Kickstarter - Cutthroats & Thieves Card Game

A game where everyone is out for their own selves.

This is the part, right up front, where I reveal any connections I may have with any creator or publisher whose work I highlight in one of these blog posts. I've known Don Semora /Wizard Tower Games for nearly two years now, and Don is about as creative as they come. He has his own printing facility for the games he produces, so he really is a one-man shop. I am proud to call Don a friend.

Victor Dorso did the main game design and he's yet another member of this community that I call a friend. Damn, it's getting to be like I can't throw a D&D 4e rulebook without hitting a friend that doubles as a game designer ;)

Now, it's nice to see that Cutthroats and Thieves avoids the "cooperative game" theme that's been all the rage the last few years.

Cutthroats and Thieves is a game where up to four players strive to best their other players. Using cunning and careful planning you will try to best everyone at the table. While at the same time you will also try to not become the victim of a fellow player.

The Cutthroats and Thieves Kickstarter can be backed for as little as 15 bucks plus shipping, but I went in for the signed poster and shirt, simply "because" ;)

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

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  

 

Deal of the Day - Endless Encounters: Dungeons (5e and OSR)

I'm a big fan of Pacesetter Games and Bill and Ben Barsh. I've been buying Pacesetter stuff since my first NTRPG Con in 2014 (and have watched Ben grow from a teen to a young man).

Endless Encounters: Dungeons is pretty much as it says on the tin: a series of tables and charts for generating encounters on the fly to keep your players entertained.

Until tomorrow morning, Endless Encounters: Dungeons is DTRPG's Deal of the Day. Normally 20 bucks in PDF, but until tomorrow morning Endless Encounters: Dungeons is on sale for 6 bucks in PDF.

Within these pages are dozens of charts for each level (1-10) that generate memorable encounters with just a few dice rolls. Whether you need to add an encounter to your adventure or design an entire dungeon, EE: Dungeons is an exhaustive resource and easy to use. Charts include everything you need to create an amazing encounter including illumination, room type, room contents, traps, monsters (full statistic blocks), treasures, and much more. EE: Dungeons also has 53 new monsters and 64 new magical items! Of course there is more in the form of a complete sample dungeon for each level with room descriptions and full-color map. All ten levels connect and form a mega-dungeon with more than 500 encounters! EE: Dungeons is designed for use with the 5e RPG and compatible with all other OSR classic game systems based on the world’s largest fantasy RPG.

 

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

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  

Free OSR - Desert Denizens (OSE, S&W, OSRIC, Basic Fantasy)

Yes, I list four different flavors of OSR gaming in the blog header above, but there actually are four different versions of Desert Denizens.

For a free PDF, Desert Denizens looks to be professionally laid out as well as a solid OSR resource. Seriously, you can't bear free, and don't limit yourself to desert environs with this release ;)

In the harsh and unforgiving deserts, the shimmering sands conceal secrets beyond imagination. The ancient ruins of long-forgotten civilizations offer the promise of untold wealth and powerful artifacts, but they are also guarded by creatures of unimaginable ferocity. From the legendary sphinxes that roam the shifting dunes to the deadly mummies that haunt the tombs of the long-dead, danger lurks around every corner. But for those bold enough to brave the dangers of this harsh world, great rewards await. Magic items of unparalleled power lie hidden beneath the sands, waiting for those who are worthy to claim them. From enchanted weapons that cleave through solid rock to amulets that can turn back the deadliest of curses, these treasures are legendary. But the road to these riches is perilous, and only the strongest and most cunning adventurers can hope to survive the trials that await them.

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

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  

Indiegogo - Sherwood: The Legend of Robin Hood (5E)

Adventures in the time of Robin Hood for 5E!

I often think of two semi-historical medieval settings/stories that fit well into fantasy RPGs. King Arthur/Pendragon (which has been well adapted by Chaosium) and Robin Hood. Both seem to fit well with either no magic or low magic versions of the settings to my eye. 

Sherwood: The Legend of Robin Hood 5E is from Battlefield Press, a company recently inherited by Adam Thompson upon the passing of his brother, Johnathan. I've known Adam for a number of years and he has been making an impressive effort to continue the legacy of his brother.

Here's a little tidbit that I wish other crowdfunded projects would offer - the opportunity to back for other systems:

Backer Perk - This perk allows you to back our project but only to get the Sherwood the Legend of Robin Hood in Swords and Wizardry, Pathfinder 1e, or Savage Worlds Adventurer’s Edition. (2 bucks)

I'm jumping in for the Swords & Wizardry version. Savage Worlds is tempting, but I'd never get to play it. 

Heads up, Indiegogo is adding a tip to the cost of backing. You can set the tip to ZERO manually, which I did.

Sherwood can be played in either historic or mythical mode. Historic mode is more realistic, leaving out magic. In in mythical mode magic has been added to the setting allowing you to play in the fantastic. Both are fully supported with campaign notes, foes, and unique rules.In addition to this we have a special type of Action Points called Swashbuckling Points. What these do is allow your character to do the impossible, from swinging on a rope chandelier to climbing up the wall using only a knife. In a style that emulates the early fantastical stories of the genre.

 

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

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 

Kickstarter - Groo: The Game Returns!

Bring Groo back to the game table! Sergio Aragonés' hapless comic hero wants your support! And cheese dip!

I've been a fan of Groo since the Pacific Comics days. I've even tried to stat him out as a fighter or barbarian, depending on the edition of D&D I was playing. There is just something wholesomely funny about Groo the Wanderer.

