Torchlight - How the Genre Themed Issues Will Work (SWL)

Art Copyright Claudio Casini

I've been asked how the "genre themed" issues of Torchlight will work. This is the current game plan which I'm sure will get revised as we get closer to showtime.

• Classes - will be designed as the optional classes in SWCL, meaning that the "crunch" will be defined with one or two tricks or gimmicks added to a core class. Class description will define the classes more than the crunch.
• Settings - thought is a localized sandbox with location highlights and hooks. If we are looking at 8 or 10 pages of the issue for the genre hack, 4 of those pages should be setting and map.
• Magic / Tech - Items unique to the setting
• Monsters / Creatures / NPC - Because settings need their bad guys
• Optional rules - If the setting has no magical healing, some non-magical healing needs to be included. If the setting is in space, space combat rules. All taking into account that the rules need to be "light"

Here's an example for a "Barbarian"class for a Swords & Sorcery type setting.

Barbarians. Natives. Berserkers. They are called many things, but nothing defines them more than their distaste for civilization and magic. Well, perhaps their loyalty to their friends and their enmity towards nearly everyone else. 

Fearless on the field of battle, many have been known to work themselves into a rage in combat, throwing themselves at their enemy with only one thought - death to their enemy. Sometimes, when all the enemies are vanquished, they have been known to turn on their friends. Nothing personal, you know, sometimes battle gets the best of everyone. 

- Barbarians may "enrage" once per day in battle. They will discard any shields and rush their enemy. For the next 5 rounds they are + 3 hit and + 3 damage. If there are no enemies left standing at the beginning of a round (within the 5 rounds) they must roll a Save (bonus of + 1 for Wisdom 15+) or attack a random ally at + 3 hit and + 3 damage until the 5 rounds have passed.

That's a quick peek. I'll be outlining the first few issues as the week goes on. Which theme or genre comes first will depend on what writes itself ;)

Update - Free Operation: White Box PDF With $5+ Pledge - There is a Fund to Send James Spahn to North Texas RPG Con

I know I posted about this on Saturday, but +Pete Spahn (no relation to James) has sweetened the pot. Now, every pledge at $5 or more gets a copy of Operation: White Box - the OSR rpg set in WWII. Normally 8 bucks in PDF (currently on sale for $5.59 for about another 12 hours) this is a great deal for a great game to help send a great guy to an amazing OSR Con that he his is in the running for an award.

Did I mention +James Spahn is a great guy?

Here's the link to the GoFundMe. Go ahead. Make James blush. I DARE you!  :)

OSR Picks for the GM's Day Sale, Part IX - Last 24 Hours and Counting! Last post in the Series!

Yep, we are under the 24 hour mark for time remaining i the RPGNow GM's Sale. These will be my last picks. That doesn't mean if something didn't make my pick list that it wasn't good - it probably means I ran out of space.

It also means time is running out at these sale prices. Next major RPGNow sale will probably be Christmas in July.

This post is Part VI. Part I ,  Part II , Part III, Part IV,  Part V,  Part VI,  Part VII and Part VIII are linked. Remember, 5% of your purchase goes to support The Tavern and associated costs for projects like Swords & Wizardry Light and the upcoming Torchlight Zine.

Slumbering Ursine Dunes - I think someone else said it better than I ever could - "Want a healing potion? No generic shit in this, you’ll instead be drinking the pure white soul of someone who has drowned in a pond." - Bryce Lynch, Ten Foot Pole - There ya go ;) - "Run, play or splice up 66 pages of mayhem and weirdness in this Slavic mythic-inspired (with an acid fantasy-twist) mini-sandbox for Labyrinth Lord or the well-aged fantasy rpg of your druthers. What You Will Find Inside: • A 25-site pointcrawl of the otherwordly Slumbering Ursine Dunes region. Beyond the big ticket adventure sites you will find along the way a Polevik-haunted rye field, a Zardoz head-living hermit, bearling pilgrimage site, antediluvian beaver engineers and other assorted madness. • Two separate “dungeons”, the bio-mechanical, lost-in-time Golden Barge and the faction-contested Glittering Tower, with enough detail and portability to be slotted into an existing campaign. • The Chaos Index, a dynamic events system for modeling the mythic weirdness of the Dunes. Actions of the players in the sandbox will escalate or de-escalate the levels of events. • Four competing factions operating inside the Dunes, plus guidelines for their mutual interactions. • Unique player classes, spells and magic items compatible with Labyrinth Lord. • 15 new and unique monsters, many drawn from Slavic mythology (with a twist or three, naturally)." $9.00  $6.30


