Wandering DMs Season 03

2021 Year in Review | Wandering DMs Season 3 | Wandering DMs S03 E46

Fri, 31 Dec 2021 12:12:00 +0000

As 2021 comes to a close, Dan & Paul reflect on the year that's gone by and the 3rd Season of Wandering DMs. Some our favorites, some of our bombs, and some things we've rethought thanks to our top-shelf brilliant viewers and patrons. Thank you!

Watch the Wandering DMs Season 3 Playlist

Check some of our favorite clips of the season!

Wandering DMs Paul Siegel and Dan “Delta” Collins host thoughtful discussions on D&D and other TTRPGs every week. Comparing the pros and cons of every edition from the 1974 Original D&D little brown books to cutting-edge releases for 5E D&D today, we broadcast live on YouTube and Twitch so we can take viewer questions and comments on the topic of the day. Live every Sunday at 1 PM Eastern time.

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Keith Ammann | MOAR! Monsters Know What They’re Doing | Wandering DMs S03 E45

Thu, 30 Dec 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Dan & Paul chat with special guest Keith Ammann, author of the acclaimed book & blog, The Monsters Know What They're doing, about his upcoming sequel MOAR! We'll get into how Keith has advanced the state of the art for 5E monster tactics, special environments to watch out for, and best to use some old-school monsters in your 5E D&D games.

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Player Narrative Control | Does it Belong in D&D? | Wandering DMs S03 E44

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Paul & Dan discuss the role of Player Narrative Control, and whether it has any place in D&D or not. Does it increase engagement with players in the game, or does it break the sense of role-playing immersion? Does it create an unacceptable burden on players of the game? Is there a difference for new vs. experienced RPG players? And what about other types of player contributions to the campaign?

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Selecting Magic Items | Powerful Possibilities | Wandering DMs S03 E43

Mon, 27 Dec 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Dan & Paul discuss Selecting Magic Items in your D&D campaign: What's the right level? How much is too much? What can you do later if you give the players an overpowered magic item?

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Cursed Items | Treacherous Talismans | Wandering DMs S03 E42

Sun, 26 Dec 2021 12:31:46 +0000

Paul & Dan discuss Cursed Magic Items in a D&D. How often should they appear? How difficult to get rid of them? How has the philosophy changed across the editions? And what benefit do they bring to the game, if any?

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Multi-Party Campaigns | Greater Gaming | Wandering DMs S03 E41

Thu, 25 Nov 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Dan & Paul discuss multi-party campaigns: How can a DM handle more than one play group marauding about a single world? How to handle interactions or conflict between the groups meeting in different places or days? How many is too many? Surely, strict time records must be kept.

Read the original West Marches blog posts by Ben Robbins

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Trading Magic | Markets for Magic | Wandering DMs S03 E40

Thu, 18 Nov 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Dan & Paul share ideas on how magic can be bought, sold, trading, exchanged, and maybe leased in your D&D games. Is it a good idea at all? Can PCs freely sell their hard-earned magic items? Is your DM more relaxed about potions & scrolls, vs. more durable magic goods? Do magic shops exist in your world?

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Playtests | Is the Game any Good? | Wandering DMs S03 E39

Sun, 14 Nov 2021 14:21:38 +0000

Paul & Dan discussing playtesting your new game or adventure design. Is it worthwhile doing it? What amount is valuable? How do you do it? When do you know your game design is done and ready for the public?

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Vampires | The Most Dreaded | Wandering DMs S03 E38

Paul & Dan take an old-school spin on Vampires in D&D games. Why were they considered "the most dreaded" of all the original D&D monsters? What pop traditions influence your vampires the most? How many unique subsystem spun off from their inclusion in the game -- clerics, undead turning, classed monsters, and more? With a lively chat and support from the Wandering DMs crack research squad!

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How to Make D&D Scary! | Dungeons & Dread | Wandering DMs S03 E37

Dan & Paul discuss how best to get your D&D sessions in jump-scare mode for a thrilling October!

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Dungeon Design Dash 1 Part 2 | Traps in No Time | Wandering DMs S03 E36

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Dan & Paul buckle in to complete their one-page live dungeon design with a hard limit in their 2nd hour! This time they're focused on laying a bunch of fiendish traps, tricks, and puzzles to confound the unwary adventurers. What will they come up with? And are the live viewers even more crafty than they are?

See Dan's OED Traps Digest that we use to generate ideas in a jiffy

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Michael Curtis | Stonehell Dungeon | Wandering DMs S03 E35

Dan & Paul get to speak with Michael Curtis -- creator of the acclaimed OSR Stonehell Dungeon, the Dungeon Alphabet, and contributor to over 60 titles in Dungeon Crawl Classics other Goodman Games products. And more: he's just been announced as the brand-new Director of Product Development for DCC. We'll take the opportunity to reflect with him on how Stonehell has passed the test of time, and what's next for the OSR and DCC!

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Dungeon Design Dash 1 Part 1 | Adventure in an Hour | Wandering DMs S03 E34

Wed, 15 Sep 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Dan & Paul set themselves a challenging design goal -- can they build an entire dungeon adventure, live on air, in a single hour? Will they collapse under the burden? Maybe with help from our live viewers they can fight through to final victory!

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Timm Woods | The Green Knight RPG | Wandering DMs S03 E33

Dan interviews Timm Woods -- pro DM, PhD in English literature, and now designer of The Green Knight RPG in association with the movie by A24 Films! We loved the film -- written & directed by David Lowery and starring Dev Patel, perfect for thoughtful fantasy gamers. So we wanted to hear all about what it was like for Timm to synch up with a movie production cycle, what his design motivations were for an RPG welcoming to people who've never played one before, and what experiences from his pro DM'ing were brought to bear. It's a unique interview and perspective!

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Peter Adkison | Gen Con 2021 | Wandering DMs S03 E32

Dan & Paul get to sit with legendary gaming mogul Peter Adkison -- game designer, founder of Wizards of the Coast, rescuer of TSR and Dungeons & Dragons, owner and co-chair of the Gen Con gaming convention, and so much more! We're eager to hear from him about the unique plans around this first-ever Gen Con in September of this year. Plus questions about what it was like to run WOTC, Magic the Gathering, acquire D&D, and design his own RPGs like Primal Order and the 40-year World of Chaldea campaign. This should be big!

Register and follow for Gen Con 2021:

Check out Peter's epic World of Chaldea campaign play:

And watch our past interviews with other great guests mentioned today:

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Mark Greenberg | The New Necropolis | Wandering DMs S03 E31

Dan & Paul are joined by Mark Greenberg from Necromancer Games to chat about the new revision to Necropolis. Based on the original work by the grandmaster himself, Gary Gygax, Necropolis is an epic desert adventure series for 5e D&D and Swords & Wizardry. Previously published by Necromancer Games as a d20 system adventure, it's been entirely updated and revised by Mark, co-author of The World of the Lost Lands by Frog God Games. We've been fans of Necropolis for a long time, and people are literally dying to find out more!

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Shapeshifting | Becoming the Beast | Wandering DMs S03 E30

Polymorphing magic, druidic shapeshifting, and more -- shapechanging is one of the trickiest things in D&D to get right. How has it changed over the years? Is it overpowered, underpowered, or just right? And what's the best way to handle it in your games? Dan & Paul hash it out with help from our viewers.

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Unarmed Combat | Grappling with Fate | Wandering DMs S03 E29

Dan & Paul roll up their sleeves to debate the best use of unarmed combat in your D&D games. Pummeling, grappling, overbearing and more -- how often does this get used in your games? What's your favorite style? What's the best way of handling it from all the editions of D&D? Queensbury Rules and other variants welcome.

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Peter Bebergal | On Appendix N | Wandering DMs S03 E28

Paul & Dan are joined by Peter Bebergal, author of the amazing anthology Appendix N: the Eldritch Roots of Dungeons & Dragons! We loved this book, and we're looking forward to a deep dive into Peter's knowledge of the texts, why he picked the stories he did for inclusion, and why other ones got left out. Featuring short stories from fantasy writers like Lovecraft, Howard, Vance, Anderson, Carter, Smith, Moorcock, Campbell, and more. Discover some new stuff you didn't know you loved!

Get Peter's Appendix N Anthology

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Julian Bernick & Bob Brinkman | DCC Dying Earth | Wandering DMs S03 E27

Dan & Paul are joined by Goodman Games' Julian Bernick and Bob Brinkman -- to talk about their upcoming magnum opus for the DCC Dying Earth game! D&D wouldn't be a thing without Jack Vance's Dying Earth, and Dungeon Crawl Classics has long crushed it with old-school gaming, so we couldn't be more excited by their new Kickstarter. With joint work by Julian, Bob, Marc Bruner, Michael Curtis, Doug Kovacs, Erol Otus, and more… get your Overworld-Eyes on and check out the magnificence!

Join the DCC dying Earth Kickstarter here!

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Content Generators | Intelligent Design | Wandering DMs S03 E26

Wed, 14 Jul 2021 12:12:00 +0000

Dan, Paul, and our viewers hold a round-table to discuss our favorite procedural-content-generators to save time for the burdened DM. Books, tables, and programs that create characters, monsters, encounters, treasures, dungeons, caves, cities, countries, and whole worlds -- we've got it all!

Check out some of the products & web tools we highlighted:

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Bards | Playing a Different Tune | Wandering DMs S03 E25

Dan & Paul investigate the history of Bards throughout the editions of D&D. Did you know that in 1st Edition Bards were considered the apex predator, the peak of powergamers dreams? What level of strength is appropriate in the game? How did that idea inspire Prestige Classes in the 3E/d20 System/Pathfinder? And what bits from real history have yet to be delved into?

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Jim Davis & Jonathan Pruitt | Web DM: Weird Wastelands | Wandering DMs S03 E24

Paul & Dan are excited to be joined by Jim Davis and Jonathan Pruitt, co-hosts and co-creators of Web DM! Where we'll get the chat all about their new book -- Worlds of Web DM: Weird Wastelands, a location-based toolkit that gives the DM a trove of ideas to play games in places adversely affected by magical forces. Their new Kickstarter has smashed its goal and beginning tiers on just the first day. Join us of we delve into more secrets of the wastelands!

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James Maliszewski | Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Wandering DMs S03 E23

Dan & Paul are joined by famed OSR Grognardia blogger James Maliszewski, to talk about mixing Science Fiction in your Fantasy. An expert in both classic D&D and M.A.R. Barker's Tekumel (Empire of the Petal Throne), we can't wait to hear James' best-practice experience, advice, and what he has planned for upcoming campaign releases. Is it even true not long ago fantasy & science weren't considered separate genres?

And read Dan's blog on Lovecraft as the Root of Appendix N

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Art of D&D | Vol. 2: The 80’s | Wandering DMs S03 E22

Dan is joined once again by Brooklyn-based artist Isabelle Garbani for another chapter in their ongoing exploration of the history of art in Dungeons & Dragons. It's sure to be another discussion full of surprises: a study in contrasts between Dan, who's drenched in the works of his lifelong study, and Isabelle, who brings a top-trained artist's eye to the work for the very first time. Featuring the 1980's work of Larry Elmore, Clyde Caldwell, Keith Parkinson, and more.

View Käthe Kollwitz at MoMA

Visit Isabelle's art website here

And watch Isabelle play in the Book of War series

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Matt Finch | Old School Prevails | Wandering DMs S03 E21

Dan & Paul are joined by special guest Matt Finch: Creator of the award-winning Swords & Wizardry retroclone of OD&D, author of the Quick Primer for Old School Gaming, designer of lots of adventures, founding partner and Creative Director for Frog God Games. What's Uncle Matt up to right now? We'll ask him about how his perspective towards old-school has evolved in a decade on from the OSR, and a year spent online.

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Thieves Guilds | Organizing Crime | Wandering DMs S03 E20

Paul & Dan have a thoughtful conversation on Thieves' Guilds in D&D and other RPGs: Does one prominently feature in your campaign? Does it exclude the non-thief players? Is it a better engine for group adventures, or solo play? And: was it ever a thing in the real world?

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Satine Phoenix & Jamison Stone | Sirens: Battle of the Bards | Wandering DMs S03 E19

Paul & Dan are joined by special guests Satine Phoenix & Jamison Stone, co-creators of the upcoming product from Apotheosis Studios, Sirens: Battle of the Bards -- an epic 300-page campaign for 5E D&D, featuring a revolution in a fantasy city led by artists and bards! What led Satine & Jamison to that bold concept? What new rules expansions is she bringing to Bards in 5E? And how's that Kickstarter going?

Join the Sirens: Battle of the Bards Kickstarter! -- https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/stonejamison/sirens-battle-of-the-bards?ref=3joxsb Follow Satine on Twitter -- https://twitter.com/satinephoenix Follow Jamison on Twitter -- https://twitter.com/StoneJamison And watch Satine's Twitch channel -- https://www.twitch.tv/satinephoenix Check out the Apotheosis Studios website -- https://apotheosisstudios.com/

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Fighter Sweep Attacks | Combat Dominance | Wandering DMs S03 E18

Paul & Dan discuss the old rule in Original and 1st Edition D&D where Fighters get as many attacks per turn as their level vs. low-level opponents. What classic fiction inspired this rule? Is it a good idea, and should we bring it back today? And since the books never give it a name, what in tarnation should we all call it?!

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Tim Kask | Editing Original D&D | Wandering DMs S03 E17

Dan & Paul are joined by special guest Tim Kask (really!): Game designer, editor of the Original Dungeons & Dragons Supplements (including works by Gygax and Arneson), inaugural editor of Dragon Magazine, YouTuber, wargamer, and so much more! We'll bend his ear for insights into Original D&D, the challenges in polishing it for the market, and his thoughts on gaming today. Don't miss this one!

Subscribe to Tim's YouTube channel here -- https://www.youtube.com/user/kaskoid Watch Tim's explanation of the "Wheel of Blame" game format -- https://youtu.be/ecdeBrXYum8 Then watch Tim play a princess in the Excellents (with Peter Adkison, Stefan Pokorny, and Mike Pondsmith) -- https://youtu.be/GUvvSOPa2_M And see our prior interview with Adriel Wilson, designer of the Excellents -- https://youtu.be/Sy6gTKBGG_Q

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Prepping Modules | Learning the Script | Wandering DMs S03 E16

What notes do you make when preparing to run a published module? Do you find it's necessary for every adventure you run, or do you manage to avoid it most of the time? What format of adventure publication works best to reduce advance note-taking? Do you like more text or less? Dan and Paul share and debate our differing opinions, with the help of our viewers.

Watch the Wandering DMs play Dyson's Delve (24 hours of live gaming) here!

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50 Years of Chainmail | More Medieval Miniatures | Wandering DMs S03 E15

It's the 50th anniversary of the Chainmail game being published; miniature combat for medieval armies by Gary Gygax & Jeff Perren. With a little appendix known as the "Fantasy Supplement" including rules for elves, dwarves, wizards, and dragons that players went nuts for and spawned a little thing called Dungeon & Dragons. Does it stand the test of time? What bits do we still use to inform our D&D games today, and what parts are better left behind and replaced?

Get the original Chainmail miniature rules at DriveThruRPG!

Watch Paul Stormberg's video on the history of Chainmail -- https://youtu.be/82b059ydfko Get Dan's Book of War game -- http://www.oedgames.com/ Get Paul's ODD Encounters skirmish rules -- https://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/2020/03/book-of-war-skirmish-rules-odd.html

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Jennell Jaquays | Judges Guild and Beyond | Wandering DMs S03 E14

Dan & Paul are joined by long-time RPG design star Jennell Jaquays for a special interview. We plan to get some inside information on her creation of the legendary Dark Tower and Caverns of Thracia D&D adventures for Judges Guild (two of our favorite scenarios ever). Plus design, artwork, and illustrations over the years for TSR, Chaosium, West End Games, ICE, GDW. And video game work on titles like Donkey Kong, Age of Empires, Quake, and more. As well as a packed-full pipeline of upcoming new stuff for 5E D&D!

Check out some of Jennell's adventure products we discussed: The Dragon's Secret -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247579/The-Dragons-Secret-Dungeons-of-Doom-edition Quack Keep -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/247210/Quack-Keep Talons of Night -- https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/17138/M5-Talons-of-Night-Basic Judges' Guild Collector's Edition -- https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/devillich/judges-guild-deluxe-collectors-edition

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Roads and Highways | Wandering DMs S03 E13

Dan & Paul discuss the state of the Roads and Highways in our D&D campaign worlds. The original editions of D&D didn't give any specific rules for them, and all adventuring was presumed to be in untracked wilderness. But most of our PCs travel seem to be on the major thoroughfares between cities. What's the best way to fill in that gap?

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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How is D&D Good For You? | Wandering DMs S03 E12

Inspired by our discussion last week with writer Ethan Gilsdorf, Dan and and Paul continue the thread: Are there benefits to playing D&D for other parts of your life, other than just a fun pastime? We have strong opinions on this one. But do they agree?

Be sure to watch our friend Ethen Gilsdorf's TEDx Talk on the same subject, too.

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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Ethan Gilsdorf | Fantasy Freaks & Gaming Geeks | Wandering DMs S03 E11

Dan & Paul are visited by special guest Ethan Gilsdorf -- Journalist, memoirist, essayist, critic, poet, and teacher. Author of the seminal book, "Fantasy Freaks and Gaming Geeks", documenting a year of traveling and speaking with the people involved with D&D, TTRPGs, LARPs, comic conventions, Renaissance fairs, and more. Featured on NPR, The Discovery Channel, PBS, CBC, BBC, Mortified, and in the documentary Revenge of the Geeks. And much more!

We'll ask him: How has D&D and gaming culture exploded in the decade since "Freaks" was published, in ways that none of us could have imagined? Has the rise of online play and visibility changed everything forever? And more question from our viewers in live chat!

Visit Ethan's website -- http://www.ethangilsdorf.com
Follow Ethan on Twitter -- https://twitter.com/ethanfreak
Watch Ethan's documentary videos -- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0IW6ldnGAgXgshIsB2c1sF2viMsYy5FD
View Ethan's TEDx talk, "Why Dungeons & Dragons is Good for You (In Real Life)" -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PaHJqpQnyw&t=745s
Read a synopsis and first chapter of "Fantasy Freaks & Gaming Geeks" -- http://www.ethangilsdorf.com/synopsis

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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Luke Gygax | Ethereal Gary Con XIII | Wandering DMs S03 E10

Luke Gygax joins Dan & Paul to talk about the upcoming Gary Con XIII in a few weeks, the rise and transition to online gaming in the last year, writing and running tournament adventures, gaming with his father, and a whole lot more. Plus a little friendly gloating gloating over the drubbing he gave Dan in The Big Bad Season 1. And more surprises!

Get involved with Gary Con XIII -- play.garycon.com Follow Luke's channel on Twitch -- https://www.twitch.tv/garycongaxmoor

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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Jonathan Tweet | The Evolution of Games | Wandering DMs S03 E09

Dan & Paul are joined by special guest Jonathan Tweet! The lead designer on D&D 3E and principal author of the 3E Player's Handbook. Lead designer of the early 2000's D&D Chainmail Miniatures wargame. Designer of EVERWAY and co-designer on the revolutionary RPGs Ars Magica and 13th Age. Author of books and games teaching the science of evolution to preschoolers. And he has a new Kickstarter for the Everway RPG Silver Anniversary Edition. We've got so much to ask him about!

Follow Jonathan on Twitter – https://twitter.com/JonathanMTweet Visit Jonathan’s science-for-kids website – http://www.grandmotherfish.com Support the Everway Anniversary Kickstarter – https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jessemcgatha/everway-roleplaying-game

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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Should You Read the DMG? | Different Ways to Learn D&D | Wandering DMs S03 E08

Can you learn to play and run D&D by reading the Dungeon Masters' Guide? Should you? Is it a good read, or a bad one? Was it ever different in the past? What other resources are as good, or better? Dan & Paul have markedly different opinions on this one.

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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Eat, Plague, Love | A Pandemic Valentine | Wandering DMs S03 E07

A Valentine's Day special: Dan is joined by Brooklyn food artist Isabelle Garbani to talk about food and surviving a plague in the Middle Ages. Gather your loved ones close for this one. Where are those disease tables?

