OSR Christmas 2025 - Day 1

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas :) Rach and I took my parents out for hibachi (today is my mother's birthday), and we drove around Howard Beach afterward, looking at the various Griswald Christmas Displays. Now that we're home, it's time to Kick-Off OSR Christmas 2025!

To be eligible to be gifted for Day 1 of OSR Christmas, you must comment below - anything qualifies so long as it's in the Holiday spirit. Comments must be posted by Monday, December 16th, at 8 PM ET. Gifts will be randomly gifted from a list of those who correctly commented. Gifts will be gifted Monday evening, and the next set of gifts will be posted, so check back frequently. 

Gift 1 - Dragonlock Lost Caverns: Master Set FDG0410 ($50.00)

Gift 2 - Frog God Games 50% Off Coupon

Gift 3 - Frog God OSR Holiday Bundle ($50.00) in PDF includes How Orcus Stole Christmas, Orcus on 34th Level, Orcus in a Winter Wonderland, Beware of the Yule Cat, The 12 Days of Orcus

Gift 4 - $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate

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Free OSR - Blackmarsh (Sandbox Setting by Rob Conley)

Truth in advertising - I've known Rob Conley for over a decade and consider Rob a close friend. Blackmarsh is an OSR Sandbox and one of the finest sandboxes ever written. Coming in at less than 40 pages, it packs a campaign worth of adventuring within its relatively sparse pages. It should be noted that Blackmarsh is also available in soft-cover for 6.99 and hard-cover for 11.99.

In the days when man knew only the working of stone and fought for their existence against the orc and the goblin, the sky turned to ash and down fell the fiery mountain onto the land. The world tore open and the grey waters rushed in. Those who survived the impact were lost as boiling clouds rushed out in all directions leaving a wasteland in its wake.

The Mountain That Fell left a gift; magic. Near and far, those of learning and strong of heart discovered new powers to shape the world. In the desolation around the Smoking Bay the adventurous found viz, magic in physical form. And there was more, scattered amid the landscape were strange artifacts and stranger creatures that survived The Mountain That Fell. For a time men, dwarves, orc, goblins, and other races braved the dangers and fought each other in the wastelands. Then the elves came into Blackmarsh expelled the feuding races, drove the monsters out, and healed the land.

In the present day, many come to Blackmarsh to harvest viz, kill monsters, or seek the strange artifacts left by The Mountain That Fell. The only force that stands against the wilderness is the Blackmarsh Rangers. Anyone who is willing to defend the land and its people are welcomed into their ranks. Powerful kingdoms outside of Blackmarsh are beginning cast a covetous eyes toward the land's riches. Will the adventurers of your campaign become wealthy and powerful? Or will their bones join the many that have sunk into the swamps?

Blackmarsh is a complete, ready to run setting for your campaign. It can be run as its own setting or an expansion of your existing world. Contained in Blackmarsh are 17 geographical entries, 78 described locales, and one detailed town; Castle Blackmarsh. Each entry provide one or more adventure hooks to use in your campaigns.

Rob's Note: If you can afford it the hardcover print option comes with two blank pages in the front and three blank pages in the back that you can use for handwritten notes. The inside covers are also blank. The printing process for hardcovers wraps a heavy paper protector between the covers and the first and last pages of the book.

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Bundle of Holding - The One Ring™ 2E

I'm excited to see The One Ring 2e RPG at Bundle of Holding. I'm looking forward to snagging the Starter Collection and Bonus Collection.

Strider Mode allows for solo gaming. Hmmmm.

Adventurer! The One Ring™ Second Edition (2022) from Free League Publishing is the official tabletop roleplaying game based on the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Designed specifically to evoke the atmosphere of The Hobbit™ and The Lord of the Rings™, the game contains rules for creating heroes and sending them off on adventures in Eriador, west of the Misty Mountains – a land threatened by the growing Shadow. This new offer brings you the beautifully illustrated full-color The One Ring 2E rules set plus recent sourcebooks and adventures for a great price.

For just US$7.95 you get all five titles in our Starter Collection (retail value $46) as DRM-free .PDFs, including the complete The One Ring Second Edition Core Rules (plus the Character Lifepaths and Peoples of Wilderland), along with two titles previously in our February 2023 One Ring Starter Bundle: the Loremaster's Screen & Rivendell Compendium and the Strider Mode solitaire rules.

And if you pay more than the threshold price of $18.67, you'll level up and also get two more supplements worth an additional $40: Gareth Hanrahan's location guide Ruins of the Lost Realm and its companion adventure anthology, Tales from the Lone-lands.

 

Time Limited Bundle - Shadowrun 5e - 17 PDFs 18 Bucks

This year, Humble Bundle has added some time-limited bundles to its selection. Sure, most bundles last two weeks or so, but with these, it's generally about 48 hours or so.

