Kiss the Frog!

Dark Sasha wrote:

You can do it Chuck! We all love hotlinks :D

Wait I thought it was hotcakes... not links... what am i going to do with all these hotcakes now?

Nutmeg and some maple syrup.

Placed my order today for the patherfinder version. Cant wait for it.

I just placed my order for ToH.

June 23, 2011

Talked with the printer yesterday, and Splinters 7-8 will be here next week. I expect several bnooks to arrive in the next 10 days, and apologize for shipping delays, but its coming soon.

In other news, most of you will notice that I have put up hundreds of books from my persoanl stash of Necromancer Games books. All of these are in limited supply, and will NEVER be reprinted in their original form. Not everything is available (Rappan Athuk 3, Tome 1 and Abysthor), but most are available below MSRP. The rares (like Reloaded, Judges Guild, and a few others) are set at market price (well above MSRP). This is probably the last stash of old NG books in the world (I bought out the remainder of the warehouses), so buy up, when they are gone they are gone!

Also, Fane of the Fallen PFRPG is sold out, and books are now available at the Paizo store (a few titles!).

Chuck reports that ST9 The Hidden Citadel Part 1: At the Feet of Orcus is off to the printer.

Chuck reports that ST9 The Hidden Citadel Part 1: At the Feet of Orcus is off to the printer.

So the PDF should be up soon? :)

Dark Sasha wrote:

Chuck reports that ST9 The Hidden Citadel Part 1: At the Feet of Orcus is off to the printer.

So the PDF should be up soon? :)

When the book is back from the printer it will be up, and no, I don't know when that will be.

Leonal wrote:

Dark Sasha wrote:

Chuck reports that ST9 The Hidden Citadel Part 1: At the Feet of Orcus is off to the printer.

So the PDF should be up soon? :)

When the book is back from the printer it will be up, and no, I don't know when that will be.

Cool, thanks!

Leonal wrote:

Dark Sasha wrote:

Chuck reports that ST9 The Hidden Citadel Part 1: At the Feet of Orcus is off to the printer.

So the PDF should be up soon? :)

When the book is back from the printer it will be up, and no, I don't know when that will be.

She's lying. She really does know and just won't tell.

I won't spam the aplusdownload site with F5 hits then. ;) My players aren't likely to enter Tsar (which I now relocated to the road between Brevoy and Iobaria in a mountain pass) until after they finish Kingmaker around lvl 17 or so, and they're now halfway to 13.

I do want to read it long before that time though. :)

I won't spam the aplusdownload site with F5 hits then. ;) My players aren't likely to enter Tsar (which I now relocated to the road between Brevoy and Iobaria in a mountain pass) until after they finish Kingmaker around lvl 17 or so, and they're now halfway to 13.

I do want to read it long before that time though. :)

Yes, you'll need ample time to admire the fantastic art on this thing and giggle maniaically as you read all the things your players' characters will get to experience, assuming you giggle, of course. :)

Likely July 6--with the printer snafu on Splinters 7-8, I will have Tsar 9, Splinters 7-10!!!, Hex Crawls 3, and two new One Night Stand modules next week!

Leonal wrote:

I won't spam the aplusdownload site with F5 hits then. ;) My players aren't likely to enter Tsar (which I now relocated to the road between Brevoy and Iobaria in a mountain pass) until after they finish Kingmaker around lvl 17 or so, and they're now halfway to 13.

I do want to read it long before that time though. :)

Yes, you'll need ample time to admire the fantastic art on this thing and giggle maniaically as you read all the things your players' characters will get to experience, assuming you giggle, of course. :)

Yes, definitely!

Likely July 6--with the printer snafu on Splinters 7-8, I will have Tsar 9, Splinters 7-10!!!, Hex Crawls 3, and two new One Night Stand modules next week!

Thanks for the update!

