Is the Gygax Memorial Fund Deleting Posts from their Facebook Feed? Audit Post Gone Missing

So, I got to thinking - didn't Gail Gygax promise an audit of the Gygax Memorial Fund last year on the Fund's Facebook Page as well as promising to post said results?

So, I dug out the screenshot I took at May 1st of 2016 and lo and behold, she did say such on April 30th of last year. Strangely enough, I can no longer find it in the GMF Facebook feed. I had this issue a few months ago with trying to find the same post and assumed it was Facebook's new algorithm screwing with the posting order. This time i read the whole feed. Nada

Above is the screenshot I took last year.

Why delete such a detailed posting?

Well, we are still waiting on said audit.

The internet has a long memory. You really can't "delete" anything. Especially when folks screenshot your words, like I do.

The feed actually IS in post order, so the post in question HAS been deleted.

Gail, all we want in the truth. Is it that much to ask for? Why are you constantly making enemies out of potential allies?

Try some transparency for once. Seriously. Don't simply promise it and then pretend you never did.

And please remember, the internet has a long memory. It doesn't forget.

Deal of the Day - Apes Victorious (Goblinoid Games)

OSR "Deals of the Day" on back to back days? Woot!

Apes Victorious is today's Deal of the Day. Normally $4.97 in PDF, it is currently $2.98.

What are you waiting for? Go!

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

A portion of sales made through The Tavern's affiliate links goes to support The Tavern. Fnord!

ConManKen - 1/10th the Popularity of a Deceased GameTable Making Company

Ah, sweet #ConManKen. The gift that keeps on giving, much like herpes and just as wanted.

Let me explain something to you that you probably don't understand as it involves numbers of all things - I can actually post results. I can post comparisons. I can post truth. You sir, are no more popular nor welcomed than a boil on an ass in 104 degree weather.

You are the standard of failure in the Kickstarter community that NO ONE wants to be compared to. You however, are not a failure because of incompetence (which you most certainly suffer from) or the myriad alleged diseases that you claim to suffer from but because of your outright dishonesty.

You might need to ask a friend to interpret the following for you:

RPGNow Deal of the Day - Sword of Air (Swords & Wizardry)

Sword of Air by +Bill Webb is today's Deal of the Day at RPGNow. This 432 page adventure is $100 in print and usually $40 in PDF - for the next 23 hours (as I type this) its on sale in PDF for a mere 12 bucks.

Bill is extremely proud of Sword of Air - just ask him when you see him - and it is an excellent campaign's worth of adventure.

This epic tome consists of several parts: 

1. The Hel’s Temple Dungeon—kind of like Tomb of Horrors on crack. This six-level, trap-and-puzzle infested dungeon formed the basis of Bill's game through his high school and college years. Clark Peterson’s very own Bannor the Paladin spent several real life months in the place, and, sadly, finished the objective. This is where the fragments of the fabled Sword of Air can be found…perhaps. 

2. The Wilderness of the Lost Lands extending to the humanoid-infested Deepfells Mountains and providing detail about the nearby Wizard’s Wall. This so-called “wall” was raised by the archmages Margon and Alycthron harnessing the Spirit of the Stoneheart Mountains to raise the land itself, creating a massive escarpment to block invaders from the Haunted Steppes. These archmages are actual player characters from the early 1980s who live on in the legends of the Lost Lands. Over 70 unique encounter areas are detailed, and each one is a mini-adventure in itself. New wilderness areas may be added based on bonus goals described below! 

3. The Ruined City of Tsen. Legend has it the city was destroyed by a falling meteor. This place forms an aboveground dungeon area the size of a city, with over 100 detailed encounter areas. It’s a very dark place…even at noon. 

4. The Wizard’s Feud—This campaign-style adventure pits the players in a long-running series of intrigues and battles between two archmages. Which side will they take? Their actions all play into the overall quest, and could well determine which side wins. Law and Chaos are not always what they seem, and if the wrong decisions are made, the entire ordeal could fail. Remember, one of the wizards WANTS Tsathogga to win. 

5. New monsters, new demons, new spells, and new rules for various aspects of play. 

6. The Tower of Bells. This dungeon is the result of the workshop Bill ran at PaizoCon 2013, where the participants assisted him in building an old-school dungeon. Visit the tower and discover the secrets of the “artist” within. Beware: those entering may never come out!

