The Eldritch Lorecast

How do 1-on-1 D&D sessions differ from a typical big party campaign? The fate of Gen Con's most infamous rogues is revealed! How can you create a gripping atmosphere at your gaming table or online?Click to enter the Lairs of Etharis D&D Beyond giveaway: https://forms.gle/kyNDnZBxGjBJA65r7Tariff Pause the Bare Minimum: https://www.wargamer.com/board-games/gloomhaven-tariff-pauseGame Publishers Brace for Shipping Price Hike: https://boardgamewire.com/index.php/2025/05/13/board-game-publishers-brace-for-shipping-price-hike-delays-as-us-drops-tariffs-on-china-to-30-in-90-day-truce/Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @DailyDaelEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro01:46 - 1 on 1 D&D14:52 - Gen Con heist news23:22 - Diana Jones Emerging Designers27:24 - TTRPG tariff update38:00 - Daggerheart actual play39:47 - Creating game atmosphere

D&D 2024 unleashes new Horror Subclasses like the Artificer Reanimator in the latest Unearthed Arcana. But how frightening can 5e be? Plus there's a sneak peak at the new Eberron book and why TTRPG publishers might be pulling out of Gen Con?Click to enter the Lairs of Etharis D&D Beyond giveaway: https://forms.gle/kyNDnZBxGjBJA65r7Check out Lairs of Etharis on D&D Beyond, here: https://marketplace.dndbeyond.com/settings/SRC-00130Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @DailyDaelJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro00:48 - Favorite type of horror07:54 - Horror subclasses UA26:43 - Eberron: Forge of the Artificer42:56 - TTRPG publisher pulls out of Gen Con49:03 - What's a bandit lord?54:46 - Humanoid villains

Is Sage Advice the same without Jeremy Crawford? WotC publish the latest 2024 rules update on D&D Beyond, Roll20 and Demiplane launch a cross compatibility beta, and a titan of the TTRPG industry comes to an abrupt end.Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @DailyDaelJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro01:21 - New Spell: Mike's Hard Lemonade03:54 - Sage Advice for D&D 202431:36 - Roll20 & Demiplane beta38:09 - Polygon layoffs44:53 - Alarums and Excursions48:05 - Profanity in D&D books

Stop your TTRPG players from sleeping through your early campaign lore dumps! We're also dissecting dragons and the SRD 5.2. Will WotC dodge tariff chaos with D&D and MtG?Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @DailyDaelJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Best dragon harvest05:20 - WotC vs tariffs11:39 - Tariff lightning round14:50 - SRD 5.2 deep dive29:35 - Westmarch style systems40:55 - How much lore, too much?

Does releasing the SRD 5.2 for D&D 2024 fulfill the last of the WotC promises? Can 3rd party 5e publishers finally rejoice? We ponder these questions while the Tabletop Games industry collapses around us due to tariffs.D&D Beyond changelog: https://www.dndbeyond.com/changelog#2024CoreRulesErrataTTRPG industry survey: https://cardboardedison.com/tariffsEmail your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @DailyDaelJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro05:54 - SRD 5.215:24 - Baldur's Gate 3 final patch24:07 - Xanathar's puppet25:50 - Dungeons and Cabins28:40 - Meredith Placko resigns30:18 - Tariffs toll on the industry39:54 - GM Presentation

Jeremy Crawford leaves D&D and Wizards of the Coast, Daggerheart gets an early release Down Under, and how will Dragon Delves make dragons in 5e fun?Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinDiana:  @dianaoftherose Editor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro01:25 - Your First GM06:00 - Daggerheart Early Release09:48 - Dragon Delves22:32 - D&D Beyond MAPS32:04 - Jeremy Crawford Leaves WotC41:20 - Tariffs check-in42:15 - Visualizing a dungeon

Will Tariffs destroy the TTRPG industry? This week we roleplay economists to explore the global issue from the side of game publishers, hobby shop owners, and fans whose books are about to get a LOT more expensive!Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinTeos:  ⁨@AlphastreamEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro01:23 - Arby's dice05:00 - Chris Perkins retires17:47 - Free Sigil minis23:15 - Tariffs vs TTRPG's43:07 - Creating new monsters

Less D&D news this week (except for WotC threatening legal action for a Baldur's Gate 3 mod) leads into listener emails about incentivizing selfish players, why GM's shouldn't be scared of math, and whether the GM or player should control the wizard's familiar?Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro06:23 - WotC threaten legal action08:56 - Paul Sawyer passing10:17 - Playing selfish players25:05 - Scared of math? GM Anyway!32:47 - GM or player run familiars?

Wizards of the Coast call it quits on Project Sigil, leaving the 3D VTT to mothball on D&D Beyond. Meanwhile the world gets strange as Texas lawmakers try to outlaw roleplaying in schools for entirely imaginary reasons.Start your Companion Quest here: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGLC_GGCQ_2025_2_003Rascal article about Texas roleplay bill: https://www.rascal.news/texas-furries-act-tabletop-roleplaying-games-in-schools/Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydaelJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro01:00 - Giving your players news04:26 - Sigil's sad fate24:00 - Texas to outlaw roleplaying32:31 - Avenues for self publishing44:24 - How to finish a project

The D&D 3D VTT is off to a bumpy launch. MCDM quietly tinkers with it's own Draw Steel VTT. We ponder whether the Hero Forge dice are balanced while Ben and Dael argue what a Critical Role video game might (not) look like.Start your Companion Quest here: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGLC_GGCQ_2025_2_003Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.comBen: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydaelJames: @jamesjhaeckShawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @ZsDante  Topics:00:00 - Intro01:04 - Dice collections08:45 - Hero Forge dice16:06 - Critical Role video game28:29 - Sigil’s bumpy release34:58 - The MCDM VTT38:21 - Companion Quest40:13 - Low level Legendary Monsters