Mastering Dungeons

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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#307
Wednesday · 1 hr 40 min
Keys to Success from Tomas Härenstam of Free League!
Episode 305 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Tomas Härenstam of Free League! Free League’s CEO and frequent designer discusses how the company began and grew, how they tackle crowdfunding, IPs, partnerships, organized play, and more! News: D&D Gives You Ceremorphosis, Wizards Polls Your Trust, Underdark UA Subclasses, DMing High Level and more! Contents 00:00 Intro 01:19 Run Published Epic-Level? 08:55 Underdark Options UA 11:56 Barbarian Path of Unlight 19:18 Rogue House Agent 28:14 Wizard Imaskarcanist 36:08 Path of Ceremorphosis 43:04 Do You Trust Wizards? 47:25 D&D Encounters Update 48:47 D&D Beyond Roadmap Update 50:46 Crows: Fortune or Death! 51:34 Amazing Adversaries & Environments 52:45 Tomas Härenstam of Free League 53:30 Origin Story 56:14 Swedish Influences 01:01:31 Free League's Growth 01:09:05 Multi-RPG Strategy 01:12:46 High Art Quality 01:17:16 Game Lines and Audience 01:20:30 IPs and Partnerships 01:24:52 Crowdfunding and Tariffs 01:28:29 Organized Play 01:31:07 Open Gaming License 01:34:36 Free League's Future? 01:36:36 Free League Unbound 01:38:29 Find and Follow Free League Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#306
August 19 · 1 hr 57 min
Best of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen!
Episode 303 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen! Dragonlance is Back! Come see why this adventure deserves a second chance. News: Critical Role Lands Emmy, D&D Drops Oozes and Errata, Pathfinder on DriveThru, and more! Contents 00:00 Gamehole with Teos and James? 04:21 Announcements vs Playtesting? 10:59 Licensed IPs Exclusive? 16:09 D&D Drops Oozes for August 23:04 New Drops Errata 26:55 Frontiers of Eberron on DDB 27:56 D&D on Szass Tam 30:28 Pathfinder/Starfinder on DriveThru 32:20 Critical Role Lands an Emmy 33:11 Union for Rowan, Rook, and Deckard 34:51 Springfield School of Worldbuilding 38:09 RPGs and Starting Communities 40:44 Not All D&D is for Everyone 43:26 Game Development Resources 45:49 Dragonlance Shadow of the Dragon Queen 47:22 Dragonlance as a Special Setting 01:00:30 5E's Dragonlance and Board Game 01:06:58 Adventure Premise and Approach 01:10:17 War Comes to Krynn 01:11:46 Characters and Pre-War Preludes 01:19:05 Vogler and Dragon Army 01:31:09 Kalaman Missions and Soth 01:38:13 Exploring Northern Wastes 01:40:21 City of Lost Names 01:45:09 Inflitrate Soth's Flying Castle 01:52:09 Shout-Outs 01:56:28 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#305
August 12 · 1 hr 29 min
Adam Bradford, from D&D Beyond to Free League Unbound!
Episode 303 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Adam Bradford, from D&D Beyond to Free League Unbound! Adam Bradford joins us to discuss Free League's amazing Unbound platform and his voyage to and from D&D Beyond, including his design projects like Invincible and Forgotten Odysseys. News: Diamond Gives Inventory Back, Gamehole PoC Event, PAX West Needs DMs, and more! Contents 00:00 3E Turns 26 03:32 Audio in Adventure Products? 07:24 Bloated Character Sheets? 17:17 Diamond Gives Back Inventory 19:45 PAX West Call for D&D DMs 20:42 GameHole Con PoC Industry Dinner 23:19 Adam Bradford, Probably 24:30 Adam's Backstory 28:51 The Path to D&D Beyond 32:34 D&D Beyond 39:04 Why D&D Beyond Succeeded 43:27 Digital Reader Surprise 46:10 Demiplane and Fantasy Grounds 52:58 Lessons Carried Forward 57:41 Free League Unbound 01:07:04 Invincible and RPG Design 01:13:52 Forgotten Odysseys 01:19:21 Adam's Future Plans 01:21:32 Find Adam 01:24:54 Shout-Outs 01:28:51 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#304
August 5 · 1 hr 49 min
Dark Sun, Star Wars, Warcraft, Greyhawk, and All D&D Gen Con News!
Episode 302 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Dark Sun, Star Wars, Warcraft, Greyhawk, and All D&D Gen Con News! Wizards of the Coast goes all-out with a D&D Tower, Carnival, Drone Show, and tons of peaks at upcoming releases. News: Wizards President Departs, Free League Unbound, Daggerheart Plans, ENnies, and more! Contents 00:00 Gen Con Happened! 02:46 Spoiler Descriptions? 06:10 Is Bloat Bad? 18:00 John Hight Departs as WotC Pres 21:25 Starter Set and Big Box Stores? 23:24 Free League Unbound 27:48 Daggerheart 3-Year Plan 34:45 Cosmere and Plotweaver 36:31 Monte Cook Games 36:49 Diana Jones Award 38:13 ENnies Award Recipients 41:33 Tabletop Show is Back? 44:00 Doom-Dust of the Disintegrator 45:01 Leveled Lairs - Aboleths 46:09 D&D's Huge Gen Con Reveals 47:48 Keynote Roadmap 49:13 Season of Magic 50:48 World of Warcraft 58:42 Dark Sun Confirmed! 01:05:25 No DMAP for Dark Sun 01:08:16 Greyhawk Crown of the Witch Queen 01:11:04 Star Wars D&D 01:15:39 D&D Icons 01:21:31 Partnerships 01:27:41 Universes Beyond for D&D 01:31:22 Warlock 01:32:55 D&D Beyond News 01:36:39 D&D Designer Talks 01:38:44 Drone Show 01:41:10 Overall Thoughts 01:45:11 Shout-Outs 01:49:21 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#303
July 29 · 1 hr 55 min
Best of Spelljammer Light of Xaryxis!
Episode 301 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Best of Spelljammer Light of Xaryxis! An adventure crafted to feel like an old sci-fi TV show? We look at how well it captures the classic Spelljammer setting. News: World of Warcraft and D&D? Hasbro Q2 Growth? D&D Movie Sequel Script? And more! Contents 00:00 Apocalypse Now 02:16 Bound by Blood 04:22 Add to Peril in Pinebrook? 12:51 Right Amount of Lore? 19:19 D&D and Warcraft 24:31 Hasbro Q2 Strong Growth 28:51 D&D Beyond Use 33:14 WotC Growth 34:47 How Big is D&D? 39:01 D&D Movie Sequel Script 41:21 Renegade and Anne Rice 43:35 The Guild Ren Faire'd 45:31 Crediting Creators 51:51 D&D Soaps 52:25 Gen Con DMAP Vinyl 53:16 Spelljammer Light of Xaryxis 54:37 Spelljammer History 01:04:10 D&D in 2022 01:08:50 Premise and Approach 01:15:04 Part 1: Seeds of Destruction 01:22:51 Part 2: Terrors of the Void 01:33:29 Part 3: Chaos in Doomspace 01:36:21 The Dark Sun Rumor 01:40:29 Part 4: Saviors of the Multiverse 01:44:00 Astral Elf Goals 01:47:15 Final Choices and Thoughts 01:50:18 Shout-Outs 01:54:42 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#302
July 22 · 1 hr 30 min
Sirrangia and Worldbuilding Through Campaign Building!
