Mastering Dungeons

Episode 202 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: 2014 vs 2024 Exhaustion and Greyhawk’s Regions! Does 2024’s change to Exhaustion improve gameplay? Our new 2024 mini-review series has begun! We then dive into how Greyhawk regions showcase politics and history, looking into the Frost Barbarians, Furyondy, Gran March, and Teos’ favorite, Geoff! News: WotC New Influencer Policy, We Playtest Draw Steel...

Episode 201 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Setting Design and Greyhawk’s Regions! Does a standoffish elven nation make for great play? We ponder setting design and the 2024 DMG while summarizing Greyhawk’s regions of Bissel, Blackmoor, Bone March, Bright Lands, Celene, Dyvers, and Ekbir. News: PH Debut and Gen Con News, Blurry Video Debacle, Cosmere Stormlight RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Ge...

Episode 200 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Greyhawk’s Regions! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer covers its nations and regions, using Ahlissa and the Bandit Kingdoms to ponder what makes a setting great. News: What is D&D’s Tabletop Revenue, Hasbro Q2 Breakdown, Why RPGs Have Mistakes, and more! Contents 00:00 200t...

Episode 199 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Greyhawk’s Peoples and Story! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine how the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer describes species, culture, and history. And, hey, how detailed should a setting be? News: New WotC VP John Hight, Hiring D&D Architect, Free Shadowdark Solo, and more! Contents 00:00 Parental Warning 03:31 Edi...

Episode 198 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: The Living Greyhawk Campaign! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine the start of the Living Greyhawk Gazetteer and reminisce on the impacts of the Living Greyhawk organized play campaign. News: Dan Rawson’s Expanded Role, D&D Stamps and Conventions, Moonbeam, and more! Contents 00:00 Copa of Tears 01:26 Warrior...

Episode 197 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: The Origins of Greyhawk! The 2024 DMG will include the setting of Greyhawk. Shawn and Teos examine Greyhawk’s history and characteristics and why it makes a great choice for a core setting. News: Kyle Brink Departs WotC, ENnies Nominations, Physical vs Digital, and more! Contents 00:00 Ever Been to a German Prison? 02:05 Upcoming Shows 06:04 Physical...

Episode 196 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Setting Expectations for your TTRPG Projects! Wrel (Michael Henderson) joins Shawn Merwin to discuss how to set the right expectations for your TTRPG projects. Topics include setting goals, knowing who you are designing for, finding an audience, and assessing your capabilities. News: New D&D VP, PH and DMG Previews, Reliable Core Rules, and more!...

Episode 195 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Daggerheart’s Adversaries and Environments! Our final episode covering Daggerheart. Adversaries are critical to an RPG, creating excitement and engagement. Let's learn from how Daggerheart works to streamline stat blocks and encourage open play! News: Hasbro CEO Take 2, Vecna on DDB Doesn’t Match Book, Tabletop Scotland, and more! Contents 00:00 Ghos...

Episode 194 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Running a Daggerheart Campaign! Daggerheart tells us each session should be built fresh, based on the previous session. And the world is a map populated by the players. Let’s see the benefits and challenges of this approach! News: Roll20 Acquires Demiplane, D&D Movie’s Surprises, Hiring at Avantis MCDM FG, and more! Contents 00:00 Inevimitable 01...

Episode 193 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Running a Daggerheart Session! Daggerheart provides advice on how to create a session based on the heroes. But is it actionable advice? Is Shawn raging while Teos remains positive? Find out the shocking truth! News: WotC Hiring AI, Paramount Cancels D&D, Foundry Launches RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Somewhat Tainted by Madness 01:49 Hope and Fea...

Episode 192 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Daggerheart GM Moves and Mechanics! Daggerheart lets a GM act at any time, yet encourages moves that push the narrative and create fun for players. Let’s take a look! News: Andy Collins Returns to WotC, Chaosium Hires, Gamehole News, and more! Contents 00:00 Back in Black 01:47 Know Other RPGs to Design? 07:26 Prepared vs Extemporaneous? 17:34 Chaosi...

Episode 191 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: 13th Age 2E Design with Rob Heinsoo! The much admired 13th Age RPG has a second edition on kickstarter! Designer Rob Heinsoo discusses the game’s innovations and takes a look back at leading 4E design, the OGL as seen by WotC, and much more! News: Greyhawk in the DMG, Homebrew vs Prewritten, D&D Worlds & Realms, and more! Contents 00:00 New M...

Episode 190 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Daggerheart Review – GM Advice! We found the heart of Critical Role, and it’s in the GM advice section. Shawn and Teos dig into this advice, fantastic for any game but tailor-made for Daggerheart’s play. News: Critical Role Launches Beacon, MCDM on D&D Beyond, 2024 PH Art Reveal, and more! Contents 00:00 Mother's Day 02:04 RPG vs Video Game ROI?...

Episode 189 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Domains and Actions! Cards in an RPG? Find out how Daggerheart keeps characters and gameplay interesting with Domains and the Action Tracker! News: Hasbro $1M Investment, D&D Beyond Changes Marketplace, Monster Symmetry, and more! Contents 00:00 Alien Sun 03:03 HP Increase Design? 08:17 Stay on 2014? 15:06 BG3 impacts? 19:13...

Episode 188 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Character Creation! A nine-step process provides a robust mix of crunch and narrative options. See what this blend tells us about this and other RPGs. News: Hasbro’s Q1 Results, WotC Completing the PH, Roll20 Discord Integration, and more! Contents 00:00 Far Out 02:26 Vecna Prequel Review 04:12 Monster Hunter 06:05 Backgrounds Ap...

Episode 187 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Core Rules! Hope, Fear, Stress, and so much more! We take a look at Daggerheart’s design and how it encourages narrative and tactical gameplay. News: WotC President Departs, Colville on Adventure Length, DriveThru Sales Data, and more! Contents 00:00 Deck of Campaign Derailments 02:45 Reworking Design? 07:51 Best Adventure Format...

Episode 186 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: How to Keep Your New Campaign Healthy and Strong! If the average campaign lasts only 3-5 sessions, how do we avoid that fate and maintain a healthy long-term campaign? News: Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined, Vecna is Coming, Fallout TV Sells RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Kids are Alright 01:39 The Black Ballad 03:42 Is 5E Indirectly Modular? 12:45 Fal...

Episode 185 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Designing Player-Facing Options for New Campaigns! How do you create or leverage player-facing rules that will intrigue them and ground them in your new world and your new campaign? How do you give them meaningful, informed choices early in the campaign? News: Prep vs Improv? Dimension 20 in the Garden, Schwalb on 5E, and more! Contents 00:00 Path of...

Episode 184 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Design an RPG Starting Encounter! Continuing the discussion of designing a first adventure in our world, how do we design the first adventure? We look at creating an encounter that utilizes our setting, hooks, and plays off of the PCs! News: Core Book Prices, Free Tsojcanth and LEGO Adventures, D&D Sales Drop! Contents 00:00 Two Fools 01:28 Adven...

Episode 183 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Adventure! Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding and village design, how do we start an adventure? We provide an approach to get the most out of your campaign and adventure starts! News: GaryCon Review, Remembering Jim Ward, Daggerheart Review! Contents 00:00 March Madness 01:42 GaryCon Review 05:52 Criticize Shadowdark...

Episode 182 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Village! Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding, a great place to start is a village. What must a starting village contain and what isn’t needed? How do we make it relevant and interesting? We dig into the design and examples that have and haven’t worked for us. News: Critical Role launches Daggerheart, Hasbro CEO vs D&a...

Episode 181 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Shadowdark GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure! The finale of our Shadowdark series! We take a look the excellent advice, plus how the game provides monsters and treasure. News: Reviewing The Fallbacks, Adv League to Beyond, NASA RPG and Challenge, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos Has Seen Things 02:45 Emerald City Comic-Con 06:32 Adventure as User Guide? 1...

Episode 180 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World! Dan Dillon and Jason Ward join Shawn to discuss how to pick the best rules, or change them, when designing an RPG world. News: Dan Dillon and Jason Ward, Daggerheart Playtesting, Discworld RPG, and more! Contents 00:00 Dan and Jason! 02:11 Defining Success? 07:13 Worldbuilding Process? 12:35 Discworl...

Episode 179 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Worldbuilding Tips and Tricks! How do we create worlds that reflect the RPGs used to play them? How do we serve our readers, GMs, and players? Let’s talk worldbuilding! News: Surviving Strangehollow,| No D&D in Portuguese, D&D Off-Broadway, and more! Contents 00:00 Dark Weekend 01:01 Running Factions? 12:51 Mechanic Struggles? 21:51 Surviving...

Episode 178 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main topic: Shadowdark RPG’s Combat, Travel, and Downtime! Teos shares the exploits in a recent Shadowdark game, adding context as Shawn and Teos review Shadowdark’s rules for combat, travel, and downtime. News: Hasbro’s D&D Finances and Strategy, 2024 Release Info, Humblewood on Beyond, and more! Contents 00:00 More Dragons 01:26 Counterproductive Playtesti...