Main topic: Best of Tomb of Annihilation!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Main topic: Best of Storm King’s Thunder!

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

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

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

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Main topic: Best of Curse of Strahd!

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

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

Contents 00:00 Introduction 34:29 Curse of Strahd 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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Main topic: Best of Out of the Abyss!

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

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

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

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

Contents 00:00 First Read of ToEE! 00:26 First Time Rolling Dice 01:08 First Time Seeing 5.5 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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Main topic: Best of Temple of Elemental Evil!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Main topic: Best of Princes of the Apocalypse!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Main topic: Working in the RPG Industry!

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

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

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

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Main topic: Rethink Your Session Zero!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Main topic: Start a New Campaign for the New Year

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

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

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

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Main topic: The Future of RPGs in 2026?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Main topic: Dying and Campaign Building with Prequel and Ethan Yen

Ethan Yen joins Shawn and Teos to discuss Prequel, the amazing game where you know you will die to the big bad… but get to create a campaign defined by the secrets these heroes discover!

News: D&D Beyond’s New Goals, Crack the Sun’s Big Start, Big Staff Changes, and more!

Contents 00:00 Conventional Wisdom 03:34 Teaching with RPGs? 13:00 Easy to Convert? 18:26 D&D Beyond's New Goals 24:52 Warlock Video Game Announced 27:57 Justice Arman Promoted 29:05 Jason Carl Departs World of Darkness 32:25 Perkins and Crawford on Acq Inc 35:47 Crack the Sun's Huge Start 39:59 Ikea D&D Book 42:47 Draw Steel Quick Reference 43:17 Quests from the Keep on the Borderlands 44:06 Ethan Yen and Prequel 45:34 Ethan's RPG Path 49:45 Creative Influences 58:45 All About Prequel 01:06:10 Phases of Play 01:12:39 The Big Fight 01:20:53 Campaign Building Conclusion 01:23:53 Zine Format Tips 01:30:46 Gamehole PoC Programs 01:37:58 Find Ethan 01:38:55 Shout-Outs 01:43:18 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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While Shawn and Teos are away, we share with you a recording Teos made with Scott F Gray, sharing the intricacies of the process for creating an RPG book. This recording appeared in two parts on the Alphastream YouTube channel and we are sharing it here for your enjoyment. 

Contents 00:00 Intro 00:46 About Scott 04:15 Who this video is for 09:09 Starting with an idea 12:54 When is my idea ready? 26:53 What to know when I start writing 39:04 Understanding words per page 43:00 After writing and types of editors 01:02:22 Development 01:04:10 Sensitivity Reading 01:07:10 Proofreading 01:10:11 Layout 01:14:47 Initial Layout Design 01:19:05 Flowing Copy and Word Processor Choices 01:24:39 Art and Art Orders 01:36:46 Bleed 01:39:26 Rewriting After Initial Layout 01:45:27 Don't Write in Layout 01:49:24 Final Proofread and Layout 01:55:34 PDF vs PoD vs Offset Printing 02:11:25 Offset Printing and Timeline 02:15:20 Crowdfunding 02:18:55 Rising Tide on Manufacturing and Shipping 02:21:12 On Collaboration 02:26:27 Support the Show

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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Main topic: The Beautiful Mess of 5E! (Gamehole Con 2025)

While Shawn and Teos are away, we share with you a recording of a panel at Gamehole con where Mike Mearls, Mike Shea, Shawn, and Teos discuss the many forms of 5E available both officially and through third party companies. We look at how D&D 5E was designed in a open way and how this impacts our hobby. 

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

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Main topic: Brindlewood Bay’s Cozy Horror

Cozy on up with our review of Brindlewood Bay. Being an elderly widow, cutting to commercial, detailing our cozy home, and drawing on classic TV? Sign us up!

News: Eberron Forge of the Artificer, MCDM’s Summoner and Blackbottom, Cosmere Actual Play, and more!

Contents 00:00 Clue Advent and Alien Evolved 03:32 Player Goals First? 12:34 Crawford Perkins Critique and Praise? 16:45 Eberron Forge of the Artificer is Out 21:15 MCDM Releases Summoner 21:42 Fall of Blackbottom Adventure 23:40 Initiative D&D in NYC 26:10 Cosmere Actual Play 27:23 Jubensha Grows Internationally 30:47 Nominate Most Anticipated RPG of '26 31:43 Brindlewood Bay 32:16 Game and its Vibes 35:30 Elderly Widows as PCs 37:57 Game Play Basics 39:44 Why the GM Can Push Hard 42:33 Gear as Your Cozy Home 45:08 PbtA Moves 56:35 Maven Moves 58:45 Being a Keeper or GM 01:00:24 Clues and Void Clues 01:02:42 One-Shots vs Campaign 01:08:09 Shout-Outs 01:12:15 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Can We Fix 1-Player Dragon Delves?

While a full fix would take more work, we do quickly test a fix and find it is a ton more fun as we conclude our 1 DM and 1 Player adventure!

News: Daggerheart’s Big Expansion, Acq Inc Switches, D&D’s Digital Releases, Leaked Financials, and more!

Contents 00:00 Shawn is Horrified 02:46 D&D Version of Andor or Office? 11:18 Must Fun Single-Class Party? 15:18 Lorwyn First Light Released Digitally 20:32 Daggerheart New Expansion 24:26 Daggerheart PAX News 27:46 Acq Inc Switches to Daggerheart 30:48 Leaked 5E Sales Data 37:28 Free Fantasy Grounds 38:51 If RPGs Adjusted for Inflation 40:13 Temple of the Lightbringers 40:37 Stabracadabra 41:32 Crack the Sun for Draw Steel 42:12 Drakkenheart 43:00 Kickstarter Union Prevails 43:35 Baker's Doesn't Conclusion 44:07 Our Test So Far 46:59 1 on 1 Play as a Concept 55:25 Shawn's Proposed Changes! 01:04:21 Underground Jail 01:10:34 Yummy Mummy 01:14:29 Our New Solo Combat 01:25:48 When Mummy is Daddy 01:31:00 Facing Nibblecheeks 01:35:39 The Heroes We Made Along the Way 01:41:25 Final Thoughts 01:48:15 Shout Outs 01:52:04 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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

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Main topic: Does 1 Player Really Work with Dragon Delves?

Shawn runs Teos through Dragon Delves and they find out whether the adventure’s rules for one player work. Spoiler: no, listener, they do not work!

News: Mighty Nein on Amazon, D&D Challenging for Netflix, Draw Steel Codex, 5E on Demiplane, and more!

Contents 00:00 FR Goodness 01:03 DnD Bologna Contestants - Die Egg Cup 02:32 DnD Press-On Nails 03:54 People Mag and DnD Wedding Cakes 06:17 What Should WotC Design? 18:01 Demiplane 5E Support 23:14 Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime 25:27 D&D on Netflix is Challenging 30:45 Draw Steel Codex 32:51 Codex Draw Steel Marketplace 33:32 Crack the Sun! 35:54 Amazon Warhammer 40k Shows 38:03 Baldur's Gate Adventure Jam Released 39:38 D&D Municipal Ethics Adventure 40:56 Beast RPG 43:55 Alpha Star Magazine 44:33 Darrington Press Seeks Creators 45:38 Dungeons of Drakkenheim for Daggerheart 46:20 DM and Player Gaming 50:06 Story So Far 52:00 Forest and Candy Trail 56:10 Investigating the Outside 01:07:05 Exploring the Interior 01:10:01 Taffy and Bugbears 01:14:22 Discussing 1 Player Combat 01:17:57 Secret Passage 01:22:10 Critical Hit! 01:33:57 Reflecting on 1-on-1 Combat 01:35:27 Saving Asger 01:39:23 Additional Thoughts 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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Main topic: Solo Actual Play with Dragon Delves!

Can solo play work? Shawn runs Teos through Dragon Delves. See their ridiculous antics and what they think about the design!

News: Daggerheart’s New Bloodhunter, Moonbeam Shuts Down, WotC Restores Educator Resources, HeroForge and Daggerheart Dilemma, and more!

Contents 00:00 Playing All the Games 04:08 Reasons Why PCs Have New Features? 12:18 Lost Art of Dungeon Design? 22:47 Favorite Community Program? 27:54 Moonbeam Shutting Down 30:01 Organize Play Adds FR Options 32:58 DnD EU and AP Release Dates 34:26 WotC Restores Educator Resources 35:51 Daggerheart Playtests Blood Hunter 37:37 HeroForge and Daggerheart Dilemma 41:21 Solo Play with Dragon Delves 42:55 Using Maps VTT 45:58 Solo Play Rules in Dragon Delves 50:27 Adventure Starts with Fire 57:01 Saving the Halfling 01:01:41 Investigating the Fire 01:09:58 Golden Lizards 01:14:21 Mischief at the Bakery 01:28:41 Behind the DM Curtain 01:30:08 Shout Outs 01:33:38 What Are We Gonna Do? 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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Main topic: Shannon Appelcline and Designers & Dragons Origins!

Renowned RPG historian Shannon Appelcline joins Teos and Shawn to discuss his new 4-book series capturing the amazing stories behind every D&D product from OD&D, AD&D, and Basic!

News: New Daggerheart folio, Tales of Woodcreek starts with a bang, Free FR preview, and more!

Contents 00:00 Thankful for community 03:44 Draw Steel allows roleplay? 06:38 Get players to make stuff up? 19:32 Netflix and Hasbro KPop Demon Hunting 20:48 Hasbro Q3 report 22:54 WotC Q3 results 24:07 Videogame costs 26:49 Hasbro's 45-50 shows and movies 29:34 WotC explains D&D well, actually 35:34 How big is D&D? 42:13 Are we getting a Dragonlance show? 45:15 Sigil will be no more 52:06 Daggerheart on class design 54:41 PAX Unplugged BIPOC demo days 55:37 Drakkenheart 57:07 Draw Steel recoveries and respites 57:52 Ending combat 01:03:02 Balancing adventuring days 01:06:23 Recoveries 01:08:12 Resting and victories 01:11:23 Respites and downtime 01:21:52 Project roll 01:23:34 Project events 01:28:13 Rewards and downtime 01:32:52 Shout-outs 01:37:19 What are we gonna do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Draw Steel – Resting and Downtime! (MD 264)

The Draw Steel RPG has a unique and deliberate approach to what it takes to rest and what you can do during your rest. Respites become a key element, bridging combat recovery with larger campaign and personal goals.

News: Hasbro KPop Demon Roleplay, Hasbro Q3 Results, Dragonlance TV Show? Sigil has 1 year, and more!

Contents 00:00 Thankful for community 03:44 Draw Steel allows roleplay? 06:38 Get players to make stuff up? 19:32 Netflix and Hasbro KPop Demon Hunting 20:48 Hasbro Q3 report 22:54 WotC Q3 results 24:07 Videogame costs 26:49 Hasbro's 45-50 shows and movies 29:34 WotC explains D&D well, actually 35:34 How big is D&D? 42:13 Are we getting a Dragonlance show? 45:15 Sigil will be no more 52:06 Daggerheart on class design 54:41 PAX Unplugged BIPOC demo days 55:37 Drakkenheart 57:07 Draw Steel recoveries and respites 57:52 Ending combat 01:03:02 Balancing adventuring days 01:06:23 Recoveries 01:08:12 Resting and victories 01:11:23 Respites and downtime 01:21:52 Project roll 01:23:34 Project events 01:28:13 Rewards and downtime 01:32:52 Shout-outs 01:37:19 What are we gonna do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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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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Main topic: Live from Gamehole Con -  Complexity in RPGs!

We discuss complexity with our live audience!

News: Asmodee Controls Lord of the Rings, Circle Magic, Biggest Industry Surprise, New Kobold Hires, and more!

Contents 00:00 Live with pants 01:13 Gamehole games so far 03:53 Modularity of RPG for GM? 06:16 Odds of Dark Sun 5E? 09:06 What do I do this week? 10:05 Biggest surprise in the industry? 12:28 Survivability of games with financial changes? 16:22 Financial shift to premium products? 17:08 Asmodee controls Lord of the Rings 19:00 Circle Magic and New Spells 26:31 New Kobold Press hires 27:23 Your Creator Corner 29:05 Complexity in RPGs 29:46 Character complexity 40:29 RPG rule complexity 50:21 Thank you! 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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Main topic: Draw Steel Combat Encounters!

Teos and Shawn examine how the Draw Steel RPG handles player turns, including forced movement, damage, and dying!

News: D&D Hellfire at Target, Free Daggerheart Roll20 Quickstart, Drakkenheim for Daggeheart, Our Approach to Learn New RPGs, and more!

Contents 00:00 Gamehole Peak Prep 02:11 Remembering Rob Weiland 04:29 Our Daggerheart and Draw Steel Games 09:12 Our Process to Learn an RPG? 16:30 Hellfire Club Released 20:03 Daggerheart Quickstart on Roll20 and Demiplane 22:07 Hellfire in Target 23:09 Hasbro's SORRY Mobile Game 24:05 Licensing D&D and MtG 25:21 Drakkenheim for Daggerheart 29:43 How Much Magazine Stuff 31:05 Designers & Dragons Origins Preview 34:29 Keith Ammann on Writing About Dragons 35:22 Allies & Enemies for Shadowdark 36:18 Jerry Garcia's Cosmic Journey 36:56 Fred Armisen's 100 Sound Effects 38:46 Draw Steel Combat Encounters 39:42 Three Action Types 45:47 Tactical Details 48:09 Forced Movement 53:10 Critical Hits 59:49 Damage and Stamina 01:04:54 Daggerheart Damage Comparison 01:10:17 Shout-Outs 01:15:39 See you at Gamehole Con! 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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Main topic: Draw Steel Combat Basics!

Teos and Shawn examine how Draw Steel creates tactical, cinematic, and heroic play with its combat system!

News: New D&D Video Game Studio, Demogorgon Crunch, Kickstarter’s Union, and more!

Contents 00:00 Miles of Games 03:08 Designing for Someone's IP? 15:05 D&D New Video Game Studio 19:38 D&D Hiring a Game Designer 22:27 Revised Psion UA 25:23 Designing to Guarantee Effects 30:31 Kim Mohan in Hall of Fame 32:33 Acq Inc Pirate Borg! 34:20 Demogorgon Crunch 35:30 Kickstarter's Union Wants Protections 36:29 How Much Setting Stuff Is There? 41:55 Designers & Dragons Origins 43:51 Draw Steel Combat Basics 44:36 Beastheart Playtest News 45:25 Power Rolls in Draw Steel 46:44 Tiered Outcomes 49:03 Power Rolls and Gameplay 54:32 Potency 56:29 Gating Outcomes 59:02 Draw Steel and Daggerheart Similarities 01:02:00 Example Actions 01:04:12 Edges and Banes 01:08:52 Hero Tokens 01:11:39 The Map 01:20:11 Initiative, sort of 01:32:29 Shout Outs 01:36:16 What Are We Gonna Do? 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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Main topic: Draw Steel Kits and Complications! (MD 260)

Teos and Shawn finish creating their characters, reviewing the cool rules for Kits, how Complications wildly spice up a game, and Perks!

News: Salvatore May Retire Drizzt, Lorwyn Digital-Only D&D Setting, Cosmere New Releases, and more!

Contents 00:00:00 War torn 00:02:36 Do elaborate mechanics create narrative? 00:21:44 Lorwyn is a Digital-Only D&D Setting 00:25:15 DDB adds Maps and Party Inventory 00:26:02 Heroes of the Borderlands tutorials 00:26:30 Stranger Things product info 00:27:44 WizKids smaller dragon Trophy 00:30:29 MtG enters Federation Space! 00:32:32 Salvatore may retire Drizzt 00:35:34 Cosmere New Releases 00:37:18 The Last Caravan - Westward Bound 00:38:11 What's My Foundation? 00:39:08 Our Draw Steal Character Creation 00:40:19 Step 6 - Kits 00:54:56 Perks 00:56:55 Step 7 - Add Free Strikes 00:59:49 Step 8 - Complications 01:12:11 Step 9 - Details 01:13:05 Step 10 - Connections 01:17:10 Thoughts on Advancement Speed 01:24:49 Shout-Outs 01:30:24 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Draw Steel Character Classes, Careers, and Cultures!

Teos and Shawn create two characters, reviewing how Draw Steel creates engagement through complex classes, careers, and create-your-own cultures!

News: Daggerheart Void Update, Diamond Selling Disputed Stock, Baldur’s Gate Jam, and more!

Contents 00:00 Pirates and Cowpokes 02:57 Should Serving Your Deity Matter? 16:51 What Would We Create? 23:40 DM Retcons Okay? 29:39 Unearthed Arcana - Arcane Subclasses 31:15 Update on Diamond Selling Disputed Stock 36:32 New D&D Educator Resources Location 38:39 DMsGuild Baldur's Gate Jam 40:19 Demiplane is Hiring 41:29 Daggerheart Playtests Adversaries and Environments 41:53 How Much D&D Stuff Is There? 47:04 Cypher Revised Final Days! 48:07 Draw Steel Character Creation 50:37 Creating Our Cultures 55:32 Career Background 01:01:20 Draw Steel Classes 01:05:17 Tactician and Troubadour Classes 01:06:49 Class Basics 01:10:04 1st Level Class Features 01:16:45 Kits and Other Class Features 01:32:49 We Really Liked This! 01:34:34 Shout-Outs 01:38:41 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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No News Segment this week!

Main topic: Inside Heroes of the Borderlands: Justice Arman on creating D&D’s new starter set!

Justice led the project to create a new Starter Set updating the famed module B2, The Keep on the Borderlands! Justice joins Teos and Shawn to share what it was like creating the set.

Contents 00:00 Justice Arman! 01:35 Settings with Limited Options? 10:04 Justice's Path as a Creator 14:28 Teos Likes this Set 15:56 Creating a New Starter Set 19:28 Starter Set Goals 22:08 Design Challenges 29:40 Keep on the Borderlands Revisions 35:14 Fun Innovations 42:23 Future Class Boards? 44:17 Advice on Running the Adventures 47:23 How it was Playtested 51:44 Board Game Entryway 01:02:17 Wisdom from Justice 01:04:04 Providing Feedback 01:04:57 Find Justice! 01:05:47 Shout-Outs 01:09:10 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Draw Steel Character Generation!

Shawn and Teos discuss character generation approaches, then plunge into Draw Steel’s first character generation steps!

News: Wizards CEO on Franchises, AI, and Video Games. Starter Set Previews, Kobold Press on Multiple RPGs, and more!

Contents 00:00 One of Us is Rested 02:32 Daggerheart Simplicity Redux 10:19 Rules-Lite Spellcasting? 19:19 John Hight on Franchises and Video Games 26:19 Hight on AI 30:38 Hight on MMOs 34:16 Starter Set Previews 39:08 Dark Sun on Tabletop Journeys 39:44 Apocalypse World Burned Over 40:45 Kobold Press Unprecedented Times? 48:04 Aetherial Expanse Drowned God 48:39 Surviving Strangehollow on GameFound 50:53 Draw Steel Character Creation 51:15 CharGen in General 01:05:31 Draw Steel General Guidance 01:09:43 Step 1, Think 01:16:15 Step 2, Ancestry 01:22:27 Shout-Outs 01:27:02 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Mike Balles and Spanish Language RPGs!

Mike Balles and Teos examine the state of Spanish-language play and support across companies, conventions, and creator spaces. Mike shares the programs he is involved in and how you can support those efforts!

News: Treantmonk on UAs! Acq Inc Switches to Daggerheart, Stranger Things at Target, and more!

Contents 00:00 Chris Honkala aka Treantmonk! 01:16 Premiere Organizers 02:05 Pick One RPG? 03:47 Daggerheart Too Simple? 07:23 Acq Inc Rewrites Reality to Daggerheart 09:51 Stranger Things Target Exclusive 13:20 Chris' Origin Story 16:11 Chris on WotC UAs 31:09 Should WotC Respond to Fans? 38:55 5E Subclass Design 42:52 Analyzing the Apocalyptic UA 56:42 Survey is Live 58:26 Find Chris! 59:00 What Are We Gonna Do? 59:38 Mike Balles! 01:00:59 PAX Unplugged 01:02:21 Mike's Origin Story 01:08:48 Streaming and Wizards of the Coast 01:13:29 Improving Gen Con and PAX 01:21:57 San Diego Comic Con 01:24:33 Connecting Creators 01:27:18 Gamehole Con PoC Program 01:35:38 Localizations and Translations 01:50:37 Translated 5E Character Sheets 01:54:51 Exploring Regional Opportunities 01:59:33 Spanish Language Creators and Games 02:10:57 Support Latine Lounge 02:17:09 Find Mike and Claudia 02:19:29 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Draw Steel Negotiations and Montages!

Shawn and Teos discuss how the new Draw Steel RPG’s systems for montages and negotiations felt during their recent game, reviewing the lofty goals and interesting design.

News: Is Dark Sun Coming? Critical Role Chooses D&D West Marches, Shadowdark Org Play, Why Crawford and Perkins Joined CR, and more!

Contents 00:00 Teos at PAX West 02:28 Dan Ayoub Confidence in 2024? 12:03 Insight Check as Lie Detector? 22:36 Unearthed Arcana - Dark Sun? 25:59 CR Chooses 5E West Marches 33:00 Crawford and Perkins' Motives 39:41 Shadowdark Org Play 41:01 Draw Steel Summoner Playtest 42:01 Free Draw Steel Minis 42:22 Pirate Borg Localizations 44:10 Exodus RPG Encyclopedia 45:17 ARPIA Award Finalists 46:21 Grim Hollow Transformed on D&D Beyond 48:30 Negotiations and Montages 51:19 Montage Rules 54:05 Negotiation Rules 56:43 Larger Gameplay Concepts 01:07:23 Our Play Experience 01:18:39 Montage Outcomes 01:26:17 Negotiations in Our Game 01:34:59 Considering Alternate Systems 01:40:57 Shout-Outs 01:44:54 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Draw Steel RPG at Level 1!

Shawn and Teos play Draw Steel on the D20 Play channel. We discuss how the game plays at level 1, including the goals of the RPG and how well they worked. We also discuss how it felt to play a Talent (psion) and Troubadour.

News: D&D in the Heart of London, D&D at the Ballpark, Starter Set Delays, and more!

Contents 00:00 Beloved Corrections 04:36 Future of Organized Play? 18:35 Wild West Campaign? 21:43 Is Complexity Good? 27:03 How to Hook Friends and Family on D&D 39:41 Starter Set Delayed in EU and UK 41:05 Baseball and D&D 43:22 D&D in London 44:36 Legends of Greyhawk Videos 45:50 Cosmere Print Date 46:18 Battlezoo Secret Tomes 47:07 Surviving Strangehollow on Gamefound 48:09 Aetherial Expanse: Dreasm of the Drowned God 49:25 Draw Steel at Level 1 50:42 We Love Games! 53:33 Tactical Heroic Cinematic Fantasy 56:28 Tactical and Heroic Play 59:51 Cinematic Play 01:03:09 Talent at Level 1 01:09:00 Troubador at Level 1 01:15:56 Complexity 01:23:03 Monsters in Draw Steel 01:28:51 Designed to Make Players Into DMs 01:31:57 Shout-Outs 01:35:08 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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

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

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

Main topic: How to DM Parenting with Shelly Mazzanoble! D&D’s Shelly Mazzanoble joins us to discuss her new book: How to Dungeon Master Parenting! This hilarious and insightful book offers a lot for DMs and parents. We discuss how the two compare and Shelly’s storied past where she has worked to promote women in D&D and D&D’s philanthropic efforts.

News: Japan’s D&D Initiative, Diablo RPG, Tropes that Ruin RPGs, and more!

Contents 00:00 We're 159! 03:18 Is D&D Scrutiny New? 07:55 RPGS Cannibalizing Each Other? 14:48 If We Knew 1 Spell? 18:28 Criminally Overlooked Game Design? 26:14 D&D in Japan 28:04 New Fallbacks Novel 29:27 5 Tropes Ruin D&D 33:36 Stranger Things Minis 35:11 Metaphor vs Mechanics 39:00 Diablo RPG 40:21 Shelly Mazzanoble 41:15 Shelly's Amazing D&D Contributions 43:45 Shelly's and Global Philanthropy 48:59 Women and New Players in D&D 57:37 How to DM Parenting 01:10:07 Child Stat Blocks 01:13:10 DM and Parenting Styles 01:21:06 Find Shelly and Her Book 01:24:24 Shout-outs 01:28:45 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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

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

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

Main topic: New Era of RPG Revolution? Huge Gen Con announcements and kickstarters have us asking… is this a new era of RPG Evolution? We look at why it is so hard to compete with D&D and why maybe companies should not want to compete at all!

News: Daggerheart Makes Big Moves, Draw Steel Released, FR DLC, and more!

Contents 00:00 Climb Gen Con Harder 01:36 Shawn on Tabletop Journeys 02:25 Gen Con Review 06:20 WotC Out of Adventure Ideas? 12:16 Forgotten Realms DLC 13:50 Netheril's Fate 15:27 Astarion's Book of Hungers 18:07 Draw Steel Released in PDF! 21:44 Daggerheart is Serious 24:50 How Many Demiplane PCs? 33:42 Cosmere Minis 34:29 ENNie Awards 36:36 Cypher Revised Announced 37:52 DeMinimis and Tarrifs 39:39 Era of RPG Revolution 40:55 2025 May Be Different 42:39 The History of D&D Challengers 44:38 D&D's Market and Brand Advantage 48:44 Licensing 49:51 Actually a Great Game 55:23 Economies of Scale 58:49 What Does Competition Look Like? 01:02:51 Ocean vs Pond 01:10:41 Competition Isn't the Only Endgame 01:18:22 Dan Ayoub and How WotC Evolves 01:23:19 A Rolling SRD 01:24:30 DDB Maps for All Subscribers 01:26:24 D&D Advisory Group 01:27:19 The Future We Envision 01:32:43 Shout-Outs 01:37:23 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Listeners Have Their Way! It’s a Listener Corner extravaganza as we fill our regular segment with tough questions from our awesome listeners!

News: Hasbro Disastrously Beats Q2 Expectations, Critical Role Expands Shows, and more!

Contents 00:00 Transforming News 04:10 Teos Ghostfire Breaking News 04:55 Happy 251st Show! 05:44 Hasbro Q2 Disastrously Beats Expectations 08:48 WotC Q2 Results 12:38 D&D Q2 Revenue 14:16 Comparing 2024 to 2014 Revenues 15:04 Critical Role Expands Shows 17:01 Cover Reveals for FR Books 19:37 Cthulhu by Torchlight Exclusive DDB 22:15 Weapons of Legend for Draw Steel 22:59 Kobold Ancestry for Draw Steel 24:10 Listener Corner Extravaganza 25:32 Dragon Delves and Arora? 29:18 Resolving Player Conflict ? 36:22 Comparing Non-D&D RPGs to Each Other 46:27 Favorite RPGs and Adventures to Read? 55:42 What We Wish Designers Would Stop Doing? 01:00:38 Shout-Outs 01:05:52 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Daggerheart Monsters and Adversaries!

Does Daggerheart provide a compelling system of monsters for GMs? We take a look at the design and whether it might hook GMs into running Daggerheart for years to come!

News: Stranger Things Boxed Set, D&D Staffing and Franchise News, Eberron Delay, and more!

Contents 00:00 Grimhollow Transformed 03:54 D&D Stranger Things Boxed Set 07:22 Jess Lanzillo at White Wolf 08:36 Dan Ayoub Franchise VP 13:46 Cynthia Williams Departs Funko 15:27 Starter Set Higher Price 20:03 Eberron Delayed 23:20 PAX West DMs Wanted 24:56 Critical Role Video Game 27:26 Black Flag in CC 28:49 Daggerheart Adventure 29:34 Daggerheart Incredible Creatures 30:15 Six-Gun Doomsday 31:41 Daggerheart Monsters and Adversaries 32:37 Why Monsters Matter in an RPG 36:04 Daggerheart Stat Blocks 38:51 Creature Type 45:34 Experiences 48:33 Monster Features 54:45 The Adversary Types 01:00:56 Looking at the Overall System 01:16:11 Shout-Outs 01:20:03 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Daggerheart Campaign Frames!Daggerheart provides an interesting structure for campaign settings. How well does this work? Let’s find out!

News: What is Narrative-First, D&D Italian Translation Problems, Offset Printers, and more!

Contents 00:00 Naprage Week 01:40 Daggerheart Adventure Differences? 09:57 What is Narrative-First? 22:52 Italian PH Problems 25:12 Wolfgang on Offset Printers 26:51 Quickplay Maps on Beyond 28:07 Daggerheart Campaign Frames 30:38 Campaign Frame Components 33:42 Lore Dump? 36:54 Frame Breakdown 37:53 Step 1: Pitch 41:50 Step 2: Foundations and 3: Characters 45:43 Step 4: Build the Map 48:42 Step 5: Session Zero and 6: Adventure 51:40 Age of Umbra Campaign Frame 01:04:34 Included Campaign Frames 01:06:52 Shout-Outs 01:09:55 What Are We Gonna Do Now? 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.

