Episodes

2d ago

Episode 270 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Dying and Campaign Building with Prequel and Ethan Yen Ethan Yen joins Shawn and Teos to discuss Prequel, the amazing game where you know you will die to the big bad… but get to create a campaign defined by the secrets these heroes discover! News: D&D Beyond’s New Goals, Crack the Sun’s Big Start, Big Staff Changes, and more! Contents 00:00 Conventional Wisdom 03:34 Teaching with RPGs? 13:00 Easy to Convert? 18:26 D&D Beyond's New Goals 24:52 Warlock Video Game Announced 27:57 Justice Arman Promoted 29:05 Jason Carl Departs World of Darkness 32:25 Perkins and Crawford on Acq Inc 35:47 Crack the Sun's Huge Start 39:59 Ikea D&D Book 42:47 Draw Steel Quick Reference 43:17 Quests from the Keep on the Borderlands 44:06 Ethan Yen and Prequel 45:34 Ethan's RPG Path 49:45 Creative Influences 58:45 All About Prequel 01:06:10 Phases of Play 01:12:39 The Big Fight 01:20:53 Campaign Building Conclusion 01:23:53 Zine Format Tips 01:30:46 Gamehole PoC Programs 01:37:58 Find Ethan 01:38:55 Shout-Outs 01:43:18 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Dec 11

How is an RPG Book Made? (Alphastream Collaboration) While Shawn and Teos are away, we share with you a recording Teos made with Scott F Gray, sharing the intricacies of the process for creating an RPG book. This recording appeared in two parts on the Alphastream YouTube channel and we are sharing it here for your enjoyment. Contents 00:00 Intro 00:46 About Scott 04:15 Who this video is for 09:09 Starting with an idea 12:54 When is my idea ready? 26:53 What to know when I start writing 39:04 Understanding words per page 43:00 After writing and types of editors 01:02:22 Development 01:04:10 Sensitivity Reading 01:07:10 Proofreading 01:10:11 Layout 01:14:47 Initial Layout Design 01:19:05 Flowing Copy and Word Processor Choices 01:24:39 Art and Art Orders 01:36:46 Bleed 01:39:26 Rewriting After Initial Layout 01:45:27 Don't Write in Layout 01:49:24 Final Proofread and Layout 01:55:34 PDF vs PoD vs Offset Printing 02:11:25 Offset Printing and Timeline 02:15:20 Crowdfunding 02:18:55 Rising Tide on Manufacturing and Shipping 02:21:12 On Collaboration 02:26:27 Support the Show Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Dec 10

Gamehole Con 2025 and Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Beautiful Mess of 5E! (Gamehole Con 2025) While Shawn and Teos are away, we share with you a recording of a panel at Gamehole con where Mike Mearls, Mike Shea, Shawn, and Teos discuss the many forms of 5E available both officially and through third party companies. We look at how D&D 5E was designed in a open way and how this impacts our hobby. Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Dec 3

Episode 269 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Brindlewood Bay’s Cozy Horror Cozy on up with our review of Brindlewood Bay. Being an elderly widow, cutting to commercial, detailing our cozy home, and drawing on classic TV? Sign us up! News: Eberron Forge of the Artificer, MCDM’s Summoner and Blackbottom, Cosmere Actual Play, and more! Contents 00:00 Clue Advent and Alien Evolved 03:32 Player Goals First? 12:34 Crawford Perkins Critique and Praise? 16:45 Eberron Forge of the Artificer is Out 21:15 MCDM Releases Summoner 21:42 Fall of Blackbottom Adventure 23:40 Initiative D&D in NYC 26:10 Cosmere Actual Play 27:23 Jubensha Grows Internationally 30:47 Nominate Most Anticipated RPG of '26 31:43 Brindlewood Bay 32:16 Game and its Vibes 35:30 Elderly Widows as PCs 37:57 Game Play Basics 39:44 Why the GM Can Push Hard 42:33 Gear as Your Cozy Home 45:08 PbtA Moves 56:35 Maven Moves 58:45 Being a Keeper or GM 01:00:24 Clues and Void Clues 01:02:42 One-Shots vs Campaign 01:08:09 Shout-Outs 01:12:15 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 26

Episode 268 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Can We Fix 1-Player Dragon Delves? While a full fix would take more work, we do quickly test a fix and find it is a ton more fun as we conclude our 1 DM and 1 Player adventure! News: Daggerheart’s Big Expansion, Acq Inc Switches, D&D’s Digital Releases, Leaked Financials, and more! Contents 00:00 Shawn is Horrified 02:46 D&D Version of Andor or Office? 11:18 Must Fun Single-Class Party? 15:18 Lorwyn First Light Released Digitally 20:32 Daggerheart New Expansion 24:26 Daggerheart PAX News 27:46 Acq Inc Switches to Daggerheart 30:48 Leaked 5E Sales Data 37:28 Free Fantasy Grounds 38:51 If RPGs Adjusted for Inflation 40:13 Temple of the Lightbringers 40:37 Stabracadabra 41:32 Crack the Sun for Draw Steel 42:12 Drakkenheart 43:00 Kickstarter Union Prevails 43:35 Baker's Doesn't Conclusion 44:07 Our Test So Far 46:59 1 on 1 Play as a Concept 55:25 Shawn's Proposed Changes! 01:04:21 Underground Jail 01:10:34 Yummy Mummy 01:14:29 Our New Solo Combat 01:25:48 When Mummy is Daddy 01:31:00 Facing Nibblecheeks 01:35:39 The Heroes We Made Along the Way 01:41:25 Final Thoughts 01:48:15 Shout Outs 01:52:04 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 19

Episode 267 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Does 1 Player Really Work with Dragon Delves? Shawn runs Teos through Dragon Delves and they find out whether the adventure’s rules for one player work. Spoiler: no, listener, they do not work! News: Mighty Nein on Amazon, D&D Challenging for Netflix, Draw Steel Codex, 5E on Demiplane, and more! Contents 00:00 FR Goodness 01:03 DnD Bologna Contestants - Die Egg Cup 02:32 DnD Press-On Nails 03:54 People Mag and DnD Wedding Cakes 06:17 What Should WotC Design? 18:01 Demiplane 5E Support 23:14 Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime 25:27 D&D on Netflix is Challenging 30:45 Draw Steel Codex 32:51 Codex Draw Steel Marketplace 33:32 Crack the Sun! 35:54 Amazon Warhammer 40k Shows 38:03 Baldur's Gate Adventure Jam Released 39:38 D&D Municipal Ethics Adventure 40:56 Beast RPG 43:55 Alpha Star Magazine 44:33 Darrington Press Seeks Creators 45:38 Dungeons of Drakkenheim for Daggerheart 46:20 DM and Player Gaming 50:06 Story So Far 52:00 Forest and Candy Trail 56:10 Investigating the Outside 01:07:05 Exploring the Interior 01:10:01 Taffy and Bugbears 01:14:22 Discussing 1 Player Combat 01:17:57 Secret Passage 01:22:10 Critical Hit! 01:33:57 Reflecting on 1-on-1 Combat 01:35:27 Saving Asger 01:39:23 Additional Thoughts Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 12

Episode 266 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Solo Actual Play with Dragon Delves! Can solo play work? Shawn runs Teos through Dragon Delves. See their ridiculous antics and what they think about the design! News: Daggerheart’s New Bloodhunter, Moonbeam Shuts Down, WotC Restores Educator Resources, HeroForge and Daggerheart Dilemma, and more! Contents 00:00 Playing All the Games 04:08 Reasons Why PCs Have New Features? 12:18 Lost Art of Dungeon Design? 22:47 Favorite Community Program? 27:54 Moonbeam Shutting Down 30:01 Organize Play Adds FR Options 32:58 DnD EU and AP Release Dates 34:26 WotC Restores Educator Resources 35:51 Daggerheart Playtests Blood Hunter 37:37 HeroForge and Daggerheart Dilemma 41:21 Solo Play with Dragon Delves 42:55 Using Maps VTT 45:58 Solo Play Rules in Dragon Delves 50:27 Adventure Starts with Fire 57:01 Saving the Halfling 01:01:41 Investigating the Fire 01:09:58 Golden Lizards 01:14:21 Mischief at the Bakery 01:28:41 Behind the DM Curtain 01:30:08 Shout Outs 01:33:38 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 5

Episode 265 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Shannon Appelcline and Designers & Dragons Origins! Renowned RPG historian Shannon Appelcline joins Teos and Shawn to discuss his new 4-book series capturing the amazing stories behind every D&D product from OD&D, AD&D, and Basic! News: New Daggerheart folio, Tales of Woodcreek starts with a bang, Free FR preview, and more! Contents 00:00 Thankful for community 03:44 Draw Steel allows roleplay? 06:38 Get players to make stuff up? 19:32 Netflix and Hasbro KPop Demon Hunting 20:48 Hasbro Q3 report 22:54 WotC Q3 results 24:07 Videogame costs 26:49 Hasbro's 45-50 shows and movies 29:34 WotC explains D&D well, actually 35:34 How big is D&D? 42:13 Are we getting a Dragonlance show? 45:15 Sigil will be no more 52:06 Daggerheart on class design 54:41 PAX Unplugged BIPOC demo days 55:37 Drakkenheart 57:07 Draw Steel recoveries and respites 57:52 Ending combat 01:03:02 Balancing adventuring days 01:06:23 Recoveries 01:08:12 Resting and victories 01:11:23 Respites and downtime 01:21:52 Project roll 01:23:34 Project events 01:28:13 Rewards and downtime 01:32:52 Shout-outs 01:37:19 What are we gonna do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 29

Episode 264 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel – Resting and Downtime! (MD 264) The Draw Steel RPG has a unique and deliberate approach to what it takes to rest and what you can do during your rest. Respites become a key element, bridging combat recovery with larger campaign and personal goals. News: Hasbro KPop Demon Roleplay, Hasbro Q3 Results, Dragonlance TV Show? Sigil has 1 year, and more! Contents 00:00 Thankful for community 03:44 Draw Steel allows roleplay? 06:38 Get players to make stuff up? 19:32 Netflix and Hasbro KPop Demon Hunting 20:48 Hasbro Q3 report 22:54 WotC Q3 results 24:07 Videogame costs 26:49 Hasbro's 45-50 shows and movies 29:34 WotC explains D&D well, actually 35:34 How big is D&D? 42:13 Are we getting a Dragonlance show? 45:15 Sigil will be no more 52:06 Daggerheart on class design 54:41 PAX Unplugged BIPOC demo days 55:37 Drakkenheart 57:07 Draw Steel recoveries and respites 57:52 Ending combat 01:03:02 Balancing adventuring days 01:06:23 Recoveries 01:08:12 Resting and victories 01:11:23 Respites and downtime 01:21:52 Project roll 01:23:34 Project events 01:28:13 Rewards and downtime 01:32:52 Shout-outs 01:37:19 What are we gonna do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 22

Episode 263 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Live from Gamehole Con - Complexity in RPGs! We discuss complexity with our live audience! News: Asmodee Controls Lord of the Rings, Circle Magic, Biggest Industry Surprise, New Kobold Hires, and more! Contents 00:00 Live with pants 01:13 Gamehole games so far 03:53 Modularity of RPG for GM? 06:16 Odds of Dark Sun 5E? 09:06 What do I do this week? 10:05 Biggest surprise in the industry? 12:28 Survivability of games with financial changes? 16:22 Financial shift to premium products? 17:08 Asmodee controls Lord of the Rings 19:00 Circle Magic and New Spells 26:31 New Kobold Press hires 27:23 Your Creator Corner 29:05 Complexity in RPGs 29:46 Character complexity 40:29 RPG rule complexity 50:21 Thank you! Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 15

Episode 262 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel Combat Encounters! Teos and Shawn examine how the Draw Steel RPG handles player turns, including forced movement, damage, and dying! News: D&D Hellfire at Target, Free Daggerheart Roll20 Quickstart, Drakkenheim for Daggeheart, Our Approach to Learn New RPGs, and more! Contents 00:00 Gamehole Peak Prep 02:11 Remembering Rob Weiland 04:29 Our Daggerheart and Draw Steel Games 09:12 Our Process to Learn an RPG? 16:30 Hellfire Club Released 20:03 Daggerheart Quickstart on Roll20 and Demiplane 22:07 Hellfire in Target 23:09 Hasbro's SORRY Mobile Game 24:05 Licensing D&D and MtG 25:21 Drakkenheim for Daggerheart 29:43 How Much Magazine Stuff 31:05 Designers & Dragons Origins Preview 34:29 Keith Ammann on Writing About Dragons 35:22 Allies & Enemies for Shadowdark 36:18 Jerry Garcia's Cosmic Journey 36:56 Fred Armisen's 100 Sound Effects 38:46 Draw Steel Combat Encounters 39:42 Three Action Types 45:47 Tactical Details 48:09 Forced Movement 53:10 Critical Hits 59:49 Damage and Stamina 01:04:54 Daggerheart Damage Comparison 01:10:17 Shout-Outs 01:15:39 See you at Gamehole Con! Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 8

Episode 261 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel Combat Basics! Teos and Shawn examine how Draw Steel creates tactical, cinematic, and heroic play with its combat system! News: New D&D Video Game Studio, Demogorgon Crunch, Kickstarter’s Union, and more! Contents 00:00 Miles of Games 03:08 Designing for Someone's IP? 15:05 D&D New Video Game Studio 19:38 D&D Hiring a Game Designer 22:27 Revised Psion UA 25:23 Designing to Guarantee Effects 30:31 Kim Mohan in Hall of Fame 32:33 Acq Inc Pirate Borg! 34:20 Demogorgon Crunch 35:30 Kickstarter's Union Wants Protections 36:29 How Much Setting Stuff Is There? 41:55 Designers & Dragons Origins 43:51 Draw Steel Combat Basics 44:36 Beastheart Playtest News 45:25 Power Rolls in Draw Steel 46:44 Tiered Outcomes 49:03 Power Rolls and Gameplay 54:32 Potency 56:29 Gating Outcomes 59:02 Draw Steel and Daggerheart Similarities 01:02:00 Example Actions 01:04:12 Edges and Banes 01:08:52 Hero Tokens 01:11:39 The Map 01:20:11 Initiative, sort of 01:32:29 Shout Outs 01:36:16 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 1

Episode 260 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel Kits and Complications! (MD 260) Teos and Shawn finish creating their characters, reviewing the cool rules for Kits, how Complications wildly spice up a game, and Perks! News: Salvatore May Retire Drizzt, Lorwyn Digital-Only D&D Setting, Cosmere New Releases, and more! Contents 00:00:00 War torn 00:02:36 Do elaborate mechanics create narrative? 00:21:44 Lorwyn is a Digital-Only D&D Setting 00:25:15 DDB adds Maps and Party Inventory 00:26:02 Heroes of the Borderlands tutorials 00:26:30 Stranger Things product info 00:27:44 WizKids smaller dragon Trophy 00:30:29 MtG enters Federation Space! 00:32:32 Salvatore may retire Drizzt 00:35:34 Cosmere New Releases 00:37:18 The Last Caravan - Westward Bound 00:38:11 What's My Foundation? 00:39:08 Our Draw Steal Character Creation 00:40:19 Step 6 - Kits 00:54:56 Perks 00:56:55 Step 7 - Add Free Strikes 00:59:49 Step 8 - Complications 01:12:11 Step 9 - Details 01:13:05 Step 10 - Connections 01:17:10 Thoughts on Advancement Speed 01:24:49 Shout-Outs 01:30:24 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 24

Episode 259 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel Character Classes, Careers, and Cultures! Teos and Shawn create two characters, reviewing how Draw Steel creates engagement through complex classes, careers, and create-your-own cultures! News: Daggerheart Void Update, Diamond Selling Disputed Stock, Baldur’s Gate Jam, and more! Contents 00:00 Pirates and Cowpokes 02:57 Should Serving Your Deity Matter? 16:51 What Would We Create? 23:40 DM Retcons Okay? 29:39 Unearthed Arcana - Arcane Subclasses 31:15 Update on Diamond Selling Disputed Stock 36:32 New D&D Educator Resources Location 38:39 DMsGuild Baldur's Gate Jam 40:19 Demiplane is Hiring 41:29 Daggerheart Playtests Adversaries and Environments 41:53 How Much D&D Stuff Is There? 47:04 Cypher Revised Final Days! 48:07 Draw Steel Character Creation 50:37 Creating Our Cultures 55:32 Career Background 01:01:20 Draw Steel Classes 01:05:17 Tactician and Troubadour Classes 01:06:49 Class Basics 01:10:04 1st Level Class Features 01:16:45 Kits and Other Class Features 01:32:49 We Really Liked This! 01:34:34 Shout-Outs 01:38:41 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 17

Episode 258 of Mastering Dungeons! No News Segment this week! Main topic: Inside Heroes of the Borderlands: Justice Arman on creating D&D’s new starter set! Justice led the project to create a new Starter Set updating the famed module B2, The Keep on the Borderlands! Justice joins Teos and Shawn to share what it was like creating the set. Contents 00:00 Justice Arman! 01:35 Settings with Limited Options? 10:04 Justice's Path as a Creator 14:28 Teos Likes this Set 15:56 Creating a New Starter Set 19:28 Starter Set Goals 22:08 Design Challenges 29:40 Keep on the Borderlands Revisions 35:14 Fun Innovations 42:23 Future Class Boards? 44:17 Advice on Running the Adventures 47:23 How it was Playtested 51:44 Board Game Entryway 01:02:17 Wisdom from Justice 01:04:04 Providing Feedback 01:04:57 Find Justice! 01:05:47 Shout-Outs 01:09:10 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 10

Episode 257 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel Character Generation! Shawn and Teos discuss character generation approaches, then plunge into Draw Steel’s first character generation steps! News: Wizards CEO on Franchises, AI, and Video Games. Starter Set Previews, Kobold Press on Multiple RPGs, and more! Contents 00:00 One of Us is Rested 02:32 Daggerheart Simplicity Redux 10:19 Rules-Lite Spellcasting? 19:19 John Hight on Franchises and Video Games 26:19 Hight on AI 30:38 Hight on MMOs 34:16 Starter Set Previews 39:08 Dark Sun on Tabletop Journeys 39:44 Apocalypse World Burned Over 40:45 Kobold Press Unprecedented Times? 48:04 Aetherial Expanse Drowned God 48:39 Surviving Strangehollow on GameFound 50:53 Draw Steel Character Creation 51:15 CharGen in General 01:05:31 Draw Steel General Guidance 01:09:43 Step 1, Think 01:16:15 Step 2, Ancestry 01:22:27 Shout-Outs 01:27:02 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 3

Episode 256 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Mike Balles and Spanish Language RPGs! Mike Balles and Teos examine the state of Spanish-language play and support across companies, conventions, and creator spaces. Mike shares the programs he is involved in and how you can support those efforts! News: Treantmonk on UAs! Acq Inc Switches to Daggerheart, Stranger Things at Target, and more! Contents 00:00 Chris Honkala aka Treantmonk! 01:16 Premiere Organizers 02:05 Pick One RPG? 03:47 Daggerheart Too Simple? 07:23 Acq Inc Rewrites Reality to Daggerheart 09:51 Stranger Things Target Exclusive 13:20 Chris' Origin Story 16:11 Chris on WotC UAs 31:09 Should WotC Respond to Fans? 38:55 5E Subclass Design 42:52 Analyzing the Apocalyptic UA 56:42 Survey is Live 58:26 Find Chris! 59:00 What Are We Gonna Do? 59:38 Mike Balles! 01:00:59 PAX Unplugged 01:02:21 Mike's Origin Story 01:08:48 Streaming and Wizards of the Coast 01:13:29 Improving Gen Con and PAX 01:21:57 San Diego Comic Con 01:24:33 Connecting Creators 01:27:18 Gamehole Con PoC Program 01:35:38 Localizations and Translations 01:50:37 Translated 5E Character Sheets 01:54:51 Exploring Regional Opportunities 01:59:33 Spanish Language Creators and Games 02:10:57 Support Latine Lounge 02:17:09 Find Mike and Claudia 02:19:29 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 27

Episode 255 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel Negotiations and Montages! Shawn and Teos discuss how the new Draw Steel RPG’s systems for montages and negotiations felt during their recent game, reviewing the lofty goals and interesting design. News: Is Dark Sun Coming? Critical Role Chooses D&D West Marches, Shadowdark Org Play, Why Crawford and Perkins Joined CR, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos at PAX West 02:28 Dan Ayoub Confidence in 2024? 12:03 Insight Check as Lie Detector? 22:36 Unearthed Arcana - Dark Sun? 25:59 CR Chooses 5E West Marches 33:00 Crawford and Perkins' Motives 39:41 Shadowdark Org Play 41:01 Draw Steel Summoner Playtest 42:01 Free Draw Steel Minis 42:22 Pirate Borg Localizations 44:10 Exodus RPG Encyclopedia 45:17 ARPIA Award Finalists 46:21 Grim Hollow Transformed on D&D Beyond 48:30 Negotiations and Montages 51:19 Montage Rules 54:05 Negotiation Rules 56:43 Larger Gameplay Concepts 01:07:23 Our Play Experience 01:18:39 Montage Outcomes 01:26:17 Negotiations in Our Game 01:34:59 Considering Alternate Systems 01:40:57 Shout-Outs 01:44:54 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 20

Episode 254 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel RPG at Level 1! Shawn and Teos play Draw Steel on the D20 Play channel. We discuss how the game plays at level 1, including the goals of the RPG and how well they worked. We also discuss how it felt to play a Talent (psion) and Troubadour. News: D&D in the Heart of London, D&D at the Ballpark, Starter Set Delays, and more! Contents 00:00 Beloved Corrections 04:36 Future of Organized Play? 18:35 Wild West Campaign? 21:43 Is Complexity Good? 27:03 How to Hook Friends and Family on D&D 39:41 Starter Set Delayed in EU and UK 41:05 Baseball and D&D 43:22 D&D in London 44:36 Legends of Greyhawk Videos 45:50 Cosmere Print Date 46:18 Battlezoo Secret Tomes 47:07 Surviving Strangehollow on Gamefound 48:09 Aetherial Expanse: Dreasm of the Drowned God 49:25 Draw Steel at Level 1 50:42 We Love Games! 53:33 Tactical Heroic Cinematic Fantasy 56:28 Tactical and Heroic Play 59:51 Cinematic Play 01:03:09 Talent at Level 1 01:09:00 Troubador at Level 1 01:15:56 Complexity 01:23:03 Monsters in Draw Steel 01:28:51 Designed to Make Players Into DMs 01:31:57 Shout-Outs 01:35:08 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 13

Episode 253 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: How to DM Parenting with Shelly Mazzanoble! D&D’s Shelly Mazzanoble joins us to discuss her new book: How to Dungeon Master Parenting! This hilarious and insightful book offers a lot for DMs and parents. We discuss how the two compare and Shelly’s storied past where she has worked to promote women in D&D and D&D’s philanthropic efforts. News: Japan’s D&D Initiative, Diablo RPG, Tropes that Ruin RPGs, and more! Contents 00:00 We're 159! 03:18 Is D&D Scrutiny New? 07:55 RPGS Cannibalizing Each Other? 14:48 If We Knew 1 Spell? 18:28 Criminally Overlooked Game Design? 26:14 D&D in Japan 28:04 New Fallbacks Novel 29:27 5 Tropes Ruin D&D 33:36 Stranger Things Minis 35:11 Metaphor vs Mechanics 39:00 Diablo RPG 40:21 Shelly Mazzanoble 41:15 Shelly's Amazing D&D Contributions 43:45 Shelly's and Global Philanthropy 48:59 Women and New Players in D&D 57:37 How to DM Parenting 01:10:07 Child Stat Blocks 01:13:10 DM and Parenting Styles 01:21:06 Find Shelly and Her Book 01:24:24 Shout-outs 01:28:45 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 6

Episode 252 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: New Era of RPG Revolution? Huge Gen Con announcements and kickstarters have us asking… is this a new era of RPG Evolution? We look at why it is so hard to compete with D&D and why maybe companies should not want to compete at all! News: Daggerheart Makes Big Moves, Draw Steel Released, FR DLC, and more! Contents 00:00 Climb Gen Con Harder 01:36 Shawn on Tabletop Journeys 02:25 Gen Con Review 06:20 WotC Out of Adventure Ideas? 12:16 Forgotten Realms DLC 13:50 Netheril's Fate 15:27 Astarion's Book of Hungers 18:07 Draw Steel Released in PDF! 21:44 Daggerheart is Serious 24:50 How Many Demiplane PCs? 33:42 Cosmere Minis 34:29 ENNie Awards 36:36 Cypher Revised Announced 37:52 DeMinimis and Tarrifs 39:39 Era of RPG Revolution 40:55 2025 May Be Different 42:39 The History of D&D Challengers 44:38 D&D's Market and Brand Advantage 48:44 Licensing 49:51 Actually a Great Game 55:23 Economies of Scale 58:49 What Does Competition Look Like? 01:02:51 Ocean vs Pond 01:10:41 Competition Isn't the Only Endgame 01:18:22 Dan Ayoub and How WotC Evolves 01:23:19 A Rolling SRD 01:24:30 DDB Maps for All Subscribers 01:26:24 D&D Advisory Group 01:27:19 The Future We Envision 01:32:43 Shout-Outs 01:37:23 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 30

Episode 251 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Listeners Have Their Way! It’s a Listener Corner extravaganza as we fill our regular segment with tough questions from our awesome listeners! News: Hasbro Disastrously Beats Q2 Expectations, Critical Role Expands Shows, and more! Contents 00:00 Transforming News 04:10 Teos Ghostfire Breaking News 04:55 Happy 251st Show! 05:44 Hasbro Q2 Disastrously Beats Expectations 08:48 WotC Q2 Results 12:38 D&D Q2 Revenue 14:16 Comparing 2024 to 2014 Revenues 15:04 Critical Role Expands Shows 17:01 Cover Reveals for FR Books 19:37 Cthulhu by Torchlight Exclusive DDB 22:15 Weapons of Legend for Draw Steel 22:59 Kobold Ancestry for Draw Steel 24:10 Listener Corner Extravaganza 25:32 Dragon Delves and Arora? 29:18 Resolving Player Conflict ? 36:22 Comparing Non-D&D RPGs to Each Other 46:27 Favorite RPGs and Adventures to Read? 55:42 What We Wish Designers Would Stop Doing? 01:00:38 Shout-Outs 01:05:52 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 23

