Mastering Dungeons

Episode 227 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Forgotten Realms Unearthed Arcana! New subclasses are out for playtest feedback and will be part of the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide out this November. We take a look at playtesting and the first two subclasses for Bard and Cleric. News: D&D Movie Licensing, New D&D Books and Settings, Sigil VTT Changes, and more! Contents 00:00 Winter Fan...

Episode 226 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Monster Manual Design! We review the latest monster previews and continue to examine how 2024 has changed monster design. News: ENNies Changes AI Policy, Dimension 20 Rocks Garden, Kickstarter Breakdown, and more! Contents 00:00 Dimension 20 Rocks Garden 03:11 How Restart Campaign? 10:23 Emergency Takeoff Scenario? 20:46 Do You Fudge Dice? 29:50 New...

Episode 225 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Monster Manual Comparison! We review the recent monster previews. How do 2024 5E monsters compare to 2014, and what do we think of the design? News: Diamond Files Bankruptcy, Ray Winninger on 5E History, Student Trains AI on CR, and more! Contents 00:00 Deadlands and Playtests 02:16 Handout Prep Worth It? 10:52 Rolling Under Pressure? 22:26 Diamond F...

Episode 224 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: The Monster Overhaul! Shawn and Teos review the Monster Overhaul, a book that irreverently aims to become an indispensable tool at your table, providing tons of ideas for fun monsters. News: Critical Role Publishing Deal, Chaosium $500 Convention Pack, Morale Rules, and more! Contents 00:00 Back to Normal 01:57 Desert Island RPG? 06:26 Is 2024 5E Dea...

Episode 223 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Monster Manual Previews! Previews have begun for the 2025 MM! Shawn and Teos discuss the preview and just how hard it is to create monster books. News: Pinball Wizards, Most Anticipated RPGs, Singapore GMing, and more! Contents 00:00 Rip Off the 2025 Band-Aid 02:50 New Crafting Rules? 11:29 Games for Campaigns vs One Shots? 27:08 Pinball Wizards 30:2...

Episode 222 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Looking Back on 2024, Forward to 2025! Shawn and Teos revisit the year’s biggest stories, the show’s main topics and guests, and look forward to what will impact our hobby in 2025. News: Bigger Monster Manual, CNBC on D&D’s Financial Success, Beyond Ranked Skills, and more! Contents 00:00 Happy New Year! 02:37 Vancian Magic Limits Narratives? 12:...

Episode 221 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: The Psychology of D&D! Dr. Jamie Madigan joins Teos and Shawn to explain that their dice aren’t cursed, the benefits of online vs in-person gaming, hot hand fallacy, and much more! Check out Jamie’s new book: https://www.psychologyofdnd.com/ News: Kobold Press Finances, Artificer on Unearthed Arcana, Goodbye Dark Alliance, and more! Contents 00:0...

Episode 220 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Listener Question Mega-Show! What do we do when we have tons of listener questions? Shawn and Teos dedicate the main segment to answering some truly awesome questions. Find out why this was the most fun we’ve had in months! News: Moonbeam Launches Alpha, New Maps Features, D&D Immersive Quest, and more! Contents 00:00 Bad Movie Season 02:14 Maps...

Episode 219 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Recent Game Design Lessons! Shawn and Teos share what they learned from recent projects, from late 3E, 4E, and beyond. News: New Greyhawk OP Campaign, AI Takes Down Itch.io, Talking Exploration, and more! Contents 00:00:00 We're 93! 00:01:38 Redesign Gnomes? 00:10:08 Encourage in Character? 00:17:10 Adventure Opening? 00:22:14 Legends of Greyhawk and...

Episode 218 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Lessons Learned from Our Early Projects! Shawn and Teos share what they learned from the days when they started as designers, back in the 2000s and the 3E era. News: Exodus is Hasbro’s Newest RPG, Lord of the Rings and Illrigger on Beyond, PAX Unplugged, and more! Contents 00:00 Snow Job 02:24 DM Types? 08:57 Exciting Sandbox Pace? 18:55 Exodus Video...

Episode 217 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Qualities RPG Companies Look for in an RPG Designer! Shawn and Teos review the qualities companies say they look for in an RPG designer. News: Investors Sue Hasbro, Hasbro Abandons Movies, Juggling Teenagers, and more! Contents 00:00 Hello World 02:11 Adopt Rules More Quickly? 13:22 Juggling Teenagers? 21:01 Hasbro Shifts from Movies 24:43 Investors...

Episode 216 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Embracing Dark Fantasy! Ben Bryne joins Shawn to discuss what makes dark fantasy such a compelling genre and how to create for dark games. Teos meanwhile hopes to recover from his technical horror as his desktop bites the dust. News: AL Update, Kobolds Make Mistakes, and more! Contents 00:00 Introduction 40:54 Dark Fantasy Campaigns 59:00 Find Ben By...

