Thinking Critically: A D&D Discussion

*Minor Outer Wilds spoilers in this episode* I'm joined by Michael K. Ross from The RPG Academy to talk how to design enthralling and fair mysteries, puzzles, and enigmas. Action 12 Cinema Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/therpgacademy/action-12-cinema 12-Hour Charity Stream for Naomi House: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sl-gameon23 04:24 - There’s Been a Murder! 12:54 - Crafting Rewarding Mysteries 29:53 - Implicit Trust and the Beauty of Experimentation 45:35 - Building a Thematic Setting 55:33 - Quickfire Tips Find Michael on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheRpgAcademy Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/therpgacademy/action-12-cinema Website: www.therpgacademy.com AcadeCon: http://www.acadecon.com/ Find Thinking Critically online: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Socials: @ThinkCritDnD Dungeons, Dice, & Dudes: https://linktr.ee/DDandD References: GUMSHOE: https://pelgranepress.com/2018/02/14/gumshoe/ Brindlewood bay: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/410316/Brindlewood-Bay-Kickstarter-Edition Patrons: Tabletop Journeys @ttjourneys: https://ttjourneys.com/ Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @heyitsMattyP: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod Podcast art by Lily from https://www.beiworkshop.com/

CW: Slavery I'm joined by Ben, Ewan, and Luke from the Boys from the Baltic Star Traveller stream to discuss some of the many different definitions of integrity in TTRPGs. Nothing is off the table as we share tips on building memorable heroes and villains with strong identities in logically consistent settings, along with the meta-topic of how to stay true to oneself in the competitive and ever changing content creation market. Apologies for the technical difficulties in this one, leaving us with just Ben! 03:30 - Being Honest with the Game 17:52 - The Nature of Evil & The Villainy Scale 40:39 - Logical Internal Consistency 52:19 - Staying True to Yourself RPGaming Faversham 2023 https://www.eventbrite.com/e/rpgaming-faversham-2023-tickets-472241295427 Find The Boys on: Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/boysfromthebalticstar Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoysBaltic YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@boysfromthebalticstar1656 Find Thinking Critically online: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Socials: @ThinkCritDnD Dungeons, Dice, & Dudes: https://linktr.ee/DDandD References: 'Fudging' episode of Thinking Critically Patrons: Tabletop Journeys @ttjourneys: https://ttjourneys.com/ Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @heyitsMattyP: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod Podcast art by Lily from https://www.beiworkshop.com/

“I found them all. I won." Finally, I welcome George from our 'Dungeons, Dice, and Dudes' actual play podcast to discuss how to build adventures, and why it's important to define one. No matter if you're top-down or bottom-up, there always needs to be that call to adventure, a catalyst, and the form that takes can drastically alter the theme and direction of a campaign. Giving your players that Elden Ring moment is all about the "scale in detail"; having a wide enough pond to splash around in with just enough depth to make it worthwhile. 03:48 - The 'Breath of the Wild' Moment 14:40 - Call to Adventure 25:47 - Worldbuilding 40:49 - Character Motivations 51:01 - Fighting DM Anxiety Find George on Dungeons, Dice, and Dudes: https://linktr.ee/DDandD Find Thinking Critically online: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Socials: @ThinkCritDnD References: 'Conflict' episode of Thinking Critically with Rob (Ulysses) 'Time' episode of Thinking Critically with Tim (Ulrik) 'Macro' episode of Thinking Critically with Nathan (DM) 'Happiness' episode of Thinking Critically with Simon (Owain) Patrons: Tabletop Journeys @ttjourneys: https://ttjourneys.com/ Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @heyitsMattyP: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod Podcast art by Lily from https://www.beiworkshop.com/

This episode I'm joined by Harlen Ogni, DM of previous guest Aaron's Games and prolific worldbuilder, with a staggering 250,000 words on World Anvil! Harlen joins me to to chat about our approaches to worldbuilding and what drives us to put pen to paper. 02:52 - Catharsis 13:22 - Letting Go of Your World 31:34 - Environmental Storytelling 46:03 - Of Gods and Kings Find Harlen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OgniHarlen Find Thinking Critically online: Website: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Socials: @ThinkCritDnD YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ThinkCritDnD Dungeons, Dice, & Dudes: https://linktr.ee/DDandD References: World Anvil worldbuilding tools 'Chaos' episode of Thinking Critically Patrons: Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @mperkinsDM: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod Podcast art by Lily from https://www.beiworkshop.com/

