Pacesetter Games & Simulations is Offering Three 1e Solo Modules at PWYW Pricing

From Bill Barsh, Pacesetter Games:

With the news of the cancellation, we at Pacesetter want to offer a few things for Gary Con attendees. We have modified our three AD&D solo modules on drivethrurpg to PAY WHAT YOU WANT. With so many groups shutting down, here is your chance to still play some AD&D. If you do decide to donate, we are donating all the proceeds to Gary Con charities - Wounded Warrior Project and Extra Life. These charities are definitely losing out and we are committed to doing what we can. As an Army veteran of two wars, I'm certainly attuned to the need. Let's all do what we can. Don't need the modules, please go to the charities directly. They always need the help. Again, thank you Luke Gygax and company.

If you can't donate, please grab the modules anyway! Fight some monsters, solve some mystery, grab some treasure, its what Gary would do!

https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/default.aspx?tsid=10043&fbclid=IwAR13ROZTkgD3YSQ7QaHE2t_4ZcX0hqM9-HyqzeTqwChDVVios5qUwh03dnw

https://www.extra-life.org/

Links to Modules:

I3-Ruins-of-the-Red-Moon

I2-Beyond-the-Black-Wall

I1-Grave-of-the-Green-Flame

Yep, those are affiliate links above. Affiliate links keep the beer cold and the heat on at The Tavern.

New - Castle Amber is the 5th Volume In the Goodman Games Original Adventures Reincarnated Line

Somehow I missed the announcement of the 4th volume in the OriginalAdventures Reincarnated Line (The Lost City) - Tenkar

You’ve speculated. You’ve wondered. You’ve waited. Now you get an answer.

Coming this September, Goodman Games will release Original Adventures Reincarnated #5: Castle Amber.

Intended for levels 3 through 7, Castle Amber was the adventure that launched the Mystara campaign setting and was the second adventure for the D&D Expert Set.

Here’s some text from the back cover:

They fled from the far-flung land of Averoigne: the Amber family, a bloodline of wizards and warriors persecuted for their dark sorcery and occult crimes. In their new world, they built a lavish manor for themselves, the fabulous Castle Amber. For a time, the Ambers flourished, their magical and military might having little equal. Then, however, jealousy and murder struck the heart of the family and the Curse of Stephen Amber descended upon the castle like a fell and heavy hand. Now, the Ambers dwell beyond space and time, imprisoned with their monstrously transformed servants and suffering under the family’s dead patriarch’s death-sent doom.

It is into this mad manor that the party awakens, plucked from their homeworld and imprisoned in the heart of Castle Amber. To escape, the heroes must negotiate a path through the insane Amber family home, overcoming the clan’s machinations, dangerous servants, cunning traps, and bizarre phenomena. Only by finding a way to break the Curse of Stephen Amber will the party be able to return home. Failure means a lifetime of imprisonment in Castle Amber, a place where lifetimes can be very short indeed…

Within its pages, you will find high-quality scans of the original first edition adventure module, plus commentary by renowned contemporary game designers and writers. A full fifth edition conversion of the original adventure is included, as well as brand new additional adventure encounters and an expanded Castle Amber.

The 5E translation is an homage to the original module X2: Castle Amber, as converted by Michael Curtis and Tim Wadzinski. The original module was written by beloved game designer Tom Molday in 1981 and partially inspired by the writings of acclaimed weird fiction author Clark Ashton Smith. Both the original module and OAR #5 feature cover artwork by Erol Otus.

This is the perfect old-school “funhouse dungeon” given new life for the fifth edition era. Won’t you please come in? The doors to OAR #5: Castle Amber open up in September.

Your Bartender is Corona Virus 19 Free - Time to Drink... later

Yep, the test results are in and I am Corona Virus 19 free.

Holy shit.

Still have viral & bacterial pneumonia, so expect me to be operating and less than usual energy levels for the near and intermediate future.

NEWS - Gary Con XII CANCELLED Due to the Increased Risks of COVID-19

From the Gary Con website:

As I said yesterday in a post about the public health emergency in Wisconsin, I would be posting an update within the next 24 hours. Gary Con is more than just a gaming convention, it is a celebration of the life and works of my Gary Gygax and his love of gaming.  The spirit that permeates Gary Con is one of close-knit camaraderie.  And it's that intimate atmosphere that has helped us grow so rapidly over the past years as more and more of you bring your friends and family to celebrate with us in the beautiful little resort town of Lake Geneva. As most of you know, this was my birthplace as well as the place where Dungeons & Dragons was created, in my first home on 330 Center Street. 

As I was saying, Gary Con attendees are our larger gaming family. And our highest priority has to be taking care of people and especially our family. The incredible staff, volunteers, and game masters, Gary Con has been proud to host the celebration of Gary’s life with a continued emphasis on creating fun, friendly and high-quality gaming experiences for our attendees. It is with that priority in mind that we have decided, after many hours of internal deliberation and consultation with the Grand Geneva leadership, that we should cancel this year’s event.  We decided that the health and well-being of our gaming family come first. We continued planning and did everything in our power to make Gary Con run as normal, we are convinced that following both government guidance and our own judgment concerning the COVID-19 virus is the best course of action.  I know this is very disappointing to all of you, as it is to us. We have invested hundreds of hours into bringing this celebration to life, and we will not see all of you at the Grand Geneva with smiles on your faces, rolling dice and forging friendships.  That is our real payment for the efforts put in between each Gary Con. We understand that this will impact all of you. You have taken vacation, made travel arrangements, prepared games and are looking forward to seeing your friends.  It also impacts our exhibitors, staff, the entire staff at the Grand Geneva, and the local community. It is not a decision we have made lightly; it is a decision based entirely on keeping people safe and healthy. We all wish that there was a viable option that allowed us to celebrate together as we have for the past 11 years.

The Grand Geneva Resort has been very supportive of our efforts every step of the way, and they continue to be a great partner to us.  They are releasing all rooms today at 7:30 pm without any cancellation fee.  Any reservation fees collected will be refunded and should be credited back to you within about 72 hours.  Anyone that wishes to re-book a room at the Grand for that week will be able to do so by calling the Grand Geneva.  The Gary Con room rates will be honored.

Your patience is appreciated during this time as we finalize the necessary details and logistics of how to go forward. We will have more concrete information by the end of next month. To the greatest extent possible, we currently plan to offer the following for attendees affected:

• All attendees with a GCXII (2020) badge will receive a discount for GCXIII (2021) badges. We have to assess the financial impacts before we can tell you what the discount percentage will be for 2021.  If you bought this year’s badge via a GM credit, we will rollover your badge credit for GCXIII.
• Gold, Platinum, and Diamond badge holders will be guaranteed first access to their current badge level. For example, if you were a gold badge this year, you will get priority registration for next year’s gold badges. We have to figure out the best way to do this so bear with us.
• We will mail swag bags to Gold, Platinum, and Diamond level badge holders if we have an address. We are going to bring in a part of the GC Staff to work over the weekend of March 26-28 to pack and ship the items.  We will use the most economical shipping to do so, so it may be some time before packages arrive.  For this reason, we are asking all attendees to update their badge information on TTE to include their address. To do this, please log into TTE, click your name in the top right corner, scroll to click your badge for Gary Con, then click “Edit” and select “Yes” for sharing private information, then enter your address. If you have trouble with this, please fill out this form instead.
• We will reimburse those attendees who paid additional funds for events, such as for RPEX.
• We will get all GCXII swag up on the Bazaar by March 17th. We will have big discounts on Gary Con merchandise, so please make sure to go to the website and shop at the Bazaar.  It’s one of the ways to help us recover from the damage inflicted by the cancellation and you get cool swag.

We also would like to offer some sort of gaming experience for everyone who has the weekend off. This will take place over Virtual Gary Con, an enterprise in its second year. Badges for Virtual Gary Con are separate, but they are free and can be purchased at this link. Every single virtual player and GM will receive a virtual swag pack of materials worth $60+ donated by generous sponsors.

• If you were scheduled to run events in person and had registered enough events to earn GM rewards, we will be evaluating options to show our appreciation.
• If you are willing to GM over the free Roll20 platform or another platform of your choice, please look at the Virtual Gary Con getting started guide. We will be releasing a rewards structure for virtual events soon.
• If you are interested in playing an online game, you can sign up for events at this link.
• We are currently working with our special guests to see who would be able to run virtual gaming events over the weekend. Please keep your eye on the schedule online to see what becomes available!
• We understand that running virtual events might be new to many attendees, so we encourage you to use the Gary Con Facebook Group Mentorship tabs, Gary Con forums, and Discord channel to support one another. If you have run virtual events before, please chime in to help others learn. We hope to have more resources up on the Virtual Gary Con TTE page soon as well.

