Mastering Dungeons

Design Player-Facing Campaign Options (MD 185)

Episode 185 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Designing Player-Facing Options for New Campaigns!

How do you create or leverage player-facing rules that will intrigue them and ground them in your new world and your new campaign? How do you give them meaningful, informed choices early in the campaign?

News: Prep vs Improv? Dimension 20 in the Garden, Schwalb on 5E, and more!

Contents
00:00 Path of Totality
01:16 Prep vs Improv?
08:57 Con for Crits?
20:22 D20 at the Garden
22:10 Schwalb on Taberna
26:54 Encounter Tables
32:47 Infestation at Devil's Glade
34:13 Fantasy AGE Quickstart
34:51 Oops all Hit Dice
37:40 Player-Facing Campaign Options
38:54 New Rules or Limitations
41:53 Communicate Changes
49:52 New Player-Facing Rules
54:52 Custom Backgrounds
59:24 Class Challenges
01:02:58 Subclasses
01:04:43 Feats
01:05:52 Subsystem
01:07:06 Involve Quickly
01:08:42 Dragonlance Example
01:11:32 Reinforce through Scenes
01:14:17 Subsystems Early
01:15:56 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.

Design an RPG Starting Encounter (MD 184)

Episode 184 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic:

Design an RPG Starting Encounter!

Continuing the discussion of designing a first adventure in our world, how do we design the first adventure? We look at creating an encounter that utilizes our setting, hooks, and plays off of the PCs!

News: Core Book Prices, Free Tsojcanth and LEGO Adventures, D&D Sales Drop!

Contents
00:00 Two Fools
01:28 Adventure Curriculum?
12:34 MCDM Daggerheart Initiative?
19:37 Flaws Mechanic?
30:27 D&D Beyond Kickstarter Reward
35:45 Core Book Prices
36:52 Most of Hobby is Down
40:52 Free Tsojcanth
44:24 Free LEGO Adventure
48:48 Design an RPG Starting Encounter
50:00 Use What You Set Down
51:53 Encounter Goals
53:10 Don't Overwhelm
54:46 Setting Considerations
58:32 Theme and Tone
01:01:55 Antagonists
01:04:34 Allies and NPCs
01:06:13 Duration and Pacing
01:09:32 Session 0 Promises
01:12:48 Play off PCs
01:15:38 Satisfying Conclusion
01:19:24 Cliffhangers?
01:21:39 Final Checklist
01:25:04 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.

Design an RPG Starting Adventure (MD 183)

Episode 183 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic:

Designing an RPG Starting Adventure!

Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding and village design, how do we start an adventure? We provide an approach to get the most out of your campaign and adventure starts!

News: GaryCon Review, Remembering Jim Ward, Daggerheart Review!

Contents
00:00 March Madness
01:42 GaryCon Review
05:52 Criticize Shadowdark?
14:45 Remembering Jim Ward
18:58 Stores Get D&D Early
21:07 Free Tsojcanth
22:38 MtG D&D Store Event
25:42 Infinite Staircase Reveals
28:28 Lego D&D Details
31:29 Tome of Beasts on Beyond
36:59 Surviving Strangehollow
37:46 Daggerheart Review
40:19 RPG Starting Adventure
41:52 Session 0
44:00 Character Connections
47:48 Fiasco Approach
52:10 Ashes of Athas Approach
54:03 Start with a Bang?
57:28 Find the Excitement
59:10 Intro Hook
01:01:46 Theory of Globs
01:07:32 Adventure Hooks
01:12:12 PC Impetus
01:15:33 Don't Give it All Away
01:19:39 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.

Design an RPG Starting Village! (MD 182)

Episode 182 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Village!

Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding, a great place to start is a village. What must a starting village contain and what isn’t needed? How do we make it relevant and interesting? We dig into the design and examples that have and haven’t worked for us.

News: Critical Role launches Daggerheart, Hasbro CEO vs D&D on AI, Starforged Terrain!

Contents
00:00 Podcasting for Relatives
01:39 Exhaustion vs HPs?
10:39 30-Minute D&D?
21:46 D&D Asks Do You Like Me
29:45 Hasbro CEO Says AI D&D Says No
39:02 CR Launches Daggerheart
41:59 Dwarven Forge Starforged
43:46 Surviving Strangehollow
44:20 Zweihander Reforged
44:44 Designing an RPG Starting Village
45:50 Two Issues to Avoid
46:37 Classic D&D Villages
50:08 Bottom-Up Technique
59:15 Safe Space or Hub
01:01:44 Launch Adventures
01:05:28 Key Elements
01:08:16 Tie to PC Goals
01:10:53 NPCs
01:15:05 Theme
01:16:58 History
01:21:33 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.

Shadowdark Finale – GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure (MD 181)

Episode 181 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Shadowdark GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure!

The finale of our Shadowdark series! We take a look the excellent advice, plus how the game provides monsters and treasure.

News: Reviewing The Fallbacks, Adv League to Beyond, NASA RPG and Challenge, and more!

Contents
00:00 Teos Has Seen Things
02:45 Emerald City Comic-Con
06:32 Adventure as User Guide?
15:16 Exhaustion Currency?
22:43 Modes of Play?
28:34 AL Moves to Beyond
31:33 Greasy Snitches
36:41 The Fallbacks review
41:08 NASA RPG
42:13 Steamforged and Kobold
43:33 SRD in Braille
45:00 Surviving Strangehollow
45:45 Shadowdark Finale
46:07 The Role of GM and Players
50:43 For Experienced GMs
54:29 Players not PCs
56:06 Core Ethos
01:00:09 Check DCs
01:05:15 Darkness and Modes of Play
01:08:30 Random Encounters
01:14:56 The Gauntlet
01:19:04 Awarding XP
01:22:35 Lots of Tables!
01:23:25 Monsters
01:25:06 Treasure
01:27:25 Final Thoughts
01:32:06 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.

Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World (MD 180)

Episode 180 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World!

Dan Dillon and Jason Ward join Shawn to discuss how to pick the best rules, or change them, when designing an RPG world.

News: Dan Dillon and Jason Ward, Daggerheart Playtesting, Discworld RPG, and more!

Contents
00:00 Dan and Jason!
02:11 Defining Success?
07:13 Worldbuilding Process?
12:35 Discworld RPG
18:54 Daggerheart
31:07 Beyond Dev Update
36:55 Surviving Strangehollow
39:08 Rules to Fit an RPG World
39:34 Existing Ruleset
40:48 The Real Thing
46:22 Build New Rules
52:44 Using 5E
57:08 Dark Sun
01:00:48 Settings 5E Does Well
01:03:25 Tearable RPG
01:18:06 Find Jason and Dan

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.

Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks (MD 179)

Episode 179 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks!

How do we create worlds that reflect the RPGs used to play them? How do we serve our readers, GMs, and players? Let’s talk worldbuilding!

News: Surviving Strangehollow,| No D&D in Portuguese, D&D Off-Broadway, and more!

Contents
00:00 Dark Weekend
01:01 Running Factions?
12:51 Mechanic Struggles?
21:51 Surviving Strangehollow
22:42 No D&D in Portuguese
26:01 Off-Broadway D&D
28:22 Star Trek 2E Announced
30:30 Emerging Designer Submissions
31:09 Weird Wizard Available
32:22 BX Inspired 5E
33:07 EN World Covers Evil Genius
35:36 Worldbuilding
35:48 Shawn's Worldbuilding
39:48 Build with Words
41:54 Show vs Tell
44:58 When to Get Detailed
47:10 Reality Matters
49:45 RPG-Based Fiction
55:55 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up
01:04:59 Microscope RPG
01:07:58 Surviving Strangehollow
01:15:32 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.

Shadowdark RPG – Combat, Travel, and Downtime (MD 178)

Episode 178 of Mastering Dungeons! 

Main topic: Shadowdark RPG’s Combat, Travel, and Downtime!

Teos shares the exploits in a recent Shadowdark game, adding context as Shawn and Teos review Shadowdark’s rules for combat, travel, and downtime.

News: Hasbro’s D&D Finances and Strategy, 2024 Release Info, Humblewood on Beyond, and more!

Contents
00:00 More Dragons
01:26 Counterproductive Playtesting?
07:39 Designer Responsability?
15:17 D&D Release Schedule
15:44 2024 Conventions
17:31 Vecna Eve of Ruin
20:48 Making of OD&D
25:26 Infinite Staircase
26:34 Core Books
28:45 Converse Lego and Pop-Tarts
31:21 Roll20 Character Sheet
32:21 Humblewood on Beyond
34:30 Hasbro Q4
36:55 DnD Finances
40:58 Hasbro's D&D Strategy
43:10 Universes Beyond
45:27 Shadowdark Gameplay
45:56 Playing with Meaghan J
50:59 Hiding in Shadowdark
55:50 Surprise and Initiative
59:13 Actions
01:02:58 Rulings Not Rules
01:06:35 Damage
01:09:55 Morale
01:15:48 Death
01:20:01 Overland Travel
01:24:53 Downtime
01:29:33 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.