The OSR News - Nov 2, 2018

An old school offering from The Scribes of Sparn and a new release from Lamentations of the Flame Princess kicks things off this week. Further down, there's one hell of an enticing library/dungeon. We've got some non D&D old school, with something for Traveller fans and a new, or re release, or something for Aftermath! up on One Book Shelf. There's a lot more on offering this week as well and I'll end this intro by pointing out the very last item, a rather intriguing free PDF by the name of Tenebrae

New Releases

The Castle that Fell from the Sky by Steve Robertson & Jimm Johnson. Published by The Scribes of Sparn. Available from Lulu in Print for $9.80 and in PDF for $5.45. 52 pages.

Even in the far gulfs of space, the struggle of Law against Chaos, Good versus Evil is eternal. But wherever evil is not extinguished, it will revive to exact vengeance on those who would keep it at bay...

...On the fringes of the realm, where civilization wanes and adventures begin, rumors are whispered of a castle that fell from the sky. Some say it has poisoned the land where it fell and nought but death can be within its walls. Some say creatures, foul and dangerous, have gathered at the dark fortress. But others, the treasure seekers and thieves who haunt the local taverns, scoff at such dire warnings and view them only as a thin ploy to keep adventurers from winning the vast treasure that surely waits within. To your ears have come these very rumors— and more: you have learned the location of the fallen sky-castle!

An adventure module for characters level 3-5. Compatible with 0e, 1e, B/X, Original, Classic, and Advanced fantasy wargame systems and retroclones.

The Punchline by Zzarchov Kowolski. Art by Journeyman1029. Published by Lamentations of the Flame Princess. Available in Print from the Publisher for 18.70€.  Available in PDF from RPGNOW for $7.99. 32 pages.

DEAD CHILDREN AND OTHER LAUGHS 

Life is funny they say. It’s full of suffering and misery, confusion and ignorance. The life of those in a small alpine village has suddenly become far more full of those terrible things. Children are missing while tales of black magic and deviltry strike panic into the hearts of parents. 

If their life is just a miserable joke then it should come as no surprise when you hear THE PUNCHLINE. 

The Punchline comes to you from Zzarchov Kowolski (Going Through Forbidden Otherworlds, Scenic Dunnsmouth) and and brought to life by the gruesomely beautiful illustrations of Journeyman1029 (Emerald Alley, OSR2). 

A killer clown filled adventure suitable for low level characters for use with Lamentations of the Flame Princess Weird Fantasy Role-Playing and other traditional role-playing games. 

Standoff at Sandfell Sea Fort by Malrex. Published by The Merciless Merchants. Available from DriveThru RPG in Print for $10.00, in PDF for $5.00 and in a Combo for $12.00. 24 pages.

Eerie lights? Strange noises? Ships are sailing blind into the rough shores of the Bay of Saurvorn. Why is the light out at Lokrom’s Beacon? Will the party find clues to a murderer? Or is there something more sinister at stake.
An OSR adventure for Levels 4-7. 

One of many monthly modules by Malrex's Modules on Patreon. This adventure has been edited and layout re-worked. It involves an adventure in a bay OR the seashore with a lighthouse and a old sea fort with several new monsters and magic items.

Starship Geomorphs by Robert Pearce. Available in PDF for Free. 185 pages.

The Starship Geomorphs book is finally complete and ready for download. I can safely say after three years of putting this project together the itch has been thoroughly scratched. If you have any constructive criticisms please comment below. I'm not opposed to revisiting this sometime in the future if the situation warrants it. In the meantime I'm going to take a short break and get back to some smaller, less intense projects. Thanks for your patience, I hope you find it worth the wait.

Basic and Advanced Magazine by Edward Kann. Available from Lulu in PDF for $3.21. 53 pages.

BASIC and Advanced Magazine is an OSR zine dedicated to house rules and homebrew content. This quarterly magazine contains house rules, quirky character classes, new spins on old monsters, magic items, and short encounters or mini dungeons. 

We have decided to exclude RAW (Rules as Written) reviews and materials as there are so very many articles and blog posts already available to support that side of the hobby. 

We are interested in hearing about your own house rules, homebrew creations, off beat character classes and creative monsters and magic items. Information on how to submit a simple pitch of your material is included in the first pages of this edition. 

Over time we hope to add many other voices to the material contained herein but every journey has to begin somewhere. I have done my best to include a wide range of my own fun homebrew material for this first issue.

