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The Lazy RPG Podcast - D&D and RPG News and GM Prep from Sly Flourish
524 episodes - English - Latest episode: 28 days ago - ★★★★★ - 101 ratingsThe Lazy RPG Talk Show and the Lazy GM Prep show. D&D news, commentary, spotlights, Q&A, and lazy GM prep with Mike Shea of Sly Flourish.
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Episodes
Let's Make an Adventure! Keep of the Black Gate Part 1
June 30, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour - 84.1 MBMike uses the Adventure Generators from the Sly Flourish Patreon to build an adventure from scratch for his Saturday D&D game. Part 1 of 2. Zoho Annotator Dysonlogos Maps Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
Finding Maps for D&D
June 29, 2021 16:11 - 2 minutes - 4.62 MBWhat makes a good D&D map and where can a lazy DM easily find them? Original Youtube version Dyson Logos Maps The Alexandrian: Jaquaying the Dungeon Lazy DM's Workbook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 16
June 29, 2021 09:50 - 30 minutes - 42.4 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 18
June 28, 2021 09:59 - 40 minutes - 55.6 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original YouTube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Use Villainous Heralds in D&D
June 25, 2021 17:00 - 4 minutes - 7.78 MBMike talks about the value of heralds who announce villains far and wide. Original YouTube video How to Create Pay-Per-View Worthy Adventures or "How to Stop Worrying and Start DMing Like Vince McMahon" Building Villains like Pro-Wrestlers Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
Lazy D&D Talk Show - 20 June 2021
June 24, 2021 17:00 - 49 minutes - 67.7 MBMike chats about all things D&D! Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Show Contents 00:00 Intro 00:17 Tricks for the D&D Encounter Builder 12:35 Mork Borg 17:41 Old School Essentials 24:40 Runehammer Games's 5e Hardcore Mode 32:14 2C Gamings Total Party Kill Bestiary 2 37:42 Nord's Dreaded Accursed 40:19 Increasing the Deadly Encounter Benchmark at level 11+ 46:09 Returning to our one-on-one D&D game Link...
Preparing for your D&D Game in 15 Minutes
June 22, 2021 17:00 - 6 minutes - 12.7 MBMike discusses how to prepare for your game in about 15 minutes. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 17
June 21, 2021 17:00 - 36 minutes - 50.3 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original YouTube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Two Tools for D&D Encounter Building
June 18, 2021 17:00 - 6 minutes - 11.3 MBMike offers two tools for better D&D 5e encounter building. Original YouTube Video Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
Worldbuilding for Lazy Dungeon Masters: PAX Unplugged, December 2019
June 16, 2021 17:00 - 56 minutes - 104 MBThe lost recording of the Worldbuilding for the Lazy Dungeon Master panel at Pax Unplugged, December 2019, hosted by James Haeck with Makenzie De Armas, Mike Shea, Morrigan Robbins, and Renee Rhodes. James Haeck @jamesjhaeck Makenzie De Armas makenzielaneda Mike Shea @slyflourish Morrigan Robbins @MorriLoremother Renee Rhodes @raedeanner Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Talk Show - 13 June 2021
June 15, 2021 17:00 - 1 hour - 71.7 MBMike chats about D&D! Show Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:52 Translations Pushing Back 6e Predictions 5:00 Reviews of Third Party Books 07:22 Arcana of the Ancients 12:07 Ptolus 15:07 Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands 18:04 Ironsworn 20:56 Adventures of the Potbellied Kobold' 23:51 Mike's Appendix N (what's yours??) 37:25 Mike's Take on Stress Effects 58:15 Player vs. Player and Player vs. DM Consent 1:10:20 Rant about Adventurer's League Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsl...
Be Nice to 1st Level Characters in D&D
June 14, 2021 17:00 - 3 minutes - 5.68 MBMike talks about the importance of being nice to 1st level characters and offers three tips to make their lives a little easier. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Managing Time While Running Your D&D Games
June 11, 2021 17:00 - 3 minutes - 5.72 MBMike discusses the importance of managing time in your D&D game. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
DM's Deep Dive: Paige Leitman at Winter Fantasy, February 2020
June 10, 2021 17:03 - 33 minutes - 61.6 MBRecently recovered from the deepest depths of the ancient Sly Flourish libraries, I bring you my interview with Paige Leitman in which we discuss D&D Adventurer's League, our favorite conventions, and all sorts of fun topics. Video Contents 00:00 We love Winter Fantasy! What We've enjoyed. 03:07 Who's Paige Leitman? 06:07 Paige's there new tips for current DMs 07:15 Use an X Card (see the link below) 08:44 Cater to your audience and ask them what they want 09:01 Read your published adventur...
Lazy D&D Talk Show - 6 June 2021
June 09, 2021 17:00 - 54 minutes - 102 MBMike chats about all things D&D including the new D&D book leaks and other stuff! Video Contents 00:00 Show Start 03:15 New D&D Books Leaked 03:49 Wild Beyond the Witchlight 04:50 Curriculum of Chaos 05:50 How to Enjoy D&D + MtG Books More 12:51 The Problem Challenging Players 38:16 Critical Role and the 20th Level Complexity D&D Game Links EnWorld on the new D&D books: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight and Curriculum of Chaos Using Ravnica in Eberron Alphastream on the Trouble Cha...
Three Quest Models for D&D
June 07, 2021 17:00 - 2 minutes - 4.94 MBMike offers three simple quest models you can keep in your toolkit when preparing your D&D games. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 15
June 06, 2021 22:11 - 42 minutes - 79.3 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Talk Show: Van Richten's Guide to Everything Review
June 03, 2021 17:00 - 48 minutes - 90.6 MBMike does an in-depth review of Van Richten's Guide to Everything. In short, it's awesome. Original YouTube Video Buy Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Video Contents 00:00 Video start 00:58 I Highly Recommend This Book 03:09 Are "Ravenloft" and "Domains of Dread" the same thing? (Yes) 04:25 Great Player Guidance I Wish Was in the PHB 06:14 Lineages (they're awesome) 10:...
Secrets Serve You
June 01, 2021 19:24 - 4 minutes - 8.56 MBMike talks about the value in understanding that secrets and clues serve you. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 14
May 30, 2021 19:34 - 28 minutes - 53.3 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Ranking WOTC's D&D Adventures
May 28, 2021 17:00 - 50 minutes - 95 MBMike discusses and ranks nearly all the hardcover WOTC-published D&D adventures. Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Guide to Published D&D Adventures Video Contents 00:00 Beginning 03:52 Lost Mine of Phandelver 06:17 Dragon of Icespire Peak 08:47 Curse of Strahd 12:10 Ghosts of Saltmarsh 16:05 Tomb of Annihilation 22:23 Storm King's Thunder 26:15 Tyranny of Dragons (Hoard of the Dragon Queen and Rise of...
Run Simple Adventures
May 26, 2021 17:01 - 3 minutes - 5.82 MBMike talks about the value of running simple D&D adventures. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Use Published D&D Material
May 26, 2021 15:21 - 2 minutes - 5.28 MBMike argues for the value of published RPG material even when running our own homebrew adventures and campaigns. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Chat - 23 May 2021
May 24, 2021 17:00 - 59 minutes - 110 MBMike chat's about D&D! Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Video Contents 00:00 Intro 01:21 Scaling Adventures & Dials of Monster Difficulty 03:54 All the ways to subscribe to Sly Flourish! 06:01 Beefing up an ogre 11:10 "Roles" in 4e and 5e 13:05 Why Minions, Normal, Elite, and Solo roles don't work for 5e 17:32 Monsters Know What They're Doing is awesome 21:03 Initial thoughts on Van...
Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 13
May 23, 2021 22:25 - 43 minutes - 80.2 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Run Easy D&D Battles
May 18, 2021 17:01 - 3 minutes - 7.07 MBMike discusses the value of running more easy battles in our D&D games to maintain the oscillation of upward and downward beats. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Chat and Thoughts on Frostmaiden Chapter 2+
May 16, 2021 17:54 - 1 hour - 182 MBMike chats about general D&D topics and ponders how to handle chapters 2 and beyond in Rime of the Frostmaiden. Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Ptolus by Monte Cook Frostmaiden Chapters 2+ Thoughts Notion Notebook Video Contents 00:00 Beginning 00:30 Become a Patreon: https://patreon.com/slyflourish 02:34 Ptolus by Monte Cook Games 11:27 Van Richten's Guide and overly positive early reviews 16:50 New A...
Focus On Your Next Game
May 12, 2021 16:48 - 3 minutes - 5.72 MBAnother short episode in which Mike talks about the importance of focusing on your next D&D game. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Lazy D&D Prep: Rime of the Frostmaiden Session 12
May 09, 2021 15:20 - 53 minutes - 53.3 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Three Tips to Draw D&D Players Into the Fiction in Three Minutes
May 07, 2021 22:12 - 3 minutes - 6.65 MBMike offers three tips to draw players into the fiction of your D&D game in three minutes. Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Frostmaiden Session 11: A Beautiful Mine Part 2
May 02, 2021 16:16 - 46 minutes - 44.1 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Three Beginning Tips for Rime of the Frostmaiden
April 28, 2021 17:03 - 5 minutes - 11.1 MBMike offers three quick tips for getting started running Rime of the Frostmaiden. Original Youtube Video Sam Dillon's Creed of Auril Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Podcast Contents 00:00 Intro 00:27 Tip 1: Apply the Right Character Motivation 01:33 Tip 2: Start in Bryn Shander 02:42 Tip 3: Add the Cult of Auril
Frostmaiden Session 10: A Beautiful Mine Part 1
April 25, 2021 16:07 - 48 minutes - 91.2 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
DM Deep Dive on Venture Maidens with Celeste Conowitch
April 23, 2021 01:17 - 1 hour - 57.3 MBMike talks with Celeste Conowitch of 2C Gaming about her upcoming Venture Maidens campaign sourcebook currently live on Kickstarter! Venture Maidens Kickstarter Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Frostmaiden Session 9: Targos and Termalaine
April 18, 2021 19:05 - 53 minutes - 45.8 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Running Hordes: Guidelines for D&D Battles with Hundreds of Monsters
April 15, 2021 17:02 - 19 minutes - 36.1 MBMike offers guidelines for running huge hordes of monsters in D&D and looks at a number of alternative approaches. Show notes Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Podcast Contents 00:00 Intro 00:41 Mike's recommended horde system 05:03 Why we care about horde guidelines 05:58 Mike's criteria for good horde guidelines 06:54 Horde guidelines from the Dungeon Master's Guide (Chap 8, Pg 250) ...
DM Deep Dive on Skill Challenges with Teos Abadia
April 14, 2021 01:39 - 1 hour - 70.6 MBMike chats with Teos Abadia about D&D skill challenges! Original Youtube Video Mastering Dungeons Alphastream.org Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Frostmaiden Session 8: House of the Triad Finale
April 11, 2021 15:04 - 58 minutes - 52.4 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Ability Checks, Failing Forward, and Succeeding with a Cost
April 07, 2021 17:54 - 12 minutes - 22.8 MBMike gives a short talk about ability checks, failing forward, and succeeding with a cost. Show notes Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Podcast Contents: 00:00 Intro 00:38 The core mechanic of D&D 01:35 You don't need an ability check for easy stuff 02:02 Easy steps to choose a DC 03:04 DCs don't change based on the character's abilities 03:52 The power of improvising ability checks 0...
Frostmaiden Session 7: House of the Triad
April 04, 2021 15:14 - 40 minutes - 35.4 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Frostmaiden Session 6: Holed Up Finale
March 28, 2021 19:21 - 56 minutes - 48.1 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
D&D Quest Model: The Three-of-Five Collection Quest
March 24, 2021 17:47 - 10 minutes - 19.4 MBMike describes a robust D&D adventure or campaign quest model that offers a lot of flexibility and prevents quests from being thwarted with the capture or removal of a single key. Read the Show Notes Watch the Original Youtube Video Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Join Sly Flourish's Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
Frostmaiden Session 5: Holed Up Part 2
March 21, 2021 20:22 - 41 minutes - 78.3 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
Game Pacing in D&D
March 17, 2021 17:21 - 19 minutes - 36.6 MBMike offers tips and tricks to maintain a good pace in your D&D game; one of the most important traits a DM can practice. Show Notes Books and Articles Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Chapter 24 Hamlet’s Hit Points by Robin Laws Your Best Game Ever by Monte Cook Games Kobold Guide to Plots and Campaigns by Kobold Press Timing and Pacing Adventures on Sly Flourish Improving Pacing on Sly Flourish
Frostmaiden Session 4: Holed Up
March 14, 2021 15:27 - 1 hour - 53.5 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
Frostmaiden Session 3: The Mead Must Flow - Lazy DM Prep
March 07, 2021 16:14 - 59 minutes - 50.4 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Rime of the Frostmaiden One-Page Campaign Guide Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
Be on the Players' Side
March 03, 2021 17:53 - 18 minutes - 34.5 MBMike talks about the importance of being on the players' side when we run our D&D games. Youtube video version Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Core principles - Working *with* the players, not against them. - You're not a competitor. - The DM is an antenna to another world. We're the vehicle for storytelling. - We're not the baddies. We're not our villains. We're not on the opposite side of the chess board....
Frostmaiden Session 2: The Mead Must Flow - Lazy DM Prep
February 28, 2021 16:15 - 51 minutes - 43.6 MBMike prepares for his latest session of Icewind Dale, Rime of the Frostmaiden! Original Youtube Video Notion Frostmaiden Campaign Notebook Rime of the Frostmaiden One-Page Campaign Guide Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
Running Great D&D Combat
February 24, 2021 18:04 - 17 minutes - 32 MBMike discusses tips for running awesome D&D combat. Original Youtube Video Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Podcast Contents 00:00 Intro 00:18 Run with four players. 00:57 Run lower level games. Level 3 is the sweet spot. 01:38 Use static monster damage. 02:15 Run theater of the mind combat for small battles. 03:02 Inject the story and fiction into large battles. 04:49 Draw characters in off-turn with skill checks and info. 05:36 Use abstract maps – break out of the grid. 08:04 As...
DM Deep Dive: Fairness vs. Being Fans of the Characters with Ryan Servis
February 24, 2021 00:42 - 1 hour - 127 MBMike talks with Ryan Servis of 2C Gaming about the role of the DM and debating objectivity versus a bias towards the characters in our D&D games. Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master