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Some people use the word vanilla to mean “plain,” but real vanilla is anything but: it’s rich, layered, and  beautifully exotic. And…somehow it’s also completely familiar and comforting — we all know exactly what to expect from it every time we try it.

That’s what we wanted this adventure to feel like.

The Vanilla Adventure is classic fantasy at its purest: approachable on the surface, yet full of depth once you dig in. A foundation you can build on, savor, and return to again and again and again….

This is the kind of adventure that reminds you why you fell in love with tabletop gaming in the first place. It’s familiar and refreshing, but also so much more: classically timeless, delightfully flavorful, and always satisfying.

Just like vanilla.

Check out what people have to say about it:

“Any Knight Owl Publishing book gets my attention as a matter of course. The creative streak of Ahimsa and Wind seems endless, so I was very excited to flip (virtually) through the new, expanded edition of The Vanilla Adventure. It achieves the delicate combination of guiding you through the OSR style of play while never being bland or predictable. There are many adventures for beginner GMs, but most fall into the trap of tropes and stereotypes, and not in a good way. If you’re coming from modern D&D and want to graduate to something more open, powerful, and wild, you need to pick this up.” — Frank Reding, Mottokrosh Machinations

“The Vanilla Adventure is going to be something I recommend to fresh and new GMs (as well as experienced game moderators) quite a lot! It’s clever, helpful, refreshing, and an excellent distillation of a very common branch of game running into a delightfully fun and engaging read! I like it so much, I’m jealous I didn’t write it!” —Alan Bahr, Gallant Knight Games

“Old-school and contemporary fantasy RPGs aren’t just different in terms of their rules; they expect very different approaches to play. But a lot of great old-school adventures sort of presume that the players already understand this. Vanilla Adventure is an introduction to this style of play in the form of a place with problems rather than a linear narrative, a setting filled with exploration, investigation, diplomacy and action in a familiar fantasy context. It’s full of helpful tips for players and GMs trying out this style of play.” — James Holloway, Monster Man podcast

“I thought I was returning to a place I knew — I was pleasantly surprised someone else moved in. Someone familiar, someone I recognized, but someone in a new hat. I loved the Vanilla Adventure the first time, and was happy to revisit it. That said it’s been built out significantly (complementary) — positioning itself as both an entry to the craft and a place for beginners both player and GM to play.  Excited to return. (And the dragon attack mechanism is still good, may you all bathed in flame!)” — Sean Richer, Orbital Intelligence

“I really dig the goth-looking orcs!” — Skullfungus, map drawer