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

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Episodes

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

Monday Apr 15, 2024

Watch Your Wallets! – The Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Apr 15, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:40 D&D & RPG News: Robert Schwalb on La Taberna de Rol
03:48 D&D & RPG News: DM David Compares MCDM, Daggerheart, and 5e
05:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Wandering Tavern by Homie and the Dude
09:51 Kickstarter Spotlight: Infestation at Devil's Glade by Jeff Stevens
11:50 Kickstarter Spotlight: Restless Encounters by Inkwell Ideas
13:51 D&D & RPG News: 13th Age Megabundle on Bundle of Holding
17:23 Product Spotlight: Dyson Logos Commercial Map Packs
19:55 D&D & RPG News: Cairn 2 Character Builder Open Sourced
25:56 Patreon Spotlight: Readings and Reflections with Sly Flourish Podcast
28:21 D&D & RPG News: JP Coovert's video on Indie RPGs
29:11 DM Tip: Split Up Your Prep
39:05 Patreon Question: How Often to Level Characters?
43:27 Patreon Question: What to Prep When You Have a Long Time
49:26 Patreon Question: Accounting for High Power Charactesr with the Lazy Encounter Benchmark

Links

Friday Apr 05, 2024

Run Evil Cities – Examining Vandekhul from Empire of the Ghouls

Friday Apr 05, 2024

Mike dives into running the evil city of Vandekhul and the freedom it gives heroic characters to be jerks!

Video Contents

00:00 Show Start
01:38 Number One Tip for Running Evil Cities
04:56 Ghoulish Elizabethian Politics in the Center of the Underworld
06:08 The Yojimbo / Fistful of Dollars Adventure Model
20:08 Double Check Your Session Zero Lines and Veils
22:38 Turning the In-World Safety Dials
26:26 Dungeons Everywhere
30:45 Adding Nice Places the Characters (and Players) Can Rest
35:55 Adding Nice People to Meet and Care About
37:31 Adding Physical Layers of History

Show Links

Monday Apr 01, 2024

The Best 5e Challenge Rating – The Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Apr 01, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:03 D&D & RPG News: Dungeoncraft on Getting Cheap Miniatures
03:58 Kickstarter Spotlight: Monsters of Drakkenheim
05:52 Kickstarter Spotlight: Cairn 2e Boxed Set
08:16 Commentary: Tales of the Valiant Wight
14:26 Commentary: Why CR3 is the best CR
20:09 Sly Flourish News: New Search Engine for Sly Flourish!
22:13 DM Tip: The Two Different Games at the Table
34:29 Patreon Question: Lazy DM Steps in an Online VTT World
40:55 Patreon Question: Handling Failure at the End of Campaigns
45:23 Patreon Question: Handling Flying Characters
48:53 Patreon Question: Feeling Bad After a Big Battle
54:22 Patreon Question: When to Give Out Magic Items

Links

Friday Mar 29, 2024

Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands Deep Dive

Friday Mar 29, 2024

Mike dives deep into Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands by Raging Swan Press.

00:00 Show Start
01:39 What Is Shadowed Keep of the Borderlands?
04:59 Why is it So Good?
07:07 What Do You Get?
10:09 Dulwich Overview and Quick References
18:24 The Duchy of Ashlar
22:42 The Shadowed Keep
31:35 Appendices and Player Handouts
33:35 My Own Shadowed Keep Campaign
42:22 Final Recommendation: Buy It

WOTC Survey Predictions – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Mar 25, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
00:59 D&D & RPG News: Jim Ward Passes Away
01:37 Commentary: Bob World Builder's Survey of D&D and WOTC Popularity
12:55 D&D & RPG News: Legos and Sneakers and Hawaiian Shirts
13:59 D&D & RPG News: Tome of Beasts 2023 on D&D Beyond
21:45 Patreon Spotlight: The SF Patreon Q&A Database
25:41 D&D & RPG News: Larian says No BG3 Expansions or BG4
29:27 DM Tip: Reach and Run Awesome Campaign Endings
45:36 Patreon Question: Too Much Comedy and Joking at our Serious D&D Game
49:15 Patreon Question: How Much is Gold Worth? Function Economies in our D&D Games
52:55 Patreon Question: Lazy Encounter Benchmark for Multiple Battles in a Day