Episode 215 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: What Publishers Want in a D&D Designer! Shawn and Teos review two D&D job postings and break down the skills and job functions a publisher looks for in a D&D Designer and Product Architect. News: DMG Preorder Debacles, Weapon Masteries 101, PAGE Convention, and more! Contents 00:00 Surviving 00:53 Writing Same Old Stuff? 08:02 Teaching Li...

Episode 214 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Memories of Gamehole Con! Shawn and Teos look back on all of the events they attended and lessons from attending conventions. Hear why Gamehole is so special. News: Claim Elemental Evil, Maps Adds Encounters, Audio-Only Drizzt, and more! Contents 00:00 Stealing Credit Cards 03:08 Cleric Subclasses Setting Only? 09:21 Good Design Not Obvious? 13:57 Cl...

Episode 213 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Want to Be a Professional Game Designer? Shawn and Teos tackle a question they hear often. Do you truly want to be a game designer, and if so, the steps to take to make meaningful progress. News: Hasbro Q3 and Layoffs, D&D 1-Shots, CR and Dimension 20 Arena Shows, and more! Contents 00:00 Post-Gamehole Buzz 03:03 Skills are Exploration? 11:06 The...

Episode 212 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Live from Gamehole: Create a Campaign With Us! Amazing fans at Gamehole Con help us create a campaign, live! News: Perkins’ New Job, DMG Review, What it Feels Like to Be Nr 2, and more! Special thanks to Dante of Ghostfire Gaming for recording and processing the audio for this episode. You are the best, Dante! Contents 00:00 Live from Gamehole Con 01...

Episode 211 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Horizons Magazine with Hannah Rose! Hannah Rose shares how she and Clara Daly are creating Horizons Magazine and what we can expect from this issue and future quarterly issues. News: London Gets DMGs, D&D Movie Netflix Success, DMG Toolbox Previews, and more! Contents 00:00 Happy Rebranding Day 01:33 Character Consequences? 13:48 Pivot from Curse...

Episode 210 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Wardens of the Eastern Marches! Alex Kammer tells us all about Wardens of the Eastern Marches, the new organized play program from Gamehole Publishing. News: 2024 DMG Previews, Commander Rules Committee, Bastion is for Players, and more! Contents 00:00 No Vaccine for Ladders 02:19 Remove Mechanics for Setting? 15:08 D&D Made for Conflict? 31:28 D...

Episode 209 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: 5E Stat Block Changes and Building the Perfect Campaign Guide! We look at how 2024 5E changes stat block format, while also modifying monsters themselves. We then turn to creating the perfect campaign setting guide. News: 2024 5E Sales, Uni Finds Beyond, Grim Hollow Transformed, and more! Contents 00:00 Go Broncos! 00:56 Divine-Powered Goals? 19:35 2...

Episode 208 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: 2024 5E’s Gods and Multiverse! Final Greyhawk! 2024 5E PH banishes all the gods and reduces the multiverse to one page and one image! We look at how this changes 5E for new players. Our final look at Greyhawk reimagines the setting format and looks at how gods and powerful organizations create interesting play. News: MtG Netflix Revivified, the D&amp...

Episode 207 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: 2024 5E Resting Rules and Greyhawk’s Regions! Discover the subtle changes 2024 5E makes to short and long rests and how they compare to previous editions. We assess the potential campaigns behind the design of Greyhawk’s Rovers of the Barens, Scarlet Brotherhood, Sea Barons, Sea Princes, and Shield Lands! News: 2024 5E and the AL, New Ravenloft Novel...

Episode 206 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: 2024 5E Conditions and Greyhawk’s Regions! We examine the design goals of conditions and how they have changed for 2024. We visit Greyhawk’s Paynims, Perrenland, Pomarj, Ratik, and Rel Astra to see how to make the most of kingdoms and rulers. News: 2024 PH Errata, Draw Steel License, Shadowdark Hex Crawl, and more! Contents 00:00 Tastes Like Introcas...

Episode 205 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: PC Creation in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! 2024 changes the order for character creation… for the better? We review Greyhawk’s North Kingdom, Nyrond, Onnwal and the Pale, looking at how to make settings interesting for players. News: PH in Stores, PAX West Report, Greg Tito Leaves WotC, and more! Contents 00:00 PAX West Report 04:08 Hate Balance?...

Episode 204 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Weapon Mastery in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! 2024 brings exciting Weapon Master options. We discuss the design, then turn to Greyhawk and review Ket, Lendore Isles, and Lordship of the Isles. Surf and turf! News: D&D Clarifies Beyond, D&D’s  Secret Level and Universal Plans, and more! Contents 00:00 Time and Friendship 03:22 Conventions...

Episode 203 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Search in 2024 5E and Greyhawk’s Regions! D&D codifies the Search and Study actions in 2024. How does this impact gameplay? We then dive into how Greyhawk regions do or don’t create actionable history, looking into Highfolk, Ice Barbarians, Irongate, Empire of Iuz, and Keoland! News: Uni Adventure at PAXW, Deborah Ann Woll Teaches, Motley Fool on...