OSR Christmas - Christmas Day (Day 9 by OSR Christmas 2021 Reckoning)

It's been a truly blessed Christmas Day spent with family and friends. I'm literally taking a breather by putting up this OSR Christmas Post :)

Here's the skinny:

Comment by 8 PM Eastern December 28th, 2021 to this very post.

PLEASE indicate if you are in the US. If you do not indicate, I will assume you are from outside the US, and that will affect which gifts you are eligible for.

God Bless you all on this holy day of days.

Now, on to the gifts:

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)

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 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

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Torchlight Issue #1 - Print (Limited Print Run - Signed by Tenkar if Requested - US Only)

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 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

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ONE $25 DTRPG Gift Certificate (anywhere in the world)

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 

Christmas Eve Thoughts - Gaming and Beyond

Earlier today we had a really amazing dinner and gift exchange at my sister's house. My niece, Shannon, gave me some amazing gifts and reminded me of the simple blessing of being an uncle.

Parking was horrible upon returning home, so I dropped off my parents and Rach, before spending nearly 30 minutes looking for parking, finally finding a spot a 10-minute walk from home. 

Fate was in my favor, because our local church was but a block away from where I parked, and I was able to say a few prayers before walking to the house.

Which almost didn't happen, as a block later, crossing in the crosswalk, I was nearly run into by a careless driver making a turn and likely thinking they had found a parking spot - it was a hydrant instead.

The driver "didn't see me" (their words), which is quite likely, as they turned the corner so sharply I expect they thought they were sliding into a hard sought-after parking spot.

My heart rate spiked about 25 beats according to my watch, and it took me another 2 blocks to appreciate what had actually happened.

Not the near accident. That wasn't an important event. It's what didn't happen, or the end result of what didn't happen.

A healthy and living me.

I'm alive, after a 2020 that could easily have flipped that script. Tonight could have flipped that script. On Christmas Eve.

Instead, I'm here, typing away, marveling at my blessings and appreciating what I have.

Today and tomorrow, heck, the whole entire year, are not times to mourn what you've lost, but to appreciate what you have.

I am truly blessed, by family, friends and community.

I'll try to improve on myself a little more in the coming months. I'll continue attempting to give back, both to my local community and our gaming community.

I have some thoughts on such, probably more on that as we get closer to the new year.

In the meantime, may God bless you all, and may your holy season be blessed - Tenkar

Kickstarter - AEON: Ancient Greece Volume 2 - "Deeper into the Labyrinth" (DCC RPG)

An RPG zine set in Ancient Greece for Dungeon Crawl Classics.

I have the first issue of AEON, and it is extremely well done. Backing the AEON: Ancient Greece Volume 2 - "Deeper into the Labyrinth Kickstarter was a no-brainer for me.

6 bucks in PDF, 10 bucks (plus shipping) for the print plus PDF.

Get ready to take your Greek themed campaign to the next level.

Published by Sharktopus Games and written by acclaimed author Christopher Willett (Prison of the Forgotten Goddess, Planeswalkers of Ravnica, Ravnica Revealed, Creature Compendium of Ravnica, Forces of the God-Pharoah, AEON: Ancient Greece Volume 1 and more), comes the second in the series of zines designed for Dungeon Crawl Classics set in Ancient Greece.

For those who got Volume 1 and managed to defeat Asterion the Minotaur and escape from the deadly labyrinth alive. Volume 2 picks up where volume 1 ends…

*IMPORTANT*: While it’s helpful, we designed this adventure specifically so you don’t need to own volume 1 in order to play and enjoy this second issue.

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 

OSR Christmas Day 8 - Gifting the Gifts

We are sneaking up on Christmas in three days. I'm not sure whether OSR Christmas Day 9 will fall on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day itself, so check in on Saturday at the very least. It should be epic (OSR Christmas Day 13 will finish us for the year on Three Kings Day - January 6th, 2022).

