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
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Wednesday Oct 18, 2023
Episode 161 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: Planescape: City of Sigil!
The City of Sigil is a sci-fi conundrum. Let’s learn what makes the city so intriguing and how a DM can make the most of it.
News: WotC hiring, Baldman at PAXU, Unforgettable Villains, and more!
Contents
00:00 D&D Tutor
03:16 Class Sales?
08:33 Bigger Books?
10:28 Reskinning?
15:50 Dungeon Tropes?
19:54 Baldman at PAXU
22:52 WotC Hiring
24:23 Unforgettable Villains
25:31 James Haeck Channel
26:52 HeroQuest Release
29:10 Tony DiTerlizzi Book
30:10 Hellwatch
31:32 Nimble Streamlining 5E
32:43 Sigil, the City of Doors
33:20 What is Sigil?
40:52 City Weather
43:04 Magic Changes
47:29 Summoning
50:57 Portraying Life in Sigil
1:00:21 Rats and Razorvines
1:01:39 Portals
1:04:12 Lady of Pain
1:14:14 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Wednesday Oct 11, 2023
Episode 160 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse!
5E finally has Planescape! We take a look at Sigill and the Outlands, the first book introducing the setting and offering character options.
News: The End of Everything, D&D Adds Bastions, WotC Drops Penguin, and more!
Contents
00:00 Alex Kammer!
01:15 What is Gamehole Con?
09:30 Our Gamehole Plans
12:36 Introduce New RPG?
23:10 Bastions and Cantrips
35:12 End of Everything
44:41 WotC Drops Penguin
49:32 Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
51:09 Planescape History
52:10 2024 Multiverse Focus
53:50 Sigil and the Outlands
55:12 Definitions and Truths
1:08:04 Character Backgrounds
1:12:52 Feats
1:16:02 Spells
1:20:15 Magic Items
1:24:11 Closing
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Wednesday Oct 04, 2023
Episode 159 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: Modiphius 2D20 RPGs!
We take a look at the Modiphius 2D20 RPG system, including a close look at Star Trek Adventures and Dune: Adventures in the Imperium.
News: Evil Genius Sues Netflix, Planescape Previews and Downloads, Free Lightning Keep, and more!
Contents
00:00 Boosted
01:42 Modules?
11:21 New or Modify?
17:09 Planescape Previews
28:55 Minecraft and free Lightning Keep
31:14 Evil Genius Sues Netflix
34:33 FR Wiki Turns 18
34:59 Building a French Castle
36:25 Vecna’s Book of Vile Darkness
37:21 Modiphius 2D20 RPGs
39:16 Free SRD and Previews
40:03 Basics of 2D20
45:28 Skill Mechanics
55:19 Dune – Adventuring in the Imperium
1:01:32 Star Trek Adventures
1:10:23 Closing Thoughts
1:15:43 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Wednesday Sep 27, 2023
Episode 158 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: DMG Conclusion: Creating Monsters, Spells, Magic Items. Appendices!
The 2014 DMG ends with teaching DMs how to create rules and tries to inspire DMs. We then look back on the whole of the DMG and what 2024 might bring.
News: What the D&D Community Update Forgot, New Eldraine Monsters, Maps VTT, and more!
Contents
00:00 Lakeside
01:14 Playtesting Complexity?
10:47 Disarm is Simple?
17:10 D&D Community Update Forgets
26:40 New Eldraine Monsters
31:19 Maps VTT
37:02 Acq Inc Season 2
37:56 The Eye of Everywhere
38:31 DMG Chapter 9 – the end
38:57 Creating a Monster
46:37 Creating a Spell
49:59 Creating a Magic Item
51:35 New Character Options
59:13 Appendix A Random Dungeons
1:01:55 Appendix B Monster Lists
1:03:16 Appendix C Maps
1:03:57 Appendix D Inspiration
1:06:46 Comparison to 4E’s DMG
1:12:17 2024 Potential Changes
1:14:20 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Wednesday Sep 20, 2023
Episode 157 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: DMG Chapter 9 part 2: Firearms, Plot Points, Initiative and Action Variants!
