Dungeon Master of None

The Mailbag of Holding (Type III) returns! DMs Rob and Matt answer your questions on Dungeon Mastering and more.   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Jurassic 5 - Freedom Cake - Wheels

Howdy y'all, it's the Kickstarter roundup! Yeehaw! Then, your DMs of None talk about the D&D "canon" and whether it has any value. What should be in the new canon and what are the books that have influenced your Dungeon Mastering? What is in your Appendix N? Let us know!   Kickstarter Roundup:  Critical Role: The Animated Series Lasers and Liches: Tales of the Retroverse Comrades RPG Arcana of the Ancients Rosenstrasse Seas of Vodari Welcome to Tikor: The Swordsfall RPG Setting Witch+Craft: A 5e Supplemental The Great American Novel: A Roleplaying Game The Veil Inheritance Humblewood   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Ice Cube - The Predator 

DMs Matt and Rob are joined by the Smithsonian Institute's Paul Sturtevant. Not only is Paul the founder and editor-in-chief of The Public Medievalist, but he has a new book, The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism, that listeners of this show will really love.  We talk about castles in DC, what the public knows about medieval history, and how to deal with race in role-playing games. Paul tells us about the roots of Dungeons and Dragons races in 19th-century scientific racism, the camp of knightly tournaments, the weird aesthetics of Warhammer Fantasy, and why your shouldn't treat the Middle Ages (and your worlds in quasi-medieval settings) as the "trash pit of history."  Links: The Public Medievalist Magazine  Paul's new book: The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest - 4th Chamber

DMs Matt and Rob review the new version of the Artificer. An effusion of infusions for everyone, huzzah! Happy Artificer Day to one and all.  But first, the Lasers & Liches kickstarter is back! Be sure to check it out and have a listen to our full review back in Episode 23.    Listener questions: David asks, "Can I improvise my way through world-building?" Ryan asks, "How should I prepare for a kickstarter?"    Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Sir Mix-A-Lot - Iron Man  If I Had a Hammer - Peter, Paul and Mary

The DMs of None chat about home-brewing classes in sub-classes in 5e DnD. We take a look at some of our favorite homebrew and third-party classes and speculate about what to create on the show in the future!   Classes and sub-classes reviewed: The Blood Hunter by Matt Mercer The Scholar by Charrmeleon The Pugilist by Benjamin Huffman Broath of the Brotherhood by Ryan Bennett  Oath of the Common Man by the_singular_anyone Tome of the Pact by Alex Clippinger   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Jean-Joseph Mouret - First Suite in D Seu Jorge - Space Oddity by David Bowie 

Let's talk about and create dungeons! Matt and Rob discuss the essentials of dungeon building: story, theme, ecology, and variation. Your DMs then build a one-page dungeon "live!"  No abusers in our RPG community.  Links:  Rough draft of the one-page dungeon Final draft of the one-page dungeon Link to Dyson Logos' table of random dungeon entrances     Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Merle Travis - Dark as a Dungeon Pete Seeger - Which Side are You On?

DMs Matt and Rob talk about how to design factions, powers, and political groups that will hook your players. Let's build some better worlds! Letters: "What are some strategies to employ between encounters?" "How do I create emotional and cinematic moments for my players?"   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice The Unicorns - I Was Born (A Unicorn) Ghost Mice - Critical Hit, recorded by DMofNone listener "Cinderblock" Sally

DM tips! Learn how to start games good! Practice shutting the hell up! And more! Plus, DMs Matt and Rob answer your letters and get some deserved criticism and critiques!  Tips: playing on the cheap...setting the tone...seeing, hearing,  smelling for your players' characters...using your posture...preparing social situations...listening to your players...how to make mistakes...  Letters: steampunk and hopepunk responses and critiques! What's the best way to build dungeons? How do I get started reading fantasy to help me DM? Should I twist the plot?    Recommendations: Elizabeth Bear The Magic Goes Away   Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Tommy James & The Shondells - I'm Alive  Loretta Lynn & Jack White - Portland, Oregon  The Staves - Tired As Fuck  Scenario - A Tribe Called Quest   

DMs Matt and Rob answer your questions! Then, let us sit upon the ground. And tell sad stories of the death of genres.    Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Aurra - A Little Love Jeremiah Kane - The Future Past 

DMs Matt and Rob tackle the ultimate question of life, the multiverse, and everything: should there be a new edition of D&D? Spoilers: we don't. But we will get one...eventually. Your DMs then speculate wildly about what might and should be changed.    Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice David Bowie - Cat People (Put Out Fire)