This blog is for you. I write and podcast week-in and week-out to benefit your gaming and, thereby, your life. So I want to know how I can help you better. Below I’ve got a brief ten-question survey for you to fill out. The first to fill it out and chime in on the comments below will get precedence in online AD&D games later in the year! So please, give me a few minutes of your time, so that I can be even more helpful to your gaming and your life.
Thanks!
Jason, The Mad Cleric
The topic has come up in almost every Chasing the Dragon podcast we’ve had: Satanic panic. That period in the eighties when good, virtuous mothers and churchgoers were warned against the dangers of Dungeons & Dragons. And the edition that brought on these accusations most powerfully was the exact edition that I’ve been reading, re-reading, playing, and podcasting about: First Edition AD&D.
Some of you may not know this about me, but I am a Protestant pastor in the Southern United States. I’ve been accused of being too conservative…and also accused of being too liberal, which is probably a good place to be. But as a Protestant pastor in a denomination that uses the word “evangelical” to describe itself, rest assured I lean right compared to a more liberal, mainstream Protestantism.
Why does that matter? Well, it seems that if anybody would be sympathetic to the Satanic panic of the ’80s, it would be this guy:
Yep, there he is. That evil gamer type again.
And we’re off! Session 1 of Chasing the Dragon is on the books. My home group began playing T1 – The Village of Hommlet. As I’ve said about the module before, this introductory setting is just that: a setting. It’s a very good setting, but a setting nonetheless.
I’ve been spoiled by more recent adventure books, where the whole story is laid out for the GM step-by-step. Even more sandboxy ones, like D&D 4e’s The Slaying Stone or FFG’s Star Wars: The Jewel of Yavin, still had a general plotline to which the GM was supposed to draw the players back.
Not so with Hommlet! Instead, Mr. Gygax has put remarkably painstaking detail into his setting. Vivid characters–beautiful buildings–interest-provoking details–all of these with no plot hooks. Now you could imagine that the details are themselves the plot hooks, but the dots are left for the DM to connect.
My players were curious what kind of workout these guys did on a daily basis.
Now that I’m one session in, I’m fine with it. The players are enjoying the intricacies of the adventure thus far. They like the characters, the village, and the process. But here are the two things I wished I’d known as a first-time AD&D DM: Continue reading
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For our fifth episode, I sat down with my brother in Memphis, TN to discuss character creation for AD&D. We hear about both of our experiences creating characters for other games and how AD&D contrasts with them.
A few affiliate links to works referenced in the show:
And now, the podcast:
Video:
Audio:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
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For our fourth episode, I invited my gaming buddy, Jason Rush, to join me for a conversation about how 1980s nostalgia is bringing back games like AD&D. We get deep into his experiences as a 12-year-old gamer and how those memories are coming back in spades today, as we prepare for our AD&D campaign beginning this Friday!
A few links to sites referenced in the show:
And now, the podcast:
Video:
Audio:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe to the CtD podcast on iTunes!
For our third episode, we commemorate the birthday of the late Gary Gygax, Dungeon Master par excellence! In an effort to remember him well, we explore a number of quotes that I’ve chosen that accentuate his personality and role in relation to the roleplayers.
A few links to sites referenced in the show:
And without further adieu, the podcast:
Video:
Audio:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
If you’re new to my project, Chasing the Dragon, you may want to read an introduction here.
I need your input on my first house rule.
Now this may surprise you, as I’ve never even played a session of AD&D yet. Not as a GM. Not as a player. Never.
Now I’ve played 4e extensively and the 5e playtest. I’ve played the FFG Star Wars RPG extensively, as well as FIASCO, Pathfinder, and the Mouse Guard RPG. I’ve played an RPG or two, but I’m certainly no expert.
So please answer my question, oh experienced grognards of the first edition!
Is the following rule going to work well, while keeping the spirit of the game in tact?
So here we go.
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In my sophomore episode, I am joined by Daniel Fisher, podcaster for Innroads Ministries and owner of knucklebonezdice.com. I enlisted him to help me sort out the early history of Dungeons and Dragons, as well as why we call AD&D “first edition,” when it wasn’t actually the first D&D.
A few links to sites referenced in the show:
And without further adieu, the podcast:
Video:
Audio:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
