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. 
Each show typically has three segments:- Listener Questions- Industry News- Main Segment (review, interview, or focused topic)
Each episode is one podcast on your podcast listening app. On YouTube, we provide each episode as two videos, so you can enjoy the Questions/News and Main segment separately if desired.
Find our show notes and support our podcast and YouTube efforts:https://www.patreon.com/MasteringDnD 
Listen to us on your favorite podcast device:https://MasteringDungeons.podbean.com  
Chat with us on Twitter or Mastodon:https://twitter.com/MasteringDnD https://dice.camp/@MasteringDnD
Find Shawn:https://twitter.com/shawnmerwin https://ghostfiregaming.com/  
Find Teos:https://alphastream.org/  https://youtube.com/@AlphastreamRPGhttps://dice.camp/@Alphastream https://twitter.com/Alphastream    
Mastering Dungeons is a weekly podcast, made with care for your enjoyment.

What Is Mastering Dungeons?

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!

Games

Leisure

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.

What Is Mastering Dungeons?

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