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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 Feb 12, 2024
Monday Feb 12, 2024
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
Friday Feb 09, 2024
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Feb 05, 2024
Monday Feb 05, 2024
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
Friday Feb 02, 2024
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Jan 29, 2024
Monday Jan 29, 2024
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
- Vault 5e Crafting and Alchemy Kickstarter by Cubicle 7
- Making Your Lore Optional by PHD20
- Bob World Builder on 15 Different RPGs
- Kelsey Dionne and Baron de Ropp on RPG Design
- Tegan J Gaming on a Defense of Dungeons & Dragons
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
Friday Jan 26, 2024
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
Monday Jan 22, 2024
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
Friday Jan 19, 2024
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Jan 15, 2024
Monday Jan 15, 2024
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
Friday Jan 12, 2024
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Jan 08, 2024
Monday Jan 08, 2024
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
Friday Jan 05, 2024
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Jan 01, 2024
Monday Jan 01, 2024
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
Monday Dec 25, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Numenera Discovery Bundle of Holding
- Numenera Horizons Bundle of Holding
- Kobold Guides Bundle of Holding
- Level Up Advanced 5e Trials and Treasures
- Level Up Advanced 5e Monstrous Menagerie
- PJ Coffey's How to Explain: Level Up Advanced Fifth Edition
- Uncharted Journeys
- Campfire (affiliate link)
- Weird Wastelands
- Lazy DM's Companion
- Running One on One Games
- Balancing D&D Combat for One-on-One Play
- A Framework for One-on-One D&D Games: Sherlock Holmes and Watson
Friday Dec 22, 2023
Friday Dec 22, 2023
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Dec 18, 2023
Monday Dec 18, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 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
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Friday Dec 15, 2023
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Dec 11, 2023
Monday Dec 11, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:03 Sly Flourish News: Sly Flourish Bundle of Holding!
- 02:22 Kickstarter Spotlight: MCDM's RPG
- 05:31 Kickstarter Spotlight: One Dollar One-shot by Penny Dragon Games
- 09:16 Patreon Spotlight: Game Master Screen for Lazy GMs
- 12:04 Sly Flourish News: Mike on EN World's Podcast Talking D&D Beyond
- 13:27 Product Spotlight: Level Up Advanced 5e Adventurer's Guide
- 46:19 DM Tip: Tips for Using Paper Character Sheets
- 58:48 Patreon Question: Secrets and Clues Creating Too Many Adventure Hooks
- 01:01:37 Patreon Question: Running a Prequel Campaign
- 01:03:43 Patreon Question: Preparing a Big Campaign Adventure
Links
- Sly Flourish Bundle of Holding
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- MCDM RPG Backerkit Campaign
- One Dollar One-Shot – Tomb of the Undead King Backerkit Campaign
- Petero's Tome of Adventure by Penny Dragon
- Game Master Screen for Lazy GMs (affiliate link)
- Mike on Morrus's Unofficial Tabletop RPG Talk Show
- Level Up Advanced 5e's Adventurer's Guide
- YouTube Discussion on Paper Character Sheets
- EN World Discussion on Paper Character Sheets
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Friday Dec 08, 2023
Mike shares his experiences with Empire of the Ghouls!
Links
- 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:
- Empire of the Ghouls (affiliate link)
- Midgard Worldbook (affiliate link)
- Zobeck Clockwork City (affiliate link)
- Southlands Sourcebook (affiliate link)
- Book of Ebon Tides (affiliate link)
Show Contents:
- 00:00 Show Start
- 00:51 This Adventure Is Awesome
- 04:26 Top Tips for Running Empire of the Ghouls
- 04:37 Tip 1: Deal with the Loads of Travel
- 11:19 Tip 2: Prepare for Dark and Mature Content
- 14:20 Tip 3: Add Upward Beats to the Final Two Chapters
- 15:41 Tip 4: Change Things to Suit Your Game
- 16:50 Tip 5: Use the Whole Kobold Press Midgard Library as Source Material
- 21:08 Tip Summary
- 21:37 A Deeper Chapter by Chapter Guide
- 22:15 Dread Chambers of the Undercity
- 24:20 Holy Robes of Sister Adelind
- 27:33 The Blood Marriage
- 30:45 Catacombs of the Ghul King
- 32:40 Into the Fuligin Realm
- 36:08 The Pure City of Vandekhul
- 38:34 Final Thoughts -- It's Awesome
Monday Dec 04, 2023
Monday Dec 04, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:17 Sly Flourish News: Sly Flourish Bundle of Holding!
- 03:15 Product Spotlight: Raging Swan 2021 5e Megabundle
- 05:01 Product Spotlight: Drake Koboldson's Exotic Weapons and Gadgets
- 06:00 Patreon Spotlight: Dyson Royalty Free Maps Gallery
- 08:59 Commentary: Other 5e Publishers on D&D Beyond
- 13:18 Commentary: What Can We Do to Strengthen 5e?
- 18:49 Commentary: Is it Good for Publishers?
- 22:55 Commentary: Why It Matters to GMs
- 28:32 Commentary: What Can Wizards Do For the 5e Community?
- 34:02 Commentary: What Can We Do for a Resilient 5e Hobby?
- 40:16 Commentary: You Can Get Involved
- 41:11 Commentary: WOTC's Role in the Community
- 45:35 DM Tip: High Value Prep Activities
- 57:52 Patreon Question: Helping Players Discover Secrets and Clues
- 01:00:10 Patreon Question: High-Level Monster Tactics
- 01:02:57 Patreon Question: Alignment for Factions
- 01:04:42 Patreon Question: Running Ariel Combat
- 01:06:03 Patreon Question: Revealing Lots of Campaign Info as Secrets and Clues
Links
Friday Dec 01, 2023
Friday Dec 01, 2023
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Nov 27, 2023
Monday Nov 27, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:51 Kickstarter Spotlight: Grimtooth's Traps
- 07:51 Kickstarter Spotlight: Seekers Guide to Enchanting Emporiums
- 16:51 D&D & RPG News: Big Sales This Month
- 17:39 D&D & RPG News: EN World's Article on Free and Bundled RPG Products
- 18:50 DM Tip: Awarding Treasure in 5e
- 38:47 Patreon Question: Best Features for Funnels
- 41:06 Patreon Question: Forgetting Things in Combat
- 44:53 Patreon Question: Running Short Episodic Sessions
- 47:33 Patreon Question: Adding Spells to Monsters
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Grimtooth's Traps
- Seekers of the Enchanting Emporiums
- Blasphemies of Bor Bwalsch
- Midgard Worldbook on sale for $30
- EN World Free and Bundled RPGs
- Awarding Treasure and Magic Items in D&D 5e
- Trials and Treasure – Level Up Advanced 5e
- A5e Treasure Generator
- donjon.bin.sh Treasure Generator
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Friday Nov 24, 2023
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Nov 20, 2023
Monday Nov 20, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:02 D&D & RPG News: Free WOTC D&D After-School Materials and Adventure
- 05:34 Commentary: This Is What We Want WOTC To Do
- 08:36 Commentary: Practical 5e Digital Interoperability Today
- 25:20 Patreon Spotlight: Lazy GM's Random Generator
- 29:31 DM Tip: Prepping on a High Stress Short Timeline
- 39:32 Patreon Question: When to End a Campaign
- 42:02 Patreon Question: Prep NPCs with Personality Quotes
- 49:52 Patreon Question: Getting Backstory for New Characters
Links
- D&D Educator Resources
- Free Peril in Pinebrook Adventure PDF
- WHO on the Dangers of Loneliness
- Beyond 20
- Mr Primate's Foundry D&D Beyond Importer
- How to Import a D&D Beyond Character Into Shard VTT
- Open5e
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
Friday Nov 17, 2023
Friday Nov 17, 2023
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Nov 13, 2023
Monday Nov 13, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:33 D&D & RPG News: Fantastic Deals on D&D and 5e Books
- 06:51 D&D & RPG News: Roll 20 D&D Character Builder Outside the VTT
- 11:47 Commentary: A D&D Digital Utopia
- 26:10 DM Tip: Build Monuments of Power for Big Battles in 5e
- 41:48 Patreon Question: Dialog Options for NPCs
- 45:45 Patreon Question: Good AD&D Adventures for Shadowdark RPG
- 46:40 Patreon Question: Learning New RPGs
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Radiant Citadel on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
- Eberron Rising from the Last War on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
- Guildmaster's Guide to Ravnica on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
- Mythic Odyssey of Theros on Amazon (Affiliate Link)
- 5e Humble Bundle
- Roll20 D&D Character Builder
- Level Up Advanced 5e System Reference Documents
- A5e Foundry Module Github Repo
- Anatomy of an Environmental Effect – Chernobog's Well
Friday Nov 10, 2023
Friday Nov 10, 2023
Mike prepares for his Shadowdark RPG campaign, the Gloaming!