Shadowrun 5e is one of those Time Limited Bundles. You get 17 titles in PDF, including the core rules, for 18 bucks.

Enjoy!

Tenkar

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Updated With More Gifts! OSR Christmas 2024!

Update - We have two more publishers in the mix - North Wind Adventures & BRW!

I'm still gathering some info from some last-minute gifters. OSR Christmas will run from December 14th, 2024, through January 6th, 2025, give or take. Restream has yet to have a giveaway tool like Streamyard, so the giveaways will be here on the blog side, AS WELL AS The Tavern's Substack.

So far, the gifters include:

North Wind Adventures / Hyperborea

$125 worth of Hyperborea PDFs via DTRPG - You Pick!

BRW Games

The New Adventures Dark and Deep Core Rulebook and Core Bestiary in pdf. 

(Not even been released to the public yet)

Fat Dragon Games (3 sets of each = 12 Days)

Dragonlock Lost Caverns: Master Set FDG0410 ($50.00) 

Dragonlock Lost City of the Dwarves: Master Set FDG0411 ($25.00)

FDG0349 DRAGON TILES: Dungeon Core Set ($25.00)

FDG0351 DRAGON TILES: Caverns Core Set ($25.00)

Frog God Games

Frog God Games 50% off Coupon (one for each day - 12 Days)

$200 Frog God Games Store Credit (x1)

OSR Holiday Bundle in PDF includes: (x2)

• How Orcus Stole Christmas
• Orcus on 34th Level
• Orcus in a Winter Wonderland
• Beware of the Yule Cat
• The 12 Days of Orcus

Tenkar's Tavern

1 x $50 DTRPG Gift Certificate

12x$10 DTRPG Gift Certificates

If you wish to join in on the gifting fun, email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing with "OSR Christmas Gift Giving" in the subject ;)

Last Minute Prep for OSR Christmas 2024

I'm gathering some info from some last-minute gifters. OSR Christmas will run from December 14th, 2024, through January 6th, 2025, give or take. Restream has yet to have a giveaway tool like Streamyard, so the giveaways will be here on the blog side, AS WELL AS The Tavern's Substack.

So far, the major gifters include:

Fat Dragon Games (3 sets of each = 12 Days)

Dragonlock Lost Caverns: Master Set FDG0410 ($50.00) 

Dragonlock Lost City of the Dwarves: Master Set FDG0411 ($25.00)

FDG0349 DRAGON TILES: Dungeon Core Set ($25.00)

FDG0351 DRAGON TILES: Caverns Core Set ($25.00)

Frog God Games

Frog God Games 50% off Coupon (one for each day - 12 Days)

$200 Frog God Games Store Credit (x1)

OSR Holiday Bundle in PDF includes: (x2)

• How Orcus Stole Christmas
• Orcus on 34th Level
• Orcus in a Winter Wonderland
• Beware of the Yule Cat
• The 12 Days of Orcus

Tenkar's Tavern

1 x $50 DTRPG Gift Certificate

12x$10 DTRPG Gift Certificates

If you wish to join in on the gifting fun, email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing with "OSR Christmas Gift Giving" in the subject ;)

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Deal of the Day - The Road To Hell (OSR Adventure)

I'm a big fan of Newt Newport and his D101 Games publishing company. Newt does some great stuff, from Crypts & Things to OpenQuest, Simple Quest, and beyond.

Today's Deal of the Day at DTRPG is The Road to Hell, an OSR adventure for 5th-level characters (including pregens if needed). Usually, 10.19 in PDF until tomorrow morning. The Road To Hell is on sale for 5.33 in PDF.

Some of the encounters awaiting the players in this adventure:

Headless Zombies, flesh-eating demonic assassins, all-seeing oracles, screaming mad women, cowardly men hiding in water closets, The Death and Resurrection Show, at least one bar room brawl (two, if the adventures like to pick fights), a black knight of the realm, his gang of knaves, a stone circle of menace, and a tower made of twisted flesh that writhes in agony.

Features of the Book

• Six Premade characters so you can pick up the adventure and play it straight away. Unlike many other OSR adventures, these characters are hardened adventurers of 5th Level. Each character will have a portrait by Peter Town (Hearts in Glorantha, Mythic Russia).
• Black and White Illustrations by Daniel Barker (Monkey, Tales of the Reaching Moon) of the monsters that the characters will meet in the adventure.
• Five black and white detailed maps by Golden Ennie award winning cartographer Glynn Seal (MonkeyBlood Design, The Midderlands).
• A colour cover by Jon Hodgson (Warhammer Fantasy 1st-4th edition, D&D 4th & 5th, The One Ring).
• The book is 74 pages long 6 inches by 9 inches hardback

 

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Humble Bundle - Cyberberpunk RED - Limited Time Bundle

This is a return of the Cyberpunk Red/Cyberpunk 2020 Bundle. It's an excellent price for Cyberpunk RPG fans. There are less than 48 hours left to this bundle.

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Bundle of Holding - Cornucopia 2024

Sometimes, you want a collection of RPGs that pushes you out of your comfort zone. The current Bundle of Holding - Cornucopia 2024 - fills that bill. I'm not very interested in the Bonus Collection (I'm not a fan of Powered by the Apocalypse).

Adventurer! In time for the American Thanksgiving holiday, we present this all-new Cornucopia 2024, our twelfth annual feast of top-quality tabletop roleplaying game ebooks. For just US$14.95 you get all four complete games in our Starter Collection (retail value $73) as DRM-free ebooks:

Swyvers (Melsonian Arts Council): Luke Gearing's grotty-heist urban fantasy about gangs in a sprawling city your playgroup generates on the fly.

Fight to Survive (Radio James Games): James Kerr's tribute to down-and-dirty 1980s martial arts movies where your friends and comforts are just as important as your moves.

Syma (Gallant Knight Games): Alan Bahr's Old School incense-and-iron FRPG set in a medieval world where the Church has just fallen and undead Templars roam the land.

Exile: Dark Fantasy Roleplaying (One of Wands): Ema Acosta's dark, driven fantasy RPG of disgraced misfits, sentenced to a quick end in The Below, who resolve to forge their own path back home.

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Kickstarter - DC Heroes Role-Playing Game 40th Anniversary

I was never a big supers gamer. That could be because my teenage friends collected Marvel Comics, and I was a big DC fan. Heck, even in college, DC Comics ruled for me. So, I never got into Marvel Super Heroes like others in my group did. I owned the Mayfair DC Comics rules but I never could get my group to play it.

Well, Cryptozoic is bringing the original DC Heroes game back, both in the first and second editions, in all its glory. I'm so tempted, but I'll never play it. Backer levels start at 60 bucks and increase from there.

Hero (Core Box)

$60

A heroic beginning! Get into DC Heroes by choosing either the 1st Edition or 2nd Edition Core Box!

SHIPPING WEIGHT: Tier items weigh approx. 13 lb (freight weight).

NOTE: Shipping will be charged via the pledge manager after the campaign.

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Deal of the Day - MCCLXV: Evesham (System Neutral 13th Century Setting)

I'm a massive fan of settings, as I enjoy stealing ideas from various sourcebooks and creating something different and unique. Some settings I simply want for the reading. I suspect MCCLXV: Evesham will fulfill both desires.

Today's Deal of the Day is MCCLXV: Evesham. Usually, 8 bucks in PDF, but until tomorrow morning, it is on sale for 2.78

Where do your loyalties lie? To the king, despite his shortcomings, or to the radical nobles seeking to subvert the crown? 

MCCLXV: Evesham is a detailed setting for historically-based role-playing in 13th-century England during the Second Barons’ War. The resource includes the mechanics for building and running a medieval manor, introduced in Medieval Manager, and an expansive background on medieval England, including the key historical figures of the time, such as Henry III, Eleanor of Provence, Edward Longshanks, and Simon de Montfort. It includes dozens of tables for facilitating play, character descriptions, plotlines and hooks, as well as diagrams for castles, manors, churches, maps of English towns and countryside, as well as maps of the decisive 1265 Battle of Evesham itself.

MCCLXV: Evesham is a 165-page resource for roleplaying in the desperate 1260’s of medieval England, adaptable for any game system.

Purchasing note: This book includes material previously published as Medieval Manager. If your interest is ONLY in a fantasy manor and you own Medieval Manager, you already own what you want. MCCLXV: Evesham updates the mechanics and events to make them more realistic for the historical setting of mid- to late- 13th-century England and provides a historically-based setting for playing a manor in 1260's England.

 

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Kickstarter - Gary's Appendix: Issue 7

Truth in advertising. I've known Jeff Jones for several years, and he laid out the first two issues of Torchlight as well as the never-released Swords & Wizardry Continual Light Digest Edition. (Thank you, WotC, and your damn OGL drama!)

I've been enjoying Gary's Appendix series thus far, and Issue 7 looks to be another keeper. I love the cover artwork on the current issue, and Ropers have always been a weakness of mine ;)

Gary's Appendix: Issue 7 is available in PDF for 5 bucks or Print plus PDF for 19 bucks.

Gary's Appendix: A periodical zine filled with articles and an expanded bestiary for the OSR, using Old School Essentials mechanics where necessary. 

Gary's Appendix wraps up 2024 by following up our Dragons issue with the other half of the equation: Dungeons...or at least underground exploration. Issue #7 comes packed with eight articles on caves, mining, gemstones, fungus, and a whole lot more. So grab your torches and a gullible friend or two – it's time to go spelunking!

 

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Cyber Monday DoorBusters at DTRPG

It's that time of year when bargains and truly deep discounts can be found for RPG PDFs at DTRPG. Our last batch was on Black Friday. Our final batch is here for Cyber Monday—prices are good through tomorrow. Also, there is a Deal of the Day at the bottom of the post.

Tomorrow City - it has a cool cover; this is the first I've heard of it. It sounds like steampunk supers, which is my least enjoyed genres. The price is right at 4.90

Cities Without Number - by Kevin Crawford, the OSR machine. For 4.99, its a hell of a bargain for OSR style Cyberpunk

The Gamemaster's Book of Villains, Minions, and their Tactics - at 3.39, I'll gladly add this to my book of DM tricks.

When the Wolf Comes - Viking roleplaying always strikes my interest. At 3.99, it's a tempting buy.

Rokugan - this appears to be an art book for Legend of the Five Rings. 5.99

Tales of the Valiant Player's Guide - brought to you by the debacle known as OGL 2.0, Tales of the Valiant is Kobold Press' rejiggering of 5e. Personally, I preferred it under the working title Black Flag. 6.99

Deal of the Day - Castles & Crusades Players Handbook - The latest printing of Castles & Crusades. What more can I say? 15 bucks

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Humble Bundle - Monument Studio TTRPG Audio Compendium

I'll be honest with you. I last attempted to integrate audio effects into one of my gaming sessions in decades. That being said, Ol' Man Grognard, aka Glen Halstrom, makes ample use of such effects, and they certainly add atmosphere and flavor.

The Monument Studio TTRPG Audio Compendium Bundle at Humble Bundle nearly escaped my attention, but it's here now. Time is short, so if you want to grab any of this (for as little as a buck), don't hesitate.

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Backerkit - Bringing Much More Isometric Map-Making Content to MapForge

BattleGrounds Games, the maker of MapForge, has been in the VTT business for over a decade and has been producing mapping software for about half that time. Heruca not only does good work, but he's also a solid supporter of the gaming community.

The current crowdfunding project is precisely what it says on the tin: Bringing Much More Isometric Map-Making Content to MapForge via Backerkit.

This campaign is to fund the creation of 13 new isometric content Add-Ons for MapForge, whose aim will be to allow the creation of Modern Day and Post-Apocalyptic maps. This new content will supplement all the great isometric content that is already available for MapForge.

If you're not already a MapForge user, no problem, since during this campaign you can pledge for a discounted MapForge license as an Add-On to your pledge. So even if you have zero interest in isometric mapping (or perhaps in the Modern Day and Post-Apocalyptic game genres), you can join the growing MapForge user base and go make some nifty top-down or hex-tile maps.

If you're not already familiar with MapForge, here's a quick recap:

• MapForge is easy-to-use software for Windows and Mac OS that makes high-quality maps for printing or for use in virtual tabletop software (e.g., Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, Foundry VTT, Arkenforge, etc.).
• It can be used for free (no license required for low resolution output).
• There are a staggering 60 free content Add-Ons available for MapForge, to start you off with over 9000 mapping assets covering a variety of game genres and mapping styles.
• You can download and try the software out for yourself, to evaluate it and see for yourself if the program is what you want/expect it to be.

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Black Friday Doorbusters at DTRPG

I always enjoy the deep Discount Doorbusters at DTRPG on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and today's Black Friday picks aren't bad, either. Actually, they are pretty good :)

Let's start with Gods of the Forbidden North for OSE Advanced. This 480-page campaign is the first of three volumes, and it is a 4.99 deal that will give you months of adventures for levels 1 to 5. It can be run as a sandbox or episodic adventure path. It has 4.9 stars and 38 reviews. This is one I had missed, and I'm grabbing it now!

Warhammer 40,000: Wrath & Glory, Core Rulebook. I returned to active gaming via the Warhammer 40k: Dark Heresy ruleset in 2008 or so. Warhammer 40k holds a special place in my gaming heart. 7.49

I already own the Witcher Pen & Paper RPG. I haven't run it, but I thoroughly enjoyed the lore aspect. 7.49

The Walking Dead Universe RPG. Honestly, I gave up on The Walking Dead sometime around Season 4. But for 4.99, I could be tempted.

I've only heard good things about Rivers of London, really good things. At 5.99, I'll gladly take the plunge.

Exalted: Essence. I'm not a fan of the Storyteller System. Admittedly, this is a streamlined version of Exalted 3e. Maybe I'd like it. Doubtful. 5.99

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