{"id":14967,"date":"2017-06-16T11:55:14","date_gmt":"2017-06-16T18:55:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/?p=14967"},"modified":"2017-06-16T13:43:18","modified_gmt":"2017-06-16T20:43:18","slug":"free-rpg-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/free-rpg-day\/","title":{"rendered":"They May Take Our Lives, But They’ll Never Take Our Free RPG Day!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Free<\/a>\u00a0 Free RPG day is upon us, and once again, like the kid who’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, I’m left empty handed and\u00a0wondering what all the hype is about.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Since 2007, Free RPG Day<\/a> has been partnering with RPG publishers and friendly local\u00a0game stores (FLGS) to bring new\u00a0quickstart rules and exclusive modules to gamers around the world. Providing of course, you have an FLGS in your area. Previous free RPG loot included in the celebration T-shirts, dice, Munchkin add-ons, Pathfinder modules, and dozens of new game quick start rules. This years Free RPG Day loot includes the new Runequest quickstart rules, a Pathfinder\u00a0Bestiary, and I’m personally excited<\/a> about the\u00a0Modiphius\u00a0Entertainment “Robert E. Howard’s CONAN”\u00a0<\/span>RPG quickstart rules.
\nBut alas, I won’t be waiting for the ghost of Gary Gygax to leave RPG goodies for me under the game table this year either.<\/p>\n

Despair not! The Free RPG Day festivities are available to everyone, everywhere, to some degree. See, free quick start rules are a common practice among new RPG publishers to help recruit new customers. Sometimes these rules are an edited version of the full game with less player options, or sometimes they offer a simplified game mechanics version to help reel in new customers who might be off put by the idea of investing $50+ on a 350+ page hardcover rulebook of a game they might not even like. So the publishers create these free quickstart guides and release them on line as downloadable pdfs. The best place to find these is RPGNow.<\/a>
\nThis being a Free RPG Day post, I think I should list a few specific freebies everyone should go download right away. My personal picks for new (ish) quickstart rules downloads, in no particular order.<\/p>\n

1) The Terrasque in the room. Dungeons and Dragons 5e quickstart from Wizards of the Coast.<\/a>\u00a0Released in 2014, my relationship with this game has been a rollercoaster of emotional torment (referenced here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>). But after spending 100’s of hours over the past year playing 5th edition D&D, I can’t recommend it highly enough. This game is as good as any previous edition, easy to learn and fun to play. I truly believe they redeemed themselves with this version and have finally made Gary Gygax proud.<\/p>\n

2) Delta Green from Arc Dream publishing<\/a>. Originally launched in 1997 as a licensed setting supplent for Chaosium’s Call of Cthulhu, Arc Dream have launched the new stand alone version of the game and so far it looks amazing. Set in the modern times, players make characters of federal agents who work for a shadowy government agency who works to protect the population from Things Man Was Not Meant to Know \u2122. This new version released last year, is fully compatible to the old game as well as the older Call of Cthulhu supplements.<\/p>\n

3) Green Ronin games, winners of multiple Ennies and Origins awards, originally released as part of Free RPG Day way back in 2008,\u00a0A Song of Ice and Fire, the Game of Thrones RPG<\/a>, takes characters and noble houses through the Seven Kingdoms, Westeros and Kings Landing.<\/p>\n

4) Also from Green Ronin, Mutants and Masterminds 3e quick start rules<\/a>\u00a0 released in 2011, is the D20 based Super Hero RPG in the you’ve been waiting for.<\/p>\n

“That’s all well and good, but where’s my THACO?”<\/p>\n

I hear you. And this wouldn’t be a Lamentations of the Grognard post if we didn’t include some old school gaming.<\/p>\n

So, here are a few of my favorites in the old school category.<\/p>\n

1) \u00a0Labyrinth Lord and Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition from Goblinoid Games<\/a>. Labyrinth Lord is a free retroclone of classic B\/X D&D with all the flavor of playing around that basement card table back in the early 80’s. the Advanced Edition Companion offers everything you need to graduate up to the classic crunchiness of 1st edition AD&D.<\/p>\n

2) FASERIP by Gurbintroll Games<\/a> is the classic Marvel Super Heroes RPG throwback. Complete with color coded chart on the back cover. This 135 page full color pdf is complete with great art and tons of options for all your four color adventures.<\/p>\n

3) For the Sword and Sorcery crowd, Hyborian hijinks abound with\u00a0Ze<\/strong>b’s\u00a0<\/span>F<\/strong>antasy\u00a0<\/span>R<\/strong>oleplaying\u00a0<\/span>S<\/strong>ystem, or\u00a0<\/span>ZeFRS<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Based on the same system that brought you Marvel Super Heroes, Gamma World and Star Frontiers this adaptation of the original rules system and game mechanics created in the 80’s by Dave “Zeb” Cook. The ZeFRS rulebook offers a trademark free version of classic, gritty, Conan roleplaying.<\/p>\n

Enjoy your Free RPG Day. Either at your FLGS or at the game table with your group. Just remember…<\/p>\n