Main topic: Leveling Our Daggerheart Characters!We level up our Rogue and Warrior all the way to level 6 and share how the design enabled our concepts.

News: Dragon Delves Pre-Release, Daggerheart New Classes, Cosmere Hiring, and more!

Contents 00:00 MVP is Sleep 01:08 Leaving Blanks? 08:24 Daggerheart Demands Good GMs? 15:22 Dragon Delves Pre-Released 17:47 UA Arcane Subclasses 19:31 Gen Con Needs DMs 21:36 New Daggerheart Witch and Assassin 26:12 Demiplane adds Playtest Classes 26:37 Updated Daggerheart License 27:35 Origins Awards 28:18 Cosmere RPG is Hiring 34:13 Leveling Daggerheart Characters 36:51 Daggerheart's Tier Leveling System 37:39 Tier 2 Benefits 40:43 Level 2 Choices 48:19 Level 3 Options 52:56 Level 4 Options 58:31 Tier 3 Benefits and Multiclassing 01:09:35 Level Choices 01:12:42 Design Considerations 01:24:30 Gear and Leveling 01:27:33 Shout-Outs 01:30:45 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Our Daggerheart Characters! What it is like to create Daggerheart Characters, with real examples of our Rogue and Warrior.

News: WotC Layoffs, Dragon Delve Previews, Daggerheart Staff Changes, and more!

Contents 00:00 Dual-Wield Chainsaws 02:02 Dungeon Crawls Gone? 12:39 Universal and Unique Lore? 16:38 Dragon Delves Previews 18:50 Wizards of the Coast Layoffs 20:07 Ivan Van Norman Departs Darrington 23:04 Diana Jones Finalists 25:30 Evil Hat Cancels Tomb Raider RPG 27:14 DarkHorse Brings Fallbacks 28:44 Treasures from the Dark 31:04 Our Daggerheart Characters 33:30 Getting Started Section 37:42 Class and Subclass 49:00 Subclass 52:14 Heritage - Ancestry and Community 59:11 Character Traits 01:03:17 Additional Info 01:05:57 Starting Equipment 01:15:44 Background 01:16:52 Experiences 01:19:47 Domain Cards 01:25:12 Connections 01:29:07 Shout-Outs 01:32:18 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Daggerheart Initiative! What happens when a player of GM can take any number of turns in a row? We take a look at Daggerheart’s initiative and consider games that have similar approaches.

News: Critical Role Hire Perkins and Crawford, Jess Lanzillo Departs WotC, Daggerheart Translations, and more!

Contents 00:00 We Are Stunned 00:49 Will Daggerheart Stand the Test of Time? 01:21 Crawford and Perkins' New Jobs 15:55 Jess Lanzillo Departs WotC 24:54 Daggerheart Being Translated 25:55 Mearls on Character Maps and Psion 28:27 Kickstarter Pre-Launch vs Funding 32:02 Standing the Test of Time? 40:35 Daggerheart Initiative 41:16 Our Experiences 45:26 Game Flow 47:08 The Spotlight 51:20 Adapt Over Time? 52:06 On Your Turn 53:50 Duality Dice 56:26 GM Moves and Adversary Actions 58:52 How Rules Play 01:08:30 Optional 3-Token System 01:14:36 Shout-Outs 01:17:31 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic:  2025 D&D Psion Subclasses! The new psion can blow minds with new Disciplines, spells, and Subclasses.

News: Perkins and Crawford’s Jobs, We Play Daggerheart, Get Free Goblin Trouble, and more!

Contents 00:00 Daggerborg Below 02:37 Mythic Fantasy Tips? 10:33 Transition to Another RPG? 19:14 Good RPGs for Drama and Participation? 23:49 Crawford and Perkins Jobs Open 28:47 Free Goblin Trouble Adventure 32:37 Shawn and Teos Play Daggerheart 43:30 Daggerheart Card Editor is Live 44:20 Staff Changes at Chaosium 45:32 Book Distributor Feedback 50:06 The Devoured Labyrinth 51:39 Save on Steve Conley's Irregulars 52:45 Bundle of Pride Games 53:34 Psionic Subclasses and Disciplines 55:17 Psionic Disciplines 58:12 Design Patterns 01:14:13 New and Revised Spells 01:19:14 Psion Subclasses 01:34:12 Shout-Outs 01:38:09 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: The 2025 D&D Psion!! We look at the Psion from OD&D and across the editions, to the 2025 playtest Psion for how well it throws mind bullets. Does it have the power to move us?

News: Draw Steel Covers, D&D International Day of Play, New D&D Video Game, and more!

Contents 00:00 Intro 02:20 Building Large Cities? 09:04 Daggerheart Didn't Crowdfund? 14:03 2025 D&D Conversion Document 17:42 New D&D Video Game 18:57 Draw Steel Covers and Schedules 20:19 D&D International Day of Play 23:20 Free RPG Day June 21 25:13 SlyFlourish Leaves Blanks 29:38 KP on Small Press Printing 32:49 Avatar Legends Licensed Adventures 34:12 TileForge 35:17 2025 Psion Playtest 36:34 Psionics in OD&D and AD&D 42:17 Psionics in 2E 47:53 Psionics in 3E and 4E 52:24 Design Challenges 59:36 5E 2014 Mystic 01:02:13 The 2025 UA Psion 01:02:47 Why a Psion Class vs Subclass? 01:05:16 Core Psion Traits 01:07:15 Spellcasting 01:10:30 Psionic Energy Dice and Features 01:23:10 Psionic Disciplines and Higher Levels 01:26:36 Assessing at Level 5 01:33:30 Shout-Outs 01:37:50 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Making Good Tactical Maps!

Shawn and Teos discuss how to make great maps for home play or publications. From envisioning movement to avoiding symmetry, we share our tips and tricks.

News: Daggerheart Released, Lee Gold’s A&E Legacy, Minecraft RPG, Digital Deck of Player Safety, and more!

Contents 00:00 Reliving Introcaso 01:33 Detect Phantasmal Force? 15:24 Spoonfeeding Backstory? 29:34 Daggerheart Released 31:48 Daggerheart Card Maker 32:47 Daggerheart Community License 34:25 Lee Gold's A&E Legacy 39:11 DMs Wanted for Gencon and BMG 41:36 Digital Deck of Player Safety 44:08 Minecraft RPG 45:17 WizKids Apologize for BG3 Minis 48:19 Sand Marches for Dark Sun 48:48 5-Room Dungeon Jam 49:38 Making Good Tactical Maps 55:57 Envision Your Location 01:00:09 Fit the Overall Setting 01:02:19 Fit the Creatures 01:07:12 Think of Movement and Abilities 01:15:30 Details that Matter 01:17:52 Avoid Symmetry 01:20:47 Add Surprises 01:24:10 Shout-Outs 01:27:58 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Draw Steel and Introducing New RPGs!

James Introcaso joins Teos to discuss the challenges any new RPG has in attracting an audience, explaining what makes it fun, creating starter sets, and much more! We draw heavily on Draw Steel, the MCDM RPG coming out later this summer!

News: Daggerheart Media Blitz, Diana Jones Emerging Designers, Storytelling Through Violence, and more!

Contents 00:00 It's James Introcaso! 02:07 Nautical for AL vs Home? 08:10 Underwater Armor House Rules? 17:06 Diana Jones Emerging Designers 19:50 Daggerheart Media Blitz 25:13 Brotherwise Hiring RPG Director 26:44 Storytelling Through Violence 34:47 Draw Steel and Introducing New RPGs 35:14 Summer of Draw Steel 36:37 A Challenge for All RPGs 38:37 Barriers to Entry 42:05 Getting Group Buy-In 45:20 Finding an Audience 50:41 Communicating What the Game Is 55:40 Role of Stores and Distributors 01:00:21 A Great Starter Set 01:02:56 Supporting Conventions 01:06:01 Great Pregens 01:13:00 MCDM's Next Products 01:16:26 What Are We Gonna Do Now? 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.

Main topic: Creating Nautical Encounters! We build encounters based on our nautical campaign arc, including storm survival, submerged shipwrecks, battles on the high seas, and more!

News: Horror UA Subclasses, Eberron Preorder Info, Gen Con Events, and more!

Contents 00:00 Teos vs the Lorecast 02:09 Teaching Tactics? 10:50 Purpose of GM Currencies? 20:31 Eberron Preorder Info 24:40 Unearthed Arcana Horror Subclasses 28:14 Symbaroum and CZPEKU on DDB 30:26 Sigil VTT Update 31:07 PAX East Eberron Surprise 32:53 Gen Con Events Released 36:37 Playing at the World v2 37:48 Tariff News 39:40 Neon City Outlaws 41:56 Creating Nautical Encounters 43:05 Our Campaign So Far 45:16 Character Roles on the Ship 48:52 Storm Survival? 54:25 Types of Encounters 58:39 Multiple Dimensions 01:03:42 Encounters to Start the Campaign 01:07:24 Building on Campaign Hook 01:10:24 After 4th Level 01:11:21 Hiring Crew 01:12:45 Sunken Shipwreck 01:15:40 Underwater Allies 01:16:45 Island Exploration Encounter 01:18:18 Campaign-Concluding Encounters 01:20:27 Shout-Outs  01:24:13 What Are We Gonna Do? 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.

Main topic: Creating a Nautical Campaign! Shawn and Teos dive into creating a cool nautical campaign, from themes to arcs and beyond!

News: We Review Sage Advice, Polygon Sold, Diamond and Alliance Bombshells, and more!

Contents 00:00 Still the Captain 01:08 Multiple Modes of Play? 13:02 2024 Creator Pitfalls? 19:59 Diamond and Alliance Bombshells 26:23 Sage Advice is Live 29:06 Interesting Sage Advice 39:00 SRD 5.2.1 Released 41:09 Polygon Sold Off 44:56 DM David on 5E Speed of Play 49:45 EN5ider Relaunched 50:56 Distal RPG 51:54 Creating a Nautical Campaign 54:17 Session Zero 01:00:20 Swimming and Underwater Rules 01:04:07 Starting at Level 1 01:09:25 Using Themes and Plot Arcs 01:13:59 Top Down vs Bottom Up 01:15:58 Leveling 01:18:27 Evolving Themes? 01:21:25 Sources of Inspiration 01:23:51 Shout Outs  01:27:28 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Embarking on A Nautical Campaign !

Nautical campaigns offer exciting options different from other campaign types. Join us as we voyage into the strengths and challenges of these campaigns!

News: WotC’s Strong Q1, SRD 5.2 Review, Alliance Rejects Diamond, Best Campaign Setting, and more!

Contents 00:00 Play Every Day 03:03 Digital Response to Tariffs? 10:11 Changes for Exhausted Players? 19:12 Hasbro Q1 2025 23:04 How Big is D&D? 26:23 Hasbro and Tariffs 30:36 SRD 5.2 Released 35:36 SRD Localizations 38:50 Best Campaign Setting 40:39 Alliance Drops Diamond 42:45 Tariff Update 44:53 Andrew B on Writing Process 49:00 Fury of the Forsaken 49:51 Newbie DM's Iomandra 51:05 Embarking on a Nautical Campaign 53:38 Strengths of a Nautical Campaign 01:00:31 Campaign Differences 01:09:39 Challenges 01:15:29 Themes 01:18:05 Ship Combat 01:20:35 Shout-Outs 01:24:37 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Using the Environment in Encounters (with Dragons)!

Make the most of elevation, difficult terrain, cover, lighting, and more. And to tie into Monster Week: Dragons, we apply them to dragon encounters!

News: New SRD 5.2, Errata Returns, Holy Grail Turns 50, and more!

Contents 00:00 Postal Service 02:06 Shawn Peaks 02:36 Easiest Official Adventure to DM? 28:57 Peril in Pinebrook challenge? 31:54 Nobody Left the D&D Team? 32:23 New SRD 5.2 April 22 37:40 New Basic Rules 41:21 New Errata and Sage Advice 45:53 Tariff Impacts 47:24 Neverwinter Brings D&D Movie Stories 49:01 50 Years of Holy Grail 49:47 Monster Week: Dragons 50:25 Using Environment in Encounters 50:44 One Cool Thing 54:09 Watch for Time Impact 59:29 Overly Punitive Environments 01:06:20 Environment and Terrain: Cover 01:09:13 Difficult Terrain 01:15:03 Elevation 01:21:24 Moving Parts 01:25:42 Lighting 01:29:43 Beneficial and Harmful Terrain 01:32:53 Entrances and Exits 01:37:44 Shout-Outs 01:40:57 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Teaching a New Generation!

We ponder how learning RPGs has changed over the years and the best way to teach new players and DMs today.

News: Jeremy Crawford Leaves WotC, Dragon Delves 1-on-1 Play, Atlas Games Recycling, and more!

Contents 00:00 Get Outside 02:22 Make Equipment Matter? 12:48 Which Upcoming Release Excites Us? 16:38 Jeremy Crawford Departs WotC 25:02 James Wyatt on Dragon Delves Solo Play 32:47 Tariffs - Who Knows? 36:49 Atlas Games' Recycling Plastics 38:42 Exploring Creative Play 41:20 Hits the Fan 43:10 Teaching a New Generation 45:39 How We Learned to Play and DM 56:22 How Teaching Has Changed 01:07:53 Tips for Teaching New Players 01:19:27 Tips for Teaching New DMs 01:30:16 Shout-Outs 01:33:38 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Rules-Light D&D Characters!

We consider how D&D can be simplified and the goals and tradeoffs involved in creating a rules-light version.

News: Chris Perkins Retires, Greg Bilsland Returns, Tariffs and Tabletop, and more!

Contents 00:00 Reflecting on Sorrow 02:41 2 Campaigns in Same Setting? 13:03 Convert 4E Monsters to 5E? 16:08 Chris Perkins Retires 23:57 Greg Bilsland Returns to D&D 27:08 Tabletop and Tariffs 35:37 GAMA is Broken 37:47 Monte Cook Narrative vs Math 45:03 Rules-Light D&D Characters 47:34 Motivation for Lighter Rules 52:48 Mathematical Side 01:02:14 Ease for New Players and DMs 01:04:25 What to Keep 01:06:48 Arora Trait System 01:09:56 Iterative Approach 01:11:49 Choice Menus 01:15:55 Spellcaster Complexity 01:17:47 Healing and Resting 01:20:49 Shout-Outs 01:24:35 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Forever DMs and Dynamics of an RPG Group!

Teos and Shawn discuss Matt Colville’s take on Forever DMs, and look at how the dynamics of an RPG group can shape awesome play.

News: Shadowdark Sales, Anjali Bhimani Adventure, Foolish Listener Ideas, and more!

Contents 00:00 Return of Shawn 01:00 Foolish Listener Ideas 10:42 Environmental Effect CR Impact? 24:09 Anjali Bhimani Adventure 26:10 New Sigil VTT Minis? 29:09 Robin Laws is Pelgrane Creative Director 31:52 D&D for Environmental Education 32:57 28 Convention RPG Tips 46:45 GaryCon Report on Shadowdark Sales 49:51 Dungeon Drop-Ins 50:33 Free5E: Open Source D&D 51:35 Free Popup Paper Building Roof 52:25 Dynamics of an RPG Group 54:05 The Forever DM 54:48 Gaming Dynamics in the 80s 58:06 Our Recent Dynamics 01:01:47 Selflessness and Empathy 01:08:20 Convention Play 01:10:55 How to Be a Great Player 01:14:37 Create PCs that Play Well with Others 01:17:27 How to Get Players to DM 01:23:32 Great to Have DMs as Players? 01:33:23 Shout-Outs 01:37:14 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Hundred Dungeons and the OSR!

Graham Ward joins Teos to discuss his RPG, Hundred Dungeons, and how it blends OSR and other games to create awesome play!

News: WotC Sigil Team Laid Off, Convention Air Quality, Node-Based Design, and more!

Contents 00:00 Graham Ward! 01:50 Bring Back Class Roles? 05:55 Encourage Not to Rest? 12:07 Org Play Tied to Current Releases? 18:24 90% Sigil VTT Team Laid Off 27:52 Forge of Foes on Audible 29:01 Monster Vulnerability is Bad 36:45 Convention Air Quality 39:42 D&D and Housing Justice 41:25 Node-Based Design 46:18 Creator's Guide to Shipping 47:48 Hundred Dungeons 48:44 Why Hundred Dungeons? 52:45 An Interest Shift? 58:18 Actionable OSR Design 01:00:27 Hundred Dungeons Basics 01:06:29 When Math Strikes 01:13:11 Modes of Play 01:18:22 Centering the Home 01:22:34 Recuperation 01:28:03 Advice for Creators 01:30:10 Graham's Creations 01:33:00 Find Graham 01:33:58 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Let’s Build Encounters!

We build encounters based on goblin and pirate monster groups as found in the revised Monster Manual. See our process for creating fun and engaging encounters!

News: Electric State on Netflix, SVP Leaves WotC, Origins Award Finalists, and more!

Contents 00:00:00 Duke Ranks Higher Than Our Show 00:01:17 D&D at ECCC 00:05:52 D&D vs PBtA Story Loop 00:14:55 Removing D&D Subclasses? 00:17:40 Favorite Settings or Genres? 00:22:00 Digital and Licensing SVP Departs WotC 00:24:38 Electric State on Netflix 00:26:14 LoG Battle of Emridy Meadows 00:29:25 Origins Award Finalists 00:31:03 Running D&D for Kids 00:32:33 Florida Judge Cites D&D Not Making Him Satanic 00:33:57 Shadowdark Western Reaches 00:37:52 Jeff Stevens Villains & Lairs 00:38:30 LATAM RPG Jam 00:39:32 Let's Build Encounters 00:40:30 What's Our Process? 00:42:47 When Do We Care About Math? 00:46:07 Adventure Rhythm 00:48:15 What Makes an Encounter Fun? 00:55:19 What Is Our Story? 00:58:13 Let's Build a Goblin Encounter! 01:12:13 Let's Build a Pirate Encounter! 01:21:28 Rewards 01:23:52 Shout-Outs 01:27:07 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Making Your D&D or RPG World Dangerous!

Shawn Merwin is joined by Ben Byrne to create the true number one show in all the realms… where that show covers the news and then discusses how to make D&D feel dangerous to players!

News: Starter Set News, Chris Cocks on More Than AI, DriveThru Print Prices, and more!

Contents 00:00 Who is Ben Byrne and What Did He Do with Teos? 02:28 So Little Onboarding for Players? 06:57 Best Ways to Make New Players Comfortable? 12:00 Specific Resources for New Players? 14:07 Practical ways to introduce newbies? 16:08 New Starter Set Updates 24:42 DriveThru Print Prices Increase 28:12 Chris Cocks on More than AI 32:45 Making D&D and RPG World Dangerous Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Monster Groups and Encounters!

The 2025 Monster Manual provides a variety of monster groupings, such as several goblins or bandits. How well do those monster groupings work to establish a theme, provide a DM with options, and provide for useful encounters?

News: Sigil VTT is Live, Starter Set Preview, MtG Movie and TV Show, D&D Game Canceled, and more!

Contents 00:00 ECCC Cometh 01:49 Video Game-Like Rules? 11:26 Intrigue for Convention Play? 17:42 Sigil VTT is Live! 22:37 Starter Set Previewed 26:52 MtG Movie and TV Shows 28:29 Revised Artificer UA 37:44 Smuggler's Secrets on Beyond 41:03 WotC Cancels Video Game 42:42 Ernie Gygax Passes 43:08 Mr Potato Head Beholder 45:47 Monster Groups and Encounters 45:58 The Conundrum of CR and Encounters 51:50 Monster Grouping Goals 52:51 2024 Monster Errata 01:00:52 Goblin Groupings 01:02:19 Monster Synergies? 01:03:11 Goblin Encounter Examples 01:10:53 Naming Monsters 01:12:09 Pirate CRs 01:15:27 Pirate Encounter Examples 01:19:52 CRs and Story 01:31:37 Shout-Outs 01:35:18 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Listener Corner Catch Up!

So many awesome listener questions, we devoted the show to them!

News: Hasbro 2024 Q4 Results, New D&D Video Game, New Magic D&D Crossover, and more!

Contents 00:00:00 Santa Clara is Celestial 00:02:43 Hasbro 2024 Q4 Results 00:08:47 How Big is D&D after 2024? 00:14:26 Hasbro Playing to Win Strategy 00:17:35 D&D at Gen Con News 00:21:07 New AAA D&D Video Game 00:24:25 Tom Dunn 2024 MM Analysis 00:32:48 Lorwyn-Shadowmoor D&D MtG Crossover 00:35:07 Hexploration Decks & Explorer's Kit 00:36:03 Outer Seas Black Coral Citadel 00:37:52 Listener Corner Catch-Up 00:38:17 Creating RPG Surveys? 00:48:05 Change 1 Thing in the '24 MM? 00:58:36 Use the DMG Tracking Sheets? 01:04:43 Satisfying Game Prep? 01:07:08 3rd Party Compatibility? 01:10:58 Always Play New Edition? 01:15:59 RPGs with Changing Ability Scores? 01:23:03 Stagger 2 Organized Play Stories? 01:30:16 Shout-Outs 01:34:32 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: New Ranger, Rogue, Sorcerer, and Wizard Subclasses!

We examine the Winter Ranger, Rogue Scion, Spellfire Sorcerer, and Bladesinger Wizard – new subclasses coming in November to the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide.

News: Netflix D&D TV Show, Kickstarter Recovers, Evil Hat Shares Finances, and more!

Contents 00:00 I'll Do Anything for Podcasts 01:16 Advice on Plot and Story? 13:25 Games without Levels and HP Gain? 20:01 Playtesters are Wrong About Fix? 27:21 Netflix D&D TV Show! 30:09 Baldman Games Awards 33:46 Evil Hat Shares Finances 36:54 Kickstarter Reports 2024 Growth 40:01 Dark Sun Lost Cities of the Trembling Plains 41:21 Keith Ammann's Making Enemies 42:29 D&D Version of Horrified 44:08 Unearthed Arcana 45:17 Shawn's Subclass Crisis 52:20 WotC's Role vs 3rd Parties 55:23 Winter Ranger Concept 59:14 Winter Ranger Features 01:08:04 Subclass Challenges 01:09:46 Rogue Scion of the Three Concept 01:12:06 Rogue Scion Features 01:23:08 Spellfire Sorcerer 01:27:58 Bladesinger Wizard Subclass 01:33:29 Shout-Outs 01:37:44 What Should We Do Know? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Purple Dragon Knight and Oath of Genies Paladin!

We take a look at new fighter and paladin subclasses coming in November to the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. How do lore changes impact the design?

News: Free D&D Adventure, D&D on Netflix, WotC Hires Worldbuilding, and more!

Contents 00:00 Winter Fantasy Key Cards 05:57 Flipping Campaign Script? 11:54 Goal of Organized Play? 31:24 Free Adventure Hold Back the Dead 36:40 D&D Movie to Netflix US 37:17 Daggerheart End of May 39:13 WotC Hiring Worldbuilding Designer 40:57 What World Should D&D Create? 43:53 D&D Free Rules Adds MM 45:03 Tangled in Shrouds 46:53 Unearthed Arcana part 2 47:28 Survey is Up 48:16 Purple Dragon Knight Lore Change 54:51 Purple Dragon Knight Features 01:11:54 Oath of Noble Genies Paladin Lore 01:13:30 Paladin Oaths 01:16:20 Noble Genies Features 01:35:35 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Forgotten Realms Unearthed Arcana!

New subclasses are out for playtest feedback and will be part of the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide out this November. We take a look at playtesting and the first two subclasses for Bard and Cleric.

News: D&D Movie Licensing, New D&D Books and Settings, Sigil VTT Changes, and more!

Contents 00:00 Winter Fantasy Cometh 02:57 What RPG Jobs Do? 20:36 Running Interesting NPCs? 28:33 D&D Movie and TV Licensing 34:10 Battlemarked Game 35:05 New D&D Books Announced - Eberron 38:59 Dragon Delves and Borderlands Starter 40:18 FR Player's and Adventure Guide 41:10 New Settings Coming 42:20 Sigil VTT Changes 45:05 New Fallbacks Novel 45:27 Universal D&D Fan Fest Tickets Available 46:01 Ethan Yen Launches PREQUEL 47:39 Punch Nazis on Bundle of Holding 48:25 Jared Rascher Hangs Up Review Hat 49:34 Brandon Sanderson Lectures 50:25 New Unearthed Arcana 52:09 What is Helpful Feedback? 01:03:44 Bard College of the Moon Concept 01:06:24 Bard Subclass Benefits 01:20:10 Cleric Knowledge Domain 01:32:42 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Monster Manual Design!

We review the latest monster previews and continue to examine how 2024 has changed monster design.

News: ENNies Changes AI Policy, Dimension 20 Rocks Garden, Kickstarter Breakdown, and more!

Contents 00:00 Dimension 20 Rocks Garden 03:11 How Restart Campaign? 10:23 Emergency Takeoff Scenario? 20:46 Do You Fudge Dice? 29:50 New MM Previews 37:53 ENnies AI Policy Change 43:33 Kobold Press on Kickstarter Business 50:01 Keith Baker on Fiendish Gnolls 54:33 MM Design Comparisons 55:18 Empyreans 01:11:48 Ancient Gold Dragon 01:19:44 Semi-Alphabetical Actions 01:26:47 Vampire Familiar 01:34:48 Gargoyle 01:37:02 False Appearance Changes 01:39:10 Mimic Shapeshift 01:41:27 Which Mini Wore It Better? 01:42:34 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Monster Manual Comparison!

We review the recent monster previews. How do 2024 5E monsters compare to 2014, and what do we think of the design?

News: Diamond Files Bankruptcy, Ray Winninger on 5E History, Student Trains AI on CR, and more!

Contents 00:00 Deadlands and Playtests 02:16 Handout Prep Worth It? 10:52 Rolling Under Pressure? 22:26 Diamond Files Chapter 11 28:51 Ray Winninger on 5E History 41:04 Legends of Greyhawk News 47:37 Grad Student Trains AI on CR 49:41 WizKids Glo in the Dark Minis 52:42 Encounters Under the Shadow of the Dragon Queen 54:37 Monster Manual Comparisons 56:02 How Previews Work 57:53 Ancient Green Dragon Preview 01:01:56 Legendary vs Reactions 01:07:03 Spellcasting and Theme 01:13:16 Numerical Changes 01:15:47 Kuo-Toa 01:24:54 Cyclops 01:38:15 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: The Monster Overhaul!

Shawn and Teos review the Monster Overhaul, a book that irreverently aims to become an indispensable tool at your table, providing tons of ideas for fun monsters.

News: Critical Role Publishing Deal, Chaosium $500 Convention Pack, Morale Rules, and more!

Contents 00:00 Back to Normal 01:57 Desert Island RPG? 06:26 Is 2024 5E Deadlier? 14:58 2024 Distrusts DMs? 31:33 Chaosium $500 Support Pack 33:08 Mearls on Morale 51:46 McMillan Carries CR 53:25 Monster Word Play 55:33 Public Domain Image Archive 56:39 Cairn 2E in Spanish 57:29 Shout Out to Luz_Tak 58:11 The Monster Overhaul 59:02 How Our Brains Work 01:01:06 Book Introduction 01:02:58 Do You Love Tables? 01:09:23 Random Encounter Tables 01:18:38 People 01:19:23 Dungeon and Goblins 01:23:58 Dragons 01:25:10 Harpy and Will-o-Wisp 01:27:10 Froghemoth 01:27:43 Vampires and Biscuit Golem 01:28:54 Eye Tyrants 01:30:42 Overall Thoughts 01:32:15 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Monster Manual Previews!

Previews have begun for the 2025 MM! Shawn and Teos discuss the preview and just how hard it is to create monster books.

News: Pinball Wizards, Most Anticipated RPGs, Singapore GMing, and more!

Contents 00:00 Rip Off the 2025 Band-Aid 02:50 New Crafting Rules? 11:29 Games for Campaigns vs One Shots? 27:08 Pinball Wizards 30:28 2025 Most Anticipated RPGs 32:19 Appelcline's Year in Review 39:45 Singapore Professional GMing 42:40 Universal Fan Fest D&D Details 43:58 Will Doyle on Directive 8020 45:53 Kobold Press Monster Vault 2 46:16 Shawn Merwin's Design Tips! 46:59 Monster Manual Previews 49:14 The Challenge of Monster Books 51:26 Describing Monsters in the World 57:38 New Art to Represent D&D 01:00:52 All Paths Lead to CR 01:09:35 What Changed and Monster Families 01:11:45 Monster Type Changes 01:16:46 Bloodied and Exhaustion 01:18:29 Biggest MM Ever? 01:19:49 The 2014 DMG is Bigger than 2024 01:21:07 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Looking Back on 2024, Forward to 2025!

Shawn and Teos revisit the year’s biggest stories, the show’s main topics and guests, and look forward to what will impact our hobby in 2025.

News: Bigger Monster Manual, CNBC on D&D’s Financial Success, Beyond Ranked Skills, and more!

