The Lazy RPG Podcast - D&D and RPG News and GM Prep from Sly Flourish

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:02 Kickstarter Spotlight: Iskandar Adventures Volume 1 04:40 Product Spotlight: Torrents of the Spellhoarder by Elderbrain 09:40 D&D & RPG News: Rob Heinsoo on Mastering Dungeons 11:55 D&D & RPG News: Scroll for Initiative on Pass Without Trace 18:12 D&D & RPG News: Bob World Builder on Gridded, Abstract Maps, and Theater of the Mind 20:47 Commentary: New Poll Results on Combat Styles 24:44 DM Tip: The Lost Art of Abstract Maps 36:15 Patreon Question: Running a Quick Conclusion to a Campaign 40:00 Patreon Question: Are Secrets Always True? 41:09 Patreon Question: Upward Beats for Dungeons 45:18 Patreon Question: Appropriate Challenges, Quests, and Adventures for 1st Lvel Characters 47:29 Patreon Question: Taking Away the Characters' Stuff 50:48 Patreon Question: Buying Material Multiple Times on Different Platforms Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Kickstarter: Iskandar Adventures Volume 1 Torrents of the Spellhoarder Rob Heinsoo on Mastering Dungeons Scroll for Initiative on Pass Without Trace Bob World Builder on Grid, Theater of the Mind, and Abstract Maps Grid, Abstract Map, and Theater of the Mind 2023 Poll Results The Abstract Battle Map Sly Flourish article Beats of a Dungeon Crawl

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:24 D&D & RPG News: Cypher Humble Bundle -- $570 of books for $25 04:31 D&D & RPG News: New Covers and Greyhawk in 2024 D&D Books 11:35 D&D & RPG News: Support Victims of Rio Grande Flooding with this $20 RPG Bundle 12:48 D&D & RPG News: Rob Heinsoo Interview on La Taberna de Rol 15:56 Product Spotlight: Tales of the Labyrinth by Kobold Press 23:15 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant on Shard Tabletop 36:08 Patreon Spotlight: Myre's End Adventure for Patrons 39:23 Commentary: One Night with Level Up Advanced 5e 56:44 Patreon Question: Three House Rules for Shadowdark RPG Links Cypher Humble Bundle D&D 2024 Cover Reveal D&D 2024 Other News Rio Grande Flood Charity Bundle Rob Heinsoo on La Taberna de Rol Thirteenth Age V2 Kickstarter Guide to the Labyrinth by Kobold Press Tales of the Valiant on Shard Black Flag SRD on Shard Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike ranks ten years worth of campaigns from S through F tier. 00:00 Show Start 01:18 Goal: Define Criteria for Evaluating Future Campaigns 02:58 Tier Ranking Ground Rules 06:28 Beginning the Tier Rankings 06:41 Shadow of the Demon Lord 07:28 Numenera 09:39 Rime of the Frost Maiden 11:29 Wild Beyond the Witchlight 12:35 Blades in the Dark 14:08 Curse of Strahd 15:29 Descent into Avernus 18:17 Eberron Rising from the Last War 19:01 Empire of the Ghouls 20:22 Ghosts of Saltmarsh 22:21 Hoard of the Dragon Queen 23:10 Dragons of Icespire Peak 25:33 Lost Mine of Phandelver 27:07 Out of the Abyss 28:40 Princes of the Apocalypse 29:23 Rise of Tiamat 29:56 Scarlet Citadel 32:04 Gloaming: Cursed Scroll 1 33:45 Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands 35:15 Storm King's Thunder 37:39 Tomb of Annihilation 39:56 Waterdeep Dragon Heist 41:50 Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis 45:53 Dragons of Stormwreck Isle 47:14 Campaign Tier-Ranking Summary 49:36 What Did I Learn? 51:07 Product Design Matters More than Production Quality Links Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: https://shop.slyflourish.com/ Final Tier Ranking Image Tiermaker SF Campaign Tier Link Shadow of the Demon Lord Numenera Blades in the Dark Gloaming: Cursed Scroll 1 Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands (affiliate link) Empire of the Ghouls (affiliate link) Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Dragons of Stormwreck Isle (affiliate link) Curse of Strahd (affiliate link) Wild Beyond the Witchlight (affiliate link)

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:48 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Announces the Upcoming Release of 2024 Rules in the Creative Commons 05:28 D&D & RPG News: Black Flag SRD Released Under ORC 09:57 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant Released to Backers 16:13 Kickstarter Spotlight: Oracle Monster Generator by Nord Games 17:53 Kickstarter Spotlight: 13th Age version 2 19:00 D&D & RPG News: Nine Perfect Things for Your D&D Games 20:48 D&D & RPG News: Why Cults Are Awesome 23:10 Commentary: Why Open Licenses Matter to GMs 38:49 Patreon Question: Games Getting Too Complex Above 10th Level 42:18 Patreon Question: Getting Players Excited for Homebrewed Campaigns 45:11 Patreon Question: What Drains Your Energy In Your Games? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books WOTC Announces 5.2 System Reference Document in the CC in Early 2025 Black Flag System Reference Document Tales of the Valiant Oracle Monster Generator BackerKit Campaign 13th Age Version 2 Kickstarter Nine Perfect Things for your D&D Game – Scroll for Initiative Why Cults Are Awesome Building a One-Page Campaign Guide

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:11 D&D & RPG News: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Impressions by Gnome Stew 02:32 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Stops Selling A La Carte Items on D&D Beyond 11:08 Commentary: Bob World Builder D&D and WOTC Popularity Survey Results 27:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Delve by Bob World Builder 29:32 Patreon Spotlight: Regnum Rattus the Rats in the Cellar 31:53 Sly Flourish News: 4,000+ DM Tips in the Creative Commons 34:17 Product Spotlight: The GMs Miscellany by Raging Swan 38:16 Commentary: Being a Good Steward of the RPG Hobby 49:15 Patreon Question: Should a New DM Run Fateforged? 51:09 Patreon Question: How to Expose Midgard and Big Campaign Settings to Players? 54:56 Patreon Question: Handling a TPK in Witchlight Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Shadow of the Weird Wizard impressions WOTC changes D&D Beyond — no more a la carte purchases Bob World Builder on WOTC and D&D Survey Results Bob World Builder WOTC & D&D Popularity Survey Predictions and Results Delve by Bob World Builder RPG Tips in the CC Raging Swan Wilderness Dressings

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:23 D&D & RPG News: Roll20 and Discord Integration 05:12 D&D & RPG News: Alphastream on the Summit One Year Later 09:02 Product Spotlight: Return of the Witch King Adventures for Shadow of the Demon Lord 14:48 D&D & RPG News: Kobold Press Offers Sourcebook Subscriptions on Shard 23:18 Commentary: Tales of the Valiant Monsters Hitting Too Hard? 27:58 Patreon Spotlight: Forge of Foes Monster Stats Tool 31:08 DM Tip: Use an oracle Die 41:32 Patreon Question: Managing One Year Later Montages 45:05 Patreon Question: Sticking With the City of Arches 52:17 Patreon Question: Help Players Tap Into Their Emotions Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Roll20 on Discord Alphastream: Looking at the D&D Summit One Year Later Shadow of the Demon Lord - Falling Tears Shadow of the Demon Lord - You Shall Not Take these Noble Souls Kobold Press Bundle on Shard The Tales of the Valiant Mimic Ending Campaigns – One Year Later Montages

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:12 Product Spotlight: PJ Coffey's Crafting Heritages and Cultures CC-Released Doc 04:38 Kickstarter Spotlight: Campaign Builder - Dungeons and Ruins 07:16 Product Spotlight: 13th Age 2e Preview 10:18 Patreon Spotlight: Secret of Summervine Villa 13:58 D&D & RPG News: Cynthia Williams Leaves Hasbro 16:26 Commentary: Build Your Resilient TTRPG Hobby 20:00 Commentary: Matt Coleville on Long-form versus Short-Form Adventures 27:14 Commentary: The MtG Hobby Compared to the D&D Hobby 36:47 DM Tip: Fantastic Short-Form Adventure Publishers 50:41 Patreon Question: Villains and NPCs Responding to High Level Characters 54:28 Patreon Question: Warlords Are in 5e 56:27 Patreon Question: Repeating Descriptions and Getting Players to Pay Attention Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Sly Flourish Fantastic Bundle PJ Coffey’s Crafting Heritages and Cultures SRD Kobold Press’s Campaign Builder: Dungeons & Ruins The 13th Age 2 Kickstarter Coming May Matt Colville on Short versus Long Adventures – There is no “default” Merric’s Article on Short-form WOTC Adventures Arcane Library Jeff Steven's 5e Adventures Kobold Press's Lairs books MT Black's Adventures Raging Swan's 5e adventures

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:40 D&D & RPG News: Robert Schwalb on La Taberna de Rol 03:48 D&D & RPG News: DM David Compares MCDM, Daggerheart, and 5e 05:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Wandering Tavern by Homie and the Dude 09:51 Kickstarter Spotlight: Infestation at Devil's Glade by Jeff Stevens 11:50 Kickstarter Spotlight: Restless Encounters by Inkwell Ideas 13:51 D&D & RPG News: 13th Age Megabundle on Bundle of Holding 17:23 Product Spotlight: Dyson Logos Commercial Map Packs 19:55 D&D & RPG News: Cairn 2 Character Builder Open Sourced 25:56 Patreon Spotlight: Readings and Reflections with Sly Flourish Podcast 28:21 D&D & RPG News: JP Coovert's video on Indie RPGs 29:11 DM Tip: Split Up Your Prep 39:05 Patreon Question: How Often to Level Characters? 43:27 Patreon Question: What to Prep When You Have a Long Time 49:26 Patreon Question: Accounting for High Power Charactesr with the Lazy Encounter Benchmark Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Robert Schwalb on La Taberna de Rol Daggerheart vs. the MCDM RPG vs. D&D: A Playtest Comparison – DM David The Wandering Tavern Kickstarter Infestation at Devil's Glade for 5E Kickstarter Restless Encounters Backerkit Campaign 13th Age Megabundle Dyson Logos Commercial Map Packs Cairn 2e open source character generator Indie RPG Roundup by JP Coovert

Mike dives into running the evil city of Vandekhul and the freedom it gives heroic characters to be jerks! Video Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:38 Number One Tip for Running Evil Cities 04:56 Ghoulish Elizabethian Politics in the Center of the Underworld 06:08 The Yojimbo / Fistful of Dollars Adventure Model 20:08 Double Check Your Session Zero Lines and Veils 22:38 Turning the In-World Safety Dials 26:26 Dungeons Everywhere 30:45 Adding Nice Places the Characters (and Players) Can Rest 35:55 Adding Nice People to Meet and Care About 37:31 Adding Physical Layers of History Show Links Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Empire of the Ghouls Dyson's Maps Dyson's Patreon

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:03 D&D & RPG News: Dungeoncraft on Getting Cheap Miniatures 03:58 Kickstarter Spotlight: Monsters of Drakkenheim 05:52 Kickstarter Spotlight: Cairn 2e Boxed Set 08:16 Commentary: Tales of the Valiant Wight 14:26 Commentary: Why CR3 is the best CR 20:09 Sly Flourish News: New Search Engine for Sly Flourish! 22:13 DM Tip: The Two Different Games at the Table 34:29 Patreon Question: Lazy DM Steps in an Online VTT World 40:55 Patreon Question: Handling Failure at the End of Campaigns 45:23 Patreon Question: Handling Flying Characters 48:53 Patreon Question: Feeling Bad After a Big Battle 54:22 Patreon Question: When to Give Out Magic Items Links How To Get Minis for D&D For Cheap! Dungeoncraft Monsters of Drakkenheim Kickstarter Cairn 2e Boxed Set Kickstarter Tales of the Valiant Wight Sly Flourish Search Engine Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books

Mike dives deep into Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands by Raging Swan Press. 00:00 Show Start 01:39 What Is Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands? 04:59 Why is it So Good? 07:07 What Do You Get? 10:09 Dulwich Overview and Quick References 18:24 The Duchy of Ashlar 22:42 The Shadowed Keep 31:35 Appendices and Player Handouts 33:35 My Own Shadowed Keep Campaign 42:22 Final Recommendation: Buy It Links Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: https://shop.slyflourish.com/ Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands (affiliate link)

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:59 D&D & RPG News: Jim Ward Passes Away 01:37 Commentary: Bob World Builder's Survey of D&D and WOTC Popularity 12:55 D&D & RPG News: Legos and Sneakers and Hawaiian Shirts 13:59 D&D & RPG News: Tome of Beasts 2023 on D&D Beyond 21:45 Patreon Spotlight: The SF Patreon Q&A Database 25:41 D&D & RPG News: Larian says No BG3 Expansions or BG4 29:27 DM Tip: Reach and Run Awesome Campaign Endings 45:36 Patreon Question: Too Much Comedy and Joking at our Serious D&D Game 49:15 Patreon Question: How Much is Gold Worth? Function Economies in our D&D Games 52:55 Patreon Question: Lazy Encounter Benchmark for Multiple Battles in a Day Links James Ward Wikipedia Page Bob World Builder WOTC Survey Video Take the Survey Here Tome of Beasts 1 2023 Larian Studios Won't Make Baldur's Gate 3 DLC, Expansions, or Baldur's Gate 4 Ending Campaigns The Lazy Encounter Benchmark Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Video Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:28 D&D & RPG News: Dungeon Crawl Classics Humble Bundle 04:35 D&D & RPG News: Worlds Without Number SRD in CC0 07:07 D&D & RPG News: WOTC's "Do You Like Me" Survey 16:11 D&D & RPG News: Hasbro's Chris Cocks on D&D and AI 20:36 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Partners with StartPlaying.Games 23:26 D&D & RPG News: Daggerheart Open Beta Available 30:05 Sly Flourish News: Lazy DM's Companion On Sale! 30:47 Patreon Spotlight: Dungeon Chambers 36:44 DM Tip: Challenging High-Level Characters 55:28 Patreon Question: Getting Players to Speak Up During (Online) Games 58:01 Patreon Question: Staying Excited about Long Campaigns Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Lazy DM's Companion on sale for 50% off! Huge DCC Humble Bundle Worlds Without Number SRD CC0 Hasbro on AI for D&D Penny Arcade on Hasbro WOTC Partners with Startplaying.games Daggerheart Playtest Released Collected Experiences Running D&D 5e Boss Fights Call on Individual Players During Online D&D Games Ginny Di on Online Game Etiquette