Campfire Tale by Mark Craddock. Published by Cross Planes Game Studio. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $1.50. 11 pages.

Campfire Tale is designed as an introductory adventure for 1st to 3rd level characters for The Black Hack Second Edition and Labyrinth Lord. It can easily be in corporated into an existing campaign.

RL2 - The Charnel Pits of Reynaldo Lazendry by Jeremy Reaban. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for PWYW. 12 pages.

RL2 - The Charnel Pits of Reynaldo Lazendry is the second level of the dungeon of Reynaldo Lazendry. It's meant for the 1st advanced edition of the world's oldest fantasy role-playing game, but can be used with most classic editions with no problem. 

The second level details Reyaldo Lazendry's experiments in studying life and death...and undeath. 

(It's meant to be something of a Halloween adventure)

Slave-Drones of the Fantas-Ti-Plex by Reid San Filippo & Steve Bean. Published by Shield of Faith Studios. Available in Print from Lulu for $11.99, in Print from Amazon for $11.99, in Print/PDF Combo from DriveThru RPG for $11.99 and in PDF from DriveThru RPG for $4.99. 40 pages.

AN ODD UMERICAN 0-LEVEL FUNNEL ADVENTURE FOR EXPERIENCED JUDGES

WELCOME TO THE FANTAS-TI-PLEX! A lovely underground dystopian complex ruled by the ever beneficent Autocrat. Here all drones live in peace and prosperity, because the Autocrat says so. I mean, why would any of the drones doubt him, EVER. It is a perfect place to barely live and no one would EVER want to leave, right?

Slave-Drones of the Fantas-Ti-Plex is an alternate style 0-level funnel for Umerica—the gonzo postapocalyptic science-fantasy setting for the DCC RPG written by Reid San Filippo. Unlike a regular 0-level funnel, where players start with three to four 0-level PCs and try to keep one to two of them alive to level up, in the Slave-Drones of the Fantas-Ti-Plex players have only one 0-level PC to traverse a dystopian underground facility and each time that PC is killed, their consciousness is uploaded into a fresh, new copy of their physical body. Of course, each time they respawn the process goes perfectly without any flaws or mutations popping up, right? ...right? I’m sure it will be fine.

This product is compatible with the Dungeon Crawl Classics Role Playing Game

Adventure Framework 34: Carnifexum by Stephen J Grodzicki. Published by Pickpocket Press. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $1.00. 10 pages. 

Welcome to $1 Adventure Frameworks! 

$1AF makes sweet mini adventures - or more accurately what I like to call "Adventure Frameworks" - stand alone, drop in adventure 'skeletons', made to facilitate sandbox style play - for $1. 

Each adventure framework is set in a generic medieval or ancient fantasy location, with enough meat to enable the GM to improvise details and adapt to player choices.

System wise, these adventures use the Low Fantasy Gaming RPG (an old school/modern mix d20 based game; free PDF - Link), but are easily adapted to any d20 system.
So what do you get for your dollar?

Adventure Framework 34 Carnifexum consists of:

• A downloadable, bookmarked PDF (7 A4 pages, excluding cover & credits, in both parchment and white backgrounds).
• The Core Adventure (in this instance, gladiatorial games held in Melek, City of Shackles) that will occupy 3-8 hours of session time with Minimal Prep.
• Rumours & Hooks suggestions.
• Quality B&W Illustrations.
• A professional hand drawn map. 

But don't take my word for it - google 18 Halls of the Dwarf Lord and 16 Delecarte's Carnival of Wonders to download two free examples.

RT2 Adventures in Fun World by Jo Kreil. Published by Great Scott! Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $3.99. 35 pages.

A HIDEOUTS & HOODLUMS Adventure Module for Hero Levels 3-5. What could be more fun than an amusement park? Maybe an abandoned amusement park, sinking into a swamp, filled with deadly danger? That makes it the perfect setting for a hideout that the heroes can explore and loot! And what does Mr. Mesmer want with the park...? 

This module contains background information, Editor's notes, plus maps and exploration keys. It provides a complete adventure for play of HIDEOUTS & HOODLUMS (2nd edition), and it can be used alone or as the second of a series of expedition adventures which also employs HIDEOUT MODULE RT1 (Palace of the Vamp Queen).

Caravans & Trade by Larry Hamilton. Published by Follow Me, And Die! Entertainment LLC. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for PWYW. 23 pages.

