Radio Free Borderlands: A Dungeons & Dragons Podcast: Recent Episodes
Radio Free Borderlands: A Dungeons & Dragons Podcast
Radio Free Borderlands is a show about D&D spanning the entire run of the game. You will get the past, present, and future of the game, along with product reviews, retro reviews, gaming advice, talk on the culture of gamers, and whatever can be shoehorned into the overall narrative of D&D. No matter what edition you play, you will find topics on it.
So Dan & Al decided it was time once again to do yet another installment of the playlist! Featuring more Fates Warning, Iron Maiden, Blind Guardian, Led Zeppelin, Dio, Witch's Witch, & Uriah Heep.
Al & I decided to answer a few random questions. Unfortunately at least two of them seemed to be traps to get us heat. So I've been sitting on this episode since May, debating with myself whether or not I should post it, which created a logjam.
Synopsis: Dan & Al discuss the recent big news that D&D is finally returning to these two classic settings!
A continuation of Dan & Al's gamer's playlist. Featuring Blue Oyster Cult, Blind Guardian, Deep Purple, Fates Warning (again), Black Sabbath, Manowar, & HammerFall.
Dan & Al decided to create the ultimate D&D musical playlist. This selection includes Triumph, Fates Warning, Led Zeppelin, Rush, Rainbow, Metallica, & Queen.
With all the talk around the community on the 2 classic settings that are coming, I thought it would be interesting to predict what we may be seeing next year. Of course, if you saw my record in my family's NFL Picks game, you would take any predictions from me with a huge grain of salt.
SYNOPSIS: Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft had some big changes to the original Domains of Dread. Why do these changes bother those of us who have played for decades? How much setting baggage is too much? Could reboots be a good thing?
SYNOPSIS: Tonight is all about this 1st Edition rules expansion, which gave the players new classes, spells, subraces, and more.
SYNOPSIS: Today I dive into what may be my favorite video game RPG trilogy! Let's revisit the world of Erdrick & the Dragonlord.
SYNOPSIS: In this new ongoing series, I had Al on to discuss this SNES classic, and translating the world of Cecil, Rydia & Kain into D&D.
SYNOPSIS: You deserve an explanation as to why the release schedule is so spotty. So here it is. Lots of personal news here but it will explain stuff I suppose. Also some tips on packing your D&D stuff for moving.
SYNOPSIS: I got my PoD stuff from the DM's Guild finally, so it's time to discuss the quality of the legacy products that are available.
SYNOPSIS: Can I still have a con experience without the con? Well, I certainly try. From Netflix to eBay, we try to do with what we have.
SYNOPSIS: A shorter episode, but I wanted to discuss the amazing power metal band Rhapsody of Fire and how the Emerald Sword Saga & Dark Secret Saga could both be made into incredible campaigns.
SPECIAL GUEST: Al SYNOPSIS: I went and found ten D&D questions of various levels of stupidity for Al and I to debate (or agree) over.
SYNOPSIS: Yea, I have no idea why the audio sounds like that. I tried everything to fix it but I'm no professional. As you can tell. Anyway, topics include metagaming, D&D Metal, edition-swapping, and Critical Role's new book.
SYNOPSIS: I think it's time to discuss the endless comparisons gamers are making to the big-shot online games. We need some perspective.
SYNOPSIS: I take you through my thoughts on the Acquisitions Incorporated supplement released collaboratively between WotC & Penny Arcade.
SPECIAL GUEST: Shannon! SYNOPSIS: We talk about our yearly journey to Indianapolis for the biggest game convention of them all!
SYNOPSIS: Dan gives his thoughts on Ghosts of Saltmarsh and all its Greyhawk-y goodness. Also, some questions are answered and a shout-out to a new podcast from one of our listeners!
SYNOPSIS: A special sleep-deprived (and thus a bit rambly and off-the-cuff) multi-topic episode to break the silence, discussing my thoughts on the Reaper Bones 4 Kickstarter models, the Wizkids D&D minis, and my trip to Khaos Kon in Oshkosh.
Synopsis: Dan goes on about his geeky fanboy experience in Lake Geneva for Gary Con and all the games and fun that went with it.
SYNOPSIS: Tonight I walk through this legendary series of books that span 20 years of D&D magic items!
SYNOPSIS: In the last of my fall reviews (only a month late!) I tackle this M:TG crossover setting book. Do I look at it with an open mind, or will grognard tendencies win the day?
SYNOPSIS: Dan reviews this historical book, where it's almost like a review and a retro-review all in one!
