Curmudgeon in the Cellar

Some moderately illuminating (more like a really good flashlight than a spotlight) insights into: House Rules; level drain and alternatives; bards' reputations and origins; the agony & ecstasy of KS; Lethal surprises; Obscure magic items; alignment languages--wtf?; childhood memories; fighting astride a dragon; what I mean by "dungeon ecology" today; ST's for magic items; take care of yourself, please?

A rather brief, at least for me, discussion about 2E; XP for non-lethal activities? No Way!; Bards and their many wonders; my Wheel of Blame is about transience; why no love for the mace?; blue skies and wild dreams; do not try to argue semantics with The Curmudgeon; every player's fanny-clencher--Level Drain--some different takes.

When not to ask to see privates; time travel adventure; playing OS; the state of postage vis-a-vis UK; the difference twixt devils and demons; fine aged potions; mixing potions; a potion for anything; favorite comics; familiars and promotion; Resurrection; Gary in modules; favorite games; good DM'ing requires confidence; the old GP-XP equivalency hoodoo; a tale of four brothers.

A few thoughts on: Resurrection--what if they didn't want to come back?; dead PC's become vengeful NPC's; Clerics prayers vs. spells; don't mess with the Thunderbird; some more on painting; an open-ended prompt; bards are bad-assed; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssIPUR7vf_4; long-term consequences; no experience for building; offer an apple first; the Sage--worthless as a playable class, great as NPC; leveling up; one cheap component spoils the game box. Bard Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssIPUR7vf_4

A discourse touching upon the following: the Bard; painting minis now and then; more postage horrors; Daiman/daemon morphed into something else entirely; The Haunted Tank; companion animals; low-level, finite magic items for tyros; a couple of Time Machine proposals; more on XP for treasure; examining Resurrection; how our interests shape our gameplay; riding things-- just how crazy are you? Epic Level Mad Dungeons podcast with Tim Kask as Guest Star: https://epiclevelsrapgods.com/md-008-law-orc-der-w-tim-kask-tsr-odd-dragon-magazine-curmudgeon-in-the-cellar/

Creating inclusiveness; TSR and beards; unpredictable undead; the curse of Gail; not the way I want CitC to grow; more about your FLGS; rogue charts from early DRAGONS; stacking potions; Neanderthals ain't all bad; reanimation blues--watch hat you wish for; turning undead; Death as an NPC; the origins of potions; putting the dumpster fire behind us.

Let's help our FLGS' owners; hedge wizardry; instigating excitement; much ado about Clerics and Undead; don't rats already run NYC?; the most boring rpg ever; magic and spells as part of the mix--whose mix?; The shitstorm in Lake Geneva.

Some sermonizing on the following topics: Support for your Local FLGS- when is it warranted and our responsibility as a possible consumer; the Yin and the Yang of gamers and their money; the perils of trying to live vicariously; the soul-deep gaze of the vampire; Clerics and the Undead--a risky business; PDF's of Adventure Gaming; Healing for free?? ha ha ha! ; Illusion could be a dragon's best friend; boosting Lvl 1's; how dark is dark? how dark does it need to be?; non-human "hedge wizards" / shaman/ adepts;

A somewhat windy, and winding, examination of: Supporting your FLGS; Pantheon Slaughter; geomancy--is it useful in RPG's?; Developing style in a vacuum; writing video intros; Adventure Gaming PDF's available; the tedium of adventure anecdotes; limits on infravision in RPG's; The Raise Dead v. Finger of Death conundrum; bringing in replacement PC's; draining money from your players' pockets; Dragons, their colors and their abilities ;M-U brain burnout; really big games ; Statting Conan.

Just me, yakking on about the following (and possibly more): Creating new magic; when is time-travel not anachronistic and relevant?; Gary and M-U's, redux' Factoring fatigue; replacing dead party members--when & how; a different take on Illusions; show me the warranty on healing; disbelief--all or nothing?; giant "mundane" animals--grow your own?; the ethics of druidism; "projectile healing--verrry bad idea.

Episode #174 of Tim Kask's "Curmudgeon in the Cellar" is up and available for your old school D&D viewing pleasure at

An uncharacteristically brief spiel about: Bob Bledsaw and TJG; "problem" players at the table; several ideas anent illusions; how big before it's not miniature?; more nuances on hit points; M-U world domination; who would/do you play games with?; more thoughts on ointments and cure/heal delivery methods; D&D can be anywhere, anywhen; the relations (or lack thereof) between, boards, minis and DM'ing; probably some other stuff.

A somewhat windy dissertation on the following: Memorable PC's; black powder era games; the wimpiness of 1st Lvl Illusionists and Color Spray; time-traveling adventures; city campaigns as cops; praise for Fat Dragon; XP for treasure; What is the nature of Play?; in-game timekeeping; eating gnat poop; more nuances on the nature of HP- would it be better called Close Call Pts?; co-op games; using Illusion in game design; projectile-delivered Healing; playing in your head vs. elaborate table layout; Sex? no thanks--we play D&D.

