Dekahedron RPG Podcast

Dec 10 2024 188 ep. 19 mins
Dekahedron RPG Podcast artwork

Dekahedron is a weekly podcast featuring Joe, an old referee discussing tabletop RPGs. Di ve into topics ranging from classic OSR/D&D gameplay to modern systems like FATE. Join the conversation by - Email (text or attach an audio file): email [email protected] - Phone (call or text): 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278) - Web: https://sayhi.chat/dekahedron Cover art logo by DesignKat.

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152: Minimum Viable RPG

Dec 10 2024 21 mins  
In this episode, Joe shares his thoughts on what's absolutely necessary to include in an RPG. Inspired by discussions on the Diegetic Advancement podcast and the Minions & Musings Podcast, Joe breaks down the bare minimum required for a game to be considered a role-playing game. He also shares his opinions on what's not necessary, including artwork, "learn how to play" section

151: Slavery in RPGs

Nov 25 2024 11 mins  
Joe examines a challenging topic: the portrayal of slavery in the early days of tabletop role-playing games. As the holiday season approaches, he takes a moment to reflect on the darker aspects of gaming history that often go unexamined. Beginning with his insights from OSR October and Dave Arneson's First Fantasy Campaign, Joe highlights how slavery is presented as a commodity, c

150: Mail Call: Traveller & Healing

Nov 19 2024 19 mins  
In this episode, Joe responds to listener feedback about the evolution of Traveller and alternative healing mechanics. Additionally, he discusses the philosophy behind hit points. Links: Evil Jeff's show: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/eviljeff Karl's show: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/karl-rodriguez Jason's show: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason3

149: Traveller: An Overview (Viewer Request)

Nov 12 2024 23 mins  
In this episode, Joe answers a listener's question about getting started with Traveller. In his response, Joe meaders through every edition of the classic science fiction RPG from 1977 to today. Links: Jason's Podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 Classic Traveller Facsimile Edition: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/355200/classic-traveller-facsimile-ed

148: That Healing Feeling

Nov 04 2024 13 mins  
Joe talks about how he handles RPG healing mechanics in both new-school and old-schools games. Inspired by the classic works of Judges Guild and John M. Ford, he explores the concept of individual wound tracking and the importance of first aid in recovering from battle. #rpg #dnd #ttrpg Links: The Roleplayer Article: https://www.sjgames.com/gurps/Roleplayer/Roleplayer16/Wounds

41 Years Ago Today... and Today (Off Topic/Bonus)

Oct 31 2024 28 mins  
Joe marks a significant life milestone. He shares an intimate and candid reflection of a chapter of his life that is coming to an end 41 years--to the day--after it began. Links: Article about Joe: https://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/379th-Air-Expeditionary-Wing/News/Display/Article/809055/taking-care-of-service-members-first-priority-for-first-aid-kit-assembly-party/ Share your though

147: Trade in Blackmoor... and Beyond (OSR October)

Oct 29 2024 20 mins  
Joe wraps up OSR October by exploring Dave Arneson’s trade system for Blackmoor. From there, he delves into the evolution of trade mechanics in early RPGs, including the classic Traveller game. Finally he talks about his own system to handle mercantile trade by players characters in D&D and other fantasy role-playing games. Key topics covered: Blackmoor’s Trade Mechanics

146: Wilderness Generation in Blackmoor (OSR October)

Oct 22 2024 18 mins  
Journey back to the early days of D&D with this look at random wilderness generation in Dave Arneson's Blackmoor campaign. In this episode, Joe explores the approach to wilderness creation used by one of the pioneers of role-playing games. Discover how Arneson combined random tables with detailed descriptions to bring the world of Blackmoor to life. Share your thoughts via: �

145: XP in Blackmoor (OSR October)

Oct 15 2024 26 mins  
For OSR October, Joe explores Dave Arneson's original reward system that he used in his Blackmoor while developing Dungeons & Dragons. Unlike the familiar XP system of modern D&D, Blackmoor required players to spend gold in order to gain experience points. Discover this strange and fascinating peek into the origins of the hobby, and how these mechanics differed from the mo

144: Magic in Blackmoor (OSR October)

Oct 08 2024 11 mins  
Welcome back to OSR October! This week, Joe dives deep into the original magic system used in Dave Arneson's Blackmoor, the proto-Dungeons & Dragons campaign. Blackmoor's magic system is very different from what we see in modern D&D. Here, magic users don't memorize spells – they create potions and other formulaic concoctions that need to be prepared beforehand. These in