Mastering Dungeons

Episode 282 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Matt Colville Blows Our Minds on MCDM and the TTRPG Industry! Matt Colville is here to absolutely blow our minds on how MCDM operates, how it pays, how it has worked to reach an audience, and what the rest of the industry might learn from that! News: D&D’s New Seasonal Roadmap, Is it Really 5.5, New D&D Website, What is Season of Champions, and more! Contents 00:00 Go Broncos! 02:03 Making Someone's Idea Ours? 10:52 Our Favorite Projects? 15:56 D&D's 2026 Roadmap! 17:11 Season of Horror and Ravenloft 21:16 Season of Magic and Arcana Unleashed 26:19 Season of Champions 27:33 Other Roadmap Items 30:32 D&D 2024 is 5.5 Maybe? 38:45 New D&D Website 40:48 D&D Beyond Q2 Partner Schedule 41:28 Creating Villains & Lairs 43:08 Matt Colville on MCDM 44:21 Matt's Formative Moment 50:45 What Led to MCDM? 56:31 Lessons from MCDM's 5E Era 01:02:00 Launching Draw Steel 01:09:30 MCDM's Financial Approach 01:15:03 Unique in the Industry 01:22:24 Redefining Industry Rates 01:27:20 Our Struggling Industry and YouTube 01:39:03 Perils of Distribution 01:47:08 Charting MCDM's Future 01:52:11 The Codex and VTTs 01:59:22 Shout-Outs 02:02:52 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.

Episode 281 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: D&D Beyond’s Staff Looks to the Future! Brian Perry (DDB Executive Producer) and Zac Cohn (MAPS Product Manager) join Teos and Shawn to share D&D Beyond’s bold future! News: New D&D London Expo, MCDM Hires for the Future, Critical Role Hires from Hallmark, and more!  Contents 00:00 Weekend Wins 01:36 Why Don't NPCs Fix the World? 06:16 Campaign vs Adventure Design? 10:51 D&D Fan Expo London 14:08 MCDM's Future Includes Paul Hughes 16:25 IGDN Diversity Scholarships 17:25 Industry Sues for Tariff Refunds 19:42 Amber Glenn and Olympic Magic 21:12 Critical Role Hires from Hallmark 23:00 Renegade to Publish Exodus 24:48 BEASTS by Adrian Mejia 26:36 Dragon Rider's Primer 27:42 Fractus the Broken World 28:44 State and Future of D&D Beyond 29:16 Brian Perry and Zac Cohn 34:56 How Wizards and D&D are Organized 39:03 Deciding Priorities 44:03 Rebuilding D&D Beyond 47:23 Quickbuildear and New Players 52:07 DDB as a Honda Accord 55:19 More Features vs Simplicity 56:41 New Functionality 01:02:09 Fully Integrating 3rd Parties? 01:06:24 Use of AI? 01:08:59 Expand the API? 01:10:18 Building a Walled Garden? 01:11:26 Goal of Shifting Play to Digital? 01:13:50 Physical Versions of Digital Dice? 01:15:00 Find Brian and Zac 01:17:15 Shout-Outs 01:20:57 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.

Episode 280 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Princes of the Apocalypse! Teos and Shawn share the best of Princes of the Apocalypse, an adventure that brings back elemental evil and the elder elemental eye to D&D! News: D&D Beyond’s Roadmap, AEG Parts with Dancey, More WotC Hiring, and more!  Contents 00:00 Intro 01:58 Important to Research Lore? 12:43 Help Players Understand Choice? 18:24 D&D Beyond Roadmap 23:23 WotC Hiring Continues 24:45 AEG Parts with Ryan Dancey 28:47 D&D Cartoon Comics 29:30 Record Pokémon Auction 31:06 Princes of the Apocalypse 31:39 A Positive Analysis 35:12 Product History 37:14 Premise and Approach 44:51 Red Larch is a Great Town 47:59 Low-Level Adventures 50:40 Elemental Cults and Themes 52:46 Adventure Rhythm and Adapting Story 01:03:14 Elemental Nodes 01:07:41 Shout-Outs 01:11:17 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.

