Our guest this week is Stephen Radney-MacFarland as we continue our Gary Con 2024 series of 50 years of Dungeons and Dragons interviews. We talk about Delve RPG, his passion-project meditation on d20 fantasy games. How he doesn’t agree with 5E’s advantage/disadvantage rules.

Growing up in San Francisco, playing D&D as a kid, and using the Battleship board as a GM screen. Buying Tomb of Horrors, and learning a Gygaxian vocabulary. Working at Wizards of the Coast, combing through novels like Ed Greenwood’s Elminster: The Making of a Mage to work on The Forgotten Realms Encyclopedia. Working with Eric Mona on Polyhedron Magazine and the Living Greyhawk Journal. Then moving over to Paizo to work on the Advanced Player's Guide coming up with alternative class features that then turned into what became archetypes. Then tons more freelance writing with Paizo, Kobold Press and more.

Follow Stephen at: Website - X - LinkedIn

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

• PAX Unplugged: December 6th through 8th in Philadelphia. Come say hi to Tiger Wizard at the Exalted Funeral booth, and play some games with Dragon Warrior every morning at the Alexandria RPG Library room.
• Dungeon Cats: Tiger Wizard’s rules-lite TTRPG where you play feline adventures is now available at Exalted Funeral. Delve into lush carpeted dungeons to vanquish giant rats, demonic dog spawn and the half full food bowl. Fight with claws, purrs and amazing advanced reflexes for the treasures contained within. You only have 9 lives. Live them adventurously!
• THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP: Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP is now available on all streaming platforms. It's an intense dose of nostalgia and comedy for geek-minded connoisseurs of gaming & fun with features from nerdcore legends Mega Ran and MC Frontalot.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button at epiclevelsrapgods.com

—

Thanks for listening to Season Three of the Epic Levels Mad Dungeon podcast, where D&D hip hop group Epic Levels alternate between “Rise of the Vat Spawn,” an actual play using Mystic Punks RPG, and Side Quests where we interview other game creators.

You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server, and lots of other exclusive goodies.

Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

The Vat Spawn take out the final elite goblins. We meet Lotto, a 10-foot demon dog. Bat Alchemist sucks venom out of Warlock Roc. They explore further into the goblin museum, finding horrific paintings of former goblin kings, before discovering the current Goblin King’s chambers.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Gamehole Con: October 17th through 20th in Madison, Wisconsin. We’ll have a booth right up front in the Podcasters and Press section. Come say hi to Dragon Warrior and pick up some Dungeon Cats and Mad Dungeon season three Rise of the Vat Spawn swag!
• PAX Unplugged: December 6th through 8th in Philadelphia. Come say hi to Tiger Wizard at the Exalted Funeral booth, and play some games with Dragon Warrior every morning at the Alexandria RPG Library room.
• Dungeon Cats: Tiger Wizard’s rules-lite TTRPG where you play feline adventurers is now available at Exalted Funeral. Delve into lush carpeted dungeons to vanquish giant rats, demonic dog spawn and the half-full food bowl. Fight with claws, purrs and advanced reflexes for the treasures contained within. You only have 9 lives. Live them adventurously!
• THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP: Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP is now available on all streaming platforms. It's an intense dose of nostalgia and comedy for geek-minded connoisseurs of gaming & fun with features from nerdcore legends Mega Ran and MC Frontalot.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button at epiclevelsrapgods.com

—

Thanks for listening to Season Three of the Epic Levels Mad Dungeon podcast, where D&D hip hop group Epic Levels alternate between “Rise of the Vat Spawn,” an actual play using Mystic Punks RPG, and Side Quests where we interview other game creators.

You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server, and lots of other exclusive goodies.

Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

Our guest this week is David “Zeb” Cook as we continue our Gary Con 2024 series of 50 years of Dungeons and Dragons interviews. We talk about his involvement in 49 of the 50 years of D&D’s existence and how satisfying it’s been for him to see his work impacting generations of people.

We discuss his late 1970s start at TSR by editing Queen of the Demonweb Pits (Q1), writing Slave Pits of the Undercity (A1) as the first project that he wrote at TSR, running tournaments at the very earliest Gen Cons and Origins, how Dwellers of the Forbidden City came from his writing sample to get the job at TSR. We talk about his love of Conan, writing the first Conan module Conan Unchained! (CB1) and writing the Conan Role-Playing Game.

TSR in the 1980s: growth from a staff of gamers and hobbyists to running a successful company. Dealing with the Satanic Panic. Being lead designer on the 2nd edition AD&D. Worked on D&D through 1994 with Planescape and some smaller projects before moving on to video games.

Follow Zeb at: Wikipedia - FB - Amazon

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Gamehole Con: October 17th through 20th in Madison, Wisconsin. We’ll have a booth right up front in the Podcasters and Press section. Come say hi to Dragon Warrior and pick up some Dungeon Cats and Mad Dungeon season three Rise of the Vat Spawn swag!
• PAX Unplugged: December 6th through 8th in Philadelphia. Come say hi to Tiger Wizard at the Exalted Funeral booth, and play some games with Dragon Warrior every morning at the Alexandria RPG Library room.
• Dungeon Cats: Tiger Wizard’s rules-lite TTRPG where you play feline adventures is now available at Exalted Funeral. Delve into lush carpeted dungeons to vanquish giant rats, demonic dog spawn and the half full food bowl. You only have 9 lives. Live them adventurously!
• THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP: Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP, with features from nerdcore legends Mega Ran and MC Frontalot, is now available on all streaming platforms.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button at epiclevelsrapgods.com

—

Thanks for listening to Season Three of the Epic Levels Mad Dungeon podcast, where D&D hip hop group Epic Levels alternate between “Rise of the Vat Spawn,” an actual play using Mystic Punks RPG, and Side Quests where we interview other game creators.

You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server, and lots of other exclusive goodies.

Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

309 Balls: Crystal, Disco & Fire - Rise of the Vat Spawn

The Vat Spawn finish their fight with elite business goblins that includes disco floors, Weekend-at-Bernie’s-ing a dead goblin to find true love in secret nap spots, and lots of Nitar’s Fireballs were a’flyin’. A crystal ball houses a goblin spirit to find down-on-their-luck victims as part of a larger goblin conspiracy. And a fire-breathing demon dog is awakened.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP: Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP is out this now. It features Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, Denkles and Dizzy the Bard dropping verses alongside Dragon Warrior and Tiger Wizard all set to nostalgic beats by Inner Resting. Give it a listen, share it with your friends, dance to it on TikTok.

NEW POSTER MAP: We have a new poster adventure map now available for purchase at Exalted Funeral based on our Mad Dungeon season one, episode 20, Song of the Shriekfrapp, with the legendary Erol Otus—who not only made the adventure with us, but also illustrated the 11×17 front-side poster image!

The water is draining away at the secret golden oasis because of all the infighting between the adorable, ear-like loboids. Can you help the tiptoers, bouncers and striders to stop bickering and unite with their magic dance to save their home from being destroyed by the slumbering Shriekfrapp? I hear that it’s good luck to flip a gold coin into the water when you arrive.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button at epiclevelsrapgods.com

—

Thanks for listening to Season Three of the Epic Levels Mad Dungeon podcast, where D&D hip hop group Epic Levels alternate between “Rise of the Vat Spawn,” an actual play using Mystic Punks RPG, and Side Quests where we interview other game creators.

You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server, and lots of other exclusive goodies.

Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

Our guest this week is John “Hambone” McGuire as we continue our Gary Con 2024 series of 50 years of D&D interviews. We talk about his 321 Action core book and the adventures he’s written to go along with it, including upcoming Hotel Exorcist, Braineaters! that he’s working on with Brian Shutter (Neon Lords of the Toxic Wastelands), and his love of Romero’s Dawn of the Dead (1978).

We discuss playing Mystic Punks together at Gary Con, the community built playing RPGs compared to playing in bands, hosting the Vintage RPG podcast with Stu Horvath, and Stu’s new book Monsters, Aliens, and Holes in the Ground: A Guide to Tabletop Roleplaying Games from D&D to Mothership.

Follow 321 Action at: Website – Exalted Funeral – Drive Thru RPG – Itch.io – FB – IG – Twitter

Announcements

DUNGEON CATS: Tiger Wizard’s rules-fluffy mini-RPG Dungeon Cats is a game about cats going into dungeons, slaying vile creatures and getting away with the loot! Dungeon Cats is being mailed to Kickstarter backers! Check your mail kittens!

THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP is out now on all streaming platforms. Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album features Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, Denkles and Dizzy the Bard dropping verses alongside Dragon Warrior and Tiger Wizard all set to nostalgic beats by Inner Resting.

NEW POSTER MAP: We have a new poster adventure map now available for purchase at Exalted Funeral based on our Mad Dungeon season one, episode 20, Song of the Shriekfrapp, with the legendary Erol Otus—who not only made the adventure with us, but also illustrated the 11x17 front-side poster image!

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button on our homepage.

--

You can support us via Patreon & stay up to date with us HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

The Vat Spawn follow beefy elite goblins into a room of swords with a goblin museum curators arguing about presentation. The head curator laughs as Dragon Warrior touches a cursed codeine razor and is weakened with magical addiction.

A big ole fight breaks out with Tiger Wizard trip attacks and a fun knife-in-the-head polymorph into goblin hipsterdom.

Bat Alchemist finds some mystically placed stanchions & velvet ropes, and he corrals in the curators behind the ropes to watch the fight.

Warlock Roc has on headphones that are giving her an audio tour, and learns about The First Year Being Rich Cutlass. She grabs it and brandishes it without blasting off its power… until she does! The cutlass pulls all metal (including magic swords) into the sword, nearly killing everyone.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP: Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP is out this now. It features Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, Denkles and Dizzy the Bard dropping verses alongside Dragon Warrior and Tiger Wizard all set to nostalgic beats by Inner Resting. Give it a listen, share it with your friends, dance to it on TikTok.

NEW POSTER MAP: We have a new poster adventure map now available for purchase at Exalted Funeral based on our Mad Dungeon season one, episode 20, Song of the Shriekfrapp, with the legendary Erol Otus—who not only made the adventure with us, but also illustrated the 11×17 front-side poster image!

The water is draining away at the secret golden oasis because of all the infighting between the adorable, ear-like loboids. Can you help the tiptoers, bouncers and striders to stop bickering and unite with their magic dance to save their home from being destroyed by the slumbering Shriekfrapp? I hear that it’s good luck to flip a gold coin into the water when you arrive.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button at epiclevelsrapgods.com

—

Thanks for listening to Season Three of the Epic Levels Mad Dungeon podcast, where D&D hip hop group Epic Levels alternate between “Rise of the Vat Spawn,” an actual play using Mystic Punks RPG, and Side Quests where we interview other game creators.

You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server, and lots of other exclusive goodies.

Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

Our guest this week is Banana Chan as we continue our Gary Con 2024 series of 50 years of Dungeons and Dragons interviews. We discuss her upcoming The Darkness At The Brink Of Ohio, a solo journaling game with a soundtrack with a full cast. You’re one of three late shift workers listening to the radio, while being consumed by a parasite. She discusses her inspiration from the Juggernaut LARP by Jason Morningstar.

We talk about her history with Dungeons & Dragons, writing for D&D, and how that fits into her work in the indie space and using the Powered by the Apocalypse engine in particular. We talk about finding your people in this community.

Play Banana Chan’s games: Forgery / Jiangshi / Revenant Society / Chucky

Follow Banana Chan at: Website – IG – YouTube – Twitter – TikTok - Itch.io

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP is out now on all streaming platforms. Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album features Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, Denkles and Dizzy the Bard dropping verses alongside Dragon Warrior and Tiger Wizard all set to nostalgic beats by Inner Resting.

