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
Jul 22, 2026
Jul 22, 2026
1 hr 30 min
Episode 300 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Sirrangia and Worldbuilding Through Campaign Building!
Now that we are creating an adventure setting for our top Patreon supporters, we look at worldbuilding through the lens of campaign building.
News: Season of Magic Launches, Big D&D Gen Con Plans, Good and Bad Paizo News, and more!
Contents
00:00 300th Episode!
04:23 Balance My Vecna?
16:37 No-Win Situations?
21:33 Season of Magic Releases
22:57 D&D Encounters News
27:06 D&D's Big Gen Con Plans
30:21 DMAP Season 2
33:20 Free Play Along Pack
37:18 Sirius Dice for Daggerheart
39:12 Good and Bad Pathfinder News
41:46 Cosmere is Hiring
43:40 NPC Notes
45:43 Thrones & Bones Bundle
46:11 Scipio's New Blog
46:59 Sirrangia and Worldbuilding
48:02 Every Group is Different
51:59 Worldbuilding Basics
57:32 Worldbuilding in RPGs
01:04:35 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up
01:09:59 Designing Sirrangia
01:14:06 Rules and Worldbuilding
01:18:47 Our Patreon Polls
01:23:53 Surviving Strangehollow
01:25:15 Shout-Outs
01:29:42 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.
Jul 8, 2026
Jul 8, 2026
1 hr 31 min
Episode 299 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster with Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish!
Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish joins Shawn to discuss his latest book providing GM advice!
News: D&D Fan Expo Canceled, 2026 ENnie Nominees, July D&D Drops, and more!
Contents
00:00 Mike Shea AKA Sly Flourish!
05:32 Reuse Our Old Ideas?
10:34 Who Would You Hire?
16:43 Which Idea?
23:30 D&D Fan Expo London Canceled
27:03 July D&D Beyond Drops
39:34 Demiplane and Roll20 Hiring
43:10 2026 ENnie Nominees
47:14 Another Stab at Making Enemies
48:02 A Nightmare Adventure
50:38 Welcome Mike Shea
1:02:03 Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster on Kickstarter
1:02:42 What Does Lazy Mean?
1:06:43 Discrepancy at the Table
1:09:25 Why This Book Now?
1:10:36 8 Steps for Gameplay
1:14:05 Steps in Non-D&D RPGs
1:23:05 Importance of Randomness
1:29:48 Find the Kickstarter
1:30:09 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.
Jul 1, 2026
Jul 1, 2026
1 hr 40 min
Episode 298 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight!
It’s easy to be positive when Shawn and Teos review one of the finest 5E adventures! Hear why this adventure excels!
News: Wizards has a Union, Latest D&D Jobs, Have We Moved Past the OGL, and more!
Contents
00:00 Draw Steel Monsters
01:54 Shawn's Wizardly Trip
04:18 Guest Appearances
05:36 Small Publisher Store Programs?
15:18 OGL Impact Over?
21:17 WotC New Union
23:32 New and Updated D&D Jobs
30:06 Season 2 Actual Play Announced
33:02 Preorder Vampire's D&D Book
38:19 Origins Award Winners
39:26 Forgotten Odysseys
40:54 The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
43:20 Product History
51:11 Premise and Approach
01:00:53 New Species, Backgrounds, Hooks
01:08:32 Witchlight Carnival
01:13:48 Carnival Trackers and Events
01:25:16 Chapters 2-4
01:31:02 Palace of Heart's Desire
01:33:44 Appendices and Tools
01:36:28 Shout-Outs
01:39:57 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.
Jun 24, 2026
Jun 24, 2026
1 hr 27 min
Episode 297 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing!
Daði Einars joins Teos to discuss RPG design, gameplay, and his work with Mystic Arts to create for Patreon, YouTube, and your table!
News: Vampire the Masquerade for D&D, New D&D Card Decks, WotC Staff Explain UAs, and more!
Contents
00:00 Welcome Daði Einars!
01:59 Corruption in Kryptgarden
08:00 Shield Lands Writing Team Correction
08:57 Big Battle Advice?
13:06 West Marches Draw Steel?
15:38 DDB Partner Q3 Schedule
17:02 Vampire Comes to D&D
23:42 Updated Villainous Options
27:19 Diana Jones Finalists
28:34 2024 Spell, Monster, Magic Decks
32:04 Free RPG Day June 27
33:05 China Gets Weird
36:39 The Last Round Table
37:28 RPG Trader
38:49 Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing
40:06 Who is Daði Einars?
44:37 Iceland's Baldur's Gate
47:36 Patreon and YouTube
57:15 Dungeon Jam
01:00:25 Crown of the Fungal Queen
01:10:12 What Does the Future Hold?
01:12:33 RPGs and System Hacking
01:16:10 Unused Plot Leads
01:19:54 Evaluating Game Systems vs D&D
01:26:56 Find Daði
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.
Jun 17, 2026
Jun 17, 2026
1 hr 26 min
Episode 296 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of Rime of the Frostmaiden!
We review this mega sourcebook and adventure in a single episode! See which parts of the cold will warm your heart.
News: Paizo’s Difficult Future, Renegade Drops Essence20 for 5E, City of Greyhawk on DDB, 3/4 of D&D Players in Last Decade, and more!
Contents
00:00 Knicks and Cups
01:17 Actual Shield Lands Authors
03:35 The Angel's in the Details
07:49 Running Megadungeons?
14:40 Paizo's Difficult Future
19:06 Drops Sharing Changed
20:32 Free City of Greyhawk on DDB
21:07 Renegade Drops Essence20 for 5E
23:34 Wizards on Japanese Localization
25:27 Dungeons & Dragons Questers
28:30 Biggest Crowdfunders Take 2
31:47 Rime of the Frostmaiden
34:01 Product History
41:17 Adventure Premise
47:39 Backgrounds and Setup
52:57 The Ten Towns
57:01 Wilderness and Places of Interest
01:00:57 Sunblight and Chardalyn Dragon
01:10:38 Auril's Abode
01:12:15 Caves of Hunger and Netherese City
01:13:24 Epilogue Decisions
01:18:20 Trinkets, Secrets, and Monsters
01:20:46 Shout-Outs
01:25:16 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.
Jun 10, 2026
Jun 10, 2026
1 hr 21 min
Episode 295 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: D&D Encounters Unboxing!
We unbox the D&D Encounters Ravenloft season contents and share the design of the Shadows of Sithicus adventure!
News: WotC Changes Drops Policy, Neon Odyssey Breaks Records, Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Remakes, Ravenloft Finishes AP, and more!
Contents
00:00 Our Favorite Show
02:04 Same Kobold Lair?
04:52 What Inspires Us for Designing?
11:06 Ravenloft's Final AP and Play Pack
13:29 New Monthly Drops
18:04 Shawn on New Drops Monsters
19:49 Changes to the Drops Program
23:08 Neon Odyssey Breaks Records
25:17 Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Remakes
28:34 AL and LoG Organized Play Update
29:59 New Greyhawk Supplements
30:52 Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster
31:55 Encounters Unboxed!
33:07 Quick Overview of D&D Encounters
37:36 Different from AL and LoG
42:15 Stores and Kits
45:30 What's In the Box?
48:33 Poster Maps!
50:38 DM and Player Rewards!
55:38 Dice Packs
58:13 What's in the Adventure?
01:03:11 Interactive Celebration Event
01:07:19 After the Celebration
01:10:44 Making Stores Happy
01:12:00 Encounters Dates
01:16:57 Shout-Outs
01:20:41 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.
Jun 3, 2026
Jun 3, 2026
1 hr 40 min
Episode 294 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus!
This adventure changed drastically to become a prequel to the highly successful Baldur’s Gate 3. We take a look at the best the adventure offers!
News: Ravenloft Horrors Within Early Access, Kickstarter Backs Down, 2nd Legends of Greyhawk Pack, Latest Drops and DMAP, and more!
Contents
00:00 Teos Plays Crows and Chickens
05:17 Starting a Serious Campaign?
14:59 Ravenloft Horrors Within Early Access
18:55 Free International Day of Play Adventure
20:20 Licensing Expo and D&D
25:09 D&D Advisory Group
29:10 New Legends of Greyhawk Pack
30:24 D&D Website Update
31:11 Latest DMAP and Drops
37:58 EMEA Region Release Dates
39:27 Save with Steve Conley
40:03 Kickstarter Backtracks on Mature Content
42:02 BG: Descent Into Avernus
44:43 Product History
53:21 Prequel to Baldur's Gate 3
55:37 Premise and Approach
58:46 Overview and Background
01:03:58 Cult Investigations in Baldur's Gate
01:08:40 The Evil Behind the Cults
01:12:44 Candlekeep
01:16:40 Elturel Has Fallen
01:22:46 Exploring Avernus
01:25:57 The Sword of Zariel
01:31:55 Appendices and Final Thoughts
01:35:36 Shout-Outs
01:39:53 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.
May 27, 2026
May 27, 2026
1 hr 24 min
Episode 293 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage!
Undermountain comes to 5E! We delve into Halaster’s secrets and the best of the 23 wild dungeon levels!
News: Hasbro’s Strong Q1, Crows RPG Playtest, Daggerheart Birthday News, D&D Video Game Canceled, and more!
Contents
00:00 Crows RPG Playtest
03:00 Attacks of Opportunity Good?
13:51 Ravenloft and Encounters Coming
17:41 June 11 International Game of Play
18:59 Gen Con D&D Event News
23:04 Hasbro's Strong Q1
26:20 Cybersecurity Incident Costs
29:43 How Big is D&D?
31:16 Hasbro Cancels D&D Video Game
32:10 Daggerheart Birthday News
33:57 Dungeon of the Mad Mage
35:47 Product History and AL Admins
42:09 Roll 20 Update and Sale
42:51 Premise and Approach
47:42 Undermountain's Story
53:20 Adventure Hooks and Secrets
56:51 Best of Mad Mage: Level 1
01:03:12 Best of Arcane Chambers
01:04:54 Best of Skullport and Trobriand's
01:06:24 Flumphs and The Matrix
01:08:38 Vanrakdoom and Spelljammers
01:11:20 Terminus and Fazrian
01:12:50 Mad Halaster's Lair
01:18:58 Shout-Outs
01:23:20 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.
Mastering Dungeons
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