The Wizardarium of Calabraxis - some of my picks are downright cheap. amazing quality and price. grab this now! - "17 pages of fun, built around a core of an easy to run 2 page overview. The Wizardarium of Calabraxis starts off with strangely behaving apemen, but players who start to explore the cave where they reside will soon discover there is a lot going on: ancient civilizations, the mad experiments of a forgotten wizard, and a couple unique magic items are guaranteed to provide a lot of bang for your buck to your players. This module has stats for the DCCRPG, but if one wants to work around the weird dice, this module is probably at home in just about any OSR rules system. Characters of almost any DCC level will probably have fun in this adventure; just adjust some numbers until the exact right number of PCs are dying ;)" $1.95  $1.50


Ruins & Ronin - Ah, did you think I was done with the awesome and inexpensive selections? Well, you were wrong. Maybe medieval fantasy isn't your style. Maybe you want to adventure in the orient. Maybe you want your non European setting rules to be Swords & - Wizardry derived - "A complete set of rules for playing an old school fantasy game (Swords & Wizardry compatible) in a medieval Japanese-like setting.  What's inside: Unique player classes and races. Japanese-styled weapons, equipment and magic items.  A complete 32-page bestiary of monsters and spirits."
$2.00  $1.40

Labyrinth Lord: Revised Edition - sure, you could grab the free art PDF, but where is fantasy gaming without awesome art? -"Enter a world filled with labyrinths, magic, and monsters! You can take the role of a cleric, dwarf, elf, fighter, halfling, magic-user, or thief on your quest for glory, treasure, and adventure! This is a complete role playing game. All you need are a few sheets of paper and some dice. Welcome back to a simpler old-school gaming experience. The Labyrinth Lord awaits your arrival. Can you survive the dangers of the labyrinth?" $5.95  $4.17

Rats in the Walls - you didn't think we'd get through this without referencing "rats" did you? besides, its an excellent adventure - "An adventure in HYPERBOREA designed for 4–6 characters of 1st through 2nd level. For use with Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™ and other traditional fantasy role-playing games. In the City-State of Khromarium, a dockside tavern called the Silvery Eel is plagued by rats of a most unusual breed. These abominable rodents have ruined the tavern keeper’s business and his life. The man is desperate, and he offers a substantial reward for the elimination of his horrific problem." $4.29  $3.00

White Box Gothic [Swords & Wizardry] - this is the type of fantasy / old school horror that I really enjoy - not to hack it for SWL ;) - "White Box Gothic brings gothic horror to your Swords & Wizardry WhiteBox campaign! Inside this terrible tome you'll find a horde of horrors! - Six New Classes: From the deadly Monster Hunter to the damned Dhampir. - Thirty New Spells: Speak with the dead, defile the land, and bind spirits to your service! - Twenty-Five New Magic Items: Draw undead servants from your Bag of Bones, learn the secrets of the Book of the Damned, and draw hope from the Symbol of Piety! - Fifteen New Monsters: The lowly Cultist, the mysterious Breath Stealer, to the powerful Vampire Lord! - Optional Rules: Corruption, Dread, and laying Curses! - Inside these fifty pages you'll find all manner of dark and dire secrets to vex your players and defy the undead! $4.99  $3.49

Feast of the Preserver - A horror adventure for the DCC RPG? Its like chocolate and peanut butter -"Feast of the Preserver is a survival horror adventure designed for a group of 5 to 8 characters of levels 3 to 4. Something is amiss in the isolated village of Barrowton. Only courage, skill and a lot of luck can aid the adventurers in facing the horror that has taken hold of this once idyllic place. Can the adventurers save the village from a terrible fate or will they become the Feast of the Preserver? Features: Mystery and excitement compatible with Goodman Games Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG but easily converted to other systems - Over 40 pages of blood chilling suspence and horror - Beautifully rendered isometric maps by Brian Van Hunsel - New evil magic to destroy or be destroyed by" $4.99  $3.49

Cryptworld - Back in my college days of gaming, I really enjoyed Chill! Then they made a hardcover book for it and I didn't enjoy it anymore. I enjoy Cryptworld, the spiritual successor - "CRYPTWORLD is a horror role-playing game in which you investigate and hunt the forces of the unexplained. The Crypt Master may design any world of horror he desires. Classic horror, slasher horror, alien menaces from the stars and interdimensional monsters. These horrors and more may greet you in CRYPTWORLD! - CRYPTWORLD is a role-playing game complete in one volume. - In this book you will find: - Rules for character generation - Optional paranormal talents - Creatures covering multiple horror genres - Advice for running horror games - An introductory adventure... and more!" $7.95  $5.57

Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light Updates and News - 3/12/17

A few bits of news for those interested in Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light.

Gary Con is going to have some major SWL stuff going on. +Zach Glazar , +Michael Badolato and myself will have some goodies to give out. Folders, folios, character cards and even two dozen or some copies of Swords & Wizardry Continual Light - taking your games to level seven. SWCL will be digest sized, signed and numbered and very limited in number for the Gary Con release. I'm figuring two dozen copies tops for the con. I'll hand out maybe five copies a day Wednesday through Sunday.

The official release date for Swords & Wizardry Continual Light will be Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day (April 15th, 2017 I do believe) It will be free in PDF and low cost in print. I'm totally guessing on the following price points for print which ARE NOT set in stone:

US -             $4 including shipping
APO -          $2 including shipping (yes, deployed military get a discount)
Canada -      $5 including shipping
Elsewhere - $6 including shipping

If you want multiple copies for your gaming group we'll work something out.

Swords & Wizardry Continual Light will be digest sized and printed via a laser printer.

Swords & Wizardry Continual Light Deluxe (working title) will follow later (I'm hoping NTRPG Con but we will see). That will include seven adventures (one for each level covered by the rules) as well as a small sandbox. Pricing to be determined. I'm hoping to use a sepia colored cover for this version.

Torchlight. We are aiming for late spring / early summer release for the first issue of the Torchlight Zine, the "Official" Zine of SWL. Current plans are 16 to 24 pages, quarterly, with half of each issue dedicated to a SWL "hack " - sci-fi, old ones horror, western, dark fantasy, etc - that will give classes, some creatures and probably a small sandbox. The rest of the issue will be assorted SWL miscellany. Yes, I have certain hacks in mind.

The official publisher of SWCL as well as Torchlight is Triumvirate Tavern Publishing. Three emperors. One awesome ruleset :)

Kickstarter - The Umerican Survival Guide (DCC RPG Compatible Post Apocalyptic Setting)

The Umerican Survival Guide is a DCC RPG Compatible Post Apocalyptic setting book. While it can not declare compatibility with the soon to be released Mutant Crawl Classics (MCC) as MCC is compatible with DCC, all three should work fine with each other IMO.

+Reid San Filippo approached me last week and asked me to take a look at the "not yet live" Kickstarter page for USG for any obvious pitfalls or hazards. I didn't find any and looking at the live page which has nearly funded a day after release I don't see any now.

If you've been following the Crawling Under a Broken Moon zine, the material in The Umerican Survival Guide will be familiar, but where before you were getting bits and pieces of the setting, now you get the whole thing, ready for your next DCC RPG campaign.

A few quick notes:

- This is Reid's first KS, but he seems to have done his homework. PDF and Print on Demand means that once the "beta" manuscript is signed off on, backers should soon be getting their product.

- In doubt or on the fence? Back for a Buck and you can get a peek at the current, nearly complete manuscript. Trust me, 30 minutes later you'll be backing for Print on Demand.

- Or go to RPGNow and grab some copies of the Crawling Under a Broken Moon Zines. 30% off through tomorrow. That puts them at $1.39 each - or grab a bundle of #1 to 6 for $4.47

OSR Picks for the GM's Day Sale, Part VIII - Last Two Days Countdown

Yep, there's less than three days left to the RPGNow GM's Day Sale. And yes, there's more OSR picks to be had :)

This post is Part VI. Part I ,  Part II , Part III, Part IV,  Part V,  Part VI and Part VII are linked. Remember, 5% of your purchase goes to support The Tavern and associated costs for projects like Swords & Wizardry Light and the upcoming Torchlight Zine.

Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes - Every adventure published by +Jeff Talanian  / North Wind Adventures is excellent or better. Grab one or grab them all, you can't go wrong - "Somewhere in the depths of Diamond Desert lie the skeletal remains of Ymir’s Serpent, a legendary Viking longship. In days of yore, Sigtrygg Forkbeard led his company upriver, piercing the desert’s hostile heart. There the Vikings unearthed a lost mine brimming with green diamonds, but the River Æolus desiccated as the Serpent prepared for launch, and the ship was swallowed by the dunes. Forkbeard and his company were never seen again, but tales of a shimmering Viking ghost ship gliding over the dunes persist to this day. Ghost Ship of the Desert Dunes takes players into an action-packed realm of adventure: the mythical world of Hyperborea, a sword-and-sorcery campaign setting inspired by the fantastic fiction of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, and others. This adventure is designed for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea™ (AS&SH™), a role-playing game descended from the original 1974 fantasy wargame and miniatures campaign rules as conceived by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Therefore, AS&SH is compatible with most traditional fantasy role-playing games (c. 1974 to 1999) and their modern simulacra, such as OSRIC™ and Swords & Wizardry™."  $10.00  $7.00


Fantasy Stock Art: Dungeon Scenes +Denis McCarthy - I'm a huge buyer of stock art. I figure when I need it its best to already have it and I love grabbing it on sale. I have everything Denis has to offer :) - "Fantasy Stock Art: Dungeon Scenes is a collection of stock art images for use in your personal or commercial role-playing game product, subject to the terms of the license agreement included within these materials. This zip file contains seven fantasy illustrations, which you may crop, color or rearrange as you see fit. Also included is a text-free version of the cover image, which may be used as stock art. All images are presented in 300 dpi resolution. All images are presented in .jpeg format as well as .tiff images with a preserved transparency."   $1.99  $1.39

Castle Gargantua - A mega dungeon? A mega dungeon toolkit? Two great tastes in one candy bar? Its a bit random, so it may not fit everyones tastes, but the price is right (and Print plus PDF is only 10 bucks) -  Ride the beanstalk and crawl into the sprawling halls of Castle Gargantua. There awaits the most legendary of giants and the fiercest creatures known to man. Delve further than ever for the great doors of Castle Gargantua have swung open once again, and what lies ahead isn't for the faint-hearted. The biggest dungeon ever published by the OSR. A campaign, a massive generator, and a grotesque setting all-in-one. A bookmarked PDF & print edition compatible with everything Old School Renaissance With DYSON LOGOS & JEREMY HART “It's not about killing monsters, looting treasure, and gaining experience as you delve deeper into some mad archmage's architectural folly. It's about surviving in a loathsome, terrifying environment where nothing is quite as expected. It's about atmosphere, gloom, and despair. It's a thriller.” $6.90  $5.00


DCC Lankhmar: Patrons of Lankhmar - I really enjoy the Lankmar setting and I'm looking forward to what else Goodman Games does with it in the future. Damn, now I want to dig out my old AD&D Lankmar book - "Authorized by the estate of Fritz Leiber! From beneath the Outer Ocean, from out of the depths of the Great Salt Marsh, and from the odd fanes of the Street of the Gods, they come: the Patrons of Lankhmar! With the information contained in this tome, a judge can introduce such formidable beings as the Sea King, Mog the Spider God, Sheelba of the Eyeless Face, and even Death himself into any DCC RPG campaign setting. This early look at the upcoming Dungeon Crawl Classics Lankhmar line introduces a half-dozen supernatural powers and eerie entities for use in your DCC RPG or Lankhmar campaign. Each power’s entry includes details on the entity and their role in Nehwon, tables for invoking that power’s aid, corruption charts for when things go wrong, and new spellburn possibilities. Are you ready to serve the Patrons of Lankhmar? Look for future releases further exploring the tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, the creations of world-renowned author Fritz Leiber, and eventually a complete boxed set." $7.99  $5.59




Nod 29 - This is NOD 29. There is nothing else quite like it but other issues of NOD. Nod is great. Seriously. Grab an issues and you'll be hooked. - "The second issue of NOD in 2016 features the second half of the Trollheim hex crawl, and then delves into modern and sci-fi supplements for Grit & Vigor, including Tony Tucker's Luchador class, the final part of Luke DeGraw's d20 Mecha rules, the fabulous Lovecraftian Hyperspace setting by Aaron Siddall and a quick and easy rpg that pits Luchadores vs. the Aztec Mummy. Plus: A random class generator, coins for more interesting hoards, the Laser Mage and a couple odd bits for Space Princess." - $4.99  $3.49



Weird Adventures - Pulp. Fantasy. OSR. Setting. Mix it all together and what you get is Weird Adventures - Welcome to the City... The streets are mean--and what lurks beneath them is even meaner. Only the most hard-boiled adventurers make it in this town.  You think you got what it takes? Grab your gun or grimoire and find out. Weird Adventures is a setting where traditional rpg fantasy meets the Pulp era.  It's a world where hobogoblins hop trains, gargoyles nest on art deco skyscrapers, and celebrity sorcerers hawk cigarettes on the radio. Weird Adventures includes: A guide to the City, greatest metropolis in the world, including its five baronies, numerous neighborhoods, and points of interest to adventurers. An overview of the Strange New World beyond the City, including the mysterious jungles of Asciana, the zombie-haunted streets of Cujiatepec, and the hidden moonshine stills of the hill-billy giants in the Smaragdines. Thirty new monsters from the Black Blizzard to the Skunk-Ape. $10.00  $7.00

There is a Fund to Send James Spahn to North Texas RPG Con

There is a GoFundMe to send our very own +James Spahn to North Texas RPG Con in June of this year. Its being run by +James Shields without conferring prior to James Spahn, which makes this extra often. Its a other sign of how this community takes care of its own.

Here's what James Shields has to say:

THE GOAL: 

James M. Spahn is a freelance writer and game designer for the roleplaying industry who has created a myriad of works loved by many. His works are among such titles as Swords & Wizardry , The One Ring RPG , White Star , and many others. 

This summer, his talent and works may finally receive the reward and recognition they deserve. His latest work, The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying , is up for a Three Castles Award at the North Texas RPG Convention. 

However, James is a working family man with little funds to spare and can't afford the trip. Beyond the chance of winning this award, there will be many creators and designers in attendance who have contributed to whom James Spahn is today. This would mean the world to him. 

THE COORDINATOR: 

My name is James Shields. I am freelance artist for the roleplaying industry. A few years ago, I was simply a man who admired James' work. Today I am his friend. I am organizing this campaign because it is something James would never do himself.
I figured I couldn't be the only one who wants to see him there. 

THE DEADLINE: 

While the convention and awards will not be until early June, James needs the funds fairly soon to start purchasing tickets, arranging plans, etc. Ideally, we can reach the goal by the end of March. 

THE FUNDS: 

The amount set forth above should be enough to cover his airfare, convention ticket, hotel room, food, and reimbursement for missed work. Any funds raised above these expenses will go towards either the cost of bringing his family (if possible) or additional spending money at the convention. 

If we don't make this goal, then either: 

A) Hopefully, it will lessen the trip's expenses enough for him to afford it and we will still have helped Send James Spahn to the North Texas RPG Con 

or 

B) This campaign will remain live and continue to raise support to send him to the convention next year. 

All funds will go directly to James Spahn as beneficiary of this campaign. 

THE AWARDS: 

The awards listed are the only thing of value I know to offer. This campaign is my surprise gift to James Spahn. I am sure he'd love to game with and express his appreciation to anybody who helps send him to this convention. 

THE GRATITUDE: 

I trust you already love his work. This is your opportunity to love the man. Thank you so much for what amount you give for my friend.
Help spread the word!

Now, what are the rewards?

Full disclosure: James Spahn is not only a very good friends of mine, he (along with +Zach Glazar ) are my partners on Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light. Should the funding goal be met, we'll offer the first issue of the Torchlight Zine at PWYW pricing in PDF to get it in the hands of the entire community.

Thanks in advance. Your Tavern Keeper :)

OSR Picks for the GM's Day Sale, Part VII - Last Three Days Countdown

Yep, there's less than three days left to the RPGNow GM's Day Sale. And yes, there's more OSR picks to be had :)

This post is Part VI. Part I ,  Part II , Part III, Part IV,  Part V and Part VI are linked. Remember, 5% of your purchase goes to support The Tavern and associated costs for projects like Swords & Wizardry Light and the upcoming Torchlight Zine.

