Torchbearers, Hirelings and Redshirts - Oh My!

When I read about the early days of gaming (Hawk & Moor) hirelings - or maybe more accurately cannon-fodder were commonplace. When I played in the early 80s, almost every character had a henchman or two in the group I played with in the Poconos (summers and occasional weekends) and nearly no henchmen in my New York groups.

The primary difference was number of players in the group.

In the Poconos we had a group of four at best - a DM and three players. We tried using two PCs per player for a bit (and even the evil DM PC on occasion) but quickly decided one PC per player and a rotating stable of henchmen and followers was more satisfying. It gave each player a singular lead character and gave an easy solution to the question "what do I do with this + 1 sword now that I have something better?" You simply passed it down.

In New York, my group consisted of schoolmates. We could easily have six, eight or even twelve or more players at the table. Hirelings and henchmen weren't feasible to add to the number of characters already in play.

When the New York group stabilized at five to six players plus DM, we did see the occasional henchman or torchbearer, but they were the exception to the rule.

These days my players often grab a handful of men at arms at first level, but by the time they've reach second level, those red shirts are either dead or dismissed. Unless they gain a henchman through roleplay and the events in the adventure, henchmen are rare indeed these days.

Where do you stand on henchmen and hirelings these days? Does it depend on the size of your group?

Picking the Patreon Patrons Picks with My Wife

My Patreon page has 2 $50 spots were backers can have my wife pick duplicate or "you're never going to use this" pieces from my collection of gaming goodness. I thought she was going to start picking through my Tunnels & Trolls collection, but she went right for the piles underneath my desk (which is "L" shaped, and therefore has much room for piles;)

"Exactly how much of this Lejendary Adventure stuff do you have? I see boxes and books - the same boxes and books? That's gotta go. Two copies of the same issue of Strategic Review? One goes. Chivalry & Sorcery? You've got two copies, both beat to hell - I'm taking one." There were other casualties, old and new. It was slightly painful, but Rach had fun and they're going to good homes. It was also fun watching her adjust the piles to fit in the shipping boxes I had saved from Goodman Games and the Trolls, but she made it all fit.

Somehow she missed the fact that I have two copies of the Red Dwarf RPG - good thing I have them stored in different rooms.

Kickstarter - Dwarven Forge's City Builder System

I'm a backer of the two previous Dwarven Forge Kickstarters. Still not 100% sure why I backed them, as 99% of my gaming is via Roll20 (and the rest is convention play.) I love both sets and I want to display them, but I don't know how much actual game use they will get.

So when I saw that Dwarven Forge had a Kickstarter for a City Builder System, I was interested, but more as someone that looks from afar. I played the video and was excited by what I saw, but I wasn't going to pull the trigger until my wife piped up from the next room: "That sounds really cool. Can I see the video?"

I have now been told that we NEED it. The painted version too. Lowest buy in that includes stretch goals. I don't recall Rach ever telling me that we needed anything regarding gaming material before, except maybe some Doug Kovak's prints at NTRPG Con last year.

So, in for the painted Hamlet level. Rach is already deciding where we are going to display it.

When things fall in place this well I'm afraid to ask many questions ;)

Mini Review - White Box Adventures: The Wererat's Well (Swords & Wizardry White Box adventure levels 1-3)

+James Spahn is at it again. Does the man not sleep? Is he cloned? I want his secret so I can bottle it ;)

Now James gives us White Box Adventures: The Wererat's Well. This follows on his well selling trilogy of supplements for White Box, which in turn followed upon the Swords & Wizardry Companion. Now you know why I asked if James ever sleeps.

The Wererat's Well is the first of a trilogy of White Box adventures (but is easily used with any OSR ruleset.) It covers about a night's worth of play (or if you are my normal Saturday night group, at least 2 sessions, as we tend to derail with practiced ease.)

It's up to James' usual standards - it's a well written adventure that will challenge the average party. It might be a bit tough to kick off a campaign with, but if your group swings towards the hight side of the pendulum in party numbers (it calls for 6-8 whereas my groups are lucky to have 4-5) my fears may be for naught.

+matt jackson supplies the dungeon map, and it is well done as usual. My only quibble, and it is a usual one for me, is that I would have preferred an unmarked and unlabeled player's map for use with the VTT of your choice. Like I said, it's on my usual wish list.

The Wererat's Well is a solid adventure and is well worth $1.99 ($1.39 for the GM's week sale.)