Episode 300 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Sirrangia and Worldbuilding Through Campaign Building! Now that we are creating an adventure setting for our top Patreon supporters, we look at worldbuilding through the lens of campaign building. News: Season of Magic Launches, Big D&D Gen Con Plans, Good and Bad Paizo News, and more! Contents 00:00 300th Episode! 04:23 Balance My Vecna? 16:37 No-Win Situations? 21:33 Season of Magic Releases 22:57 D&D Encounters News 27:06 D&D's Big Gen Con Plans 30:21 DMAP Season 2 33:20 Free Play Along Pack 37:18 Sirius Dice for Daggerheart 39:12 Good and Bad Pathfinder News 41:46 Cosmere is Hiring 43:40 NPC Notes 45:43 Thrones & Bones Bundle 46:11 Scipio's New Blog 46:59 Sirrangia and Worldbuilding 48:02 Every Group is Different 51:59 Worldbuilding Basics 57:32 Worldbuilding in RPGs 01:04:35 Top-Down vs Bottom-Up 01:09:59 Designing Sirrangia 01:14:06 Rules and Worldbuilding 01:18:47 Our Patreon Polls 01:23:53 Surviving Strangehollow 01:25:15 Shout-Outs 01:29:42 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#301
July 8 · 1 hr 31 min
Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster with Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish!
Episode 299 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster with Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish! Mike Shea aka Sly Flourish joins Shawn to discuss his latest book providing GM advice! News: D&D Fan Expo Canceled, 2026 ENnie Nominees, July D&D Drops, and more! Contents 00:00 Mike Shea AKA Sly Flourish! 05:32 Reuse Our Old Ideas? 10:34 Who Would You Hire? 16:43 Which Idea? 23:30 D&D Fan Expo London Canceled 27:03 July D&D Beyond Drops 39:34 Demiplane and Roll20 Hiring 43:10 2026 ENnie Nominees 47:14 Another Stab at Making Enemies 48:02 A Nightmare Adventure 50:38 Welcome Mike Shea 1:02:03 Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster on Kickstarter 1:02:42 What Does Lazy Mean? 1:06:43 Discrepancy at the Table 1:09:25 Why This Book Now? 1:10:36 8 Steps for Gameplay 1:14:05 Steps in Non-D&D RPGs 1:23:05 Importance of Randomness 1:29:48 Find the Kickstarter 1:30:09 Shout-Outs Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#300
July 1 · 1 hr 40 min
Why The Wild Beyond The Witchlight is So Good!
Episode 298 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of The Wild Beyond the Witchlight! It’s easy to be positive when Shawn and Teos review one of the finest 5E adventures! Hear why this adventure excels! News: Wizards has a Union, Latest D&D Jobs, Have We Moved Past the OGL, and more! Contents 00:00 Draw Steel Monsters 01:54 Shawn's Wizardly Trip 04:18 Guest Appearances 05:36 Small Publisher Store Programs? 15:18 OGL Impact Over? 21:17 WotC New Union 23:32 New and Updated D&D Jobs 30:06 Season 2 Actual Play Announced 33:02 Preorder Vampire's D&D Book 38:19 Origins Award Winners 39:26 Forgotten Odysseys 40:54 The Wild Beyond the Witchlight 43:20 Product History 51:11 Premise and Approach 01:00:53 New Species, Backgrounds, Hooks 01:08:32 Witchlight Carnival 01:13:48 Carnival Trackers and Events 01:25:16 Chapters 2-4 01:31:02 Palace of Heart's Desire 01:33:44 Appendices and Tools 01:36:28 Shout-Outs 01:39:57 What Are We Gonna Do Now? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#299
June 24 · 1 hr 27 min
Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing
Episode 297 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing! Daði Einars joins Teos to discuss RPG design, gameplay, and his work with Mystic Arts to create for Patreon, YouTube, and your table! News: Vampire the Masquerade for D&D, New D&D Card Decks, WotC Staff Explain UAs, and more! Contents 00:00 Welcome Daði Einars! 01:59 Corruption in Kryptgarden 08:00 Shield Lands Writing Team Correction 08:57 Big Battle Advice? 13:06 West Marches Draw Steel? 15:38 DDB Partner Q3 Schedule 17:02 Vampire Comes to D&D 23:42 Updated Villainous Options 27:19 Diana Jones Finalists 28:34 2024 Spell, Monster, Magic Decks 32:04 Free RPG Day June 27 33:05 China Gets Weird 36:39 The Last Round Table 37:28 RPG Trader 38:49 Mystic Arts and Creator Publishing 40:06 Who is Daði Einars? 44:37 Iceland's Baldur's Gate 47:36 Patreon and YouTube 57:15 Dungeon Jam 01:00:25 Crown of the Fungal Queen 01:10:12 What Does the Future Hold? 01:12:33 RPGs and System Hacking 01:16:10 Unused Plot Leads 01:19:54 Evaluating Game Systems vs D&D 01:26:56 Find Daði Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#296
June 17 · 1 hr 26 min
Best of Rime of the Frostmaiden!
