Show Notes
Paul and Dan review all the different editions of the D&D XP advancement tables for player characters, and assess which was best. Is it better to have tables customized for each class, or one universal table for all? Should there be an easy-to-recall formula behind them, or careful customization at each level step? Which classes outstrip the others? And were XP points ever really a good idea in the first place?
Watch our prior episode on XP awards from Season 2
More from Wandering DMs
Dan & Paul look back to our favorite covers in classic D&D modules. What makes for a great cover? How well do they balance the tension between showing the most exciting content versus giving away too much of the surprise? Do covers matter in the online streaming environment today?
Paul and Dan chat about Fatigue rules in D&D and other RPG's. It was a key part of the Chainmail progenitor to D&D, and also an important mechanic in modern 5E rules. But it was absent or overlooked in classic rulesets like AD&D and B/X. Doesn't movement and encumbrance make sense without it? Is it too exhausting to track? Or is there some better way?
Dan and Paul talk about mapping the dungeon: how does the DM communicate an unknown physical space to the players as they explore it?
Paul and Dan chat about the history of poison mechanics in D&D. Is the classic save-or-die a realistic model, or does it make for lousy gaming? Should we distinguish between ingestible poisons versus animal venoms? Should your PCs have access to poisons, or should they be gatekept by alignment or class categories? We'll figure out the best way to handle them!
Dan and Paul dive into the practical problem of keeping notes and records for long-running D&D campaigns.