Podcast | Spellburn

Continuing our Classic Adventure series, we pick up with DCC #80– Intrigue at the Court of Chaos! This adventure has it all– plane-hopping, cosmic entities, potion puzzles and well, lots of intrigue! We’ll talk about how this adventure came to be with none other than its author, Manly Michael Curtis himself! All this and more […]

We’ve made it two-thirds of the way through the year. Most of us are stuck in the land of online gaming for the foreseeable future, there’s a slight chill to the air in some regions, and you all know the impending nightmare that awaits us … It’s the REVENGE of the MAILBAG! Stuff referenced in […]

The continuation of Episode #100. Judge Jen runs us through part of DCC #100 “The Music of the Spheres is Chaos!” Featuring original Spellburner, Judge Jeffrey Tadlock! Links to adventures and other stuff in this adventure: Jeffrey Tadlock’s Iron Tavern Podcast (DCC Actual Play!) Journey to the Center of Aereth A prototype of the spinning […]

What better way to celebrate the 100th episode of Spellburn than by showcasing some of the upcoming 100th Dungeon Crawl Classics adventure! And how are we going to showcase it? With some ACTUAL PLAY! That’s right folks, the day our listeners have been clamouing for and Judge Jen has been dreading! Links to adventures and […]

We’re approaching DCC# 100 and we’re also approaching Spellburn 100! What better way to celebrate an anniversary than to reflect on some great stuff of the past 8 years! I want to do a series of episodes on classic (and maybe even new and unsung!) adventures and there’s obviously no better place to start than […]

We let our blessings get mouldy, and then call them curses.” What’s in a curse? At most gaming tables, they’re uttered by players when critical failures pop up. But curses in DCC are an under-utilized mechanic! They’re not just for the Shudfolk! If you’re looking to switch up your NPC casters to make them unpredictable, […]

“Hello DCC Days! For those listening on your podcatchers, this was a very special LIVE episode where we are answering emails in addition to any questions folks wanna ask us on Twitch!” Stuff referenced in this episode! Spellburn Live @ DCC Days – Twitch DCC Days – June 11-14, 2020 Blades Against Bandwidth Empire of […]

What has the COVID wrought on the gaming community? One silver lining in all the con cancellations and lack of gamer funk as well as physical hugs is that we have had the opportunity to meet lots of new friends via Zoom, Roll20, Hangouts and more! This extends far beyond the continental US across […]

No matter what your tenure as a fan of DCC RPG, you know that this gaming community embraces fan-made material like few others. And that means we also embrace those creators! Our guest for this show has been drafting & sketching DCC monsters since 2012 on his “Appendix M” blog. Until now, we’ve all known […]

Gary Con may have been cancelled but Virtual Gary Con seemed to be quite the hit! And now Goodman Games is hosting its own online convention this weekend – Cyclops Con! So today we’re talking about online gaming in the world of Social Distancing! Stuff referenced in this episode! CYCLOPS CON! Con of Champions Sailors […]

The Spellburn podcast is now on its 93rd episode! It’s hard to believe, but it’s true! Back when Judge Jim, Jeffrey and Jobe started Spellburn, they were mainly setting out to verbally pore over the new Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. Eight years later, Spellburn is here to stay, but there are other great podcasts […]

Hubris, noun: excessive pride or self-confidence that leads a person to disregard the divinely-fixed limits on human action in an order of chaos. While defying the gods is no longer viewed as a crime, as it was in ancient Greece, it is regarded as a tragic flaw in the human psyche. That said, if you’ve […]

Do you guys remember the year 2016? Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump competed for Mr. and Mrs. America, Justin Beiber was the top of the charts, and people were gleefully wandering into traffic while playing Pokemon Go. And if you were anything like me, you weren’t paying attention to any of that, because you were […]

Go to the cons, hang out on the Tweeters and the Faceboxes, and sooner or later, you’ll hear some internet guy or black-tshirt person making the assertion that “DCC is great for one-shot games, but it would never work for a campaign.” IS IT TRUE? We’re going to find out with none other than Andy […]

Spellburn is back with another first-time guest, an author of third-party DCC adventures that have already become cult classics. Players who’ve tried to escape an insane computer while fighting a yeti, explored temple ruins while beset by giant hamsters, or failed to leave an evil, sentient inn once getting sucked in, will know the press […]

The Farmers’ Almanac is an annual American periodical that has been in continuous publication since 1818. Whereas the Gongfarmer’s Almanac is an interdimensional zine that has been in continuous publication since MMXV… and today we are taking a long-overdue deep-dive into the original five volumes published in 2015! Links mentioned in this episode: Gongfarmer’s Almanac […]

It’s impossible to keep up with all the great stuff being put out for Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG! It seems like every day has a new barrage of kickstarters, Goodman Games announcements and hot rumors. But what the heck, I figured we might review some of our favorite projects and get the word out, since […]

