Tis The Season for OSR Christmas

Wow. We are already a week into December. Time certainly flies. And that means it is time for OSR Christmas :)

We'll be doing things a little differently this year. Actually having 12 posts for OSR Christmas has been insanely stressful, and it always runs long and we still rarely hit 12 days of actual posts.

So, this year there will be 3 actual days of OSR Christmas gifting posts (and possibly the same number of giveaways on the Tavern Chat Podcast)

The plan, on the blogside at least, is to do the gifting on December 13th, December 20th and December 24th, with 5 days after the announcing of gifts to name those receiving and 5 days for folks to claim. Hopefully, it will all wrap up by the end of the year. That would be a first :)

Here's what we need:

If you plan on gifting (I'll be gifting DriveThruRPG Gift Certificates) you need to reach out to me at tenkarsDOTtavernAT that gmail thing with OSR Christmas Gifting in the title and we'll start putting Santa's list of gifts together.

I thank everyone in advance for making this year another wonderful OSR Christmas :)

Raging Swan Press Annual Christmas Megabundle

I literally love Raging Swan's catalog. If you are a DM that likes to be freewheeling, let your players follow hooks and clues that you didn't even put out there and like improvising by the edge of your seat, Raging Swan is for you.

Sure, Raging Swan's Annual Christmas Megabundle is for D&D 5e (there is some hope we may get the same bundle in System Neutral at some point), but converting from 5e to the OSR is fairly easy (the reverse isn't as true).

There are many campaigns worth of material in this bundle - locations, adventures, and treasures - oh my! 50 titles for 20 bucks.

Yes, that is an affiliate link above. Affiliate links keep the taps flowing and the lights on at The Tavern.

New Release - Castle Xyntillan (Funhouse Dungeon)

I'm borrowing the following from Rob Conley's Bat in the Attic Blog:

This begins with a story, back in the 2000's a bunch of folks were organized by Necromancer Games to flesh out Judges Guild's Wilderlands of High Fantasy. The project took a lot of work but finally saw the light of day. 

One of the author involved was Gabor Lux (also known as Melan). 

So as a follow up to the Wilderlands one of the project Necromancer Games was planning on was Tegel Manor and Gabor Lux was tapped as the author. We all knew him from his blog and other writings and was excited about seeing his take on the venerable adventure from Judges Guild. 

But alas it was not to be.

Instead, we now have Gabor Lux's take on what might have been, a haunted castle reimagined. With maps by none other than Rob Conley himself.

“The immense, rambling complex of Castle Xyntillan has stood in its mountain valley for many years. Built over several generations, it has now been deserted by its former owners, and left to time and the elements. However, that is not the end of the story, for Xyntillan’s fabulous treasures and Machiavellian deathtraps continue to fascinate the fortune-seekers of a dozen lands – and never mind the ghost stories!” 

A 132-page hardcover describing the three massive levels of the eponymous funhouse megadungeon, Castle Xyntillan has been designed for the Swords&Wizardry game, and is suitable for 1st to 6th level characters. Built on surrealism and dream logic, Castle Xyntillan has been designed to be versatile, open-ended, complex, and accessible - and always a bit mysterious. From the soaring tower of the Donjon to the inky depths of the Oubliette (and beyond), this module should provide ample opportunities for exploration, confrontation, and subterfuge. Whether you would like a dungeon for one-off expeditions and convention play, or repeated forays and full campaigns, this book should suit the demands of your campaign! 

With cover art by Peter Mullen, and interior illustrations by Denis McCarthy, Stefan Poag, Peter Mullen (again) and The Dead Victorians, Castle Xyntillan ships with four map sheets featuring GM’s and player’s cartography of the labyrinthine complex (the work of Robert S. Conley). Further free downloads are available at beyondfomalhaut.blogspot.com. 

Please note that your print order also makes you eligible for a free copy of the PDF edition, published a few months after the print version. PDFs will be delivered via DriveThruRPG to your regular e-mail address, unless you request otherwise.

You can grab a copy for 40 bucks plus shipping here

Kickstarter - Car Wars Sixth Edition by Steve Jackson Games

"A complete redesign of the original game of autoduelling. Car Wars Sixth Edition plays faster and includes new plastic miniatures."

I'll be honest. I had heard that the Car Wars Sixth Edition Kickstarter was launching and I was kinda like "eh". I have it from back in its pocket box days and later boxed sets, and while it was always a blast to play, I haven't played in years.

Over 3k backers. Over $440k pledged. 32 days to go in funding. WTF!?! I may need to ride the wave myself ;)

The first car combat game, and still the best . . . Car Wars returns in a bigger, faster edition. The detailed 1/64 scale cars move, shoot, and catch fire the way you remember, with faster car creation and play. Once again you can rule the roads! 

NOTE: All miniatures are pre-assembled at the factory and packed unpainted. Miniatures shown in the photos are prototypes. Miniatures painted by Ben Williams. 

Kickstarter - The StoryMaster's Tales "Deeper into the Woods" Hybrid RPG

"Explore more of the Weirding Woods. Fantasy Roleplaying, Boardgame, Gamebook Hybrid gateway game for all ages 7-Adult 1-5 players."

Somehow I missed the first (core), Weirdling Woods Kickstarter. I'm correcting that now, as Weirdling Woods looks like a perfect net step from the classic Dungeon! boardgame for my niece (she turns 9 in less than 2 weeks).

So, of course, I ordered the core game plus the new expansion.

About 77 bucks for both shipped to the States.

Shit - you can add soundtracks and live reads of the cards for a few more bucks. Think of the children!

Enter a world of folklore fantasy, epic storytelling, and mighty magic! Set in the Grimm world of 18th Century dark fairytales. You will make your own treacherous pathway through the wild woodlands, encounter strange mystical creatures and find lost arcane artefacts.

Alone but best played with friends, you must choose a dangerous quest but beware only those with the skill, intelligence and bravery of a hero will survive. 

Quick to learn, portable and most importantly really fun. This game is a unique hybrid of Role-playing, board and adventure gamebook.

Chaosium's Basic Roleplaying to go OGL with an SRD?

Sure, Mongoose made their licensed version of RuneQuest Open Game License and released an SRD, then did the same with the later Legend rules, which are both built off of Basic Roleplaying (BRP). But to have Chaosium do the same for their actual "house" rules? Color me surprised:

Interesting development.

Original thread here: https://basicroleplaying.org/topic/10565-new-version/page/5/?tab=comments#comment-162231

Tip of the hat to Rob Conley of the Bat in the Attic blog.

Kickstarter - The Book of Beginnings for 5e

I always enjoy low-level adventures as a GM. It always seems to be more about the play and less about "the power". Low-level adventures are also easier to run in my experience, as most rulesets tend to break down a bit at higher levels. The Book of Beginnings is a series of low-level adventures for 5e (and I suspect easily converted on the fly to one of the older D&D rulesets and the various clones and simularums)

Some of the adventures are (you get at least 10 adventures): 

Tower of Senleros: An abandoned tower seems to be active once more. A young mage apprentice went off to explore the secrets this tower may hold. The town is in need of adventurers to save the young wizard! (1st Level) 

Battle of the Dance: Local nobles are in need of fresh adventurers to be their champions at a charity ball. You must represent your patron, impress other nobles, and possibly perform bardic tale to influence. However, where great wealth gathers, trouble soon follows. (1st Level) 

Tomb of Sir Cadogan Kerrington: Adventure into a disgraced knight's tomb to find what treasures he wrongfully acquired! (3rd Level) 

Guardian of the Grove: An ancient grove dedicated to the nature god Pan is under attack. Find a way to stop the radical cultists before they defile the shrine! (3rd Level) 

Mystery at Mistwood: The town of Mistwood is experiencing unknown horrors. At night the town gets deathly chill. Townsfolk are found in the morning petrified. Investigate the village to put an end to the mysterious terror! (5th Level)

Buy-in is 15 bucks for the PDF and 30 bucks for the Print plus PDF.