Barrel Rider Bundle

This is a bundle of 5 of their products. 4 of them are unfortunately just their new classes (which TBH, aren't that great) but the other is their recent adventure, Frozen Fortress of the Winter Warlord, which seems pretty spiffy.

Beta version of Warriors of the Red Planet on Sale at Lulu

And at a remarkably low price. Under $4 

Gutenberg Classic—Armour and Weapons

This was uploaded to Gutenberg about a year or so ago, but it's one of the key books involved in the development of D&D, specifically its armor.

Why is it called chain mail instead of just mail? Why is banded mail in the game?This book is why.

Free Product Spotlight—The Warden by Phillip Morris

There's a lot of cool stuff that nobody seems to know about. Since my blog has like 10 readers, that will continue to be the case, but still, I thought this was pretty neat.

The Warden is a class for Labyrinth Lord, available for free at Lulu. Similar things go for $1 on RPGNow, but this is actually far beyond the quality of those (which kinda suck). Not only do you have a very detailed description of the class, which is like a fighter/thief (meant to be like a ranger), it has a sample plan for its keep and several new magic items.

It's also got a page on how to construct different snares, complete with diagrams (and a warning to not actually make these in real life).

New OSR Products at RPNow—June 26th 2014

Busier week than I thought. Chapels are a popular theme for adventures this week.

Modules

F05 - Voltar's Chapel is this week's Adventures in Filbar module, meant for low level adventurers. 14 pages, $3

PSE4: Zedkiel's Chapel is a "pocket sized" adventure from Iron Tavern Press. 20 pages, $2, meant for 2-4 level characters.

Rules

Familiar from Barrel Rider Games is a class for Labyrinth Lord that lets you play a MU's familiar. $1, 7 pages.

Hero's Journey is an alternate player's book for B/X style games, that I think I have linked to before under a different name. Pay what you want.

Misc

Player's Primer of Ark - This seems to be player information about an AD&D setting from a new publisher, Ravenlore Press. 67 pages for 99 cents

Dead Names: Lost Races and Forgotten Ruins - this is meant for Stars Without Number, but that is more or less OSR compatible, and this can easily be used in such games. It's meant to help you design lost races and strange artifacts. A little pricey at $10 for 64 pages.

Free Blood & Treasure Adventure

From Dr. Dentista on the Dragonsfoot forums comes a free Blood & Treasure adventure, No Country for Weak Men.

It's 20 single column pages and has a number of new monsters. Although for B&T, it's pretty easy to convert to other OSR systems, the main difference is the saving throws

DM1 The Secret of Eberon's Manor Review

DM1 The Secret of Eberon's Manor is an adventure module for Labyrinth Lord from New Realms Publishing. It's a small beginner level adventure written and apparently illustrated by the same person, mysteriously named "J". It's essentially a site based adventure — no plot, just a place for the PCs to explore, in this case the ruins of a wizard's home, or rather, the dungeon below his home.

The general format is (not surprisingly) similar to the old TSR modules, specifically B1 In Search of the Unknown. It starts with a background, then GM's background, then moves onto a table of rumors. The adventure itself consists of two parts, the ruins of the manor itself (rather sparse) and the dungeon below the manor. Each starts off with a wandering monster table, then is followed by several keyed locations. Each location generally features boxed text to read, then has details of the area for the GM.

Infinibadger Press has a new website

The makers of The Caves of Ortok have a new website, which includes details on their next module, VS2: Bearing a Grudge (which will be 30 pages and $2.99)

Gutenberg—The Classic Myths in English Literature and in Art

This is a huge book full of illustrations. Mostly Greek, but then the end deals with Siegfried

Advanced Adventures #24: The Mouth of the Shadowvein Review

Advanced Adventures #24 The Mouth of the Shadowvein by Joseph Browning is the final module in a trilogy first started in Advanced Adventures #1 The Pod Caverns of The Sinister Shroom and then continued in Advanced Adventures #23 - Down the Shadowvein. It and AA#23 form an underground hex crawl very much in the vein of the old D1-D2 Module from TSR (Descent into the Depths of the Earth).

The Pool of the Alchemist

This is a Free RPG Day freebie from Chubby Monster Games. While it's listed under OSR games, it's rules free and is simply a description of a strange place

And it's Free RPG Day

For those enough lucky to still have a FLGS, and one who is participating, there are some OSR and OSR-ish freebies.

The Doom Cave of the Crystal-Headed Children for Lamentations of the Flame Princess, and then something for C&C and DCC,

Don't forget—Sale at BRW Games starts today

30% off all their products at RPGNow, print and PDF. I think this is the first sale they've ever had.

