I really love the explanations of things like when you got confused between whether the player or their character didn't understand something. This kind of thing is probably really common yet when people retell their campaigns they make them sound very fluid like there's no issues, when in reality there's a bunch of issues like that which come up. I guess it helps me realize these things are normal and I shouldn't judge myself too harshly when they happen during my games.
Yeah, roleplayers play their character but there is often a player not paying attention so sometimes it is hard to say if the player or character is the one confused. I do have a tip to increase players attention though: whenever someone holds a cellphone I increase the difficulty by 2 for anything they do. I never say I do so they need to figure that out but the last 15 years when someone doesn't pay attention, it is most often because they are playing with their phone. Of course new players don't need distractions to get confused, it can be a lot to take in when you are new but the number of times I need to explain something to my players have about halved since I started punishing people who can't put their their phones (I make exceptions for people with younger kids at home and people with certain jobs that might call them, unless I notice them playing with their phone of course. Stupid characters is another matter, it can be slightly tedious at times but also pretty fun. The players here making fun of Volo's celebrity ego were certainly fun for instance but having my NPCs repeat the same thing 3 times over every time gets a bit annoying after a while unless the player is creative and repeat something funny and weird back So a few XPs in reward for being entertaining helps, but if they just get annoying, a threat about giving them less XP since they don't seem to understand what is going on might be warranted if they get too annoying. My general tip is to focus on making things entertaining, even if it gets confusing. People will always return to your table if they have fun. :)
@@Michael-fd1gx I think that works in a the character is an outsider among their own kind because they are one of the only ones that worships the gods.
We always did a joke that it was a cardboard version of the character that folded up and was stored in the bag of holding for the session. I think one or two times we used animate object on them as a distraction or something
I have been watching your videos for years. You have the best d&d content on TH-cam. Very excited about this new series. Your COS replay was amazing. thanks much!
Your players always remind me why a couple of chaotic bad decision-making characters can make a game fun! If we're all making good decisions all the time, interesting plot developments have more trouble happening. "They were captured" is a lot more compelling than "they carefully investigated and found the sewer entrance" from time to time. (Always in moderation, of course, but I have trouble wanting to do everything perfectly as a player so having someone around to balance it with some.... interesting choices makes things a lot more fun in my experience.)
If you think this is fun, you should consider watching a movie called "Grappers", it's an older one. Aliens invase irish land, alcohol is toxic to them, villagers overintoxicate on it, this clouds their judgment and decision-making abilities.
Currently in my campaign, my KU is playing a loxodon Storm herald barbarian who is a bit senile. She uses great maul as a walking cane and she has a secret retinue that supplies her with baking supplies so everyday she has tons of fresh cookies for us and even bad guys. Her backstory is when she was younger she was overpowered behemoth called Martha,"The Maul" but since she's senile she doesn't remember any of it, except when combat gets hot and heavy. It's hilarious
This is incredibly helpful as I'm running this with my group right now, albeit very homebrew and tying it into a larger narrative, and I'm having a hard time with it in terms of prep and planning. This gives me a different perspective to consider How I want to run it
Thank you for all your hard work in making this available for us after running the campaign. I look forward to the updates whenever available. You're doing an amazing job.
You can endlessly watch 3 things: running water, burning fire and everything not going according to plan. Also I am VERY glad to hear you again, Puffin! I guess it's not very easy for you to set up videos with illustrations/animations - but please know that the main reason we're here is not for visuals but for your lovely voice telling stories (filled with DM tears, as always).
So hyped for this one! Dragon Heist is the first official module I played through, and the first one I ever DMed (still running it at the moment). The only part I'm struggling with on the DM side is just how minimal the faction missions are in the actual module, so I've looked up a bunch of homebrew online and/or improvised a bunch and my party has really been enjoying everything so far :) I feel your pain in terms of number of players. I started with only 3 players so had them level up to Level 2 right after the troll fight, but somehow I've ended up with 5 players (currently Level 3 but they haven't reached the Fireball incident yet, because I've been running some of the faction missions earlier than intended)
I'm Really enjoying these! I've been DMing WDDH for over a year now and we're in chapter 2 now (we only meet once a month, so it's slow going) but it is super fun to see how different the storylines go
Tuff Thyme makes me happy. I, too, made a Hot Topic tryhard newbie gnome back in 3.5. He was a sword sage named Grimothy Marshwiggle Puddlestomper, but only introduced himself as Grim. He used a scythe because he thought it was cool. I mean yeah it took a long time to figure out how to use it in actual combat without fumbling all over the place, but he can totally do it now! He also had a large, ragged scarf enchanted to billow dramatically on its own. Yes, I did spend a feat on an Exotic Weapon Proficiency and money on a magic item just for a gag. It was worth it.
