Old School RPG Planet

2023-12-01

Lost PagesNew Kickstarter: Yochai Gal’s Beyond the Pale. Also, Dragonmeet!

TL;DR: Yochai wrote a book. I’m producing it. It has sick art. The kickstarter goes live tomorrow. Day one backers get a free iron-on patch. Need some convincing? We have a video! Look at some pretty mockups to whet your need for beautiful books. Ok, we can all make a cute cover, but this book […]

Categories:

  • Uncategorized

Dragon's BreakfastThe Grim Halls (TM) - Session Summaries 17-20

SESSION #17August 23, 2023DRAMATIS PERSONAE:Shifty (Halfling 4)Grumli (Dwarf 3)Thunk II (Thief 4)Chonko (Fighter 1)[Polemore (NM)]Carmack (MU1) NPCEncounters: 6 Bubbears25 ZombiesGreen SlimeTreasure: 800sp400gpXP: 1080Notable Moments: All those zombies!!!Thunk II and Polemore die to zombies; but the thief's insurance policy pays off!Chonko pledges himself to the church of ????; 10% tithe for free Raise Dead when needed.Shifty and the green slime maceShifty dies and spends all …

2023-11-30

[diregrizzlybear]Beneath the Missing Sea Episode 10

The Sea Speaker's TowerEpisode 10, finally spotting the dead Leviathan and sneaking into a wizard's tower.Played November 14, 2023The Party for Episode 8mtb playing ManqobaCaptainSabatini playing Esgormanigneous playing FiskeThe original Crab Wranglers reunited after many weeks apart and quickly decided to leverage their fame to put together a warband to deal with some larger issues they'd yet avoided. In addition to hiring the usual Hemmingway the porter and Albert de Manc the hedge knig…

Categories:

  • Beneath the Missing Sea
  • hexcrawl
  • osr
  • session report

Monsters and ManualsBest Books of 2023

The greatest of traditions have a timeless quality that allows us to imagine ourselves inhabiting an unbroken chain of custom that goes back into the mists of the ancient past. And so it is with Monsters & Manuals 'Best Books of...' lists, which each year are keenly awaited by small, ruddy-cheeked children up and down the land, so that they can refer to it when deciding what to put on their Christmas lists to St Nick.This year, the recommendations will be as follows. I limiting myself here to f…

Tale of the ManticoreHeroforge Versions of S1 Characters

Thanks so much to Daily Hero Forge Minis for sending me these awesome S1 character figurine mockups. I'm sure many of you will recognize them right away. They are, of course, Gyrios, Kagan, Aradine, Umura, and Molgi.

Trilemma AdventuresThe Isle of Wight: Planning the Sandbox

One of the defining aspects of this campaign is my choice to run this on the real, actual Isle of Wight. I had thought about filing off the serial numbers, but the more time I spent poring over Google Maps, the more tempted I was to use the real place.Approaching the Needles Tourist AttractionThe sheer amount of information here is truly overwhelming, but also like catnip to my brain. For one thing, players can get a good map of the whole place that really kicks player planning up a notch.Ord…

Categories:

  • games
  • isle-of-wight
  • rpg

Beyond Fomalhaut[BEYONDE] Thief: The Black Parade [NOW AVAILABLE]

The Black Parade“In THE BLACK PARADE you play the character of Hume, a hardenedcriminal who was sent into exile as a punishment for his crimes.The year is 833. You are now back in The City, a sprawling metro-polis of soot-caked brick, greasy fumes and noisy machinery, withmany a sinister conspiracy whispered behind closed doors. Lost andwithout a penny to your name, you are back to your life of thieveryand must find your old associate Dahlquist. Shadows and silence areyour allies. Light …

Categories:

  • beyonde
  • monocle

Methods & MadnessMy fireball problem

My fireball problem (in B/X) is the fact that, in wilderness adventuring, the magic-user (MU) can destroy most encounters with a single fireball.Facing another MU is deadly: he can cause a TPK with a single fireball.The fighter will probably survive, but so wounded that the magic-user now has a decent chance of finishing him with a dagger (if the fighter can close in right after the fireball; otherwise, a magic missile could finish the job).MUs are also very susceptible to fireballs, so if tw…

Categories:

  • actual play
  • AD&D
  • Basic D&D
  • D&D
  • hit points
  • House rules
  • Magic
  • Old school
  • OSR
  • and more…

Traverse FantasyTinkering Fighters & Magic Weapons

You're a regular 1d figure. How many tries does it take to defeat another figure like you? Maybe 1 if you can land a hit, or 2 if you account for your chance to do that.Nope, 3.0 tries, on the dot. Then it takes 2.6 tries if you have 1d–1 hit die, and 2.3 tries if you have ½d hit die.That's pretty bad. And that's just for a 50% chance to hit. Upping this by 20% gives 2.2, 1.9, and 1.7. Not helping.Think about it this way, too: to find the chance of one-shotting a figure, multiply the attacker…

Categories:

  • combat
  • dnd
  • fmc
  • math
  • ttrpg

Grumpy WizardMusic Recommendation: Glass Future by Howling Giant

Glass Future by Howling Giant is one of my favorite new albums of 2023. I was also fortunate to see them live at a local venue.

Categories:

  • music
  • recommended
  • sword-and-sorcery
  • hard rock
  • heavy metal
  • music review
  • psychedelic rock

The Grand Tapestry[Life] Moving Day and Uniform Inspection (sortta)

I'm 98% finished with packing, and the handyman driver is due in about an hour and a half. Move-in prep has been made on the Landlord's side. It's just a 25 minute ride further away from work than my sister's place. But, its so close to the subway. :|Supervisor informed me that she plans a uniform inspection (me, only, 'cause I'm the one who relieves her shift), and to

The Other Side blogInto the Forgotten Realms: Baldur's Gate 3 Characters (and HeroForge minis)

For my personal foray into the Forgotten Realms, I will name this series exactly that: Into the Forgotten Realms. This is also appropriate because my very first recollection of the Forgotten Realms was not the "Grey Box" but rather an adventure in the pages of Dragon Magazine.When Ed Greenwood was exploring the Realms in the pages of Dragon, he had a guide, the Sage of Shadowdale Elminster. Elminster told him stories of the Realms and was the intermediary between his world and ours.But Elminst…

