New OSR Products at RPGNow/DTRPG — August 30th, 2018

I want to review something, but nothing I've bought lately cries out to be reviewed.  However, there are a number of new adventures out this week that look interesting...or maybe I'm just being lazy.

Adventures

Cult of the Green Orb -  Seemingly inspired by the Heavy Metal movie. 20 pages, $4

S4 The Mines of Mayhem - I have a mental picture of a mine being worked not by dwarves, but by 80s wrestlers.  This is enhanced by the author randomly putting words in his blurb in ALL CAPS.  But it seems to be a sprawling low level dungeon crawl (2nd to 4th level). 110 pages, and $20. Also comes with an illustration book.

The Sunken Fort - Mid sized (80 room) dungeon for low level characters, apparently a lead-in for a forthcoming megadungeon.  $5, 27 pages.

Rules

Five Items -  I'd rather have the 99 cents.

Knave -  Seems like a classless take on OSR, but compatible with adventures and monster books.  $2.99 and 7 pages.

Zero to Hero: Uncommon Commoners - Fairly in depth rules for secondary skills for NPCs. PWYW 

Misc

Black Pudding #5 -  Another issue of J.V. West's excellent fanzine. 24 pages, PWYW

Friday Enhanced Map 8-24-18 -  Last (I think) part of a giant cave complex, though it works stand alone as well. $1

Locks, Vaults, and Hiding Places - Random tables for well, what the name says. PWYW

New OSR Releases at RPGNow/DTRPG — August 23rd, 2018

Was going to write a review, but got caught up in playing The Bard's Tale remastered. Then I thought "Why not review that?" But then I realized I'd need to play even more of it.

With the exception of spell points, I had forgotten how D&D-ish it was.  The Remaster seems much easier, though. Even though it offers a save anywhere system, I have no yet had any problems getting back out of a dungeon yet.

Officials

Boot Hill 2nd Edition -  This is the version I am familiar with, I think.  $4.99 PDF, $9.99 print, $11.99 Print + PDF

Adventures

Castle of Aandoran the Defiler -  1e adventure from Joseph Mohr. 50 pages, PWYW

The Mountain of Fire - Another 1e adventure from Joseph Mohr.  This one pits the PCs against his oft mentioned villain, Malcon the Lich. 5 pages, PWYW

Rules

Disruptors & Dyson Spheres -  This confuses me, as it says it's an old school RPG yet is only 2 pages. Even naval combat took up way way more than that in OD&D. PWYW.

Eldritch Tales: Lovecraftian White Box Roleplaying -  What it sounds like. 210 pages, $9.99

New Golems of the Labyrinth -  New golems meant for B/X (which actually had quite a different set of golems to being with) - "Cerebral, Ectoplasm, Flesh-and-Blood, Gas Metal, Leaf, Lightning Rod, Magic, Particulate, Shield, and Water Chariot Golems."  99 cents and 10 pages.

Misc

Extinguish the Sun #2 -  LotFP zine. $2, 18 pages

Fantastic Wilderlands Beyonde: Color Maps -  Didn't this already come out? It;'s maps, also in print form, of the old JG world.  $9.99 PDF, $14.99 for poster + PDF

Fantastic Wilderlands Beyond: Revised Guide -  Guide for said map. 38 pages,  $4.99 PDF, $6.99 PDF+map, though it indicates that PDF is also with the PDF above.

Niti's Parade and Other Entertainments -  Free advertorial supplement about carnivals.

Random Terrain and Encounter Generator -  Joseph Bloch's foray into random table territory. Probably at least coherent, unlike most others. $9.99 and 105 pages.

RPGPP #44- Medieval Authentic Activities for Successful Medieval Authentic Characters-  Don't drink the water, use the long s, watch out for giant falling helmets, and probably more. $2.99 for 19 pages of silliness.

New OSR Products at RPGNow/DTRPG — August 15th, 2018

Beware the Ides of August! Or something. Slow week

Adventures

RPGPP The Dragon's Egg -  Is somehow medieval authentic despite featuring ratmen. 16 pages, $2.99

The Sorceress of Mekaloare -  3rd to 6th level adventure into another plane full of mechanical monsters ruled by an evil magic-user. 32 pages, $2.50

Rules

DarkMoore Critical Hit & Critical Fumble Tables -  I am not a big fan of them, but if you are, here you go. Free.

Magic Madness #5: Spells for OSR Games -  30 new spells. $2.50

Misc

Clipart Critters: Elder Thing 2 -  Only mentioning this because it's free.  Basically head shot of a crippled Elder Thing (only 4 tentacles instead of 5).

Dungeons in Blue - Mega Tile Bundle #2 -  Lots and lots of geomorphs. $13.39

Terry Herc's Mega Art Pack - 100 Castles - PWYW collection of images of castles

Remastered version of the original Bard's Tale now available

I actually had no idea this was in the works (I stopped following the Bard's Tale IV Kickstarter when they announced Sean Reynold's was involved. Call me petty, but I've still got a grudge against him from the last TSR days when he served as their internet enforcer, harassing people with fan material).   While probably my favorite old CRPG was Might & Magic, the Bard's Tale was up there. Early on it was pretty similar to Wizardry using a D&D-ish system.

The Bard's Tale came from about a dozen years ago, the action-RPG with Cary Elwes actually had the original BT games in it, but they were emulated Atari ST versions. This is an actual re-master and features an automap and other modern amenities and apparently some new graphics for female PCs.

It'ss available for $15 at Good Old Games and Steam .  Right now only the 1st game is in it, but they'll add the other two later

One of the neat things about TBT was you could import characters into the next game. Like with the Gold Box ones. So I can remember some of the names, even.  Murphy the Monk, Pat the Paladin, Omar the Great, Magic Max, Barry the Bard. I had a half-orc hunter (assassin) that I can't remember the name of, and presumably a warrior (fighter)

New OSR Products at RPGNow/DTRPG — August 9th, 2018

I probably shouldn't do this right after work, when I'm extremely tired and slightly drunk

Also, don't forget: Big meteor shower this weekend.

Adventures

 

DarkMoore Adventures -  Apparently actually about "The Iron Dragon" Inn. PWYW, 59 pages.

Fish Something -  Another subtle title for Lamentations of the Fish Princess (er, Flame), apparently about HP Lovecraft's Innsmouth. $7.99 and 49 pages

OT1 Crypt of the Dog Witch -  Low level adventure apparently for people who don't like dogs. Evil dog god? That's impossible. $1, 13 people

RPGPP #42 At the Darkness -  Comedy adventure. $2.99 and 17 pages.

The Forbidden Barrow - Seems like a starter adventure. $2, 15 pages.

Rules 

 

James Edward Raggi IV's Eldritch Thingie -  "Look at me, look at me, look at me" in RPG supplement form. PWYW

Microlite20 Comprehensive Edition -  Seems to be a distilled, just the good parts version of the rules, plus art. $7.50 and 164 pages.

Microlight20 Comprehensive Edition (No Art) -  PWYW version of the game rules.

Random Esoteric Creature Generator -  Want to generate a completely nonsensical monster? Well, this is for you $9.99 and 64 pages.

The Little Book of Adventuring Classes vol 2 - 8 new classes (Barbarian, Ninja, Navigator, Summoner, Scholar, Runecaster, Vanguard, and Warmonger) plus some new races for S&W. $3.99 and 60 pages.

Misc

 

Friday Enhanced Map 8-10-18 -  Underground temple and cave complex. $1 for enhanced version.

The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil Review — More like Generic Evil

The Lost Temple of Forgotten Evil from Dark Naga Adventures might have a rather generic name, but it actually deals with the PCs coming across of a cult of Hastur (the Cthulhu Mythos deity) and presumably foiling its plans. I a big fan of the Cthulhu Mythos (my 2nd favorite RPG is Call of Cthulhu) and incorporate Mythos themes into my own game.

Hastur is perhaps the trickiest deity of them all, because it's not entirely clear that Hastur is even a deity in HP Lovecraft's own works. Though he made mention of the name, clearly referencing Robert W. Chambers work, most notable many of the stories mentioned in the King in Yellow. But Chambers work is eerie, surreal, even sensual, perhaps best captured in Karl Wagner's The River of Nights Dreaming. But ignoring all that, August Dereth made Hastur just another squid god, like Cthulhu.

New OSR Products at DTRPG/RPGNow — August 2nd, 2018

A couple of new adventures for Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea. Honestly, I've been underwhelmed by their past recent adventures. Basically they take a Robert Howard or HPL or CAS story, mangle it, dumb it down, and call it an adventure. I guess it depends on whether you like the original Conan stories or prefer the comic (the modules following the latter).

Adventures

The Anthropophagi of Xambala -  Aka an adventure about cannibals for AS&SH, presumably inspired by one of Howard's tackier Conan stories and apparently meant for beginner characters.  $10, 60 pages

The Beasts of Kraggoth Manor -  Maybe about a building full of ape-men? Another AS&S adventure, this time for 4th to 6th level characters. $10, 60 pages

Undead Island -  White Box adventure presumably about an island full of undead. $2 and 20

Rules

Untold Adventures Deluxe -  Because apparently we need a rules lighter version of S&W Whitebox every two months. PWYW at least.

Misc

Guild Adventures! The Dragonslayer -  My guess from the preview is that it's actually a Fighting Fantasy style system, but eh, at any rate it's a solo gamebook which I enjoy, though probably not $6.99 worth. 163 pages.

Hoard Class Treasurer -  Spreadsheet for rolling treasure for LL. PWYW

RPGPP #41 - Medieval Authentic Caravans - All about how to handle taxes and tariffs in a medieval authentic manner! Doesn't get more exciting than that, folks. $2.99 and 21 pages