Bard – Swords & Wizardry – A Work in Progress

I’ve been a longtime fan of Bards. No, not the Bard from the AD&D 1e Player’s Handbook, but starting with the Bard Class presented in issue #56 of The Dragon. Heck, 10 years ago, I wrote a Swords & Wizardry Bard Class for issue #6 of Knockspell. It wasn’t a bad attempt, but I think I’ve learned a bit more over the years when it comes to game design – and class design. I think its time to refresh the design. ;)

So, what defines a bard in my mind? A bit of a jack-of-all-trades, a bard is a class that is useful, but not meant to replace any other particular core class. It’s the type of class that comes into play when you are playing solo, or in a group that has already covered the four core class types of fighter, cleric, thief and wizard. The bard does a little bit of each class, but certainly not as competently as any of the core does theirs.

A bard is lightly armored. Nothing heavier than chainmail. They can’t wield a shield either.

Weapons are limited to the type that can be wielded in a single hand. Any weapon that would be stored across their back is avoided, so no bows or crossbows. Missile weapons would be limited to slings and thrown weapons.

Hit Dice would be as a thief, as would the Bard’s combat matrix and saving throws.

Bard’s have a song list, much of which would draw from the established cleric and magic-user spell lists. Bard songs are different from the spells they replicate, and bards can not use magic-user or cleric scrolls, even if the spells are on the bard song list. They would also progress slower as casters, with new spell levels at 4th, 7th, and 10th levels

Of course, bards would need the ability to inspire their compatriots as well as distract their foes. Obscure knowledge would also be their forte.

Alright, not quite a complete checklist. Work commences later today. I’ll show peeks at the progress as it happens, and the final design will likely appear in Torchlight #2.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

I've Decided on my System for my Next Campaign - and it Kinda Sorta Is/Isn't Swords & Wizardry

Two weeks ago I attended the yearly gathering of my gaming group from the 80s and 90s. We've been gathering yearly for the last 15 years or so, and we've often talked about getting the "band back together", but they'd been looking to play D&D 5e, and that isn't on my list of systems to run ;)

This year, I was asked to run the OSR system of my choice. So I've been trying to think about the system I'd prefer to run, and no surprise, Swords & Wizardry came ut on top. But I wanted it to go a bit differently from the standard fantasy tropes, and Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerors of Hyperborea came to mind. It has some really excellent adventures in the low-level range and I already own them and the rules. 

Then I recalled Crypts & Things, an excellent Swords & Wizardry based swords & sorcery hack, and it all came together. 

Crypts & Things for the rules, Rats in the Walls and Other Perils, and The Anthropophagi of Xambaala from AS&SH for the initial adventures. Three single-session adventures and a longer one, this should accommodate sessions where players can drop in or out, depending on their schedule.

Now I just need to write a short Swords & Wizardry Light adventure for Shire Con in September. I wonder how many of the Crypts & Things classes could convert to SWL? :)

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Deal of the Day - Tomes of Cthulhu (CoC)

I will admit to being a Call of Cthulhu junkie. I own the old boxed set, the 5e books, the 7e books, and Starter Box, the Horror on the Orient Express box set from the Kickstarter, and simply way too many CoC adventures to count.

Tomes of Cthulhu is today's Deal of the Day. Normally 2.99 is PDF, until tomorrrow morning it is on sale for 1.49.

So, what is Tomes of Cthulhu? 

Tomes of Cthulhu is a generic supplement for horror games based on the works of H. P. Lovecraft. It describes in detail 20 different books, plus alternative editions and original sources for some of them, of esoteric and sometimes forbidden knowledge that are a common theme in Lovecraftian horror.

Each book has its name, and author, if known, as well as details on its appearance, when and how it was published, again if known, and what sort of knowledge might be found in it, which includes a Least to Greatest approximation for how much general knowledge, and its effect on the reader's sanity, might be found in a book. The language and physical description of the books are also included.

Some of these books are by genuine historical characters, although the books themselves are not. One book is actually real. The majority were written prior to 1930, at least in the first edition, some many centuries before that, with a spike in English translations in the late 19th century.

To make horror real for your players, you need the right props to set the setting and strike the mood. For a buck and a half, Tomes of Cthulhu looks like it will fill such a role admirably.

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

New Release - Ambition & Avarice 2nd Edition (OSR Ruleset)

I will freely admit I am biased in favor of Ambition & Avarice, as I was involved in playtesting both the 1st edition and the 2nd edition versions of the ruleset. What can I say? I am blessed to be part of this amazing community of creative gamers. I also consider Greg Christopher to be a good friend.

That being said, Ambition & Avarice IS a very well thought out OSR ruleset. It feels very familiar, yet at the same time presents options that you don't normally get in an OSR ruleset.

