Reading D&D Aloud

Last week, the empty position of CEO at Wizards of the Coast was filled. But does it really matter at all when Chris Cocks, the gentleman who thought ending the OGL was a good idea is still running Hasbro? Ben and Scott discuss, and also talk over the spell light from both the 1st edition PHB and DMG.  We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord...

Today, we take time to talk to the third voice of our show, Madeleine Craig! Madeleine is an actress and long-time DM who got her start with 5th edition. We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and have the pleasure of knowing that deep down, you really are the best. 

Given the racist tropes baked into the fantasy genre, how does the institution of D&D move forward into a brighter, better future? Are there also questions of stories for children versus stories for adults to be weighed? And all that is bookended by a discussion on spells in AD&D 1st edition.   We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server,...

We read aloud "Tribal Spellcasting" from the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide, and reflect on how it codifies racist stereotypes into the game. We also read sections from "Hack the Orcs, Loot the Tomb, and Take the Land" by Daniel Heath Justice, which you can and should  read here.    We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and...

You will not hear a conversation like this anywhere else. Was the D&D magic system an extension of the existing Western occult tradition, or a break from it? To answer that question, historian of magic, author, and eldritch librarian Dan Harms joins Dr. Scott Bruner, TTRPG academic, & Ben Riggs, D&D historian, for a discussion that takes us from real-world wandering medieval mage-priests to the pa...

When you cast  Fireball , what really happens in the fiction of the game? Today, Scott Bruner & Ben Riggs take a look at that very question by continuing to examine the "Magic" chapter of the 1st edition AD&D Dungeon Master's Guide . We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and have the pleasure of knowing that deep down, you really ar...

Today, we talk with one of the most significant game designers of his generation: Jonathan Tweet. Best well known for being the lead designer on 3rd edition D&D, Tweet's D20 rolling fantasy game,  13th Age , is Kickstarting its second edition right now! Did you know that 13th Age, the premier D20-rolling fantasy TTRPG, is funding a 2nd edition right now? Back 13th Age  here! We enjoy you. Do you e...

Scott & Ben read an ancient OSR oddity aloud with D&D and 13th Age designer Rob Heinsoo! The book is both deeply weird and incredibly inspiring. Imagine a TTRPG world with phasers, machine guns, ESP, evil wizards, demigods, and reincarnation.  Did you know that 13th Age, the premier D20-rolling fantasy TTRPG, is funding a 2nd edition right now? Back 13th Age here! You can buy Arduin Grimoire here!...

Would anyone designing a magic system for an RPG today use D&D's fire-and-forget magic system? A reading from the DMG on how the Illusionist gets their spells spins into RPG history and, shockingly, a link to Scott's dissertation. We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and have the pleasure of knowing that deep down, you really are t...

If you have not heard Dr. Joseph Laycock speak about the religious elements of tabletop role-playing games, prepare to have your mind blown. This conversation is like nothing you've heard before.  Check out his book on D&D and other RPGs here .   We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and have the pleasure of knowing that deep down,...

Cthulhu is an unknowable eldritch blasphemy. How many hit points does it have? Was it copyright infringement for this octopoid monstrosity to appear in an AD&D product? Find out today when Ben & Scott talk to Jim Lowder, TSR alumnus, master freelancer, and specialist on the big green guy.  We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and h...

A discussion on how 1st edition Wizards got their spells leads us down unexpected paths, and leads us to  Dangerous Games ... We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and have the pleasure of knowing that deep down, you really are the best. 

Cynthia Williams is out at WotC, which begs the question: If you were hired as the new CEO, what would you do to right the ship of game and sail us all to safer waters?  We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and have the pleasure of knowing that deep down, you really are the best. 

Today, we examine how clerics get their spells, and discuss what did and did not influence Gary Gygax in the creation of the cleric.  Ben's book,  Slaying the Dragon: A Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons  is now only $2.99 for Kindle on Amazon! Buy it! Gift it! Love it! I assume this will only be for a limited time, so get it now! We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! Yo...

This week, Scott & Ben look at a piece of text which has proved shockingly influential: "Time."  Click here to read about Ben Robbins's original West Marches campaign.  Click here to read more about West Marches.  We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on  Patreon ! You'll get access to our Discord server, and have the pleasure of knowing that deep down, you really are the best. 

In 1992, TSR attempted to acquire the rights to produce  Lord of the Rings  roleplaying products. How much do you think they offered for the rights? Thanks to Tolkien scholar John Rateliff, we now know the answer! Ben & Scott read aloud the actual correspondence between TSR and Tolkien representatives that reveals the shocking answer. We enjoy you. Do you enjoy us? If so, support us on Patreon ! Y...

In December, Wizards fired numerous key members of the D&D team. Ben, of course, has been interviewing them. In another episode in which we fail to so much as read a single sentence of D&D aloud, Ben and Scott discuss the truth of what has been happening at Wizards these past 10 years...  Let's talk on Discord! Join our Patreon  here and for the price of a cup of coffee per month, keep the show up...

A historian and an academic read and talk over the intro do the 2nd edition Player's Handbook for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons! Let's talk on Discord! Join our Patreon here and for the price of a cup of coffee per month, keep the show up and releasing episodes weekly, and chat with Scott and Ben on the Discord! Ben promises to talk, even though he hates Discord!