Wandering DMs

Without magic, how fast does a character heal in D&D? It may surprise you how much the answer has changed over the editions! Dan & Paul debate which rule is best. And what are hit points, anyway? Wound healing refers to a living organism's replacement of destroyed or damaged tissue by newly produced tissue. In undamaged skin, the epidermis (surface, epithelial layer) and dermis (deeper, co...

Assassins were prominently available for hire in the earliest edition of Dungeons & Dragons, and they became a core character class of their own in 1st Edition Advanced D&D. Where did they sneak off to since then? What's the best way to handle PC's wanting to run a solo assassination mission? Some famous assassination victims are Philip II of Macedon (336 BC), the father of Alexander the G...

Dan and Paul dive into character sheets! Between edition changes and advancing technology, how have they changed throughout the years? And what's the best way to keep tabs on your character's most important details now? Original Edition Dungeons & Dragons (1974), did not include a character sheet. The first one ever published was in the Haven Herald fanzine of Stephen Tihor published on May 3,...

Join Dan and Paul as they discuss the use of mazes in D&D adventures! They will explore the twists and turns of these navigation puzzles, and try to discover the line between captivating challenges and maddening exercises in frustration. The word maze is used to refer both to branching tour puzzles through which the solver must find a route, and to simpler non-branching ("unicursal") patterns...

Paul & Dan chat about the huge influence that tales set on Mars (Burroughs' John Carter Barsoom stories) had on the design of early Dungeons & Dragons. Did you know that original D&D had a built-in table for Martian encounters in the core books? That Gygax released a "Warriors of Mars" book almost simultaneously with D&D? We'll delve into the ancient sands to find lost treasures! W...

Dan & Paul chat about using the world around them to create D&D and other TTRPG scenarios. They share personal anecdotes of times they stumbled upon real places that sparked their creativity, reinforcing the notion that the real world is a goldmine of inspiration for game masters and storytellers.

Dan & Paul chat about different weather systems for D&D they've seen over the years. Do you prefer yours simple, or very detailed? Dice-based or DM narrative fiat? And why is it so important for wilderness adventures and wargaming? Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though firs...

Fresh from playing the Paranoia Mandatory Bonus Fun Card Game, Dan and Paul discuss their experience with various editions of the Paranoia RPG. Stay alert, trust no one, and keep your laser handy! Paranoia is a humorous role-playing game set in a dystopian future along the lines of Nineteen Eighty-Four, Brave New World, Logan's Run, and THX 1138; however, the tone of the game is rife with black hu...

Paul's acquired an ancient treasure: A copy of M.A.R. Barker's 1975 "War of Wizards" game, still in the shrink wrap, from Gary Gygax's personal collection no less! This is the first-ever publication set in Tékumel, the world of the Empire of the Petal Throne. Inspired by the D&D spellcasting system, it features two opposing wizards cast a barrage of spells at each other across an arena. What d...

Dan & Paul chat about the complications of invisibility in D&D, how to handle it, and how easily opponents can counter it, through the ages. How often have you cursed because of it? In fiction, people or objects can be rendered completely invisible by several means: Magical objects such as rings, cloaks and amulets can be worn to grant the wearer permanent invisibility (or temporary invisi...

Paul & Dan share their thoughts on Unicorns, which have been part of the standard monster list since the earliest days. Are they meant to be magical, fey representations of ineffable mysteries? Or are they meant to be a high-level brute melee attacker? Do they really belong in the world of D&D at all? In European literature and art, the unicorn has for the last thousand years or so been de...

Dan & Paul give their thoughts on the 2023 movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. For old-school D&D players, is it worth the watch, or another one for the garderobe? Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is a 2023 American fantasy heist comedy film directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Gilio from a story by Chris...

Paul & Dan reflect on lessons we've learned for our D&D games based on playing wargames in the recent past. Is there anything we can use to improve our fantasy RPG? Heck, yes! The original Dungeons & Dragons set, subtitled Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures, was written by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and was published b...

