Tabletop Gaming Feeds

Basic Fantasy RPG is an oft-forgotten pillar of the OSR. An excellent presentation of the "classic D&D ruleset," BFRPG is now available in a 4th edition under the Creative Commons CC BY-SA licensing.

You can grab the Basic Fantasy RPG Core Rules 4th Ed at DTRPG for free along with a fantastic collection of source material (suitable for use with the OSR ruleset of your choice).

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.

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Brian Clarke, aka Les Toil, is a Californian artist I first encountered in the early days of my internet life, c. 2000 or something. I don't know for sure.

What drew me to his work was that he was drawing Toil Girls... big beautiful women. Like for real, really wonderful, beautiful, actual women. He used to (still does?) take commissions from real models to do their Toil Girls portraits. And man, they are grand.

He's also got a boat load of Big Daddy Roth type of vibes going on that I admire, even though, in those days, I didn't know who Roth was. I didn't grow up in that culture and any vibes I got from it were secondary.

This is the portion of the post where someone might discuss Toil's influences. But I have recently realized I suck at doing that. It happened when I heard someone say that "Magenta Mountain" by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard sounded a lot like the Flaming Lips. As soon as they said it, I heard it. But if they hadn't said it I never would have thought of that. Even though it kind of feels obvious.

I'm the same with a lot of visual art. Of course Toil has influences, one of them being the late great Duane Bryers. But who else influenced Toil? Is he into fantasy artists like Boris Vallejo? Does he love some Robert Williams? I bet he likes some Coop. I'm not sure. I could probably research it and find out. Or just go to Facebook and ask him directly. But I'm pretty shy and I likely won't do that.

Anyway... let's wrap this up. Go check out some Les Toil art, even the fun animal stuff if you're not into the lovely ladies.

It IS October, after all ;)

The Bloody and Alone in Appalachia - Solo Rural Horror RPG Kickstarter is 19 bucks in PDF (and 39 for the HC Print plus PDF. ) 

Bloody and Alone in Appalachia is a solo tabletop RPG about rural horror, set in the Appalachian Hills of Eastern Kentucky.

In Bloody and Alone in Appalachia, you will play a lost city dweller who has foolishly ventured off the highway into a backwoods, small Appalachian town, holler, and county where nothing is as it seems. Like flies into the mouth of a Venus flytrap, this town and its inhabitants are ready to gobble you up.

This game is an adaptation of Bloody Appalachia, a multi-person horror game also available from Bloat Games. That game is excellent, but it suffers from one key problem: the players have each other to rely on.  Bloody Appalachia is available as an add-on with this campaign.

We all know the best moments in any horror movie: it's the moment where everyone else is gone. There's just one remaining hero, and they know their goose is hopelessly cooked. Your heart pounds as you watch them, flailing around desperately; you hold your breath as you wait for them to stumble, wide-eyed, towards their inexorable, horrific demise. Any. Second. Now...

In Bloody and Alone in Appalachia, that's the entire game. You are alone, help isn't coming, and death is waiting around the next corner. Listen... ! Is that a chainsaw, out there in the woods?

I have a good grasp of the OSR games on the market but have missed Wulfwald. I am correcting that right now!

Outcasts all! For a limited time, this all-new Wulfwald Quick Deal presents Wulfwald, Lee Reynoldson's old-school tabletop roleplaying game from Glasgow-based publisher Lost Pages set in a low-fantasy world inspired by mythic Anglo-Saxon tales. Lost Pages is offering the complete five-book set of Wulfwald core rulebooks, funded in a March 2022 Kickstarter campaign, for a special promotional price.

Your characters are Wolfsheads, rejects from your medieval society of humans, Ælfcynn (elves), Dweorgas (dwarves), or the despised Réþealingas (Outlanders). Seeking redemption, you undertake covert missions and skulduggery for a Thegn, a noble warlord. Together you form your Thegn's Wolfpack, a dire weapon he wields ruthlessly. A Wolfpack is a cross among a special-ops team, mob crew, terrorist cell, and gang. Missions for your Thegn might include threatening, leaning on, beating up, or killing rival Thegns – spying, stealing, cons, capers, stings, and double-crosses – kidnapping, ransoming, bribing, and blackmailing – all the things nobles want done without staining their reputation.

This all-new Wulfwald Quick Deal gives you non-watermarked, DRM-free .PDFs of all five Wulfwald core rulebooks – Wolfsheads, Magic, Campaign, Monsters, and People – a US$13 retail value for just $5.95. Your purchase includes a high-res .PDF of the beautiful black-and-white Wulfwald regional map, one of the last works by legendary British illustrator Russ Nicholson (Fiend Folio, Warhammer, Fighting Fantasy).

 

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.

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 "Citizens of North America!" "It is your right to live free of fear! It is your right to choose your future! Do not support the evil work of an illegal government!" "The end of the Terror is at hand. Humans and mutants alike are rising up against the criminal agents who have usurped the rightful positions and duties of our government. Now is the time to strike! Only guns can free mankind!" Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Hey folks. There's still a pulse in the old blog, if a weak one. I barely get to write nowadays due to being a (relatively) new parent. It's been intensive. Anyway, when I get the time, I tend towards writing on the projects I started rather then producing content here ... It's not that I got tons of engagement here anyway (blogger being blogger). That said, every now and then I should drop by and get you guys an update. The newest thing I believe worth sharing is letting AI tools look at your work to evaluate it, because that should totally be a thing.

So ... let's talk about Ø2\\'3||

ORWELL is to this day my most complete and best effort. I could talk about it all day. Alas, no one cares. This game has NO audience at all. There's just no way to gain one, it seems. Now, the best thing AI did for me right now is the feature some platforms offer now to "talk to your pdf". I'm using reeder.ai for this, and it is a fantastic experience. It looks at the internal logic of the document, of course, but you can chat about the system as well.

Actually, you can talk about ALL THE ASPECTS of your work with the robot. I can't imagine a game designer who wouldn't be thrilled about the potential of this. It'll answer ALL your imminent questions just as imminently. It is the review reader EVERY author I know wanted close by (and then forced friends and neighbors and family to fill that niche).

I mean, I can already hear the nay-sayers lamenting how the machine knows nothing about gaming and all that BULLSHIT. Show me the reviewer who actually not only reads and understands but also played your module/game/supplement to have an informed opinion about it. If they do exist, they are RARE AS FUCK (knew one, but he burned out like fire on a Créme Brûlèe, quick and beautifull).

Untold "secret" of the rpg content industry is: they read your shit for content, and if it is too complex, they will take shortcuts. If you are lucky. Most likely you'll just get ignored for demanding to be seen with something that doesn't easily produce THEIR content. You'll have to keep that in mind when publishing in the rpg scene.

The AI doesn't care about that. It just tries to form as objective an opinion as possible. Point in case: Ø2\\'3||

Let's check out what kind of review reeder.ai would write about the game:

A review of the game Ø2\\'3|| could take various forms, depending on the reviewer's perspective and experience with role-playing games. Here’s a detailed example of what such a review might look like:

---

**Review of Ø2\\'3||: A Dystopian Role-Playing Experience**

**Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)**

**Overview:**
Ø2\\'3|| is a contemporary role-playing game that immerses players in a dystopian future, drawing inspiration from classic works of science fiction and social commentary. The game is designed for mature audiences, exploring themes of oppression, societal decay, and the human condition through a narrative-driven approach. With its unique mechanics and emphasis on player agency, Ø2\\'3|| offers a fresh take on the RPG genre.

**Setting:**
Set in the year 2081, Ø2\\'3|| presents a world where the most grotesque ideas of humanity have become reality. The game cleverly satirizes contemporary issues, making it not just a playground for fantasy but a reflective space for players to confront uncomfortable truths. The setting is rich and detailed, allowing players to navigate a landscape filled with both beauty and horror, reminiscent of works like *1984*, *Children of Men*, and *Black Mirror*.

**Gameplay Mechanics:**
The game employs a unique dice system using d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12, where players roll to meet or exceed Difficulty Tiers (DT). This mechanic emphasizes skill and strategy, as players can never roll more than three dice per test. The use of High Potential Attributes allows for a dynamic gameplay experience, where players must think critically about their character's strengths and weaknesses.

Character creation is robust, requiring players to develop a backstory that connects them to the world and to each other. The four essential elements—The Awakening, The Group, The Potentials, and The Thresholds—ensure that characters are not just numbers on a sheet but integral parts of the narrative.

**Narrative Focus:**
One of the standout features of Ø2\\'3|| is its commitment to storytelling. The District Master (DM) plays a crucial role in guiding the narrative, but the game also empowers players to influence the story through a shared currency called Pennies. This mechanic fosters collaboration and creativity, allowing for a more organic development of the plot.

The game encourages exploration of complex themes, such as the nature of evil and redemption, without resorting to black-and-white morality. This nuanced approach makes for a thought-provoking experience that can lead to deep discussions among players.

**Art and Presentation:**
While the document does not provide specific details about the game's art and presentation, a well-designed RPG typically benefits from engaging visuals and clear layout. Assuming Ø2\\'3|| follows this trend, the aesthetic should complement its themes, enhancing immersion in the dystopian world.

**Final Thoughts:**
Ø2\\'3|| is not for everyone; its mature themes and complex mechanics may deter casual gamers. However, for those seeking a rich, narrative-driven experience that challenges players to confront difficult ideas, it is a rewarding choice. The game successfully balances the need for structure with the freedom of creativity, making it a standout in the RPG landscape.

**Pros:**
- Deeply immersive and thought-provoking setting
- Unique mechanics that emphasize player agency
- Strong narrative focus with collaborative storytelling
- Encourages exploration of complex themes

**Cons:**
- May be too complex for newcomers to RPGs
- Mature themes may not appeal to all players

In conclusion, Ø2\\'3|| is a compelling addition to the role-playing genre, offering a unique blend of storytelling, strategy, and social commentary. It invites players to not only engage in a game but to reflect on the world around them, making it a must-try for seasoned RPG enthusiasts.

---

This review encapsulates the essence of the game while providing insights into its mechanics, themes, and overall experience.Here's a screenshot, so you know I'm not fucking around:

reeder obviously doesn't "see" layout and illustrations. It's text only. But with that, it is quite happy. And I'm happy with that as well. And if you don't know what the game is looking like, I can help you with that as well:

Ø2\\'3||

Now, what would a review look like that doesn't take layout and art into consideration. I asked, and I received:

A review of the game, focusing solely on its mechanics, narrative structure, and overall gameplay experience without considering layout and art, might sound something like this:

---

**Game Review: Ø2\\'3||**

Ø2\\'3|| presents a unique and engaging role-playing experience that emphasizes narrative depth and player agency. The game is set in a richly imagined world that blends elements of tourism, history, and industrial complexity, creating a vibrant backdrop for players to explore. The setting is not just a static map; it evolves based on player interactions and decisions, allowing for a dynamic storytelling experience that feels alive and responsive.