The only question is can James grab the top four sales slots at RPGNow yet again ;)

PWYW - The Outpost of the Outer Ones (Adventure Levels 6-10)

Right off the start, The Outpost of the Outer Ones give you something not often seen in OSR adventure - Mi-Go. Yep, Jeremy Reaban has put some Cthulhu in my OSR. It works pretty well too.

Sure, it's more dungeon crawl than CoC, but I like the nod. Did I mention it includes stats for Bigfoot? Fun stuff ;)

I also like the unlabeled players map for use with the VTT of your choice - well done.

The price is right at PWYW, so you can read The Outpost of the Outer Ones first and tip Jeremy after.

Have a Coot, Don't Pollute! (The Coot for Swords & Wizardry)

+Jim Magnusson supplied this awesome drawing of a Coot after I suggested he refer to classic RuneQuest Ducks for inspiration. I love what Jim came up with, and I have lots of plans for The Coot, but firsts things first. Jim wants some OSR stats for The Coot as an OSR creature (I'll add T&T, Far Away Land and a PC race write up in the coming week or so.)

So, what's a Coot anyway?

Coots have their roots in a the magical experiments of a long since lost cabal of magic users. As such, they have little history of their own and no great civilizations to speak of.

Most Coots live in small, nomadic tribes. They are hunters and gatherers, and rarely stay at one location for longer than a few weeks. They make enclosed nests of branches and leaves, which are often found abandoned and are occasionally used by other travellers for shelter and night or as protection from storms.

Some Coots do live a more civilized life and settle down in an urban environment. The are regarded as outcasts and quite possibly insane by their more traditional brethren. Perhaps this is why those Coots that are drawn to adventuring invariably come from towns and cities. Adventuring Coots can be fighters, clerics and thieves. Rangers and druids have been identified among the nomadic tribes and often fill leadership roles.


Coot
Hit Dice: 2
AC: 8(13) or by armor worn
Attacks: By weapon plus beak (1d4)
Move: 12" / Can fly (jump) 15' forward or 10' up if lightly encumbered
Alignment: Neutral
Challenge: 2

Kickstarter - The City of Brass (web based tabletop RPG app)

When I see Campaign Managers and the like, they are either system specific or OS specific. As an "Old School" gamer with a Mac as my desktop, I'm usually shit outa luck from one side, the other, or both.

The City of Brass seems to be the exception.

It's web based, so it's not locked to a specific OS.

It is system free, but has stretch goals to include certain open game license rulesets as stretch goals get hit.

Color me very interested, even with a monthly sub. I'm in for $39 - Beta access plus a year sub. Maybe I'll be able to work on some gaming stuff from my phone...

From the Kickstarter page:

The City of Brass is a fully-featured web app designed to manage the mechanics of pen-and-paper roleplaying games, allowing you to focus on what matters: playing that game. 

We bring together your characters, monsters, NPCs, setting, adventure, and campaign, allowing you to easily manage all these elements in a single location, from any device, anytime, and for any game system!

Create characters, creatures, and NPCs with Entity Builder.
Build your setting quickly and easily with World Builder. 
Write your adventures using Story Builder.  
Run your game and talk to your players with Campaign Manager. 
But that's not all you'll find in The City of Brass. We also have: 

A stock art library with over 100 images right now from characters, to locations, to scenes! 
Dozens of stock maps for you to use in adventures and encounters.

NTRPG Con to Supply The Dungeoneers Journal #25 for the March Mythoard

From the NTRPG Con Facebook page (and shared with Bad Mike's permission):

The March Mythoard will have a hello from NTRPGcon inside...in the form of a genuine classic Judges Guild magazine! An unused copy of The Dungeoneer's Journal #25 from spring 1981 will be in every box, courtesy of NTRPG con and Badmike's Books and Games! We hope to be a part of Mythoard for a long time...Doug and I are extremely excited and impressed at what Jerrod is doing and what is coming our way every month in the Hoard (this month includes selections from Throwi Games, Gygax Magazine, and Game Mash as well as others). Reserve your copy today, note that there is a signup cutoff every month, you don't want to be left out! http://www.mythoard.com/

Random Red Shirt Thoughts Disrupted by "Emergency" Meeting

So, I was reading more Hawk & Moor today (bathroom Kindle reading if I must confess) and I was reading about the use of men at arms - "red shirts" in Star Trek parlance - and it was noted that the use of men at arms had lapsed in later play of D&D.

This lead to some random thoughts about abstracting the use of men at arms as some sort of ablative armor.