Considerations for handling trade, caravans, and trade routes in RPGs with several tables to assist the GM.

B1 The Ruins of Grimhold Keep by J. Published by New Realms Publishing. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $5.95. 15 pages.

Once a dwarven stronghold guarding the Great Trade Road, Grimhold Keep has fallen into ruin. But within the shadowed structures and crumbling towers monsters lurk and treasure waits to be claimed! 

B1 The Ruins of Grimhold Keep, is a dungeon adventure for 4 to 6 characters of 1st to 3rd level. Once a dwarven stronghold guarding the Great Trade Road, the keep has fallen into ruin, but the remains of the towers and ruined structures may conceal lost wealth and lurking danger. Based on the Universal Adventure module of the same name, the adventure includes 9 Adventure cards, each with a thumbnail map, description and notes, 9 Encounter cards, with full stats, 9 Event cards, 9 Search cards and 18 Treasure cards. Written for Labyrinth Lord (tm) and similar RPGs, the adventure can be played solo or with a group, with or without a GM. The adventure is highly re-playable and the cards can be combined with those from other adventures to create your own adventures. Gather your party and delve into the depths of Grimhold Keep in search of gold, glory and adventure! 

B2 The Dungeons of Grimhold Keep, Level 1 by J. Published by New Realms Publishing. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $5.95. 15 pages.

Once a dwarven stronghold guarding the Great Trade Road, the Grimhold Keep has fallen into ruin. Rumors claim, though, that an extensive network of tunnels and chambers exists beneath the ruins. Home to all manner of horrors and traps, the dungeons are also said to house the hoarded wealth of marauding bandits and monsters. Only a brave party of adventurers can survive the dangers to discover the truth.

Enter the depths of Grimhold Keep in search of gold, glory and adventure. But beware, the denizens of the dark depths are a danger to all who dare to enter their domain. And there are rumors of a new power rising, one that bears the symbol of the crowned skull. 

B2 The Dungeons of Grimhold Keep, Level 1, a dungeon adventure for 4 to 6 characters of 1st to 3rd level. Once a dwarven stronghold guarding the Great Trade Road, the keep has fallen into ruin, but legends tell of an extensive network of chambers and tunnels beneath the keep. Based on the Universal Adventure module of the same name, the adventure includes 9 Adventure cards, each with a thumbnail map, description and notes, 9 Encounter cards, with full stats, 9 Event cards, 9 Search cards and 18 Treasure cards. Written for Labyrinth Lord (tm) and similar RPGs, the adventure can be played solo or with a group, with or without a GM. The adventure is highly re-playable and the cards can be combined with those from other adventures to create your own adventures. Gather your party and delve into the depths of Grimhold Keep in search of gold, glory and adventure!

The Stygian Library by Emmy Allen. Published by Dying Stylishly Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $4.00. 71 pages.

The Stygian Library is a creepily genteel dungeon set in an infinite extradimensional library. Each expedition generates its route as it explores, resulting in new locations being discovered with every visit. Included within: 

• Systems for generating locations within the library, including Entrance Foyers, Map Galleries, Tea Rooms, Planetariums, Calculation Engines, Phantom Databanks, Paper Beehives, Phantom Pumps, Jarred Brains and the Sheol Computer.
• 40 monsters tailored to the Library, including Lantern Bearers, Skeleton Crew, Origami Golems, Guardian Shades, Lost Souls, Ink Elementals, Animate Spells, Archivist-Liches, Infernal Merchants, Escaped Fictions, Educated Rodents, Conceptual Wells and the orders of Librarians themselves.
• A system for searching for specific knowledge within the library's depths, as well as 30 unusual books and the secret knowledge they contain.
• Tables for generating treasure, dreams, rumors, and various other useful details.
• A unique class of Mummified Sages, post-human academics who've dwelled in the Library for decades or more.

It's a big spooky library full of dangerous knowledge, spiritual automata and ghost-fueled computers. 

The Tomb of Harven Half-Skull by Joseph Bloch. Published by BRW Games. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $2.49. 10 pages.

A hundred years ago, the pirate king Harven Half-Skull was buried with his ill-gotten booty in a secret tomb. Your band of adventurers have a map that claims to show the final resting place of the pirate king, and you're off to claim his loot. But the dead do not rest easy... 

The Tomb of Harven Half-Skull is an adventure for 3-6 characters of level 3-4, and is a classic dungeon crawl designed to be completed in a single gaming session. 

Written for the Adventures Dark and Deep™ rules, The Tomb of Harven Half-Skull can be played with most Basic and Advanced compatible rule sets with little or no conversion needed. 

New Editions and Re-Releases

Tomb of the Serpent Kings - Deluxe Print Edition by Skerples. Art by Scrap Princess. Available from DriveThru RPG in print for $2.70 and in PDF for Free. 25 pages.

People keep asking for "beginner" dungeons. Everyone can name "classic" dungeons - Tomb of Horrors, Barrier Peaks, The Temple of Elemental Evil, etc. - but in order for those adventures to make sense, there needs to be some sort of introduction. 

It's like all the adventures we have are Bach concertos. People keep writing amazing works of staggering genius, but someone needs to write a book on how to play the piano. 

I had the same questions, and since I couldn't find anything satisfactory, I decided to write the kind of dungeon I would have loved to find. I wanted to write the best basic old-school dungeon for new players that I could, and I also wanted to show the design process. And since people keep refereng to it, I figured I'd put up a fancy print version. 

Tomb of the Serpent Kings is designed to be easy to adapt to your system of choice to create an old-school dungeon-crawling tomb-robbing experience. 

The PDF is free and licensed under Creative Commons NC-BY-SA. Hack it, share it, translate it (there are French, German and Spanish translations available on my blog).

If you want a fancy print version, buy the print-on-demand copy. It's sold at cost - I don't make a cent off it. If you'd like to support me, consider adding Kidnap the Archpriest or Epochrypha: a Book of Speculative Ages to your order.

The Race Hack Second Edition for The Black Hack Second Edition by Mark Craddock. Published by Cross Planes Game Studio. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $1.99. 9 pages. 

Do you enjoy THE BLACK HACK SECOND EDITION but wish you had more Racial options?

THE RACE HACK Second Edition features 19 Races in the tradition of the Advanced Version of the World's First Role Playing Game and it's 5th Edition version, as well. 

It includes Aasimars, Apemen, Catfolk, Centaurs, Dragonborn, Dwarves, Elves, Gargoyles, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Halflings, Humans, Lizardmen, Minotaurs, Orcs, Ratmen, Sasquatches, Tieflings, and Wolfmen.

Aftermath! Asteroid Cybele: Australia's Wild West by Stephen Dedman. Published by Fantasy Games Unlimited. Available from DriveThru RPG in PDF for $8.00.

With the asteroid strike on Earth by Asteroid Cybele, orderly civilization came to an end. Now, twenty years later, some organization has been restored in limited areas of the globe. Regions of former nations have reorganized and attempted to restore some semblance of secure and orderly lives for citizens.

A complete guide to Western Australia after the ruin with a full campaign to get characters started in adventuring in this post-holocaust environment. In addition to the basics about the region twenty years after the ruin, you will find:

• A history of the ruin and its effects on Australia
• A detailed look at pre- and post-ruin Australian culture, including history, cuisine, language (with slang terms), laws and customs, popular activities, and much more.
• Forty-four detailed communities with maps, some with pre-ruin photographs.
• Eleven interconnected adventures to begin any campaign.
• Appendices covering technology, weapons, vehicles, and a “catalog of finds.”

Some Reviews from the Blogosphere

Chris Kutalik of Hill Cantons fame talks about What Ho, Frog Demons! 

Needles of Swords & Stitchery has some comments on the Codex Germania. 

Frederick Foulds of Arcana Obscura has a review of Sounds of the Mushroom Kingdom.

Bryce of tenfootpole.org reviews Through Ultan's Door. 

Tamás Illés of Vorpal Mace reviews Obscene Serpent Religion. 

Trey From the Sorcerer's Skull has some comments on What Ho, Frog Demons!

Needles of Swords & Stitchery has some commentary on Tomb of the Iron God.

Jeremy Friesen of Take On Rules has a review of Witchburner.

Misc. Free Stuff! 

Soren of the Weird blog has this LotFP Character Sheet that's pretty snazzy!

Ricardo Esteves made a Brawler for the Black Hack (Direct Link) And an Outlander (Direct Link.)

This is an older post, but Timrod of Cave of the Dice Chucker has some nice Hommlet maps.

GREGORIUS21778 has 10 Demons from Hell, LotFP style.

Tenebrae by Unusual Existence. Art by K. Yani. 32 page PDF (Direct Link.)


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 may provide some compensation from the retail 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.