The Whispering GM

-- Description --

Bronze Age Adventure! Literature, history, and other reasons why antiquity is a good time to set your campaign - followed by some call ins!

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

00:46 - Theme

01:07 - Bronze & Mud

02:58 - Appendix N: Classical Antiquity

07:50 - High Level Games & History Books

12:19 - Heroism in the Bronze Age

17:58 - Misconceptions: Bronze-Core, not Mud

22:02 - And That's About All I Have to Say About That

23:01 - Call In: Nerd's Variety Jason - Chainmail Bikinis: Mechanically

29:23 - Call In: M. W. Lewis - East Tennessee

32:05 - ...M. W.'s Flip DN Screen

32:33 - ...Player Trust & a Quality Table

36:01 - ...On Loincloth Barbarians

37:20 - Outro

-- Links --

* Masters & Treasure Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/monsters-and-treasure/id1659703332

* Nerd's Variety Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376

* Worlds of M. W. Lewis: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mwlewis

- City of Kingsport: https://www.kingsporttn.gov/

- Foldy DM Screen: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0006HWLFE?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

-- Description --

Does your campaign look like a Frazetta painting?

Why not?!

Make bikinis armor again: an exposé on the cultural reasoning behind playing a character who doesn't wear armor, but does like to get stuck in!

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

Thumbnail generated on https://www.craiyon.com

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:40 - Theme

01:00 - Historical Loincloth Barbarians

06:42 - The Bikini Armor Esthetic

08:26 - The Item Dependence Problem

11:01 - An Evolving Appendix N

18:51 - Whispers Concludes

20:29 - Call In: Bos - On Scaling

24:51 - Call In: Jason - GM Screens

26:21 - Call In: "Highway Star" M. W. Lewis - Kitchen Sink of Topics

37:35 - Outro

-- Links --

MagicMan Meme - https://x.com/ejemek3/status/1818690382344962537

Down in a Heap - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/down-in-a-heap/id1446315881

Greek Marine Panoply Study - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/soldiers-put-an-ancient-greek-suit-of-armor-to-the-test-and-it-passed-180984411/

Bos at Border Baronies - https://borderbaronies.bearblog.dev/

Nerd's Variety Podcast - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376

Worlds of M. W. Lewis - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mwlewis

-- Description --

The Dungeon Master Screen: do you use one? I do - but some other folks don't: why would they eschew this time-tested tool and why I think DM screens are great.

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

00:08 - Theme

00:28 - The Dungeon Master Screen

01:19 - A Case Against: Transparency in Dice Rolls

02:18 - Some Rolls Should Be Secret

06:06 - What about the RAW?

08:19 - Rolling in the Open: A Guard against Fudge

09:18 - The ACTUAL Point of the DM Screen

13:04 - The Best of Both Worlds

13:40 - Some Secrecy is Good for the Players

15:07 - But What about Low Prep / No Prep?

17:25 - Call in: Red Dice Diaries John - Scheming Players & Fudging Dice

19:54 - Call In: Diagetic Advancement Riley - Active Defense

23:24 - ...A Final Word on Ghouls

24:08 - ...LBB-ified Thief vs Greyhawk Thief

25:32 - Ghouls! What constitutes a Touch?

26:43 - Why Specify a Wand of Paralysis?

29:20 - Where did Con-Based Resurrection Survival Come From?

30:52 - What actually IS Ghoul paralysis?

32:15 - Thank You, Callers, Listeners, and Other Interacters

32:45 - Outro

-- Links --

Aug's Entirely Too Long Custom Screen: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/2024/01/0e-reference-sheets.html

Confessions of a High Prep GM:

- Spotify: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-whispering-gm/episodes/Confessions-of-a-High-Prep-GM-e2dr5lp

- YouTube: https://youtu.be/3omIW4201EQ

Red Dice Diaries: https://reddicediaries.bearblog.dev/

Diagetic Advancement: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement

Wight Box: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/473031/wight-box-original-medieval-fantasy-adventure-campaigns

-- Description --

Listeners call in to talk about time - some podcast friends call in and talk about timekeeping in their games as well as timekeeping in their lives: figuring out when to fit in the hobby and figuring out how to make the most of it while we're there; most in response to 1:1 Turn Tracking.

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

00:30 - Daniel Norton, Bandit's Keep: Solo Gaming

01:17 - Encouragement from Whispers for Busy Gamers

05:35 - Daniel: Traps Attacking

06:48 - ...Magical Traps

08:30 - ...Mundane Traps

10:10 - ...Ability Scores and Traps

12:23 - Audio Quality Note

12:44 - Riley: On Timing Combat Rounds

13:58 - ...On Players Feeling Targeted

16:30 - ...But Isn't Turn Timing Adversarial Refereeing?

21:23 - Evil Jeff: What Kind of Game do you Want to Run?

27:12 - John Large: Time Tracking and Shadowdark

29:28 - ...On Life Getting in the Way: West Marches and Solo Games

30:43 - ...On Keeping Up with Podcasting

32:02 - Signing Off and Audio Retro

32:37 - Outro

-- Links --

1:1 Turn Tracking - Original Episode: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-whispering-gm/episodes/11-Turn-Tracking-e2k7r2k

Bandit's Keep:

- Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-norton

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BanditsKeep

- YouTube Actual Play: https://www.youtube.com/@BanditsKeepActualPlay

Diagetic Advancement: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement

Evil Jeff: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eviljeff

Red Dice Diaries: https://reddicediaries.bearblog.dev/

Spike Pit: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/spikepit

-- Description --

Follow up episode - additional insights and answers, as pertaining to Ghouls and Ghoul Paralysis: less dangerous (or more?) than you think.

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 thumbnail was generated using Craiyon.com (http://craiyon.com/)

-- Show Notes --

00:00 - Intro

00:52 - Theme?

01:22 - Call In: D.A. Riley

06:12 - Call In: Pink Phantom

27:29 - ODD74 Perspective

30:59 - Call In: Daniel Norton

36:45 - But What Did Wight Box Say?

39:09 - Outro

-- Links --

Wight Box: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/473031/wight-box-original-medieval-fantasy-adventure-campaigns

Diagetic Advancement: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement

Pink Phantom:

- Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/phantomthoughts

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThePinkPhantom

Mr Wargaming AD&D Mass Combat: https://youtu.be/9OD484CsTBI

ODD74 Thread: https://odd74.proboards.com/thread/462/ghoul-paralysis?page=2

Bandit's Keep:

- Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-norton

- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BanditsKeep

- YouTube Actual Play: https://www.youtube.com/@BanditsKeepActualPlay

-- Description --

I had the distinct privilege over Father's Day weekend to meet up with Lungfungus - author of Actual Dungeon Mastering and the Melancholies & Mirth blog - to have a beer and chat about gaming until my wife dragged me home.

Wash of topics - keep delving!

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

01:02 - Theme

01:22 - Lunch with Lungfungus

01:40 - The Implications of Presenting a Map in VTT

05:06 - Tabletop Simulator for Chainmail

07:08 - Purple Prose in Text Game Prep

07:22 - Text vs Voice Experience with VTTs

09:43 - How's Been Gamin? (Wild West OD&D)

13:00 - The Wild West, Hex Crawling, and Challenging the Mapper

17:17 - On Being Lost and the Horizon

18:52 - Touch Grass; DM Better!

20:00 - Sight Lines

22:52 - Briefly Bloviating about Beer

23:31 - Flat Earth Elves

25:37 - Lost as Impeded rather than Lost as Lost

29:47 - Hex Maps as Mazes

34:11 - Influencing the Amount of Communication

36:21 - Granularity of Weather: Engaging with the Material Reality

38:30 - Where are the Hinges?

42:33 - Player Skill and Asking Questions: Diverse Application of Common Articles

44:26 - Reputation: How Fast does News Travel?

45:57 - Great Lakes Scale

46:38 - Random Castles, Random Lairs, & PVP Chainmail

48:00 - Incorporating Hex Characteristics as Resources to Manage

50:29 - Thank You, Lungfungus!

51:43 - Outro

-- Links --

Melancholies and Mirth - https://melancholiesandmirth.blogspot.com/

OSR Simulacrum - https://osrsimulacrum.blogspot.com/

Gucci Fuligan Cloak

- https://guccifuligincloak.blogspot.com/

- https://www.youtube.com/@gfcsdnd205

Luke Gearing - https://lukegearing.blot.im/

-- Description --

Do you time your players' actions in combat? You should! And here are three reasons why - from my table to yours, direct through the earbuds.

