Dungeon Master of None

Matt and Rob talk about the new WotC release, Rime of the Frostmaiden, and get a little carried away. This one's a doozie folks!

It's Dungeons and Dragons....IN SPAAAACE! Finally, DMs Matt and Rob take a look at their favorite but flawed campaign setting: Spelljammer!  Links: Spelljammer Books Wildspace Commercial  Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Bob Marley & The Wailers - Jamming; David Bowie - Space Oddity. 

Oh, you like Dungeons and Dragons? Then, name five dragons. We'll wait.  DMs Rob and Matt are here to prove the uselessness of lore knowledge by beating the nerds at their own game...the most dangerous game...the game of trivia.  But first, a discussion of what to except from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and the coming of Magic: The Gathering to Toril. And last, should I adapt my favorite novel into a D&D game?  Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Meters - Hand Clapping Song; Funkadelic - Can You Get to That  

Writer and designer Mikayla Ebel joins Matt and Rob to talk about the upcoming WotC release, Icewind Dale: Rime of Frostmaiden, and how they ended up writing for the big leagues. Goats, labor relations, anxiety -- folks, this interview has it all. Follow Mikayla on Twitter or visit their website!

Another week of piping hot Dungeon Master advice, served with a smile! Plus, join us for a discussion of Kate Welch's departure from WotC and some amazing analysis of fascism and 40k from Special Warhammer Correspondent CthulhuBen!  What is the best old UA subclass? How should I build a campaign around a city in the Feywild? What is the deal fascism in Warhammer 40k? How to create some great homebrew subclasses for the monk and sorcerer? How does a DM deal with role-playing multiple NPCs in one place? Links: Ben's Twitter  David Roth's on "Starship Troopers" When Warhammer Was Radical: The Egalitarian Origins of the Fantasy Battle Game Ur-Fascism by Umberto Eco  Bolt Thrower vs. Neo-Nazi Scum Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Cake - Frank Sinatra; Bolt Thrower - The Killchain; Look at Miss Ohio - Gillian Welch

Rob is back with a functioning microphone, and the DMs are talking about WotC surveys, APPS, and of course, encounter design. If you're mad that Matt said "WILLIAM Dafoe", don't worry, so am I. https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/dd-survey-2020 Inclusive TTRPG List Music: Pac Div -- Roll the Dice Nightwish - Wishmaster Imagine Dragons - Warriors

Is T1 - The Village of Hommlet by Gary Gygax the best adventure for novice players and new Dungeon Masters? Should you run it or adapt it for your group? Is it even any good? DM Matt and Special OSR Correspondent Andy do a deep dive into this classic of grognardia. Your hosts go into the history of Hommlet, the reasons why you might want to play T1, and how to learn DM skills by converting and putting your own spin on this old school adventure. The Village of Hommlet by Gary Gygax on the DMsGuild Links: Tales of the Iron League Rules by Andy The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon The Delian Tomb Intro Adventure by Matt Colville Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Iris DeMent - Our Town

In a special bonus episode, DM Matt reviews two new big, stompy robot RPG systems: Mechwarrior: Destiny and Lancer. Matt explains why the Battletech Universe kicks ass (01:50), how Mechwarrior: Destiny fails to harmonize its narrative and simulationist mechanics (22:20), and why you should play the Lancer RPG (36:00). Spoilers: there is a free version of the Lancer rules and it does what Mechwarrior fails to do, combine rules-light play and fun tactical combat mechanics.  Links: Lancer RPG Mechwarrior: Destiny Free Intro to the Battletech Universe Music: Zipper Interactive - Opening Cinematic to Mechwarrior 3; Flight of the Conchords - Robots; Mechwarrior 2 Soundtrack by Jeehun Hwang, Gregory Alper, and Kelly Walker Rogers - Sable Flame; Yoko Takahashi - A Cruel Angel's Thesis; Ragtime Revolutionaries - Chicks Dig Giant Robots.

How many hobgoblins are too many? How can you mix up antagonists so your players aren't bored? What is the best system for a Last Airbender game? How can you get your foot in the door if your group is all experienced Dungeon Masters? DMs Matt and Rob do their best to answer these and other questions! Plus, they discuss a refutation of the erasure of people of color in medieval Europe from a fan, new RPGs on the horizon, the joy of one of your players taking over as Dungeon Master, a pro-D&D take from a Christian Dungeon Master, and some kick-ass Icelandic runic spells and world-building! Never fear a Tilberi as long as you have your Butterknot stave handy. Trust us, that'll make sense after you listen.  Links: Carta Marina Icelandic Staves Jacob's Amazing Map for "Tremors" The Christian Response to D&D Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Louis Armstrong - You're the Top; Sigur Rós - Starálfur; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand; Ozzy Osbourne - Fire in the Sky; Kaleta & Super Yamba Band - Jibiti

It's our favorite Dungeons and Dragons world-builder himself, Keith Baker! Keith is here to talk about his awesome new book, Exploring Eberron, out now! We discuss Keith's "Rule of Three" for world-building details, how to include fairy tales in your lore, how to fight a war with magic, what 5th edition gets right, why you should start small and build out, how to plan history with random tables, when to follow your players, and more Eberron advice from the Hellcow himself!  Links: Exploring Eberron on the Dungeon Masters Guild Keith Baker   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice