"It's not on a stone tablet given to us by Moses; it's created by Hasbro." Your delivery was absolutely flawless. As someone who's both done stand up comedy and been gaming for 35+ years, I truly appreciate this. Not to mention, I believe the company name could be swapped with myriad others and your point would still be well made against people who put too strong a faith (in the secular sense) in all the wrong places.
The way you handle spellcasting is just... beautiful. Elegant. I mean don't get me wrong you're a blasphemous heretic for it but only in the best way possible. Keep doing what you do
I hope one day to have my son ask me "Dad, what did you do with the swords?" and when the answer isn't to his liking his world ends. That is the true sign of great parenting.
I wondered if I should be concerned about that, but nah. That said, I remembered that chapter 11 of XDM has a section entitled "A Giant Incredible Fireball A.K.A. Homeland Security Watchlist" and … I don't really have any idea how to make "ghetto flash paper" offhand (I could if I thought about it) but that and the thing before it … yeah I know how. In the latter case … let's just say I know some albino kid who did it, and I still remember the recipe I-he-used. That said, seriously don't try to emulate 14 year old me. I made two such things. One following that recipe probably exactly.. (If I ever have the opportunity to meet Tracy, I'll ask, out of curiosity.) The second had a bit different recipe, was made to burn a lot longer and looked like a blue jet engine for a couple of minutes. Mostly due to copper, not heat, though it did turn the coffee can to slag in the middle of the dirt field we put it in. That second one got the police called. It was well out before they showed up and we were nowhere near the thing when it went off on purpose, but after about 20 minutes of the police doing whatever, they called in a fire truck to hose the thing down to make sure it STAYED out. Apparently nobody noticed THE ALBINO KID set the thing off, so we were assumed to be just one of several groups of kids watching the commotion after the light show and told to move on. I never considered the police would spend that much time on it, or that they'd also waste the fire department's time, and it was only later I considered that the list of white-haired teenagers was gonna be mighty short if someone had seen me. Never did anything that big after that. But um, a few years ago (my fiancée informs me it was ten) I met a kid, 22, who was missing a few fingers. He'd illegally modified a common non-explosive legal firework to make a bigger boom and wasn't as clever or as safe as he thought. It blew up in his hand. He'd just gotten out of federal prison on parole a couple of weeks ago. They threw the book at him for bombmaking. So … no joke, when the book says don't play with that stuff, seriously, don't play with that stuff. You do not want simulated injuries to become actual injuries, ever, and you do not want law enforcement, fire department, or significant others wanting to have words with you. Play safe. LED strips can be turned into an uplight behind plants and put on controllers that make them flicker, it's easy to add torchlight to scatter terrain that warrants it, LED tea lights are cheap, and you can do amazingly complex things with a couple of Arduinos and about 30 minutes of learning to code. Stay safe, stay legal, and have a great game!
Since finding your channel, I feel like it’s a breath of fresh air. As a man in his mid-40s with kids in a business, I found it impossible to regulate my time enough to fit dungeons and dragons of any addition into my life, but watching your channel has given me lots of very good ideas that I have been able to implement to create a streamlined gaming experience in terms of prep time, and allow for lots of fun to be had with not nearly the amount of prep time and crunch. Thank you very much for all that you continue to put out. I look forward to each video.
I have read hundreds of comments today--mostly about my latest video which racked up 75k in a day. But THIS comment is why I do what I do. Thank you. Made my day.
His premise is wrong though, anyone can wield a leg of mutton as a weapon, you only need Tavern Brawler if you want to do so with your proficiency modifier to the attack roll.
@@Darkzen24 so, your saying that if your a great fighter with a rapier then none of your skill as a fighter transfers to a leg of mutton unless you have a special feat? That's bogus.
@@Elderos5 As someone with extensive Military and martial arts background, yes. If you wield a rapier in the techniques of an arming sword, you're going to be quite ineffective. Now your natural ability will translate, i.e. if you're strong you'll hit harder or dexterous you'll have better coordination/control... But without actually learning the nuances of the leverage/mechanics of a tool, you won't be nearly as effective as someone that does know them. That said, the game abstracts all of this stuff anyways... Your skill is represented in numerous ways. Like HPs, proficiency, ability scores, etc... A trained/veteran warrior will easily kill the average person, they just won't be nearly as effective using a leg of mutton over say a tool designed specifically to kill people (e.g. a rapier).
I used to be hung up on the complexities of "realism" so much that I never actually got around to DMing, I spent all my time prepping and never felt ready. I've since embraced the simple way and it's so much more fun. The game is about exciting adventures and heroic stories not how many sacks of potatoes you can fit on a dire donkey.
Both are perfectly possible. Common sense goes a long way when it comes to realism. My players can only do realistic things, only carry realistic loads, etc. No charts required. The question "how the hell are you carrying that?" goes a long way. "That doesn't make sense, explain how you plan on accomplishing it" or "that's fucking brilliant, here's a fat bonus to your roll" can bring even the most simple systems into line with reality.
After 30 years of DMing you are confirming some things I have thought, but at the same time just blowing my mind. I really don't use a system once I choose one, I buy all the books and then lean back and tell a story, let the die to the hard work. I am quickly becoming system agnostic.
I don’t agree with everything in the video but that’s pretty much the point of the video. Your game is your game. Make what you will of it. The point is for everyone to have fun. I would only add that for me as a DM I like for my players to have fun and be forced to think and stretch their brains a bit. D&D sprang forth from the tabletop war games which were problem solving and critical thinking games at heart. To me that’s what D&D should be focused on not 75 page backstories for 1st level characters. Bravo for the little gem at the end. So nice to see kids raised right.
I don't know, if you can understand your power level, and can write it can be cool. A level one character fighting off goblins with a rusty sword to defend their farm from goblins having spouse and kids slaughtered and knocked unconscious as their farm burns with just a scrap of cloth torn from the goblins as a reminder of which tribe laid them low prompting them to set out as a ranger (and occasional soldier of fortune) is fine and relatively believable level 1 origin. And then you can edgelord munchkin on top of that too.
I've been noticing a recent rise in popularity of "new" OSRs (the making and releasing of RPGs designed in the spirit of Old School RPGs). I grew up as a player being a big fan of combat and mechanics over narrative and roleplay; but now I've grown into the role as GM for my friends, and all I've been looking for are simple systems that are mechanics light and modular. I think I am starting to see the better way to GM. Thanks Professor Dungeonmaster!
Dang pesty new OSR Games www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/253217 The 1990 Game it is taken from www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/248341 The 1981 Game the 1990 Game grew out of www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/249240
Freaking. Perfect. I just discovered your channel today. Gobbling up all of your content. I too have been plagued by slow combat and gameplay that takes all the magic out of the game. Thank you for fighting the good fight. It’s good to know I’m not the only one!
You have very quickly become my go-to RPG channel.I really hope those campaign recap videos come out more frequently soon. I cannot wait to see what the adventurers do next. Keep up the solid work, cheers.
The Moldvay Basic set was my first edition that I owned. I can remember my mother buying this for my birthday in 1979. The Bill Willingham artwork featuring the party fighting a dragon is just so iconic.
I'm an old AD&D 2nd ed veteran and DM. I haven't played in 15 years, however I've just set up a new group of new players. I love all your videos, and your philosophy has just unchained me from the straight jacket of rules systems and the need for books. Thank you!
This really is a great way to DM. I still recall one time that I convinced my mom and my dad to play D&D with me when I was 13 or so and I was so excited to DM for them and show off all the stuff that I knew about the game that I barraged them with rules. It's still fresh in my mind that I had started them off as captives n a prison somewhere, and my mom said that she wanted to have her magic user turn into a little bird and fly out the window to find a way out and my words were no oh, you cannot do that. I learned a lesson that day about railroading and also about making the game fun for everyone. After the game, my dad commented that it didn't really come off as fun and more as having to deal with a bureaucrat telling you that you forgot to file a form 3 days ago. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I like this XDM method of running a game since it is rain is supposed to be about a cooperative story and not a competitive DM vs. Players environment.
Fantastic mate. Love how you have taken what you like, and make it your own. This is what ttrpgs are all about. Us older guys have played dozens of games run by Gms that do this, I do this. I recently ran a 5e game, but was using my own rules, many of which contradicted the 5e rules. My group of new players didn’t care, they loved it. Like you said, us old guys don’t even need books any more. We can improv and make it up as we go along just fine.
I love this ❤️ This is amazing. This was eye opening. I was already done with 5e. I was constantly making homebrew versions of BECMI, BX, in to the odd, Low fantasy gaming,... This is what I was looking for.
