20 for $20 - Legendary Games - 5e Bundle

A tip of the hat to the Taverner that pointed this out to me.

Legendary Games has a bundle of 5e releases aptly named 20 for 20 - 20 PDF products for 5e with a total value of over $100 for 20 bucks.

A pretty sweet deal for the 5e players out there (and for those willing to take the short amount of time to convert some of these to OSR use in their home campaigns.)

It includes adventures, bestiaries and more.

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)

Free - GM's Monthly Miscellany: November 2016

I just downloaded and read the latest GM's Monthly Miscellany: November 2016 and I'm impressed at what you get for the price of free. Sure, it's labeled Pathfinder, but GMs of any edition of D&D or its retroclones should find 10 pages or truly useful content.

I should grab all of the previous releases, as this is a sandbox GM's friend and then some. Print the pages out and just organize everything as needed: random tables, plot hooks and urban areas. Really, what more do you need to keep your players engaged when they step out of the dungeon?

Did I mention the price was free?

This month’s issue features: 

-10 Cultists with Personality
-Suurin at a Glance (from Village Backdrop: Suurin)
-Tumblestone at a Glance (from Places of Power: Tumblestone Inn)
-Gloamhold Updates
-20 Vile Things to Find in a Cultist’s Lair

Frog God Games - Lost Lands Campaign Setting Boxed Set - Kickstarting in June, 2017 (tentatively)

I just got the latest update on The Lost Lands: The Blight - Richard Pett's Crooked City Kickstarter by Frog God Games. If all goes well, it should be shipping to backers 1st quarter of 2017, which is exciting. More exciting to me was this little bit in the update:

"Incidentally that is also the time frame when design assignments are supposed to go out for the Lost Lands Campaign Setting boxed set that we're Kickstarting next June"

The upcoming Lost Lands Campaign Setting Boxed Set hasn't been so much a secret - I've heard rumors and rumblings of it for nearly a year, but this IS the first time I've seen a date associated with the launch of its Kickstarter.

I really enjoy reading all the material that's been set in the Lost Lands thus far and a boxed set for the setting just makes me feel all warm inside.

I'll be on top of this upcoming project and I'll update when I know more.

edit: here's the update - June 2017 is "tentative"

Kickstarter - Dungeon Grappling RPG Supplement (OSR thru 5e)

Before I talk about the Dungeon Grappling RPG Supplement Kickstarter, let me talk about the man behind the project, +Douglas Cole . I've known Doug for a couple of years. I was one of his earlier Youtube interviews (my God, I actually spoke favorably about Ken Whitman in that piece). Additionally, Doug was one of the key members of my "B-Team" adventuring party, a once a month, more or less, delving of Castle of the Mad Archmage. He is also well known as a bit of a GURPS fanatic (and I can say that as a solid Swords & Wizardry fanatic myself.) Doug is one of the more meticulous gamers I know, and I mean that is a good way. I fully expect any project he is involved in to hit the goal post and the some.

I came into gaming with the AD&D 1e rules. If you care to think back on that edition of Dungeons & Dragons, you will remember that the unarmed combat / grappling rules were an unintelligible mess. We never used them. We couldn't make heads or tails from them. If my players wanted to go weaponless, I used to tell them they should have made a Monk instead.

Doug was kind enough to forward me the current rough of Dungeon Grappling. I haven't had time to give it more than a quick glance, but what I have looked at looks good. He even addresses rulesets with descending AC. I'll give this a closer look over the coming week.

Did I mention the buy in is just 5 bucks? Seriously. Currently PDF only, 5 bucks to solve my RPG grappling issues that have dogged me for the last 33 years or so? Priceless...

Kickstarter - The Folio #11 Adventures from the Emerald Serpent (1e/5e City Setting and Adventure)

I happen to like the Folio series of adventures, not because I plan to run any of the story arcs as is (they are nice, but story arcs generally aren't my cup of tea) but because the products themselves are very modular. I can strip encounters, locations, personalities and maps and drop them where I need them. That, and I'm a sucker for adventures with covers that are more like folders, like the TSR adventures of old. They read well too.

