Mastering Dungeons

Episode 256 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Mike Balles and Spanish Language RPGs! Mike Balles and Teos examine the state of Spanish-language play and support across companies, conventions, and creator spaces. Mike shares the programs he is involved in and how you can support those efforts! News: Treantmonk on UAs! Acq Inc Switches to Daggerheart, Stranger Things at Target, and more! Contents 00:00 Chris Honkala aka Treantmonk! 01:16 Premiere Organizers 02:05 Pick One RPG? 03:47 Daggerheart Too Simple? 07:23 Acq Inc Rewrites Reality to Daggerheart 09:51 Stranger Things Target Exclusive 13:20 Chris' Origin Story 16:11 Chris on WotC UAs 31:09 Should WotC Respond to Fans? 38:55 5E Subclass Design 42:52 Analyzing the Apocalyptic UA 56:42 Survey is Live 58:26 Find Chris! 59:00 What Are We Gonna Do? 59:38 Mike Balles! 01:00:59 PAX Unplugged 01:02:21 Mike's Origin Story 01:08:48 Streaming and Wizards of the Coast 01:13:29 Improving Gen Con and PAX 01:21:57 San Diego Comic Con 01:24:33 Connecting Creators 01:27:18 Gamehole Con PoC Program 01:35:38 Localizations and Translations 01:50:37 Translated 5E Character Sheets 01:54:51 Exploring Regional Opportunities 01:59:33 Spanish Language Creators and Games 02:10:57 Support Latine Lounge 02:17:09 Find Mike and Claudia 02:19:29 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 255 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel Negotiations and Montages! Shawn and Teos discuss how the new Draw Steel RPG’s systems for montages and negotiations felt during their recent game, reviewing the lofty goals and interesting design. News: Is Dark Sun Coming? Critical Role Chooses D&D West Marches, Shadowdark Org Play, Why Crawford and Perkins Joined CR, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos at PAX West 02:28 Dan Ayoub Confidence in 2024? 12:03 Insight Check as Lie Detector? 22:36 Unearthed Arcana - Dark Sun? 25:59 CR Chooses 5E West Marches 33:00 Crawford and Perkins' Motives 39:41 Shadowdark Org Play 41:01 Draw Steel Summoner Playtest 42:01 Free Draw Steel Minis 42:22 Pirate Borg Localizations 44:10 Exodus RPG Encyclopedia 45:17 ARPIA Award Finalists 46:21 Grim Hollow Transformed on D&D Beyond 48:30 Negotiations and Montages 51:19 Montage Rules 54:05 Negotiation Rules 56:43 Larger Gameplay Concepts 01:07:23 Our Play Experience 01:18:39 Montage Outcomes 01:26:17 Negotiations in Our Game 01:34:59 Considering Alternate Systems 01:40:57 Shout-Outs 01:44:54 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 254 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Draw Steel RPG at Level 1! Shawn and Teos play Draw Steel on the D20 Play channel. We discuss how the game plays at level 1, including the goals of the RPG and how well they worked. We also discuss how it felt to play a Talent (psion) and Troubadour. News: D&D in the Heart of London, D&D at the Ballpark, Starter Set Delays, and more! Contents 00:00 Beloved Corrections 04:36 Future of Organized Play? 18:35 Wild West Campaign? 21:43 Is Complexity Good? 27:03 How to Hook Friends and Family on D&D 39:41 Starter Set Delayed in EU and UK 41:05 Baseball and D&D 43:22 D&D in London 44:36 Legends of Greyhawk Videos 45:50 Cosmere Print Date 46:18 Battlezoo Secret Tomes 47:07 Surviving Strangehollow on Gamefound 48:09 Aetherial Expanse: Dreasm of the Drowned God 49:25 Draw Steel at Level 1 50:42 We Love Games! 