Grumpy Dungeon Masters

Jay finally wrapped up his Dungeon Crawl Classics Caverns of Thracia campaign. However it ended with a whimper instead of a great bang. Such is the way of things. He also came across a silent RPG, where you don’t talk, but only use your phone to message. Interesting concept that may not be for everybody.

Dan and Christopher dig into more historical facts about Dungeons & Dragons. The strangest may be the fact that the Players Handbook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons didn’t actually teach you how to roll up stats. That was in the Dungeon Masters Guide. Christopher adds on to the weirdness by going through Dragon Magazine issue #3. Finding out there was actually an “Idiot” class is just a small part of the strangeness of the times in that issue.

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Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This week Dan and Kristian managed to head to LUGcon in Atlanta and get to play a few different games. Some of these included Pendragon, Shadowdark, and Call of Chthulhu. It’s usually best to remain ignorant in Call of Cthulhu. What you can’t read can’t hurt you.

Christopher ran his regular “Adventurers League” game this week and it was a wild one. It had badger moles using powerful crossbows and a giant poisonous skull. Not surprisingly many characters didn’t make it through the encounter. Just another day in the life of a Dungeons & Dragons game.

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Grumpy Dungeon Masters have been taking looks at the original Dragon magazines lately. This week is issue #2 and all of the goodies contained within. This includes bits on monks, traps, the Remorhaz, the alchemist class, and making magic items. Also Christopher finds a better way of doing weapon masteries.

The guys also talk a little bit about the Dragon Kings Kickstarter that is on the way. The original team that created Dark Sun are all on board apparently including Troy Dennings, Tim Brown, Brom, Rich Baker, and Bill Slavicsek. This is shaping up to be one heck of an RPG.

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Grumpy Dungeon Masters finally did it. They finally got around to reviewing the Tomb of Gyzaengaxx. A module created by Gooeycube and Luke Gygax. They have been talking about it for months and finally found the opportunity to take a look at it. Despite some of the flaws in the layout the guys still like much of what it’s presenting. An old school module that Gary would be proud of.

The guys also play a game. Who made which version of Szass Tam. Christopher reads off the stats of the lich. One was created by WotC and one was created by Ed Greenwood. Both similar in nature, but different enough to matter. Can the other fellas tell who made which version of it?

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This time the Grumpy Dungeon Masters get a chance to sit down and talk with Eric Menge. He helped produce a lot of the Adventurers League product over the years, runs Mythmakers, and is currently working on Realmsbound with Ed Greenwood. Realmsbound is a project on the DM’s Guild that is expanding on the lore of the Forgotten Realms. All of those wonderful places that are outside of the Sword Coast are finally getting some much needed love!

They also talk about a couple of other projects as well. Expedition from the Mysterious Peaks, a Sci-Fi 5E setting and Ath Cliath for Fate of the Norn, a very detailed city for Vikings during Ragnarok.

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

It’s Labor Day Weekend and Dan and Kristian made their usual trek to DragonCon for a bit of gaming. For those not familiar DragonCon is a cosplay convention in Atlanta every year that also has a gaming section. The guys went to play a game of Pirate Borg and a game of Mutant Crawl Classics and apparently to run into some weirdos.

Jay finally got his long awaited copy of 80’s Adventures. It was a kickstarter that was Dungeons & Dragons 5E, but with a 1980’s flare. It’s full of greedy corporate execs, shopping malls, and every musical and movie reference you can shake a stick at. If you’re a fan of campy 80’s films this setting is for you.

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Your game isn’t Critical Role according to the Grumpy Dungeon Masters. The guys talk about live play RPG’s and how they are different from your home games. While live plays may be entertaining to watch most home games aren’t designed the same way. Not every game has to operate the same way when the real goal is to have fun.

Dan got him a new series of books that detail the entire history of Dungeons & Dragons and boy is it deep. He goes into some details and stories that aren’t common knowledge. If you love learning about the history of this hobby we all love then this is one to listen to.

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This week the Wizards of the Coast dropped another Unearthed Arcana. This time it’s for the Underdark and it included 3 new sub-class options. The Path of Unlight Barbarian, House Agent Rogue, and Imaskarcanist Wizard. The guys spend a while going through the options and sighing a whole lot. Which ones do you think the Grumpy Dungeon Masters actually liked?

They also included in this UA a feat track to become a mind flayer. While playing as a mind flayer isn’t a new thing since 3.5 had it, being able to slowly turn into one and play through the entire process is new. Clearly riding the coat tails of Baldur’s Gate 3, but is that a bad thing? Tune in to find out!

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The title says it all. Christopher has been working on a Dungeons & Dragons tournament for a few months now and he managed to pull it off. Kristian and Dan joined him for a Kingdom of Keshanar tournament at Zenergy gaming this past weekend and have plenty of tales from the tournament. David Hadden of Orthane Productions was kind enough to join in and even run a table for the tournament. Christopher wanted to share some photos from the event so here is a link. Overall the tournament went splendidly and here is looking forward to next years event!

The Grumpy Dungeon Masters took a look at an article put together on Enworld by Morrus, the creator of Level Up 5E. It digs into some of the specifics of how to make a million dollar Kickstarter. Apparently it’s really hard to manage if all you are doing is selling a book. Toss in some dice, pins, plushies, and other goodies and it becomes more attainable.

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

This week the Grumpy Dungeon Masters are slowing it down from all the craziness of the past few weeks. Christopher went to Nerdfest, which is apparently a bunch of nerds playing Dungeons & Dragons at a brewery. Gaming, beer, and food. Sounds like a pretty good time.

Jay brings up the issue of companies selling Kickstarter products at conventions before the backers have received their products. This feels bad for the backers, but it makes business sense for the companies.

Dan takes a look back at a book from 1980 that he just picked up that reviews all manner of wargames at the time. Keep in mind that Dungeons & Dragons was 6 years old. Some of the reviews are interesting and many of the games are ones the Grumpy Dungeon Masters have never heard of. It’s really a look back into the beginnings of our hobby.

Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook or Instagram.

Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!

Be sure to join us every Tuesday and Thursday at 8pm EST on Twitch to watch the Grumpy DMs fail at your favorite Table Top and RPG games. Soon we will be back on Saturday with our D&D Live Play!

Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––