I know it’s not a game, but I feel Pratchett’s Broken/Mended Drum pub deserves an honourable mention - venue for many a fine scuffle (and the origin of the Great Fire of Ankh Morpork)
Two further games merit discussion here. Ragadorn Aehouse Brawl, set in the world of Lone Wolf and included in The Magnamund Companion (available from Project Aon) makes for a suitably goofy couple of hours spiked with some potentially sobering connections to broader Lone Wolf lore. Meanwhile Food Fight from Dragon Magazine #44 (rules available on Internet Archive; you might have to jury-rig your own board and counters) adapts Avalon Hill's famously fiddly Squad Leader game to simulate food fights in American high schools. The disconnect between the silly scenario and the complex, involved rules (spaghetti, being messier than other foods, is essentially a template weapon) is part of the fun.
I loved the tavern brawl in the Magnamund companion, especially the hidden Helghast player who is posing as one of the other characters. Delighted to see it's available as a pdf - that will let me replace all those tokens/counters I lost after cutting up the book instead of photocopying the pages!
It's not exactly the best of lines, but even two decades and more after I last read it, I'm 99% certain that the opening sentence of the novel Daemonslayer was Gotrek saying, "You spilled my pint" ... and even in those early days of my nerdery, I'd seen enough tavern brawls to find it wryly amusing. Good times!
I’ve got The Bugman’s Game and Brewhouse Bash from WD (PnP). Both good fun! I also printed out Bugman’s Bar Brawl but haven’t had a chance to play it yet. Great video, Jordan!
I still have my Brewhouse Bash board at home, waiting for a D&D game where I can use it, and I think a few orks in my bits box are missing the weapons because I disarmed them to use in this... before I checked to see if I had any mates who would play it with me!
I think you should treat it as a regular advent calendar. Also, if you are interested in rpg's with tavern brawls, you should look up Brancalonia, the setting for D&D 5e. In the manual there's an entire chapter dedicated only to bar fights with a compleately different combat sistem from the rest of the game
Most Saturdays in the late 80s I would go into my local model shop and usually I would buy a magazine. The new White Dwarf if it was out, but otherwise there was a heap of magazines at the back. They were mostly old White Dwarfs going back a few years which somehow seemed to get replenished with even older ones if anyone (in all probability only ever me) bought one. Otherwise there might be a Citadel Journal or Compendium from a year or two before or failing that there were historical wargaming magazines that were also by no means necessarily new. Before today I couldn't have told you that one of the things I picked up there was a copy of Red Giant - but I certainly know now. And that's great, I can add it to the list of things that I regret my mother having thrown out and I get to spend this evening reading it online thanks to you, you terrible time-thief!
Hi Jordan! I’m interested in the scale of the models in the Advent game… in particular how they look next to HeroQuest (2021) minis. Can you share some photos when you open them?
I got the one from last year, it's fab! Aye, open each day and post it later in the day to let people have their suprise? Oakbound Studios are doing one this year too
Film once a week doing the 7 characters you opened and your impressions of them. Then on Christmas you review the game :) Who doesn't like a good punch up? Thanks for sharing
Y'know, 42 years of roleplaying and I think I've roleplayed in....two? barroom brawls. There's some grey areas though...does a dragon attacking a tavern count? How about when my players broke a peace treaty between nations by beating one country's necromancer-king to death in a bar in front of his pet hellhounds? The circumstances seem a bit extreme for "brawl" but maybe I can pad that count up to four...
It's heresy to open all of the doors on an advent calendar. You must open them one day at a time as intended.
I know it’s not a game, but I feel Pratchett’s Broken/Mended Drum pub deserves an honourable mention - venue for many a fine scuffle (and the origin of the Great Fire of Ankh Morpork)
Which Great Fire? There's been a few of them, so you'll have to be more specific, I'm afraid. :)
"don't drink in a flat top pub" - Old Manc saying ;)
Enjoy the Advent Calendar.
I bought the advent calendar after your Mantic interview. Can't wait for December to start now!
Two further games merit discussion here. Ragadorn Aehouse Brawl, set in the world of Lone Wolf and included in The Magnamund Companion (available from Project Aon) makes for a suitably goofy couple of hours spiked with some potentially sobering connections to broader Lone Wolf lore. Meanwhile Food Fight from Dragon Magazine #44 (rules available on Internet Archive; you might have to jury-rig your own board and counters) adapts Avalon Hill's famously fiddly Squad Leader game to simulate food fights in American high schools. The disconnect between the silly scenario and the complex, involved rules (spaghetti, being messier than other foods, is essentially a template weapon) is part of the fun.
I loved the tavern brawl in the Magnamund companion, especially the hidden Helghast player who is posing as one of the other characters. Delighted to see it's available as a pdf - that will let me replace all those tokens/counters I lost after cutting up the book instead of photocopying the pages!
Surely the Judge Dredd "Shuggy Hall Brawl" is worth mention, Shuggy being a form a pool.
It's not exactly the best of lines, but even two decades and more after I last read it, I'm 99% certain that the opening sentence of the novel Daemonslayer was Gotrek saying, "You spilled my pint" ... and even in those early days of my nerdery, I'd seen enough tavern brawls to find it wryly amusing. Good times!
I’ve got The Bugman’s Game and Brewhouse Bash from WD (PnP). Both good fun! I also printed out Bugman’s Bar Brawl but haven’t had a chance to play it yet. Great video, Jordan!
I can't believe I haven't thought to put my players in a bar brawl in my game of Cyberpunk 2020
there's a fun D&D dice game based on tavern brawling called Inn Fighting, it's worth a look if you can track down a copy for sensible money
love a bar fight! XD
I still have my Brewhouse Bash board at home, waiting for a D&D game where I can use it, and I think a few orks in my bits box are missing the weapons because I disarmed them to use in this... before I checked to see if I had any mates who would play it with me!
I think you should treat it as a regular advent calendar. Also, if you are interested in rpg's with tavern brawls, you should look up Brancalonia, the setting for D&D 5e. In the manual there's an entire chapter dedicated only to bar fights with a compleately different combat sistem from the rest of the game
Most Saturdays in the late 80s I would go into my local model shop and usually I would buy a magazine. The new White Dwarf if it was out, but otherwise there was a heap of magazines at the back. They were mostly old White Dwarfs going back a few years which somehow seemed to get replenished with even older ones if anyone (in all probability only ever me) bought one. Otherwise there might be a Citadel Journal or Compendium from a year or two before or failing that there were historical wargaming magazines that were also by no means necessarily new. Before today I couldn't have told you that one of the things I picked up there was a copy of Red Giant - but I certainly know now. And that's great, I can add it to the list of things that I regret my mother having thrown out and I get to spend this evening reading it online thanks to you, you terrible time-thief!
I'd like to see you open up one each day. More fun that way.
Good stuff, as always. Question, have you watched the Litbashing channel? I'd think theres an entertaining interview to be had there.
Hi Jordan! I’m interested in the scale of the models in the Advent game… in particular how they look next to HeroQuest (2021) minis. Can you share some photos when you open them?
Do an Advent calendar Short on every day of December!
I got the one from last year, it's fab!
Aye, open each day and post it later in the day to let people have their suprise?
Oakbound Studios are doing one this year too
Film once a week doing the 7 characters you opened and your impressions of them. Then on Christmas you review the game :)
Who doesn't like a good punch up?
Thanks for sharing
Y'know, 42 years of roleplaying and I think I've roleplayed in....two? barroom brawls. There's some grey areas though...does a dragon attacking a tavern count? How about when my players broke a peace treaty between nations by beating one country's necromancer-king to death in a bar in front of his pet hellhounds? The circumstances seem a bit extreme for "brawl" but maybe I can pad that count up to four...
Did you ever read Casket of Souls Jordan?
open it over xmas and do a round up at the end