The Lazy RPG Podcast - D&D and RPG News and GM Prep from Sly Flourish

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:20 D&D & RPG News: Kobold Press Black Flag SRD in Markdown 04:20 Kickstarter Spotlight: Creating and Adapting Monsters for Shadowdark 06:11 D&D & RPG News: Mike Mearls on Dungeon Craft 08:03 Commentary: How Bonus Actions Changed 14:31 Commentary: GM-Focused Products as Advanced Software for Advanced Users 21:06 Commentary: Experiences with the D&D 2025 Monster Manual Adult Black Dragon 29:31 DM Tip: Legendary Resistance Alternatives 39:51 Commentary: The End of One D&D 49:02 Patreon Question: Running Frostmaiden with Shadowdark 51:58 Patreon Question: Additional Roles for Exploration 53:38 Patreon Question: Did I Negate Character Abilities and Take Away Player Agency? 56:08 Patreon Question: Should I Kill Shadowdark Characters with Big Backstory? 58:38 Patreon Question: Is Your YouTube Channel Dying? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Kobold Press Black Flag SRD in Markdown Creating and Adapting Monsters for Shadowdark Kickstarter Mearls on Dungeoncraft

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00:00 Show Start 00:00:58 Hexploration Decks 00:02:59 Mike on EN World and Kobold Press Podcasts 00:04:09 All Three D&D 2024 Core Books are Released 00:06:33 2024 Monster Manual is the Most Important DM-Focused D&D 2024 Book 00:07:46 Is the 2025 Monster Manual Better than the 2014 MM? 00:08:40 Is the D&D 2025 MM the Best 5e Monster Book? 00:12:30 Could It Have Been Better? Of Course. 00:14:36 Monsters Hit at Their Challenge Rating 00:19:59 Other Designers on the Monster Math 00:22:05 D&D 2025 Monster Manual Compared to Forge of Foes 00:25:56 2025 Monster Manual Effects Don't Negatively Impact Damage Anymore 00:28:04 Vampire 00:30:15 Requires Looking Up Spells 00:35:50 Cultist Fanatic 00:37:59 The Language of the 2025 Monster Manual 00:39:47 No Orcs, Drow, or Duergar 00:50:56 Static Initiative Scores 00:54:16 Crappy Treasure "Tables" 00:56:29 Crappy Ability Score Tables 01:00:05 Awesome Contextual Random Tables 01:03:01 Alphabetically Sorted Most of the Time 01:05:31 What Else Is Missing? 01:06:38 Day 1 Errata 01:07:55 Final Thoughts Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: BackerKit: Hexploration Decks by Inkwell Ideas Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop Podcast (YouTube – MM starts at 1:18:00) Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop Podcast (Podcast Recording) Mike on Kobold Chat Talking About Doom Points Paul Hughes on 2025 Monster Manual on a Business Card Alphastream YouTube Monster Manual Analysis Bob World Builder on the Monster Manual

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:02:11 Product Spotlight: Horizon Magazine 00:07:31 D&D & RPG News: Alphastream on 2025 D&D Monster Manual Math 00:09:31 Commentary: D&D at Madison Square Garden 00:13:28 D&D & RPG News: Mike Mearls and Ray Winninger on the Past and Future of D&D 5e 00:15:42 Product Spotlight: 2025 Monster Manual Initial Thoughts 00:27:56 Product Spotlight: D&D 2025 Monster Manual Lich 00:32:28 DM Tip: Avoid Getting Caught in the Zeitgeist 00:44:13 Patreon Spotlight: Talk Show and Patreon Q&A Databases 00:47:13 Patreon Question: What D&D Classes and Features Do I Ban? 00:52:19 Patreon Question: Making Flat Paper Character Minis 00:54:34 Patreon Question: Dealing with Agency-Stealing Effects like Stun 01:00:32 Patreon Question: Basic Rules or 5.1 SRD for New Players Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Horizon Magazine Alphastream on 2025 D&D Monster Manual Math Ray Winninger and Mike Mearls on Past and Future of D&D 5e Printable Heroes

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00:00 Show Start 00:01:15 Kickstarter Spotlight: Weapons of Lore by Jeff Stevens 00:03:46 Kickstarter Spotlight: Gate Pass Gazette by EN World Publishing 00:07:32 D&D & RPG News: Mike on Kobold Press Talking Doom Points 00:09:50 D&D & RPG News: Ray Winninger Interview with Stan! on YouTube 00:23:06 D&D & RPG News: No Roll20 Tales of the Valiant Character Builder 00:34:36 Commentary: Thoughts from the Philidelphia Area Gaming Expo 00:48:20 Commentary: RPG Communities on Independent Spaces 01:05:54 Patreon Question: Can I Submit Your Book to Adobe's AI Tool? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Weapons of Lore Kickstarter Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2024 Terror from the Underdeep Mike on KP talking Doom Points and Monster Vault 2 Ray Winninger EN World Discussion Ray Winninger on Stan!'s Show Stan!'s 50 Years YouTube Playlist Bring On the Discourse – Yochai Gal EN World forums.rpg.net Mastodon — dice.camp Mastodon — chirp.enworld.org Mastodon — mastodon.social Bluesky My Bluesky Starter Pack TTRPG Blogs RPG Blogroll ttrpg.network Top Rated RPG Podcasts

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:01:11 Kickstarter Spotlight: Monster Vault 2 by Kobold Press 00:08:23 Product Spotlight: Crit Happens iOS Dice Roller 00:10:32 Kickstarter Spotlight: Free5e 00:15:54 Product Spotlight: Sly Flourish Newsletter Adventure Generator and One-Page 5e 00:20:49 Commentary: 2025 Monster Manual Videos 00:44:24 Commentary: What Do I Want From WOTC After the Monster Manual? 00:49:07 DM Tip: When and How to Fudge Your Game 00:59:41 Patreon Question: Monster Dials for Non-5e Games 01:01:47 Patreon Question: Alternative Initiative Options Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Monster Vault 2 Kickstarter by Kobold Press Crit Happens iOS Dice Roller Free5e Kickstarter

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:00 D&D & RPG News: Most Anticipated RPGs of 2025 11:55 Commentary: Two Year Anniversary of the OGL Crisis 32:54 Patreon Spotlight: Talk Show Database with 2,000 Topics 38:28 DM Tip: Improvisation and the Eight Steps 51:29 Patreon Question: Lightning Rods for Control Wizards 57:06 Patreon Question: Running for a Mix of Online and Offline Players 59:54 Patreon Question: Homebrewing Character Buffs Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Most Anticipated RPGS of 2025 OGL Article by Lin Codega on 5 January 2023 The Story Behind WOTC's Blurring of D&D 2024 Videos – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:11 D&D & RPG News: Goodman Games DCC Bundle of Holding 03:20 D&D & RPG News: Humblewood and Heckna Pay What You Want 05:57 Sly Flourish News: Whitesparrow and the Night Blades in the CC 09:55 D&D & RPG News: Goodman Games 5e System - Advanced Advantage 13:57 Product Spotlight: Monster Overhaul 22:57 Commentary: Thoughts on Foundry 36:38 DM Tip: 3-2-1 Quest Model 44:07 Patreon Question: Dealing with the Strain of GMing 49:28 Patreon Question: Balancing Types of Secrets 52:06 Patreon Question: Which Books Do You Take With You? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Goodman Games DCC Adventure Bundle of Holding Humblewood Campaign Setting Pay What You Want Heckna Campaign Adventure Pay What You Want Whitesparrow and Night Blades in the Creative Commons Monster Overhaul Mobile Improvements for Foundry

Mike looks back over a year in the TTRPG hobby! 00:00 Show Start 02:19 100 Games in 2024 03:16 D&D 2024 PHB and DMG Released 05:00 Tales of the Valiant 07:03 Black Flag System Reference Document 10:06 2024 D&D on Foundry, Fantasy Grounds, and Roll20 13:35 Shadow of the Weird Wizard 14:37 Third Party Publishers on D&D Beyond 22:41 Shadowdark 23:25 City of Arches 25:24 RPGs and Generative AI 27:11 TTRPG People Moving to Bluesky 31:24 Other Non-Shittified TTRPG Platforms 33:59 Other WOTC Corporate Stuff and Bob World Builder's Survey 40:10 Looking Forward to 2025 45:42 Top Ten Sly Flourish Articles of 2024 Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Lazy GM Tools in Markdown on Github Obsidian Web Clipper

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 02:09 D&D & RPG News: Cities Without Number Bundle of Holding 07:51 D&D & RPG News: Shadowrun Bundle of Holding 08:58 D&D & RPG News: Join the Arcane Library Newsletter for Two Free Adventures 11:02 DM Tip: GM Resources in Markdown for Obsidian 25:27 DM Tip: Use the Obsidian Web Clipper to Save Web Pages 29:31 Sly Flourish News: Free Dice Roller Web App 35:23 Commentary: Notable Sections of the 2024 D&D Dungeon Master's Guide 59:44 Patreon Question: Pondering Conclusions for Sandbox Games 01:02:55 Patreon Question: Using a Big Monitor on a Gaming Table 01:04:37 Patreon Question: Advice for Bridge and Travel Sessions Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Cities Without Number Bundle of Holding Shadowrun 4e Bundle of Holding Arcane Library Lazy GM Tools in Markdown on Github Obsidian Web Clipper Free Dice Roller Lazy Encounter Benchmark Running Hoards

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:03 D&D & RPG News: One Ring Bundle of Holding 03:57 D&D & RPG News: Haunted West 50% Off 04:52 Commentary: Running Mixed 5e Characters 20:18 DM Tip: Avoid the 2024 DMG's Enspelled Magic Items 33:14 Product Spotlight: Tales of the Valiant Game Master's Guide Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: One Ring Bundle of Holding Haunted West 50% off (Coupon HOLIDAY24) Tales of the Valiant Game Master's Guide (Affiliate Link)

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:12 D&D & RPG News: Level Up Gateway Alpha Released 07:42 Product Spotlight: A5e.Tools 10:36 D&D & RPG News: Lord of the Rings 5e Not Independent 14:59 D&D & RPG News: So You Wanna Roleplay 16:48 Commentary: The Products We Continually Use at the Table 40:15 Sly Flourish News: 20% off Sly Flourish Books! 41:38 Sly Flourish News: New Quarterly Patreon Q&A 44:33 Patreon Question: Worldbuilding Off-Screen Towns and Settlements 47:33 Patreon Question: Relating CR to the Monster's Fiction 51:23 Patreon Question: Will "Update Available" overwrite my D&D Beyond Stuff? 55:29 Patreon Question: What Do You Think of the 4th Edition Dungeon Master's Guide? 01:00:42 Patreon Question: Full-Power Characters Showing Up Deep in Dungeons Links 20% Off Buy Sly Flourish Books: Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Level Up Gateway Alpha Announcement Level Up Gateway A5e.Tools Wanna Play Right Now Buy Wanna Play Right Now High-Use RPG Products – All Responses Worlds Without Number Worlds Without Number - Free Version Flee Mortals A5e Monstrous Menagerie A5e Trials and Treasure Knave 2 Maze Rats Maze Rats pdf Maze Rats Obsidian Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Forge of Foes Lazy DM's Companion So You Want to be a Gamemaster Monster Overhaul Ironsworn Raging Swan Dread Thingonomicon GM Miscellany Chessex Wet Erase Battle Mat Dyson Maps Midgard Worldbook (Affiliate link) Lazy Monster Tokens 5e Cheat Sheet Sly Flourish 2024 Gift Guide

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:23 D&D & RPG News: Scott Gray on Points of Interest 03:11 Sly Flourish News: Mike's Going to the Philidelphia Area Game Expo! 04:24 D&D & RPG News: Lord of the Rings on D&D Beyond 10:11 Commentary: Building a Resilient Hobby when Elon Musk Threatens to Buy It 12:01 D&D & RPG News: Half-Off Lord of the Rings from Free League 13:58 Commentary: More Thoughts on a Resilient TTRPG Hobby 16:06 Sly Flourish News: 20% Off Sly Flourish Books 17:49 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant Pocket Editions 19:07 D&D & RPG News: Free League Sales 20:31 D&D & RPG News: Old School Essentials Sale 23:16 D&D & RPG News: Free League Bundle of Holding 24:12 D&D & RPG News: Heroforge Custom Flat Acrylic Miniatures 26:36 Commentary: The Best Value in TTRPG Accessories 31:38 DM Tip: The Dangers of Crafting Magic Items in the D&D 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide 43:18 Patreon Question: Organizing and Tracking Monsters in 5e Combat 47:54 Patreon Question: Getting Into Alien Minds 50:24 Patreon Question: The Resolution of Fantastic Locations 53:16 Patreon Question: Understanding Scenes and Locations Links 20% off Sly Flourish Books and Free US Shipping! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Points of Interest by Scott Gray Philadelphia Area Gaming Expo Lord of the Rings on D&D Beyond What does the Lord of the Rings integration on D&D Beyond look like? Buy Lord of the Rings 5e from Free League Free League Humble Bundle Musk – "How Much is Hasbro?" Ensuring the resilence of your RPGs Surviving a Digital D&D Tales of the Valiant: Player’s Guide & Monster Vault Pocket Editions Old School Essentials Sale Flat Heroforge Miniatures Pathfinder Flip-Mat Basic Staedtler Lumovision medium black 315-9 Tracking Monsters by Player-Driven Characteristics

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:15 D&D & RPG News: Lazy RPG Talk Show Number One D&D Podcast by D&D Fanatics 02:32 D&D & RPG News: Professor Dungeon Master on the 2024 DMG 04:55 D&D & RPG News: DM David on a 25 year D&D Wish List 08:53 Commentary: Elon Musk tells WOTC to Burn In Hell 19:55 DM Tip: Anatomy of a Situation -- Red Eagle Tower 41:45 Patreon Spotlight: Tomb of the War King Scenario 47:18 Patreon Question: Favorite Monster Abilities of Players 51:23 Patreon Question: Building Your Own Campaign Outlines 53:28 Patreon Question: Tips for Playing In-Person Games Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: The 10 Best DnD Podcasts (That Aren’t Actual Plays) Professor Dungeon Master on the 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide DM David on 25 Year D&D Wish List Elon Musk Calls for WOTC to Burn in Hell over Making of Original D&D Passages The Making of the Original Dungeons & Dragons 1970 1977 (affiliate link) "Damn Right I'm a Sexist" Gygax defines self as a biological determinist in 2024 Cory Doctorow on Harlan Ellison D&D Co-Creator Gary Gygax was Sexist – Talking About it is Key to Preserving his Legacy When We Were Wizards Using Maps for In-Person Games Tools of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:13 D&D & RPG News: Mike on EN World Podcast Talking about the 2024 DMG 02:51 D&D & RPG News: Pathfinder 2 Humble Bundle 05:38 D&D & RPG News: Phantasy Star RPG Preorder 06:51 Kickstarter Spotlight: A5E Monstrous Menagerie 2 08:14 Commentary: Hard Truths About Crowdfunded RPGs 25:20 Commentary: Comparing DMG 2024 Advice to Lazy DM Advice 40:19 Patreon Question: Character Home Bases 44:45 Patreon Question: Set Piece Battles or Theater of the Mind? 49:10 Patreon Question: Best After-Session Notes 51:00 Patreon Question: Improving NPC Voices While Roleplaying Links Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop Podcast Pathfinder 2E Humble Bundle Phantasy Star RPG Preorder A5E Monstrous Menagerie 2 Top Tips for GMs – SlyFlourish.com Matt Mercer on NPC Voices – DM's Deep Dive Dialects Archive Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:21 D&D & RPG News: Blades in the Dark Deep Cuts 03:37 Commentary: What Do You Need to Prep Your Session? 36:52 Commentary: Encounter Building in the D&D 2024 DMG and the Lazy Encounter Benchmark Links Blades in the Dark Deep Cuts Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Lazy GM Resource Document The Lazy Encounter Benchmark 2024 DMG Versus the Lazy Encounter Benchmark Alphastream on Encounter Building Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:15 Kickstarter Spotlight: Draconics the Peaceful Way to Play 5e 03:21 Kickstarter Spotlight: Wondrous Worlds by Nord Games 05:16 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 Free Rules Givith and then Taketh Away 09:28 Commentary: D&D 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide Thoughts and the Four Gamemaster's Guides 34:07 DM Tip: Avoid NPC Betrayals 44:59 Patreon Question: Favorite Short Adventure Books 47:52 Patreon Question: Expanding a GM's Reading List 49:18 Patreon Question: Focusing on Prep for the Next Session 51:09 Patreon Question: Needing to Improvise with Shadowdark 54:01 Patreon Question: Top House Rules for Shadowdark 57:03 Patreon Question: The Urgency of Multiple Quest Hooks # [01:00:50 Patreon Question: Where to End Shadowdark Sessions Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Draconis: The Peaceful Way to Play DND 5E Wondrous Worlds by Nord Games Updated D&D 2024 Free Rules Oops, that was a mistake Level Up Advanced 5e Trials and Treasure Tales of the Valiant Gamemaster's Guide

Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Midgard Worldbook Tales of the Valiant Obsidian for TTRPGs

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:16 Product Spotlight: Defiler of Moonsilk Keep 03:44 Product Spotlight: Horizons Magazine Issue 1 06:25 Product Spotlight: Frontiers of Eberron 12:35 Kickstarter Spotlight: Adventures in Teaching and Learning with TTRPGs 14:27 Kickstarter Spotlight: Dwarven Forge Dungeons Reforged 24:25 Commentary: Experiences at Gamehole Con 34:20 DM Tip: Pool Table Game Mastering 45:43 Patreon Question: What Makes a Great Monster Book 51:44 Patreon Question: Running Big Timed Events in Scenes Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Defiler of Moonsilk Keep Horizons Issue 1 Frontiers of Eberron Adventures in Teaching and Learning in TTRPGs Dwarven Forge Dungeons Reforged Level Up Advanced 5e Monstrous Menagerie

Mike discusses his experiences running the Shadowdark RPG for a year Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 02:17 D&D & RPG News: Call of Cthulhu Humbled Bundle 04:40 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Key of Worlds Scenarios for Hero-Tier Subscribers 12:28 Product Spotlight: Dread Thingonomicon Markdown for Obsidian 16:19 Sly Flourish News: Lazy GM Reference Guides in Markdown for Obsidian 20:23 Sly Flourish News: Sly Flourish 2025 Calendar! 22:00 Commentary: The Trouble with Crafting Systems in 5e 36:37 DM Tip: Advanced Random Encounter Tricks 49:46 Patreon Question: Adding Subquests and Managing Levels with Campaign Arcs 54:04 Patreon Question: Keeping Combat Descriptions Flavorful 57:17 Patreon Question: Designing a Heroic Shadowdark-Style Game Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Call of Cthulhu Humbled Bundle Dread Thingonomicon Dread Laironomicon Lazy GM Resource Docs likewise have Obsidian versions Lazy GM's Resource Document Lazy GM's 5e Monster Builder Resource Document Crit-Tech's Lazy GM Documents on Github (including Obsidian Markdown versions) Sly Flourish 2025 calendar

Prep for the finale of Mike's Shadowdark Gloaming campaign! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog https://slyflourish.com/ Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter https://slyflourish.com/subscribe/ Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast https://slyflourish.podbean.com/ Support Sly Flourish on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/slyflourish Buy Sly Flourish Books: https://shop.slyflourish.com/ Shadowdark RPG https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/pages/shadowdark Cursed Scroll 1 https://www.thearcanelibrary.com/products/cursed-scroll-zine-vol-1-diablerie-print Using Notion for RPG Prep https://slyflourish.com/lazy_dnd_with_notion.html

