Musing and articles from Peter Amthor. Usually of a role playing game influence but I do drift into other directions occasionally. You can also find me on Mastodon at dice.camp/@peteramthor. Comments and constructive criticism welcome. Also this blog is best viewed on a desktop or wide screen tablet.
If you're looking for a good ttrpg deal for Black Friday then this just may be it. You can pick up the Witcher from R. Talsorian games for only 2.99 right now. Can't beat that deal. So if you would CLICK HERE to hop over and take a look at the page because all the sourcebooks are discounted as well!
Why you're there look around at some of the other goodies that are discounted for a few days only.
Decided I need to throw some more focus on hobbyists in the gaming community. Those who put stuff out for cheap or free. The folks who put a lot of work in for very little return (if any) because they want to make something that others may enjoy.
This time I'm going to point you in the direction of this, just release, wonderful little gem for steampunk games. "Steampunk Weapons and Armor" from Kawaii Snarknado. Made for use with DnD 5e settings. It's a great collection of gear ranging from your normal fare up to the more exotic type of things.
So if you're going to be running a steampunk or similar type of game soon then you really need to at least give this one a look.
Over on DrivethruRPG Palladium Books has a lot of their books on sale at the moment. Here are my top picks on what folks may want to look at. Some of them even if they aren't a fan of the Palladium house system.
Nightbane. One of my personal favorites of the entire Palladium line. A wonderful dark horror game where the characters are twisted creatures with no two alike. On the surface it sounds a bit like the Nightbreed movie but once you start reading the actual setting it becomes something a lot more sinister. This is the one I recommend the most.
Rifts World Book 10: Juicer Uprising. The Juicers have always been one of my favorite classes introduced in Rifts. A great deal of fun playing the hyped up, super energetic fighting machines. This sourcebook expands on them a great deal including new types of Juicers. So much fun.
Palladium Fantasy 2nd Edition. This is such an overlooked classic simply because of the system. But it's so worth it. The fantasy world presented here was different from most others offered up at the time. And, as much as I hate to admit, this is where the Palladium system actually shines, it feels like it was meant for some crunchy fantasy play that stopped just before going overboard.
PFRPG 02: The Old Ones. I huge dump of information for the setting presented in the core Palladium Fantasy book. From lore to locations and so much more. A great example of what a good sourcebook can provide for a game.
Heroes Unlimited 2nd Edition. A good, solid, just crunchy enough supers game. Lots of powers and quite a bit of fun rolling those powers up.
After the Bomb RPG. The spiritual successor to their TMNT and Other Strangeness game. Time to roll up some mutant animals and confront the world. I will admit they still have the best system for generating those mutants.
The art book "Art and Arcana" for Dungeons and Dragons is now on a huge sale. Only 9 bucks (despite what the picture link says) for what was once a 50 dollar book. It's hefty tome that looks at the artwork, products and designs for Dungeons and Dragons over it's lifetime. Well worth it for any fantasy gaming fan.
EDIT: Well the big sale is done but the book is still up at like 50 percent off.
Well Cyberpunk RED is finally out in digital with the print book available within a few days afterwards. Happy to see it finally arrive although I'm going to have to give the game a pass. I've been a big fan of Cyberpunk in both the original 2013 and 2020 releases and still have a large collection of books from that series. But I feel that I am no longer part of the target audience for the game anymore.
More and more it feels like they are going after the folks who are heavy con goers, the ones who run big podcasting set ups and those who broadcast live streams. Which I can't blame them that's where the money is. But when I saw them giving the discounts to the people who have plenty of extra spending cash at cons but not to any of those who can't afford that it made me step back. The jumpstart kit, when purchased at the con, had a discount for the pdf and free downloads for music. Not to mention convention only special dice and other swag that were also available just at the con. Those of us who are tight on cash and can't afford trips like that were left out.
Being a cash strapped gamer has really been a bitch these last two years. With people blaming those of us with shallow pockets for piracy and all sorts of other nonsense. Shaming us when we say something is out of our price range. Hell I got outright dog piled when I said Invisible Sun was to expensive for my budget. They scream at us about how much it costs to make the product but mother fuckers can't get grasp the base concept that if the money isn't in my wallet then I can't spend it.
Then we saw folks going up against those who offered free or cheap product. They were shamed and blamed for bringing down the ability for others to make money in the tabletop roleplaying game market. Several folks who supposedly promote inclusiveness were quick to jump on this bandwagon. Those who shouted against gatekeeping were setting up their own gates to keep people out if they didn't pass the income barrier.
So I'm out. I'm done. They can offer the discounts to the people with all the extra cash to spend. While I'll set over here and stop getting excited about any release what so ever. I'll make my own little products and offer them up cheap so others like me can afford them.
Time for a Cash Strapped post folks. For this one I'm linking to a hell of a good deal for those who are interested in picking up Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition for a nice discounted price. Oh and what a deal it is.
The three core books with special edition foil covers, a DM screen and a slipcase to hold them. For a lot less than the three core books by themselves. This special slip case edition comes in at almost 78 bucks off the regular price. Can't beat that with a stick.
Haven't done a cash strapped post in a while so I figure it's about time. So here are some cheap, free or pay what you want gaming items for those who don't have a lot of cash in their pockets.
The Pugmire Core Rulebook phone pdf - A post apocalyptic game where dogs have inherited the world. Get the phone pdf version of this game for absolutely nothing.
FEAR the DARK - A fanzine for Heroquest, the fun boardgame of fantasy adventure. It's currently at Pay What You Want.
Engine & Empires core rules - A OSR gaslamp fantasy TTRPG. A rather large tome indeed, and it's priced at Pay What You Want.
Guildhall Goods - A nice little fantasy location made to be tossed into a game with ease. Priced at Pay What You Want.
