I’ve been thinking of ways to make the Tenkar’s Tavern Substack something that is more than a bunch of video links. Hell, the links are good, but there should be more.
Besides, I need something to keep me motivated in keeping this updated.
Starting with this issue of the newsletter, we are adding unique content. Maybe a map, an encounter, or an NPC. Likely system neutral, or at most, OSR neutral. We’ll take submissions, paid at $10 USC per accepted piece. Email me at tenkars.tavern@gmail.com with the subject “Substack Submission”.
Before I forget, Lamentations of the Flame Princess has a $1.25 sale on individual PDFs until Tuesday, May 16th, give or take. Note, the following is an affiliate link:
The following content was generated using Chat-GPT and tweaked and edited by Tenkar
Title: The Cursed Crypt
Description: You and your party of adventurers find yourselves standing before the dilapidated entrance of an ancient crypt. The air is heavy with an eerie silence, broken only by the faint sound of dripping water. The weathered stone steps lead downward into darkness, inviting you to explore the mysteries that lie within. Little do you know, the crypt is not as abandoned as it appears...
Encounter:
As you cautiously descend the steps, the torchlight flickers, revealing a long corridor lined with ancient stone tombs. The air becomes colder, and the faint sound of whispers fills the air, making your skin crawl.
Suddenly, a pair of skeletal hands burst forth from the walls, attempting to grab the nearest party member. This is a trap set by the restless spirits that haunt the crypt. The party must react swiftly to avoid being caught in the clutches of the undead.
Mechanics:
Roll to see if the party is surprised. The skeletal hands can not be surprised
Attack: The skeletal hands have an Armor Class of 8 and 10 hit points each. The hands attack as 2 HD creatures and deal 1d4 bludgeoning damage on a successful hit.
If a character is hit by the skeletal hands, the hands retreat back into the walls for 1d4 rounds, but the character takes 1d4 bludgeoning damage and is momentarily stunned (loses their next turn).
If both hands hit the same character in the same round, they begin to choke the character for an additional 1d6 damage, and an automatic 1d6 damage per round until destroyed.
Tactics: The skeletal hands will attempt to grab the party members closest to them. They prioritize characters with lower AC and weaker defenses. They will attack until destroyed or until all party members have successfully evaded their grasp.
Reward: Upon defeating the skeletal hands and surviving the encounter, the party finds a hidden alcove behind one of the tombs. Inside, they discover a small cache of gold coins and a magic scroll containing a low-level spell.
Remember to adjust the encounter's difficulty based on your party's level and resources, and feel free to incorporate additional environmental elements or roleplaying opportunities to enhance the atmosphere of the encounter.
Tenkar’s Tavern - Gaming news, observations, punditry, and more regarding the OSR. Livestreams Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday Nights @ 8 PM Eastern with various cohosts, including other casters on the TVN. You can also find me at TenkarsTavern.com.
This Week’s Video:
Kelsey Dionne of ShadowDark fame, and quite possible the best guest to ever grace The Tavern with their presence.
Tabletop Taproom - Reviewing Frontier Explorer 8: Yazirian Literature, Cuisine of the Core Four Species, Conversion notes for Star Frontiers to Stars Without Number, a new comic, new equipment, a new alien species, new starships, new Frontier fiction, and more.
I had a question from a subscriber and I thought it was a good one about how to use the starship skills in the Knight Hawks board game. I try to address that along with some play aids and supports for running player characters in starship combat.
The Frontier Explorer fan magazine is available for free: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/129214/Frontier-Explorer--Issue-8
Greyhawk Grognard - Analysis, reviews, and new material relating to the World of Greyhawk Campaign Setting, tabletop gaming, and the OSR, with occasional forays into pop culture and industry/hobby news. Weekly videos on Thursdays, a Greyhawk-themed adventure hook every Sunday, plus other videos as the mood strikes.
I talk about combining modules to make the ultimate Greyhawk megadungeon.
Joethelawyer’s Analog Mancave – Joe is an old bastard who puts out videos on D&D, both old school and new. He’s been playing D&D since 1984. Joe is currently wrapping up a 4 ½ year 5e campaign and is about to start up a long long very long 2e campaign. He’s doing a series of videos on how he’s prepping for it, and the campaign is expected to launch in the next couple of months. No, you won’t ever see these games livestreamed. The lack of dignity and decorum in these games would shock, confuse and horrify anyone under 50.
He sometimes does videos with his brother Mike, called the Joe and Bro Firepit Show, where they talk about the D&D games they each play and run, while sitting in his brother’s backyard around his firepit. Roscoe the dog, known as “Squirrelbane” to his enemies, sometimes visits while they yammer on. There’s usually much alcohol and other semi-legal things consumed during these shows, so they aren’t for the faint of heart. Often, they aren’t even coherent or comprehensible. He does unboxings, product reviews—both new and retro, and plans on reading all the books in Gary’s Appendix N soon. God knows he has enough books…he may as well put them to use.
This week’s video:
After last night's game I decided to make a change. Sometimes individual initiative is better for the game, depending on the group and their needs. Here's the promised link to the updated houserules: https://www.agmancave.com/post/my...
Email: analogmancave@gmail.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/analogmancave
Twitter: https://twitter.com/analogmancave
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100077311317522
MeWe: www.mewe.com/i/joed15
Webpage: www.analogmancave.com
Eldrad Wolfsbane (The unofficial Wizard of the OSR) talks about how we gamed back in the 80s and early 90s.
Morality Clauses and Cancel Cultures over them in the RPG Industry? Who's Morality?
GP Adventures – That Guy With The French Accent: Ben Poire is a veteran gamer who has been playing and running tabletop RPGs since the 1980s, posting in gaming circles online since the early 2000s, and designed his first module with the Hyperborean Laboratories of AFS Magazine #3. He partnered with Ernest G. Gygax Jr. for the cartography, design and writing of the Marmoreal Tomb Campaign Starter with Troll Lord Games. He is working on the larger Hobby Shop Dungeon project set in the the World around the Duinnsmere along with the Tomb.
Ben likes to create informative videos about the Old School, open-ended sanbox play style, mine and develop the published material of GP for their users, talk alone or with guests about the hobby, the games, play styles, pop culture, and various topics relevant to tabletop gamers including terrain and miniatures, cartography, logistics of gaming, as well as the occasional review or trailer reaction, because why not.
In this video, Ben presents an infographic I built to visually explain the relationship and connections between TSR Dungeons & Dragons editions, their various "straight" first generation clones, and the plethora of variants or "second gen" clones that followed.
The graphic is meant to be conveying info quickly and a conversation starter - it's not exhaustive, nor can it be.
First generation clone: a document meant to replicate the rules of an original TSR version of D&D via the System Reference Documents available under the Open Game License(s) available to the hobby.
Second generation clone: variants and derivations lifting open content from the first generation retroclones to create their own particular systems and/or core game settings.
Facebook: /bpoire Twitter: @BenoistPoire. Instagram: @benoistpoire
Matt Jackson’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/mattjackson
Interesting Video:
Solo RPG. I discuss how I use my oracle to help me run my solo games.
Glen Hallstrom’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/GlenHallstrom
I review the Megadungeon Monster Manual by Greg Gillespie. Link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product_...