They are mostly known for Adventures Dark and Deep, an AD&D retro-clone and Castle of the Mad Arch Mage, which was formerly a free fan made Castle Greyhawk, but now a pay product with the Greyhawk IP removed. (If you had the old free thing, very little has changed, just the surface and 1st level added)

Runs through the 22nd.

New OSR Products at RPGNow—June 19th 2014

Surprisingly busy this week. Already mentioned Horde magazine

Modules

FP11 - Johan's Lost Vault - An Adventures in Filbar modules for AD&D, no level range given (except mid to high level). 35 pages, $3

The Beleaguered Burrow - From a newer publisher, Paper Brain Games, this is an Labyrinth Lord mini sandbox adventure suitable for levels 1 to 3. 12 pages, $1.99

Rules

Classes of Fantasy: Centaur -  This is a Labyrinth Lord class from PJS Games. 1 page, $1

Half-Orc Sorcerer - This is a class for an OSR game I've never heard of, Life of Rage about playing orcs and such

Investigator - A class for Labyrinth Lord from Barrel Rider games. 14 levels, 6 pages, and $1

Misc

Across the Realms: Encylopedia of Adventure #1: Here Be Monsters - this seems to be a new OSR periodical, with this issue featuring 13 new Labyrinth Lord monsters.  7 pages, $1.99

AFS Issue #5 ready for pre-order

A couple days late, but the 5th issue of AFS is ready to pre-order for $10 over at the editors's website. AFS being a very high quality OSR fanzine, only available in print form.

More Sales from New Realms Publishing

Most notably, a bundle of their two Labyrinth Lord adventures, DM1 The Secret of Eberon's Manor and DM2 The Dungeons of Diremark for $2 total, and then (again for $2) a universal adventure bundle

Good for two days. Not sure when that started, though.

Dragon Horde Issue #2 available

$1 in PDF form at RPGNow, and available in print from something or other for $4.

Issue #1 is  Pay What You Want at RPGNow

Full Metal Plate Mail Released (OD&D Retroclone)

From of the author of the pretty decent Shinobi & Samurai comes Full Metal Plate Mail and a character sheet

(from the Dragonsfoot forums)

Shadowbrook Manor Review (Labyinth Lord Adventure)— More Pop Culture References Than Treasure

About a year ago, Goblinoid Games rolled out their online store with a half price sale. This, GBD 1102 Shadowbrook Manor by Patrick Kennedy caught my eye. It's a low level (1-3) adventure for Labyrinth Lord, about 12 pages total for $4.98.

The plot is relatively simple: for whatever reason (several ideas are given), the PCs must explore the home of an old wizard. It's larger than a house, but not really a mansion. Manor house, I guess.

There are about 40 keyed entries, mostly for the house. They are very descriptive and occasionally almost poetic. For instance, "The firelight from area 4 casts fitful, wavering shadows upon the surfaces of this empty corridor."

One Page Dungeon 2013 Compendium up on DTRPG/RPGNow

This is a compilation of all the entries in the 2013 One Page Dungeon contest. The 2014 compilation apparently went up a week ago.

Both are pay what you want, with the money raised going towards prizes in next year's contest. You can get all of them individually free at the site of the contest itself,

Some of these are really good, but man, most of them seem to only be "1 page dungeons" because they write as small as they possibly can

Vale of Oollissan

This is pretty cool. A poster over on the AD&D Sub at Reddit posted a supplement his father's friend created back in the day, called Vale of Oollisan.

Part house rules, part adventure setting, it's pretty cool. The guy was a good artist, too.

New OSR Products at RPGNow—June 12th, 2014

Not a whole lot this week.


Rules

There is the quick start rules for Adventures in the East Mark, which was that Spanish B/X (or maybe BECM) retro clone. Pay what you want, 55 pages.

Modules

FN7 - Ruins of Tarlac Keep - From Adventures in Filbar. No level range, but for 1e/2e AD&D, $3, 19 pages.

And then that Purple Islands thing I already mentioned.

Misc

Gygax Magazine #4 - This has lasted longer than I thought. 68 pages, $5. Highlight seems to be a Top Secret Adventure from the creator of Top Secret

BRW Games actually having a sale

They are somewhat notorious for never putting any of their products on sale at a discount price. Hey, it works for Nintendo!

But apparently they are actually going to have a slight sale, June 20th to 22nd, 30% off everything.

Highlights of their stuff include Adventures Dark & Deep, Castle of the Mad Archmage, and a huge 900 critter bestiary for Adventures Dark & Deep that I've been wanting to check out.

