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Mastering Dungeons

Mastering Dungeons

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!
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Top 10 Mastering Dungeons Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Mastering Dungeons episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Mastering Dungeons for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Mastering Dungeons episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Mastering Dungeons - The Psychology of D&D with Dr. Jamie Madigan (MD 221)
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12/25/24 • 90 min

Episode 221 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: The Psychology of D&D!

Dr. Jamie Madigan joins Teos and Shawn to explain that their dice aren’t cursed, the benefits of online vs in-person gaming, hot hand fallacy, and much more! Check out Jamie’s new book: https://www.psychologyofdnd.com/

News: Kobold Press Finances, Artificer on Unearthed Arcana, Goodbye Dark Alliance, and more!

Contents
00:00 We Got You a Jamie Gift
03:18 Build World With Players?
08:32 Death Saves Proposal?
23:43 Unearthed Arcana Artificer
35:19 D&D Secret Level Review
40:47 Cyberpunk VG Adds RPG
41:56 Kobold Press 2024 Finances
45:14 Draw Steel Core Rules to Patrons
45:54 Goodbye Dark Alliance
47:17 Vote for Most Anticipated RPG
49:45 Psychology of D&D
50:19 Dr. Jamie Madigan
52:06 Writing and Publishing Process
55:22 Book Approach
58:10 Psychology of Dice Randomness
01:00:28 Gambler's Fallacy
01:02:28 Hot Hand Fallacy
01:04:45 Psychology of Game Choices
01:08:37 Fewer Compensatory Options
01:10:02 Satisficers vs Maximizers
01:13:49 Benefits of Play
01:16:25 Online vs In-Person Benefits
01:24:59 Shout-Outs
01:27:34 Find Dr. Jamie Madigan

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.

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Mastering Dungeons - Mastering Dungeons - Wilderness and Settlements!
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06/28/23 • 77 min

Episode 145 of Mastering Dungeons!

This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 5 – Wilderness and Settlements!
Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG by following Chapter 5. Do they get lost in creating and traversing a wilderness? Do they find the worst settlement table ever?

News: America is Neutral Good, Blood in Baldur’s Gate, Origins Awards, Diana Jones Finalists, and more!

Contents
00:00 Origins
05:13 Slowing the Game?
22:00 Blood in Baldur’s Gate
25:27 Origins Awards
26:35 Diana Jones Finalists
31:48 NG Americans
34:24 Art Costs
39:29 Congrats Kobolds
40:28 Aetherial Expanse
41:29 DMG Wilderness
43:12 Montage vs Hourly
44:58 Hemingway vs. Faulkner
49:22 Key Questions
56:55 Mapping Wilderness
1:00:55 Wilderness Features
1:04:55 Wilderness Survival
1:07:21 Settlements
1:11:33 Buildings
1:13:52 Shout-Outs
Thank you for listening! Get the full show notes with links on Patreon.

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Mastering Dungeons - Listener Question Mega-Show (MD 220)
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12/18/24 • 89 min

Episode 220 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Listener Question Mega-Show!

What do we do when we have tons of listener questions? Shawn and Teos dedicate the main segment to answering some truly awesome questions. Find out why this was the most fun we’ve had in months!

News: Moonbeam Launches Alpha, New Maps Features, D&D Immersive Quest, and more!

Contents
00:00 Bad Movie Season
02:14 Maps Adds Monster Stats
10:18 D&D Immersive Quest
14:11 D&D Adventurer Magazine
15:53 Licensing and WotC
18:05 Mearls on Death Saves
39:02 Jail-Compliant RPGs
40:54 One Foot in Fairy Land
42:47 Moonbeam Launches Alpha
44:34 Listener Questions
45:29 Improv Anxiety?
49:39 Player vs Character Skill?
01:02:12 Find Playtesters?
01:07:36 Easy RPG Entry Point?
01:18:46 Tricks for Creativity?
01:25:14 Shout-Outs

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.

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Mastering Dungeons - Setting Expectations for your TTRPG Projects! (MD 196)
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07/03/24 • 89 min

Episode 196 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Setting Expectations for your TTRPG Projects!

Wrel (Michael Henderson) joins Shawn Merwin to discuss how to set the right expectations for your TTRPG projects. Topics include setting goals, knowing who you are designing for, finding an audience, and assessing your capabilities.

News: New D&D VP, PH and DMG Previews, Reliable Core Rules, and more!

Contents
00:00 Michael Henderson aka Wrel
02:37 Unnecessary Rules?
07:21 Reliable Core Rules?
12:55 Counterspell Problems?
18:33 Ditch Resource Management?
26:12 New D&D VP Jess Lanzillo
34:32 2024 D&D Previews
38:04 Grim Hollow Player Pack on DDB
43:00 Grim Hollow 2E in October
45:38 How Not to Get Eaten by an Owlbear
46:45 TTRPG Project Expectations
47:28 What's the Goal?
54:20 Who Designing For?
01:07:44 Finding an Audience
01:13:26 What are you Capable of?
01:18:21 Practicing on DDB
01:19:22 Importance of Art
01:27:48 Find Wrel
01:28:25 Shout-Outs
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.

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Episode 140 of Mastering Dungeons!

This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Adventures!

Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. We look at Creating Adventures. Does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great adventure?

News: UA Survey, D&D Producer Job, Russ Nicholson Remembered, Flummox, Dungeon Secrets, and more!

Contents
00:00 Speaking of Geeks
02:19 Automating Complexity?
07:33 Weapon Persona?
14:26 Weapon Templates?
26:04 UA Survey and Videos
37:47 D&D Producer Job
39:34 Russ Nicholson RIP
40:47 Secrets to Dungeon Fun
41:35 Jeff Stevens Flummox Heist
43:26 Crowdfunding Round-Up
45:18 DMG Chapter 3
46:10 Creating Adventures Intro
51:03 Great Elements
54:53 Published Adventures
56:48 Adventure Structure
58:47 What is a Story?
01:03:54 Location-Based
01:14:58 Shout-Outs

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

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Episode 141 of Mastering Dungeons!

This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 3 – Creating Adventures, part 2!

Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. From event-based adventures to the encounter building rules, does this tell a would-be-author how to craft a great adventure?

News: D&D Marketing Summit, 2023 Product Reveals, Price Increases, Planescape Hopes, and more!

Contents
00:00 Geeky Guardians
01:42 Limit or Oversight?
11:23 Homebrew vs Published?
17:42 D&D Marketing Summit
23:50 Demographics
27:32 5E is 2E
30:23 Staggering for Printers
32:04 Price Increases
37:35 Bigygnome Presents
39:07 Guide to Dragons
40:36 Phandelver
41:49 Planescape
49:52 Deck of Many Things
50:46 DMG Chapter 3
51:22 Event-Based Adventures
59:09 Mysteries
01:05:00 Intrigue
01:08:05 Complications
01:09:51 Creating Encounters
01:21:23 Random Encounters
01:30:20 Shout-Outs

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

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Mastering Dungeons - Mastering Dungeons - Reading the 2014 DMG Chapter 1!
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05/10/23 • 78 min

Episode 138 of Mastering Dungeons!

This week's main topic: Looking Back at the 2014 DMG – Chapter 1!

Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. How well does it help DMs and what would we change for 2024?

News: Weapon Mastery analysis, Keith Baker closes KB Presents, Diana Jones awards, Crowdfunding Spotlight, and more!

Contents
00:00 Kids Am I Right?
01:52 Valiant Resistance?
06:07 Polymorph Woes?
13:20 Weapon Mastery
46:01 D&D Movie in Digital
46:34 Diana Jones Emerging Designers
47:20 Keith Baker Closes KBP
49:17 Crowdfunding Round-Up
52:29 2014 DMG Chapter 1
55:07 Worldbuilding
57:04 Core Assumptions
58:04 Utility?
01:03:53 World vs Encounter
01:10:36 Session Focus
01:15:15 Shout-Outs

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

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Mastering Dungeons - Looking Back on 2024, Forward to 2025! (MD 222)
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01/01/25 • 91 min

Episode 222 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Looking Back on 2024, Forward to 2025!

Shawn and Teos revisit the year’s biggest stories, the show’s main topics and guests, and look forward to what will impact our hobby in 2025.

News: Bigger Monster Manual, CNBC on D&D’s Financial Success, Beyond Ranked Skills, and more!

Contents
00:00 Happy New Year!
02:37 Vancian Magic Limits Narratives?
12:03 Adjust DCs Based on PC?
23:41 Bigger Monster Manual
25:33 CNBC on D&D Financial Success
30:09 Using Third Places
32:32 How to Do a Character Voice
34:42 Weapons of Lore
36:13 Beyond Ranked Skills
40:00 Clank Acq Inc 2
41:00 Looking Back, Looking Forward
41:16 2024 Highlights
57:25 Our Guests in 2024
59:17 Our Main Topics
01:02:25 Our Fans
01:03:14 Our 2024 Favorites
01:07:58 Our Questions for 2025
01:26:14 Shout-Outs
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.

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Mastering Dungeons - Purple Dragon Knight and Oath of Genies Paladin! (MD 228)
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02/12/25 • 99 min

Episode 228 of Mastering Dungeons!

Main topic: Purple Dragon Knight and Oath of Genies Paladin!

We take a look at new fighter and paladin subclasses coming in November to the Forgotten Realms Player’s Guide. How do lore changes impact the design?

News: Free D&D Adventure, D&D on Netflix, WotC Hires Worldbuilding, and more!

Contents
00:00 Winter Fantasy Key Cards
05:57 Flipping Campaign Script?
11:54 Goal of Organized Play?
31:24 Free Adventure Hold Back the Dead
36:40 D&D Movie to Netflix US
37:17 Daggerheart End of May
39:13 WotC Hiring Worldbuilding Designer
40:57 What World Should D&D Create?
43:53 D&D Free Rules Adds MM
45:03 Tangled in Shrouds
46:53 Unearthed Arcana part 2
47:28 Survey is Up
48:16 Purple Dragon Knight Lore Change
54:51 Purple Dragon Knight Features
01:11:54 Oath of Noble Genies Paladin Lore
01:13:30 Paladin Oaths
01:16:20 Noble Genies Features
01:35:35 Shout-Outs
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.

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Mastering Dungeons - Mastering Dungeons - 2014 DMG Chapter 2: The Multiverse!
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05/17/23 • 79 min

Episode 139 of Mastering Dungeons!

This week's main topic: The 2014 DMG Chapter 2 – The Multiverse!

Shawn and Teos revisit the 2014 5E DMG. We look at Creating a Multiverse and whether it even belongs in Chapter 2. If it does, what should it look like in the 2024 DMG?

News: Unearthed Barbarians, New Hasbro eOne Streaming Channel, Critical Role Launches New Stream and RPG, and more!

Contents
00:00 Hydration
00:57 Rejoin at Level 1?
06:22 Golf Bag?
17:03 2024 Barbarian
29:56 Community Update
39:04 D&D Streaming Channel
45:17 CR New RPG and Stream
47:57 Crowdfunding Round-Up
48:57 DMG Chapter 2 across Editions
51:09 Creating a Useful Multiverse
01:02:23 Planar Travel
01:04:25 Astral and Ethereal
01:06:56 Feywild and Shadowfell
01:09:30 Inner Planes
01:10:47 Outer Planes
01:12:26 Other Planes
01:13:58 Closing Thoughts
01:16:20 Shout-Outs

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

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FAQ

How many episodes does Mastering Dungeons have?

Mastering Dungeons currently has 376 episodes available.

What topics does Mastering Dungeons cover?

The podcast is about Leisure, Games and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on Mastering Dungeons?

The episode title 'The Psychology of D&D with Dr. Jamie Madigan (MD 221)' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on Mastering Dungeons?

The average episode length on Mastering Dungeons is 67 minutes.

How often are episodes of Mastering Dungeons released?

Episodes of Mastering Dungeons are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of Mastering Dungeons?

The first episode of Mastering Dungeons was released on Sep 26, 2017.

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