Episode 296 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Rime of the Frostmaiden! We review this mega sourcebook and adventure in a single episode! See which parts of the cold will warm your heart. News: Paizo’s Difficult Future, Renegade Drops Essence20 for 5E, City of Greyhawk on DDB, 3/4 of D&D Players in Last Decade, and more! Contents 00:00 Knicks and Cups 01:17 Actual Shield Lands Authors 03:35 The Angel's in the Details 07:49 Running Megadungeons? 14:40 Paizo's Difficult Future 19:06 Drops Sharing Changed 20:32 Free City of Greyhawk on DDB 21:07 Renegade Drops Essence20 for 5E 23:34 Wizards on Japanese Localization 25:27 Dungeons & Dragons Questers 28:30 Biggest Crowdfunders Take 2 31:47 Rime of the Frostmaiden 34:01 Product History 41:17 Adventure Premise 47:39 Backgrounds and Setup 52:57 The Ten Towns 57:01 Wilderness and Places of Interest 01:00:57 Sunblight and Chardalyn Dragon 01:10:38 Auril's Abode 01:12:15 Caves of Hunger and Netherese City 01:13:24 Epilogue Decisions 01:18:20 Trinkets, Secrets, and Monsters 01:20:46 Shout-Outs 01:25:16 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#298
June 10 · 1 hr 21 min
D&D Encounters Unboxing!
Episode 295 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: D&D Encounters Unboxing! We unbox the D&D Encounters Ravenloft season contents and share the design of the Shadows of Sithicus adventure! News: WotC Changes Drops Policy, Neon Odyssey Breaks Records, Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Remakes, Ravenloft Finishes AP, and more! Contents 00:00 Our Favorite Show 02:04 Same Kobold Lair? 04:52 What Inspires Us for Designing? 11:06 Ravenloft's Final AP and Play Pack 13:29 New Monthly Drops 18:04 Shawn on New Drops Monsters 19:49 Changes to the Drops Program 23:08 Neon Odyssey Breaks Records 25:17 Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 Remakes 28:34 AL and LoG Organized Play Update 29:59 New Greyhawk Supplements 30:52 Rise of the Lazy Gamemaster 31:55 Encounters Unboxed! 33:07 Quick Overview of D&D Encounters 37:36 Different from AL and LoG 42:15 Stores and Kits 45:30 What's In the Box? 48:33 Poster Maps! 50:38 DM and Player Rewards! 55:38 Dice Packs 58:13 What's in the Adventure? 01:03:11 Interactive Celebration Event 01:07:19 After the Celebration 01:10:44 Making Stores Happy 01:12:00 Encounters Dates 01:16:57 Shout-Outs 01:20:41 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#297
June 3 · 1 hr 40 min
Best of Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus!
Episode 294 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus! This adventure changed drastically to become a prequel to the highly successful Baldur’s Gate 3. We take a look at the best the adventure offers! News: Ravenloft Horrors Within Early Access, Kickstarter Backs Down, 2nd Legends of Greyhawk Pack, Latest Drops and DMAP, and more! Contents 00:00 Teos Plays Crows and Chickens 05:17 Starting a Serious Campaign? 14:59 Ravenloft Horrors Within Early Access 18:55 Free International Day of Play Adventure 20:20 Licensing Expo and D&D 25:09 D&D Advisory Group 29:10 New Legends of Greyhawk Pack 30:24 D&D Website Update 31:11 Latest DMAP and Drops 37:58 EMEA Region Release Dates 39:27 Save with Steve Conley 40:03 Kickstarter Backtracks on Mature Content 42:02 BG: Descent Into Avernus 44:43 Product History 53:21 Prequel to Baldur's Gate 3 55:37 Premise and Approach 58:46 Overview and Background 01:03:58 Cult Investigations in Baldur's Gate 01:08:40 The Evil Behind the Cults 01:12:44 Candlekeep 01:16:40 Elturel Has Fallen 01:22:46 Exploring Avernus 01:25:57 The Sword of Zariel 01:31:55 Appendices and Final Thoughts 01:35:36 Shout-Outs 01:39:53 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#296
May 27 · 1 hr 24 min
Best of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage!
Episode 293 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage! Undermountain comes to 5E! We delve into Halaster’s secrets and the best of the 23 wild dungeon levels! News: Hasbro’s Strong Q1, Crows RPG Playtest, Daggerheart Birthday News, D&D Video Game Canceled, and more! Contents 00:00 Crows RPG Playtest 03:00 Attacks of Opportunity Good? 13:51 Ravenloft and Encounters Coming 17:41 June 11 International Game of Play 18:59 Gen Con D&D Event News 23:04 Hasbro's Strong Q1 26:20 Cybersecurity Incident Costs 29:43 How Big is D&D? 31:16 Hasbro Cancels D&D Video Game 32:10 Daggerheart Birthday News 33:57 Dungeon of the Mad Mage 35:47 Product History and AL Admins 42:09 Roll 20 Update and Sale 42:51 Premise and Approach 47:42 Undermountain's Story 53:20 Adventure Hooks and Secrets 56:51 Best of Mad Mage: Level 1 01:03:12 Best of Arcane Chambers 01:04:54 Best of Skullport and Trobriand's 01:06:24 Flumphs and The Matrix 01:08:38 Vanrakdoom and Spelljammers 01:11:20 Terminus and Fazrian 01:12:50 Mad Halaster's Lair 01:18:58 Shout-Outs 01:23:20 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#295
May 20 · 1 hr 39 min
Best of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist! (MD 292)
Episode 292 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist! Urban adventures come to 5E. Decide which faction we belong to as we find the best travel spots in all of Waterdeep! News: Daggerheart’s Birthday, Mordenkainen vs Bahamut, Crowdfunding Whale Trends, and more! Contents 00:00 Draw Steel on Our Patreon! 03:30 Our Proudest Design Work? 10:28 Key Role for Antagonists? 20:20 Chris Cocks Promises D&D Crossovers 24:06 Daggerheart's Birthday 25:17 Night Market at Gen Con 26:40 Mordenkainen vs Bahamut 27:15 Dullahan DMAP Play Pack 28:42 EN World Visits Mongoose Publishing 31:26 Scipio on Crowdfunding Whales 36:27 Dwarven Forge Caverns Reforged 37:25 Keith Ammann on Shadomain.Com 38:27 Waterdeep Dragon Heist 40:39 Product History 47:01 Credits 50:40 Premise and Approach 52:01 Story Premise 55:14 When it Takes Place? 57:00 More Factions 58:03 Introduction 01:05:59 Volo in Need 01:12:13 Trollskull Alley and Your Home 01:15:09 Fireball and Multiple Paths 01:21:05 Dragon Season 01:27:26 Seasons and Villains 01:34:27 Shout-Outs 01:38:21 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#294
