Now that I have the time, I'm going to try and highlight free items that are useful and well worth your time to download and read.
I've been remiss when it comes to Raging Swan Press. Although primarily a Pathfinder publisher, they also publish "system neutral" versions of many of their products, and even the Pathfinder products are easy enough to use with any OSR game with minimal work. When it comes to Raging Swan, you are looking for inspiration, not stats, and their products are high on the inspiration scale.
Case in point, today's free RPG product - GM’s Monthly Miscellany: April 2016. While nominally a Pathfinder product there is much of value in here for the OSR GM.
- Four Things Modern Dungeons Lack - This might as well have been written by an OSR old-timer. Main points? Nothing changes, no wandering monsters, no empty space and level inappropriate encounters. Really, it's pretty much "how to make your dungeons more old school".
- Silver Bluff - A village complete with history,demographics, notable folk, notable locations, village lore, rumors and professionally drawn map. This is pretty much read and drop where needed.
- Looting the Cleric's Body: Pouch Contents - Pretty much what it says on the tin. d100 table to add flavor to the bloody mess your party made of that evil cleric.
- Marsh Town: Sights & Sounds - Another d100 table, this time for sights and sounds in a marsh town. Shit, there are publishers that charge 99 cents for a table like this.
- Marsh Town: Businesses - Yep, another d100 table for exactly what it says on the tin.
- What's the Point (In Gaming)? - Short editorial / article.
Just how much is the GM’s Monthly Miscellany: April 2016? Free.
I like it. I never knew that a "pissed off bird" was capable of such stuff. LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for bringing it to my attention. Admittedly, I fail to keep up with the OSR as well as I should.
Raging Swan Press also has a money-back guarantee for their PDFs.
ReplyDeleteThere are only a couple companies I have on my "almost automatically buy" list. Raging Swan is one.
I've been a big fan of Creighton Broadhurst for a long time. Back when my group was playing Pathfinder (before the system bloat really got going), we would use his products to give our games the old school feel (and it may have predated the beginning of the OSR).
ReplyDeleteI have repeatedly asked/begged Creighton to expand his 'Lonely Coast' mini-setting. Because we fell in love with it. The adventure modules set there are really well done.
I have never needed their money back guarantee, but it is nice to give my business to a company who still believes in such a practice.
Raging Swan's stuff really is top notch for its price of free!
ReplyDeleteI have 'purchased' every issue of GM's Monthly, and they are well worth the time to download and read.
Glad others are enjoying and finding those future classics.