My "Free RPG Day" Targeted Acquisition List ;)

Free RPG Day is this Saturday. I really can't think of a better day then the day right before Father's Day.

This year I have the following items on my list of targets:

Hall of Bones from Frog God Games

Better Than Any Man from LotFP

The DCC RPG / XCrawl combo from Goodman Games

Fire Dwarves of Zorr” for dT&T from Flying Buffalo

and maybe Shadows of the Black Sun from FFG

Of course, the family responsibilities will have me at my in-laws in Connecticut for most of the day, so I expect I'll be hitting Noble Knight Games' online store as I did the last two years.

With Noble Knight, you can pick one free item for every $15 (if i recall correctly - I could be wrong) in purchases you make.

So, I have two questions to throw out there to y'all:

1 - What are you looking to pick up on Free RPG Day?

2 - Any suggestions for RPGs I should be looking to buy to qualify for the free rpgs? I know the Warhammer 40k stuff is fun to read, even if I'll never get a chance to run it ;)

"Monsters By Email" Coming to an End? (Stock Art)

Nicholas Cloister does some amazing artwork. Recently, he experimented with the idea of a subscription for fantasy stock art. The art is amazing. Regretfully, the experiment is not as successful as Nicholas had hoped.

As it looks right now, Monsters By Email hangs by a thread. Before I actually started the subscription, I was able to gather enough interest every day, to make it look very hopeful, but since I started the actual work on the product, that has not been the case. It seems I need to promote MonstersByEmail full time to attract enough attention, but when I do, there is no time to create the content.  : )

The funds will last me two more months, but a subscription period is four months, so I’m very uncertain at this point, whether or not I should initiate another round, or go back to full-time freelancing, keeping MonstersByEmail in hibernation. The number of subscribers is about 1/4 of what it needs to be, and 1/8 of what I prefer it to be.

I love the art, but the restrictions on use are severe:

A subscription to 'Monsters by eMail' includes non-exclusive rights to 50% of the creatures received. Creature number 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15... and so on (every odd number) - yes, you can only use half of the art you receive

You cannot publish the creatures visibly on the Internet, without my permission (just write and ask). This restriction includes displaying previews of printed t-shirts, book-covers, and other printed products online. Can't use the art on blogs or to advertise without asking for permission

You must wait at least one month from the point when you receive the creatures before you publish any of them. why does one need to wait to use it?

There are other restrictions, but these are the most onerous.

Great art, good idea but a failure to execute is due to the restrictions place on the use of the art, not the art itself.

Is There a Current List of all the OSR Zines?

I ask, because I'd like to list them and their associated websites when I get Unofficial OSR out at the end of the summer.

Our corner of the hobby is small but tight, and additional exposure does the OSR as a whole a good thing.

I may also include a listing of all of the OSR games, but I think I'm more likely to finish that list on my own than the zine list. Zines are more like to fall through the cracks and can be harder to track down.

Print, PDF or both. I know of a bunch that are defunct these days, but I'd like to support the ones I haven't found yet ;)

More "Pay What You Want" Products, Now From UnderCity Games - Lairs and Nightmares

Nope, never heard of them before, but they do seem to have two products that appear to be potentially useful in the OSR-verse.

The first is Nightmare of Tarring Hollow, a low level OSR adventure. It's short at about a dozen pages.

The second is Classic Lairs, which is an assortment of small dungeons and lairs.

Do i think either one is worth the suggested $9.99 price?

Lets see, I could get Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea for just a penny more.

I put these two in the "try before you buy category", although Classic Lairs certainly has more potential for use.

"Unofficial OSR" Envelopes the "Copper Droppings" Zine

Here's today's second announcement:

I'm going with the title "Unofficial OSR" for the fanzine under The Grumpy Dwarf as the publisher, as feedback that I've gotten indicates that many folks would prefer a zine that covers the whole of the OSR.

So, with a spread starting with ACKS and Ambition & Avarice and running through Raggi's Weird Fantasy and everything in between, there is a lot of ground to cover.

That doesn't mean the end of Copper Droppings before it even starts. Copper Droppings will be it's own section, edited by +Michael Garcia and will be exclusively Swords & Wizardry - so yes, a zine within a zine. Think of the old Dragon issues with the Ares section.

I'll be aiming for Sept 1, 2013 for release - if we can hit earlier, great, but this timeline gives me 2 weeks of vacation a and 2 1/2 months to get things up and running.

