Rended Press

Things have been quiet on the creative front the past month or so. I am in "hunker down & grade" mode at the moment, but I was sitting in an exam this afternoon and decided to do a bit of maintenance on the ol' blog. First, I removed the "Google FriendConnect" widget, as Google discontinued it back in 2011 and was all but abandoned in 2012 -- and almost everyone who was signed up on the Friend Connect thing is also in my circles on Google+, so it seemed a bit superfluous. In fact, once I removed it, I couldn't even figure out how to get it back if I wanted to, so that's that. I also dropped the "Join Dropbox" widget and the link to the Expanded Petty Gods project in the sidebar. I also dropped the stylized OSR image. The blog looks cleaner without them. I notice that the huge swarm of tags at the bottom of the blog is hideous and needs to be pruned to something more manageable. I need to devise an easy tagging system and stick to it,

Note on 2021-09-25: Google Drive changed the way files are shared. I updated the link to the shared folder, but if you have problems accessing it, drop a line in the comments and I will see what I can do. So I'm on a Ghostbusters kick right now. First, you can find scanned PDF copies of the original West End Games Ghostbusters RPG here: http://nerdyshow.com/gbrpg/download_index/ Modules for the first edition of the game AND a shitty scan of the second edition of the game (called Ghostbusters International ) along with some more supplements can be found here: http://nerdyshow.com/gbrpg/additionalrulebooks/ For alternate scans of the above rulebooks here, along with better scans of the Ghost Toasties and Hot Rods of the Gods modules, check out this link: http://ghostbustersinc.wordpress.com/media/ghostbusters-the-roleplaying-game/ Also, you can buy Ghost dice and some more GBRPG goodies here: https://nerdy-show.myshopify.com/ Second, there are some online-only

Here, I made this thing for you: Complication Deck PDF

I made another die drop table using +NateMcD's  excellent Hex Extrapolation Matrix : You can grab the PDF here .

In my previous post ( a review of Tales from the Tavern #1 ), I mentioned the game Ghoulash . Ghoulash is an old solitaire pen & pencil game from the 1980s, originally sold in pads. The creator and his son have tried to re-invent it as a card game, but the Kickstarter failed miserably . So it looks like they're re-designing the classic game instead , which strikes me as a smarter way to go. There used to be a lot of free scenarios on the old Ghoulash site. I trolled the Internet Archive and was able to retrieve a lot of the PDFs. I'm missing Scenario 13, Scenario 14, Webpack 2, Webpack 3, Webpack 4, and Webpack 5, but otherwise I think I've collected all the freebies here . I've renamed the non-scenario files by prefixing a release date to their name.

Well look what came in yesterday's mail! Why, it's Tales from the Game Tavern  #1 , a new zine from  +Grand DM  over at the Ultanya blog! You can buy it direct from the blog or as part of the October 2015 Mythoard box. So what do you get for your $5? First up is "Flesh Golem Redux," an article explaining how  +Grand DM  mixes up the brides of Frankenstein for his game. This is an essay, not monster descriptions with stat blocks, but it makes for an interesting read on how to spice up and extend standard Monster Manual creatures. It would have been nice to include a quick old-school flavored-stat block and description for each of the brides for quick reference, but there is still plenty of ideas to steal from here. Next up is "Haunted Armor," four quick write-ups of armor that is "tormented by the spirits of their prior owners." Great ideas here and each of the items is briefly described and includes a note on game use. What I like about

Nate McD posted a cool Hex Extrapolation Matrix template about a month ago that makes for a great die drop table template, so I put it to work in that capacity: Here's the PDF:  Hex Extrapolation Matrix Quick Hack

I made this today. Grab a handful of story cubes and drop away: Grab the PDF here: Story Cubes Die Drop Table

I've been in a bit of a creative wasteland the past two months. But then I ran across a scan of the Heraldischer Atlas by Hugo Gerhard Ströhl from 1899 and this image whet my whistle: not the table; hit the link below for the PDF Anyway, you can download the PDF of 15 magical crowns here .

I posted this over on G+, but I also want to post it here for quick reference: I can't remember where I saw it, but someone posted a hexmap of a dead island which sort of looked like something from the original 8-bit Legend of Zelda. Last night I tried looking for it but couldn't find it. So I made my own. The hexes are 92 x 86 in Hexographer -- I wanted 1-mile hexes so this looks right to me. Hex 02.08 is a VERY deep lagoon behind a coral reef. Hex 06.07 contains ruins; the sea is encroaching and has turned the earth to bog. Hex 08.02 contains some kind of monolith looking out over the sea. The rest you can figure out on your own. Feel free to fill the hexes in the comments, even expanding what I commented on above. Maybe this can be something for #GorgonQuarterly eh + The Real-ish Greg Gorgonmilk ?

My new B/X PC is a Wizard Monkey: https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/1420281900590072241.jpg photo illustration by  +The Real-ish Greg Gorgonmilk Faustus Wizbobeard IV HP: 3 AC: 8 XP: 0 Attributes: STR: 12 INT: 15 (+1) WIS: 6 (-1) DEX: 14 (+1) CON: 8 (-1) Saves: Death Ray or Poison: 13 Magical Wands: 15 Paralysis or Turn to Stone: 14 Dragon Breath:16 Rods, Staves, or Spells: 16 Languages: Common, Alignment, Gargoyle Equipment: Sharpened leopard femur (treat as normal dagger) 4 Torches Backpack 6 bunches wild grapes 10' feet fresh, leafy vine Waterskin filled with urine Bag of day-old feces 9 gp Spells: Level 1: [ Shield ] Special: Once per day can cast an Invincible Stare , which acts as a Hold spell on all targets in a 10 foot radius (Save vs. Spells) and renders the caster invisible while in effect.

I ran a low-magic Swords & Wizardry Whitebox -inspired Zero-level funnel at KantCon on July 24th. We didn't finish it in the 4-hour slot I was allotted, but a few players loved it so much that I ended up running the rest of the scenario the same evening when another game was cancelled. Here are the Con Game Rules I used for the funnel, along with a file of 72 Zero-level pre-gens.

(NOTE: I updated the PDF to correct a saving throw error. Please re-download it to replace the incorrect version.) By special request of +Roy Snyder  ! this is just a crappy screen shot —grab the PDF below Grab the PDF here . Also note: I originally cross-posted this to the DCCRPG G+ group moderated by  +Claytonian JP , but after consulting with him, I deleted the post when it was pointed out that it didn't meet the community's posting requirements. This is the second post of mine that has drawn the moderator's ire. I've had enough arguing with mods of G+ communities for the year, so out of respect to the mod & that particular G+ group, I'll refrain from posting there any more because my stuff isn't DCC-only. But feel free to use my stuff in DCC games!

Back in February 2014, I posted three clerical items for Erik Tenkar's OSR Superstar Competition . I'm slowly going through my "projects to complete" folder and thought this would be an easy one to knock off the list. You can grab the PDF here .

Here's another die drop table for you: this is just a lo-rez screenshot Grab the PDF here .

As promised, here is the compiled collection of my entries from the June 2015 d30 Challenge : click the image to download Grab the PDF here .

Who says potions have to come in liquid form? Here's a Potion Pill Die Drop Table featuring unique effects: this is a low-quality screen shot -- grab the PDF below Grab the PDF here .

Yep, I'm still at it: this is a crappy screenshot —grab the PDF below! Grab the PDF here.

So I made this thing. It's a story game. Or something. Check it out here on Google Docs (I've turned on commenting): http:// bit.ly/1D1b6Gf

Per request of  +Ray Otus : This is a crappy screenshot -- gran the PDF below Grab the PDF here!

Per the request of  +Kevin Searle : click to embiggen! Grab the PDF here. Quite frankly, though, the above JPG might print better, as the PDF looks kind of grainy on my machine. I still have to give it a test print, though, so the PDF might be fine.

Add this to the list of die drop tables I've churned out recently: this is a lousy screenshot -- grab the PDF below Grab the PDF here.

I had a request for this one: this is a crappy screenshot -- grab the PDF below Get the PDF here.

Here's another: get the PDF below – this is a low quality screenshot Grab the PDF here.

Oh yes I did! grab the PDF -- this is a low quality screenshot Grab the PDF here.

Oops, I did it again: see below for PDF Grab the PDF here.

I've updated my gonzo sandbox thingy, correcting lots of typos and spelling errors and changing the use license. I hadn't properly implemented the OGL in the document and therefore I hadn't actually made the material available as Open Game Content. Since I have issues with the OGL (documented elsewhere on this blog), I was actually kind of glad to correct that oversight, too. I decided to re-release this and make the text available under a CC-BY-NC 4.0 International License . So, here it is. Have at it! see below for PDF You can grab the Version 2 PDF here grab the map! original map source

I'm at it again: See below for PDF Here's the PDF .

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 30. An ogre (his name is Dwarm) is trying to milk three flail snails and failing miserably. He will explain that a powerful alchemist has tasked him with collecting sixteen barrels of flail snail mucus and the ogre can't figure out how to do it. The flail snails need to be highly agitated in order to produce mucus. HIGHLY agitated. The alchemist needs the mucus as a component for an anti-aging formula . If the PCs decide to help and accidentally kill one or more flail snails, the ogre will get upset and attack. If the PCs successfully help the ogre, he'll be so impressed he'll ask them to help collect 150 giant cockroach carapaces from a nearby insect nest, too. The ogre will pay the party 7d30 x 10sp for their help. If the ogre is killed, they'll find directions to the alchemist's shop in his pack (which contains nothing else of value). The alchemist will pay the PCs 400g

Ok, not a die drop table, but I'm still messing around with old comics: See below for PDF You can find the PDF here .

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 29. A troop of 3d20 flying monkeys wearing red bell boy outfits take a smoke break from their union meeting (Flying Lackeys Local 316) and pick nits. They all smoke unfiltered cigarettes: Lucky Strike, Pall Mall, Camel, etc. Two of the monkeys have Zippo® lighters and one of them has a box of 500 kitchen matches. Some of the monkeys are chain smokers. The union boss is a hefty, older, greying monkey named Larry Justlarry. All of the monkeys are employed in the tri-realm area and are meeting to hammer out the specifics of current contract negotiations with the Association of Quasi United Wizards, Witches, & Alchemists. Each monkey is armed with 2d6 throwing darts and a spear. There is a 50% chance that one of the monkeys isn't a flying monkey at all but a disguised chaotic dwarf assassin hired by the AQUWWA to eliminate Larry Justlarry and derail the negotiations. If the PCs can suss out the d

Here, have another die drop table, this one space-themed: PDF is linked below! The above picture is just a screencap. Here's the PDF .

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 28. David Bowie. Treat as Vampire Lord. Cannot be staked if singing "Let's Dance". d30 Alphabetic Modifiers WILD #2. Before or after the rolled encounter, a Halfling disguised as a very short Elf runs into the area waving a short sword and carrying a glass jar containing a human heart. The heart is still beating. The Halfling (whose name doesn't matter) is on the verge of tears. He will explain that this is the heart of his beloved and it is all that remains after the Halfling tried and failed to rescue his beloved from the deepdark elves who roam the Overandunderdark. Although the Halfling is penniless, if the PCs can help with a resurrection, the Halfling will indenture himself to them for a period of no more than three years. He has a valid and legally binding simple contract ready to sign. He is literally begging on his knees, desperate for help. As he begs, the heart beats slower a

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 27. A maroon Land Octopus triple-wielding swords duels an alpha male Octorilla . If the PCs join the Land Octopus, the Octorilla will become even more enraged and gain a +3 to all damage rolls. If the PCs join the Octorilla, the Land Octupus will pull out three more swords and start swinging. He can target three PCs at once, and gets two attacks at each. If the PCs take on both of the tentacled creatures, The Land Octopus will disappear in a huge puff of inky smoke (treat as Darkness 20ft Radius) and scramble away as quickly as possible. The Octorilla will then let out a death howl, calling in a pack of four more male Octorillas. If the PCs ignore the fight, the Land Octopus will handily beat the Octorilla and then thank the PCs for not getting involved. He will tell them the duel was a family matter best left unexplained, and then invite the PCs for some tea and crumpets. If the PCs accept,

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 26. 12d6 Blink Dogs play a furious game of Ultimate Frisbee. If the PCs join in for a friendly game, there is a 20% chance one of the blink dogs will take a liking to a PC and become their familiar. If the PCs attack, the blink dogs will summon 12d6 phase spiders to their defense. Other teleporting non-divine creatures within 1d6 miles will also hear the call and show up to battle the PCs. d30 Alphabetic Modifiers A. During the encounter, there is a 33% chance that missile weapons will never hit their intended target but instead hit the PC nearest the intended target.

