How does a new Dungeon Master make sure they’re coming out of the gate running? The Masters of Dungeons take a look at the opening adventures (or adventure setups) of […]

Mastering Dungeons – Starting Strong Part 1

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 192 of Mastering Dungeons! 


Main topic: Daggerheart GM Moves and Mechanics!
Daggerheart lets a GM act at any time, yet encourages moves that push the narrative and create fun for players. Let’s take a look!
News: Andy Collins Returns to WotC, Chaosium Hires, Gamehole News, and more!
Contents00:00 Back in Black01:47 Know Other RPGs to Design?07:26 Prepared vs Extemporaneous?17:34 Chaosium Adds Staff20:39 Andy Collins Returns to WotC24:48 GameHole Badge Reg26:37 PoC Mentoring Dinner at GHC28:10 RPGs Spur Climate Empathy31:21 Diana Jones Emerging Designers32:27 Blade Runner Replicant Rebellion33:33 Daggerheart GM Mechanics35:26 Core Roll Mechanics36:59 GM Mechanics41:39 Calling for Action Roles43:13 Guaranteed Success46:21 Experiences and Rolls50:01 Making GM Moves54:59 Example Moves56:29 Adventure Considerations01:00:43 Choosing Moves01:07:22 Hard and Soft Moves01:09:08 Fear01:18:42 Countdowns01:21:47 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: GM Moves and Mechanics! (MD 192)

Episode 191 of Mastering Dungeons! 


Main topic: 13th Age 2E Design with Rob Heinsoo!
The much admired 13th Age RPG has a second edition on kickstarter! Designer Rob Heinsoo discusses the game’s innovations and takes a look back at leading 4E design, the OGL as seen by WotC, and much more!
News: Greyhawk in the DMG, Homebrew vs Prewritten, D&D Worlds & Realms, and more!
Contents
00:00 New MD Search Engine! 01:59 Digital vs Paper Future?06:23 Scene Transitions?10:49 Greyhawk in the DMG16:15 D&D Worlds & Realms18:08 Talisman 5E19:04 Prewritten vs Homebrew21:30 Iskander Adventures - MT Black22:42 Brazil Flood Charity Bundle 23:36 Jeff Stevens Saints and Sinners 24:56 Rob Heinsoo and 13th Age 2E 25:25 Rob's One Unique Thing29:58 Three Dragon Ante33:22 Shadowfist Design37:09 Success on Design Team41:30 Listening Power42:52 Leading 4E D&D Design45:56 4E's Goals49:46 4E Digital Tool Impact54:22 Why Rescind an OGL?57:05 13th Age Innovations58:25 The Icons01:01:08 One Unique Thing design01:04:08 Engaging Monster Design01:09:07 2E Beyond Kickstarter?01:14:04 Shout-Outs
13th Age 2E Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pelgranepress/13th-age-second-edition-storytelling-action-fantasy-game 
Rio Grande Flood Charity Bundle: https://doar.acnur.org/page/ACNURBR/doe/enchentes-no-sul-do-brasil 
New Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 
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.

13th Age 2E Design with Rob Heinsoo! (MD 191)

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.

Mastering Dungeons – Starting Strong Part 1

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