Hobo's Collective

DM advise, let your players take charge and follow where they take you. In today's episode, I give a few DM tips on how to give the players a bit more autonomy and how to allow players to have more control and impact and give them a say in the game. Check out our site at www.wobbliesandwizards.com

I go through a few brief memories of growing up in the 80s during Satanic Panic being a kid others called a nerd with Tourette Syndrome, and how that impacted me in my life. 

The official Old-School Essentials Zine, Carcass Crawler Issue #1 from Necrotic Gnome and Exhaled Funeral is the Zine of the week we are looking at. The zine offers a lot of new options for character races and classes and some new approaches that break from traditional magic as well. Mostly a book for player characters means more than Dungeon Masters might find it interesting. 

Reading the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide by Gary Gygax and the Old School Reference and Index Compilation, I see a very different version of the classic fantasy role playing game than I have ever played. I talk about hirelings, gold and encumbrance and how a more resource management style of play that was presented in the earlier edition would lead to a very different RPG than I often play.

Why do I get into the OSR and old school gaming? What is the OSR? A lot has been said about this but I am mostly telling why I got into the OSR and what I like about the open community driven nature of the OSR. 

Frog God Games presents a mega dungeon that I will always recommend. With more content than you can likely get to in the next decade of gaming Rappan Athuk is a huge tome of adventure a massive sandbox that I recommend. Originally released for 3rd edition it has seen many editions over the last 20 years and is available currently for fifth edition, Pathfinder and Swords & Wizardry at the Frog...

Do you have certain songs, records or bands that take you back to playing Dungeons & Dragons growing up? I sure do. RPG's was not the only thing I was getting into as a kid, music played a big part in my life and it often overlapped with the games we were playing. Check out what we have going on at www.wobbliesandwizards.com

Today I talk about skill systems, the positives, the negatives and a bit in between. I give some house rules that I have used to adjust skills to make them easier in some games. I also talk about why I tend to not like skills in game often. Help share some episodes and give us a positive review. Check out what we have going on at our blog www.wobbliesandwizards.com

Today I talk about Fantasy Races in D&D and some difference between editions and games in what races are present. I am a fan of the Keebler Elf more so than the Tolkien Elves popular in today's modern games. Visit us at www.wobbliesandwizards.com

This episode I ask a few questions about zines, their history and how they have changed over the years. As always, please visit us at www.wobbliesandwizards.com and go ahead and give the podcast a follow. 

This zine is a unique role playing game with a lot of potential that is very different from most RPGs I have ever played. A game without monsters, magic, scifi or combat it has a lot of great content to put you in the right direction to craft new sorts of stories that we do not often see in role playing games. You can pick up a copy of Two Summers at Exalted Funeral . Don't forget to visit our blo...

Swords & Wizardry Complete is a great retro clone compatible with early editions of the classic fantasy role playing game. It has had many printings and publications and is one of the easier to run versions of the game with lots of flexibility. The game is free in PDF if you wish to check it out. There is also a System Reference Document of Swords & Wizardry Complete online for easy free a...

Responding to the question of what a Dungeon Master's job is I talk about why Silence is an important tool that we often overlook. Social skills can go a great deal further than our creative juices in making a fun game. Check us out for more at www.wobbliesandwizards.com

What is in a name? Who are the Wobblies? I am a wobblie, a member of the Industrial Workers of the World . Check them out at www.iww.org . This episode I give a little brief personal history and explanation of our name. Check out what we are doing over at our blog www.wobbliesandwizards.com  

We discuss a mechanic from Free League Publishing's Fantasy Hex Crawl RPG Forbidden Lands . An innovative concept that you could bring into any other game you run with a little innovation. The Coup De Grace, why it is a great idea and what it can bring to a game. Check out Forbidden Lands Book of Beasts and Bloodmarch Kickstarter still live for a few more days. And as always head on over to www.wo...

Character death makes for a better game. I recap the recent article on Wobblies & Wizards , telling why I believe running a lethal game makes for a better game. I address a few perspectives that I feel misunderstand why it is an element of the game we should not avoid, and how it makes the game more interesting, gives it more depth and engages players.

The Year Zero Engine is a simple RPG system with an open license that you can do a lot with. Put out by Free League Publishing in their RPG Mutant Year Zero it has been adapted for a lot of other games like Coriolis . You can get a quick feel for the core concepts and mechanics for free from checking out Year Zero Mini , a generic simplified version of the system capable of making anything your im...

Explore Dungeons Both the first issu e and the second issue are available on DriveThruRPG in PDF. Hear a bit about my barber and haircut before we delve into a great DM resource by Chris G Williams in this zine series from ZineQuest 2 & 3.

Have you checked out Castles & Crusades? You can get the Players Handbook in PDF for free at the Troll Lord Games website and check it out. Check out what we are doing over at www.wobbliesandwizards.com 

Looking for an accessible entry point for Fantasy Role Playing Games that do not break the bank? Why spend over a hundred dollars to start when  you can get started for free? Basic Fantasy Role Playing Game is the one game I suggest to most people to start with or pick up. Check us out for more on Wobblies & Wizards

It can be difficult balancing game with real life responsibilities D&D and RPG's can often be quite a commitment as we play campaigns weekly for years on end. Sometimes our personal situations can make it easier or harder to play. Check us out on Wobbliesandwizards.com for more.

Why I have not made the jump to 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons. At least the main excuse I give. Check us out for more at Wobblies & Wizards . A bit more of why I gravitate towards the OSR

Railroad or Sandbox? I give a few quick thoughts on how I prep a sandbox game, a free form world for players to explore with autonomy. Visit us at WobbliesAndWizards.com for more.

A few kickstarters out there to take notice of. Lots coming out by independent creators right now, here are a few that have caught my attention and I am  backing. Bleaksprout a 5E adventure, Necropolis an update to a classic Gygax adventure, Kinless a solo viking adventure for Mork Borg and Book of Beasts and Bloodmarch for Forbidden Lands. Check us out at Wobbliesandwizards.com for more

I take a look at various editions and how initiative was done across them. Do you roll group or individual initiative? Let's see how 5E, 3.5, AD&D 2nd Ed, OSE, S&W and OSRIC compare in this one rule. Check us out on Wobblies & Wizards for more.