Saving Throw OSRIC fundraiser zine News and Updates - #3 on DriveThruRPG Best Sellers!

Saving Throw - Introduction
and Table of Contents

Some news and updates on Saving Throw since its launch on Sunday:

1. Thank you for your generous support of this project!---Saving Throw has been as high as #3 on the DriveThruRPG.com best sellers list this week, outpacing both Eclipse Phase 2nd Edition and Legend of the Five Rings! 
   

   

   Tuesday 17 September 2019 -
   Saving Throw is the #3 Best Seller!

   
   That wouldn't have been possible without your support!
   
   
2. Please continue to spread the word---Saving Throw isn't even a week old yet, so many old-school gamers won't be aware of it:  mention it in your gaming groups, your local game stores, and in your social media channels! 
   
   Your primary link should be back to the DriveThru project page at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/288750/Saving-Throw-fundraiser-fanzine-for-James-D-Kramer
3. Positive reviews are starting to come in:
   
   Bryce "tenfootpole.org" Lynch's review is at https://tenfootpole.org/ironspike/?p=6236 and states:
   • "Jim Kramer is the guy behind Usherwood Publishing. Several of his adventures appear on my Best & Regerts list, including Arachnaphobia and most his Bone Hilt campaign series."
   • "You should go pick this up because you’re not an asshole. And, also, because the adventures are quite good. Also, there’s a lot of OTHER content in it, beyond the adventures."
   
   The DriveThru page now notes two five-star ratings thus far, and user Guggy Z also commented as a verified purchaser:  "What a great zine! Just skimming I think the hours of solid play to page count ratio looks immense, and I appreciate the chance to support a good cause. This stuff is going right to my table ASAP!"
   
   
4. The print edition is getting closer to reality, per updates from Guy Fullerton:
   • 18 September:  On the bright side, the premium color hardcover masters got approved (this doesn't mean they'll look right), so I ordered a proof. Last time I ordered something, it took about a week to arrive. Fingers crossed.
     
     I may end up putting a variety of print options together, since drivethru makes that easy enough to do. A perfect bound book might suck format-wise, but it's cheaper to produce. I still plan on making a pair of staple-bound books available, one each with the first & last halves of the content, respectively, with the title page and OGL page in both; that's probably the cheapest option for lay-flat.
     
   • 15 September:  I submitted a cover & (non-final) interior to drivethru for a hardcover version. It takes a couple days for their validation process to determine whether there are any glitches. I will order a proof of the hardcover as soon as they give me the green light. I've never done a hardcover cover pdf before, so I don't know whether to expect multiple iterations. I tried to out-smart the lightning press template, which I may come to regret.
     
    
5. Further content updates are in the works, including new artwork; update again from Guy Fullerton:
   • 18 September:  On the artwork addition front, we got several new filler illustrations by Wind the other day, and I saw an in-progress monster illustration by austinjimm that looks pretty amazing!
   • 15 September:  If you see any typos that we didn't catch, please let rredmond or me know. I want to fix glitches before we make a print version available, and will update the pdf too with fixes and additional artwork to come.

If you're interested in following the updates and breaking news for the project, you can do so via two threads on the Knights & Knaves Alehouse:

• "Saving Throw fundraiser fanzine for James D. Kramer" in the New Products forum 
• "Need contributors to a worthy fundraiser project" in the Special Projects Info forum

Thank you again for supporting this project, and please continue to share Saving Throw to amplify its visibility---the more gamers who are aware of Saving Throw, the more support it will bring to Jim and his family! 

Allan.

Saving Throw - new OSRIC zine to support Usherwood Publishing's Jim Kramer

Saving Throw is a new zine dedicated to OSRIC and AD&D 1st edition gaming, and it's being produced to support James D. Kramer of Usherwood Adventures, who is battling through his third round of brain cancer treatments.  

Saving Throw cover art by Alex Zisch

I've known and worked with Jim for more than a decade now, and he has been an integral member of the old-school gaming communities that spawned the OSR:  his work to layout OSRIC is reflected in the standard version available on Lulu, the high-end Black Blade/Usherwood hardcover OSRIC edition, as well as his highly-usable OSRIC Pocket SRD digest-sized softcover book, also available in a layflat spiral-bound edition.  And it doesn't stop there!---Jim has built  .epub and .mobi versions of OSRIC, laid out the six issues of Knockspell Magazine, written and published the Bone-Hilt Sword Campaign, and created several stand-alone adventures and supplements, too.  

Jim's contributions to OSRIC and old-school gaming in general are quite extensive, so a group of folks at the Knights & Knaves Alehouse gathered together to help support him and his family.  Here's the product announcement from Guy Fullerton of Chaotic Henchmen Productions, who coordinated this project: 

Saving Throw — a fundraiser fanzine to help James D. Kramer

You may know Jim Kramer from his Usherwood Publishing modules & supplements, or his work helping produce works like OSRIC and Knockspell. You probably didn’t know Jim had multiple brain surgeries to remove tumors, and the battle has gotten much harder. To help Jim and his family during this difficult time, a group of his friends, collaborators, and first edition enthusiasts banded together to make this fundraiser fanzine, where all royalties go directly to Jim and his family.

This 60+ page issue of Saving Throw contains:

• Introduction by Ron Redmond
• Island Tables - random generation/inspiration tool by EOTB
• Sorcerer’s Stone - dungeon level by Keith Sloan
• Trolls of the Simpolo Swamps - leech-mated trollish variations by Joseph Browning
• Perladon Manor - adventure module by Gabor Lux
• By The Runes - fiction by Dan Rasaiah
• Magic Item Intrinsic Material Values - variant magic item value rules by Guy Fullerton
• Goblin Garbug Cavalry - new monster by Andrew Hamilton
• The Tiled Labyrinth - mini-dungeon by Guy Fullerton
• Lotus Blossoms - magical and special properties of these exotic flora by Keith Sloan
• Burly the Baker - ready-to-use NPC and cantrips by Gary Francisco
• Darkworld Troll - new monster by Bryan Fazekas
• Offig’s Tomb - treasure map by EOTB
• Lizard Man Lair - outdoor module and new monsters by EOTB
• Mephitic Geysers of the Intaglio Rift - treasure map by Allan T. Grohe Jr. (“grodog")
• The Mere Beneath - dungeon level by Guy Fullerton, Allan T. Grohe Jr. (“grodog"), and Henry A. Grohe
• Sarendra’s Crew & Kelurrin’s Crew - ready-to-use NPC parties by Allan T. Grohe Jr. (“grodog")
• Rescue from the Sanctuary of the Leopard Goddess - dungeon module by Matthew Riedel
• Featuring illustrations by Jimm Johnson, James D. Kramer, Wind Lothamer, Gabor Lux, Denis McCarthy, Peter Szmer (soon), Del Teigeler, and Alex Zisch

For the lucky price of $13, you get two treasure maps, three referee tools, five new spells, six modules, at least nine new monsters, twelve ready-to-use NPCs, and more. Plus the knowledge that your purchase helps a family during a difficult time.

Thank you!

Note: We plan to make a print version available soon. When it becomes available, will send DriveThru coupon codes to everyone who purchased the .pdf so they can get a print version at a discount.

Note #2: We are still in the process of gathering artwork for some of the articles, so don't be surprised by any of the blank spots. We will notify everybody when we update the .pdf with new art, and you can download the latest version from your library.

Here's a preview of one of the earlier drafts for my "Mephitic Geysers of the Intaglio Rift" treasure map:

Treasure map to the
Mephitic Geysers of the Intaglio Rift
by Allan Grohe

Please consider purchasing a copy of Saving Throw to support Jim and his family!

  

Allan.