The Oxymoron that is RPG Travel

I've been "fortunate" in my life that I have had the opportunity to travel for work. First the Air Force, then for an Interventionist (he was one of those guys on that A&E show for a hot minute), and now for a military contractor. Thing is, in general, employees do NOT like to travel for work. An overnight once a year maybe, but the average employee balks at much more than a small conference and maybe 10% are willing to travel on a monthly basis. Road warriors that spend weeks away.....probably more like 1-3%.

Now I'm on the road away from home a total of 2-3 months a year, added all up. All too often I run into people that tell me, "I love to travel." That statement....I never quite got, mostly because while I like being out on the road, I personally loathe travelling. Erik doesn't give me enough rope to go on about everything that cheeses me off about travel....and he shouldn't.

So my experience tells me that few people are willing to travel for work, but many state they love to travel. A bit of an oxymoron if you ask me.

Right about now if you've made it this far you're probably thinking, "WTF does this have to do with anything RPG related?" Fair enough. 

So the thing that connects all of us, I'm assuming table-top RPGs here, generally has us playing PCs....who HAVE to travel to "work", and travel a lot, like modern-day road warriors. I'm thinking that PCs being 1-3% of the population is probably overly generous, but they are most likely a subset of that small percentage. 

It is also my experience that the "travel" portion of so much PC adventuring is quite underplayed, unless that's part of the adventure itself. I've seen a fair amount of to & from the dungeon simply hand-waived. Not saying there is anything wrong with that, BUT...

(again from my experience) most people don't travel much, but say they love to travel. Seems like a bit of a missed opportunity to me, enough that I'm trying to work on a new d30 table for longer-haul travel. No this is not an ad for this new table, especially since I'd be surprised if it's done this month, just an observation and one thing I'm planning on doing to address this.

Personally I think there is a lot of room for some new ideas about PC travel......

Deal of the Day - Castles & Crusades M1 A Stranger Among Us (OSR Adventure)

Castles & Crusades marked my return to RPGs. I remember finding the C&C Players Handbook at Buy.com for less than 10 bucks. Heck, I bought copies for the four members of my college RPG group that year, and it started our tradition of yearly gifting. C&C simply looks and feels a lot like AD&D 1e.

I also find it extremely easy to convert Castles & Crusades material to Swords & Wizardry on the fly (and I would assume it would be a similar process with other OSR systems from C&C).

Today's Deal of the Day at DTRPG is Castles & Crusades M1 A Stranger Among Us. Normally 6.99 in PDF, until tomorrow A Stranger Among Us is on sale for 2.10

A brigand and thief have slunk into Lord Wynn’s keep and pilfered several valuable carvings. Lord Wynn is offering a bit of gold for the return of the stolen goods, but he is offering a king’s ransom for the return of the thief.

“A king’s ransom. For a thief? Must have been some precious stick ‘o wood,” Bariston quizzically comments to those at the table. 

“Aye! That’s right. I thin’ 1,000 coin. Oh, dat Walrun da Lord’s Sheriff, daren’t go follow dat thief. He crossed the Hruesen River and headed to the Blacktooth Ridge. Nary a soul here wants to make their way to the Ridge these days. Ole’ Red Cap is about they say. An dat devil is the least o’ your worries.”

The Blacktooth Ridge is no place for the weak, the inexperienced, or the fearful. The dangers there are many and rewards paltry. And this thief must be something other than a common rogue to head straight into the jaws of that deadly wilderness.

A Stranger Among Us is an overland adventure that pits your characters against dangers both rare and extraordinary. It is designed for use with a mid-level party of 4-6 characters.

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Kickstarter - Plague Grave, a Soundscape for Fantasy RPGs by Philip Reed

Five tracks and five short encounter seeds that a GM may string together. A source of inspiration for many fantasy RPGs!

For those that don't know, Phil Reed is the Grand Master of low-cost RPG-related Kickstarters. Plague Grave is no exception, as you can get all of the material (soundscape and encounter hooks) in digital format for a buck. Sure, you can pay more for physical content, but the minimal buy-in is the price of a can of Coke - or less.

