We’ve done several episodes and articles about how to best onboard new DMs and GMs to the hobby, including episode 113: Just Do It, with DM Lenny, about running his first game ever. But what about all the Grognards and OG DMs that were playing it out of the White Boxes assembled by Gary Gygax in his own home?

In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave sit down with our good friend, Scott Washburn of Paper Terrain, to discuss his recent return to the DM chair with his homebrewed campaign “World of the Five Gods.” True to form, Scott kitbashed together the original White Box D&D with some flair from 5e.

For all the DMs who have thought that “Retirement Sucks,” whether its been 40 days or 40 years, this is the episode for you.

2:15 Our very Special Guest DM, the Scott “Wizard” Washburn, from our Terrain, Maps, and Minis episode, who recently returned to the DM chair after a FORTY YEAR HIATUS, and a brief review of the recent game.

9:10 What would Scott have done differently, or what would he have prepped more (or less) having finally ran a game again?

14:25 Don’t get lost in the worldbuilding and the introduction of the massive breadth of your setting, get the players rolling dice as soon as possible.

16:40 Make the adventure objective clear.

17:10 How Scott made adventuring in dungeons a significant driver of the economy and commerce (including taxes!)

19:45 Scott shares his thought process in how he approached running his first game back, as well as leaning into some of his skill sets from an unlikely source, and some of the changes he would make.

27:15 Some of the things we enjoyed about the system, including the return to OD&D, 1e, and the OSR – including removing initiative as we know it!

32:30 Final Thoughts.

What do you do when your player is unhappy with the direction of their class and wants to change over into a new class mid-campaign, but with the same character?

In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave answer a listener question about their player that wants to change their character’s class from Paladin to Sorcerer at 5th level. We delve into not just the narrative components of a change like this, but also the mechanical effects that such a change would inevitably bring. Along the way, we offer tips, tricks, and questions you should ask yourself if you’re planning on something like this in your own games.

3:45 First questions: will this completely break immersion and is this an offer you’re ready to make for all the players?

4:30 DM Chris fondly remembers Clyde from Every Which Way But Loose and discusses the “Buyer’s Remorse” of character choices and how to work with it.

7:00 The benefit of starting at lower levels and the character building that comes with it. How a 5th level character might feel a little more “pregen”, as DM Tony refers to it.

8:45 The benefits of One-shots, Session Zeroes, and Playtests to understand better the choices you’re making. What if Aragorn never leaves Bree?

12:30 DM Tony’s workaround for swapping power sets in 4th edition.

13:14 Learning the rules of the class as you level… the kid who hates the elite sports car they just got.

16:30 How we have and would narratively approach changes like this in our own games.

18:00 How do you handle the mechanical changes that would come with such a change?

28:50 DM Tony recounts how DM Thorin had narratively and mechanically done this very thing in a 4th edition game… the return of Cassidus, the wizard made of a pile of undead bugs!

30:35 “It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to”.… the time needed to evolve the character and how to balance realism and fantasy.

34:05 Final Thoughts

The tavern. It’s the start of 23 different campaigns that DM Tony has been in over the last three decades. It’s a fantasy adventure trope and gets a lot of hate out there for being basic and unimaginative, but is that necessarily a bad thing?

In this episode, Tony, Chris, and Dave return to our RPG Mythbusters series and test the myth, “Is a tavern the best place to start an adventure?” Will it be confirmed, plausible, or busted?

0:49 The return of RPG Mythbusters, all the way back to Episodes 39 and 42.

1:56 Everyone knows what a tavern is as opposed to, let’s say, a Paladin’s Chapel.

3:50 Taverns are a historically accurate meeting place; the true “town square.”

6:45 DM Dave returns to the Lord of the Rings novel and reminds us that Gandalf drops lore in Bilbo’s house for 25 pages. Taverns can be much more organic to reveal the plot.

9:50 The tavern affords an easy, stress-free environment to introduce the players and their characters to the story and the world – which can be especially helpful with new players.

14:15 Session Zero could be a “tavern” by providing an intro to introduce the adventure.

15:40 The type of game can change whether a tavern is a good or a bad idea; in can be a phenomenal time sink.

17:20 Our tangent into 7-11 and Denny’s being modern-day taverns when we were teenagers.

18:10 Implied consent: the unsaid agreement between DM and players that you’re ready to go on an adventure for the session.

24:55 What type of adventure/campaign are you running? That should guide how and where you’re starting.

33:08 Lore Tolerance: how Taverns and “In Media Res” starts allow you to control the flow of lore dumps.

36:45 DM Chris’ idea that combat is the best way to bring characters together: A Band of Brothers. And how DM Dave leaned into this for our Dragonlance campaign.

43:15 Final Thoughts: Myth Confirmed, Plausible, or Busted?