OSR News from the Underdark Gazette - Sunday, April 24, 2011

I'd Want to Play a Weasel Wizard 

Woodland Warriors by Simon Washbourne. Beyond Belief Games. Art by Darrel Miller and Gillian Pearce. Available in PDF for $5.00. 114 pages.

WOODLAND WARRIORS is a fantastic little role playing game suitable for kids and adults alike. It uses the popular Swords & Wizardry Core (with modifications to more closely suit the genre) which itself is based on the original role playing game of medieval fantasy adventure. Fans of any animal-based fiction, comics, fairy tales or cartoon movies will love this game. Set in the Alder Vale, Stonewell Abbey is a place of learning for the Kind and Murkenhill Fort is a bastion against evil. Players take the role of Mice, Moles, Hedgehogs, Squirrels and Badgers, who must protect their homes against the Verminous Rats and Weasels that pour down from the Murkenhills, intent on pillage and plunder. Danger and adventure awaits - are you brave enough to put your sword to the defence of The Alder Vale?

Dark Horse Game Design

Cascade Failure by Greg Christopher. Dark Horse Game Design. Public Beta Available as a free download. 88 pages.

If you like Errant, Sci-Fi, and/or Post-Apocalypse, this is the game for you.

It is a hack of the Errant core system into a post-apocalypse sci-fi setting.
Cascade Failure is a setting where a really big intergalactic civilization comes to a heinous and sudden end, much like an oil-based civilization's collapse gives us traditional post-apocalypse. If the idea of surviving in a really high-tech universe after a really nasty collapse sounds intriguing, you need to check this game out.

It is also the most beautiful book I have made yet, in my opinion. The art is just fucking amazing. If for nothing else, read it for the art.

Downloadable for free, on the left-hand column of his blog. He's also released an updated version of his Errant RPG. 

The Oerth Journal

The Oerth Journal has a new blog and is going back into production. You can download all the past issues at the new digs, as well as check out the submission guidelines and other bits of information. Here's Nellisir's initial post: 

Call for Submissions!

The Oerth Journal is back and looking for submissions! New leadership and a new staff means we are hungry for material (literally - we don’t feed our editorial xvarts unless they work!).

What is The Oerth Journal and what are we looking for?

The Oerth Journal is a long-running and distinguished online periodical first published in 1995. Devoted to the World of Greyhawk Campaign Setting, The Oerth Journalexplores facets of Greyhawk untouched by “official” development, from the mundane to the macabre, including adventures, gazetteers, esoterica, and “alternate” Greyhawks, as well as NPCs, deities, adventure sites, and simple lore.

The Oerth Journal is always looking for submissions for our regular departments and features: Denizens of the Flanaess; Of Oerth and Altar; Rogues Gallery; Tales from the Green Dragon Inn; and With Boccob’s Blessing, among others. (Summaries of all the regular features can be found in the guidelines document.) These features give many authors an easy “entry point”, but we welcome articles of any nature related to the World of Greyhawk. We also accept any rules edition or game system, including (but not limited to!) Basic D&D, OSR systems, AD&D, 3e, 4e, and Pathfinder. In addition, we welcome fantasy art and Greyhawk fan-fiction submissions!

All inquiries and proposals can be emailed to oerthjournal@gmail.com , and will be answered promptly.

Dungeon Crawl Classics News

The first DCC RPG Adventure will be available for free, from participating retailers on Free RPG Day, Saturday, June 18, 2011.

And the Beta Rules for the game will be released for free, on the same day! Cool!!! What I've been hearing has gotten me excited about this game and I'm looking forward to checking it out!

New Stuff from Sham!

Sham of Sham's Grog & Blog gave us a table of Lost Heroes. Also available in his PDF section. 

More Programming from the Cool Vulcan Dude

Brad of Skull Crushing For Great Justice got this Spellbook Generator up and running.

Locks & Keys

-C of Hack & Slash has a pdf on Locks & Keys for you to download. If you haven't checked out Courtney's stuff, you really need to!

