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Agreed on question of the day. Great jump off. I also like item management when its part of the adventure VS all the time.

Fantastic list and skit - Plus fun ambience flickering lighting too... Started a monthly, at-the-table Shadowdark dungeon crawl a few weeks back. My players brought most of these items with them - minus the sticky tar! At the close of the session they had saved the Cleric from the final throes of the death timer, only to have their torch go out. Session two is next week. Cheers!

"Which parts of the game intrigue you?"... I really enjoy the theme of the magic system. Yes, there are many systems that do the same thing (whether for better or worse), but the way that the authors describe it in this one is VERY well done. Example, in the Referee's Compendium, page 100, there is a story of a character who uses a type of Second Sight, or, Possession type of Spell. Absolute gold!!!! The Hyperborea RPG, from North Wind Adventures, has a similar feel with its magic using classes being gritty, dark, and oozing with personality. So does Lamentations of the Flame Princess RPG (one of my favorites). The magic system in that game is set up so that even a new magic using character can accidentally call a WTH monster when summoning something much more "mundane". You want to mess with powers that are just not meant to be messed with? Well, sure, have at it :) With all of these being OSR "fantasy", it is extremely easy to take bits and pieces of how they implement magic, and import those ideas directly into a setting that is more along the lines of Lion and Dragon (RPG Pundit), or HarmWorld (Columbia Games). But, if you want a dark magic system... as in... crap, THAT is dark... look into something like Aquelarre RPG by Nocturnal Media back in 2018. That is some dark stuff to pull into an OSR system.

Cat radio. You’re on the air 😅

😶

I find scarcity checks to be really neat, and plan to utilize them in OSR as well as other games. 🔥🗡

I like the video format idea, esp. going over time (a bit) and into the red. As for the game, nah, not interested. I have "dark / apocalyptic" exhaustion. In addition, "dangerous" magic is not anything I'm interested in.

Which parts of the game intrigue you?

Great advice! This will take my current West Marches campaign to the next level.

First video …and for a minute there I thought I was watching a young Professor DM 😂… great tips though. Thanks

Fun video.

Aww man, I missed it live.

I haven't run WM, not because I don't want to, but the group I have is working well on a monthly and that's been great for the past two years. We just added a 6th player, because the system (Shadowdark) is smooth and we're getting along. I think Shadowdark is the perfect system for my table. Doesn't get too deep. Replacement characters are pretty straighforward. Deadly enough for the players to not just murderhobo everything. Works great with sandboxes. All respect to Ben Robbins for using 3E (definitely use what you like), but the whole "mother may I" statement makes me think he didn't understand how BX and older systems were actually played and adjudicated; or at least how we played them circa late eighties and early 90s.

The skit was fantastic haha. Old school gaming and dungeon delving sounds like a very fun playstyle to try.

I've been running a West Marches game in my own homebrew world for the past year. We're a 14 player strong group and we play in discord. I thought this was a really great breakdown of what is required to run the game! ❤

Useful tips!

🧙‍♂️

Man, I'd forgotten but we had all these tricks. Still never made past 6th level with that DM, though. Oh, and continual light, cast on a coin, and then the coin covered in clay and then baked in a kiln. Medieval Flash grenade.

Caltrops and grappling hooks, yes!

Caltrops are being used by Ukrainian army now.

Great video and I love the outro of staying a positive force in the hobby! Listening to this list makes me want to play old school D&D so badly! Unless I hit the luck of your rocker-haired friend!

Torches in my D&D game

I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, but I used my bubblegum to attach a mirror to my 10' pole.

What piece of equipment is a must-have for your character to survive a dungeon?

1:50 - Done, and Done. Great livestream on 1/11.

❤

Hexroll maps are just...bland.

Do you think it would be off the rails to try something like this with something structured more like Star Gate’s away teams? Go to a strange world, find out about, and have other people go back and develop the area, establish relationships or oppose enemy activity?

Been wanting to run a West Marches since I first saw that video by Matt Colville all those years ago. my issue is that I just cant find players who have ambitions and goals. Everyone I run into just wants to follow a predetermined story :P

Looking good, man! Your beard game is on point.

savage worlds the first for me

Ew Shadowdark gross

Perfect is the enemy of good in dead. That may be the only thing MIAD taught me.

First RPG played this year: Online- The One Ring 2e In-Person- Shadowdark

This is killer. Easy, intuitive...perfect. The graph view is just <muah> chef's kiss.

I think we've all been there when looking THAT dragon in the mouth. Probably most important is that it really engages you because you'll be driving it as the DM.

I'm running a city-based open table campaign - basically urban west marches set in Ptolus. I have 2 separate groups with a few PCs in each group. One groups actions helps me prep for the other so I never really spend too much time prepping what's going on and I can always recycle stuff I prep for one group to use with the other

Online The One Ring and face to face The Walking Dead!

already did it, jan 2 DCC woot

Icons, I'm running it tomorrow.

First RPG you are playing in 2025?

Very interesting. I've been relying on my (aging) memory, but I should probably start using something like this!

Thanks for creating this West Marches video. The idea really appeals to me but I think I'm still a little green to run this sort of campaign. If you get good views on this video and think it might be a good option for future videos, I would be interested to hear some more of your West Marches experience. -- How much did you create to not make your sandbox feel empty? Was it all dungeons? Did you create factions to keep the game world changing? Maybe list some issues players had or created and how you ended up solving them. Did you have to create large world events when you wanted to change or introduce something new to the world of your sandbox? A few people have made West Marches overview videos, but I would love to hear more of people's actual experiences.

I GMed West March before it even had a name.

what if I have no idea what the West marches is?

wtf is west marches ?

Never, this is one of my new projects. I'd want one set in Neverwinter, Sigil or homebrew.

🎉🎉🎉

1) For some reason, probably cuz I’m off most social media, I didn’t realize you were out here posting stuff. So I’ve subscribed! 2) fantastic video! 3) Love hearing about someone else who has discovered the glory of stingbat laden Shadowdark!!!