Mastering Dungeons

Episode 127 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: Shadow of the Demon Lord! We take a look at other RPGs and compare them to D&D, starting with Shadow of the Demon Lord. An incredibly well-designed game, Rob Schwalb delivers a death-metal RPG with excellent innovations.   News: Speak with Dead D&D Trailer, Hasbro Q4 and Monetization, Mangianello TV show, Latin America WotC firings, SRD i...

Episode 126 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main Topic: We interview Greg Marks, one of the administrators for the D&D organized play program, Adventurers League. We discuss his amazing introduction to gaming, organized play, conventions, and much more.   News: Kyle Brink OGL Interviews, D&D Super Bowl Ad, Free Keys to the Vault Preview, Baldman Games Awards, Andrews McMeel shuts down RPGs, and more!   Co...

Episode 125 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main Topic: Teos speaks with Kyle Brink, the Executive Producer for D&D. We discuss the OGL, how the D&D Studio works, what WotC has learned, and much more!   No news this week due to the interview length.   Interview Topics  00:00 How Kyle Started in D&D 04:21 Kyle and the D&D Studio 19:18 OGL 23:59 Royalties 26:58 Content Standards 31:12 Share-Alike 33:18 OGL...

Episode 124 of Mastering Dungeons!  The show now will release on Wednesdays! Same content, shorter timeframe, thanks to our Patreon support!  This week we are heading to Winter Fantasy, so our "Main" segment comes first with a meaty section of Listener Questions and then our news is in the usual News segment.    Main: Listener Questions!   News: OGL Resolution, D&D Movie Trailer, Critical Role Emp...

Episode 123 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main Topic: We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What do the Appendices tell us about 5E’s design, and how does it differ from previous editions?   News: Listener Perspectives, OGL 1.2 Review, What Makes D&D, Bent Goblin, and we ask you what Mastering Dungeons should cover next!   News Segment and Listener Questions  00:00 Mere Mortals 01:22 Perspectiv...

Episode 122 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main Topic: We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. How have spells changed across the editions, and what would we change about 5E’s design?   News: Listener OGL Listener Questions, OGL Updates, D&D TV Show, Zelda and D&D, and the Best Sellers on Roll20!   News Segment and Listener Questions  00:00 Electric Triangle 01:04 Weak Heals? 08:04 OGL Discourse?...

Episode 121 of Mastering Dungeons!  Main Topic: We look back at the Spellcasting chapter of the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold?   News: The OGL Leaks, WotC Cancels Video Games, LEGO, Winter Fantasy, and an MMO Flumph!   News Segment and Listener Questions  00:00 Newly Minted 01:19 Unconscious Design? 17:26 OGL Leak...

Episode 120 of Mastering Dungeons!  We look back at the Combat chapter of the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we discuss Dungeon23, the OGL for One D&D, AL updates, Core20 RPG, Winter Fantasy, and how you can vote to rate Mastering Dungeons the best podcast in 2022!     News Segment and Listener...

Episode 119 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 9 Combat! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we remember Kim Mohan and review news about the DMs Guild and Roll20 integration in February, a comic of the D&D cartoon, Arcadia in Print, and the Swi...

Episode 118 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: We finish our look at the Cleric playtest. We take a look at epic feats and changes to the rule glossary! In our News segment we look at WotC hiring a Creative Lead, Hasbro fireside chat, Baldur's Gate 3, and more. News Segment and Listener Questions  00:00 Werewolf Soccer 01:31 Designers Play? 11:33 Spell Schools? 16:28 WotC Creative Lea...

Episode 117 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: A shiny new playtest packet features a revised cleric class, three species, and a rule glossary! In our News segment we look at free Dragonlance monsters, new D&D Movie Trailer, Race retired as a term, the end of Acq Inc, and more. News Segment and Listener Questions  00:00 Snow Time 01:24 Community Split? 12:15 AL Storylines? 22:07 Spell...

Episode 116 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 8 Adventuring! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at WotC's OGL Response, LEGO and Trivial Pursuit, Mongoose Innovation, and more! Listeners ask us about Compatibility and Settings, the Ch...

RPG veterans and game designers Teos Abadía and Shawn Merwin look at the game and the hobby of D&D from a variety of viewpoints: reporting the news, understanding the business, reviewing the products, and illuminating the design.  Each show typically has three segments: - Listener Questions - Industry News - Main Segment (review, interview, or focused topic) Each episode is one podcast on your pod...

Episode 115 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 7 Using Ability Scores! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at Dragon+ removal, Hasbro selling eOne, 6E OGL rumors, landing a job with Paizo/WotC, and more! Listeners ask us about crafting...

Episode 114 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Chapter 6 Customization Options! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at WotC's new Inclusion Review, Neverwinter's Drow, Kobold Press Hiring, Hasbro Overproducing, and more! Listeners ask us about...

Episode 113 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Equipment! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at the D&D Movie rescheduling, the first FR map, NFL player on the DMs Guild, and more! Listeners ask us about non-D&D RPGs and fulfilling campaigns....

Episode 112 of Mastering Dungeons!  This week's main topic: 5E Revisited - Inspiration and Backgrounds! We look back at the 2014 5E Player's Handbook. What have we learned, what would we change, and what might the next edition of D&D hold? In our News segment we look at new D&D movie toys, D&D digital bundles, Flumph shirts, Dragonlance sneak peak, and more! Listeners ask us about Inspiration and...

Shawn and Teos’ live Mastering Dungeons seminar from GameHoleCon! News! Questions! Clapping! Smells! This one has it all! Breaking News Links Wes Schneider Reveals Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen […]

Moving through the Unearthed Arcana that is OneD&D, Shawn and Teos talk about the future of Feats, while it occurs to the editor that he has twice made the joke […]

Taking a look at the Expert Classes from the upcoming One D&D, Shawn and Teos break down the new options for these classes. Are they better? Are they worse? Are […]

With more and more information around OneD&D coming out by the week, Shawn and Teos take a look at the concept of Expert Classes and determine what, if anything, it […]

With a very special guest to open the show, Teos and Shawn follow up with breaking down the Backgrounds and Personality aspects of Fifth Edition; all the stuff under Character […]

Once again breaking down the classes of D&D 5e, Shawn and Teos talk Class Satisfaction and balance as they continue the deep dive into the world’s most popular role-playing game. […]

As Dungeons & Dragons continues to take over the world, Teos speaks with two amazing contributors to the hobby who are at the forefront of the Latine RPG space, Mike […]

Never has nor should it ever be said that the Masters of Dungeons, Shawn and Teos, are without class. In this episode, they prove this by breaking down the Classes […]