Contents 00:00 Happy New Year! 02:37 Vancian Magic Limits Narratives? 12:03 Adjust DCs Based on PC? 23:41 Bigger Monster Manual 25:33 CNBC on D&D Financial Success 30:09 Using Third Places 32:32 How to Do a Character Voice 34:42 Weapons of Lore 36:13 Beyond Ranked Skills 40:00 Clank Acq Inc 2 41:00 Looking Back, Looking Forward 41:16 2024 Highlights 57:25 Our Guests in 2024 59:17 Our Main Topics 01:02:25 Our Fans 01:03:14 Our 2024 Favorites 01:07:58 Our Questions for 2025 01:26:14 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: The Psychology of D&D!

Dr. Jamie Madigan joins Teos and Shawn to explain that their dice aren’t cursed, the benefits of online vs in-person gaming, hot hand fallacy, and much more! Check out Jamie’s new book: https://www.psychologyofdnd.com/

News: Kobold Press Finances, Artificer on Unearthed Arcana, Goodbye Dark Alliance, and more!

Contents 00:00 We Got You a Jamie Gift 03:18 Build World With Players? 08:32 Death Saves Proposal? 23:43 Unearthed Arcana Artificer 35:19 D&D Secret Level Review 40:47 Cyberpunk VG Adds RPG 41:56 Kobold Press 2024 Finances 45:14 Draw Steel Core Rules to Patrons 45:54 Goodbye Dark Alliance 47:17 Vote for Most Anticipated RPG 49:45 Psychology of D&D 50:19 Dr. Jamie Madigan 52:06 Writing and Publishing Process 55:22 Book Approach 58:10 Psychology of Dice Randomness 01:00:28 Gambler's Fallacy 01:02:28 Hot Hand Fallacy 01:04:45 Psychology of Game Choices 01:08:37 Fewer Compensatory Options 01:10:02 Satisficers vs Maximizers 01:13:49 Benefits of Play 01:16:25 Online vs In-Person Benefits 01:24:59 Shout-Outs 01:27:34 Find Dr. Jamie Madigan

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Main topic: Listener Question Mega-Show!

What do we do when we have tons of listener questions? Shawn and Teos dedicate the main segment to answering some truly awesome questions. Find out why this was the most fun we’ve had in months!

News: Moonbeam Launches Alpha, New Maps Features, D&D Immersive Quest, and more!

Contents 00:00 Bad Movie Season 02:14 Maps Adds Monster Stats 10:18 D&D Immersive Quest 14:11 D&D Adventurer Magazine 15:53 Licensing and WotC 18:05 Mearls on Death Saves 39:02 Jail-Compliant RPGs 40:54 One Foot in Fairy Land 42:47 Moonbeam Launches Alpha 44:34 Listener Questions 45:29 Improv Anxiety? 49:39 Player vs Character Skill? 01:02:12 Find Playtesters? 01:07:36 Easy RPG Entry Point? 01:18:46 Tricks for Creativity? 01:25:14 Shout-Outs

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Main topic: Recent Game Design Lessons!

Shawn and Teos share what they learned from recent projects, from late 3E, 4E, and beyond.

News: New Greyhawk OP Campaign, AI Takes Down Itch.io, Talking Exploration, and more!

Contents 00:00:00 We're 93! 00:01:38 Redesign Gnomes? 00:10:08 Encourage in Character? 00:17:10 Adventure Opening? 00:22:14 Legends of Greyhawk and MagicCon 00:25:28 AI Takes Down Itch.io 00:26:57 12 Days of Beyond 00:29:06 Everyone's Talking Exploration 00:31:49 2024 Magic Item Changes 00:33:39 Kickstarter Project Finances 00:37:19 Recent Game Design Lessons 00:39:16 Form and Function 00:44:05 Know the Medium 00:46:08 The Audience 00:50:58 Xendrik Expeditions 00:55:09 Living Forgotten Realms 00:59:19 Ashes of Athas 01:03:01 Getting Noticed 01:04:34 Playtesting and New Editions 01:05:56 Understanding Companies 01:09:19 D&D Encounters 01:12:09 Full-Time Work 01:13:09 Balancing Freelance and Self 01:16:02 Other Paths 01:17:25 Shout-Outs

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Main topic: Lessons Learned from Our Early Projects!

Shawn and Teos share what they learned from the days when they started as designers, back in the 2000s and the 3E era.

News: Exodus is Hasbro’s Newest RPG, Lord of the Rings and Illrigger on Beyond, PAX Unplugged, and more!

Contents 00:00 Snow Job 02:24 DM Types? 08:57 Exciting Sandbox Pace? 18:55 Exodus Video Game Gets RPG 30:45 Lord of the Rings on DDB 34:57 MCDM's Illrigger on DDB 38:19 D&D at PAX Unplugged 39:20 Combo Encounters 40:59 Mearls Teaching at UW 41:29 Monstrous Menagerie II 43:21 Lessons Learned from Early Projects 44:31 Build a Community? 49:47 Starting in 2000 and the LG Era 52:54 Organized Play Lessons 56:57 Learning is Investment 01:00:02 Changing Social Media 01:02:59 Clear and Concise Language 01:04:01 Understanding Industry Pay 01:05:27 Great Success is Rare 01:07:30 There is No Perfection 01:13:58 The Product that Isn't 01:16:31 Edition Change Challenges 01:18:31 Shout-Outs

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Main topic: Qualities RPG Companies Look for in an RPG Designer!

Shawn and Teos review the qualities companies say they look for in an RPG designer.

News: Investors Sue Hasbro, Hasbro Abandons Movies, Juggling Teenagers, and more!

Contents 00:00 Hello World 02:11 Adopt Rules More Quickly? 13:22 Juggling Teenagers? 21:01 Hasbro Shifts from Movies 24:43 Investors Sue Hasbro 27:10 Social Media Changes 32:31 Post Office D&D Flyer 33:30 Winter Fantasy 34:13 Goodman Games Con 35:10 Roll20 Bastion Contest 35:58 DM David's D&D Wish List 39:39 Cupcake Dragon Card Game 40:56 Iskandar Explorer's Journal 41:50 What Publishers Look For 42:51 Standardized Job Descriptions? 45:25 Wide Skill Range 49:53 Reliability and Communication 58:32 Curiosity 01:01:23 Style Guides 01:04:06 Excitement 01:05:45 Mindfulness and Compassion 01:09:11 Big Bold Ideas 01:11:28 Courage 01:17:30 2 Designers 01:23:37 Praise 01:24:48 Shout-Outs

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Main topic: Embracing Dark Fantasy!

Ben Bryne joins Shawn to discuss what makes dark fantasy such a compelling genre and how to create for dark games. Teos meanwhile hopes to recover from his technical horror as his desktop bites the dust.

News: AL Update, Kobolds Make Mistakes, and more!

Contents 00:00 Introduction 40:54 Dark Fantasy Campaigns 59:00 Find Ben Byrne

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Main topic:

What Publishers Want in a D&D Designer!

Shawn and Teos review two D&D job postings and break down the skills and job functions a publisher looks for in a D&D Designer and Product Architect.

News: DMG Preorder Debacles, Weapon Masteries 101, PAGE Convention, and more!

Contents 00:00 Surviving 00:53 Writing Same Old Stuff? 08:02 Teaching Like Lazy DM? 14:41 D&D Beyond on Campaigns and Adventures 18:11 Critical Role Minis Canceled 20:23 DMG Preorder Debacles 23:13 Weapon Masteries 101 30:49 PAGE Convention Near Philly 33:05 State of the Mongoose 35:20 Lessons from Meetup 37:43 Jeff Stevens Steals Christmas 38:40 What Publishers Want in a D&D Designer 40:27 Growing Into a Position 42:13 D&D Designer - What You Do 56:08 Representing the Company 58:55 What You Bring 01:02:47 D&D Product Architect 01:11:22 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Memories of Gamehole Con!

Shawn and Teos look back on all of the events they attended and lessons from attending conventions. Hear why Gamehole is so special.

News: Claim Elemental Evil, Maps Adds Encounters, Audio-Only Drizzt, and more!

Contents 00:00 Stealing Credit Cards 03:08 Cleric Subclasses Setting Only? 09:21 Good Design Not Obvious? 13:57 Claim Scions of Elemental Evil 16:26 D&D Maps Adds Encounters 19:26 Audible-Only Drizzt Novel 20:32 Discord D&D Collection 21:41 Ars Magica Definitive Collection 23:25 Rodney Thompson List and Games 25:04 MT Black World War Weird 26:08 Thunder Road Vendetta RPG 27:36 Draconis Peaceful 5E 28:57 Gamehole Revisited 29:32 Whether to Attend Conventions 33:05 Wednesday Pre-Con Gatherings 38:15 Thursday's Events 47:32 Making the Most of Friday 59:27 Packed Saturday 01:04:28 Thankful Sunday Finish 01:06:39 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Want to Be a Professional Game Designer?

Shawn and Teos tackle a question they hear often. Do you truly want to be a game designer, and if so, the steps to take to make meaningful progress.

News: Hasbro Q3 and Layoffs, D&D 1-Shots, CR and Dimension 20 Arena Shows, and more!

Contents 00:00 Post-Gamehole Buzz 03:03 Skills are Exploration? 11:06 The Adventure is the Game? 16:46 Campaign Without Gods or Planes? 20:50 Layoffs and Q3 Hasbro Results 32:47 D&D is Down 34:17 How Big is D&D? 35:22 DMG Lore Glossary 36:41 DMG Encounter Design 40:13 DM Screen Preview 41:35 PH and DM High Demand 43:19 D&D One-Shot Store Events 44:51 Scions of Elemental Evil 46:41 Critical Role and Dim 20 Arena Shows 48:15 Be a Professional Game Designer? 49:22 Do You Actually Want It? 53:41 Mix Games with Occupation 57:13 What Skills to Hone? 01:05:12 Team Skills 01:07:22 Making Patient Progress 01:12:11 Know the Current Media 01:13:05 Possible Paths 01:15:17 Help People Solve Problems 01:17:36 Know Your Worth and do Work 01:19:26 Become a Great GM 01:21:06 The Role of Conventions 01:27:35 Having "It" 01:29:48 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Live from Gamehole: Create a Campaign With Us!

