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

Mike shares his experiences, tips, and tricks for running the original 1983 I6 Ravenloft using the Shadowdark RPG. Show Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:17 Did Shadowdark and Ravenloft Work Well Together? 03:26 Get Ravenloft for $3 05:21 Main Experiences Running Ravenloft with Shadowdark 05:30 Use 5th Level Characters 08:06 Use Twice as Many Pregens as you Have Players -- Plan for Death 09:28 Include Some Silvered Weapons 10:31 Use Old-School Mapping 11:35 We Got Through a Lot of the Castle -- They Ran from a Lot 12:55 Introducing Shadowdark to 5e Players 20:06 Running Ravenloft in One Session 28:29 Modifying Ravenloft for Shadowdark -- Very Little Needed 35:59 Patreon Toolkit to Run Ravenloft with Shadowdark 39:50 VTT Ravenloft Maps 40:46 Other Ways to Run Ravenloft 41:57 Ravenloft + Shadowdark = Awesome 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 I6 Ravenloft (affiliate link) Shadowdark RPG Shadowdarklings Running Ravenloft / Curse of Strahd in a Single Session Ravenloft VTT maps (affiliate Link)

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00:00 Show Start 00:01:27 D&D & RPG News: Arcane Library Bundle of Holding 00:03:00 D&D & RPG News: Level Up Advanded 5e SRD in the Creative Commons 00:07:50 Commentary: Planescape Adventures in the Multiverse 00:37:20 Commentary: The Mortuary 00:42:42 Patreon Spotlight: Lazy GM Screen Sheets and a Forge of Foes Monster Stat App 00:47:41 DM Tip: Music Playlists For Your Game 00:57:52 Patreon Question: Pacing High-Level Campaigns 01:03:06 Patreon Question: Running Two Campaigns with the Same Setting and Story Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Arcane Library Bundle of Holding Level Up Advanced 5e System Reference Documents

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 01:22 D&D & RPG News: Black Flag System Reference Document 07:37 Commentary: A Comparison of Cult Fanatics 20:53 DM Tip: Lazy Tricks for Making Great Magic Items 33:05 Commentary: Defining Adventure Types 50:29 Patreon Question: Running Battles in the Background (again) 53:42 Patreon Question: Running Ravenloft with Shadowdark Links Black Flag System Reference Document 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 01:38 D&D & RPG News: Amazon Sales on D&D Books 07:25 Commentary: What Do We Need from WOTC for D&D? 29:16 DM Tip: Running Monsters in Dynamic Situations 43:14 Patreon Question: Character Wants to Defer to Authorities 48:26 Patreon Question: Running Flashbacks 52:25 Patreon Question: Managing Big Battles in the Background Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Van Richten's Guide on Amazon (affiliate link) Big ship poster map for Pathfinder (affiliate link)

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 01:03 Commentary: D&D Playtest on Bastions and Cantrips 23:30 Kickstarter Spotlight: The Vault of Life Well Lived by Cubicle 7 29:21 Patreon Spotlight: Secret of Summervine Villa 34:41 DM Tip: Prepping and Improvising Pacing 51:01 Patreon Question: Foreshadowing Roach Motel Dungeons 57:15 Patreon Question: Showing Locations in a Hex Crawl Links Unearthed Arcana Bastions and Cantrips Playtest Alphastream on Bastions Vault of a Life Well Lived by Cubicle 7 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 00:00:00 Show Start 00:01:05 Flee Mortals (Qualifiers) 00:02:28 Flee Mortals Overall Assessment 00:03:48 Flee Mortals - Not a Monster Manual Replacement 00:06:17 Flee Mortals - Are 5e Monsters Boring? 00:09:50 Flee Mortals Overview 00:13:32 Flee Mortals Monster Roles 00:15:54 Flee Mortals Action Oriented Monsters 00:17:44 Flee Mortals Minions 00:25:48 Flee Mortals Encounter Building Guidelines 00:28:21 Flee Mortals Monster Index Spreadsheet 00:29:10 Flee Mortals and Other Monster Books 00:30:20 Flee Mortals and D&D Beyond 00:31:59 Flee Mortals Other Chapters 00:34:22 Who Should Buy Flee Mortals? 00:35:22 Flee Mortals Lightning Round Questions 00:41:42 Flee Mortals Final Thoughts 00:42:37 Patreon Spotlight: Readings and Reflections Podcast 00:44:26 Patreon Question: Alternatives to Legendary Actions for Legendary Monsters 00:46:14 Patreon Question: WOTC changing Legendary Actions to Reactions 00:48:36 Patreon Question: Buying or Leasing Material from D&D Beyond or Demiplane 00:52:53 Patreon Question: Safest Place to Buy Digital RPG Content 00:55:40 Patreon Question: Going Off the Path on Published Adventures 00:57:13 Patreon Question: Good Advice I Don't Follow 01:02:46 Patreon Question: Handling Villagers in Protect the Village Situations 01:04:38 Patreon Question: Managing Sandbox Situations with the 8 Steps 01:06:40 Patreon Question: Overcoming the Need for High Production Value D&D Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Flee Mortals Flee Mortals Preview Flee Mortals Monster Index Spreadsheet

