The OSR News - Sunday, February 5, 2012

Allright! I've been slacking, badly, for the past several weeks! Haven't felt like blogging. Been ill and out of sorts, in general. Sorry, about that. 


I'm going to devote some time this month, to getting the blog back in order and getting the News back on track and on a regular, weekly schedule. If you've recently released something and don't see it below, it should make the next News post. 


Greyhawk is Always a Great Place to Start

The Oerth Journal # 26 - Beyond the Flanaess. Edited by Rick Miller and Brian McRae. Available for Free Download. 63 pages.

This was originally released a few months ago, then pulled due to formatting issues and finally, re-released at the end of December.

Featuring:

Beyond the Flanaess: Bounds of Oerth by Erik Mona.

Beyond the Flanaess: Creatures of the Verdured Heights by Greg A. Vaughan.

Beyond the Flanaess : Fireland, Scar - The Isle of Razic’Jewel by Terrance “abysslin” Hunt.

Beyond the Flanaess : The Land of Blindvidr - A Guide to the Veda, The Bird people by Heath Miller.

Shadowed Paths to Oblivion, Part 1 of 3: Dimensions Lost by Rick “Duicarthan” Miller.

GreyComix: Beyond the Flanaess by Mike “Mortellan” Bridges.

Science Fantasy Rocks!

 Terminal Space by Albert Rakowski. Available in Print for $12.00 and in pdf for Free. 44 pages.

Science Fiction and Science Fantasy supplement for any Old School Gaming System.

Albert first released the free PDF some time ago and Terminal Space was very well received, at the time. Now, it's available in print as well!

ACKS Has Been Released!

Adventurer Conqueror King System by Alexander Macris, Tavis Allison and Greg Tito. Pub. by Autarch. Available in PDF for $9.99. The Print version will be along shortly and can be purchased for $40.
Not only does the HC come with a free PDF, but if you buy the PDF, you'll receive a coupon for $10 off the Hardcover! This is such an obvious and groovy idea, that other publishers really should follow suit.
274 pages.

Your Journey from Adventurer to King Begins Now!

Enter a world where empires totter on the brink of war, and terrible monsters tear at the fragile borderlands of men; where decaying cities teem with chaos and corruption, nubile maidens are sacrificed to chthonic cults and nobles live in decadent pleasure on the toil of slaves; where heroes, wizards, and rogues risk everything in pursuit of glory, fortune, and power. This is a world where adventurers can become conquerors – and conquerors can become kings.

Will you survive the perils of war and dark magic to claim a throne? Or will you meet your fate in a forgotten ruin beyond the ken of men?

The Adventurer Conqueror King System™ (ACKS) is a new fantasy role-playing game that provides the framework for epic fantasy campaigns with a sweeping scope. With the Adventurer Conqueror King System™ you can:

• Play 12 different classes, including the fighter, mage, thief, cleric, assassin, bard, bladedancer, explorer, dwarven craftpriest, dwarven vaultguard, elven nightblade, and elven spellsword.
• Easily customize your character using a unique, optional proficiency system. Make your fighter a berserker or your mage a necromancer!
• Buy, sell, and trade common merchandise, precious silks and spices, and even monster parts and magic items in a balanced and integrated game economy.
• Construct strongholds, establish kingdoms, and carve out a realm for your character.
• Run a thieves' guild and send your minions to carouse, smuggle, steal, and commit other hijinks.
• Establish a wizard's sanctum and explore the forbidden arts. Crossbreed horrific monsters in an underground laboratory, enact powerful magical rituals, build golems, craft magic items, or even transform yourself and your followers into undead monsters.
• Build and run a living world for adventure on a grand scale. With game mechanics built to support emergent play, ACKS is the ultimate RPG for sandbox campaigns.

Whether you want to crawl through dungeons, trade with merchant caravans, run a merchant emporium, conquer an empire, or even raise an undead legion, ACKS supports your playstyle with simple, fast-playing game mechanics.

To learn more, visit the Autarch website.

Loviatar!

Loviatar #7 by Christian Walker. Available in Print for $3.00.

The hex crawl continues! This month we head north from the area described in Loviatar #5. Lavishly illustrated by Jay Penn, "Hex 004" offers adventurers a richly detailed experience. PCs can visit Combe, a predominantly halfling village, where a basilisk is loose! The monster hunters who brought the beast to town have been apprehended, but who will subdue their errant prize while the sheriff is away?

Characters can investigate a cave where a group of thieveing goblins have taken up residence. Although the villagers assume they are a mere annoyance, others are concerned that the goblins are just the beginning of a much larger problem.

While in the village, the party may witness a massive, rock-like humanoid striding through the darkness. What is it and why do the villagers worship him like a god? It's rumored that the villagers make offerings to "The Stone Man" in the form of crystals, gold and minerals. Perhaps pilfering the shrine is an easy way to acquire wealth?

For the truly daring, a dense, tangled wood is home to numerous basilisks. While venturing too deep into the woods is suicidal, there are petrified remains of those who have been turned to stone. These morbid curios can be sold for quite a bit of gold.

Maps, creative random encounters and numerous NPCs will make Hex 004 a memorable experience. The material, which is keyed for basic D&D, can easily be converted and dropped into nearly any fantasy setting.

And Speaking of Zines...

Zogorion: Lord of the Hippogriffs by Jason Sholtis and John Larrey (art?) Available in Print for $2.00. 16 pages.

While aimlessly wandering from hex to hex, your motley assortment of ne'er-do-wells receives an unusual invitation to dinner from an even more unusual individual. He calls himself Mighty Zog, Lord of the Hippogriffs. Preposterous, perhaps, but given your typically impecunious position and the complete absence of anywhere else to stay for the night in the gods-forsaken wilderness, you may wish to take him up on the offer...and then rob him blind. Would that it were so easy!

It's a zine..it's a module...it's...it's...some kind of hybrid...It's a 16 page booklet with a detached map/cover. Order by clicking the Paypal button below!

 More From Mr. John Stater and the Land of Nod!

Nod #12 by John Stater. Available in Print for $11.00 and in PDF for $3.50. 144 pages.

We round out 2011 with a continuation of the Hell hex crawl, four more monstrous races, a new class - the gourmand, exotic dining for fantasy RPG's, the first in a series of articles for Mystery Men! detailing heroes and villains for use in the game and a new mini-game set in post-apocalyptic America called Mutant Truckers!

Tales of the Space Princess RPG by John Stater. Available in Print for $10.00 and in PDF for $5.00. 48 pages.

Take your dungeon crawls into the future! Tales of the Space Princess is a rules lite game inspired by the original fantasy rules. Character creation in about 5 minutes, learn the rules in about 10 minutes and then you're ready to delve into the space fortress to wrest the Space Princess from the clutches of the Dark Lord!

New Stuff from Expeditious Retreat Press! 

Advanced Adventures #22 - Stonepick Crossing by Mark Morrison. Expeditious Retreat Press. Available in Print for $12.00 and in PDF for $6.00. 12 pages. Also, available from Lulu.

Stonepick crossing is an OSRIC(tm) module designed for 6-10 adventures of levels 1-3. The tiny town of Stonepick Crossing sits on top of an old dwarven dam holding built some 500 years ago to end a long war. Recognizing the futility of direct assault, the dwarves built the dam to flood the goblin caves, flushing the foul creatures out of their caves and into the slaughter of honest combat. Now 500 years later, the dwarves have moved on and a small thorp has sprung up. Mystery surrounds the protected town and rumors abound: locals disappearing in the middle of the night, strange noises from underneath the dam and even rumors of a monster in the lake percolate through the community. Which rumors are true and which are the ale-addled ramblings of old men fearful of their own shadows? If you enjoy this adventure, look for future releases in the Advanced Adventures line from Expeditious Retreat Press.

KiltedYaksman of Discourse and Dragons, Releases his Megadungeon!!!

Barrowmaze by Greg Gillespie. Available in PDF for $6.66. Print option forthcoming shortly (sounds like this week. See below for discount option.) 84 pages.

Local villagers whisper of a mysterious place deep in the marsh - a place shrouded in mist and dotted with barrow mounds, ruined columns, and standing stones. The tomb-robbers who explore beneath the mounds - or rather the few who return - tell tales of labyrinthine passages, magnificent grave goods, and terrifying creatures waiting in the dark. Are you brave (or foolish) enough to enter the Barrowmaze?

Barrowmaze is a classic old school megadungeon for use with Labyrinth LordTM and other fantasy role-playing games.

The Barrowmaze megadungeon setting includes:

1. An 84 page book describing Barrowmaze and The Barrow Mounds.
2. 300 encounter areas, traps, and puzzles to test the mettle of your players.
3. New magic items, spells, monsters, and classic blue maps.
4. Pregenerated characters and character sheets.
5. Over 25 new classic-style illustrations featuring artist Stefan Poag, as well as Toren Atkinson, Zhu Bajie, Trevor Hammond, John Larrey, and Jason Sholtis.

Barrowmaze will keep your players on their toes and your campaign going strong.
The .PDF can be yours for just $6.66 - that's right THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST!
Buy the print copy and the .PDF is just $2.00!

Barrowmaze is brought to you by the Old School Renaissance (so don’t forget your 10’ pole).

Chaotic Henchmen Re-Prints F1

The Fane of Poisoned Prophecies by Guy Fullerton. 2nd Printing. Available in Print for $9.58. 24 pages + detached cover.

1st edition AD&D® module for character levels 4-6. 

For years, lords and warriors have delivered riches to the remote Sun Temple in exchange for prophecies from the mysterious oracle who dwells within. But of late, the oracle’s advice has soured.

Some say the oracle has gone mad and lost her powers. Others believe she has forsaken her allegiances and seeks to collapse the kingdom. Rogues whisper of enormous piles of gold and jewelry within the Sun Temple – perhaps no longer guarded. Wealth, power, and surprising secrets await those who dare explore the Sun Temple and beyond!

Mutated Wisdom!

Wisdom from the Wastelands Issue #1: Artifacts, Manual, and Toolkits by Derek Holland and Chris Van Deelen. Skirmisher Publishing. Available in PDF for .99 Cents. 5 Pages.

Welcome to the inaugural issue of Wisdom from the Wastelands! This new publication is dedicated to providing useful information, game content, and ideas to players of modern, science fiction, and post-apocalyptic table-top and role-playing games in general, and to fans of Goblinoid Games’ Mutant Future RPG in particular. The rules it contains are compatible with this game and with any others that use the “Basic” system introduced in the most popular role-playing games of the early 1970s and are easily adaptable to many other games (especially successor systems and those covered by the Open Game License).

One of the most entertaining aspects of a post-apocalyptic RPG is the many sorts of artifacts. Mutant Future and other popular post-apocalyptic role-playing game rules have decent rules for figuring out and repairing artifacts and, with an eye to providing players and Game Masters with some new and interesting rules to add to their game, we have taken these to the next level here. This first issue of Wisdom from the Wastelands covers several new rules, from optional bonuses on figuring out artifacts, to manuals and toolkits. There are also rules that cover saving throws for artifacts and how much damage they can sustain before being damaged or destroyed.

Our goal is to release a new thematic issue of this publication nearly every week and to have it contain a variety of useful and earnest information that will inspire Game Masters and players alike and provide them with things that they can immediately plug into their games. We very much hope you will find this and subsequent issues of the Wisdom from the Wastelands to be useful and enjoyable!

A Freebie from Knightvision Games

HH1 Heroes of Heirandos by Jim Baney and John Feldman. Knightvision Games. Available in PDF for Free. 14 pages.

The great city of Heirandos, the jewel of Meridia awaits you! The Heroes of Heirandos is a short Labyrinth Lord adventure for 1st or 2nd level adventurers. It introduces the PCs to the Ebonyr Campaign setting. This urban adventure is a springboard for the GM to introduce the PCs to a large city. Including a half dozen encounters, location maps, and random city encounters, Heroes of Heirandos can easily be customized to fit into any campaign setting. Best of all it is free! Check out our website Knightvisiongames.com.

More Free Stuff!

Bob from Back to the Keep made some Reference Sheets for Original Edition Characters (LL.) 

What's That I said about Science Fantasy? Oh, yeah! It Rocks!

Metamorphosis Alpha by James M. Ward. Available in Print for $14.99. 35 pages.

Metamorphosis Alpha is the world's first science-fiction role-playing game. Originally published in 1976 by TSR Rules, this edition makes the classic game available to gamers of all ages again. This version incorporates all the changes included in the RPGNow version, minus the hex paper on the last page. Keep an eye out for the Metamorphosis Alpha adventure module "The House On The Hill" to accompany these rules.

Psst! Over Here! AD&D!

Here's a list of currently available AD&D / OSRIC modules! A tab at the bottom, gives editorial guidelines by the person who originally compiled the list. Per his wishes, please spread the word on this, without naming any names or blogs, as the idea is to keep the link as direct and to the point as possible, for purposes of Google Searches on Advanced Dungeons & Dragons modules. All of this is intended for the benefit of anyone returning to AD&D, thanks to the reprints and associated activity.

Of Magical Ponies & DIY Gaming.

Erin Palette of Lurking Rhythmically has released Unknown Ponies: The Failure is Awesome RPG. Available for Free download the PDF Rules are based on the Unknown Armies RPG.

Weird Science!

I forget who compiled this (sorry) but Weird Thaumaturgy is a collection of spells & ideas, from a Google+ conversation. Free download from Google Docs.

Maxim talks with the I Hit it With My Axe Crew

For those who missed the issue, here's the online version of Maxim's article on Playing D&D with Porn Stars with Zak, Mandy, Satine, Kimberly, Connie, and Vivid.

More Free Stuff!!!!!!!!!

The 52 Pages: Illustrated rules Outline for refereed fantasy adventures - Book 1 by Roger SG Sorolla. 22 pages. Available for Free download.

"Why? Fuck you, that's why."

What Went Wrong - a chargen supplement for Geoffrey McKinney’s Carcosa by Jeff as in that Gameblog inspired by some dude named Vito.

6 page PDF available for Free download. 

Missed This!

Mischievous Monsters by Simon Forster. Available in print for $7.74 and in PDF for $2.32. 28 pages.

An Old School Fantasy RPG adventure for low level characters.

Simon! Ya gotta give me more blurbage than that!

And Now, a Literary Diversion.

Oglaf Book 1 by Oglaf. Adults Only! Available in print for $18.00.

Having trouble shopping for relatives who are both wizards and perverts?

Oglaf Book 1 collects the first 199 pages of comics from the website, including alt text and epilogues, in a festival of fantasy smut and madness. There's also bonus extras, never seen before and printed in internet-proof ink, including Ivan's 'doesn't count' kama sutra -- handy if you love somebody but still need to use them as unicorn bait.

A quality addition to your "secret" bookshelf.
Book Info: 208 pages, full color, 9" x 7", ISBN: 978-1-936561-98-8. Dirty as it is funny, both of which can easily be compared to the length of an average day.

For those who enjoy NSFW Internet Comics, you can check out the original Oglaf webcomics here.

OK - Almost done catching up! More News, coming shortly!

What I'm Pimping This Week!

Tricks, Empty Rooms, & Basic Trap Design by Courtney C. Campbell.

Go thou forth and download all of Courtney's Stuff! Because it Rocks!

About the News

Unless otherwise noted, all links to products and files are to the individual authors sites, pertinent posts, or sales pages. I don’t link directly to files, unless that is the only link available. The OSR News is produced as a service to the community and is entirely a non-commercial endeavor on my part. I have received no remuneration for advertising or reporting on any of the items appearing herein. Occasionally, the News might feature an item, which the author has sent me a complimentary copy of, for purposes of writing a review.

As always, the What I’m Pimping This Week section of the OSR News and its accompanying blog widget, feature products which I have purchased (or items which are available for free download) and wish to support. At times, the item I'm pimping may be one which I received a complimentary review copy of, from the author or publisher. No one has asked me to spotlight their material in this section and I have received no payment of any kind for doing so.

Please feel free to send me information on any new releases, events, or other items of interest, which you would like to see mentioned.