53:33 Tactical Heroic Cinematic Fantasy 56:28 Tactical and Heroic Play 59:51 Cinematic Play 01:03:09 Talent at Level 1 01:09:00 Troubador at Level 1 01:15:56 Complexity 01:23:03 Monsters in Draw Steel 01:28:51 Designed to Make Players Into DMs 01:31:57 Shout-Outs 01:35:08 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 253 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: How to DM Parenting with Shelly Mazzanoble! D&D’s Shelly Mazzanoble joins us to discuss her new book: How to Dungeon Master Parenting! This hilarious and insightful book offers a lot for DMs and parents. We discuss how the two compare and Shelly’s storied past where she has worked to promote women in D&D and D&D’s philanthropic efforts. News: Japan’s D&D Initiative, Diablo RPG, Tropes that Ruin RPGs, and more! Contents 00:00 We're 159! 03:18 Is D&D Scrutiny New? 07:55 RPGS Cannibalizing Each Other? 14:48 If We Knew 1 Spell? 18:28 Criminally Overlooked Game Design? 26:14 D&D in Japan 28:04 New Fallbacks Novel 29:27 5 Tropes Ruin D&D 33:36 Stranger Things Minis 35:11 Metaphor vs Mechanics 39:00 Diablo RPG 40:21 Shelly Mazzanoble 41:15 Shelly's Amazing D&D Contributions 43:45 Shelly's and Global Philanthropy 48:59 Women and New Players in D&D 57:37 How to DM Parenting 01:10:07 Child Stat Blocks 01:13:10 DM and Parenting Styles 01:21:06 Find Shelly and Her Book 01:24:24 Shout-outs 01:28:45 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 252 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: New Era of RPG Revolution? Huge Gen Con announcements and kickstarters have us asking… is this a new era of RPG Evolution? We look at why it is so hard to compete with D&D and why maybe companies should not want to compete at all! News: Daggerheart Makes Big Moves, Draw Steel Released, FR DLC, and more! Contents 00:00 Climb Gen Con Harder 01:36 Shawn on Tabletop Journeys 02:25 Gen Con Review 06:20 WotC Out of Adventure Ideas? 12:16 Forgotten Realms DLC 13:50 Netheril's Fate 15:27 Astarion's Book of Hungers 18:07 Draw Steel Released in PDF! 21:44 Daggerheart is Serious 24:50 How Many Demiplane PCs? 33:42 Cosmere Minis 34:29 ENNie Awards 36:36 Cypher Revised Announced 37:52 DeMinimis and Tarrifs 39:39 Era of RPG Revolution 40:55 2025 May Be Different 42:39 The History of D&D Challengers 44:38 D&D's Market and Brand Advantage 48:44 Licensing 49:51 Actually a Great Game 55:23 Economies of Scale 58:49 What Does Competition Look Like? 01:02:51 Ocean vs Pond 01:10:41 Competition Isn't the Only Endgame 01:18:22 Dan Ayoub and How WotC Evolves 01:23:19 A Rolling SRD 01:24:30 DDB Maps for All Subscribers 01:26:24 D&D Advisory Group 01:27:19 The Future We Envision 01:32:43 Shout-Outs 01:37:23 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 251 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Listeners Have Their Way! It’s a Listener Corner extravaganza as we fill our regular segment with tough questions from our awesome listeners! News: Hasbro Disastrously Beats Q2 Expectations, Critical Role Expands Shows, and more! Contents 00:00 Transforming News 04:10 Teos Ghostfire Breaking News 04:55 Happy 251st Show! 05:44 Hasbro Q2 Disastrously Beats Expectations 08:48 WotC Q2 Results 12:38 D&D Q2 Revenue 14:16 Comparing 2024 to 2014 Revenues 15:04 Critical Role Expands Shows 17:01 Cover Reveals for FR Books 19:37 Cthulhu by Torchlight Exclusive DDB 22:15 Weapons of Legend for Draw Steel 22:59 Kobold Ancestry for Draw Steel 24:10 Listener Corner Extravaganza 25:32 Dragon Delves and Arora? 29:18 Resolving Player Conflict ? 36:22 Comparing Non-D&D RPGs to Each Other 46:27 Favorite RPGs and Adventures to Read? 55:42 What We Wish Designers Would Stop Doing? 