Review of Dungeon Crawl Classics & Mutant Crawl Classics (Ep. 236) 

Story time: my guys got their characters rolled up and we start The Portal Under The Stars. They enter the first room with the armor. They suspect traps are afoot. Roll to disarm? Heck no. The tie a chicken to a ten foot pole with some rope and use it as a dowsing rod/fishing pole to try and trigger the traps! Which it does. And it survives. At which point the chicken is promoted from trap detector, to something worth dying for. Which is exactly what happened later when on of my players sacrificed on of his characters to save the chicken from another trap. Ironic, isn't it? They've been taking that dang chicken everywhere since.

Excellent review of some excellent books! Thanks for the mention, Professor!

Dungeon Crawl Classics has become my game of choice! It's completely replaced D&D for me. I bought like 16 of the adventures and they are completely epic. The books are worth buying for the art alone. Thank you Professor Dungeon Master!!

My group switched from 5e to DCC and it's been a blast. Every session has tension and has created more memories and crazy schemes from the players. There is no real bloat, just adventure!

I'm a huge fan of Goodman games, I've even written for them in the past (Crypt of the Devil-Lich, DragonMech). Joseph Goodman is great guy and we share similar philosophies on how to play D&D. I'm not a big fan of how they did spells- simply because you have to look up EVERY spell when someone casts it and it slows things down considerably, but it makes player's more hesitant to cast spells (even the Cleric!) which REALLY changes how the game is played (IMO for the better, so it's a wash). They really captured the "feel" of Old School D&D, especially with the artwork. Even if you don't play DCC, their Dungeons are awesome.

I love almost everything about Goodman Games, I wish they owned D&D instead of Hasbro. We'd have boxed sets again, 64 page moduals with the map on the back of the removeable cover. It would be glorious. All they need to figure out is their global distribution and they're set.

Your Thundarr the Barbarian comparison just sold me a copy of Mutant Crawl Classics! Great show!

One thing I love videos on is the classic modules. They have that gritty, sometimes campy, grandma's spooky basement vibe.

In my DCC game last weekend, one of the PCs took a crit that resulted in the loss of a leg and dropping below 0 HP. The cleric in the group was able to heal him before he bled out, only for him to get hit again with a crit, and with the same crit result, dropping him again to below 0 HP and losing him his other leg. At that point the player changed his PC's name to Lt. Dan. The cleric was again able to heal the PC. The cleric also beseeched her goddess (Freya) (using the Divine Aid mechanic) to restore the PC's legs. With a roll of 19, I decided that while Freya was amiable, she would require great efforts and offerings to eventually intervene. Not sure where I am going to take this, but it is going to provide the seeds for many adventures to come.

FINALLY! My favorite system, I'm so excited to hear your thoughts here.

I found DCC last year and boy is my group having fun with it. I am hooked and have purchased most of the adventure modules. At first, I was put off some things about the system. But, after playing it, I finally understood why it is so great. I wish I would have found DCC years ago. It scratches the old-school itch and is just way too much fun. Thanks for the great review PDM!

My copy of DCC had a code for a free copy of the full pdf. Something I have NEVER seen in a DnD book.

Did someone say Mutants!!! Cannot wait to see a review my favorites. DCCRPG and MCCRPG rocks!

I remember how I discovered DCC. I went to a rpg meetup. Where they played Pathfinder. Never played it. So thought let me give it a shot. It took so long to create a character. I was losing interest. I saw on the shelf DCC core book. Was loving the art and how it reminded me of old school D&D and Advanced D&D. I bought the book and left that group. Who were still working on characters. That was 2014 and I've never turned back.

DCC is an absolute blast, it's completely replaced D&D for me and mine. I highly recommend getting the free Crawler app, all the spells and charts are on there. We've only played MCC once but it was awesome and an immediate add to our game rotation.

people talk about kobolds starting as dogs and becoming lizards, but to me the kobold art showed in 1e looks just like a lizard-dog, with scales and stuff. So i kinda see how both developed separately.

"when did kobolds get lizardy?" the always had scaly skin but had dog-like heads. originaly the favored hound-like heads. in 2e i saw a lot of pug-like heads. in 3e they leaned into the dragon thing and that seems to be where they stayed.

I recently got into DCC as a long time D&D player and I am loving it. I'll plug the Foundry VTT team particularly the volunteers setting up the DCC system in Foundry for making the game super easy to run and learn. No more looking for the right critical hit table, foundry can roll it automatically! One thing that tripped us up a bit is they mention in the beginning of the book there are no attacks of opportunity but if you look at the Withdrawal rules, there actually are.

We played Gamma World in the Navy back in the 90s. My friend's character was a man-sized, sentient beefsteak tomato.

It’s “Portal under the Stars” not “Portal under the Stairs” but I bet that would also be a fun module! I’ve been playing DCC from almost inception and you can find my name in the play test section of MCC. These two are my favorite RPG systems. I’ve got an MCC campaign that’s been going for two years now. I need to make some of my old sessions into an adventure series. Terror in the Sky Needle, Rampant Underdome, or Alice in TerraNova were some names I’d give them. It’s true that it’s not for everyone. Most early scenarios cannot be completed by hank n slash without lots of character deaths. Stealth, smarts and luck play a greater role in keeping your characters alive. Surviving is not easy. No Pansies need apply.

Love DCC!!! I've been wanting a copy of Mutant Crawl Classics, so I just ordered it. Thanks for the code!

DCC and MCC are awesome. To anyone starting out, I highly recommend looking at/using Purple Sorcerer Games site and Crawler Companion app. Also, search for the DCC RPG Reference book. It's got most the charts that DM's will need. And as I side note, I did run an MCC adventure based on Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. :) Fun was had by all.

Sounds really cool I like thieves and the idea of casters rolling to casting The fumble and critical hits charts sounds awesome

Everytime I think about 'spicing up' OSE I look to DCC but then just end up playing DCC. I'd love to do more OSE and other indie OSRs but there's just not enough time!

Dungeon Crawl Classics plugs right into Pathfinder 2e. I run a heavily home brewed game to simplify a lot of stuff and to provide a grim/dark atmosphere. Really all I kept (for the most part) from P2e is the 3 action economy and the character classes, everything else is DCC. DCC is the perfect supplement especially the magic system and tables.

Nice speed review of DCC! Just a few errata: If, on a spell check (which includes turn unholy and lay on hands), a Cleric rolls less than or equal to their current disapproval range (starts at 1, increases by one with each spell check failure) they suffer some form of disapproval from their deity. The Warrior Deed Die starts as a 1d3 at 1st level, and increases with increasing level. You skipped Dwarves and Elves. And Mercurial Magic. Specifically, there are 5 Crit Tables: Crit Table I: All 0-Level Characters and All Wizards Crit Table II: All Thieves and Elves Crit Table III: Clerics, Halflings, Level 1-2 Warriors, and Level 1-3 Dwarves Crit Table IV: Level 3-4 Warriors, and Level 4-5 Dwarves Crit Table V: Level 5+ Warriors, and Level 6+ Dwarves If a spell has been lost for the day, spellburn can be used to cast the spell. Spellburn can also be used to increase a spell check roll. And if 20 ability points are burned in one fell swoop, the next spell check roll is treated as a natural 20 (critical). A wizard rolling a "1" can result in corruption or spell misfire. Each spell comes with its own spell *effects* table.

DCC is my favorite RPG of all time for many of the reasons you gave. That San Julian cover with the Pterodactyl creature is soooo good. Glad to see it get some attention from PDM.

My problem with DCC is something Professor Dungeon Master said in a previous video that I take as my mantra. "Once the game starts no one--not a player or even the DM opens up the rulebook." I love that idea and it vastly improved my games. Pick a difficulty number, ideally somewhere between 13 and 20. Give that number to the player. If they still want to do the action, they know the odds. With DCC, you have to use the rulebook for every spell, for every 1 rolled as well as every natural 20. Might as well play Rolemaster (tongue in cheek lol).

Just started a DCC campaign with my kids. I'm finding it to be a lot easier to teach. Also love the crit and fail tables. It's a great game

We did a 1 shot of just the portal under the stars 0-level funnel. Tons of fun. Of the 20 of so farmers who went in...1 survived because he locked himself out at the start and went home. A lot of that was because non of us had played it before and were still calibrated for 5E.

DEMON DOGS!!!!! Loved seeing the Thundarr reference. BEST CARTOON EVER!!!!

DCC is my favorite system, I always run it's spell system.

As a happenstance, I finally took the plunge and ordered MCC yesterday. One of my favorite YT folks likes it so I figured it was good...after your review I am completely confident of it. I still have my old Gamma World book and minis from '79, and my Thundarr box set, so yeah this is in my wheelhouse. Perfect. Cheers!

For my money, there is no greater game than DCC. The magic system, Luck and Luck Burn, Spellburn, zero level funnels, gongfarmers, the list of things I love about it just goes on and on. At $10 a pop, the published adventures are an absolute value, and they are positively bursting with pulpy Appendix N flavor (something that, sadly, can't be said of recent iterations of another popular fantasy RPG). I'm just getting into MCC now and I'm NOT disappointed. Thanks for reviewing my favorite game in the known world.

Thundarr! Thanks for bringing that back! I’ll look at the moon tonight and hope it doesn’t split in two.