Btw, you should contact Vic or someone at Paizo so you can have a Frog God Games tag next to your name for easier identification. :) (I think Dark_Mistress has mentioned it earlier)

Likely July 6--with the printer snafu on Splinters 7-8, I will have Tsar 9, Splinters 7-10!!!, Hex Crawls 3, and two new One Night Stand modules next week!

Whoops! Guess I'd best get on that Splinters 10 now.

Thank you for the update!

News from The Frog God

July 13, 2011

Tsar 9 has been loaded on the server and should be available very soon. I'll send an email tonite when it is. The Frog family is off to a wedding this weekend, so I will mail everything ordered by midnight tonite before we leave, and anything from then until Tuesday will be mailed next week. Thanks to all of you, this website is being revamped by a real web designer--not me or Mrs. Frog--so we will have a new and improved look that is easier to use soon! News on Gencon and new releases next week.

News from The Frog God

July 13, 2011

Tsar 9 has been loaded on the server and should be available very soon. I'll send an email tonite when it is. The Frog family is off to a wedding this weekend, so I will mail everything ordered by midnight tonite before we leave, and anything from then until Tuesday will be mailed next week. Thanks to all of you, this website is being revamped by a real web designer--not me or Mrs. Frog--so we will have a new and improved look that is easier to use soon! News on Gencon and new releases next week.

Thank you for the update!!

At long last, after an extensive Tome of Horrors Complete delay, Slumbering Tsar 9 is up and for sale at talesofthefroggod.com.

You may now proceed to maim, mutilate, and generally abuse your players in the Citadel of Orcus. Thank you for your patience. :-)

Great news!

Now about print version...

Regards,
Ruemere

Tsar 9 print version is up too...beating Greg to get 10 done!

I'd help with that, but he keeps looking at me with those big, puppy-dog eyes.

At long last, after an extensive Tome of Horrors Complete delay, Slumbering Tsar 9 is up and for sale at talesofthefroggod.com.

You may now proceed to maim, mutilate, and generally abuse your players in the Citadel of Orcus. Thank you for your patience. :-)

Woot!

I reread Pathways 1, and have the following question: Is there anywhere I can find more information on Black Monastery?

I reread Pathways 1, and have the following question: Is there anywhere I can find more information on Black Monastery?

There's a bit: Necro Forum

And here also: mythmere`s blog

I reread Pathways 1, and have the following question: Is there anywhere I can find more information on Black Monastery?

That is still in development and hasn't reached my hands as yet. I do know that art was ordered and produced for it. Pathways 4 has an interview on the artist for the project, Rowena Aitken. It contains her drawing of the facade of the monastery.

as requested...

July 29, 2010

Several new bytes--Delays in print books (printer had mechanical issues) on Tsar 9. Tsar 10 is in editing, Tome pdfs are done, and will start being sold on Tuesday or so. I am all caught up on shipments (except Tsar 9 individual books, sorry), and 6 new books are at the printer. Tome should be back to me in late August, and I will start shipping it out as soon as I get it (be patient, I have a LOT of boxes to pack). In other news...I am pleased to announce for a late fall release:

THE BLACK MONASTERY

Way back in 1977, a bunch of the older kids I knew taught me how to play Dungeons and Dragons. Quickly this evolved into myself and one other guy, Scott Stabbert, being the primary DMs. Thus was born Rappan Athuk (my main campaign hub, maps originally drawn by Scott), the dungeon adventures from Demons and Devils, and many of the other adventures I have published or planned to publish over the last 12 years.

Scott’s game contained many gems. In fact, I have a 48 inch by 48 inch framed watercolor map of his world on my wall as I write this. That being said, none of his work (and all those excellent adventures I played in in high school) has ever been published. Except one.

In 1981, with some help from a few of our friends and the kindhearted folks at the local newspaper, Scott and I laid out typeset text on wax paper (in the old days, you did layout this way) on lighted boards. Then Scott spent his meager savings to print maybe 20 copies of a 100 or so page book called “The Black Monestery(sic)”. Scott never could spell worth a darn. He sold a couple copies to the local Weird Pete (called Triple Alliance), and proceeded to join the Navy and disappear for a few years. We have loosely kept in touch over the last 25 years, but have not seen each other since about 1989 or so.