01:00:38 Shout-Outs 01:05:52 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 250 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Monsters and Adversaries! Does Daggerheart provide a compelling system of monsters for GMs? We take a look at the design and whether it might hook GMs into running Daggerheart for years to come! News: Stranger Things Boxed Set, D&D Staffing and Franchise News, Eberron Delay, and more! Contents 00:00 Grimhollow Transformed 03:54 D&D Stranger Things Boxed Set 07:22 Jess Lanzillo at White Wolf 08:36 Dan Ayoub Franchise VP 13:46 Cynthia Williams Departs Funko 15:27 Starter Set Higher Price 20:03 Eberron Delayed 23:20 PAX West DMs Wanted 24:56 Critical Role Video Game 27:26 Black Flag in CC 28:49 Daggerheart Adventure 29:34 Daggerheart Incredible Creatures 30:15 Six-Gun Doomsday 31:41 Daggerheart Monsters and Adversaries 32:37 Why Monsters Matter in an RPG 36:04 Daggerheart Stat Blocks 38:51 Creature Type 45:34 Experiences 48:33 Monster Features 54:45 The Adversary Types 01:00:56 Looking at the Overall System 01:16:11 Shout-Outs 01:20:03 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 249 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Campaign Frames!Daggerheart provides an interesting structure for campaign settings. How well does this work? Let’s find out! News: What is Narrative-First, D&D Italian Translation Problems, Offset Printers, and more! Contents 00:00 Naprage Week 01:40 Daggerheart Adventure Differences? 09:57 What is Narrative-First? 22:52 Italian PH Problems 25:12 Wolfgang on Offset Printers 26:51 Quickplay Maps on Beyond 28:07 Daggerheart Campaign Frames 30:38 Campaign Frame Components 33:42 Lore Dump? 36:54 Frame Breakdown 37:53 Step 1: Pitch 41:50 Step 2: Foundations and 3: Characters 45:43 Step 4: Build the Map 48:42 Step 5: Session Zero and 6: Adventure 51:40 Age of Umbra Campaign Frame 01:04:34 Included Campaign Frames 01:06:52 Shout-Outs 01:09:55 What Are We Gonna Do Now? 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 248 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Leveling Our Daggerheart Characters!We level up our Rogue and Warrior all the way to level 6 and share how the design enabled our concepts. News: Dragon Delves Pre-Release, Daggerheart New Classes, Cosmere Hiring, and more! Contents 00:00 MVP is Sleep 01:08 Leaving Blanks? 08:24 Daggerheart Demands Good GMs? 15:22 Dragon Delves Pre-Released 17:47 UA Arcane Subclasses 19:31 Gen Con Needs DMs 21:36 New Daggerheart Witch and Assassin 26:12 Demiplane adds Playtest Classes 26:37 Updated Daggerheart License 27:35 Origins Awards 28:18 Cosmere RPG is Hiring 34:13 Leveling Daggerheart Characters 36:51 Daggerheart's Tier Leveling System 37:39 Tier 2 Benefits 40:43 Level 2 Choices 48:19 Level 3 Options 52:56 Level 4 Options 58:31 Tier 3 Benefits and Multiclassing 01:09:35 Level Choices 01:12:42 Design Considerations 01:24:30 Gear and Leveling 01:27:33 Shout-Outs 01:30:45 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 247 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Our Daggerheart Characters! What it is like to create Daggerheart Characters, with real examples of our Rogue and Warrior. News: WotC Layoffs, Dragon Delve Previews, Daggerheart Staff Changes, and more! Contents 00:00 Dual-Wield Chainsaws 02:02 Dungeon Crawls Gone? 12:39 Universal and Unique Lore? 16:38 Dragon Delves Previews 18:50 Wizards of the Coast Layoffs 20:07 Ivan Van Norman Departs Darrington 23:04 Diana Jones Finalists 25:30 Evil Hat Cancels Tomb Raider RPG 27:14 DarkHorse Brings Fallbacks 28:44 Treasures from the Dark 31:04 Our Daggerheart Characters 33:30 Getting Started Section 37:42 Class and Subclass 49:00 Subclass 52:14 Heritage - Ancestry and Community 59:11 Character Traits 01:03:17 Additional Info 01:05:57 Starting Equipment 01:15:44 Background 01:16:52 Experiences 01:19:47 Domain Cards 01:25:12 Connections 01:29:07 Shout-Outs 01:32:18 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.

Episode 246 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Daggerheart Initiative! What happens when a player of GM can take any number of turns in a row? We take a look at Daggerheart’s initiative and consider games that have similar approaches. News: Critical Role Hire Perkins and Crawford, Jess Lanzillo Departs WotC, Daggerheart Translations, and more! Contents 00:00 We Are Stunned 00:49 Will Daggerheart Stand the Test of Time? 01:21 Crawford and Perkins' New Jobs 15:55 Jess Lanzillo Departs WotC 24:54 Daggerheart Being Translated 25:55 Mearls on Character Maps and Psion 28:27 Kickstarter Pre-Launch vs Funding 32:02 Standing the Test of Time? 40:35 Daggerheart Initiative 41:16 Our Experiences 45:26 Game Flow 47:08 The Spotlight 51:20 Adapt Over Time? 52:06 On Your Turn 53:50 Duality Dice 56:26 GM Moves and Adversary Actions 58:52 How Rules Play 01:08:30 Optional 3-Token System 01:14:36 Shout-Outs 01:17:31 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 245 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic:  2025 D&D Psion Subclasses! The new psion can blow minds with new Disciplines, spells, and Subclasses. News: Perkins and Crawford’s Jobs, We Play Daggerheart, Get Free Goblin Trouble, and more! Contents 00:00 Daggerborg Below 02:37 Mythic Fantasy Tips? 10:33 Transition to Another RPG? 19:14 Good RPGs for Drama and Participation? 23:49 Crawford and Perkins Jobs Open 28:47 Free Goblin Trouble Adventure 32:37 Shawn and Teos Play Daggerheart 43:30 Daggerheart Card Editor is Live 44:20 Staff Changes at Chaosium 45:32 Book Distributor Feedback 50:06 The Devoured Labyrinth 51:39 Save on Steve Conley's Irregulars 52:45 Bundle of Pride Games 53:34 Psionic Subclasses and Disciplines 55:17 Psionic Disciplines 58:12 Design Patterns 01:14:13 New and Revised Spells 01:19:14 Psion Subclasses 01:34:12 Shout-Outs 01:38:09 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 244 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The 2025 D&D Psion!! We look at the Psion from OD&D and across the editions, to the 2025 playtest Psion for how well it throws mind bullets. Does it have the power to move us? News: Draw Steel Covers, D&D International Day of Play, New D&D Video Game, and more! Contents 00:00 Intro 02:20 Building Large Cities? 09:04 Daggerheart Didn't Crowdfund? 14:03 2025 D&D Conversion Document 17:42 New D&D Video Game 18:57 Draw Steel Covers and Schedules 20:19 D&D International Day of Play 23:20 Free RPG Day June 21 25:13 SlyFlourish Leaves Blanks 29:38 KP on Small Press Printing 32:49 Avatar Legends Licensed Adventures 34:12 TileForge 35:17 2025 Psion Playtest 36:34 Psionics in OD&D and AD&D 42:17 Psionics in 2E 47:53 Psionics in 3E and 4E 52:24 Design Challenges 59:36 5E 2014 Mystic 01:02:13 The 2025 UA Psion 01:02:47 Why a Psion Class vs Subclass? 01:05:16 Core Psion Traits 01:07:15 Spellcasting 01:10:30 Psionic Energy Dice and Features 01:23:10 Psionic Disciplines and Higher Levels 01:26:36 Assessing at Level 5 01:33:30 Shout-Outs 01:37:50 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 243 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Making Good Tactical Maps! Shawn and Teos discuss how to make great maps for home play or publications. From envisioning movement to avoiding symmetry, we share our tips and tricks. News: Daggerheart Released, Lee Gold’s A&E Legacy, Minecraft RPG, Digital Deck of Player Safety, and more! Contents 00:00 Reliving Introcaso 01:33 Detect Phantasmal Force? 15:24 Spoonfeeding Backstory? 29:34 Daggerheart Released 31:48 Daggerheart Card Maker 32:47 Daggerheart Community License 34:25 Lee Gold's A&E Legacy 39:11 DMs Wanted for Gencon and BMG 41:36 Digital Deck of Player Safety 44:08 Minecraft RPG 45:17 WizKids Apologize for BG3 Minis 48:19 Sand Marches for Dark Sun 48:48 5-Room Dungeon Jam 49:38 Making Good Tactical Maps 55:57 Envision Your Location 01:00:09 Fit the Overall Setting 01:02:19 Fit the Creatures 01:07:12 Think of Movement and Abilities 01:15:30 Details that Matter 01:17:52 Avoid Symmetry 01:20:47 Add Surprises 01:24:10 Shout-Outs 01:27:58 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 242 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Draw Steel and Introducing New RPGs! James Introcaso joins Teos to discuss the challenges any new RPG has in attracting an audience, explaining what makes it fun, creating starter sets, and much more! We draw heavily on Draw Steel, the MCDM RPG coming out later this summer! News: Daggerheart Media Blitz, Diana Jones Emerging Designers, Storytelling Through Violence, and more! Contents 00:00 It's James Introcaso! 02:07 Nautical for AL vs Home? 08:10 Underwater Armor House Rules? 17:06 Diana Jones Emerging Designers 19:50 Daggerheart Media Blitz 25:13 Brotherwise Hiring RPG Director 26:44 Storytelling Through Violence 34:47 Draw Steel and Introducing New RPGs 35:14 Summer of Draw Steel 36:37 A Challenge for All RPGs 38:37 Barriers to Entry 42:05 Getting Group Buy-In 45:20 Finding an Audience 50:41 Communicating What the Game Is 55:40 Role of Stores and Distributors 01:00:21 A Great Starter Set 01:02:56 Supporting Conventions 01:06:01 Great Pregens 01:13:00 MCDM's Next Products 01:16:26 What Are We Gonna Do Now? 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 241 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Creating Nautical Encounters! We build encounters based on our nautical campaign arc, including storm survival, submerged shipwrecks, battles on the high seas, and more! News: Horror UA Subclasses, Eberron Preorder Info, Gen Con Events, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos vs the Lorecast 02:09 Teaching Tactics? 10:50 Purpose of GM Currencies? 20:31 Eberron Preorder Info 24:40 Unearthed Arcana Horror Subclasses 28:14 Symbaroum and CZPEKU on DDB 30:26 Sigil VTT Update 31:07 PAX East Eberron Surprise 32:53 Gen Con Events Released 36:37 Playing at the World v2 37:48 Tariff News 39:40 Neon City Outlaws 41:56 Creating Nautical Encounters 43:05 Our Campaign So Far 45:16 Character Roles on the Ship 48:52 Storm Survival? 54:25 Types of Encounters 58:39 Multiple Dimensions 01:03:42 Encounters to Start the Campaign 01:07:24 Building on Campaign Hook 01:10:24 After 4th Level 01:11:21 Hiring Crew 01:12:45 Sunken Shipwreck 01:15:40 Underwater Allies 01:16:45 Island Exploration Encounter 01:18:18 Campaign-Concluding Encounters 01:20:27 Shout-Outs  01:24:13 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 240 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Creating a Nautical Campaign! Shawn and Teos dive into creating a cool nautical campaign, from themes to arcs and beyond! News: We Review Sage Advice, Polygon Sold, Diamond and Alliance Bombshells, and more! Contents 00:00 Still the Captain 01:08 Multiple Modes of Play? 13:02 2024 Creator Pitfalls? 19:59 Diamond and Alliance Bombshells 26:23 Sage Advice is Live 29:06 Interesting Sage Advice 39:00 SRD 5.2.1 Released 41:09 Polygon Sold Off 44:56 DM David on 5E Speed of Play 49:45 EN5ider Relaunched 50:56 Distal RPG 51:54 Creating a Nautical Campaign 54:17 Session Zero 01:00:20 Swimming and Underwater Rules 01:04:07 Starting at Level 1 01:09:25 Using Themes and Plot Arcs 01:13:59 Top Down vs Bottom Up 01:15:58 Leveling 01:18:27 Evolving Themes? 01:21:25 Sources of Inspiration 01:23:51 Shout Outs  01:27:28 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 239 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Embarking on A Nautical Campaign ! Nautical campaigns offer exciting options different from other campaign types. Join us as we voyage into the strengths and challenges of these campaigns! News: WotC’s Strong Q1, SRD 5.2 Review, Alliance Rejects Diamond, Best Campaign Setting, and more! Contents 00:00 Play Every Day 03:03 Digital Response to Tariffs? 10:11 Changes for Exhausted Players? 19:12 Hasbro Q1 2025 23:04 How Big is D&D? 26:23 Hasbro and Tariffs 30:36 SRD 5.2 Released 35:36 SRD Localizations 38:50 Best Campaign Setting 40:39 Alliance Drops Diamond 42:45 Tariff Update 44:53 Andrew B on Writing Process 49:00 Fury of the Forsaken 49:51 Newbie DM's Iomandra 51:05 Embarking on a Nautical Campaign 53:38 Strengths of a Nautical Campaign 01:00:31 Campaign Differences 01:09:39 Challenges 01:15:29 Themes 01:18:05 Ship Combat 01:20:35 Shout-Outs 01:24:37 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 238 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Using the Environment in Encounters (with Dragons)! Make the most of elevation, difficult terrain, cover, lighting, and more. And to tie into Monster Week: Dragons, we apply them to dragon encounters! News: New SRD 5.2, Errata Returns, Holy Grail Turns 50, and more! Contents 00:00 Postal Service 02:06 Shawn Peaks 02:36 Easiest Official Adventure to DM? 28:57 Peril in Pinebrook challenge? 31:54 Nobody Left the D&D Team? 32:23 New SRD 5.2 April 22 37:40 New Basic Rules 41:21 New Errata and Sage Advice 45:53 Tariff Impacts 47:24 Neverwinter Brings D&D Movie Stories 49:01 50 Years of Holy Grail 49:47 Monster Week: Dragons 50:25 Using Environment in Encounters 50:44 One Cool Thing 54:09 Watch for Time Impact 59:29 Overly Punitive Environments 01:06:20 Environment and Terrain: Cover 01:09:13 Difficult Terrain 01:15:03 Elevation 01:21:24 Moving Parts 01:25:42 Lighting 01:29:43 Beneficial and Harmful Terrain 01:32:53 Entrances and Exits 01:37:44 Shout-Outs 01:40:57 What Are We Gonna Do Now? 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 237 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Teaching a New Generation! We ponder how learning RPGs has changed over the years and the best way to teach new players and DMs today. News: Jeremy Crawford Leaves WotC, Dragon Delves 1-on-1 Play, Atlas Games Recycling, and more! Contents 00:00 Get Outside 02:22 Make Equipment Matter? 12:48 Which Upcoming Release Excites Us? 16:38 Jeremy Crawford Departs WotC 25:02 James Wyatt on Dragon Delves Solo Play 32:47 Tariffs - Who Knows? 36:49 Atlas Games' Recycling Plastics 38:42 Exploring Creative Play 41:20 Hits the Fan 43:10 Teaching a New Generation 45:39 How We Learned to Play and DM 56:22 How Teaching Has Changed 01:07:53 Tips for Teaching New Players 01:19:27 Tips for Teaching New DMs 01:30:16 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.