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 01:03 Kickstarter Spotlight: Wanderer's Guide to Enchanted Emporiums 03:21 D&D & RPG News: VTT "Maps" in D&D Beyond 18:41 D&D & RPG News: Monstrous Compendium 4: Eldraine Creatures 28:57 Patreon Spotlight: Mire's End 4th Level Adventure 30:36 DM Tip: Adventure Structures 50:04 Patreon Question: Shaking Up Castle Ravenloft 53:14 Patreon Question: Three Weeks of GM Improvement Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Wanderer's Guide to Enchanted Emporiums D&D Beyond Maps Monstrous Compendium 4: Eldrane Creatures Running Ravenloft Kobold Guides

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 01:08 D&D & RPG News: Chris Perkins's DM Tips 07:39 Kickstarter Spotlight: Level Up Advanced 5e Starter Set by EN World Publishing 12:01 Kickstarter Spotlight: Monstrous 14:19 Commentary: Correction on A5e Counterspell 17:13 DM Tip: Run Really Hard Battles and Let Player Get Away with Stuff 28:45 Patreon Spotlight: Dwarven Forge VTT Backdrops 32:59 Patreon Question: Prepping Adventures While Visually Impared 38:54 Patreon Question: Reciting Session Recaps and Previous Session Summaries 42:32 Patreon Question: GMs Bringing More Energy to the Game 46:37 Patreon Question: Best Starting Adventures for New Players and DMs Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Chris Perkins's DM Tips Level Up Advanced 5e Starter Set Kickstarter Monstrous Kickstarter A5e's Counterspell Choosing the Right Steps from Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Knights of the Braille Discord Server Dungeons And Dragons: a How-To For Blind And Low Vision Tabletop Enthusiasts Accessible Gaming Quarterly magazine That All May Read apparently has services for the D&D 5e core books in braille and audio

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 01:13 D&D & RPG News: 2024 Players Handbook Playtest 7 09:43 Commentary: I Hate Counterspell 16:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Side Quests and NPC Decks by Inkwell Ideas 18:14 D&D & RPG News: Demiplane Gets 5e Content 22:58 Commentary: Adventure Pitfalls -- Where Do Our Games Fail to Be Fun? 34:25 Patreon Spotlight: The Lazy RPG Talk Show Database 37:57 Commentary: Baldur's Gate 3 Ability Checks 47:10 Patreon Question: Does Baldur's Gate 3 Match the D&D Experience? 51:34 Patreon Question: Fudging Monster Stats Feels Bad 56:38 Patreon Question: Tips for Rules Versus Rulings in OSR Games 59:34 Patreon Question: Only Using Half of your Prep Notes Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Book 2024 Player's Handbook Playtest 7 Side Quests and NPC Decks by Inkwell Ideas Demiplane for 5e Adventure Crucible by Robin Laws

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 00:53 Kickstarter Spotlight: Old Town Saga by MT Black 03:43 Kickstarter Spotlight: Weapons of Legend by Jeff Stevents 06:35 Commentary: D&D on Death Row 14:33 Patreon Spotlight: Tomb of the Red Headsman 18:06 Patreon Question: The Eight Steps for Call of Cthulhu and Investigative or Mystery Games 24:10 Patreon Question: Incentivizing Moving Around During Combat 28:03 Patreon Question: Thoughts on Anti-Colonial Chapter of Forge of Foes 36:29 Patreon Question: Player-Focused Tasks and Roles 39:22 Patreon Question: Where to Drop In the Three Choices For Future Sessions 41:56 Patreon Question: Fitting a Strong Start Into a Three-Hour Game 44:57 Patreon Question: Where Does Treasure Make Sense? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Old Town Saga Kickstarter by MT Black Weapons of Legend Kickstarter by Jeff Stevens When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row

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 prepares for his final Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook Show Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:03 Top Tips for Running Scarlet Citadel 01:44 Tip 1: Bring Your Own Story and Motivation 04:03 Tip 2: Give the Villains Escalating Plots 05:30 Tip 3: Pay Attention and Note the Verticality of the Dungeon 07:10 Tip 4: Show How the Dungeon Evolves 08:43 Tip 5: Take Advantage of Scarlet Citadel's Excellent Maps 10:04 I can't Recommend Scarlet Citadel 17:22 What Do I Like about Scarlet Citadel? 18:52 How Did Our Campaign End?

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: Baldur's Gate Gazateer Free on D&D Beyond 03:55 Product Spotlight: Bigby's Glory of the Giants 27:57 Patreon Spotlight: Uncovered Secrets Volume 2 35:55 Product Spotlight: Adventure Crucible - Building Stronger Scenarios for Any RPG 46:24 Commentary: Read Books Instead of Social Media 48:15 DM Tip: Adventure Models from the Lazy DM's Companion 54:53 Patreon Question: Handling Multiple 5e Systems 58:55 Patreon Question: Challenging Differently Powered Characters 01:02:45 Patreon Question: Encouraging Party Talk and Banter Links Baldur’s Gate Gazetteer Bigby's Glory of the Giants (Affiliate Link) Tribality Bigby's Glory of the Giants Review Adventure Crucible — Building Stronger Scenarios for any RPG (Affiliate Link) 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 01:02 Kickstarter Spotlight: Ultimate Bestiary Secrets of the Fey 02:16 Kickstarter Spotlight: Objima Tales of the Tall Grass 03:30 D&D & RPG News: Elderbrain Adventure Survey 05:03 Sly Flourish News: Reading and Reflection Podcast for Heroic Patrons 07:23 D&D & RPG News: WOTC to Revisit Old Settings 12:21 D&D & RPG News: Tal'dorei Reborn on D&D Beyond 18:15 Commentary: Mike's Little Candles -- Is WOTC Being a Good Partner in the TTRPG Hobby? 30:49 DM Tip: The Bare Minimum You Need for an RPG Session 41:33 Patreon Question: Run an RPG with a Focus on Roleplay 45:37 Patreon Question: Pacing Going Too Fast? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Ultimate Bestiary Secrets of the Fey Kickstarter Objima Tales of the Tall Grass Kickstarter Elderbrain Adventure Survey SF Patreon Readings and Reflections Episode 1 WOTC to Revisit Old Settings Tal'Dorei Reborn on D&D Beyond Mike's Little Candles

Mike prepares for his final Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:23 Kickstarter Spotlight: Sky Zephyrs 04:29 Kickstarter Spotlight: Dolmenwood 11:48 Kickstarter Spotlight: Shadow of the Weird Wizard 16:27 D&D & RPG News: Shadow of the Demon Lord Bundle of Holding 19:11 D&D & RPG News: New Roll 20 D&D Character Builder 30:22 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Outlands 38:43 Product Spotlight: Uncharted Journeys by Cubicle 7 49:28 Patreon Question: Scarlet Citadel for Shadowdark RPG 50:55 Patreon Question: Looking for System Neutral RPG Settings 53:08 Patreon Question: Defining My Style of RPGs Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Sky Zephyrs Kickstarter Dolmenwood Kickstarter Shadow of the Weird Wizard Kickstarter Shadow of the Demon Lord Bundle of Holding Demon Lord Legacies Bundle of Holding Roll20 Character Vaults Uncharted Journeys by Cubicle 7

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

Mike shares his thoughts after running a Shadowdark RPG 0-Level Gauntlet – Hoard of the Sea Wolf King! 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 Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 3 Shadowdarklings Show Contents: 00:00 An Opportunity to Play Shadowdark 01:46 My Main Point - We loved It and grasped it's theme quickly 04:23 Three Other Top Thoughts 05:49 Running Hoard of the Sea Wolf King 18:00 Other Thoughts about Shadowdark RPG 28:09 How is Shadowdark RPG to GM? 33:05 Final Thoughts

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com?utm_source=sf_podcast_talkshow&utm_medium=sf_podcast_description_link Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:06 D&D & RPG News: Flee Mortals For Sale 06:59 Kickstarter Spotlight: Where Evil Lives Crowdfunding Campaign 11:41 D&D & RPG News: Free Giants of the Star Forge Adventure on D&D Beyond 12:47 D&D & RPG News: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Preview 19:28 D&D & RPG News: 2023 Award Winning RPG Products 22:57 D&D & RPG News: New Starfinder 2 in 2025 23:40 D&D & RPG News: AI Art Used in Bigby's Glory of the Giants 42:28 Commentary: Don't Forget Why We Love RPGs 45:33 Patreon Question: Concerns with Planescape and other WOTC Sourcebooks 50:20 Patreon Question: Prep During Long Breaks with Different Players 52:40 Patreon Question: Being Overwhelmed by Huge Sourcebooks 55:35 Patreon Question: Where Do You Get Puzzles? 57:46 Patreon Question: Engaging Players Between Sessions Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Flee Mortals Where Evil Lies BackerKit Campaign Free Giants of the Star Forge D&D Beyond Adventure Shadow of the Weird Wizard Preview (Affiliate Link) Diana Jones Finalists ENNies finalists Starfinder 2 Announcement Glory of the Giants' AI-Enhanced Art WOTC Statement on AI-Generated Art Keith Amman on Bigby's Use of AI

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:58 D&D & RPG News: 5.1 SRD Released in Four Languages 10:23 D&D & RPG News: Shadowdark RPG Game Jam Results 12:46 D&D & RPG News: Pathfinder 2 Remaster Preview 21:47 D&D & RPG News: Map Crow Uses Forge of Foes and Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master 22:24 DM Tip: Moving Things Forward 43:22 Patreon Question: Balancing Spotlight and Player Creativity 48:11 Patreon Question: Recommends for Nautical Seafaring Adventuress 50:12 Patreon Question: Tips for Sci-Fi 5e games 51:39 Patreon Question: RPGs that Ephasize Theater of the Mind 54:26 Patreon Question: Handling In-World Dead Time 57:19 Patreon Question: Running Consecutive Campaigns in the Same Setting Links 5.1 System Reference Document in French 5.1 System Reference Document in German 5.1 System Reference Document in Spanish 5.1 System Reference Document in Italian Shadowdark RPG Game Jam Results Tragic Curse of Grimhill Fort Pathfinder 2 Remaster Preview Map Crow's Lazy DM Video Esper Genesis (affiliate link) Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

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 Shadowdark RPG Cursed Scroll 3 Shadowdarklings Show Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:41 What Is a Shadowdark Gauntlet? 03:46 Running Hoard of the Sea Wolf King 07:17 Prep the Session -- an In-World Session Zero 12:29 Add Some Secrets and Clues 15:01 Add a Dash of Cultists

Mike dives deep into the dungeon crawler RPG Shadowdark RPG 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 Shadowdark RPG Show Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:38 One of Three Videos 01:29 What Is Shadowdark RPG? 03:54 Key Features of Shadowdark RPG 04:04 Torches and Lighting 05:38 Always On Initiative 06:56 Really Flat Math 10:04 Slot-Based Encumbrance 11:44 Treasure-Based Experience 13:47 Differences with 5e 13:56 Very Different Style and Focus than 5e 15:39 Other 5e Differences 18:55 Convincing Your Group to Play Shadowdark RPG 19:58 Running the Gauntlet 20:56 An Opinionated RPG 24:25 Abstract Distances and Double-Near?? 26:08 Awesome Monster Design 30:41 I'm Excited to Try It!

