Palace of the Vampire Queen: The First Ever D&D Module with Pacesetter Games - Episode 293 - 7/31/2026

Bill Barsh of Pacesetter Games holds forth on Pacesetter Games updates and the 50th Anniversary of Palace of the Vampire Queen, the first module ever published for Dungeons & Dragons. Palace of the Vampire Queen isn't just the first published D&D module; it's also the first published megadungeon. What are Pacesetter's plans for the 50th anniversary of Palace of the Vampire Queen? (hint: they're cool). Shane's inner 13-year-old asks the obligatory question that a 13-year-old would ask about the Vampire Queen. Bill gives his definitive answer on whether the Vampire Queen would own Strahd.

OTHER COOL STUFF IN THIS EPISODE: Bill's market view is that people are playing a lot of 5E but aren't buying a lot of new 5E product. Bill predicts the timeframe for the new version of D&D to come out. A surprising amount of B/X D&D is being played vs "Red Box" and BECMI at cons. The third edition of the BX RPG from Pacesetter is unleashing. Dungeon X is coming… Dungeon X is taking the best of D&D from the last 50 years and molding it into a new game. Choose-Your-Own-Path Stories are a new choice on the market. Solo adventures (one play only, not a duo between DM and player) definitely have a place in the hobby. Pacesetter runs one of the longest-running consecutive D&D tournament series at cons. There was a time when TSR thought publishing adventure modules was a terrible idea with no market. Let's be real, OD&D is super important to the hobby, but it's not the most organized and readable set of rules. What game does Shane declare as THE "D&D" success story of the past couple of years?

Shane Plays Geek Talk Episode #293 7/31/2026

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