Ambition & Avarice 2e is $15 in PDF and in $30.76 in Hardcover.

How best to comment on A&A? How about I paste the elevator pitch from the DTRPG write up, and comment as we go along?

Ambition and Avarice is an action-adventure roleplaying game with an easy-to-understand OSR chassis. The 2nd edition maintains focus on character classes and races that walk the line of respectability. (like I said above, it feels comforatable and familiar, and then its new and excitingly different)

2nd Edition at a Glance:

- Simple OSR-style resolution mechanics (check!)

- 10 Races: Dark Elf, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Goblin, Halfling, Hobgoblin, Human, Lizardfolk, and Orc. (non standard humanoid races for the win)

- 12 Classes: Brigand, Conjurer, Cultist, Elementalist, Enchanter, Knave, Ranger, Savage, Shaman, Witch, Veteran, and Zealot. (I love the take on classes - I need to play a spell caster next time around)

- More powerful low-level magic users + more powerful high-level mundane characters. (its a fine art to balance,and Greg gets it right)

- Pre-built backpacks to grab off the shelf for quick character creation. (I did this to a lesser extend with SWL - its simply a no-brainer these days)

- The most comprehensive medieval fantasy equipment chapter in the RPG industry (I checked). (woot! and you can steal use it for other OSR games too :)

- Monster trophies to take after the battle and use as magic items; Cyclops eyes, Giant frog tongue, Nymph hair, and more. (another thing one could easily steal for a different system of choice. It is very well done here)

- Catalysts: A spell component system that is actually fun to use. (didn't play a caster in playtests - can't say one way or the other)

- Clear and useful rules for hex crawling, managing retainers, and building your own barony. (solid stuff and a must read for all OSR gamers, regardless of ruleset)

- A complete customizable cosmology system with major/minor gods and demigods of your own creation. (more depth than I usually use, but good to have for the players tha "want to know")

- 596 spells: a mix of old favorites and reimagined wonders divided across six traditions: conjuration, elementalism, enchantment, primeval, salvation, and vexation. (I REALLY need to play a caster)

- NPC design system mixing reaction rolls and attitude to determine exactly how far each NPC will go to help or harm you. (built for improv stylr DMs like me)

- A dungeon familiarity mechanic to allow the players to gather information BEFORE going down the steps into darkness. (an interesting twist)

- Full Bestiary of 182 monsters with a simplified combat stat block system for easy management. (check)

- Monster entries include formulae for creating your own twisted undead.... if you don't mind dabbling in necromancy. (need I repeat mysef? I TRULY REALLY need to play a caster)

- Treasure chapter with rules on magic item creation and numerous treasure tables to stock your dungeons. (fun and inspiring as a DM)

Each class features;

- Expertise in a class-specific task; like the Conjuror's binding circle ability or a Cultist's ability to sacrifice humanoids to curry favor with their god. (this does a great job in defining the various classes and differentiatimg them from each other)

- Identification of something in the world; like the Witch's ability to identify sickness/disease or the Savage's ability to recognize familiar scents and follow them. (fun stuff)

- Recruit followers to serve as henchmen; like the Knave's ability to recruit spies or the Conjurer's ability to create imps to serve them. (this is awesome and again, highly yokeable)

Six flexible magic-using classes have a varied selection of new and exciting spells. There are easy methods to create your own enchantments, raise unique undead to serve you, or craft cursed items to give to your enemies. The non-magical classes have their own rich choices and don't fade away in importance as the magical characters advance in level. (check!)

These classes can then be combined with 10 classic fantasy races; from elves and dwarves to orcs and lizardfolk. You can combine them however you wish, creating everything from goblin rangers to dwarven brigands. Your race is no longer central to your destiny, playing a marginal role in restricting your actions in the game world. (I do love this aspect)

The entire package is designed to allow quick character generation and presented in a format that is clear and easy to read. The text is packed with expanations of not just the rules, but the reasons behind the rules. It is an ideal choice to hand to a new player who is looking to get into the great game, but turned away by dense technical rulebooks with byzantine organization. The adventuring mechanics are also OSR compatible and allow easy integration with a variety of old school campaign material. You can pick up this game, grab an old module, and get playing in a very short amount of time. (this is literally true. while not as quick as generating a SWL character, it is quicker than every other OSR game I've played or run)

All in all, and excellent ruleset AND resource for other OSR rulesets. Did I mention A&A has a hyperlinked Table of Contents?  

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Kickstarter - RPG Maps Zine - Issue 1 - with Descriptions and Plot Hooks

10 Highly Detailed, Hand Drawn, Town Centre, Black and White, Building Maps for RPGs by Dark Realm Maps.

An RPG Zine about maps? Can there be anything cooler?

RPG Maps Zine - Issue 1 is one of those rare Kickstarters where there are more backers at the digital level than at the physical level, which makes sense. Digital is a perfect fit for VTTs, and if you need a physical copy you simply print it out at the size you need.

At 5 British Pounds, or approximately $7 US for 11 maps (as the Zine has hit a stretch goal) for the PDF I can't pass up on this. You never know when your party will go off the path, and maps like this are simply a great tool for the improv DM toolkit.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Torchlight Issue #1 has Released (Swords & Wizardry / SWL / SWCL Zine)

Well, it's finally here. All delays are mine and mine alone. There is a reason this will never be a Kickstarter project run by myself ;)

Torchlight Issue #1 has been released in PDF, with the hope of a limited run of print copies available at Shire Con. Definitely in time for GameHole. These will be printed by Mixam and the quality should be outstanding.

The cover price for Torchlight Issue #1 in PDF is 3 bucks for 36 pages, cover to cover. We have articles (and an adventure) from James Spahn, Michael "Bad Mike" Badolato, and John Healy II.

Glen Hallstrom did the cover and Jeff Jones did the layout.

Unlike the Torchlight Premiere Issue, this is a full-size zine :)

If you buy it via this link: Torchlight Issue #1 - you can snag a copy for 2 bucks. If you have purchased prior S&W releases from me, check your DTRPG email for potentially a deeper discount.

Additionally, I'm putting Swords & Wizardry Continual Light on sale for a buck via the link above - also normally 3 bucks. Work is commencing on a digest-sized version of SWCL - new layout, new art, new cover art, and a micro setting and adventure from James Spahn. Phew. Again, hoping to release it in time for GameHole with a limited print run, again via Mixam.

As always, thank you for the support. Work on Torchlight Issue #2 will commence after we wrap up the Digest Sized Edition of S&W Continual Light :)

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

Is Rules as Written Really Still a Thing?

 

I was scrolling through Facebook, which as an aside I'm kind of sad to see Facebook supplant Forum Boards as seemingly the place to find interaction between players online, and I came across a request from one GM on how to do something Rules As Written (RAW).

That was a playful "lovetap" to the nuts because I have a love/hate relationship with RAW.

Unless you've not read much of my previous posts, which I wouldn't blame you, you'll know I used to play quite a bit of HackMaster and organized a lot of tournaments for KenzerCo. Thing is tournaments really require everyone to play RAW so there is a baseline for fair play. Believe me, this is a HUGE pain in the ass.

Now one thing you probably don't know about me is that I am extremely predicable when playing a new game system: I always try to play the best archer I can make. Now I do like archers, but not enough to warrant this choice. No, I always run archers first because this gives me a baseline to compare the different systems.

I mention this because archers, more specifically Fighters specializing with a bow, kind of suck at the 1st/2nd Edition + home rules blend that was HackMaster 4th Edition. Big cost, terrible payoff and at high level fricken Crossbow specialists were as fast (if not faster) than bow specialists! What was worse was the firing in combat rules....well not the rules so much, but the RAW work-around.

I won't go too far into the weeds here, but what would happen is if you wanted to fire into combat, as a player you would specifically indicate you were trying to make an extremely difficult called shot on a friendly combatant! I think the most common was telling the GM, "My guy is aiming to shoot off the left piggy toe of my buddy engaged over there in melee."

You see, RAW had the GM secretly determining the "actual" target the PC ended up aiming at, based on size, and then if the "actual" target aligned with the the declared target, all those called shot penalties were applied. If they didn't align basically all the penalties went away.

Now I was able to write a new set of rules handling a couple of archer issues that was accepted by HackJournal, so they basically replaced this mess and became new RAW, but every time I hear Rules as Written I inwardly cringe, thinking of how many perfectly good games have been tainted by bad rules.

OK, "bad rules" might be a bit of an oversimplification and a judgement call, but I know I've seen plenty of what I think are bad rules. Thing is we all have what we think are great ideas. Things we think we can do better, and sometimes we're right and sometimes we're wrong. I got to write up some drowning rules for the new/current edition of HackMaster when writing an adventure and they were thrown out in favor of some much clunkier rules that probably fit better with the existing rules. I remember thinking my rules were better at the time, but I'm biased, and I cannot even remember what they were, so they couldn't have been all that.

Now I could be waaaaay off-base here, but I think that this whole idea of people (ok, game designers) thinking they know best and some inherent desire to play RAW is one of the reasons we have some many, gobs even, of OSR game systems right now. It seems like everyone has their own take on B/X and access to a printing press. Now don't get me wrong, there's a lot of great stuff out there now, but there's a lot I look at once and think, "I don't see the point".

I've already mentioned that I have a love/hate relationship with RAW and what I'm seeing really makes me think that I'm not alone in this regard. Thinking about the current market for these OSR games, and what I perceive as a potentially-fractured-but-not-really player base what I've concluded is that the average GM/players kind of wants a RAW game, but ends up taking the closest system to their liking and lays a few tweaks to the rules for use in their game. Sometimes a lot of tweaks......

