Of Dice & DMs

After two and half years of podcasting, we are saying farewell to our loyal listeners, but wanted to let you all know what D&D and RPGs have meant to us, how they've changed lives, and why this is just the end of the podcast, but not of our relationship with tabletop games.

After a brief announcement, we discuss some of the D&D classes that we haven't had a chance to talk about before - druids, barbarians, rogues, artificers, and clerics.

One of the most maligned classes, the ranger is the class of Aragorn and Tarzan, or so we discuss on today's episode. We look at the different ranger sub classes in D&D and what we think of each one.

A new episode, as the prophecy decreed! The crew discuss ways to enjoy RPG games where the outcome is foretold at the beginning, and how to sprinkle elements of prophecy into your games.

What a twist! We discuss the power of surprise and twists in an RPG, and whether it's possibly to surprise a genre-savvy party.

Do you prefer giving your game master pages upon pages of back story, or would you rather let the dice control your fate and use the life path method? Following the talk about the Infinity RPG, Ben and Jeremy discuss with Tory some of the ways you can build your character's history into adventures in a realistic fashion.

Tory's absent, so Ben and Jeremy talk about the Infinity RPG, and some other thematic elements of science-fiction RPGs.

What makes a memorable NPC? We discuss ways of getting players to care about the NPCs in your games - both how to have them be beloved, and how to make them hated.

Nothing can last forever, and D&D games are no different. We talk about some of the ways that your campaign can come to an end - in a fizzle or with winning against the Big Bad, we discuss how to find a satisfying conclusion to your adventures.

Jeremy gives you some ideas of what his new show is going to be about. Check it out here - https://dndntvpod.podbean.com/

Green is good, and green is go! We return to talk about some of the creatures of D&D and discuss what role the orc has in tabletop RPGs, their origins in Tolkien, and portrayal in media such as Warcraft and Games Workshop games.

Is it getting foggy around here? Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft has been released, so we decided to peruse through and discuss some of the themes behind this land of horror and mystery.

Answering a listener question gives an opportunity to do another class episode - this time the fighter! Are they as Basic as Tory says? Do you agree with Jeremy that the Champion subclass is a "nothing"? Are you part of the Battlemaster brigade that Ben plays with? Listen and find out. Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/DicenDMs

From lowly local hero to world-ruling, god-devouring colossus, the OD&DMs crew share their opinions on high level and low level play in D&D. Is a high level one-shot possible? How do the tiers of play fit in? This episode covers this and more.

NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY! Except, sometimes, maybe you should? Our three podcast adventurers are split on their opinions on whether splitting the party is good or bad.

We discuss the difference between running tabletop RPG adventures in a public space or convention in comparison with a game in someone's private residence.

Following from a question on our Discord server, we discuss the sometimes accurate accurate assumption that the DM/game master is out to get the players, and then lesser talked about fact that it's often the other way around.

We finally get around to discussing warlocks, and we teach Ben how to pronounce 'fathomless'. We analyse each of the warlock patrons from 5th Edition D&D and offer some ideas on how each might work in your games.

Jeremy makes bold statements about Disney's Hercules, and we discuss the ways classical Greek myth can be used in your D&D games.

The crew answer a listener question and discuss how personal experiences can influence your characters, both intentionally and unintentionally.

Funny? Funny how? How are we funny? Do we look like clowns to you? Are we here to amuse you? Maybe we are, because on this April Fools Day we're speaking on the subject of comedy and ways to make your game funnier without diverting into the "hated" farce.

The OD&DM crew do their best to discuss ways to increase the diversity of your RPGs, in game and at the table, and finding respectful ways to make your game inclusive.

Jeremy and Tory attempt to help Ben out in creating a dungeon for an upcoming D&D event - and in the process discuss his "open road" philosophy of adventure design.

As a companion episode to our earlier one on mythology, we discuss legends! How do they differ from myths, and how can they make a great impact on the world of your tabletop role-playing game.

We go through some of the common complaints we have heard about etiquette at the gaming table, as well as the correct way to handle food and snacks.

Following some discussion on our Discord server, we revisit one our very earliest topics, from before Tory was on the podcast - what it's like being a new player to D&D, and some things to keep in mind about starting out in the hobby.

Imagine a world where flesh and technology have been merged, where you can operate computers using purely your mind, and mega-corporations are more powerful than nations. This is the future through the lens of cyberpunk, and we discuss the most notable roleplaying games that have used this concept as their setting - Cyberpunk Red and Shadowrun.

We part the veils of reality to discuss the various dimensional planes in D&D - mostly the Feywild, if we're being honest, but also how these different planes of existence can be accessed and used in other TTRPGs.

A listener comment in the Discord gets the team started discussing how D&D modules can be overly linear, and ways of preparing for the unexpected.

We respond to a listener question about how to fit polytheism into fantasy RPGs. Can a religious character worship more than one god? What are some ways to represent a polytheist world in D&D? And do you need definitive proof of gods in your world or can they be distant from their followers?

