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The Whispering GM: Daily Summaries Delivered
by CWR
Reviews, Rants, and Old School Gaming
Latest Episodes
The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 1 weeks ago28 min
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 - Intro00:29 - Theme00:56 - To Define Realism02:00 - On Mechanical Realism05:14 - Illumination Radius: Falling Into the Realism Trap09:02 - Fidelity and Verisimilitude12:39 - Cinematic Verisimilitude16:30 - A Nod to Tonal Fidelity17:36 - Call In: Ye Olde Jeffe - on the Outdoor Survival Map21:10 - ...: Jeff's Alternative Map Suggestions24:32 - 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)
- Sep 20, 202658 min
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 - Theme00:27 - Call In: Nerd's Variety Jason: Sleep Spell and Moldavian Revisionism04:02 - ...: Player Investment & Community05:45 - Unboxing: Outdoor Survival!40:32 - Benediction: On Mission, Last Reflection56:50 - 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)
- Jul 25, 202658 min
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 - Intro01:05 - The Problem of Engagement02:20 - What is "Emergent Play"?06:53 - Leveraging Player Motivation - not Player Character Motiviation08:58 - Crafting Player Hooks13:47 - Ongoing Engagement17:54 - Counterpoint: Why Play an Adventure Game if you Don't Want to Adventure?20:05 - Pitfalls to Avoid30:35 - Immediate Engagement: Starting Your Campaign38:12 - In Conclusion38:53 - Benediction: Streets of Lima56:09 - Outro57:14 - 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/)
- Jun 27, 202641 min
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 - Intro00:46 - Theme01:09 - 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 Peru28:31 - First Days: Preventive Medicine35:22 - Outro40:08 - 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)
- May 30, 202622 min
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 - Intro00:20 - Theme00:46 - I Don’t Hate It, but I Also Don’t Get It07:55 - Concerns I would Have if Paying for a GM16:24 - How about YOUR experiences?17:15 - Personal Update and Benediction20:48 - Outro
- Mar 7, 202620 min
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 - Intro00:12 - Theme00:40 - What is the Bag of Holding - and where did it come from?03:35 - Why a player would want one07:27 - 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
- Jan 31, 202628 min
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 - Intro00:20 - Theme00:43 - Defining OSR and RPG Tourism02:57 - Who is Not a Tourist05:50 - Are Tourists a Bad Thing?10:36 - The real threat: Transplants12:44 - A Call for Transparency13:42 - Call In: Riley of Diagetic Advancement on Moldvayan Revisionism 16:00 - ... Filling the Gaps in our Knowledge17:54 - ... Keeping the Game Going18:54 - ... Relative Digestibility19:18 - ... Leaking In20:26 - Call In: Hobbs, Himself! On Bronze Age gaming20:50 - ... Blood & Bronze25:24 - Benediction27:00 - 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/)
- Jan 14, 202624 min
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 - Intro00:12 - Theme00:35 - What is Moldvayan Revisionism?05:03 - Revisionism vs. Plugging Holes09:22 - 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)
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