I finish my step-by-step series on building a sandbox campaign from scratch. In this episode I look at how to kick things off with an inciting incident.

• Next time I'll answer listener feedback.
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I continue my step-by-step series on building a sandbox campaign from scratch. Following the framework of Jeff Rients’ 20 Questions, this seventh installment does rapid-fire answers to questions 11 through 20 to define where and how players can be healed and look at how magic users interact with the Concilium Arcanum.

Promised Links:

• The 20 Questions: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dekahedron.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

00:00 Jingle

00:30 Introduction to Episode #196

02:23 Question #10: Alchemists & Experts in Big Cities

02:59 Question #11: Mercenaries vs. Sworn Henchmen

04:35 Question #12: Where are Swords and Magic Illegal?

05:11 Question #13: Mead Halls and Village Hospitality

06:49 Question #14: The Monsters of Shipslee

07:47 Question #15: War and Border Skirmishes

08:06 Question #16: Gladiators & The Alting Festival

08:36 Question #17: Secret Societies (Fnord)

09:05 Question #18: Local Cuisine (Fish & Oats)

09:33 Question #19: The Legend of the Lost King's Gold

09:50 Question #20: Dragons and High-Tier Treasure

10:09 Closing: Map-Making & Next Steps

Tunnels & Trolls: A New Age--the new versions of T&T is out! I looked it over and these are my thoughts.

Spoiler: This isn't the T&T you're looking for!

Promised links:

The T&T: A New Age free quickstart: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/555881/tunnels-trolls-a-new-age-beta-quickstart-rules

TunnelQuest: http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/tunnel-quest-v3-5

Note: this site seems down so here it is at the Wayback Machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20250818092726/http://www.1km1kt.net/rpg/tunnel-quest-v3-5

Official previous releases of "Real" T&T: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/2238/flying-buffalo?src=fid2140&productType=2140-core-rulebooks

Monsters! Monsters: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/9559/trollgodfather-press?productType=2140-core-rulebooks&src=fid100040&ruleSystem=100040-monsters-monsters

Share your thoughts via:

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📧 feedback@dekahedron.com

📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dekahedron.com⁠⁠⁠⁠

I continue my step-by-step series on building a sandbox campaign from scratch. Following the framework of Jeff Rients’ 20 Questions, this sixth installment answers questions 7, 8, and 9 to define where and how players can be healed and look at how magic users interact with the Concilium Arcanum.

Promised Links:

• The 20 Questions: ⁠⁠⁠https://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html⁠⁠⁠⁠

Share your thoughts via:

🌐 sayhi.chat/dekahedron

📧 feedback@dekahedron.com

📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at ⁠⁠⁠⁠dekahedron.com⁠⁠⁠

00:00 Jingle

00:32 Introduction to Episode #194

01:55 Question #7: Where can we go for magical healing?

09:07 Question #8: Where can we get big healing and cures?

13:29 Question #9: Are there any special magic guilds?

16:48 Outro

I continue my step-by-step series on building a sandbox campaign from scratch. Following the framework of Jeff Rients’ 20 Questions, this fifth installment dives into questions 4, 5, and 6 to establish the major power players in the region.

I define the mightiest figures in the land, moving away from high-fantasy tropes to create characters that fit this gritty, historical-fantasy setting.

Key topics discussed in this episode:

• The Mightiest Wizard: Why the choice of game system (like Tunnels & Trolls) fundamentally changes the flavor of magic and power for spellcasters.

• The Mightiest Warrior: A look at a veteran soldier whose strength comes from grit and experience rather than flashy magical equipment.

• The Richest Person: Meet Alfrith, the village's wealthiest resident. He’s a likable but patient man, a petty gambler, and someone who takes the "honor" of a small debt very seriously.

Promised Links:

• The 20 Questions: ⁠⁠https://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html⁠⁠⁠

Share your thoughts via:

🌐 sayhi.chat/dekahedron

📧 feedback@dekahedron.com

📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at ⁠⁠⁠dekahedron.com⁠⁠

00:00 Introduction

01:58 How Game Systems Shape "Might"

03:18 Question 4: The Mightiest Wizard in the Land

07:29 Question 5: The Mightiest Warrior in the Land

10:23 Question 6: The Richest Person in Elmsfjord

14:04 Closing

Where do adventurers actually buy gear in a grounded, early‑medieval sandbox? In this episode, Joe tackles Questions 2 and 3 from Jeff Rients’ “20 Quick Questions” and shows how equipment, specialists, and custom items really work in a low‑tech fantasy world.