I was still technically on lunch, about to type out this amazing post (I suspect it was amazing although I have no proof of such) when I received a call from my boss about an emergency meeting to address complaints that my unit had received from the outside agency we are the liaison for.

Needless to say, my thoughts fled faster than peasants before an ancient red dragon.

One hour and fifty five minutes later of emergency meeting time and we supplied effective and accurate answers to every complaint, but my creative juices were spent.

Dinner and pints at the pub didn't do much to renew them. I just wish I knew the details that I've lost, as it seemed like a really cool idea to abstract men at arms and the like.

Eh, maybe if I sleep on it...

And the Winners of the Far Away Land Core Rules in PDF Are...

Holy something or other!

Over 120 entries in 8 hours. That has to be a record or something. Not one of those +James Spahn records, but still impressive.

Alright, let's get right down to it. Lets give away those copies of Far Away Land Core Rules in PDF.

The first winner is: Jason Buchanan - this is the copy I'm providing ;)

The second winner is: Justin Isaac - this is the copy generously donated by +matt jackson

The third and final winner is: +Johua De Santo - this is the copy generously donated by +Tim Huntley

The winners need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavernATgmailDOTcom with their RPGNow info and I'll make sure it gets into the right hands.

Everyone else needs to get their own copy of Far Away Land - the PDFs are 30% off this week ;)

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight at 830 Eastern

Like just about every Wednesday Night, tonight is another Tavern Chat session here at The Tavern.

I'n sure there will be questions about the new podcast ans such. As for answers...

See you tonight ;)

Giving Away Three Copies of the Far Away Land Core Rules in PDF - Flash Giveaway

To celebrate both GM's Day and the forthcoming Far 'n Away Podcast, I'm giving away a PDF copy of the Far Away Land core rules in PDF. (edit: +matt jackson is adding a 2nd PDF copy of the core rules into the mix in honor of EGG and +Tim Huntley is adding a 3rd PDF copy)

Comment on this post before 8PM tonight (NYC time) and I will randomly award 3 PDF copies FAL Core.

Well, what are you waiting for? You have less than 12 hrs ;)

The Nominations for the Three Castles Award (NTRPG Con) Have Been Announced

The Steering Committee has come back with their choices, and the four nominees for 2015 follow: 

Castle of the Mad Archmage - +Joseph Bloch  

Scarlet Heroes - +Kevin Crawford  

Inferno: Journey Through Malebolge - Paul Elkman 

AX2: d30 Sandbox Companion - +Richard LeBlanc  

and the judges for this year's award are: 

Christopher Clark, Allen Hammack, Erol Otus, Merle Rasmussen, Steve Winter

The only entry I am not familiar with is Inferno. I guess I need to do some research. It should be a very interesting NTRPG Con in June.

(original post by +Michael Badolato over on the NTRPG Con forums)

James Spahn Captures Top Four Spots in the RPGNow GM's Day Sale Rankings

Notice how +James Spahn (Mr GM's Sale apparently) has found a way to capture the Top Four spots on RPGNow yet again (at least for the sale)? Now we need to bring up the Swords & Wizardry Companion in the rankings.

So, some quick links:

Swords & Wizardry related specials

OSRIC related specials

Far Away Land related specials

DCC RPG related specials

The One Ring related specials

Adventurers! related specials (I may run this at NTRPG Con)

GM's Day Sale is Here! 30% Off on Much of RPGNow

The GM's Day Sale is here. There are some great bargains. I'll highlight some later as I go through the offerings.

Remember, purchases made at RPGNow through links at The Tavern help support prizes and Gift Certificate Giveaways.

Bundle of Holding - Torg +2

I used to have all of the West End Games D6 boxed sets. Torg was one of them. As GM I really liked the setting, as it could never bore me. My players, however, weren't much on the D6 system, so we never really got to play it.

Torg + 2 is the second Bundle of Holding offering for Torg. I never realized how much there was available for the system.

I'll never get a change to read this in full in the near future, but I'll read it at some point. When I do, I'll be glad I grabbed it when I did.

Yeah, I'm in for more Torg.

Announcing "Far 'n Away" - The Far Away Land RPG Podcast

Yes, you seen me get all fan boy about the Far Away Land RPG here at The Tavern and the FAL bug has bit a few others in the OSR community and beyond.

One of those bit was +Vincent Florio , one of my co-hosts on The Brainstorm Podcast. He got bit so bad he started thinking about producing a Far Away Land podcast. Vince asked me if I'd be interested in co-hosting. I said "YES!" without the need to think ;)

So, then we realized we needed a third host, because all good things come in threes.

We thought maybe we'd be able to get the game creator, Dirk Stanley, Mr. +Far Away Land RPG himself to guest on the first episode, but that wasn't to be.

Instead, we have Dirk as our third host. Yes, Far Away Land's creator will be one of the three hosts of the Far 'n Away Podcast.

We are aiming to record the first episode in three weeks time (Sunday, March 22 at 1 PM Eastern). We'll be using G+ Hangouts and recording Live, so you can even watch and ask questions via chat in real time.

How's that for a surprise announcement?

We have an email address you can send questions and topic suggestions to at Podcast@FNACast.com. If you'd rather call and leave us a voicemail it's 570-865-4210.

More as we get closer to launch. The podcast will have it's own website, and we may need a volunteer or two.

edit: for now we basically need some article & show note writers for the website.

PWYW - Pawns and Knights (Far Away Land Adventure)

In case you've somehow missed it, I really enjoy the Far Away Land RPG. It's the perfect mixture of old school sensibilities, humor, atmospheric art and surprising depth. Pawns and Knights is a Pay What You Want priced adventure for Far Away Land. The sixth in the series, it may very well be the best of the lot.

It's an urban adventure / mini campaign. Like all of the FAL releases, it is open ended and sandboxie in nature. What's not to like?

Scrub the stats and it's easy enough to convert (or at least steal ideas for) OSR games of your choice.

From the blurb:

Dirty balbergulbs. Pawn shops. Gangs. Cow steed races and gambling. The grimy city of Londol. Rival crime bosses. Noknil. One-eyed giants who want revenge. Get ready for Pawns and Knights, a mini-campaign setting where your PCs work in a pawn shop for a greedy balbergulb boss who has no regard for the law. This adventure has a plethora of mini-adventure scenarios and ideas centered around the Pawns and Knights pawn shop in the city of Londol.

Bringing the OSR Superstar Competition to an Incomplete Completion

I've thought long and hard on how to bring the OSR Superstar Competition to a successful conclusion at this point, and I don't see a simple solution.

So, I'll have to be satisfied with a simple ending, and call it with the four top finalists in place. No final round, no grand winner.

Yeah, anti-climatic as all shit, but at this point, any conclusion to this would be anti-climatic.

The four top finalists will split the final cash prize, the 2 boxed sets will be randomly awarded to 2 of the final 15, and 4 the final 15 will have some mapping goodness coming from http://squarehex.myshopify.com/.

Is it the finish I had planned on? Nope. Neither was 2014 the year I had expected.

I'll be reaching out during the upcoming week to get the necessary info to award the prizes.

I appreciate the work everyone put into their entries. There was some amazing creativity that the judges and I read.

The next time someone makes a suggestion like this to me in the future I'll make sure to have my head examined before answering ;)

Kickstarter - Crypts and Things Remastered - (OSR Swords & Sorcery)

If you're like me, you remember supporting Crypts & Things on Indiegogo a few years back. It was a nice Swords & Sorcery reworking of Swords & Wizardry that really seems to excel with smaller groups. I ran a number of sessions for a pair of friends before real life intervened. They still dropped by NTRPGCon last June and are still itching to play again.

I love Crypts & Things but felt something was missing. Never quite could put my finger on it, but Newt seems to have his vision of what the revised Crypts & Things should be, and I like the direction he's going in:

Art. The art in C&T was done by various British Artists. While I stand by everything I put in the book, the overall tone was eclectic and a bit disconnected.  So David M. Wright, whose style exactly matches the tone of the game, is going to do the entire book. Therefore it will have a deliciously dark consistency and tone throughout.

Judging from the sample pieces of art, this is going to rock hard. Excellent choice.

Content. C&T Remastered will see a a full edit of the book and streamlining of the rules. There’s a few rules in C&T that I never use in my home game, because they involve a bit too much bean counting rather than simple Roll and Effect which I prefer. These rules have been recast into something more straightforward. 

Mega Gaming Fun. This is the overall effect of the above changes. Over the years there have been some kind words said about Crypts & Things which have made me painfully aware of some of its shortcomings. With the basic goal I’m seeking to address these issues and make it a much more fun game to play and the art even more evocative. 

Smoother gameplay? Less bean counting? I'm in :)

If you backed the earlier Indiegogo project, Newt has a gift for you if you back the current Kickstarter.

True confession - I was the first backer of this project on Kickstarter ;)