Deal of the Day - E-Z DUNGEONS: Caverns of Chaos (Fat Dragon Games)

You know about the E-Z DUNGEONS series of releases I hope. Print at home dungeons modeling that fold down for minimal storage. Damn near weightless. Oh, and of course, unlimited pieces, as you print it yourself.

Well, for the next 23 hours, Fat Dragon has put E-Z DUNGEONS: Caverns of Chaos on sale from $12.99 to $3.90. Yep, 70% off.

Here's the details of what you get:

Caverns of Chaos provides you with a completely modular cavern construction system. Easy to build and featuring lush graphics, this set includes flowing lava falls, a modular bridge system that includes our exclusive no-slip construction system that allows you to put miniatures on inclines, a massive dragon skeleton, stalagmites, tiered terrain, and much more. 

This PDF includes: 

Modular cavern walls (1", 2" and 4" lengths)
Modular bridge and ledge system, expandable
Modular elevated floor models (6 styles/heights)
'L' wall intersection
T' wall intersection
'X' wall intersection
Cavern wall opening 2"
Cavern wall opening 4"
Flowing lava fall
Lava tiles (multiple styles)
Water tiles (multiple styles)
Crevice tiles (multiple sizes)
Massive dragon skeleton
Stalagmites (small)
Stalagmites (large)
Exclusive no-slip construction technique that allows miniatures to be placed on slopes

Disclaimer: +Tom Tullis , the man behind Fat Dragon Games, is a supporter of The Tavern and it's Community. He also does some awesome releases with print at home modeling. Did I mention he's a really nice guy? I  need to kick the boy out and turn his room into a gaming room to display all the cool gaming stuff I have.

In Print - Polyhedral Dungeon (Infinibadger Press

Yep, after months of waiting, Polyhedral Dungeon is now in print. It's $7.99 for the B&W SC Print & PDF and $9.99 for the Color SC Print and PDF.

If you bought the PDF prior, check your email. Jason sent you a discount link for the print versions of Polyhedral Dungeon.

Looking for a review? There are five at PD's RPGNow page.

Looking for a play summary? That I do have :)

Yes, I had a blast and I groked the rules pretty quickly, which has most often NOT been the case for me when trying recent releases that are not direct decedents of D&D.

Disclaimer: Jason is a good friend of mine. I've podcasted with him and gamed with him. He and I have late night conversations at times. I ordered the print color version the moment I saw the email in my box yesterday. I subsequently got reprimanded by Jason, as he had intended to send me a copy. That how much I enjoyed playing Polyhedral Dungeon :)

About Polyhedral Dungeon:

POLYHEDRAL DUNGEON is an ultralight modern take on old school roleplaying. Using the new and simple to use and extend POLYHEDRAL SYSTEM, you can have countless hours of fun delving into dungeons and stealing dragon's hoards. 

Features of the game include: 

Create new characters for play in about 5-10 minutes. 

Choose from the classic old school character tropes, but with slight twists. Play classic dungeon crawls with a flexible unified system that’s easy to learn and extend - make up your own content, or use any of the official Expansions, including The Advanced Rules which provides many new options for play, The Book of Monsters which expands and explores the Monsters in the game, The Book of Loot for more complete treasure and loot options, including many unique items, and The Book of Magic, which expands Talents and rules for magical and divine characters. 

Designed for quick pick-up play as well as to handle large groups of players who have little experience in tabletop roleplaying - a perfect beginner’s game and still fun for experts. 

Pocket-sized, so that you can take it wherever you’re going. 

Includes dice printed in the page margins in case you forget your own, or if you need to make a secret roll as the Judge! 

Includes a Giant Badger! 

Also includes The Crypts of Bes-Amat, a free adventure showcasing how simple it is to create and run adventures for the game and system, as a separate download. 

The book comes in a fully layered and bookmarked digital version, in both color and grayscale formats. Full sized character sheets are available in both formats too. There is also a downloadable full-sized cover that can be used to make your own print-at-home version! 

