Gauntlet Tales

A continuation of Tavern Tales by Dabney Bailey under CC-BY-SA 4.0 by Duncan Lynch

Gauntlet Tales is a game I started working on a few years after the community of Tavern Tales split and effectively died. After the kickstarter ended poorly and the game ended up not coming to fruition the split community started working on their own versions using the now creative commons rules set up by Dabney Bailey (the creator of Tavern Tales). A “smooth” version that continued the dungeon world style rules that the final version of TT ended up as, and a “crunchy” version that began circulating using the Ardelburg Gauntlet era rules that I had compiled because I hated the player only rolling style. Tavern Tales will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first game that I was involved in the early life of and the first game that I felt confident enough to actually start GMing. Tavern Tales was an easy to learn and simple system that gave a lot of creative freedom, one of my players met me at a Denny’s to talk about the upcoming game and we made his character on the back of a placemat, it was that simple. Legal disclaimer (of course) Gauntlet Tales is based on the works of Dabney Bailey and uses a bit of the David Black’s second edition of The Black Hack for the useage die and draws inspiration from 7th Sea 1e's brute squads for the goon brigades.

Gauntlet Tales is typically a fantasy themed tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) that invites players to take on the roles of powerful heroes to fight dangerous monsters, explore exotic locations, and interact with amazing characters. For those unfamiliar with the term, roleplaying games are driven by collaborative storytelling using dice to resolve situations that are up to chance.

Before You Start

You’ll need a few basic supplies to play Gauntlet Tales:

● Pen and paper.

● A variety of dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20).

● 2-6 friends. Willing strangers will also work.

● Optional: A battlemap and minis for combat. It’s generally agreed that the sweet spot for a roleplaying game is 4-6 players, but individual tastes will vary between gaming groups. Once you’ve gathered your friends, you need to decide which of you will play as the Game Master (GM).

If You’re the GM…

The GM has the most important job in Gauntlet Tales. Think of the GM as a director in a play where nobody knows the outcome, and the players are the actors. The GM gets to decide the setting, the conflict, and so forth. Most importantly, the GM acts as a judge who determines what does and doesn’t happen. If two players say they want to take conflicting actions, the GM decides which of the players (if any) gets to act. As a GM, follow these basic principles:

1. Know the Rules

Since you’re in charge, it’s important that you familiarize yourself with the rules of Gauntlet Tales. If you don’t, players could exploit the rules (wittingly or unwittingly) and disrupt gameplay. Fortunately for you, the GM gets to break as many rules as they want. Think of the rules as a general guidebook. They tell you what to do in most situations, but every now and then you can bend the rules to make the game more exciting.

2. Make Decisions

If the players got to decide the outcome of their actions, they’d succeed every time. That would lead to an awfully boring game. As the GM, you get to decide the consequences of the players’ actions. You always get the final word!

3. Create an Exciting World

A story without conflict isn’t much of a story. It’s your job to fill the world with exciting creatures, locations, and events. This is your biggest opportunity to express yourself in Gauntlet Tales because your only limit is your imagination. You could pit the players against brain-munching undead, fire-breathing dragons, vindictive gods, or anything else you can imagine!

4. Give Players Opportunities

The GM is the most important person in Gauntlet Tales, but the real excitement comes from the players. Their actions provide that element of uncertainty that makes RPGs so fun to play. It’s your job as the GM to create dramatic opportunities for the players: cliffs that need to be scaled, monsters that need to be slain, and political intrigue that needs to be unraveled.

To the Rules

If You’re a Player…

The players are the main characters of the story. They have the opportunity to venture out into the GM’s exciting world. As the player, you should follow these principles:

1. Create an Exciting Character

Your character is your vessel in Gauntlet Tales. You act through them, so their triumphs are your triumphs; their failures are your failures. Pull out all the stops and build a character you’ll love to play. The more interesting your character, the more enjoyable the game will be for everyone involved.

2. Roleplay

There’s a big difference between playing a character and playing as a character. It’s your responsibility to act and talk in a manner that fits your character. Think the way your character would think. Act the way your character would act. Speak the way your character would speak.

3. Seek Adventure

If Gauntlet Tales were a movie, the camera would follow your character at all times. It wouldn’t be a very exciting movie if you sat around all day twiddling your thumbs. It’s your job to go find adventure so that all of the players in Gauntlet Tales have a good time.

Head over to Character Creation

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