TinyZine

TinyZine Issue 29
Written by Colin Chapman, Lucus Palosaari, & Steffie de Vaan
Editor: Alan Bahr
Interior Art: Nicolás R. Giacondino, Andrew Wolf, & Chris Yarbrough.
Cartography: Dyson Logo
Graphic Design & Layout: Robert Denton III
TinyD6 Line Manager : Alan Bahr
Based on the game Tiny Dungeon by Brandon McFadden
Second Edition

Published by Gallant Knight Games, 2019

Tiny Dungeon 2e and TinyD6 are trademarks of Gallant Knight Games.

©2020 by Gallant Knight Games. All rights reserved. Reproduction without
the written permission of the publisher is expressly forbidden, except for
the purposes of reviews, and for the blank character sheets, which may be
reproduced for personal use only.

Gallant Knight Games, Ogden UT 84404

2
 Letter from
the Editor
Hail Loyal Gallants!
Welcome to the twenty-ninth issue of TinyZine, and the ninth
of 2020. Since we last came to you, the world has gotten crazier
(somehow) and life has changed! But some things remain the
same and part of that is the excellent submissions and writing that
is from our TinyZine contributors!
Fan favorite columnist Steffie de Vaan delivers an excellent
tavern, the Quiet Margose, suitable for Tiny Dungeon 2e (and in
this editor’s opinion, Tiny Taverns as well.)
New contributor Lucus Palosaari sets us forth on a
swashbuckling adventure for Tiny Pirates: The Lord Captain’s Trap!
Our ever-regular and esteemed Colin Chapman continues the
excellent work found in last months’ Signature Sorceries with this
month’s Artful Artefacts!
- Alan Bahr
PS: As always, we’d also be remiss if we didn’t inform you of
our Gallant Knight Games Patreon, where you can get access
to previews, TinyZines, special Patron only dice, and free GKG
RPGs! Please, feel free to check it out.
www.patreon.com/gallantknightgames.com

The art in this TinyZine is graciously funded by our Patrons.

3
 Quiet Margose
Quiet Margose Tavern

Tavern
A setting locale for Tiny Dungeons 2E
Steffie de Vaan
Margose is a legendary adventurer who rose from humble
beginnings as a pirate queen to the actual Queen of Sahell, until
she got bored running a kingdom. Now she runs a tavern where
she doles out advice to, and occasionally tutors, the next generation
of adventurers. The tavern is filled with souvenirs of Margose’s life
and, some say, still hides her substantial treasure horde.
You can use this setting locale with Tiny
Taverns. I also provided several prompts
that you can read to your players when
they enter an area - let them answer and
take it from there.

1 Entrance
While the tavern has several entrances, this
is the one people commonly use. Margose’s
crown hangs above the entrance, secured
with insoluble glue made from Dagon
Beast. As the crown was an heirloom
of the royal family of Sahell, Margose
taking it caused quite a stir and there’s a
sizable reward for its return.
Prompt: Ah, Quiet Margose’s! When
did you last visit, and why is Margose
fond of you?

4
Quiet Margose Tavern

2 Common Room
The common room is always packed with adventuring troupes
trading maps, weapons, magic items and loot between them. There’s
a traditional ‘heroes wanted’ bulletin board next to the entrance,
listing everything from dragon-slaying services to quick pick-up
jobs. Mysterious cloaked figures offer jobs needing more discretion.
Prompt: List three jobs from the bulletin board - one easy, one hard,
and one challenging but doable. Do any appeal to you? (As GM: roll 1d3
to decide which of the jobs is a trap set by a lich to snatch adventurers.)

5
 The tavern’s tables come in a variety of sizes to accommodate
Quiet Margose Tavern

everyone from Karhu to Goblins. The long tables where

adventurers trade stories are by far the most popular seats in the
house, and generally ‘reserved’ for adventurers of some renown.
Prompt: A rival adventurer sits at the long table. How do you
know them, and why are you two frenemies?
The common room has a stage to the South wall, and it’s always
open mic night at the Quiet Margose. Talented adventurers can
make a pretty penny performing for the rambunctious crowd.
Prompt: The bard on stage is singing about your exploits! What
adventure does the bard sing of, and how do they get it wrong?

3 Bar
Margose works the bar most nights, though she hired a goblin
to help busy nights. Bael, the goblin, uses various stepping stools
to compensate for the difference in height between themselves
and the taller Margose.
Prompt: You and Bael know each other from a job gone disastrously
wrong. What was the job and why is it one of Bael’s best memories?
Prompt: The person sitting at the bar next to you surreptitiously
slips you a note. What does it read?

