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New Releases
Into the Mournwood by James Ward. Published by Mad Martian Games. Available from Lulu in Print for $7.00 and in PDF for $2.50. 58 pages.The Hagwood has long been avoided by rational men, even thanes dare not walk the woods. Only the desperate, the insane, and the dark souls of Pohjola travel the paths of the forest by choice.
But destiny calls the brave and the fool. The greedy and the heroic. Can you face the dangers of the haunted wood? Will you save the lost travellers?
How far will you go... Into the Mournwood?
Into the Mournwood is the second adventure set within the Ice Kingdoms, written by industry legend James M. Ward, Into the Mournwood thrusts a band of adventurers into the dark and evil forests haunted by savage orcs, curses, zombies, canibals and the most feared monsters of the Thanelands, the hags of the Mournwood.
Into the Mournwood can be used as a stand alone adventure or as part of an ongoing campaign and the adventure module can also be used as a campaign guidebook by Game Masters to set further adventures in the Haunted Forest.
The Girl With the Demon Tattoos By C.S. Barnhart. Published by Mad Martian Games. Available from Lulu in Print for $6.50 and in PDF for $2.50. 50 pages.
Tenebrous is a village of the outcast and the damned. Home of the infamous Gardens of Woe and center of a bloody clan dispute the only refuge comes from the local temple of the god of dooms.
Under the watchful eye of the Temple’s priests and deep inside Stormgard Keep lies a secret evil returning for revenge.
Can you survive... The girl with the demon tattoos?
The Girl with the Demon Tattoos is the third adventure set within the Ice Kingdoms, written by CS Barnhart.
The adventure thrusts a band of adventurers into the aftermath of a clan feud from thirty years ago. But while the feud itself may be long over, the blood of hatred burns forever and one survivor has bargained for the power of revenge.
The Girl with the Demon Tattoos can be used as a stand alone adventure or as part of an ongoing campaign.
Temple of Drawoh Rock By C.S. Barnhart. Published by Mad Martian Games. Available in Print for $5.00 and in PDF for $1.75. 20 pages.
The Temple of Drawoh Rock is an adventure module for 1st level characters exploring the Ice Kingdoms.
As warriors of Thane Ornulf the characters will sail the Atalac Sea, explore the Gate Isles, and raid the Monastery of Jove.
But what starts out as a simple plan to rob some peaceful monks turns into a harrowing adventure as the adventurers cross paths with the machinations of a deadly sorcerer.
The Temple of Drawoh Rock is the fourth adventure for the Ice Kingdoms Campaign Setting.Iron Pax by Douglas Underhill. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for PWYW. 73 pages.
Iron Pax is an OSR/DIY-style hack of the world's most popular role-playing game, set in a fantasy world of colonialist dystopia. Some things that set Iron Pax apart:
- Heat, a push-your-luck mechanic for proficiency checks and spell-casting that is also a measure of how actively the authorities are hunting you
- Flexible spellcasting using old-school spells where you can scale up the effect while also scaling up the risk
- Optional leveling beyond 10th with rules for magical artifacts, strongholds, and upgrading your allies and companions
- A proficiency system where characters don't have to roll to succeed at what they're really good at
- Player-facing die-rolls, so your rolls decide what happens rather than the GM rolling behind a screen
- Lots of tables to flesh out the world of the Iron Pax, incuding dragons, demons and abominations as diverse and surprising as they are frightening
Midderzine Issue 2 by Glynn Seal, Richard Marpole. Published by MonkeyBlood Design. Available from the Publisher in Print for £6.75 and in PDF from DriveThru RPG for $3.86. 24 pages.More Green for your game
More fodder for your ‘The Midderlands’ OSR campaign setting.
Our second issue!!
This is a fanzine for The Midderlands campaign setting for old school games. Although The Midderlands was written for Swords & Wizardry Complete, it works with all the old school games and retroclones with little or no conversion. Hell, you can even adopt it for any fantasy roleplaying game.
Within this issue you can find news articles, information about locations, NPCs, monsters, races, classes, oddities, spells, flora, fauna, and just about anything to do with the Midderlands, the Haven Isles, and further afield.
IN THIS ISSUE:
- More fodder for your ‘The Midderlands’ OSR campaign setting.
- More rumours from The Haven Gazette.
- Meet the Midderlander: Edwin Nagy, the New England wizard.
- A New Cult: The Vile Sign.
- Some ‘Slightly Less Sh*t’ random tables for creating Containers of Liquid and +1 Weapons & Armour.
- Port Mulhollow: An underground settlement.
- New Monsters: Pigseers, Biledogs, and Dunglings.
- A New Class: The Woad Rager.
- New Oddities including: Laird MacCrae's Prime Haggis, and Screaming Sporrans.
- And more…
This is an old-school sandbox adventure for the basic version of the world's most popular fantasy RPG. Explore the wilderness and the three detailed dungeons around the human outpost of Fort Perilous.
On the border between wilderness and civilization, Fort Perilous stands, keeping watch and holding the forces of Chaos at bay. Your heroes find themselves in the fort, drawn into the battles between civilization and monsters, between Law and Chaos.
This module is compatible with the B/X and Labyrinth Lord rules and is published under the Open Game License (OGL)
Zangid Raider Technical Manual - For Starships & Spacemen 2e by Scott R. Mulder. Published by Luminous Design. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $3.00. 27 pages.The Zangid Space Force E-2 Raider is a pre-generated starship with deck plans for use with Goblinoid Games' Starships & Spacemen 2E Role-playing game. This game supplement will provide you with a ready to use starship resource perfect for individual games or epic campaigns. You can use the material presented here as it is or modify it to fit your specific needs.
WFRP Ubersreik Adventures - If Looks Could Kill by Andy Law, Dave Allen, Ben Scerri. Published by Cubicle 7 Entertainment. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for Free. 28 pages.
Legends claim the Beast of Ortschlamm stalked the marshes near Ubersreik for centuries. But few believe it…
When the adventurers agree to help Rutger Reuter, a charismatic, young merchant from Ubersreik, little do they realise what’s in store. What starts as a simple job guarding building supplies, soon turns to tragedy, horror, and murder. The Characters will not only need their wits about them to negotiate the double-dealing camp of Reuter and his business partners, but also the Beast they have unwittingly stirred…
Ubersreik Adventures: If Looks Could Kill is an adventure for Warhamer Fantasy Roleplay Fourth Edition, written by WFRP veteran Dave Allen. It is designed with beginner Characters in mind, and concludes in the fortress-town Ubersreik, where the Characters’ adventures can continue with the WFRP Starter Set.Look Beyond the Angry Eye of God, Heathen by Evey Lockhart. Published by Violent Media. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for PWYW. 15 pages.
Cosmic Tales #1 by Aos. Self Published. Available in Print for $5.95 + shipping.a system of meditative magic, Coleopteric in Nature
In the smallest, crawling things there lies the sum of All.
In the ignoble beetle, power resides. When you Comprehend that a ball of horseshit, rolled about by a Scarab, is no different than yourself, or the sun, or your mother, many things become possible.
This is 15 pages of weird-sad RPG business, offering a mystical beetle-focused magic system for succinct fantasy games with Hit Dice, Saving Throws, and the usual 6 stats. The primary pdf is fully hyperlinked to make at-table navigation a breeze. Further, a pdf of print-and-fold player handouts are provided for when your players manage to grave-rob themselves a grimoire.
We are all nothing. We are all everything. This is not a contradiction.
This post fills me with terror.
After half a decade of threats
CosmicTales #1 is on sale.
22 available copies.
What you get: 48 pages of story and two pages of pin ups, three if you count the next issue promo.
5.95 + 3.99 shipping and handling (US) international we’ll work it out in email.
My pay pal is the metal earth “at” gmail; no spaces.
Write a thoughtful or especially obscene email and I’ll do a letters page, for Number 2; they’re all number 2, friends.
I’ll order more if there is interest. I’ll finish this post after I reign in the laughtears.
Fair warning: you’ll be going on a bit of an artistic journey with me as my resistance to developing a style is utterly destroyed and I’ve gone a good deal further since finishing this in March(?).
Thanks for all the support and pestering.
Trey Causey did the cover colors and the logDieHexer by Glynn Seal. Published by MonkeyBlood Design Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for PWYW. 1 page.
Got a dice giving you trouble?
Put it in the DieHexer for a few rounds to see if it changes its mind.*
Print, cut off the edge/logo bit, and then place on the table ready for your troublesome dice...
*not guaranteed to work. This is intended to be a bit of fun... maybe...
Sanctum Secorum - Episode #40 Companion by Bob Brinkman. Published by Sanctum Media. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $0.00. 12 pages.Classes
Tweel
Magic Items
Crystal Egg
Monsters
Dire Turkey
Pumpkin Bugbear
Pyramid Builder
Poems
Dire Turkey
RecipesFive Classes by Rick Stump, The Fun Lads Five. Published by Harbinger Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $2.00. 25 pages.
Pumpkin Bugbear Pie
Pumpkin Bugbear Mincemeat Pie
Classes to Add to your Game
Five Classes is is the newest supplement in the Five series from Harbinger Games.
Five Classes brings PC/NPC classes to your Old School Fantasy game that add depth, flavor, and ability. Everyone will want a henchman or five from the list, perhaps even to play one.
The Courtier is a master of etiquette, diplomacy, and management.
The Scholar is a minor mage and a minor sage, allowing them to solve problems, answer questions, and cast spells.
The Soldier is a fierce fighter skilled in personal duels but more adept at the mass battlefield, the military camp, and the seige. A true asset when leading mercenaries.
The Spy is a master of intriuge, rumors, shadowing, and finding out hidden facts.
The Summoner can master any magic, but at a great price!
All the classes have een play tested for decades and are yours to tweak for your own campaign.
Get Five Classes and add some fun to your game!
Re-Issues, New Editions and Now in Print
Cepheus Light By Omer Golan-Joel & Josh Peters. Available from Lulu in Print for $18.99. 164 pages. The PDF version is available from DriveThru RPG for PWYW.
Cepheus Light is a set of rules for playing classic science fiction games. It includes rules on creating characters, resolving actions, fighting other creatures, and engaging in space battles, generating worlds, handling the risks of interstellar speculative trading, exploring new worlds, and many other activities. While rules-light and designed for fast, action-packed play rather than an accurate simulation of reality, Cepheus Light encompasses a wide variety of rules and materials for building a science-fiction universe and playing in it.
Cepheus Light draws its inspiration from old-school science-fiction roleplaying games. It shares a lot of similarities with these games. Material from older rules sets and those created with Cepheus Light, the Cepheus Engine Core, and old-school sci-fi roleplaying games are easily compatible with only a moderate amount of adjustment.
The future awaits!
Compatible with the Cepheus Engine System Reference Document and other OGL 2D6 Sci Fi games.Mythras by Pete Nash, Lawrence Whitaker. Published by Design Mechanism. Available from DriveThru RPG in Print/PDF combo for $34.99 and in PDF for $10.95. 304 pages. (see The Design Mechanism website for alternative purchasing options. Currently they're listing print copies for $39.95 and PDF's for $15.00.)
Mythras Core rules
Mythras is the new name for an older game, but while the name might have changed, the system remains the same, but presented in an updated format with new interior artwork and layout design, along with some new content (Special Effects, small tweaks to the rules, and Spirit Combat Effects). In fact, we've managed to pack more into a smaller space, and reduced the price accordingly.
For those new to the game, Mythras is a percentile system. In Mythras your characters are defined by their culture, career, community, background, comrades, skills, magic and cults. Progression is through skill advancement – not levels or similarly abstract concepts. As your characters adventure and quest, their capabilities improve and their relationships deepen and strengthen. Players and Games Masters have complete flexibility over what can be achieved, and the way characters develop is entirely dependent on choices players make, depending on their characters’ aspirations and motivations.
The Ruined Tower Giant: An OSR Adventure Published by Unbalanced Dice Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in Print/PDF combo for $13.99, In Print for $9.99 and in PDF for $4.00. 43 pages.Games Masters receive a huge amount of support through the Mythras rules. All the concepts and game mechanics are explained clearly with options and considerations explored and presented for ease of use. You need only this rulebook for many years of exciting and imaginative play.
A nice mid level adventure for Labyrinth Lord. The party must go to the tower the giant took with him when he ran away. Something is bugging the Duke and his Necromancer thinks it has to do with the tower. The tower must be explored and the purgative put in every room. Will they have an easy time doing this? Of course not. The tower is dangerous but someone else has taken residence up very close to it. Only by entering the tower will they find out who that is...
What has the Duke done to us!?!?
Draw Your Swords!Marvin the Mage Treasury Edition No.1 by Jim Wampler. Art by Jim Wampler and James V. West. Published by Mudpuppy Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $3.99. (The print version was released at Gamehole con, but I have no further info available at this time. Check the Publisher site for updates.) 34 pages.
Marvin the Mage is back! This collection of the misanthropic magic-user's earliest adventures contains 5 complete stories, including two stories that originally appeared only in the Gary Con Events Guide, plus behind-the-scenes articles.
PDF EDITION ONLY BONUS: A never-before-published 2-page color story created for an unrealized OSR fanzine, with art by James V. West.
Marvin the Mage
A misanthropic mage and medieval grifter, Marvin loathes actual adventuring. With a spell book optimized for cheating at card games and mixing adult beverages, Marvin has one ironclad rule that has always served him well: NO dungeons and NO dragons. Surly, selfish, and sarcastic by nature, Marvin is best described as just a pixie's wing this side of chaotic-neutral.
32 pages
Written and Drawn by: Jim Wampler
Additional art by: James V. West
Edited by: Tim Kask and Matt Finch
The Polyhedron Volume 2 #2 Issue 5 from Wizards of the Coast. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $0.99. 16 pages.Included in this issue:
- Gift Catalog Changes
- INTERVIEW with Gary Lee "Jake" Jaquet— Part 2 of three parts
- The Round Table — Point: Impressions of an RPGA Tournament/Counterpoint
- Bag of Tricks — Tips for D&D® and AD&DTM players
- Spelling Bee: Crystalbrittle and Energy Drain — Our series on AD&DTM spell effects continues
- Figure Painting — Figure painting advice from the expert, by Michael Brunton
- RPGA Charter Members — The Elite, Part 1, A-L
- More Conventions — TOP SECRET®, BOOT HILLTM and GAMMA WORLDTM Game Updates
Far Away Land: Bundle of Awesome [BUNDLE] by Dirk Stanley. Published by Simian Circle Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $25.00 (regular price of $44.99.) 877 pages.
(If you're looking for these in PDF instead of print, the bundle makes the set almost half price. I've never played it personally, but it looks like a cool game and as a fan of Adventure Time, it's on my list.)
RPGA NEWS Volume 2 #1 from Wizards of the Coast. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $0.99. 16 pages.
RPGA NEWS Volume 2 #1 from Wizards of the Coast. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $0.99. 16 pages.
Included in this issue:
- Fighter Coming Around A Corner — Willingham art
- The Polyhedron — The NEW Newsletter:
- Convention Update — The latest news from the East Coast
- NAME CONTEST Finishes!
- GRENADIER — Reprinted from the Grenadier Bulletin
- INTERVIEW with "Jake " Jaquet — Starting a 3-part series
- Spelling Bee: Evocations — Continuing our AD&D™ series
- BASICally Speaking — A new D&D® BASIC column by Jon Pickens
- NOR — Our new cartoon series by Roger Raupp
T1 Hidden Hand of the Horla - Physical Limited Edition, Signed and Numbered by R. J. Thompson. Published by Appendix N Entertainment. $18.00. You can still get the PDF from DriveThru RPG for $1.99. 22 pages.A 1st - 3rd level adventure for use with Gateway To Adventure and other Original Edition Fantasy Role Playing Games.
Legends tell of the Hand Mage's Tower that once stood at the edge of the realm. Within the Hand Mage experimented and hoarded his magical treasures. The tower stood for many years until one day it mysteriously vanished. Rumors spread that the mage had offended the gods and had been eradicated from existence, or else had made a pact with a demon prince and was now paying his due. Whatever the case, the tales became legend and all but the oldest elves were unsure if the tower had ever existed at all. Now the tower has reappeared where it once stood. Will you dare to enter the ancient tower in search of riches and magical secrets?
In the "DTRPG says it's OSR and I Typed it Out Before Noticing the Cover Said 5e compatible, So What The Hell," Department...
Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride by Levi Combs. Published by Planet X Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $9.99. 87 pages.
Tales of the cursed pyramid and the sleeping tomb of the Mummy Bride have long been a traveler’s tale, passed along by wayward explorers and greedy plunderers alike. Deep within the verdant jungles of the south, amidst a Green Hell of impenetrable jungle, savage cannibals and ancient myth, lies the shattered remnants of a once-powerful civilization and the terrible gods who ruled over them. Rumors swirl of untold riches and un-plundered magic for those brave (or foolish!) enough to claim it. Will your players survive… and what will be left of them?
The Jungle Tomb of the Mummy Bride is an old school, grindhouse-style combination of classic role playing adventure and devilishly-designed dungeons for levels 5-7, cram-packed with b-movie goodness to challenge even the most seasoned of adventurers. It’s a module that could only have been made in the primitive jungles of man… where life is cheap!
The 87 page download includes the full module, 8 bonus sepia-toned treasure maps and a 10 page Players Pack that includes a one of kind custom character sheet by Karl Stjernberg!
More Free Stuff!
MonkeyBlood Design has made The Demon Stones available for PWYW on DriveThru RPG. Available in Print or PDF (There is a minimum cost on the print to cover printing costs.) 75 pages.From DwD Studios here's a 1e Character Sheet in PDF.
If you visit Jimm Johnson at The Contemptible Cube of Quazar he has some Printable Maps & Monster Matrices for Module XQ1: The Castle that Fell from the Sky.
Jeff Rients of Jeff's Gameblog released these paper minis into the wild. Direct link to PDF file.
Dyson Logos of Dyson's Dodecahedron released a map - The Blessed Monastery.
Omer G. Joel at Den of the Lizard King released the Hard Space: Updated Starmap.
Wizzzargh at DMiurgy has posted maps of Four Campaign Worlds & Lessons from their Creation.
Dan at Throne of Salt posted part two of his Unnamed Mothership Setting.
P_ARMSTRONG returned to his Ode to Black Dougal blog after a 5 year absence, to talk about Small Greyhawk.
Saker Tarsos of Tarsos Theorem made a Veins of the Earth Automated DM Screen.
Steve C at The Borderlands shows you How To Resolve Anything That Comes Up.
Michael "Chgowiz" Shorten of CHICAGOWIZ'S GAMES continues his Three Hexes series with Three the Hard Way.
John Stephens of The Deep Six Delver posted a PDF of the latest playtest version of Twisted Tunnels RPG. 71 pages.
Cacklecharm of The Manse posted 50 Unfathomable God Appearances & Forms.
James V. West of Doomslakers! posted a one page adventure: A Trolling We Will Go.
Rob Conley of Bat in the Attic has some update info on Blackmarsh.
Daniel Sell of What Would Conan Do? Is paying for accepted submissions to The Undercroft.
Arturs Leitans from AL0 Lair of the Megagorgon has another play report from Through Ultan's Door.
Zedeck Siew's Writing Hours reviews A Night at the Golden Duck.
Needles at Swords & Stitchery has a Review & Commentary on Jarkoon.
Misc. Gaming News
Emmy Allen of Cavegirl's Game Stuff shares Why I Like the OSR.Rob Conley of Bat in the Attic has some update info on Blackmarsh.
Daniel Sell of What Would Conan Do? Is paying for accepted submissions to The Undercroft.
And Speaking of Black Friday...
See Tenkar at the Tavern for the low-down on OSR Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sales.Reviews from the Gaming Community
Christopher Bishop from Multiverse has a review of Blood & Treasure 2nd edition.
Arturs Leitans from AL0 Lair of the Megagorgon has another play report from Through Ultan's Door.
Pookie UK of Reviews from R'lyeh has a review of Conan: Jeweled Thrones of the Earth (not exactly OSR, but it's Conan and Pookie gives us a lot of reviews.)
Jeremy Smith of THOUGHT EATER reads Polyhedron: Issue 7.
Brendan of Necropraxis has a first look at Forbidden Lands.
Michael of The Lizard Man Diaries has launched an accompanying podcast. Episode 1 reviews On the Shoulders of Giants.
Brendan of Necropraxis has a first look at Forbidden Lands.
Michael of The Lizard Man Diaries has launched an accompanying podcast. Episode 1 reviews On the Shoulders of Giants.
Zedeck Siew's Writing Hours reviews A Night at the Golden Duck.
Needles at Swords & Stitchery has a Review & Commentary on Jarkoon.
About the News
Links to DriveThru RPG are affiliate links. The OSR News is Supported by my Patrons through Patreon. No publishers pay for inclusion or placement. On occasion, I may receive an item from a publisher or author, for review. This is not necessary for inclusion The OSR News.
Links to DriveThru RPG are affiliate links. The OSR News is Supported by my Patrons through Patreon. No publishers pay for inclusion or placement. On occasion, I may receive an item from a publisher or author, for review. This is not necessary for inclusion The OSR News.
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