Dungeon Master of None

Matt and Rob sit down with Lin Codega and Rowan Zeoli of rascal.news, the new independent TTRPG news site that is rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes of, well, several other sites. We talk plans, the state of TTRPGs, the death of journalism, and more! In Search of a Hot Pink Bitch Named Breakfast Harlem Hellfighters Never Die

DMs Rob and Matt are joined by Keri Blakinger, investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times, to talk about her piece for New York Times Magazine, "The Dungeons & Dragons Players of Death Row," which can be read for free at the Marshall Project, "When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row." Links: Keri Blakinger - The Marshall Project https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/08/31/dungeons-and-dragons-texas-death-row-tdcj  Keri Blakinger - Corrections in Ink: A Memoirhttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250272850/correctionsinink Smriti Mundhra - I Am Ready, Warden at Big Sky Film Festival https://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/festival/films-2024-view/i_am_ready_warden/  Books to Prisoners Programs https://prisonbookprogram.org/prisonbooknetwork/ Inside Books Project (Texas) https://insidebooksproject.org/  Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Lead Belly - The Gallis Pole.

Special West Marches Correspondent Andy joins Matt and Rob to explain a wonderous campaign where all are welcome: The Open Table! Learn what an open table-style game is, why you might want to ditch your old dedicated story-driven campaigns, and how to prepare and GM an open table game. Plus, learn the Five "S"s of Open Tables: Setting, System, Scheduling, Starting, Stopping! Links: Andy - Tales of the Iron league https://ironleague.org/  Tales of the Iron League Discord https://discord.gg/xY8K7qS9 Ben Robbins - West Marches https://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/  Kelsey Dionne - Shadowdark: The Cursed Scroll https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/products/cursed-scroll-zine-vol-1-diablerie-print  Trial of the Slime Lord https://jordanrudd.itch.io/trial-of-the-slime-lord  Inkwell Ideas - Hexographer  https://store.inkwellideas.com/products/hexographer-hexographer-2-pro-version  OwlCon in Houston, Texas https://owlcon.com/ Check out the DMofNone Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone  Join DMofNone on Discord!    

Matt and Rob talk about how to make role-playing adventures, player guides, and games look nice. Join us for a journey through design and layout tools from simple to complex.  Listen to the full episode on the DMofNone Patreon!  Links: Homebrewery  GM Binder  GIMP  Cartographers' Guild  Explorers Design  Adobe InDesign  InDesign Template for 5e  DriveThruRPG - Stock Art  Open Access at The Met 

Learn tips and tricks for successfully running a one-shot role-playing game session, including the importance of preparation and keeping the game time manageable. Discover the benefits of wearing a watch and avoiding reliance on phones during the session. Get advice on keeping the energy up and finishing the game in the allotted time, as well as recommendations for specific adventures.

Rob abuses his power to force the podcast audience to listen to him ramble about his unfinished campaign setting, Thunder on the Steppe! We talk through the idea behind the campaign, issues with getting it presentable, next steps and takeaways. Check out the DMofNone Patreon!  Link to the Thunder on the Steppe Preview doc.  Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice The Hu - Wolf Totem

Justin Alexander, author of So You Want to be a Game Master, shares practical advice on game mastering. The book provides concrete steps to improve game design, running dungeons, generating clues, and creating interesting NPCs. It also offers guidance on running social events, designing cities, and exploring hex crawls and point crawls. The hosts appreciate the practicality of the book but note its heavy focus on D&D and campaign organization.

Matt and Rob reflect on the events of the year, go over the many (12!) systems they've reviewed, and talk about what they're looking forward to in 2024. Listen to the rest of the episode (and an entire day's worth of premium episodes) on the DMofNone Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone  Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Lorne Balfe - Juice of the Vine.

DMs Rob and Matt are back to answer your questions about Game Mastering! Plus, the triumphant return of Unwanted Advice!  Check out the DMofNone Patreon!  https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone  Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Du gamla, du fria - Sabaton; Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John.

Matt and Rob review some more Pathfinder adventure paths, focusing on Serpent's Skull and Carrion Crown! One of these is good! One of them is not! Listen to find out which. Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Crab Rave! Earth Wind and Fire - Serpentine Fire Monster Squad Theme Song - Rock Until You Drop