I missed the Groo game release back in 1997. I'm sure there were a lot of game releases I missed back in that era. Well, I can soon fix that mission with Groo: The Game Returns! Kickstarter from none other than Steve Jackson Games. The buy-in is 30 bucks for one copy (plus shipping). I'm already in ;)

Groo Returns To The Gaming Table!

Comic fans love Sergio Aragonés, and they love his character Groo the Barbarian. Now this classic comic character returns in Groo: The Game, a fast, fun card game that plays in under an hour and is great fun for two to six players.

A hit when it was first released, this game has been unavailable for many years. This new release of Groo: The Game includes both the original game and the supplement, with cards illustrated by the great Sergio Aragonés himself and featuring Groo and his friends and foes!

GAMEPLAY

Groo the Barbarian is the classic fantasy hero – brave, daring, and completely brainless. When Groo comes to town, armies melt away and buildings fall. He doesn't MEAN it. It just happens!

In Groo: The Game, players try to build a town without having it stomped to rubble by Groo himself. Roll dice for resources and use them for buildings (which create victory points) and armies (which knock down other players' buildings and defend your own). Groo moves randomly, always with the best of intentions, destroying all that he encounters. The player with the last town standing wins!

 

The Tavern is supported by readers like you. The easiest way to support The Tavern is to shop via our affiliate links. The Tavern DOES NOT do "Paid For" Articles and discloses personal connections to products and creators written about when applicable.

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 

Bundle of Holding -The Dark Eye MEGA

I've been following The Dark Eye for the better part of a decade. It looks to be a highly popular RPG in Germany and beyond, I just don't know if I NEED it. Of course, what does need have to do with anything RPG related ;)

The buy-in points of The Dark Eye MEGA Bundle of Holding are higher than most other Bundles of Holding, but you are getting more material than in other bundles. The Player Collection of The Dark Eye is 24.95 for 10 titles, and the GM Collection adds 12 titles for a total of just a hair over $45 at this moment.

Especially useful for players new to the game, this big new Megabundle draws from our two past Dark Eye offers (January 2018 and June 2020) and adds ten recent titles – everything you need to start exploring Aventuria, a rich and believable setting inspired by Europe's medieval lore, forbidding landscapes, and fairytale castles. For just US$24.95 you get all ten English-language titles in our Player Collection (retail value $106) as DRM-free ebooks, including the complete The Dark Eye core rulebook (plus the Character Sheets Pack, Deluxe Character Sheets, Figure Flats, and the free Quickstart Rules); the Aventuria Armory, Armory of the Warring Kingdoms, and Magic of Aventuria sourcebooks; the Aventuria Almanac and Map Set; and the introductory solitaire adventure Conspiracy of Mages.

The Silver Guard adventure for The Dark Eye roleplaying gameAnd if you pay more than the threshold price of $45.29, you'll level up and also get our entire Game Master Collection with twelve more titles worth an additional $137.50, including the Aventuria Compendium (plus its Compendium Figure Flats); the Aventuria Bestiary and Gods of Aventuria sourcebooks; all six colorful scenarios in the 392-page Theater Knights campaign – I White Lake, II Blue Tome, III The Black Forest, IV Green Platoon, V Silver Guard, and VI Red Choir; the companion sourcebook Legacy of the Theater Knights; and The Dark Eye GM Screen with its Inns & Taverns booklet.

 

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 

Buildings on my Mind...

I have officially returned from my combination NTRPG Con/Business Trip only to find my domicile worse for the wear due to a series of storms, golf ball-sized hail, and a couple of tornados. Lucky for me the damage was just to my roof and a large spot of ceiling where the water made it's way in.

Not fun, but could definitely have been worse. Now when I double check what I expect to be a HUGE roof-specific deductible, I may feel differently, but for now my stuff...and more importantly my pets, are fine and I like to think I'm occasionally capable of seeing the big picture.

Of course, as these things do, thinking so much about my home weighs heavily when I'm trying to shift mental gears and think about what to post today. Thinking over the myriad of D&D characters I've played over the...decades (yep, I'm old) and one.....one kind of had a home, and I really don't recall any of my player's PCs ever having an "official" residence. Not one single murderhobo dwelling among the lot.....

....and I highly suspect that is closer to the norm for most D&D players.

A big reason, or I think a big part of the reason is simply that the vast majority of PCs don't get to the generalized double-digit levels required of them to build a "stronghold", not that I'm necessarily referring to a "stronghold" in the first place. Aside from that I'm guessing that people who want to play murderhobos want to do murderhobo stuff, and setting up a house is not on the typical KTATTS list.

Now I have seen parties of PCs band together to get a..... "clubhouse" of sorts to work out of, but definitely not a home.

Hmmm......now that I think about it, my one PC that was working on his home/library technically already owned a farmstead. I'm pretty sure I've already told the story about how my PC "bought the farm" at first level (was on my blog, not here), allowing the party successfully complete a four-hour tournament in something like 10 minutes.

Anyway, this one PC was working on building a library even though he wasn't high enough level to have a "stronghold", but I figured it'd take quite a few level's worth of adventuring to get enough resources to finish the thing. Once my PCs get a couple of levels in I like to imagine how, in a perfect game, their adventuring career (or life) would end. This guy was going to use his vast intellect to become basically a doctor....non-magical healer. His goal was to build a community and to build something since he was quite the destructive force as a magical murderhobo.

If I'm a bit off-base, which is not uncommon for me, and you have a need for building a "stronghold", I highly recommend a particular OOP sourcebook: Lord Flataroy's Guide to Fortifications. I loved using this book to plan out OSR building.....not sure I'd spend the $75 or so it's going for now, but if you keep your eyes out for a copy you might luck out....and no...Half Price Books doesn't have any listed.

Hopefully I'm also off-base that PCs building homesteads is more common than I think.....