dieheart

This was a slow week because I was sick. Still, I found some free games and interesting links.
A lot of games get a new edition: Doctor Who: Solitaire Story Game, White Star, Reign, The Mountain Witch.
Teylen shares some interesting crowdfunding news.
And there are some good reads for game mastering D&D games: Tools of the Lazy DM and Principia Apocrypha Synthesis - Lost Principles of Old School Gaming.

Bookkeeping Notes: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no extra cost to you. But please do not spend any money on these products unless you feel you need them.

Free Stuff

I found this on Tenkar’s Tavern - vs. Stranger Stuff:

vs. Stranger Stuff is a mini-rpg of 80’s inspired adventure/horror/ sci-fi, typically involving children and teens. Of course we were in influenced by the recent hit Netflix series Stranger Things, but also those great films that inspired that series. What does this mean? It means that a game of vs. Stranger Stuff will involve you playing an adolescent during the 1980’s going against strange and unusual adversaries (often supernatural) with the aid of your loyal group of childhood friends. vs. Stranger Stuff is a complete roleplaying game using the VsM Engine in a slimmed down and quick to use format. Experienced gamers will have no problem creating interesting characters, learning the rules, and starting a game. All you need is paper, pencils, and a deck of playing cards.

Unfortunately, I have never heard of the VsM Engine. It’s free, so perhaps you want to take a look.

Karl Stjernberg drew a free alien rogues gallery of 25 NPCs.

Old School Gaming

White Star: Galaxy Edition [Swords & Wizardry] is out. White Star is a sci-fi version of Sword & Wizardry - Think retro clone of the 1974 original D&D.

Endless galactic adventure awaits you in White Star: Galaxy Edition! Integrated and updated to include material from White Star and the White Star Companion, White Star: Galaxy Edition integrates new rules, new options, and expands the original game. Now more than just a tool box, White Star: Galaxy Edition offers you a universe full of thrilling adventure!

I’m a bit torn about the original version. It likes to look like you can play Star Wars with it but it’s still gritty same ol’ D&D. I wrote about this a while ago. The new version has tons of more content and costs USD $9.99 as a PDF.

And this looks like a useful thing: Principia Apocrypha Synthesis** - Lost Principles of Old School Gaming by David Perry:

So here’s a thing I’ve been working on. It is an Apocalypse Engine-style list of GM Principles for running OSR-style games in PbtA or rules-light systems, primarily cobbled together from writing by +Ben Milton and Steven Lumpkin. […]

Kevin Chenevert released his supplement for The Black Hack: No Class Hack (USD $2.00).

[…] replace[s] broader Classes with specific abilities and enhancements called Edges.

No Class Hack also presents additional modular rules options for:

  • Classic Fantasy Races (Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Halfling, Human, and Orc)
  • Light Levels & Vision
  • Armaments
  • Ranged Weapons
  • Optional Drawbacks
  • Spell Casting as Usage Die
  • Effects for Depleted Spell Casting Usage Die including Corruption
  • Followers
  • Uncommon Fantasy Races (Dragonkin, Drow, Duergar, Fungoid, Gnoll, Goblin, Hobgoblin, Kitsune, Kobold, Lizardfolk, Minotaur, Ogre, Svirneblin, Tengu, and Tiefling

There is a free sampler available.

On an Updated Rosetta Stone is not a new article but still useful for converting stats from different types of old-school D&D games.

Old School Awesome At OBS - Sept 15 contains last week’s old school RPG releases.

The author of this blog also has An interview with Diogo Nogueira of Old Skull Publishing. Diogo is the guy behind Sharp Swords & Sinister Spells, an OSR Sword & Sorcery ruleset.

Solo Gaming

The Second Edition of the Doctor Who: Solitaire Story Game is available at boardgamegeek. You need a free account to download the file. The game is free, and the author asks for a donation to a charity of your choice.

D&D

Tools of the Lazy Dungeon Master is a good list of material and mechanisms for game prep.

Indie Games

Greg Stolze’s REIGN Returns 2018 - found via reddit/rpg. I am secretly fond of the One Roll Engine (ORE) that’s behind the game. I’ve never played Reign though.
What is Reign?

Powered by a fantasy-optimized version of the One Roll Engine (or ORE) popularized by GODLIKE, NEMESIS, and Wild Talents, REIGN can take your characters from beggars to emperors. If you’re already a fan of the ORE, REIGNis familiar (though with a few interesting refinements).

Crowdfunding, Odds & Ends

Crowdfunding Collection #52 by Teylen. Don’t miss it.

I’m surprised that Tiny Dungeons 2e already has pledges for over USD $40,000. I found the first version charming but nothing special. It is a solid game, but there are many others like it.

Oh, sweet temptation! Fever Swamp: an OSR swamp-crawl adventure looks delicious. It’s made by some well-known guys from the OSR scene: Daniel Sell, Luke Gearing, with art by Andrew Walter. The PDF costs £8 (ca. 9 €/$11).

More Than 3000 Things to Do in Gamma World (or Other Post-Apocalyptic Games) is an rpg.net-thread I found thanks to Diogo Nogueira on G+.

#grab bags