Dungeon Guides

And now for the class with the skills to pay the bills... rogues! Always the TTRPG specialist, the rogue class brings mastery of disguise, stealth, infiltration, sabotage, and technology into the mix with the swords, fireballs, and healing spells. No worthy dungeoneering troupe is without at least one of these skill monkeys. Far from the old days of the sketchy lone wolf always separating from the...

Definitely a finalist for most divisive RPG element, alignment typically evokes powerful feelings about what really is a simple descriptor for something which occurs off-sheet; and that being how a character has been behaving in-world. It is the view of these guides that most of the trouble surrounding this topic is due to misunderstanding its intention and uses.

This episode marks a full year of weekly Dungeon Guides releases, and the culmination of our first goal of providing weekly conversation regarding TTRPG's, our favorite hobby! We wrap up 2024 with a rundown of how our RPG lives played out for us, what new discoveries we'd made, and a look at what we hope to get into in 2025. Thank you for listening and supporting the show, and we look fo...

What is more festive than a holiday/RPG crossover? We typically find ourselves doing all we can to divorce real-world knowledge from in-world fantasy, but sometimes it's fun to break the 4th wall with a wrecking ball, the Kool-Aid Man, and a bucket full of bad puns. Not only are one-shots a great way to have some frivolous, temporary fun.. They are even more ridiculous and slappy when you inc...

Though our focus tends to be on the sword-and-sorcery style of RPG's, we certainly express our approach as to be relating to the systems and settings most commonly known about when it comes to TTRPG's, without intended exclusion of other settings. In this episode we vamp and riff about what it feels like to us when we play in a modern setting, as opposed to more archaic and historically-...

Does death have to be the end? Do you frown upon the utilization of your deceased? Does the undying hunger for human brains result in far too many homicidal YOLO moments? You might want to consider the ramifications of undeath! Good, bad, or indifferent.. we poke at animated dead things with our sticks and talk about what we think makes them tick.

Just like any other game or competitive activity, TTRPGs can be vulnerable to cheating. And in a situation where you have a moderator or umpire who is responsible for upholding fairness, it's not without exposure to inauthentic or false adjudication. What constitutes cheating, and how does that happen in TTRPGs? How do we see players going about it? What happens if the GM cheats, or is that e...

Are druids just hippie clerics with a penchant for furry cosplay, or are they secretive practitioners of pagan or macabre rituals? Not everything in nature lives in harmony, and the druid doesn't have to be handcuffed to being a guardian of the natural order. Walk with us down the road of the tropey-est of pigeon-holed classes as we chew the fat on the druid class, and the notion of druids th...

In the first entry of our "Nature Bros" class examinations we take a look at the ranger. A class that draws upon historical tropes, don't knock the capabilities you have in loosing a volley of interesting characters. We'll string together hot takes and compound them into an episode we hope you feel hits the target. So gather your sinew, your feathers, and that broken sword your...

On the surface, playing a TTRPG seems to involve a lot of fighting monsters, bandits, and warlords. Those who have played enough know that sometimes your fellow PCs fall under your crosshairs. Plenty of us have wished for a humbling crit upon an antagonistic, thieving, or boorish comrade by some foul monster, but there comes a time when one must take matters into their own hands. We sit at a table...

I always love finding a cool potion more than another magic shield or returning dagger. Much in the way that firearms make all beings tall, potions are a way for anyone to access the wonderful and awesome power of magic. A great way to add some variety to your loot placement, potions and alchemical products serve a variety of purposes for advancing the story or simply providing a variety of capabi...

Our final installment on the "how not to GM" list of rules given out by some jackass who clearly has some form of personality issues or disorder. The insights we have on how this person presents themselves and deals with problems can be applied to life in general, not just TTRPGs. Consider the approach this person has, and look elsewhere in your life where you might be interacting with t...

In the next couple of episodes will be our hot takes on a list of rules that a very angry and aggressive GM gave out to players joining their campaign. It doesn't take long to realize that this list is a perfect "How NOT to GM" exercise. Strap in, put your helmet on, and get ready to ride an abusive rollercoaster built by what is clearly a horrible person.

