Dragon Mind - Mindful TTRPGs

In today's world building episode, John is joined by Raymond O'Connor from the TTRPG Podcast Running off the Rails to discuss different writing philosophies, constructing your world to deliver on a promise to your players, and how World Building is secondary to Plot and Character. To hear more from Ray and Ariel at Running off the Rails, head to: https://open.spotify.com/show/6ALLVYC7hWRCSiqdlNJap2 Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. To support this podcast, leave us a 5-star review on your podcasting app of choice. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today's world building episode, Stephanie from Borrowing Brilliance flips the script to ask John questions on what he's learned about world building so far, and how ultimately, the world building doesn't matter as much as prioritizing your players. Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

"We cherish the old stories for their changelessness. Arthur dreams eternally in Avalon. Bilbo can go "there and back again,"and "there" is always the beloved familiar Shire. Don Quixote sets out forever to kill a windmill... So people turn to the realms of fantasy for stability, ancient truths, immutable simplicities. And the mills of capitalism provide them. Supply meets demand. Fantasy becomes a commodity, an industry. Commodified fantasy takes no risks: it invents nothing, but imitates and trivialises. It proceeds by depriving the old stories of their intellectual and ethical complexity, turning their action to violence, their actors to dolls, and their truth-telling to sentimental platitude. Heroes brandish their swords, lasers, wands, as mechanically as combine harvesters, reaping profits. Profoundly disturbing moral choices are sanitized, made cute, made safe. The passionately conceived ideas of the great storytellers are copied, stereotyped, reduced to toys, molded in bright-colored plastic, advertised, sold, broken, junked, replaceable, interchangeable. What the commodifiers of fantasy count on and exploit is the insuperable imagination of the reader, child or adult, which gives even these dead things life--of a sort, for a while." ~Ursula K. Le Guin, forward to Tales from Earthsea In today's world building episode, we have on Jaxn from Truesight RPGs on YouTube to discuss how our misguided expectations of intricate world building can interfere with our enjoyment of a TTRPG session. To check out Jaxn's channel, head to https://www.youtube.com/@truesightrpg Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today's world building episode, we have on Joe, the DM from the D&D Audio Drama Advantage, to discuss how worldbuilding is done through asking deeper and deeper questions, how lore can be used to justify functional design decisions, and the design origins of Advantage’s custom world, the Cusp. To see this world for yourself, you can head to: advantagednd.com/world Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today's episode, we have on Michael from our Playtest Panel Discussions to continue our mini series on world building. We discuss "found world design", the value of discovering constraints in your world's design, and the power of designing your world to be personal, even if it doesn't feel original. Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

Today's episode is the first in a mini-series on World Building, a topic much too big to cover in a single episode. For this first episode, John and Ian discuss suspension of disbelief, finding the balance between hard and soft world-building, and how TTRPGs as a medium allow players to interview a world’s creator directly. For additional content to listen to, check out Hello Future Me's video, Hard Worldbuilding vs. Soft Worldbuilding | A Study of Studio Ghibli at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcyrrTud3x4 You can find our Borrowing Brilliance episode, The Seven Baby Steps to Masterful Game Mastering at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4Yy8Mr6bQ6aILrR8aLRave?si=f8f6cdae6da84d92 And finally, for a lengthier discussion on Hard and Soft World Building, you can check out the DM Shower Thoughts episode, Your World as a Character, at: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1gRwXTLFsG4W0CG4hMdKCK?si=hkUvNcw7SdaRTA7_iRLLGw Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today's episode, John and Stephanie sit down with Ken, Stephanie's business partner in their consulting company, Momentum Learning Systems, and how the Momentum Learning Systems leadership method can improve your skills as a GM and leader in your own life. There are a lot of good books to read which inspired Ken and Stephanie's Five Level Leadership model. We're prioritizing three of them, which are: Good to Great by Jim Collins A Slice of the Pie: How to Build a Big Little Business by Nick Sarillo The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz In this segment of the Dragon Mind TTRPG Podcast, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com Want to poke us about a question or have feedback about the podcast? Send us an email at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today's episode, we discuss our thoughts and experiences playing Pathfinder Second Edition, one of D&D's largest competitors. In this segment of the Dragon Mind TTRPG Podcast, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. This podcast is produced in association with Incendium RPGs. For more TTRPG content, check out our YouTube channel at youtube.com/@incendiumrpgs This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com Want to poke us about a question or have feedback about the podcast? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 OR shoot us an email at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today’s episode, we discuss the book The War of Art by Steven Pressfield, which is famous for its recognition of capital “R” Resistance, an ethereal force that keeps us from producing the art we’re meant to. If you're interested in checking out the book for yourself, you can purchase it with the link below: https://www.amazon.com/War-Art-Through-Creative-Battles/dp/1936891026/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1SZM7KXW2CY8O&keywords=war+of+art&qid=1676837161&sprefix=war+of+art%2Caps%2C100&sr=8-1 For Cal Newport's Deep Questions episode, the Lumberjack Paradox, head to: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ZwfQjU9vdMYp6rONi0S60?si=cff7eb2dca2247d7 And last but not least, for Jaxn's YouTube channel, Truesight DnD, head to: https://www.youtube.com/@truesightdnd In this segment of the Dragon Mind TTRPG Podcast, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. This podcast is brought to you by Incendium RPGs. For more TTRPG content, check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8KAsTuxSMGwsjSkhCocCw This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com Want to poke us about a question or have feedback about the podcast? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 OR shoot us an email at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today’s episode, we discuss the book Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott and how it helped Stephanie shape and connect to her favorite D&D character, Mizonouta. If you're interested in checking out the book for yourself, you can purchase it with the link below: https://www.amazon.com/Bird-Some-Instructions-Writing-Life/dp/0385480016/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2X8D0I70G5CCM&keywords=bird+by+bird&qid=1675009254&sprefix=bird+by+bir%2Caps%2C84&sr=8-1 We also mention Cal Newport's podcast, Deep Questions, which you can find at https://open.spotify.com/show/0e9lFr3AdJByoBpM6tAbxD?si=edfbf68bca1140a2 In this segment of the Dragon Mind TTRPG Podcast, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. This podcast is brought to you by Incendium RPGs. For more TTRPG content, check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8KAsTuxSMGwsjSkhCocCw This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com Want to poke us about a question or have feedback about the podcast? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 OR shoot us an email at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

"If you solve all your problems to the benefit of others, nothing will be denied you in this lifetime." ~John Fritz In today’s episode, we discuss how embracing metagaming can improve your life, as well as experiment with a fun way to envision who you want to be in 2023 :) In this segment of the Dragon Mind TTRPG Podcast, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. This podcast is brought to you by Incendium D&D. For more D&D content, check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8KAsTuxSMGwsjSkhCocCw This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com Want to poke us about a question or have feedback about the podcast? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 OR shoot us an email at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today’s episode, we discuss your table's relationship with metagaming, both it's drawbacks and its hidden benefits, and how, in a way, you're always metagaming. In this segment of the Dragon Mind TTRPG Podcast, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. This podcast is brought to you by Incendium D&D. For more D&D content, check out our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8KAsTuxSMGwsjSkhCocCw This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com Want to poke us about a question or have feedback about the podcast?  Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 OR shoot us an email at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today’s episode, we discuss the book Start with Why by Simon Sinek, and the power of designing campaigns and homebrew by first understanding your game's core purpose. In this segment of the Dragon Mind TTRPG Podcast, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. To check out the book Start with Why for yourself: https://www.amazon.com/Start-Why-Leaders-Inspire-Everyone/dp/1591846447/ref=sr_1_1?crid=15Z8RKDI5ZZ2M&keywords=start+with+why+simon+sinek&qid=1667411722&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjkxIiwicXNhIjoiMS42MyIsInFzcCI6IjEuNzgifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=start+with+why%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1 We also mention Daniel Pink's book To Sell is Human: https://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2Y0X4AH63VXAK&keywords=to+sell+is+human+by+daniel+pink&qid=1667507851&qu=eyJxc2MiOiIxLjcwIiwicXNhIjoiMS4zNiIsInFzcCI6IjEuNTAifQ%3D%3D&sprefix=to+sell+is+hu%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-1 We'd love to hear your feedback for the podcast so far! Our email is dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Looking for other D&D content? Check out our YouTube channel at youtube.com/channel/UCN8KAsTuxSMGwsjSkhCocCw This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com To join our conversations live, follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/incendiumdm Want to poke us about a question? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

Today’s episode is a follow up on our previous discuss of the book Fire Child Water Child by Dr. Stephen Scott Cowan, which connects behaviors of adolescent ADHD with the Five Elements of Chinese medicine. This time, we dive in to how to use various D&D classes to cultivate the different elemental energies within yourself through gameplay at the table. Borrowing Brilliance is a new segment of the TTRPG podcast Dragon Mind. In this segment, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. To check out the book Fire Child Water Child for yourself: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Child-Water-Understanding-Self-Esteem/dp/1608820904 We'd love to hear your feedback for the podcast so far! Our email is dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com To join our conversations live, follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/incendiumdm Follow us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8KAsTuxSMGwsjSkhCocCw Want to poke us about a question? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In today’s episode, we discuss the book Fire Child Water Child by Dr. Stephen Scott Cowan, which connects behaviors of adolescent ADHD with the Five Elements of Chinese medicine, as well as how we can use some of Dr. Cowan’s insights to be our best selves at the table. References: Fire Child Water Child: https://www.amazon.com/Fire-Child-Water-Understanding-Self-Esteem/dp/1608820904 Cal Newport's Podcast, Deep Questions: https://open.spotify.com/show/0e9lFr3AdJByoBpM6tAbxD Alyssa Visscher's Twitter Thread: https://twitter.com/alyssavisscher/status/1547294470818803713?t=HmnoEKApgiXGf0SNofZdgQ&s=07&fbclid=IwAR2l_jWrd7rj-baO93huW_Fg0qQbyESvlX3vIetbBFwymiO6-oGIYftHIO8 Wits and Weights podcast with Philip Pape: https://open.spotify.com/show/5qdeOoUWYJSGYtpNuG4WTf Borrowing Brilliance is a new segment of the TTRPG podcast Dragon Mind. In this segment, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. We'd love to hear your feedback for the podcast so far! Our email is dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com To join our conversations live, follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/incendiumdm Follow us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN8KAsTuxSMGwsjSkhCocCw Want to poke us about a question? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

Today, John and Stephanie dive into our hopes and dreams for a theoretical sixth edition of D&D, especially since the game's "next evolution" has been announced for 2024. Will our ideas match what WotC is planning? Welcome to Borrowing Brilliance, a new segment of the TTRPG podcast Dragon Mind. In this segment, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. We'd also love to hear your feedback for the podcast so far! Our email is dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com To join our conversations live, follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/incendiumdm And for a giggle, visit us on https://www.tiktok.com/@incendiumdm? Want to poke us about a question? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or our Reddit, reddit.com/user/Incendium_DnD/ Need to Tweet us? Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Dragon_MPodcast Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

Today, John and Stephanie discuss the role religion plays in D&D gameplay and storytelling, how much it should connect to real world faith, and the pros and cons to having simple or complex moral themes in a game. Borrowing Brilliance is a segment of Dragon Mind where John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com To join our conversations live, follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/incendiumdm And for a giggle, visit us on https://www.tiktok.com/@incendiumdm? Want to poke us about a question? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or our Reddit, reddit.com/user/Incendium_DnD/ Need to Tweet us? Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Dragon_MPodcast Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

Welcome to Borrowing Brilliance, a new segment of the TTRPG podcast Dragon Mind. In this segment, John and Stephanie borrow brilliance from our world's most insightful minds to become better game masters, players, and people. Today, John and Stephanie break down the Seven Baby Steps to becoming a masterful GM, which are also invaluable when starting a new campaign or getting to know a new play group. In this episode, we discuss two individuals doing amazing things in the world. First is Dave Ramsey, a personal finance personality, radio show host, author, and businessman. His Seven Baby Steps to Financial Freedom (which inspired the structure of today's discussion) can be found here: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/dave-ramsey-7-baby-steps Second is Cal Newport, an author and associate professor of computer science who hosts the podcast, Deep Questions. His podcast can be found here: https://www.calnewport.com/podcast/ This podcast is a proud member of the Darkmore Podcast Network. To discover more content from its members, visit darkmorepodcasts.com To join our conversations live, follow us on Twitch at twitch.tv/incendiumdm And for a giggle, visit us on https://www.tiktok.com/@incendiumdm? Want to poke us about a question? Visit our Discord server, the Tavern, at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or our Reddit, reddit.com/user/Incendium_DnD/ Need to Tweet us? Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/Dragon_MPodcast Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

That is the question. In today's episode, John is joined by Michael, a Game Master from Dragon Mind's Playtest Panel Discussions. They talk about what makes a great story, how that relates to a character's build, and how optimization (or intentionally creating a suboptimal character) affects the dynamics at the table. Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com For more content from Incendium RPGs, visit our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/@IncendiumRPGs Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music

In this episode, John and Ian follow up on the topic of Lens 13, Meaningful Quest Design, with a discussion on how structuring your quests' stories help organize your thoughts to be more digestible for your players. For Ian's YouTube video on Structuring Great Quests, you can head to: https://youtu.be/1eL8O6R0frM (Structuring Great Quests) For more information on the Triple Goddess and the dangers of distilling storytelling into a single model, check out Tale Foundry's video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yvRyPzPE2uE  Dragon Mind is a TTRPG discussion podcast where we look through the infinite lenses of TTRPGs to discover our best selves through gaming. If listening to this episode sparks any insights or questions, post them in the Darkmore Podcast Community Discord at https://discord.gg/3eAzTw9J or the Incendium D&D Discord at https://discord.gg/ZfwPzjD9 Or, you can email us at dragonmindpodcast@gmail.com Credit to https://www.FesliyanStudios.com for the background music