Episode 250 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Monsters and Adversaries! Does Daggerheart provide a compelling system of monsters for GMs? We take a look at the design and whether it might hook GMs into running Daggerheart for years to come! News: Stranger Things Boxed Set, D&D Staffing and Franchise News, Eberron Delay, and more! Contents 00:00 Grimhollow Transformed 03:54 D&D Stranger Things Boxed Set 07:22 Jess Lanzillo at White Wolf 08:36 Dan Ayoub Franchise VP 13:46 Cynthia Williams Departs Funko 15:27 Starter Set Higher Price 20:03 Eberron Delayed 23:20 PAX West DMs Wanted 24:56 Critical Role Video Game 27:26 Black Flag in CC 28:49 Daggerheart Adventure 29:34 Daggerheart Incredible Creatures 30:15 Six-Gun Doomsday 31:41 Daggerheart Monsters and Adversaries 32:37 Why Monsters Matter in an RPG 36:04 Daggerheart Stat Blocks 38:51 Creature Type 45:34 Experiences 48:33 Monster Features 54:45 The Adversary Types 01:00:56 Looking at the Overall System 01:16:11 Shout-Outs 01:20:03 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 9

Episode 249 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Campaign Frames!Daggerheart provides an interesting structure for campaign settings. How well does this work? Let’s find out! News: What is Narrative-First, D&D Italian Translation Problems, Offset Printers, and more! Contents 00:00 Naprage Week 01:40 Daggerheart Adventure Differences? 09:57 What is Narrative-First? 22:52 Italian PH Problems 25:12 Wolfgang on Offset Printers 26:51 Quickplay Maps on Beyond 28:07 Daggerheart Campaign Frames 30:38 Campaign Frame Components 33:42 Lore Dump? 36:54 Frame Breakdown 37:53 Step 1: Pitch 41:50 Step 2: Foundations and 3: Characters 45:43 Step 4: Build the Map 48:42 Step 5: Session Zero and 6: Adventure 51:40 Age of Umbra Campaign Frame 01:04:34 Included Campaign Frames 01:06:52 Shout-Outs 01:09:55 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 2

Episode 248 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Leveling Our Daggerheart Characters!We level up our Rogue and Warrior all the way to level 6 and share how the design enabled our concepts. News: Dragon Delves Pre-Release, Daggerheart New Classes, Cosmere Hiring, and more! Contents 00:00 MVP is Sleep 01:08 Leaving Blanks? 08:24 Daggerheart Demands Good GMs? 15:22 Dragon Delves Pre-Released 17:47 UA Arcane Subclasses 19:31 Gen Con Needs DMs 21:36 New Daggerheart Witch and Assassin 26:12 Demiplane adds Playtest Classes 26:37 Updated Daggerheart License 27:35 Origins Awards 28:18 Cosmere RPG is Hiring 34:13 Leveling Daggerheart Characters 36:51 Daggerheart's Tier Leveling System 37:39 Tier 2 Benefits 40:43 Level 2 Choices 48:19 Level 3 Options 52:56 Level 4 Options 58:31 Tier 3 Benefits and Multiclassing 01:09:35 Level Choices 01:12:42 Design Considerations 01:24:30 Gear and Leveling 01:27:33 Shout-Outs 01:30:45 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jun 25

Episode 247 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Our Daggerheart Characters! What it is like to create Daggerheart Characters, with real examples of our Rogue and Warrior. News: WotC Layoffs, Dragon Delve Previews, Daggerheart Staff Changes, and more! Contents 00:00 Dual-Wield Chainsaws 02:02 Dungeon Crawls Gone? 12:39 Universal and Unique Lore? 16:38 Dragon Delves Previews 18:50 Wizards of the Coast Layoffs 20:07 Ivan Van Norman Departs Darrington 23:04 Diana Jones Finalists 25:30 Evil Hat Cancels Tomb Raider RPG 27:14 DarkHorse Brings Fallbacks 28:44 Treasures from the Dark 31:04 Our Daggerheart Characters 33:30 Getting Started Section 37:42 Class and Subclass 49:00 Subclass 52:14 Heritage - Ancestry and Community 59:11 Character Traits 01:03:17 Additional Info 01:05:57 Starting Equipment 01:15:44 Background 01:16:52 Experiences 01:19:47 Domain Cards 01:25:12 Connections 01:29:07 Shout-Outs 01:32:18 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jun 18

Episode 246 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Initiative! What happens when a player of GM can take any number of turns in a row? We take a look at Daggerheart’s initiative and consider games that have similar approaches. News: Critical Role Hire Perkins and Crawford, Jess Lanzillo Departs WotC, Daggerheart Translations, and more! Contents 00:00 We Are Stunned 00:49 Will Daggerheart Stand the Test of Time? 01:21 Crawford and Perkins' New Jobs 15:55 Jess Lanzillo Departs WotC 24:54 Daggerheart Being Translated 25:55 Mearls on Character Maps and Psion 28:27 Kickstarter Pre-Launch vs Funding 32:02 Standing the Test of Time? 40:35 Daggerheart Initiative 41:16 Our Experiences 45:26 Game Flow 47:08 The Spotlight 51:20 Adapt Over Time? 52:06 On Your Turn 53:50 Duality Dice 56:26 GM Moves and Adversary Actions 58:52 How Rules Play 01:08:30 Optional 3-Token System 01:14:36 Shout-Outs 01:17:31 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jun 11

Episode 245 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 2025 D&D Psion Subclasses! The new psion can blow minds with new Disciplines, spells, and Subclasses. News: Perkins and Crawford’s Jobs, We Play Daggerheart, Get Free Goblin Trouble, and more! Contents 00:00 Daggerborg Below 02:37 Mythic Fantasy Tips? 10:33 Transition to Another RPG? 19:14 Good RPGs for Drama and Participation? 23:49 Crawford and Perkins Jobs Open 28:47 Free Goblin Trouble Adventure 32:37 Shawn and Teos Play Daggerheart 43:30 Daggerheart Card Editor is Live 44:20 Staff Changes at Chaosium 45:32 Book Distributor Feedback 50:06 The Devoured Labyrinth 51:39 Save on Steve Conley's Irregulars 52:45 Bundle of Pride Games 53:34 Psionic Subclasses and Disciplines 55:17 Psionic Disciplines 58:12 Design Patterns 01:14:13 New and Revised Spells 01:19:14 Psion Subclasses 01:34:12 Shout-Outs 01:38:09 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jun 4

Episode 244 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The 2025 D&D Psion!! We look at the Psion from OD&D and across the editions, to the 2025 playtest Psion for how well it throws mind bullets. Does it have the power to move us? News: Draw Steel Covers, D&D International Day of Play, New D&D Video Game, and more! Contents 00:00 Intro 02:20 Building Large Cities? 09:04 Daggerheart Didn't Crowdfund? 14:03 2025 D&D Conversion Document 17:42 New D&D Video Game 18:57 Draw Steel Covers and Schedules 20:19 D&D International Day of Play 23:20 Free RPG Day June 21 25:13 SlyFlourish Leaves Blanks 29:38 KP on Small Press Printing 32:49 Avatar Legends Licensed Adventures 34:12 TileForge 35:17 2025 Psion Playtest 36:34 Psionics in OD&D and AD&D 42:17 Psionics in 2E 47:53 Psionics in 3E and 4E 52:24 Design Challenges 59:36 5E 2014 Mystic 01:02:13 The 2025 UA Psion 01:02:47 Why a Psion Class vs Subclass? 01:05:16 Core Psion Traits 01:07:15 Spellcasting 01:10:30 Psionic Energy Dice and Features 01:23:10 Psionic Disciplines and Higher Levels 01:26:36 Assessing at Level 5 01:33:30 Shout-Outs 01:37:50 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 28

Episode 243 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Making Good Tactical Maps! Shawn and Teos discuss how to make great maps for home play or publications. From envisioning movement to avoiding symmetry, we share our tips and tricks. News: Daggerheart Released, Lee Gold’s A&E Legacy, Minecraft RPG, Digital Deck of Player Safety, and more! Contents 00:00 Reliving Introcaso 01:33 Detect Phantasmal Force? 15:24 Spoonfeeding Backstory? 29:34 Daggerheart Released 31:48 Daggerheart Card Maker 32:47 Daggerheart Community License 34:25 Lee Gold's A&E Legacy 39:11 DMs Wanted for Gencon and BMG 41:36 Digital Deck of Player Safety 44:08 Minecraft RPG 45:17 WizKids Apologize for BG3 Minis 48:19 Sand Marches for Dark Sun 48:48 5-Room Dungeon Jam 49:38 Making Good Tactical Maps 55:57 Envision Your Location 01:00:09 Fit the Overall Setting 01:02:19 Fit the Creatures 01:07:12 Think of Movement and Abilities 01:15:30 Details that Matter 01:17:52 Avoid Symmetry 01:20:47 Add Surprises 01:24:10 Shout-Outs 01:27:58 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 21

Episode 242 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel and Introducing New RPGs! James Introcaso joins Teos to discuss the challenges any new RPG has in attracting an audience, explaining what makes it fun, creating starter sets, and much more! We draw heavily on Draw Steel, the MCDM RPG coming out later this summer! News: Daggerheart Media Blitz, Diana Jones Emerging Designers, Storytelling Through Violence, and more! Contents 00:00 It's James Introcaso! 02:07 Nautical for AL vs Home? 08:10 Underwater Armor House Rules? 17:06 Diana Jones Emerging Designers 19:50 Daggerheart Media Blitz 25:13 Brotherwise Hiring RPG Director 26:44 Storytelling Through Violence 34:47 Draw Steel and Introducing New RPGs 35:14 Summer of Draw Steel 36:37 A Challenge for All RPGs 38:37 Barriers to Entry 42:05 Getting Group Buy-In 45:20 Finding an Audience 50:41 Communicating What the Game Is 55:40 Role of Stores and Distributors 01:00:21 A Great Starter Set 01:02:56 Supporting Conventions 01:06:01 Great Pregens 01:13:00 MCDM's Next Products 01:16:26 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 14

Episode 241 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Creating Nautical Encounters! We build encounters based on our nautical campaign arc, including storm survival, submerged shipwrecks, battles on the high seas, and more! News: Horror UA Subclasses, Eberron Preorder Info, Gen Con Events, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos vs the Lorecast 02:09 Teaching Tactics? 10:50 Purpose of GM Currencies? 20:31 Eberron Preorder Info 24:40 Unearthed Arcana Horror Subclasses 28:14 Symbaroum and CZPEKU on DDB 30:26 Sigil VTT Update 31:07 PAX East Eberron Surprise 32:53 Gen Con Events Released 36:37 Playing at the World v2 37:48 Tariff News 39:40 Neon City Outlaws 41:56 Creating Nautical Encounters 43:05 Our Campaign So Far 45:16 Character Roles on the Ship 48:52 Storm Survival? 54:25 Types of Encounters 58:39 Multiple Dimensions 01:03:42 Encounters to Start the Campaign 01:07:24 Building on Campaign Hook 01:10:24 After 4th Level 01:11:21 Hiring Crew 01:12:45 Sunken Shipwreck 01:15:40 Underwater Allies 01:16:45 Island Exploration Encounter 01:18:18 Campaign-Concluding Encounters 01:20:27 Shout-Outs 01:24:13 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 7

Episode 240 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Creating a Nautical Campaign! Shawn and Teos dive into creating a cool nautical campaign, from themes to arcs and beyond! News: We Review Sage Advice, Polygon Sold, Diamond and Alliance Bombshells, and more! Contents 00:00 Still the Captain 01:08 Multiple Modes of Play? 13:02 2024 Creator Pitfalls? 19:59 Diamond and Alliance Bombshells 26:23 Sage Advice is Live 29:06 Interesting Sage Advice 39:00 SRD 5.2.1 Released 41:09 Polygon Sold Off 44:56 DM David on 5E Speed of Play 49:45 EN5ider Relaunched 50:56 Distal RPG 51:54 Creating a Nautical Campaign 54:17 Session Zero 01:00:20 Swimming and Underwater Rules 01:04:07 Starting at Level 1 01:09:25 Using Themes and Plot Arcs 01:13:59 Top Down vs Bottom Up 01:15:58 Leveling 01:18:27 Evolving Themes? 01:21:25 Sources of Inspiration 01:23:51 Shout Outs 01:27:28 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 30

Episode 239 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Embarking on A Nautical Campaign ! Nautical campaigns offer exciting options different from other campaign types. Join us as we voyage into the strengths and challenges of these campaigns! News: WotC’s Strong Q1, SRD 5.2 Review, Alliance Rejects Diamond, Best Campaign Setting, and more! Contents 00:00 Play Every Day 03:03 Digital Response to Tariffs? 10:11 Changes for Exhausted Players? 19:12 Hasbro Q1 2025 23:04 How Big is D&D? 26:23 Hasbro and Tariffs 30:36 SRD 5.2 Released 35:36 SRD Localizations 38:50 Best Campaign Setting 40:39 Alliance Drops Diamond 42:45 Tariff Update 44:53 Andrew B on Writing Process 49:00 Fury of the Forsaken 49:51 Newbie DM's Iomandra 51:05 Embarking on a Nautical Campaign 53:38 Strengths of a Nautical Campaign 01:00:31 Campaign Differences 01:09:39 Challenges 01:15:29 Themes 01:18:05 Ship Combat 01:20:35 Shout-Outs 01:24:37 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 23

Episode 238 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Using the Environment in Encounters (with Dragons)! Make the most of elevation, difficult terrain, cover, lighting, and more. And to tie into Monster Week: Dragons, we apply them to dragon encounters! News: New SRD 5.2, Errata Returns, Holy Grail Turns 50, and more! Contents 00:00 Postal Service 02:06 Shawn Peaks 02:36 Easiest Official Adventure to DM? 28:57 Peril in Pinebrook challenge? 31:54 Nobody Left the D&D Team? 32:23 New SRD 5.2 April 22 37:40 New Basic Rules 41:21 New Errata and Sage Advice 45:53 Tariff Impacts 47:24 Neverwinter Brings D&D Movie Stories 49:01 50 Years of Holy Grail 49:47 Monster Week: Dragons 50:25 Using Environment in Encounters 50:44 One Cool Thing 54:09 Watch for Time Impact 59:29 Overly Punitive Environments 01:06:20 Environment and Terrain: Cover 01:09:13 Difficult Terrain 01:15:03 Elevation 01:21:24 Moving Parts 01:25:42 Lighting 01:29:43 Beneficial and Harmful Terrain 01:32:53 Entrances and Exits 01:37:44 Shout-Outs 01:40:57 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 16

Episode 237 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Teaching a New Generation! We ponder how learning RPGs has changed over the years and the best way to teach new players and DMs today. News: Jeremy Crawford Leaves WotC, Dragon Delves 1-on-1 Play, Atlas Games Recycling, and more! Contents 00:00 Get Outside 02:22 Make Equipment Matter? 12:48 Which Upcoming Release Excites Us? 16:38 Jeremy Crawford Departs WotC 25:02 James Wyatt on Dragon Delves Solo Play 32:47 Tariffs - Who Knows? 36:49 Atlas Games' Recycling Plastics 38:42 Exploring Creative Play 41:20 Hits the Fan 43:10 Teaching a New Generation 45:39 How We Learned to Play and DM 56:22 How Teaching Has Changed 01:07:53 Tips for Teaching New Players 01:19:27 Tips for Teaching New DMs 01:30:16 Shout-Outs 01:33:38 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 9

Episode 236 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Rules-Light D&D Characters! We consider how D&D can be simplified and the goals and tradeoffs involved in creating a rules-light version. News: Chris Perkins Retires, Greg Bilsland Returns, Tariffs and Tabletop, and more! Contents 00:00 Reflecting on Sorrow 02:41 2 Campaigns in Same Setting? 13:03 Convert 4E Monsters to 5E? 16:08 Chris Perkins Retires 23:57 Greg Bilsland Returns to D&D 27:08 Tabletop and Tariffs 35:37 GAMA is Broken 37:47 Monte Cook Narrative vs Math 45:03 Rules-Light D&D Characters 47:34 Motivation for Lighter Rules 52:48 Mathematical Side 01:02:14 Ease for New Players and DMs 01:04:25 What to Keep 01:06:48 Arora Trait System 01:09:56 Iterative Approach 01:11:49 Choice Menus 01:15:55 Spellcaster Complexity 01:17:47 Healing and Resting 01:20:49 Shout-Outs 01:24:35 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 2

Episode 235 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Forever DMs and Dynamics of an RPG Group! Teos and Shawn discuss Matt Colville’s take on Forever DMs, and look at how the dynamics of an RPG group can shape awesome play. News: Shadowdark Sales, Anjali Bhimani Adventure, Foolish Listener Ideas, and more! Contents 00:00 Return of Shawn 01:00 Foolish Listener Ideas 10:42 Environmental Effect CR Impact? 24:09 Anjali Bhimani Adventure 26:10 New Sigil VTT Minis? 29:09 Robin Laws is Pelgrane Creative Director 31:52 D&D for Environmental Education 32:57 28 Convention RPG Tips 46:45 GaryCon Report on Shadowdark Sales 49:51 Dungeon Drop-Ins 50:33 Free5E: Open Source D&D 51:35 Free Popup Paper Building Roof 52:25 Dynamics of an RPG Group 54:05 The Forever DM 54:48 Gaming Dynamics in the 80s 58:06 Our Recent Dynamics 01:01:47 Selflessness and Empathy 01:08:20 Convention Play 01:10:55 How to Be a Great Player 01:14:37 Create PCs that Play Well with Others 01:17:27 How to Get Players to DM 01:23:32 Great to Have DMs as Players? 01:33:23 Shout-Outs 01:37:14 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 26

Episode 234 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Hundred Dungeons and the OSR! Graham Ward joins Teos to discuss his RPG, Hundred Dungeons, and how it blends OSR and other games to create awesome play! News: WotC Sigil Team Laid Off, Convention Air Quality, Node-Based Design, and more! Contents 00:00 Graham Ward! 01:50 Bring Back Class Roles? 05:55 Encourage Not to Rest? 12:07 Org Play Tied to Current Releases? 18:24 90% Sigil VTT Team Laid Off 27:52 Forge of Foes on Audible 29:01 Monster Vulnerability is Bad 36:45 Convention Air Quality 39:42 D&D and Housing Justice 41:25 Node-Based Design 46:18 Creator's Guide to Shipping 47:48 Hundred Dungeons 48:44 Why Hundred Dungeons? 52:45 An Interest Shift? 58:18 Actionable OSR Design 01:00:27 Hundred Dungeons Basics 01:06:29 When Math Strikes 01:13:11 Modes of Play 01:18:22 Centering the Home 01:22:34 Recuperation 01:28:03 Advice for Creators 01:30:10 Graham's Creations 01:33:00 Find Graham 01:33:58 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 19

Episode 233 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Let’s Build Encounters! We build encounters based on goblin and pirate monster groups as found in the revised Monster Manual. See our process for creating fun and engaging encounters! News: Electric State on Netflix, SVP Leaves WotC, Origins Award Finalists, and more! Contents 00:00:00 Duke Ranks Higher Than Our Show 00:01:17 D&D at ECCC 00:05:52 D&D vs PBtA Story Loop 00:14:55 Removing D&D Subclasses? 00:17:40 Favorite Settings or Genres? 00:22:00 Digital and Licensing SVP Departs WotC 00:24:38 Electric State on Netflix 00:26:14 LoG Battle of Emridy Meadows 00:29:25 Origins Award Finalists 00:31:03 Running D&D for Kids 00:32:33 Florida Judge Cites D&D Not Making Him Satanic 00:33:57 Shadowdark Western Reaches 00:37:52 Jeff Stevens Villains & Lairs 00:38:30 LATAM RPG Jam 00:39:32 Let's Build Encounters 00:40:30 What's Our Process? 00:42:47 When Do We Care About Math? 00:46:07 Adventure Rhythm 00:48:15 What Makes an Encounter Fun? 00:55:19 What Is Our Story? 00:58:13 Let's Build a Goblin Encounter! 01:12:13 Let's Build a Pirate Encounter! 01:21:28 Rewards 01:23:52 Shout-Outs 01:27:07 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 12

Episode 232 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Making Your D&D or RPG World Dangerous! Shawn Merwin is joined by Ben Byrne to create the true number one show in all the realms… where that show covers the news and then discusses how to make D&D feel dangerous to players! News: Starter Set News, Chris Cocks on More Than AI, DriveThru Print Prices, and more! Contents 00:00 Who is Ben Byrne and What Did He Do with Teos? 02:28 So Little Onboarding for Players? 06:57 Best Ways to Make New Players Comfortable? 12:00 Specific Resources for New Players? 14:07 Practical ways to introduce newbies? 16:08 New Starter Set Updates 24:42 DriveThru Print Prices Increase 28:12 Chris Cocks on More than AI 32:45 Making D&D and RPG World Dangerous Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 5

Episode 231 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Monster Groups and Encounters! The 2025 Monster Manual provides a variety of monster groupings, such as several goblins or bandits. How well do those monster groupings work to establish a theme, provide a DM with options, and provide for useful encounters? News: Sigil VTT is Live, Starter Set Preview, MtG Movie and TV Show, D&D Game Canceled, and more! Contents 00:00 ECCC Cometh 01:49 Video Game-Like Rules? 11:26 Intrigue for Convention Play? 17:42 Sigil VTT is Live! 22:37 Starter Set Previewed 26:52 MtG Movie and TV Shows 28:29 Revised Artificer UA 37:44 Smuggler's Secrets on Beyond 41:03 WotC Cancels Video Game 42:42 Ernie Gygax Passes 43:08 Mr Potato Head Beholder 45:47 Monster Groups and Encounters 45:58 The Conundrum of CR and Encounters 51:50 Monster Grouping Goals 52:51 2024 Monster Errata 01:00:52 Goblin Groupings 01:02:19 Monster Synergies? 01:03:11 Goblin Encounter Examples 01:10:53 Naming Monsters 01:12:09 Pirate CRs 01:15:27 Pirate Encounter Examples 01:19:52 CRs and Story 01:31:37 Shout-Outs 01:35:18 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 26

Episode 230 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Listener Corner Catch Up! So many awesome listener questions, we devoted the show to them! News: Hasbro 2024 Q4 Results, New D&D Video Game, New Magic D&D Crossover, and more! Contents 00:00:00 Santa Clara is Celestial 00:02:43 Hasbro 2024 Q4 Results 00:08:47 How Big is D&D after 2024? 00:14:26 Hasbro Playing to Win Strategy 00:17:35 D&D at Gen Con News 00:21:07 New AAA D&D Video Game 00:24:25 Tom Dunn 2024 MM Analysis 00:32:48 Lorwyn-Shadowmoor D&D MtG Crossover 00:35:07 Hexploration Decks & Explorer's Kit 00:36:03 Outer Seas Black Coral Citadel 00:37:52 Listener Corner Catch-Up 00:38:17 Creating RPG Surveys? 00:48:05 Change 1 Thing in the '24 MM? 00:58:36 Use the DMG Tracking Sheets? 01:04:43 Satisfying Game Prep? 01:07:08 3rd Party Compatibility? 01:10:58 Always Play New Edition? 01:15:59 RPGs with Changing Ability Scores? 01:23:03 Stagger 2 Organized Play Stories? 01:30:16 Shout-Outs 01:34:32 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 19

Episode 229 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: New Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard Subclasses! We examine the Winter Ranger, Rogue Scion, Spellfire Sorcerer, and Bladesinger Wizard – new subclasses coming in November to the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. News: Netflix D&D TV Show, Kickstarter Recovers, Evil Hat Shares Finances, and more! Contents 00:00 I'll Do Anything for Podcasts 01:16 Advice on Plot and Story? 13:25 Games without Levels and HP Gain? 20:01 Playtesters are Wrong About Fix? 27:21 Netflix D&D TV Show! 30:09 Baldman Games Awards 33:46 Evil Hat Shares Finances 36:54 Kickstarter Reports 2024 Growth 40:01 Dark Sun Lost Cities of the Trembling Plains 41:21 Keith Ammann's Making Enemies 42:29 D&D Version of Horrified 44:08 Unearthed Arcana 45:17 Shawn's Subclass Crisis 52:20 WotC's Role vs 3rd Parties 55:23 Winter Ranger Concept 59:14 Winter Ranger Features 01:08:04 Subclass Challenges 01:09:46 Rogue Scion of the Three Concept 01:12:06 Rogue Scion Features 01:23:08 Spellfire Sorcerer 01:27:58 Bladesinger Wizard Subclass 01:33:29 Shout-Outs 01:37:44 What Should We Do Know? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 12

Episode 228 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Purple Dragon Knight and Oath of Genies Paladin! We take a look at new fighter and paladin subclasses coming in November to the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. How do lore changes impact the design? News: Free D&D Adventure, D&D on Netflix, WotC Hires Worldbuilding, and more! Contents 00:00 Winter Fantasy Key Cards 05:57 Flipping Campaign Script? 11:54 Goal of Organized Play? 31:24 Free Adventure Hold Back the Dead 36:40 D&D Movie to Netflix US 37:17 Daggerheart End of May 39:13 WotC Hiring Worldbuilding Designer 40:57 What World Should D&D Create? 43:53 D&D Free Rules Adds MM 45:03 Tangled in Shrouds 46:53 Unearthed Arcana part 2 47:28 Survey is Up 48:16 Purple Dragon Knight Lore Change 54:51 Purple Dragon Knight Features 01:11:54 Oath of Noble Genies Paladin Lore 01:13:30 Paladin Oaths 01:16:20 Noble Genies Features 01:35:35 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 5

Episode 227 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Forgotten Realms Unearthed Arcana! New subclasses are out for playtest feedback and will be part of the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide out this November. We take a look at playtesting and the first two subclasses for Bard and Cleric. News: D&D Movie Licensing, New D&D Books and Settings, Sigil VTT Changes, and more! Contents 00:00 Winter Fantasy Cometh 02:57 What RPG Jobs Do? 20:36 Running Interesting NPCs? 28:33 D&D Movie and TV Licensing 34:10 Battlemarked Game 35:05 New D&D Books Announced - Eberron 38:59 Dragon Delves and Borderlands Starter 40:18 FR Player's and Adventure Guide 41:10 New Settings Coming 42:20 Sigil VTT Changes 45:05 New Fallbacks Novel 45:27 Universal D&D Fan Fest Tickets Available 46:01 Ethan Yen Launches PREQUEL 47:39 Punch Nazis on Bundle of Holding 48:25 Jared Rascher Hangs Up Review Hat 49:34 Brandon Sanderson Lectures 50:25 New Unearthed Arcana 52:09 What is Helpful Feedback? 01:03:44 Bard College of the Moon Concept 01:06:24 Bard Subclass Benefits 01:20:10 Cleric Knowledge Domain 01:32:42 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jan 29

