Dungeon Master of None

Dungeon Master advice served hot and fresh, plus our rule of three wish list. Questions : Do I need to make my party roll some healers? Can I design my own monster for the Shadowfell? Why do the geeks love fascism so much? Is offline one-to-one communication with players a good thing? Is my worldbuilding idea too much for my players to handle? Will you review Against the Giants? What is your advic...

Rob reviews the newest edition of Shadowrun, Sixth World , a book that was definitely not rushed out unfinished by a bunch of amoral grifters!

It's  2 Frost, 2 Maidens as DMs Rob and Matt return to Icewind Dale for the second part of the newest Dungeons and Dragons adventure module.  

Matt and Rob talk about the new WotC release, Rime of the Frostmaiden , and get a little carried away. This one's a doozie folks!

It's Dungeons and Dragons....IN SPAAAACE! Finally, DMs Matt and Rob take a look at their favorite but flawed campaign setting: Spelljammer !  Links: Spelljammer Books Wildspace Commercial   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Bob Marley & The Wailers - Jamming; David Bowie - Space Oddity. 

Oh, you like Dungeons and Dragons? Then, name five dragons. We'll wait.  DMs Rob and Matt are here to prove the uselessness of lore knowledge by beating the nerds at their own game...the most dangerous game...the game of trivia.  But first, a discussion of what to except from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and the coming of Magic: The Gathering to Toril. And last, should I adapt my favorite novel...

Writer and designer Mikayla Ebel joins Matt and Rob to talk about the upcoming WotC release, Icewind Dale: Rime of Frostmaiden , and how they ended up writing for the big leagues. Goats, labor relations, anxiety -- folks, this interview has it all. Follow Mikayla on Twitter or visit their website !

Another week of piping hot Dungeon Master advice, served with a smile! Plus, join us for a discussion of Kate Welch's departure from WotC and some amazing analysis of fascism and 40k from Special Warhammer Correspondent CthulhuBen !  What is the best old UA subclass? How should I build a campaign around a city in the Feywild? What is the deal fascism in Warhammer 40k? How to create some great home...

Rob is back with a functioning microphone, and the DMs are talking about WotC surveys, APPS, and of course, encounter design. If you're mad that Matt said "WILLIAM Dafoe", don't worry, so am I. https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/dd-survey-2020 Inclusive TTRPG List Music: Pac Div -- Roll the Dice Nightwish - Wishmaster Imagine Dragons - Warriors

Is T1 - The Village of Hommlet by Gary Gygax the best adventure for novice players and new Dungeon Masters? Should you run it or adapt it for your group? Is it even any good? DM Matt and Special OSR Correspondent Andy do a deep dive into this classic of grognardia. Your hosts go into the history of Hommlet, the reasons why you might want to play T1, and how to learn DM skills by converting and put...

In a special bonus episode, DM Matt reviews two new big, stompy robot RPG systems:  Mechwarrior: Destiny and  Lancer . Matt explains why the Battletech Universe kicks ass (01:50), how Mechwarrior: Destiny   fails to harmonize its narrative and simulationist mechanics (22:20), and why you should play the Lancer RPG (36:00). Spoilers: there is a free version of the Lancer rules and it does what Mech...

How many hobgoblins are too many? How can you mix up antagonists so your players aren't bored? What is the best system for a  Last Airbender game? How can you get your foot in the door if your group is all experienced Dungeon Masters? DMs Matt and Rob do their best to answer these and other questions! Plus, they discuss a refutation of the erasure of people of color in medieval Europe from a fan,...

It's our favorite Dungeons and Dragons world-builder himself, Keith Baker! Keith is here to talk about his awesome new book, Exploring Eberron , out now! We discuss Keith's "Rule of Three" for world-building details, how to include fairy tales in your lore, how to fight a war with magic, what 5th edition gets right, why you should start small and build out, how to plan history with random tables,...