Amazing fans at Gamehole Con help us create a campaign, live!

News: Perkins’ New Job, DMG Review, What it Feels Like to Be Nr 2, and more!

Special thanks to Dante of Ghostfire Gaming for recording and processing the audio for this episode. You are the best, Dante!

Contents 00:00 Live from Gamehole Con 01:28 Number 2? 02:23 What Excited Us This Week? 05:14 Previous Edition Mechanic? 09:28 Systems we Want to Try? 11:32 Recent Influences? 15:27 Our DMG Preview 18:11 DMG and Greyhawk 19:43 Greyhawk on DMsGuild 21:55 Perkins' Last Book 24:04 Trail of Cthulhu 2E 26:19 Hundred Dungeons 27:19 Grim Hollow Transformed 27:48 Creating a Campaign Setting Live Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Horizons Magazine with Hannah Rose!

Hannah Rose shares how she and Clara Daly are creating Horizons Magazine and what we can expect from this issue and future quarterly issues.

News: London Gets DMGs, D&D Movie Netflix Success, DMG Toolbox Previews, and more!

Contents 00:00 Happy Rebranding Day 01:33 Character Consequences? 13:48 Pivot from Curse of Strahd? 20:54 First DMGs at London MCM 23:38 DMG Toolbox Previews 32:58 D&D Movie Big on Netflix 35:38 Greyhawk 101 36:52 Cultural Backgrounds 2024 38:33 Trapped on Cyre 1313 39:46 Dungeons Reforged 42:09 Grim Hollow Transformed 43:11 Hannah Rose 44:43 Hannah and Clara 55:12 Why a Magazine? 58:34 Lessons from Arcadia 01:01:53 Playtesting 01:04:59 Mix of D&D and Other RPGs 01:09:03 Desk of Many Thoughts 01:11:48 How to Get Horizons 01:13:07 Patreon vs Site? 01:14:24 Issue 1 Contents - Travel 01:18:23 Star Dragons 01:19:43 Cloud City 01:23:55 NPC Atraxis 01:28:57 Future Plans 01:34:05 Find Wildmage Press 01:35:12 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Main topic: Wardens of the Eastern Marches!

Alex Kammer tells us all about Wardens of the Eastern Marches, the new organized play program from Gamehole Publishing.

News: 2024 DMG Previews, Commander Rules Committee, Bastion is for Players, and more!

Contents 00:00 No Vaccine for Ladders 02:19 Remove Mechanics for Setting? 15:08 D&D Made for Conflict? 31:28 DMG Previews! 41:26 Bastions Preview 42:04 Player Rules in the DMG? 44:04 New D&D Licensed Products 45:19 Commander Rules Committee Disbands 50:31 Gamehole's Organized Play 51:11 Real Castle Floor Plans 51:46 The Best LLM is Your Brain 52:58 Sorcerer's Return 54:00 Grim Hollow Transformed Update 55:56 Alex Kammer and Eastern Marches 58:19 Importance of Organized Play 01:01:35 AL at a Crossroads 01:04:51 The Eastern Marches 01:09:06 Setting and Alliances 01:12:42 Where to Play 01:13:15 3rd Party PC Options 01:19:58 Exploring the Unknown 01:21:08 Saying Yes to Creators 01:22:59 Magic Item Certs 01:26:22 Releasing Adventures 01:29:16 Gamehole and 50th 01:34:57 What Makes Gamehole Special 01:38:39 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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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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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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/).

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Main topic: Running a Daggerheart Session!

Daggerheart provides advice on how to create a session based on the heroes. But is it actionable advice? Is Shawn raging while Teos remains positive? Find out the shocking truth!

News: WotC Hiring AI, Paramount Cancels D&D, Foundry Launches RPG, and more!

Contents 00:00 Somewhat Tainted by Madness 01:49 Hope and Fear in 5E? 13:06 Campaign vs One-Shot Kickstarter? 18:23 Post-Project Framework? 26:05 DMG 2024 Cover Previews 30:34 D&D TV Show Not Paramount 32:38 WotC Hiring AI 39:15 Barrier Peaks Revised 41:57 D&D Destiny 43:10 PAX West Badges 44:53 Foundry Launches Ember RPG 46:38 Your Charisma Score 49:36 Jennell Jaquays Honored 50:10 Blade Runner Rebellion 52:35 Running Daggerheart Sessions 53:31 Aspirational vs Actionable Advice 01:01:54 Running a Session 01:02:46 Thinking in Beats 01:10:00 Preparing Combat Encounters 01:15:30 Crafting Scenes 01:19:29 Shawn Loves Using Conflict 01:25:16 Countdown vs Skill Challenges 01:29:08 Using Downtime 01:30:59 Character Death 01:32:48 TPKs and New PCs 01:33:47 Leveling Up 01:38:53 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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

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

Main topic: Daggerheart GM Moves and Mechanics!

Daggerheart lets a GM act at any time, yet encourages moves that push the narrative and create fun for players. Let’s take a look!

News: Andy Collins Returns to WotC, Chaosium Hires, Gamehole News, and more!

Contents 00:00 Back in Black 01:47 Know Other RPGs to Design? 07:26 Prepared vs Extemporaneous? 17:34 Chaosium Adds Staff 20:39 Andy Collins Returns to WotC 24:48 GameHole Badge Reg 26:37 PoC Mentoring Dinner at GHC 28:10 RPGs Spur Climate Empathy 31:21 Diana Jones Emerging Designers 32:27 Blade Runner Replicant Rebellion 33:33 Daggerheart GM Mechanics 35:26 Core Roll Mechanics 36:59 GM Mechanics 41:39 Calling for Action Roles 43:13 Guaranteed Success 46:21 Experiences and Rolls 50:01 Making GM Moves 54:59 Example Moves 56:29 Adventure Considerations 01:00:43 Choosing Moves 01:07:22 Hard and Soft Moves 01:09:08 Fear 01:18:42 Countdowns 01:21:47 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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

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

Main topic: 13th Age 2E Design with Rob Heinsoo!

The much admired 13th Age RPG has a second edition on kickstarter! Designer Rob Heinsoo discusses the game’s innovations and takes a look back at leading 4E design, the OGL as seen by WotC, and much more!

News: Greyhawk in the DMG, Homebrew vs Prewritten, D&D Worlds & Realms, and more!

Contents

00:00 New MD Search Engine!  01:59 Digital vs Paper Future? 06:23 Scene Transitions? 10:49 Greyhawk in the DMG 16:15 D&D Worlds & Realms 18:08 Talisman 5E 19:04 Prewritten vs Homebrew 21:30 Iskander Adventures - MT Black 22:42 Brazil Flood Charity Bundle  23:36 Jeff Stevens Saints and Sinners  24:56 Rob Heinsoo and 13th Age 2E  25:25 Rob's One Unique Thing 29:58 Three Dragon Ante 33:22 Shadowfist Design 37:09 Success on Design Team 41:30 Listening Power 42:52 Leading 4E D&D Design 45:56 4E's Goals 49:46 4E Digital Tool Impact 54:22 Why Rescind an OGL? 57:05 13th Age Innovations 58:25 The Icons 01:01:08 One Unique Thing design 01:04:08 Engaging Monster Design 01:09:07 2E Beyond Kickstarter? 01:14:04 Shout-Outs

13th Age 2E Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pelgranepress/13th-age-second-edition-storytelling-action-fantasy-game 

Rio Grande Flood Charity Bundle: https://doar.acnur.org/page/ACNURBR/doe/enchentes-no-sul-do-brasil 

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

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

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

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.

Main topic: Daggerheart Review – GM Advice!

We found the heart of Critical Role, and it’s in the GM advice section. Shawn and Teos dig into this advice, fantastic for any game but tailor-made for Daggerheart’s play.

News: Critical Role Launches Beacon, MCDM on D&D Beyond, 2024 PH Art Reveal, and more!

Contents 00:00 Mother's Day 02:04 RPG vs Video Game ROI? 07:19 Vancian vs Roll to Cast? 15:11 D&D SRD 5.2 in February! 18:56 2024 PH Art Sneak Peak 22:31 D&D Dead by Daylight 23:45 Critical Role Launches Beacon 25:42 D&D GenCon Events 31:40 MCDM Books on D&D Beyond 33:32 Is D&D Changing Course? 40:08 Secret Vecna Wallpaper 40:39 Vecna Prequel Will Be Sold 41:47 Black Flag Reference Document 43:29 Deck of Player Safety on Demiplane 44:59 13th Age 2E on Kickstarter 46:47 Rethinking Alignment 48:14 Distal d20 49:10 Kickstarter 2023 Review 50:29 Daggerheart GM Advice 51:00 1.4 Playtest Update 52:33 THIS is Critical Role! 57:26 GM Principles 01:03:09 Ask Questions 01:09:03 Imperfect Improvisation 01:12:06 GM Best Practices 01:13:40 Treat PCs as Competent 01:16:04 Create Meta Conversation 01:17:01 Ground the World in Motive 01:23:42 Pitfalls to Avoid 01:32:19 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Main topic:

Design an RPG Starting Encounter!

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

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

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

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

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

Main topic:

Designing an RPG Starting Adventure!

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

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

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

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.

Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Village!

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

Main topic: Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks!

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

Main topic: Shadowdark RPG – Gameplay (MD 177)

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

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

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

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.

Main topic: News with Graham!

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

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

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

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/).

Main topic: Shadowdark RPG – Characters and Magic

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

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

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

Our 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/).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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