Torchlight Magazine - A Place for Slackers ;)

As I work on the writers' guidelines and such for Torchlight I wanted to mention something real quick. We'll be using an app called Slack for communication with contributors, whether its for Torchlight or with third parties that are working on independent Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light projects and want a link to myself and others to bounce questions / preview work / etc.

We will be using the free version of Slack, which I happen to think is pretty damn awesome.

It has Android and IOS apps as well as an app that runs on your browser, so we are well covered.

If you are a creative and wish to join the SWLight Slack Community, email me over at tenkarsDOTtavern at gmail. I'll get an invite to you within 24 hours.

RPGNow Deal of the Day - 2016 Dodecahedron Cartographic Review (Dyson Logos)

If you play RPGs, especially fantasy RPGs, you need the 2016 Dodecahedron Cartographic Review. I'm serious. Actually, you need just about all the maps that +Dyson Logos produces. They are, quite simply, amazing art that doubles as RPG maps.

This just released last week so this is fresh AND on sale! Normally $8.50 on sale for $4.25

From the blurb:

The 2016 Dodecahedron Cartographic Review is a 107-page curated collection of most of the maps and descriptions thereof that appeared on Dyson's Dodecahedron throughout 2016. Designed to be a letter-sized spiral bound book, this digital edition also includes a second version of the book where many of the maps have been resized (larger) to better fit the page once all the text has been removed.

Like the 2014 and 2015 Cartographic Reviews, this volume contains almost all the maps published to the website in 2016 except for one megadungeon map that is still incomplete at the time of publication. The PDF edition of these maps is provided as a convenience for readers of the blog and fans of RPG cartography and contains no exclusive content - everything in this PDF can be hunted down on the Dyson's Dodecahedron blog and downloaded at high resolution. What this collection gives you, however, is that material collected in one place, sequenced, and annotated from the notes on the blog.

5% of purchases made through The Tavern's affiliate links helps to fund The Tavern.

Kickstarter - Trinity of Awesome Returns! (Multiple Genre Adventure Collection)

For those following along at home, +Venger Satanis and I had a very nice breakfast and long talk at Gary Con. Surprisingly enough, or maybe not surprising at all, we have far more in common than we do differences. After all, gaming is the glue that binds us, one and all, as a community.

V's latest KS is Trinity of Awesome Returns! For as little as 7 bucks, you get three adventures in PDF format - "one eldritch science-fantasy scenario (Crimson Dragon Slayer), one retro sleazy sci-fi scenario (Alpha Blue), and one pulp / investigative horror scenario (The Outer Presence)."

If V has a strength, it is most certainly adventure writing and art choice. His art may occasionally disgust or offend, but the quality is never less than top notch.

I convert other RPG ruleset adventures on the fly to Swords & Wizardry and this shouldn't be any more difficult, which isn't difficult at all.

About 12 hours left on the KS. Blame post con sleep recovery for the delay in me getting to this posting ;)

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Post Gary Con Recap

Yep, that's me at Gary Con, at the resort that used to be a Playboy resort. Woot!

I've got some Swords & Wizardry news to share with the peanut gallery before putting it into blog post form, so if you want to get some info and other GC updates, drop into Tavern Chat tonight.

Sadly, this is NOT the shirt I was wearing when the cops from Seattle and Los Angeles "kidnapped" me for drinks. Ah well ;)

Tavern Chat - 9 PM Tonight, Eastern Time - Chat Box on the right side of the page.

ConManKen Wants to Make YOU a TV Host

What a fucktard! Wait, is that even a word?

Somehow #ConManKen can hook you up with a full time job hosting a geek show on TV? Oh wait - that's a "maybe"

If this were true Ken would find a way to make money from it. As I'm sure he is asking for money to provide the application info, I guess he has found his latest money making scheme.

Classic Kenny. How many typos?

Hey Ken, how's Marcus doing?

Gygax Memorial Fund and the Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust

It's frustrating when members of our community mix apples and oranges freely. The differences between the Gygax Memorial Fund and the Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust couldn't be huger, but the main point is - they are completely separate and independent entities even if the one calling the shots behind both of them is the same person.

