Daymar Sanctus, a scholarly wizard, began construction of his “Suspended Abode of Wondrous Enchantment” over two decades ago. Using knowledge gathered over the years he sought to build the most unique wizard’s tower yet seen. Initial construction began with traditional laborers and craftsmen, but as time went on his laborers grew more and more exotic. Eventually even these laborers proved insufficient for the construction task at hand. Frustrated, Daymar began calling his project Hellspike in an attempt to frame his ongoing nightmare in a humorous light. With his own sanity of mind fading, Daymar bound a minor demon to help him finish the construction of the tower with his own magic. Recently a magical mishap changed the situation, and the tower’s enchantments begin to falter.

A Pocket-Sized Encounter compatible with the Swords & Wizardry rules system for 3rd to 5th level characters.

Pocket-Sized Encounters from Iron Tavern Press are shorter scenarios designed to be dropped into an existing campaign with minimal preparation. Use them for shorter sessions, provide your players with choices that won’t derail your campaign or even as a launching point for a new campaign path.

Included in this product are:

• Multiple adventure hooks
• Location based encounter area map
• Seeds for expanding the adventure
• Wizard Beads (minor magic item)

The post Hellspike Now Available appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

Iron Tavern

The Iron Tavern itself has continued to be a fun platform to post random thoughts from me. Some are reviews of product, opinion pieces, or a vehicle to promote Iron Tavern Press products or the Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG Actual Play Podcast. Posting got a little slow towards the end of the year, I have recently learned a 3 or 4 day break from work will do wonders for recharging the creative batteries that power my hobby interests.

The most popular post from 2014 was D&D 5e and PDFs. I suspect a lot of those hits are just people looking for PDFs to download, but even today that post tends to rank a spot in most visited posts of the day.

Since that post we’ve seen Dungeonscape crash and burn (surprise, surprise) and we still don’t have PDFs from Wizards. This is still one of my major complaints about 5e. While I own all the physical core books, I would readily pay for PDFs of the product. It just helps my preparation to have them available digitally. Not having PDFs is a handicap to my preparation of sessions.

The recent break from work has helped recharge my batteries. Blog posts will continue and I will still use the Iron Tavern blog as my platform for reviews, commentary, and promotion of some of my RPG related products. While not the most famous RPG blog on the Internet I get enough traffic to keep Iron Tavern useful to me, and seemingly its loyal readers!

DCC RPG Podcast

This question was answered yesterday! I finished editing all of the queued up live play audio and have the remaining sessions of the Sunken City Campaign scheduled for posting. Starting on Monday, January 5th, one episode will be released per week for folks to hear the completion of the podcast.

The big question is do we post actual play sessions of the next DCC campaign I am starting in January. The group is already gathering up and we should be kicking off next week or the week after. It takes a fair amount of time to prep the episodes, so there is some question as to whether I will continue the AP or not. The current one seemed pretty popular as far as an AP podcast goes, so there seems to be some interest. Just not sure how much.

Do you want to see an AP released for the next campaign? Post in the comments and let me know.

Iron Tavern Press

2014 saw the launch of Iron Tavern Press. This is my effort at self-publishing and has focused on Pocket-Sized Encounters, short scenarios designed to be dropped into a person’s campaign on a short notice with minimal prep. The line has been well received, but is still in its early stages. These things take time and I am learning a bit as we go.

Iron Tavern Press suffered a bit from my business towards the end of last year. But I have a good amount of product already written and in my queue to be published. These include some more Pocket-Sized Encounters and a Dungeon Crawl Classics module. Things are already underway to get the next PSE release out there. I expect we will see it released by the end of January, perhaps a little sooner.

So far all of Iron Tavern Press releases have been in PDF form. When catering to an old-school audience this is necessarily optimal. The customers want physical products – often buying both physical and digital form. This year I hope to work the kinks out of creating a physical product and release in print on demand form as well. I still have some learning curve to get through on this front.

Gaming

And lets not forget what this whole blog is centered around – gaming! 2014 saw me in an online game and a face-to-face game. A good mix of gaming. I plan on continuing in and with both of those games.

My biggest shift here (and this is the closest thing to a New Year’s Resolution I am making), is I want to focus on gaming with my kids more often. The oldest is definitely of the right age and my youngest has interest and would happily play. So if a blog post has to slip, an AP release a little late, or an ITP product slide a touch because it allows me to play a game with my kids then so be it!

Now resolutions require some plan of action. I think we have the makings of a kid’s game with some of my son’s peers. I am making plans to get that coordinated to start in January will take the form of a Friday night 5e game. This might even involve some mini painting (I have a boatload of Reaper minis with more on the way!!!) and maybe even finishing off my Dwarven Forge pieces!

And that’s it! A look back and a look ahead to 2015! Thanks for all your support and interest!

The post New Year 2015 appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

I have been playing more Labyrinth Lord over the past several months as well. Since I’ve been having a lot of fun with the system, I decided to do a Labyrinth Lord conversion proper of Kajak’s Kave.

The Labyrinth Lord compatible Kajak’s Kave is now live at RPGNow. As is usual for Iron Tavern Press I am releasing it at a temporary introductory price of $1.75. I am also temporarily marking down the original Swords & Wizardry version as well.

The post Kajak’s Kave for Labyrinth Lord appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

Two decades ago rival mining companies bickered over the rights to Calamity Mine. When blood was not being shed during these skirmishes, the mine itself claimed many lives. Cave-ins, flooding tunnels, and volatile gases plagued operations at the mine. Eventually The Rusted Hammer Mining Company shut the claim down, boarded the entrance up, and sold it to Cyrus Milnar nine years ago. Cyrus left the claim boarded up, but recently noticed activity near the closed mine. He seeks brave folk to ferret out what is going on up there.

A Pocket-Sized Encounter compatible with the Swords & Wizardry rules system for 1st to 3rd level characters.

Pocket-Sized Encounters from Iron Tavern Press are shorter scenarios designed to be dropped into an existing campaign with minimal preparation. Use them for shorter sessions, provide your players with choices that won’t derail your campaign or even as a launching point for a new campaign path.

• New Relic
• Multiple adventure hooks
• Location based encounter area maps (GM and Player versions)
• Seeds for expanding the adventure
• Random misfortune table

The post Calamity Mine Now Available appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

The computer is up and running again. I have all my data as the majority of it is on cloud services and the rest in a Time Machine backup. Which while was a little flaky, was recoverable. So where does that leave things?

DCC RPG Actual Play

On the Actual Play front, I hope to finish the rough edits and polish on an episode early this week and get Episode #21 out by Wednesday for Thursday. The group had been rather schizophrenic in regards to which set of characters they wanted to play. Episode #21 finds them back with the high level guys and beginning the conclusion of the campaign. This topic likely warrants a more in-depth post prior to the release of the episode, we will see if I get that done.

Iron Tavern Press

Despite the most recent release being Zedkiel’s Chapel things are progressing very well for Iron Tavern Press. The edits are done on the next release (working title Calamity Mine), artwork is rolling in for it, and the first set of maps almost complete. Layout needs finished, one more proofing and editing pass and it should be out. Hopefully no later than the end of August.

A piece rolled in over the weekend from another writer for Iron Tavern Press as well. It is an awesome adventure and particularly happy to have this writer on board for this project. I’m going sit on the name of the author for just a bit – you know – to build some suspense and mystery over what is to become Pocket-Sized Encounter #6.

Once the 6th release is out the plans for Iron Tavern Press is to branch out from the PSE line and into DCC RPG. I already have a writer that has nearly completed the first adventure in this line. Playtesting is done and it is back with the author for some revisions based on the playtest.

Mapping

Picked up another set of freelance work over the weekend with a publisher I have worked with before. Looks to be an awesome project and a chance to try out a different mapping look for me.

Gaming

Through all of this I have still been gaming! The DCC game continues as it races towards its climax. Due to scheduling issues in August I will be running another Barrowmaze mini-delve for two weeks. I have the hook for that all prepped and ready to go. Should be a fun romp through the dungeon!

And my local group has been playing Pathfinder with some old-school modules. Keep on the Borderlands has made an appearance, as well as Tomb of the Lizard King, and Night’s Dark Terror.

Back to Work

So there it is! Despite a lack of visible output things have been busy behind the scenes!

The post Excuses, Excuses, Excuses… appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

This post is part of a ‘Behind the Curtain’ series for Iron Tavern Press. They are intended to provide some insight to design decisions made for current and future product lines.

Gamer’s time is limited these days. A lot of us have taken on responsibilities of families and careers. These responsibilities cut into our free time and can often lead to playing shorter or more infrequent sessions – if we get to play at all. Even the younger gamers, still new to hobby have a plethora of other interests bidding for their recreational time.

Today’s Gamer

An informal poll of G+ users several months ago indicated the average length of session hovered in the 2 to 3 hour range. This informal poll holds true to my experience as well. My online sessions are 2 hours long and my weekly face-to-face session is only about 3 to 3.5 hours of actual playing time. A far cry from how the sessions of my youth used to be!

Not only are sessions shorter, but for some they are more infrequent. Maybe every other week or once a month. Sometimes that is simply the schedule and other times cancellations make that the more realistic gaming interval.

So What?

What does this shorter and sometimes more infrequent session time mean? It means trying to play through long sprawling adventures can be a chore. Either you can’t get enough accomplished in a single session to feel meaningful or it takes months to close a story arc. Sometimes you just need a short side-trek to fill a session or two where only part of your gaming group can make it.

GMs also tend to have less time to prep for sessions. Or sometimes they need a quick option for a night of gaming. Something that doesn’t take hours of preparation, but rather a brief read through and a small map for an evening of entertainment.

And that is where the Pocket-Sized Encounters line comes in…

Pocket-Sized Encounters

The Pocket-Sized Encounters line from Iron Tavern Press aims to fill this gap. The products are written to be played in sessions that last 2 to 4 hours. This makes is easier to pick one up and finish it in a single session while providing a fun night of play. Something the players and can feel good about accomplishing contributing to the fun of the session.

In addition they purposefully try to keep themselves adaptable. Towns are not explicitly named. Directions to the mountains or hills or plains are kept loose, only that there are some nearby. This helps make it even easier to drop into any campaign world on the spur of the moment. The intent is to drastically reduce the GM’s prep time by not being overly detailed with the backdrop forcing the GM to adapt entire villages or regions he has already taken efforts to detail.

Several adventure seeds are provided in each product so a GM can pick one and integrate with their campaign world. And for a GM that wants to expand the scenario beyond how it is written a ‘Where To From Here’ section is included with suggestions on how to get even more gameplay out of the scenario. So while remaining highly portable from one setting to another, there is information in each PSE to turn it into something bigger.

Each product includes a random table to further help a GM add detail on the fly. Tables from random treasure hordes, to random items found, to rumor tables. All are there to help a GM have the answers to those unpredictable twists and turns a players like to throw at you!

And finally – the maps included with the product are provided in GM’s versions, Player’s versions, gridded, and gridless. More tools to help a GM to be able to pickup a PSE product and be up and running with a limited amount of prep time.

Summary

The changing landscape of gaming are some of the driving factors in creating useful adventures for today’s GMs. The Pocket-Sized Encounter line is there for busy GMs, shorter sessions, and the infrequent gamer to provide an evening of entertainment at a moment’s notice.

You can check out one of the products in the PSE line at RPGNow.

Did you like this Behind the Curtain post? Don’t miss Default System Choice or Cover Art – Or Lack Thereof.

The post Behind The Curtain: Shorter Adventures appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

Two brave adventurers rescued Zedkiel the scholar on his way home from the tavern. A large bat-like creature had attacked the man and certainly would have slain him had Ulad and Frango not intervened. A month later reports of another large bat-like creature surfaced as several townsfolk were killed one night under a full moon. Ulad and Frango grew suspicious and discovered something horrid had happened to Zedkiel. The man eluded them until the pair of adventurers discovered the strange abandoned chapel Zedkiel was using as a hideout. The characters have a choice to make – seek out and destroy Zedkiel or aid him against the vigilante townsfolk.

A Pocket-Sized Encounter compatible with the Swords & Wizardry rules system for 2nd to 4th level character.

Pocket-Sized Encounters from Iron Tavern Press are shorter scenarios designed to be dropped into an existing campaign with minimal preparation. Use them for shorter sessions, provide your players with choices that won’t derail your campaign or even as a launching point for a new campaign path.

Included in this adventure are:

• New Werebat Monster
• Multiple adventure hooks
• Location based encounter area map (grid and gridless)
• Seeds for expanding the adventure
• Rumor Table

The post Zedkiel’s Chapel Now Available appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

Moving

Most of the past several weeks have been filled with moving to a new house. I think things are finally getting settled in freeing up a significant amount of time. As part of stocking the new house I ended up with a sweet dining room table that will easily seat 8 folks and is going to work wonderfully as a gaming table for the Thursday night group (and hopefully a kid’s game soon).

This move really has consumed the vast majority of my time for the past 4 weeks. It is good to be getting settled in at the new place.

Origins

This past weekend was Origins. Last year we seem to have started the tradition of getting the folks from the DCC Actual Play game to meetup for the con. This year we had all the players from the actual play game and another who plays in the weekly Dungeonslayers game Kelly runs.

It was great seeing the guys again. It was four days filled with gaming! We played Dungeon Crawl Classics, Labyrinth Lord, Swords & Wizardry, Paranoia, and Zombieslayers! We all had a really good time – be sure to check out my G+ stream for photos from the Con.

I did pick up a few things at Origins, though really – the dealer hall was a bit of a disappointment this year. I purchased another small Chessex battlemat to hopefully replace the one I bought the previous year that didn’t hold ink well at all. And I also bought the card game Boss Monster. I played Boss Monster at Gary Con with Joseph Goodman, Doug Kovacs, and Rick Hull. It was enough of an intro to warrant the purchase.

Iron Tavern Press

Iron Tavern Press is doing well, though it would be hard to tell by my lapse in release schedule! I have Zedkiel’s Chapel by Dustin Clark through its last round of revisions. I just need to drop in the two pieces of artwork Frank Turfler did for me (have I previewed any of those yet? They are awesome!) and let my proofers give it a glance. I hope for it to see the light of day within the next week or so.

I have PSE #5 written. Just a couple of tweaks and then it will go off to the editor for the first pass on it. Still artwork to be done for it as well, but should be well on track for my more normal 4 to 6 week release schedule. We did playtest this one at Origins last weekend.

A surprise author is writing another PSE adventure for me. The pitch was awesome and I am looking forward to seeing that turnover. More details to come on this as we get a little closer to release time for that one.

While at Origins we also playtested another adventure from Dustin Clark. This one is more of a full sized adventure, so it will deviate from the Pocket-Sized Encounter line’s format. There is a good chance this one will be the first release Iron Tavern Press does for Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. Should be a good one!

So there has been lots of behind the scenes work and action going on with Iron Tavern Press!

DCC Actual Play Podcast

I am behind on releasing AP podcasts! I have a bunch queued up – one just needs mixed, the others need some editing. But in either case the DCC group is going strong and plenty of shows recorded and ready to be released. Expect to see these start coming out in the next week or so as well.

Wrap Up

And that’s why it has been so quiet around here the past several weeks! I appreciate your patience while real life has distracted me. Things should start to return closer to normal over the course of the next week or two.

The post Summer at The Iron Tavern appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

A Swords & Wizardry compatible adventure for 4th to 6th level characters.

Centuries ago nomads found a cave and felt drawn to perform their death rites to dark gods within its confines. Years of ritualistic blood offerings to malevolent forces has fed demons deep below the cave. The nomads have long since disappeared, but a recent earth tremor has freed the demon spawn from their prison deep below the surface. Seeking blood of victims to fuel their infernal fires they have moved closer to the surface and begun their hunt.

And even though Iron Tavern Press does not use cover art in this product line, don’t fear – we do use art inside! Here is a preview:

Artist: Frank Turfler

The post Skull Cave Preview appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

The primary factor is of course cost. Artists deserve to be paid for their talents. But with the somewhat steady release cycle I have in mind for the launch of Iron Tavern Press, my up front expenses to put a unique cover on each product was a very real cost that I might not see return on until the venture gets it feet under it.

These funds seemed better spent to me by putting it into editing services, the tools to publish a clean product, and interior art that spruced up the product. With the release schedule I had in mind this is the decision path I leaned towards to get Iron Tavern Press established.

The other factor is the quality of that art. Given a limited budget there is a question of what quality of art would be on the cover if I went that route. I did some mock-ups a few months ago with some images. Frankly, they had a more amateurish look to them than the minimalistic covers I have launched with. Just as great cover art can help a product, bad cover art can hurt a product.

The decision is not without its risks. Who doesn’t love cool cover art? I see it all the time – a cool cover gets posted to a social network, it gets shared around and that is all based on the appearance of the cover. Very little is said about the actual content of the product. Cool cover art definitely can help with exposure and generate some excitement about a product.

My feedback from the mock-ups I sent out was mixed. Some encouraged using cover art and others understood why I would make the decision to launch products with no cover art. Even those that encouraged the use of cover art acknowledged the cover mock-up was very clean and looked well done. It at the very least gave a professional appearance, even if it did lack cover art.

In the end I chose the clean, minimalistic covers for the Pocket-Sized Encounters line. I am happy with the choice and it has allowed me to use quality interior art (some stock art, some commissioned pieces) and hire an RPG editor to make sure the words in the product are the best they can be.

All of Iron Tavern Press’ products are currently on sale as part of the GM’s Day Sales going on at the beginning of March. This is a great opportunity to check them out (cover art or not!) at either shop.d20pfsrd.com or RPGNow.

The post Cover Art – Or Lack Thereof appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

Iron Tavern Press is happy to participate in the sale at the two locations our products are sold – shop.d20pfsrd.com and RPGNow.com. Both Kajak’s Kave and The Hive are at the lowest prices you are likely to see them. In fact, once the GM’s Day sales end, The Hive will be going back up to normal pricing, its introductory price it was release at expiring. If you have been curious about what I’ve been releasing under the Iron Tavern Press name this is a wonderful opportunity to check them out.

Pocket-Sized Encounters are small scenarios ready to be dropped into your campaign with very short notice. Whether to offer a side-trek to your players or using one of the ‘Where To From Here’ hooks to expand them into more is up to you. The product includes maps, adventure hooks, suggested ideas for expansion, and in some cases new monsters and new magic items. And don’t forget the random treasure hoard tables useful in any situation.

Written to be compatible with the Swords & Wizardry system, these products are easily converted to your fantasy system of choice.

Here are the summaries from each.

Kajak’s Kave

Livestock disappearing from their pastures, children discovering large humanoid footprints along the creek, rumored sightings of a lumbering giant, and Shaerie the Huntress’ disappearance several weeks ago leave only one conclusion. An ogre has taken up residence too close to town! Are you the brave adventurers to help rid the town of this threat and discover the whereabouts of Shaerie?

Available at shop.d20pfsrd.com and RPGNow for $1.93.

The Hive

Lord Oakensun was fascinated by insects, spending hours cataloging and classifying his collection. Discontent led the man to experiment with forces he did not fully comprehend. Now farms outside the village have been found abandoned. Lord Oakensun’s daughter is missing, last seen near rocky hills a short distance away. A local thief reports his partner was snatched away in the dark amidst sounds of buzzing and chittering. Has Lord Oakensun’s experiment gone wrong? What is behind the rash of disappearances from the village?

Available at shop.d20pfsrd.com and RPGNow for $1.40.

The post Iron Tavern Press – GM’s Day Sale appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

Lord Oakensun was fascinated by insects, spending hours cataloging and classifying his collection. Discontent led the man to experiment with forces he did not fully comprehend. Now farms outside the village have been found abandoned. Lord Oakensun’s daughter is missing, last seen near rocky hills a short distance away. A local thief reports his partner was snatched away in the dark amidst sounds of buzzing and chittering. Has Lord Oakensun’s experiment gone wrong? What is behind the rash of disappearances from the village?

A Pocket-Sized Encounter compatible with the Swords & Wizardry rules system for 4th to 6th level characters.

Pocket-Sized Encounters are designed to drop into an existing campaign with ease. Several adventure seeds are included and a Where To From Here section if you want to expand the scenario beyond what is written. The Hive also includes a set of new monsters and a new magic item.

More questions about Pocket-Sized Encounters? Check out the Iron Tavern Press page.

The post The Hive Now Available appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

I have been quite happy with how the initial product has been received! Sales have been going well and exceeding my expectations. I thank everyone for the support as Iron Tavern Press seeks to increase its presence.

You may be asking where’s the next one. The Hive, the next release in the Pocket-Sized Encounter line will be released next week! This one is written by Dustin Clark and like Kajak’s Kave includes several hooks to integrate with your Swords & Wizardry campaign, an encounter map, seeds for expansion, new creatures, and more! I am really happy with how it has turned out!

To tide you over a bit, here is a sneak peek at some of the art for the soon to be released The Hive.

The post Upcoming: The Hive appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

I wanted to take a little time and explain why that choice was made, specifically for the Pocket-Sized Encounters series I launched Iron Tavern Press with.

Background

I got my start in the role-playing world with D&D Basic, the Moldvay version. Even today the cover of that boxed set is etched into my mind. That set is what launched me on what has proven to be a lifetime hobby. From playing games, to running games, to blogging, to starting Iron Tavern Press. The roots can be traced back to that system.

Of course over the years I drifted away from that initial edition. 1st Edition AD&D, then on to 2nd Edition, and even to D&D 3.x. From there I drifted to Pathfinder and in recent years even more dabbling in various systems. Some just picked up and read through and others taken for more extensive test drives.

Regardless of system I will hold a fondness for the OSR. Especially as my available time diminishes and I need to work the hobby into a fuller and fuller schedule. The light nature of many of the OSR systems allow me to spend more time on the creative and less time on the “crunch”.

System Choice

When I first wrote Kajak’s Kave and the idea of Pocket-Sized Encounters percolated the adventure was written to be systemless. The creatures were simply referenced by name and how many were present with directions to look up the actual creature stats in your rule system of choice. While this led to great versatility it did push work off on the GM.

Around this same time I was doing on the fly conversions of some Dungeon Crawl Classics and Labyrinth Lord adventures to Swords & Wizardry. Converting on the fly was pretty easy, but I was glad I had at least some stats to work off of. Even the inclusion of basic stats for a different system gave me the ballpark of what I would use in Swords & Wizardry.

This experience had me second guessing my choice to go completely systemless for this series. But what system should I use as the default assumption?

It came down to three top contenders for choice of system that I felt were good fits for the series and still adaptable for people to convert to their system of choice. OSRIC, Labyrinth Lord, and Swords & Wizardry.

Each of these systems have their strengths, but in the end I chose Swords & Wizardry for the default system for the Pocket-Sized Encounters line. Let’s take a closer look as to why.

Swords & Wizardry

I’ve posted before about why I like Swords & Wizardry as a foundation system. But there are some factors that also influenced my decision from a publisher’s point of view.

The biggest factor? Swords & Wizardry stat blocks include both ascending and descending AC. To me this is huge. Yes – one can convert even AC on the fly, but to some that seems a mystery or at the very least, not something they feel like doing at the table. Swords & Wizardry includes both a number for ascending and descending AC in the same stat block which removes what I consider one of the larger hurdles for at the table conversion. It also lends itself well to conversion to more complex rule systems such as Pathfinder as well.

Another major reason I like Swords & Wizardry is that the ruleset is available online at d20swsrd.com. It is easily searchable and very handy for a rule lookup when you are away from your books. I find online resources such as these invaluable. Having the ruleset online in such a clean format simply lowers the bar to entry that much more. It even makes things easier for me as I write to be able to look things up quickly.

