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 Jul 31, 2023

D&D 5.1 SRD in Four Languages, Shadowdark Game Jam, Moving Things Forward – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jul 31, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
00:58 D&D & RPG News: 5.1 SRD Released in Four Languages
10:23 D&D & RPG News: Shadowdark RPG Game Jam Results
12:46 D&D & RPG News: Pathfinder 2 Remaster Preview
21:47 D&D & RPG News: Map Crow Uses Forge of Foes and Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master
22:24 DM Tip: Moving Things Forward
43:22 Patreon Question: Balancing Spotlight and Player Creativity
48:11 Patreon Question: Recommends for Nautical Seafaring Adventuress
50:12 Patreon Question: Tips for Sci-Fi 5e games
51:39 Patreon Question: RPGs that Ephasize Theater of the Mind
54:26 Patreon Question: Handling In-World Dead Time
57:19 Patreon Question: Running Consecutive Campaigns in the Same Setting

Links

Friday Jul 28, 2023

Prepping a Shadowdark RPG Gauntlet

Friday Jul 28, 2023

Show Contents

00:00 Show Start
00:41 What Is a Shadowdark Gauntlet?
03:46 Running Hoard of the Sea Wolf King
07:17 Prep the Session -- an In-World Session Zero
12:29 Add Some Secrets and Clues
15:01 Add a Dash of Cultists

Wednesday Jul 26, 2023

Shadowdark RPG Deep Dive

Wednesday Jul 26, 2023

Mike dives deep into the dungeon crawler RPG Shadowdark RPG

Show Contents

00:00 Show Start
00:38 One of Three Videos
01:29 What Is Shadowdark RPG?
03:54 Key Features of Shadowdark RPG
04:04 Torches and Lighting
05:38 Always On Initiative
06:56 Really Flat Math
10:04 Slot-Based Encumbrance
11:44 Treasure-Based Experience
13:47 Differences with 5e
13:56 Very Different Style and Focus than 5e
15:39 Other 5e Differences
18:55 Convincing Your Group to Play Shadowdark RPG
19:58 Running the Gauntlet
20:56 An Opinionated RPG
24:25 Abstract Distances and Double-Near??
26:08 Awesome Monster Design
30:41 I'm Excited to Try It!

Monday Jul 24, 2023

Easiest RPG for GMs, Weird Wizard, Fantasy Age 2, Hydra Coop, Owlbear Rodeo 2.0 – Lazy RPG Talk Show (Full)

Monday Jul 24, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
00:43 Kickstarter Spotlight: Shadows of the Weird Wizard Coming Soon
02:05 Kickstarter Spotlight: 500 Year Old Vampire
03:59 D&D & RPG News: Fantasy Age 2 Released
05:47 D&D & RPG News: Hydra Co-op OSR Bundle of Holding
08:13 D&D & RPG News: Owlbear Rodeo 2.0 Fully Released
12:09 Commentary: What is the Easiest RPG for GMs to Run?
24:32 Patreon Question: Linear vs Railroad vs Sandbox Adventure Design
31:11 Patreon Question: Using Forge of Foes for Rival Adventuring Parties
33:48 Patreon Question: Customizing Downtime for the Characters
35:53 Patreon Question: What Issues as a GM Did I Have and Change?
39:52 Patreon Question: Standing Firm on Cliffhanger Endings
43:12 Patreon Question: Handling Tag-Along NPCs in Light of Xaryxis

Links

Friday Jul 21, 2023

Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands for 5e Deep Dive

Friday Jul 21, 2023

Mike dives deep into Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands for 5e, a short campaign adventure written by Raging Swan Press.

00:00 Show Start
01:01 Returning to the Joy of a Core D&D Experience
04:25 A Deep Dive of Shadowed Keep on the Borderlands
05:01 Tested for More than a Decade
06:56 An Expandible 1st to 4th Level Adventure / Campaign
09:27 Both Readable and Usable at the Table
10:31 Single Page References Throughout
15:22 The Duchy of Ashlar
17:02 The Shadowed Keep
20:39 A Juxtaposition from Spelljammer
21:38 My Mistake -- Tying it to Greyhawk
28:39 Homebrewing Almost Immediately
31:33 The Masks of Orcus
33:48 Filling Out the World with Dyson Maps
36:38 Usable with Many Fantasy RPG Systems
38:13 Which Parts of Published Adventures Are Most Scrapable?
42:47 Do You Have to Read the Whole Thing?

Links

Monday Jul 17, 2023

Free Monster Tokens, 2023 Ennies, Swords of the Serpentine, Running Cities – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jul 17, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
01:06 Product Spotlight: Free A5e Monster Tokens
03:03 D&D & RPG News: 2023 Ennie Nominations
12:05 Product Spotlight: Swords of the Serpentine
23:50 DM Tip: Running Cities
45:26 Patreon Question: Running Cozier Fantasty Games
50:28 Patreon Question: Running Tier 3 and 4 campaigns
53:27 Patreon Question: The Differences between Grim and Heroic D&D
57:28 Patreon Question: Building Fantastic Locations

Links

Friday Jul 14, 2023

Scarlet Citadel Session 30 – Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jul 14, 2023

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game!

Monday Jul 10, 2023

TTRPGs and the Fediverse, Finding Players, and Projecting Deadly Threats – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jul 10, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
01:20 D&D & RPG News: Guest Host on Mastering Dungeons
03:07 Commentary: The RPG Fediverse and dndblogs.com
10:29 Commentary: Find Players for Non-5e RPGs
20:29 DM Tip: Project Deadly Threats
30:27 Patreon Question: Adjusting Spells with the Monster Dials
33:55 Patreon Question: Challenging High AC Characters
38:25 Patreon Question: Running Cozier Heroci 5e Games

Links

Friday Jul 07, 2023

Scarlet Citadel Session 29 – Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jul 07, 2023

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game!

Monday Jul 03, 2023

Forge of Foes PDF, Shard Tabletop, 2024 D&D Playtest 6, ToV Playtests – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jul 03, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
00:57 DM Tip: Build a Vampire Knight with Forge of Foes
09:11 Product Spotlight: Shard Tabletop
18:31 D&D & RPG News: New 2024 D&D Playtest Packet
32:56 D&D & RPG News: Two Tales of the Valiant Playtests
42:26 Patreon Question: Using PbtA Mechanics in 5e Games
47:36 Patreon Question: Giving Bonus Info for High Ability Rolls
50:48 Patreon Question: Improving Evocative Location Descriptions
54:44 Patreon Question: Telling Players about Changes You Made in Published Adventures

Links

Friday Jun 30, 2023

Scarlet Citadel Session 28 – Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jun 30, 2023

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game!

Monday Jun 26, 2023

Tome of Beasts 1 2023 Revision, RPG Community, Gloomhaven RPG, D&D VTT Hands-On – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jun 26, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
01:14 Product Spotlight: Tome of Beasts 1 2023 Revision by Kobold Press
10:07 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant Finishes at 10k Backers and 1.1M Dollars.
11:12 Kickstarter Spotlight: Gloomhaven RPG
14:44 Product Spotlight: Crucible for Foundry
16:51 D&D & RPG News: D&D VTT Hands-On Experiences
18:35 Commentary: The Digital Future of RPGs
25:16 Commentary: Where to Engage with the RPG Community
37:22 Patreon Question: Which Will Be the Most Popular RPG? It Doesn't Matter.
41:06 Patreon Question: Will the D&D 3D VTT Eat the World of RPGs? No.
43:43 Patreon Question: The Difference Between Old School Grim Characters and New Heroic Characters
49:24 Patreon Question: Sample Encounters for Monsters

Links

Friday Jun 23, 2023

House Rules for the 2014 D&D Player’s Handbook – Lazy RPG Talk Show Special

Friday Jun 23, 2023

Mike talks about how we can fix the 2014 D&D Players Handbook to preserve the value of the millions of copies that exist throughout the world and those in our own gaming room.

Podcast Contents

00:00 How Would You Fix the 2014 D&D Player's Handbook?
02:09 What Parts of the 2014 Player's Handbook Disrupt the Game?
04:10 House Rules in My Own Game
05:26 House Rules Take 1: Nerf Nerf Nerf
05:54 Ability Score Generation
07:31 Class and Subclass Nerfs
08:31 Ispiration
08:48 Exhaustion
09:03 Spell Changes
13:33 Feedback I got: Too Many Nerfs
14:31 A Different Approach: Let's All Make the Game Better
15:20 Where Do You get These House Rules?
16:01 A Focus on Intention
16:31 Boss Monsters are Special
19:40 Requests for a Smooth Game
19:49 Please don't Run More than One or Two Sidekick NPCs
20:23 Please don't multiclass dip for Shield
21:33 Be Mindful of Arcane Eye's Disruption
21:53 Let's Avoid the Counterspell Arms Race
22:25 Familiars are either In or Out of Combat
22:59 Goodberries Are No Substitute for Real Food
23:17 Pure Immunity Breaks a Lot of Monsters
23:38 Tiny Hut Works Poorly in Dangerous Areas
26:17 Pass Without Trace Isn't Invisibility
27:50 Give Me Feedback

Links

Wednesday Jun 21, 2023

Reddit’s Enshittification and How it Affects D&D DMs and GMs – Lazy RPG Talk Show Special

Wednesday Jun 21, 2023

Mike talks about the recent Reddit collapse, Cory Doctorow's "Enshittification" model for this type of collapse, and how DMs and GMs can protect themselves from the collapse of other enshittified platforms.

Video Contents

00:00 Show Start
02:41 Main Points -- How GMs can Protect Themselves from Enshittified Platforms
05:08 The Enshittification Model
09:23 Why Does This Matter for DMs, GMs, and RPGs?
11:52 The Enshittification of Reddit and the RPG Subreddits
14:44 What GMs Are Really Losing -- The DM Academy
15:21 Where Will New DMs Go to Get Questions Answered?
17:18 Is D&D Itself Enshittified?
20:41 Enshittification Risks to GMs
24:21 What Are the Risks for Sly Flourish?
27:48 Know Enshittification, Have Backup Plans, Own Your Stuff
28:20 Returning to Blogs, Newsletters, Podcasts

Additional Links

Monday Jun 19, 2023

Lazy GM in Japanese, BWB’s 4 Combat Tips, Aethereal Expanse, Chat GPT for RPGs – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jun 19, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
01:22 Sly Flourish News: The Lazy GM's Resource Document in Japanese
04:05 D&D & RPG News: Bob World Builder's Four D&D Combat House Rules
07:12 Kickstarter Spotlight: Aetherial Expanse Setting Guide by Ghostfire Gaming
09:59 Commentary: Chat GPT for RPG Prep
33:05 Patreon Question: Making a Location Feel Dangerous
35:46 Patreon Question: Dealing With Emotional Drain After Intense Roleplay Scenes
38:14 Patreon Question: Running Campaigns Built from Multiple Published Adventuresb
40:17 Patreon Question: What Are GMs Not Thinking About Enough?
43:59 Patreon Question: Let Campaign Themes Come Out Naturally
46:16 Patreon Question: Combining 5e Subclasses with A5e Classes

Links

Friday Jun 16, 2023

Scarlet Citadel Session 27 – Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jun 16, 2023

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game!

Wednesday Jun 14, 2023

Spelljammer: Light of Xaryxis – Review and Tips

Wednesday Jun 14, 2023

Mike offers a review and tips for running the Spelljammer adventure, Light of Xaryxis, with experiences from his own campaign.

Show Contents

00:00 Video Start
00:28 Reviewing Adventures I've Actually Run
00:49 Top Tips for Running Light of Xaryxis
00:52 Tip 1: Use Stars Over Stormwreck to Connect the Characters to Light of Xaryxis
01:26 Tip 2: Stay with the Moondancer
02:22 Tip 3: Embrace Flash Gordon
03:03 Tip 4: Run Ship Combat in the Narrative
04:11 Tip 5: Give Players Agency Over the Ending
04:58 A Review of the Spelljammer Boxed Set
06:55 Breaking Down the Adventure
08:22 Tips for Part 1
11:36 Tips for Part 2
15:37 Tips for Part 3
18:11 Tips for Part 4
19:03 Missions of the FInal Battle
21:26 Who Lives and Who Dies? Let the Dice Decide!
23:26 Add a Touch of Mind Flayer...
24:06 Princess Xedali's Choice
26:04 Run a One Year Later Montage
27:12 Final Thoughts

Monday Jun 12, 2023

2024 D&D Core Book Terminology, 5e Isn’t D&D, High Trust Trad RPG – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jun 12, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
01:13 Sly Flourish News: Dwarven Forge VTT
07:46 D&D & RPG News: Wizards on One D&D and 2024 Core Book Messaging
14:57 Commentary: 5e Isn't D&D
25:38 Commentary: High Trust Trad Concepts and Situation-Based RPGs
40:34 Patreon Question: Can the Eight Steps work for Dungeon World?
43:22 Patreon Question: Dealing with Missing Players and Absenteeism
47:49 Patreon Question: Why Are Hags Allowed to Persist?

Links

Friday Jun 09, 2023

Scarlet Citadel Session 26 – Lazy GM Prep

Friday Jun 09, 2023

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game!

Monday Jun 05, 2023

Published Campaigns with Homebrew Adventures – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday Jun 05, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
01:20 Kickstarter Spotlight: Deck of Player Safety
04:24 D&D & RPG News: Tales of the Valiant on What's Compatible and What Isn't
13:35 Commentary: Homebrew Adventures in Published Settings
32:14 Patreon Question: Better Inclusiveness and Representation In Our Games
36:39 Patreon Question: Dice-Rolling for Stochastic Countdown Timers
38:57 Patreon Question: Managing Pacing of Downtime and Roleplayy Scenes
41:45 Patreon Question: Building Combat Encounters
45:00 Patreon Question: Tools for Improvisation At The Table
48:16 Patreon Question: Forge of Foes General Use Stat Block Encounter Math
52:00 Patreon Question: Improving NPC Dialog
53:41 Patreon Question: Character-Focused Spiral Campaign Development

Links

Friday Jun 02, 2023

Empire of the Ghouls Part 3 – The Blood Marriage

Friday Jun 02, 2023

Mike offers tips and a recap for running the third part of Empire of the Ghouls.

Monday May 29, 2023

Candela Obscura, Tales of the Valiant KS, WOTC D&D Price Increase – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday May 29, 2023

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

01:16 D&D & RPG News: Candela Obscura
08:18 Kickstarter Spotlight: Tales of the Valiant
33:52 Commentary: The D&D Book Price Increase
47:58 Patreon Question: Trying Out House Rules
51:17 Patreon Question: Dials for Magic Items
53:41 Patreon Question: Physical Tools for Online Play
55:39 Patreon Question: Gods for your Homebrew Campaign
58:18 Patreon Question: Alternatives to Notion

Links

Friday May 26, 2023

Scarlet Citadel Session 25 – Lazy GM Prep

Friday May 26, 2023

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game!

Monday May 22, 2023

Map Options for D&D, JP Coovert Spotlight, Patreon Questions – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday May 22, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
00:56 Commentary: Maps - Is D&D an Incomplete Product?
02:54 Commentary: Maps - No Great Single Solution for In-Person Play
04:51 Commentary: Maps - What Does D&D Recommend for New DMs?
06:44 Commentary: Maps - A Big Digital Display
07:45 Commentary: Maps - The Pathfinder Basic Flip Mat
10:35 Commentary: Maps - Big Sheets of 1" Gridded Poster Paper
13:12 Commentary: Maps - Print "Blueprint" Maps for Cheap.
15:14 Commentary: Maps - Use Cloth for a Fog of War
16:24 Commentary: Maps - Print Individual Rooms on Normal Paper
18:59 Commentary: Maps - Mixing Different Types
20:24 Product Spotlight: JP Coovert's Drawing Dungeons Booklet
25:18 Commentary: Maps - Theater of the Mind and Abstract Maps
29:26 Commentary: Maps - Try Lots of Options
30:37 Product Spotlight: The Works of JP Coovert
40:18 Patreon Question: Rewarding Inspiration
43:57 Patreon Question: Balancing Encounters Across the Adventuring Day

Links

Friday May 19, 2023

Scarlet Citadel Session 24 – Lazy GM Prep

Friday May 19, 2023

Mike prepares for his weekly Scarlet Citadel game!

Monday May 15, 2023

Oathbreaker Hardcover, Lazy GM’s Resources in CC, Help Open5e, 5 RPGs in 3 Days – Lazy RPG Talk Show

Monday May 15, 2023

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

00:00 Show Start
00:49 Product Spotlight: Crown of the Oathbreaker Physical Book
03:57 Sly Flourish News: The Lazy GM's Resource Document in the Creative Commons
08:14 Sly Flourish News: Lazy Solo 5e generator on Perchance
10:04 Commentary: Developers! Help Open5e!
14:22 Commentary: Will WOTC Use Open5e?
15:58 Commentary: Playing Five RPGs in Three Days
18:57 Commentary: Playing Dungeon World at 1d4 Con
21:15 Commentary: Playing Pathfinder 2 at 1d4 Con
25:57 Commentary: Playing Call of Cthulhu at 1d4 Con
29:05 Commentary: Playing Dungeon Crawl Classics at 1d4 Con
32:12 Commentary: Playing My Friend's New RPG at 1d4 Con
34:29 Patreon Question: Players Questioning the GM's Logic
38:04 Patreon Question: Remembering Campaign-Specific Rules
40:18 Patreon Question: Is the DM the Storyteller or the Referee? Neither!
42:53 Patreon Question: Running 45 Minute Battles with No Tweaking
47:19 Patreon Question: Reigning in Wanderlust in an Island Hopping Campaign