Mastering Dungeons

Latest Episodes:

Mastering Dungeons - Adventure Environments! Jun 21, 2023

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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.

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