To those who get to play RP focused TTRPGs all the time: you lucky beautiful thing. To all the other drama lovers, I hope this helps! Big thank you to Skyler @theADHDM for his help, the Corkboard appreciates your sacrifice. (And yeah, it took me way too many takes to figure out how to pronounce quantitative, and I’ve still no idea if I got it right).
Your quantitative was perfect, your qualitative felt like it was missing the "a" in the middle. But that is from the perspective of an East Coast, Canadian English speaker
I'm an english speaker from the american mid-west and I thought all of your pronunciations were fine. I understood clearly what you were saying, as you were saying it. Also... great video! Mostly stuff I'm aware of but a reminder or rephrasing from time to time is nice.
There is a phrase, I don't remember by whom, related to musical theatre. Songs should come in when the characters' emotions are too intense for talking, and dancing comes when the emotions are too intense for singing. I believe that the same is true for combat in RPGs: they should come from the characters' emotional energy, not an interruption of their story but a significant part of it.
as a GM who loves both the combat and roleplaying parts of ttrpgs but hates how separated they usually are, this video is incredibly useful! also, this is the first video of yours I've seen and your presentation, writing, editing, and everything is so cool and good. instant subscribe
Interesting point. I always try to make my games as character-centric as possible, and most times it leads to really dramatic scenes due to players put a lot of their own personalities into character. But I never before thought that combat may be the perfect place to push those triggers! Thank you for this deadly weapon!
Well done and solid advice for adding drama to combat. A lot of combat videos try to add player incentive through mechanics or a bigger payoff after the battle, as if it were a stepping stone to the game's story rather than a way to inject story into the game. This is one of the few videos I've seen that blends the potential for plot development into combat almost seamlessly.
I love the dedication and exquisiteness you pour in each video. As for this one, I can deeply relate: I am fond of combats, but they are like food (it's very easy for it to end up completely dry and tasteless). Marinating any game mechanic in good amounts of storytelling, conflict and meaning will hook both players and narrators for a scrumptious meal that won't be forgotten too soon! ❤
I have always played combat with story bits in mind! My Paladin, who has grown up all their life believing her only usefulness is through enemy slaying is slowly finding out why her patron never spoke directly with her before. And as her group faces 3 hags to save a childhood friend, for the first time since forever she chooses to protect her friend instead of giving chace, trusting her allies to keep the hags off as she uses her strength to break the chains. She even casts "Protect from Good and Evil" on said NPC when it becomes clear she needs to get back out there as soon as possible. Very relevant to point that she's been downed in almost every encounter with a boss too, and left her companions to bail her out of it. She was considering to train harder, a bigger sword, to get stronger... all the wrong lessons she could take from her own shortcomings. It wasnt until the desire to protect was stronger than her fear of "not being enough" that she hears her patron: "You are worthy". Sanctuary is casted to get them out of there. She's stopped being the sword and is slowly learning to be the sword AND shield. A Paladin.
This is an amazing video! The editing, the pacing, the quality of the information, the vibes, it’s a miniature masterpiece! I hope more people get to see this!
this video is my fist introduction to your channel, and aside from this useful guide for us fellow drama lovers, i absolutely have to say that the visual style of your videos is amazing ✨ thank you for your work, subscribed for more!
I don’t think my players will remember any combat from my campaign more than the one where one of character’s mentors and father died in a related fight. And THEY WERE BOTH REVIVED!
I've been a ttrpg player for many years and only recently gotten into DM'ing. I love making horde encounters but adding subplots to the battle or just giving a narrative reason to why a player missed an attack has really gotten me excited. Thank you!
"When you add more variety to the possible ramifications of a fight, then you refresh the story with each combat scene. Each time opening up new story paths..." Brilliant. Love it. Subscribed.
These are great ideas, thanks, I love it when combat matters, like song, survival or anything else it should be part of the story and characters, it doesn't have to further them, every time but it should always be a roleplay moment.
I stumbled upon your channel by accident and was quickly taken in by your presentation and the richness of your advice. There have been many videos about improving rpg combat, but yours ramps up the action by ramping up the drama of the story. I found this to be quite amazing! I’m not quite sure how I will be able to implement it comfortably, I guess I will just try to do it and keep at it. My one criticism is that I have already made my way through your other videos. Hurry up! lol seriously though, well done!
We need more TTRPG RUclipsrs like you, with fresh perspectives and whose experience is not limited to DnD. In regards to the topic, I think a good amount of my frustration with combat in TTRPGs (especially DnD and DnD-adjacent games) is how the mechanics get in the way of the narrative rather than support it, and how it drags the pace of the story to a halt. Maybe you could touch on how you approach that aspect?
Simply the best video about RPG combat I have seen. Everything, to the letter, resonates with what I preach. I used to want to love combat but always hated it, until I focused on the things you mentionned and used a minimalist system that did not restrict storytelling. Great work (and great voice). +1 sub.
@@corkboardsandcuriosities !!! J'avais cru reconnaître un léger accent de l'est; c'est rare que je ne repère pas l'accent français haha. Pour ma part je me suis tourné vers l'audience française, et c'est moins vaste il faut admettre !Ca fait plaisir une chaîne comme ça, J'ai écouté celle sur l'enquête aussi, vraiment d'adhère. Beau boulot.
Hey Look, i play this game for like 6 years now and Im starting to try GMing, so i watched a ton of videos like this, and still them yours have beem the best one. I dont know why but the way you demonstrate and talks bout the game, makes me wanna play and thats very cool. Congrats!
Fantastic video, some of these tips are things I've been implementing more recently, but you've gotten some gears turning on how I can improve future encounters. I'm also not a big fan of combat, both as a DM and a player... It's always been more about story and roleplaying, so this video really resonates with me.
I recommend giving Burning Wheel a read. When you engage in a conflict, you decide what is at stake for both sides, and the characters have Beliefs which are challenged by conflict. It's a system built to do a lot of what this very good video describes, and it helped me learn to be a better GM and create better conflicts in games other than Burning Wheel as well.
I realized this when I started playing Fate*. Playing fiction-first systems in general opened my eyes to these details that make the scenes more meaningful to the progression of the plot. Today I incorporate much of what I learned from these systems into all of my campaigns. *note: I recommend it to anyone who is willing to break paradigms and venture into new systems, Fate gave me a lot of cool ideas that can be applied to any rpg.
I love this! The best fights are always the ones that move the plot forward! Ended up taking session 0s really seriously so I could get into the mind of each character to make the fights really matter to them. Had a pirate-con artist-Sisyphus type who was constantly terrified because an irate God had shut the door on his ability to come back from the dead so had a sort of ghost rider/wolf from puss in boots type unstoppable bounty hunter always tracking him. Made the fights really high stakes
00:26 I take that declaration as a personal challenge, my friend. Wonderful vid! My own little take is the "three-round rule". Basically, if this is not a boss fight where people are not having fun, the best turn round to cut it off or change it up is at round 3. Having an escape plan, an arena-breaking trap/incident, or even just a room change can switch up the pacing of the combat. This combined with your tips can definitely enrich D&D and other adjacent combat-based systems easily. Most would say DnD is difficult to have drama-filled combat because of its rule system. Even one terrible piece of advice that says just fudge the dice to have the outcome you want for drama. Don't. If you can hide it well, good. But most of the time, your players can feel it. Then, the sense of achievement for anything moving forward is gone.
Watson is far from dumb, he's an experienced doctor and knew that being a sounding board for Sherlock's erratic genius was where he was most effective.
Straight up solid advice all the way around. Some people just want to win at combat, but even those can often be sucked into the right story. Nothing sidetracks murder hobos like the sudden realization that they have been outplayed, and are working toward the wrong (often painfully so) objective.
