Mastering Dungeons

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Games
**Mastering Dungeons**

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. Whether you’re a fan, a player, a DM, or a designer, Shawn and Teos cover topics of interest to you!

Latest Episodes:

Design an RPG Starting Encounter (MD 184) Apr 03, 2024

Show notes

Episode 184 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic:

Design an RPG Starting Encounter!

Continuing the discussion of designing a first adventure in our world, how do we design the first adventure? We look at creating an encounter that utilizes our setting, hooks, and plays off of the PCs!

News: Core Book Prices, Free Tsojcanth and LEGO Adventures, D&D Sales Drop!

Contents
00:00 Two Fools
01:28 Adventure Curriculum?
12:34 MCDM Daggerheart Initiative?
19:37 Flaws Mechanic?
30:27 D&D Beyond Kickstarter Reward
35:45 Core Book Prices
36:52 Most of Hobby is Down
40:52 Free Tsojcanth
44:24 Free LEGO Adventure
48:48 Design an RPG Starting Encounter
50:00 Use What You Set Down
51:53 Encounter Goals
53:10 Don't Overwhelm
54:46 Setting Considerations
58:32 Theme and Tone
01:01:55 Antagonists
01:04:34 Allies and NPCs
01:06:13 Duration and Pacing
01:09:32 Session 0 Promises
01:12:48 Play off PCs
01:15:38 Satisfying Conclusion
01:19:24 Cliffhangers?
01:21:39 Final Checklist
01:25:04 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.

Design an RPG Starting Adventure (MD 183) Mar 27, 2024

Show notes

Episode 183 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic:

Designing an RPG Starting Adventure!

Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding and village design, how do we start an adventure? We provide an approach to get the most out of your campaign and adventure starts!

News: GaryCon Review, Remembering Jim Ward, Daggerheart Review!

Contents
00:00 March Madness
01:42 GaryCon Review
05:52 Criticize Shadowdark?
14:45 Remembering Jim Ward
18:58 Stores Get D&D Early
21:07 Free Tsojcanth
22:38 MtG D&D Store Event
25:42 Infinite Staircase Reveals
28:28 Lego D&D Details
31:29 Tome of Beasts on Beyond
36:59 Surviving Strangehollow
37:46 Daggerheart Review
40:19 RPG Starting Adventure
41:52 Session 0
44:00 Character Connections
47:48 Fiasco Approach
52:10 Ashes of Athas Approach
54:03 Start with a Bang?
57:28 Find the Excitement
59:10 Intro Hook
01:01:46 Theory of Globs
01:07:32 Adventure Hooks
01:12:12 PC Impetus
01:15:33 Don't Give it All Away
01:19:39 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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.

Design an RPG Starting Village! (MD 182) Mar 20, 2024

Show notes

Episode 182 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Village!

Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding, a great place to start is a village. What must a starting village contain and what isn’t needed? How do we make it relevant and interesting? We dig into the design and examples that have and haven’t worked for us.

News: Critical Role launches Daggerheart, Hasbro CEO vs D&D on AI, Starforged Terrain!

Contents
00:00 Podcasting for Relatives
01:39 Exhaustion vs HPs?
10:39 30-Minute D&D?
21:46 D&D Asks Do You Like Me
29:45 Hasbro CEO Says AI D&D Says No
39:02 CR Launches Daggerheart
41:59 Dwarven Forge Starforged
43:46 Surviving Strangehollow
44:20 Zweihander Reforged
44:44 Designing an RPG Starting Village
45:50 Two Issues to Avoid
46:37 Classic D&D Villages
50:08 Bottom-Up Technique
59:15 Safe Space or Hub
01:01:44 Launch Adventures
01:05:28 Key Elements
01:08:16 Tie to PC Goals
01:10:53 NPCs
01:15:05 Theme
01:16:58 History
01:21:33 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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.

Shadowdark Finale – GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure (MD 181) Mar 13, 2024

Show notes

Episode 181 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Shadowdark GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure!

The finale of our Shadowdark series! We take a look the excellent advice, plus how the game provides monsters and treasure.

News: Reviewing The Fallbacks, Adv League to Beyond, NASA RPG and Challenge, and more!

Contents
00:00 Teos Has Seen Things
02:45 Emerald City Comic-Con
06:32 Adventure as User Guide?
15:16 Exhaustion Currency?
22:43 Modes of Play?
28:34 AL Moves to Beyond
31:33 Greasy Snitches
36:41 The Fallbacks review
41:08 NASA RPG
42:13 Steamforged and Kobold
43:33 SRD in Braille
45:00 Surviving Strangehollow
45:45 Shadowdark Finale
46:07 The Role of GM and Players
50:43 For Experienced GMs
54:29 Players not PCs
56:06 Core Ethos
01:00:09 Check DCs
01:05:15 Darkness and Modes of Play
01:08:30 Random Encounters
01:14:56 The Gauntlet
01:19:04 Awarding XP
01:22:35 Lots of Tables!
01:23:25 Monsters
01:25:06 Treasure
01:27:25 Final Thoughts
01:32:06 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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.

Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World (MD 180) Mar 06, 2024

Show notes

Episode 180 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World!

Dan Dillon and Jason Ward join Shawn to discuss how to pick the best rules, or change them, when designing an RPG world.

News: Dan Dillon and Jason Ward, Daggerheart Playtesting, Discworld RPG, and more!

Contents
00:00 Dan and Jason!
02:11 Defining Success?
07:13 Worldbuilding Process?
12:35 Discworld RPG
18:54 Daggerheart
31:07 Beyond Dev Update
36:55 Surviving Strangehollow
39:08 Rules to Fit an RPG World
39:34 Existing Ruleset
40:48 The Real Thing
46:22 Build New Rules
52:44 Using 5E
57:08 Dark Sun
01:00:48 Settings 5E Does Well
01:03:25 Tearable RPG
01:18:06 Find Jason and Dan
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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.

Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks (MD 179) Feb 28, 2024

Show notes

Episode 179 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks!

How do we create worlds that reflect the RPGs used to play them? How do we serve our readers, GMs, and players? Let’s talk worldbuilding!

News: Surviving Strangehollow,| No D&D in Portuguese, D&D Off-Broadway, and more!

Contents
00:00 Dark Weekend
01:01 Running Factions?
12:51 Mechanic Struggles?
21:51 Surviving Strangehollow
22:42 No D&D in Portuguese
26:01 Off-Broadway D&D
28:22 Star Trek 2E Announced
30:30 Emerging Designer Submissions
31:09 Weird Wizard Available
32:22 BX Inspired 5E
33:07 EN World Covers Evil Genius
35:36 Worldbuilding
35:48 Shawn's Worldbuilding
39:48 Build with Words
41:54 Show vs Tell
44:58 When to Get Detailed
47:10 Reality Matters
49:45 RPG-Based Fiction
55:55 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up
01:04:59 Microscope RPG
01:07:58 Surviving Strangehollow
01:15:32 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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.

Shadowdark RPG – Combat, Travel, and Downtime (MD 178) Feb 21, 2024

Show notes

Episode 178 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Shadowdark RPG’s Combat, Travel, and Downtime!

Teos shares the exploits in a recent Shadowdark game, adding context as Shawn and Teos review Shadowdark’s rules for combat, travel, and downtime.

News: Hasbro’s D&D Finances and Strategy, 2024 Release Info, Humblewood on Beyond, and more!

