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

Mike builds a 1st level character with Tales of the Valiant! Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! Tales of the Valiant Tales of the Valiant Character Sheet

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:35 Kickstarter Spotlight: Horror at Devil's Run on Foundry 03:34 D&D & RPG News: Rob Heinsoo on Gnomecast 05:09 D&D & RPG News: Free League Publishing Pulls PDFs from the Alchemy VTT 19:34 Product Spotlight: Thrones and Bones Player's Guide by Lazy Wolf Studios 25:36 D&D & RPG News: Letters to Washington Post About D&D 28:14 DM Tip: Running an Infiltration in Summervine Villa 49:54 Patreon Question: Do We Need to Change Forge of Foes and the Lazy Encounter Benchmark for D&D 2024? 59:59 Patreon Question: Can a Paid DM Run Your Books? Links Horror at Devil's Run Foundry Kickstarter Rob Heinsoo on Gnomecast Free League Removes PDFs from Foundry Alchemy's Stance on PDFs Thrones & Bones Player's Guide Thrones & Bones Campaign Guide These dungeons are home. These dragons forged friends – Washington Post Running Infiltrations and Heists Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike builds a 1st level character with Level Up Advanced 5e! Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! 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 Level Up Advanced 5e A5e Tools Form Fillable Character Sheets Video Contents 00:00 Show Start 02:13 What Is Level Up Advanced 5e? 06:00 The Step to Build a Character 07:02 Building a Character's Origin 09:52 Heritage Details 14:08 Culture Details 16:15 Background Details 18:46 Choosing a Destiny 21:22 Choosing an Adventure Class 30:31 Skill Specializations 32:34 Choosing Ability Scores 34:12 Equipping Weapons and Armor

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 02:04 Kickstarter Spotlight: Amazing Encounters and Dungeons 05:15 Kickstarter Spotlight: The Perilous Void 06:23 Commentary: Follow-Up on Blurring 2024 D&D PHB Videos 13:11 Sly Flourish News: Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop Podcast on Blurgate and Project Sigil - the D&D 3D VTT 13:55 Sly Flourish News: More Character Builds with Tales of the Valiant and Shadowdark 14:30 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Designers on Eldritch Lorecast 15:55 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant on Herolab and Shard 20:54 Sly Flourish News: Biomes of the City of Arches 29:03 Patreon Question: Bifurcation of the Hobby Between 3d Online and Tabletop Play 35:51 Patreon Question: Handling Simultanous Events 38:54 Patreon Question: Is a D&D Beyond Content Subscription Service Acceptable? 43:13 Patreon Question: D&D 2024 PHB or Shadowdark? Links Join the City of Arches Kickstarter! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Amazing Encounters and Dungeons Kickstarter The Perilous Void Kickstarter A real lawyer talks about the blurring situation and fair use Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop Podcast WOTC Designers on Eldritch Lorecast Tales of the Valiant on Herolab Tales of the Valiant on Shard Black Flag on Shard

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 character with the new D&D 2024 Player's Handbook City of Arches Kickstarter! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Show Start 00:00 Video Start 01:17 Disclaimers 01:44 Making a Character Sheet 03:15 Creating a Character First Steps 04:08 Choosing a Class 07:51 Most Important Character Building Tip 09:44 Spells 19:56 Choosing a Background 26:09 Equipment 32:25 Species 36:41 Character Backstory Stuff 37:27 Languages 38:45 Determine Ability Scores 42:09 Appearances 44:41 Passive Perception 47:37 Calculating Weapon Attacks and Damage 51:03 Other Details 53:34 Final Thoughts

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:07 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Kickstarter! 02:18 Kickstarter Spotlight: Victoriana 5e by Cubicle 7 05:12 Commentary: WOTC Made Me Blur My D&D 2024 Videos 25:09 D&D & RPG News: Shadowdark Wins Four ENNIES! 26:34 Commentary: Survive a Future Digital D&D 43:21 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Campaign Outlines 51:31 Patreon Question: Maps and Mapping At the Table 54:23 Patreon Question: What Makes the City of Arches Unique? 58:29 Patreon Question: Awarding Treasure to Specific Characters Links Support the City of Arches Kickstarter! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Victoriana Kickstarter by Cubicle 7 WOTC's Feedback Forum Shadowdark RPG Survive a Digital D&D JP Coovert Dungeon Mapping Book Dyson Logos Map Key

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 dives deep into the D&D 2024 Player's Handbook! City of Arches Kickstarter! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Show Contents 00:00 Intro 01:58 Disclaimers 02:42 Big Thoughts Up Front 03:35 Should You Buy It? 05:55 What Do I Love? 10:11 What Do I Not Love? 15:25 No Cultures, Just Species 19:46 Other Things Not Fixed 22:26 On Compatibility 27:08 Things May Be in the DMG But I Wouldn't Know 27:49 Good for New Players? 34:49 How's the Art? 36:11 The Best Improvement in D&D 2024 37:33 New Mechanical Language and "Utilize" 40:18 No Downtime 41:49 No Gods 43:11 Not Enough On Session Zeros and Safety Tools 46:06 Backgrounds and Character Optimization 50:48 I Love the Conjure Spells 53:10 Lucky 55:27 The Awesome Rules Glossary 57:41 Marching Order 58:04 What Your Character Would Do 58:45 Final Thoughts

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:22 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Kickstarter Next Week! 02:43 D&D & RPG News: Lots of D&D 2024 Info Next Week 03:51 D&D & RPG News: Solodark Solo-play Video by Kelsey Dionne 06:12 D&D & RPG News: When We Were Wizards Podcast 19:19 Kickstarter Spotlight: Nimble 5e 26:58 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Obsidian Skull Walkthrough 38:40 DM Tip: Handling Questions of Morality in TTRPGs 51:38 Patreon Question: Players Suspicious of Potentially Betraying NPCs Links City of Arches Kickstarter! Solodark Video Free Solodark PDF When We Were Wizards Nimble 5e Backerkit Launch Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:21 D&D & RPG News: ENnie Voting Goes Live! 02:27 Product Spotlight: Dyson Maps Bundle of Holding 05:09 D&D & RPG News: Level Up Gateway Online Character Builder 22:52 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Kickstarter Coming August 6th 35:00 Commentary: Top Ten Lazy 5e Tricks 54:46 Patreon Question: What Would I do If I Was In Charge of D&D? 58:19 Patreon Question: Magic Numbers to Keep In Your Head Links City of Arches Kickstarter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: ENnies Voting Dyson Maps Bundle of Holding Level Up Gateway Preview

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:21 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Kickstart Coming August 6th! 07:54 D&D & RPG News: The Negative Feedback of D&D Beyond's Exclusive Offers 21:27 Commentary: The Lost Modularity of D&D and How to Get it Back 35:41 Commentary: Is Shadowdark the Best D&D Starter Set? 49:07 Patreon Spotlight: The SlyFlourish.com Downloadable Archive 52:12 Patreon Question: Lazy DMing with Virtual Tabletops (VTTs) 56:07 Patreon Question: How Do We Feel About D&D 2024? Links City of Arches Kickstarter Prelaunch! PC Gamer on D&D Beyond's Preorders Shadowdark Quickstart Set Free Shadowdark Quickstart Set PDFs Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:11 D&D & RPG News: Dyson's Delves Bundle of Holding 04:19 D&D & RPG News: Monte Cook Games 50% off 5e Products 07:26 Sly Flourish News: Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master On Sale for 50% off 09:09 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 Class Videos 10:04 Commentary: 2024 D&D Needed a DM Advocate 17:45 Commentary: WOTC Says the Quiet Part Out Loud: "Frustrating for Dungeon Masters" 24:10 Commentary: Is Tales of the Valiant the 2024 D&D We Want? 26:23 Commentary: Comparing Four Versions of 5e 38:52 DM Tip: Expanding Tales of the Valiant's Doom Points 49:15 Patreon Question: Running Games for Young Neurodivergent Kids 53:59 Patreon Question: Comparing Monster Spellcaster Styles 59:40 Patreon Question: Asking Questions to Players Without Tipping Your Hand 01:02:59 Patreon Question: Tips for On-Call Players and Their Characters 01:04:45 Patreon Question: Tips for Evaluating Published Adventures 01:10:39 Patreon Question: Missing Stat Block Info when Running Monsters 01:13:35 Patreon Question: Why Are Gaming PDFs Crappy for So Many Devices? Publishers, Publish ePub! Links Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master On Sale for 50% off! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Dyson's Delves Bundle of Holding Monte Cook Games 50% off 5e Sale "Frustrating Dungeon Masters" D&D 2024 Rogue Preview Tales of the Valiant Level Up Advanced 5e

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:38 Product Spotlight: Esper Genesis on Bundle of Holding 02:35 Product Spotlight: Magic Item Card Generator by Inkwell Ideas 04:30 D&D & RPG News: 2024 D&D Core Book Videos 08:39 Commentary: D&D 2024 Monster Stat Block -- Yuck 14:10 Commentary: The 2024 D&D Players Handbook is the Only Book that Matters 17:53 Commentary: The Specifics of D&D 2024 Compatibility with 5e 29:56 D&D & RPG News: Mobile Character Builder for D&D 2024 on Roll20 32:12 Sly Flourish News: Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master On Sale 33:17 DM Tip: Use NPC Archetypes from a Single Show 40:50 Patreon Question: What Digital Tools Would Help Us? 46:57 Patreon Question: Managing Teleportation in Campaigns 52:57 Patreon Question: How Would I Run Vecna Eve of Ruin 59:48 Patreon Question: How Do You Run Maps? Links Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master on Sale for 50% off Digital and 30% off Hardcover! Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Esper Genesis on Bundle of Holding Printable Magic Cards by Inkwell Ideas D&D 2024 Reveals and Discussions on EN World D&D 2024 Updates on Comicbook.com D&D 2024 Monster Stat Block Revealed Roll20 D&D Character Builder Character Archetypes from Expanse

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:18 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Begins Posting to EN World 04:15 Product Spotlight: Solodark for Shadowdark RPG 09:10 Product Spotlight: More Purple More Better Character Builder for 5e 22:43 Patreon Spotlight: 5e Artisanal Monster Database 27:23 DM Tip: Finding Players and Building a Resilient Group 41:24 Patreon Question: Allowing Alternative Character Options 44:18 Patreon Question: Uses for Generative AI and RPGs -- Is it Cheating? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: WOTC's Post on EN World Solodark – Solo Rule for Shadowdark More Purple More Better Finding and Maintaining a D&D Group How Do People Find In-Person Players?

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:01 Commentary: Happy Pride Month 01:33 Commentary: How to Get More Engagement on YouTube! 02:18 D&D & RPG News: Roll20 Buys Demiplane 12:43 Kickstarter Spotlight: Voidrunner for 5e by EN World Publishing 16:27 Patreon Spotlight: Infiltration of Bonespur Keep 19:46 DM Tip: Organize Your Gaming PDFs 27:59 DM Tip: Searching PDFs on MacOS 30:49 DM Tip: Search PDFs with Finder on the Mac 32:20 DM Tip: Alfred for Searching PDFs on a Mac 34:18 DM Tip: Search PDFs with Ripgrep All 38:25 Patreon Question: Getting Excited for Longform Campaigns 42:17 Patreon Question: Contingencies for TPKs Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Roll20 Buys Demiplane Adam Bradford Moves to Fantasy Grounds Voidrunner Kickstarter by EN World Publishing Organize Your RPG PDFs Searching PDFs with Spotlight Alfred for MacOS Ripgrep All

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:05 D&D & RPG News: Cover Art for 2024 D&D Dungeon Master's Guide 03:10 D&D & RPG News: Sly Flourish and Elderbrain Video on Adventure Design 04:24 Commentary: Are Actual Plays Building False Expectations? 21:04 Patreon Spotlight: Dwarven Forge Virtual Tabletop Backdrops 29:13 DM Tip: Leaving Blanks 45:06 Patreon Question: GM Tips for Players 48:18 Patreon Question: Managing Monster Stat Blocks 51:21 Patreon Question: Integrating Prophecies and Fate into D&D Games 53:42 Patreon Question: Medium-Length Campaigns 56:58 Patreon Question: Players Projecting Micro-Aggressions 59:59 Patreon Question: Commiting Time and Energy to Prep a Game Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: EN World on New DMG Cover EN World New Special Edition DMG Cover Sly Flourish and Elderbrain talk Adventure Design Against Lore by Cory Doctorow

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:02 Kickstarter Spotlight: Iskandar Adventures Volume 1 04:40 Product Spotlight: Torrents of the Spellhoarder by Elderbrain 09:40 D&D & RPG News: Rob Heinsoo on Mastering Dungeons 11:55 D&D & RPG News: Scroll for Initiative on Pass Without Trace 18:12 D&D & RPG News: Bob World Builder on Gridded, Abstract Maps, and Theater of the Mind 20:47 Commentary: New Poll Results on Combat Styles 24:44 DM Tip: The Lost Art of Abstract Maps 36:15 Patreon Question: Running a Quick Conclusion to a Campaign 40:00 Patreon Question: Are Secrets Always True? 41:09 Patreon Question: Upward Beats for Dungeons 45:18 Patreon Question: Appropriate Challenges, Quests, and Adventures for 1st Lvel Characters 47:29 Patreon Question: Taking Away the Characters' Stuff 50:48 Patreon Question: Buying Material Multiple Times on Different Platforms Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Kickstarter: Iskandar Adventures Volume 1 Torrents of the Spellhoarder Rob Heinsoo on Mastering Dungeons Scroll for Initiative on Pass Without Trace Bob World Builder on Grid, Theater of the Mind, and Abstract Maps Grid, Abstract Map, and Theater of the Mind 2023 Poll Results The Abstract Battle Map Sly Flourish article Beats of a Dungeon Crawl

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:24 D&D & RPG News: Cypher Humble Bundle -- $570 of books for $25 04:31 D&D & RPG News: New Covers and Greyhawk in 2024 D&D Books 11:35 D&D & RPG News: Support Victims of Rio Grande Flooding with this $20 RPG Bundle 12:48 D&D & RPG News: Rob Heinsoo Interview on La Taberna de Rol 15:56 Product Spotlight: Tales of the Labyrinth by Kobold Press 23:15 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant on Shard Tabletop 36:08 Patreon Spotlight: Myre's End Adventure for Patrons 39:23 Commentary: One Night with Level Up Advanced 5e 56:44 Patreon Question: Three House Rules for Shadowdark RPG Links Cypher Humble Bundle D&D 2024 Cover Reveal D&D 2024 Other News Rio Grande Flood Charity Bundle Rob Heinsoo on La Taberna de Rol Thirteenth Age V2 Kickstarter Guide to the Labyrinth by Kobold Press Tales of the Valiant on Shard Black Flag SRD on Shard Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike ranks ten years worth of campaigns from S through F tier. 00:00 Show Start 01:18 Goal: Define Criteria for Evaluating Future Campaigns 02:58 Tier Ranking Ground Rules 06:28 Beginning the Tier Rankings 06:41 Shadow of the Demon Lord 07:28 Numenera 09:39 Rime of the Frost Maiden 11:29 Wild Beyond the Witchlight 12:35 Blades in the Dark 14:08 Curse of Strahd 15:29 Descent into Avernus 18:17 Eberron Rising from the Last War 19:01 Empire of the Ghouls 20:22 Ghosts of Saltmarsh 22:21 Hoard of the Dragon Queen 23:10 Dragons of Icespire Peak 25:33 Lost Mine of Phandelver 27:07 Out of the Abyss 28:40 Princes of the Apocalypse 29:23 Rise of Tiamat 29:56 Scarlet Citadel 32:04 Gloaming: Cursed Scroll 1 33:45 Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands 35:15 Storm King's Thunder 37:39 Tomb of Annihilation 39:56 Waterdeep Dragon Heist 41:50 Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis 45:53 Dragons of Stormwreck Isle 47:14 Campaign Tier-Ranking Summary 49:36 What Did I Learn? 51:07 Product Design Matters More than Production Quality Links 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: https://shop.slyflourish.com/ Final Tier Ranking Image Tiermaker SF Campaign Tier Link Shadow of the Demon Lord Numenera Blades in the Dark Gloaming: Cursed Scroll 1 Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands (affiliate link) Empire of the Ghouls (affiliate link) Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Dragons of Stormwreck Isle (affiliate link) Curse of Strahd (affiliate link) Wild Beyond the Witchlight (affiliate link)

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:48 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Announces the Upcoming Release of 2024 Rules in the Creative Commons 05:28 D&D & RPG News: Black Flag SRD Released Under ORC 09:57 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant Released to Backers 16:13 Kickstarter Spotlight: Oracle Monster Generator by Nord Games 17:53 Kickstarter Spotlight: 13th Age version 2 19:00 D&D & RPG News: Nine Perfect Things for Your D&D Games 20:48 D&D & RPG News: Why Cults Are Awesome 23:10 Commentary: Why Open Licenses Matter to GMs 38:49 Patreon Question: Games Getting Too Complex Above 10th Level 42:18 Patreon Question: Getting Players Excited for Homebrewed Campaigns 45:11 Patreon Question: What Drains Your Energy In Your Games? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books WOTC Announces 5.2 System Reference Document in the CC in Early 2025 Black Flag System Reference Document Tales of the Valiant Oracle Monster Generator BackerKit Campaign 13th Age Version 2 Kickstarter Nine Perfect Things for your D&D Game – Scroll for Initiative Why Cults Are Awesome Building a One-Page Campaign Guide

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:11 D&D & RPG News: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Impressions by Gnome Stew 02:32 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Stops Selling A La Carte Items on D&D Beyond 11:08 Commentary: Bob World Builder D&D and WOTC Popularity Survey Results 27:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Delve by Bob World Builder 29:32 Patreon Spotlight: Regnum Rattus the Rats in the Cellar 31:53 Sly Flourish News: 4,000+ DM Tips in the Creative Commons 34:17 Product Spotlight: The GMs Miscellany by Raging Swan 38:16 Commentary: Being a Good Steward of the RPG Hobby 49:15 Patreon Question: Should a New DM Run Fateforged? 51:09 Patreon Question: How to Expose Midgard and Big Campaign Settings to Players? 54:56 Patreon Question: Handling a TPK in Witchlight Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Shadow of the Weird Wizard impressions WOTC changes D&D Beyond — no more a la carte purchases Bob World Builder on WOTC and D&D Survey Results Bob World Builder WOTC & D&D Popularity Survey Predictions and Results Delve by Bob World Builder RPG Tips in the CC Raging Swan Wilderness Dressings

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:23 D&D & RPG News: Roll20 and Discord Integration 05:12 D&D & RPG News: Alphastream on the Summit One Year Later 09:02 Product Spotlight: Return of the Witch King Adventures for Shadow of the Demon Lord 14:48 D&D & RPG News: Kobold Press Offers Sourcebook Subscriptions on Shard 23:18 Commentary: Tales of the Valiant Monsters Hitting Too Hard? 27:58 Patreon Spotlight: Forge of Foes Monster Stats Tool 31:08 DM Tip: Use an oracle Die 41:32 Patreon Question: Managing One Year Later Montages 45:05 Patreon Question: Sticking With the City of Arches 52:17 Patreon Question: Help Players Tap Into Their Emotions Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Roll20 on Discord Alphastream: Looking at the D&D Summit One Year Later Shadow of the Demon Lord - Falling Tears Shadow of the Demon Lord - You Shall Not Take these Noble Souls Kobold Press Bundle on Shard The Tales of the Valiant Mimic Ending Campaigns – One Year Later Montages

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:12 Product Spotlight: PJ Coffey's Crafting Heritages and Cultures CC-Released Doc 04:38 Kickstarter Spotlight: Campaign Builder - Dungeons and Ruins 07:16 Product Spotlight: 13th Age 2e Preview 10:18 Patreon Spotlight: Secret of Summervine Villa 13:58 D&D & RPG News: Cynthia Williams Leaves Hasbro 16:26 Commentary: Build Your Resilient TTRPG Hobby 20:00 Commentary: Matt Coleville on Long-form versus Short-Form Adventures 27:14 Commentary: The MtG Hobby Compared to the D&D Hobby 36:47 DM Tip: Fantastic Short-Form Adventure Publishers 50:41 Patreon Question: Villains and NPCs Responding to High Level Characters 54:28 Patreon Question: Warlords Are in 5e 56:27 Patreon Question: Repeating Descriptions and Getting Players to Pay Attention Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Sly Flourish Fantastic Bundle PJ Coffey’s Crafting Heritages and Cultures SRD Kobold Press’s Campaign Builder: Dungeons & Ruins The 13th Age 2 Kickstarter Coming May Matt Colville on Short versus Long Adventures – There is no “default” Merric’s Article on Short-form WOTC Adventures Arcane Library Jeff Steven's 5e Adventures Kobold Press's Lairs books MT Black's Adventures Raging Swan's 5e adventures

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:40 D&D & RPG News: Robert Schwalb on La Taberna de Rol 03:48 D&D & RPG News: DM David Compares MCDM, Daggerheart, and 5e 05:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Wandering Tavern by Homie and the Dude 09:51 Kickstarter Spotlight: Infestation at Devil's Glade by Jeff Stevens 11:50 Kickstarter Spotlight: Restless Encounters by Inkwell Ideas 13:51 D&D & RPG News: 13th Age Megabundle on Bundle of Holding 17:23 Product Spotlight: Dyson Logos Commercial Map Packs 19:55 D&D & RPG News: Cairn 2 Character Builder Open Sourced 25:56 Patreon Spotlight: Readings and Reflections with Sly Flourish Podcast 28:21 D&D & RPG News: JP Coovert's video on Indie RPGs 29:11 DM Tip: Split Up Your Prep 39:05 Patreon Question: How Often to Level Characters? 43:27 Patreon Question: What to Prep When You Have a Long Time 49:26 Patreon Question: Accounting for High Power Charactesr with the Lazy Encounter Benchmark Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Robert Schwalb on La Taberna de Rol Daggerheart vs. the MCDM RPG vs. D&D: A Playtest Comparison – DM David The Wandering Tavern Kickstarter Infestation at Devil's Glade for 5E Kickstarter Restless Encounters Backerkit Campaign 13th Age Megabundle Dyson Logos Commercial Map Packs Cairn 2e open source character generator Indie RPG Roundup by JP Coovert

Mike dives into running the evil city of Vandekhul and the freedom it gives heroic characters to be jerks! Video Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:38 Number One Tip for Running Evil Cities 04:56 Ghoulish Elizabethian Politics in the Center of the Underworld 06:08 The Yojimbo / Fistful of Dollars Adventure Model 20:08 Double Check Your Session Zero Lines and Veils 22:38 Turning the In-World Safety Dials 26:26 Dungeons Everywhere 30:45 Adding Nice Places the Characters (and Players) Can Rest 35:55 Adding Nice People to Meet and Care About 37:31 Adding Physical Layers of History Show Links Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Empire of the Ghouls Dyson's Maps Dyson's Patreon

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: Dungeoncraft on Getting Cheap Miniatures 03:58 Kickstarter Spotlight: Monsters of Drakkenheim 05:52 Kickstarter Spotlight: Cairn 2e Boxed Set 08:16 Commentary: Tales of the Valiant Wight 14:26 Commentary: Why CR3 is the best CR 20:09 Sly Flourish News: New Search Engine for Sly Flourish! 22:13 DM Tip: The Two Different Games at the Table 34:29 Patreon Question: Lazy DM Steps in an Online VTT World 40:55 Patreon Question: Handling Failure at the End of Campaigns 45:23 Patreon Question: Handling Flying Characters 48:53 Patreon Question: Feeling Bad After a Big Battle 54:22 Patreon Question: When to Give Out Magic Items Links How To Get Minis for D&D For Cheap! Dungeoncraft Monsters of Drakkenheim Kickstarter Cairn 2e Boxed Set Kickstarter Tales of the Valiant Wight Sly Flourish Search Engine Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books

Mike dives deep into Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands by Raging Swan Press. 00:00 Show Start 01:39 What Is Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands? 04:59 Why is it So Good? 07:07 What Do You Get? 10:09 Dulwich Overview and Quick References 18:24 The Duchy of Ashlar 22:42 The Shadowed Keep 31:35 Appendices and Player Handouts 33:35 My Own Shadowed Keep Campaign 42:22 Final Recommendation: Buy It Links 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: https://shop.slyflourish.com/ Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands (affiliate link)

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:59 D&D & RPG News: Jim Ward Passes Away 01:37 Commentary: Bob World Builder's Survey of D&D and WOTC Popularity 12:55 D&D & RPG News: Legos and Sneakers and Hawaiian Shirts 13:59 D&D & RPG News: Tome of Beasts 2023 on D&D Beyond 21:45 Patreon Spotlight: The SF Patreon Q&A Database 25:41 D&D & RPG News: Larian says No BG3 Expansions or BG4 29:27 DM Tip: Reach and Run Awesome Campaign Endings 45:36 Patreon Question: Too Much Comedy and Joking at our Serious D&D Game 49:15 Patreon Question: How Much is Gold Worth? Function Economies in our D&D Games 52:55 Patreon Question: Lazy Encounter Benchmark for Multiple Battles in a Day Links James Ward Wikipedia Page Bob World Builder WOTC Survey Video Take the Survey Here Tome of Beasts 1 2023 Larian Studios Won't Make Baldur's Gate 3 DLC, Expansions, or Baldur's Gate 4 Ending Campaigns The Lazy Encounter Benchmark Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 Video Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:28 D&D & RPG News: Dungeon Crawl Classics Humble Bundle 04:35 D&D & RPG News: Worlds Without Number SRD in CC0 07:07 D&D & RPG News: WOTC's "Do You Like Me" Survey 16:11 D&D & RPG News: Hasbro's Chris Cocks on D&D and AI 20:36 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Partners with StartPlaying.Games 23:26 D&D & RPG News: Daggerheart Open Beta Available 30:05 Sly Flourish News: Lazy DM's Companion On Sale! 30:47 Patreon Spotlight: Dungeon Chambers 36:44 DM Tip: Challenging High-Level Characters 55:28 Patreon Question: Getting Players to Speak Up During (Online) Games 58:01 Patreon Question: Staying Excited about Long Campaigns Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Lazy DM's Companion on sale for 50% off! Huge DCC Humble Bundle Worlds Without Number SRD CC0 Hasbro on AI for D&D Penny Arcade on Hasbro WOTC Partners with Startplaying.games Daggerheart Playtest Released Collected Experiences Running D&D 5e Boss Fights Call on Individual Players During Online D&D Games Ginny Di on Online Game Etiquette

