DYLAN SPROUSE ON PUG CRAWL

Another very fun episode!

The blurb is very playful:

Dylan Sprouse (@dylansprouse) has been playing D&D since he was on set as a child actor and he’s jumped into it full force with his Pug Crawl streams on Twitch. Hosts Shelly Mazzanoble (@shellymoo) and Greg Tito (@gregtito) talk about snow again, before Greg gets the date of Meltdown Shopping Network debut on Mar 24 consistently wrong in...

but the early segment, on warlock pacts, is actually amazing. Great roll play inspiration and a very fun random look at one of the better backstory option creating mechanics...

DRAGON TALK - 03/09/2017

JERRY HOLKINS ON ACQUISITIONS INC. C TEAM
DRAGON TALK - 03/09/2017
By Shelly Mazzanoble & Greg Tito

Another great episode--this one started with Greg making a Phish reference which is always awesome to hear!




The official blurb has:

Jerry Holkins from Penny Arcade calls in to speak effusively about his Acquisitions Inc. C Team stream, what he’s doing during PAX East, and blacking out on stage with a loopy Shelly Mazzanoble (@shellymoo) and Greg Tito (@gregtito). Lore You Should Know – Matt Sernett (@Sernett) goes into depth on White Plume Mountain, one of the adventures...

The highlight is definitely the Lore section, which does not have Chris Perkins, but does have an amazing amount of background on one of the adventures in the upcoming release of Tales from the Yawning Portal. 

Curse of Strahd (Tome 264)

This is a fantastic review of the latest D&D Adventure book.

Here is the Blurb:

In this episode of the The Tome Show, Jeff & Tracy are joined by Sam Dillon and David Gibson to discuss Wizards of the Coast's latest 5e D&D adventure, Curse of Strahd. Their discussion is followed by an interview with the product's lead designer, Chris Perkins.

The initial overview of the product & detailed breakdown of the content includes a ton of references to previous Ravenloft material which is awesome. The discussion of the encouraged play style is helpful if you are planning to run this.

Overall this is the kind of podcast that Jeff and gang do best.

The interview with Chris is awesome--Chris is an amazingly informative and interesting guess and he and Jeff speak almost the exact same language. The responses to specific criticism is completely amazing.

I strongly recommend this episode if you are planning to run this and/or if you need general Ravenloft tips or lore. Very much worth listening to. 

DR. RAFFAEL BOCCAMAZZO ON D&D AND AUTISM D&D PODCASTS - 05/05/2016

This is another amazing episode of the official D&D Podcast. The blurb is short:

 Clinical Psychologist  Dr. Raffael Boccamazzo visits the office to talk about using Dungeons & Dragons to help autistic kids learn social skills.

But this does not tell half o the story--Raffael is an old school DM who brings a lot of fantastic trivia, out of context quotes, and general playfulness to the proceedings making this an above average episode.

The actual discussion around the work Dr Boccamazzo is doing is also extremely interesting--the value of play, the importance of parental involvement in children's activities, and the overall wisdom of the approach is all very instructive, informative, and instersting.

I have actually recommended this episode to a lot of people who are not actual D&D players--strongly recommend listening to this episode. 

Shelly Mazzanoble (Gamer to Gamer) | The Tome Show

Shelly sat down with James Introcaso to talk about her career in D&D. She talks about starting her career at Wizards of the Coast on the Magic Team, going to college towns with the 25th Anniversary tour, writing her books, and her current role with Avalon-Hill.

This is a great podcast!

James does a fantastic job interviewing the women who saved 4th edition by returning Magic Missile to Always Hit!

WOLFGANG BAUR ON THE DUNGEON MASTERS GUILD

A fun Gamer to Gamer style interview with long time D&D writer Wolfgang Baur--who started with TSR back in the glory days of 2nd Edition when there was a new setting every month, and Dungeon and Dragon Magazines were both still in print.

Here is the official blurb:

Wolfgang Baur, Kobold-in-Chief of Kobold Press, drops by the podcast to talk about his (long) history with Dungeons & Dragons, the success of the Dungeon Masters Guild and possibly rejecting Chris Perkins' first submission to Dragon Magazine in the 90s.

Wolfgang has a lot of interesting perspective and is fascinating to listen to--a good episode.

JIM ZUB ON D&D COMIC BOOKS By Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito

Another great D&D Podcast, this time Shelly & Greg interview Jim Zub!

Jim has been writing a bunch of great D&D Comics--after a very successful run on Skull Kickers [which is great if you have not checked it out].

Here is the official blurb:

Comic book writer Jim Zub (Marvel, IDW, Image) joins us to talk about his new Dungeons & Dragons comic from IDW taking the characters from Legends of Baldur's Gate into Strahd's realm.
I was very impressed with Jim's ability to talk D&D -- he really played the game back in the day & has a great sense of what D&D is all about. His interactions with Shelly & Greg are fantastic. 
This is the best D&D Podcast in a while--not a lot about the game, just more about the comics and the fun behind the stories. 

Very much worth giving a listen.

Round Table 108 - D&D Movie and Multiclassing Debate

Another great episode. Here is the Blurb:

James Introcaso sits down with Rudy Basso, Rich Howard, and Dan Dillon to discuss the latest D&D movie news. Then Rich and Dan debate the pros and cons of multi-classing and prestige classes. This podcast was recorded on February 24, 2016. 

The stuff on multi-classing is actually very interesting. The stuff on the D&D movie centers in around someone talking smart about Guardians, which is largely a waste of time like most of the D&D movie discussions...we really don't know & likely won't until it is too late...

PODCAST D&D AND THEATER COLLIDE IN "SHE KILLS MONSTERS"

This episode is a completely fantastic return to form!

Here is the official blurb:

The play "She Kills Monsters" by Qui Nguyen is a weird combination of madcap comedy and heartbreaking coming-of-age drama all told inside a D&D module from the 90s. We talk to Lance Gharavi and Antoinette Martin-Hanson, the director and star of a new production at Arizona State University. Listen to the podcast here. Subscribe to the Official D&D Podcast on iTunes to get updates for new episodes. Shelly, Greg and Trevor are always talking to creative Dungeons & Dragons players like comedians and TV writers Mike Drucker (The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon) and Jared Logan (The Late Late Show with James Corden), as well as professional game masters Griffin McElroy (The Adventure Zone) and Matt Mercer (Critical Role) and actors like Rainn Wilson (The Office).

The connection with Drama and D&D  is tight and it is good to see the connection underlined at the end of this.

The last few episodes have also done well dialing into the correct age range--like family friendly, but innuendo is ok--which I think is great--they are moving away from a more stuffy corporate style.

Also, this is another "art" themed cast--I think Mr Tito brings that energy and it is really nice--specifically the Actor and Director bring an amazing openess and energy to this podcast. Also, they mention Bikini Kill which is FANTASTIC.

PODCAST THE ART OF DUNGEONS & DRAGONS AND CURSE OF STRAHD

D&D Podcasts By Shelly Mazzanoble and Greg Tito

Shelly is again joined by Greg Tito for another fantastic episode! Here is the blurb:

Creative Director Shauna Narciso and Art Director Kate Irwin share insights on the visual look of D&D and the Curse of Strahd adventure, which is available in March. Listen to the new podcast.

They discuss the art of the new season which looks amazing!

They discuss the recent shift from a more "where we come from" art direction, to a "where we are now" which I think is healthy and challenging...I mean I really loved the last Art team [and all the work they did with the community--I feel like in some ways they taught me how to look at D&D Art], but these women seem to bring a more Artistic [rather than Commercial] aesthetic to the D&D projects which I think is healthy.

They talk a lot about the Dragon+ Covers which is totally awesome--their passion, involvement, and knowledge really shines through and brings more detail to the work that they have done. Their thoughts on now legendary Zuggtmoy cover are fantastic:

One thing about this issue which I am embarrased to admit bothered me was that one of the art directors describes a D&D Fan as "a big D&D Goob". Now I grew up being called a nerd and I have come to accept that some people call us Geek's and that we have to own our insults and all of that--but for some reason it bugged me--and the fact that it goes by uncommented on was odd--like Greg & Shelly do not say anything--don't even comment--it is like insulting ourselves is now ok everywhere or something. I mean, if I get called a 'goob' I am going to respond & I would expect Shelly and greg to as well--maybe I will follow up with them on twitter...

Podcast -- Round Table 91 - Goodbye WotC Forums

Here is the blurb

James Introcaso sits down with Dave Gibson, James Haeck, and Craig Haasis to discuss the closure of the Wizards of the Coast community forums. This podcast was recorded on October 7, 2015.

This is a totally great podcast focused on the loss of something that I once really enjoyed--the WotC Forums...here is the official release:

The Community Forums will be shut down on October 29. Thanks to all who participated over the years!

Choosing to retire a former foundation of our community was not an easy decision, but we feel that we must adjust our communications structure to reflect where conversations about Wizards of the Coast games are taking place.

Social media has changed significantly over the last ten years, and discussions about games aren't exclusive to company-hosted forums. The majority of community conversation takes place on third-party websites (such as Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and many other fantastic community-run websites), and it is up to us to evolve alongside our players.

We encourage past and current users to retrieve any information you want to retain from the Community Forums for both Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. The shutdown will occur on October 29, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. PT. We want to provide enough time for our forum members to move their content, and we recognize that given our forum's vibrant user base and extensive history, this may take time. Any information still on the forums on the cut-off date will be deleted.

Thank you to all of our past and current forum users. You helped build our community into what it is now, and we look forward to continuing to interact with you on our many active social platforms.

I actually started this blog when the WotC Blog site got migrated & I lost all of my photo's...It makes me really sad to see the Forums close down even though I did not use them anymore--the WotC Novel club had moved to GoodReads a while back & I did not really have any reason to still be on the blogs.

James and crew did dedicate their cast to  Wrecan which was wonderful--I will never forget the first time I made his Post of the Week list, such an influential and inspiring member of the community. 

Podcast-- Game School #6: A Red and Pleasant Land

Game School talks with Zak S about the game A Red and Pleasant Land.

Here is the official blurb:

R&PL is an old school D&D supplement that allows you to play in a world similar to Alice in Wonderland. It is horrific and bizarre in all the right ways. The game book is beautiful and full of everything you’ll need along with some very novel ideas. Zak runs Satine through an encounter on a battlefield that is paralyzed in time and being observed by a vampire and his minions. She will find that they are not friendly and will have to use her wits if she wishes to survive. Will she survive the encounter or will the vampire take her to his dungeon? You’ll have to listen to find out.

Zak is fantastic on this--clear description of the game, his design motivation is wonderful, & the mini adventure he runs is playful and great. Satine does a great job playing along.

As always, Chad is a wonderful interviewer and really presents this material in the best possible way. A great episode...

D&D Extra Life

 Bart Carroll, Shelly Mazzanoble, Trevor Kidd, & Greg Tito create another great podcast!

A look at the challenges of fantasy writing, and then how you can get involved in this year's D&D Extra Life charity event. In today’s episode, we’ll meet Deborah Davitt, fantasy author of the The Valkyrie and The Goddess Denied, the first two books in her Edda-Earth series.

And then, the D&D Team’s Greg Bilsland joins us, to talk about this year’s Extra Life charity event.

The first part is OK--a fun conversation with an FanFic writer--not that great & just another reminder of how little D&D Content is currently coming out...

The Extra Life section is super GREAT! First the fact that D&D has a special Extra Life weekend is fantastic.  

There is additional information regarding Tabletop Appreciation Weekend:

Starting on Friday, October 2 and lasting until Sunday, October 4, Extra Life is holding its inaugural Extra Life Tabletop Appreciation Weekend with the support of tabletop communities across the globe! With just over one month until the official Extra Life Game Day (Nov. 7th), we'll be encouraging the Extra Life community to get out and play their favorite tabletop games For The Kids at their local Children's Miracle Network Hospital. It's going to be a special weekend highlighting the relentless life-saving support of the tabletop community, complete with special announcements and tabletop themed incentives for you to unlock.

Spellcasting Part 2 (Bonus Action 009) | The Tome Show

Another fantastic podcast--from James & Sam! I really love this series of podcasts--so helpful for DMs!

Here is the blurb

James and Sam are back with a new episode of the Bonus Action podcast! In this episode they discuss the difference in spellcasting rules between classes. This is a follow-up episode to Bonus Action 007 - Spellcasting Basics, so if you haven't listened to that one in a while, take a few minutes to go back and give yourself a refresher course on spells and terms in 5th edition D&D.

Sam describes this as the most complicated part of the game & I completely agree; yet, they do a fantastic job breaking this down by class.

PODCAST KIDS & STORIES D&D Podcasts By Bart Carroll, Shelly Mazzanoble, Trevor Kidd, Greg Tito

Another great episode of the Official D&D Podcast--here is the official blurb:

A conversation about the game's developing storylines, and then teaching and playing D&D with kids. In today's episode, R&D's Chris Perkins takes a look at the game’s continuing campaign storylines. Then, Tom Olsen and Susan Morris join us to discuss the subject of teaching and playing D&D with kids.

