Quick Start Rules - The Listing - Part the Second

Well, not only will there be a bunch of quick starts listed here, but the first one was also a Free RPG Day Giveaway for 2010, so if you missed it last weekend you can download today.

Castles & Crusades 2010 Primer & Quick Start from Troll Lord Games.  This was Troll Lord Games Free RPG for 2010.  If you haven't tried C&C yet, this is an easy way to check it out.  If you have played C&C, this is an easy way to show your friends (yes, I like C&C... hate the Crusader mag tho')

Battlestar Galactica RPG Quickstart Guide from Margaret Weis Productions.  32 page into to the Battlestar Galactica game based on the recent TV series of the same name.  Sorry, my Cylons had the bouncing red eye.

Mutants & Masterminds Beginner's Guide from Green Ronin.  Green Ronin always puts out top notch products.  The new DC Heroes Games is going to be based on M&M.  Take a peek and see if it might be something you'll like.

Hackmaster Basic Quick Start from Kenzer Co. This is the shortest quick start so far, just 6 pages.  Still, that means it's quick to read so theres no excuse not to get it.  You'll have to scroll down on the right hand side of the Kenzer Co web page that is linked to find the quick start PDF, but what is 6 seconds of work for 6 pages of gaming?  Correct!  A damn good ratio!  heh

Geist: The Sin-Eaters Quickstart from White Wolf.  The 2009 entry into WW's World of Darkness Setting using the Storyteller System.  I haven't checked out the World of Darkness setting since Monte Cook did a D20 version, but this might need to be chacked out.

WotC Sacking it's Fiction Division?

I read a post on ENWworld night that WotC fired the fiction line editor and apparently had nothing in the hopper for 1st quarter 2011 except for some reprint compilations.

I had been under the impression that the book division was profitable, tho I will admit that I haven't read WotC published fiction in many a year. Still, it would be a shame to see the line end.

I wonder if they are going to license it out to one of the other book publishers.

Eh, in the end it doesn't effect me, as I no longer read it. Sentimental I guess.


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Great Post Louis!

Louis Porter Jr. has a great post here about Paizo's Gamemastery Guide.  Go.  Read his post.  I'll wait.

Now, I might not be quite as affectionate as Lou, but he is spot on.  Ignore the "Pathfinder" label on this book.  80%+ is applicable to any game.  It's jam packed with gaming goodness and I'm kicking myself for leaving it in the shipping box for the past few days when I could have been reading thru it.  Heck, Paizo offers PDFs of its products for free if you buy the dead tree version from them.  Yet another reason to high five the company.

Of course, my Free RPG Day package just arrived from Noble Knight Games so I'm in a gaming sensory overload at the moment...

Banner Contest Update

We have our first entry, and Greg has set a high bar. There are still a few days left to submit entries. After last call I'll award the prize(s).

Best of luck to all.


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Holy Player Character Sheets Batman!

I'm sure I'm not the only one with fine memories of the AD&D "goldenrod" player character sheets.  Not that they fit half the crap that your character carried, especially if you had to do with a single sided photocopy.  Still, they were worth their weight in gold and 10 times better then loose leaf paper. 

Here I sit nearly 30 years later and you can print out character sheets yourself, on your own printer, and it's probably more useful then the old "goldenrods" were.  You can make your own (way beyond my ability), find ones on the net, or you can try Kenzer Co's Player Character Record Book instead.  Now, just so there is no mistaking, this is a 3.0/3.5/OGL uber character sheet set.  It could probably be used with Pathfinder with little to know issues, but using with some of the more OSR styled games may lead to some inconsistances, such as with saving throws.

The spell sheets sheets and the NPC sheets are extremely useful.  Heck, I could see myself using the NPC sheets as a DM, as I could fit 4 NPCs per sheet for easy reference.  As a player, what few henchmen I had would probably have gotten a full PC sized sheet, especially seeing how we are printing these out for ourselves.

My main complaint is this is still set up like a dead tree product.  There is no need to repeat the same pages that are common to each class grouping.  True, its not costing extra, and it is easier to print a group of pages then a bunch of separate pages,  but I found it slightly annoying, probably without any good reason.

My recommendation?  One copy for the group and print it out for the party.  I'll take the NPC/Henchmen sheets if no one else wants them ;)

Quick Start Rules - The Listing - Part 1

There are way too many free quick start PDFs for me to list in one posting, so I'll be posting them every few days.  The first five are (in no particular order):

Eldritch Quick Start Rules - A Fantasy RPG from Goodman games.  I bought the full rules earlier.  Nice set of rules that kinda get lost in the competition.

