#224. The REAL Reason We Only Talk D&D (and Daggerheart)

Wizards of the Coast collaborates with Melf himself, Luke Gygax, on a new Greyhawk setting book for D&D 5.5e. Meanwhile we plan a TTRPG heist adventure and debate random encounter charts.Back Neopia Quest today! https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_GGNQ_2026_1_226Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro04:19 - Playing a MEGA-dungeon09:42 - Melf's Guide to Greyhawk22:35 - Neopia Quest launches!24:59 - Direct sales vs distribution31:16 - Heists and sneaking past danger!50:35 - Using random encounter charts

10 Tabletop Roleplaying Games DOMINATED 2025 sales from Sept-Nov, Matt Colville shows how MCDM continue to do things differently, and why backseat Dungeon Mastering drives us all nuts!Follow Neopia Quest for updates: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_GGNQ_2026_1_226Check out  ⁨@masteringdungeons⁩  MCDM interview: https://youtu.be/6-dUeIQHRYs?si=yNNRb9AtCEumvhTYEmail your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro04:43 - Top selling TTRPGs22:16 - Matt Colville interview recap28:40 - Neopets ends Geekify license32:53 - Neopia Quest34:51 - Critical Role movie39:40 - Backseat DMing47:21 - Best 5e monster rules

WotC reveal D&D Seasons as the roadmap forward in 2026, including new Ravenloft content in the Season of Horror and Arcana Unleashed to empower spellcasters!Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro04:05 - D&D Beyond interview recap08:15 - Chris Cocks on AI (briefly)09:22 - D&D roadmap28:48 - Vox Machina S433:19 - Kickstarter United35:15 - 1 setting, multiple tables?46:13 - Big monsters at low levels

Ben & Todd talk to Brian Perry (Executive Producer) and Zac Cohn (MAPS Product Manager) to explore how D&D Beyond is changing to make playing D&D 5.5e a better game to play! Critical Role makes a new hire, and the Exodus TTRPG not published by WotC?Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro00:45 - Brian Perry and Zac Cohn Interview37:37 - New DnD books44:25 - Crit Role hires Alyssa52:31 - DnD Fan Expo London56:10 - Exodus RPG

A roadmap for D&D Beyond reveals new upcoming features, the OGL architect claims AI could replace game designers, and is it better to have more classes or subclasses in a TTRPG like D&D or Pathfinder?Follow Neopia Quest for updates: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_GGNQ_2026_1_226D&D Beyond roadmap article: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/2132-d-d-beyonds-2026-development-roadmapEmail your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro07:29 - D&D Beyond roadmap23:03 - Neopets TTRPG disaster28:47 - Can AI replace game designers?37:41 - Pathfinder playtest40:53 - Classes vs subclasses

Chris Perkins reveals how Vecna: Eve of Ruin COULD have been a perfect finale for 5e 2014, D&D continues the march towards its digital future, and is the fall of Discord going to harm tabletop roleplaying games?Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro09:20 - Vecna’s missing obelisks19:57 - Hasbro pushes digital26:46 - Discord hurting TTRPGs35:42 - Villain foreshadowing49:39 - Volcano adventures

D&D gets a television series as a sequel to Baldur's Gate 3 while Apple TV greenlights multiple Cosmere projects. Then remembering we're a TTRPG podcast, we debate whether Wild Shape is magical and why Encumbrance is a GREAT RULE, ACTUALLY TODD!Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro01:16 - Is Wild Shape magic?08:46 - HBO Baldur's Gate 3 series17:59 - Apple TV Cosmere series24:39 - Beadle & Grimms D&D leaks27:41 - GM books vs player books37:14 - When to help players with rules51:51 - Enforcing encumbrance

Does Demiplane's NEW Campaign feature give it an edge over D&D Beyond? Meanwhile, WotC continues hiring game designers, and how can YOU design the best dungeons?Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - Intro03:59 - WotC hires MORE designers05:49 - New Hasbro board members08:07 - Why AI can't play D&D15:19 - New Demiplane features21:16 - Designing GREAT dungeons35:56 - Setting Ability Check DC's

D&D introduces itself to Fortnite players, WotC hires ANOTHER fantastic game designer, and we decide upon the TOP 3 D&D 5e Adventure Modules!Follow Neopia Quest here: https://ghostfiregaming.com/GGYT_GGNQ_2026_1_226Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  @jberrt  Topics:00:00 - TOP 3 D&D Adventure Modules12:18 - WotC Hires Shawn13:30 - D&D Fortnite collab18:01 - D&D Beyond 3rd party updates25:42 - Neopia Quest29:45 - DriveThru RPG price rise30:50 - Farewell Jean Rabe32:08 - Making solo scenes work43:45 - Homebrew magic itemsFortnite island codes:D&D Boxfights – 1190-4691-0255D&D Treasure RNG – 4958-2624-5634D&D Dungeon Deathrun – 5806-6430-0158D&D Bossfight – 2218-1049-5866D&D Zombie Dragon Adventure (early access) – 2525-9596-3235

Is the D&D Shrinkflation getting more noticeable with Eberron: Forge of the Artificer? Are bigger or smaller TTRPG books better? Does Critical Role or Stranger Things sell more D&D? All that, and more!Email your questions to [email protected]: @TheBenByrneDael: @dailydael Todd:  @ToddKenreck  Shawn: @shawnmerwinEditor:  ⁨@jberrt⁩  Topics:00:00 - D&D book shrinkflation08:34 - Ed Greenwood on RPG book quality18:58 - Non-WotC Forgotten Realms book?25:45 - WotC staff shuffle32:42 - The Stranger Things effect40:31 - Unearthed Arcana: Mystic Subclass47:49 - Games Workshop says "No AI"53:11 - Are miniatures needed?