May 13 · 1 hr 53 min
The Famous and Infamous Tomb of Horrors! (MD 291)
Episode 291 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: The Famous and Infamous Tomb of Horrors! We look back at one of the most feared adventures across RPGs! We discuss how to have fun with this adventure and revisit the most interesting challenges it presents. News: D&D Beyond Drops, Hasbro’s CEO on D&D’s Digital Future, Enormous Crowdfunders, and more! Contents 00:00 Sheep and Hikes 04:20 Patent Clarification 05:20 Converting AL to Home Play? 10:50 5E Release Freelancer Impact? 18:57 D&D Beyond Announces Drops 35:03 Chris Cocks on D&D's Digital Future 41:32 WotC Union Not Recognized 42:38 DMAP Waxworks Play-Along Pack 45:05 Tim Harford on Lee Gold 46:02 Weapons of Lore for Draw Steel 46:48 Enormous Crowdfunders 50:49 Tomb of Horrors 52:48 Product History 01:02:38 Premise and Approach 01:08:01 How to Have Fun With This 01:13:12 Introduction 01:19:23 Rooms 3-13 and Illustration Book 01:28:28 Best of Rooms 14-21 01:32:09 Best of Rooms 22-30 01:39:01 The Final Crypt 01:47:43 Shout-Outs 01:52:15 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#293
May 6 · 1 hr 33 min
Best of Tomb of Annihilation! (MD 290)
Episode 290 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Tomb of Annihilation! Welcome to the jungle as we explore the hottest parts of Tomb of Annihilation! News: D&D on Ted TV Show, D&D Beyond Class Packs, Small Kickstarter Math, UBI and Creative Hobbies, and more! Contents 00:00 Weekend of Annihilation 02:11 Publish Updated Adventures? 06:58 What Do You Mean by a Good Story? 18:12 D&D on Ted TV Show 22:51 Diamond Bankruptcy Update 25:21 DDB Class Packs 27:41 Mist Horrors DMAP Play Pack 29:47 D&D Rules According to Past Players 31:55 AI Popularity Drop in Music 34:13 UBI and Creative Hobbies 37:18 Draw Steel Magazine 38:32 Math of Small Kickstarters 41:15 Tomb of Annihilation 44:28 Product History 49:55 Premise and Approach 54:37 Intro and Adventure Structure 57:18 Port Nyanzaru 01:03:56 AL, Adept, and Other Add-Ons 01:05:19 The Land of Chult 01:13:25 Dwellers of the Forbidden City 01:17:36 Fane of the Night Serpent 01:20:19 Tomb of the Nine Gods 01:23:36 Cradle of the Death God 01:27:04 New Rules and Monsters and Handouts 01:28:39 Shout-Outs 01:33:03 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#292
April 29 · 1 hr 52 min
Best of Gary Gygax’s Against the Giants G1-2-3! (MD 289)
Episode 289 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Against the Giants G1-2-3! We revisit the classic Against the Giants Dungeons & Dragons adventure, including the very first adventure ever published for D&D! Join us as we walk the halls, glacier, and steading to find the best of this influential series. News: WotC Team Unionizing, Free Zombie Clot Encounter and Draw Steel Treasures, WotC’s AI Patent, D&D Encounters Explained, New UA, and more! Contents 00:00 PC Roles in Daggerheart 07:58 ToV Giants for Patreon! 08:47 Converting Old Adventures to 5E? 16:10 Dungeon Masters AP is Live 20:10 Free Zombie Clot Encounter 22:37 Gremishka's 2nd Play Pack 23:37 New DMAP Soundtrack 25:00 D&D Encounters Explained 39:54 WotC's AI Patent 45:54 MtG Arena Team Unionizing 46:37 UA Villainous Options 2 48:45 Free Draw Steel Magic Items 52:07 New Official Terrain 54:04 Against the Giants 56:00 Additional Disclaimer 57:20 A Brief History 01:01:03 Premise and Approach 01:11:52 Introduction 01:16:56 Wheels Within Wheels Structure 01:19:01 Steading of the Hill Giant Chief 01:24:16 Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl 01:29:20 Hall of the Fire Giant King 01:40:00 Amazing Elder Elemental God Area 01:47:16 Shout-Outs 01:51:18 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#291