FYI - I now swim in the Frog's pond (and will be making future convention appearances thanks to the Frogs) - 5% of all sales made through The Tavern's Affiliate Links goes to support The Tavern.

Free RPG Day is This Saturday - What Are You Looking to Snag?

So, Free RPG Day is right around the corner. Actually, it's this Saturday, June 17th. I plan to run a game of Swords & Wizardry Light at Legendary Realms in Plainview NY. I should have enough copies of the rules to cover a full table. It will be a short session, about 3 hours. Guessing kick of at 1230 or so - I'll know more after tonight's game.

Now, what freebies are you looking to score?

For me, I'm interested in the RuneQuest Quickstart, the DCC Quickstart and the LotFP release (even if I have no clue what its about). If I had to choose only one, I'd go with the DCC pick - I'm interested in seeing how +Jim Wampler trimmed and cut the DCC rules ;)

What are you looking to snag?

Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight, 9 PM Eastern

Fair warning - I will probably be late tonight to the chat. Rach is prepping for an audit later thus week and I'll be picking her up from work. You hardly need me anyways, the community runs itself ;)

Someone always ask for a topic: I'd be interested in feedback from the interview I was a subject of earlier this week. OH, and talking about Creature Archipelago, and free RPG Fay this Saturday. Maybe even some info on the upcoming The Tavern Facebook Live dealie

So, how do you participate in Tavern Chat? Its the chat widget on the right side of this page. You may need to scroll down a bit but its there.

Anyhow, see y'all tonight :)

#ConManKen Claims "Self Inflicted Alzheimer's"

Not to belittle a possible health scare for #ConManKen, but we all knew SOME event was going to occur before August that would be an excuse not to fulfill ANY of his Kickstarter projects.

The Official #ConManKen clock stands at:

So Ken has been diagnosed with CTE. Wait! not so fast.

According to Alz.org, an Alzheimer's information website:

Currently, there is not a test to determine if someone has CTE. Because CTE is a relatively new area of exploration for researchers and physicians, formal clinical guidelines for diagnosing and managing CTE do not yet exist. A definitive diagnosis can only be made through an autopsy after death.

Or how about Boston University:

At this time CTE can only be diagnosed after death by postmortem neuropathological analysis. Right now there is no known way to use MRI, CT, or other brain imaging methods to diagnose CTE. The CTE Center is actively conducting research aimed at learning how to diagnose CTE during life. 

If #ConManKen can continue "acting", "teach acting", hock Walking Dead shit for hours - he can finish his Kickstarters. Not that he will, but theoretically he can.

Mark my words, CTE is the excuse he will use when nothing is done by August 1st. You read it here first but I'm sure you could draw your own conclusions.

Geek Chic is Deceased - No Tables for You!

The Rolls Royce of RPG Tables is done. Gone. Kaput. No more is Geek Chic.

I could never afford one of these tables but damn, I so wish I could. I guess I should be thankful the temptation is gone.

If you read the Boardgame Geek thread on this, you find some interesting backstory:

and posts like this:

The tread survived 6 pages before being locked.

In any case, if you are still in the market for gaming tables, there are a number of manufacturers linked throughout the thread.

Old School Gaming Friendly Conventions - Updated June 2017

Alright, I think we have enough conventions submitted to let the post go live. The idea is that we will put up a new post the first week of each month, adding and subtracting as needs are. If you know of conventions that are Old School Friendly, add them as a comment and I'll update the list - Tenkar

Camp Cpn
June 30 - July 2
Poconos, PA
http://facebook.com/KCCORPGEXCHANGE

Crit Hit
July 15-16, 2017
Phoenix, Arizona
http://crithitaz.com/rpgs/

OSRCON 7
August 27, 2017. 9am to 6pm
Toronto Canada
The Manulife Center
www.osrcon.ca