SYNOPSIS: It's time again to jump down the hole in the Yawning Portal and spend some quality time in Halaster's playground! How does the 5th Ed. trip to Undermountain fare when compared to the 2e, 3.5 and 4e delves? Let's find out!
SYNOPSIS: There's gold in them there.... um... sewers or something? After a very stressful few weeks, Dan's back with his take on the newish Waterdeep - Dragon Heist, because it would be silly to do the review for DotMM first.
SYNOPSIS: Get ready to raid the Tomb of Damara again! This time I'm taking on the AD&D 2nd Edition First Quest box set, which was created as an intro to the AD&D game. We'll talk about the contents, the pared-down rules, the adventures, and of course the CD.
HOSTS: Dan & John. SYNOPSIS: We take a moment or an hour to talk about not only where 5th Ed. has gone over the past four years, but also where we'd like to see some of the products go. Someone please convince WotC to listen to this!
SYNOPSIS: Dan finally gets back in gear to bring another entry into the Retro Review series, this time a late 1st Edition classic.
VERY SPECIAL GUESTS: Shannon & Devon. SYNOPSIS: The three of us discuss how the convention went, including the EGO II, the Final Fantasy TCG, Devon's ocarina, and Shannon's anime fix.
SYNOPSIS: News on the new settings, streams, the Dwarven Forge Kickstarter, gift sets for Christmas, Gen Con guests & I-65 closures, and how to completely fail at an announcement.
GUEST CO-HOST: Al. SYNOPSIS: Al & Dan break out the cards from the AD&D Trivia Game (released in 1991) and see how bad they score, proving that verbatim knowledge of the rules does not make one a better or worse player.
SYNOPSIS: My summary of the contents of the book as well as my overall thoughts on the product itself.
GUEST HOST: Al. SYNOPSIS: Dan & Al talk about the benefits and difficulties of rotisserie gaming, where each week there is a different DM and potentially different PCs.
VERY SPECIAL GUESTS: Rhiannon & Devon. SYNOPSIS: Tonight I sat down with the kiddos to talk about their first D&D session and what they thought about it. Note that while I tried to explain how to talk in the microphone they were a bit mousy so they aren't as loud as I am.
SYNOPSIS: News on Into the Borderlands, teases of Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, D&D goes METAL, and more! \m/
SPECIAL GUEST: Al. SYNOPSIS: With con season coming up, Dan & Al talk about some of the unique situations that happen when running a game in this environment, from pre-gens and pacing to the various differences between con games and your home game.
SYNOPSIS: News about Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, new pre-painted minis, new POD offerings, a new way to listen to RFB, and some rumors about Spelljammer & Dark Sun.
SYNOPSIS: In this second musical episode, Dan discusses how the influence of Rush inspired gamers with their music and lyrics.
GUEST CO-HOST: Al. SYNOPSIS: Tonight we had a discussion on using the wilderness and travel to the fullest, instead of simply rolling for encounters. From using the environment to add a challenge to peppering the journey with sights and interactions, we talk all the ways to make the travel part of the adventure.
SYNOPSIS: News on products from the early 90s and early 80s that are ready for you to buy them again; a new 3.5 class that smells like your deodorant, UA wilderness rules, and more.
SYNOPSIS: News on the upcoming Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes, Goodman's Into the Borderlands, new DM's Guild rules, another unfortunate loss in the D&D community, and more.
SYNOPSIS: Dan goes back to some missed 5th ed. products that could use a review but didn't due to the lack of content of each on their own. Included are the DM's Screen, DM's Screen Reincarnated, D&D Adventure Grid, Dungeonology, Character Sheet Folder, and Cloud Giant's Bargain.
SYNOPSIS: News about the D&D Movie, new minis from Reaper, Dragon+, Gen Con & The E.G.O., and Star Frontiers! (For real! Star Frontiers!)
SYNOPSIS: I know I promise news every month, but the pickings were slimmer than ever this time around. Summary of the GameHole Con panel, 2018 products, and not much more.
SYNOPSIS: Dan goes chapter-by-chapter in this review of the newest 5th Edition supplement, and the first major 5e rules expansion.
SYNOPSIS: Dan goes through the contents of the latest 5th Edition D&D adventure, and gives his personal feedback.
SYNOPSIS: Updates on Xanathar's Guide, Goodman's reprints of B1/B2, Empyria, Thunderbolt Mountain, and new rules updates.
SYNOPSIS: In this episode we travel to the not-so-distant-at-all past of fourth edition and this book of short adventures which span the difficulty levels.
SYNOPSIS: New products, new apps, new options, and an interesting new Kickstarter campaign.
SYNOPSIS: Dan takes you through what he saw as the highs and lows of Gen Con 50. From the out-of-game parts of the E.G.O., Consignment Store surprises, to the van-oven.
SYNOPSIS: All the news from August, including D&D Beyond, Fantasy Grounds, Unearthed Arcana, Starfinder, Star Wars, Reaper Bones IV, and more!
SYNOPSIS: Dan walks you through the E.G.O. From Gen Con in a narrative based on the events of the sessions.
SYNOPSIS: Information regarding road conditions, weather, some recommendations, food info, retrospective information, a personal anecdote, and a bit of an editorial on WotC. You're probably not surprised on that last bit.
SYNOPSIS: The RR series is back with this splatbook pioneer! Introducing kits to AD&D, adding proficiency rules, and more combat options.
SYNOPSIS: I need to not make this a habit... News about Reaper Bones, Top Secret, D&D Beyond, and Gen Con.
GUEST CO-HOST: Al SYNOPSIS: Al and I talk about the connotations of "grognard," the original meaning, and how to get along with the new folks. And a whole lot of tangents that may or may not prove we've hit that grognard stage.
SYNOPSIS: A bit late but it's summer. News about the new storyline, other new releases, Reaper's giant Tiamat, D&D Beyond, and my E.G.O. events for Gen Con.
YOUR HOST: Dan
SYNOPSIS: The 80's D&D cartoon wasn't awful by any means, despite my jokes about it. This time around I take the side of defending this old classic for my generation.
YOUR HOST: Dan
SYNOPSIS: The news for May (what little there is)! Announcement of a new storyline, AMA from Mearls, and new Wizkids minis.
YOUR HOST: Dan
SYNOPSIS: Tonight I talk through message hammers and the need to decree a "right way to play" D&D. You probably know where this is going.
YOUR HOST: Dan
SYNOPSIS: In this episode I give you my own personal rundown of the latest (and yet still oldest) set of adventures released for 5th Edition.
YOUR HOST: Dan
SYNOPSIS: WotC has choked off the news, but I've still found some new info for you all! New deckbuilder game, MIA Kickstarters, Article changes, and a ton of new old PDFs.
HOST: Dan
CO-HOST: Al
SYNOPSIS: Al joins us again to talk about various places that we can seek inspration for our new characters. We dig into both in-game methods and throughout media.
SYNOPSIS: News about e-tools, updated classics, miniatures, new products, and some rock & roll at Gen Con!
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Shannon SYNOPSIS: Shannon returns to talk about a topic that she wanted to discuss with us all, that of magic items that aren't really combat-focused. We also take a slight diversion to talk about the Book of Wonderous Inventions (BECMI).
SYNOPSIS: February has come & gone, but here's what has been in the news for D&D for the month, as well as our monthly list of Cons to look forward to!
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: I try my best, without judgement of your favored version of the game, to look into the causes of the edition wars by comparing two transitions. I also try to kill the notion of "nerd rage."
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Dan comes out of quarantine finally for an update on all the news for the new year, including the recently announced Tales From the Yawning Portal.
Synopsis: More Unearthed Arcana, New POD & PDFs, New WizKids minis, and the loss of a legend. For Summerlund and the Kai!
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: My recording woes are over! Time to make up lost episodes, first with this retro review which I've wanted to do for months. We'll be checking out this rules tome which is one third (or fourth depending on who you talk to) of the rules expansions which made up the "2.5 edition" rules.
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al. SYNOPSIS: Audio quality isn't up to my normal desired levels but the content & topic is good even though I sound like I'm using a tin can for a microphone. Today Al & Dan discuss the rules concerning immortality & divine ascension amongst PCs through the editions and where they thought these rules hit perfect and where they maybe needed some help.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: The audio is a little better, but I'm still having issues. Therefore, here's the November news which will hopefully keep you happy until the promised new big-topic show can be finished. This month features info from Gamehole Con, a Hall of Fame nod, a PH2 denied, and the surprise big news that WotC didn't even bother to announce!
YOUR HOST Dan. SYNOPSIS: Back to work after countless problems. For this review we walk through the sections of this new accesory together! Apologies for the less-than-stellar sound quality, I'm still trying to get the details right on my new system.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Not much news, but some updates on Volo's Guide to Monsters, the "labyrinth" rumor from Amazon, encounter building from UA, new Classics, conventions, and more.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Dan spends 20 minutes gushing over one of his favorite bands and how they inspired his D&D gaming over the past few decades and rules editions. (and hopefully inspires you to check out Achilles Last Stand and No Quarter)
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Better late than never, here's Dan's review of the newest module to hit your FLGS.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Find out why a major Asian Shipping Corporation may cause problems with your gaming, why some theater-goers didn't get their freebie module, what "Labyrinth" means, and where I have been.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: If you listened to the Year One in Review you probably know what I was hoping for this year. Did I get it? Here's my take on the past year in D&D, and what I hope to see in Year 3.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: News about Gen Con Attendance, Storm King's Thunder, some business-side numbers, and more.
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Shannon. SYNOPSIS: Dan & Shannon have a long and sometimes odd discussion on their take of this year's Gen Con. And Dan's love of the Consignment area. And Pokemon Go in the Exhibit Hall. And Crystal Pepsi.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: News about WotC on Twitter, new resources for virtual table tops, new PDFs, rumors involving Print on Demand, and more!
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & John. SYNOPSIS: We take a look behind the wizard's curtain to some of the stories that made it out of TSR, hopefully constructing a framework that will let us see perhaps why such a successful company like TSR had such a big fall. We talk about the early successes, the devastating losses (RIP Don Kaye), the betrayals, the bad decisions, and that business deal they made back in the 80s that probably killed the company in the end. Please keep in mind that much of what happened back then is heresay, and we tried our best to discuss things we've heard from multiple sources. But, we may have missed some stuff, or misheard some stuff. A big and controversial conversation for #100!
YOUR HOST: Dan SYNOPSIS: Info to help you make the best of Gen Con, for both new visitors as well as the Veterans! Everything from Gas prices in Indy to the lack of official WotC presence.
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al. SYNOPSIS: Nobody likes to waste money. So we discuss going back and forth between editions for different campaigns, some of the benefits and hinderances of this, as well as ways to make each campaign fit within a larger narrative, even when jumping from one edition to the other. Play 'em all, we say!
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: All the news from June, including info on Storm King's Thunder, Volo's Guide to Monsters, new PDF downloads, and the July conventions!
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al. SYNOPSIS: Never limit your game ideas to the fantasy themed books, TV, and film! Al & Dan discuss using places, people, history, and all sorts of other things here in the real world to inspire you in game!
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al. SYNOPSIS: Continuing on with the art theme, Al & Dan got together to talk about the 2nd Edition artwork, and how it evolved with the financial troubles of TSR, the anti-80s 90s, and the WotC purchase.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: It's been awhile, so another retro review is in order, this time the late 3.5-era supplement Exemplars of Evil!
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al. SYNOPSIS: Time to steal the plots & other aspects of our favorite movies again! Choices this time include Labyrinth, The People Under The Stairs, Game of Death, The Incredibles, Star Wars, and The Magnificent Seven.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNPOPSIS: Check out all the news that's been scrounged for the month of May!
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Back on our journey through the settings, this time the recent addition of Eberron. Explore Sharn, meet some warforged, and try not to restart the Last War.
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al. SYNOPSIS: In an all-new series (I know, there are a lot of them already) we discuss this classic of 80s-90s era TSR.
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al. SYNOPSIS: The art plays a very important role in D&D. It inspires us, draws us in, and helps jump-start the imagination when needed. It also sometimes hints at where we were in real life at the time the art was created. These ideas, as well as discussions on some of the iconic A/D&D artists from the Basic/BECMI and 1st Edition era, will be presented to you.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: More news about the movie, leadership change at WotC, MTG for D&D, Baldman Games, miniature deals and ripoffs, and old-new stuff on PDF.
YOUR HOSTS: Dan & Al SYNOPSIS: Sometimes in the course of a campaign one aspect goes way out of whack and over the top. Too much violence, campaign-jumping, sexism, terrible humor attempts, etc. Dan & Al discuss many of the ones that could and do often happen, with ways to see if you may be the one going over the top.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Pretty straightforward, actually. Our official review for the newest 5th edition adventure!
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: News on Curse of Strahd, new Classics, minis, and some rambling about Pine-Sol.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: My campaign has crashed & burned. Let's discuss why, and maybe figure out ways to fix it!
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Updates on the D&D Movie, Curse of Strahd, D&D Classics, GMs Guild, and the passing of two legends of the art.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: Love it or hate it, the idea of PCs jumping from one campaign setting to another has always been with the game. In this episode is some history, as well as my own opinions on the subject and how to make it work under certain circumstances.
YOUR HOST: Dan. SYNOPSIS: It's been awhile since I've done one of these, so I decided to delve into a true classic, B3 Palace of the Silver Princess. I include information on the controversial origins of the module, pricing if you want to find it now, some of the interesting choices of formatting & more.