A Quick Down & Dirty NTRPG Report from Not Erik!

Unless you only come to the Tavern to read my posts (sorry for completely dropping the ball last week. I thought Memorial Day was actually Sunday. Not the holiday, but when I woke up on Monday and went out for breakfast I was thinking about what I was going to post, not realizing it was Monday. D'oh!) you have to know that North Texas RPG Con is going on.

Pretty much it's the one time I get to sit and visit with Rachel, er Erik...yeah it's Erik I want to see......

For the most part NTRPG is my "one con" of the year. There are others that I may be lucky enough to attend, but it is NTRPG that I schedule away from work a year in advance as my only "for sure" vacation. Don't even joke about me having to work 'cause it's just not going to happen. This is the one time of year I've promised myself I'm going to play games, bullshit with friends, and hopefully make some new friends. Lately my battery's been rather low and it's these opportunities to recharge that I hold extremely precious.

NTRPG is a great convention and this is the first year after the death of the founder, Doug Rhea, passed away. His successor, Gary Oliver, has done a damned fine job picking up this particular ball and running with it, although I'm sure he'd disagree and blame any success on his staff.

satan at work

Anyway, one of the things I just love about NTRPG is the camaraderie. This is only my 5th year attending and I can tell you that I definitely "feel the love". The last couple of years Doug graced me with some quality bullshitting around the table, and I even had him as a GM for a game. So many people here have really taken that quality of Doug's and shared of themselves, on several levels.

One great event that they only have here is the Midnight Auction, hosted by satan. I'm using the small "s" because it's just Bad Mike in a devil's hat and horns, but he plays it up. Before hand several people, myself included, were sharing some nice (mostly) Bourbons with each other and everyone is in a great mood, despite it being so late. The auction is a bit fast and loose and most of the items are kind of BS or tongue-in-cheek jokes, often at the expense of long-time convention attendees/industry "professionals" (this auction is far from professional!) The occasional serious-type item is available for bid as well, so it's not just fun & games, although if you are coming to the auction in an attempt to get something good for cheap, you're barking up the wrong tree.

Notice Mr. & Mrs. Tenkar in the front row!

I got my second-row seat and bid number for $10, a bargain if you ask me. I'm good with avoiding the 1st row, although there wasn't supposed to be any Gallagher-type situation, you never know......

I bid on a few items, but there was only one thing I had to have and then one thing I wanted to have. The first was a Tom Tullis/satan T-Shirt that I got for $50. This one was is Grey while the one I got last year was in black. I was planning on making some throw pillows out of them, which I may still do......

The second item I picked up was an older iron-on transfer for the very 1st NTRPG Con. I may frame it, but I think it'd be cool to just get a good-quality T-Shirt and actually use the thing! For $100 I figure I might as well enjoy it!

I didn't manage to get anything in the "serious" auction earlier in the day. One of the two things I really wanted went for $10 more than my maximum bid, but I had a max bid already in mind and who knows just how much that other bidder was willing to go. No worries, I was just able to spend that on a T-Shirt and an iron-on transfer!

The games were great and I got some awesome stuff at the dealer's room, but that's all secondary to having fun making new friends and spending time with old ones.

We Were Live at NTRPG Con - Full Table of Guests

Glen and I just wrapped up our Dungeons, Dragons & Discourse Livestream from the main room of the NTRPG Con. Our guests included Vince Florio, Ben Barsh, James Shields, Steve Marsh, Ty Beard, Bad Mike, and a few others.

I've been experimenting with using my iPad as a second camera, and it has worked extremely well.

Picture courtesy of Fugli.

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I Now Have the Original Art for the Continual Light Cover

I got a chance to meet with James Shields at NTRPG Con. James brought the original art for the Continual Light RPG cover. The black and white original may actually be more amazing than the colored version we'll be using this summer.

Now, time to prep for the Whiskey Tasting Livestream at 10 PM Central/ 11 PM Eastern ;)

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Last Night I Got a Sign at NTRPG Con that I Was on the Right Path

Fugli dropped off the above sign after watching Bad Mike and I do our Talking Crit Livestream (with an AMAZING number of special guests). It was awesome, despite the fact that it was later than usual as our plan to Dallas had to take a detour to Austin due to weather.

Afterward Rach and I settled in for some pub grub and beers. That's when I got yet ANOTHER TSR info dump.

The path is set.

nuTSR Info Dump Coming Later This Week (or Next)

I've been blessed with a small collection of agreements and NDAs from nuTSR. They landed anonymously in my email earlier tonight. I'll be heading to NTRPG Con in the AM, and will bring the documentation with me to be perused by the various attornies in attendance. The plan is to have some professional if anonymous feedback as a follow-up next week.

I have also shared the dump with a few others that have an interest in nuTSR. I'll make sure to mention via social media where to find releases of further info if others get to it before me.

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Bundle of Holding - Ptolus Cypher (and 5e)

I was, and still am, a fan of the 3x original edition of Ptolus. There are now versions of Ptolus for 5e and Monte Cook Games' Cypher Systems. Ptolus is quite simply one of the finest urban setting books ever. Ptolus is well worth the $17.95 price for the nearly 700 pages of content. 

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Deal of the Day - FlexTale Solo Adventuring Toolkit (multisystem: Pathfinder, P2E, 5E, OSR, DCC)

I need to be honest. I own the FlexTale Solo Adventuring Toolkit in PDF. I've read much of it, and it looks to my eyes like it works. I've yet to run it, and therefore I can not give a review of the system in play.

We've all been in a situation where we have had less than the ideal group size for our session. What do you do when that group size is you and no other? Or you and one or two others and no one wants to be the GM?

The FlexTale Solo Adventuring Toolkit MAY be the solution to all your ails. Normally 9.99 in PDF, until tomorrow morning at 11 AM Eastern The FlexTale Solo Adventuring Toolkit is a mere 5 bucks.

Unlike some "prepless" tools, the Solo Adventuring Toolkit lets GMs or solo players alike immediately jump into the action, rolling a d20 and generating a dynamic, interesting, and level-appropriate adventure with zero preparation or reading.

The Solo Adventuring Toolkit features the FlexTale approach to gaming design: the content herein supports ANY set of PCs of ANY level, and scales accordingly.  No two adventures or quests are the same.

Although the Solo Adventuring Toolkit was designed first and foremost to help solo adventurers, its powerful content tools are equally useful to help dedicated G/DMs to generate feature-rich, engaging adventures for a traditional tabletop gaming setting with zero preparation.

The majority of the book is system-agnostic, and can be used easily with any TTRPG system.  Some specific tools and elements contain rules language tailored to 5E, Pathfinder, Pathfinder Second Edition (P2E), OSR, and Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC).

 

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Kickstarter - The Valley Out of Time series for S&W DCC MCC Part 3&4

The Valley Out of Time is a series of 'zine-sized adventures borrowing heavily from classic dinosaur art, books, and movies.

This is the part where I reveal my connections to Skeeter Green. Suffice to say, I watched him with my own eyes passionately assault Bad Mike at Gary Con back in 2016. Bleach could not remove that image burned into my brain :) Despite that, I consider Skeeter both a friend AND a skilled writer of RPG material. So, if there are any biases in how I view Skeet's work, now you know why.

That being said, the first two entries in The Valley Out of Time series were top-notch. Well written, excellent art, quality paper, and delivered promptly (and safely). They kind of hit all of my Kickstarter benchmarks.

Skeeter is currently Kickstarting The Valley Out of Time Parts 3 & 4. Both PDFs of Parts 3 & 4 are 8 bucks (choose your system, I choose S&W). Books 3&4 in Print plus PDF are 18 bucks plus shipping(again, choose your system). There are other options, but these are the ones I found to be the best fit for me.

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Bundle of Holding - 50 Dungeons - Goodman Games 3x Era Adventures

Now, before anyone says "Pffft! who wants 3x D&D?" I need to state the following - I've used a number of the adventures offered below with OSRIC and Swords & Wizardry and converted on the fly. I never played, let alone ran, 3x era D&D and it was easy as pie. The adventures are written in an "old school" manner.

I have many of these in print and others in PDF. The worst ones are good and the best ones are simply amazing.

50 Dungeons from Bundle of Holding features some of the very best adventures from Goodman Games. The Adventure Begins & The Adventure Continues are practically worth the price of admission alone. Add in 23 more adventure modules and you get over 60 low-level adventures for 20 bucks. For about 45 bucks, you add in Castle Whiterock (a mega-dungeon), Gazeteer of the Known Realms (an excellent setting), and another 19 modules. You have a lifetime of adventure for less than 50 bucks.

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Further Details on My Upcoming Heretical Game Collection Downsizing - The Looting Will Likely Commence in July

I've mentioned my intention of downsizing my game collection on The Tavern's YouTube Channel, and I figured I should do a follow-up here at The Tavern. Over the past dozen years or so, I've accumulated a proverbial shit ton of gaming material, boxed games, and RPGs, much of which I will never play. That realization was not an easy one to come to, but now that I have, I need to embrace it fully.

As you can see from the picture above, which is just an example, I have boxed games still in the original wrap. I have RPG books where the spine has never experienced pages being looked at, let alone sat down and read. If I haven't enjoyed these games in the past dozen years, I doubt I will in the future. Simply put, it's time to downsize.

I DO NOT expect to see many OSR releases in the initial round(s) of the purge, but that may change. I've already fielded a number of inquiries, and in the next month or so I plan on putting the first round of the purge on a list along with pics. I'll likely put the items up for sale here on the blog side. Some of the more collectible pieces may be auctioned off.

edit: (Pathfinder 1e and some 5e releases will likely be in the initial mix)

The larger boxed sets are likely expensive to ship (and it should be noted, I won't be shipping out of the States), so I expect those will be delivered to interested buyers at Shire Con and/or Total Con, conventions I can drive to.

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Humble Bundle - Starfinder Bug-Buster Bundle

I always felt that Starfinder never really found its niche in the RPG market. Not fully science fiction, not fully fantasy, it's some unholy conglomeration of the two. Or, to its fans, it's an amazing setting with a rocking system. From what I've heard via word of mouth, Starfinder seems to be finding its space legs.

The Starfinder Bug-Buster Bundle is your (and my) opportunity to give Starfinder a peek at a cheap price. IMHO, the $25 price point is the sweet point. $35 includes a print book, but it's NOT the core rulebook. Heck, for as low as $5 bucks you can get 11 titles and that includes the core rulebook. That's hard to pass up on, even if all you use it for is reference and inspiration. 

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Found a Cool New Board Game Aid

I'm starting to loathe travelling for work.......I know, you don't care, I wouldn't in your shoes either. After my month in Germany I got a whopping 30 hours back home where I discovered one of my cats had passed (probably a week prior) and then on my turn-around trip I had my plane ride/seat cancelled five times, resulting in an overnight stay in O'hare (Terminal K was so much fun) and eventually a 6 hour car ride in a vehicle that costs 3x normal.

Again....why should you care?

Like so many things, my "normal" life inspires my gaming projects and everything effed up about my travels is inspiring me to figure out a rather large d30 travel table. I actually had a rough-up for today's post, but I'm not happy with the numbers and if you get too many events the whole table is worthless, at least in my eyes. Hopefully I can get it done by next weekend.

On a plus side, for me, being back in the US of A means I can finally get my ass to a game store. It's a minor fix for my gaming addiction, but a fix is a fix. The closest store to my current location was so much "meh", but I did manage to pick up a new tiny board game that was good for 1-4 players: Tiny Epic Dungeons (link to original Kickstarter). This game store was more a CCG place with maybe one bookshelf of RPGs (all 5E) and another with board games. If it wasn't a CCG it wasn't priced, which was a turn off. Ends up I got this for the same price as the Kickstarter, but without shipping, so I figured why not? I'm hoping that I find it a fun game to play solo.