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:43 Kickstarter Spotlight: Shadows of the Weird Wizard Coming Soon 02:05 Kickstarter Spotlight: 500 Year Old Vampire 03:59 D&D & RPG News: Fantasy Age 2 Released 05:47 D&D & RPG News: Hydra Co-op OSR Bundle of Holding 08:13 D&D & RPG News: Owlbear Rodeo 2.0 Fully Released 12:09 Commentary: What is the Easiest RPG for GMs to Run? 24:32 Patreon Question: Linear vs Railroad vs Sandbox Adventure Design 31:11 Patreon Question: Using Forge of Foes for Rival Adventuring Parties 33:48 Patreon Question: Customizing Downtime for the Characters 35:53 Patreon Question: What Issues as a GM Did I Have and Change? 39:52 Patreon Question: Standing Firm on Cliffhanger Endings 43:12 Patreon Question: Handling Tag-Along NPCs in Light of Xaryxis Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Kickstarter Five Hundred Year Old Vampire Fantasy Age 2 Hydra Co-op OSR Bundle Owlbear Rodeo 2.0 Owlbear Rodeo 1.0 Comments on Easiest RPG for GMs

Mike dives deep into Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands for 5e, a short campaign adventure written by Raging Swan Press. 00:00 Show Start 01:01 Returning to the Joy of a Core D&D Experience 04:25 A Deep Dive of Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands 05:01 Tested for More than a Decade 06:56 An Expandible 1st to 4th Level Adventure / Campaign 09:27 Both Readable and Usable at the Table 10:31 Single Page References Throughout 15:22 The Duchy of Ashlar 17:02 The Shadowed Keep 20:39 A Juxtaposition from Spelljammer 21:38 My Mistake -- Tying it to Greyhawk 28:39 Homebrewing Almost Immediately 31:33 The Masks of Orcus 33:48 Filling Out the World with Dyson Maps 36:38 Usable with Many Fantasy RPG Systems 38:13 Which Parts of Published Adventures Are Most Scrapable? 42:47 Do You Have to Read the Whole Thing? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands for 5e

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:06 Product Spotlight: Free A5e Monster Tokens 03:03 D&D & RPG News: 2023 Ennie Nominations 12:05 Product Spotlight: Swords of the Serpentine 23:50 DM Tip: Running Cities 45:26 Patreon Question: Running Cozier Fantasty Games 50:28 Patreon Question: Running Tier 3 and 4 campaigns 53:27 Patreon Question: The Differences between Grim and Heroic D&D 57:28 Patreon Question: Building Fantastic Locations Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: A5e Monster Tokens at DriveThruRPG (affiliate link) Ennie Nominations - 2023 Swords of the Serpentine Swords of the Serpentine Quickstart Rules Waterdeep City Encounters Campaign Builder Cities and Towns

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

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: Guest Host on Mastering Dungeons 03:07 Commentary: The RPG Fediverse and dndblogs.com 10:29 Commentary: Find Players for Non-5e RPGs 20:29 DM Tip: Project Deadly Threats 30:27 Patreon Question: Adjusting Spells with the Monster Dials 33:55 Patreon Question: Challenging High AC Characters 38:25 Patreon Question: Running Cozier Heroci 5e Games Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Mastering Dungeons Podcast Mastering Dungeons YouTube Channel RPG Blog Reader TTRPG Lemmy (Reddit Replacement) Dice.camp (Mastodon server) Chirp.enworld.org (Mastodon server) Comments from Youtube on Finding Players for Other RPGs

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:57 DM Tip: Build a Vampire Knight with Forge of Foes 09:11 Product Spotlight: Shard Tabletop 18:31 D&D & RPG News: New 2024 D&D Playtest Packet 32:56 D&D & RPG News: Two Tales of the Valiant Playtests 42:26 Patreon Question: Using PbtA Mechanics in 5e Games 47:36 Patreon Question: Giving Bonus Info for High Ability Rolls 50:48 Patreon Question: Improving Evocative Location Descriptions 54:44 Patreon Question: Telling Players about Changes You Made in Published Adventures Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Forge of Foes Preorder Shard Tabletop D&D 2024 Playtest 6 Tales of the Valiant Smallfolk Playtest 1d20 Shades of Gray

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:14 Product Spotlight: Tome of Beasts 1 2023 Revision by Kobold Press 10:07 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant Finishes at 10k Backers and 1.1M Dollars. 11:12 Kickstarter Spotlight: Gloomhaven RPG 14:44 Product Spotlight: Crucible for Foundry 16:51 D&D & RPG News: D&D VTT Hands-On Experiences 18:35 Commentary: The Digital Future of RPGs 25:16 Commentary: Where to Engage with the RPG Community 37:22 Patreon Question: Which Will Be the Most Popular RPG? It Doesn't Matter. 41:06 Patreon Question: Will the D&D 3D VTT Eat the World of RPGs? No. 43:43 Patreon Question: The Difference Between Old School Grim Characters and New Heroic Characters 49:24 Patreon Question: Sample Encounters for Monsters Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Tome of Beasts 1 2023 Revision Gloomhaven RPG Crowdfunding Campaign D&D VTT Hands-On Experiences by Daniel Kwan Crucible for Foundry BurnBryte for Roll20 Sly Flourish's Blogroll chirp.enworld.org dice.camp ttrpg.network EN World Monstrous Menagerie by Level Up Advanced 5e

Mike talks about how we can fix the 2014 D&D Players Handbook to preserve the value of the millions of copies that exist throughout the world and those in our own gaming room. Podcast Contents 00:00 How Would You Fix the 2014 D&D Player's Handbook? 02:09 What Parts of the 2014 Player's Handbook Disrupt the Game? 04:10 House Rules in My Own Game 05:26 House Rules Take 1: Nerf Nerf Nerf 05:54 Ability Score Generation 07:31 Class and Subclass Nerfs 08:31 Ispiration 08:48 Exhaustion 09:03 Spell Changes 13:33 Feedback I got: Too Many Nerfs 14:31 A Different Approach: Let's All Make the Game Better 15:20 Where Do You get These House Rules? 16:01 A Focus on Intention 16:31 Boss Monsters are Special 19:40 Requests for a Smooth Game 19:49 Please don't Run More than One or Two Sidekick NPCs 20:23 Please don't multiclass dip for Shield 21:33 Be Mindful of Arcane Eye's Disruption 21:53 Let's Avoid the Counterspell Arms Race 22:25 Familiars are either In or Out of Combat 22:59 Goodberries Are No Substitute for Real Food 23:17 Pure Immunity Breaks a Lot of Monsters 23:38 Tiny Hut Works Poorly in Dangerous Areas 26:17 Pass Without Trace Isn't Invisibility 27:50 Give Me Feedback Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike talks about the recent Reddit collapse, Cory Doctorow's "Enshittification" model for this type of collapse, and how DMs and GMs can protect themselves from the collapse of other enshittified platforms. Video Contents 00:00 Show Start 02:41 Main Points -- How GMs can Protect Themselves from Enshittified Platforms 05:08 The Enshittification Model 09:23 Why Does This Matter for DMs, GMs, and RPGs? 11:52 The Enshittification of Reddit and the RPG Subreddits 14:44 What GMs Are Really Losing -- The DM Academy 15:21 Where Will New DMs Go to Get Questions Answered? 17:18 Is D&D Itself Enshittified? 20:41 Enshittification Risks to GMs 24:21 What Are the Risks for Sly Flourish? 27:48 Know Enshittification, Have Backup Plans, Own Your Stuff 28:20 Returning to Blogs, Newsletters, Podcasts Additional 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 Cory Doctorow's "Tiktok's enshittification"

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:22 Sly Flourish News: The Lazy GM's Resource Document in Japanese 04:05 D&D & RPG News: Bob World Builder's Four D&D Combat House Rules 07:12 Kickstarter Spotlight: Aetherial Expanse Setting Guide by Ghostfire Gaming 09:59 Commentary: Chat GPT for RPG Prep 33:05 Patreon Question: Making a Location Feel Dangerous 35:46 Patreon Question: Dealing With Emotional Drain After Intense Roleplay Scenes 38:14 Patreon Question: Running Campaigns Built from Multiple Published Adventuresb 40:17 Patreon Question: What Are GMs Not Thinking About Enough? 43:59 Patreon Question: Let Campaign Themes Come Out Naturally 46:16 Patreon Question: Combining 5e Subclasses with A5e Classes Links Lazy GM's Resource Document Lazy GM's Resource Document in Japanese Lazy GM's Resource Document on Github Bob World Builder's Top Four Combat House Rules Aetherial Expanse Kickstarter by Ghostfire Gaming RPG Safety Toolkit Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

Mike offers a review and tips for running the Spelljammer adventure, Light of Xaryxis, with experiences from his own campaign. Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books Show Contents 00:00 Video Start 00:28 Reviewing Adventures I've Actually Run 00:49 Top Tips for Running Light of Xaryxis 00:52 Tip 1: Use Stars Over Stormwreck to Connect the Characters to Light of Xaryxis 01:26 Tip 2: Stay with the Moondancer 02:22 Tip 3: Embrace Flash Gordon 03:03 Tip 4: Run Ship Combat in the Narrative 04:11 Tip 5: Give Players Agency Over the Ending 04:58 A Review of the Spelljammer Boxed Set 06:55 Breaking Down the Adventure 08:22 Tips for Part 1 11:36 Tips for Part 2 15:37 Tips for Part 3 18:11 Tips for Part 4 19:03 Missions of the FInal Battle 21:26 Who Lives and Who Dies? Let the Dice Decide! 23:26 Add a Touch of Mind Flayer... 24:06 Princess Xedali's Choice 26:04 Run a One Year Later Montage 27:12 Final Thoughts

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:13 Sly Flourish News: Dwarven Forge VTT 07:46 D&D & RPG News: Wizards on One D&D and 2024 Core Book Messaging 14:57 Commentary: 5e Isn't D&D 25:38 Commentary: High Trust Trad Concepts and Situation-Based RPGs 40:34 Patreon Question: Can the Eight Steps work for Dungeon World? 43:22 Patreon Question: Dealing with Missing Players and Absenteeism 47:49 Patreon Question: Why Are Hags Allowed to Persist? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: D&D Community Update: Clarifying Language: One D&D, 2024 Core Rulebooks What are the 2024 Fifth Edition Core Rulebooks? D&D YouTube Video What is high-trust trad adventure design? How to Handle Missing Players

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game! Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books The 5e Artisanal Monster Database Buy Scarlet Citadel (affiliate link) Kobold Press Monster Database Scarlet Citadel Notion Notebook

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:20 Kickstarter Spotlight: Deck of Player Safety 04:24 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant on What's Compatible and What Isn't 13:35 Commentary: Homebrew Adventures in Published Settings 32:14 Patreon Question: Better Inclusiveness and Representation In Our Games 36:39 Patreon Question: Dice-Rolling for Stochastic Countdown Timers 38:57 Patreon Question: Managing Pacing of Downtime and Roleplayy Scenes 41:45 Patreon Question: Building Combat Encounters 45:00 Patreon Question: Tools for Improvisation At The Table 48:16 Patreon Question: Forge of Foes General Use Stat Block Encounter Math 52:00 Patreon Question: Improving NPC Dialog 53:41 Patreon Question: Character-Focused Spiral Campaign Development Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Deck of Player Safety Kickstarter Tales of the Valiant on What's Compatible and What Isn't EN World: Introducing the COUNTDOWN DICE Mechanic! THE UNDERCLOCK: Fixing the Random Encounter The Lazy 5e Cheat Sheet

Mike offers tips and a recap for running the third part of Empire of the Ghouls. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books