DnDiscussions
111 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 month ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsA D&D show to discuss all aspects of tabletop role playing for both DM's and players.
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Episodes
Episode 107 – March 2024 Mailbag
March 18, 2024 06:00 - 1 hour - 99.4 MBRyan and Ben take a moment to answer some questions from the mailbag. Then they peek at the open beta of Daggerheart before introducing the updated edition of “Of Dice and Men The Story of Dungeons & Dragons and the People Who Play It” by David Ewalt. And lastly, we peer through our telescopes at … Continue reading "Episode 107 – March 2024 Mailbag"
Episode 106 – Evil Campaigns and Bandits
March 04, 2024 08:00 - 57 minutes - 70.8 MBRyan and Ben discuss the possibilities available when running an evil campaign and then spend some monster fixing time on bandits. Community Pages: Dev Update Core Rulebooks, Maps, and Third Party Content; Vecna: Eve of Ruin, Everything You Need to Know; Daggerheart. Socials: Discord; Twitter; Bluesky; Ryan’s Bluesky; Ben’s Bluesky.
Episode 105 – Major News and Black Dragons
February 20, 2024 06:40 - 56 minutes - 70.3 MBRyan and Ben discuss the plethora of news released in the past 2 weeks and then peek into the lairs of black dragons. Community Pages: Dungeons and Dragons turns 50; PC Gamer’s D&D coverage; Vecna: Eve of Ruin preorder; Everything you need to know about Humblewood; Bricktastic Dungeons and Dragons article; Mr. Rhexx’s Black Dragon … Continue reading "Episode 105 – Major News and Black Dragons"
Episode 104 – Latest Playtest Results and Multiclassing
February 05, 2024 08:00 - 57 minutes - 72.2 MBRyan and Ben take a peek at the latest playtest survey results and then discuss the odds and ends of multiclassing. Community Pages: Playtest Survey Results; Screenrant’s 10 D&D Rule changes; D&D Beyond’s Playtest 8 Summary; Wargamer article for fixing CR; Mike Mearls 5e point encounters; Puffin Forest’s Most Abserd Character; Loke Battlemaps Terrain Set … Continue reading "Episode 104 – Latest Playtest Results and Multiclassing"
Episode 103 – Back from Hiatus and Handling Lore Dumps
January 18, 2024 05:57 - 59 minutes - 74.8 MBRyan and Ben discuss the best practices for prepping for your first session after a hiatus and then dig into the best way to drop a big pile of lore! Community Pages: 2023 Unrolled; The Physical Edition of the Deck of Many Things Releases; MCDM Where Evil Lives; Newsletter of M.T. Black Games. Socials: Discord; Twitter; Bluesky; Ryan’s Bluesky; Ben’s … Continue reading "Episode 103 – Back from Hiatus and Handling Lore Dumps"
Episode 102 – News, Yeti Monster Fixing, and the 2023 Holiday One Shot
December 18, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 93.7 MBRyan and Ben spend some time taking a look at some Wizards of the Coast news, spend some time monster fixing the abominable yeti, and create our holiday one shot! Community Pages: Hasbro Layoffs; Christian Hoffer’s twitter post; D&D Beyond Dungeons of Drakkenheim; D&D Beyond Lairs of Etharis; Vecna: Eve of Ruin and Quests From … Continue reading "Episode 102 – News, Yeti Monster Fixing, and the 2023 Holiday One Shot"
Episode 101 – Unearthed Arcana 8 and Warforged
December 04, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 98.7 MBRyan and Ben discuss the highs and lows of Unearthed Arcana 8 and what it means to be a Warforged. Community Pages: Unearthed Arcana 8 summary; Playtest 8 PDF; Playtest 8 video; Heroes’ Feast Adventure Book; Heroes’ Feast: The Joys of Running a High Level Adventure; Stonefold Kingdoms Magnetic Dungeons and Foldable RPG Terrain Kickstarter. … Continue reading "Episode 101 – Unearthed Arcana 8 and Warforged"
Episode 100 – Giving Feedback and Fixing Golems
November 21, 2023 06:30 - 1 hour - 86.1 MBRyan and Ben celebrate episode 100 by discussing giving feedback and then looking into fixing a few golems. Community Pages: D&D Beyond maps; Deck of Many Things physical book update; DMsGuild; Hero Forge. Socials: Discord; Twitter; Bluesky; Ryan’s Bluesky; Ben’s Bluesky
Episode 99 – Passive Abilities and Plant Based Monster Fixer
November 07, 2023 06:58 - 1 hour - 94.9 MBRyan and Ben talk about using passive abilities and then run the Awakened Tree and Corpse Flower through the Monster Fixer. Community Pages: Deck of Many Things delay; Chains of Asmodeus; One-Shot Wonders. Socials: Discord; Twitter; Bluesky; Ryan’s BlueSky; Ben’s BlueSky.
Episode 98 – Planescape and Cursed Items
October 24, 2023 05:55 - 1 hour - 75.4 MBRyan and Ben take a quick look at the newest Planescape release and discuss the use of cursed items. Episode Links: Playtest 7 survey; Brennan Lee Mulligan and Planescape; The Problem with Cursed Items by Ginny Di; The Talent by MCDM.
Episode 97 – Playtest 7 and 8 along with Changing Classes
October 09, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 92.6 MBRyan and Ben summarize the new UAT 7 and 8 playtests and talk about a player character changing classes. Links: Playtest 7; Playtest 7 summary; Playtest 8; Playtest 8 summary; Introducing maps video; Maps on D&D Beyond; Claim Lightning Keep; How to build glitch characters in Planescape; Claim Lost Mine of Phandelver.
Schedule Update
September 19, 2023 01:45 - 37 seconds - 825 KBRyan and Ben are in need of a long rest. The next episode will be up in a week or two. Until then, be good to each other.
Episode 96 – Building a One Shot and Firbolgs
September 04, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 88.6 MBRyan and Ben talk about building a one shot and then discuss the greatness of firbolgs. Community Pages: Tal’dorei Campaign Setting Reborn; Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer; Simple 5E Microsoft Word Template Beginner’s Guide.
Episode 95 – Baldur’s Gate 3 discussion and WOTC news
August 17, 2023 05:58 - 1 hour - 114 MBRyan and Ben gush about Baldur’s Gate 3 and talk about some of the differences between fifth edition rules and rules of the game. Then they take a look at some of the news coming out from Wizards of the Coast. Community Pages: Gamerant’s Biggest Rule Changes in Baldur’s Gate 3; Community Update on AI … Continue reading "Episode 95 – Baldur’s Gate 3 discussion and WOTC news"
Episode 94 – Epilogues and Genasi
July 31, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 95.3 MBRyan and Ben discuss ending a campaign and take a look at the different kinds of Genasi. Community Page: Tabletop Joab: Campaign Aftercare; Playtest 6 survey; Baldur’s Gate 3.
Episode 93 – Player’s Handbook Playtest 6 and Bigby Presents: Glory of Giants
July 19, 2023 06:27 - 1 hour - 112 MBRyan and Ben take time to dig into the preview of Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants and then attempt to tackle the massive new Player’s Handbook Unearthed Arcana. Community Pages: Everything You Need to Know Bigby Presents: Glory of Giants; Unearthed Arcana Player’s Handbook Playtest 6 full video; Playtest 6 PDF; Playtest 6 notes; … Continue reading "Episode 93 – Player’s Handbook Playtest 6 and Bigby Presents: Glory of Giants"
Episode 92 – Setting the Mood and Fixing Oozes
July 03, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 80.9 MBRyan and Ben discuss how to set the mood for home and online games and then take a crack at fixing oozes. Community Pages: Intro video to Playtest 6; Unearth Arcana Playtest 6; Kenku FM; Phandelver and Below preorder; Tome of Beasts 3; Further Ancestries and Cultures.
Episode 91 – News and Druids
June 13, 2023 05:36 - 1 hour - 84.7 MBRyan and Ben discuss some recent news and talk about the 2014 Druid and subclasses. Community Pages: D&D Community Update; Bigby Presents: Glory of the Giants; Nerdist sneak preview of the 2024 update; What are the 2024 Fifth Edition Core Rulebooks; Tome of Mystical Tattoos; Tome of Mystical Tattoos II completed Kickstarter; Celebrate Pride!
Episode 90 – Paladin and Druid Results and Optional Rules
May 22, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 127 MBRyan and Ben discuss the Paladin and Druid UA results, look forward to the Players Handbook survey, and then discuss some of the optional rules found in the Player’s Handbook and the DMG. Community Pages: Paladin and Druid UA Survey Results; Player’s Handbook UA Survey Launch video; UA 5 Player’s Handbook Survey; Optional Rules guide; … Continue reading "Episode 90 – Paladin and Druid Results and Optional Rules"
Episode 89 – Playtesting Weapon Mastery and 5 more Classes
May 08, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 119 MBRyan and Ben dissect the massive amount of information in the new Player’s Handbook Unearthed Arcana. Community Pages: Unearthed Arcana Player’s Handbook; D&D Community Update Page; Misplaced Monsters Volume 1.
Episode 88 – Discussing the new DMG and Introducing New Player Characters
April 24, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 103 MBRyan and Ben take a look at the sneak preview of the new DMG, then talk about bringing in new players and new player characters. Community Pages: Pathfinder 2nd Edition Harvest Compendium; Anne Gregersen’s DMs Guild list.
Episode 87 – Culturally Consulting and Representation with Daniel Kwan
April 12, 2023 02:10 - 1 hour - 142 MBRyan and Ben are joined the Daniel Kwan to talk about cultural consulting, representation, and the D&D Summit. Daniel’s pages and work: D&D Summit Summary; Daniel’s Twitter; The Asians Represent Podcast; Daniel’s supplements; Daniel’s itch.io page. Things mentioned on the show: Shou-Chiang: The Shou Alphabet; The Star Wars Chandrilan clothing on Andor.
Episode 86 – DnD Direct Recap and Speeding up Combat
March 30, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 85 MBRyan and Ben talk about the latest D&D Direct, look into ways of speeding up combat, and answer a listener’s email. Community Pages: D&D Direct 2023 Announcement Showcase; D&D Virtual Tabletop: A Closer Look; Druid & Paladin Survey Launch; Loke BattleMats; DnDBeyond sale.
Episode 85 – Recovering from your mistakes and Monster Fixing Celestials
March 13, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 86.6 MBRyan and Ben talk about righting your wrongs and mistakes and then spend some time fixing celestials! Community Pages: Professor Gilroy’s Heavenly Handbook; D&D Beyond Community Update; Adventuring Academy XP vs. Milestone Leveling.
Episode 84 – Druid and Paladin UA and fitting in backstory
March 01, 2023 15:11 - 1 hour - 97.1 MBRyan and Ben take a look at the newest UA with changes for Druids and Paladins as well as touch on fitting in player backstories into your module and homebrew campaigns. Community Pages: Survey Results and the Future of Playtest; Druid and Paladin UA; Demiplane 5e Nexus announcement; Daughter of Frankenstein Kickstarter.
Episode 83 – OGL Resolved and Handling Turn Ending Effects
February 13, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 95.1 MBRyan and Ben discuss the outcome of the Wizard’s of the Coast OGL drama. Then they tackle how to handle turn ending effects like stun, paralyze, and charm. Community Pages: OGL and Creative Commons announcement; SRD 5.1-CC; OGL discussion summary from the 3 Black Halflings Podcast; Mastering Dungeons interview with Kyle Brink; Polygon’s OGL controversy … Continue reading "Episode 83 – OGL Resolved and Handling Turn Ending Effects"
Episode 82 – Talking Actual Play shows with Dr. Emily Friedman
January 30, 2023 08:00 - 2 hours - 146 MBRyan and Ben are joined by Dr. Emily Friedman to discuss the rise and reason behind TTRPG actual play shows. Emily’s Info: Website; Polygon page; Twitter; Youtube. Community Pages: Lost Atlas; Morvold Press.
Episode 81 – The OGL and Unwinnable Fights
January 16, 2023 08:00 - 1 hour - 88.7 MBRyan and Ben attempt to summarize the recent goings on with Wizards of the Coasts OGL 1.0 and discuss the various aspects of Unwinnable Fights. OGL discussions: #OpenDND open letter; Gizmodo article; MyLawyerFriend article; DnDbeyond OGL update; Gizmodo Subscriptions article; LegalEagle video; Kobold Press announcement; MCDM announcement; Paizo Open RPG License. Community Page: Abyssalbrews Twitter.
Episode 80 – Cleric and Revised Species and the 2022 Holiday One Shot
December 19, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBRyan and Ben discuss the results of the previous playtest and take a peek at the newest Unearthed Arcana. It’s also that time of year for our holiday one shot! Community Page: Cleric and Revised Species UA; D&D Adventure Calendar 2022.
Episode 79 – Binary Outcomes and Undead Monster Fixer
November 28, 2022 07:00 - 1 hour - 77.6 MBRyan and Ben answer an email which sparks a conversation about binary outcomes and then take a shot at an Undead Monster Fixer Community Pages: D&D Beyond sale; Dragonlance releases Dec. 6th; Tome of Beasts 3.
Episode 78 – Welcome to Dragon Talk with Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito
November 14, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 90.5 MBRyan and Ben are joined by Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito from Dragon Talk to talk about the Welcome to Dragon Talk and the growth of D&D. Community Pages: Preorder Welcome to Dragon Talk; Dragon Talk Podcast; Shelly’s Twitter; Shelly’s website; Greg’s Twitter; Greg’s Instagram; Re:Engage podcast; One D&D Expert Classes Survey; The Light Package … Continue reading "Episode 78 – Welcome to Dragon Talk with Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito"
Episode 77 – High Tier Play with Ryan Servis
October 24, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 115 MBRyan and Ben are joined by Ryan Servis to discuss 3rd and 4th tier play! Community Pages: Ryan Servis Twitter; 2C Gaming; Total Party Kill Bestiary Vol. 1; Total Party Kill Bestiary Vol. 2; Grimoire of the Grave Kickstarter; One D&D Expert Classes Survey.
Episode 76 – Expert Classes in the Unearthed Arcana
October 10, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 91.8 MBRyan and Ben discuss round two of the One D&D Unearthed Arcana Playtesting material. Community Pages: Unearthed Arcana Expert Classes; Anansi’s Tapestry of Lives; Dungeons and Dragons x LEGO Ideas.
Episode 75 – Blue Dragons and One Shots
September 26, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 79.5 MBRyan and Ben discuss Blue Dragons and fix them up a bit as well running a one shot during player absences. Community Pages: MCDM The Workshop Watches; Monster Loot.
Episode 74 – Exploring the World with Alyssa Visscher!
September 12, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 90.3 MBRyan and Ben are joined by Alyssa Visscher to talk about exploration off the beaten path. Community Pages: Alyssa Visscher’s Twitter; Dora the Explorer method of travel; Fate’s Lingering Shadow; What Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos Teaches Us About Good Storytelling; Don’t Lose Focus! Your Guide to the Rules for Concentration in D&D; How to … Continue reading "Episode 74 – Exploring the World with Alyssa Visscher!"
Episode 73 – Wizards Presents
September 01, 2022 06:08 - 1 hour - 91.3 MBRyan and Ben discuss the information that came from the most recent Wizard Presents. Community Page: Wizards Presents recap; Planegea.
Episode 72 – Dealing with Artificers, Magic Items, and Giving a Helping Hand
August 15, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBRyan and Ben talk about balancing with Artificer magic items and the need to give a little help now and then. Community Page: Dragnacarta Challenge Ratings 2.0 and Radiant Crossroads.
Episode 71 – Journeying through the Radiant Citadel with Ajit George
August 01, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 111 MBAjit George joins Ryan and Ben to discuss the ins and outs of Journeys through the Radiant Citadel. Community Pages: Ajit’s Twitter; Ajit’s Facebook; Ajit’s Website; Saturnalia; Journeys beyond the Radiant Citadel; Wonders of the Multiverse Unearthed Arcana.
Episode 70 – Splitting the party and hanging with Kobolds
July 18, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 69.9 MBRyan and Ben discuss the challenges of splitting the party then take a look at kobolds. Community Pages: Free Spelljammer Academy Supplement; Roll20’s joint venture with OneBookShelf; Kill Every Monster Podcast.
Episode 69 – Playing Politics in D&D with LegalKimchi
June 20, 2022 08:00 - 2 hours - 137 MBRyan and Ben are joined by the wonderfully knowledgeable LegalKimchi to talk about creating and running a high political campaign. Community Pages: LegalKimchi’s Twitter; LegalKimchi’s Youtube page; Political D&D Games: Power; The Prism Class at DMsGuild is Free for Pride Month;
Episode 68 – Working with Backstories
June 06, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 82.6 MBRyan and Ben discuss the importance of using backstories and the impact they can have when explored. Community Pages: Unearthed Arcana Giant Options; MCDM Psionics and the Talent; Beastheart and Monstrous Companions.
Episode 67 – Mimic Monster Fixer and Filling in the Details
May 23, 2022 08:00 - 58 minutes - 63.1 MBRyan and Ben take a swing at a little monster fixing on mimics as well as discuss some ideas and practices to fill in the details on maps! Community Pages: Dungeon Alchemist; Inkarnate; Lost Atlas; DM’s Guild Monster sale.
Episode 66 – D&D Direct announcements and Clerics
May 11, 2022 05:29 - 1 hour - 84.1 MBRyan and Ben discuss the announcements from the D&D Direct and dive into the domain of Clerics. Community Pages: Alphastream write up of the D&D Direct; D&D Beyond Monsters of the Multiverse FAQ; Deborah Ann Woll’s House Rule; The Game Master’s Book of Non-Player Characters; Campaign Builder Cities and Towns Kickstarter.
Episode 65 – Wizard’s bought D&D Beyond and Demon Monster Fixer
April 25, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 75.9 MBRyan and Ben discuss Wizard’s of the Coast’s acquisition of D&D Beyond along with some of their wants and hopes. Then take another attempt at some monster fixing Lemurs and Imps. Community Pages: D&D Direct; Flee, Mortals!
Episode 64 – A chat with Mick Montgomery
April 11, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 136 MBRyan and Ben sit down with Mick Montgomery to talk about subverting expectations as well as describing your world as a 3D space. Community Pages: Mick’s Twitter; Dungeon Alchemist; and Journeys Through the Radiant Citadel.
Episode 63 – A Visit With RJ Cresswell
March 16, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 95.3 MBRyan and Ben are joined by RJ Cresswell to discuss professional DMing, D&D in schools, and more! RJ’s pages: Start Playing; Twitter Community Page: New Unearthed Arcana
Episode 62 – Telegraphing Intent and New Player RP Challenges
February 21, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 88.5 MBRyan and Ben delve into some discussion about combat intent as well as discuss ways to help new players with RPing and mechanics. Community Pages: Leon Barillaro’s telegraph information thread; Claim the Sky; Cypher System; Masks.
Episode 61 – Evil Scheming with Sadie Lowry
January 31, 2022 08:00 - 1 hour - 107 MBRyan and Ben are joined by Sadie Lowry to talk about editing, creating, and villainy! Community Page: Burn Bryte; Sadie’s Twitter; Sadie’s Instagram; Arcadia issue 11; Devil’s Bridge kickstarter
Episode 60 – Monster Fixer Gnolls and Encounter Themes Arenas
January 17, 2022 08:00 - 57 minutes - 64.8 MBRyan and Ben take a crack at gnolls for their monster fixing as well as introduce a new segment, Encounter Themes. Community Post: DMs Guild Underwater Campaigns; Ryan’s Arena Map
Episode 59 – Year End Lessons and 2022 Hopes
December 20, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - 98 MBRyan and Ben reflect on lessons learned in 2021 and cast out their hopes and dreams for 2022. Community Pages: Devil’s Advocate A Guide to Infernal Contracts; DnDBeyond Encounter Builder in Beta; Beastheart and Monstrous Companions; AllthingsDnD Youtube channel