Grumpy Dungeon Masters

By Christopher Waples, Jay Johnson

Two guys who have run one too many games of Dungeons and Dragons. Here we gripe about foolish players, horrible mechanics, and bad dice rolls. As well as, worldbuilding, rules, and how to deal with th... more

5

66 ratings

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FAQs about Grumpy Dungeon Masters:

How many episodes does Grumpy Dungeon Masters have?

The podcast currently has 295 episodes available.

Grumpy Dungeon Masters episodes:

January 27, 2026 Episode 269 – It’s Just Another Dungeons & Dragons Unearthed Arcana
Christopher actually got to try something new as a DM. He ran a D&D game for a person he didn’t know as their birthday party. I guess technically this makes him a professional Dungeon Master? He needs to get that resume put together.
The guys take a look at Wizards of the Coasts newest Unearthed Arcana. If they were grading this it would get a D at best. Nothing really new in this UA and certainly nothing to write home about. WotC needs to step up their game.
The guys take a look at the lawsuit involving Wotc and their shenanigans surrounding Magic the Gathering. Apparently they have been fudging the numbers of sales and even dumping pallets of magic cards to make it seem as if they sold more product.
Jay gets the guys to think about what their top 5 favorite role playing games of all time are. Some of the ones on the list may actually surprise you.
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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1h 23min
January 20, 2026 Episode 268 – Black Bears & Scarabs: A Roleplaying Story
Christopher got a chance to go and hang out at Scarab Con in Columbia South Carolina this weekend. He comes back to regale the guys with tales of drunken escapades….or gaming or something. He did meet some interesting people though.
Dan & Kristian got a chance to play Fabula Ultima this past week. An RPG designed in the style of Japanese RPG’s. They talk a bit about the rules and how the game operates. Their thoughts and review on the game were quite positive. Coming from Grumpy DM’s that’s a bit of a surprise.
Kristian talks a bit about Delve. It’s an RPG made by Bob the World Builder. If you’re not familiar with him he’s a Youtuber who talks a lot about game design.
Jay tosses an encounter he ran this weekend in Dungeon Crawl Classics to the other to see how they would have run it. Somehow this involved Christopher getting chased by a black bear.
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 8min
January 13, 2026 Episode 267 – Dungeons & Dragons 5E and System Conversions
This week the guys take a look at books that were originally designed for Dungeons & Dragons 5E and then re-made for another game system. While it generally works it’s not difficult to tell that the feeling of the book is a bit off. Things written for 5E and then converted to Shadowdark or Dungeon Crawl Classics always leave a bit to desire and the guys dive into it.
Jay talks about the Caverns of Thracia and Dungeon Crawl Classics remakes of old modules and what changes should be made. The original modules are very dense and wordy and DCC has upheld that with their conversions. There is an argument to be made that the remakes should be shortened up and reformatted.
Chris talks about how his daughter is getting into miniatures and painting them. He ordered a mini to paint with his child, but it didn’t exactly turn out how he expected. All this and more on this weeks Grumpy Dungeon Masters!
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 1min
January 06, 2026 Episode 266 – Stranger Things, Action Economy, and You!
First episode of the new year!! The guys are unprepared for another circle around the sun. Jay decided to talk about some variant rules that nobody knows about or uses from 5E D&D. Things such as marking targets, disarm, and massive damage. He also takes a look at the beginning of meta-magic in Dungeons & Dragons and many of the changes since it’s induction.
Dan makes the argument that he has never met anybody who played D&D basic and that those people don’t exist. He is wrong. Also he tells a wonderful tale from a D&D game he plays in which involves the Tarrqsque, some Balor’s, and a Demi-God.
Lastly the team talks about Stranger Things and the monsters used within since the finale just happened. It is not spoiler free, but it is at the end of the podcast so you can easily avoid those spoilers.
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 27min
December 30, 2025 Episode 265 – Year In Review: Best RPG Products 2025
It’s the final episode of the year and you know what that means. The Grumpy Dungeon Masters take a look at their favorite products of the year. Could it be something Dungeons & Dragons? Maybe some new product for Shadowdark or Dungeon Crawl Classics? Or possibly something that nobody expects? The guys will talk you through what they each thought was the best of the best in roleplaying games of 2025.
Jay has a short story about TSR, the original company that created Dungeons & Dragons, and a sunken ship in Lake Geneva. It’s crazy the things you can find out from playing Trivial Pursuit.
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 15min
December 23, 2025 Episode 264 – Happy Shadowdark Darkest Day!!
The guys celebrate the Shadowdark holiday of Darkest Day! On the shortest day of the year there is a chance you will encounter the Ten Eyed Oracle and be granted treats. By treats we mean some horrific challenges you must complete or you will pay the price. Enjoy!
Christopher details his purchase of a board game which requires an app to play. The fear is that in 10 years the app will be gone and the product will be useless. Could tabletop RPG’s be going in that direction?
The guys also talk a bit about needing a lore keeper for the history of the Dungeons & Dragons. Many of the worlds of D&D have a massive amount of lore and the creators are either gone or are elderly. Who is responsible for making sure that any new lore is in line with the old lore? Anybody want a job?
Jay tells the tale of how his higher end Dungeons & Dragons party actually met their fate. It’s so rare when high level PC’s die in D&D. Just remember, Dungeon Masters don’t kill players. Players kill players.
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 22min
December 16, 2025 Episode 263 – Nimble: The New Dungeons & Dragons!
There is a new Dungeons & Dragons in town and it’s name is Nimble! It is an apt description as the game is still pretty much D&D 5E, but it runs nimbly. Less rolls, less number crunching, and easier to digest. The real question though, is it worth playing? The Grumpy Dungeon Masters dive into all of the details and will help you decide if your game needs to be a bit more Nimble.
Christopher had an opportunity to run his Christmas one shot that he wrote a few years ago, Everyone’s Been Naughty. Looking back on it he realized that he would write it completely differently if he did so now. It’s the classic issue of writers not liking their earlier works. We’re always our own worst critics.
He also talks a bit about Duergar and why they don’t drink. Apparently it involves a berserker frenzy or something. All this and a top 20 list of Fantasy Movies!
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 21min
December 09, 2025 Episode 262 – Is Eberron Forge of the Artificer Any Good?
It’s a fairly straight forward question. Is Eberron Forge of the Artificer Any Good? It has a “new” class for Dungeons & Dragons 5.5 edition. Has a brand new sub-class for players to enjoy. Several miniature adventures within the book. Some lore for the Eberron setting. The Grumpy Dungeon Masters take a look at it and a stab at it to see if it’s worth the price point.
Christopher and Dan talk in detail about the storage of miniatures. If you’re anything like them you will understand the constant struggle to find the exact mini you need when you need it. Those darn Mephits just keep running off!
Jay talks a bit about a class for NPC’s only from 1st edition Dungeons & Dragons. The Jester. He also goes into a few of the magic items created specifically for this class. Hold on to your hat with dangly bells because these items aren’t for fools! Well, they kind of are.
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 7min
December 02, 2025 Episode 261 – Shadowdark: Cursed Scroll 6
This week the podcast is all about the updates to Shadowdark. Specifically the Necromancer class and the Cursed Scroll 6. For those not familiar with the Cursed Scrolls, they are short booklets filled with information used for the Shadowdark game. This one focuses mainly on the city used for the Western Reach campaign along with the Bard and Duelist classes.
The guys spend most of the podcast covering that and the Priest and Necromancer spells that were released as a PDF. The final version is a good ways off, but the wonderful folks who created Shadowdark are still hard at work on it.
The guys do give Christopher his 15 minutes to talk about things however. At first we all thought he was going to use it to complain about something, but instead he talked about a Gofundme for Min-Maxed. A new D&D Live Play that is being put together by a group of multiple different Youtubers. There are too many to list or detail here, so check out the link for more info. Seems like it will be fun for all!
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 21min
November 25, 2025 Episode 260 – Dungeons & Dragons: The Pale Night And The Lady Of Pain
This week Dan is on vacation, so the rest of the crew talk about things he would be interested in. Have to make sure he misses out on the fun.
Have you ever heard of an Obyrith? Yeah, most of us hadn’t really heard about them either or if we had mostly in passing. Today you will learn about the Pale Night, Obyrtih’s, and what came before. The Obyrith are ancient demons who ruled the Abyss long before the arrival of the other demon lords. While the Grumpy Dungeon Masters did have plans to talk about other things they ended up staying focused for once and stayed on this single topic from beginning to end. Enjoy!
Visit Zenergy Gamers for all of your gaming needs. Use code word Grumpy for 10% off any order!
Follow the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok!
Join our Discord to chat with the Grumpy DMs. Bring us your toughest DM questions or ask us to review your TTRPG work!
Be sure to join us every Saturday at 8pm EST on Twitch for our Live Play D&D session.
Intro Music Provided by:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Hit N Smash by Rafael Krux
Link: https://filmmusic.io/song/5360-hit-n-…
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b…
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

...more
1h 17min

FAQs about Grumpy Dungeon Masters:

How many episodes does Grumpy Dungeon Masters have?

The podcast currently has 295 episodes available.

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