Though the decision was made after I had chosen Swords & Wizardry as the default assumption for Pocket-Sized Encounters, the fact the Swords & Wizardry Complete PDF is now free to the public doesn’t hurt! Yet another step to keep the barrier to S&W low.

In general I find S&W a very solid foundation for people that like OSR gaming. It is easy to build upon by “borrowing” rules from other places or layering your own house rules on.

All of these factors contributed to why I chose Swords & Wizardry as my default system for this line of products.

The post Behind the Curtain: Default System Choice appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

Kajak’s Kave, the first release in the Pocket-Sized Encounters line is now available at RPGNow!

Livestock disappearing from their pastures, children discovering large humanoid footprints along the creek, rumored sightings of a lumbering giant, and Shaerie the Huntress’ disappearance several weeks ago leave only one conclusion. An ogre has taken up residence too close to town! Are you the brave adventurers to help rid the town of this threat and discover the whereabouts of Shaerie?

A Pocket-Sized Encounter compatible with the Swords & Wizardry rules system for 4th to 6th level characters.

Questions about Pocket-Sized Encounters? Check out the Iron Tavern Press page.

The post Kajak’s Kave Now Available appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

During the previous few weeks I have slowly been dropping teasers for one of my 2014 projects – Iron Tavern Press. First the Iron Tavern Press ads you might have seen popping up here, in your social media streams, and even over at d20swsrd.com. Then there was last week’s blog post about Pocket-Sized Encounters explaining a little more about that product line. This week we look at Iron Tavern Press itself!

What is Iron Tavern Press?

Iron Tavern Press is a venture I have wanted to try out for a while. Over the years I have read a lot of advice about RPG publishing and I’ve also experimented with several different aspects of the RPG world – some public and some not so public. 2014 is the year I bring Iron Tavern Press to life.

The initial product offering is the Pocket-Sized Encounter line which I’ve described previously. I have several products in this line already lined up and they will be releasing on a semi-regular basis over the course of the next several months. Pocket-Sized Encounters are something that would handily fill a niche in my own gaming and campaigns. Shorter scenarios that can be run in single session or dropped into an existing campaign as an option without derailing the whole campaign.

While Pocket-Sized Encounters are the initial focus point for the launch of Iron Tavern Press – I do have some other products in mind as well. Some are one-offs and some are entire lines. Some are already in motion and others are waiting until the time is right (or perhaps more appropriately – for a gap in time!).

Keep an eye out for the first release from Iron Tavern Press coming later this month!

The post What is Iron Tavern Press? appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

 What are Pocket-Sized Encounters?

Pocket-Sized Encounters are compatible with Swords & Wizardry and easily adaptable to other OSR systems or even your favorite modern fantasy RPG. They are written to fit into the shorter gaming session slots that are so prevalent today. Designed to be run with minimal preparation, this line of products can be run on a moment’s notice for when your party takes a turn in an unexpected direction.

Or maybe you want to provide additional depth for your campaign. You want to present the players with options and choices that help your campaign world come alive around them. But at the same time, you don’t want these other options to derail the main theme of your game. You need something that can be run in a single session. The Pocket-Sized Encounters line fills this niche.

Each Pocket-Sized Encounter provides possible Adventure Hooks you can use to integrate these encounters into your existing campaign. They also offer seeds for expanding what is presented in the Pocket-Sized Encounter into something spanning more than one session if you want to expand upon what is presented.

The Pocket-Sized Encounter line provides random treasure tables, new monsters, or new magic items that can be used with the encounter area or borrowed for your own campaign.

Pocket-Sized Encounters from Iron Tavern Press bring this to you in a digest sized PDF. This format makes for easy reading on your favorite tablet based device and easier to keep a library’s worth on-hand for those times you need something to run at the spur of the moment.

Keep an eye out for the first Pocket-Sized Encounter to be released later this month!

The post Pocket-Sized Encounters appeared first on The Iron Tavern.

If you are interested in following only posts relating to Iron Tavern Press and not the myriad of other topics here at The Iron Tavern, you can use the following feed to only see Iron Tavern Press information.

Iron Tavern Press RSS Feed

Here is a teaser…

The post Iron Tavern Press appeared first on The Iron Tavern.