After Serenity

When is a monster not a monster? We’re talking about those classic threats known as oozes, cubes, and puddings. These creatures appear as puddles, cubes, and rolling masses of ick ... and they're sure to challenge your players. Want more Shadowdark? Check out our episode “d12 Reasons Shadowdark is Awesome!” Watch our Shadowdark actual play: Raiders of the Lost Temple New to Shadowdark? Get the free Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set from the Arcane Library. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Oozes and Puddings00:08 Grey Ooze05:50 Zomblob11:32 Gelatinous Cube16:35 Cran Gelatinous Cube22:18 Black Pudding23:39 Heal Cube22:45 Are Slimes a kind of Ooze? Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d6 Oozes , Cubes, and Puddings on YouTube. Show Notes Grey Ooze Source: Core Rulebook, p. 223 Description: Slick puddles the color of stone  Monster Level: 2 Notes: This ooze dissolves metal, so using swords, spears, and other metal weapons against it is risky: At

The Lair crew continues their Shadowdark actual play by venturing deep into the Lost Temple, exploring its strange environs and encountering factions within the group defending it. Missed the first part? Catch up now: Raiders of the Lost Temple, Part 1/3 Get the dungeon: EnWorld – Kelsey Dionne publishes two new free Shadowdark adventures New to Shadowdark? Get the free Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set from the Arcane Library. The quickstart set includes example characters, essential rules, and a ready-to-play dungeon. Want to know more about Shadowdark? Check out our episode "d12 Reasons Shadowdark is Awesome!" Chapters 0:00 Intro & Party Recap5:00 Gorgoroth’s Offer & The Blood Chalice13:00 Ruby Theft & Suspicious Snake Rooms22:00 Drum Ritual & Prepping the Ambush29:30 Total Darkness & The Battle Begins41:00 Chaos Combat: Priestess vs. Party55:00 Rilmorn Falls, Light Restored1:10:00 Strategic Recovery & Magic Mishaps1:26:00 Showdown with the Serpent Priestess1:45:00 Aftermath, Regroup, a

The Lair Crew takes on Shadowdark as they play Kelsey Dionne's free Raiders of the Hidden Temple adventure. In the first actual play episode, they venture into a snake-infested dungeon, discovering dangerous monsters and potential allies. Get the dungeon: EnWorld - Kelsey Dionne publishes two new free Shadowdark adventures New to Shadowdark? Get the free Shadowdark RPG Quickstart Set from the Arcane Library. The quickstart set includes example characters, essential rules, and a ready-to-play dungeon. Chapters 0:00 Intro & Setup – Welcome to Shadowdark in Foundry VTT 6:30 The Temple Doors & Snake Trap Puzzle 14:10 The Hypnotic Pool & The Emerald Dive 22:40 Meeting the Snakefolk & The Cursed Dilemma 31:15 Bloodthirsty Prisoner & Party Tensions Rise 39:50 Enter the Chapel & Alessa's Mission 48:00 Ambush! The Vampirodile Attacks 59:45 Blood, Magic & Betrayal – Combat Escalates 1:16:00 The Final Blow & Tactical Retreat 1:29:00 Aftermath, Drumbeats & What Comes Next

Ken returns to the Dungeon of Dread by Rose Estes, the first of TSR's Endless Quest books for Dungeons & Dragons. The book places you in the role of a young warrior who befriends a halfling thief. The halfling just escaped the lair of a magic-user, so naturally he's up for going back there with you… It's a classic book, and one that went on to inform a lot of Ken's early D&D campaigns (and his ongoing affection for water weirds…) Chapters 0:27 A D&D Geek's First Endless Quest0:56 Mechanics and Flavor Text – No Dice Required1:55 Cryptic Warnings and Classic Monsters3:22 The Nostalgia Factor4:27 Next stop … Gamma World?5:00 Outro – Share Your Own Endless Quest Stories Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch "Dungeon of Dread - Endless Quest Book Review" on YouTube. Show Notes Overview of Dungeon of Dread (1982) by Rose Estes Introduction to the Endless Quest series (1982–1987) Roleplaying without dice: choose-your-own-adventure style Your character: a slim 5'

