The Whispering GM

-- 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

-- 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