The Underdark Gazette is Closing on January 2, 2012!: OSR News from the Underdark Gazette

Are You Sure This Won't Wake Cthulhu?

Realms of Crawling Chaos by Daniel Proctor and Michael Curtis. Art by Mark Allen and Sean Aaberg. Goblinoid Games. Available in Print for $17.95 and in PDF for $4.95. 63 pages.

In R’lyeh, Cthulhu Stirs… Evil cultists consummate their union with Shub-Niggurath in dark woods no other mortals dare go. Alien terrors lurk in the underworld; their vast riches wait, or their incomprehensible powers could leave you broken, dead, or worse. Adventure in underworlds filled with horrible entities, or the ruins of alien beings that enslaved the ape-like ancestors of mankind. Seek hidden secrets from the arctic wastes to dark, briny seas. But as you approach the ocean, what are those strange longings you feel? Realms of Crawling Chaos is a Lovecraftian Dark Fantasy campaign supplement for Labyrinth Lord and the Advanced Edition Companion. In this book you will find: New player races, including white apes, white ape hybrids, sea blood, and subhumans. New spells New monsters New artifacts and a system for designing unique artifacts Rules for psionics, compatible with Mutant future.

A Free Weird Adventures Appetizer

Strange Trails -Journeys Into Weird Pulp Fantasy by Trey Causey. With Illustrations by Reno Maniquis and Johnathan Bingham. Available as a free downloadable 23 page PDF.

While we're waiting for Trey of From the Sorcerer's Skull to finish Weird Adventures, he's given us this to whet our appetites:

Strange Trails features:

Eight articles from this blog, some expanded, and all of them annotated and illustrated--including artwork by our man in Manila, Reno Maniquis, and that ostensible cat,Johnathan Bingham.

An “Appendix N” for the City and its world.

A shot of flavor fiction to set the mood.

If you haven't checked out what Trey's doing, I can't recommend it highly enough! Weird Adventures is going to be awesome!

An Original Edition Roleplaying Game Box Set!

Delving Deeper by John Adams. Brave Halfling Publishing. This Boxed Set is Available for Pre-order for $29.95.

Delving Deeper RPG closely emulates the rules of the earliest version of the world’s most popular roleplaying game. Go back to a time when every weapon did d6 damage, clerics could cast no spell at first level, only fighters could use magic swords, and if you wanted a locked door opened you had to bash the thing in! It is difficult to imagine in a world where multiple, weighty tomes comprise the rules; but the these three small books contain all you need to build a campaign that can span decades of real time! If you’re tired of trying to find the rule for determining whether your fighter is left-handed and is able to swim and just want to kill some goblins, have we got a game for you!

But wait, there’s more! While Delving Deeper is a solid, rule set that closely emulates the rules of the earliest version of Original Edition, it also has a toolbox aspect to it as well. Running throughout the game are two separate tracks of options – little tweaks to the rules that help DD also emulate the rules of the First Basic Edition (“Basic Track”) and the rules of the Third Print Edition of a modern rpg inspired by Original Edition (“Modern Track”).

Delving Deeper RPG will be released directly from Brave Halfling Publishing as a digest boxed set of booklets, dice, character sheets, etc. the first week of April and in your local game store in May. We will be supporting Delving Deeper RPG with modules, supplements and campaigns. A free trademark license will also be available for third party publishers.

This Boxed Set Contains everything you need to play:

6″ x 9″ Game Box (This is an actual game box manufactured for just this purpose)

Rule Booklets

Ten digest-sized Character Sheets

Set of Polyhedral Dice

Pencil

(All orders will begin shipping on April 1 – much sooner if possible)

Special: The first 50 orders will also receive a free, print copy of the brand new Sandbox / Starter Campaign Setting, “Tavern of the Twin Moons!”

You Know, Giant Ants Would be Pretty Scary...

C1 Circle of Fire by Bill Barsh. Art by Christopher Letzelter. Pacesetter Games. Available in Print for $11.00. 36 pages plus the cover.

The Circle of Fire is an OSRIC module for 4-6 characters of 4th to 6th level. The module includes a 36-page adventure book and separate color, cardstock cover.

Surrounded by an unrelenting horde of giant fire ants, your party must seek escape or die in a firey pyre. The search is frantic but finally a solution may be at hand. But is it truly salvation or are you only leaping into another Circle of Fire?

Pacesetter Games is also releasing a revised 3rd printing of their T1 The Thing in the Valley.

For the Do-It-Yourselfer

The Text Files for Labyrinth Lord and Advanced Edition Companion are now available for free download.

S&W Style Golden Age Superhero's Anyone?

Supplement II: All-American by Scott Casper. Published by Games by Scott Casper. Available in PDF for $3.00. 68 pages.

HIDEOUTS & HOODLUMS returns with more character classes, more mobsters, more trophies, more adventure ideas, plus 16 pages of appendices for Golden Age of Comics lovers and the first ever, complete and ready to play, 14-page adventure scenario "Temple of the Rooster God!"

Be sure to check out Hideouts & Hoodlums Book I: Men and Supermen, Book II: Mobsters and Trophies and Book III: Underworld and Metropolis Adventures, available for $2.00 each in PDF. The RPGNOW pages list these as d20 games, but as the description and product covers state they're Swords & Wizardry Compatible, I'm assuming that the latter is correct.