Classic Traveller - Deluxe - Classic Traveller IS the defining edition of Traveller in my humble opinion, and the first system I houseruled (adding in experience points to add new skills) - This set includes the three core books, Book ) (and introduction to Traveller) and an adventure. $19.99  $9.99




HarnWorld Master Module, 3rd Edition - Harn was my first setting after Greyhawk. While Greyhawk was very general in its descriptions of locations, Harn was detailed. Where Greyhawk maps where almost whimsical, Harn's were extremely detailed. Greyhawk was mid to high fantasy, Harn was low fantasy. The comparisons were striking - "HârnWorld is a detailed, realistic, flexible, and system-neutral setting for fantasy role-playing games. Since 1983, HârnWorld has been used by thousands of people across the world to run a wide array of medieval fantasy adventures. HârnWorld can accommodate whatever style of campaign you are looking for, whether your player characters are knights, mages, barbarians, clerics, noble lords, mercenaries, gladiators, craftsmen, merchants, thieves, or even simple peasants yearning for adventure. This basic HârnWorld module has two components: Hârn Overview: This 58-page Hârn article is a general overview of Hârnic cultures, governments, economics, history, and more. It also includes campaign aids for such tasks as generating weather conditions and character backgrounds. - Hârn Regional Map: The map of Hârn provides a vast amount of information with a unique cartographic system developed specifically for fantasy gaming. The area detailed measures 620×930 miles (1000×1500 km). The colors and textures show vegetation and terrain as noted on the map key. $27.98  $19.98


Adventure Most Fowl - quite simply a nice, inexpensive introductory adventure for Swords & Wizardry (or the OSR game of your choice) - "On the edge of the Four Counties, in a backwater village of lost souls, there is a string of robberies that cannot be explained…Farmer Phileas Filson has lost his chickens, or rather he swears that they’ve been pilfered, along with his prize-winning hen Mabel, and no one in town will lift a finger to help. You and your adventuring comrades, freshly minted from the forges of fame and fortune, may be his only hope… Adventure Most Fowl is a great way to start that new party of low-level adventurers on the path to riches and rewards! With a broad cast of interesting, unusual and perhaps dangerous rural folk, a countryside filled with sheep, squash, and hallucinogenic flora and of course the mystery of missing poultry, your players and their new characters will have a fun-filled romp through this off-color backwater village." $1.99  $1.39

The Anime Hack - The Black Hack has spawned lots of various hacks, but perhaps the furthest afield from its source material is The Anime Hack - The Anime Hack brings the frantic energy of Japanese animation to the tabletop in an easy to play multi-genre role playing game based on the fantastic Black Hack RPG. Based on the original 1970s fantasy role-playing game the rules are easy to follow and playable right out of the box. Character creation takes a few minutes and you'll be playing in no time. The Anime Hack adds anime flavour, mecha and vehicle rules as well as advice for GMs and players alike who want to play in a world of over-sized eyes, giant robots, katanas, ninjas, weaponized mallets and collectable monsters. Choose between eight anime inspired classes: Magical Girl/Boy, Mecha Jockey, Monster Collector, Neko, Ninja, Robot, Trenchcoat Samurai, and Wunderkind. This is a complete game. The Black Hack is not required, but it is awesome and would add a lot to your experience. Everything needed to swing katanas and go "over 9000" is right here in 45 pages of adventure. $3.99  $2.79

Realms of Crawling Chaos (Labyrinth Lord) - I recommend this every time it is one sale. Want some "Dark Gods" in your OSR? Then this is for you - "Evil cultists consummate their union with Shub-Niggurath in dark woods no other mortals dare go. Alien terrors lurk in the underworld; their vast riches wait, or their incomprehensible powers could leave you broken, dead, or worse. Adventure in underworlds filled with horrible entities, or the ruins of alien beings that enslaved the ape-like ancestors of mankind. Seek hidden secrets from the arctic wastes to dark, briny seas. But as you approach the ocean, what are those strange longings you feel? Realms of Crawling Chaos is a Lovecraftian Dark Fantasy campaign supplement for Labyrinth Lord and the Advanced Edition Companion. In this book you will find: New player races, including white apes, white ape hybrids, sea blood, and subhumans. New spells .New monsters. New artifacts and a system for designing unique artifacts. Rules for psionics, compatible with Mutant future." $4.95  $3.47


The Manse on Murder Hill - sometimes what you want is a low level adventure where the PCs are just tomb robbers, but heroes. Let them be heroes - they can murder hobo during the next play session ;) - "Several children of Little Flanders have gone missing near an abandoned house of evil repute. A desperate town has begged your heroes to exorcise the house of evil spirits and rescue the children. Will you brave the dangers of the Manse on Murder Hill? A Labyrinth Lord adventure for levels 1-3" $1.99  $1.39