The Folio #11 Adventures from the Emerald Serpent is an urban adventure and setting, and that makes it especially ripe for me to use the city as a drop in in my own campaign. I love city adventures, I just hate having to do the groundwork myself ;)

This first volume of the Taux Trilogy will take place in and around the events Tales of the Emerald Serpent, your characters interacting with the various personalities of the infamous Black Gate District. Included as always will be out bevy of maps, both 3D & 2D, a setting gazetteer, adventure booklet, and of course removable cover for use as a DM screen.

I have a nice collection of Folio releases on my gaming shelves. The covers deserve some frameable prints :)

Swords & Wizardry Light - Designer Notes - Swords & Wizardry Light Emulates Swords & Wizardry, Not OD&D

When I started working on Swords & Wizardry Light, the idea was to tear down Swords & Wizardry White Box to its bare bones and rebuild it minimally, with one of the the ideas being that it would be a stepping stone to Swords & Wizardry Complete. The other idea was for it to be a lighter yet viable alternative to the current Swords & Wizardry options, both for campaign play and convention play.

SWL does NOT emulate OD&D, with or without its supplements. It emulates Swords & Wizardry. That is its purpose. As such, it doesn't hew exactly to White Box, Core or Complete but works with all of them. You should be able to use spells, magic items and creatures from any of these flavors of Swords & Wizardry with little if any adjustments. Character classes have been greatly simplified with Light, so if there is a hiccup in compatibility, its on the preparation side and not so much in the game session itself.

In the next week or so we'll be putting up a conversion guide for those that want to start with SWL and move on to Swords & Wizardry Complete. While the rules are compatible, characters created using the Light rules are less powerful than those made directly with the Complete rules. We are also putting together some support material to make running current Swords & Wizardry Complete adventures using Light a seamless process.

In addition, +James Spahn and I are working on a player's one-sheet and a GM's one-sheet to add a few classes from Complete (and beyond), leveling to level 5, new spells and for the DM more creatures, magic item guidelines and a bit more. Our goal is for a gaming group to have a complete campaign in the Lost City of Barakus setting using the Light rules. I think we can hit that mark ;)

We treat classes beyond the core four as variants of the core. I'll offer the Bard as an example:

Bards function exactly as thieves, except they may cast Charm Person and Detect Magic once per day. Once per combat they may sing an inspiring song, granting all allies +1 to all attack rolls for 5 rounds. Bards need one additional adventure for each level attained.

As I've said before, Swords & Wizardry Light has legs. Surprising legs.

Oh, and just over 540 downloads for SWL as I type this...

Over 300 Downloads of Swords & Wizardry Light in just over 24 Hours!

Thank you. Thank you all.

Over 300 downloads of Swords & Wizardry Light. Wow. Simply wow.

We've been getting some great feedback as well as identifying typos that need fixing (and some things that could use a slightly more detailed explanation)

I've been asked about a Swords & Wizardry Light Compatibility License. At the moment, there is none, but considering that the printed version of SWL does triple work (folder, GM Screen and rules) one-sheets are the ideal format. Just print out, drop inside the rules and you are ready to go.

Remember, magic items are not detailed in the SWL rules, so if your adventure includes magic items you'll need to include the relevant details.

The OGL must be included with any one-sheet releases, but that can always be on the third page. It would just take up needless space in the folder anyway ;)

+James Spahn , +Zach Glazar and myself have plans for Swords & Wizardry Light. It is very much a living system. In the next week or so there should be a "lighter" PDF version as well as a Word Doc file. We will be publishing one-sheets and a bimonthly zine.

As for why the Swords & Wizardry Light forum makes The Tavern's homepage scroll right to it? No idea. But in a day or two it will move to the second page and take care of itself :)

Kickstarter Roundup - Degenerate Adventurers! with Unfathonable Swords & Swordsmen embark on an Astonishing Tiny Epic Quest

One of the first things I said when I retired was "I need to back less Kickstarters!"

That comment was answered by Rachel, my wife, wth "Who the hell are you trying to convince? It better not be me because you are full of shit!" Did I mention today is out 5th wedding anniversary? Heh!

So, time to run down some amazing Kickstarters that I'm currently backing. Some of them are ending soon, so if you find them interesting don't wait too long.

Tiny Epic Quest - Introducing ITEMeeples - "A 45 minute sandbox adventure for 1-4 players w/ limited action selection, grid movement, press-your-luck & Item-Holding Meeples!" $24 is the sweet spot to support at. Excellent price for a sweet looking boardgame.

Adventurers! Revised Print Edition -"What is Adventurers? It is a traditional, old school RPG,with strong roots in Fighting Fantasy, Dungeons & Dragons, Savage Worlds and a bit of FATE." I like the Adventurers! system A LOT. Easy to pick up and easy to run, which at my age (knocking on 50 soon) ease of use is key to my gaming. Light enough to run comfortably in a convention setting yet deep enough to use with campaign play. I have a copy of the KS revised Print rules for review purposes, and although I haven't yet read through it all, I can say it is extremely well done. The revised print edition is kinda like GURPS without the complexity but with all of the world and setting options. It really is a system that covers it all. You can download a PDF of the core Revised Adventurers! rules for free here. The KS includes five settings. $34 is probably the best buy in level for the amount of material you get.

Dungeon Degenerates - Hand of Doom Fantasy Board Game - "Dark Fantasy Board Game with a classic RPG feel. Wandering outcasts look for trouble in the grim, monster-infested Würstreich! Blending a Dark & Dirty Old School role playing game aesthetic with an easy to learn, fast-moving & engaging board game system, Dungeon Degenerates delivers the dark fantasy adventure you want, when you want it." I'm so in at $55.


Swords & Wizardry Complete 3rd Printing - Dude! It's fucking Swords & Wizardry! Anyhow, either go small or go big, there really is no middle ground. Go in for a buck and get the new printing plus an adventure or two in PDF. Really, how can you go wrong? OR drop $225 for the Complete Gamers level (should be Complete Adventurer if you ask me) and get more Swords & Wizardry than you can shake a stick at. Seriously, the value is easily over $400 and growing. I have much of it and yet I think I'm going to up my pledge to $225. The Horror! heh



Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea 2E - "The heroes of an AS&SH game delve dungeons filled with horrifying monsters, lethal traps, and bewildering puzzles; they explore savage wilderness frontiers and hostile borderlands; they probe ancient ruins and investigate cursed tombs; they match steel against sorcery and sorcery against steel; and they plunder for gold, gems, and magical treasure." I have the 1st edition, and it is GOOD. 2nd edition looks simply amazing. So yes, I'm in. BTW, grab some adventures while you are at it. Also damn good.


Operation Unfathomable - "A party of experienced adventurers led by the stalwart Prince Eyraen have stolen an artifact from Syantides, Sorcerer-King of Mur, and entered the Underworld on a mission of vengeance. That brave band is lost and presumed dead. Perhaps a smaller, stealthier party can succeed where mighty heroes failed? You’d better hope so... From the author of The Dungeon Dozen! A weird underworld adventure and campaign setting for Swords & Wizardry and other old school rpgs" $40 is the sweet spot if you want it in print.

Swords & Wizardry Light PDF Available for Download (this is NOT the optimized version)

Swords & Wizardry Light made its debut at GameHole earlier today and there was much rejoicing.

I've been informed by the powers that be that the Swords & Wizardry Light PDF is ready for download for those that have requested it. Be warned, this is a hefty PDF for a mere 2 pages, as this is the same file that was used by the printers.

Next week, we should have a smaller PDF as well as a Word file for download. All hail +Zach Glazar !

In the meantime, may I present to you, Swords & Wizardry Light! (yep, this is the download link)

(note - the Swords & Wizardry Light Forum is up for questions, comments and the like)

And the Winner of the Final Swords & Wizardry Themed Giveaway of the Season is...

So, who gets?

Rappan Athuk Cyclopean Deeps - Part 1 - Down to Ques Querax for Swords & Wizardry.

Sabres & Witchery, a Swords & Wizardry hack from the Age of Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution and I great source for supernatural horror in your OSR gaming.

The Dungeoneer Issue 14 - the RuneQuest issue.

Bill Shearer! Email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that gmail thing.

Saweet! Now I get to start mailing all of this out ;)

Bundle of Holding - Old School Revival +4 (And the Bartender said: It Was Good...)

I'm about as OSR as you can get. If I were any more "Old School" when it came to my gaming, I'd probably be deceased - it's about the only way I'd get more street cred ;)

Lo and behold, I look in my email and I notice a new Bundle of Holding - its the Old School Revival + 4!

Here's what you get:

For $8.95

Deep Carbon Observatory - from somebody I don't dislike that was involved with the Blie Medusa
The Pod Caverns of the Sinister Shroom - +Matt Finch  and some of his earliest work
Castle Gargantua - simply good stuff by +Kabuki Kaiser
Mad Monks of Kwantoom - ditto
One-Page Dungeon Compendia 2013-2015 - more gaming goodness than you can shake a stick at - and a perfect size for use with Swords & Wizardry Light
2014 Dodecahedron Cartographic Review - +Dyson Logos - need I say more?

$19.00 (at the moment) - all of the above PLUS

Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls - I'm a huge T&T fan. This might be the ultimate
Dwimmermount - sure, it has some awkward "historty" but the final result was not bad at all
Yoon-suin - a sweet sandbox
Misty Isles of the Eld - +Chris Kutalik 's mini sandbox on an acid trip
Chthonic Codex - new one for me, looks interesting

Shit, I have most of this but I'm in for $8.95 - I have everything added at the $18.94 level in print except for Chthonic Codex...

The Swords & Wizardry Light Forum is Live

I expect some copies of Swords & Wizardry Light will be "sneaking out" the day before GameHole officially kicks off (er, that means there could be copies in the wild today). As the support page(s) are still a work in progress (thank you allergies from hell) and due to the fact that a community thrives on communication, I've opened a Swords & Wizardry Light forum.

I expect questions / rules clarifications / houserules and alike will be addressed in the forum first before being submitted to the support page for ease of reference.

Links to the Swords & Wizardry Light PDF will be added to the forum when those links got live ;)

You can access the forum from the above link, as well as the Tab Bar under the header art of this page, but for convenience I've also added it to this very page.

Huzzah!

Now, back to napping...


Swords & Wizardry Light

Humble Bundle of RPGs - A Song of Fire and Ice, Atomic Robo and The Laundry Files - One Buck!

If nothing else, back for a buck and get three well regarded RPGs. 8 bucks gets you 7 books and 15 bucks gets you 12.

Humble Bundle RPG Bundle

Kickstarter - Dungeon Degenerates - Hand of Doom - Fantasy Board Game

I've been trying to steer clear boardgames on Kickstarter. Not because they aren't good, they generally are. It's simply space. The Conan board game arrived in two huge boxes. It's killing me.

Dungeon Degenerates - Hand of Doom simply looks awesome. I love the art. Hell, i could mount the above game board on a wall in my mancave (such as it is). I will find room for this, damn it!

$55 for the basic buy in for a sandbox board game? Characters can gain abilities and carry over between sessions?

Count me in :)

Here's a list of features (with some highlights by me)

-1-4 players co-op
-Players can form parties or split up throughout the game at will - no forced obligation to compete or stick together
-1-3 hours gameplay based on mission
-Epic RPG campaign feel in an open world sandbox board game
-Play until you die - bring your experience & items from previous missions 
-Open exploration - no forced path
-Multiple missions & objectives of varying difficulty for high replayability 
-Multiple ways to approach each mission
-Set in a cohesive & fixed world with multiple distinct regions
-Regions feature unique encounters & thematic monsters
-Encounters allow multiple interaction choices - you do not have to fight everyone you see
-Open experience system allowing for character customization with new skills 
-You are always in danger - the town is not an artificial safe zone - combat is dangerous
-Various modes of travel - players cooperate to choose their route & pace, or split up & fend for themselves
-Customize difficulty & theme with expanded monster & encounter decks
-Streamlined combat with tactical depth, each player rolls dice only once on their turn
-Uses standard 6-sided dice only
 -Over 100 monsters with unique abilities & artwork

Swords & Wizardry Light early release Print copies in hand - PDF Release Imminent

So, I received my four, early release copies of Swords & Wizardry Light in the mail today. These are the same pieces that will be given out, first come, first served by Frog God Games at GameHole Con this weekend. If you are going, make sure to snag your copy early, because supplies are limited.

Holding these copies brought a certain sense of joy I hadn't experienced prior. Sure, I've written for Knockspell, had some minor 3rd party S&W releases a few years ago and I wrote an adventure for Saga of the Splintered Realm, but Swords & Wizardry Light is different. It was a joy to bring it to this point.

The GameHole Con copies are an early release of sorts, as the main shipment is coming from China.

To the best of my knowledge, Swords & Wizardry Light is the only official flavor of Swords & Wizardry not copyright by +Matt Finch . It is an honor I had not expected and I will do my best to ensure that SWL has a long and vibrant life. S&W Light is a community ruleset first and foremost, and I am happy you will all soon be sharing in it with me.

The release of the Swords & Wizardry Light PDF is imminent. As in SOON. Be warned though, the initial PDF release is pretty much the same file that was sent to the printer, so its pretty on your computer screen but might not be as printer friendly as you will want. Printer friendly and MS Word versions will follow shortly thereafter.

Quick reminder. Tavern Chat is tonight but I wont be hosting. Your bartender feels like shit. I might pop in for a few minutes but that is all.

Final Swords & Wizardry Themed Flash Giveaway - 48 hours - The Dungeoneer Faced the Cyclops in the Deeps with a Saber & a Witch

I was right. I did get two shipments of the same Mythoard. Ah well, my loss is your gain.

So, what do we have this time (should be the last giveaway before OSR Christmas)?

Rappan Athuk Cyclopean Deeps - Part 1 - Down to Ques Querax for Swords & Wizardry.

Sabres & Witchery, a Swords & Wizardry hack from the Age of Enlightenment to the Industrial Revolution and I great source for supernatural horror in your OSR gaming.

The Dungeoneer Issue 14 - the RuneQuest issue.

Comment between now and 1030 PM Thursday, November 3rd. I'm only shipping to the states, so if you are outside the states and get picked, I'll send you a $10 RPGNow Gift Certificate in its stead.

All of these giveaways should be mailed out by early next week,

Rach will be so happy :)

PS - The Swords & Wizardry Complete KS is coming to a close in the next few days. You ARE backing for a least a buck for the free PDF loot, right?

Your Bartender will Most Likely be MIA for Tomorrow Night's Tavern Chat

I slept like a worn out dog last night followed by an afternoon name and I'm already thinking about going back to bed.

I suspect I will not be making it to tomorrow night's Tavern Chat, or if I do, it will only be for a few minutes up front.

Yep, you may need to carry on without me this week.

Meds - perfect for the man who just wants to sleep - or even if one doesn't, as you don't get a choice ;)

I hope to have one more post in me tonight. A giveaway. If I can stay awake...

Swords & Wizardry Light at Gamehole Con This Coming Weekend (and my mailbox shortly)

There will be copies of Swords & Wizardry Light available for free at the Frog God Games table at Gamehole Con this weekend. Supplies are limited, so get there early.

I will be getting my advance copies on Wednesday, so long os the US Postal Service doesn't screw things up. Its only four copies and all are accounted for ( +James Spahn , +Tim Shorts and +Thom Wilson as well as myself) There will be more coming with the main shipment from China and I've asked for a number of copies to pass on to the community via The Tavern and otherwise.. That's a bit out there time wise, as they are shipping from China via ship.

Yes, that means my not quite 6 year old niece will have to wait for her copy. That's okay. She doesn't know when they are coming anyway ;)

PDF release is imminent. How soon is that? Soon. Seriously. (no, I don't know exactly "when")

I thrive on feedback and questions and suggestions. Swords & Wizardry Light has legs, and the four page release is just the start of the journey. We hope you'll join us.

Oh, did I mention there should be another S&W related giveaway later today? First, I need to nap. The 10 hours or so of sleep I had last night doesn't seem to be enough. Curse you sinuses!

State of the Tavern Keeper - Allergies are Officially Hell

I know I've been off kilter since last week. Post nasal drip, heavy eyes, constantly tired, occasional and severe stomach cramps accompanied by "irritable bowels" (I HATE that fucking commercial)

Yesterday, I finally took an allergy med and that helped with the heavy eyes but not much more.

Today, after arriving home from the Poconos my stomach cramps kicked in along with the usual accompaniment. I had it. My doc has regular evening hours from 6-8 on weekdays and I took myself to the doc.

Diagnosis?

Severe allergies, resulting in both my post nasal drip and my stomach problems from said post nasal dip. Oh, also the beginnings of an ear infection, which could have added to my feeling of dopiness.

Antibiotics for the ear infection, meds for allergy and sinus congestion. Did I mention that the antibiotics may lead to more "stomach issues?"

Fun times.

In any case, if you wondered why the light posting over the weekend (and no posting until now for today) now you know.

There MIGHT just be one more giveaway, as it seems like I got a double shipment on one of the Mythoards this month...

Operation White Box - Two Scenario Collections Released - Norway Ablaze and Desert Raiders

Real quick and short post, as I've hit the "foggy headed" stage of congestion. Time to mix alcohol and decongestants! (no, not really). Here are some scenarios for Operation White Box:

DESERT RAIDERS OF WWII is a collection of three (3) support missions designed for WWII: Operation WhiteBox™. Join the SAS and the LRDG and take part in historic raids against the Germans during the North Africa Campaign!

RAID ON LUFWAFFE-32: Sneak into a Luftwaffe airfield at night and blow up as many planes as you can!

PANZERS IN THE SAND: Locate the enemy tank column before it can reinforce the Germans attacking El Alamein!

AFRIKA KORPS IN KAOS: The German general wants to secretly meet and negotiate a surrender. Could this be the end of the fighting in North Africa or is it only a diabolical trap!

Desert Raiders of WWII is designed for 3-6 characters of 1st-3rd level.

$3.99 for 37 pages in PDF

Norway Ablaze is a mission pack for WWII: Operation WhiteBox. It contains three (3) short missions that loosely emulate the events of Operation Claymore---a series of British commando raids on the Lofoten Islands of Norway.

RELAY STATION RAID: Destroy the relay station so the Germans can't call in reinforcements or air support from the Luftwaffe!

FISH OIL FRACAS: Infiltrate a fish oil refinery and destroy its stores of fish oil to keep the Nazis from manufacturing high explosives!

BUNKER ASSAULT: Take out the German bunker whose guns are keeping the commandos from escaping the island!

Norway Ablaze is designed for 3-6 characters of 1st-3rd level.

$3.99 for 40 pages in PDF

Remember, all purchases using The Tavern's OBS affiliate links puts 5% of your purchase price into The Tavern's coffers. Don't leave that money on the table for the greedy corps! Tip your barman!  ;)