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
May 20, 2026
May 20, 2026
1 hr 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/).
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May 13, 2026
May 13, 2026
1 hr 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
1 hr 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
1 hr 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
1 hr 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.
Apr 15, 2026
Apr 15, 2026
1 hr 55 min
Episode 287 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of Storm King’s Thunder!
Bring the thunder with this giant-filled D&D 5E adventure! Shawn and Teos review what truly makes this adventure shine.
News: Big Patreon News, New D&D Job Speculation, Hasbro’s AI Principles, Ravenloft Comics, and more!
Contents
00:00 Back and Inspired
02:18 Big Patreon News!
05:12 Skip the Boring Bits?
17:19 New Ravenloft Comics
19:31 What a New D&D Job Tells Us
31:47 Evil Hat on Inflation
35:11 Hasbro's AI Principles
40:11 Darrington Press' Great Survey
44:37 Best of Storm King's Thunder
46:22 Storm King's History
52:03 Premise of Ordning and Shakespeare
56:31 Approach and Intro
01:08:31 Starting at 1st vs 5th Level
01:10:22 Chapter 1 Nightstone
01:17:38 Chapter 2 Choice of 3 Towns
01:20:01 Chapter 3 and Quests in the North
01:27:16 Chapter 4 Giant Temple
01:32:17 Chapter 5 Giant Lair
01:38:23 Chapter 10 Maelstrom and Storm Giants
01:41:23 Chapter 11 is James Bond
01:44:01 Chapter 11 Showdown with a Dragon
01:49:39 Shout-Outs and Patreon News
01:54:39 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 8, 2026
Apr 8, 2026
1 hr 43 min
Episode 286 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of Curse of Strahd!
One of 5E's highest-rated adventures! Jeff Mueller joins Shawn to discuss why it is so good and how Jeff is running it yet again - this time for Daggerheart!
News: MegaDungeon Month, BG3 TV Show Delays, UA Villainous Options, and more!
Contents
00:00 Introduction
34:29 Curse of Strahd
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 1, 2026
Apr 1, 2026
1 hr 32 min
Episode 285 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Best of Out of the Abyss!
Out of the Abyss may be one of the finest Underdark sourcebooks D&D has created… and it’s also an adventure! See what really shines in Out of the Abyss.
News: We Try D&D Beyond’s Quickbuilder, Colbert Helms Lord of the Rings, Cookie Brigade’s History, and more!
Contents
00:00 Teos Has a Sad
01:30 Elemental Evil Update
03:13 Indonesia RPG Scene Update
05:04 Fantasy Properties Into Games?
07:46 Quality of D&D Reviews?
13:48 What Makes Great Adventures
14:50 Starter Set Localized in EU
15:56 D&D Beyond Character Quickbuilder
17:47 Stephen Colbert Writing LotR Movie
19:27 Survey on Tabletop Designer AI Use
22:13 New Dragonlance War Wizards Novel
23:22 History of the Cookie Brigade
24:32 Tatters of Myth Drannor
25:15 Best of Out of the Abyss
26:11 Product History
32:41 Premise and Approach
35:54 Chapter 1: Prisoners of the Drow
42:55 Chapter 2 as Underdark Sourcebook
46:07 The Darklake and Kuo-Toa
49:01 The Instigating Plot
51:28 Gracklstugh, Neverlight Grove, Blindengstone
56:08 Escaping the Underdark to Go Back In
59:36 Mantol-Derith and Fraz-Urb'luu
01:04:42 Gravenhollow and Establishing Facts
01:08:32 Vizeran and His Plan
01:11:23 Wormwrithings and Faction Play
01:14:46 The Fettid Wedding
01:16:55 Against the Demon Lords
01:20:25 Appendices
01:22:27 Looking Back on Its Ranking
01:26:47 Shout-Outs
01:31:52 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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