Bundle of Holding - Tunnels & Trolls

Sometimes Bundle of Holding really knocks it out of the park. The Tunnels & Trolls Bundle of Holding is definitely one of those times. I happen to be a HUGE T&T fan, so I MAY be biased in its favor ;)

For just US$9.95 you get all thirteen solo adventures in this revived offer's Solitaire Collection (retail value $53) as DRM-free .PDF ebooks:

• A fun 64-page manga-style set of Tunnels & Trolls quickstart rules, produced by T&T Adventures Japan (where T&T is big) and presented here in English translation. A perfect intro to the game, this booklet gives all the rules you need to play the solos in this collection, plus a solitaire and two gamemastered scenarios.
• Four starting T&T solos: Battle School, Sea of Mystery, Sorcerer Solitaire, and the first solo RPG adventure ever published for any game, Buffalo Castle.
• Three mid-level T&T solos: Agent of Death, Naked Doom, and Sewers of Oblivion.
• Three killer T&T solos: Arena of Khazan, Deathtrap Equalizer Dungeon, and perhaps the most fondly remembered of all the solos, Michael A. Stackpole's City of Terrors.
• Goblin Lake Deluxe (previously presented in our November 2016 Old School Revival 4).
• New in this revival! Elven Lords Deluxe, Mike Stackpole's 1990 follow-up to City of Terrors, in an expanded edition with new art by Liz Danforth. (If you bought this offer during its original run, you automatically receive Elven Lords too.)

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $20.22, you'll level up and also get this revival's entire Gamemaster Collection with ten more titles worth an additional $53:

• The latest and greatest version of the rules, the complete 386-page Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls core rulebook (2015), plus the Deluxe GM Screen (both previously in the OSR 4 offer).
• Monsters! Monsters!: The 1976 First Edition of Ken St. Andre's standalone spinoff game, based on T&T, that lets you play the monsters, guarding your dungeon home from so-called heroic intruders.
• Adventurers Compendium: An 88-page collection of nine solo adventures and three gamemastered scenarios unearthed from Sorcerer's Apprentice magazine.
• Four classic T&T gamemastered scenarios: The Complete Dungeon of the Bear, Dwarf World, Seven Challenges of Kartejan, and Uncle Ugly's Underground Doom.
• New in this revival! Vault of K'Horror, a looting expedition into a tomb of ancient vampire lords. (And the original September 2018 customers get this one too.)

Speaking Dwarven at the Table......WITHOUT a Scottish Accent

One of the things I do regularly, but probably not often enough, is to go through my digital files and try to clean things up. These days with storage becoming cheaper it's too easy to simply ignore the inevitable bloat of directories and files.

So I'm looking at my directory of PC files....if I'm not using a digital PC sheet I'll often scan my physical sheets every level. Then I can use "old" PCs for NPCs or if a pick-up game comes along and the GM goes "the group needs a 3rd level Magic User...." I'm good.

Anyway I'm in this directory and I found a word document entitled "Dwarven Slang", which kind of cracked me up. As a player in a 5th Edition HackMaster game I had a Dwarven Fighter named Balen.....

......don't sweat it, this isn't really a PC story. Two of those in a row is a bit much.....

5th Edition is crunchy AF, especially compared to the average OSR game, and Balen had a terrible grasp of the Common/Human languages. I can kind of relate because while I know tidbits of multiple Human languages, they get all jumbled up in my head and at best I can speak a phrase or two.

In-game I got this. One thing I did was assign a language to Balen.....I mean a real-world language. I thought that Icelandic was a good choice and since he had such a low ability in "Common" he wouldn't be able to speak the same language as the other PCs, but he'd understand a bit more....kind of like me with German or Spanish.

To this end I made a small custom Icelandic/English dictionary so at the table I could use Dwarven, er Icelandic to a little "point & talk" when dealing with the rest of my home group. Simple stuff, numbers, nouns mostly, but the crown jewel of my RPG linguistics were phrases (idioms) and swears.

Balen the Dwarf (commissioned from Tina Bongomo)

I don't know how many of you have spent much time in another country dealing with another language, but I was fortunate enough to have served overseas in Germany and a few other countries. One thing that always fascinated me when it came to the language barriers were idioms and swears. A lot of things technically translate, but don't actually translate in practice. For example I briefly had a Dutch girlfriend and I said something about someone "taking the short bus to school". Most all Americans got right off the bat that I insinuated that someone was slow/stupid/not to bright. My gf, knew what a school-bus was, but a short school-bus? No clue. Later on that trip I heard her swear and I was straight-up shocked because the literal translation was what I'd argue is the strongest swear possible here in the US (and no, I'm not going to repeat it), but in Dutch was basically the equivalent of saying "shit".

I loved learning Dwarven/Icelandic swears.....my favorite was basically telling someone to "Fuck off" but I think the literal translation was "Go to the asshole!" I wish I remembered the actual phrase, but alas I could only find my Dwarven Slang list and not my dictionary or Dwarven Swear list.

Dwarven Slang (really idiom) List:
Aagh pissa e sko sin (to pee in his shoes: only works for a while)
Al-jeort rasgat (absolute butthole: adorably cute)
Ekki-oop e nos al-ketti (not enough to fill a cat’s nostril: small amount)
Av tefla viv pal-vaan (playing chess with the pope: taking a shit)
Rasgat e bala (butt in a tub: nothing or next to nothing)
Tea-oo dropar (ten drops: a cup of normal sized coffee)
Oondin tuska (wound-out rag: exhausted)
Av-hafa ekki ge-erst svo fraig (Having not been so famous)
Ens auk itla ge-erdur helot-ur (like a poorly made object)
Av stok-va oop a neff si-er (to jump up one’s nostril)
E-ek to khan e bakri-el (took him to the bakery: kicked his ass)
E-ek ska see-na pie-er-I e tavo heymana (I’ll show you the two worlds: kick your ass)

The cool thing is when doing something like this......it doesn't matter so much if you get your pronunciation correct as long as you are consistent.

COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Advance (repost from Bat in the Attic)

Rob Conley asked me to share the following, as it is very useful for the self publishers among us. You can read Rob’s original post here: http://batintheattic.blogspot.com/2020/06/covid-19-economic-injury-disaster-loans.html

The Covid pandemic has caused severe economic disruption which impacted businesses across the United States including those involved in publishing the tabletop roleplaying industry. Particularly hard hit are those of us who make a lot of our sales from conventions. I am personally am out a significant amount of money as result of Garycon being cancelled and North Texas Con being held on a restrictive basis. But my plight isn't hard as others impacted by Covid-19.

During the early days of the pandemic, Congress passed a bill that made the entire United State eligible for disaster relief. This includes small businesses. You can read for yourself the various options the small business administration has for disaster relief here.

One of the things offered is the ability to apply for a emergency grant and a loan. When I saw this being made available in March I immediately applied. Then I didn't hear anything for a long time until the middle of April. The Small Business Administration approved my grant and sent me a $1,000. Which was slightly more than I was asking for. As near as I could tell the SBA simply looked at how many people were involved and multiplied it by $1,000. In my case that was one. The SBA will approve grants of up to $10,000.
Keep in mind these are grants not loans that have to be paid back. It not free money either. You have to have filed taxes either as a corporation or using a Schedule C profit or loss from business attached to your personal income tax form.

Now I didn't write about this because shortly after I received the money the SBA closed the application process for all business other than agricultural. Apparently the flood of applications was so great they they fear the program would run out of money without fulfilling the ones they had.

The good news they reopened the program for all small businesses.
If your publishing or game business was impacted you can apply here.

The process doesn't end with the grant. Eventually they will send you a loan offer. Again appears to be based on the number of people involved. However this is a loan that has to be paid back over 30 years at 3% interest. So keep that in mind if you get into this part of the process.

Hope this help and stay safe. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised to have received the grant. I feel this will help many of us who have lost sales as a result of the pandemic.

Kickstarter - Cat's Cradle: A Fantasy Town for 5e and Other RPG Systems (Frog God Games)

This is one of the reasons I am very happy to be associated with Frog God Games: 

PPA Loan and COVID-19  We’re using the proceeds of a PPA loan to employ our writers and artists on an immediate basis, which lets us keep paying them at normal levels despite a bad market. For this reason, we’re following the unusual procedure of offering a Kickstarter before the work itself is completed. The books will be printed at the Arizona printshop we use for Indiegogo projects rather than in China, which allows us a much faster turnaround to backers. Most of the initial legwork has already been done, and the project should be almost completed by the time the Kickstarter ends, with the exception of layout and some of the art orders. To the extent the Kickstarter generates any profit — which isn’t guaranteed in this market — we will continue turning the profit around to new projects, to generate as steady a stream of work-flow as we can.

 That is good looking out.

So, what is the Cat's Cradle Kickstarter?

Cat’s Cradle stands at the intersection of a caravan and river route, which brings in mysterious travelers, unscrupulous grifters, and -- quite often -- dangerous villains. The Kickstarter includes a town sourcebook for Cat's Cradle, the adventure Eye of Itral, and Fortune Hunters, a book of town-oriented NPCs.

Humble Bundle - Maps Extravaganza (ProFantasy Software)

I own the Campaign Cartographer software from my Windows days. Sadly, I never had the patience to learn the software. With the pricing of the Maps Extravaganza Humble Bundle I might have had more patience ;)

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Indiegogo - By Dawn’s Early Light (5E, PF & S&W)

I’ve been enjoying the Frog God holiday themed releases. They are very readable and playable, which seems to be a rare combination. By Dawn’s Early Night is their latest, obviously themed for July 4th.

It is midsummer, and the remote mountain village of Ilgaardd is preparing to throw an epic celebration to honor the anniversary of its independence from the tyrannical rule of Killoran the Red. While most of the villagers are happy with the new leadership and are excited about the prospect of hosting a major event, droves of raucous outsiders, bitter loyalists, and an unprecedented heat wave are causing tensions to mount.  You have been hired by the local sheriff to keep the peace. To do your job, you will have to contend with rowdy villagers at each other’s throats and a towering force on the cusp of raising its haunted form high above the Village Green! 

Inspired by (dangerous!) early American traditions of lighting bonfires to celebrate Independence Day, the characters are the only hope that Illgaardd will remain standing by dawn’s early light.

The characters are hired by Jax Blueskin, chief constable of the remote village of Ilgaardd, to keep the peace during the village’s Independence Day celebration. The characters must contend with increasingly rowdy villagers only to discover a nefarious plot devised by Killoran the Red, the village’s presumed-to-be-dead former ruler. If not stopped, this plot will unleash a force so terrible that the village — and possibly the region — may be utterly destroyed. By Dawn’s Early Light is a short adventure for 4–6 low-level characters.

We are on schedule to deliver the PDF by July 4th to light up your Independence Day!

New “Old” in Print - Guide to Hell (AD&D 2e)

This might be one of a handful of AD&D 2e releases I do not own from back in the day. I remember how 2e did away with demons and devils, and the 2e Guide to Hell brings back devils - and Hell. Go figure ;)

Diabolical threats lurk everywhere in the world of the AD&D game. Heroes who fight evil on the Prime Material Plane may contend with forces whose power rises from the depths of Hell. Adventurers who travel to Hell meet devildom on its own terms and risk not only their lives, but also their everlasting souls.  

Guide to Hell is a comprehensive look at the nature of devils, ways for heroes to battle them, and the twisted geography and politics of the Nine Layers in the AD&D game. The decision to "go to Hell" should never be made lightly—but once it is made, this book will give the DM everything he or she needs to make the experience memorable for all the heroes... at least, those who survive. 

Four new PC kits: the Devil Slayer, the Thaumaturgist, the Inquisitor, and the Hellblade A devil-fighting organization adaptable for any campaign New spells and magical items with a diabolical twist Advice for DMs on integrating the infernal into their campaigns Full statistics on the Lords of the Nine, the rulers of the Nine Hells The secret history of Hell and the Dark Lord of Nessus, Asmodeus Statistics for all major devil types, plus a new devil created especially for this book at least, those who survive.

• Four new PC kits: the Devil Slayer, the Thaumaturgist, the Inquisitor, and the Hellblade
• A devil-fighting organization adaptable for any campaign
• New spells and magical items with a diabolical twist
• Advice for DMs on integrating the infernal into their campaigns
• Full statistics on the Lords of the Nine, the rulers of the Nine Hells
• The secret history of Hell and the Dark Lord of Nessus, Asmodeus
• Statistics for all major devil types, plus a new devil created especially for this book

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Deal of the Day - Adventures Dark and Deep Players Manual

I used to love the What If? Comic book series from Marvel Comics. It gave alternated futures for events that may have happened. I see Adventures Dark & Deep as the “What if Gary Gygax hadn’t been forced out from TSR, and AD&D 2e had followed Gary’s previews as shown in Dragon Magazine at the time?”

Joe Bloch does a great job following the hints that Gary left us.

The Adventures Dark and Deep Players Manual is normally 9.95, but until tomorrow morning it is 4.97 in PDF.

The Adventures Dark and Deep™ Players Manual contains all the rules you need to create and run a character; character classes, races, spells, rules for combat, equipment, social class, skills, and much more.

The Players Manual is the first core rulebook for the Adventures Dark and Deep™ game, an expansion and revision of the original 1st Edition rules that defined the role-playing hobby for a decade. Based on the original plans for expanding the game, Adventures Dark and Deep™ gives you new character classes like the jester, savant, mystic, and mountebank; new spells; a new combat system; new monsters; rules for weather and natural hazards; new magic items, and tons more. And it's all compatible with most old-school games, so you can use it with all your old and new adventures, settings, and supplements.

If you liked 1st Edition, you'll love Adventures Dark and Deep™.

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Not Erik Storytime: The Time I Won a Four Hour Tournament in Under Ten Minutes

So far here at the Tavern I've talked a LOT about tournaments, mostly because I have a lot of experience with them. Playing, writing, organizing, etc. One of the things I liked about tournaments, especially HackMaster tournaments, is that they were both competitive and cooperative. You really have to cooperate with your teammates and your party is competing against the parties at the other tables. If it was a single round adventure even better because there really weren't any losers. You got to play and have fun. If you were playing one of your home PCs and he/she/it died, that kind of sucked, but that's a good thing, right?

Seriously, and I don't know why more people don't instinctively get this, but you should get a little upset if your PC dies and that is a good thing because that means you cared and were invested. Nothing ventured, nothing gained......

...anyway I'm at this low-level, pretty sure it was a 1st level only, tournament game running my Double-Specialist Invoker. I'm not going to go all fanboy nerd and talk about my awesome PC because those details don't matter to this story and I'm not really that kind of loser trying to bore a captive audience with a PC stor.....oh shit, I guess I am that kind of loser. Screw it...in for a penny....

...ok, back to the tournament. This was actually the second tournament for this PC, I just hadn't played this guy in a single home game yet so he was just shy of the experience required for second level. For the most part my PC was on the same level as the others that were rolled up just prior to the adventure.....well technically we were on the same level, but my guy had that other adventure under his belt.

The GM starts reading us the set-up into flavor text for the adventure and I start to get a bit worried because I'm sure I've heard this before.....I think I've played this adventure before so I can't play it again per the normal tournament rules. I inform the GM and luckily he tells me it's ok because this is actually a new adventure based on an older one and after the initial flavor text it's all going to change. Sure enough the next paragraph is new and the setup for this adventure is that a local farmer hasn't been heard from in days and we're sent, by the local Sheriff, to specifically find the farmer and protect his property (It was assumed he and his farm were in danger).

The party makes its way to the farm a bit out of town and find the farmer in his home pretty much scared shitless. Evidently some "monster" got into his barn earlier in the week and he just boarded everything up and hid out in the house. He hasn't gone out to check on all his animals in the barn in three or four days......he agrees to come outside to the barn and I ask the fighters to remove the bar as I toss in a small fireball.

Of course the farmer just loses his shit because we're going to set fire to his barn and all his precious animals. Seriously?! You haven't feed any animals in days and shut them up with an unknown monster? Yeah, the animals are effing toast already dude, quite your bitchin.

But the barn!............Oh for fuck's sake!

I ask the farmer how much the animals are worth. As he hems and haws I up the question to the barn, and then just how much for the whole damned farm? The GM, assuming that all the players are running fresh PCs on their 1st adventure, spits out a figure from the farmer of 600 Gold Pieces , which should be more than what the entire party can scrap together.....

"SOLD! Do you want that in gems or gold coins?" Unlike the other PCs I have loot from the 1st tournament, in the form of coins and 100gp pearls.....

The party escorts the farmer back to the town to be dropped of with the Sheriff. My PC hands over a small pouch of pearls. We're not even 10' into this four hour tournament and I get an inordinate amount of pleasure in informing the GM that we just won the tournament: all objectives met, no PC deaths, three hours and fifty minutes early......the task at hand was to find the farmer and save/secure his property. His property was safely in not only his hands, but the hands of the Sheriff.

Now if the rest of the party wants to come back to my farm and help me with a little pest problem.......

....and that is the story how my 1st level DS Invoker won a tournament in less that 10' by buying the farm.

Humble RPG Book Bundle: 5th Edition Dungeons, Mazes & Barrows

While I am not a player (nor GM) of D&D 5e, it is certainly easy enough to convert 5e to the OSR ruleset of your choice on the fly. The Humble RPG Book Bundle: 5th Edition Dungeons, Mazes & Barrows is simply an amazing bang for your buck.

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I Missed The Tavern’s 11th Anniversary...

May 31st was the 11th anniversary of Tenkar’s Tavern. It slipped my mind as it was the day before the procedure for my fourth heart stent. 2020 has been one wicked ride, and I dont mean that in a good way. Heh

11 years. Holy shit.

I guess that means we are at the beginning of the 12th year of The Tavern.

There are plans for the second half of 2020. Gaming content is on the front end of that :)

Thanks o all. Those that have been here since the beginning and those that have. Only recently found The Tavern and everyone else in between. Without you, this never would have been and wouldn’t currently be. I owe all of you more than I can ever fully pay back, but I will try.

A Little Help (for Information) From the Tavern...

After a brief "conversation" with Erik I have permission to help enlist the Tavern to help me with a pet project of mine. For the record, I don't intend to make a dime off of this and the whopping $10/year domain name registration is my only out-of-pocket cost.

A couple years ago I had an idea to start a blog that was dedicated to a relatively narrow focus: OSR Zines. No reviews, no affiliate links, nothing but news of new issues and letting folks know what zines are out there.

The thing is......I'm not really sure what is out there. Current, discontinued, new issues.....I only know about what I stumble across and for older & discontinued issues mostly. This is where I could use the Tavern's help.

I'd appreciate finding out about new/current fanzines, especially new issues. There is a contact form at OSRZine.com and I could easily be emailed through my gmail (FrugalGM). Links, pointers, pictures of issues, etc are all helpful. I did populate the site with some Zines....two years ago, so you can see examples of the info I've been looking to put up on the site.

Any assistance would be most appreciated. I plan on doing updates on the weekends.

Deal of the Day - For Coin & Blood (OSR)

Today's Deal of the Day is For Coin & Blood. Looking for a dark version of Swords & Wizardry? For Coin & Blood may be right up your alley. Normally 9.99, until tomorrow morning its on sale for 4 bucks.

FOR COIN & BLOOD is a classically inspired d20 fantasy roleplaying game with a twist... 

...a twist of the knife! 

Embracing the literary genre known as "grimdark", and inspired by stories of mercenaries, sellswords and blackguards, FOR COIN & BLOOD keeps you on your toes, as you tell stories about the terrible things that happen to people, when they head out in search of coin, passion, and revenge... 

FOR COIN & BLOOD uses a modified version of Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox, but is a complete game.

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DTRPG Deal of the Day Worth Checking Out: Old-School Essentials Player's Rules Tome

This one almost slipped by me, but I thought it was worthwhile to share, so here I am....

For the next 13 hours or so the Old School Essentials Player's Rules Tome is on sale for $5. That's half off and for over 100 pages of content.....totally worth it.

You'll have to just take my word on this with a grain of salt because technically I haven't read this particular tome. I picked up the all-in-one Rules Tome, which contains the info from the Player's Rules Tome.

Anyway I have been enjoying Old-School Essentials quite a bit and so far I dare say it's my favorite BX flavor yet. The cool thing, aside from the the sale itself is that if you're on the fence you can check out the art-free light/free/sample edition of this product here.

Support Chris as he supports The Tavern by using the affiliate link above - Tenkar

Kickstarter - Modern Mythos and Machine (Stock Art)

It’s not easy being an indie / self publisher. Ideas are easy, good affordable art is expensive. Answer? Stock art. One of the best artists to offer stock art? James Shields. Today, James launched the Modern Mythos and Machine Kickstarter. I’m already backing at 95 bucks :)

This project will be a collection of 75 to 100 stock illustrations with a Modern, Sci-Fi, or Lovecraft theme. There will be a total of SEVEN categories of artwork:

FONTS - ONE font for each of the Modern, Sci-Fi, and Lovecraft Themes.

FULL PAGE / COVER ART - THREE vertical full page illustrations designed to also be usable as cover art. Each illustration will be divided into foreground, middle, and background images.

VEHICLES - FIVE images of various modes of transportation. These will include up to 3 variants each with a minimum of 12 total variants.*

SCENES - SEVEN half page illustrations of action or display of skill. Like the full page art, these will be broken into foreground, middle, and background images. Each image will include up to 3 variants with a minimum of 15 total variants.*

EFFECTS - NINE images of various effects such as explosions, weather, gunshots, and more. These will be accompanied by an appropriate text effect such as: BOOM, ZAP, CRACK, etc.

CHARACTERS - ELEVEN characters and creatures posed to be used in a scene. Each of these will include up to 3 variants with a minimum of 24 total characters or creatures.*

ITEMS - THIRTEEN illustrations of various items and equipment. These also will have up to 3 variants each with a minimum of 27 total variations.*

*The actual number of variants per illustration will depend upon the complexity of converting the image to another genre.

As usual with most of my projects, illustrations will be chosen from submitted ideas. These ideas will be curated and voted upon to determine the actual contents of this project.

New Release - Toughest Dungeon in the World - solo adventure - Tunnels & Trolls

I've been a huge Tunnels & Trolls fan for years. Interestingly enough, when I was introduced to it in high school in the early 80s, it did not impress me. It took about 20 years for me to appreciate the charm of this focused on solo play RPG.

The Toughest Dungeon in the World is an update of a previously released Tunnels & Trolls adventure (way back in 1980). Sadly, I think my original is locked away in storage.

The Toughest Dungeon in the World is a solitaire adventure that can be played with Monsters! Monsters! or Tunnels & Trolls. Written by Ken St. Andre it was first published in 1980 by Judges Guild. Now, 40 years later, Ken has updated and enhanced this classic solo adventure, bringing it back to life in new and exciting ways. Artists Phil Longmeier and Steve Crompton have enhanced this solo with new illustrations and graphics more suitable for this wild monster-mash solitaire adventure. 

This new expanded edition is now 48 pages long and will keep any player busy for a lot of adventure in caverns and tunnels deep below Trollworld. What makes this the toughest dungeon and what or who is the Lord of Shadows? It dwells in the depths waiting for you. Will you avoid its power or be corrupted by it? Can you conquer this difficult solo and will you find the ruined dwarven city that lays beyond the caverns? If you are brave enough bring your toughest character into the caverns of Hael!

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Using my Soapbox to "Discourage" a Problem at Some Tables...

So I'm not 100% when this post will be, well posted, but I'm running with the assumption that this will be my 1st weekly entry here at the Tavern.

There's so many things I could write about, but one thing popped into my head, something I feel strongly about and something that has a back story. There are probably three things I'm passionate about, well maybe five things, or 50........I really don't keep track, but clearly I'm a passionate, passionate man.....

So here I am with an audience....not entirely mine, but hey....I really ought to use this pulpit to educate and eradicate this one particular bane of RPGs. Seriously, there is no worse scourge than the abomination that is the.....wait for it....

The GMPC.

Not the GameMaster working some temporary Non-Player Characters, but a full-on Player Character being run in the game side-by-side with the rest of the players. What's the harm in this, you might ask? Well 1st off, the GM should be impartial when running a game. I know some systems have the GM working in more of an adversarial role, but even if it was a cooperative game system, letting the GM run a PC is just.....it's just wrong. They should not be benefiting from the rulings they make at the table. If the GM wants to actually play on the other side of the table, then by all means....sit down as a player....with someone else serving as the GM. Switch off the duties and spread that work load around.

I was asked to join a gaming group once and eventually the GM left and another player stepped up to GM....but we had to let him run his PC with the others. Best damned thief you ever saw.....never missed a trap, always managed to land a backstab when the party needed it, etc. It was a little childish, but hey...it was a game....until it became too much. Because not everyone could game every week we had two different campaigns: one large group and one smaller group.

The larger group was running the Temple of Elemental Evil and I was playing a Pacifist Monk. It was a very specific build.......and wouldn't you know it, the GM had himself a PC with the same build! Thanks for letting me have something unique! The GMPC Monk was actually one of two GMPCs he had in this campaign. As we were going through the adventure there was one big battle where we were clearly heading for a Total Party Kill (TPK). More than half of the party was already dead, and most everyone else was sucking on fumes with single-digit HP left. My PC was in a position to make a break for it and flee the battle, which only made sense because the authorities needed to know what was going on and TPK would prevent that. Of course once my PC bolts the one GMPC, the other Pacifist Monk, miraculously manages to disengage as well. The next week's game we meet and somehow the GM justifies bringing all the dead PCs back to life, save one. His dead PC.....somehow managed to come back actually stronger than he was before he died....seriously, WTF?

We had his awesome Thief in the smaller group and nothing ever touched this PC, which was normal. Nothing new here, but without the other/older GM playing the level of control this PC had over our game was a bit much. Of course he always got the best magic items. I'd try to get the group to agree to some other method for the division of treasure. Didn't really matter, the GMPC got first pick again. This time though, we had one extra magic item, a cursed item at that. The PC who ended up with the last pick got the extra item.....which was my guy. The GM allowed us to sell whatever we didn't want based on some formula in the book, whatever. I had already sold the "extra".....come on it was cursed...item and was divvying that coin out to the other PCs when the GM pipes up, basically telling me to STFU because this time...this time my guy got two magic items when everybody else only got one.

That was the straw that broke the camel's back with me. I told him I'm out and he could go play with himself all he wanted.

The fun part was that on the next business day the GM stopped by my place of work to tell me that he talked with the group and he was "uncomfortable" GMing with me at the table.....wow...what part of "I quit" didn't he get.

Yeah, no more GMPCs at any table I'm playing at....never again. Sure you could write off that this GM was just an asshat or something else, but outside of the GMPC BS he ran a decent enough game. Clearly the temptation to...well I'll just say it....cheat, was too much. A GM cheating is a post in and of itself, but for the purposes of this post, a GM should not be in position where cheating gives a tangible benefit.

Deal of The Day - Gary Gygax's Necropolis

Today's Deal of the Day is Gary Gygax's Necropolis from Necromancer Games. Written for 3e, its normally 12 bucks in PDF. Until tomorrow morning it is on sale for 6 bucks.

I am the Set Rahotep 

No man was more potent when I was amongst those dwelling in the land of Khemit. In death I am greater still! 

Do you not fear serpents? I am the Aepep Rahotep! 

Who does not tremble before the monsters of the Duat? I am one!
Does your flesh not crawl at the sight of a terrible wyrm? I am the Deathwyrm Rahotep! 

Does your blood run cold before the face of a fiend? Know then that I am Rahotep the Fiend! 

Who shuns not demons? Shun me, for I am the demon Rahotep, the Red Devil. 

And which fool listens? That one is wise! Praise Set and the Set Rahotep, that one, and pity the rest! 

An Epic Adventure and Sourcebook 

Gary Gygax's Necropolis is a vast campaign scenario that sweeps the characters into an epic adventure across the magical desert kingdom of Khemit. From a hidden evil in a desert village, to the secrets of ancient tombs, Necropolis takes the characters on a dangerous mission to thwart the plans of an undying archpriest-wizard who would be a god!
Necropolis is also a campaign sourcebook, detailing the lands of Khemit, new classes and prestige classes, new spells and more than 60 monsters unique to the desert lands. This book also details over 50 new gods and new cleric domains, allowing DMs to run extended campaigns in the desert kingdom. 

Players beware! Your characters will face certain death herein! 

This product requires use of the Dungeons and Dragons Players Handbook. 

Gary Gygax's Necropolis is a full length 288 page epic adventure and campaign sourcebook designed for 4 to 8 characters of 10th to 18th level. The source material and initial adventures can be used with lower level PCs as well, but no one under 10th level should attempt to enter Rahotep's tomb.

There is an affiliate link above. Keep the lights on and the beer cold at The Tavern by using our affiliate links. 

Kickstarter -Folk Magic of the Haven Isles (Midderlands)

I love everything that Glynn has put out for his Midderlands setting. It is, to put it quite simply, extremely useful and an easy read. Needless to say, his latest Kickstarter -Folk Magic of the Haven Isles I backed the moment I learned about it.

Folk Magic of the Haven Isles is a role-playing supplement for old school role-playing games. Its focus is on magicians, wizards and magic-users. The book is written for Swords & Wizardry and therefore can be used in all retro-clones and old school role-playing games with little or no work. 

But I don't have or play any old school role-playing games. Is it still useful? 

Absolutely. It is intended for any fantasy role-playing games to inspire and provide ideas for players and Game Masters alike. If you know what HD and Saving Throws are, you will be easily able to understand and adapt most of the rules-related content in this book.

If you know anything about The Midderlands fantasy setting, you will see information within the book that makes it directly usable with The Midderlands setting. It is 100% compatible. 

If not, don't worry! You don't need to know anything. There is a glossary that explains what any unfamiliar (mainly geographical) words/terms are. In your own setting, you can just swap out place names. 

• An A5-sized (148mm wide x 210mm high OR Approx. 5.8" wide x 8.3" high) containing 60 interior pages comprising 19 pages of evocative, full colour illustrations.
•  14 Magic-User sub-classes, such as the Peller, Hermetic Magician, Demon Slave, Toadman, Spae Wife, Stitch Witch, Green Child, and Apple Queen/King. These sub-classes are 'overlays' that are intended to be used in conjunction with the magic-user class, giving them benefits, drawbacks and flavour.
•  16 Magic-User backgrounds such as the Arcane Gloombugger, Cultist, Goblin Stinkbinder, and Stone Tender. Unique and flavourful micro-stories that make your magician unique and explain how they came to practice magic.
•  7 Tomes (spellbook ideas) such as the Little Key of the Whole Art of Hydromancy. Ideas for spellbooks that can be the goals of magician's quests.
•  16 Magical Spells such as Gloomray, Transmute Lead into Gold, Enforce Queueing, and more. Usable in any old school game.
•  4 Oddities of the Haven Isles. Unusual objects, flora, and fauna such as the Mandrake and Wizard Hole.
• A Glossary
• Open Gaming License (OGL)

State of the Tavern Keeper - New Lease on Life

This past Monday I went to St Francis Hospital to have a stent inserted in the left anterior descending part of my heart to clear a blockage. This followed three prior stents for three other blockages two weeks prior. No more procedures in my immediate future - just healthy eating, exercise and a lifetime  of meds.