The Gygax Memorial Fund Inc "is a public charity non-profit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. Contributions are fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. The fund's tax identification number is 30-0580070." That's a mouthful but it establishes it as a public charity recognized by the US government and subject to Wisconsin laws.

What actually defines section 501(c)(3)?

Religious, Educational, Charitable, Scientific, Literary, Testing for Public Safety, to Foster National or International Amateur Sports Competition, or Prevention of Cruelty to Children or Animals Organizations.

How does a memorial fall under this section? It's an interesting solution that was used for this.

The specific objectives and tax exempt purpose of this 501(C)(3) organization shall be:

• To commission and place a memorial in a public park of Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to honor Gary Gygax by commemoration of literary achievement in the creation of Dungeons & Dragons and other published works
• To maintain this memorial in perpetuity
• To sponsor informational events open to the public which focus on his work
• To engage in other activities related to educating the public about his achievement
• And to establish a scholarship program in his name for students with a demonstrated need for assistance to study at an accredited college or university.

Notice those last two bullets? That firmly establishes and defines the Gygax Memorial Fund as a 501(c)(3) for IRS purposes. It would be interesting to see the monies spent on those last two bullet points as I have heard little if any discussion of efforts to fulfill those objectives. The scholarship program should have been an easy one to kick off.

The Gail C. Gygax Revocable Trust is a strange beast, but the very nature of Revocable Trusts in the State of Wisconsin is strange:

What is a revocable living trust? 

A trust is a written document that names someone to be responsible for managing property for the benefit of others. A revocable living trust (also called a "living trust" or "revocable trust") is one type of trust. 

It's a "living" trust because you create it while you're alive. It's "revocable" because, as long as you're mentally competent, you can change or end the trust at any time, for any reason. You need no one's permission to do so unless you have created a joint trust with your spouse. In Wisconsin, a trust is revocable unless it specifically states it is irrevocable in the trust document. Usually a living revocable trust becomes irrevocable (not open to changes) when you die. 

A trust involves three parties: 

The settlor or grantor is you, the person who creates the trust. 

The trustee is the person who agrees to accept your property and manage it as the trust agreement directs. You can name more than one trustee, thus creating co-trustees who must act together. Usually you are the trustee during your lifetime. 

The beneficiaries are those who will receive the income from the property in the trust and, with your direction, the property itself.

It is the Trust, not the Fund, that controls Gary's IP. While the Fund is subject to public scrutiny, the Trust is not. Do NOT confuse the two. Gary's IP is not linked to the memorial and it never has been. While the Trust could, in theory, donate money to the Fund, the Fund could not give monies to the Trust.

Is the Gygax Memorial Fund still Funded? Where is the Audit?

I woke up to phone calls and private messages in regards to +Tim Kask  's post on Facebook. "What do you know? What can you tell us? who are the sources?"

Well, I spoke with Tim a little while ago and he revealed to me, in confidence, one of his sources and exactly what was said. His source is certainly legit and honest, but would only have direct knowledge if Gail divulged directly or if the source had access to "the books". While the first is certainly a possibly the second is unlikely - hell, I'm still waiting on the Magical Mystery Audit that was promised last April.

If Gail would like to communicate with me directly to explain this current supposition I am all ears. She most certainly knows how to find me, but I suspect she will put her head in the sand as is her standard operating procedure.

Alex Gygax is more than welcome to communicate with me. I met him on Saturday night at the hotel bar (I am fairly sure he did not initially know who I was and if he did, avoid playing poker with him ;) Alex seems genuinely interested in the Gygax Memorial and the Gygax Memorial Fund and ensuring it bears fruit. At the very least, he should be taking over communications for the Fund, as he seems to have both the energy and the interest to do so effectively.

Questions that are left unanswered often breed their own answers. This issue could be easily put to bed if Gail were to open the books. I'd be willing to sign a non-disclosure agreement to view said records and be able to say "all the monies are accounted for" or "there is a discrepancy" with no further details divulged. I don't think such a legal step is necessary, but with lack of public disclosure being the Fund's standard operating procedure, I figured I'd offer a potential solution to finding the truth the community so desperately desires.

