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The Lazy RPG Talk Show and the Lazy GM Prep show. D&D news, commentary, spotlights, Q&A, and lazy GM prep with Mike Shea of Sly Flourish.
Episodes
17 minutes ago
17 minutes ago
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
4 days ago
4 days ago
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 00:55 Sly Flourish News: New Articles, COA Fulfillment, Artisanal Monster Database Updates
- 11:06 Commentary: Experiences Running Three 5e Systems in the Same Game
- 28:26 Commentary: Managing Character Options At Our Table
- 45:34 DM Tip: How to Run Stealth and Hiding in 5e
- 59:16 Patreon Question: The Intimacy and Focus of One-on-One Games
Links
Friday May 09, 2025
Friday May 09, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday May 05, 2025
Monday May 05, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 00:39 Sly Flourish News: Grendleroot for $5
- 02:56 Sly Flourish News: TOV Article, Patreon Benefits, New GM Card, COA Updates, Shadowdark Scenario
- 10:50 Kickstarter Spotlight: Fury of the Forsaken by Lazy Wolf Studios
- 12:27 D&D & RPG News: Huge Pathfinder 2 Humble Bundle
- 15:49 D&D & RPG News: Sage Advice Column on D&D Beyond
- 19:58 Commentary: Paizo Flip Mat Basic Versus Chessex Battle Map
- 38:46 Patreon Question: Lazy Encounter Benchmark and Waves of Combatants
- 44:55 Patreon Question: Leveling Up Villains with Forge of Foes
- 47:34 Patreon Question: Managing Real-World Time In-Game
- 52:00 Patreon Question: Character Motivation in Shadowdark with high PC Turnover
- 58:06 Patreon Question: Managing Monster Difficulty in D20 / 5e Games
Links
- Grendleroot On Sale for $5!
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Gems of the Tales of the Valiant Game Master's Guide
- Fury of the Forsaken Kickstarter
- Pathfinder 2 Asian Fantasy Humble Bundle
- D&D 2024 Sage Advice
- Staedtler 315-9 Medium Point Wet Erase Markers
- Chessex Battle Mat
- Chessex Battle Megamat
- Pathfinder Flip Mat Basic
- Lazy Encounter Benchmark
- Dials of Monster Difficulty
Friday May 02, 2025
Friday May 02, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Apr 28, 2025
Monday Apr 28, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:04 Sly Flourish News: Ruins of the Grendleroot On Sale
- 04:42 Sly Flourish News: 5e Artisanal Monster Database Updated with D&D 2025 MM Monsters
- 07:42 Sly Flourish News: New Articles and Podcasts
- 10:04 Kickstarter Spotlight: Knock Issue 5 from Merry Mushman
- 13:17 D&D & RPG News: 5.2 SRD Released into the Creative Commons
- 22:07 Commentary: What can GM's Do with the 5.2 SRD?
- 27:40 Commentary: A Look at Mike's Little Candles -- Is WOTC Being a Good Steward of the Hobby?
- 45:36 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 Errata
- 49:34 DM Tip: Using Physical Book At the Table
Links
Friday Apr 25, 2025
Friday Apr 25, 2025
Mike builds an adventure from one of the adventure prompts in the City of Arches!
Buy the City of Aches
Monday Apr 21, 2025
Monday Apr 21, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:01 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches, Latest SF articles and podcasts, new CC material
- 12:15 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 5.2 System Reference Document on Tuesday
- 15:09 Commentary: Why the 5.2 SRD Matters to GMs
- 20:25 Commentary: Do we Need a 5.2 SRD in the OGL? No!
- 24:52 Commentary: How to Play D&D 6E Today!
- 31:49 DM Tip: Get Your Players to Play Other Systems
- 39:47 Patreon Question: Getting Players to Search More
- 44:56 Patreon Question: Grim Portents and Focusing On Your Next Game
- 49:04 Patreon Question: Revealing Secrets Through Sages
- 51:22 Patreon Question: What Sections Are Missing From Most GM Books? Monuments
Links
Friday Apr 18, 2025
Friday Apr 18, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Apr 14, 2025
Monday Apr 14, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 00:01:25 D&D & RPG News: Jeremy Crawford Leaves Wizards of the Coast
- 00:07:31 D&D & RPG News: State of the OSR Podcast
- 00:09:42 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Available in Hardcover in US and Canada
- 00:11:35 Sly Flourish News: SF Books for Friendly Local Game Shops through ACD
- 00:12:42 DM Tip: Running the D&D 2025 Monster Manual Beholder
- 00:24:25 Commentary: How do RPGs Die?
- 00:46:02 D&D & RPG News: One-on-One Adventures in Dragon Delves
- 00:49:42 DM Tip: Running One-on-One Games
- 00:54:52 Patreon Question: The Lazy GM Eight Steps on Index Cards
- 00:58:19 Patreon Question: Encounter Building for Three Characters
- 01:01:58 Patreon Question: Are 5e Systems Compatible and Which Would I Choose if I Had to Pick One?
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Jeremy Crawford Leaves WOTC
- State of the OSR Gencon Panel Podcast
- City of Arches Hardcover available in US and CA
- Sly Flourish ACD Distribution for Local Game Shops
- One-on-One Adventures in Dragon Delves
- Tips for One-on-One play
Friday Apr 11, 2025
Friday Apr 11, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Apr 07, 2025
Monday Apr 07, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 00:01:26 Kickstarter Spotlight: Scepter of the Lightbringer
- 00:04:57 D&D & RPG News: Chris Perkins Leaves Wizards of the Coast
- 00:09:26 D&D & RPG News: Tariffs and TTRPGs
- 00:15:15 Commentary: BG3, Stardew Valley, and Thoughts About Copyright
- 00:30:18 D&D & RPG News: Level Up Gateway for Level Up Advanced 5e and the Current State of 5e Character Builders
- 00:36:24 DM Tip: Build a D&D 2024 Character On Paper in Ten Minutes
- 00:44:56 Patreon Question: Managing Perception and Passive Perception
- 00:50:08 Patreon Question: Describing Terrain Mechanics in Combat Encounters
- 00:54:14 Patreon Question: Managing Boring but Effective Character Strateies
- 00:58:43 Patreon Question: Introducing Old Monsters as New Monsters
- 01:01:46 Patreon Question: How Long to Get a Feel for a New RPG?
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Scepter of the Lightbringer Kickstarter
- Chris Perkins Leaves Wizards of the Coast EN World Discussion
- Tariffs and TTRPGs EN World Discussion
- Stardew Valley, BG3, and WOTC DMCA Takedown Discussion on EN World
- Level Up Gateway for Level Up Advanced 5e
- Dungeon Master Diaries
- Your Ability Check Toolkit
- What Does Passive Perception Show You?
Friday Apr 04, 2025
Friday Apr 04, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Mar 31, 2025
Monday Mar 31, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:17 Kickstarter Spotlight: Free5e
- 07:24 Kickstarter Spotlight: Alien RPG Evolved Edition
- 09:23 D&D & RPG News: New Miniatures for Sigil? Where's my Gold Dragon Docker??
- 14:01 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 5.2 System Reference Document Coming "Soon"
- 19:14 Commentary: Memoirs of a Dracolich
- 28:35 DM Tip: Slow, Medium, and Fast Initiative
- 32:03 Patreon Question: Promote Better Behavior for Online Play
- 35:56 Patreon Question: Choose Your Gamemaster's Guide
- 39:29 Patreon Question: Incentivizing Movement for Ranged Attackers
- 43:49 Patreon Question: Stealth and Hiding in D&D 2024
- 50:46 Patreon Question: Forge of Foes for Shadowdark?
- 52:18 Patreon Question: Lazy Encounter Benchmark for Tales of the Valiant
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Free5e Kickstarter
- Alien RPG Evolved Kickstarter
- D&D Mimic Miniature for Sigil
- 5.2 SRD "Soon" Discussion on D&D Beyond
- Ginny Di on Better Online Behavior
- Merric Blackman on Hiding
- Justin Alexander on Better Stealth Rules
- Shadowdark Monster Stats
- Creating and Adapting Monsters for use in Shadowdark RPG
- The Lazy Encounter Benchmark
- Comparing D&D 2024 to the Lazy Encounter Benchmark
Monday Mar 24, 2025
Monday Mar 24, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00:00 Show Start
- 00:01:09 D&D & RPG News: Delta Green, Dragonlance, and Kobold Press Humble Bundles
- 00:05:22 Kickstarter Spotlight: Zaminora Ballad of the Witch
- 00:06:48 D&D & RPG News: Sigil's Demise
- 00:13:46 Commentary: Where's the 5.2 SRD?
- 00:16:40 Commentary: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Initial Thoughts
- 00:36:04 DM Tip: Defending Yourself Out of the Fun
- 00:57:03 Patreon Question: Catching Characters Up to Higher Level Adventures
- 00:59:23 Patreon Question: Running Heroic Adventures with Shadowdark
- 01:01:33 Patreon Question: Which Monster Book Do You Reach For?
- 01:05:19 Patreon Question: Experiences with Level Up Advanced 5e
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Delta Green Humble Bundle
- Dragonlance Novel Humble Bundle
- Kobold Press 5e Player Option Humble Bundle
- Zamanora Ballad of the Witch Kickstarter
- Has Wizards of the Coast Given Up on Sigil?
- Gizmodo – Hasbro Is Scrapping Dungeons & Dragons‘s Ambitious Virtual Tabletop
- Shadow of the Weird Wizard
- Soren Johnson – Players Optimize Out of the Fun
- Dungeon Master Diaries with Kelsey Dionne
Friday Mar 21, 2025
Friday Mar 21, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Mar 17, 2025
Monday Mar 17, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:06 Kickstarter Spotlight: Beyond the Woods
- 03:53 Kickstarter Spotlight: Shadowdark Western Reaches
- 15:25 Commentary: Shadowdark Price Ranges and FOMO
- 22:53 Commentary: Where Shadowdark Sits Among 5e Games
- 32:18 DM Tip: House Rules for Shadowdark
- 38:45 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches Hardcovers and the Key of Worlds Scenario Path
- 44:54 Sly Flourish News: Additions to the Lazy GM's Reference Document
- 49:49 Sly Flourish News: Forge of Foes on Audible
- 50:58 Patreon Question: Alternatives to Cultists
- 55:04 Patreon Question: Suggestions for Short Adventures and One-Shot Rewards
Links
Friday Mar 14, 2025
Friday Mar 14, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Mar 10, 2025
Monday Mar 10, 2025
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: Mork Borg Bundle of Holding
- 04:11 D&D & RPG News: Potbellied Kobold Bundle of Holding
- 05:03 D&D & RPG News: Dungeon Crawl Classics Humble Bundle
- 07:49 Kickstarter Spotlight: Secrets of Magic for Fateforge
- 10:29 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2025 Starter Set Info
- 15:44 Commentary: What WOTC Products Matter for the RPG Hobby?
- 17:42 Commentary: Sci Show on Science of Scheduling a D&D Game
- 23:14 D&D & RPG News: Bob World Builder on RPG Kickstarters
- 28:10 Commentary: RPGs I Want To Play
- 37:17 DM Tip: The Retreat Action
- 46:14 Patreon Question: How Does Fog Cloud Work with Advantage?
- 50:12 Patreon Question: The Eight Steps with Big Dungeons
- 52:45 Patreon Question: Players Forgetting Character Abilities
- 54:40 Patreon Question: Dealing with Players Whose Characters Run Ahead
- 59:35 Patreon Question: DM Screen on Small Table
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Mork Borg Bundle of Holding
- Potbellied Kobold Bundle of Holding
- DCC Megabundle Humble Bundle
- Fateforge Secrets of Magic Kickstarter
- D&D Starter Set Video Official
- D&D Starter Set Demo at New York Toy Faire
- EN World Thread
- Sci Show on Scheduling RPG Games
- Bob World Builder on Crowdfunding Historical Trends
- The Retreat Action
Friday Mar 07, 2025
Friday Mar 07, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Mar 03, 2025
Monday Mar 03, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:11 Sly Flourish News: City of Arches in Markdown and EPUB
- 17:55 D&D & RPG News: Blog of Holding Monster Manual 2024 Stats in the Creative Commons
- 22:34 DM Tip: Challenge Rating Deep Dive
- 54:19 Patreon Question: Fantastic Locations in Contemporary Worlds
Links
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Friday Feb 28, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Feb 24, 2025
Monday Feb 24, 2025
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: Kobold Press Black Flag SRD in Markdown
- 04:20 Kickstarter Spotlight: Creating and Adapting Monsters for Shadowdark
- 06:11 D&D & RPG News: Mike Mearls on Dungeon Craft
- 08:03 Commentary: How Bonus Actions Changed
- 14:31 Commentary: GM-Focused Products as Advanced Software for Advanced Users
- 21:06 Commentary: Experiences with the D&D 2025 Monster Manual Adult Black Dragon
- 29:31 DM Tip: Legendary Resistance Alternatives
- 39:51 Commentary: The End of One D&D
- 49:02 Patreon Question: Running Frostmaiden with Shadowdark
- 51:58 Patreon Question: Additional Roles for Exploration
- 53:38 Patreon Question: Did I Negate Character Abilities and Take Away Player Agency?
- 56:08 Patreon Question: Should I Kill Shadowdark Characters with Big Backstory?
- 58:38 Patreon Question: Is Your YouTube Channel Dying?
Links
Friday Feb 21, 2025
Friday Feb 21, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Feb 17, 2025
Monday Feb 17, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00:00 Show Start
- 00:00:58 Hexploration Decks
- 00:02:59 Mike on EN World and Kobold Press Podcasts
- 00:04:09 All Three D&D 2024 Core Books are Released
- 00:06:33 2024 Monster Manual is the Most Important DM-Focused D&D 2024 Book
- 00:07:46 Is the 2025 Monster Manual Better than the 2014 MM?
- 00:08:40 Is the D&D 2025 MM the Best 5e Monster Book?
- 00:12:30 Could It Have Been Better? Of Course.
- 00:14:36 Monsters Hit at Their Challenge Rating
- 00:19:59 Other Designers on the Monster Math
- 00:22:05 D&D 2025 Monster Manual Compared to Forge of Foes
- 00:25:56 2025 Monster Manual Effects Don't Negatively Impact Damage Anymore
- 00:28:04 Vampire
- 00:30:15 Requires Looking Up Spells
- 00:35:50 Cultist Fanatic
- 00:37:59 The Language of the 2025 Monster Manual
- 00:39:47 No Orcs, Drow, or Duergar
- 00:50:56 Static Initiative Scores
- 00:54:16 Crappy Treasure "Tables"
- 00:56:29 Crappy Ability Score Tables
- 01:00:05 Awesome Contextual Random Tables
- 01:03:01 Alphabetically Sorted Most of the Time
- 01:05:31 What Else Is Missing?
- 01:06:38 Day 1 Errata
- 01:07:55 Final Thoughts
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- BackerKit: Hexploration Decks by Inkwell Ideas
- Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop Podcast (YouTube – MM starts at 1:18:00)
- Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop Podcast (Podcast Recording)
- Mike on Kobold Chat Talking About Doom Points
- Paul Hughes on 2025 Monster Manual on a Business Card
- Alphastream YouTube Monster Manual Analysis
- Bob World Builder on the Monster Manual
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Friday Feb 07, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Feb 03, 2025
Monday Feb 03, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 00:02:11 Product Spotlight: Horizon Magazine
- 00:07:31 D&D & RPG News: Alphastream on 2025 D&D Monster Manual Math
- 00:09:31 Commentary: D&D at Madison Square Garden
- 00:13:28 D&D & RPG News: Mike Mearls and Ray Winninger on the Past and Future of D&D 5e
- 00:15:42 Product Spotlight: 2025 Monster Manual Initial Thoughts
- 00:27:56 Product Spotlight: D&D 2025 Monster Manual Lich
- 00:32:28 DM Tip: Avoid Getting Caught in the Zeitgeist
- 00:44:13 Patreon Spotlight: Talk Show and Patreon Q&A Databases
- 00:47:13 Patreon Question: What D&D Classes and Features Do I Ban?
- 00:52:19 Patreon Question: Making Flat Paper Character Minis
- 00:54:34 Patreon Question: Dealing with Agency-Stealing Effects like Stun
- 01:00:32 Patreon Question: Basic Rules or 5.1 SRD for New Players
Links
Friday Jan 31, 2025
Friday Jan 31, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.
Monday Jan 27, 2025
Monday Jan 27, 2025
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00:00 Show Start
- 00:01:15 Kickstarter Spotlight: Weapons of Lore by Jeff Stevens
- 00:03:46 Kickstarter Spotlight: Gate Pass Gazette by EN World Publishing
- 00:07:32 D&D & RPG News: Mike on Kobold Press Talking Doom Points
- 00:09:50 D&D & RPG News: Ray Winninger Interview with Stan! on YouTube
- 00:23:06 D&D & RPG News: No Roll20 Tales of the Valiant Character Builder
- 00:34:36 Commentary: Thoughts from the Philidelphia Area Gaming Expo
- 00:48:20 Commentary: RPG Communities on Independent Spaces
- 01:05:54 Patreon Question: Can I Submit Your Book to Adobe's AI Tool?
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Weapons of Lore Kickstarter
- Gate Pass Gazette Annual 2024
- Terror from the Underdeep
- Mike on KP talking Doom Points and Monster Vault 2
- Ray Winninger EN World Discussion
- Ray Winninger on Stan!'s Show
- Stan!'s 50 Years YouTube Playlist
- Bring On the Discourse – Yochai Gal
- EN World
- forums.rpg.net
- Mastodon — dice.camp
- Mastodon — chirp.enworld.org
- Mastodon — mastodon.social
- Bluesky
- My Bluesky Starter Pack
- TTRPG Blogs
- RPG Blogroll
- ttrpg.network
- Top Rated RPG Podcasts
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Friday Jan 17, 2025
Mike prepares the next session of his Tales of the Valiant Dragon Empire campaign.