So, You Say You Can't Get Enough Fomalhaut?

Then, Gabor Lux has you covered! Download Sword & Magic: Adventures on Fomalhaut and Towards Fomalhaut in English for free.

Those Masks Are Really Freaky Looking Roger...

Roger the GS of Roles, Rules, and Rolls has a Dramatic Personae random table PDF for free download.

And Now That Roger's Helped You Roll-up Some NPC's...

Cyclopeatron will help you document and organize those poor, doomed bastards, with his free Fillable Henchman Card PDF's.

I'm a Picky Sonofabitch When It Comes To Character Sheets

But I really like the one included in the OSRIC PDF. Not the prettiest sheet in the world, but very damn functional! Pascal de Bruijn has made a version of it without the shadings, available for free.

Which Brings Us To...

John Stater from The Land of Nod has a Mystery Men! Character Sheet available for free download.

The DM Giveth and the DM Taketh Away

bliss_infinte of The Warlock's Home Brew has a free Out Of Dungeon Living Expenses chart PDF.

Rules, Six-sided Dice, Paper and Pencils

Dan of Sword and Board has the probably final edit of his Sword and Board RPG up for free download.

Tunnels & Trolls? Tenkar Has Us Covered!

And turned us on to The Hobgoblin's Tavern, a site with free and for pay T&T goodness!

If You Can Read German...

Then Moritz Mehlem of Von Der Seifenkiste Herab has some free Labyrinth Lord One-page Dungeons.

This Is Such A Cool Idea For A Blog Series

Daddy Grognard has kicked off his An Adventure for Every Monster series, which takes a monster from The Monster Manual and gives its stats, along with a short adventure write-up for the critter. He's still on the A's and the series should keep him busy and us entertained for quite a while. :)

Geomorph Madness, Indeed

Dyson Logos of A character for every game has more Geomorphs! And check out The Lost Crypts!

And Blair of Planet Algol posted Nine Cave & Lair Geomorphs!

More Gamer Porn (that'll get me a few more search engine hits.)

Pat of Henchman Abuse posted his Denethix Map. He busted his ass on this, so be sure to check it out!

Il Male of The Yaqqothl Grimoire posted his Yaqqothl Campaign Map #1. Labeled and non-labeled version. Very nice hexmap, Il Male!

baronzemo of Forever Free Games posted his FFG 3 Quick Adventure, featuring a hexmap and key.

JDJarvis has of Aeons & Augauries has been making some Dungeons for us.

Michael Curtis of Archive of the Rotted Moon has posted his Map of Blackpool.

One Grognard's Opinion: Reviews

Beedo from Dreams in the Lich House has his play-report of Death Frost Doom and a review of Blood Moon Rising.

Mike Monaco of Swords & Dorkery has a review of Towers of Adventure.

Carter Soles of The Lands of Ara has a review of the Oubliette #1-4 Print Compilation.

the venomous pao of Strange Stones does not have a review of Stars Without Number.

Pookie of Reviews from R'lyeh has a review of All the Treasures of the World: Gems.

Higgipedia of Gaming All Over The Place has a review of All the Treasures of the World: Gems and Jewels and further words, here.

Big Bad of There's a Bugbear in my Kitchen plays some Sorcery & Super Science!

Jamie Albrecht of For A Fistful Of Coppers has some thoughts on Lost Empires.

Blog Spotlight: Greyhawkery

Many of you have no doubt been following Mike "mortellan" Bridges' web comic W.o.G., where the author brings us the funny side of Greyhawk's many deities and personages. He's recently started a blog, Greyhawkery and I for one am pleased as punch to see more Greyhawk online! If you feel the same way, head over to Greyhawkery for some entertainment, insight, information and humor!

What I'm Pimping This Week

Kellri’s Classic Dungeon Designer’s Netbook # 4 – Old School Encounters Reference. Available as a free PDF download. 160 pages of sheer Awesome!

It's time to once again pimp this tour de force! When the space aliens attack and we all have to go in hiding underground, I'll probably only be able to take a small number of gaming supplements with me. :(

While there will be some agonizing decisions to be made (I really like the Forgotten Realms City System maps, but I just don't have room in the suitcase, dammit!) there will also be a few no-brainers.

AD&D 1e core books? Check!
1983 World of Greyhawk Box Set? Check!
Kellri's Old School Encounters Reference? Check!

My younger self is wondering why TSR didn't put out something like this in the early 80's, but my self of today is just pleased as punch to have it now!

It's one of the absolute best gaming supplements I own. Did I mention that it’s free? If you haven’t downloaded this incredibly useful, Very Old School supplement, do so! Right Now! Then, go over it thoroughly and Marvel at what Mr. Hoover has wrought!

About The 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. The OSR News is produced as a service to the community and is entirely a non-commercial endeavor on my part. I have received no remuneration for advertising, reviewing or reporting on any of the items appearing herein. Please feel free to send me information on any new releases, events, or other items of interest, which you would like to see mentioned.

As always, the What I’m Pimping This Week section of the OSR News and its accompanying blog widget, feature products which I have purchased (or items which are available for free download) and wish to support. No one has asked me to spotlight their material in this section and I have received no payment of any kind for doing so.