Tenkar's Tavern: Kickstarter - Fiend Folio Vol.1 for use with OSR

Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Kickstarter - Fiend Folio Vol.1 for use with OSR

I'm a sucker for new monsters in my OSR games. I like to create them, and I love it when I find new monsters that others have created. I've been a fan of Jeremy Hart's artwork for a while now, and the Fiend Folio Vol.1 Kickstarter looks very appealing. I'm a backer :)

For this zine I'll be aiming for the center of the OSR. Stat-blocks are modeled after various great games such as Cha'alt, Swords & Wizardry, Lion & Dragon, etc. Basically just a single Saving Throw and only Ascending Armor Class. All the usual funky dice are necessary.

Each monster gets two pages. One has stats and the facing page is an artsy size comparison piece you can flash to your players. These have been generated over on my Patreon as cards. I've also been uploading them to DriveThruRPG as time allows. I try to create at least 8 different color/texture variations per creature. Of course, only one version of each can make it into the zine.

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1 comment:

Venger SatanisFebruary 1, 2024 at 5:20 PM
Cha'alt!
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Why "Swords & Wizardry?"

Believe me when I say I have them all in dead tree format. I have OSRIC in full size, trade paperback and the Player's Guide. I have LL and the AEC (and somewhere OEC, but I can't find it at the moment). Obviously I have Basic Fantasy RPG. Actually, I have the whole available line in print. Way too much Castles & Crusades. We all know my love for the DCC RPG. I even have Dark Dungeons in print, the Delving Deeper boxed set, Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. BOTH editions of LotFP's Weird Fantasy and some dead tree copies of the Greyhawk Grognards Adventures Dark & Deep

I am so deep in the OSR when I come up for breath it's for the OSR's cousin, Tunnels & Trolls

So, out of all that, why Swords & Wizardry? Why, when I have been running a AD&D 1e / OSRIC campaign in Rappan Athuk am I using Swords & Wizardry and it's variant, Crypts & Things, for the second campaign? (Actually, now running a S&W Complete campaign, soon to be with multiple groups)

Because the shit works.

It's easy for lapsed gamers to pick up and feel like they haven't lost a step. I can house rule it and it doesn't break. It plays so close to the AD&D of my youth and college years (S&W Complete especially) that it continually surprises me. Just much less rules hopping than I remember. (my God but I can run it nearly without the book)

I grab and pick and steal from just about all OSR and Original resources. They seem to fit into S&W with little fuss. It may be the same with LL and the rest, but for me the ease of use fit's my expectations with S&W.

Even the single saving throw. That took me longer to adjust to, but even that seems like a natural to me now. Don't ask me why, it just does. Maybe it's the simplicity of it. At 45 52, simplicity and flexibility while remaining true to the feel of the original is an OSR hat trick for me ;)

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Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Kickstarter - Fiend Folio Vol.1 for use with OSR

1 comment:

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