Mastering Dungeons

Episode 128 of Mastering Dungeons!  Teos celebrates the launch of the Forge of Foes Kickstarter, which you can back and preview here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/slyflourish/the-lazy-dms-forge-of-foes-for-5e?ref=e2zf6e This week's main topic: To Be or Not to Be a Villain, with James Introcaso and Rudy Baso! We take a look at other RPGs and compare them to D&D, this time an adventure based on Hamlet with unique mechanics and created for both the Zweihander RPG and D&D 5E.   News: One D&D Approach Update, Paladin and Druid, Avatar RPG in Stores, Branded Meats, and more!   Contents 00:00 The Happy Way 01:59 One D&D Updates 11:30 Druid and Paladin 27:35 Avatar in Stores 29:32 WizKids Mimic 30:41 Monster Trailer 32:23 Branded Meat 34:01 Cool Name RPG 41:20 To Be or Not To Be 42:23 Rudy and James 43:22 Concept 49:07 Play Experience 52:11 Story Tokens  56:22 Plot and Backstabbing  1:01:16 DnD and Zweihander 1:09:08 Design Approach 1:10:40 Steal This 1:18:40 Find James and Rudy Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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 in CSV, and more!   Contents 00:00 All the things 00:56 Character Differentiation? 04:05 Super Bowl Spending? 08:11 Speak with Dead 10:47 Hasbro Q4 16:12 Monetization 20:23 Mangianello Show 21:36 LatAm Firings 24:10 SRD in CSV 25:02 Valikan Clans 25:47 Other RPGs 27:28 SotDL Intro 29:24 Rob Schwalb 34:46 Ancestry and Attributes 42:35 Boons and Banes 46:10 Fast and Slow Turns 49:29 Skills and Corruption 51:51 Professions and Equipment 54:23 Varied Advancement 59:37 Campaign and Setting  1:07:10 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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!   Contents 00:00 Winter Fantasy! 02:42 DM Second-Guessing? 07:31 Open Class Progression? 12:46 Producer vs Author? 21:06 Kyle Brink Redux 27:19 D&D Super Bowl 28:54 Keys Preview 30:16 Baldman Awards 32:24 McMeel Shutdown 33:38 Ed Greenwood Patreon 34:53 Cities Untold 36:10 Forge of Foes 37:31 Valikan Clans 40:54 Greg Marks and AL 1:23:48 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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 Process 46:56 SRD Updates 48:59 VTTs and Media 53:29 One D&D 59:36 Final Thoughts 1:06:57 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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 Empire, 13th and Fantasy Age, Pesto Playtesting, and more!   News Segment and Listener Questions  00:00 News Episode! 02:34 DM Class Features? 12:50 Music Parallels? 19:18 Fracturing Market? 23:46 Project Lessons? 34:27 Number 2!  36:36 OGL Resolution 55:46 D&D Movie Trailer  58:21 Hasbro Q4 1:01:16 Tyranny Reprint 1:02:00 Critical Role Empire 1:03:28 13th Age and Fantasy Age 1:05:13 Smithsonian Images 1:05:45 Creator Lessons 1:08:34 Pesto Playtesting 1:09:23 ENnies Submissions 1:10:59 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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 Perspective? 05:34 Bent Goblin 07:23 What Makes DnD? 16:05 Cover Non-DnD? 17:26 OGL 1.2 Response 19:24 Rumor-Journalism 23:05 1.2 Review 26:02 WotC Goals 30:09 License Issues Main Segment:  5E Revisited - Chapter 11: Spells! 42:30 Appendices, Conditions 50:22 Gods of the Multiverse  58:09 Planes of Existence 1:07:39 Creature Statistics 1:08:23 Inspirational Reading 1:09:21 PHB Conclusions 1:11:45 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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? 18:46 DnD Guilt? 22:37 Freeform Spells? 27:33 OGL Update 39:09 DnD TV Show 41:21 Zelda & D&D 42:33 Best Roll20 Main Segment:  5E Revisited - Chapter 11: Spells! 43:58 Spells in 5E 46:19 Spell Lists 50:17 Spell Design 52:54 Narrative 1:02:30 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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 Leaks 21:04 WotC Cancels Video Games 25:16 LEGO Winner 26:20 Winter Fantasy 27:29 Neverwinter Flumph Main Segment:  5E Revisited - Chapter 10: Spellcasting! 28:41 Chapter 10 Spellcasting 30:57 Defining a Spell 33:29 New Players 36:31 Utility and Resources 41:17 Cantrip Goals 44:05 Spell Slots 47:24 Casting in Armor 49:27 Rituals and Wands 52:30 Casting Details 57:35 Components Outdated? 1:03:18 Concentration 1:06:27 Grid vs ToTM 1:11:00 Saving Throw Woes 1:17:11 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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 Questions  00:00 Fireworks 01:11 5E GM Improvements? 11:45 Dungeon23? 18:06 OGL Elephant 29:23 Playtest Survey 30:12 AL and Winter Fantasy 32:30 Vote for Us! 33:09 ENWorld Columnist 34:13 Core20 Preview 35:32 GMs Magazine 36:59 NDAs and Social Media Main Segment:  5E Revisited - Chapter 9: Combat, Part 2! 38:20 Attacks! 42:22 Unseen Attackers 44:50 Ranged and Melee 48:25 Simplicity vs Complexity 50:30 Cover 54:28 Healing and Damage 1:06:57 Resistance and Vulnerability 1:09:11 Healing 1:21:26 Mounts and Underwater 1:26:25 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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 Swinginess of the D20! Listeners ask us about Spell Balance. News Segment and Listener Questions  00:00 Flumph Heroics 01:31 Spell Balance? 12:25 Kim Mohan 16:10 DMs Guild Roll20 17:49 DnD Cartoon Comic 19:32 Arcadia in Print 20:10 Swingy D20 Main Segment:  5E Revisited - Chapter 9: Combat! 26:54 Chapter 9 Combat 27:29 Surprise 32:12 Initiative 35:37 Your Turn 45:30 Movement 47:06 Actions in Combat 52:42 Hide 55:32 Ready 58:43 Search 1:07:17 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.