 CthulhuTech Quick-Start Rules - For Mature Audiences Only - Nuff' said ;)

Shadowrun Third Edition Quick Start Rules - You got your fantasy in my science fiction.  My last experience with this was first edition rules back in the day.  Very tempting to play in the Shadowrun World again.

Alpha Omega Quick Start Guide - Download this for the artwork if nothing else.  Seriously.  I bought the full game in hardcopy and have no complaints.  I may never play it, but I do get to "oooooo" and "ahhhhhh" all I want :)

A Song of Ice and Fire Roleplaying Quickstart - the fantasy world detailed in George R.R. Martin’s series of novels.  Go figure, a fantasy series I never read but have heard many good things about.

Thus ends Part 1.  Give me a few days for the next installment...

The Wiz is Back! (and other stuff)

As some / most / all of you may now know, ChicagoWiz is back, which is damn nice cause his blog was always many levels of awesome.  Welcome back lad. 

I've found at least 30 free RPG quick starts in PDF.  I suspect the number will pass 40 as that was just a quick and dirty search.  Some are old school, some are new school, some are alternative schools.  All are free peeks, and free peeks are sweet (clean minds folks).  I'm figuring I'll post them in groupings of 5 or so, every 2 or 3 days.  I'll add a tag to the top of the blog page, assuming I don't change the blog layout (which I am considering)

I've also got a few reviews in the works, and of course we have the Tavern Needs a Banner Contest running.

Will try and get the first batch of quick starts up tonight or tomorrow.  

New Gaming Magazine on it's Way

The Greyhawk Grognard has a short piece on the new D-Infinity Magazine that is being released. Looks like it will be multiple-ruleset / multiple-genre.


Something to add to my growing pile of RPG related magazines.

If all goes well I'll have the first installment of the quick start overview up later today. Will do more research over lunch.

As a side note, I've a jazz band marching by my office window. Gotta love NYC ;)





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The Tavern Needs a Banner - Contest

Yes, I need a banner I can use in forum postings. No, I have little to none in the way of artistic talent.

So, I need a banner or two. That's where you, the reader, comes in. If you have any ability in banner design, it is more then I have. Heck, if you have no ability in banner design odds are it is still more then I have.

Send your entries to tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom. The winner will receive their choice of "Realms of Cthulhu" or "Fantasycraft" in PDF format from RPGNow (thanks again to Sean for his generosity).

Enter and enter often. Void where prohibited. I'm a fickle judge and the only judge, but if there is more then one excellent entry more then one prize may be awarded. One prize per person. Contest will run at least until June 27, 2010 but no longer then June 30th, 2010. Why, cause I'll need an excuse for a new contest ;)

Tales of the Blue Knight - June 20th

The crowd had already formed when Tenkar got to the scene.  It took him a few moments to push his way through the throngs of onlookers to get to the partial overturned cart.

"See, the Watch is here!  Watcher, I never seen him!  He ran right in front of the the horses.  I couldn't stop them in time!"  The driver of the cart appeared to be shaken and bruised, but fairly unharmed.

 

"WHO ran in front?"  Tenkar asked as he tried to look past the crowd.

 

"Him!" The driver pointed to a man off to the side who was sitting on his legs and looking side to side in apparent confusion.  Tenkar recognized him as a Blue Gill, a Sea Sapphire addict.  Even if he hadn't recognized him from previous arrests, the blue tinged lips would have given him away as an addict of the strong narcotic.

 

Being an addict wasn't in and of itself a crime, and at the moment he appeared to be the victim of an accident.  Tenkar approached him with concern, more so when he noticed the bloodied pants and small pool of fresh blood that had formed under the Blue Gill.

 

Upon noticing the Watchman, the Blue Gill tried to stand up, but he couldn't find the strength or the balance.  "Lantern, I lost my boot!  I can't see it anywhere!  Don't let one of these thieves take my boot!"  One sign of Sea Sapphire addiction was a sort of compulsive, one track mindedness.   There would be no dealing with him unless the missing boot was found.

 

"Anyone seen this man's boot?" the Watchman asked what was left of the crowd.  Most folks had slowly started to walk off when the Watch arrived on the scene.  Best not to be involved.

 

"I think it's here by the cart."  It was the driver who found it.  "How you don't mind me not picking it up and such, but it is a bloody mess ya' know."

