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
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Tuesday Dec 12, 2023
Episode 169 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Planescape’s Adventure: Outlands and Spire!
We expect big payoffs as the adventure reveals it's biggest secrets. Is the payoff worth it? Find out how the answer isn’t yes, as we review Chapters 12 and 13 Turn of Fortune’s Wheel.
News: MCDM Breaks Records, Roll20 Overhaul, GaryCon Epic, and more!
Contents
00:00 Malled and Mauled
01:30 Impossible DC?
14:36 Frustrated Player?
20:34 MCDM Breaks Records
26:03 Roll20 Overhaul
31:10 D&D VTT Praised
34:05 Midwest GameFest
35:20 2-Hr Adventure Template
37:39 $10 Creator Relief Coupon
39:24 GaryCon Epic Stream
42:35 Fortune’s Wheel Recap
44:34 Outlands Explorations
47:18 Planar Glitch Table
58:50 What are Encounters?
1:01:32 Angels in the Outlands
1:07:38 Mausoleum of Chronepsis
1:11:23 Semuanya’s Bog
1:15:42 Mimir Payoff?
1:19:34 Dendradis and Ascetelis
1:22:47 Finding RO4M in the Spire
1:31:10 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/).
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Wednesday Dec 06, 2023
Episode 168 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Planescape’s Adventure: Gate Towns!
Seven gate towns must be visited! How well does the 4-page format work, and what would we change? Find out as we look at Chapters 5-11 of Turn of Fortune’s Wheel.
News: Ghostfire and Dungeon Dudes on DDB, D&D 50th Anniversary Products, D&D Stamps, and more!
Contents
00:00 Holiday and PAX Miracles
05:05 Progression Complexity?
14:56 Publishing Process?
24:02 Converting Adventures?
31:23 DDB Ghostfire Dudes
41:09 D&D 2024 Panel
43:17 Caverns of Tsojcanth
45:43 Vecna Eve of Ruin
46:58 Infinite Staircase
49:44 Making of OD&D
51:56 Core Rules Preview
55:53 D&D Stamps
57:22 Planescape’s 5E Adventure
59:22 Gate Town Goals
1:04:06 Automata
1:15:16 Design and Advice
1:21:15 Excelsior
1:25:16 Faunel
1:32:44 Closing Thoughts
1:39:22 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/).
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Wednesday Nov 29, 2023
Episode 167 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Turn of Fortune’s Wheel: Casino and Outlands!
Casino games are more fun when player goals align. This and the villain present challenges for the DM, if not the players. We venture into the Outlands and experience a castle out of a Miyazaki film.
News: D&D Move Sequel, Peril Design, Gygax Shoes, PAX U Events, and more!
Contents
00:00 Holiday System Shock
02:32 Is Death the End?
16:50 Peril Design?
32:27 D&D PAXU Events
37:29 Heroes’ Feast Adventure
39:57 New Deck Date
40:39 Playtest Packet 8
42:53 D&D Movie Sequel?
44:49 Enchanting Emporiums
46:19 Gygax Shoes
47:01 Scale Tail & Claw
47:26 Stormlight RPG Team
49:08 Fortune’s Wheel
50:02 Our Story So Far
50:48 Chapter 3 Casino
53:29 Games vs Goals
59:30 Meeting Shemeska
1:03:21 Levels and Story
1:10:13 Into the Outlands
1:13:49 Walking Castle
1:18:13 Mosaic Mimir Quest
1:28:09 Closing Thoughts
1:29:55 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/).
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Wednesday Nov 22, 2023
Episode 166 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Turn of Fortune’s Wheel!
A tale of two chapters! A spoiler-filled discussion reviews the key twists to the adventure and finds a great disparity between the play experience in the first two chapters!
News: Free D&D for Teachers, Maps Adds Features, Running Towns, and more!
Contents
00:00 No Grandparents Harmed
02:26 Black Friday Deals?
05:24 Monstrous PC?
15:20 Multiple DMs?
20:18 D&D Maps Adds Features
22:43 Free Adventure for Teachers
29:17 Harmless Denizens
31:05 Running Towns
33:38 Fernbloom's Guide
34:46 Amazing Encounters & Locations
35:46 Turn of Fortune’s Wheel
42:43 Glitch PCs
44:42 Introducing Incarnations
54:26 Our Glitch Ideas
1:00:29 Mortuary Start
1:11:50 Explore Sigil’s Railroad
1:18:34 Suggestions
1:20:05 Farrow and Undercity
1:24:54 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/).
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Wednesday Nov 15, 2023
Episode 165 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Monsters in Morte’s Planar Parade!
We take a look at Planescape’s monster book. We get traits to add to monsters, faction agents, and creatures from across the planes. Hear what we like and what we would change.
News: Free Inspiration Deck, VTT at PAXU, GameHole Panels, and more!
Contents
00:00 Explore the Space
01:34 Unsafe Gate Towns?
08:34 Best Planar Adventures?
14:13 Free Inspiration Deck Handout
18:28 D&D VTT at PAXU
20:57 2 GameHole Panels
23:29 Simple Reputation System
26:31 Seeker’s Guide to Enchanting Emporiums
28:00 Free Sigil 2E Locations
29:01 AL Planescape
31:08 Morte’s Planar Parade
32:01 Introduction
37:00 Included CRs
39:12 Petitioners
47:54 Planar Influences
50:07 Monster Traits
58:27 Encounter Tables
1:04:49 Notable Monsters
1:08:25 Faction Agents
1:12:13 Final Verdict
1:15:49 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/).
Wednesday Nov 08, 2023
Wednesday Nov 08, 2023
Episode 164 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: The Outlands!
Outside of Sigil are the Outlands, marked by fantastic and intense gate towns reflecting the plane beyond. Find out why we would change these up and how!
News: D&D TV Launches, Chains of Asmoeus, Biggest Crowdfunders, and more!
Contents
00:00 Scary Candy
01:58 Span the Ages?
07:23 Reduce HPs?
14:01 Session Length?
21:13 Buck Stops Here?
29:08 FAST D&D Adventures
31:43 Autism and Many Things
34:16 B&G Encounter Cards
35:42 Chains of Asmodeus
40:38 Planar Adventures Blogs
41:52 Top Crowdfunders
46:39 Forge of Foes Available
48:44 Planescape – The Outlands
52:45 Cosmic Realignment
1:00:49 Outland Characteristics
1:06:17 Gate Towns and Automata
1:07:54 Bedlam
1:08:30 Is It Too Much
1:16:38 Faunel Post-Realignment
1:18:05 Fortitude and other Gate Towns
1:23:00 Other Realms
1:25:44 This Book Overall
1:28:07 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/).
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Wednesday Nov 01, 2023
Episode 163 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: Planescape: Sigil’s Factions and Wards!
The City of Sigil’s factions can be hard to grasp, but they play a critical role and shape the city itself, turning the city’s neighborhoods into reflections of their philosophies.
News: WotC Recalls Many Things, Rough Hasbro Q3, D&D Anthology, and more!
Contents
00:00 Back from GameHole!
03:28 Social System?
11:42 Skill List Creativity?
20:14 Slipcase Format?
26:24 WotC Recalls Many Things
29:43 Rough Hasbro Q3
36:00 D&D Anthology Glimpses
43:46 AL Update
45:08 Sigil’s Factions and Wards
47:00 Role Factions Play
1:01:56 Ascendant Factions
1:12:09 Minor Factions
1:14:22 City Wards
1:19:06 Adventures in Sigil
1:24:19 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Wednesday Oct 25, 2023
Episode 162 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: Live at Gamehole 2023 – Setting Products!
We discuss settings with our live audience! What do you want from a setting? Paper or digital? And is it Sigil or Sijil?
Contents
00:00 Live at GameHole!
00:47 Sigil or Sijil?
05:09 What Do We Want from Settings?
06:23 Adventure Atlas: the Mortuary
10:20 Another Mortuary?
13:11 Audience Interest
14:24 Purchase Planescape?
15:02 Planebreaker Compatibility
16:38 Shifting RPGs
18:27 Books vs Small Supplements
20:11 Tools We Use
21:12 Rereleasing Settings
23:32 Digital Format
31:25 Ideal Setting Product
33:42 Included Adventure?
34:36 Ratio of Player Content
37:58 Player Guides
44:15 Production Challenges
49:57 Setting Breadth?
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Mastering Dungeons
Join our adventure as a supporter on Patreon at patreon.com/MasteringDnD, helping us level up our podcast! Gain access to our show notes with links, help us choose upcoming topics, and share your questions for the show!