Dan & Paul discuss the large variety of different morale rules in classic D&D -- and its roots in related wargaming. Which method is best? What would be most believable? What makes the best gameplay? What's easiest for the DM to manage? Clausewitz stresses the importance of morale and will for both the soldier and the commander. The soldier's first requirement is moral and physical courage...

Paul & Dan discuss the history of what counts as the "standard" die in D&D used for hit dice, damage, miscellaneous checks, and more. Was switching from the six-sided to the eight-sided die really such a great idea? Various shapes like two-sided or four-sided dice are documented in archaeological findings; for example, from Ancient Egypt and the Middle East. While the cubical six-sided die...

Dan & Paul reconsider some of the most feared undead in D&D -- wights, wraiths, and spectres. You know: the types that are most likely to drain your character's XP. How do you like your level draining best? The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if alive. Most commonly the term refers to corporeal forms of formerly alive humans, such as mummi...

Did you know that the Pinkerton National Detective Agency -- famed protector of Abraham Lincoln in the 1800's, and union-busting goon squad in the 1900's -- is still around? And they have time to chase down Magic: the Gathering fans for using prohibited card sets? It's true: Dan & Paul discuss the latest WOTC goony actions, other game-companies that lost their sanity checks, and more. Pinkerto...

Paul & Dan get to chat with Matt Finch about his new full-blown edition to the Swords & Wizardry D&D retroclone, now on Kickstarter! Since 2008, Swords & Wizardry has been the hallmark game for tabletop fantasy roleplaying using the 1978 ruleset, with less focus on rules, more focus on your friends and the epic adventures you're embarking on together! Swords & Wizardry is the E...

Dan & Paul recap our annual 25-person indie house convention we hold annually on the sparkling shores of Plymouth, MA. Check our review of hour our classic games went, new games we got to try for the first time, and more surprises. Also: how did the ongoing AD&D Slavers series wrap up In the Dungeon of the Slave Lords? Wandering DMs Paul Siegel and Dan “Delta” Collins host thoughtful discu...

Paul & Dan chat with Scott Legault, chair of the new Rising Phoenix Game Con in Massachusetts this April! What's it like to start a new game con today? And can leveraging the better part of a decade's experience in professional DM'ing help out? Visit the Rising Phoenix Game Con website here Register at Tabletop Events here Wandering DMs Paul Siegel and Dan “Delta” Collins host thoughtful discu...

This week, Paul & Dan get to host Luke Gygax and find out about all the happenings at the upcoming GaryCon XV convention! Luke Gygax is the son of Dungeons & Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax and Founder of Gary Con. He literally grew up at the gaming table with the designers that built the foundation of the RPG industry many of whom come to Gary Con. He played the iconic character Melf, aka P...

Dan & Paul discuss our personal, customized version of D&D: Original Edition Delta! Initially, Paul & Dan preferred different editions of Dungeons & Dragon, with some personalized house-rule modifications made for each. Over time, we realized that the house rules we made coincidentally met in the middle, and we were running pretty much the same game, after all. So we joined forces...

Dan interviews Paul on his weekend trip to the first convention of the season, Total Confusion, the largest gaming con in New England. How to prepare in short time if you're busy like we are? What's the best way to boost your save vs. con crud? Wandering DMs Paul Siegel and Dan “Delta” Collins host thoughtful discussions on D&D and other TTRPGs every week. Comparing the pros and cons of every...

Paul & Dan reflect on the legacy of digital tools for D&D from Wizard of the Coast, and what the prospects are for what's next! Read the analysis by Janelle Jaquays on Facebook Wandering DMs Paul Siegel and Dan “Delta” Collins host thoughtful discussions on D&D and other TTRPGs every week. Comparing the pros and cons of every edition from the 1974 Original D&D little brown books to...

Dan & Paul hash over the benefits & flaws of working with other people in your TTRPG design, DM'ing, nd play! Collaboration (from Latin com- "with" + laborare "to labor", "to work") is the process of two or more people, entities or organizations working together to complete a task or achieve a goal. Collaboration is similar to cooperation. Most collaboration requires leadership,[vague] alt...