More Gaming Goodness from Il Male

Castle Belial from Il Male of The Yaqqothl Grimoire. A one-page dealy with map, wandering encounter table, encounter key, etc. Then, go here for the dungeon level map. And here. And here for the dungeon level key. I think he's doing an OPD for the dungeon level as well.

And This is Why I Read Playing D&D With Porn Stars

Renovating the Fiend Folio: A.

The Winner of the OSR Links to Wisdom Wiki Logo Design Contest

Has been announced by Daddy Grognard! Congratulations!

And Speaking of Daddy Grognard...

An Adventure for Every Monster - Beholder.

Building a Better Dungeon

The Alexandrian has been posting a series on Better Dungeon Maps. Nice stuff!

Brave Halfling Sale

In case you missed it, it's John's birthday and he's been running a sale:

It is my birthday and I am celebrating by offering every product BHP has for Labyrinth Lord in one big PDF bundle for $20! The bundle disappears on Monday.

For Publishers

Robert Conley of Bat in the Attic posted some comparison info on POD companies. If Stuart Marshall is reading this, please note the RPGNOW cost for color printing. I think the OSRIC green looks really, really good! It would look even better on a physical copy of the book. :) Unless, that is, Black Blade/Usherwood is going to step up!

Got to work a Stuffed Dwarf into my Game...

Simon of ...and the sky full of dust posted Pathway to the Stars.

What's Dyson Been Up To?

Reposted from goblinoidgames.com:

This Week at A Character For Every Game.

Easter Weekend is here, and that means another week of posts to pimp and promote.

• Erdea Manor was the main push of the week. I introduced the first level map last Friday, and stocked the first level in two parts on Monday (part 1) and then on Wednesday (part 2). Then today I posted the map for level 2, a level with secret passages and rooms linking various areas where an assassin used to roam.
• Random Pirates and Buccaneers - expanding on the encounter listing for Pirates and Buccaneers with a pile of unique pirates. Because every pirate deserves to be something special, or at least not a clone of either the Dread Pirate Roberts or Jack Sparrow.
• Level 1 Necromancer Spells - stolen directly from Diablo II and converted to classic D&D 
• Six new Geomorphs that I drew for the DungeonMorph Dice project. 
• And finally I compiled my posts on The Infinite Caves of the Shroom-Goblins into a six-page PDF to irritate and annoy your players.

D30

Carter Soles of The Lands of Ara has some d30 Encounter Tables he pdfed for ya. 

Character Sheets

smokestackjones posted his Pocket RC Character Sheet.

Resource Projects

Tsojcanth of The Lost Papers of Tsojcanth is working on an OSR Conservation Project. 

And John Williams of Rule of the Dice needs help putting together a Resource Link List.

Product Updates

Matt Finch had a few things to say about the upcoming 4th printing of Swords & Wizardry Core. From Matt's blog:

"I'm ready to get the Core Rules out there again, but with a slight nudge in terms of what they represent. The Core Rules have changed a bit since the advent of WhiteBox and Complete. Originally the Core Rules were the OD&D I was publishing. A catch-all to represent the whole game in miniature. Now it fits badly as a catch-all, since with WB and Complete the gamut is actually covered. There's no need for what Core originally was. Where I see it now is as the archetypal 4 (yes 4) class system, with the thief being optional but still side-by-side with the other 3. I want to fix movement, I want to add the optional saving throw categories, I want to put in the wilderness encounters. I want it to be clearer that it's the LBBs plus the GH supplement (minus the paladin because more important than anything else, it's the archetype-classes game)."

And further down:

"When I start working on this, it might happen fast, but I expect lots of frustrations. Once it's done, though, I will put up a hardback, softback, free pdf, and rtf file. It's just that the background work required on a book like this is more complex than most people realize (if you're not a graphic/layout artist) and I really don't want to put up a book that's about to get pulled off for a new "version."

Just keeping everyone in the loop, since there are lots of questions about this. I expect this printing to come out of the gate very strong. More details as they emerge."

Check out the Basic Fantasy News page, for more updates on works-in-progress.

Davidw updated his LL Screen.

Groovy!

Stewart Robertson of Strange Magic posted a snazzy new OSR Logo.

Podcasts & Videos

I've been missing the Save or Die update announcements, so did what I should have done in the first place and made a note to check the site itself. Lot's of new stuff to listen to!

One Grognard's Opinion: Reviews
James Maliszewski of Grognardia reviews Knowledge Illuminates. 

Carter Soles of The Lands of Ara reviews Oubliette #5. And Queen of the Demonweb Pits. 

Tenkar continues digging up Dragon bones. 

Akrasia of Akratic Wizardry reviews Blackmarsh.

Zombiecowboy reviews Blackmarsh.

Mythmere blogs about The Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth.

Zachary Houghton reviews The Majestic Wilderlands.

Fitz of Shouting Into The Void has some things to say about Adventure Mythmere's Design Deskbook Vol. One. 

ChicagoWiz has some Thoughts on World of Greyhawk Boxed Set.

And Professor Pope has Part 2 of his Knowledge Illuminates Actual Play Report.

Tsojcanth posted Part 2 of his Vornheim Test-drive.

Maptime!

Jeff Rients of Jeff's Gameblog posted an update of his Wessex campaign map.

M.P. of Planet Cthlol has updated his campaign map. It's big!

Evan of In Places Deep posted another Dark Country Map. W/Encounter Tables. And an Unstocked version.

Telecanter has a dungeon map.

John Laviolette of The Nine and Thirty Kingdoms continues his awesome geomorph work.

Dan of Tales from the Tower continues his awesome Middle-Earth I.C.E. offerings. 

Trey of From the Sorcerer's Skull posted his Weird Adventures: City Neighborhoods Map.  (Waiting patiently, ever so patiently, for Weird Adventures.)

Geomorphs from Stonworks. Village Set.

What I'm Pimping This Week

Blackmarsh by Robert Conley. Bat in the Attic Games. Available in Print for $7.00 and in PDF for Free. 24 pages.

In the days when man knew only the working of stone and fought for their existence against the orc and the goblin, the sky turned to ash and down fell the fiery mountain onto the land. The world tore open and the grey waters rushed in. Those who survived the impact were lost as boiling clouds rushed out in all directions leaving a wasteland in its wake.

The Mountain That Fell left a gift; magic. Near and far, those of learning and strong of heart discovered new powers to shape the world. In the desolation around the Smoking Bay the adventurous found viz, magic in physical form. And there was more, scattered amid the landscape were strange artifacts and stranger creatures that survived The Mountain That Fell. For a time men, dwarves, orc, goblins, and other races braved the dangers and fought each other in the wastelands. Then the elves came into Blackmarsh expelled the feuding races, drove the monsters out, and healed the land.

In the present day, many come to Blackmarsh to harvest viz, kill monsters, or seek the strange artifacts left by The Mountain That Fell. The only force that stands against the wilderness is the Blackmarsh Rangers. Anyone who is willing to defend the land and its people are welcomed into their ranks. Powerful kingdoms outside of Blackmarsh are beginning cast a covetous eyes toward the land's riches. Will the adventurers of your campaign become wealthy and powerful? Or will their bones join the many that have sunk into the swamps?

Blackmarsh is a complete, ready to run setting for your campaign. It can be run as its own setting or an expansion of your existing world. Contained in Blackmarsh are 17 geographical entries, 78 described locales, and one detailed town; Castle Blackmarsh. Each entry provide one or more adventure hooks to use in your campaigns.

The PDF download does not include the cover, but Rob posted a nice copy of it, here.

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 or reporting on any of the items appearing herein. Occasionally, the News might feature an item, which the author has sent me a complimentary copy of, for purposes of writing a review.

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. At times, the item I'm pimping may be one which I received a complimentary review copy of, from the author or publisher. No one has asked me to spotlight their material in this section and I have received no payment of any kind for doing so.

Please feel free to send me information on any new releases, events, or other items of interest, which you would like to see mentioned.