Show Notes
Dan & Paul chat about level titles in early D&D. Did you know in the earliest editions of D&D (original, 1E, B/X), that every class level had a distinct title? You weren't just a 4th-level fighter, you were officially a "Hero". Were these titles diagetic (known by characters in-game), or were they purely a metagame tool for players? Did they have any effect on game play? And why did they disappear along with Gary Gygax in the 1980's? The answers may surprise you!
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.