Episode 226 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Monster Manual Design! We review the latest monster previews and continue to examine how 2024 has changed monster design. News: ENNies Changes AI Policy, Dimension 20 Rocks Garden, Kickstarter Breakdown, and more! Contents 00:00 Dimension 20 Rocks Garden 03:11 How Restart Campaign? 10:23 Emergency Takeoff Scenario? 20:46 Do You Fudge Dice? 29:50 New MM Previews 37:53 ENnies AI Policy Change 43:33 Kobold Press on Kickstarter Business 50:01 Keith Baker on Fiendish Gnolls 54:33 MM Design Comparisons 55:18 Empyreans 01:11:48 Ancient Gold Dragon 01:19:44 Semi-Alphabetical Actions 01:26:47 Vampire Familiar 01:34:48 Gargoyle 01:37:02 False Appearance Changes 01:39:10 Mimic Shapeshift 01:41:27 Which Mini Wore It Better? 01:42:34 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jan 22

Episode 225 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Monster Manual Comparison! We review the recent monster previews. How do 2024 5E monsters compare to 2014, and what do we think of the design? News: Diamond Files Bankruptcy, Ray Winninger on 5E History, Student Trains AI on CR, and more! Contents 00:00 Deadlands and Playtests 02:16 Handout Prep Worth It? 10:52 Rolling Under Pressure? 22:26 Diamond Files Chapter 11 28:51 Ray Winninger on 5E History 41:04 Legends of Greyhawk News 47:37 Grad Student Trains AI on CR 49:41 WizKids Glo in the Dark Minis 52:42 Encounters Under the Shadow of the Dragon Queen 54:37 Monster Manual Comparisons 56:02 How Previews Work 57:53 Ancient Green Dragon Preview 01:01:56 Legendary vs Reactions 01:07:03 Spellcasting and Theme 01:13:16 Numerical Changes 01:15:47 Kuo-Toa 01:24:54 Cyclops 01:38:15 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jan 15

Episode 224 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Monster Overhaul! Shawn and Teos review the Monster Overhaul, a book that irreverently aims to become an indispensable tool at your table, providing tons of ideas for fun monsters. News: Critical Role Publishing Deal, Chaosium $500 Convention Pack, Morale Rules, and more! Contents 00:00 Back to Normal 01:57 Desert Island RPG? 06:26 Is 2024 5E Deadlier? 14:58 2024 Distrusts DMs? 31:33 Chaosium $500 Support Pack 33:08 Mearls on Morale 51:46 McMillan Carries CR 53:25 Monster Word Play 55:33 Public Domain Image Archive 56:39 Cairn 2E in Spanish 57:29 Shout Out to Luz_Tak 58:11 The Monster Overhaul 59:02 How Our Brains Work 01:01:06 Book Introduction 01:02:58 Do You Love Tables? 01:09:23 Random Encounter Tables 01:18:38 People 01:19:23 Dungeon and Goblins 01:23:58 Dragons 01:25:10 Harpy and Will-o-Wisp 01:27:10 Froghemoth 01:27:43 Vampires and Biscuit Golem 01:28:54 Eye Tyrants 01:30:42 Overall Thoughts 01:32:15 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jan 8

Episode 223 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Monster Manual Previews! Previews have begun for the 2025 MM! Shawn and Teos discuss the preview and just how hard it is to create monster books. News: Pinball Wizards, Most Anticipated RPGs, Singapore GMing, and more! Contents 00:00 Rip Off the 2025 Band-Aid 02:50 New Crafting Rules? 11:29 Games for Campaigns vs One Shots? 27:08 Pinball Wizards 30:28 2025 Most Anticipated RPGs 32:19 Appelcline's Year in Review 39:45 Singapore Professional GMing 42:40 Universal Fan Fest D&D Details 43:58 Will Doyle on Directive 8020 45:53 Kobold Press Monster Vault 2 46:16 Shawn Merwin's Design Tips! 46:59 Monster Manual Previews 49:14 The Challenge of Monster Books 51:26 Describing Monsters in the World 57:38 New Art to Represent D&D 01:00:52 All Paths Lead to CR 01:09:35 What Changed and Monster Families 01:11:45 Monster Type Changes 01:16:46 Bloodied and Exhaustion 01:18:29 Biggest MM Ever? 01:19:49 The 2014 DMG is Bigger than 2024 01:21:07 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jan 1

Episode 222 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Looking Back on 2024, Forward to 2025! Shawn and Teos revisit the year’s biggest stories, the show’s main topics and guests, and look forward to what will impact our hobby in 2025. News: Bigger Monster Manual, CNBC on D&D’s Financial Success, Beyond Ranked Skills, and more! Contents 00:00 Happy New Year! 02:37 Vancian Magic Limits Narratives? 12:03 Adjust DCs Based on PC? 23:41 Bigger Monster Manual 25:33 CNBC on D&D Financial Success 30:09 Using Third Places 32:32 How to Do a Character Voice 34:42 Weapons of Lore 36:13 Beyond Ranked Skills 40:00 Clank Acq Inc 2 41:00 Looking Back, Looking Forward 41:16 2024 Highlights 57:25 Our Guests in 2024 59:17 Our Main Topics 01:02:25 Our Fans 01:03:14 Our 2024 Favorites 01:07:58 Our Questions for 2025 01:26:14 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Dec 25, 2024

Episode 221 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Psychology of D&D! Dr. Jamie Madigan joins Teos and Shawn to explain that their dice aren’t cursed, the benefits of online vs in-person gaming, hot hand fallacy, and much more! Check out Jamie’s new book: https://www.psychologyofdnd.com/ News: Kobold Press Finances, Artificer on Unearthed Arcana, Goodbye Dark Alliance, and more! Contents 00:00 We Got You a Jamie Gift 03:18 Build World With Players? 08:32 Death Saves Proposal? 23:43 Unearthed Arcana Artificer 35:19 D&D Secret Level Review 40:47 Cyberpunk VG Adds RPG 41:56 Kobold Press 2024 Finances 45:14 Draw Steel Core Rules to Patrons 45:54 Goodbye Dark Alliance 47:17 Vote for Most Anticipated RPG 49:45 Psychology of D&D 50:19 Dr. Jamie Madigan 52:06 Writing and Publishing Process 55:22 Book Approach 58:10 Psychology of Dice Randomness 01:00:28 Gambler's Fallacy 01:02:28 Hot Hand Fallacy 01:04:45 Psychology of Game Choices 01:08:37 Fewer Compensatory Options 01:10:02 Satisficers vs Maximizers 01:13:49 Benefits of Play 01:16:25 Online vs In-Person Benefits 01:24:59 Shout-Outs 01:27:34 Find Dr. Jamie Madigan Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Dec 18, 2024

Episode 220 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Listener Question Mega-Show! What do we do when we have tons of listener questions? Shawn and Teos dedicate the main segment to answering some truly awesome questions. Find out why this was the most fun we’ve had in months! News: Moonbeam Launches Alpha, New Maps Features, D&D Immersive Quest, and more! Contents 00:00 Bad Movie Season 02:14 Maps Adds Monster Stats 10:18 D&D Immersive Quest 14:11 D&D Adventurer Magazine 15:53 Licensing and WotC 18:05 Mearls on Death Saves 39:02 Jail-Compliant RPGs 40:54 One Foot in Fairy Land 42:47 Moonbeam Launches Alpha 44:34 Listener Questions 45:29 Improv Anxiety? 49:39 Player vs Character Skill? 01:02:12 Find Playtesters? 01:07:36 Easy RPG Entry Point? 01:18:46 Tricks for Creativity? 01:25:14 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Dec 11, 2024

Episode 219 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Recent Game Design Lessons! Shawn and Teos share what they learned from recent projects, from late 3E, 4E, and beyond. News: New Greyhawk OP Campaign, AI Takes Down Itch.io, Talking Exploration, and more! Contents 00:00:00 We're 93! 00:01:38 Redesign Gnomes? 00:10:08 Encourage in Character? 00:17:10 Adventure Opening? 00:22:14 Legends of Greyhawk and MagicCon 00:25:28 AI Takes Down Itch.io 00:26:57 12 Days of Beyond 00:29:06 Everyone's Talking Exploration 00:31:49 2024 Magic Item Changes 00:33:39 Kickstarter Project Finances 00:37:19 Recent Game Design Lessons 00:39:16 Form and Function 00:44:05 Know the Medium 00:46:08 The Audience 00:50:58 Xendrik Expeditions 00:55:09 Living Forgotten Realms 00:59:19 Ashes of Athas 01:03:01 Getting Noticed 01:04:34 Playtesting and New Editions 01:05:56 Understanding Companies 01:09:19 D&D Encounters 01:12:09 Full-Time Work 01:13:09 Balancing Freelance and Self 01:16:02 Other Paths 01:17:25 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Dec 4, 2024

Episode 218 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Lessons Learned from Our Early Projects! Shawn and Teos share what they learned from the days when they started as designers, back in the 2000s and the 3E era. News: Exodus is Hasbro’s Newest RPG, Lord of the Rings and Illrigger on Beyond, PAX Unplugged, and more! Contents 00:00 Snow Job 02:24 DM Types? 08:57 Exciting Sandbox Pace? 18:55 Exodus Video Game Gets RPG 30:45 Lord of the Rings on DDB 34:57 MCDM's Illrigger on DDB 38:19 D&D at PAX Unplugged 39:20 Combo Encounters 40:59 Mearls Teaching at UW 41:29 Monstrous Menagerie II 43:21 Lessons Learned from Early Projects 44:31 Build a Community? 49:47 Starting in 2000 and the LG Era 52:54 Organized Play Lessons 56:57 Learning is Investment 01:00:02 Changing Social Media 01:02:59 Clear and Concise Language 01:04:01 Understanding Industry Pay 01:05:27 Great Success is Rare 01:07:30 There is No Perfection 01:13:58 The Product that Isn't 01:16:31 Edition Change Challenges 01:18:31 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 27, 2024

Episode 217 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Qualities RPG Companies Look for in an RPG Designer! Shawn and Teos review the qualities companies say they look for in an RPG designer. News: Investors Sue Hasbro, Hasbro Abandons Movies, Juggling Teenagers, and more! Contents 00:00 Hello World 02:11 Adopt Rules More Quickly? 13:22 Juggling Teenagers? 21:01 Hasbro Shifts from Movies 24:43 Investors Sue Hasbro 27:10 Social Media Changes 32:31 Post Office D&D Flyer 33:30 Winter Fantasy 34:13 Goodman Games Con 35:10 Roll20 Bastion Contest 35:58 DM David's D&D Wish List 39:39 Cupcake Dragon Card Game 40:56 Iskandar Explorer's Journal 41:50 What Publishers Look For 42:51 Standardized Job Descriptions? 45:25 Wide Skill Range 49:53 Reliability and Communication 58:32 Curiosity 01:01:23 Style Guides 01:04:06 Excitement 01:05:45 Mindfulness and Compassion 01:09:11 Big Bold Ideas 01:11:28 Courage 01:17:30 2 Designers 01:23:37 Praise 01:24:48 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 20, 2024

Episode 216 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Embracing Dark Fantasy! Ben Bryne joins Shawn to discuss what makes dark fantasy such a compelling genre and how to create for dark games. Teos meanwhile hopes to recover from his technical horror as his desktop bites the dust. News: AL Update, Kobolds Make Mistakes, and more! Contents 00:00 Introduction 40:54 Dark Fantasy Campaigns 59:00 Find Ben Byrne Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 13, 2024

Episode 215 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: What Publishers Want in a D&D Designer! Shawn and Teos review two D&D job postings and break down the skills and job functions a publisher looks for in a D&D Designer and Product Architect. News: DMG Preorder Debacles, Weapon Masteries 101, PAGE Convention, and more! Contents 00:00 Surviving 00:53 Writing Same Old Stuff? 08:02 Teaching Like Lazy DM? 14:41 D&D Beyond on Campaigns and Adventures 18:11 Critical Role Minis Canceled 20:23 DMG Preorder Debacles 23:13 Weapon Masteries 101 30:49 PAGE Convention Near Philly 33:05 State of the Mongoose 35:20 Lessons from Meetup 37:43 Jeff Stevens Steals Christmas 38:40 What Publishers Want in a D&D Designer 40:27 Growing Into a Position 42:13 D&D Designer - What You Do 56:08 Representing the Company 58:55 What You Bring 01:02:47 D&D Product Architect 01:11:22 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Nov 6, 2024

Episode 214 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Memories of Gamehole Con! Shawn and Teos look back on all of the events they attended and lessons from attending conventions. Hear why Gamehole is so special. News: Claim Elemental Evil, Maps Adds Encounters, Audio-Only Drizzt, and more! Contents 00:00 Stealing Credit Cards 03:08 Cleric Subclasses Setting Only? 09:21 Good Design Not Obvious? 13:57 Claim Scions of Elemental Evil 16:26 D&D Maps Adds Encounters 19:26 Audible-Only Drizzt Novel 20:32 Discord D&D Collection 21:41 Ars Magica Definitive Collection 23:25 Rodney Thompson List and Games 25:04 MT Black World War Weird 26:08 Thunder Road Vendetta RPG 27:36 Draconis Peaceful 5E 28:57 Gamehole Revisited 29:32 Whether to Attend Conventions 33:05 Wednesday Pre-Con Gatherings 38:15 Thursday's Events 47:32 Making the Most of Friday 59:27 Packed Saturday 01:04:28 Thankful Sunday Finish 01:06:39 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 30, 2024

Episode 213 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Want to Be a Professional Game Designer? Shawn and Teos tackle a question they hear often. Do you truly want to be a game designer, and if so, the steps to take to make meaningful progress. News: Hasbro Q3 and Layoffs, D&D 1-Shots, CR and Dimension 20 Arena Shows, and more! Contents 00:00 Post-Gamehole Buzz 03:03 Skills are Exploration? 11:06 The Adventure is the Game? 16:46 Campaign Without Gods or Planes? 20:50 Layoffs and Q3 Hasbro Results 32:47 D&D is Down 34:17 How Big is D&D? 35:22 DMG Lore Glossary 36:41 DMG Encounter Design 40:13 DM Screen Preview 41:35 PH and DM High Demand 43:19 D&D One-Shot Store Events 44:51 Scions of Elemental Evil 46:41 Critical Role and Dim 20 Arena Shows 48:15 Be a Professional Game Designer? 49:22 Do You Actually Want It? 53:41 Mix Games with Occupation 57:13 What Skills to Hone? 01:05:12 Team Skills 01:07:22 Making Patient Progress 01:12:11 Know the Current Media 01:13:05 Possible Paths 01:15:17 Help People Solve Problems 01:17:36 Know Your Worth and do Work 01:19:26 Become a Great GM 01:21:06 The Role of Conventions 01:27:35 Having "It" 01:29:48 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 23, 2024

Episode 212 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Live from Gamehole: Create a Campaign With Us! Amazing fans at Gamehole Con help us create a campaign, live! News: Perkins’ New Job, DMG Review, What it Feels Like to Be Nr 2, and more! Special thanks to Dante of Ghostfire Gaming for recording and processing the audio for this episode. You are the best, Dante! Contents 00:00 Live from Gamehole Con 01:28 Number 2? 02:23 What Excited Us This Week? 05:14 Previous Edition Mechanic? 09:28 Systems we Want to Try? 11:32 Recent Influences? 15:27 Our DMG Preview 18:11 DMG and Greyhawk 19:43 Greyhawk on DMsGuild 21:55 Perkins' Last Book 24:04 Trail of Cthulhu 2E 26:19 Hundred Dungeons 27:19 Grim Hollow Transformed 27:48 Creating a Campaign Setting Live Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 16, 2024

Episode 211 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Horizons Magazine with Hannah Rose! Hannah Rose shares how she and Clara Daly are creating Horizons Magazine and what we can expect from this issue and future quarterly issues. News: London Gets DMGs, D&D Movie Netflix Success, DMG Toolbox Previews, and more! Contents 00:00 Happy Rebranding Day 01:33 Character Consequences? 13:48 Pivot from Curse of Strahd? 20:54 First DMGs at London MCM 23:38 DMG Toolbox Previews 32:58 D&D Movie Big on Netflix 35:38 Greyhawk 101 36:52 Cultural Backgrounds 2024 38:33 Trapped on Cyre 1313 39:46 Dungeons Reforged 42:09 Grim Hollow Transformed 43:11 Hannah Rose 44:43 Hannah and Clara 55:12 Why a Magazine? 58:34 Lessons from Arcadia 01:01:53 Playtesting 01:04:59 Mix of D&D and Other RPGs 01:09:03 Desk of Many Thoughts 01:11:48 How to Get Horizons 01:13:07 Patreon vs Site? 01:14:24 Issue 1 Contents - Travel 01:18:23 Star Dragons 01:19:43 Cloud City 01:23:55 NPC Atraxis 01:28:57 Future Plans 01:34:05 Find Wildmage Press 01:35:12 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 9, 2024

Episode 210 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Wardens of the Eastern Marches! Alex Kammer tells us all about Wardens of the Eastern Marches, the new organized play program from Gamehole Publishing. News: 2024 DMG Previews, Commander Rules Committee, Bastion is for Players, and more! Contents 00:00 No Vaccine for Ladders 02:19 Remove Mechanics for Setting? 15:08 D&D Made for Conflict? 31:28 DMG Previews! 41:26 Bastions Preview 42:04 Player Rules in the DMG? 44:04 New D&D Licensed Products 45:19 Commander Rules Committee Disbands 50:31 Gamehole's Organized Play 51:11 Real Castle Floor Plans 51:46 The Best LLM is Your Brain 52:58 Sorcerer's Return 54:00 Grim Hollow Transformed Update 55:56 Alex Kammer and Eastern Marches 58:19 Importance of Organized Play 01:01:35 AL at a Crossroads 01:04:51 The Eastern Marches 01:09:06 Setting and Alliances 01:12:42 Where to Play 01:13:15 3rd Party PC Options 01:19:58 Exploring the Unknown 01:21:08 Saying Yes to Creators 01:22:59 Magic Item Certs 01:26:22 Releasing Adventures 01:29:16 Gamehole and 50th 01:34:57 What Makes Gamehole Special 01:38:39 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Oct 2, 2024

Episode 209 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 5E Stat Block Changes and Building the Perfect Campaign Guide! We look at how 2024 5E changes stat block format, while also modifying monsters themselves. We then turn to creating the perfect campaign setting guide. News: 2024 5E Sales, Uni Finds Beyond, Grim Hollow Transformed, and more! Contents 00:00 Go Broncos! 00:56 Divine-Powered Goals? 19:35 2024 5E Sales 33:01 D&D on Vinyl 34:06 Uni on Beyond 36:40 Baldur's Gate 3 Minis 38:10 Horizons Magazine 41:15 Frontiers of Eberron's Creation 43:08 Grim Hollow Transformed 48:26 2024 Monster Stat Blocks 50:03 Design Goal 58:22 2024 Layout Changes 01:03:03 Changes to the Ape 01:10:34 Changes to the Imp 01:14:32 Other Creature Changes 01:20:45 Building the Perfect Campaign Guide 01:21:37 Constraints and Assumptions 01:22:40 Length 01:23:55 What to Include: The Pitch 01:26:25 Player Knowledge 01:27:29 The World 01:33:23 New Rules to Support Play 01:35:56 What Might Be Included? 01:39:15 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 25, 2024

Episode 208 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 2024 5E’s Gods and Multiverse! Final Greyhawk! 2024 5E PH banishes all the gods and reduces the multiverse to one page and one image! We look at how this changes 5E for new players. Our final look at Greyhawk reimagines the setting format and looks at how gods and powerful organizations create interesting play. News: MtG Netflix Revivified, the D&D Bologna Scale, Knowing Vecna, and more! Contents 00:00 Emptying Nests 02:53 Boss Battle Origins? 06:23 Codified vs Loose Rules? 15:40 Sage Advice Fixes? 19:37 Rest of World Healing? 29:18 MtG Netflix Show Revivified 31:32 What Do We Know About Vecna 35:24 D&D Bologna Scale Tested 39:17 Daggerheart Preorders 41:10 Enter the Labyrinth 43:07 2014 vs 2024 Gods and Multiverse 44:45 Design Goals 47:35 Planes and Gods in Older Editions 52:30 2014 and 2024's Gods and Planes 56:48 Is Less Information Good? 01:05:07 Wrapping Up Greyhawk 01:06:32 Encyclopedic Approach is Dated 01:08:03 Why Greyhawk is Different 01:14:32 Geography of the Flanaess 01:15:45 Greyhawk's Powerful Organizations 01:19:49 Greyhawk's Gods 01:21:03 The Living Greyhawk Campaign 01:22:26 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 18, 2024

Episode 207 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 2024 5E Resting Rules and Greyhawk’s Regions! Discover the subtle changes 2024 5E makes to short and long rests and how they compare to previous editions. We assess the potential campaigns behind the design of Greyhawk’s Rovers of the Barens, Scarlet Brotherhood, Sea Barons, Sea Princes, and Shield Lands! News: 2024 5E and the AL, New Ravenloft Novel, When to Explain a Crime, and more! Contents 00:00 LEGO Mini Mania 04:20 D&D Epic vs Open? 09:47 Empire of the What? 11:17 Explaining a Crime? 15:19 Why is Medicine Useless? 21:24 2024 and Adv League 31:38 New Ravenloft Novel 33:23 D&D Cartoon Theme Found 35:18 Un Millón de Monedas 40:22 Oleumancer for Draw Steel 41:29 How to Create in 2024 42:46 2024 vs 2014: Healing and Resting 43:08 Value of Conditions 44:45 Design Goal for Recovery 48:44 Recovery in AD&D 52:17 3.5 Rest and Recovery 54:05 4E Rest and Recovery 57:53 2024 Long Rest Changes 01:03:04 2024 Short Rest 01:09:39 Rovers of the Barrens 01:13:42 Scarlet Brotherhood 01:18:20 Sea Barons 01:20:43 Sea Princes 01:24:05 Shield Lands 01:28:01 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 11, 2024

Episode 206 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 2024 5E Conditions and Greyhawk’s Regions! We examine the design goals of conditions and how they have changed for 2024. We visit Greyhawk’s Paynims, Perrenland, Pomarj, Ratik, and Rel Astra to see how to make the most of kingdoms and rulers. News: 2024 PH Errata, Draw Steel License, Shadowdark Hex Crawl, and more! Contents 00:00 Tastes Like Introcaso 01:43 Alignment Problems? 16:21 Preferred Tools VTT or Table? 25:33 2024 PH Errata 30:15 Time Mag on D&D 33:37 BMG Organized Play Survey 34:49 Draw Steel Creator License 37:34 Shadowdark Hex Crawling Rules 41:17 Grim Hollow Valikan Clans 44:30 Jeff Stevens on PWYW 46:18 Frontiers of Eberron PreOrder 50:47 Conditions in 5E 2024 vs 2014 51:40 Design Goals 01:00:07 4E and Do We Need Conditions? 01:02:50 2014's Conditions 01:06:43 2024 vs 2014 01:30:24 Greyhawk's Plains of the Paynims 01:35:17 Perrenland 01:37:23 Pomarj 01:39:48 Ratik 01:41:27 Rel Astra and Solnor Compact 01:45:02 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Sep 4, 2024

Episode 205 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: PC Creation in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! 2024 changes the order for character creation… for the better? We review Greyhawk’s North Kingdom, Nyrond, Onnwal and the Pale, looking at how to make settings interesting for players. News: PH in Stores, PAX West Report, Greg Tito Leaves WotC, and more! Contents 00:00 PAX West Report 04:08 Hate Balance? 06:32 Balance with Flavor? 09:26 Weapon Mastery Compensation? 14:17 D&D Direct 15:54 2024 DMG and MM 18:07 Translations Delayed and Changed 19:18 Jess Lanzillo 21:46 New Releases 27:46 Sigil VTT 33:39 Traveller Sold to Mongoose 35:16 NPR Covers D&D 36:54 Greg Tito Leaves WotC 42:08 2024 PH in Stores and Beyond 42:49 Free 2024 Rules 46:19 2024 Really Bigger? 48:00 Character Creation 2024 vs 2015 52:25 2024 Starts with Rules 57:27 Class 57:48 Origin After Class 01:03:31 Mechanical Order vs Narrative 01:05:13 Ability Scores 01:10:37 Alignment and Details 01:18:46 Greyhawk's North Kingdom 01:24:58 Nyrond 01:30:23 Onnwal 01:33:11 The Pale 01:36:59 Shout Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 28, 2024

Episode 204 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Weapon Mastery in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! 2024 brings exciting Weapon Master options. We discuss the design, then turn to Greyhawk and review Ket, Lendore Isles, and Lordship of the Isles. Surf and turf! News: D&D Clarifies Beyond, D&D’s Secret Level and Universal Plans, and more! Contents 00:00 Time and Friendship 03:22 Conventions with Most AL? 11:37 Is Passive Perction Wrong? 19:32 D&D Direct 21:11 Beyond Clarifications 28:24 D&D Hiring Game Designer 31:39 D&D on Amazon Prime 32:27 Paizo Reverses Community Policy 34:33 Universal D&D FanFest 35:02 D&D at Rochester's Strong Museum 36:00 Goodman Launches Organized Play 37:03 Giantsbane Covers Planescape 37:43 Cosmere is Nr 1 38:36 2024 Weapon Mastery 39:11 Design Goals 43:20 Weapon Mastery Properties 54:56 DM vs Players 01:01:03 Overall Thoughts 01:07:59 Greyhawk and Triads 01:13:13 Ket 01:23:20 Lendore Isles 01:27:27 Lordship of the Isles 01:31:22 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 21, 2024

Episode 203 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Search in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! D&D codifies the Search and Study actions in 2024. How does this impact gameplay? We then dive into how Greyhawk regions do or don’t create actionable history, looking into Highfolk, Ice Barbarians, Irongate, Empire of Iuz, and Keoland! News: Uni Adventure at PAXW, Deborah Ann Woll Teaches, Motley Fool on 2024 D&D, and more! Contents 00:00 ODnD Mini Review 02:55 What is Modularity? 10:26 First Multi-Table Event? 23:31 Deborah Ann Woll Teaches D&D 28:18 Alt Cover PH Delayed Outside US 29:21 2024 Tonal Shift? 38:42 Motley Fool on D&D 2024 43:40 Uni Adventure at PAX West 45:38 Norrøngard Tales of the Valiant 46:40 Horror at Devil's Run for Foundry 47:27 Search Action in 2024 49:22 Ludonarrative Dissonance? 55:29 Search in 2014 57:33 2024 Search and Study Actions 59:12 Feat and Spell Interactions 01:04:45 The Cost of Searching 01:06:59 DM Behavior 01:13:30 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 01:13:59 Highfolk 01:18:58 Ice Barbarians 01:21:11 Irongate 01:24:44 Empire of Iuz 01:30:02 Keoland 01:39:37 Gamehole Con Events 01:40:21 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 14, 2024

Episode 202 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 2014 vs 2024 Exhaustion and Greyhawk’s Regions! Does 2024’s change to Exhaustion improve gameplay? Our new 2024 mini-review series has begun! We then dive into how Greyhawk regions showcase politics and history, looking into the Frost Barbarians, Furyondy, Gran March, and Teos’ favorite, Geoff! News: WotC New Influencer Policy, We Playtest Draw Steel, Satanic Panic Podcast, and more! Contents 00:00 Draw Steel and Film 07:32 Best Way to Celebrate Anniversary? 17:23 Run a Complex Setting? 24:14 WotC New Influencer Policy 31:01 New D&D MtG 32:39 Jess Lanzillo Interview 39:57 Satanic Panic Podcast 43:33 Story Hooks 44:40 Encounter Difficulty Math 46:08 Amazing Encounters & Dungeons 46:53 2024 Mini-Review on Exhaustion 54:56 2024's Changes 01:02:36 Greyhawk's Regions! 01:03:23 Frost Barbarians 01:07:29 Furyondy 01:09:24 Good Hook Example 01:11:51 Duchy of Geoff 01:15:35 Combat and Politics 01:17:09 Gran March 01:19:42 Wheels Within Wheels 01:22:04 City of Greyhawk 01:28:50 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Aug 7, 2024

Episode 201 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Setting Design and Greyhawk’s Regions! Does a standoffish elven nation make for great play? We ponder setting design and the 2024 DMG while summarizing Greyhawk’s regions of Bissel, Blackmoor, Bone March, Bright Lands, Celene, Dyvers, and Ekbir. News: PH Debut and Gen Con News, Blurry Video Debacle, Cosmere Stormlight RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Gen Con Haul 04:21 Playing in Established Settings? 07:00 RAW vs Homebrew for Designers? 09:19 Questions for Organized Play? 19:21 Gen Con Sells Out 20:36 2024 PH Debuts and News 32:37 Video Blur Debacle 42:32 Diana Jones and ENnies 43:12 Dark Horse DnD Comics 43:54 LEGO Minifigs 44:42 City of Arches by Sly Flourish 45:34 Brandon Sanderson Cosmere RPG 46:39 Making the Most of Greyhawk Regions 48:04 What 2024 May Bring 49:42 Useful Design 52:20 Politics vs Adventure 59:02 Our Approach 01:00:38 Bissel 01:05:44 Blackmoor 01:09:33 The Bone March 01:11:14 The Bright Lands and Rary 01:14:13 Celene the Elven Kingdom 01:17:38 Dyvers 01:20:40 Calliphate of Ekbir 01:25:16 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 31, 2024

Episode 200 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Greyhawk’s Regions! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer covers its nations and regions, using Ahlissa and the Bandit Kingdoms to ponder what makes a setting great. News: What is D&D’s Tabletop Revenue, Hasbro Q2 Breakdown, Why RPGs Have Mistakes, and more! Contents 00:00 200th Birthday 02:13 Reproduce Living Greyhawk? 18:40 Why Does WotC Make Mistakes? 27:18 Hasbro Q2 Results! 35:13 D&D and Digital 41:31 2024 and VTT? 44:38 DD Beyond Grows to 18M 46:16 Calculating D&D's Revenue 51:00 MCDM RPG is Draw Steal 51:48 Greyhawk Regions 53:57 What Do We Want in a Setting? 59:13 Gazetteer Approach 01:10:13 Kingdom of Ahlissa 01:13:00 Every DM's Setting the Same? 01:19:11 Resources, Coins 01:21:02 Peoples, Alignments, Religions 01:23:45 Allies, Enemies, Overview 01:26:59 History 01:30:38 Conflicts and Intrigues 01:37:22 The Bandit Kingdoms 01:41:22 BK and Casey Brown 01:47:40 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 24, 2024

Episode 199 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Greyhawk’s Peoples and Story! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer describes species, culture, and history. And, hey, how detailed should a setting be? News: New WotC VP John Hight, Hiring D&D Architect, Free Shadowdark Solo, and more! Contents 00:00 Parental Warning 03:31 Edition Change at Cons? 22:52 John Hight New WotC President 30:17 D&D Hiring Product Architect 36:28 Early PH at Gen Con 38:30 Monopoly Go Version of Monopoly 41:38 Wulfgang Baur Interview 43:29 Shadowdark Solo for Free 44:30 Thousand Suns in Spanish 45:24 Nimble 5E on Backerkit 46:45 Greyhawk Gazetteer 47:37 Evaluating a Setting 49:24 The Chapters 51:25 Tropes and Other Issues 53:23 Ch2 Human Cultures 57:07 Is this Important? 01:02:51 Nonhumans in Greyhawk 01:06:39 Greyhawk's Level of Conflict 01:11:43 Ch3 Greyhawk's History 01:17:09 Greyhawk Wars 01:21:19 Peace Signing 01:25:26 In Praise of Legwork 01:30:48 Player Assumptions 01:40:47 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 17, 2024

Episode 198 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Living Greyhawk Campaign! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine the start of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer and reminisce on the impacts of the Living Greyhawk organized play campaign. News: Dan Rawson’s Expanded Role, D&D Stamps and Conventions, Moonbeam, and more! Contents 00:00 Copa of Tears 01:26 Warriors of Krynn 10:58 BG3 is New to Us 12:53 Last Caravan 13:58 20-Person Game? 21:40 Robin Hood Ranger? 25:05 Barbarian Make Sense? 31:17 Goodberry is Bad? 40:53 Dan Rawson Expanded Role 42:19 Infinite Staircase Releases 42:42 UK and US D&D Stamps 45:08 D&D at SD Comic-Con 46:20 Gen Con in 2 Weeks 47:08 GameHole Events 48:53 Daggerheart Final Beta 50:18 Free Mace of Tiamat 52:05 GAMA Horizon Fellowship 53:45 Moonbeam on Backerkit 57:07 Level Up 5E Platform 58:56 Living Greyhawk 01:00:15 Living Greyhawk's Impact 01:04:41 A Living Setting 01:06:22 Regions and Travel 01:10:25 Time Units 01:12:05 Greyhawk's Difficult Concepts 01:17:28 Have Settings Advanced? 01:22:03 Settings as Lies 01:24:02 Greyhawk Differentiators 01:25:20 Actionable Lore 01:30:09 Greyhawk's Lessons 01:31:02 Chapter 1 01:34:45 Continents and Weather 01:37:31 Geographic Divisions 01:38:24 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 10, 2024

Episode 197 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Origins of Greyhawk! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine Greyhawk’s history and characteristics and why it makes a great choice for a core setting. News: Kyle Brink Departs WotC, ENnies Nominations, Physical vs Digital, and more! Contents 00:00 Ever Been to a German Prison? 02:05 Upcoming Shows 06:04 Physicality of Books? 15:39 Better in Digital? 23:24 Is the Pillar Problem the System? 36:45 Kyle Brink Departs WotC 41:32 Vecna Images Answer 43:06 Web Site Transfer Answer 45:06 How to DM Parenting 47:03 Ennies Nominations 51:38 Grimhollow Heritage Playtest 53:45 Pelicon 24 54:38 The Anywhere Door on Moonbeam 56:23 How to RPG 57:04 Jim Zub on Licensed Work 58:51 Greyhawk's Origin 59:28 Greyhawk in 2024 01:02:22 Gary and Dave 01:04:26 DMs Don't Need a Setting 01:09:53 Shaped by the Times 01:11:58 Major Peoples and Migrations 01:16:03 Product Evolution 01:22:13 Post-Gygax 01:28:17 3E and Greyhawk Rises 01:32:27 Shout Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jul 3, 2024

Episode 196 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Setting Expectations for your TTRPG Projects! Wrel (Michael Henderson) joins Shawn Merwin to discuss how to set the right expectations for your TTRPG projects. Topics include setting goals, knowing who you are designing for, finding an audience, and assessing your capabilities. News: New D&D VP, PH and DMG Previews, Reliable Core Rules, and more! Contents 00:00 Michael Henderson aka Wrel 02:37 Unnecessary Rules? 07:21 Reliable Core Rules? 12:55 Counterspell Problems? 18:33 Ditch Resource Management? 26:12 New D&D VP Jess Lanzillo 34:32 2024 D&D Previews 38:04 Grim Hollow Player Pack on DDB 43:00 Grim Hollow 2E in October 45:38 How Not to Get Eaten by an Owlbear 46:45 TTRPG Project Expectations 47:28 What's the Goal? 54:20 Who Designing For? 01:07:44 Finding an Audience 01:13:26 What are you Capable of? 01:18:21 Practicing on DDB 01:19:22 Importance of Art 01:27:48 Find Wrel 01:28:25 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jun 19, 2024

Episode 195 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart’s Adversaries and Environments! Our final episode covering Daggerheart. Adversaries are critical to an RPG, creating excitement and engagement. Let's learn from how Daggerheart works to streamline stat blocks and encourage open play! News: Hasbro CEO Take 2, Vecna on DDB Doesn’t Match Book, Tabletop Scotland, and more! Contents 00:00 Ghostfire University 01:37 Stay Inspired? 07:57 Build Player Investment? 12:16 Daggerheart's Blank Canvas? 24:30 2024 PHB Reveals 26:44 Hasbro CEO, Take 2! 36:12 DDB Vecna Doesn't Match Paper 39:36 AL Adds Tabletop Scotland PO 43:23 Origins Award Finalists 44:26 Final Daggerheart! 45:14 One Remaining Major Update 47:25 Playtest Ends in July 48:49 Importance of Adversaries 50:42 Adversaries in Daggerheart 54:59 Descriptions and Motives 57:49 Attack and Defense 01:01:23 Experiences 01:03:08 Special Features 01:09:18 Environments 01:13:13 Do Environments Work Well? 01:24:21 Promised Sections 01:24:56 Final Thoughts 01:33:18 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jun 12, 2024

Episode 194 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Running a Daggerheart Campaign! Daggerheart tells us each session should be built fresh, based on the previous session. And the world is a map populated by the players. Let’s see the benefits and challenges of this approach! News: Roll20 Acquires Demiplane, D&D Movie’s Surprises, Hiring at Avantis MCDM FG, and more! Contents 00:00 Inevimitable 01:08 Cost of Experience? 10:51 Narrative Game Defined? 17:16 D&D Movie's Strong 2024 21:02 2024 MM Covers Revealed 26:08 Hiring at Avantis MCDM FG 29:01 Roll20 Acquires Demiplane 35:45 4E Turns 16 and Eberron 20 36:41 Worldbuilding with Glimpses 40:10 Teos Controls Neverwinter MMO? 41:01 Diana Jones Finalists 42:06 The Light Fantastic 43:22 The Deck of Many Drinks 46:45 Daggerheart Campaigns 47:13 Review Context 49:19 Daggerhear's Clear Perspective 54:23 Build a Map 58:48 Filling Space, Leaving Blanks 01:02:43 Incorporate Backstories 01:09:01 Backstory vs Adventure First 01:17:23 Planning a Story Arc 01:22:42 A Living World 01:27:22 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Jun 5, 2024

Episode 193 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Running a Daggerheart Session! Daggerheart provides advice on how to create a session based on the heroes. But is it actionable advice? Is Shawn raging while Teos remains positive? Find out the shocking truth! News: WotC Hiring AI, Paramount Cancels D&D, Foundry Launches RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Somewhat Tainted by Madness 01:49 Hope and Fear in 5E? 13:06 Campaign vs One-Shot Kickstarter? 18:23 Post-Project Framework? 26:05 DMG 2024 Cover Previews 30:34 D&D TV Show Not Paramount 32:38 WotC Hiring AI 39:15 Barrier Peaks Revised 41:57 D&D Destiny 43:10 PAX West Badges 44:53 Foundry Launches Ember RPG 46:38 Your Charisma Score 49:36 Jennell Jaquays Honored 50:10 Blade Runner Rebellion 52:35 Running Daggerheart Sessions 53:31 Aspirational vs Actionable Advice 01:01:54 Running a Session 01:02:46 Thinking in Beats 01:10:00 Preparing Combat Encounters 01:15:30 Crafting Scenes 01:19:29 Shawn Loves Using Conflict 01:25:16 Countdown vs Skill Challenges 01:29:08 Using Downtime 01:30:59 Character Death 01:32:48 TPKs and New PCs 01:33:47 Leveling Up 01:38:53 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 29, 2024

Episode 192 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart GM Moves and Mechanics! Daggerheart lets a GM act at any time, yet encourages moves that push the narrative and create fun for players. Let’s take a look! News: Andy Collins Returns to WotC, Chaosium Hires, Gamehole News, and more! Contents 00:00 Back in Black 01:47 Know Other RPGs to Design? 07:26 Prepared vs Extemporaneous? 17:34 Chaosium Adds Staff 20:39 Andy Collins Returns to WotC 24:48 GameHole Badge Reg 26:37 PoC Mentoring Dinner at GHC 28:10 RPGs Spur Climate Empathy 31:21 Diana Jones Emerging Designers 32:27 Blade Runner Replicant Rebellion 33:33 Daggerheart GM Mechanics 35:26 Core Roll Mechanics 36:59 GM Mechanics 41:39 Calling for Action Roles 43:13 Guaranteed Success 46:21 Experiences and Rolls 50:01 Making GM Moves 54:59 Example Moves 56:29 Adventure Considerations 01:00:43 Choosing Moves 01:07:22 Hard and Soft Moves 01:09:08 Fear 01:18:42 Countdowns 01:21:47 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 22, 2024

Episode 191 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 13th Age 2E Design with Rob Heinsoo! The much admired 13th Age RPG has a second edition on kickstarter! Designer Rob Heinsoo discusses the game’s innovations and takes a look back at leading 4E design, the OGL as seen by WotC, and much more! News: Greyhawk in the DMG, Homebrew vs Prewritten, D&D Worlds & Realms, and more! Contents 00:00 New MD Search Engine! 01:59 Digital vs Paper Future? 06:23 Scene Transitions? 10:49 Greyhawk in the DMG 16:15 D&D Worlds & Realms 18:08 Talisman 5E 19:04 Prewritten vs Homebrew 21:30 Iskander Adventures - MT Black 22:42 Brazil Flood Charity Bundle 23:36 Jeff Stevens Saints and Sinners 24:56 Rob Heinsoo and 13th Age 2E 25:25 Rob's One Unique Thing 29:58 Three Dragon Ante 33:22 Shadowfist Design 37:09 Success on Design Team 41:30 Listening Power 42:52 Leading 4E D&D Design 45:56 4E's Goals 49:46 4E Digital Tool Impact 54:22 Why Rescind an OGL? 57:05 13th Age Innovations 58:25 The Icons 01:01:08 One Unique Thing design 01:04:08 Engaging Monster Design 01:09:07 2E Beyond Kickstarter? 01:14:04 Shout-Outs 13th Age 2E Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pelgranepress/13th-age-second-edition-storytelling-action-fantasy-game Rio Grande Flood Charity Bundle: https://doar.acnur.org/page/ACNURBR/doe/enchentes-no-sul-do-brasil New Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 15, 2024

Episode 190 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Review – GM Advice! We found the heart of Critical Role, and it’s in the GM advice section. Shawn and Teos dig into this advice, fantastic for any game but tailor-made for Daggerheart’s play. News: Critical Role Launches Beacon, MCDM on D&D Beyond, 2024 PH Art Reveal, and more! Contents 00:00 Mother's Day 02:04 RPG vs Video Game ROI? 07:19 Vancian vs Roll to Cast? 15:11 D&D SRD 5.2 in February! 18:56 2024 PH Art Sneak Peak 22:31 D&D Dead by Daylight 23:45 Critical Role Launches Beacon 25:42 D&D GenCon Events 31:40 MCDM Books on D&D Beyond 33:32 Is D&D Changing Course? 40:08 Secret Vecna Wallpaper 40:39 Vecna Prequel Will Be Sold 41:47 Black Flag Reference Document 43:29 Deck of Player Safety on Demiplane 44:59 13th Age 2E on Kickstarter 46:47 Rethinking Alignment 48:14 Distal d20 49:10 Kickstarter 2023 Review 50:29 Daggerheart GM Advice 51:00 1.4 Playtest Update 52:33 THIS is Critical Role! 57:26 GM Principles 01:03:09 Ask Questions 01:09:03 Imperfect Improvisation 01:12:06 GM Best Practices 01:13:40 Treat PCs as Competent 01:16:04 Create Meta Conversation 01:17:01 Ground the World in Motive 01:23:42 Pitfalls to Avoid 01:32:19 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 8, 2024

Episode 189 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Domains and Actions! Cards in an RPG? Find out how Daggerheart keeps characters and gameplay interesting with Domains and the Action Tracker! News: Hasbro $1M Investment, D&D Beyond Changes Marketplace, Monster Symmetry, and more! Contents 00:00 Alien Sun 03:03 HP Increase Design? 08:17 Stay on 2014? 15:06 BG3 impacts? 19:13 Favorite Snack? 19:59 Arena Sizes? 21:03 D&D Beyond Changes Marketplace 24:38 Hasbro's 1M Investment 30:57 Tabletop Association 33:35 WotC AI FAQ 38:40 WondLa TV Series 39:52 DM David Monster Symmetry 43:17 Oracle Monster Generator 44:25 Daggerheart Percentages 45:45 Playtest Contents 49:48 Cards in RPGs 52:49 Domain Cards 54:40 Loadout and Vault 01:00:32 Card Examples 01:03:24 Keyword Learning Curve 01:06:23 Basic Attacks 01:08:13 Heritage Cards 01:12:07 Action Tracker and Init 01:20:17 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

May 1, 2024

Episode 188 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Character Creation! A nine-step process provides a robust mix of crunch and narrative options. See what this blend tells us about this and other RPGs. News: Hasbro’s Q1 Results, WotC Completing the PH, Roll20 Discord Integration, and more! Contents 00:00 Far Out 02:26 Vecna Prequel Review 04:12 Monster Hunter 06:05 Backgrounds Approach? 11:23 Age and Time? 19:53 BG3 for Other Stories? 26:23 D&D Fireside Chat 35:13 Hasbro Q1 43:04 Roll20 Discord Integration 44:32 Star Trek 2E Quickstart 45:57 D&D Beyond Seeks Writers 48:57 Hypersleep Terminated 50:39 Daggerheart Classes! 54:09 9-Step Character Creation 55:07 Step 1. Choose Class 01:00:26 Character Sheet 01:02:51 Step 2. Heritage 01:05:23 Step 3. Traits 01:10:15 Step 4. Evasion, HPs, Stress and Hope 01:13:34 Step 5. Equipment 01:15:17 Step 6. Background Questions 01:18:26 Step 7. Experiences 01:30:40 Step 8. Domain Cards 01:36:35 Step 9. Create Connections 01:43:39 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 24, 2024

Episode 187 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Core Rules! Hope, Fear, Stress, and so much more! We take a look at Daggerheart’s design and how it encourages narrative and tactical gameplay. News: WotC President Departs, Colville on Adventure Length, DriveThru Sales Data, and more! Contents 00:00 Deck of Campaign Derailments 02:45 Reworking Design? 07:51 Best Adventure Format? 15:52 Fix D&D Like MTG? 19:02 Cynthia Williams Departs 26:20 D&D Maps Tips 27:39 Colville on Adventure Length 34:54 DriveThru Sales Data 38:13 Daggerheart and Demiplane 40:05 Daggerheart Playtest 43:07 Our Playtests 49:20 Core System - Hope and Fear 52:00 d12s v d20 58:00 Hope as a Fuel 59:44 Defenses and Health 01:03:06 Stress 01:05:10 Resting and Choices 01:07:48 Narrative vs Tactical 01:12:23 Character Sheet 01:16:48 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 17, 2024

Episode 186 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: How to Keep Your New Campaign Healthy and Strong! If the average campaign lasts only 3-5 sessions, how do we avoid that fate and maintain a healthy long-term campaign? News: Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined, Vecna is Coming, Fallout TV Sells RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Kids are Alright 01:39 The Black Ballad 03:42 Is 5E Indirectly Modular? 12:45 Fallout TV Sells Books 15:49 Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined 25:13 Vecna is Coming 27:28 Lich PCs 29:44 Nest of the Eldritch Eye 33:18 Organized Play from Gamehole 37:00 D&D Blackmilk Clothing 40:05 Monsters of Drakkenheim 41:55 Keep Campaign Healthy and Strong 43:58 1. The Right Players 47:51 2. Right Campaign for the Players 49:49 3. Right-Sized Session Zero 56:49 4. Regular Flexible Schedule 01:00:14 5. End Date 01:03:04 6. Strong Campaign Start 01:03:33 7. Engage Between Sessions 01:08:19 8. Room for Changes 01:08:48 9. Frequent Check-Ins 01:10:30 10. Climactic End 01:16:37 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 10, 2024

Episode 185 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Designing Player-Facing Options for New Campaigns! How do you create or leverage player-facing rules that will intrigue them and ground them in your new world and your new campaign? How do you give them meaningful, informed choices early in the campaign? News: Prep vs Improv? Dimension 20 in the Garden, Schwalb on 5E, and more! Contents 00:00 Path of Totality 01:16 Prep vs Improv? 08:57 Con for Crits? 20:22 D20 at the Garden 22:10 Schwalb on Taberna 26:54 Encounter Tables 32:47 Infestation at Devil's Glade 34:13 Fantasy AGE Quickstart 34:51 Oops all Hit Dice 37:40 Player-Facing Campaign Options 38:54 New Rules or Limitations 41:53 Communicate Changes 49:52 New Player-Facing Rules 54:52 Custom Backgrounds 59:24 Class Challenges 01:02:58 Subclasses 01:04:43 Feats 01:05:52 Subsystem 01:07:06 Involve Quickly 01:08:42 Dragonlance Example 01:11:32 Reinforce through Scenes 01:14:17 Subsystems Early 01:15:56 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Apr 3, 2024

Episode 184 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Design an RPG Starting Encounter! Continuing the discussion of designing a first adventure in our world, how do we design the first adventure? We look at creating an encounter that utilizes our setting, hooks, and plays off of the PCs! News: Core Book Prices, Free Tsojcanth and LEGO Adventures, D&D Sales Drop! Contents 00:00 Two Fools 01:28 Adventure Curriculum? 12:34 MCDM Daggerheart Initiative? 19:37 Flaws Mechanic? 30:27 D&D Beyond Kickstarter Reward 35:45 Core Book Prices 36:52 Most of Hobby is Down 40:52 Free Tsojcanth 44:24 Free LEGO Adventure 48:48 Design an RPG Starting Encounter 50:00 Use What You Set Down 51:53 Encounter Goals 53:10 Don't Overwhelm 54:46 Setting Considerations 58:32 Theme and Tone 01:01:55 Antagonists 01:04:34 Allies and NPCs 01:06:13 Duration and Pacing 01:09:32 Session 0 Promises 01:12:48 Play off PCs 01:15:38 Satisfying Conclusion 01:19:24 Cliffhangers? 01:21:39 Final Checklist 01:25:04 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 27, 2024

Episode 183 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Adventure! Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding and village design, how do we start an adventure? We provide an approach to get the most out of your campaign and adventure starts! News: GaryCon Review, Remembering Jim Ward, Daggerheart Review! Contents 00:00 March Madness 01:42 GaryCon Review 05:52 Criticize Shadowdark? 14:45 Remembering Jim Ward 18:58 Stores Get D&D Early 21:07 Free Tsojcanth 22:38 MtG D&D Store Event 25:42 Infinite Staircase Reveals 28:28 Lego D&D Details 31:29 Tome of Beasts on Beyond 36:59 Surviving Strangehollow 37:46 Daggerheart Review 40:19 RPG Starting Adventure 41:52 Session 0 44:00 Character Connections 47:48 Fiasco Approach 52:10 Ashes of Athas Approach 54:03 Start with a Bang? 57:28 Find the Excitement 59:10 Intro Hook 01:01:46 Theory of Globs 01:07:32 Adventure Hooks 01:12:12 PC Impetus 01:15:33 Don't Give it All Away 01:19:39 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 20, 2024

Episode 182 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Village! Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding, a great place to start is a village. What must a starting village contain and what isn’t needed? How do we make it relevant and interesting? We dig into the design and examples that have and haven’t worked for us. News: Critical Role launches Daggerheart, Hasbro CEO vs D&D on AI, Starforged Terrain! Contents 00:00 Podcasting for Relatives 01:39 Exhaustion vs HPs? 10:39 30-Minute D&D? 21:46 D&D Asks Do You Like Me 29:45 Hasbro CEO Says AI D&D Says No 39:02 CR Launches Daggerheart 41:59 Dwarven Forge Starforged 43:46 Surviving Strangehollow 44:20 Zweihander Reforged 44:44 Designing an RPG Starting Village 45:50 Two Issues to Avoid 46:37 Classic D&D Villages 50:08 Bottom-Up Technique 59:15 Safe Space or Hub 01:01:44 Launch Adventures 01:05:28 Key Elements 01:08:16 Tie to PC Goals 01:10:53 NPCs 01:15:05 Theme 01:16:58 History 01:21:33 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 13, 2024

Episode 181 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Shadowdark GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure! The finale of our Shadowdark series! We take a look the excellent advice, plus how the game provides monsters and treasure. News: Reviewing The Fallbacks, Adv League to Beyond, NASA RPG and Challenge, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos Has Seen Things 02:45 Emerald City Comic-Con 06:32 Adventure as User Guide? 15:16 Exhaustion Currency? 22:43 Modes of Play? 28:34 AL Moves to Beyond 31:33 Greasy Snitches 36:41 The Fallbacks review 41:08 NASA RPG 42:13 Steamforged and Kobold 43:33 SRD in Braille 45:00 Surviving Strangehollow 45:45 Shadowdark Finale 46:07 The Role of GM and Players 50:43 For Experienced GMs 54:29 Players not PCs 56:06 Core Ethos 01:00:09 Check DCs 01:05:15 Darkness and Modes of Play 01:08:30 Random Encounters 01:14:56 The Gauntlet 01:19:04 Awarding XP 01:22:35 Lots of Tables! 01:23:25 Monsters 01:25:06 Treasure 01:27:25 Final Thoughts 01:32:06 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Mar 6, 2024

Episode 180 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World! Dan Dillon and Jason Ward join Shawn to discuss how to pick the best rules, or change them, when designing an RPG world. News: Dan Dillon and Jason Ward, Daggerheart Playtesting, Discworld RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Dan and Jason! 02:11 Defining Success? 07:13 Worldbuilding Process? 12:35 Discworld RPG 18:54 Daggerheart 31:07 Beyond Dev Update 36:55 Surviving Strangehollow 39:08 Rules to Fit an RPG World 39:34 Existing Ruleset 40:48 The Real Thing 46:22 Build New Rules 52:44 Using 5E 57:08 Dark Sun 01:00:48 Settings 5E Does Well 01:03:25 Tearable RPG 01:18:06 Find Jason and Dan Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 28, 2024

Episode 179 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks! How do we create worlds that reflect the RPGs used to play them? How do we serve our readers, GMs, and players? Let’s talk worldbuilding! News: Surviving Strangehollow,| No D&D in Portuguese, D&D Off-Broadway, and more! Contents 00:00 Dark Weekend 01:01 Running Factions? 12:51 Mechanic Struggles? 21:51 Surviving Strangehollow 22:42 No D&D in Portuguese 26:01 Off-Broadway D&D 28:22 Star Trek 2E Announced 30:30 Emerging Designer Submissions 31:09 Weird Wizard Available 32:22 BX Inspired 5E 33:07 EN World Covers Evil Genius 35:36 Worldbuilding 35:48 Shawn's Worldbuilding 39:48 Build with Words 41:54 Show vs Tell 44:58 When to Get Detailed 47:10 Reality Matters 49:45 RPG-Based Fiction 55:55 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up 01:04:59 Microscope RPG 01:07:58 Surviving Strangehollow 01:15:32 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 21, 2024

Episode 178 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Shadowdark RPG’s Combat, Travel, and Downtime! Teos shares the exploits in a recent Shadowdark game, adding context as Shawn and Teos review Shadowdark’s rules for combat, travel, and downtime. News: Hasbro’s D&D Finances and Strategy, 2024 Release Info, Humblewood on Beyond, and more! Contents 00:00 More Dragons 01:26 Counterproductive Playtesting? 07:39 Designer Responsability? 15:17 D&D Release Schedule 15:44 2024 Conventions 17:31 Vecna Eve of Ruin 20:48 Making of OD&D 25:26 Infinite Staircase 26:34 Core Books 28:45 Converse Lego and Pop-Tarts 31:21 Roll20 Character Sheet 32:21 Humblewood on Beyond 34:30 Hasbro Q4 36:55 DnD Finances 40:58 Hasbro's D&D Strategy 43:10 Universes Beyond 45:27 Shadowdark Gameplay 45:56 Playing with Meaghan J 50:59 Hiding in Shadowdark 55:50 Surprise and Initiative 59:13 Actions 01:02:58 Rulings Not Rules 01:06:35 Damage 01:09:55 Morale 01:15:48 Death 01:20:01 Overland Travel 01:24:53 Downtime 01:29:33 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 14, 2024

Episode 177 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Shadowdark RPG – Gameplay (MD 177) From initiative and darkness to checks and luck tokens, Shawn and Teos examine the rules that distinguish the game. News: D&D Thanks You, Manganiello Speaks, Pelgrane Blog Rocks, and more! Contents 00:00:00 Winter Fantasy for One 00:01:35 Shadowdark Balance? 00:10:50 Shadowdark Readthrough Review? 00:17:40 D&D 50th Thank You 00:19:33 Joe Manganiello Speaks 00:26:28 Pelgrane Press Blog 00:27:33 Sorcerer's Fate 00:29:15 Shadowdark 00:29:58 Crawlers 00:35:58 Rolling Dice 00:39:39 Luck Tokens 00:43:24 Abilities and Checks 00:49:30 Time and Initiative 01:04:43 Resting and Surprise 01:06:05 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Feb 7, 2024

Episode 176 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: News with Graham! With Shawn fighting off a cold, Graham joins us to take a look at the news. Back to Shadowdark next week! News: Foundry Gets 2024 5E, Kickstarter Growth, Adventures that Teach, and more! Contents 00:00:00 Graham Ward! 00:02:55 Player-DM Trust 00:10:20 D&D Stewardship 00:23:00 2024 Glimpses 00:25:22 Bigger Books? 00:27:16 Playtest Survey Results 00:30:49 D&D Novels and Journals 00:34:25 D&D Foundry Partnership 00:35:54 Kickstarter Up Down? 00:39:11 Associate D&D Event Manager 00:40:46 The Park Job 00:41:25 18 RPG Luminary Interviews 00:41:58 Release from OGL Vault 00:43:28 Adventures That Teach 00:45:27 5E Attack Variability 00:48:54 Graham on Shadowdark 00:53:15 Find Graham 00:56:07 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Jan 31, 2024

Episode 175 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Shadowdark RPG – Characters and Magic With Shadowdark’s simplicity, how do ancestries, classes, and class features distinguish themselves? Shawn and Teos examine the classes, alignment, and magic systems to see how this game manages to be so good. News: D&D Turned 40, D&D in VR, a Real Fortress Dungeon, and more! Contents 00:00:00 Rub Your Face 00:01:19 Compelling Hooks? 00:11:43 RPGs for New GMs 00:19:02 D&D Turns 50 00:21:56 D&D VR Game 00:26:35 Beyond Stats 00:29:33 Real Dungeon 00:31:01 50th Minis 00:32:48 Mathemagician Rituals 00:34:38 Zweihander Reforged 00:35:22 Hacking Across Editions 00:39:03 Shadowdark Characters 00:40:48 Ancestries 00:46:14 Classes - Fighter 00:48:35 Talents 00:50:12 Stat Boosts 00:51:46 Wizard and Priest 00:53:30 Thief 01:00:29 Backgrounds 01:02:08 Alignment and Deities 01:05:16 Titles 01:07:24 Gear and Slots 01:10:36 Cohesive Game Elements 01:13:27 XP 01:17:41 Magic 01:32:05 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Jan 24, 2024

Episode 174 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Shadowdark RPG – Reviewing the Basics Shawn and Teos delve into Shadowdark. While their torchlight holds, they examine the first chapters of this tome. Learn the basics of Shadowdark’s design and what sets it apart from other similar RPGs. News: New D&D from Random House, How to Have Fun, Fighting AI, and more! Contents 00:00:00 Powerless 00:02:16 Stale RPGs? 00:09:09 BladeThulu? 00:18:54 An RPG's Heart 00:25:32 New Random DnD 00:29:02 Fighting AI 00:32:54 Post-WotC Endeavors 00:35:57 L5R 00:38:47 Ingredients for Fun 00:42:14 Shadowdark 00:44:04 What is Shadowdark 00:54:32 Overview 01:02:54 Book Intro 01:06:50 Shadowdark's Assumptions 01:10:01 Character Design 01:14:38 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Jan 17, 2024

Episode 173 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Blade Runner Starter Set – Electric Dreams Adventure Review Mike Shea joins Shawn while Teos hunkers down without power. In the main segment, Shawn and Teos take a look at the adventure included in the Blade Runner starter set by Free League. We review the amazing value and how it provides for open play and interesting choices. News: Remembering Jennell Jaquays, D&D Meta Plots, Evil Hat Shares Finances, and more! Contents 00:00 Mike Shea! 07:22 Fun Downstroke? 17:14 Party Boost? 22:10 5E Metaplot? 31:07 Remembering Jennell Jaquays 34:40 Evil Hat Q4 44:46 Andy Stuns 46:06 Roll20 Versions 47:58 Surviving Strangehollow 50:02 Electric Dreams Adventure 52:06 Intro and Plot 57:11 Options and Events 1:01:06 The Story 1:10:53 Final Confrontation 1:13:56 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Jan 10, 2024

Episode 172 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Blade Runner Starter Set – Rules Review Shawn and Teos take a look at the packed contents of the Blade Runner starter set by Free League. We review the amazing value and provide an overview of the rules. News: MCDM Raises $4.6M, Golden Ages, Winter Fantasy Signups, and more! Contents 00:00 Renewed 01:10 Half on Miss? 10:24 Stun Condition? 21:49 Creative Actions? 33:45 RPG Sales Mixed 34:55 Winter Fantasy Signups 37:19 2023 Review 39:10 Golden Ages 50:11 The Forged Dragons 50:53 Weapons of Legend 51:58 Lore24 53:21 Lamordia The God Engine 54:19 MCDM RPG $4.6M 54:57 Blade Runner Starter Set 56:11 Setting Overview 58:51 Starter Set Contents 1:01:55 Rules Overview 1:04:25 Specialties 1:04:49 Health and Resolve 1:06:08 Downtime 1:08:24 Humanity Points 1:15:13 Game Loop 1:21:25 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Dec 27, 2023

Episode 171 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: 2023 Review and 2024 RPG Outlook Shawn and Teos look back at the rollercoaster year of 2023 and what excites us about the coming year. News: Drakkenheim on DDB, LotR Stars Play BG3, Valiant Adventures, and more! Contents 00:00 Renown 01:12 Setting Customizations? 14:21 Affordable Expectations? 29:22 LotR Stars Play BG3 30:33 CORE20 RPG 32:34 Drakkenheim on DDB 34:07 Valiant Adventures 35:02 Hundred Dungeons 35:53 Folkvangr 36:46 Year End, Year Ahead 37:41 What Excited Us? 43:04 What We Covered 44:49 Shawn’s Year 46:04 2023 Rollercoaster 52:35 Fans and Platforms 59:59 Design Together 1:01:22 What We Miss from 1E 1:05:07 Our RPG Acronyms 1:12:06 Great Year for MD 1:14:48 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Dec 20, 2023

Episode 170 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Planescape’s Adventure: The Conclusion! The final two chapters of Turn of Fortune’s Wheel! We look back on how DMs can make the most of the adventure. News: Understanding WotC Layoffs, Netflix Talks BG3, Greatest RPG Adventures, and more! Contents 00:00 Rollercoaster 2023 02:19 Resource Management? 10:33 Lazy Barbarian? 17:58 WotC Layoffs 37:15 BG3 on Netflix 38:32 Spelljammer Academy Returns! 39:53 Greatest RPG Adventures 43:50 13 Planescape DM Tips 46:27 Enchanting Emporiums 47:03 Kaz the Minotaur 47:41 Fortune’s Wheel Context 51:56 Setup for the End 59:11 Platinum Rooms 1:06:50 Dungeonland 1:08:46 Supertemporal Arena 1:12:25 Fiend’s Ante 1:14:07 Facing Shemeska 1:16:22 Incarnations Unite! 1:20:07 Gzemnid’s Spiral 1:30:52 Conclusion 1:36:42 Final Thoughts 1:44:30 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Dec 12, 2023

Episode 169 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Planescape’s Adventure: Outlands and Spire! We expect big payoffs as the adventure reveals it's biggest secrets. Is the payoff worth it? Find out how the answer isn’t yes, as we review Chapters 12 and 13 Turn of Fortune’s Wheel. News: MCDM Breaks Records, Roll20 Overhaul, GaryCon Epic, and more! Contents 00:00 Malled and Mauled 01:30 Impossible DC? 14:36 Frustrated Player? 20:34 MCDM Breaks Records 26:03 Roll20 Overhaul 31:10 D&D VTT Praised 34:05 Midwest GameFest 35:20 2-Hr Adventure Template 37:39 $10 Creator Relief Coupon 39:24 GaryCon Epic Stream 42:35 Fortune’s Wheel Recap 44:34 Outlands Explorations 47:18 Planar Glitch Table 58:50 What are Encounters? 1:01:32 Angels in the Outlands 1:07:38 Mausoleum of Chronepsis 1:11:23 Semuanya’s Bog 1:15:42 Mimir Payoff? 1:19:34 Dendradis and Ascetelis 1:22:47 Finding RO4M in the Spire 1:31:10 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Dec 6, 2023

Episode 168 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Planescape’s Adventure: Gate Towns! Seven gate towns must be visited! How well does the 4-page format work, and what would we change? Find out as we look at Chapters 5-11 of Turn of Fortune’s Wheel. News: Ghostfire and Dungeon Dudes on DDB, D&D 50th Anniversary Products, D&D Stamps, and more! Contents 00:00 Holiday and PAX Miracles 05:05 Progression Complexity? 14:56 Publishing Process? 24:02 Converting Adventures? 31:23 DDB Ghostfire Dudes 41:09 D&D 2024 Panel 43:17 Caverns of Tsojcanth 45:43 Vecna Eve of Ruin 46:58 Infinite Staircase 49:44 Making of OD&D 51:56 Core Rules Preview 55:53 D&D Stamps 57:22 Planescape’s 5E Adventure 59:22 Gate Town Goals 1:04:06 Automata 1:15:16 Design and Advice 1:21:15 Excelsior 1:25:16 Faunel 1:32:44 Closing Thoughts 1:39:22 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Nov 29, 2023

Episode 167 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Turn of Fortune’s Wheel: Casino and Outlands! Casino games are more fun when player goals align. This and the villain present challenges for the DM, if not the players. We venture into the Outlands and experience a castle out of a Miyazaki film. News: D&D Move Sequel, Peril Design, Gygax Shoes, PAX U Events, and more! Contents 00:00 Holiday System Shock 02:32 Is Death the End? 16:50 Peril Design? 32:27 D&D PAXU Events 37:29 Heroes’ Feast Adventure 39:57 New Deck Date 40:39 Playtest Packet 8 42:53 D&D Movie Sequel? 44:49 Enchanting Emporiums 46:19 Gygax Shoes 47:01 Scale Tail & Claw 47:26 Stormlight RPG Team 49:08 Fortune’s Wheel 50:02 Our Story So Far 50:48 Chapter 3 Casino 53:29 Games vs Goals 59:30 Meeting Shemeska 1:03:21 Levels and Story 1:10:13 Into the Outlands 1:13:49 Walking Castle 1:18:13 Mosaic Mimir Quest 1:28:09 Closing Thoughts 1:29:55 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Nov 22, 2023

Episode 166 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Turn of Fortune’s Wheel! A tale of two chapters! A spoiler-filled discussion reviews the key twists to the adventure and finds a great disparity between the play experience in the first two chapters! News: Free D&D for Teachers, Maps Adds Features, Running Towns, and more! Contents 00:00 No Grandparents Harmed 02:26 Black Friday Deals? 05:24 Monstrous PC? 15:20 Multiple DMs? 20:18 D&D Maps Adds Features 22:43 Free Adventure for Teachers 29:17 Harmless Denizens 31:05 Running Towns 33:38 Fernbloom's Guide 34:46 Amazing Encounters & Locations 35:46 Turn of Fortune’s Wheel 42:43 Glitch PCs 44:42 Introducing Incarnations 54:26 Our Glitch Ideas 1:00:29 Mortuary Start 1:11:50 Explore Sigil’s Railroad 1:18:34 Suggestions 1:20:05 Farrow and Undercity 1:24:54 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Nov 15, 2023

Episode 165 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Monsters in Morte’s Planar Parade! We take a look at Planescape’s monster book. We get traits to add to monsters, faction agents, and creatures from across the planes. Hear what we like and what we would change. News: Free Inspiration Deck, VTT at PAXU, GameHole Panels, and more! Contents 00:00 Explore the Space 01:34 Unsafe Gate Towns? 08:34 Best Planar Adventures? 14:13 Free Inspiration Deck Handout 18:28 D&D VTT at PAXU 20:57 2 GameHole Panels 23:29 Simple Reputation System 26:31 Seeker’s Guide to Enchanting Emporiums 28:00 Free Sigil 2E Locations 29:01 AL Planescape 31:08 Morte’s Planar Parade 32:01 Introduction 37:00 Included CRs 39:12 Petitioners 47:54 Planar Influences 50:07 Monster Traits 58:27 Encounter Tables 1:04:49 Notable Monsters 1:08:25 Faction Agents 1:12:13 Final Verdict 1:15:49 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Nov 8, 2023

Episode 164 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Outlands! Outside of Sigil are the Outlands, marked by fantastic and intense gate towns reflecting the plane beyond. Find out why we would change these up and how! News: D&D TV Launches, Chains of Asmoeus, Biggest Crowdfunders, and more! Contents 00:00 Scary Candy 01:58 Span the Ages? 07:23 Reduce HPs? 14:01 Session Length? 21:13 Buck Stops Here? 29:08 FAST D&D Adventures 31:43 Autism and Many Things 34:16 B&G Encounter Cards 35:42 Chains of Asmodeus 40:38 Planar Adventures Blogs 41:52 Top Crowdfunders 46:39 Forge of Foes Available 48:44 Planescape – The Outlands 52:45 Cosmic Realignment 1:00:49 Outland Characteristics 1:06:17 Gate Towns and Automata 1:07:54 Bedlam 1:08:30 Is It Too Much 1:16:38 Faunel Post-Realignment 1:18:05 Fortitude and other Gate Towns 1:23:00 Other Realms 1:25:44 This Book Overall 1:28:07 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Nov 1, 2023

Episode 163 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Planescape: Sigil’s Factions and Wards! The City of Sigil’s factions can be hard to grasp, but they play a critical role and shape the city itself, turning the city’s neighborhoods into reflections of their philosophies. News: WotC Recalls Many Things, Rough Hasbro Q3, D&D Anthology, and more! Contents 00:00 Back from GameHole! 03:28 Social System? 11:42 Skill List Creativity? 20:14 Slipcase Format? 26:24 WotC Recalls Many Things 29:43 Rough Hasbro Q3 36:00 D&D Anthology Glimpses 43:46 AL Update 45:08 Sigil’s Factions and Wards 47:00 Role Factions Play 1:01:56 Ascendant Factions 1:12:09 Minor Factions 1:14:22 City Wards 1:19:06 Adventures in Sigil 1:24:19 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Oct 25, 2023

Episode 162 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Live at Gamehole 2023 – Setting Products! We discuss settings with our live audience! What do you want from a setting? Paper or digital? And is it Sigil or Sijil? Contents 00:00 Live at GameHole! 00:47 Sigil or Sijil? 05:09 What Do We Want from Settings? 06:23 Adventure Atlas: the Mortuary 10:20 Another Mortuary? 13:11 Audience Interest 14:24 Purchase Planescape? 15:02 Planebreaker Compatibility 16:38 Shifting RPGs 18:27 Books vs Small Supplements 20:11 Tools We Use 21:12 Rereleasing Settings 23:32 Digital Format 31:25 Ideal Setting Product 33:42 Included Adventure? 34:36 Ratio of Player Content 37:58 Player Guides 44:15 Production Challenges 49:57 Setting Breadth? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Oct 18, 2023

Episode 161 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Planescape: City of Sigil! The City of Sigil is a sci-fi conundrum. Let’s learn what makes the city so intriguing and how a DM can make the most of it. News: WotC hiring, Baldman at PAXU, Unforgettable Villains, and more! Contents 00:00 D&D Tutor 03:16 Class Sales? 08:33 Bigger Books? 10:28 Reskinning? 15:50 Dungeon Tropes? 19:54 Baldman at PAXU 22:52 WotC Hiring 24:23 Unforgettable Villains 25:31 James Haeck Channel 26:52 HeroQuest Release 29:10 Tony DiTerlizzi Book 30:10 Hellwatch 31:32 Nimble Streamlining 5E 32:43 Sigil, the City of Doors 33:20 What is Sigil? 40:52 City Weather 43:04 Magic Changes 47:29 Summoning 50:57 Portraying Life in Sigil 1:00:21 Rats and Razorvines 1:01:39 Portals 1:04:12 Lady of Pain 1:14:14 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Oct 11, 2023

Episode 160 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse! 5E finally has Planescape! We take a look at Sigill and the Outlands, the first book introducing the setting and offering character options. News: The End of Everything, D&D Adds Bastions, WotC Drops Penguin, and more! Contents 00:00 Alex Kammer! 01:15 What is Gamehole Con? 09:30 Our Gamehole Plans 12:36 Introduce New RPG? 23:10 Bastions and Cantrips 35:12 End of Everything 44:41 WotC Drops Penguin 49:32 Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse 51:09 Planescape History 52:10 2024 Multiverse Focus 53:50 Sigil and the Outlands 55:12 Definitions and Truths 1:08:04 Character Backgrounds 1:12:52 Feats 1:16:02 Spells 1:20:15 Magic Items 1:24:11 Closing Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Oct 4, 2023

Episode 159 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Modiphius 2D20 RPGs! We take a look at the Modiphius 2D20 RPG system, including a close look at Star Trek Adventures and Dune: Adventures in the Imperium. News: Evil Genius Sues Netflix, Planescape Previews and Downloads, Free Lightning Keep, and more! Contents 00:00 Boosted 01:42 Modules? 11:21 New or Modify? 17:09 Planescape Previews 28:55 Minecraft and free Lightning Keep 31:14 Evil Genius Sues Netflix 34:33 FR Wiki Turns 18 34:59 Building a French Castle 36:25 Vecna’s Book of Vile Darkness 37:21 Modiphius 2D20 RPGs 39:16 Free SRD and Previews 40:03 Basics of 2D20 45:28 Skill Mechanics 55:19 Dune – Adventuring in the Imperium 1:01:32 Star Trek Adventures 1:10:23 Closing Thoughts 1:15:43 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Sep 27, 2023

Episode 158 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: DMG Conclusion: Creating Monsters, Spells, Magic Items. Appendices! The 2014 DMG ends with teaching DMs how to create rules and tries to inspire DMs. We then look back on the whole of the DMG and what 2024 might bring. News: What the D&D Community Update Forgot, New Eldraine Monsters, Maps VTT, and more! Contents 00:00 Lakeside 01:14 Playtesting Complexity? 10:47 Disarm is Simple? 17:10 D&D Community Update Forgets 26:40 New Eldraine Monsters 31:19 Maps VTT 37:02 Acq Inc Season 2 37:56 The Eye of Everywhere 38:31 DMG Chapter 9 – the end 38:57 Creating a Monster 46:37 Creating a Spell 49:59 Creating a Magic Item 51:35 New Character Options 59:13 Appendix A Random Dungeons 1:01:55 Appendix B Monster Lists 1:03:16 Appendix C Maps 1:03:57 Appendix D Inspiration 1:06:46 Comparison to 4E’s DMG 1:12:17 2024 Potential Changes 1:14:20 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Sep 20, 2023

Episode 157 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: DMG Chapter 9 part 2: Firearms, Plot Points, Initiative and Action Variants! The 2014 DMG provides many optional rules. Which ones would we use, and what should the 2024 DMG bring forward or change? News: Latest Playtest Backtracks, Prison Wish Lists, D&D Upcoming Release News, and more! Contents 00:00 Chainsaw Runner 02:59 What’s Up with Mounts? 11:11 WotC Non-D&D? 15:55 Slog Tactics? 23:14 Daisy Goes Missing 28:57 Perkins Secrets of DMing 30:36 Roll20 Adding Dungeon Scrawl 33:09 DM David Ranks Controversies 37:28 Acq Inc Murders Babies 38:54 Thunder Road at Gamehole 40:43 Festival of Tombs 41:50 Bone Stone and Obsidian 42:57 DMG Chapter 9 part 2 44:08 Firearms, Explosives and Alien Tech 49:58 Plot Points 56:00 Initiative Variants 1:03:56 Action Options 1:14:44 Injuries 1:15:59 Morale 1:18:50 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Sep 13, 2023

Episode 156 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: DMG Chapter 9: Dungeon Master’s Workshop! The 2014 DMG provides many optional rules. Which ones would we use, and what should the 2024 DMG bring forward or change? News: Latest Playtest Backtracks, Prison Wish Lists, D&D Upcoming Release News, and more! Contents 00:00 Dark 03:51 Poisoner? 12:52 2024 Adventure? 19:45 UA 7 Released 31:46 Upcoming Releases 35:58 Prison RPG Wishlist 37:43 Aberration Board Game 39:41 Crowdfunding 40:17 Getting Started Writing 40:46 DMG Chapter 9 46:11 Skill and Check Options 59:06 Hero Points 1:03:23 New Ability Scores 1:07:35 Fear and Horror 1:09:33 Healing Options 1:18:30 Rest Variants 1:21:24 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Sep 6, 2023

Episode 155 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: DMG Running the Game part 3! How well does the DMG help us track initiative, improvise damage, run chases, fire siege weapons, and give out XP? Shawn and Teos have some good laughs as they investigate the 2018 DMG. News: Demiplane 5E Surprise, Phandelver Previews, Hiring and Pay, and more! Contents 00:00 PAX 03:36 Too Many Products? 09:19 Everything Else? 17:01 Phandelver Previews 18:23 Demiplane 5E Nexus Surprises 21:06 EN World Freelance Pay Survey 25:28 Pelgrane Hiring Project Editor 32:23 Choices, Information, and Meaning 34:38 Weapons of Legend 35:19 The Folk from Harrowthorpe 36:26 DMG Chapter 8 Part 3 37:16 Tracking Initiative 40:29 HP and Conditions 45:56 Crits and Improvising Damage 48:44 AoE and Mobs 54:11 Chases 57:11 Siege Equipment 1:01:20 Disease, Poison, Madness 1:04:24 XP 1:07:40 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Aug 30, 2023

Episode 154 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 8 – Running the Game, part 2! Shawn and Teos continue examining Chapter 8 of the 2014 DMG. From optional ways to handle close die rolls, to social interactions, to exploration, we look at fascinating topics. News: D&D Movie Really Losing Money? Free Gazetteer, BG3 Reviews, Phandelver Sneak Peeks, and more! Contents 00:00 Working for the Weekend 02:36 Setting Products? 24:23 Phandelver and Below 26:59 Baldur’s Gate 3 Reviews 28:58 Free Gazetteer 29:52 Movie Losing Money? 33:14 Greenwood’s Vampires 35:52 DMG Ch8 Running the Game 36:21 Advantage and Disad 40:02 Resolutions and Consequences 47:34 Do the Rob 54:52 Exploration 59:04 Social Interaction 1:08:06 Objects 1:13:38 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Aug 23, 2023

Episode 153 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Shadow of the Weird Wizard with Rob Schwalb! Rob Schwalb talks about his fantastic Kickstarter for Weird Wizard, his days at Wizards and insights into 5E’s creation, and what makes for a fantastic RPG. News: Tal’Dorei Reborn is the first 3rd party product on D&D Beyond, WotC Playtest Experiments, New D&D Beyond Survey, and more! Contents 00:00 Mr. Funny 01:39 Weird Design? 07:15 Design for Streams? 10:23 Short Design? 13:12 Prescription vs Teaching? 23:14 Tal’Dorei on Beyond 28:06 Crawford on Playtest Experiments 38:24 Beyond Survey 40:45 Eldritch 100 41:23 Seize the Means 43:39 Weird Wizard! 45:06 Glorious Rob 48:50 Exorcising Demons 50:06 5E’s Compromises 54:27 Preparation 1:00:01 Session Length 1:03:24 Why Weird Wizard 1:08:25 Project Rewards 1:14:51 Weird Setting 1:19:34 Find Rob and Weird Wizard 1:21:10 Kim Mohan’s Impact 1:24:26 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Aug 16, 2023

Episode 152 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 8 – Running the Game! Seven chapters later, the DM finally is told how to run the game! Was the wait worth it? Shawn and Teos review which parts hit the mark and which fall short. News: Hasbro’s Rough Q2, Gen Con Breaks Records, Crawford on Settings, 2024 More Like 2014, and more! Contents 00:00 Gooooooool 02:02 Lite DnD? 07:25 Level vs Custom? 12:08 Redo Lost Mines? 16:16 Free Art? 19:23 Downtime Minigame? 23:47 Hasbro Q2 Report 35:23 WotC Updates AI Policy 37:10 Gen Con Attendance Record 38:41 Baldman at PAX 39:55 BG3 Play Data 41:33 2024 Playtest Survey Results 46:11 Crawford on Settings 53:02 Shadow of the Weird Wizard 53:43 Aberration board game 55:49 DMG Running the Game 57:23 Table Rules 1:02:23 Prescriptions vs Teaching 1:04:11 Table Talk 1:06:41 Die Rolling 1:11:28 Metagaming 1:14:33 Missing Players 1:15:50 Role of the Dice 1:19:03 Ability Scores 1:31:09 DC and Proficiency 1:37:01 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Aug 9, 2023

Episode 151 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 6 – Treasure! Shawn and Teos ponder treasure. How much to give out, and how often? What is the role of treasure and its implications? From attunement to sentient items, we dig into the 2014 5E DMG and what we might want to see in 2024. News: A giant problem for D&D, Free League rocks ENnies, Cthulhu Saved, and more! Contents 00:00 Gen Con Glow 04:19 Subclass Variance? 10:45 Higher Level Complexity? 17:06 Valiant Playtesting? 20:56 Know Rules to Break Them? 28:54 Psychological Horror? 30:42 Giant Freebies 32:04 Giant AI Debacle 45:07 Free League Rocks ENnies 48:27 Storytelling Collective 49:45 Where Evil Lives 50:29 Cthulhu Saved 52:18 DMG Ch7 Treasure 55:17 Role and Impact of Treasure 59:09 Across Editions 1:02:21 How Much Treasure? 1:08:11 Swingy Results 1:10:05 Xanthar’s 1:11:06 No Magic? 1:14:52 Attunement 1:22:33 Resilience 1:24:25 Special Features 1:30:40 Artifacts and Sentient Magic 1:35:26 Other Rewards 1:37:05 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Aug 2, 2023

Episode 150 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 6 – Downtime! Shawn and Teos are huge fans of Downtime, introduced in the 2014 5E DMG. However, the material in Chapter 6 has been changed greatly by Xanathar’s and Acquisitions Incorporated. What would Shawn and Teos want from the 2024 DMG? News: Translated SRD, Sales Figures for D&D, D&D Movie Sequel, Top Crowdfunders, and more! Contents 00:00 Head Check 02:33 DMG Strategy? 09:55 DM Focus? 17:57 Tech Writing? 20:56 Agents of X? 22:15 Horror Appeal? 32:12 Translated SRD! 35:06 Movie Sequel 38:46 Gen Con D&D Update 41:05 Guild AI Policy 43:22 Top Crowdfunders 47:41 D&D Big Box Store Sales 55:51 DMG Ch6 Downtime 58:21 Downtime’s Introduction 1:01:32 Downtime’s Potential 1:11:39 Story Aspects 1:16:40 DMG Activities 1:30:59 Running Downtime 1:36:04 On the Clock 1:39:24 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jul 26, 2023

Episode 149 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 5 – Urban and Unusual Environments! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG by following Chapter 5. The rest of the chapter covers Urban and Unusual Environments, plus Traps. What would Shawn and Teos add to the 2024 DMG? News: WotC closes eOne in the UK, Paizo closes office, D&D Gen Con events sort of, and more! Contents 00:00 Swiftness 02:10 Wrong Hook? 07:55 Replay Characters? 12:40 Low High Level Play? 16:41 Editions Inevitable? 24:55 Dungeon Generator! 26:46 Gen Con Events 33:55 Hasbro Closes UK eOne 37:16 Paizo Closes Redmond Office 39:29 KP Hiring Media Manager 40:28 Shadow of the Weird Wizard 41:30 Jungles of Kuauhtla 42:10 Where Evil Lives 42:41 DMG Ch6 Between Adventures 45:56 5E vs Older Approaches 50:03 Overarching Story 57:36 Adventure Seeds and Foreshadowing 1:03:34 Campaign Tracking 1:13:07 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jul 19, 2023

Episode 148 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 5 – Urban and Unusual Environments! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG by following Chapter 5. The rest of the chapter covers Urban and Unusual Environments, plus Traps. What would Shawn and Teos add to the 2024 DMG? News: Critical Role heads to London, Free HeroQuest, D&D at SDCC, and more! Contents 00:00 Italian PHB 02:57 Effective Clues? 10:42 Not Enough Coverage? 17:32 Session Highlight? 19:55 Campaign Planning? 24:51 D&D at SDCC 26:26 Critical Role in London! 28:59 Blog Comeback 31:11 Aquatic Campaigns 31:40 Wandering Monsters 32:37 One-Shot Worldbuilding 33:24 Free HeroQuest 35:22 Gloomhaven RPG 40:42 Urban Environments 47:28 Law and Order 53:42 Underwater 1:00:21 The Sea 1:06:05 The Sky 1:08:46 Traps 1:23:23 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jul 12, 2023

Episode 147 of Mastering Dungeons This week's main topic: James Introcaso of MCDM joins Shawn to discuss the difference between writing a custom RPG vs creating for 5E! News: Owlbear Love, ENnies, Gen Con Online, and more! Contents 00:00 James Introcaso! 01:57 Creating for WotC 06:22 Success Failure Spectrum? 13:29 Character Arcs? 22:26 True Owlbears? 24:41 New Systems? 29:41 Ennies 35:16 Gen Con 37:40 Bear Love in BG3 42:18 Dragonlance Shadow 44:06 Aetherial last call! 44:34 Flee Mortals Comes 48:48 5E Content vs Custom RPGs 51:47 Business Considerations 56:13 Does 5E Fit Bear Romance? 58:04 Audience 1:01:59 Setting and Genre 1:06:28 Conflict Resolution 1:12:11 Character Creation 1:17:07 Story Flow 1:23:41 Game Loop 1:34:10 Pillars 1:38:48 Jim’s Question 1:41:15 Shout-Outs 1:42:49 Find James Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jul 5, 2023

Episode 146 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Mike Shea joins Shawn to compare the benefits of Organized Play vs Home Games! News: D&D Playtest 6, Baldur’s Gate Date, Final ORC License, and more! Contents 00:00 Swimming 01:07 5E Splinter? 10:24 Adventure Design? 27:45 Playtest Packet 6 30:26 Final Orcs 39:06 Beadle & Grimm’s 44:16 Baldur’s Gate Date 45:39 Savage Worlds 46:39 Aetherial Expanse 47:30 Forge of Foes! 48:30 Home vs Org Play 49:18 Mike’s Experience 51:01 Comparing the Two 59:21 Skill Differences 1:02:55 Variance 1:05:32 Teachers 1:07:21 Fan of Players 1:09:10 Learn from Home 1:14:50 Writing 1:22:39 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jun 28, 2023

Episode 145 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 5 – Wilderness and Settlements! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG by following Chapter 5. Do they get lost in creating and traversing a wilderness? Do they find the worst settlement table ever? News: America is Neutral Good, Blood in Baldur’s Gate, Origins Awards, Diana Jones Finalists, and more! Contents 00:00 Origins 05:13 Slowing the Game? 22:00 Blood in Baldur’s Gate 25:27 Origins Awards 26:35 Diana Jones Finalists 31:48 NG Americans 34:24 Art Costs 39:29 Congrats Kobolds 40:28 Aetherial Expanse 41:29 DMG Wilderness 43:12 Montage vs Hourly 44:58 Hemingway vs. Faulkner 49:22 Key Questions 56:55 Mapping Wilderness 1:00:55 Wilderness Features 1:04:55 Wilderness Survival 1:07:21 Settlements 1:11:33 Buildings 1:13:52 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jun 21, 2023

Episode 144 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 5 – Adventure Environments! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG by following Chapter 5 and rolling up a random dungeon. Is the result satisfying or does it fall apart? News: Reddit Woes, Renegade Oversteps, Freelancer Pay Survey, Gamehole Events, and more! Contents 00:00 Whole Enchilada 02:11 Memorable Campaign? 08:42 Swingy d20? 15:43 Dice Design? 20:40 Shine as a Player? 24:35 Favorite RPGs? 25:54 Raiding Mechanics? 27:27 Gamehole Events 29:08 Reddit Woes 24:38 Renegade Oversteps 38:56 Freelancer Pay Surveys 41:38 Aetherial Expanse 42:48 DMG Adventure Environments 44:52 Dungeons 49:07 Let’s Roll 55:55 Inhabitants 58:33 Ecology 1:02:15 Mapping a Dungeon 1:06:55 Left Out 1:12:35 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jun 15, 2023

Episode 143 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Celeste Conowitch on Designing Tales of the Valiant! What does it take to design a new variant of D&D? Hear the valiant tales of Celeste Conowitch, Senior Game Designer at Kobold Press! News: Upper Deck Sues Ravensburger, 2024 Update, Final Rivals Stream, Creator Spotlight, and more! Contents 00:00 Shawn Issues 00:55 DM Fiat? 04:59 2024 Concern? 11:10 Go-To Adventure? 14:15 Community Update and Video 18:54 AL Stream 20:34 Upper Deck Lawsuit 22:27 Final Rivals Stream 24:02 Creator Spotlight 24:38 Core20 RPG 25:52 Last Caravan 27:07 Curse of Vecna 28:25 Celeste Conowitch! 35:12 Valiant Kickstarter 37:00 Project Inception 43:38 Playtest Lessons 49:00 Teamwork 51:25 Goals and Targets 55:54 Kickstarter Success 59:01 What Comes Next? 1:05:42 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jun 7, 2023

Episode 142 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Nonplayer Characters! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. From ideals and bonds tables, to hirelings, to villain motives, does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great NPC? News: Candela Obscura, Valiant Kickstarter, Sharkadia, D&D Pride Gear, and more! Contents 00:00 Across the Masterverse 03:42 Other Genres? 10:00 Martial vs Spell? 19:02 DriveThru to Roll20 23:50 D&D Pride Gear 24:19 Sharkadia 25:54 Astral Ethereal 27:35 Valiant Surges 32:20 Girl by Moonlight 33:55 Illrigger 34:25 Candela Obscura 39:44 DMG Chapter 4 NPCs 41:09 NPCs as DM Tools 42:17 History of NPCs 46:52 Characterization 49:28 Designing NPCs 01:08:18 Hirelings and Patrons 01:18:54 Villains 01:27:02 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

May 31, 2023

Episode 141 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Adventures, part 2! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. From event-based adventures to the encounter building rules, does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great adventure? News: D&D Marketing Summit, 2023 Product Reveals, Price Increases, Planescape Hopes, and more! Contents 00:00 Geeky Guardians 01:42 Limit or Oversight? 11:23 Homebrew vs Published? 17:42 D&D Marketing Summit 23:50 Demographics 27:32 5E is 2E 30:23 Staggering for Printers 32:04 Price Increases 37:35 Bigygnome Presents 39:07 Guide to Dragons 40:36 Phandelver 41:49 Planescape 49:52 Deck of Many Things 50:46 DMG Chapter 3 51:22 Event-Based Adventures 59:09 Mysteries 01:05:00 Intrigue 01:08:05 Complications 01:09:51 Creating Encounters 01:21:23 Random Encounters 01:30:20 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

May 24, 2023

Episode 140 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Adventures! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. We look at Creating Adventures. Does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great adventure? News: UA Survey, D&D Producer Job, Russ Nicholson Remembered, Flummox, Dungeon Secrets, and more! Contents 00:00 Speaking of Geeks 02:19 Automating Complexity? 07:33 Weapon Persona? 14:26 Weapon Templates? 26:04 UA Survey and Videos 37:47 D&D Producer Job 39:34 Russ Nicholson RIP 40:47 Secrets to Dungeon Fun 41:35 Jeff Stevens Flummox Heist 43:26 Crowdfunding Round-Up 45:18 DMG Chapter 3 46:10 Creating Adventures Intro 51:03 Great Elements 54:53 Published Adventures 56:48 Adventure Structure 58:47 What is a Story? 01:03:54 Location-Based 01:14:58 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

May 17, 2023

Episode 139 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 2 – The Multiverse! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. We look at Creating a Multiverse and whether it even belongs in Chapter 2. If it does, what should it look like in the 2024 DMG? News: Unearthed Barbarians, New Hasbro eOne Streaming Channel, Critical Role Launches New Stream and RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Hydration 00:57 Rejoin at Level 1? 06:22 Golf Bag? 17:03 2024 Barbarian 29:56 Community Update 39:04 D&D Streaming Channel 45:17 CR New RPG and Stream 47:57 Crowdfunding Round-Up 48:57 DMG Chapter 2 across Editions 51:09 Creating a Useful Multiverse 01:02:23 Planar Travel 01:04:25 Astral and Ethereal 01:06:56 Feywild and Shadowfell 01:09:30 Inner Planes 01:10:47 Outer Planes 01:12:26 Other Planes 01:13:58 Closing Thoughts 01:16:20 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

May 10, 2023

Episode 138 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Looking Back at the 2014 DMG – Chapter 1! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. How well does it help DMs and what would we change for 2024? News: Weapon Mastery analysis, Keith Baker closes KB Presents, Diana Jones awards, Crowdfunding Spotlight, and more! Contents 00:00 Kids Am I Right? 01:52 Valiant Resistance? 06:07 Polymorph Woes? 13:20 Weapon Mastery 46:01 D&D Movie in Digital 46:34 Diana Jones Emerging Designers 47:20 Keith Baker Closes KBP 49:17 Crowdfunding Round-Up 52:29 2014 DMG Chapter 1 55:07 Worldbuilding 57:04 Core Assumptions 58:04 Utility? 01:03:53 World vs Encounter 01:10:36 Session Focus 01:15:15 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

May 3, 2023

Episode 137 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Roll20 on VTT Updates Morgan Buck and Andrew Searles visit Shawn and Teos to discuss the history of Roll20, upcoming improvements, the company’s role in the industry, international growth, and much more! News: New UA, Class as Content, Acquisitions Inc in Libraries, Strong Hasbro Q1, and more! Contents 00:00 Smile Like You Mean It 01:09 Advanced Rules? 10:39 New UA 18:01 Class as Content 27:16 Library Acquisitions 28:28 Hasbro Q1 30:45 Roll20 Morgan and Andrew! 34:58 Roll20 Origins 38:02 Strategic Changes 41:33 OBS Acquisition 46:43 Upgrading vs New 52:19 Industry Role 59:04 Upcoming Changes 01:06:03 Creators 01:12:06 international Growth 01:16:09 Partnerships and D&D 01:24:13 Find Roll20 01:26:58 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Apr 26, 2023

Episode 136 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Looking Back at the 2014 DMG - Intro! Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. How well does it help DMs and what would we change for 2024? News: Critical Role RPGs, World Record D&D, Into the Motherland Green Ronin, Gloomhaven RPG, Ghostfire on Beyond, and more! Contents 00:00 High School Redux 03:24 Half-Mechanics? 10:57 Home vs Published? 20:47 CR RPGs 24:59 Ronin Motherland 26:42 Gloomhaven RPG 29:05 World Record 34:45 Ghostfire Beyond 36:03 Back to the DMG! 38:26 Revised Chapters 41:48 Additions 49:23 Show Don’t Tell 56:06 Design Time 01:01:43 Monster Manual 01:02:50 DMG’s Intro 01:09:41 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Apr 19, 2023

Episode 135 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Dungeon World and Powered by the Apocalypse! Shawn and Teos move to examine Dungeon World and the Powered by the Apocalypse games. We compare the design to D&D and share what we love most about these innovative story-focused RPGs. News: Big Bad Con Online, Diana Jones, Ampersand Boxers, Design Dash, and more! Contents 00:00 Boys Are Back 00:59 Reinforcing Tone? 08:27 New Class? 14:29 WotC CC? 17:26 Mystery Guidance? 27:23 Design Dash 29:05 Big Bad Online 29:52 Diana Jones 30:48 Trials of Tempus 32:38 D&D Boxers 34:17 Weird Wizard 36:12 Lorecast Crossover 37:44 Dungeon World Overview 43:14 GM Advice 45:10 Powered by Apocalypse 47:00 Character Playbooks 52:42 Moves 59:19 Monsters 01:04:27 Fronts 01:08:22 Find PbtA and DW 01:09:05 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Apr 12, 2023

Episode 134 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Kevin Kulp and the many GUMSHOE RPGs! Designer Kevin Kulp joins us as we discuss how TimeWatch, Night’s Black Agents, Swords of the Serpentine, and many other amazing games all build on the excellent GUMSHOE system. We compare the design to D&D and share what we love most about these innovative RPGs. News: D&D Summit, PH in the Top 100, Stranger Things animated show, Tales of the Valiant, and more! Contents 00:00 D&D Summit! 04:19 VTT Hands-On 10:10 D&D Beyond 13:33 QA and 2024 Rules 23:02 PH Top 100 24:07 Stranger Things Animated 24:50 Tales of the Valiant 26:06 ORC License 29:05 Kevin Kulp! 31:49 GUMSHOE Overview 40:51 TimeWatch 42:20 Campaign Gameplay 57:19 Investigative Characters 1:11:26 Find GUMSHOE 1:14:54 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Apr 5, 2023

Episode 133 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Themes and Genres in RPGs! What is meant by an RPG’s theme? What impact does it have, and why are some games better for a particular theme than others? Shawn Merwin and Ben Byrne discuss themes and genres and present examples in RPGs. News: D&D Direct, Movie Success, VTT Preview, Hobby Grows, and more! Contents 00:00 Ben Byrne! 02:11 Playtest Strategy? 05:58 WotC Taking CC? 10:20 Casters the Same? 14:04 Rogue Speed? 17:51 D&D Direct 28:09 VTT Preview 33:18 New Products 38:52 Movie Success 45:28 RPGs Grow 47:42 Alamo 49:55 Genre/Themes in RPGs 51:56 Why it Matters 54:42 Theme Types 1:29:06 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mar 29, 2023

Episode 132 of Mastering Dungeons! Support the Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e This week's main topic: Rich Lescouflair and the Esper Genesis RPG! Rich Lescouflair joins Shawn to discuss the latest D&D news and Esper Genesis - his amazing sci-fi version of 5E D&D. News: D&D Community Update, Choose-a-path Before the Storm, Donjon & Dragons, and more! Contents 00:00 Rich Lescouflair 01:04 Fate Examples? 02:48 Narrative D&D? 09:28 Treasure in DMG? 13:23 Mundane Treasure? 18:28 D&D Community Update 25:55 Before the Storm 29:58 Donjon and Dragons 32:14 Kickstarters 34:02 Esper Genesis 35:39 Differences from 5E 37:33 Origin 42:08 Barrier Peaks 43:03 Design Decisions 48:24 Building Worlds 49:41 Game Loop 54:26 Dragon vs Spaceship 57:40 Advice on SciFi in DnD 59:30 Sourcebooks and Adventures 1:02:57 Find EG 1:06:56 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mar 22, 2023

Episode 131 of Mastering Dungeons! Support the Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e This week's main topic: The 13th Age RPG! We take a look at 13th Age, an RPG inspired by the 3rd and 4th editions of D&D. Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet encourage greater storytelling and even a bit of chaos. Learn about these innovations and bring them into your game. News: D&D Surveys and Playtests, Old Spice commercials, Action Figures, Movie Previews, and more! Contents 00:00 Entertained 02:03 Playtest Quality? 06:59 How to DM? 10:52 Influencer Standards? 14:52 Key Anachronisms? 20:14 Surveys and Playtests 31:52 Old Spice 33:33 Sneak Previews 34:57 Weird Wizard 35:58 Action Figures 37:07 Kickstarters 38:09 13th Age 39:59 About the Game 42:02 Designers 43:52 Icons 51:13 One Unique Thing 58:37 Escalation Die 1:04:40 Monsters 1:07:57 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mar 15, 2023

Episode 130 of Mastering Dungeons! We both have Kickstarters: Grim Hollow - Vallikan Clans: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/977277590/grim-hollow-valikan-clans Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e This week's main topic: Fate campaigns with Mike Olson! Mike has worked on many Fate projects, so he helps us look into Fate’s collaborative character and campaign creation rules, as well as comparisons to D&D and why Fate is such a great game. News: D&D Community Update, Creator Summit, Movie Reviews, Nebula Awards, and more! Contents 00:00 Ebullient 01:26 Edition Names? 08:32 Swapping Lineage? 12:41 D&D Community Update 18:32 D&D Movie Reviews 21:50 Movie NPCs 23:55 Nebula Awards 24:36 Creator Summit 39:06 Kickstarters 41:12 Mike Olson and Fate 48:26 Words Instead of Numbers 55:48 Dice and Success 59:59 Conceding 1:02:01 Character Creation 1:04:39 Collaborative Campaign Creation 1:11:11 Storytelling Aspects 1:27:54 Fate into D&D 1:29:37 Find Mike and Fate 1:31:41 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mar 8, 2023

Episode 129 of Mastering Dungeons! We both have Kickstarters: Grim Hollow - Vallikan Clans: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/977277590/grim-hollow-valikan-clans Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e This week's main topic: The Fate RPG! We take a look at Fate's RPG and how different it is from D&D. News: D&D movie directors speak, Acq Inc launching Series 2, A national research institute RPG, Books on Class, Kobold Press revises Tome, and more! News: One D&D Approach Update, Paladin and Druid, Avatar RPG in Stores, Branded Meats, and more! Contents 00:00 Basketball Big Boss 01:08 Class Caster Balance? 10:27 Movie Directors 15:50 Acq Inc Approaches 18:05 Research Agency RPG 19:18 Books on Class 20:39 KP Dungeon 23 21:16 Tome of Beasts Update 25:12 Kickstarters 27:29 Fate 28:34 Creators and Creation 32:04 Do Anything 35:57 Mechanics 38:50 Aspects 44:50 Skills and Rolls 51:11 Actions and Game Loop 59:40 Stress and Consequences 1:05:14 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mar 1, 2023

Episode 128 of Mastering Dungeons! Teos celebrates the launch of the Forge of Foes Kickstarter, which you can back and preview here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e This week's main topic: To Be or Not to Be a Villain, with James Introcaso and Rudy Baso! We take a look at other RPGs and compare them to D&D, this time an adventure based on Hamlet with unique mechanics and created for both the Zweihander RPG and D&D 5E. News: One D&D Approach Update, Paladin and Druid, Avatar RPG in Stores, Branded Meats, and more! Contents 00:00 The Happy Way 01:59 One D&D Updates 11:30 Druid and Paladin 27:35 Avatar in Stores 29:32 WizKids Mimic 30:41 Monster Trailer 32:23 Branded Meat 34:01 Cool Name RPG 41:20 To Be or Not To Be 42:23 Rudy and James 43:22 Concept 49:07 Play Experience 52:11 Story Tokens 56:22 Plot and Backstabbing 1:01:16 DnD and Zweihander 1:09:08 Design Approach 1:10:40 Steal This 1:18:40 Find James and Rudy Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Feb 22, 2023

Episode 127 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: Shadow of the Demon Lord! We take a look at other RPGs and compare them to D&D, starting with Shadow of the Demon Lord. An incredibly well-designed game, Rob Schwalb delivers a death-metal RPG with excellent innovations. News: Speak with Dead D&D Trailer, Hasbro Q4 and Monetization, Mangianello TV show, Latin America WotC firings, SRD in CSV, and more! Contents 00:00 All the things 00:56 Character Differentiation? 04:05 Super Bowl Spending? 08:11 Speak with Dead 10:47 Hasbro Q4 16:12 Monetization 20:23 Mangianello Show 21:36 LatAm Firings 24:10 SRD in CSV 25:02 Valikan Clans 25:47 Other RPGs 27:28 SotDL Intro 29:24 Rob Schwalb 34:46 Ancestry and Attributes 42:35 Boons and Banes 46:10 Fast and Slow Turns 49:29 Skills and Corruption 51:51 Professions and Equipment 54:23 Varied Advancement 59:37 Campaign and Setting 1:07:10 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Feb 15, 2023

Episode 126 of Mastering Dungeons! Main Topic: We interview Greg Marks, one of the administrators for the D&D organized play program, Adventurers League. We discuss his amazing introduction to gaming, organized play, conventions, and much more. News: Kyle Brink OGL Interviews, D&D Super Bowl Ad, Free Keys to the Vault Preview, Baldman Games Awards, Andrews McMeel shuts down RPGs, and more! Contents 00:00 Winter Fantasy! 02:42 DM Second-Guessing? 07:31 Open Class Progression? 12:46 Producer vs Author? 21:06 Kyle Brink Redux 27:19 D&D Super Bowl 28:54 Keys Preview 30:16 Baldman Awards 32:24 McMeel Shutdown 33:38 Ed Greenwood Patreon 34:53 Cities Untold 36:10 Forge of Foes 37:31 Valikan Clans 40:54 Greg Marks and AL 1:23:48 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Feb 8, 2023

Episode 125 of Mastering Dungeons! Main Topic: Teos speaks with Kyle Brink, the Executive Producer for D&D. We discuss the OGL, how the D&D Studio works, what WotC has learned, and much more! No news this week due to the interview length. Interview Topics 00:00 How Kyle Started in D&D 04:21 Kyle and the D&D Studio 19:18 OGL 23:59 Royalties 26:58 Content Standards 31:12 Share-Alike 33:18 OGL Process 46:56 SRD Updates 48:59 VTTs and Media 53:29 One D&D 59:36 Final Thoughts 1:06:57 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Feb 1, 2023

Episode 124 of Mastering Dungeons! The show now will release on Wednesdays! Same content, shorter timeframe, thanks to our Patreon support! This week we are heading to Winter Fantasy, so our "Main" segment comes first with a meaty section of Listener Questions and then our news is in the usual News segment. Main: Listener Questions! News: OGL Resolution, D&D Movie Trailer, Critical Role Empire, 13th and Fantasy Age, Pesto Playtesting, and more! News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 News Episode! 02:34 DM Class Features? 12:50 Music Parallels? 19:18 Fracturing Market? 23:46 Project Lessons? 34:27 Number 2! 36:36 OGL Resolution 55:46 D&D Movie Trailer 58:21 Hasbro Q4 1:01:16 Tyranny Reprint 1:02:00 Critical Role Empire 1:03:28 13th Age and Fantasy Age 1:05:13 Smithsonian Images 1:05:45 Creator Lessons 1:08:34 Pesto Playtesting 1:09:23 ENnies Submissions 1:10:59 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jan 26, 2023

Episode 123 of Mastering Dungeons! Main Topic: We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What do the Appendices tell us about 5E’s design, and how does it differ from previous editions? News: Listener Perspectives, OGL 1.2 Review, What Makes D&D, Bent Goblin, and we ask you what Mastering Dungeons should cover next! News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Mere Mortals 01:22 Perspective? 05:34 Bent Goblin 07:23 What Makes DnD? 16:05 Cover Non-DnD? 17:26 OGL 1.2 Response 19:24 Rumor-Journalism 23:05 1.2 Review 26:02 WotC Goals 30:09 License Issues Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 11: Spells! 42:30 Appendices, Conditions 50:22 Gods of the Multiverse 58:09 Planes of Existence 1:07:39 Creature Statistics 1:08:23 Inspirational Reading 1:09:21 PHB Conclusions 1:11:45 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jan 19, 2023

Episode 122 of Mastering Dungeons! Main Topic: We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. How have spells changed across the editions, and what would we change about 5E’s design? News: Listener OGL Listener Questions, OGL Updates, D&D TV Show, Zelda and D&D, and the Best Sellers on Roll20! News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Electric Triangle 01:04 Weak Heals? 08:04 OGL Discourse? 18:46 DnD Guilt? 22:37 Freeform Spells? 27:33 OGL Update 39:09 DnD TV Show 41:21 Zelda & D&D 42:33 Best Roll20 Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 11: Spells! 43:58 Spells in 5E 46:19 Spell Lists 50:17 Spell Design 52:54 Narrative 1:02:30 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jan 12, 2023

Episode 121 of Mastering Dungeons! Main Topic: We look back at the Spellcasting chapter of the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? News: The OGL Leaks, WotC Cancels Video Games, LEGO, Winter Fantasy, and an MMO Flumph! News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Newly Minted 01:19 Unconscious Design? 17:26 OGL Leaks 21:04 WotC Cancels Video Games 25:16 LEGO Winner 26:20 Winter Fantasy 27:29 Neverwinter Flumph Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 10: Spellcasting! 28:41 Chapter 10 Spellcasting 30:57 Defining a Spell 33:29 New Players 36:31 Utility and Resources 41:17 Cantrip Goals 44:05 Spell Slots 47:24 Casting in Armor 49:27 Rituals and Wands 52:30 Casting Details 57:35 Components Outdated? 1:03:18 Concentration 1:06:27 Grid vs ToTM 1:11:00 Saving Throw Woes 1:17:11 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Jan 5, 2023

Episode 120 of Mastering Dungeons! We look back at the Combat chapter of the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we discuss Dungeon23, the OGL for One D&D, AL updates, Core20 RPG, Winter Fantasy, and how you can vote to rate Mastering Dungeons the best podcast in 2022! News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Fireworks 01:11 5E GM Improvements? 11:45 Dungeon23? 18:06 OGL Elephant 29:23 Playtest Survey 30:12 AL and Winter Fantasy 32:30 Vote for Us! 33:09 ENWorld Columnist 34:13 Core20 Preview 35:32 GMs Magazine 36:59 NDAs and Social Media Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 9: Combat, Part 2! 38:20 Attacks! 42:22 Unseen Attackers 44:50 Ranged and Melee 48:25 Simplicity vs Complexity 50:30 Cover 54:28 Healing and Damage 1:06:57 Resistance and Vulnerability 1:09:11 Healing 1:21:26 Mounts and Underwater 1:26:25 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Dec 22, 2022

Episode 119 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 9 Combat! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we remember Kim Mohan and review news about the DMs Guild and Roll20 integration in February, a comic of the D&D cartoon, Arcadia in Print, and the Swinginess of the D20! Listeners ask us about Spell Balance. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Flumph Heroics 01:31 Spell Balance? 12:25 Kim Mohan 16:10 DMs Guild Roll20 17:49 DnD Cartoon Comic 19:32 Arcadia in Print 20:10 Swingy D20 Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 9: Combat! 26:54 Chapter 9 Combat 27:29 Surprise 32:12 Initiative 35:37 Your Turn 45:30 Movement 47:06 Actions in Combat 52:42 Hide 55:32 Ready 58:43 Search 1:07:17 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Dec 15, 2022

Episode 118 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: We finish our look at the Cleric playtest. We take a look at epic feats and changes to the rule glossary! In our News segment we look at WotC hiring a Creative Lead, Hasbro fireside chat, Baldur's Gate 3, and more. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Werewolf Soccer 01:31 Designers Play? 11:33 Spell Schools? 16:28 WotC Creative Lead 22:50 Hasbro Fireside Chat 42:54 Baldur’s Gate 3 Date 45:00 Manual of Gainful Exercise 46:51 Tasselhoff’s Pouches of Everything 48:32 Epic Boons and Feats 54:42 Glossary and Actions 59:14 DCs and Aid 1:03:48 Amor and Attacks 1:06:57 Banishment, Barkskin 1:09:11 Dazed, Difficult Terrain 1:11:14 Grappling, Guidance 1:13:59 Final Glossary Thoughts 1:19:29 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Dec 8, 2022

Episode 117 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: A shiny new playtest packet features a revised cleric class, three species, and a rule glossary! In our News segment we look at free Dragonlance monsters, new D&D Movie Trailer, Race retired as a term, the end of Acq Inc, and more. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Snow Time 01:24 Community Split? 12:15 AL Storylines? 22:07 Spell Schools? 22:47 Free DL Monsters 24:26 Movie Update 26:30 Race Retired 28:27 First Survey Recap 37:29 Acq Inc Ends 40:53 Stormwreck AL Adaptation 41:54 Citadel of the Unseen Sun Main Segment: Clerics and Species - One D&D Playtest 45:09 Clerics and Turning 47:59 Domain Critique 52:42 Feature Analysis 59:17 Holy Order 1:04:25 Blessed Strikes 1:06:57 Life Domain 1:09:11 Ardling 1:15:45 Dragonborn 1:17:00 Goliath 1:21:23 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Dec 1, 2022

Episode 116 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 8 Adventuring! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at WotC's OGL Response, LEGO and Trivial Pursuit, Mongoose Innovation, and more! Listeners ask us about Compatibility and Settings, the Challenge of Designing for Compatibility, and Adventure-Specific Backgrounds. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 5E Number 17 02:32 Compatible Setting? 08:45 Compatibility Design Challenge? 12:45 Adventure Backgrounds? 17:07 WotC OGL 25:29 LEGO D&D 27:00 Trivial Pursuit 28:33 Radical Mongoose 31:51 Dicebreaker Finalists 33:06 Winter Fantasy 34:22 Esper Genesis 35:06 Free Elven Tower Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 8: Adventuring! 35:37 Chapter 8 Adventuring 37:30 What Should Be Here? 47:39 Time 48:55 Overland Travel 1:00:37 Travel Activities 1:05:10 Falling and Suffocating 1:11:40 Vision and Light 1:14:16 Social Interaction 1:16:05 Short + Long Rests 1:20:43 Lifestyle + Downtime 1:26:58 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Nov 29, 2022

RPG veterans and game designers Teos Abadía and Shawn Merwin look at the game and the hobby of D&D from a variety of viewpoints: reporting the news, understanding the business, reviewing the products, and illuminating the design. Each show typically has three segments: - Listener Questions - Industry News - Main Segment (review, interview, or focused topic) Each episode is one podcast on your podcast listening app. On YouTube, we provide each episode as two videos, so you can enjoy the Questions/News and Main segment separately if desired. Find our show notes and support our podcast and YouTube efforts: https://www.patreon.com/MasteringDnD Listen to us on your favorite podcast device: https://MasteringDungeons.podbean.com Chat with us on Twitter or Mastodon: https://twitter.com/MasteringDnD https://dice.camp/@MasteringDnD Find Shawn: https://twitter.com/shawnmerwin https://ghostfiregaming.com/ Find Teos: https://alphastream.org/ https://youtube.com/@AlphastreamRPG https://dice.camp/@Alphastream https://twitter.com/Alphastream Mastering Dungeons is a weekly podcast, made with care for your enjoyment.

Nov 24, 2022

Episode 115 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 7 Using Ability Scores! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at Dragon+ removal, Hasbro selling eOne, 6E OGL rumors, landing a job with Paizo/WotC, and more! Listeners ask us about crafting rules, useful backgrounds, and playtesting. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Happy Tofurkey 01:35 Crafting Rules? 09:52 Useful Backgrounds? 14:04 Playtesting? 23:55 Dragon+ Removed 31:51 Hasbro Selling eOne 35:12 6E OGL Rumor 43:21 Landing Paizo/WotC Jobs 48:16 WizKids Movie Minis Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 7: Using Ability Scores! 50:31 Ability Scores 54:33 Dump Stats 1:03:13 Advantage/Disadvantage 1:09:26 Proficiency Bonus 1:14:19 Passive Checks 1:18:10 Checks and Saving Throws 1:20:00 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Nov 17, 2022

Episode 114 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 6 Customization Options! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at WotC's new Inclusion Review, Neverwinter's Drow, Kobold Press Hiring, Hasbro Overproducing, and more! Listeners ask us about Art and Subversion, Concise Adventures, and 6E's Audience. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Grace and Dignity 01:03 Paranoia Gear? 02:58 Concise Adventures? 10:34 Art and Cooperation? 20:31 6E’s Audience? 26:03 WotC inclusion Review 33:16 Dragonlance on Guild 34:16 Neverwinter Drow 36:24 Monty Python RPG 38:47 Game Master’s Books 41:29 Innsmouth Garden Society 42:28 Kobold Press Hiring 43:06 Hasbro Overproducing? 46:17 Collville on Equipment Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 6: Customization Options! We look back at the 2014 5E's Feats and Multiclassing. 50:11 Is Customization Optional? 53:59 Multiclassing’s Past 56:03 6E Goals? 58:00 5E Multiclassing 1:02:54 Proficiency Bonus 1:04:23 Spellcasting 1:08:22 Feats in 5E 1:12:54 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Nov 10, 2022

Episode 113 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Equipment! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at the D&D Movie rescheduling, the first FR map, NFL player on the DMs Guild, and more! Listeners ask us about non-D&D RPGs and fulfilling campaigns. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 Thank you 02:00 Other RPGs? 09:00 Alex Kammer on Campaigns 12:23 Movie Rescheduled 13:40 Original FR Map 16:18 Roll20 Looks Back 19:20 Johnny Stanton 22:52 Sandy Pug School 24:21 Eternal Night Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Chapter 5: Equipment! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? 27:57 Why Equipment? 38:25 Starting Equipment 43:09 6E Options 47:38 Living Accounting 49:40 Wealth 53:41 Armor and Weapons 01:06:10 Adventuring Gear 01:10:50 Lifestyle 01:12:41 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Nov 3, 2022

Episode 112 of Mastering Dungeons! This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Inspiration and Backgrounds! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at new D&D movie toys, D&D digital bundles, Flumph shirts, Dragonlance sneak peak, and more! Listeners ask us about Inspiration and One D&D's design audience. News Segment and Listener Questions 00:00 MD Goes Indy! 03:53 Inspiration Problem? 07:18 Design for Players? 14:06 Expert Survey Live 17:25 New Digital Bundles 22:50 Flumph Shirt! 24:22 Dragonlance Preview 25:50 Movie Toys 28:37 Tabletop in Iran 29:47 Dicebreaker Awards Main Segment: 5E Revisited - Inspiration and Backgrounds! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? 31:52 Intro 33:09 Inspiration 57:10 Backgrounds 1:10:40 Where to Find Us Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Oct 27, 2022

Shawn and Teos’ live Mastering Dungeons seminar from GameHoleCon! News! Questions! Clapping! Smells! This one has it all! Breaking News Links Wes Schneider Reveals Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen […]

Oct 20, 2022

Moving through the Unearthed Arcana that is OneD&D, Shawn and Teos talk about the future of Feats, while it occurs to the editor that he has twice made the joke […]

Oct 13, 2022

Taking a look at the Expert Classes from the upcoming One D&D, Shawn and Teos break down the new options for these classes. Are they better? Are they worse? Are […]

Oct 6, 2022

With more and more information around OneD&D coming out by the week, Shawn and Teos take a look at the concept of Expert Classes and determine what, if anything, it […]

Sep 29, 2022

With a very special guest to open the show, Teos and Shawn follow up with breaking down the Backgrounds and Personality aspects of Fifth Edition; all the stuff under Character […]

Sep 22, 2022

Once again breaking down the classes of D&D 5e, Shawn and Teos talk Class Satisfaction and balance as they continue the deep dive into the world’s most popular role-playing game. […]

Sep 15, 2022

As Dungeons & Dragons continues to take over the world, Teos speaks with two amazing contributors to the hobby who are at the forefront of the Latine RPG space, Mike […]

Sep 8, 2022

Never has nor should it ever be said that the Masters of Dungeons, Shawn and Teos, are without class. In this episode, they prove this by breaking down the Classes […]

Sep 1, 2022

Feats, don’t fail us now… unless they did. Introduced in 3rd Edition and a mainstay for games that have diverged from that system, what is the role of Feats in […]

Aug 25, 2022

What is One D&D and how will the concept of Races change as we look at Backgrounds. Shawn and Teos have tackled the present, tussled with the past, and now […]

Aug 18, 2022

As the exploration of 10 years of Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons continues, Shawn and Teos explore character creation: how has it changed, what’s better, and what’s not as good? […]

Aug 11, 2022

10 years after the release of the Basic Set of Fifth Edition Dungeons & Dragons, one of the biggest conversations fans are having revolves around character Race/Ancestry. This is part […]

Aug 4, 2022

Continuing the conversation about the Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons by talking about where it’s been and where it might be going! Breaking News Links New UA Release – […]

Jul 28, 2022

Dave Christ joins Shawn to talk Organized Play; both in-person and virtual! The origin of Baldman Games, the challengers of adjusting to a changing paradigm, and what is to come; […]

Jul 21, 2022

Released on July 19th from MacMillan Publishing, The Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons, is about the real story of the world’s most popular tabletop role-playing game and Ben Riggs […]

Jul 14, 2022

With a decade of having the rules of the Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons in front of us, Shawn and Teos reflect on the past ten years of the […]

Jul 7, 2022

I mean… what mare need be said! Also: Shawn and Teos are also on, but still: James Intracaso!!! He’s great! You know this already! He talks about Arcadia which you […]

Jun 30, 2022

Teos has returned from his European adventure! What sort of crazy antics did he get up to? Almost none! Which is why he and Shawn talk about technology, marketing, sales, […]

Jun 16, 2022

While Teos is off on another adventure, Scott Fitzgerald Gray joins Shawn to talk about ways to make combats interesting and thrilling for everyone at your D&D table. With Shawn […]

Jun 9, 2022

This week we return to the Great Wheel as the Modrons continue their way around the Outlands! What more does this massive adventure have in store and how, of course, […]

Jun 2, 2022

So, the Modrons have begun their march, but something is wrong and… Waitaminnit! There’s no Modrons in this episode! Here there be Giants! Shawn and Teos break down the big […]

May 26, 2022

Once, the Planes of the Multiverse opened up to all the Prime realms of Dungeons & Dragons. Through the many gateways in the City of Doors, Sigil, adventurers walked the […]

May 19, 2022

Wildspace gets wilder! Shawn and Teos tackle the classic Spelljammer adventure Wildspace and talk about the good, the bad, and oh so much weird. Breaking News Links Get Acquisitions Inc […]

May 12, 2022

Space, the Final Frontier… Again. Once more unto the breach, Shawn and Teos break down the classic Spelljammer Adventure, Wildspace, the first adventure published for the original Spelljammer boxed set! […]

May 5, 2022

Big news has come out of Wizards of the Coast, this past weekend, so what does it all mean? Shawn and Teos work through it and break it down as […]

Apr 28, 2022

While Shawn is, once again, kidnapped by some ne’er-do-well Astral monsters, Teos sits down with none other than Ajit George, writer on Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft and project lead […]

Apr 21, 2022

Sly Flourish himself stops by to talk the big news about Wizards and D&D Beyond and whatever D&D Direct is! Get the breakdown from the best! Big News Links The […]

Apr 14, 2022

Shawn and Teos chat about updating Dungeons & Dragons Fourth Edition adventures, comparing them to the classic adventures they’ve already looked at. This fascinating look into D&D’s most controversial edition […]

Apr 7, 2022

Concluding the series on updating adventures from prior editions of D&D, Shawn and Teos go over some of the things they’ve learned over the last eight episodes and develop some […]

Mar 31, 2022

One of the greatest D&D adventures of all time; and the first to be published under the D&D “Expert” rules; the Isle of Dread! Sure it’s been updated and supplemented, […]

Mar 24, 2022

Continuing this series, Shawn and Teos tackle the classic 1984 adventure Dragons of Despair; the first of an epic series of Dragonlance adventures! Links Dragonlance? Unearthed Arcana – Heroes of […]

Mar 17, 2022

Shawn and Teos tackle the classic adventure N1. Enjoy! (Oh, sorry. Back in the day, we all knew the adventures in the same way you might attack your sibling playing […]

Mar 10, 2022

The Dungeoneering Duo finishes their breakdown of the classic adventure Pharaoh! They take a look at what is classic and fun and what might need some updating to modern gaming […]

Mar 3, 2022

Question: Does Teos have a favorite adventure? Answer: Yes! Question: Is it an old adventure from a prior edition of D&D? Answer: Again, yes! Specifically, from 1st Edition AD&D! Question: […]

Feb 24, 2022

Shawn and Teos continue their discussion on converting adventures from the Original Dungeons & Dragons, 1st and 2nd Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and 3rd and 4th Edition Dungeons and […]

Feb 17, 2022

There are tons (kind of literally) of adventure content supported by the Fifth Edition of Dungeons & Dragons; especially given the breadth and depth of the DMs Guild and other […]

Feb 10, 2022

After a brief hiatus, the dragons are back and the Dynastic Dungeoneers are ready to finish them off! Shawn and Teos break down the last of the bestiary, finishing their […]

Feb 3, 2022

Blogger and author Keith Ammann (The Monsters Know What They’re Doing, Live to Tell the Tale, and MOAR! The Monsters Know What They’re Doing) joins Shawn and Teos to discuss […]

Jan 27, 2022

Teos welcomes game designer and the brand new Adventurers League Admin, Toni Winslow-Brill on to talk about the amazing arc of her career and what to expect from her role […]

Jan 20, 2022

New year, new dragons! Enter the bestiary of Fizban’s as Teos and Shawn take a look at the creatures related to dragons, as well as a slew of new kinds […]

Jan 13, 2022

Draconomicon. There’s really nothing more that needs be be said about this chapter than that. Draconomicon. There, I said it again… Draconomicon! Links Richard Whitters, Art Director at WotC, Leaves […]

Jan 6, 2022

So, where do dragons live and what do they sleep on? No, the Masters of Dungeons aren’t launching bespoke ad campaigns for Zillow and Helix Sleep, respectively. Instead, we’re talking […]

Dec 30, 2021

As 2021 comes to a close, we present a very special Mastering Dungeons with a letter to Shawn and Teos from a future game designer and a break down of […]

Dec 23, 2021

Some dragons might try to go it alone, but for the ones that don’t, Shawn and Teos talk different kinds of dragon relationships and new options for running dragon minions. […]

Dec 16, 2021

Sure, you know what your dragon thinks of the PCs and you have every single piece of that dragon’s massive treasure hoard accounted for and your PCs are ready with […]

Dec 11, 2021

Tis the season of giving and, in that very spirit, the Masters of Dungeons discuss the various gifts the Dragons of the worlds of D&D can offer player characters according […]

Dec 3, 2021

Want draconic character options? Shawn and Teos give us a crash course on the options presented in Fizban’s! This Episode’s Links D&D TV Shows are a big focus for WotC/Hasbro […]

Nov 25, 2021

What would a book about dragons be without subclasses? The Masters of Dungeons break down the Fizban’s all-new options for Monks, Rangers, and more! This Episode’s Links WotC is Hiring […]

Nov 18, 2021

The Masters of Dungeons, together once more, have decided to take on the other half of the title of the game in which they’ve become such experts: Dragons! Explore the […]

Nov 12, 2021

There’s been a lot going on! So much that Shawn was eaten and we failed to notice in time to help him! While he fights his way out of that […]

Nov 4, 2021

Shawn and Teos host a panel with Greg Marks, Content Manager for Adventurers League, talking about inserting horror into your games. They break down what you need to get a […]

Oct 28, 2021

With all the news coming out of everywhere, the Masters of Dungeons decided to discuss it in front of the audience at Gamehole Con! This Episode’s Links Wired Magazine on […]

Oct 21, 2021

After a couple weeks apart, Shawn and Teos. the Mad Wizard and AlphaStream, are back together to strongly finish their discussion on starting strong when running your campaigns! So how […]

Oct 14, 2021

With Teos adventuring through Europe, Shawn sits down with Mike Shea to talk about the massive amount of news over the last several weeks. Among these, of course, is his […]

Oct 7, 2021

The fantastic creative team responsible for creating the terrifying Witchlight Carnival (and bringing the characters from the 1980s action figure line into Fifth Edition!), Stacey and Will sit down with […]

Sep 30, 2021

Having broken down the opening tales of various world-saving, monster-stopping, nearby-community-protecting, heroic adventures for use by brand new Dungeon Masters, Shawn and Teos decide to tackle somewhat more… profitable fare. […]

Sep 23, 2021

Shawn is back and he and Teos continue to break down the opening sequences of the hard cover D&D Fifth Edition adventures! Which ones hold up as adventures for new […]

Sep 16, 2021

With Shawn off wrestling another monster project, the amazing Scott Fitzgerald Gray steps in to join Teos in chatting about how to Master the Dungeons! This Episode’s Links Wild Beyond […]

Sep 9, 2021

Shawn and Teos continue their deep dive into what’s good—and what could maybe use some other fixing—in the opening adventures and/or adventure setups of the hardcover adventures from Wizards of […]

Sep 2, 2021

How does a new Dungeon Master make sure they’re coming out of the gate running? The Masters of Dungeons take a look at the opening adventures (or adventure setups) of […]

Aug 26, 2021

Now that they’ve talked about what you need to do before you even consider running a game, Shawn and Teos break down, in detail, what they would like to see […]

Aug 19, 2021

So after listening to the first part, you’ve studiously taken everything into account and prepared as best you can for running your game… now what? Specifically, what, exactly, are you […]

Aug 13, 2021

Shawn and Teos go back basics as they tackle the topic of getting started and where to do it: the beginning? before that? Once again, the Masters of Dungeons offer […]

Aug 5, 2021

Shawn and Teos welcome James Haeck to discuss Critical Role’s Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting (link) – what’s new, what’s updated, and what’s Matt Mercer like to work with? Spoiler: He’s cool! […]

Jul 29, 2021

Who knows what evils lurk in the mists, shadows, and echoing halls of Ravenloft? Shawn and Teos know! Let’s take a look at the Monsters that Make the Domain of […]

Jul 22, 2021

With the Mad Wizard once more on a quest, Teos summons the new AL Community Director and his fellow streamer; from the Broadswords!; the amazing Bee Zelda to talk about […]

Jul 15, 2021

What is the nature of the Mists of Ravenloft? Where do the Domains come from? Why is magic different in the Realm of Mists? Shawn and Teos take on questions […]

Jul 8, 2021

There are more to the Domains of Dread than can be held in a singular tome. So what does it take to build a Dread Domain from scratch? Shawn and […]

Jul 1, 2021

What sort of hero would dare brave the mists of Ravenloft? What kind of adventurer would be willing to fight for hope against the unending waves of terror held by […]

Jun 24, 2021

WebDM co-host Jim Davis stops by as Shawn gets some much needed rest… or he’s battling his way out of a hive of neogi or the like. There was oddly-colored […]

Jun 17, 2021

We go through the adventure in Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, the House of Lament! Spoilers abound as the Dungeoneers break down the experience of running this complex adventure. The […]

Jun 11, 2021

Having defined horror in D&D games, we now look at the tools a DM might use to bring those themes to their campaign. From specific tools to Ravenloft such as […]

Jun 3, 2021

What does horror mean in Dungeons and Dragons? The Masters of the Dungeons, Shawn and Teos, discuss this as they jump forward to chapter 4 of Van Richten’s Guide to […]

May 27, 2021

We take a quick tour of Candlekeep and the selection of anthology adventures written by some of the best designers working today! Shawn and Teos break down how best to […]

May 20, 2021

With the 10th episode talking Tasha’s, what left for Shawn and Teos to discuss? Feats and Spells and Magic Items! Oh, my! We say goodbye to Tasha’s Cauldron by spotlighting […]

May 13, 2021

The Masters finish up their coverage of Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything… or do they! They break down the section on group patrons: What kind of options could there be to […]

May 6, 2021

So what does Tasha’s offer for those who are looking for something different with their Wizard? Spells! Arcane Traditions! And Cantrip Formulas? Yep! That’s a thing! This Episode’s Links WotC […]

Apr 29, 2021

After a massive pile of news, Shawn and Teos dive back into Tasha’s epic tome, sifting through the enigma wrapped in a mystery shoved in a conundrum schucked into a […]

Apr 22, 2021

Shawn and Teos are joined by economist, journalist, and podcaster Tim Harford to talk about the future of Dungeons & Dragons (and the role-playing hobby, in general) from an economic […]

Apr 15, 2021

Get ready to make a deal as Shawn and Teos walk us through the Warlock options in Tasha’s. Including new spells, new class options, new eldritch channelling choices, and two […]