As I've stated before, the Fund and the Trust are two entirely separate entities. I'll do a follow up post to explain this in full, but for now, remember the Fund is just the Memorial, not the IP.

Home From Gary Con - The Good Lord Works in Mysterious Ways - Or Was it Just Fate?

So, I left Lake Geneva this morning. Over breakfast I noticed my flight was going to be delayed a half hour, so when Uber arrived and asked if I wanted the scenic tour for a 5 minute longer trip, I said yes. My driver was a retired pilot from SouthWest Airlines - very interesting trip.

I get to the airport and breeze through security. Get to my gate, and notice my plane is now running an hour late. Sigh.

Here an announcement that seemed to indicate my flight was changing gates. "What a PITA!"

Get to the new gate and I was wrong. Its the previous flight to NYC, also delayed, with seats available. They were rebooking people to the flight that was leaving NOW! Woot!

Get on the plane, find my seat and sit down next to a young woman who asked me "Did you enjoy the Con?"

Yep. I had to go to Gary Con, have my flight delayed and my departure moved up, to find an RPG player from Brooklyn that also reads The Tavern. Not even star struck - I have +Harley Stroh for that ;)

Needless to say the flight was over before I knew it. Gave out seven copies of Swords & Wizardry Light as we disembarked. Rach and I should be gaming in a few weeks in Brooklyn at the Hinterlands Bar.

See, +Bill Webb ? I even evangelize 15,000 feet in the air ;)

Gary Con - Gygax House

Gary Con wrapped up today. I'll be giving some observations and recaps throughout the coming week.

Tonight we did a "drive-by" of the old Gygax House. It was a bit foggy. so maybe that's where we got the halo effect on the left side of the page. Interesting in any case.

Spent the midnight hours last night  drinking with a handful of gamer cops from Seattle and Los Angeles. Never would have expected to find them, or should I say have them find me. +Zach Glazar and +Michael Badolato thought #ConManKen had hired some hitmen to take me out as I was "borrowed" for a few minutes. Damn good time had by all.

Gary Con - Breakfast With the Devil and Goodman Games News

+Venger Satanis and I had breakfast together this morning. It was a great time and he awesome company. Now I just need to convert V to Swords & Wizardry Light ;)

Goodman Games had a few announcements today:

-The Lankmar Kickstarter is live. Heck, its funded almost immediately.

- B1 & B2 - Classic adventures from Basic Dungeons & Dragons will be reprinted faithfully to their original releases AND converted to Dungeons & Dragons 5e,

Woot!

Huge Goodman Game Announcement Later This Morning - Gary Con

+Harley Stroh is Awesome!

Goodman Games is making a huge announcement later this morning. Actually, pretty much all of their announcements are huge ;)

I'll try and sneak away from the Frog God Booth and post it here when I have the info.

Did I mention +Harley Stroh is fucking awesome? He is :)

Behind the Table and More - Gary Con

I'm gob smacked by the amazing people I've talked to at Gary Con and there are still 2 days to go. I know some folks say "pictures or it never happened, so here are some pictures ;)

Behind the Table

Pacesetter Games

The Original +Doug Kovacs 

Mutated +Jim Wampler 

+Lloyd Metcalf , Where is your hand?

+Bill Webb Holds Court before the inevitable Total Party Kill...

Gary Con Day One - Kinds Words From Frank and More

+Frank Mentzer  stopped by the Frog God booth today and gave me some amazing words of encouragement. Really appreciated and I'm very grateful. The old school is really a great community.

There is some exciting news for Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light that should get announced in the coming weeks. I am so psyched!

Met some great folks today. Haven't gamed yet but more importantly, I've spent time with fellow gamers and that is priceless.

Let's Talk Swords & Wizardry Light - Gary Con

Gary Con officially kicks off this morning. +Michael Badolato and myself will be walking the con (and hanging out at the Frog God's booth), looking to discuss and give away Swords & Wizardry Light goodness.

Find us. Chat us up.

We'll be walking around with free physical copies of Swords & Wizardry Light and other stuff.

Gary Con Day Zero - Setting up The Frog God

Today was spent setting up the Frog God booth here at Gary Con. There is a whole lota stuff here, so someone please buy it all - else we'll have to pack it up on Sunday ;)

Shook a lot of hands and caught up people I normally only see at NTRPG and the con doesn't officially kick off until tomorrow.

Expect lots of photos. Of course, many are on +Zach Glazar 's phone. Need to make that gnome work ;)

I'll try and follow up after dinner. If not, Day 1 of Gary Con is tomorrow. Woot!

We're Number 1 - Hottest Small Press (43rd Hottest Overall ;) - Pocket Creatures Volume 1

I woke up to a wonderful surprise. Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is currently (920 AM, March 21st, 2017) the Hottest Small Press seller over at RPGNow. (Number 43 overall)

Thank you all for your support. If something like this doesn't ignite creative fires, nothing will ;)

I head out to Gary Con early this afternoon, so posting will be sparse.

Thanks again. I'm all googlie inside ;P

We're Number 4! (Hottest Small Press)

As of 3/20/17, at approximately 1015 PM Eastern Time, Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is sitting at #4 for Hottest Small Press. While I know that position is fleeting, I just want to thanks everyone for their support.

Expect Pocket Creatures Volume 2 in a week - I'll push it live at RPGNow when I return from Gary Con.

The content for Volume 3 is mostly ready, but it will be the first one laid out with InDesign, so give me a few weeks to get a hang of that.

Remember, Pocket Creatures is laid out so that you can print it in booklet form if you would like - 4 pages, 1 sheet. Or if you have something like the Swords & Wizardry Legion folder (check out the Swords & Wizardry Legion Facebook Community) a single sheet per monster starts a nice Creature Collectanea :)

Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is Live on RPGNow - PWYW So Grab a Copy

Yep, Pocket Creatures Volume 1 is LIVE! Seems the process itself confused me and I missed a step in the submitting process, so it looked submitted but it wasn't. I'll know for next time. Which may be soon, as Volume 2 is ready to go ;)

Its PWYW, so really, there is no reason not to grab a copy.

Its for Swords & Wizardry Light but compatible with all the OSR systems.

A WTF!?! Kickstarter - Dungeons and dragons: the whispering ring

There is SO much wrong with the Dungeons and dragons: the whispering ring Kickstsarter (and yes, that is the exact title of it.) Let's see, where shall we start?

1 - Maybe the damn title itself? You can't call it Dungeons & Dragons (or Dungeons and dragons - its the same shit)

2 - Look at the pic above. Look at the spine of the book. Yep. Can't miss it, can you?

3 - Anyone want to take a stab at editing the pic below?

I count at least 11 edits needed. I may have missed one and I'm not counting awkward grammar.

4 - Kickstarter charges between 8% and 10% in fees. Something doesn't add up:

5 - Read what I highlighted below:

I thought the problems with universities and unprepared students were unique to the US. The person that is running this Kickstarter is graduating university in the UK and this is how they present their best, most professional side while begging for money using another company's property.

Hasbro shouldn't even bother with the takedown, as this won't even fund.

I needed this right before Gary Con ;)

edit - in the time it took me to type this post, they edited the title and the main graphic - doesn't change the piss poor editing...

Gary Con Prep Complete - Should Have 5 Alpha (pre-edit) Copies of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light to Give Out

Phew!

50 copies each of Pocket Creatures Volumes 1 & 2 printed and ready to go.

10 copies of the pre-edit Alpha of the Swords & Wizardry Continual Light rules. Five of those copies are spoken for by Frog God Games and associates, so five copies to give out (and maybe one more on Sunday if I give up my play copy) Again, this is the pre-edit version. There are typos fixed, editing changes and some rules changes in the final version (plus a page of optional rules) That being said, if you want a peek of what is coming up for SWL, track me down at Gary Con and you can page through SWCL (as well as get your Swords & Wizardry Legion pack)