Dungeon Master of None
A general interest podcast for fans of Dungeons and Dragons and RPGs
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357 - What's in a Name?
Matt and Rob talk about names! Generating lists, how to come up with interesting ones, how to use them in your games, some ideas for saving time, and more!
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1994 Fighting Baseball Rosters
356 - Daggerheart
The full and final release of Daggerheart, a new TTRPG System from Critical Role and Darrington Press, is here. DMs Rob and Matt review it's "fiction first" approach, good math, smooth design, effortless character creation, and still hefty bit of crunch. Is it the fabled 5e dragon slayer?
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
TEASER - Lessons from Baldur's Gate 3, Act 1
Matt and Rob talk through the masterfully designed first act of the critically acclaimed CRPG, Baldur's Gate 3. The DMs cover what you can learn, what you can steal, and what's not so easy to do in a video game that you can effortlessly do at your table.
For the full episode, head to patreon.com/dungeonmasterofnone !
355 - 5e Heartbreakers (Episode II: Attack of the Clones)
Matt and Rob continue to talk about the even more of the 5e hacks/clones/heartbreakers published over the last year. This time we review Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition and Tales of the Valiant in Part 2 of 5e Heartbreakers series.
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354 - 5e Heartbreakers
Matt and Rob talk about the explosion of 5e hacks/clones/heartbreakers, including what's good, what's bad, and what's this all about? We talk about Nimble 5e and DC20 in this episode, but there's more to come!
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
353 - Random Genre Worldbuilding
Open your Cortex RPG books to page 128, and get ready to rock, roll, and worldbuild. DMs Rob and Matt follow take three random genres and attempt to mash them together into settings and campaigns that are ready to run as TTRPGs.
The Genre Table:
1 Comedy 2 Dark Fantasy 3 Espionage 4 Giant Robots 5 High Fantasy 6 High School 7 Horror 8 Military 9 Post-Apocalyptic 10 Religious 11 Road Movie 12 Romance 13 Science Fiction 14 Superhero 15 Swashbuckler 16 WesternFollow Dungeon Master of None on Blue Sky: https://bsky.app/profile/dmofnone.bsky.social
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Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Felix Mendelssohn - Violin Sonata in F major, Performed by Jinjoo Cho & Itamar Golan
TEASER - DM Clinic with Jess Parks
Jess Parks of the actual play, I Seduce the Dragon, is back with a Dungeon Master pickle. The best way to work through planning an arc is often to talk through the situation with some other DMs. And that's what DMs Rob and Matt are here to do for DM Jess. To listen to full episode, sign up at
https://patreon.com/dungeonmasterofnone
You can listen to at
352 - DM Book Club: the Teixcalaan Series
Matt and Rob discuss the works of Arkady Martine, particularly her Teixcalaan Duology, A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace. We're big fans, and these are great books to read for inspiration on worldbuilding, politics, intrigue, culture, language, and much more!
Everyone's World is Ending All the Time
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Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Alone - BoDleasons (via Pixabay)
[ANNOUNCEMENT] Regarding Spotify
Spotify is removing some of our old episodes, but don't worry intrepid listener, you can still find them everywhere else. Pardon our dust while we work through the issue.
351 - iHunt: Dollars and Draculas
"The average American spends $10,345 a year on healthcare. That's two vampires."
DMs Rob and Matt are joined by Olivia Hill of Machine Age Dreams to chat about the new pay-what-you-want quickstart iHunt: Dollars & Draculas. Gather your precariat crew and swipe through the apps because it's time to bring monster hunting in the gig economy to the masses with this 5e D&D port of the best-selling FATE game, iHunt! And don't forget to leave a rating and review for taking out that nest of vampires clean!
#iHunt Dollars & Draculas https://machineage.itch.io/ihunt-dollars-draculas
Machine Age Dreams https://www.patreon.com/machineage
Dollars & Draculas: Adventure 02 - Blowback https://www.patreon.com/posts/another-ihunt-126723867
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350 - Unbalanced Encounters!
Matt and Rob talk with Patrick and Emily of Unbalanced Encounters! The DM quartet talks inspiration, running games, choosing your players, the state of actual play, choosing systems, and more!
Unbalanced Encounters The Cunning Folk
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349 - Springtime for Dungeon Masters
Letters! DMs Rob and Matt are here to answer your TTRPG questions and provide some wanted and unwanted advice for your game mastering.
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, The Avett Brothers - Ten Thousand Words.
BONUS - John Wick: Play Dirty (Part 2)
Matt and Rob delve even deeper into the twisted mind of one John Wick (no, the other one). We invite you to imagine, if you will, a 35 year-old man winking and smirking at his 19 year-old female co-worker in the Neopets office...
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348 - Solo TTRPGs: 1000y Vampire, Ironsworn, Captain's Log, Anamnesis
DMs Rob and Matt are all by themselves! Get into to your gaming isolation tanks and get ready to play some great solo TTRPGs:
Star Trek Adventures: Captain's Log
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Roy Orbison - Only the Lonely.
347 - Monster Manual 2025
Matt and Rob complete the trifecta and review the final core rulebook of the 2024/2025 5e update: the Monster Manual!
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346 - Project Sigil
Wizards of the Coast finally realized its 3d virtual tabletop for 5.5e Dungeons and Dragons: Project Sigil. While DMs Rob and Matt agree it is technically 3d and virtual and a tabletop...is Project Sigil a good VTT? Also, are you Gleemaxing?
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Jamiroquai - Virtual Insanity.
345 - DMofNone x I Seduce the Dragon!
Matt and Rob sit down with Jess, Cristina, and Ryan of I Seduce the Dragon to talk about D&D, actual plays, rockets, pornography, home games, dungeon mastering, and more! Thanks to the ISTD for coming on and talking with us!
344 - Triangle Agency
WARNING: The second half of this episode is for GENERAL MANAGERS ONLY.
DMs Rob and Matt understand that your boss is a S.O.B. Triangle Agency is weird game (X-Files meets Severance meets 2025 capitalism). It is a great game. It may be one of the best designed TTRPGs we've ever read. Clock in. Save the world?
https://www.hauntedtable.games/
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Patsy Cline - Tra Le La Le La Triangle, They Might Be Giants - Particle Man.
343 - Crimson Skies!
Matt regales Rob with tales from his favorite (now abandoned) setting: Crimson Skies! Flying aces take on sky pirates over the plains of a shattered America in a cool dieselpunk environment. We talk about what's cool, what you can take away, and how you might adapt Crimson Skies for a game of your own.
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Duke Ellington - Mood Indigo Django Reinhardt - Minor Swing
TEASER - Play Dirty (Part 1)
Recorded this whole podcast in an hour. Cool down. Cool down.
Rob and Matt suffer through one of the edgiest and worst books of Game Master ever published, John Wick's Play Dirty.
Head over to our Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/dungeonmasterofnone) to hear the full episode!
342 - Chases
Matt and Rob talk about how to run chases -- whether it's pursuing a suspect through a crowded market, blazing down the highway in your cybercar, or weaving through asteroid canyons in your trusty starfighter, we've got you covered.
Systems:
D&D 4e/5e Savage Worlds: Adventure Edition Blades in the Dark Genesys Pathfinder 2e Call of Cthulhu 7e Night's Black Agents
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Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Indiana Jones Theme Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Bell Bottoms Mission Impossible Theme
341 - Zephyr
Put on your scarves, cook some curry, and launch your wind gliders into the skies of Ophoi, because DMs Matt and Rob are reviewing Zephyr: An Anarchist Game of Fleeting Identities, a fascinating game that is radical different in its world-building, goals, and mechanics from most TTRPGs.
Zephyr Store at Araukana Media
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Kenny Chesney - Blame It On The Salt.
340 - Frontiers of Eberron
Matt and Rob strap on their spurs and ride off into the sunset with Keith Baker and the Eberron crew, reviewing Frontiers of Eberron, the latest (and maybe last?) Eberron splatbook for 5e. It's got a gazetteer, a starting town, an adventure, monstrous races, warforged cowboys, and more!
Frontiers of Eberron: Quickstone https://www.dmsguild.com/product/493112/Frontiers-of-Eberron-Quickstone
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Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Marty Robbins - Big Iron Will Smith - Wild Wild West Johnny Western - The Ballad of Paladin
339 - Metacurrencies
What if a currency was meta? DMs Rob and Matt discuss the systems, strategies, tips, and tricks for deploying your TTRPG's bennies/fate/destiny/power/plot/hero points effectively.
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Serengeti; Odd Nosdam - Bennies.
338 - DMG 2024 (Part 2)
Matt and Rob dig deeper into the 2024 edition of the Dungeon Master's Guide!
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337 - The 2025 Dungeon Master Gift Guide
Or, anti-gift guide...look, we all, as game masters, get nice gifts from our players, but in this episode, we take a look at the mostly cheap stuff that is nice to buy for yourself. Join DMs Rob and Matt and head over to the art supply store, the craft store, the office store, and maybe, the game store for our first "shopping episode." Plus, a secret discussion at a tool of eldritch power...the side table!
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Crudbump - Fuck You If You Don't Like Christmas.
TEASER - Secret Level: Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle
Matt and Rob talk about the new Amazon Prime short film anthology, Secret Level, especially the episode about Dungeons and Dragons! It's got dragons, it's got paladins, it's got spells (it does NOT have dungeons) -- come find out how we managed to talk for an hour about a fifteen minute short.
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336 - Letters from the Infinite Tavern
DMs Rob and Matt are here to wish you a happy holiday season and to answer your Dungeon Master and TTRPG questions and letters: how to start a campaign collaboratively, dealing with identity with games and SF&F, reading RPG books quickly, learning new systems. and a dozen or so ideas for weird space worlds! Then, Matt and Rob are invited to test out a new AI-based RPG by a publisher that definitely listens to the show.
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https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Flight of the Conchords - Robots.
TEASER - Greyhawk Tuah
Matt and Rob return to Greyhawk to talk about the setting guide included in the new 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide, discuss what's there, and what you can use for your games.
335 - Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts
John Harper is back in Doskvol with an expansion set of rules, lore, and systems for Blades in the Dark. DMs Matt and Rob discuss the great set of ideas for anyone who runs a Forged in the Dark game, or is just interested in good TTRPG design.
Blades in the Dark: Deep Cuts https://johnharper.itch.io/deep-cuts
Previous BitD episodes:
https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/213-blades-in-the-dark
https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/214-blades-in-the-dark-part-2-the-darkening
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice, Niko Case - Furnace Room Lullaby.
BONUS - GAMER ZONE: Pillars of Eternity
Rob talks about Pillars of Eternity, one of the best CRPGs of the last twenty years, what's cool about it, what you can learn from it, and how to incorporate it into your games.
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
UNLOCKED - Worldbuilding Holidays
Pack your bags and stuff your turkeys! Let's discuss building calendars and holidays for your campaigns and one-shots.
334 - The 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide
DMs Rob and Matt are back to discuss the good, the bad, and baffling of the new 2024 5th edition (revised!) Dungeon Master's Guide.
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Weezer - In the Garage.
333 - Rolling Alone
Matt and Rob talk about some exciting news in the TTRPG world, talk through some sticky bits in their games, and reflect on the state of the world and the hobby (but in a chill way, we promise)
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice REM - It's the End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fine)
332 - The TTRPG Mixtape (Music to Plan and Play By)
The making of great TTRPG mixtape, like breaking up, is hard to do. You got to kick it off with a killer, to grab attention. Then, you got to take it up a notch, but you don't want to blow your wad. So, then you've got to cool it off a notch. Like anything with role-playing games, there are a lot of rules.
Anyway, we've started to make a tape, on the podcast, for ourselves and for our players. Full of stuff to inspire us while planning. Full of stuff that will make our players happy. How can you use music to up your dungeon mastering? Tune in and see how that's done!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: The DMofNone Mixtape
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3NdwQeu4V2nKEQwfm9uw2U?si=mQhYWccjRp-Pd_1G489HQQ
331 - Sci-Fi Monster Mash
Hey, we were working in the lab late one night...well, you know the rest! DMs Matt and Rob are here to discuss some of the best science fiction creatures, NPCs, allies, and antagonists to drop into your TTRPG, no matter what the genre. We've got aliens, things, shrikes, slake moths, bioraptors, and more!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Alex Clippinger - They Want to Be Us: A 5E Adventure https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/327899/they-want-to-be-us-a-5e-adventure
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Bobby "Boris" Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers - Monster Mash.
TEASER - Art of the Player's Handbooks
Ready your vans and your airbrushes, because we are back to video and trip down memory lane to put into context the art of the new 2024 D&D Player's Handbook: cool art, bad art, trends, nitpicks, and more!
Listen to the full video episode at
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; David Bowie - Andy Warhol.
330 - Gradient Descent
Matt and Rob discuss Gradient Descent, a module for Mothership and the greatest sci-fi megadungeon made out of an abandoned android manufacturing facility in deep space (and also maybe the best sci-fi megadungeon period).
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Soen - Monarch
329 - New Mechanics in 2024 Dungeons and Dragons
Hey bud, listen up. Your D&D edition is going through some changes. Changes can be scary! But changes can also be good for us. The Ranger? No, not for the Ranger, but good for other better classes. Look, changes are how we grow. You can use Sleight of Hand to pick a lock now? Maybe! We don't actually know. In conclusion, Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition, 2nd Edition (Revised 2024) is a land of contrasts. There is a lot here that's cool (like the new cantrips) but there's also a lot here that's confusing as hell. Regardless, DMs Rob and Matt are here to guide you through some of the new mechanics, numbers, and changes in the new Player's Handbook.
Shout out to the T.E. "RPGBOT" Kamstra for cataloguing the changes from the 2014 to the 2024 Player's Handbook: https://rpgbot.net/dnd-2024-5e-transition-guide-and-change-log-everything-thats-different-in-the-new-players-handbook/
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Moving Pictures - Never.
TEASER - Dungeon Masters (an audio drama)
Matt and Rob review DUNGEON MASTERS, a very slickly produced audio drama podcast starring Wil Wheaton and Jon Hamm, which is even more confusing than it sounds. Spoiler: it's not very good!
Listen to the whole episode at https://www.patreon.com/dungeonmasterofnone
328 - AI in TTRPGs with Chase Carter
Matt and Rob talk with Chase Carter of Rascal News about how Hasbro is trying to integrate AI into Dungeons and Dragons and what, if anything, we need to be worried about.
Corporate AI Will Save Creatives for Last
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon for bonus episodes and homebrew!
327 - Player's Handbook (2024) Review
This review "is a nonliving, distinct thing." After ten years of Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons, several years of playtesting and teasing, and many months of hype, the 2024 Revised Player's Handbook is here. Is it a perfect triumph? A tour de force? Slightly better than the 2014 one? Actually 5.5e? A missed opportunity? A sign of the stagnation and rot at the heart of firms in the core of the capitalist world-economy? A D&D treasure? Tune in to DMs Matt and Rob to find out!
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon for bonus episodes and homebrew!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; David Bowie - Changes.
326 - Draw Steel Playtest
Draw Steel? Yes, we will! DMs Matt and Rob review the first backer playtest for MCDM's tactical heroic cinematic fantasy role-playing game, Draw Steel!
Draw Steel Backerkit & Pre-Order
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon for bonus episodes and homebrew!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Carpenter Brut - Turbo Killer.
325 - Pathfinder #49 - #66
Matt & Rob review three more Pathfinder Adventure Paths, Jade Regent, Skull & Shackles, and Shattered Star! Ninjas, pirates, and, um, sin, we guess.
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Shogun Theme Alestorm - You Are a Pirate Flogging Molly - Seven Deadly Sins
324 - The Secret DM Rules of D&D 5e
We are come forth out of that First Mystery, which is the last mystery, that is the four-and-twentieth mystery!
DMs Rob and Matt have returned with the hidden and secret rules in Dungeons and Dragons 5e! The weight of all past editions has burdened (or blessed) the current ruleset with occluded structures and strange leftovers that are often not fully explained in the text but are still there in the rules if a wise Dungeon Master looks for them. Join us for a discussion of the history, uses, abuses, and tricks of these secret rules that may help be better a better DM.
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Links:
Damage Types by Resistances, Vulnerabilities, and Immunity by CR
Pivot Table of Spells by Class
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Bangles - He's Got a Secret.
TEASER - How To Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck
Matt and Rob review How To Write Adventure Modules That Don't Suck, a collection of essays on adventure design by Goodman Games -- a fascinating collection of advice and tips from over a dozen experienced TTRPG writers.
Check out the whole episode on our Patreon!
323 - The DM Commandments
Matt and Rob lay down the law with a list of DM commandments -- thou shalt not's and all that. Break them at your own peril!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
322 - The Complete 5e Adventure Tier List (Part 3 of 3)
It's the final countdown of Fifth Edition Dungeons and Dragons adventures and campaigns. Classics like Curse of Strahd and Tomb of Annihilation stack up against the rest? Tune in to find out and to see the final rankings!
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon where you can watch the video version of this episode in addition to all our bonus episodes and homebrew (including our best starting adventure)!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Listen to Part 1 here: https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/320-the-complete-5e-adventure-tier-list-part-1-of-3
Listen to Part 2 here: https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/321-the-complete-5e-adventure-tier-list-part-2-of-3
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Final Countdown - Europe.
Previous reviews and advice for running 5e modules:
Curse of Strahd https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/episode-32-tfw-no-goth-gf-curse-of-stahd-review
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/ep-45-water-heist-deep-dragon
Ghosts of Saltmarsh https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/ep-75-ghosts-of-saltmarsh-review
Balder's Gate: Descent into Avernus https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/episode-92-2fast-2avernus
Lost Mine of Phandelver https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/episode-120-lost-mine-of-phandelver
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/138-rime-of-the-frostmaiden-part-1
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/139-rime-of-the-frostmaiden-part-2
Candlekeep Mysteries (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/157-candlekeep-mysteries-part-one
Candlekeep Mysteries (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/159-candlekeep-mysteries-part-two
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/187-the-wild-beyond-the-witchlight
Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/199-strixhaven-part-2-running-the-adventure
Call of the Netherdeep https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/216-call-of-the-netherdeep-review
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/229-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-part-1
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/230-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-part-2
Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/233-light-of-xaryxis
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/247-dragonlance-shadow-of-the-dragon-queen
Planescape: A Turn of Fortune's Wheel https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/285-a-turn-of-fortunes-wheel
Vecna: Eve of Ruin (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/310-vecna-eve-of-ruin-part-one
Vecna: Eve of Ruin (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/311-vecna-eve-of-ruin-part-2
Quests from the Infinite Staircase (Patreon Only Episode) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/teaser-quests-from-the-infinite-staircase
Final Rankings:
321 - The Complete 5e Adventure Tier List (Part 2 of 3)
The March of Campaigns continues! Every single official 5e Dungeons and Dragons adventure, module, and anthology will be reviewed and ranked. Dungeon Masters will weep. Players will laugh. The end of Fifth Edition is nigh.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon where you can watch the video version of this episode in addition to all our bonus episodes and homebrew!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice.
Previous reviews and advice for running 5e modules:
Curse of Strahd https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/episode-32-tfw-no-goth-gf-curse-of-stahd-review
Waterdeep: Dragon Heist https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/ep-45-water-heist-deep-dragon
Ghosts of Saltmarsh https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/ep-75-ghosts-of-saltmarsh-review
Balder's Gate: Descent into Avernus https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/episode-92-2fast-2avernus
Lost Mine of Phandelver https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/episode-120-lost-mine-of-phandelver
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/138-rime-of-the-frostmaiden-part-1
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/139-rime-of-the-frostmaiden-part-2
Candlekeep Mysteries (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/157-candlekeep-mysteries-part-one
Candlekeep Mysteries (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/159-candlekeep-mysteries-part-two
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/187-the-wild-beyond-the-witchlight
Strixhaven: Curriculum of Chaos https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/199-strixhaven-part-2-running-the-adventure
Call of the Netherdeep https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/216-call-of-the-netherdeep-review
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/229-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-part-1
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/230-journeys-through-the-radiant-citadel-part-2
Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/233-light-of-xaryxis
Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/247-dragonlance-shadow-of-the-dragon-queen
Planescape: A Turn of Fortune's Wheel https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/285-a-turn-of-fortunes-wheel
Vecna: Eve of Ruin (Pt 1) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/310-vecna-eve-of-ruin-part-one
Vecna: Eve of Ruin (Pt 2) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/311-vecna-eve-of-ruin-part-2
Quests from the Infinite Staircase (Patreon Only Episode) https://dmofnone.libsyn.com/teaser-quests-from-the-infinite-staircase
320 - The Complete 5e Adventure Tier List (Part 1 of 3)
It's time to put the 2014 version of 2014 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons to bed. And what better way to say goodbye than judging and ranking every official D&D adventure, anthology, and campaign from the last ten years. Join us for the complete official and final 5e adventure tier list!
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon where you can watch the video version of this episode in addition to all our bonus episodes and homebrew!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice;
TEASER - Quests from the Infinite Staircase
Matt and Rob review the FINAL D&D 5e adventure, which is another anthology: Quests from the Infinite Staircase! Check out the whole episode at patreon.com/DungonMasterOfNone !
319 - Mothership
Game over, man! Game over! Rob and Matt review Mothership 1e, a TTRPG about the galaxy's worst jobs. There's sci-fi, horror, and some of the best game design and DM advice you'll read this century.
Mothership https://www.tuesdayknightgames.com/collections/mothership-core-rules
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; David Bowie - Blackstar.
318 - Adventuring in Dungeon & Dragon
Matt and Rob return to the archives to review three adventures each from back issues of Dungeon and Dragon magazines!
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join the DMofNone Discord! Anna's Archive
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Generique, Miles Davis (from Ascenceur Pour L'Echafaud) Van Morrison - The Pen is Mightier Than the Sword Disturbed - The Sound of Silence The Clash - London Calling
317 - Rethinking Social Encounters
DMs Rob and Matt attempt to roll a persuasion check on you the listener! Let us convince you that there are other and better ways to set the scene, the stakes, and the execution of social role-playing encounters. In three parts, we discuss why social encounters can be difficult or different, the interesting mechanics and prep to use from a myriad of TTRPG systems, and our favorite tips and tricks for running character-to-character interaction.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Run DMC - You Talk Too Much.
316 - Tian Xia
Matt and Rob discuss the Tian Xia world guide from Paizo, a triumphant return to the continent on Golarion and a much-needed update to some outdated regions, peoples, and ideas.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Xian - Ancient Fantasy Journey Chinggis khaanii Magtaal - Batzorig Vaanchig North Korean National Anthem 《如懿传》片尾曲 Closing Theme Song - Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace - 《梅香如故》 毛不易+周深
315 - Narrative Miniature Games
Have you ever played something that isn't a TTRPG? Well, it turns out there games out there that are not D&D or even a role-playing game that also generate story through play. In the first episode about things that are not RPGs, DMs Rob and Matt will take you on a whistle-stop tour of the wide world of narrative miniature wargaming.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Links:
One Page Rules - Age of Fantasy: Quest
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Dear Hunter - The Tank.
314 - Hot DM Summer
Happy Solstice! Rob and Matt are here to answer your Dungeon Master questions about starting sessions, Vecna/Kas shipping, old systems, failed MMOs, the benefits of classical education, X-COM, and more!
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Links:
Vecna and the Tears of Unmaking - Sly Flourish
Whatever Happened to Pathfinder Online, Anyway?- Kai Tave
The Lost Universe - NASA's Tabletop Role-Playing Game Adventure
313 - Rogue Trader
Matt and Rob talk about Rogue Trader, the now-defunct Warhammer 40k TTRPG. It's got orks, it's got big gothic cathedral ships, it's got chonky weapons, it's got profits, folks, it's got it all!
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
TEASER - Dice Workshop
DMs Rob and Matt clock into the Dice Workshop for a long shift working on custom dice mechanics and discuss dice probabilities and mechanics put in practice!
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
312 - Dice Hard with a Vengeance
Matt and Rob talk about dice! Mechanics, systems, resolution, modifiers, taxonomies, the whole shebang! It's not boring, we promise.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice NMIXX - DICE Odetari - Dice and Roll
311 - Vecna: Eve of Ruin (Part 2)
Follow your rod to the second half of WotC's final 5e Adventure, Vecna: Eve of Destruction. Rob and Matt discuss missed opportunities, share some secrets, and offer some tips to fix this adventure.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Turtles - Eve of Destruction.
310 - Vecna: Eve of Ruin (Part One)
Matt and Rob talk about the newest WotC Adventure, Vecna: Eve of Ruin, a celebration of D&D and an adventure through the multiverse! You guys love multiverses, right?
TEASER - Actual Prep: Running Con Games
DM Matt walks you through his prep for a Friendly Local Gaming Convention and his tips for running a successful Con slot.
Links:
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
RPG Geek Global Game Conventions List https://rpggeek.com/wiki/page/Game_Conventions
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Dschinghis Khan - Dschinghis Khan.
309 - OSR Principia Apocrypha
A tome! A tome of forbidden dungeon master knowledge has been unearthed by your intrepid hosts. DMs Matt and Rob discuss the first principles and Apocalypse World-style GM moves for Old School Rules games from the Principia Apocrypha!
https://lithyscaphe.blogspot.com/p/principia-apocrypha.html
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Keith Mansfield - Funky Fanfare.
TEASER - Lessons from Brindlewood Bay
Matt and Rob talk about what they learned from running Brindlewood Bay, what worked, what didn't, what to watch out for, and what you can learn and take away for your own games.
Hear the full episode (and more!) on our Patreon.
308 - House Rules for All
Almost everyone has house rules for their games, but are there house rules that are good for (nearly) every game? DMs Matt and Rob share over a dozen house rules from their games and their favorite systems that can (probably) be lifted and inserted into whatever TTRPG system your table plays.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Links to rules:
FATE CORE, "Declaring a Story Detail"
Year Zero Engine SRD, Chapter 4, "Rounds & Initiative"
Giffglyph, Darker Dungeons, "Chapter 20: Active Defense"
Traverse Fantasy, "Damage Roll as Attack Bonus"
13th Age SRD, Character Rules, "Choose Your One Unique Thing"
Cypher System SRD, Creating Your Character, "Character Descriptor, Type, and Focus"
Daggerheart Playtest 1.4, Open Playtest Manuscript, "Maps, Range, and Movement"
Odd Skull Blog, "Combat Maneuvers, The Easy Way"
Blades in the Dark SRD, "Progress Clocks"
Troll Smyth, "Shields Shall Be Splintered!"
Lich Van Winkle, "The Genealogy of Advantage and Disadvantage in RPG Mechanics"
5e SRD, Rules, "Advantage and Disadvantage"
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Odetta - Hit or Miss.
307 - The Monty "Haul" Problem
Matt and Rob travel back in time to the era of mullets and shoulderpads to talk about a strangely relevant article from 1984 in DRAGON MAGAZINE #82. What happens when your players have grown TOO POWERFUL?
306 - Brindlewood Bay
Brew your tea, pack your knitting needles, and put on your most comfortable jogging suit because DMs Matt and Rob are off to solve the coziest murder this side of Cape Cod!
Brindlewood Bay is a mystery RPG that combines the Golden Girls with Call of Cthulhu using an innovative set of mechanics to sidestep the frustration of running a whodunit. Then, head across the pond to gothic London for The Between, an anti-cozy game using the same "Carved From Brindlewood" mechanics.
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join DMofNone on Discord!
Links:
Brindlewood Bay: A Dark and Cozy Mystery Game by Jason Cordova https://www.brindlewoodbay.com/brindlewood-bay.html
The Between: A Game of Monster Hunters in Victorian London https://www.brindlewoodbay.com/the-between.html
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; John Addison - Murder, She Wrote Theme.
PREVIEW - The Best Megadungeon and Hexcrawl
Here is a preview TWO of our subscriber episodes reviewing what could be the best published megadungeon and the best published hexcrawl. To listen to the full episodes subscribe below and check out these adventures for yourself.
Subscribe to the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Stonehell Dungeon: Down Night-Haunted Halls by Michael Curtis
The Dark of Hot Springs Island by Jacob Hurst, Evan Peterson, Donnie Garcia, and Gabriel Hernandez
305 - Disk Horse
DMs Matt and Rob wade into The Discourse discussing if “system matters” and “rules elide.”
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join DMofNone on Discord!
Links:
Fireside Chat for Chapter 2 of World Beyond Number - Dimension 20
Rules Elide - Jared.blot (Archived)
The Baker-Care Principle - Emily Care Boss
The Fruitful Void - Lumpley Games
Stance Theory - Socratic Design
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Bruce Springsteen - Pony Boy.
BONUS - Game Design With Andy Pressman
Rob sits down with designer Andy Pressman to talk about, well, design, but also about games! The conversation ranges from Andy's active projects to onboarding players to mechanics to game jams and hacks and more.
304 - Daggerheart Playtest Part Two
Matt and Rob cover the REST of the Daggerheart playtest, including the GM section, adversaries, maps, worldbuilding, and the included starting adventure -- there's a lot going on here!
Download the playtest materials here for free:
https://darringtonpress.com/daggerheart/
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join DMofNone on Discord!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Luca Turilli - Demonheart Slowdive - Dagger
303 - Daggerheart Playtest (Part 1)
DM "Dagger" Matt and DM "Heart" Rob are here to chat about the recently released playtest of Daggerheart, a fantasy TTRPG by Darrington Press and Critical Role.
Download the playtest materials here for free:
https://darringtonpress.com/daggerheart/
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join DMofNone on Discord!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Blondie - Heart of Glass.
302 - Wandering Blades with Daniel Kwan
Matt and Rob are joined by Daniel Kwan of Asians Represent to talk about his TTRPG of lethal melodrama, Wandering Blades! We talk wuxia, TTRPG design, playtesting, mechanics, inspirations, and more!
301 - How to Learn a New RPG System
So you want to run an RPG. No, not the one you are running right now, but a different one. DMs Matt and Rob are here to talk through their method and tips for learning a new game system.
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join DMofNone on Discord!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.
300 - Rascal Dot News
Matt and Rob sit down with Lin Codega and Rowan Zeoli of rascal.news, the new independent TTRPG news site that is rising, phoenix-like, from the ashes of, well, several other sites. We talk plans, the state of TTRPGs, the death of journalism, and more! In Search of a Hot Pink Bitch Named Breakfast
299 - D&D on Death Row with Keri Blakinger
DMs Rob and Matt are joined by Keri Blakinger, investigative reporter at the Los Angeles Times, to talk about her piece for New York Times Magazine, "The Dungeons & Dragons Players of Death Row," which can be read for free at the Marshall Project, "When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row."
Links:
Keri Blakinger - The Marshall Project https://www.themarshallproject.org/2023/08/31/dungeons-and-dragons-texas-death-row-tdcj
Keri Blakinger - Corrections in Ink: A Memoirhttps://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250272850/correctionsinink
Smriti Mundhra - I Am Ready, Warden at Big Sky Film Festival https://www.bigskyfilmfest.org/festival/films-2024-view/i_am_ready_warden/
Books to Prisoners Programs https://prisonbookprogram.org/prisonbooknetwork/
Inside Books Project (Texas) https://insidebooksproject.org/
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Lead Belly - The Gallis Pole.
298 - The Open Table
Special West Marches Correspondent Andy joins Matt and Rob to explain a wonderous campaign where all are welcome: The Open Table! Learn what an open table-style game is, why you might want to ditch your old dedicated story-driven campaigns, and how to prepare and GM an open table game. Plus, learn the Five "S"s of Open Tables: Setting, System, Scheduling, Starting, Stopping!
Links:
Andy - Tales of the Iron league https://ironleague.org/
Tales of the Iron League Discord https://discord.gg/xY8K7qS9
Ben Robbins - West Marches https://arsludi.lamemage.com/index.php/78/grand-experiments-west-marches/
Kelsey Dionne - Shadowdark: The Cursed Scroll https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/products/cursed-scroll-zine-vol-1-diablerie-print
Trial of the Slime Lord https://jordanrudd.itch.io/trial-of-the-slime-lord
Inkwell Ideas - Hexographer https://store.inkwellideas.com/products/hexographer-hexographer-2-pro-version
OwlCon in Houston, Texas https://owlcon.com/
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join DMofNone on Discord!
TEASER: InDesigning RPGs
Matt and Rob talk about how to make role-playing adventures, player guides, and games look nice. Join us for a journey through design and layout tools from simple to complex.
Listen to the full episode on the DMofNone Patreon!
Links:
297 - How to Run a One Shot
Matt and Rob talk about how to run a one shot! As it turns out, finishing a whole adventure in one sitting is a lot more complicated than it sounds.
Rat Queens They Want to Be Us Savage Worlds One Sheets Summer in December The Great Grav Train Robbery Bite Sized Dungeons
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join us on Discord!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Hamilton - Aaron Burr, Sir Eminem - One Shot, Two Shot Ferran - One Shot
BONUS - Actual Prep: Thunder on the Steppe
Rob abuses his power to force the podcast audience to listen to him ramble about his unfinished campaign setting, Thunder on the Steppe! We talk through the idea behind the campaign, issues with getting it presentable, next steps and takeaways.
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
Link to the Thunder on the Steppe Preview doc.
Join us on Discord!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice The Hu - Wolf Totem
296 - So You Want to be a Game Master?
Matt and Rob review So You Want to be a Game Master? by Justin Alexander (of thealexandrian.net), which is exactly what it says on the tin. We talk about Alexander's approach, what you'll find in the book, and what you can use in your games!
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join us on Discord!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Duck Tales Theme Mission Impossible Theme Jefferson Starship - We Built This City
TEASER - Farewell to 2023
Matt and Rob reflect on the events of the year, go over the many (12!) systems they've reviewed, and talk about what they're looking forward to in 2024.
Listen to the rest of the episode (and an entire day's worth of premium episodes) on the DMofNone Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join us on Discord!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Lorne Balfe - Juice of the Vine.
295 - Frequently Asked Questions about Dungeons
DMs Rob and Matt are back to answer your questions about Game Mastering! Plus, the triumphant return of Unwanted Advice!
Check out the DMofNone Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join us on Discord!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Du gamla, du fria - Sabaton; Young Folks - Peter Bjorn and John.
294 - Pathfinder #31 - 48
Matt and Rob review some more Pathfinder adventure paths, focusing on Serpent's Skull and Carrion Crown! One of these is good! One of them is not! Listen to find out which. Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Crab Rave! Earth Wind and Fire - Serpentine Fire Monster Squad Theme Song - Rock Until You Drop
293 - Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game
"Temba, his arms wide!" DMs Rob and Matt give the gift of a Trekkie TTRPG to you this holiday season. Learn about why playing a Starfleet crew is so much fun and how to use Mophidius's 2d20 system with its momentum and threat pools to create rewarding play at the table. Don your redshirt and get ready for a simulation that you can't win...no, not the Kobayashi Maru...but Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game!
Links:
-
Continuing Mission: A Fan Site for Star Trek RPGs https://continuingmissionsta.com/
-
Star Trek Character, Ship, and Token Creator https://sta.bcholmes.org/
-
The Shield of Tomorrow Actual Play https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7atuZxmT955aQO-G-3LR6kgX4EU2qrHg
-
Star Trek RPG Core Rulebook https://www.modiphius.net/en-us/products/star-trek-adventures-core-rulebook
-
Captain's Log: Solo Roleplaying Game https://www.modiphius.net/en-us/products/sta-captains-log-solo-roleplaying-game
-
Star Trek RPG Free Quickstart https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/222948/Star-Trek-Adventures-Quickstart
-
Star Trek RPG Starter Set https://www.modiphius.net/en-us/products/star-trek-adventures-starter-set-pdf
Check out the DMofNone Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join us on Discord!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Faith of the Heart - Russell Watson.
292 - Game Master Like a Teacher
DM Matt shares with DM Rob advice from his many years in the classroom that you can bring to your RPG table. Learn to game master like a teacher with these pedagogy tips!
Session Plan Template on Patreon
Check out the DMofNone Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Join us on Discord!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Who - Substitute; Win Ben Stein's Money Intro (Beethoven - Ode to Joy).
291 - Candela Obscura
Matt and Rob discuss the brand new mystery horror TTRPG from Darrington Press, Candela Obscura! This highly-anticipated freshman offering from Critical Role's in-house press has, to say the least, a lot going on! Delve into a world of spooky mystery, vaguely fin-de-siècle aesthetics, and questionable architectural choices.
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
Join us on Discord!
BONUS - Tome of Battle (TEASER)
On the Patreon, Matt and Rob revisit a controversial book from the late-stage D&D 3.5e era -- The Tome of Battle: Book of Nine Swords! This is a messy, bloated, confusing book, but there are a few gems buried there, and moments of real potential, especially if you like cool martial abilities, fantastic combat, and tactical gameplay.
290 - Tabletop Game Designers Association with Elizabeth Hargrave and Sen-Foong Lim
Matt and Rob are joined by veteran board game and RPG designers, Elizabeth Hargrave and Sen-Foong Lim, to discuss the Tabletop Game Designers Association, a new trade organization for tabletop creatives of all types. The TTGDA will advocate, educate, and fight for living wages in our community and will need your solidarity!
Learn more and sign-up for updates on the TTGDA here at ttgda.org
Guests:
Elizabeth Hargrave is the Kennerspiel des Jahres award-winning designer of numerous games including Wingspan, The Fox Experiment, and Mariposas. Her kickstarter for Undergrove, a game about how mushrooms and trees are friends, is live right now!
Sen-Foong Lim is Gold ENnie award-winning designer whose credits include Jiangshi: Blood in the Banquet Hall, the Revenant Society, Avatar: Legends, Mind MGMT, Dungeons & Dragons: Rock Paper Wizard, and Junk Art.
Fundraisers:
Meguey Bakerhttps://www.mealtrain.com/trains/lk908w?rf=1
Jennell Jayquays https://www.gofundme.com/f/jennell-jaquays-has-a-long-road-back
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Hazel Dickens - They'll Never Keep Us Down
Check out the DMofNone Patreon!
Join us on Discord!
289 - Tarot of Many Things
Matt and Rob are joined by Special Tarot Correspondent Nat, to celebrate the death of Henry Kissinger, discuss the basics of tarot, the history of tarot and tarot-like decks in D&D, how to use tarot with your players, and ways to prep adventures using cartomancy!
You can follow Nat on Twitter @ashesforfoxes
Links:
The Deck of Many Things (5e SRD)
The Tarokka Deck from Curse of Strahd
The Official Dungeons & Dragons Licensed Tarot Deck by Fred Gissubel
Check out our Patreon!
Join us on Discord!
288 - Vaesen
Matt and Rob strap on their goggles and top hats, ingest a few milliliters of laudanum, and review Vaesen, Free League Publishing's Nordic horror fantasy monster hunting RPG! No myrling or brook horse is safe!
Check out our Patreon!
Join us on Discord!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Grimm TV Show Theme Into the Woods - Witch's Lament Unsolved Mysteries Theme Finntroll - Trollhammeren
287 - Types of Players
What's your players' signs? DMs Rob and Matt take a look at the many different typologies, stereotypes, and taxonomies of players at your table and how you can best observe, identify, and harness these different motivations and goals to improve your game.
Some of the many lists of types of role-players.
Check out our Patreon!
Join us on Discord!
TEASER - The Talent
DMs Rob and Matt review MCDM's psionic system and psion class, The Talent. Long splat book short: it's pretty good. And it bodes well for the RPG system MCDM will be kickstarting in a couple months. While certain aspects of the class certainly stressed (strained?) us out, MCDM may have designed a better magic system for 5e than D&D's traditional Vancian casting.
Listen to the full episode on our Patreon!
286 - Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse
Matt and Rob return to Sigil to talk about the other two books in the Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse box set! This includes Sigil and the Outlands, which is exactly what it sounds like, and Morte's Planar Parade, a planar-focused monster manual. I hope you like opinions, berks, because we've got em!
Check out our Patreon!
Join us on Discord! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Heimdall - Haephestus Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK Three Days Grace - I Hate Everything About You The Skye Boat Song - Kathryn Jones/Raya Yarbrough (Outlander Theme Song)
285 - A Turn of Fortune's Wheel
Listen up you berks, Matt and Rob are here to talk about Planescape: Adventures in the Multiverse -- well, one part of it anyway, the Turn of Fortune's Wheel campaign. We hate to say it cagers, but these leatherheads really piked it.
Check out our Patreon!
Join us on Discord!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Wheel of Fortune Theme Casino Royale Theme
284 - Coriolis
283 - Rob Talks Baldur's Gate 3
Matt is down with COVID (don't worry, he's fine), so Rob is stealing the mic to talk about Baldur's Gate 3, the unexpected gaming phenomenon of the season. Turns out there's a lot of cool stuff you can do if you're willing to bend the rules of 5e (and have six years to polish a game).
Check out our Patreon!
Join us on Discord!
282 - Monster Mashup Redux
Happy spooky season, y'all! To celebrate, it's the Monster Mash...up...again! Listen to DMs Rob and Matt mix up on the fly the bugbear with the ankheg, a swarm of rats with a trademarked giant brain-eating worm, and a lion with a gladiator. Stick with it on that last one. Sounds boring, but it's worth it!
Check out our Patreon for the full stats of each monster!
Join us on Discord!
281 - October Mailbag
280 - Invisible Sun
DMs Rob and Matt discuss one of the most challenging, most interesting, and weirdest RPGs to come out in the last decade: Monte Cook Games' Invisible Sun. Pour yourself some tea made of thoughts and shuffle your soothe deck because we are heading into the black cube.
279 - So You Want to Be a Game Master w/ Justin Alexander
Justin Alexander of the Alexandrian joins Matt and Rob to talk about his upcoming book and about what he's learned in his many years of GMing! Get a sneak peek of So You Want to be a Game Master and hear some PRO TIPS for your games!
TEASER - The Ultimate Grift: Jamison Stone and Satine Phoenix
Listen to the full episode on our Patreon!
The "ult" episode to our earlier combo on RPG Kickstarter grifts, detailing just a few of the many exploits of Jamison Stone and Satine Phoenix.
StudlyStone: A collection of stories involving Satine Phoenix, Jamison Stone, Apotheosis Studios
"Accusations Of Bullying And Blacklisting Surround Dungeons & Dragons Creator Couple" by Dan Arndt
Kickstarter Links:
278 - Monstrous, Monsters, and Mapping with Kyle Latino
Special guest Kyle Latino, aka the MapCrow, joins DM Matt to talk about Cloud Curio's new Kickstarter, Monstrous, how tapping into the fantastic creates better monsters, and how to map more engaging worlds for your players.
Check out Monstrous, on Kickstarter now!
Building Better Monsters on YouTube
277 - Your (TTRPG) Kickstarter Sucks
Matt and Rob talk about some of our favorite Kickstarter grifts and teach you, valued consumer, how to identify and steer clear of obvious crowdfunding scams.
Far West Salt in Wounds Grimmerspace Swordsfall
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Will Smith - Wild Wild West
276 - Flee, Mortals!
DMs Rob and Matt review Flee, Mortals! The MCDM Monster Book. Spoilers: it's good.
275 - Power Gaming
Matt and Rob discuss a contentious topic -- power gaming! Come listen to find out why it's cool and good, actually.
Hey D&D Powergamers... On Power Gaming
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Kanye West - Power Puiblic Enemy - Fight the Power
274 - Tabletop News
Tabletop News is your weekly rundown of the tabletop gaming industry's latest news created for gamers by gamers.
Links:
The Worst Heist of All Time at GenCon
Paizo Announces New Starfinder Edition at Gen Con
Largest Third-Party D&D Marketplace Restricts AI-Generated Products
Hasbro May Be Eyeing AI for Dungeons & Dragons
Dungeons & Dragons tells illustrators to stop using AI to generate artwork for fantasy franchise
Goonhammer Roundtable: The Roadmap for Magic from GenCon
Baldur’s Gate 3 enters Steam charts’ all-time top 10 in first weekend - Polygon
Baldur's Gate 3 - Character Creation Stats
Dungeons & Dragons' Designer Explains How Playtests Have Moved From Experimental to Focused
Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn - Sourcebooks - Marketplace - D&D Beyond
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarter Club | EN World Tabletop RPG News & Reviews
273 - Vampire: the Masquerade
Matt and Rob sink their teeth into the biggest, bloodiest, sexiest dracula-having RPG around: Vampire: the Masquerade! We only scratch (bite?) the surface of what's possible, but it should give you a taste of what's to store in this world of darkness...
patreon.com/dungeonmasterofnone Discord Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings Buffy Theme Angel Theme Slayer - At Dawn They Sleep Def Leppard - Love Bites
TEASER - Castles and Cauldrons
Has an older sibling, friend, or classmate introduced you to "role playing fantasy games?" Make sure your parents are in the room for this one, as Matt and Rob take a trip through the tail end of the Satanic Panic in the Imagination Station to Odyssey, U.S.A. and the Focus on the Family's 1990 radio play, "Castles and Cauldrons."
BONUS - Dark Souls TTRPG (no, the other one)
Rob reviews a fan translation of the Japanese Dark Souls TTRPG by Kadokawa. Is it better than the 5e version? Can he git gud or will he go hollow reading it?
272 - Dungeons and Data 2e
Every couple years, DMs Rob and Matt get curious about which TTRPGs everyone is playing. Which system (that isn't D&D) is the most popular? Which adventure has been played the most?
Unfortunately, there isn't a giant database of what everyone is playing, at least, not since the Orr Report ceased its quarterly publication back in 2021. So, we have done our best to compare the popularity of various systems, settings, adventures, and communities using social media subscriptions from Reddit.com. It's hard to draw too many specific conclusions from this dataset, so take any analysis with a grain of salt. Listen in for a comparison of D&D adventure popularity, a ranking of non-D&D systems, and an analysis of the gap between the number of Kickstarter backers and subscribers to a system.
271 - Underused Monsters
Matt and Rob dig into the depths of the monster manual to find some underused and underappreciated monsters to use in your games.
Music
Pac Div - Roll the Dice The Living Tombstone - Spooky Scary Skeletons (Remix) Olivia Rodrigo - Vampire Attack on Titan Theme Song Kanye West - Monster
270 - OneDnD: Don't Call It a New Edition
With the help of Special Playtest Correspondent Alex Clippinger, DM Matt dives into 127 pages of playtest material for OneDnD.
OneDnD Playtest 5 and Playtest 6
269 - Metagaming
Hate the metaplayer, not the metagame. DMs Matt and Rob break down the common definitions and misconceptions around metagaming in TTRPGs as well as how Game Masters can leverage metagaming to improve play.
LegalKimchi - Metagaming in Roleplaying Games
BONUS: Kingmaker 2.0 (TEASER)
Time to return to the Stolen Lands and review the updated and revised Kingmaker adventure for Pathfinder Second Edition. Is this our favorite published adventure? Maybe. Probably. Do we like it even more since the last time we reviewed it? Also, probably yes.
268 - The Vicarious Participator
Matt and Rob give some game updates, discuss The News, and then delve into some ancient wisdom from Dragon Magazine #74.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Eddy Grant - Electric Avenue The Police - Every Breath You Take
267 - Pathfinder Adventure Paths (#19 - #30)
Take a tour of the gnoll-infested island of Katapesh and the gloomy streets of Westcrown as we review Legacy of Fire and Council of Thieves in our second entry on the Pathfinder Adventure series.
266 - Pathfinder Adventure Paths (#1 - #18)
Matt and Rob delve deep into the first three Pathfinder adventure paths from Paizo -- Rise of the Runelords, Curse of the Crimson Throne, and Second Darkness! Three down...and a lot still to go.
Songs:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Angels & Airwaves - The Adventure Dethklok - Awaken King Crimson - Starless Coldplay - Adventure of a Lifetime
265 - Shadowdark
Hey, you got modern game design in my old school RPG! Hey, you got old school RPG in my modern game design! DM Matt and Vice DM Andy review the brand new Shadowdark RPG system by Kelsey Dionne and published by the Arcane Library fresh off of its $1.3 million kickstarter campaign. Time to attack the light!
Download the quick start or purchase the rules for Shadowdark here.
You can join DMofNone on Discord
264 - The Pirate's Mailbag
You have Dungeon Master questions. We have Dungeon Master of None answers!
Send your questions to our email: dmofnone@gmail.com
You can join DMofNone on Discord
BONUS: D&D Trivial Pursuit (TEASER)
Matt and Rob play TRIVIAL PURSUIT: DUNGEONS & DRAGONS ULTIMATE EDITION to find out who knows more obscure and pointless D&D lore (it's Matt).
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
263 - The Pinkertons
🚩Happy May Day!🚩
DM Rob takes Matt through a deep dive into the sordid history of one of the most evil corporations in American history: the Pinkerton Detective Agency. 👁️ We never cast sleep. 👁️
You can listen to Rob's other rants about and research into Radical History right here!
BONUS - Best of Year Five
Once again, it's time for our yearly "Must Listen" clip show! Sit down and listen to our three-part series on the history of reactionary thought about RPGs, then tune in to our interview with Justine Alexander and Legal Kimchi on the leaked Open Game License, plus our discussion of parentages with game designer V.J. Harris, and finally our two-part "Actual Prep" designing the perfect starting adventure for new RPG players.
262 - Running Heists
DMs Matt and Rob discuss running heists at your table. Also, f*$k the Pinkertons and anyone who hires them!
The Roleplayer's Guide to Heists on DriveThruRPG and Itch
You can join DMofNone on Discord
261 - Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game
With the most money ever raised for a TTRPG, Magpie Games has written an official, licensed adaptation of one of our favorite settings, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Avatar: The Legend of Korra. DMs Rob and Matt discuss the game. Is it a slapdash adaptation to make money off of a beloved franchise, or a ground-breaking, amazing new RPG system, or maybe something balanced in-between those extremes? Hint: it's probably the last one.
You can join DMofNone on Discord
260 - The Fate RPG
Matt and Rob discuss one of the OG narrative RPGs -- Fate!
259 - Honor Among Thieves
Is there honor among thieves? Maybe! Sort of. Let's find out as DMs Rob and Matt review the fourth and newest Dungeons and Dragons movie, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
You can join DMofNone on Discord
TEASER - The Unofficial Ultimate Guide to Dungeons and Dragons
Rob found a magazine at the supermarket filled with bizarre AI art and questionable Dungeon Master advice: The Unofficial Ultimate Guide to Dungeons and Dragons.
Listen to the whole episode on our Patreon here.
258 - Thieves' Gallery
DMs Matt and Rob break down the stats for our titular Thieves from Honor among Thieves.
You can join DMofNone on Discord
257 - Dungeons and Dragons the Movie: Wrath of the Dragon God
We review the Dungeons and Dragons movie! No, not the new 2023 D&D movie with Michelle Rodriguez, or the even the 2000 film with Jeremy Irons, but 2005's straight-to-DvD Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God. With the help of some special guests, we listen to the thrilling return of our favorite wacky henchman, Damodar, and meet our new adventuring party of Lord Beric, Mage Wife, Obad-Hai Guy, Apestaff Wizard, and Claxx the Lich. We may have lost $10.3 million and 1:42:59 of our lives, but we collected a lot of cool 🔮Orbs🔮 along the way, and at the end of the adventuring day, isn't that what RPGs are all about?
Check out Kevin's research here
and Sam's film productions here.
You can also join DMofNone on Discord
TEASER 256 - Divine Letters
DMs Matt and Rob discuss the newest OneDnD playtest: the Druid and the Paladin. Plus, we answer your letters: adding diversity, player-run factions, and rules clarifications!
BONUS - Coyote and Crow
Rob reviews Coyote and Crow, a very exciting new RPG by native creators. Cool adventures, sweet outfits, awesome alternate future tech -- this book has it all folks.
Find it here: https://coyoteandcrow.net/
Note: Rob mangled a couple of native words and will re-upload with better pronunciation when he learns how to talk properly
255 - Actual Prep: New Campaign & Advanced Plagiarism
DM Matt walks you through prepping for a new campaign using lots of plagiarism and how to prep making new characters and creating handouts to speed through the process with new players. You can support the show on Patreon to gain access to our "Best Starting Adventure" plus the handouts and maps Matt prepared for this new campaign.
Links:
254 - MÖRK BORG
Matt and Rob talk about MÖRK BORG, the greatest metal-inspired, Swedish, grimdark, rules-light TTRPG you've ever seen.
The Unseen Vaults of the Optic Experiment
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Putrescence Regnant - The Floating Basilica Judas Priest - Nostradamus Gloryhammer - Rise of the Chaos Wizards Fintroll - Trollhammaren Electric Wizard - Barbarian Putrescence Regnant - The Calendar of Nechrubel
253 - Abomination Vaults
DMs Matt and Rob review the megadungeon adventure path for Pathfinder 2e: Abomination Vaults. For the next week, the campaign is available along with the core of the PF2e system and a ton of other goodies on Humble Bundle.
TEASER: The Five C's of DMing
Matt and Rob quantum leap back to the 80s and dive into Dragon Magazine #80 to ponder our orbs, rock out to some tunes, and read about The Five C's of DMing.
252 - Linda Codega, Dragon Slayer
Award-winning Special Journalism & NFT Correspondent Linda Codega of i09 returns to the show to talk about how they broke the OGL story, how Wizards/Hasbro has breached the "trust thermocline," and what the TTRPG future may look like now that WotC has taken an "L" and released of the SRD into the Creative Commons.
Cool games that Linda recommends:
Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined and Interstitial - Kingdom Hearts Actual Play
And as always, join DMofNone on Discord and support the show on Patreon!
251 - Pathfinder 2E01: Intermediate GMing
So, you're thinking about running Pathfinder for the first time? Well, you read a lot about the new classes, cool monsters, and massive adventure catalog, but you don't know much about being a PF Game Master. This episode has you covered! DMs Rob and Matt discuss exactly what a GM switching from old Dungeon and Dragons to PF2e should expect, what to look out for, and what can help make the transition easier for players.
250 - The Most Dangerous Game License
Matt and Rob get together to discuss further developments in the OGL and other things that suck. Also, WotC released a survey, and you should fill it out and tell them what you think! This is the last OGL conversation for a bit, we promise. The survey link is at the bottom of this post:
https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1432-starting-the-ogl-playtest
249 - O. G. HELL
After the bombshell report by friend-of-the-show Linda Codega on Wizards of the Coast’s disastrous new version of the Open Gaming License, we discuss the controversy with two guests: Justin Alexander and LegalKimchi. We dive into what the Open Gaming License (OGL) is, its history and context, the legal issues raised by the new document, why no company in their right mind will sign the new license, the reasoning that may be guiding WotC’s decision, and where companies and fans can go from here.
Linda Codega’s article on Gizmodo
Justin Alexander’s The Alexandrian blog and his three part series on the history of the OGL
The Original Open Game License 1.0a
UNLOCKED - B.A.D.D. Vibes
Rob takes Matt on a journey through history to talk about when America was great and Satan was real -- the 1980s! We talk about Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons, the Satanic Panic, Andy Rooney, and more! This one's kind of a doozie, hope you enjoy it! D&D 60 Minutes Clip The Pulling Report Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic Dungeons and Dragons: Witchcraft, Suicide, Violence
248 - December Mailbag
We answer your DM problems: taking hats off our hats, explaining underdark ecology, damage immunity frustrations, putting the One Ring into Shadowrun, reactions to the "Reaction" series, and more!
TEASER - Prestige Classes
Matt and Rob talk about the good, bad, and ugly of prestige classes, and even whip up a couple of examples you could try to integrate into your 5e games.
Join our Patreon for the full episode and three example prestige classes for 5e!
247 - Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen
Special Krynn Correspondent Meaghan, returns, as we attempt to fixup the newest D&D 5e adventure, Dragonlance: Shadow of the Dragon Queen.
Get a copy of Tasslehoff's Pouches of Everything Revised at the DMsGuild!
Listen to the Dragonlance Nexus podcast for more Ansalon goodness.
246 - D&D Parentages and more with VJ Harris
Matt and Rob interview VJ Harris, GM, game designer, writer and most recently author of An Elf and an Orc Had a Little Baby. We talk about D&D races, DMing, some recent WotC news, and more! You can find VJ on Twitter, the DM's Guild, TikTok, their website, and on their podcast.
245 - OneDnD: Cleric and Revised Species
There's even more OneDnD playtest rules. On deck are the rules for everyone's favorite effective yet bland class: the Cleric. Special Freelance Correspondent Alex Clippinger joins us to tell us why we were wrong about the Jump Action rules. Like the Great Bambino calling his shot home run shot, Alex lays down a prediction for the Counterspell mechanics. Last, listen to a thrilling Oxford-style debate on the motion: Are textbook style rules superior to natural language writing?
Check out all of Alex's creations
244 - Reaction Part 3: Frightful Presence
Part three of our series tracing the roots of reactionary thought in Dungeons and Dragons: the anti-diversity backlash, the never-ending outrage machine, an overwhelming fear of change, common contemporary reactionary arguments, and our final conclusions.
Thank you for listening and a special thank you to all our Patreon supporters!
You can write the hosts with questions, comments, or critiques here.
And support the show on Patreon!
Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio and Elynatracks.
243 - Reaction Part 2: "A Hideous Little Polyp"
Part two of our series tracing the roots of reactionary thought in Dungeons and Dragons: the emergence of the right-wing D&D outrage machine from below and from above.
Stay tuned for part 3 tomorrow!
You can listen to the first episode of the series here.
You can write the hosts with questions, comments, or critiques here.
And support the show on Patreon!
Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio and Elynatracks.
242 - Reaction Part 1: Satan, Puppies, and Gamers
Part one of our series tracing the roots of reactionary thought in Dungeons and Dragons: defining our terms, the long consequences of the Satanic Panic, the anti-diversity campaign in speculative fiction, and GamerGate's influence on RPGs.
Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow!
You can listen to our episode on the Satanic Panic and D&D here.
You can write the hosts with questions, comments, or critiques here.
And support the show on Patreon!
Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio and Elynatracks.
TEASER - The Bards Are Back In Town - Track 1
It's another premium episode of Actual Prep. This time, put your head phones on for a hi-fi episode in which we build an open-ended, all-bard adventure: The Bards Are Back In Town!
Listen to the full episode and get all our rockin' bonus content over at Parteon!
241 - Pathfinder Gamemastery Guide Part Two
Matt and Rob continue their review/deep read of the Pathfinder Gamemastery guide! This week they get to the really crunchy stuff.
240 - Gamemastery Guide
DMs Rob and Matt are back "in the garage" with a discussion of the Dungeon Master advice in Pathfinder 2e's Gamemastery Guide.
239 - The Monster Mashup
Matt and Rob get spooky and engage in highly unethical behavior by randomly mashing up classic D&D monsters! Listen to us deal with complicated physiological questions like how many limbs and other appendages mashed-up creatures should have, and more!
You can download our full stats for 5e of each monster on our Patreon page.
TEASER - Bored of the Rings
We discuss season 1 of The Rings of Power. Find out what we think of all your favorite characters: Frito, Spam, Gimlet, Legolam and the rest of the wacky gang. Wait, did the good guys lose because they forgot to unwrap the MacGuffin?
238 - Liches Get Stiches
Enter the long dark teatime of the soul with DMs Matt and Rob as they prepare to outlive--or unlive--the hell out of everybody through the profane miracle of becoming a lich. Listen for why liches are some of the best villains for your heroes and four or six alternative uses for our favorite immortal skeleton wizards.
237 - OneDnd: Expert Classes
There's more OneDnD playtest rules. This time it's personal. This time it's the expert classes: the bard, ranger, and rogue. DMs Matt and Rob jump into the rules with thoughts to help you process the newest round of updates to Dungeons and Dragons.
236 - September Mailbag 2022
Matt and Rob answer your mail! They talk about magic items, fantasy authorities, wizard people, and more! Donjon's Magic Item Generator Sane Magic Item Prices 100 NPCs You Might Meet in a Tavern
Music:
Trophy Hunter - Within TemptationThe Doors - Celebration of the LizardRage Against the Machine - Killing in the Name OfBrad Neely - Wizard People, Dear ReaderThe Postman Theme
235 - Helping Players Create Characters
One of the many jobs that gets dumped on Dungeon Masters is the role of character builder and advisor. DMs Rob and Matt will help you get in the right mindset to help your players create interesting characters and walk you through building eight example characters for 5e Dungeons and Dragons.
234 - A Starfinder is Born
DM Matt and Rob discuss their favorite spacepunk/scifi/exploration/magitech/sequel/OGL role-playing game: Starfinder. Roll up a rat-person technomancer star pilot with necrograft tail, a spellbook, and freeze ray pistol and join us!
233 - Light of Xaryxis
Matt and Rob blast off into the 25th century -- or something like it, in any case, in their review of Light of Xaryxis, an adventure for 5th-level players included in the new Spelljammer boxed set. This one needs some work, but there's a lot of good ideas as well.
Music
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Stu Phillips - Battlestar Galactica Main Theme Stu Phillips - Buck Rogers In The 25th Century Main Theme
232 - Spelljammer 5e
Crank up the volume on Ziggy Stardust and gaze into your favorite Christian Reisse Lassen print, because we are heading back to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism...Wildspace! It's DM Rob and Matt's review of the new Spelljammer boxed set for 5e!
231 - A Hater's Guide to the Second Age
Matt and Rob return to one of their favorite topics -- the many works of J.R.R. Tolkien, in anticipation of Amazon's new billion-dollar boondoggle, The Rings of Power! Listen to two dorks ramble about obscure lore that no one cares about and will likely be discarded on episode one of the new show.
BONUS - One D&D
It's a (sort of) new (sort of) edition of Dungeons and Dragons: One D&D. Here's DM Matt and Rob's hot takes on the good (some nice things!) and bad (one major whiff) from the first set of playtest rules on character origins.
Get the playtest rules and submit feedback to Wizards here.
And support the show on Patreon!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Three Dog Night - One.
230 - Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel (Part 2)
DMs Rob and Matt are still on a bogus journey through the Radiant Citadel. Part 2 has 10, yes 10, adventure reviews. Talk to a dying snake god, eat a dream egg, fight infinite stone golems, solve a mystery full of plot holes, traverse a skybridge of dragon bones, debate philosophy in an underwater city, join an anarchist revolution against an angel, put a lava axolotl back to sleep, or just do it all!
Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel
And support the show on Patreon!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Spin Doctors - Two Princes; Bettye Swann - Angel of the Morning; The White Stripes - Blue Orchid.
229 - Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel (Part 1)
Matt and Rob review Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel, the newest book by WotC and one that features adventures exclusively written by PoC! Locations and inspirations run the gamut from Southern Gothic to pulp western and just about everything in between, so buckle up because this is at least a two-parter.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Mass Effect OST Cuphead - Gnome Way Out Blind Willie Johnson - Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground Los Caminantes - La Carcel de Cananea
228 - Dragonlance with Meaghan J.
DMs Matt and Rob are joined by special Krynn correspondent Meaghan J., host of the The Dragonlance Canticle podcast. We discuss all things Dragonlance: the history of the IP, why you should run a game using this campaign setting, what's coming down the pike for Dragonlance 5e, and how to deal with some of the problematic elements in Krynn.
Follow Meaghan's RPG Creations
Listen to the Dragonlance Canticle podcast
Tasselhoff's Pouches of Everything, the free unofficial guide to Dragonlance for 5e players and DMs
227 - Tales from the Loop
Matt and Rob talk about the 80s -- nostalgia, bad haircuts, synthwave, neoliberalism ascendant, it's the decade that has it all folks! We review the RPG Tales from the Loop and talk about how to incorporate it into your games.
Music:
Pac Div- Roll the Dice Jefferson Starship - We Built this City A Ha - Take on Me Journey - Separate Ways Twisted Sister - We're Not Gonna Take It Metallica - Master of Puppets (please don't sue) REO Speedwagon - Can't Fight This Feeling Abba - Lay All Your Love On Me Meatloaf - I Would Do Anything for Love
226 - Actual Prep: The Best First D&D Adventure (Part 2)
It's Part 2 of our best and greatest starting adventure for a Dungeon and Dragons campaign.
You can listen to part 1 here in episode 223 and
read the first draft of the written adventure by joining our Patreon here.
TEASER - Midsummer Mailbag
Your questions. Our answers. Pirate campaigns, play-by-post advice, good liches, Mechwarrior hacks, and more!
225 - The Lost Omens World Guide
Matt and Rob discuss the Lost Omens World Guide and the Golarion setting from Paizo. We talk about what works, what doesn't, what sorts of games you might want to run in Avistan and the Age of Lost Omens, and how you can use this in your own campaigns if not!
Music Pac Div - Roll the Dice Conan the Barbarian OST Sound of Music - My Favorite Things Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill
224 - Designing Magic Items and Adventures with Sally Tamarkin
Special guest, DM Sally Tamarkin, joins us to discuss designing magic items, working as a sensitivity reader on RPGs, and publishing your first adventure. Check out all the cool stuff Sally is creating below, including the brand new Cloud Curio project!
TEASER - B.A.D.D. Vibes
TEASER - Subscribe to the Dungeon Master of None Patreon for the full episode!
Rob takes Matt on a journey through history to talk about when America was great and Satan was real -- the 1980s! We talk about Bothered About Dungeons and Dragons, the Satanic Panic, Andy Rooney, and more! This one's kind of a doozie, hope you enjoy it! D&D 60 Minutes Clip The Pulling Report Role-Playing Games and the Christian Right: Community Formation in Response to a Moral Panic Dungeons and Dragons: Witchcraft, Suicide, Violence
223 - Actual Prep: The Best First D&D Adventure (Part 1)
Have you ever heard of Lost Mines of Phandelver, Sunless Citadel, the Village of Hommlett? Boring. Uninspired. Confusing. DMs Matt and Rob are back with another actual prep in which they destroy and humiliate all other starting adventures by creating the greatest and best starting adventure in the world. Or, just a tribute.
222 - How to Run Published Adventures
DMs Rob and Matt break down how to prepare and run published adventure modules, paths, and campaigns for both new and experienced Dungeon Masters.
And support the show on Patreon!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Nickel Creek - In the House of Tom Bombadil.
221 - The Best First D&D Adventure
Okay, you are ready to start a new campaign or bring new people into the community...so, how do you do it? DM Matt analyzes the 7 criteria needed to run the best, no, the greatest starting adventure for Dungeon and Dragons for new group, new players, or a new Dungeon Master (or all three).
220 - Monsters of the Multiverse
We are at the mountains with the monsters in the multiverse of madness. DMs Matt and Rob review the "Bestiary 2" of Dungeons and Dragons 5e: Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse.
219 - You Wouldn't Steal a Map
You wouldn't steal a map.
You wouldn't steal a NPC.
You wouldn't steal a monster.
Stealing is against DragonLaw.
Dungeon Mastering. It's a crime.
No jokes in this one; it's a serious episode of solving Dungeon Mastering problems from your letters.
218 - MNN Newsroom
That's right folks, it's the news! DM's Woodward and Bernstein report on all the latest happenings from throughout the multiverse, from fresh information about Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, to the latest on Wizards of the Coast's brand expansion plans.
TEASER 214 - Building Ship Encounter Rules for 5e
April, 1805. Vlaakith the Lich Queen is master of Astral Sea. Only the Dwarven fleet stands before her. The Crystal Spheres are now battlefields.
It's time to build some ship encounter rules to celebrate the announcement of Spelljammer for 5e. We try to create rules for both abstract encounters and tactical grid combat.
To listen to the whole episode and get a copy of our ship encounter rules, support us on Patreon!
BONUS - Best of Year Four
It's yearly clip show time! Here are some of our favorite bits from the last year in Dungeon Master of None podcasting: organizing the first TTRPG union with the Paizo Workers Union, discussing Dune's origins and worldbuilding with Nat of Metamashina, learning GMing tips from Blades in the Dark, trashing D&D NFTs with Linda of i09, and interviewing Orion of Dimension 20.
217 - D&D NFTs with Linda Codega
Matt and Rob talk with Linda Codega (they/them) of io9 about their article "NFTs Are Here to Ruin Dungeons and Dragons", which is about Gripnr, the Web3/blockchain company behind The Glimmering, and why maybe that's not such a good idea, actually. Check out our Discord Subscribe to our Patreon Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Meghan Trainor - Lips are Movin' Bush - Glycerine
BONUS Flee, Mortals! With James Introcaso
James Introcaso, Lead Designer of MCDM Productions, joins DMs Matt and Rob to chat about a new monster-focused book, Flee, Mortals!, and designing for 5e D&D.
216 - Call of the Netherdeep Review
DMs Rob and Matt do a netherdeep dive into Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep. This campaign has a lot to offer but, like any published module, it needs fixing to work well. We once again take the approach of trying not to just review and critique but to review, critique, and offer suggestions for improvement. Without getting into spoilers, this module has a very high ceiling for very cool sh*t. However, there is a lot of work to do to get that payoff. Listen to find out if this module is the right fit for you and your players.
Join our Discord to discuss this campaign or any campaign with some cool DMs!
You can also support the show and gets lots of bonus episodes by putting down $5 a month on Patreon.
TEASER - 215 Unpopular Opinions
TEASER for our March Patreon episode!
We head down into the darkness to the 666th level of the Abyss to discuss the most controversial DMing opinions ever.
214 - Blades in the Dark Part 2: The Darkening
Matt and Rob talk about the GMing section of BLADES IN THE DARK, which is very cool and stylish and full of good advice. Matt switches to his LATE NITE voice midway through because we were recording LATE at NIGHT.
213 - Blades in the Dark
Fire up your demon-powered lightning fence because Dungeon Master of None is taking the podcast to Doskvol for a game of Blades in the Dark. This is a great system and setting for any DM to read and run, and there is so much to learn about world-building, running heists, character creation and more!
212 - Owlbear Pellets of Advice
We are back with advice for your tables and worlds.
How do balance Strength? Are Owlbear pellets canon? Can you run a "reverse level" campaign? What is a good length for a dungeon? Is it problematic to have magical and non-magical species? What does the cult of Tiamat need? Are really short sessions okay?
UNLOCKED: Worldbuilding with Daddy Greenwood
We've unlocked our August 2021 Patreon episode so all can glory in some VINTAGE DM advice! Hop into the WABAC machine as DM "Mr. Peabody" Rob takes DM "Sherman" Matt on a journey to Dragon Magazine #63, "Plan before you play: Think it over, then map it out" by Ed Greenwood.
TEASER 211 - Ending Campaigns
Take a listen to a preview of February episode for our Patreon supporters as we attempt to answer the inevitable question: How do you end a campaign?
210 - Monsters and More with Cinderblock Sally!
Matt and Rob talk with Cinder Blocksally, dungeon master and homebrewer extraordinaire, to talk about cool monsters, designing encounters, the best low-level spells, making TikToks, and more!
209 - Talking 40k, Zines, and Kickstarter with Ben Wenham
Special Warhammer Correspondent Ben Wenham joins DM Rob and Matt to update us on his excellent breakdown of 40k and fascism and to talk about the indie RPG scene, zines, and publishing on Kickstarter.
People can find Ben at: https://twitter.com/DarkForestPress
and
https://benjaminwenham.itch.io
People interested seeing some of the interesting stuff happening in the indie space right now can check out: https://www.zinemonth.com
You can join Ben, Matt, Rob, and hundreds of other amazing DMs on the DMofNone Discord.
208 - Designing Deities
Matt and Rob become as talk about gods, how to design them, when and where to include them in your game, and answer the most important question of all: what if God were one of us?
patreon.com/dungeonmasterofnone
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice
TEASER 207 - NPCs to Steal
Rob and Matt cook up four NPCs for you to steal for your campaign: a do-gooding noble in a suit of celestial armor, a pair of gnomes purveying pretentious potables, a talking tomcat, and a modron actuary. Plots hooks are attached in .doc and .pdf formats on our Pateron page!
206 - Rob Talks to DM Steve!
Rob sits down to talk DMing, actual plays, cosplay, lifting, and so much more with Asians Represent co-host DM Steve!
205 - Orion D. Black
Dungeon Master, game designer, and actual play creative director Orion D. Black joins the show to talk about game design, creating actual plays, and world-building, and shows us what we can learn from the current wave of creative and inspiring DMs and RPG shows.
204 - Dungeon Master Resolutions
New year, same Dungeon Master of None
DMs Matt and Rob discuss their game mastering New Year's resolutions and say goodbye to our favorite fantasy TV series of 2021 (spoilers for the Witcher and Wheel of Time end at 27 minutes).
Then, on to some DM advice...loving the brain mole...finding ways to fix publish modules...getting campy with it...using political factions...breaking the interplanar economy.
203 - Fallout!
War never changes folks, except when it does. Rob talks to Matt about the Fallout franchise, hopefully explaining who that little guy is, why everything looks like that, and what's cool (and not so cool) about these games that you can borrow for your own worldbuilding!
patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Ink Spots - I Don't Want to Set The World on Fire Bing Crosby - Something's Gotta Give Sheldon Allman - Crawl Out Through the Fallout Dion - The Wanderer
TEASER 202 - Patreon Q&A
Matt and Rob answer patron questions about copyright, PC rerolls, sound waves, Lacanian psychoanalysis, and more!
201 - 200 Dungeon Master Inspirations (Part 2)
Complete the mindmeld with DMs Matt and Rob with the epic conclusion to our 200 DM Inspirations for your campaigns and adventures.
200 - 200 Dungeon Master Inspirations (Part 1)
200 Dungeon Master inspirations—films, books, shows, historical events, old modules, and sourcebooks—to keep your D&D tank running at full.
199 - Strixhaven (Part 2 - Running the Adventure)
DMs Matt and Rob do a deep, deep dive into running the adventure in Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos. Think of this as your Dungeon Master syllabus for creating and running this campaign. And the information you need is ALWAYS IN THE SYLLABUS.
198 - Strixhaven (Part One)
Matt and Rob discuss Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos, the newest Wizards of the Coast adventure! No spoilers for this one, we got distracted talking about dialectics and didn't get to the actual adventure.
197 - Running Con Games
Get your lanyard on and your schedule ready, because DMs Rob, Matt, and Andy are off to your friendly local gaming convention. Let's learn how to prep and run a con game, how cons can help you experience new RPG systems and new types of play, and how to keep yourself and your players safe at the con table.
UNLOCKED - Making Villans
From behind the vault, it's one of our premium episodes: Making Villains! DMs Matt and Rob build four foes for use in your next campaign.
Links:
196 - Worldbuilding Holidays TEASER
Pack your bags and stuff your turkeys! Let's discuss building calendars and holidays for your campaigns and one-shots.
Attached below (for patrons) is our set of tables and hooks for various types of holidays to throw into your current game.
195 - The Wheel of Time
The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills, friends! DMs Matt and Rob get out their ter'angreal, tug on their braids, and swear on the Oathrod to speak no word that is not true about the new Amazon The Wheel of Time TV show and the classic fantasy doorstoppers by Robert Jordan.
Sign up for our Patreon bonus episodes and content here!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Robert Berry - Ladies of the Tower; Robert Berry - Theme for the Wheel of Time.
194 - November Mailbag of Holding
193 - DragonRaid: The Christian D&D
Hey, the boys are back in town! DMs Rob and Matt are recording in the same room and they have a treat for you! Today, it's time to grab your StarLot and practice your WordRunes as we dive into DragonRaid Adventure Learning System, the RPG written by your cool Youth Pastor. It's a blast from the 1980s past, so come with us to Sunday School to play a Biblical D&D.
192 - What is the Dungeons and Dragons Genre?
Get out your textbooks everyone because Matt and Rob are talking about what the D&D genre is -- is it fantasy? Is it something else? How does the structure of the game affect the stories you tell? Does any of this matter?
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice James Horner - Pagemaster Theme James Horner - Storyteller Theme Earth, Wind, and Fire - Fantasy
191 - Fizban's Treasury of Dragons
Fizban, your favorite fourth wall-breaking, wise-cracking DMPC is here to sing, stat, and chat about dragons in our review of Fizban's Treasury of Dragons.
190 - Paizo Workers Union
Don't Split the Party! We are honored to be joined by two members of the Paizo Workers Union: Jason Tondro and Andrew White. They tell us about the unionization drive at Paizo and how everyone can help support Paizo writers, editors, artists, designers, engineers, warehouse workers, and freelancers.
To help, you should:
- Email the Paizo executives (Jeff Alvarez, Erik Mona, and Lisa Stevens) politely requesting that they voluntarily accept the union.
- Post your support for the union on the Paizo forums.
- Share your support under the #UnionizePaizo and follow @PaizoWorkers for updates. Visit the union website for logos, art, a FAQ, and daily updates.
- Contact your players, game masters, and friends to do the same ASAP!
- DO NOT boycott Paizo at this time.
- Read the "How do I Help" for more information.
- Be ready to keep the pressure up in case this goes to a NLRB election.
Solidarity forever!
189 - Spooky Season DM Q&A
DMs Matt and Rob answer the silliest spooky season RPG questions. First, we take a look at the new Unearthed Arcana: Travelers of the Multiverse and the new revised monster stat blocks.
188 - Mutants and Masterminds!
Matt and Rob finally get around to talking about superheroes, which they somehow haven't managed to do yet? They discuss MUTANTS AND MASTERMINDS by Green Ronin games, how to run a superhero game, lycra vs. spandex, and more!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Three Doors Down - Kryptonite Nickelback - Hero David Guetta & Bowie - Just for One Day Seal - Kiss from a Rose
187 - The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
Celebrate! Good times! Come on! DMs Rob and Matt discuss the future releases from Wizards of the Coast and 50th anniversary edition update to 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons before tumbling through the looking glass into the newest hardcover adventure for D&D: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight.
The Wild Beyond the Witchlight
186 - All That Glitters
Matt and Rob talk about GOLD -- specifically, what to spend it on, how to reward your players, what to do about the broken economy in 5e, exchange value vs use value, the works.
Kingdoms and Warfare Discord Patreon
Songs:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Pink Floyd - Money Smash Mouth - All Star Death Cab for Cutie - Gold Rush Kanye West - Gold Digger
TEASER 185 - Met Gala Magic Items
DMs Matt and Rob spent a Night at the Museum and all the cool stuff came to life and turned into magic items. Join them as they build 5e stats for five open source historical objects and a discussion what makes a magic item great in Dungeons and Dragons.
Listen to the full episode and get the document with all the item stats, here, on our Patreon.
184 - Aaah! Real Animals (That Are Also Monsters)
Fantastic Animals and How to Homebrew Them! DMs Rob and Matt take real animals and turn into cuddle, strange, or terrifying monsters for your campaigns. Follow along with the link below:
You can also join our Discord here for DM advice from other listeners or sign up for our Patreon for more homebrew stuff!
183 - Do Undead Dream of Negative Energy Sheep?
Matt and Rob answer your letters! We talk about undead, problem players, reverse Indiana Jones, The Elder Scrolls, and more!
Check out our Patreon and Discord below and if you can please consider donating to one of the charities we've linked to help protect reproductive rights in Texas and elsewhere. patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone Discord Frontera Fund
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Cee Lo Green - Fuck You JT Music - Undead Lullaby Internationale
182 - Battletech
Listeners, if you can, please help the people of Texas and give to the following organizations:
Strap on your coolant vest, plug in your neurohelmet, and power up your fusion XL engine because its Battletech! DM Matt explains the entire history of Battletech franchise and lore to DM Rob. We've got international IP lawsuits, Neofeudalism, stompy robots, hard sci-fi worldbuilding, corporate mismanagement, 40k exiles, thinly-veiled Mongol Empires, Space AT&T, more giant robots, and Jim Belushi.
P.S. Don't forget to join our Discord!
TEASER 181 - Worldbuilding with Daddy Greenwood
Hop into the WABAC machine as DM "Mr. Peabody" Rob takes DM "Sherman" Matt on a journey to Dragon Magazine #63, "Plan before you play: Think it over, then map it out" by Ed Greenwood. Lots of good advice in this one, folks! https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone
180 - Dust to Dust, A Campaign Post Mortem
Rob is flying solo today, talking about one of his longest running campaigns, and hopefully imparting some useful advice about what NOT to do and how to avoid making the same mistakes.
179 - Guns N' Fantasy
I do not roll with my hand. They who roll with their hand have forgotten the face of their father. I roll with my heart.
It's time to talk about cannons, blunderbusses, shattershots, fowling pieces, tanegashimas, arquebuses, fire lances, flintlocks, wheellocks, matchlocks, snaplocks, pepper boxes, and muskets. DMs Matt and Rob discuss how to include gunslingers and firearms in your campaigns. But first, a kickstarter updates on two popular and cool RPG campaigns:
178 - Arrakis After Dark (Talking Dune w/ Nat of Metamashina)
Nat (@ashesforfoxes) of Metamashina joins Matt and Rob to talk about Frank Herbert's 1965 novel DUNE -- which you may have heard, is being made into a major motion picture -- as well as the myriad prequels, sequels, and spinoffs that the book has produced.
177 - Dungeon Master Advice from Us to You
It's a mailbag episode! Time to help Dungeon Masters with their notes and organization, running fantasy cops, GMing for neurodivergent players, worldbuilding better planar cosmologies, and more!
176 - TEASER Worldbuilding 401 - Dragonology
TEASER for our July patron episode: 🐉🐉🐉 Have you talked with your players about Dragonology? We are here to help! It's a dive deep into one of our favorite supplements from 3e, Draconomicon: The Book of Dragons. Time to think deep about dragon ecology, colors, and metals. Let's put some engaging dragons into your world. 🐉🐉🐉
175 - Back to Magic School
Grab your wands and quills because MAGIC SCHOOL is in session. Inspired by the upcoming release of STRIXHAVEN for D&D, DMs Rob and Matt discuss the stories and pitfalls of using a magical school, college, or university as your campaign.
174 - Worldbuilding 201: Monster Ecology
Matt and Rob discuss recent book announcements, read a classic Dragon Magazine article, and dig into the biology and behavior of your favorite RPG monsters!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Skillet - Monster Shawn Mendes, Justin Bieber - Monster
173 - Railroading
It's the Great Railroading Debate! Get your ticket punched and head into our dining car for a discussion of railroading and player agency. Choo choo, Dungeon Masters.
You can access our June patreon reward (and all our patreon rewards) by subscribing now. It's a spooky mythos murder mystery one-shot with coal mines, Yog-Sothoth, snake-handlers, and Egyptology in Appalachia!
172 - 12 Tactical Studies Rules for Life
It's time to talk about the train wreck that is the corpse of TSR a.k.a. the "New TSR Games" a.k.a. "Weekend at Ernie's." Matt introduces Rob to the cast of grifters and bigots behind this company before getting to some dungeon master advice on handling difficult spells and introducing new players to the Forgotten Realms.
171 - TEASER Scuttlebutts and Discourses
Preview of our June 2021 Patreon exclusive episode! Join us at https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone for the full episode for a discussion of DMing for Jack Black, Railroading, playing other systems, and speculation about future D&D releases.
170 - Class Warfare: Talking Barbarians & Paladins with Paul Sturtevant
Our favorite historian, Paul Sturtevant of the Public Medievalist, is back to talk with us about the barbarian and paladin. But first...flails are cancelled! Then, stick around for a great conversation on history, colonialism, Basques, and Smite Evil.
You can read Paul's article on the barbarian here and his short Twitter presentation on the paladin here.
BONUS - An Interview with Caleb Stokes of Hebanon Games
Rob sits down to talk with Caleb Stokes about his many many many projects, especially his upcoming Kickstarter, Fae's Anatomy!
More links:
http://redmarketsrpg.com/ http://slangdesign.com/rppr/ https://arcdream.com/home/ https://www.patreon.com/dgdc https://www.patreon.com/themixedsix
169 - Talking Horror, Publishing, and Ravenloft with Alex Clippinger
Our favorite D&D writer from St. Louis (who is NOT a member of the Veiled Prophet ball) is back to share his experience publishing his stuff, writing for larger projects, and running horror games. Alex also takes us into his own personal Domain of Dread: a forever posting war in reactionary D&D Facebook groups.
Links to some of Alex's projects:
Ezmerelda's Encyclopedia of Evil
168 - Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft: Part II
Matt and Rob dive into the actual Domains of Dread -- there's evil carnivals, dangerous games, sewer steampunk, land of the influencers, and more!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Phantom of the Opera - Masquerade Avatar - Hail the Apocalypse Flesh to Flesh (Night of the Living Dead 2 Theme)
167 - Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft: Part I
Hey, it's new book time and it's a good one. Lots of great Dungeon Master advice in this one, folks.
166 - May the Mailbag be With You
Matt and Rob answer your mail! Death! Reading campaign settings! How to pronounce "McElroy"! It's all here folks.
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Dethklok - Go Forth and Die Fief - II The Postman Theme
TEASER 165 - Making Villains
TEASER for our first premium episode: Making Villains. You can join the International DM Union by subscribing to our Patreon page to get the full episode plus write-ups and stats for each villain.
https://www.patreon.com/DungeonMasterOfNone "Matt and Rob sit down and roll up four villains for you to use today in your games: the relentless lich bounty hunter Dead Eyes, the schemer and social climber Don Marcelo Scarsi, the awakened displacer beast Iluros, and the warforged mastermind Quicksilver. Files with the villain descriptions and stats are included with the full episode. Enjoy!"
164 - Lessons from the 4e Dungeon Master's Guide
Matt and Rob are back "In the Garage" for Dungeon Master tips, advice, and strategy from the 4th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide. There's some real hidden gems, solid advice, and useful tables for planning at you table here! Thanks 4e!
Check out our new Patreon for Bonus Episodes and Cool Stuff!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Jenn Champion - In the Garage
163 - O Brother My Brother Where Art Thou: Learning from TAZ
Matt and Rob discuss THE ADVENTURE ZONE, specifically the now-finished arc, Graduation, which has generated some discourse. There's a lot to learn from other DMs, even and especially Travis McElroy. Also Rob gets really worked up.
Everyone Loves the McElroys, So Why Is Everyone Mad at the McElroys?
And support the show on Patreon!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Alice Cooper - School's Out O Brother Where Art Thou - Man of Constant Sorrow Vitamin C - Graduation
BONUS - The Illrigger and the Warlord
WARNING: This is a very niche episode reviewing the design and making of third-party classes for 5e D&D. DM Matt dives into the excellent Illrigger by MCDM Productions and our own Warlord. Links below! The Illrigger Class
BONUS - Best of Year Three
It's a clip show! Listen back to our episodes on running games for kids, MST3K-style riffs for the awful Dungeons and Dragons film, our interview with game designer Olivia Hill, our trip back in time to do some D&D demography, advice from game designer Daniel Kwan, and world-building with Eberron's creator Keith Baker.
BONUS - Patreon Announcement
Patreon is live! Join the International DM Union for a bonus episode and a cool homebrew thing each month! Plus, you get all of our backlog of neat stuff. This month: the Warlord class for 5e! Give us money! Seriously, this will help keep us working on fun stuff, pay for hosting, buy dope art, and give future guests honorariums. Here's the link: Dungeon Master of None Patreon
162 - Domains of Dread
Ahead of the publication of Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, Matt and Rob talk about the SPOOKIEST official Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting -- the Domains of Dread! Spooky, scary, and more than a little bit racist!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Buffy the Vampire Slayer Theme Song Smashing Pumpkins - Bullet With Butterfly Wings Tracy Jordan - Werewolf Bar Mitzvah Bobby "Boris" Pickett - Monster Mash
161 - Worldbuilding: Adventure Hubs
You have built the perfect world. Now, with DM Matt and Rob as your guides, let's turn it into something to adventure in. Links:
The Warlord Class by Matt & Rob
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Godfathers - The City.
160 - 25 Resources for Dungeon Masters
DMs Matt and Rob have compiled their 25 favorite tools, resources, and websites to help you build, plan, and run your campaigns! Links below! DMofNone Patreon coming soon! Let us know what you would like to see!
Mapping: Dyson’s Dodecahedron https://dysonlogos.blog/
The Cartographers’ Guild https://www.cartographersguild.com/
HexTML http://hextml.playest.net/
Hexographer https://worldographer.com/
Medieval Fantasy City Generator https://watabou.itch.io/medieval-fantasy-city-generator
Alex’s Dungeon Map (of the Root Mine) https://i.redd.it/ka1xnwdjq8o61.jpg
Blogs: Master the Dungeon https://www.masterthedungeon.com/
The Alexandrian https://thealexandrian.net/gamemastery-101
Sly Flourish https://slyflourish.com/index.html
ThinkDM https://thinkdm.org/
Keith Baker http://keith-baker.com/
Public Domain Stuff: The Public Domain Review https://publicdomainreview.org/
Creative Commons https://creativecommons.org/
Campaign Management: Chronica https://www.chronica.ventures/
World Anvil https://www.worldanvil.com/
Obsidian Portal https://www.obsidianportal.com/
Tools: Rolz https://rolz.org/
Token Stamp http://rolladvantage.com/tokenstamp/
RP Tools https://www.rptools.net/
Encounter Builders: DnD Beyond https://www.dndbeyond.com/encounter-builder
Donjon https://donjon.bin.sh/5e/calc/enc_size.html
Kobold Fight Club https://kobold.club/fight/#/encounter-builder
Name Generators: Behind the Name https://www.behindthename.com/
FaNG App https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.crystalpeak.fantasynamegenerator&hl=en_US&gl=US
Paid Stuff: A Simple Character Sheet https://www.dmsguild.com/product/212909/Jos-custom-character-sheet
MCDM Patreon https://www.patreon.com/mcdm
159 - Candlekeep Mysteries, Part Two
Matt and Rob review a curated selection of the remaining Candlekeep Mysteries adventures.
158 - An Interview with Daniel Kwan
Your hosts are joined by special guest and Candlekeep Mystery author, Daniel Kwan. Join us for a discussion about leaving the academy, thoughtful world-building, deconstructing Kara-Tur, learning from other games, and Daniel's adventure "The Book of Inner Alchemy."
Links:
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; I Hate My Job - Cam'ron.
157 - Candlekeep Mysteries, Part One
Matt and Rob review the new WotC adventure anthology, Candlekeep Mysteries! It's spooky! Also we don't get very far. But there's some cool stuff here!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice
156 - Greyhawk Federation of Murderhobos Local #42069
DMs Matt and Rob answer your Dungeon Master questions. But first! The most ridiculous DM cease & desist letter plus a brief discussion of a new Feywild-themed Unearthed Arcana. Also, let your players start a union.
The questions: What is thac0? How do you calculate damage in Mutants & Masterminds? How do I describe diverse NPCs? How should I best transition from the virtual tabletop to in-person games? How can increase the tension in my campaign? What are your favorite adventures written by BIPOC & LGBTQ+ authors?
Unearthed Arcana - Fold of the Feywild
Adventure Recommendations: Uncaged Anthologies, Eat the Rich, Eyes Unclouded (Anthologies)
The Harrowing by Crystal Frasier
M5 Talons of Night by Jennell Jaquays
Mythic D6: Bastion by Jerry D. Grayson, Matthew Bottiglieri, Kieran Turley
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Woody Guthrie (r. by Old Crow Medicine Show) - Union Maid.
155 - At the Monongahelas of Madness (Actual Prep)
Matt and Rob sit down and go through the process of designing a Call of Cthulhu investigation, based on Matt's con-based one-shot, At the Monongahela's of Madness!
The final adventure is here on our Patreon!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Big Rock Candy Mountain Take Me Home, Country Roads Sinnerman
154 - Call of Cthulhu
This episode is flat circle. It's time to discuss your problematic faves: H.P. Lovecraft and the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. DMs Rob and Matt get into the racism and legacy of all-time weirdo H.P. Lovecraft, the good (great Dungeon Master advice) and the bad (the sanity system) of the world's second most popular RPG.
Links:
"Lovecraftian Horror — and the Racism at its Core — Explained" by Aja Romano
Call of Cthulhu 7th Ed. Keeper Rulebook
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Eben Brooks - Hey There Cthulhu.
BONUS - Thousand Year Old Vampire
Matt solo reviews the brilliant solo role-playing game, Thousand Year Old Vampire by Tim Hutchings.
153 - Cold As Dice
Power's back! DMs Matt and Rob answer your mailbag questions about house rules, Genesys, creating trans-friendly worlds, new plane-touched races, and counterspells.
Links:
Trans Inclusivity from Monster Darlings: Creating a Safe Table and Running Trans/NB Characters
Stuff We Like: The Dread Dome and the Wagadu Chronicles
Unearthed Arcana: Gothic Lineages and Dragon Subclasses
Non-European History Recommendations:
Revolutions Podcast - Haitian Revolution
Gender in History: Global Perspectives
Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World
152 - DICE HARD (Part 2): Dice Harder
They say lightning never strikes twice... They were wrong.
DMs Matt and Rob are back for part 2 of their John McClain-inspired adventure: Dice Hard! Come down to the Wizards of the Coast and have a few laughs as the actual prep continues.
You can access the adventure here on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dice-hard-54603904
BONUS - Cyberpunk!
Rob rambles about why he's disappointed in recent cyberpunk media and why the genre is interesting or useful as a storyteller or gamemaster.
CD Projekt Red Catered to Its Edgiest Fans Confessions of an Ex-Cyberpunk The Role-Playing Game That Predicted the Future
151 - DICE HARD (Part One)
Another episode of actual prep! Matt and Rob work on the outline for a one-shot loosely inspired by DIE HARD. Ten stories of sheer adventure!
You can access the adventure here on our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/dice-hard-54603904
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Beethoven - Ode to Joy Guyz Nite - Die Hard
BONUS - Arcadia
DM Matt takes a look Arcadia, MCDM Productions' new magazine for 5th Edition Dungeons and Dragons. What is Arcadia? It ain't in Greece, Louisiana, or the plane of Peaceable Kingdoms in the Great Wheel cosmology. Knowing Matt Colville it's probably a Duran Duran reference. Confusing name aside, this magazine rules. Check out the review!
Links:
DMofNone Eyes Unclouded Review
DMofNone Strongholds and Followers Review
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Meters - Cissy Strut; Jonathan Coulton - Still Alive; Jay-Z & UGK - Big Pimpin'; Beastie Boys - Slow Ride; Step Rideau and The Zydeco Outlaws - Yippi Yai Yo Yippi Yai Yay.
150 - House Rules
Our house...our rules.
DMs Matt and Rob go through the most popular, and the most hated, house rules for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons.
Links:
Half-Feats (Updated with Tasha's)
Inspiration by the Apocalypse (D&D 5e Houser Rule)
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Talking Heads - Burning Down the House.
149 - Genesys Roleplaying System
New year, same Dungeon Master of None.
DMs Matt and Rob reflect on the best of 2020. Good vibes only! Then, they dive into the generic narrative Roleplaying System from Fantasy Flight Games: Genesys! Here's some pictures below, because it's hard to understand the system without looking at the dice, the outcome symbols, and the probability chart. Stick around for DM Matt's Goodfellas parody at the end of the show!
Pictures:
Links:
Recommendations:
Matt: Ultraviolet Grasslands and the Black City
Rob: Hades
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze; Tony Bennett - Rags to Riches.
148 - Dungeon Master Book Club - The Fifth Season
DMs Matt and Rob explore N.K. Jemisin's Hugo award-winning novel, The Fifth Season.
Plus, your DMs take a brief aside into "DragonLaw: The Contract Chronicles" with an update on the Weis & Hickman lawsuit and into the idea of Minor Advantage/Disadvantage in 5th edition.
Links:
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
"I build a world with fantasy master N.K. Jemisin" on The Erza Klein Show
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Carole King - I Fell The Earth Move.
147 - Festive Mailbag of Holding!
Matt and Rob answer your letters! A lot of which were about how wrong we were about Tasha's Cauldron of Everything!
146 - Cyberpunk RED
Get out of that Cyberfunk and start playing Cyberpunk RED, the brand new edition of the classic Cyberpunk RPG by R. Talsorian Games!
Link: Cyberpunk RED
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; 3RA1N1AC - Flash RAM.
BONUS - Eyes Unclouded
DM Matt dives deep into Eyes Unclouded, a heartwarming and thought-provoking adventure anthology for Dungeons and Dragons inspired by the films of Studio Ghibli.
Link: Eyes Unclouded Anthology
145 - Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (Part 3)
We finally get to the really good stuff, the Dungeon Master sections of Tasha's Cauldron of Everything: how to use Group Patrons, Tasha's magic items and artifacts, and a delightful section of supernatural manifest zones. Then, DM Matt and Rob force themselves to discuss the puzzle section at the end of the book and how to create better puzzles that won't make your players hate you.
144 - Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (Part 2)
DM Rob and Matt continue deep diving into the new player options for Dungeons and Dragons presented in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything. Monks, Sorcerers, Rangers, Rogues, Paladins, Wizards, Warlocks, feats, and spells!
Links: ThinkDM - "Blade Cantrip Changes"
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Mott the Hoople & David Bowie - All the Young Dudes.
143 - Tasha's Cauldron of Everything (Part 1)
DM Matt and Rob are back and diving deep into each tasty bit of the newest Dungeons and Dragons supplement: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Thurston Harris and the Sharps - Little Bitty Pretty One; David Bowie - Oh! You Pretty Things.
REPLAY: Everyone Can DM
DM Rob is England and DM Matt's school is fighting a COVID outbreak, so here is our first ever replay of one of our favorite episodes, "82 - Anyone Can DM." There is a lot we can all learn from the basics and some good Dungeon Master thinking here. We hope to bring you more of these types of episodes in the near future. See you next week!
Episode 82 - Anyone Can DM DMs Matt and Rob discuss the basics of what a Dungeon Master is and what a Dungeon Master does. Today, we review the DM advice presented in the 5e D&D Essentials Kit. But first, a game of "Weal or Woe," in which, Rob has to guess whether the RPG product is real or fake!
Matt and Rob discuss the roles presented in the Essentials Kit: referee, storyteller, and role-player. They break down the core mechanics and goals of any Dungeon Master. Conclusion: Anyone can DM!
Letters:
Dalton asks: "Do I need a wizard in my party?"
Adam writes: "Aren't there times when it is good to hide your DM dice rolls?"
Alexander writes: "Where are my half-feats?"
Links:
Matt's Homebrew Half-Feat Rules
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; BTS (featuring Hasley) - Boy with Luv; Weezer - In the Garage .
142 - Hexcrawl
Special OSR Correspondent Andy explains the joy of hexcrawls in Dungeons & Dragons! Learn how to build a sandbox exploration game, one hex at a time.
Links:
Swordfish Islands, a system neutral hexcrawl
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Maps.
141 - Dungeons and Demography
It's the return of the classic Dungeons Master of None reading series as we go back, back to the future, to 1984 and read one of the most bizarre articles ever published in Dragon Magazine. Then, your hosts head to into the 9th Layer of #DnD TikTok Hell.
Here are the accompanying equations and tables you will need to master to play D&D:
Links:
https://slyflourish.com/index.html
http://oneshotpodcast.com/interview-discussion/asians-represent/
https://systemmasterypodcast.com/
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Tina Turner - What's Love Got to Do with It?
BONUS: Dragonlance v. Wizards
DM Matt and Special Legal Correspondent Brent discuss Dragonlance authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman's lawsuit against Wizards of the Coast.
Links:
Margaret Weis, LLC and Tracy Hickman v. Wizards of The Coast LLC
Story first reported by Cecilia D'Anastasio of Wired
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Belle and Sebastian - Legal Man.
140 - Full Frontal Tom Bombadil
Dungeon Master advice served hot and fresh, plus our rule of three wish list.
Questions: Do I need to make my party roll some healers? Can I design my own monster for the Shadowfell? Why do the geeks love fascism so much? Is offline one-to-one communication with players a good thing? Is my worldbuilding idea too much for my players to handle? Will you review Against the Giants? What is your advice for getting back into D&D?
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Nickel Creek - In the House of Tom Bombadil; Grandmaster Flash - Apache.
BONUS - Rob's review of Shadowrun Sixth World
Rob reviews the newest edition of Shadowrun, Sixth World, a book that was definitely not rushed out unfinished by a bunch of amoral grifters!
139 - Rime of the Frostmaiden (Part 2)
It's 2 Frost, 2 Maidens as DMs Rob and Matt return to Icewind Dale for the second part of the newest Dungeons and Dragons adventure module.
138 - Rime of the Frostmaiden (Part 1)
Matt and Rob talk about the new WotC release, Rime of the Frostmaiden, and get a little carried away. This one's a doozie folks!
137 - Spelljammer
It's Dungeons and Dragons....IN SPAAAACE! Finally, DMs Matt and Rob take a look at their favorite but flawed campaign setting: Spelljammer!
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Bob Marley & The Wailers - Jamming; David Bowie - Space Oddity.
136 - Lore You Shouldn't Know
Oh, you like Dungeons and Dragons? Then, name five dragons. We'll wait. DMs Rob and Matt are here to prove the uselessness of lore knowledge by beating the nerds at their own game...the most dangerous game...the game of trivia. But first, a discussion of what to except from Tasha's Cauldron of Everything and the coming of Magic: The Gathering to Toril. And last, should I adapt my favorite novel into a D&D game? Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; The Meters - Hand Clapping Song; Funkadelic - Can You Get to That
Episode 135: An Interview with Mikayla Ebel
134 - Would You Like to Know More?
Another week of piping hot Dungeon Master advice, served with a smile! Plus, join us for a discussion of Kate Welch's departure from WotC and some amazing analysis of fascism and 40k from Special Warhammer Correspondent CthulhuBen!
What is the best old UA subclass? How should I build a campaign around a city in the Feywild? What is the deal fascism in Warhammer 40k? How to create some great homebrew subclasses for the monk and sorcerer? How does a DM deal with role-playing multiple NPCs in one place?
Links:
David Roth's on "Starship Troopers"
When Warhammer Was Radical: The Egalitarian Origins of the Fantasy Battle Game
Bolt Thrower vs. Neo-Nazi Scum
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Cake - Frank Sinatra; Bolt Thrower - The Killchain; Look at Miss Ohio - Gillian Welch
Episode 133: Encounter Design
Rob is back with a functioning microphone, and the DMs are talking about WotC surveys, APPS, and of course, encounter design. If you're mad that Matt said "WILLIAM Dafoe", don't worry, so am I.
https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/news/dd-survey-2020
Music:
Pac Div -- Roll the Dice Nightwish - Wishmaster Imagine Dragons - Warriors
132 - The Village of Hommlet
Is T1 - The Village of Hommlet by Gary Gygax the best adventure for novice players and new Dungeon Masters? Should you run it or adapt it for your group? Is it even any good?
DM Matt and Special OSR Correspondent Andy do a deep dive into this classic of grognardia. Your hosts go into the history of Hommlet, the reasons why you might want to play T1, and how to learn DM skills by converting and putting your own spin on this old school adventure.
The Village of Hommlet by Gary Gygax on the DMsGuild
Links: Tales of the Iron League Rules by Andy The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon The Delian Tomb Intro Adventure by Matt Colville
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Iris DeMent - Our Town
BONUS - Review of Lancer and Mechwarrior: Destiny
In a special bonus episode, DM Matt reviews two new big, stompy robot RPG systems: Mechwarrior: Destiny and Lancer. Matt explains why the Battletech Universe kicks ass (01:50), how Mechwarrior: Destiny fails to harmonize its narrative and simulationist mechanics (22:20), and why you should play the Lancer RPG (36:00). Spoilers: there is a free version of the Lancer rules and it does what Mechwarrior fails to do, combine rules-light play and fun tactical combat mechanics.
Links:
Free Intro to the Battletech Universe
Music: Zipper Interactive - Opening Cinematic to Mechwarrior 3; Flight of the Conchords - Robots; Mechwarrior 2 Soundtrack by Jeehun Hwang, Gregory Alper, and Kelly Walker Rogers - Sable Flame; Yoko Takahashi - A Cruel Angel's Thesis; Ragtime Revolutionaries - Chicks Dig Giant Robots.
131 - Too Many Hobgoblins and Other DM Problems
How many hobgoblins are too many? How can you mix up antagonists so your players aren't bored? What is the best system for a Last Airbender game? How can you get your foot in the door if your group is all experienced Dungeon Masters? DMs Matt and Rob do their best to answer these and other questions! Plus, they discuss a refutation of the erasure of people of color in medieval Europe from a fan, new RPGs on the horizon, the joy of one of your players taking over as Dungeon Master, a pro-D&D take from a Christian Dungeon Master, and some kick-ass Icelandic runic spells and world-building! Never fear a Tilberi as long as you have your Butterknot stave handy. Trust us, that'll make sense after you listen.
Links:
Jacob's Amazing Map for "Tremors"
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice; Louis Armstrong - You're the Top; Sigur Rós - Starálfur; Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand; Ozzy Osbourne - Fire in the Sky; Kaleta & Super Yamba Band - Jibiti
130 - Exploring Eberron with Keith Baker
It's our favorite Dungeons and Dragons world-builder himself, Keith Baker! Keith is here to talk about his awesome new book, Exploring Eberron, out now! We discuss Keith's "Rule of Three" for world-building details, how to include fairy tales in your lore, how to fight a war with magic, what 5th edition gets right, why you should start small and build out, how to plan history with random tables, when to follow your players, and more Eberron advice from the Hellcow himself!
Links:
Exploring Eberron on the Dungeon Masters Guild
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
129 - iHunt with Olivia Hill
DMs Matt and Rob are joined by special guest Olivia Hill to discuss her new tabletop RPG, iHunt: Killing Monsters in the Gig Economy. Stay tuned for a discussion of RPG design, FATE mechanics, writing games for working and marginalized people, and some great game master insights from our guest! Can you guess who the real monster is? (Hint: It begins with "capitalist..." and ends with "...mode of production.")
Links:
iHunt the Tabletop RPG: Killing Monsters in the Gig Economy by Olivia Hill and Filamena Young
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
The Coup, Lakeith Stanfield - OYAHYTT
BONUS - Feat Picks
DMs Matt and Rob discuss the character options in the most recent Dungeons and Dragons Unearthed Arcana on Feats!
Links:
Music
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Fifteen Feet of Pure White Snow
128 - The One-Page RPG Expo (and DM Advice)
Welcome to the World of Tomorrow! DMs Matt and Rob take you on a tour of both host and listener created one-page Role-Playing games. Thank you to everyone who submitted a game!
Then, it's on to some Dungeon Master advice: how to deal with a party that has a magical solution to every problem, how to set prices for magical stuff in 5e, and how should we think about Tolkien's racism and colonialism?
Pomp & Circumstance by Steve from Yorkshire
Streeps & Turings by Callahan from Denver
Bad Day in Superhero City by @infinitebrooms
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Barry McGuire - Eve Of Destruction
Fight Like Apes - I'm Beginning To Think You Prefer Beverly Hills 90210 To Me
Johnny Paycheck - Take This Job And Shove It
Traditional - The British Grenadiers
Karla Devito - We Are Not Alone
John Williams - Superman Theme
Led Zeppelin - Ramble On
127 - How Did We Get Here?
DMs Matt and Rob attempt to take stock of the failures of the corporations that control Dungeons and Dragons (Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, and OneBookShelf) over the past decade and discuss recent goings on in both D&D and Magic: The Gathering. Then, we answer your letters on dealing with overpowered homebrew classes and speeding up combat with large parties!
Links of stuff discussed:
Zaiem Beg, "The Wizards I Know"
"Wizards of the Coast, Nic Kelman, & Hypocrisy" by A.E. Marling
Send Us a One-Page RPG by Sunday July 12th
Performance of She Kills Monsters on July 12th 7pm
Contact Us:
Email or at the DM Hotline (774) 203-4629
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
The Coup - The Guillotine
Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime
Rodriguez - This In Not A Song, It's An Outburst: Or, The Establishment Blues lyrics
126 Avatar: The Last Dungeon Master
DMs Matt and Rob journey to the mystic realm of Avatar: The Last Airbender for inspiration for world building and characters. Time to get bent!
125 Diversity and One-Page RPGs
DMs Matt and Rob discuss successes and limitations of Wizards of the Coast's recent statement. Then, we discuss One Page Role-Playing Games! Perfect for breaking you out of a quarantine Dungeon Mastering rut.
Share your One Page RPG with us here: dmofnone@gmail.com
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Fight Like Apes - I'm Beginning to Think You Prefer Beverly Hills 90210 to Me
David Bowie - The Man Who Sold the World
Episode 124: Mailbag of Holding Mark II
Matt & Rob answer more letters! We've got fire! We've got edition wars! We've got cool initiative stuff! Plus your regular tangents on vaguely related topics. Also make sure to check out the Black AF Roundtable!
Fate Worlds Volume One: Worlds on Fire Perilous Wilds
Music: Pac Div -- Roll the Dice Billy Bragg -- The World Turned Upside Down Anna Mae - Can't Knock Me Down
BONUS Actual Homebrew MEGA-EPISODE
Howdy Dungeon Masters, in this bonus episode, DM Matt walks listeners through some homebrew magic item (0:02:45), spell (0:25:30), and monster (0:44:00) creation before reflecting on revising the Advanced Artificer (0:57:00) and reviewing a listener undead supplement (1:11:00) and adventure anthology (1:18:00). It's a MEGA-EPISODE. Let us know if you like it!
Links:
Throne of the Crescent Moon Items, Spells, and Monsters
The Advanced Artificer 2.0: Revised and Upgraded
Restless: A Guide to Laying Incorporeal Undead to Restby V.J. Harris
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div; Say You’ll Say So - Geoffrey Landers; Blinded by the Light - Manfred Mann’s Earth Band; The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel; Ghostwriter - RJD2; My Favorite Mutiny - The Coup; Write This Down - George Strait; Enter Sandman - Metallica; Gimme Some Lovin’ - Spencer Davis Group; Walking with a Ghost - Tegan and Sara; Boss Ass Bitch - PTAF
123 Mythic Odysseys of Theros
Dungeons and Dragons is back with another Magic: The Gathering crossover campaign setting: Mythic Odysseys of Theros. Dungeon Masters Matt and Rob review the ideas that we love and critique the executions of those ideas that falls woeful short. Strap on your winged sandals, burnish your shield to a mirror shine, and grab your friendly Bubo, because it's time to get Greek with D&D!
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Hedwig & the Angry Inch - The Origin of Love
Donovan - Atlantis
Locomondo - Odysseia
The Who - Athena
122 Dungeon Master Book Club - Throne of the Crescent Moon
This week DMs Matt and Rob read Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed. Dungeon Master of None highly recommends this excellent novel! Come for a discussion of action and adventure in a world modeled on D&D ideas, and stay for the great characters, items, and world-building to steal for your own campaigns.
Links:
Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
"Judgement of Swords and Souls" by Saladin Ahmed
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Dick Dale - Misirlou
Episode 121: A Christian Response to Dungeons & Dragons
Sit down by the fire and stoke your pipe, because today Matt & Rob put on their academics' robes and read a classic of D&D history. We revisit the halcyon days of the Satanic Panic with "A Christian Response to Dungeons & Dragons: A Catechism for the New Age". Come learn why D&D is "the most effective introduction to the occult in man's recorded history". Fun AND educational!
Episode 120: Lost Mine of Phandelver
DMs Matt and Rob dive deep into the Dungeons and Dragons introductory adventure from the 5e Starter Set, Lost Mine of Phandelver. Tune in for a discussion of how to prep, how to make the module your own, and how to punch up the key NPCs of LMoP!
Episode 119: Handy Haversack (of Mail)
Matt and Rob talk about the news, answer some mail, and dispense questionable advice, as usual. Rob has his best game of "real or woe" yet!
Episode 118: Dungeons and Dragons: The Movie
Dungeon Masters Matt and Rob brave the lowest point in D&D history: the 2000 New Line film by Courtney Solomon. Joined by guests Adam, Katie, and Sam we watch this entire film full of Garbage Dwarves, Stuffed Cats, and Jeremy Irons' O-face.
The instructions for watching along with us are in the show so you can experience the beautiful pain along with us!
Episode 117: Running D&D for Kids
DM Matt and special guest Andy discuss every aspect of Dungeon Mastering D&D and other RPGs for kids and teens.
Links:
Dungeon World (SRD) (Review Episode)
Black Hack 2e (Open Game Content)
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Kim Wilde - Kids in America
P.O.D. - Youth of the Nation
Episode 116: Worldbuilding Settlements
Matt and Rob build out the sleepy little town of High Cyre and come up with some truly terrible names in the process. Get some tips on building settlements for fun and profit (well, maybe not profit).
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Will Smith - Wild, Wild West Linda Ronstadt - Desperado The Animals - The House of the Rising Sun Ennio Morricone - The Ecstasy of Gold
Episode 115: Roll for Initiative
DMs Matt and Rob roll for initiative! Let's talk everything initiative and turn order: when to use it, why to use it, and how to track it. Plus, six different variants to the system you can use in your game!
Unearthed Arcana:
March 2020 - Spell Tattoos and Summon Spells
April 2020 - Psionics (Again!)
Links:
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying initiative aka "popcorn"
Pathfinder 2e initiative rules
Dungeon World "initiativeless" rules
Simple initiative options by Sly Flourish
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Wiz Khalifa - Ink My Whole Body
Pixies - Where is my Mind?
The Byrds - Turn! Turn! Turn!
Episode 114: Greater Newsbag
Matt and Rob talk about the news, free stuff, and answer some letters. Here's the links! https://dnd.wizards.com/remote/freematerial
https://blog.roll20.net/post/612497773955350528/stay-at-home-play-at-home
https://www.dndbeyond.com/sources/lmop/
https://beyond20.here-for-more.info/
Ep. 113: So You Want to Play an ONLINE RPG
Dungeon Masters Matt and Rob are here to walk you through everything you need to know to play a game of Dungeons and Dragons ONLINE.
Free Adventures:
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Rodriguez - Sugar Man
Right On - Marvin Gaye
Adam Schlesinger (R.I.P.) - That Thing You Do
BONUS: Quarantined DM Advice
Quarantined Dungeon Master Matt and Quarantined Dungeon Master Rob are here with advice and answers to RPG questions. May this podcast be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out.
Keep sending us letters at dmofnone@gmail.com or leave us a message on the Dungeon Master Hotline at (774) 203-4629.
Links: Dark Sun 5e Homebrew that Rob likes
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice; M.I.A - Internet Connection; Arcade Fire - Normal Person; The Decemberists - The Legionnaire's Lament; David Bowie/Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes; Tim and Foty - Ndola-ngo.
Ep. 112: Explorer's Guide to Wildemount
DMs Matt and Rob review the first new official Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting in two (?) decades: Critical Role's Explorer's Guide to Wildemount!
Links: Salt in Wounds
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
The Killers - All These Things That I've Done
Tom Jones - It's Not Unusual
City of Heroes: Freedom - Main Theme
Yusuf - Wild World
Episode 111: Gather: The Magicking
Matt and Rob sit down and try to figure out what the hell is happening with Magic: The Gathering lore and how you can use it for your own worldbuilding. Please ignore the coughing. We're fine. Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div Do You Believe in Magic - The Lovin' Spoonful Santana - Black Magic Woman Heart - Magic Man B.o.B. - Magic
Ep. 110: Clone Theory 101
Dungeon Masters Rob and Matt are back to to talk briefly about the new hardcover for 5e and everyone's favorite TCG before diving into some Dungeons and Dragons questions and solutions, such as:
Could Theros be cool? How do I introduce an unusual underdark villain? How do you roleplay subclass changes? What is the best way to keep a BBEG hidden? How can I make planetouched species more interesting? What are some headlines I can throw at my players?
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Sandy Reyes - El Guardia del Arsenal
Millencolin - Vulcan Ears
Johnny Ventura - Patacón Pisao
Episode 109: Unearthed Newsbag
Matt & Rob combine a discussion of Unearthed Arcana, some news about the new D&D book, and some mail into an unholy Unearthed Newsbag (CR 5 aberration)! Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Clash of the Titans (1981) End Credits The Dils - Class War
Episode 108: Class Conscious — The Warlord, Part 2
DMs Matt and Rob are back to work finishing their new class for Dungeons and Dragons 5e. It's now called the "Paragon" instead of the "Warlord," but it is finally ready for you to playtest or use in your own home campaign. Let us know what you think!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
OutKast - Prototype
Ho99o9 - War is Hell
Episode 107: Class Conscious — The Warlord, Part 1
Matt and Rob try their hand at class design, live, like a couple of idiots. Listen as we try and fail to put together an updated Warlord class for 5e. Laugh as we flounder, despair, and ultimately fail.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Cream - Strange Brew Drake - Started From the Bottom Black Sabbath - War Pigs The Immortals - The Ultimate Warlord
Episode 106: Dark Sun
Welcome to the world of Athas: Psychic beetles, Sumerian god-kings, and heatstroke for everyone! DMs Matt and Rob talk about the DARK SUN campaign setting for your pleasure. (And your letters!)
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
America - I've been through the Desert
Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun
Peter Tosh - Here Comes the Sun
Episode 105: Let's Get High (Level)
Matt & Rob are back and getting high...
HIGH LEVEL that is, don't do drugs kids.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Creed - Higher 3 Doors Down - Kryptonite Kanye West - POWER Kygo & Whitney Houston - Higher Love Tal Bachman - She's So High
Bonus Episode: Skullport Dragon Swindle
Rob reviews Skullport: Dragon Swindle, a very cool supplement for Waterdeep: Dragon Heist and a great resource for fans of skulls, ports, and everything in between.
Our previous interview with Alex Clippinger
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Ninja Sex Party - Release the Kraken
Episode 104: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting
Dungeons and Dragons' new hardcover will be the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, so DMs Rob and Matt dive into Matt Mercer's first campaign book: the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting.
Then, we answer your letters about ships, challenging encounters, and campaign doctors!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down
Your Turn to Roll - Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Sam Riegel
Panic! At the Disco - High Hopes
Episode 103: Witch, Witcher, Witchest
Matt and Rob talk about Netflix's THE WITCHER (2019), and why it's good and you should watch it (and, you know, how it's good inspiration for your DMing).
We also answer some mail!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll The Dice The Darkness - I Believe in a Thing Called Love Led Zepplin - Over the Hills and Far Away Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out for a Hero
Ep. 102: Campaign Doctor
Truesight is 2020. Welcome to the new year! DMs Matt and Rob look back at the RPG decade in review before introducing a new segment: CAMPAIGN DOCTOR. Time to do some surgery on one another's campaigns!
Warning: Minor, minor spoilers for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Episode 1 of the Witcher.
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Kesha, Big Freedia - Raising Hell
Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
Dr. Worm - They Might Be Giants
Episode 101: Greater Mailbag of Holding
Happy New Year everyone! We answered a bunch of fucking mail.
Links:
The Traitor Baru Cormorant Rumblings All DMsGuild Content Rob's TED Talk
Music:
Pac Div -- Roll the Dice One-Winged Angel -- Nobuo Uematsu Toss a Coin to Your Witcher (Club Remix) -- DJ Cutman Yeah Yeah Yeahs -- Maps Taps -- US Army Band Pied Piper -- BTS Sogno di Volare -- Christopher Tin Auld Lang Syne -- Mariah Carey
Episode 100: 100 Dungeon Master Tips
As our holiday gift to you, DMs Matt and Rob countdown 100 Dungeon Master tips in a MEGA-EPISODE. Enjoy!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
RJD2 - Ghostwriter
Ratatat - Gettysburg
Lead Belly - Midnight Special
Visigoth - Dungeon Master
Episode 99: Witcher? I Hardly Know Her!
Matt and Rob, always timely, review the Witcher RPG, and have, uh, a lot to say about it. There's a lot of cursing in this one, sorry. Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice Mazurek Dąbrowskiego (Polish National Anthem) Karliene - Lullaby of Woe Eon - Dancing With Monsters Monster Hunter World Rap - JT Music Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice The Witcher OST - Geralt of Rivia
Ep 98: Worldbuilding through Microscope
Matt and Rob attempt to do something new: worldbuilding through collaborative role-playing using the Microscope RPG system. Our first actual playish episode.
Microscope RPG by Ben Robbins and Lame Mage Production
Our final play board can be viewed here!
Music:
Pac Div - Rolle the Dice
Tracy Chapman - Fast Car
Julio Iglesias - La Mer
Episode 97: The Coward's Way
Matt and Rob discuss a couple of new UAs and answer some mail, make sure to listen to the end, where we give advice on how to be a coward for fun and profit!
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Tennessee Mafia Jug Band "Turkey In The Straw" E-40 - Choices (Yup) Geinoh Yamashirogumi - "Tetsuo" Cats In The Cradle-Harry Chapin Kenny Rogers - Coward of the County
Ep 96: Eberron Rising
Matt and Rob review the official Eberron hardcover source book for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons, Eberron: Rising from the Last War.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
The Doors - The Changeling
Episode 95: Building Big Bads
From Iago to Ivan Drago, your campaign is only as good as its villain, so Matt and Rob talk about how to make one that doesn't suck. Please enjoy the digressions on ball-thwacking, dwarves, and the moon.
Music: Billie Eilish -- Bad Guy Lion King -- Be Prepared Taylor Swift -- The Man Tears for Fears -- Everybody Wants to Rule the World Deltron 3030 -- Mastermind Bishop Briggs -- Jekyll & Hyde Shinedown -- Enemies
Ep 94: Consent in Gaming
DMs Rob and Matt dive into Consent in Gaming from Monte Cook Games.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Love - Alone Again Or
Ep 93: Worldbuilding History
DMs Matt and Rob discuss how to build your campaign world's history without writing a dissertation in the process.
Episode 92: 2Fast, 2Avernus
Matt and Rob review Descent Into Avernus (please ignore the fact that they call it "Descent TO Avernus" through the entire podcast). Rob gets really excited and says 'like' a lot, sorry, and Matt's internet connection goes out halfway through and we have to communicate via morse code, so sorry about that too.
We also talk about the new UA and how much smarter we are than the professionals.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Fear Factory - Descent
Dethklok - Go Forth and Die
Slayer - Hell Awaits
Ep 91: Unwanted Advice - The Reawakening
Rob and Matt are back to save your game. Plus, what is good for the goose is good for the gander, as we build a magic item using a Kushan relic. Here's the link!
Image from the Seshat Databank.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Metalocalypse - Impeach God
David Bowie - Rebel, Rebel
Travis Scott - goosebumps
Episode 90: Of Brands and Burgers
Matt and Rob talk about Feast of Legends, the Wendy's themed RPG.
Recording this episode made our souls feel the way eating a Wendy's burger makes our bodies feel.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Jimmy Buffet -- Cheeseburger in Paradise
Ep 89: Worldbuilding Horny Victorian Fantasy
Lord help us, DMs Matt and Rob are back on their BS. Your hosts review the worldbuilding in the new fantasy series, Carnival Row.
Letters:
MP writes, "How do both of you organize your notes?"
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
The Decemberists - The Perfect Crime #2
Ep 88: Subclass September
The dark and gritty Dungeon Master of None reboot, "DMoN 2000," is upon us. We talk subclasses:
Letters:
"Help me design a way to kill god!"
"Can an RPG module be art?"
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
The Ventures - Walk, Don't Run
Stone Temple Pilots - Dead & Bloated
Talking Heads - Artists Only
BONUS: Actual Prep 2 - Finishing Touches
It's part two of DM Matt's Actual Prep series. You can listen to part one, in which Matt designs an adventure "live," here.
DM Matt reflects on how to use your few moments before a game session to prep, what to adjust on the fly, and how to reflect on your adventures critically.
Also, the adventure that Matt and Rob wrote based on these episodes is available for purchase on the DMsGuild!
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Reba McEntire - Why Not Tonight
The J. Geils Band - Freeze-Frame
Bobby Bare - Dropkick Me, Jesus
BONUS EPISODE: BS about GNS
Fate has forced us into another desperate solo episode, so please enjoy Rob talking about GNS theory, and if you're mad about anything he said that's wrong, please e-mail Matt.
You can read the original post about GNS yourself here: http://www.indie-rpgs.com/articles/1/.
Episode 87: Class Analysis
Matt and Rob talk about how to fit a proper class analysis into your worldbuilding, though this time it's mostly about designing character classes for your RPG and not a materialist interpretation of fantasy worlds, we managed to hold off on the dialectics this time around.
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Freedom Call - Warriors Aladdin - A Whole New World Sheb Wooley - Purple People Eater Sabaton - Winged Hussars
Episode 86: Dungeon Master of One
Your favorite DMs discuss a topic they are ABSOLUTELY qualified to give advice on: running "solo" or "duet" campaigns. Listen for some useful tips on how to make a campaign for one person and to listen to Matt mispronounce "smorgasboard" and "gestalt".
Letters at the end! Links: Actual Prep Episode
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Celine Dion - All By Myself The Turtles - So Happy Together Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. - You Don't Have To Be A Star (To Be In My Show) One Direction - You & I
Ep 85: DM Tips from Dungeon World
As part of our quest to steal advice from every RPG ever published, DMs Rob and Matt discuss Dungeon World by Sage LaTorra and Adam Koebel. Dungeon World has a great description of how RPGs work and some excellent tips you can use in games run in any system.
Stay tuned for the mailbag and the return of "Real or Woe!"
Letters:
Jason asks: "Can I get a preview copy of the Actual Prep adventure?"
Nick asks: "How can I role-play a Kenku without being annoying?"
Vic asks: "Here are some logical rules for different spell-casting stats for the various Warlock patrons. Also, should I remove the ability score requirements for multi-classing?"
Douglas asks: "What advice do you have for running a one-on-one play?"
Links:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
New Order - Blue Monday
Lowland Hum - In the Garage
Grover Washington Jr. - Just the Two of Us
Motörhead - The Game
Ep 84: 2 Path 2 Finder
Remember Pathfinder? It's back, in pog form!
DMs Matt and Rob review the brand new 2nd edition rules of the Pathfinder Role-Playing Game.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Dua Lipa - New Rules
Roxy Music - Editions of You
Ep 83: Worldbuilding - Technology
Technology. What is it? Dungeon Masters Rob and Matt discuss how to think about and deploy technology in your own campaign worlds. Then, it's the firearms debate to end all firearms debates.
Letters:
Gerard writes - "Are the DMoNs fans of Baldur's Gate?"
John writes - "Here's a great way to present the confusing one-spell-a-round rule to new players!"
Don't forget to call in to the DUNGEON MASTER HOTLINE: (774) 203-4629!
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Marilyn Manson - Killing Strangers
Ep 82: Anyone Can DM
DMs Matt and Rob discuss the basics of what a Dungeon Master is and what a Dungeon Master does. Today, we review the DM advice presented in the 5e D&D Essentials Kit. But first, a game of "Weal or Woe," in which, Rob has to guess whether the RPG product is real or fake!
Matt and Rob discuss the roles presented in the Essentials Kit: referee, storyteller, and role-player. They break down the core mechanics and goals of any Dungeon Master. Conclusion: Anyone can DM!
Letters:
Dalton asks: "Do I need a wizard in my party?"
Adam writes: "Aren't there times when it is good to hide your DM dice rolls?"
Alexander writes: "Where are my half-feats?"
Links:
Matt's Homebrew Half-Feat Rules
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
BTS (featuring Hasley) - Boy with Luv
Weezer - In the Garage
Ep 81: Dungeon Master Book Club - Black Leopard, Red Wolf
Welcome to our first Dungeon Master Book Club! DMs Matt and Rob discuss Marlon James' Black Leopard, Red Wolf. Listen in for some great inspirational storytelling and ideas for monsters, NPCs, and fantastical magic!
Links:
Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James
Letters:
Dan writes: You forgot about Earthsea's sexual peaches!
Michael writes: I love the Genesys system. Do you have tips for running with only two players?
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Damian Marley - Welcome to Jamrock
Ep 80: Greyhawk!
Special guest Andy is back to talk about the first Dungeons and Dragons campaign setting: Greyhawk!
We delve into the history of Greyhawk's design, discuss what makes Oerth unique, and share our favorite things for you to pilfer from Flanaess for your own campaign worlds.
Links:
Anna B. Meyer's Greyhawk Cartography
Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil by Monte Cook
David Howery's adventures in Dungeon Magazine #15, #22, #30, and #32
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Drake - Started from the Bottom
Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - Satan Said Dance
Duran Duran - The Wild Boys
Ep 79: Actual Prep - Writing an Adventure
DM Matt goes solo! He walks you through his process of writing an adventure in under an hour. Inspired by the image below and Tremors, Matt creates a village and monster for you to steal!
Ep 78: Penny Arcade Dreadful
DMs Rob and Matt take a look at the Wizards of the Coast and Penny Arcade crossover hardcover for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons. TL;DL Jerry Holkins is the Andy Borowitz of fantasy comedy writing.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Lana Del Ray, Club Clique - Video Games (Remix)
Ep 77: How to Be Elves Real Good
It's a Mailbag of Holding! Send us your letters at dmofnone@gmail.com and voicemails at (774) 203-4629!
Here we go!
Letters:
Bryan writes: Earthsea is great! The Sword of Truth does not depict BDSM and it also sucks.
Rob writes: Gnomes in SPAAACE! Gnomes should be an evil GnomeCorp with a Blue/Orange morality!
Evan writes: What is the rule that prevents you from casting more than one spell a turn?
Darrin writes: The Public Medievalist has podcast!
Dalton writes: How do I build a RPG community in a small town?
Our first caller asks: How do you handle a new player who want to play one of the classes with most bookkeeping?
Abstract Figure writes: The film version of The Road is great! Also, where can I find a copy of Cinderblock Sally's rockin' cover of "Critical Hit?"
Ellery writes: Do y'all need collaborators, editors, of playtesters?
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Mötley Crüe - Public Enemy #1
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Red Right Hand
Ep 76: Worldbuilding Species
Are there gnomes on the sun? DMs Matt and Rob discuss strategies for incorporating the standard Dungeons and Dragons species into your campaign worlds.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Brad Neely - Cat People
Ep 75: Ghosts of Saltmarsh Review
Matt and Rob sit down and discuss the new nautical WotC adventure book, Ghosts of Saltmarsh! There's a lot of cool stuff here, so we only spend like a third of the episode griping about things we thought could be better.
Spoiler-free until 21:55. Rob is sorry about his squeaky mouse wheel.
Ep 74: Monster Mash 2
DMs Matt and Rob whip up some new monsters for you to steal for your campaign.
- The Rokrubai, fey with a detachable heads
- Arcanomorphs, an Aliens inspired soul-stealing aberration
- The Fisherman's Whale, a big friendly magical Cetacean
Links:
The Hangover by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Owen Gieni
Letters:
Michael has put together a less problematic character creation schema: Ancestry, Upbringing, Background. We love it!
Dalton asks about simplifying Psionics and the Mystic. Matt offers his own homebrew.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
Sam & Dave - Soul Man
The Decemberists - The Mariner's Revenge Song
Rage Against the Machine - Bulls on Parade
Ep 73: Game Master of Thrones
DMs Matt and Rob discuss the ending of Game of Thrones and what to steal (and what not to steal) for your RPG inspiration file. The maesters did King's Landing 9/11.
Whew, glad that's done. How about a nice game of cyvasse?
SPOILER WARNING for Game of Thrones and A Song of Ice and Fire start at 06:00.
Link:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Velvet Underground - Oh! Sweet Nuthin'
The Hold Steady - The Bear and the Maiden Fair
Ep 72: Dragon Talk
DMs Matt and Rob talk about the Dungeons and Dragons news of the week: elf divorce, shameless plagiarism, and the most popular D&D subclasses.
WARNING: SPOILERS for Game of Thrones Season 8 start at 25:00.
Then, your DMs of None discuss how to use dragons in your games and throw together some dragon encounters for you to steal.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Limahl - Never Ending Story
Ep 71: The Art of War and Role-Playing Games
Dungeon Masters Matt and Rob discuss how to use war in your adventures. Rob rants about the importance of a Cure Dysentery spell. Plus, the answers to some of your letters!
Recommendations:
The Pursuit of Power, William H. McNeill
Forever War, Joe Haldeman
The Forever War, Dexter Filkins
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Donovan - The War Drags On
Complicated - Avril Lavigne
BONUS: Best of Year One!
Hello friends! Today we celebrate our first year of Dungeon Master of None with some of our best moments, advice, and jokes. Please share this episode with your friends and community!
Episodes:
Episode 4: I'm Not Here to Make Friends
Episode 65: Medieval Times w/ Special Guest Paul Sturtevant
Episode 67: Vancian Podcasting
Episode 25: PbtA, theme, and worldbuilding with special guest Michelle Nickolaisen
Episode 30 - D&D One Shot, One Kill(er Adventure)
Link:
Ep 70: DM Tips 203
DM Rob gives some Dungeon Mastering tips as he reflects on the end of his three-year-long Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Take what Rob has learned and apply it to your game! And as the poet said, "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
Planning throughout the campaign [05:00]
Building party cohesion [13:00]
Dealing with indecision [18:00]
Matt's 3 Tiers of Intra-Party Talk [22:15]
Teaching new players and helping them grow [36:40]
Concluding a campaign [41:15]
Adding an epilogue [50:00]
Link:
The Advanced Artificer on the DMsGuild
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Semisonic - Closing Time
Ep 69: Worldbuilding Plot Hooks
Nice! Are elves tall? The definition of "Matt's Law of Forgotten RP Servers." Do you allow or encourage romantic and sexy situations in your game?
Your DMs of None discuss building plot hooks big and small into your campaign settings.
Links:
The X-Card by John Stavropoulos
The Advanced Artificer on the DMs Guild
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Silver - Wham Bam Shang-A-Lang
Ep 68: The DMs Guild Grind with Alex Clippinger
Special guest Dungeon Master Alex Clippinger is here with wise words and sage advice for all aspiring DMs.
Ever thought about publishing that adventure, monster, or magic item on the Dungeon Masters Guild? This is the episode for you!
Check out Alex's cool RPG stuff over at the DMsGuild!
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
9 to 5 - Dolly Parton
Grinding All My Life - Nipsey Hussle
BONUS: We Made a Thing
DMs Rob and Matt have completed their first (self-) published Dungeons and Dragons book: The Advanced Artificer. Your DMs of None discuss the process of designing and publishing the thing for the Dungeon Masters Guild in the hopes that our conversation will inspire you to publish that thing you've always been meaning to finish.
Meanwhile, why don't you buy our book? It is only two bucks, has a story by Rob, and even has a cute magical robot dog! Leave us a review, comment, and some stars too! Here's the link:
The Advanced Artificer on the Dungeon Masters Guild
Music: Pac Div - Roll the Dice Visigoth - Dungeon Master
Ep 67: Vancian Podcasting
The Mailbag of Holding (Type III) returns! DMs Rob and Matt answer your questions on Dungeon Mastering and more.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Jurassic 5 - Freedom
Cake - Wheels
Ep 66: Earthsea is the G.O.A.T.
Howdy y'all, it's the Kickstarter roundup! Yeehaw! Then, your DMs of None talk about the D&D "canon" and whether it has any value. What should be in the new canon and what are the books that have influenced your Dungeon Mastering? What is in your Appendix N? Let us know!
Kickstarter Roundup:
Critical Role: The Animated Series
Lasers and Liches: Tales of the Retroverse
Welcome to Tikor: The Swordsfall RPG Setting
Witch+Craft: A 5e Supplemental
The Great American Novel: A Roleplaying Game
The Veil Inheritance Humblewood
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Ice Cube - The Predator
Ep 65: Medieval Times w/ Special Guest Paul Sturtevant
DMs Matt and Rob are joined by the Smithsonian Institute's Paul Sturtevant. Not only is Paul the founder and editor-in-chief of The Public Medievalist, but he has a new book, The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism, that listeners of this show will really love.
We talk about castles in DC, what the public knows about medieval history, and how to deal with race in role-playing games. Paul tells us about the roots of Dungeons and Dragons races in 19th-century scientific racism, the camp of knightly tournaments, the weird aesthetics of Warhammer Fantasy, and why your shouldn't treat the Middle Ages (and your worlds in quasi-medieval settings) as the "trash pit of history."
Links:
The Public Medievalist Magazine
Paul's new book: The Middle Ages in Popular Imagination: Memory, Film and Medievalism
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
GZA, RZA, Ghostface Killah, Killah Priest - 4th Chamber
Ep 64: Artificer? I hardly know 'er!
DMs Matt and Rob review the new version of the Artificer. An effusion of infusions for everyone, huzzah! Happy Artificer Day to one and all.
But first, the Lasers & Liches kickstarter is back! Be sure to check it out and have a listen to our full review back in Episode 23.
Listener questions:
David asks, "Can I improvise my way through world-building?"
Ryan asks, "How should I prepare for a kickstarter?"
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Sir Mix-A-Lot - Iron Man
If I Had a Hammer - Peter, Paul and Mary
Ep 63: Homebrewing Classes
The DMs of None chat about home-brewing classes in sub-classes in 5e DnD. We take a look at some of our favorite homebrew and third-party classes and speculate about what to create on the show in the future!
Classes and sub-classes reviewed:
The Blood Hunter by Matt Mercer
The Pugilist by Benjamin Huffman
Broath of the Brotherhood by Ryan Bennett
Oath of the Common Man by the_singular_anyone
Tome of the Pact by Alex Clippinger
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Jean-Joseph Mouret - First Suite in D
Seu Jorge - Space Oddity by David Bowie
Ep 62: Dungeons Deep and Caverns Bold!
Let's talk about and create dungeons! Matt and Rob discuss the essentials of dungeon building: story, theme, ecology, and variation. Your DMs then build a one-page dungeon "live!"
No abusers in our RPG community.
Links:
Rough draft of the one-page dungeon
Final draft of the one-page dungeon
Link to Dyson Logos' table of random dungeon entrances
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Merle Travis - Dark as a Dungeon
Pete Seeger - Which Side are You On?
Ep 61: Worldbuilding 203 - Factions and Politics
DMs Matt and Rob talk about how to design factions, powers, and political groups that will hook your players. Let's build some better worlds! Letters:
"What are some strategies to employ between encounters?"
"How do I create emotional and cinematic moments for my players?"
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
The Unicorns - I Was Born (A Unicorn)
Ghost Mice - Critical Hit, recorded by DMofNone listener "Cinderblock" Sally
Ep 60: DM Tips 202
DM tips! Learn how to start games good! Practice shutting the hell up! And more! Plus, DMs Matt and Rob answer your letters and get some deserved criticism and critiques!
Tips: playing on the cheap...setting the tone...seeing, hearing, smelling for your players' characters...using your posture...preparing social situations...listening to your players...how to make mistakes...
Letters: steampunk and hopepunk responses and critiques! What's the best way to build dungeons? How do I get started reading fantasy to help me DM? Should I twist the plot?
Recommendations:
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Tommy James & The Shondells - I'm Alive
Loretta Lynn & Jack White - Portland, Oregon
The Staves - Tired As Fuck
Scenario - A Tribe Called Quest
Ep 59: Genre Talk and Goths who like Brown
DMs Matt and Rob answer your questions! Then, let us sit upon the ground. And tell sad stories of the death of genres.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Aurra - A Little Love
Jeremiah Kane - The Future Past
Ep 58: Do we need a 6th edition?
DMs Matt and Rob tackle the ultimate question of life, the multiverse, and everything: should there be a new edition of D&D? Spoilers: we don't. But we will get one...eventually. Your DMs then speculate wildly about what might and should be changed.
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
David Bowie - Cat People (Put Out Fire)
BONUS: Listener Worldbuilding
As iron sharpens iron, so one worldbuilder sharpens another. Matt and Rob discuss your homebrew campaign settings and ideas in this special bonus episode! Thank you to everyone who sent us your work!
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
Spirit in the Sky - Norman Greenbaum
Big Rock Candy Mountain - Harry McClintock
Princes of the Universe - Queen
Ep 57: Worldbuilding 102 - Gods & Magic
The professors are in! It's an advanced worldbuilding class focusing on gods, faith, and magic systems.
Links: Brandon Sanderson's Laws of Magic
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Johnny Cash - God's Gonna Cut You Down
Gillian Welch - Old Time Religion
Ep 56: Dice Farce
Happy New Year! After alienating every listener from the UK, your DMs of None answer some unwanted advice and then use real historical artifacts to build new magic (and mundane!) items for your campaigns.
Historical Magic Items 2: The Dragon's Maw, the Cyrosiphon, and the Mirror of the Exalted Ancestor
Music:
Pac Div - Roll the Dice
Juicy J, Wiz Khalifa, and Ty Dolla $ign - Shell Shock
Nicki Manaj and Eminem - Roman's Revenge
Ep 55: The Old School with Special Guest Andy
Happy new year! Welcome to a brand new episode of Dungeon Master of None on Old School Rules and mega-dungeons with special guest Andy.
[00:19:20] What is OSR? Andy discusses what types of campaigns and players work best with Old School Rules.
[00:49:00] The art of the mega-dungeon design. Plus, Andy gives his trademarked 1d4 rules for creating a mega-dungeon.
[01:04:45] Matt and Andy riff up some sweet mega-dungeon concepts for you to steal.
[01:10:20] How to raise money for charity at your convention games.
Links:
Goblinoid Games' free Labyrinth Lord rules
Labyrinth Lord rules for purchase
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
Gravitas - Little People
Old School - 2Pac
Christmas in Hollis - Run-DMC
Texas - Fat Tony
Ep 54: Strongholds and Footnotes
It's your mega-episode for the holidays! DMs Rob and Matt review two successful kickstarters that are now available for public purchase: Savage Worlds Adventure Edition [00:11:05] and Strongholds and Followers [00:44:00]. Then, on to your DM questions and letters [01:20:00]!
Gerard asks, "Will I destroy my game giving my players opposing goals?" [01:21:10]
Scott says, "Quidditch is trash." [01:25:45]
Ryan asks, "What are quick tips for creating interesting NPCs and setting their CR?" [01:26:05]
Recommendations:
Running the Game, Matt Colville
Savage Worlds Adventure Edition, PEG Press
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
The Passenger - Iggy Pop
Sweetback's Theme - Earth, Wind & Fire
Seein' Red - Unwritten Law
Power - Kanye West
Marathon - Rush
Ep 53: Hobbit Phrenology
DMs Matt and Rob sit down for a deep dive into Tolkien, race, drow, Game of Thrones, and Euro-centric campaign worlds. Listen to a discussion of how to think critically about ideas of race in fantasy RPGs. We hope you will leave with some ideas about to tell anti-racist stories in our games.
You can do your DM of None homework by reading Paul Sturtevant's article on the Public Medievalist, "Race: the Original Sin of the Fantasy Genre."
Recommendations:
Saladin Ahmed - Throne of the Crescent Moon
N. K. Jemisin - The Broken Earth Series
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
Fantastic Man - William Onyeabor
Ep 52: You are a Pirate!
WARNING: Spoilers for Skulls & Shackles begin at 37:30!
Have your players ever wanted to acquire a ship? Pirates are the murder-hobos of the sea, so let them!
DMs Rob and Matt discuss how to plan open-ended nautical adventures for your players. Stick around for a review of Skull & Shackles, one of the best pirate modules ever published!
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
Black Is the Color - Lucette
Musica notturna delle strade di Madrid - Luigi Boccherini
You are a Pirate - Lazy Town
Ep. 51: Worldbuilding 101
DMs Matt and Rob cover the essentials of building your own world for RPG campaigns: scale, theme, and conflict!
If you want to join us on this worldbuilding epic quest, then join us on twitter. Let's all build new campaign worlds together!
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
Drunk as Dragons - The Woodbox Gang
Dungeon Master - Visigoth
Ep 50: Pod of Many Things
It's a mailbag episode! We. Answer. Your. Letters.
But first, DMs Rob and Matt chat about surprise Yog-Sothoth as well as the new errata and unearthed arcana for DnD 5e. Here's a link to Matt's homebrew rules for 5e Naval Combat. Also, because we live in Hellworld, we talk more about the Flaming Sphere of Shit that is White Wolf (now featuring Instagram despot Ramzan Kadyrov).
Here comes the letters:
Jai asks, "Did you here some other stuff about Nolan T. of Roll20 being a jerk?" [00:21:00]
Sally asks, "I have a player with a character with a build centered around disarming enemies that doesn't work mechanically until the build has reached a higher level. What should I do to alleviate his dissatisfaction until the character comes into its own?" [00:26:30]
Sally also asks, "How do I create memorable combat encounters for my players?" [00:35:45]
Anthony asks, "I enjoy the interstitial music on the podcast. Can I find a list of the songs and artists?" [00:39:00]
Darrin asks, "What's a good one-shot to run for my parents?" [00:41:45]
Other Matt asks the greatest question of all, "How great are we?" [00:48:20]
Conner asks, "I'm making custom werewolf race at a player's request. Should I share this race with the other player's in the game or the let the player keep their lycanthropy a secret?" Also, send us your campaign bibles!!! [00:51:40]
Scott asks, "I have a final encounter with my campaign's big bad coming up. What level should my characters be?" [01:01:05]
Music:
Roll the Dice - Pac Div
Starman - David Bowie
Date with the Night - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Disarm - The Smashing Pumpkins
Better Off Alone - Alice DJ
Werewolves of London - Warren Zevon
The Time is Now - John Cena
Ep 49: D&D is an eSport now?
Hoooooo boy. So remember back when the CEO of Hasbro said that D&D was going to be the new "E-Sport?" Well, it didn't take long for someone to try to put that together.
DMs Matt and Rob watched the very first competitive PvP game of D&D on Twitch and are here to talk about it. We aren't saying you can't have competitive RPGs. You can. But, uh, this ain't it, chief.
Music:
Roll the Dice, Pac Div
He Got Game, Public Enemy & Stephen Stills
Fight Night, Migos
Ep 48: It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Mage (plus Ravnica)
Matt and Rob review two new releases from Wizards of the Coast: The Dungeon of the Mad Mage and The Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica.
NO SPOILERS! If you are planning on playing Mad Mage, do not be afraid! Your DMs only talk about the adventure in general terms.
Megadungeons! What are they? What types of players and dungeons masters will enjoy this type of adventure? Matt and Rob discuss the benefits and limitations of megadungeon-style adventure and what you can steal for your own campaigns. DM of None recommends Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage.
Ravnica! It's not great. Also, we complain about how you can't be a Plainswalker, the most obvious thing for a group of heroes. New races and new classes! Lots of centaurs but the cen-towers have fallen.
Do you love Ravnica? Please let us know why!
Music:
Roll the Dice, Pac Div
Black Hole Sun, Soundgarden
Mad World, Tears for Fears
Red Eyes and Tears, B.R.M.C.
Ep 47: D&D is a bicycle and other tortured metaphors
After some uninformed speculation about what the announced 2019 D&D campaign setting book will be, Rob and Matt discuss a recent article in Quartzy, "Dungeons & Dragons Created the Blueprint Nerd Culture Still Follows Today" by Dave Gershgorn.
Q&A time! If you could DM for any three celebrities, who would they be? What video game needs a TTRPG rulebook? Can a DM metagame?
What is your answer to these questions? Let us know at dmofnone@gmail.com!
Music:
Roll the Dice, Pac Div
Be Healthy, Dead Prez
Q.U.E.E.N., Janelle Monáe featuring Erykah Badu
Video Games (Remix), Lana Del Ray and Club Clique
Ep 46: The Traitor Baru Cormorant
Put on your masks and get out your account books! Matt and Rob are joined by a very special guest, Dave the Prof! They discuss Seth Dickinson's groundbreaking fantasy novel, The Traitor Baru Cormorant. The book's approach to race, queerness, and empire will get your fantasy world-building gears turning like no other novel!
Happy Halloween and happy the Monster Baru Cormorant day!
Links:
On Top of the World, Dave's podcast (Matt is also a co-host)
Music:
Roll the Dice, Pac Div
Rebel, Rebel, David Bowie
Empire State of Mind, Jay Z. feat. Alicia Key
Mask Off, Future
Ep 45: Water Heist, Deep Dragon
Matt and Rob review the newest adventure from Wizards of the Coast, Waterdeep: Dragon Heist!
WARNING! Spoilers begin at 45:10.
But first, we gird ourselves for a Tales from the Loop TV series and a Wheel of Time TV series. Matt shares his bafflement with TORG: Eternity.
Now, on to Waterdeep...Dragon Heist is a welcome departure from the all the other 5e adventures...modular antagonists...it's so short (and that's a good thing)......non-adventuring things for your adventurers to do...walking the fine line between pure sandbox and straight linear adventures...is this too complex...where are our criminals...Waterdeep is a city of LAWS...planning for when your players do nothing...inaction should never be the best choice for your PCs...modularity is still in beta but better to go down swinging...we recommend Daughter Peep: Flagon Iced!
Music:
Roll the Dice, Pac Div
A Theme for the Wheel of Time, Robert Berry
Love Song, Sara Bareilles
Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads
Episode 44: Mail Bag of Holding, Type II
DMs Matt and Rob talk about RPGs in the classroom using the Reacting to the Past curriculum and Matt's panel on Paradox Interactive's video games and history.
Now, on to your letters:
Nate writes, "Discord has a dice roller and a macro add-on!" [16:30]
Ryan asks, "Is the Dynamic Lighting option in Roll20 worth it?" [21:00]
Abstract Figure writes, "I love old school throwing weapons and boomerangs from movies of the 80s and 90s. What's the best way to put these iconic items into a game for my kids?" (He also sent us a link to some great drawings!) [25:30]
Adam asks, "How do I get players more engaged with NPCs and make them curious about my world?" [35:00]
Music:
"Roll the Dice" by Pac Div
"The Games People Play" by The Alan Parsons Project
"Blinded by the Light" by Manfred Mann's Earth Band
"When I Come Around" by Green Day
"BKNY" by Fat Tony (featuring Old Money)
Episode 43: DMing 201
"7 DM Tips to take your game to the next level...#6 will blow you away!"
"Players hate him! Master the Game with this one Weird Trick!"
Matt and Rob are back with some slightly more advanced tips to help you as a game master! But first, a listener asks, "Can I run a game with two swapping Dungeon Masters?"
On to the tips: creating a recap blog...playing to your strengths...you are using your DM screen wrong...the freedom of rolling in the open...binders full of NPC names...player name tents...getting to know what makes your players tick...mastering the "character spotlight" and the quick "around the table check-in."
Thanks for listening! Don't forget to rate and review! Email / Twitter
Music:
"Roll the Dice" by Pac Div
"Going through the Motions" by Buffy the Vampire Slayer
"Good Times Bad Times" by Led Zeppelin
"Say My Name" by Destiny's Child
"No Beginner" by Serengeti
Recommendations:
The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson
Episode 42: Playing Extremely Online
Matt and Rob discuss some recent drama related to Roll20, a virtual tabletop platform [05:40]. Your hosts then try present both the challenges and opportunities of running RPGs online [20:30]. Last, Matt and Rob try to give you some practical tips for using Roll20 and other online tabletops [41:30].
Have you struggled or had success running games online? Let us know how it went! dmofnone@gmail.com
Music:
"Roll the Dice" by Pac Div
"Pursuit of Happiness" by Kid Cudi, MGMT, and Ratatat
"Smoke and Mirrors" by Gotye
"Long Distance" by Bruno Mars
Episode 41: History + Magic Items
Matt and Rob love history. They also love making custom magic items. In this episode, your hosts combine these two loves by using historic artifacts as inspiration to create stats for D&D magic items.
D&D 5e Magic Item Descriptions Music: "Roll the Dice" by Pac Div "Season of the Witch" by Donovan "Blister in the Sun" by Violent Femmes "Nothin' But A Good Time" by Poison "The Magic Clap" by The Coup
BONUS: RPG Books to Prisoners
This is a call-to-action for all our listeners! Please, donate your RPG books or buy a manual or two for prisoners in the United States. RPG manuals are on the "most requested" list of almost every prison book donation website and are never stocked by the humorless authoritarian bureaucrats that run what's left of prison libraries. These books are so in demand that when charities are no longer accepting general donations, they will always make an exception for RPG books. You can mail RPG manuals to the Books to Prisoners nonprofit or you can drop off books at one of the dozens of organizations located around the country. Click the link at the top of the episode description for a full set of instructions on how and where to help. In solidarity, DMs Matt and Rob Music: "Midnight Special" by Lead Belly
Episode 40: One Shot, Part Deux
The Celestial Job: A Planescape Adventure for 3rd-level Characters
DMs Matt and Rob return to "The Celestial Job," a one-shot Planescape adventure we wrote during Episode 30. Today, we take a fresh look at the adventure after play-testing it with two groups of players. Your DMs discuss how to run an adventure with an eye towards revision. We look at what didn't work, what was fun, and what was hilarious!
If you liked our journey from brainstorming ideas to writing and revising an adventure module, feel free to download and run the whole thing (using the link above or on the Homebrew page). Let us know how the adventure goes! Music: "Roll the Dice" by Pac Div "Been Caught Stealing" by Jane's Addicition
Episode 39: Monster Mash
DMs Matt and Rob talk building monsters, from inspiration and concept down to armor class and damage immunities.
First, we take a look at Appalachia's version of Big Foot: the Mothman! Then, we fill out the ranks of any respectable wizard's staff with the Parchment Golem.
Music: "Half Light" by Low with Tomandandy "Paper Planes" by M.I.A.
Episode 38: Engineer Cantrips and Other Lost Tales
Matt and Rob answer your letters! Helping new players learn to role-play...hacking other systems into 5e DnD...balancing player goals...ditching random encounters...Chekhov's magic sword on the mantle...inclusivity in Pathfinder 2nd edition...Eurocentric humans in the Player's Handbook...the Broken Earth trilogy by N. K. Jemisin...getting "a head" with the Speak with Dead spell...Hellboy 1 is the best dungeon crawl...using science and the Move Earth cantrip to break the game...when is it okay to ask your DM to stop arguing about the rules...using the humanities to own your friends and make them sad...John McCain didn't like D&D. Music: Roll the Dice by Pac Div Riddles in the Dark by Chris Thile I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King
Episode 37: Mazes and Monsters!
We have done a crazy thing. Rob and Matt sat down and watched 1982's made-for-TV movie, Mazes and Monsters. We are now the Maze Controllers and have absolute authority! So grab your maps and get ready for a strange journey of 80s DnD panic, Tom Hanks, bad parenting, dungeon love, 9/11, and WASP angst. Your intrepid hosts deduce the rules-as-written of the Mazes and Monsters RPG, determine which character has the worst parents, and lust after the muggers with the coolest leather jackets in all of NYC. Please, whatever you do don't watch this movie.
Episode 36: Pathfinder 2e Playtest!
Matt and Rob dive into the good, the bad, and the tedious inside Paizo's new playtest for the 2nd edition of the Pathfinder Role-Playing Game.
The rule book, bestiary, and short adventure path can all be found at the following link: http://paizo.com/pathfinderplaytest
Episode 35 - Critical Role & Numenera w/ Natasha
Matt and Rob are joined by special guest Natasha, an amazing DM and co-host of the Metamashina Podcast, a show about genre fiction from the feminine perspective. WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 26 OF CRITICAL ROLE BEGIN @ [03:40].
Your DMs discuss how to handle character death, the problems of custom class mechanics, and fan reaction to the episode. [Discussion ends 40:10] Matt, Rob and Natasha are briefly distracted by Hasbro's bizarre announcement about D&D becoming an e-sport. [40:15]
Natasha shares her experience running games in Numenera, Monte Cook's far-future rpg centered around exploration and discovery. [45:50] If you plan on running any type of post-technology adventure or if you just want to improve your ability to create ancient mysteries for your players to solve, give Numenera a try. It's a great system and setting for growing as a Dungeon Master! You can check out the Metamashina Podcast (and we recommend that you do) by following this link: https://metamashina.com
Episode 34: Ravnica and Eberron - New 5e Campaign Settings!
Matt and Rob discuss WotC's surprise announcement of a Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons and Dragons crossover: The Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica. While we are mostly disappointed and unenthused about this mixing of games, your hosts try to salvage some useful silver linings in the upcoming Ravnica release. Then, Matt gets way into MtG's "Color Wheel" for a few minutes.
On to what we really love: Eberron! For $20, Matt and Rob wholeheartedly recommend the Wayfinder's Guide to Eberron. It's perfect for introducing your players to the campaign setting and for creating Eberron-specific characters in 5th edition DnD. The book has a great new set of rules for Changelings, Kalashtar, Shifters, Warforged, and Dragonmarked characters! Unfortunately, if you are DM, you will still need the 3rd edition Eberron Campaign Setting as well. Listen for our complete review of our precious first 5e Eberron book!
Episode 33: Clan Brujah-ha & Unwanted Advice
Matt and Rob recap the controversy over the new 5th edition of Vampire: The Masquerade. [07:20] This is a chilling reminder that the alt-right and actual Nazis are using our hobby—specifically fake controversies like Gamer Gate and DnD Gate—to recruit people to their reactionary and racist ideology.
On to Unwanted Advice, the segment where we answer the questions you didn't ask about RPGs:
- How do you deal with flying characters at low-levels? [22:30]
- What is the best level to start your campaign? [30:00]
- Help! My DM is stealing from Critical Role. What do I do? [34:00]
- What is the best way to continue Curse of Strahd? (Minor spoilers for CoS) [42:20]
- Can I give my Warlock (5e D&D) a Shield at-will ability? [47:00]
- Should rolling a "natural 1" have additional negative consequences? [50:05]
If you have questions about RPGs, DMing, or anything else, send us them to us at dmofnone@gmail.com!
Episode 32: TFW No Goth GF (Curse of Stahd Review)
DMs Matt and Rob bite into the 5th edition campaign: the Curse of Strahd! We just finished the whole thing and would like to en-frighten you with our experience. If you are considering running this campaign, then this is a must listen episode for any would be horror Dungeon Masters. Even if Strahd isn't your cup of blood, you'll find tons of great tips for running horror games and lessons for structuring your own narratives.
Links: Save World History!
A cool history and gaming conference in Michigan (call for papers) The Original "Ravenloft" Module (1e)
Episode 31: Stealing Dragons, Urban Elites and the Golden Rule
Listen to a hungover Matt and Rob go over the news of the day, including the newly announced WotC module, an interesting Tweet from Adam Koebel, and more! Yeah, we're a little behind the curve, but tune in for a conversation about urban campaigns and GM fiat anyway.
Episode 30 - D&D One Shot, One Kill(er Adventure)
Matt and Rob write a Dungeons and Dragons one-shot adventure on-the-fly in under an hour!
Writing adventures is not hard or scary. It's something that just takes practice. We hope our brainstorming and adventure planning will help inspire and encourage you to get those plots prepped. The adventure will be available for free on our homebrew page about a week after release. Feel free to download and playtest our one-shot!
Episode 29: Foam of Toes
Matt and Rob share their first impressions of the sixth rule book in the Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition: Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes.
There will be war. There will be blood. There will be a Blood War. Your hosts talk about the upgrading the Tiefling with the new stuff in this book. The new Githzerai and Githyanki are full of flavor and story-telling potential; the other section of races and sub-races for Elves, Dwarves, and Halflings not so much. Reprints abound! Wizards then makes us sad by putting Tortles and Giff into the book but not giving them racial stats for players. The monsters are great! We hit on our favorites (allips, chokers, and maruts). Rob and Matt chat about what lessons DMs can learn on how to modify monsters from the sections on Ogres, Drow, and Trolls. Link to the PF table of 100 tiefling traits.
Episode 28: Ready Planescape One
This week Matt and Rob talk mazes and monsters -- no, not the classic 1982 Tom Hanks movie about the dark side of gaming, we're talking Planescape, which is full of both! Your favorite DM duo talk about the theme and setting of the wackiest D&D setting out there, give some ideas on how to run a campaign, and generally geek out about what makes it cool.
Make sure to listen carefully for a rare instance of Rob being BTFO by Matt on a rules question.
Episode 27: How To Freedom
Lot going on here! Matt and Rob chat about the news of the week, talk elf phrenology, discuss the end of our recent campaign arcs, follow-up on a listener e-mail, and give some more unasked-for advice, addressing staying organized, homebrew content, and, of course, how to freedom.
RPG Round-up 2:20 How to end a campaign arc and deal with players leaving 10:00 Follow-up letter 29:30 How to Stay Organized? 32:30 DnDWiki Homebrew troubles 39:00 How to create freedom 49:00
Episode 26: System Talk
Sure, D&D is fun, but have you ever severed an orc street sam's head with a monofilament whip, or confronted the eldritch horrors of the universe with nothing but your service revolver and a flashlight?
Matt and Rob talk a little bit about the other systems that they've played and run, what makes them fun, and why you might want to branch out from D&D and 5e, and how to approach a different system and setting. Expand your horizons players, there's a whole world of RPGs out there!
Episode 25: PbtA, theme, and worldbuilding with special guest Michelle Nickolaisen
This week's episode takes us into uncharted territory, with a sweeping discussion of TTRPGs, crafting unique worlds, and exploring themes within your games, featuring our first guest, Michelle Nickolaisen, DM and host of Serendipity City.
Michelle talks to us about Powered by the Apocalypse and what you can draw from it, how to run a game that's going to be shared online, creating interesting and compelling worlds, and how to approach complicated themes in your games. We lost some audio, but soldiered on, and covered a ton of ground nonetheless.
Find Michelle and her many projects @_ChelleShock and her PbtA podcast at https://www.serendipitypod.com/.
Episode 24: The Kingmaker Special
Your favorite DM duo finally get down to the business of published modules -- what good are they, how can you use them, when should you use them, and which ones are the best for new and experienced players? Matt and Rob use Paizo's signature AP, Kingmaker, as an instructive example as to what works, what doesn't, and how to make modifications of your own.
Episode 22: Mail Bag of Holding
Matt and Rob get around to their month-log backlog of listener questions (sorry) and dispense some dubious, but explicitly wanted advice.
(3:03) Gordon writes in asking about how to find a D&D group to play with. Matt and Rob have some suggestions, some of which might even be useful!
(9:30) Adrian writes in about how to reduce prep time and for advice on being comfortable improvising. We wisely advise Adrian to stop doing so much work. (18:15) Brian asks about dealing with a *Gob Bluth voice* huge mistake with his wide-reaching homebrew world.
(30:22) Sid's got a 3-part question (that's cheating Sid) that deals with metagaming, tuning the challenge of encounters, and learning when to let go.
(46:00) David wants to know how to make his human and humanoid NPCs more diverse. Matt and Rob try not to be racist!
Episode 21: Just the Tips
Matt and Rob set out to do a full episode with lots of moving parts but end up spending the whole time giving dubious advice. Listen to some of our general tips for DMing, hear some new unwanted advice, and hopefully come away enlightened about the process of becoming a good DM.
And sorry about all the dick jokes.
Episode 20: Fixing the Mystic and Artificer
Let’s homebrew some classes! Wizards has set their sights on two iconic classes: the Mystic (aka the Psion) and the Artificer. These classes are essential for running games in Dark Sun or Eberron. However, the playtest classes for the Mystic and the Artificer are not quite there yet. We dig into why these proposed classes fall short and how we would fix them. Our “crunchiest” episode yet!
Links:
Episode 19: History Doesn't Work Like That — Authenticity and Gaming
Matt and Rob put on their dueling gloves and throw down with a couple of games that claim to be historically accurate — but are in fact, nothing of the sort (also, uh, "historically accurate" isn't really a thing, but we'll get to that). Your fearless DMs get to the root of what people are REALLY talking about when they talk about authenticity and historical accuracy, and as you might imagine, it's not what they say it's about. Come for a frank discussion of Kingdom Come: Deliverance and its RPG counterpart, stay for the part where we both get unreasonably worked up about the misuse of history.
Episode 18: Couatls Conquer Europe
In "Couatls Conquer Europe" Matt and Rob discuss the re-launch of the Dragons Conquer America Kickstarter. Your DMs plunge headfirst into the jungle of, uh, problems that arose during the kickstarter's initial failed run. After tackling the basics of "How to Train Your Dragon to Conquer America," the DMs get into successes, challenges, and opportunities of setting a fantasy game during the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs. Come for a summary of the game's glaring historical omissions, stay for Matt and Rob's bewilderment at Burning Games' inability to make meaningful changes in response to some very reasonable suggestions from critics. Matt and Rob then grapple with the complexities of writing an anti-colonial or post-colonial RPG.
Bonus! If you are are game designer, this kickstarter is a masterclass in how NOT to respond to criticism. Link to Dia Lacina's article on Vice: https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/a37a34/it-takes-more-than-a-tolerance-mechanic-to-make-an-anti-colonial-rpg
Episode 17: The Forgettable Realms vs. Eberron
Matt talks about how to handle intra-party disputes by ending your sessions at the right time (00:30) and Rob shares tips on how to run games for a large number of players (05:00).
Then, the duo discusses campaign settings. Specifically, why D&D’s “default” setting in 5th edition, the Forgotten Realms, a.k.a. Faerun, is so frustrating and boring (14:00). Matt and Rob break down the bad (and good) of Elminster's favorite reality. Then, stick around to hear why the Eberron campaign setting, another official WotC world, is great place to run and play D&D (33:00). Fact: All good campaign settings ask an interesting question about the world and have a strong theme. Fight us!
Finally, we close out with some thoughts about what we don’t like about Eberron and how to start porting it over to 5th edition. (54:15)
Episode 16: DMs of the Round Table
Matt and Rob talk about the most recent D&D roundtable (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFbCxuvknWM), featuring Mike Mearls, Matt Mercer, Matt Collville, and Adam Koebel. We discuss character death, performing for an audience, game design, and the future of Wizards of the Coast releases. Come for the keen analysis of D&D, stay for the incessant fanboying.
Episode 15: Pathfinder 2e Announced!
Breaking news: Paizo has announced a 2nd edition of Pathfinder! Matt and Rob have a special headline news edition of Dungeon Master of None, full of hot takes, hopes, dreams, and predictions.
Episode 14: Unwanted Advice 3
We’re starting a side-project, “Now This is Podcasting!” to complain about Luke Skywalker’s new Jedi powers (this is totally not a joke). Rob and Matt review the recent RPG kickstarter news (4:40). Big daddy Matt Colville’s new book “Strongholds and Followers” has more than 1 million dollars pledged. Check it out! There are only 5 days left! Then, we make ourselves sad by remembering the “epic bacon fail” of Pathfinder’s sad, sad MMO kickstarter. Matt and Rob have a quick chat about “Into the Wild,” the new Unearthed Arcana from WotC. (15:00)
On to the main event: Unwanted Advice! We save your game from yourself in D&D's only podcast advice column.
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“I’ve got dyscalculia (difficulty doing arithmetic) is it reasonable to ask for an accommodation at the table?” (21:25)
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“I suspect my Dungeon Master of cheating. Can I ask my DM to make all their rolls in the open?” (25:30)
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“I love running in-person games, but I hate running online. How can I make running online less exhausting and more fun?” (40:20)
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And finally, our first “wanted” question from David! “I played a lot of D&D back in the late 80s. I'm getting back into D&D to teach my nephews, who are 6 and 8. Any tips on helping kids to learn and grow (as gamers and as people) via D&D?” (49:20)
Episode 13: A Quick and Dirty Guide to the Campaign Bible
If you want to sell your adventure, campaign, or home-brew world to your potential players, you need a “Campaign Bible.” When TV writers and directors create a new series, they often have a “show bible” -- this document not only helps keep everyone on the same page, but serves as a sort of mission statement, establishing tone, theme, and the direction of the show, often serving as a selling point to producers and investors. This is also a good way to think about your game. You can introduce your players to your campaign by writing a “campaign bible” and we’re here to help you do it well!
Master DM and WotC designer Chris Perkins shared one of his campaign bibles for a setting that never got off the ground, “Valoreign.” We’ve decided to use his excellent campaign bible as an example and guide for how to create your own guide. Link to Chris Perkins’ campaign bible for “Valoreign.” A must-listen episode for DMs who want to start a new campaign!
Matt and Rob’s “Guide to Making a Campaign Bible,” a guide and checklist for creating a document to introduce your players to a new setting or adventure!
Rob’s campaign bible for “Thunder on the Steppe,” an epic setting on horseback inspired by the history of the Mongol Empire.
Matt’s campaign bible for “Shattered Stars,” a swashbuckling age-of-sail setting inspired by Spelljammer!
Episode 12: Worldbuilding Jam Session
The Dynamic DM Duo chat about the new Matt Colville Kickstarter, “Strongholds and Followers” (2:23). Then, on the main meat of the convo, how to start thinking about worldbuilding for an RPG (5:25). Worldbuilding is hella important, even if you run a pre-written module or use a published campaign setting!
If you don’t want to go into the deep end of homebrewery, your options (at least in 5e D&D) are limited to Forgotten Realms (10:00). Matt and Rob talk about why you might want to get beyond this campaign world and some of the other less obvious options that are available to you as a DM or player!
Then, Matt and Rob talk about how to get started on your own homebrew campaign setting for your players (16:10). Your DMs of None are in the same place as you are! Listen to Matt and Rob begin to flesh out their new worlds and worldbuild right alongside you.
Episode 11: Edition Wars and Ending Gatekeeping
Matt and Rob discuss the edition wars (bad) and gatekeeping (also bad). Learn why nerds were mad on the internet for nearly five straight years and how to avoid being a weird jerk to people when they come to play D&D for the first time. More people playing D&D is good people! It’s good! Edition Wars (00:00:30) Gatekeeping in D&D (00:24:15) Link to Matt and Rob’s data visualization of D&D player data: https://imgur.com/gallery/L1kNu
Episode 10: Unwanted Advice II
There are new sub-classes out for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons from the fine folks of Wizards of the Coast. Matt and Rob review the [00:59] Brute Fighter (good...maybe, too good), the [06:25] Inventor Wizard (will some invent some better abilities?), and the [10:18] Shroomancer (a.k.a. the Circle of Spores Druid). Then, it’s on to the most popular radio program in D&D history: Unwanted Advice! We answer the questions that you didn’t ask to save your damn game from itself. [11:00] How do I get my players to role-play? Why don’t they like anything but combat?
[20:25] My players befriended the wrong NPC! I don’t know how to run their new hireling wizard! Help!
[25:55] Quote: “Is it good idea to let player be medusa???”
[29:05] How do I scam my party with cursed magic items?
[33:10] My players can’t play! How do I help my players learn the rules?
Episode 9: Session One
It's our most important episode for new DMs yet! How do you structure your the first session of a D&D campaign? Like writing the first page of a book, preparing the start of a campaign is intimidating. If you're a new Dungeon Master, then this episode is a must-listen! But first, Matt and Rob chat about WotC's awesome new hire--Kate Welch--and correctly predict the next Dungeons and Dragons release. Your hosts do a deep dive on the goals and purpose of the "session one." Finally, we go over three basic ways of varying difficulty and engagement to start your campaign before we workshop Matt's upcoming first session!
Episode 8: Merc'd by Mercer: Learning from Critical Role
We all love Critical Role! But can you become a better Dungeon Master or a better player by watching the show? Absolutely!
Learn why Matt Mercer is such an amazing Dungeon Master! (Hint: it’s NOT because of his voice acting.) Can you play D&D as well as Ashley, Laura, Liam, Marisha, Sam, Taliesin, and Travis do? Yes, you can! Discover how to tap into your "RP-Generosity" and how to avoid the "grimdark" disease that plagues so many of our characters. DMs Matt and Rob chat about what you can take away from the new season of Critical Role and what is best left to the professionals. A must-listen for Critters who want to run their own game of Dungeons and Dragons!
Notes: Listen to or watch Critical Role The Alexandrian, "Three Clue Rule"
Episode 7: Unwanted Advice I
You’ve got D&D problems? We’ve got D&D answers. Dungeon Masters Rob and Matt are here to answer common tabletop questions and solve those sticky RPG situations that you have gotten yourself into.
(2:00) Problem Player in Poughkeepsie asks, “How do you deal with players who wander off on their own? How do you recover when you make a rules mistake?”
(9:44) Forever DM asks, “I’m always the DM. Is it okay for me to insert a Dungeon Master run Player Character (DMPC) into my party?”
(16:07) Weakling Woes asks, “Can a player keep trying a failed Strength roll until she succeeds?” Oh boy, we get real deep on this one.
(26:08) Gauntlet Guy or Gal asks, “How do I hook my players into my first story?” After some confusion about the multiple meanings of the world “gauntlet,” we say, “Por que no los dos?!”
Episode 6: Xanathar Review II: Son of Xanathar
Matt and Rob get excited about Will Smith’s orc cop movie and its influences, then talk about the second half of “Xanathar’s Guide to Everything”, which includes traps, monster tables, and all other kinds of DM goodies. Come for the nerd nonsense, stay for the deep dive into DM resources.
Episode 5: Xanathar’s Guide to a Very Specific Set of Things
In part one of our review of Xanathar's Guide to Everything, we talk about balance, power creep, design space, and, true to our roots, give crushing letter grades to all of the classes. Listen to Rob rant about fighters, Matt reference Poochie, and both of us groan in dismay over a certain goofy-ass beholder.
Episode Four: I'm Not Here to Make Friends
Matt and Rob both bring nothing into the Drift (TM) to discuss the nerd news of the day before they help you master the fine art of character creation.
Breaking: Bad Boy Billionaire Bezos Buys Bilbo Baggins Biography! Can Amazon actually make a good Lord of the Rings TV show? Someone else always has to, like, carry on the story, we guess.
Next, Matt and Rob talk about how to take your characters from zeroes to heroes. As a Dungeon Master, you can encourage and trick your players into making characters that they will love playing and that you will love refereeing. Learn Matt’s patented “Three Tiers of Character Depth.” If you are tired of brooding loners and psychopathic thieves ruining your game, then follow our advice and your next adventuring party will be full of memorable characters that work together!
Episode Three: Session Zero (and some other things)
Matt and Rob talk Xanathar’s, downtime activities, and perhaps the MOST important session your RPG group will ever have -- session zero. Learn how to head off some of the most common game problems before you campaign even begins! Help your players make the best characters they've ever made. This one is a must listen if you are new DM or player and need help getting started!
Episode Two: “A Moderately Popular Twitch DM”
Kind of a news round-up, grab bag kind of episode, covering everything from racism to tech at the table and everything in between. Matt and Rob also hash out a magic item for you to steal, if that’s your thing. I don’t know man, just listen, it’s a good one.
The DMs are aware that they said “swords” and then immediately talked about a dagger, don’t @ us.
Link: The Splitspace Blade
Episode One: So You Want to Play a RPG
Thinking about starting to play an RPG? Not sure if it’s for you? Intimidated by all the rules and dice and other nonsense? Let Matt and Rob put you at ease with a nice, casual discussion about why RPGs are actually very cool and easy to get into and definitely not just for nerds.
(Yes, we know, Rob’s sound quality is bad, it will be fixed in future episodes)
And support the show on Patreon!
Links: The free 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons rules, a hyper-linked version of those same rules
Podcasten Dungeon Master of None är skapad av Robert Guthrie & Matt Drwenski. Podcastens innehåll och bilderna på den här sidan hämtas med hjälp av det offentliga podcastflödet (RSS).
En liten tjänst av I'm With Friends. Finns även på engelska.