Crimson Blades now at Lulu

I'm pretty sure this is a Swords & Wizardry hack like his other stuff, though a fairly hefty departure incorporating some BRP stuff I think, from Stormbringer/Elric!. 128 pages for $12.50.

With a familiar yet different set of rules, Crimson Blades gives you fantastic old school-style dark fantasy/sword & sorcery role-playing. You can be a brooding sorcerer with a demon blade, a savage barbarian with an equally savage panther companion, a grim tomb-robber seeking the riches of a long-dead empire or even a Dendrelyssi - one of the last members of a decadent race of necromancers looking for redemption in the lands they once ruled. Included in the game are five human character classes: Barbarian, Fighter, Mountebank, Sorcerer and Thief plus the inhuman Dendrelyssi and the NPC class Royal Redeemer. There are the traditional rules for spell-casting as well as rules for summoning and binding demons, elementals and undead. Included in the game is a brief setting "The Crimson Lands" for you to use as the basis for your own campaign

And right now Lulu has a 10% discount code, JUNE10. Usually they have better ones, but that's all I know of at the moment...

New Realms Publishing having a sale in June

New Realms Publishing is having a sale on some of their products, half price during June, in honor of the company's birthday.

Most notably, two of their modules for Labyrinth Lord. CM1 Borderlands of Adventure (now $3 and 25 pages, levels 1-3), and DM2 The Dungeons of Diremark (now $3, 26 pages for levels 2-4).

And then a Birthday Bash Bundle, which has a couple other modules: CV1 Catacombs of Chaos and CV2 Caverns of Chaos, again, both for Labyrinth Lord. The bundle is $7.50.

ACKS: Domains at War Releasing July 4th?

The long awaited mass combat supplement for Adventurer Conqueror King System, Domains at War, is apparently being mailed out to Kickstarter backers and will be on sale to others on July 4th. Hopefully.

Classic Review—Spears of the Dawn

Spears of the Dawn is an old school style fantasy game set in a fantasy world inspired by Sub-Saharan Africa. While African inspired fantasy games aren't entirely unheard of, they are pretty rare. Off the top of my head I can only think of Nyambe, for d20, and a series of adventures in Dungeon Magazine.

This is a review of the PDF version from a charity bundle, presumably it's the same as the one sold at the usual places, which is 180 pages, including back and front cover.

Adventurer Conqueror King System Player's Companion Review—All the Classes Fit to Print and Then Some

The Player's Companion is the first sourcebook for the Adventure Conqueror King System, or ACKS. While technically a complete RPG, ACKS was a fairly slim book, so there weren't a lot of options for characters beyond the usual. The Player's Companion goes a long while to addressing those lack of options offering a huge amount of new character classes, new spells, and rules for creating both new classes and spells.

The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence is out!

Much easier said than typed. But the Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence is the sequel of sorts to Liberation of the Demon Slayer, or at least the follow up product.

This time around it's a hexcrawl.

This is a weird, science fantasy, gonzo campaign setting and wilderness hex-crawl for old school fantasy roleplaying games.  The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence is a guide for helping you run crazy sandbox scenarios in a lost world of Snake-Men, dinosaurs, and mutant sorcerers... an exotic and deadly region possessed by a demonic, purple-hued god of ruin and consumption.
If you're into the OSR or just want some strange 5e flavoring, give this a try.  It's not your usual adventuring environment, but it will be memorable!
The Islands of Purple-Haunted Putrescence was successfully funded via Kickstarter at the beginning of 2014 and is the follow-up to Liberation of the Demon Slayer.

Seems a little pricey, $18 for 100 pages is a lot for a PDF...

New OSR Products at RPGNow—June 5th, 2014

Fairly busy week. Already mentioned the Blue Box of Dangers and Dweomers.

Modules

The Isle of Death - 2e module for levels 4-8. 67 pages, 99 cents

FA4 - Clover Island - Adventures in Filbar regional sourcebook for mid level characters. Free!


Rules

Classes of Fantasy: Mystic - For Labyrinth Lord. No description. 99 cents, 3 pages

Class of Fantasy: Charioteer - For LL. 99 cents, 1 page

Crimson Blades: Dark Fantasy RPG -Looks like a retro clone with a dark fantasy slant from Simon Washbourne who has done a number of Swords & Wizardry hacks. $2.50 and 127 pages 

Misc

Across the Realms: Book of Tables #1 - Random tables for dungeon design,  $5 and 25 pages.

