(originally posted at TenkarsTavern.com)

Here's the interesting thing about Tavern By The Sea - there's a Mini-Adventure snuggled in the back of it. I love the T&T solo, but adventures for use by a party are few and far between. Frargg--The Pirate Nest isn't huge (its about 6 pages long), but with the exception of Outlaw Press products, this is the first GM Adventure for T&T I can recall being released in... 20 years? more? The last was Isle of Darksmoke as far as I can remember.

Where was I?

Ah, yes, Tavern By The Sea. The solo by the same name is 20 pages of the total 32 pages (6 for the GM adventure, cover, ads, art are the rest). For T&T 7.5e, and characters of 3rd level or lower. You can use it with earlier editions of T&T, but from my experience the power curve in 7.5 is noticeably higher the 5.5 or earlier. Don't say I didn't warn ya.

You can start a new character, and there is a twist in that you can roll a die to give your character a little background history. Oh, and a house rule allowing the roll of 4d6, dropping the lowest (with TARO, dropping the lowest might not always be the best choice).

If I told you the solo doesn't take itself, or you, too seriously, would you be surprised? I wasn't either. Fun T&T soloing to be had.

Excellent! A new T&T solo! :)

This is definitely from the light hearted end of the Tunnels & Trolls gaming world. Frivolity and brutality go hand in hand in what would actually make an ideal introductory solo game for a 1st (to low) level character. But don't get too attached to your new hero, there's a few instant death sections lurking.

"12 Big Burp isn’t keen on taking any lip from little guys like you. Make a L1SR on CHR. If you make the roll, go to 46. If you fail, he rips your head off, and eats it like a cherry. The last thing you hear is a crunching sound! THE END."

Nice. :) You can start the adventure without a character, a random roll determines race, a back-story and quick-choice equipment, just add stats. This is a nice touch, because a new player doesn't have to worry too much about shopping through the equipment lists and worrying about the change. It's a fairly short adventure so I can't afford to cite any spoilers.

The last few pages are for a GM wishing to run the tavern encounters as part of their own campaign. Again, this is ideal for starting players.

Adapted from a magazine solo in the early 80s Tavern by the Sea has been rewritten to work with T&T7.5 rules, but Mr KsA assures us that any ruleset will work. (This also means that it works with Flying Buffalo's Free Rules) A basic understanding of Saving Throws and combat rules is required, all magic is discouraged, adventure points are awarded for successes - not to mention a fair amount of gold to walk away with, that's if you do actually manage to walk away...

Tavern' is ideal if you like a lot of fun and mortal surprises, perhaps not for players who crave epic adventure and immersive fantasy. Oh, did forget to mention "pirates"? If you like pirates in your pseudo-medieval games, you'll also love this. :) Say "Yarr" like a troll ...

Bb http://bit.ly/rpgblog (Review Copy)