Black Streams: Solo Heroes - I'm trying to add an oft forgotten "freebie" with the last of these post - Want to play one on one? Here ya go! - "Maybe you want to show a friend the fun of classic D&D, but you can't pull a group together on short notice. Maybe you have nights where only one friend can make it, and you're tired of breaking out the card games. Maybe you just want to run a side game for somebody, but don't feel like weighing them down with an entourage of henchmen just so they can survive their first combat. What do you need? You need Solo Heroes, a free Labyrinth Lord-compatible supplement for lone adventuring. While written for the Red Tide Campaign Setting and Sandbox Toolkit, this supplement is compatible with a wide range of old-school games. Within, you'll find a simple set of rules for running classic adventures with just a single PC. There's no need to alter character sheets or rework modules to make them survivable for whatever class your player has chosen- Solo Heroes gives you a handful of simple rules for turning such solitary exploration from a death wish in the making to a daring tale of risk and potential glory.
In addition to these rules, the mini-adventure of The Yellow Toad God's Well is provided to give you a little something instant to run for your player's new hero. And if it turns out you've got a full group for that night's session? Just drop the optional rules and run it by the book. Solo Heroes lets you play the game without painful paperwork and adventure redesign, whether for one player or half a dozen. FREE!  FREE!

Why Less is Sometimes Something More and What I Learned from S&W White Box and Applied to S&W Light

In part this is in response to a recent discussion about minimalism in the OSR, but in reality it is something more. Its an observation of S&W White Box importance to the OSR and also a design goal of S&W Light. Well, observation and design are linked but not the same but are addressed together, but I digress.

I want to look at Swords &Wizardry White Box. Anyone care to guess how many games are based on that open ruleset?

Off the top of my head:

White Star

White Lies

Operation White Box

White Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game

Skyscrapers & Sorcery White Box Rules

The Hero's Journey Fantasy Roleplaying 

Swords & Wizardry Light

I'm sure there are more that I've either overlooked or forgotten and I apologize in advance.

So, why do so many games build off of the S&W White Box engine? The answer is simple. Literally... It was / is one of the most basic OSR rulesets, meaning it was, and is, an easy choice to build on.

It is easier to build on top of another ruleset than to remove rules and modify and rebuild. Trust me. I have some knowledge of this, as I stripped the Swords & Wizardry White Box rules down to the four pages of Swords & Wizardry Light. The very reason I chose the White Box rules was that simplicity. Sure, there was stuff I had to strip and drop, but not nearly the amount if I had chosen S&W Complete.

I was initially surprised when other designers / publishers reached out to me as I was writing and rewriting the SWL rules, asking to see the work I had done as a guide to use for their own projects. I'm no longer surprised. Much as S&W White Box is the chassis for a number of variant rules, I suspect when the Swords & Wizardry Continual Light rules are released (16 pages or so), there will be variants and genres and rules specific settings that will use SWCL as their chassis.

Because adding is easier than subtraction.

Swords & Wizardry Light / Continual Light are written for the community. To be played, houseruled, hacked and mashed into what you want it to be. Add what you want. Its hard to break. The core is solid.

Heck, I have hacks in my head. Genres. Settings. Hacks. I find 16 pages of rules to be liberating, not restricting. Empowering, not powerless.

I look forward to the hacks of the future.

OSR Picks for the GM's Day Sale, Part VI - Last Four Days Countdown

Yep, there's less than four days left to the RPGNow GM's Day Sale. And yes, there's more OSR picks to be had :)

This post is Part VI. Part I ,  Part II , Part III, Part IV and Part V are linked. Remember, 5% of your purchase goes to support The Tavern and associated costs for projects like Swords & Wizardry Light and the upcoming Torchlight Zine.

GM Gems - A system neutral (with a free expanded DCC RPG version included in the purchase) book of tricks, advice and tools for every GM. Its from Goodman Games, so you know its good - did I mention its 50% off? - "GM Gems: A Tome of Game Master Inspiration is filled with a wealth of information and ideas to empower every aspect of your game. Never run boring, vanilla games and never be caught flat-footed! Inspiration and Perspiration - This 80-page collection of tricks and tips is systems-neutral, so you can play it with any role playing game you choose. GM Gems is written by veteran Game Masters and some of today’s best known RPG designers, and includes: Alchemical Mishaps - Empty Rooms Worth Describing - Extraordinary Campsites - Familiar Creatures with Unfamiliar Faces - Short Encounters for Short Attention Spans - Unique Taverns and Inns - Unusual Holidays - 100 Unique Treasures - And much, much more!" $11.99  $5.99

The Lost City of Barakus--Swords and Wizardry - Frog God Games has practically their entire catalogue on sale at RPGNow for the GM's Sale, which made picking a title to highlight difficult. But then it wasn't. Lost City of Barakus is the campaign I've been itching to run for ages, and the fact that it covers levels from 1 to 5 (or 6) makes it perfect for Swords & Wizardry Continual Light - "The Lost City of Barakus, designed to take characters from 1st to 5th or 6th level (or higher), is as much of a campaign setting as an adventure. Detailed within these pages is the great, bustling metropolis of Endhome, the Penprie Forest and Duskmoon Hills located north of that city, and, finally, the huge dungeon that is the Lost City of Barakus. Within all these areas are many adventures, NPCs, and locations for the party to explore, interact with and conquer. How and in what order the party chooses to take on the various challenges before them is entirely yours (the GM’s) and the players’ choice." $19.99  $13.99

Class Compendium - Over 50 new classes for your Labyrinth Lord campaign? Heck, they are easy enough to convert to just about any OSR ruleset of your choice. By +James Spahn none the less ;) - "The Class Compendium for offers over fifty alternate character classes for labyrinth lord and other old-school fantasy role-playing games. With these new options you'll be ready to face whatever dangers that lay hidden in the deepest dungeon of your next campaign! Class Compendium compiles the best classes from four years of material previously released by barrel rider games into a single tome – and a whole lot of extras! New art, rules for firearms and weapon mastery, new equipment, and three never before released classes! Top it off with an indexed spell compendium featuring every spell used by every class found in these pages, and you've got it all in one package!"  $9.99  $6.99


Petty Gods: Revised & Expanded Edition - always free, but I figured it should be mentioned. Grab it! Grab it now! You'll never find a more professional and complete and useful assortment of Petty Gods. For Ratacus! - Expanded Petty Gods Compendium provides Old School referees with a slew of new, weird minor deities and godlings, for use in rounding out their campaigns. This book includes information for 327 petty gods, 116 minions, knights & servitors, 12 cults, dozens of divine items & new spells, plus a host of other petty-god-related gaming material!  Free!  Free!

Bride of the Darkened Rider - Fat Goblin Games' first DCC RPG release, literally released earlier this week - "Two of the kingdom’s baronies have been at odds and occasionally outright war for centuries, in a blood feud that lost all meaning generations ago. Things have recently changed as the heads of the two noble families have arranged a marriage between the heirs to their baronies, in a move to secure peace and prosperity to the region. - This particular adventure has two sections. The first is an event based part of the game, where the players proceed from one event or scene to the next in a straightforward manner. Each scene or event is self-contained, but has links to the previous and the upcoming events. The latter half of the adventure, when the characters are finally ready to confront the villains of the adventure is a more classic dungeoncrawl, with pits, traps, monsters and treasure. Make sure you familiarize yourself with both before you start the adventure for your group. The adventure itself is written for 4-6 3rd level characters, but is adjustable for other levels of play as you see fit." $5.95  $3.95

Apes Victorious - Apes are the ones in power in the future. Humans are slaves - This is the Planet of the Victorious Apes! ;) - "Apes Victorious is a roleplaying game in which you take the role of an astronaut from the 1970’s who finds himself marooned on a future Earth ruled by intelligent apes. Players may also take the role of an ape, a degenerated human, or a psi-active underdweller. Fight to survive in this post-apocalyptic future ruled by four species of apes. Or play apes who hunt humans for sport. For a different kind of campaign, play highly intelligent but insane underdwellers who have advanced technology and powerful psi powers. This book contains: A complete game - A post-nuclear apocalyptic setting in which apes have become the dominant species - Seven player classes - Animals and creatures of the post-nuclear future - Campaign advice - A complete introductory adventure - Conversion notes for compatible games including: Labyrinth Lord, Mutant Future, Starships & Spacemen.  $4.97  $3.48