The Whispering GM

-- Description -- A call from the Pink Phantom posits a true conundrum. Does gold for XP create a creative railroad for player interaction? Listen on to hear my defense of Gold for XP as the ultimate de-railer. Then, some call ins on recent episodes in the podcast-verse! Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog: ⁠ https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/ ⁠ Want to get in on the conversation,...

-- Description -- Exposition on the importance of gold for experience, and a quick glance into the method behind the madness. Simply put: Gold for XP is the Best Way to Be. Then some miscellaneous user calls - pacing, mapping, and adversarial preparation! Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/ Want to get in on the conversation, yourself? Send in a...

-- Description -- Further discussion as requested and as recieved in prior episodes: what's more important - crunch or flow? Some insights and experiences from listeners. Part two of call-in/response. 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/W...

-- Description -- Stirred up some interest with the mapping episode! Y'all called in, so the conversation continues! Part one of three podcast episodes: so if you hear someone sounding like it's not their first call; it's probably because it's not! But I tried to group the calls by theme to keep the conversation cohesive. Listen on - and don't forget the map along the way! Pass...

-- Description -- New topic, new name, same spirit! Talking gaming, there is a perpetual debate between how many rules you need or how much crunch you prefer - but are we asking the wrong question? Do we actually care about the mechanics of the game, or do we care about the way it handles at the table? Then - some voicemail conversation: folks are interested in maps, drawing maps, and whether or n...

-- Description -- Finishing up the feedback from the call backlog - the last of the OctOSR and some new calls between then and now. Generating more questions than we answer, but that'll keep the conversation going! Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/ Listen on and join the conversation! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/clerics-wear-rin...

-- Description -- What is the difference between building a character and building a character? What do your players expect out of you - out of your game - and how does it impact how you run? Several callers with several more calls - including a new one; recorded this year and everything! - regarding these questions and more. Listen on and join the conversation! https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/...

 -- Description -- In a back and forth, conversational style exchange with author and artist Jeshields, we tackle adversarial play - ranging from DM to Player interacts to, more importantly, Player to Player and Human to Human. Also spicing things up with some Plot & Story in the middle with Daniel Norton of Bandit's Keep. Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog: https://clericswearringm...

 -- Description -- Mapping! An essential part of the OSR experience - by request, how do I - as a referee or game master - how do I describe rooms and hallways in an in-person or Theater of the Mind game so as to empower the mapper? Starting off with a handful of call ins - starting with crispy burned goblins and working our way through to tactics and reading the rules: listen on for my answe...

 -- Description -- Henchmen, Combats, Battles, and Balance! OSR and OSR-Adjacent commenters build on the OctOSR conversations surrounding several key topics which don't frequently function in the modern experience as they are written in the original books. Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/ Want to get in on the conversation? Hit me up on Ancho...

 -- Description -- Further responding to calls and conversations between October of 2022 and today. Couple recurring heroes mixed in with a new voice! Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/ Want to get in on the conversation? Hit me up on Anchor: https://anchor.fm/clerics-wear-ringmail/message ...or come hang out with the gang on Discord: https://d...

 -- Description -- Finally an episode! Kicking off season three with responses to the massively successful OctOSR podcast and media drive from October of last year. Wide range of topics - some of which you may not even need to re-listen to the OctOSR episodes to contextualize! Like what you're hearing? Visit the blog: https://clericswearringmail.blogspot.com/ Want to get in on the conversatio...

-- Description -- Responding to a thought by Daniel at Bandit's Keep regarding plot. Then, answering a couple call ins - old and new - by James of MindWeave and Jason of Nerd's Variety Cast. -- Show Notes -- 00:00 - Intro 00:49 - Theme 01:19 - What is Plot? 04:25 - What is Narrative? 08:00 - What is the Living World? 14:41 - The Role of the Plot in the Campaign Game 16:26 - Call Ins: MindWeave Jam...

 - - Description - - Answering a prompt from a friend of the show about guilds: why you should hate them too. Disagree? Drop me a voicemail! https://anchor.fm/clerics-wear-ringmail/message Theme music by Michael Ramir C, courtesy of Mixkit.co ( https://mixkit.co/ ).  - - Show Notes - -  00:00 - Intro 00:53 - Theme 01:23 - Expanding the (OSR) Anchorverse 04:01 - Community and Civilit...

OctOSR - Day Fifteen: Pick your Players

OctOSR - Day Fourteen: Suit Your Table

OctOSR - Day Thirteen: Getting Into a Game

OctOSR - Day Twelve: Prep vs Play

OctOSR - Day Eleven: Read the Rules with a Clean Slate

OctOSR - Day Ten: The Donner Party!

OctOSR - Day Nine: On Abstract Combat-Fu!

OctOSR - Day Eight: Regarding the Moose Head

OctOSR - Day Seven: Regarding the Ming Vase

OctOSR - Day Six: Cannon Fodder Henchmen?

OctOSR - Day Five: On Player Mapping