So how does that encounter play out with the troll if a level 1 druid pulls it back into the well using a thorn whip spell? It's just funny because that's exactly what I did to it XD
Have you ever run Hoard of the Dragon Queen, I’d love to hear stories and things you’ve done for that campaign if you have. It’s the one I started with, first time dming and it’s rough for me personally. I’d love to hear things that make it more interesting or any tips anyone might have.
If you ever play this again have a player be the inside person, a changeling Bard College of Whispers, they killed and took the form of the actual person and they have to do hidden rolls to see how good their performance is as that person.
I love how you can always tell who is played by the same player as Gouda Thyme.
I'm convinced the player is dingo doodles
@@jakegmcoy8630it's not, it's one of his irl friends. He did a podcast about that campaign with its players at one point, and she was on
I thought it was the tiefling grandma but then I saw the next character and I just knew
She is just that Gouda.
@@Forever-GM-Dustyyep, I'm pretty sure she's also Asiago the cannibal monk.
I've been hoping you would do these again, I loved the Curse of Strahd videos
I agree we need more recap story videos 😊
Yes
Same
Here Here. im rewatched them like 10 times
@@matthewsan8201 me too 😭
It’s good to see the thyme family is going strong
I bet we're going to have a gouda thyme with these stories.
@@tuhkiscgibin6627you cheddar believe it
You mean it’s GOUDA to see!
That family is so far so Gouda.
I always enjoy these storytimes. I go back and watch the old ones every few months.
well, I livein Garner, NC,,every few months. Yer welcome here
Same
Same lol
Me too.😂
@@ArchArrow1 eerone plese gine me
I really love the explanations of things like when you got confused between whether the player or their character didn't understand something. This kind of thing is probably really common yet when people retell their campaigns they make them sound very fluid like there's no issues, when in reality there's a bunch of issues like that which come up. I guess it helps me realize these things are normal and I shouldn't judge myself too harshly when they happen during my games.
Yeah, roleplayers play their character but there is often a player not paying attention so sometimes it is hard to say if the player or character is the one confused.
I do have a tip to increase players attention though: whenever someone holds a cellphone I increase the difficulty by 2 for anything they do. I never say I do so they need to figure that out but the last 15 years when someone doesn't pay attention, it is most often because they are playing with their phone.
Of course new players don't need distractions to get confused, it can be a lot to take in when you are new but the number of times I need to explain something to my players have about halved since I started punishing people who can't put their their phones (I make exceptions for people with younger kids at home and people with certain jobs that might call them, unless I notice them playing with their phone of course.
Stupid characters is another matter, it can be slightly tedious at times but also pretty fun. The players here making fun of Volo's celebrity ego were certainly fun for instance but having my NPCs repeat the same thing 3 times over every time gets a bit annoying after a while unless the player is creative and repeat something funny and weird back So a few XPs in reward for being entertaining helps, but if they just get annoying, a threat about giving them less XP since they don't seem to understand what is going on might be warranted if they get too annoying.
My general tip is to focus on making things entertaining, even if it gets confusing. People will always return to your table if they have fun. :)
“What is the dumbest race to go with Cleric? I know! Loxodon!”
Literally most of their art portrays them as priests man.
I was thinking Orcs due to their bonuses and penalties being counterintuitive for a Cleric.
Leonin the race that renounces the gods.
@@Michael-fd1gx I think that works in a the character is an outsider among their own kind because they are one of the only ones that worships the gods.
There really is none. Unless your intentionally trying to make a unfitting character, everything can work.
Idk, a Satyr Cleric would seem, at the very least, a bit conflicted.
That said, I can't even imagine what a Satyr Paladin would be like.
Yes! I loved the Curse of Strahd campaign story you did so I love the fact that you are making more like that!
I love too
I ran curse of straud because of those videos
my jaw dropped when i saw this notification
Same, getting a puffin video is like stealing Santa's entire gift bag
Yes more puffin forest replays. Crank that straight into my veins.
Courage need not be remembered, for it is never forgotten
You are the whole reason I got into dnd
Oh my god yes, your Curse of Strahd replay helped get me through quarantine you have no idea, I am SO hyped for this
I can’t express how happy I am Puffin is posting videos semi regularly agin.