I'm totally cool with this BTW and it really describes how I play. I really (think I) want a crunchy RAW game, but I've yet to find a system that has everything I want, but I (pretty much just now) have come to the conclusion I'm never going to find it unless I publish my own variant....which I'm NEVER going to do (ability, motivation, funds, ROI....take your pick)...and that's OK.

Taking my current home-game I'm in as a player for example. There are a few things I'd like to see rules-wise in the game, but it totally occurs to me that it really doesn't fucking matter. For example: I'm running a Magic User and think it'd be great to use my old HackMaster rules to figure out the details on my spellbook. Number of pages, size, etc. I don't need my GM to add that to the RAW to make me happy as I can easily just do that myself and say I'm lugging around this massive tome and I have my backup spellbook with my henchman. Also, by not having this huge ruleset available to essentially restrict us in how we do things he can introduce new rules....that could be good or can suck balls. Either way there is an extra level/layer of fun because of this unknown quantity.

I'm kind of looking forward to GMing again in the future. Oh I'll be running a RAW game, but it definitely won't be single writer/publisher ruleset. No, it'll probably be Old School Essentials as a base with a generous helping of New Big Dragon Games Unlimited stuff, a lot of d30 tables, and whatever cool shit my players bring me (that we agree on!). Yes, you Magic User will have that big-assed clunky spellbook, but how that gets figured out will not be a RAW situation.

As a bit of an aside, and more like extended/recommended reading, if you have access to Gary Gygax's Master of the Game, Chapter 6 would be a good read. Just saying.

State of the Tavern - Time to Start Updating the Free OSR Resources Links

So, apparently, all of the RPGNow links for the Free OSR Rulesets & Resources Pages on the right side are dead. 404 or some such nonsense. This means I need to change them all to the appropriate DTRPG links. One at a time. There must be hundreds.

This will take time. I'll be starting tomorrow. I'll also need to update for titles that have become free or PWYW since the last update.

If you know of any OSR rulesets are resources that are missing from the linked lists, please comment below and I will add them as I update the lists.

Now I know why I bought four bottles of wine...  ;)

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

Deal of theDay - The Halls of Arden Vul Complete (HUGE OSR Mega-dungeon)

I'm not even sure how to say this, without sounding overly dramatic. If you define a Mega-Dungeon as a dungeon no party will ever complete, due to sheer size alone, The Halls of Arden Vul Complete certainly fits that bill. You'll want to use it all, I just don't think a party could ever hope to do so, even with years of weekly gaming.

Now, just to put this out there - I own The Halls of Arden Vul Complete in multi-volume print glory, thanks to the generosity of those kind enough to use The Tavern's affiliate links. I have barely scratched the surface of the content, as it can be intimidating. Still, as a mega-dungeon option for the campaign I plan to kick off later this summer, it is high on my list.

The Halls of Arden Vul Complete is today's Deal of the Day at DTRPG. Normally 109 for the 1100+ pages of mega-dungeon glory, until tomorrow morning, The Halls of Arden Vul Complete on sale for 43.60 in PDF.

I suspect with the discount you can get off of the hardcover print versions with this purchase, it may be cheaper to buy the PDF than the print copies if you desire to go that route. You'll need to figure out the math on that one ;)

Arden Vul is the most ambitious megadungeon ever created, with over 1,100 Pages of Incredible Adventure. This First Edition compatible fully-bookmarked PDF product features:

• 2,162 Encounter Descriptions
• 14 NPC Factions
• 10 Massive Levels
• 15 Extensive Sub-levels
• 7 Dangerous Exterior locations
• 149 New Monsters
• 332 New Magic Items
• 69 New Technological Items
• 44 New Spells
• 189 New Books through which PCs can gain a deep understanding of the dungeon
• A full NPC appendix with 10 competing parties at 3 levels of power
• Over 140 original pieces of art, including 28 full-page illustrations!

All of this is mapped via 33 Amazing Maps that you can download for free at The Maps of Arden Vul. As we have gotten requests for VTT player's maps we have created The VTT Maps of Arden Vul for free as well. If you know you want the physical copies, just head over to the Arden Vul Bundle and get everything Arden Vul in one fell swoop.

There has never been anything like Arden Vul, and there never will be again.

Welcome to the Halls of Arden Vul!

If you want everything but can't afford the full Arden Vul Bundle right now, those who order this PDF can receive 33% discounts on the print versions at a later date so you can piece-meal your purchase as finances allow. Just send me an e-mail (josephbrowning@gmail.com) with your Complete PDF order number and I'll get the discount codes to you.

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

 

Kickstarter - Chromatic Dungeons (OSR Ruleset)

Capturing the feel of playing TSR era RPGs with modern lessons learned. Making the OSR welcome to ALL gamers of every demographic.

Do we need another OSR ruleset? What about a ruleset that isn't the direct clone of an actual edition, but a more general clone?

Why create yet another OSR clone when others already exist? 

Simply put, I am trying to capture the feel of gaming in the 70s/80s without necessarily copying the mechanics of that era, whereas most clones are almost near copies of both presentation and rules. Some rules are important to capture the feel, sure, but only when necessary. We have decades of lessons learned since then, and the FEEL of the game is more important than any sacred cow.  See some of the mechanical changes below.

Interesting, but what does that actually mean?

What's Different From the Older Versions?

Alignment. Humanoids no longer have a default alignment in the Bestiary. This will vary by individual monster culture and region. You as the GM decide if all orcs are chaotic (evil), or if some might be neutral or even lawful based upon the cosmic forces influencing them.

 Alignment part II. There are only three alignments, similar to B/X: lawful, neutral, and chaotic. Rather than being driven by a sense of individual morals, alignment is influenced by cosmic forces of law, neutrality, and chaos.

 Ability modifiers. Modifiers you get to your ability scores based on race (hereafter called “ancestry”) will not be the sole method that adjusts your initial ability scores. You will now modify initial ability scores based on class choices.

 Ability scores. Limits or modifiers based on gender or ancestry are removed.

 Ability checks. Most skill resolution scenarios will be based on a simple ability check. It’s how many of us were doing it anyway, and does replace the traditional thief percentile based skills that appeared in the game back then.

 Armor Class will be ascending, rather than descending or using attack tables.

 Race. This term is going away and being replaced by Ancestry. The original term was used (and is still being used) because the game was based on the early fantasy works of authors like J.R.R. Tolkien where humanoid creatures like orcs and elves were referred to as “races”. Since then, and over the past few decades, the term “race” isn’t really the best descriptor to use, and often carries loaded connotations.

 Heritages.  Many of the traits that were previously tied to race are now part of a heritage, as well as many more new traits.  When you create your character, you choose two heritages and get those traits for your character.  That keeps things simple, and yet adds a level of customization to keep every character unique.

 Class categories. Rather than each “class” as unique like it is in 1e, 3e, 4e, and 5e, they will be in groups similar to how 2e classified them. For example, fighters, berserkers, paladins, and rangers would all be classes under the Warrior group. 

 Class features. Some class features/abilities have been added or rearranged to avoid what is called “dead levels”. A dead level is any level advancement where the PC doesn’t gain anything other than additional hit points. Dead levels are widely regarded as not a good thing.

 KEEP IT SIMPLE. For those familiar with 1e or 2e, you know that there were a lot of rules for a lot of different scenarios, from time keeping to aerial flight maneuverability (and we ignored many of them). This game will be more streamlined and simplified, putting those scenarios into the hands of the GM to make an adjudication rather than dedicate hundreds of pages towards rules. The goal is to keep the game moving without needing to look up many different rules, and to give you a strong outline and guidance on how to handle these situations, rather than list them out individually for you.

 Compatibility. You should be able to take those old modules from the 70s/80s and easily use them with only very minor adjustments (mostly moving from descending AC to ascending).

 Introduces a crafting system.  It's simple and easy to use, and adds a new element to traditional treasure (finding rare and exotic items).  Besides, what warrior doesn't want to wear a suit of red dragon armor from the beast they just slayed? ;) 

Interesting, but how much Chromatic Dungeons? Well, 10 bucks for the PDF. 30 bucks PLUS the cost of the PSD and shipping for the print. I'm not sure if that is SC or HC, as the reward description isn't clear.

Edit: it’s hardcover  somehow I missed it  

The book is written, so there is that going for it.

I'll need to think about this one. It's interesting but hard to recommend.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Kickstarter - Back to BasiX Fanzine Hardcover Compilation - Issues 1-10 (B/X)

If you missed issues of Thom Wilson's Back to BasiX zine over the past few years, here's your chance to find that missing material. Maybe you missed the zine entirely or like me, you have a complete run but are so unorganized you can't find more than a handful of issues when you look for them on your gamng shelves. The Back to BasiX Fanzine Hardcover Compilation - Issues 1-10 Kickstarter is here to rescue you ;)

For as little as 20 bucks (plus shipping) you can get all 10 issues of Back to Basix in a single hardcover volume. Prefer PDF? A mere 10 bucks get you what you need.

This hardcover compilation combines all ten issues in their original format with a few tweaks to clean up layout and fix a couple of typos. Additionally, fonts were standardized throughout the book. The page size of the hardcover is slightly larger than the original digests, so the font size increased slightly (a half-point). The compilation will be printed on heavier stock paper and, of course, will be hard cover instead of saddle-stitched softcover.

Thom is tonight's guest on Talking Crit with Bad Mike & Tenkar - 8 PM EDT

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Bundle of Holding - Catalyst.Collection

Looking for answers when you party zigs and you thought they would zag? Need a baker or a candlestick maker? Are more traps more better? If so, the Catalyst Bundle of Holding from Flying Buffalo just might be for you.

The Catalyst Starter Collection is 9.95 and includes CityBook I-III, Grimtooth's Traps 1-2, City of the Gods Map Pack, 2 other Catalyst Map books, and the Treasure Vault. For just under 21 bucks as I type this, you can add CityBooks IV-VII, Grimtooth's Traps 3-4, 3 more Grimtooth Books, Elves of Lejentia, and Wilderness Encounters. 

The Catalyst series is system neutral, so no matter what system is your system of choice, you'll find tons of inspiration within.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Kickstarter - Call of Cthulhu Classic

After nearly ceasing to exist from the horror that was the Call of Cthulhu 7th edition Kickstarter, Chaosium has made one hell of a comeback. Part of that comeback has been rereleasing its more classic titles in their classic editions - RuneQuest was one such title.

Call of Cthulhu is next on the list, and the offering is right here if you want your old-school gaming notes stroked. This is a reprint of the boxed edition of Call of Chtulhu that I picked up in the 80s, and for the longest time, it was the only edition of CoC that I owned.

The reprints are ready to go, and the PDFs will be distributed mere weeks after the close of the Kickstarter.

For Call of Cthulhu Classic Kickstarter in print (plus PDF), it's 40 bucks for the basic box, and 99 bucks if you want the deeper box with the 5 classic supplements. My originals are all beat to shit, so I'm in for a $99 box.

1" Box of CoC

CALL OF CTHULHU RULEBOOK (we say it kuh-THOOL-hoo; Lovecraft said it “klhul-hloo” or “tluhluh”) tells how your investigators interact with the horrors of the Cthulhu Mythos. It is expressly written for people without great experience in role-playing. This book explains all of the Investigator characteristics, including Sanity, the consequences and SAN losses required when meeting fearsome creatures, the alien intelligences of the Cthulhu Mythos, a magic system and spells for the Mythos, scenarios so that you can begin immediately, and appendices with useful additional materials.

A SOURCEBOOK FOR THE 1920s (36 pages) provides much of the campaign material that a gamemaster (called in the Cthulhu rules a ‘Keeper’) needs for extended role-playing in the 1920s. Though the rules are not time-specific, this book is. It contains prices, distances, travel times, historical background, plans, a system for generating prior experience, an expanded weapons list, additional monsters, archaeological digs site plans, and more.

The WORLD MAP shows major cities, continents, mountains, rivers, actual archaeological sites, and suspected Cthulhoid locations. Call of Cthulhu investigations can be globe-trotting adventures! Pretty cool that the original map was done in ruby red ink...

CHARACTER SHEETS will get your investigators started.

CHARACTER SILHOUETTES that can be cut apart and used to show the position of the Investigators and the minions and monsters they meet; these figures can make everyone's actions much more understandable.  

The 2" Boxed set with 5 supplements

Five Supplements in the Full Classic 2" Boxed Set

Everyone wants more adventures to play, more monsters to flee, and more source material to enjoy. Thus, we have remastered five additional early supplements:

 SHADOWS OF YOG SOTHOTH (80 pages), a global campaign to save mankind. The first of its kind.

 THE ASYLUM & OTHER TALES (72 pages), seven shorter sinister scenarios set around the world and at sea.

 CTHULHU COMPANION (64 pages), four scenarios as well as added rules and source material.

 TRAIL OF THE TSATHOGGHUA (64 pages), a mini campaign of two scenarios, plus a third adventure. It's world spanning, and thus all over the place.

 FRAGMENTS OF FEAR (72 pages), additional gods, background, and other material, as well as a bonus scenario.

Due to the remastered formatting (remaining very true to the original look), we have room to add additional bonus content by the early authors from various other sources. These supplements often contain more than the originals!

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

A Bit Cheesed Off, and Saddened, By What I'm Seeing

 

Right off I need to throw up a bit of a disclaimer: I know that I'm wrong. No matter what I type by the simple fact that I am even thinking of engaging in this topic of conversation means I will be painted by a wide brush from those with an axe to grind. Against me, against the internet, against whoever will bother to listen......

.....I will try not to pre-emptively defend myself while freely admitting I am on the defensive. Why? Because I've already been painted with that brush by someone who does not know my personal history, a personal history that they would probably find shocking and closer to their professed ideology than to their professed assumptions of mine.

While not a rule per se, I really do try to treat people not just fairly, but the same? I'm sure I fail at times and I have my biases, last time I checked (to the best of my ability) I am only human. Again, not being defensive, or even offensive, I'm sure I've done shit that would be seen in a negative fashion by those wishing to attribute malice to said shit.

OK, done with that bit.

This last few days/weeks there has been a LOT of drama over unkind remarks said by TSR. I'm not gonna touch that drama because of the aforementioned brush and honestly because I am not informed enough of all the goings on, and I'm not self-important enough to think my opinion on that matters. What I have seen though, is a lot of name-calling, armchair white-knighting, and general asshattery on the periphery of our community. A whole different level of bullshit involving that same brush being applied to other people....

....good people, but also human people. 

I know, I know, just because I say that someone is a "good person" it doesn't mean that you would agree, and that's OK. I'm not trying to stand up for any specific person but for a group of people.....gamers in general. You know....us.

The thing is a lot of us, I'd argue most of us really, are not normal. I'm going to paint us with an even wider, but different (I hope) brush: we're largely dorks, geek, nerds. Yes, some of us are LGBTQ. Some of us are on the Autism spectrum. Some of us are people of color. Some of us are just assholes.

There will ALWAYS be factors that divide us. It's in our nature. The real problem, as I see it, is that in recent years we, as in people in general, allowed ourselves to be defined more by our differences than by our similarities. We've adopted this mentality that we're all special and everybody not in our self-defined division.... well, they're not. Since they aren't in our group we generally don't give a fuck about them or their feelings. Yes, fuck their feelings is the general statement, and that....THAT is the paint slathered on by the wide brushes.

You know what? Dice don't care if you're an Autistic Black Gay Jew who happens to be a wheelchair-bound asshole. Dice don't care if you're the Nicest, Straightest Mid-West White Boy, but you also know what? You have more than dice sitting with you at the table. You have PEOPLE at the table. PEOPLE have feelings, biases, make mistakes, etc.

Now I don't realistically expect people to fundamentally change who they are. I don't believe people can easily make large scale course corrections, BUT we can make make small changes. I'm willing to be most of us have seen these changes in others at our gaming table. Hell, maybe you've been lucky to see them in yourself.

Don't believe me? Take a second to think about all the gaming groups you've been in, or even all the gaming groups you've come across. Have you NEVER come across a socially awkward, unconfident, or just plain weird kid at the game table? Have you NEVER seen how acceptance of said gamer by the gaming group has had a positive effect on well, probably everyone?

I can say I have.

What I'm trying, and probably failing, to say is that gaming, in general, is a social event that is INCLUSIVE and has a POSITIVE effect on all involved, and we've largely been working against the better nature of our shred hobby,  I'm trying to advocate for all of us to step back get the fuck out of our own way and to stop painting others (or "others") with that damned brush. The thing is, when painting with that brush it's hard to not get some of that paint on ourselves by accident.

I don't expect the conservative among us to go out of their way to find some liberal gamers for their table, or vice versa. I do expect that if you try to see others in our hobby as a gamer first and everything else third. Why third? Well I'm a realist and second thing you should see is the game system. That's a fair division of players. Not the my-system-is-better-than-yours kind of way, but playing at the same table necessary way.

I've typed most of this out a few times (which is why I might not come across as smoothly as I'd like) and I keep coming back to my belief that a lot of our problems in out community are not only self-inflicted, but treatable by simply doing the one thing that actually unites us: gaming.

You know that stupid shit you said that I don't like? Well stop the table chatter and pick up the fucking dice instead. Oh I'm being an asshole (?), maybe I should be rolling 3d6 seven times. We're not going to fundamentally change who we are or come together for world peace, but maybe...just maybe you'll stop talking about stupid shit that pisses other people off and maybe I'll be less of an asshole. 

In any course, please try to be kind to each other, acknowledge your own faults, and put down the fucking brush and pick up some dice, ........but what the fuck do I know....I'm wrong, remember.

Gathering of Fools 2021 and the Possible Return of the Original Group

I no longer have PDF copies of my early releases, but one of my group had printed out copies a few years ago. I need to see if he still has the PDF files...

Today my old gaming group and I did what we've done once a year for many years - with the notable exception of 2020, not that that is a surprise - we gathered in memory of a good friend we lost when the towers came down on 9-11.

We drank good beer, ate good snacks, watch some good (and crappy videos), and did a lot of grab-ass. Well, Dave did much of the grab-assing, but that's how it is most every year ;) We topped it off with a nice dinner.

As is my usual, I came bearing gaming gifts of goodness. This year, it was copies of Basic Fantasy RPG as well as Adventure Anthologies 1 & 2 for BFRPG.