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 25. The PCs stumble across a gigantic 30ft tall tapered ceramic vase decorated with mindbendingly obscene non-Euclidean bas-relief. If the PCs can climb to the top and look inside, they will see a shadowy maelstrom of dark swirling waters. Any light source (except natural sunlight) used to examine the inside of the vase will be immediately extinguished as the streaming light is sucked into the void. Even something imbued with a Continual Light spell will begin to dim and eventually fail and the spell extinguished while examining the slippery void. Anything dropped into the vase will disappear. Anyone climbing into the vase must make a Save vs. Death, or immediately cease to exist. PCs who make successful saves are whisked to the Jale God's palatial chambers, where they will find themselves standing behind a huge pile of things that have been dropped into the vase. If any PC touches the pile of stuff

I couldn’t resist, so I made another die drop table from an old comic. Here is a two-page spread. You need to print out both pages and lay them side-by-side: click to embiggen This is just a screenshot. Use the PDF, here .

Inspired by  +evandro novel 's post here ,  I made this for you: JPG version - click to embiggen PNG version - click to embiggen Edit: Here's a PDF , by request. This is based upon the 1953 Classics Illustrated Junior #504: The Pied Piper comic, from Gilbertson Publishing. The company no longer exists, so I've appropriated the art. I think I've transformed it enough to count as fair use. At any rate, I'm not claiming any credits for this other than regular copyright over the text. Do with it what you will.

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 24. Hundreds of thousands of small scorpions hitch a ride on the backs of 5 giant scorpions. The scorpions are currently eating 2 giant spiders that are still half alive. A pack of sentient giant Grasshopper Mice ride herd over the scorpions, protecting them from harm as the mice drive them to their lair. The Grasshopper Micemen (treat as orks + ability to leap 15ft with ease during melee) are willing to trade needed goods for scorpion poison. d30 Alphabetic Modifiers C. There is a 60% chance a foe/NPC encountered in this area immediately develops an incredible streak of vampiric bloodlust for a particular PC, although it may not be noticeable. They will do anything possible to kill that PC and drink and/or bathe in their blood, even if the foe/NPC must wait patiently to do so.

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 23. A team of 8 dead mules is harnessed to an overturned wagon, blocking the party's path. Root vegetables are strewn all over the ground, including some never before seen by the PCs. A dead female cleric of chaos is trapped under the wagon, her skull crushed by the axle. She is dressed for travel; on her left leg is an iron cuff with three chain links still attached. A 7 or 8 year old boy lays unconscious a few feet away. The boy has a broken arm and a broken leg; the non-broken leg wears an iron cuff with single link of chain dangling from it. He is emaciated, filthy, and in need of a haircut; his body is covered with bruises and scars. If the PCs heal the boy, when he awakens he will tell them his name is Samwich Everflame and he was stolen from his father 21 full moons ago by the now-dead cleric, whose name is Forvalla Drey. Forvalla treated him like a slave and forced him to do many despicabl

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 22. A Cobalt Klutz * , its blue skin glowing with waves of internally self-generated gamma radiation, munches on a handful of baby giant purple worms torn from their nest. PCs getting within ten feet of the Cobalt Klutz must Save vs. Death Ray or suffer 1d6 points mutating radiation damage and develop one of the mutations from the Weirdlands of Xhuul Random Mutation Table  OR The Metamorphica . The creature is in a friendly mood, as it has sated its hunger. It will not attack the party unless provoked, and prefers to flee rather than fight. The party will find that the Cobalt Klutz cannot lie. It has the innate ability to detect lies and delights in pointing out even the most minor of mis-truths. Finally, the Cobalt Klutz is lost. It is originally from the Overandunderdark (the deepest level of the Underdark where time and space collapse into the Mirror World that forms the edges of the Hollow World

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 21. A WWI-era Sopwith Camel hangs upside down from a decaying tree, its frame battered and slightly torn, its propeller broken, and its engine smoking. A strange blunderbuss-like contraption is located where the machine-gun box should be. The pilot sits beneath the tree, eating a ham sandwich and drinking lemon-water out of a red thermos. The pilot is a mutated dwarf gnoll with floppy black ears and beady eyes. A chittering, hyperactive parakeet sits on the ground next to him, begging for crumbs. The gnoll is generous with the crumbs. If approached, the gnoll will explain he was chasing Crimson Earl, a rogue wizard with a death warrant in three kingdoms. They engaged in an aerial duel and the gnoll was shot down when his SpellSlinger 2000™ jammed with three spells left and Earl was able to fire off six spells in quick succession, crippling the gnoll's craft. He was able to guide the plane to a cushioned ye

