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

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🌐 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?

My annual Christmas poem. Merry Christmas, my friends.

I'm joined by Jason of The Nerd's RPG Variety Cast and we talk about 5 classic "Christmas" movies, depending how you want to define that...

The movies are:

* A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

* It Happened on 5th Avenue (1947)

* The Bishop's Wife (1947)

* Desk Set (1957)

* Donovan's Reef (1963)

In the first of a multi-part series, I go through my process for making a sandbox campaign, this one based on longhouses.

Share your thoughts via:

🌐 sayhi.chat/dekahedron

📧 feedback@dekahedron.com

📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at dekahedron.com

0:00 Introduction: Starting a Sandbox Campaign Series

0:37 What is a Sandbox Campaign? (A Quick Definition)

1:10 The First Two Steps: A Hook and An Anchor

2:47 Brainstorming the Hook: Inspiration from Iceland and Longhouses

3:57 Historical Context: Communal Living and Longhouses

5:31 Fantasizing the Longhouse: Clan Structure and Elders

7:08 The Village Power Structure: House Elders and the Jarl

8:21 Creating Conflict: The Village Between Two Kingdoms

9:45 Naming the Anchor Village: Introducing Elmsfjord

10:24 Conclusion and Next Steps

@marcusblacknell-andrews1783 asked me "What is Tunnels & Trolls?" Here's my answer! Not to oversell it, but Tunnels & Trolls (T&T) from Flying Buffalo is one of the most important games in history. I'll tell you why it's the reason the entire RPG industry exists today, paving the way for everything after D&D. I'll also break down the rules that make T&T a unique, rules-light favorite!

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📞📱 562-RPG-CAST (562-774-2278)

More information is at dekahedron.com

0:00 Intro

0:45 The Importance of T&T: Why It Created the Industry

6:56 THE RULES BEGIN

7:08 Stats

12:09 Character Classes

17:19 Kindred (Races)

17:57 Combat

23:03 Magic System

25:17 Monsters

27:03 Things that D&D Does Better

28:17 Where to buy T&T

32:17 Solos & Outro

This time I'm answering feedback from Martin from Spotify and BJ, the Arcane Alienist about OSR game system preferences.

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