Categories:

  • BG3
  • character
  • characters
  • Forgotten Realms
  • HeroForge
  • miniatures

Playful VoidBathtub Review: Knowing Revenge of the Grasping Gods

Bathtub Reviews are an excuse for me to read modules a little more closely. I’m doing them to critique modules from the perspective of my own table and to learn for my own module design. They’re stream of consciousness and unedited critiques. I’m writing them on my phone in the bath. Knowing Revenge of the […]

Categories:

  • Bathtub Reviews
  • greek myth
  • system agnostic

The Other Side blog#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 11, Room 30

The exit to this maze is in sight. The only thing stopping you is the titanic red dragon.Unlike the black dragon from earlier in this maze, the red dragon (Raxafalion) has made his home here. He has amassed a pile of gold from the Dwarven tombs above and whatever Akelarre has not claimed.If Sir Fluffles is still with the party he will attack.This dragon has maximum hp (80 hp) and twice the normal treasure (Hx2).

Categories:

  • #Dungeon23
  • basic
  • Isles of Avalon
  • OSE
  • Vampire Queen

New School RevolutionBeyond the Pale

Beyond The PaleI’m very excited to announce that tomorrow, Friday Dec 1st, the Kickstarter for Beyond the Pale is finally launching!WATCH THE TRAILERWATCH ME TALK ABOUT ITFOLLOW THE KICKSTARTER PAGE TO GET NOTIFIEDWhat is it?Beyond The Pale is an old school adventure module inspired by Jewish history, folk tales, and mysticism. One of the goals of this setting is to highlight the unique folklore and belief cultivated by the Jewish people and present them in an Old School RPG setting. The a…

Categories:

  • rpg
  • osr
  • cairn
  • adventures

2023-11-29

Age of Dusk[NAP] Rating High Level Adventures

With the deadline a mere day away and my inbox steadily filling up, I figured it would be worthwhile to go over my method of judging adventures for high level oldschool D&D and re-iterate some of the peculiarities of writing for this bandwidth. I believe I have done so before. Part of this exercise should … More [NAP] Rating High Level Adventures

Categories:

  • No Artpunk
  • NO ARTPUNK CONTEST

Stuffed CrocodileDungeons and Dragons TV Channel

So I read a few articles the last few weeks about a new Dungeons and Dragons TV channel created by Hasbro which was supposed to launch soon. I didn’t look too deep into it. The modern version of Dungeons and Dragons is not really my jam. And there’s the whole mess that Wizards of the […]

Categories:

  • dungeons and dragons
  • Roleplaying
  • dnd
  • Television

Traverse FantasyFighter Woes

Behold my woes:LBB or FMC: Lots of dice-rolling.AD&D: Stupid and bad; multi-attack hell.B/X or OSE: Plain boring. Boooooo.DCC: No multi-attacks.D&D4: Too many choices.D&D5: The worst of AD&D, DCC, and D&D4.FMC Skirmishes: Hard to explain; relies on an alternate system; constant factor overwhelms random factor.FMC Basic: Having a damage floor is kinda awkward.What to do? Earlier I said that I like fighters adding their level to attack and damage rolls, in combination with some way for th…

Categories:

  • combat
  • dnd
  • fmc
  • ttrpg

Gundobad GamesProduct Update - my Bronze Age character background guide is now even better!

BRAZEN BACKGROUNDS: Character Backgrounds for Bronze Age Settings is now even better, thanks to a new update!What's BRAZEN BACKGROUNDS, you ask? It's a colorful character-background generator written specifically for gaming in Bronze Age fantasy settings - and written by a professional scholar, with a doctorate in ancient history and archaeology.BRAZEN BACKGROUNDS is available here on DTRPG.com (affiliate link) for $4.75 USD.For the first time since its 2019 release, I've just uploaded an upd…

Coins and ScrollsOSR: Rereading OD&D: Back to the Start

Time to revisit the primordial ooze of the Old-School Renaissance, the original D&D booklets.While my usual long-term OSR campaigns use the GLOG, for playtests and one-shots I sometimes use a highly mutated version of AD&D. If they were dog breeds, the version of AD&D I use would be a neurotic greyhound with hip dysplasia, the GLOG is an Argentine tegu in a dog costume, and OD&D is a barely domesticated coyote/dog hybrid.I will not explain further.No One Ever Said It Would Be This HardImagin…

Categories:

  • OD&D
  • OSR

The Grand Tapestry[Art] I'd Love Some

Piece(c) 2023 Kyrinn S. EisIn my sister's household, Pumpkin is reserved for the Old Gods, and so it wasn't on the seasonal menu. I love pumpkin pie, with a nice dollop of cream. I could really go in for a piece right now. It would make the Season seem legit. 🧡🎃

The Other Side blogD&DGII The Black Forest Mythos: Fata Norne, the Fates

I am now at my last set of gods (or whatever the Fates are), which brings me full circle. Today, I want to talk about the Fates.When I began this project I talked about this book of mythology I had that had stories of the Greek myths, the Norse myths, and ending in Beowulf. In my young mind, these looked like a continuum, one set of tales flowed into the next. While age would teach me that these were separate myths, later age would also teach me they are still just one set of myths from an even…

Categories:

  • 1st ed
  • Advanced
  • D&DGII
  • gods
  • Monstrous Mondays

AV&ES- Roll those dice![New Spell] Vegetal Toxicity

Vegetal Toxicity Darsh the druid felt a firm grip on his upper arm as he wandered through the town market. Turning quickly he recognized an old rival from the druidic circles he used to roam about in. ‘Ah, Darsh, so … Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Magic Spells
  • Uncategorized
  • Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
  • BD&D
  • BFRPG
  • Blueholme
  • Dragonslayer Rpg
  • Hyperborea
  • Iron Falcon
  • and more…

Savage Lair of the WeregrognardDungeon23: Week 47

Area C: Medical and BiolabThis map is released under terms of the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.Room 15: MedicalThere are multiple areas with reclining beds and machines, closed off by curtains. A few have ancient skeletons on them.If power is turned on, the machines connected to the beds come to life with lights and illusory displays. If a character lays on a bed, illusory images appear all over their body, indicating any ailments such as wounds, poisons, or disease. The bed then provides first aid …

Categories:

  • Dungeon23
  • megadungeon

The Acorn AfloatKnock! #4 Kickstarter is live, and I got some stuff in it

The Kickstarter for Knock! issue four is now live, and I got some stuff in it! 212 pages of gaming articles, tables, and whatnots.I've only heard good stuff about the previous issues, so here's hoping I won't ruin anything!If you pledge on the "Ecstatic Mushperson" level, you too will be able to stack your copies like above!

Categories:

  • kickstarter
  • knock

Dyson's DodecahedronLabyrinth Lord’s Known Lands Hex Map

With the second edition of the classic Labyrinth Lord B/X retro-clone now in production, I had the incredible pleasure of …Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Fantasy
  • Maps
  • Advanced Labyrinth Lord
  • Hex
  • Hex Crawl
  • Hex Map
  • Hexmap
  • Labyrinth Lord
  • OSR
  • and more…

There Could Have Been SnakesThe Keep on Yeoldelands – Session 81

Reprieve from Castle Amber shenanigans. Click here for the other sessions. Expedition 52 23 Nov 2023 Leaving their mercenaries behind in Ximes to enjoy the week’s worth of accommodation paid for, the party left the city and ventured into the wild woods. Following the road, they came across a figure sat leaning against a tree, … Continue reading The Keep on Yeoldelands – Session 81

Categories:

  • RPG
  • B4 Lost City
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • Fantasy
  • Into the Wyrd and Wild
  • Old School Essentials
  • Session Report
  • X2 Castle Amber
  • Yeoldelands

Traverse FantasySpotify Wrapped

You will look at my Spotify Wrapped.

What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse...Rules for Mass Combat: Fiddling Around

This week, I've been fiddling around with Frank Mentzer's War Machine rules from the BECMI Companion Set. I've always liked these rules. They can handle huge wars or small skirmishes with just a few calculations, a pair of die rolls, and some table look-ups. The only problem is that those calculations can be a bit clunky at times.For those that don't know, the War Machine has you first calculate a Basic Force Rating (BFR), depending on the leader's level and mental ability scores, the level/HD …

Categories:

  • BECMI
  • Chainmail
  • domain game
  • family gaming
  • RPGs
  • Wargaming

VAULTS OF VAARNThe Shrike: Pre-Campaign Page Now Live

A quick update to say that the pre-launch page for The Shrike, my upcoming Hell-themed megadungeon point-crawl setting for Old School Essentials, is now live and you can sign up for an email alert once the funding period begins. This is my biggest TTRPG project ever, almost 70k words in manuscript, and I’m really excited… Continue reading The Shrike: Pre-Campaign Page Now Live →

Categories:

  • The Shrike
  • news
  • RPG

tenfootpole.orgThe House of Lost Loves

By Thomas Scott Ingle Self Published LotFP The men of Dunnswain are distraught; all their wives are missing! They point apprehensively to a lone house on a hill, a couple miles from town. To paraphrase, “Our wives went there in … Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Review
  • My Life is a Living Fucking Hell
  • Reviews
  • The Worst EVAR?

The Other Side blog#Dungeon23 Tomb of the Vampire Queen, Level 11, Room 29

Encounter area 29 is a large goat demon. He has been waiting for you.This is the Demon Prince Akelarre.He is the demonic patron of the Vampire Queen. They have an agreement and he is protecting her tomb, but he is under no obligation to stay and will retreat if the battle goes against him.Unlike the others on this level, he can come and go as he pleases. Indeed he is the one that summons these creatures here. He is given all the spoils of this level.

Categories:

  • #Dungeon23
  • basic
  • Isles of Avalon
  • OSE
  • Vampire Queen

2023-11-28

CROSS PLANESOrk City: Moorlocks for Shadowdark

Welcome to Ork City!It is inspired by Gamma World, Numenera, Thundarr the Barbarian, Planet of the Apes, Roadside Picnic, Kamandi, the Last Boy on Earth, and Mad Max and focuses on excursions to what used to be the ruins of New York City. I see it as a Point Crawl mixed with running Dungeons that drawls in those seeking fortune and treasure in this harsh and unrelenting world.Most of what is known about the Moorlocks come from the Vagabonds who have survived its dangers and the Versifiers who …

Categories:

  • Dungeon
  • Ork City
  • OSR
  • Point Crawl
  • Shadowdark

Attronarch's AthenaeumConquering the Barbarian Altanis: Session 72

![CDATA[ Adventurers |Character|Class|Description| |---|---|---| |Rangar the Bull|Fighter level 1|Titanic, dark-skinned figure wearing bull-headed helmet and a harness with countless weapons strapped to it.| |Ervain|Cleric level 1|A cleric.| |Nolmbork|Dwarf level 1|Portly, bald, red bearded, with an epic nose. On a mission to have a drink in every settlement in Wilderlands.| |Ryan|Magic-User level 1|A magic-user.| |Celeborn of Revelshire|Elf level 1|Hails from a distant community led by an Ent. …

GROGNARDIAPolyhedron: Issue #12

Issue #12 of Polyhedron (June 1983) features a very striking cover by Larry Elmore that depicts a pegasus-riding warrior about to engage a red dragon in aerial combat. Like all of the newszine's recent covers, this one draws inspiration from the issue's installment of "Encounters" about which I'll write shortly.The issue proper kicks off with an editorial by Kim Eastland – now the publisher of Polyhedron – in which he discusses several matters. The first of these is that Polyhedron has joined T…

Categories:

  • ADnD
  • boot hill
  • dawn patrol
  • DnD
  • elmore
  • gamma world
  • gangbusters
  • gygax
  • maps
  • and more…

Shuttered RoomThree Foods of The Land Beyond The Great Forest

There's three dishes that really stand out.Blood Soup.Rich, red and warming. Packed with paprika. Normally made without blood, but a concentrated base of pork (or less commonly, beef) stock.Recommended to build you back up when you're a bit pale and drained from sleeping badly the last few nights. Traditionally a remedy for anaemia - hence the name.Variations include floating chunks of pickled beetroot, much much more garlic, or absolutely no garlic at all. Sometimes served in a hollowed-out…

Categories:

  • system agnostic
  • worldbuilding

Methods & MadnessThe BECMI reaction table

To be honest, I never paid much attention to the BECMI reaction table.I'm usually more interested in B/X and I thought that the BECMI table was just a needlessly convoluted version of the B/X table I liked, requiring multiple rolls to achieve the same result.I was completely wrong, of course.The part I overlooked is the asterisk. It explains in a succinct manner a number of questions I had with B/X reactions:- When do you use Charisma for reaction rolls?- What happens in an "uncertain" resu…

Categories:

  • 5e
  • AD&D
  • Basic D&D
  • Brainstorming
  • D&D
  • Dice
  • OSR
  • Random table
  • rant
  • and more…

Monsters and ManualsThe Clan of Cain: Ogres, Elves, Evil Phantoms and Giants

I recently had the opportunity on a long drive to listen to Seamus Heaney reading his own translation of Beowulf from start to finish. It was a real treat, and I highly recommend it. I had read Beowulf before in other translations, but long ago, and the words are of course meant to be spoken rather than read; it is a much more powerful experience that way, especially (and strangely) when delivered in Heaney's decidedly un-Germanic Irish brogue.I was very struck by the poem's syncretism (more on…

The Grand Tapestry[Art] Long Rambling Road

Defending the Children(c) 2023 Kyrinn S. Eis All Rights ReservedI went off into video-game emulation levels of artwork, and found another lovely style along the way as a side-effect of some choices, but I'm back to this style (for now), as I find it is the sweet-spot, the nexus of the influences I most enjoy in colour paintings. Tweaks to characters and cultures will be seen, but, for

Traverse FantasyPhysical Media Collection

I'm thinking that I want to start collecting DVDs of movies and shows that I like. On one hand, it's because streaming is annoying and increasingly expensive. On the other hand, I want to fill my media console with stuff because my kitty baby Rainbow has proved a danger to all the little trinkets I used to have in there.So, I made a check-off list of movies or shows that I like to (or would like to) rewatch and maybe would want to display.Agatha Christie's PoirotArrivalBarbieBottomsBreakfa…

Prismatic WastelandIn Defense of Ability Scores

Ability scores have become vestigial in modern corporate D&D and Pathfinder, but there is a different D&D lineage where they are evolving into an elegant mechanic.

Adventures under the Dark SunSession One Hundred: Lost in the Ringing Mountains

Day 5, Week 1, Fifthover, Friend's Vengeance, 190th King's Age, Sun DescendingThe group got up and began their morning rituals. Samsun and Kraah preached sermons about how great their respective elements were. Dimitria implored the land to give her spells and Cheet memorized her spells. Raco practiced standing, with mixed success, and Yusef slept in.Afterward, they passed out food and water rations. No one knew how to cook, so they ate dried meat and raw tubers. After eating, the group got up …

Categories:

  • ADnD
  • Campaign
  • OSR

Mazirian's GardenDowntime: Home away from Home

I had some more thoughts on downtime I wanted to share. But first, speaking of downtime, it was just announced that my supplement, Downtime in Zyan, is one of the winners of The Awards 2023! You can check out the full list of winners here. It’s an honor I share with my team. Downtime in Zyan is what it is thanks both to the meticulous layout of Lester B. Portley, and especially to Evlyn Moreau’s superb mole rat illustrations, without which the supplement would be a hollow shell. But back to the …

Categories:

  • Basecamp
  • Downtime
  • Downtime Activities
  • Home away from Home
  • Homebase

The Grand Tapestry[Photo] Naked Truth

BabeThere you areUp so highYou hide yourselfFrom my sightWhenever I look upAnd see your faceI think backTo when we first metThat night you held on so tightDidn't lose controlOutsideI fell for youWhen you didn't loseYour seat

CROSS PLANESMiscreant Monday: Crime Wave for Savage Worlds + the Supers Companion for Earth 72

Artwork by Storn CookHamilton Fox, a con man and drug dealer, had dreamed of becoming an Olympic runner for as long as he could remember. Sadly, he was willing to do anything to be the best and was caught using performance enhancing drugs and banned from competing any further.Blaming everyone but himself he fell in with the wrong crowd and began dealing drugs before being caught and doing time in the Holloway Detention Center on the outskirts of Opal City. It was there that he met Joseph Klein…

Categories:

  • DC Comics
  • DC Comics Presents
  • Earth72
  • Miscreant Monday
  • Savage Worlds
  • Super Heroes RPGs

2023-11-27

The Mystical Trash HeapBonus session (#7.5)

Although the players from the main group were all busy with Thanksgiving festivities, I had visitors from out of town who wanted to play, so we had a game on Saturday.Cast of Characters:Thorgrim (Dwarf Cleric 4)Rebecca (Elf Fighter 4)Baron (war dog, who Thorgrim can speak with due to a Knack)These two had done some exploration in the Perlammo Salt Mines (at Thanksgiving last year), but having heard rumors that another group of adventurers had pretty thoroughly cleaned that area out decided …

Categories:

  • AD&D
  • Adventures
  • Brink of Calamity
  • D&D
  • session recap

Age of Dusk[Ludoarcheology] Casus Belli #009; Le Jeux de l’Arene

Habitual disclaimer: I do not own any of this, I have neither asked nor received official permission and this translation and critique is done for educational and entertainment purposes only. Occasionally some liberties have been taken with the translation to improve legibility and trim some of the fat but in all cases effort has been expended … More [Ludoarcheology] Casus Belli #009; Le Jeux de l’Arene

Categories:

  • Translations
  • Adventure
  • Casus Belli
  • Lvl 1 - 3

Whose Measure God Could Not TakeNotes from Reading "The Prairie Traveler: A Handbook for Overland Expeditions"

For the past few months, I've been interested in a very interesting book, a handbook for traveling the American west written by US Army captain Randolph B. Marcy, published with the authority of the US War Department in 1859. In the first place, it's a useful first-hand account of the country in that time, and Marcy's perspective on the character of the land, rustic life, and the inhabitants of that increasingly imperiled region serve as an interesting historical note. As a guidebook for overlan…

Categories:

  • Great and Terrible
  • player advice

ZENOPUS ARCHIVESPlaying at the World: Second Edition coming next year

Cover of the original printingAs mentioned recently by author Jon Peterson on X, a second edition of his seminal history of D&D, Playing at the World, is coming out next year, via MIT Press.An Amazon pre-order page exists with a date of August 6th, 2024, with both print and digitial options. No cover image is yet available:Playing at the World Pre-Order PageLong out of print, second hand copies of the original printing from 2012 regularly fetch over $200.Rather than just a straight reprint,…

Categories:

  • History

GROGNARDIAThe Logos of TSR's Gamma World

Over the weekend, I was cleaning the bookshelf nearest to my computer desk and saw the boxed sets of the first and second editions of Gamma World sitting side by side. Visually, they couldn't be more different from one another. Here's the logo of the first edition:I'm no expert on typography, so I can't tell which font is being used here. I can only say that, whatever it is, the font makes a certain point: Gamma World takes place in a "shattered" setting, one that has suffered some sort of cata…

Categories:

  • gamma world
  • tsr

AV&ES- Roll those dice![New Magic Item] Belt of Gems and Jools

Belt of Gems and Jools ‘I’ll not wear the thing,’ grumbled Wrilk the dwarf. ‘Why not? I can’t wear it, I am the one they will suspect of treachery, not you,’ replied Bakra-do. ‘It is a gnomish thing. I will … Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Magic Items
  • Uncategorized
  • Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
  • BD&D
  • BFRPG
  • Blueholme
  • Dragonslayer Rpg
  • Hyperborea
  • Iron Falcon
  • and more…

Dyson's DodecahedronScavenger’s Deep – Map 1

The Scavengers’ Deep is a reminder of the amount of work that went into underground structures during the great war. …Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Fantasy
  • Maps
  • Cave
  • Caverns
  • Caves
  • Dungeon
  • Dungeons & Dragons
  • Labyrinth Lord
  • Megadungeon
  • and more…

Ruling With ArchangelsVecchio Carnevale Bloggereggio, Dicembre 2023. IL WEIRD!

Il Ritorno in grande stile del carnevale più bello di sempredi: Barakiel

Tower of the ArchmageRappan Athuk: Unwelcoming Trolls

Session was played on 1/22/23Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)Borumar, ½ Orc Fighter (Josh)Blotto, Goblin (Lanse)Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)Lt. Marthek, Fighter (NPC)Wanting to avoid any more encounters with the bug people, the party heads down in the direction of where the Orcus priest was going/coming from. At the end of the passage was a door, and silence beyond. Borumar checks it and says it’s clear, and unlocks it. Beyond is a disus…

Categories:

  • actual play
  • flailsnails
  • Rappan Athuk

tenfootpole.orgThe Curse of the Ganshoggr

By Gus L. Kill Jester Errant/OSR Level 1 The Goose King squats in his great longhouse among verdant fields won by his ancestors. He feasts nightly on the most succulent turf, rich foreign wines, and the finest lettuces. In the … Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Reviews
  • The Best

Stuffed CrocodileA Monday Miscellany of Links pt. X

I actually have not had much time this week for blogging, even reading my feeds was an issue. Which is sad because there was a rather juicy amount of stuff to be found in them. Here are the most interesting: Random Tables 100 Fairy Peon Quests (Whose Measure God Could Not Take) d100 Things I […]

Categories:

  • Links
  • osr
  • Stuff
  • blogosphere
  • dnd
  • monster
  • Roleplaying
  • rpg

GROGNARDIAIn Defense of Evil Characters

Having last week come to the defense of the murderhobo, I thought I'd go one step further this week by doing something similar for outright evil characters. That's because, for as long as I've played Dungeons & Dragons, I've never considered the possibility of playing such characters illegitimate. None of the editions of the game I encountered in the first few years after I entered the hobby – in order: Holmes Basic, AD&D, or Moldvay Basic – forbids characters from being evil (though the matter …

Categories:

  • ADnD
  • alignment
  • arneson
  • blackmoor
  • DnD
  • elric
  • evil
  • greyhawk
  • gygax
  • and more…

Goblin PunchThe Wives of Barago

Another post about Lon Barago, but also a continuation of Forms of Government.HistoryKing Barago was the first king of Lon Barago. After his death, his son ruled, and his son after that.But with each generation, the wisdom of Barago faded, and his bloodline thinned. Anabriss, the second wife of Barago, was wise in the ancient arts of the earth, and knew of a method by which the bloodline may be restored. She was the first Wife of Barago. The old widow orchestrated all that followed.The curre…

Categories:

  • city
  • government
  • lore

2023-11-26

Monsters and ManualsThe Sunday Seven: November 26th, 2023

Each Sunday, I share seven links to items of interest that have crossed my eye across the preceding week. Here are this week's:Patrick Stuart's Gackling Moon kickstarter is liveI did not see the new(ish) Dungeons and Dragons film, but it seems a sequel is in the works: D&D is genuinely having a cultural momentSettlers of a Dead God - an animal fantasy setting in which the PCs are anthropomorphic insects exploring the corpse of a gigantic dead god - intrigues meRapier versus Katana. Yes, they…

What Would Conan Do?Spider Bankers of the Bureau of Universal Exchange

I'll put in a picture when I have one. We're working on these a bit at a time. The Spider Bankers have been in Troika since the beginning and I've always meant to get around to using them more. They appeared in Wengle Instrumentality, and they're in the upcoming Streets Of Troika book, but they deserve a proper entry I think.When picturing them I always imagine the presence of the triceratops foreman in that old puppet sitcom "Dinosaurs" or the baboon from Ren & Stimpy. Just with a little bowle…

Categories:

  • monster
  • troika

Darkworm ColtSimple Feng: More Bad Things

If you’re a Hong Kong action movie afficionado, chances are you’ve heard of Simple Feng, my freeform/FKR game that makes playing that Atlas Game fun again. Now, you can have even more fun: stuffed with ideas and random tables for the world of Simple Feng and other Hong Kong action movie rpgs, More Bad Things … Continue reading Simple Feng: More Bad Things

Categories:

  • Uncategorized
  • feng shui
  • fkr
  • free kriegsspiel
  • free kriegsspiel revolution
  • hong kong action
  • simple feng

Spriggan's DenFun with Mapbashing, and perhaps a map for the new Kaendor

Maybe I should just make peace with being that map guy who keeps excitedly posting about new map doodles that I’ll mostly never be using for any campaigns? I was, once again, feeling unhappy with the latest maps for Kaendor that I made over the last week since the coast lines look too square and … Continue reading "Fun with Mapbashing, and perhaps a map for the new Kaendor"

Categories:

  • Kaendor
  • worldbuilding
  • maps

Dragon's BreakfastGygax & Greyhawk Session #2 - Foul Dealings

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:Ranzel of the Wood (Human Ranger 1)Solcha (Elf Fighter 1 / Magic User 1)Skeff Hawkridge (Half Elf Druid 1 / Thief 1)Gorro (Half Orc Cleric 1 / Fighter 1)Date/TimePlanting 1 - late morning to Planting 2 - sunriseThe party follows the directions given by the creature in the stem pool to a rough path climbing up the scree and boulders of the mountainside, leading to a snow caped ridge above. Halfway up they encounter a low tunnel bored thorough the snow. This tunnel continu…

Categories:

  • AD&D; Gygax & Greyhawk
  • Campaign
  • Eye of the Serpent
  • Session
  • Tenh

Playful VoidDungeons, Regularly

I just released the second issue of my (potentially) regular zine full of dungeon maps. Dungeons, Regularly #2 contains thirteen maps (mainly dungeons) for you to key yourself and use for personal or commercial use. If you pay a little extra, you get two pages of things to put in those dungeons, if you need […]

Categories:

  • Reveries

Akratic WizardryErol Otus cover of Dragon Magazine now on my wall

I'm thrilled that I now have a framed print of the cover illustration by Erol Otus of the very first Dragon magazine that I ever owned (issue # 55) hanging on my wall:The print is number 99 (out of 200) and signed Otus.The original magazine cover:The corner of my study:

Categories:

  • ADnD
  • art
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • old school art

The Vanishing TowerSPI's Kharkov Wargame Live Play

I just finished playing (solo) the first 5 turns of Kharkov The Soviet Spring Offensive from SPI. It is a game out of the magazine Strategy & Tactics May-June 1978 issue. After playing out the first two turn I fired up the YouTube channel and started a live stream. Played turns 3, 4, and 5 online.The Russian 28th army broke out easily in the north, and 6th army began enveloping the German units south-southeast of Kharkov. The high mark of the Spring Offensive includes taking (but not keeping) o…

Categories:

  • wargames

Savage Lair of the WeregrognardOn Censorship

Coming soon to a politically correct table near you! (AI image courtesy of Bing Image Creator)I was thinking whether I should post about this at all. Not in a fit of self-censorship, mind you, but if you follow the same blogs and/or RPG video channels I do (and you probably do,) you’ve about heard enough concerning this subject: that Wizards of the Coast (WotC) has been retroactively editing their 5e books to replace words which have become (quite suddenly) politically incorrect with less “prob…

Categories:

  • 5E
  • Controversies
  • Rants
  • WotC

2023-11-25

Akratic WizardryEyes of a Catoblepas, Wings of an Owlbear (Greyhawk campaign)

PART 10: EYES OF A CATOBLEPAS, WINGS OF AN OWLBEAR10.1 The Wood Elf Camp (Richfest 2nd – 3rd)Our dauntless adventurers — Erik (the mountain dwarf fighter from the Lortmils), Althaea (the high elf wizard from the city of Tringlee), and the brothers Godric (the human rogue from the Barony of Shiboleth) and Cedric (the human cleric of St. Cuthbert) – journey to the Wood Elf camp after successfully exploring the Tomb of Serten.Erik decides to give the legendary Helm of Laga Vulin to Cedric. The d…

Categories:

  • 5e DnD
  • ADnD
  • Dungeons and Dragons
  • Greyhawk
  • Greyhawk classics campaign
  • Gygax
  • Into the Unknown
  • RPGs

AV&ES- Roll those dice![New Magic Item] Crossbow of the Longer Lived Adventurer

Crossbow of the Longer Lived Adventurer Krogak looked grimly at Nizzam then Arzax. ‘This may be it, down in this forgotten dungeon, where we die,’ the fighter told the thief and wizard. ‘What about that magic crossbow that you are … Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Magic Items
  • Uncategorized
  • Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
  • BD&D
  • BFRPG
  • Blueholme
  • Dragonslayer Rpg
  • Hyperborea
  • Iron Falcon
  • and more…

Gundobad GamesBrazen Backgrounds, Bronze Age Character Backgrounds: Sale / almost at ELECTRUM level!

I thought I'd mention that my humble RPG accessories are part of the big weekend sale over at DriveThruRPG.com. In particular, you can nab the 5-star rated BRAZEN BACKGROUNDS, my character background generator for Bronze Age (or even generic Sword and Sorcery) settings, for only $2.85 USD, at the moment!It's available here (affiliate link).I'm excited and grateful to note that this product is only a few sales away from reaching the Electrum "medal" level (it's currently a Silver seller on DTRP…

OSR GrimoireDA3: Rogues, Regents, and Rascals

DA3 "City of the Gods" includes lengthy descriptions of several NPCs (most of whom were previously described in DA1 "Adventures in Blackmoor"):Captain Bork ReislingCaptain Bork Reisling (F10, Neutral)captain of the Federation Survey Ship BeagleUmra Dir (C10, Chaotic)appears in DA4 "The Duchy of Ten"The remaining entries cover NPCs previously described in DA1 (some edited more than others):Bosero the Drunkard (M14, Lawful; John Snider)Brother Richard, the Flying Monk (C11, Lawful; Richard…

Categories:

  • BECMI
  • Blackmoor
  • DA3 City of the Gods

Age of Dusk[Review] Winter Death (Lotfp 3PP); The Other Lotfp

[Adventure]Winter Death (2023)Markus Schauta (Gazer Press)Lvl 1 Disclaimer: Sponsored content. The following review contains spoilers. I recently received a hardcopy booklet in the mail. Tearing off the protective cardboard wrapping, I gazed curiously upon its imposing black cover, its classic horror image of a bestial woman roaring at the gloomy blue moon rendered in striking … More [Review] Winter Death (Lotfp 3PP); The Other Lotfp

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  • Uncategorized

Spriggan's Den“How to have a message” on civilizational conflict

I don’t usually post links to random videos here, but this is one I really want to share with more people: The initial premise of “Avatar is stupid and Princess Mononoke is great” is pretty much a no brainer and what could possibly be added to that conversation? But after an initial overview and comparison … Continue reading "“How to have a message” on civilizational conflict"

Categories:

  • uncategorized

tenfootpole.orgInto the Elder Worm

By Jeff Simpson Buddyscott Entertainment Group B/X Level 14 The Elder Worm, a purple worm of galactic size, has been released from its cosmic prison and is on the loose! Dare you crawl inside its guts to find out what … Continue reading →

Categories:

  • My Life is a Living Fucking Hell
  • Reviews

in English – ropeblogiTheory review #138

Categories:

  • in English
  • theory
  • teoriakatsaus

Leicester's RambleMini-Review: "Home" Sandbox Toolkit

Home: A Light in the Darkness, by Scott WegenerScott is also author of Glaive, a rules-lite OSR RPG built off the Knave chassis. I personally find Glaive to be a bit more readable variant of the two.More importantly, Scott is also the artist on the long-running Atomic Robo comic, which if you haven't taken a look, I highly recommend.Anyway, on to the actual topic of this review:"Home" is a toolkit supplement designed to catalyse sandbox play by creating a base town with surrounding hexes, a …

Categories:

  • randumb
  • review
  • sandboxing

There Could Have Been SnakesA New 5 Parsecs Crew

Nordic Weasel & Modiphius have produced a third expansion to 5 Parsecs From Home, just as I was gearing up for a new campaign. It will be delayed a bit while I get to grips with the new additions, particularly the new scenarios, but it has given me enough time to roll up a crew … Continue reading A New 5 Parsecs Crew

Categories:

  • 15mm
  • Sci Fi
  • Blue Moon Miniatures
  • Ground Zero Games
  • Magister Militum
  • Miniatures
  • Old Glory UK
  • Ral Partha

Vladar's BlogItDR conversion: The Old God’s Return (by Michael Curtis)

The SourceThe Old God’s Return (by Michael Curtis), a Dungeon Crawl Classics holiday adventure1,2 was one of the adventures that were used to playtest Into the Dungeon: Revived.The ConversionOnly the parts that need to be adjusted are listed here.ContentsThe Champions of FireLocationsThe EscapeMonstersThe Champions of Fire ↩If the characters demand payment, the village elders agree to award them 50s each from the settlement's limited funds, but when gifted with sovereign fire, the char…

2023-11-24

Shuttered RoomDINOSAURS! - Back to Basic

The Mandela Effect has eliminated the 40+ dinosaur stat-blocks from Advanced and Basic D&D, leaving only scattered references - including that they're big stupid hungry reptiles.Oh no! Have to make my own in a lonely-fun vacuum.Compatible with most old school D&D-alikes/derivatives.(And apologies to dinosaur aficionados and experts).Proof!They don't need species names: Big Hungry, Old One Eye, the God-Beast,Hit Dice.As they are equally huge and weird (see above for proof), dinosaurs can b…

Categories:

  • dinosaurs
  • monsters

False MachineMOON MOON MOON

GACKLING MOON is live!Go here if you want to learn more;(On the one hand I am the least successful of the OSR diaspora, on the other I am not doing too badly for a guy with a double-digit IQ.)

Categories:

  • Gackling Moon
  • kickstarter
  • WHOREDOM MODE
  • whydoistilllive

Forrest for the TreesThe Castrato of St. Petersburg

The Castrato of St. Petersburg, by Stephan Clarke, is another in the Mount Abraxas series of booklets The Old Ways Remain. If the quality and tone of the other books in this series continue as they have with this book and The Tome of Ravass Bhavatan, we might have here a fine, fine series from Mount Abraxas, yet again.This novella traces the somewhat excrutiating, but at times triumphant history of Norcinelli, a castrato from rural Italy who finds his way, eventually, into the court of the Tsar…

Categories:

  • Books
  • Europhilia
  • Small Press

Spriggan's Den10 Years of This

According to my first post, this page has been up for 10 years today. Go, me! Yeah, I don’t think there’s really anything profound to say about the occasion. When I decided to take a shot at setting up a site like this, they already had their greatest days behind them and the great buzz … Continue reading "10 Years of This"

Categories:

  • uncategorized

Jeffs GameblogX-Cards

The X-Card emerged from the indie/storygamer side of the hobby maybe ten or so years ago. Originally taking the form of an index card with a simply X drawn it with a Sharpie or something like that, more elaborate versions--some involving multiple cards--have appeared over the years. (Example)The idea behind the X-Card is real simple: pointing to it or holding it up is meant to signify that the game is going in a direction that the player finds uncomfortable, disconcerting, or hurtful. The rest …

Rise Up ComusGods are high level PCs

Listening to Between Two Cairns about Caverns of Thracia, and I was thinking about Greek-mythological elements in the hodgepodge mélange of D&D.I realized: Greek gods are just high level PCs.Greek elements in D&DA preponderance of fantastic elements in vanilla D&D are Tolkien-esque, North/Western European. Old-school D&D is definitely more of a melting pot, with a Saturday morning cartoon blending of dinosaurs, samurai, and spaceships thrown in the mix. But even in the most vanilla D&D have t…

Tower of the ArchmageRappan Athuk: Insect-People Bug Us

Session was played on 1/15/23Nick, Fighter 7 (Me)Blotto, Goblin (Lanse)Koltic, Cleric 7 (NPC)Aroon, Fighter 5 (NPC)Jameth, Fighter 5 (NPC)Lor’Koth, Dwarf 5 (NPC)Lt. Marthek, Fighter (NPC)Koltic’s stills continue to produce the good stuff (healing potions) while Blotto works with Morgana to design a fishing pond for her grounds.Back to the dungeon, and down to level 2 without encounter. At the bottom of the stairs a man and a woman rearing ratty clothing and crowns demand a toll. Nick is…

Categories:

  • actual play
  • flailsnails
  • flailsnails stonehell
  • Rappan Athuk

Attronarch's AthenaeumBlack Friday 2023: OSR Mega-Post

![CDATA[The time is here! This year I decided to do a single megapost by category (adventure / bestiary / supplement) instead by publisher. I also decided to limit myself only to things I bought, read, and that isn't TSR (many classics to pick up there!). Each category is sorted alphabetically. I tried to provide brief explanation for each item, but do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Spend reasonably! Adventures Cyclopean Deeps (Swords and Wizardry) (volume one and two). Und…

Greyhawk MusingsThoughts of LF1 The 9

“O, be some other name!What's in a name? That which we call a roseBy any other name would smell as sweet”– Romeo and Juliet, William ShakespeareLF1 The 9The Great Empire once stood as a testimony to the heights to which man might aspire – but no more. Decades of corrosion from within the realm and the weight of a terrible war left the once-proud nation’s common folk helpless prey for the

Categories:

  • Medegia
  • Modules
  • OSRIC

Slight AdjustmentsThe Horrors of Halfway

I've played a lot of Monsterhearts, and certainly enjoyed it, even though I certainly was doing it wrong.But I've got no patience for games that reward poor choices for the sake of genre conventions. "Oh good for you, you did the trope thing, have a shiny sticker."No. We do the trope things, because the trope things are fun. There is no need for any other reason!Even worse, are games that force players to take those actions, removing agency for... no real purpose. The whole point of these sil…

Age of Dusk[Slyth Hive] Mass Combat + NAP III Reminder

FIRST: One more week until the Deadline for NAP III. Don’t be a sucker. If you have been writing, don’t forget to submit on time. END of November. I have already received 5 donations and they look absolutely sick. This is already going to be the best NAP Ever. Second: A reader asked me to … More [Slyth Hive] Mass Combat + NAP III Reminder

Categories:

  • Stuff I wrote

What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse...Why People Are Upset with the MCU (And how that relates to high level gaming)

In 2008, the same year we moved to Korea and my first son was born, Iron Man debuted in theaters, and The Hulk (Ed Norton...remember that?) not long after. And the MCU was born. This led to an eventually more and more interconnected series of films based on the Marvel comics, culminating in Avengers Infinity War in 2018 and Endgame in 2019.Right before Covid19.And since Endgame, we've not only had covid delaying projects, we had the release of Disney+ streaming with more MCU content in the for…

Categories:

  • comic books
  • domain game
  • learning to run
  • movies
  • RPGs

Dyson's DodecahedronIsle of the Iron Huntress

The Temple of the Iron Huntress takes up most of the island of the same name. A small rocky island …Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Fantasy
  • Maps
  • Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
  • Building
  • Dungeons & Dragons
  • Fortification
  • Hex Map
  • Hexmap
  • Island
  • and more…

Savage Lair of the WeregrognardHappy Thanksgiving!

AI image courtesy of Bing Image CreatorJust a quick post to express my thanks for reading my blog. Hope you and yours are having a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Categories:

  • Thanksgiving

2023-11-23

msjxChevalier Larmen's Grotto

color and b&w versionsans background

Categories:

  • map

Monsters and ManualsGround Up Campaign Setting Building, Or: These Goblins Ride...

We tend to think of campaign settings in terms of grand design: the creation of a world, starting with a high concept and working from top, down.This is not, though, always or even usually how human creativity works; we just as often begin with the tiny seed of an idea and then gradually nurture it to prolific growth. George RR Martin, for example, started with a very simple image - a family with five children discovering five direwolves - and extrapolated A Song of Ice and Fire from there. Tol…

Stuffed CrocodileGoing off tangent: British money still is weird

Sometimes Britain is really weird. I was writing a post about money in Dungeons and Dragons when I remembered something odd we encountered when visiting Northern Ireland back in the 2000s: Northern Irish Bank notes. No, not just British paper money, actual bank notes issued by private banks in the constituent part of the United […]

Categories:

  • Stuff
  • Bank notes
  • Britain
  • money

Death by DiceRetrospective: The Dark of Hot Springs Island

Where I offer a retrospective on ten sessions of running The Dark of Hot Springs Island for a group of four players, with little experience in the hobby in general and sandboxes like HSI specifically. I have had only two campaigns that became what I would consider long-form, neither of which published modules, so I, too, am inexperienced with this kind of game. You'll see. This here is part review of HSI, part reflection on my home game.HSI comes as a single ~A4 book, stuffed to the brim with c…

Whose Measure God Could Not TakeLocation: Astos (Country-As-Dungeon)

This is another experiment in overland travel procuedre. Wise voices have remarked that in many ways we want the same sorts of things from an overland journey as we want from a dungeon-crawl. To get my head around this idea, I've designed a map for a country, as though it were a dungeon with twenty areas. The connections are more approximate than for a dungeon, and I'm sure there are many tweaks you'd have to make to the normal crawling procedure to make it work well. This is all untested, a qui…

Categories:

  • hexcrawling
  • locations

ZENOPUS ARCHIVESThe Maze of Peril: Auction of Gygax's Manuscript Copy

Typescript draft for the Maze of Peril, along with a reply letter from GygaxIn the most recent round of auctions from the estate of Gary Gygax, I was pleasantly surprised to see an auction for a typed manuscript of Holmes' D&D novel The Maze of Peril, originally published in November 1986 by the venerable independent publisher Space & Time, which was founded by author Gordon Linzner in the 1960s.In addition to the typescript itself, the auction included the mailing envelope from the publisher;…

Categories:

  • Boinger and Zereth
  • Gygax
  • Holmes Bibliography
  • Tales of Peril

AV&ES- Roll those dice![New Spell] Fog of Undead

Fog of Undead ‘The peasants have all run off in fear,’ Jharka reported to Arzax the magic-user who now looked like some dreadful liche upon his skeletal steed. Having left the eerie fog, Jharka looked like a living human, so … Continue reading →

Categories:

  • Magic Spells
  • Uncategorized
  • Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea
  • BD&D
  • BFRPG
  • Blueholme
  • Dragonslayer Rpg
  • Hyperborea
  • Iron Falcon
  • and more…

Grumpy WizardHow Do I Keep Players From Ignoring Adventures In My Sandbox Campaigns?

One of the biggest challenges for a sandbox campaign is getting players to engage with adventure locations. Set up and run the campaign correctly, and this challenge goes away.

Categories:

  • design theory
  • game mastering advice
  • inspiration
  • sandbox
  • #worldbuilding
  • dungeon mastering
  • osr
  • ttrpg