This is part of why my favorite RPG is a game called Mythras. It could be called a very simulationist kinda game, but it's not _as_ cumbersome as many games like that are, and most importantly... Combat _matters._ Like, choosing to fight someone is a big choice. Mythras fights are actually blow-by-blow duels rather than "and then I swing my sword again", physical injury is a serious problem, and there's a LOT of opportunities for someone to surrender for the sake of their lives. So it doesn't happen often. Combined with the game's big focus on connections to your local community, when a fight happens, it's mechanically interesting in a way that satisfies the "I wanna fight" people, it's almost always narriatively significant, and it's detailed enough that it feels like you're still in RP mode, just with way more structure, rather than everything becoming very abstracted. Most players recognize the price and stakes of pulling a weapon on someone so everyone defaults to literally any other solution, which just feels right narriatively. (Also it manages to do all of that without the "oh, there goes your 1hp, I guess you're dead" issue.)
I love Chronicles of Darkness in this regard, all combat, all chases and investigations require someone pointing out their intent to get something done or if the intent is actual removal of an individual/group. Each player states their intent and you get a meta discussion before jumping back into the game to resolve the various points of intent.
The depth of content and introspection in these videos are on the same level as Dungeon Masterpiece (Baron Du Ropp). It takes me a few watches to internalize and apply it on my table. Thank you for making these videos!
I just discovered your channel and this is just the advice I needed for my first campaign as GM. Thank you. I'm going to follow your channel right away.
Excellent video! If the DM throws enough NPCs at you, your entire group will really like one of them. It's very motivating to realize that the NPC could die, or worse.
Been really enjoying catching up on all your past videos after having "found you" via kraken week. Really great subjects you cover. I actually take notes on videos like this one! You also gave me the exact edge I need to ratchet up the drama/tension for my players. I have a very complex "reputation" system that they can't see, but actively contribute to with dozens of factions that all have their own good/bad traits (i.e. there is no obviously "evil" group, it's all grey). But the characters cannot decide who to side with so they are becoming friends with them all. Of course this is actually a weakness since at some point they will have to betray an NPC friend or group in come future conflict between the factions themselves. And given I have no idea who they will ultimately pick, it will be exciting for me too!
Man this is some fantastic advice! I love your examples too because when my brain here’s goals, it immediately jumps to big things, and your examples are simple and grounded.
Getting into the swing of doing conflict based Combat has been something I've been moving towards. Making a list of things which a combat must accomplish is an idea I hadn't considered. I've moved away from encounter days and have started building encounters on the principle of "What exists in the world exists in the world." Moreso building interesting locations with inhabitants which might come into conflict with the players. Making foils is another good technique I've started, and it has worked wonderfully. It drives my players insane.
I was nodding along at each point. All of these are how I like to craft my conflicts as well. Regardless that I am a 20+ year gamemaster veteran, I still seek out videos like this one to keep my thinking on track with making impactful encounters. My favorite thing to do in encounters, as you mentioned in your qualitative outcomes topic, is to place moral quandaries, double-edged swords, if you will. There isn't always a clear, "right path" for every member in the party. For some, it may be crystal clear what to do, others are likely to disagree. This is a method I like to use to inspire the members of the party to have to compromise with each other. Great video!
This is such good advice and such a high quality video! Commenting so more ppl see it :) Also, to anyone whose interested, I believe the narrative dice in the Genysis rpg by fantasy flight games work very well with this sort of play.
I am a forever DM in several groups and settings, I even dm'd for several smaller groups that wanted to try out DnD and other PnPModules on a larger Discord Server, causing me to run several mini campaigns at the same time which ultimately were woven together to make different parties meet, fight or generaly interact with one another! That out of the way, a few pointers I can give to make combat awesome (according to almost all those players, they specifically told me these sessions were some of their favorites due to these tips) - Narrate the Combat order! Example: your Barbarian just attacked the hulking Otyugh, its tentacles waving around him like wicked arms ready to strike from any direction! - Instead of "Barbarian is done? Great, Wizard its your turn!" you say "Sevron ! (character name I pulled out of my bum) Wittnessing this reckless attack into the onslaught of whipping tentacles by Ognash, utilizing his mighty Warhammer, you notice an opening presenting itself to you ! The Otyugh is off balance, stepping backwards from the assault while trying to engage its tentacles to push back the Orc infront of it. What do you do?!" -> player gets send into the narrative (if they happened to not pay attention it tells them again what has to be done and what someone else did before them) and also it narrates the fight a bit better to keep people engaged in their characters roleplay! (for example, wittnessing the otyugh being off balance and trying to step away, maybe they wanna try a dexterity saving throw spell to try to make it topple or simply suggest it might not be able to dodge!) - Address the players Combat-actions as the villain when they do them! Utilize 'free' roleplay actions to do so ! Example: The Parties Gnome managed to sneak behind the BBEG, but sadly, even with advantage and +20000 to dexterity, their Ultra uber 2d400 Sneak attack fails for the THIRD turn in a row. Instead of trying to 'get done with combat' since its been dragging on for so long and all your players can do is fail every second roll, Address their failure ingame, as the bad guy! (and why they ended up failing! coz man they're lvl 14 at this point, godlike powers are aat their fingertips and here they are failing to open a lock..??) "Ah, Hobnob the Gnome is it?" The Ancient wizard speaks as time slows around you, your friends freeze in place, their very breath seems to be stuck in mid air, forming smaller pockets of mist infront of their mouths. The air you breath is cold, dense and wet. Your throat aches as your ears pick up his words "What a futile attempt, by a lousy Rogue such as yourself..." His face slowly turns to meet your gaze, eyeing you over his shoulder before he shifts his posture a mere few inches to adjust for the incoming attack. As you come to your senses, fully realizing time has stood still around you, it is already over. The arrow gets flung forward and in an unnaturally swift maneuver the other players notice his otherworldy reactionspeed. The arrow clanks against the wall across the room before Hobnob's pupils tighten in fear. The wizards eyes, still focused on the rogue behind him portray an expression of overwhelming power. You've never seen something like this before. Hobnob. you're beneath him. And you know it. Also: Try to do the same for the players, invite them to describe their greatest feats at any moment they're overcoming an enemy, as they finish a good / important roll, narrate first "The Halfling tumbles forward, the momentum of his last strike send him forward too much, driven by baals influence, his only interest was spilling your blood! But perhaps.. that was his undoing?" - invite them to continue, show the other players what their character is capable off and also refer back to those moments with NPC's and other things, congratulating them on their feats, victories or just singular moves! - Set the tone for your combat scenarios BEFORE you have them. Example: Instead of simply throwing your characters into combat, suggest them to engage with their surroundings before it happens. (Unless surprised completly with suddenly popping up enemies) "Cirilnur, your elven eyes pierce the veil. For but a moment, you can see a reddened flicker around The Dukes body. Mother nature itself is trying to warn you, as the air around you tightens, you try to warn your fellowship. How do you prepare for what is to come, if not, try to prevent it entirely?" -> gives the group the warning "oup, shouldn't have said that to the duke!" and also prepares them for combat without dragging them out of the game's narrative. - Fit in Perception, Insight, Survival and other checks into your fight! Prepare specialized surroundings that make sense in the encounter. Example Nudge them into a certain way of playing if you're introducing this mechanic to the game. While they're fighting narrate after they attacked / didnt get hit "your clashing swords propell magical waves throughout the entire hall of the Mountain King. The nobles are entertained, and yet you've not had ample time enough to adjust in the dark. However, the weaves of magic, glimmering through the darkness reveal a possible attempt at gaining the advantage! your poor eyesight would not betray you: There's a chandelier hanging above the battlegrounds, being the source of several, green emerald gems, barily illuminating your surroundings. -> Incite them to try and make the thing fall onto the enemy for trying to find weaknesses in Structures around them, let them utilize bookshelves to block off passages and oil to make non-flammable things flammable!
