Wandering DMs

Jan 27 2025 150 ep. 66 mins 182

Wandering DMs Podcast artwork

Dan "Delta" Collins and Paul Siegel host weekly discussions on topics relating to old school D&D, tabletop RPGs, DM advice, and D&D history.

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

Mysteries | Running Frustration Free D&D Whodunits | Wandering DMs S07 E03

Jan 27 2025 61 mins

In this episode of Wandering DMs, Dan and Paul explore the art of running mysteries in Dungeons & Dragons and other TTRPGs. From crafting compelling clues and red herrings to balancing player agency with narrative tension, they share tips and tricks to keep your players engaged and invested in unraveling the plot. Whether you’re running a murder investigation, solving ancient

Critical Failures | What’s the Worst that Can Happen? | Wandering DMs S07 E02

Jan 20 2025 57 mins

Dan & Paul chat about the role of critical failure and fumble systems in TTRPG systems. Do they add appropriate surprise, unpredictability, realism, and danger to the adventure? Are they more punishing to the players or their opponents? Or are they just more trouble than they're worth?

Splitting the Party | When Your D&D Group Can’t Keep it Together | Wandering DMs S07 E01

Jan 13 2025 61 mins

Paul & Dan are back for Season 7, this time diving into the age-old debate: splitting the party. When is it a clever strategy? When is it a recipe for disaster? And what can DMs do to keep the game running smoothly when the group goes their separate ways?

2024 Year in Review | Wandering DMs Season 6 | Wandering DMs S06 E41

Dec 16 2024 60 mins

Paul & Dan look back on the year 2024 for the Wandering DMs. It's been a momentous year: The 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons, a new version of the D&D game, the Chinese Year of the Dragon, in-depth looks at Original vs. Basic D&D, and special guests like Michael Moorcock, Luke Gygax, Jon Peterson, an Matt Finch. Share your high and low points, and we'll share

Crafting Villains | Creating Satisfying Foils for Your Players | Wandering DMs S06 E40

Dec 09 2024 59 mins

Dan and Paul discuss ways to create satisfying recurring villains in your D&D campaign. How do you balance the desire for epic, climactic showdowns with the unpredictable, open-ended nature of a TTRPG campaign? Should your villain be the untouchable mastermind pulling strings from the shadows, or someone your players can engage with directly throughout the story? Join us as we

Original vs. Basic D&D Part 3 | Combat! | Wandering DMs S06 E39

Dec 02 2024 59 mins

Dan & Paul revisit the Original vs. Basic Dungeon & Dragons collision. This time: As similar as the early editions are, a fundamental place where they differ is the combat turn sequence. Moldvay's B/X rules have a unique turn sequence not seen in other versions of D&D. And for Original D&D (1974), can you even find the turn sequence, anyway? Plus other acts of criti

Dungeon Design Dash #5 Part 2 | Infested Perch of the Mammoth Egg | Wandering DMs S06 E38

Nov 25 2024 60 mins

Dan and Paul return to complete the dungeon design dash for the "Infested Perch of the Mammoth Egg". Unfortunately one hour was just not enough this time around, so they're coming back to complete the adventure, and reveal some of the extra editing passes that go into publishing these adventures. Once complete, this adventure will be posted for sale on DriveThruRPG, and a free copy

Dungeon Design Dash #5 | Creating a D&D Adventure in One Hour | Wandering DMs S06 E37

Nov 11 2024 67 mins

Dan and Paul are back at it again, creating an entire D&D adventure in just one hour! Armed with only their D&D source books, Matt Finch's excellent Tome of Adventure Design, and the input from live viewers, they'll create a fully stocked and playable D&D dungeon adventure right in front of your eyes. Once it's complete, adventure WDM05 will be posted on DriveThruRPG an

Ghouls in D&D | Hungry for More | Wandering DMs S06 E36

Oct 28 2024 63 mins

Dan and Paul reflect on the many changing faces of ghouls in D&D and fantasy literature. How did they become one of the most feared monster types? What flavor is best: the one from Lovecraft, Howard, Leiber, Gygax, or Romero? Should they be unthinking undead, or a sentient organized race? What's the best way to skin (or unskin) them in your D&D game? In Arabic folklore,

Scaling D&D Adventures | Tips for Handling Any Group Size | Wandering DMs S06 E35

Oct 21 2024 61 mins

This week on Wandering DMs, Paul Siegel and Dan “Delta” Collins dive into one of the most common challenges DMs face: scaling D&D adventures when the number of players doesn’t match what the adventure was designed for. Whether you're running a session for fewer players than expected or you suddenly have a larger group to accommodate, adjusting on the fly can be tricky. Pa