On characters that aren't in sessions or drop, you should put "Sir Not Appearing In This Episode". A nice monthy python reference to my mind atleast
We always did a joke that it was a cardboard version of the character that folded up and was stored in the bag of holding for the session. I think one or two times we used animate object on them as a distraction or something
They're there, they're just aggressively T-posing in the background, unable to act or participate.
If this is going to be anything like the curse of Stahd tale then i can already say that this is going to end "juuuuust fiiiiiine"
So so happy you're doing g replay again, your curse of strahd videos were my absolute favourites
This and Cold Road returning? We are feasting on longform D&D content!
AND ON THE SAME DAY
No way? Cold road too? Oooooooh boy
What’s Cold Road?
@@Lorekeeper_GGuyIt's Zee Bashew's campaign. He's one of Puffin's friends.
@@benjaminoechsli1941 Thanks
Yay, you're posting again! I enjoy these stories.
I was working overtime when this appeared and it made my night. I regularly play the the CoS replays to pass the time. Thank you, sir.
I love these videos! I'm currently playing Dragon Heist with my boyfriend and his friends, I'm a changeling rogue who's pretending to be human
Between Manhwa readings and D&D tales I NEVER hear the end of any story!
Fantastic to see these again. Would love to see more.
Hell yeah , love to see you back on my feed 💚
This is great. Love your straight D&D content.
Your brother always brings a smile to my face with his characters
I am super happy you are doing one of these. You are surprisingly good at making something so simple so fun to listen too.
I have been watching your videos for years. You have the best d&d content on TH-cam. Very excited about this new series. Your COS replay was amazing. thanks much!
I don't mind if it's audio only. We need more Puffin Forest series like the CoS one. 😅
Maybe the next mod should be voted on by his fans?
Ah, a blessing from the Lord!
New story time yaaayy I also use magic drinks but I found a random d100 table that had a bunch of random these though sound fun
I've missed your videos. Really love the art and tour humor
13:01 Best start of an adventure ever.
I loved the curse of strahd series, looking forward to this one!
Your players always remind me why a couple of chaotic bad decision-making characters can make a game fun! If we're all making good decisions all the time, interesting plot developments have more trouble happening. "They were captured" is a lot more compelling than "they carefully investigated and found the sewer entrance" from time to time. (Always in moderation, of course, but I have trouble wanting to do everything perfectly as a player so having someone around to balance it with some.... interesting choices makes things a lot more fun in my experience.)
If you think this is fun, you should consider watching a movie called "Grappers", it's an older one.
Aliens invase irish land, alcohol is toxic to them, villagers overintoxicate on it, this clouds their judgment and decision-making abilities.
Nana rocks! I just love these game replays. Thanks for starting a new one.
Yooo! I was hoping to seeing another one of these after the curse of straad. really looking forwards to this series
Seeing new content from you is always a good day!
Another audio adventure from Puffin! Thank you so much!
I hope this is returning to the style you attempted in “curse of straud” it was really good and helped inspire me to attempt my 1st dm session
I have never clicked on a video so fast just got done with strahd so im so excited for this
Currently in my campaign, my KU is playing a loxodon Storm herald barbarian who is a bit senile. She uses great maul as a walking cane and she has a secret retinue that supplies her with baking supplies so everyday she has tons of fresh cookies for us and even bad guys. Her backstory is when she was younger she was overpowered behemoth called Martha,"The Maul" but since she's senile she doesn't remember any of it, except when combat gets hot and heavy. It's hilarious
🤣🤣
Yesssss, I have been waiting years for this, thank you puffin
Thanks Puffin! We love your crazy voices, stories and art.
The Puffin has posted! I repeat, the Puffin has posted!
Seriously though, great to see another Puffin Forest video!
This is incredibly helpful as I'm running this with my group right now, albeit very homebrew and tying it into a larger narrative, and I'm having a hard time with it in terms of prep and planning. This gives me a different perspective to consider How I want to run it
Wohooo! I was missing this format of yours. Your telling of Curse of Strahd is what got me into DnD XD
Yes new series! I just got caught up on all the rpg stories ❤
I was hoping you would do some more content in the vain of the curse of Strahd videos. Looking forward to this mayhem.
I love that you are a flumph now. Those poor burning flumphs....
I loved your Curse of Strahd recap. I have high expectations for this one as well!
Whoo! Welcome back Puffin! Love these videos!
Another Puffin Forest video, another thumbs up!
About time...I've been waiting so long for it! 👍
I missed these so much, thank you Ben.
YES! Dude I seriously thought you had stopped doing TH-cam. So glad to see new content from you.
5:55 Tuff is totally played by Gouda's player and is one of her relatives, isn't he?
I love how Gouda's player can often be picked out in this video due to her amazing puns
theyre literally the same race and last name so...yes
This is a great start to my weekend, thanks!
THis reminds me of the format he used for his Curse of Strahd series. I'm REALLY looking forward to this!
I'm so glad you decided to start another series, great work!
Yay, love this format! These are great to listen to while working Hope you have a great time in Japan
It's been too long! I love rewatching your story videos, but a new one is always exciting
Yay!! Another audio-only like Curse Of Strahd! I love having these storytimes on
Been waiting for another one of these, so excited!
Thank you for all your hard work in making this available for us after running the campaign. I look forward to the updates whenever available. You're doing an amazing job.
You can endlessly watch 3 things: running water, burning fire and everything not going according to plan.
Also I am VERY glad to hear you again, Puffin! I guess it's not very easy for you to set up videos with illustrations/animations - but please know that the main reason we're here is not for visuals but for your lovely voice telling stories (filled with DM tears, as always).
I love your RPG retellings!
I needed this today. Thanks for the chill content.
Yay! I don't have time to currently play DnD and live for these videos! Woo!!
these stroies are always great; love the vibes
Oooh. Just finished my first Dming through, thus adventure. I played through it once myself, so I'm looking forward to this.
I really loved the strahd campaign you did so I can’t wait to see how this one goes
All this yes. Loved the CoS series
So hyped for this one! Dragon Heist is the first official module I played through, and the first one I ever DMed (still running it at the moment). The only part I'm struggling with on the DM side is just how minimal the faction missions are in the actual module, so I've looked up a bunch of homebrew online and/or improvised a bunch and my party has really been enjoying everything so far :)
I feel your pain in terms of number of players. I started with only 3 players so had them level up to Level 2 right after the troll fight, but somehow I've ended up with 5 players (currently Level 3 but they haven't reached the Fireball incident yet, because I've been running some of the faction missions earlier than intended)
I’d love to see the rest of Gooda’s family if it’s before or after Strahd
I'm Really enjoying these! I've been DMing WDDH for over a year now and we're in chapter 2 now (we only meet once a month, so it's slow going) but it is super fun to see how different the storylines go
Oh my god i love nana. Shes amazing and must be protected
love this, these stories are always great - can not wait for the next installment
I love this party so much. I can’t wait to see more of their adventures!
I can't believe I missed these I loved the old videos so happy I came across these
Glad to see this being brought back. I really enjoy these stories a lot.
I'm so glad to see new videos out again
Always enjoy these audio stories love the work keep it up!
That session ended on such a strong note. Im psyched for the next one :)
Just now seeing this episode on your channel! I’ve been waiting on some more D&D stories from you! Yay!!!
Whoa, whoa, whoa, another Puffin vid, in the same quarter. Puffin, animate twice if you're being held hostage
Yay these are back! Let's go!
Tuff Thyme makes me happy.
I, too, made a Hot Topic tryhard newbie gnome back in 3.5. He was a sword sage named Grimothy Marshwiggle Puddlestomper, but only introduced himself as Grim. He used a scythe because he thought it was cool. I mean yeah it took a long time to figure out how to use it in actual combat without fumbling all over the place, but he can totally do it now! He also had a large, ragged scarf enchanted to billow dramatically on its own. Yes, I did spend a feat on an Exotic Weapon Proficiency and money on a magic item just for a gag. It was worth it.
Yay! Happy Times! Thanks Puffin! I love these :D
So how does that encounter play out with the troll if a level 1 druid pulls it back into the well using a thorn whip spell? It's just funny because that's exactly what I did to it XD
Yaaaaaa I love videos like these
Weekend = made, and glad I get to be in on this one as it's releasing!
LET'S GO! Love these full campaign style videos.
I love these videos!
Crazy, I just started playing this campaign with my group, I’ll check out this series after I finish
Nice, something to listen to while I make pies.
Have you ever run Hoard of the Dragon Queen, I’d love to hear stories and things you’ve done for that campaign if you have. It’s the one I started with, first time dming and it’s rough for me personally. I’d love to hear things that make it more interesting or any tips anyone might have.
Oh yeah more puffin to binge watch!!
I'm so happy to see this. I'm so hyped to watch all the videos
If you ever play this again have a player be the inside person, a changeling Bard College of Whispers, they killed and took the form of the actual person and they have to do hidden rolls to see how good their performance is as that person.
Yay! Love me some good Puffin podcasts :3