We would also like to acknowledge that Gary Con is not the only entity affected by this decision. We have very generous sponsors and dedicated vendors. If you are planning to make gaming or art-related purchases, please consider supporting our sponsors and vendors as they will be losing significant income with all the cons that are canceling. Additionally, we will not be able to host our auction benefiting Extra Life or the Wounded Warrior Project so please consider making a donation. The Geneva Lake Museum has also just invested significant resources in an exhibit dedicated to Gary Gygax, so please consider supporting them as well.

We thank the Grand Geneva for partnering with us to work through this situation, as well as our sponsors, exhibitors, guests, and attendees.  It is important to understand that the Gary Con team remains committed to this event. With your help, we will be able to return next year to celebrate the life and works of Gary Gygax. We are determined to see Gary Con return, thrive, and run long into the future.

Sincerely,

Luke Gygax & the Gary Con Staff

Luke Gygax Statement re: Gary Con and CV-19

Shared on Facebook

Gary Con began as a small gathering of friends and family after my father’s funeral in 2008. What was a few people playing games and swapping stories about my Dad at the American Legion has become something far greater. Gary Con brings all of us together once a year to celebrate the life and works of my father. People from around the globe travel to Lake Geneva to see where it all began. This little resort town was the place where D&D was created and the company TSR was founded- and you can actually go play D&D at my childhood home on 330 Center Street.

The close-knit atmosphere and camaraderie at Gary Con has caused us to grow rapidly over the past few years. Thanks to a dedicated and hardworking staff, lots of volunteers, GM’s and attendees- we’ve gone from a single game day on Saturday (Gary Con I) to one of the fastest-growing and most popular gaming conventions in the country. All the time we’ve remained true to what my Dad always wanted people to understand; There’s always room at the table, that strangers are friends you haven’t made yet, and our family is oftentimes more than just the people we share blood with.

All of us involved with Gary Con are concerned with the spread of the Covid-19. When I posted about it on Saturday night we didn’t know what the next few days would bring. Many of you have expressed a need to forgo coming to the show this year due to concerns and we certainly understand. For many of our international attendees, a trip outside their own country may prove to be difficult to return from. As we said on Saturday night, each attendee must assess their personal situation in regards to attending.

So where are we right now? Currently, we are still assessing the situation and working with the Grand Geneva to determine the way ahead. Our contract with the Grand Geneva is part of our reason to stay the course as canceling the show without a ban on gathering by government authority we can’t cancel without penalties. The penalties would cripple us at best, and quite possibly be the end of the road entirely.

Some of you have mentioned Adepticon, a wargaming miniatures show that takes place the same weekend of Gary Con, announced earlier today they were canceling their show. A key difference between Adepticon and Gary Con is that the state of Illinois has forbidden any gathering of more than 1000 people for the next 30 days. Wisconsin has yet to take that strong of a measure. So the Grand Geneva would be able to sue us if we cancel because Wisconsin hasn’t forbidden the gathering, just recommended against it.

If the state of Wisconsin enacts a policy forbidding a gathering of large numbers of people that then allows both parties in our contract to abide by the “force majeure” language of our contract which then nullifies our agreement due to the action of a higher power. (In this case the state of Wisconsin.)

Please know that all your concerns are being read and weighed in our thoughts on how we are going forward. We have a meeting Friday morning with the senior management of the Grand Geneva. We feel certain that the next 24 hours will see us, partnered with the leadership at the Grand Geneva, making the best decision for our attendees, our volunteers, our family, and the community. We ask you to remain patient as we make our roll for traps check, and find the best path forward.

Sincerely,

Luke Gygax

State of the Tavern Keeper - Released from ICU - Self Isolates awaiting CDC Test Results

I woke up in good spirits this morning, undampened by the soggy waffle I had for breakfast. What can I say, I was hungry.

Just before noon, the doc came into my room, asked a few general questions, listened to my lungs and then mentioned that patients that are asymptomatic and are waiting on CDC testing results for Corona Virus screening are sent home to self isolate while waiting for the results.

Yes, I asked if that meant I was going home. It did and I was.

When I was discharged I saw that in addition to pneumonia - both viral and bacterial, I also had acute sepsis. Phew, bullet dodged.

Tonight (Thursday, March 12, 2020) I'll be hosting a Tavern Chat Hangout on the Tavern's Discord Server at 9PM Eastern. I'm in a very good mood :)

That being said, I am beat to hell. I'll be keeping a light schedule for the next week or two.

Thanks for all of the kind thoughts, good wishes, and prayers. It all helped and is greatly appreciated.

Tavern Closed for Pneumonia

State of The Tavern Keeper - In ER with Pneumonia

Title pretty much says it all.

Left lung. Awaiting results of X-rays and bloodwork.

I’ll post an update when I’m released.

I’ll never mock Con Crud again ;)

News - Free League Signs Deal to Publish RPGs in Tolkien's Middle-Earth

From the Free League website

Free League Publishing today announced a partnership with Sophisticated Games to publish tabletop roleplaying games set in Middle-earth and based on the books by J.R.R. Tolkien. Francesco Nepitello, author of the game series alongside Marco Maggi, will continue as its lead designer.

"We are thrilled to be working with Sophisticated Games and Francesco Nepitello to bring to life a new edition of The One Ring and its 5E iteration. We grew up with J.R.R. Tolkien's iconic works and we're huge fans of the original version of the game. We have a very similar approach to game design as Francesco and we're convinced that we can create something truly special together," Free League’s CEO Tomas Härenstam says.

“Free League shares all our values. Values which are vital in interpreting the most extraordinary fantasy world ever created, one that is of enduring interest throughout the world in every language. Working with Free League’s highly talented team we look forward to continuing the work we began a decade ago, with the publication of The One Ring," says Sophisticated Games' MD Robert Hyde.

The agreement will go into effect from June 1, 2020. Products and release dates will be announced at a later time.

For questions and interview requests, please email to pr@frialigan.se

News - Gary Con & Grand Geneva Actions to Mitigate Risk at GC XII

Taken directly from the Gary Con website as of March 7, 2020.

There is a lot of attention on infectious diseases this cold and flu season, including COVID-19 (aka Coronavirus), and we have addressed several attendees' questions about it.  We wanted to let everyone know publicly how we are working with the Grand Geneva staff to take actions to mitigate the risk of contracting an infectious disease while at the Grand Geneva Resort to celebrate Gary Con. 

We are currently acting based on information from the CDC as found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/summary.html 

The CDC makes the following recommendations that are good guidelines for everyone, including attendees, staff, and volunteers at Gary Con.

• It’s currently flu and respiratory disease season and the CDC recommends getting a flu vaccine, taking everyday preventive actions to help stop the spread of germs, and taking flu antivirals if prescribed. Please read these carefully and follow them.  These are relatively simple and believed to be the best defense against infectious diseases.  Good hygiene and proper hand washing are a must. 
• Individuals and communities should familiarize themselves with recommendations to protect themselves and their communities from getting and spreading respiratory illnesses like coronavirus disease 2019.
• Older people and people with severe chronic conditions should take special precautions because they are at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.
• If you are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 and develop symptoms of COVID-19, call your healthcare provider and tell them about your symptoms and your exposure.

In addition to those guidelines, Gary Con asks:

• If you are exhibiting flu-like symptoms, and especially the two main, known symptoms of COVID-19, a high fever, and a dry cough, that you stay home. It is important that you not expose others to the risk of getting sick because you decided to disregard their health and safety.
• If you live in a community where Coronavirus cases have been documented and you may have been exposed to it, we would ask you to weigh your attendance vs. possibly exposing other attendees. Be aware that people infected with the Coronavirus can be contagious with no external symptoms for an extended period of time. 
• If you suffer from chronic conditions, possess a compromised immune system, are recovering from a major illness or hospitalization or have respiratory issues we urge you to consult with your medical provider before deciding to attend Gary Con. If you are in a higher risk category please strongly consider staying home this year.  

While attending Gary Con XII we encourage attendees to minimize physical contact with other attendees. (Shaking hands, hugs, etc.) A simple wave is a good way to greet fellow Seekers!

Please be prepared! Attendees should bring appropriate amounts of hand sanitizer, germ-killing wipes and similar materials for their unique and individual needs. Gary Con has purchased hand sanitizer for the staff and volunteers, as well as several hundred travel size bottles for Guests and GMs.  There is a high demand for hand sanitizer at retail outlets and many are sold out.  So once again it is wise to bring a sufficient personal supply to last you all four days. The steps being taken by Gary Con in partnership with the Grand Geneva are outlined below.

Attendees exhibiting flu-like symptoms may be asked to leave Gary Con if they are not taking reasonable steps to protect others such as wearing a mask to contain their cough. 

When the Coronavirus outbreak first became news, we began working on an action plan with the Grand Geneva to come up with a plan. Below is a statement from The Grand Geneva to Gary Con.

Due to the recent issues surrounding the Coronavirus, as a precaution, we have introduced enhanced prevention measures and cleaning protocols to ensure the highest safety standards. Our actions are consistent with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), best practices within the hospitality industry and our Corporate risk management team.

The CDC continues to emphasize that, at this time, the Coronavirus poses a low risk of exposure to most people in the U.S. The well-being of our guests and associates is a top priority. While we don’t foresee any issues with Gary Con, we are monitoring the situation very closely and are prepared to take additional steps as new information and best practices emerge.

Steps we have taken to date:
• Educated our managers and associates per guidelines and information provided by the
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) which included:
 What You Need to Know About Coronavirus
 What to Do if You Are Sick with Coronavirus
 Stop The Spread of Germs
 Symptoms of Coronavirus

Contained within this information are reminders for associates on proper hand hygiene,
what the symptoms look like, to stay home if sick and the importance of properly
cleaning high-touch surfaces.

To support the communication of the above information, posters have been placed in all
associate areas.
• Enhanced hotel cleaning guidelines specific to Coronavirus have been created by our
partners at Ecolab which is being used to retrain staff. This includes increasing frequency
with which public areas are cleaned.
• Associates are being retrained on the proper use of personal protective equipment to
include gloves, goggles, and masks.
• Antibacterial soap has been provided in all public area bathrooms and associate locker
rooms and hand sanitizer stations have been placed in public areas.

We hope that the above measures address any concerns regarding the proper handling of the Coronavirus.

Gary Con is about family, friends and fellow game aficionados coming together to celebrate the life and works of Gary Gygax. By taking these reasonable steps we feel confident that Gary Con XII will be a great experience for everyone! We look forward to welcoming you to Gary Con in Lake Geneva in just a few days from now.

State of the Tavern Keeper - Upper Respiratory Infection Day 15

I never thought I'd be typing this 2 weeks after getting my URI diagnosis while enjoying Total Con, but here we are on the 15th day of Con Crud. Ughhh! I'm finally averaging over 4 hours of sleep each night this week - last week was consistently under 3 hours a night. No more snap, crackle pop coming from my lungs, but the wheeze still sneaks in after a couple hours of sleep.

Just as an FYI, I've been a miserable fuck with little energy to do anything other than sit and bing watch on-demand shows. It takes all I have to put together a short podcast and a quick post every day, although I do seem to be getting some energy back over the past few days.

To put thigs into perspective, the last time I left my house was the Monday after the con to see my own doc, who just confirmed what the Urgent Care doc said 2 days prior. If nearly 2 weeks effectively self quarantining sounds like fun, it isnt. That being said, I run short on breath when walking even short distances, so staying home simply makes sense.

This means re-punting Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day, yet again. I'm going to aim for the weekend of March 28th, 2020, as I strongly suspect next week will continue the slow but steady improvement in my health and energy levels but I literally do not know when I'll be back to 100%. Le sigh...

I've got a number of pending Fireside Chats to schedule for the Tavern Chat Podcast. I don't want to schedule anything until my breathing improves a tad more. Another le sigh...

For those waiting on me to accomplish things, and there are more than a few, I apologize. Apparently, I don't multitask well with being sick.

Tenkar

Kickstarter - Monsters! Monsters rpg & "Toughest Dungeon in the World" solo

For those that somehow don't already know this, I'm a huge Tunnels & Trolls fan. I own original copies of the Tunnels & Trolls 2nd print (Ken's play copy), 4th print, multiple versions of 5e and 5.5e. the tin and cardboard boxes from Fiery Dragon and of course T&T Deluxe. I own first prints of most of the original T&T adventures. Yes, I really enjoy me some T&T.

So it is safe to say I am am excited to see the Monsters! Monsters rpg & "Toughest Dungeon in the World" solo Kickstarter go live and at VERY reasonable backer levels. Both books in PDF for 8 bucks or both books in Print -and shipping free in the US with PDFs for 29 bucks. 37 bucks if you want both books signed by Ken St Andre and Steve Crompton (there are levels between for one book or the other, but trust me, you'll want both). Tell me I don't want the signed leather copy. Sigh. Rach will kill me ;)

In 1976 Ken St Andre, the creator of the 2nd oldest role-playing game, Tunnels & Trolls created a companion game to T&T, called Monsters Monsters! It was first published by Metagaming Concepts and then again by Flying Buffalo in 1979. The game remained unchanged from then until now...   

It's 2020 - Ken St. Andre has worked since the 1970's to make games that are better for the players; for example, the Origins  award-winning Stormbringer for Chaosuim, and Computer Hall of Fame Wasteland for Electronic Arts/Interplay. (It was the first post-apocalyptic rpg.) Plus Deluxe Tunnels & Trolls for Flying Buffalo. Now he  has updated and created a new edition of Monsters! Monsters! that retains much of its original appeal and structure, but with all new art and new options like stunting and monster chaos factor. 

The new M! M! rules also lists 38 monster kindreds you can play, gives you their dice modifiers and now each monster has a special power unique to its kindred. Each monster is described in a separate section. Its also better organized and easier to use. (For example - now the monsters are separated into humanoid and non-humanoid types)  There are two character sheets you can use along with specialized charts that allow you to roll up  various types of Monsters based on many common frpg environments.  And before this Kickstarter is over, we may have some other exciting surprises to add to the book if we reach some of our stretch goals...

In 1980 Judges Guild published "The Toughest Dungeon in the World" a solitaire adventure that was meant to be played with Monsters! Monsters! or Tunnels & Trolls. Since then several new editions of T&T have come out and Ken St Andre was inducted into the Origins Hall of Fame. Ken is one of the last standing creators of the first generation of role-playing game designers and is still working on the classic games he created.  Now, 40 years later, Ken has updated and enhanced this classic adventure and the Monsters Monsters Rules. Artists Phil Longmeier and Steve Crompton have enhanced it with new illustrations and graphics more suitable for a monster-mash solo adventure. This new edition is at least 44 pages long and will keep any player busy for a lot of adventure in caverns and tunnels deep below Trollworld. The Lord of Shadows dwells in the depths - can you avoid his power or will you be corrupted by it?  One other thing we should add is that you can play this solo with the Tunnels &Trolls rules or the Monsters! Monsters! rules, so you don't have to learn a whole new rpg to play.  

Project status: Just to let you all know - these books are DONE.  The rules are written, the art is finished and the layout is complete.  We will be able to send this to the printers a few weeks after this Kickstarter is funded.  All we need to know is how many of each book to print. We also want to add the backers' who paid to have their names listed in the book our Monster Benefactor thank you section.  This Kickstarter is open to shipping anywhere in the USA.  (We will soon have an update that details how overseas fans will be able to order as well.) 

Kickstarter - Tiny Cthulhu

Cosmic Horror meets the minimalist TinyD6 RPG system in Tiny Cthulhu!

I really enjoy the TinyD6 system. Heck, it's one of the few "modern" systems that I pretty much grocked with little difficulty. Then there is Cthulhu. A very popular setting, I do believe Evil Hat has done a Kickstarter for a FATE driven Cthulhu RPG. Screw FATE - that system really makes no sense to me ;)

Gallant Knight Games is bringing us a TinyD6 Cthulhu RPG via Kickstarter. I'm over it like game designers on public domain horror resources ;)

I guess I'm adding to my TinyD6 collection...

15 bucks for the PDF. 40 bucks for SC Print plus PDF. 60 bucks for SC Print, PDF, Tiny Cthulhu d6 and a GM Screen. Need I say at what level I'm backing?

Using the rules in this book, you'll be able to play investigators, doomed heroes, and classic cosmic horror characters of all types, from scientists and librarians, to WWI veterans, to mysterious guardians defending the world from the dark powers of cthonic entities!

Character creation is simple, fast, and exciting. You pick your character archetype based on the exciting stories your Game Master is going to tell, you pick a few Traits that each grant a single benefit, and you're done! 

Tiny Cthulhu features a myrid of settings set throughout the world and history, ranging from prehistory to the Bronze Age,  Age of Sail, World War 1, modern day, as well as fantasy, superheroes and the science fiction future! 

You can survive cosmic horror in any time or place! (Lucky you!) 

Additionally, each setting will have appendices that details how you can integrate other TinyD6 books like Tiny Dungeon 2e, Tiny Supers, and Tiny Frontiers: Revised with Tiny Cthulhu to create robust and unique experiences

Kickstarter - Midderlands 5e

If you are a regular reader of The Tavern, you've seen me talk about the Midderlands before. It's Glynn Seal's "weird fantasy" setting and was written with the OSR in mind. This time around the Midderlands are getting the 5e treatment, and I couldn't be happier.

Fifth Edition needs a setting that breaks the mold and yet feels familiar, and the Midderlands 5e Kickstarter will do just that. There's a whole world of future Midderlands fans that will be introduced to Glynn's work through this Kickstarter and I couldn't be happier.

This Kickstarter is being run by Frog Gd Games under its Necromancer Games subsidiary label.

20 bucks for the PDF, for bucks (plus shipping) for the Print plus PDF.

The Midderlands 5e
Necromancer Games is proud to team up with Glynn Seal to bring the ENnie Award winning Swords & Wizardry weird fantasy setting, the Midderlands, to Fifth Edition. This strange and wondrous setting is edgy and twisted and will make a perfect addition for those looking for something new and challenging for their home campaigns. The Fifth Edition version comes with a ton of new art, a fresh layout, and updated maps.  It still has all the green style of the original! 

Words from the Author 

The Midderlands exists because of a series of fortunate thoughts. 

It was mid-late 2016 and often I would go around to my partner’s house on the evenings and whilst she sat on the sofa watching the television, I doodled the heads of strange creatures in side profile. 

I had no plan for these doodles, but I had a sketchbook and I wanted to fill quite a lot of it. As I doodled, I imagined that these creatures might live in the surrounding lands where I lived. That gave them much more life. I then thought I cou 

ld create a book of creatures with a little about where they live and what they do.
Then I figured that rather than living in the land where I do now, why not an alternate version of where I live. It would be a bit weirder, darker, gloomier. I wanted something that made the land the way it did. That’s when Gloomium became a thing. 

The locations would be inspired by the real world, but twisted and green-tinged, so I needed a map. I made an alternative version and that’s when I decided this was a game setting. 

------- 

The creation of the initial setting book for old school games – the 5E version of which is being crowdfunded here – spawned another book which covered the rest of the United Kingdom, and then a further book which focused on the setting’s version of London, Great Lunden. 

I have been amazed with its success and wanted to bring a version of the original to the 5E audience, so they too could enjoy wandering its twisted locales and encounter its unusual creatures. I just wasn’t sure how to achieve it. 

Luckily, the kindly amphibians at Necromancer Games came to the rescue and we are now in a great position to bring a new version of the setting to you. My hands will be heavily involved in new and updated artwork and maps and a new layout. 

This is going to be exciting and you won’t want to miss out.
—Glynn 

Kickstarter - Ascendant (Superhero RPG)

A new superpowered role-playing game of infinite possibilities.

I've always had mixed feelings about superhero RPGs. Usually, they were too many dice (Champions) or had random powers (V&V). TSR's Marvel Superheros probably hit the sweet spot, and as much as I thought I wouldn't like the color-coded charts, they grew on me and became second nature.

Yesterday, Autarch launched a superhero RPG Kickstarter - Ascendant - and it has its own color-coded chart. Heck, they forwarded me a PDF of the rules - when I'm healthy I'll delve into them - but at first glance, they look solid.

20 bucks for the PDF, 40 for POD w/ PDF, 60 for the limited HC w/PDF.

Deal of the Day - Magical Industrial Revolution (OSR)

There has simply been a huge OSR presence in the recent Deal of the Day promotions over at DTRPG. Today is no different. Well, Magical Industrial Revolution is OSR but it IS different ;)

Normally 15 bucks in PDF, until tomorrow morning Magical Industrial Revolution is 9 bucks.

This book is about Atlantis before the tide turned. It’s about Hyperborea before it vanished between dimensions. It’s about Nu Yark Citee before the Mushroom Bombs hit. 

It’s a setting guide to the greatest and most ambitious city in the world: Endon. It’s about a world slowly tipping onto its side, and all the interesting things that begin to slide at the start of a revolution. It’s about people with grand dreams pushing the boundaries of the possible, and the strange machines and devices they create along the way. 

But mostly, it’s about magic. 

Magical Industrial Revolution: A Pre-Apocalyptic Setting Guide contains a wealth of information to supplement Role Playing Games, including: 

• Maps, People, Buildings, Dungeons, Factions, and Villains of Endon
• Eight Pre-Apocalyptic Innovations
• Hundreds of Magic Items and Spells
• Rules for Magical Industry
• Useful Tools for Urban Campaigns
• Horrible Monsters and Nightmarish Creatures
• And much, much more. 

By Skerples, the author of the CoinsandScrolls blog, Tomb of the Serpent Kings, Kidnap the Archpriest, Epochrypha, and Magical Murder Mansion. Art by Jonathan Newell, Logan Stahl, & Luka Rejec. Editing, layout, and incalculably valuable assistance by David Shugars. Additional editing by Fiona Geist. 

Three very useful pamphlets featuring magical industrial tips, hanging ballads, and local attractions are provided along with the 156 page book. The PDF is fully optimized and bookmarked.

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Kickstarter - Face Folio (100 Fantasy Portraits for Tabletop Role-playing Games)

When it comes to RPG material that really catches my attention, inspirational releases grab my attention more often than anything else. I prefer stuff that enhances my campaign - so something like the Face Folio Kickstarter is perfect for my needs.

So, what do you get with Face Folio?