A few months ago, someone on the Acaeum website was talking about this “cool old school DIY published book” his brother in law’s brother (reminded me of the Conan 2 Movie “brother’s sister’s cousin” line) had given him. Imagine my surprise when I found out that Mark Shipley’s sister had married Scott’s brother and that Mark and I lived in the same town (along with Kevin bacon I am beginning to think). I think Mark and I maybe have the only two surviving copies of the original. So we met for beers, called Scott and obtained permission to republish the work.

Mark frantically started rewriting (the spelling alone musty have taken a week!), and I started making plans on how to give this baby the love it deserved. You must understand, I played (a lot) in this dungeon (haunted house really). It has special meaning to me as one of my earliest D&D experiences. Lord Bakar Yan my 18/53 (on 3d6 mind you, the only 18 I ever had on a character!) strength 5th level fighter was the sole survivor of the encounter in the crypt, I recall running in terror from the titan in the courtyard, and the mysterious Cimota I never quite figured out until I read the book.

So here you have it. The first book I ever helped publish back in 1981. The flavor of this thing is similar to Tegel Manor, on steroids. Originally written by the guy who taught me how to run a game, and rewritten by Mark Shipley to meet today’s standards. This book will include a large fold out map of the Monastery, and will be in limited edition Smythe-bound hardcover, as well as pdf and (later) softcover versions. Only the hardcover will include the fold out map.

I spent way too much on new art (Rowena did an amazing job), and Chuck has done a fantastic job making it a truly superior product. Robert’s maps are big, detailed and highly functional, and Skeeter and Matt did a great job making sure I got the rules right. Dawn will be editing the final, as will I, to ensure its as near perfect as we can get it. Just about the whole company contributed to the success of the “boss’s pet project”.

The Classic Style

The Black Monastery is presented in the spirit of fun typical of the classic, “old school” gaming style. It is an adventure in the classic style because it follows the design assumptions that were common in many publications and local campaigns during the early days of Dungeons and Dragons. In the classic era, the dungeon master was the final authority and was assumed to have complete control. Every event did not have to have a complete rationalization, formula or rules explanation. Mysterious phenomena, riddles and surprises were the norm. This module assumes that the dungeon master will take control and mold it to his campaign.

In a classic game, monsters might be stronger or weaker without having to figure out why. For unknown reasons, Flinds were the only creatures capable of wielding nunchaku. Qullan would die before revealing the special techniques for sharpening their broadswords. Piercers would wait most of their lives just to drop on adventurers and spend the next month crawling back up the wall after a miss. Skeletons always did 1d6 damage no matter what weapons they wielded. Rust monsters made sense. Orcs and gnolls would live next door to each other in dungeons that were essentially monster hotels and no one worried about why. In one of the classic modules by Judges Guild a single giant rat in a group of two dozen had 26 hit points because a typist made a mistake and that was okay – one of the rats was just really big.

Classic play usually assumed that monsters and player characters would follow standard archetypes. Magic-users always had white beards and pointy hats. Barbarians always wore rags and enormous fur boots. Paladins were noble and saintly. Fighters wore plate mail. Thieves climbed walls…a lot. Clerics were vaguely like Catholic priests gone bad, and they always chanted in Latin. All dwarves acted just like Gimli. All elves acted just like Legolas. Monsters were generally cheerful about their roles, including Norse berserkers who rated their own listing in the AD&D Monster Manual because they wandered around underground quite a bit, looking for player characters to fight.

In The Black Monastery, evil priests have left behind a large number of magical items and effects. They left poems and messages for intruders. They posted guardians that parade around chanting. They spawned ghostly effects that cannot be explained. Pictures are still hanging on walls. Dishes are rattling in the kitchen. Kobolds have decided a dungeon is a good place to roast a pig. Magic globes float in the air, waiting to explode. Statues perform strange, magical acts for no particular reason. Why? Who knows? All of that is okay. Explanations of these magical and monstrous events are provided from time to time, but they don’t really matter. The point is to have fun running about looting the place and trying to survive.