Gamehole Con
Nov 2-5
Madison, WI
https://www.gameholecon.com/

Con on the Cob
Nov 9-12
Richfield, OH
http://cononthecob.com/

MEPA Con
Nov 10-12
Scranton, PA
Mepacon.com

MACE
Nov 10-12
Charlotte, NC
http://www.justusproductions.com/mace/

TridentCon
Nov 11-12, 2017
Parkville, MD
tridentcon.org

UCon
Nov 17-19
Ypsilanti, Michigan
https://www.ucon-gaming.org/

Nerdlouvia
Nov 18-19, 2017
Louisville, KY
https://nerdlouvia.com

SnowCon
Jan 13-14, 2018
Bangor, Maine
www.Snowconmaine.com

Winter War
Jan 26-28
Champaign, IL
http://www.winterwar.org/

Con of the North
February 16-18, 2018
Plymouth, Minnesota
http://www.conofthenorth.org/

OSWARP (Old School Wargame and Role Play convention)
February 22-25, 2018
Morristown, NJ
www.oswarp.com

Gary Con
March 8-11
Lake Geneva, WI
http://garycon.com/

Marmalade Dog
March 30 - April 1, 2018
Kalamazoo, MI
http://www.marmaladedog.org/

North Texas RPG Con

June 7 - June 10, 2018

Irving, Texas

http://ntrpgcon.com/

Bundle of Holding - Fat Dragon +2

I seriously don't know how i almost missed this. What am I talking about? Fat Dragon + 2 at Bundle of Holding.

Why am I upset?

Because Fat Dragon makes the sharpest print at home terrain of any publisher I've looked at. The fact that they are a supporter of The Tavern has nothing to do with it - their shit is simply awesome.

My suggestion? Get some white, slightly heavier printer paper and have at it. That's what I'll be doing for my 6 year old niece - more terrain than she can shake a stick out. She'll be in heaven, it won't break my bank and if she needs more pieces, I simply print them out.

$11.95 for the starter collection. Currently $22.46 for the bonus collection.

Time to print out some terrain!

Some Further Thoughts on Why I see the OSR in General as "Underserved"

So, in Sundays interview by Erik Jensen (posted here at The Tavern yesterday), we ending it with this comment and response (edited for pertinence to this topic:

Tenkar - I see the OSR as an underserved market that deserves more respect. 5e is huge for the OSR because writing product for 5e and converting to the OSR is much easier than going from 4e or Pathfinder. There is synergy between 5e and the OSR. Some folks want to see new clones - I want to see new hacks. Hack SWL or the Black Hack or some other OSR game and give us a western, supers, space opera, sci-fantasy, godzilla monsters - whatever! I think the future of the OSR is finding new genres and not new systems. Or I could be totally wrong. But I think the OSR is just going to grow in the number of players at this point and we have 5e to thank for it.

Jensen -  Underserved?  Huh, I don't think that's a word I would've used to describe the OSR market; I often wonder how much 'product' the OSR market can actually bear.  I'm not sure it's all that much.

Now, if you firmly have your feet set in the DIY (do it yourself) corner of the OSR that very well might be true. Because really, what do you need besides some random tables and some time? More time than many of us have but time none the less.

However, the OSR as a whole is a largely untapped market. 5e is certainly bringing players in to the OSR fold and they are not mutually exclusive rulesets - you can play both and can certainly enjoy both.

Forgive me for saying so, but the OSR largely consists of older gamers who, by my experience, have more disposable income than younger gamers. The market is there, so why isn't it being targeted as much as it could and probably should be?

Well, there is the perception that OSR gamers are cheap. We want our gaming inspiration and material for nothing, or close to it. I personally think that is approaching things from the wrong direction. I think content creators for the OSR are extremely generous. As a community, we have evolved with community driven (and written) rulesets that can be grabbed for free in PDF (and occasionally print). I can say that my experience with the OSR Extravaganza Sale is that OSR gamers WANT OSR gaming material but no one bothered to cater to them prior. No one said "Hey, we know you are a tight community, here's a sale aimed and your wants and desires."

Sale numbers suggest to me that the OSR has been overlooked and underserved. Maybe that will change going forward. I sure hope so.

If the OSR is to continue to grow - and if we look at convention attendance of conventions such as Gary Con, NTRPG Con and Gamehole Con over the past few years, you see the number of attendees is steadily increasing each year, the OSR market should take the opportunity to grow along with it.

I'm not suggesting we need the glut of the D20 era, but with POD that's impossible anyhow - today's OSR market is largely PDFs and POD. Having a warehouse full of goods might be doable by the larger companies, but smaller publishers don't need that overhead nor investment, and that is good.

Do we need more rulesets? I dunno. As I said above, I want to see genre hacks of existing rulesets, but in the end, the community will decide. You'll be surprised at how far a little respect goes. I'm sure RPGNow / OBS is happily surprised at how well the OSR sale went.

Here, I'm going to make an open suggestion to the powers that be at OBS - you know how you have tracks for Hottest Titles, Newest Titles, Hottest Small Press and the like? Well, add a track for Hottest OSR and you will see sales jump for OSR releases. Often, OSR releases get lost in the noise of general releases.

No need to thank me. Just doing my service to the OSR Community ;)

(if you think I'm full of shit or off my rocker, feel free to add your thoughts. Heck, add them even if you do agree, as I doubt you'll agree on all my points)

Putting Together a List of "Old School Gaming Friendly" Conventions and I Need YOUR Help!

Remember, we can't call you, so you have to call us...

Wait, that was Apex Tech.

I'm looking to put together a list of Old School Gaming Friendly Conventions. Big, small, regional or what not.

Some of you have already been sending in suggestions, but please, repost them in the comments below.

What we need:

- Name of the Convention

- Dates the Convention is running

- City and State it is located in

- Website for the convention

The plan is twofold:

- The Tavern will put up a post listing all said conventions with info provided

- There will be a link list of conventions on the left sidebar of The Tavern

I'll make a post at the beginning of each month with an updated list of conventions and a call to add what is missing.

Note - "Old School Gaming Friendly" is simply that. A convention that is 90% VtM or LARPing doesn't really qualify. It does not need to be dedicated to Old School Gaming to the extent that NTRPG or Gary Con is.

I Was Interviewed By Erik Jensen - The Crate, SWL, Press Releases and More - Come for the Drama, Stay for the Beer :)

So, Sunday afternoon I was interviewed by +Erik Jensen . Not to give away any spoilers, but the press release for the Tenkar's Tavern Crate ruffled some feathers. Having served as a liaison between two city agencies for years, I have a hyperbole filter that I tend to ignore such stuff. It was good though, because it resulted in the following interview.

As I say in the post heading - Come for the Drama, Stay for the Beer :)

Note - I corrected my typos as i found them. I don't think ER had any. Damn him!

Q = Erik Jenson

A = Erik Tenkar

Q - Perhaps we can start with the logistics of the crate.  The signups for the first month of the Tenkar's Tavern Crate are about to end (and will have ended by the time I get this interview up maybe).  Would you describe the crate's contents as a "Tenkar-curated collection"?  What's your vision for the product, and how is it maybe different from its "sister-crate" Mythoard, and any other rpg crates out there?

A - The contents of the Crate are definitely "Tenkar Curated" - it was the only way I would do it. My reputation means something to me. Whether you love me, hate me or dont give a damn you should know that when I recommend something, that I think it has value. You may disagree with me on the value of something, but not the value of my word. And if its gaming material in the Crate, its something I recommend.

Personally, I want to explore some of the older products of the OSR - such as Blackmarsh, which is often overlooked and hardly ever grabbed in print. Or some of Matt Finch’s early work. I also want to explore some of the up and comers that are creating content, like Thom Wilson and Jason Hobbs. Then maybe surprise folks and throw in some Venger Santanis. Yes, I do “shake hands and make friends” fairly well. Actually, I hope Ven goes to Gamehole Con this fall so we can repeat our Gary Con breakfast.


Q - So we shouldn't expect that Illusionist stumbles across a shipping container full of Dragon Dice and all of a sudden it's Tenkar-recommended.

A - Lol - I actually bought myself a hoard of them last year to give my niece, 5 years old at the time something to play with

But no - no Dragon Dice

Also, the OSR isn’t limited to D&D clones either. There’s Traveller, RuneQuest, Tunnels & Trolls and other games that have been around 35 years or more. They are old school. Then there are games like Polyhedral Dungeon and Far Away Land, that aren’t cloning an old school game but have obvious old school roots.


Q - The OSR focus makes sense to me, although one has to wonder how deep the catalog can go; I suppose it's all dependent on what's available to you, rights-wise, and who you can partner with.   Sounds like we can expect a broad swath of stuff.  That can be both good and bad -- as a Mythoard subscriber but not a Traveller guy, there's been plenty of JG Traveller stuff in there that didn't do it for me, but that's the nature of a crate.   Did Illusionist come to you, or vice versa?


