The Eldritch Lorecast

We discuss designing a new 5e class, the difference between psionics and magic in D&D, Hasbro's investor call, and GM'ing for strangers! Discover the Wandering Tavern here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/homieandthedude/the-wandering-tavern?ref=e9y7dz Sign for the Monster Hunter playtest: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_GHPG_2024_4_134 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @dailydael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 05:39 - Monster Hunter class 21:18 - Psionics in D&D 5.5e 32:20 - Nurturing new players 36:12 - The Wandering Tavern 40:21 - Roll20 and Discord partnership 43:46 - Hasbro earnings call 48:23 - Running games for strangers

Cynthia Williams resigns from Wizards of the Coast and leaves behind her D&D legacy, Critical Role showcase Daggerheart rules on stream, and Pathfinder has new classes for you to playtest. Get Monsters of Drakkenheim: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_DDMD_2024_4_131 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @dailydael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 06:30 - Cynthia Williams resigns 14:42 - Steve Jackson Games 25:04 - CR advertises Daggerheart 25:46 - Campaign SPOILERS 29:00 - Spoilers end 30:18 - Monsters of Drakkenheim 31:35 - Pathfinder news 42:41 - Baldur's Gate 4 47:59 - Crowded TTRPG industry

We review the changes to Daggerheart and whether it's better or worse with initiative rules, boggle at the price of Dimension 20 live tickets, and consider whether Hasbro's CEO is right about the future of gaming. Get Monsters of Drakkenheim: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_DDMD_2024_4_131 Chris Cocks WBUR-fm interview: https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/04/03/dungeons-and-dragons-hasbro Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Shawn: @shawnmerwin Monty: @montycmartin Kelly: @KaiInRealLife Dungeon Dudes: @DungeonDudes Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 05:33 - Dimension 20 ticket prices 19:11 - Daggerheart playtest update 40:55 - Monsters of Drakkenheim 49:22 - Metamorphosis Alpha 50:15 - Chris Cocks interview

This week Lexi McQueen joins the Lorecast to look through the D&D LEGO adventure, speculate at the D&D video game news, and then we all try not to panic while our party learns to teleport! Get Monsters of Drakkenheim: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_DDMD_2024_4_131 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael Shawn: @shawnmerwin Lexi: @blackgirlmage Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 05:30 - Making Liveplays 11:53 - Writing adventures 14:18 - LEGO D&D Adventure 20:43 - D&D Videogame news 28:43 - Karlach takes up wrestling! 30:37 - Women Innovators of Play 2024 32:20 - Monsters of Drakkenheim 32:58 - TTRPG rules vs setting 53:42 - Handling the teleport spell

D&D Beyond joins Kickstarter to support Monsters of Drakkenheim, a free 5e adventure is released for Tsojcanth, and are dropping D&D sales in 2023 a problem? Express your style with 10% off at INTO THE AM: https://intotheam.com/GhostfireGaming Get Monsters of Drakkenheim: https://get.monstersofdrakkenheim.com/14 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 01:49 - Digital vs physical rules 06:14 - Point buy vs roll stats 14:18 - D&D Beyond on Kickstarter 21:49 - Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth 32:33 - D&D sales fall 30% 48:30 - TTRPG dream sequences

A deluge of gaming news breaks with a sneak peak at the new 5e DMG, Tome of Beast hits D&D Beyond, Wizard's secures more licensing deals, and Larian cancels Baldur's Gate 4! Get Monsters of Drakkenheim: https://get.monstersofdrakkenheim.com/14 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Adam: @RetroArchetype Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Gaming snacks 06:51 - Conquest Melbourne 07:37 - Gary Con news 08:20 - Shadowdark 11:56 - Matt Mercer in the new DMG 15:05 - More Gary Con news 29:33 - Tome Of Beasts on D&D Beyond 32:20 - Monsters of Drakkenheim 36:15 - D&D LEGO release 41:03 - D&D Converse 42:10 - Baldur's Gate cancelled 48:11 - Remembering James M. Ward 50:09 - D&D is for Nerds podcast

The Dungeon Dudes drop in to talk the Daggerheart open Beta, their next 5e Kickstarter "Monsters of Drakkenheim", and whether AI creation tools can be used responsibly? Get Monsters of Drakkenheim: https://get.monstersofdrakkenheim.com/14 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne James: @JamesJHaeck Monty: @montycmartin Kelly: @KaiInRealLife Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 01:28 - Best 5e monster type 13:20 - Monsters of Drakkenheim 31:56 - Hasbro using AI 43:38 - Daggerheart playtest

5e Adventurer's League consolidates onto D&D Beyond, Chaosium offers money if you develop for the Basic Roleplaying: Universal Game Engine, and Kobold Press announces a new Tales of the Valiant starter set! Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 06:49 - Chaosium game design competition 20:08 - Adventurers League on D&D Beyond 25:44 - Premier AL organizers 37:59 - Tales of the Valiant starter set 42:09 - Do adventure modules railroad?

