Episode 187 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Core Rules!

Hope, Fear, Stress, and so much more! We take a look at Daggerheart’s design and how it encourages narrative and tactical gameplay.

News: WotC President Departs, Colville on Adventure Length, DriveThru Sales Data, and more!

Contents 00:00 Deck of Campaign Derailments 02:45 Reworking Design? 07:51 Best Adventure Format? 15:52 Fix D&D Like MTG? 19:02 Cynthia Williams Departs 26:20 D&D Maps Tips 27:39 Colville on Adventure Length 34:54 DriveThru Sales Data 38:13 Daggerheart and Demiplane 40:05 Daggerheart Playtest 43:07 Our Playtests 49:20 Core System - Hope and Fear 52:00 d12s v d20 58:00 Hope as a Fuel 59:44 Defenses and Health 01:03:06 Stress 01:05:10 Resting and Choices 01:07:48 Narrative vs Tactical 01:12:23 Character Sheet 01:16:48 Shout-Outs Thank 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.

Episode 186 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!

Contents 00:00 Kids are Alright 01:39 The Black Ballad 03:42 Is 5E Indirectly Modular? 12:45 Fallout TV Sells Books 15:49 Hasbro CEO Interview Reimagined 25:13 Vecna is Coming 27:28 Lich PCs 29:44 Nest of the Eldritch Eye 33:18 Organized Play from Gamehole 37:00 D&D Blackmilk Clothing 40:05 Monsters of Drakkenheim 41:55 Keep Campaign Healthy and Strong 43:58 1. The Right Players 47:51 2. Right Campaign for the Players 49:49 3. Right-Sized Session Zero 56:49 4. Regular Flexible Schedule 01:00:14 5. End Date 01:03:04 6. Strong Campaign Start 01:03:33 7. Engage Between Sessions 01:08:19 8. Room for Changes 01:08:48 9. Frequent Check-Ins 01:10:30 10. Climactic End 01:16:37 Shout-Outs Thank 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.

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!

Contents 00:00 Path of Totality 01:16 Prep vs Improv? 08:57 Con for Crits? 20:22 D20 at the Garden 22:10 Schwalb on Taberna 26:54 Encounter Tables 32:47 Infestation at Devil's Glade 34:13 Fantasy AGE Quickstart 34:51 Oops all Hit Dice 37:40 Player-Facing Campaign Options 38:54 New Rules or Limitations 41:53 Communicate Changes 49:52 New Player-Facing Rules 54:52 Custom Backgrounds 59:24 Class Challenges 01:02:58 Subclasses 01:04:43 Feats 01:05:52 Subsystem 01:07:06 Involve Quickly 01:08:42 Dragonlance Example 01:11:32 Reinforce through Scenes 01:14:17 Subsystems Early 01:15:56 Shout-Outs Thank 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.

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!

Contents 00:00 Two Fools 01:28 Adventure Curriculum? 12:34 MCDM Daggerheart Initiative? 19:37 Flaws Mechanic? 30:27 D&D Beyond Kickstarter Reward 35:45 Core Book Prices 36:52 Most of Hobby is Down 40:52 Free Tsojcanth 44:24 Free LEGO Adventure 48:48 Design an RPG Starting Encounter 50:00 Use What You Set Down 51:53 Encounter Goals 53:10 Don't Overwhelm 54:46 Setting Considerations 58:32 Theme and Tone 01:01:55 Antagonists 01:04:34 Allies and NPCs 01:06:13 Duration and Pacing 01:09:32 Session 0 Promises 01:12:48 Play off PCs 01:15:38 Satisfying Conclusion 01:19:24 Cliffhangers? 01:21:39 Final Checklist 01:25:04 Shout-Outs Thank 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.

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!

Contents 00:00 March Madness 01:42 GaryCon Review 05:52 Criticize Shadowdark? 14:45 Remembering Jim Ward 18:58 Stores Get D&D Early 21:07 Free Tsojcanth 22:38 MtG D&D Store Event 25:42 Infinite Staircase Reveals 28:28 Lego D&D Details 31:29 Tome of Beasts on Beyond 36:59 Surviving Strangehollow 37:46 Daggerheart Review 40:19 RPG Starting Adventure 41:52 Session 0 44:00 Character Connections 47:48 Fiasco Approach 52:10 Ashes of Athas Approach 54:03 Start with a Bang? 57:28 Find the Excitement 59:10 Intro Hook 01:01:46 Theory of Globs 01:07:32 Adventure Hooks 01:12:12 PC Impetus 01:15:33 Don't Give it All Away 01:19:39 Shout-Outs Thank 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.

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!

Contents 00:00 Podcasting for Relatives 01:39 Exhaustion vs HPs? 10:39 30-Minute D&D? 21:46 D&D Asks Do You Like Me 29:45 Hasbro CEO Says AI D&D Says No 39:02 CR Launches Daggerheart 41:59 Dwarven Forge Starforged 43:46 Surviving Strangehollow 44:20 Zweihander Reforged 44:44 Designing an RPG Starting Village 45:50 Two Issues to Avoid 46:37 Classic D&D Villages 50:08 Bottom-Up Technique 59:15 Safe Space or Hub 01:01:44 Launch Adventures 01:05:28 Key Elements 01:08:16 Tie to PC Goals 01:10:53 NPCs 01:15:05 Theme 01:16:58 History 01:21:33 Shout-Outs Thank 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.

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!

Contents 00:00 Teos Has Seen Things 02:45 Emerald City Comic-Con 06:32 Adventure as User Guide? 15:16 Exhaustion Currency? 22:43 Modes of Play? 28:34 AL Moves to Beyond 31:33 Greasy Snitches 36:41 The Fallbacks review 41:08 NASA RPG 42:13 Steamforged and Kobold 43:33 SRD in Braille 45:00 Surviving Strangehollow 45:45 Shadowdark Finale 46:07 The Role of GM and Players 50:43 For Experienced GMs 54:29 Players not PCs 56:06 Core Ethos 01:00:09 Check DCs 01:05:15 Darkness and Modes of Play 01:08:30 Random Encounters 01:14:56 The Gauntlet 01:19:04 Awarding XP 01:22:35 Lots of Tables! 01:23:25 Monsters 01:25:06 Treasure 01:27:25 Final Thoughts 01:32:06 Shout-Outs Thank 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.

Episode 180 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Building and Changing Rules to Fit Your RPG World!

Dan Dillon and Jason Ward join Shawn to discuss how to pick the best rules, or change them, when designing an RPG world.

News: Dan Dillon and Jason Ward, Daggerheart Playtesting, Discworld RPG, and more!

Contents 00:00 Dan and Jason! 02:11 Defining Success? 07:13 Worldbuilding Process? 12:35 Discworld RPG 18:54 Daggerheart 31:07 Beyond Dev Update 36:55 Surviving Strangehollow 39:08 Rules to Fit an RPG World 39:34 Existing Ruleset 40:48 The Real Thing 46:22 Build New Rules 52:44 Using 5E 57:08 Dark Sun 01:00:48 Settings 5E Does Well 01:03:25 Tearable RPG 01:18:06 Find Jason and Dan Thank 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.