New Release - B/X Essentials: Core Rules (PDF - $4.99 / Plaint text - Free)

I'm heading out to a German Pub Crawl later this morning but I wanted to put this post up before I got hammered ;) Technically, B/X Essentials: Core Rules released a week ago. Sorry for the delay in catching up to it - the week has been a busy one.

The B/X Essentials line is a restatement of the classic Basic/Expert fantasy adventure gaming rule set, distilled down to its purest essence and given a fresh, new presentation:
Basic and Expert rules seamlessly combined. 

Streamlined presentation optimized for ease of reference during play. 

Meticulously researched; a guaranteed 100% accurate rendition of the classic rules of yesteryear. 

Carefully clarified, ironing out ambiguities in the original rules. 

This first book lays out the core rules of the game, including: encounters, combat, dungeon and wilderness exploration, seafaring, spell casting, and magical research. 

The second book in the series, B/X Essentials: Classes and Equipment, is coming soon! 

Print editions coming soon! People who purchase the PDF edition will be sent a voucher to upgrade to the print edition, when it becomes available.

The PDF of B/X Essentials: Core Rules is 4.99 - The plain text file is free.

All purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links help support The Tavern in all that it does. It also helps keep your barkeep in fresh beer ;)

Paizo News - Starfinder Creative Director James Sutter Leaves to Freelance

I find bits of news interesting not so much for what they say but the timing of it.

When James Sutter, co-creator of Pathfinder and Creative Director of Starfinder leaves Paizo less than a month after Starfinder's launch after 13 years with the company, I find myself looking at the tea leaves.

Coupled with industry rumors that Paizo has had cash flow issues (and sank a few million into the now cancelled Pathfinder MMO) and is now taking returns on unsold product I think there could be some more changes coming up. Pure half assed speculation on my part, but I wouldnt be surprised to see more departures.

But hey, freelancing pays well, right? I mean, who wouldn't leave a well paying job at the leading company in the industry to freelance?

Anyhow, you can read read James' final Paizo blog entry here. Nothing earth shattering. As I said above, the timing of the news is more interesting than the news itself.

I wish James luck in his future endeavors.

Kickstarter - SUPERHERO: 2044 RPG (Oh Boy)

Let me start this by saying that we talked about the Superhero: 2044 RPG Kickstarter on the last episode of The Hero's Brew podcast. Well, not exactly. The one we talked about had miniatures in addition to the RPG and a goal of $100k. This one has a goal of 100 bucks. I kid you not.

There is a lot of discussion of the current Superhero: 2044 RPG Kickstarter on Facebook. Suffice to say, it is not glowing.You can find a list of the threads Here. Click the link. Read the threads. SEE the fucking attitude this "publisher" has.

We'll wait.

Back? Cool!

So, where are the other problems with this KS?

I'd start with the $100 goal, which sounds to me (especially after the 100k goal was cancelled) to be a simple money grab. Something tells me the end product, if there is one, will not be the product being sold. I could be wrong. Feel free to back and bet against me.

Of course, you have remarks like this from the original KS page:

Yeah, just belittle your backers. Always a selling point. Especially one that is also a publisher.

Did I mention 4, no - now 5 - previous Kickstarters. None have funded. This one has fundsed, but it only had a goal of 100 bucks.

Oh, then there is the Wall of Text:

How about the Risks and Challenges?

Read that first paragraph. Right. Time to move on.

Seriously, that 100 buck goal? Simply so he can say "Look Ma! I'm a success!" No you aren't.

Keep away from this, even with Steve Perrin attached to the project. Bet you didn't know that, did you? Yep.

Goodman Games - DCC RPG Hurricane Harvey Relief Bundle - 3 Adventures - 9.99 - All Proceeds Donated

Goodman Games has launched the DCC RPG Hurricane Harvey Relief Bundle with all proceeds donated to the American Red Cross to aid Hurricane Harvey victims.

The adventures included in the PDF Bundle are:

Sailors on the Starless Sea, The Sea Queen Escapes and Journey to the Center of Aereth

This special bundle is to benefit victims of Hurricane Harvey. All proceeds will go to benefit the American Red Cross for Harvey recovery. The bundle is specially priced to contain three popular adventures at a discount of more than 70% off regular price! And all three modules have water encounters - exactly what your DCC RPG characters will want while Harvey is on their mind.

The Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Charity Donation Bundle ($400+ in gaming PDF for $25) is still live as I write this. Remember, purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate link help to support The Tavern. At times like this, monies raised go right back into the donation pile.

State of The Tavern - 9/7/17 - Amazingly Organized Discord and Rewards for What You Already Do

So, last night was a Wednesday Night and that meant the weekly Tavern Chat. Holy shit! At one point we had 18 people in voice chat alone and it was an amazing example of organized chaos. We have hit attendance heights. Switching to Discord was obviously the right choice. I will try to add a second Tavern Chat to the weekly schedule relatively soon.

The Tavern's Patreon is being revamped to offer more content to The Tavern's readers (monsters and magic) but it occurred to me that Patreon is NOT the only way to support the The Tavern. Many folks do so using The Tavern's affiliate links for RPGNow and Amazon. How do we get them into the additional content mix?

The Tavern has made nearly $85 in affiliate monies from RPGNow / OBS this month so far. If we hit $200 for the month (any month going forward), I'll write a SWL / SWCL adventure on par with Beneath the Battered Dwarf Tavern (small adventure). If we hit $300 for the month I'll either write 2 smaller adventures or one larger adventure. If we hit $400 for the month of September, I'll write 3 smaller adventures or one adventure of at least 20 rooms. Adventures will be posted here at The Tavern and may appear later for sale on RPGNow or in Torchlight Magazine.

As for Amazon (link is on the left side of this page) if we hit $100 for the month I'll write up an NPC for SWL / SWCL. One additional NPC written up for each additional $50. Again, content will be posted to The Tavern but may appear elsewhere later.

Content will be posted in the following month.

Thank you all in advance. I'm also thinking of overall funding goals, where Patreon, Affiliate monies, Adsense and Paypal subs get added up for additional goals, but that's beyond the scope of this post.

Seriously, I appreciate the support from the community. Without all of you there would be little point in me doing what I do...

New Release - Back to BasiX - Issue #2 (zine)

If you haven't been following Thom Wilson / Throwi Games you've been missing out on a series of solid OSR releases. Easily one of the best bangs for your OSR buck is Back to BasiX, a fanzine dedicated to B/X and similar OSR clones.

I grabbed issue #1 of Back to BasiX in print at NTRPG Con in June and it was excellent. I expect more from issue #2 (which should be on its way to me via the US Post Office as I preordered). The PDF release of Back to BasiX is $1.50 an issue. There are two issues available.

This fanzine celebrates, highlights and supports one of the original roleplaying game systems of the 1980's, the Basic and Expert editions of Dungeons & Dragons.  Each issue will provide or highlight content within the Holmes, Moldvay, Cook and Mentzer edited rules from TSR's Gary Gygax.  

Issue contains:  Product Spotlight, Spell Review, New Magic Items, New Monster, Short Encounter, Full page comic "Dungeon Delvers" (artist, Travis Hanson), and an interview with Frank Mentzer.

All purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links help to support The Tavern.

Deal of the Day - CASTLE OLDSKULL - Oldskull Adventure Generator

I know this actually went live at RPGNow at 11 am and we just passed 9 pm, so time is running short and for that I apologize. So, what is the CASTLE OLDSKULL - Oldskull Adventure Generator?

The world’s ultimate adventure creation tool.  Infinite possibilities await you in dungeons, the wilderness, the seas, skies, netherworld, and the planes of existence. 

Whither are you bound? 

Years in the making, mega-supplement GWG2:  OLDSKULL ADVENTURE GENERATOR is the “Rosetta Stone” of the Castle Oldskull system, the one master system which binds all of the present and future supplements of the Castle Oldskull OSR gaming universe together into a massive unified imagination engine.  Harness the power of over 30,000 data elements to create dungeons, villains, quests, and more.  Your worlds of adventure will never be the same!  Using this 700+ page supplement, you can create millions of unique adventures for your players.  There are so many options, that in a lifetime of play no two adventures will ever be the same. 

I believe (but would be happy to be proven wrong) that this is the most ambitious and extensive adventure creation tool available on the market.  Using this volume, you can create an entire campaign of multiple adventures, entailing wilderness journeys, dungeons, monster lairs, traps, tricks, treasure, and unforgettable tales.  When coupled with the GAME WORLD GENERATOR, you can create your own world of endless adventure and allow the Players Characters to journey anywhere.  And you will be creating new realms of wonder every step of the way.  Do you need a new island, temple, tomb, forest, swamp, mountain range, netherworld, or sea?  This book will show you how to build them all, each uniquely detailed with their own locales and opportunities for play. 

Another old school gaming experience from Kent David Kelly and Wonderland Imprints, Only the Finest Works of Fantasy.  (A deluxe supplement.  702 pages, 134,100 words.)

Normally $4.99, the Oldskull Adventure Generator is on sale for $2.50. I've download a copy and the table of contents is hyperlinked. Thank God ;)

Tavern Chat Tonight - 9PM Eastern - Text and Voice Chat - Discord

Yep, this is the second session of the Tenkar's Tavern Tavern Chat using the Tenkar's Tavern Live Discord Server.

Text chat is from 9 till 11ish.

Voice chat from 10ish till whenever.

The link to The Tavern's Discord Server is here:

https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

Topics may include SWL, the new content features at The Tavern, Patreon changes, Torchlight and whatever the community brings to the table.

RPGNow - Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Charity Donation - $25 for over $400 of Gaming in PDF

Fainting Goat Games has spearheaded a Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund Charity Donation Bundle over at RPGNow. Over 420 bucks of RPG gaming material for $25. A damn good deal if you ask me and one that highlights a bunch of OSR releases (about $130 worth) . Which ones?

A Field Guide to Hot Springs Island (19.95)

A Hack of Class (1.00)

Fever-Dreaming Marlinko (9.00)

Misty Isles of the Eld (12.00)

Mortzengersturm, The Mad Manticore of the Prismatic Peak (7.99) - 5e but OSR sensibilities ;)

Slumbering Ursine Dunes (9.00)

Starfaring Exploration for Delving Deeper and OSR (1.00)

Stark Space (2.49)

Stay Frosty (4.99)

Strange Stars (9.99)

Strange Stars OSR Rule Book (5.55)

The Chaos Gods Come to Meatlandia (4.99)

The Dark of Hot Springs Island (19.99)

The Druid for Delving Deeper and OSR (1.00)

The Wondrous Hoard (S&W compatible) (3.00)

Under the Waterless Sea (8.00)

Unholy Land (2.99)

Vacant Ritual Assembly #1 & #2 (4.00)

Weird Adventures (10.00)

Hurricane Harvey, the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental US in a decade, has devastated the Texas Gulf Coast. 

In Houston alone, it has dropped over 2 feet of rain (and counting). FEMA estimates that 30,000 people may need shelter. 

This bundle will help provide relief to this impacted by the storm. Proceeds will be split between the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund (https://ghcf.org/hurricane-relief/) and the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group Fund (http://www.cbcfoundation.org/) (which provides support to the smaller cities and towns also hit by Harvey.)

All purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links return a small portion of the monies paid to The Tavern, allowing us to do what we've been doing for years - news, new releases, gaming thoughts, reviews, Kickstarter highlights, gaming material, investigative reporting and assorting sundries and miscellany. 

Midweek Monster Mayhem - Meat-Eating Macaque / Bad Maque (Swords & Wizardry Light)

Art by Patrick Pullen used with permission

Meat-eating Macaques (often referred to as Bad Maques by adventurers) are a carnivorous species of monkey. They are dangerous not due to their size (about 2' tall when squatting or 3' when standing tall) but the fact that they hunt in packs of 2-12 and prefer the meet of intelligent species. Their main attack is an attempt to rend their opponent, but if both clawed hands hit in the same round they will move in to bite their opponent. Bad Maques prefer prey their own size or smaller and will attack dwarves, halflings, goblins, kobolds and the like before larger humanoids

Bad Maque
AC: 7[12]  HD: 1  Attacks: Claw x 2 (1d6-2)  Move: 12 (may move freely through trees)
Special: If both claws hit, the target is embraced and a bite attack at +2 to the to hit roll may be made. Bite damage is 1d6

Note, although written for Swords & Wizardry Light, Bad Maques will work fine with other flavors of S&W (and other OSR rulesets) - all you need do is add expo ;)

OGL

Hero's Brew Podcast - Episode # 2 - Dark & Sundry

The Grognardy Trio have served up another episode of the Hero's Brew Podcast. Episode #2 - Dark & Sundry is available for your enjoyment. Yes, we're extra grumpy at NO extra charge for you ;)

Oh, and we earned our explicit label this time :)

You can play it from the player below or give it a few hours to get served through iTunes, Google Play and other podcast players.

Download link for Episode # 2

DCC RPG Quick Start Rules Released in PDF for 2 Bucks

Goodman Games has released the DCC RPG Quick Start Rules on RPGNow in PDF for 2 bucks (first released in Print for Free RPG Day and released in print to the general public for 5 bucks last month)

If you ever were intimidated by the shear size of the DCC rulebook, here's you chance to find a slightly lighter version for a whole lot less.

I have this in Print (along with the original rules) and I must say its an awesome distillation of the DCC RPG rules. Well done +Jim Wampler

These starter rules were written specifically to introduce judges and players to the DCC RPG system. In some areas, rules have been condensed and simplified. These rules will serve primarily to get characters through their first level 0 adventure and their first level 1 adventure. Although the rules go up to level 2, for the full DCC experience and play at levels up to 10th, please refer to the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG rulebook! 

This book includes two adventures! You get the enduring classic Portal Under the Stars 0-level adventure for new players, plus in a flip-book format, an all-new level 1 adventure, Gnole House by Michael Curtis, inspired by the works of Lord Dunsany and Margret St. Clair who first wrote of the creature called the “gnole,” which Gary Gygax later evolved into the better-known gnoll!

Purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links put a small percentage into The Tavern's coffers.

This Week will Kick Off the new Midweek Monster Mayhem Series of Posts

Theodor Kittelsen, Public Domain

This week The Tavern will be launching a new regular feature - Midweek Monster Mayhem. Similar in a way to the just launched Weekend Wonders (which covers magic, spells and magic items) Midweek Monster Mayhem will see a new monster for Swords & Wizardry in Light and / or Complete formats. I'll be adjusting The Tavern's Patreon later this week to reflect these changes. All Patreon backers will get these monsters compiled in PDF format and emailed to them in the following month of their release. Print copies will go out quarterly to those that back at $10 or more.

If we get enough overall backing, we may see two Weekend Wonder releases and Two Midweek Monster Mayhem releases on a weekly basis. Then there is that online OSR Con that has been talked about. All hail The Tavern's Discord Server :)

Fat Dragon Games - Papercraft 2017 Mega Deal - Over 80% Off Printed Terrain Bundle

Fat Dragon Games offers an impressive line of printable 3d terrain pieces. I picked up sets last year to print and fold for my 6 year old niece and she loves it.

The Papercraft 2017 Mega Deal gives you over $154 worth of printable terrain for less than 30 bucks. Shannon may be getting more options for her dungeon building.

There are 33 releases in this bundle.

All purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links help to support The Tavern. Thank you in advance :)

#ConManKen - Too Good For Me NOT to Share!

This was sent to me by a friend. Simply too damn good not to share.

Kenny! Where's my Pencil Dice!?!

I want this on a shirt!

Weekend Wonders - Ring of Projection (SWL / SWC)

I'm in the process of revamping The Tavern's Patreon, but that doesn't mean I can't start posting material applicable to the revamp. Weekend Wonders will be a more or less regular feature at The Tavern, dealing with magic items and magical spells for use in Swords & Wizardry Light and / or Swords & Wizardry Complete. Some posts will find their way into the Torchlight Magazine. Others may get collected and placed on sale at OBS. All Patreon Backers will get a quarterly PDF with the prior 3 months of material. Backers at $10 or more will get it in print.

Ring of Projection - This ring allows its user to project their image along with sound for up to 5 continual minutes once per day. The image may be sent to a person or a specific place. The location or person must be within 50 miles of the sender and must be known to the sender. The communication is solely one way and the sender has no way of knowing the reaction of the recipient(s). Images sent to a specific place may have no audience unless a specific time and place were specified by parties in advance.

Note - The pictured ring is from the Publisher's Choice Quality Stock Art Collection Copyright Rick Hershey / Fat Goblin Games.

Yep, that's an affiliate link above. Rick offers some high quality stock art. Purchases made via The Tavern's affiliate links help support The Tavern

State of The Tavern - The Times, They Are A-Changing

The summer is wrapping up and there are a few changes in store for The Tavern and its Tavern Master.

First and foremost, Rach and I WILL NOT be at Gamehole this year as previously planned. Rach is looking at surgery later this month / early next month and there are simply too many balls in play to make it work this year. We will be at OSRWARP in February and I will be at Gary Con in March.

The Tavern's Patreon is going to have some changes, including affordable support levels for monthly Swords & Wizardry Light Pick up Games via The Tavern's new Discord Server / Roll20 and goals that include SWL content on a weekly (or more frequent basis) at The Tavern and gathered in PDF format quarterly for free in PDF to all backers and in print at a certain backing level (pieces may also make it into the Torchlight magazine.) Possibly adding a second Tavern Chat per week at a staggered time and day of the week to accommodate our members overseas and / or working off hours.  Oh, and organizing an OSR Online Game Day / Con. Relaxed atmosphere and probably disorganized but 100% Tenkar's Tavern ;) More details in a later post.

When I return from the extended weekend away in the Pocono Mountains Zach Glazer is going to put me through an InDesign crash course - recorded live for your entertainment and education. At which point Swords & Wizardry Continual Light gets laid out.

Remember, you can grab the Beta of SWCL in The Tavern's Swords & Wizardry Light Discord Channel.