OSR Christmas - Day 1 - And So It Was That Six Volumes of Arduin Appeared

Yep, it's time to kick off OSR Christmas. Its become an annual tradition here at The Tavern, and although the gifts might change on a yearly basis, the joy of being part of this amazing community simply gets greater each year for me.

For Day One of OSR Christmas, I thought it should be something special. Emperors Choice Games and Miniatures is giving away Volumes IV through IX of Arduin (six books!), in print, to one lucky gift receiver (US ONLY for this package) that comments on this post before 9 PM EST, Monday. 12/06/2021. Let us know what country you are commenting from. Seriously, that is all you have to do to potentially be gifted. Not to leave our non-US readers out of the celebrations, but The Tavern will be gifting TWO $10 DTRPG Gift Certificates to two non-US commenters (US Not eligible). I will also randomly pick one worldwide commenter to receive a gift of an OSR patch (or two) and a sticker. 

On Monday evening I will randomly pick a US commenter and the fine folks at Emperors Choice will handle the gifting. I will also pick two non-US commenters and I handle that part of the gifting and pick one worldwide commenter and forward their info on.

Not only do we have more gifts coming up for all 12 days (including a copy of Torchlight #1 in Print from The Tavern, patches, books, and more) but Emperors Choice will be gifting 11 more packages of Arduin IV -IX, one for each day of OSR Christmas. Then there will be a special gift package for OSR Christmas Day 13. Yep, more on that later ;)

For those that want to add gifts to OSR Santa's Bag, you can email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. It should take just over a month for OSR Christmas to run its course, with the 13th day being somewhere around Three Kings Day if we are lucky.

The next day of OSR Christmas will be December 6th. Check back to see if you are receiving a gift. Oh, and comment again to get a new chance to be gifted!

If you want to help The Tavern during this holiday season, subscribe to the Tenkar's Tavern Youtube Channel and use The Tavern's affiliate links (listed below) when you shop. 

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Has Wonderfilled Taken up Trolling TSR3 for the Holidays?

You know it must be the time of giving, as Steve Dineheart, AKA Wonderfilled, is trying to sell some TSR-themed URLs. You see, Wonderfilled wants YOU to give them big bucks for some useless TSR URLs. Hmmm... is this like paying for coal in your stockings?

I'm guessing these are URLs that Dineheart snagged back when Wonderfilled and TSR were united as one, and then when it was time for irreconcilable differences, Wonderfilled ran off with these.

They are useless to anyone unless you intend to do some fairly expensive trolling of TSR3 (both currently redirect to Wonderfilled Games' Homepage).

Oh, and I hate to break it to y'all, but if you were hoping to snag a copy of the Giantlands pre-order, you can't. As of 22 minutes ago, as I type this, preorders closed. You'll have to find another way to cosplay with masks and plastic ponchos during the Christmas Holiday.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Kickstarter - Traveller RPG: The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society II

The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society is back, with more volumes of new material in a collector's slipcase.

I've been a fan of The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society since I first found the Traveller Starter Set in the 80s. There was always something special about the articles one would find within. When I found the reprint volumes at the Complete Strategist a few years ago, I bought a set.

Now Mongoose is Kickstarting The Journal of the Travellers' Aid Society II. Its hit a number of stretch goals, so Volumes 7-12 are included. It should be a ton of inspirational material for scifi gamers in general, and Traveller campaigns in particular.