The Legend of the Black Monastery

Two centuries have passed since the terrible events associated with the hideous cult known as the Black Brotherhood. Only scholars and story-tellers remember now how the kingdom was nearly laid to waste and the Black Monastery rose to grandeur and fell into haunted ruins.

The Brothers first appeared as an order of benevolent priests and humble monks in black robes who followed a creed of kindness to the poor and service to the kingdom. Their rules called for humility and self denial. Other religious orders had no quarrel with their theology or their behavior. Their ranks grew as many commoners and nobles were drawn to the order by its good reputation.

The first headquarters for the order was a campsite, located in a forest near the edge of the realm. The Brothers said that their poverty and dedication to service allowed them no resources for more grand accommodations. Members of the Black Brotherhood built chapels in caves or constructed small temples on common land near villages. They said that these rustic shrines allowed them to be near the people they served. Services held by the Brothers at these locations attracted large numbers of common people, who supported the Black Brotherhood with alms.

Within 50 years of their first appearance, the Black Brotherhood had a number of larger temples and abbeys around the kingdom. Wealthy patrons endowed them with lands and buildings in order to buy favor and further the work of the Brothers. The lands they gained were slowly expanded as the order’s influence grew. Many merchants willed part of their fortunes to the Black Brotherhood, allowing the order to expand their work even further. The Brothers became bankers, loaning money and becoming partners in trade throughout the kingdom. Within 200 years of their founding, the order was wealthy and influential, with chapters throughout the kingdom and spreading into nearby realms.

With their order well-established, the Black Brotherhood received royal permission to build a grand monastery in the hill country north of the kingdom’s center. Their abbot, a cousin of the king, asked for the royal grant of a specific hilltop called the Hill of Mornay. This hill was already crowned by ancient ruins that the monks proposed to clear away. Because it was land not wanted for agriculture, the king was happy to grant the request. He even donated money to build the monastery and encouraged others to contribute. With funds from around the realm, the Brothers completed their new monastery within a decade. It was a grand, sprawling edifice built of black stone and called the Black Monastery.

From the very beginning, there were some who said that the Black Brotherhood was not what it seemed. There were always hints of corruption and moral lapses among the Brothers, but no more than any other religious order. There were some who told stories of greed, gluttony and depravity among the monks, but these tales did not weaken the order’s reputation during their early years. All of that changed with the construction of the Black Monastery.

Within two decades of the Black Monastery’s completion, locals began to speak of troubling events there. Sometimes, Brothers made strange demands. They began to cheat farmers of their crops. They loaned money at ruinous rates, taking the property of anyone who could not pay. They pressured or even threatened wealthy patrons, extorting money in larger and larger amounts. Everywhere, the Black Brotherhood grew stronger, prouder and more aggressive. And there was more…

People began to disappear. The farmers who worked the monastery lands reported that some people who went out at night, or who went off by themselves, did not return. It started with individuals…people without influential families…but soon the terror and loss spread to even to noble households. Some said that the people who disappeared had been taken into the Black Monastery, and the place slowly gained an evil reputation. Tenant farmers began moving away from the region, seeking safety at the loss of their fields.

Slowly, even the king began to sense that the night was full of new terrors. Across the kingdom, reports began to come in telling of hauntings and the depredations of monsters. Flocks of dead birds fell from clear skies, onto villages and city streets. Fish died by thousands in their streams. Citizens reported stillborn babies and monstrous births. Crops failed. Fields were full of stunted plants. Crimes of all types grew common as incidents of madness spread everywhere. Word spread that the center of these dark portents was the Black Monastery, where many said the brothers practiced necromancy and human sacrifice. It was feared that the Black Brotherhood no longer worshipped gods of light and had turned to the service of the Dark God.