Thy Links, As Thou Wishest:

"Introduction to the Decameron" by Rivka Galchen -- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/07/07/magazine/what-is-the-decameron.html "What We Eat During a Plague" by Michael Snyder -- https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/16/t-magazine/eating-food-during-plague.html Decameron on the Web at Brown University -- https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/the_project/

The Forme of Cury: A Roll of Ancient English Cookery Compiled, about A.D. 1390 -- http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8102 Le viandier de Taillevent by Taillevent (in French) -- http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/26567 Sur les routes du Pays Cathare (making bread with ancient grains, in French) -- https://youtu.be/ix21SPhGGl0?t=551

D&D Art (1974-1980) with Dan & Isabelle -- https://youtu.be/bFJOuDtvZnQ Food in D&D (WDMs' White Gold Cookie recipe) -- https://youtu.be/AmOyCwEwyG4 Isabelle's Cow and Covid19 channel (pandemic & puppets) -- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Wi6XhseT4RcxkeQoEBKGw

Thanks to viewer Jerry McDonnell for the title to this episode -- https://twitter.com/jdmcdonnell

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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Jon Peterson | The Elusive Shift | Wandering DMs S03 E06

Dan & Paul get to chat with Jon Peterson, eminent historian of D&D and other TTRPGs. We've loved his earlier work, Playing at the World, to death -- and now we get to chat up his newest book, The Elusive Shift: How Role-Playing Games Forged Their Identity! We explore his key observation that RPGs combined threads from two sometimes-combative camps of wargames vs. fantasy storytelling. (A lot like we have on the Wandering DMs channel itself!) What was the first game to model story dynamics instead of real-world physics? (We were shocked at how early that was!) And how have shifts in the culture transformed our games, and vice-versa?

Visit dScryb, purveyors of finely crafted boxed text, and use code WANDERING at checkout to save 10%! – https://dscryb.com/wandering

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Player Expenses | Where Does the Gold Go? | Wandering DMs S03 E05

Paul, Dan, and our live viewers discuss player-character expenses in D&D. A fool and his money are soon parted, but exactly how? What mixture of expenses is right for the DM to make the game balanced and rewarding? We discuss purchasing equipment, potions & scrolls, hiring specialists, big-ticket items like ships, general upkeep, major construction and carousing! Plus some other stuff from the first edition of the game you may have never heard about -- but should try!

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Griffith M. Morgan III | Secrets of Blackmoor | Wandering DMs S03 E04

Dan & Paul get to chat with Griffith M. Morgan III, Writer and Directors of the Secrets of Blackmoor film -- documenting Griff's 6-year epic series of investigations and interviews with all the personalities around the Twin Cities gaming scene, Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign, and the earliest inception of TTRPGs as we know it. We get to hear Griff's ultimate takeaways from how things were done in the earliest days, thoughts about how D&D changed as a commercial product, looseness and customization of the DM playstyle, and evolutions over the years. Celebrating the 50 anniversary of Arneson inventing Blackmoor and dungeon-crawling RPGs!

Visit the Secrets of Blackmoor website for blogs & updates on release of the film -- https://www.secretsofblackmoor.com/

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Critical Hits | Points of Contention | Wandering DMs S03 E03

Dan & Paul discuss Critical Hits in D&D and other TTRPGs: Where did they come from, how many styles and experiments have we seen over the years, what are our current preferences? (We don't agree on everything!) Did the original creators see that as an essential part of the system or not? What about the wargame tradition? Should there be a distinction between hit-locations versus extra-damage? Are criticals against PCs worse than against NPCs? What kinds of mechanics remain to be explored?

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Rosters & Records | Physical vs. Virtual | Wandering DMs S03 E01

Paul & Dan discuss the pros & cons of keeping your rosters, records, PC sheets, spells, and rules in a physical-vs-virtual format. In the online gaming era: do you still keep your physical books, or have you transitioned everything into a digital format? What about handouts, illustrations, and player maps? Are some thing better in the online format, other things better with physical copies? And what about paying for digital assets?

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Barbarians | Do You Rage? | Wandering DMs S03 E01

Barbarians in D&D: are they the new Fighter? Where pulp or literary traditions do they come from, and when did they first appear in the game? Have they always been the same as, or different from, Berserkers? Does it make sense that they were once restricted to Humans only?

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