D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:04 Sly Flourish News: Mash Up the Eight Steps, How to Cheat at RPGs, Dread Necropolis, 03:47 Sly Flourish News: New RPGs Hitting My Desk 10:17 D&D & RPG News: Fantasy Grounds Free to Play and Online Compendium 13:20 D&D & RPG News: D&D Nexus on Demiplane 17:10 Commentary: Is Locally Owned Software Important? 23:57 D&D & RPG News: Apocalypse World Burned Over AMA on Reddit 24:56 Commentary: What Is the OSR? 50:38 DM Tip: Pre-Game Rituals 57:42 Patreon Question: Generating Random Adventures 01:02:26 Patreon Question: Stranger Things D&D Box To Bring In New Players Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Mashing Up the Eight Steps When and How to Cheat when Running RPGs Fantasy Grounds Free with Online Web Viewer New D&D Nexus on Demiplane Vincent Baker AMA on Apocalypse World Burned Over Using REAL CULT TACTICS to improve your D&D group

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

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:01:08 Sly Flourish News: Alternative Initiative Options, Mashing Up the Eight Steps 00:02:49 Patreon Spotlight: Dread Necropolis Adventure Scenario 00:05:06 Sly Flourish News: Upcoming Games 00:09:29 D&D & RPG News: Kobold Press Book Bundle 00:13:06 Kickstarter Spotlight: Drakkenheim Daggerheart Campaign Book 00:18:02 Kickstarter Spotlight: Apocalypse World Burned Over 00:23:45 D&D & RPG News: Meg and Vincent Baker and Jonathan Harper Podcast with Ben Riggs 00:25:02 D&D & RPG News: Shannon Appleclein on Mastering Dungeons 00:28:09 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Brings Back Educational Resources for D&D 00:32:20 D&D & RPG News: New One Ring Adventures 00:34:38 DM Tip: Experiences with Dreadful Blessings 00:55:46 Patreon Question: Building Characters for One-on-One RPGs 00:58:31 Patreon Question: Motivations for Cultists 01:01:44 Patreon Question: Dealing and Facilitating Table Talk 01:03:59 Patreon Question: Tuning Bosses in Shadowdark Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Three Alternative Initiative Options Mashing Up the Eight Steps Huge Kobold Press Bundle Drakkenheart Kickstarter Apocalypse World Burned Over Kickstarter Meg and Vincent Baker and Jonathan Harper on Reading D&D Aloud Designers and Dragons Crowdfunding Campaign still going on D&D After School Programs Hasbro Educational Resources New One Ring and Lord of the Rings 5e Adventure Books Dreadful Blessings

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

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:38 Sly Flourish News: Improv vs. Prep, Three Initiative Options 02:12 Patreon Spotlight: Dyson Commercial Maps Gallary 05:15 Sly Flourish News: Halloween Shadowdark Ravenloft Game 08:47 Sly Flourish News: Appearance on EN World 09:32 Commentary: Evil Hat Games and EPUB for Accessibility 13:44 Commentary: What Is the Lazy RPG Talk Show? 26:36 Product Spotlight: Forgotten Realms Heroes and Adventures of Faerun 49:29 Patreon Question: Improvising Map Annotations and Details 54:15 Patreon Question: Connecting with Another Player's Character 56:15 Patreon Question: How do you Review the Characters? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk with Mike

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

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 01:01 Sly Flourish News: Gamehole Panels, Ravenloft with Shadowdark, Models Fuel Creativity, Prep Versus Improv 05:42 D&D & RPG News: StartPlaying.Games RPG Mental Health Survey 11:23 D&D & RPG News: Rob Weiland Passes Away 13:11 D&D & RPG News: Asmodee Takes Control of Lord of the Rings Tabletop License 16:56 D&D & RPG News: 30% Off Chaosium Products on DTRPG 17:50 Kickstarter Spotlight: Origins 4-Volume D&D Product History by Evil Hat 19:45 D&D & RPG News: Glass Cannon Liveplay using Shadowdark and Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master 20:33 D&D & RPG News: D&D 3D VTT Project Sigil Officially Ends 29:48 Product Spotlight: Phantasy Star RPG 37:23 Commentary: Experiences at Gamehole Con 2025 54:15 Patreon Spotlight: Crypts of Karigulon Updates 59:02 Patreon Question: Friend Doesn't Want My AI / LLM Generated Campaign Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Running Ravenloft with Shadowdark Frameworks Fuel Creativity Improv Versus Prep TTRPG Mental Health Survey on StartPlaying.Games Rob Weiland Passed Away Asmodee takes over LOTR RPG rights Chaosium sale on DTRPG Designers and Dragons crowdfunding campaign Glass Cannon Liveplay mentions Lazy DM Project Sigil D&D 3D VTT is No More Phantasy Star RPG

Mike Shea, David Christ, and Allan Patrick share our best GM tips and discuss with the audience at our Gamehole Con panel recorded on 18 October 2025 Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books:

A recording of the "Beautiful Mess of 5e" Gamehole Con seminar recorded on 15 October 2025 with Teos Abadia, Shawn Merwin, Mike Mearls, and Mike Shea. Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books  

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

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:45 Sly Flourish News: Tab Your Books, Ravenloft with Shadowdark, Gamehole Con 04:01 Patreon Spotlight: 5e Artisanal Database Combat Tracker 10:43 Kickstarter Spotlight: Allies and Enemies for Shadowdark 12:26 Kickstarter Spotlight: Hall of Horrors for Daggerheart, Candela Obscura, and 5e 14:49 Sly Flourish News: Partnering with Let's Quest 16:49 Commentary: Back Up Your Digital RPG Stuff 34:25 DM Tip: The Value of Adventure Types 43:14 Patreon Question: Advanced Traps in 5e 48:18 Patreon Question: Keeping Multiple RPG Rulesets In Our Heads 53:10 Patreon Question: Homebrewing Adventures As Good As Published Adventures Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Tab Your Books Running Ravenloft with Shadowdark Allies and Enemies for Shadowdark Kickstarter Hall of Horrors: Bestiary for Daggerheart, D&D 5E, and CO Let's Quest Adventure Types: Dungeon Crawls

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

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:58 Sly Flourish News: Take it Easy, Tab Your Books, Gamehole Con, PAGE 3 04:55 Kickstarter Spotlight: Hexploration Decks by Inkwell Ideas 06:51 D&D & RPG News: Better Accessibiliy for PDFs 11:15 D&D & RPG News: How to Make an RPG Book 12:34 Product Spotlight: The Land of Eem 33:10 Commentary: Great 3rd Edition Forgotten Realms Products 48:23 DM Tip: The Simplest Quest Model 55:03 Patreon Question: Preparing to Improvise 58:40 Patreon Question: Handling Monsters who Give Up or Run Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Last Week's Article: Go Easy On Yourself Next Week's Article: Tab Your Books Going to be at Gamehole Con Going to be at PAGE3 Hexploration Decks Expanded How to make an RPG book Part 1 How to make an RPG book Part 2 Land of Eem Quickstart Land of Eem Core Rule Book Land of Eem Boxed Set Forgotten Realms 3rd Edition Campaign Sourcebook Waterdeep City of Splendors Lost Empires of Faerun Unapproachable East Shining South Mysteries of the Moonsea Serpent Kingdoms Lords of Darkness

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

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00:00 Show Start 00:00:50 Sly Flourish News: Use Agnostic Tools, Go Easy On Yourself, Vathrex Unchained 00:03:16 D&D & RPG News: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Bundle of Holding 00:07:05 Product Spotlight: Mythic Game Master Emulator for Solo RPGs 00:12:49 D&D & RPG News: How Many D&D Products Are There? 00:16:28 D&D & RPG News: Critical Role Interview on Dungeon Craft 00:37:47 DM Tip: What's Your Villain's Backup Plan? 00:52:34 Patreon Question: Share DCs and ACs? 00:57:09 Patreon Question: Worth Running Other RPGs? 01:04:13 Patreon Question: Starter Sets for Experienced Groups? Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Use Agnostic Tools Go Easy On Yourself Shadow of the Weird Wizard How to Find and Read Blogs Mythic Game Master Emulator Free guidelines Mythic Game Master Emulator One Pager Mythic Game Master Emulator Second Edition How Much D&D Stuff Is There? Critical Role interview with Professor Dungeon Master Villainous Backup Plans Makes a pact with a devil Sacrifices themselves Sacrifices their followers Sacrifices something they love Finds another key Conducts a life stealing ritual Makes a deal with a rival Digs everywhere Goes after something the characters love Allies with a more powerful being Creates a fake key Moves at a faster pace Takes a big risk Digs a new entrance Attempts to destroy the thing Seeks an alternative route Goes after an alternative artifact Infiltrates through a parallel world Sends in an army Seeks the Forbidden Way

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

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:59 Sly Flourish News: Published Adventures, Use Agnostic Tools, Vathrix Unchained 04:28 Sly Flourish News: Lazy DM's Workbook in NY Magazine 05:42 D&D & RPG News: Justice Arman on Mastering Dungeons 07:35 D&D & RPG News: D&D Starter Set Ad and Liveplay 11:25 Commentary: Is WOTC Being a Good Steward of the RPG Hobby? 38:59 Commentary: Dragonbane Feedback 52:08 Patreon Question: Running Paper Character Sheets 55:44 Patreon Question: Magic Item Attunement Criteria Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Lazy DM's Workbook in New York Magazine Justice Arman on Mastering Dungeons D&D Starter Set Ad D&D Starter Set Liveplay with Stinky Dragon Podcast folks New URL for D&D School Program pages Sly Flourish Sponsorship page D&D Beyond Isn't a Fair Platform for Customers or Publishers

Mike offers his first look at the new D&D Starter Set – Heroes of the Borderlands. Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon  

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com Contents 00:00 Show Start 00:39 Sly Flourish News: Lazy Map Annotations, Are Published Adventures Easier?, the Beautiful Mess of 5e 05:35 Sly Flourish News: Attention Retailers 07:08 D&D & RPG News: Starter Set Spotlights 09:13 Product Spotlight: Dragonbane Core Boxed Set 40:18 DM Tip: The Value of Solo Play 46:12 Patreon Question: Preparing Dungeons 51:28 Patreon Question: Colonialism and Looting Treasure 01:00:49 Patreon Question: Running 90 Minute Games Links Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Buy Sly Flourish Books: Lazy Map Annotation Are Published Adventures Easier to Run? Gamehole Con Alphastream Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set - Components and Characters Review Heroes of the Borderlands Starter Set - What Adventures are Like Dungeons & Dragons: Heroes of the Borderlands - First Impressions Dragonbane Boxed Set Ironsworn RPG Solodark for Shadowdark Thousand Year Old Vampire

Mike dives into the three core books of four different 5e systems and offers his opinions on the best of the bunch! 00:00 - I love 5e 01:48 - What is 5e? 06:51 - Focusing on Four Versions -- D&D 2014, D&D 2024, Level Up Advanced 5e, and Tales of the Valiant 08:51 - Focusing on the Core Books 09:26 - What is the Best 5e? 11:36 - Best Player's Handbook 24:27 - Best Game Master Guide 36:57 - Best Monster Book 46:06 - Recapping the Ranking 47:02 - Mix and Match Links Visit the Sly Flourish Blog Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Podcast Support Sly Flourish on Patreon Black Flag System Reference Document D&D 2014 5.1 System Reference Document D&D 2024 5.2 System Reference Document Level Up Advanced 5e System Reference Document