Goodman Games really are Good Men: DCC is like $29 and its the same as a DMG, PHB, MM and 2 modules. Also, the modules are cheap as chips, and there are often free rpg day ones given out, they have a great discord server, they support podcasters who do actual plays, they support charity games days, and they don't sell trading cards or NFTs.

Expedition to the Barrier Peaks is one of my favorite 1e modules I haven’t played or run yet. But I’m going to.

Great review and the ProfDM discount code inspired me to pick up both books. Thank you PDM! PS Would love to see your review of Hyperborea 3e when it comes out.

I was going to try sell my group on DCC this week so the timing here is impeccable

DCC has been my game of choice since it came out in 2014ish. (I've been buying DCC Modules since they started in 2004 so I'm a full on supporter of Goodman Games and anything they produce). They are the BEST rpg company in the industry hands down. If you truly want memorable games right from the start go with DCC, MCC, XCC ect fantastic fun :)

I have played DCC for years and cannot say enough good things about it. Thanks for doing a review of this game. Hopefully more people get on board with these games.

I love Dungeon Crawl Classics, really glad to see your thoughts on the system.

Playing in Thundar?! Sign me up! Buying the game now. Fans are doing the best work!

DCC has replaced all other RPGs for my group. Of course we tweek it. Add this drop that, but on the whole it’s pretty great. And we came to it through you. Wa first added 5eHC mode as you recommended but just went whole hog with DCC and havn’t looked back.

Played my first DCC at Origins last year - looking forward to more! Thanks for another GREAT video!!!

To me the two coolest things about DCC are the crazy fun gonzo modules that are both unique and usually short enough to finish in one session, and how they manage to take the core 7 classes from B/X D&D a give them enough flavor that they're all you really need. We added the fan-made gnome class from Crawl magazine just because we love gnomes, but that's it.

Whenever I get "Dual Brain" as a mutation or Poor Dual Brain as a defect, "My Poor Brain" by Foo Fighters always starts playing in the background, but it's "My Poor Dual Brain"!

Looking forward to this… but please do The One Ring 2e next 🤞🏻 it’s such a great thematic RPG!

DCC has been one my go tos for the past while. I love me some goodyness in our TTRPGs because lets face it, who doesnt love some magical shenanigans in their lives!

Love the coverage. DCC is a fun system.

DCC is the best system i've played. So fun. Not enough DCC videos on youtube.

I ordered both based on your review of them. Goodman should give you a commission!

Thank you for this awesome review! I bought the Core DCC book around a year ago, and have incorporated some of the Wizard and Cleric material directly into my 5e game. The jury is still out with my family/friends. LOL

I've been playing DCC for the last three years, absolutely love it. Lots of third-party material for both DCC and MCC. Thanks for this video.

The Patron AIs favor your video! May your glowburn be radiant!! =)

Professor, I like the spell critical hits. I have played a somewhat similar mechanic where spell casters can score maximized results and/or save penalties for exceptional successes for spells such as rays, bolts, Fire balls and such. Really like how it’s presented here.

"Kobolds... when did they turn in to lizard people? When did *that* happen?" AD&D 2nd edition.

I've been having such a fun time running DCC off & on over the last year or so. So wild & weird, and so not my normal game. (I've also blended in some MCC stuff).

These crits are straight Rolemaster/Merp, even down to the removed ear wax! This system is acually great!!

Stoked to see this review! Finally clicked that Subscribe button - was long overdue ^_^ hope to see more DCC vids!!

Thank you Professor. I really appreciate your videos.

Awesome, I love DCC. I got my hardback copy, just wish could be more easy to vet them here in Chile, loving Goodman Games stuff

Yes, Thundarr was the best thing to happen to Saturday morning cartoons. That theme song IS D&D!

Really love DCC, one of my favorites

"they aren't gonna cry if their character dies" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Awesome review - and thanks for the discount. I may pick up MCC now.

Wow! The Warrior class has a defined rule for rule of cool! Role D8 to see if your rule of cool succeeds. Brilliant!

The "range" of a spell according to how well you roll is pretty cool, will look into a way to implement it in ICRPG.

I mix in MCC with my 1994 Gamma World/Star Frontiers mash-up based homebrew campaign. I love much of it

Found out one of the "kids" (early 20s) at work was looking for a GM. Was telling him some of the funky stuff about DCC/MCC and saying ow it wasn't like a Marvel movie, spelling messing up turn magic users into creatures like the Sith. It's more deadly, how a funnel work. Wrote up a page about the pitch for the setting and how it's different from D$D to show the rest of the group he games with. Also was saying how the system is also under the hood of a bunch of other games too. Should be getting our collective poop in a group in a month.

I have not RPG'd in decades; but I picked up both of these and I may start again--if I can game with these. THIS is how I remember RPG games back in the 70s & 80s

Eyy, DCC! I finally got my lunch 5e group to try it out, and they've been having a great time. Most of their funnel characters are dead, but fun has definitely been had, which is what counts, right? :D

Thundarr. Fight a space vampire. Go toe to toe with an animatronic King-Kong. Fight post apocalyptic werewolves. Metal as f^ck.

I love thundar the barbarian I have the collection! I just ordered my DCC

Mutant crawl classics seems like it would be perfect for a caves of QUD table top game. If only I could find players interested in such a thing

I love DCC spirit and art. It's also full of great ideas. I buyed the english pdf's years ago and buyed evreything back when it was translated in french. The only drawbacks i see to it : The humor and overall feeling isn't for everybody The system is simple but slow. You have to get the pdf and print the chart for each players and the actions can be slow for new player until they get the grip on the charts. Still, for experience DM it's a must have. I put a lot of DCC ideas in my homebrew rules and used the charts as a pool of ideas and inspirations for my games. If you want to relive the experience of 1980's RPG, i highly recommend you take advantage from PDM's coupon and bring back fun to your table.

Professor, i recommend you Olde Swords Reign. it's basic 5e + OSR. You will love it!

I’d love to try out dungeon crawl classics sometime. It sounds badass.

So many great games with this system. I remember the group got to level 2 and was starting to get cocky. They ened up surrounded by a barbarian bandit tribe in a temple in the middle of the desert. Only 2 of the group of 6 got out alive. But the players had a blast.

I play DCC, I love it. Who has a D30?....Me and Prof Dungeon Master!

Love DCC. Thanks for the review!

Dungeon Crawl Classics: Lankhmar is amazing. Easily my favorite supplement for anything and probably as it is my favorite TTRPG. You should check it out if you haven't

Thundarr the Barbarian is my favorite too!!!

love those Sanjulian covers

We are in the middle of a 5e campaign and we wanted to add a new player to the group but wanted to play with them before we dropped them into the campaign. So I pulled out DCC 0 Level "Hole in the Sky". The players were initially like what the heck?!? 0 Level?!? They were not excited. We got half way thru that module that session and my players LOVED IT. LOIVED IT! It was amazing! The adventure set up was so well done. No bar, no get to know each other, just randoms showing up b/c some demented being called you there. What a game! Now that said. The rule book is just so freaking thick. Luck is hard to understand. Lots of tables...fun tables but lots of tables. IDK if I would do a DCC campaign using that system all the way thru but I would use their adventures for other editions for sure! I will also run 0 level games every time moving forward. My players really fell in love with characters they hated in the beginning. Amazing.

DCC is my favorite rpg!!! All my games are based on this system. 5e pales in comparison...

I also have a d30! They were very hard to get when I got mine in the '80s! I have heard of/seen d60s online as well...do you have one of them? I will get one here eventually... Also, do you have a "Zocchihedron," the d100 that almost looks like a golf ball? I do, and it cost top dollar back in the day! ($4.95!)

Thanks for the look at these games Professor!

I’m currently a player in a DCC game set in the world of The Heavy Metal cartoon. I love my elf, but he has rolled a natural 1 on his sleep spell a couple of times and put the party to sleep. 😂. It’s okay. Elves are immune to magical sleep, so he can wake them up

This game is so much fun, plus you can use it as a blunt weapon!

Both with the Sanjulian covers - nice!

DCC has been on my radar, but I never bought the book because I wasn't sure about if it's the game for me to play and run. after seeing this and other video on DCC I'm definitely going to pick up DCC, and MCC I seen and it looks really cool and campy, so two books to pick up!

I miss Gamma World from the late 70s; I need to check out MCC. However, what I really miss is Merle Rasmussen’s Top Secret; is Cold War Classics in the works at Goodman Games? Great video, Professor...

Dungeon crawl classics has been my all time favorite D&D book since it’s release ten years ago. Long live DCC

It is definitely a meaty book. The spell descriptions and individualized tables seems counter to your preference for brevity and simplicity. Seems like alot of book flipping, though the effects do look like fun.

Love these reviews!

I've been trying to get my d&d group to play literally anything else. My character is a wild magic sorcerer and after playing for like a year i have NEVER gotten a wild magic surge. Not even once. It's the only reason I chose the class, but the way 5e does it makes it so difficult for it to actually happen. I love the idea that DCC makes it happen as a matter of course. Its what we want, so give it to us!

I love DCC and MCC. Great stuff.

Nice review Professor! Have you ever thought of doing a review on Basic Fantasy RPG? Keep the good videos coming. Cheers from Canada Bob

Where's the link to BOB!? Also, DCC is great inspiration. I find the endless tables overwhelming to use at the table, but the ideas... and that magic system! SO GOOD.