With help from the Lair community, we collected eight house rules for Shadowdark. On this episode, we run through these rule hacks, offering our thoughts on how they might impact the game. Most of these are not rules we've tried ourselves, so we'd love some more field reports! And yep, we're looking for even more rules variants. Leave your feedback and/or house rules in the comments, or email us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com. Want more house rules? Check out d8 Shadowdark House Rules Chapters Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d8 ShadowDark Hacks on YouTube. Show Notes 1. DM Scottie’s house rule for luck dice Details: https://youtu.be/x13wXuszkLA?si=6B2P4DQjArcXLrOP  Provided by Matthew McGuigan Our thoughts: David - Getting luck or luck dice for failure is interesting. It gives you something for losing a turn in combat. It will change how Shadowdark plays though. You can’t give dice to others like you can with luck. You can accumulate a lot

Ken digs up the Timex Sinclair 1000. When this tiny computer was released in 1982 for $99, it was the cheapest home computer on the market. Ken walks through the device's features, his challenges using it, and contemplates what it will take to get the thing running again (a rainy Saturday project if there ever was one). Chapters 0:00 Introducing the Timex Sinclair 10000:35 First Impressions & Form Factor Throwback1:15 The Tech Behind the Machine2:25 Programming Memories & BASIC Adventures4:10 From Sinclair to Commodore 64 Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch "Timex Sinclair Computer" on YouTube. Show Notes Unboxing the Timex Sinclair 1000: cheapest home computer of 1982 How it worked: plugged into a black-and-white TV, used cassette tapes as storage Membrane keyboard woes: sore fingers, missed keystrokes, and perseverance Programming in BASIC from magazine printouts (like Byte Magazine) Memories of building a skiing game and early D&D tools Sinclair's

We're back for Season 5 of Lair of Secrets! On this episode, we take a look back at our favorite episodes of Season 4 including: the actual play episodes for Cyberpunk RED and Fallout GM advice episodes on modern maps and building cities our cozy Saturday morning show "Campaigns & Coffee" We also look ahead into Season 5, which will include: New seasons of Fallout 2d20 and Cyberpunk RED as well as a new Shadowdark actual play. Delving into Cyberpunk 2077 and Cyberpunk RED Single Player Mode Shadowdark house rules and advice Chapters 0:00 Welcome Back to the Lair – Season 5 Kicks Off0:30 Cyberpunk Red Recap – Flipping the Switch & Hera Awakens1:57 Modern Maps & Mothership’s Corporate Horror3:25 Building Better Cities – Real World Inspirations8:30 Fallout 2d20 Finale – Lasers, Zones & Tailspire Maps6:58 Shadowdark Fails – Mistakes & GM Reflections10:27 Unboxings – Fallout, Electric State & Savage Worlds15:39 Season 5 Preview – Fallout, Cyberpunk & Shadowdark Actual Play24:40 Geek

With help from the Lair community, we collected eight house rules for Shadowdark. On this episode, we run through them, offering our thoughts on how they might impact the game (most of these are not rules we've tried ourselves, so we'd love some more field reports! Leave them in the comments, or email us at podcast@lairofsecrets.com. Enjoy the episode? Check out our other ShadowDark-focused shows: d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made (S4E19) d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15) Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) Unboxing Cursed Scrolls 3: Midnight Sun for ShadowDark Chapters 00:00 Introduction to House Rules00:25 House Rule 1 - No Torch Alarms02:16 Digression: David's real-world LED torch timer04:14 House Rule 2 - One Hour Minus 1d12 on Torch Timers07:30 House Rule 3 - Henchmen09:39 Rule 4 - Constitution Score as Hit Points13:32 House Rule 5 - 30-minute timers for torches16:22 House Rule 6 - Sneaky Triggers18:43 House Rule 7 - More Magic Missiles21:12 House Rule 8 - The Crawling