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 - 1:1 Turn Tracking

00:22 - Intro

00:45 - How long is a turn?

02:01 - Basic Method: Counting Seconds

05:32 - Eliminates Hesitation: Keeps Things Moving

09:38 - Helps Participation: Keeps Players Paying Attention

13:49 - Helps Immersion: Feels Chaotic

17:10 - Conclusion and Call-Out

20:26 - Outro

-- Links --

Immersion:

Spotify - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/clerics-wear-ringmail/episodes/Immersion-e1jqhfr

YouTube - https://youtu.be/L8ajqIMJPbA

-- Description --

Ghouls - the iconic paralyzers and low-level party enders: capable of wrecking shop even on a mid level party! Or... are they? I revisit the rules as worded and cross reference them to concepts in Chainmail, revealing that in 0e, at least - Ghouls might not have been as powerful as they would, in later editions, become.

Then, some call-ins regarding adversarial play (among which is a great example of adversarial play from Daniel over at Bandit's Keep) and a concept (new, to me) of treating traps like monsters - at least where THAC0 is concerned.

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 - Ghouls: Not as Scary as you Think

00:18 - Theme

00:39 - Ghouls in the Little Brown Books

02:09 - "Normal" Figures

03:46 - Wights in Chainmail

06:18 - An Introduction to Moldvayan Revisionism

07:51 - Save vs Paralysis in the Text

09:13 - What About Withstand Adversity?

14:22 - Call In: Nerd's Variety Jason - Reliability

17:28 - Call In: Nerd's Variety Jason - Traps as Monsters

19:19 - Traps as Monsters of HD Equal to Dungeon Level

21:08 - Call In: DA Riley - Episodes, Life, and Listening

23:34 - Call In: Bandit's Keep Daniel - A Tale of Adversarial Play

30:23 - Call In: Bob - Enjoying the Surprise of a Plotting Player

33:08 - Outro

-- Links --

The Basic Expert: https://www.youtube.com/@TheBasicExpert

Wight Box: https://preview.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/473031/WightBox-Original-Medieval-Fantasy-Adventure-Campaigns

Nerd's Variety Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376

Nerd's Variety Blog: https://nerdsrpgvarietycast.com/

Diegetic Advancement: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement/

Bandit's Keep:

- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-norton

- https://www.youtube.com/@BanditsKeep

- https://www.youtube.com/@BanditsKeepActualPlay

Bos' Bear Blog: https://borderbaronies.bearblog.dev/

-- Description --

Call in show - listeners debate the fine points of adversarial play, as well as toss in some tokens for how prep influences their games - or vice versa: how their games have influenced their prep. Then - at the end - a quick promised health and sanity update from me for folks who were listening and concerned as of last time around.

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

00:21 - Jason: Feedback on Classic Adventure Gaming

04:38 - Jason: On Adversarial Gaming

11:32 - Riley: Conspiratorial Players

18:14 - Mirke the Meek: Adversarial Play and Representing the Table

24:22 - Karl: Evolution of Your Campaign

28:22 - Riley: Regarding Prep and Story Games

31:36 - Mirke: Experiences with Prep

36:46 - Personal and Health Update

48:56 - Outro

-- Links --

Nerd's Variety Jason - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376

Evil Jeff - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eviljeff

Jason Hobbs - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason-hobbs

Riley - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/diegeticadvancement

Mirke - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mirke-the-meek

Karl - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/karl-rodriguez

-- Description --

Talking about prepping for your game. How much is too much? How much is too little? And how much can you learn from the mistakes of someone who has gone entirely off the deep end before?

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 - Prepper's Anonymous

00:09 - Theme

00:39 - On Campaign Prep

02:51 - Advocating for Zero Prep

05:15 - Why Then do I Prep?

12:18 - The Dangers of Too Much Prep

16:40 - Prep According to your Play

17:35 - Side Note on the Joy of Prep

21:58 - At the End of the Day...

22:24 - Outro & Theme

-- Links --

Just Three Hexes: https://chgowiz-games.blogspot.com/2017/11/just-three-hexes-campaign-starters.html