GREAT GM: 121 & 122 technique explained - Storytelling for your rpg session - game master tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 มิ.ย. 2024
- An elaboration of the 121 and 122 techniques from the How to be a Great Game Master video on pacing in your roleplaying game: • GREAT GM: Setting Pace...
The channel where all the Roleplaying happens is the Bacon Battalion which you can find here: th-cam.com/channels/ZDc.html...
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I don't like to call "love intrest phase' a "love intrest phase". I usually call it "attatchment phase" and it doesn't have to be an attatchment to a person. It can be an attatchment to the whole village, city or group of people. A wide net makes it easier to catch players into relations.
"Tentacles are involved somewhere "
Yep, that's a bumper sticker waiting to happen ! :)
Another great video sir.
+Kevin Hahahahha. Indeed! Glad you enjoying the channel!
I was going to like this comment but it's already at 69. That would be a disservice.
"We are the proud parents of a honor student who has tentacle fetish."
Just a little change.
I see what you did there: Galaxy Quest!
"Remain flexible."
"Knowing how to tell a good story allows you to sit back and not plan the whole thing."
Absolutely shockingly good advice.
8:14 Midpoint of the video, and he's talking about the midpoint of campaigns
Thank you very much for these videos. I've been trying to restart a campaign after a two year break. My issue was writer's block. However, I've realized from all of your wonderful videos - that the real issue is that I have no idea how to tell a good story. After this realization, ideas and structure have been flowing as if broken from a dam. You have no idea how much joy this is bringing me.
Rob that is excellent, and I am so happy to that you chose to share with us! It is sometimes just one giant banana that we inserted and bingo! It all opens up! Let us know how your campaign goes!
As someone trying to GM for the first time I found this video incredibly helpful for crafting my first story. I feel a lot more confident about fleshing it out now.
Our DM gave us the gift of a puppy eating an apple. Half the party instantly fell completely in love with him. His name is Benson.
This. I am going to use this. Thank you for sharing it. :)
@@gidkath Welcome. :)
how did it die
Thanks for the video! For D&D, story is a byproduct of gameplay. It's a roleplaying game where players, through their PCs, take actions and the DM informs them of the consequences, sometimes with the assistance of rolled dice for randomness. There is no plot. Whatever happens during the game becomes the story retroactively. I've been running D&D games since 1974 through all editions and countless other RPGs. I've run them all this way and it works if the DM trusts the players and gives them the agency to take actions through their PCs and allow the dice to fall where they may. Trust yourself. The most amazing things can happen if you get your ideas of story out of the way.
Sir, your content has been extremely helpful. I stumbled across this channel at just the right time. I've GM'ing for a little while now, though I still view myself as a novice. My group is happy....so we must be doing something right.
You're vids have recently helped me through a brief creative slump. Thanks so much for making these. I've recently subbed and will continue to charge through your content. Please keep it coming.
+bodywhey8 Welcome to the table! Glad they could help in a small way to help bring things into a fun light for you! If you have any questions we welcome them!
Those lights are really hot. You can get a small, quiet fan. That might help.
An excellent follow up to your pacing video. I really appreciate how you hammered on story, with gentle reminders that we don’t need to plan it all out but to let it naturally flow from the gameplay and the excitement level of the players.
Hey keep it up, this channel makes me feel like I can give my players the fun they deserve.
+Riley Newsome Welcome to Team GreatGM!
i don't know how you make such great videos, but please keep on doing it. They have helped me grow into a better player and a better GM. Thank you.
You should make audio books.
My thanks. I used to do so as a charity thing, but sadly I moved city.
Maybe just as Spotify podcasts ?
I’d listen to you read LOTR for sure!
Also it’s too bad characters have to be buxom and beautiful instead of smart and strong to be lovable. I’m new to D nD after playing in my youth 40 years ago! But your video on one shots led me here and you seemed aware of female stereotype. I liked that. Also Luke didn’t choose to go with Obi he denied the heroes path and so his aunt and uncle were murdered to force him. I’m running my first very soon so the GM I’ve relearned my love of the game like Caramon re learned his, can have a go playing during the rona times and just let go. My neighbor played with GG by mail and is an amazing GM but I’m too intimidated to ask him anything!!! I’m learning a lot from you though.
Just want to say, as I shelter in place, I have been watching one of your videos every day. I view these great videos as an online class. Thanks for much.
This is a great break down of the three act structure and 121 & 122! Thank you!
I really love your series, your way of explaining is excellent. Thankyou from someone who is thinking of GM'ing and how to put it together. Liked and subbed right away.
I don't tend to write characters into my settings as dedicated love interests... because a) That feels super forced and b) The players may not like that sort of thing. If my players decide to try romancing an NPC (has been known to happen), I will roll with it, but I try to avoid sticking NPCs there just to be romanced. I am thankful have the kind of players between whom and the NPCs, relationships (both romantic and otherwise) will blossom naturally and far more gracefully in their emergence than anything I could have planned.
For my two cents' worth... You have stated among the simplest terms of exactly how a GM should be working... Let the players build the story...
The same way you "roll with it" as Players might romance an NPC, you can also "roll with it" when you're crafting stories and plots for your setting... Just leave the hooks around for the Players to pick up or leave as they will... and they will...
In my experience, a good GM' continues giving subtle hints about the "adventure story at hand"... and this is particularly true when working from a kit, BUT a GREAT GM simply creates the hooks and conflicts and lets the Players pick and choose where and who or whatever they want to fight... Then craft the story plot to fit the narrative together as you go along... It sounds complicated, but... it's really not so hard. Most of the time, any particular group will develop a pattern, a theme of their actions, which inherently lends them to follow events and monsters and other details that are fairly easily knit together...
SO the attacking rust-monster was defeated... AND nobody sees any overt signs that it has a damn thing to do with the filthy kobold menace from the mountains, nor do they believe it particularly linked to the Sorcerer in the Vale two counties over... BUT you can always give someone a perception check and let them find the "wizard's mark" or some "branding" or other to tie the thing together... It's even a little more helpful if one among the party is only too happy to find "expensive rust-monster parts" to keep in his collection of "bartering goods" for later... lolz. :o)
I'm three sessions in on my first GM attempt and tomorrow I start a second group because the itch is too strong! Your videos are excellent, and so useful. Thank you.
These series have been awesome! I love watching all of these REALLY helpful GM tips, advice and such as a noobie DM. I have played D&D for about 6 months and started DMing a lot more 3 weeks ago. Thank you so much for making these videos, I can't wait for more!
It is these kinds of comments that keep me going. Thank you! I really appreciate your comments, and hope that you continue to see value in these videos! And there are plenty more coming!
Thanks so much for this. I had the opening and the big plot all squared away, but was struggling to build from one towards the other, to make an *idea* into an engaging *story*. This video (and others of yours I've watched recently) really inspired me and I look forward to building the story even more with the help of my players! Thanks again!
+Isaac Lebwohl-Steiner Welcome to the table! Hope we continue to inspire!
Goodness, at one point there were only 1000 subscribers on this channel. Still high quality back then.
Awesome tips sir, thank you so much!
And to think you had just hit 1000 subscribers ! Congrats, Your tips and tricks have been very useful
dude your videos are awesome, filled with great information and right to the point
Thank you - though not many people would agree about me getting right to the point lol.
Two things that have improved my storytelling process and significantly eased my preparations is knowing story structures like these to help organize my ideas into a coherent and controlled narrative. Secondly, foreshadowing; I can not emphasize how much little hints and clues and call backs to previous actions my players have done help to keep the world alive as well as connect them into a bigger story. Having story structures and foreshadowing/clues can turn any random encounter roll table into a compelling narrative.
wonderful ideas. I have started taking apart the current story and adding in the elements you have talked about it has really improved the story and given it a much more interesting and alive feeling.
+Matthew Lenington Wow. That sir - has made my day. If I've helped in some way to make you a better GM, then I am awesomely happy! Let me know how the players respond.
How did I miss this video?!? Great video!
"We've just reached over 1000 subscribers", over 134k now and am so happy to of found you at the beginning of my GM career
"Tentacles are involved somewhere." I'm going to use that one in my next gay mirage debate.
Gosh if only... it would greatly improve the sex life.
- Is that a gay marriage up on that desert hill?!
- No, you fool! 'Tis merely a mirage of a gay wedding!
@@ArbyRadio well spotted and expertly capitalized upon!!! Bully!!!
I cant believe how much these techniques WORK on my players! They loved every pieces of it! I was very doubtful about how the game would go, especially as a matter of pace considering action vs downtime, but you are right : this system works by itself! I followed your indication à la lettre and i've turn two childish powergamers into devoted storylovers and plotdrivers. I can't wait for our next adventure - and your next video!
That's awesome feedback, thank you for taking the time to share. Its all about freeing up the story so it works for you and not the other way around. Glad it helped!
I think this is great advice especially for oneshot adventures, one thing I am really missing is that on longer running campaigns you can give a lot of sub plots where you can branch of AND to use cliffhangers sometimes they are GREAT.
Have your players sit on the edge of their chairs and then end the session, they can/will speak about it in the week, think about how to solve the problem AND next session they will be right in it and be immersed and you do not need to build the whole suspense from 0
+DummyUrD Exactly. It's not always easy, and sadly I find the biggest challenge is where one is constrained by time - if a player has to leave early or the session isn't three hours which neatly fits a good 121 structure. But it's something to adapt to.
Sir, I cannot wait to master my next game session thanks to you! really renewed my interested in RPGs!
+tauofwar Tau - let us know how it goes!
wow, you only had 1,000 sub when you did this? amazing how far you've come!
Hi. I discovered your channel only last week it I'm highly impressed with the content. I've been utilising the Aristotle 3 act plan in my game design/planning for a while but it's really good to hear a highly intelligent "take" on the process.
In my group there is a lot of cross-talk plus we only get a 2 hour window of gaming per week so it's hard to build up the momentum for the climax. Good sessions need to be planned.
My usual game plan is to try a mini 3 act in each 2 hour segment where the Act 1/Intro is a recap of the previous game with a quick discussion of what the group wants to do (10-15 mins). Act 2/Content involves dealing with a previous cliffhanger, if appropriate, and the "meat" of the session (1 hour 15 +/-) and building up to Act 3/The Climax (30 mins).
My trick with the climax is to try the old cliff-hanger approach and leave each session at the point the players want more and to know what happens next. Usually this is a combat which they jump into and start the next session slinging dice.
Obviously no plan survives contact with the enemy, um, the players but this is how I try to run my sessions. I think I have about a 50-60% success rate. And this is not a rigid itinerary; if the players are having fun with an encounter then I'll let it continue and, if appropriate, amend the adventure accordingly.
+Andy Simmons Welcome to the channel! I hear you about short times. Over at BaconRPG.com we post a 40 minute video each week which is my personal session. Although it's only 40 minutes we play for about 2 hours and then just split the video up into two pieces. Pacing is challenging at that speed but I prefer it. It keeps the sessions focused and on track. Your breakdown sounds great. No plan at all survives in-tact. As a matter of fact planning on your plan to not go according to plan is part of the plan... or should be :) Glad there is benefit to you, and let me know how your games go!
I happened upon your videos about a week ago and I've seen dozens of them and has been very enlightened
I'm very happy you joined us - welcome to the table! I hope that some of the videos maybe spark something inside you, that some help improve your enjoyment of the game, and some maybe get to think about how you play the game and possible some get you to fight back and shout at me when I am wrong!
I used to DM to my gf who thought it was stupid til we got into combat. She made tons of references to The Hobbit then she was hooked. Problem was she had to have very strong magic items from each encounter. Later I found she wasn't a team player as at one point she actually told someone she was considering killing someone's PC to get their magic. I'm going to check out an RPG game store that has D&D nd more...
As long as she doesn't consider you to have any magic in real life it sounds like a great relationship. Team play is fairly important! Here's hoping your local store has a group for you!
Something that I find a lot of people call the "love-interest phase" in other narratives like TV, particularly child-appropriate cartoons, is the "power of friendship" part (*so* many friendship monologues). Going off of what other people commented, it seems like the best way to describe this phase is where the characters find emotional investment in others, and that is used later in the narrative to show how the empathetic side of things affects what characters do. I like it, but man does the repetitiveness show in some executions.
Goodness. Only 5 years ago you hit 1k and now you’re at 201k. You are amazing. Thank you for everything
Very interesting, looking forward to the different system reviews.
+Simo It shall have to be! I need more time! lol Thanks for answering however!
I think I have just sat and watched about 12 of your videos in a row, great for inspiration about what I should or shouldn't do in my sci-fi campaign.
That's awesome to hear! Is it a homegrown sci-fi setting?
How to be a Great Game Master Aye. it's savage worlds rules with with a lot of their races but the entire setting is home brew. Been a lot of fun and a lot of work since pretty much everything in the year 2735 is different. Had to make society from the ground up. Super excited to get the stories going. Your videos have added a little structure.
I'm glad to have added structure :) It sounds really exciting. Is it all typed up or notes in scrapbooks?
How to be a Great Game Master I have a folder on my pc with most things organised in to sections. A lot of it is created with the players and their back stories. We've had 2 sessions focused around "this is an introduction to the world" and they have gone great. Just time for the real thing!
Got to say... LOVE the content. Even for an "old-schooler" like me, there are some fine points you explain well for "polishing" my usual antics and technicals with.
I would like to know if you have any thoughts pertaining to "buying time" in the manners of gaming. Sometimes the players might "derail" a campaign and rather than let this whole vision twist away wildly and recklessly out of control, a GM just needs a minute or two to muse about how to tie this new twist in the action back toward the primary target of the theme... OR through some fluke of dicing it up on the table, the story got mysteriously accelerated, and the GM just needs a few ideas to ramble about a bit while getting into the "nuts and bolts" of the next "chapter" since no one wants to stop yet...
I have my own thoughts on the matter, along with tried and trusted, "go-to" methods for retro-engineering campaign motions, as well as re-pacing the story-telling of the game... BUT it's always a good idea to probe about and find new perspectives... (And it might help some GM's who have serious difficulty with the concept of "buying time"... lolz) :o)
Great Video!!!
love this show
3:34
That's me when asked to my presentation on plant anatomy
I realised I should encorporate the film story arc model into my campaign. Games have been so much better since!
Act 1, character and setting intro, turning point. Session 1 of my campaign: Character and setting intro, they got hired for a job, found a sword, decided to go to the capital for information on it. Act 2, Subplot, Love interest. Session 2/3: Bumped into, and defeated, a group of bandits along the road, who the discovered to be part of fairly infamous pirate gang, and then met a woman being attacked by a Witch Hunter, and after an awkward encounter, discovered she was a Succubus, and ended up letting her go, and making the Witch Hunter leave as well... Succubus then proceeded to be taken on a date by every member of the party besides the bard, which ended how any date with a Succubus is probably going to end (The Paladin was the first to have sex, the Bard is the last, strange party), and one of the characters seems to have a bit of a crush on her.... Damn. The campaigns following it exactly so far.
I just came across your videos today when I was searching utube to do research on what it takes to be a good story tell for rp. A guild that I have been apart of since last Christmas is strong in everything besides rp and I finally have decided to help my guild out by providing an rp branch to our guild. After so many people over the last few months have asked if we did rp I finally decided that introducing rp to the guild life would help bring the guild back to life. Thanks for your videos! My journey now will be a great deal more enjoyable thanks to you.
Another reason why I decided to introduce rp to the guild is because most people sadly in the star wars the old republic tend to ruin rp by making it boring. My goal is to bring the magic and wonder back in the role play experience. Brand new gm by the way.
An absolute pleasure and glad to have helped the guild! I was briefly part of a SWTOR guild but found it very... mundane. Lots of talking. So good luck to you! Let us know how it goes!
Yes I agree with the mundane part. Then you have those who log on and never say a thing. I will keep you updated. My first thoughts is to use the material as props for inspirational purposes. My first campaign will be centered around the Jedi academy. I am very interested to dive deeper is to the Jedi experience in order to recapture the magic of what star wars is all about.
If SWTOR got one thing right (and I loved the game, got a couple lvl 50's) was scale... man... the academy was cool.
This is the first channel I've watched that I would be more than willing to pay money toward through something like Patreon.
+Halsten Rust Well that's a great compliment thank you. We are going to launch something soon for this channel and the Great PC channel that may involve Patreon. But it would also involve a little bit more. Watch this space ;) And welcome to the table!
you should set this up as a podcast!
5:05 just... Perfection.
7:37 why, of course.
Would love your thoughts on the narrative dice in FFG SWRPG.
Love your stuff!
Could you please make a video about how to think and prepare for different genres of roleplaying? What is common in every genre, what differs? Keep up the good job
+rasmus martaeng I have planned for a series specifically talking to this! Watch this space - I think it's planned for March!
When I'm thinking about my story structuring, I think of what I learned from Joseph Campbell; The Hero With A Thousand Faces. This book about the heroes' journey has influenced a great many story writers... including George Lucus. Not that I'll ever be in the same league as greats like him.
"I'll never be as great as George Lucas" Fucking lol, just don't make the prequels and you win that
I appreciate you expanding upon the 121/122 system.
I didn't really feel the 1 session + 2 sessions + 1 session thing would work for our group because our adventures tend to go on for far longer than 4-5 sessions.
We do play by post stuff, with a heavy emphasis on roleplay (We can go for several sessions without rolling a single dice) so our games tend to be quite slow. Not saying that not much happens or that the players aren't engaged. Rather the opposite where what you called "going to the market" can be a whole adventure in of itself.
What I was thinking of doing is using the narrative structure you are using to tell the entire story, and apply it to much smaller parts.
Instead of the intro being the discovery of a signal, the middle being the borg, and the end being the exciting confrontation with a borg cube; we could zoom in and tell a much smaller "scale" story that is part of a bigger over-arching campaign: the intro could be meeting the Psychic, the middle could be saving her from the borg and the end could be a relatively small encounter with borg drones who have come to take the psychic prisoner.
Or you could narrow it down even further;
Drawing from something I am familiar with (Basically D&D and Fantasy) an adventure could be a trip to the inn.
The intro is the heroes arriving at the inn, getting drunk and the usual role-play stuff that emerges from that.
The first part of the middle could be learning a little more about the NPC that is tagging along on their adventures (The subplot)
But then we have the middle of the middle where a character arrives that the patrons of the inn seem a little frightened of, and they start causing minor trouble.
The last part of the middle could be the characters being curious about this particular character (Perhaps he wears an emblem that they recognize) and they start surreptitiously asking around about who this person is. Or perhaps they confront him directly, only to find him pretty tight lipped about who he is, but he still behaves in such a way that would make the party suspicious.
Then the conclusion: Suddenly something happens that forces the heroes to intervene. Perhaps there is a dispute between the man and the inn-keeper that turns violent. If they don't do something, somebody could get hurt and thus the heroes are driven to action. However the man calls for backup from his minions who had been keeping watch outside and the players find themselves in a climactic battle.
What happens next really depends on the outcome of the battle. The man could escape and pose a threat to the heroes in future adventures, or he could be killed which would piss off which ever villain just happened to be hiring him, or he could even be captured and interrogated by the heroes. All three possibilities would advance the overarching adventure which could even just be a single part of an even bigger adventure.
I just slapped that out in a few minutes, so it's pretty rough, but there you go: an entire micro-adventure that consists of "A trip to the inn"
I'm very surprised you got no likes on this 🤔 I think what you're saying here is quite useful. On a smaller scale the 121/122 method can be used as a tool to keep a good grasp on whats happening or what could happen in an encounter
Given what you're saying, it explains why every superhero story seems to begin with an origin story.--- even though most of the audience is quite aware of the origin of Superman Batman or Spider-Man, you may have that one audience member who knows no part of the story.
I just discovered your channel, and I want to say I am enthralled!
I am a very new GM, and I'm in the beginning of building my own world, which is a fantasy/sci-fi hybrid set around a large planet in an expansive yet unexplored star system.
A question I want to ask is, what is the slowest pacing I should set for a campaign?
My objective is to build the campaign, or the saga of campaigns, to eventually conclude with a massive conflict against a grand-scale adversary, but I am wondering if a year-long saga is unfeasible.
+Austin Franks Hello, firstly glad you like the channel :) Secondly - have you watched He-Man and the Masters of the universe? All about fantasy/sci-fi :) In terms of duration planning a long term game is good - planning it for a year or more is great. But I would let your players drive the pace. If they having fun, let them have fun exploring your world. If after a year you feel it's time, then it's time. The last campaign I ran that ended after a year, ending because a player was leaving and we wanted to round it off. It took me two months to finish it up. But as long as people have fun, let it run man. Let it run. Oh and in that year of campaign - it was dnd 3.5 - they reached level 14 or so. So from that pace it was basically a level after each successful 'adventure'. Does that help?
+How to be a Great Game Master Absolutely! Thanks for the advice! I'll be sure to be on the lookout for more of your videos!
These are great. Thanks!
+Jack L. Foole Thanks Jack. Any suggestions for future content?
how to make pcs act? how do i make them act like their characters, or in case of our system finally create their characters (it is(should be) formed by their actions during sessions). they are consistent in their combat behaviour, but when it comes to social interactions, they simply do what they would do as players, but it is not what they did in a similiar situation in previous sessions.+how to make their characters "fall in love" or create other memorable relationship, when they are more detatched from their characters.(basically my players don't roleplay, because it feels awkard, or they don't want to invest the effort to develop, define their character's behavior,phylosophy). How can I solve this, because it would surely improve the game and story significantly.
It's a tough call man - your best bet is to force them to at the least talk THROUGH their character. No more: "My character says that he wants to go shopping." It must be "I want to go shopping." Using the first person voice should help them find their character. Some people though are just naturally awkward (in real life) and so don't know how to act otherwise. Not everyone is an actor, or capable of being other than what they are. Let us know how it goes?
It's great advice! Thanks for adding to the learning. :)
Hello! I am loving these videos and learning how to be a better GM or a better storyteller. I am doing Star Wars roleplaying and I am trying to get away from Modules. I find that I have trouble coming up with something that is creative and won't mess up the star wars storyline, i.e. the Heroes fight Darth Vader when he fights someone else or whatnot. How do I balance making a fun story and not going outside what the movies/shows have set? Should I give a disclaimer that my story works outside the movies, books, shows etc?
Real nice mise-en-scene here.
The story structure I use is this:
Act 1. Scene 1. Introduction (Introduce characters to each other and to the setting)
A. 1. S. 2. Exposition (Expose characters to the general idea of the story / campaign)
A. 1. S.3. Development (Develop those ideas into plot hooks and character development)
Act 2. Scene 1. Main Plot (Characters get a sense of what the big, major story idea is)
A. 2. S. 2. Side Plots (Characters along the way get knowledge of other story elements)
A. 2. S. 3. Climax (Interaction with various plots leads to climatic final battle or other big encounter)
A. 3. S. 1. Aftermath (Success? Failure? Now what?)
A. 3. S. 2. Denouement (Tie up loose ends; time to cool down, return towards "normalcy")
A. 3. S. 3. Rewards (Players get extra money, experience, contacts, information, etc.)
Each of the 9 scenes will have at least 3 different encounters, so PCs can end up having 20 - 30 significant, meaningful encounters, and will likely level up at least once and at most three times.
Hey, really love your videos! Can you do one on how to have interesting characters? I want to do a more NPC-driven campaign.
+Jimbo Yokimbo Welcome to the table. Our very next video on Wednesday is - NPC's and a whole bunch of things around them! I think you're going to love it.
Oh very useful
great video
+innapropriateshow Thanks you. Welcome to the channel if you new! Any requests for more episodes? Content wise?
+Michael McCully Call me a youtube noob - but what would be the annotion exactly? Me commenting on how they play and the calls that the GM makes? Typed or spoken? I'd prefer to do it to my own channel since I can be critical of myself very well!
Wow. You sir have a gift. This is an amazing breakdown of the scene. You're a bit preemptive in your timing - the attack - although a seemingly obvious twist - is actually still part of the setting. The change from intro to middle intro is actually when the characters leave the inn much later. Everything before was establishing characters and location. Setting only gets established when they encounter the necromancer. They haven't yet - and will this weekend - come to turning point which will lead from 1st act to 2nd. But that's not the point. You are very eloquent and have a clarity of thought and interpretation which is impressive. The long and short of it - sadly my RL world is intense at the moment, and making the video's takes up most of my free time. So although this is an amazing analysis of the game I wouldn't be able to do it. Perhaps it's something we could look at - with you involved somehow - it in the future? Again though - just wow man.
I laughed audibly at the tentacle bit and drew weird looks since I was listening to this on headphones.
I'd love to see a video that would explain the different kind of mysteries and how to expand on them, turning the ideas into engaging stories. Have you talked about mysteries on a video that I may have perhaps missed? Anyway, great vids man keep them up. I have recently started my first campaign as a GM and your videos have helped me greatly in organising my world because once I put too many details and too many stories as you'd put it I kind of lost track of it all. Do you have any tips on what pace to unravel the story to the players? Because I have wrote all of it I'm over-eager for my players to see it and experience it I guess. e.g On the very first session I spewed a bit too much and my players wanted to storm off and beat the guys that I had planned for them to battle at least 10 levels later or maybe not even battle them at all depending on their decisions. Fortunately when they met one of them he showcased his power through easily reading their thoughts(I told them that the DC is so high that not even a natural 20 is going to save them which it actually was) and that got them thinking. By the way, the system we play on is Pathfinder! Once again, keep it up!
+Δον Γκουσέ There is a whole section coming up on how to run a good mystery - it has been added to the list. As for Pacing - check out the videos on Pace and the 121 and 122 method. It should help break your mega-story down into pieces your players will like. It sounds like you off to a good start so let us know how it goes!
any plans doing episodes on suggestions, ideas, and pitfalls of different genres
great video really helpful :-)
+Diarmuid Balfe Any suggestion on more videos?
How to be a Great Game Master possibly one about how to make and utilise NPCs
Diarmuid Balfe Great suggestion - I have several tutorials in mind on this subject. Watch this space - it's coming!
Thanks I'm a new GM and your videos have been really helpful in showing me the ropes :-)
Glad I could help! Any questions you might have let me know! Happy to answer
Did you ever do your review of systems?
You should definitivly try out Splittermond. It's a german pnp rpg, but it's great for beginners. I am mostly fond of the tick system, where every action has its own speed. Therefore it does matter wheather you wield the greataxt of death (which is probalbly slow) or use a shortbot (fairly fast). Also increasing your stats is way easier because of broken down simple values of 3,5 and 7. Given it introduces only 4 "levels", but leveling up is a real game changer.
I am just seeing this five years later! No need to reply LOL
Hello buddy. Firstly, i wanted to thank you for the videos you make which are really helpful and carry a lot of advice. By the way, why do you have such a little number of subscribers, i think that you deserve more.Switching to the reason i m commenting, I haven 't played as a dungeon master yet but i am close to getting such a role. What i want to ask: Is there any table in the player's handbook or the gm guide of when the players or the gm have to roll dices or i need to assemble all of them from the handbook. For example if the player wants to play of dead, dash, jump. Is there any video, are you about to make one or any information about this in the internet? Anyway, keep up the good work.
+Alex Kherimyan Thnk you Alex, and I'd love more subscribers! Help get those by sharing the videos ;) As to your question there is a think called the DM screen - which is full of most of the tables you will ever need. I know most of the great systems have one. A DM/GM Screen it's called.
I hope this will help my journey as a DM, thanks for answering. I want you to know that i m sharing your videos to my friends playing d&d and also suggest you to the beginners, because once a was a beginner but thanks to you i learned a lot.
It's comments like that my friend that make it all worth it! Thank you!
Really enjoy your videos, think they are of great help to novice GM's such as myself. I am also fairly new to Pen and Paper RPGs so it's great to find tutorials that cover things like story telling :) Do you have any other tips on storytelling, like books to read? I guess people who took acting in school or something get a head start ;)
My real question is this: I GM Shadowrun 5th edition and was wondering; how would you implement these techniques into a game that has a lot of rules and rolls? It is also what makes the game what it is (in my opinion) and the Story is very mission-based (I don't know if you are familiar with Shadowrun) I think I would find it hard to break up, into these sections, as I usually let the players free roam, but they know there is a mission to complete.
Keep up the good work and thank you.
+Grudgemasta Firstly thank you. Great to know they help! Secondly I haven't ever played Shadowrun but I do know of it. I have yet to find a system that doesn't conform to a good solid story at it's heart. You don't need to break them up into discrete packets, just have the story in your head so you can react to players actions. Missions can become very bleh after a while if they become repetitive. However - think BIGGER. In the books of Sherlock Holmes - his missions were neat and small. But the BIGGER story - with acts and beats and things was the rivalry with Moriarty. The TV series is great, but only gives us 2 episodes before we meet Moriarty In the original books it was twelve or thirteen novella's before we got a hint of Moriarty as a full nemesis. Maybe link your missions with some subtle undertones of a greater evil?
+How to be a Great Game Master
Thank you for the tip, I appreciate it :) I understand what you mean, and I do have something like that brewing in the background ;)
I have started creating and GM-ing a game for my oldest sons, ages 3 and 5. They have boundless imagination to help me come up with scenarios and tasks. It has been really interesting to figure out ways to engage them being that they are so young. The quests I give them may involve dice rolls and simple math, but also usually involve something active like drawing, playing music, throwing balls, finding specific toys, cleaning up, etc. If they ever start to get frustrated, then I let them have a turn being the GM, and that almost always puts them back in it.
Do you know of any games in the vein of what I am doing, or sources I can look up to find ideas on creating an RPG for very young children?
Thank you for your channel. I am looking for every source I can so that I can learn to be a good GM and keep the game interesting enough that they will want to do it for years to come.
+Andy Baxter Firstly - well done sir - 3 and 5 - I'd not even know where to begin! As for resources for that age-group I'd look to 'He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'. The original Filmation version from the 80's. That's what I was watching aged 5. There are over 100 episodes, and although each one is cheesy it might provide you with a basic plot and all of them revolved around moral lesson. It sounds to me like you've got the method of including fun activities sorted. I wish I could have been more help - but 3 and 5... You've got maybe a 10 or 15 minute attention span. Good luck. Let me know if you make progress!
+How to be a Great Game Master Thanks, I watched He Man too when I was 5. I am lucky with attention spans, last night they locked in and they did not want to stop after an hour and a half.
Then my suggestion is START A CHANNEL! I have a few players who have kids and who would love to run a session or two for them!
It has been 2 years. Do you still play with them? Did you ever start a channel?
Wait- reading this in 2023 and those kids are now 10 and 12! Just a reminder that the Internet is a place where time is irrelevant because everything exists at once.
How can you maintain dramatic pacing if players try to push things/ escelate into the next act? Seems blunt to try to just flat out stop them or tell them no, or otherwise railroad them too much.
If you decide to test RPG systems, please include Star Wars Saga Edition. I'm not even a big SW fan, but the system is very well rounded, at least for my style of play.
Fucking amazing content sir
Is the mid point in star wars when Ben dies or when Luke decides to rescue Leia?
I didn't get if these techniques should be applied to an adventure or a campaign... or both ??
What do do at the end of Act 1 if the purpose of the happenings wont be revealed until much later? There cant be a plotrelated turnpoint if they dont know the plot, because it will unfold after the middle of the middle, or if the world is exceptionally paranoid and secretive... at the end. In my case, there are many many hints and puzzlepieces that will inevitably become one, once they get what they are involved in.
Also, Thank you for actually commenting on most, if not all comments. Thats something I rarely see on TH-cam.
Secondly, thank you for your compliment, I decided long ago what I hated about how to channels was often you didn't get answers! So thank you for noticing :)
As to your question the end of ACT 1 should be where the characters decided to commit to the quest - they don't need to know the plot. So you have introduced some bad-guys, you've introduced a possible location, and it's now time for the story to kick off into full steam. It is often better if the players don't know the plot, or the purpose of some of the stuff that happened in the 1st Act, however they must FEEL AS IF THEY DO! So you can drop clues or hints but don't stress too much. Let them think about what is happening and what might happen next. I hope this helps?
I'm a bit late to be answering your end question here, but if you are still planning to research different systems, I would be quite interested to see what you guys think of the Fate Core or Fate Accelerated system.
I'd also like to see what you think about the Lady Blackbird game. It does work with pregen characters but it's mainly a jumping off platform for the story.
The "Fall of Magic" storygame would also be great to see a reaction on.
I'll add these to the list - though I have to say I'm not a fan of the Fate system simply because I had a poor experience of it as a player. :)
How to be a Great Game Master
Oooh, that's sad to hear. I haven't played it at a table, but did some play by post using it. It's a bit slow going, as play by posts tend to be, but I was wondering if the reward system for roleplay might actually get in the way of the story by being such a heavy focus, with the invoking and compelling and stuff.
Have you heard of the game called Microscope? I'd like to see that one played out at a table.
I haven't. Microscope huh? There are so many good RP's out there its hard to play them all!
Almost 10x as many subs now
I know! It's insane!!!
So what changed in the story structure in 2015?
I have a question in regards to running a campaign in a setting like Dark Heresy, specifically 2nd edition, what sort of structure should you follow, as in the game you are lackeys of a more powerful Inquisitor, who has essentially unlimited power. Is there anything different you should do in games like these, where you have to follow instructions from a higher power, and in this case investigate a cult or similar activity.
+TheLittleBirdyKing I was thinking of running a tutorial on the 'higher' power style game. But it's a long way off - so the key for me with any game where there is a Chain of Command - be it 40k or star trek - first off the players must agree to follow the chain. That is they must create characters who respect the chain of command. If they don't then you're wasting your time. But if they do then you have the equal responsibility of balancing the bad guys (who are in the chain of command) with the good guys in the chain of command. The horrid Lt. versus the good Captain for example. Secondly you also need to make sure that the chain of command isn't used as a railroad device. I had a game where the characters who working for a big boss changing history by moving through time. In exchange for doing a good job, they got a 'mission on mission off' where they could do their own thing. Later once they realized what was going on they rebelled. But it was all part of the plan. Hope that helps a bit? If not I can make a video
How to be a Great Game Master It helps quite a bit. I however am more interested in how to write a campaign for this kind of setting, so the sort of protocols to make these largely nameless people, men of unsung glories etc, be rewarding experiences to play. If you could a tutorial would be great but other than that keep up the good work
One issue I run into to some degree in every session is Alphagaming. I have tried separating them from the party a moments to give the other PCs a chance to actually make decisions, but that has limited efficacy since the Alphagamers are pretty happy metagaming. Any other suggestions besides telling them to 'knock it off' directly?
+Yosepi Brady Mmmm... tricky. Though I do raise a finger if there is metagaming and say - You're not there, be quiet. If they persist drop an anvil on their character's head. I get rather forceful with players who metagame. If the alpha-gamer continues to push during the game it sounds like what you're doing is the right way to handle it - send them off on their own. Another technique is - and I use it in Bacon RPG all the time - is the 'Right what are you doing? OK. What are you doing... and I just move through each player turn by turn. That way the alpha has to wait his or her turn. If they jump the queue ignore them until you get to them. Ultimately though alpha's usually have thick skins and the only way to deal with them is to politely tell them to go play a solo game on a PC... Elder scrolls is a good MMO :)
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do you have something to say about Polti's 36 dramatic situations?
+jorge diaz Hello - yes! As a matter of fact! It was going to be used much later in a tutorial on motivation for the bad-guy! You beat me to it. The 36 dramatic situations should be the driving force behind the Bad Guy. This is WHY he wants something badly and is having difficulty getting it. More on this later! But good job raising it now!
Hello! been following since you started, I have an important question.
How do I calculate, record, and write down weapon information and damage in dnd 4th edition?
(using fourth because that's the books I have)
Hi Alchemical Games! I play 4e as well for the same reason. That's the books I have, ha ha! So let me try to understand your question, if it's even still applicable 3 months later. You want to know how to calculate your characters ability to hit and damage? As well as write down weapon info and stuff.
I tend to write down weapon info on an index card or sheet of paper that I keep with my character sheet, in nearly the same format that the book keeps it. I do this with my character's powers as well so that I have them on hand and don't have to open/close the book. Saves you a lot of time in the end. This way you always have all of the critical info on hand at all times.
As far as attack and damage goes, I write down the value of a regular melee/ranged basic attack or spell attack for them, to make it easier for me. I don't know if that was your question, and if not I'm sorry, but if you clarify I am always happy to help. I know a lot of people don't, but I actually really liked 4e and still play whenever I'm able to.
Hey Alchemical, sorry for not responding! And Christian thanks for stepping up!
+How to be a Great Game Master Worry not, I actually did more or less what he suggested in my own way :)
thanks though
Awesome. Don't know how I missed that comment though. I do try to respond to them all!
Video starts at 10:48
where can i find some adventures to play with my people, they just finished LMoP but want to start with theire own charackters something new. But i could not find a "Game of thrones" setting they want.
+Lunad93 So do you know Game of Thrones? I'm sure you do. Use Dnd 5th edition or Pathfinder, and simply run your OWN game! Finding a map is easy for Westeros. GoT hasn't got any special classes. IT's all the same. So just make a few notes and run it yourself. Then you don't need to rely on others adventures :)
Must be really hot in South Africa you were really sweating 😂. Great vid btw keep it up
+Roman Würtz It's about 30 degrees, and the lights we have are good old fashioned 120watt lights so they get really hot... plus I sweat a lot :) Glad you liked the video!
Guy: you are a great gm.
Me: *begins to smile with newfound reassurance*
Guy: no, you're not a great gm.
Me: oh... okay... I guess you're right...
Guy: you're a great story teller.
Me: *starts smiling again*
More of a Shakespearean 5 act type GM here but minus love interests, just doesn't really work in the games I run. Lets face it, it wrecked Mulder-Scully 8>D
Any quick tips on advice you can give players to avoid paying too much attention on each other's performance or RP skills instead of their own?
+PapagiannisWoW You mean being mesmerized by anothers performance? Mmmm... it's probably a form of intimidation? Performance anxiety. I know I feel that when I play with other great GM's. I'm so in awe of their skill I don't think I measure up. The best thing there is to encourage the shy player by giving them more roleplaying options. And if you give them a comical character they might respond better?
Yes, I think that can work both ways, I mean, either if someone on the table becomes mesmerized by someone else's performance, or if they are being mean and bullying someone else of lesser skills.
Thank you :)
I have a question about how to go about players that are extremely forgetful. They'll regularly forget when sessions are scheduled and a lot of the things that their characters can do. I've tried being patient with them, hoping that they would eventually get the hang of things, but we are several sessions in and they can't seem to remember even some of the more basic rules like Armor Class.
+May Tsuki My suggestion is to make the truly forgetful ones run a game. Or to contact them privately and ask if they are not really that keen why are they playing? I really don't like players who continue to remain ignorant of the rules. Another suggestion is to sit down and write a 'cheat sheet' with them. Listing all the basic rules. Make them write it out by hand. If they continue to forgot- write it out again!
Alright, thank you! I'll make sure to try these things out. I really hope things go well, as the rest of the players are really enjoying themselves, partly thanks to the videos you've been posting helping me improve as a GM.
Thank you May! I really appreciate the comment :) and good luck!
"And then you RIP it away."
"Tentacles are involved somewhere " hahahahahahahahhaahhahahahahahahahaahha
And still you haven't explained what 121 and 122 is, Guy? I still don't get either the name (what does the 121 and 122 stand for?) means or what they stand for story wise
for all the ADHD kids out there, he starts talking about the title content at 10:45
I tried to introduce a love interest in my adventure. That's when I found out that my players are potential criminals. I won't say anything more
great content. but this proves the UK does not use Air Conditioning...