Plans for 2010

For PRG, 2009 was about as successful as I could have ever hoped. This past year I was able to publish Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt, Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord (for Knockspell #3), The Lost Staves of Maurath, and the Treasure Crypt of the Salstine Pirate mini-module.

For 2010, I want to keep the momentum going. Here are the plans (which may change, of course).

- Finish my new adventure for Knockspell. Whether it gets into issue #4 or #5 is up in the air right now. I'm way behind schedule on this one.

- The Classic Deep Level Dungeon Adventures Vol. I: a compilation of modules DLD 1-5. This will include the never before published DLD3 Beyond the Midway Post. Also this will be the Maurath adventure's first time in print. This volume will also include all new editing, art and layout.

- I plan to finally begin my Labyrinth Lord mega adventure The Fierce Foes of Fire Peak Mountain. I'm kicking around the idea for this module to be used with the LL Advanced Edition Companion. If I didn't mention it before, this will be a nice fat old-school adventure filled with all my faves: Deserted ruins, mysterious villages, trap-filled tombs, caverns, and a big ol' Red Dragon at the end of it all (I'm not giving anything away. It will be known that a dragon is up in them thar mountains).

- Once the dust settles, I can get my X-plorers game going. I have a rough idea for an adventure, and I'd like to see if I can finally get one published. It's just too cool of a bare-bones sci-fi RPG.

Anyway: Happy New Year to ya'll!

Just saw Dorkness Rising

After hearing bits and pieces about The Gamers: Dorkness Rising, I finally saw it streaming on Netflix. Yes it is a shoestring budget affair, but I actually found myself laughing hysterically at most of the adventuring gags. The dead bard gags were priceless as well as the alignment arguments.

As I was watching, I kept thinking of the average non-gamer who might try to watch this and how freaking confused they would be by all the gamer lingo. Dorkness Rising might not be for everyone, it is definitely a love letter to tabletop role-players.

Although this movie has some obvious low budget drawbacks, as a gamer I would still recommend checking it out.

Favorite quote: "There's 37 more of me, asshole!"

Another D&D clone available? Sure, why not?

I just stumbled upon Paige Oliver's Red Box Fantasy rpg (Player's guide here for free), a game that is described as "the new face of Retrogaming." A more in depth description can be found here.

Jim Raggi is kicking around the idea of a LotFP traditional rpg in order to market his games under his own brand.

With S&W, LL, OSRIC, BFRPG, M&M, etc., as well as similar themed companions from Barrataria and Blackrazor, do you think this fragments or waters down the OSR, or do you find more options to be healthy for gaming references/growth.

I mentioned before that I think that most old-school gamers love to draw ideas from various sources. As a young roleplayer, I used to mix B/X with a fat dose of 1e and a dash of the ol' Arduin Grimoire. That being said, I am all for more ideas based on the old game we know and love to be written and available for public consumption. For I shall consume, see?

I would like to believe that someone who mainly plays Labyrinth Lord or BFRPG would have no problem utilizing other retro-sources into their game if they wish. If not, for those who use a set of their choice rules as a strict source for play, why would/should it bother them that other retro rules exist?

To ask if more and more retro-clones are necessary is moot. That opinion is up to the one who might want to use additional rule sets for inspiration. For those playing strict B/X D&D by the book (and with the originals no less), of course new sets of retro rules are unnecessary...for them.

For me, I like a variety of ideas on my favorite game, whether it comes from the 0e or the 1e spectrum of play. So I read through and utilize bits from most of the clones, as well as the supplements and magazines. If Raggi publishes the LotFP rpg, I'll read it and possibly use it for inspiration in my LL campaign. What I won't do is roll my eyes and say, "ANOTHER one?!" The quality and love put into the available clones (as well as the wealth of ideas) are seriously not that off-putting. :)

Playing the Maurath module backwards? Nice twist.

SPOILERS to the Maurath module. You know...just in case.

This post will assume that you have read The Lost Staves of Maurath. If you have not, what the heck, man? Go here, download it for free, give it a once-over, and then come back for a nice twist to this module.

As I thumbed through The Lost Staves of Maurath again the other night (always, always looking for typos) it dawned on me that this particular adventure could be played in a way to add a good amount of mystery and discovery: run the module backward.

In this scenario, the characters will have zero knowledge of the town of Bremwell and their problems with their damaged temple and the lost staves of Maurath.

Deep into the original adventure, The Temple of the Black Jewel (area 21) has a northbound hall that eventually becomes a natural cavern, leading the characters outside into the hills north of Bremwell. Playing the adventure backwards, this cavern will be the characters' entrance instead of exit.

The first encounter for the characters will be with the clerics of the Black Jewel who will tell the characters about the theft of the Black Jewel. The clerics could hire the characters to explore the caverns above the waterfall to the south to seek out and return the stolen relic. Even if this encounter somehow results in combat (the clerics are Chaotic after all), the discoveries of the giant black statue, the strange interlocking staves, and sinkhole leading to the Temple of Maurath would be fun mysteries for the characters to untangle.

It's the discovery of the Temple of Maurath which intrigues me the most about playing the adventure backwards. I like the idea of the characters finding this mysteriously new structure above the dark catacombs. If the characters climb up into the sanctuary and kill off the temple's intruders, curiosity will insist that the characters hack or blast through the temple's boarded-up entrance. This might bring them to the town of Bremwell.

Should the characters end up in Bremwell, imagine the role-playing between the characters and the residents. Will they look at the characters with deep suspicion? Will they tell the story of the lost staves (one adventure, two lost artifacts! Who wudda thunk it)? The main thing the residents would want is some proof that the caverns do indeed contain an ancient, evil burial chamber. What evidence will the characters have with them?

Nice possibilities.

RPG aimed at kids to help one in need

Hey, folks.

Just read this over the theRPGsite:


Hi,

I'm new to the forums, but I work for Empty Room Studios, I am posting this not to try and plug our new RPG game that's aimed at kids, but to try and get some support from the community. One of the artists of Empty Room Studios is having a tough time right now financially -I know we all are- but his is unique in that he is dealing with a sick wife, and raising two daughters with one on the way.

The point is, we at ERS would like to offer our newest game, Dungeon Dwellers: Junior Edition for *almost* free. All you have to do is visit www.helpthehersheys.blogspot.com and donate as little as $1.00 to help out Rick's family and we will send you a link to download DD:JD.

Also, please post a link in your facebook pages (with the same deal I am offering you here), tweet out a message, blog about it, or e-mail your friends -just help get the word out to everyone you may know who would be interested in a great game aimed at kids and for helping out a worthy cause!

Thanks for your time

-Rocky


Please check it out and pass it along.

Big Bang Theory and D&D

I watch the show Big Bang Theory when I can because of all the GeekSpeak found on the program. While I enjoy the show, I can not BELIEVE that Sheldon and his buddies have not engaged in a Dungeons & Dragons edition war yet. There is no way that these characters know as much as they do about all things geeky, from comics to Star Wars to Star Trek, and they have never played D&D?

Well, I for one want my BBT D&D episode! Who at CBS do I yell at to get this done? :D

Barrataria's Companion Expansion

I'm always up for pimping other OSR products on the ol' PRG blog, soooooo...

Here is a cool new product in which one can mine some great ideas for their LL/old-school game. With Barrataria Games' Companion Expansion, GMs can introduce new spells, magic items, classes (half-ogre!), and rules to slice and dice your characters up to 36th level.

The Companion Expansion is an obvious labor of love and a useful gift to the OSR. You can check out the no-art version here for FREE! Barrataria plans to release a POD version soon, filled with glorious art and old-school happiness.

Give it a test-drive to see if a little (or a lot) of the CE can fit into your current game.

Creative ideas: Thanks, Green Devil Face

I finally purchased LotFP's Green Devil Face (#1-3) based off a harsh review from the Pundit over at The RPG Site. As a fan of Raggi’s writing and a supporter of the OSR, I pimped GDF here on this blog. After all the cool things I’ve heard about these ‘zines, it’s funny that it took a bad review to finally make me take the plunge and buy GDF.

Man, I wish that I had not waited to get these. As a writer of RPG adventures, reading GDF is a true inspiration of what one can produce when you really stop giving a %#@$ about what others think or how adventures are “supposed” to be written.

Sometimes we need to step back and say, “This is fantasy. I can do ANYTHING I want to make this more interesting and fun.”

So far the best thing I can say about reading GDF is that it has sparked in me some fun ideas. I love that. Would I use all the traps found in GDF in my own adventures? Nooooooooooooo freaking way, but that’s not the point. It’s the creativity of what GDF’s contributors put into their ideas that I get off on (whether they work or not).

Personally, I loved the humor and satire found in issue #1 (and, no, I don’t know everyone Raggi is picking on, so although the inside jokes might go over my head, the set ups are still freaking cool, if not unusual and surreal). I would like to see more of that carried into future issues of GDF. I love it when an RPG resource can stimulate ideas while tearing me up in laughter.

Also, I must say that the imagery within Caleb Jensen’s Beware the Red Stream in issue #3 could be used by David Lynch should he decide to direct a “D&D” movie. I love it.

Anyway, as I said, GDF has spawned some fun ideas in me and I am in the process of putting those ideas down in a mini adventure that I plan to submit for a future issue of GDF. Whether it gets published there or not is not up to me, but I’m having fun with the extra burst of creativity.

As for future PRG releases, I think there will be one or two areas within each new adventure where I’ll think to myself: WWGDFD?

Traditional or "Book" Sized?

I've seen people posting here and there around the rpg community about size prefence in gaming books. It seems the book (or digest) sized booklet is gaining acceptance with the traditional fantasy gaming crowd.


For me, I like both. However, back in the day when I played post UA AD&D, I used to carry around a backpack FULL of rulebooks (which, admittedly, half were never even used). I would have loved access to booklet-sized rules back then.


Now, as a Labyrinth Lord GM/player, I carry around one (1) book, so, as they say, size doesn't matter. I do have a nice collection of pdfs of other rpgs and supplements that I have recently printed off as pocketbooks, which make for great and less clunky bedtime reading.


Does anyone out there have a die-hard preference, and if so, what drove you to wanting smaller/larger sized rpg materials?

A big thanks for representing LL in Knockspell.

I received my pdf copy of Knockspell #3 earlier today and it looks fantastic. I simply have to give a big thanks to Matt Finch at Mythmere Games for not only publishing my adventure, but making it look so darn good in print (a thanks to Mr. Kramer, too)!

The last time I really gave Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord a good read was after its first and only editing session. As I re-read the module last night, I forgot how much freaking fun this adventure was to run. The puzzles, traps, new monsters and magical items all come together in a delightfully deadly labyrinth crawl!

Could I say that Minotaur Lord is worth the price of the magazine alone? Sure, but that would be overstepping my bragging rights, and this issue of Knockspell is packed full of so much old-school happiness that nearly every piece would be able to make the same boast.

As an extra incentive to get your own copy from Black Blade Publishing, for the rest of this week, they knocked 10% off the pdf price. 64 pages of Knockspell for $3.60! Check it out here!

Or if you like the deadwood edition: here.

Last thing I want to say here is to give another thanks to Matt for allowing me to represent Labyrinth Lord in his pages. He uses Knockspell as an entertaining and useful forum to prop up the old-school - from 0e to 1e and everything in between - and I'm just happy that he has decided to take on this endeavor to share with the rest of us.

...Minotaur Lord adventure released in Knockspell #3!

The cat is out of the bag!

It looks like Mythmere has a sweet deal with Black Blade Publishing! What's even sweeter is that Knockspell #3 has finally been released. And even sweeter-er is that KS#3 features our new adventure Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord!

It has been a long time coming for this adventure, and it's worth the wait! Now, with the modules Treasure Crypt of the Salstine Pirate, The Lost Staves of Maurath, and now Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord, that equals three module releases within one month. Good times. :)

I doubt that I'll maintain this type of schedule, but it's nice when everything comes together at once, you know?

You can find Knockspell #3 here in both PDF and print.

EDIT: There will be a big announcement on the Mythmere forums tomorrow (10/27) about the publishing deal. Regarding this, Matt said: "Don't buy anything today, because there may be a sale announced with the launch."

And you think Pac-Man is a retro game??

This is non-rpg related, BUT, I found these fantastic pics over at Retro Hound of a place called the Penny Arcade in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

I have actually visited this place a couple times and it is just as cool as it looks. Those who think that Space Invaders is an old game should check this place out and learn a little history.

Man, I love this stuff!

The Lost Staves of Maurath now available! FREE!

Prime Requisite Games is proud to announce a new Labyrinth Lord / BASIC rpg adventure available as a FREE download!

Classic Deep Level Dungeon Adventure DLD5: The Lost Staves of Maurath

An open sinkhole under a sacred temple has revealed a catacomb of twisted dark caverns. Vicious creatures from below raided the temple of its most precious possessions, the magical Staves of Maurath.

Now the staves must be found, and an open call has been issued for a group of powerful adventurers to explore the caverns and find the Lost Staves of Maurath. However, it is believed that the caverns may echo the deadly secret of an ancient and evil burial chamber.

The Lost Staves of Maurath is a challenging adventure for character levels 4-6. For use with the Labyrinth Lord™ rules or other Basic/Expert RPG systems.


Available for FREE at Lulu, Scribd, and Issuu.

Enjoy!

New mini module while you wait!

While the finishing touches are added to our next module, let me douse a bit of your adventuring thirst with our first Labyrinth Lord mini adventure released under our new KTM3T brand: Treasure Crypt of the Salstine Pirate.

The legend of the Salstine Pirate tells of a sea captain who turned pirate, killing off most of his crew and taking his treasure to land. Salstine found an abandoned tomb within the Dwarven Mountains to hide his stolen goods, and meant to stay there to avoid getting caught by the military he betrayed. However, what he found in the tomb was a horror that would keep the Salstine Pirate trapped within forever.

As always, this is a free download!

Influenced by the One Page Dungeon contest, KTM3T (which stands for Kill The Monsters, Take Their Treasure) mini modules are one or two page adventures that can easily plug into any existing campaign, or they can simply be a great Saturday night time-killer.

These adventures will be written with the quick-game in mind. There will not be long drawn out stories full of cryptic rumors and mysteries to solve. KTM3T modules will have three major elements: monsters, traps and treasure. So not only will these adventures make for a nice quick one-session game, they are perfect as introductory modules for new players.

As far as scheduled releases for KTM3T mini modules, I must say that the full-length modules will have priority, so the minis will be released as time permits.

Enjoy and Happy Gaming!

New cover art!

Here is an early peek at the cover art.

As I finish up the new module

Right now I am deep in the rewrite/art and design stage of PRG's new adventure module The Lost Staves of Maurath. Like our past releases, this will be released under the Deep Level Dungeons Adventures brand. Maurath will be released as adventure module DLD5.

So where are the modules DLD3 and DLD4? Well...

DLD3 is the temporarily shelved Beyond the Midway Post adventure and DLD4, The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord, will be published in the upcoming Knockspell #3.

So there you go. :)

As a side note, I'm trying to get a lunch-hour Labyrinth Lord game going at my job. When it finally happens, I believe we're going to give Brave Halfling Publishing's The Ruins of Ramat a spin. Knowing my players, they'll have no problem running sword-first into a fray with the Tentacled Demonic Guardians (and then we'll quickly roll up some new characters after the carnage).

Test play for our new LL adventure

Saturday's test play for the full-length The Lost Staves of Maurath was a blast! I don't think I've ever ran a game that was so crazy and by-the-seat-of-the-pants as was this one. We were having so much fun that the group didn't want to stop, turning the evening into a seven hour long Labyrinth Lord marathon!

However, I find that when you don't know when to say "when", and the party is near the adventure finish line, people start making foolhardy mistakes when they're tired. Although Jason, a PRG test-player regular, did some very smart and innovative role-playing throughout the evening, a fatal mistake was made in the very last room. His thief died...again. We'll mourn his lack of hit points here...again.

I'll admit that we should have stopped a couple hours earlier and saved the big stuff for another night. This saves the party from just trying to "push through" to the end just so that we can reach the end (in our group's defense, our gaming sessions are rather far between, so we'd probably not be able to continue the adventure soon enough to keep its momentum).

So now the tweaking, writing and art shall begin in preparation for publication. Those of you familiar with the one-page dungeon from which this adventure is expanded, much has changed! I'm excited to get this one out, and like the other PRG adventures, it will be available as a free download.

I'll keep you posted.

The Lost Staves of Maurath revamp and other goodies

Things will start to move right along. Next weekend is our next scheduled gaming session. We will be playing a revamped and full-length version of my one-page dungeon The Lost Staves of Maurath. This version includes an expanded temple and an all-new third level.

The plans are to make The Lost Staves of Maurath for levels 4-7, so the critters will be bumped up from the original if they have any hope of giving the PCs some serious boo-boos.

Again, like my previous adventures, if all goes well with this one, it should be the next Labyrinth Lord module release for PRG.

After this one is finished, I'll continue on a module that I am really excited about titled The Fierce Foes of Fire Peak Mountain. This Labyrinth Lord adventure will be for higher level characters (around 6-10) and will feature some hard-hitting baddies.

PCs will venture through seven or eight small levels full of Fierce Foes as they travel up toward the Fire Peak, including some "abandoned" ruins, a security fort, a village and its graveyard, and a vast labyrinth of caverns that will lead characters to the peak.

Typical stuff? That's right! Fire Peak Mountain is going to be a 100% old-school dungeon crawl (take a gander at the cover to the original D&D Dungeon Geomorphs for the type of flavor I have in mind). While that might not be for everyone's taste, hopefully we can win the naysayers over. After all, free-of-charge adventures are hard to beat!

One last thing: I still have my sights on an X-plorers rpg mission module release. This will happen (or my test-playing crew will string me up). Whether this will happen before Fire Peak is released is all up in the air right now.

New Goblinoid Games site is up!

For those of us who have been waiting with a drooling mouth for the new Goblinoid Games web site, the wait is finally over.

The new GG site is up and running. It's well-organized and after navigating through, I had the urge to break out the dice and role-play a game (but at 2:45am, it's highly unlikely).

I want to thank Dan at Goblinoid Games for the "shout out" in the site's our partners section. I'm happy to support Labyrinth Lord and I look at this acknowledgment as a thumbs-up directly from the source.

One last thing -- I must say that the copy on the main page is perfect, especially the line, "It's time to wipe the high gloss off your gaming table and take a journey leading to gritty old-school adventure."

Amen!

News on our upcoming adventures

Just to let you know that I haven't been sitting on my hands since the release of Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt, the next adventure has already been written and ready for publication.

The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord will be out soon enough, but not through Prime Requisite Games. I am pleased to announce that as of this writing, Minotaur Lord will appear in the next issue of Knockspell magazine (issue #3)!

While the adventure's title may be a bit self explanatory, the deadly traps and cryptic puzzles within are anything but predictable. The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord is compatible with Labyrinth Lord and Swords & Wizardry and is suitable for character levels 3-5.

I'm excited that Mr. Finch accepted Minotaur Lord to be in the pages of Knockspell (as well as provided some desperately needed line editing of the adventure manuscript). I'm equally excited that Matthew tapped fantasy artist Christopher Burdett to illustrate the adventure! Very, very cool.

While I do not have a time frame of when Knockspell #3 will be released, I'll definitely let you know as soon as I know!

In the meantime I have plans for a high-level Labyrinth Lord release as well as a mission module for the X-plorers role-playing game.

More updates to follow! Woo-hoo!

Grey Area Games releases X-plorers RPG

The X-plorers sci-fi RPG is now in full release. David "grubman" Bezio, famous for his Phoenix Barony fantasy setting, has made both a print and PDF version available at Lulu.

He is also offering a free version at his Grey Area Games web site for you to check it out before purchasing the real deal. According to Bezio, the free version doesn't have the art, sample adventure, and a few other bits which are all included in the full version.

Why have I been hyping up the X-plorers RPG? Well, my regular Labyrinth Lord group will give this game a spin during our next scheduled session. If all goes well, the adventure we test-play might find its way out to the public through Prime Requisite Games! We loves us some space battles! More news on that later.

Am I helping or hurting the OSR?

I was going to comment on Mishler's post on the Doom of RPGs once I had more time to digest it. Then I came across this posting from Labyrinth Lord publisher Dan Proctor.

He writes about what consumers are starting to expect, which are PDFs for free and impractically priced print products. Well, sure, of course. Who doesn't want cheaper products? But they don't consider what it takes to get that fine rule book or adventure out cost wise (as Mishler breaks down for us).

Dan says the reasoning behind this sense of entitlement is, "the people who price their POD books for nothing have a cost of $0 to produce the book, because they either write it themselves, had volunteer writers, did the art themselves, or had volunteer artists."

He then states, "People see these very low prices and wonder why a product of similar page count can't be so cheap, too. more than that, people are now starting to expect that the POD books be priced for nothing much like PDF books."

Knowing human nature for wanting everything to be even and "fair" (blah), I believe that Dan might be right. If that's the case, then Prime Requisite Games would be part of the problem.

I am a basement publisher doing this as a fun hobby. I do all the illustrating, layout, design, editing, writing, map-making, and even a bit of advertising all on my own. Unlike Dan, I don't have to fork over the dollars to some talented individuals to produce a decent product (side note here: I'm not saying that my products are the best, but they don't look like refrigerator drawings either! :) )

Therefore, I can sell my product at cost and it seems cheap compared to others on the market. Also, since the print products are sold at cost, the PDFs are simply given away for free. Is there a chance that making these products available as such makes people believe that it should be the norm? Do OSR consumers believe other publishers have some sort of obligation to sell their modules for $5.90 a pop? I'd like to hope that isn't so.

Why? Because Mishler's breakdown of the RPG product price doesn't affect me in the slightest (since the dollar amount for each cost is zilch) as it does for other publishers. My time is the only thing spent.

That being the case, Dan's products (as well as John's from BHP, Raggi's from LotFP, among others) are fairly priced. On the other hand, I feel my products are also priced fairly in a sense that I want to spread the word about Labyrinth Lord (my game of choice) and I'd like to get my adventures into as many hands as possible.

I love doing this as a hobby! I love the people involved and the excitement they get when playing, producing, and watching the hobby grow and grow. My time is not only spent on adventures, but also going to different forums and Q&A websites to drop a Labyrinth Lord or Swords and Wizardry link here and there. I even got a bit of light-hearted ribbing for my MySpace ads promoting PRG and Labyrinth Lord.

I wanted my products to be a way in helping the OSR grow. I remember when I started PRG, I figured the best way to spread the word is to offer cheap/free RPG materials. However, am I shooting the OSR in the pinky toe by doing just that?

Bezio's new sci-fi RPG is ready for test play!

Ah! I've been anxious to get David Bezio's new sci-fi game X-plorers ever since he announced the project on the retro forums. His idea of "what if" the fathers of RPGs were more into sci-fi than fantasy when they wrote the original 1974 set - that sounded intriguing to me (and to a couple of my test players who are big sci-fi geeks).

Mr. Bezio has graciously provided the public with a test play version over at Lulu for free. Hopefully, I'll be able to give the game a spin around the game table.

Here's my official good luck to David with his new game. I hope it's a succuesful one.

Idol of the Orcs module from Goblinoid Games

Here's a quick plug for the new Labyrinth Lord module from Goblinoid Games titled "Idol of the Orcs".

Note the all-new cover and logo design!
















Adventure description:

A band of unusually organized orcs has taken to raiding farms and waylaying travelers near the local town. The characters must seek out the orc lair and rid the area of this menace, but things are not entirely as they seem. A sinister voice whispers instructions from the darkness; what demonic force lies at the heart of the labyrinthine orc lair? This adventure is suitable for characters of 1st-3rd level and is intended for use with the LABYRINTH LORD fantasy role-playing game, but is easily used with all editions of the world’s most popular fantasy RPG.

Print copy here.

PDF here.

The Goodman response. Not surprised, just disappointed.

When I read the responses and the "parody" of Goodman's post, I guess I wasn't surprised, but I did wonder "why?".

Based on his post, I look at Goodman as someone who is smart about his business and actually cares about games. Why pick on someone who HELPS the popularity of RPGs? Especially when he has something noteworthy to say.

Maybe because he burst everyone's ideas about 4e's success OR that he was so "arrogant" about how much more he knows about the RPG business than the rest of us (which is true).

It seems that people in general like to piss in the same pillows on which they sleep. James at LotFP said, "Thanks, everyone. You've made it extremely easy for the people that know things to not bother telling the rest of us about it." You're right, Mr. Raggi. Why would this guy share ANY inside info with the rest of us ever again?

Some people really need to have their diapers changed, and then with a clear head they could realize where they are directing so much ridicule and hostility. Maybe then their shame will show them that we're all in this together.

Significant other's plan for your RPG books

I was searching on good ol' Craig's List for some used RPG books and I came across this. Read the fine digi-print if you can (click the image to make it bigger).
















The main part I want you to read is, "Great news! We've had a baby! But, now my husband doesn't have time for his D&D. Thus, we are getting rid of some of his collection of books."

Just by her language, when she writes "my husband doesn't have time for his D&D", you know that she regarded his gaming as a complete waste of time, daydreaming about her Craig's List plan all the while.

Why do I come to this conclusion? Well...

...I can understand that he might not have time now for some RPGs, with the new baby and all, but forever?! You mean to tell me that since he now has a child, he will never again have time for "his" D&D? The baby will stay 3 weeks old for eternity and there will absolutely be no time to game! Well, I guess the books need to go. Don't place them on a bookshelf or pack them away...sell them! It only seems logical since now and forever until he dies, there is and will be no time for "his" D&D.

Hopefully they also sold their family editions of Monopoly and Scrabble for a tiny profit as there will most likely be no time to pass Go or spell "epoxy" on a double-word score.

Also, notice the "we are getting rid of some of his collection of books." I really doubt there was any "we" involved in this decision.

The poor sap didn't even stand a chance.

Our module is gettin' passed around

I snaked this pic off of ebay a while back. It's cool to see PRG's stuff there, but we're hoping it's because they played it and wanted to pass the fun onto somebody else. *heh heh*















No matter. Our module The Courtyard of Gerald Red is in great company here. Whoever won the bid was a lucky gamer!

Our modules are now on Amazon

I just found out that Lulu has selected Prime Requisite Games adventures to be distributed on Amazon through lulupress.

The downside is that there is a markup in price through Amazon* (while the price on the Lulu site will remain the same).

The upside is that any type of distribution isn't a bad thing, especially with old-school RPG adventures.

*EDIT: Lulu removed the 30% markup in price. Now we have equal pricing on both Lulu and Amazon.

I found players who don't care (in a good way!)

I read a lot of complaints from GMs/Players who would like to run through some old-school adventures but seem to be the only one in the group holding such sentiment. They end up playing 3x or 4e because, well, it's the only game they can get going, and if one truly wants to game, they'll get it any way they can.

It's better than nothing (for most). Put into the same predicament, I would do the same thing.

However, I was lucky. When I got the itch to play again, I found the Labyrinth Lord rules, devoured them, and decided to set up an old-school game. Easier said than done? Actually, it was.

Fortunately I work in a design firm filled with some movie/comic/sci-fi geeks...and not ONE of them has ever played an RPG. Sure they did the online thing for a while, but never a tabletop, pen 'n' paper, fist full o' dice role-playing game. I extended an invitation. they accepted, and we have been going strong ever since.

In fact, after a few gaming sessions, a couple of my players got so into the idea of RPGs, they went out and snatched up everything they could find, such as AD&D1e, Lejendary Adventure, Star Frontiers, Alternity, OSRIC, C&C, etc. They sat in on a 4e game and had a good time (however, it coincides with a 1e game they are deeply involved in).

What's so great is that "old-school" and "edition wars" mean zilch to these people. While my players are my age and older, they did not grow up playing RPGs and seem to shrug off the ideals that bring about so much fist waving. Labyrinth Lord was their introduction into RPGs, they are having a great time, and now they would be up for anything. Sure, they may find a game that they don't enjoy, but to them that doesn't mean others are "playing it wrong" or the game is "wrong" or rules are "wrong" or the type of chips served at the game are "wrong." It's just a game.

Also, the term old-school or new-school means nothing considering they started off with LL. To my players, Labyrinth Lord is new-school! Heck, RPGs in general are new-school to them.

So, really, these guys don't care. Just bring it on, 'cause they're ready to have whatever fun they are looking to have, if that makes any sense. :) (I would just say, "ready to have fun", but Raggi has given me a complex about using the term.)

My One Page Dungeon

This is a cleaned-up and branded version of The Lost Staves of Maurath that I sent in to the Chatty DM/Chgowiz's One Page Dungeon contest.

It was a quickie to slam together, but time was limited while getting The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord ready for test-play. Still, I wanted to submit something and I figure that this fun little cavern-crawl is better than nuthin'. :)

That being said, I had a great time writing this and I plan for more one page adventures to be released under the Classic Deep Level Dungeon Mini Adventure brand. They will remain edition-neutral with minimal monster and treasure details, but will make a great springboard for anyone looking to plug in a quick adventure into their campaign.

So a big shout-out and thanks to our favorite Chatty DM and Old Guy for the idea that inspired so many people involved in FRPGs to produce some adventure material!


*UPDATE

I've noticed that this particular post generates a LOT of noise, and I assume it's because people are searching for One Page Dungeon entries. Unfortunately, ...Maurath is no longer available from PRG as a One Page Dungeon. Fortunately, it has been available for quite a while as a full length free module. Download and enjoy!

Randall at RetroRoleplaying: a request and offer

Randall at RetroRoleplaying: The Blog is hitting a rough patch on an already bumpy road dealing with the cost of his wife's cancer treatment. He explains more on his blog.

To help with costs, Randall is offering up PDFs of the two issues of The Grimoire, an RPG fanzine he published in the 70s. These 'zines were lovingly produced with a manual typewriter and, according to Randall, "It contained a wide variety of material for D&D and boardgames."

You'll also get a pdf copy of The Second Grimoire of Pharesm the Bright-Eyed, a set of house rules for BECMI.

This stuff was produced when the old-school was new, so it should be interesting to see the dedication poured out for what was a relatively new hobby. Read about issue #1 and #2 if you're interested and then see if you can donate any amount to receive them in PDF format, or if you're unable to donate, spread the word on a blog or two.

RetroRoleplaying: The Blog

Sunday's test-play successful (so far)

My group began test-playing The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord this past Sunday. We made it about 2/3rds of the way through the adventure, and while the party was knocked around a bit, not one character died! Yes, even Jason's thief survived this first go-around. A rarity and I applaud him.

We'll complete this adventure on May 30th and then it's time for tweaking. As a side note, I should be working on Beyond the Midway Post before I do any work on the Minotaur Lord, but that one's been shelved for the time being. It will see the light of day, just not so soon.

Anyway, this adventure will be the last with my loyal test-players Buzz and Cathy. The married couple are moving 21 hours away, so I don't think think they'll make our bi-weekly (or so) gaming sessions. I guess there's always Skype! *tear*

As a going away present, a few co-workers and I found a Fine-graded copy of Captain America #100 at a local comic convention and snatched it up at a decent price. This is the only Cap issue he's missing from his collection, and he was nearly speechless to say the least. It was awesome.

Buzz and Cathy are fun players and they will be missed. Here's hoping that they plug into a game soon after settling in.

I'll post about our next session and hopefully I'll have a time frame for publication.

Brave Halfling Publishing is live!

The fine folks at Brave Halfling Publishing finally have their home site up and running. The time and dedication paid off and it looks impressive. As I've mentioned previously, with their foot firmly in the OSR as well as getting their other foot wet in C&C and 4e D&D, I'm ready to see some big things come out of these guys. It's a nice bridge from old to new-school (and vise-versa).

Good luck BHP!

Knockspell, an apology, and good news

I see that Knockspell #2 is out already. I told Mr. Finch a long time ago that I had an adventure that would be a good one for the magazine and I would get it to him ASAP. He thought that was great.

Well, life happens, and as different obstacles stood in the way and as my test-play games could not get on track, I was not able to get the adventure to him. I know Matt has probably met more than his fair share of fellers who are gung-ho about a project only to fall off the face of the earth the next day, but I didn't want to be that guy. The guy who says he'll do something one minute and then forget your name the next. That guy.

Actually, I'm sure most indie publishers have met that guy while waiting for design, artwork, or whatever. *shudder* Not fun. Especially when you're ready to push your product out the door.

Now although it's not the biggest deal in the world, still I would like to apologize to Matt for not keeping in touch with him, at least just to say, "It won't be ready." From now on, if I have something I'd like to submit (whether it's to Knockspell or to my church's bake sale), I better be on top of my project or my communication skills.

That being said, here's to much success to the new issue of Knockspell!

In other news, I am finaly test-playing The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord this weekend. My usual gang of players will be there sans Dynamic Dan who will be venturing to Wonderfest in Kentucky. Although I have always been more into comic books and heavy metal than models, it does look like a good time for all interested.

RPG Blog Carnival for the OSR

Just for fun, I snaked the RPG Blog Carnival questions regarding "The Future of Roleplaying" from Roleplaying Pro and answered them with the OSR in mind.

What games do you see emerging as the big players in the near future?

Mythmere Games. Between S&W and Knockspell Magazine as well as their support for the OSR, I can see their snowball getting bigger as it rolls along.

What companies should we be watching out for to release the next big product?

Brave Halfling Publishing is beginning to do everything from old-school to 4e and are now top sellers on RPGnow (for classic-type RPGs).

However, Chaotic Henchmen Productions made a big splash with Guy Fullerton's Dungeon Module F1 - The Fane of Poisoned Prophesies.

One of these two companies will produce the next adventure everyone will be blogging about.

How will technology become more integrated into roleplaying games?

It already has or else most of these indie publishing companies would not exist (including PRG!).

What industry writer do we need to be on the look out for?

James Edward Raggi. A quality writer and a hell of a chance-taker.

What blogs do you see exploding into becoming the next big thing?

I really don't know. The few I frequent include Grognardia, Greyhawk Grognard (I'm a fan of his Castle of the Mad Archmage), and LotFP, among others.

What do you see for the future of the industry?

I see a paper-thin, superficial coating of "you're not playing it right" with a meaty center of fun-for-all house rules, picked from the various RPG faves. People diving into "old-school" playing will want to get EVERYTHING - Labyrinth Lord, S&W, OSRIC, BFRPG. etc, as well as their supplements - and take what they like from each (while using one set of rules as the system of choice).

I would also like to believe that these house rules will result in more fan-produced material.

One Page Dungeon sent out

Well, I bit the bullet and drew up a quick adventure for the One Page Dungeon contest. It's titled The Lost Staves of Maurath. It's a fun little low-level dungeon crawl, so it will be cool to see how far it can go.

Those of you interested in putting something together for the contest, you still have time. Click the link above for details and get something sent in before May 14th!

The 4C System FASERIP clone

I was a big, big fan of the original Marvel Superheroes RPG from TSR. My friends and I spent hours playing our favorite heroes (and I even attempted a game as Howard the Duck).

Well, there's a free public domain release clone of this "FASERIP" system called the 4C System. You can download it here.

You can also find the forum 4C4Ever! (dedicated to the 4C System) here.

This is great for the indy publishers interested in providing new material for this classic game. In fact, once the Labyrinth Lord adventures I have planned are finally finished, Prime Requisite Games might set its sights on publishing some 4C material. We'll have to see what the future holds.

Here's to much success to 4C.

A couple of Green Devil Faces

James Edward Raggi IV over at LotFP has released Green Devil Face #1 and #2. This seems like an excellent community effort spearheaded by Mr. Raggi to enhance our game-time with early FRPGs and their clones.

The section titles are clever (Mummy Tar Trap Room of Death, The Lumberjack is Not OK, Yet Another Stupid Giant Chessboard, just to name a few). Plus, the cover to #2 is cool as hell.

Swords & Wizardry Core Rules 2nd Printing!

The all-new 2nd printing of Swords & Wizardry rules are out and available as a FREE download at Lulu!

After you get it, check out Mythmere Games' website from my posted links.

Lovin' the retro-clones! Keepin' em in print!

"Brigand Crypt" now in print

I have made Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt available for print at Lulu!

I have updated this version, as well as the free PDF downloads, to fix some glaring typos and to add a page of simple pre-generated characters that players can use for immediate play or as NPCs to help round out the party.

Now, as we who buy/sell on Lulu all know, the shipping prices there have gone (way) up. For an undetermined amount of time, I will be selling Prime Requisite Games adventures through Lulu at cost to help ease the inflated prices.

It may not be much, but any amount will help. :)

Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt now available

Prime Requisite Games is proud to announce a new Labyrinth Lord / BASIC RPG adventure available as a FREE download!

Classic Deep Level Dungeon Adventure DLD2: Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt

The legend of an ancient crypt outside the ghost town of Iron City tells of a powerful curse and those who venture there will surely meet their doom. A group of bloodthirsty brigands moved into the city, using its rotted dwellings as a base for their terrible raids on local travelers. When the thieves suddenly vanish, fears and questions arise about where they went and what was left behind.

Can your party survive the traps and puzzles that surely lie within the crypt in hopes of finding the brigands’ abandoned treasure?

Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt is a fearsome adventure for character levels 1-3. For use with the Labyrinth Lord™ rules or other Basic RPG systems.

Available for FREE at Lulu, Scribd, and Issuu.

Preview of the "Brigand Crypt" cover

Although Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt will not be released for a little while longer, we thought you might like to check out the cover art for PRG's latest adventure.

Test-play for new adventure went well

The test-play session for Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt was fantastic. The players had a good time even though Jason lost his thief (again).

We will mourn his character's lack of hit points here (again).

A few things need to be tweaked and a few details need to be added, but I hope to have this adventure ready for a FREE download asap.

Test play this Saturday!

The plan is to test play Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt this Saturday. The usual gang will be there (Buzz, Kathy, Jason, Anne, and Dan) to give the new adventure a shot. This run-through will see what needs to be tweaked so we can finally get the Brigand Crypt into your hands!

Like Gerald Red, this one will be available as a FREE download at lulu, scribd, and issuu.

New adventures finally in the works!

The holidays are over but the craziness never comes to an end! Prime Requisite Games has three new adventures in the works for Labyrinth Lord.

The first is titled Fabled Curse of the Brigand Crypt (DLD2).
Legend has it that the crypt holds a powerful curse over the abandoned ghost town of Iron City and those who venture there will surely meet their doom. A group of bandits took over the ancient crypt for their base of operations. Their sudden disappearance raises fears and questions about where they went and what was left behind. For character levels 1-3.

The second is titled Beyond the Midway Post (DLD3).
This follow-up to DLD2 is about a small guard post stationed between two cities. The station, called "The Midway Post," was put in place to curb a rise in local bandit attacks and the movement of stolen goods.

The post was meant to keep the roads safe for the local trade, but something terrible happens. The adventurers must investigate the station and gather information that will lead them on a dangerous journey Beyond the Midway Post! This adventure mixes classic dungeon crawl with a bit of detective work. For character levels 2-4.

The third adventure is titled The Labyrinth Tomb of the Minotaur Lord (DLD4).
Decades ago, the chaotic magic-user Wruulyn and his son Banezyth went in search of the Conjurer's Key, an artifact of enormous power. While fighting a tribe of hill giants, Banezyth was slain. Desperate and grieve-stricken, Wruulyn cast a reincarnation spell which promptly cast his son's soul within the body of a grotesque minotaur. As vain as he was evil, Banezyth went insane because of his monstrous appearance and attacked his father in a blind rage.

Forced to kill his own son, Wruulyn built a giant labyrinth tomb and encased both him and his son within. Rumors passed down through the years that Wruulyn had actually found the Conjurer's Key which is buried with him in the labyrinth tomb to this very day. For character levels 3-5.

As stated before, these adventures are "in the works", so we'll let you know when we're close to a specific release date.

Happy adventuring!