This week's episode is now live and we're tearing apart the Charisma system of D&D 5e! How much role-play is enough to earn a Charisma roll? Do players need to be extroverts to play charismatic characters? And we get into a heated debate about whether you should mix-and-match ability scores with skill proficiencies.

Nullus anxietas, listeners! Today's topic is one close to Jeremy's heart - we're discussing the way tropes are used and subverted in Sir Terry Pratchett's phenomenal Discworld fantasy series, and ways you can make your fantasy RPG campaign use these themes, or just match the style of Discworld.

Tired of having to go to the local tavern to meet strangers to go one adventures with? The OD&DM crew have you covered. We look at some other options for places to bring your adventuring party together, as well as some ways to build your campaign themes from the very start.

As all our listeners will know, Jeremy, Tory, and Ben are utter professionals who never make any sort of error, but occasionally reality doesn't quite reflect this. We thought that since we've taken the week off from a regular episode, you would enjoy hearing the very rare times where the three hosts have made minor errors. Enjoy!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! The crew talk about how to make days in your game slightly more special, and why holidays are important in RPGs, just like they are in real life!

Spiritual warriors. Mystic martial artists. Channellers of the ancient arts of punching ghosts! Today's episode looks at the monk class, and some of the themes behind it in D&D, as well as the somewhat problematic origins.

71% of our planet's surface is covered by water - which means there's plenty of places to have awesome fantasy adventures. This week the crew look at how submarine adventures differ from the usual ones featured in roleplaying games, as well as how to make them appealing to different players.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming, as the crew talk about what they enjoy about morally ambiguous adventures, and how to make a multi-faceted villain with moral complexities.

The thrilling conclusion of the first Of Dice & DMs actual play D&D adventure! In the desert city of Shinka, the investigators discover more than they bargained for. We want to thank you all for listening to us for 100 episodes! If you head over to our Facebook page or Twitter feed, you can enter a giveaway to win vouchers from the Quest Suppliers, as well as some great D&D books. Quest Suppliers - www.thequestsuppliers.com.au Music by Arkenforge - www.arkenforge.com

Three adventurers investigate a mysterious disappearance in the desert city of Shinka! This special two-year anniversary episode is an actual play game, featuring Jeremy, Tory, and special guest Mike, and takes place in Ben's homebrew world of Aurelia. Listen until the end to learn how you can enter our giveaway promotion. Music provided by Arkenforge - www.arkenforge.com Prizes courtesy of The Quest Suppliers - thequestsuppliers.com.au

What's better than one monster episode? Two monsters in an episode! The crew look back into the lore of the gith (pronounced 'gith') and the yuan-ti - two races unique to D&D.

A wonderful thing about D&D is that we all get different things out of it. Today's episode draws on the recent survey we held to find out what brought our listeners to the hobby. Whether they were introduced by a family member or taught themselves by listening to podcasts or watching YouTube, we also discover what keeps people playing the world's most popular roleplaying game.

A listener question gets the team started on the fantasy novels that inspire us when it comes to role-playing games. Whether it's Tolkien or Pratchett, George R.R. Martin or Robert Jordan, Franz Kafka or Brandon Sanderson, we discuss some of the influences and themes that we like to see in our adventures.

Is it Thursday yet? The crew finally get around to addressing the juggernaut that is the Critical Role media empire. Just what has it meant both for the tabletop RPG industry and friendly games at the table? Can storytellers live up to the Matt Mercer Effect? We go through the benefits - and drawbacks - of this cult hit series.

Terrifying trees, pugilist plants, boisterous bushes, murderous mosses, fatal fungi, vicious vines, wasting weeds, savage shrubs - the crew look at the plants and tree spirits that can threaten a group of adventurers in the role-playing game of your choice, as well as the ways the natural environment can become a threat during a game.

On this week's episode, Tory and Ben pick Jeremy's brain about whether there will be a 6th edition of D&D, and how the editions have changed over time. Jeremy talks a lot in this one, so if you enjoy his lovely voice (and who doesn't?), you're in for a treat.

You're probably all wondering why I gathered you here today. You see, one of these non-player characters is a murderer! It's time for the Of Dice & DMs crew to take a look at the twisting plots and red herrings of murder mysteries!

D&D isn't the only game in town, you know! A listener question gets the crew talking about how to find ways to pick which other roleplaying game to learn. Some of those rulebooks are like physics textbooks, so how does a new or casual player wrap their heads around them?

You're not seeing double, it's just our episode on doppelgangers! These shapeshifters offer a whole range of possibilities for DMs and paranoia for their players, so we get into some of the themes around duplicates and reflections of player characters, and how to use them to the best effect.

Pew pew pew! The OD&DMs crew answer a listener question about whether the D&D rule system is easy to adapt to a science-fiction roleplaying game, or whether it's better just to learn a whole new system.

Where does your magic come from - book-learning or natural talent? On this episode, we cover two character classes; wizards and sorcerers. We look at the history of these terms, which basically mean the same thing.