Wandering DMs

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...

Dan & Paul sit down with Linda Codega, the exceptional journalist at io9/Gizmodo who broke the story of WOTC planning to de-authorize the Open Game License that's been used for D&D-compatible and other games for over 20 years -- and subsequently forced a total surrender by WOTC on their sinister plans! How did Linda catch and produce this game-changing story? How does one balance journalis...

Are you currently looking for an alternative the the D&D roleplaying gaming? But still committed to medieval-style fantasy gaming? Dan & Paul review the current top retroclones on the market -- and what what the state of affairs going forward may be if the Open Game License is thrown into disarray! Some D&D fans prefer earlier editions, and new games address the perceived inability of...

Justin Alexander is one of the most prolific and insightful RPG writers around. Between his long-running blog at The Alexandrian, his work at Atlas Games, his hundreds of published books and articles, he has among the most in-depth knowledge of what makes for great gaming. And right now he's been following the drama with WOTC trying to break the OGL 1.0 as close as anyone. What's Justin's outlook...

Word has leaked that WOTC aims to terminate the OGL license used for 3rd-party D&D-compatible products for the last 20+ over years. Can they do it? Are all existing 3rd-party products about to be made illegal? What can it mean for the hobby and industry going forward? In August 2022, Wizards of the Coast launched a public playtest of the next version of Dungeons & Dragons under the One D&a...

Dan & Paul look back at the state of D&D in this past year of 2022, and the 4th season of Wandering DMs. What were your favorites, what were the critical fumbles for the year? What themes were unfolding for the D&D community? We'll share our top memories, and some announcements for what we have in store next! Watch the Wandering DMs Season 4 Playlist Watch Games from the Elder Times Se...

Paul & Dan chat with D&D historian extraordinaire Jon Peterson about his latest book, Game Wizards, on the history of TSR, the makers of D&D, and the turbulent waters of changing creators and editions. When Dungeons & Dragons was first released to a small hobby community, it hardly seemed destined for mainstream success—and yet this arcane tabletop role-playing game became an unlik...

Dan & Paul exchange thoughts on the use of prepared Boxed Text descriptions in D&D adventures. Are they hostile, or benign in your games? DM Shawn Merwin wrote on D&D Beyond: "If you’ve DMed, read, written, or even played D&D adventures at any point in the game’s existence, you are familiar with boxed text, which is also sometimes referred to as read-aloud text. It got its name fro...

Paul & Dan chat with Keith Ammann ("The Monsters Know What They're Doing") on his newest book of dungeon design principles, "How to Defend Your Lair"! In How to Defend Your Lair, gamemaster Keith Ammann pulls back the curtain on an underrated but crucial part of any tabletop roleplaying game: the theater of battle. Say goodbye to encounters in randomly generated dungeons and hello to a game in...

Dan & Paul reflect on their long history of playing RPGs in a wide variety of sometimes unusual locations, and how that can affect the play of your D&D games for better & worse! Feng shui has found many uses. Landscape ecologists often find traditional feng shui an interesting study. In many cases, the only remaining patches of Asian old forest are "feng shui woods", associated with cu...

Paul & Dan look back at their favorite "Haunted House" adventures for D&D games. From Tegel Manor to Saltmarsh to Castle Amber and Ravenloft, we'll assess what works best and what doesn't for a truly terrifying D&D game! Legends about haunted houses have long appeared in literature. The earliest surviving report of a haunted house comes from a letter written by Pliny the Younger (61 –...

Dan & Paul chat with Jim Davis, the wizard of Web DM, and get his thoughts on the rules drops so far for One D&D, the playtest for the upcoming next-edition of Dungeons & Dragons! Jim Davis, the Web DM, creates RPG advice and actual play content on YouTube, Patreon, and Twitch. Through professionally produced, carefully researched conversations about all aspects of tabletop gaming, dee...

Dan & Paul chat with Matt Finch, creator of Swords & Wizardry, about his Revised Tome of Adventure Design! Tome of Adventure Design is a comprehensive, start-to-finish resource for designing fantasy adventures for your favorite tabletop role-playing game. It is system neutral, and can be used with virtually any fantasy game. This book includes random generation tables for almost every step...