A - They came to me. Jarrod from Mythoard recommended me to them and I respect Jarrod immensely - if he recommended me to them it was also recommending them to me in a way.

As an aside, i'd love to get some long out of print GURPS Sourcbooks in the crate. A man can dream I suppose 


Q - Couldn't hurt to ask Steve Jackson, I guess!  Jarrod's recent appearance on Drink Spin Run was interesting, hearing him talk about Mythoard on the business end.  I'd be curious to see what the Illusionist folks have to say as well.  Here's an obvious question on the Tavern Crate: the price point is a good bit higher than that on 'classic' Mythoard.  Is there a canned answer on why that might be so?  Seems a logical thing for customers to wonder.

A - No canned answer. We are looking to put more value in the crate, which means a higher price point. We'll see what the market bears. I will say this, tangentially (is that the right word?) - the OSR is an underserved market. I can see that with my affiliate reports from the current OSR Extravaganza Sale at RPGNow. Its been eye opening to me.


Q - The Tavern must have respectable amounts of traffic, I can imagine.  And surely Illusionist thought you brought audience with you as part of the equation there, so much so they apparently called you the "Voice of the OSR Market" in the press release.  What's your current vision statement on the blog, and do you see yourself as some kind of voice of the OSR?

A - Its a press release. Need I say more? I wrote the bit I was quoted on. Nothing more. I am but one standard bearer in a field of hundreds, if not thousands. I may have greater reach than most due to my soapbox *Tenkar’s Tavern”, but I openly solicit guest posters to use said sandbox. I have yet to turn anyone away. The OSR is a community of peers.

Q - It's a press release, but it's got your name stapled to it.  People can be pretty sensitive about indications that someone in a scene is claiming to speak on behalf of that scene, but even beyond that, I can see why someone might read that assertion and kind of tilt their head in a "Rooby-Roo?" kind of way.  That's why I wanted to bring it up.   

A - Understandable. I've spent my prior career reading (and occasionally writing) such stuff. Believe it or not, its part of government work, even law endorsement. Painting a Picture, so to speak. I never put much value in such but have always considered it part and parcel with marketing. 



Q - I don't think there's any question it's marketing, the question is how hyperbolic is it, is it worth the potential blowback, etc.  Tenkar's Tavern is primarily a news blog, or so it seems to me - product announcements, industry gossip, occasionally peppered with Tenkar-as-DM type posts.  Do you think that's a fair characterization, that it's chiefly an industry news blog?

A - Its chiefly "whatever comes to my mind to post" type of blog. News? Sure. Gaming posts? yep Gaming content? when I can. Kickstarters? Certainly. Hounding the... wait, I don't want #ConManKen to threaten to sue me again - I maintain a vigilant eye on those that may not be fulfilling their obligations. All that being said, I make no claim to be a news site. I leave that for other gaming sites to claim.


Q - Okay, that's fair, I think "news site" probably gives the impression that we're talking about flipping press releases or something; the Tavern is definitely a personality-driven opinion blog.  I suppose I meant that the majority of your posts are industry-focused, rather than gameable-content-focused; some blogs are the inverse of that.  Surely the Kickstarter stuff is high on the list of "things Tenkar's known for".  Do you expect that to continue with new "cases", or are we just going to hear about Far West and Whitman because they've become legacy subjects for the blog?

I think I'd count the Gygax Memorial as one of those legacy subjects as well.

A - There are others that are getting long in the tooth but regularly update, so we'll see. Part of me writing posts for The Tavern is that its pretty much stream of consciousness - I don't pre-write posts days, or even hours in advance. Which probably shows with the typos. But going back to Kickstarters in particular, I get about a half dozen inquiries a week to either - look at a Kickstarter before its released to identify potential issues - or - please write about my Kickstarter, I was told if you post about it I'll make lots of money. So, some folks are learning to prevent problems and others still can't help seeing the quick bucks. I expect we'll see more hitting the highlight reel regretfully.

A little secret about the Kickstarter stuff and why its a burr on my ass. I finished my career as a Sergeant in Internal Affairs, and hated seeing the vast majority of good cops soiled by the bad ones. If I can scare future Kickstarter creators straight, so much the better.


Q - Those regular, rapid updates give the blog a newsroom type quality I think, and I suppose people shouldn't let that fool them into thinking it's unbiased or journalistic!  It sounds like you expect to continue your "ombudsman" type role when it comes to rpg Kickstarters.  Do you think that conflicts at all with your newer role as a content creator with S&W Light?  Can you critique the industry from inside it, and will that impact the Tenkar image?  Or am I presuming a semblance of aloof neutrality vis-a-vis the Kickstarter stuff that isn't there, and the question's moot?

A - I don’t think anyone that creates content is outside the community and I’ve been creating content for years. I’ve had adventures appear in two different KSs as well as three supplements for S&W from 2 different publishers over the years in addition to my recent releases re: SWL. I think the secret is being fair and honest, and knowing when you are at risk of bias. My relationship with Frog God is well known. My friendships are well known. I don’t hide them. I know my biases and will highlight such when i mention products (such as) from my good friend James Spahn. Now, when James puts out a turd, that's when I'll have to question my integrity for calling it as it is. He has yet to put me in that position and I don't expect him to.


Q - Since we've come to Frog God, let me ask about the drama some time back with Contessa and Stacy Dellorfano.  Now that you're both doing work for Frog God, have you two buried the hatchet and moved on, or should we not hold our breath for a future collaboration?

A - Stacy and I have never actually conversed directly. My understanding is she was brought in for a particular project which she successfully completed. At this point, SWL is an an ongoing project. I don't expect our paths will cross.

Q - That's a diplomatic answer and I'm sure it's accurate even if it didn't give me what I wanted there, Erik.  Safe to assume, then, that while there may be lingering beef there, nobody's interested in dredging it up moving forward.

A - I did say there may be some disappointment to this interview 

Q - I'm just asking the people's questions, man!    So no future snark re Contessa from the Tenkar then.

A - The Tavern is a stream of consciousness blog, as I said earlier. There are currently no plans to bring up stacey beyond posting this interview.


Q - Fair enough.  You mentioned James Spahn earlier - could you talk a little about Save or Die: Expert Edition, and how that shift came about?  I don't recall seeing anybody talk about the 'why' behind the transition.  As a semi-regular listener, I had assumed the previous hosts were stepping back to take a break, but then we got Save For Half.  Is there a story there?

A - Creative differences? That's just a guess, but Liz and Mike have moved on to Save for Half on a new network and are doing real well for themselves. They need to bring back Jim after the Dark Master gives him a reprieve from MCC

Q - I'm sure Corbett will be glad to hear you say that LOL

A - LOL! I think there's room for four over there 


Q  - I'll chalk it up to "network issues" until I hear otherwise, I suppose.  Between the blog and the podcast and the crate, it looks like Tenkar has a pretty loud megaphone pointed at OSR-heads, moving forward.  What do you want to do with all that?  Is there a grand vision, or are you just enjoying yourself and saying "yes" to stuff that looks fun?

A - A "grand vision" assumes a lot :) I want to be busy enough in this hobby of ours that Rach isn't tempted to find me "real work" in my retirement. I'm having fun "working" in my hobby. It was my dream 30 years ago and now I'm doing it. Could I live on it without my pension? Hell no! God bless them with the skill and tenacity to do so. But I'm happy making content and writing and talking and... its pretty damn cool.


Q - Let me ask you as a commentator then - where do you think this 'OSR' thing is headed next, and where _should_ it go?  I ask only because I'm told you're the Voice of the OSR Market, you see.

A - Heh. Zing! Alright, I see the OSR as an underserved market that deserves more respect. 5e is huge for the OSR because writing product for 5e and converting to the OSR is much easier than going from 4e or Pathfinder. There is synergy between 5e and the OSR. Some folks want to see new clones - I want to see new hacks. Hack SWL or the Black Hack or some other OSR game and give us a western, supers, space opera, sci-fantasy, godzilla monsters - whatever! I think the future of the OSR is finding new genres and not new systems. Or I could be totally wrong. But I think the OSR is just going to grow in the number of players at this point and we have 5e to thank for it.


Q - Underserved?  Huh, I don't think that's a word I would've used to describe the OSR market; I often wonder how much 'product' the OSR market can actually bear.  I'm not sure it's all that much.  But perhaps that's a discussion for another time.  Thank you for taking the time to chat with me regarding the questions that came up the other day in a G+ thread.  Everybody has opinions, and I don't know if anyone will have their opinion changed or vetted based on this interview, but data is data.  Always better to ask than assume.



A - My pleasure Erik. 

Time for a Monday Morning Tavern Update - Interviews, Content and Sales - Oh My!

Some quick things:

- I was interviewed by +Erik Jensen yesterday afternoon. I assume he'll be posting it on his G+ feed tonight. I'll be sharing it as a post later today. Come for the drama! Stay for the beer! ;)

- I'm going to be ass deep in content creation the next week or so. If I seem distant, I'm doing it for you. Or maybe your buddy. Who knows, maybe you won't like the stuff. As usual, Works in Progress (WIP) to be posted here at The Tavern.

- The OSR Extravaganza Sale at RPGNow wrapped up today. If you made a purchase (or purchases) through The Tavern's affiliate links, I personally thank you. The response to the sale was HUGE! Over $8k in sales were made through The Tavern's affiliate links of which 5% went to support the work of The Tavern.

- When I say "the OSR is an underserved market" (and I do say it, you will read it) it is. Maybe not in number of products but by being recognized as a viable and vibrant community that publishers, large and small should be looking at. Not to mention distributors / online market places like RPGNow. As consumers, we are (generally speaking) older, with jobs and more discretionary income. Show us some respect and you may just sell us some product.

- As a total aside, Frog God Games will be assisting me with various expenses associated with attending cons. Yes, my cardboard sign should state "Will work on SWL for Room, Food and lots of Booze!" - Look for me at The Frogs booth at Gamehole, Gary Con, NTRPG and where various Frogs are known to be in attendance. I look forward to meeting as many of The Tavern's Community as I can. Please tell me the name you comment under when we meet :)

Creature Archipelago - Islands Map - First Attempt - SWL

I must say, the customer service from the folks behind Other World Mapper is top notch. My download link to update had expired. Sent an email to customer service and in 12 hours my new link was active. Woot! I do love this software.

So 13 islands plus one island engulfed by a larger one. The islands are what remains of a much larger island after the mysterious ancients caused their own destruction.

The lower middle island, the small roundish one, is relatively safe. At least, the town and harbor are fortified. That will be the initial home base of the PCs.

One of the islands will be given to +Michael Badolato and the Swords & Wizardry Legion to develop. Each island will be it own little sandbox.

For scale, I am thinking 30 miles across, give or take, for the island that holds the town and harbor. Subject to change.

Next for the map will be adding some visual highlights to the islands. But before that I think I need to detail Lizardmen and Goblins as PC races for Swords & Wizardry Light.

Someone put Supers! in Swords & Wizardry Light! Pow! Bamn!

I expected Swords & Wizardry Light to get hacked for other genres and its exciting to see it happening now.

What am I talking about? Linneman over at the Monstrous Matters blog has been releasing free SWL compatible PDFs  with new Supers! classes for his yet to be released Light City setting - The Brawler and The Elemental.

Grab them for free.

God, this is fun stuff :)

Last Day to Sign Up for the First Month of the Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate

Yep, today is the last chance to sign up for the inaugural Tenkar's Tavern OSR Crate. If you sign up tomorrow you will be starting with the second crate and miss out on all of this month's goodies.

I've been asked what my curating philosophy is for the OSR Crate. Here's how I answer the question:

We have about 15 content creators looking to participate in the monthly crate at the moment with others interested but waiting on their new content. Personally, I want to explore some of the older products of the OSR - such as Blackmarsh, which is often overlooked and hardly ever grabbed in print. Or some of Matt Finch’s early work. I also want to explore some of the up and comers that are creating content, like Thom Wilson and Jason Hobbs. Then maybe surprise folks and throw in some Venger Santanis. 

The OSR isn’t limited to D&D clones either. There’s Traveller, RuneQuest, Tunnels & Trolls and other games that have been around 35 years or more. They are old school. Then there are games like Polyhedral Dungeon and Far Away Land, that aren’t cloning an old school game but have obvious old school roots.

So, there you have it.

edit: Links are on the right side of this very page