Mastering Dungeons

Episode 209 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: 5E Stat Block Changes and Building the Perfect Campaign Guide!

We look at how 2024 5E changes stat block format, while also modifying monsters themselves. We then turn to creating the perfect campaign setting guide.

News: 2024 5E Sales, Uni Finds Beyond, Grim Hollow Transformed, and more!

Contents
00:00 Go Broncos!
00:56 Divine-Powered Goals?
19:35 2024 5E Sales
33:01 D&D on Vinyl
34:06 Uni on Beyond
36:40 Baldur's Gate 3 Minis
38:10 Horizons Magazine
41:15 Frontiers of Eberron's Creation
43:08 Grim Hollow Transformed
48:26 2024 Monster Stat Blocks
50:03 Design Goal
58:22 2024 Layout Changes
01:03:03 Changes to the Ape
01:10:34 Changes to the Imp
01:14:32 Other Creature Changes
01:20:45 Building the Perfect Campaign Guide
01:21:37 Constraints and Assumptions
01:22:40 Length
01:23:55 What to Include: The Pitch
01:26:25 Player Knowledge
01:27:29 The World
01:33:23 New Rules to Support Play
01:35:56 What Might Be Included?
01:39:15 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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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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Episode 208 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: 2024 5E’s Gods and Multiverse! Final Greyhawk!

2024 5E PH banishes all the gods and reduces the multiverse to one page and one image! We look at how this changes 5E for new players. Our final look at Greyhawk reimagines the setting format and looks at how gods and powerful organizations create interesting play.

News: MtG Netflix Revivified, the D&D Bologna Scale, Knowing Vecna, and more!

Contents
00:00 Emptying Nests
02:53 Boss Battle Origins?
06:23 Codified vs Loose Rules?
15:40 Sage Advice Fixes?
19:37 Rest of World Healing?
29:18 MtG Netflix Show Revivified
31:32 What Do We Know About Vecna
35:24 D&D Bologna Scale Tested
39:17 Daggerheart Preorders
41:10 Enter the Labyrinth
43:07 2014 vs 2024 Gods and Multiverse
44:45 Design Goals
47:35 Planes and Gods in Older Editions
52:30 2014 and 2024's Gods and Planes
56:48 Is Less Information Good?
01:05:07 Wrapping Up Greyhawk
01:06:32 Encyclopedic Approach is Dated
01:08:03 Why Greyhawk is Different
01:14:32 Geography of the Flanaess
01:15:45 Greyhawk's Powerful Organizations
01:19:49 Greyhawk's Gods
01:21:03 The Living Greyhawk Campaign
01:22:26 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 207 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: 2024 5E Resting Rules and Greyhawk’s Regions!

Discover the subtle changes 2024 5E makes to short and long rests and how they compare to previous editions. We assess the potential campaigns behind the design of Greyhawk’s Rovers of the Barens, Scarlet Brotherhood, Sea Barons, Sea Princes, and Shield Lands!

News: 2024 5E and the AL, New Ravenloft Novel, When to Explain a Crime, and more!

Contents
00:00 LEGO Mini Mania
04:20 D&D Epic vs Open?
09:47 Empire of the What?
11:17 Explaining a Crime?
15:19 Why is Medicine Useless?
21:24 2024 and Adv League
31:38 New Ravenloft Novel
33:23 D&D Cartoon Theme Found
35:18 Un Millón de Monedas
40:22 Oleumancer for Draw Steel
41:29 How to Create in 2024
42:46 2024 vs 2014: Healing and Resting
43:08 Value of Conditions
44:45 Design Goal for Recovery
48:44 Recovery in AD&D
52:17 3.5 Rest and Recovery
54:05 4E Rest and Recovery
57:53 2024 Long Rest Changes
01:03:04 2024 Short Rest
01:09:39 Rovers of the Barrens
01:13:42 Scarlet Brotherhood
01:18:20 Sea Barons
01:20:43 Sea Princes
01:24:05 Shield Lands
01:28:01 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 206 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: 2024 5E Conditions and Greyhawk’s Regions!

We examine the design goals of conditions and how they have changed for 2024. We visit Greyhawk’s Paynims, Perrenland, Pomarj, Ratik, and Rel Astra to see how to make the most of kingdoms and rulers.

