Apparently I Used to Paint Minis & Why are All of my Skeletons ALL Missing an Arm?

 Rach had me doing some major cleaning today. actually, not so much cleaning as Marriage Archeology 101 - I dug through drawers and such of my clutter that hadn't been touched for years PRIOR to our marriage in 2011. Yes, I put this off for over 5 years AND STILL completed the project faster than Gareth.

Sadly, my skellies all seem to have lost their weapons as well as the arms attached to such. These are Games Worksop plastic minis and I guess the glue didn't hold up over time.

Painting all ended in the summer of 1996 and many of these minis are in various stages of painting (or lack there off) I think I do need to return to the hobby.

Apparently Someone Forgot to Set their Lunar Clock - Another Month of Silence On Far West (Oh, and another missed delivery)

So, here we are, three weeks into 2017.

We were supposed to get "something" by the end of 2016. Never happened.

Of course, I could set my watch by Gareth's failed deliver dates. So long as I was using a lunar standard.

Here's the link to file a complaint with the Attorney General in Kansas.

http://ag.ks.gov/file-a-complaint/complaint-center

And now, a musical interlude by Kansas:

How long? How Long? How long to the point of no return...

Looking at Swords & Wizardry Monstrosities from a "Light" Eye and Forthcoming Content

Ogre by Eric Quigly

I was a backer of the Swords & Wizardry 3rd Printing Kickstarter at the "I Want All of the Swords &Wizardry Shit in Existence" level, even if I have much of it in print. Just filling my holes made the idea of getting it all something I could not pass up on.

I already have Monstrosities in print- its a great book with a seemingly endless source of monsters for your S&W / Old School game. It took until tonight when I downloaded the PDF for me to realize, or at least remember, that each entry has a short encounter or scenario attached to it. Pure. Fucking. Genius.

Its both a seed to growing into a larger adventure as well as an instant filler for the moments in between adventures. In the hands of a skilled DM, some of these encounters can morph into a night of gaming with minutes of prep. Or no prep at all ;)

Ghoul by Storn Cook

So, what does this have to do with Swords & Wizardry Light?

After this weekend I should have some free time on the creative side of things. What I'd like to do is an encounter / small adventure for each creature in the Swords & Wizardry Light release. Examples for the new GM as to how to use the creatures in question. I'd post them here at The Tavern and put the final product out as a PDF.

Other creatures / monsters from the OGL can be added later and new creatures can be added to the mix.

These aren't one sheets so much as a couple on a sheet. Kinda. Sorta.

So, the question becomes... which creature do I start with?

ConManKen - Pick Axe Savior Short - A Role Made for Ken

Every Savior has a Story by #ConManKen. Wait, I use the #ConManKen hashtag too liberally? Lets refer to the hashtag expert:

Fuck! The hashtags are longer than the post itself. Oh, BTW #TheWalkingDead

Still, I apologize. All this is delaying you from watching Ken in the role built for him: a homicidal, brutish man of minimal intellect. At at least he didn't have to reach too far inside himself to find inspiration. BTW, it says "Six Comments" over on Youtube but I don't actually see any. It also appears you can't like it or dislike it at Youtube, but I could be wrong.

Marcus gets an axe to his head and Ken's wife stabs him in the gut and he likes it.

Fuck me! Blogger uploaded it twice and I can't delete the extra.

Don't watch it twice! I implore you!

WotC Won't be at GenCon 50 - But Will be at GaryCon 2017 (and others)

It seems really strange that WotC's DnD division / staff / team / last men standing won't be at the 50th GenCon this year. I know they've been distancing themselves from GenCon for a while, but this is the 50th one after all and it has some significance (aside from being the largest gaming convention in the world)

Here's the list of the cons WotC WILL be officially attending:

PAX SOUTH
January 27-29
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
900 E Market St.
San Antonio, TX

WINTER FANTASY
February 1-5
Grand Wayne Convention Center
120 West Jefferson Blvd
Fort Wayne, IN

PAX EAST
March 10 -12
Boston Convention & Exhibition Center
415 Summer Street
Boston, MA

GARY CON
March 23-26
Grand Geneva Resort & Spa
7036 Grand Geneva Way
Lake Geneva, WI

ORIGINS
June 14-18
Greater Columbus Convention Center
400 N High Street
Columbus, OH

