The Vintage RPG Podcast

Latest Episodes:

D&D Monster Cards Dec 30, 2019

Show notes

A short and sweet look at Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Monster Cards from 1981 – these are four sets of 20 cards with original full color illustrations by an all-star team of TSR artists on the front with stats on the back. These cards introduce a number of monsters to the game and are the first (and sometimes only) time many of them were depicted in color. They're a beautiful, lesser known slice of early D&D!

Players Handbook Dec 23, 2019

Show notes

We crack the cover of the classic Players Handbook (1978) for first edition Dungeons & Dragons. We talk a lot about Trampier's iconic, forbidding cover, of course, but also dig into the equally iconic interior illustrations, the philosophical state of the game at the time, the D&D multiverse, the previous owners of our personal copies (who left their names in the front covers) and much more!

Monster Manual Dec 16, 2019

Show notes

We dig into the original Monster Manual (1977), which is the dividing line between the old white box and the new first edition of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Along the way, we talk about how we organize our shelves, the mysteries of Dave Sutherland's shifting artistic style, the incomparable Dave Trampier, monster nudity, wood burning, the perils of slickness and more. Monsters!

Star Wars Galaxy Guides Dec 09, 2019

Show notes

Because Star Wars is hitting the critical mass point for 2019, we figured we'd add to the fun with an episode that looks at the Galaxy Guides series of sourcebooks for the West End Games Star Wars Role Playing Game. We take a quick tour through each of the twelve volumes and chat about what they added to the RPG experience and how they formed the backbone of the greater Star Wars Expanded Universe.

Dungeons & Drawings Dec 02, 2019

Show notes

This week, we chat about the new monster art book Dungeons & Drawings, by Blanca Martinez de Rituerto and Joe Sparrow, which collects a little bit of folk lore and pop culture, a little bit of tabletop RPG context and a whole lot of beautiful original art. We also touch on the tradition of monster books beyond RPGs, particularly in the 70s and 80s. Daniel Cohen forever!

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Stu mentions two books used by Mike Mignola as inspiration for the stories in the Hellboy comic universe. They are The New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, by Felix Guirand, and The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology, by Rossell Hope Robbins.

Holiday Gift Guide 2019 Nov 25, 2019

Show notes

Hi gang! This week, we're getting ready for the holidays and wanted to help give you a leg up on your gifts for your friends and family around the gaming table (and maybe yourself too, let's be real). Below you'll find link to everything we talk about on the show, plus info on the coupon codes.

Han Cholo (ha, that name) for all your nerd jewelry and apparel needs.

Dellamorte & Co. (whoops, said that wrong on the podcast) and Black Rider Industries for sculptures and decorative housewares. (see coupon code info below!)

Ice Cream Dice and Level Up Dice for, well, sweet dice.

Exalted Funeral, for all your weird, dark, indie, occult, metal RPG needs (see coupon code info below!).

Zweihander (For the other books in the line, check this link)

The Young Adventurer's Guides

Chaosium – RuneQuest, Call of Cthulhu Starter Set, Miskatonic University – The Restricted Collection, Khan of Khans

Noble Knight Games, for all your tabletop needs, new and old (see coupon code info below!).

Invisible Sun (Stu said on the podcast that it was a relaunch and he has no idea why he did that – it is a new, original game)

Jim Zub, Part 2: Dungeons & Dragons vs Rick and Morty Nov 19, 2019

Show notes

We are back with the second part of our epic interview with Jim Zub! This time, Jim chats about his work on Dungeons & Dragons comic books, as well as the Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty box set, and we learn he does a pretty good Rick Sanchez impersonation.

For more from Jim, you can head to his official site or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Learn all about Jim's Young Adventurer's Guides for Dungeons & Dragons in Part One.

The Rust Monster Nov 18, 2019

Show notes

Hey, we're weekly! We talk about what that means for the podcast going forward (forget that we say its December in the episode. It isn't. Schedules change, OK?).

It would be rad if you joined us on our Patreon, because that definitely helps keep us going.

We also talk about the classic D&D monster, the rust monster. It was born from a cheap Hong Kong "dinosaur" in the 70s and has since become the bane of adventurers everywhere.

Jim Zub on the Young Adventurer's Guides Nov 11, 2019

Show notes

Well hello there, intrepid adventurer. We have quite the podcast for you today! We had the great pleasure of chatting with Jim Zub about the new Young Adventurer's Guides for Dungeons & Dragons. We explore all the nooks and crannies, learning how the series came about, what's inside, and what to expect from the forthcoming volumes.

Weapons & Warriors and Monsters & Creatures are both out now. Dungeons & Tombs is hitting shelves on November 26 and Wizards & Spells is on the way in March.

For more from Jim, you can head to his official site or follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

Or you can come back here on Tuesday, November 19, for the second part of this interview, in which we discus Jim's D&D comics and the forthcoming Dungeons & Dragons vs. Rick and Morty box set.

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Big news! If you've ever said to yourself, "Gosh, I hate to wait every other week for fresh and exciting Vintage RPG Podcasts," then you're going to be over the moon: starting now, we're officially going weekly! See you next week!

The Satanic Panic Oct 28, 2019

Show notes

This one was a long time coming. This week, we take a long and hopefully definitive look at the moral hysteria of the late 70s through the mid-90s, generally referred to as the Satanic Panic (CW: suicide, sexual abuse). We focus on the controversies around Dungeons & Dragons, but also talk about the larger phenomenon and how it spilled over into heavy metal, children's toys and cartoons and even a couple criminal cases. Its spooky, but maybe not the way you think.

Links of Interest

The original BADD pamphlet.

Jack Chick's Darkest Dungeon.

The 60 Minutes interview.

Rob Halford singing court here.

The Chicago Police Department document on ritualistic criminal activity.

Michael Stackpole's "Pulling Report."