Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The B/X rulebook tells you when to roll. It doesn't tell you what to do when a player waits to hear the result before deciding what they're doing — or argues every ruling mid-combat, or changes their action after the dice land. That's combat etiquette. And nobody printed it.
In this video I break down the unwritten rules that keep OSR combat fast, decisive, and fair: declaring before you roll, making decisions at the speed of a fight, why the referee's ruling stands, and why the dice are not a starting point for a counteroffer.
This video is part of a collab with Greyhawk Grognard and JoetheLawyer — all three of us are covering combat etiquette from our own angle. Links in the description. We won't agree on everything. That's fine.
🔗 Greyhawk Grognard: youtube.com/watch?v=7NFO2ncoAcs
🔗 JoetheLawyer: [link]
0:00 Combat Etiquette in B/X D&D
1:09 Combat Declarations Before Initiative
2:21 Managing Combat Pace and Timing
3:30 Referee Rulings and Table Pacing
4:26 Telegraphing Attacks and Targets
5:26 Morale Rules and Combat Realism
6:32 Avoiding Dice Negotiation
7:45 The Referee as Impartial Arbiter
9:00 Building Consistent Table Culture
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
Become a Minion and Join The Tavern's Community to get access to perks (including more FREE OSR material):
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Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
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Master Minion: terrytaylor113, blahlbinoa, DeanSals1, dmakron, agilemonk6305, matthewsherman1183, DanTesch, douglaspearson9552, HalflingTorchbearer, murseoftheyear , tireddaddyof4267, yardofguiness
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#OSR #BXDnD #OldSchoolRPG #TTRPG #DungeonMaster #OSRCombat #TableTopRPG #DungeonsAndDragons #OSRGaming #RefereeTips #OldSchoolEssentials #RPGTips
The B/X rulebook tells you when to roll. It doesn't tell you what to do when a player waits to hear the result before deciding what they're doing — or argues every ruling mid-combat, or changes their action after the dice land. That's combat etiquette. And nobody printed it.
In this video I break down the unwritten rules that keep OSR combat fast, decisive, and fair: declaring before you roll, making decisions at the speed of a fight, why the referee's ruling stands, and why the dice are not a starting point for a counteroffer.
This video is part of a collab with Greyhawk Grognard and JoetheLawyer — all three of us are covering combat etiquette from our own angle. Links in the description. We won't agree on everything. That's fine.
🔗 Greyhawk Grognard: youtube.com/watch?v=7NFO2ncoAcs
🔗 JoetheLawyer: [link]
0:00 Combat Etiquette in B/X D&D
1:09 Combat Declarations Before Initiative
2:21 Managing Combat Pace and Timing
3:30 Referee Rulings and Table Pacing
4:26 Telegraphing Attacks and Targets
5:26 Morale Rules and Combat Realism
6:32 Avoiding Dice Negotiation
7:45 The Referee as Impartial Arbiter
9:00 Building Consistent Table Culture
The Tavern Rules: We’re here for B/X and OSR gaming. I use AI as a tool to help organize and format my notes, but every ruling and opinion is 100% Tenkar. Keep it civil, keep it old-school, or the bouncer will show you the door.
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
Basic Rules (Moldvay) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110274/d-d-basic-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?src=newest_print&affiliate_id=1446
Expert Rules (Marsh/Cook) PDF & Print - drivethrurpg.com/en/product/110792/d-d-expert-set-rulebook-b-x-ed-basic?affiliate_id=1446
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 - using our affiliate links supports the channel without costing you anything extra.
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
Master Minion: terrytaylor113, blahlbinoa, DeanSals1, dmakron, agilemonk6305, matthewsherman1183, DanTesch, douglaspearson9552, HalflingTorchbearer, murseoftheyear , tireddaddyof4267, yardofguiness
Super Minion: Indigo Ro, DM Raptor, SinnerElla, Ryan Nilsson, Erik Wahlberg, Donalds Angry, COS Crafts, maxnomicon, Midnight Green, Rich3rd, Gladstone Pinheiro, Cecilia Souza, Joe Stone, boss bully boy, Marcelo Correia, Richard Hooper, ᄃΉΣMIᄃΛᄂᄃӨᄃӨПЦƬ, T Flo_Ijimisan, LawDawg, Unscripted ＆ Unchained, JimothyTimothy, Eupolemos, Jay, Martin Penny, im cafferty, Chris Burkhart, Douglas Pearson, Curt Gould, Matthew Sherman
#OSR #BXDnD #OldSchoolRPG #TTRPG #DungeonMaster #OSRCombat #TableTopRPG #DungeonsAndDragons #OSRGaming #RefereeTips #OldSchoolEssentials #RPGTips