Episode 279 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Why is Red Hand of Doom So Good? Teos and Shawn share the best of Red Hand of Doom, a fan-favorite adventure from 3rd edition D&D! News: Hasbro vs Wizards Q4 Results, How AI is Used at Hasbro, Dark Heart of the Wood, and more!  Contents 00:00 Bringing the Loopiness 02:27 Players Always Team Up? 10:48 What Was or Is D&D Encounters? 15:56 D&D Encounters Returning? 17:46 Hasbro Q4 and 2025 Earnings! 20:24 WotC Q4 and 2025 Results 25:06 Upcoming Partnerships 29:00 Chris Cock on AI at Hasbro 35:04 How Big is D&D? 37:50 MCDM Has a Dark Heart 39:02 D&D's Therapeutic Potential 41:59 Portland Promotes Games 42:48 Evil Hat on RPG Finances 45:17 Nine Worlds and Bad Blood 46:48 Monsters & More for Nimble RPG 47:26 Curse of Stoneshatter Tomb 48:09 Red Hand of Doom! 51:05 Red Hand's History 54:04 Designer Notes 56:53 Premise and Approach 01:01:15 Repeated Approach 01:05:01 Starting Attitudes and Tracking Time 01:09:41 Approach Matters 01:12:20 Part 1 Witchwood 01:15:22 Part 2 Ruins of Rhest 01:17:17 Part 3 Ghostlord's Tower 01:19:19 Part 4 Enemy at the Gates 01:23:31 Part 5 Fane of Tiamat 01:31:50 Shout-Outs 01:36:16 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.

Episode 278 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: What Made Tyranny of Dragons Great? Teos and Shawn look back at the first 5E hardback adventure, Tyranny of Dragons, discussing our favorite aspects of Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of Tiamat! News: Baldur’s Gate 3 HBO TV Show, Polygon on Vecna, Teos Completes Lifetime, and more!  Contents 00:00 Herald's Guild Awards 03:38 BMG and Greyhawk Reveals 04:58 Too Much In-Character Talking? 10:09 WotC Interactions Change Over Time? 15:14 HBO BG3 D&D TV Show 20:03 Beadle & Grimm Spoiler? 22:13 Polygon on Obelisks and Vecna 29:21 Horrified Adds Ravenloft 31:24 Best of Tyranny of Dragons 32:17 Interesting Product History 35:45 Adventure vs campaign 37:37 An Awesome Premise and Approach 40:59 Additional Encounters 42:58 Campaign Villains 45:41 Campaign-Focused Character Options 48:29 Greenest in Flames 52:08 Caravan Chapter 54:42 Memorable Locations and Council of Waterdeep 59:57 Dragon Masks 01:01:21 The Cult Strikes Back 01:02:43 Epic Conclusion 01:06:50 Shout-Outs 01:10:28 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.

Episode 277 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Working in the RPG Industry! Shawn shares a panel he had with Jackson DiCarlo at the Running GAGG Gaming Conventions. They discuss working in the RPG industry, sharing the insights of Shawn’s long career and Jackson’s two-year experience as a designer! News: Cosmere’s Apple TV Deal, 5th New WotC Hire, D&D + Fortnite + Hytale, and more!  Contents 00:00 Winter Fantasy Bound 02:42 Happy 37th Birthday to 2E 05:08 Two Organized Play Campaigns? 23:55 Taylor Ann Navarro Joins WotC 25:53 D&D, Fortnite, and Hytale? 28:51 Variety Covers GMs 29:27 D&D as Organized Social Fun 31:41 Asmodee Partners for Wellbeing 32:31 Cosmere's Apple TV Deal 34:24 D20play Spotlighted! 36:12 TTRPG SRD Card Creator 37:07 Working in the TTRPG Industry 38:11 Shawn and Jackson's Backrounds 40:28 Getting Started in the Industry 49:59 Seizing Opportunity 56:14 How to Get Started 58:19 Design and Conventions 01:05:46 Technical Vs Creative 01:15:39 The Skill of Writing 01:18:19 Questions and Answers 01:22:54 Shout-Outs 01:27:15 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.

Episode 276 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Rethink Your Session Zero! Shawn and Teos rethink all that a session zero is trying to do and how to approach each of the many goals to start your campaign! News: D&D Beyond’s Partner Schedule, D&D Proves AI’s Shortcomings, AI RPG Scams, Shawn is a Warlock, and more! Contents 00:00 Shawn is a Warlock! 05:59 How Should Death Saves Work? 27:10 Jean Rabe Passes 29:59 DDB Partnered Content Schedule 34:50 Hasbro's New Board Members 36:31 Demiplane Adds Campaigns 38:23 4th Player Theory of RPG Design 43:19 D&D Proves AI Shortcomings 46:10 RPG Maps Bundle AI Scam 48:45 How to Please Your Layout Designer 49:42 Rethinking the Session 0 52:03 FEYPOP's Video on What is a Session 0 55:57 Effective Safety Tools 01:01:54 Challenge Level and Behavioral Expectations 01:04:23 Theme, Tone, and Characters 01:10:01 Allowed Sources 01:12:32 Collaborative Campaign Planning 01:14:38 Character Creation 01:16:21 First Adventure? 01:19:12 As a Social Event 01:20:22 Shout-Outs 01:24:12 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.

Episode 275 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Legends of Greyhawk and RealmsBound with Savannah Houston-McIntyre Savannah Houston-McIntyre is acclaimed for leading excellent projects. She walks us through the Legends of Greyhawk organized play campaign, RealmsBound with Ed Greenwood, and more! News: Games Workshop Bans AI, Proof of Stranger Things Growth, Mystic UA, and more! Contents 00:00 Oh Captain my Captain 03:24 Arcadia's 1-on-1 Rules? 10:50 Mental Load? 17:50 3-D Combat Options? 25:29 New Mystic Subclasses UA 30:13 Erin Roberts is a Wizard 32:13 Bob Worldbuilder on Stranger Things Growth 37:35 KC Chiefs Teach D&D 39:12 GW Bans AI for Staff 41:11 Get Dune Free from Modiphius 42:55 The Savage Arctic 43:58 Planet Money's Board Game 45:13 Savannah Houston-McIntyre 53:11 Getting Started with Design 57:12 Leading Design Projects 01:00:28 Legends of Greyhawk 01:04:53 Greyhawk's Regions 01:10:18 Virtual Weekends and Writing for LoG 01:13:23 RealmsBound with Ed Greenwood 01:25:12 Find Savannah! 01:26:41 Shout-Outs 01:30:53 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.

Episode 274 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Start a New Campaign for the New Year It’s a new year, the perfect time to think on how to launch an awesome campaign, even if you have never DMed before! News: Stranger Things Effect? Matt Mercer Simpsons Crossover, D&D Romantasy Novel, Ed Greenwood’s RealmsBound, and more! Contents 00:00 Full of Fear 02:05 What is a Gameplay Loop? 11:10 Teaching Game Design? 14:38 Stranger Things Effect 19:27 Stranger Things' ET Ending 22:09 Leon Barillaro Hired at WotC 24:14 New D&D Romantasy Novel 26:06 Ed Greenwood's RealmsBound 31:22 Matt Mercer Simpsons Crossover 33:58 D&D and Moral Imagination 38:20 D&D Loungefly Backpacks 39:08 The Bridgewell Chronicles 40:21 Merryshire Detective Club 41:19 A New Campaign for the New Year 41:59 New Gamemaster Month 43:22 Where Can We Learn to DM? 51:52 Why Should You DM? 01:02:04 Not Knowing the Rules 01:11:13 Planning Your Campaign 01:22:59 Establishing a Theme 01:25:00 Shout-Outs 01:28:53 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.

Episode 273 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Future of RPGs in 2026? Teos and Shawn look at 2025’s huge impacts on RPGs and what 2026 might hold for our hobby! News: Daggerheart’s Executive Success, James Haek and Introcaso Changes, City 26, and more! Contents 00:00 Intro 00:59 Mastering DnD the RPG? 07:55 How to Get Noticed? 17:08 Tim Kask Passes 19:38 Daggerheart's Executive Success 25:17 James Haek Joins WotC 25:55 Who Replaces James on Lorecast??? 27:25 James Introcaso Focuses on Crows 29:11 D&D and Court Rooms 30:06 Seniors and Dragons 30:56 City '26 Challenge 32:38 Jeff Stevens on 2025 2026 33:30 Crack the Sun Success 35:32 Looking Back at D&D in 2025 40:02 WotC's Positive Moves 42:13 Crawford and Perkins Join Critical Role 45:14 Economic Uncertainty 49:12 AI Slop 50:03 Cosmere, Daggerheart, Draw Steel 55:28 What Might 2026 Offer for D&D? 01:06:30 Will the Hobby Grow? 01:09:21 More Big RPGs? 01:11:05 If We Had 1 Wish! 01:15:10 Shout-Outs 01:19:34 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.

Episode 272 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Future of the DMs Guild? Teos and Shawn look at the decline of the 10-year-old DMsGuild and lessons for all platforms, such as D&D Beyond! News: KC Chiefs Play D&D, Mythic Crowdfunding Disaster, Foundry Hiring for New RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Our Trees Were Fortunate 03:04 National Comedy Center 05:10 Crowdfunding Replaced DMsGuild? 10:18 Can We Stop Platform Decline? 19:14 New D&D Workbooks from PRH 25:49 Best-Selling RPGs on Fantasy Grounds 28:15 KC Chiefs Play D&D 30:06 WA Sec of State on Gaming 32:24 Foundry Hiring for New RPG 35:14 Mythic Games Crowdfunding Disaster 38:20 Books Leaving Grocery Stores 42:48 Moonshae Isles Omnibus 45:03 Crack the Sun Final Days 46:03 DMsGuild Turns 10 47:22 Keith Baker Era 50:10 Print on Demand and Quality Jumps 52:43 Race to the Bottom 54:56 Guild as Stepping Stone 58:29 What Killed the Guild? 01:10:13 WotC as Competitor 01:15:49 Looking to the Future 01:34:48 Shout-Outs 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.

Episode 271 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The DMs Guild’s Complex History! Teos and Shawn enjoy a video by Trekiros and think on the incredible history of the 10-year-old DMsGuild! News: James Ohlen’s Exodus, Cosmere’s Roadmap, New Legends of Greyhawk Region, and more! Contents 00:00 Happy Holidays! 02:25 Non-Combat Enctr Objectives? 17:44 Dungeons Best for 1-on-1 Play? 25:32 Diamond Distributors Bankrupt Again 28:31 New Legends of Greyhawk Region 30:27 Gen Con Participation Grants 31:30 Cosmere Announces Roadmap 36:31 James Ohlen and Exodus Change 44:00 DMsGuild Turns 10 44:41 Trekiros Video 46:12 Our History with the Guild 47:28 History of Licensing Pre-Guild 49:26 The OGL and 3E 51:30 Shawn's DMsGuild First Day 52:57 AL's Huge Early Sales 55:58 Early Days and Royalties 01:07:13 Launching Creators 01:11:00 Struggle for Quality 01:15:41 Adepts Program 01:26:28 Creator Expectations 01:34:18 Shout-Outs 01:38:33 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.

Episode 270 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Dying and Campaign Building with Prequel and Ethan Yen Ethan Yen joins Shawn and Teos to discuss Prequel, the amazing game where you know you will die to the big bad… but get to create a campaign defined by the secrets these heroes discover! News: D&D Beyond’s New Goals, Crack the Sun’s Big Start, Big Staff Changes, and more! Contents 00:00 Conventional Wisdom 03:34 Teaching with RPGs? 13:00 Easy to Convert? 18:26 D&D Beyond's New Goals 24:52 Warlock Video Game Announced 27:57 Justice Arman Promoted 29:05 Jason Carl Departs World of Darkness 32:25 Perkins and Crawford on Acq Inc 35:47 Crack the Sun's Huge Start 39:59 Ikea D&D Book 42:47 Draw Steel Quick Reference 43:17 Quests from the Keep on the Borderlands 44:06 Ethan Yen and Prequel 45:34 Ethan's RPG Path 49:45 Creative Influences 58:45 All About Prequel 01:06:10 Phases of Play 01:12:39 The Big Fight 01:20:53 Campaign Building Conclusion 01:23:53 Zine Format Tips 01:30:46 Gamehole PoC Programs 01:37:58 Find Ethan 01:38:55 Shout-Outs 01:43:18 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.

How is an RPG Book Made? (Alphastream Collaboration) While Shawn and Teos are away, we share with you a recording Teos made with Scott F Gray, sharing the intricacies of the process for creating an RPG book. This recording appeared in two parts on the Alphastream YouTube channel and we are sharing it here for your enjoyment.  Contents 00:00 Intro 00:46 About Scott 04:15 Who this video is for 09:09 Starting with an idea 12:54 When is my idea ready? 26:53 What to know when I start writing 39:04 Understanding words per page 43:00 After writing and types of editors 01:02:22 Development 01:04:10 Sensitivity Reading 01:07:10 Proofreading 01:10:11 Layout 01:14:47 Initial Layout Design 01:19:05 Flowing Copy and Word Processor Choices 01:24:39 Art and Art Orders 01:36:46 Bleed 01:39:26 Rewriting After Initial Layout 01:45:27 Don't Write in Layout 01:49:24 Final Proofread and Layout 01:55:34 PDF vs PoD vs Offset Printing 02:11:25 Offset Printing and Timeline 02:15:20 Crowdfunding 02:18:55 Rising Tide on Manufacturing and Shipping 02:21:12 On Collaboration 02:26:27 Support the Show 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.

Gamehole Con 2025 and Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Beautiful Mess of 5E! (Gamehole Con 2025) While Shawn and Teos are away, we share with you a recording of a panel at Gamehole con where Mike Mearls, Mike Shea, Shawn, and Teos discuss the many forms of 5E available both officially and through third party companies. We look at how D&D 5E was designed in a open way and how this impacts our hobby.  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.

Episode 269 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Brindlewood Bay’s Cozy Horror Cozy on up with our review of Brindlewood Bay. Being an elderly widow, cutting to commercial, detailing our cozy home, and drawing on classic TV? Sign us up! News: Eberron Forge of the Artificer, MCDM’s Summoner and Blackbottom, Cosmere Actual Play, and more! Contents 00:00 Clue Advent and Alien Evolved 03:32 Player Goals First? 12:34 Crawford Perkins Critique and Praise? 16:45 Eberron Forge of the Artificer is Out 21:15 MCDM Releases Summoner 21:42 Fall of Blackbottom Adventure 23:40 Initiative D&D in NYC 26:10 Cosmere Actual Play 27:23 Jubensha Grows Internationally 30:47 Nominate Most Anticipated RPG of '26 31:43 Brindlewood Bay 32:16 Game and its Vibes 35:30 Elderly Widows as PCs 37:57 Game Play Basics 39:44 Why the GM Can Push Hard 42:33 Gear as Your Cozy Home 45:08 PbtA Moves 56:35 Maven Moves 58:45 Being a Keeper or GM 01:00:24 Clues and Void Clues 01:02:42 One-Shots vs Campaign 01:08:09 Shout-Outs 01:12:15 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.

Episode 268 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Can We Fix 1-Player Dragon Delves? While a full fix would take more work, we do quickly test a fix and find it is a ton more fun as we conclude our 1 DM and 1 Player adventure! News: Daggerheart’s Big Expansion, Acq Inc Switches, D&D’s Digital Releases, Leaked Financials, and more! Contents 00:00 Shawn is Horrified 02:46 D&D Version of Andor or Office? 11:18 Must Fun Single-Class Party? 15:18 Lorwyn First Light Released Digitally 20:32 Daggerheart New Expansion 24:26 Daggerheart PAX News 27:46 Acq Inc Switches to Daggerheart 30:48 Leaked 5E Sales Data 37:28 Free Fantasy Grounds 38:51 If RPGs Adjusted for Inflation 40:13 Temple of the Lightbringers 40:37 Stabracadabra 41:32 Crack the Sun for Draw Steel 42:12 Drakkenheart 43:00 Kickstarter Union Prevails 43:35 Baker's Doesn't Conclusion 44:07 Our Test So Far 46:59 1 on 1 Play as a Concept 55:25 Shawn's Proposed Changes! 01:04:21 Underground Jail 01:10:34 Yummy Mummy 01:14:29 Our New Solo Combat 01:25:48 When Mummy is Daddy 01:31:00 Facing Nibblecheeks 01:35:39 The Heroes We Made Along the Way 01:41:25 Final Thoughts 01:48:15 Shout Outs 01:52:04 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.

Episode 267 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Does 1 Player Really Work with Dragon Delves? Shawn runs Teos through Dragon Delves and they find out whether the adventure’s rules for one player work. Spoiler: no, listener, they do not work! News: Mighty Nein on Amazon, D&D Challenging for Netflix, Draw Steel Codex, 5E on Demiplane, and more! Contents 00:00 FR Goodness 01:03 DnD Bologna Contestants - Die Egg Cup 02:32 DnD Press-On Nails 03:54 People Mag and DnD Wedding Cakes 06:17 What Should WotC Design? 18:01 Demiplane 5E Support 23:14 Mighty Nein on Amazon Prime 25:27 D&D on Netflix is Challenging 30:45 Draw Steel Codex 32:51 Codex Draw Steel Marketplace 33:32 Crack the Sun! 35:54 Amazon Warhammer 40k Shows 38:03 Baldur's Gate Adventure Jam Released 39:38 D&D Municipal Ethics Adventure 40:56 Beast RPG 43:55 Alpha Star Magazine 44:33 Darrington Press Seeks Creators 45:38 Dungeons of Drakkenheim for Daggerheart 46:20 DM and Player Gaming 50:06 Story So Far 52:00 Forest and Candy Trail 56:10 Investigating the Outside 01:07:05 Exploring the Interior 01:10:01 Taffy and Bugbears 01:14:22 Discussing 1 Player Combat 01:17:57 Secret Passage 01:22:10 Critical Hit! 01:33:57 Reflecting on 1-on-1 Combat 01:35:27 Saving Asger 01:39:23 Additional Thoughts 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.

Episode 266 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Solo Actual Play with Dragon Delves! Can solo play work? Shawn runs Teos through Dragon Delves. See their ridiculous antics and what they think about the design! News: Daggerheart’s New Bloodhunter, Moonbeam Shuts Down, WotC Restores Educator Resources, HeroForge and Daggerheart Dilemma, and more! Contents 00:00 Playing All the Games 04:08 Reasons Why PCs Have New Features? 12:18 Lost Art of Dungeon Design? 22:47 Favorite Community Program? 27:54 Moonbeam Shutting Down 30:01 Organize Play Adds FR Options 32:58 DnD EU and AP Release Dates 34:26 WotC Restores Educator Resources 35:51 Daggerheart Playtests Blood Hunter 37:37 HeroForge and Daggerheart Dilemma 41:21 Solo Play with Dragon Delves 42:55 Using Maps VTT 45:58 Solo Play Rules in Dragon Delves 50:27 Adventure Starts with Fire 57:01 Saving the Halfling 01:01:41 Investigating the Fire 01:09:58 Golden Lizards 01:14:21 Mischief at the Bakery 01:28:41 Behind the DM Curtain 01:30:08 Shout Outs 01:33:38 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.

Episode 265 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Shannon Appelcline and Designers & Dragons Origins! Renowned RPG historian Shannon Appelcline joins Teos and Shawn to discuss his new 4-book series capturing the amazing stories behind every D&D product from OD&D, AD&D, and Basic! News: New Daggerheart folio, Tales of Woodcreek starts with a bang, Free FR preview, and more! Contents 00:00 Thankful for community 03:44 Draw Steel allows roleplay? 06:38 Get players to make stuff up? 19:32 Netflix and Hasbro KPop Demon Hunting 20:48 Hasbro Q3 report 22:54 WotC Q3 results 24:07 Videogame costs 26:49 Hasbro's 45-50 shows and movies 29:34 WotC explains D&D well, actually 35:34 How big is D&D? 42:13 Are we getting a Dragonlance show? 45:15 Sigil will be no more 52:06 Daggerheart on class design 54:41 PAX Unplugged BIPOC demo days 55:37 Drakkenheart 57:07 Draw Steel recoveries and respites 57:52 Ending combat 01:03:02 Balancing adventuring days 01:06:23 Recoveries 01:08:12 Resting and victories 01:11:23 Respites and downtime 01:21:52 Project roll 01:23:34 Project events 01:28:13 Rewards and downtime 01:32:52 Shout-outs 01:37:19 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.