My favourite Fear of a Black Dragon episodes
Back in October, the podcast Fear of a Black Dragon has released its 100th episode. In it, the hosts, Jason and Tom, present their Top 5 OSRish modules so far. Myself, I'm no reviewer and no expert on modules, but FoaBD is my favourite podcast. As a tribute, I reveal my Top 5 episodes out of the first hundred.
For people new to the pod, I'll briefly explain the format. Each episode has two major parts. In the first, they review a module at least one of the hosts has played. The second half is a related piece of GM (and adventure writer) advice or theoretical discussion of a particular aspect of roleplaying. This is called the Expert Delve.
5. Keep on the Borderlands: I realize I have a somewhat unusual perspective on this module: I have no experience with it whatsoever. Haven't even read it. As a kid in the 80s, I played Das schwarze Auge, not D&D. And yet, I feel the episode tells me all I need to know about this Gygax classic. The star of the show, however, is the Expert Delve on using the labyrinth move for Dungeon World (move written by Jason) to traverse the wilderness, an excellent idea (presented by Tom) that also influenced the Hunt Roll in Trophy Gold, I suspect, and Trophy Gold is my most played RPG in recent years.
4. Mouth Brood: One of the newer episodes. I don't know anything about this adventure other than what was said on the podcast, but it seems a truly strong entry and I look forward to picking it up when I have some time. The Expert Delve is on "Interior roleplaying", a fascinating topic. There's one aspect that particularly strikes me: Which of the ideas in the players' heads should be communicated to the whole table and at what point in the course of our common story?
3. Times That Fry Men's Souls: I'm picking this episode for the review. The hexcrawl set in New York during the American War of Independence is excellent and full of lovingly described details. I haven't run it yet, but I've read it twice for sheer pleasure, and I would never have found it without FoaBD. The Expert Delve is on "Implied settings".
2. The Corruption of Pelursk: That adventure is just so great, it is my favourite of all those modules reviewed on the podcast that I have actually read or played myself. I think Jason's and Tom's discussion makes it shine even more, highlighting things that I might not have noticed. I also got a fair bit of inspiration from the Expert Delve, "Handling a character who has implied knowledge of the setting".
1. Horror's Heart: I bought that Cthulhu module in the 90s when it came out, so bonus points for nostalgia, and it is an atmospheric mini campaign set in 1920's Montreal, but yet again, the Expert Delve is the main reason to listen to the episode. "Dismantling the railroad" is how Jacques Derrida would treat Old School modules, and it has changed my prep and GMing style thoroughly.
Enough rambling from me! There is a better way for you all to be spending your time. Go and listen to the episodes. Have fun! I know you will.