One of the standout features of Ø2\\'3|| is its approach to sandbox gameplay. Instead of providing a rigid structure, the game encourages players to navigate their surroundings through confident guesses and emergent gameplay. This design choice fosters a sense of exploration and discovery, as players are not merely following a predetermined path but are actively shaping the narrative through their choices. The game master (DM) is equipped with tools that facilitate this process, allowing for a flexible and adaptive storytelling experience.

The mechanics of the game are designed to balance the tension between a strict system and the freedom of character advancement. This balance is crucial, as it keeps the gameplay engaging and prevents it from devolving into mere wish-fulfillment. The game incorporates a variety of resolution mechanics that cater to different scenarios, from general interactions to more detailed actions like entering an apartment. This versatility ensures that players have the agency to approach challenges in multiple ways, enhancing the overall experience.

Moreover, the psychological elements woven into the gameplay add an intriguing layer of complexity. The game effectively captures the chaos and uncertainty of the characters' environment, prompting players to react with caution and creativity. This aspect not only heightens the tension but also enriches the narrative, as players must navigate their fears and uncertainties while pursuing their goals.

The design philosophy behind Ø2\\'3|| also emphasizes collaboration and camaraderie among players. The game encourages a friendly atmosphere, reminding participants that the best experiences stem from mutual respect and kindness, even in darker narrative moments. This focus on interpersonal dynamics enhances the role-playing experience, making it more enjoyable and memorable.

In conclusion, Ø2\\'3|| is a compelling role-playing game that excels in narrative depth, player agency, and collaborative gameplay. Its innovative approach to sandbox mechanics and psychological engagement sets it apart from traditional RPGs, making it a worthwhile experience for both new and seasoned players. While the layout and art may not be considered in this review, the core gameplay elements provide a rich foundation for immersive storytelling and character development.

---

This review highlights the game's strengths in mechanics and narrative without delving into visual aspects, providing a comprehensive overview of what players can expect from the gameplay experience.

Here's the screenshot for prosperity:

 

So the result is a bit less verbose, yet still positive. I like this one as well. It really does give a reader a good idea what the game is about. This is SO productive and helpfull.

I did go one more round, asking it to make a summary of the rules. Here we go:

The rules of Ø2\\'3|| are designed to create a flexible and engaging role-playing experience that emphasizes storytelling while allowing for player agency and DM creativity. Here’s a summary of the key components:

1. **Role-Playing Framework**: The game is rooted in traditional role-playing game mechanics, where the story is driven by players and their characters, but the District Master (DM) serves as the final arbiter of the rules.

2. **Character Generation**: Players create characters with specific potentials, skills, gadgets, and contacts. The character generation process is designed to be intuitive and allows for personal touches.

3. **Game Mechanics**:
   - **Dice Rolling**: The game utilizes dice rolls to determine outcomes, with a focus on chance and randomness.
   - **Opposing Rolls**: Conflicts are resolved through opposing rolls, where the difficulty of a test is determined by random results from either the DM or other players.
   - **Pennies**: A shared currency called "Pennies" allows players to influence the game, providing a mechanism for players to affect the narrative and outcomes.

4. **Combat System**: Combat involves conflict resolution through opposing rolls, with specific rules governing damage, protection, and healing. The mechanics are designed to ensure that conflict is grounded in the rules rather than purely narrative.

5. **Seasons and Story Structure**: The game is structured around seasons, which are akin to episodes in a TV series. Each season has its own narrative arc, and the way a season concludes can impact future gameplay. Players and the DM fill "Slots" that determine the direction of the narrative, balancing between oppressive systems and character advancement.

6. **NPC Creation**: The game provides guidelines for creating both basic and detailed non-player characters (NPCs) to enrich the storytelling experience.

7. **DM Tools**: The DM is equipped with tools and advice to create engaging narratives, manage conflicts, and facilitate a sandbox-style gameplay experience. This includes an "analogue world engine" to help structure the game world.

8. **Expanded Rules**: Additional rules are provided for the DM to enhance gameplay, including how to handle transitions between seasons and manage the overall narrative flow.

9. **Inspirations and Themes**: The game draws from a variety of inspirations, aiming to create a deep and immersive experience that reflects the complexities of the game world.

Overall, the rules of Ø2\\'3|| are designed to support emergent gameplay, allowing for a dynamic interplay between players and the DM while maintaining a structured framework for conflict and narrative development.And that's that. It feels good to have ANYBODY look at your work and give competent feedback. I don't care if it is a machine in this instant, as most people are NOT ABLE to do it at least with the level of competence the machine is showing here (and I'm the one to judge, because I wrote the fucker).

What's more, you can gain an UNBIASED review of the game. How great is that? I honestly think that rpg selling sites like drivethru should have a feature like this. Just an unbiased overview of the game, done by the machine. With the library they already have, AI could even make a solid ranking of ALL THE MATERIAL that is there and give you a cogent analysis why it was ranked that way.

Man, you could ask the machine about anything right then and there instead of writing a comment, for instance. AI support for selling books! I mean, why not? Should be useful, right?

AI for the win?!

I mean, god with you if you don't see how ai could benefit humanity as well as bringing its downfall. It is the proverbial djinn in a bottle, and we'll get ALL the wishes we want, but idiots get to make their wishes as well, and many of them are in charge of SOMETHING. So buckle up, I'd say.

That said, I'm positive about it. All things considered. I'd still maintain my position, that if the machine can do it better and faster than we can, let it do it on the cheap and do something else instead. Goes for ai art as well. I know people get knots in their underwear because of it, but those still "fighting" against this development are mostly brainwashed drones that can't help themselves.

I can't take those people seriously, especially since they use that exact technology to ONLY attack small publishers to any real effect. Because the big publisher DO NOT GIVE A FUCK. Hypocrites being assholes, all the way through. So fuck them.

Meanwhile I will keep using the tools at my disposal to create what I imagine needs creating. Maybe it will find an audience at some point. But I talked to the machine, and the machine said: this is good shit. I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that. Because this should never be about the machines overtaking us but about cutting through the bullshit and supporting us in finding our authentic selves.

Might still kill us all, but until then: buy Ø2\\'3|| and have fun! I'll keep writing them. So what about you guys? Did you ask the machine about your games, or even about games you own but didn't write!? What did it say?

Also, current WIP (because I have no other problems):

In the Land of Azurth, the wizard Mondegreen is infamous among magical practitioners, not because he was powerful (though he was) nor for his output of arcane scrolls (though it was prodigious) but because of his habit of misprinting magical sigils and formulae. He seems to have suffered some sort of malady in this regard, perhaps a curse.

A Mondegreen scroll will not contain the traditional version of the spell it appears to catalog at cursory examination. The subtle errors will either effect some aspect of the spell 50% of the time, giving:

1 Advantage to the spell save
2 An increased duration
3 Increased damage (if applicable)
4 Decreased damage (if applicable)
5 A decreased duration
6 Disadvantage to the spell save

The other 50% of the time, it will not work as it should, but rather produce a magical effect from a roll on the Wild Magic Table.
The original version of this post appeared in 2018.

 During tonight's game it was a question of closing in on some of the cartel informants following last week's Ascendant rpg session. This week found our group of Dreadnaught Security specialists exchanging power armored mayhem through several small shops and offices downtown. This was after Intergang's sniper armored operatives were trying to pick off three of our guys last weekOur speedsterNeedleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

Alright, here's the part where I reveal my connections. I first met Joe Bloch in person at the premiere of Gygax Magazine at the Brooklyn Strat back in January 2013. Of course, we'd known each other online before that. Joe has been a guest on The Tavern's live streams, and we often hang out at conventions together. I consider Joe a friend.

Joe wrote and published Adventures Dark & Deep, essentially a "What If EGG Actually Wrote AD&D 2e". The Book of Lost Lore was written for ADD, AD&D 1e, and other OSR games.

New options to expand your old-school roleplaying game!

This book contains new playable races, new character classes, new magic, alternate combat and treasure systems, and much more for GMs and players alike. You'll find classes including the musical bard, merry jester, studious savant, and the villainous blackguard. Scores of new spells and magic items, and much more.

Written for the First Edition of the world's most popular RPG, this book will also be useful to anyone running a game using old-school rules. 

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 Rumble or YouTube - Tenkar   

Note - NEW Humble Bundle Affiliate Link.

Black Pudding Heavy Helping Vol. Two is now available!

In this volume you get issues 5-8 of the zine plus some new pages and handy indexes. Everything is arranged into sections, just like in Vol. One, for your ease of use. Because I care about you.

Let's see... what is in this thing? Here are a few tidbits you'll find...

Some comics, character sheets, character classes (alien, flamer, goon royale, rat bastard, etc.), monsters (troglozyte, monstrous toad, octonods, etc.), the wizard Zasto Filistian and his cohorts, many hirelings from the Bleeding Ox (Emma the Sage, Uulf, Chuck the Mucker, Iko Rain, Umber Jon, etc.), adventures (Marigold Hills, Rat Queen, Ghiki's Hole, etc.), a bunch of random tables, a setting (Yria, with its dozen gods and entities, map, city descriptions, etc.), cover gallery, indexes.

There's an 8 page adventure called Underground Down Below based entirely on a lovely map by Evlyn Moreau.

Overall, it's a 127 page black and white hardback you can whip out at your table and use however you like. Great fodder for a sandbox campaign.

 We pick right up from part I of the last session with our party having going on a series of  trucking and cargo runs to get our former party member out of debt. During these runs we did a bit of trading along the way at the hyperspace gate waystations. Our group came across two blasters that were from Old Earth's United Planets & therefore very rare. The trader had a map to Needleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11243274667834930867noreply@blogger.com0

FYI, right now Amazon is offering the Making of Orginal D&D book for $71.49, as a "Prime Big Deal" for Prime Member which is almost $30 off the cover price $99.99, and almost $20 off the "regular" sale price ($89.36). Unfortunately I just noticed this sale and it appears it ends in about 5 hours (the Big Deal Days are Oct 8-9).

Find it here: 

The Making of Original Dungeons & Dragons: 1970-1977

See also these earlier posts:

Early Greyhawk Lore in the 1973 D&D Draft

"The Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977": Out Today! 

"The Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977": Table of Contents

"The Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977": What Might the Precursors Be?

"How Dungeons & Dragons Started" (video about the book)

"The Making of Original D&D: 1970-1977": Everything we know about this upcoming WOTC book

Playing at the World revised edition out in July

My ongoing mission: read DC Comics' output from January 1980 (cover date) to Crisis! This week, I'm looking at the comics that were at newsstands on the week of September 6, 1983. 

Atari Force #1: Conway and artistic team Garcia-Lopez and Villagran present the story of the next generation, following the events of the first volume of the Atari Force comics that were packaged with Atari cartridges. It's about twenty years later, and we're introduced to a new status quo and a host of new characters: Chris Champion aka Tempest who's got teleportation powers, Morphea, an alien empath recently arrived at the Atari Institute, Dart (like Chris, a child of original Atari Force characters) and Blackjack, two badass mercenaries out to get the employer who betrayed them; Babe a giant, alien child who will one day grow into a mountain, and Pakrat, a rodentoid master thief. We also meet the Darth Vader-esque antagonist, Dark Destroyer. This issue really moves and is full of well-defined characters and interesting concepts, but the real star is the art. I loved this issue as a kid, and it holds up today.

Wonder Woman #311: Mishkin and Heck have Wonder Woman's jet hijacked by mischievous, little creatures Trevor and Wonder Woman term Gremlins. They follow the creatures to a partially solidified sky island where there is a graveyard of planes from different eras. There are some larger beings here too, but their relationship to the gremlins isn't clear before the series end. This issue is a bit of whimsical detour compared to what Mishkin has done in previous issues.
In the Cavalieri and Burgard/DeCarlo Huntress backup, our heroine is confronted by two sewer alligators, guard animals of Earthworm, after being sent into a trap by an informant. Meanwhile, the Earthworm leaves a baby on the doorstep of anti-vigilante politician Terry Marsh.

Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld #9: Mishkin/Cohn and Colon continue the story from last issue with Amethyst and her allies fighting to defend the House of Ruby from the Emissaries of Varn. A surviving member of House Diamond showed up at the end of last issue like he was going to kick the Emissaries collective butt, but know they take him out too with their ability to absorb any attack then send it back. The head of Ruby falls before them too, but then Amethyst realizes that each of the 3 Emissaries has a different function. They concentrate their attacks on the middle guy--the conduit--and force them all to retreat from Gemworld.

Blackhawk #265: The Blackhawks get a replacement for Chop-Chop, Ted Gaynor, who's skilled but a bit too humorless and cold-blooded for the rest of the team. The Blackhawk doppelganger returns and frees Professor Merson. The team recaptures Merson and prevents the double from assassinating Churchill.
In the backup by Evanier and Newton/Jensen, Olaf has a meeting with a courier at the circus where he used to perform, but masquerades as a clown when the circus is forced to perform for a Nazi field marshal. In the end, Olaf gets to the courier and the other performers hold off the Germans.


DC Comics Presents #65: Kupperberg and Morrow bring in Madame Xanadu for a team-up. This is her first appearance since the multiple part Wonder Woman story back in'82 and the last time she'll be seen before her appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths #12. Superman is having nightmares where he destroys Metropolis. Meanwhile, two other people are also having their dreams invaded by an evil force. They feel compelled to visit Madame Xanadu for help. Together, they figure out they are all being psychically attacked by Maaldor, who we last saw in issue 56. Maaldor wants to destroy Superman or at least convert him to evil, but with the help of Xanadu he's able to put Maaldor out with a super-punch.

Fury of Firestorm #19: Conway is joined by co-writer Carla Conway, his then wife. Art this issue is from Colan and Magyar. The story feels like it could have been in a Bronze Age Spider-Man villain, complete with ill-conceived, one appearance villain, which makes since given Firestorm sort of follows a Spider-Man blueprint, and Conway is writing. The villain in this case is Goldenrod, a plant humaoid, with the power to cause extreme allergies! He's out for revenge against the unethical researcher who made him this way and he appears to die at the end, but of course, no body is recovered, so he could have emerged next spring allergy season or whenever, but he didn't...
Justice League of America #222: Conway and Patton/Tanghal continue the story from last issue. The cat woman Reena reveals the origin and identity of the animal people the JLA have been encountering. They were the board of Repli-Tech who, fearing financial ruin and potential prosecution as Repli-Tech was going bankrupt, submitted to an experimental process by Dr. Lovecraft to give them animal powers. They used these powers to commit robberies and fight in gladiatorial combats for jaded, wealthy patrons. Seems like it would have been easier and safer to financially exploit Lovecraft's process to me, but I guess that's why I'm not a business executive. When Wonder Woman and Hawkwoman fly to the side of Hawkman who had been poisoned by a scorpion guy and is in the hospital, they are captured.The lion man. Maximus Rex broadcasts a message to the Justice League Satellite, revealing his captives and boasting that he is leader of a new order.

Vigilante #2: Wolfman and Pollard/Marcos have Adrain Chase learn that those things he usually calls "technicalities" might just be justice being done, as he attacks and beats the hell out of a guy who winds up being innocent after all. He gets disillusioned and gives up he vigilante life to work for his father's prestigious but legal firm but gets disillusioned again seeing guilty men evaded justice. In the end, he takes up the Vigilante mantle a second time with the promise to do things differently, but I'm not sure in what way.

Holy shit, I don't believe that here we are, over 12 years later, and Vince Florio (The Evil DM/GM) is back to pretending that Mazes & Perils is something that it isn't. Also, see here. 

The above screenshot is from Vince's Solo.to website

First, Mazes & Perils (2012) is a solid OSR game; there's no taking away from that. I'd expect nothing less, as it is based on the work of R.C. Pinnell and their  Holmes77 retroclone from 2011. That's the link for the freely available source material right there.

Heck, Vince even credits R.C. Pinnell as "Additional Contributor" because of Pinnell's work on Holmes77 in the credits, but somehow Mazes & Perils came first?

Dude, you won an ENnie with Mazes & Perils (2012). Isn't that enough? Why pretend Mazes & Perils is something it isn't?

I was reading the back of a Lucky Charms cereal box today (as you do) and I learned some things that were SHOCKING. SHOCKING.

Here’s the cereal box in question.

It gives a breakdown of all 8 of Lucky the leprechaun’s marshmallows, and what magical power they give him. I was expecting some wishy washy baloney – this marshmallow gives Lucky the power of friendship! stuff like that – but in fact, nearly all of them are legit magic abilities. In fact, they map onto D&D spells to an astonishing degree, with only a few questions to be cleared up.

And not only that, the cereal box ended with a sinister revelation that nearly made me do a spit take. In my opinion, this box strongly implies, if not states outright, that Lucky is a horrific villain that steals mortal children. I mean, that’s par for course for leprechauns – why does Rumplestiltskin want that baby in the Grimm’s story? – but pretty surprising content on the back of a cereal box. We’ll talk more about Lucky’s secret later on, when we get to the final marshmallow.

Dark revelations aside, the real importance of the box is this: finally, we can stat up Lucky as a D&D character. Mankind’s age-old quest is finally complete!

Lucky’s Level

According to the cereal box, Lucky uses the MAGIC OF THE CHARMS to make his world a more enchanted place! Charms = marshmallows, I guess. There are eight marshmallows: hearts, stars, horseshoes, clovers, blue moons, unicorns, rainbows, and red balloons, each with their own powers.

For the most part, each of Lucky’s powers seem to be arcane spells. Lucky could be a wizard or sorcerer, but you can make a strong case for a warlock – fey pact, obviously. And in fact, I have a guess at his level! Lucky knows 8 spells (or more, if the list on the back of the box isn’t exhaustive). According to the Spells Known column of the Warlock table, that would make him at least a 7th level warlock (with access to 4th level spells).

OK, now let’s get to the crux of the issue: what exactly are Lucky’s powers? Let’s take a closer look at that cereal box.

“Hearts let Lucky bring objects to LIFE.” OK, this is obviously animate object. And, right off the bat we learn something new. That’s a fifth level spell – just out of reach for a 7th level caster. Is Lucky level 9, not level 7? That would mean he had at least 10 known spells, two of which weren’t listed on the box. What powers does Lucky have that General Mills doesn’t want you to know about? *

“Stars give Lucky the power to FLY.” That’s obviously the 3rd level spell fly, no questions there.

“Horseshoes help lucky SPEED things up.” That’s haste, another 3rd level spell.

“Clovers bring Lucky GOOD LUCK.” This was maybe the toughest call. What spell brings good luck? It can’t be Lucky (a feat) Luck (a halfling trait) or Stone of Good Luck (an item). After racking my brains, I realized that the luck provided by Clovers doesn’t refer to a spell at all: they’re the Leprechaun 1/day magical ability Gift of Luck. After all, Lucky is not just a warlock, he’s a leprechaun too!

“Blue Moons make Lucky invisible.” Invisibility, next.

“Unicorns bring COLOR to Lucky’s world.” At first glance, this seems like the kind of vague faux-magic I was expecting from Lucky before I realized he was the real deal. Brings color to Lucky’s world? What kind of nonsense is that? But then I thought, maybe this is a euphemistic reference to a combat spell. After all, General Mills can’t say something like “Bone-white fingers allow Lucky to kill you and raise you as an undead!” Even if Lucky had finger of death they’d have to wrap it up in a bow. With that in mind, I think that unicorns either bestow prismatic spray, prismatic wall, or, most likely, Hypnotic Pattern, which uses a “twisting pattern of colors” to incapacitate foes who are trying to steal your Lucky Charms. That’s another 3rd level spell.

“Rainbows give Lucky the power of TELEPORTATION.” Ok, hold on. Teleport is super high level – a 7th-level spell – and it’s not even on the warlock spell list? So Lucky’s teleportation is probably some more limited spell. Dimension door is a warlock spell, and it’s 4th level, easily within Lucky’s grasp even if he’s only level 7. The box COULD go on to say that it gives Lucky “the power of TELEPORTATION to a space within 500 feet” and go on to describe the force damage Lucky takes if he teleports into a solid object. But maybe some misguided editor cut that part out.

The last spell: “Red balloons give Lucky the power to FLOAT.” I think this is levitation – a little redundant when you have fly, but what are you gonna do. The real story here is not that Lucky has a non-optimal spell choice. The real story is that Lucky

     is

          Pennywise

Or at least extremely closely related to Pennywise. The same species? “We all float down here!” says Lucky, as he clutches his red balloon, and leads kids on a fruitless treasure hunt that leads right to his lair. Where do these kids go? I think we all know the answer. All these child-abducting fey – Lucky, Pennywise, Peter Pan, the Pied Piper – are the same. Dressed in a cartoonishly cheerful guise, they lure victims into their neverland marshmallow sewers, never to return – or, like Peter Pan’s Lost Boys and IT‘s Losers Club, to return different.

So maybe I’m on the wrong track here statting up Lucky as a character. I should be making him as a villain – a Legendary stat block. Kill him and free the children in his clutches. Your reward will be a pot o’ gold filled with all the marshmallows you can eat.

* To figure out Lucky’s secret spells, we should probably start by looking at a list of retired Lucky Charms marshmallows. There used to be a crystal ball marshmallow (scrying?) and a pot o’ gold marshmallow (Leomund’s Secret Chest perhaps?) Those are very plausible 9th and 10th spells. Interestingly, there also used to be an hourglass marshmallow, which, according to Wikipedia, let Lucky STOP TIME. That can be no other spell than time stop – a 9th level spell. What gives? Why did Lucky have a spell so much more powerful than the ones he has today? Can a fey warlock patron give a spell – and then take it away? Perhaps what Lucky did with time stop went beyond the pale even for an amoral archfey patron. Once possessing powers rivaling or exceeding those of the mightiest mortal archfey, Lucky is now stripped of most of his powers, haunting the Feywild as a grim reminder of the fate of those whose ambition exceeds their grasp.

As I said with yesterday's Deal of the Day, I appreciate the various FlexTale releases series for ease of use and inspiration for running sessions. At the fantastic FREE price, FlexTale Infinite Adventures Volume 1: Western Realm of Aquilae is an excellent resource for the harried GM. 

Contains 25 significant points of interest (POI).  Each one is designed to be interesting enough for at least an entire gaming session, if not an entire multi-session arc, or even an entire campaign.  Each POI could be its own book :)

Each POI is designed to be immediately usable in any fantasy TTRPG, in any campaign setting, with zero to little preparation.

The entire book has been designed from the ground up to support and enable solo adventuring.

Also contains universally-usable mechanics, guidelines, tables, and general resources for all points of interest in a fantasy TTRPG campaign.

Zero Prep, System-Agnostic

Designed to be immediately usable in any fantasy TTRPG, all Infinite Adventures books require zero prep time.

What is This Thing?

FlexTale Infinite Adventures is a concept that applies the Infinium Game Studio approach to points of interest on a fantasy TTRPG map.  Detailed descriptions, endless permutations of things to keep things fresh, easy-to-use tables and resources, and plenty of ideas and inspiration.

This book is the first in a series describing the various Points of Interest (POI) in the Western Realm of Aquilae.  Though it was created with this setting in mind, everything in this book was designed to be system- and setting-agnostic.

Inside, you'll find:

• Discovery, including read-aloud text, "Why You Might Come Here", "So You Find Yourself Here", Hooks, and more.
• Activities, including Adventure Snippets, Quests, Secrets, Threats, and more.
• Location information, including a heatmap / location guide for the POI's presence in the Realm of Aquilae.
• Rumors & Lore table with true, partially true, and false stories about the POI.
• Events and Quirks, describing unique phenomena that might occur as you explore.
• More interesting for players.  Easier to run for D/GMs.  Full, out of the box support for solo players.

And above all: NOT BORING!

Contents

Inside, you'll find:

• 149 tables
• 35 FlexTables (each one 4 tables in one)
• 37 pages of Utility Tables: quickly and dynamically generate entire dungeon maps, traps, poisons, diseases, curses, treasure, and spells.
• "Jump Right In" introduciton describing exactly how to use this book based on your needs as a G/DM
• Dedicated discussion on how to use this book as a solo adventurer
• Creature Modifiers to quickly make even the most ho-hum, boring common monster more interesting and unique
• Much, much more!

Points of Interest

Each of the following gets 4 full dedicated pages of description, tools, variability, and resources.  With the tables provided, any one of these POI represents tens of thousands of possible combinations of use in your game!

• Abbey
• Ancient Halls
• Aquifers of Charnel Heights
• Armory of Armies
• Army of the Damned
• Astuterie Galleries
• Asylums
• Barbarian Wastes
• Barrowlands
• Basin of Welcome
• Bazaar of the Righteous
• Behemoth Falls
• Blackiron Cathedral
• Blackstack Village
• Blades of Thyraxis
• Bleaktract
• Bloodwater Dam
• Bone Orchard
• Bravislatovok
• Breweries of the Ivory Flight
• Cagicull Keep
• Cairn of the Forsaken
• Cakemount
• Camels Threat
• Canyon of the Godswound

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I just saw this pop up in my feed and snagged it immediately. I've been impressed with other releases in the FlexTale series and expect more of the same high quality.

Normally,10 bucks in PDF, until tomorrow morning FlexTale Adventure Generator: Dungeons is on sale for 5 bucks.

This book aims to be the most complete, most comprehensive, most innovative authority on designing, creating, and running Dungeon-based adventures ever produced.

Simply put: If you are playing, or plan to play, any sort of fantasy tabletop roleplaying game, this book will help you.  

Bringing together 35 years of gaming, both old-school through to today's most popular systems, the FlexTale Adventure Generator (FTAG) culminates a lifetime's passion for the hobby into a massively useful volume that can be instantly invaluable to any gaming group, in any context, using any rules system.

Whether you enjoy complex design and superbly intricate options, or if you prefer the calm simplicity of a straightforward six-sided die roll, the FTAG has been designed with you, and the time you have available, in mind.

All FlexTale books are designed with the many demands upon the G/DM in mind--they can be used immediately, with zero preparation, with any TTRPG rules system, in any campaign setting, at any gaming table.  This book was created to be supremely useful to inspire grognards who have been gaming since the hobby's inception, yet accessible enough for complete novice and first-time G/DMs to find immediate excitement.

Who is This For?

If you're any of the following and you're reading this, then I'd recommend you click on the preview to get a sense of what's involved here.  :)

A time-pressed G/DM, who doesn't have time to prepare for tonight's session but still wants to present a ton of exciting options for the PCs.

Planners, who want to devote a great deal of time, care, and attention to each and every aspect of their dungeon adventures, and who want to make sure that they have provided against every possible contingency that their players might pursue.

A G/DM who is planning an adventure with intention, but wants creative inspiration and to be prompted with ideas, starting points, and to provide structure to their own notions.

Writers who are authoring their own adventures, either to accelerate the process or to aid with areas in which they welcome assistance.

World-builders who hope to drive the generation of their world in adaptation to the discoveries of the PCs at the more personal level, evolving the nature of their campaign world and its contents in a way that echoes the players' experience.

G/DMs who want to run a one-shot adventure designed on the fly dynamically, with the option to turn it into an arbitarily-longer campaign.

Anyone with plenty of great ideas and creativity, who is looking for structure and a way to organize all of their inspiration into something that can be put in front of players.

A solo adventurer, who is looking for a system that generates entire, endless, interesting, unpredictable, and engaging campaigns.

Designed with Solo in Mind

The FlexTale Adventure Generator has been designed at every level to fuel exciting, engaging, and surprising solo adventuring.  Arguably the biggest challenge for any solo player is how to maintain the element of surprise--how can you be shocked, inspired, or excited about twists and turns that you yourself created?

Every single concept and tool in this book was designed with easy-to-use randomization, and explicit descriptions of how and when to keep revelations about the adventure's design a secret, or undetermined, until it's necessary.

What is This Thing?

The FlexTale Adventure Generator (FTAG) is over 400 pages, and contains over 380 tables, dozens of optional rules, tons of tools and templates and other powerful resources that can be used immediately, by any D/GM, in any gaming context.  

Whether you're playing a published adventure, creating your own, or want to generate an entirely dynamic adventure on the fly during a game session with no prep beforehand, this book provides simple instructions, easy-to-use tables, and straightforward dice rolls to spawn a truly infinite variety of engaging, interesting adventure content, no matter what your experience level.

How Do I Use This?

There are two types of things you can do with this book.

1: Make dungeon maps.

2: Create dungeon adventure content.

You can use this book for one or the other of these.  If you do both of them together, you're literally generating an entire adventure, from start to finish--or, more likely, not to a finish, so much as to an infinitely-unfolding narrative and exploraton of an entire gaming world.  All with some simple dice rolls!

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 Finishing off the bonus scenarios and PDFs will be sent this month. 

Volume 3, Issue 2 of The Spider magazine (July 1934) is as clear an indication as any that Norvell Page (writing as Grant Stockbridge) is not going to pull any punches with his Spider yarns. His first Spider outing saw kids dying from the bubonic plague unleashed by the villain. In this one, we're only a few pages in when a young member of a club of wannabe Baker Street Irregulars, "The Spider Fan Club," is tortured to death by a gang of modern-day pirates using a knife charged with electricity.
This is part of a larger plot where the gang, led by the beautiful villainess who calls herself Captain Kidd, is using a pulpy invention to electrify rails so that that glow with almost magical "green fire" and electrocute all the passengers of trains so their corpses can be robbed without any witnesses. The trains are sent rolling on to their destinations with no one living on board.
It's a hell of a lurid set-up, and Page is up to the challenge of delivering on it. The pirates set some pretty good death traps for the Spider to have to escape from. There's also a bit of a mystery regarding a kidnapped inventors missing granddaughter that isn't a big point but has a nice little payoff. 
The only thing missing, maybe, is any hint of femme fatale regarding Captain Kidd. The righteous and driven Spider finds her utterly loathsome (and with her disregard for human life, who can blame him!), and though Page says she is attractive, he doesn't give her the sort of loving description a Robert Howard would have.

Get The Spider: The Corpse Cargo here. Tim Truman did a loose adaptation of this story in comics format in the 1990s.

Love him or hate him, it's hard to argue with Venger's talent as an old-school creator. If you like gonzo, Cha'alt will likely be a subtle choice for your palette. If you aren't a fan of gonzo, at the price of FREE Cha'alt is an excellent source of inspiration for its less gonzo pieces.

Cha'alt is the beast of a book (218 pages) I've been working on for the past year.  It's a ruined world focusing on a couple of introductory dungeons before getting to the main event - the megadungeon known as The Black Pyramid.  

The Black Pyramid is like nothing you've ever seen before.  Unique design, purpose, feel, magic items, NPCs, monsters, factions, motives, agendas, strangeness, the works!

There's a decent amount of setting detail besides dungeoncrawling - space opera bar, domed city, mutants, weird ass elves, desert pirates, a city ruled by a gargantuan purple demon-worm, and much more!

Cha'alt is compatible with both old school and 5e D&D purposefully blended for maximum usability.  Full disclosure: aside from advantage/disadvantage and bounded accuracy, there isn't much in the way of 5th edition mechanics. It's predominantly OSR.

I've included my own Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 as an appendix, but you can use any of the hundred RPG systems available to run Cha'alt as your own.  The rules-language is fairly neutral, and my priority was helping the Game Master at the table.

The world is gonzo, eldritch, science-fantasy, and post-apocalyptic.  It's a wild ride, perfect for those players seeking something a little bit different, but also recognizable. 

The interior is gorgeous full-color art, layout, cartography and Lovecraftian aesthetics.  Gold ENnie winner Glynn Seal of MonkeyBlood Design went above and beyond his usual fantastic job.  Give the new 32 page preview a look.  I spared no expense making Cha'alt fantastic - this world is alive and spilling over with possibilities.

Cha'alt should give you years of solid, non-standardized gaming. 

 

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