Learn why general stores don’t belong in Dark‑Age settings, how market days shaped real commerce, and how to use demographics to decide which NPCs your town actually has. Joe builds a blacksmith live on air—Aegenwulf—and explains how a gift‑based economy changes player behavior, reputation, and roleplay.

If you want your sandbox to feel lived‑in, culturally cohesive, and socially dynamic, this episode gives you the tools.

Highlights:

• Realistic medieval trade & market days
• Why “everything is custom” in low‑tech worlds
• Using demographics to populate towns
• Live NPC creation: Aegenwulf the blacksmith
• Running a gift‑economy instead of coin‑for‑goods

Perfect for GMs who want deeper worlds and richer player interactions.

Promised Links:

• The 20 Questions: ⁠https://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html⁠⁠
• Medieval Demographics Made Easy (S. John Ross): https://gamingballistic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Medieval-Demographics-Made-Easy-1.pdf
• Dekahedron NPC Generator: http:/www.dekahedron.com/NPC/.
• Fantasy Name Generators: fantasynamegenerators.com.
• ...And a 10-Foot Pole (Iron Crown Enterprises): Sadly, I couldn't find it on Drive thru.
• Basic Fantasy Equipment Emporium: https://www.basicfantasy.org/downloads.html#sn_equipmentemporium

Share your thoughts via:

🌐 sayhi.chat/dekahedron

📧 feedback@dekahedron.com

📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at ⁠⁠dekahedron.com⁠

0:00 Jingle

0:32 Introduction

1:17 Question 2: Where do we buy standard equipment?

3:15 Historical Market Days

3:49 Medieval Demographics Made Easy

5:51 Using Fantasy Name Generators for Cultural Cohesion

7:29 Meet the Blacksmith: Aegenwulf

10:52 The Gift Economy: Price vs. Cost in Elmsfjord

12:53 Question 3: "Everything is Custom"

14:08 Conclusion and Happy Gaming

How do you create a pantheon for a sandbox campaign? Episode 191 continues my 'How I Create a Sandbox' series. I explore the 20 Questions of world-building, focusing on the cleric’s religion. Learn about building a three-point alignment system, naming deities using Icelandic roots, and creating conflict between the Northern and Southern kingdoms.

Promised Links:

• The 20 Questions: ⁠https://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html⁠

Share your thoughts via:

🌐 sayhi.chat/dekahedron

📧 feedback@dekahedron.com

📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at ⁠dekahedron.com⁠

0:00 Opening Jingle

0:30 Intro

1:05 The Cleric's Religion

1:30 Political Context

2:20 Historical Inspiration

3:02 Justice & Worldviews

4:09 Philosophies on Real-World Religion

4:22 Naming the Gods

6:22 The Evil Deity: Vondur

7:55 Summary & Closing

In the second of a multi-part series, I talk about how I'm stealing from history to make Almsfjord different, and I ask about how I should continue the series.Promised Links:- The Trelleborg ring fort: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viking_ring_fortress- The 20 Questions: https://jrients.blogspot.com/2011/04/twenty-quick-questions-for-your.html- Riley's podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/diegetic-advancement/id1720667088Share your thoughts via:🌐 sayhi.chat/dekahedron📧 feedback@dekahedron.com📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)More information is at dekahedron.com0:00 Intro: Apologies for the Hiatus0:38 The Resource: Jeff Rients' 20 Questions1:25 Retconning Elmsfjord: From Homesteads to Villages2:00 The Trelleborg: Harald Bluetooth’s Ring Fortresses2:57 Viewer Poll: How Should I Handle the 20 Questions?3:41 The Options: Grouped Questions vs. Daily Shorts4:10 Clarifying the Research: Viking Ring Forts4:40 Teaser: What’s the Deal with the Cleric?