Mastering Dungeons

Episode 277 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Working in the RPG Industry!

Shawn shares a panel he had with Jackson DiCarlo at the Running GAGG Gaming Conventions. They discuss working in the RPG industry, sharing the insights of Shawn’s long career and Jackson’s two-year experience as a designer!

News: Cosmere’s Apple TV Deal, 5th New WotC Hire, D&D + Fortnite + Hytale, and more! 

Contents
00:00 Winter Fantasy Bound
02:42 Happy 37th Birthday to 2E
05:08 Two Organized Play Campaigns?
23:55 Taylor Ann Navarro Joins WotC
25:53 D&D, Fortnite, and Hytale?
28:51 Variety Covers GMs
29:27 D&D as Organized Social Fun
31:41 Asmodee Partners for Wellbeing
32:31 Cosmere's Apple TV Deal
34:24 D20play Spotlighted!
36:12 TTRPG SRD Card Creator
37:07 Working in the TTRPG Industry
38:11 Shawn and Jackson's Backrounds
40:28 Getting Started in the Industry
49:59 Seizing Opportunity
56:14 How to Get Started
58:19 Design and Conventions
01:05:46 Technical Vs Creative
01:15:39 The Skill of Writing
01:18:19 Questions and Answers
01:22:54 Shout-Outs
01:27:15 What Are We Gonna Do?

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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.

Episode 276 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Rethink Your Session Zero!

Shawn and Teos rethink all that a session zero is trying to do and how to approach each of the many goals to start your campaign!

News: D&D Beyond’s Partner Schedule, D&D Proves AI’s Shortcomings, AI RPG Scams, Shawn is a Warlock, and more!

Contents
00:00 Shawn is a Warlock!
05:59 How Should Death Saves Work?
27:10 Jean Rabe Passes
29:59 DDB Partnered Content Schedule
34:50 Hasbro's New Board Members
36:31 Demiplane Adds Campaigns
38:23 4th Player Theory of RPG Design
43:19 D&D Proves AI Shortcomings
46:10 RPG Maps Bundle AI Scam
48:45 How to Please Your Layout Designer
49:42 Rethinking the Session 0
52:03 FEYPOP's Video on What is a Session 0
55:57 Effective Safety Tools
01:01:54 Challenge Level and Behavioral Expectations
01:04:23 Theme, Tone, and Characters
01:10:01 Allowed Sources
01:12:32 Collaborative Campaign Planning
01:14:38 Character Creation
01:16:21 First Adventure?
01:19:12 As a Social Event
01:20:22 Shout-Outs
01:24:12 What Are We Gonna Do?

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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.

Episode 275 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Legends of Greyhawk and RealmsBound with Savannah Houston-McIntyre

Savannah Houston-McIntyre is acclaimed for leading excellent projects. She walks us through the Legends of Greyhawk organized play campaign, RealmsBound with Ed Greenwood, and more!

News: Games Workshop Bans AI, Proof of Stranger Things Growth, Mystic UA, and more!

Contents
00:00 Oh Captain my Captain
03:24 Arcadia's 1-on-1 Rules?
10:50 Mental Load?
17:50 3-D Combat Options?
25:29 New Mystic Subclasses UA
30:13 Erin Roberts is a Wizard
32:13 Bob Worldbuilder on Stranger Things Growth
37:35 KC Chiefs Teach D&D
39:12 GW Bans AI for Staff
41:11 Get Dune Free from Modiphius
42:55 The Savage Arctic
43:58 Planet Money's Board Game
45:13 Savannah Houston-McIntyre
53:11 Getting Started with Design
57:12 Leading Design Projects
01:00:28 Legends of Greyhawk
01:04:53 Greyhawk's Regions
01:10:18 Virtual Weekends and Writing for LoG
01:13:23 RealmsBound with Ed Greenwood
01:25:12 Find Savannah!
01:26:41 Shout-Outs
01:30:53 What Are We Gonna Do?

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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.

Episode 274 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Start a New Campaign for the New Year

It’s a new year, the perfect time to think on how to launch an awesome campaign, even if you have never DMed before!

News: Stranger Things Effect? Matt Mercer Simpsons Crossover, D&D Romantasy Novel, Ed Greenwood’s RealmsBound, and more!

Contents
00:00 Full of Fear
02:05 What is a Gameplay Loop?
11:10 Teaching Game Design?
14:38 Stranger Things Effect
19:27 Stranger Things' ET Ending
22:09 Leon Barillaro Hired at WotC
24:14 New D&D Romantasy Novel
26:06 Ed Greenwood's RealmsBound
31:22 Matt Mercer Simpsons Crossover
33:58 D&D and Moral Imagination
38:20 D&D Loungefly Backpacks
39:08 The Bridgewell Chronicles
40:21 Merryshire Detective Club
41:19 A New Campaign for the New Year
41:59 New Gamemaster Month
43:22 Where Can We Learn to DM?
51:52 Why Should You DM?
01:02:04 Not Knowing the Rules
01:11:13 Planning Your Campaign
01:22:59 Establishing a Theme
01:25:00 Shout-Outs
01:28:53 What Are We Gonna Do?

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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.

Episode 273 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: The Future of RPGs in 2026?

Teos and Shawn look at 2025’s huge impacts on RPGs and what 2026 might hold for our hobby!

News: Daggerheart’s Executive Success, James Haek and Introcaso Changes, City 26, and more!

Contents
00:00 Intro
00:59 Mastering DnD the RPG?
07:55 How to Get Noticed?
17:08 Tim Kask Passes
19:38 Daggerheart's Executive Success
25:17 James Haek Joins WotC
25:55 Who Replaces James on Lorecast???
27:25 James Introcaso Focuses on Crows
29:11 D&D and Court Rooms
30:06 Seniors and Dragons
30:56 City '26 Challenge
32:38 Jeff Stevens on 2025 2026
33:30 Crack the Sun Success
35:32 Looking Back at D&D in 2025
40:02 WotC's Positive Moves
42:13 Crawford and Perkins Join Critical Role
45:14 Economic Uncertainty
49:12 AI Slop
50:03 Cosmere, Daggerheart, Draw Steel
55:28 What Might 2026 Offer for D&D?
01:06:30 Will the Hobby Grow?
01:09:21 More Big RPGs?
01:11:05 If We Had 1 Wish!
01:15:10 Shout-Outs
01:19:34 What Are We Gonna Do?

Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

Show Search Engine: https://mdsearch.alphastream.org/ 

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.