Things I love about this channel. 1. DND discussion 2. no ads 3. no wasting the viewers time you talk fast and clearly 4. when you say doobly doos. 5. your passion for the topic bleeds through. Great channel
especially 17:00 - 18:15 . Well put and THANK YOU. :) You have the means of reaching a lot of people with your videos, so I'm just very happy and thankful you among others are speaking up about this. I'm glad we're growing as a community. I have players of different genders and sexualities in my group, and they're thrilled to be able to play a game with, against and as characters they can relate to, without being mocked or shunned for it. Letting your players feel welcome while having fun is what's most important.
I agree. My teenage child and I got started in D&D about a year & a half ago, and our enthusiasm for and enjoyment of the game have been hugely enhanced by the videos on this channel (we have also been inspired by Critical Role, Adventure Zone, Dimension20, et al). Shortly after we started playing D&D together with others in our family, my kiddo came out to us as trans/nonbinary. Later, we started playing with a few other families who also have trans/nonbinary/gnc teens, and it has been a wonderfully supportive social activity for all of us. I appreciate that D&D gives *all* of us opportunities to explore different aspects of our own identity and character growth, in the guise of role-playing.
This is like the 5th time I’ve watched through most of your videos. Every time I feel that I get something new and different from them, or I remember something that I had forgotten. I have DMd for several groups and even got a friend of mine to start DMing and he’s fantastic. This is in large part to these videos. Many thank yous are not enough!
Ok, seven years after the fact and my head whips around at the mention of Ken White and Popehat. Incredibly small world sometimes. Also, thank you Matthew for all the work you've done with this channel. I'm a new subscriber because last weekend, I DM'd my first campaign since 1992. Thank you!
I don't play D&D, haven't played D&D, don't really ever intend to play D&D... but these videos are so well put together that I will happily keep coming back to watch them. For a subject I have little interest in, these videos are super interesting. I definitely am one of those "watch the long videos while I'm doing work" people, but short videos will do just fine too. I love the recaps on real life events and what you've learned, but then the whole episode about the sociology of D&D might have been my favourite of the lot I'm glad you seem to be enjoying doing it, because it's become a regular thing I look forward to watching week on week. Get well soon!
Honestly Matt, I like your content so much I watch lots of old videos in bits at a time, even though I do usually watch all your vidoes once through at least. I'm driving, waiting for something, or making food (like now) and just want a little bit of the straight dope. Edit: your videos are all straight dope, regardless of length.
As the only person in my close group of friends with any experience with DnD; which doesn't have to be a lot; it fell upon me to DM for our first campaign. We managed to flounder through the starter set campaign. My friend decided that he'd like to take a crack at running a game, which was perfect for me because in my mind being a "player" was much more enjoyable. He quickly found out DMing can be an utter nightmare if you're not prepared. After just two sessions we kind of just stopped playing. Thankfully I came across your channel. I now have a desire to whip up a sandbox game to get my friends together and playing again. Thanks for the time and effort you put into your videos and keep up the great work.
I took your advice from the Deck of Many Things video and put one in mine this weekend. I thought about using the box trick to give them a better outcome but decided against it at the last second because I wanted to give my players, and myself honestly, a feel of how the DOMT would work out in reality. I loved it because I have two people who are relatively new to Dnd and two veterans. When one of the veterans saw what they had found and realized what it was, he looked like he was going to have an aneurism. I thought they would draw once, then realize it was a bad idea to draw more, but......eh........yeah I was wrong. The Bard drew once and immediately lost all his magic items, one of which was essential to my story (it was an artifact so it just disappeared), then kept drawing. We fought avatars of death, lost xp, gained an NPC and a keep, before I had to make the thing disappear. It got crazy.
I love your "history of" series....my husband is an OG D&D player, I showed him your channel, he is super moved by your videos. He works nights, so when he came in this morning, I was watching your second history video...he was hooked!!! You brought back so many memories for him, as a teen, playing. Thank you for that. He thinks I'll really like DMing, and be great at it. I found your videos while watching Black Magic Craft, you came up in recommended. I've been binge watching since.
You have easily become my favorite DnD Channel on TH-cam and I kinda stopped watching the others and just focus on these. But now you're getting famous and this community is getting bigger with all the awesome people involved. You're doing good work here Matt.
I'm setting up a game over the internet with friends from 3 different countries because I was hooked by your videos. Keep it up, the videos are so interesting and informative.
Your channel is so great exactly because it focuses on what is unique to running tabletop RPGs and that your advice applies equally to D&D, World of Darkness, Pathfinder, Star Wars RPGs, Cyberpunk 2020, anything. Keep up the great work!
Congrats on the win! I'm also happy to see that your subscriber count still seems to be flourishing! It's a great channel and it's doing good work. On the topic of getting more people involved in DMing, something that my last GM did (for a DC Superhero RP) was he would have an open invitation for the players to GM a plot arc if they had any ideas. It gave him a break and gave the players a taste of GMing without needed to continue for months on end if they didn't enjoy it.
Recently started watching the channel,got hooked instantly,but man is it exhausting keeping up with this speed,you talk like a machine gun.That being said i do think its part of the charm and why i keep watching and will keep watching from now on.Keep them coming
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. Most other DM advice channels are long winded and unedited, it's a nice change of pace to get a vlogbrothers-style series.
Hope you get feeling better soon! Thanks for doing these videos. I'm one of my group's 2 regular DMs and it's always nice to get some much needed advice. Keep it up!
Just feeling the need to say I love the fact that your talk fast in your videos. Makes me feel normal. Throughout my life I've been told to slow down, but I talk just as fast as you when I'm excited about something or want to get a point across. Also, like many others, thanks to your videos, and Critical Role, I too am steeping into DM shoes and running my first ever game of D&D. Thank you for taking the time to do these. Looking forward to the videos of the future whatever length they are. ;)
Me too I get told I talk too fast, but I get frustrated by how slow other people around me speak and think. I feel like the whole world runs at half speed sometimes.
I absolutely love this channel. I'm currently participating as a player in my first RPG, so a lot of your information is more advanced than what I need, but your content is so entertaining and you are so good at getting me hyped up to play! Please keep up the great work!
The speed of your speech is actually one of the reasons I like this series. Usually I get distracted from TH-cam videos because the pace just drags (ditto for podcasts). I wish the games I ran could move at that pace. Maybe that's a good topic for a future video: pacing the session. I try to have places where it starts and ends that follow some semblance of how an episode of a show might go, but it gets clunky at best. I'd like some insight in how other people do it.