Mike explores using https://obsidian.md/ for tabletop RPG prep. Episode Contents 00:00 - Show Start 01:18 - Why Obsidian? 02:40 - Choose the Tool You Dig 04:19 - What Is Obsidian 05:11 - Check the Resource Links in the Show Notes 07:17 - The Fun and Dangers of Dorking With Our Systems 11:28 - Why Obsidian Again? 13:10 - On Markdown 20:10 - On Synching Notes 24:30 - Keeping Things Simple 35:18 - Limiting Hyperlinking 36:03 - The Lazy GM Campaign Template for Obsidian 41:38 - The Danger of Plugin Proprietary Notes 45:32 - Espanso for Text Autofilling 49:40 - Printing Notes to PDF with Automator, Shell Scripting, Pandoc, and Latex... 52:32 - Final Thoughts Links 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 Getting Started with Obsidian for D&D – PhD20 Nicole van der Hoeven's D&D and Obsidian YouTube Playlist Nicole's RPG Obsidian Notes D&D-tagged notes Non-Lazy DMs use Obsidian for D&D Obsidian for Tabletop Roleplaying Games (collection) Obsidian TTRPG Tutorials Espanso

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:06 Sly Flourish News: Last Week's Sly Flourish RPG Newsletter 03:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Planestrider 09:52 Kickstarter Spotlight: Surviving Strangehollow 12:02 Sly Flourish News: Lazy DM's Companion On Sale 50% Off 13:59 D&D & RPG News: NASA Releases a 5e Adventure 16:04 D&D & RPG News: Chaosium RPG Design Contest 21:58 DM Tip: Taking Notes During and After the Game 36:43 Patreon Question: Running City of Arches as an Open Table Game 41:18 Patreon Question: Villainous Plans and the Three of Five Keys Model 48:21 Patreon Question: Introducing New Players to RPGs 51:18 Patreon Question: Secrets and Lore as Character Knowledge 54:22 Patreon Question: Secrets and Clues in Dark Sun Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Last weeks Lazy RPG News Letter Planestriders Kickstarter Surviving Strangehollow NASAs RPG adventure Chaosium Basic Roleplaying Design Challenge Three of Five Keys Revealing Secrets

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:01 D&D & RPG News: Rascal.News for TTRPG News 03:19 D&D & RPG News: Ginny Di on D&D with ADHD 05:50 D&D & RPG News: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Released 08:50 DM Tip: The Benefits of Character Factions 16:35 Commentary: The Many Right Answers of TTRPGs 32:53 Patreon Question: WOTC and Table-Usable Maps 38:06 Patreon Question: Selling Magic Items -- Info and Inventories 39:57 Patreon Question: Tying Backgrounds to Curse of Strahd 42:34 Patreon Question: How do I Feel about AI in TTRPGs? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Rascal.News Ginny Di on D&D and ADHD Shadow of the Weird Wizard Using Maps for In-Person Games

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming! 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 01:26 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 Core Book Release Dates 03:58 Commentary: Call the New Books "D&D 2024" 06:47 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 on Roll20 08:41 D&D & RPG News: Humblewood on D&D Beyond 16:43 D&D & RPG News: How D&D Began Video 20:56 Patreon Spotlight: Best of Sly Flourish 2013-2023 27:30 DM Tip: Different Steps for Different Circumstances 40:45 Patreon Question: Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands Campaign 44:27 Patreon Spotlight: A Player's Version of Forge of Foes. Forge of Heroes? 49:52 Patreon Question: Favorite Three RPG Mechanics Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: D&D 2024 Core Book Release Dates Humblewood D&D 2024 on Roll20 How Dungeons & Dragons Started Video Choosing the Right Steps from the Lazy DM Checklist Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands