329 episodes
Mastering Dungeons Mastering Dungeons
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RPG veterans and game designers Teos Abadía and Shawn Merwin look at the game and the hobby of D&D from a variety of viewpoints: reporting the news, understanding the business, reviewing the products, and illuminating the design. Whether you’re a fan, a player, a DM, or a designer, Shawn and Teos cover topics of interest to you!
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Keep a New Campaign Healthy and Strong (MD 186)
Episode 185 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: How to Keep Your New Campaign Healthy and Strong!
If the average campaign lasts only 3-5 sessions, how do we avoid that fate and maintain a healthy long-term campaign?
News: Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined, Vecna is Coming, Fallout TV Sells RPG, and more!
Contents00:00 Kids are Alright01:39 The Black Ballad03:42 Is 5E Indirectly Modular?12:45 Fallout TV Sells Books15:49 Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined25:13 Vecna is Coming27:28 Lich PCs29:44 Nest of the Eldritch Eye33:18 Organized Play from Gamehole37:00 D&D Blackmilk Clothing40:05 Monsters of Drakkenheim41:55 Keep Campaign Healthy and Strong43:58 1. The Right Players47:51 2. Right Campaign for the Players49:49 3. Right-Sized Session Zero56:49 4. Regular Flexible Schedule01:00:14 5. End Date01:03:04 6. Strong Campaign Start01:03:33 7. Engage Between Sessions01:08:19 8. Room for Changes01:08:48 9. Frequent Check-Ins01:10:30 10. Climactic End01:16:37 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia. -
Design Player-Facing Campaign Options (MD 185)
Episode 185 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Designing Player-Facing Options for New Campaigns!
How do you create or leverage player-facing rules that will intrigue them and ground them in your new world and your new campaign? How do you give them meaningful, informed choices early in the campaign?
News: Prep vs Improv? Dimension 20 in the Garden, Schwalb on 5E, and more!
Contents00:00 Path of Totality01:16 Prep vs Improv?08:57 Con for Crits?20:22 D20 at the Garden22:10 Schwalb on Taberna26:54 Encounter Tables32:47 Infestation at Devil's Glade34:13 Fantasy AGE Quickstart34:51 Oops all Hit Dice37:40 Player-Facing Campaign Options38:54 New Rules or Limitations41:53 Communicate Changes49:52 New Player-Facing Rules54:52 Custom Backgrounds59:24 Class Challenges01:02:58 Subclasses01:04:43 Feats01:05:52 Subsystem01:07:06 Involve Quickly01:08:42 Dragonlance Example01:11:32 Reinforce through Scenes01:14:17 Subsystems Early01:15:56 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia. -
Design an RPG Starting Encounter (MD 184)
Episode 184 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic:
Design an RPG Starting Encounter!
Continuing the discussion of designing a first adventure in our world, how do we design the first adventure? We look at creating an encounter that utilizes our setting, hooks, and plays off of the PCs!
News: Core Book Prices, Free Tsojcanth and LEGO Adventures, D&D Sales Drop!
Contents00:00 Two Fools01:28 Adventure Curriculum?12:34 MCDM Daggerheart Initiative?19:37 Flaws Mechanic?30:27 D&D Beyond Kickstarter Reward35:45 Core Book Prices36:52 Most of Hobby is Down40:52 Free Tsojcanth44:24 Free LEGO Adventure48:48 Design an RPG Starting Encounter50:00 Use What You Set Down51:53 Encounter Goals53:10 Don't Overwhelm54:46 Setting Considerations58:32 Theme and Tone01:01:55 Antagonists01:04:34 Allies and NPCs01:06:13 Duration and Pacing01:09:32 Session 0 Promises01:12:48 Play off PCs01:15:38 Satisfying Conclusion01:19:24 Cliffhangers?01:21:39 Final Checklist01:25:04 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia. -
Design an RPG Starting Adventure (MD 183)
Episode 183 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic:
Designing an RPG Starting Adventure!
Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding and village design, how do we start an adventure? We provide an approach to get the most out of your campaign and adventure starts!
News: GaryCon Review, Remembering Jim Ward, Daggerheart Review!
Contents00:00 March Madness01:42 GaryCon Review05:52 Criticize Shadowdark?14:45 Remembering Jim Ward18:58 Stores Get D&D Early21:07 Free Tsojcanth22:38 MtG D&D Store Event25:42 Infinite Staircase Reveals28:28 Lego D&D Details31:29 Tome of Beasts on Beyond36:59 Surviving Strangehollow37:46 Daggerheart Review40:19 RPG Starting Adventure41:52 Session 044:00 Character Connections47:48 Fiasco Approach52:10 Ashes of Athas Approach54:03 Start with a Bang?57:28 Find the Excitement59:10 Intro Hook01:01:46 Theory of Globs01:07:32 Adventure Hooks01:12:12 PC Impetus01:15:33 Don't Give it All Away01:19:39 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia. -
Design an RPG Starting Village! (MD 182)
Episode 182 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Designing an RPG Starting Village!
Continuing the discussion of worldbuilding, a great place to start is a village. What must a starting village contain and what isn’t needed? How do we make it relevant and interesting? We dig into the design and examples that have and haven’t worked for us.
News: Critical Role launches Daggerheart, Hasbro CEO vs D&D on AI, Starforged Terrain!
Contents00:00 Podcasting for Relatives01:39 Exhaustion vs HPs?10:39 30-Minute D&D?21:46 D&D Asks Do You Like Me29:45 Hasbro CEO Says AI D&D Says No39:02 CR Launches Daggerheart41:59 Dwarven Forge Starforged43:46 Surviving Strangehollow44:20 Zweihander Reforged44:44 Designing an RPG Starting Village45:50 Two Issues to Avoid46:37 Classic D&D Villages50:08 Bottom-Up Technique59:15 Safe Space or Hub01:01:44 Launch Adventures01:05:28 Key Elements01:08:16 Tie to PC Goals01:10:53 NPCs01:15:05 Theme01:16:58 History01:21:33 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia. -
Shadowdark Finale – GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure (MD 181)
Episode 181 of Mastering Dungeons!
Main topic: Shadowdark GM Tips, Monsters, and Treasure!
The finale of our Shadowdark series! We take a look the excellent advice, plus how the game provides monsters and treasure.
News: Reviewing The Fallbacks, Adv League to Beyond, NASA RPG and Challenge, and more!
Contents00:00 Teos Has Seen Things02:45 Emerald City Comic-Con06:32 Adventure as User Guide?15:16 Exhaustion Currency?22:43 Modes of Play?28:34 AL Moves to Beyond31:33 Greasy Snitches36:41 The Fallbacks review41:08 NASA RPG42:13 Steamforged and Kobold43:33 SRD in Braille45:00 Surviving Strangehollow45:45 Shadowdark Finale46:07 The Role of GM and Players50:43 For Experienced GMs54:29 Players not PCs56:06 Core Ethos01:00:09 Check DCs01:05:15 Darkness and Modes of Play01:08:30 Random Encounters01:14:56 The Gauntlet01:19:04 Awarding XP01:22:35 Lots of Tables!01:23:25 Monsters01:25:06 Treasure01:27:25 Final Thoughts01:32:06 Shout-OutsThank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.
Our intro and outro music is Metropolis Fanfare, provided royalty-free by Tabletop Audio (https://tabletopaudio.com) under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
MP3 file metadata populated with Online MP3 Podcast Chapter Editor, built by Dominik Peters. https://mp3chapters.github.io/ and customized for Mastering Dungeons by Vladimir Prenner from Croatia.
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