Best Tiana Ren Hanson Podcasts (2024)

1
S6E40: How to Make BBEGs Not (Immediately) Explode 1:04:43

5h ago1:04:43

1:04:43

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about Big Bad Evil Guys and how to make them feel appropriately dangerous and scary. We've all been there: you spend a campaign building up to the BBEG, and then when you get into the final fight, they go down like a tower of cards in the first few rounds. How do we make that not happen? Let's talk about it! To watch …

1
S6E39: The Second Secret Ingredient 1:04:03

15d ago1:04:03

1:04:03

This week, Adam and Tiana introduce the second secret ingredient. We've talked about it before in passing, but this time, we dive deep into why curiosity is the second secret ingredient and how it can elevate your games. Be curious, not judgmental. To watch the Death Campaign live: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen Join the Discord! https://discord…

1
S6E38: Lessons Learned 1:06:20

20d ago1:06:20

1:06:20

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the lessons Adam learned from running two different sessions of Death: one on Friday for a private group of Patrons, and one on Tuesday for the livestream crew. No matter how long we've been playing or GMing, there's always something new to learn if we're willing to dig in! To watch the Death Campaign live: http…

1
S6E37: Redesigning the Ranger 1:13:22

29d ago1:13:22

1:13:22

This week, Adam and Tiana dive into a rewrite of the Ranger player class that Adam's been working on. The goal is to design to the Ranger fantasy, without being overly reactive to the 2024 changes to the class. The Google Doc with the rewritten class: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gCHFMjrHrnmmdlVeOJqFGaYVbxNY4flfQz-EeBcPlAE/edit?usp=sharing T…

1
S6E36: A Check-In on Death 1:01:43

1M ago1:01:43

1:01:43

This week, Adam and Tiana take a break from talking about the mechanics to talk about games currently in progress: the Death Campaign, currently playing out as a streamed game on Tiana's channel and two Patron games on Discord. We discuss the philosophies being explored, Sir Terry Pratchett gets a moment in the spotlight, and we talk about where th…

1
S6E35: 2014 vs 2024 Classes - Druid 1:10:04

2M ago1:10:04

1:10:04

This week, Adam and Tiana finish their evaluation of the changes to the Player Classes with a deep dive into Druid 2024. We have access to the full book now, so there's a lot more to dig through and discover; come along with us as we wrap up our discussion on Player Classes! Death Campaign: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen Join the Discord! https:…

1
S6E34: Games I Played Last Year That WEREN'T D&D (Guest Host: Chris Lee, aka. A.B.I.) 1:08:27

2M ago1:08:27

1:08:27

This week, Chris joins Adam and Tiana to talk about games he played last year that weren't D&D 5e. Along the way, we discuss design ethos, what we look for in games, and why so many systems work great for Persona. Sugar Punch, Chris's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@SugarPunch Death Campaign: https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen Join the Dis…

1
S6E33: 2014 vs 2024 Classes - Sorcerer and Wizard 59:36

2M ago59:36

59:36

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their discussion about the changes to Player Character classes in the upcoming 2024 Player's Handbook. We're comparing two classes with a lot of similarities to see how they hold up in the new edition Sorcerer blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1769-2024-sorcerer-vs-2014-sorcerer-whats-new Wizard blog post…

1
S6E32: 2014 vs 2024 Classes - Warlock and Bard 1:10:07

2M ago1:10:07

1:10:07

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their discussion about the changes to Player Character classes in the upcoming 2024 Player's Handbook. It's charisma hour with Warlocks and Bards, two of the funnest classes to play! Warlock blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1756-2024-warlock-vs-2014-warlock-whats-new Bard blog post: https://www.dndbeyond…

1
S6E31: Being a Professional GM (Guest Host: Sam Tillis) 57:26

3M ago57:26

57:26

This week, Tiana takes on the solo hosting role again and welcomes Sam Tillis to the podcast to discuss his journey to becoming a professional GM and how he handles the differences between games as recreation and games as profession. Sam's Links: https://linktr.ee/stillis.gaming Emissary link: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/447790/emissary…

1
S6E30: 2014 vs 2024 Classes - Paladin and Cleric 1:06:25

3M ago1:06:25

1:06:25

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their discussion about the changes to the player classes in the 2024 Player's Handbook. We discuss Paladin and Cleric, with our opinions about the changes Paladin blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1749-2024-paladin-vs-2014-paladin-whats-new Cleric blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1767-2024-cleri…

1
S6E29: 2014 vs 2024 Classes - Ranger 1:00:28

3M ago1:00:28

1:00:28

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their deep-dive into what's known so far about the 2024 player classes. While we planned to talk about two classes as before, we had a lot to say about ranger and our perspective on the design philosophy behind the changes. Ranger blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1759-2024-ranger-vs-2014-ranger-whats-new…

1
S6E28: 2014 vs 2024 Classes - Rogue and Monk 1:08:31

3M ago1:08:31

1:08:31

This week, Adam and Tiana continue their discussion about the changes to the player classes in the 2024 Player's Handbook. We discuss Rogue and Monk, with some digression into YouTubers and Star Wars. Rogue blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1752-2024-rogue-vs-2014-rogue-whats-new Monk blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1758-2024-mo…

1
S6E27: 2014 vs 2024 Classes - Barbarian and Fighter 1:11:41

3M ago1:11:41

1:11:41

This week, Adam and Tiana begin talking about the changes to the player classes in the 2024 D&D Player Handbook. We're working from the playtest bundles and the D&DBeyond blog posts, comparing the 2014 classes to the new changes. Barbarian blog post: https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1750-2024-barbarian-vs-2014-barbarian-whats-new Fighter blog post: …

1
S6E26: Mob Combat (Guest Host: Alandra Hileman) 1:22:07

4M ago1:22:07

1:22:07

This week, Tiana takes on the solo host role and welcomes Alandra Hileman onto the show to talk about tips and tricks for running mob combat in D&D 5e. We use examples from Phandelver and Below, a campaign Tiana recently wrapped up, to discuss ideas for making the juggling act behind the GM screen as smooth as possible. Join our Discord to continue…

1
S1E18 - Part 2 - Beyond a Lightless Star - Phandelver and Below 1:37:55

4M ago1:37:55

1:37:55

An unthinkable distance from anything the party knows, they find the beginning of the end. The godlet destroying Phandalin stands before them, and they must stand between the people in peril and its insatiable appetite.By Quests and Chaos

1
S1E18 - Part 1 - Beyond a Lightless Star - Phandelver and Below 1:40:48

4M ago1:40:48

1:40:48

An unthinkable distance from anything the party knows, they find the beginning of the end. The godlet destroying Phandalin stands before them, and they must stand between the people in peril and its insatiable appetite.By Quests and Chaos

1
S1E17 - Part 2 - Rifts in Reality - Phandelver and Below 1:23:19

4M ago1:23:19

1:23:19

One last time, the party plunges into the dangers of Phandalin, hoping that runes and rifts will give them access to resolution for the suffering town. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amyp…

1
S1E17 - Part 1 - Rifts in Reality - Phandelver and Below 1:48:37

4M ago1:48:37

1:48:37

One last time, the party plunges into the dangers of Phandalin, hoping that runes and rifts will give them access to resolution for the suffering town. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amyp…

1
S6E25: Running a Horror Game (Guest Host: Dan Waszkiewicz) 1:12:03

4M ago1:12:03

1:12:03

This week, Adam and Tiana are joined by Dan Waszkiewicz, Handler of The Redacted Reports, to talk about running a horror game. We talk about tone and themes, along with some safety tools that we think are essential to the experience. Join our Discord to offer your opinions! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs Dan's preferred safety toolkit: https://ttrpg…

1
S1E16 - Part 2 - Gibbet's Crossing - Phandelver and Below 1:28:38

4M ago1:28:38

1:28:38

Grungy map in hand, the party ventures into the Underdark to find the keys to save the stolen villagers. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt Bridges https://instagram.com/brando3…

1
S1E16 - Part 1 - Gibbet's Crossing - Phandelver and Below 1:34:42

4M ago1:34:42

1:34:42

Grungy map in hand, the party ventures into the Underdark to find the keys to save the stolen villagers. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt Bridges https://instagram.com/brando3…

1
S1E15 - Part 2 - Paths of Peril - Phandelver and Below 1:18:21

5M ago1:18:21

1:18:21

With the caves behind them, the party returns to Phandalin expecting rest and the open roads. But what they find there is beyond expectation. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt …

1
S1E15 - Part 1 - Paths of Peril - Phandelver and Below 1:45:14

5M ago1:45:14

1:45:14

With the caves behind them, the party returns to Phandalin expecting rest and the open roads. But what they find there is beyond expectation. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt …

1
S6E24: Dragon Age - The Veilguard 58:42

5M ago58:42

58:42

This week, Adam and Tiana take a break from discussing TTRPGs to discuss a game franchise we both hold dear: Dragon Age. There's a new trailer released (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F3N4Lxw4_Y), and we have OPINIONS. Check out the upcoming Death game run by Adam with Tiana as a player at https://www.twitch.ttv/vanalosswen And join our Discord t…

1
S6E23: Death - Session Zero 1:08:29

5M ago1:08:29

1:08:29

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the session zero Adam ran for the new Patron games, including going over his table rules and the general conceit for the upcoming game. The streamed version of Death can be found here! https://www.twitch.tv/vanalosswen Join our Discord to offer your opinion! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs…

1
S6E22: Roses and Thorns - A Gnarled Frontier Post-Mortem 1:02:28

5M ago1:02:28

1:02:28

This week, Adam and Tiana discuss the recently-finished Patron game, Gnarled Frontier. Adam reflects on the lessons he learned as a GM from this campaign, and goes over some of his Roses (high points) and Thorns (challenges/learning opportunities). Join our Discord to offer your opinion! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs…

1
S6E21: Curiosity and Table Dynamics 1:02:50

5M ago1:02:50

1:02:50

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about the social interactivity of TTRPGs at the table, the importance of playing to the audience (seen or unseen), and how curiosity can build the experience of everyone. Join our Discord to offer your opinion! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqsBy Adam Power, Andrew Geertsen, & Tiana Ren Hanson

1
S6E20: The Fourth Spell Component 1:05:21

6M ago1:05:21

1:05:21

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about ways to elevate the spellcasting experience and how to bring in the fourth component of a spell: roleplay. While we don't think every spell needs in-depth roleplay to make it better, we do have some thoughts and suggestions for how to use spells in a less RAW way to make the experience more dynamic. Join our Dis…

1
S6E19: Campaign Announcement and Preparation 1:13:43

6M ago1:13:43

1:13:43

This week, Adam and Tiana are thrilled to announce that Adam will be running a livestreamed D&D 5e game on Tiana's personal Twitch channel. The live session zero will be June 11th, with the campaign running through the summer. We're excited to give our listeners a sneak peek into what's coming down the pike. Join our Discord to stay updated! https:…

1
S1E14 - Revelations - Phandelver and Below 2:02:34

6M ago2:02:34

2:02:34

Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt Bridges https://instagram.com/brando30rock/ James Aaron Oh | https://instagram.com/jamesaaronoh/ Support The Channel Join our Patreon - https:…

1
S6E18: Five Principles of Designing Part 2 1:01:17

6M ago1:01:17

1:01:17

This week, Adam and Tiana continue digging into the five principles of design, using subclasses we designed for this project. Do you have thoughts about what we've done? Want to try the subclasses out for yourself? Let us know at the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqsBy Adam Power, Andrew Geertsen, & Tiana Ren Hanson

1
S6E17: Five Principles of Designing Part 1 1:03:17

6M ago1:03:17

1:03:17

This week, Adam and Tiana look at principles presented by Treant Monk for handling design choices. There's a lot of thought that goes into game design balance, but we think Treant Monk had a good set of thoughts with the series of questions we go into. Continue the conversation in the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs…

1
S6E16: Find Your Voice 1:01:48

6M ago1:01:48

1:01:48

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about character voices and do a short exercise to play with voice. We can put so much of what makes a character who they are into the way we choose to speak as them, and it's a lot of fun to dig into that kind of thing. Continue the conversation in the Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs…

1
S6E15: The Intention Is Not To Intend 58:33

7M ago58:33

58:33

This week, Adam and Tiana reflect on the Patron Westgate game we played the day before, and what it taught Adam in terms of GM control and how to let go. At the core of it all, punitive punishment AND mercy are forms of control that GMs need to examine and grow beyond. Join the conversation in the Discord: https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs…

1
S6E14: Triton with a Trident - A Quiz Show 1:18:03

7M ago1:18:03

1:18:03

This week, Adam takes Tiana through a series of D&D 5e rules questions used on the YouTube channel Jorphdan (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qfhVN64AiA&t=100s) to see how well she knows more obscure D&D 5e questions. Take the quiz yourself, and let us know how you did in our Discord! https://discord.gg/gYSp3vcrqs…

1
S6E13: Campaign Planning Part 3 1:02:02

7M ago1:02:02

1:02:02

This week, Adam wraps up taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We've been having a good time diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas! The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941VcYERX…

1
S6E12: Campaign Planning Part 2 1:03:12

7M ago1:03:12

1:03:12

This week, Adam continues taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We'll be diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign over the next few weeks, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas! The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941Vc…

1
S6E11: Campaign Planning Part 1 1:07:07

8M ago1:07:07

1:07:07

This week, Adam begins taking Tiana through a campaign planning document he assigns to his D&D students in his day job. We'll be diving deep into the core concepts of creating a campaign over the next few weeks, so grab a notebook and start noodling your own ideas! The document Adam uses: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Alwm8ghRSKMFnOEP941VcYER…

1
S1E13 - Part 2 - The Spider - Phandelver and Below 2:00:14

8M ago2:00:14

2:00:14

Everything has led to this: the group has worked their way through Wave Echo Cave and found the Forge of Spells. They've dealt with undead and other dangers within the twisting tunnels. But there still remains the matter of the Spider. How does he fit into the dreams they had? Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin …

1
S6E10: Afflictions - Diseases and Poisons 1:00:29

8M ago1:00:29

1:00:29

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about a part of the Dungeon Master's Guide that isn't commonly used: Chapter 8, Diseases and Poisons. While diseases and poisons touch our real world in some interesting ways (*cough cough*), we're interested in how they can be used to tell a story. Come join us! Join our Discord to continue the conversation! https://…

1
S1E13 - Part 1 - The Spider - Phandelver and Below 1:33:50

8M ago1:33:50

1:33:50

Everything has led to this: the group has worked their way through Wave Echo Cave and found the Forge of Spells. They've dealt with undead and other dangers within the twisting tunnels. But there still remains the matter of the Spider. How does he fit into the dreams they had? Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin …

1
S1E12 - Part 2 - Danger at Every Turn - Phandelver and Below 1:17:24

8M ago1:17:24

1:17:24

Wave Echo cave is more dangerous than anyone imagined. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt Bridges https://instagram.com/brando30rock/ James Aaron Oh | https://instagram.com/jame…

1
S1E12 - Part 1 - Danger at Every Turn - Phandelver and Below 1:32:14

8M ago1:32:14

1:32:14

Wave Echo cave is more dangerous than anyone imagined. Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt Bridges https://instagram.com/brando30rock/ James Aaron Oh | https://instagram.com/jame…

1
S6E9: Level One Spells Tier List - Part 3 1:16:39

8M ago1:16:39

1:16:39

This week, Adam and Tiana continuing talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk abo…

1
S1E11 - Part 2 - Into the Dark - Phandelver and Below 1:07:06

8M ago1:07:06

1:07:06

Facing two very different corpses, the party must press through fear and danger to win the day in Wave Echo Cave Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt Bridges https://instagram.com…

1
S1E11 - Part 1 - Into the Dark - Phandelver and Below 1:42:37

8M ago1:42:37

1:42:37

Facing two very different corpses, the party must press through fear and danger to win the day in Wave Echo Cave Featuring: Tiana Ren Hanson | https://twitter.com/Vana1895 Grant Corvin | https://twitter.com/JackRhien Cal Garrett | https://www.instagram.com/vaguelywhimsical/ Amy Puzia | https://twitter.com/amypuzia Matt Bridges https://instagram.com…

1
S6E8: Level One Spells Tier List - Part 2 1:10:27

9M ago1:10:27

1:10:27

This week, Adam and Tiana continuing talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk abo…

1
S6E7: Level One Spells Tier List - Part 1 1:12:47

9M ago1:12:47

1:12:47

This week, Adam and Tiana start talking about first level D&D spells and where we rank them. Bucking the usual tier list conventions, we rank them by things like RP potential and how much they serve the secret ingredient in a tabletop party. There's definitely some interesting opinions about the spells in this list! Come join us as we talk about th…

1
S6E6: DMG Deep Dive - Creating Encounters 1:01:56

9M ago1:01:56

1:01:56

This week, Adam and Tiana talk about making encounters more than just trading hit points, using an encounter that happened in the Westgate Patron game Adam runs. We specifically look at page 81, where the DMG talks about Character Objectives that drive encounters. When you know your characters and what they want, focusing in on how to make the play…

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