Summer Reading List 2026 (S5E20)

The aliens have arrived. Every building in the world has collapsed. And now we’re all trapped in a world-wide dungeon, trying to fight our way to the 18th floor to save the world. On this episode of Side Passages, we’re looting our eight favorite concepts from the Dungeon Crawler Carl Starter Set. The PDFs for the starter set were released to backers in late August 2026. The print version of the starter set and the core rulebook are expected to ship in late fall. We took a look at the starter set. Here are our eight killer concepts from the game.

It’s summertime, which means it's time for our annual summer reading list! Featured books include Veil by Jonathan Jans, Of Monsters and Mainframes by Barbara Truelove, Dungeon Crawler Carl Matt Deniman, God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert, and the Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny.

We return to Shadowdark environmental threats by delving deeply into underground hazards. Among the dangers we discuss are collapsing tunnels, fungal forests, and the fun-but-dangerous Goonies-style water slides. Inspiration for these threats comes from Ken's Mörka Norden campaign, which features a Viking-inspired alternative universe ... and a trek underground to explore the "Deep Crawl" in search of the nefarious Rat King.

On this episode, we’re talking about how making your monsters run away can improve your game. The concept is morale, an old school D&D game mechanic that reflects how your antagonists feel about the combat. At the start of the combat, monster morale is high. They have overwhelming numbers and a charismatic leader. But then combat starts. They lose half their number to a fireball. The barbarian decapitates their leader with a critical hit. Suddenly, the remaining monsters are worried. And they’re thinking of running away.

How does a new creator build a massive TTRPG audience so fast? In this interview, we sit down with Daði from Mystic Arts to discuss his journey, his magazine The Broadsheet, and how he uses tools like Obsidian to manage 15-player West Marches campaigns as well as smaller campaigns.

The Tomb of the Forgotten is a short Shadowdark tutorial dungeon introducing dungeon masters and players to the basic mechanics of the role-playing game. On this episode, we walk through the adventure and its accompanying map.

We talk about four winter hazards for Shadowdark: ice crevasses, reindeer stampede, freezing fog, and hypothermia.

The rules say torches throw light to a "Near" distance, which is 30 ft. But is that 30 ft. from the torchbearer (30' radius, 60' diameter?) 30 ft. centered on them (15' radius, 60' diameter)? The majority says it's 60' diameter ... but a vocal minor argue for 30'. Which way is right? We use a combination of physical torchlight tools and a virtual tabletop to illuminate the issue ... and draw on Ken's experience accidentally doing it both ways in his games. Chapters 00:00 Exploring Light Sources in ShadowDark03:20 The Mechanics of Illumination07:56 Strategic Use of Light in Gameplay11:30 Environmental Effects on Visibility Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch The Great Shadowdark Torch Debate on YouTube. Show Notes The Shadowdark Torch Debate When it comes to the core rules, the explanation of how torches work is straight forward:  Torch. Sheds light to a near distance (see Light Sources, pg. 84). Burns for one hour of real time. A near distance is up to 30 feet, so clearly, the torch illuminates to a 30 foot radius, meaning you have 30 feet of light behind and a head of you. A fellow party member could advance to the edge of the light in a single move. What about other sources of illumination? The wording is the same for the light spell works the same way: Light. One object you touch glows with bright, heatless light, illuminating out to a near distance for 1 hour of real time. Lanterns sheds light to a larger distance: Lantern. Casts light up to a double near distance And yet ... people disagree. In comments on our previous torch light videos, people said that's too liberal. They say a torch sheds light to a 30 foot diameter ... centered on the torch itself. This approach causes the torch to shed light 15 feet in all directions from the torch bearer. Ken inadvertently did it both ways:  30' radius using real-world torch rings on a battle map 15' radius using Roll20's default illumination setting. Which one is better? It depends. Brighter Torches: Light as Radius Based on our entirely unscientific survey of online opinions, the majority think torches shed light in a 30' radius. This has several advantages: A brighter torch illuminates a larger portion of the map Avoids the issue of adventurers inadvertently running off into the darkness Helps prevent adventurers from falling behind (and into the darkness) when the torchbearer moves forward. Adventurers can cover more ground each round, which speeds up game play. This approach greatly enhances the utility of lanterns, as they illuminate a total of 120 feet worth of dungeon (60 feet in all directions from the caster). Lanterns allow non-torchbearers to make a double move (double "near") in one round, which enabling even faster passage through the dungeon. Faster movement through the dungeon means they have a better chance to escape threats, which increases survivability (you can decide for yourself if that's a pro or con). The downside? There are fewer places for the monsters to hide Monsters can't sneak up on the adventurers as easily. Faster movement accelerates the pace of the game, which may not fit with the sense of dread you were hoping to build. Dimmer Torches: Light as Diameter Historically, D&D spell descriptions tended to bounce between "diameter" and "radius", causing some confusion, but at least giving you a rules reference to check. Shadowdark's core rules don't offer that clarification, and a minority has gone with the more limiting definition. At only 30 feet across -- 15 feet on either side of the torchbearer -- the weaker torches offer several advantages (mostly to the game master). Adventurers can only move 15 feet before plunging into darkness. This forces the party to either light more torches, or stay close together. A closer-packed party enhances the claustrophobic feel of the dungeon Using more torches to increase light means the adventurers consume a key resource at a faster rate. The downside is it slows down exploration, which in turn slows down the game. It also enhances the mobility of the monsters relative to the players, since the night-adapted horrors can move at full-speed without any drawbacks. In Ken’s campaign, this nearly earned him a Total Party Kill as a ravenous gelatinous cube chased the adventurers. The gelatinous cube moves at Near, same as the player characters. But because they were trying to conserve torches, they only had one light source. That meant they needed to either flee the cube at half speed or run headlong into the darkness. It made for some dramatic moments, at least until they ignited several more torches ... and let their erstwhile allies, the Rat King's cultists deal with the cube while they ran. Conclusion We searched the FAQs and didn't find a definitive answer to the question of "radius" vs. "diameter" for light sources. That said, even if there were a rules-as-written answer, we think the right answer is the one that works best for your campaign.  Even if you go with the majority "bright light" torches, having a doom-filled dungeon that suppresses light output could make for a more challenging and horrific crawl. What do you think? Leave a comment on YouTube or email us at [email protected] Featured Image Meta Co-host David fears the light.

What do icy waterfalls, greasy floors, and light stealing smoke have in common? They’re all hazards! Welcome to Lair of Secrets. In this episode we're talking about Shadowdark hazards. The things that drown you, crush you, blind you, steal your memories, and more! Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Shadowdark Hazards02:33 Types of Hazards in Shadowdark04:50 (Spoiler Warning!) Examples of Hazards in Gameplay07:25 Creating Hazard Charts09:57 Combining Hazards for Greater Challenges12:38 Future Adventures and Hazards15:01 Conclusion and Call to Action Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch Shadowdark Hazards 101 on YouTube. Show Notes What is a hazard? Hazards are often environmental effects like quicksand, rushing water, and falling debris. They're things you might be able to mitigate or evade, but per the rules, there's often no way to "defeat or permanently disable them". The core rulebook defines them on page 115.  Hazards are divided into three types: Movement: Slow or stop movement. Examples: Caltops, tar fields, steep incline Damage: Ongoing damage that characters suffer while exposed to the hazard  Examples: Acid pools, lava, pummeling hail Weaken: Saps the character's physical capabilities, mental grit, or resources. Examples: blinding smoke, memory stealing, snuffs light sources,  The rules note that you can combine these to create particularly dangerous threats. Movement + Damage Exploding Rocks (Damage) + Loose Debris (Movement) Movement + Weaken Grasping Vines (Movement) + Sleep-inducing Spores (Weaken) Damage + Weaken Icy Water (Damage) + Snuffs Light Sources (Weaken) What the rules don't do is give you specific stats or mechanics for the example hazards, which hurt my brain, which grew used to having things stated out under the various editions of Dungeons & Dragons.  While the core rules don’t give any written mechanics for hazards, the Arcane Library's published adventures *do* give us a few examples of how they're used in adventures. Hazards Chart: Published Examples, Sample DCs & Damage, and Homegrown Hazards Check out our "Shadowdark Hazards Chart" post for the hazards chart we reference in the episode, as well as example hazards quoted from Lost Citadel of the Scarlet Minotaur and Cursed Scroll #3: Midnight Sun. Featured Image Meta Cover artwork from the Shadowdark RPG game master screen. Credit: Arcane Library.

When it was released in December 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 was glitchy as hell. Five years later, we’re still playing it … but why? Chapters 00:00 The Allure of Cyberpunk 207701:53 Cyberpunk's Reflection of Reality04:24 Exploration and Discovery in Night City06:55 Game Mechanics and Play Styles09:43 Updates, Mods, and Community Engagement12:36 Emotional Storytelling and Character Impact17:54 The Evolution of Cyberpunk 207722:37 Realistic Dialogue and Player Choices24:32 Interweaving Storylines and Lore26:39 Bittersweet Endings and Moral Compromises32:00 Gameplay Mechanics and Character Development36:31 Future of Cyberpunk Listen to the Episode Watch the Episode Watch Why We Keep Coming Back To Cyberpunk 2077 on YouTube. Show Notes Huge, Immersive World We want to discuss how Cyberpunk feels oddly familiar…like, even with all the over-the-top-ness of the ads, the violence, etc, the concepts are familiar because we are sort of living in it right now. I have THOUGHTS on this.  ( we were raised on Star Wars, or Trek, Or Harry Potter, and Cyberpunk. Which of those actually gives you a blueprint for today?) Exploration of the sights, sounds, and in world storytelling is deep. I have played several times and still discover something new when I have another playthrough. Ignore the main quest, focus on the small stuff THe main quest is pretty great, but there is SO MUCH small stuff that it is a lot of fun on replayed to focus on different small sidequests and details.  One criticism: you can max out your level and such fairly early by doing this. I’d love a mod that lets you keep levelling up.  Multiple starts Latest editions of the game added some RPG lines specific for each start, which was good. I’m not sure they made a difference in the overall story plot, but it was good from an immersive RPG standpoint.  Great being able to play the game for the 4th? 5th? time and still get a new experience when going the Corpo route. Multiple endings Yep, and even the ones for Phantom Liberty are noteworthy.  And can be very noir – endings that are not tidy. Or even truly happy.  So Many Toys… So Much Lore The texts you find, the documents you read in the side quests, they often reference other sidequests or jobs.  There is a ton of lore you can learn if that’s your thing.  The old just won’t leave us. It tells a good story. It brings into question what we are here for and how we leave this life. When I think about this game, I think a lot of the joyful/rageful defiance that informs Punk.  The question “How does one live when all signs point to being trod upon and powerless?” comes up, and Cyberpunk (fiction in general) often answers this with that defiance, usually in the scenery or side characters.  Usually it means breaking the law, but in this situation where the law is corrupt and unjust, it is easy to see why that decision is made.  I believe this dovetails into my earlier thoughts about CP being familiar on a level.  Mods: Dark Future mod for Cyberpunk 2077 DayDream Gaming Night City Videos 36 Streets Featured Image Meta Edgerunner artwork from Cyberpunk 2077.