IMO, "it's overdone" is usually a green flag for new players and DMs because there's a *reason* it's overdone. If you don't have a stronger opening in mind, never fear the obvious intro.
The PC scouts stealthily approach the firelit campsite. The party argues, unsure whether these are 'bad guys'. Over raucous laughter, the PCs overhear the group's leader say _"So, I'm kicking this puppy..."_
My first session I led them individually to a tavern in a giant boot, somehow they all left separately, I will be taking the “make them all know each other” into my next session 0.5 😂
@@BumblingJess Try having the tavern catch on fire from outside, & the encounter comes right to them: A few raiders creating a diversion while their cohorts make off with the townfolk's (& party's) belongings.
Mine started out in a prison in a cell together. The prison was attacked by one of my BBEGs generals looking for a specific thing. 2 of them were In there for good reason. 3 were wrong place, wrong time. Easy as.
@@ToonZ_1776 I once had everyone start in separate cells of a pirate base, that got split open by an explosion. Some rubble for improvised weapons, & one critically injured armed guard to loot. Then... all the other cells contained NPCs. After a quick draw contest to snatch the guard's weapon, deciding who else to free, was the first challenge.
I'm glad that he included the other half of the improv credo. "Yes, and..." alone, while it allows the players' agency, it take away from the DM'S agency. It is important to include "...No, but" as well.
If you don't want to say "yes" or "no", then you can ask "how". That puts the ball back into the player's court, for their agency, but you don't have to figure out how to make their ask work. They do.
On snacking: GMing is often a task that takes a lot of computation in the head, mathematical or otherwise. Snacks are important because your brain uses a lot of calories, and eating a light snack (usually something that can be quickly digested and turned into energy, like peanut and chocolate) can help prevent post-session headaches that some GMs get. :)
Facts. I feel mentally drained after DMing (and sometimes while playing). A good snack, a comfortable chair, and maybe a beer are critical elements of DMing.
This sounds like healing fatigue in world of Warcraft. Directly after a 4 hour raid, one of the DPS classes would say “who wants a run through black rock depths?” Then you’d just see all the healers log off 😂
@FoxItAll 32 players per week at my rate replaces my previous income. I plan games with the idea of an average 1 hr per player, which leaves me 8 hours (one hour per game) for prep time if I want to stick to a 40 hour week. The number of active players and games and number of people in each group changes every so often, so I apply my "single-game rule" of 1hr per player and number of players = expected hours of game to the overall plan. I have multiple games running in the same world from the same hook. forgotten realms uses icespire. my custom world Redhaven has a social hook or a combat hook, both leading to adventure in the first game, and a big bad that can be inserted as a world event or tied to either plot hook. cofd games all start similarly. Each game in a setting starts with the same pre-PC plot. So a lot of it for me is recycling the early sessions. Prep as games diverge more is easier now because I've built rapport with players and understanding their goals and motives and I'm using world elements I know well enough to adjust in real-time and understand how that will affect later choices and actions by keystone npcs. I also save all my old character sheets as potential keystones, or with permission, sheets from former players. Same principle, the more I already know and understand, the less time I have to spend on prepwork outside the specific session goals. I'm also the type to plan scenarios and consider possibilities and build new characters when I'm on a run or waiting in line or such, so I have a stream of new ideas to write down at all times. Lastly, when i can afford resources, I'll buy pre-made maps or other world elements that i would otherwise need to design. There are plenty of free resources as well. So yeah, that's the off-the-dome ramble I have about it. The TL;DR is your players only play in their own game, so recycle things when they make sense. Put time for yourself between games and have scheduled days off. Tangent point, but make sure you're doing it for the love of the game, because the odds of it making you Rich are pretty low. I live comfortably but don't exactly have casual spending money.
@FoxItAll apparently my very long reply didn't repost so here's the short version.. I plan for 32 players per week at 1hr of playtime each. Average Game time = # of players in hours. Four person game gets 4 hours, 3 get 3, etc. As long as you keep the pace moving, they get plenty done. My perfect world would be 8 games of 4 players, but I have some 2-3 player games and a 5 player as well 8 hours of prep time keeps you at 40 hours. I do 1 hr of prep per game per week officially, but my brain is always cooking on this stuff. Lastly, recycle worlds, characters, plots that have done well with other players. I have two campaigns starting in icespire peak, two started in my homebrew world Redhaven, and several world of darkness games. All of my games in a setting have a similar first few sessions where I can learn playstyles and anticipate future choices to develop the plot from what it would have been if no PCs existed to what it could be with their choices. Regarding irl v online, all of my games but one are run through discord. I put 30min between those games and an hour on either side of the one in-person game so the players there have time to pack out, decompress, and chatter as they're leaving, with time for me to still decompress between games. Hope this helps! Good luck on the journey!
@@bloementuintje9356 a professional dm is any dm that earns money from being a dm. two main variants: people who dm in front of a camara and earn money from the viewers, and people who are paid by the players to run the game
At 27:36 he says that sometimes you are worried your players are just showing up just to be good friends. As a DM this was an insecurity I had a few months back, when we had to reschedule a few games. I was worried that maybe they werent making it a priority, and was worried they werent having fun. The session before that was kinda a let down, as we only had time for an hour, and so it wasnt a great session. The next session after that one was an amazing session. Probably the best session ive DM'd. This week all our our schedules worked, and the player that I was worried wasnt enjoying it, or was just showing up to be a good friend, He asked if we could do a session on Monday, and Tuesday. So I guess that inssecurity might have foundations, but they are not always correct, or concrete.
I have one player where she sits and reads her books while sitting around. She doesn't pay attention or engage. She does not actually care as she just tries to cast Spike Growth and when I explained to her how to turn undead she ignored it and went and swung a mace at a room full of them one at a time as I made it so the Spike Growth did not work. Until recently. She loves her romantic stories and they went into this large village. I developed romantic intrigue, rumors and even a potential love interest. She was fully engaged. Now if I can get her to pay attention during combat it may bring her out as a D&D player. Having a disinterest in combat is ok but not bothering to try and just doing the same thing over and over is going to get players killed because I will eventually make the enemies too smart for it to work. I have been playing D&D since 1982 and she is 100% the least involved player I have ever had. So the issue becomes, can you keep them engaged or was it a one off. My concern is in this case...............it will revert.
The Adventure Zone (first campaign) is GOAT. Only 69 episodes (nice) and the players are sort of learning as they play as well, so great for beginners.
Good stuff! This is my advice for new DMs. 1) Have a session 0. Find out what kind of game you and your players want to play. Then make it happen. 2) Don't expect the players to care about your Lore. If they ask questions, then elaborate on it, but don't monolog. 3) Plan 1 session at a time, let the players dictate the story. You can have an over arcing story laid out, but be prepared to change your plans. Nothing will stop your players from coming back faster than taking away their agency and limiting their choices. 4) Keep encounters fresh. Use different monsters, add environmental effects, throw in a timer or a puzzle. Some players don't care about a story, they want to play a Game. Making good encounters will keep them coming back. 5) This isn't critical role. What I mean by this is don't expect too much from your players and temper their expectations of you. DnD is a board game to play with your friends. Laugh, make jokes, eat snacks, your not on a TV show, this is real Life. You don't need to do voices, you don't have to have actor level performances or production quality mintures and battle maps. Do what's fun for you and your friends. The second it starts feeling like work or too much pressure, take a break. No DnD is better than bad DnD.
@@nipahholiday9302 Plan that your players WILL go off-road. The advice that Deborah Ann Woll gave about Saving NPCs and Shops that the players didn't visit, and dropping them in later applies to pretty much everything in the game. Cities, Towns, Encounters with specific NPCs, Monsters, or villains, and battles. All of it can be dropped back in later if your players somehow manage to bypass it. At most you might have to change a name or two.
I found that some of my friend lack the confidence to actually say what they want to do, they were sort of expecting me to know what they'd enjoy and what to do for them to enjoy it. Then i figured out, it's partly my fault, for not prepping well enough, but the other part wasn't their fault, is was again my fault, for not engaging with them enough. Now i fear that i've gone on the other side of the spectrum and i just keep asking "What is your character feeling/thinking/doing/eating/farting" why did i write this? yes.
Critical Role is theater kid D&D, you don't have to play D&D like that, in fact I'd recommend not using them as the gold standard for TTRPG. Matt Mercer may be a good DM, but there are many out there far better than him.
I expect my players to care at least a little bit about the lore of the story that they're creating. Had my players do an infiltration mission in a noble's mansion trying to find dirt on them. They find some sketchy notes and books, don't read the two sentences of text on them and just move on. You can have a minimum expectancy for your players to at least contribute to the story.You're not a circus act trying to juggle to keep your player's attention, they're supposed to put in work as well.
You've got a hell of a way of putting this advice together! Something just feels way more professional than most other advice videos. Also thanks for the advice, I really needed it so I can help my friend with him trying Dm'ing
Super thankful for this video. My first GM experience was running a oneshot twice, but with two different groups with very different approaches to the game and the story. This has led me to run a campaign (including session zero) for one of the groups next month. It's very encouraging to hear that it's OK to have a unique style of GMing and that I don't have to do all the things I'm either not a big fan of or not good at (yet). And that my players must have liked it if they keep coming back for more. Thank you.
So I just started doing and realised that confidence is everything, like most things in life, I even tested running a campaign with unexperienced players and without no planning at all, all impro, homebrew and made up in the moment, and everyone had alot of fun, they even said it felt better than the starter set
This is probably the best video of yours that I have seen so far. So many good points, some of which I already follow without really knowing that I do - much respect for your ability to put stuff into words! Thank you for that piece, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I 100% agree with changing a character build and/or backstory. If they feel like something isn't right or they feel like they've wasted a character level choice, LET THEM CHANGE IT. Especially if they are a newer player or they wanted to try something new or experiment but it didn't work the way they wanted or intended it to. They won't have bad feels because they made a bad choice a while ago.
The beginning of the video is actually great advice. If my players dont understand the plot hook hints, i just make the story intersect with them. Have a brawl between the 2 sides happen right in front of them, tell the story of the dragon at some fortune teller.... they dont like fortune tellers? Fine, they overhear it at the pub. Dont like pubs? Fine, a beggar, etc.
You're blending two different tips on the Aabriya point. Not looking up a rule during play is great advice for new GMs, but placing cool story over rules is imo a horrible rule that leads to players frequently asking if they can do things, example: doing something as part of a standard action. This slows the game down. Firm rules allow players to build up expectation. When Aabriya GMs her game slows down to a snails pace which I find is generally okay to listen to, but horrible for players especially when there are 5+ players and especially when the GM isn't as skilled in evocative narration as Aabriya.
Normally, if a player wants to do something and the rules don't allow it, I have in the past allowed a newer player to do what they intend to do, but with the explicit caveat that it won't work like that again in the future. For example: a new player in their first session used Calm Emotions during combat. While she knew it makes the targets not want to foght, she didn't realise that the effect ended if they or any of their allies were harmed. I could've said, okay choose a different action/spell, but this would have taken extra time. So, in this instance I said if the targets fail, they are effectively stunned, but it won't work like this the next time you use it. This saved time in the moment, and she began to understand how it worked in later sessions.
I really don’t like Aabrias DM style. I love her as a player but the super slow paced style isn’t for me. She has some things I really enjoy like the „What you don’t see is …“-thingy. But overall it’s not for me …
For the read the room one I'd also say speak with the room. Don't drive yourself to paranoia by assumptions. That 5-minute break maybe a chance to directly talk with a player about what they are needing or how they are feeling and how you're feeling. There are lists of different ways people engage with ttrpgs that can be useful during session zero and, especially for new players, as a recheck a few sessions in. Then you may learn that they'll get bored if you drop in puzzles, they want world lore to build their roleplaying around, they want to support scenes but not be the focus, or that your GM interests for play are incompatible with a particular player's interests (which is good to know early before it leads to campaign disappointment). I feel we can often feel we are reading peoples' body language better than we are, especially when looking for negatives.
I will add to the list of video games to take inspiration from: - Planescape: Torment - Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 - Icewind Dale 1 and 2 - Neverwinter Nights These are very old games and they are running much older editions of D&D - Icewind Dale 2 and Neverwinter Nights are based on 3e (not 3.5, base 3e), the others are based on 2e. They're also running with 1999ish graphics and game design concepts, so...they won't quite have the polish you might expect from a Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough....but Planescape Torment and Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 are among the best narrative experiences I've had in gaming, while also providing a fun and engaging gameplay experience. If you're at all into retro RPGs, these are games you're going to want to look into. (Also, the Enhanced Editions are pretty much rock steady on modernish computers, while themselves being old enough that you won't need a supercomputer to run them, so you should be able to avoid the horrible technical jank that comes part and parcel with retro PC gaming.) (Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is a connective game between BG1 and BG2 that helps lead the games across the divide - their tones and antagonists are quite different and having a bit of connective tissue makes the switch less of a shock. That said, it's supposed to be a shock, and that middle bit doesn't really need filling in so much. So...get it if you want, it's good enough on its own merits, but...also don't assume you need it to understand the story, it was written as part of the Enhanced Edition work.)
My new version of "Yes, and...." is "Yes, and roll me a d20". The yes means they will be successful, the d20 is representing something else that happens or another situation it may have caused. 10 or higher and it is something positive, single digits it is something negative. Ruling Advantage or Disadvantage if the circumstances require.
Personally, when I first started DMing I thought I was ready, I felt ready, but I was not perfectly ready, and that's okay. You don't have to start good, you just need to learn, from your mistakes, from what you get right, and what you and your table find fun.
Glad I was recommended this video. Probably the best summary I've seen giving advice to new DMs (as well as being a useful refresher and reminder for us not-so-new ones too!). My only challenge would be around the advice at the end with regard to watching, for example, EXU Calamity. I think that can lead to some fairly high expectations for a DM, as well as players. And I say that as a big CR fan. However, I've found watching some smaller streams more useful in improving my own DMing, as they feel a lot closer to my own table. But that's a small nitpick overall. Loved the video :)
Love your honesty in your videos. Specially in this one! Feel like we have similar views in many ways. ---> Just had a session one of my first full campaign and I am jumping strait to full homebrew world. Bit nervous but we took almost two months for character creation and I encouraged them to world build their home cities and places of interest as well as NPCs connected to them. One think that helps me to keep up and would recommend is that as I know I am not good at taking notes during game as a DM I asked my players if i can record our sessions (just plop down my phone with in build recorder - not a good quality but enough to give me the info I forgot).
Great video, thanks! On a more personal note: Don't undersell yourself. You're a charismatic guy and a good content creator. I'm sure your campaigns are great fun ;)
Love seeing all of this advice in a longer, well made, video! Only small caveat I generally tell friends getting into it regarding actual play videos: Don't forget that ones like Dimension 20 and Critical Role are played by professional actors/comedians. That can set high expectations for DMs and players. Plus they're made with the goal of an audience, so it can have a different "feel". Not a bad thing! Just different.
That's about the best ending ever. It reminds me of how a lot of game sessions end. Sometimes real world considerations force game flow, and dealing with that is an important DM skill.
i really liked this longer video and the way it’s structured and the advice that you gave:) also ik you can’t name drop every dnd youtuber but i wanted to mention that matthew colville also offers a lot of good general ttrpg advice for running the game regardless of edition or system if people want more perspectives:)
Amazing advise this is coming from someone who's been doing for quite a few years now and I love the last tip it. Having the players understand that the DM can make mistakes as well is important. I love when my players ask a question or an NPCs name that I don't have the answer too, and seeing them get excited that they stumped the DM gets them out of their comfort zones and starting to think more outside the box, since they realize that even if not written stuff can still happen regardless of what they try to do.
I haven't seen the whole video yet. But based on what I've seen so far, this video is so great. It offers a very good overview of all the tips that are available on the Internet and structures them so well that a beginner gets very good orientation. The tips are perfectly curated for beginners. Very strong video. Just what a beginner could use.
Thx for the tips again! 5:15 I actually did exactly that, just because i had no source books (or patience to study them more than my actual studies). i made a one-shot for my DM that wanted to take a break and have some fun. Now, a few months later, i'm continuing that one-shot until we finish the campaign, and not just with the DM, but the rest of the group too. We're maybe 7-8 sessions in, there are 3 or 4 to go until the end, and it gave me the confidence to run a campaign in the "real worlds", without fear of a doing something against canon or against the rules. I told them this campaign we're having is on an island outside of time and space (i don't care, we're not in Kansas anymore kiddos), and we'll be having a large scale battle royal between 12 different crews, each between 5-15 crewmates, as the finale. Pray for me brothers. What have i gotten myself into. P.S. the crew are actually alternate versions of the PCs and some other people they met on the island. Yes they will be fighting alternate versions of themselves. Yes, i can't wait to ask the rogue if a 28 hits. Yes, i am in over my head. Yes, i did have Bahamut make a guest appearance, for the sake of a joke, now they fear he'll return. No i have no idea what im doing. AND YES, WE ARE HAVING FUN.
These are great tips! I especially like how you call out teaching as you go. Honestly the best way to ever teach anyone any game not only because of information overload but also, it bakes in the idea for new players that the rules serve the story, not the other way around. Players can't rely on their character sheets to tell them what to do if they don't fully understand their character sheets at first. I also think something that would have helped me when I was new is to think about who you are playing for. I often heard the distinction you brought up about not trying to be Brennan or Matt contrasted with people who didn't like roleplaying. I figured that I love roleplaying so I'll run my game like Critical Role. Big mistake. There's more nuance there. Any actual play you watch is there to entertain you, the audience. It's important to always keep in mind that your home game is there to entertain the people at the table. So while a one-on-one bit where you send everyone out of the room to talk to one player may be interesting on an actual play, be VERY WARY of doing something like this in a home game. Don't do extended dream sequences or NPC conversations or the like that play to an audience, not to the people at the table.
my first campaign just had me jaw dropped because my players killed all my NPCs but needed this video!! i’m gonna run 2 one shots this saturday and i’m so excited, gonna try to apply these tips 😆😆
Yes, the practice of "failing forward" is great advice for new DMs. You will make mistakes, and that is okay. Mistakes are how we learn. You will get better with practice. Also good advice, don't worry about something being "overdone". Do what you want. What is fun for you, or what speeds your prep time, or eases your sessions.
Being comfy is such a critical tip! Speaking from experience, if I have to just sit there in a crappy chair with no food or something to drink, and DM for 4 hours (usually around dinner time), I will struggle to focus. DnD is a social gathering, not a job or performance, it must be enjoyed and it must be fun, or else why do it?
Really good advice, totally agree! Over a year ago, it bit the bullet and started a game with 5 random strangers who keep coming back every week to play... That keeps me going.
First and only time so far that I was GM (running 2 sessions of Kult), I was nervous. One big tip that doesn't sound big that I didcovered just by running a game was this: sit back and be quiet, sometimes. Don't be afraid to let your players theorise in character. Don't correct them if they're wrong, that's for the players to discover. Being quiet can be a powerful weapon in your arsenal at the right times. And it's a joy to watch them do this and get immersed in it all.
The first Brennan Lee Mulligan advice of don’t panic if you get the rules wrong is so true. I got the rules for ability checks totally wrong my first game I DM’d (I’ve only DM’d 2 games so far) and it was still a lot of fun and my players (all new) had a blast!
Glad you discussed lined and vails. I got a lot of head from one “new dm” video because the content creator was advocating SA on his new to dnd players to “keep things fresh”. I said it was a terrible idea. His entire community bashed me for weeks. Glad to see someone at least discussing the importance of this topic for players
Been DMing 5+ years, currently in a completely homebrew world/metropolis with over 300 hours of play time, and I even found this video informative, well made, and all around useful. Cheers
i personally think when you say that you can use the rule of cool less when you start learning the game better it is actually the other way a round. the more you know about the mechanics and the rules you have a better understanding what to allow and what is reasonable when using the rule of cool. :)
In my experience the plothook bit is 50/50. For my most recent example, the party was aiding an organization intent on exposing the king as a demon worshiper. The leader of the organization said to them, verbatim, "The king has sent a young white dragon to attack a village that he thinks is harboring some of our people, but they aren't. As you are a 3rd party, I ask you go to defend these innocent people from the king's wrath" And what did my players do? Backtrack to the underdark (a 4 week journey) to find the minigoblin siblings they saved from a hook horror to adopt them. When they came back and the leader didn't trust them any more because they seemingly let the attack happen without intervention, one of the players said over-the-table "how were we supposed to know that was gonna happen?"
You set the hook but didn't set time parameters. Remember it's a game. Most players play video games that let you do side quests for weeks then return to main story without consequence. Give them a redemption quest to get back in good graces.
My place with Wizards of the Coast isn't anger. It's disappointment. I get that a business wants to make money. To the point that unless it's explicitly stated in the company bylaws it becomes illegal for a publicly traded company to NOT seek profit (Hasbro is HAS on the stock exchange). So yeah I get their stance. The issue is that the business people are in charge of the creative people. It's not about taking the products of the D&D team's creativity and then selling it to make money, it's about telling the D&D team what to make, and viewing the entire thing as a brand that they want to see go big like Marvel did. So instead of taking the products the creative people want to make and fit with the existing customer base, it's about forcing things like movies, clothing, and other merch to sell to people while ignoring the base product that created the brand to begin with. It sucks. I get it. But it sucks. Hell, I want the cool D&D Lego set and some of the other merch. The issue for me is that while dealing with those deals they've also let go large portions of the writers for the game, and have attempted to twist the previously established deal they had with their own community to make more money off the back of that community. It just sucks. Happily I've always been open to other games besides D&D. So if Wizards keeps messing up... I'll be fine with any number of other games in my library. But D&D is the entry point for many into this hobby, and I'd like to keep as many doors open for new people as possible.
Love your content. Love it in longer form because it's very informative. But, please, pull back on the amount of ads. It feels relentless and really takes away from the enjoyment of watching your vids.
I'm not only a first-time dm, but first time in trpg, and dming for experienced players as well as new ones (4 PCs). I stupidly made a hole new world and campaing. I was so prepared for the first session, and the players loved it! At first this made me so happy, but now I'm freaking out bc I don't think I can keep the quality.. I feel like I was just lucky and now there are so many variants and npcs.. This video helped me, though. Thank you for that
Im finishing a 5 year campaign this Friday. My best advice for long-term campaign is to tell your players the ending from the get. Because what's actually fun is how we all get there.
That is some wild advice. I mentioned this to one of my players (who is also a DM), and he agreed. We think the fun comes from discovering what's really going on, as opposed to knowing it from the get-go
@@potterfanz6780 to each their own, works for my table. I'll simply add that knowing the ending leads to some "knowing the assignment" type roleplay, which has been the best way I've seen players forge their own paths in the world. This also doesn't mean they don't get surprised or anything. Just cuz they know how it ends, doesn't mean any of us know why or how it got there. Which, again, fleshing that out collectively is what's fun. In any case, your table your version of fun 😊
I can sort of see where this commenter is coming from… Sort of like My Hero Academia when the protagonist and narrator in Episode 1 says (paraphrasing of course), “This is the story of how I became the world’s greatest hero”. Another example is Final Fantasy 14 and their storytelling leading into most expansions: Heavensward; Nidhogg and the Dragonsong War. Stormblood; Xenos and the Garlean Empire. You can know who the big baddy is and know the overarching story too. It does detail the end in a way that is vague enough to have players returning and invested in the journey. I’d imagine that DM’s table likes the combat and/or the RP part more than the general story. But that’s me assuming. Still, this advice could be helpful… but definitely not for everyone. Just talk to your players and find out what they want. Build the game with their desires in mind. You want the game you’re all sharing to be fulfilling and purposeful for all.
@@drdrerigaming610 the great Dr. Dre, I'm honored 😂 You pretty much hit the nail on the head. The vague ending paraphrased at the beginning was "you guys become the gods that inadvertently destroy the world". And so, of course, the path to godhood is (for us) just some good ol RP (God politics) and combat. By the time my players were Gods using the epic level system (look it up, it's literally epic 😂 ), they had a whole lot of say on how certain things unfolded. My job as the DM was to take the fun they were having with these powers and weave it into a cataclysm. This cataclysm didn't click until like the final 5 sessions, and especially the penultimate session where they were now faced with the reality of it. Point is, there are infinite ways of running a table, and you definitely had a good sense of how I ran mine lol 😂
The video is great. Almost through it and I really enjoy the information. It’s not your fault but man, TH-cam is playing adds every 4 minutes. I’m 20 minutes in and I’ve had 5 ads play.
When I first started DM’ing for my kids, and didn’t know the rules, I was having to learn in my own time and update the kids when I found out the “correct way” of doing things. When having to think on the fly, I looked to my years of playing RPG’s on the PC and said to myself “how did they approach this problem in WoW?” That seemed to work for a lot of the initial questions I had. The kids had a blast too, which is the main point
I got to your first piece of advice and Immediately I am screaming don't. Don't do a linear plot - don't do it. You might end up with a completely passive group and it will work ok, but if you end up in a group where any of the players are at all self directed you will have a bad time. Yes you need a hook, but only insofar as you need a point to navigate towards when the players don't want to take the initiative. This only needs to the next destination and some idea of what happens when they get there, once you are at a destination you can figure out what the next destination will be and this is critical, you make that decision based on the players actions and give the story a real chance to end up in a different place based on what your players do. What about cool story twists and all those other things you get in a linear story. You do that by crafting individual elements which have the potential to interact with each other in complex and interesting ways then throw those elements together as if you were throwing different colours of poo into several high speed fans. By creating an interesting probability space you can preserve player autonomy at the same time as giving yourself ample opportunity for big story moments.
Very good video! I am not a first timer, but I haven't run a game in 20 or so years. Recently I ran my first game for my family and I consciously decided to have a very simple story in a very limited area (small town and one dungeon, the sewers). I aimed for about 3-4 hours for the whole game. It made things a lot simpler for me but also for my players who are all beginners in playing TTRPs Ah and I started in a tavern to have a familiar environment for the players and their characters to introduce themselves.
Yes! I ask my players what they are hoping to do, or what they are looking for all the time. Though I have noticed some players who are new to my table being very hesitant to tell me what they are doing, or hoping for, as if I'm going to try to thwart them. Something that's gotten me very far, is telling the players, "You can tell me, I'm on your side, I WANT you to do cool things!" I'm also a pantser, and prefer small but sliiiiigly op tables.
Is it weird that I watch videos like this as kind of a reminder and reaffirmation when I feel like I'm burning out on DnD? I've been running a game for over 4 years and it can get tiring sometimes lol.
@robertevans3173 agreed don't be afraid to say no, that's not going to work too, yes let them try cool stuff, but there are limits to what even heroes can do, don't forget you set that line in the sand
even as a someone who usually is just a PC it would really help to learn how to become a DM just incase if your main DM wants to be a PC or they are not present and you just need to create a temporary one shot this really helps
awesome advices. As a DM for the last 3 years, I did the 'big world, scattered clues' mistake, I always liked the rule of cool, unless another player dislike the outcome of it. It can create a situation of unfairness when someone else sees his 'rule of cool' moment be put down because narratively, it makes less sense. It's all up to interpretation and THAT is what cause friction sometimes. BUT.... when you give the benefit of the rule of cool ot the game session, it always end up being a good time if everyone communicates well , DM & players ... and at the end of the day, bad rolls are ALSO subejct to the rule of cool. Failing catastrophically is ALSO very fun if you are ready for the consequences. Starkiller from The force unleashed comes to mind as an exemple of how a character can end up on the wrong side of the campaign if they are ready to role play their alignement and refrain from 'meta' justify their action. Redemption arc are as awesome as fall from graces. I'm runing Out of the Abyss for 3 players and I run 5 NPCs plus the other side NPCS, plus the narrative... and remeber everything... it can be overwhelming. Again, very good video and suggesitons.
I’ll never forget when my uncle (who is a grognard) gave me my first DM advise of no girls at the table. I lament the history of these kinds of players and choices BUT love to see this generation of players and dms and all this input. :) ty for collecting this wisdom.
4:10 the best advice i ever got was don't feel like you have to reinvent the wheel, it's ok to use cliches. Cliches literally exist because they work, because people like them otherwise they wouldn't be so popular that some people think they're over done.
What I’ve found most successful is instead of railroading or sandboxing you do what I call quest hubs where you lead them to a new settlement and find a way for them to get quests via a quest board or an innkeeper or maybe even tie it in with their shopping session where different shopkeepers offer rewards for quests and maybe they walk by people on the street who see them and tell them about opportunities.
I also think that choosing the right time of adventure is important. And maybe choosing the right system I played 5e for years house ruling a lot until I finally understood that the system is just too loose and undefined
A big tip I never see mention is that if you don't have all the people you need/want to start a game, you'll be doing yourself a big favor by putting some proper thought into how to attract the kinds of players you want. I see DMs all the time on r/LFG putting up ads for their games that have close to nothing in them, barely a single detail about what they're like or what kinds of people/players they're hoping for. Some are even running homebrew settings and barely provide more than a blurb about what the world is like. A number of these poor folks keep reposting their ads without changing anything, wondering why nobody they like is biting when nobody can even vaguely tell who they're applying to play with.
Longer video is good! Videos that are carefully edited to be as short as possible but just long enough for The Algorithm are rarely good. My main suggestion, though - drop (or at least quieten) the music. For example, the music around 7mins isn't adding anything to mood or message, but personally I find it nails-on-blackboard grating. You're interesting, you don't need the background noise. EDIT: And now I have had chance to come back and watch the whole thing ... longer form is good. I know "10min for the algorithm" was once THE THING TO DO, but I love the amount you've put in here. This is good content. Thank you. And respectfully pointing us to other people's work? That's part of the spirit of the community that I admire. Good on you.
Solid video, and really insightful for some less green gm. A thing I like to do with first time player is make a « built in » tutorial arc to the campaign of anywhere between 2 to 4 sessions. As a DM you can let the players know you'll tighten your grip on rules progressively and plan out when and how you will have proper hands on learning moments happening over those sessions, like maybe there will be no combat at all for the first 3 sessions, or whatever you like. But focusing each of those first sessions on one or two aspect of the game you can create more relaxed scenarios that can be used to create bonds between the characters before the adventure really start. It's also a great way to slowly dip the players toes into the lore pool and foreshaddow lightly some elements of the things to come.
This is a Great video! Some of that aside I could’ve used! Check out table top notch it’s another insanely good dm there. You’ll learn a lot. Skip to episode 15 or so if the the team “fighting” Is too much… then you’ll go back and watch the beginning anyways because the characters are COMPELLING.
The Dicemaiden is a new TH-cam content creator who is excellent and could use some love - honestly their videos have been some of the most helpful practical ones I’ve watched for crafting homebrews.
First time DM. I gave my players a "Go from point A to point B," main quest, but am really fleshing out what happens in between. Plots like hunting a bandit leader, participating in a festival when the ferry's closed, and fighting in an arena for glory have all happened along the way. I like to call this "One Piecing your Party," because Luffy and co.'s quest is finding the One Piece, but then there are whole arcs dedicated to stopping tyrants and defeating gods.
The pathfinder GM guide includes another alternative to yes and/no but. Yes, but… Essentially “you can try but there’s going to be a consequence to trying. It’s a nice way to not say no but imply to the player that what they’re trying is unlikely to work.
Great video! I will say as a DM myself I find myself having to push and talk way more than what would be considered "ideal" by others. My players are first time players and aren't the most comfortable with RP and don't talk with each other 'in game' very much, but that's okay! I don't necessarily WANT to be a spotlight type of DM, but with newer players you might have to be! :)
Reskining stuff players didn't engage with at the time is top teir. They didn't visit the shop you built.....fine, they now encounter a merchants caravan on the road to a market your unique shop just became mobile! They didn't speak to the NPC in town....fine, engage their hero imperative by having that NPC (or one like it) being attacked in the wilds, they will most likely run to rescue and saves the need for forcing an introduction as a rescued NPC is likely to be willing to volunteer info or services. Reskinning is good energy all round
In my first D&D game (since the 80's. This was 5e), my party missed the plot hook. But fortunately, greed got the better of us, so we went back. And missed the plot hook. Basically: "You have all signed up to act as security for a merchant on his way to Phandalin." Note: This was the Starter set, and we did "plug and play" with pre-generated characters, so each one had their own reason to go to Phandalin. Working together as security got us to meet up and start working together. We were almost there, when we were ambushed along the road by some goblins HIDING IN BUSHES. Note the bushes. These are IMPORTANT. Well, we nearly died killing the goblins. One ran away, but we managed to hit it with a long bow and bring it down. It was just hanging on, and the DM asked if we wanted to question it. My "I HATE GOBLINS" PC said, " NOPE!" and killed it. We went to Phandalin, and started visiting the various places, and I realized, "HEY! WE FORGOT TO LOOT THE BODIES!" I play video games. I KNOW about looting the bodies. So, we went back to the bushes, and found no dead goblins to loot. But we WERE ambushed again, by goblins HIDING IN THE BUSHES. So, this time, we killed the goblins, including the last one who survived, and the DM asked if we wanted to question it. "I Hate Goblins McGee" said, "Nope." And we killed the last goblin and looted the bodies. We took our booty and went to town to sell it, and we heard about someone being missing, and that they were supposed to be here, and they were last seen on the road to Phandalin. SOMEONE made a good history check, and remembered that at that first ambush, we had seen some dead people, who had been ambushed (by goblinis HIDING IN THE BUSHES) before us. In fact, we had stopped to investigate those dead bodies, when we were also ambushed by goblins HIDING IN THE BUSHES. Well, "I Hate Goblins McGee" was renamed to "I Hate BUSHES McGee," and prepped some fire spells so she could go and BURN DOWN THOSE DARNED BUSHES. No bushes means no ambushes, right? RIGHT! And, of course, we were ambushed again, by goblins hiding in the bushes, but the very first thing I did, before even targeting the goblins, was to burn down the bushes. Then, we had a fight with exposed goblins, who were somewhat singed. THIS TIME, we decided to figure out where these goblins were all coming from, and we FINALLY grabbed the plot hook! Our DM was SO RELIEVED, when he found it, AT LAST. But I have to hand it to him, he was really good at getting us to go back a third time for the plot hook. He read the room, and realized that he could subtly manipulate me into HATING those darn BUSHES enough that I would go back and destroy the BUSHES, so that no more hapless travelers on the road would be ambushed by goblins hiding in them. Of course, it didn't occur to ANY of us to eliminate the GOBLINS who were actually DOING the ambushing, and leaving the innocent foliage alone. Nope. I now hated bushes, and I was rolling with it. He saw it, and he ran with it, and he manipulated me like a master. We never finished that campaign, because life happened, and because he wanted a break, and I wanted to try DMing (largely because I saw a lot of "How to DM" videos, and was inspired), and because my sister wanted to play, but was bedridden, and I wanted to give her a chance by DMing at home, so I became the new DM (even though she died before we could start), at our place, and we were having a lot of fun. Then, my niece got the bug, and we swapped around DMing duties, and had a blast, and then, they moved away, and I have not yet figured out how to do D&D online. I'm looking to start a new in-person game at my place, though. It's SO MUCH FUN. And honestly, as much as I enjoy being a player, I REALLY DO enjoy being a DM, too. I'd love to do both, but if being the DM is the only way to get a game going, I'll gladly take up the reigns. There's a local girl who wants to learn how to play, so I will teach her. And I will gently encourage her to try DMing, too. Maybe let her do a one-shot, or two. My sister had a GREAT IDEA for a one-shot, that could possibly lead to a long-term thing: You wake up on the floor of the tavern (where you had been celebrating). For fifteen years, you'd been living on a small stipend from the Temple of Ilmater, and you had scrimped and saved up for FIFTEEN YEARS and finally, you were able to afford a floating chair, that would allow you to get around town, even to buildings without wheelchair ramps! But, that night, someone slipped something into your drink, and STOLE YOUR FLOATINIG CHAIR! You see some adventurers in the tavern, and you can't exactly HIRE them, since you spent all your money on the chair, but you promise them loads of gold off the thief who took your chair, and they take pity on you, and you all join forces (the Barbarian lets you ride on his back), as you search through the city, looking for your chair and the thief, who will be made to PAY. And if it all works out, you might join forces with some or all of the group, to form a Detective Agency, just walking (floating, as the case may be) around town, investigating crimes and recovering lost or stolen objects for people in need, taking your pay from the evil people who need to be, ahem, "fined" for their crimes. Sort of like that show "Leverage," but in high fantasy. I think it's a great idea, especially for a player who is, or loves, a person in a wheelchair, and wants that representation. With the magical floating chair, they can traverse over most terrain, even having advantage, while the rest of the party struggles over rough terrain. And, yet, there may be times when they have issues, like being too close to a sussur tree, and the chair becomes a normal chair (possibly equipped with emergency wheels), or maybe it becomes damaged, or something, and you have to take it in for repairs. Once again, you have to rely on your team-mates for help, but because you have shown your value, they are happy to do so, until you can get your chair up and running (floating) again. I would make it a FLOATING chair, and not a FLYING one. It hovers a foot or two above the ground, but needs ground above which to hover, so you still have the same issues with crossing a ravine as any other party would have. Anyone who wants to use that story for their own game is free to do so, by the way.
On allowing character changes. I'm currently running for one experienced, two totally new players, and two players who have played a few sessions but never anything above level 2 until now. Last session I asked the druid (one of the totally new players) if she wanted to change subclass, because I'd observed how she played and figured Stars might be more fun for her than Shepard, because she kept making magic stones or throwing them, and seemed a bit frustrated with running a summon and only throwing stones with her character. We tried it and she loved being a humanoid racoon (Mapach now, but she started as a human but then we changed her race after the first session to match her fantasy) who now shoots lasers from his eyes, and summons a beast or spikes, and she was a lot more engaged and happy in our last session, and quite excited afterwards. Same when the gun wielding rogue got changed into a gun wielding artificer after two sessions, as loud gun + stealth was not working out (and now he's goddamn Giff John Wick with a riot shield and flame thrower going to town on my poor monsters, and the rest of the party love him). 🤣 As much as I take the game serious in my prep and sessions, I want my players to first and foremost have a good time. I'll happily let them change stuff about their character if they're not vibing with it. I think me, the DM, being the groups optimizer also helps, because I really enjoy seeing a character concept expressed to the best of what the rules allow. We're sitting around talking and eating snacks and rolling dice for like 5-8 hours on a weekend, until we're basically falling asleep. I want that to be so fun that they want to keep doing that, especially with how difficult it is to get 6 adults in a room when only two of us work office hours! 🤓
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IMO, "it's overdone" is usually a green flag for new players and DMs because there's a *reason* it's overdone. If you don't have a stronger opening in mind, never fear the obvious intro.
The PC scouts stealthily approach the firelit campsite.
The party argues, unsure whether these are 'bad guys'.
Over raucous laughter, the PCs overhear the group's leader say
_"So, I'm kicking this puppy..."_
My first session I led them individually to a tavern in a giant boot, somehow they all left separately, I will be taking the “make them all know each other” into my next session 0.5 😂
@@BumblingJess Try having the tavern catch on fire from outside, & the encounter comes right to them: A few raiders creating a diversion while their cohorts make off with the townfolk's (& party's) belongings.
Mine started out in a prison in a cell together. The prison was attacked by one of my BBEGs generals looking for a specific thing. 2 of them were In there for good reason. 3 were wrong place, wrong time. Easy as.
@@ToonZ_1776 I once had everyone start in separate cells of a pirate base, that got split open by an explosion. Some rubble for improvised weapons, & one critically injured armed guard to loot.
Then... all the other cells contained NPCs. After a quick draw contest to snatch the guard's weapon, deciding who else to free, was the first challenge.
I'm glad that he included the other half of the improv credo. "Yes, and..." alone, while it allows the players' agency, it take away from the DM'S agency. It is important to include "...No, but" as well.
Yea, everyone should get to say no to things, while also trying to accomplish good stuff!!
Sometimes a flat ‘no’ is fine.
If you don't want to say "yes" or "no", then you can ask "how". That puts the ball back into the player's court, for their agency, but you don't have to figure out how to make their ask work. They do.
On snacking: GMing is often a task that takes a lot of computation in the head, mathematical or otherwise. Snacks are important because your brain uses a lot of calories, and eating a light snack (usually something that can be quickly digested and turned into energy, like peanut and chocolate) can help prevent post-session headaches that some GMs get. :)
Facts. I feel mentally drained after DMing (and sometimes while playing). A good snack, a comfortable chair, and maybe a beer are critical elements of DMing.
