Kind of Sad The Iron Tavern Ended

Podcast Information

Podcast Name: The Iron Tavern Where I Listened: Podbean for Android Where It's Available: IronTavern.com System: DCC RPG

Leather

Thoughts and Review

The Iron Tavern was a podcast running a group of DCC adventurers through a campaign called "Sunken City" - running from November 2013 to February of 2015. Following a cast of somewhat Chaotic adventurers and their group of hirelings through an attack on an expansive wizard's tower, the podcast showcases the DCC game and the dynamics of the player group. I found it on my preferred podcast player when seeking out an actual-play experience to listen to in preparation to run a DCC game.

What I Like

The players work together very well; there is a good group dynamic: both between the players themselves and between the players and the Judge (or GM). I like, especially, the inclusion and utilization of hirelings. Hirelings are a key element of old-school play - be they torch bearers and porters or be they men-at-arms or back-up sages - to fill in the gaps where the players don't go. Filling in gaps is especially important: one, to fix the missing niche; but two - and here's the rub - when you don't have to fulfill all the party "roles" as players, it means you are free to play the character you want, the one that makes sense with your stat rolls and your vision for who you want them to become: not the one that the other guys didn't make yet because you showed up late at char-gen night. But less about that and more about the podcast.

The podcast does a good job dealing with character morbidity. Dungeoneering is a dangerous business: which is something that comes across well in this campaign. A novice player or novice GM can benefit from a lesson in this regard, ensuring that character back-story, while it matters, is less important than character front-story: that is, who they become. Additionally, the aforementioned novice can learn from this in that the game does not pull punches: combat isn't always the best approach to a solution - something that DCC as a game does in mediocrity; there is a fair amount of emphasis on combat and the Warrior class is highly durable - and that adventurers can and will get smeared in the process of adventuring.

What I Don't Like

Audio issues plague the podcast; some players being noticeably harder to hear than others. Additionally, although I am a proponent of rulings before rules, there are several very three-a-boo moments in this podcast wherein the Judge encourages his players to roll for events or actions that an OSR play style does not support: to name a specific example, they use the Intelligence stat to roll as a "search" check - the game, in the rules, explicitly states that no Wisdom or "search" type skill is included intentionally - the creator, in adhering to the philosophy of the original game, intended the players to interact with the world and to role-play searches, to role-play traps; not to rely on the whimsy of plastic polyhedrons.

Rolling on the wrong critical hit table? Something that they also do, which does infringe on one of DCC's main selling points - the endless tables - but not something that I hold against them.

Rolling for something that was designed not to be rolled against? That edges entirely close to a new-school policy to not stand out like a sore thumb against the backdrop of an otherwise old-school experience.

Full Disclosure (Spoiler Alert)

I did not listen to the full run; about 1/3 of the way in, the campaign takes a turn for the gonzo: transporting the characters to a different world with lasers and aliens. As much of a fan of Burroughs fan as I am, this genre was not the genre I was looking for when entertaining myself riding an elliptical machine before work.

It is distinctly possible that some of the issues mentioned above are resolved in the later episodes; the fanfare on the blog site is overwhelmingly positive - but reading this review, know that it is posted from the experience of approximately 1/3 of the total episodes.

Conclusion

On a scale of clothing-only to plate armor, I rate this podcast as Leather. It is fun to listen to and is a decent exposé of the system. Additionally, it's a good learning tool when it comes to running and playing in an OSR game - specifically when it comes to reacting to the environment, preparing for character death, and utilizing hirelings. It conforms to the spirit of the system - maintaining tonal fidelity to D&D as it was, so to speak - and I am fairly tempted to go back, skip through a couple of the episodes that turned me off to the game, and finish out the series.

To have improved, the podcast could have benefited from better incorporation of resource and inventory management, but DCC as a system hand-waives most encumbrance: and as a byproduct that, as well as the hex-crawl, are largely lost in a RAW DCC experience. The RPG in use not being designed for that level of play, it is unfair to hold those elements against the podcast, which - again - I enjoyed.

There was, at the time, talk of producing a second campaign - one based on the DCC Shudder Mountains product - but to my knowledge, it did not materialize. If I am mistaken on that account, I welcome being corrected - as it would be something I'd be curious to review.

Thanks for reading!