PAX WEST
September 1-4
Washington State Convention Center
800 Convention Place
Seattle, WA

HASCON
September 9-10
Rhode Island Convention Center & Dunkin Donuts Center
1 La Salle Square & 1 Sabin St
Providence, RI

GAMEHOLE CON
November 2-5
Alliant Energy Center Exhibition Hall
1919 Alliant Energy Center Way
Madison, WI

I should be at two of these myself - Gary Con and Gamehole Con. Interestingly, HasCon is all about Hasbro properties. Time to play My Little Pony ;)

Tavern Chat - Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Be There or Be Not

Yep, its Wednesday, so that means another Tavern Chat tonight at 9 PM Eastern.

What is Tavern Chat? Its that chat box on the right side of this page where readers of The Tavern get to converse via chat every Wednesday night.

What are the topics? Whatever we damn well please ;)

Join us. You never know who may pop in. Seriously. You never know...

Updated Swords & Wizardry Light PDF With Corrections & Clarifications Available for Download - High Res and Low Res

A HUGE thanks goes out to +Zach Glazar for updating the Swords & Wizardry Light PDF (both High Res and Low Res versions) with the edits, corrections and clarifications pointed out by the community.

Consider this version 1.01. Somehow I suspect there will be a minor tweak or two still to be found before we can consider this the "Gold Copy" or whatnot ;)

FYI, the High Res version of SWL was been reduced in size by about 10 MB, so over a third. to 17.5 MB. If your tablet had problems with the snazzier version before, the updated file may work better than its predecessor.

The Low Res version of SWL comes in at 3.9 MB.

As for the notable changes / corrections / clarifications:

- Starting weaponry was added to the M-U description

- Hit Dice (HD) are defined under the heading of Constitution (as a high constitution grants a bonus to the HD roll)

- The Combat Table was corrected to follow the advancement of the Fighter's BAB as detailed in the fighter's description

- Corrected the spelling of my name in the copyright ;)

- Other typos / spacing / etc

You can grab the updated PDFs as well as the Word file from here: http://bit.ly/2eHQNZw

(you do know its free, right? ;)

Roll20 Hits the 2 Million Player Mark

Roll20 has hit the 2 million player mark and then some. I was an early backer of the Roll20 Kickstarter, and truth be told, I was a little nervous with the initial release. While I wasn't asking for much, even some basic things as drawing tools were borked.

Flash ahead a bit over 4 1/2 years and not only has Roll20 become my Virtual Table Top (VTT) of choice, but that of over 2 million other players. Pretty impressive. Actually, it was my VTT of choice even with the initial quirks as the potential was just that good.

I've used MapTools, Klooge, ScreenMonkey, Fantasy Grounds 1 & 2 and a handful of other VTTs that have come and gone over the last 10 years or so and none have come close to the usability of Roll20 for me. The learning curve is small and the depth is huge.

As I've said elsewhere, I'm very much a minimalist when it comes to running my games online but there are a few features I absolutely need: online die roller, chat and fog of war (we use a third party app for voice and video usually) for my game map. Everything else is optional and not needed for my use (you milage and needs may vary). The scalability of the features in Roll20 is probably its strongest asset.

Which reminds me, now that we've resurrected the once a month "B" Team its probably time to bring back the Saturday Night Team, now with a "Lighter" Swords & Wizardry ;)

Kickstarter - Star Hat Miniatures: Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom! 2 (Get Your "Tenkar the Warrior Barkeep" Mini)

Star Hat Miniatures: Delvers Lost in the Dungeons of Doom! 2



You know you want one. Or many.

Yep, I'm talking about your very own "Tenkar the Warrior Barkeep" miniature. Beer mug in one hand, beer cask cradled in his other arm and a bitchin' battle axe strapped to his back. Because even though beer is a priority, you need to be prepared for all situations.

Yes, the mini was made to my specifications. Darcy is amazing at the back and forth needed to get a vision like this right and my God, he did an excellent job. I owe you big time good sir, as to the readers of The Tavern. He's about 8 bucks on his own plus shipping.



Did I mention there is also a HUGE St. Andre Troll available too? Based on the creator of a certain game that goes by the initials T&T.

Oh, I'm in at $70 USC. Everything included the troll ;)

Quick Updates - 1200+ & 2300+

Over the past few days we've hit a few milestones and I figured I'd share them. I find them very gratifying as well as humbling.

Over the weekend we surpassed 1200 members in The Tavern's Facebook Community. For a community that didn't even exist even 14 months ago, I find that number to be stunning. Thank you all. I've enjoyed watching it grow from just my posts to an active community of posters and commenters. Its ALIVE! heh

Tonight we surpassed 2300 downloads for Swords & Wizardry Light. That's in addition to the hundreds of physical copies given away at Gamehole, 700 or so copies sent out with the Bard's Gate Kickstarter and hundreds more arriving with the Swords & Wizardry Complete 3rd Printing Kickstarter. And we ain't done yet. Zach, James and I have plans... as do others. Its fun. Its scary. Its scary fun!

Alright, three straight days of uncle duties are wrapping up. I need a drink ;)

Kickstarter - Life of the Party: The Realities of an RPG'er - Humorous RPG Comic

Usually I'd assume its depicting +Tim Shorts , but he avoided Natural 1's last Friday Night ;)

Time to peek at a sweet looking Kickstarter that  mocks the very game we love.

Yep, I'm talking about Life of the Party: The Realities of an RPG'er, an online comic strip releasing a printed collection.

It had a goal of $7k. It has currently surpassed $38k and still has 4 week of funding left. Stretch goals have added pages of content, a switch to hardcover and more in the pipeline.

I don't know about you, but I get a Calvin & Hobbes feel from the art, which I do like.

$10 for the PDF, $22 for Print plus PDF, $35 for Print plus PDF plus sketch - which is where I'm at. There are other, higher backer levels, but for me, $35 is the sweet point.

New Year, New Game! Sale at RPGNow - Bundles 40-58% Off - Nearly 1,000 Releases 20% Off

There's a sale going on at RPGNow - the New Year, New Game! Sale.

First off, we have bundles of Doctor Who, A Song of Ice and Fire, stars Without Number, Mummy: The Curse, Scarred Lands and Ashen Stars. You can see the "Starter" bundles here.

Then we have nearly a 1,000 other releases on sale for 20% off. White Star, DCC RPG, Crypts and Thing, Starships & Spacemen, Apes Victorious and others.

Here's the link for items tagged specifically as OSR, but its a limited selection that is properly tagged.

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!  ;)

This is How I Roll... Online

Well, I had a comment to the previous post which I figured needed a follow up answer and a post of its own:

Hey, barkeep. Remind us how you do your online play. I seem to recall Hangouts, but do you mix in any other apps? 

Right now I'm targeting Rolz, plus Skype. (Roll20 is just too ... much.) I don't know if I want to trust Hangouts when they are sunsetting app support. 

Regards,
Bob P

Historically I used Google Hangouts with the Roll 20 app inside the hangout. Yeah, couldn't figure out how to get ANY apps open in Google Hangouts. Google, the only company that can make great applications basically useless. Alright, maybe not the only company...

So, this is what we did:

We used Google Hangout for voice and video. I actually like seeing my players expressions and I'm sure they enjoy seeing my cat's ass in HD ;)

Then I loaded up the Roll 20 app which I had set up earlier in less that 15 minutes, sent out invite and used that on my main screen. On my vertical side screen I had the Hangout and various PDFs open.

The map is a +Dyson Logos . Its a perfect dungeon for what I needed. Support his Patreon for more awesome maps for the RPG community. Find his maps at his blog.

I use Fog of War to show may players what they can see and where they have been. I reveal new parts as the party progresses. Sure, part of the fun and challenge from my teen and college years was the mapping. Well, not really. No one ever wanted to be the mapper. Now, its not an issue.

Notice something missing? Tokens. I never use them. I could. Maybe I should. I have access to hundreds, if not thousands of them. Instead, I go more theatre of the mind. Maybe at some point in the future I'll find a nice middle ground between not using them and using all the bells and whistles.

I do use character sheets now. They actually have ones coded for Swords & Wizardry. I'm impressed.

The thing with Roll 20 is use what you need, not what sounds cool. Dynamic lighting would be a blast to use but the time needed to set it up could be better spent making blog posts like this, or writing more SWL content, or drinking more beer, or...

I roll all attack rolls, damage rolls and 99% of adversary saves in the open. I think players trust the DM to do what is right behind the screen when the rolls of chance are all in front of the screen.