 

The discussion with Perkins is awesome--his move to Story Seasons over Campaign is a bold change which I really support, even if it means more connection to the video game side of things. Chris is funny and clever and sets expectations very high for the upcoming PAX game!

The discussion of playing with kids is not a great--much of this has been covered before--I think next time they should have some actual kids on the show to discuss their experience.

Overall a great podcast from Wizards--very glad that they are doing this regularly.

PODCAST STRONGHOLDS D&D Podcasts

For this episode, we have Bart Carroll, Shelly Mazzanoble, Trevor Kidd, Greg Tito talking about Video Games again. Here is the blurb:

Neverwinter. Rob Overmeyer serves as Executive Producer for Neverwinter. He rejoined the podcast to tell us about Neverwinter: Strongholds. This seventh expansion of the game—announced for this summer—will see players join with their guild to claim an abandoned keep from the wild and build it back into its former glory on the largest map in Neverwinter. Find out more at playneverwinter.com.

I am really glad that Greg has joined the team & it is always good to have Trevor on the Podcast, but I am really not that interested in the video game & these episodes in which there is no mention of the Tabletop RPG just kind of remind me of how little is currently being developed and released for the 5th edition.

The art, however, continues to get better and better--this image is just amazing!

I hope we can start having more episodes in which the RPG is discussed.  

Round Table 75 - Kobold Press Update

Here is the blurb:

James Introcaso sits down with Wolfgang Baur, Kobold in Chief of Kobold Press about his upcoming visits to PaizoCon and North Texas RPG Con as well as his upcoming events at Gen Con. Then they talk about Wolfgang Baur's wish for a fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons OGL and all the awesome products he has planned once (if) it launches. Spoiler alert - fifth edition Midgard Campaign Setting is liberally spoken about. This podcast was recorded on June 17, 2014.

I did not think that this was a very good episode. Wolfgang is such a D&D Insider his experience with the game is very remote from mine so I do not really relate to much of what he is feeling about the game right now.

Also, I think James is much better on player focused topics & these insider interviews work better with Jeff on the main Tome show. 

Princes of the Apocalypse Review (Tome 250)

This is a fantastic episode of the Tome. Here is the blurb:

In this episode, number 250 (250!!) Jeff and Tracy join guests Geoffrey Winn and Matt James to discuss the second epic storyline adventure produced for D&D, Princes of the Apocalypse. Their analysis is followed by an interview with Rich Baker, the lead designer of the product.

Matt James is always awesome on the Tome--he is playful, well informed, clever, passionate about the material, wise in the history of D&D, and just a flat out awesome guest. His comic foil to the more conservative Jeff & Geoffrey is extremely entertaining & fun to listen to.

Again, Tracy does not add much here--she kind of steps in with Gender Representation in Art comment occasionally, but it mostly seems like she has not really read the material & fails to articulate her general concerns around Dungeons--which would have been nice since Princes of the Apocalypse is basically one massive dungeon crawl after another. Matt even calls her out on this & she talks about his visit rather then the material under discussion...

The second part of the podcast in which Jeff interviews Rich Baker if fantastic behind the scenes stuff--I am not sure if this is because of Rich's candor and overall awesomeness or Jeff's ability to listen and ask great questions, but this really is one of the best 'how did you do it' type D&D interviews I have heard in a long long time.

The Tome really likes Princes of the Apocalypse and I share their enthusiasm--it really is a great adventure with some fantastic open ended adventuring opportunities.

Princes of the Apocalypse - Week 8

Another episode of Recounting Encounters is out. I am always a few weeks behind on this for some reason.

This episode starts with some updates from the video game which I ignored. There was some AL discussion around the Trading Posts that have been run at Cons--I do not think that there is currently enough magic in circulation to make the Trading Post much use, but as the AL matures, I think that this will become more of a thing.

Then they reviewed the action at their tables, which was awesome--it sounds like they are having an extremely fun season.

Round Table 74 – Rage of Demons and Goodbye Rodney

Another great episode of the Round Table D&D Podcast.

The opening question--Drizz't yeah or nay is really the only question that matters! 

Jeff joins James to discuss Rage of Demons, which is the next Season of adventures--a great Underdark Demon fest which did not do very well with the critics.

Then they discuss Rodney Thompson leaving WotC which is a little to much Inside Baseball for me--this type of stuff is likely better off on The Tome main show then James' more fan perspective based podcast