Both Polyhedral Dungeon and the Polyhedral Roleplaying System are also going to be released under an open license soon, allowing third parties to create and release content for it. Details on that are still being finalized, but as soon as they are, the product will be updated to reflect it and details will be listed on our website.

Edit - it was asked in the comments to this post: How do you use printed dice in the margin of the page to make rolls? 

Answer - open to a random page and use the graphic of the die you needed to roll.

New Release - The Wizard's Spellbook (Labyrinth Lord / Lulu POD)

+James Spahn is probably best known these days for White Star and his White Box releases for Swords & Wizardry, but many will remember he was also a skilled and prolific writer of Labyrinth Lord releases.

Well, James just added another notch to his Labyrinth Lord belt, The Wizard's Spellbook.

Arcane Incantations at Your Fingertips! 

The Wizard's Spellbook compiles all the magic-user spells from Labyrinth Lord and the Advanced Edition Companion into a single digest-sized tome so you won't have to waste time searching for the right one! Compact and compact, this practical product will help take the hassle out of playing a magic-user in Labyrinth Lord or any other B/X RPG. 

A complete spell list organized by level, with each level of spells broken down alphabetically for easy reference. Included in the spell list are notes on whether a spell is reversible and check boxes to mark whether your character knows a given spell or has it memorized that day. In addition, the list notes whether the spell is Basic, making it equally useful for players who are not using the Advanced Edition Companion. 

The complete spell description of every single spell found in Labyrinth Lord Revised Revised and the Advanced Edition Companion. 

Optional rules for including Cantrips into your Labyrinth Lord or B/X game.

All that for $4.99 in print. 82 softcover pages.

Disclaimer: James is a good friend of mine. I sent him the copy of Swords & Wizardry Complete that started his transformation. I think this release is super cheap and I'm grabbing it for myself and I don't even play Labyrinth Lord these days.

Mini Review - Goldenrod Guide: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat (Open Gaming Store)

The other night +John Reyst and I got to talking. I've kinda slacked of on doing reviews. John would like some of the OSR products at his Open Gaming Store reviewed. Two needs. Simple solution. So I don't pick titles that I'm predisposed to, John is going to pick the titles (today is an exception, as Goldenrod Guide: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat struck me as fitting fairly well with Ale & Advice column dealing with Swords & Wizardry Combat)

I made it clear to John that the reviews are going to be my truthful feedback and I was going to identify them as being comped copies from the Open Gaming Store. He agreed without hesitation. I'd say it is in John's best interest to pick the better apples for me to review ;)
Goldenrod Guide: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat is written by +R.J. Thompson . If you don't know who R.J. is, he is the brave soul that picked up the mantel of Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day from me. His system of choice? Swords & Wizardry.

Now, what I'm holding in my virtual hands is optional combat rules for Swords & Wizardry Complete. For those that aren't familiar with S&W Complete, think of it as AD&D 1E, where all the complicated rules that few if any groups used are thrown out. The ease of use of Basic D&D with the class options of AD&D 1e. Some groups bemoan the loss of some of the more in depth rules, sensing a loss of the granularity and options. GG: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat allows one to add some of those options and depth back in.

The great thing about GG: A Guide to Swords & Wizardry Combat is that the options are modular. You can mix and match for the most part without anything breaking. New rules for two weapon fighting, disarming, called shot, unarmed combat, disengaging combat, missile combat, critical hits and more are here as well as weapon proficiencies, weapon specialization and fighting styles. Heck, even tournaments are covered. There literally is something for everyone.

While much will be familiar to the former AD&D player, some is new and almost all is tweaked to better fit the simpler Swords & Wizardry rule set. Its an excellent mix of options to add to your S&W game. There are a lot of content squeezed into these 16 pages. I suggest you stick with adding a small handful of options at a time, see what works for you, discard what doesn't and then move on to more options if you so desire. They do generally add some complexity but they also add flavor and depth to the combat system. The flexibility and modularity of Swords & Wizardry is impressive.

May your gaming never grow boring :)

Deal of the Day - GM's Miscellany: Urban Dressing (System Neutral Edition)

Today's Deal of the Day is GM's Miscellany: Urban Dressing (System Neutral Edition)

Normally $13.99, for the next 23 hours it's $6.99 - half off.

The PDF clocks in at 178 pages of urban adventuring flavor.

Tired of your towns and cities being boring, bland places in which your PCs show little or no interest? Want to bring your towns and cities alive with cool, interesting minor features of note? Then GM’s Miscellany: Urban Dressing is for you! Presenting tons of cool, interesting features for common urban fixture such as shops, stalls, thieves and so on GM’s Miscellany: Urban Dressing provides the harried GM the tools to bring such features to life with interesting and noteworthy features. GM’s Miscellany: Urban Dressing presents the material originally appearing in: 

Barroom Brawls
Dragon and the Thief
Random Urban Encounters
So What’s It Called, Anyway?
So What’s The Tavern Like, Anyway? (my favorites)
So What’s The Tavern Like, Anyway? II 
Urban Dressing: Alleyways
Urban Dressing: Docks
Urban Dressing: Graveyards
Urban Dressing: Guildhalls
Urban Dressing: Market Stalls
Urban Dressing: Parks
Urban Dressing: Pirate Town
Urban Dressing: Sages
Urban Dressing: Shrines
Urban Dressing: Temples
Urban Dressing: Theatres
Urban Dressing: Thieves
Urban Dressing: The Watch
Urban Dressing: Traders & Craftsmen
New Material: More exciting encounters, as well as comprehensive details on monuments, ruined buildings and wizard’s towers

Post 6k - What I've Learned Over the Course of 6,000 Blog Posts

Art by +Glen Hallstrom 

Hard to believe that this is the 6,000th post here at The Tavern. I have no idea how many words that makes but its a lot ;)

I've learned much over the course of 6,000 posts and over 7 years of blogging.

- You can't please everyone. I know we've all heard this line before but it is so true with blogging. There's always some voice in the wilderness screaming out "I don't like X, you need to post more Y!" and "90% of what you post is negative and I want puppy dogs and rainbows!" I get it. Really I do. The thing is, I don't aim to be negative or positive with my posts. I aim for honest posts. My thoughts. My observations. My conclusions. For those that are looking for something The Tavern doesn't offer, there are millions of blogs out there and more than one will fill your needs. Sorry to see you go but you need a place that fits you better.

- Don't take it personal. Yep, another familiar line. You would think after 20 years as a cop, subject to large amounts of verbal abuse based solely on the uniform I wore, this advice would be easy to take, but it isn't always so simple. Some folks see a prolific blogger and OSR personality and figure they can increase their social standing by taking a few potshots. Your initial reaction IS to take it personally. I know there are times I have in the past. I'll try and do better in the future.

- Screenshot everything! If you quote someone for some stupid shit they say, screenshot it and include the screenshot in the post. It keeps them honest. This goes for G+, Facebook, blog comments, etc.

- Be an "equal opportunity offender". If you are going to put fire to the feet of those preying upon the gaming community, share the pain regardless of gender. Whether the excuse is ADD (Abusive Dishonesty Disorder), Congenital Con Crud, The Widow Defense or others, treat them all the same. Don't accuse. Spell out the facts and support those facts with, what else? Screenshots.

- Treat people as they treat you. For my community, that means respect. For certain disruptive personalities, it means disdain. Sorry. If I have no use for you, you probably had no use for me first.

- Community. Its why I post. Its the fuel that keeps me going. The wind beneath my wings. My extra-healing potion (we don't do "healing surges" in the OSR ;)

I'm working on some ideas for the future of The Tavern. It will include adding some voices to the mix, part time bartenders if you will. Hopefully it will also increase the visibility of the rest of the OSR.

