Mastering Dungeons

Mastering Dungeons - Wilderness and Settlements!

Episode 145 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 5 – Wilderness and Settlements!Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG by following Chapter 5. Do they get lost in creating and traversing a wilderness? Do they find the worst settlement table ever?
News: America is Neutral Good, Blood in Baldur’s Gate, Origins Awards, Diana Jones Finalists, and more!
Contents00:00 Origins05:13 Slowing the Game?22:00 Blood in Baldur’s Gate25:27 Origins Awards26:35 Diana Jones Finalists31:48 NG Americans34:24 Art Costs39:29 Congrats Kobolds40:28 Aetherial Expanse41:29 DMG Wilderness 43:12 Montage vs Hourly44:58 Hemingway vs. Faulkner49:22 Key Questions56:55 Mapping Wilderness1:00:55 Wilderness Features1:04:55 Wilderness Survival1:07:21 Settlements1:11:33 Buildings1:13:52 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Adventure Environments!

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!
Contents00:00 Whole Enchilada02:11 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 Events29:08 Reddit Woes24:38 Renegade Oversteps38:56 Freelancer Pay Surveys41:38 Aetherial Expanse42:48 DMG Adventure Environments44:52 Dungeons49:07 Let’s Roll55:55 Inhabitants58:33 Ecology1:02:15 Mapping a Dungeon1:06:55 Left Out1:12:35 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Designing Tales of the Valiant with Celeste Conowitch!

Episode 143 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Celeste Conowitch on Designing Tales of the Valiant!
What does it take to design a new variant of D&D? Hear the valiant tales of Celeste Conowitch, Senior Game Designer at Kobold Press! 
News: Upper Deck Sues Ravensburger, 2024 Update, Final Rivals Stream, Creator Spotlight, and more!
Contents00:00 Shawn Issues00:55 DM Fiat?04:59 2024 Concern? 11:10 Go-To Adventure?14:15 Community Update and Video18:54 AL Stream20:34 Upper Deck Lawsuit22:27 Final Rivals Stream24:02 Creator Spotlight24:38 Core20 RPG25:52 Last Caravan27:07 Curse of Vecna28:25 Celeste Conowitch!35:12 Valiant Kickstarter37:00 Project Inception43:38 Playtest Lessons49:00 Teamwork51:25 Goals and Targets55:54 Kickstarter Success59:01 What Comes Next?1:05:42 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG: Creating NPCs!

Episode 142 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Nonplayer Characters!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. From ideals and bonds tables, to hirelings, to villain motives, does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great NPC? 
News: Candela Obscura, Valiant Kickstarter, Sharkadia, D&D Pride Gear, and more!
Contents00:00 Across the Masterverse03:42 Other Genres?10:00 Martial vs Spell? 19:02 DriveThru to Roll2023:50 D&D Pride Gear24:19 Sharkadia25:54 Astral Ethereal 27:35 Valiant Surges32:20 Girl by Moonlight 33:55 Illrigger 34:25 Candela Obscura39:44 DMG Chapter 4 NPCs41:09 NPCs as DM Tools42:17 History of NPCs46:52 Characterization49:28 Designing NPCs01:08:18 Hirelings and Patrons01:18:54 Villains 01:27:02 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG: Creating Adventures, Part 2!

Episode 141 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Adventures, part 2!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. From event-based adventures to the encounter building rules, does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great adventure? 
News: D&D Marketing Summit, 2023 Product Reveals, Price Increases, Planescape Hopes, and more!
Contents00:00 Geeky Guardians01:42 Limit or Oversight?11:23 Homebrew vs Published? 17:42 D&D Marketing Summit23:50 Demographics27:32 5E is 2E30:23 Staggering for Printers32:04 Price Increases37:35 Bigygnome Presents39:07 Guide to Dragons40:36 Phandelver41:49 Planescape49:52 Deck of Many Things50:46 DMG Chapter 351:22 Event-Based Adventures59:09 Mysteries 01:05:00 Intrigue01:08:05 Complications01:09:51 Creating Encounters01:21:23 Random Encounters 01:30:20 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG Chapter 3: Creating Adventures!

Episode 140 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Adventures!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. We look at Creating Adventures. Does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great adventure?
News: UA Survey, D&D Producer Job, Russ Nicholson Remembered, Flummox, Dungeon Secrets, and more!
Contents00:00 Speaking of Geeks02:19 Automating Complexity?07:33 Weapon Persona? 14:26 Weapon Templates?26:04 UA Survey and Videos37:47 D&D Producer Job39:34 Russ Nicholson RIP40:47 Secrets to Dungeon Fun41:35 Jeff Stevens Flummox Heist43:26 Crowdfunding Round-Up45:18 DMG Chapter 346:10 Creating Adventures Intro51:03 Great Elements54:53 Published Adventures56:48 Adventure Structure58:47 What is a Story?01:03:54 Location-Based 01:14:58 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG Chapter 2: The Multiverse!

Episode 139 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 2 – The Multiverse!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. We look at Creating a Multiverse and whether it even belongs in Chapter 2. If it does, what should it look like in the 2024 DMG? 
News: Unearthed Barbarians, New Hasbro eOne Streaming Channel, Critical Role Launches New Stream and RPG, and more!
Contents00:00 Hydration00:57 Rejoin at Level 1?06:22 Golf Bag? 17:03 2024 Barbarian29:56 Community Update39:04 D&D Streaming Channel45:17 CR New RPG and Stream47:57 Crowdfunding Round-Up48:57 DMG Chapter 2 across Editions51:09 Creating a Useful Multiverse01:02:23 Planar Travel01:04:25 Astral and Ethereal01:06:56 Feywild and Shadowfell01:09:30 Inner Planes01:10:47 Outer Planes01:12:26 Other Planes01:13:58 Closing Thoughts01:16:20 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Reading the 2014 DMG Chapter 1!

Episode 138 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Looking Back at the 2014 DMG – Chapter 1!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. How well does it help DMs and what would we change for 2024?
News: Weapon Mastery analysis, Keith Baker closes KB Presents, Diana Jones awards, Crowdfunding Spotlight, and more!
Contents00:00 Kids Am I Right?01:52 Valiant Resistance?06:07 Polymorph Woes? 13:20 Weapon Mastery46:01 D&D Movie in Digital46:34 Diana Jones Emerging Designers47:20 Keith Baker Closes KBP49:17 Crowdfunding Round-Up52:29 2014 DMG Chapter 155:07 Worldbuilding57:04 Core Assumptions 58:04 Utility? 01:03:53 World vs Encounter01:10:36 Session Focus01:15:15 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Roll 20 on VTT Updates!

Episode 137 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Roll20 on VTT Updates
Morgan Buck and Andrew Searles visit Shawn and Teos to discuss the history of Roll20, upcoming improvements, the company’s role in the industry, international growth, and much more!
News: New UA, Class as Content, Acquisitions Inc in Libraries, Strong Hasbro Q1, and more!
Contents00:00 Smile Like You Mean It01:09 Advanced Rules?10:39 New UA18:01 Class as Content27:16 Library Acquisitions28:28 Hasbro Q130:45 Roll20 Morgan and Andrew!34:58 Roll20 Origins38:02 Strategic Changes41:33 OBS Acquisition46:43 Upgrading vs New52:19 Industry Role59:04 Upcoming Changes01:06:03 Creators01:12:06 international Growth01:16:09 Partnerships and D&D01:24:13 Find Roll2001:26:58 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Looking Back on the 2014 DMG – Intro!

Episode 136 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Looking Back at the 2014 DMG - Intro!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. How well does it help DMs and what would we change for 2024?
News: Critical Role RPGs, World Record D&D, Into the Motherland Green Ronin, Gloomhaven RPG, Ghostfire on Beyond, and more!
Contents00:00 High School Redux03:24 Half-Mechanics?10:57 Home vs Published? 20:47 CR RPGs24:59 Ronin Motherland26:42 Gloomhaven RPG29:05 World Record34:45 Ghostfire Beyond36:03 Back to the DMG!38:26 Revised Chapters41:48 Additions49:23 Show Don’t Tell 56:06 Design Time01:01:43 Monster Manual01:02:50 DMG’s Intro01:09:41 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Dungeon World and Powered by Apocalypse!

Episode 135 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Dungeon World and Powered by the Apocalypse!
Shawn and Teos move to examine Dungeon World and the Powered by the Apocalypse games. We compare the design to D&D and share what we love most about these innovative story-focused RPGs.
News: Big Bad Con Online, Diana Jones, Ampersand Boxers, Design Dash, and more!
Contents00:00 Boys Are Back00:59 Reinforcing Tone?08:27 New Class? 14:29 WotC CC?17:26 Mystery Guidance?27:23 Design Dash29:05 Big Bad Online29:52 Diana Jones30:48 Trials of Tempus32:38 D&D Boxers34:17 Weird Wizard36:12 Lorecast Crossover37:44 Dungeon World Overview43:14 GM Advice45:10 Powered by Apocalypse47:00 Character Playbooks52:42 Moves59:19 Monsters01:04:27 Fronts01:08:22 Find PbtA and DW01:09:05 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - GUMSHOE RPGs with Kevin Kulp!

Episode 134 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Kevin Kulp and the many GUMSHOE RPGs!
Designer Kevin Kulp joins us as we discuss how TimeWatch, Night’s Black Agents, Swords of the Serpentine, and many other amazing games all build on the excellent GUMSHOE system. We compare the design to D&D and share what we love most about these innovative RPGs.
News: D&D Summit, PH in the Top 100, Stranger Things animated show, Tales of the Valiant, and more!
Contents00:00 D&D Summit!04:19 VTT Hands-On10:10 D&D Beyond13:33 QA and 2024 Rules23:02 PH Top 10024:07 Stranger Things Animated24:50 Tales of the Valiant26:06 ORC License29:05 Kevin Kulp!31:49 GUMSHOE Overview40:51 TimeWatch42:20 Campaign Gameplay57:19 Investigative Characters1:11:26 Find GUMSHOE1:14:54 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Theme and Genre in RPGs with Ben Byrne!

Episode 133 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Themes and Genres in RPGs!
What is meant by an RPG’s theme? What impact does it have, and why are some games better for a particular theme than others? Shawn Merwin and Ben Byrne discuss themes and genres and present examples in RPGs.
News: D&D Direct, Movie Success, VTT Preview, Hobby Grows, and more!
Contents00:00 Ben Byrne!02:11 Playtest Strategy?05:58 WotC Taking CC?10:20 Casters the Same?14:04 Rogue Speed?17:51 D&D Direct28:09 VTT Preview33:18 New Products38:52 Movie Success45:28 RPGs Grow47:42 Alamo49:55 Genre/Themes in RPGs51:56 Why it Matters54:42 Theme Types1:29:06 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Rich Lescouflair and Esper Genesis

Episode 132 of Mastering Dungeons! 
Support the Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e 
This week's main topic: Rich Lescouflair and the Esper Genesis RPG!Rich Lescouflair joins Shawn to discuss the latest D&D news and Esper Genesis - his amazing sci-fi version of 5E D&D.
News: D&D Community Update, Choose-a-path Before the Storm, Donjon & Dragons, and more!
 
Contents00:00 Rich Lescouflair01:04 Fate Examples?02:48 Narrative D&D?09:28 Treasure in DMG?13:23 Mundane Treasure?18:28 D&D Community Update25:55 Before the Storm29:58 Donjon and Dragons32:14 Kickstarters34:02 Esper Genesis35:39 Differences from 5E37:33 Origin42:08 Barrier Peaks43:03 Design Decisions48:24 Building Worlds49:41 Game Loop54:26 Dragon vs Spaceship57:40 Advice on SciFi in DnD59:30 Sourcebooks and Adventures1:02:57 Find EG1:06:56 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - The 13th Age RPG

Episode 131 of Mastering Dungeons! 
Support the Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e 
This week's main topic: The 13th Age RPG!We take a look at 13th Age, an RPG inspired by the 3rd and 4th editions of D&D. Rob Heinsoo and Jonathan Tweet encourage greater storytelling and even a bit of chaos. Learn about these innovations and bring them into your game.
News: D&D Surveys and Playtests, Old Spice commercials, Action Figures, Movie Previews, and more!
 
Contents00:00 Entertained02:03 Playtest Quality?06:59 How to DM?10:52 Influencer Standards?14:52 Key Anachronisms?20:14 Surveys and Playtests31:52 Old Spice33:33 Sneak Previews34:57 Weird Wizard35:58 Action Figures37:07 Kickstarters38:09 13th Age39:59 About the Game42:02 Designers43:52 Icons51:13 One Unique Thing58:37 Escalation Die1:04:40 Monsters1:07:57 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Fate Campaigns with Mike Olson

Episode 130 of Mastering Dungeons! 
We both have Kickstarters:Grim Hollow - Vallikan Clans: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/977277590/grim-hollow-valikan-clans 
Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e 
This week's main topic: Fate campaigns with Mike Olson!Mike has worked on many Fate projects, so he helps us look into Fate’s collaborative character and campaign creation rules, as well as comparisons to D&D and why Fate is such a great game.
News: D&D Community Update, Creator Summit, Movie Reviews, Nebula Awards, and more!
 
Contents00:00 Ebullient01:26 Edition Names?08:32 Swapping Lineage?12:41 D&D Community Update18:32 D&D Movie Reviews21:50 Movie NPCs23:55 Nebula Awards24:36 Creator Summit39:06 Kickstarters41:12 Mike Olson and Fate48:26 Words Instead of Numbers55:48 Dice and Success59:59 Conceding1:02:01 Character Creation1:04:39 Collaborative Campaign Creation1:11:11 Storytelling Aspects1:27:54 Fate into D&D1:29:37 Find Mike and Fate1:31:41 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Fate

Episode 129 of Mastering Dungeons! 
We both have Kickstarters:Grim Hollow - Vallikan Clans: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/977277590/grim-hollow-valikan-clans 
Forge of Foes: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e 
This week's main topic: The Fate RPG!We take a look at Fate's RPG and how different it is from D&D.
News: D&D movie directors speak, Acq Inc launching Series 2, A national research institute RPG, Books on Class, Kobold Press revises Tome, and more!
 
News: One D&D Approach Update, Paladin and Druid, Avatar RPG in Stores, Branded Meats, and more!
 
Contents00:00 Basketball Big Boss01:08 Class Caster Balance?10:27 Movie Directors15:50 Acq Inc Approaches18:05 Research Agency RPG19:18 Books on Class20:39 KP Dungeon 2321:16 Tome of Beasts Update25:12 Kickstarters27:29 Fate28:34 Creators and Creation32:04 Do Anything35:57 Mechanics38:50 Aspects44:50 Skills and Rolls 51:11 Actions and Game Loop59:40 Stress and Consequences1:05:14 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - To Be or Not to Be a Villain

Episode 128 of Mastering Dungeons! 
Teos celebrates the launch of the Forge of Foes Kickstarter, which you can back and preview here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e
This week's main topic: To Be or Not to Be a Villain, with James Introcaso and Rudy Baso!
We take a look at other RPGs and compare them to D&D, this time an adventure based on Hamlet with unique mechanics and created for both the Zweihander RPG and D&D 5E.
 
News: One D&D Approach Update, Paladin and Druid, Avatar RPG in Stores, Branded Meats, and more!
 
Contents00:00 The Happy Way01:59 One D&D Updates11:30 Druid and Paladin27:35 Avatar in Stores29:32 WizKids Mimic30:41 Monster Trailer32:23 Branded Meat34:01 Cool Name RPG41:20 To Be or Not To Be42:23 Rudy and James43:22 Concept49:07 Play Experience52:11 Story Tokens 56:22 Plot and Backstabbing 1:01:16 DnD and Zweihander1:09:08 Design Approach1:10:40 Steal This1:18:40 Find James and Rudy
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Shadow of the Demon Lord

Episode 127 of Mastering Dungeons! 
This week's main topic: Shadow of the Demon Lord!
We take a look at other RPGs and compare them to D&D, starting with Shadow of the Demon Lord. An incredibly well-designed game, Rob Schwalb delivers a death-metal RPG with excellent innovations.
 
News: Speak with Dead D&D Trailer, Hasbro Q4 and Monetization, Mangianello TV show, Latin America WotC firings, SRD in CSV, and more!
 
Contents00:00 All the things00:56 Character Differentiation?04:05 Super Bowl Spending?08:11 Speak with Dead10:47 Hasbro Q416:12 Monetization20:23 Mangianello Show21:36 LatAm Firings24:10 SRD in CSV25:02 Valikan Clans25:47 Other RPGs27:28 SotDL Intro29:24 Rob Schwalb34:46 Ancestry and Attributes42:35 Boons and Banes46:10 Fast and Slow Turns49:29 Skills and Corruption51:51 Professions and Equipment54:23 Varied Advancement59:37 Campaign and Setting 1:07:10 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Mastering Dungeons - Greg Marks and the AL

Episode 126 of Mastering Dungeons! 
Main Topic: We interview Greg Marks, one of the administrators for the D&D organized play program, Adventurers League. We discuss his amazing introduction to gaming, organized play, conventions, and much more.
 
News: Kyle Brink OGL Interviews, D&D Super Bowl Ad, Free Keys to the Vault Preview, Baldman Games Awards, Andrews McMeel shuts down RPGs, and more!
 
Contents00:00 Winter Fantasy!02:42 DM Second-Guessing?07:31 Open Class Progression?12:46 Producer vs Author?21:06 Kyle Brink Redux27:19 D&D Super Bowl28:54 Keys Preview30:16 Baldman Awards32:24 McMeel Shutdown33:38 Ed Greenwood Patreon34:53 Cities Untold36:10 Forge of Foes37:31 Valikan Clans40:54 Greg Marks and AL1:23:48 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.