Monsters – Polygamerous Podcast Network

Thac0 with Advantage 47. Workshopping Vecna. Eve of Ruin

Posted on June 26, 2024June 26, 2024 by Christopher Sniezak

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, the multiverse may come unraveled if we don’t play D&D.

Published adventures are often juggling a lot of objectives. The adventure may be trying to illustrate a specific style of campaign, it may be highlighting a certain type of creature or opponent. And sometimes, it may be trying to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons. In this episode, we’re going to look at Vecna: Eve of Ruin, and see what kind of fine tuning you might want to explore when engaging with this plane hopping epic adventure.

Thac0 with Advantage 46. Far From Home: Adventuring on Other Planes

Posted on June 12, 2024June 12, 2024 by Christopher Sniezak

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 coterminous to our gaming reality.

Fantasy stories abound with places beyond the mortal realms. Fae domains, magical islands outside of time, and the lands of the dead, among others. How can you instill this kind of otherworldly adventure into your game? How do you make a realm outside of mortal existence feel different, memorable, and distinct? What are some of the pitfalls of taking your mortal adventurers and placing them beyond? We’re going to example these questions in today’s episode, as we pass beyond the veil.

Thac0 with Advantage 45. A Valiant Effort to Look at a New Game

Posted on May 29, 2024May 29, 2024 by Christopher Sniezak

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, a whole lot of them have a family resemblance to D&D.

In 2008, Wizards of the Coast released the extremely restrictive GSL, making it unattractive to develop for the 4th edition of the game, which led to the creation of Pathfinder, a game that effectively allowed gamers to continue using the familiar structure of D&D 3rd edition in a familiar fantasy roleplaying game. In 2023, Wizards of the Coast attempted to assert that they could revoke the OGL and issue an amended one that gave them more control over creators, which resulted in a lot of creators building their own games. Today, we’re looking at one of those games, Tales of the Valiant, built on the Black Flag System Reference.

MM Plays 39 – Misdirection and Red Herrings

Posted on October 31, 2023December 29, 2023 by clight

We’re touching on a topic that most people say is terrible in RPGs. The Red Herring. We get into how it should be used, when to use it, and why you might want to drop one in your game. We also have a few asides, especially one about old school gotcha monsters.

Thac0 with Advantage 31. Our Favorite Scary Monsters

Posted on October 31, 2023December 29, 2023 by clight

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 haunts our dreams, always lurking just beyond sight . . . in the shadows.

It’s all about those spooky monsters that make us feel that uncomfortable unsettling unnerving waver in the pit of our stomachs when they show up in our games. Ang and Jared talk about the scary monsters, the ones that should be scary, and why those monsters that do scare us make us feel that way.