Demonic Dungeon of the Bone Dreamer - Part the Second

None other than Matt Jackson offered me access to his map collection for this project. It is HUGE!

I like the above myself for the Demonic Dungeon of the Bone Dreamer. A bit more manageable in size for a single session than my prior pick.

I've got ideas bouncing around my head with this map.

Does the Bone Dreamer dream its own dreams or those of the bones it consumes? What do the dreams mean? What effect(s) can the dreams have on the party? What effect(s) are the dreams having on the local population?

You can find Matt's Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/msjackson/posts

Kickstarter - Dark Trails RPG (Weird West DCC RPG Hack)

Oh my f'n God. It is finally here!

David Baity's Dark Trails RPG is funded on Kickstarter in 3 hours. Yep, the 12k goal has been surpassed and then some. Now it's stretch goals time.

I've been waiting for this for a long time. Shit, my beer koozie gets constant work ;)

So, what is the Dark Trails RPG about?

The Dark Trails RPG is a game which pays homage to the popular weird West genre.  It can be used as a standalone game or as the perfect complement to a growing line of products that all utilize the rules found in the Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC) RPG. As a player, you’ll find a wealth of material that allows you to assume the role of one of 11 unique classes, with descriptive names like: the Calavera, the Bedlamite, and the Sin-Eater. As a Judge, you’ll find over 400 pages of material giving you a wealth of resources for designing and running fantastic adventures set against the haunted landscapes of an unforgiving weird West.  

You may be wondering about the above mentioned game that Dark Trails is tethered to. Dungeon Crawl Classics is a Fantasy RPG written by Joseph Goodman of Goodman Games. Since debuting in 2012, the book has gone through seven (7) printings and spawned a wonderful community of passionate gamers both new and old. DCC continues to grow by leaps and bounds by way of exciting adventures penned by some of the best writers in the industry, including third-party publishers using the system to fuel their own creative fires. 

Fortunately, the Dark Master (Joseph Goodman) has granted permission to include a modified version of the DCC ruleset within the pages of Dark Trails to make it the first 3rd party published work to include the necessary rules for play. You don’t need anything other than the Dark Trails RPG to play the game aside from some dice, paper, and pencils.  

Some of the DCC rules were purposefully left out when weighed against their place in a weird West setting, but these omitted rules can easily be added to Dark Trails should you own a copy of DCC and wish to include them.

Stand-alone hack of the DCC RPG rules? Weird West setting? Years of playtesting and development? My kinda game :)

Dark Trails begins near the end of the American Civil War. The mass casualties and tragedy that accompany the war are being used to fuel a series of rituals with the intent of awakening a pantheon of sleeping gods, who were banished as a result of losing a war against mankind and their Celestial allies during a time before recorded history.  

Only one of these Elder Gods would escape the eternal slumber and exile exacted upon his kin through magical rites. Nyarlathotep was wise to the coming war with the Celestials, knowing the primal chaos that is stitched into every cell of an Elder God would prevent them from forming a united front in time to beat back their human slaves and their meddling allies. Rather than fight a losing war, Nyarlathotep escaped to the safety of the Dreamlands with a powerful artifact in tow—the Necronomicon—an ancient grimoire that might one day provide the means to awaken and free his kin from exile. 

Several centuries after the departure of the Celestials, Nyarlathotep re-emerged to walk amongst countless generations of mankind, waiting for times of great strife to gift the ancient tome to those foolish enough to attempt the rituals within. Famines, plagues, and wars all served up the required strife to fuel the rituals of unbinding found within the Necronomicon, but with each attempt a secret order, well-versed in esoteric history, disrupted the rites and put the cultists down in their tracks—burning the Necronomicon to a pile of tainted ashes. 

Not to be deterred, each failed attempt ended with Nyarlathotep collecting the ashes of the ancient grimoire, taking it to the safety of the Dreamlands to tend, while the nigh-indestructible tome slowly reforms over several years...

20 bucks in PDF. Hardcover shipped directly to you plus PDF is $65. Limited edition HC with PDF is 85. Decision decisions...

When things calm down a bit with this on-fire Kickstarter I'll try and steal David for a Fireside Chat :)

Dark Trails RPG by David Baity - accept no imitations! 

Tavern Chat - Tonight's Episode was 365 is 365 Days!

I figured I should share this over on the blog side (Tenkar's Tavern has a huge milestone later this month but I digress) Tonight was the 365th episode of the Tavern Chat Podcast. 365 episodes in 365 days. I never would have guessed when I recorded the first episode that not only would Tavern Chat be around a year later, but it would have such a large and loyal following.

Truly I am blessed.

Additionally, today Anchor (my podcast host / service) added a new feature - Voicemails for All. Prior to today if you wanted to leave a voicemail you needed to use the Anchor app on your cellphone or tablet.

Now, all you need do is go here: https://anchor.fm/tavernchat/message

Pretty damn cool. I look forward to hearing from you all calling in ;)

Kickstarter - Sea King's Malice: a 5E Adventure in the Deadly Depths (and S&W too)

"A lavishly-illustrated hardcover book, with maps from Beadle & Grimm's, a host of additional resources, and much more!"

For those that don't know, Alex Kammer is the main man behind GameHole Con, held in Madison, Wisconsin each fall. He's also written a number of well-received adventures for 5e. Well, Frog God Games' latest Kickstarter is a hardcover adventure from none other than Alex Kammer himself called Sea King's Malice.

Sea King’s Malice is a full color and lavishly illustrated 5e adventure for the world’s most popular role-playing game that takes characters on a sweeping adventure across the ocean, to previously uncharted lands, and finally down under the waves to the very depths of the sea. It is also available for the 0E Swords & Wizardry system for those preferring old-school rulesets.

Only the most stalwart and bravest of heroes will have any chance of surviving the hazards of the open sea and the perils of other strange and yet unknown lands, both above and below the waves, as they search for clues surrounding the disappearance of the missing ship.  For in the sea-green depths a brooding menace awaits them, filled with  inhuman hatred of all things of the surface world. The adventurers’ journey will end, one way or the other, in the Court of the terrifying Sea King. This edge-of-your seat 5e adventure takes characters to level 10, and is also available for Swords & Wizardry (0e) The Swords & Wizardry version will begin at a higher level and cover fewer level advancements.

And then there are the maps from Beadle & Grimm:

Frog God Games is very proud to announce our partnership with Beadle & Grimm’s Pandemonium Warehouse. They are the premier creator of high-end tools for tabletop game masters and players worldwide. The Map Vault: Sea King's Malice is the first of a planned series of limited edition maps for gamers everywhere.

Dear friends, 

As grizzled veterans of the original AD&D, Alex’s tale of the Sea King really spoke to us here at Beadle & Grimm’s. The rules may be 5th Edition, but the vibe is old school in the best possible way – it strikes the perfect balance between heady role-playing, tense dungeon-crawling  and visceral, gory combat. We’ve been looking for an opportunity to try something new, so we’re very grateful to Alex and Frog God for inviting us to create a special enhancement for the Sea King’s Malice adventure – our first-ever selection from the B&G Map Vault.
 

The Sea King’s Edition of the Map Vault focuses on one of the most exciting and unique elements of Alex’s story – the sailing ships. Three different ships are presented here, each on its own two-sided 24x30 map with art created exclusively for Beadle & Grimm’s. One side has the full-color detail of a ship from the adventure, while the other has blank interiors and a dry erase surface so that you, the Dungeon Master, can use it to create future adventures from your own imagination. All six battle maps are scaled and gridded for your minis, and they come rolled in a custom cartographer’s tube to keep them protected for years of future use.

Pretty cool shit!

Already funded and knocking down stretch goals as I write this with 28 days to go...

As most of you know, I am affiliated with Frog God Games. It doesn't make this Kickstarter any less awesome (Alex has that knack). - Erik Tenkar

Demonic Dungeon of the Bone Dreamer - Part the First

So, Thom Wilson reminded me earlier that I need to submit my adventure for ShireCon II / 2019 coming up in September. As many of you know, I've recently been juggling multiple balls (as an aside, the flooring for Casa de Tenkar comes in the morning and installation commences on Friday - Huzzah!) and this is one that had escaped my grasp - until now.

If you plan on playing in my session at ShireCon this September, you may not want to follow up too closely with the later posts in this series, as it may give away some secrets to the adventure. Then again, if you've played in any of my sessions at the various gaming conventions, you probably know I'm big on improv. Players beware ;)

In any case, I broke out the Tome of Adventure Design by Matt Finch for some adventure inspiration and I ended up with Demonic Dungeon of the Bone Dreamer for the adventure title. I love it. It speaks to me. I see demons and undead and a new, unique creature for the BBG. As I will be using Swords & Wizardry Light, it will need to be written so as to challenge a first level party while still being beatable. Not a small challenge but one I look forward to.

At the moment, I'm looking at using the following Dyson map for the adventure, but that may change if I am inspired to create my own. We'll see. It might be too large for a single session.

More importantly, I need to decide what the Bone Dreamer actually is. A new creature, perhaps.

As always, the creative process will play out on the blog side and if all goes well, the finished product may make its way up to DriveThruRPG.

Time for more brainstorming...

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Limited - Amazing Adventures - Core Books at 10 bucks a pop in Print (Troll Lord Games)

From the Troll Lord Games email:

Amazing Adventures Month Kicks Into High Gear 

As we continue to celebrate A-May-Zing Adventures month, we've decided to pull out all the stops. For a very limited time. And frankly for a very limited amount as we are almost out of the core book for Amazing Adventures. We have about 80 or so left in the warehouse, with some probably strewn about at distributors and what not. But basically this is your best chance to try this wonderful game at a ridiculous price. 

$10 for the Amazing Adventures Core
$10 for the Manual of Monsters
$10 for the Companion

Or you can go for the bundle that includes and adventure for only $33 bucks total for all four!

Here's the link: https://www.trolllord.com/tlgstore/#!/Amazing-Adventures/c/11639154/offset=0&sort=normal

/Reminder - Tavern Chat Tonight - 9 PM Eastern - Lets Burns Some SWL! ;P

Yes, the title of this post is a callback to yesterday's post. I expect I might also call out a small handful of people that have made public statements of blocking me on social media and yet still participate in online communities I own / manage. I guess they failed to see the hypocrisy.

Eh, that's just bitter me with lack of sleep and a few adult beverages over lunch. What will probably happen is we'll all talk stuff geek, nerd, and RPG related ;)

Remember, 9 PM eastern using the following link:  https://discord.gg/fReGmuD

I'm Burning, I'm Burning, I'm Burning (SWL) for You!

Ah, you gotta love it when people make burnt offerings to you ;)

So, what brought this latest sacrifice?

As is, apparently, Matt Finch's Swords & Wizardry Core rules. Does that mean Matt is on the outs at FGG? But wait, 2nd print of Complete is available. I'm confused. But hey, the adventure Stacey actually wrote is still up.

I expect there is some spring cleaning / consolidation going on at the FGG web store. But hey, thanks for the burnt offering. I'll cherish it forever...

Kickstarter - The Cthulhu Alphabet (Goodman Games)

"A book of Lovecraftian inspiration for your RPG sessions. A is for Altar, B is for Books, C is for Cultist, N is for Nyarlathotep!"

The Dungeon Alphabet is one of my favorite RPG books. It simply bleeds with inspiration. I expect nothing less from The Cthulhu Alphabet.

For generations, H.P. Lovecraft has inspired fans of horror, fantasy, and science-fiction. This is especially true in tabletop role playing games, where his stories have been adapted into countless variations of exciting adventure. Now we offer another way for you bring his mythos into your tabletop RPG session!

A is for Angles, B is for Books, C is for Cults, N is for Nyarlathotep
This Kickstarter funds the creation of The Cthulhu Alphabet, a prolifically illustrated tabletop RPG supplement published in hardcover book format.  

The Cthulhu Alphabet is a collection of random tables to inspire your role playing game, structured around an abecedarian theme. If you are a player navigating an uncaring universe, a haunted setting, or horror-filled dungeon, you will find new ideas for your character and adventures. And if you are a game master creating scenarios set in the Cthulhu Mythos – or in any fantastic world – you will find every page bursting with ideas. Your brain will spark on every page, whether you roll randomly for inspiration or read the tables in order. 

The Cthulhu Alphabet is systems-neutral and will work with any rules set, whether 5E, DCC RPG, or otherwise. The book is estimated to be 112 pages long, and will be printed with color cover and B/W interior.

The “Alphabet” Format

The Cthulhu Alphabet follows the format first popularized by Goodman Games in The Dungeon Alphabet. The entries are in alphabetical order, and each concerns one aspect of the Cthulhu mythos. Each entry contains a mix of inspirational text and one or more random tables.  

Looking to make your next monster encounter more interesting? Try rolling on S is for Serpentfolk, Z is for Zombies, or D is for Deep Ones. 

Creating a mythos-styled location for your next scenario? Try rolling on K is for Kingsport, or M is for Miskatonic University. 

Figuring out the antediluvian horror central to your next plot? Try rolling on O is for Outer Gods, U is for Unnamable, or E is for Elder Thing. 

Building out the dark history of a lost book, mysterious grandfather, or odd old house? Try rolling on L is for Legacy, M is for Madness, B is for Books, or J is for Journal. 

Tweaking the nuances of a historically accurate literary adventure, but need a little bit of inspiration or added mystery? Roll on V is for Voorish Sign, P is for Pnakotic, U is for Ubbo-Sathla, H is for Hastur, or I is for Ithaqua. 

Just need something gross for the characters to fight? Look up C is for Cultists, T is for Tentacles, or S is for Shoggoth.

12 bucks in PDF, 25 for standard Print cover plus PDF and 35 for foil Print cover plus PDF. Shipping will be collected via Bckerkit.

State of The Tavern - Renovation Breakdown, Drives me Insane ;)

As I've mentioned elsewhere, La Casa de Tenkar is currently being renovated. I've been without a living room and a "yoga" room for Rach for the past week and a half - and we are now on an extended tour, as the flooring we picked ut is a special order and we are awaiting delivery.

All of this has put a cramp in all things Tavern related - internet outages, late-night contractor work, lack of old man naps, etc.

Still, things are moving along fairly well.

The Tavern Chat podcast just posted its 361st daily episode - four more days and we'll have a full year in the bag ;)  https://anchor.fm/tavernchat. I am playing with some ideas for Season Two and I'm looking forward to hearing your ideas.

The Tenkar's Tavern Blog will be 10 years old on May 31st. We've got plans to make 2019 really special (yes, I do mean WE). More on that as we get things lined up after NTRPG Con in early June.

The Tenkar's Tavern Discord has over 1950 members and a large number of live shows / podcasts that use the server. Check it out if you haven't yet. We have a fairly lively text chat throughout the day (and night too) https://discord.gg/aEMemPf

Our Facebook Group (with over 2370 members) has posts from members of the gaming community multiple times per day and some lively Gary Gygax discussion with comments from Luke Cygax and Troll Lords Games' Stephen Chenault chiming in to add details.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/849179298513223/

Just think where we'll be when I have all of my house back ;)