Now once again I fully expect the patrons here at the tavern to not really care so much about me getting a new game, especially since I'm not reviewing it.....BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!

This small game box has quite a few small bits and bobs, along with a rather lengthy rule booklet. Not really something I'm going to warm up to quickly....BUT there is a freaking cool interactive game tutorial on Dized.com. 

I have never heard of dized tutorials and I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you haven't either. There are only about 40 tutorials right now, but there are some big name games here. The big deal here is that it is interactive and you basically play along with your game, enabling you to learn-as-you-go. There is a Dized app that allows you to download the rules, with search and FAQ, as well as the tutorial. Download what you need on the app (or even just online), grab your game, and just get going.

I'm really hoping that this app gets expanded because I would simply love to have a one-source go-to for instructions and tutorials for my many board games. Right now I have this accordian binder filled with a crap-ton of single page instructions & booklets. Just the multitude of Munchkin rules is a mess of sheets.

DTRPG Site Was Hacked on Friday, May 20th, 2022

I was wondering why DTRPG was down on the evening of May 20th, 2022. Then I had the following forwarded to me:

Meredith Gerber (She/Her) — Today at 10:27 PM

MAY 2022 SECURITY UPDATE

In the afternoon of May 20th, 2022, we had a security incident on site that we continue to actively investigate. We have no evidence that any customer account data was compromised.

A third party was able to set prices on titles that they were not authorized to modify, and they set the prices of many titles on site to free which led to some customers placing orders for free titles that were not meant to be free. We shut down the site shortly after this began to happen.

@Publisher & @CC Creator:

We are restoring the site to service, however, for the time being, there will be no access to the normal tool pages to enter or edit titles or to manage bundle titles. We continue to investigate these pages for any security issues and will restore them as soon as we can. Files can still be updated with the normal update file tool page.

Publishers may still use the main publisher hub title search to find and make some edits to titles.

In the coming week, we will analyze any titles that were ordered at incorrect prices and make restitution to publishers and creators whose titles were affected.

We will continue to post messages to Discord, publisher hub, and social media as our investigation continues.

Interestingly enough, there was no mention of this incident on the DTRPG Facebook page.

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Humble Bundle - Heavy Metal Comics Bundle

I remember Heavy Metal Magazine from back in my teens years, and it always had and least one comic story that blew me away. For the time, it certainly pushed the envelope, and to find it still being published 45 years after its debut in digital format is nothing short of amazing.

Issue 316 is the latest issue of Heavy Metal, and the bundle includes issues 307-315 as well as a large number of trade paperback collections. I'm in for 25 bucks for the Heavy Metal Comics Humble Bundle. I've got a few weeks of comics reading ahead of me it seems. 51 titles will last a long time ;)

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Write Up Jus'Tinlau the Master Baker of Clan Nassa and You Could Receive a $25 DTRPG GC

Fugli has been gifting The Tavern with unique artwork for a while now. I am always impressed by his work, and his latest piece even includes a 3d file for the figure to have your own Jus'Tinlau the Master Baker of Clan Nassa.

https://www.heroforge.com/load_config%3D30949702/

So, we are doing another giveaway.

What do you need to do?

Write up Jus'Tinlau the Master Baker of Clan Nassa. Justin is an Ogre, but you can stat him out as you would like, using the OSR system of your choice. Write a paragraph or three describing his motivations and goals, and I'll use him as the BBEG for an off-the-grid adventure for this year's NTRPG Con. The adventure will also be shared here at The Tavern and likely published in a future issue of Torchlight.

The best entry (enter by leaving a comment below) will be awarded a $25 DTRPG GC and co-author credit on the adventure when published. (Note, by entering you agree to have your entry potentially published in a future issue of Torchlight)

Enter by 1159 PM, Sunday, May 22, 2022, to have your entry considered. The winner will be announced Monday, May 23, 2022.

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Kickstarter - A Good Book for Bad GMs and a Book of GM Inspiration

I've been a fan of Jim Pinto's work for years. Always creative, always intriguing. His latest Kickstarter, A Good Book for Bad GMs and a Book of GM Inspiration has sparked my interest, as it isn't game material or a new system, but advice. I may be an old dog and a decent GM, but I can still learn new tricks.

This is exactly what it sounds like: a comprehensive guide to gamemastering advice. The book walks the reader, step-by-step through all the roles the gamemaster takes on, all of the players they will encounter, and all the pitfalls that can trip up even the best gamemasters. Each section details advice on how to deal with disruptive players, shy people, slow adventures, boring plots, and bad habits that follow you from game to game. The book compiles over 40 years of gamemastering after attending over 100 game conventions with hundreds of strangers with some of the worst behavior you've ever seen, including other gamemasters who forced me to walk away from their tables. The book even talks about how to avoid those situations in the first place, and how to correct those behaviors if you yourself are one of those types of gamemasters.

To get both books in PDF is 19 bucks, and I really think that is the sweet point. I'll put these on my tablet for leisure reading and inspiration.

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Kickstarter - Original Adventures Reincarnated #7: Dark Tower

I must say, when Goodman Games puts together a Kickstarter, they go all out. Judging from the monies already raised in less than 48 hours - over $287k as I type this and still growing, the Original Adventures Reincarnated #7: Dark Tower Kickstarter is going to kick ass for the DCC RPG and 5e fans out there.

If you don't have a copy of the originals, this 3 volume set for $100 bucks is likely a bargain. Were I a DCC RPG player or D&D 5e gamer I'd likely be all in. I'm not sure I will personally pull the trigger on this as I have the originals, but it certainly is tempting.

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Dave Johnson's (Star Frontiers New Genesis/nuTSR Writer) Has a Website (apparently created by a third-party) Devoted to His Hateful & Bigoted Tweets

I was shown the below link late this afternoon. It took me a while to digest what I was seeing and to reconcile how any sane individual could share so much hateful and bigoted content.

I'm not going to share the content on The Tavern, but I will link to the site below, as well as Dave's Twitter account, which as I type this still has the tweets collected on the below website.

https://nohateingames.wixsite.com/home

https://twitter.com/DavefilmsUs

A Sunday Post By Not "Not Erik" ;)

I'm sure most of you expect to see Chris writing today's post. I know I look forward to it every week. Chris had to take today off, as he is traveling home followed by traveling away from home, things that those of us (well, not me) often have to cope with due to work responsibilities.

Today, I thought I'd mention how big a favor Chris does for me every week, and has been doing for years, ever since I was hospitalized in 2020 with Congestive Heart Failure. I've known Chris for a number of years, and he understands my compulsion to have a daily post (as well as video) up at The Tavern. Before my bout with illnesses in 2020 and my trifecta of hospitalizations, I hadn't missed a day of blogging in years. When life and fate lined up to end that streak, Chris reached out to me and gracefully stepped in to shoulder the load. It wasn't just a favor for me, but it was a favor for each one of you too.

For far too long this blog had only one voice and Chris showed me how important it was to ensure I was not the only voice heard. Sure, I had guest posters on occasions, but Chris is the only one to step in with his own voice that also felt 100% comfortable and true to The Tavern. Chris and his posts belong here as much as I do. If I'd known earlier what a great addition he would become, I'd have invited him years before The Year of Trials ;)

I've been toying for the last year with the idea of handing off Wednesday's regular posting to another. I haven't found such yet, but Chris has proven on a weekly basis that such an addition could only make The Tavern an even better place.

Thank you Chris, and thank you to all the readers. 2022 will be a big year at The Tavern, and when the time is right we'll have some announcements you should enjoy.

Oh, and Chris should return next week :)

Note: Above art by Fugli

Tenkar Not "Not Erik"

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on YouTube - Tenkar