News: 2024 PH Errata, Draw Steel License, Shadowdark Hex Crawl, and more!

Contents
00:00 Tastes Like Introcaso
01:43 Alignment Problems?
16:21 Preferred Tools VTT or Table?
25:33 2024 PH Errata
30:15 Time Mag on D&D
33:37 BMG Organized Play Survey
34:49 Draw Steel Creator License
37:34 Shadowdark Hex Crawling Rules
41:17 Grim Hollow Valikan Clans
44:30 Jeff Stevens on PWYW
46:18 Frontiers of Eberron PreOrder
50:47 Conditions in 5E 2024 vs 2014
51:40 Design Goals
01:00:07 4E and Do We Need Conditions?
01:02:50 2014's Conditions
01:06:43 2024 vs 2014
01:30:24 Greyhawk's Plains of the Paynims
01:35:17 Perrenland
01:37:23 Pomarj
01:39:48 Ratik
01:41:27 Rel Astra and Solnor Compact
01:45:02 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 205 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: PC Creation in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions!

2024 changes the order for character creation… for the better? We review Greyhawk’s North Kingdom, Nyrond, Onnwal and the Pale, looking at how to make settings interesting for players.

News: PH in Stores, PAX West Report, Greg Tito Leaves WotC, and more!

Contents
00:00 PAX West Report
04:08 Hate Balance?
06:32 Balance with Flavor?
09:26 Weapon Mastery Compensation?
14:17 D&D Direct
15:54 2024 DMG and MM
18:07 Translations Delayed and Changed
19:18 Jess Lanzillo
21:46 New Releases
27:46 Sigil VTT
33:39 Traveller Sold to Mongoose
35:16 NPR Covers D&D
36:54 Greg Tito Leaves WotC
42:08 2024 PH in Stores and Beyond
42:49 Free 2024 Rules
46:19 2024 Really Bigger?
48:00 Character Creation 2024 vs 2015
52:25 2024 Starts with Rules
57:27 Class
57:48 Origin After Class
01:03:31 Mechanical Order vs Narrative
01:05:13 Ability Scores
01:10:37 Alignment and Details
01:18:46 Greyhawk's North Kingdom
01:24:58 Nyrond
01:30:23 Onnwal
01:33:11 The Pale
01:36:59 Shout Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 204 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Weapon Mastery in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions!

2024 brings exciting Weapon Master options. We discuss the design, then turn to Greyhawk and review Ket, Lendore Isles, and Lordship of the Isles. Surf and turf!

News: D&D Clarifies Beyond, D&D’s  Secret Level and Universal Plans, and more!

Contents
00:00 Time and Friendship
03:22 Conventions with Most AL?
11:37 Is Passive Perction Wrong?
19:32 D&D Direct
21:11 Beyond Clarifications
28:24 D&D Hiring Game Designer
31:39 D&D on Amazon Prime
32:27 Paizo Reverses Community Policy
34:33 Universal D&D FanFest
35:02 D&D at Rochester's Strong Museum
36:00 Goodman Launches Organized Play
37:03 Giantsbane Covers Planescape
37:43 Cosmere is Nr 1
38:36 2024 Weapon Mastery
39:11 Design Goals
43:20 Weapon Mastery Properties
54:56 DM vs Players
01:01:03 Overall Thoughts
01:07:59 Greyhawk and Triads
01:13:13 Ket
01:23:20 Lendore Isles
01:27:27 Lordship of the Isles
01:31:22 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 203 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Search in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions!

D&D codifies the Search and Study actions in 2024. How does this impact gameplay? We then dive into how Greyhawk regions do or don’t create actionable history, looking into Highfolk, Ice Barbarians, Irongate, Empire of Iuz, and Keoland!

News: Uni Adventure at PAXW, Deborah Ann Woll Teaches, Motley Fool on 2024 D&D, and more!