Yes, I have ideas. Dangerous, I know.

Thanks for sticking around for the ride thus far and hopefully we will share the ride for a long time to come.

Erik

art by +Denis McCarthy 

Far West - No Refunds Until Its Done! (and then we'll talk about it)

Wow. No asking for refunds until release and even when the PDF releases its only then that "(you) can discuss refunds with me (Gareth)."

But hey, "beta versions" of stuff next week.

What?

You don't believe it?

Wanna buy a bridge instead?

Partially delivered?

Did I here a mic drop?

Wherein Your Humble Barkeep Get's a Dedication in Victorious: Manifest Destiny

Few things make me smile more that having someone with inestimable talent dedicate something to little 'ole me.

Damn. Mike, you've left me nearly speechless.

I know, hard thing to do but you did it.

If my readers haven't checked out Victorious yet, you are doing yourselves a disservice. I'm not a huge fan of supers in my RPGS but Mike has found the perfect mix of Victorian history, steampunk and super-heroics. Rach and I had a blast at NTRPG Con playing in Mike's Victorious game.

Heck, even if you don't play Victorious, grab Manifest Destiny. It's a great alt history piece and I love all history.

It's built off of Castles & Crusades, so anyone from White Box through 3x should be able to grok it with few if any issues.

Alright. I'm all verklempt. Carry on...

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - It's Been a Helluva Week

Yep, its that time again. Time for the weekly Tavern Chat using the chat widget on the right side of this page.

As most of you know, it's been an interesting week since our last Tavern Chat.

What will tonight's topics of conversation be?

You tell me ;)

Adventures in Middle-Earth Player's Guide Preorder is Now the Actual PDF! (D&D 5e)

Just got notification in my email.

Adventures in Middle-Earth Player's Guide is Live!

224 Pages.

God, I think I just lost the afternoon...

The Player's Guide gives you the Middle-earth setting-specific rules and guidance to create your characters and adventure in the world of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings using the OGL 5e ruleset.

Character creation features Cultures and Classes designed for Middle-earth to help you get deep into the setting from the very start of your adventures. New rules add excitement to your journeys and encounters, and chart the corruption of the Shadow in the unwary or unwise.

The Quest begins with this lavishly illustrated, hardcover Adventures in Middle-earth Player’s Guide, followed by the equally beautiful and useful Adventures in Middle-earth Loremaster’s Guide. You can start playing right away with this Player’s Guide, and the latest edition of the world’s most popular roleplaying game rules.

Rivendell
Adventures in Middle-earth: Players Guide contains:
• 11 Middle-earth specific playable Cultures
• 6 New and unique Classes
• 13 New Backgrounds custom-made for Middle-earth
• Middle-earth appropriate arms and armour
• Unique Journey rules
• New rules for Corruption
• New Audience rules
• Rules for The Fellowship Phase
• Middle-earth maps (as the end papers) for Players and Loremasters

Adventures in Middle-earth Player's Guide is 224 pages long, in full colour.

Kickstarter - DRAGONLOCK 2: Fantasy Village Terrain for 3D Printers (Fat Dragon Games)

Everyone knows +Tom Tullis and Fat Dragon Games, right? Fat Dragon is known for its "Print at Home" paper terrain. It is THE company in that specific field of our hobby and is known for quality releases.

Yesterday, Fat Dragon went live with DRAGONLOCK 2: Fantasy Village Terrain for 3D Printers. Yep, a Kickstarter campaign to supply the files for one to print your own gaming terrain at home, assuming you have access to a 3d printer. If you have access, it's by far the most economical manner in which to build up a limitless terrain collection.

Me, I don't have a 3d printer and I have no immediate plans to own one. Heck, I wouldn't have had any idea of what I would do with one if I did own one if it wasn't for this project. Now though, the temptation is there. You can print as many copies as you want of any piece (so long as you have room to store it)

DRAGONLOCK 2 had a modest goal of $500 when it launched yesterday. As I type this it is at $41,000 with 34 days to go.

DRAGONLOCK™ (patent pending) is an all-new interlocking terrain system that allows you to create fully modular, multi-level 28mm scale village terrain for your RPG or wargame on your home 3D printer. Each set is delivered in a downloadable .stl format via our online distribution partner DriveThruRPG.com, and once you have the set, you can print as many pieces as you like and never run out or need to purchase more. This new terrain system is the culmination of eleven years of gaming terrain design experience. 

By supporting us through Kickstarter, you get bonus models that won't be available later, and access to free stretch rewards. We have been in the 'print-and-play' terrain business for over eleven years, and have successfully delivered seven previous Kickstarter projects, so you can pledge with confidence that we will deliver a high-quality product on time. 

How Much Actual "RPG News" is There to Report?

Lets be honest - there is very little actual "RPG News" to report on and any website that claims there is, is either fooling themselves, their readers or both.

Why do I say that when there is an extremely well trafficked website that bills itself as "The source of RPG News and Reviews?" Because they confuse announcements and sponsored fluff as news or news facsimiles. Some random new gaming Kickstarter from your friend in the industry is now news.

No, it is not. It may be interesting information to your readers, but it's not news.

"News" is WotC announcing an OGL for 5e or The Gygax Trust licensing it's IP. It is not announcing some obscure Swedish RPG Kickstarter or the latest virtual issue of Dragon going live (which it does every month, like clockwork) Those are "announcements." It's information. It's something which you might expect in a trade magazine.

However, this is what they are listed under:

GURPS turning 30? It's a "sponsored" article (and kudos to ENWorld for finally making that fact more prominent after the pushback on the "it's a fine fuzzy line between news, promotion and outright advertising" stupid statement) but it falls under RPG News Updates. So, sponsored articles? "News", of course.

That "red highlight" as well as the "This is a sponsored post" are new.
Yep, you can thank this "abusive personality" 

Press releases? File them under "News" at ENWorld:

Why "pay(s) a bunch of folks to post press releases?" Because the truth is there is little actual news and being the source of RPG Informational Updates, Press Releases and Sponsored Content sounds so... not very sexy.

As for investigative reporting? Never bite the hand that feeds you.

Am I being too dogmatic about what constitutes actual "RPG News?" Perhaps. Maybe my definition is too narrow. I certainly think ENWorld's definition is far too wide and dilutes the value of any true news to be found, lost in the mire of sponsored content and press releases filed under "News".

Once you, the reader and consumer of ENWorld content, realizes what that actual content is, you'll best be able to make your own informed decision as to it's value.

Addendum:

After I wrote this post a Taverner forwarded me the following:

If one is an "abusive personality" for pointing out shortcomings in how a "News Site" flags "sponsored content" and how it pimps the reinvention of the history of someone like Gareth Sharka, I'll gladly take the mantel upon myself. Because if they had done nothing wrong, they never would have changed the way they flagged "sponsored content". The criticism would not have been "legitimate criticism." I stand by my postings.

I would, however, like a link or links to the posts from these "mean spirited personalities." That infers there is more than one. Who else then? Oh, right. Morrus doesn't read them.

Morrus won't read your comments. Your feedback is irrelevant. Critique and criticism have no place in a community that covers it's ears and hums so it can't hear you. Until it does. But it won't acknowledge your criticisms even as it takes actions to correct them.

Ale & Advice for Swords & Wizardry - Clearing Up Combat

Welcome to the inaugural Ale & Advice for Swords & Wizardry column. I'll be your bartender for the day ;)

We have a number of questions pending answers. Today's questions are regarding combat and were sent in by Carl B. Carl states:

I am new to S&W, and also I haven't played any RPGs for a couple decades now, so bear with me.  :-)  I do understand the intent is for the Referee to adjust the rules as they see fit, but I think it's important to understand and try the rules as they are written before deciding to make tweaks. 

Q1 - In the S&W Complete Rulebook, on page 36, there are 6 steps for combat.  The first step is to check for surprise; it says that "If one side is surprised, the other side automatically gets to take actions before the first initiative roll.  If they also win that initiative roll, this means they will have taken two actions before the other side has had a chance to do anything".  However, under the "Determine Initiative" step, it says that "If this is the first round and one group was surprised, the other side gets to go first automatically, without having to roll a die". These seem contradictory to me. It looks like the group that was not surprised gets a free attack (assuming the other group was surprised), and then it's not clear to me if there is an initiative roll after that, or if the not-surprised group gets initiative automatically.  Can you clear this up?

A1 - You are correct that if one side is "surprised" and the other is not, the side that is not surprised gets a free attack or action. After this free attack / action, roll initiative as normal.

Q2 - Under section 4, it says that "Each combatant on the side that won initiative may move, or may fire any missile weapons" (and then the other group may do the same). Then in step 5, it says that "Each combatant on the side that won initiative makes any melee attacks (if in melee range) or casts spells" (and again, the other group does the same).  This seems to be saying that in a round of combat, each combatant can do *both* a missile attack and melee attack; there's no mention of having to choose one or the other.  Is this actually the case?  I've been ruling that once someone is in melee combat, they can't fire missiles, as this seems reasonable to me, but I was hoping to get confirmation that I was handling it as intended.

A2 - In this example, "any melee attacks or cast spells" could be restated as "any melee attacks or cast spells if the combatant hasn't taken a prior action." 

G3 - OK, last question: on page 41, under "Spells", it says that "If the spell-caster suffers damage while casting a spell, the spell is lost".  What does "lost" mean?  Does it mean that the spell the spell-caster was going to cast is now no longer prepared for that day, or just that it's no longer available to cast that round, but still available for later use that day?  For example, if a first-level magic user goes to cast Magic Missile but is wounded before he gets the spell off, can he try to cast it again the next combat round, or does he have to wait until the next day?

A3 - "The spell is lost" means that it is counted as having been cast (although it has no effect). The caster would need to memorize the spell again before being able to attempt to cast it again. It's a good reason to keep your spell casters off the front line ;)

Thanks for stopping by The Tavern for some Swords & Wizardry Ale & Advice!

For those looking for the permanent location for Ale & Advice for Swords & Wizardry, join our Facebook Community.

Kickstarter - Embers of the Forgotten Kingdom (Systemless Art & Lore Book)

I've been drawn to +Andreas Walters Kickstarters like a moth to a flame in the past. When it comes to gaming art, he has an eye for it that I've yet to see be matched by others. Yes, I have a weakness for art :)

So, what is Embers of the Forgotten Kingdom?

Embers is a systemless art and lore book set in a dark medieval fantasy world inspired by the Dark Souls video game. The book will be a useful addition to any player or GM repository who is interested in dark fantasy, dark souls, or even unique character and creature concepts. In addition to the book, we are also offering adventures written for D&D 5th Edition, Pathfinder and Shadows of the Demon Lord written by none other than Ben McFarland and Robert J. Schwalb.

Not a bad lineup of writers and a nice selection of systems to have the optional adventures written for. Of course, OSR is not on the list but 5e is easy enough to convert to OSR gaming.

In truth though, I'm more interested in Embers for the art. I've seen pieces of this project in different stages leading up to the Kickstarter going live, as Andreas sought some feedback from me. I can say this without any doubt, the art will impress and then some.

I'm always looking for the right visuals to enhance the campaigns I run. A few screenshots of the at within Embers popping up in my player's Roll20 Screens is going to make for some enjoyable gaming ;)

Extra-Life is Coming Up in 2 Months - Join the Team - Team Tadpole!

(guest posting)

It’s two months until Extra Life.  For those of you not in the know, this is a 24-hour game-a-thon that raises money for the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals.  That’s right—we’re playing games in order to support sick children.  Last year, Extra-Life raised over $6.5 million in unrestricted funds for our nation’s hospitals—specifically for support of children and research into children’s diseases.  Cool stuff.

I’m sure lots of you out there are participating, and I know that Erik here at the Tavern is a believer and a supporter (and I am, it's a damn good cause - ET).  I bet if you send him word of your doings, he’ll give a little shout out (yep, I will share out any and all Extrta Life events).  But I got here first darn it, and this year I have not one but two Extra Life events that I’ll be participating in.

Extra Life comes to Carnage Con!  November 5th at CarnageCon in Killington, VT, a group of us will be running 24 hours of gaming in support of Extra Life.  We’re starting out with a DCC tournament where audience members and players donate money to mess with the game (and this just in, we might be streaming live).  We’ll be rolling through Carnival of the Damned while folks are throwing exploding balloons, pieces of healing candy, and minions of the Black Jester into the mix.  Then, a midnight game of Fiasco at the bar followed shortly by an Extra-Life exclusive release of a Call of Cthulhu scenario by one of the big names in CoC (you’ll have to pass a Library Use roll to find out which one).  As that winds down, we’ll start up Kids Helping Kids—four hours of games for children including board games and a couple sessions of MCG’s No Thank You Evil.  Finally, we’ll feature a head-to-head competition of some former Iron GMs as they run a bit of survival horror, again with audience intervention.  Running in parallel we’ll have 24 hours of 5e put together by Adventurer’s League.  Lots of action.  And of course, we’ll have a raffle of great items, with all proceeds going to Extra Life to help the kids.  So come on up to Vermont—it’s a great convention full of Old School goodness, and we’ll be having fun raising money.

If you’re not going to be at Carnage, and you’re not doing your own Extra-Life, you can still help (I know—will wonders never cease?).  November 18th, starting at 6 PM EST, I will be running Rappan Athuk around a table with a bunch of friends—the way Orcus meant it to be played, except that I’ll be breaking out a 5e translation.  This event is sponsored in part by Frog God Games and it’s just possible that some of the Frogs will pop in to run a few hours of something new and exciting that they are working on.  Sort of an exclusive preview type thing.  Jealous?  Well don’t be, you all can play along because we’ll be live on Twitch and accepting donations for all kinds of hijinks.  Get your name on the big screen? No problem.  Send a hoard of dragons down on the players—just say the word (and, um, put your money where your mouth is, of course).  We might even get folks in as NPCs for a bit.  We’re also hoping to get donors some FGGG (Frog God Games Goodies).

If you’d like to support my efforts to raise money for Extra-Life, please visit my personal fundraising page or visit the team page at www.extra-life.org/team/FrogGod and drop us a few bucks.  Remember, we’re going to be playing twenty-four hours of non-stop RPGs.  We’re gonna be suffering here—please help out any way you can (and did I mention it’s to help kids?  sick kids!)!  And if you’re running your own Extra-Life event, please tell your friendly bartender to help you get the word out too.

Thank you.

Edwin Nagy

We'll be posting more on this. I'm retired now and I'm sure Rach could use 24 hours away from me in November...

Who Will be Ken Whitman's Sean Fannon?

When Sean Fannon embellished Gareth Sharka's "press release" with words such as "icon" and "stalwart" and tried to keep the narrative positive in the comments section. he was doing more than just "sharing an announcement". Sean put his own reputation on the line to endorse someone who is seen by many as a polarizing individual in the gaming hobby. Yeah, I'm trying to be PC ;)

So, who is going to do the same for Kenny Whitman, the lovable thief (allegedly), con man (most assuredly), misapproriator of Kickstarter funds (you admitted to it Kenny with an interview published on a blog) and general ass. Who will be Kenny's knight in shining armor, willing to put their own reputation on the line so he may thieve (theoretically) from the gaming community again. Jolly? Er, no. Larry? Won't happen. Marc. Perhaps.

But no. Kenny doesn't need any of that. No, Kenny believes that blogs like Not Another Dime (for Ken Whitman) are going to be his savior. Don't believe me? Head over to NAD and see for yourself - although I'll give you a peek:

"Gammers", aren't you glad to see how well thought of you are?

How Important are UnKeyed Maps (Player's VTT Map) In Your Adventure Purchases?

As I sketch out future creative plans I got to thinking about maps. They are extremely integral part of most any published adventure. As I run nearly all of my games via Roll20, a virtual table top (VTT) I really love importing the maps (preferably unkeyed) from any adventures I wish to use (which is why I want most of my purchases in Print / PDF bundles, but that's a whole 'nother topic). Add in Fog of War and you have a very efficient way to run your table.

So, how important are blank / unkeyed maps in your adventure purchases? Is the extra feature appreciated? Is it's omission a deal breaker or do you just not care because you don't use them?

Inquiring minds want to know...

On Affiliate Links, Advertising and Sponsors

I've always tried to be open and forthright here at The Tavern. Have I always succeeded? Sadly, no.

As many, if not most, of you know, clicking on links for RPGNow or DriveThruRPG and making a purchase generates revenue for The Tavern. Generally it's 5% of the purchase, but may be less if a Gift Certificate is used. What many of you don't know is that there is a cookie attached to that click, which will credit purchases made within the next 2 weeks to The Tavern, so long as a new cookie doesn't replace it.

Going forward, we'll be mentioning the presence of an affiliate link whenever one appears in a post. You can remove the affiliate link by using "copy" on the link, pasting the link into a new tab on your browser and deleting from the last "?" or "&" in the link. No one should be forced to use an affiliate link when they make a purchase, although I most certainly do appreciate it when you do. For reference, I make mention of the 5% revenue generated at the top of this page, under the header art and above the RPGNow banner.

The Tavern does not currently accept advertising or traditional sponsorship. To paraphrase The Pundit, "if we did we would still call your stuff shit if we thought it was shit." We'd also need to declare such a relationship prominently in any postings where it could be consider a conflict. Making a "tag" indicating it is "sponsored" wouldn't cut it. Does anyone look at the tags at the bottom of these posts anyway?

Generating revenue is important for the long term success of The Tavern, but not at the expense of the community that IS The Tavern.

Labor Day Weekend Sale at Frog God Games - Up to 66% of Select Print Releases

Frog God Games is running a sale on multiple releases for Swords & Wizardry, Pathfinder and some 5e. I may pick up the Cyclopean Deeps Vol I & II myself. Damn it.

Multiple codes can be used on the same order, just enter them one at a time.

Disclaimer. I am working on Swords & Wizardry Light for Frog God Games. I'm volunteering my time as are others. It will be released for free, in print (and PDF), by FGG. I make no referral or affiliate monies if you buy from the link above using the codes below. Apparently I'm doing something wrong ;)

Gamehole Registration Opened Today - Con is November 4th Through 6th, 2016

I spoke with Alex earlier today. About a thousand badges already sold. 1150 games. Hotels in the area are filling up fast (if they haven't already.) Everyone I've spoken to that has gone to a previous Gamehole tells me that Alex runs and amazing con. That includes similar kind words from Bad Mike of NTRPG Con fame.

Sadly, I won't be making it this year. Between transitioning to a pension (and the associated budget adjustments) and Rach just last week being permanently designated director of her treatment program (she has ben doing the job as a temporary designation since early March) this Fall is shot for me. That being said, I do expect con reports from any and all Taverners that manage to attend - we'll post them here.

There may be something special in the Gamehole swag bags. Or not. Too early to say anything. Did I say something? I know nuthink!