The Dm's Deep Dive With Mike Shea

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 Go

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 Lab

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

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 Holdi

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 El

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 Med

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 Uno

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 Newsle

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 Flouri

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