Friday, October 19, 2018

The OSR News - October 18, 2018

With the impending G+ apocalypse and my own, as well as others', return to blogging, I think a case can be made for a revival of my OSR News series. So, I'm doing it. If you have any new Print and/or PDF releases, feel free to send me a link. While I don't usually list individual blog posts, I do make exceptions for adventures, reviews, maps, or more involved random tables. I sometimes include an occasional review of my own as well. 

New Releases

Through Ultan's Door Issue 1 by Ben L. Art by Huargo. Available from the Publisher in Print/PDF combo for $9.00 and in PDF for $4.50. 36 pages.
Go through Ultan's door in this inaugural issue into the Ruins of the Inquisitor's Theater, a 30 room dungeon replete with oneiric puddings, delicate shadow puppets, giggling white swine, and much more. This zine contains everything you need to launch a D&D campaign in the Zyan, flying city of the dreamlands. The issue is printed on deluxe paper, and comes with a detachable cover that has a map printed on the interior by Gus L., and a separate card for encounters. Brought to life with stunning art of Huargo and brilliant layout of Matt Hildebrand, it is an object that may itself have come from beyond the veil of sleep. 
The zine ships on Fridays. When you purchase a print copy, you will be emailed a zip file of the PDF of the zine when the order is fulfilled.
36 page interior + standup cover with map on interior + encounter card +PDF

Murder Knights of Corvendark by Glynn Seal. Art by Glynn Seal, Steve Punter. Published by MonkeyBlood Design. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $5.21 and in Print for $9.77. Combo for $11.72. 48 pages.
A location and adventure for old school roleplaying games.
 Written specifically for Swords & Wizardry, but usable with any retroclones or old school games.No one knows from where they came. All feathers and spite. Their vile beaks spit angry screeches, and beneath their wing beats, acrid miasmas swirl. 
Within the subterranean caverns beneath Wychington — on the shores of Lake Grimwater — a small part of a region from long ago, or maybe a time yet to pass, has come into existence. Malign and abhorrent half-men, half-crows inhabit this harrowing place. Standing menacingly, clad in the darkest armour, or on their pitch-black wings protected by lighter, piecemeal leather armour, they murder men and feast on their flesh. Strangely resentful of their barely-feathered gods, they despise other living creatures for taking their breaths. 
Since the coming of this otherworldly realm, the Grimwater Lake region has been plagued by the atrocities of the ‘harpies’ — as they have been incorrectly named — regularly raiding the surface lands. None have been ravaged more so than Wychington, a small town on the northern lake edge at the mouth of the Lesselling River.   
This is Corvendark, and under the sign of an inverted, five-skulled star, the Murder Knights dwell.
It is now that heroes are needed. Who will destroy this menace, or send them back whence they came?
The Lord of Wychington, Corben Truss, has sent out word of the need for aid and assistance to any that will heed it. Maybe, just maybe, that is you?
This adventure is intended for low level play and can be scaled up or down accordingly. It should work best with 4× Level 4 player characters with access to plenty of healing.
Totally Random Tables by Venger As'Nas Satanis. Art by Glynn Seal, Bojan Sucevic. Published by Kort'thalis Publishing. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $2.00. 13 pages.
A couple years ago, I started coming out with these completely random d6 tables on my Draconic Magazine website/blog. They were fun to do and, because they were only 6 results deep per table, I could come up with wild, funny, thought-provoking, or stupid-on-purpose entries every month or so. 
Once I had 30 of them collected, I decided that was a good point to self-publish what I had, sharing my gonzo d6 tables with the gaming world. 30 d6 tables... who knows how many invididual results that actually comes to. I don't have a doctorate in advanced mathematics or anything... but it's quite a few. 
Totally Random Tables can be a challenge for those who want to test their Game Mastering mettle. It can be inspirational for GMs looking for spontaneous ideas. Or it can inject your game with a travesty of gonzo the likes of which even Hunter S. Thompson has never seen. 
Ideally, you'll be using this in your utterly irresponsible and horrifyingly inappropriate mash-up game of Crimson Dragon Slayer, Alpha Blue, The Outer Presence, and Blood Dark Thirst. 
Enjoy, 
Venger As'Nas Satanis
High Priest of Kort'thalis Publishing 
The Witch for Swords & Wizardry White Box by Timothy S. Brannon. Art by A.E. Short, Anna Marine, Luigi Castellani, Larry Elmore, Earl Geier, William McAusland, and Bradley K McDevitt. Published by The Other Side. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $4.99 and Print/PDF combo for $9.99. 120 pages.


"Witches are far more complex and far more wonderful than you have been told.
But for this wonder we serve the Goddess."
- "Old" Gezzie, Crone of the White Witch Tradition
A complete set of rules for the witch class for the Swords & Wizardry
White Box RPG. Inside you will find: 
  • The Witch Class
  • The White Witch tradition
  • 183 witch spells
  • 76 brand new spells
  • 18 monsters
  • New treasure and magic itemsAll for your Swords & Wizardry White Box old-school games.
The Book and The Spring - Encounters & Sourcebook by Christopher Letzelter. Art by Ian Baggley,
Christopher Letzelter, Matthew Ray, Del Teigeler. Published by Anachronistes Press. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $5.99, in Print for $14.99 and in Print/PDF combo for $17.98. 52 pages.
Dungeon Delving In The Desert! 
PC’s get more than they bargained for when they undertake a quest to destroy a recently-captured tome of black magic. Standing in their way are an unforgiving desert, a cursed and ruined city, an ancient tomb, and a dried-up spring. Oh, and lots of unexpected foes and tricky situations, of course. This adventure features many challenging scenarios for 4-8 PC’s of 4th through 7th level. Designed for use with 1st-Edition and OSRIC rulesets, this module is easily adaptable to 2nd-Edition, Adventures Dark and Deep, and similar rulesets. The module consists of two volumes - this Encounters sourcebook, and a Maps & Supplementsbooklet:https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/253077/The-Book-and-The-Spring--Maps--Supplements, featuring a multi-location, challenging quest in a Mesopotamian-style setting.
The Book and The Spring - Maps & Supplements. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $9.99 and in Print/PDF combo for $11.98. 36 pages.
Blood & Treasure is the fantasy role-playing game for people who want to spend less time arguing over rules and more time playing, and the new 2nd Edition continues this tradition. 
In this volume you get over 500 monsters drawn from folklore, fantasy and mythology. Eight of these creatures can be used as player characters with the help of the Blood & Treasure 2nd Edition Rulebook. You also get encounter tables that combine these new monsters with the monsters from Blood & Treasure 2nd Edition Monsters.

Mudwarren Alley By Evlyn Moreau. Available from Lulu in Print for $2.02 and at the author's blog in PDF for Free. 36 pages.
Surprise! I found back all the files of the Void Beaver dungeon we crafted on G+ a loooong time ago and I assembled everything together.

This was originally a initiative by Karl Stjernberg and Jfur Moonpoison.
Karl drew the cover and the map while Jennifer assembled everything together and edited the text into something gameable. I then contributed more than a dozen illustrations.

Enjoy and beware of the Void!
Cosmic Crawl By Evlyn Moreau. Available from Lulu in Print for $4.45 At the author's blog in PDF for Free. 36 pages.
and in
A cosmic map composed of 12 locations, each locations contains a description and events and discoveries random tables.
Doodle Maps - First Series by Evlyn Moreau. Available from Lulu in Print for $4.32 and at the author's blog in PDF for Free. 28 pages.
A doodle map with 40 locations. Each location contain a description and a set of encounters and treasures random tables. This is the first map of a series of nine maps that forms a 3x3 grid of maps.

Pollute the Elfen Memory Water by Michael Raston. Published by Gorgzu Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for PWYW. 19 pages.
A fantasypunk shadowrun set in Infinigrad. Much of the details within were generated using the The Blasphemous Roster. 
Included in the PDF are:

  • Client and Job Description.
  • Facility Random Encounter Table.
  • A Random Weird Flower Table.
  • NPC statistics.
  • Facility Map and room descriptions.
  • Leopetera Banks Suburb Map.
  • Elfs that use worms and milk to retain/abuse their memories. 
Dungeon Crawl Classics 2018 Halloween Module: The Corpse That Love Built by Stephen Newton. Art by William McAusland. Published by Goodman Games. Available in Print/PDF combo from the publisher for $9.99. Available in PDF from the publisher for $6.99. Available in PDF from DriveThru RPG for $4.82. 16 pages.
A level 2 adventure for DCC RPG – specially themed for Halloween horror!
The perfect October release! 
The town of Portnelle is living in a state a fear. Several citizens have been abducted – some never to been seen again, while others are found as corpses, often with missing limbs. 
When a senile town priest warns that he’s received a vision that the geriatric recluse Dr. Lotrin Von Geisterblut is behind the abductions, there are many who do not believe the accusations. However, when the town is set upon by wicked fiends foretold in his vision, attitudes quickly change, and swords are raised. Perhaps it’s time to storm the castle after all… 
This level 2 adventure is a story of Gothic horror which pits the characters against monstrosities created by an ancient madman. Will the characters be able to survive the macabre horrors found in the laboratories that spawned The Corpse that Love Built!
ZA7: Temple of the Ice Gods by Joseph A. Mohr. Published by Dragonsfoot. Available from Dragonsfoot in PDF for Free. 37 pages.
Strange lights and sounds have been heard in the skies over the Barbarian Lands north of Zanzia. Long ago the Ancient Dunars settled this continent. It has long been believed that buried somewhere beneath the ice in the arctic wastelands of the Barbarian Lands there might be clues to their existence and why they disappeared so long ago. This adventure is a possible sequel to ZA5: Flayers of the Mind. It is for six to eight characters of 8th to 10th levels of experience.
ZC2: Barrowmar: City of Adventure by Joseph A. Mohr. Published by Dragonsfoot. Available from Dragonsfoot in PDF (presumably) for Free. Zip file. Pagination unknown. 
Welcome to Barrowmar, the capital city of the the land of Zanzia. This download contains all the information a DM will need to bring the city to life, and includes the main city resource, a map pack and a separate supplement of shops and businesses. This download can be used to supplement the "ZC1: The World of Zanzia" campaign resource, plus the Zanzia adventures (indicated by the 'ZA' code), which are all available here on Dragonsfoot.

Library Generation Tables by Larry Hamilton. Art by Daniell F. Walthall. Published by Follow Me, And Die! Entertainment LLC. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $1.00.
In the following pages you will find ideas for creating descriptions of various types of volumes, the libraries that house them, the librarians, a few relevant magic items, and a new creature. These tables can be used in order from front to back, or just pick from the tables that suit you. There is a page with a d30 table to assist in quick generation and has 30 sample titles. The title generator is a guide, and does not suggest exact names or authors. There are many excellent random name generators one can use for authors. Add in your list of random names and the species, peoples, nations, and locations from your campaign world to make your own book titles with authors. If you use a published campaign setting use the names and places from that setting.
Adventure Module A1: Beginner's Luck by Aaron Frost. Published by Shattered Pike Studio. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for Free. 42 pages.

"A Beginning Adventure for Ten Year Olds of All Ages" 
This short adventure was designed for kids, or to help new players learn about role playing games. The characters find themselves chasing after a master thief within the tomb of Feargus the Drowned. 
The adventure includes printable geomorph dungeon tiles so that the tomb can be mapped out as the characters explore. There are also printable double-sided magic item "loot cards" with game stats for the weapons, armor, and items. 
Links to two audio tracks that can be played during the course of the adventure are also included. This adventure requires The Black Hack by David Black to play.

Monster_N_Treasure Challenge by The Gamers on MeWe. Ed. by Mark Hunt. Available from DriveThru RPG for Free. 20 pages.
This is a collection of Items shared by the gamers on MEWE! We hope you find a use for it in your games! 
City of Illanter: Kellerin's Rumble by Malrex. Art by Jack Holliday, Peter Temesi, Maciej Zagorski, Jlonnee, Rick Hershey, V-shane, Robert Hemminger. Published by The Merciless Merchants. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for PWYW. 27 pages. 
Congratulations!! Someone in your party won/found/bequeathed a deed to a warehouse inside the protective walls of Illanter, City of Broken Swords. Another bonus, while visiting said warehouse, you are invited to the mysterious Kellerin's Rumble, an annual gambling event. Your group is the talk of the town! Gossip and rumors are flying around the city about the event....and YOU. Let the games begin! 
Jarkoon: Adventures on Planet X! by Simon Washbourne. Published by Beyond Belief Games. Available from Lulu in Print for $9.84 and from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $3.00. 20 pages.
Astounding! Amazing! Incredible! Non-stop action using familiar rules! Who wants to read through reams of text just to get to the action? No-one right? These rules assume you know how to role play. They assume you know about “Golden Age” comic book space fantasy adventures. (Sword & Planet rules through a retro lens). They assume you know how OSR products work. There, it’s done. You know how to play already. Just get on with it. Ray guns set to kill! Flash! Bang! Zoom! 
Dungeon Zine 6 Arcadia by Konsumterra at Elfmaids & Octopi. Available for Free in PDF. 3 pages.

Echoes From Fomalhaut #03 by Melan. Available in Print from the Publisher for $8.00. PDF available at a later date. 44 pages.
A 44-page fanzine featuring adventures and GM-friendly campaign materials for Advanced old-school RPG rules, with artwork by Stefan Poag, Denis McCarthy, and more. This issue contains... 
* The Great Wheel: A mighty 50’ wheel rolls through the wastelands of Fomalhaut, destroying all in its path, and followed by a ragged host of raiders, fanatics, desperate camp followers and wily opportunists. What purpose drives this great device, and who are its followers? 
* Terror on Tridentfish Island: A sword&sorcery module set on a formerly wealthy resort island, dotted with ruined pleasure palaces, enigmatic caverns, and the relics of a bygone age. 17 keyed locations plus two mini-dungeons. 
* Monsters of Wizardry: a collection of monsters adapted from the excellent CRPG, Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant. 
* Erillion, East: an article describing the eastern half of the Isle of Erillion, from the city of Baklin to the island kingdoms of the Northmen, and from gloomy highlands to enchanted forests. 
* Also... a detailed fold-out GM’s map of the Isle of Erillion! 
Please note that your print order also makes you eligible for free PDF copies of your ordered items when they become available (should be a few months after the print edition). PDFs will be delivered via RPGNow to your regular e-mail address, unless you request otherwise.
White Box: Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd by James M. Spahn. Art by Jeff Freels. Published by Barrel Rider Games. Available from DriveThru RPG for $1.00. 4 pages.
White Box: Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd puts a dark twist on a modern Halloween classic, reshaping it into a terrifying and twisted class for use with Swords & Wizardry White Box and other OSR roleplaying games. 
Children who wait in the pumpkin patch sometimes receive strange gifts and become known as the Vigilant of the Midnight Gourd. Entice new followers to your dark master with sweet treats, stand sleepless and untiring in the pumpkin patch, and cut down those who would dare doubt the existence of the dark gourd that is your master with this 10-level class! 
Swords & Wizardry, S&W, WhiteBox, and Mythmere Games are the trademarks of Matthew J. Finch. Barrel Rider Games is not affiliated with Matthew J. Finch or Mythmere Games™. This product is compatible with the rules of Swords & Wizardry: WhiteBox rules. 
The Oneiromancer by Vance Atkins. Published by Leicester's Rambles. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for .99 cents. 5 pages. 
An arcane student of sleep- and dream-manipulation, the Oneiromancer dwells in the unreality of the unconscious, effecting dream manipulation, recuperative spells, augury and the potential manipulation of outcomes... 

New Editions and Re-Releases


The Black Hack Second Edition by David Black. Art by Karl Stjernberg, David Black, Sean Poppe, 

Jeff Call. Published by Gold Piece Publications. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $6.00. See the publishers website for Print info. 126 pages.

Black is Back!

New expanded Second Edition rules now include a wealth of extra material and tools for every Black Hack GM. The main rules still only take up 30 pages, but the full edition adds over 90 more pages of NPCs, monsters, dungeons, traps, magic items and much more.

The Black Hack is a super-streamlined roleplaying game that uses the Original 1970s Fantasy Roleplaying Game as a base, and could well be the most straightforward modern OSR compatible clone available. If speed of play and character creation, compatibility, and simple - yet elegant rules are what you yearn for. Look no further!

The Black Hack is a fast playing game and the rules can be picked up in minutes.

Print copies of The Black Hack Second Edition may be ordered from the Squarehex website and will ship directly after the Kickstarter copies have been sent to backers.

Labyrinth Lord (Pumpkin Spice Edition) By Daniel Proctor. Published by Goblinoid Games. Available from Lulu in Print for $26.15 (HC).
 All of the great Labyrinth Lord you've come to love for the last ten years...now in pumpkin spice! 
Take a sip, and role a save vs. poison! 
2018 Pumpkin Spice Edition for a limited time!! 
Gamma World (1e) by Gary Jaquet, James M. Ward. Art by David C. Sutherland III, David A. Trampier. Published by Wizards of the Coast. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $9.99, Print for $19.99 and Print/PDF combo for $21.99. 63 pages.
Can you survive in a world gone mad? A world where civilization as we know it has been
destroyed in a cataclysmic holocaust? What is left in this world? Find out and encounter such bizarre things as mutated plants and animals more terrible than you can imagine, radiation wastelands that stretch as far as the eye can see, and fearless machines gone uncontrollably beserk . . . 
This is the setting for a GAMMA WORLD™ campaign, with players taking on the persona of an individual character somewhere in this forbidding locale. In a quest for survival and in search of a better future, the players adventure across the land, enduring hardships and encountering dangerous obstacles and mysterious foes - never knowing quite what to expect. The result is a game which can go in many directions, but which will be challenging and fascinating no matter what the outcome. 
The GAMMA WORLD™ Set includes all the basics needed to set up your own "world": game booklet (packed with terrible mutants, as well as guidelines for creating additional ones of your own), a large campaign map (designed to be easily modified by individual gamemasters), and a full set of polyhedra dice. The only other things necessary are a good imagination and a spirit of adventure! The GAMMA WORLD™ rules are also suitable for use with the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTM rules.
The GAMMA WORLD challenge awaits you - are you ready? 
This digital edition includes the PDF version of the book, and a ZIP file containing printable JPGs of the campaign map. 
Note on the print edition: The maps and other elements have been added as bonus pages in the print book. If you plan on using the map at your table it is recommended that you purchase the "Multiple File Formats + Softcover Color Book" combo and print the digital version.
The Class Hack - Second Edition by Mark Craddock. Art by James Shields. Published by Cross Planes Game Studio. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $2.99. 20 pages.
Do you enjoy THE BLACK HACK SECOND EDITION but wish you had more classes to add to it? 
THE CLASS HACK SECOND EDITION includes 16 additional Classes inspired by the Original 1970's Fantasy Roleplaying game for the THE BLACK HACK OSR SECOND EDITION. 
Add the Assassin, Acrobat, Barbarian, Bard, Cavalier, Dragonborn, Druid, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Halfling, Monk, Orc, Paladin, Ranger and Tiefling Classes to your campaign.
The Chaos Gods Come to Meatlandia-Vivimancer Edition by Wind Lothamer and Ahimsa Kerp. Art by Wind Lothamer. Published by Knight Owl Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $9.99. 80 pages.
All the inexplicable madness and gruesomeness of the original version, updated and improved to blend perfectly with the gross horror of Gavin Norman's masterpiece, the Complete Vivimancer. 
Still compatible with all OSR systems, just as bloody and horrific as before, and even more insane than ever! 
More bards than you can handle--including the Chaos DJ, Raconteur, and Nexus Bard!
Kaldanes! 
Meatimals, Meat Men, and Meat Mechs!
Worms Galore!

Some Misc. Other Stuff!


Saker Tarsos of Tarsos Theorum has a Rambunctious Apocalyptic Outlaws generator for you. As well as one for Disreputable Wasteland Wizards. 

Lawful Neutral of Unlawful Games has a D100 Post-Apocalyptic Loot table here. 





Some Reviews from the Blogosphere


Tamás Illés from Vorpal Mace reviews The City That Dripped Blood.





About The OSR 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. 
I have received no remuneration from any publisher for reporting on their releases, nor is such a requirement for a product to be included in these posts. At times, an author or publisher may send me a complimentary copy of an item, for purposes of review. This is not a requirement for a product's inclusion in these posts. Some of the links, such as to One Bookshelf sites, are affiliate links and do provide compensation from the pertinent site. 
Please feel free to send me information on any new releases, events, or other items of interest, which you would like to see mentioned.
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