Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Cults are an OSR superpower… if you run them like a living faction instead of “robes in Room 12.” In this video, I break down what cults are at the table, where they operate (town by day, dungeon by night—often both), and how to play them as a GM in B/X D&D and other old-school games without forcing a plot.
You’ll get two quick mini scenarios you can drop into your campaign, the most common mistake GMs make with cults (making them too obvious), and the simple fix: give them a public front, a weekly goal, resources beyond hit points, and consequences if the party ignores them. I also give you an 8-step “Cult Quick Card” checklist you can use tonight to tie rumors, town play, and dungeon exploration into one cohesive sandbox.
0:00 Cults in B/X: More Than Just Robes
1:05 Anatomy of a Cult: Pitch and Power
2:19 Town Play: The Cult as a Front
4:11 Three Layers: Town, Edges, Dungeon
6:32 Common Mistakes: Obvious Cults
7:50 Cult Rules and Internal Logic
8:23 Running Cults as Factions
11:21 The "Cannot Kill" Cult Dilemma
11:40 Cult Tracking: The Index Card Method
13:13 Dungeon-Facing Cults and Maintenance
14:52 Recap: Consequences in Sandbox Play
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#OSR #BXDnD #DnD #OldSchoolDnD #SandboxCampaign #DungeonMaster #GameMaster #TTRPG #RPGTips #Hexcrawl #DungeonDesign #Factions #Worldbuilding #GMAdvice #TabletopRPG
Cults are an OSR superpower… if you run them like a living faction instead of “robes in Room 12.” In this video, I break down what cults are at the table, where they operate (town by day, dungeon by night—often both), and how to play them as a GM in B/X D&D and other old-school games without forcing a plot.
You’ll get two quick mini scenarios you can drop into your campaign, the most common mistake GMs make with cults (making them too obvious), and the simple fix: give them a public front, a weekly goal, resources beyond hit points, and consequences if the party ignores them. I also give you an 8-step “Cult Quick Card” checklist you can use tonight to tie rumors, town play, and dungeon exploration into one cohesive sandbox.
0:00 Cults in B/X: More Than Just Robes
1:05 Anatomy of a Cult: Pitch and Power
2:19 Town Play: The Cult as a Front
4:11 Three Layers: Town, Edges, Dungeon
6:32 Common Mistakes: Obvious Cults
7:50 Cult Rules and Internal Logic
8:23 Running Cults as Factions
11:21 The "Cannot Kill" Cult Dilemma
11:40 Cult Tracking: The Index Card Method
13:13 Dungeon-Facing Cults and Maintenance
14:52 Recap: Consequences in Sandbox Play
Become a Minion and Join The Tavern's Community to get access to perks (including more FREE OSR material):
youtube.com/channel/UCIdpAASpAI7vu-bZx6pP_mQ/join
Join The Tavern’s Discord Server (It's Free)!:
discord.gg/fReGmuD
Buy me a Beer!
ko-fi.com/tenkar
The Tavern uses affiliate links:
Humble Bundle: humblebundleinc.sjv.io/da4WJ2
The Tavern’s Amazon Storefront: amzn.to/41Jm0oG
DriveThruRPG: drivethrurpg.com/en/?affiliate_id=1446
Fantasy Grounds VTT: affiliates.fantasygrounds.com/388855/15958
The Tavern uses Restream for its livestreams and its long-form videos. You can too! restream.io/join/g5Qpgr
The Tavern uses ClipGOAT to create its shorts. You can use it too!
clipgoat.com/?ref=erik
The Tavern also uses VidIQ: vidiq.com/TenkarsTavern
Patron of the Tavern: Zach Glazar
Master Minion: Terry Taylor
Super Minions: Jon Bush, West Britannicus, Beardy Ben, BnaaUK, AJ Pickett, Norwolf, Captain Hawdon, Marcos Paniagua, Phantom Harlock, Johan, Robert Romano, Theo Fattel, Great Old Ones Channel, Leo9sign, Brad S, Thierry Chauvinism, Myke Diemart, Peace Chanter, No One of Consequence, Mad Relique, Dan Lowe, Headless Bourgeoisie, The Forgetful DM, Atomic Barbarian, SeverianTheLame, Devious Dungeons Painting, Shell Back Beau, Tacoloco787, Douglas Pearson, Midnight Green, Mikey the GOAT cat, Code E. Tate, lulz ricon, Joe Stone, MIKE NECROFENT, Sovereign Wolf, Curt Gould, Matthew Sherman
Tavern Minions: 渋禽, The Saged Wizard, Climbing That Mountain, Brass Monkey, m w, Ordo Hereticus, TheGlennsof, Robert Santen, The ASL Professor, D&D Old Guard, Michael Sergen Jensen, Conch, hacky, My Ear Trumpet Has Been Struck By Lightning,Eric Jeppesen, Jack Neller, The DM & Friends (DM Angelo), DM Doom, Stash, Ray Miara, Zzwicky, Mazechess, Terry Broadbent, Max Rollax, Électrique, Chad Dickhaut, Rob Conley, DocFlamingo, VitalityMirth, Gustavo Campos, KVNDV1, S Lewis, FifthAvenger, Ian White, Greyhawk Grognard, Gábor Szeberényi, Anthony Corcoran, Dave Marmachand, Chthonic Musings, Bruce Lombardo of Dix Division, Vanishing Tower Press, srahla, Tomb of 3d Printed Horrors, Paul Cattrone, Hommlet Bound, Jefferson Starship Trooper, Knucklebones, Roger Rebisz, James Spahn, Flint Fireforge, ErduditeDM, Thiatus Ashadarawesh, Steve Roy, Sean DeLap, Dethangels Shadow, Agile Monk, Mathew Archibald, Wizard Tower Games, unclebrat, Andrew Marrington, MikerDude, Tom K, MonkeyBlood Design, Donald Semora, Gary Oliver, JoetheLawyer
#OSR #BXDnD #DnD #OldSchoolDnD #SandboxCampaign #DungeonMaster #GameMaster #TTRPG #RPGTips #Hexcrawl #DungeonDesign #Factions #Worldbuilding #GMAdvice #TabletopRPG