Tomorrow I am catching up on emails, so if you haven't emailed yet to claim an earlier gift, now's the time to do so.

The gifts being gifted below are for Day 8 of OSR Christmas. See if you are being gifted:

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)

goeticgeek

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 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

Eldric IV

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The Haunt of the Kraken PDF for C&C (anywhere in the world)

GMJasonGURPS

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 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

IL

The above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. Put OSR Christmas Day 8 in the subject.

Thanks to all of the gifters and to all those commenting. We are just about halfway through OSR Christmas with plenty more surprises to come :)

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 

Humble Bundle is Awash with Tabletop RPG Bundles Right Before Christmas

There are a number of Tabletop RPG Bundles available at Humble Bundle at the moment, and I will list them below. It should be noted that you can gift Humble Bundles (I was gifted a bundle a number of years ago) and said bundles can make for nice gifts for the gamemaster in your life (if you wish to steer them towards a new system - hint, hint) or inexpensive gifts (at the lower price points) for the players in your group.

It should be noted, that if you use any of the links below, they are affiliate links that will go to support The Tavern. If that makes you uncomfortable, you can always go directly to the Humble Bundle site and avoid the affiliate links completely. The choice is yours.

In no particular order, the Tabletop RPG Bundles are:

Cyberpunk by R. Talsorian - If you are looking for Cyberpunk 2020 you'll likely be well covered. You can even get the Cyberpunk Red Jumpstart Kit. 18 bucks get you 30 releases, and as always you can scale down to pay less.

Digital Dungeon Maps, Tokens, & Assets featuring Alyssa Faden - a true smorgasbord of gaming resources. Alyssa's attention to detail in her maps is second to none.

Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner's Bundle - one of the best values in tabletop RPGs was the Pathfinder First Edition Beginner Box. It was a version of Pathfinder I would be willing to play, but the value of the included pogs/tokens is second to none. The PF2 Beginner Box ALSO has the pogs/tokens (I own it - my only PF2 purchase - can't speak for the rules but the contents give value for money). This bundle gives the option of receiving a physical Pathfinder Second Edition Beginner's Box. There is also a Fantasy Grounds Pathfinder First Edition Ultimate GM Kit Bundle available. (edit - I initially mislabeled this for 2e)

Star Trek Adventures by Modiphius - I should pick this bundle up just to see Gareth Skarka's pen name in print ;)

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 

OSR Christmas - Day 8 - Haunt of the Kraken & More Goodies (and Gifts awarded for Day 7)

OSR Christmas. Never duplicated, but it should be. 

Day 8 of OSR Christmas is back to a two-day turnaround. This means you have about 48 hours to get your comments in.

You'll need to check back each day to see if you are gifted, as well as comment each day to be eligible to be gifted for each of those days.

Note, there are still unclaimed gifts from prior days of OSR Christmas. (Another note: I have emails from some recent gift receivers that still must be read and forwarded from Days 5 and 6. You are not forgotten, I've just been juggling many balls :)

The gifts being gifted below are for Day 7 of OSR Christmas. See if you are being gifted:

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)

Johnathan

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 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

Baron Greystone

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 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

Dave Thompson

The gifts being offered for Day 8 of OSR Christmas are as follows. Note, you need to indicate if you are located in the US if you wish to be considered for a US-Only gift, or elsewhere for a non-US gift. Comments close at 10 PM Eastern 12/22/2021. Just under 48 hours to make your comment as I post this. Get at it!

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)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 DCC "Perils of the Sunken City" PDF (anywhere in the world)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Haunt of the Kraken PDF for C&C (anywhere in the world)

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 ONE $10 DTRPG Gift Certificate to one non-US commenter.

The above need to email me at tenkarsDOTtavern at that Gmail thing. Put OSR Christmas Day 6 in the subject.

We have more goodies in the hopper, and if all of the planning goes off correctly, there should be three days of OSR Christmas for Christmas Week itself.

Thanks to all of the gifters and to all those commenting. We are just about halfway through OSR Christmas with plenty more surprises to come :)

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 

Just Some Random Musings on OSR Magic Stuff (ok, Ramblings)

So I might have mentioned that in my bi-weekly OSR (BX) game my Magic User has made it to the coveted 5th level, AKA "Enchanter" (Note: I checked I did mention it on December 5th....must be extra special proud of this occasion).

Now it has been my general experience, gaming wise, that most Magic Users are run by players that also GM. I don't know if it's a factor of the extra "stuff" that can go into playing a Magic User, the extra details having to do with spell casting, or maybe that GMs acting as players like to be able and sit back a bit more during games (low-level Magic Users are largely strap-hangers for a long time). In some, possibly crunchier games, it can be hard to play "stupid" since you have GM knowledge and maybe running a naturally smarter PC helps. My 7th level HackMaster Double Specialist Invoker had an Intelligence of 21......and hopefully that's my one HackMaster reference for the post (doubtful).

One thing I do really enjoy in a less "crunchy" OSR game is magic in general. Since I'm sitting at someone else's table (so to speak since I'm in an online game) I might have some some assumptions about how the magical world works, but I'm constantly surprised by how another GM interprets or even tweaks their particular campaign/game wurld/rules.

For example I have a list of spells my PC already knows and they're in my spell book. Now I've gone above & beyond statting out my spellbook particulars, largely using HackMaster 4th edition rules.....because I want to. It's probably more something that my GM can handicap with in the future, but whatever. I also currently have a captured and I know what spells are in that particular book. When my PC leveled the GM had me roll up a new spell and *ding* that's a spell I now know. While he was at it he had me make a few other rolls and *ding* there were some other spells I was automagically able to figure out. The rationale was that I'd been kind-of taught these spells before, but I just couldn't "get them" until this point. Since this was an OSR game and not my all-too-often-referenced HackMaster, this was pretty much handwaved as opposed to the result of a bunch of tables after having ponied up a bunch of GP and formally sent my Enchanter off to a training school to formally level up.

Close enough to the same results but this go-around was so much less constrained and clearly simpler. The thing is I don't think I'd have done this easy hand-waving bit if our roles were reversed. I'm not even sure it would have occurred to me. Now I may very well have sent the PC to do some research/mentee program and used those HackMaster tables for the results and hand-waived the nit-picky costs and formal schooling bit, and maybe even tweaked the results as needed, but to skip the tables entirely? Probably not.

Probably just me. I clearly like coming up with, or straight up "borrowing" cool tables and using them in my game. I prefer the creativity of coming up with possible results and letting the dice fall where they may (that tweaking earlier wasn't so much results based, but which tables and modifiers to use).

Now in this case my PC automagically knew those spells, but the GM could have had me roll to see if I actually understood them, based on my INT. Access to said spells is, or could be, one part of the equation. The ability to comprehend could be another. Is there a maximum number of spells of each level my PC is able to learn? Again, these are already HackMaster concepts, but I've seen a mix and match in other systems as well. I could very well see my GM not having these limits because of reasons, but I could also see being presented with a "You already know 8 1st level spells, well that's your limit........" and I don't think I'd even be mad because in-character how the hell would you know there's a hard 8 spells per level limit? Sure maybe knowing there is a limit, but the actual number....meta-gaming right there.

Having played such a strict, crunchy, game for so long (it was strict for the purposes of Tournament play....it didn't have to be otherwise). Not knowing things is really getting back to the OSR roots, more rulings than rules. Of course this particular GM has a tendency to through new OSR supplement ideas at us for playtesting, so even if I knew the original rules front & back I'd still have plenty of new stuff coming my way if we were playing with a more strict direct interpretation of the BX game.

If you're coming to the Tavern from a stricter game, like HackMaster or one of the more current editions of D&D, you might enjoy picking up some dice and playing in an OSR game.