 

As Tenkar walked over to the cart he saw the boot in question.  It was a "bloody mess", there was no question.  As he went to grab it, he noticed something white protruding from the boot, right from the end you would insert your foot into when slipping them on.  Bone.  Bone, flesh and blood.  Gods, this man has had his foot amputated and has no idea.  He turned back to look at the Blue Gill, but it was too late.  He bled out as he had worried about the fate of his boot.

 

Tenkar turned to a youth that had stuck around to watch the events.  "Lad, here's a silver.  Get the nearest necer and tell him he has a customer.  He'll match my silver with his own."

 

I'm not even halfway into my tour, thought Tenkar.  It's gonna be a long day. 

 

Game Info (and such)

 

Lantern - street slang for Watchman.  So named for the lantern they carry on their rounds.  It is lit with a continual light spell where the wick would be. 

 

Watcher - also slang for Watchman.  More respectful then Lantern

Blue Gill - Sea Sapphire addict.  So called because the drug slowly colors an addicts lips, teeth, and in the case of long term addicts, throat, a blue hue.

Sea Sapphire - An addictive narcotic.  Not a cheap drug, it's use centers more around the upper middle class and adventuring types. 

 

Game Benefits - the effects last for 4 hrs with each dose - +1 HP temporary per HD - Pain is dulled - Can fight until -10 HP without penalty, but with a loss of 1 HP per round until hitting -11, at which point the character keels over dead.  CLW can stop the HP loss, but the initial casting will not heal any HPs.

 

Casual use (1 time per adventure / 1 time per week) requires save vs poison at +4 to avoid addiction (add CON bonus to save).  Using more often in the adventure / week time frame causes a save at -1 per use to avoid addiction (no +4 bonus to save). Once addicted, the drug must be used daily and no longer provides a +1 HP per HD bonus (other effects such as dulled pain and fighting until -10 are still in effect).  If unable to pay for the Blue Sapphire, character in question will be unable to do anything productive (adventure, research, smithing, etc) until they either get a dose or kick the addiction.

 

Without divine intervention the addict must go cold turkey to kick the habit.  After 4 weeks without the drug a saving throw is made vs. spells.  Success indicates cure, failure and addict can try again in a week.  Roll of a 1, addict dies from withdrawal symptoms.  Cure disease will enable the addict to make a save vs spells at +4 (CON bonus applies) to fight of the physical / mental / emotional addiction.  A failed save can be tried again in a weeks time.  No penalty for rolling a 1.  Does not need to wait four weeks before attempting the first save.

Weekend Buybacks for June 19th

Well, I already posted some freebies from last year's Free RPG Day, and I hope most of you either got to your local gaming store or ordered from an online store that will send you some free swag, cause free swag is what today is all about.  Still, for those looking for something a bit heavier, larger in page count for their free fix, we present The Dark Horizons Universe Campaign Setting for D20 Future.

If you thought man's past was dark, wait until you see his future.

Welcome to the Dark Horizons universe. This campaign setting for d20 Future expands on the universe introduced in the critically acclaimed video game by Max Gaming Technologies.

In this setting, the year is 2610, and the universe as you know it has changed. Mankind has conquered the the galaxy; technological breakthroughs such as the Core Implant, the quantum electrino drive, and cybergenetics have altered his way of life forever.

Anything is possible in a Dark Horizons universe campaign.

Here are just a few examples of characters you might play:

-- A Myrmidon, equipped with the latest powered armor
-- An Emergency Nano-Tech using nanotechnology
-- An Encoder accessing systems with your drone
-- A Free Trader piloting your starship
-- A Valence Enforcer with innate bio-electrical weaponry
-- A Cy-Gen Genomorph altering your physiology as you fight
-- A Nomad Huntsman striking terror into your prey

This setting introduces 8 new Advanced classes, new weapons, gadgets, vehicles, and powered armors, as well as Tech Programs (a "replacement" for traditional magic systems found in other d20 settings).

Grab it for free.

Today is Free RPG Day

So why aren't you at your local store getting free swag?  Or are you like me and you just hit Noble Knight Games for it (one freebie per $15 spent... so I got like 6 freebies).  The only problem with ordering online is the lack of immediate gratification... but I can wait.

Some availalbe in PDF freebies from Free RPG Day 2009

Dragon Warriors:  Introductory Book

Grab the Cache


This was not part of the 2009 Free RPG Day, but it is free and full of awesomeness...  The One Page Dungeon Codex 2009, Deluxe

Now that's a Dungeon!

Holy Crap!  This makes me want to get my Face to Face group back together.  Like yesterday!



You can find the products here.

Alright, I feel dirty after watching that vid.  I also expect I will soon be a little lighter in the wallet.  Where the hell would I store all the pieces?!?

First vid I've ever posted on this blog.  In over a year of blogging.  Actually, how come I never came across this company and its products before?

It Takes a Community...

To create a community. Much thanks to Scott S from the Old School Jump blog for the excellent sketch of the Blue Knight. Just click on the Knight to read more of the Blue Knight. Actually, there isn't much there yet, but there will be as time goes on.

I've got a few tweaks in mind for the blog. If they don't work I'm sure I'll read it in the comments ;)


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Behind the Knight and Other Thoughts

As many of you know, I've drawn upon my own past as inspiration for the Blue Knight snippets.  I'm quite sure at some point they will take upon them a life of their own and go far afield from their source material.  If they don't, the Knight will have problems, as there is only a finite amount for me to draw upon personally.  Sitting at a desk as his career winds down, generating paperwork and thinking about his retirement pension will not make for an entertaining read  ;)

Because of that, I'm trying to think of a rule set to stat out Tenkar and a few others, game-wise.  I'd prefer to avoid anything with levels, as I find level work great in gaming, but make it nigh impossible to stat out fictional characters in a way that different experience or power levels are viable with each other.  Besides, it makes for a fun mental exercise ;)

I do have my GURPS for Dummies, Barbarians of Lumeria, FATE, BRP and I'm sure a few others I can draw upon.  Just need to decide on which.

That being said, any game related info will almost certainly be in a format usable by Labyrinth Lord and other OSR games, because that is what I play and how I think... heh.

Oh, and that break down of quickstarts I'm planning to do?  Give me a bit to work on it... the list is far from small.

iPad Update

So, I've had my iPad 3G for about a month and a half now and I hardly ever mention it like I did the Kindle DX. Why? Because it has become so integrated into my daily routine I forget what it was like before I had it.

Want to read the latest news? Turn on the iPad.

Check some blogs? Turn on the iPad.

Read my latest RPG purchase? Turn on the iPad.

Check mail, the weather, stock price updates. Yep, the iPad.

Whereas I previously would rate a PDF on how compatible it was with the Kindle DX, with the iPad they've all looked great. I'm sure I'll note if I come across any difficulties, but vie been pretty happy so far.


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Bits N Pieces

I've got a few things I want to work on, not the least of which is figuring out a fun and fair way to give out some prizes to my readers.  I suck at contests tho, at least when it comes to being a participant, which doesn't make it any easier when you want to run one.  Maybe a contest to decide on a contest ;)

Anyhow, I'm also looking at doing a fairly complete listing of available quick-start / fast-play / playable previews that are available for free download in PDF form.  Although I find I rarely use them as written, they are an excellent way to get a peek at the various game systems.  Much easier to break out the wallet when you have an idea you might actually enjoy the full game in question.

I need to go back to checking out the VTTs that are out there.  Fantasy Grounds 2 is going strong as always, but iTabletop 2 / Pandoren is getting closer to a full release and is looking damn nice.  Give the videos a peek to see what is in store (links are at the bottom of the page linked above.  That sounds nice and awkward... heh).  It's getting so I can almost taste it ;)

I also need to update Battlegrounds RPG and Maptools to see where they are at.

Interesting.  The Opera web browser plays much nice with Blogger then Firefox.  I think I need to change browsers for real now.

I'm also trying to find the time to give Legends of Steel - Barbarians of Lemuria Edition a nice read through.  I have had the Barbarians of Lemuria (Legendary Edition) PDF for a bit.  BoL (LE) reads real well (haven't had a chance to use the rules in action) and has a near perfect 5 star score (9 of 10 reviews are 5 star, the other is a 4 star) at RPGNow.  From what I can gather, its the same rules with a setting change.  Should be fun to compare the two.

Tales of the Blue Knight - June 15

Tenkar stood next to the recently deceased elf, a crossbow bolt still embedded into the side of its head.

"Lad, you notice the raspberry jam pooling in his hair? He ain't been dead longer then two hrs, three at the most." The observation was made by Stryker, Senior Watchman. He continued to prod at the wound with a small stick.

"Ten, wanna give this a sniff?" Stryker practically shoved the end of the stick into the young watchman's face, who responded with a quick turn of the head and violent retching.

"That's alright lad, clean out your gullet. First one is always the worst. Hey, at least he's young to death. Give him two days in this this heat and he'd be ripe as a sewer"

There was a ritual to any investigation into a violent death and the first step was always an attempt to shock the rookie Watchman assigned to secure the scene. In truth, the rookie was there for little more then to secure the scene, keep the curious at a decent distance and any other menial task that could be thought of. Although Tenkar lacked the experience to be little more then an item of amusement to the more experienced members of the Watch, He did his best to regain his composure as he wiped his mouth clean with his sleeve.

"Alright lad, I need you to go through our friend's pockets. Don't forget to remove his ring. Might be useful in identifying him later, and if we leave it on him the *Necers will just steal it".

Tenkar gingerly went through the victims pockets, putting the removed items in a pouch the older Watchmen held open for him.

"Gods lad! He ain't gonna bite you and he certainly no longer is attached to anything on him. Except maybe that ring. I think our friend put on weight in the years he owned it. You might need to break the finger to slip it off. Don't give me that look! I think the hole in his head would be a more pressing issue for him, if he weren't dead already".



*Necers work for the the Guild of the Dead. They pick up the bodies of the recently deceased and bring them back to a guild location for viewing and later burial. They frequently hold dual membership in a Thieves Guild, although this is not common knowledge (it is often suspected though). Their constant dealing with the dead gives them a twisted perspective on life. Living people are just dead people waiting to happen.





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It Was FATE

FATE, the best system I have never played.  Heck, I'm not sure if I can get my group (reformed from my college years) to play it... or anything at this point.  It would have to be via Fantasy Grounds 2 or iTabletop v.2.  Kinda hard to sit face to face when your group sits on opposite coast of the U.S. and in between.

In any case, FATE has a couple of incarnations.  Which is great, because not everyone wants to play Pulp Era games (this is where FATE came into its own).

Lets see what FATE shall bring us...

Legends of Anglerre  from Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. - Complete Fantasy game using the FATE system (20% of using the June Promo Code "JunePodBlogDriveThru2010" at RPGNow)

Starblazer Adventures also from From Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd. - Complete Sc-Fi game using the FATE system (20% of using the June Promo Code "JunePodBlogDriveThru2010" at RPGNow) - Based on the British comic book, NOT the Japanese animated series many American may remeber.  Still way cool. 

Diaspora from VSCA Publishing.  Another Sci-Fi game, this one is geared more towards hard sciencish-ness and includes tools to create your own setting.  abit "sandboxish" if you like.  My latest FATE related purchase BTW.

Spirit of the Century from Evil Hat Productions. Stand-alone pulp role-playing game.  For many (like me), this was the first time they had heard of FATE.  Excellent production values and a great read.

The Dresden Files RPG also from Evil Hat Productions.  This was the one I had been waiting for.  The opportunity to run a game in Harry's world.  I'm still trying to digest the books. ;)

Hmmm, that's all the FATE I own (plus the free SRD, which I linked above and will again here).  I need to do a fuller search i think.  If any know of settings / games I missed drop me a note please.

Weekend Buybacks for June 13th

Sometimes you have a plethora* of free releases on RPGNow, sometimes you don't.  This time is somewhere in between, certainly closer to "don't have" tho'.  In times like this, we dig back a bit for our free gaming fodder.

ARTIFACTS: Ducks of Ultimate Doom from Le Games.  20 pages

Listen, with a title and cover art like this, how the hell could I pass this up?  It might be worse then sh!t on a cracker, but who cares? 

Darwin's World 2: Gazetteer from RPG Objects.  32 pages

If you run a Mutant Future game, or any other type of post apocalypse type game, there are some great ideas to borrow and rip.  If you run a Darwin's World 2 game, obviously you are set ;)

Altus Adventum Core Rulebook From Sacrosanct Games.  154 pages

This product is the core rulebook to the Altus Adventum fantasy RPG. It contains everything you need for both the GM and players to run a full campaign, including detailed combat rules, four distinct magic systems, many arcane treasures, and over a hundred fantastic creatures in the bestiary.

 The game is designed to bring back that old school feel of "kill them and take their stuff!" while not giving anything up in storyline or gameplay. The combat system is designed to move very rapidly, while at the same time offering a tremendous amount of flexibility to the player.

Does it count as Old School?  Probably not.  Can you lift and steal from it for your own home game?  Certainly.




* A superabundance; an excess.  Yes, I had to look it up.  I knew what it meant... in a kinda, sorta way of it