As a DM, I want the players to think out of the box. You want your halfing fighter to make a running leap into the half dozen skeletons coming at you, trying to knock some over and block the doorway at the same time? Sure, make an attack roll with a penalty of 2 to the roll.

Oh, in case you missed it, here's Tim's blog post of last night's session.

Peter just put up his post. Read it. Please comment on the possible motto for The Tavern. It came up organically in play ;)

Last Night the "B" Team Playtested Swords & Wizardry Extra Light & an Adventure I am Finishing Up

Idi the Ogre by Eric Quigley

Its been a long time coming. I hadn't run a game for the "B" Team ( +Tim Shorts , +Peter V. Dell'Orto and +Douglas Cole ) since late 2015. Yeah, the last year or so of work was rough.

As Tim mentions in his post over at The Gothridge Manor, in the time since we last gamed, Doug created a Kickstarter to make grappling feasible in D20 based games and I put together Swords & Wizardry Light. Of course, Pete's been writing GURPS articles and Tim's been a beehive of creativity with his Patreon and SWL projects.

If you want a recap of last night's game session, read Tim's post on it. Its well done and entertaining.

Here's my highlights:

I got to put the Swords & Wizardry Extra Light rules into play. They are built off of SWL and they really don't change the core, just add to it. The Ranger class played well.

I also got to give the short adventure I owe +Pete Spahn a playtest. Some parts can use tightening and I certainly need to take into account that even my players can attempt non violent solutions to encounters ;)  Attempting to Charm Person an Ogre, even one that speaks Common and is inclined to negotiate, shouldn't work. But when you roll a Natural One on a save, anything can happen ;)

I need to flesh out the setup a wee bit. Which is good to know. I also know where I left out details that were in my head but not on the sheet.

It went well, even though I knew we were on a time constraint. It played out in about 2 hrs 15 minutes - probably closer to 3 hours with a larger party and a tweak to the last part of the dungeon the party reached. Right about where I want it.

I expect a relatively quiet posting weekend...

Original set up of the adventure is here.

Bundle of Holding - Adventurer Conquerer King System - ACKS Collection

I can't believe I would have missed. this if it hadn't been pointed out in a comment on the previous post. I used to check the Bundle of Holding site every few days but I've gotten lazy. In any case...

Grab this bundle!

ACKS is a great system, kinda like Labyrinth Lord with racial classes (note, I didn't say Race as Class - there is a difference and ACKS handles it well) Then you have the ACKS Player's Companion. You want a set of rules, charts, costs and balance checks to create new classes for the OSR game of your choice? This is the book for you.

Looking to handle larger combats or military actions? Check out the Domains of War books. Lairs & Encounters is practically worth the price of admission to the Bonus Collection (currently just under $20) on its own. Don't forget Dwimmermount. Even if you don't run it as is there's simply a huge amount of material to mine.

I strongly suggest the Bonus Collection if you can afford it.

You have just over 17 days to close the deal, but don't wait too long... you might forget ;)

Pathfinder Resource Material - Echelon Game Design - 40% off - Plus Pathfinder Humble Bundle

I don't play Pathfinder. Quite simply, there are just too many rules for me to follow, let alone remember while playing. Still, it is a well written system and enjoyed by a very large segment of the RPG community.

So today I'm highlighting two Pathfinder deals.

The first - Echelon Game Design, aka +Keith J Davies , is running a sale that covers nearly all of his Pathfinder resource series. Keith does extremely accurate and complete work. Here's a description of the Echelon Reference Series which is currently 40% off:

The Pathfinder Roleplaying Game offers a vast range of options for characters of all classes. This is great when a player wants to explore variations on a theme, but it comes at a cost: the character options for each class have been published across many places. 

Books (hardcover compilations such as Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game Core 

Rulebook™ and Pathfinder® Roleplaying Game: Ultimate Combat™, plus the various companions, adventures, and chronicles); 

PDFs (from Paizo and from third-party publishers); 

Websites, blogs, and other online sources. 

This can be intimidating to new players, and inconvenient to experienced players. The Echelon Reference Series aims to make this easier for everyone by gather information for each class into a single book.

Then we have the Pathfinder Humble Bundle. Just in case you are a Pathfinder player without the proper basic resources - oh, and comics!

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!  ;)

Tavern Talk Livestream is Live! Kicking at 9 PM EST

Join +Zach Glazar , +Michael Badolato and myself for The Tavern's 2nd Tavern Talk Uncut Livestream.