The sky is falling! It's my pleasure to welcome back Matthew Perkins to discuss this months HOT TOPIC: the "leaked" snippets of the alleged OGL 1.1. Disclosure: this episode was recorded on 7th January, we are not lawyer or legal experts, and neither of us have any official affiliation with WotC or Hasbro, nor any familial connection to Christopher Perkins! Through that lens we take a satirical but earnest look at the alleged OGL 1.1, what it means for each of us and the future of the hobby, while trying to avoid the overwhelming doom and gloom. 06:41 - Ownership Troubles & The Squeeze 20:20- Tinfoil Hat Retroactive Action 31:13 - The Money Men 40:02 - Critical RoGL 50:08 - Sentimental Copyrights 01:05:35 - Looking Forward Find Matty P on: Website: https://www.matthewperkins.net Twitter: https://twitter.com/heyitsMattyP Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heyitsMattyP/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heyitsMattyP/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@heyitsMattyP TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@heyitsmattyp Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/heyitsMattyP Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Dungeons, Dice, & Dudes twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/ddndpod Citations & Further Reading: Gizmodo Article "Dungeons & Dragons’ New License Tightens Its Grip on Competition": https://gizmodo.com/dnd-wizards-of-the-coast-ogl-1-1-open-gaming-license-1849950634 Treantmonk's Temple "The OGL 1.1 is not "benign" at all it appears: D&D 5e": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTDDNJN5SvM The Arcane Library "The OGL and Me: What Will Happen Now?": https://youtu.be/ewTIS3fHOK0 'Pressure' episode of Thinking Critically:  Patrons: Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @mperkinsDM: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This mystical episode I'm joined by Jack Weighill of Dice Average RPG to discuss the minutia of the magical. The way WOTC have designed spells is an interesting insight into how they view D&D and how they suggest it should be played. Jack takes us through the best and worst spells, with some interesting surprises that you might not have thought of! 02:32 - Viewing D&D Through the Lens of Spell Design 08:10 - Why Healing is Wasteful 21:58 - Avoid these Spells! 29:13 - Subclass &Tier Considerations 29:16 - DM Agency & OP Spells 43:24 - Completely Busted Spells Find Jack on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/diceaveragejack Website: https://diceaveragerpg.carrd.co/ GOLEM: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/414871/GOLEM--5e-Constructs-Reimagined?src=ThinkingCritically&affiliate_id=1352327 d'Avenir's Pocketbook to Ravenloft: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/413389/dAvenirs-Pocketbook-to-Ravenloft?src=ThinkingCritically&affiliate_id=1352327 Drizzt's Travelogue of Everything: https://www.dmsguild.com/product/399285/Drizzts-Travelogue-of-Everything-Volume-1-PDF?src=ThinkingCritically&affiliate_id=1352327 Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Patrons: Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @mperkinsDM: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This episode I'm joined by Ty Moore from Adventure Slang productions to talk about variety and diversity in TTRPGs. We discuss how having an open mind and trying different systems affects not only your approach to playing TTRPGSs, but also the lens through which you view them.  02:22 - Diversity Aided Design 06:15 - Different Approaches to TTRPGs 15:02 - Nuovarden - Non-Medieval Fantasy 23:06 - Maintaining Diversity and Balance 31:09 - Avoiding Misalignment Under the Guise of Variety 42:14 - Game Design Through a Different Lens Find Ty on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/dungeonmisterty and https://twitter.com/AdventureSlang Website: https://adventureslang.com/ Nuovarden: https://adventureslang.com/nuovarden-rpg Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaming/AdventureSlang Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk Video Podcast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH_BSgazjwyshzo1jazHeaQ Patrons: Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @mperkinsDM: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This very special episode I'm joined by Greg Tito and Shelly Mazzanoble, hosts and producers of the official Dungeons & Dragons podcast: Dragon Talk! They take us through how recording their podcast and writing their new book, Welcome to Dragon Talk, has shaped their D&D experience and shown them all the wonderful ways we interact as a community! 03:16 - D&D Community Archetypes 15:18 - Surprising Applications 25:08 - Complex Systems 32:39 - Lowering the Barrier to Entry 47:38 - Online Communities Find Greg and Shelly on: Greg's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Gregtito Shelly's Twitter: https://twitter.com/shellymoo Dragon Talk podcast: https://dnd.wizards.com/podcasts/dragon-talk Welcome to Dragon Talk book: https://uipress.uiowa.edu/books/welcome-dragon-talk Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk References: Lucas Zellers: https://scintilla.studio/ 'Monster' episode of Thinking Critically 'Extinction' episode of Thinking Critically Patrons: Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @mperkinsDM: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

Part 3 in our Marketing for TTRPG Creators Series Webinar sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScjBv3TgGVtqTdIfU3az6Izhw-p0_QlIf_Z5fW2iYBIWEw7zw/viewform Zack from Applewhite Games returns to the show to discuss the value of 'the person behind the logo' and how everything you do affects your reputation. 03:08 - How Branding Differs from Marketing 10:42 - The Silver Bullet of Good Branding 18:53 - You the Brand Versus You the Person 32:10 - Fear of Failure 38:48 - The Logo Game 46:48 - Etymology Find Zack on: Twitter: https://twitter.com/ApplewhiteGames Applewhite games: https://linktr.ee/ApplewhiteGames Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk References: Part 1: 'Marketing' episode of Thinking Critically Part 2: 'Kickstarter' episode of Thinking Critically Hawkmir on Twitter Patrons: Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @mperkinsDM: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod

This week I'm joined by friend and table mate Sam Henry to talk about our processes used for playing D&D, and how we use our professional backgrounds to improve our experiences. 05:21 - A Process Oriented Approach 15:46 - Difference Between Players and DMs 20:04 - The D&D Machine 27:46 - Character Creation 43:06 - Getting into Character 52:41 - Flow Charts! Find Thinking Critically online: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk References: Dungeons, Dice & Dudes: https://linktr.ee/DDandD 'Mistakes' episode of Thinking Critically: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk/mistakes 'Progression' episode of Thinking Critically: https://www.thinkingcritically.co.uk/progression/ Patrons: Joe from The Fourth Leg @jcd0818: https://anchor.fm/james-h-anderson Optional Rule @optionalrule: https://www.optionalrule.com/ Matthew Perkins @mperkinsDM: https://www.matthewperkins.net/ Matt Street @mpstreet88: https://www.virtualtimehustle.com/ Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod