Zuppie’s tavern name etc. table (Honorary)

Zuppie’s tavern name etc. table was created by Markus Marjomaa and Antti Oikarinen. The publisher is Knights in the North.

This is a tavern name generator, which uses two rolls from a d160 to name your newest watering hole. Don't own a d160? Well, neither do I, but you can use 1d16 and 1d10 to simulate a d160, or you can roll one here. 

(The largest die I own is a d120, although I own 10-sided dice designed to roll a d10,000. Doing this blog post made me search for a d160, and I could not find a die like this I could purchase or even look at. The article reads as though the authors might have access to such a die, though, and if anyone can send me a link to where I could purchase a d160, I would appreciate it!)

This listing is honorary because it pertains to fantasy role-playing games in general, and is not specific to Dungeon Crawl Classics, but it comes from the Knights in the North, who have created many fine articles for DCC.

It is free.

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Tales From the Smoking Wyrm 2020 Cyclops Con Special

Tales From the Smoking Wyrm 2020 Cyclops Con Special was written by Trevor Stamper, John Olszewski, and Brian Gilkison. Art is by Joel Phillips, Carmin Vance, Alex Mayo, Bradley McDevitt, Caitlin Stamper, and Trevor Stamper. The publisher is Blind Visionary Publications.

In-person conventions were cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Goodman Games responded by creating a series of online conventions, starting with Cyclops Con. This generated a wave of goodwill in the community, and resulted in a number of swag items being created, including the 2020 Cyclops Con Special of Tales From the Smoking Wyrm.

This special reprints The Silver Ball and Telepathic Rats Expanded from Issue #1, as well as What is the Smoking Wyrm? The material is excellent, and if this gets you to pick up the actual issue, all the more power to you and Blind Visionary Publications both. At the time of this writing, the pdf is available for free, but I have no idea how long that will last.

Tales from the Smoking Wyrm is a fanzine inspired not just by the roleplaying game Dungeon Crawl Classics (DCC), but also by the wondrous fanzines of the past 40 years! While we focus on DCC, the material produced can be easily translated into any Old School Renaissance (OSR) system.

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Tales of the Shudder Mountains

DCC 83.1: Tales of the Shudder Mountains was written by Michael Curtis. Art is by Doug Kovacs (cover), S.S. Crompton (cartography), Stefan Poag, and Michael Wilson. The publisher is Goodman Games.

This product is three short adventures (or "Tales") which take place in the Shudder Mountains (first introduced in The Chained Coffin).

This product continues the practice of re-using cover art to indicate that something is part of the same setting, similar to Harley Stroh's Peril on the Purple Planet and Journey to the Center of Aereth. It is a good system to indicate that a new produce belongs with a particular setting, along with the module numbering and the digest-sized format.

The "Tale" format in this product has each adventure starting with a short bit of folklore that the PCs might be told around the fire when visiting the Shudfolk. This is fantastic, as it feeds directly into the setting itself. and is reminiscent of the source material. A clever judge could seed these "Tales" (and similar) early in a Shudder Mountains campaign, so that when the PCs encountered the reality behind the tale there would be a wonderful sense of frisson.

Tale 1: The Grave Pool (level 4): Sooner or later a PC is going to die, and what if your party is brave foolhardy enough to try to bring them back? Adventures like Blades Against Death and The Revelation of Mulmo aren't appropriate for the Shudder Mountains, but this one is. There is a nice reference to Manly Wade Wellman's The Little Black Train.

Tale 2: Moonricket Bridge (level 1): This one is a ghost story. And, while there is something to fight, like the best ghost stories understanding and compassion lead to the best possible outcome. Too often, ghost stories are not really about understanding the past. This one is. It plays to the strengths of the setting, and it plays to the strengths of Dungeon Crawl Classics. It is thoroughly Appendix N of the Who Fears the Devil? type.

Tale 3: The WitchMan of Darkweather Mountain (level 5): Here is another example of an adventure where the PCs may Quest For It and get something other than what they bargained for. Or they may get exactly what they are after, if they can both overcome the opposition and are reasonably lucky. Neither this tale nor The Grave Pool simply messes with player hopes...but PCs do take risks to gain the benefits they hope for!

If you needed any more proof of Michael Curtis' firm mastery of folkloric Appalachian-style Dungeon Crawl Classics, this product delivers. Much of the Shudder Mountains material (if not all!) would rock mightily in a Weird Frontiers game as well, and a judge could easily use the Shudder Mountains as a conduit between worlds, like the "thinnies" in Stephen King's The Dark Tower series. Honestly, as tied as these adventures are into the feel of the Shudder Mountains, nothing would prevent a judge from making slight modifications and placing them in another campaign milieu.

This digest-sized adventure module presents three short encounters in the Shudder Mountains. All are compatible with the setting presented in DCC #83: The Chained Coffin, and this module is the perfect size to be stored in your boxed set! The adventures are inspired by the works of Manly Wade Wellman and continue the “backwoods fantasy” theme established in DCC #83: The Chained Coffin.

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Tales From the Magician's Skull #5

Tales From the Magician's Skull #5 was written by Howard Andrew Jones, Adrian Cole, James Enge, John C. Hocking, Violette Malan, Adrian Simmons, C.L. Werner, and Terry Olson (DCC statistics). Art is by Sanjulian (cover), Chris Arneson, Randy Broecker, Samuel Dillon, Jennell Jaquays, Doug Kovacs, Peter Mullen, and Russ Nicholson. The publisher is Goodman Games.

Disclosure: I backed the successful kickstarter for a four-issue subscription beginning with issue #2, and ending with this issue.

As with all entries in the Tales From the Magician's Skull series, I will again be focusing on the gaming material provided. This should not be taken as a criticism of the issue's excellent fictional content; it is simply a consequence of the blog's focus on treasures for the Dungeon Crawl Classics game system! 

It should be noted that statting out materials from fiction is as much an art as it is a science. Sometimes the game material is inspired by the source material more than it is a faithful reproduction thereof. The same is the case here.

In a blog post about creating monsters for Dungeon Crawl Classics, i wrote "when you are reading some fantasy or science fiction novel (in Appendix N or otherwise), keep a notebook by your side. Jot down quick stats for the creatures you encounter. Some of these you might want to revise later for your own adventures. If you encounter an interesting idea, write it down! The very act of doing so will make it more likely to come to mind when you are stuck for ideas." Really, Terry Olson's The Monster Pit columns are really a Master Class in doing the same thing.

Pool of Memory: Two monsters are statted out: the memory crystal and the related mouth-plants. These are good examples of monsters that attack more than just hit points. 

Guardian of Nalsir-fel: The ventriloserpent is a big snake with the ability to throw other people's voices.

In the Corridors of the Crow: We are supplied statistics for the carapaced mauler. 

Dreams of a Sunken Realm: We are treated to water demons (another un-dead swarm, see issue #4).

Demons of the Depths: Terry Olson stats out Samebito (a summoned shark-demon).

This issue only had two pages for The Monster Pit, which did provide some useful monsters. Although this is the least interesting issue so far from a game content perspective, that does not make it uninteresting. Given the constraints of the inspirational material (some stories provide more new things to give statistics to than others) and presumably the space constraints (I assume Goodman Games provides a word count/space consideration based on the length of the tales in a given issue), I am happy with what is here. If I had to choose just a single issue for game content, though, this would not be my first choice.

Experience the sword and sorcery adventure that is Tales From The Magician’s Skull #5!

Behold! I have fashioned a magazine like those from fabled days of yore. It overflows with thrilling adventures. There are swords, and there is sorcery. There are dark deeds and daring rescues. There are lands where heroes fear to tread. Dare you imagine it? Picture this as well — maps to wondrous and terrible places. Electrifying art for every tale. Guides to bring the terrors within to your own game table. All I lack are a few paltry shekels. Grant them to me, and I shall fling open a new portal to a world of ancient wonders! Join me, mortal dogs! Together we shall storm the gates of Valhalla!

Tales From The Magician’s Skull is a magazine of all-new swords & sorcery fiction. Issue #5 features cover art by Sanjulian, and stories by Adrian Cole, James Enge, John C. Hocking, Violette Malan, Adrian Simmons, and C.L. Werner. The magazine is edited by Howard Andrew Jones and published by Joseph Goodman of Goodman Games. Each story is lovingly illustrated by industry stalwarts, and issue #5 features art by Chris Arneson, Randy Broecker, Samuel Dillon, Jennell Jaquays, Doug Kovacs, Peter Mullen, and Russ Nicholson.

Finally, issue #5 includes a short appendix presenting DCC RPG stats for all the new material contained inside!

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Tales From the Magician's Skull #4

Tales From the Magician's Skull #4 was written by John C. Hocking, Adrian Cole, James Enge, James Stoddard, C. L. Werner, Ryan Harvey, Tom Doyle, Milton Davis, and Terry Olson (DCC statistics). Art is by Chris Arneson, Randy Broecker, Samuel Dillon, Jennell Jaquays, Doug Kovacs (including cover), Brad McDevitt, Russ Nicholson, and Stefan Poag. The publisher is Goodman Games.

Disclosure: I backed the successful kickstarter for a four-issue subscription beginning with issue #2.