Link below:

Tavern Talk Livestream Tonight with The Lesser Gnome and the Dwarven Tavernmaster - 9 PM Eastern-ish

Yep, we have the 2nd Official Tavern Talk Livestream tonight around 9 PM Eastern. Figure we'll still need a few minutes to get our act together ;)

The success of the Livestream is YOU and YOUR questions, so think of some and join us live tonight.

I'll update this post and throw up a new post when we have the link for the livestream ready.

Hopefully we'll have some Swords & Wizardry Light news to share.

For those looking for the first Tavern Talk Livestream, its linked below:

Gamer in Need - Doug Rhea (NTRPG Con Founder and Main Man) has Medical Expenses From Stage 4 Colon Cancer

Doug's Chemo Relief - SoTA CTA

Doug Rhea has Stage 4 Colon Cancer and is currently receiving chemo. The medical expenses his family is incurring are very large. In addition to being the main man behind the yearly NTRPG Con (which loses money every year because of Doug's desire to throw the "Best Gaming Convention Ever!") Doug is very active with Shroud of the Avatar (an on-line game and community) since Kickstarter. Although the GoFundMe has benefits for those that donate and are in the Shroud of the Avatar Community, Doug needs all of the support the various gaming communities can give him and his family.

If you've ever attended NTRPG Con, you should know that the awesomeness of the Con itself is directly related to Doug's generosity. Lets see if we can return the favor in this time of need.

Those pledging $50 or more will receive a free pass to NTRPG Con courtesy of Doug.

From the GoFundMe page:

SoTA Community Call to Action - Help IronMaiden 

The campaign is on behalf of Doug (IronMaiden) Rhea. Doug recently (and unexpectedly) discovered he has stage 4 colon cancer. Doug needs $25,000 to cover overwhelming medical bills.  

Doug is an avid gamer and a major supporter of Shroud of the Avatar (an on-line game and community) since Kickstarter.  Doug has 7 accounts + add-ons (and no time/energy to play) and would like to sell them to help pay for his unexpected medical bills.  

As a community of SoTA players, we can help Doug (our fellow Avatar) relieve the pressure of finances and focus on what is important: healing and getting well.  

Our Mission 

We will buy Doug's accounts (via this GoFundMe drive) and hold a charity auction for all whom contribute in this campaign (donating $100 or more). All proceeds will go to Doug (up to 25K) and the remainder will be put into a charity for other Avatars who are in desperate need (per Doug's request). He only seeks to recoup his investment and then wants us to help others. 

About IronMaiden 

Doug is 53 years old, married with 1 son, and 3 beautiful grandkids: Daegan 6, Cora 2, and newborn Griffin.    

Dougs still runs a BBS (gamemastersrealm.com/client), collects old BBS game doors (BBSFiles.com), hosts game servers for Never Winter Nights (nordock.net), and game servers for Quake, Tribes 1, Tribes 2, Wolfenstein, Freelancer and even an old Shard for playing the Ultima Online Renaissance. Doug is an early backer of Shroud of the Avatar and has 9 accounts ranging from Lord of the Manor to Edelmann. 

Doug also hosts and runs the North Texas RPG Con (ntrpgcon.com) every year. 

Pledge Reward Levels: 

Avatars who pledge $25 or more will receive an exclusive, rare cloak in game. This cloak will be custom-colored (TBD), and carry the unique name: IronMaiden's Chemo Relief Fund. The style will be based-off of the ever-popular community events cloak:

Avatars who pledge $50 or more will receive a free pass to the North Texas RPG Con courtesy of Doug (travel and lodging not included). 

Avatars who pledge $100 or more will be invited to participate in an exclusive charity auction for Doug's accounts/deeds/add-ons. This auction will be commission free and provided by Shroud Marketplace.  

Reminder - Tavern Chat - Tonight 9PM Eastern - SWL gets some updates...

Its Wednesday, so that means another Tavern Chat from 9PM to 11PM, using that chat box on the right.

Topics?

Swords & Wizardry Light got some edits, updates and corrections to the Word file.

I got myself a Green Screen

Possibly Tavern Talk Uncut tomorrow night

Imaginary law enforcement with imaginary arrest warrants...

Plus whatever else the community decides.

See you then...