This is really great advice. I have sort of been doing this already, but I like how this video creates a method for it. The conflict framework was really useful. Though, I knew it in general the aspect that the characters come changed after it was new and exciting one. It makes sense, but I just hadn't put it to words yet. I like structure in my storytelling and that helps the most when you have to improvise stuff up (which is most of the time for me :D). Recently I have experimented with other systems besides DnD. Thirsty Sword Lesbians (and the PbtA engine) made me realize how combat can be exciting and how you can add stakes with each roll into an everturning tide where the players get some but the baddies almost always get something in return. I think it opened me to switch things up on the fly a lot more since the system encourages it through mixed beats (good stuff with a consequence) and down beats (bad stuff happens). It encourages you to add stakes to each situation with each roll. Of course they can be smaller or greater, but it encourages you to think of each encounter (social, combat, intrigue, etc.) as having stakes. I think the advice of tying the story to the PCs stories is the most crucial one. The players have to care about the stakes and the best way to ensure that is to have personal stakes. Sure, the end of the world is bad, but what if you are merged with the BBEG, also in love with them and the PCs you are fighting are your friends. Would you still want to destroy them to save the world? (This happened in my last Thirsty Sword Lesbians game.) Awesome video. Really got my creative juices flowing~! 😄✨
oh my, I've been wanting to try Thirsty sword lesbians for a bit hahaha, i love PbtA games so much. I think this video doesn't really apply to most PbtA games, so many of them have mechanics that inherently makes combat storytelling oriented! Love it!
Oh no, don't be jealous of my players haha i'm a complete hypocrite I've been really lazy with running games so they almost never get to play these days hahahah
Very well done, and I'd love to see more new DM's take advice like this to make their combats feel more impactful to both their characters and the narrative being built at the table. Love the channel!
This play style depends completely on mature somewhat experienced players. Nuance is lost in a game packed with 13 year old players. However, it is quite pleasing if you have a compatible group capable of leaning into the prompts. As a GM, you have the ability to train your players into the type of game you wish to run. People who want something different will remove themselves from the table. The trick, as with most things in life, is to be subtle about getting to the destination. I am a big proponent of adding a third element to combat that forces each side to respond to changing conditions. I really hate it when every creature is rooted to the same square and the race to zero hit points begins.
Very much agree with adding secondary objectives to combat. It not only makes the scene more dramatic, it's more likely to get the players more engaged. Since a fight to the death almost invites the player to turn their brain off. "Just smack the other team until one of you dies, lol". A specific objective makes them think about how to achieve it. Rescuing hostages, finding the MacGuffen lost on the floor before the antagonists, saving a party member at the bottom of a serpent-infested well, repairing the magic mirror, buying time for the cart to escape, or surviving the horde until dawn. Secondary objectives also give a good way to end the fight "early", instead of turning it into a slog. There's always a point in the fight when the opponents are whittled down to almost nothing, but they're still fighting. Enemies can run away (usually), sure, but players often don't like that, and morale failure is often not in the players' control anyway. If the opposition must check for morale randomly, the party is at the mercy over whether the fight ends now, or thirty minutes from now. Whereas a secondary objective might create a hard limit for how willing the enemy is to fight, after which they just automatically flee. An example might be if a party is facing a military unit, that includes a banner bearer. Which things like musicians, sergeants, and banner bearers might give the unit mechanical tricks (like handing out extra actions, increasing movement, or giving temporary HP), they're also just lynch pins for unit morale. If the sergeant falls, the unit is thrown into disarray. If the banner is captured, the whole unit might flee. This same logic can be applied to the heavy hitters of an encounter, like the boss or brute. If the ogre that's bigger than anyone else falls, that dramatically reduces confidence in the enemy party. If the dragon falls, its minions will scatter on the spot. If the big threat in an encounter is removed, is there really much point in drawing that fight out to mop up the chaff?
I heard a similar concept before I came across this beautiful video. "Deals with the devil" or "Faustian Bargains" where the characters trade something of supreme moral or spiritual importance or some worldly or material benefit. This could be a dying character in a field of slaughter reaching out into the multiverse for some help, when a devil or demon appears to make an obviously bad deal with the character. But this deal could save the character and the whole party, but are they willing to take that risk? I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly how that concept works but your video does an amazing jo at explaining that! Props to you!
haha yeah, perhaps i like RP and storytelling a little bit too much, I am hoping to make a vid that is more broadly about these topics but outside of combat.
@@corkboardsandcuriosities No, I think it's not that you like roleplay too much; DND doesn't do a good job of making combat feel narrative. :p and as long as everyone has fun, that's what matters :)
I just discovered this channel, and you're already one of my favorite DnD youtubers to listen to. Your content is so well presented, and interesting, and your voice is very nice to listen to. I don't usually leave comments, but we need to help the algorithm show you to new people.
One thing I've instituted is what i call the Marvel Rule. In old Marvel comics you'd have a panel with one person making a punch at another and missing, and the rest of the space in that panel is taken up by a speech bubble. In the time it takes this super powered ultrasonic punch to go through its arc, these guys are having an entire conversation. The Marvel Rule is simply: dialogue between players and opponents should be allowed, even fairly lengthy exchanges on a turn, even if it doesn't fit in six seconds. It turns fights into conversations, arguments even, and allows players to more subtly influence where the conflict takes them. I find it helps keep the interest up and turns what would otherwise be a dry arithmetic parade into a storytelling opportunity.
Love the video. We can all get stuck in a rut where combat has little to no meaning. This makes it so much more interesting. Hope you make a lot more of these!
I wish you were my DM. Your perspective on combat and role play is fantastic and very literary. I am surrounded by Theatre students and grads that would love your spin on story telling through combat. Thank you for sharing this.
This is one of the best DND commentary videos I've seen, and seeing that it's coming from a small channel (that's my size!) is really, really cool. Super well done, you should be proud!
@@corkboardsandcuriosities Haha, yep! I do a lot of media reccomendations, but I also edit a DND webseries over on ruclips.net/channel/UCniX7X2iU91sXYPZ2DOCcJQ (though we're reworking episodes 001 and 002 right now since it's not up to our current polish)
@@mc_cheshire I saw a little and wow. who does the art for the videos? its really impresive how many ilustrations there are in a video. And the music, editing, I mean thats a lot of effort for a yt video.
Hello! I just wanted to say your content is just what I needed for motivation for my own games. I'm a GM and I struggle with making non combat encounters. I found your channel and you are outright amazing in the way you explain your methods and creative ideas. Thank you so much for sharing your craft and ideas :)
Secondary Goals are IT for me. Not the only tip for combat, but those secondary goals are wonderful. They make the "reason for combat" necessary. Your bit about adding stoey beats and keeping the timing of the changing circumstances in mind really changed my thinking. Thanks for this. Earned a sub from me for that. Gotta think of this the next time I plan and run the game.
Thank you for codifying so many of the things I’ve been feeling about how I run combat! Haven’t really been able to articulate it until now but the lack of story cohesion with compelling combat is something I think I can better address because of this video!
Great video! I enjoyed the quality of the information, the clarity of delivery, the mood/vibes, and how much the editing synergized with your message. Thank you for this-I shall listen several more times for inspiration. Subbed!
This is great advice! I have a few players that are really interested in combat, but I and the others are more interested in RP and story. This technique should help bridge the gap 🙂
Just discovered your channel and love your style. I've always though of TTRPG's as cooperative storytelling and not just the video-game style of numbers and fighting. Keep up the great work, I've subscribed and look forward to more!
What a fantastic point of view. I really feel your connection and passion for storytelling. A few simple changes that I've recommended to my audience that really help engage the storytelling aspect of combat are transition between turn descriptions and a free speech phase. Transitional narration: All turn actions and rolls to the end of the turn are finished. THen as DM, the narration of the result of those actions and rolls are described and the story rolls into the next turn. Great for keeping everyone informed on their turn what just happend and allows time to think of detailed descriptions during the turn. Free speech phase: At the end of the round, or at the start, I allow as much discussion on the current situation "in character" as needed. Perfect allow myself as the DM to use my NPCs to taunt, threaten or even persuade the PCs to see reason. Or, using a leader npc to shout commands such as "The one in the back can use restoration magic! Take them out first!" or some such. This really captures those cinematic "saber lock" moments in our stories and campains. Keep up the great content.
Damn this is EXACTLY what I needed for years! Thanks for bringing that up in a condensed form. Because we record our sessions for a podcast I also try to get away from roll heavy rules based combat (and the players also are way more interested in RP
I personally enjoy combats, but with one important condition: combats should serve the story and enchance it, and not being fillers to have players drain resources or beat something up. Every combat (but I prefer the word "conflict", which is more generic) can be a powerful moment to drive the plot and raise drama if it makes sense story-wise and is done well (and also when it doesn't take like 2 hours to finish!)
I agree. Too bad that DnD 5E resource balance directly encourages you to put those fillers in to drain player's resources and make the more significant confrontations shine. If the players have the possibility to go nova, particularly at higher levels, they will render those confrontation much less dramatic If you don't believe me, try to put what is the villain/main bad guy of the adventure as the first or sole combat of the day in front of the players, and see how it goes and how the combat feels
Filler combats are necessary in any heroic fiction game. If every combat is a difficult narrative based encounter, they start to all feel the same. These filler combats can enhance the story too Plus some games are balanced around draining the parties resources with these kinds of encounters
Thank you so much for sharing this! I really needed this insight. As both a DM and player, I don't dislike combat, but I do find it to be something to get out of the way, sometimes, and I find it draining to run. But your thoughts here are going to really help me infuse my combat with meaning. I think DMsLair had a video where he talked about players who decry combat because they "prefer the roleplay", and his issue with that statement was that the entire game IS roleplay, including combat, because you're making decisions as your character, even in combat. But I've still struggled to FEEL like I'm role-playing in combat. But you have really provided a valuable contribution here, that speaks volumes to HOW to achieve that feeling! Truly great stuff here! ❤
I think also we can borrow from Video Games a bit here. If you want to 'build up' to something in combat there is a formula. First introduce A, let the players deal with it, whatever it is. Then introduce B, all on its own. Then once they get both of those, then do A + B. Endlessly remix, adding and subtracting to keep it fresh while giving the players the knowledge (and expectation) of what's going on.
I love this approach so very much. Your video gave me quite some interesting ideas for my tables, although it will give me headaches having all of this in my head at the quick recall within moments while juggling numbers and the fight. Thank you
I’ve only been DMing for about a year and a half. I think this video is probably one of the best lessons I’ve been needing to hear - I’ve been struggling to keep my player characters invested in the quest as they journey across the wastelands. As players and DM we’ve had fun random encounters, but I’m realizing I need to add more story ramifications into these encounters!!
Hi and thanks for this video! I am in the same case as you are: I'm not into combat oriented games, more narrative ones but that's not the case for some of my players. So I need to add some in my games. The advices you give in this video are very valuable and quite inspiring. Thanks again! 😀
This single video of excellent content and your lovely accent have made my day after a very very long shift at work. Thanks for cheering me up and inspiring me. Instant sub.
Super instructive!! Thank you. I always keep in mind why there is a conflict and how far are the protagonists ready to go. Even monsters do not want you to die. So how about humans. You always need to keep this in mind. Keep these kind of videos. They are great.
I think this is what I needed to hear going into my Feywild chapter! Trying to find a way to integrate one of my player’s backstory without boring the rest of the table is my issue right now and I think this is how I’ll do it! ❤️
One mechanical house rule I feel creates a narrative effect (I ask my players if they want to do this session zero), is have the possibility that a critical can become a severe critical but only in BBEG fights. This means both they and the boss are subject to it and could result in the loss of an ear, eye, hand, foot, arm or leg. It's very difficult to get as you need two criticals in row, but it *has* actually happened and we have never forgotten it. Even when it resulted in a character losing something, it created a memorable moment for everyone at the table and one that the player was able to then use to build meaningful story around as well.
I really needed a video like this! I love combat but I'm running a campaign for a group of players who really don't care for it, so this is super helpful for me. Thanks!
hahaha sounds like your players are just like me. If that's the case, it means they're likely to make you do more work haha, but i promise they will reward you with great rp and engagement!
I appreciate what you are driving for here as the focus on emotional conflict over the physical one does make the combat more meaningful, especially in the larger picture, but this is an aside to the combat and only goes some way to keep the player's interest when it isn't their turn. Ultimately, it still takes 30 minutes to kill 6 goblins. Imagine what you could do if you were using a system like SARIL which lets all the players take their turn at the same time and work co-operatively on individual actions like casting a spell. The Drama is immediate as well as far reaching so you have a far easier time getting everyone focused on both the larger picture and the immediate moment. Disclaimer: I love the SARIL system so I'm totally biased towards it, but my point stands.
This a really well thought out video, not even just for G/DMing, but for plotting out whatever creative writing projects you've got. My dark fantasy novella awaits!
First off, just love the style of your vids. The 'scrunched up paper' animations, quotes & the cameo (why did I think he was a professional psychiatrist 😆) are 🤌🤌🤌. A narrative cradle for combat is spot on; WE'RE RISKING OUR LIVES HERE (and it should feel that way as it escalates)!
I love "ominous af crystal" and will try and introduce one into my campaign when I run it next year, thank you! Oh, and all of your other fantastic approaches. Thank you.
YT algorithm really did some good work here! Found you today and watched all your videos. You're a really really creative person and surely a great GM! Thank you for great tips, stories and a spark of creativity
To those who get to play RP focused TTRPGs all the time: you lucky beautiful thing. To all the other drama lovers, I hope this helps!
Big thank you to Skyler @theADHDM for his help, the Corkboard appreciates your sacrifice.
(And yeah, it took me way too many takes to figure out how to pronounce quantitative, and I’ve still no idea if I got it right).
Great video, had fun recording my dumb little part!
It just sounds your combats are not mortal enough
Awesome!
Your quantitative was perfect, your qualitative felt like it was missing the "a" in the middle. But that is from the perspective of an East Coast, Canadian English speaker
I'm an english speaker from the american mid-west and I thought all of your pronunciations were fine. I understood clearly what you were saying, as you were saying it. Also... great video! Mostly stuff I'm aware of but a reminder or rephrasing from time to time is nice.
There is a phrase, I don't remember by whom, related to musical theatre. Songs should come in when the characters' emotions are too intense for talking, and dancing comes when the emotions are too intense for singing. I believe that the same is true for combat in RPGs: they should come from the characters' emotional energy, not an interruption of their story but a significant part of it.
That's cool as hell
Yes
The quotes from Howard Ashman, among other the producer of the Little Mermaid.
@@sammelm5357 Thank you for your service!
Ohhh this is sick. Love this. Thxk for sharing it!
"After all, Agnes is a sensible person, she really enjoys not being dead," Is maybe one of my favorite quotes of all time now.
The algorithm has blessed me with a great new DM to watch!
as a GM who loves both the combat and roleplaying parts of ttrpgs but hates how separated they usually are, this video is incredibly useful!
also, this is the first video of yours I've seen and your presentation, writing, editing, and everything is so cool and good. instant subscribe
Interesting point.
I always try to make my games as character-centric as possible, and most times it leads to really dramatic scenes due to players put a lot of their own personalities into character. But I never before thought that combat may be the perfect place to push those triggers! Thank you for this deadly weapon!
"Deadly weapon". YES. that's the right energy
Well done and solid advice for adding drama to combat. A lot of combat videos try to add player incentive through mechanics or a bigger payoff after the battle, as if it were a stepping stone to the game's story rather than a way to inject story into the game. This is one of the few videos I've seen that blends the potential for plot development into combat almost seamlessly.
haaa thanks! i was hoping that coming at it from that angle would be interesting, i'm glad to see it resonates!
I love the dedication and exquisiteness you pour in each video. As for this one, I can deeply relate: I am fond of combats, but they are like food (it's very easy for it to end up completely dry and tasteless). Marinating any game mechanic in good amounts of storytelling, conflict and meaning will hook both players and narrators for a scrumptious meal that won't be forgotten too soon! ❤
that is a brilliant metaphor and i'm going to abuse it so much
@@corkboardsandcuriosities hahah you're so kind
@@carruagemdalua you're the one who started it with these unbelievably kind words!
I have always played combat with story bits in mind!
My Paladin, who has grown up all their life believing her only usefulness is through enemy slaying is slowly finding out why her patron never spoke directly with her before. And as her group faces 3 hags to save a childhood friend, for the first time since forever she chooses to protect her friend instead of giving chace, trusting her allies to keep the hags off as she uses her strength to break the chains.
She even casts "Protect from Good and Evil" on said NPC when it becomes clear she needs to get back out there as soon as possible.
Very relevant to point that she's been downed in almost every encounter with a boss too, and left her companions to bail her out of it.
She was considering to train harder, a bigger sword, to get stronger... all the wrong lessons she could take from her own shortcomings.
It wasnt until the desire to protect was stronger than her fear of "not being enough" that she hears her patron: "You are worthy". Sanctuary is casted to get them out of there. She's stopped being the sword and is slowly learning to be the sword AND shield. A Paladin.
That's awesome. I started playing recently, I'm playing a paladin and I'm loving it.
That’s BEAUTIFUL. ❤ Well done!
This is an amazing video! The editing, the pacing, the quality of the information, the vibes, it’s a miniature masterpiece! I hope more people get to see this!
thank you so so so much! i've been having more and more fun with editing lately haha, hoping to keep experimenting a little!
On top of the content being excellent, this video is SO well made! Well done!
Famed Necromancy apologist Dael Kingsmill!
thank you so much! means a lot coming from you! so happy you liked it!
this video is my fist introduction to your channel, and aside from this useful guide for us fellow drama lovers, i absolutely have to say that the visual style of your videos is amazing ✨ thank you for your work, subscribed for more!
I don’t think my players will remember any combat from my campaign more than the one where one of character’s mentors and father died in a related fight. And THEY WERE BOTH REVIVED!
I've been a ttrpg player for many years and only recently gotten into DM'ing. I love making horde encounters but adding subplots to the battle or just giving a narrative reason to why a player missed an attack has really gotten me excited. Thank you!
"When you add more variety to the possible ramifications of a fight, then you refresh the story with each combat scene. Each time opening up new story paths..."
Brilliant. Love it. Subscribed.
These are great ideas, thanks, I love it when combat matters, like song, survival or anything else it should be part of the story and characters, it doesn't have to further them, every time but it should always be a roleplay moment.
I love this! I love your voice, love your presentation, love your accent (from my perspective), and these amazing tips
I stumbled upon your channel by accident and was quickly taken in by your presentation and the richness of your advice. There have been many videos about improving rpg combat, but yours ramps up the action by ramping up the drama of the story. I found this to be quite amazing! I’m not quite sure how I will be able to implement it comfortably, I guess I will just try to do it and keep at it. My one criticism is that I have already made my way through your other videos. Hurry up! lol seriously though, well done!
this makes me so happy! thank you so much! hhahah yeah i'm a new and slow channel, but i'm gonna do my best to be more consistent with uploads!
Good video as usual val, hope the YT algorithm actually does its work and more people get to see it
thank you! I think the youtube algo is being quite nice to me already! think about it, i've only been uploading for like 7 months hahaha
We need more TTRPG RUclipsrs like you, with fresh perspectives and whose experience is not limited to DnD.
In regards to the topic, I think a good amount of my frustration with combat in TTRPGs (especially DnD and DnD-adjacent games) is how the mechanics get in the way of the narrative rather than support it, and how it drags the pace of the story to a halt. Maybe you could touch on how you approach that aspect?
Such wonderfully advice. I can't wait to try and nestle this in my games
Simply the best video about RPG combat I have seen. Everything, to the letter, resonates with what I preach. I used to want to love combat but always hated it, until I focused on the things you mentionned and used a minimalist system that did not restrict storytelling. Great work (and great voice). +1 sub.
oh my! un compatriote! et avec les mêmes goûts en plus! merci et bienvenue à toi!
@@corkboardsandcuriosities !!! J'avais cru reconnaître un léger accent de l'est; c'est rare que je ne repère pas l'accent français haha. Pour ma part je me suis tourné vers l'audience française, et c'est moins vaste il faut admettre !Ca fait plaisir une chaîne comme ça, J'ai écouté celle sur l'enquête aussi, vraiment d'adhère. Beau boulot.
Hey Look, i play this game for like 6 years now and Im starting to try GMing, so i watched a ton of videos like this, and still them yours have beem the best one. I dont know why but the way you demonstrate and talks bout the game, makes me wanna play and thats very cool. Congrats!
This was genuinely fantastic! If it didn't cure my long-running GM burnout, it's helped me make a huge step back towards running games again!
40 seconds and it’s already the Frenchest TTRPG video I’ve ever seen. 😂💖
I can only really think of Combats as a conflict, and none of this Drama bits. I envy you drama people.
Fantastic video, some of these tips are things I've been implementing more recently, but you've gotten some gears turning on how I can improve future encounters. I'm also not a big fan of combat, both as a DM and a player... It's always been more about story and roleplaying, so this video really resonates with me.
I recommend giving Burning Wheel a read. When you engage in a conflict, you decide what is at stake for both sides, and the characters have Beliefs which are challenged by conflict. It's a system built to do a lot of what this very good video describes, and it helped me learn to be a better GM and create better conflicts in games other than Burning Wheel as well.
I realized this when I started playing Fate*. Playing fiction-first systems in general opened my eyes to these details that make the scenes more meaningful to the progression of the plot. Today I incorporate much of what I learned from these systems into all of my campaigns.
*note: I recommend it to anyone who is willing to break paradigms and venture into new systems, Fate gave me a lot of cool ideas that can be applied to any rpg.
I love this! The best fights are always the ones that move the plot forward!
Ended up taking session 0s really seriously so I could get into the mind of each character to make the fights really matter to them. Had a pirate-con artist-Sisyphus type who was constantly terrified because an irate God had shut the door on his ability to come back from the dead so had a sort of ghost rider/wolf from puss in boots type unstoppable bounty hunter always tracking him. Made the fights really high stakes
00:26 I take that declaration as a personal challenge, my friend. Wonderful vid!
My own little take is the "three-round rule". Basically, if this is not a boss fight where people are not having fun, the best turn round to cut it off or change it up is at round 3. Having an escape plan, an arena-breaking trap/incident, or even just a room change can switch up the pacing of the combat. This combined with your tips can definitely enrich D&D and other adjacent combat-based systems easily.
Most would say DnD is difficult to have drama-filled combat because of its rule system. Even one terrible piece of advice that says just fudge the dice to have the outcome you want for drama. Don't. If you can hide it well, good. But most of the time, your players can feel it. Then, the sense of achievement for anything moving forward is gone.
Watson is far from dumb, he's an experienced doctor and knew that being a sounding board for Sherlock's erratic genius was where he was most effective.
Straight up solid advice all the way around. Some people just want to win at combat, but even those can often be sucked into the right story. Nothing sidetracks murder hobos like the sudden realization that they have been outplayed, and are working toward the wrong (often painfully so) objective.
This is part of why my favorite RPG is a game called Mythras.
It could be called a very simulationist kinda game, but it's not _as_ cumbersome as many games like that are, and most importantly...
Combat _matters._ Like, choosing to fight someone is a big choice. Mythras fights are actually blow-by-blow duels rather than "and then I swing my sword again", physical injury is a serious problem, and there's a LOT of opportunities for someone to surrender for the sake of their lives.
So it doesn't happen often. Combined with the game's big focus on connections to your local community, when a fight happens, it's mechanically interesting in a way that satisfies the "I wanna fight" people, it's almost always narriatively significant, and it's detailed enough that it feels like you're still in RP mode, just with way more structure, rather than everything becoming very abstracted. Most players recognize the price and stakes of pulling a weapon on someone so everyone defaults to literally any other solution, which just feels right narriatively.
(Also it manages to do all of that without the "oh, there goes your 1hp, I guess you're dead" issue.)
I love Chronicles of Darkness in this regard, all combat, all chases and investigations require someone pointing out their intent to get something done or if the intent is actual removal of an individual/group. Each player states their intent and you get a meta discussion before jumping back into the game to resolve the various points of intent.
The depth of content and introspection in these videos are on the same level as Dungeon Masterpiece (Baron Du Ropp). It takes me a few watches to internalize and apply it on my table. Thank you for making these videos!
Baron is super cool and I am super flattered
I just discovered your channel and this is just the advice I needed for my first campaign as GM. Thank you. I'm going to follow your channel right away.
haaaaa wonderful! first time GM, you're in for a beautiful, beautiful adventure
Excellent video!
If the DM throws enough NPCs at you, your entire group will really like one of them. It's very motivating to realize that the NPC could die, or worse.
Been really enjoying catching up on all your past videos after having "found you" via kraken week. Really great subjects you cover. I actually take notes on videos like this one!
You also gave me the exact edge I need to ratchet up the drama/tension for my players. I have a very complex "reputation" system that they can't see, but actively contribute to with dozens of factions that all have their own good/bad traits (i.e. there is no obviously "evil" group, it's all grey). But the characters cannot decide who to side with so they are becoming friends with them all. Of course this is actually a weakness since at some point they will have to betray an NPC friend or group in come future conflict between the factions themselves. And given I have no idea who they will ultimately pick, it will be exciting for me too!
Man this is some fantastic advice! I love your examples too because when my brain here’s goals, it immediately jumps to big things, and your examples are simple and grounded.
Getting into the swing of doing conflict based Combat has been something I've been moving towards. Making a list of things which a combat must accomplish is an idea I hadn't considered. I've moved away from encounter days and have started building encounters on the principle of "What exists in the world exists in the world." Moreso building interesting locations with inhabitants which might come into conflict with the players.
Making foils is another good technique I've started, and it has worked wonderfully. It drives my players insane.
For dozens of reasons, your accent not the least of them, I want to play Curse of Strahd with you as my GM. =)
Thank you for the great video!
I was nodding along at each point. All of these are how I like to craft my conflicts as well. Regardless that I am a 20+ year gamemaster veteran, I still seek out videos like this one to keep my thinking on track with making impactful encounters. My favorite thing to do in encounters, as you mentioned in your qualitative outcomes topic, is to place moral quandaries, double-edged swords, if you will. There isn't always a clear, "right path" for every member in the party. For some, it may be crystal clear what to do, others are likely to disagree. This is a method I like to use to inspire the members of the party to have to compromise with each other.
Great video!
You are not just a game master, you are an artist. i look forward to more.
This is such good advice and such a high quality video! Commenting so more ppl see it :)
Also, to anyone whose interested, I believe the narrative dice in the Genysis rpg by fantasy flight games work very well with this sort of play.
I am a forever DM in several groups and settings, I even dm'd for several smaller groups that wanted to try out DnD and other PnPModules on a larger Discord Server, causing me to run several mini campaigns at the same time which ultimately were woven together to make different parties meet, fight or generaly interact with one another!
That out of the way, a few pointers I can give to make combat awesome (according to almost all those players, they specifically told me these sessions were some of their favorites due to these tips)
- Narrate the Combat order! Example:
your Barbarian just attacked the hulking Otyugh, its tentacles waving around him like wicked arms ready to strike from any direction! - Instead of "Barbarian is done? Great, Wizard its your turn!" you say "Sevron ! (character name I pulled out of my bum) Wittnessing this reckless attack into the onslaught of whipping tentacles by Ognash, utilizing his mighty Warhammer, you notice an opening presenting itself to you ! The Otyugh is off balance, stepping backwards from the assault while trying to engage its tentacles to push back the Orc infront of it. What do you do?!"
-> player gets send into the narrative (if they happened to not pay attention it tells them again what has to be done and what someone else did before them) and also it narrates the fight a bit better to keep people engaged in their characters roleplay! (for example, wittnessing the otyugh being off balance and trying to step away, maybe they wanna try a dexterity saving throw spell to try to make it topple or simply suggest it might not be able to dodge!)
- Address the players Combat-actions as the villain when they do them! Utilize 'free' roleplay actions to do so ! Example:
The Parties Gnome managed to sneak behind the BBEG, but sadly, even with advantage and +20000 to dexterity, their Ultra uber 2d400 Sneak attack fails for the THIRD turn in a row.
Instead of trying to 'get done with combat' since its been dragging on for so long and all your players can do is fail every second roll, Address their failure ingame, as the bad guy! (and why they ended up failing! coz man they're lvl 14 at this point, godlike powers are aat their fingertips and here they are failing to open a lock..??)
"Ah, Hobnob the Gnome is it?" The Ancient wizard speaks as time slows around you, your friends freeze in place, their very breath seems to be stuck in mid air, forming smaller pockets of mist infront of their mouths. The air you breath is cold, dense and wet. Your throat aches as your ears pick up his words "What a futile attempt, by a lousy Rogue such as yourself..." His face slowly turns to meet your gaze, eyeing you over his shoulder before he shifts his posture a mere few inches to adjust for the incoming attack. As you come to your senses, fully realizing time has stood still around you, it is already over. The arrow gets flung forward and in an unnaturally swift maneuver the other players notice his otherworldy reactionspeed. The arrow clanks against the wall across the room before Hobnob's pupils tighten in fear. The wizards eyes, still focused on the rogue behind him portray an expression of overwhelming power. You've never seen something like this before. Hobnob. you're beneath him. And you know it.
Also: Try to do the same for the players, invite them to describe their greatest feats at any moment they're overcoming an enemy, as they finish a good / important roll, narrate first "The Halfling tumbles forward, the momentum of his last strike send him forward too much, driven by baals influence, his only interest was spilling your blood! But perhaps.. that was his undoing?" - invite them to continue, show the other players what their character is capable off and also refer back to those moments with NPC's and other things, congratulating them on their feats, victories or just singular moves!
- Set the tone for your combat scenarios BEFORE you have them. Example:
Instead of simply throwing your characters into combat, suggest them to engage with their surroundings before it happens. (Unless surprised completly with suddenly popping up enemies)
"Cirilnur, your elven eyes pierce the veil. For but a moment, you can see a reddened flicker around The Dukes body. Mother nature itself is trying to warn you, as the air around you tightens, you try to warn your fellowship. How do you prepare for what is to come, if not, try to prevent it entirely?" -> gives the group the warning "oup, shouldn't have said that to the duke!" and also prepares them for combat without dragging them out of the game's narrative.
- Fit in Perception, Insight, Survival and other checks into your fight! Prepare specialized surroundings that make sense in the encounter. Example
Nudge them into a certain way of playing if you're introducing this mechanic to the game. While they're fighting narrate after they attacked / didnt get hit "your clashing swords propell magical waves throughout the entire hall of the Mountain King. The nobles are entertained, and yet you've not had ample time enough to adjust in the dark. However, the weaves of magic, glimmering through the darkness reveal a possible attempt at gaining the advantage! your poor eyesight would not betray you: There's a chandelier hanging above the battlegrounds, being the source of several, green emerald gems, barily illuminating your surroundings. -> Incite them to try and make the thing fall onto the enemy for trying to find weaknesses in Structures around them, let them utilize bookshelves to block off passages and oil to make non-flammable things flammable!
This is really great advice. I have sort of been doing this already, but I like how this video creates a method for it. The conflict framework was really useful. Though, I knew it in general the aspect that the characters come changed after it was new and exciting one. It makes sense, but I just hadn't put it to words yet. I like structure in my storytelling and that helps the most when you have to improvise stuff up (which is most of the time for me :D).
Recently I have experimented with other systems besides DnD. Thirsty Sword Lesbians (and the PbtA engine) made me realize how combat can be exciting and how you can add stakes with each roll into an everturning tide where the players get some but the baddies almost always get something in return. I think it opened me to switch things up on the fly a lot more since the system encourages it through mixed beats (good stuff with a consequence) and down beats (bad stuff happens). It encourages you to add stakes to each situation with each roll. Of course they can be smaller or greater, but it encourages you to think of each encounter (social, combat, intrigue, etc.) as having stakes.
I think the advice of tying the story to the PCs stories is the most crucial one. The players have to care about the stakes and the best way to ensure that is to have personal stakes. Sure, the end of the world is bad, but what if you are merged with the BBEG, also in love with them and the PCs you are fighting are your friends. Would you still want to destroy them to save the world? (This happened in my last Thirsty Sword Lesbians game.)
Awesome video. Really got my creative juices flowing~! 😄✨
oh my, I've been wanting to try Thirsty sword lesbians for a bit hahaha, i love PbtA games so much. I think this video doesn't really apply to most PbtA games, so many of them have mechanics that inherently makes combat storytelling oriented! Love it!
I’m jealous of your players. It sounds like you make an incredible DM. Thanks to videos like this maybe I can do the same some day
Oh no, don't be jealous of my players haha i'm a complete hypocrite
I've been really lazy with running games so they almost never get to play these days hahahah
Very well done, and I'd love to see more new DM's take advice like this to make their combats feel more impactful to both their characters and the narrative being built at the table. Love the channel!
aaah that is so nice to hear! thank you so much 😊
This play style depends completely on mature somewhat experienced players. Nuance is lost in a game packed with 13 year old players. However, it is quite pleasing if you have a compatible group capable of leaning into the prompts.
As a GM, you have the ability to train your players into the type of game you wish to run. People who want something different will remove themselves from the table. The trick, as with most things in life, is to be subtle about getting to the destination.
I am a big proponent of adding a third element to combat that forces each side to respond to changing conditions. I really hate it when every creature is rooted to the same square and the race to zero hit points begins.
Very much agree with adding secondary objectives to combat. It not only makes the scene more dramatic, it's more likely to get the players more engaged. Since a fight to the death almost invites the player to turn their brain off. "Just smack the other team until one of you dies, lol". A specific objective makes them think about how to achieve it. Rescuing hostages, finding the MacGuffen lost on the floor before the antagonists, saving a party member at the bottom of a serpent-infested well, repairing the magic mirror, buying time for the cart to escape, or surviving the horde until dawn.
Secondary objectives also give a good way to end the fight "early", instead of turning it into a slog. There's always a point in the fight when the opponents are whittled down to almost nothing, but they're still fighting. Enemies can run away (usually), sure, but players often don't like that, and morale failure is often not in the players' control anyway. If the opposition must check for morale randomly, the party is at the mercy over whether the fight ends now, or thirty minutes from now. Whereas a secondary objective might create a hard limit for how willing the enemy is to fight, after which they just automatically flee.
An example might be if a party is facing a military unit, that includes a banner bearer. Which things like musicians, sergeants, and banner bearers might give the unit mechanical tricks (like handing out extra actions, increasing movement, or giving temporary HP), they're also just lynch pins for unit morale. If the sergeant falls, the unit is thrown into disarray. If the banner is captured, the whole unit might flee. This same logic can be applied to the heavy hitters of an encounter, like the boss or brute. If the ogre that's bigger than anyone else falls, that dramatically reduces confidence in the enemy party. If the dragon falls, its minions will scatter on the spot.
If the big threat in an encounter is removed, is there really much point in drawing that fight out to mop up the chaff?
I heard a similar concept before I came across this beautiful video. "Deals with the devil" or "Faustian Bargains" where the characters trade something of supreme moral or spiritual importance or some worldly or material benefit. This could be a dying character in a field of slaughter reaching out into the multiverse for some help, when a devil or demon appears to make an obviously bad deal with the character. But this deal could save the character and the whole party, but are they willing to take that risk? I haven't been able to pinpoint exactly how that concept works but your video does an amazing jo at explaining that! Props to you!
Just wanted to say I really appreciate the softer lighting in your video , and your humour too .
I guess I follow some of these tips unconsiously, but it's nice to be more conscious of it.
having been a player at your table, i can confirm you are a MASTER at that
Another excellent video with excellent advice and I love that this video has advice that can be applied to all sectors of DND and not just combat!
haha yeah, perhaps i like RP and storytelling a little bit too much, I am hoping to make a vid that is more broadly about these topics but outside of combat.
@@corkboardsandcuriosities No, I think it's not that you like roleplay too much; DND doesn't do a good job of making combat feel narrative. :p and as long as everyone has fun, that's what matters :)
I just discovered this channel, and you're already one of my favorite DnD youtubers to listen to. Your content is so well presented, and interesting, and your voice is very nice to listen to. I don't usually leave comments, but we need to help the algorithm show you to new people.
Love the change in tone to walk us through an example. Reminds me of Seth Skorkowsky's work.
oh i love his work, you flatter me
As someone who loves crunchy combat (Give me more grids!) I really liked this video. Without Drama it's like eating sandwich with no filling.
One thing I've instituted is what i call the Marvel Rule. In old Marvel comics you'd have a panel with one person making a punch at another and missing, and the rest of the space in that panel is taken up by a speech bubble. In the time it takes this super powered ultrasonic punch to go through its arc, these guys are having an entire conversation.
The Marvel Rule is simply: dialogue between players and opponents should be allowed, even fairly lengthy exchanges on a turn, even if it doesn't fit in six seconds. It turns fights into conversations, arguments even, and allows players to more subtly influence where the conflict takes them. I find it helps keep the interest up and turns what would otherwise be a dry arithmetic parade into a storytelling opportunity.
Love the video. We can all get stuck in a rut where combat has little to no meaning. This makes it so much more interesting. Hope you make a lot more of these!
I wish you were my DM. Your perspective on combat and role play is fantastic and very literary. I am surrounded by Theatre students and grads that would love your spin on story telling through combat. Thank you for sharing this.
This is one of the best DND commentary videos I've seen, and seeing that it's coming from a small channel (that's my size!) is really, really cool. Super well done, you should be proud!
OH MY, I SEE STOP MOTION
@@corkboardsandcuriosities Haha, yep! I do a lot of media reccomendations, but I also edit a DND webseries over on ruclips.net/channel/UCniX7X2iU91sXYPZ2DOCcJQ (though we're reworking episodes 001 and 002 right now since it's not up to our current polish)
@@mc_cheshire I saw a little and wow. who does the art for the videos? its really impresive how many ilustrations there are in a video. And the music, editing, I mean thats a lot of effort for a yt video.
Hello! I just wanted to say your content is just what I needed for motivation for my own games. I'm a GM and I struggle with making non combat encounters.
I found your channel and you are outright amazing in the way you explain your methods and creative ideas. Thank you so much for sharing your craft and ideas :)
Secondary Goals are IT for me. Not the only tip for combat, but those secondary goals are wonderful. They make the "reason for combat" necessary.
Your bit about adding stoey beats and keeping the timing of the changing circumstances in mind really changed my thinking. Thanks for this. Earned a sub from me for that. Gotta think of this the next time I plan and run the game.
Thank you for codifying so many of the things I’ve been feeling about how I run combat!
Haven’t really been able to articulate it until now but the lack of story cohesion with compelling combat is something I think I can better address because of this video!
A lovely video. Thank you. I now have an idea for an extra element to add to an upcoming fight for my players in a mine.
Oh my goodness! This video was so succinct and absolutely enthralling, I feel like this helped me reflect on how I run battles. Thank you!
