RPG veterans and game designers Teos Abadía and Shawn Merwin look at the game and the hobby of D&D from a variety of viewpoints: reporting the news, understanding the business, reviewing the products, and illuminating the design. Whether you’re a fan, a player, a DM, or a designer, Shawn and Teos cover topics of interest to you!
Episodes
4 days ago
4 days ago
Episode 206 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: 2024 5E Conditions and Greyhawk’s Regions!
We examine the design goals of conditions and how they have changed for 2024. We visit Greyhawk’s Paynims, Perrenland, Pomarj, Ratik, and Rel Astra to see how to make the most of kingdoms and rulers.
News: 2024 PH Errata, Draw Steel License, Shadowdark Hex Crawl, and more!
Contents
00:00 Tastes Like Introcaso
01:43 Alignment Problems?
16:21 Preferred Tools VTT or Table?
25:33 2024 PH Errata
30:15 Time Mag on D&D
33:37 BMG Organized Play Survey
34:49 Draw Steel Creator License
37:34 Shadowdark Hex Crawling Rules
41:17 Grim Hollow Valikan Clans
44:30 Jeff Stevens on PWYW
46:18 Frontiers of Eberron PreOrder
50:47 Conditions in 5E 2024 vs 2014
51:40 Design Goals
01:00:07 4E and Do We Need Conditions?
01:02:50 2014's Conditions
01:06:43 2024 vs 2014
01:30:24 Greyhawk's Plains of the Paynims
01:35:17 Perrenland
01:37:23 Pomarj
01:39:48 Ratik
01:41:27 Rel Astra and Solnor Compact
01:45:02 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
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Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
Wednesday Sep 04, 2024
Episode 205 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: PC Creation in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions!
2024 changes the order for character creation… for the better? We review Greyhawk’s North Kingdom, Nyrond, Onnwal and the Pale, looking at how to make settings interesting for players.
News: PH in Stores, PAX West Report, Greg Tito Leaves WotC, and more!
Contents
00:00 PAX West Report
04:08 Hate Balance?
06:32 Balance with Flavor?
09:26 Weapon Mastery Compensation?
14:17 D&D Direct
15:54 2024 DMG and MM
18:07 Translations Delayed and Changed
19:18 Jess Lanzillo
21:46 New Releases
27:46 Sigil VTT
33:39 Traveller Sold to Mongoose
35:16 NPR Covers D&D
36:54 Greg Tito Leaves WotC
42:08 2024 PH in Stores and Beyond
42:49 Free 2024 Rules
46:19 2024 Really Bigger?
48:00 Character Creation 2024 vs 2015
52:25 2024 Starts with Rules
57:27 Class
57:48 Origin After Class
01:03:31 Mechanical Order vs Narrative
01:05:13 Ability Scores
01:10:37 Alignment and Details
01:18:46 Greyhawk's North Kingdom
01:24:58 Nyrond
01:30:23 Onnwal
01:33:11 The Pale
01:36:59 Shout Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
Wednesday Aug 28, 2024
Episode 204 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Weapon Mastery in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions!
2024 brings exciting Weapon Master options. We discuss the design, then turn to Greyhawk and review Ket, Lendore Isles, and Lordship of the Isles. Surf and turf!
News: D&D Clarifies Beyond, D&D’s Secret Level and Universal Plans, and more!
Contents
00:00 Time and Friendship
03:22 Conventions with Most AL?
11:37 Is Passive Perction Wrong?
19:32 D&D Direct
21:11 Beyond Clarifications
28:24 D&D Hiring Game Designer
31:39 D&D on Amazon Prime
32:27 Paizo Reverses Community Policy
34:33 Universal D&D FanFest
35:02 D&D at Rochester's Strong Museum
36:00 Goodman Launches Organized Play
37:03 Giantsbane Covers Planescape
37:43 Cosmere is Nr 1
38:36 2024 Weapon Mastery
39:11 Design Goals
43:20 Weapon Mastery Properties
54:56 DM vs Players
01:01:03 Overall Thoughts
01:07:59 Greyhawk and Triads
01:13:13 Ket
01:23:20 Lendore Isles
01:27:27 Lordship of the Isles
01:31:22 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
Wednesday Aug 21, 2024
Episode 203 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Search in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions!
D&D codifies the Search and Study actions in 2024. How does this impact gameplay? We then dive into how Greyhawk regions do or don’t create actionable history, looking into Highfolk, Ice Barbarians, Irongate, Empire of Iuz, and Keoland!
News: Uni Adventure at PAXW, Deborah Ann Woll Teaches, Motley Fool on 2024 D&D, and more!
Contents
00:00 ODnD Mini Review
02:55 What is Modularity?
10:26 First Multi-Table Event?
23:31 Deborah Ann Woll Teaches D&D
28:18 Alt Cover PH Delayed Outside US
29:21 2024 Tonal Shift?
38:42 Motley Fool on D&D 2024
43:40 Uni Adventure at PAX West
45:38 Norrøngard Tales of the Valiant
46:40 Horror at Devil's Run for Foundry
47:27 Search Action in 2024
49:22 Ludonarrative Dissonance?
