The Whispering GM

-- Description --

Outdoor Survival was the inspiration behind the original default wilderness of Dungeons & Dragons. In this episode - I finally broke down and bought an original, walking through the gameplay, the game modes, and bits and pieces about the game that can have a positive influence on your home campaign.

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

(https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/)

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

(https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast)

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠(https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Theme

00:27 - Call In: Nerd's Variety Jason: Sleep Spell and Moldavian Revisionism

04:02 - ...: Player Investment & Community

05:45 - Unboxing: Outdoor Survival!

40:32 - Benediction: On Mission, Last Reflection

56:50 - Outro

-- Links --

* Jason (Nerd's Variety RPG Podcast): (https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/jason376/)

* The AP in which I Messed Up with Sleep: (https://youtu.be/tPy02qi5mTE)

* Mazes in the Mountains: (https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2022/12/mazes-in-mountains-hex-exploration-as.html)

-- Description --

An emergent narrative game can be beautiful - with players choosing their own motivations, with the characters planning and executing their own ambition, and with the dice deciding the outcomes. But an emergent table is a cultivated experience: one not everyone has figured out how to manage - and not one in which everyone has been able to play!

What is the problem blocking a table from an emergent game style - and what can you do to fix it?

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

(https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/)

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

(https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast)

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠(https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

01:05 - The Problem of Engagement

02:20 - What is "Emergent Play"?

06:53 - Leveraging Player Motivation - not Player Character Motiviation

08:58 - Crafting Player Hooks

13:47 - Ongoing Engagement

17:54 - Counterpoint: Why Play an Adventure Game if you Don't Want to Adventure?

20:05 - Pitfalls to Avoid

30:35 - Immediate Engagement: Starting Your Campaign

38:12 - In Conclusion

38:53 - Benediction: Streets of Lima

56:09 - Outro

57:14 - Theme

-- Links --

* Nobleshield on X: (https://x.com/Nobleshield/status/2076759240283435166)

* Don't Fudge the Dice (In Defense of the Screen):

- YouTube: (https://youtu.be/vSyPOM-qw3E?si=BUCTfOlvra0-dZOR)

- Spotify: (https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ulS8YKmSqQFjrT3KWEgaR)

* Purple Druid (Wargame Culture):

- Substack: (https://substack.com/@wargameculture)

- YouTube: (https://www.youtube.com/@WargameCulture)

* Best Diablo: (https://www.gog.com/en/game/diablo)

* Treasure Planet: (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133240/)

-- Description --

How large is a dungeon in Dungeons & Dragons? How large should it be? And - when referencing old-school dungeon-delving play: at what point does the dungeon become a Mega-Dungeon?

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

(https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/)

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

(https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast)

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠(https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:46 - Theme

01:09 - What is a "Dungeon" and how big should it be?

08:22 - How Big should a Mega-Dungeon be?

12:36 - The Role of "Maintaining Freshness"

15:59 - What is the Difference between Dungeon and Mega-Dungeon?

17:40 - But you mentioned Lairs.

22:47 - What do You think?

24:14 - Benediction: Aug Goes to Peru

28:31 - First Days: Preventive Medicine

35:22 - Outro

40:08 - Theme

-- Links --

* Stonehell: (https://www.lulu.com/search?contributor=Michael+Curtis)

* Greyhawk Ruins: (https://rpggeek.com/rpgitem/49110/greyhawk-ruins)

* Castle Zagyg: (https://trolllord.com/product/castles-crusades-castle-zagyg-yggsburgh-classic-reprint/)

* Tegel Manor: (https://www.froggodgames.com/products/36357)

-- Description --

Paid Game Mastering: brilliant? Foolish? Or just ... odd: a peculiarity of our times.

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

(https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/)

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

(https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast)

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠(https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Theme

00:46 - I Don’t Hate It, but I Also Don’t Get It

07:55 - Concerns I would Have if Paying for a GM

16:24 - How about YOUR experiences?

17:15 - Personal Update and Benediction

20:48 - Outro

-- Description --

The Bag of Holding: a classic staple of D&D, a common article sought after by parties on far-afield parties, and a short circuit around one of the core elements of the game: management of inventory and encumbrance. But is it actually a bad item - or have we, as referees, simply been including it wrong?

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

(https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/)

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

(https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast)

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠(https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:12 - Theme

00:40 - What is the Bag of Holding - and where did it come from?

03:35 - Why a player would want one

07:27 - What's wrong with the Bag of Holding?

11:55 - But where does the Bag of Holding belong in the game?

17:30 - Benediction and Theme

-- Description --

Tourists in the OSR ecosystem: who are they, why are they here, and is it really appropriate to use the term "Tourist" as an insult?

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

(https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/)

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

(https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast)

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠(https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:20 - Theme

00:43 - Defining OSR and RPG Tourism

02:57 - Who is Not a Tourist

05:50 - Are Tourists a Bad Thing?