Great video! I enjoyed the quality of the information, the clarity of delivery, the mood/vibes, and how much the editing synergized with your message. Thank you for this-I shall listen several more times for inspiration. Subbed!
This is great advice! I have a few players that are really interested in combat, but I and the others are more interested in RP and story. This technique should help bridge the gap 🙂
Holy crap that was good! 2nd video I’ve seen from you, absolutely subscribing!
Haaa welcome! Happy to have you!
Just discovered your channel and love your style. I've always though of TTRPG's as cooperative storytelling and not just the video-game style of numbers and fighting. Keep up the great work, I've subscribed and look forward to more!
What a fantastic point of view. I really feel your connection and passion for storytelling. A few simple changes that I've recommended to my audience that really help engage the storytelling aspect of combat are transition between turn descriptions and a free speech phase.
Transitional narration: All turn actions and rolls to the end of the turn are finished. THen as DM, the narration of the result of those actions and rolls are described and the story rolls into the next turn. Great for keeping everyone informed on their turn what just happend and allows time to think of detailed descriptions during the turn.
Free speech phase: At the end of the round, or at the start, I allow as much discussion on the current situation "in character" as needed. Perfect allow myself as the DM to use my NPCs to taunt, threaten or even persuade the PCs to see reason. Or, using a leader npc to shout commands such as "The one in the back can use restoration magic! Take them out first!" or some such. This really captures those cinematic "saber lock" moments in our stories and campains.
Keep up the great content.
Damn this is EXACTLY what I needed for years! Thanks for bringing that up in a condensed form. Because we record our sessions for a podcast I also try to get away from roll heavy rules based combat (and the players also are way more interested in RP
I personally enjoy combats, but with one important condition: combats should serve the story and enchance it, and not being fillers to have players drain resources or beat something up.
Every combat (but I prefer the word "conflict", which is more generic) can be a powerful moment to drive the plot and raise drama if it makes sense story-wise and is done well (and also when it doesn't take like 2 hours to finish!)
I agree.
Too bad that DnD 5E resource balance directly encourages you to put those fillers in to drain player's resources and make the more significant confrontations shine. If the players have the possibility to go nova, particularly at higher levels, they will render those confrontation much less dramatic
If you don't believe me, try to put what is the villain/main bad guy of the adventure as the first or sole combat of the day in front of the players, and see how it goes and how the combat feels
Filler combats are necessary in any heroic fiction game. If every combat is a difficult narrative based encounter, they start to all feel the same. These filler combats can enhance the story too
Plus some games are balanced around draining the parties resources with these kinds of encounters
This is excellent! I very rarely watch short rpg content, but you had me subscribing in three minutes. On a par with a lot of the best written blogs.
You have made excellent points on how combat should be handled in general to avoid it turning into just very complex chess. Excellent content.
Earned yourself a new sub with this editing, truly terrific! Can't wait to see more
What great quality stuff - I really enjoyed that video and it gave me loads to think about.
Thank you so much for sharing this! I really needed this insight. As both a DM and player, I don't dislike combat, but I do find it to be something to get out of the way, sometimes, and I find it draining to run.
But your thoughts here are going to really help me infuse my combat with meaning. I think DMsLair had a video where he talked about players who decry combat because they "prefer the roleplay", and his issue with that statement was that the entire game IS roleplay, including combat, because you're making decisions as your character, even in combat. But I've still struggled to FEEL like I'm role-playing in combat. But you have really provided a valuable contribution here, that speaks volumes to HOW to achieve that feeling! Truly great stuff here! ❤
I'm impressed. You've worded it far better than I could. Bravo.
Sharing this to my protégé.
I think also we can borrow from Video Games a bit here. If you want to 'build up' to something in combat there is a formula. First introduce A, let the players deal with it, whatever it is. Then introduce B, all on its own. Then once they get both of those, then do A + B. Endlessly remix, adding and subtracting to keep it fresh while giving the players the knowledge (and expectation) of what's going on.
I love this approach so very much. Your video gave me quite some interesting ideas for my tables, although it will give me headaches having all of this in my head at the quick recall within moments while juggling numbers and the fight.
Thank you
I’ve only been DMing for about a year and a half. I think this video is probably one of the best lessons I’ve been needing to hear - I’ve been struggling to keep my player characters invested in the quest as they journey across the wastelands. As players and DM we’ve had fun random encounters, but I’m realizing I need to add more story ramifications into these encounters!!
Spectacular! Thank you for that!
As i am slowly building up tension for my group for a potential fight to come, this vid is a godsent
Hi and thanks for this video! I am in the same case as you are: I'm not into combat oriented games, more narrative ones but that's not the case for some of my players. So I need to add some in my games. The advices you give in this video are very valuable and quite inspiring. Thanks again! 😀
This single video of excellent content and your lovely accent have made my day after a very very long shift at work. Thanks for cheering me up and inspiring me. Instant sub.
Super instructive!! Thank you. I always keep in mind why there is a conflict and how far are the protagonists ready to go. Even monsters do not want you to die. So how about humans.
You always need to keep this in mind. Keep these kind of videos. They are great.
I think this is what I needed to hear going into my Feywild chapter! Trying to find a way to integrate one of my player’s backstory without boring the rest of the table is my issue right now and I think this is how I’ll do it! ❤️
One mechanical house rule I feel creates a narrative effect (I ask my players if they want to do this session zero), is have the possibility that a critical can become a severe critical but only in BBEG fights.
This means both they and the boss are subject to it and could result in the loss of an ear, eye, hand, foot, arm or leg. It's very difficult to get as you need two criticals in row, but it *has* actually happened and we have never forgotten it. Even when it resulted in a character losing something, it created a memorable moment for everyone at the table and one that the player was able to then use to build meaningful story around as well.
Thanks! A lot of nice ideas and advices included into these 9 minutes
I really needed a video like this! I love combat but I'm running a campaign for a group of players who really don't care for it, so this is super helpful for me. Thanks!
hahaha sounds like your players are just like me. If that's the case, it means they're likely to make you do more work haha, but i promise they will reward you with great rp and engagement!
This is absolutely wonderful and helpful. Thank you ❤
I appreciate what you are driving for here as the focus on emotional conflict over the physical one does make the combat more meaningful, especially in the larger picture, but this is an aside to the combat and only goes some way to keep the player's interest when it isn't their turn. Ultimately, it still takes 30 minutes to kill 6 goblins. Imagine what you could do if you were using a system like SARIL which lets all the players take their turn at the same time and work co-operatively on individual actions like casting a spell. The Drama is immediate as well as far reaching so you have a far easier time getting everyone focused on both the larger picture and the immediate moment. Disclaimer: I love the SARIL system so I'm totally biased towards it, but my point stands.
This a really well thought out video, not even just for G/DMing, but for plotting out whatever creative writing projects you've got. My dark fantasy novella awaits!
Just discovered your channel, thanks for the inspiration. This is just what I needed to help advance my RP. Subscribed!
Great video, thank you so much!
First off, just love the style of your vids. The 'scrunched up paper' animations, quotes & the cameo (why did I think he was a professional psychiatrist 😆) are 🤌🤌🤌.
A narrative cradle for combat is spot on; WE'RE RISKING OUR LIVES HERE (and it should feel that way as it escalates)!
Skyler is a wise one, the very second he opens his therapy practice, i'm linin up
> why did I think he was a professional psychiatrist
No, I am merely a frequent patient, but I appreciate your high estimation
Same about the patient thing... keep spreading the wisdom of love
@@TheADHDM
I love "ominous af crystal" and will try and introduce one into my campaign when I run it next year, thank you! Oh, and all of your other fantastic approaches. Thank you.
YT algorithm really did some good work here! Found you today and watched all your videos. You're a really really creative person and surely a great GM! Thank you for great tips, stories and a spark of creativity
Inspiring & intriguing. Thank You!