I heard something I'd never expected to hear from Dave: "These guys want me to run some 5e for them but I can't do it." They'd been talking that since 2019, and I had offered to run Swords & Wizardry or something similar, but 5e was the new shiny and they thought they could do it and I wished them luck and if they got it up and running I wouldn't mind joining in as a player. I never got the call.

This year I was told, "we'll play AD&D, Swords & Wizardy, BFRPG, or any ruleset or Erik's choosing." I'm torn between S&W and BFRPG. Once a month, scheduled a month in advance, likely using a combination of Roll20 and Discord, but the actual VTT may change. I'd like to kick it off in August, but we may need to wait till after the Labor Day holiday.

It feels good to get the band group back together ;)

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Kickstarter - Back to BasiX Fanzine Hardcover Compilation - Issues 1-10

The Back to BasiX Fanzine - a hardcover compilation of the initial ten issues.

Thom Wilson's Back to Basix Zine is/was amazing. The initial 10 issue run was one of the more useful zines for my day-to-day gaming as a resource, but for the pure joy of reading it is second to none. Sadly, I am NOT the most organized man in the OSR (that would be my weekly partner on Wednesday Nights, Bad Mike) and my various issues are not collected in a single place. Thank you Thom for solving that issue with my poor collection of Back to Basix Issues. See what I did there? ;)

Back to BasiX is a quarterly fanzine focused on the B/X version of the world's most popular tabletop role-playing game. It was created and printed between June, 2017 and September, 2019, and was available in PDF and print. The PDFs are still accessible at DriveThruRPG.com, but print issues are becoming harder to find.

Across a ten-issue print run, it offers reviews of B/X products new and old; interviews with legendary authors and artists; and all-original content for the game.

This hardcover compilation combines all ten issues in their original format with a few tweaks to clean up layout and fix a couple of typos. Additionally, fonts were standardized throughout the book. The page size of the hardcover is slightly larger than the original digests, so the font size increased slightly (a half-point). The compilation will be printed on heavier stock paper and, of course, will be hard cover instead of saddle-stitched softcover.

The Back to Basix Fanzine Hardcover Compilation Issues 1-10 is $10 in PDF, $20 in Hardcover, and $30 for the signed Hardcover. I'm in for $30 :) 

State of The Tavern Keeper - Why You Never Threaten The Bartender With "Legal Action"

Alright, I figure it's time to address "the elephant in the room." I've heard differing theories as to why I seem to "have a hard-on" for Justin LaNasa, ranging from jealousy over his success, to his abrasive and insulting personality, to disagreements over social and political viewpoints and beyond.

Here's a simple fact: I don't respond well to threats of legal action for asking questions and investigating events that are newsworthy in the gaming community. My first threat of legal action was from Gail Gygax, when I started digging into the fiasco known as the Gygax Memorial Fund. The threat was certainly backed by a willingness to follow through if she had indeed thought she had a case, as she had already spent over six figures litigating the Gygax TM dispute with TSR 2.0. I didn't back off and no such action was ever filed. Instead, it was a simple attempt to intimidate me.

This is why the VAST majority of threats of legal action are made. The one with potentially deeper pockets threatens the one with perceived smaller pockets for making public questions or inferences or opinions with the hopes of shutting down such actions.

These individuals also prefer to insinuate such actions, using phrases such as "you may be liable in court for your words" or "such actions may be costly in a court of law", although some have come right out and threatened to "sue your ass and take your house!" In Justin's case, it was: "Another thing their armchair lawyer you might want to be very careful you might get pulled into this very easily you know what character deformation, slander and even in some case fraud is? I suggest you stop picking sides and steering things could get costly to you to!!"

Although I take such threats seriously, especially as they have the potential to put myself and my family in financial difficulties, or worse, I do happen to understand the laws regarding slander, libel, and the like. As Frank Mentzer once told me, and I am paraphrasing: "My wife and I follow your Ken Whitman coverage closely, and she is often fearful that you'll get sued. I told her 'Tenkar knows where the line is and will gladly walk right up to it, but never cross it. I am never concerned for you'".

If you want me to draw a laser focus on you and your activities, if you want me to be the dog that bites down on your leg and won't let go, threaten me with legal action. Especially a threat that does not spell out my actual violations of the law. General, baseless threats are the most surefire way to get my unwavering attention. I've been threatened with legal action over a half dozen times and I'm still here and I've never backed down.

Justin apparently has a habit of throwing around baseless legal threats, like the ones he's been threatening the various Facebook Groups that have TSR in their name. What makes the group I highlight below extra interesting (aside from the fact they told Justin to effectively pound sand), is that Justin is claiming copyright for logos that are using the original classic era TSR logos that are still copyright by WotC. Justin had all of the logos redrawn and the new ones differ slightly from the originals. Apparently, either Justin can't tell the difference himself OR he's making yet another baseless legal claim in the hopes of gaining compliance via intimidation.

So now you know.