“The <\/span>secret<\/em> we should never let the gamemasters know is that they don’t need any rules.”
\n– Gary Gygax<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0 Free RPG day is upon us, and once again, like the kid who’s family doesn’t celebrate Christmas, I’m left empty handed and\u00a0wondering what all the hype is about. Since 2007, Free RPG Day has been partnering with RPG publishers and friendly local\u00a0game stores (FLGS) to bring new\u00a0quickstart rules and exclusive modules to gamers around […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":279,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[164],"tags":[334,251,169,662,667,666,664,168,167,663,665],"class_list":["post-14967","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lamentations-of-the-grognard","tag-conan","tag-cthulhu","tag-dd","tag-free","tag-game-of-thrones","tag-marvel-super-heroes","tag-pen-and-paper","tag-role-playing-games","tag-rpg","tag-tabletop","tag-wotc"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1opIU-3Tp","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12995,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/basic-to-5th-edition\/","url_meta":{"origin":14967,"position":0},"title":"What Comes Around…","author":"Jason","date":"July 2, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The June post was supposed to be about the classic 1984 Marvel Super Heroes RPG from TSR. Only this isn't June, and this post isn't\u00a0about Marvel Super Heroes. See, I'm several weeks late in writing about games, because I've been too busy playing.\u00a0Normally I'll host a game night and run\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lamentations of the Grognard"","block_context":{"text":"Lamentations of the Grognard","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/lamentations-of-the-grognard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"dice","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/images.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12761,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/boot-hill-rpg\/","url_meta":{"origin":14967,"position":1},"title":"Wild West Adventure","author":"Jason","date":"April 22, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\"Boot Hill is full of fellows who pulled their triggers without aiming\" It was early 1988,\u00a0I was staying over at my friend Dan's house for the night. Normally we would spend the entire night trying to rescue Princess Zelda, but this time was different. Dan and I had played D&D\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lamentations of the Grognard"","block_context":{"text":"Lamentations of the Grognard","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/lamentations-of-the-grognard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Boot Hill RPG Logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/logo-300x146.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":6175,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/online-gaming-news-path-of-exile-launches-open-beta-on-january-23\/","url_meta":{"origin":14967,"position":2},"title":"Online Gaming News: Path of Exile Launches Open Beta on January 23","author":"Forbidden Panel","date":"January 10, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Path of Exile Launches Open Beta on January 23 \"Best Upcoming Indie Game\" unveils 50 percent more content in Act 3 Grinding Gear Games announced today that the highly anticipated action role-playing game (RPG) Path of Exile will enter Open Beta on January 23. The game is currently in Closed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs\/Reviews\/Stories","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Path of Exile Logo","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ih.constantcontact.com\/fs184\/1101398907811\/img\/871.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12402,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/a-long-time-ago-at-a-gaming-table-far-far-away\/","url_meta":{"origin":14967,"position":3},"title":"A Long Time Ago, At A Gaming Table Far Far Away","author":"Jason","date":"December 16, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away, West End Games produced the original Star Wars RPG. First published in\u00a01987, fresh on the heels of the award winning Ghostbusters RPG, West End Games (WEG) created one of the most entertaining and simple RPGs ever. The Star Wars RPG\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lamentations of the Grognard"","block_context":{"text":"Lamentations of the Grognard","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/lamentations-of-the-grognard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"star wars rpg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/Untitled-1-300x174.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":12134,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/the-late-late-late-show\/","url_meta":{"origin":14967,"position":4},"title":"The Late Late Late Show","author":"Jason","date":"October 14, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"You know them, you\u00a0love them. The guilty pleasure, b-list (or worse) horror movies that are so low budget they are more comedies than horror. From \u201cPlan 9 From Outer Space\u201d to \u201cTroll 2\u201d, these cult classic no-budget masterpieces defy all expectations and survive as favorites to fans who weren\u2019t even\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Lamentations of the Grognard"","block_context":{"text":"Lamentations of the Grognard","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/blog-and-reviews\/lamentations-of-the-grognard\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"the-video-dead","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/the-video-dead-300x169.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":20943,"url":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/idw-games-godzilla-the-roleplaying-game-kickstarter-sign-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":14967,"position":5},"title":"IDW Games: Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game Kickstarter Sign Up!","author":"Forbidden Panel","date":"November 19, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0LINK TO SIGN UP FOR KICKSTARTER UPDATES \u00a0IDW Games\u00a0is Set to Release the First-Ever\u00a0Godzilla\u00a0Tabletop Roleplaying Game!\u00a0Launching next March with a Kickstarter campaign,\u00a0Godzilla: The Roleplaying Game, reunites three\u00a0Warhammer\u00a0gaming legends \u2013\u00a0Jervis Johnson,\u00a0Mark A. Latham, and\u00a0Gav Thorpe\u00a0for their first co-created tabletop game!\u00a0Godzilla\u00a0puts a team of players in the midst of kaiju attacks with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fbaae301-4bbd-4a97-8a71-dad77e4ff628.jpeg?fit=848%2C1200&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fbaae301-4bbd-4a97-8a71-dad77e4ff628.jpeg?fit=848%2C1200&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fbaae301-4bbd-4a97-8a71-dad77e4ff628.jpeg?fit=848%2C1200&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/fbaae301-4bbd-4a97-8a71-dad77e4ff628.jpeg?fit=848%2C1200&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14967","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/279"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14967"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14967\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14977,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14967\/revisions\/14977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14967"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14967"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/forbiddenpanel.com\/PanelCast\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14967"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}