Deal of the Day - Woodfall (System Neutral Setting)

I'm surprised I don't already own this. This is something right up my alley. Woodfall is a  DTRPG Best Gold selling system-neutral setting, suitable for OSR play. Normally 12 bucks, recently 9 bucks and now $7.20 in PDF until tomorrow morning.

Woodfall is a system neutral dark fantasy mini setting.

Explore a dark fairytale setting, wade through a misty swamp, get caught up in the fighting between warring monster clans, discover a strange town of witches and thieves, and search for forgotten treasure. 

Woodfall is a swamp belonging to a king where witches, thieves and outlaws are squatting. They have built a town on top of the swamp and have resisted several evictions. The town is a hub for black market activity and magical folk.  

The surrounding forest and swamp is a hexcrawl filled with various monster factions.

The Setting has many political themes, influenced mostly from 15th-16th century European history but also includes contemporary political themes and satire. Woodfall village depicts anti-authoritarian peasants in revolt against a kingdom. Elements of influence are taken from :the German peasants war, the anabaptist's, the diggers (of the 1600's), the free miners in the forest of Dean, the history of the witch trails in Europe and history of squatting in the middle ages in Europe ( Tŷ unnos ). Woodfall village is thus a strange village that players might not have encountered much before in fantasy games. 

About the Book 

- 6 x 9 digest size 

- Designed to be easy to drop into your game or run as a stand alone 

- 92 Pagew

PDF Includes : 

- Bookmarks 

- Hyperlinked table of contents and village map 

- Extra A4 PDF with 2 maps to print and hand out to players 

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There's "OSR Community Content" at DriveThruRPG - What?

When I think OSR, I think D&D retro-clones, or at the very least, systems that are open license - OGL. The OGL is pretty much the reason OSR retro-clones even exist.

So, if OSR rule systems are OGL, why would one need to produce content under a more restrictive Community Content License over on DriveThruRPG?

When that OSR ruleset is is Zweihander, a clone of the Warhammer Fantasy RPG.

By virtue of the fact that Zweihander is a "closed rule system", one can not simply publish compatible material for it. Thus the Zweihander Community Content.

All of the Hottest Community OSR shown in the screenshot above is for Zweihander.

Is Zweihander gaming the system? Is it OSR merely to own the hottest list?

I truly don't know but look forward to your thoughts...

Above is an affiliate link. Affiliate links keep the beers cold and the taps flowing.

Certificate in Tabletop Gaming - Spalding University (May 22-31 in Louisville, Kentucky)

Earlier today I was sent an email by Dirk Stanley, perhaps best known for his FarAway Lands RPG. Apparently, Spalding University in Louisville, Kentucky, will be offering a Certificate in Tabletop Gaming this Spring (May 22-31, 2020).

It is very tempting. Don't think I can spend a week and a half away from my family, but tempting indeed.

BTW, Dirk created the program and curriculum.

Are you a writer? Are you into playing tabletop games? Have you long wanted to create your own game? What if you could get feedback and direction on your game while simultaneously pursuing a graduate certificate in writing with a focus on Tabletop Gaming at an accredited university?

Level-up your career and pursue your passion simultaneously at Spalding University’s School of Creative and Professional Writing. The low-residency certificate program fuses writing and tabletop game design, focusing on board game, card game, and role-playing game writing and creation.

The certificate program begins with a ten-day residency on Spalding’s campus, where you will participate in a residency workshop/seminar with other game writers, honing your craft to a fine edge. Afterward, you’ll return home to complete an independent study, working one-on-one with a mentor as you explore the mechanics, setting, and writing of your game. You will be introduced to crowdfunding strategies and techniques along with methods and resources related to tabletop game design. And you will receive focused feedback on your work designed to take your creativity to the next level.

For students who decide to continue their studies, certificate credits can be used to fulfill first-semester requirements toward earning an advanced creative writing degree: the two-semester Master of Arts in Writing (MAW) or the four-semester Master of Fine Arts in Writing (MFA).

The residency takes place May 22-31 on Spalding’s campus in Louisville, Kentucky. The early-placement application deadline of February 1 guarantees a slot to those admitted to the program, though later applications will also be considered. Financial aid is available. To inquire about special application requirements for the certificate, email SchoolofWriting@spalding.edu.  

News - Fantasy Flight Games Closes Interactive and RPG Divisions

The following was shared on Facebook:

Then there was this yesterday:

Cubicle 7 drops its Middle Earth License and now Fantasy Flight Games is apparently ending its Star Wars RPG. Could it be that the licensed properties of this magnitude leave little margin for profit?

edit - this was sent to me from someone who's insight I respect:

You pay your RPG staff 40k a year.

They had 4-5 staff people.

That's 200k a year just in salary.

Plus freelancers.

Sell a book for 40

Costs say... 7 dollars to print and ship en mass, per book.

The retailer buys it for half retail.

So you're making 12 a book.

What MOST other large companies do (C7 did this) is have ONE guy who runs each IP and everyone else is on freelance or short term contract.

It's what WotC does.

So most likely, FFG is gonna install a head of their RPG department, cancel RPGs that aren't cost-effective, and then have one manager for those that remain that are.

RPGs made for all of 9% of FFG's revenues back in 2016 I think. Then they expanded heavily.

Star Wars has a solid fanbase of buyers, but the fandom as a whole is pissed.

L5R happened and no one really cared.

So they went to Genesys to cut external costs.

Genesys can still make money for them because it has a core book, player's guide, and the Foundry where fans can make content and THEY make money.

IndieGogo - The Folio: Black Label #3 (1e & 5e)

The Folio Black Label releases have been a nice option for fans for The Folio for more edgy releases. I've always been happy with the quality of the various Folio releases I've backed. The Folio: Black Label #3:White Witch and Black Stone is the latest release in the series.

The Folio: Black Label series are fantasy adventure modules that are compatible with BOTH classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and 5th Edition D&D formats.  Each adventure combines what I enjoyed most from the heady days of of the late 1970s and the 1980s swords & sorcery storytelling.  

The Folio: Black Label #3 continues in the same locations as Black Label's #1 & #2, and is going to have even more adult edge than is found in the standard Folio, and yes, there might be some nudity, and maybe some horror, and maybe a twisted quality here or there, but at the base its really just about the unfettered fun of hacking and slashing your way through a pulp style adventure with blatant evil doers, magical treasures, and exposed flesh.   

So, I'm throwing out the playbook for 2019, and turning the flux capacitor back to the early days of gaming.  I hope some of you will join me. 

Kickstarter - The Hero's Journey 2e

I've been waiting for The Hero's Journey 2e Kickstarter to launch for a while now. I've known about it, I've gotten sneak peeks and I'm truly amped up.

Full disclosure - James Spahn is probably the closest I've come to having a brother. We've both been there for the other at the drop of a dime. I can't think of a truer friend.

I also can't think of a more skilled, talented and prolific write of RPG material. Name the property - The One Ring, Star Wars, OSRIC, Swords & Wizardry - fuck it, here's a more complete listing: https://rpggeek.com/rpgdesigner/34854/james-spahn

The Hero's Journey 2ed is James' baby, perhaps nearly as much as his daughter Trixie. We've spoken about his passion for the project, and it shows. Trust me - I've read much of it ;)

The Hero’s Journey Fantasy Roleplaying, Second Edition is a fantasy roleplaying game that blends classic tradition and modern game design to bring you an experience where players take up the mantle of heroes in a world of danger and magic inspired by classic fairy stories and timeless fantasy literature. 

Whether you’re taking a Knight clad in shining armor astride your grand steed, a cunning Burglar hoping to use your silver tongue to flatter a terrifying Elder Wyrm while your friends slip away, or a dedicated Yeoman who has given your heart and soul to defend the good and true people of the world from the strange dangers of Fairie and beyond, The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition creates a gaming experience firmly rooted traditional western folklore where the player characters are more than just sword-swinging mercenaries looking to kick in the door, kill the monster, and claim the loot. In The Hero’s Journey, Second Edition, they are all that stands between civilization and the unimaginable dangers just beyond the wild…

The game is written, the art is done, the editing is finished and layout is done! The PDF has already been uploaded to DriveThruRPG, and proof copies ordered! 

This game is ready to go. We just need your help to get the word out about it, and help make sure everyone gets paid!  Gallant Knight Games has already paid for the art, layout, and editing, but making games is more expensive than that.  

The long term success of a game can often depend on retail stores, gaming groups and more. The goal of our project is to run a focused, tight campaign that will allow us to make a high-quality offset print run of the corebook in both softcover and hardcover. We believe James has created a work of art here, and we want to show case that with the best print run we can do.  

The day the funds are delivered to Gallant Knight Games you'll get your PDF and we'll put the game to print. This will be a very fast turn around and a very tightly focused project. We're producing one book, and everything else is digital.  

I'll be grabbing James for a Fireside Chat in the next few days :)

In the meantime:

OSR Christmas - Awarding the Day 3 Gifts - Come and Get Them!

edit - Ack - I posted too quickly. Today we are awarding the last of the OSR Christmas Gifts - and remind folks there are still unclaimed gifts from Dys 1 and 2.

2 - Moon Wizard OSR Patchs by Thad Moore
imredave
optimizer

1 - James Mishler Games "One of Everything" in PDF
       (19 titles in all)
RhinoDino1973

From MonkeyBlood / Glynn Seal
 1 - The City of Great Lunden hardback plus Map Sets and Pregen
Character Cards (Print - Ships Worldwide)
Adam Ness

1 - HandyMaps Towns & Villages (Print - Ships World Wide)
Red Dice Diaries
Peter D

1 - Midderlands PDF
Starglow

 1 - The City of Great Lunden PDF
ReekyMarut

From Genius Loci Games

1 - Pyramid of the Lost King (at cost Print on Demand)
TheRealEpi

2 - New Class Options (PDF)
Marc Plourde

From Roan Studios

Full Roan Studio (pdf) collection on Drive Thru RPG (15 titles) 
ALSO - an 8.5 x 11 (A4) custom map or character illustration (value $150 US) 
FrDave

1 - Far Realms and Sea of Stars (PDF) Harbinger Games
Toren

From BRW Games

1 bundle - Hard Copy & PDF of Castle of the Mad Archmage, plus the expansions; Level 3 East, Musicland, and Bitterbark's Circus. (note - ships US Only)
Sherlock

SherlockFrom Tenkar's Tavern / The Tavern Chat Podcast

2 - $10 DrivethruRPG Gift Certificates
GMJasonGURPS
Dan Delgado

Please confirm your gifts ASAP by emailing tenkars.tavern at gmail.com. Put "OSR Christmas Gift Day X" in the subject (X being the day your gift was awarded). There are still unclaimed gifts from Days 1 and 2. Go back to the prior days and check to see if you missed a gift. I'd hate to have to repick unclaimed gifts. We'll give until January 12th to claim gifts, then they go back in the pot.

Yes, there are affiliate links above. Affiliate links keep the taps flowing and the lights on at The Tavern. As always, I thank you.

Huge thanks to all the donors. You folks rock!