While Teos is off on another adventure, Scott Fitzgerald Gray joins Shawn to talk about ways to make combats interesting and thrilling for everyone at your D&D table. With Shawn […]

Mastering Dungeons – Designing and Running Fun D&D Combats with Scott Gray

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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Episode 190 of Mastering Dungeons! 


Main topic: Daggerheart Review – GM Advice!
We found the heart of Critical Role, and it’s in the GM advice section. Shawn and Teos dig into this advice, fantastic for any game but tailor-made for Daggerheart’s play.
News: Critical Role Launches Beacon, MCDM on D&D Beyond, 2024 PH Art Reveal, and more!
Contents00:00 Mother's Day02:04 RPG vs Video Game ROI?07:19 Vancian vs Roll to Cast?15:11 D&D SRD 5.2 in February!18:56 2024 PH Art Sneak Peak22:31 D&D Dead by Daylight23:45 Critical Role Launches Beacon25:42 D&D GenCon Events31:40 MCDM Books on D&D Beyond33:32 Is D&D Changing Course?40:08 Secret Vecna Wallpaper40:39 Vecna Prequel Will Be Sold41:47 Black Flag Reference Document43:29 Deck of Player Safety on Demiplane44:59 13th Age 2E on Kickstarter46:47 Rethinking Alignment48:14 Distal d2049:10 Kickstarter 2023 Review50:29 Daggerheart GM Advice51:00 1.4 Playtest Update52:33 THIS is Critical Role!57:26 GM Principles01:03:09 Ask Questions01:09:03 Imperfect Improvisation01:12:06 GM Best Practices01:13:40 Treat PCs as Competent01:16:04 Create Meta Conversation01:17:01 Ground the World in Motive01:23:42 Pitfalls to Avoid01:32:19 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.

Daggerheart’s Amazing GM Advice (MD 190)

Episode 189 of Mastering Dungeons! 


Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Domains and Actions!
Cards in an RPG? Find out how Daggerheart keeps characters and gameplay interesting with Domains and the Action Tracker!
News: Hasbro $1M Investment, D&D Beyond Changes Marketplace, Monster Symmetry, and more!
Contents00:00 Alien Sun03:03 HP Increase Design?08:17 Stay on 2014?15:06 BG3 impacts?19:13 Favorite Snack?19:59 Arena Sizes?21:03 D&D Beyond Changes Marketplace24:38 Hasbro's 1M Investment30:57 Tabletop Association33:35 WotC AI FAQ38:40 WondLa TV Series39:52 DM David Monster Symmetry43:17 Oracle Monster Generator44:25 Daggerheart Percentages45:45 Playtest Contents49:48 Cards in RPGs52:49 Domain Cards54:40 Loadout and Vault01:00:32 Card Examples01:03:24 Keyword Learning Curve01:06:23 Basic Attacks01:08:13 Heritage Cards01:12:07 Action Tracker and Init01:20:17 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.

Daggerheart Domains and Actions (MD 189)

Episode 188 of Mastering Dungeons! 


Main topic: Daggerheart Review – Character Creation!
A nine-step process provides a robust mix of crunch and narrative options. See what this blend tells us about this and other RPGs.
News: Hasbro’s Q1 Results, WotC Completing the PH, Roll20 Discord Integration, and more!
Contents00:00 Far Out02:26 Vecna Prequel Review04:12 Monster Hunter06:05 Backgrounds Approach?11:23 Age and Time?19:53 BG3 for Other Stories?26:23 D&D Fireside Chat35:13 Hasbro Q143:04 Roll20 Discord Integration44:32 Star Trek 2E Quickstart45:57 D&D Beyond Seeks Writers48:57 Hypersleep Terminated50:39 Daggerheart Classes!54:09 9-Step Character Creation55:07 Step 1. Choose Class01:00:26 Character Sheet01:02:51 Step 2. Heritage01:05:23 Step 3. Traits01:10:15 Step 4. Evasion, HPs, Stress and Hope01:13:34 Step 5. Equipment01:15:17 Step 6. Background Questions01:18:26 Step 7. Experiences01:30:40 Step 8. Domain Cards01:36:35 Step 9. Create Connections01:43:39 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.

Daggerheart’s Character Creation (MD 188)

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!
Contents00:00 Deck of Campaign Derailments02:45 Reworking Design?07:51 Best Adventure Format?15:52 Fix D&D Like MTG?19:02 Cynthia Williams Departs26:20 D&D Maps Tips27:39 Colville on Adventure Length34:54 DriveThru Sales Data38:13 Daggerheart and Demiplane40:05 Daggerheart Playtest43:07 Our Playtests49:20 Core System - Hope and Fear52:00 d12s v d2058:00 Hope as a Fuel59:44 Defenses and Health01:03:06 Stress01:05:10 Resting and Choices01:07:48 Narrative vs Tactical01:12:23 Character Sheet01:16:48 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.

Daggerheart Review: Core Rules (MD 187)

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!
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.

Mastering Dungeons – Designing and Running Fun D&D Combats with Scott Gray

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