NEW POSTER MAP: We have a new poster adventure map now available for purchase at Exalted Funeral based on our Mad Dungeon season one, episode 20, Song of the Shriekfrapp, with the legendary Erol Otus—who not only made the adventure with us, but also illustrated the 11x17 front-side poster image!

The water is draining away at the secret golden oasis because of all the infighting between the adorable, ear-like loboids. Can you help the tiptoers, bouncers and striders to stop bickering and unite with their magic dance to save their home from being destroyed by the slumbering Shriekfrapp? I hear that it’s good luck to flip a gold coin into the water when you arrive.

JOIN OUR MAILING LISTby clicking the newsletter button on our homepage.

—

Thanks for listening to Season Three Side Quests where we interview other game creators.

You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server, and lots of other exclusive goodies.

Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.

307 Goblin Guards & Credit Cards - Rise of the Vat Spawn

The Vat Spawn peruse the lobby of the goblin museum when the alarm button gets pushed after Tiger Wizard is caught trying to steal trillmatic rings. A negotiation starts up on either side of a force field with a goblin on stilts named Snax. An elite goblin named Meat Fists swallows a cat whole and pulls out its skeleton to intimidate the crew. Bat Alchemist and Tiger Wizard calm the situation down with successful converse rolls. Tiger Wizard uses a Mad Dungeon word to change the fabric of reality to create Tone Stone Touch Pads for bureaucratic transactions, and now the team has a Goblin Museum bank card.

They pay for a tour of the museum. They’re given four beefy goblins as escorts: Gilbert (IRS suspenders), Stink Pits (no shirt, tie, cargo pants, dollar sign tattoos), Glerbnid (big feet, toes busting out of dress shoes) and Tor (eye magnifying glasses). Room one of the tour is of the banking area. Tiger Wizards’ obsession with the vault causes conflict with Glerbnid, but Warlock Roc calms the situation down. They move into the next room of weapons and goblin museum curators who laugh and threaten to disembowel Dragon Warrior after he touches the Codeine Fountain Razor and buckles to his knees.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE MEGA DUNGEON MEN EP: Our new TTRPG fantasy meets hip hop album, The Mega Dungeon Men EP is out this now. It features Mega Ran, MC Frontalot, Denkles and Dizzy the Bard dropping verses alongside Dragon Warrior and Tiger Wizard all set to nostalgic beats by Inner Resting. Give it a listen, share it with your friends, dance to it on TikTok.

NEW POSTER MAP: We have a new poster adventure map now available for purchase at Exalted Funeral based on our Mad Dungeon season one, episode 20, Song of the Shriekfrapp, with the legendary Erol Otus—who not only made the adventure with us, but also illustrated the 11×17 front-side poster image!

The water is draining away at the secret golden oasis because of all the infighting between the adorable, ear-like loboids. Can you help the tiptoers, bouncers and striders to stop bickering and unite with their magic dance to save their home from being destroyed by the slumbering Shriekfrapp? I hear that it’s good luck to flip a gold coin into the water when you arrive.

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST by clicking the newsletter button at epiclevelsrapgods.com

—

Thanks for listening to Season Three of the Epic Levels Mad Dungeon podcast, where D&D hip hop group Epic Levels alternate between “Rise of the Vat Spawn,” an actual play using Mystic Punks RPG, and Side Quests where we interview other game creators.

You can support us via Patreon for early episode releases, bonus map content, extra art, access to our discord server.

Get nerd merch and stay up to date with socials: HERE

Mad Dungeon is hosted by Andrew Bellury, Steve Albertson, Robin Bellury and produced by Zach Cowan.

Theme song by Epic Levels and beat by Jay Domingo.

© 2024 Epic Levels. All characters in our adventures–even those based on real people–are entirely fictional.