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
Jun 10, 2026
Jun 10, 2026
1hr 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/).
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Jun 3, 2026
Jun 3, 2026
1hr 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
1hr 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.
May 20, 2026
May 20, 2026
1hr 39 min
Episode 292 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist!
Urban adventures come to 5E. Decide which faction we belong to as we find the best travel spots in all of Waterdeep!
News: Daggerheart’s Birthday, Mordenkainen vs Bahamut, Crowdfunding Whale Trends, and more!
Contents
00:00 Draw Steel on Our Patreon!
03:30 Our Proudest Design Work?
10:28 Key Role for Antagonists?
20:20 Chris Cocks Promises D&D Crossovers
24:06 Daggerheart's Birthday
25:17 Night Market at Gen Con
26:40 Mordenkainen vs Bahamut
27:15 Dullahan DMAP Play Pack
28:42 EN World Visits Mongoose Publishing
31:26 Scipio on Crowdfunding Whales
36:27 Dwarven Forge Caverns Reforged
37:25 Keith Ammann on Shadomain.Com
38:27 Waterdeep Dragon Heist
40:39 Product History
47:01 Credits
50:40 Premise and Approach
52:01 Story Premise
55:14 When it Takes Place?
57:00 More Factions
58:03 Introduction
01:05:59 Volo in Need
01:12:13 Trollskull Alley and Your Home
01:15:09 Fireball and Multiple Paths
01:21:05 Dragon Season
01:27:26 Seasons and Villains
01:34:27 Shout-Outs
01:38:21 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 13, 2026
May 13, 2026
1hr 53 min
Episode 291 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: The Famous and Infamous Tomb of Horrors!
We look back at one of the most feared adventures across RPGs! We discuss how to have fun with this adventure and revisit the most interesting challenges it presents.
News: D&D Beyond Drops, Hasbro’s CEO on D&D’s Digital Future, Enormous Crowdfunders, and more!
Contents
00:00 Sheep and Hikes
04:20 Patent Clarification
05:20 Converting AL to Home Play?
10:50 5E Release Freelancer Impact?
18:57 D&D Beyond Announces Drops
35:03 Chris Cocks on D&D's Digital Future
41:32 WotC Union Not Recognized
42:38 DMAP Waxworks Play-Along Pack
45:05 Tim Harford on Lee Gold
46:02 Weapons of Lore for Draw Steel
46:48 Enormous Crowdfunders
50:49 Tomb of Horrors
52:48 Product History
01:02:38 Premise and Approach
01:08:01 How to Have Fun With This
01:13:12 Introduction
01:19:23 Rooms 3-13 and Illustration Book
01:28:28 Best of Rooms 14-21
01:32:09 Best of Rooms 22-30
01:39:01 The Final Crypt
01:47:43 Shout-Outs
01:52:15 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 6, 2026
May 6, 2026
1hr 33 min
Episode 290 of Mastering Dungeons!
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.
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.
Apr 29, 2026
Apr 29, 2026
1hr 52 min
Episode 289 of Mastering Dungeons!
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.
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.
Apr 22, 2026
Apr 22, 2026
1hr 38 min
Episode 288 of Mastering Dungeons!
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.
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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