Welcome to Plague Grave, a soundscape for use with most fantasy roleplaying games. This five-track album includes a single encounter hook for each track, and a GM may string all five together to form a short adventure. As a systemless work, most gamemasters can adapt the ideas to almost any roleplaying game of their choice.

Once the Kickstarter campaign is complete, I'll release the digital edition of Plague Grave as a free PDF and MP3s. Supporting this project at the $1 reward level is purely to show that you enjoy my work and like to see these oddball, out-of-the-ordinary creative efforts succeed. I'll release the free digital edition at DrivethruRPG and itch.io.

In addition to being free and to download and use, the five tracks included in the Plague Grave digital edition will be available for use as royalty-free music in your podcasts and streaming sessions. All I ask is that you credit me and link to either the Plague Grave page at DrivethruRPG or itch.io.

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Newest in Print - N5 - Under Illefarn (AD&D 1e)

One of the most used adventures from my AD&D 1e days is Under Illefarn. Although set in the Forgotten Realms, I've placed it in Greyhawk and beyond. Micro setting, dungeon, and adventure seeds, there is little more that you could ask from it.

In truth, N5 - Under Illefarn is probably my favorite AD&D 1e adventure.

In PDF, Under Illefarn is on sale for 3.50 (normally 5.00), and is now in Print for 11.99 (print plus PDf for 13.99)

Written by Steve Perrin, it is truly a treasure.

Daggerford is fairly quiet for a frontier town. Sure, lizard men raid the local baron's holding now and then, orcs sneak out of the Misty Forest to raid caravans on the Trade Way, and Lady Bronwyn has a few suitors who are a touch too passionate, but there's nothing going on that a member of the renowned Daggerford militia can't handle.

Except that the Shining River has turned green, and cattle are dying. Except that the Elf King of Laughing Hollow, a place where no human dares go without fearing for his life, is asking the militia for help. Except that strange substances are oozing from the fissures caused by a recent earthquake. Except that the earthquake also has opened an entrance in the cliffs around the Laughing Hollow that might lead to the fabled dwarf mines of Illefarn.

Suddenly, being a militiaman isn't quite as easy as it used to be.

"Under Illefarn" is the first module produced for use with the Forgotten Realms Campaign Set.

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New Release - Tsar Frontiers: Not Genuine (Parody of the yet to be published Star Frontiers: New Genesis)

If you've been following The Tavern's YouTube Channel (and you HAVE been watching, right? ;) you'd know that an unknown source has put together a parody of the as-yet-unreleased TSR3 title, Star Frontiers: New Genesis. The parody is called Star Frontiers: Not Genuine.

The Star Frontiers: Not Genuine PDF first went up on itch.io. A Print on Demand was available for a short time on Lulu (I received a shipping notification earlier this morning in regards). Well, The Tsar Frontiers: Not Genuine (notice the title change) PDF is now available at DTRPG for free.

Grab a copy. It's good for a laugh and actually looks playable ;)

Note - Tsar Frontiers is "published" by OSR Games. OSR Games is a registered LLC by Justin LaNasa. I don't expect this to stay up long. Grab your copy now!

The primordial Role playing game of science fiction is back thats right and its, really real ! 

You can do Space battles and, play like Old School that means. No easy mode or balanced Encounter’s or coffee shop’s and pronouns this is for the hardcore Hardwire players that want to shoot some Bad guys and be a Hero. 

Or a heroine, girls are welcome to. If they wan’t to play. Maybe if they have a brother or Dad to teach them

 This is a whole new experience theres Technomancy and exciting Space politics and dont forget? lots of Battles!

No X cards or session zero’s just start playing and a galaxy of Adventure awaits you with thrilling Aliens fair space maidens evil villans Lasers and monsters and robot’s!

 

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Kickstarter - Splinters of Faith (OSR & 5e)

It starts with missing chickens. It ends in a showdown with an undead death-priest. Eleven linked adventures to test your characters.

For those that are following along at home, I wrote Swords & Wizardry Light for Frog God Games a few years back, and I've helped run the Frog God Booth at various conventions over the years. Although I am not "a frog", I've certainly swum in their pond.

Splinters of Faith is a Frog God Games Kickstarter, a re-release of an earlier incarnation of the same name, updated with new art, new layout, and for 5e in addition to the OSR.

Originally presented as a series of softcover modules, Splinters of Faith is now being released as a hardcover single book.

Splinters of Faith is a series of 11 linked adventures centered on stopping the return of the dread death-priest Akruel Rathamon and his undead minions. The campaign takes characters across hundreds of miles as they race to different temples to restore the broken scepter of faiths, a powerful weapon that once stopped the warlord. It all starts when some chickens go missing. But this fowl beginning might mean a foul ending for your characters. Designed for your Fifth Edition and OSR campaigns.

Splinters of Faith will be available as a full-color hardcover volume in your choice of Fifth Edition or OSR systems:

* The Fifth Edition book is a library-bound hardcover.

* The OSR volume is printed using the Swords & Wizardry rules and is a print-on-demand, case laminate hardcover. It is adaptable for any OSR system.

 

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The Tavern.  

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or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. 

Humble Bundle - Fifth Edition Fantasy Book Bundle from Goodman Games

I know that not all of my readers play D&D 5e, let alone want to read anything having to do with 5e, but Goodman Games knows old-school gaming. I'm confident that the 5e material can be converted to OSR with little difficulty. Additionally, PC Pearls, GM Gems, and the Monster Alphabet are system neutral. The 20% discount at the Goodman Games Store is pretty sweet.

18 bucks give you the complete Fifth Edition Fantasy Bundle from Goodman Games package - 21 books PLUS the 20% coupon. Heck, even if you don't want any of the PDFs, a single buck gives you two titles AND 20% off at the Goodman Games store.

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The Tavern.  

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or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. 

Discovered a Dungeon Design Pet Peeve

This weekend I managed to get back to the gaming table after the normal Christmas break. Yes, it's March, but January and February were what they were and at this point there is nothing that I could do about the overly-long break. I can admit though that I've probably spent way too much time thinking about gaming because I wasn't gaming, and because what I was doing was frequently mind-numbing and a infrequently a little gross.

I'll spare everyone the details, but it did get me thinking a lot about dungeon design, or....based on my experience, lack of design.

I don't know how many dungeon-delve adventures I've played in that didn't have any real thought behind the care and upkeep of those living in the space, well at least as far as waste removal goes. Trash chutes, bathrooms, basic vermin control.....all seem lacking in about 90% of the dungeons I've been able to adventure in. I'd probably say at least half of the other 10% was just judicious use of a gelatinous cube.

I know on so many levels dungeons are just places that exist to serve as an adventuring locale, but they should be, for the lack of a better term, "living" places. The dungeon your party only half cleared out? Well the other half spread out some. That dungeon your party did clear out? Well some other things moved in, or they would if they could. 

All living spaces, dungeons included, really need to meet all the requirements for the inhabitants, otherwise why live there?

Of course I'm looking at all, well ok some....of my previous written adventures and I'm faring decently well on the sanitation front, but one of the adventures was literally titled "Little Outhouse on the Prairie".  Those other adventures though.....yep, they kind of suck in this particular department.

Of course in the scheme of things, does it really matter? At this point it's probably more of a dungeon design pet peeve.

If this is *my* dungeon design pet peeve, then clearly there have to be some other pet peeves. As someone who dabbles in the occasional written adventure, I wouldn't mind hearing some other design issues that I could avoid. If anyone else happens to pick up an idea or two..... 

GMs Day Sale at DTRPG

It's that time of the year when DriveThruRPG puts just about their entire PDF storefront on sale for the GMs Day Sale. Sure, there are some exceptions, but if you were waiting to buy something, now is probably a good time. The percentage off runs from 15% to 30%.

The entire Tenkar's Tavern Gamen cataloge is on sale. That includes Torchlight Zero (15%), Torchlight #1 (15%), and Swords & Wizardry Continual Light (30%).

For those asking, we are getting closer to the release of the digest-sized edition of Continual Light (note the new branding). Prior purchasers of any of The Tavern's releases will get a discount when the new edition releases.

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Deal of the Day - Baklin, Jewel of the Seas (OSR City Setting/ Adventure)

I suspect every GM has tried their hand at designing at least one dungeon, if not dozens. At some point, most GMs even start toying with the idea for a world, even f it doesn't get very far in the actual design. But designing an urban environment/setting has been the downfall to many a GM. Even though it is much smaller than a country, the details required to bring an urban environment to life are daunting.

Why not let the work be done for you, much like Gabor Lux has done with today's Deal of the Day - Baklin, Jewel of the Seas. Normally 8 bucks for the 72-page Baklin setting guide and adventure module in PDF, until tomorrow morning it is marked down to $3.20.

“Oh Baklin, Jewel of the Seas, great gateway of Erillion! Minstrels sing of its wealth and marine power; and of the refinement and taste of its magnates and nobility. Minstrels of all kinds, of course, are prone to grandiloquence; and perhaps Baklin is neither as mighty nor as fair as the ballads claim. And yet, there is reason the minstrels sing so, for Baklin has wealthy patrons, its fleet is not inconsiderable – and are its streets not the loveliest within so many weeks of travel? Indeed, those who brave the high seas often believe so… and they will gladly pay for a song to remember their visit.”

A 72-page setting guide and adventure module for low to mid-level player characters, Baklin: Jewel of the Seas describes a medium-sized merchant city, including its rulers, criminal underworld, establishments, and three-level Undercity. Baklin is meant as both a campaign hub a party can depart from and return to (with numerous hooks for wilderness adventures), and as a complex adventure location of its own. It can be used along with the materials published for the Isle of Erillion mini-setting (Echoes #02–05), or it can double as almost any neutral-aligned port town in your own setting.

In any case, Baklin is meant to be played: it is focused on city intrigue, exploration, and dungeon crawling. Go shopping for great deals in port or at the stores of the reclusive Masters’ Guild; be careful not to fall afoul of the Sea Laws or anger the Knights of Yolanthus Kar; discover what lurks in the Tower of Gulls; and brave the Shrine of Roxana and the Thrones of Judgement!

This is two identical-length modules in one: a city guide with 39 major locations and a dungeon setting with 112 keyed areas, connected and bound together via multiple secret entrances, plot threads, and NPC agendas.

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Rewatching The Secrets of Blackmoor - The True History of Dungeons & Dragons

Griffith Morgan was kind enough to gift me with a copy of The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg. (a more detailed review of Tonisborg is in the works) It's a book that simply reeks with gaming history, and I've been enjoying my time traveling experience. It has, however, put the documentary - The Secrets of Blackmoor, back into the forefront of my thoughts. I decided today, it was time to rewatch it.

I am literally watching as I type this post.

To put it simply, I had forgotten how good The Secrets of Blackmoor was, not just as a gamer and a History Major, but simply for the pure enjoyment of an amazingly well done documentary. I may need to watch this again with Rach. I think she'll enjoy it.

You can rent The Secrets of Blackmoor on Amazon for less than 4 bucks, or own it in digital for less than 11 bucks.

What if everything you knew about the history of Dungeons & Dragons was wrong?

6 Years, 12 Cities, 200 Hours of Interviews, 20,000 Documents and Photos: An unprecedented investigation into the history of D&D - the game that spurred a multi-billion dollar industry.

Be among the first to know the Secrets of Blackmoor.

Blackmoor is the name of a fictional world created by David Arneson. It is also the prototype of Dungeons & Dragons, the first published role playing game. Unlike other fantasy worlds, such as J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth, Blackmoor is a living world that is being explored to this day. Secrets of Blackmoor investigates the origins of the role playing game, through candid interviews, archival footage, and newly discovered artifacts.

In 1963, David Wesely becomes a founding member of a club that includes history buffs, model makers, and miniature collectors. Hiding within the group, however, are a bunch of college students who are interested in war gaming. Within a year, the gamers meet a high school kid named Dave Arneson who is playing war games with his friends in his parents' basement.

These gamers have no idea that they will change the face of this hobby forever. Their only concern for now, is how to simulate the reality of war, and above all, they just want to have fun. Their voracious hunt for new rules and knowledge leads them to the University of Minnesota Library where they discover an old manuscript, Strategos; the American Game of War. Within the dense pages are a few sentences that inspire them.

The influence of Strategos changes how they play their war games. But are they really following these old rules, or have they stumbled onto something truly unique by misinterpreting what it says? Should a game be constrained by rules, like Monopoly, or should there be no boundaries at all, like a game of make believe?

One thing is very clear--something magical was going on in the Twin Cities.

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Deal of the Day - The Anatomy of Adventure

I'm heard the name "M.T. Black" in the past but truly can't tell you what he has written (looking at his self-published work, he's published a sizeable amount). The Anatomy of Adventure is a Platinum Best Seller at DTRPG, less for telling you how to write an adventure and more for showing you how to write adventures for publication. As there is certainly a large overlap between the two, The Anatomy of Adventure is a bargain at 1.98 until Thursday, 3/3/22 at 11 AM Eastern.

"It's a lovely read and hugely helpful."

"Tons of great advice for an aspiring adventure writer."

"Inspiring!"

In just a few short years, M.T. Black has established himself as one of the most successful indie-writers on the Dungeons & Dragons scene, with thirty-five platinum best-sellers and over a hundred thousand book sales. In this practical and engaging book, he shares many of the principles, tricks, and secrets he has learned along the way. 

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Kickstarter - Not One, but Two Mörk Borg Compatible Adventures! (ThrowiGames)

Two Mörk Borg Compatible adventures in print-on-demand hardcover! 100% completely written, edited, illustrated, and test printed.

I'm putting this post up as I listen to the State of the Union speech. I know, dangerous but I am focused. Kinda. Not turning it into a drinking game. I promise ;)

Truth in posting, Thom Wilson is a friend of mine. I've been a special guest of Thom's Shire Con every year he's held it. I consider Thom a good friend of mine. That being said, Thom produces consistently good Kickstarter projects.

Thom is doing a short Kickstarter, with 5 days remaining in the funding period for the Not One, but Two Mörk Borg Compatible Adventures Kickstarter.

I'm in for PDF plus Print plus POD costs at 15 bucks. PDF only is 7 bucks.

Two Separate Print-on-Demand Hardcovers, Both Compatible with Mork Borg!

There's only one thing better than a Mörk Borg adventure: two Mörk Borg adventures! That's right, two fully compatible adventures for the award-winning roleplaying game that we all love. Each adventure is 100% complete - fully written, edited, illustrated, and even test-printed! Backers will receive completed PDFs just weeks after the project wraps up and print-on-demand books within a few months.

The Two Adventures

Sacrifice Before Sunrise, The Child Must Die!

Whispers of dark work drift from the twisted mouths of temple priests in Schleswig. Doom approaches in the form of a small child, begat by an unnatural union between Nechrubel and the arch-priestess of Galgenbeck. A plan to dethrone King Fathmu IX by replacing him with the grotesque child-god is mere days from success. Soon, Two-Headed Basilisk temples will burn and all will praise their rival, the shadow lord who awaits his true position in the world.

Buckets of silver will be showered upon a group who succeeds where others have dared not even try. Your skills are in alignment with the task: infiltrate an abandoned village, capture the unnatural offspring of Nechrubel and Josilfa, and sacrifice him to the Two-Headed Basilisks before the next sunless day begins.

Initially Written for the Anti-Christmas Jam at Itch.io. Mixture of 29 b&w and color pages*, hardcover. Approximate print cost: $9.50.

The Demon's Arse

Demons plague the eastern Wästlands, decimating villages and mutilating travelers seemingly for sport. Dense, acrid smoke billows from a wide hole under a remote hill. This is the legendary Demon’s Arse, rumored to be the home of unearthly creatures both demonic and dead. Who dares enter?

Initially written for TotalCon 36 (play-tested at the convention). A mixture of 19 b&w and color pages*, hardcover. Approximate print cost: $8.00.

Each adventure has been designed for 3-6 desperate characters, and can generally be completed in 1-2 sessions.

*While several pages feature colorful backgrounds and bright-colored text, more than half are in standard B&W. These books were designed in typical MB fashion (bright colors, different fonts), but many pages have a layout similar to that of Rotblack Sludge (from the MB rulebook).

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Deal of the Day - M-Space (BRP/RQ/Mythrus SciFi Ruleset)

Three Deals of the Day in three days. I don't think that has ever happened before at The Tavern.

The latest Deal of the Day, M-Space, is a sci-fi ruleset based on Mythrus, which in itself, is built off of the Mongoose RQ/Legends rules. I'm on a bit of a RuneQuest kick recently, and this looks like a good fit. Normally 15.95 in PDF, until tomorrow morning at 11 AM Eastern, M-Space is on sale for 6.38.

M-SPACE is a d100-based science fiction roleplaying game. Everything needed to play is included. 

With this book, you can create imaginary universes and play characters from a variety of cultures and careers. They can pilot starships, meet strange alien lifeforms and travel deep into unknown space.

Contents include: 

• Rich character generation, with unique, personal characters driven by Passions. 
• Rules for extended conflicts, applicable to any type of conflict, including social. 
• Intuitive, modular starship design. 
• Quick-paced and creative starship combat, based on the acclaimed Mythras combat rules. 
• Alien and culture creation. 
• World building. 
• Rules for how to create and run Organisations. 
• Modular vehicle design.
• Creative combat rules - in both classic and simplified flavour. 
• Psionics. 
• Equipment. 

The game engine used for all this is Mythras Imperative. If you are familiar with any closely related d100 game, you will feel right at home. 

M-SPACE is published under a Mythras Gateway license by The Design Mechanism.

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Deal of the Day - Ascendant (Supers RPG)

Let me get a few things out of the way. I'd rather be upfront than hear whispers in the dark.

1) Ascendant is written and published by Alexander Macris. I know there is a segment of the gaming community that has a hard-on for Alex. If you are covered by the prior statement, you can bugger off right now. This post isn't for you.

2) I consider Alex a friend. More than an acquaintance, less than a bestie. Still, it may color some of my observations, so you should be informed. Also, see Number 1, above.

3) Although I am a fan of the superhero genre, I've yet to find a supers RPG that I've felt comfortable with. At best, they've been "blah".

4) I bought the Print plus PDF version of Ascendant. Currently, the Print version is not for sale as it is being updated with errata. This purchase was made possible with your money, the readers of this fine blog, as it was funded by affiliate monies. This is NOT a review copy. When I do a review (so many books, so little time) it will be without obligations.

5) Alex DID send me the first chapter of his upcoming Ascendant graphic novel in PDF. I have done little more than look at some pretty pictures at this point. 

6) The fucker has gone Platinum at DTRPG in 2 1/2 months. Very impressive.

Until tomorrow morning at 11 AM Eastern, Ascendant is marked down to 10 bucks in PDF from its normal 20 bucks. 

Here's the sales blurb:

Ascendant is the superpowered role-playing game of infinite possibilities. In this 496-page standalone rulebook, you get:

• Elegant game mechanics that swiftly simulate the physics of a comic-book world using easy-to-reference real-life benchmarks
• Color-coded challenge action resolution tables that resolve complex actions with superspeed
• Infinitely scalable system lets you play heroes of any power level, from streetfighters to living gods – and replicate virtually any character from your favorite anime, comic, manga, or movie settings
• Countless powers all customizable with an easy-to-use system of modifier tags that lets you match your power’s specifics to your character concept
• Comprehensive detective mechanics for investigating crimes, interviewing witnesses, and finding clues
• Detailed options for super-geniuses to create inventions, cure diseases, and even bring their outlandish devices into mass production
• Extensive rules for responding to emergencies such as asteroid strikes, avalanches, disease outbreaks, earthquakes, fires, nuclear disasters, tornados, tsunamis, and volcanoes
• A huge catalog of pre-built characters and objects including major military vehicles such as aircraft carriers, attack submarines, and ballistic missiles
• A dynamic mission generation system to help you create challenges for your heroes
• An optional campaign setting with ready-to-use heroes, villains, and organizations
• Spectacular artwork by industry-leading pencilers, inkers, and colorists

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 - King Arthur Pendragon: Edition 5.2

My memories of the Pendragon RPG go back to the boxed set. Very much built on the chassis of Basic Roleplaying / CoC / RuneQuest, and yet so, so different. I read the book as an authoritative source on the Arthurian legends, and sadly never got to run anything other than some one-shots with the rules.

This makes today's Deal of the Day - King Arthur Pendragon: Edition 5.2 - very satisfying (especially since DTRPG tells me I already own this in PDF - downloaded for some light reading later this week). With the current times, we are in, some Arthurian legend immersion isn't a bad deal.

Normally 19.99 in PDF, King Arthur Pendragon: Edition 5.2 is 9.99 until 11 AM Eastern, tomorrow morning.

Capture the Spirit of Arthurian Legend!

Relive the grandeur, romance and adventure of the greatest of all legends — the story of King Arthur. Assume the role of a knight starting his career in the time of Uther Pendragon, undertaking quests and perilous adventures for your lord, for your lady-love, for the Church, or for your own glory. Win great renown with your laudable deeds and feats of arms, perhaps even winning the right to carve your name into the Round Table itself as the story of Arthur and Camelot unfolds around you.

With its innovative rules, including the distinctive traits and passions system designed to help you in determining your character's behavior under any circumstances, King Arthur Pendragon provides a unique roleplaying experience laid out against the richest tapestry in Western literature.

This Edition 5.2 offers hundreds of corrections to Edition 5.1 which itself updated the redesigned and reorganized 5th Edition. This book also contains new material and rules changes for 5th Edition by Greg Stafford, the creator of the original game.

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Introducing the Random Party Generator Vidcast

The Iron Rations Vidcast is dead.

Long live the Random Party Generator Vidcast!

During tonight's The Iron Rations Vidcast with guests Matt Jackson and Rob Conley, we (the four of us) realized that Iron Rations was far more than just JoetheLawyer and me, and we needed a name for the cast that better reflected what it has evolved into.

Random Party Generator will feature a random assortment of miscreants, such as Matt Jackson, Tim Shorts, Rob Conley, Greg Christopher, JoetheLawyer, Tenkar, and others, talking about gaming and gaming adjacent topics. 

No script. 

No limits.

Endless entertainment :)

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 the 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. 

 

Now in Print - Treasure Hunt (N4)

Aaron Allston. I still remember his Treasure Hunt adventure N4. It wasn't what I expected . I hadn't played zero-level characters in AD&D prior, and in many ways, it was groundbreaking for the time.

Treasure Hunt is 5 bucks in PDF, 14.99 in Print plus PDF.

Marooned on a barren isle?

The Island of Viledel, the mighty Sea King, was sacked by a pirate army 60 years ago. It's destruction was so complete that even the location of the island was lost and forgotten. Despite rumors of immense treasures still hidden in the ruined stronghold, no one ever found the Sea King's island again

Until now. Through a cruel twist of fate, a small band of unwilling adventurers are washed ashore on a small, barren island, and discovers what remains of Viledel's settlement. But they aren't alone; marauding orcs and goblins have found the island too, and are frantically searching for the lost hoard. In this desperate treasure hunt, the real payoff may be survival.

"Treasure Hunt" is different from other AD&D adventures: The player characters begin the game at 0 level, without choosing a class, and must work their way up to 1st level. It is perfect for a group of beginning players or experienced players looking for a new and different challenge.

Product History

N4: "Treasure Hunt" (1987) is the fourth adventure in the novice (N-) series for AD&D. It was published in January 1987.

A 0th-Level Adventure. "Treasure Hunt" was commissioned specifically as a 0-level adventure. It was the first AD&D adventure ever to present general rules for 0-level characters. Uniquely, the GM assignments classes and alignments to characters at the end of the adventure, based on their actions.

Apparently players liked how 0-level characters worked, because in Dragon #129 (January 1988), James M. Ward asked readers what they wanted to see in an upcoming Greyhawk hardcover, and they told him "rules for zero level characters" - even though that had nothing to do with Greyhawk. Ward dutifully included an appendix about 0-level character in Greyhawk Adventures (1988), expanding on some of the ideas found in "Treasure Hunt."

A Truly Introductory Adventure. Though this was the fourth novice adventure for AD&D, none of the others were actually "introductory": That is, they didn't help players and GMs to learn how to play AD&D. Of course, TSR's scant other low-level adventures for AD&D - such as T1: "The Village of Hommlet" (1979) and U1: "The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh" (1981) - weren't really introductory in that sense either. That isn't to say that TSR hadn't written introductory adventures before, but they were all over in the Basic D&D line - particularly B1 through B4 (1978-1982). For "Advanced" D&D, TSR had previously assumed that players knew how to play.

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The Tavern.  

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

or wherever you listen to your podcast collection.