Links

Friday Mar 22, 2024

The Elven Orb – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 24 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Mar 22, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Mar 18, 2024

Do You Love WOTC? – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Mar 18, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

Video Contents

00:00 Show Start
01:28 D&D & RPG News: Dungeon Crawl Classics Humble Bundle
04:35 D&D & RPG News: Worlds Without Number SRD in CC0
07:07 D&D & RPG News: WOTC's "Do You Like Me" Survey
16:11 D&D & RPG News: Hasbro's Chris Cocks on D&D and AI
20:36 D&D & RPG News: WOTC Partners with StartPlaying.Games
23:26 D&D & RPG News: Daggerheart Open Beta Available
30:05 Sly Flourish News: Lazy DM's Companion On Sale!
30:47 Patreon Spotlight: Dungeon Chambers
36:44 DM Tip: Challenging High-Level Characters
55:28 Patreon Question: Getting Players to Speak Up During (Online) Games
58:01 Patreon Question: Staying Excited about Long Campaigns

Links

Friday Mar 15, 2024

Thoughts on Obsidian for RPG Prep

Friday Mar 15, 2024

Mike explores using https://obsidian.md/ for tabletop RPG prep.

Episode Contents

00:00 - Show Start
01:18 - Why Obsidian?
02:40 - Choose the Tool You Dig
04:19 - What Is Obsidian
05:11 - Check the Resource Links in the Show Notes
07:17 - The Fun and Dangers of Dorking With Our Systems
11:28 - Why Obsidian Again?
13:10 - On Markdown
20:10 - On Synching Notes
24:30 - Keeping Things Simple
35:18 - Limiting Hyperlinking
36:03 - The Lazy GM Campaign Template for Obsidian
41:38 - The Danger of Plugin Proprietary Notes
45:32 - Espanso for Text Autofilling
49:40 - Printing Notes to PDF with Automator, Shell Scripting, Pandoc, and Latex...
52:32 - Final Thoughts

Links

Monday Mar 11, 2024

Take Critical Notes During the Game – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Mar 11, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:06 Sly Flourish News: Last Week's Sly Flourish RPG Newsletter
03:42 Kickstarter Spotlight: Planestrider
09:52 Kickstarter Spotlight: Surviving Strangehollow
12:02 Sly Flourish News: Lazy DM's Companion On Sale 50% Off
13:59 D&D & RPG News: NASA Releases a 5e Adventure
16:04 D&D & RPG News: Chaosium RPG Design Contest
21:58 DM Tip: Taking Notes During and After the Game
36:43 Patreon Question: Running City of Arches as an Open Table Game
41:18 Patreon Question: Villainous Plans and the Three of Five Keys Model
48:21 Patreon Question: Introducing New Players to RPGs
51:18 Patreon Question: Secrets and Lore as Character Knowledge
54:22 Patreon Question: Secrets and Clues in Dark Sun

Links

Friday Mar 01, 2024

The Marrow Fiend – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 23 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Mar 01, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Feb 26, 2024

The Many Right Answers of TTRPGs – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Feb 26, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:01 D&D & RPG News: Rascal.News for TTRPG News
03:19 D&D & RPG News: Ginny Di on D&D with ADHD
05:50 D&D & RPG News: Shadow of the Weird Wizard Released
08:50 DM Tip: The Benefits of Character Factions
16:35 Commentary: The Many Right Answers of TTRPGs
32:53 Patreon Question: WOTC and Table-Usable Maps
38:06 Patreon Question: Selling Magic Items -- Info and Inventories
39:57 Patreon Question: Tying Backgrounds to Curse of Strahd
42:34 Patreon Question: How do I Feel about AI in TTRPGs?

Links

Friday Feb 23, 2024

Roots of the Marrow Tree – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 22 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Feb 23, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Feb 19, 2024

Call It D&D 2024 – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Feb 19, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:26 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 Core Book Release Dates
03:58 Commentary: Call the New Books "D&D 2024"
06:47 D&D & RPG News: D&D 2024 on Roll20
08:41 D&D & RPG News: Humblewood on D&D Beyond
16:43 D&D & RPG News: How D&D Began Video
20:56 Patreon Spotlight: Best of Sly Flourish 2013-2023
27:30 DM Tip: Different Steps for Different Circumstances
40:45 Patreon Question: Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands Campaign
44:27 Patreon Spotlight: A Player's Version of Forge of Foes. Forge of Heroes?
49:52 Patreon Question: Favorite Three RPG Mechanics

Links

Friday Feb 16, 2024

Journey to the Marrow Tree – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 21 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Feb 16, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Feb 12, 2024

Crown and Skull Spotlight – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Feb 12, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:04 D&D & RPG News: Ginny Di on One-on-One D&D
02:33 Product Spotlight: Crown and Skull by Runehammer
32:10 Patreon Spotlight: City of Arches Updates
34:31 Patreon Spotlight: 1d100 Monuments
40:18 DM Tip: Build Custom Faction Lists
47:52 Patreon Question: Banning Subclasses
52:16 Patreon Question: Paralysis Choosing What to Run

Links

Friday Feb 09, 2024

Stuck Between a Gelatenous Cube and Two Air Elementals – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 20 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Feb 09, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Feb 05, 2024

D&D on Foundry – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Feb 05, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:07 D&D & RPG News: D&D on Foundry
16:39 Commentary: D&D Beyond Isn't Destroying the 5e Hobby
29:19 D&D & RPG News: Shadowdark Print Books For Sale
30:46 DM Tip: When To Use Simple or Complicated Stat Blocks
46:13 Patreon Question: XP Loss on Death in Shadowdark
47:53 Patreon Question: Why No Shapechange for Flee Mortals Vampires?
49:20 Patreon Question: Looking Back on Old Secrets
51:05 Patreon Question: Teaching New Players 5e through D&D
53:59 Patreon Question: Quest Continuity in Shadowdark

Links

Friday Feb 02, 2024

Tomb of Kytheros – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 19 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Feb 02, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Jan 29, 2024

Tips from Baldur's Gate 3 – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jan 29, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:05 Kickstarter Spotlight: Vault 5e Crafting and Alchemy by Cubicle 7
03:50 DM Tip: Making Your Lore Optional by PHD20
10:49 D&D & RPG News: Bob World Builder on 15 Different RPGs
12:55 D&D & RPG News: Kelsey Dionne and Baron de Ropp on RPG Design
14:02 D&D & RPG News: Tegan J Gaming on a Defense of Dungeons & Dragons
18:01 Patreon Spotlight: Dwarven Forge VTT Backdrops
21:34 DM Tip: TTRPG Tips from Baldur's Gate 3
44:29 Patreon Question: Are Casters Better than Martial Characters in 5e?
47:38 Patreon Question: Running Single-Session One-Shot Games On Time
50:54 Patreon Question: Running Too Many NPCs
54:01 Patreon Question: Writing Adventures as Good as Published Ones
58:47 Patreon Question: Wolfgang Baur on Worldbuilding

Links

Friday Jan 26, 2024

Forge of Foes Deep Dive

Friday Jan 26, 2024

Mike dives deep into Forge of Foes – build and run awesome monsters for your 5e RPG!

Video Contents

00:00 Show Start
02:05 Forge of Foe's Main Advantage
04:26 Forge of Foes and 5e Modularity
06:36 Is Forge of Foes Compatible with Other RPGs?
08:38 The Book's Structure
13:28 The Quick Monster Builder and Stats by CR
23:35 Quick 5e Monster Stats Tool
24:33 Adding Monster Powers
28:00 General Use Stat Blocks
31:59 Using Stats by CR to Benchmark Existing Monsters
36:11 Monster Powers
36:49 Monster Roles
37:54 Other Lazy Tricks
39:01 Monster Advice Chapters
40:34 Alternative Takes on Encounter Building
42:57 Monsters By Adventure Location
43:43 More Monster Advice
45:14 Monsters by Story or Story by Monster?
45:57 Anticolonial Play
47:57 The Best 5e Monster Book

Links

Monday Jan 22, 2024

What Is 5e – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jan 22, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:11 Kickstarter Spotlight: Tales of the Valiant Gamemaster's Guide
06:36 Kickstarter Spotlight: Gate Pass Gazette 2023 for Level Up Advanced 5e
12:00 Commentary: What Is 5e?
30:01 DM Tip: Using the Eight Steps At the Table
47:26 Patreon Question: How Many Battles in a Dungeon?
51:19 Patreon Question: Should We Demand Players Read the Books?
54:19 Patreon Question: Player Rolls or Player Skill for Puzzles?

Links

Friday Jan 19, 2024

The Mummy on the Bridge – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 18 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jan 19, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Jan 15, 2024

Don’t Drop 5e Because of Hasbro – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jan 15, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:29 Patreon Spotlight: City of Arches Update
09:52 D&D & RPG News: Jennell Jaquays Passes Away
11:26 Commentary: Don't Throw Away 5e Because of Hasbro
27:47 Product Spotlight: Weapons of Legend for 5e by Jeff Stevens
33:40 DM Tip: Add the Black Flag Luck System to your 5e games
45:36 Patreon Question: Pacing Quests for Villainous Plots
50:31 Patreon Question: Pricing Magic Items
53:03 Patreon Question: Best Quest Vehicles in City of Arches
56:04 Patreon Question: Preparing Players for a 2e Campaign

Links

Friday Jan 12, 2024

Vault of Shune – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 17 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jan 12, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Jan 08, 2024

Is 5e Dying? No. – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jan 08, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:27 D&D & RPG News: A Player's Primer to Level Up Advanced 5e
06:23 Product Spotlight: GM Screen for Lazy GMs Portrait Mode
09:45 D&D & RPG News: Ben Riggs on the Fall of 5e
37:58 DM Tip: Making 5e Your Own on the GM Side of the Screen
48:48 Patreon Question: Tracking Alternative Endings for Combat
52:17 Patreon Question: Getting Shadowdark Treasure Right
54:09 Patreon Question: Best Designs for Published Adventures
59:13 Patreon Question: Secrets and Clues and the Quantum Ogre

Links

Friday Jan 05, 2024

A Troll Named Barbarog – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 16 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jan 05, 2024

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Jan 01, 2024

A 2023 Retrospective in TTRPGs – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jan 01, 2024

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:11 DM Tip: Adding Free Monstrous Menagerie Tokens to Owlbear Rodeo
07:55 D&D & RPG News: CORE20 RPG Playtest
10:47 Patreon Spotlight: 5e Artisanal Monster Database
14:53 Commentary: A Look Back at 2023
40:31 Product Spotlight: Sly Flourish 2024 Calendar
41:51 Patreon Question: Best Adventure to Learn Shadowdark RPG
44:13 Patreon Question: Using The Books We Buy
46:27 Patreon Question: When Will You Run Drakkenheim?
49:03 Patreon Question: Leaving a Game Gracefully
52:08 Patreon Question: Dealing with Missing Players in Character-Focused Adventures
53:57 Patreon Question: What To Do with Players of Dead PCs?

Links

Monday Dec 25, 2023

A5e Monsters & Encounters– Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Dec 25, 2023

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:27 D&D & RPG News: Numenera Bundles of Holding
04:25 D&D & RPG News: Kobold Guides Bundle of Holding
05:46 DM Tip: Detailed Random Encounters with A5E's Monstrous Menagerie and Trials and Treasures
11:50 DM Tip: PJ Coffey's Intro to Level Up Advanced 5E
13:32 Patreon Spotlight: Patreon Discord Server
16:37 Commentary: Travel Options from 5e Books
33:25 Patreon Question: Tips for One on One Games
39:04 Patreon Question: What To Do with Weeks of Prep Time?
42:27 Patreon Question: How Much is Too Much for Describing Scenes?
45:37 Patreon Question: How Much Do I Need to Get Buy-In from Players on a Future Campaign?
47:49 Patreon Question: Offering Feedback to Other DMs

Links

Friday Dec 22, 2023

Deadly Bridges – Shadowdark Gloaming Session 15 Lazy GM Prep

Friday Dec 22, 2023

Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!

Monday Dec 18, 2023

Hasbro Layoffs and What We Can Do – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Dec 18, 2023

D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com

00:00 Show Start
01:00 Sly Flourish News: Last Hours of the Lazy DM Bundle of Holding
02:11 D&D & RPG News: Hasbro Lays Off 1,100 Workers
10:41 DM Tip: Get Exponentially More Value out of Random Tables
19:51 Patreon Spotlight: Readings and Reflections Podcast
21:00 Commentary: Favorite RPG Products of 2023
33:56 Patreon Question: Dealing with GM Burnout
39:59 Patreon Question: Character-Focused Side Quests Versus the Main Quest

Links