A rather windy soliloquy on: Magical traps; scaling hex maps and flexibility; setting up an urban campaign--PC's & Poltroons; MVE--most valuable equipment; playing Napoleonics and black powder; Black Seas; Illusion in RPG's; RAW vs. house-ruling; keeping track of that pesky equipment; too many rings; spell progression evolution for Clerics, and probably some other stuff I forgot.

A discourse on: Devising hideous traps; a monstr on Ellis Island?; the (dis)advantages of being ethereal; The stupid proliferation of character classes; When is splitting the party a good idea? Hardly ever.; monster polymorphism--playing with the stats; What happens when you suddenly get big?; vicious vagabonds; To Fudge or Not to Fudge? That is the dilemma; and some other stuff.

A rather brief treatise on the following: Fertile ground for D&D; favorite modules to play and run; hiding in shadows; "Lifting" story and book plots to fit your campaign; defending Cincinnati; Gaming in Dallas--in person or virtually; the last BS about dragons; clever magic items; when catching arrows might work; what color should an elf's lederhosen be?

A somewhat lengthy discourse on: F-T-F gaming is returning; re-lighting the enthusiasm after the long hiatus; bringing newbies in now; early Tactical Studies Rules; "fantasy" means anything can go; saddling up a monster; PC actions during much larger actions and activities; fond memories of the G Series; TSR flops; shields-their variations and multiple applications; the economics of attending cons; just how critical was that Crit?; getting the PC's off their butts and out the door; "Magical Wal-Mart vs magical 7-11; music for gaming; misunderstood and poorly played classes; Catching arrows-Feat or Folly?, and probably some other stuff.

A scintillating discourse on: too many unnecessary classes; RL benefits of RP'ing; replacing dead PC's; the role of the dice; Neutral Ground; how M-U's get/got their spells; when gravity and physiognomy collide; chasing in slow motion; Race as Class is a Bad Idea.

Wherein I share thoughts on the following: preserving the mystery; creating scrolls; why polyhedra? RPG's and gaming as depicted on TV and in movies; which way is up again?; Pogo; no better get-together than a tavern?; the abhorrence of half-monsters; Race as class-- a colossal load of horseshit; achieving gameplay and game balance through certain limitations; Empire of the Petal Throne-- a colossal vanity project that burned TSR; Gary's "secret house rules.

Another windy discourse on: CintheC as Sat. cartoons; great breakfast sandwiches; Open rolling; Circus Maximus; selecting minis and minis-regret; my starting points for design-YMMV; making "simple" monsters richer; general disdain for the FF; the most evil monster is man; why did the FF stink?; breaking the game with anachronisms; the theology of turning undead; more on THAC0 and AC classes; 3.5--end of trust?; trying to make these videos more searchable.

Discussion of the following: Different concepts of HP; Humanoid bad guys; the DM seldom gets to play; favorite melee weapons; overlooking valuable items from ignorance; Heroism: prevalence of undead BITD; region "magic" in RL; more about psionics; monster's agendas; when PC's become monsters; creative ways to encourage PC embrace; variable weapons amidst standardization; Saving throws and poisons; who is writing this story?; a clarification regarding thieves;

A somewhat lengthy and redundant, discussion of the following: The preposterousness of god-killing; The Troubles with Thieves; variable weapon damage; the inherent disappointments of vanity projects; Apparently I'm better than good quality porn; the score of a lifetime; leveling up doesn't need a theme requirement; more on Magic Missiles; rolling open; why start a campaign likely to be futile?; killing the sleeping; putting new life into poisons; a statement on politics vs. science; elimination Kickstarter trolls.

A rather windy discourse on: Fiend Folio; Magic item vs. Magic item; hitting pillars; Long Live House Rules; Metagaming magic; Editing Post-Apoc stuff; The magic of music?; playing dirty pool with the PC's; Mindflayers; Civ 6; What the hell happened to trust?

Observations on the following: Magic weaponland; rationality in design; psionics redux; game logic vs. reality; favorite RPG's; High Charisma--a new cologne?; more on Harold Shea and Thomas Covenant; Swords & Sorcery vs. High Fantasy; the physical compositions of the various books and why; Play by Mail; the dice don't lie, do they?

A deucedly clever discourse about the following: The oldies are often the best; psionics, again; PC's vs. their environment; we used to love the ads; "fishbout of water" storytelling; genre-mashing; the joys of sandtables-as long as you keep the cat out; ground-/house-rules for new groups or campaigns; RL magic wish; hallucinogenic elven armpit feathers; more on spell dreaming; multi-property magic weapons; newest Edition unbalanced; reading the cracks in sheep shoulders.