55:29 Search in 2014
57:33 2024 Search and Study Actions
59:12 Feat and Spell Interactions
01:04:45 The Cost of Searching
01:06:59 DM Behavior
01:13:30 Living Greyhawk Gazetteer
01:13:59 Highfolk
01:18:58 Ice Barbarians
01:21:11 Irongate
01:24:44 Empire of Iuz
01:30:02 Keoland
01:39:37 Gamehole Con Events
01:40:21 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Wednesday Aug 14, 2024
Episode 202 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: 2014 vs 2024 Exhaustion and Greyhawk’s Regions!
Does 2024’s change to Exhaustion improve gameplay? Our new 2024 mini-review series has begun! We then dive into how Greyhawk regions showcase politics and history, looking into the Frost Barbarians, Furyondy, Gran March, and Teos’ favorite, Geoff!
News: WotC New Influencer Policy, We Playtest Draw Steel, Satanic Panic Podcast, and more!
Contents
00:00 Draw Steel and Film
07:32 Best Way to Celebrate Anniversary?
17:23 Run a Complex Setting?
24:14 WotC New Influencer Policy
31:01 New D&D MtG
32:39 Jess Lanzillo Interview
39:57 Satanic Panic Podcast
43:33 Story Hooks
44:40 Encounter Difficulty Math
46:08 Amazing Encounters & Dungeons
46:53 2024 Mini-Review on Exhaustion
54:56 2024's Changes
01:02:36 Greyhawk's Regions!
01:03:23 Frost Barbarians
01:07:29 Furyondy
01:09:24 Good Hook Example
01:11:51 Duchy of Geoff
01:15:35 Combat and Politics
01:17:09 Gran March
01:19:42 Wheels Within Wheels
01:22:04 City of Greyhawk
01:28:50 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
Wednesday Aug 07, 2024
Episode 201 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Setting Design and Greyhawk’s Regions!
Does a standoffish elven nation make for great play? We ponder setting design and the 2024 DMG while summarizing Greyhawk’s regions of Bissel, Blackmoor, Bone March, Bright Lands, Celene, Dyvers, and Ekbir.
News: PH Debut and Gen Con News, Blurry Video Debacle, Cosmere Stormlight RPG, and more!
Contents
00:00 Gen Con Haul
04:21 Playing in Established Settings?
07:00 RAW vs Homebrew for Designers?
09:19 Questions for Organized Play?
19:21 Gen Con Sells Out
20:36 2024 PH Debuts and News
32:37 Video Blur Debacle
42:32 Diana Jones and ENnies
43:12 Dark Horse DnD Comics
43:54 LEGO Minifigs
44:42 City of Arches by Sly Flourish
45:34 Brandon Sanderson Cosmere RPG
46:39 Making the Most of Greyhawk Regions
48:04 What 2024 May Bring
49:42 Useful Design
52:20 Politics vs Adventure
59:02 Our Approach
01:00:38 Bissel
01:05:44 Blackmoor
01:09:33 The Bone March
01:11:14 The Bright Lands and Rary
01:14:13 Celene the Elven Kingdom
01:17:38 Dyvers
01:20:40 Calliphate of Ekbir
01:25:16 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Wednesday Jul 31, 2024
Episode 200 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Greyhawk’s Regions!
The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer covers its nations and regions, using Ahlissa and the Bandit Kingdoms to ponder what makes a setting great.
News: What is D&D’s Tabletop Revenue, Hasbro Q2 Breakdown, Why RPGs Have Mistakes, and more!
Contents
00:00 200th Birthday
02:13 Reproduce Living Greyhawk?
18:40 Why Does WotC Make Mistakes?
27:18 Hasbro Q2 Results!
35:13 D&D and Digital
41:31 2024 and VTT?
44:38 DD Beyond Grows to 18M
46:16 Calculating D&D's Revenue
51:00 MCDM RPG is Draw Steal
51:48 Greyhawk Regions
53:57 What Do We Want in a Setting?
59:13 Gazetteer Approach
01:10:13 Kingdom of Ahlissa
01:13:00 Every DM's Setting the Same?
01:19:11 Resources, Coins
01:21:02 Peoples, Alignments, Religions
01:23:45 Allies, Enemies, Overview
01:26:59 History
01:30:38 Conflicts and Intrigues
01:37:22 The Bandit Kingdoms
01:41:22 BK and Casey Brown
01:47:40 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Wednesday Jul 24, 2024
Episode 199 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Greyhawk’s Peoples and Story!
The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer describes species, culture, and history. And, hey, how detailed should a setting be?
News: New WotC VP John Hight, Hiring D&D Architect, Free Shadowdark Solo, and more!
Contents
00:00 Parental Warning
03:31 Edition Change at Cons?
22:52 John Hight New WotC President
30:17 D&D Hiring Product Architect
36:28 Early PH at Gen Con
38:30 Monopoly Go Version of Monopoly
41:38 Wulfgang Baur Interview
43:29 Shadowdark Solo for Free
44:30 Thousand Suns in Spanish
45:24 Nimble 5E on Backerkit
46:45 Greyhawk Gazetteer
47:37 Evaluating a Setting
49:24 The Chapters
51:25 Tropes and Other Issues
53:23 Ch2 Human Cultures
57:07 Is this Important?
01:02:51 Nonhumans in Greyhawk
01:06:39 Greyhawk's Level of Conflict
01:11:43 Ch3 Greyhawk's History
01:17:09 Greyhawk Wars
01:21:19 Peace Signing
01:25:26 In Praise of Legwork
01:30:48 Player Assumptions
01:40:47 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
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