Thac0 with Advantage 43. Running the Same Adventure Again

Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D has cast a temporal loop spell over us that we can’t escape.

There are a thousand stories you can tell with Dungeons & Dragons, but what if you really want to tell the same story more than once? Because roleplaying games present players with so many choices, sometimes it can be fascinating to go back and see if your current players will take the road less traveled, or if some mistakes are built to last. We’re going to explore running the same adventure more than once, and how to get the most out of the experience.

Thac0 with Advantage 42. Magic and Technology, I come from a place where they are one and the same!

Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D is the recursive program that we’re still running to solve for a perfect campaign.

In some fantasy stories, everything is steeped in myth and magic, and anything that distracts from those themes detracts from the story. But that’s not every fantasy story. For decades, pulp heroes could just as easily wield a sword as a laser pistol. Sometimes it’s worth it to see the looks on your player’s faces when the dragon they’ve been hunting is actually a cyborg with laser vision. Today we’re going to talk about when and how to include science fiction in your D&D campaigns

Thac0 with Advantage 41. Who Goes First? Rolling for Initiative

Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D still acts first in all of our rounds of gaming.

Imagine a table full of gamers. Each one of them has a character with multiple options available to them. Now think of all of those characters in the same scene with a giants, a dragon, and a band of ogres. How do you keep all of those characters straight and make sure that everyone gets to take their turn? We roll for initiative, and let the dice tell us who gets to take what turn and when. We’ll explore how 5e D&D works, as well as variations that exist in the game.

Thac0 with Advantage 40. Where Do Trained Killers Come From?

Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D is the crucible that trained us in the tabletop RPG disciplines.

We’ve looked at the kind of background details you can add to divine and arcane spellcasting characters, and what questions you should ask about your setting when adding these details. It’s easy to assume that characters like fighters and rogues don’t need these kinds of details on the origins of their abilities, but martial character backgrounds can still add a wealth of details to your game setting. Shields high, we’re charging into martial character backgrounds!

Thac0 with Advantage 39. Playing Devil’s Advocate, or is it Demon’s Advocate?

Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D is the patron to whom we swore allegiance to get our powers.

In the Great Wheel cosmological system, the souls are tortured by two separate yet equally important groups. The demons who improvise destruction, and the devils, who prosecute long term plans. These are their definitions. In other words, we’re going to talk about the differences between demons and devils, and if you need there to be a difference in your D&D game.

Thac0 with Advantage 38. Divine Inspiration . . . for your Character

Do the gods in your campaign look down upon the game board of the world, moving their followers into and out of conflict like the Olympians in Clash of the Titans? Do your characters lament that, or embrace it? Was your character called to service, or did they join the clergy on their own? We’re going to explore the divine and how it informs your D&D character.

Thac0 with Advantage 37. Arcane Magic and your Character

Arcane magic can reign down destruction, create something from nothing, and bend the rules of the multiverse. But how often do you think about the means by which your character harnessed that power? Do you believe in a grand theory of magic, or is magic a mystery even to you? We’re going to look at how to work more magical roleplaying details into your arcane caster player character.

Thac0 with Advantage 36. Where we are. Recapping Sessions

No matter how long it is between our game sessions, its easy to lose track of what was going on the last time you played. Even though we want to get caught up, no one wants to wait 15 minutes for the GM to read the previous session into the record. We’re going to look at the best way to balance recapping your last session  with having enough momentum to hit the ground running.

Thac0 with Advantage 35. Dungeons & Dragons 2023 Retrospective

Last year was a roller coaster ride for all things Dungeons & Dragons. The year started with breaking a 23 year old promise with the OGL, a reversal that saw the 5e SRD added to creative commons, the release of the Dungeons & Dragons movie, the excitement of the 2024 anniversary year plans, and the sudden, sobering stop of the December layoffs from Hasbro. We take a look at this tumultuous year and what it means for the game and the brand.

Thac0 with Advantage 34. Styles of Play – Beer & Pretzels vs. Wine & Cheese

Welcome to THAC0 . . . with Advantage! We’re two friends that have been playing D&D a long time. While we both love lots of other RPGs, D&D taught us when to bring the snacks.

Ang and Jared discuss Beer & Pretzels versus Wine & Cheese, and it’s not just what they’re having for the holidays. Come with us on this episode of THAC0 with Advantage as we explore different play styles in D&D, from casual and cathartic to engaging and exacting.