Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D is our favorite pillow, and right now, it’s on the cool side.

Tiers of Play have been a part of D&D since the inception of the game but never codified until the 4th edition. The hinting at of your character growing in power and scope from titles, box sets, or just in the purchase of a keep were all there back in the day. So these tiers matter but how do they matter? Ang and Jared take a deep look at that very topic in this episode of Thac0 with Advantage.

The Dungeons & Dragons used to be divided into Dungeons & Dragons and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, and the version of D&D that was introduced in 1983 became known as BECMI, because it was divided into different tiers of play by boxed sets: Basic, Expert, Companion, Masters, and Immortal. Because it makes the highest level you can reach is 36th level, before becoming a god, which was a missed opportunity to make the secret of life available at 42nd level.

• Seth Skorkowsky’s YouTube channel