In the next couple of episodes will be our hot takes on a list of rules that a very angry and aggressive GM gave out to players joining their campaign. It doesn't take long to realize that this list is a perfect "How NOT to GM" exercise. Strap in, put your helmet on, and get ready to ride an abusive rollercoaster built by what is clearly a horrible person.

Monsters who tower above, or can swallow hole in one bite.. Those who breathe fire, or can petrify with a gaze.. Those who petrify with a gaze, or appear as harmless objects.. What are they, compared to those who are the thing of your darkest dreams; your deepest fears? Horrible things you cannot reach.. Cannot defend against.. Cannot hope to confront alone... These are the true monsters, the stuf...

In the first of a series of character examinations, we introduce one of our Player Characters. We'll talk a bit about the ideas around the character's concept, the setting, and a brief summary of Osmand's first few levels. This is one of our favorite campaigns, which we attribute a great deal of our enjoyment to favoring intrigue/Roleplay over combat. Many character traits and abili...

You're a wiz, kid! Only the best and brightest might be a candidate for wizardry, as being a mage is one of the greatest aspirations available to mortals. However often it is restricted or elusive, the pursuit of magic and knowledge is a fundamental goal and function of the other of what we consider to be the two "most classic" rpg classes. Strap your cap on, get your spellbook, and...

Some might call the Fighter class the bread & butter of a solid D&D party, and we think they're right. In this episode we will talk about how we see the Fighter class and what it brings to the table which other classes can only approximate. Maybe not as spectacular and awe-inspiring as a spellcaster, but ignore a fighter too long and you will be cut down further than a country club fa...

What do John Candy, Matthew McCaunahey, Henry Winkler, and Arnold Schwarzenegger have in common? They all know what it takes to be cool.. And this episode's too cool for school, buster. We talk about the "Rule of Cool" and how we like to see that play out at our tables. And much like Jamaican bobsled teams and icy husbands, sometimes great stories come from the most unlikely of plac...

Another episode where we talk about ways to make monsters interesting, and not just another set of numbers to crunch, or source of xp to grind. This week's show is focused on Napoleon syndrome kobolds pulling cunning stunts with their traps, and mimics doing their best to not be obvious and end up going extinct. This episode is brought to you by the theme of "cunning", and the exple...

Do you ever feel like your dwindling hit points are just like a long boring ride with the family? Despite the fact that Dad says there's only 80 HPs to go, there never seems to be any experiential progress.. Just arbitrary numbers scrolling down. But despite this frustration and mindless passing of mile markers, you know you'd best not complain or boast about HPs, else the GM might just...

You and I are not unacquainted to amorous affection, and we're both aware of the mechanical benefits. Strong adherence to ideology is the intention I hold, which you won't find with any other class. We just wanna tell you 'bout paladins, in the hopes that you better understand. Always gonna smite you up, or maybe simply knock you down. I may just try to ply with love and convert you...

We take a look at one of the more interesting casters available in D&D 5th Edition, from both a mechanical and "RP" sense. Great power may be within reach of many, as powerful entities seek to increase their influence in the world. Power does come at a cost, and you may find yourself compelled to perform strange rituals. These could include having to twerk for hours at a local tavern...

There are many gods.. Those who help remind you, while others only laugh. Some prayed to for wisdom, others for deft pickpocketing; while some are called upon from the bottom of a bottle, or when we're singing every song we know at the tavern. It won't cost you a nickel as we give you our two cents on gods, pantheons, and the nature of their relationship with the people who worship them.

Unfortunately there is no P-Funk show, nor are we going to build any cities on rock & roll...Though with this game you certainly could. Our second RPG review has us giving our takes on this wonderfully compact game in the Sci-Fi/Horror genre, published by Tuesday Knight Games. It is a d100 system with serious grit, gore, and darkness baked right into it. The vast emptiness of space provides a...