Darrington Press announces a Daggerheart open playtest, D&D Beyond updates Maps and offers an exclusive Vecna adventure, and a surprise new TTRPG adventure wants you to play for science! Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 05:23 - Daggerheart playtest 22:28 - D&D Beyond Maps 29:43 - Vecna: Nest of the Eldritch Eye 39:43 - Realms of Kymoria lawsuit 44:31 - Learning from adventure modules 53:05 - Surprise NASA TTRPG

Does D&D lore need a refresh with more recognizable characters? Why did WotC cut Portuguese translations from their books? Where's the best place to get TTRPG news? All that and more on the Eldritch Lorecast! Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael Shawn: @shawnmerwin Luna: @Luboffin Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 04:13 - Rascal TTRPG news 12:54 - D&D in Portuguese cut 16:45 - Candela Obscura season 4 31:46 - Tom Cardy & Dragon Friends 35:39 - Faction design 45:15 - Updating D&D lore

This week's Eldritch Lorecast reignites the Legendary Resistance debate, welcomes more 3rd party publishers to D&D Beyond, gets hyped for LEGO rumors, and charts the rise and fall of Evil Genius Games. Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael Shawn: @shawnmerwin James: @JamesJHaeck Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 02:10 - Legendary resistances 15:46 - Hasbro investor call 25:06 - Humblewood on D&D Beyond 26:51 - D&D LEGO partnership 33:06 - Rise and fall of Evil Genius Games 40:15 - No-win player choices

The D&D 2024 release schedule arrives just in time for this week's Eldritch Lorecast! We also talk Dragonlance heartbreak and how to use player-character backgrounds effectively? Discover Surviving Strangehollow: http://get.accidentalcyclops.com/4 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael Shawn: @shawnmerwin James: @JamesJHaeck Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 01:22 - TTRPG romance 05:47 - Dragonlance heartbreak 15:58 - D&D 2024 release schedule 22:02 - Player's Handbook 2024 25:57 - D&D Converse, LEGO, and Pop-tarts 30:28 - Surviving Strangehollow 38:05 - Foundry VTT partnership 46:03 - Using character backstories

This week's Eldritch Lorecast Unearths the last of the D&D Arcana and gets rage baited by the latest TTRPG controversies. Express your style with 10% off at INTO THE AM: https://intotheam.com/GhostfireGaming Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Teos: @Alphastream Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 01:36 - Exciting 5.5e rules 10:00 - Playtest Packet 8 review 22:27 - 5.5e launch dates 28:33 - Into the AM 30:41 - Tencent & rage bait 45:35 - Between session storytelling

We announce all the 5e news from Ghostfire Gaming, review the Deck of Many Things continued production issues, and when we can expect D&D in VR? Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael Shawn: @shawnmerwin James: @JamesJHaeck Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 04:48 - 2024 gaming conventions 07:58 - Ghostfire Gaming news! 15:37 - Deck of Many Things manufacturing 21:39 - D&D VR game 31:58 - Netflix TTRPG lawsuit 33:48 - Retreating in D&D 5e? 52:39 - Cutting rules from 5.5e 57:29 - 3D printing minis

Is Nightshade the end of AI art in the TTRPG industry? How do you effectively playtest new rules you've written? What's the worst DM behavior you've put up with in your D&D game? All that, and more! Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Shawn: @shawnmerwin Dael: @DailyDael Logan: @the_runesmith Adam: @RetroArchetype Editor: ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 01:36 - TTRPG creator advice 09:53 - Nightshade poisons AI art 16:55 - Random House cocktails 25:33 - Bad DM behavior 40:08 - Playtesting subclasses 51:07 - Too many NPCs

This week's Eldritch Lorecast celebrates the D&D Movie winning an award, commemorates the passing of Jennell Jaquays, explores Aussie game design, and how NOT to introduce new players to 5e or TTRPG's. Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: @ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 01:26 - Critical fumbles 07:03 - D&D Movie wins! 08:48 - Remembering Jennell Jaquays 12:35 - Ruining D&D for new players 33:21 - Aussie game design

Hot takes burn up this week's Eldritch Lorecast as the crew tackle WotC getting caught using AI Art once again, and whether the Golden Age of TTRPG's is dead as Ben Riggs predicts? Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 01:50 - Gaming over the Break 13:21 - Congratulations MCDM 14:14 - Golden Age of TTRPGs 27:24 - WotC and AI Art... again 45:42 - Bryan Ansell Tribute 46:39 - The Clone Spell

This week we discuss integrity in the TTRPG YouTube space, choose new 5e adventures for 2024, and discuss whether the stun condition should be removed from D&D entirely? Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 05:05 - AI Art False Accusation 09:52 - Integrity in TTRPG YouTube 14:32 - Choosing an adventure 29:55 - Max level cap 47:20 - High level campaigns 51:40 - Remove the stun condition?

Learn the entire process of publishing a TTRPG product in the industry, from game design, writing, editing, art, graphic design, project managing, and marketing your book. A special episode of The Eldritch Lorecast recorded LIVE at PAX Aus 2023. Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne James: @jamesjhaeck Phil: @PhilBeckwithDnD Vee: @Rocketeer_Vee Hayley: @storybrewers Editor: @ZsDante

We celebrate a massive year for D&D the Tabletop Roleplaying Game industry as a whole! The ups, the downs, and everything in between. Final hours to back Enchanting Emporiums on Kickstarter: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_ELEE_2023_11_109 Email your questions to podcast@ghostfiregaming.com Ben: @TheBenByrne Dael: @DailyDael James: @JamesJHaeck Shawn: @shawnmerwin Editor: ZsDante Topics: 00:00 - Intro 08:12 - Biggest news of 2023 18:32 - Best TTRPG release 30:01 - Best TTRPG related release 40:04 - Best Con of 2023 47:43 - Guests of the year 52:16 - Best ELC moments