Mastering Dungeons

Episode 311 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Dragons of Stormwreck Isle and the 3rd Starter Set! 5E’s 3rd Starter Set brings fewer components, a lower price point, and all the dragons! See why we harpy about why this is ghoul enough for you. News: Free Warcraft D&D Adventure, D&D Professions and Factions in WoW, Lamordia Modern Ravenloft, and more! Contents 00:00 Swim Any Day in...

Episode 310 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Dragon of Icespire Peak and the Essentials Kit! 5E’s second Starter Set brings huge innovation, from Sidekicks to Quest Boards and Initiative Cards! Our review is more fun than a mimic in a gnome home. News: Wizards Fires and Hires, Warcraft Monsters First Look, Dragonlance Book White Board, and more! Contents 00:00 Sirrangia and Encounters 02...

Episode 309 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Creating Mistborn and the Cosmere RPG with Lyla and Lydia! Lyla Fujiwara (Cosmere RPG Director) and Lydia Suen (Cosmere Lead Designer) of Brotherwise Games join us to share what it took to create the Mistborn Setting for the Cosmere RPG! Learn about Plotweaver, time-swap adventures, freelancing, and much more! News: Warcraft 5E First Look, Draw Steel...

Episode 308 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Lost Mine of Phandelver, the first D&D Starter Set! The adventure (and rules) that kicked off 5E! We look at why every starter set has to measure itself against this one. News: Dan Ayoub on Leading D&D, 5 New Underdark Species, D&D Encounters Unboxing, and more! Contents 00:00 Start Your Sets 01:17 Published Campaign Help? 06:03 Ar...

Episode 307 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Arcana Unleased with Amanda Hamon! Amanda joins us to discuss the Arcana Unleashed products she led – the process, the design, and the exciting contents of both books! News: Ravenloft Netflix TV Show, New D&D Beyond Drops, PAX West Report, and more! Contents 00:00 Return from PAX West 04:21 RPGs Providing Right Information? 12:41 Single-PC Encount...

Episode 306 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Acquisitions Incorporated: Orrery of the Wanderer! Completely unbiased coverage of the best and most perfect adventure ever written! You will love this show, or your money back. News: D&D’s Secret Survey, Universes Beyond Hiring, Warlock Gameplay, End of Burning Wheel, and more! Contents 00:00 Hear Us on Other Podcasts 02:39 Turn Off DM Br...

Episode 305 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Tomas Härenstam of Free League! Free League’s CEO and frequent designer discusses how the company began and grew, how they tackle crowdfunding, IPs, partnerships, organized play, and more! News: D&D Gives You Ceremorphosis, Wizards Polls Your Trust, Underdark UA Subclasses, DMing High Level and more! Contents 00:00 Intro 01:19 Run Published Epic-L...

Episode 303 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen! Dragonlance is Back! Come see why this adventure deserves a second chance. News: Critical Role Lands Emmy, D&D Drops Oozes and Errata, Pathfinder on DriveThru, and more! Contents 00:00 Gamehole with Teos and James? 04:21 Announcements vs Playtesting? 10:59 Licensed IPs Exclusive? 16:09 D&D Drops...

Episode 303 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Adam Bradford, from D&D Beyond to Free League Unbound! Adam Bradford joins us to discuss Free League's amazing Unbound platform and his voyage to and from D&D Beyond, including his design projects like Invincible and Forgotten Odysseys. News: Diamond Gives Inventory Back, Gamehole PoC Event, PAX West Needs DMs, and more! Contents 00:00 3E Turn...

Episode 302 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Dark Sun, Star Wars, Warcraft, Greyhawk, and All D&D Gen Con News! Wizards of the Coast goes all-out with a D&D Tower, Carnival, Drone Show, and tons of peaks at upcoming releases. News: Wizards President Departs, Free League Unbound, Daggerheart Plans, ENnies, and more! Contents 00:00 Gen Con Happened! 02:46 Spoiler Descriptions? 06:10 Is Blo...

Episode 301 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Best of Spelljammer Light of Xaryxis! An adventure crafted to feel like an old sci-fi TV show? We look at how well it captures the classic Spelljammer setting. News: World of Warcraft and D&D? Hasbro Q2 Growth? D&D Movie Sequel Script? And more! Contents 00:00 Apocalypse Now 02:16 Bound by Blood 04:22 Add to Peril in Pinebrook? 12:51 Right...

Episode 300 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Sirrangia and Worldbuilding Through Campaign Building! Now that we are creating an adventure setting for our top Patreon supporters, we look at worldbuilding through the lens of campaign building. News: Season of Magic Launches, Big D&D Gen Con Plans, Good and Bad Paizo News, and more! Contents 00:00 300th Episode! 04:23 Balance My Vecna? 16:37 No...

Episode 299 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster with Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish! Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish joins Shawn to discuss his latest book providing GM advice! News: D&D Fan Expo Canceled, 2026 ENnie Nominees, July D&D Drops, and more! Contents 00:00 Mike Shea AKA Sly Flourish! 05:32 Reuse Our Old Ideas? 10:34 Who Would You Hire? 16:43 Which Idea? 23:30 D...

Episode 298 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight! It’s easy to be positive when Shawn and Teos review one of the finest 5E adventures! Hear why this adventure excels! News: Wizards has a Union, Latest D&D Jobs, Have We Moved Past the OGL, and more! Contents 00:00 Draw Steel Monsters 01:54 Shawn's Wizardly Trip 04:18 Guest Appearances 05:36 Small Publisher S...

Episode 297 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing! Daði Einars joins Teos to discuss RPG design, gameplay, and his work with Mystic Arts to create for Patreon, YouTube, and your table! News: Vampire the Masquerade for D&D, New D&D Card Decks, WotC Staff Explain UAs, and more! Contents 00:00 Welcome Daði Einars! 01:59 Corruption in Kryptgarden 08:00 Shield La...

Episode 296 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Rime of the Frostmaiden! We review this mega sourcebook and adventure in a single episode! See which parts of the cold will warm your heart. News: Paizo’s Difficult Future, Renegade Drops Essence20 for 5E, City of Greyhawk on DDB, 3/4 of D&D Players in Last Decade, and more! Contents 00:00 Knicks and Cups 01:17 Actual Shield Lands Authors...

Episode 295 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: D&D Encounters Unboxing! We unbox the D&D Encounters Ravenloft season contents and share the design of the Shadows of Sithicus adventure! News: WotC Changes Drops Policy, Neon Odyssey Breaks Records, Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Remakes, Ravenloft Finishes AP, and more! Contents 00:00 Our Favorite Show 02:04 Same Kobold Lair? 04:52 What Inspires Us f...

Episode 294 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus! This adventure changed drastically to become a prequel to the highly successful Baldur’s Gate 3. We take a look at the best the adventure offers! News: Ravenloft Horrors Within Early Access, Kickstarter Backs Down, 2nd Legends of Greyhawk Pack, Latest Drops and DMAP, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos Plays Crow...

Episode 293 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage! Undermountain comes to 5E! We delve into Halaster’s secrets and the best of the 23 wild dungeon levels! News: Hasbro’s Strong Q1, Crows RPG Playtest, Daggerheart Birthday News, D&D Video Game Canceled, and more! Contents 00:00 Crows RPG Playtest 03:00 Attacks of Opportunity Good? 13:51 Ravenloft and Enco...

Episode 292 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist! Urban adventures come to 5E. Decide which faction we belong to as we find the best travel spots in all of Waterdeep! News: Daggerheart’s Birthday, Mordenkainen vs Bahamut, Crowdfunding Whale Trends, and more! Contents 00:00 Draw Steel on Our Patreon! 03:30 Our Proudest Design Work? 10:28 Key Role for Antagonists? 20:20...

Episode 291 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Famous and Infamous Tomb of Horrors! We look back at one of the most feared adventures across RPGs! We discuss how to have fun with this adventure and revisit the most interesting challenges it presents. News: D&D Beyond Drops, Hasbro’s CEO on D&D’s Digital Future, Enormous Crowdfunders, and more! Contents 00:00 Sheep and Hikes 04:20 Paten...

Episode 290 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Tomb of Annihilation! Welcome to the jungle as we explore the hottest parts of Tomb of Annihilation! News: D&D on Ted TV Show, D&D Beyond Class Packs, Small Kickstarter Math, UBI and Creative Hobbies, and more! Contents 00:00 Weekend of Annihilation 02:11 Publish Updated Adventures? 06:58 What Do You Mean by a Good Story? 18:12 D&D...

Episode 289 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Against the Giants G1-2-3! We revisit the classic Against the Giants Dungeons & Dragons adventure, including the very first adventure ever published for D&D! Join us as we walk the halls, glacier, and steading to find the best of this influential series. News: WotC Team Unionizing, Free Zombie Clot Encounter and Draw Steel Treasures, W...

Episode 288 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: How Good is D&D’s New Website? We take a look at D&D’s new site and discuss how well it works for new players, community, Baldur’s Gate fans, new Ravenloft and actual play reveals, and much more! News: New Ravenloft Details, Dungeon Masters AP, Daggerheart Hope and Fear, Legends of Greyhawk, and more!  Contents 00:00 Little Giant Patreon Creat...

Episode 287 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Storm King’s Thunder! Bring the thunder with this giant-filled D&D 5E adventure! Shawn and Teos review what truly makes this adventure shine. News: Big Patreon News, New D&D Job Speculation, Hasbro’s AI Principles, Ravenloft Comics, and more!  Contents 00:00 Back and Inspired 02:18 Big Patreon News! 05:12 Skip the Boring Bits? 17:19 Ne...