These terrors came to a head when the Black Brotherhood dared to threaten the king himself. Realizing his peril, the king moved to dispossess and disband the Black Brother hood. He ordered their shrines, abbeys and lands seized. He had Brothers arrested for real and imagined crimes. He also ordered investigations into the Black Monastery and the order’s highest ranking members.

The Black Brotherhood did not go quietly. Conflict between the order and the crown broke into violence when the Brothers incited their followers to riot across the kingdom. There were disturbances everywhere, including several attempts to assassinate the king by blades and by dark sorcery. It became clear to everyone that the Black Brotherhood was far more than just another religious order. Once knives were drawn, the conflict grew into open war between the crown and the Brothers.

The Black Brotherhood had exceeded their grasp. Their followers were crushed in the streets by mounted knights. Brothers were rounded up and arrested. Many of them were executed. Armed supporters of the Black Brotherhood, backed by arcane and divine magic, were defeated and slaughtered. The Brothers were driven back to their final hilltop fortress – the Black Monastery. They were besieged by the king’s army, trapped and waiting for the king’s forces to break in and end the war.

The final assault on the Black Monastery ended in victory and disaster. The king’s army took the hilltop, driving the last of the black-robed monks into the monastery itself. The soldiers were met by more than just men. There were monsters and fiends defending the monastery. There was a terrible slaughter on both sides. In many places the dead rose up to fight again. The battle continued from afternoon into night, lit by flames and magical energy.

The Black Monastery was never actually taken. The king’s forces drove the last of their foul enemies back inside the monastery gates. Battering rams and war machines were hauled up the hill to crush their way inside. But before the king’s men could take the final stronghold, the Black Brotherhood immolated themselves in magical fire.

Green flames roared up from the monastery, engulfing many of the king’s men as well. As survivors watched, the Black Monastery burned away, stones, gates, towers and all. There was a lurid green flare that lit the countryside. There was a scream of torment from a thousand human voices. There was a roar of falling masonry and splitting wood. Smoke and dust obscured the hilltop. The Black Monastery collapsed in upon itself and disappeared. Only ashes drifted down where the great structure had stood. All that was left of the Black Monastery was its foundations and debris-choked dungeons cut into the stones beneath. The war was over. The Black Brotherhood was destroyed.

But the Black Monastery was not gone forever. Over nearly two centuries since its destruction, the Black Monastery has returned from time to time to haunt the Hill of Mornay. Impossible as it seems, there have been at least five incidents in which witnesses have reported finding the Hill of Mornay once again crowned with black walls and slate-roofed towers. In every case, the manifestation of this revenant of the Black Monastery has been accompanied by widespread reports of madness, crime and social unrest in the kingdom. Sometimes, the monastery has appeared only for a night. The last two times, the monastery reappeared atop the hill for as long as three months…each appearance longer than the first.

There are tales of adventurers daring to enter the Black Monastery. Some went to look for treasure. Others went to battle whatever evil still lived inside. There are stories of lucky and brave explorers who have survived the horrors, returning with riches from the fabled hordes of the Black Brotherhood. It is enough to drive men mad with greed – enough to lure more each time to dare to enter the Black Monastery.

Very cool.

This sounds incrediably cool....so what levels are you thinking it is for and when can we preorder :)

At long last, after an extensive Tome of Horrors Complete delay, Slumbering Tsar 9 is up and for sale at talesofthefroggod.com.

You may now proceed to maim, mutilate, and generally abuse your players in the Citadel of Orcus. Thank you for your patience. :-)

Are there 3 of you, is that it?

Bill!

The Black Monastery sounds very cool. I love it when an old treasure like that is brought back screaming into the 21st century! Can't wait to see the hardcover!

-Lisa

Greg A. Vaughan wrote:

At long last, after an extensive Tome of Horrors Complete delay, Slumbering Tsar 9 is up and for sale at talesofthefroggod.com.

You may now proceed to maim, mutilate, and generally abuse your players in the Citadel of Orcus. Thank you for your patience. :-)

Are there 3 of you, is that it?

Pett

Only 2 of us; the third guy is a temp. He is useful for downloading the contents of your hard drive every night while you sleep, though.

MNAAAAAARRR!

:-)

August 4, 2011

Yeah!!! Tome of Horrors is up and out in pdf format at all sales locations!!! We apologize for the technical issues associated with the huge files, but I believe they are all resolved now. Books are at the printer, and I expect a test copy late next week. Then they truck ship (that's right) to me, and I mail to all of you. I am buying a back brace soon!

Tsar 9 is still delayed (printer went to Gencon), but I understand I will receive Tsar 9, Spire of Iron and Crystal (ONS 3), Splinters 9-10, Hollow Mountain (ONS 2) and Hex Crawls 3 next week. These will go on sale as soon as I get them. Next up is the free download lair supplement for Tome, the Ultimate Book of Adventure Design (UBAD--don't miss out on this one) and Northlands 2, along with a couple new Saturday Night Specials releases, Saercoth (SNS 2). Black Monastery is just about ready to start layout, but we are resting Chuck for a few days to allow his carpel tunnel to repair itself following the heroic effort on Tome. As a side note--I am stitch binding all of our hardcovers from here on out, so prices will have to go up a bit (its >$3/unit added costs to do this). That being said, your books should last a lifetime that way.

Greg is at Gencon, if you are there, stop and say hello...he wil be at the Paizo booth most of the show. Paizo, Drive Thru RPG and the OSR (Joe Browning) booths all have FGG books for sale as well at the show. I think Joe even has SW versions of pre-release copies of ONS 2-3 and Splinters 9-10.

Thank you all again for being the game's greatest fans. We appreciate the support you give us, and the nice emails and reviews we have been getting on our products. None of us does this for the money, so the feedback and praise means a lot and keeps us going.

ps--Lisa; we should discuss Monastery as well:)

I might have missed it, but what rules system is Black Monastery?

I might have missed it, but what rules system is Black Monastery?

Frog God Games produces most adventures compatible with the Pathfinder RPG and Swords & Wizardry (0e). An exception to this is Greg Vaughan's Slumbering Tsar campaign, which is PFRPG only.

I might have missed it, but what rules system is Black Monastery?

Like most of the books we produce here at Frog God Games, it will be released for both the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game rules and the Swords & Wizardry rules.

If you aren't familiar with Swords & Wizardry you can find out about it at www.swordsandwizardry.com.

Thanks for the replies folks, that's me in for a copy, especially since I gave up waiting for Tegel Manor to ever appear in a 3rd edition version. This. Sounds. Superb.

Tegel...yup--I have the 3.5 version on my old hard drive. When Bob died, we never were able to publish it.

I asked about doing it again, but got a solid "No" from Bob's son.

Tegel...yup--I have the 3.5 version on my old hard drive. When Bob died, we never were able to publish it.

I asked about doing it again, but got a solid "No" from Bob's son.

Not to make light of this, but you guys know me by now. When i read about BoB my mind totally went in a way out their place for a second.

But it was sad when he passed away and said when Tegel project followed suit.

Tegel...yup--I have the 3.5 version on my old hard drive. When Bob died, we never were able to publish it.

I asked about doing it again, but got a solid "No" from Bob's son.

That's so disappointing - especially after all of the fantastic work Necro did with the Judges Guild properties.

Tegel...yup--I have the 3.5 version on my old hard drive. When Bob died, we never were able to publish it.

I asked about doing it again, but got a solid "No" from Bob's son.

Oh, man, that's sad. That explains it. I guess he has his reasons.

Sounds like Black Monastery will more than fit the bill though.

Judge's Guild has a website introducing a new product and game system of their own. The adventure is called Lost Man's Trail and is available for PDF purchase. I was real tempted to try it. I still may when funds magically arrive.

Here's the link to their website for those interested.

No update to that site for 9 months...

Bledsaw, Jr. is obviously free to do what he thinks best with his own property, but what a loss to gamers the way he's doing it. Oh, well...

I find it quite ironic considering how his father became known in the Gaming Industry.

Any updates on Tsar 10, the Spire of Iron and Crystal and Splinters 9 and 10?

Or UBAD?

Any updates on Tsar 10, the Spire of Iron and Crystal and Splinters 9 and 10?

Tsar 10 should be on its way to or at the printer. Not sure about the others.

Tzzarg wrote:

Any updates on Tsar 10, the Spire of Iron and Crystal and Splinters 9 and 10?

Tsar 10 should be on its way to or at the printer. Not sure about the others.

Thanks Greg. Any idea when the pdf will be available? I actually prefer that to the dead tree version. Hopefully Bill will post something up either here or at FGG about the other products.

Greg A. Vaughan wrote:

Tzzarg wrote:

Any updates on Tsar 10, the Spire of Iron and Crystal and Splinters 9 and 10?

Tsar 10 should be on its way to or at the printer. Not sure about the others.

Thanks Greg. Any idea when the pdf will be available? I actually prefer that to the dead tree version. Hopefully Bill will post something up either here or at FGG about the other products.

Should be soon. I just received this update from Dark Sasha (aka Dawn Fischer, our editor).

"Hey there Greg!

I just finished my proofread of ST10 rough pdf and sent it to Chuck this morning.

Spire, SF 9 & 10 were done and either printed and not accepted by Bill or delayed by our printer's trip to GenCon.

I don't know anything about UBAD yet"

UBAD is still in layout.

Sorry guys, my "inbox" became an "inpile" when Tome of Horrors Complete clomped it's dark presence into my life.

August 22 UpdateLots of updates this week. First, Tome is at press and should be to me in about 2 weeks. The proofs were gorgeous, and this book is going to be the coolest thing I have ever been associated with. On that note, two free downloads have been compiled by Chuck—the first is a compilation of the lairs sections, and weighs in at a hefty 127 pages (not bad for a free download). The second is a treatment of all the Tome monsters by terrain type. These downloads will be posted here at our site, directly into your order forms, at Paizo (free downloads) and at DTRPG (again, free downloads) soon. Paizo still has limited quantities of Tome Pathfinder and I will have a few extras (maybe 50 or so) of the Swords and Wizardry versions. I will say it again—this book will not be reprinted, so get them while they are still available.
Based on the cost to print large hardcovers, I will be taking pre-orders for UBAD (also known as the Ultimate Book of Adventure Design) very soon. Like any other large hardcover, we will limit the run to orders plus a few extras. It will be stitch bound (textbook style) and features perhaps Rowena’s coolest cover to date. I will put a description together (see below), but rather than take me at my word, we are providing a free teaser download of selected sections of the book for your perusal. MSRP is still being determined, but look for it in the 300-400 pages and $40-$50 range.
In other news, Tsar 10 will be posted in a day or so. We have had issues with the covers on Tsar 9 (again, sorry for the delay) in softcover, but I am assured we will have both Tsar 9 and 10 late next week to ship.
This week also, Splinters of Faith 9 and 10, Hex Crawl Chronicles 3, One Night Stands 2 – Death in Painted Canyon and One Night Stands 3 – The Spire of Iron and Crystal, all go on sale as both books and as pdfs. Descriptions of all are below. This completes the Splinters series, and I have set Jeff and Gary hard at work on a new series—no news yet, but it involves a strange demonic creature whose name begins with “N”.
Black Monastery is all edited and awaiting layout. It will likely be put up for pre-order sometime in November. This one is similar to UBAD, in that as it will be a stitch-bound hardcover, I am going to sell it by preorder only. With a fold-out map and the string, it is likely going to be in the $40 range.
Northlands Saga 2-3, as well as Hex Crawls 4 are in the works (next month I think), and should be ready for me to proof soon.
Thanks again for all your patronage over these past few months, we appreciate it, and we look forward to making a ton of cool books over the next several years!
New Book Descriptions:
UBAD
A fantasy adventure game, at its very heart, is about developing an open-ended “story” of the characters. The referee is in charge of the fantasy world, and the players direct the actions of their characters in that fantasy world. Neither the referee nor the group of players has complete control over what’s going to happen, and the result is an evolving set of surprises for both the referee and the players. Unlike the players, as the referee and creator of the game world, most of your “work” is done ahead of time. To some degree or other, you have to create the groundwork for the adventure before the game starts. Even though no battle plan survives contact with the enemy – and if you’re an experienced referee you know exactly what I mean – the game has to start … with a starting point. This might just be a vague set of ideas, or it might be as complex as a set of maps with a detailed key and well thought-out encounters for the players to run into.

The Ultimate Book of Adventure Design is organized as a series of “books,” each one providing resources at every step of the way. The vast majority of the content of each book is made up of random generation tables that I’ve created over a quarter of a century (sigh) for my own use. I should say up front that these are tables for deep design – in other words, most of them are too long, and contain too many unusual or contradictory entries, for use on the spot at the gaming table. There are already many excellent books of tables for use on the fly; the tables in these books are different. They work best as a tool for preparation beforehand, providing relatively vast creative resources for browsing and gathering, rather than quick-use tables designed to provide broad, fast brushstrokes. My shorter tables tend to deliver cryptic results designed to shock the reader’s creativity into filling in the gaps, whereas my longer tables are unusably vast for easy random generation, being designed to shock the reader’s creativity into operation by presenting a sea of possibilities.
Slumbering Tsar Part 10
Slumbering Tsar: The Hidden Citadel, Part 2 - Echoes of Despair
The player characters continue to plumb the true depths and echoing halls that are the Citadel of Orcus. Within they explore the Templar Garrison and Dungeons of Orcus and discover their profane occupant, remaining after all these years. They discover the Thrall Quarters and the Forges and the lingering horrors of the Magitect and the legacy of He Who Walks Before.
Hex Crawl Chronicles 3
Beyond the Black Water
Across the Black Water there is a dismal land of grey hills and eerie shadows, the home of the strange merchants of the black arcs and their weird masters. Travel to a place where sane men dare not tread and discover the secrets of an alien and unwholesome land. Demon-haunted highlands and living forests await your arrival – don’t let a lack of courage keep them waiting.
Splinters of Faith 9: Duel of Magic (Levels 10 through 14)
PCs journey from a temple of good magic to face a coven of evil witches where they must rescue an astral deva.
Splinters of Faith 10: Remorse of Life (Levels 13 and greater)
With the completed Scepter of Faiths, PCs must track down the evil Akruel Rathamon in the temple city of Al-Sifon before he consolidates his power and again sets out to conquer the land.
One Night Stands 3 - Spire of Iron and Crystal
Another of the Saturday Night Specials series, this module takes the players to a long lost tower. Deep in the wilderness stands the legendary Spire of Iron and Crystal, a bizarre structure of twisting iron and four enormous crystals that seem to grow from the very ground itself. The fabled riches of the Spire have never been plundered, for no entrances have ever been found.... Until now. Your party of adventurers has discovered the long-hidden secret of entering the Spire.
One Night Stands 2- Death in the Painted Canyons is an adventure for 4-6 characters levels 5-6.
The party should include a mix of abilities, especially characters with investigative and survival skills. It would be helpful, but not necessary, if at least one PC has some knowledge of the Painted Canyons, or at least some experience with desert survival. Also, a PC or companion with the outdoor abilities would be helpful, but is not needed. If your party lacks investigative skills, there are clues as to the criminal conspiracy in the gnoll encampment, or you can just drop that aspect of the adventure and run it as a stand up fight. Parties lacking survival skills or desert experience can hire a guide at Salt Springs for 3 silver shekels (gp) a day. There is a hidden secret behind all the events of Death in the Painted Canyons; a great deal of combat can be expected, and those attempting this adventure should be prepared for a vicious battle before resolving the plot.