April 22 · 1 hr 38 min
How Good is D&D’s New Website? (MD 288)
Episode 288 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: How Good is D&D’s New Website? We take a look at D&D’s new site and discuss how well it works for new players, community, Baldur’s Gate fans, new Ravenloft and actual play reveals, and much more! News: New Ravenloft Details, Dungeon Masters AP, Daggerheart Hope and Fear, Legends of Greyhawk, and more! Contents 00:00 Little Giant Patreon Creations 04:13 Is 5E Oatmeal? 10:07 Montages? 21:28 Ravenloft Horrors Within Details 23:10 D&D's New Actual Play Dungeon Masters 25:42 Actual Play Play-Along Packs 27:37 Legends of Greyhawk on DDB 30:32 Daggerheart Hope & Fear Date 32:08 Dungeon Crawler Carl RPG 34:01 Dice are 12000 Years Old 35:58 Human-Made Alternatives Guide 36:44 Indie Groundbreaker Awards 37:28 Legends of Eleanora Charity Livestream 38:28 D&D's Website 40:50 Looking Back Through Newbie Eyes 45:43 Initial Welcome Screen 49:30 Discover the Feeling of Play 53:14 Your Inner Hero 01:00:34 CPU Intensive 01:02:17 Dungeon Masters New AP 01:08:04 Community? 01:13:21 Inspiring TTRPGs 01:14:38 Digital Games 01:17:14 Cinematic 01:22:19 Ravenloft Landing Page 01:24:58 Preorders and DDB Focus 01:31:44 Shout-Outs 01:36:47 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#290
April 15 · 1 hr 55 min
Best of Storm King’s Thunder! (MD 287)
Episode 287 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Storm King’s Thunder! Bring the thunder with this giant-filled D&D 5E adventure! Shawn and Teos review what truly makes this adventure shine. News: Big Patreon News, New D&D Job Speculation, Hasbro’s AI Principles, Ravenloft Comics, and more! Contents 00:00 Back and Inspired 02:18 Big Patreon News! 05:12 Skip the Boring Bits? 17:19 New Ravenloft Comics 19:31 What a New D&D Job Tells Us 31:47 Evil Hat on Inflation 35:11 Hasbro's AI Principles 40:11 Darrington Press' Great Survey 44:37 Best of Storm King's Thunder 46:22 Storm King's History 52:03 Premise of Ordning and Shakespeare 56:31 Approach and Intro 01:08:31 Starting at 1st vs 5th Level 01:10:22 Chapter 1 Nightstone 01:17:38 Chapter 2 Choice of 3 Towns 01:20:01 Chapter 3 and Quests in the North 01:27:16 Chapter 4 Giant Temple 01:32:17 Chapter 5 Giant Lair 01:38:23 Chapter 10 Maelstrom and Storm Giants 01:41:23 Chapter 11 is James Bond 01:44:01 Chapter 11 Showdown with a Dragon 01:49:39 Shout-Outs and Patreon News 01:54:39 What Are We Gonna Do? Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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#289
April 8 · 1 hr 43 min
Best of Curse of Strahd (MD286)
Episode 286 of Mastering Dungeons! Main topic: Best of Curse of Strahd! One of 5E's highest-rated adventures! Jeff Mueller joins Shawn to discuss why it is so good and how Jeff is running it yet again - this time for Daggerheart! News: MegaDungeon Month, BG3 TV Show Delays, UA Villainous Options, and more! Contents 00:00 Introduction 34:29 Curse of Strahd Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon. Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 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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