I’m sad to not be at NTRPG Con this year, but I’m happy. I’ll be around for many more :)

Again,I’d like to thank Chris for stepping up the past few days. He’ll be a regular feature on Sunday’s going forward.

We’ve got plans for The Tavern, some I’ve touched on prior, some we’ve yet to announce.

June should be a good month :)

So You Want to Attend Your First Convention?

So you've decided to attend your first game convention?

First off, congrats, you should have fun....

Second, I really hope you didn't pick GenCon or Origins for your 1st ever game convention, but if you did I hope it's Origins. Actually both cons are great, don't get me wrong, but they are the big boys and can be overwhelming for a convention newb, with GenCon clearly coming in top for being "too much" as far as cons go.

I'd recommend a smaller, hopefully local game convention. You can support local dealers, maybe find players for future gaming, and definitely find out about other smaller local conventions. A local gaming convention is more likely to be in driving distance and just generally cheaper to attend. You'll have more room to pack stuff and more money to spend should you want to......

....but I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you have to fly to the convention. Why? Well mostly because that's my main experience, but also because flying to a convention is more restrictive and if you go to the bigger conventions odds are you'll be flying unless you like doing a looooong roadtrip.

Right off the bat, once you decide to attend a convention, break out your calendar. Get your registration as soon as you can and note when you can sign up for games and rooms. Neither is as important for smaller cons, but it will be for the larger ones and you might as well get in the habit as rooms for GenCon & Origins and games can fill up in the 1st hour of registration. No, really.......get your calendar, figure out the necessary dates and register for what your want, when you want it. If the convention has an advance schedule, figure out your priority for gaming. Your 1st choices for a game might be full, so having backup plans are good.

When should you arrive to a convention? I recommend you show up the day before and leave the day after if you're flying. If the con is a Thursday to Sunday affair, odds are it'll start up Thursday afternoon and wrap up Sunday by noon. If you can get good flight in Thursday morning and out Sunday afternoon, good on you, BUT....don't forget others will be trying to work that same schedule, you'll have no flexibility if flights have issues (seriously I recommend morning flights before & after con days so you have all day to get there and/or back if there if flights get delayed), and do you really want to try to get in a game right after a spot of travelling and the fun involved with that? Some cons will have an early check-in available and maybe even some early pick-up games.

Once you have your dates figured out, your travel plans in place, and know where you're staying.....oh you don't know that yet? Well I generally recommend staying at the convention hotel for a smaller con and anywhere but as the con gets bigger. The big conventions usually have multiple hotels, but there may be one or more directly connected to the convention space and others a short walk away. It might seem convenient to stay at a convention hotel, but as the convention grows that convenience dwindles. Anyone who has had to wait 20-plus minutes for an elevator at the con hotel realizes that a 5' or 10' walk to their hotel might be preferable....because you might have to wait that long to get back down to the convention as well. Other hotels within walking distance might be cheaper or have better amenities as well.....

OK, so NOW you should have the big-picture travel stuff figured out and you might want to drill-down for the finer details. Does the convention center and/or your hotel have a restaurant......will it be convenient for you to eat there (convenient and affordable) FYI they generally aren't as they are catering to business travelers with company accounts and/or per diem. One con I went to their restaurant was a higher-end Steakhouse. You'll want to figure out your eating options before you arrive on-scene. I generally plan on one a nicer meal out every other day and something else for the rest and avoid room service  at all costs (pun intended......room service is usually expensive and decent quality, but meager. $15 for a muffin and orange juice...no thank you). Thankfully these days delivery, including food service delivery, is an easy option. These services will widen your choices considerably.

You might also want to look up your options for grocers/general merchandise near the hotel. It might be well worth your while to walk or take a taxi/uber to the grocery store and stock up on sodas/snacks. Even when flying I tend to pack some easy snacks, maybe a breakfast or two (tops) worth of instant oatmeal, some dried fruit, and a bag of beef jerky. It's good to keep with you in case your travelling goes longer than expected anyway and it can buy you some time when you first get to the con and are trying to get your feet under you. Knowing where you can go to get some OTC medicine or another notebook or some such is comforting at the least.....

You really don't need too much when flying to a con when it comes to clothes and gear. Whatever you'd normally take to a regular game (dice, pencils, notebook, PC sheets, minis, and rules) is just fine. Since I never go anywhere without a computer I keep extra copies of everything where I can access it.....and these days a tablet can go all day, so PDF stuff is a viable option. You shouldn't be working up a huge sweat at a con and since you'll be showering every day at a minimum (you ARE showering every day, right?.......seriously, don't be THAT GUY!) you can probably get more use out of your clothes than you'd think. Fresh underwear for everyday and if you need another shirt, just buy a convention shirt when you get there.....you'll want a souvenir anyway.

Speaking of which, at your 1st con you are going to want to buy stuff. Most vendors, the convention, whatever can take credit cards, so you'll only need cash for little stuff, like food vendors, tipping, vending machines, etc. Odds are you'll be buying stuff at the convention and lugging it home. Two useful things to know, well maybe three. I recommend packing an extra bag in your luggage.....something that can be checked if needed. As long as your extra swag is under 50 pounds and you're willing to pay the extra $25-$50 for an additional checked bag.....just drag that stuff home with you. Stopping by a post office or UPS/FEDEX on the way to the airport is an option, but the hotel probably has a business center where you can go online and arrange for a pickup. Hotels have stuff picked up and dropped off all the time and some of the larger ones are regular FEDEX stops.

One thing I do like to bring with me to a con if I'm flying is a simple art tube. I have one I made from a PVC tube that barely fit into my one bag (which I don't use anymore.....might need to make a new one). I use this specifically to transport any art/posters I pick up from any artists at the con. It really sucks trying to find a tube to protect my expensive art purchase at the con. The hotel won't have any lying around and good luck with that on a Sunday as you're packing up.......you might get one as a shipping tube from that local FEDEX/UPS assuming you planned ahead......

Really the only other things I'd toss out there that if you have a favorite something you need to have, like a certain pencil or notebook....pack an extra one. Go ahead and bring a reusable insulated mug while you're at it. Every con I've been to has ice water easily available and if you need something flavored, those little squeeze bottles of flavoring are just a couple ounces (you can fly with them!). Stay hydrated!

When you get back from your con, do yourself a favor and note what you didn't use/need, what you wish you had brought, and make your own travel list for the next convention.

So You Want to Run a Game at a Convention?

So you're thinking about running a game at your local convention?

1st off, I know you probably aren't, but you're reading this anyway because it's here at the Tavern.

2nd, even if you aren't interested maybe this post will make you think about it......either way do or don't, just play along and pretend you're wanting to run a game at a local con anyway. Besides if you play along you might come to the realization it is a worthwhile endeavor.....

Congratulations are in order! You've decided to step up your game (pun intended) and stop huddling around that dining room table of yours and sling dice with new players. Seriously though, convention games can be fun, and if it's a local con you might meet some great new people to share this hobby with. Conventions can't really function without content and you running a game adds content, and value, to your local convention.

The 1st thing you really need to think about is the convention itself. Most cons are pretty lenient when it comes to games, but if you want to have a successful go at it you might want to make sure your desired game system meshes with the con. Trying to run an obscure fantasy game system from the early 80's at a Sci-Fi Convention might not be worth your effort.

For years I played in and ran a bunch of games at this one convention that was more a literary convention that happened to have a few RPGs and board games. Eventually we basically had our own room and we realized that everybody was paying the convention $50+ so we could sit in a room all by ourselves and otherwise visit the free areas of the convention. A quick check-in with the staff at the hotel I preferred staying at as we could game all weekend in their breakfast room that went unused for 90% of the day.... 

So you have a game system that'll work with the convention....but will it? In addition to any theme issues you have to seriously consider how popular your system is and if there is enough draw for it. If you're just going to be running for your home group, but at a convention, is that a worthwhile expenditure of your resources? Even if your preferred system isn't popular, it really might be worthwhile to run at a con anyway because this could be a way to increase support for your system or to find new players. You'll just have to factor this in when you work on what you're going to run for that setting, which I'll cover in a moment.

You'll need to figure out how the convention timeline works, as well as how to submit/run events. These day's it usually a website data-entry thing, but you really need to know your timelines for submission because later submissions, while might be allowed, can often make it so interested players cannot find you in the registration book. Now it might be a bit of putting the cart before the horse, but when you go to register your game you'll pretty much need to know what your're running: game system and adventure, as well as the number of players you can seat, the experience level requirement of the players. Are pre-generated PCs going to be available? What level do the PCs need to be? Is there time to teach new players if they are complete newbs? Do you have a good description of the game and the adventure? No, really....a description that would want someone to sign up to play? Your convention might not ask for everything mentioned in this paragraph, but it's a good idea to assemble it anyway. Sometimes they'll ask for a little bit for pre-approval, and then want more, and sometimes timelines/deadlines creep up on you......

OK, so now you have the big picture stuff figured out, or should providing you already selected the adventure. Are you running a published adventure or something home-brew? There are advantages and disadvantages to each. If you are running a published adventure for the system make sure that was noted in the registration 'cause it sucks for a player to show up and find out they've already run this adventure before. If you aren't keen on a homebrew adventure you can split the difference by adapting an adventure written for a different game system. Convert it a bit and tweak it. Even if your players have played the other system and that adventure, they'll not know about your tweaks....and you can always change/twist a crucial point that would be detrimental if a player used insider knowledge!

While on the subject of tweaks......published adventures generally aren't made to fit into the time constraints of a convention game time block, which can be two to four hours in length. You'll want to tweak the adventure to account for the length of time you need to fill. I suggest cutting out sections that could be bypassed and hold back some encounters that could be added to pad your time if the players are moving faster than anticipated. Remember that only the GM has access to the adventure and maps, so use that to your advantage.

It sounds like at this point everything should be good, but once you have the adventure planned out, start to think about anything else you'll need for your game. Pre-gens, player aids, etc. Maps? Do you want to use a mat or print out maps before hand? I've done both and some of the best luck I've had was the laborious printing of the maps, mounting them to cheap dollar-store foam core, and then cutting them out. No real drawing or artistry needed on my part and I don't spend so much time describing each room. Really a to-each-their-own kind of thing.

You might want to prep the game by running it for your home group with the same constraints as you'll have at the con, but be aware you're players will most likely run through faster than a group of strangers would.

If you've managed all these things you should be able to pull off a successful convention game. Should, being the operative word here. Even with all the prep in the world, you cannot always account for one of the biggest  potential pitfalls of all: the GM is at a convention!

Seriously though, dude you're at a convention! You don't need to run a game in every fricken time slot, or even in every other slot. Sure you might get some serious perks for running a lot of games, but even one game a day can be taxing if you're playing in other games or wanting to go to room parties, the dealer's hall, etc. The idea of paying to attend a con (driving/flying/rooms/meals.....even if the entry is free for GMing) and then doing nothing but run games is ludicrous. Don't be that guy. You won't have fun, and your games will inevitably suffer.

Not Erik Story Time: Players Interjecting Humor Wherever they Damned Well Feel Like It

Erik's back in for another stint with the surgeon so I'm filling back in with a little story-telling session.

Now I don't expect folks to remember the last time I filled in, but in one post I talked a bit about HackMaster 4th Edition and how many thought it was a joke game (it wasn't) because of some of the comedic elements (easily removed/ignored), but I mentioned, and still ascertain, that players are players and you can have the most serious game in the world and they'll still interject humor where it doesn't exist, and in some cases needs to be.

I was running a game of HackMaster 5th Edition, using the Garweeze Wurld setting, which was made for 4th Edition and is the backdrop for the Knights of the Dinner Table Magazine.The new edition of the game is rather magic light and the old was really magic heavy. In the very last Wurld Tournament for HackMaster 4th Edition the Gawds were destroyed as well as all magic and allegedly the whole planet. I just advanced the timeline something like 10,000 years and the planet wasn't destroyed, but the loss of magic changed most everything. In the new campaign magic was slowly coming back into the world as new Gods were reaching out. The thing is, for most people magic wasn't even a fairy tale.

Anyway, enough supposition. This was a serious game and since I was playing with adults there were some adult themes and stuff I'm probably never going to type about and normally would NEVER condone in a RPG game, well at least a public one.

The players weren't quite the normal murderhobos, having established themselves as competent "troubleshooters" for their village. They've proven themselves capable a few times already and when a badly injured rider came into town with reports he was tracking an band of orcs.....well the party was going to go investigate. Orc raids were a seasonal problem and it was a little too early in the year, but the village elders activated the militia (conscription was a thing) and asked the party to investigate...tomorrow. The party was already wiped from the day's activities and needed to rest and get some suicide daggers from the blacksmith before heading out.

Remember those adult themes? Well Orcs in HackMaster were really a bastardized race that procreates pretty much through rape. It's pretty messed up, but it was a known thing (not something I made up!!!) and the party were all females, and were warned in-character.

Anyway, the party got up 1st thing in morning to head off where the orcs were last seen and then found out that one of the PC's parents, a retired Knight, had headed out the day before with some militia, specifically because he didn't want his daughter facing orcs, even though it was against the Elder's wishes (rank has its privileges...)

The party rushes to catch up and while the earlier group has a good 14 hour lead, they are able to make good time since they were able to easily follow the slower group's track once they went off-road. The party catches up just as the battle is underway and the battle is not going that well. The party manages to turn the tide and it is clear that the orcs are going to lose, but not before the Half-Orc leader, unbeknownst to anybody is a Cleric. The Cleric's final parting gift was a Cause Wounds spell, which was enough to bring the Knight down to zero hit points.

This Cleric got away and there is some more big back story, but basically this was the introduction of what was to be a recurring villain in this campaign. The secret that magic was back in the world and true clerics existed was a HUGE deal. The players already knew there was magic, hell, they technically had a magic user in the group, but seeing clerical magic....evidence of the new Gods, was big. I'm doing my best here to solemnize the significance and let the implication wash over the players, like I'm some bad-ass world-building story teller or shit......

......and then one of my players snickers and says that the orc did a "bad touch" on the other PC's father. A little laughter and before I know it this new BBG (Big Bad Guy) has been labeled "Pedo-Orc" Great.....he has a name now....

I ended up making a graphic for the bastard, for shits & giggles, since I was documenting the campaign in a blog.

This....this is the kind of thing I mean about players interjecting humor into your serious campaign. You can't fight it, you just have to deal with it. In the end, we're all just doing this to have fun, right?

State of the Tavern Keeper - One More Time

In the morning, at 11 AM, I report to St Francis Heart Hospital for, what should be, the last procedure I need. If it all goes well, I'll be home in the evening.

Chris will be handling the posting for the next day or two, before coming on board to regularly post on Sundays. Woot! Oh, and there should be another announcement later in the week :)

Thanks to all for the kind thoughts, wishes, and prayers. It truly is appreciated.

Deal of the Day - Lords of Olympus Diceless RPG

Today's Deal of the Day is the Lords of Olympus Diceless RPG. I own a few diceless RPGs, going back to Amber and one day I'd like to play one of them ;)

Normally 14.95, until tomorrow morning Lords of Olympus Diceless RPG is on sale for 5.95.

Portray gods and demigods -- children of Olympian Gods, Titans, or Primordials in this diceless roleplaying game of multi-dimensional mythology Fantasy. Explore new realms or the classic worlds of Earth and Mythological Greece. Visit Zeus' Olympus, Poseidon's Seas, or Hades' Underworld. Mix politics with intrigue, alliances with wars as power-struggles and vengeance drive stories. Or, go the route of lesser power with mortals and heroes. 

Lords of Olympus provides a new and original game inspired by the rules of the most successful diceless RPG of all time. The goal of this book is to not only be successful and enjoyable as a game in its own right, but also maintain the interest of players seeking out and experiencing the original and greatest diceless roleplaying game. 

Immersive Game-Play

• The focus is on roleplaying and the story, fostering creativity.

• Players bid for ability classes, so they get a say in how powerful their characters are in certain areas.

• Relationships between characters promote intrigue and drama.

• Characters are godly in their ability and powers for grand conflicts and escapades.

• The scope is epic, from a single world, such as Classic Earth, to those of the characters' design; even futuristic and modern worlds can be imagined.

• The diceless system promotes quick gameplay, since there are no tables to consult, dice to roll, or rules-lawyering.

• Build stories around the Greek Pantheon or use the rules for your own settings.

• Explore limitless stories of adventure: pit characters against each other or team them up to take on greater threats.

Full-Color PDF (same as the color softcover)

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Frog God Games' Game Day | May 31, 2020

Adding some bandwidth :)

Hop on over to Frog God Games Discord Channel and join us for Frog God Games' Game Day! Join us to play a game or two for this one-day event on Sunday, May 31, 2020. There are two types of badges available. Sign up today!

Last Call: We have about 25 tickets left for Frog God Games: Game Day happening May 31st. If you are interested here is the registration link:

https://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/eventReg?oeidk=a07eh0ajk8q26f20a14&oseq=&c=&ch=

Squire Badge: Free
Knight Badge: Cost $5, but you get $10 in-store credit

Tavern Update - Forthcoming MIA and Summer Plans

Tomorrow I have Pre Admission Screening for a procedure on Monday. So, I wont be posting next Monday or Tuesday - but you're in good hands, Chris will be back (more on Chris later :)

After I'm home and settled in there are various projects and the like I've had planned for a while that should start taking shape. We'll get Th4e Tavern hosted game weekend up and running virtually, hopefully by the end of June (what with nearly all of the major conventions canceled or transitioning online). I'll return to writing regular gaming content for sharing here at The Tavern and hopefully resurrect the Torchlight Zine.

Tavern Chat will start its Fireside Chats again and Rach and I will be doing a regular Gamers' & Health podcast within the podcast.

Welcome to Tenkar 2.0 ;)