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
3 days ago
3 days ago
Episode 185 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: How to Keep Your New Campaign Healthy and Strong!
If the average campaign lasts only 3-5 sessions, how do we avoid that fate and maintain a healthy long-term campaign?
News: Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined, Vecna is Coming, Fallout TV Sells RPG, and more!
Contents
00:00 Kids are Alright
01:39 The Black Ballad
03:42 Is 5E Indirectly Modular?
12:45 Fallout TV Sells Books
15:49 Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined
25:13 Vecna is Coming
27:28 Lich PCs
29:44 Nest of the Eldritch Eye
33:18 Organized Play from Gamehole
37:00 D&D Blackmilk Clothing
40:05 Monsters of Drakkenheim
41:55 Keep Campaign Healthy and Strong
43:58 1. The Right Players
47:51 2. Right Campaign for the Players
49:49 3. Right-Sized Session Zero
56:49 4. Regular Flexible Schedule
01:00:14 5. End Date
01:03:04 6. Strong Campaign Start
01:03:33 7. Engage Between Sessions
01:08:19 8. Room for Changes
01:08:48 9. Frequent Check-Ins
01:10:30 10. Climactic End
01:16:37 Shout-Outs
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.
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Planescape’s Monsters – Morte’s Planar Parade (Mastering Dungeons 165)
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Episode 165 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Monsters in Morte’s Planar Parade!
We take a look at Planescape’s monster book. We get traits to add to monsters, faction agents, and creatures from across the planes. Hear what we like and what we would change.
News: Free Inspiration Deck, VTT at PAXU, GameHole Panels, and more!
Contents
00:00 Explore the Space
01:34 Unsafe Gate Towns?
08:34 Best Planar Adventures?
14:13 Free Inspiration Deck Handout
18:28 D&D VTT at PAXU
20:57 2 GameHole Panels
23:29 Simple Reputation System
26:31 Seeker’s Guide to Enchanting Emporiums
28:00 Free Sigil 2E Locations
29:01 AL Planescape
31:08 Morte’s Planar Parade
32:01 Introduction
37:00 Included CRs
39:12 Petitioners
47:54 Planar Influences
50:07 Monster Traits
58:27 Encounter Tables
1:04:49 Notable Monsters
1:08:25 Faction Agents
1:12:13 Final Verdict
1:15:49 Shout-Outs
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/).
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Live at Gamehole 2023! Pronouncing Sigil, Setting Products, D&D Digital Releases
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Episode 162 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: Live at Gamehole 2023 – Setting Products!
We discuss settings with our live audience! What do you want from a setting? Paper or digital? And is it Sigil or Sijil?
Contents
00:00 Live at GameHole!
00:47 Sigil or Sijil?
05:09 What Do We Want from Settings?
06:23 Adventure Atlas: the Mortuary
10:20 Another Mortuary?
13:11 Audience Interest
14:24 Purchase Planescape?
15:02 Planebreaker Compatibility
16:38 Shifting RPGs
18:27 Books vs Small Supplements
20:11 Tools We Use
21:12 Rereleasing Settings
23:32 Digital Format
31:25 Ideal Setting Product
33:42 Included Adventure?
34:36 Ratio of Player Content
37:58 Player Guides
44:15 Production Challenges
49:57 Setting Breadth?
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Mastering Dungeons 160: Planescape 5E – Character Options!
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Episode 160 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse!
5E finally has Planescape! We take a look at Sigill and the Outlands, the first book introducing the setting and offering character options.
News: The End of Everything, D&D Adds Bastions, WotC Drops Penguin, and more!
Contents
00:00 Alex Kammer!
01:15 What is Gamehole Con?
09:30 Our Gamehole Plans
12:36 Introduce New RPG?
23:10 Bastions and Cantrips
35:12 End of Everything
44:41 WotC Drops Penguin
49:32 Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
51:09 Planescape History
52:10 2024 Multiverse Focus
53:50 Sigil and the Outlands
55:12 Definitions and Truths
1:08:04 Character Backgrounds
1:12:52 Feats
1:16:02 Spells
1:20:15 Magic Items
1:24:11 Closing
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Episode 157 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: DMG Chapter 9 part 2: Firearms, Plot Points, Initiative and Action Variants!
The 2014 DMG provides many optional rules. Which ones would we use, and what should the 2024 DMG bring forward or change?
News: Latest Playtest Backtracks, Prison Wish Lists, D&D Upcoming Release News, and more!
Contents
00:00 Chainsaw Runner
02:59 What’s Up with Mounts?
11:11 WotC Non-D&D?
15:55 Slog Tactics?
23:14 Daisy Goes Missing
28:57 Perkins Secrets of DMing
30:36 Roll20 Adding Dungeon Scrawl
33:09 DM David Ranks Controversies
37:28 Acq Inc Murders Babies
38:54 Thunder Road at Gamehole
40:43 Festival of Tombs
41:50 Bone Stone and Obsidian
42:57 DMG Chapter 9 part 2
44:08 Firearms, Explosives and Alien Tech
49:58 Plot Points
56:00 Initiative Variants
1:03:56 Action Options
1:14:44 Injuries
1:15:59 Morale
1:18:50 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Mastering Dungeons - Adventure Environments!
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Wednesday Jun 21, 2023
Episode 144 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 5 – Adventure Environments!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG by following Chapter 5 and rolling up a random dungeon. Is the result satisfying or does it fall apart?
News: Reddit Woes, Renegade Oversteps, Freelancer Pay Survey, Gamehole Events, and more!
Contents
00:00 Whole Enchilada
02:11 Memorable Campaign?
08:42 Swingy d20?
15:43 Dice Design?
20:40 Shine as a Player?
24:35 Favorite RPGs?
25:54 Raiding Mechanics?
27:27 Gamehole Events
29:08 Reddit Woes
24:38 Renegade Oversteps
38:56 Freelancer Pay Surveys
41:38 Aetherial Expanse
42:48 DMG Adventure Environments
44:52 Dungeons
49:07 Let’s Roll
55:55 Inhabitants
58:33 Ecology
1:02:15 Mapping a Dungeon
1:06:55 Left Out
1:12:35 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Equipment
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Thursday Nov 10, 2022
Episode 113 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Equipment! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at the D&D Movie rescheduling, the first FR map, NFL player on the DMs Guild, and more! Listeners ask us about non-D&D RPGs and fulfilling campaigns.
News Segment and Listener Questions
00:00 Thank you
02:00 Other RPGs?
09:00 Alex Kammer on Campaigns
12:23 Movie Rescheduled
13:40 Original FR Map
16:18 Roll20 Looks Back
19:20 Johnny Stanton
22:52 Sandy Pug School
24:21 Eternal Night
Main Segment:
5E Revisited - Chapter 5: Equipment!
We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold?
27:57 Why Equipment?
38:25 Starting Equipment
43:09 6E Options
47:38 Living Accounting
49:40 Wealth
53:41 Armor and Weapons
01:06:10 Adventuring Gear
01:10:50 Lifestyle
01:12:41 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Mastering Dungeons - 5E Revisited - Inspiration and Backgrounds
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Thursday Nov 03, 2022
Episode 112 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Inspiration and Backgrounds! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at new D&D movie toys, D&D digital bundles, Flumph shirts, Dragonlance sneak peak, and more! Listeners ask us about Inspiration and One D&D's design audience.
News Segment and Listener Questions
00:00 MD Goes Indy!
03:53 Inspiration Problem?
07:18 Design for Players?
14:06 Expert Survey Live
17:25 New Digital Bundles
22:50 Flumph Shirt!
24:22 Dragonlance Preview
25:50 Movie Toys
28:37 Tabletop in Iran
29:47 Dicebreaker Awards
Main Segment:
5E Revisited - Inspiration and Backgrounds!
We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold?
31:52 Intro
33:09 Inspiration
57:10 Backgrounds
1:10:40 Where to Find Us
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.