Face Folio is a simple project with a simple goal: to provide 100 fantasy portraits for use in your tabletop role-playing games. Referees are always on the lookout for NPC faces to show their players and players are always looking for portraits for their character sheets. This project aims to meet that need. 

The portraits will be organized into the following sets: 

• Human NPCs/PCs
• Dragon-blood
• Dwarf
• Elf 
• Gnome
• Halfling 
• Orc-blood
• Demon-blood 
• Human nobles
• Human peasants and towns folk 

Each set will contain ten portraits, half male and half female. With the exception of the human nobles and peasants, the portraits will be a spread of adventuring classes. 

The Zine will have a simple elegant layout with 10 portraits per two-page spread, and organized in the above groups. There will be no blocks of text and no fluff to get in the way. That way this book can be used right at the table, as and when needed, for example when the referee suddenly needs an NPC to drop into the game.  

We are using a single artist to do all the artwork. This is because MARCINs is a wonderfully talented artist and because we want there to be a coherent and unified style to the whole project.

It's about 7 bucks in PDF, Print plus PDF is about 12 bucks shipped. I'm in for a print copy.

Deal of the Day - Curse of Mistwood (DCC RPG)

Wow, it been a busy couple of days for the OSR when it comes to DTRPG's Deal of the Day promotion. Today it is the Curse of Mistwood for the DCC RPG. Normally 12.99 in PDF, until tomorrow morning Curse of Mistwood is on sale for 5.20

Curse of Mistwood is the second adventure in the Mistwood Series. It can be played as a continuation of The Trolls of Mistwood or as a standalone adventure. With 70 pages of adventure and over 20 pages of patrons, spells and magic items, Curse of Mistwood has enough material to be its own campaign setting. 

A dark power has stirred in Mistwood. An evil so great that not only is the quiet waterside village at risk but perhaps the world itself. Once more adventurers must heed the call to arms, risking everything to thwart the plans of a much greater foe. Will the adventurers have the courage to seek the source of Mistwood's woes, or will they be consumed trying? 

Designed for adventurers from 4th to 6th level, Curse of Mistwood will challenge higher level characters and rack up the body count for larger, less experienced groups.
Features: 

• Mystery and excitement compatible with Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG but easily converted to other systems
• 100 pages of cunning crones, eerie swamps, shadowy villains and a visit to another world
• Beautifully rendered isometric maps by Brian Van Hunsel and Del Teigeler
• New magic items and curses to share amongst your players
• Detailed history and description of Mistwood and the surrounding region

Don't forget your change of pants!

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Deal of the Day - Dead In The Water (MCC RPG)

Tim Snider. The man, the myth, the amazing GM. Time Master, Toon, Mutant Future and more - no system will lay abandoned in his hands. Or something like that. Tim is, quite simply, "good folk" and I like to support good folk. Besides, Tim was my wife Rachel's first GM. :)

Today's Deal of the Day is Dead in the Water, a funnel for the Mutant Crawl Classics RPG by none other than Tim Snider. Normally 6.99 in PDF, until tomorrow morning you can get it for 3.49. Now THAT is a deal ;)

Mindless, water-logged abominations have been coming ashore, attacking fishing villages along the coast of The Rainbow Sea, then dragging their victims off to a watery doom. Your ragtag party of post-apocalyptic Seekers have been tasked with stopping the invasion. Perhaps the answer can be found on the legendary Island of Fire. 

Dead In The Water is a beginning funnel adventure for 12 to 16 0-level Seekers. This product is compatible with the Mutant Crawl Classics Role-Playing Game (MCC RPG).

Deal of the Day - Winter's Daughter (Old-School Version)

I apologize for not getting to this earlier in the day.

Winter's Daughter by Necrotic Gnome is today's deal of the day. Normally 8.50 for the PDF, through tomorrow morning it is 4.25.

The tomb of an ancient hero, lost in the tangled depths of the woods. A ring of standing stones, guarded by the sinister Drune cult. A fairy princess who watches with ageless patience from beyond the veil of the mortal. A forgotten treasure that holds the key to her heart. 

Winter's Daughter is a romantic fairy-tale dungeon adventure set in the creepy old forest of Dolmenwood. 

• Suitable for characters of 1st to 3rd level.
• Encompasses woodland, tomb, and fairy otherworld—all in one handy package!
• Keyed in a quick-reference, bullet point format.
• Statted for Old-School Essentials (B/X), usable with any vintage adventure game.
• Illustrated by the otherworldly Mish Scott.
• Cartography by the mycotic Karl Stjernberg.