Apr 8, 2021

Shawn and Teos work more of their magic on the player side of Tasha’s with a breakdown of the Sorcerer options and subclasses. Then they navigate the tricky surroundings of […]

Apr 1, 2021

Shhh! The Masters of the Dungeons are breaking down the options for Rogues from Tasha’s including the long-awaited Soulknife! Whoops. Got excited there, I forgot we had to stay quiet […]

Mar 25, 2021

The amazing Celeste Conowitch comes by to chat with Shawn and Teos about making rules as she breaks down her latest project, The Venture Maidens Campaign Guide, an adaptation of […]

Mar 18, 2021

Shawn and Teos talk the folk of the Feywild from the latest Unearthed Arcana, discuss the latest from Adventurers League, and review other D&D news. Then it’s off to track […]

Mar 11, 2021

Shawn and Teos home in on the Ranger options from Tasha’s, breaking down the variety of options for one of the most discussed classes. Then we start at Session Zero […]

Mar 4, 2021

What was the purpose of the ghostly visions from last week? Found out here as Shawn and Teos head back into Tasha’s Guide to break down the options for those […]

Feb 26, 2021

Shawn and Teos come in from the cold and are joined by another pair of Masters of Dungeons, GM Tim and Marcello De Velazquez to break down what they’ve gone […]

Feb 20, 2021

Coming in a little late and in from the cold, we wrap up the last few chapters of the Icewind Dale. Also: more alternate Monk action with fewer Monk puns! […]

Feb 12, 2021

After the news, the Men of Mastery KICK this one off by GRAPPLING with the options for the Monk, from Tasha’s. Does the Monk get the PUNCH it needs or […]

Feb 4, 2021

I’m writing this before I even look at the notes in an attempt to predict what will be in this episode and I foresee… even more news, including a celebration […]

Jan 28, 2021

The news in the D&D world continue to come fast and furious and the Dungeoneers sort it out before tackling Tasha’s twisted turn at the Fighter and the haunted chapter […]

Jan 21, 2021

With a pile of news heading up this episode, Shawn and Teos break down the many events of the week before heading back into Tasha’s tome and continuing their frozen […]

Jan 14, 2021

The Masters of Dungeons continue to crash their way through the Dale; pushing through Chapter 5, where those hanging threads can get tied up; as well as exploring the options […]

Jan 7, 2021

Welcome to the second episode of our rebranded show! Teos and Shawn boldly bear on through Cleric Domains in Tasha’s Guide and the encounters of Chapter 4 of Icewind Dale […]

Dec 31, 2020

Shawn and Teos continue their path through… wait a minute! This is a different podcast! *Ahem* WELCOME to Mastering Dungeons! Continuing on from the former Down with D&D podcast, “The […]

Dec 24, 2020

This week, Shawn and Teos continue reviewing bard options from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything and then return to the cold to wrap up Chapter 2 of Icewind Dale. This Episode’s […]

Dec 17, 2020

This week, the Dungeon Master Duo keeps Tasha’s discussion to a minimum, breaking down the options for the Bard, and head back out into the cold, discussing some more of […]

Dec 10, 2020

Shawn and Teos brace for the glacial chill of the rime-covered skies of the… wait, no… they kind of get into with with Tasha’s, this time. Hey, everyone! An episode […]

Dec 3, 2020

With their snowshoes tied on tight and cold steel in their hands, Shawn and Teos continue to trudge through the unrelenting chill of the Icewind Dale. This time around, they […]

Nov 26, 2020

The Dungeoneering Duo continues their trek into the inhospitable frigidity of the Dale. This time around, they offer some advice on the various quests in Chapter 3 and how to […]

Nov 20, 2020

The adventures begin… somewhat! Shawn and Teos discuss the finer points of the sandbox that is presented in Chapter Two, which includes going through the advice for character advancement and […]

Nov 12, 2020

Shawn and Teos close the book on Chapter 1 of Icewind Dale, addressing how to run your players through the extensive contents of this chapter! This Episode’s Links Wizards of […]

Nov 5, 2020

Shawn and Teos continue their long trek into the cold wilderness of the Icewind Dale, scraping the secrets of the Ten Towns from the unforgiving ice. This Episode’s Links Critical […]

Oct 29, 2020

Shawn and Teos continue their look at the Ten Towns and the quests they have to offer. This Episode’s Links Table Top Babble More information about D&D Virtual Play Weekends […]

Oct 22, 2020

Shawn and Teos start taking a look at the Ten Towns and the quests they have to offer. The Three Musketeers on Kickstarter through October 30th Nazi Dracula Must Die […]

Oct 16, 2020

We’ve learned what we can of the harsh environment and been introduced to the basics of the Ten Towns, it’s time to delve in, addressing the various mysteries and threats […]

Oct 8, 2020

What are the Ten Towns and how do characters in the Icewind Dale interact with them? Shawn and Teos break down this chapter and all the resources, therein. Sage Advice […]

Oct 7, 2020

The exploration of the frozen lands continues with a discussion on the many ways the environment can kill! As a bonus: tips on fishing the knucklehead trout! Baldur’s Gate III […]

Sep 24, 2020

The Gents continue their long trek across the frozen wastes of the Icewind Dale, this time, addressing some advice for new GMs! D&D Celebration was a success! Free adventure! Digital […]

Sep 18, 2020

Shawn and a safe-and-sound Teos kick off a series on the cold, unforgiving landscape of Icewind Dale! Avalon Hill is now directly part of Hasbro Watch the “Best Thing about […]

Sep 10, 2020

The final journey into the mythical realms of Theros as Shawn and Teos talk about how your players can deal with the gods! Wizards Announces Magic the Gathering set – […]

Sep 3, 2020

The breakdown of the Theros content continues as Shawn and Teos talk about the kinds of stories that could be told with the supplement. Pick up Mythic Odysseys of Theros […]

Aug 27, 2020

Shawn and Teos break down using the Magic: The Gathering world of Theros in everyone’s campaigns! Pick up Mythic Odysseys of Theros D&D Celebration! VP of D&D Posting UA Survey […]

Aug 20, 2020

Successfully navigating their way to the last of the series focusing on exploration in Dungeons & Dragons, the gentlemen of DwDD talk about hexes… not the kind a Warlock uses, […]

Aug 14, 2020

Walking the twisting, winding path of all the facets of exploration, once more, Shawn and Teos pull out their verbal machetes* and cut through the brush of why exploration is […]

Aug 6, 2020

One of the pillars of Dungeons & Dragons that doesn’t always get the spotlight, what does exploration mean in D&D? Teos and Shawn really get into the meat of this […]

Jul 30, 2020

So how do you teach Dungeons & Dragons to a new player? Well, Teos and Shawn break down the challenges and pitfalls of teaching a new player while offering tips, […]

Jul 23, 2020

Welcome to Teos, the new on-going co-host to Down with D&D! Shawn and Teos break down traps! What are they used for, how can they be used by a DM, […]

Jul 16, 2020

Feats, don’t fail them now! Shawn brings in Adventurers League Content Manager, Game Designer, and Writer, Greg Marks to break down some of the concepts found with Feats in Dungeons […]

Jun 25, 2020

Shawn is joined, once again, by Teos Abadia to discuss the recent D&D Live event and the future of live gaming! Teos has a website you can check out! Teos […]

Jun 18, 2020

Lysa joins Shawn, once more, to discuss the process of building a world to run games in and how to make the people in them come to life while DMing […]

Jun 5, 2020

Shawn is joined by James Introcaso, Mike “Sly Flourish” Shea, and Scott Fitzgerald Gray to talk about the trio’s new project Fantastic Lairs: Boss Battles & Final Encounters for 5e […]

Jun 1, 2020

[Editor’s Note: Thanks for being patient with this episode. There will be two eps of Down with D&D, this week. Enjoy!] Meagan Maricle and Wolfgang Baur from Kobold Press join […]

May 21, 2020

Content manager for the Adventurer’s League and super-DM, Greg Marks joins Shawn to dig into what is needed to be a DM for Fifth Edition D&D. Follow Greg on Twitter […]

May 15, 2020

Shawn is joined by the creator of Esper Genesis, Rich Lescouflair, and they have a chat about using the rules of 5e to adapt to other settings, games, and concepts! […]

May 7, 2020

LaTia Bryant joins Shawn to talk about the amazing D&D Community and how it’s expanding and evolving! Follow LaTia on Twitter Follow LaTia on Instagram Keep up with LaTia on […]

Apr 30, 2020

Joining the Mad Wizard is the ENie-Award Winning Ashley Warren to talk about what it takes to really get into writing great stories for RPGs! These two powerhouse writers really […]

Apr 23, 2020

Chris joins Shawn to talk about the effects of the Pandemic on gaming currently, and how it may affect the future. This is a powerful and hopeful conversation that we […]

Apr 16, 2020

It’s finally happened! Doc Palindrome, himself, joins Shawn in chatting about comedy in gaming! Doc on Twitter

Apr 10, 2020

D&D Beyond head writer James Haeck joins the Mad Wizard chatting about the experience of adding new players to the group! Given what is happening in the world, this comes […]

Apr 2, 2020

The prolific Jeff Stevens joins Shawn to talk about possibly the most important topic in the gaming (or any) industry: expanding the audience. Jeff is on Twitter Jeff’s website Jeff […]

Mar 26, 2020

Podcaster, game designer, and Venture Maiden, Celeste Conowitch, chats with Shawn about something we can all learn more about, Gaming Online. Tips and tricks and boundless fun to be had […]

Mar 12, 2020

Note from Doc – Hi folks! I had a little issue with the audio with this one and, thus, Shawn sounds a bit like he’s using a megaphone while Will’s […]

Mar 6, 2020

Shawn sits down with the highly-prolific Scott Fitzgerald Gray to talk about the experience of editing games and adventures! Scott’s Website Scott on Facebook Scott on Twitter Scott on the […]

Feb 27, 2020

Sly Flourish, himself, chats with the Mad Wizard about all things Dungeons & Dragons! Plus: Great details about how to play D&D 1-on-1! Ruins of the Grendleroot Sly Flourish on […]

Feb 21, 2020

James Introcaso stops by to talk about working with Matt Mercer on the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount about the world of Critical Role! James Introcaso on the DMs Guild D&D […]

Feb 13, 2020

The Mad Wizard hit Winter Fantasy and came back with some great interviews from some top names in Dungeons & Dragons! Check them out! Alan Patrick of the D&D Adventurers […]

Feb 4, 2020

Shawn and Teos talk about the history and current state of D&D Organized Play. Links Teos Abadia on the DMs Guild Calimshan Adventurer’s Guide by MT Black Blood Hunter Class […]

Jan 20, 2020

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus. This time they travel to the Wandering Emporium. Links The Lucky Die AP DnD 5e podcast Laeral Silverhand’s Explorer’s Kit […]

Jan 13, 2020

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus. This time they finish the Path of Demons of start the Path of Devils. Links The Lucky Die AP DnD […]

Jan 6, 2020

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus. This time they chat about the Path of Demons. Links Two new members of the Adventurers League AL Team: LaTia […]

Dec 31, 2019

Shawn and Chris talk about gaming resolutions and low level D&D. Check out the Sneak Attack patreon bonus show for a chat about epics and other non-traditional game play.

Dec 26, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus. This time they chat about the warlords of Avernus and Haruman’s Hill. Links Wizards of the Coast and Tuque Games […]

Dec 16, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus. This time they chat about Fort Knucklebones and it’s dark comedy along with how the rules for infernal war machines […]

Dec 11, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus as they start trekking across Avernus towards Fort Knucklebones. Links Unearthed Arcana: Fighter, Rogue, Wizard D&D movie to focus on […]

Dec 2, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus as they finish up making their way through Elturel and make a leap of hellish faith into Avernus proper. It’s […]

Nov 26, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus as they delve into the depths of Avernus…well, Elturel in Avernus at least. Either way they’re making their way through […]

Nov 18, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus, covering more of A Tale of Two Cities, now it’s time take a walk to Candlekeep and then catch the […]

Nov 11, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus, covering more of A Tale of Two Cities, now it’s time to talk about boats and rich evil dukes homes, […]

Oct 29, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue their discussion about Descent into Avernus, covering a lot of A Tale of Two Cities, especially the Dungeon of the Dead Three. They also touch on […]

Oct 21, 2019

Shawn and Chris dissect the UA on the Cleric, Druid, and Wizard. Links Unearthed Arcana: Twilight, Name, Fire

Oct 14, 2019

Shawn and Chris start their discussion about Descent into Avernus and cover a few news items. Links Let’s Design an Adventure Encounters in Avernus

Oct 7, 2019

Shawn and Chris finish their discussion about Acquisitions incorporated and also talk about the Bard and the Paladin from Unearthed Arcana. Links Bard & Paladin: Eloquent Heroics

Sep 30, 2019

Shawn and Chris get into the Unearthed Arcana about the Aberrant mind Sorcerer and the Lurker in the Deep Warlock. Enjoy and thank you for listening. Links Unearthed Arcana – […]

Sep 23, 2019

Shawn and Chris keep going on AI, they’re talking about growing the rest of the Players Options in this edition of Down with D&D. Links Baldur’s Gate: Descent into Avernus […]

Sep 13, 2019

Shawn and Chris keep going on AI, they’re talking about growing the franchise today. Links Eberron: Rising from the Last War announced Core 3-3 Tom Lommel The Spirited Investigation

Sep 6, 2019

Take a listen to a panel from PAX West about creating in another’s world from PAX West that Shawn was on with Teos Abadia (Alphastream), Liz Spain (Lone Shark Games), Kat […]

Aug 30, 2019

Shawn and Chris keep going on AI, breaking down the company positions and franchise tasks! Also, support the Commandroids Kickstarter! Not D & D, but super cool!

Aug 23, 2019

Money, Money, Money, Moooooooney…MOOOONEY!!! We’re gonna take some time to talk about the Acquisitions Inc book that our own Mad Wizard helped put together. We also get magical and mystical […]

Aug 19, 2019

Do you want a challenge? I’ll give you a challenge and then for dealing with the challenge we will resolve the situation with some type of consequence. No, it’s not […]

Aug 1, 2019

Do you want a challenge? I’ll give you a challenge and then for dealing with the challenge we will resolve the situation with some type of consequence. No, it’s not […]

Jul 18, 2019

It’s time to talk about all the things you get for doing stuff in your D&D game. No, not the TPK death stuff but all the shiny, magical, treasure and […]

Jul 13, 2019

Shawn interviews the incomparable Elyssa Grant, producer with Penny Arcade and project manager for Acquisitions Inc! @Hobbitzez

Jul 1, 2019

Sly Flourish is getting down with us to talk about the Grendleroot and his newest book, kickstarter, and methodology for adventures Links Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot

Jun 20, 2019

Doc attempts to distract the listeners from the fact that everyone is too tired from Origins to get the usual quality of content. Results may vary. New episode next week!

Jun 14, 2019

Flow: the action or fact of moving along in a steady, continuous stream. We’re talking about the concept of creating flow in your adventures today. Enjoy and we’ll catch you […]

Jun 10, 2019

Descend into a hell of infernal machines from a city that chews up and spits out adventurers. We delve into the newest storyline from Dungeons and Dragons along with DnD […]

May 30, 2019

We’re talking about Box Text. That’s right. Box Text. Think we can’t do a whole episode about Box Text. Well, you’d be wrong. We can and we do. Enjoy and […]

May 23, 2019

The Mad Wizard chats with Alex Kammer, Director of Gamehole Con, on his new Kickstarter for D&D, the Sea King’s Malice! Links Alex Kammer’s Twitter The Sea King’s Malice Kickstarter

May 20, 2019

Shawn and Chris’ conversation about adventure design moves into hooks and openings but before they get to that Shawn interviews AL Administrator Amy Lynn Dzura. Enjoy and we’ll catch you next week. […]

May 9, 2019

Shawn and Chris talk continue to talk about frameworks and how they can help you design adventures. This is the second of two parts where we talk about Frameworks during […]

Apr 26, 2019

Shawn and Chris talk about frameworks and how they can help you design adventures. This is the first of two parts where we talk about Frameworks during our adventure designing […]

Apr 11, 2019

Shawn sits and chats with Ruty Rutenberg chat about a variety of topics including Morgrave Miscellany, Maze Arcana, and a variety of other media enterprises and publications.

Apr 4, 2019

Shawn and Chris chat about the scope and length considerations when designing adventures. Part 2 of our encounter and adventure design series. Enjoy. Links Video of the history of Dragonlance […]

Apr 1, 2019

Shawn and Chris chat about an overview of designing adventures which is a continuation of the encounter design series. Enjoy. Links Tactical Maps: Adventure Atlas Mirt’s Undermountain Survival Guide CCC-BMG-MOON2-1 […]

Mar 28, 2019

Shawn and James Introcaso get together to talk about teamwork and the trials, tribulations, triumphs, and tricks of creating with a group of people. Links Tabletop Babble Morgrave Miscellany Wayfinder’s […]

Mar 14, 2019

Shawn and Chris start building constructs, mixing potions, and summoning…turrets…huh? We also talk the Critical Role Kickstarter. Links Dan Dillon is new WotC D&D Game Designer Dwarven Forge – Dungeon […]

Mar 7, 2019

Shawn and Chris continue to get into the nitty gritty of the pillars of play and cover exploration and how to mix those pillars. Enjoy Links Ghosts of Saltmarsh New […]

Feb 28, 2019

Shawn and Chris get into the nitty gritty of the pillars of play and cover combat and social. Enjoy Links A Warlord Class for 5e from Schwalb Entertainment/Max Press Tactical […]

Feb 25, 2019

Shawn and Chris talk about some of their foundational ideas and concepts when designing encounters. Enjoy Links Stranger Things’ Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set Plays Mike Wheeler’s Adventure Love’s Labour’s […]

Feb 14, 2019

Shawn gets down with Mike Shea at Winter Fantasy. Enjoy the interview. Links Mad Wizard’s Menagerie Patreon

Feb 7, 2019

Chris and Shawn get down with the planes of existence. It’s gates, and shadowfey fellwild realms, and fire & ice, and all the wackiness of the Elemental Chaos, Limbo, and […]

Jan 30, 2019

Chris and Shawn get down with the premier spot on the internet for all things D&D. They wax poetical about D&D Beyond. They both love the sight and then give […]

Jan 23, 2019

Chris is taking the week off and Shawn is conversing with Teos Abadia about a variety of things related to DnD. Links DM David on Monster Ecology: Three Reasons the […]

Jan 16, 2019

It’s our final look at Waterdeep Dragon Heist. Enjoy as we delve into some of the lairs of the villains and how they affect the campaign. Links The Streets of […]

Jan 15, 2019

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Jan 14, 2019

We’re talking Listener Q and A this week as we take a number of questions from the audience and dive into them. Enjoy and let us know what you’d like […]

Jan 14, 2019

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Jan 11, 2019

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Jan 9, 2019

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Jan 7, 2019

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Jan 4, 2019

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Jan 2, 2019

It’s all about having a little help from your friends in this weeks episode of Down with D&D. Shawn and Chris take some time with the UA article on Sidekicks […]

Jan 2, 2019

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 31, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 28, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 27, 2018

This week we’re getting into a discussion about player contributions based on an article by DM David. It’s an excellent article with some wonderful ideas and our discussion gets into […]

Dec 25, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in conjunction with the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 21, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in anticipation of the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 19, 2018

We’re taking a break from Dragon Heist to talk about Urban Adventures. We give the 101 overview of how we see Urban adventures working and use Eberron, Waterdeep, and Avalon […]

Dec 18, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in anticipation of the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 14, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in anticipation of the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 13, 2018

It’s time for Dragon Heist Chapter 4, Part 3. It’s the end of chapter 4 and where the end of the adventure is. The vault where all the coins are. […]

Dec 7, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in anticipation of the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Dec 6, 2018

It’s time for Dragon Heist Chapter 4, Part 2. We’ve come to a very interesting chapter in the book. The villain decides a lot of what happens here and there […]

Nov 30, 2018

Welcome to the Streets of Avalon by the Wednesday Evening Podcast All-Stars. This special re-release is in anticipation of the Streets of Avalon Kickstarter to be produced by Encoded Designs […]

Nov 28, 2018

It’s time for Dragon Heist Chapter 4, Part 1. We’ve come to a very interesting chapter in the book. The villain decides a lot of what happens here and there […]

Nov 21, 2018

It’s time for moar Dragon Heist. What happens when you have your own tavern in Waterdeep. We talk a little about that and a bunch of adventure seeds you can […]

Nov 14, 2018

It’s time for moar Dragon Heist. What happens when you have your own tavern in Waterdeep. We talk a little about that and a bunch of adventure seeds you can […]

Oct 31, 2018

It’s time for moar Dragon Heist. Time to talk about adventuring at level one and how you might manage to not kill your PCs right away. Get down. Links Mad […]

Oct 24, 2018

The darkest man in gaming lands on Down with DnD to cast a shadow over us with his Lordly presence. It’s Rob Schwalb coming to talk Shadow of the Demon […]

Oct 16, 2018

We’re going back to get down with mythic Ireland in D&D. It’s the Moonshae Islands part duet. Get down and get boggy. Links New Issue of Dragon+ Issue 22 Wolfgang […]

Oct 15, 2018

We’re going back to get down with mythic Ireland in D&D. It’s the Moonshae Islands part duet. Get down and get boggy. Links Great D&D Beyond Article: Creating Hero-Villain Bonds […]

Oct 2, 2018

The Mad Wizard is in the house talking about his Menagerie and we’re also gonna get down on some monster design. Links The Mad Wizard Patreon Preparing for Nuke-Con 2018 […]

Sep 25, 2018

We’re talking about Mythic Ireland and Vikings and Fey OH MY!!! Get down with some D&D.

Sep 18, 2018

It’s time to talk about DMs and how you can get started. We hit all the basic places for information and give some intro tips of our own. Enjoy and […]

Sep 11, 2018

We’re heading back to Eberron to talk Dragon Marks. We’ll get into the nitty gritty of what they are, how they fit into Eberron, and their design. So get down […]

Aug 28, 2018

Challenge levels!?! We’re talking about challenge levels?!? Do they even matter and what is this edition of D&D trying to do with them. All that and more as we get […]

Aug 21, 2018

It’s OP. IT’S OP. No, not over powered. It’s organized play. So get O, get O, and get P because the mad wizard Merwin and Chris do on this episode […]

Aug 14, 2018

We’re going to the admins on this one. It’s Lysa Chen and Alan Patrick to talk about all the new changes coming to the Adventurer’s League starting at the end […]

Jul 31, 2018

New settings. Alert. We have new settings. Chris and the Mad Wizard Merwin get down with Eberron and Ravnica, the two newest upcoming releases for D&D 5e. Get magically down […]

Jul 24, 2018

Punch up a game for one night only. Chris and the Mad Wizard Merwin get down on One Shots this week. How to structure them, write them up, and the […]

Jul 17, 2018

Is it elegant and does it matter. Chris and the Mad Wizard Merwin get down on the level of depth in D&D, where it is, where it isn’t, and why […]

Jul 10, 2018

It’s time to get down with the Gamehole, the Borderlands, and the convention the Gamehole is named for. It’s Alex Kammer and he’s here to dish about everything him up […]

Jul 3, 2018

Let’s get down with talking. Actually we talk a lot about challenges that aren’t about fighting and ways to approach them. Enjoy and we’ll talk to you next week. Links […]

Jun 26, 2018

Let’s get down with Origins 2018. We had a good time. You probably heard the audio from our panel. This week, since Chris did zero D&D at Origins Cindy is […]

Jun 19, 2018

Lets get down with the buisness of Dungeons and Dragons. Shawn and Chris talk about making money and how it works from the outside as freelancers and small publishing company […]

Jun 6, 2018

Lets get down with the city of splendor. It’s Waterdeep and the Stream of Many Eyes. There’s gonna be a Dragon Heist followed by delving into the most famous of […]

May 22, 2018

Let’s get down. It’s time to get monstrous up in here. Shawn and Chris fang up for a discussion on the Unearthed Arcana article on Centaurs and Minatours. Enjoy and […]

May 15, 2018

Let’s get down with RP. It’s talking about bringing the storytelling out in play because we need to emote sometime. Just emote ok? We can emote together. Just tell me […]

May 8, 2018

Let’s get down with taking things apart. It’s all about breaking down adventures on this episode of Down with D&D. Get Down.

May 1, 2018

Let’s get down with expanding into the Realms. It’s all about AL news and what it means for the Adventurer’s League going forward. Get down and get out there. Links […]

Apr 24, 2018

Get down with some new blood. That’s right. It’s about bringing in warm bodies and showing them the ropes. Chris and Shawn talk about teaching new players the game.

Apr 17, 2018

Let’s get down with extras, supporting, flat, and round characters. It’s all about NPCs this week as we break down what you need to do to make them happen at […]

Apr 10, 2018

Let’s get down with more alternate rules for Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition. We’re talking about combat rules enhancements for your DnD game and getting all Viking up in here […]

Apr 3, 2018

Let’s get down with compromise, playing in the same sandbox, and gaming in the same universe. Shawn and Chris are talking about sharing worlds from three different points of view […]

Mar 27, 2018

Let’s get down with Tier 1 and Tier 2 today. It’s all about rocking out local and regional adventures this week. Links Watch Mordenkainen’s Mayhem on Mondays DM David Talks […]

Mar 20, 2018

Let’s get down with Tier 3 and Tier 4. It’s high level adventures this week on Down with DnD. Link Mordenkainen’s Tome of Foes preview: Duergar D&D Beyond Content off […]

Mar 13, 2018

Let’s get down with the sickness. Well, if that sickness is a demonplague then you should be all about it, right? I know James Introcaso is and he joins us […]

Mar 6, 2018

Let’s get down with Haeck and making stuff for the people. It’s a conversation about one man’s journey into this crazy world of being a writer in the gameosphere and […]

Feb 27, 2018

Let’s get down with the Con. Not Constitution but Conventions. Preparing and running to be the most proficient DM in the room be it AL or Homebrew. Shawn and Chris […]

Feb 13, 2018

Feb 7, 2018

Let’s get down with Logo’s and the DM’s Guild. People be up in arms and we’re gonna talk about the logo controversy today. Get down and get Logo with it.

Jan 30, 2018

Jan 23, 2018

Jan 16, 2018

Jan 10, 2018

Jan 3, 2018

Dec 26, 2017

Dec 19, 2017

Dec 12, 2017

Dec 5, 2017

Sep 26, 2017

Let’s get down with starting up. This time it’s Jason Hobbs from Hobbs & Friends of the OSR talking with us about if D&D is accomplishing what it set out to […]