Once you're up to 3 videos a week maybe you can do a video each week or every other week on how to design a specific type of encounter? Ex. Day 1 Talking about a specific theme or idea Day 2 Follow up on the specific theme or idea and viewer questions Day 3 (Week A) Lessons from your campaign from the previous 2 weeks Day 3 (Week B) How to design an encounter involving x theme or mechanic Have people in the comment section suggest types of encounters and then whip up an idea for how you would run it (for example a little while ago I wrote a unicorn birthing encounter for someone on reddit, or it could be more common things like laying siege to a castle, creating an interesting library encounter, how to make nautical travel more engaging without always having your ship boarded, etc.)
Hey Matthew, just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your content. It's entertaining and informative in the best ways possible, and I look forward to your videos every time a new one comes out. As I'm about to begin to DMing again after a little hiatus, your videos have been really helpful. Keep up the good work! :)
both short and long videos are great. keep up the awesome work. the best decision I made in my short gming career was following a link Liam posted to your page. There is so much useful information that doesn't exist in the books.
I don't know how the metrics work, but for what it's worth, when I stop watching one of your videos 8 minutes in it's because I was re-watching it for one of the points I wanted to hear again and then realized it was in another video. The first time around I watch the whole thing and love every second of it. So shorter videos focused on a single, narrower topic might cut down on partial viewing for that reason, too. Short or long, though, I just look forward to more videos!
Watching 4 years later, and your "shorter" videos has not come true!! :P I love it and I hope you see enough return with MCDM and S&F, I am an owner of the physical copy of S&F and when I have a job after graduation, I will be getting K&W!
Congratulations on the 7k!!! I am flattered to be called a friend of yours. I love these videos! P.S.: Giving a look at your books on kindle. Once I have the money, I will add them to my library!
Firstly, I love your narrative style and find it very engaging. I've listened to almost all your videos in two days and have a request/episode idea. I'm about to run a game for a bunch of new people and I'm finding these videos a great learning tool. I'd like if you did a basic Player rules episode. I'm thinking something like "now you have a character sheet either made or pre-generated... What to do with all these numbers?" Explaining skills like perception, persuasion, insight and most used skills. Or basic ways to interact with the world...Or whatever you naturally think new players need to know.. Just an idea. Can't wait till your next video. Keep up the good work.
I'm more of the silent watcher type. I rarely post comments. But you do what you think will work best on video length. I watch them no matter what the length is! Also just a general thank you for these videos. They have been helping me so much in understanding the game better!
Lol, as a Brit... loved the sign-off. People need to realise that context is important in communicating. These videos are great Matt, thank you and keep up the good work. It's very much appreciated!
I always liked Robert Lynn Asprins Thieves' World series of books. I love the short stories collected in one setting. There's a few early Warhammer Fantasy books with collections of different authors short stories set in that setting which I really like. I've taken so much inspiration from all the different short stories. It's like small scenarios you can implement into your own already running games. Love that stuff, the compact inspirational boost that you can just lift out and put in with a bit of tweeking to fit your story for your players to interact with.
Really hope you get to feeling better! I'm really interested to hear what happened in your campaign. I've been toying with the idea of running a campaign of my own and finally decided to jump in. Gonna run a pair of one shots with 3 buddies to work out the kinks and learn how to prepare and then hopefully a campaign after that. Your videos are really entertaining and informative and should really help. Thanks
That's so true, that you learn more about DMing the first time you do it than in any amount of videos. Got to go in to the deep end and make some mistakes, modest or otherwise, to learn. The fast, motormouth style is correct for youtube, methinks. If people can't follow it I would suspect they're not paying attention. Being from the UK, an American throwing up a pair of vickies while saying "peace" cannot be legitimately interpreted as a slight. We'd usually do a peace sign palm side facing outward. Love the longer videos, but I can understand if more shorter videos makes more sense from the other side.
+Jon Watson Yeah I think it's mostly American viewers who learned something about British culture once and want to show off what they know, but they have misapplied it. :D
My only complaint about it is you saying that it's screw off; but I can understand you wanting to keep it PG-13. A brit that only recently found your channel. Also necro.
I love your channel and I look forward to seeing more videos. I think that it is great that you talk so quickly. As someone else has already said, you are clear and concise without wasting any time with long breaks or belaboring any points. In this video, you mention that every DM gets burnt out at some point. Would you ever consider doing a video on "DM Burn Out"? Like what you think can be done to stave off burn out or to recharge quickly. I know that you said playing in a game is the fastest way to recharge a DM's energy, and I fully agree, but in my case, I rarely get the chance to be a player, because my players and friends don't want to try DMing or don't think they'd be good at it.
I would definitely watch you just ramble on about your campaign! In the mean time, hearing your personal take on each class would be interesting, particularly bards :)
I really appreciate all of your tips and input. Watching this video it's easy to assume that your recent boom in attention, the negative feedback and being sick are all getting to you. Hope you feel better soon. Don't let the stress become you! :) Thanks, Matt.
Mat, another one you can consider is to talk about whats coming up at where in the video if you want to say "this is what you need to know" I know some other TH-camrs phrase the most important thing in the video or address it first. i'm the sort who listens to you in the background while I work on DnD or play games. I find this helps me learn as I tend to repeat videos like this.
Your statement of things that make you uncomfortable and nervous made me realise I am not a weirdo, despite my lack of skills in acting, speaking with different accents and a rich imagination. You are awesome!
I have enjoyed all the vids so far! I think youre right about your format though. I watched everything you made all the way through, but smaller chunks makes it so we can pay full attention to every subject.
I started DMing about a year ago. Your videos are phenominal. I am eating this content up. "You have my d20 (and my sub)!" Also shoutout to Dael Kingsmill's videos that initially brought me here.
Like you, I always use the old names and rules by mistake (statistics, backstab, diplomacy etc). Old player I've become. This is the first TH-cam channel I've ever subscribed to and I had to reactivate G+ to do it. Worth it!
Hey Matt. Thanks for the videos. I've listened to a few DM-help series, like DawnforgedCast and WADS20, but yours' are easily the best and actually helpful, compared to tips that I could've gotten from a quick google search.
I'm really interested in the series, but when I watch material like this I have to really sit down and watch every video in succession. I'll need to plan a weekend for that
Matt, I really love your channel's content. It's very informative and entertaining. That being said, I would love more videos in the 10 minutes of less format.
I'm about to introduce a new village to my players this weekend....and now I am desperate to hear that cool way of introducing villains. :P Great video, again!
I'm in the same boat with Malazan; I keep bouncing off Deadhouse Gates - not because I don't like it but just because I keep forgetting where I am and restarting. Really glad your recommended it though. Really influential series.
Matt, you do you man. I love your videos and have learned new techniques and new ideas from you. Ignore the haters. They exist everywhere and will try to goad you into a conflict. Keep on Keeping on. I will continue to come and watch, and I look forward to hearing more about your personal story that you are currently running!
LMFAO No really! I had to pause it at 21:50 (DoMT) until I could stop. I had already almost spit my coffee when you said "NO! I'm not gonna run a game for you". Tell it like it is Brother! This one was as fun as stand-up to watch. So much gold. About the speed of your speech, I had thought a lot about that after the email I sent you post ep. 6. I noticed the speed was not much faster than it normally was... it was the slight style pauses (breaths & breaks) that you seem to nail 98% of the time seemed to be hinky in sections of that one. I don't mind when you speak fast, because your enunciation, diction & tone are excellent for recording. I am looking forward to seeing The After Action Reports w/ vitamins, when they come up. They are definitely fun, but I totally agree with your instinct on doing them only when there is something to be learned by it. Maybe some twist of fate will bring me to your coast, if this unlikely scenario ever occurs... I would ask, Can I run a game for you to thank you? (^_-) Peace & Go Screw (This may be our group's new 'Live, Long & Prosper')
I really enjoy the long format video style! But I understand that a majority of viewers may not be into that. Also, I read "Priest" in less than a week and I'm probably gonna pick up "Thief" for my upcoming birthday. Feel better soon so you can write that third book so I'm not left on any endless cliffhangers! ;)
Hey Matt, keep it coming, you are doing extremely well. However, I do not agree that a well experienced GM wont learn anything here. Im about to turn 47 and ive been playing since I was 12 years old. And GM-ing for almost as long. Not only do I feel very entertained by your videos, I love comparing your experiences to my own, I also get new inspiration for my own campaign setting and new sessions. I watch every second of all your uploads so it was a big surprise for me when you said that most people dont watch more than 10 mins. I never click next or stop untill I hear the signatory "Peace, Out" Thank you for doing all this. Keep it up and dont change anything :)
I loved watching this, your first message was about the viewing efficiency and that you were going to be making shorter videos, but low and behold you get talking and BOOM!!!! Video is 27 minutes!!! Love it, please keep it them coming. Also, I'm from the UK, and "Peace out" does not mean anything insulting lol What shit do people come up with!!?? lol
+James Reid I think some American viewers once learned something about British culture and want to show off what they know. But they have overreached their understanding. :D
As a trans person I can add that the overt presence of inclusivity not only makes me feel more represented or welcome, it also ads an element of safety, because I know that if forced to choose between defending me or some wangrod who thinks I shouldn't exist, its my back that has cover, not theirs. As a DM I try to create the same sense of safety for everyone.
His philosophy of GM'ing, (whatever gets you behind the screen) applies to many things in life. Just do whatever gets you out there, having fun with your mind, actively being creative, it is better than passively consuming content.
I usually watch the video for a bit (8 minutes), and download it to watch in the office or listen to on the way to work. . . . and my son has started building a campaign on your videos (hes 10). . . thank you. . .
You know I think you've helped me define another couple of general categories to generally define players. Those that are there to play a game and those that are there to tell a story. Something I've been paying attention to. Game players want the rules to be followed to a tee while story tellers are less concerned with the rules other than a tool to give structure to the story. Just a thought.
speaking to your later point about on rails vs. sandbox. initially I wanted a sandbox game, one where all the players can carve out their character's place and legacy in the world. The problem with this is that I am still a novice GM and don't have the resources, skill, or technical aptitude to sufficiently provide such an experience. I feel like I've, in a sense, painted myself into a corner since I want to scale back to a more on rails system, but the players are expecting so much more.
I've really enjoyed all your videos. I've watched them along with some others as a sort of preparation to taking the plunge into GM'ing myself, after 20+ years of playing rpg's as a PC off and on. I've always wanted to try to run games, but couldn't quite get over my fear of failure, but now I've found two friends (both also experienced roleplays) who are both chomping at the bit for me to get going, and it IS going to happen - and in large part because of yours and a couple of other GM's encouraging and super inspiring "You Can Do It!" videos. Thanks, Thanks, Thanks! My very last hump was the challenge rating in D&D 5E, since I will be starting with only two PC's, but I've decided to just add one or two cool NPC's for help in combat situations untill I get better at gaging what is balanced combat re: monsters and numbers. Does that sound okay, or do you and your viewership have other, maybe better, ideas on how to set up well balanced combats for only two PCs? Because I kind of love the idea of a two character party as well. Could be fun to just try to run a short campaign with only those two to have each other's backs, eh..?
+Pru-Pruh Hello, thought I might be able to offer you a little help (I didn't find the Challenge Rating part of DMing 5e intuitive when I started but think I figured it out). With two characters you can create a challenging fight, that should not have anyone falling unconscious, if you make the challenge rating add up to half their level. The tricky part is when you want different enemy types, without having to build your own. A few tricks I can think of to balance higher challenge fights back towards the PCs' is to firstly take away an enemy's 'multi-attack' move, secondly (if things are a bit too hard) take away an enemy's proficiency - can make a big difference if the bandit, for example, is only rolling plus their strength to hit. However I think the major thing that can help is to see that the PCs losing a combat, as not a big deal. There is a bit of an idea about fighting to the death (I've never seen a PC surrender during a fight) and that if all the PCs are unconscious then that's a TPK. I think that if your two PCs fall unconscious you could totally have them wake up hours later tied up somewhere and press on. You'll get a sense for what's a good challenge the more you DM, sometimes you just have to have your PCs wake up from a TPKO first, best of luck!
Thank you so much, Robert Vincent this was very helpful! I love the idea of the TPKO as an option, because it gives me way more wiggle room as a GM while giving me some much needed experience in coming up with well balanced challenges for my players moving forwards, while also doing fun stuff with the story. For some reason I am way less intimidated with winging it when it comes to the storytelling than I am with the combat game mechanics. All other GMs I know feels opposite. :D Btw, I've only surrendered twice as PC in my whole career of tabletop rpg'ing, and now I wonder how I got ahead of the curve on that one all the while thinking my groups and I had to be behind, lol! Maybe the reason I've never experienced a TPK. Plenty of single characters dead but there's always been one or two characters left bleeding but not entirely dead. Argh. I can't wait to begin GM'ing on my own! :D
+Pru-Pruh Break a leg! I am happy to hear you have surrendered in the past, I think that is really cool and plays your character in a more realistic way. I have seen plenty of retreats but never that. Combat is just something you get used to. I think Matt said we all start off with a lot to improve on but everyone has fun during that stage too. TPKO is probably the best thing to keep in mind because it means you can fictionally get it wrong a bunch. You weren't the only person to have this exact worry however! I responded to another person (the same day even) with the same worry about challenge ratings for two PCs. That was on my tumblr blog (which I will selfishly plug to you right now: www.tumblr.com/blog/bandgelo ) tip number 9 dealt with that.
In regard to people asking when you'll be on Critical Role - I think a fair chunk of us found you via CritRole fandom, and people just like seeing things they enjoy on the internet come together, especially when we know at least some of the people involved already know each other. If you don't think you'd fit well at their table, perhaps you could be Matt Mercer's rebound DM sometime, so he does get a chance to play something. Or, both things could continue independently and I shall continue to enjoy them both, without crossing the streams. :-)
You talk super quick so it always sounds like your talking about something super important. It could be pure nonsense, but i'd still be engrossed. But it's not, it's great stuff! 10/10 would watch again. And i probably will xD
I think the main difference on the hand gesture for the peace sign is that by and large if your unused, curled fingers are facing yourself, it is more typically the "screw off" version the UK has in its gesture-slang, whereas a lot of your classic "giving the peace sign" pictures show hands where the knuckles are outbound.
I was considering rolling for the player's perception and stealth, but ultimately decided against it. My reasoning is that there are mechanics in 5e (such as inspiration and the "Lucky" feat) that allows the player to reroll skill checks, but if the player doesn't know what was rolled there is no way to decide for them when to reroll. Of course, one could argue that the very notion of inspiration and rerolling kind of goes against the spirit of roleplaying, as they are pretty meta but I don't find it that convincing. Anyway, those are my two cents on the subject. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future of the channel brings. If your past videos are anything to go by, it will probably be pretty good.
I have actually used some of your advice already in my campaign. Though I play online over roll20 with fellow critical role fans. I only railroaded them once in the first session, when they tried to take off after an enemy that was dead but being dragged behind her horse towards approaching enemy renforcements. The railroading was when I had an Adult Black Dragon arrive above their location to land infront of them, they all failed their wisdom saves and proceeded to flee. Since then its been an on rails/sandbox mash up. These reinforcements would've killed them, even with the monk in the party.
The only comment I have on the ending (I didn't even notice that the fingers were "backwards") is the way you emphasise the "OUT!" It makes me think that the video ends with you saying peace, and then you just tell us "Get out! The video's over! Go on! Shoo!"
Love the series. I just wish I watched it before starting my current (and first as DM) campaign, because I would have totally used your 4d6 in order character creation method.
On the note of passive perception. I like the idea that you can only be so attentive If you're not actively on the lookout (which you can't be doing for more than a couple minutes at a time in reality). If I used my players normal perception checks, lower level creatures like goblins would have no chance to sneak up on the PCs!
+1wsx10 Seriously! My gf doesn't play or give a shit about D&D really (she still asks how my game went each week cause she's a sweetie) but whenever I put these videos on she'll sit and watch just cause the delivery is so good.
Speaking of length... this video did go on for too long to my taste. Overall though, great videos. As a DM of almost two decades now, your video shines new light on things I might have been complacent about.
+Kakaze1 It took a while to cover 13 videos worth of feedback, I don't expect we'll do another one of these. Each video will contain responses to the feedback from the previous video.
Awesome to hear One Fighter at Time is going to continue! As far as battlemap building have you tried Fantasymapbuilder? It's kind of wonky but I like it so far and it's early in dev, Campaign Cartographer is absolutely DRACONIAN in its functions but it can produce a nice map. Also Pyromancer's working on a new offline app for dungeon building, so I'm holding out hope for that!
Things I love about this channel.
1. DND discussion
2. no ads
3. no wasting the viewers time you talk fast and clearly
4. when you say doobly doos.
5. your passion for the topic bleeds through.
Great channel
Although I just watched this whole video and heard no doobly doo :/ Apparently this might need to go up to 1 or 2. :D
+Xanhorn "4. when you say doobly doos."
I giggle every time I hear it.
+Xanhorn I'd be fine with ads if it gave this guy money. Great channel indeed.
@@jgn1977 Did you just reply to your own comment...?
@@AppledirtArchive it was a change in TH-cam's formatting... It sure looked weird I'll give you that. 😀
Around 7 minutes: "You develop taste a lot faster than you develop skill."
I know I'm preaching to the choir, but I can't help but comment about how wonderful Matt's videos are. From a new DM, thank you for this confidence.
8 1/2 minutes? Casuals! Watch the whole thing, for crying out loud. This stuff is epic!!
+Andy Robertson Attention spans seem to become smaller and smaller with advancement of technology. Sad really.
lol I was thinking the same thing.
I'm not the DM my friends need.. I'm the one they deserve.
Beat me to it by 6 months XD
That sounded dark said by Batman. It sounds even darker with Dming XD
especially 17:00 - 18:15 . Well put and THANK YOU. :) You have the means of reaching a lot of people with your videos, so I'm just very happy and thankful you among others are speaking up about this. I'm glad we're growing as a community. I have players of different genders and sexualities in my group, and they're thrilled to be able to play a game with, against and as characters they can relate to, without being mocked or shunned for it. Letting your players feel welcome while having fun is what's most important.
I agree. My teenage child and I got started in D&D about a year & a half ago, and our enthusiasm for and enjoyment of the game have been hugely enhanced by the videos on this channel (we have also been inspired by Critical Role, Adventure Zone, Dimension20, et al). Shortly after we started playing D&D together with others in our family, my kiddo came out to us as trans/nonbinary. Later, we started playing with a few other families who also have trans/nonbinary/gnc teens, and it has been a wonderfully supportive social activity for all of us. I appreciate that D&D gives *all* of us opportunities to explore different aspects of our own identity and character growth, in the guise of role-playing.
What a great quote. “You develop taste a lot faster then you develop skill.” I’m gonna use that.
This is like the 5th time I’ve watched through most of your videos. Every time I feel that I get something new and different from them, or I remember something that I had forgotten.
I have DMd for several groups and even got a friend of mine to start DMing and he’s fantastic. This is in large part to these videos.
Many thank yous are not enough!
you are the best D&D youtuber ever.
+mckennly mclain Also i heard about you trough a teacher at my school.
+mckennly mclain Your teacher is wise!
Ok, seven years after the fact and my head whips around at the mention of Ken White and Popehat. Incredibly small world sometimes. Also, thank you Matthew for all the work you've done with this channel. I'm a new subscriber because last weekend, I DM'd my first campaign since 1992. Thank you!
Short or long videos, I love em both. Keep it coming!
I don't play D&D, haven't played D&D, don't really ever intend to play D&D... but these videos are so well put together that I will happily keep coming back to watch them. For a subject I have little interest in, these videos are super interesting. I definitely am one of those "watch the long videos while I'm doing work" people, but short videos will do just fine too. I love the recaps on real life events and what you've learned, but then the whole episode about the sociology of D&D might have been my favourite of the lot
I'm glad you seem to be enjoying doing it, because it's become a regular thing I look forward to watching week on week. Get well soon!
Honestly Matt, I like your content so much I watch lots of old videos in bits at a time, even though I do usually watch all your vidoes once through at least. I'm driving, waiting for something, or making food (like now) and just want a little bit of the straight dope.
Edit: your videos are all straight dope, regardless of length.
I watch every video from "Hey everybody, Matt Colville here" to "Peace, Out."
Should I Paint a Mini- for a give away?
Jim Murphy yes please
As the only person in my close group of friends with any experience with DnD; which doesn't have to be a lot; it fell upon me to DM for our first campaign. We managed to flounder through the starter set campaign. My friend decided that he'd like to take a crack at running a game, which was perfect for me because in my mind being a "player" was much more enjoyable. He quickly found out DMing can be an utter nightmare if you're not prepared. After just two sessions we kind of just stopped playing. Thankfully I came across your channel. I now have a desire to whip up a sandbox game to get my friends together and playing again.
Thanks for the time and effort you put into your videos and keep up the great work.
I took your advice from the Deck of Many Things video and put one in mine this weekend. I thought about using the box trick to give them a better outcome but decided against it at the last second because I wanted to give my players, and myself honestly, a feel of how the DOMT would work out in reality. I loved it because I have two people who are relatively new to Dnd and two veterans. When one of the veterans saw what they had found and realized what it was, he looked like he was going to have an aneurism. I thought they would draw once, then realize it was a bad idea to draw more, but......eh........yeah I was wrong. The Bard drew once and immediately lost all his magic items, one of which was essential to my story (it was an artifact so it just disappeared), then kept drawing. We fought avatars of death, lost xp, gained an NPC and a keep, before I had to make the thing disappear. It got crazy.
I love your "history of" series....my husband is an OG D&D player, I showed him your channel, he is super moved by your videos. He works nights, so when he came in this morning, I was watching your second history video...he was hooked!!! You brought back so many memories for him, as a teen, playing. Thank you for that. He thinks I'll really like DMing, and be great at it. I found your videos while watching Black Magic Craft, you came up in recommended. I've been binge watching since.
You have easily become my favorite DnD Channel on TH-cam and I kinda stopped watching the others and just focus on these. But now you're getting famous and this community is getting bigger with all the awesome people involved. You're doing good work here Matt.
I'm setting up a game over the internet with friends from 3 different countries because I was hooked by your videos. Keep it up, the videos are so interesting and informative.
Your channel is so great exactly because it focuses on what is unique to running tabletop RPGs and that your advice applies equally to D&D, World of Darkness, Pathfinder, Star Wars RPGs, Cyberpunk 2020, anything. Keep up the great work!
Congrats on the win! I'm also happy to see that your subscriber count still seems to be flourishing! It's a great channel and it's doing good work. On the topic of getting more people involved in DMing, something that my last GM did (for a DC Superhero RP) was he would have an open invitation for the players to GM a plot arc if they had any ideas. It gave him a break and gave the players a taste of GMing without needed to continue for months on end if they didn't enjoy it.
Love seeing a D&D TH-camr actively talking about inclusivity. Awesome work, love your videos.
Recently started watching the channel,got hooked instantly,but man is it exhausting keeping up with this speed,you talk like a machine gun.That being said i do think its part of the charm and why i keep watching and will keep watching from now on.Keep them coming
I don't care how long, just more videos! I love your stuff and find myself checking for a new video every day!
This is quickly becoming one of my favorite channels. Most other DM advice channels are long winded and unedited, it's a nice change of pace to get a vlogbrothers-style series.
Hope you get feeling better soon! Thanks for doing these videos. I'm one of my group's 2 regular DMs and it's always nice to get some much needed advice. Keep it up!
Yes! A new Matt Colville video. =D
This day is now splendid.
Just feeling the need to say I love the fact that your talk fast in your videos. Makes me feel normal. Throughout my life I've been told to slow down, but I talk just as fast as you when I'm excited about something or want to get a point across.
Also, like many others, thanks to your videos, and Critical Role, I too am steeping into DM shoes and running my first ever game of D&D.
Thank you for taking the time to do these. Looking forward to the videos of the future whatever length they are. ;)
Me too I get told I talk too fast, but I get frustrated by how slow other people around me speak and think. I feel like the whole world runs at half speed sometimes.
I absolutely love this channel. I'm currently participating as a player in my first RPG, so a lot of your information is more advanced than what I need, but your content is so entertaining and you are so good at getting me hyped up to play! Please keep up the great work!
Watching your videos always gives me a bump in motivation to go work on the world I'm building. Been designing 'New Neverwinter for ages now'
The speed of your speech is actually one of the reasons I like this series. Usually I get distracted from TH-cam videos because the pace just drags (ditto for podcasts).
I wish the games I ran could move at that pace. Maybe that's a good topic for a future video: pacing the session. I try to have places where it starts and ends that follow some semblance of how an episode of a show might go, but it gets clunky at best. I'd like some insight in how other people do it.
Once you're up to 3 videos a week maybe you can do a video each week or every other week on how to design a specific type of encounter?
Ex.
Day 1 Talking about a specific theme or idea
Day 2 Follow up on the specific theme or idea and viewer questions
Day 3 (Week A) Lessons from your campaign from the previous 2 weeks
Day 3 (Week B) How to design an encounter involving x theme or mechanic
Have people in the comment section suggest types of encounters and then whip up an idea for how you would run it (for example a little while ago I wrote a unicorn birthing encounter for someone on reddit, or it could be more common things like laying siege to a castle, creating an interesting library encounter, how to make nautical travel more engaging without always having your ship boarded, etc.)
Those history of D&D videos are great. I'm looking forward to the next one, whenever you find the time for it.
Hey Matthew, just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy your content. It's entertaining and informative in the best ways possible, and I look forward to your videos every time a new one comes out. As I'm about to begin to DMing again after a little hiatus, your videos have been really helpful. Keep up the good work! :)
Matt Coalville, you are amazing! Thank you so much, you have helped me make some great D&D games! Please don't stop making videos!
both short and long videos are great. keep up the awesome work. the best decision I made in my short gming career was following a link Liam posted to your page. There is so much useful information that doesn't exist in the books.
How are people not watching the entire videos? If you aren't you're missing out on all kinds of amazing stuff. Can't wait each day for new stuff.
I don't know how the metrics work, but for what it's worth, when I stop watching one of your videos 8 minutes in it's because I was re-watching it for one of the points I wanted to hear again and then realized it was in another video. The first time around I watch the whole thing and love every second of it. So shorter videos focused on a single, narrower topic might cut down on partial viewing for that reason, too. Short or long, though, I just look forward to more videos!
Glad to hear that you're still planning on continuing the Create a Fighter videos. It's what originally brought me to your channel.
Watching 4 years later, and your "shorter" videos has not come true!! :P I love it and I hope you see enough return with MCDM and S&F, I am an owner of the physical copy of S&F and when I have a job after graduation, I will be getting K&W!
Congratulations on the 7k!!! I am flattered to be called a friend of yours. I love these videos!
P.S.: Giving a look at your books on kindle. Once I have the money, I will add them to my library!
Firstly, I love your narrative style and find it very engaging. I've listened to almost all your videos in two days and have a request/episode idea. I'm about to run a game for a bunch of new people and I'm finding these videos a great learning tool.
I'd like if you did a basic Player rules episode.
I'm thinking something like "now you have a character sheet either made or pre-generated... What to do with all these numbers?" Explaining skills like perception, persuasion, insight and most used skills. Or basic ways to interact with the world...Or whatever you naturally think new players need to know.. Just an idea.
Can't wait till your next video. Keep up the good work.
I'm more of the silent watcher type. I rarely post comments. But you do what you think will work best on video length. I watch them no matter what the length is! Also just a general thank you for these videos. They have been helping me so much in understanding the game better!
Lol, as a Brit... loved the sign-off. People need to realise that context is important in communicating.
These videos are great Matt, thank you and keep up the good work. It's very much appreciated!
I always liked Robert Lynn Asprins Thieves' World series of books. I love the short stories collected in one setting. There's a few early Warhammer Fantasy books with collections of different authors short stories set in that setting which I really like. I've taken so much inspiration from all the different short stories. It's like small scenarios you can implement into your own already running games. Love that stuff, the compact inspirational boost that you can just lift out and put in with a bit of tweeking to fit your story for your players to interact with.
Really hope you get to feeling better! I'm really interested to hear what happened in your campaign. I've been toying with the idea of running a campaign of my own and finally decided to jump in. Gonna run a pair of one shots with 3 buddies to work out the kinks and learn how to prepare and then hopefully a campaign after that. Your videos are really entertaining and informative and should really help. Thanks
That's so true, that you learn more about DMing the first time you do it than in any amount of videos. Got to go in to the deep end and make some mistakes, modest or otherwise, to learn.
The fast, motormouth style is correct for youtube, methinks. If people can't follow it I would suspect they're not paying attention.
Being from the UK, an American throwing up a pair of vickies while saying "peace" cannot be legitimately interpreted as a slight. We'd usually do a peace sign palm side facing outward.
Love the longer videos, but I can understand if more shorter videos makes more sense from the other side.
+Jon Watson Yeah I think it's mostly American viewers who learned something about British culture once and want to show off what they know, but they have misapplied it. :D
My only complaint about it is you saying that it's screw off; but I can understand you wanting to keep it PG-13.
A brit that only recently found your channel.
Also necro.
I love your channel and I look forward to seeing more videos. I think that it is great that you talk so quickly. As someone else has already said, you are clear and concise without wasting any time with long breaks or belaboring any points.
In this video, you mention that every DM gets burnt out at some point. Would you ever consider doing a video on "DM Burn Out"? Like what you think can be done to stave off burn out or to recharge quickly. I know that you said playing in a game is the fastest way to recharge a DM's energy, and I fully agree, but in my case, I rarely get the chance to be a player, because my players and friends don't want to try DMing or don't think they'd be good at it.
I would definitely watch you just ramble on about your campaign!
In the mean time, hearing your personal take on each class would be interesting, particularly bards :)
Also, nice job on pronouncing my username! Most people manage to butcher that, LOL, but you nailed it.
I really appreciate all of your tips and input. Watching this video it's easy to assume that your recent boom in attention, the negative feedback and being sick are all getting to you. Hope you feel better soon. Don't let the stress become you! :) Thanks, Matt.
Mat, another one you can consider is to talk about whats coming up at where in the video if you want to say "this is what you need to know" I know some other TH-camrs phrase the most important thing in the video or address it first.
i'm the sort who listens to you in the background while I work on DnD or play games. I find this helps me learn as I tend to repeat videos like this.
Your statement of things that make you uncomfortable and nervous made me realise I am not a weirdo, despite my lack of skills in acting, speaking with different accents and a rich imagination. You are awesome!
I have enjoyed all the vids so far! I think youre right about your format though. I watched everything you made all the way through, but smaller chunks makes it so we can pay full attention to every subject.
I started DMing about a year ago. Your videos are phenominal. I am eating this content up. "You have my d20 (and my sub)!" Also shoutout to Dael Kingsmill's videos that initially brought me here.
Like you, I always use the old names and rules by mistake (statistics, backstab, diplomacy etc). Old player I've become.
This is the first TH-cam channel I've ever subscribed to and I had to reactivate G+ to do it. Worth it!
Love your cadence. I've watched all of your videos on character creation and thought you were hilarious. thanks again for your content.
Hey Matt. Thanks for the videos. I've listened to a few DM-help series, like DawnforgedCast and WADS20, but yours' are easily the best and actually helpful, compared to tips that I could've gotten from a quick google search.
I'm really interested in the series, but when I watch material like this I have to really sit down and watch every video in succession. I'll need to plan a weekend for that
Enjoyed the History of D&D One Fighter at a Time...keep them coming.
Matt, I really love your channel's content. It's very informative and entertaining. That being said, I would love more videos in the 10 minutes of less format.
I'm about to introduce a new village to my players this weekend....and now I am desperate to hear that cool way of introducing villains. :P Great video, again!
there aren't enough like buttons for this video.
looking forward to seeing the channel grow.
keep killing it brother!
I'm in the same boat with Malazan; I keep bouncing off Deadhouse Gates - not because I don't like it but just because I keep forgetting where I am and restarting. Really glad your recommended it though. Really influential series.
Matt, you do you man. I love your videos and have learned new techniques and new ideas from you. Ignore the haters. They exist everywhere and will try to goad you into a conflict. Keep on Keeping on. I will continue to come and watch, and I look forward to hearing more about your personal story that you are currently running!
You're nearing 7.000 subs. This is more than good.
LMFAO No really! I had to pause it at 21:50 (DoMT) until I could stop. I had already almost spit my coffee when you said "NO! I'm not gonna run a game for you". Tell it like it is Brother! This one was as fun as stand-up to watch. So much gold.
About the speed of your speech, I had thought a lot about that after the email I sent you post ep. 6. I noticed the speed was not much faster than it normally was... it was the slight style pauses (breaths & breaks) that you seem to nail 98% of the time seemed to be hinky in sections of that one. I don't mind when you speak fast, because your enunciation, diction & tone are excellent for recording.
I am looking forward to seeing The After Action Reports w/ vitamins, when they come up. They are definitely fun, but I totally agree with your instinct on doing them only when there is something to be learned by it.
Maybe some twist of fate will bring me to your coast, if this unlikely scenario ever occurs... I would ask, Can I run a game for you to thank you? (^_-)
Peace & Go Screw (This may be our group's new 'Live, Long & Prosper')
Who stops watching your videos after 8 min? That's crazy!! :)
Another great video!
Yes, you will definitely learn a lot watching yourself run D&D. Or at least, I've learned a lot watching myself running D&D. :)
I really enjoy the long format video style! But I understand that a majority of viewers may not be into that. Also, I read "Priest" in less than a week and I'm probably gonna pick up "Thief" for my upcoming birthday. Feel better soon so you can write that third book so I'm not left on any endless cliffhangers! ;)
Hey Matt, keep it coming, you are doing extremely well.
However, I do not agree that a well experienced GM wont learn anything here. Im about to turn 47 and ive been playing since I was 12 years old. And GM-ing for almost as long.
Not only do I feel very entertained by your videos, I love comparing your experiences to my own, I also get new inspiration for my own campaign setting and new sessions. I watch every second of all your uploads so it was a big surprise for me when you said that most people dont watch more than 10 mins. I never click next or stop untill I hear the signatory "Peace, Out"
Thank you for doing all this. Keep it up and dont change anything :)
I loved watching this, your first message was about the viewing efficiency and that you were going to be making shorter videos, but low and behold you get talking and BOOM!!!! Video is 27 minutes!!! Love it, please keep it them coming.
Also, I'm from the UK, and "Peace out" does not mean anything insulting lol What shit do people come up with!!?? lol
+James Reid I think some American viewers once learned something about British culture and want to show off what they know. But they have overreached their understanding. :D
Good episode format, going over everything on the channel.
As a trans person I can add that the overt presence of inclusivity not only makes me feel more represented or welcome, it also ads an element of safety, because I know that if forced to choose between defending me or some wangrod who thinks I shouldn't exist, its my back that has cover, not theirs. As a DM I try to create the same sense of safety for everyone.
His philosophy of GM'ing, (whatever gets you behind the screen) applies to many things in life. Just do whatever gets you out there, having fun with your mind, actively being creative, it is better than passively consuming content.
Ha! The first episode I saw I was all like "Hey, look! It's D&D Vlogbrothers!" I was right! Keep making awesome content.
It's rare that I both disagree with AND fail to be inspired by what you say. That's a sign of quality!
Hope you feel better soon, Matthew!
EYYY I knew you could beat em. Also, 8 and a half minutes? that is ridiculous, all this stuff is so helpful!
I usually watch the video for a bit (8 minutes), and download it to watch in the office or listen to on the way to work. . . . and my son has started building a campaign on your videos (hes 10). . . thank you. . .
You know I think you've helped me define another couple of general categories to generally define players. Those that are there to play a game and those that are there to tell a story. Something I've been paying attention to. Game players want the rules to be followed to a tee while story tellers are less concerned with the rules other than a tool to give structure to the story. Just a thought.
speaking to your later point about on rails vs. sandbox.
initially I wanted a sandbox game, one where all the players can carve out their character's place and legacy in the world.
The problem with this is that I am still a novice GM and don't have the resources, skill, or technical aptitude to sufficiently provide such an experience.
I feel like I've, in a sense, painted myself into a corner since I want to scale back to a more on rails system, but the players are expecting so much more.
I've really enjoyed all your videos. I've watched them along with some others as a sort of preparation to taking the plunge into GM'ing myself, after 20+ years of playing rpg's as a PC off and on.
I've always wanted to try to run games, but couldn't quite get over my fear of failure, but now I've found two friends (both also experienced roleplays) who are both chomping at the bit for me to get going, and it IS going to happen - and in large part because of yours and a couple of other GM's encouraging and super inspiring "You Can Do It!" videos.
Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!
My very last hump was the challenge rating in D&D 5E, since I will be starting with only two PC's, but I've decided to just add one or two cool NPC's for help in combat situations untill I get better at gaging what is balanced combat re: monsters and numbers.
Does that sound okay, or do you and your viewership have other, maybe better, ideas on how to set up well balanced combats for only two PCs?
Because I kind of love the idea of a two character party as well. Could be fun to just try to run a short campaign with only those two to have each other's backs, eh..?
+Pru-Pruh Hello, thought I might be able to offer you a little help (I didn't find the Challenge Rating part of DMing 5e intuitive when I started but think I figured it out).
With two characters you can create a challenging fight, that should not have anyone falling unconscious, if you make the challenge rating add up to half their level. The tricky part is when you want different enemy types, without having to build your own. A few tricks I can think of to balance higher challenge fights back towards the PCs' is to firstly take away an enemy's 'multi-attack' move, secondly (if things are a bit too hard) take away an enemy's proficiency - can make a big difference if the bandit, for example, is only rolling plus their strength to hit.
However I think the major thing that can help is to see that the PCs losing a combat, as not a big deal. There is a bit of an idea about fighting to the death (I've never seen a PC surrender during a fight) and that if all the PCs are unconscious then that's a TPK. I think that if your two PCs fall unconscious you could totally have them wake up hours later tied up somewhere and press on.
You'll get a sense for what's a good challenge the more you DM, sometimes you just have to have your PCs wake up from a TPKO first, best of luck!
Thank you so much, Robert Vincent this was very helpful!
I love the idea of the TPKO as an option, because it gives me way more wiggle room as a GM while giving me some much needed experience in coming up with well balanced challenges for my players moving forwards, while also doing fun stuff with the story.
For some reason I am way less intimidated with winging it when it comes to the storytelling than I am with the combat game mechanics. All other GMs I know feels opposite. :D
Btw, I've only surrendered twice as PC in my whole career of tabletop rpg'ing, and now I wonder how I got ahead of the curve on that one all the while thinking my groups and I had to be behind, lol!
Maybe the reason I've never experienced a TPK. Plenty of single characters dead but there's always been one or two characters left bleeding but not entirely dead.
Argh. I can't wait to begin GM'ing on my own! :D
+Pru-Pruh Break a leg!
I am happy to hear you have surrendered in the past, I think that is really cool and plays your character in a more realistic way. I have seen plenty of retreats but never that.
Combat is just something you get used to. I think Matt said we all start off with a lot to improve on but everyone has fun during that stage too. TPKO is probably the best thing to keep in mind because it means you can fictionally get it wrong a bunch.
You weren't the only person to have this exact worry however! I responded to another person (the same day even) with the same worry about challenge ratings for two PCs. That was on my tumblr blog (which I will selfishly plug to you right now: www.tumblr.com/blog/bandgelo ) tip number 9 dealt with that.
+Robert Vincent Thanks again! Will have a look. :)
In regard to people asking when you'll be on Critical Role - I think a fair chunk of us found you via CritRole fandom, and people just like seeing things they enjoy on the internet come together, especially when we know at least some of the people involved already know each other. If you don't think you'd fit well at their table, perhaps you could be Matt Mercer's rebound DM sometime, so he does get a chance to play something. Or, both things could continue independently and I shall continue to enjoy them both, without crossing the streams. :-)
You talk super quick so it always sounds like your talking about something super important. It could be pure nonsense, but i'd still be engrossed. But it's not, it's great stuff! 10/10 would watch again. And i probably will xD
I think the main difference on the hand gesture for the peace sign is that by and large if your unused, curled fingers are facing yourself, it is more typically the "screw off" version the UK has in its gesture-slang, whereas a lot of your classic "giving the peace sign" pictures show hands where the knuckles are outbound.
Campaign Cartographer has been pretty food for me. I mostly make city and town maps with it, but it's good for dungeons and large scale maps as well.
I was considering rolling for the player's perception and stealth, but ultimately decided against it. My reasoning is that there are mechanics in 5e (such as inspiration and the "Lucky" feat) that allows the player to reroll skill checks, but if the player doesn't know what was rolled there is no way to decide for them when to reroll. Of course, one could argue that the very notion of inspiration and rerolling kind of goes against the spirit of roleplaying, as they are pretty meta but I don't find it that convincing.
Anyway, those are my two cents on the subject. I'm looking forward to seeing what the future of the channel brings. If your past videos are anything to go by, it will probably be pretty good.
These are amazing videos, they help a lot, so thanks and get better!
I have actually used some of your advice already in my campaign. Though I play online over roll20 with fellow critical role fans. I only railroaded them once in the first session, when they tried to take off after an enemy that was dead but being dragged behind her horse towards approaching enemy renforcements. The railroading was when I had an Adult Black Dragon arrive above their location to land infront of them, they all failed their wisdom saves and proceeded to flee. Since then its been an on rails/sandbox mash up.
These reinforcements would've killed them, even with the monk in the party.
The only comment I have on the ending (I didn't even notice that the fingers were "backwards") is the way you emphasise the "OUT!"
It makes me think that the video ends with you saying peace, and then you just tell us "Get out! The video's over! Go on! Shoo!"
Matt ur the coolest for making these
Love the series. I just wish I watched it before starting my current (and first as DM) campaign, because I would have totally used your 4d6 in order character creation method.
Absolutely do the superman v bats review! It had so many excellent ideas just presented at the wrong times.
On the note of passive perception. I like the idea that you can only be so attentive If you're not actively on the lookout (which you can't be doing for more than a couple minutes at a time in reality). If I used my players normal perception checks, lower level creatures like goblins would have no chance to sneak up on the PCs!
i like the fast talking
+1wsx10 Seriously! My gf doesn't play or give a shit about D&D really (she still asks how my game went each week cause she's a sweetie) but whenever I put these videos on she'll sit and watch just cause the delivery is so good.
Speaking of length... this video did go on for too long to my taste. Overall though, great videos. As a DM of almost two decades now, your video shines new light on things I might have been complacent about.
+Kakaze1 It took a while to cover 13 videos worth of feedback, I don't expect we'll do another one of these. Each video will contain responses to the feedback from the previous video.
Awesome to hear One Fighter at Time is going to continue! As far as battlemap building have you tried Fantasymapbuilder? It's kind of wonky but I like it so far and it's early in dev, Campaign Cartographer is absolutely DRACONIAN in its functions but it can produce a nice map. Also Pyromancer's working on a new offline app for dungeon building, so I'm holding out hope for that!
Matt Colville: Gonna make sure I do shorter videos.
Everyone Else: Uh-huh. Yeah, sure...