This is what we currently have planned for Volume Seven (subject to tweaks and ever better ideas as we continue to work on the Journals):

•  A Week in Jump: A whole range of events to spice up your week-long jumps between stars
•  Acis - The Devil You Know: Portrait of the Acis system in the Trojan Reach
•  Advanced Lasers: Laser turrets not big enough for you? Consider a range of barbette and bay laser weapons
•  Deepnight Revelation Traveller Creation: New considerations when creating Travellers for the epic Deepnight Revelation campaign
•  Doctor Izikai Nafir: A roguish doctor to complicate the lives of your Travellers
•  Golden Dawn Yacht: A new yacht for nobles - as only the Sindalian Empire could do it
•  Initial 24 Arms 'Go' Cases: A complete rapid reaction suite of weapons, armour and other necessities, in a selection of handy-sized packages
•  The Ithklur: A playable alien species from the Hive Federation
•  Kar'wyikh and Lord Afle Urelad: An Aslan lord of the Trojan Reach to be used as both patron and foil for your Travellers
•  Krungha Processing Ark: Used by an exiled K'kree clan from the Two Thousand Worlds, this is a truly massive ship that prowls space dominated by carnivores
•  Misadventures at Blinderby Manor: Set on a backwater world, this is a multi-branched encounter for Travellers that can easily lead to a full-blown adventure
•  Ramona Raskin: Looking to convert and operate a laboratory ship for trade missions, Ramona is a Spacer of the Vanguard Reaches looking for helpful Travellers
•  Uraz Gnoezdanu: Set in The Beyond, the Travellers are asked to break into a defence systems manufacturer’s computers to determine shipping information
•  Stellar Cartography: A truly deep dive into stellar cartography and a look into why (and how) 3D space is represented in two dimensions on sector maps
•  The Spacers' Union: Use the collective power of spacers to curb the worst excesses of Solomani governments

Volumes Eight and Nine have oodles more articles, including more aliens and animals, more adventures and characters, a travelling tavern built out of an old Mercenary Cruiser, a revisiting of two classic Double Adventures (The Argon Gambit and Divine Intervention), and much, much more - we will be showcasing the contents of each volume during the Kickstarter process and courting your opinion on the articles!

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

Deal of the Day - Midnight Boulevard: 2D6 Adventure in the World of Film Noir (Cepheus Engine)

I know this may not be a Deal of the Day that is up everyone's alley, or back alley. I just happen to like "film noir", and packaging noir with Cepheus Engine (Traveller) is simply too interesting for me to pass on. Midnight Boulevard: 2D6 Adventure in the World of Film Noir is normally 3.99, but until tomorrow morning its on sale for 1.50 in PDF.

Film noir (“black film”; plural films noir) is a type of stylized crime movie made from the early 1940s to the late 1950s and known for dark and cynical worldviews, usually illustrated by innovative — and often disturbing — directing and lighting techniques. Films noir highlighted social post-war angst and insecurity and featured such tropes as corrupt authority, deeply flawed protagonists, dark urban settings, dangerous women (the “femme fatale”, often contrasted with the “good girl”), an obsession with the characters’ pasts, unflinching looks at human turpitude, and helplessness against one’s fate.

Awright, that’s enough squawkin’ about the pictures! You birds already knew all that — now you wanna know what’s in it for you! Hang out your ear and I’ll tell you. Midnight Boulevard is the 2D6 treatment for getting along in a film noir world, savvy? It’s based on Cepheus Engine and the Original Science Fiction Roleplaying Game, so you already know kinda what you’re getting with a lifepath mechanic and plenty of past careers. But there’s other swag in here too; here, I’ll let the wisehead tell you:

• A Scar table to determine the character’s inner turmoil and flawed past that affects present actions
• Rules for drinking — and being affected by — alcohol, a staple of films noir
• A table for determining the types of organized crime entities the heroes interact with
• A selection of equipment, weapons, and vehicles
• Suggestions for running characters through a film noir setting
• A selection of slang terms used during the period

Okay, that’s enough, pally; beat it, already! The rest of you mugs, what are you waiting for? Grab Midnight Boulevard and your rod and get in on the action before some torpedo beats you to it.

 

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

Kickstarter - Folio #28 The Howling Dungeon Gaming Adventure! (1e & 5e)

Part 3 of a new AD&D and 5E Mega-Dungeon Adventure Set!

I've been a follower of The Folio series of adventures since damn near the beginning. I find they are very useful to mine for ideas, and the production quality is second to none.