Adventures in the East Mark: Narrator Screen - $5

New Retro Clone—Blue Book of Dangers & Dweomers

This is a pay what you want game over at RPGNow/OBS/DTRPG

The blue book of dangers and dweomersis an old-school role playing game that includes:
Highlights include:

• 5 basic classes (Cleric, Druid, Fighter, Magic-user, Rogue) separated from race (Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Half-Elf, Half-Orc, Human)
• No level caps but favorite and restricted classes
• Characters of any class can potentially use any weapon or armor
• No feats but class features for Rogues and Fighters
• Rules for deity specific Clerics
• Firearms
• Multi-classing
• Ascending AC
• Ability score-based saving throws
• D6 based action resolution
• Optional rules including: suggestions for grittier or heroic combat, corrupting magic, magical bloodlines, monstrous PCs, notes on the plane

All of this in only 120 pages!

More details on Black Blade's version of Bottle City

They posted a press release of sorts over at RPGSite

This new edition of the Lake Geneva Castle & Campaign adventure expands the module from 32 to 44 pages in order to provide a more-complete, plug-and-play gaming experience than the original edition. The Black Blade edition:

- Details monster and NPC statistics so that they can be played from the module without requiring additional work from the DM---the Pied Piper edition listed many encounters as "5 cloud giants" or "4 enchanters", for example. Monsters and NPCs are provided with equipment, memorized spells, and other notes as required to run them during encounters.

- Provides four sample god-aspect templates for use in “The Hall of the Gods” encounter; two were designed for use in Kuntz’s Bottle City events at the 40th Anniversary of GenCon in 2007.

- Normalizes monster and NPCs statistics and attributes to first edition fantasy values, especially hit dice and hit points: HD were adjusted to use d8 HD for monsters instead of d6 and class-based HD instead of d6 HD for NPCs, while hp were proportionally increased based on the percentage of maximum hit points possessed by the monster or NPC in the original manuscript.

- Fixes errata present in the Pied Piper edition and clarifies several ambiguities in the text and map, including text dropped from the PPP edition.

For those who missed it the first time around, _The Original Bottle City_ is a site for high adventure, where strange magic interweaves with nine trapped gods, demigods, and demons who vie for its control---but all are minikins, captive in the magical city in a bottle! In 1974 Bottle City was one of the largest design projects Rob Kuntz undertook as the co-DM of the original Lake Geneva Castle & Campaign. Found on the second level of the Castle, it stupefied the Lake Geneva gamers---that is until they touched the bottle itself and were drawn into the city, where the fun really began....

The first edition of The Original Bottle City was released by Pied Piper Publishing in 2008, and has been out of print since 2009.

After the North Texas RPG Con, Black Blade will make available Rob Kuntz’s alternate painting for use in The Gallery (a tribute to David C. Sutherland III’s classic Dungeon Masters Guide cover art), as well as the original manuscript transcription file for Bottle City. Both files are password-protected .pdfs that will be published to the Downloads section of http://www.black-blade-publishing.com after the convention.

Book details: $30 USD, 44 pages + 2 11"x17" map sheets, ISBN 978-0-9842870-3-1, Black Blade product code BBP-4001.

GP Adventures is selling a character sheet

I guess they need some sort of income while they work on The Hobby Shop dungeon. But it's $2.50 for a 1e compatible character sheet.

I wonder what that PP under HP stands for.

Bloody Basic PDF Now Available

Bloody Basic, a cut down (more like B/X) version of Blood & Treasure from John M. Stater is now available in PDF over at Lulu. At $5 for 44 pages, it's a bit pricey compared to B&T Complete, but not too bad.

Classic Review—Realms of Crawling Chaos (Labyrinth Lord Supplement)

The Cthulhu Mythos have pretty much been a part of D&D since the beginning, though its official presence was largely scrubbed from it for legal reasons. As we are now well past the 70th anniversery of H.P. Lovecraft's death, and there are no well monied conglomerates claiming his works as their own (as with Robert Howard and Conan), his stuff is now generally considered public domain and thus is getting more and more used.

Realms of Crawling Chaos (RoCC) is such a supplement for Labyrinth Lord (LL), on adding the Cthulhu Mythos to the game. If you are unfamliar with it, LL is a retro clone for Basic (by Moldvay) and Expert D&D (by Cook), commonly referred to B/X D&D or just B/X. LL also features an advanced companion, which more or less emulates 1st Edition AD&D. This supplement supports both regular LL and advanced, so should work with pretty much any old school D&D based game.

First Level of Castle Triskelion Released

The people who put out  & magazine has just released the first part of their megadungeon, Castle Triskelion.

It's free, so check it out.

Edit:

Apparently it's from this website, the & people are just compiling/publishing it.

http://castletriskelion.blogspot.com/