Okay, folks, this is the last of my Work-in-Progress entries. I should have the final version ready in a few weeks. As usual, it will be a free download. It will be released using either the GFDL or a non-commercial use CC license (but I'll give explicit permission for at-cost commercial printing). I use Pages, Word, & LibreOffice for editing and such, but my layout skills are by no means professional. I can't afford InDesign and Scribus is too much of a learning curve. If anyone has pointers, PM me on the G+. 7. The Caverns Below Outside the house, 2 doors in the ground open on a short staircase that leads to a 10ft x 10ft root cellar filled with potatoes, beets, and other root vegetables. One wall of the cellar is collapsed; two shovels and a pick lay nearby. 2ft in front of the fallen wall is a 3ft-wide hole in the floor. A length of stout rope dangles from a wooden ceiling support down into the hole. A cool breeze issues from the hole, bringing with it an acrid odor

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 20. Six black goats stand in a circle licking a block of salt. If any of the goats are touched by a PC, Blorcus, the youngest and weakest half-step-brother of Orcus the Demon Prince, will immediately manifest, standing on the salt lick. He will demand the PCs pay him homage by slaughtering the goats and pouring their blood on the salt block in libation. The goats will ignore Blorcus and continue to greedily lick the salt block. Try as they might, the PCs can't kill the goats. They are under the protection of Curdle, the Petty Goddess of Blind Milkmaids (see link or Expanded Petty Gods ). Any weapon-based attack will merely bounce off the goats' hides and spells will have no effect. If the PCs spend too much time trying to kill the goats, Curdle herself will manifest. Blorcus is afraid of her and will immediately dissipate. The salt block is worth 10sp. d30 Alphabetic Modifiers G. The

So, the whole White Star OGL kerfluffle. Let's look at something. This is in no way an indictment of  +Mark Hunt ; in fact, he has already deleted this one page adventure I'm using here as an example and two others like it from the White Star Google+ Community. I don't know if he removed them or if the community mods did. But they were up anywhere from a few days to a few hours before they disappeared. Anyway, here is a one-page adventure he posted. It is gorgeous: click to embiggen Let's see what's going on here: Slick, cool looking, appropriated artwork that might be transformed somehow from the original, uncredited. Use of White Star Compatibility Logo. No declaration of any kind of use license: no CC, no OGL, nada nothing zilch. No specific mention of White Star IP (at least as far as I can tell). Now, here is my one-pager that caused the kerfluffle. This is v3, which corrected a few typos: click to embiggen Let's see: Slick, cool lo

d30 Gonzo Encounters Suitable for Dungeon Sandbox Crawling Exploration 19. A large purple tureen inset with intricate golden filigree rests on the ground. Nearby are a stack of wooden bowls and spoons—enough for the entire party. The tureen contains a delectable chick pea soup with a chicken broth base. Eating the soup restores all lost HP and instantaneously restores all spells used so far that day. As soon as any PC goes back for seconds, the tureen is empty. It will never refill. The tureen itself is worth roughly 50gp to collectors. d30 Alphabetic Modifiers H. A large war dog wanders in during the encounter and pops a squat. If the PCs check the steaming pile, they'll find a goblin finger bone with a Ring of Exaggeration . The ring is cursed and can only be removed with a Wish or a boon from a minor or petty god (the major gods have no time for such tuck). The ring forces the wearer to exaggerate every third truth they speak to the point of unbelievability. Ther

This is a public post of some private G+ messages. I like to keep my G+ messages off of public mode, so here is what I posted last night, slightly edited for clarity. Note: for the record, I'm not anti-OGL as some people claim. It's a good framework for people who want to charge money for their work.  For everyone else, it's not. After the kerfluffle I inadvertently started in the White Star: White Box Science Fiction Roleplaying circle regarding the publisher of White Star wanting the entire OGL included in a one page adventure/dungeon contest a community member was running for shits & giggles, I've been wondering if there is a better way to release work online. (You can go look it up -- my stance is that it goes against the spirit of the OPD and introduced too much legal bullshit into a fun fan project, but others--mainly the mods and publishers--vehemently disagree). I'm not really in favor of the OGL and I have issues with Creative Commons, too -- b