Matt Youngmark
Author Spellmonkeys, Arabella Grimsbro, Chooseomatic Books, Robot the Robot, and more.
Happy book birthday to me
Spellmonkeys book one: Tavern Rats is out today.
(“Spellmonkey” is a derogatory term for magic users, who have a reputation for being the biggest pain in the ass in any adventuring party. The joke is that ideally you could train a monkey to cast Dome of Burning, but until then you just have to deal with some wizard’s bullshit.)
Which brings us to our hero! Frinzil is studying magic at the Sorcery Institute, which is kind of a terrible school. But it’s the only one that would defer tuition for promising students, so what are you gonna do?
Alas, after three years she’s still in school and they’re like, uh, you know you have to pay us eventually, right? And Frinzil’s like OH NO
But! One thing she’s learned from ancient magic tomes is WHERE THE REALLY GOOD TREASURE IS AT. So she heads down to the local tavern to hire a band of seedy adventurers to help her fetch that one big score that will set her up forever.
The adventurers, of course, immediately bail on her and tromp off to nab it for themselves. Which leaves Frinzil with… a bumbling orcish summoner? A fog-headed druid who can barely remember his own name? A completely and utterly terrifying elven witch? …Basically, the absolute dregs of the adventurer’s tavern that no other party would take.
Can Frinzil’s ragtag band of spellmonkeys beat the professionals to the Temple of Unrelenting Evil and get the treasure first? Can they even survive the trip?
Tavern Rats is my love letter to old-school RPGs, and to the new generation of players who’ve discovered the hobby and made it their own. It’s diverse, casually queer, and full of joy (even when the characters themselves are miserable, which, I’m not gonna lie, is kind of a lot).
Not sold yet? Read the first chapter for free!
Otherwise, the paperback is $15 and the ebook is $5 (which means you can literally start reading it like three clicks from now if you are READY TO GO):