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Mastering Dungeons
Mastering Dungeons
Author: Mastering Dungeons
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Description
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!
408 Episodes
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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.
Episode 264 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Draw Steel – Resting and Downtime! (MD 264)
The Draw Steel RPG has a unique and deliberate approach to what it takes to rest and what you can do during your rest. Respites become a key element, bridging combat recovery with larger campaign and personal goals.
News: Hasbro KPop Demon Roleplay, Hasbro Q3 Results, Dragonlance TV Show? Sigil has 1 year, 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.
Episode 263 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Live from Gamehole Con - Complexity in RPGs!
We discuss complexity with our live audience!
News: Asmodee Controls Lord of the Rings, Circle Magic, Biggest Industry Surprise, New Kobold Hires, and more!
Contents
00:00 Live with pants
01:13 Gamehole games so far
03:53 Modularity of RPG for GM?
06:16 Odds of Dark Sun 5E?
09:06 What do I do this week?
10:05 Biggest surprise in the industry?
12:28 Survivability of games with financial changes?
16:22 Financial shift to premium products?
17:08 Asmodee controls Lord of the Rings
19:00 Circle Magic and New Spells
26:31 New Kobold Press hires
27:23 Your Creator Corner
29:05 Complexity in RPGs
29:46 Character complexity
40:29 RPG rule complexity
50:21 Thank you!
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 262 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Draw Steel Combat Encounters!
Teos and Shawn examine how the Draw Steel RPG handles player turns, including forced movement, damage, and dying!
News: D&D Hellfire at Target, Free Daggerheart Roll20 Quickstart, Drakkenheim for Daggeheart, Our Approach to Learn New RPGs, and more!
Contents
00:00 Gamehole Peak Prep
02:11 Remembering Rob Weiland
04:29 Our Daggerheart and Draw Steel Games
09:12 Our Process to Learn an RPG?
16:30 Hellfire Club Released
20:03 Daggerheart Quickstart on Roll20 and Demiplane
22:07 Hellfire in Target
23:09 Hasbro's SORRY Mobile Game
24:05 Licensing D&D and MtG
25:21 Drakkenheim for Daggerheart
29:43 How Much Magazine Stuff
31:05 Designers & Dragons Origins Preview
34:29 Keith Ammann on Writing About Dragons
35:22 Allies & Enemies for Shadowdark
36:18 Jerry Garcia's Cosmic Journey
36:56 Fred Armisen's 100 Sound Effects
38:46 Draw Steel Combat Encounters
39:42 Three Action Types
45:47 Tactical Details
48:09 Forced Movement
53:10 Critical Hits
59:49 Damage and Stamina
01:04:54 Daggerheart Damage Comparison
01:10:17 Shout-Outs
01:15:39 See you at Gamehole Con!
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 261 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Draw Steel Combat Basics!
Teos and Shawn examine how Draw Steel creates tactical, cinematic, and heroic play with its combat system!
News: New D&D Video Game Studio, Demogorgon Crunch, Kickstarter’s Union, and more!
Contents
00:00 Miles of Games
03:08 Designing for Someone's IP?
15:05 D&D New Video Game Studio
19:38 D&D Hiring a Game Designer
22:27 Revised Psion UA
25:23 Designing to Guarantee Effects
30:31 Kim Mohan in Hall of Fame
32:33 Acq Inc Pirate Borg!
34:20 Demogorgon Crunch
35:30 Kickstarter's Union Wants Protections
36:29 How Much Setting Stuff Is There?
41:55 Designers & Dragons Origins
43:51 Draw Steel Combat Basics
44:36 Beastheart Playtest News
45:25 Power Rolls in Draw Steel
46:44 Tiered Outcomes
49:03 Power Rolls and Gameplay
54:32 Potency
56:29 Gating Outcomes
59:02 Draw Steel and Daggerheart Similarities
01:02:00 Example Actions
01:04:12 Edges and Banes
01:08:52 Hero Tokens
01:11:39 The Map
01:20:11 Initiative, sort of
01:32:29 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 260 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Draw Steel Kits and Complications! (MD 260)
Teos and Shawn finish creating their characters, reviewing the cool rules for Kits, how Complications wildly spice up a game, and Perks!
News: Salvatore May Retire Drizzt, Lorwyn Digital-Only D&D Setting, Cosmere New Releases, and more!
Contents
00:00:00 War torn
00:02:36 Do elaborate mechanics create narrative?
00:21:44 Lorwyn is a Digital-Only D&D Setting
00:25:15 DDB adds Maps and Party Inventory
00:26:02 Heroes of the Borderlands tutorials
00:26:30 Stranger Things product info
00:27:44 WizKids smaller dragon Trophy
00:30:29 MtG enters Federation Space!
00:32:32 Salvatore may retire Drizzt
00:35:34 Cosmere New Releases
00:37:18 The Last Caravan - Westward Bound
00:38:11 What's My Foundation?
00:39:08 Our Draw Steal Character Creation
00:40:19 Step 6 - Kits
00:54:56 Perks
00:56:55 Step 7 - Add Free Strikes
00:59:49 Step 8 - Complications
01:12:11 Step 9 - Details
01:13:05 Step 10 - Connections
01:17:10 Thoughts on Advancement Speed
01:24:49 Shout-Outs
01:30:24 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 259 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Draw Steel Character Classes, Careers, and Cultures!
Teos and Shawn create two characters, reviewing how Draw Steel creates engagement through complex classes, careers, and create-your-own cultures!
News: Daggerheart Void Update, Diamond Selling Disputed Stock, Baldur’s Gate Jam, and more!
Contents
00:00 Pirates and Cowpokes
02:57 Should Serving Your Deity Matter?
16:51 What Would We Create?
23:40 DM Retcons Okay?
29:39 Unearthed Arcana - Arcane Subclasses
31:15 Update on Diamond Selling Disputed Stock
36:32 New D&D Educator Resources Location
38:39 DMsGuild Baldur's Gate Jam
40:19 Demiplane is Hiring
41:29 Daggerheart Playtests Adversaries and Environments
41:53 How Much D&D Stuff Is There?
47:04 Cypher Revised Final Days!
48:07 Draw Steel Character Creation
50:37 Creating Our Cultures
55:32 Career Background
01:01:20 Draw Steel Classes
01:05:17 Tactician and Troubadour Classes
01:06:49 Class Basics
01:10:04 1st Level Class Features
01:16:45 Kits and Other Class Features
01:32:49 We Really Liked This!
01:34:34 Shout-Outs
01:38:41 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 258 of Mastering Dungeons!
No News Segment this week!
Main topic: Inside Heroes of the Borderlands: Justice Arman on creating D&D’s new starter set!
Justice led the project to create a new Starter Set updating the famed module B2, The Keep on the Borderlands! Justice joins Teos and Shawn to share what it was like creating the set.
Contents
00:00 Justice Arman!
01:35 Settings with Limited Options?
10:04 Justice's Path as a Creator
14:28 Teos Likes this Set
15:56 Creating a New Starter Set
19:28 Starter Set Goals
22:08 Design Challenges
29:40 Keep on the Borderlands Revisions
35:14 Fun Innovations
42:23 Future Class Boards?
44:17 Advice on Running the Adventures
47:23 How it was Playtested
51:44 Board Game Entryway
01:02:17 Wisdom from Justice
01:04:04 Providing Feedback
01:04:57 Find Justice!
01:05:47 Shout-Outs
01:09:10 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 257 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Draw Steel Character Generation!
Shawn and Teos discuss character generation approaches, then plunge into Draw Steel’s first character generation steps!
News: Wizards CEO on Franchises, AI, and Video Games. Starter Set Previews, Kobold Press on Multiple RPGs, and more!
Contents
00:00 One of Us is Rested
02:32 Daggerheart Simplicity Redux
10:19 Rules-Lite Spellcasting?
19:19 John Hight on Franchises and Video Games
26:19 Hight on AI
30:38 Hight on MMOs
34:16 Starter Set Previews
39:08 Dark Sun on Tabletop Journeys
39:44 Apocalypse World Burned Over
40:45 Kobold Press Unprecedented Times?
48:04 Aetherial Expanse Drowned God
48:39 Surviving Strangehollow on GameFound
50:53 Draw Steel Character Creation
51:15 CharGen in General
01:05:31 Draw Steel General Guidance
01:09:43 Step 1, Think
01:16:15 Step 2, Ancestry
01:22:27 Shout-Outs
01:27:02 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 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/).
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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.




can't wait until Fizban's is finally done.
l9ved this episode. Gave me some great ideas.
really great show with a wide range of insights for creators and DM/GMs.
Absolutely love this show. Thank you for being the best resource for DMs and DMing.