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:20 Sly Flourish News: Sly Flourish After-School RPG Club Sponsorship 07:44 D&D & RPG News: Free Kobold Press Encounter Builder 11:11 D&D & RPG News: Dread Thingonomicon Bundle of Holding for $8 13:52 D&D & RPG News: Goodman Games Humble Bundle 16:04 Kickstarter Spotlight: Grim Hollow Transformed Kickstarter 19:15 D&D & RPG News: Ars Magica in a Creative Commons License 26:33 DM Tip: Two Bandits Talking About the Characters 31:28 Patreon Question: Single Best Tip for New GMs 38:24 Patreon Question: What If Characters Don't Strike Lighting Rods? 44:12 Patreon Question: D&D 2024 Tool DCs and DM Agency 50:18 Patreon Question: Can You Mix TOV, A5e, D&D 2024, and D&D 2014? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Sly Flourish After-School RPG Sponsorship Kobold Press Encounter Builder Dread Thingonomicon Goodman Games humble bundle Grim Hollow Transformed Kickstarter Ars Magica Rules and Setting under CC BY SA Top Tips for RPG Game Masters Lightning Rods

Mike begins his campaign prep for his Dragon Empire Midgard-based Tales of the Valiant campaign! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Tales of the Valiant Midgard Worldbook

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:30 Kickstarter Spotlight: Enter the Labyrinth by Kobold Press 05:15 Kickstarter Spotlight: Dragontown and the Darkness Below 11:03 D&D & RPG News: Horizons Magazine by Wildmage Press 12:16 D&D & RPG News: Beadle and Grimm 2024 Dungeon Master's Guide Map Pack 14:04 D&D & RPG News: 2024 Player's Handbook is D&D's Fastest Selling Book Ever 18:22 Commentary: You Don't Own Your D&D Beyond Books 21:24 D&D & RPG News: Hidden Subclass Compatibility in D&D 2024 27:32 Commentary: The Current State of Generative AI and TTRPGs 46:23 Patreon Question: Industry Standards for Releasing RPG Material Under Open Licenses 52:03 Patreon Question: Coming Up with Villains or Fronts in Strange Campaign Settings 54:36 Patreon Question: Excluding a Player from a Game Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Kobold Press’s Labyrinth Kickstarter Dragontown and the Darkness Below Kickstarter Wildmage Press Horizons Magazine Beadle and a Grymm Greyhawk map pack D&D 2024 Player’s Handbook Fastest Selling D&D Book of All Time New California law means digital stores can’t imply you’re buying a game when you’re merely licensing it Where do your Steam games go when you die? The Best LLM for Generating RPG Stuff – Your Brain

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:16 D&D & RPG News: Roll20 Packages for Doctors Without Borders 03:04 Kickstarter Spotlight: Pirate Borg 09:06 DM Tip: Run I6 Ravenloft with Shadowdark on Halloween 10:45 D&D & RPG News: Free D&D 2024 Rules with All Twelve Classes 13:20 D&D & RPG News: D&D Adventurer's League Moves to D&D 2024 26:13 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 PHB Available Physically and on Four VTTs 33:55 DM Tip: D&D 2024's Handling of Tools and DCs 41:02 DM Tip: Two Words for Increasing Combat Challenge 51:06 Patreon Question: What's My Next Campaign? 53:26 Patreon Question: Upward and Downward Beats in a Campaign 57:46 Patreon Question: Why Switch to Obsidian? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Pirate Borg Down Among the Dead Ravenloft with Shadowdark Video Ravenloft with Shadowdark Article D&D Beyond D&D 2024 Free Rules Includes All Twelve Classes D&D Adventures League Updates D&D PHB 2024 on Foundry D&D PHB 2024 on Fantasy Grounds D&D PHB 2024 on Roll20 Roll20 Characters Midgard Dragon Empire Campaign Video

Mike begins his campaign prep for his Dragon Empire Midgard-based Tales of the Valiant campaign! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Tales of the Valiant Midgard Worldbook

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00:00 Show Start 00:01:16 Kickstarter Spotlight: Worldographer 2025 by Inkwell Ideas 00:03:36 Kickstarter Spotlight: Shadow City Mysteries 00:04:53 Product Spotlight: Level Up Advanced 5e on Bundle of Holding 00:10:46 D&D & RPG News: MCDM's License for Draw Steel 00:17:33 Product Spotlight: Shadowdark Guide to Monster Statistics by Matt Dietrich 00:22:14 Commentary: Four Sources of D&D History 00:44:16 DM Tip: Instant Monsters for 5e 00:59:02 Patreon Question: Handling Back Seat Driving Veteran Players 01:03:17 Patreon Question: Running the City of Arches with Shadowdark 01:05:40 Patreon Question: Managing Secrets with Multiple Paths Ahead 01:08:09 Patreon Question: Building Single-Session Episodic Adventures Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Worldographer Kickstarter Shadow City Mysteries Crowdfunding campaign Level Up A5e Bundles of Holding – Core Level Up A5e Bundles of Holding – Adventures Draw Steel creators license Shadowdark Quick Monster Stats by Matt Dietrich D&D 50 Year Panel D&D 50 Celebration Games When We Were Wizards The Making of Original D&D: 1970 - 1977

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:13 Sly Flourish News: Mike Loses a Bet 02:59 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 and Free D&D on D&D Beyond 14:06 D&D & RPG News: Rich Lescoulflair Talking Phantasy Star RPG on Morrus's Podcast 15:42 D&D & RPG News: Matt Coleville on Eldritch Lorecast Talking About Project Sigil 19:35 D&D & RPG News: Free Hex Crawl Rules from Cursed Scroll 4 23:26 Product Spotlight: Broken Weave for 5e by Cubicle 7 36:24 DM Tip: Distance, Activity, and Attitude for Random Encounters 48:18 Patreon Question: Rewriting Published Adventures for Table Use 52:09 Patreon Question: Building Your Own Pantheon 55:38 Patreon Question: Using the Eight Steps for Published Adventures Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: 2024 D&D Free Rules on D&D Beyond Rich Lescouflair on Phantasy Star RPG on Morrus's Podcast Matt Coleville on Eldritch Lorecast Free Hex Crawl Rules from Arcane Library Broken Weave for 5e Reaction Tables Across the Years Choosing the Right Steps from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:01:49 D&D & RPG News: Follow Up on D&D 2014 Material in D&D Beyond 00:05:59 D&D & RPG News: Lost Worlds of Gygax Humble Bundle 00:10:46 D&D & RPG News: D&D Direct Announcements 00:19:48 Product Spotlight: Knave 2 by Ben Milton 00:41:12 DM Tip: Twelve Types of Medieval Artwork and Architecture for Dungeon Delving 00:53:50 Patreon Question: Convincing New Players to Try a New System 00:57:09 Patreon Question: 18 Months Since Other Publishers Published on D&D Beyond 01:05:04 Patreon Question: Using City of Arches with Theros 01:06:38 Patreon Question: Empire of the Ghouls Out of Print 01:08:41 Patreon Question: Favorite Sourcebook and Setting Links Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Lost World of Gygax Humble Bundle D&D Direct Announcements Knave 2 Twelve Types of Medieval Artwork and Architecture

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 1 Dyson Maps

Mike builds a 1st level character in the Shadowdark RPG. Shadowdark RPG Campaign Notebook available to Sly Flourish patrons Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowdark RPG

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 02:30 D&D & RPG News: D&D Designers of All Editions Talk About and Play D&D 06:05 D&D & RPG News: Kelsey Dionne of Shadowdark on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop RPG Podcast 07:04 Commentary: WOTC Removes 2014 Spells, Items, and Rules from the D&D Beyond Character Builder 28:06 DM Tip: Track the Characters 42:07 Patreon Question: Running Short Games for Large Groups 46:14 Patreon Question: Favorite D&D 2024 Rule? 48:47 Patreon Question: Running Mastermind and Dark Nemesis Bosses 51:49 Patreon Question: Releasing the Forge of Foes Generic Monster Stats into the CC 57:47 Patreon Question: What's In your DM - GM Kit? Links City of Arches Kickstarter! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: D&D Designers of All Editions Talk About and Play D&D - Celebrating 50 Years of Dungeons & Dragons Kelsey Dionne on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletalk Podcast D&D Beyond Removes 2014 Spells, Items, Magic Items, and Rules from the Character Builder Further "Clarification" EN World Thread – How D&D Beyond Will Handle Access To 2014 Rules D&D Beyond, Wizards of the Coast, 5e, and You Lazy GM's 5e Monster Builder Resource Document