Same payment plan for submissions - beer money and you keep the rights to your work ;)

submissions for Unofficial OSR should be sent to tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom

submissions for Copper Droppings should be sent to socialATdeadratpublishingDOTcom

Cut off for Issue 1 submissions is August 3, 2013

(if time and ability permits, there may be a "Zero Issue" release -

"The Grumpy Dwarf" Tries His Hand at Publishing

Yep, I'll be putting some gaming stuff out under my own "label" if you will. I'm still involved with Dead Rat Publishing, but certain projects work better under different set ups. The Grump Dwarf will allow for those projects.

Huge thanks to +Greg Christopher who put the above together without being asked. It is inspirational :)

I'll have another announcement later today with a bit more substance ;)

Not so "Grim" Reaper - Shipping to Start... Soon?

From today's Reaper Bones Kickstarter Update:

First, a quick note about Origins. We had been looking forward to seeing you there, but unfortunately we won't be there this year in a booth. Our brother Tim Peaslee will be running demos, so be sure to say hi to him when you're there. We can't do a proper booth this time around because we simply can't spare the labor right now. 

Why can't we spare the labor? 

Friday, June 7th, we received two 40ft containers full of Bones! For those of you keeping track at home, those containers were filled with over 470,000 models. We're still looking for the last container to be delivered next week, but we have enough to start shipping now. 

What's next? 

We've unloaded the containers (we have the bruises to prove it). We're getting those models organized into our system and firing up our fulfillment line this week.
We know we're behind our estimated ship date of March, so we've added a second shift for fulfillment so we can process the packages very nearly 'round the clock. We're doing everything we can to blast through these pledges so you can receive your Bones as quickly as we can manage it.

Dare I hope for delivery before the first week of july?

What's on Your Desktop?

No, not your computer desktop. I'm talking your desk's desktop.

Heck, I'm not even talking about the computer that is most probably on your desktop - instead I'm talking about gaming books and the like. Or in my case, a cat and a food dish ;)

Gaming-wise it's Rappan Athuk for S&W, Monstrosities (again S&W), Swords & Wizardry Complete, Crypts & Things, LL and the LL AEC, Tunnels & Trolls 5.5, Evolved Grottoes & Griffins, S&W Core and Maelorum (a solo game book)

So, what's on your desktop?

Pick a Die, Any Sized Die!

With the DCC RPG release last year, the number of weird sided dice has exploded (exploding dice is a sort of game pun, son). It got me thinking about my favorite sided die and the one I like the least.

This is pure random thought processing, either at it's worst or it's best. Time itself will tell, but dice are by their very nature random generators, so at least there is some kind of link ;)

Favorite die? The d8. I suspect you expected I would say a d20, but the d8 holds a special place for me. It's the damage a longsword does against small and medium creatures. I also came in some board game (I no longer remember which) back in the mid 80's, and the extra dice were raided for inclusion in my then small RPG dice collection.

Least favorite die? The d7. Holy shit but this is one ugly fucker. Really, I can't think of an uglier die - size, shape, available colors - all scream "I am an awkwardly ugly piece of shit".

I'd like to know your favorite sized die, but even more importantly, the die you like the least ;)

If You Were to Run an "Epic Level" One Shot, What System and / or Adventure Would You Use?

One of the things that came up during Saturday's "Gathering of Fools" was the idea of an "Epic Level" One-Shot to be run this summer for my old gaming group. Face to face, six hours or so.

When I asked what levels were considered "Epic" (as the group stopped playing during the 2e age, ignore the 3e and later labels) I was told "a high enough level where the Paladin has a +5 Holy Avenger and others have some sort of minor artifacts".

So I'm guessing a swath from 13-16 or so, depending on class. It was suggested I create pre-gens, which I will, but I expect to base them off of the last characters the group members played.

I also pointed out to them that the AD&D we played was no where near "by the book", and the rules we used were pretty much pared down on an unspoken group consensus. What we played comes very close to Swords & Wizardry Complete, although I'd have to tweak the classes a bit to make them closer to their AD&D counterparts. (as an aside, I may just work that into a post at some point - bridging the gap between S&W Complete and AD&D 1e).

So, I'm leaning towards using S&W Complete for the session - no idea what to run. Anything in the S series is probably ok, as it will only be a 4 member party and they tended to run without a cleric back in the days ;)

Any other suggestions for system or adventure or both?

Where o' Where is My Reaper Bones Kickstarter? Did an Ogre Get in it's Way?

Where o' where can it be?

When it comes to tracking my Kickstarters, I pretty much focus on the RPGs, so I really haven't touched on two of the other long overdue Kickstarters that I supported. I'm in a pissed off mood for other reasons today, so I figured this would be a good outlet ;)

Reaper Bones Kickstarter
Goal: $30,000     Total: $3,429,235     Funded: August 25, 2012
Estimated Ship Date: March, 2013     Actual Ship Date: Not Yet Shipped / Shipped / Go Figure

If all you asked for was the basic "Vampire" level, you probably already have your stuff. If you did any sort of add-ons, the "slow boat from China" literally left 2 weeks ago, 3 more weeks before it arrives, and then thousands and thousands of orders to sort and ship. I guess shipping will resume sometime in July. At this rate, I suspect both of my scheduled vacations will have passed before I see my order.

There have also been complaints on the retail level that the Kickstarter tied up production and shipping of other minis from Reaper. I'm not sure if this will be a be a boon or a hinderance for Reaper in the long run and frankly I just don't care - I want my shit!

Ogre Designer's Edition
Goal: $20,000     Total: $923,680     Funded: May 11, 2012
Estimated Ship Date: November 2012     Actual Ship Date: Aiming for October 2013

Apparently box design could be it's own college major, as the box and box tays seem to have been  the biggest delay in the oversized and delayed project.

Sure, Steve Jackson Games has kept us updated with photos and photos of all of the shit they are cramming into the already oversized Ogre box, so none of this is a huge surprise, but the nearly 5 months from last update (June 3) to projected shipping (October 21) is more than a minoir annoyance.

I need to dig out my Pocket Ogre and GEV games and relive old times. Just need to keep away from any breezes and fans and not bump the table, as the original game was easy to upset.

I will not be supporting the upcoming Car Wars Kickstarter - I'll buy that when it hits retail.

Wow, much less obnoxious then I expected when starting this post. I must be calming down or something ;)

Results of the Online Swords & Wizardry Convention Poll

I'd say there is enough interest in this to start thinking about how to make this work. I think the most important thing is To Keep it Simple. At it's root it should be no more complicated than arranging some game and interviews via Google Hangouts. No virtual publisher tables, no virtual retailer booths, no bullshit.

Now, maybe if you show up for a game the GM might have a discount link to share with you for some S&W products - that would be cool and a nice reward for playing (as online "pick up" games can get a little flakey). I'm not saying this would be the set up - I'm just throwing thoughts out there that I think are cool.

Anyway, looking at a weekend after Labor Day here in the states. Which gives me three months to screw this up ;)

The Old Gaming Group May Have Been Tempted Back Into the Fold...

This year's host for the Gathering of Fools was Tony, and he nearly floored me when he showed me that he had printed out two of my PDFs for Swords & Wizardry: Demi-Options: The Halfling and Minor Majiks & Miscellaneous Arcana Vol 1 as well as KnockSpell #6. We haven't had a session of tabletop roleplaying as a group since March of '97 yet the desire is still there.

We did come close today, as we ran the first two quests from Drinking Quest 1. Regretfully, we saved DQ to the end of the gathering, where we had all (except our designated driver Bri) had too much to drink. It was soda and water for everyone but the one player who NEVER lost an encounter (Dave). Actually, there was some cask strength scotch making the rounds, but only two dared to drink it - Dave and John. I wisely stuck to beer ;) Still, we got to use the results of the DQ session to decide the order of picking the RPG items I was giving out.

There is talk of getting together once a month via G+ Hangouts / Roll20, which would be a crap load of fun. Additionally, there is talk of me running a one-shot epic level session with pregens for a six or seven hour sitting. That should be interesting.

Did I mention I'm exhausted? heh

Time to Tempt the Old Group... With Games!

As my old group gets together to tell the stories of old times and old games, I'll be running some Drinking Quest, with a prize pool consisting of my gaming duplicates and such. I always bring stuff for the group to remind them of the old times and show them what is going on during the current times.

Biggest prize is probably a copy of Stars Without Numbers - somehow I wound up with two copies. Mongoose Traveller Pocket Edition (as the print is too damn small for my eyes), a copy of Gygax Issue #1, an orange cover UK edition of Tunnels & Trolls 5e (wound up with 3 copies thanks to Ebay) and some other random goodies to round out the pot. Others bring food, beer or chips - I bring the gaming ;)

Knowledge Illuminates Goes "Pay What You Want" (Swords & Wizardry Campaign Starter)

Add another OSR classic to the growing list of "Pay What You Want" product pricing. If you haven't checked out Tim's zine, The Manor, you can get a peek at some of his other work with Knowledge Illuminates at a price you decide.

It's worth your time to read as well as a few silvers on the plate.

From the blurb:

Grab your dice and hire some henchmen, you're going to need them.  Knowledge Illuminates is a campaign starter adventure full of possibilities.  Explore a dark fantasy world in search of an unending treasure.  But within this adventure lurks a horror that will haunt the players for years.  So buckle up that helmet, sharpen that sword, and bring an extra pair of iron spikes, this adventure is for the big boys.

Raphael Chandler's StaughterGrid Goes "Pay What You Want"

+Rafael Chandler just recently released SlaughterGrid on his unsuspecting public a few weeks ago - I know, I helped ru the contest.

It is now priced at "Pay What You Want".

The man is a legend. Grab a copy. Throw him a few shekels. You won't be sorry.

(Raphael has also put ViewScream price at PWYW)

Which Side of the "Pay What You Want" Fence Do You Stand On?

OneBookShelf / RPGNow recently added a "Pay What You Want" option for the pricing of PDFs at their store.

Basically, the buyer can pay nothing or something for the product. He may pay nothing initially and come back and pay more if he likes, or not.

The secret to the success of PWYW from the seller's point of view is "volume sales". If you sell 10x more PDFs than you were moving prior to PWYP and folks are on average paying 25% of your regular price, you've still increased your sales dollars by 150%.

It isn't a physical product, so volume CAN make up for the lower average selling price.

I can see how this pricing would not work for many publishers or even most products, but as a way to sample a publisher's wares (perhaps on an older product) I can see the usefulness of the pricing scheme.

I know there are some fairly large opinions on both sides of the fence (Tim over at Gothridge Manor has a similar post up) but I'd like to see some other well thought out opinions of the perceived "pros" and cons". I'm always up for a good rant and I suspect I'll be reading a few before the night is out, but hopefully there are some decent opinion pieces too ;)

For the "Long Term Players" Out There: Do You Still Get Together With Your First Gaming Group?

Tomorrow will mark the mostly annual Gathering of Fools. The core members of my earliest gaming group from my High School and College years and beyond (1982-97) will be gaming, eating, drinking, watching bad movies and generally doing stupid stuff.

Although we stopped gaming weekly back in March of 1997, we keep in contact daily through emails and get together every June starting in 2002, as we lost one of our members on 9-11. Paul's birthday was in the middle of June, so we gather in his memory. We used to get together once or twice a year before we lost Paul, but June became the time to mark the memory.

Which of you still game with your original gaming group all of these years later? Still keep in contact with them? Gather up the lads and lasses once or twice a year?

Minor Magiks & Miscellaneous Arcana Volume I is Now "Pay What You Want"

Yep, what the hell, might as well give it a try myself.

We're putting Minor Magiks & Miscellaneous Arcana Volume I at "Pay What You Want" pricing. If nothing else, you'll get some decent art and some ideas for use in your game. Even if you are just checking it out for free, it's more exciting than not getting it out there, at least for me ;)

The OSR List of "Pay What You Want" PDFs

I plan to keep this post updated with new items as they become "Pay What You Want". I'm fairly sure I'll be missing stuff if I rely on my lonesome. Feel free to email me updates at tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom.

Now for the list:

Brave the Labyrinth Issue #1 - LL 'zine

Knowledge Illuminates - a S&W Campaign Starter

Teratic Tome - and amazing monster book for the OSR

SlaughterGrid - the latest from +Rafael Chandler

The Grinding Gear - a barely survivable Tomb of Horrors

Death Frost Doom - Raggi likes three word titles, don't he? ;)

People of Pembrooktonshire - three words again...

No Dignity in Death: The Three Brides - well, there is a "three" in the
title ;)

Minor Magiks & Miscellaneous Arcana Volume I - hey, is that my name in the credits? ;)

Dungeon Crawl #2 an old school fanzine

Chronicles of Mhoriedh Map 00 Olden Lands Continent - maps for James Mishler's campaign world

AL1: Bone Hoard of the Dancing Horror - an excellent DCC RPG adventure by +Daniel Bishop

Dyson's Dodecahedron -  series of 6 issues of a very useful OSR zine by the master mapper himself.