Volume 1 Issue 22 – Are We Not Men? We are DMs!

By 12 commentsPodcast, Show Notes, Volume 1

AD&D is a human-sized world, where players are often rewarded by the rules for playing humans. In issue 22, we talk about playing the most dangerous animal of all – MAN.

Table Manners – Making humans enticing to play

The Dragon’s Hoard – Ring of Animal Friendship

Creature Feature Theater – DM Vince leads us to this week’s creature

Sage Advice – Converting 2E to 1E, demi-human level limits, and what goes into making a podcast

Blackstone’s Vault – White Plume Mountain

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12 comments on “Volume 1 Issue 22 – Are We Not Men? We are DMs!”

  1. DM_Kade

    Alright! A new episode! Thanks guys. I have been looking forward to this.

  2. Death Metal Nightmare

    a) its anthropocentric usually in academia.
    b) humans breeding like rats is usually referable to agricultural and sometimes pastoralist economies. hunter-gatherers, outside of complex ones like the pacific northwest area, have lots of “system” mechanisms that ‘curb’ reproduction (at least from our point of view) and birth spacing. more food production = more population and enables them to trump carrying capacity. ‘modern’ economies do this through fossil fuels as an infrastructural basis to produce food/energy.
    c) keep doing the new Creature Feature way!

  3. DM Jayson

    Thanks DMN. I knew I was mangling the word “anthropocentric” as soon as I started to say it 🙂

    Really appreciate the vote for the new way for Creature Feature, I think it’s fun, too.

  4. Todd Hughes

    In my campaign I have the players declare race before they roll stats. Demi-humans roll 4d6 drop the lowest roll six times arrange as you wish. Humans roll 4d6 drop the lowest roll five times and roll 5d6 drop the lowest two rolls once arrange as you wish.

    That’s the incentive I give to humans, it gives them a great chance to have a good score on their primary stat in whatever class they choose.

  5. Nicknack

    I really enjoy the actual-play style of Creature Feature- it gives a real context to the creatures, and also gives us a taste (albeit contrived) of real 1e play.
    That being said, it would be great to hear a little more discussion about the creatures (especially the more obscure ones) such as how you each may have used them in your own campaigns, or some ecology-style factoids.
    Love the show- always looking forward to the next issue!

  6. Cyril

    Great episode guys.

    As for the Creature Feature, to build off of Nicknack’s comment, maybe make the actual play segment an “every other week” thing and on the off weeks go into a little more detailed discussion of how you might use the monster you just encountered last week in your games. That way, you satisfy giving the monster context within both the framework of the rules, and also within the framework of the campaign world, without risking going way over time.

    Just my 2 gp.

  7. DM Nick

    Cyril, that’s a pretty good idea.

    One week we do the action, then next we do a review of the monster.

    Hmmm…

  8. Alan Hume

    Hey Guys,
    Thank you very, very much for putting out that tribute to Donald,
    it was very fitting

  9. Mark S.

    I also like the Creature Feature segment as an actual play. Although I have only vague memories of 1st edition, and even back then I didn’t bother memorizing the monsters, it still is fun trying to figure it out along with the players. The environment and ecology can be a short addendum to the actual play like you currently do it.

    I really enjoy your podcast. Keep up the good work.

  10. Ironbeaver

    Great podcast, I’ve been enjoying it so far. I like the new Creature Feature Theatre format, with the railroading to the encounter to speed things up. I checked the Crypt Fiend entry in the 2nd Edition Monstrous Manual and it does state that they are created/summoned for preventing the desecration of a tomb. It also includes a creation spell (7th level I think.)

    Keep up the good work!

  11. sogboj

    When thinking about giving humans incentives like modified abilities, i think it should be viewed as human is the norm and the other races deviate from the base. So for stats for instance, humans should have no adjustment as they are the norm from which elves, dwarves, etc. deviate. If you give humans bonuses you lose the idea of the base on which the rules were created.

    Lack of level limits is the incentive to be human so that you should not need to give others unless you waive them for demi-humans. Also, level limits can be viewed as physical and cultural limits. A halfling cannot get to high levels as a fighter because a certain physical size and shape prevents them from doing the moves required at that level of expertise (mentioned in the show I believe). Or an elf may not advance beyond a certain level of magic use as there are cultural mores and such not to.

    Of course fun is fun and its everyone’s decision. That’s what makes 1E so great.

  12. LC Pete

    1st ed. Dark Sun would be wild. Eveyrbody with psionics. I was one of the ones that didn’t really use psionics when I played 1st because it seemed to complex. That would be immersion for you.

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