Mastering Dungeons

Dark Sun, Star Wars, Warcraft, Greyhawk, and All D&D Gen Con News! Aug 05, 2026

Episode 302 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Dark Sun, Star Wars, Warcraft, Greyhawk, and All D&D Gen Con News!

Wizards of the Coast goes all-out with a D&D Tower, Carnival, Drone Show, and tons of peaks at upcoming releases.

News: Wizards President Departs, Free League Unbound, Daggerheart Plans, ENnies, and more!

Contents
00:00 Gen Con Happened!
02:46 Spoiler Descriptions?
06:10 Is Bloat Bad?
18:00 John Hight Departs as WotC Pres
21:25 Starter Set and Big Box Stores?
23:24 Free League Unbound
27:48 Daggerheart 3-Year Plan
34:45 Cosmere and Plotweaver
36:31 Monte Cook Games
36:49 Diana Jones Award
38:13 ENnies Award Recipients
41:33 Tabletop Show is Back?
44:00 Doom-Dust of the Disintegrator
45:01 Leveled Lairs - Aboleths
46:09 D&D's Huge Gen Con Reveals
47:48 Keynote Roadmap
49:13 Season of Magic
50:48 World of Warcraft
58:42 Dark Sun Confirmed!
01:05:25 No DMAP for Dark Sun
01:08:16 Greyhawk Crown of the Witch Queen
01:11:04 Star Wars D&D
01:15:39 D&D Icons
01:21:31 Partnerships
01:27:41 Universes Beyond for D&D
01:31:22 Warlock
01:32:55 D&D Beyond News
01:36:39 D&D Designer Talks
01:38:44 Drone Show
01:41:10 Overall Thoughts
01:45:11 Shout-Outs
01:49:21 What Are We Gonna Do?
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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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/).

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Best of Spelljammer Light of Xaryxis! Jul 29, 2026

Episode 301 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: The Best of Spelljammer Light of Xaryxis!

An adventure crafted to feel like an old sci-fi TV show? We look at how well it captures the classic Spelljammer setting.

News: World of Warcraft and D&D? Hasbro Q2 Growth? D&D Movie Sequel Script? And more!

Contents
00:00 Apocalypse Now
02:16 Bound by Blood
04:22 Add to Peril in Pinebrook?
12:51 Right Amount of Lore?
19:19 D&D and Warcraft
24:31 Hasbro Q2 Strong Growth
28:51 D&D Beyond Use
33:14 WotC Growth
34:47 How Big is D&D?
39:01 D&D Movie Sequel Script
41:21 Renegade and Anne Rice
43:35 The Guild Ren Faire'd
45:31 Crediting Creators
51:51 D&D Soaps
52:25 Gen Con DMAP Vinyl
53:16 Spelljammer Light of Xaryxis
54:37 Spelljammer History
01:04:10 D&D in 2022
01:08:50 Premise and Approach
01:15:04 Part 1: Seeds of Destruction
01:22:51 Part 2: Terrors of the Void
01:33:29 Part 3: Chaos in Doomspace
01:36:21 The Dark Sun Rumor
01:40:29 Part 4: Saviors of the Multiverse
01:44:00 Astral Elf Goals
01:47:15 Final Choices and Thoughts
01:50:18 Shout-Outs
01:54:42 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.

Sirrangia and Worldbuilding Through Campaign Building! Jul 22, 2026

Episode 300 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Sirrangia and Worldbuilding Through Campaign Building!

Now that we are creating an adventure setting for our top Patreon supporters, we look at worldbuilding through the lens of campaign building.

News: Season of Magic Launches, Big D&D Gen Con Plans, Good and Bad Paizo News, and more!

Contents
00:00 300th Episode!
04:23 Balance My Vecna?
16:37 No-Win Situations?
21:33 Season of Magic Releases
22:57 D&D Encounters News
27:06 D&D's Big Gen Con Plans
30:21 DMAP Season 2
33:20 Free Play Along Pack
37:18 Sirius Dice for Daggerheart
39:12 Good and Bad Pathfinder News
41:46 Cosmere is Hiring
43:40 NPC Notes
45:43 Thrones & Bones Bundle
46:11 Scipio's New Blog
46:59 Sirrangia and Worldbuilding
48:02 Every Group is Different
51:59 Worldbuilding Basics
57:32 Worldbuilding in RPGs
01:04:35 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up
01:09:59 Designing Sirrangia
01:14:06 Rules and Worldbuilding
01:18:47 Our Patreon Polls
01:23:53 Surviving Strangehollow
01:25:15 Shout-Outs
01:29:42 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.

Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster with Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish! Jul 08, 2026

Episode 299 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster with Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish!

Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish joins Shawn to discuss his latest book providing GM advice!

News: D&D Fan Expo Canceled, 2026 ENnie Nominees, July D&D Drops, and more!

Contents
00:00 Mike Shea AKA Sly Flourish!
05:32 Reuse Our Old Ideas?
10:34 Who Would You Hire?
16:43 Which Idea?
23:30 D&D Fan Expo London Canceled
27:03 July D&D Beyond Drops
39:34 Demiplane and Roll20 Hiring
43:10 2026 ENnie Nominees
47:14 Another Stab at Making Enemies
48:02 A Nightmare Adventure
50:38 Welcome Mike Shea
1:02:03 Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster on Kickstarter
1:02:42 What Does Lazy Mean?
1:06:43 Discrepancy at the Table
1:09:25 Why This Book Now?
1:10:36 8 Steps for Gameplay
1:14:05 Steps in Non-D&D RPGs
1:23:05 Importance of Randomness
1:29:48 Find the Kickstarter
1:30:09 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.

Why The Wild Beyond The Witchlight is So Good! Jul 01, 2026

Episode 298 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight!

It’s easy to be positive when Shawn and Teos review one of the finest 5E adventures! Hear why this adventure excels!

News: Wizards has a Union, Latest D&D Jobs, Have We Moved Past the OGL, and more!

Contents
00:00 Draw Steel Monsters
01:54 Shawn's Wizardly Trip
04:18 Guest Appearances
05:36 Small Publisher Store Programs?
15:18 OGL Impact Over?
21:17 WotC New Union
23:32 New and Updated D&D Jobs
30:06 Season 2 Actual Play Announced
33:02 Preorder Vampire's D&D Book
38:19 Origins Award Winners
39:26 Forgotten Odysseys
40:54 The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
43:20 Product History
51:11 Premise and Approach
01:00:53 New Species, Backgrounds, Hooks
01:08:32 Witchlight Carnival
01:13:48 Carnival Trackers and Events
01:25:16 Chapters 2-4
01:31:02 Palace of Heart's Desire
01:33:44 Appendices and Tools
01:36:28 Shout-Outs
01:39:57 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.

Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing Jun 24, 2026

Episode 297 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing!

Daði Einars joins Teos to discuss RPG design, gameplay, and his work with Mystic Arts to create for Patreon, YouTube, and your table!

News: Vampire the Masquerade for D&D, New D&D Card Decks, WotC Staff Explain UAs, and more!

Contents
00:00 Welcome Daði Einars!
01:59 Corruption in Kryptgarden
08:00 Shield Lands Writing Team Correction
08:57 Big Battle Advice?
13:06 West Marches Draw Steel?
15:38 DDB Partner Q3 Schedule
17:02 Vampire Comes to D&D
23:42 Updated Villainous Options
27:19 Diana Jones Finalists
28:34 2024 Spell, Monster, Magic Decks
32:04 Free RPG Day June 27
33:05 China Gets Weird
36:39 The Last Round Table
37:28 RPG Trader
38:49 Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing
40:06 Who is Daði Einars?
44:37 Iceland's Baldur's Gate
47:36 Patreon and YouTube
57:15 Dungeon Jam
01:00:25 Crown of the Fungal Queen
01:10:12 What Does the Future Hold?
01:12:33 RPGs and System Hacking
01:16:10 Unused Plot Leads
01:19:54 Evaluating Game Systems vs D&D
01:26:56 Find Daði
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/).

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Best of Rime of the Frostmaiden! Jun 17, 2026

Episode 296 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Rime of the Frostmaiden!

We review this mega sourcebook and adventure in a single episode! See which parts of the cold will warm your heart.

News: Paizo’s Difficult Future, Renegade Drops Essence20 for 5E, City of Greyhawk on DDB, 3/4 of D&D Players in Last Decade, and more!

Contents
00:00 Knicks and Cups
01:17 Actual Shield Lands Authors
03:35 The Angel's in the Details
07:49 Running Megadungeons?
14:40 Paizo's Difficult Future
19:06 Drops Sharing Changed
20:32 Free City of Greyhawk on DDB
21:07 Renegade Drops Essence20 for 5E
23:34 Wizards on Japanese Localization
25:27 Dungeons & Dragons Questers
28:30 Biggest Crowdfunders Take 2
31:47 Rime of the Frostmaiden
34:01 Product History
41:17 Adventure Premise
47:39 Backgrounds and Setup
52:57 The Ten Towns
57:01 Wilderness and Places of Interest
01:00:57 Sunblight and Chardalyn Dragon
01:10:38 Auril's Abode
01:12:15 Caves of Hunger and Netherese City
01:13:24 Epilogue Decisions
01:18:20 Trinkets, Secrets, and Monsters
01:20:46 Shout-Outs
01:25:16 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.

D&D Encounters Unboxing! Jun 10, 2026

Episode 295 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: D&D Encounters Unboxing!

We unbox the D&D Encounters Ravenloft season contents and share the design of the Shadows of Sithicus adventure!

News: WotC Changes Drops Policy, Neon Odyssey Breaks Records, Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Remakes, Ravenloft Finishes AP, and more!

Contents
00:00 Our Favorite Show
02:04 Same Kobold Lair?
04:52 What Inspires Us for Designing?
11:06 Ravenloft's Final AP and Play Pack
13:29 New Monthly Drops
18:04 Shawn on New Drops Monsters
19:49 Changes to the Drops Program
23:08 Neon Odyssey Breaks Records
25:17 Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Remakes
28:34 AL and LoG Organized Play Update
29:59 New Greyhawk Supplements
30:52 Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster
31:55 Encounters Unboxed!
33:07 Quick Overview of D&D Encounters
37:36 Different from AL and LoG
42:15 Stores and Kits
45:30 What's In the Box?
48:33 Poster Maps!
50:38 DM and Player Rewards!
55:38 Dice Packs
58:13 What's in the Adventure?
01:03:11 Interactive Celebration Event
01:07:19 After the Celebration
01:10:44 Making Stores Happy
01:12:00 Encounters Dates
01:16:57 Shout-Outs
01:20:41 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/).

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Best of Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus! Jun 03, 2026

Episode 294 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus!

This adventure changed drastically to become a prequel to the highly successful Baldur’s Gate 3. We take a look at the best the adventure offers!

News: Ravenloft Horrors Within Early Access, Kickstarter Backs Down, 2nd Legends of Greyhawk Pack, Latest Drops and DMAP, and more!

Contents
00:00 Teos Plays Crows and Chickens
05:17 Starting a Serious Campaign?
14:59 Ravenloft Horrors Within Early Access
18:55 Free International Day of Play Adventure
20:20 Licensing Expo and D&D
25:09 D&D Advisory Group
29:10 New Legends of Greyhawk Pack
30:24 D&D Website Update
31:11 Latest DMAP and Drops
37:58 EMEA Region Release Dates
39:27 Save with Steve Conley
40:03 Kickstarter Backtracks on Mature Content
42:02 BG: Descent Into Avernus
44:43 Product History
53:21 Prequel to Baldur's Gate 3
55:37 Premise and Approach
58:46 Overview and Background
01:03:58 Cult Investigations in Baldur's Gate
01:08:40 The Evil Behind the Cults
01:12:44 Candlekeep
01:16:40 Elturel Has Fallen
01:22:46 Exploring Avernus
01:25:57 The Sword of Zariel
01:31:55 Appendices and Final Thoughts
01:35:36 Shout-Outs
01:39:53 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.

Best of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage! May 27, 2026

Episode 293 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage!

Undermountain comes to 5E! We delve into Halaster’s secrets and the best of the 23 wild dungeon levels!

News: Hasbro’s Strong Q1, Crows RPG Playtest, Daggerheart Birthday News, D&D Video Game Canceled, and more!

Contents
00:00 Crows RPG Playtest
03:00 Attacks of Opportunity Good?
13:51 Ravenloft and Encounters Coming
17:41 June 11 International Game of Play
18:59 Gen Con D&D Event News
23:04 Hasbro's Strong Q1
26:20 Cybersecurity Incident Costs
29:43 How Big is D&D?
31:16 Hasbro Cancels D&D Video Game
32:10 Daggerheart Birthday News
33:57 Dungeon of the Mad Mage
35:47 Product History and AL Admins
42:09 Roll 20 Update and Sale
42:51 Premise and Approach
47:42 Undermountain's Story
53:20 Adventure Hooks and Secrets
56:51 Best of Mad Mage: Level 1
01:03:12 Best of Arcane Chambers
01:04:54 Best of Skullport and Trobriand's
01:06:24 Flumphs and The Matrix
01:08:38 Vanrakdoom and Spelljammers
01:11:20 Terminus and Fazrian
01:12:50 Mad Halaster's Lair
01:18:58 Shout-Outs
01:23:20 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.

Best of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist! (MD 292) May 20, 2026

Episode 292 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist!

Urban adventures come to 5E. Decide which faction we belong to as we find the best travel spots in all of Waterdeep!

News: Daggerheart’s Birthday, Mordenkainen vs Bahamut, Crowdfunding Whale Trends, and more!

Contents
00:00 Draw Steel on Our Patreon!
03:30 Our Proudest Design Work?
10:28 Key Role for Antagonists?
20:20 Chris Cocks Promises D&D Crossovers
24:06 Daggerheart's Birthday
25:17 Night Market at Gen Con
26:40 Mordenkainen vs Bahamut
27:15 Dullahan DMAP Play Pack
28:42 EN World Visits Mongoose Publishing
31:26 Scipio on Crowdfunding Whales
36:27 Dwarven Forge Caverns Reforged
37:25 Keith Ammann on Shadomain.Com
38:27 Waterdeep Dragon Heist
40:39 Product History
47:01 Credits
50:40 Premise and Approach
52:01 Story Premise
55:14 When it Takes Place?
57:00 More Factions
58:03 Introduction
01:05:59 Volo in Need
01:12:13 Trollskull Alley and Your Home
01:15:09 Fireball and Multiple Paths
01:21:05 Dragon Season
01:27:26 Seasons and Villains
01:34:27 Shout-Outs
01:38:21 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.

The Famous and Infamous Tomb of Horrors! (MD 291) May 13, 2026

Episode 291 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: The Famous and Infamous Tomb of Horrors!

We look back at one of the most feared adventures across RPGs! We discuss how to have fun with this adventure and revisit the most interesting challenges it presents.

News: D&D Beyond Drops, Hasbro’s CEO on D&D’s Digital Future, Enormous Crowdfunders, and more!

Contents
00:00 Sheep and Hikes
04:20 Patent Clarification
05:20 Converting AL to Home Play?
10:50 5E Release Freelancer Impact?
18:57 D&D Beyond Announces Drops
35:03 Chris Cocks on D&D's Digital Future
41:32 WotC Union Not Recognized
42:38 DMAP Waxworks Play-Along Pack
45:05 Tim Harford on Lee Gold
46:02 Weapons of Lore for Draw Steel
46:48 Enormous Crowdfunders
50:49 Tomb of Horrors
52:48 Product History
01:02:38 Premise and Approach
01:08:01 How to Have Fun With This
01:13:12 Introduction
01:19:23 Rooms 3-13 and Illustration Book
01:28:28 Best of Rooms 14-21
01:32:09 Best of Rooms 22-30
01:39:01 The Final Crypt
01:47:43 Shout-Outs
01:52:15 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.

Best of Tomb of Annihilation! (MD 290) May 06, 2026

Episode 290 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Tomb of Annihilation!

Welcome to the jungle as we explore the hottest parts of Tomb of Annihilation!

News: D&D on Ted TV Show, D&D Beyond Class Packs, Small Kickstarter Math, UBI and Creative Hobbies, and more!

Contents
00:00 Weekend of Annihilation
02:11 Publish Updated Adventures?
06:58 What Do You Mean by a Good Story?
18:12 D&D on Ted TV Show
22:51 Diamond Bankruptcy Update
25:21 DDB Class Packs
27:41 Mist Horrors DMAP Play Pack
29:47 D&D Rules According to Past Players
31:55 AI Popularity Drop in Music
34:13 UBI and Creative Hobbies
37:18 Draw Steel Magazine
38:32 Math of Small Kickstarters
41:15 Tomb of Annihilation
44:28 Product History
49:55 Premise and Approach
54:37 Intro and Adventure Structure
57:18 Port Nyanzaru
01:03:56 AL, Adept, and Other Add-Ons
01:05:19 The Land of Chult
01:13:25 Dwellers of the Forbidden City
01:17:36 Fane of the Night Serpent
01:20:19 Tomb of the Nine Gods
01:23:36 Cradle of the Death God
01:27:04 New Rules and Monsters and Handouts
01:28:39 Shout-Outs
01:33:03 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/).

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Best of Gary Gygax’s Against the Giants G1-2-3! (MD 289) Apr 29, 2026

Episode 289 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Against the Giants G1-2-3!

We revisit the classic Against the Giants Dungeons & Dragons adventure, including the very first adventure ever published for D&D! Join us as we walk the halls, glacier, and steading to find the best of this influential series.

News: WotC Team Unionizing, Free Zombie Clot Encounter and Draw Steel Treasures, WotC’s AI Patent, D&D Encounters Explained, New UA, and more!

Contents
00:00 PC Roles in Daggerheart
07:58 ToV Giants for Patreon!
08:47 Converting Old Adventures to 5E?
16:10 Dungeon Masters AP is Live
20:10 Free Zombie Clot Encounter
22:37 Gremishka's 2nd Play Pack
23:37 New DMAP Soundtrack
25:00 D&D Encounters Explained
39:54 WotC's AI Patent
45:54 MtG Arena Team Unionizing
46:37 UA Villainous Options 2
48:45 Free Draw Steel Magic Items
52:07 New Official Terrain
54:04 Against the Giants
56:00 Additional Disclaimer
57:20 A Brief History
01:01:03 Premise and Approach
01:11:52 Introduction
01:16:56 Wheels Within Wheels Structure
01:19:01 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief
01:24:16 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl
01:29:20 Hall of the Fire Giant King
01:40:00 Amazing Elder Elemental God Area
01:47:16 Shout-Outs
01:51:18 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.

How Good is D&D’s New Website? (MD 288) Apr 22, 2026

Episode 288 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: How Good is D&D’s New Website?

We take a look at D&D’s new site and discuss how well it works for new players, community, Baldur’s Gate fans, new Ravenloft and actual play reveals, and much more!

News: New Ravenloft Details, Dungeon Masters AP, Daggerheart Hope and Fear, Legends of Greyhawk, and more!

Contents
00:00 Little Giant Patreon Creations
04:13 Is 5E Oatmeal?
10:07 Montages?
21:28 Ravenloft Horrors Within Details
23:10 D&D's New Actual Play Dungeon Masters
25:42 Actual Play Play-Along Packs
27:37 Legends of Greyhawk on DDB
30:32 Daggerheart Hope & Fear Date
32:08 Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG
34:01 Dice are 12000 Years Old
35:58 Human-Made Alternatives Guide
36:44 Indie Groundbreaker Awards
37:28 Legends of Eleanora Charity Livestream
38:28 D&D's Website
40:50 Looking Back Through Newbie Eyes
45:43 Initial Welcome Screen
49:30 Discover the Feeling of Play
53:14 Your Inner Hero
01:00:34 CPU Intensive
01:02:17 Dungeon Masters New AP
01:08:04 Community?
01:13:21 Inspiring TTRPGs
01:14:38 Digital Games
01:17:14 Cinematic
01:22:19 Ravenloft Landing Page
01:24:58 Preorders and DDB Focus
01:31:44 Shout-Outs
01:36:47 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Best of Storm King’s Thunder! (MD 287) Apr 15, 2026

Episode 287 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Storm King’s Thunder!

Bring the thunder with this giant-filled D&D 5E adventure! Shawn and Teos review what truly makes this adventure shine.

News: Big Patreon News, New D&D Job Speculation, Hasbro’s AI Principles, Ravenloft Comics, and more!

Contents
00:00 Back and Inspired
02:18 Big Patreon News!
05:12 Skip the Boring Bits?
17:19 New Ravenloft Comics
19:31 What a New D&D Job Tells Us
31:47 Evil Hat on Inflation
35:11 Hasbro's AI Principles
40:11 Darrington Press' Great Survey
44:37 Best of Storm King's Thunder
46:22 Storm King's History
52:03 Premise of Ordning and Shakespeare
56:31 Approach and Intro
01:08:31 Starting at 1st vs 5th Level
01:10:22 Chapter 1 Nightstone
01:17:38 Chapter 2 Choice of 3 Towns
01:20:01 Chapter 3 and Quests in the North
01:27:16 Chapter 4 Giant Temple
01:32:17 Chapter 5 Giant Lair
01:38:23 Chapter 10 Maelstrom and Storm Giants
01:41:23 Chapter 11 is James Bond
01:44:01 Chapter 11 Showdown with a Dragon
01:49:39 Shout-Outs and Patreon News
01:54:39 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Best of Curse of Strahd (MD286) Apr 08, 2026

Episode 286 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Curse of Strahd!

One of 5E's highest-rated adventures! Jeff Mueller joins Shawn to discuss why it is so good and how Jeff is running it yet again - this time for Daggerheart!

News: MegaDungeon Month, BG3 TV Show Delays, UA Villainous Options, and more!

Contents
00:00 Introduction
34:29 Curse of Strahd
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Best of Out of the Abyss! (MD 285) Apr 01, 2026

Episode 285 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Out of the Abyss!

Out of the Abyss may be one of the finest Underdark sourcebooks D&D has created… and it’s also an adventure! See what really shines in Out of the Abyss.

News: We Try D&D Beyond’s Quickbuilder, Colbert Helms Lord of the Rings, Cookie Brigade’s History, and more!

Contents
00:00 Teos Has a Sad
01:30 Elemental Evil Update
03:13 Indonesia RPG Scene Update
05:04 Fantasy Properties Into Games?
07:46 Quality of D&D Reviews?
13:48 What Makes Great Adventures
14:50 Starter Set Localized in EU
15:56 D&D Beyond Character Quickbuilder
17:47 Stephen Colbert Writing LotR Movie
19:27 Survey on Tabletop Designer AI Use
22:13 New Dragonlance War Wizards Novel
23:22 History of the Cookie Brigade
24:32 Tatters of Myth Drannor
25:15 Best of Out of the Abyss
26:11 Product History
32:41 Premise and Approach
35:54 Chapter 1: Prisoners of the Drow
42:55 Chapter 2 as Underdark Sourcebook
46:07 The Darklake and Kuo-Toa
49:01 The Instigating Plot
51:28 Gracklstugh, Neverlight Grove, Blindengstone
56:08 Escaping the Underdark to Go Back In
59:36 Mantol-Derith and Fraz-Urb'luu
01:04:42 Gravenhollow and Establishing Facts
01:08:32 Vizeran and His Plan
01:11:23 Wormwrithings and Faction Play
01:14:46 The Fettid Wedding
01:16:55 Against the Demon Lords
01:20:25 Appendices
01:22:27 Looking Back on Its Ranking
01:26:47 Shout-Outs
01:31:52 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Shawn and Teos Do Things For the First Time! Apr 01, 2026

Shawn and Teos Do Things For the First Time!

Welcome to a special edition show, modeled after YouTube's increasingly hard-to-attain quality standards.

Contents
00:00 First Read of ToEE!
00:26 First Time Rolling Dice
01:08 First Time Seeing 5.5
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Why is Temple of Elemental Evil So Good? (MD 284) Mar 25, 2026

Episode 284 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Temple of Elemental Evil!

Shawn and Teos dive into the classic Temple of Elemental Evil, inspiring countless spinoffs including 5E’s Princes of the Apocalypse. From elemental factions to demigods, we look at the best of this design.

News: D&D Greyhawk Announcements, Codex Pricing Reveal, Modules Returning, RPG Growth in Indonesia and Iraq, and more!

Contents
00:00 Sweetest 16
01:22 5E Monsters Either Boring or Deadly?
08:56 Struggling with Prep?
15:18 New D&D Survey
16:40 D&D News from GaryCon
26:51 MCDM Codex Pricing
28:28 Indonesia's Tabletop Scene
30:58 RPG Community in Iraq
33:16 Origins Game Finalists
35:01 D&D Provides Critical Awakening
36:46 Trading Card Manipulation
39:05 Green Games Guide
39:36 Pirate Borg Winds of Hell
40:07 Black Ballad for Shadowdark
40:43 Temple of Elemental Evil
42:12 An Often-Played Classic
44:53 Origins of Elemental Evil?
49:55 Temple's History
54:49 Temple's Legacy
56:51 Hommlet as Innovation
01:01:21 The Moathouse
01:04:25 Cults and Imprisoned Zuggtmoy
01:10:25 Lessons in Boxed Text
01:12:46 Map Booklet
01:13:51 Resting and Travel
01:15:40 Elemental Evil Factions
01:17:58 Interesting Dungeon
01:20:27 Shout-Outs
01:23:46 What Are We Gonna Do?
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D&D Encounters Program with Chris Tulach! (MD 283) Mar 18, 2026

Episode 283 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: D&D Encounters Program with Chris Tulach!

Chris Tulach, organized play manager for D&D, shares how the revised D&D Encounters program will work for stores and home play, including the upcoming celebration event! Chris also discusses the latest with Adventurers League and Legends of Greyhawk.

News: No Tariff Lawsuits, NeoPets Withdraws License, Chris Cocks Interview, Codenames Critical Role, and more!

Contents
00:00 Intro
01:40 Monster Weaknesses and Vulnerabilities?
11:35 Fair Stat Block Manipulation?
17:44 Tariffs Don't Require Lawsuits
21:49 D&D HeroClix
23:26 Hasbro's CEO on AI
29:15 NeoPets Withdraws License
33:15 20 Years of Kobold Press
35:05 D&D Reverse Dungeon Comic
36:02 Codenames Critical Role
38:22 Beyond the Silt Sea Annatan Coast
40:02 D&D Encounters with Chris Tulach
40:29 Chris' Path Through Organized Play
47:53 Longest Org Play Tenure
49:27 Goal of Organized Play
51:41 Measuring Benefits
54:52 Why D&D Encounters Rocked
01:04:37 D&D Encounters in 2026
01:06:32 Celebration Kick-Off Event
01:07:45 Seasons and D&D Encounters Timing
01:12:45 Encounters Through D&D Beyond
01:16:27 Working With Stores
01:17:48 Seasonal Cadence
01:20:02 WPN Store Incentives
01:23:37 Adventurers League
01:26:18 Legends of Greyhawk
01:32:55 Organized Play Options
01:37:06 AL and LoG Seasonality
01:39:22 Follow Chris Tulach!
01:42:31 Shout-Outs
01:46:32 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Matt Colville Blows Our Minds on MCDM and the TTRPG Industry! (MD 282) Mar 11, 2026

Episode 282 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Matt Colville Blows Our Minds on MCDM and the TTRPG Industry!

Matt Colville is here to absolutely blow our minds on how MCDM operates, how it pays, how it has worked to reach an audience, and what the rest of the industry might learn from that!

News: D&D’s New Seasonal Roadmap, Is it Really 5.5, New D&D Website, What is Season of Champions, and more!

Contents
00:00 Go Broncos!
02:03 Making Someone's Idea Ours?
10:52 Our Favorite Projects?
15:56 D&D's 2026 Roadmap!
17:11 Season of Horror and Ravenloft
21:16 Season of Magic and Arcana Unleashed
26:19 Season of Champions
27:33 Other Roadmap Items
30:32 D&D 2024 is 5.5 Maybe?
38:45 New D&D Website
40:48 D&D Beyond Q2 Partner Schedule
41:28 Creating Villains & Lairs
43:08 Matt Colville on MCDM
44:21 Matt's Formative Moment
50:45 What Led to MCDM?
56:31 Lessons from MCDM's 5E Era
01:02:00 Launching Draw Steel
01:09:30 MCDM's Financial Approach
01:15:03 Unique in the Industry
01:22:24 Redefining Industry Rates
01:27:20 Our Struggling Industry and YouTube
01:39:03 Perils of Distribution
01:47:08 Charting MCDM's Future
01:52:11 The Codex and VTTs
01:59:22 Shout-Outs
02:02:52 What Are We Gonna Do?
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D&D Beyond’s Staff Looks to the Future! (MD 281) Mar 04, 2026

Episode 281 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: D&D Beyond’s Staff Looks to the Future!

Brian Perry (DDB Executive Producer) and Zac Cohn (MAPS Product Manager) join Teos and Shawn to share D&D Beyond’s bold future!

News: New D&D London Expo, MCDM Hires for the Future, Critical Role Hires from Hallmark, and more!

Contents
00:00 Weekend Wins
01:36 Why Don't NPCs Fix the World?
06:16 Campaign vs Adventure Design?
10:51 D&D Fan Expo London
14:08 MCDM's Future Includes Paul Hughes
16:25 IGDN Diversity Scholarships
17:25 Industry Sues for Tariff Refunds
19:42 Amber Glenn and Olympic Magic
21:12 Critical Role Hires from Hallmark
23:00 Renegade to Publish Exodus
24:48 BEASTS by Adrian Mejia
26:36 Dragon Rider's Primer
27:42 Fractus the Broken World
28:44 State and Future of D&D Beyond
29:16 Brian Perry and Zac Cohn
34:56 How Wizards and D&D are Organized
39:03 Deciding Priorities
44:03 Rebuilding D&D Beyond
47:23 Quickbuildear and New Players
52:07 DDB as a Honda Accord
55:19 More Features vs Simplicity
56:41 New Functionality
01:02:09 Fully Integrating 3rd Parties?
01:06:24 Use of AI?
01:08:59 Expand the API?
01:10:18 Building a Walled Garden?
01:11:26 Goal of Shifting Play to Digital?
01:13:50 Physical Versions of Digital Dice?
01:15:00 Find Brian and Zac
01:17:15 Shout-Outs
01:20:57 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Best of Princes of the Apocalypse! (MD 280) Feb 25, 2026

Episode 280 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Best of Princes of the Apocalypse!

Teos and Shawn share the best of Princes of the Apocalypse, an adventure that brings back elemental evil and the elder elemental eye to D&D!

News: D&D Beyond’s Roadmap, AEG Parts with Dancey, More WotC Hiring, and more!

Contents
00:00 Intro
01:58 Important to Research Lore?
12:43 Help Players Understand Choice?
18:24 D&D Beyond Roadmap
23:23 WotC Hiring Continues
24:45 AEG Parts with Ryan Dancey
28:47 D&D Cartoon Comics
29:30 Record Pokémon Auction
31:06 Princes of the Apocalypse
31:39 A Positive Analysis
35:12 Product History
37:14 Premise and Approach
44:51 Red Larch is a Great Town
47:59 Low-Level Adventures
50:40 Elemental Cults and Themes
52:46 Adventure Rhythm and Adapting Story
01:03:14 Elemental Nodes
01:07:41 Shout-Outs
01:11:17 What Are We Gonna Do
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Why is Red Hand of Doom So Good? (MD 279) Feb 18, 2026

Episode 279 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Why is Red Hand of Doom So Good?

Teos and Shawn share the best of Red Hand of Doom, a fan-favorite adventure from 3rd edition D&D!

News: Hasbro vs Wizards Q4 Results, How AI is Used at Hasbro, Dark Heart of the Wood, and more!

Contents
00:00 Bringing the Loopiness
02:27 Players Always Team Up?
10:48 What Was or Is D&D Encounters?
15:56 D&D Encounters Returning?
17:46 Hasbro Q4 and 2025 Earnings!
20:24 WotC Q4 and 2025 Results
25:06 Upcoming Partnerships
29:00 Chris Cock on AI at Hasbro
35:04 How Big is D&D?
37:50 MCDM Has a Dark Heart
39:02 D&D's Therapeutic Potential
41:59 Portland Promotes Games
42:48 Evil Hat on RPG Finances
45:17 Nine Worlds and Bad Blood
46:48 Monsters & More for Nimble RPG
47:26 Curse of Stoneshatter Tomb
48:09 Red Hand of Doom!
51:05 Red Hand's History
54:04 Designer Notes
56:53 Premise and Approach
01:01:15 Repeated Approach
01:05:01 Starting Attitudes and Tracking Time
01:09:41 Approach Matters
01:12:20 Part 1 Witchwood
01:15:22 Part 2 Ruins of Rhest
01:17:17 Part 3 Ghostlord's Tower
01:19:19 Part 4 Enemy at the Gates
01:23:31 Part 5 Fane of Tiamat
01:31:50 Shout-Outs
01:36:16 What Are We Gonna Do?
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What Made Tyranny of Dragons Great? (MD 278) Feb 11, 2026

Episode 278 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: What Made Tyranny of Dragons Great?

Teos and Shawn look back at the first 5E hardback adventure, Tyranny of Dragons, discussing our favorite aspects of Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat!

News: Baldur’s Gate 3 HBO TV Show, Polygon on Vecna, Teos Completes Lifetime, and more!

Contents
00:00 Herald's Guild Awards
03:38 BMG and Greyhawk Reveals
04:58 Too Much In-Character Talking?
10:09 WotC Interactions Change Over Time?
15:14 HBO BG3 D&D TV Show
20:03 Beadle & Grimm Spoiler?
22:13 Polygon on Obelisks and Vecna
29:21 Horrified Adds Ravenloft
31:24 Best of Tyranny of Dragons
32:17 Interesting Product History
35:45 Adventure vs campaign
37:37 An Awesome Premise and Approach
40:59 Additional Encounters
42:58 Campaign Villains
45:41 Campaign-Focused Character Options
48:29 Greenest in Flames
52:08 Caravan Chapter
54:42 Memorable Locations and Council of Waterdeep
59:57 Dragon Masks
01:01:21 The Cult Strikes Back
01:02:43 Epic Conclusion
01:06:50 Shout-Outs
01:10:28 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Working in the RPG Industry! (MD 277) Feb 04, 2026

Episode 277 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Working in the RPG Industry!

Shawn shares a panel he had with Jackson DiCarlo at the Running GAGG Gaming Conventions. They discuss working in the RPG industry, sharing the insights of Shawn’s long career and Jackson’s two-year experience as a designer!

News: Cosmere’s Apple TV Deal, 5th New WotC Hire, D&D + Fortnite + Hytale, and more!

Contents
00:00 Winter Fantasy Bound
02:42 Happy 37th Birthday to 2E
05:08 Two Organized Play Campaigns?
23:55 Taylor Ann Navarro Joins WotC
25:53 D&D, Fortnite, and Hytale?
28:51 Variety Covers GMs
29:27 D&D as Organized Social Fun
31:41 Asmodee Partners for Wellbeing
32:31 Cosmere's Apple TV Deal
34:24 D20play Spotlighted!
36:12 TTRPG SRD Card Creator
37:07 Working in the TTRPG Industry
38:11 Shawn and Jackson's Backrounds
40:28 Getting Started in the Industry
49:59 Seizing Opportunity
56:14 How to Get Started
58:19 Design and Conventions
01:05:46 Technical Vs Creative
01:15:39 The Skill of Writing
01:18:19 Questions and Answers
01:22:54 Shout-Outs
01:27:15 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Rethink Your Session Zero! (MD 276) Jan 28, 2026

Episode 276 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Rethink Your Session Zero!

Shawn and Teos rethink all that a session zero is trying to do and how to approach each of the many goals to start your campaign!

News: D&D Beyond’s Partner Schedule, D&D Proves AI’s Shortcomings, AI RPG Scams, Shawn is a Warlock, and more!

Contents
00:00 Shawn is a Warlock!
05:59 How Should Death Saves Work?
27:10 Jean Rabe Passes
29:59 DDB Partnered Content Schedule
34:50 Hasbro's New Board Members
36:31 Demiplane Adds Campaigns
38:23 4th Player Theory of RPG Design
43:19 D&D Proves AI Shortcomings
46:10 RPG Maps Bundle AI Scam
48:45 How to Please Your Layout Designer
49:42 Rethinking the Session 0
52:03 FEYPOP's Video on What is a Session 0
55:57 Effective Safety Tools
01:01:54 Challenge Level and Behavioral Expectations
01:04:23 Theme, Tone, and Characters
01:10:01 Allowed Sources
01:12:32 Collaborative Campaign Planning
01:14:38 Character Creation
01:16:21 First Adventure?
01:19:12 As a Social Event
01:20:22 Shout-Outs
01:24:12 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Legends of Greyhawk and RealmsBound with Savannah Houston-McIntyre (MD 275) Jan 21, 2026

Episode 275 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Legends of Greyhawk and RealmsBound with Savannah Houston-McIntyre

Savannah Houston-McIntyre is acclaimed for leading excellent projects. She walks us through the Legends of Greyhawk organized play campaign, RealmsBound with Ed Greenwood, and more!

News: Games Workshop Bans AI, Proof of Stranger Things Growth, Mystic UA, and more!

Contents
00:00 Oh Captain my Captain
03:24 Arcadia's 1-on-1 Rules?
10:50 Mental Load?
17:50 3-D Combat Options?
25:29 New Mystic Subclasses UA
30:13 Erin Roberts is a Wizard
32:13 Bob Worldbuilder on Stranger Things Growth
37:35 KC Chiefs Teach D&D
39:12 GW Bans AI for Staff
41:11 Get Dune Free from Modiphius
42:55 The Savage Arctic
43:58 Planet Money's Board Game
45:13 Savannah Houston-McIntyre
53:11 Getting Started with Design
57:12 Leading Design Projects
01:00:28 Legends of Greyhawk
01:04:53 Greyhawk's Regions
01:10:18 Virtual Weekends and Writing for LoG
01:13:23 RealmsBound with Ed Greenwood
01:25:12 Find Savannah!
01:26:41 Shout-Outs
01:30:53 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Start a New Campaign for the New Year (MD 274) Jan 14, 2026

Episode 274 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Start a New Campaign for the New Year

It’s a new year, the perfect time to think on how to launch an awesome campaign, even if you have never DMed before!

News: Stranger Things Effect? Matt Mercer Simpsons Crossover, D&D Romantasy Novel, Ed Greenwood’s RealmsBound, and more!

Contents
00:00 Full of Fear
02:05 What is a Gameplay Loop?
11:10 Teaching Game Design?
14:38 Stranger Things Effect
19:27 Stranger Things' ET Ending
22:09 Leon Barillaro Hired at WotC
24:14 New D&D Romantasy Novel
26:06 Ed Greenwood's RealmsBound
31:22 Matt Mercer Simpsons Crossover
33:58 D&D and Moral Imagination
38:20 D&D Loungefly Backpacks
39:08 The Bridgewell Chronicles
40:21 Merryshire Detective Club
41:19 A New Campaign for the New Year
41:59 New Gamemaster Month
43:22 Where Can We Learn to DM?
51:52 Why Should You DM?
01:02:04 Not Knowing the Rules
01:11:13 Planning Your Campaign
01:22:59 Establishing a Theme
01:25:00 Shout-Outs
01:28:53 What Are We Gonna Do?
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The Future of RPGs in 2026? (MD 273) Jan 07, 2026

Episode 273 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: The Future of RPGs in 2026?

Teos and Shawn look at 2025’s huge impacts on RPGs and what 2026 might hold for our hobby!

News: Daggerheart’s Executive Success, James Haek and Introcaso Changes, City 26, and more!

Contents
00:00 Intro
00:59 Mastering DnD the RPG?
07:55 How to Get Noticed?
17:08 Tim Kask Passes
19:38 Daggerheart's Executive Success
25:17 James Haek Joins WotC
25:55 Who Replaces James on Lorecast???
27:25 James Introcaso Focuses on Crows
29:11 D&D and Court Rooms
30:06 Seniors and Dragons
30:56 City '26 Challenge
32:38 Jeff Stevens on 2025 2026
33:30 Crack the Sun Success
35:32 Looking Back at D&D in 2025
40:02 WotC's Positive Moves
42:13 Crawford and Perkins Join Critical Role
45:14 Economic Uncertainty
49:12 AI Slop
50:03 Cosmere, Daggerheart, Draw Steel
55:28 What Might 2026 Offer for D&D?
01:06:30 Will the Hobby Grow?
01:09:21 More Big RPGs?
01:11:05 If We Had 1 Wish!
01:15:10 Shout-Outs
01:19:34 What Are We Gonna Do?
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The Future of the DMs Guild? (MD 272) Dec 31, 2025

Episode 272 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: The Future of the DMs Guild?

Teos and Shawn look at the decline of the 10-year-old DMsGuild and lessons for all platforms, such as D&D Beyond!

News: KC Chiefs Play D&D, Mythic Crowdfunding Disaster, Foundry Hiring for New RPG, and more!

Contents
00:00 Our Trees Were Fortunate
03:04 National Comedy Center
05:10 Crowdfunding Replaced DMsGuild?
10:18 Can We Stop Platform Decline?
19:14 New D&D Workbooks from PRH
25:49 Best-Selling RPGs on Fantasy Grounds
28:15 KC Chiefs Play D&D
30:06 WA Sec of State on Gaming
32:24 Foundry Hiring for New RPG
35:14 Mythic Games Crowdfunding Disaster
38:20 Books Leaving Grocery Stores
42:48 Moonshae Isles Omnibus
45:03 Crack the Sun Final Days
46:03 DMsGuild Turns 10
47:22 Keith Baker Era
50:10 Print on Demand and Quality Jumps
52:43 Race to the Bottom
54:56 Guild as Stepping Stone
58:29 What Killed the Guild?
01:10:13 WotC as Competitor
01:15:49 Looking to the Future
01:34:48 Shout-Outs
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The DMs Guild’s Complex History! (MD 271) Dec 24, 2025

Episode 271 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: The DMs Guild’s Complex History!

Teos and Shawn enjoy a video by Trekiros and think on the incredible history of the 10-year-old DMsGuild!

News: James Ohlen’s Exodus, Cosmere’s Roadmap, New Legends of Greyhawk Region, and more!

Contents
00:00 Happy Holidays!
02:25 Non-Combat Enctr Objectives?
17:44 Dungeons Best for 1-on-1 Play?
25:32 Diamond Distributors Bankrupt Again
28:31 New Legends of Greyhawk Region
30:27 Gen Con Participation Grants
31:30 Cosmere Announces Roadmap
36:31 James Ohlen and Exodus Change
44:00 DMsGuild Turns 10
44:41 Trekiros Video
46:12 Our History with the Guild
47:28 History of Licensing Pre-Guild
49:26 The OGL and 3E
51:30 Shawn's DMsGuild First Day
52:57 AL's Huge Early Sales
55:58 Early Days and Royalties
01:07:13 Launching Creators
01:11:00 Struggle for Quality
01:15:41 Adepts Program
01:26:28 Creator Expectations
01:34:18 Shout-Outs
01:38:33 What Are We Gonna Do?
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Heroic Sacrifice and Campaign Building with Prequel and Ethan Yen (MD 270) Dec 17, 2025

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?
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How is an RPG Book Made? (Alphastream Collaboration) Dec 11, 2025

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

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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/).

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The Beautiful Mess of 5E! (Gamehole Con 2025) Dec 10, 2025

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.

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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/).

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Brindlewood Bay’s Cozy Horror (MD 269) Dec 03, 2025

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?
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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/).

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Can We Fix 1-Player Dragon Delves? (MD 268) Nov 26, 2025

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.

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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/).

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Does 1 Player Really Work with Dragon Delves? (MD 267) Nov 19, 2025

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
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Solo Actual Play with Dragon Delves! (MD 266) Nov 12, 2025

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?
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Shannon Appelcline and Designers & Dragons Origins! (MD 265) Nov 05, 2025

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/).

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Draw Steel – Resting and Downtime! (MD 264) Oct 29, 2025

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/).

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Live from Gamehole Con - Complexity in RPGs! (MD 263) Oct 22, 2025

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!
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Draw Steel Combat Encounters! (MD 262) Oct 15, 2025

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!
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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/).

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Draw Steel Combat Basics! (MD 261) Oct 08, 2025

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?
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Draw Steel - Kits and Complications! (MD 260) Oct 01, 2025

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?
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Draw Steel Character Classes, Careers, and Cultures! (MD 259) Sep 24, 2025

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?
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Inside Heroes of the Borderlands: Justice Arman on creating D&D’s new starter set! (MD 258) Sep 17, 2025

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?
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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/).

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Draw Steel Character Generation! (MD 257) Sep 10, 2025

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?
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Treantmonk and Mike Balles! (MD 256) Sep 03, 2025

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?
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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/).

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Draw Steel Negotiations and Montages! (MD 255) Aug 27, 2025

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?
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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.

Draw Steel at Level 1! (MD 254) Aug 20, 2025

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.

How to DM Parenting with Shelly Mazzanoble! (MD 253) Aug 13, 2025

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.

New Era of RPG Revolution? (MD 252) Aug 06, 2025

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?
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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.

Listeners Have Their Way! (MD 251) Jul 30, 2025

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?
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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.

Daggerheart Monsters and Adversaries! (MD 250) Jul 23, 2025

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?
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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.

Daggerheart Campaign Frames! (MD 249) Jul 09, 2025

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?
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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/).

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Leveling Our Daggerheart Characters! (MD 248) Jul 02, 2025

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?
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Our Daggerheart Characters (MD 247) Jun 25, 2025

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?
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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.

Daggerheart Initiative! (MD 246) Jun 18, 2025

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?
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2025 D&D Psion Subclasses! (MD 245) Jun 11, 2025

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?
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The 2025 D&D Psion! (MD244) Jun 04, 2025

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?
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Making Good Tactical Maps! (MD 243) May 28, 2025

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?
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Draw Steel and Introducing New RPGs! (MD242) May 21, 2025

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?
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Creating Nautical Encounters! (MD 241) May 14, 2025

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?
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Creating a Nautical Campaign! (MD240) May 07, 2025

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?
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Embarking on A Nautical Campaign (MD 239) Apr 30, 2025

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?
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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/).

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Using the Environment in Encounters (with Dragons)! (MD 238) Apr 23, 2025

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?
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Teaching a New Generation! (MD 237) Apr 16, 2025

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?
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Rules-Light D&D Characters! (MD 236) Apr 09, 2025

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?
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Forever DMs and Dynamics of an RPG Group! (MD 235) Apr 02, 2025

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?
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Hundred Dungeons and the OSR! (MD 234) Mar 26, 2025

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?
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Let’s Build Encounters! (MD 233) Mar 19, 2025

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?
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Making Your D&D or RPG World Dangerous (MD 232) Mar 12, 2025

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
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Monster Groups and Encounters! (MD 231) Mar 05, 2025

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?
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Listener Corner Catch Up! (MD 230) Feb 26, 2025

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?
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New Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard Subclasses! (MD 229) Feb 19, 2025

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?
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Purple Dragon Knight and Oath of Genies Paladin! (MD 228) Feb 12, 2025

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
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Forgotten Realms Unearthed Arcana! (MD 227) Feb 05, 2025

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
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Monster Manual Design Changes! (MD 226) Jan 29, 2025

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
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Monster Manual Comparison! (MD 225) Jan 22, 2025

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
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The Monster Overhaul! (MD 224) Jan 15, 2025

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
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Monster Manual Previews! (MD 223) Jan 08, 2025

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
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Looking Back on 2024, Forward to 2025! (MD 222) Jan 01, 2025

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
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The Psychology of D&D with Dr. Jamie Madigan (MD 221) 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

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Listener Question Mega-Show (MD 220) 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

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Recent Game Design Lessons (MD 219) 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

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Lessons Learned from Our Early Projects (MD 218) Dec 04, 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

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Qualities RPG Companies Look for in an RPG Designer (MD 217) 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

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Embracing Dark Fantasy (MD 216) 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

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What Publishers Want in a D&D Designer (MD 215) 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
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Looking Back on Gamehole Con ‘24 (MD 214) Nov 06, 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
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Want to Be a Professional Game Designer? (MD 213) 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
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Live from Gamehole: Create a Campaign With Us! (MD 212) 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
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Horizons Magazine with Hannah Rose! (MD 211) 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
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Wardens of the Eastern Marches! (MD 210) Oct 09, 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
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5E Stat Block Changes and Building the Perfect Campaign Guide! (MD 209) Oct 02, 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
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2024 5E’s Gods and Multiverse! Final Greyhawk! (MD 208) 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
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2024 5E’s Resting Rules and Greyhawk’s Regions! (MD 207) 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
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2024 5E Conditions and Greyhawk’s Regions! (MD 206) 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
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PC Creation in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! (MD 205) Sep 04, 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
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5E Weapon Mastery and Greyhawk’s Regions! (MD 204) 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
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Search in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! (MD 203) 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
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2014 vs 2024 Exhaustion and Greyhawk’s Regions! (MD 202) 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
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Setting Design and Greyhawk’s Regions! (MD 201) Aug 07, 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
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Greyhawk’s Regions: Ahlissa and BK! (MD 200) 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
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Greyhawk’s Peoples and Story! (MD 199) 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
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The Living Greyhawk Campaign! (MD 198) 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.

Greyhawk’s Origins! (MD 197) 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.

Setting Expectations for your TTRPG Projects! (MD 196) Jul 03, 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.

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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.

Daggerheart’s Adversaries and Environments! (MD 195) 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.

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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.

Daggerheart: Building a Campaign! (MD 194) 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
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Daggerheart: Running a Session! (MD 193) Jun 05, 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.

Daggerheart: GM Moves and Mechanics! (MD 192) 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.

13th Age 2E Design with Rob Heinsoo! (MD 191) 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/).

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Daggerheart’s Amazing GM Advice (MD 190) 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.

Daggerheart Domains and Actions (MD 189) May 08, 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
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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.

Daggerheart’s Character Creation (MD 188) May 01, 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
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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/).

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Daggerheart Review: Core Rules (MD 187) 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
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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.

Keep a New Campaign Healthy and Strong (MD 186) 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
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Design Player-Facing Campaign Options (MD 185) 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
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Design an RPG Starting Encounter (MD 184) Apr 03, 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
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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/).

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Design an RPG Starting Adventure (MD 183) 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
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Design an RPG Starting Village! (MD 182) 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
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Shadowdark Finale – GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure (MD 181) 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
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Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World (MD 180) Mar 06, 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
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Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks (MD 179) 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
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Shadowdark RPG – Combat, Travel, and Downtime (MD 178) 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
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Shadowdark RPG – Gameplay (MD 177) 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
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News with Graham Ward! (MD 176) Feb 07, 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
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Shadowdark RPG – Characters and Magic (MD 175) 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
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Shadowdark RPG - Reviewing the Basics (MD 174) 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
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Blade Runner Starter Set – Electric Dreams Adventure Review (MD 173) 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
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Blade Runner Starter Set – Rules Review (MD 172) 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
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2023 Review and 2024 RPG Outlook (MD 171) 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
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Planescape’s 5E Adventure – Conclusion! (MD 170) 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
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Planescape’s 5E Adventure – Outlands and Spire! (MD 169) 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
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Planescape’s 5E Adventure – Gate Towns! (MD 168) Dec 06, 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
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Planescape’s 5E Adventure – Casino and Outlands (MD 167) 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
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Planescape’s 5E Adventure – Turn of Fortune’s Wheel (Mastering Dungeons 166) 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
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Planescape’s Monsters – Morte’s Planar Parade (Mastering Dungeons 165) 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/).

Planescape 5E – The Outlands of Sigil! (Mastering Dungeons 164) Nov 08, 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/).

Planescape 5E – Sigil’s Factions and Wards! (Mastering Dungeons 163) Nov 01, 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.

Live at Gamehole 2023! Pronouncing Sigil, Setting Products, D&D Digital Releases 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.

Planescape 5E – City of Sigil! (Mastering Dungeons 161) 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.

Mastering Dungeons 160: Planescape 5E – Character Options! 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.

Mastering Dungeons 159: Modiphius 2D20 RPGs – Dune, Star Trek, and more! Oct 04, 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.

Mastering Dungeons 158: DM’s Workshop – Creating Monsters, Spells, Magic Items. Appendices! 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.

Mastering Dungeons 157: DM’s Workshop – Firearms, Plot Points, Initiative and Action Variants! 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.

Mastering Dungeons 156: DM’s Workshop - Optional Rules! 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.

Mastering Dungeons 155: Running the Game – Initiative, Chases, Siege Weapons, XP! Sep 06, 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.

Mastering Dungeons 154: Running the Game – Adjudicating Rolls, Social, Exploration! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Shadow of the Weird Wizard with Rob Schwalb! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG Chapter 8 – Running the Game! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Treasure in the DMG! Aug 09, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Downtime! Aug 02, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Between Adventures! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Urban, Water, Sky, Traps! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - James Introcaso on Custom RPGs vs 5E Content! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Mike Shea on Organized Play vs Home Games! Jul 05, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Wilderness and Settlements! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Adventure Environments! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Designing Tales of the Valiant with Celeste Conowitch! Jun 14, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG: Creating NPCs! Jun 07, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG: Creating Adventures, Part 2! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG Chapter 3: Creating Adventures! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG Chapter 2: The Multiverse! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Reading the 2014 DMG Chapter 1! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Roll 20 on VTT Updates! May 03, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Looking Back on the 2014 DMG – Intro! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Dungeon World and Powered by Apocalypse! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - GUMSHOE RPGs with Kevin Kulp! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Theme and Genre in RPGs with Ben Byrne! Apr 05, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Rich Lescouflair and Esper Genesis 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.

Mastering Dungeons - The 13th Age RPG 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Fate Campaigns with Mike Olson 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Fate Mar 08, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - To Be or Not to Be a Villain Mar 01, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Shadow of the Demon Lord 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Greg Marks and the AL 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Kyle Brink on the OGL and D&D Studio Feb 08, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Listener Questions and News! Feb 01, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Appendices! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Spells! 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Spellcasting 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Combat Pt2 Jan 05, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Combat 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Clerics One D&D Playtest Conclusion 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.

Mastering Dungeons - Clerics and Species - One D&D Playtest Dec 08, 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Adventuring Dec 01, 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.

What Is Mastering Dungeons? 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

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https://MasteringDungeons.podbean.com

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https://twitter.com/MasteringDnD
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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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Using Ability Scores 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Feats and Multiclassing 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Equipment 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.

Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Inspiration and Backgrounds Nov 03, 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.

Mastering Dungeons – GameHoleCon 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 12 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 11 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 10 Oct 06, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 9 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 8 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. […]

Mastering Dungeons – Conventions and the Growing Latine Presence with Guests Mike Balles and Claudia Sánchez 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 7 Sep 08, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 6 Sep 01, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 5 – The Undiscovered One D&D 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 4 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? […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 3 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fifth Edition Revisited, Pt. 2 Aug 04, 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 – […]

Mastering Dungeons – Dave Christ as Baldman Games! 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; […]

Mastering Dungeons – The Secret History of The Secret History of Dungeons & Dragons Author Ben Riggs 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – A Decade of Fifth Jul 13, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – James Intracaso! Jul 07, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Teos Returns! 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, […]

Mastering Dungeons – Designing and Running Fun D&D Combats with Scott Gray 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Of Dice and Modrons Part 2 Jun 09, 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, […]

Mastering Dungeons – UA: Giant Options Jun 02, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Of Dice and Modrons Pt. 1 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Spelljammer Adventure Review, Part 2 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Spelljammer Adventure Review, Part 1 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! […]

Mastering Dungeons – DnD Direct May 05, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Ajit George! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Big News with Mike Shea 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures: 4e Edition! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 8 Apr 07, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 7 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, […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 6 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 5 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 4 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 3 Mar 03, 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: […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 2 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Updating Old Adventures Part 1 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Back to Fizban’s 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Keith Ammann Knows What He’s Doing Feb 03, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – New AL Admin Toni Winslow-Brill! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 9 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 8 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 7 Jan 06, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Happy New Year! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 6 Dec 22, 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. […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 5 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 4 Dec 10, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 3 Dec 02, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 2 Nov 24, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Fizban’s Treasury of Dragons Part 1 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Mario Ortegón! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Dark Fantasy and Horror Panel Gamehole Con Nov 04, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – LIVE at Gamehole Con! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Starting Strong Part 5: The End? 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Mike Shea on All the News (and The Lazy DM’s Companion) 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Stacey Allan and Will Doyle from The Wild Beyond the Witchlight! Oct 07, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Starting Strong Part 4 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. […]

Mastering Dungeons – Starting Strong Part 3 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Scott Fitzgerald Gray 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Starting Strong Part 2 Sep 09, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Starting Strong Part 1 Sep 02, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Running Intro Adventures Part 3 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Running Intro Adventures Part 2 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Running Intro Adventures 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – James Haeck on Updating Critical Role’s Tal’Dorei Setting Aug 05, 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! […]

Mastering Dungeons – Van Richten’s 7 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Adventurers League and Dune with Bee Zelda! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Van Richten’s 6 Jul 14, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Van Richten’s 5 Jul 08, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Van Richten’s 4 Jul 01, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Apocalypse Forever with Special Guest – Jim Davis! Jun 23, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Van Richten’s 3 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Van Richten’s 2 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Van Richten’s 1 Jun 03, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Candlekeep or Bust! 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Putting Tasha’s to Bed 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Bonanza 9 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Bonanza 8 May 06, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Bonanza 7 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – The Economy of D&D Apr 21, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Bonanza 6 Apr 14, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Bonanza 5 Apr 07, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Bonanza 4 Apr 01, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Celeste Conowitch and Making Rules 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Player and DM Bonanza 3 Mar 17, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Player and DM Bonanza 2 Mar 10, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Tasha’s Player and DM Bonanza! Mar 04, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Icewind Dale Final Thoughts with GM Tim and Marcello De Velazquez 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Icewind Dale, Pt. 23 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! […]

Mastering Dungeons – Icewind Dale, Pt. 22 Feb 11, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Icewind Dale, Pt. 21 Feb 04, 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Icewind Dale, Pt. 20 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Icewind Dale, Pt. 19 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 […]

Mastering Dungeons – Icewind Dale, Pt. 18 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 […]

DwDD (Mastering Dungeons) – Icewind Dale, Pt. 17 Jan 07, 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 […]

DwDD (Mastering Dungeons) – Icewind Dale, Pt. 16 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt. 15 Dec 23, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt. 14 Dec 16, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt. 13(?) 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt. 12 Dec 02, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt. 11 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 10: Chapter Two Nov 19, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 9: The Wrap of Chapter One! Nov 11, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 8 Nov 04, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 7 Oct 28, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 6 Oct 21, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 5 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 4 Oct 08, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 3 Oct 06, 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 2 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 […]

DwDD – Icewind Dale, Pt 1 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 […]

DwDD – Using the Mythic Odysseys of Theros in Your Campaign, Part 3 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 – […]

DwDD – Using the Mythic Odysseys of Theros in Your Campaign, Part 2 Sep 03, 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 […]

DwDD – Using the Mythic Odysseys of Theros in Your Campaign 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 […]

DwDD – Exploring Exploration, Pt. 3 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, […]

DwDD – Exploring Exploration, Pt. 2 Aug 13, 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 […]

DwDD – Exploring Exploration, Pt. 1 Aug 06, 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 […]

DwDD – New Players 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, […]

DwDD – Traps with NEW Co-Host… TEOS ABADIA!!! 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, […]

DwDD – Looking at Feats with Greg Marks 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 […]

DwDD – D&D Live with Teos Abadia 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 […]

DwDD – World and Character Building with Lysa Penrose 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 […]

DwD&D – Fantastic Lairs with James Introcaso, Mike “Sly Flourish” Shea, and Scott Fitzgerald Gray Jun 05, 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 […]

DwDD – The Underdark, but with Ghouls, with Meagan and Wolfgang Jun 01, 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 […]

DwDD – Dungeon Mastery for 5e with Greg Marks 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 […]

DwDD – Rich Lescouflair on 5e for Other Games May 14, 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! […]

DwDD – LaTia Bryant on D&D Community May 07, 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 […]

DwDD – Writing Adventures with Ashley Warren 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 […]

DwDD – Chris Lindsey of Wizards of the Coast on Community During the Pandemic 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 […]

DwDD – Jesse “Doc Palindrome” Edmond on Comedy Apr 16, 2020

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

DwDD – James Haeck on New Players Apr 09, 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 […]

DwDD – Jeff C. Stevens on Growing the Audience Apr 02, 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 […]

DwDD – Gaming Online with Celeste Conowitch 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 […]

DwDD – Storytelling with Will Doyle 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 […]

DwDD – Editing Adventures with Scott Fitzgerald Gray Mar 05, 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 […]

DwDD – Sly Flourish a.k.a. Mike Shea! 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 […]

DwDD – James Introcaso on the Explorer’s Guide to Wildemount Feb 20, 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 […]

DwDD – Interview Special with Alan Patrick, Dave Christ, and Bill Benham Feb 12, 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 […]

DwDD – Organized Play with Teos “Alphastream” Abadia Feb 04, 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 12 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 11 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 10 Jan 06, 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 […]

Christmas and New Years DwDnD Dec 30, 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.

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 9 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 8 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 7 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 6 Dec 02, 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 5 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 4 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 […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 3 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, […]

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 2 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 […]

DwDD – Unearthed Arcana: Twilight, Name, Fire Oct 21, 2019

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

DwDD – Descent into Avernus Walk through and Review. Part 1 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

DwDD – AI Part 5 Oct 07, 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

DwDD – Unearthed Arcana: Sorcerer and Warlock 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 – […]

DwDD – Acquisitions Inc Part 4 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 […]

DwDD – Acquisitions Inc Part 3 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

DwDnD – From Green Flame to Lasers. Creating in another’s world panel from PAX West Sep 06, 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 […]

DwDD – Acquisitions Inc Part 2 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!

DwDnD – Acquisitions Inc Part 1 & Unearthed Arcana 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 […]

DwDnD – Designing Adventure (Part 10) Challenges, Resolutions, Consequences cont’ 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 […]

DwDnD – Designing Adventure (Part 9) Challenges, Resolutions, Consequences Aug 01, 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 […]

DwDnD – Designing Adventure (Part 8) Rewards 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 […]

DwDnD – Interview with Elyssa Grant Jul 12, 2019

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

DwDnD – Mike Shea and Fantastic Adventures: Ruins of the Grendleroot Jul 01, 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

DwD&D – Origins Filler Episode 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!

DwDnD – Designing Adventures (Part 7) Adventure Flow 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 […]

DwDnD – Baldur’s Gate. Descent into Avernus 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 […]

DwDnD – Designing Adventures (Part 6) Box Text 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 […]

DwDnD – Interview with Alex Kammer 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

DwDnD – Designing Adventures (Part 5) Hooks and Openings 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. […]

DwDnD – Designing Adventures (Part 4) Adventure Types Cont’ May 09, 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 […]

DwDnD – Designing Adventures (Part 3) Adventure Types 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 […]

DwDnD – Interview with Ruty Rutenberg 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.

DwDnD – Designing Adventures (Part 2) Scope and Length Apr 04, 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 […]

DwDnD – Designing Adventures (Part 1) Overview Apr 01, 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 […]

DwDnD – Creating with a Team 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 […]

DwDnD#184 – The Artificer & The Critical Role Kickstarter 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 […]

DwDnD#183 – Designing Encounters (Part 3) Pillars of Play continued Mar 07, 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 […]

DwDnD#182 – Designing Encounters (Part 2) The Three…I mean first two Pillars 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 […]

DwDnD#181 – Designing Encounters Part 1 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 […]

DwDnD#180 – Interview with Mike Shea at Winter Fantasy Feb 14, 2019

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

DwDnD#179 – Planar Adventures Feb 07, 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 […]

DwDnD#178 – DnD Beyond 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 […]

DwDnD#177 – A Talk with Teos 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 […]

DwDnD#176 – Dragon Heist 8 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Fifteen – Fionn 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 […]

DwDnD#175 – Listener Q and A 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Fourteen – Urgon 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Thirteen – Sewers 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Twelve – Muddy Joe Jan 09, 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Eleven- Eye Jan 07, 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Ten – Fallout Jan 04, 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 […]

DwDnD#174 – Sidekicks Jan 02, 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Nine – Pearl Jan 02, 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Eight – Enemy 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Seven – Fire 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 […]

DwDnD#173 – Player Contributions 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Six – Master Corwin 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Five – Allison 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 […]

DwDnD#172 – Urban Adventures 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Four – Cutter 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. Three – The Box 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 […]

DwDnD#171 – Dragon Heist Seven. Chapter 4. Part 3 Dec 12, 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. […]

The Streets of Avalon. Two – Lamplighter Dec 07, 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 […]

DwDnD#170 – Dragon Heist six. Chapter 4. Part 2 Dec 05, 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 […]

The Streets of Avalon. One – Shapeshifters 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 […]

DwDnD#169 – Dragon Heist Five. Chapter 4. Part 1 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 […]

DwDnD#168 – Dragon Heist Four. Chapter 3 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 […]

DwDnD#167 – Dragon Heist Three 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 […]

DwDnD#166 – Dragon Heist Two 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 […]

DwDnD#165 – Rob Schwalb 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 […]

DwDnD#164 – Dragon Heist One 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 […]

DwDnD#163 – Moonshae Part 2 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 […]

DwDnD#162 – Monster Design Oct 02, 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 […]

DwDnD#161 – The Moonshae Islands Sep 25, 2018

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

DwDnD#160 – Where are all the DMs 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 […]

DwDnD#159 – Dragon Marks 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 […]

DwDnD#158 – Challenge Levels 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 […]

DwDnD#157 – D&D Organized Play 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 […]

DwDnD#156 – The State of the Adventurers League with Lysa & Alan 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 […]

DwDnD#155 – Two New Settings: Eberron and Ravnica 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 […]

DwDnD#154 – One-Shots. Design vs. Publication 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 […]

DwDnD#153 – Design: Complexity vs. Simplicity 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 […]

DwDnD#152 – Alex Kammer, GameholeCon, and The Borderlands 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 […]

DwDnD#151 – Social Interactions Jul 03, 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 […]

DwD&D#150 – Origins 2018 Wrap Up 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 […]

DwDnD at Origins 2018 – The Buisness of D&D panel 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 […]

DwDnD#149 – Waterdeep and the Stream of Many Eyes Jun 06, 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 […]

DwDnD#148 – Monstrous Races (Part 1) 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 […]

DwDnD#147 – Getting People to Roleplay 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 […]

DwDnD#146 – Breaking Down Adventures May 08, 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.

DwDnD#145 – Spreading Out in the Realms May 01, 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 […]

DwDnD#144 – Teaching New Players Apr 23, 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.

DwDnD#143 – NPCs 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 […]

DwDnD#142 – Dragon Heresy with Doug Cole 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 […]

DwDnD#141 – Shared Worlds Apr 03, 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 […]

DwDnD#140 – Low Level Adventures 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 […]

DwDnD#139 – High Level Adventures 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 […]

DwD&D#138 – James Introcaso & The Demonplague 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 […]

DwD&D#137 – James Haeck on Creating D&D Content for Public Consumption Mar 06, 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 […]

DwD&D#136 – Prepping and Running Convention Games 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 […]

DwD&D#135 – Initiative & Modes of Play Feb 13, 2018

DwD&D#134 – Logo’s on the DMs Guild Feb 06, 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.

DwD&D#133 – New Players Jan 30, 2018

DwD&D#132 – Strategy Game or Story Engine Jan 23, 2018

DwD&D#131 – All About Setting Jan 16, 2018

DwD&D#130 – 2018 Jan 10, 2018

DwD&D#129 – Lysa Chen Jan 03, 2018

DwD&D#128 – Adventures in Middle Earth Dec 26, 2017

DwD&D#127 – Xanathar’s Review part 2 Dec 19, 2017

DwD&D#126 – Rudy & Satine Dec 12, 2017

DwD&D#125 – Xanathar’s Review part 1 Dec 05, 2017

Down w/ D&D 118 — Is D&D Doing What It Set Out To Do? 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 […]

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