Did I mention they have detachable maps on the inside covers?

Folio #28 The Howling Dungeon Gaming Adventure is a low-level adventure (2-4). I happen to be a fan of low-level adventures, as I have a firm belief that high-level adventures need to be tailored to the party, whereas low-level adventures require less tweaking. YMMV.

Folio #28  will introduce characters to the next section of the massive Virgin Mine Dungeon, the Howling Dungeon!.   Unlike normal dungeons, this one carries various mysteries and  wrinkles that 'bend' the rules of character advancement, and strategy will need to be employed as  the party learns the ropes within the Virgin Mine Dungeon setting.  Dungeon details include 2D standard hex maps as  well as fully 3D renderings of The Howling Dungeon section of The Virgin Mine.    A gazetteer section will give background on the new rules and the  exterior camps and companies.  Several new monsters lurk within as well   as new magical treasure.  It also features a fully removable and stand-alone cover in perfect OSR tradition that acts as a DM Screen!

 The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar  

Cyber Monday Deals - DTRPG - Mork Borg, Sine Nomine, Savage Worlds, Warhammer and More

Cyber Monday Deals at DTRPG are here.

In my opinion, three out of six of the deep discounts are certainly OSR centric, and I own four out of the six

I also already own them, in Print and/or PDF ;)

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern. 

You can catch the daily Tavern Chat podcast on Anchor, YouTube, or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar 

Finally Got My Hands on Bunkers & Badasses

Back in April I had a post about finding a D&Dish console game that I enjoyed, in part, because it allowed me to to merge a couple of my specific hobbies. Both were gaming, but different types. I don't get to blend gaming types often, but this weekend was another somewhat unexpected "surprise" merging of gaming genres, but this time the other way around.

Now I say "surprised" which is technically not true since I bought this thing maybe a year or a year and a half ago.......but whatever. I was pleasantly surprised by the package on my doorstep.

Now I'm sure at least a few patrons here at the Tavern have a console and undoubtedly a few have played some of the Borderlands games. Remember that Borderlands post from October (well I mentioned the game in the post)? Well in that particular DLC, named Tiny Tina's Assault on Dragon Keep, the characters from Borderlands are playing a fictional D&Dish game called Bunkers & Badasses....

...well, it was fictional, until last Friday. My copy of Bunkers & Badasses is what arrived.

Now I need another game system like I need a hole in the head, but I love D&D (I know, we all do here) and I'm a huge Borderlands fan, so the opportunity to combine the two was just too much to pass up. Now I haven't really gotten into the bowels of the game yet, but I did open the big, heavy box up and take a quick peek.

Some of the contents...

The Deluxe version came with an embossed rulebook, a rather heavy-duty two sided map that folds up rather well, a bunch of minis (10 nice PC types and some monster standees and tokens), dice, weapon cards, a stack of PC and DM sheets, and an erasable marker.

With it being a holiday weekend and all, I haven't even looked at the rules yet. I'm dying to see how they pulled off the gun cards and, more importantly, how/if I can add gun cards to the deck from the other games in the series. I'm sure it's possible, but until I dive in who knows.....I just gots to be able to dual-wield a Grog Nozzle and an Unkempt Harold.

Oh...I totally forgot about the DM/GM...or would it be BM? Screen. I clearly haven't played or used it yet, but I can already tell I'm going to love it. I waffle a bit on using a screen or not using a screen, but usually my issue is just the sheer size of the typical GM screen. The Bunkers & Badasses screen is like half-height. The moment I picked it up I was thinking, "Hell yes, this is perfect!" I'm already eye-balling this thing to be a template for my own "regular" OSR screen.

Now I don't expect that I'll get too much table-time with Bunkers & Badasses, but since it's clearly a new game and I don't expect that my normal gaming circle has played either it or the source material before, so it might make for a fun one-off......or for the price a few one-offs!