Monday Nov 06, 2023
Monday Nov 06, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 00:01:06 Commentary: What's the Value of an RPG Product?
- 00:29:07 DM Tip: Using the 8 Steps At Your Table
- 00:49:15 Patreon Question: How I Feel about D&D 2024
- 00:54:17 Patreon Question: Where to Get D&D News
- 00:57:05 Patreon Question: Encounter Builiding for Waves of Monsters
- 01:03:48 Patreon Question: Running Gladiatorial Arenas
Links
- Subscribe to the Sly Flourish Newsletter
- Support Sly Flourish on Patreon
- Buy Sly Flourish Books:
- Eberron Rising from the Last War (affiliate link)
- Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft (affiliate link)
- Midgard Worldbook
- Southlands
- Tal'Dorei Reborn
- Ptolus
- Cursed Scroll 1
- Shadow of the Demon Lord (affiliate link)
- Iskandar (affiliate link)
- Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
- EN World
- Lazy Encounter Benchmark
- Dials of Monster Difficulty
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Friday Nov 03, 2023
Mike shares his experiences, tips, and tricks for running the original 1983 I6 Ravenloft using the Shadowdark RPG.
Show Contents
- 00:00 Show Start
- 01:17 Did Shadowdark and Ravenloft Work Well Together?
- 03:26 Get Ravenloft for $3
- 05:21 Main Experiences Running Ravenloft with Shadowdark
- 05:30 Use 5th Level Characters
- 08:06 Use Twice as Many Pregens as you Have Players -- Plan for Death
- 09:28 Include Some Silvered Weapons
- 10:31 Use Old-School Mapping
- 11:35 We Got Through a Lot of the Castle -- They Ran from a Lot
- 12:55 Introducing Shadowdark to 5e Players
- 20:06 Running Ravenloft in One Session
- 28:29 Modifying Ravenloft for Shadowdark -- Very Little Needed
- 35:59 Patreon Toolkit to Run Ravenloft with Shadowdark
- 39:50 VTT Ravenloft Maps
- 40:46 Other Ways to Run Ravenloft
- 41:57 Ravenloft + Shadowdark = Awesome
Links
- 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
- I6 Ravenloft (affiliate link)
- Shadowdark RPG
- Shadowdarklings
- Running Ravenloft / Curse of Strahd in a Single Session
- Ravenloft VTT maps (affiliate Link)
Monday Oct 30, 2023
Monday Oct 30, 2023
D&D and RPG news and commentary by Mike Shea of https://slyflourish.com
Contents
- 00:00:00 Show Start
- 00:01:27 D&D & RPG News: Arcane Library Bundle of Holding
- 00:03:00 D&D & RPG News: Level Up Advanded 5e SRD in the Creative Commons
- 00:07:50 Commentary: Planescape Adventures in the Multiverse
- 00:37:20 Commentary: The Mortuary
- 00:42:42 Patreon Spotlight: Lazy GM Screen Sheets and a Forge of Foes Monster Stat App
- 00:47:41 DM Tip: Music Playlists For Your Game
- 00:57:52 Patreon Question: Pacing High-Level Campaigns
- 01:03:06 Patreon Question: Running Two Campaigns with the Same Setting and Story