This sounds like healing fatigue in world of Warcraft. Directly after a 4 hour raid, one of the DPS classes would say “who wants a run through black rock depths?” Then you’d just see all the healers log off 😂
Peanuts and chocolate are amazing!
Ahh, that's why I had a headache after running my first session yesterday.
Thanks for the tip. :)
As a professional dm, these are not just beginner DM tips... these are good principles every single group could benefit from
I've been a permanent DM for 17+ years...I often think of going pro.
How many games do you juggle a week? Real world vs online?
@FoxItAll 32 players per week at my rate replaces my previous income. I plan games with the idea of an average 1 hr per player, which leaves me 8 hours (one hour per game) for prep time if I want to stick to a 40 hour week. The number of active players and games and number of people in each group changes every so often, so I apply my "single-game rule" of 1hr per player and number of players = expected hours of game to the overall plan.
I have multiple games running in the same world from the same hook. forgotten realms uses icespire. my custom world Redhaven has a social hook or a combat hook, both leading to adventure in the first game, and a big bad that can be inserted as a world event or tied to either plot hook. cofd games all start similarly. Each game in a setting starts with the same pre-PC plot. So a lot of it for me is recycling the early sessions. Prep as games diverge more is easier now because I've built rapport with players and understanding their goals and motives and I'm using world elements I know well enough to adjust in real-time and understand how that will affect later choices and actions by keystone npcs.
I also save all my old character sheets as potential keystones, or with permission, sheets from former players. Same principle, the more I already know and understand, the less time I have to spend on prepwork outside the specific session goals.
I'm also the type to plan scenarios and consider possibilities and build new characters when I'm on a run or waiting in line or such, so I have a stream of new ideas to write down at all times.
Lastly, when i can afford resources, I'll buy pre-made maps or other world elements that i would otherwise need to design. There are plenty of free resources as well.
So yeah, that's the off-the-dome ramble I have about it. The TL;DR is your players only play in their own game, so recycle things when they make sense. Put time for yourself between games and have scheduled days off.
Tangent point, but make sure you're doing it for the love of the game, because the odds of it making you Rich are pretty low. I live comfortably but don't exactly have casual spending money.
@FoxItAll apparently my very long reply didn't repost so here's the short version..
I plan for 32 players per week at 1hr of playtime each. Average Game time = # of players in hours. Four person game gets 4 hours, 3 get 3, etc. As long as you keep the pace moving, they get plenty done. My perfect world would be 8 games of 4 players, but I have some 2-3 player games and a 5 player as well
8 hours of prep time keeps you at 40 hours. I do 1 hr of prep per game per week officially, but my brain is always cooking on this stuff.
Lastly, recycle worlds, characters, plots that have done well with other players. I have two campaigns starting in icespire peak, two started in my homebrew world Redhaven, and several world of darkness games. All of my games in a setting have a similar first few sessions where I can learn playstyles and anticipate future choices to develop the plot from what it would have been if no PCs existed to what it could be with their choices.
Regarding irl v online, all of my games but one are run through discord. I put 30min between those games and an hour on either side of the one in-person game so the players there have time to pack out, decompress, and chatter as they're leaving, with time for me to still decompress between games.
Hope this helps! Good luck on the journey!
& what is a professional dm? Where is this ranking systems?
@@bloementuintje9356 a professional dm is any dm that earns money from being a dm. two main variants: people who dm in front of a camara and earn money from the viewers, and people who are paid by the players to run the game
At 27:36 he says that sometimes you are worried your players are just showing up just to be good friends. As a DM this was an insecurity I had a few months back, when we had to reschedule a few games. I was worried that maybe they werent making it a priority, and was worried they werent having fun. The session before that was kinda a let down, as we only had time for an hour, and so it wasnt a great session. The next session after that one was an amazing session. Probably the best session ive DM'd. This week all our our schedules worked, and the player that I was worried wasnt enjoying it, or was just showing up to be a good friend, He asked if we could do a session on Monday, and Tuesday. So I guess that inssecurity might have foundations, but they are not always correct, or concrete.
I have one player where she sits and reads her books while sitting around. She doesn't pay attention or engage. She does not actually care as she just tries to cast Spike Growth and when I explained to her how to turn undead she ignored it and went and swung a mace at a room full of them one at a time as I made it so the Spike Growth did not work. Until recently. She loves her romantic stories and they went into this large village. I developed romantic intrigue, rumors and even a potential love interest. She was fully engaged. Now if I can get her to pay attention during combat it may bring her out as a D&D player. Having a disinterest in combat is ok but not bothering to try and just doing the same thing over and over is going to get players killed because I will eventually make the enemies too smart for it to work. I have been playing D&D since 1982 and she is 100% the least involved player I have ever had. So the issue becomes, can you keep them engaged or was it a one off. My concern is in this case...............it will revert.
Very good video! Dont apologize for taking the time to explain everything properly and it ending up being a longer video, 30 minutes is perfect :)
I'm currently watching an 8 hour video about an indie videogame, I'm fine with a video being 40 minutes over 20 or 30
The Adventure Zone (first campaign) is GOAT. Only 69 episodes (nice) and the players are sort of learning as they play as well, so great for beginners.
Good stuff!
This is my advice for new DMs.
1) Have a session 0. Find out what kind of game you and your players want to play. Then make it happen.
2) Don't expect the players to care about your Lore. If they ask questions, then elaborate on it, but don't monolog.
3) Plan 1 session at a time, let the players dictate the story. You can have an over arcing story laid out, but be prepared to change your plans. Nothing will stop your players from coming back faster than taking away their agency and limiting their choices.
4) Keep encounters fresh. Use different monsters, add environmental effects, throw in a timer or a puzzle. Some players don't care about a story, they want to play a Game. Making good encounters will keep them coming back.
5) This isn't critical role. What I mean by this is don't expect too much from your players and temper their expectations of you. DnD is a board game to play with your friends. Laugh, make jokes, eat snacks, your not on a TV show, this is real Life. You don't need to do voices, you don't have to have actor level performances or production quality mintures and battle maps. Do what's fun for you and your friends. The second it starts feeling like work or too much pressure, take a break. No DnD is better than bad DnD.
6) don’t panic when your players start to go off-road for a bit.
@@nipahholiday9302 Plan that your players WILL go off-road. The advice that Deborah Ann Woll gave about Saving NPCs and Shops that the players didn't visit, and dropping them in later applies to pretty much everything in the game. Cities, Towns, Encounters with specific NPCs, Monsters, or villains, and battles. All of it can be dropped back in later if your players somehow manage to bypass it. At most you might have to change a name or two.
I found that some of my friend lack the confidence to actually say what they want to do, they were sort of expecting me to know what they'd enjoy and what to do for them to enjoy it. Then i figured out, it's partly my fault, for not prepping well enough, but the other part wasn't their fault, is was again my fault, for not engaging with them enough. Now i fear that i've gone on the other side of the spectrum and i just keep asking "What is your character feeling/thinking/doing/eating/farting"
why did i write this? yes.
Critical Role is theater kid D&D, you don't have to play D&D like that, in fact I'd recommend not using them as the gold standard for TTRPG. Matt Mercer may be a good DM, but there are many out there far better than him.
I expect my players to care at least a little bit about the lore of the story that they're creating. Had my players do an infiltration mission in a noble's mansion trying to find dirt on them. They find some sketchy notes and books, don't read the two sentences of text on them and just move on. You can have a minimum expectancy for your players to at least contribute to the story.You're not a circus act trying to juggle to keep your player's attention, they're supposed to put in work as well.
You've got a hell of a way of putting this advice together! Something just feels way more professional than most other advice videos. Also thanks for the advice, I really needed it so I can help my friend with him trying Dm'ing
Can't speak for everyone but i like the long firm videos.
Same
Based high ridge count brain.
Same. I prefer them to short form most of the time.
Long firm videos…yum😋
Eyyy yoooo. Long and firm?
Really liked the video!
Thank you so much for this!
Holy cow this video is amazing. As someone gearing up to DM their first campain there is so much fantastic advice in this video.
Super thankful for this video. My first GM experience was running a oneshot twice, but with two different groups with very different approaches to the game and the story. This has led me to run a campaign (including session zero) for one of the groups next month. It's very encouraging to hear that it's OK to have a unique style of GMing and that I don't have to do all the things I'm either not a big fan of or not good at (yet). And that my players must have liked it if they keep coming back for more. Thank you.
This is a great compilation. Really well curated advice! 💛
The structure of this video is impeccable, you did great 👍
The quality of your work is consistently so high! Glad to see a long-form release from you.
Masterpiece video. Best one you've made, and obviously put a lot of work into it. I also like the long form videos to watch on my lunch break
So I just started doing and realised that confidence is everything, like most things in life, I even tested running a campaign with unexperienced players and without no planning at all, all impro, homebrew and made up in the moment, and everyone had alot of fun, they even said it felt better than the starter set
5 minutes in and you already gave me advice for starting my next campaign. Freaking huge help! Thanks!
This is probably the best video of yours that I have seen so far. So many good points, some of which I already follow without really knowing that I do - much respect for your ability to put stuff into words! Thank you for that piece, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I 100% agree with changing a character build and/or backstory. If they feel like something isn't right or they feel like they've wasted a character level choice, LET THEM CHANGE IT. Especially if they are a newer player or they wanted to try something new or experiment but it didn't work the way they wanted or intended it to. They won't have bad feels because they made a bad choice a while ago.
Love long form videos 1hr to 4hrs. Love it!
The beginning of the video is actually great advice. If my players dont understand the plot hook hints, i just make the story intersect with them. Have a brawl between the 2 sides happen right in front of them, tell the story of the dragon at some fortune teller.... they dont like fortune tellers? Fine, they overhear it at the pub. Dont like pubs? Fine, a beggar, etc.
This is petty good. I love the longer video, and much more serous than most dnd videos.
You're blending two different tips on the Aabriya point. Not looking up a rule during play is great advice for new GMs, but placing cool story over rules is imo a horrible rule that leads to players frequently asking if they can do things, example: doing something as part of a standard action. This slows the game down. Firm rules allow players to build up expectation. When Aabriya GMs her game slows down to a snails pace which I find is generally okay to listen to, but horrible for players especially when there are 5+ players and especially when the GM isn't as skilled in evocative narration as Aabriya.
Normally, if a player wants to do something and the rules don't allow it, I have in the past allowed a newer player to do what they intend to do, but with the explicit caveat that it won't work like that again in the future.
For example: a new player in their first session used Calm Emotions during combat. While she knew it makes the targets not want to foght, she didn't realise that the effect ended if they or any of their allies were harmed. I could've said, okay choose a different action/spell, but this would have taken extra time. So, in this instance I said if the targets fail, they are effectively stunned, but it won't work like this the next time you use it. This saved time in the moment, and she began to understand how it worked in later sessions.
@@Sambrostar I 100% agree with you, BUT I don’t think you’re doing it for rule of cool, which is the philosophy I hate.
I really don’t like Aabrias DM style. I love her as a player but the super slow paced style isn’t for me. She has some things I really enjoy like the „What you don’t see is …“-thingy. But overall it’s not for me …
For the read the room one I'd also say speak with the room. Don't drive yourself to paranoia by assumptions. That 5-minute break maybe a chance to directly talk with a player about what they are needing or how they are feeling and how you're feeling. There are lists of different ways people engage with ttrpgs that can be useful during session zero and, especially for new players, as a recheck a few sessions in. Then you may learn that they'll get bored if you drop in puzzles, they want world lore to build their roleplaying around, they want to support scenes but not be the focus, or that your GM interests for play are incompatible with a particular player's interests (which is good to know early before it leads to campaign disappointment). I feel we can often feel we are reading peoples' body language better than we are, especially when looking for negatives.
Yes! Thanks for this. I def have imposter syndrome but my players keep coming back and your point about that was spot on!
I will add to the list of video games to take inspiration from:
- Planescape: Torment
- Baldur's Gate 1 and 2
- Icewind Dale 1 and 2
- Neverwinter Nights
These are very old games and they are running much older editions of D&D - Icewind Dale 2 and Neverwinter Nights are based on 3e (not 3.5, base 3e), the others are based on 2e. They're also running with 1999ish graphics and game design concepts, so...they won't quite have the polish you might expect from a Baldur's Gate 3 playthrough....but Planescape Torment and Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 are among the best narrative experiences I've had in gaming, while also providing a fun and engaging gameplay experience. If you're at all into retro RPGs, these are games you're going to want to look into. (Also, the Enhanced Editions are pretty much rock steady on modernish computers, while themselves being old enough that you won't need a supercomputer to run them, so you should be able to avoid the horrible technical jank that comes part and parcel with retro PC gaming.)
(Baldur's Gate: Siege of Dragonspear is a connective game between BG1 and BG2 that helps lead the games across the divide - their tones and antagonists are quite different and having a bit of connective tissue makes the switch less of a shock. That said, it's supposed to be a shock, and that middle bit doesn't really need filling in so much. So...get it if you want, it's good enough on its own merits, but...also don't assume you need it to understand the story, it was written as part of the Enhanced Edition work.)
My new version of "Yes, and...." is "Yes, and roll me a d20". The yes means they will be successful, the d20 is representing something else that happens or another situation it may have caused. 10 or higher and it is something positive, single digits it is something negative. Ruling Advantage or Disadvantage if the circumstances require.
Personally, when I first started DMing I thought I was ready, I felt ready, but I was not perfectly ready, and that's okay. You don't have to start good, you just need to learn, from your mistakes, from what you get right, and what you and your table find fun.
Holy shit, i lead my first one shot tomorrow and bought Curse of Strahd, this is so life-safing!
All the best and have a great time - being the DM can be funny as hell :D
Good luck and have fun!
Glad I was recommended this video. Probably the best summary I've seen giving advice to new DMs (as well as being a useful refresher and reminder for us not-so-new ones too!). My only challenge would be around the advice at the end with regard to watching, for example, EXU Calamity. I think that can lead to some fairly high expectations for a DM, as well as players. And I say that as a big CR fan. However, I've found watching some smaller streams more useful in improving my own DMing, as they feel a lot closer to my own table. But that's a small nitpick overall. Loved the video :)
Love your honesty in your videos. Specially in this one! Feel like we have similar views in many ways. ---> Just had a session one of my first full campaign and I am jumping strait to full homebrew world. Bit nervous but we took almost two months for character creation and I encouraged them to world build their home cities and places of interest as well as NPCs connected to them.
One think that helps me to keep up and would recommend is that as I know I am not good at taking notes during game as a DM I asked my players if i can record our sessions (just plop down my phone with in build recorder - not a good quality but enough to give me the info I forgot).
Great video, thanks!
On a more personal note: Don't undersell yourself. You're a charismatic guy and a good content creator. I'm sure your campaigns are great fun ;)
Love seeing all of this advice in a longer, well made, video!
Only small caveat I generally tell friends getting into it regarding actual play videos:
Don't forget that ones like Dimension 20 and Critical Role are played by professional actors/comedians. That can set high expectations for DMs and players. Plus they're made with the goal of an audience, so it can have a different "feel". Not a bad thing! Just different.
That's about the best ending ever. It reminds me of how a lot of game sessions end. Sometimes real world considerations force game flow, and dealing with that is an important DM skill.
I enjoy the long form videos and prefer them. Subscribed. ❤
i really liked this longer video and the way it’s structured and the advice that you gave:) also ik you can’t name drop every dnd youtuber but i wanted to mention that matthew colville also offers a lot of good general ttrpg advice for running the game regardless of edition or system if people want more perspectives:)
This is awesome. I'm running my first campaign next week!! Awesome timing
me too, i couldn't believe the video timing
Me too, i needed some advice and can't believe my luck.
Good luck! Hope all of you have fun!
I would like to cast Encouragement as a bonus action! You should add your channel to the list of great new D&D TH-camrs
Amazing advise this is coming from someone who's been doing for quite a few years now and I love the last tip it. Having the players understand that the DM can make mistakes as well is important. I love when my players ask a question or an NPCs name that I don't have the answer too, and seeing them get excited that they stumped the DM gets them out of their comfort zones and starting to think more outside the box, since they realize that even if not written stuff can still happen regardless of what they try to do.
Reverse psychology worked, i have to comment about it now...keep up the great work!
I haven't seen the whole video yet. But based on what I've seen so far, this video is so great. It offers a very good overview of all the tips that are available on the Internet and structures them so well that a beginner gets very good orientation.
The tips are perfectly curated for beginners.
Very strong video. Just what a beginner could use.
Thx for the tips again!
5:15 I actually did exactly that, just because i had no source books (or patience to study them more than my actual studies). i made a one-shot for my DM that wanted to take a break and have some fun.
Now, a few months later, i'm continuing that one-shot until we finish the campaign, and not just with the DM, but the rest of the group too.
We're maybe 7-8 sessions in, there are 3 or 4 to go until the end, and it gave me the confidence to run a campaign in the "real worlds", without fear of a doing something against canon or against the rules.
I told them this campaign we're having is on an island outside of time and space (i don't care, we're not in Kansas anymore kiddos), and we'll be having a large scale battle royal between 12 different crews, each between 5-15 crewmates, as the finale. Pray for me brothers. What have i gotten myself into.
P.S. the crew are actually alternate versions of the PCs and some other people they met on the island. Yes they will be fighting alternate versions of themselves. Yes, i can't wait to ask the rogue if a 28 hits. Yes, i am in over my head. Yes, i did have Bahamut make a guest appearance, for the sake of a joke, now they fear he'll return. No i have no idea what im doing. AND YES, WE ARE HAVING FUN.
perfect video to have popped up as I'm about to start dming
These are great tips! I especially like how you call out teaching as you go. Honestly the best way to ever teach anyone any game not only because of information overload but also, it bakes in the idea for new players that the rules serve the story, not the other way around. Players can't rely on their character sheets to tell them what to do if they don't fully understand their character sheets at first.
I also think something that would have helped me when I was new is to think about who you are playing for.
I often heard the distinction you brought up about not trying to be Brennan or Matt contrasted with people who didn't like roleplaying. I figured that I love roleplaying so I'll run my game like Critical Role. Big mistake.
There's more nuance there. Any actual play you watch is there to entertain you, the audience. It's important to always keep in mind that your home game is there to entertain the people at the table. So while a one-on-one bit where you send everyone out of the room to talk to one player may be interesting on an actual play, be VERY WARY of doing something like this in a home game. Don't do extended dream sequences or NPC conversations or the like that play to an audience, not to the people at the table.
Found this super helpful thank you and I enjoyed the longer in depth video.
my first campaign just had me jaw dropped because my players killed all my NPCs but needed this video!! i’m gonna run 2 one shots this saturday and i’m so excited, gonna try to apply these tips 😆😆
Yes, the practice of "failing forward" is great advice for new DMs. You will make mistakes, and that is okay. Mistakes are how we learn. You will get better with practice.
Also good advice, don't worry about something being "overdone". Do what you want. What is fun for you, or what speeds your prep time, or eases your sessions.
Great Video! Thank you so much for this
Being comfy is such a critical tip! Speaking from experience, if I have to just sit there in a crappy chair with no food or something to drink, and DM for 4 hours (usually around dinner time), I will struggle to focus. DnD is a social gathering, not a job or performance, it must be enjoyed and it must be fun, or else why do it?
I'm really enjoying your videos. Thanks!
Really good advice, totally agree!
Over a year ago, it bit the bullet and started a game with 5 random strangers who keep coming back every week to play... That keeps me going.
First and only time so far that I was GM (running 2 sessions of Kult), I was nervous. One big tip that doesn't sound big that I didcovered just by running a game was this: sit back and be quiet, sometimes.
Don't be afraid to let your players theorise in character. Don't correct them if they're wrong, that's for the players to discover. Being quiet can be a powerful weapon in your arsenal at the right times. And it's a joy to watch them do this and get immersed in it all.
The first Brennan Lee Mulligan advice of don’t panic if you get the rules wrong is so true. I got the rules for ability checks totally wrong my first game I DM’d (I’ve only DM’d 2 games so far) and it was still a lot of fun and my players (all new) had a blast!
Very important video. I am GMing for 11Years now and I just needed to hear this.
Glad you discussed lined and vails. I got a lot of head from one “new dm” video because the content creator was advocating SA on his new to dnd players to “keep things fresh”. I said it was a terrible idea. His entire community bashed me for weeks. Glad to see someone at least discussing the importance of this topic for players
Thank you for this video. Very down to earth and practical. Have fun and build that common story well :)
Been DMing 5+ years, currently in a completely homebrew world/metropolis with over 300 hours of play time, and I even found this video informative, well made, and all around useful. Cheers
Thanks!
"...complicated skill tree..."
(Immediately shows a glimpse of the skill tree in Path of Exile)
Well you're not wrong 😂
i personally think when you say that you can use the rule of cool less when you start learning the game better it is actually the other way a round. the more you know about the mechanics and the rules you have a better understanding what to allow and what is reasonable when using the rule of cool. :)
You wanted to give us SO MUCH amazing, high-quality content that your camera overheated? How dare you.
thx very helpful
In my experience the plothook bit is 50/50. For my most recent example, the party was aiding an organization intent on exposing the king as a demon worshiper. The leader of the organization said to them, verbatim, "The king has sent a young white dragon to attack a village that he thinks is harboring some of our people, but they aren't. As you are a 3rd party, I ask you go to defend these innocent people from the king's wrath"
And what did my players do? Backtrack to the underdark (a 4 week journey) to find the minigoblin siblings they saved from a hook horror to adopt them. When they came back and the leader didn't trust them any more because they seemingly let the attack happen without intervention, one of the players said over-the-table "how were we supposed to know that was gonna happen?"
You set the hook but didn't set time parameters. Remember it's a game. Most players play video games that let you do side quests for weeks then return to main story without consequence. Give them a redemption quest to get back in good graces.
My place with Wizards of the Coast isn't anger. It's disappointment. I get that a business wants to make money. To the point that unless it's explicitly stated in the company bylaws it becomes illegal for a publicly traded company to NOT seek profit (Hasbro is HAS on the stock exchange). So yeah I get their stance. The issue is that the business people are in charge of the creative people. It's not about taking the products of the D&D team's creativity and then selling it to make money, it's about telling the D&D team what to make, and viewing the entire thing as a brand that they want to see go big like Marvel did. So instead of taking the products the creative people want to make and fit with the existing customer base, it's about forcing things like movies, clothing, and other merch to sell to people while ignoring the base product that created the brand to begin with.
It sucks. I get it. But it sucks. Hell, I want the cool D&D Lego set and some of the other merch. The issue for me is that while dealing with those deals they've also let go large portions of the writers for the game, and have attempted to twist the previously established deal they had with their own community to make more money off the back of that community. It just sucks.
Happily I've always been open to other games besides D&D. So if Wizards keeps messing up... I'll be fine with any number of other games in my library. But D&D is the entry point for many into this hobby, and I'd like to keep as many doors open for new people as possible.
Love your content. Love it in longer form because it's very informative. But, please, pull back on the amount of ads. It feels relentless and really takes away from the enjoyment of watching your vids.
I'm not only a first-time dm, but first time in trpg, and dming for experienced players as well as new ones (4 PCs). I stupidly made a hole new world and campaing. I was so prepared for the first session, and the players loved it! At first this made me so happy, but now I'm freaking out bc I don't think I can keep the quality.. I feel like I was just lucky and now there are so many variants and npcs.. This video helped me, though. Thank you for that
Im finishing a 5 year campaign this Friday. My best advice for long-term campaign is to tell your players the ending from the get. Because what's actually fun is how we all get there.
That is some wild advice. I mentioned this to one of my players (who is also a DM), and he agreed. We think the fun comes from discovering what's really going on, as opposed to knowing it from the get-go
@@potterfanz6780 to each their own, works for my table. I'll simply add that knowing the ending leads to some "knowing the assignment" type roleplay, which has been the best way I've seen players forge their own paths in the world.
This also doesn't mean they don't get surprised or anything. Just cuz they know how it ends, doesn't mean any of us know why or how it got there. Which, again, fleshing that out collectively is what's fun.
In any case, your table your version of fun 😊
I can sort of see where this commenter is coming from… Sort of like My Hero Academia when the protagonist and narrator in Episode 1 says (paraphrasing of course), “This is the story of how I became the world’s greatest hero”. Another example is Final Fantasy 14 and their storytelling leading into most expansions:
Heavensward; Nidhogg and the Dragonsong War.
Stormblood; Xenos and the Garlean Empire.
You can know who the big baddy is and know the overarching story too. It does detail the end in a way that is vague enough to have players returning and invested in the journey. I’d imagine that DM’s table likes the combat and/or the RP part more than the general story. But that’s me assuming. Still, this advice could be helpful… but definitely not for everyone. Just talk to your players and find out what they want. Build the game with their desires in mind. You want the game you’re all sharing to be fulfilling and purposeful for all.
@@drdrerigaming610 the great Dr. Dre, I'm honored 😂
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. The vague ending paraphrased at the beginning was "you guys become the gods that inadvertently destroy the world". And so, of course, the path to godhood is (for us) just some good ol RP (God politics) and combat.
By the time my players were Gods using the epic level system (look it up, it's literally epic 😂 ), they had a whole lot of say on how certain things unfolded. My job as the DM was to take the fun they were having with these powers and weave it into a cataclysm. This cataclysm didn't click until like the final 5 sessions, and especially the penultimate session where they were now faced with the reality of it.
Point is, there are infinite ways of running a table, and you definitely had a good sense of how I ran mine lol 😂
The video is great. Almost through it and I really enjoy the information. It’s not your fault but man, TH-cam is playing adds every 4 minutes. I’m 20 minutes in and I’ve had 5 ads play.
When I first started DM’ing for my kids, and didn’t know the rules, I was having to learn in my own time and update the kids when I found out the “correct way” of doing things. When having to think on the fly, I looked to my years of playing RPG’s on the PC and said to myself “how did they approach this problem in WoW?” That seemed to work for a lot of the initial questions I had. The kids had a blast too, which is the main point
I got to your first piece of advice and Immediately I am screaming don't.
Don't do a linear plot - don't do it. You might end up with a completely passive group and it will work ok, but if you end up in a group where any of the players are at all self directed you will have a bad time.
Yes you need a hook, but only insofar as you need a point to navigate towards when the players don't want to take the initiative. This only needs to the next destination and some idea of what happens when they get there, once you are at a destination you can figure out what the next destination will be and this is critical, you make that decision based on the players actions and give the story a real chance to end up in a different place based on what your players do.
What about cool story twists and all those other things you get in a linear story. You do that by crafting individual elements which have the potential to interact with each other in complex and interesting ways then throw those elements together as if you were throwing different colours of poo into several high speed fans. By creating an interesting probability space you can preserve player autonomy at the same time as giving yourself ample opportunity for big story moments.
Very good video! I am not a first timer, but I haven't run a game in 20 or so years. Recently I ran my first game for my family and I consciously decided to have a very simple story in a very limited area (small town and one dungeon, the sewers). I aimed for about 3-4 hours for the whole game. It made things a lot simpler for me but also for my players who are all beginners in playing TTRPs Ah and I started in a tavern to have a familiar environment for the players and their characters to introduce themselves.
Yes! I ask my players what they are hoping to do, or what they are looking for all the time.
Though I have noticed some players who are new to my table being very hesitant to tell me what they are doing, or hoping for, as if I'm going to try to thwart them. Something that's gotten me very far, is telling the players, "You can tell me, I'm on your side, I WANT you to do cool things!"
I'm also a pantser, and prefer small but sliiiiigly op tables.
Is it weird that I watch videos like this as kind of a reminder and reaffirmation when I feel like I'm burning out on DnD? I've been running a game for over 4 years and it can get tiring sometimes lol.
Wicked Warlock Candles
DM: You enter a dark, dank crypt; the smell of mold, mildew, rot and decay assail your senses
DM: *lights candle*
The "Yes And" rule can destroy tables and games. use it wisely
Yes. Aaaand?
@@adwadswadsda8458 😂
That means u didnt use the no, but variant enough
@robertevans3173 agreed don't be afraid to say no, that's not going to work too, yes let them try cool stuff, but there are limits to what even heroes can do, don't forget you set that line in the sand
even as a someone who usually is just a PC it would really help to learn how to become a DM just incase if your main DM wants to be a PC or they are not present and you just need to create a temporary one shot this really helps
I personally do a linear campaign with the odd point of pick what you wanna do next
awesome advices.
As a DM for the last 3 years,
I did the 'big world, scattered clues' mistake,
I always liked the rule of cool, unless another player dislike the outcome of it. It can create a situation of unfairness when someone else sees his 'rule of cool' moment be put down because narratively, it makes less sense. It's all up to interpretation and THAT is what cause friction sometimes.
BUT.... when you give the benefit of the rule of cool ot the game session, it always end up being a good time if everyone communicates well , DM & players ... and at the end of the day, bad rolls are ALSO subejct to the rule of cool. Failing catastrophically is ALSO very fun if you are ready for the consequences.
Starkiller from The force unleashed comes to mind as an exemple of how a character can end up on the wrong side of the campaign if they are ready to role play their alignement and refrain from 'meta' justify their action. Redemption arc are as awesome as fall from graces.
I'm runing Out of the Abyss for 3 players and I run 5 NPCs plus the other side NPCS, plus the narrative... and remeber everything... it can be overwhelming.
Again, very good video and suggesitons.
I’ll never forget when my uncle (who is a grognard) gave me my first DM advise of no girls at the table. I lament the history of these kinds of players and choices BUT love to see this generation of players and dms and all this input. :) ty for collecting this wisdom.
Complex skill chart, immediately shows an image of the Path of Exile skill tree. LOL
4:10 the best advice i ever got was don't feel like you have to reinvent the wheel, it's ok to use cliches. Cliches literally exist because they work, because people like them otherwise they wouldn't be so popular that some people think they're over done.
What I’ve found most successful is instead of railroading or sandboxing you do what I call quest hubs where you lead them to a new settlement and find a way for them to get quests via a quest board or an innkeeper or maybe even tie it in with their shopping session where different shopkeepers offer rewards for quests and maybe they walk by people on the street who see them and tell them about opportunities.
I also think that choosing the right time of adventure is important.
And maybe choosing the right system I played 5e for years house ruling a lot until I finally understood that the system is just too loose and undefined
A big tip I never see mention is that if you don't have all the people you need/want to start a game, you'll be doing yourself a big favor by putting some proper thought into how to attract the kinds of players you want. I see DMs all the time on r/LFG putting up ads for their games that have close to nothing in them, barely a single detail about what they're like or what kinds of people/players they're hoping for. Some are even running homebrew settings and barely provide more than a blurb about what the world is like. A number of these poor folks keep reposting their ads without changing anything, wondering why nobody they like is biting when nobody can even vaguely tell who they're applying to play with.
Longer video is good! Videos that are carefully edited to be as short as possible but just long enough for The Algorithm are rarely good.
My main suggestion, though - drop (or at least quieten) the music. For example, the music around 7mins isn't adding anything to mood or message, but personally I find it nails-on-blackboard grating. You're interesting, you don't need the background noise.
EDIT: And now I have had chance to come back and watch the whole thing ... longer form is good. I know "10min for the algorithm" was once THE THING TO DO, but I love the amount you've put in here.
This is good content. Thank you.
And respectfully pointing us to other people's work? That's part of the spirit of the community that I admire. Good on you.
Solid video, and really insightful for some less green gm.
A thing I like to do with first time player is make a « built in » tutorial arc to the campaign of anywhere between 2 to 4 sessions. As a DM you can let the players know you'll tighten your grip on rules progressively and plan out when and how you will have proper hands on learning moments happening over those sessions, like maybe there will be no combat at all for the first 3 sessions, or whatever you like. But focusing each of those first sessions on one or two aspect of the game you can create more relaxed scenarios that can be used to create bonds between the characters before the adventure really start. It's also a great way to slowly dip the players toes into the lore pool and foreshaddow lightly some elements of the things to come.
This is a Great video! Some of that aside I could’ve used! Check out table top notch it’s another insanely good dm there. You’ll learn a lot. Skip to episode 15 or so if the the team “fighting” Is too much… then you’ll go back and watch the beginning anyways because the characters are COMPELLING.
The Dicemaiden is a new TH-cam content creator who is excellent and could use some love - honestly their videos have been some of the most helpful practical ones I’ve watched for crafting homebrews.
First time DM. I gave my players a "Go from point A to point B," main quest, but am really fleshing out what happens in between. Plots like hunting a bandit leader, participating in a festival when the ferry's closed, and fighting in an arena for glory have all happened along the way.
I like to call this "One Piecing your Party," because Luffy and co.'s quest is finding the One Piece, but then there are whole arcs dedicated to stopping tyrants and defeating gods.
another great video dude
32:17 Solasta is another 5e based game that is criminally underrated and unknown
The pathfinder GM guide includes another alternative to yes and/no but. Yes, but… Essentially “you can try but there’s going to be a consequence to trying. It’s a nice way to not say no but imply to the player that what they’re trying is unlikely to work.
Totally amazing advice!
Great video! I will say as a DM myself I find myself having to push and talk way more than what would be considered "ideal" by others. My players are first time players and aren't the most comfortable with RP and don't talk with each other 'in game' very much, but that's okay! I don't necessarily WANT to be a spotlight type of DM, but with newer players you might have to be! :)
Really enjoyed this and Calamity is amazing!!!
Reskining stuff players didn't engage with at the time is top teir. They didn't visit the shop you built.....fine, they now encounter a merchants caravan on the road to a market your unique shop just became mobile!
They didn't speak to the NPC in town....fine, engage their hero imperative by having that NPC (or one like it) being attacked in the wilds, they will most likely run to rescue and saves the need for forcing an introduction as a rescued NPC is likely to be willing to volunteer info or services. Reskinning is good energy all round
In my first D&D game (since the 80's. This was 5e), my party missed the plot hook. But fortunately, greed got the better of us, so we went back. And missed the plot hook.
Basically:
"You have all signed up to act as security for a merchant on his way to Phandalin." Note: This was the Starter set, and we did "plug and play" with pre-generated characters, so each one had their own reason to go to Phandalin. Working together as security got us to meet up and start working together.
We were almost there, when we were ambushed along the road by some goblins HIDING IN BUSHES. Note the bushes. These are IMPORTANT.
Well, we nearly died killing the goblins. One ran away, but we managed to hit it with a long bow and bring it down. It was just hanging on, and the DM asked if we wanted to question it. My "I HATE GOBLINS" PC said, " NOPE!" and killed it.
We went to Phandalin, and started visiting the various places, and I realized, "HEY! WE FORGOT TO LOOT THE BODIES!" I play video games. I KNOW about looting the bodies.
So, we went back to the bushes, and found no dead goblins to loot. But we WERE ambushed again, by goblins HIDING IN THE BUSHES. So, this time, we killed the goblins, including the last one who survived, and the DM asked if we wanted to question it. "I Hate Goblins McGee" said, "Nope." And we killed the last goblin and looted the bodies.
We took our booty and went to town to sell it, and we heard about someone being missing, and that they were supposed to be here, and they were last seen on the road to Phandalin. SOMEONE made a good history check, and remembered that at that first ambush, we had seen some dead people, who had been ambushed (by goblinis HIDING IN THE BUSHES) before us. In fact, we had stopped to investigate those dead bodies, when we were also ambushed by goblins HIDING IN THE BUSHES.
Well, "I Hate Goblins McGee" was renamed to "I Hate BUSHES McGee," and prepped some fire spells so she could go and BURN DOWN THOSE DARNED BUSHES. No bushes means no ambushes, right? RIGHT!
And, of course, we were ambushed again, by goblins hiding in the bushes, but the very first thing I did, before even targeting the goblins, was to burn down the bushes. Then, we had a fight with exposed goblins, who were somewhat singed.
THIS TIME, we decided to figure out where these goblins were all coming from, and we FINALLY grabbed the plot hook!
Our DM was SO RELIEVED, when he found it, AT LAST.
But I have to hand it to him, he was really good at getting us to go back a third time for the plot hook. He read the room, and realized that he could subtly manipulate me into HATING those darn BUSHES enough that I would go back and destroy the BUSHES, so that no more hapless travelers on the road would be ambushed by goblins hiding in them. Of course, it didn't occur to ANY of us to eliminate the GOBLINS who were actually DOING the ambushing, and leaving the innocent foliage alone. Nope. I now hated bushes, and I was rolling with it. He saw it, and he ran with it, and he manipulated me like a master.
We never finished that campaign, because life happened, and because he wanted a break, and I wanted to try DMing (largely because I saw a lot of "How to DM" videos, and was inspired), and because my sister wanted to play, but was bedridden, and I wanted to give her a chance by DMing at home, so I became the new DM (even though she died before we could start), at our place, and we were having a lot of fun. Then, my niece got the bug, and we swapped around DMing duties, and had a blast, and then, they moved away, and I have not yet figured out how to do D&D online.
I'm looking to start a new in-person game at my place, though. It's SO MUCH FUN. And honestly, as much as I enjoy being a player, I REALLY DO enjoy being a DM, too. I'd love to do both, but if being the DM is the only way to get a game going, I'll gladly take up the reigns. There's a local girl who wants to learn how to play, so I will teach her. And I will gently encourage her to try DMing, too. Maybe let her do a one-shot, or two. My sister had a GREAT IDEA for a one-shot, that could possibly lead to a long-term thing: You wake up on the floor of the tavern (where you had been celebrating). For fifteen years, you'd been living on a small stipend from the Temple of Ilmater, and you had scrimped and saved up for FIFTEEN YEARS and finally, you were able to afford a floating chair, that would allow you to get around town, even to buildings without wheelchair ramps! But, that night, someone slipped something into your drink, and STOLE YOUR FLOATINIG CHAIR! You see some adventurers in the tavern, and you can't exactly HIRE them, since you spent all your money on the chair, but you promise them loads of gold off the thief who took your chair, and they take pity on you, and you all join forces (the Barbarian lets you ride on his back), as you search through the city, looking for your chair and the thief, who will be made to PAY.
And if it all works out, you might join forces with some or all of the group, to form a Detective Agency, just walking (floating, as the case may be) around town, investigating crimes and recovering lost or stolen objects for people in need, taking your pay from the evil people who need to be, ahem, "fined" for their crimes. Sort of like that show "Leverage," but in high fantasy.
I think it's a great idea, especially for a player who is, or loves, a person in a wheelchair, and wants that representation. With the magical floating chair, they can traverse over most terrain, even having advantage, while the rest of the party struggles over rough terrain. And, yet, there may be times when they have issues, like being too close to a sussur tree, and the chair becomes a normal chair (possibly equipped with emergency wheels), or maybe it becomes damaged, or something, and you have to take it in for repairs. Once again, you have to rely on your team-mates for help, but because you have shown your value, they are happy to do so, until you can get your chair up and running (floating) again. I would make it a FLOATING chair, and not a FLYING one. It hovers a foot or two above the ground, but needs ground above which to hover, so you still have the same issues with crossing a ravine as any other party would have.
Anyone who wants to use that story for their own game is free to do so, by the way.
On allowing character changes. I'm currently running for one experienced, two totally new players, and two players who have played a few sessions but never anything above level 2 until now.
Last session I asked the druid (one of the totally new players) if she wanted to change subclass, because I'd observed how she played and figured Stars might be more fun for her than Shepard, because she kept making magic stones or throwing them, and seemed a bit frustrated with running a summon and only throwing stones with her character.
We tried it and she loved being a humanoid racoon (Mapach now, but she started as a human but then we changed her race after the first session to match her fantasy) who now shoots lasers from his eyes, and summons a beast or spikes, and she was a lot more engaged and happy in our last session, and quite excited afterwards.
Same when the gun wielding rogue got changed into a gun wielding artificer after two sessions, as loud gun + stealth was not working out (and now he's goddamn Giff John Wick with a riot shield and flame thrower going to town on my poor monsters, and the rest of the party love him). 🤣
As much as I take the game serious in my prep and sessions, I want my players to first and foremost have a good time. I'll happily let them change stuff about their character if they're not vibing with it. I think me, the DM, being the groups optimizer also helps, because I really enjoy seeing a character concept expressed to the best of what the rules allow.
We're sitting around talking and eating snacks and rolling dice for like 5-8 hours on a weekend, until we're basically falling asleep. I want that to be so fun that they want to keep doing that, especially with how difficult it is to get 6 adults in a room when only two of us work office hours! 🤓