As with all entries in the Tales From the Magician's Skull series, I will again be focusing on the gaming material provided. This should not be taken as a criticism of the issue's excellent fictional content; it is simply a consequence of the blog's focus on treasures for the Dungeon Crawl Classics game system! 

It should be noted that statting out materials from fiction is as much an art as it is a science. Sometimes the game material is inspired by the source material more than it is a faithful reproduction thereof. The same is the case here.

Guardian of the Broken Gem: Yet another nobleman’s comfort (see issue #1) and the scimitar nemesis (a telekinetic un-dead creature).

On Death Seed Island: We get stats for the Xumatoq wraith swarm, which is interesting as it is both a swarm and un-dead. This isn't the first time we've seen an un-dead swarm in Dungeon Crawl Classics, but it is a good example of how the two monster concepts work together to make a potentially terrifying encounter!

Masks of Silence: We get statistics for the fetch (a projection of oneself rarely visible outside of dreams, but useful to some sorcerers).

The Witch’s Hound: Terry Olson describes the ritual of vengeance, which creates a vengeance ghost. A spell check is required, spellburn is not allowed, and the ritual has no spell results table. It either works, or it does not. Needless to say, statistics for vengeance ghosts are also supplied! The more targets the ghost kills, the more powerful it becomes!

Thieves of the Fallen World: The demonic dream idol is crafter by demons to lure potential human hosts.

Apedamak’s Army: Statistics are provided for jackal “demons” (which might be bestial humanoids are humanoid-like beasts), ad well as the amulet of Apedamak, which warns the wearer of nearby enemies and extends the wearer's critical range and effects...for a price.

Tales From the Magician’s Skull is a fantasy magazine dedicated to presenting all-new sword-and-sorcery fiction by the finest modern crafters in the genre. These stories are the real thing, crammed with sword-swinging action, dark sorceries, dread, and ferocious monsters — and they hurtle forward at a headlong pace.

Issue #4 features fiction by John C. Hocking, Adrian Cole, James Enge, James Stoddard, C. L. Werner, Ryan Harvey, Tom Doyle, and Milton Davis. The magazine is edited by Howard Andrew Jones and published by Joseph Goodman of Goodman Games, with layout by Lester B. Portly.

Each story is lovingly illustrated by industry stalwarts, and issue #4 continues the amazing high standards of art from the first issue.

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Tales From the Magician's Skull #3

Tales From the Magician's Skull #3 was written by William King, Joseph McCullough, John C. Hocking, James Enge, Violette Malan, Howard Andrew Jones, Sarah Newton, and Terry Olson (DCC stats). Art is by Samuel Dillon, Justine Jones, Doug Kovacs, Brad McDevitt, Russ Nicholson, Stefan Poag, Matthew Ray, Chuck Whelon, and Sanjulian (cover). The publisher is Goodman Games.

Disclosure: I backed the successful kickstarter for a four-issue subscription beginning with issue #2.

Although there is no Vizier's Views article for this issue, I will again be focusing on the gaming material provided. This should not be taken as a criticism of the issue's excellent fictional content; it is simply a consequence of the blog's focus on treasures for the Dungeon Crawl Classics game system! 

At with the first and second issues, it should be noted that statting out materials from fiction is as much an art as it is a science. Sometimes the game material is inspired by the source material more than it is a faithful reproduction thereof. The same is the case here.

The Face That Fits His Mask: Herein you gain statistics for the sunstone which is a magical light in the darkness. As a brief aside on the fictional end of things, this is the third "light bringer" object we've gotten in three issues. Personally, I would love to see more modern sword & sorcery writers let their characters grope in the Stygian gloom of a Cimmerian darkness! More interesting are the ratkin, which are not your standard wererats and which require four sets of stats based upon their age.

By That Much: We are presented with The Gravedigger’s Ritual, a level 1 ritual spell "designed to summon a victim, kill them, and lay them to rest in a recently shoveled grave."

Tyrant ’s Bane: We are treated to the level 1 spell, blindsight, which "affects sighted individuals by narrowing their field of view to see only the caster or her conduit". We also gain a new type of nobleman’s comfort (see Issue #1), statistics for the rather nasty silver risen un-dead, and the tyrantsbane dagger, which allows its wielder to store memories (or misery) of death and use this to kill others.

Five Deaths: Terry Olson provides statistics for the harthrang, a type II demon. He also provides the level 2 spell, aether bolt, which "continues to feed on a target for a duration of time until it dissipates."

The Forger’s Art: The hidden sanctum is a magical item which creates an interdimensional sanctum. There one can heal quickly in comfort and safety, with some small risk and limitations on how often it can be used.

The Second Death of Hanuvar: We are provided with the 1st level ritual spell, Entice She of the Dark, which calls upon the dark mistress, who may be a goddess of love, god of protection, patron of supernatural darkness, protective mother, seductress, or manifestation of the death-rebirth cycle.

Wizard of Remembrance: Statistics are provided for the memnovore. I would tell you more about this, but I forget. We also get the wand of ebon vitriol, which "fires a lambent black missile that automatically hits a visible target within 100’ and does corrosive damage to its target as well as splashing those nearby." A spell check is required, and on a "1" the wielder finds themselves the target!\

Tales From the Magician’s Skull is a fantasy magazine dedicated to presenting all-new sword-and-sorcery fiction by the finest modern crafters in the genre. These stories are the real thing, crammed with sword-swinging action, dark sorceries, dread, and ferocious monsters — and they hurtle forward at a headlong pace.

Issue #3 features fiction by William King, Joseph McCullough, John C. Hocking, James Enge, Violette Malan, Howard Andrew Jones, Sarah Newton, Terry Olson. The magazine is edited by Howard Andrew Jones and published by Joseph Goodman of Goodman Games, with layout by Lester B. Portly.

Each story is lovingly illustrated by industry stalwarts, and issue #3 continues the amazing high standards of art from the first issue.

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Tales From the Magician's Skull #2

Tales From the Magician's Skull #2 was written by John Hocking, James Stoddard, James Enge, Nathan Long, Sets Uzume, Violette Malan, Dave Gross, and Terry Olson (DCC game statistics). Art is by Samuel Dillon, Jennell Jaquays, Doug Kovacs, Cliff Kurowski, William McAusland, Brad McDevitt, Russ Nicholson, Stefan Poag, Chuck Whelon, and Diesel LaForce (cover). The publisher is Goodman Games.

The Martian Vizier talked about this issue here. If you are interested in Tales From the Magician's Skull primarily as a conduit for fiction, the Vizier's Views will supply that information. As happy as I am that an outlet for new sword & sorcery fiction in exists, in this blog post I am focusing on the issue's gaming material.

Disclosure: I backed the successful kickstarter for a four-issue subscription beginning with this issue. I am also the writer of the afore-linked Vizier's Views article.

At with the first issue, it should be noted that statting out materials from fiction is as much an art as it is a science. Sometimes the game material is inspired by the source material more than it is a faithful reproduction thereof. The same is the case here.

Trial by Scarab: Stats are provided for the great mud scarab, knock-out powder, and the magical message vial.

Day of the Shark: Stats are provided for the tegula (a nasty marine lifeform like a cross between a manta ray and an octopus, with a paralyzing sting). The Dread Ones, which can be bonded with via patron bond, live in the Abyssal depths of the ocean. Invoke patron results are provided, but the enterprising judge is left to develop the rest.

Stolen Witness: Described is the Witness Stone. Imbued with the powers of Law, it compels you to tell the truth. If you are a wizard, it might do more....

Blood of the Forest-Born: To the courses in Appendix C of the core rulebook, you can now add the Curse of Frenzy. You also get potion information for Atseska’s Kiss to envenom your blade.

Break Them on the Drowning Stones: Terry Olson provides the 3rd level ritual spell, create arcane  twins. "This ritual spell requires three arcane casters: the moderator and the two to be twinned. Because it permanently alters two willing subjects, the casting time is a grueling 24 hours during which there can be no interruptions for any of the participants."

A Soul’s Second Skin: Here, Terry Olson provides the 2nd level spell, soul transference. It does pretty much what you would expect, with the added bonus that a soul can be transferred to (and animate) a recently dead body.

Shuhalla’s Sword: Heaven’s Tears are spore-releasing pink meteors that can create spore singers. Statistics for spore singers and sport corpses are also provided. Infection is likely. If you live near the impact of one of these meteors, your village is a DCC funnel adventure waiting to happen, and the wait will not be long. Terry Olson also supplies DCC stats for the flying sword, which has "the intelligence and personality of the soul willfully given to it."

Tales From the Magician’s Skull is a fantasy magazine dedicated to presenting all-new sword-and-sorcery fiction by the finest modern crafters in the genre. These stories are the real thing, crammed with sword-swinging action, dark sorceries, dread, and ferocious monsters — and they hurtle forward at a headlong pace.

Issue #2 features fiction by John Hocking, James Stoddard, James Enge, Nathan Long, Sets Uzume, Violette Malan, and Dave Gross. The magazine is edited by Howard Andrew Jones and published by Joseph Goodman of Goodman Games, with layout by Lester B. Portly.

Each story is lovingly illustrated by industry stalwarts, and issue #2 continues the amazing high standards of art from the first issue.

Get It Here!