Mastering Dungeons

Latest Episodes:

Mastering Dungeons - Listener Questions and News! Feb 01, 2023

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

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

Show notes

RPG veterans and game designers Teos Abadía and Shawn Merwin look at the game and the hobby of D&D from a variety of viewpoints: reporting the news, understanding the business, reviewing the products, and illuminating the design.

Each show typically has three segments:
- Listener Questions
- Industry News
- Main Segment (review, interview, or focused topic)

Each episode is one podcast on your podcast listening app. On YouTube, we provide each episode as two videos, so you can enjoy the Questions/News and Main segment separately if desired.

Find our show notes and support our podcast and YouTube efforts:
https://www.patreon.com/MasteringDnD

Listen to us on your favorite podcast device:
https://MasteringDungeons.podbean.com

Chat with us on Twitter or Mastodon:
https://twitter.com/MasteringDnD
https://dice.camp/@MasteringDnD

Find Shawn:
https://twitter.com/shawnmerwin
https://ghostfiregaming.com/

Find Teos:
https://alphastream.org/
https://youtube.com/@AlphastreamRPG
https://dice.camp/@Alphastream
https://twitter.com/Alphastream

Mastering Dungeons is a weekly podcast, made with care for your enjoyment.