is high and the prices are low. Damn you, Tom!

Link to 3d Printers on Amazon for those so tempted.

Yes, those are affiliate links above. Shopping with The Tavern's affiliate links keeps the taps flowing and the light on at The Tavern. I thank you in advance :)