The trees have turned, the air is crisp, and the soothing sound of chanting carries on the breeze… And just when we think it’s safe to relax, it’s an avalanche! It’s the dreaded, corrupted MAILBAG!! Adventures mentioned in this episode: The Dread God Al-Khazadhar Outlive, Outsmart, Outkill Sailors on the Starless Sea Creeping Beauties of […]

The moon is full, the wind is howling through the cemetery, and what was that noise? Did I just hear a scream come from that mad doctor’s laboratory? Today Spellburn is getting ooky spooky and discussing Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombies… oh my! Adventures mentioned in this episode: Daniel Bishop’s Campaign Elements   Transylvanian Adventures   […]

Spellburn is here again with a first-time guest Marzio Muscadere, author of Steel and Fury, Death Slaves of Eternity and the winner of the 2017 Rodneys Design Award, Star Wound of Abaddon! We’re going to waste copious points of Stamina, Strength and Agility as we hang out with Marzio, learn exactly how to pronounce his name and […]

Lankhmar is huge! Thousands of people dwell within the eleven quarters that make up the City of Sevenscore Thousand Smokes. Anyone new to town is bound to run into some issues. Were you meeting with that fence to offload some newfound treasures tonight at the corner of Carter Street and Cash Street? …or was that […]

Sometimes you come back from the con and instead of pulling all the stops out to do that interesting and informative episode on Clerics, or the birthmarks of djinnis or the ecology of the space-wombat or whatever, you just want to talk about the Con and maybe sneak some relevant content in there… like in […]

Alright everyone. Today is an important day in the history of Spellburn. We are finally going to address the elephant in the room. The Cleric Class. You might be saying to yourself “But Jeff. Spellburn already covered the Cleric class. You know, back with the original line-up. Back when the show was still good.” And […]

The DCC Annual was released (on .pdf) to kickstart backers earlier this year and we are concluding our review of the Annual and its numerous fun features! Adventures mentioned in this episode: The Peasant’s Fell Bargain Jewels of the Carnifex Intrigue at the Court of Chaos Journey to the Center of the Aereth Beyond the […]

We’re way behind on emails but now it’s time to catch up! Thanks for emailing us! Keep them coming! Links mentioned in this episode: City of the Damned Campaign on Obsidian Portal Gongfarmers’ Almanac Mothership RPG Dungeon Games, Florida NecronomiCON, Florida Bardmageddon (musical group) DCC Class Cards Spelljammer (AD&D 2nd Edition) Crawljammer #1 Star Crawl […]

Howdy Pardners! If you’re already a fan of Dungeon Crawl Classics, you have been bombarded with Kickstarter after Kickstarter for DCC products – and that’s just in the first 5 months of 2019! The best part, for our community, is that the majority of these projects have been put out — successfully, I might add […]

For generations, it has been whispered of in the back-alleys of Punjar… for untold aeons, a secret on the lips of Sezrekan, shared only with the most devoted of his servants… its power unlocking hidden ways of the Gods, new pacts with mind-bending Patrons, precious artifacts of startling puissance and, perhaps most sanity-stretching of all […]

Adventures mentioned in this episode: Home for the Holideath (Mutant Crawl Classics RPG) DCC Lankhmar Links mentioned in this episode: Astonishing Swordsmen and Sorcers of Hyperborea Tabletop Twats RPG podcast Second Edition The Blue Star The Bleak Shore Patrons of Lankhmar Call of Cthullhu RPG Mutant Crawl Classics RPG The Spellburners always need more reviews […]

“You’re no hero,” the DCC RPG rulebook iconically says. “You’re an adventurer: a reaver, a cutpurse, a heathen-slayer, a tight-lipped warlock guarding long-dead secrets.” While our characters may be seeking gold and glory caked in the blood and filth of the weak, as players, it can be extra fun and satisfying doing it all for […]

Tonight we burn ability points with a man who’s been with DCC from the beginning. Brad McDevitt has worked with Goodman Games since the 3.5 era and has contributed art to the core rulebook, X-Crawl, Mutant Crawl Classics, Age of Cthulhu and a ton of work for many other companies as well. He also runs […]

Chances are, you’ve heard a ton about the new Dungeon Crawl Classics Lankhmar material. In this episode of Spellburn, we will go through some of the crucial differences from DCC RPG, including steps for character generation and some of the basic things new players can expect in the setting. Whether you backed the Kickstarter, have […]

We are so behind in our emails that our mailbag is overflowing! We have nearly thirty emails dating back more than seven months so we are gonna dive right into in. I’m Judge Jeff and with me tonight are Judge Jen (greetings!) and Judge Julian (salutations!) Normally, we would go to Tavern talk and talk about our […]

Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG was forged in the fires of Appendix N literature and nothing can be or will be more Appendix N than the works of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. Today our guest is Jon Hook who has written for Age of Cthulhu as well as DCC RPG. We’ll explore Lovecraft, oldschool Chaosium, DCC RPG […]

Following the annual holiday of our people — Free RPG Day — it seems fitting to invoke another Road Crew judge onto the show! Tonight’s guest brings DCC RPG to game shops at least twice a week, in addition to convention appearances. And, in the spirit of inclusivity, we’re ecstatic to welcome the very FIRST […]

On this episode of Spellburn we are going to talk about playing in the sandbox. What is a sandbox campaign and how might it help you up your DCC game? Well luckily for all you out there in podcast-land, we have the author “Dispatches from the Raven Crowking Vol. III: Building the Sandbox” with us […]

We love DCC RPG, but you know what makes it even better? Putting your own customized home table stamp right on the game you play. We asked the Spellburnt legions to send us some houserules and you did! We’ll review the lot, yak about the pros and cons and I’m going to try my damndest […]

Another Gary Con has come and gone and what a grand con it was! One of the few things missing was the “What’s New with Goodman Games?” seminar. Yes, for the first time in over 5 years, we got no seminar. This means that this is also the first time in 5 years that Spellburn […]

Like many listening, I first encountered the mysterious world of Aéreth in the pages of the DCC RPG Core Book. Many others listening will remember the world of Aéreth from back in the days when Dungeon Crawl Classics wasn’t the name of a roleplaying game but was instead the name of a line of adventure […]

There’s no need for a long-winded intro for Episode 65 because our guest is familiar to everyone who plays DCC RPG. We are welcoming back … oh.. Wait, nope he cancelled . It’s the EMAIL episode! We talk mercurial magic, patrons, diversity, Gary Con, MCC, house rules and lots and lots of DCC RPG. You […]

In this episode, we are spellburning everything as we reach through the Ethos to another continent and traverse multiple lines of latitude and longitude to summon one of the very first fans of DCC RPG South of the equator. You’ve heard tonight’s special guest’s name so often, it should be no surprise that we’re talking […]

Page 10 of the DCC Core Book asks us to pledge, with our right hand upon our little brown books, that we shall uphold the honor of the hobby of role playing to all comers, whether young or old. In this episode we discuss what it means to uphold the honor of the hobby to […]

What IS Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG? Is it just a beautifully made OSR game with superior standards of art and more prodigious production of random tables? Or is it MORE than a retroclone, and if so, how does it differ from the games that hue closer to the traditional elements of the world’s most popular […]

Time to give the Clerics their due! Judge Jen leads us through a 1st level Clerics primer. Plus, funnels! Plus, Gongfarmers Almanac! Plus the winner of the Dungeon Denizens contest! All this and more on this episode of Spellburn! Adventures mentioned in this episode: BostonCrawl (X-Crawl adventure, as mentioned…) Outlive, Outsmart, Outkill! Links mentioned in […]

Sezrekan commands it! Emails, emails and even more emails! We shut up and let the listeners have their say! (Well, we don’t really shut up.) All this and more on this episode of Spellburn! Adventures mentioned in this episode: Shadows Under Devil’s Reef (2017 Halloween Adventure) Sinister Sutures of the Seamstress (2016 Halloween Adventure) Creeping […]

This week on Spellburn we take a look at how to create a supernatural Patron! Patrons are one of the coolest and most unique aspects of Dungeon Crawl Classics RPG. Every Judge will have a reason to make one as a foil, as a PC ally, and of course just for the fun of it! […]

One of the first things people notice about Dungeon Crawl Classics is the amazing art, inside and out. In this episode, we’ll get to know one of the minds behind those evocative illustrations, and we’ll find out where else we can find his art — including pieces for RPGs in various languages, entire graphic novels […]

This week our episode is on the Appendix H… H for horror films! Horror films have been inspiring fantasy roleplaying from its inception. It is widely believed that the Cleric class’s main inspiration was Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing in the 1950s and 60s Hammer Horror films, and that the Magic Missile spell came […]

This week on Spellburn, we’re waiting for GENCON! DCC RPG is going to have its biggest presence ever at the world’s biggest gaming convention. How did we get here? Jon Hershberger has been involved in oldschool gaming for decades, and running the same campaign for much of that time! But you may know him […]

Special thank you to James V. West for this episode’s banner! Welcome to Spellburn! There’s been a lot of phlogiston in the air recently, as the 2017 ENnie Award nominees were announced…and to our humble surprise, Spellburn was on that esteemed list! To get into the spirit, we asked the community to do a little […]

This week on Spellburn we’re chatting with the Metal God and Atomic Overlord himself… Edgar Johnson! We’re going to talk to him about his hex-crawl adventure “Moon-Slaves of the Cannibal Kingdom”, his science-fantasy “Against the Atomic Overlord”, and whatever else we feel like chatting about. This and more on our 54th episode of Spellburn! Links […]