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Wayne, Callum, and Annina unbox Arcana Unleashed and Deadfall, then dig into the second wave of Underdark Unearthed Arcana for D&D 5.5e. They break down the new subclasses on offer, then go deep on the two new playable species — myconids and driders — where one nails the theme and the other doesn’t. Patreon: patreon.com/bardicquest Website: bardicquest.com X/Twitter: x.com/bardicquest Instagram: instagram.com/bardicquest Facebook: facebook.com/bardicquest 0:00 Introduction & unboxing Arcana Unleashed and Deadfall 9:20 Why the new D&D sourcebooks feel thin on lore 20:30 Underdark sourcebook incoming — new subclass overview 28:50 Diving into the two new Underdark species 32:40 Myconid — mushroom people done right 40:15 Drider — a monstrosity with an identity crisis 1:03:50 Feedback survey closes October 1st, what’s coming next 1:06:35 Wrap-up Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj6l7zTjUAl6U_n2xEaT-dg/join ...

Attacks of opportunity ruined 5E combat for me. 5.5 completely turned that around — here’s the full comparison and why. Full episode on Insight Check, exclusive to Silver-tier Patreon and YouTube members. 👉 https://patreon.com/bardicquest #BardicQuest #DnD #Shorts ...

The disarm action — forgotten by players and DMs alike. Here’s the full rule from the 2014 Dungeon Master’s Guide (page 271) and how to use it at the table. Full episode on Insight Check, exclusive to Silver-tier Patreon and YouTube members. 👉 https://patreon.com/bardicquest #BardicQuest #DnD #Shorts ...

Annina Kaski is trained to level two in lightsaber combat and owns competition sabers. She also trained in motion capture under Neil Newbon, who you would know as Astarion. Wayne Ingram believes that YouTube is the new stage, and that “It’s not really the dungeon master’s responsibility to ensure you have fun. It is the dungeon master’s responsibility, in my view, to ensure that you are included and that you are part of the game…. It’s about facilitating the collective fun rather than the individual fun.” Callum Robertson spent nearly every copper of his starting gold on rope, traps and a grappling hook, deliberately leaving exactly two gold pieces — to put on his eyes when he dies. ▶ BARDIC QUEST: https://www.youtube.com/@BardicQuest · bardicquest.com These are three professionally trained British stage actors. They run one of the better Dungeons & Dragons shows on YouTube, and I’m having a live chat with them Sunday 9-13-26, at 3 pm EST. Wayne and Callum met as kids doing pantomime at their local theatre, went off to separate universities, both became working actors, and found each other again two decades later around a D&D table. Annina writes and stars in her own award-winning series, demonstrates board games professionally at conventions, and will tell you firmly that Lord of the Rings — not Star Wars — is her actual fandom. Tomorrow night I am asking them what actually happens when trained actors play D&D. Whether performance training makes the game better, or makes everyone resist a bad dice roll because it ruins a good scene. Whether a DM is supposed to be a referee or a fan. The player character whose soul got written into the Shadowfell. The goblin that got named live on air, badly, because nobody had prepped a second goblin name. And a homebrew world where the gods stopped handing out magic. Elves kept theirs. Work out what that does to the price of an elf. There is also a line Wayne has said about running a table that I have said almost word for word on this channel. I am going to ask him where he got it. Set a reminder and come hang with us in the chat. And tell me below: has a trained actor ever sat down at your table? Did it lift the game, or did it take it over? ▶ WATCH FIRST: “The Best D&D DMs Are Referees, Not Fans” — my own take on the argument I am putting to Wayne tomorrow. https://youtu.be/U1zI-8QAQbI My channel, if you are new here: 📍 https://www.youtube.com/@joethelawyer My FREE Substack has chapters from the Dungeon Master’s Guide I’m writing: 📍 https://analogmancave.substack.com/ My FREE Patreon has the work-in-progress on the 5e Old School D&D Hack: 📍 https://patreon.com/Joethelawyer Channel membership for early access and members-only post-game wrap-ups: 📍 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCABv_juND7JHvVbJCjWjhlw/join Twitter/X: 📍 https://x.com/analogmancave Discord (the Cavemen): 📍 https://discord.gg/RHxTCq3mzT Podcast on Spotify/Apple/Rumble: search “Joethelawyer’s Analog Mancave” On the channel I cover D&D 5e, OSR, old-school D&D, DM philosophy, actual play, homebrew campaigns, house rules, and what makes great sessions actually feel great. #DnD #DungeonsAndDragons #DnD5e #TabletopRPG #DungeonMaster #ActualPlay #BardicQuest #Homebrew #DMAdvice #OSR #GaryGygax #Gygax ...

Wizards of the Coast just announced a Dungeons & Dragons x Star Wars crossover, arriving as part of Universes Beyond in late 2027. Wayne, Annina, and Callum spend the first half of this episode picking apart what WotC and Hasbro will actually ship — page count, class list, whether it’s a straight 5E reskin or a system built from scratch — then spend the second half designing their own version from a fictional Hasbro brief, from Force mechanics to starship combat. Patreon: https://patreon.com/bardicquest YouTube Membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj6l7zTjUAl6U_n2xEaT-dg/join Website: https://bardicquest.com X/Twitter: https://x.com/BardicQuest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bardicquest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bardicquest 0:00 Welcome — what we actually know about D&D Star Wars 5:32 Reskin or new system? Wayne’s “it’s a trap” theory 13:11 Hasbro’s track record: action figures, WizKids, board games 16:34 Predicting the box set — three books, eight classes, Old Republic roots 29:44 Doing the page-count math against Heroes of Faerûn 34:32 What gets cut: thin lore and “Top Trumps” starship combat 44:42 Droids, aliens, and the species problem 49:43 Part 2: we build our own D&D Star Wars 1:00:00 The Force, lightsabers, and the Jedi power problem 1:19:04 Fixing the balance, then final predictions ...

Wayne and Annina break down every announcement from the D&D Vision keynote at Gen Con, including the new D&D Icons initiative fronted by Joe Manganiello with Luke Gygax, Tracy Hickman, and R.A. Salvatore, the Dungeons & Dragons x World of Warcraft crossover (Season of Champions), the mature-rated Dark Sun setting, and the divisive Dungeons & Dragons Star Wars announcement. They react live to the keynote’s lack of detail, weigh in on new studio partnerships for Ravenloft, Eberron, and Forgotten Realms, and give their honest verdict on where D&D’s 2027 release lineup is headed. Patreon: https://patreon.com/bardicquest YouTube Membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj6l7zTjUAl6U_n2xEaT-dg/join Website: https://bardicquest.com X/Twitter: https://x.com/BardicQuest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bardicquest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bardicquest Chapters 0:00 Introduction — reacting to the Gen Con D&D Vision keynote 4:28 D&D Icons announced — Joe Manganiello, Luke Gygax, Tracy Hickman, R.A. Salvatore 26:54 Release countdown begins: Arcana Unleashed and the World of Warcraft crossover 43:59 D&D Universes Beyond and the Star Wars crossover reveal 1:04:26 Dark Sun returns as D&D’s first mature-rated 5E setting 1:13:27 Greyhawk: Crown of the Witch-Queen adventure revealed 1:17:16 New third-party studio partnerships (Ravenloft, Eberron, Forgotten Realms) 1:24:02 Final verdict: cautiously optimistic about D&D’s 2027 lineup ...

Two years since the D&D 2024 rulebooks landed, and this episode asks whether the new edition actually delivers. Wayne, Annina and Callum compare 5.5’s release schedule against original 5th Edition’s, dig into what’s missing mechanically (downtime, encumbrance, real subsystems), and get into the OGL fallout, the D&D movie’s box office, and a rumour about Joe Manganiello’s next D&D project. Recorded ahead of Gen Con, this is the wishlist episode: what they want announced, what Ravenloft: Horrors Within got wrong, and why third-party creators are starting to do WotC’s job for them. Our Links Patreon: https://patreon.com/bardicquest YouTube Membership: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj6l7zTjUAl6U_n2xEaT-dg/join Website: https://bardicquest.com X/Twitter: https://x.com/BardicQuest Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bardicquest/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bardicquest Chapters 0:00 Introduction & the plan change 1:00 D&D 2024 turns two: is it really that old? 11:00 Two years of releases, side by side 19:00 WotC’s management shake-up and Critical Role 23:00 The OGL fallout and the D&D movie 29:00 What’s missing from 5.5’s core rules 39:00 Oversimplification and “diegetic rip cords” 53:00 The verdict: is 5.5 actually better? 59:00 What 5.5 needs next: Xanathar’s, Tasha’s, and the Ravenloft problem 1:11:00 Gen Con wishlist and the Manganiello rumour 1:29:00 Wrap-up ...

Wayne, Annina, and Callum break down everything revealed so far about D&D’s new Arcana Unleashed and Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall books — new subclasses, backgrounds, feats, magic items, and the Thay-set adventure starring the lich Szass Tam. They also cover this year’s Gen Con news, including Wizards of the Coast’s live show lineup, the D&D Vision Keynote, and ticket pricing for the convention events. Stay tuned — our Hollow Warden ranger breakdown is coming in a future episode. Featuring Annina and Callum. Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj6l7zTjUAl6U_n2xEaT-dg/join 0:00 Introduction and episode overview 1:20 Gen Con news: D&D’s biggest presence in years 6:04 Why live D&D theater shows are booming 16:55 Wizards of the Coast leadership and rebuilding trust 19:21 Arcana Unleashed: new subclasses, backgrounds, and feats 33:30 Arcana Unleashed: Deadfall — Szass Tam and Thay 54:08 What’s coming next: Hollow Warden, State of 5.5, and more 57:30 Gen Con ticket prices and event breakdown 1:09:20 Closing thoughts and outro ...

Wayne and Annina dig into the College of Spirits Bard, the reworked subclass from Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. They break down every feature level by level — the Spirits From Beyond table, spiritual focus options, and the level 14 capstone. Plus a quick look at July’s new D&D Beyond drops: paraelementals, new feats, and magic items. 0:00 Introduction 0:20 D&D Beyond July Drops — New Elementals 8:15 New Magic Items 11:50 New Feats 19:15 College of Spirits Bard — Overview & Concept 27:10 Level 3 Features — Channeler & Spiritual Focus 37:45 Spirits From Beyond Table Breakdown 47:30 Level 6 & Level 14 Features 53:50 What’s Missing — The Spirit Guide Gap 61:40 Final Verdict & Wrap-Up Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj6l7zTjUAl6U_n2xEaT-dg/join ...

Wayne and Annina give an honest, chapter-by-chapter review of Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, the new D&D 5.5 sourcebook for gothic horror campaigns. They dig into how much of the book is a reprint of Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft, what’s genuinely new (bastion hauntings, dark lord domain effects, updated stat blocks, new backgrounds), and why they think Wizards of the Coast dropped the ball on general horror mechanics. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction and first impressions of the physical book 4:00 The elephant in the room – is this just Van Richten’s Guide reprinted? 11:33 What Annina expects from a good Horror-themed RPG book 19:33 Breaking down the book’s structure and roll tables 22:00 The missing horror mechanics 30:33 How each Dark Lord’s domain feels mechanically different 48:35 New stat blocks and the Denizens of the Mists section 49:41 Haunted Bastions 1:00:07 Tarokka deck appendix and final verdict ...