We unbox the GM Companion for Shadowdark, a supplemental rulebook designed to make the game master's life easier. Written by Chubby Funster, it's got a ton of random charts for the world above and the world below, plus monsters, treasure, and much more. Get the GM's Companion for Shadowdark at DriveThruRPG. Chapters 0:00 Intro & GM Needs for Shadowdark0:07 Unboxing the Book & Initial Impressions1:15 Exploring the World Above: Hex Crawling, Biomes & Hazards3:43 Cities, Settlements, Shops & Taverns5:30 Class-Based Carousing & Downtime Options7:13 The World Below: Dungeon Generation, Rivals & Traps9:52 Monsters, Treasure & Magic Items12:08 Final Thoughts Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Unboxing GM Companion for Shadowdark on YouTube. Venture Deeper for more Shadowdark! What more ShadowDark? We’ve got more ShadowDark! d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made (S4E19) d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15) Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) Unboxing Curs

In this episode of the Cyberpunk campaign, the Edgerunners navigate the treacherous Elysium HQ after awakening Hera, a vengeful AI. They embark on a mission to plant AI-spawned seeds across the city, facing various challenges including combat with scavengers and the emergence of the Glow Boys amidst a radioactive sand storm. Get more Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets Chapters 00:00 The Awakening of Hera02:41 The Mission to Plant the Seeds07:06 Combat and Chaos in the Garden Level11:41 The Escape Plan28:02 Exploring the Map and Game Mechanics35:23 Encountering the Glow Boys43:12 Inside the Building and Tactical Decisions48:50 The Growl of Danger52:40 A New Challenge Emerges01:00:41 Critical Moments01:07:13 Tactical Decisions in Close Quarters01:08:47 The Aftermath of Battle01:10:55 Resource Management and Vehicle Repairs01:20:15 Conclusion and Future

On this episode, we talk about ShadowDark monsters! We look at a number of monster bestiaries, a zine dedicated to creating and adapting monsters for the game, and two dedicated monster-finding tools. What more ShadowDark? We've got more ShadowDark! d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made (S4E19) d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15) Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) Unboxing Cursed Scrolls 3: Midnight Sun for ShadowDark Chapters 00:00 Introduction00:54 Monster 2403:02 VALHOLL!04:21 Shadowfinder Complete Bestiary05:24 Creating and Adapting Monsters for ShadowDark14:16 The Monster Overhaul15:12 Ruincairn Bestiary17:20 ShadowDark Monster Tools19:34 Conclusion and Future Discussions Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d8 ShadowDark Monster Resources on YouTube. Show Notes ShadowDark specific Monster Resources Monster 24 Cost: $2 (pay what you want) 250 monsters by Tom Phillips, who spent 2024 creating monsters and publishing them to Reddit.

The edgerunners finally flipped the switch at the bottom of Elysium HQ's subbasements. As the power surged back, a wrathful AI queen named Hera burst to life, proclaiming her refusal to serve any false gods or corporate masters. She sees to draw the crew — APT, Angry Bob, Omen, and Atlas — into her web of revenge against Jason Antilles, a tech bro CIO who escaped Earth’s devastation for an orbital Olympus. Get more Cyberpunk RED: Cyberpunk RED Actual Play @ Lair of Secrets Cyberpunk RED Role-Playing Game Resources Cyberpunk RED Frequently Asked Questions Cyberpunk RED Screamsheets Chapters 00:00 Intro1:04 Recap of the last mission2:27 Hera awakens, demands loyalty5:00 Digging into Antilles’ backstory7:15 The Wrathful Queen’s digital gifts10:00 Team heals up in eerie med-labs15:00 Planning escape routes, avoiding turrets20:00 Discussing Erebus, Cerberus, and past scars25:00 Moral debates and fixer mysteries30:00 Stepping back into the hot zone35:00 Prepping next moves and research