4 Kitchen
Hedra works the kitchen, where she makes traditional dwarven
meals. She uses the open oven to cook her signature flatbread,
not entirely coincidentally letting the delicious smell fill the
common room to boost sales. Hedra claims she’s a princess of
the Dwarven kingdom of Underhall, though she’s nowhere in
line for the throne.
Prompt: Hedra always makes your grandmother’s sweet breadcake
when you visit. How did she get the recipe?

6
 5 Terrace
Quiet Margose Tavern

Quiet Margose’s has an outdoor seating area. There’s no service

here - adventurers order at the bar and carry their own plates and
drinks outside. Margose makes an exception for Treefolk, who
find the tavern’s roof too low for comfort.
Prompt: You overhear a table of five talk about Margose’s treasure. One
of them claims it’s hidden under the stage. Why do you know that isn’t true?

6 Backroom
Margose and Hedra sleep in a small backroom that serves as both
a living area and store room. Margose’s twin axes are mounted
on the wall, conveniently within reach, and Hedra still keeps her
spellbook handy. Apart from fending off the occasional brigands
though, the pair enjoys their quiet tavern life.
Prompt: One of the knick knacks on the bookshelf is a souvenir
from an adventure you and Margose had. What’s the object, and how
did you two snatch victory from the jaws of defeat?

7 Deliveries
Margose keeps her horse Horse in the deliveries area. Despite
never properly naming him, and Horse getting too old for any
kind of work, she can’t bring herself to part with the trusty Bay.
To make sure Horse doesn’t get lonely, Margose occasionally lets
adventurers pasture their horses in the field outside the tavern.
Prompt: Margose boarded up this area to protect Horse, as an
unknown predator is attacking livestock. You recognize the tracks the
animal left and it’s no ordinary hunter. What manner of creature is
it, and where did you encounter it before?

7
 Characters
Quiet Margose Tavern

Margose
Despite the nomer, ‘Quiet Margose’ is rarely quiet and no one is
really sure how she got the nickname. Margose says, sometimes
jokingly and other times quite earnest, it’s because she’s a silent
killer. Belief: I’m retired. Traits: Bow Mastery, Light Melee
Proficiency (Mastered axes), Armor Master, Barfighter, Dual
Wielder, Educated, Lucky, Sneaky. Hit Points: 6 (without armor).
New Trait: Dual Wielder
You may wield two light melee weapons and use both with one Attack Action.
Roll your first attack normally, and the second at Disadvantage. If you choose to
attack for both your Actions, only one benefits from Dual Wielder.

Hedra
Hedra is a Dwarven princess, twelfth in line to the throne of
Underhall. Just last year she was number twenty-four, but the royal
family suffered a series of mysterious accidents. This development
greatly worries Hedra, who under no circumstances wants to die
or ascend the throne. Belief: Thrones are overrated. Traits: Dark
Vision, Light Melee Proficiency (Mastered the quarterstaff ),
Barfighter, Educated, Resolute, Spell Reader. Hit Points: 8.

Bael
Bael is a hard worker, having learned early on there’s often more coin
in selling drinks to adventurers than being an adventurer. It’s also far
less dangerous. Bael wants a stake in the tavern, but needs something
other than money to persuade Margose. Belief: There’s always an
angle. Traits: Goblin Agility, Ranged Proficiency (Mastered daggers),
Barfighter, Charismatic, Insightful. Hit Points: 4.

Horse
Horse comes from a proud lineage of Horse Kings of the Plains, not
that anyone ever asks. Bay colored. Likes apples. Belief: I protect
Margose. Traits: Crushing Blow, Fleet of Foot, Tough. Hit Points: 10.

8
 The Lord Captain’s
Trap
By Lucus Palosaari

Synopsis
The Lord Captain’s Trap

A ruthless, glory-seeking Captain of His Britannic Royal Navy in

the West Indies has devised a clever new trap to draw in would-
be-pirates to capture them and drag them back to the Execution
Dock on the Thames in London.

Introduction
The War of the Spanish Succession has ended and many sailors
have been released into the world with skills at warfare but little
in the way of “honest work.” Turning to piracy comes naturally
to many and so the governments turn to their militaries to hunt
for pirates.
Among them is Englishman Sir William Heastead. Known to
his men as “The Lord Captain,” both because by birth a noble
from some undistinguished lineage back home in England, but
also because of his love for the tales of knights of old. He seeks
to earn fame and glory to rival his idols Sir Francis Drake and Sir
Henry Morgan, and acts as if he were some self-styled Knight of
the Round Table or one of Charlemagne’s paladins.
But in the modern day of 1717, the West Indies are not what
they once were and no place for those who idolize the Nine
Worthies. The most likely avenue Sir Heastead can find now to
glory is to capture a pirate of some infamy to drag back to the
Execution Dock on the Thames. And so the Lord Captain and
his “Knights” have come up with a cunning plan to capture pirates.
Following the design of the HMS Kingfisher that counters pirate
attacks in the Mediterranean, Captain Heastead has outfit his

9
 warship, the HMS Silver Hart, to masquerade as a merchantman
with cannons hidden behind false bulkheads and various other
means of changing her appearance. He also has a fast moving
barque, the HMS Dragonfly, that has similar modifications for
disguise and carries guns beyond its norm.
The two ships choose a location at sea that is frequented by
pirates, fly false flags to hide that they are ships of the Royal Navy,
and set men in crow’s nest to sight the horizon while they seem
The Lord Captain’s Trap

to be engaged in a normal meeting of ships to exchange goods or

news. At first sighting of a potential pirate, the Silver Hart will
“surrender” while the Dragonfly makes to seemingly escape. In the
era, most pirates would fly a proper Jolly Roger or similar jack to
signal to ships their intention to attack, and if surrender was not
obvious, a red flag was then flown to declare war.
The Lord Captain’s plan is that the pirates will choose the
larger and seemingly more richly cargoed Silver Hart and ignore
the smaller, lighter Dragonfly. As the pirates close to capture the
Hart, the Dragonfly circles about
to catch them as they close to
board. The Hart herself if able
will also suddenly reveal her
guns and unleash a broadside
before closing to board. The
Lord Captain afterall intends to
capture as many pirates as he can
to drag back to London. Capture
of an infamous pirate of the day
like Edward “Blackbeard” Teach
or Bartholomew “Black Bart”
Roberts would certainly bring
Sir Heastead the glory he desires,
but he’ll settle for the player’s
pirate characters for now.

10
 Getting Players Involved
The lead into the first scene should be easy — have them come
upon the two ships. This scenario works best if the characters have
captured a few ships previously and so are not especially “suspect”
of this specific set up.
D6 Nationality
Scene 1: Sails Ho! 1 Dutch
The Lord Captain’s Trap

The pirates sight two ships on 2 Portuguese

the horizon seemingly meeting, 3 French
a larger merchant vessel and a 4 Spanish merchant
smaller barque. Use the table 5 English
below to determine what
6 Spanish treasure ship
nationalities the ships seem to
be flying, or choose the best for
your game. Ideally the characters have overtaken ships before and
nothing about this specific encounter should be unusual to them.
As the pirates raise their jack and set a course, the Dragonfly
breaks off, clearly attempting to flee, while the Hart appears to be
surrendering. If using Ship Combat rules, the pirates can be treated
as fighting the Dragonfly for the Weather Gage and similar rolls,
but the larger ship is treated as effectively a stationary point that
the pirates can still move toward even as the Dragonfly Flees.
HMS Silver Hart — Hull 25 (Copper Plating: Sink +2),
Sails 4 (Cotton), Crew 16 (Triple Hammocks, All 7 Expert
Officers), Cannon 9 (Hidden Design). Hidden Design Cannon
Modification: Cannon cannot be seen unless deployed. It takes 1
action to deploy cannons.
The Dragonfly is hoping the larger prize of the stationary Silver
Hart will be taken as bait and once the pirates have lost interest in
chasing them, they will move out to Distant or further and then
come about. If someone declares they are tracking the Dragonfly,
they may make a Test to realize the ship has come about and is
lining up an attack with its chasers.

11
 HMS Dragonfly — Hull 13 (Lead Plating: Sink +1), Sails
7 (Silk), Crew 7 (Double Hammocks, All 7 Expert Officers),
Cannon 5 (Chasers).
As the Hart is stationary, the pirates will need to slow as they
come in for boarding. Upon reaching Near or closer to the Hart,
the Dragonfly will charge in from outside (no Weather Gage
or similar roll needed if the pirates are unaware, though the
Dragonfly will only get one attack action on them on that turn
The Lord Captain’s Trap

of combat). If the pirates draw to within Close or closer to the

Hart, the Lord Captain will use their two actions that turn to
first deploy their cannons, then open fire on the pirates. On the
next turn they will close to board and sharpshoot if able. Pirates
that wish to break off from boarding may attempt to do so, in
which case they need to begin Ship Combat with two ships at
once (making two separate sets of rolls).
The Dragonfly will never choose to draw to boarding unless
forced, they instead patrol the area and try to prevent other ships
from intervening or escaping. If the Lord Captain surrenders,
the Dragonfly will flee.

Scene 2: Boarding
If the Hart and pirates begin Boarding Actions, you can use normal
ship combat rules if you choose to resolve the combat. Alternately,
you can have the battle devolve into a more intense melee between
crews, with the Lord Captain and his seven Knights (his officers)
targeting the characters. If the pirates need to battle standard crew,
use the Men-at-Arms stats below.
Knights/Officers — HP: 6 (High) — Description: Officers
of His Royal Navy dressed in uniform to perfection even in the
heat of battle; the Lord Captain’s “Knights” have a fanatical belief
in their Captain that is palpable. — Traits: Diehard • Role Specific
Trait: Each Knight has a Role on the ship and gains the associated
Trait (ex. the Pilot has the Control trait, the Ship’s Doctor has
Health trait) and can use it if applicable, especially in ship combat.

12
 Men-at-Arms/Sailors — HP: 3 (Medium) — Description:
Sailors of His Royal Navy, The Lord Captain keep the men in
fighting form and proper dress. — Traits: Choose one: Acrobatic,
Barfighter, or Brawler.

Scene 3: Dueling Captains

At the point either ship has lost half its crew, Sir Heastead will
call out to the Pirate Captain and offer to duel for the fate of
The Lord Captain’s Trap

all the men that still live. An accomplished duelist, and armed
with a wicked family heirloom medieval arming sword instead of
the standard officer’s sword, the Lord Captain will even “agree to
terms” before competing in a duel. For instance, if he is winning
he will release all non-officers (everyone but the player’s characters
basically) at the next port, taking only the pirate captain and his
officers back to London for trial. Alternately, if he is losing, he’ll
offer to surrender his ship and men peacefully to ransom.
We recommend using the optional dueling rules for this fight.
Captain Sir William “The Lord Captain” Heastead — HP:
9 (Heroic) – Description: The very model of a modern Major-
Admiral — Traits: Opportunist • Vigilant • Captain (Role) —
Command: When you give orders during a ship combat and your
Knights follow your orders their dice succeed on a 4-6.

Aftermath & Further Adventures

If captured and sold, the Silver Hart is worth 10 gold due to unique
designs. The Dragonfly, if captured and sold, is worth 6 gold due
to modifications. Each ship has minimum Supplies for their crew
and no Cargo. They do have an excess of cannons and shot though.
Depending upon how things play out, but especially if the Lord
Captain “survives” the encounter to be ransomed or just merely to
escape, he can make an excellent future foil to the characters. His
sense of duty to the Royal Navy and his desire for glory can easily
be played into a larger “revenge” story arc.

13
 ARTFUL
ARTEFACTS
By Colin Chapman
Typically, a great deal of attention is given to the mechanics of
how magical items work in a game. The actual appearance of them
can be something of an afterthought, often falling back on devices
that glow or are engraved with impressive runes. This robs magical
items of a great deal of potential uniqueness and desirability.
This article provides useful random tables of materials and
ARTFUL ARTEFACTS

evocative effect descriptions tied with the schools of magical

discipline that typify Tiny Dungeon. Just say “No!” to mundane
magic!
When creating a magical item, decide on which discipline it is
most likely to be associated with, if desired. You can then roll for or
choose an appropriate material it is composed of or incorporates
as well as an appropriate special effect. If a magical item is more
generic or doesn’t really fit one of the disciplines, you should use
the General Magic entries.
Of course, all of these are suggestions and should provide
inspiration for your own ideas too.
Example of creation: Jo is creating a magical treasure for the
next adventure she is running, a glove that provides the ability
to heal with a touch. She decides that this is clearly within the
purview of Emerald Magic. She rolls first to see what material it
will feature in part or whole, getting 1: Amber. She then rolls to
see what kind of special effect it features, getting 4: Living vines
grow around it, occasionally blossoming. She decides that it is
a supple buckskin leather glove with a large polished amber on
the back of the hand, this entwined in a living cage of tiny vines
and flowers.

14
 ONYX MAGIC
Associations: Damaging energies, force, protection
D6 Material
1 Basalt
2 Blackened steel
3 Hematite
4 Jet
5 Obsidian
6 Onyx

D6 Special Effect
1 Dark wispy tendrils emanate from and coil around it
ARTFUL ARTEFACTS

2 It can be held but never truly touched, as if surrounded by

the slimmest of force fields
3 It feels unusually heavy, dense, and tough and is never
marred by damage
4 Reality visibly bends around it when it is used, like it is
being pushed away
5 Roiling darkness can be seen beneath its surfaces
6 Small fragile items often crack or break in its presence

CRYSTAL MAGIC
Associations: Communication, emotions, thoughts, feelings, time
D6 Material
1 Alexandrite
2 Colored Quartz
3 Colored Topaz
4 Diaspore
5 Opal
6 Rutilated Quartz

15
 D6 Special Effect
1 Deep within it, a crystalline brain or heart pulses with traces
of lightning
2 It emanates faint emotions based on its frequency of use
and the intent of its creation, being happiest when used
regularly as originally intended
3 It goes through a constant cycle of aging each day,
appearing newly forged before displaying the wear and
ravages of time and use
4 Its appearance reflects the user’s mood, changing as that does
5 Periodically, small things close to the item momentarily
freeze as if briefly stopped in time
6 The user’s words appear on its surface as spoken, in an
ARTFUL ARTEFACTS

elaborately-penned script

EMERALD MAGIC
Associations: Life-force, earth, growth, plants
D6 Material
1 Amber
2 Bloodstone
3 Emerald
4 Exotic Wood, e.g. ebony, purpleheart
5 Jade
6 Petrified Wood

D6 Special Effect
1 Deep fissures criss-cross it like stone
2 It grows and changes subtly but noticeably over time
3 It sheds leaves or petals as it is used
4 Living vines grow around it, occasionally blossoming
5 Veins of pulsing life-force, amber, green, or red, run through it
6 Small plants such as flowers move and watch the item as
it passes

16
 DIAMOND MAGIC
Associations: Cold, ice, blizzards
D6 Material
1 Clear Quartz
2 Diamond
3 Larimar
4 Moonstone
5 Permanent Ice (Ice that never melts)
6 Selenite

D6 Special Effect
1 A cold wind whips around the user when they wield it
ARTFUL ARTEFACTS

2 Intricate traceries of frost crystals constantly coat it

3 It always feels cold to the touch
4 It gives off sounds like ice cracking, groaning, or tinkling
when wielded
5 Snowflakes drift around it when used
6 The user’s breath always plumes in the air as if it is cold

RUBY MAGIC
Associations: Fire, volcanoes, mystic birds
D6 Material
1 Cinnabar
2 Copper
3 Firebird Feather
4 Fire Opal
5 Garnet
6 Ruby

17
 D6 Special Effect
1 Coils of smoke emanate from it
2 Lava appears to flow within it
3 Heatless flames lick around it
when wielded
4 It constantly drops small traces
of ash
5 It is always hot to the touch
6 Sometimes flaming feathers
drift from it, burning up in
moments

SAPPHIRE MAGIC
ARTFUL ARTEFACTS

Associations: Water, salt, iron, sea creatures

D6 Material
1 Coral
2 Driftwood
3 Iron
4 Pearl
5 Sapphire
6 Shell

D6 Special Effect
1 A thick, elaborate pattern of rust grows across it
2 Barnacles and other small sea creatures live upon it
3 Fish are seen swimming within its depths
4 It constantly sheds small drops of saltwater
5 Salt crystals form a constant thin crust over it
6 Waves roll and crash beneath its surface

18
 GENERAL MAGIC
Associations: Everything else
D6 Material
1 Bone/Ivory
2 Bronze
3 Exotic Hide, e.g.
dragonscale, snakeskin
4 Exotic Gemstone, e.g.
labradorite, lapis lazuli
5 Impossible Material, e.g.
solid moonbeam, woven
ARTFUL ARTEFACTS

clouds
6 Precious Metal, e.g.
electrum, gold, silver

D6 Special Effect
1 Colored lightning dances across its surface
2 Drifting motes of colored light surround it
3 Glowing, intricate runs adorn it, these morphing to
reflect the user’s name and deeds
4 It briefly leaves a blurring arc of shadow, light, rainbow, or
after-images when it is moved
5 It changes it appearance to match the personality and
current dress of its user
6 It gives off a dramatic or melodic sound when used

19