The first time I ever GM'd a game, I used a d20 lite system. I had no idea what I was doing and the fewer rules I had to remember, the better things went. The more I became comfortable with the system, the more I wanted to add in, to the point where I wanted too much and had to pear it down again. Now I use a watered down D&D 5E with basic class archetypes that the players can build themselves, come up with their own improvements as they level up and I came up with a boat-load of level-less spells that can also be improved. Its really fun to see the players take more control over how their character develops through their own input rather then relying on a book (even though we use just about any RPG book for inspiration). Its a really fun creative exercise.
Ok I know I’m late to this one but I’ve been trawling through your channel on a cold and rainy Good Friday. I just laughed so hard and had to share with my 14yo daughter the ‘where are the swords?’ part. She can relate as hard as I can. Gold, brother. Gold 😂😂😂
This was a great Video... the only thing I would say is, most of the things you have described massively depend on trust in both the Gm's judgement and their integrity. And in most instances this only comes with experience. Most of the changes I've implemented in my games have probably only happened over the last 2 years of 37 years of Roleplaying, when I started running games for my wife. Yes I homebrewed, both my settings and rules, but it wasn't until I started running D&D for my wife and started seeing that she wasn't really interested in the rules, but more in the story, setting and characters (especially developing relationships with npc's in the region). She just wanted mechanics that help her get the combats out of the way easily, because she's not really interested in the combats. It was so refreshing, after years of having to counter min maxers, metagamers and rules lawyers. We had a saying in our small circle of DM's, called Shaving the Beard... the power gamers round the table used to say "I'm not being beardy, but can I....." insert ridiculous request to do mutliple tasks all at once or perform the impossible! This usually resulted in a raised eyebrow and stern look 😂. But me being able to make these snap decisions, came from both my common sense, and years of both playing and running games. So for these systems, yes I would play them if I knew the GM was trustworthy and sensible enough to run them. But other than that I would probably stay clear of them and play a more streamlined version of a more traditional system.
Lots of what he suggests is by the book in earlier systems. Especially his skill and initiative system. I think it’s important to trust your DM even if they follow the book to the letter because they can still make things horrible for players if they’re inclined. Sounds like you’ve got some good tailor made hacks yourself though.
Professor Dungeon Master, Had to weigh in this time. Absolutely LOVE your channel, and am glad it's catching on and growing. From the first time I found it, instantly subscribed and binge watched all your videos. I love how your pushing ideas of thinking outside the box whether everyone likes all of your ideas or not. It makes people think and makes for great discussion and things to think about. As an old AD&D player years ago and now would like to start gaming again. I must say things have changed a lot since the early 80's. I think the rules systems aren't as bad as a lot of people giving advice on DMing make them out to be. It's a place to start. It gives people an idea how to get into the game. And I think there is a lot of learning curves in them. Walk before you run so to speak. But like you, have thought many times of things I thought might make the game better. It's nice to see your thoughts and ideas for the game. I couldn't agree more. But that's a lot of info for new DM's to consume and/or implement when trying to get going. I would love a video on one your game sessions and see it in real time. How your players react, combat, responses to situations etc. Then I wouldn't mind another video about the same game where you sort of take us through your thought process as the game was going and see first hand how your implementing the ideas you speak of. This video was awesome, kept me laughing throughout the video everything from Moses to the leg of mutton. Great stuff. Love your channel, look forward to your videos and thanks for taking the time to put them up. I, like many here get a lot out of them, and it's really nice to hear great ideas and how others see the game. Just seems advanced for some new DM's like me, and would love some material on maybe some basics and ideas for a one shot until we get some "DM experience points" behind us. Anyway, keep doing what your doing, love it and really enjoy your advice on the game. Cheers!!
After seeing your video I went out this weekend and bought XDM. Great buy, Read it all in two sittings. Loved Dragon Lance trilogies. Tracy and Margaret wow; love these guys. Thank you for the heads up on the book. And continue to make videos for us. Always great stuff .
Same here: I take all different kinds of rpg elements to form my hybrid-D&D-expierience. DCC, Warhammer, Pathfinder, ICRPG - you name it. At one point I even wrote a booklet of about 10 pages with the most important rules out of all these sets, just to help myself a little more to remind me about the changes I made and also to adapt it to my own campaign/fantasy world much easier. I ended up with some sort of my own RPG.... Great vid, great channel. Cheers!
Exactly!! More choices means fewer options. If your system has 0 classes, you can be anything you want. If your system has 4 classes, you can probably shoehorn ALMOST anything you want into one of them. But if your system has 100 classes, each choice is so narrowly defined your options have been reduced to 100.
Seriously. My first 5e character was a Wizard and I was all excited to play him. I had this idea that he had sold his soul to a demon, faust style, to gain arcane secrets. Then I find out that's called a Warlock, I look at the class and I hate it. I started playing in 3e and I already felt like there were too many classes which were essentially the same damned thing. To me the words Sorceror, Wizard, Warlock, Witch, Enchanter, Mage, Evoker, Sage, Alchemist, Necromancer, they're all words for the same freaking thing. This was also always my problem with psionics. In a fantasy game we already have a word for people who can violate the laws of physics, read minds, bend reality, and summon objects from thin air. It's called MAGIC!
To be honest, some of this brings me relief. As a relatively new DM, I worry a lot about running the game right and making it enjoyable. It's really nice to hear that I have that creative control over my game to adjust and try new things.
Thank you by perfectly articulating my entire DM philosophy into one video, that I've been unable to whittle down myself! #nailedit BTW: Loved your son's bursting in segment. Great choice to leave that in.
I loved that you kept the ending! 😂❤ I’m a DM that stopped playing about 15 years and rediscovered OSR scene when looking for the res books online. One reason I stopped playing was that 3.5 sessions took a whole day. To have a set of rules so strict I can play computer games.
I was playing pathfinder aka third edition and was confused about so many things. Like taking 20 and taking 10. Wandering monsters and many more. What ended up breaking me was racial feats in a splat book that I felt were just stock options and it made me reevaluate all feats. A pirate ship battle with another pirate crew in a published module that came down to 4 or 5 players vs the captain. A player scanning their sheet to see what skills they could use instead of interacting with the things in the room. And seeing silliness with initiative like someone moving clear across the room and attacking before someone else moves an inch. I started reading different systems and the older books made some of the rules I didn’t understand make sense. The initiative system was side based and even had suggestions for simultaneous turns. No feats and no skills means players can do whatever they want. I wound the clock to before skills were added. I almost went to before thieves were added. I realized every system was modular and worked to make the system I liked.
Ok, you have pretty much described how I DM. I very rarely use any of my books. I have a set of rules that I change on the fly to suit the situation. I am very happy to have found another person that has a set mind of what could happen and what did happen. When you pulled out that module I had a flashback to a game i ran. Thank you. Watching and listening to you is almost like looking at myself.
Thank you so much for these videos and the games you referenced. I'm a gamer dad as well and trying to bring the same experience to my son as I got back in 1979. I will also be keeping legs of mutton handy as improvised weaponry.
I truly love the bonus content at the end of the video on "random encounters" and initiative. It's a perfect example of when a DM forgets about that one player character who rolls low.
This was the absolute best talk I have heard/seen about how to make the game work well. I just started watching some of your older videos, and for someone like me that has a hard time understanding the “right” way to do things, this nails it.
Thanks for this Professor D. I've been told for the last 10 years that I've been playing D&D wrong, because I often heavily modify certain things to fit my game, sensibilities, or setting. I've been told I should just try another system. (So I did, and I hated them.) I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing.
Reminds me of when I first started playing D&D when I was 12 years old. I had an AD&D 2nd edition PHB and my friend who acted as our dungeon master would just set target numbers for us to roll and make up rules as we went along. Those were the best D&D sessions and so much fun! Thanks for the video! Love your content!
A random thought after seeing your BONE ROAD video. A notice board in the town/city/fort that the party is resting at-- rumors, quests, jobs, distractions and some pure nonsense. Fun stuff. Love your videos. Keep going. Subscribed! Im a Moldvay guy myself. ;)
In my humble opinion, those who adhere to the strict Rules As Written are good people who simply enjoy to run and play the game, holding true to the words written within the books if not the adjudication of Jeremy Crawford himself. That said, I continually mod my game, rules, monsters, feats, etc. and as someone who appreciates your insight, I will be switching my game to Group Initiative of my own variation, and I thank you for the confidence and inspiration to fix a key issue I have seen with 5e and properly challenging my players. Skol, cheers, and many thanks again!
For my own convenience since I've watched this like a hundred times: 4:03 Intro Ends, "How the Sausage is Made!" 13:19 Professor, can you talk more about how you ran the kids' and parents' game? I'd love to try something similar!
@@MrColdraven No hiccups really. The battle was the last two encounters from shadows over the moonsea. They defended a town and rowed out to fight a sea battle. Went off the rails into some great improv where they almost died. Transition from rp to combat and back was seemless and immersive. Tension kept up all the way to end with them crawling sea soaked onto the beach near dead having lost the mcguffin.
+ Michael Kuehne There is a difference between heathens and heretics. With heathens, they don t even believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Therefore our country can freely declare holy war on them. When it comes to heretics, it is more complicated. They will believe in our Lord and Savior but they might interpret the Holy Book differently. So, it is a bit more difficult to deal with those. You cannot outright burn them at the stake in the same way. Hopes this helps. ( by the way, I am not a fanatic, I am just pretending to be one, for giggles)
@@akakios7386 Hypothetically speaking? You can run them through with your sword for failing to understand the peaceful teachings of the Christ. You can also pretend like there is a fake pandemic, then you socially distance them from their wives until they cannot reproduce. Whatever works. Whatever tools are at your disposal.
@@akakios7386 By the way, I love playing Europa Universalis 3. This is where my references come from, in my first comment. The second one is more about the fake pandemic.
As someone who is creating a system of my own I disagree with a lot of whats in this video but I respect you and your opinion on the subject. I think bad game design or archaic game design hinders creativity but I think more classes/feats/equipment/etc. doesn't add to bogging the game down unless you let it. I do agree tho with you on flipping through rulebooks and especially stopping the game can ruin sessions. Love ya and much respect still tho
It doesn't bog the players down if they don't consider options outside of the ones you created. If there's a feat for being able to cast spells at close range without disadvantage that means I can't roleplay why I would be able to do it. Ultimately, complex systems like Dnd 5E are only great for the unimaginative.
I actually really the ruleset you explained in the video, it takes out ALOT of the pressure for GMs and DMs. Both for when they want to create a homebrew campaign or game, but, either haven't done so before, or haven't been a Game Master before. It's easy to follow.
Cory Helton not really close to 5e, they’re from 1e and 2e both with the titles Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Stuff like THAC0(To Hit Armor Class zero), d4 for a wizard’s hit die, and plenty of awesome settings (Planescape, Dragonlance, and Dark Sun) all hail from the era of AD&D :)
@@cdh7617022 They are the key rules written by Gary Gygax and TSR back in the 1980s. They can be confusing to new gamers but they were the gold standard of RPG rules sets back in the '80s. I moved onto Runequest for a more complex game but AD&D (as you will see it called online) still holds a place in my heart.
You do what is best for you. While I (and I'm sure, many) look forward to your content, I want you to keep getting value out of doing so. Demands on you to produce constantly would surely sour that. You make me believe I can actually run a game with confidence, and make it a memorable one that will be discussed years from now. I couldn't say that with the bloated beast that the game has been. Thanks, Professor.
I come back and watch this video a few times a year. It is a nice pick me up and reminder that it's just a game and we should play fast and fun and make it our own.
Love it. I'm a First Edition DnD'er. Always have been. Always will be. Any additional rules get improvised on the spot. In 40 years of DM'ing, I've never got a complaint. Just use your imagination. (Plus I love the old AD&D artwork.)
keep up the great work! i have given up trying to use Dungeon World and am basically using D&D with the hacks/house rules as per DungeonCraft #70. 2 things i hate: darkvision and language barriers. so in my games, all underground settings are fairly well-lit by glowing mushrooms, crystals, etc.- eliminating the need for darkvision and torches. furthermore, anything capable of speaking speaks common!
Thanks for watching. Here's how I handle the language thing--if you watched the last campaign update, all monsters are humans who mutated--so they speak broken common. I also have glowing mushrooms.fungus, but I still like torches. Don't know if it's a whole episode yet, but I have cool ways of keeping track go light sources.
I love this video. I keep watching it again and again. I love the idea that anyone can do anything. Only difficulty changes. By this reasoning wizards can swing swords and fighters can cast spells. This could get really interesting. Anyone can try to pick the lock but it will be easy for a specialist! I also went after the ICRPG. Great simplified system. Can't wait to use these ideas.
Just discovered your channel! I love this rundown of your rules. The only thing that I wouldn't use at my table is letting players create their own spells on the fly. I've found that giving spells very specific effects encourages creativity, as players get motivated to use them in unorthodox ways, which I love.
I totally agree on obsessive rules lawyering. I tried playing 5e in Adventure League and everyone just spent the entire time thumbing through their player's manuals. Heresy on, good sir!
This is a huge help. For some reason, I have felt bound to the 5e PHB. It’s overwhelming to think of playing (much less DMing) beyond level 6. This approach changes everything.
one of the best videos on youtube. This should be linked to anyone who plays any RPG in the world! Im running a group with new friends who love pathfinder, and they adore all the complex rules. I am trying to slowly convert them....This video will be helpful!
You don't need to covert them. Different people like different types of games. I enjoy pathfinder because the precise rules allow me to think very tactically. The type of game described in this video seems very bonkers, where the DM is just making up DCs on the fly and there's little way for the players feel sure that even their most basic plans will actually work.
i share many of the core opinions and viewpoints you have expressed however, many of the rules you have shared in this video would not work at my table. I'm applaud the fun that is had at your table, and am glad the work for you and your group.
These are really interesting ideas, but they would never work for me and my group. We play 3.5 because we enjoy the complexity and the rules that that system offered. The good thing is that everyone can play d&d how they like! I borrow some things from Pathfinder and I'll probably borrow from Pathfinder 2 when that comes out.
Heretics unite! I’ve always struggled with the clunky mechanics of initiative and combat...I’m going to push for using your style of rules in my group for sure. I think it’d make things so much more enjoyable and intuitive. Really happy to have found you channel. I’m telling my friends!
Superb work sir. Helmets off to you! Truely a wonderful presentation said with passion and making such solid points. That quote from gygax at the end is like a dispelling of the Hasbro illusion. A perfect finish.
I really love all your ideas. Did a lot of D&D as a kid, spent a lot more time reading rules/designing than playing though. As an adult I played D&D with some friends/relatives a few times, wanted it to be more often but really lost the drive after a 12 hr combat session on a saturday. 1 fight, 12 hr, seriously. Hated v4.5 rules after that. Started playing with my kids a while ago because they wanted to play. Had my old 1970's rulebooks on a bookshelf so we created some chars from the original players handbook and started playing. Kind of winged it by just going off memory and not spending the whole game looking up rules. The kids loved it, they have played with other DM's, but our sessions were better because it was not hours of endless combat/reading rules, things moved fast and stayed interesting. Anyway, you have inspired me to employ your processes in the future to further speed things up and to make the rules as i see as necessary to keep the game fun for all of us. Thanks and keep doing the things you do sir. Oh, Bandit leader: Name: Slice. Lvl5 rogue, Str 14, Int 15, Wis 9, Dx 17, Con: 12, charisma: 15. leather armor, knife. He was once a town guard who fell foul of his guard captain by showing him up one too many times. Ended up fighting and killing guard captain in self defense, but was labeled a murderer and had to flee. Took up with bandits to survive. Became bandit leader through skill and charisma. Wants to make enough money to set himself up with a new/comfortable life somewhere far away. His knife dipped in poison that causes excruciating pain, save against poison or suffer -1 to -3 to attack and defense rolls (depending upon how badly to fail your saving throw). Poison wears off knife after 2 successful hits. Poison created from local mushrooms using his personal recipe. Has a vial of the poison on him but can't reapply during combat.
Yeah! Keep playing with the kids. Take his advice about buying ICRPG second edition today. Very simple rules that are super approachable for new players or DM's, but has depth for those who want to dive in. While ICRPG is its own game system, the author shares in his book how you can use his philosophy and plug it in to other games such as your 70's dnd for example. Cheers
You are correct, more rules do not give you more options, but restrict you. But that's the point. Take chess, for example, there are plenty of rules for the precise movement of each piece. We could reduce these rules so that there is more flexibility with moving pieces, but it changes the game. The point of the moves in chess are to see how well you can formulate a strategy and win the game against an opponent within the confines of the movement rules of the game. And so it is with any tabletop RPG that has a stricter set of rules (specific character classes, racial level limitations, etc.). These restrictions in options are purposeful and are there to see if the player can achieve their goals despite their limitations. Can the 1e, first level mage live long enough to become a master mage? Can the low-level thief survive detecting traps and picking locks (without getting poisoned) in order to grow into a master thief? Can a level capped half-orc player hold his own in a party of ever leveling-up PCs? Like you, I like choices and the freedom of choice. In my own RPG, there are a lot of limits I don't have. Even so, I believe I understand the limits some other games may impose. They do serve a purpose within that particular game (just as chess moves serve a purpose in chess, but not in checkers).
This is not the first time I have watched this video. I discovered your channel a few weeks ago and since then I spend many evenings watching your videos. I turned down a friend a few months ago, I don't want to play Dungeons & Dragons anymore, I want to try other systems. With this video I realised that Dungeons & Dragons is not the problem, I just don't want to play a letter by letter Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition anymore! I want to spend less time learning rules and finding the best combination and just play more! Thank you Professor DungeonMaster and may all your dice rolls be 20!
Back in the 80's I ran a game that could have been straight out of XDM for 8 or so other players. I had the books, but they were barely even touched. I had everyone make up 2 characters because there was going to be a lot of mass combat. It was epic. It was chaotic. And I made sure everyone got a couple hero moments, usually just before they got killed. Everyone including myself had a blast!
So love this. All the way back to playing with Dave Hargrave and others here in NorCal in the 70s, the best thing is to have a strong DM who lays down the law, and keeps the game flowing. I like your attitude and open ended approach. Clarity, fairness, creativity, and strong adjudication. Thanks so much for being you, and putting this out. -PM
Btw, second video you made where you challenge my paradigm on d&d and I come in with walls built high. Only to begrudgingly listen all the way though because I believe you deserve the positive analytics.... But in the end I see it your way. Very cool, great video. This is getting shared for sure and I might pick up XDM Thanks man.
I swear at 7:56 he says, "Drunken and Dragons" lol. Otherwise great video. I started to implement some of your ideas into my own game to simply make it more engaging and start to also break down the power gamer mentality that the bigger the number of damage they can do, the better of a player they are.
One of the most depressing and discouraging aspects of pen-and-paper RPGs is how quick a certain part of the community is to tell you "You Can't Do That!", especially when it comes to throwing away, ignoring, or replacing the excess baggage that comes bundled with the game, or adding in something imaginative, or thinking outside of the box of unwritten game fluff (for example, I had a DM penalize my dwarf character for not speaking with a fake Scottish accent and fighting with elves, because to him, that was how all dwarves are supposed to speak and interact with elves - you think your dwarf is your own character and doesn't have to adhere to that stereotype even though it's not in any written rule and was never even handed out as a character creation requirement? "You Can't Do That!") Far too much of the energy of RPGs is consumed in stamping out imagination and screaming "HERESY!" when someone dares to do something that deviates even slightly from a by-the-numbers take on a painstakingly-detailed ritual blessed by their interpretation of the Secret Gospel of Saint Gygax. "Saint Gygax wouldn't permit a GM to invent his own monster, have a goblin with INT 12 speak in complete sentences, run a game without alignment, or create a dwarf character whose name isn't something like StoneAxeBeard! HERESY! You aren't a Tr00 Kvlt D&D gamer - I flip my table at you, and ex-communicate you from my group!" Too much of D&D has become a game of "it's different, so I hate it!"
I like the supplement books because sometimes there's stuff in there that I never thought of before. I also have a very bad habit of wanting to get every piece of the game to the point that it feels like I have way too much information but that's my bad.
@@pietrayday9915 silly. A dwarf can have any name you give him. Todd. Chance. Terrence. All good FIRST NAMES. his last name ? Always Always Always is STONEAXBEARD
@MrTsiolkovsky The setting is a world without magic but the rule book says there is magic. The DM wins. The DM thinks options a, b, and c are overpowered and bans them even though it’s in the book. DM wins. (Even though the DM may be wrong) The only rule is the DM is right. They must also be fair. And consistent. The DM can’t be so right that no one plays at their table but…they’re in charge not a book.
I come back to this video every so often when I’m working on my own RPG system… and I only just realized that giveaway terrain has 10,000 “sub-scribed” on it… as in written on the bottom lol genius
The core philosophy behind what you're saying in this video is the core of the homebrew rules I made for myself years back. The system is SUPER basic but you can do literally anything with it. I've used it to run high fantasy, weird west, sci-fi of many flavors including Star Wars, superheroes, paranormal, monsters, and probably three or four other genres I'm not remembering at this point. There are only two "hard stats" and all you need to play is a pair of sixers. Rather than "classes" a character picks "ability sets" and can do literally ANYTHING he can reasonably link to one of his ability sets. The system is so fast that it's basically conversational. I typically get as much done in a single game session as most systems allow you to get done in an entire campaign.
If you want to play Jockomo the engineer and beat people to death with mutton-while having a great rules framework to do so-I suggest you try Savage Worlds. It lives in a great spot between rules restrictive games and freeform roleplaying.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Btw, I am the lead developer on the Rifts for Savage Worlds game line. Let me know if you have any questions after you crack open the game.
![F.HERO Ft. JSPKK x ลำไย ไหทองคำ x M-PEE - ไม่สนิทบิดหมด (Thai Riders Anthem) [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kPJZ0UihBfk/mqdefault.jpg)
"How am I supposed to know if you're even my real father any more?" ... just roll and I'll tell you if you got high enough. :D
Lol. That's a good one.
Roll natural 1
"You're the milk mans, sorry"
I rolled a nat 20 now I know he is my father and my grandfather. Mom that's gross
"It's not on a stone tablet given to us by Moses; it's created by Hasbro."
Your delivery was absolutely flawless. As someone who's both done stand up comedy and been gaming for 35+ years, I truly appreciate this. Not to mention, I believe the company name could be swapped with myriad others and your point would still be well made against people who put too strong a faith (in the secular sense) in all the wrong places.
‘I feel betrayed...’
Comedy gold, I wish I could like this 5 times
you can, you'll just need to also Unlike it 4 times. ;) LOL
You can, just make 4 more dummy accounts.
The interruption at the end was perfect.
so shakesspear... melodrama " how am i supposed to know if you're my real father" hahah... i joke with my kid like that often.
hhh
wow thanks for the epic holler!!
Waaaaaaaaahhhhhh?!?! THE Hankerin'?!?! This channel is not worthy!
Runehammer you have an awesome channel.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Bro, you're totally worthy. You are the chocolate to Hank's peanut butter. Or something.
Both Runehammer and Dungeon Craft are my favorite channels regarding this amazing hobby.
Runo, I can't say how great it is to see a master here. The Professor has something, doesn't he?
"I believe everybody deserves the right to beat somebody to death with a leg of mutton"
That earned you a sub.
Thanks! I thought that line was funny and I was starting to wonder if it was just in my own head.
Then you get the monk who wraps bacon around their fists, and gets caught ham-handed
@@toddkes5890 DAD JOKES!
Trial by combaah-t
That's just exercising your Constitutional right to bear legs.
The way you handle spellcasting is just... beautiful. Elegant. I mean don't get me wrong you're a blasphemous heretic for it but only in the best way possible. Keep doing what you do
Thanks, Autumn. Keep sharing vids so I can keep doing it!
I hope one day to have my son ask me "Dad, what did you do with the swords?" and when the answer isn't to his liking his world ends. That is the true sign of great parenting.
That was a fantastic ending.
Andrew Green only a man not of woman born can getaway with such whiny monologues
I wondered if I should be concerned about that, but nah.
That said, I remembered that chapter 11 of XDM has a section entitled "A Giant Incredible Fireball A.K.A. Homeland Security Watchlist" and … I don't really have any idea how to make "ghetto flash paper" offhand (I could if I thought about it) but that and the thing before it … yeah I know how. In the latter case … let's just say I know some albino kid who did it, and I still remember the recipe I-he-used.
That said, seriously don't try to emulate 14 year old me. I made two such things. One following that recipe probably exactly.. (If I ever have the opportunity to meet Tracy, I'll ask, out of curiosity.) The second had a bit different recipe, was made to burn a lot longer and looked like a blue jet engine for a couple of minutes. Mostly due to copper, not heat, though it did turn the coffee can to slag in the middle of the dirt field we put it in.
That second one got the police called. It was well out before they showed up and we were nowhere near the thing when it went off on purpose, but after about 20 minutes of the police doing whatever, they called in a fire truck to hose the thing down to make sure it STAYED out. Apparently nobody noticed THE ALBINO KID set the thing off, so we were assumed to be just one of several groups of kids watching the commotion after the light show and told to move on.
I never considered the police would spend that much time on it, or that they'd also waste the fire department's time, and it was only later I considered that the list of white-haired teenagers was gonna be mighty short if someone had seen me.
Never did anything that big after that. But um, a few years ago (my fiancée informs me it was ten) I met a kid, 22, who was missing a few fingers. He'd illegally modified a common non-explosive legal firework to make a bigger boom and wasn't as clever or as safe as he thought. It blew up in his hand. He'd just gotten out of federal prison on parole a couple of weeks ago. They threw the book at him for bombmaking.
So … no joke, when the book says don't play with that stuff, seriously, don't play with that stuff. You do not want simulated injuries to become actual injuries, ever, and you do not want law enforcement, fire department, or significant others wanting to have words with you.
Play safe. LED strips can be turned into an uplight behind plants and put on controllers that make them flicker, it's easy to add torchlight to scatter terrain that warrants it, LED tea lights are cheap, and you can do amazingly complex things with a couple of Arduinos and about 30 minutes of learning to code.
Stay safe, stay legal, and have a great game!
@@jaytomioka3137I gave that a like. You deserved it after all of these years. I see you, and your joke is valid 👍🏻
Since finding your channel, I feel like it’s a breath of fresh air. As a man in his mid-40s with kids in a business, I found it impossible to regulate my time enough to fit dungeons and dragons of any addition into my life, but watching your channel has given me lots of very good ideas that I have been able to implement to create a streamlined gaming experience in terms of prep time, and allow for lots of fun to be had with not nearly the amount of prep time and crunch. Thank you very much for all that you continue to put out. I look forward to each video.
I have read hundreds of comments today--mostly about my latest video which racked up 75k in a day. But THIS comment is why I do what I do. Thank you. Made my day.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 you are most welcome sir!
"I believe that every character has a right to be able to beat someone to death with a leg of mutton."
Professor DungeonMaster fighting for equality.
That phrase alone makes me wish I could upvote, thumbs up, recommend more that once. :)
His premise is wrong though, anyone can wield a leg of mutton as a weapon, you only need Tavern Brawler if you want to do so with your proficiency modifier to the attack roll.
@@Darkzen24 I agree, improvised weapons are available to everyone.
@@Darkzen24 so, your saying that if your a great fighter with a rapier then none of your skill as a fighter transfers to a leg of mutton unless you have a special feat? That's bogus.
@@Elderos5 As someone with extensive Military and martial arts background, yes.
If you wield a rapier in the techniques of an arming sword, you're going to be quite ineffective. Now your natural ability will translate, i.e. if you're strong you'll hit harder or dexterous you'll have better coordination/control... But without actually learning the nuances of the leverage/mechanics of a tool, you won't be nearly as effective as someone that does know them.
That said, the game abstracts all of this stuff anyways... Your skill is represented in numerous ways. Like HPs, proficiency, ability scores, etc... A trained/veteran warrior will easily kill the average person, they just won't be nearly as effective using a leg of mutton over say a tool designed specifically to kill people (e.g. a rapier).
I used to be hung up on the complexities of "realism" so much that I never actually got around to DMing, I spent all my time prepping and never felt ready. I've since embraced the simple way and it's so much more fun. The game is about exciting adventures and heroic stories not how many sacks of potatoes you can fit on a dire donkey.
That depends on if we're talking Russet, King Edward or
Duke of York potatoes?
An African dire donkey, or a European dire donkey?
@@Victor.Alteriathat's hilarious! Monty Python references always win!
Been there exactly!
That's why Basic > ADnD
(But everyone can have fun with either ;) )
Both are perfectly possible. Common sense goes a long way when it comes to realism. My players can only do realistic things, only carry realistic loads, etc. No charts required.
The question "how the hell are you carrying that?" goes a long way.
"That doesn't make sense, explain how you plan on accomplishing it" or "that's fucking brilliant, here's a fat bonus to your roll" can bring even the most simple systems into line with reality.
After 30 years of DMing you are confirming some things I have thought, but at the same time just blowing my mind.
I really don't use a system once I choose one, I buy all the books and then lean back and tell a story, let the die to the hard work.
I am quickly becoming system agnostic.
Savage Worlds is great as setting agnostic
It's so simple, it has all the rules for situations IF YOU CARE but personally I just keep it simple
"The idea that more rules give you more options... is just not true." Pure gold.
I once ran a game session without a system. We just grabbed some dice, note cards, and pencils and then we started playing.
It is the opposite actually
I don’t agree with everything in the video but that’s pretty much the point of the video. Your game is your game. Make what you will of it. The point is for everyone to have fun. I would only add that for me as a DM I like for my players to have fun and be forced to think and stretch their brains a bit. D&D sprang forth from the tabletop war games which were problem solving and critical thinking games at heart. To me that’s what D&D should be focused on not 75 page backstories for 1st level characters.
Bravo for the little gem at the end. So nice to see kids raised right.
I don't know, if you can understand your power level, and can write it can be cool. A level one character fighting off goblins with a rusty sword to defend their farm from goblins having spouse and kids slaughtered and knocked unconscious as their farm burns with just a scrap of cloth torn from the goblins as a reminder of which tribe laid them low prompting them to set out as a ranger (and occasional soldier of fortune) is fine and relatively believable level 1 origin. And then you can edgelord munchkin on top of that too.
“It’s created by hasbro”. LOL awesome
I've been noticing a recent rise in popularity of "new" OSRs (the making and releasing of RPGs designed in the spirit of Old School RPGs). I grew up as a player being a big fan of combat and mechanics over narrative and roleplay; but now I've grown into the role as GM for my friends, and all I've been looking for are simple systems that are mechanics light and modular.
I think I am starting to see the better way to GM. Thanks Professor Dungeonmaster!
Dang pesty new OSR Games
www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/253217
The 1990 Game it is taken from
www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/248341
The 1981 Game the 1990 Game grew out of
www.drivethrurpg.com/m/product/249240
All systems are modular.
I hope with all my heart that the child entering the room at the end of the video was not scripted. Holy cow, that was awesome!
That's my son. Not scripted at all. He interrupted the taping and I left it in.
Freaking. Perfect. I just discovered your channel today. Gobbling up all of your content. I too have been plagued by slow combat and gameplay that takes all the magic out of the game. Thank you for fighting the good fight. It’s good to know I’m not the only one!
@@MattSmith83 You are welcome. Check out "Speed Up Combat," "No More Initiative" and "Magic." You'll enjoy them.
Done and done!
You have very quickly become my go-to RPG channel.I really hope those campaign recap videos come out more frequently soon. I cannot wait to see what the adventurers do next.
Keep up the solid work, cheers.
The Moldvay Basic set was my first edition that I owned. I can remember my mother buying this for my birthday in 1979. The Bill Willingham artwork featuring the party fighting a dragon is just so iconic.
I'm an old AD&D 2nd ed veteran and DM. I haven't played in 15 years, however I've just set up a new group of new players. I love all your videos, and your philosophy has just unchained me from the straight jacket of rules systems and the need for books. Thank you!
I can't believe you took the swords out of the house! How are you to defend yourself from the hoards outside of the GATES NOW, DAD!!
You mean Hordes. Remember: The orc horde looted the treasure hoard.
@@goyasolidar I've never been able to tell the difference, thanks!
@@SpaceSoups English is a minefield of homonyms.
I have never wanted to play an RPG harder. This is such a perfect breakdown of how I feel about tabletop games in general.
"I believe every character has the right to beat someone to death with a leg of mutton" is going on my DM screen immediately.
Cool, James!
As someone returning to GMing after 30 years, I found every point inspiring!!
Cool! Glad you have you as a viewer.
Your son needs to roll a 16 to tell if you're his real father. Also, great video.
Or a 12 to make it clear that he is upset for not being consulted
This really is a great way to DM. I still recall one time that I convinced my mom and my dad to play D&D with me when I was 13 or so and I was so excited to DM for them and show off all the stuff that I knew about the game that I barraged them with rules. It's still fresh in my mind that I had started them off as captives n a prison somewhere, and my mom said that she wanted to have her magic user turn into a little bird and fly out the window to find a way out and my words were no oh, you cannot do that. I learned a lesson that day about railroading and also about making the game fun for everyone. After the game, my dad commented that it didn't really come off as fun and more as having to deal with a bureaucrat telling you that you forgot to file a form 3 days ago. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that I like this XDM method of running a game since it is rain is supposed to be about a cooperative story and not a competitive DM vs. Players environment.
Great story ! Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic mate. Love how you have taken what you like, and make it your own. This is what ttrpgs are all about. Us older guys have played dozens of games run by Gms that do this, I do this. I recently ran a 5e game, but was using my own rules, many of which contradicted the 5e rules. My group of new players didn’t care, they loved it. Like you said, us old guys don’t even need books any more. We can improv and make it up as we go along just fine.
Amen! Welcome, my brother!
I love this ❤️
This is amazing.
This was eye opening.
I was already done with 5e.
I was constantly making homebrew versions of BECMI, BX, in to the odd, Low fantasy gaming,...
This is what I was looking for.
The secret is ALL of these games are D&D and if you interbreed them you get YOUR D&D.
The first time I ever GM'd a game, I used a d20 lite system. I had no idea what I was doing and the fewer rules I had to remember, the better things went. The more I became comfortable with the system, the more I wanted to add in, to the point where I wanted too much and had to pear it down again.
Now I use a watered down D&D 5E with basic class archetypes that the players can build themselves, come up with their own improvements as they level up and I came up with a boat-load of level-less spells that can also be improved. Its really fun to see the players take more control over how their character develops through their own input rather then relying on a book (even though we use just about any RPG book for inspiration). Its a really fun creative exercise.
I loved this episode, you have enlightened me in what can be done to make a game more customizable
Thanks for taking the time to share. May all your rolls be 20s!
Ok I know I’m late to this one but I’ve been trawling through your channel on a cold and rainy Good Friday.
I just laughed so hard and had to share with my 14yo daughter the ‘where are the swords?’ part. She can relate as hard as I can. Gold, brother. Gold 😂😂😂
Thanks for taking the time to comment. That was a magical moment. It could never be planned or faked.
This was a great Video... the only thing I would say is, most of the things you have described massively depend on trust in both the Gm's judgement and their integrity. And in most instances this only comes with experience. Most of the changes I've implemented in my games have probably only happened over the last 2 years of 37 years of Roleplaying, when I started running games for my wife. Yes I homebrewed, both my settings and rules, but it wasn't until I started running D&D for my wife and started seeing that she wasn't really interested in the rules, but more in the story, setting and characters (especially developing relationships with npc's in the region). She just wanted mechanics that help her get the combats out of the way easily, because she's not really interested in the combats. It was so refreshing, after years of having to counter min maxers, metagamers and rules lawyers. We had a saying in our small circle of DM's, called Shaving the Beard... the power gamers round the table used to say "I'm not being beardy, but can I....." insert ridiculous request to do mutliple tasks all at once or perform the impossible! This usually resulted in a raised eyebrow and stern look 😂. But me being able to make these snap decisions, came from both my common sense, and years of both playing and running games.
So for these systems, yes I would play them if I knew the GM was trustworthy and sensible enough to run them. But other than that I would probably stay clear of them and play a more streamlined version of a more traditional system.
Lots of what he suggests is by the book in earlier systems.
Especially his skill and initiative system.
I think it’s important to trust your DM even if they follow the book to the letter because they can still make things horrible for players if they’re inclined.
Sounds like you’ve got some good tailor made hacks yourself though.
Professor Dungeon Master, Had to weigh in this time. Absolutely LOVE your channel, and am glad it's catching on and growing. From the first time I found it, instantly subscribed and binge watched all your videos. I love how your pushing ideas of thinking outside the box whether everyone likes all of your ideas or not. It makes people think and makes for great discussion and things to think about. As an old AD&D player years ago and now would like to start gaming again. I must say things have changed a lot since the early 80's. I think the rules systems aren't as bad as a lot of people giving advice on DMing make them out to be. It's a place to start. It gives people an idea how to get into the game. And I think there is a lot of learning curves in them. Walk before you run so to speak. But like you, have thought many times of things I thought might make the game better. It's nice to see your thoughts and ideas for the game. I couldn't agree more. But that's a lot of info for new DM's to consume and/or implement when trying to get going. I would love a video on one your game sessions and see it in real time. How your players react, combat, responses to situations etc. Then I wouldn't mind another video about the same game where you sort of take us through your thought process as the game was going and see first hand how your implementing the ideas you speak of. This video was awesome, kept me laughing throughout the video everything from Moses to the leg of mutton. Great stuff. Love your channel, look forward to your videos and thanks for taking the time to put them up. I, like many here get a lot out of them, and it's really nice to hear great ideas and how others see the game. Just seems advanced for some new DM's like me, and would love some material on maybe some basics and ideas for a one shot until we get some "DM experience points" behind us. Anyway, keep doing what your doing, love it and really enjoy your advice on the game. Cheers!!
Just rewatched this after a few years. I think this video couldn't be more important for DMs. The bonus content at the end is fantastic too!
After seeing your video I went out this weekend and bought XDM. Great buy, Read it all in two sittings. Loved Dragon Lance trilogies. Tracy and Margaret wow; love these guys. Thank you for the heads up on the book. And continue to make videos for us. Always great stuff .
Thanks, James. To me, that's a core book. Cheers!
Same here: I take all different kinds of rpg elements to form my hybrid-D&D-expierience. DCC, Warhammer, Pathfinder, ICRPG - you name it. At one point I even wrote a booklet of about 10 pages with the most important rules out of all these sets, just to help myself a little more to remind me about the changes I made and also to adapt it to my own campaign/fantasy world much easier. I ended up with some sort of my own RPG.... Great vid, great channel. Cheers!
Exactly!! More choices means fewer options. If your system has 0 classes, you can be anything you want. If your system has 4 classes, you can probably shoehorn ALMOST anything you want into one of them. But if your system has 100 classes, each choice is so narrowly defined your options have been reduced to 100.
Seriously. My first 5e character was a Wizard and I was all excited to play him. I had this idea that he had sold his soul to a demon, faust style, to gain arcane secrets. Then I find out that's called a Warlock, I look at the class and I hate it. I started playing in 3e and I already felt like there were too many classes which were essentially the same damned thing. To me the words Sorceror, Wizard, Warlock, Witch, Enchanter, Mage, Evoker, Sage, Alchemist, Necromancer, they're all words for the same freaking thing. This was also always my problem with psionics. In a fantasy game we already have a word for people who can violate the laws of physics, read minds, bend reality, and summon objects from thin air. It's called MAGIC!
To be honest, some of this brings me relief. As a relatively new DM, I worry a lot about running the game right and making it enjoyable. It's really nice to hear that I have that creative control over my game to adjust and try new things.
Thank you by perfectly articulating my entire DM philosophy into one video, that I've been unable to whittle down myself! #nailedit
BTW: Loved your son's bursting in segment. Great choice to leave that in.
I loved that you kept the ending! 😂❤ I’m a DM that stopped playing about 15 years and rediscovered OSR scene when looking for the res books online. One reason I stopped playing was that 3.5 sessions took a whole day. To have a set of rules so strict I can play computer games.
I was playing pathfinder aka third edition and was confused about so many things. Like taking 20 and taking 10. Wandering monsters and many more.
What ended up breaking me was racial feats in a splat book that I felt were just stock options and it made me reevaluate all feats. A pirate ship battle with another pirate crew in a published module that came down to 4 or 5 players vs the captain. A player scanning their sheet to see what skills they could use instead of interacting with the things in the room. And seeing silliness with initiative like someone moving clear across the room and attacking before someone else moves an inch.
I started reading different systems and the older books made some of the rules I didn’t understand make sense. The initiative system was side based and even had suggestions for simultaneous turns. No feats and no skills means players can do whatever they want. I wound the clock to before skills were added. I almost went to before thieves were added. I realized every system was modular and worked to make the system I liked.
"Idk if you are my father anymore!"
Man, that drama at the end! Priceless!
Ok, you have pretty much described how I DM. I very rarely use any of my books. I have a set of rules that I change on the fly to suit the situation. I am very happy to have found another person that has a set mind of what could happen and what did happen. When you pulled out that module I had a flashback to a game i ran. Thank you. Watching and listening to you is almost like looking at myself.
Glad you found the channel!
Thank you so much for these videos and the games you referenced. I'm a gamer dad as well and trying to bring the same experience to my son as I got back in 1979. I will also be keeping legs of mutton handy as improvised weaponry.
I truly love the bonus content at the end of the video on "random encounters" and initiative. It's a perfect example of when a DM forgets about that one player character who rolls low.
I love the artistic style of Erol Otus. Very otherworldly and so iconically D&D.
This is what I do to the letter sir. Thank you for being in our lives.
This video, this is what gave me the final pice of confidence i needed to run a Game. I can not thank you enough Professor.
Cool!
This was the absolute best talk I have heard/seen about how to make the game work well. I just started watching some of your older videos, and for someone like me that has a hard time understanding the “right” way to do things, this nails it.
This is the most enjoyable D&D-related video I've ever had the pleasure to watch
Thanks for this Professor D. I've been told for the last 10 years that I've been playing D&D wrong, because I often heavily modify certain things to fit my game, sensibilities, or setting. I've been told I should just try another system. (So I did, and I hated them.) I'm gonna keep doing what I'm doing.
Awesome argument for DIY roleplaying. Love it!
May I suggest Maze Rats by Ben Milton and Tiny Dungeon by Alan Bahr as additional reading.
Reminds me of when I first started playing D&D when I was 12 years old. I had an AD&D 2nd edition PHB and my friend who acted as our dungeon master would just set target numbers for us to roll and make up rules as we went along. Those were the best D&D sessions and so much fun! Thanks for the video! Love your content!
A random thought after seeing your BONE ROAD video. A notice board in the town/city/fort that the party is resting at-- rumors, quests, jobs, distractions and some pure nonsense. Fun stuff. Love your videos. Keep going. Subscribed! Im a Moldvay guy myself. ;)
Keep watching the series. You will not be disappointed.
This is probably my favorite Dungeon Craft video... I come back to this over and over and over :-) It has inspired me so much! Thanks, PDM!
In my humble opinion, those who adhere to the strict Rules As Written are good people who simply enjoy to run and play the game, holding true to the words written within the books if not the adjudication of Jeremy Crawford himself. That said, I continually mod my game, rules, monsters, feats, etc. and as someone who appreciates your insight, I will be switching my game to Group Initiative of my own variation, and I thank you for the confidence and inspiration to fix a key issue I have seen with 5e and properly challenging my players. Skol, cheers, and many thanks again!
I had forgotten how funny just leaving in the interruption at the end was
For my own convenience since I've watched this like a hundred times:
4:03 Intro Ends, "How the Sausage is Made!"
13:19 Professor, can you talk more about how you ran the kids' and parents' game? I'd love to try something similar!
Played my first massive combat without initiative last weekend. Thanks so much. My players are loving the fast-paced combat.
how did it go? what were the hiccups if any?
@@MrColdraven No hiccups really. The battle was the last two encounters from shadows over the moonsea. They defended a town and rowed out to fight a sea battle. Went off the rails into some great improv where they almost died. Transition from rp to combat and back was seemless and immersive. Tension kept up all the way to end with them crawling sea soaked onto the beach near dead having lost the mcguffin.
Heresy!
But then again, some of my best friends are heretics.
I like the idea of not letting the rules get in the way of fun.
All my friends are heathens, don't you know
+ Michael Kuehne There is a difference between heathens and heretics. With heathens, they don t even believe in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Therefore our country can freely declare holy war on them. When it comes to heretics, it is more complicated. They will believe in our Lord and Savior but they might interpret the Holy Book differently. So, it is a bit more difficult to deal with those. You cannot outright burn them at the stake in the same way.
Hopes this helps.
( by the way, I am not a fanatic, I am just pretending to be one, for giggles)
@@666mandrake So what, do you have to burn them at the stake sideways?
@@akakios7386 Hypothetically speaking? You can run them through with your sword for failing to understand the peaceful teachings of the Christ.
You can also pretend like there is a fake pandemic, then you socially distance them from their wives until they cannot reproduce.
Whatever works. Whatever tools are at your disposal.
@@akakios7386 By the way, I love playing Europa Universalis 3. This is where my references come from, in my first comment. The second one is more about the fake pandemic.
If these have grown, morphed, or changed, I'd LOVE to see an up to date video like this!
An update is coming.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Awesome
As someone who is creating a system of my own I disagree with a lot of whats in this video but I respect you and your opinion on the subject.
I think bad game design or archaic game design hinders creativity but I think more classes/feats/equipment/etc. doesn't add to bogging the game down unless you let it.
I do agree tho with you on flipping through rulebooks and especially stopping the game can ruin sessions.
Love ya and much respect still tho
It doesn't bog the players down if they don't consider options outside of the ones you created. If there's a feat for being able to cast spells at close range without disadvantage that means I can't roleplay why I would be able to do it. Ultimately, complex systems like Dnd 5E are only great for the unimaginative.
@@pseudolemon8272 nailed it
I actually really the ruleset you explained in the video, it takes out ALOT of the pressure for GMs and DMs. Both for when they want to create a homebrew campaign or game, but, either haven't done so before, or haven't been a Game Master before.
It's easy to follow.
I'm using Advanced D&D rules. In 2019. :)
Same, I'm playing in an AD&D game and DMing a 3.5.
What are Advanced D&D rules? Are they close to 5e?
Cory Helton not really close to 5e, they’re from 1e and 2e both with the titles Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Stuff like THAC0(To Hit Armor Class zero), d4 for a wizard’s hit die, and plenty of awesome settings (Planescape, Dragonlance, and Dark Sun) all hail from the era of AD&D :)
Nice.
@@cdh7617022 They are the key rules written by Gary Gygax and TSR back in the 1980s. They can be confusing to new gamers but they were the gold standard of RPG rules sets back in the '80s. I moved onto Runequest for a more complex game but AD&D (as you will see it called online) still holds a place in my heart.
I have been personally working on my own ttrpg system for a few years now and it is a breath of fresh air to see new design philosophies
Thursdays are quickly becoming the new Friday! New dungeon craft videos!
Thanks for saying that. Just wanted to be clear--I can't upload every Thursday. Next Thursday we have off. Don't want to disappoint.
You do what is best for you. While I (and I'm sure, many) look forward to your content, I want you to keep getting value out of doing so. Demands on you to produce constantly would surely sour that. You make me believe I can actually run a game with confidence, and make it a memorable one that will be discussed years from now. I couldn't say that with the bloated beast that the game has been. Thanks, Professor.
I come back and watch this video a few times a year. It is a nice pick me up and reminder that it's just a game and we should play fast and fun and make it our own.
Thanks for the support. Glad you find this video useful.
Love it. I'm a First Edition DnD'er. Always have been. Always will be. Any additional rules get improvised on the spot. In 40 years of DM'ing, I've never got a complaint. Just use your imagination. (Plus I love the old AD&D artwork.)
1st Edition has a great vibe. Especially the wonky charts, like the chart of prostitutes in the DMG and the chart of smells.
Lots of interesting advice there. 😎😎😎😎 Loved the little girl in the princess dress asking for and getting her rainbow sword story.❤❤❤❤
That kid was brutal. One of my fondest GM memories.
keep up the great work! i have given up trying to use Dungeon World and am basically using D&D with the hacks/house rules as per DungeonCraft #70. 2 things i hate: darkvision and language barriers. so in my games, all underground settings are fairly well-lit by glowing mushrooms, crystals, etc.- eliminating the need for darkvision and torches. furthermore, anything capable of speaking speaks common!
Thanks for watching. Here's how I handle the language thing--if you watched the last campaign update, all monsters are humans who mutated--so they speak broken common. I also have glowing mushrooms.fungus, but I still like torches. Don't know if it's a whole episode yet, but I have cool ways of keeping track go light sources.
I love this video. I keep watching it again and again. I love the idea that anyone can do anything. Only difficulty changes. By this reasoning wizards can swing swords and fighters can cast spells. This could get really interesting. Anyone can try to pick the lock but it will be easy for a specialist! I also went after the ICRPG. Great simplified system. Can't wait to use these ideas.
Absolutely love your work Professor DungeonMaster! Keep them video's coming and those dice hot!
Just discovered your channel! I love this rundown of your rules. The only thing that I wouldn't use at my table is letting players create their own spells on the fly. I've found that giving spells very specific effects encourages creativity, as players get motivated to use them in unorthodox ways, which I love.
Thanks for watching. 71 videos to go!
I totally agree on obsessive rules lawyering. I tried playing 5e in Adventure League and everyone just spent the entire time thumbing through their player's manuals. Heresy on, good sir!
This is a huge help. For some reason, I have felt bound to the 5e PHB. It’s overwhelming to think of playing (much less DMing) beyond level 6. This approach changes everything.
one of the best videos on youtube. This should be linked to anyone who plays any RPG in the world! Im running a group with new friends who love pathfinder, and they adore all the complex rules. I am trying to slowly convert them....This video will be helpful!
You don't need to covert them. Different people like different types of games. I enjoy pathfinder because the precise rules allow me to think very tactically. The type of game described in this video seems very bonkers, where the DM is just making up DCs on the fly and there's little way for the players feel sure that even their most basic plans will actually work.
Oh, that ending was priceless. The final lesson: no matter how wise the DM is there's always a wise-acre player there to challenge him.
Has this channel doubled its subs in like the last month? Good job.
i share many of the core opinions and viewpoints you have expressed however, many of the rules you have shared in this video would not work at my table. I'm applaud the fun that is had at your table, and am glad the work for you and your group.
That's fine. Whatever works for YOU is what's important. I hope you keep watching DungeonCraft!
You forgot to include 1e Hebrew Christians hugs! Well done, may you be blessed in all you put your hand too. Frederick & Jennifer
These are really interesting ideas, but they would never work for me and my group. We play 3.5 because we enjoy the complexity and the rules that that system offered. The good thing is that everyone can play d&d how they like! I borrow some things from Pathfinder and I'll probably borrow from Pathfinder 2 when that comes out.
Heretics unite! I’ve always struggled with the clunky mechanics of initiative and combat...I’m going to push for using your style of rules in my group for sure. I think it’d make things so much more enjoyable and intuitive. Really happy to have found you channel. I’m telling my friends!
One minor correction - Hankerin AND Professor DungeonMaster should be in charge of 6th edition. ;)
Superb work sir. Helmets off to you! Truely a wonderful presentation said with passion and making such solid points. That quote from gygax at the end is like a dispelling of the Hasbro illusion. A perfect finish.
This is the video I've been waiting for. Awesome. thank you for the detailed references.
I really love all your ideas.
Did a lot of D&D as a kid, spent a lot more time reading rules/designing than playing though. As an adult I played D&D with some friends/relatives a few times, wanted it to be more often but really lost the drive after a 12 hr combat session on a saturday. 1 fight, 12 hr, seriously. Hated v4.5 rules after that.
Started playing with my kids a while ago because they wanted to play. Had my old 1970's rulebooks on a bookshelf so we created some chars from the original players handbook and started playing. Kind of winged it by just going off memory and not spending the whole game looking up rules. The kids loved it, they have played with other DM's, but our sessions were better because it was not hours of endless combat/reading rules, things moved fast and stayed interesting.
Anyway, you have inspired me to employ your processes in the future to further speed things up and to make the rules as i see as necessary to keep the game fun for all of us.
Thanks and keep doing the things you do sir.
Oh, Bandit leader:
Name: Slice. Lvl5 rogue, Str 14, Int 15, Wis 9, Dx 17, Con: 12, charisma: 15. leather armor, knife. He was once a town guard who fell foul of his guard captain by showing him up one too many times. Ended up fighting and killing guard captain in self defense, but was labeled a murderer and had to flee. Took up with bandits to survive. Became bandit leader through skill and charisma. Wants to make enough money to set himself up with a new/comfortable life somewhere far away.
His knife dipped in poison that causes excruciating pain, save against poison or suffer -1 to -3 to attack and defense rolls (depending upon how badly to fail your saving throw). Poison wears off knife after 2 successful hits. Poison created from local mushrooms using his personal recipe. Has a vial of the poison on him but can't reapply during combat.
Yeah! Keep playing with the kids. Take his advice about buying ICRPG second edition today. Very simple rules that are super approachable for new players or DM's, but has depth for those who want to dive in. While ICRPG is its own game system, the author shares in his book how you can use his philosophy and plug it in to other games such as your 70's dnd for example. Cheers
You are correct, more rules do not give you more options, but restrict you. But that's the point. Take chess, for example, there are plenty of rules for the precise movement of each piece. We could reduce these rules so that there is more flexibility with moving pieces, but it changes the game. The point of the moves in chess are to see how well you can formulate a strategy and win the game against an opponent within the confines of the movement rules of the game. And so it is with any tabletop RPG that has a stricter set of rules (specific character classes, racial level limitations, etc.). These restrictions in options are purposeful and are there to see if the player can achieve their goals despite their limitations. Can the 1e, first level mage live long enough to become a master mage? Can the low-level thief survive detecting traps and picking locks (without getting poisoned) in order to grow into a master thief? Can a level capped half-orc player hold his own in a party of ever leveling-up PCs?
Like you, I like choices and the freedom of choice. In my own RPG, there are a lot of limits I don't have. Even so, I believe I understand the limits some other games may impose. They do serve a purpose within that particular game (just as chess moves serve a purpose in chess, but not in checkers).
This is not the first time I have watched this video. I discovered your channel a few weeks ago and since then I spend many evenings watching your videos. I turned down a friend a few months ago, I don't want to play Dungeons & Dragons anymore, I want to try other systems. With this video I realised that Dungeons & Dragons is not the problem, I just don't want to play a letter by letter Dungeons & Dragons fifth edition anymore! I want to spend less time learning rules and finding the best combination and just play more! Thank you Professor DungeonMaster and may all your dice rolls be 20!
::looks around suspiciously::
::realizes you're describing HeroQuest::
Cypher, is that you?
@@eavatar I know my brain is telling me HeroQuest is juicy and delicious. After 20 years? I just don't care.
Back in the 80's I ran a game that could have been straight out of XDM for 8 or so other players. I had the books, but they were barely even touched. I had everyone make up 2 characters because there was going to be a lot of mass combat. It was epic. It was chaotic. And I made sure everyone got a couple hero moments, usually just before they got killed. Everyone including myself had a blast!
We need a Joseph Campbell vs Northrop Frye DungeonCraft from Professor DungeonMaster
So love this. All the way back to playing with Dave Hargrave and others here in NorCal in the 70s, the best thing is to have a strong DM who lays down the law, and keeps the game flowing. I like your attitude and open ended approach. Clarity, fairness, creativity, and strong adjudication. Thanks so much for being you, and putting this out. -PM
Chaotic Good Dungeon Mastering
Well said.
Btw, second video you made where you challenge my paradigm on d&d and I come in with walls built high. Only to begrudgingly listen all the way though because I believe you deserve the positive analytics.... But in the end I see it your way.
Very cool, great video.
This is getting shared for sure and I might pick up XDM
Thanks man.
I swear at 7:56 he says, "Drunken and Dragons" lol. Otherwise great video. I started to implement some of your ideas into my own game to simply make it more engaging and start to also break down the power gamer mentality that the bigger the number of damage they can do, the better of a player they are.
Thanks for commenting, Chris!
This is really good stuff, I am going to check out this XDM stuff and love the cameo at the end
This is the TRUTH of D&D. Many people ruin the game by obsessing about those pesky rulebooks.
Dave Insel so true
One of the most depressing and discouraging aspects of pen-and-paper RPGs is how quick a certain part of the community is to tell you "You Can't Do That!", especially when it comes to throwing away, ignoring, or replacing the excess baggage that comes bundled with the game, or adding in something imaginative, or thinking outside of the box of unwritten game fluff (for example, I had a DM penalize my dwarf character for not speaking with a fake Scottish accent and fighting with elves, because to him, that was how all dwarves are supposed to speak and interact with elves - you think your dwarf is your own character and doesn't have to adhere to that stereotype even though it's not in any written rule and was never even handed out as a character creation requirement? "You Can't Do That!") Far too much of the energy of RPGs is consumed in stamping out imagination and screaming "HERESY!" when someone dares to do something that deviates even slightly from a by-the-numbers take on a painstakingly-detailed ritual blessed by their interpretation of the Secret Gospel of Saint Gygax. "Saint Gygax wouldn't permit a GM to invent his own monster, have a goblin with INT 12 speak in complete sentences, run a game without alignment, or create a dwarf character whose name isn't something like StoneAxeBeard! HERESY! You aren't a Tr00 Kvlt D&D gamer - I flip my table at you, and ex-communicate you from my group!" Too much of D&D has become a game of "it's different, so I hate it!"
I like the supplement books because sometimes there's stuff in there that I never thought of before. I also have a very bad habit of wanting to get every piece of the game to the point that it feels like I have way too much information but that's my bad.
@@pietrayday9915 silly. A dwarf can have any name you give him. Todd. Chance. Terrence. All good FIRST NAMES.
his last name ? Always Always Always is STONEAXBEARD
@MrTsiolkovsky
The setting is a world without magic but the rule book says there is magic. The DM wins.
The DM thinks options a, b, and c are overpowered and bans them even though it’s in the book. DM wins. (Even though the DM may be wrong)
The only rule is the DM is right. They must also be fair. And consistent.
The DM can’t be so right that no one plays at their table but…they’re in charge not a book.
I come back to this video every so often when I’m working on my own RPG system… and I only just realized that giveaway terrain has 10,000 “sub-scribed” on it… as in written on the bottom lol genius
Thank you.
You might actually like MiniSix from Anti Paladin games. It is a D6 system but it is rules light and very versatile.
Where is the Amazon link for that?
@@howardbunyard9757 it's on drivethrurpg
The core philosophy behind what you're saying in this video is the core of the homebrew rules I made for myself years back. The system is SUPER basic but you can do literally anything with it. I've used it to run high fantasy, weird west, sci-fi of many flavors including Star Wars, superheroes, paranormal, monsters, and probably three or four other genres I'm not remembering at this point. There are only two "hard stats" and all you need to play is a pair of sixers. Rather than "classes" a character picks "ability sets" and can do literally ANYTHING he can reasonably link to one of his ability sets. The system is so fast that it's basically conversational. I typically get as much done in a single game session as most systems allow you to get done in an entire campaign.
If you want to play Jockomo the engineer and beat people to death with mutton-while having a great rules framework to do so-I suggest you try Savage Worlds. It lives in a great spot between rules restrictive games and freeform roleplaying.
I've heard of it and will check it out. Currently reading "Fate" and "Torchbearer."
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Awesome! I appreciate all of the things that you are bringing to your-and the community's-table.
@@DUNGEONCRAFT1 Btw, I am the lead developer on the Rifts for Savage Worlds game line. Let me know if you have any questions after you crack open the game.
@@atomiknight Thanks, Sean. Will do!
@@atomiknight I appreciate you making games!