Contents
00:00 ODnD Mini Review
02:55 What is Modularity?
10:26 First Multi-Table Event?
23:31 Deborah Ann Woll Teaches D&D
28:18 Alt Cover PH Delayed Outside US
29:21 2024 Tonal Shift?
38:42 Motley Fool on D&D 2024
43:40 Uni Adventure at PAX West
45:38 Norrøngard Tales of the Valiant
46:40 Horror at Devil's Run for Foundry
47:27 Search Action in 2024
49:22 Ludonarrative Dissonance?
55:29 Search in 2014
57:33 2024 Search and Study Actions
59:12 Feat and Spell Interactions
01:04:45 The Cost of Searching
01:06:59 DM Behavior
01:13:30 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
01:13:59 Highfolk
01:18:58 Ice Barbarians
01:21:11 Irongate
01:24:44 Empire of Iuz
01:30:02 Keoland
01:39:37 Gamehole Con Events
01:40:21 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 202 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: 2014 vs 2024 Exhaustion and Greyhawk’s Regions!

Does 2024’s change to Exhaustion improve gameplay? Our new 2024 mini-review series has begun! We then dive into how Greyhawk regions showcase politics and history, looking into the Frost Barbarians, Furyondy, Gran March, and Teos’ favorite, Geoff!

News: WotC New Influencer Policy, We Playtest Draw Steel, Satanic Panic Podcast, and more!

Contents
00:00 Draw Steel and Film
07:32 Best Way to Celebrate Anniversary?
17:23 Run a Complex Setting?
24:14 WotC New Influencer Policy
31:01 New D&D MtG
32:39 Jess Lanzillo Interview
39:57 Satanic Panic Podcast
43:33 Story Hooks
44:40 Encounter Difficulty Math
46:08 Amazing Encounters & Dungeons
46:53 2024 Mini-Review on Exhaustion
54:56 2024's Changes
01:02:36 Greyhawk's Regions!
01:03:23 Frost Barbarians
01:07:29 Furyondy
01:09:24 Good Hook Example
01:11:51 Duchy of Geoff
01:15:35 Combat and Politics
01:17:09 Gran March
01:19:42 Wheels Within Wheels
01:22:04 City of Greyhawk
01:28:50 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 201 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Setting Design and Greyhawk’s Regions!

Does a standoffish elven nation make for great play? We ponder setting design and the 2024 DMG while summarizing Greyhawk’s regions of Bissel, Blackmoor, Bone March, Bright Lands, Celene, Dyvers, and Ekbir.

News: PH Debut and Gen Con News, Blurry Video Debacle, Cosmere Stormlight RPG, and more!

Contents
00:00 Gen Con Haul
04:21 Playing in Established Settings?
07:00 RAW vs Homebrew for Designers?
09:19 Questions for Organized Play?
19:21 Gen Con Sells Out
20:36 2024 PH Debuts and News
32:37 Video Blur Debacle
42:32 Diana Jones and ENnies
43:12 Dark Horse DnD Comics
43:54 LEGO Minifigs
44:42 City of Arches by Sly Flourish
45:34 Brandon Sanderson Cosmere RPG
46:39 Making the Most of Greyhawk Regions
48:04 What 2024 May Bring
49:42 Useful Design
52:20 Politics vs Adventure
59:02 Our Approach
01:00:38 Bissel
01:05:44 Blackmoor
01:09:33 The Bone March
01:11:14 The Bright Lands and Rary
01:14:13 Celene the Elven Kingdom
01:17:38 Dyvers
01:20:40 Calliphate of Ekbir
01:25:16 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 200 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Greyhawk’s Regions!

The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer covers its nations and regions, using Ahlissa and the Bandit Kingdoms to ponder what makes a setting great.

News: What is D&D’s Tabletop Revenue, Hasbro Q2 Breakdown, Why RPGs Have Mistakes, and more!

Contents
00:00 200th Birthday
02:13 Reproduce Living Greyhawk?
18:40 Why Does WotC Make Mistakes?
27:18 Hasbro Q2 Results!
35:13 D&D and Digital
41:31 2024 and VTT?
44:38 DD Beyond Grows to 18M
46:16 Calculating D&D's Revenue
51:00 MCDM RPG is Draw Steal
51:48 Greyhawk Regions
53:57 What Do We Want in a Setting?
59:13 Gazetteer Approach
01:10:13 Kingdom of Ahlissa
01:13:00 Every DM's Setting the Same?
01:19:11 Resources, Coins
01:21:02 Peoples, Alignments, Religions
01:23:45 Allies, Enemies, Overview
01:26:59 History
01:30:38 Conflicts and Intrigues
01:37:22 The Bandit Kingdoms
01:41:22 BK and Casey Brown
01:47:40 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 199 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Greyhawk’s Peoples and Story!

The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer describes species, culture, and history. And, hey, how detailed should a setting be?

News: New WotC VP John Hight, Hiring D&D Architect, Free Shadowdark Solo, and more!

Contents
00:00 Parental Warning
03:31 Edition Change at Cons?
22:52 John Hight New WotC President
30:17 D&D Hiring Product Architect
36:28 Early PH at Gen Con
38:30 Monopoly Go Version of Monopoly
41:38 Wulfgang Baur Interview
43:29 Shadowdark Solo for Free
44:30 Thousand Suns in Spanish
45:24 Nimble 5E on Backerkit
46:45 Greyhawk Gazetteer
47:37 Evaluating a Setting
49:24 The Chapters
51:25 Tropes and Other Issues
53:23 Ch2 Human Cultures
57:07 Is this Important?
01:02:51 Nonhumans in Greyhawk
01:06:39 Greyhawk's Level of Conflict
01:11:43 Ch3 Greyhawk's History
01:17:09 Greyhawk Wars
01:21:19 Peace Signing
01:25:26 In Praise of Legwork
01:30:48 Player Assumptions
01:40:47 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

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.

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.

Episode 196 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Setting Expectations for your TTRPG Projects!

Wrel (Michael Henderson) joins Shawn Merwin to discuss how to set the right expectations for your TTRPG projects. Topics include setting goals, knowing who you are designing for, finding an audience, and assessing your capabilities.

News: New D&D VP, PH and DMG Previews, Reliable Core Rules, and more!

Contents
00:00 Michael Henderson aka Wrel
02:37 Unnecessary Rules?
07:21 Reliable Core Rules?
12:55 Counterspell Problems?
18:33 Ditch Resource Management?
26:12 New D&D VP Jess Lanzillo
34:32 2024 D&D Previews
38:04 Grim Hollow Player Pack on DDB
43:00 Grim Hollow 2E in October
45:38 How Not to Get Eaten by an Owlbear
46:45 TTRPG Project Expectations
47:28 What's the Goal?
54:20 Who Designing For?
01:07:44 Finding an Audience
01:13:26 What are you Capable of?
01:18:21 Practicing on DDB
01:19:22 Importance of Art
01:27:48 Find Wrel
01:28:25 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

Episode 195 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Daggerheart’s Adversaries and Environments!

Our final episode covering Daggerheart. Adversaries are critical to an RPG, creating excitement and engagement. Let's learn from how Daggerheart works to streamline stat blocks and encourage open play!

News: Hasbro CEO Take 2, Vecna on DDB Doesn’t Match Book, Tabletop Scotland, and more!

Contents
00:00 Ghostfire University
01:37 Stay Inspired?
07:57 Build Player Investment?
12:16 Daggerheart's Blank Canvas?
24:30 2024 PHB Reveals
26:44 Hasbro CEO, Take 2!
36:12 DDB Vecna Doesn't Match Paper
39:36 AL Adds Tabletop Scotland PO
43:23 Origins Award Finalists
44:26 Final Daggerheart!
45:14 One Remaining Major Update
47:25 Playtest Ends in July
48:49 Importance of Adversaries
50:42 Adversaries in Daggerheart
54:59 Descriptions and Motives
57:49 Attack and Defense
01:01:23 Experiences
01:03:08 Special Features
01:09:18 Environments
01:13:13 Do Environments Work Well?
01:24:21 Promised Sections
01:24:56 Final Thoughts
01:33:18 Shout-Outs

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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

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

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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Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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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

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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

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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/ 

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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

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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

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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

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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

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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?

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Episode 126 of Mastering Dungeons! 

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.

Episode 125 of Mastering Dungeons! 

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.

Episode 124 of Mastering Dungeons! 

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.

Episode 123 of Mastering Dungeons! 

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.

Episode 122 of Mastering Dungeons! 

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.

Episode 121 of Mastering Dungeons! 

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.

Episode 120 of Mastering Dungeons! 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.