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

66 ratings

FAQs about Grumpy Dungeon Masters:

How many episodes does Grumpy Dungeon Masters have?

The podcast currently has 277 episodes available.

Grumpy Dungeon Masters episodes:

September 23, 2025 Episode 251 – A Look At The Dungeons & Dragons 5.5 Starter Set
This week the guys take a look at the new Dungeons & Dragons starter set to see if it’s any good. It comes with a lot of tokens and some maps along with a decent sized remake of a 1E adventure. Dan and Chris both have copies of it and generally are happy with it. It wouldn’t be the Grumpy Dungeon Masters though if we didn’t find something to grump about.
Jay takes a look at an old version of the starter set for Becmi from 1991. Often referred to as the black box. Apparently there were 3 expansions to the set also of which the guys weren’t aware of.
Chris take us on another journey of Adventurers League and tries to create a term for failure that ends a campaign, but not a total party kill (TPK).
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 11min
September 16, 2025 Episode 250 – How To Use Cursed Magic Items In Dungeons & Dragons
There is a right way and a wrong way to use cursed magic items. Using them the right way can provide entertainment and story telling. The wrong way will derail an entire campaign or ruin a players fun. Listen in to the Grumpy Dungeon Masters on how to do it correctly.
Christopher gets to regale us with a story of his players not dying for once, but instead steamrolling his challenge.
On the topic of magic items the guys talk some about the crafting of magic items in game. Should you allow players to craft magic items, buy them, or find them?
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 6min
September 09, 2025 Episode 249 – Dragons Deep Dive Part 3
Dan’s back at it with his deep dive on Dragons. This time he talks about the Cult of the Dragon and Dragonlance, finally wrapping up all of first edition Dungeons & Dragons.
Christopher wonders if WotC will do with D&D like they did with Magic and just start having mass amounts of crossovers. Most of the GDM guys don’t think so, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
Jay ran his Dungeon Crawl Classics game Caverns of Thracia. Surprisingly though he used AI to help him get the ball rolling. Has that grumpy old man changed his tune about AI?
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 25min
September 02, 2025 Episode 248 – No Dungeons Or Dragons Here Today
This week the guys are taking a look at a whole bunch of games on Kickstarter or Backerkit that they are interested in. Shadowrun Anarchy 2.0 is one of the main ones. Shadowrun is a really great game which was always bogged down by the rules set. Shadowrun Anarchy is a more rules light version of the game, which may fix many of the problems.
The guys also talk about Vaults of Vaarn, which just wrapped up it’s Backerkit. It’s another rules light game set in a dying earth style setting using an eerie art style akin to Moebius’ works. If you enjoy swords, sorcery, and synthetic beings in your world this might be a good one for you.
Chris also talks about Shadow of the Demon Lord. It’s a Grimdark setting which takes parts from 4E & 5E D&D and makes them into something unique. While it’s not currently on kickstarter or anything it’s still a game of note.
Lastly, Christopher killed another of his players characters at Adventures League.
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 4min
August 26, 2025 Episode 247 – Dark Sun Is Back On The Menu Boys!
Wizards of the Coast released an Unearthed Arcana this week with Apocalyptic sub-classes for Dungeons & Dragons 5.5. The 4 sub-classes are very obviously carryovers from Dark Sun, which along with the Psionics UA that was recently released makes it look like Dark Sun may be coming back. Is this a good thing though? The Grumpy Dungeon Masters will tell you all about it.
Christoper ran adventures league this week and had a couple of his players characters die to a mummy. More specifically a mummy curse. The guys take a look at mummies and what risks that entails for characters.
Jay chats a little bit about the latest Wizards of the Coast release, Dungeons & Dragons in space. They released a TTRPG called Exodus, based on the upcoming video game. There was no fanfare or hype around this release. Is it dead on arrival? Magic 8 ball points to “seems likely”.
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
August 19, 2025 Episode 246 – Every Dungeons & Dragons Video Game Ever
This week the guys sit around and take a look at every single Dungeons & Dragons licensed video game ever made. Some are well known like the Baldur’s Gate series while others are incredibly obscure. If you had a Turbo Graphix 16 or a Panasonic 3DO you may know a couple of these weird games.
Jay was playing his character wrong for months and just realized it. The guys take a look at the Order of Scribes for D&D 5E and talk about how to handle misplayed characters.
The guys also talk briefly about Tabletop Simulator getting a Shadowdark conversion added to it.
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 20min
August 12, 2025 Episode 245 – Rime Of The Frostmaiden Finished
It’s a slow news week so the guys talk about some of the games they did this week. Christopher went to a local con in Charleston SC and ran some games of D&D 5E, specifically a Keshanar module. Both games ended up with people doing things outside of the scope of the module so he had to make things up on the fly. Have to be able to improvise on the spot as a GM sometimes.
Dan ran an epic 12 hour long adventure to finish off his game of Rime of the Frostmaiden. It involved incredible minis, a battle of epic proportions, and not nearly enough sleep. Just like a proper game master.
The guys also talk briefly about Tabletop Simulator getting a Shadowdark conversion added to it.
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
August 05, 2025 Episode 244 – Forgotten Realms Announced
Gen Con happened this weekend and there was a ton of activity, so naturally the guys take a look at some of the announcements coming from the con. First and foremost was the announcement of 2 Forgotten Realms books for Dungeons & Dragons. Also not surprisingly, WotC has decided to pull a money grab by creating digital content that could have been in the books and selling it at a premium on D&D Beyond.
Critical Role announces the 4th campaign during Gen Con. The manner they did this was incredibly funny and worth giving a watch online. Also Matt Mercer is stepping away from being the GM and is being replaced by somebody who is also famous as a game master.
Jay managed to land a fairly large Dungeons & Dragons collection made of 1E-3E goodies. Listen in to find out some of the swag he added to his growing collection of RPG’s.
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 3min
July 29, 2025 Episode 243 – Dragons Deep Dive Part 2
Somebody let Dan out of his cage and he came back with more dragon lore than you can shake a stick at. Last time he talked about dragons in episode 238 he talked about Bahamut and Tiamat, but this time he goes hardcore and covers everything dragon related from the beginning of Dungeons & Dragons up until the mid 1980’s. It’s a lot to take in and it’s only the beginning.
Kristian asked everybody last week what some of their favorite mechanics from games are and this week the guys talk about that. Some mechanics are things you’d think of such as better critical hits or potions being easier to use. Naturally not all of the Grumpy Dungeon Masters like the same mechanics however.
Jay talks a bit about what makes a game “crunchy”. The term generally is associated with rules bloat or crazy PC builds, but other DM’s have their own opinions on the matter. Also Christopher talks about doing a D&D puzzle with his family!
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 48min
July 22, 2025 Episode 242 – Daggerheart The D&D Slayer
Finally the guys sit down and take some time to talk about the new kid on the block, Daggerheart! It’s a game created by the Critical Role team which uses a new system, but holds the feel of Dungeons & Dragons 5E. With all the hype surrounding it we get to see if it lives up to it or not.
Christopher & Dan both regale us with tales about adventures they ran or played this week. One is an old school trek through a jungle West Marches style and the other is an adventure in making life harder than it needs to be.
How do you get your players to try a new system? The Grumpy Dungeon Masters will answer that for you. Listen in to find out!
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 33min

FAQs about Grumpy Dungeon Masters:

How many episodes does Grumpy Dungeon Masters have?

The podcast currently has 277 episodes available.

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Grumpy Dungeon Masters

FAQs about Grumpy Dungeon Masters:

How many episodes does Grumpy Dungeon Masters have?

Grumpy Dungeon Masters episodes:

FAQs about Grumpy Dungeon Masters:

How many episodes does Grumpy Dungeon Masters have?

More shows like Grumpy Dungeon Masters

Mastering Dungeons

The Lazy RPG Podcast - D&D and RPG News and GM Prep from Sly Flourish

The Vintage RPG Podcast

The Eldritch Lorecast