DMs Matt and Rob are joined by special guest Olivia Hill to discuss her new tabletop RPG, iHunt: Killing Monsters in the Gig Economy .  Stay tuned for a discussion of RPG design, FATE mechanics, writing games for working and marginalized people, and some great game master insights from our guest! Can you guess who the real monster is? (Hint: It begins with "capitalist..." and ends with "...mode of...

DMs Matt and Rob discuss the character options in the most recent Dungeons and Dragons Unearthed Arcana on Feats ! Links: Unearthed Arcana - Feats Matt's Half-Feat Rules   Music Pac Div - Roll the Dice Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow 

Welcome to the World of Tomorrow! DMs Matt and Rob take you on a tour of both host and listener created one-page Role-Playing games. Thank you to everyone who submitted a game! Then, it's on to some Dungeon Master advice: how to deal with a party that has a magical solution to every problem, how to set prices for magical stuff in 5e, and how should we think about Tolkien's racism and colonialism? ...

DMs Matt and Rob attempt to take stock of the failures of the corporations that control Dungeons and Dragons (Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, and OneBookShelf) over the past decade and discuss recent goings on in both D&D and Magic: The Gathering. Then, we answer your letters on dealing with overpowered homebrew classes and speeding up combat with large parties!  Links of stuff discussed: Orion D. B...

DMs Matt and Rob journey to the mystic realm of  Avatar: The Last Airbender for inspiration for world building and characters. Time to get bent! 

DMs Matt and Rob discuss successes and limitations of Wizards of the Coast's recent statement . Then, we discuss  One Page Role-Playing Games ! Perfect for breaking you out of a quarantine Dungeon Mastering rut.  Share your One Page RPG with us here: dmofnone@gmail.com   Links: BIG GAY ORCS Lasers and Feelings Everyone is John Honey Heist   All Outta Bubblegum   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Figh...

Matt & Rob answer more letters! We've got fire! We've got edition wars! We've got cool initiative stuff! Plus your regular tangents on vaguely related topics. Also make sure to check out the Black AF Roundtable ! Fate Worlds Volume One: Worlds on Fire Perilous Wilds Music: Pac Div -- Roll the Dice Billy Bragg -- The World Turned Upside Down Anna Mae - Can't Knock Me Down

Howdy Dungeon Masters, in this  bonus episode, DM Matt walks listeners through some homebrew magic item (0:02:45), spell (0:25:30), and monster (0:44:00) creation before reflecting on revising the Advanced Artificer (0:57:00) and reviewing a listener undead supplement (1:11:00) and adventure anthology (1:18:00). It's a MEGA-EPISODE. Let us know if you like it!  Links: BlackAF Round Table   Throne...

Dungeons and Dragons is back with another  Magic: The Gathering  crossover campaign setting: Mythic Odysseys of Theros . Dungeon Masters Matt and Rob review the ideas that we love and critique the executions of those ideas that falls woeful short. Strap on your winged sandals, burnish your shield to a mirror shine, and grab your friendly Bubo, because it's time to get Greek with D&D!  Links: Mysti...

This week DMs Matt and Rob read  Throne of the Crescent Moon  by Saladin Ahmed. Dungeon Master of None highly recommends this excellent novel! Come for a discussion of action and adventure in a world modeled on D&D ideas, and stay for the great characters, items, and world-building to steal for your own campaigns. Links: Throne of the Crescent Moon  by Saladin Ahmed "Judgement of Swords and Souls"...

Sit down by the fire and stoke your pipe, because today Matt & Rob put on their academics' robes and read a classic of D&D history. We revisit the halcyon days of the Satanic Panic with " A Christian Response to Dungeons & Dragons: A Catechism for the New Age ". Come learn why D&D is "the most effective introduction to the occult in man's recorded history". Fun AND educational!

DMs Matt and Rob dive deep into the Dungeons and Dragons introductory adventure from the 5e Starter Set, Lost Mine of Phandelver . Tune in for a discussion of how to prep, how to make the module your own, and how to punch up the key NPCs of LMoP!