The 2014 DMG provides many optional rules. Which ones would we use, and what should the 2024 DMG bring forward or change?
News: Latest Playtest Backtracks, Prison Wish Lists, D&D Upcoming Release News, and more!
Contents
00:00 Chainsaw Runner
02:59 What’s Up with Mounts?
11:11 WotC Non-D&D?
15:55 Slog Tactics?
23:14 Daisy Goes Missing
28:57 Perkins Secrets of DMing
30:36 Roll20 Adding Dungeon Scrawl
33:09 DM David Ranks Controversies
37:28 Acq Inc Murders Babies
38:54 Thunder Road at Gamehole
40:43 Festival of Tombs
41:50 Bone Stone and Obsidian
42:57 DMG Chapter 9 part 2
44:08 Firearms, Explosives and Alien Tech
49:58 Plot Points
56:00 Initiative Variants
1:03:56 Action Options
1:14:44 Injuries
1:15:59 Morale
1:18:50 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Wednesday Sep 13, 2023
Episode 156 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: DMG Chapter 9: Dungeon Master’s Workshop!
The 2014 DMG provides many optional rules. Which ones would we use, and what should the 2024 DMG bring forward or change?
News: Latest Playtest Backtracks, Prison Wish Lists, D&D Upcoming Release News, and more!
Contents
00:00 Dark
03:51 Poisoner?
12:52 2024 Adventure?
19:45 UA 7 Released
31:46 Upcoming Releases
35:58 Prison RPG Wishlist
37:43 Aberration Board Game
39:41 Crowdfunding
40:17 Getting Started Writing
40:46 DMG Chapter 9
46:11 Skill and Check Options
59:06 Hero Points
1:03:23 New Ability Scores
1:07:35 Fear and Horror
1:09:33 Healing Options
1:18:30 Rest Variants
1:21:24 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
Wednesday Sep 06, 2023
Episode 155 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: DMG Running the Game part 3!
How well does the DMG help us track initiative, improvise damage, run chases, fire siege weapons, and give out XP? Shawn and Teos have some good laughs as they investigate the 2018 DMG.
News: Demiplane 5E Surprise, Phandelver Previews, Hiring and Pay, and more!
Contents
00:00 PAX
03:36 Too Many Products?
09:19 Everything Else?
17:01 Phandelver Previews
18:23 Demiplane 5E Nexus Surprises
21:06 EN World Freelance Pay Survey
25:28 Pelgrane Hiring Project Editor
32:23 Choices, Information, and Meaning
34:38 Weapons of Legend
35:19 The Folk from Harrowthorpe
36:26 DMG Chapter 8 Part 3
37:16 Tracking Initiative
40:29 HP and Conditions
45:56 Crits and Improvising Damage
48:44 AoE and Mobs
54:11 Chases
57:11 Siege Equipment
1:01:20 Disease, Poison, Madness
1:04:24 XP
1:07:40 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Wednesday Aug 30, 2023
Episode 154 of Mastering Dungeons!
This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 8 – Running the Game, part 2!
Shawn and Teos continue examining Chapter 8 of the 2014 DMG. From optional ways to handle close die rolls, to social interactions, to exploration, we look at fascinating topics.
News: D&D Movie Really Losing Money? Free Gazetteer, BG3 Reviews, Phandelver Sneak Peeks, and more!
Contents
00:00 Working for the Weekend
02:36 Setting Products?
24:23 Phandelver and Below
26:59 Baldur’s Gate 3 Reviews
28:58 Free Gazetteer
29:52 Movie Losing Money?
33:14 Greenwood’s Vampires
35:52 DMG Ch8 Running the Game
36:21 Advantage and Disad
40:02 Resolutions and Consequences
47:34 Do the Rob
54:52 Exploration
59:04 Social Interaction
1:08:06 Objects
1:13:38 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
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