Tavern Chat

Bad Mike & Tenkar are joined by Jeff Talanian  (Astonishing Swordsmen & Sorcerers of Hyperborea) as Talking Crit kicks off a series of NTRPG Con 2021 Special Guests for their weekly Livestream. Got questions for Jeff? Ask them in the chat.

Chad calls in with a suggestion about Mooks not getting critical hits, but the PCs getting such because they are heroes. I take it one step further, and propose using critical hits for PCs, major NPCs, and climatic encounters. Also, Zak S will soon be dishing the dirt on the Vampire 5e fiasco.

Taylor called the show to follow up on my earlier comments about blogs. He's right, blogs aren't dying, but they certainly are receding in importance, at least in the OSR. There are many factors for that: the relative ease one can podcast via Anchor or Vidcast on YouTube, the death of Google+, the advent of self-publishing, and the relatively low cost of entry associate with such (almost any word...

I no longer play with crits and fumbles when I run an RPG session. Critical hits and fumbles have the potential to affect the player characters as well as their adversaries, and as most adversarial encounters are meant to be one and done, critical hits and fumbles carry over detrimentally for the PCs from one encounter to the next.

Rach & Tenkar escaped to the Poconos for the first time in 14 months, and it was emotional. Doing something that was normal prior to the pandemic was refreshing.

Watch Joe & Erik as they talk about Critical Role and is it really D&D, live-playcasts, D&D editions, and more.

The Tavern took form when blogs were on the rise, and has expanded to podcasts and vidcasts over recent years. What does the future hold for The Tavern?

Join Tenkar & Bad Mike as they are joined by Ben Barsh of Pacesetter Games to talk OSR, D&D, Kickstarters, Gaming News, Ken Whitman, Gareth Skarka, and more.

So, Ken Whitman, AKA Whit Whitman, wrote and directed a movie called The Whittler, but of course he left his name off of all promotional material. Apparently written back in 2005, there was a copyright claim filed by Ed Kramer of Dragon Con fame (and a former roommate of Ken's)

"According to Dave Arneson's Corner of the Table newsletter, Vol. III, #4"  "There will be a medevil "BRAUNSTEIN" April 17, 1971 at the home of David Arneson from 1500 hrs to 2400 hrs with refreshments being available on the usual basis. Players may come at any time and any number are welcome to attend what should prove to be an exciting time.  It will feature mythical creatures and a po...

I missed a Far West Kickstarter update from February 2021, not on the Kickstarter page, but on the Far West website. Suffice to say, more words, with nothing to back them up.

Glen & Tenkar talk about improvisational adventure techniques one can use in their game sessions. How to improv on the fly ;)

Most players will be unwilling to play swords with personalities as the personalities dictate. It is incumbent upon the DM to ensure that the role of the sword is played to the hilt, with the DM assuming the persona of the sword if necessary - EGG

Tenkar & Bad Mike talk about the announcement that Jeff Grubb's lost Mystara manuscript will now see the light of day, NTRPG Con updates, Covid policy and more.

Dungeons. We know what they are, or do we? Are they defined by the walls around the PCs, or can you have "outdoor dungeons?" Rocky calls the show and explores what may define a dungeon, and it might not be what you expect.

Dueling documentaries of the legacy of Dungeons & Dragons left only one standing. What is the latest update from The Great Kingdom, and what can those that backed "the other" documentary do to, if not be made whole, at least get something of value?  Jeff Grubbs long lost Mystara World Setting manuscript, originally written for AD&D 2e (and replaced by Karameikos: Kingdom of Adventure...

Join Rach & Tenkar as they do their weekly livestream addressing health issues that affect much of the gaming community. This week was focused on coping with stress.

Join JoetheLawyer & Tenkar as they look at the change of dungeoneering over the years and more.

Randy from the Biggus Geekus podcast calls and tells me I'm not a cog, which is true. But I'm not a cog because I work for each one of you... Voicemail 347-509-5168

Join Bad Mike & Tenkar as they talk about the past week in tabletop gaming news.

Glen "Old Man Grognard" sees himself as a narrator, and Joe (Biggus Geekus) has his thoughts on being a cog...

The way I see it, a referee (or judge) is one that runs a play session with a strict interpretation of the rules, while a game master (or dungeon master) is more concerned about engaging his or her players, but there is certainly overlap between the two, and most that run RPGs have skills that fall into both categories.

When you work for a company or government agency, the larger the organization, the more they treat their employees like cogs. Freelancing is one of the most cog-like work situations one can find themselves in. Your feelings are unimportant. Only how much profit you can make your publisher. Bonus Easter episode on the back end.

I opened up more than I had planned to with this episode, but the truth is, we are all on this journey together. No one is alone, nor should they be.

Join Glen & Tenkar, as they talk about freelancing in the RPG community and more.