Show overview
The Dungeon Master's Handbook has been publishing since 2017, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 74 episodes. That works out to roughly 30 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a monthly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 19 min and 27 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Arts show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 1.8 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2023, with 20 episodes published. Published by Michael S / Chgowiz.
From the publisher
Hi! I'm Michael 'Chgowiz' and I podcast about my love for running role playing campaigns using older versions of RPGs from the 70s and 80s!
Latest Episodes
View all 74 episodesEp 67Episode 67 - The End
The last episode of this podcast. I share some thoughts on why I'm ending the podcast. Thank you for listening! Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 66Episode 66 - 2023 Year-end Update
A quick year-end update, since I’ve been busy with holiday and hunting season activities. I want to wish all of you a very Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! If you celebrate, have yourself a Merry Christmas! I did finish my Dungeon23 project! Here’s the details: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp/2023/12/16/finishing-dungeon23-i-did-it/ ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 65Episode 65 - Q/A Catch-up from October
October was a much busier month than I anticipated, so these Q/A call-in answers are a bit late, my apologies! I answer questions/comments about OSR October, OD&D alignment, and module deconstruction from: Jason of Nerd’s RPG Varietycast podcast ( ) Bosman Bos of Tales from the Border Baronies ( https://borderbaronies.bearblog.dev/blog/ ) Menion/Rob of Wee Tim’rous Bushie podcast ( https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/menion ) ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 64Episode 64 - Infinite Barrel of Monkeys
In this episode, I go over how I deconstruct modules for my own use, whether in my campaign or as one-shots. This is how I get around the linear (and sometimes railroad) designs of many modules. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to get to call-ins, as this was recorded while I was attending GameHoleCon in mid October 2023. Full credit for the phrase “Chgowiz’s Infinite Barrel of Monkeys” goes to Menion/Rob of the podcast “Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi” (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/menion) ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 63Episode 63 - Moving and OSR October
I’m in the middle of a physical move from one side of Illinois to the other, so this is just a quick update and some thoughts on what I’ll talk about in October. Full credit for the phrase “Chgowiz’s Infinite Barrel of Monkeys” goes to Menion/Rob of the podcast “Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi” (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/menion) ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 62Episode 62 - Help with OSR October and Answering Callins
This episode, I ask what YOU want to hear about in OSR October, and I discuss some great call-ins with more about Holmes Basic and OD&D. Help! I’d like to participate in OSR October, but I’m not sure what you’d like to hear about! If you have ideas, suggestions - please let me know by leaving a voice comment (see below). Thank you! ----- Call-in guests Jason of Nerd’s RPG Varietycast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 Daniel of Bandit’s Keep: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-norton ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 61Episode 61 - OD&D and Holmes Basic
This episode, I take a look at how I’ve used Holmes Basic with my OD&D (and AD&D) games, and a quick comparison of differences between the influential Basic set and the original game. Links mentioned: The Zenopus Archives - a fantastic resource of all things Holmes! https://sites.google.com/site/zenopusarchives/ ---- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 60Episode 60 - Campaign and Chainmail Q&A
I answer an email with questions about running my D&D campaign, with some thoughts on 3 hexes and classes. I also answer Chainmail callins! Call in guests: Jason of Nerds RPG Variety Cast, John of Red Dice Diaries, Daniel of Bandits Keep. Referenced resources Grognard - a “retroclone” of Chainmail, organizing the rules into a more coherent and modern layout. Effective for deciphering what a phrase or rule might be. Call in guests Jason of Nerds RPG Variety Cast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 John of Red Dice Diaries podcast: https://reddicediaries.substack.com/ Daniel of Bandit's Keep podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-norton ---- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 59Episode 59 - Traveller Campaign Chargen
In this episode, I talk about how I adapted the Classic Traveller chargen to my Battlestar Galactica universe. Mentions: Joe/Dekahedron Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/48PrG9H7mDbdzdxtET1sI6 ---- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 58Episode 58 - Missile Fire in my Chainmail for OD&D
In this episode, I share how I do missile fire in my adaptation of Chainmail for OD&D. Plus, call-ins! Show Notes Old School RPG Planet: https://campaignwiki.org/osr/ Call in guests Daniel of Bandit's Keep podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-norton Jason of Nerds RPG Variety Cast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 ---- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 57Episode 57 - How To Play OD&D - The Hidden Resources You Haven't Seen
I share four key resources that I think will help anyone who is trying to learn how to play along with the original three little brown books of Dungeons & Dragons as printed back in 1974. Plus, probably one of the most unusual call-ins from a fellow podcaster that you’ll hear! ---- OD&D Proboards Forum - https://odd74.proboards.com/ Philotomy’s Musings - https://www.grey-elf.com/philotomy.pdf Delta’s D&D Hotspot Blog - https://deltasdnd.blogspot.com/ Wayne Rossi’s Original Setting - https://initiativeone.blogspot.com/2013/05/od-setting-posts-in-pdf.html ----
Ep 56Episode 56 - Demystifying AD&D Treasure for Monsters
AD&D can be confusing on how to place treasures with creatures in the wilderness and dungeons, and what's up with all those letters for Treasure Types? In this episode, I go over how AD&D tries to lay this out, and what tips/tricks I use to make the process simple -- at least for me! Plus, I have a great call in from a new listener, Trevor! ---- Swords & Wizardry White Box, 3rd printing: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByYame2Z2IBCeXljc3gzalNoMUE/view?resourcekey=0-eZQTyIFcjBcZH-L-pZ-94g (This does not have the great Mark Allen cover, as that was printed through Brave Halfling, which is no longer available). ---- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 55Episode 55 - The Adaptability of Chainmail
Third time's the charm! I finally was able to get this episode recorded! In this episode, rather than talking about how I use Chainmail, I give some thoughts on how Chainmail, in some way, expects you to mold it into what you want to do with it. The companion blog post to this episode goes into some specifics of how I use Chainmail in my OD&D games: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp/2023/06/13/chainmail-in-my-odd/ And you can find the amazing work that Daniel does with Chainmail and his OD&D games on his podcast here: https://open.spotify.com/show/02QTUpzgKCv2aT6sH6G5rk Two other great Chainmail resources that I mention: Compleat Chainmail - a discussion document/rules set of how to use Chainmail combat within an OD&D game. This was my main source of inspiration for modifying Chainmail for use within OD&D. Grognard - a “retroclone” of Chainmail, organizing the rules into a more coherent and modern layout. Effective for deciphering what a phrase or rule might be. --- My call-in guests: Daniel of Bandit's Keep podcast Jason of Nerds RPG Variety Cast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 ---- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 54Episode 54 - Is Classic Traveller almost OD&D in space?
This episode - I've recently started diving into the three 1977 Classic Traveler "little black books" and I'm finding some surprising similarities and philosophies to the earlier 1974 Original Dungeons & Dragons. I'll talk about those similarities and take some call-ins from folks with questions and comments! ---- My call-in guests: Daniel of Bandit's Keep podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/02QTUpzgKCv2aT6sH6G5rk Jason of Nerds RPG Variety Cast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 Joe of Dekahedron RPG podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jpgill ---- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 53Episode 53 - Time across multiple groups in the same world
In this episode, I answer a great question from Daniel Norton (Bandit's Keep podcast) about how I manage time and calendars across the three separate player groups and wargame campaigns I have within my AD&D world of Etinerra. ------ Bandit's Keep podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/02QTUpzgKCv2aT6sH6G5rk ------ Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 52Episode 52 - 8 Year Play by Post campaign / Dungeon23 Update
In this episode, I talk about how good things come to an end… or at least an end of how they’ve been. This is all about an 8 year play by post AD&D campaign that just wrapped up a major story arc and could potentially be the end of the campaign itself, depending on what the players want to do. I also briefly touch on how Dungeon23 is going for me, as I’ve been plugging away steadily at it, and I just completed my sixth level! ------ Chronicles of Etinerra Play by Post campaign archive: https://etinerra.com/archive.html ------ Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 51Episode 51 - Assumptions/Expectations of OD&D and AD&D
This episode, I’m going to talk about assumptions and expectations that we often have about the rules and the ways things should work - and I think that sometimes takes away from the experience of just being “in” the rules and the game and experiencing it for what it is. Then I’ll answer two call-ins. ----- Nerds RPG Variety Cast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 Confessions of a Wee Tim'rous Bushi: https://open.spotify.com/show/0NF1sMhWGIllBFS2u2w14G ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 50Episode 50 - The Over the Hill Fiftieth Episode!
Yay! I hit the big Five-Oh episode with a look back at where I've been, what I've learned and what might be coming next. Plus, call-ins from Jason of Nerd's RPG Variety Cast podcast, and Daniel of Bandit's Keep podcast. ----- Link to blogpost of the new Swords & Wizardry Treasure Generator: https://chgowiz-games.blogspot.com/2023/03/new-release-swords-wizardry-treasure.html Nerds RPG Variety Cast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/jason376 Bandit's Keep: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/daniel-norton ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 49Episode 49 - Decoding AD&D and Encoding GM preparation
I recently took up a project to convert my GM preparation tools to a web-based table generator system called Hex-Describe. What started as just taking spreadsheet tables to text tables ended up being a journey through the AD&D core books. This episode, I share some of that journey and just some thoughts/blathering about AD&D and topics. ----- Hex-Describe tool: https://campaignwiki.org/hex-describe/ ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.
Ep 48Episode 48 - XP and Leveling in my OD&D/AD&D games
There are some hidden directions and implications in OD&D and AD&D on XP and leveling beyond just killing things and taking their stuff. Not quest XP, exactly, but the implication of power and influence. I ramble on a bit about that and how I handle it in my OD&D and AD&D games. Also, Dungeon23 continues! Sorry for the road noise! Commuting episodes can be like that. ----- Want to comment/ask questions? Leave a voice message on Speakpipe: https://www.speakpipe.com/MichaelChgowiz Leave me an audio clip on Discord to user: chgowiz Email me at [email protected] I blog/podcast at: https://chgowiz-games.etinerra.com/wp I'm on Mastodon! Find me here: https://dice.camp/@chgowiz Credits Intro music - Dragonaut by Bradley The Buyer (bit.ly/2ASpAlF) / Outro music - Dream by Wild Shores (bit.ly/2jbJehK) / All music used with permission.