Kickstarter - Encounter Critical III

Encounter Critical III is an OSR roleplaying game by Venger Satanis... eldritch, gonzo, science-fantasy, and post-apocalyptic.

What can I say about Encounter Critical? Written by S. John Ross as a satire of other, prior Old School RPGs, it acquired a bit of a cult following. When it was put up for sale by its creator in early 2021, Venger purchased the rights to the system. Now, in the second half of 2022, Venger is Kickstarting Encounter Critical III (I do not believe there was an actual Encounter Critical I).

Note: The Original Encounter Critical can be snagged for free at DTRPG. Even if you have no desire to back the EC3 Kickstarter, this is no reason to miss out on the older, classic, free version of Encounter Critical.

So, what does the Encounter Critical III Kickstarter offer that differs from the original? In Venger's own words:

I'm all about rules-light, minimalist games, so I intend for Encounter Critical III to come out somewhere between 25-30 full-color pages.  That will include the rules to play the game and at least one introductory adventure.

I also intend for Encounter Critical III to be compatible with standard OSR systems and rules.  Here's a recent video of me talking about system simplicity without sacrificing the OMG, WTF?!? vibe: https://youtu.be/AQEO3ZY9naU

Additionally, there will be a one-page list of options allowing people to make their own OSR type RPG more like EC3, if they don't want to abandon their own system of choice.

What's the catch?  I'm setting the game in Cha'alt, or, at least, a version of Cha'alt, assuming, as I do, that campaign settings such as this exist in a multiverse.  If you already know and love Cha'alt, then it's a win/win/win!

If you are a fan of Venger's work, Encounter Critical III will likely be a good fit for you. If you aren't a fan, YMMV. The source material is solid. See for yourself, as the link is above.

Encounter Critical III is 10 bucks for 25-30 full-color pages in PDF. No print version is available at this time. 

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LotFP Has a Selection of Free and PWYW Titles on DTRPG - Reading Material for Our Interview with James Raggi ;)

Earlier tonight the Random Party Generator we had James Raggi IV of Lamentations of the Flame Princess as our special guest. The interview lasted a hair over three hours and felt like less than an hour as we recorded it. James is a great guest.

Snag the LotFP Rules and Ref Book for free, as well as a nice handful of adventures and material at PWYW pricing.

You can watch the interview with James below:

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DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.  You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Humble Bundle - Fantasy RPG Comics (Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and More)

I've been on a comic book kick recently. Not the new stuff which is priced at 3? 4? bucks per 32-page book, but stuff like The Sandman (classic Neil Gaiman) via Cosmicology Unlimited and classic 2000 AD (Judge Dredd and more) via an earlier Humble Bundle. I am seriously enjoying reading comics on my iPad. It almost seems like it was built for the purpose.

Now I have the opportunity to add 14 fantasy titles for15 bucks with the Fantasy RPG Comics Bundle at Humble Bundle. Between this and my audiobooks, my reading material is covered for months! Huzzah!

Explore the role-playing experience with this fantastic bundle of fantasy comics! Delve deeper into the characters and lore of your favorite settings in stories based on Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder. Discover a world where gaming sessions get all too real in the acclaimed horror-fantasy series Die. Follow the adventures of a band of mercs in the sword-and-sorcery send-up Skullkickers. 

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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 cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

DTRPG Setting Sale - ALIEN, Twilight: 2000 and More

This week has some interesting titles as part of the DTRPG Settings Sale. I figured I'd highlight a few of my favorites:

ALIEN RPG - I actually played in a short campaign using these rules earlier in the year and it was a blast. I must say, the rules do a very good job of being fairly intuitive, at least from the player's perspective. I own the Starter Box as a physical product, and it does an excellent job presenting the rules and the default setting. The full ALIEN RPG is normally 24.99, but on sale for 14.99. The ALIEN Starter Set is normally 19.99, currently on sale for 11.99. There is also a large collection of discounted support material for the Alien RPG.

Twilight: 2000 4th Edition Core Set - I played the first edition of Twilight 2000 back in the 80s. It was all about tracking down fuel and food and simple survival. It was a good time. This is the new edition from Free League Publishing. I'm very tempted to pick up the new edition just to see if I can get my old group to play another session. Normally 29.99, Twilight: 2000 4th Edition Core Set is on sale for 23.99.

Vaesen - Nordic Horror Roleplaying - "Welcome to the Mythic North – northern Europe of the nineteenth century, but not as we know it today. A land where the myths are real. A cold reach covered by vast forests, it's few cities lonely beacons of industry and enlightenment – a new civilization dawning. But in the countryside, the old ways still hold sway. There, people know what lurks in the dark. They know to fear it. Vaesen presents a dark Gothic setting steeped in Nordic folklore and the old myths of Scandinavia." Damn, with a pitch like this I REALLY want to play in this setting. Normally 24.99, Vaesen - Nordic Horror Roleplaying is on sale for 14.99

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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 cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Mutants & Masterminds PDF Mega-Bundle - 56 Titles for 29.99

For years, Mutants & Masterminds was THE supers RPG. Powered by the OGL, it was one of the more successful RPGs of its generation.

The Mutants & Masterminds PDF Mega-Bundle consists of 56 titles, over $500 worth of supers RPG gaming, for 30 bucks. 

Here's the complete list of what you get:

A PDF archive of almost everything released for Mutants & Masterminds first edition and second edition! That’s 56 PDF-format books for a bit over 50 cents each! 

7 PDF books from Mutants & Masterminds first edition, including the core rulebook and the Freedom City setting, the books that launched it all 20 years ago!

These M&M 1e products, such as Noir and Gimmick’s Guide to Gadgets, have never before appeared in PDF format.

49 M&M second edition products, from the core rules to sourcebooks like Ultimate Power to PDF-only releases. 

Just $29.99 for 56 PDF products comes to just a bit over fifty cents per PDF!

Included in this bundle, you'll find these PDFs:

First Edition

• Mutants & Masterminds RPG (first edition)
• Freedom City
• Time of Crisis
• Mutants & Masterminds Annual #1
• Foes of Freedom
• Gimmick's Guide to Gadgets
• Noir

Second Edition

• Mutants & Masterminds RPG (second edition)
• Freedom City (second edition)
• Lockdown
• Lockdown: Gen-Pop
• Masterminds Manual
• Golden Age
• Ultimate Power
• Agents of Freedom
• Time of Vengeance
• Mutants & Masterminds Beginner's Guide (with Doom Room map)
• Hero High
• Instant Superheroes
• Iron Age
• A More Perfect Union
• Paragons
• Book of Magic
• Worlds of Freedom
• Freedom's Most Wanted
• Time of Crisis (second edition)
• Mecha & Manga
• Warriors & Warlocks
• Silver Age
• Mutants & Masterminds Annual #2
• Archetype Archive 1
• Archetype Archive 2
• Archetype Archive 3
• Freedom City Archetypes
• Villainous Archetypes 1
• Villainous Archetypes 2
• Archetype Archive Collection
• Street Level Archetypes
• Street Level Archetypes 2
• Villainous Archetypes 3
• Freedom City Street Level Archetypes
• Hero High Yearbook
• Hero High Villains
• Iron Age Vigilantes & Villains
• Freedom City Atlas: Pyramid Plaza
• Hero High Exchange Students
• Freedom City Atlas: Scarab's Lair
• Little League
• Freedom City Atlas: Lantern Hill
• In a Strange Land
• Freedom City Atlas: Providence Asylum
• Villainous Lairs: The Amusement Park
• Deadly Day of the Dread Destructus
• Mutants & Masterminds Character Stand-Ups
• Mutants & Masterminds Character Stand-Ups 2
• Mutants & Masterminds Character Record Folio

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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 cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

Humble Bundle - 3d Printable Dungeons, Creatures, & More by Fat Dragon Games

I have some experience with Fat Dragon 3d Printable Terrain, having run The Mouth of Doom level of Rappan Athuk at a number of conventions in the late teens for Frog God Games. They are both lighter and cheaper than Dwarven Forge products (which are amazing), the only drawback (which is also a selling point) is that you need to have your own 3d printer (or know someone that does and is cool with printing out stuff for you). As I seem to be saying a lot these days - someday I'll be one of the cool kids ;)

For 18 bucks you get a literal unlimited (well, limited by your source material of plastic, but in theory, unlimited) amount of various terrain, creatures, and decorative items for your dungeons and ruins with the 3d Printable Dungeons, Creatures, & More Bundle from Fat Dragon Games. 

And I MAY just have figured out where to fit a 3d printer in this room. Time to take measurements...

Don't forget to subscribe to the Tenkar's Tavern Youtube Channel to ensure you don't miss an episode. https://www.youtube.com/c/TenkarsTavern

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 cast on Anchor, YouTube,  or wherever you listen to your podcast collection. - Tenkar

I Got Called Out at Work this Week

This last week one of my co-workers tried making fun of RPGs (in general) and I mockingly took offense, which elicited a huge "NNNNNEEEEEEEEERRRDD!" in response. 

Yes, I know I'm a Nerd/Dork/Dweeb.....but just because I sling dice on the weekends?

I do plenty of other shit that qualifies me to be a Nerd....yeah, I'm just going to stick with Nerd as my preferred put-down. OK, I do go to NTRPG every summer since I've been at this job. My co-workers think I cosplay......WTF?

Now I work with a bunch of Active-Duty Soldiers and Retired Vets at a military course, so there's a few well-deserved stereotypes in the workplace and Nerds/Dorks aren't generally considered one of them, but it should!

Seriously.....Monday morning is normally a bunch of talk about the weekends' games. Lots of stats, specifics on individual players, and even what sounds like some role-play when it comes to things like Fantasy Football. It really doesn't let up much Tuesday to Friday...

We are coming into fall so now it's football, but soon we'll be adding hunting into the mix and there's still some fishing to be had....oh and the weather is still good for golf.

Actually, on review of the appropriate chart my coworkers would probably classify as Geeks or Nerds since I wouldn't consider any of them as "Socially Inept". Probably not even a little bit.

Anyway, back to my accuser, that effer followed up with "Well I actually used to like RPGS." Oh really, what kind?

"Baldur's Gate"

Oh for fuck's sake. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone equate table-top RPGs with a computer game......well I wouldn't have to be in a workplace to hear this BS one more time...

While I do own the hobbies that bring me joy, it grates on me after a while that I get a light ribbing...if I'm lucky, or the occasional medium harassment, from people that have their own thing that brings them happiness. That they can't see that they're just the same as me, just with different shit.

Except Furries.....they've just got problems.