Grab your coffee and join the Lair crew as we unpack the challenge of fostering player agency in tabletop RPGs. We explore how to spark proactive decisions, avoid the paralysis of infinite choice, and leverage mechanics that reward bold, cinematic play. Chapters 0:00 Intro1:00 Star Wars Sparks and hesitant players3:00 Fear of splitting the party and analysis paralysis6:30 Encouraging proactive play and giving permission10:00 Using patrons and clear motivations14:00 Narrative hooks and inciting actions17:00 Video game parallels and open-world stress20:00 Mechanics: fate points, plot points, and inspiration24:00 Player chaos: volunteering as hostages26:00 Minion promotions and closing comments Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Player Agency on YouTube. Show Notes Erin’s Star Wars SPARKS games: hesitant players and dusty Star Destroyers Fear of splitting the party and the paralysis of choice Giving players permission to act and making decisions cinematic Na

With the first arc of our Fallout 2d20 campaign completed, we sit down with some coffee to reflect on the game. We talk about the 2d20 system's strengths, campaign story arcs, funky dice, perk cards, and immersive mechanics. Looking ahead, we think about future campaign goals, new characters, and deeper dives into Fallout-style survival gameplay. Want more Fallout 2d20? Check out: Post: Fallout 2d20 Campaign & RPG Resources Podcast: Gore and Lore in Fallout – Campaigns & Coffee Podcast: Fallout Zones Chapters 0:00 Intro & Fallout Campaign Overview1:17 First Impressions of the Fallout 2D20 System3:38 Luck as a Game-Breaking Stat?6:05 Perks, PDFs, and the Art of Scavenging8:22 Critiques: Special Dice, Proprietary Components10:23 What Didn't Work—Or We Didn't Use13:40 Cheat Sheets and GM Tools14:44 Favorite In-Game Moments16:42 Character Growth and Future Arcs20:15 Would You Play It Again?21:56 Combat Mechanics and Cover23:04 Planning the Next Arc: Session Zero Redux24:56 Minion Mailbag:

Join us for the Lair of Secrets' annual summer reading list! We run down a few of the books on our respective lists, but we're always looking for more! Featured in this episode are: Red Sonja Consumed by Gail Simone When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi Cold Eternity by S.A. Barnes Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente Infinite Archive (The Midsolar Murders #3) by Mur Lafferty Vicious by V.E. Schwab As well as side quests to talk about Iain Banks' The Culture series, Terry Prachett's Discworld, and Neal Stephenson's Seveneves. Suggest your own book ideas in the comments! Chapters 0:00 Intro & Rocket Misfires0:40 Red Sonja: Sword & Sorcery Revival1:45 Moon Cheese Madness: Scalzi’s Absurd Apocalypse3:10 Seveneves vs. Moon Made of Cheese4:20 Ghosts in Cryo: Cold Eternity Breakdown5:35 Space Opera and the Glam-paign Idea6:50 Infinite Archive: Murder, She Wrote in Space8:00 Vicious by V.E. Schwab: Superpowered Rivalry9:10 The Overflowing To-Read Pile10:20 Pratchett’s Final D

The crew infiltrates a raider lair to rescue a kidnapped girl, navigating irradiated sewers, sentry turrets, and a heavily armed Thriftway gang. Steve NuGunnar faces off against his nemesis Thriftway in a brutal final encounter to reclaim his prized NuRay 3000. Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources. Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheat sheets. Chapters 0:00 Intro & Recap2:10 Turret Ambush!4:59 Raider Chase Begins7:35 Ghoulardi Loots, Team Pushes Forward14:00 Echoes and Radiation20:00 The Showdown Chamber28:00 Frag Grenade Chicken Toss36:00 Raider Meltdown in the Water45:00 Lucky Buck and the Leg Blasts54:00 Ghoulardi's Sniper Shot1:03:00 Nuka Cherry Rage Shotgun1:12:00 Raider Wrath and Ramming Speed1:20:00 The Last Shot at Thriftway1:27:00 Terminal Hacking Mini-Game1:39:00 Brotherhood Logs & Power Armor1:41:00 Cliffhanger Ending Listen to the Episode Watch to the Epi

On this episode, Ken recaps running ShadowDark, Mothership, and Gaslands Refueled at a local RPG convention. We also delve into how to support your local conventions (MEPACon in the Pennsylvania, and Who's Yer Con? in Indiana). Chapters 0:00 Intro & MEPACon Setup2:10 Venue Upgrade & Con History4:00 ShadowDark: Morka Norden Recap7:00 Learning from Live Play & Light Mechanics9:30 Mothership Funnel: Decanted Breakdown13:00 Emergency Decanting & Medical Mishaps17:00 Engineering, Design Tweaks, & Player Strategy22:00 Gaslands: Straight to Hell Tutorial26:00 Concrete Jungle & Advanced Play Challenges30:00 Why Local Cons Matter & Final Reflections Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Support your Local Convention (S4E22) on YouTube. Show Notes MEPACon RECAP What is MEPACon? MEPACon stands for "Mid-Eastern Pennsylvania Gaming Convention" Located near Allentown, PA About 30 minutes from Ken’s house.  Held every six month, in spring and fall Not sure on the ex

After some bartering in Covenant, the Wastelanders continue their quest to hunt down Thriftway's raiders. The Wastelanders' goal? Recover Steve NuGunner's NuRay 3000. Oh, and a girl who was kidnapped from Covenant by the raiders. Fallout 2d20 Campaign Page: An overview of the campaign, plus links to episodes and related game resources. Fallout 2d20 Resources: Links to community forums, wikis, rules, podcasts, and cheatsheets. Chapters 0:00 Intro & Wasteland Recap5:15 Covenant Refuge and Raider Fallout13:10 Upgrades, Bartering & Lars’ Plea20:40 Junkyard Clues & Mole Rat Mayhem31:25 Tracking Raiders & Teddy Bear Prep40:10 Ambush in the Wastes: Sneak or Shoot52:45 Sewer Entrance & Guard Elimination1:00:50 Shotgun Justice & Laser Luck1:17:35 Sewer Showdown & Whip Disarm1:33:55 The Turret Twist & Fallout Cliffhanger Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch Fallout 2d20 Chapter 4: Shotgun Justice on YouTube. Show Notes The wasteland adventurers delve deeper into the

Ken and David explore Moonbeam.stream, a streaming platform made for tabletop gamers and creatives, while sharing their live-streaming experiments and future content plans. They also dive into their respective ShadowDark campaigns, filled with dungeon chefs, dagger-bound skeletons, and low-level party drama. Ken preps for his return to Philmont, while David tempts fate with yet another enticing Kickstarter. Moonbeam sites Moonbeam.streaming The Lair's Realm on Moonbeam Chapters 0:09 What Is Moonbeam.stream?1:19 Streaming Past and Present2:48 Live Streaming Experiments3:28 Ken's OBS Trials & Switch Bridge Setup4:50 Drawing Dungeons and Mothership Maps5:46 Streaming One-Shots and Actual Plays6:07 The DIE: Die Improvement Environment7:24 Portal Vibes & Co-Working Streams9:29 Scheduling & Chaos Coordination14:21 Ken’s Training for Philmont18:18 Altitude, Monsoons, and Backpack Logistics25:04 Cooking in the Dungeon: ShadowDark Update28:24 Party Health Woes and Lucky Rolls30:55 Skeletons, Dire R

On this episode, we talk about the top mistakes we made running ShadowDark (aka "how Ken accidentally enabled hard mode for his campaign"). Our mistakes include "overly complicate torch management", "create deadlier rat diseases", "don't use Luck points", and more! Looking for more ShadowDark content? Check out these Lair episodes: d12 Ways ShadowDark is Awesome! (S4E15) Shadowdark Impressions (Campaigns & Coffee) Chapters Listen to the Episode Watch to the Episode Watch d8 ShadowDark Mistakes We Made on YouTube. Show Notes 1. Overcomplicate Torch Management You don't need to do torch gymnastics to light a new one. If your old one is burning down, and the players want to start a new torch, they do it. The timer is reset to 60 minutes, and the old torch is discarded. Keeping fractional torches around ("But we had 15 minutes left on this torch!") is a natural impulse given the importances (and potential scarcity) of light, but fractional torches make thing