The Whispering GM

CWR
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Reviews, Rants, and Old School Gaming

  1. 3d ago

    Cinematic Verisimilitude

    -- Description -- How real is real enough? Speaking to realism in an OSR gaming table: what it represents, how it gets there, and finding the perfect sweet spot where believability meets playability. 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 00:29 - Theme 00:56 - To Define Realism 02:00 - On Mechanical Realism 05:14 - Illumination Radius: Falling Into the Realism Trap 09:02 - Fidelity and Verisimilitude 12:39 - Cinematic Verisimilitude 16:30 - A Nod to Tonal Fidelity 17:36 - Call In: Ye Olde Jeffe - on the Outdoor Survival Map 21:10 - ...: Jeff's Alternative Map Suggestions 24:32 - What do you think? 25:12 - Benediction & Outro -- Links -- * Old Warlock - Torch Test: (https://youtu.be/QwwHrmjuPsA) * BuddyScott Entertainment Group: (https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/19971/buddyscott-entertainment-group) * Outdoor Survival Extension Maps: (https://idraluna-archives.itch.io/outdoor-survival-remix) * Ares number 11 - Albion: (https://www.abebooks.com/Ares-Magazine-11-Albion-Land-Faerie/31116233978/bd) * Ares number 14 - Omega Wars: (https://www.abebooks.com/SPI-Ares-%2314-Omega-Game-Illustrated/31683211133/bd) * Strategy & Tactics #76 - China War: (https://www.abebooks.com/first-edition/Strategy-Tactics-Magazine-Conflict-Simulation-Issue/31847699552/bd) * Strategy & Tactics #135 - German East Africa: (https://shop.strategyandtacticspress.com/ProductDetails.php?ProductCode=ST135) * SPI - War of the Ring: (https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/2228/war-of-the-ring)

    Cinematic Verisimilitude

  2. Sep 20

    Unboxing Outdoor Survival

    -- 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)

    Unboxing Outdoor Survival

  3. Jul 25

    Emergent Play and Hooking your Players

    -- 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/)

    Emergent Play and Hooking your Players

  4. Jun 27

    Lairs, Dungeons, and Mega-Dungeons

    -- 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)

    Lairs, Dungeons, and Mega-Dungeons

  5. May 30

    Paid Game Mastering

    -- 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

    Paid Game Mastering

  6. Mar 7

    Bags of Holding

    -- 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

    Bags of Holding

  7. Jan 31

    OSR Tourists

    -- 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/)

    OSR Tourists

  8. Jan 14

    Moldvayan Revisionism

    -- 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)

    Moldvayan Revisionism
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About

Reviews, Rants, and Old School Gaming

Information

  • Creator
    CWR
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2026
  • Episodes
    93
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © CWR
  • Show Website
    The Whispering GM