Sunday, November 22, 2015

Zine Review: Tales from the Game Tavern #1

Tales from the Game Tavern is a zine put out by P.E. Pace, aka the Grand DM,  Issue one is 28 pages and features an orange and black cover with some nice silhouette artwork featuring two fantasy adventurers going trick-or-treating.  The issue features system neutral articles for OSR style fantasy rpgs.  Disclaimer, the Grand DM sent me a free copy as part of a give-away on his blog.  Many thanks, Grand DM!


Tales from the Game Tavern includes seven articles and a copy of the Open Gaming License.  The first article is a variation on the flesh golem.  The second article, my personal favorite, covers cursed armor.  There is a nice selection of pieces that provide protection but also carry some troublesome malediction that will keep your players busy.  They are perfect for the munchkin in your party.

The third article is a table for providing haunting encounters for taverns.  The fourth article is an adventure.  I was surprised to see that this adventure included an outdoor hex map as well as a mini-dungeon map.  The adventure has depth beyond being a hack-and-slash crawl (although it could be run as one if you wish) and it has the right dose of whimsy.  

The fifth article contains tables for alien abductions.  The author wrote the tables for a fantasy setting but the results would fit in perfectly for Call of Cthulhu or any other horror game scenario.  The next article discusses a scenario for running a zombie outbreak in a fantasy setting.  The final article contains a recipe for "Game Tavern Goulash",  The OGL closes out the zine.

This zine is an enjoyable read.  The Halloween theme is present throughout the issue.  I see myself using something from every article in my game.  The art is a mix of public domain images and drawn pictures that look medieval and spooky.  Tales from the Game Tavern is fun to read and ready to use at the game table.  I would recommend this as the perfect treat to pass out to the adventuring parties that knock on your door.

You can order your own copy at ultanya.com.