A boggy OSR micro-adventure Zine for 1st-level characters.
Tis the most abundant time of year for OSR - ZineQuest is here! For about 9 bucks shipped, you can snag a physical copy of The Lair of the Bog LichZine.
The Lair of the Bog Lich is a micro-adventure zine made for all manner of OSR and OSR-adjacent systems. It is set deep within a bubbling swamp in the hinterlands of the realm where an unseen menace is stealing villagers away in their sleep.
What's Inside?
The Lair, an underground heap where the bog lich goes about its sinister machinations.
Adventure hooks to allow for easy integration into any campaign.
Random encounters to spice up the journey to the Lair.
Hand-illustrated map of the Lair.
8+ random tables to provide some suitably swampy flavour.
3 mud-encrusted foes to fight, including the titular bog lich.
Sinister Illustrations by Simone Tammetta.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast onYouTube - Tenkar
In my experience, city adventures are some of the hardest to run. It's like a mini sandbox, with something potentially happening around every corner and in every storefront. There is so much that COULD happen, you seem to either over-prepare for the session or are woefully underprepared for it.
City Encounters is just what I need. I just ordered the Print plus PDF for 25 bucks. The PDF only is 10 bucks.
I'll add a review after I get my print copy.
Running a freewheeling city adventure can be hard work, but this book gives you a powerful resource for handling interactions with non-player characters — their names, objectives, abilities, and quirky activities! City Encounters provides 200 daytime encounters and 200 night-time encounters for your characters to run into while exploring the city. Plus, each of the encounters has several alternative possibilities involved, so you can adapt the encounter to your players or use the same encounter more than once with a different alternative. Encounters that can lead to adventures are cross-referenced to let you find the other NPCs who might be involved in an ongoing situation, and there are several possible “recurring” villains, heroes, and weirdos to battle, assist, and befriend.
Enter a city filled with anarchists, arsonists, sorcery, skullduggery, factional conflict, and necromancy!
This is the OSR version of City Encounters, written for Swords & Wizardry but easily usable with systems including OD&D, AD&D (1E), B/X, OSE and others!
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast onYouTube - Tenkar
Jeff Jones is the main man behind Gary's Appendix Zine. Jeff is a friend of mine, and he laid out the first two issues of Torchlight (and the only issues thus far) as well as the as-yet-unpublished Continual Light RPG - Digest Edition. Simply put, Jeff does good work.
Gary's Appendix: Issue 5 is the fifth entry in the series. It's 3 bucks in PDF, and 16 bucks - plus shipping - for print plus PDF. If you need to catch up, all five issues can be snagged for 5 bucks in PDF.
Investigation Themed Adventures, by Travis Miller
The old school play method that encourages players to engage with the diegetic elements of the game world makes games like OSE perfectly suited to investigations even though it isn’t obvious looking at the rules. This is my method of creating investigative adventures.
A Case for Using Wandering Monsters, by John Kaniecki
In the good old days, the DM rolled the die six every three turns, and when a one came up, he smiled as it indicated wandering monsters. The Dungeon Master's Guide had a collection of monsters that were potential candidates for running into. The selection of these monsters and the number appearing were all determined by random. Over time the game improved. It is more fun-oriented as well as complex. In light of this, let us turn our thoughts to wandering monsters. What is the purpose of wandering monsters?
Legends of the Supernatural Pt. 2, by Dave Semark
We return to the supernatural history of Britain and Ireland, with another look at myths and legends that have fascinated me and have often been the source of role-playing hooks and scenario ideas. As with the first installment, these legends are all based on an established history, myth, or legend—or combination of all three—and I have taken a big pinch of artistic license to add to the role- playing game feel.
Hiring a Spy, by John Kaniecki
Spying is a murky world of shadows, or so we are led to believe. In a fantasy role-playing game, it opens the door to intrigue and adventure. How are we to handle spies?
Governments: Part 1, by Hannah Wolfram
Since the dawn of time, humans have created social structures in order to survive. While these small societies likely started as family groups, they continually evolved and expanded as humanity’s needs changed, eventually developing laws and moral codes under which members were expected to live. To enforce these standards, humans created governments.
What is in a Cube?, by Zac Goins
As go-to dungeon and sewer sweepers, gelatinous cubes spend their days, nights, and weekends picking the bones of an area clean. Since dungeons and sewers are also the favorite haunts of the worst ne'er do wells and the adventurers who stalk them, there’s bound to be a bevy of bodies and gear in near constant supply. Fortunately for adventurers, ne’er do wells and other adventuring parties just so happen to often carry the best sorts of loot.
The Bestiary, by Jeff Jones
Each issue, Jeff works his way through another section of the OSE bestiary and expands the information and GM toolkit for each entry. For this issue, the following creatures are covered:
* Centipede, Giant * Dryad * Crocodile * Driver Ant * Gelatinous Cube * Gnoll * Harpy * Hydra
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast onYouTube - Tenkar
DragonSlayer is Greg Gillespie's new OSR ruleset. It's a bit of Basic D&D, mixed with some AD&D, flavored with pure Gillespie. Greg had been kind enough to give me a pre-release copy of the rules to review in December, and I was floored.
Dragonslayer is the OSR ruleset that I want to run OVER my own Swords & Wizardry Light. I want to run it AND I want to play it :)
Now to await my hardcover from the DragonSlayer Kickstarter.
Hearken back to the Golden Age of Role-playing Games!
Journey into a realm of myth and magic, where ancient legends and terrifying monsters come to life, and adventure awaits...
Inspired by the timeless role-playing tradition of the 1980s, this ruleset seamlessly integrates the simplicity of B/X with the chrome of First Edition. The book includes every you need: races, classes spell, monsters, and treasure, combined in a single volume.
The book includes cover art by Jeff Easley and interior art by Darlene, Diesel, Kennon James, Peter Pagano, and many others.
Welcome to Dragonslayer!
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast onYouTube - Tenkar
I've known James Spahn for over a decade. He is one of the most prolific, talented, imaginative creators in the RPG industry. He's worked on IPs including Star Wars, Star Trek, The One Ring, Swords & Wizardry (and variations thereof), Labyrinth Lord, Pathfinder, 5e... the list goes on. James co-wrote Swords and Wizardry Continual Light with me and I am forever in his debt. Just so you know where I stand with James ;)
Wizard Van is James' first Kickstarter. Seriously, unheard of these days for someone that self-publishes NOT but it's true. Wizard Van is a psychedelic rockin' RPG. Print plus PDF is 10 plus shipping, PDF only is 5 bucks.
Wizard Van is a 22 page 'zine and a complete roleplaying game. Character creation can be done in seconds, whether you scrawl it down on a bar napkin or use the Liner Notes in the back of the book.
You will choose your Band, the music group or solo artist that is your guiding star. Their music will be your inspiration as you play the game and when the right song is playing, your dice rolls will get bonuses.
Your love of Rock n' Roll impacts how the game is played. If you, the player, are wearing a shirt featuring your Band, have a ticket stub from an old show, or even a tattoo, you get bonuses in play!
Got a t-shirt with The Band on it? Wear it for bonuses in game! Got some rad ink etched on your flesh to commemorate your love of The Band? Well, that counts for a helluva lot in the world of Wizard Van. Got some ticket stubs or a guitar pick you got at one of their concerts? That talisman of rock will be your guiding star as you play!
Designed for one-on-one play and traditional group play.
Sound Both Inspired and Original
In addition to the zine, whether you back for a PDF or a physical copy of Wizard Van you will get a digital download of the latest single from prolific rockers and gaming devotees Loot the Body. This original song (aptly titled "Wizard Van") was specially commissioned for the game and will get you rocking whether you're at the table or simply headbanging to your favorite mix tape.
Wizard Van also includes a list of bands that inspired the game. You can choose one as The Band that inspires your Rock n' Roll Hero, or simply expand your musical horizons with some amazing tunes that you've unearthed like an alien aural treasure.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast onYouTube - Tenkar
The first Supers RPG I picked up back in the 80s was Champions. Sure my friends owned V&V and Marvel Super Heroes. In truth, we could never settle on a Supers ruleset, not even once I picked up Mayfair's DC Heroes. So many rulesets and we never played more than a session of any single ruleset.
Be a Hero! This revived November 2018 Early Champions Bundle once again presents nearly three dozen tabletop roleplaying game .PDF ebooks featuring the groundbreaking early rules, supplements, and adventures for Champions, The Super Roleplaying Game from Hero Games. This giant revival (one of two now in progress) presents every book for the First (1981), Second (1982), and Third (1984) Editions of Champions.
For just US$14.95 you get all thirteen titles in this revived offer's phenomenal Core Collection (retail value $73.50) as DRM-free ebooks, including the Champions core rulebook in its First (1981), Second (1982), and Third (1984) Editions (plus the introductory adventure "Viper's Nest" and the original "Rose's" combat map); the jam-packed rules expansions Champions II First Edition, Champions II Second Edition, and Champions III; no less than five collections in the popular Enemies series (Enemies First Edition, Enemies Revised for Second Edition, Enemies II, Enemies III, Enemies: Villainy Unbound, and Enemies: The International File); the Gadgets! book of weaponry and equipment; and the Gamemaster Screens for First Edition and Third Edition, the latter including the insert booklet with the Third Edition version of the famous Champions scenario "The Island of Doctor Destroyer."
And if you pay more than the threshold price of $28.35, you'll level up and also get this revival's entire Bonus Collection with fourteen more titles worth an additional $110:
Three famous genre sourcebooks: Strike Force and Super-Agents by Aaron Allston and The Golden Age of Champions (the version for Champions Third Edition) by Chris Cloutier
Five Organization Books: PRIMUS and Demon, The Blood & Dr. McQuark, The Circle and M.E.T.E., CLOWN, and Red Doom
Early adventures for First and Second Edition: Deathstroke, Escape From Stronghold, and The Great Super-Villain Contest
Adventures for Third Edition: Atlas Unleashed, The Coriolis Effect, Neutral Ground, Scourge From the Deep, Target: Hero To Serve and Protect, VOICE of Doom, and Wrath of the Seven Horsemen
Autoduel Champions, the licensed supplement from Steve Jackson Games that combined Champions and Car Wars.
DTRPG, Amazon, and Humble Bundle are affiliate programs that support The Tavern.You can catch the daily Tavern Chat cast onYouTube - Tenkar
This last week I started my spring cleanup of files on my computer(s)....which is a HUGE chore because I have a few computers...and by a few I mean I never bothered to count, but I'm sure it's upwards of 40+. Yes, I have a bit of a problem....add it to the list.
Anyway, I noticed I have a lot of PC sheets. While I'd say half are my various PCs from across a wide berth of game systems (mostly OSR or OSRish) and the other half are various pregens I've had to come up with over the years. Thumbing through the various files....I have excel PC sheets, PDF Sheets, Word sheets, "paper" sheets that have been scanned, you name it.
I've tried my hand a few times at making my own sheets, even going so far as to create a "artsy-fartsy" PC sheet for what was more of a one-off character that lasted maybe three sessions before a TPK. While I can do a technical sheet (like an Excel sheet or a PDF form) when I need to, I'm not very good at the "pretty" or "artistic" PC sheet. I'm just not that type of creative (although I have tried, although I cannot find evidence of those efforts.....yet) and I get a bit jealous of those who can. Folks like JV West and ...JV West (I didn't realize he did several of the PC sheets that I thought were from different artists). Every once in a while I search for new, "cool" PC Sheets, but I usually go back to the simpler, more technical sheets I have most of my PCs on.
It took me a long-assed while, but I figured out I prefer to use a physical sheet, but I WANT/NEED to have electronic copies of my PCs. What usually happens is I find an acceptable sheet, and tweak it so that it is a PDF form. I'll either use a blank sheet then transfer to the PDF and save an electronic copy, giving me the best of both worlds. I like being able to look back at the level progression of some of my PCs....I say "some" 'cause I'm only counting the ones that are allegedly still alive somewhere......
I'm currently on the lookout for a new PC sheet, hopefully something a little more....colorful. I'll probably still use my old standby sheets for long-term record keeping, but I'd like to have something...."fun" for use at the table. I'm totally open to suggestions.....
Friday Roundup
-
It's Friday, hurrah!
- So you want much more detail when you do dungeon stocking?
d4 Caltrops has you covered.
- This is one weird-looking Otyugh figure.
...
Writing playlists for all occasions
-
Hello again! Going off the idea of inspiration elaborated on by the prior
post, I also have music playing while I write my various games and fiction
pieces...
Friday Faction: BattleTech Universe
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In 2024, *BattleTech* is forty years old. Infamously, the game of ‘big,
stompy robots’, in the four decades since the original publication of BattleTech:
...
Mothership: Advent Dawn session 1
-
On some backwater planet, Ossie Marcial, SpaceTuber and Teamster
specializing in computer repair and zero-G industrial equipment (hover
forklift certifi...
Grimdark, the bad guys
-
Every good group of heroes need a bunch of baddies trying to destroy the
world, right? How about some weasels, badgers, and rats? Plus a vile swamp
lord?An...
Citybook III: Deadly Nightside (1987)
-
From the web:
This book in the Citybook series focuses on nighttime businesses, NPCs, and
scenarios.
From the front cover:
A game-master's aid for all ...
My Shoe is Safe
-
Yesterday's quiz was a toughie. In it, to recap, commenters were encouraged
to guess at what the following pieces of art, generated by Substack's own
AI ...
This Old Dragon: Issue #115
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[image: Dragon Magazine #115]
I think I have enough time left in this year to do another one of these. My
box of old Dragons, though, is getting a little li...
"What A Bunch Of Clowns." "Dangerous Clowns."
-
I love James Gunn's Creature Commandos. The animation is fantastic. The
voice work is phenomenal. The story is entertaining and I love the
characters. Oh a...
Gods of the Forbidden North – Volume 1
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By Robert AldermanPulp Hummock PressOSELevel 1 On the arctic frontier, at
the border between the mountains and the wastes beyond, looms Castle
Thar-Gannon....
Worse Wounds
-
I'm testing out an alternative wound system for *clears throat* *Intergalactic
Bastionland.*
This game is very much at the "throw everything into a docum...
On Manifestos
-
The paid media was instructed to not print this.
To the Feds, I’ll keep this short, because I do respect what you do for our
country. To save you a leng...
Geeky SKAturday SKAliday: Oi to the World!
-
Next in line for ska songs that should probably be enjoyed every holiday
season: "Oi to the World!"
I only first heard this one when No Doubt covered it o...
AD&D and ability checks - from d20 to d100
-
I have often wondered if people playing AD&D RAW use ability checks, and
how often.
From a quick look at the rules, it would seem that if you don't, having...
Chagrinspire Adventure Seeds by Tier
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*Blogger not showing many any other ppls blogs - just kill it with fire and
a few others from 9 years ago - this stu...
The Tarot of Pips
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Somewhere in your dice collection is a die like this one, the humblest of
dice. Although you don't know it, this small white die carries with it a
secr...
Ælf-Adal - VotE Remastered Development
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Their Origins in Dream
They come from out of Nightmare, though whose, or why, no-one remembers
now. They may have been the dying dream of a coma-locked god,...
Blue Sky Temple, Revised
-
Last week, we made a crowdsourced dungeon on Bluesky.
It was fun and it yielded a cool dungeon with a lot of good ideas mashed
together.
This week, I ...
[CAMPAIGN JOURNAL] News on the March! Episode IV.
-
This post continues the series of brief play reports I have been posting on
Discord. This does not cover every single session (sometimes, recon and
setup...
Pirates and Necromancers, a Play Report
-
Over the Thanksgiving weekend we did a lot of gaming ranging from
“off-table” domain level stuff to some solo adventures to spell and magic
item rese...
Games, Grinches, and Good Ideas...
-
As we enter the holiday season, yours truly can't help but remember what
was doubtless the most important (and consequential) Christmas gift to ever
grac...
City of Scorn
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City of Scorn is one of the centerpieces in my current Shadowdark Campaign.
I've never spent the time to draw each sector. Each of those black squares
i...
Warsmith's Words: Magic Trev the Sorcerer
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Greetings fellow Warsmiths! A very quick update to share a picture of the
latest addition to the Iron Warriors. This is Magic Trev the Chaos Sorcerer.
I...
Fokker D-II and D-III
-
The Fokker D-II was a fairly mediocre and uninspired successor to the E-III
monoplane responsible for the “Fokker Scourge” of 1915-’16. The D-III
impr...
OSR: Magical Industrial Gunboats
-
Here's some useful information for river-based adventures using *Magical
Industrial Revolution*. Skip to Part 3 or click this PDF link if you just
want t...
Quick Convention Report: LongCon 2024
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[image: Quick Convention Report: LongCon 2024]
Last weekend I was able to attend LongCon in Longview, TX. I had a work
trip to the Nashville area that en...
Welcome new Greyhawk Fans!
-
With the publication of the new Dungeon Master’s Guide, there are doubtless
going to be a lot of new D&D players interested in my favorite setting, the
Wor...
D&D Player’s Handbook 2024
-
Being an incomplete, visual review of the 2024 Player’s Handbook. I got a
copy of this almost entirely on the strength of the new cover art: (This is
the “...
Concerning the Future of Traveller
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I have been a fan of Traveller for a long time and have bought various
books over the years from just about every Traveller licensee, as well as
from Ma...
Grimdark vs. Eucatastrophe
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Noisms has some interesting ideas in this post about his desire for some
depth to his grimdark, and turns to Gene Wolfe and Tolkien for relief.
Now, it ...
Musings on Sleep in OD&D – Is it Over-Powered?
-
Link to discussion
Let’s look at the sleep spell in Men & Magic:
>Sleep: A Sleep spell affects from 2–16 1st-level types (hit dice of up to
1 + 1), from...
It's been a bit
-
Hey everyone, I hope you are doing well! I've had a lot going on and
haven't had much time to blog lately. Heres a recap of gaming events and
other st...
Session #12 & Adventure Sites Compilation
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Firstly, I wanted to let everybody know that Adventure Sites I by Coldlight
Press is now available as a free download on DriveThruRPG. It includes my
own...
Jim Ward's Adventure in Gygax's Wonderland
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Last weekend at GaryCon, many of us raised a glass to the memory of Jim
Ward, who passed away just days before the convention. Ward was very
helpful to m...
The Economy Engine, v0.2
-
I made a thing. For D&D 3rd edition, so it might not be that interesting to
a lot of people. But I made it and I think it’s cool. The 3rd edition
Dungeon M...
*'s in SpaaaaaAaaaace
-
A lot of SF (including a certain 2D6 RPG grandaddy) deal with ancient
aliens taking humans from Earth and dropping them, fleas and all, on one or
more w...
Last move - to self-hosting!
-
As my vote regarding Substack in the “marketplace of ideas”, I’m moving to
self-hosting.
I’m now at (and hopefully staying for a long time at)
Blog: ht...
Time Rolls On
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Today is December 31, 2023, in the mid-afternoon. In less than ten hours it
will be 2024. 2023 2023 was a good year. But all years are good years. Both
goo...
This is an Important Game Mechanic
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*"That's the GM's Regional Map from my AOWG. And it's a damned good
regional map. It's not a good map for a Simple Homebrew Campaign. It does
some s$&...
Clean Your Room
-
Looking back at my little blog here. That last post… wow, I was having fun
playing WOW Classic! That was August of 1999 and I was having a blast… it
was ...
Steve Jackson Interview
-
James Maliszewski recently did an interview with Steve Jackson over on his
Grognardia blog. Steve chats about the beginnings of The Fantasy Trip and
upcomi...
ToAD Monster of the Week: Crocoman
-
Now that I'm back doing the blog thing I thought I would use Tome of
Adventure Design to create monsters for The Black Hack.
Using the monster tables in th...
Strange, Dangerous, and Inhuman: The Fey and Fairie
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When I was a boy I loved fairy tales. Jack and the Beanstalk, Puss in
Boots, Rumpelstiltskin - I devoured all of it. My fascination that there
was a strang...
New Map of the Elf Empire and Southern Isles
-
I’ve been having fun developing a new map-drawing style that I think is
finally reaching a certain level of maturity. And yeah, it owes a lot to Matthew
Ad...
Dungeons & Dragonmead Fall Schedule
-
*As you know, I run public classic Dungeons & Dragons games at **The Loaded
Die**/Metro Detroit Game Night's Board Game Nigh at **Dragonmead**, in
Warren...
Fiction in Airhde
-
On a whim this weekend, I picked up some fiction off the TLG store. *A
Houseless God & Other Tales* and *The Mirrored Soul & Other Tales*, both by
the T...
Ravensburg Reboot: Streamlined City Map
-
I mentioned in my last post how I was tweaking and reworking parts of my
Ravensburg setting. Today I streamlined the city map. The old map had lots
of redu...
And Now the News Draft Download on Patreon
-
It's self-styled Throwback Thursday and *having just released the 34-page
draft booklet of Hill Cantons news to my Patreon backers* I am going to
indulge m...
The Withered Crag available now
-
I just enabled the sale of the PDF version of The Withered Crag at
DriveThruRPG a few minutes ago, and the custom print version will be
available startin...
Annihilation Rising Goes live
-
The latest in Fail Squad Games’ Quick Kick projects has gone live and needs
your support!! This project is only running 11 days and ends on 5/28/2019!
...
James's Celebration of Life
-
We could not have asked for a prettier day for James's service. It was a
bit chilly and windy but gorgeous. A heartfelt thank you to all that joined
us tod...
Trap Tuesday: A step back
-
I will get back to Tomb of Horrors soon. I found a topic that was
interesting enough to take a break. While interacting in a 5E group on
Facebook I talked ...
Let's Talk About Pacing!
-
The idea, I think, is that the RPG is ultimately about the long game. Even
rolling back to the early days of Basic & Expert, the goal of the player
was...
Profane and Profound Prep Part 2
-
This is part 2 of my work to edit my magic items for a DMsGuild release,
along with adding cursed items along the way. Here is part 1. Bone of a
Saint 8000...
Please, I don't do paid advertisements - don't ask.
-
A little note since people have asked me about this. My video channel's
*not* an advertising platform, so I'm not available for hire if you want to
promote...
New website!
-
Slowly but surely, all the content here will make its way — in updated
form! — to my new website: timbannock.com. For fairly obvious reasons, that
site wil...
Please Update Your Link!
-
If you're seeing this, it means your link to the Greyhawk Grognard blog is
out of date.
Please update your link to www.greyhawkgrognard.com (RSS feed is
h...
Total Sales for WB:FMAG
-
Hi Folks,
It's been a long time since I provided an update for the sales of White
Box: Fantastic Medieval Adventure Game.
*LULU*
Print: 396
PDF: 433
*OBS*...
How can We Destroy this Campaign World?
-
d12
1. You must trick a bard into strumming the *Chords of Fate* on the *Lute
of Annihilation*
2. Legends tell of thermonuclear weapons beneath megadunge...
Mord Mar - Session 5
-
We had another successful delve into the dungeon yesterday. The delvers:
Moira, the Magic-User
Radovan - Human Cleric (of Odin?)
Khazgar Stonehand - Dwarf ...
A Small, Quiet Plea
-
There has been a great deal of discussing political agendas, social
grievances, and personal attacks within the little corner of gaming that is
my hobby....
Bundle of Fantasy Age
-
Bundle of Holding: Dragon Age/Fantasy Age: Available until March 12. PA
Presents: Fantasy AGE Freeport live play Green Ronin in 2018 The Fantasy
Age RPG ma...
New Free PDF Module: The Hyqueous Vaults
-
A new dungeon module—written in celebration of OSRIC's 10th Birthday—by
Rebecca Dettmann, Allan T. Grohe, Jr., Jimm Johnson, Matthew Riedel, Alex
Zisch, a...
Swords & Wizardry Light: Session # 6
-
Two months after our last session (thanks to things like 8th grade finals,
a 4 year-old's birthday and party, Father's Day, etc.), we finally had our
next ...