10:36 - The real threat: Transplants

12:44 - A Call for Transparency

13:42 - Call In: Riley of Diagetic Advancement on Moldvayan Revisionism

16:00 - ... Filling the Gaps in our Knowledge

17:54 - ... Keeping the Game Going

18:54 - ... Relative Digestibility

19:18 - ... Leaking In

20:26 - Call In: Hobbs, Himself! On Bronze Age gaming

20:50 - ... Blood & Bronze

25:24 - Benediction

27:00 - Outro and Theme

-- Links --

Diagetic Advancement: (https://open.spotify.com/show/35GgOCNa3LyucnrDdw0sbv)Jason "Dulcet Tones" Hobbs: - Twitch: (https://m.twitch.tv/hobbs665/home) - Hobbs & Friends: (https://hobbsnfriends.com/) - Random Screed: (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/random-screed/id1328949901)Blood and Bronze: (https://bloodandbronze.com/)

-- Description --

Moldvayan Revisionism: one of the most damaging poxes and plagues of the modern OSR!

But not really. ;-)

In this episode, I speak to the propensity of B/X to fungate outwards into other games, how it can impact your experience and social media, and weigh whether or not it's a negative force on the hobby.

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

(https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/)

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

(https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast)

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠(https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:12 - Theme

00:35 - What is Moldvayan Revisionism?

05:03 - Revisionism vs. Plugging Holes

09:22 - Where did it Come From? Where can it be found?

16:32 - Is Moldvayan Revisionism actually a bad thing?

20:06 - No Call-Ins This Episode :-(

22:23 - Benediction and Outro

-- Links --

* Ray Otus - Plundergrounds (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/plundergrounds/id1436755110)

* Gary on Prime Requisite: (https://www.enworld.org/threads/q-a-with-gary-gygax.22566/page-814#post-3776101)

-- Description --

DragonRaid was an attempt to connect with RPG enthusiasts and to use that connection to educate and increase their faith. What did it do right? What did it do wrong? What can we do - as Christian gamers - to ensure our tables are authentic both to the game, itself, and to our identities in Christ?

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

⁠https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/⁠

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast⁠

...or join the conversation on Spotify for Podcasters:

⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-whispering-gm/message⁠

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Theme

00:22 - Mirke the Meek - DragonRaid?!?

02:35 - What is DragonRaid?

07:27 - Does (or Did) DragonRaid Succeed or Fail?

16:50 - Will I be playing DragonRaid? (Spoiler: No.)

20:52 - Does Losing Diminish God?

26:19 - Gratitude and Direction

29:33 - Benediction and Theme

-- Links --

* Mirke the Meek Podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/3C2sM7eSEd6uZoyXlLc0Yo

Itch.IO: https://mirkethemeek.itch.io/

* Ode to '74: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/10/ode-to-74.html

* Chubby Funster, Cognitive Load: https://youtu.be/M7h0VaWM3fM

-- Description --

Product Review: Flipping & Turning Magazine, No 5: Nautical gaming for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, 1st Edition, or other OSR-compatible system, in the age of (or spirit of the age of) sail.

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

⁠https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/⁠

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast⁠

...or join the conversation on Spotify for Podcasters:

⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-whispering-gm/message⁠

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:23 - Theme

00:45 - Art and Authorship

04:44 - New Rules

12:01 - Articles and Coupons

15:49 - Adventure Scenarios

20:39 - Availability and Apology

27:27 - Benediction & Outro

-- Links --

• Smoldering Dung Games Website: https://www.smolderingdunggames.com/
• Amazon Back Catalog: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CY2GH54B?binding=paperback&ref=dbs_dp_rwt_sb_pc_tpbk

• GrogTalk Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/grogtalk
• GrogCon Podcast Official: https://www.grogcon.com/podcast/
• GrogTalk Discord: https://discord.gg/AfXtmjn
• Pulsipher Games: https://www.pulsipher.net/

-- Description --

Continuing discussions of the Bronze Age from a gaming perspective. What some of its strengths are and how it fits into an OSR experience.

Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog:

⁠https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/⁠

Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a voicemail on SpeakPipe:

⁠https://www.speakpipe.com/WhisperingGMPodcast⁠

...or join the conversation on Spotify for Podcasters:

⁠https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-whispering-gm/message⁠

...or come hang out with all of us on Discord:

⁠https://discord.gg/kQnrK4YCCn

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:41 - Theme

01:01 - Ben Gibson of Coldlight Press: the Bronze Age as the Perfect D&D Setting

06:12 - PizzaReady: Mazes and Minotaurs

09:23 - ... Malazan as a Modern Fantasy Western

12:04 - ... Mixed Technology Levels among Civilizations

15:31 - ... Civilization as a New Thing rather than Ancient and Forgotten

17:49 - ... On Law and Chaos

20:50 - Benediction

23:30 - Outro

-- Links --

* Coldlight Press: https://coldlightrpgpress.weebly.com/

- Adventure Site Contest: https://coldlightrpgpress.weebly.com/home/adventure-site-contest-winners

- Drive Thru RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/11446/Coldlight-Press

* Clark Ashton Smith

- Zothique Review: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2023/07/n-spiration-zothique-final-cycle.html

- On Eldritch Dark: http://www.eldritchdark.com/writings/short-stories/

* Mazes & Minotaurs: http://mazesandminotaurs.free.fr/revised.html

* The 13th Warrior: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_13th_Warrior

* Ricky Pope: https://open.spotify.com/show/1FuApkccHeoQtAqbYyQl97

* Storytelling Ron: https://www.youtube.com/@StorytellingRon