Contents
00:00 More Dragons
01:26 Counterproductive Playtesting?
07:39 Designer Responsability?
15:17 D&D Release Schedule
15:44 2024 Conventions
17:31 Vecna Eve of Ruin
20:48 Making of OD&D
25:26 Infinite Staircase
26:34 Core Books
28:45 Converse Lego and Pop-Tarts
31:21 Roll20 Character Sheet
32:21 Humblewood on Beyond
34:30 Hasbro Q4
36:55 DnD Finances
40:58 Hasbro's D&D Strategy
43:10 Universes Beyond
45:27 Shadowdark Gameplay
45:56 Playing with Meaghan J
50:59 Hiding in Shadowdark
55:50 Surprise and Initiative
59:13 Actions
01:02:58 Rulings Not Rules
01:06:35 Damage
01:09:55 Morale
01:15:48 Death
01:20:01 Overland Travel
01:24:53 Downtime
01:29:33 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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.

Shadowdark RPG – Gameplay (MD 177) Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

Episode 177 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Shadowdark RPG – Gameplay (MD 177)

From initiative and darkness to checks and luck tokens, Shawn and Teos examine the rules that distinguish the game.

News: D&D Thanks You, Manganiello Speaks, Pelgrane Blog Rocks, and more!

Contents
00:00:00 Winter Fantasy for One
00:01:35 Shadowdark Balance?
00:10:50 Shadowdark Readthrough Review?
00:17:40 D&D 50th Thank You
00:19:33 Joe Manganiello Speaks
00:26:28 Pelgrane Press Blog
00:27:33 Sorcerer's Fate
00:29:15 Shadowdark
00:29:58 Crawlers
00:35:58 Rolling Dice
00:39:39 Luck Tokens
00:43:24 Abilities and Checks
00:49:30 Time and Initiative
01:04:43 Resting and Surprise
01:06:05 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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.

News with Graham Ward! (MD 176) Feb 07, 2024

Show notes

Episode 176 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: News with Graham!

With Shawn fighting off a cold, Graham joins us to take a look at the news. Back to Shadowdark next week!

News: Foundry Gets 2024 5E, Kickstarter Growth, Adventures that Teach, and more!

Contents
00:00:00 Graham Ward!
00:02:55 Player-DM Trust
00:10:20 D&D Stewardship
00:23:00 2024 Glimpses
00:25:22 Bigger Books?
00:27:16 Playtest Survey Results
00:30:49 D&D Novels and Journals
00:34:25 D&D Foundry Partnership
00:35:54 Kickstarter Up Down?
00:39:11 Associate D&D Event Manager
00:40:46 The Park Job
00:41:25 18 RPG Luminary Interviews
00:41:58 Release from OGL Vault
00:43:28 Adventures That Teach
00:45:27 5E Attack Variability
00:48:54 Graham on Shadowdark
00:53:15 Find Graham
00:56:07 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Shadowdark RPG – Characters and Magic (MD 175) Jan 31, 2024

Show notes

Episode 175 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Shadowdark RPG – Characters and Magic

With Shadowdark’s simplicity, how do ancestries, classes, and class features distinguish themselves? Shawn and Teos examine the classes, alignment, and magic systems to see how this game manages to be so good.

News: D&D Turned 40, D&D in VR, a Real Fortress Dungeon, and more!

Contents
00:00:00 Rub Your Face
00:01:19 Compelling Hooks?
00:11:43 RPGs for New GMs
00:19:02 D&D Turns 50
00:21:56 D&D VR Game
00:26:35 Beyond Stats
00:29:33 Real Dungeon
00:31:01 50th Minis
00:32:48 Mathemagician Rituals
00:34:38 Zweihander Reforged
00:35:22 Hacking Across Editions
00:39:03 Shadowdark Characters
00:40:48 Ancestries
00:46:14 Classes - Fighter
00:48:35 Talents
00:50:12 Stat Boosts
00:51:46 Wizard and Priest
00:53:30 Thief
01:00:29 Backgrounds
01:02:08 Alignment and Deities
01:05:16 Titles
01:07:24 Gear and Slots
01:10:36 Cohesive Game Elements
01:13:27 XP
01:17:41 Magic
01:32:05 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected