I've had the Grim Hollow campaign guide for a couple months now, and it's been a really fun and fully conceived guide. Can't recommend it enough, if you're into the grim dark story setting.
Grim hollow is so cool! I created an NPC in my game where he gave one of the players the fiend transformation in exchange for his rage capability. I love how easy it is to incorporate its transformations into the game!
When introducing new players to table top I explain my role as "I am the Game Master. As GM, it is my job to be endlessly defeated in the most spectacular ways possible. To make my losses spectacular, I must challenge you the player accordingly."
Session 1: I will do everything in my power, so you don't get yourself killed. Session 2: I will advice against certain actions that will lead you to your untimely demise. Session 3: If you want to go and kill the dragon, you may go ahead and try to kill the dragon.
After I've helped them create a character, I usually tell the party: "you are in a karaoke bar with some stairs leading to a second floor.". And before saying anything about what they can do just ask each of them personally: Where are you in this scene? This way I've established my expectations of the players, As well as created a safe space for them to experiment in. After it seems they've gotten the hang of the roleplaying, I introduce a combat encounter, Where the bystanders answer any question my players ask. After this the storyline goes a bit wacky usually, As the group starts to crystallize their individual and collective play styles And become more familiar with the world around them. For experienced players this might not work, But for new players it weeds out the bad apples.
@@MiWill1988 My players already learned when I say "are you shure you want to do that?" that means its a major warning :D I try not to kill people but I try not to be too obvious about it
I was trying to finish a combat yesterday cause a player needed to leave early and waited to tell me 15 minutes before they were leaving, everytime i hit the players turn I was screaming inside my head everytime i heard ummm
As a DM myself, I can say some things: - players, who take notes, are the DMs biggest joy because that makes the DM feel like a 100000 times better. This means thy enjoy the game, have fun with the lore and characters and you dont have to run behind the players and remind them what shit they all have found. - even if a DM jokes that they just in to kill you all, its more fun seeing how your players overcome all the bad things and be the heroes of the day - and yes pls, for the love of god, rollplay with characters. Not just for the DM to have a break but also, as a DM, I can say that my hearts melt to see my players character talk about stuff and let their characters grow
You could push them to take notes by throwing things at them they forgot about. Angered someone but nobody knows anymore? Could have a plot against them, but the players forgot about a weakness of the enemy
I love testing my players problem solving skills by not actually designing solutions to all their problems. So when a player takes notes and remembers things that are useful to the situation, it makes it more rewarding for them.
A fun way to get players involved is to present a lot of information to them outside of sessions I find. I summarise each session (overall, bullet point style), make cards with NPC's (just a pasted pdf in excel, whited background and text with a border), and a little more like sites and groups (I like my world building). Is super satisfying when the players are coming into the next session and pull up your NPC cards and say "I wanna visit Daegar the blacksmith, not for business, I just wanna see how he's doing". Also similar when they read the session summary before the session to refresh their minds so they're in the "mode" haha
The best compliment I ever got as a GM (DM): The game session was October 2020, in the midst of Covid so we all met in an outdoor park under a covered picnic area, and spread out the tables so we could be a safe distance. This meant we had to shout at one another between the distances and through the masks muffling our voices. It was cold, we all were bundled up, and I brought hot soup and a coffee maker for warm drinks (fortunately the pavilion had power), and it was okay as long as the sun was out. We played all day but it got dark quickly and started to rain, the temperature dropped and we discovered that there were no working lights on the pavilion. I offered to end the game and we could just pick up where we left off later, but my players said that they were enjoying my story so much that they wanted to keep going. We played till the story end using phone lights and powered through the cold and discomfort, laughing and enjoying each other's company. I have some great friends.
@@karlstormguard Reminds me of a session I ran many years ago on a stormy night when we had a power failure and continued the game by candlelight. The game had a pretty dark theme so I guess it was appropriate. A few minutes after the session ended, there was a knock at the door. One of the players wanted to know if I had a chain saw - it turned out the storm had brought down several trees and they couldn't get out of my driveway.
@@vyor8837Because masks should still be worn even if social distancing is being attempted. Doing so reminds people to maintain that distance, keeps them from touching their face, and while meeting with people you love it's very easy for such distances to shrink without realizing it anyway. It's a good precaution for those of us taking this pandemic seriously.
True, prohibit role playing at all costs. Use a lazer pointer to distract them if you must! This will cause them to furiously rebel against you and cause rampant fun.
I run an experience point based campaign. The players that role play their characters get bonus XP. Sometimes they get more XP for role playing than they do the monsters slain during the adventure.
@@singledad1313 ayy me and my dm. buddy do something similar by introducing a system called "spirits" people who do something really impressive or standout in one of the stats or roleplay gain a respective spirit for all of the next day and as they do things relating to the spirit they have they get bonus xp, we mainly had to do these because we had a bigger party and had to encourage more people to join in (because of course no one wants to be left behind) but also to encourage more immersive play
@@singledad1313 You can also reward any player that brings faygo and funyuns, or keep records, or draw maps, or even pays the GM every game. I am open to pay for levels plan. Worked for EA.
Best way I find is only answer their queries in hypotheticals, like for instance in my campaign its a Viking age colonisation of an American size continent, its dangerous. One of the players thinks that they're were previous attempts, but that they are the suicide squad for the next colonisation group in the spring. The reality is that there's been several failed attempts and that they are the last (at least of their kingdom). Hearing the players try to guess the truth though is really fun, I never confirm their questions, only give a "that seems like a reasonable theory, anyway to confirm it?". Leaves them guessing as to the truth of the matter, would feel like meta gaming if I confirmed it, also is fun to watch them squirm haha
“It's straining to dm after a three or four or even five hour session!“ My last session was 13 hours long and I was sick the day after. Loved every second of it, but also ouuf, was so straining
13 hours is crazy, but I do love the days, when I do nothing but playing DnD (as a player or DM). That aside, my group has 6-12 hours sessions most of the time, and if I'm the one DMing I have to take really good care of myself and my voice, because otherwise after 6hours I'll start to mess up some sentences and that's not so nice for the overall experience
our dm did a 10h session with us yesterday, most of it combat. we had a blast but afterwards, we were quite tired and he pretty much went straight to bed. still would do it again
In my youth during summer my friends would come over 8am we'd play til noon take a hour for lunch the resume at 1pm and play til 6pm. We did this nearly every day for a month. Now a four hour session wears me out.
@@davidparkes7741 Her Weasel is dead, impossible he survive 1/100 of this game. Or her weasel is in fact the Traveler disguise and he follow her since she bought it.
DMs want their players to know: -when you remember where you left off last session and talk about it after the session, it means a lot -watching the player characters interact is very fun, do it -when you're not paying attention, we feel inept for not keeping you engaged -we want you to like your characters and have fun being immersed in a different world
Our group has a thing we do before each session, a "last time on dragons ball P" joke. But it is helpful to have a player give a quick recap of the previous session so we can all get back into the headspace for the game. And its always the players job, not the DM's.
@@katiegeorges That's cool!! I like the idea that it's player responsibility especially. Usually I run it where I go alright what do you remember and see what they say (what stands out to them is informative) and fill in the blanks, but I have had engagement issues that need fixing
@@cass6020 Yea, if there is a major point we forgot, our dm will give us a nudge and then we take over again once we remember lol. Im the notetaker of the group, but my notes are very shorthand and i've gotten things mixed up at times. But im also not always the one that does the last time. Its a fun ritual to start off our games
I know Critical Role is not the only way to do anything, but I try to remember how Caleb’s spells were cast. He would briefly mention using the required component in the process of casting the spell. Even though I usually use a focus instead of most components, it’s a good reminder that a little attention can add interest to almost any action.
I'm always nervous before a session. Feeling like I'm gona lose my improve skills that day. Wondering if the content I wrote will be engaging. That first minute or two of the game. I got to hook them and get this thing going. Then spend the rest of the night after game thinking about if I messed this and that up. But after the first 4 or 5 minutes. Once they have started to make some choices. It all starts flowing in my head and my stack of notes somehow end up in a narative that makes people want to come back for more.
@@thomasvontom Perhaps a small tip, but I like to roll a d20 at start of a session. The player who rolled the highest will summarize the previous session(s), in exchange for a minor bonus. That way the group gets involved directly, corrects where things went different, and you see what kind of information is picked up by the party
“Please, for the love of God, participate in scheduling-“ This hit me so hard. I constantly feel like I’m the one in the group that has to step up and “lead the charge” for scheduling, even though we have rotating DMs (myself being one). It can be utterly exhausting.
Yeah! I was DM for a group of new players (it was also MY FIRST time playing D&D) and at the beginning of the plague I didn't initiate the schedule ONCE and we've never met since. It still makes me feel like I was such a bad DM that nobody wanted to play anymore...
Damn, I felt that. I play with a set group, but we switch between two campaigns, because we have two DMs ( myself included ) and usually I have to be the one that pushes scheduling forward, and that hurts just a little bit
Tip: schedule a date for the next session at the end of your current one. We always make sure to have a date in mind before everyone leaves. Works way better than in chat/messages.
@@patrickmccown6123 yes !!! We started doing that a few month ago, and it just works a lot better. But unfortunately it's not always possible, because a few of us have pretty irregular and changing schedules
one thing i would add: your DM has created an entire world for you to explore, and it’s your job as a player to go out and explore it. ask questions, looks for stores and libraries and interesting places. whenever you enter a town, look around it for fun little easter eggs your DM may have planted for you to find. as ginny said, your DM isn’t telling just you a story, you have to participate in it as well!
This! I am constantly reminding my players that if they don't interact with the world then it will be boring. I can only push them for so long, but if they don't talk to people, investigate, search and interact then its not going to be much fun. Its also why I don't let them shop in email outside the game... no you can go speak with people and find the things you need.. and who knows.. maybe more.
Just another addition if I will, players..... make an interesting character, that ties into the world, that you enjoy! It seems simple but can be the difference between enjoying D&D and just playing, both are fine but its just more fun for you and the DM to get involved in storytelling. The DM hearing you roleplay about your long lost half brother whilst journeying between towns to another player isn't just interesting in the moment, its a plot hook that he/she can work with!
I'm pretty sure one of my players watched exactly this video, because since this was uploaded she has started to tell me sometimes that I'm doing great, which really helped me get a little bit more confident in my abilities as a DM. So thank you!!
I wish I could like this more than once. I just had to impose the, "if YOU don't know what YOUR ability/attack/weapon/spell/etc does, then neither does your character...and can't do it" rule. Looks like they're taking the dodge action and hoping to remember how that spell works next time it comes around to them!
Does it matter how they work? Paladin assasins are viable by the rules, so who cares if the player says smite auto crits anything green? Ok, works for me. Roll the dmg.
I've read the all of the books back to front at least 2 and I still don't know every class ability by heart but for fuck's sake they can remember there own
I got one player in my Pathfinder game right now who texts me, calls me and keeps asking about feats, abilities, classes and everything, a lot of times taking hours to get an answer when he could go onto any SRD site and get the same answers, possibly even more details on it, and quicker, than I could do so. So yes, do your own research into your character and their abilities. The DM has to do it for every NPC that you ally with and fight against, so you can do it for your ONE character yourself.
My favorite of those is "DMs love when you take the lead." As a DM I was so used to my players sitting back and rollplaying rather than roleplaying and it was exhausting. Nothing ever happened that I didn't expect. Every now and then, the players would suggest something different and it was great. I absolutely love when something unexpected happens and I have to improvise.
@@alzathoth Haha, you aren't wrong. In this case though it ended up being more of "can they put up with me" The game has since died, with one of the players refusing to even speak to me because "how dare I have consequences. They should be able to slaughter a village or assassinate the king with no repercussions" 🤣
@@alzathoth lol good riddance. Players should appreciate the fuck out of their DM, and if they don't, I can't imagine they're any fun to play with anyway. Hope you found a better group!
I love when Players, take a vague piece of information i have given them, and they make up things around that subject, Players helping you worldbuild during a game is fantastic :D
That should be what a campaign is, collaborative storytelling! I haven't played yet but whenever I get the chance to, there's no way I'm missing out on the chance to add to the world that we play in! :D
Sometimes I'll pitch it to the players and see what they'll do with it. "You walk into a crowded market place. Who do you see?" They might hit it back with something easy and namedrop a former npc or named character they've heard of, which is cool. But if they just make up a new character on the spot I love that shit. Like, "I see Thud Razzleback, my old bully. I go punch him right in the face." All of a sudden I have to think on my toes and I love it lol
@@alzathoth I've had the same group for 3 years (different campaigns but same people). We try our best to stick together and run the game for eachother so as not to have DM burnout (whether it's one shots or switching who's running the main campaign/side campaign)
@@alzathoth Woah, I mean maybe it's just us but we're friends outside of the game and don't want everyone to shoulder the role of DM all the time y'know. It's kinda selfish to not take the role of DM at least once if you're playing for a long period of time, provided the DM/DMs don't mind. With regard to being consistent we are all in college but also make ourselves available (whether we cancel plans/ask for days off from work). It's all a case of we're grateful to each other for putting in the time and effort to DM and want it to work out, so put in our 2 dimes of work as a player to be there on time, everytime.
@@scrawnybostonkid9609 Coming this boxing day, the master will be enter the dungeon.... Forever, never to return, the "Forever DM" coming to cinemas near you
I've been playing for 30+ years and DMing for around the past 15 or so. Nothing has given me a larger dose of stage fright than running a campaign with a group that has never played tabletop roleplaying before. The biggest challenge was trying to get them out of the "this works like a video game" mindset
Something else I’ve noticed as a DM is many people will give good feedback but rarely criticism for fear of pissing off the DM. I personally want to know if your uncomfortable by a storyline I’ve brought up or if something hits too close to real life I don’t want anyone at table to not feel welcome or feel uneasy. Fantasy is meant to be a moment of respite from our crazy world not stepping from one stressful world into another! For example if I say you character noticed their parents fighting and I as the DM was unaware that you parents out of game were considering a divorce I would 100% need to know that information to make all players comfortable and allow the game to be that escape for my players the way it is for me! 🎲 happy gaming everyone!
I've noticed this as well! I'm DM'ing for the first time and I've made a point of asking my players for one thing they liked and one thing that they didn't like about the session so they know that they can raise these issues with me.
As a player I try to do stuff my dm always under cut me if I pocket something because I don’t trust a person the dm turns an says no I added it in to someone else’s inventory it’s kinda hurtful if I’m told no you can’t do this you are not allowed to do that
This is a big one for me. I run a horror based dnd game and things can get really graphic and pretty messed up. I expect my players to let me know if there's something they come across in game that makes them genuinely uncomfortable. That way I know where the lines are and where I can and can't go.
We have "veto" cards in one of my groups (as a player) and we can throw them on the table if any of us ever gets uncomfortable by a plotpoint/conversation and the DM will immediately drop it no questions asked. Not that it's ever happened, but I thought it's a good practice. Personally, I've never had a storyline make me feel uncomfortable, I'd say 90% of any negative feedback I'd like to give my DMs but I hesitate is that the battles can get boring and repetitive ("here's another dozen goblins!"). But then I get that it's harder to prepare more monster variation, especially in homebrew campaigns, so I don't want to make them feel they should spend even more time preparing than they already do!
I'm dm'ing for a while now, and being nervous before every session is something that i can relate too. After each session i'm exhausted... It takes so much thinking, planning, improvising,... I love all the work tho and the smiles during the sessions. But these are all things that are 100% true A player taking notes is a gods gift!!! I have one girl in my sessions that even writes down the accents i used for earch NPC. If she starts talking to an NPC she does that same accent. That way i know immediatly what accent i used in the first place :p Gotta love people helping out their DM's
I love my DM so much. He appreciates note-takers like myself, and finds great amusement when roleplay is actually going smoothly. He brings out things in backstories and makes each one of us feel special. So it pains me SO. MUCH. to see my fellow players talk about random BS over him, not pay attention in combat or RP, check their phones and whatnot. I'm not always the best player to have, but the amount of respect I have for my DM is crazy, and I consider it my duty to make sure he knows about it.
One thing I did in a game I didn't dm was everyone had amnesia. We didn't know our names, race, stats, nothing. It was nice because everyone had to pay really close attention and take notes to remember what the dm said so they wouldn't miss their strength modifier or something. He would only say it twice. Even though it sucked when you missed an important detail it was also kinda funny
I've had my fair share of disrespectful players, To the point that I rage quit, Only to be asked by some of the players if I had another group they could join, Because they didn't want to change DM. And while I really didn't feel like I would be able to run a new campaign again, I told them, you have two weeks to change your mind, We're playing next Saturday, you might not get to play, But I expect you to be there. Most successful campaign yet.
Me and my friends have all taken turns to dm at some stage or another aside from the newbie, he only started recently. I think once you dm there's a different understanding when playing, you acknowledge the work put in and know better what the DM might want the players to do. I guess what I'm saying is that there's an extra appreciation for the work put in so we're far less likely to go on our phones/ignore what's happening since we wouldn't want it to happen to us. Of course it's difficult to do this for a prolonged period of time which is why I tend to try to keep everyone busy with something, whether it's a patrons message or full rp, something. I would suggest taking regular breaks though if attention is an issue. I DM for roughly 5 hrs odd so we usually take a break mid way through (for like 20 mins, just to chat and get food/drink etc, take a break mentally etc)
@@g0oberdm417 I usually find that combat is especially draining for everyone, So I tend to take a break only if there's combat in the middle of a session. Then again my group plays at a snails pace, Making slow but steady progress every time.
@@BramLastname That's fair, whatever suits your group really! My group tends to have a combat per session more often than not, though it's not a requirement. We also play later in the day (6pm odd or after) so it's nice to give peeps a break.
The only time I ever DMed I had one room that was supposed to have a puzzle in it but I ran out of time to think of one so I just made the room have nothing but a big cliff they had to get to the top of, trusting that the players would find a clever solution to this challenge even though I hadn't. Sure enough, they created handholds by melting the wall with acid.
Please know your character and their abilities! So many times I've had a player wait for their turn in combat and then they ask what the rules are to do x or if they have the ability to do x. If you don't know, look it up. I don't know every ability/rule/feat/class. Or they ask what else they can do, as in specific abilities. I'm busy with all the monsters on the table, it's not my responsibility to know your character too.
So much this... As a player I always make it a point to pay attention when it isn't my turn in combat to what is going on and what other people are doing, and to have my action prepared. Have my dice ready, the spell card out of needed and ready to go when it's my turn to keep things flowing. It's extremely frustrating as a player and a DM to have other people at the table look up from their phone and go 'Huh, what happened' when their initiative is called. Especially when it means people's turns are five times longer than mine and I wind up twiddling my thumbs while they look through their sheets and decide what they want to do.
To piggy back off of this, I've had to ask my players to say the type of damage they are dealing with spells or attacks. This way I can auto calculate any damage resistances or immunities as we go. And I do the same for them because of their own resistances or immunities.
I only know this from watching 113 Episodes of Critical Role, and that's one of the two things that I disllike the most about the CR-Cast (the other one is them talking with each other and not listening to the DM and fellow players because it's not their turn...). Spells used for the 20th time and the question is: What does it do? Trying to use two Level Spells in the same round, forgetting you can only use a Level Spell and a Cantrip in the same round if one of them has an action and the other one a bonus action casting time. Forgetting to check for Spell materials or if the spell has concentration, breaking concentration of the other spell. And actually knowing WHAT the spells do, read the spell description TILL THE END!!!!!! I mean, yea they only play once a week, and they're busy people, but is it asked to much to either remember some stuff used regulary? Or check up the spells and feats before the session starts? One would think you'd know a spell effect after 20 sessions....
We used to have a similar issue, but our group then got spell cards so that we could eliminate a lot of the lookup time, and we got a few printed sheets of the actions in combat section of the book so that we could know at a glance what we can do if we need more options than spells or hit stuff. Nobody just "does nothing" any more, they're take the dodge action, or be on standby by taking the ready action and giving it a specific trigger so that they can still be helpful if things change. It's been very handy to have those.
I love it when my players talk amongst themselves. I started a new campaign and the first session was 2/3 just the players talking around the table at a bar. We didn't get where I was planning, but we got so much more from it.
I'm currently playing in a group where we rotate DMs, and it's been such a good learning experience for me as a new player and DM! Plus there are several "resident DMs" in the group who are definitely enjoying just playing for a while. Some of my favorite post-game conversations are the ones that go "that whole section of town you decided to explore? Made up on the spot."
Honestly, I've made up entire sections of a dungeon on the spot cause I didn't expect them to get access so quickly. Those moments of awe when they discover it's all improvised are wonderful.
My group rotates DMs as well, which not only gives the DMs a chance to play but also more time to plan a session. And as a player I like switching between campaigns and getting to play different characters.
This so very affirming of an idea my circle is playing with. My close friends and I are planning to do the same and combining our Wildemount/Theros/Faerun worlds into one adventure where each DM runs 1 month and then takes 2 months off - we’re thinking a Sliders/Dr.Who setup
@@Harry-ju8yw That sounds really fun! It sounds like roughly what my group is doing. We're not really running separate campaigns, we're taking turns running sections/adventures of one very loose campaign. Not the most continuity, but plenty of opportunities to try crazy stuff or swap characters. We get teleported around a lot 😂
My group rotates DMing and all of us have had the chance to go behind the screen! I just started DMing 2 sessions ago and it has been very rewarding so far.
to elaborate on the bit where DMs want to play: I have never, NEVER NOT EVEN ONCE gotten to actually play dnd. I have always been the DM for our friend group and it is so exhausting creating a world and not getting to reap the rewards of said game sometimes. Just once I’d genuinely like to put one of the many characters I’ve created into action! edit: you guys will never believe what happened
Just plainly ask someone who you think is capable of dm-ing it could be that they've been thinking about it and don't want to insult you or push you aside. We now have 3 dms in our group and it helps because they all are capable of learning from each other and help each other out if you strike a blank. Even I (anxious, depressed and terrified of failure) tried dm-ing a one-turned-three-shot and it was great fun seeing all three dms playing together. We were all supportive and had fun. Give it a go and maybe you find a hidden gem. 👍
Yes, please do ask! I first thought about being a DM when someone asked this exact question, and with an experienced DM around to give advice it made me feel confident enough to give it a go for the first time.
I feel this. Honestly. I run a LA Noir styled Dark Fantasy game and my players tend to not care about really anything that doesn't affect them. Yeah, I know that they're supposed to be the main focal point of the campaign, but like.... take notes please? Its hard to come up with a session when the players only care about romancing eachother
I'll have prepped a whole section of world and scene building to my players (who do online games), and turns out one of them had been muted and talking to someone else in their room the entire time. pain.
I spent months making a world with lore and stuff for my group not want to play because of a botched opening and because for lore reasons player couldnt play as a robot with laser eyes.
Every time a session ends, I love to say "That was fun" every time- because it genuinely was :) Plus, even though it's my first time playing D&D, I could already tell how much the DM has worked so hard to improvise and keep track of stuff.
Something I wanna mention: Giving positive feedback or asking questions in-game can be a major source of creative energy. One of my players once asked, "Is my home village on the way to this thing?" through PM. (We play on Discord.) I responded with "It is now," because I knew that player would enjoy it. I also have this little spark of joy every time a player says something along the lines of "Epic," ore "Pog" or whatever they feel like saying at a given time because of something I did. Even better: When they go "Oh, f*ck" when I send a battlemap over and they see what they're in for.
"It is now" is a GREAT DM catchphrase. I love when players ask a specific question about something I haven't fully fleshed out yet and I can just plug their addition in to create a more immersive and interesting world!
@@jerolddavis It's very versitile. Can be used to get a player excited and be like, "I called it, guys!" or they say something like "Is a warerehouse like a werewolf, but instead of turning into a wolf, it turns into a house?" And thus, a House Lycanthrope is born. Also, don't forget the counterphrase before mentioning something that could wreck your party: "DON'T GIVE THE DM ANY IDEAS!"
@@jerolddavis As a DM, I would also use the ideas that my players gave me to make them be like "Yay, I love Dungeon Master!" because I gave them something cool.
this video made me think how much DM'ing might be like parenting. they're on your side, they want you to succeed, they want you to learn to earn your success, and of course they're improvising all the time ahha
True. Sometimes, when you DM for to long, you got a little too critical with other styles of DMing. When I realized that, the numbers of bad DMs droped for me.
I found that the best "remedie" for this is getting a group together where you have at least two solid DMs - then you can share "the burden" with others, especially on the meta level. I have a group where I share the DM'ing with an other guy who has a totally different DM style and we really get a lot of value out of meta-disucssions about what works and what doesn't.
OH GOD THIS. this is my curse. i'm extremely critical of alot of DM's, and find myself turning into a backseat driver. sometimes i start thinking "man, if only i could dm my own games... " then i realize thats just called writing a book.
@@NaerenVastir does this still matter when the other dm is an edge lord? Legit I played a 1 on 1 with one of my current players where he was the dm and damn...either I never got a word in or he had no clue what to do next
i have to agree, i hate being compared to new DMs and then being told i am 100% better then them. that's not the point people. every DMs are different. try them first, give them 3 sessions to see what they are about. its normal to not like a new DM but its not normal to want the utmost experience from the get go even more if you know the DM is new to this.
"Participate in scheduling" Oh. My. God. Every group i've DM'd for I have to align the stars themselves just to get everyone sat at the table because of everyone's availability being at different times. And I have to drag them to it kicking and screaming.
I know how it feels. Everytime I send a message I get everyone to reply over the course of a week (at best) and very often I just get a "Next weekend looks bad to me", no alternatives, nothing. And then I repeat it after the weekend - and their responses (or lack thereof) repeat. It just feels stupid, like they're disinterested, but whenever I asked them if they liked it, they very clearly said yes, that they enjoyed it a lot (minus some minor mistakes on my part here and there).
I've been playing every monday night for four years. At first, I felt weird about committing EVERY WEEK to something like a game. Now, nothing comes in the way of my DND session
My game group I just hit the point where i say "hey guys I'm running a game on alternating Saturdays. if you want to play please let me know" If players can't make it to a game session they get the same XP as the lowest player. Sometimes the stars align and we sneak in an extra session here and there, but for the most part it seems to light a fire under people when you just say "its this day or your not playing."
@@wonkusbonkus8528 well u see Thats why i enjoy GMing Some character works as NPCs but not as PCs Oftrn i have ideas for characters that end up becoming NPCs
Thank you! All the other videos I find about DMing are like: "You're doing it wrong!" and "What players hate that DM's do". It's so infuriating to put so much effort into it, only to receive not much fun (players were very passive) or appreciation and to have the internet against you on top of that.
The first session that you DM is always the hardest (in my opinion). Constantly improvising is very difficult when it's your first time or you're sleep deprived. Always keep a detailed session recap.
Agreed. I DMed two games so far, the same adventure, but once in my native language and one translated on the fly in english. Would it not for looking up translations for specific words that escaped me, the second one would have been the better one by far, after quickly learning from some mistakes done in the first session. Also, you learn something new every time!
Even for experienced DM's, I find the first session of a new campaign is the hardest and usually feels the worst, because the players are still figuring out their characters and I am still figuring out the world it is set in
@@owenrourke-nicholas958 Agreed, its always the first step, a cycle of pain and inability to improv well because you have no idea what the players want to do, even with a session 0. Though at least with the 2nd campaign start there's that focus on improving from the cringe we wrote/played last time haha
Having a recap section is one of my favorite things about DMing a campaign on Discord. I also highly recommend keeping a character index. I have mine as a section with multiple PDFs organized by city .
Agreed, and I claim the same holds true on a smaller scale, meaning one session. For me, even though I am a DM with some experience under my belt, the first 5-10 minutes are always stressful and never easy. After a few minutes, you will hit your stride and it will seem natural and easy from that point on =)
God I feel point five so much. One of my players keeps going on about how we should try to set aside a day for us to literally play DnD all day and I keep just kind of staring at them like "do you have any idea how exhausting this is???"
I must be unusual then. As a DM, I love those all day sessions. It gives me the opportunity to flex my ability and work up a truly epic adventure. The 10 or 12 hour dungeon crawls are my favorites.
@@singledad1313 I have never had to DM them but I was lucky in college. We had a group of 5 players and 3 of them were DM and a 4 DM we visit for a night who didn't play. We would have a full week of just playing DnD. Those sessions were the best. It was great because when one needed a break another would step up. It was actually how I was introduced to DnD.
I love how this doesn't drag on anyone, just like "Hey your dm wants you too know they love you and are trying so please play with them" and I live for that kinda constructive criticism
For starters, I wish my players knew the rules and their abilities well - that way I don’t have to remind them all the time. But this video makes me sad, not because it’s bad, but because I agree. I wish my players knew more of the things I went through to try and bring some joy and there’s this one player that constantly ignores or challenges or is so unappreciative of the things I try to do for them. It makes a hard task harder and it makes me scared to dm. I’m even putting off dnd a little cause I’m just too scared to continue. I’m gonna try and send this to my dnd group chat and then hope that at least one of the other players watches it. At least that way one more person will understand. But regardless, keep up the awesome videos, this one made me subscribe 😁
I'm the DM for my group, and none of my players had ever been DM themselves. One of them expressed an interest in trying to DM a one shot, and she did really well for her first time! My players found it really interesting to play alongside me as a PC, and it was great to get out from behind the DM screen. Afterwards the player said that DMing had been WAY harder than she'd expected, and that she appreciates the work I do every week a lot more now! 😁
Ive been taking the initiative(heh, pun in tended) to start opportunities for "DM Therapy" in my local area. Running a game soon for 4 lucky forever DMs and ive been trying to just talk to more DMs about the stresses of running the game and such. Its rather cathartic to express these frustrations and learn that youre not alone. It makes this video pretty valuable, and i hope a lot of struggling DMs/Players take these tips to heart.
I always make sure the DM feels appreciated I know it takes a lot of work and time to do all the things DMs do for us. Mine even even put up with me accidentally kicking him with my prosthetic leg all the time cept for one time he sent me a message in discord during a game where he was like do that again and your character dies. Giving me a ''look'' from behind his computer. I've been more careful since then to not be so annoying and be nice to him.
As a long time game master i just want to say: thank you, this kind of vocalization is both vindicating and cathartic, and you pretty much hit the nail on the head, well done.
I've been the forever DM for my group over the last 15 years and the one thing that was mentioned in this video that hit me in the soul was the fact that it is a huge investment of time. Even if I'm running a light hearted improv campaign, I still end up spending upwards of 30 hours a week prepping or testing things to ensure a challenging session for the players at my table. If you had fun at the session, even saying thank you is so much more rewarding than you could imagine.
I'm so lucky to have players who are so understanding and so engaged in my game, which I've only been running for 6 sessions now. There's been a few times when a player has noticed my voice is dying or I'm getting tired and need a snack, and they'll ask for a break or just start roleplaying with the other PC's. I appreciate the way that they do it so subtly, so that the other players aren't concerned or worried about me. I know them well enough to tell them if I really do need a break, but it warms my heart when they notice that before I do.
Idk if it was weird or not normal, but the last DM I had actually had a character of their own. Although the character was more of a background character, everyone tried to include them as much as they could, and I feel like it really helped the dm become invested too ❤️
I tried my hand at DMing about 16 years ago or so, and after the first session said "Nope! Not for me!" which is fine. I totally respect the effort that DMs put into their games, because I just don't have their levels of dedication or adaptability. That said, I'll totally be the guy to help out in a temporary or assistant DM role, like keeping track of initiative in combat, or gentle reminders about certain effects active on whichever characters. Numbers I'm fine with. At the end of the day, the goal is for everyone to have fun playing. So lightening the load on your DM's shoulders a bit helps them have fun, and gives them the opportunity to help you have fun as a player. And if I could add an 11th tip here: communicate with your DM and fellow players outside of the game. Even if it's just about the game, if someone feels there's a problem in game or during sessions, bring it up and sort it out. No one wants their issues to end a campaign, but it's always, always, always better than playing it off. If you catch a problem early and it ends a campaign, it was always going to blow up later. If it doesn't, then you have the time to fix it.
Damn, I wish I had a player like you in my group. :'D Building a story, quests, NPCs, monsters and spending hours upon hours studying lore to make it believable - no problem! ... Keeping track of combat routines? Ahem... Literally the most difficult part for me right now.
One of the thing that I've implemented to help combat the anxiety and "DM hangover" from sessions: After every session, I ask the players to share one thing they thought was awesome that another player did. It helps them recognize how cool other people thought their stuff was and lets GMs see how excited people are about the session. I also ask them what's one thing they would have liked to see differently. This doesn't go back and change anything, but it opens up an avenue for players to bring up things they didn't like in a non-judgmental way and in a way that doesn't have to wait until it's a problem.
One of the things that I realized in GMing is that character backstories and flaws can make the game so much easier to run. As I like to say "The more you give me, the more I can give you." That becomes particularily poignant when some of your players are prolific writers who like to see their characters bloody, bruised and broken (often before the game even begins) and others are more gamers who are really good at all the mechanic stuff, but whose narrative sense is not as finely tuned. In the latter case I have often gone the route of "You can leave some blanks for me to fill with cool stuff, if you want to trust me with it." and it usually went fairly well. Which kind of brings this to a whole other point: Most things that would be considered exceptional within the setting should be cleared with the GM... if you secretly pick an odd detail that might not fit into the scope of the campaign and spring it on me, I can t r y to do my best "yes and", but I wont be happy... especially if it devalues a plot pint I wanted to bring forth.
Case and point why I always submit a copy of my backstory a minimum of a week in advance of the campaign starting. Gives the DM plenty of time to read and plan for it and gives me plenty of time to craft any revisions should they be needed
@@agnostican Growing up in a military family the importance of respect is taught early, often and sometimes loudly. Way I see it if they're going to go through all the effort of putting a good story together the least I can do is show the proper respect and make their life a little easier
Third arc of the campaign dealt heavily with a character's backstory, player had forgotten his own backstory and at that point was itching for a new character. ::facepalm::
Now my brain is trying to create a Cyndi Lauper parody: "When the Combat Round is done, DM's; they want to have fun, Oh DM's just wanna have fun! (Especially when you roll a one!) DM's just wanna have fun!"
I wake up in the middle of the night, My brain yells, "You didn't play that lair action right!" I remind myself the stat block's just a guide, Oh, DMs just wanna have fun!
TL;DR: Players please talk to each other! It’s what makes the game feel real and gives higher stakes. On players conversing amongst ourselves, my group had been playing together for almost a year before we came up against our first dragon. At level 9, it was a very tough fight and a few of us died. Luckily the cleric NPC had revivify prepared and was able to quickly find some diamonds in the dragon hoard. That fight and the resulting conversation afterword was the first time we as players really had a meaningful conversation with each other. We shared backstory, personal woes our characters were going through, and in short we bonded more than the whole previous year. I’m not sure what exactly clicked, but we’ve been able to keep that up every session since and it feels so great😁 The other two players were totally new to the game, and while I knew the whole PHB cover to cover I hadn’t had much actual game time under my belt, in addition to our DM being a first time DM. So it took a while for us to get to the point of feeling like a cohesive group but now I’m even more excited than ever to meet up
This is a great list. I've been GMing for over 25 years and, indeed, still get nervous before every game session. I'm usually fine right up until about an hour before game-time, and then get struck with a panic about an hour before game time that I'm not prepared enough. My brain will often suddenly go blank, no matter how much preparation I've made. I can write out a monologue introduction, plot out tons of branches that the players might take and consequences, and still be worried that I'm not prepared. Lately, I've been intentionally prepping a lot less, and then that makes the moment the panic sets in even worse. But, once things get rolling, it usually works itself out. But, still, as mentioned, insecurity, even after 25+ years.
I just hosted my first session yesterday, it was SO much fun but afterwards I had to take an advil and just watch some RUclips while the players talked, i love that you mentioned DMing drains energy so hard
One little thing that I'd like to add, mostly for brand new DMs: When you're playing a pre-built campaign/module, there are a lot of things that are not covered and very little is tied to the specifics of the characters playing. This might seem obvious since they are designed to be pickup and played by any group of the appropriate level, but even as an experienced DM, sometimes it can be hard to remember that the players' imaginations tend to be more advanced and un-expected than the writers. I know this kind of falls under some of the categories that Ginny stated in her video, but since a lot of people are trying to pick up this as a hobby and often times they don't have an experienced DM to help them with it, using a pre-built module is becoming very common, and that's a good thing! It's a great way to get your feet wet and you hands dirty until you understand not only the game and system itself, but the dynamic of your group (which affect game play a LOT more than we tend to give credit). Anyway, I hope this helps someone out there and remember, there are TONs of people and resources at your disposal if you're ever feeling like things aren't going well.
This is why my stupid ass decided to create a homebrew setting from session 1 of dm'ing haha. I don't recommend (as the learning curve for making an enjoyable campaign is.... steep) but worth it if executed well (I suggest starting with a module, then homebrew if that takes your fancy). Currently have a campaign that complements my dm style really nicely so its ended well o/
I ran that Mines of Phandelver campaign as my first time DMing in 5E (used to DM AD&D way back, have run Rolemaster for about 30-35 years). I found that I had to put WAY MORE time into prepping that pre-published adventure versus play time than anything I have done for my home-made content. What connects to where, who knows whom, what (knowing my players fairly well) holes need to be pre-filled with at least some information... I find it a lot easier to DM what I write, because I know what is what, who is whom, and where things and people connect as I conceive them, not reading them as someone else is trying to convey it to me.
This was a great video, Ginny! I've been DMing for a couple years and yearn for those rare moments when my players tell me that they had a good time. Some are more vocal about it than others so I know it's not that they aren't having fun--they just don't voice it much. I do acknowledge that when my players are roleplaying with each other it should, and often does, tell me they're into it. Getting to relax a moment while hearing them laugh or cry together is beautiful and proves they're enjoying the game--even if they don't tell me afterward. There are plenty of signs like this to pick up and collect throughout the game that proves the players are having fun. However, I won't deny that hearing the phrases: "that was fun", "great session", "can't wait till next game" come out of their mouths is validating and makes the hard work feel even more worthwhile. =)
I was constantly just saying "yup, yup, yup," to pretty much everything you said. Especially the second point about DMs not being the enemy. Had one bad apple who was super pissed that I used wearwolves in Curse of Strahd. He reasoned that werewolves can ruin characters with lycanthropy and went on a 10+ minute rant about how I want to ruin characters and player immersion. Christ, he wasn't even bitten the whole fight becuase the party's tank was doing a great job. That dude didn't last long at my table after that.
Actually, the Grim Hollow guide she's advertising has a great fix for that. They literally made an entire section dedicated to transformations into different things like litches and werewolves as a gameplay mechanic. It's really cool. I kinda hope one of my players wants to transform or is okay with it being a possibility to continue as their character if something like that happens to them so I can try the machanic out. Seriously, the book is amazingly helpful in so many ways.
I totally agree with you Scabbers. As much as we might joke about prepping an encounter to deliver a TPK, DMs want to help you build your characters and not tear them down or destroy them. For example, one of my player's was infected with wererat lycanthropy in the middle of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. This led into an expansive side arc with a ton of character development and inter-party RP as the LG Aasimar Fighter began to turn evil and work against the party until she was found out. This completely altered the characters personality for a while, and while my player had fun with the change for a time it resulted in a beautiful moment where the party banded together to save her from the curse. I created an intricate little ritual that would remove the curse, and the party then had to run all over the city as they attempted to discover, interpret, and collect several specific components for said ritual. To this day it is one of the best arcs I have ever run, and it had nothing to do with the module as written but rather was simply dealing with the outcome of a bad roll.
@@mr.myself9779 I did something very similar. One of my players was infected with vampirism (due to a blood curse and some godly mumbo jumbo) so I kinda made up a chart that would determine what kind of vampire she would be with a con save. She rolled damn good and I ended up giving her a riff on a daywalker type thing. The problem was, anytime she saw blood she had the chance to go into a blood frenzy which led to her almost killing one of the party members. Eventually they had to travel to a city that was fanatically religious and saw any type of curse or transformation as heretical and would kill anything they knew about. They ended up enlisting the help of an order of monster hunters sympathetic to the cause to help them preform a ritual to remove the blood curse from the character. It went surprisingly well and everyone survived but it was a great character moment for everyone involved. I'd have to say my favourite thing about it was the fact I made it so she couldn't eat anything other than meat, so the party would stick bread in her mouth to make her vomit constantly. It was amazing.
Dude, I feel you. A player joined midcampaign because someone else dropped out, and on his first day during a battle he was paralyzed by an effect that had saving throws every turn and he was paralyzed for two out of three turns the effect was active and he was so mad and chewed me out after that the game was supposed to revolve around making the PCs shine and I was purposefully trying to make him look bad and ruin his character. He did not come back even though I acted as the bigger person and apologized and said I'd work harder to make sure he had a fun next session. -_-
I absolutely love my players, and they genuinely seem to appreciate me. I still get anxiety before sessions. But still, if I were to list 10 things I would want my players to know, this would cover it. Well done!
The energy part is so true, as much as I love DMing it is so much more exhausting than being a player. When my players are smiling and having fun it all becomes worth it though.
Also, I really want players to come up with cool flavor for their spells and abilities. If they say they cast eldritch blast, that's kinda boring. If they say, I cast eldritch blast as needles and threads of magical energy leaps from my hand shooting into the gnoll, reflecting the creepiness of their patron.
I need my players to understand that the piss jokes are bad after the 10th time that session xD I swear they get nervous and say "uhhhhhhh I piss on it" every time
I love our DM, he actually takes the time to listen to us and always is open for more info about our characters lore and back story so he can make it part of whatever arc we are busy with. He is just in it for fun and making us all have a great time so we all have that. Pure fun times are had and that is magical as far as I am concerned.
I recently DM’d for the first time last week in order to switch off with my party’s DM so they could get in some play time and can I just say it was so nice to see them getting so incredibly excited about roleplaying their PC (a tabaxi rogue/wizard) and I actually had a lot of fun taking a peek behind the screen for the first time. We have a fairly casual campaign going right now, not homebrew, we’re all baby players and this is our first time running/playing a ttrpg, but I’m super excited to maybe DM some other time down the road ☺️
I actually helped my forever dm by getting him in two games (one that I dm and one that my friend dose) he was so happy it was honestly like I had given him a puppy
As a DM and a player I can genuinely say that 95% is improvisation due to who I play with as they are like me in that we are like cats on catnip, we try and stay focused on the task and that usually lasts about the first 5 seconds of a game. Currently our sessions are on Discord with headsets and DM screen sharing, partly due to the pandemic but also because being disabled I find it hard to get out any more these days, oh and two of my friends are living in Belgium, another two are down the road but weirdly it works out just as well as in person.
This is a pretty good list. I'd add that taking notes and remembering how your character's abilities/spells work would be awesome too! Like, how to you not remember what was written on that map that I gave you, you LITERALLY have it in front of you!
In summary: being a DM is a ton of work. Don't be an asshat to your DM, everybody just wants to have fun. Also, Grim Hollow looks FREAKING AWESOME, thanks Ginny!!!!
I'm still a very new DM with a group of all new players but this video literally made me cry because it's so...validating? ^^ It's just really good hearing all the struggles of DMing acknowledged and hopefully made accessible to players. I haven't personally been in it long enough to agree with no. 10 yet, but everything else: Just YES! Thank you!
One of my players started running a campaign, and while it was really really fun, now I'm jittering to get back behind the screen and keep creating too
This video just reinforced my love for my DM, because i kinda knew all of this already! Like, after every session, he asks us what we liked, what we didn't like, etc. and he varies the types of game we have every session to get a better feel of what works with us. I know for a fact he has bent the rules a little so our characters don't die in a stupid way. He gets to play with us because we decided to recruit an NPC character into our crew, so in every roleplaying parts, he gets to participate as that character. AND since it's covid, we're playing over video chat on Roll20, and he hand draws every single map and terrain. He even drew little icons of all our characters!! Ahhhh my DM is the best!
The note on DM hangover is so accurate for me. I honestly can't wait to play, but do feel very stressed sometimes after sessions. Going over and over again in my head whether it was a fun session or not. One time, after a super epic session, my party all told me that it was one of the best sessions they have ever played, and it honestly made me almost tear up. One little exercise I sometimes do and I find its great for myself and the group as a whole is to do a roundtable at the end and ask everyone what they "loved" and "What can be improved". I found this helped me understand what each of my players liked and also helped other players improve their tabletop etiquette and style of play.
All solid points!! I especially agree with wanting to play sometimes. I even would sometimes prefer a bunch of one shots periodically, so that I can play some of the dozens of characters that I've built before they get lost to time. XD
I use them as random NPCs so that they get to exist. I have this one war hero veteran guy who is a quest giver and comapnion NPC on the path to a small town in a little kingdom that leads my players to an adventure based around a false hydra infestation. It's gonna be epic when they get there.
@@axeltopaz5839 I have tried that, but I personally have found it a little dissatisfying compared to what the characters could be, and I'd prefer to not use them then to be left with a sour taste afterwards. That's just my personal opinion, and certainly not saying it's a bad move. :)
As a very VERY new DnD player, your videos have been so helpful in getting a grasp on the gist of the rules and character creation! I have my first session next week and I'm so excited!!
Re feedback: I've started using Stars and Wishes at the end of each session. It's a revelation! A great mechanism for feedback from everyone. And normalizing that feedback is amazing.
@@mikeallen3901 It's essentially a "softer" version of roses & thorns (where you state 1 thing you liked and 1 thing you disliked). The DM gives 1 star to each player about what they liked about the session/what they did (vice versa with players) and the players wish for what they would want in the future.
THIS video hit home for me as a DM of 3+ years. If I could offer any nugget I would push communication between player and DM. After every session I always encourage the players to share any thoughts they have - enjoyment or otherwise especially because of a constant back and forth of Improvising and prep! Improvising doesn’t have to hurt preparation but juggling everything and keeping track of everything can definitely feel like a chore as a DM and can take away from immersion which is a lot of what players want to have when they step into a session! Communication is a must for any relationship regardless of circumstance :) I’ve a mind to share this with my current players ! Love the video.
as a player, I pretty much treat the sessions like a school class (or how you're meant to act in a school class). I listen intently, try not to get visibly distracted, and have all my character stuff prepped beforehand. it bothers me so much when other players are just on their phones while the dm is talking. I also like to talk to them about campaign stuff outside of our sessions too. it's really cool to see how passionate they are about their worlds and plans :))
Do not worry about your anxious tendencies. I know there is not much you can do about them, but mostly your players are there to enjoy what you run. Stay strong pal!
I’m definitely sending this to my players in our group chat. Only one of them has officially gmed before, so I think this would be helpful for all of them to watch! Thank you, and great video!
Warning: long post ahead! tl;dr: you as a DM are allowed to be frustrated if something you put work into doesn't work without beating yourself up about it. Just don't take it out on your players! I just wanted to say thank you for one specific little thing you mentioned: It's okay for the DM to want to have fun in a battle too! It's okay for them to want to have cool moments with the monster(s) and it's not automatically indicative of a "players vs DM"-mindest if a DM is a little bummed out because the party just steamrolled all the enemies. I had a few combats in my time as a DM (I've started playing tabletop RPGs in about 2009 and have been DMing consistently every second week for the last 4-5 years now, so I do think I have at least a little bit of experience) where my players just absolutely annihilated the enemies because they basically only rolled critical hits and the enemies never hit. And yes, I am happy seeing my players cheer and have fun but I'd like to tell you that if you as the DM feel like that wasn't really fun for you personally you're not a bad DM! It's just like if there's a TPK caused by just bad luck with the rolls. Not in the sense that you're emotionally attached to the enemies but because you put work into the preparation of that combat encounter. And if you're running a campaign that's not just dungeon crawling (not that that's a bad thing though!) a combat encounter should usually serve a story purpose. If the party just steamrolls the enemies that story purpose might not even occur. And yes you can and should be able to deal with it, if one more or less important encounter doesn't happen or goes wrong but it's okay to not have fun while it's happening and it's okay to not have fun when you see something you put work into just gets dealt with in a minute. What I'm trying to say, it's okay for you as a DM to not have fun if something just blows up in your face that you put work into, don't fall into this toxic mindset that as a DM you're not allowed to experience emotions outside of joy and always being in love with everything the players do. You're just another player after all and you're allowed to feel upset without beating yourself up about it. It only becomes a problem if you're taking your frustration out on your players. That a big no no! But being frustrated is not bad in itself!
This list feels pulled right out of my brain. Glad to know I'm not experiencing this alone, DMs! I've had conversations with my players about all ten things on this list. It's incredibly hard to encourage good roleplay, attendance, etc on top of all our other responsibilities. I hope this vid helps players help their DMs.
THANK YOU GINNY! I love when players take notes and remember details that I may have forgotten. Nothing makes me happier then a player somehow weaponizing a flavor detail I added to get the better of a villain 2 sessions later.
100% agree. I'm not a DM but I can appreciate the amount of effort it takes to DM DMing is like being the host of a big party, juggling between making sure the food is good, the drinks are stocked, there's music in the air, and everyone is having a good time. The best the players can do is initiate the dancing or keep conversation up and not keep the party silent.
I just wanna say that i really appreciate this video anxd the work you put into it. Like you, i play and DM and even as a DM, i am guilty of some of these problems as a player. So thanks for this.
I love how animated you are. I think that is the right word? You speak clearly, and you put different emphases into your voice at the right points so that even I, a scramble brained person who zones out easily even when I am trying to stay focused, was able to follow what you were saying. I liked the different facial expressions and your movements as well, it felt like I was having an in person conversation with you at some points. This was very enjoyable to watch!
Oh my god, yes. I cannot tell you how much work I put into being a DM and how burned-out I often feel. I run my game every week and I work hard all week every week to try and make sure it's all ready. Any time I take time for myself I feel like I should have used it to plan more, but if I didn't take any time for myself I would burn-out completely. To go through all of that work and have my players not pay attention to the game, or expect me to have known something or planned something that I didn't, or anything else like that is so frustrating. I tend to feel annoyed that my effort is not being appreciated, but at the same time I feel like I have to work even harder to keep it fun and I am fast approaching parts that I don't yet know what I want to do with. I like being in control of everything, but sometimes I just want to play and let someone else be the DM for a while. I fully understand everything said here. Thankfully, my players for the most part do understand what I'm going through and do their best to help me out by keeping notes and looking up things for me, and they mostly do pay attention. Usually the biggest problems I have are when things happen that I either didn't plan for at all or that take players out of the fun. I try not to do either of those things, but sometimes they happen as an unforeseen consequence of something cool I had planned.
As a DM off and on for 35 years, I think you nailed it pretty good. The more the players get into roll playing the better the game is going to go. A tip to help this is always to address players by their character names. The other thing is players keeping notes or keeping an in-character diary helps. D&D is a role-playing game after all so the more the players stay in character the better. As a side note, D&D is or can be a great teaching aid. Without exception, every student I have had the pleasure of DMing for has improved their grades in school.
Get your PDF or hardcover copy of the Grim Hollow 5e campaign guide: bit.ly/3exkdcx
I've had the Grim Hollow campaign guide for a couple months now, and it's been a really fun and fully conceived guide. Can't recommend it enough, if you're into the grim dark story setting.
If I knew grim hollow had mechanics for lycanthropy transformations I would've jumped on it a lot sooner
Grim hollow is so cool! I created an NPC in my game where he gave one of the players the fiend transformation in exchange for his rage capability. I love how easy it is to incorporate its transformations into the game!
How the hell is this comment 4 days old? :D
....it's my video! I can comment on it before it's public!! lol
When introducing new players to table top I explain my role as "I am the Game Master. As GM, it is my job to be endlessly defeated in the most spectacular ways possible. To make my losses spectacular, I must challenge you the player accordingly."
Session 1: I will do everything in my power, so you don't get yourself killed.
Session 2: I will advice against certain actions that will lead you to your untimely demise.
Session 3: If you want to go and kill the dragon, you may go ahead and try to kill the dragon.
@@krisgeusens659 the phrases "Are you sure you want to do that?" And "You most certainly may try" come to mind.
That is a great way of putting it!
After I've helped them create a character,
I usually tell the party: "you are in a karaoke bar with some stairs leading to a second floor.".
And before saying anything about what they can do just ask each of them personally:
Where are you in this scene?
This way I've established my expectations of the players,
As well as created a safe space for them to experiment in.
After it seems they've gotten the hang of the roleplaying,
I introduce a combat encounter,
Where the bystanders answer any question my players ask.
After this the storyline goes a bit wacky usually,
As the group starts to crystallize their individual and collective play styles
And become more familiar with the world around them.
For experienced players this might not work,
But for new players it weeds out the bad apples.
@@MiWill1988 My players already learned when I say "are you shure you want to do that?" that means its a major warning :D I try not to kill people but I try not to be too obvious about it
As a DM since the 90s: I just wish they knew what they wanted to do on their turn.
Honestly especially when your on a time schedule and there's a point you wanna get to 🤣😭
I was trying to finish a combat yesterday cause a player needed to leave early and waited to tell me 15 minutes before they were leaving, everytime i hit the players turn I was screaming inside my head everytime i heard ummm
As an indecisive and easily distracted person, I would like to apologize for my behavior
i... uh.. hit- hit the monster..?
How dare they not know exactly what to do in a very dynamic and fluid situation that can change every few seconds
As a DM myself, I can say some things:
- players, who take notes, are the DMs biggest joy because that makes the DM feel like a 100000 times better. This means thy enjoy the game, have fun with the lore and characters and you dont have to run behind the players and remind them what shit they all have found.
- even if a DM jokes that they just in to kill you all, its more fun seeing how your players overcome all the bad things and be the heroes of the day
- and yes pls, for the love of god, rollplay with characters. Not just for the DM to have a break but also, as a DM, I can say that my hearts melt to see my players character talk about stuff and let their characters grow
You could push them to take notes by throwing things at them they forgot about. Angered someone but nobody knows anymore? Could have a plot against them, but the players forgot about a weakness of the enemy
I love testing my players problem solving skills by not actually designing solutions to all their problems. So when a player takes notes and remembers things that are useful to the situation, it makes it more rewarding for them.
Yes indeed, once I had a player write 4 pages of notes, the story was great. In rogue trader it was
A fun way to get players involved is to present a lot of information to them outside of sessions I find. I summarise each session (overall, bullet point style), make cards with NPC's (just a pasted pdf in excel, whited background and text with a border), and a little more like sites and groups (I like my world building). Is super satisfying when the players are coming into the next session and pull up your NPC cards and say "I wanna visit Daegar the blacksmith, not for business, I just wanna see how he's doing". Also similar when they read the session summary before the session to refresh their minds so they're in the "mode" haha
As a player, I love just roleplaying and chatting with the other players characters. You seem like an awesome DM and they're proper hard to find
The best compliment I ever got as a GM (DM): The game session was October 2020, in the midst of Covid so we all met in an outdoor park under a covered picnic area, and spread out the tables so we could be a safe distance. This meant we had to shout at one another between the distances and through the masks muffling our voices. It was cold, we all were bundled up, and I brought hot soup and a coffee maker for warm drinks (fortunately the pavilion had power), and it was okay as long as the sun was out. We played all day but it got dark quickly and started to rain, the temperature dropped and we discovered that there were no working lights on the pavilion. I offered to end the game and we could just pick up where we left off later, but my players said that they were enjoying my story so much that they wanted to keep going. We played till the story end using phone lights and powered through the cold and discomfort, laughing and enjoying each other's company.
I have some great friends.
That is the best feeling in the world right there!!
@@karlstormguard Reminds me of a session I ran many years ago on a stormy night when we had a power failure and continued the game by candlelight. The game had a pretty dark theme so I guess it was appropriate. A few minutes after the session ended, there was a knock at the door. One of the players wanted to know if I had a chain saw - it turned out the storm had brought down several trees and they couldn't get out of my driveway.
... if you're all apart from one another, why the masks?
@@vyor8837Because masks should still be worn even if social distancing is being attempted. Doing so reminds people to maintain that distance, keeps them from touching their face, and while meeting with people you love it's very easy for such distances to shrink without realizing it anyway. It's a good precaution for those of us taking this pandemic seriously.
@@JonLemerond1 ur a clown mate
There is a difference between talking amongst yourselves, and role-playing amongst yourselves
True, prohibit role playing at all costs. Use a lazer pointer to distract them if you must! This will cause them to furiously rebel against you and cause rampant fun.
@@davidbeppler3032 I was more referring to off topic conversation versus game or role-playing conversation.
I run an experience point based campaign. The players that role play their characters get bonus XP. Sometimes they get more XP for role playing than they do the monsters slain during the adventure.
@@singledad1313 ayy me and my dm. buddy do something similar by introducing a system called "spirits" people who do something really impressive or standout in one of the stats or roleplay gain a respective spirit for all of the next day and as they do things relating to the spirit they have they get bonus xp, we mainly had to do these because we had a bigger party and had to encourage more people to join in (because of course no one wants to be left behind) but also to encourage more immersive play
@@singledad1313 You can also reward any player that brings faygo and funyuns, or keep records, or draw maps, or even pays the GM every game. I am open to pay for levels plan. Worked for EA.
"My ultimate goal is to make you guys the heroes of the story. The hardships are there to make it feel earned."
DM’s wish their players knew the grand storyline, it can sometimes be hard keeping so many secrets. 🙂
Haha true 😂
Best way I find is only answer their queries in hypotheticals, like for instance in my campaign its a Viking age colonisation of an American size continent, its dangerous. One of the players thinks that they're were previous attempts, but that they are the suicide squad for the next colonisation group in the spring. The reality is that there's been several failed attempts and that they are the last (at least of their kingdom). Hearing the players try to guess the truth though is really fun, I never confirm their questions, only give a "that seems like a reasonable theory, anyway to confirm it?". Leaves them guessing as to the truth of the matter, would feel like meta gaming if I confirmed it, also is fun to watch them squirm haha
Oh the secret keeping...ah I totally agree
@@Quillla Makes the reveal all the more memorable!
absolutely, oh my goodness
“It's straining to dm after a three or four or even five hour session!“
My last session was 13 hours long and I was sick the day after. Loved every second of it, but also ouuf, was so straining
props to you dude, thats super hard
13 hours is crazy, but I do love the days, when I do nothing but playing DnD (as a player or DM). That aside, my group has 6-12 hours sessions most of the time, and if I'm the one DMing I have to take really good care of myself and my voice, because otherwise after 6hours I'll start to mess up some sentences and that's not so nice for the overall experience
our dm did a 10h session with us yesterday, most of it combat. we had a blast but afterwards, we were quite tired and he pretty much went straight to bed. still would do it again
In my youth during summer my friends would come over 8am we'd play til noon take a hour for lunch the resume at 1pm and play til 6pm. We did this nearly every day for a month. Now a four hour session wears me out.
I'm usually good for an 8 hour session. It's the prep and scheduling that burns me put.
I once had the players derail an entire city plot because they became obsessed with a random NPC with a pet weasel.
mood
god
mood
Is.... Is that NPC Jester? Lol.
@@davidparkes7741 Her Weasel is dead, impossible he survive 1/100 of this game. Or her weasel is in fact the Traveler disguise and he follow her since she bought it.
@@seb4sti4n666 That or Sprinkle is like a Revnant or something at this point lol.
Stop trying to weasel your way out of the fact they spotted the BBEG ;)
"You might only think about D&D when you're playing it."
Haha. Yes, this is a good joke.
Me: *looks up from her 17th character creation sheet she was making after having ordered 5 more sets of Kraken dice* "huh? wha?" O=
DMs want their players to know:
-when you remember where you left off last session and talk about it after the session, it means a lot
-watching the player characters interact is very fun, do it
-when you're not paying attention, we feel inept for not keeping you engaged
-we want you to like your characters and have fun being immersed in a different world
Yes, the 3rd one isn't brought up much, but is true.
Our group has a thing we do before each session, a "last time on dragons ball P" joke. But it is helpful to have a player give a quick recap of the previous session so we can all get back into the headspace for the game. And its always the players job, not the DM's.
@@katiegeorges That's cool!! I like the idea that it's player responsibility especially. Usually I run it where I go alright what do you remember and see what they say (what stands out to them is informative) and fill in the blanks, but I have had engagement issues that need fixing
@@cass6020 Yea, if there is a major point we forgot, our dm will give us a nudge and then we take over again once we remember lol. Im the notetaker of the group, but my notes are very shorthand and i've gotten things mixed up at times. But im also not always the one that does the last time. Its a fun ritual to start off our games
My personal thing is, I wish the players would tell the story of their actions - not just "I cast fireball" and roll dice.
I'm trying to make my friends do that
If they detail their action, you might lower the difficulty check, more frivolous language gets better results; and so on
I know Critical Role is not the only way to do anything, but I try to remember how Caleb’s spells were cast. He would briefly mention using the required component in the process of casting the spell. Even though I usually use a focus instead of most components, it’s a good reminder that a little attention can add interest to almost any action.
No shady. The dm needs to handle the story without help because it’s your job. Stop complaining and making excuses.
@@AVspectre I especially love when Deborah Ann Wool did that with Twiggy too
I’ve never heard someone talking about just how burnt out a Dm can feel at the end of the session. With great power, comes great need to nap 😴
Nico Di Angelo is that you ? x)
I'm always nervous before a session. Feeling like I'm gona lose my improve skills that day. Wondering if the content I wrote will be engaging. That first minute or two of the game. I got to hook them and get this thing going. Then spend the rest of the night after game thinking about if I messed this and that up. But after the first 4 or 5 minutes. Once they have started to make some choices. It all starts flowing in my head and my stack of notes somehow end up in a narative that makes people want to come back for more.
True, after a 7-9 hour game, it is nap time. Brain gets fuzzy.
@@thomasvontom Perhaps a small tip, but I like to roll a d20 at start of a session. The player who rolled the highest will summarize the previous session(s), in exchange for a minor bonus. That way the group gets involved directly, corrects where things went different, and you see what kind of information is picked up by the party
@@arjenvandenbosch7876 I like it. Gives you some insight as to what they are focused on.
“Please, for the love of God, participate in scheduling-“
This hit me so hard. I constantly feel like I’m the one in the group that has to step up and “lead the charge” for scheduling, even though we have rotating DMs (myself being one). It can be utterly exhausting.
Yeah, like am I the only one who wants to play this or what ?
Yeah! I was DM for a group of new players (it was also MY FIRST time playing D&D) and at the beginning of the plague I didn't initiate the schedule ONCE and we've never met since. It still makes me feel like I was such a bad DM that nobody wanted to play anymore...
Damn, I felt that.
I play with a set group, but we switch between two campaigns, because we have two DMs ( myself included ) and usually I have to be the one that pushes scheduling forward, and that hurts just a little bit
Tip: schedule a date for the next session at the end of your current one. We always make sure to have a date in mind before everyone leaves. Works way better than in chat/messages.
@@patrickmccown6123 yes !!! We started doing that a few month ago, and it just works a lot better. But unfortunately it's not always possible, because a few of us have pretty irregular and changing schedules
one thing i would add: your DM has created an entire world for you to explore, and it’s your job as a player to go out and explore it. ask questions, looks for stores and libraries and interesting places. whenever you enter a town, look around it for fun little easter eggs your DM may have planted for you to find. as ginny said, your DM isn’t telling just you a story, you have to participate in it as well!
This is a tremendously valid and appreciated comment. Thank you for this addition Luxitene
On the one hand, yes. But I've also met DMs who're not into that sort of thing. Generally the most important advice is to know your GM.
This! I am constantly reminding my players that if they don't interact with the world then it will be boring. I can only push them for so long, but if they don't talk to people, investigate, search and interact then its not going to be much fun. Its also why I don't let them shop in email outside the game... no you can go speak with people and find the things you need.. and who knows.. maybe more.
This is indeed true, but sometimes I don't have an entire library prepared and then is is a lot of improvising! (it can still be a lot of fun though
Just another addition if I will, players..... make an interesting character, that ties into the world, that you enjoy! It seems simple but can be the difference between enjoying D&D and just playing, both are fine but its just more fun for you and the DM to get involved in storytelling. The DM hearing you roleplay about your long lost half brother whilst journeying between towns to another player isn't just interesting in the moment, its a plot hook that he/she can work with!
I'm pretty sure one of my players watched exactly this video, because since this was uploaded she has started to tell me sometimes that I'm doing great, which really helped me get a little bit more confident in my abilities as a DM. So thank you!!
Mostly I just wish they knew how their damn class abilities work.
I wish I could like this more than once. I just had to impose the, "if YOU don't know what YOUR ability/attack/weapon/spell/etc does, then neither does your character...and can't do it" rule. Looks like they're taking the dodge action and hoping to remember how that spell works next time it comes around to them!
Does it matter how they work? Paladin assasins are viable by the rules, so who cares if the player says smite auto crits anything green? Ok, works for me. Roll the dmg.
I've read the all of the books back to front at least 2 and I still don't know every class ability by heart but for fuck's sake they can remember there own
Half of my players didnt choose a damn subclass we're level 3 why didnt they tell me
I got one player in my Pathfinder game right now who texts me, calls me and keeps asking about feats, abilities, classes and everything, a lot of times taking hours to get an answer when he could go onto any SRD site and get the same answers, possibly even more details on it, and quicker, than I could do so. So yes, do your own research into your character and their abilities. The DM has to do it for every NPC that you ally with and fight against, so you can do it for your ONE character yourself.
My favorite of those is "DMs love when you take the lead." As a DM I was so used to my players sitting back and rollplaying rather than roleplaying and it was exhausting. Nothing ever happened that I didn't expect. Every now and then, the players would suggest something different and it was great. I absolutely love when something unexpected happens and I have to improvise.
As a DM with difficult players, I'm only clicking the "like" on this video because there is no "LOVE" button. Thanks for this Ginny!
I know. I have 2 thumbs, but can only put up 1 for the video.
HUGE love six thumbs up - this is such a relevant concept for every single table out there. Ginny you nailed it!
@@alzathoth Haha, you aren't wrong. In this case though it ended up being more of "can they put up with me" The game has since died, with one of the players refusing to even speak to me because "how dare I have consequences. They should be able to slaughter a village or assassinate the king with no repercussions" 🤣
@@alzathoth planning? I don't do that.
@@alzathoth lol good riddance. Players should appreciate the fuck out of their DM, and if they don't, I can't imagine they're any fun to play with anyway. Hope you found a better group!
I love when Players, take a vague piece of information i have given them, and they make up things around that subject, Players helping you worldbuild during a game is fantastic :D
That should be what a campaign is, collaborative storytelling! I haven't played yet but whenever I get the chance to, there's no way I'm missing out on the chance to add to the world that we play in! :D
Sometimes I'll pitch it to the players and see what they'll do with it. "You walk into a crowded market place. Who do you see?"
They might hit it back with something easy and namedrop a former npc or named character they've heard of, which is cool. But if they just make up a new character on the spot I love that shit. Like, "I see Thud Razzleback, my old bully. I go punch him right in the face."
All of a sudden I have to think on my toes and I love it lol
@@steveoconnivo9666 I love it!
Me to players: "That idea is so weird"
Me to myself: (It's canon now)
@@steveoconnivo9666 I feel bad for the players who get shut down by their DM when they try doing something like this though. :(
I've been playing D&D for 40 years and playing with my current group for over decade and I still get stage fright before I run.
@@alzathoth I've had the same group for 3 years (different campaigns but same people). We try our best to stick together and run the game for eachother so as not to have DM burnout (whether it's one shots or switching who's running the main campaign/side campaign)
I think he means "run" as in before he runs from the players keeping him hostage.
@@alzathoth Woah, I mean maybe it's just us but we're friends outside of the game and don't want everyone to shoulder the role of DM all the time y'know. It's kinda selfish to not take the role of DM at least once if you're playing for a long period of time, provided the DM/DMs don't mind. With regard to being consistent we are all in college but also make ourselves available (whether we cancel plans/ask for days off from work). It's all a case of we're grateful to each other for putting in the time and effort to DM and want it to work out, so put in our 2 dimes of work as a player to be there on time, everytime.
@@scrawnybostonkid9609 Coming this boxing day, the master will be enter the dungeon.... Forever, never to return, the "Forever DM" coming to cinemas near you
I've been playing for 30+ years and DMing for around the past 15 or so.
Nothing has given me a larger dose of stage fright than running a campaign with a group that has never played tabletop roleplaying before. The biggest challenge was trying to get them out of the "this works like a video game" mindset
"or you cast Speak with Plants to chat with a nearby bush"
*stares in Henry Crabgrass*
"uh-uh, consent please?"
Something else I’ve noticed as a DM is many people will give good feedback but rarely criticism for fear of pissing off the DM. I personally want to know if your uncomfortable by a storyline I’ve brought up or if something hits too close to real life I don’t want anyone at table to not feel welcome or feel uneasy. Fantasy is meant to be a moment of respite from our crazy world not stepping from one stressful world into another! For example if I say you character noticed their parents fighting and I as the DM was unaware that you parents out of game were considering a divorce I would 100% need to know that information to make all players comfortable and allow the game to be that escape for my players the way it is for me! 🎲 happy gaming everyone!
I've noticed this as well! I'm DM'ing for the first time and I've made a point of asking my players for one thing they liked and one thing that they didn't like about the session so they know that they can raise these issues with me.
Same, as a GM
As a player I try to do stuff my dm always under cut me if I pocket something because I don’t trust a person the dm turns an says no I added it in to someone else’s inventory it’s kinda hurtful if I’m told no you can’t do this you are not allowed to do that
This is a big one for me. I run a horror based dnd game and things can get really graphic and pretty messed up. I expect my players to let me know if there's something they come across in game that makes them genuinely uncomfortable. That way I know where the lines are and where I can and can't go.
We have "veto" cards in one of my groups (as a player) and we can throw them on the table if any of us ever gets uncomfortable by a plotpoint/conversation and the DM will immediately drop it no questions asked. Not that it's ever happened, but I thought it's a good practice.
Personally, I've never had a storyline make me feel uncomfortable, I'd say 90% of any negative feedback I'd like to give my DMs but I hesitate is that the battles can get boring and repetitive ("here's another dozen goblins!"). But then I get that it's harder to prepare more monster variation, especially in homebrew campaigns, so I don't want to make them feel they should spend even more time preparing than they already do!
I'm dm'ing for a while now, and being nervous before every session is something that i can relate too. After each session i'm exhausted... It takes so much thinking, planning, improvising,... I love all the work tho and the smiles during the sessions. But these are all things that are 100% true
A player taking notes is a gods gift!!! I have one girl in my sessions that even writes down the accents i used for earch NPC. If she starts talking to an NPC she does that same accent. That way i know immediatly what accent i used in the first place :p Gotta love people helping out their DM's
In my gaming group, I ended up *marrying* the girl who took notes. Not *because* she took notes, but that way she never misses a session. =^[.]~=
I love my DM so much. He appreciates note-takers like myself, and finds great amusement when roleplay is actually going smoothly. He brings out things in backstories and makes each one of us feel special. So it pains me SO. MUCH. to see my fellow players talk about random BS over him, not pay attention in combat or RP, check their phones and whatnot. I'm not always the best player to have, but the amount of respect I have for my DM is crazy, and I consider it my duty to make sure he knows about it.
One thing I did in a game I didn't dm was everyone had amnesia. We didn't know our names, race, stats, nothing. It was nice because everyone had to pay really close attention and take notes to remember what the dm said so they wouldn't miss their strength modifier or something. He would only say it twice. Even though it sucked when you missed an important detail it was also kinda funny
I've had my fair share of disrespectful players,
To the point that I rage quit,
Only to be asked by some of the players if I had another group they could join,
Because they didn't want to change DM.
And while I really didn't feel like I would be able to run a new campaign again,
I told them, you have two weeks to change your mind,
We're playing next Saturday, you might not get to play,
But I expect you to be there.
Most successful campaign yet.
Me and my friends have all taken turns to dm at some stage or another aside from the newbie, he only started recently. I think once you dm there's a different understanding when playing, you acknowledge the work put in and know better what the DM might want the players to do. I guess what I'm saying is that there's an extra appreciation for the work put in so we're far less likely to go on our phones/ignore what's happening since we wouldn't want it to happen to us. Of course it's difficult to do this for a prolonged period of time which is why I tend to try to keep everyone busy with something, whether it's a patrons message or full rp, something.
I would suggest taking regular breaks though if attention is an issue. I DM for roughly 5 hrs odd so we usually take a break mid way through (for like 20 mins, just to chat and get food/drink etc, take a break mentally etc)
@@g0oberdm417 I usually find that combat is especially draining for everyone,
So I tend to take a break only if there's combat in the middle of a session.
Then again my group plays at a snails pace,
Making slow but steady progress every time.
@@BramLastname That's fair, whatever suits your group really! My group tends to have a combat per session more often than not, though it's not a requirement. We also play later in the day (6pm odd or after) so it's nice to give peeps a break.
“DM’s do more prep than you’ll ever know.”
My whole session prep: Guy Fieri -> Frost Giant ?? -> Giant w/ Frosted Tips
This is such an underrated comment omg
sexy goblin?
Lol the amount of times I've picked up my DM and on the way to the session he's like "I have no idea what we're doing tonight"
The only time I ever DMed I had one room that was supposed to have a puzzle in it but I ran out of time to think of one so I just made the room have nothing but a big cliff they had to get to the top of, trusting that the players would find a clever solution to this challenge even though I hadn't. Sure enough, they created handholds by melting the wall with acid.
Please know your character and their abilities! So many times I've had a player wait for their turn in combat and then they ask what the rules are to do x or if they have the ability to do x. If you don't know, look it up. I don't know every ability/rule/feat/class. Or they ask what else they can do, as in specific abilities. I'm busy with all the monsters on the table, it's not my responsibility to know your character too.
Yet another wonderfully valid point. Most of my players are better now, but a few of them are still new or not completely sure as to what they can do.
So much this... As a player I always make it a point to pay attention when it isn't my turn in combat to what is going on and what other people are doing, and to have my action prepared. Have my dice ready, the spell card out of needed and ready to go when it's my turn to keep things flowing. It's extremely frustrating as a player and a DM to have other people at the table look up from their phone and go 'Huh, what happened' when their initiative is called. Especially when it means people's turns are five times longer than mine and I wind up twiddling my thumbs while they look through their sheets and decide what they want to do.
To piggy back off of this, I've had to ask my players to say the type of damage they are dealing with spells or attacks. This way I can auto calculate any damage resistances or immunities as we go. And I do the same for them because of their own resistances or immunities.
I only know this from watching 113 Episodes of Critical Role, and that's one of the two things that I disllike the most about the CR-Cast (the other one is them talking with each other and not listening to the DM and fellow players because it's not their turn...).
Spells used for the 20th time and the question is: What does it do?
Trying to use two Level Spells in the same round, forgetting you can only use a Level Spell and a Cantrip in the same round if one of them has an action and the other one a bonus action casting time.
Forgetting to check for Spell materials or if the spell has concentration, breaking concentration of the other spell.
And actually knowing WHAT the spells do, read the spell description TILL THE END!!!!!!
I mean, yea they only play once a week, and they're busy people, but is it asked to much to either remember some stuff used regulary? Or check up the spells and feats before the session starts? One would think you'd know a spell effect after 20 sessions....
We used to have a similar issue, but our group then got spell cards so that we could eliminate a lot of the lookup time, and we got a few printed sheets of the actions in combat section of the book so that we could know at a glance what we can do if we need more options than spells or hit stuff. Nobody just "does nothing" any more, they're take the dodge action, or be on standby by taking the ready action and giving it a specific trigger so that they can still be helpful if things change. It's been very handy to have those.
I love it when my players talk amongst themselves. I started a new campaign and the first session was 2/3 just the players talking around the table at a bar. We didn't get where I was planning, but we got so much more from it.
I'm currently playing in a group where we rotate DMs, and it's been such a good learning experience for me as a new player and DM! Plus there are several "resident DMs" in the group who are definitely enjoying just playing for a while. Some of my favorite post-game conversations are the ones that go "that whole section of town you decided to explore? Made up on the spot."
Honestly, I've made up entire sections of a dungeon on the spot cause I didn't expect them to get access so quickly. Those moments of awe when they discover it's all improvised are wonderful.
My group rotates DMs as well, which not only gives the DMs a chance to play but also more time to plan a session. And as a player I like switching between campaigns and getting to play different characters.
This so very affirming of an idea my circle is playing with. My close friends and I are planning to do the same and combining our Wildemount/Theros/Faerun worlds into one adventure where each DM runs 1 month and then takes 2 months off - we’re thinking a Sliders/Dr.Who setup
@@Harry-ju8yw That sounds really fun! It sounds like roughly what my group is doing. We're not really running separate campaigns, we're taking turns running sections/adventures of one very loose campaign. Not the most continuity, but plenty of opportunities to try crazy stuff or swap characters. We get teleported around a lot 😂
My group rotates DMing and all of us have had the chance to go behind the screen! I just started DMing 2 sessions ago and it has been very rewarding so far.
to elaborate on the bit where DMs want to play: I have never, NEVER NOT EVEN ONCE gotten to actually play dnd. I have always been the DM for our friend group and it is so exhausting creating a world and not getting to reap the rewards of said game sometimes. Just once I’d genuinely like to put one of the many characters I’ve created into action!
edit: you guys will never believe what happened
Just plainly ask someone who you think is capable of dm-ing it could be that they've been thinking about it and don't want to insult you or push you aside. We now have 3 dms in our group and it helps because they all are capable of learning from each other and help each other out if you strike a blank. Even I (anxious, depressed and terrified of failure) tried dm-ing a one-turned-three-shot and it was great fun seeing all three dms playing together. We were all supportive and had fun. Give it a go and maybe you find a hidden gem. 👍
Yes, please do ask! I first thought about being a DM when someone asked this exact question, and with an experienced DM around to give advice it made me feel confident enough to give it a go for the first time.
My first time DM'ing was when my DM looked at me and said "I'm burned out. You're running tonight. We don't start for another four hours." annnd go!
Nothing is more heartbreaking than having players that are disinterested in the campaign you worked on.
I feel this. Honestly. I run a LA Noir styled Dark Fantasy game and my players tend to not care about really anything that doesn't affect them.
Yeah, I know that they're supposed to be the main focal point of the campaign, but like.... take notes please? Its hard to come up with a session when the players only care about romancing eachother
I'll have prepped a whole section of world and scene building to my players (who do online games), and turns out one of them had been muted and talking to someone else in their room the entire time. pain.
@@KayamaAi Maybe your players need to take *that* role playing to the bedroom.
I spent months making a world with lore and stuff for my group not want to play because of a botched opening and because for lore reasons player couldnt play as a robot with laser eyes.
Every time a session ends, I love to say "That was fun" every time- because it genuinely was :)
Plus, even though it's my first time playing D&D, I could already tell how much the DM has worked so hard to improvise and keep track of stuff.
Something I wanna mention: Giving positive feedback or asking questions in-game can be a major source of creative energy.
One of my players once asked, "Is my home village on the way to this thing?" through PM. (We play on Discord.) I responded with "It is now," because I knew that player would enjoy it.
I also have this little spark of joy every time a player says something along the lines of "Epic," ore "Pog" or whatever they feel like saying at a given time because of something I did. Even better: When they go "Oh, f*ck" when I send a battlemap over and they see what they're in for.
"It is now" is a GREAT DM catchphrase. I love when players ask a specific question about something I haven't fully fleshed out yet and I can just plug their addition in to create a more immersive and interesting world!
@@jerolddavis It's very versitile. Can be used to get a player excited and be like, "I called it, guys!" or they say something like "Is a warerehouse like a werewolf, but instead of turning into a wolf, it turns into a house?" And thus, a House Lycanthrope is born.
Also, don't forget the counterphrase before mentioning something that could wreck your party: "DON'T GIVE THE DM ANY IDEAS!"
One of my players was our DM before and Rule 1 at our table was always "don't give the DM ideas", lol. Because he would wreck you with them.
@@jerolddavis As a DM, I would also use the ideas that my players gave me to make them be like "Yay, I love Dungeon Master!" because I gave them something cool.
@@primeemperor9196 "warehouse" just made me laugh really hard. Did that happen in one of your games? Gold.
this video made me think how much DM'ing might be like parenting. they're on your side, they want you to succeed, they want you to learn to earn your success, and of course they're improvising all the time ahha
The worst curse is being a DM everyone wants to play with, but also being a player stuck with bad DMs and wishing they were better.
True. Sometimes, when you DM for to long, you got a little too critical with other styles of DMing. When I realized that, the numbers of bad DMs droped for me.
I found that the best "remedie" for this is getting a group together where you have at least two solid DMs - then you can share "the burden" with others, especially on the meta level. I have a group where I share the DM'ing with an other guy who has a totally different DM style and we really get a lot of value out of meta-disucssions about what works and what doesn't.
OH GOD THIS. this is my curse. i'm extremely critical of alot of DM's, and find myself turning into a backseat driver. sometimes i start thinking "man, if only i could dm my own games... " then i realize thats just called writing a book.
@@NaerenVastir does this still matter when the other dm is an edge lord? Legit I played a 1 on 1 with one of my current players where he was the dm and damn...either I never got a word in or he had no clue what to do next
i have to agree, i hate being compared to new DMs and then being told i am 100% better then them. that's not the point people. every DMs are different. try them first, give them 3 sessions to see what they are about. its normal to not like a new DM but its not normal to want the utmost experience from the get go even more if you know the DM is new to this.
"Participate in scheduling"
Oh. My. God.
Every group i've DM'd for I have to align the stars themselves just to get everyone sat at the table because of everyone's availability being at different times. And I have to drag them to it kicking and screaming.
The group I'm DMing for was assembled based on availability 😂
I know how it feels. Everytime I send a message I get everyone to reply over the course of a week (at best) and very often I just get a "Next weekend looks bad to me", no alternatives, nothing. And then I repeat it after the weekend - and their responses (or lack thereof) repeat. It just feels stupid, like they're disinterested, but whenever I asked them if they liked it, they very clearly said yes, that they enjoyed it a lot (minus some minor mistakes on my part here and there).
I've been playing every monday night for four years. At first, I felt weird about committing EVERY WEEK to something like a game. Now, nothing comes in the way of my DND session
My game group I just hit the point where i say "hey guys I'm running a game on alternating Saturdays. if you want to play please let me know" If players can't make it to a game session they get the same XP as the lowest player. Sometimes the stars align and we sneak in an extra session here and there, but for the most part it seems to light a fire under people when you just say "its this day or your not playing."
Going through this video as a DM I was just like:
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
Yep.
*DEFINEATLY.*
Lol the last one is the only one i didint agree
I dont like being a player xD
@@Henry_Slatyki I've never met someone who doesn't like being a player! lol
@@wonkusbonkus8528 i tried playing it
I dont get as much enjoyment as i get GMing xD
@@Henry_Slatyki I've never gotten the chance to be a player but I have so many character ideas-
@@wonkusbonkus8528 well u see
Thats why i enjoy GMing
Some character works as NPCs but not as PCs
Oftrn i have ideas for characters that end up becoming NPCs
Thank you! All the other videos I find about DMing are like: "You're doing it wrong!" and "What players hate that DM's do". It's so infuriating to put so much effort into it, only to receive not much fun (players were very passive) or appreciation and to have the internet against you on top of that.
The first session that you DM is always the hardest (in my opinion). Constantly improvising is very difficult when it's your first time or you're sleep deprived. Always keep a detailed session recap.
Agreed.
I DMed two games so far, the same adventure, but once in my native language and one translated on the fly in english.
Would it not for looking up translations for specific words that escaped me, the second one would have been the better one by far, after quickly learning from some mistakes done in the first session.
Also, you learn something new every time!
Even for experienced DM's, I find the first session of a new campaign is the hardest and usually feels the worst, because the players are still figuring out their characters and I am still figuring out the world it is set in
@@owenrourke-nicholas958 Agreed, its always the first step, a cycle of pain and inability to improv well because you have no idea what the players want to do, even with a session 0. Though at least with the 2nd campaign start there's that focus on improving from the cringe we wrote/played last time haha
Having a recap section is one of my favorite things about DMing a campaign on Discord. I also highly recommend keeping a character index. I have mine as a section with multiple PDFs organized by city .
Agreed, and I claim the same holds true on a smaller scale, meaning one session. For me, even though I am a DM with some experience under my belt, the first 5-10 minutes are always stressful and never easy. After a few minutes, you will hit your stride and it will seem natural and easy from that point on =)
God I feel point five so much. One of my players keeps going on about how we should try to set aside a day for us to literally play DnD all day and I keep just kind of staring at them like "do you have any idea how exhausting this is???"
I must be unusual then. As a DM, I love those all day sessions. It gives me the opportunity to flex my ability and work up a truly epic adventure. The 10 or 12 hour dungeon crawls are my favorites.
@@singledad1313 I have never had to DM them but I was lucky in college. We had a group of 5 players and 3 of them were DM and a 4 DM we visit for a night who didn't play. We would have a full week of just playing DnD. Those sessions were the best. It was great because when one needed a break another would step up. It was actually how I was introduced to DnD.
My group is the opposite, I want to go on all night, but they cave after 3-4 hours when I just hit my rytham. It's annoying.
I love how this doesn't drag on anyone, just like "Hey your dm wants you too know they love you and are trying so please play with them" and I live for that kinda constructive criticism
For starters, I wish my players knew the rules and their abilities well - that way I don’t have to remind them all the time.
But this video makes me sad, not because it’s bad, but because I agree. I wish my players knew more of the things I went through to try and bring some joy and there’s this one player that constantly ignores or challenges or is so unappreciative of the things I try to do for them. It makes a hard task harder and it makes me scared to dm. I’m even putting off dnd a little cause I’m just too scared to continue.
I’m gonna try and send this to my dnd group chat and then hope that at least one of the other players watches it. At least that way one more person will understand.
But regardless, keep up the awesome videos, this one made me subscribe 😁
Did it work? Are your players more appreciative? Did someone point it out to the unappreciative one?
I don't think I've ever agreed with every item on an "X things about Y" list before now. But i'll be damned if every one of these isn't spot on.
I just sent this to my brother saying the same thing. She nailed it
I'm the DM for my group, and none of my players had ever been DM themselves. One of them expressed an interest in trying to DM a one shot, and she did really well for her first time! My players found it really interesting to play alongside me as a PC, and it was great to get out from behind the DM screen.
Afterwards the player said that DMing had been WAY harder than she'd expected, and that she appreciates the work I do every week a lot more now! 😁
Ive been taking the initiative(heh, pun in tended) to start opportunities for "DM Therapy" in my local area. Running a game soon for 4 lucky forever DMs and ive been trying to just talk to more DMs about the stresses of running the game and such. Its rather cathartic to express these frustrations and learn that youre not alone. It makes this video pretty valuable, and i hope a lot of struggling DMs/Players take these tips to heart.
I always make sure the DM feels appreciated I know it takes a lot of work and time to do all the things DMs do for us. Mine even even put up with me accidentally kicking him with my prosthetic leg all the time cept for one time he sent me a message in discord during a game where he was like do that again and your character dies. Giving me a ''look'' from behind his computer. I've been more careful since then to not be so annoying and be nice to him.
11. Spellcasters, KNOW YORU FREAKING SPELLS BEFORE YOUR TURN COMES AROUND, as a DM and an avid martial class player thank you for coming to my TEDtalk
As a long time game master i just want to say: thank you, this kind of vocalization is both vindicating and cathartic, and you pretty much hit the nail on the head, well done.
I've been the forever DM for my group over the last 15 years and the one thing that was mentioned in this video that hit me in the soul was the fact that it is a huge investment of time. Even if I'm running a light hearted improv campaign, I still end up spending upwards of 30 hours a week prepping or testing things to ensure a challenging session for the players at my table. If you had fun at the session, even saying thank you is so much more rewarding than you could imagine.
I'm so lucky to have players who are so understanding and so engaged in my game, which I've only been running for 6 sessions now. There's been a few times when a player has noticed my voice is dying or I'm getting tired and need a snack, and they'll ask for a break or just start roleplaying with the other PC's. I appreciate the way that they do it so subtly, so that the other players aren't concerned or worried about me. I know them well enough to tell them if I really do need a break, but it warms my heart when they notice that before I do.
Idk if it was weird or not normal, but the last DM I had actually had a character of their own. Although the character was more of a background character, everyone tried to include them as much as they could, and I feel like it really helped the dm become invested too ❤️
I tried my hand at DMing about 16 years ago or so, and after the first session said "Nope! Not for me!" which is fine. I totally respect the effort that DMs put into their games, because I just don't have their levels of dedication or adaptability. That said, I'll totally be the guy to help out in a temporary or assistant DM role, like keeping track of initiative in combat, or gentle reminders about certain effects active on whichever characters. Numbers I'm fine with.
At the end of the day, the goal is for everyone to have fun playing. So lightening the load on your DM's shoulders a bit helps them have fun, and gives them the opportunity to help you have fun as a player.
And if I could add an 11th tip here: communicate with your DM and fellow players outside of the game. Even if it's just about the game, if someone feels there's a problem in game or during sessions, bring it up and sort it out. No one wants their issues to end a campaign, but it's always, always, always better than playing it off. If you catch a problem early and it ends a campaign, it was always going to blow up later. If it doesn't, then you have the time to fix it.
Damn, I wish I had a player like you in my group. :'D
Building a story, quests, NPCs, monsters and spending hours upon hours studying lore to make it believable - no problem!
... Keeping track of combat routines? Ahem... Literally the most difficult part for me right now.
One of the thing that I've implemented to help combat the anxiety and "DM hangover" from sessions: After every session, I ask the players to share one thing they thought was awesome that another player did. It helps them recognize how cool other people thought their stuff was and lets GMs see how excited people are about the session. I also ask them what's one thing they would have liked to see differently. This doesn't go back and change anything, but it opens up an avenue for players to bring up things they didn't like in a non-judgmental way and in a way that doesn't have to wait until it's a problem.
One of the things that I realized in GMing is that character backstories and flaws can make the game so much easier to run. As I like to say "The more you give me, the more I can give you." That becomes particularily poignant when some of your players are prolific writers who like to see their characters bloody, bruised and broken (often before the game even begins) and others are more gamers who are really good at all the mechanic stuff, but whose narrative sense is not as finely tuned. In the latter case I have often gone the route of "You can leave some blanks for me to fill with cool stuff, if you want to trust me with it." and it usually went fairly well. Which kind of brings this to a whole other point: Most things that would be considered exceptional within the setting should be cleared with the GM... if you secretly pick an odd detail that might not fit into the scope of the campaign and spring it on me, I can t r y to do my best "yes and", but I wont be happy... especially if it devalues a plot pint I wanted to bring forth.
Case and point why I always submit a copy of my backstory a minimum of a week in advance of the campaign starting. Gives the DM plenty of time to read and plan for it and gives me plenty of time to craft any revisions should they be needed
@@firestorm165 You are a lovely person and I appreciate you ;)
@@agnostican Growing up in a military family the importance of respect is taught early, often and sometimes loudly.
Way I see it if they're going to go through all the effort of putting a good story together the least I can do is show the proper respect and make their life a little easier
@@firestorm165 I suppose that helps. :)
Overall a good sentiment that I can get behind.
Third arc of the campaign dealt heavily with a character's backstory, player had forgotten his own backstory and at that point was itching for a new character. ::facepalm::
Now my brain is trying to create a Cyndi Lauper parody:
"When the Combat Round is done,
DM's; they want to have fun, Oh DM's just wanna have fun!
(Especially when you roll a one!) DM's just wanna have fun!"
I wake up in the middle of the night,
My brain yells, "You didn't play that lair action right!"
I remind myself the stat block's just a guide,
Oh, DMs just wanna have fun!
TL;DR: Players please talk to each other! It’s what makes the game feel real and gives higher stakes.
On players conversing amongst ourselves, my group had been playing together for almost a year before we came up against our first dragon. At level 9, it was a very tough fight and a few of us died. Luckily the cleric NPC had revivify prepared and was able to quickly find some diamonds in the dragon hoard. That fight and the resulting conversation afterword was the first time we as players really had a meaningful conversation with each other. We shared backstory, personal woes our characters were going through, and in short we bonded more than the whole previous year. I’m not sure what exactly clicked, but we’ve been able to keep that up every session since and it feels so great😁 The other two players were totally new to the game, and while I knew the whole PHB cover to cover I hadn’t had much actual game time under my belt, in addition to our DM being a first time DM. So it took a while for us to get to the point of feeling like a cohesive group but now I’m even more excited than ever to meet up
This is a great list.
I've been GMing for over 25 years and, indeed, still get nervous before every game session. I'm usually fine right up until about an hour before game-time, and then get struck with a panic about an hour before game time that I'm not prepared enough. My brain will often suddenly go blank, no matter how much preparation I've made. I can write out a monologue introduction, plot out tons of branches that the players might take and consequences, and still be worried that I'm not prepared. Lately, I've been intentionally prepping a lot less, and then that makes the moment the panic sets in even worse.
But, once things get rolling, it usually works itself out. But, still, as mentioned, insecurity, even after 25+ years.
Dms want to have fun too huh?
Thinks back Matt Mercer saying "how do I want to do this?"
Yeah that seems right.
I just hosted my first session yesterday, it was SO much fun but afterwards I had to take an advil and just watch some RUclips while the players talked, i love that you mentioned DMing drains energy so hard
One little thing that I'd like to add, mostly for brand new DMs:
When you're playing a pre-built campaign/module, there are a lot of things that are not covered and very little is tied to the specifics of the characters playing. This might seem obvious since they are designed to be pickup and played by any group of the appropriate level, but even as an experienced DM, sometimes it can be hard to remember that the players' imaginations tend to be more advanced and un-expected than the writers. I know this kind of falls under some of the categories that Ginny stated in her video, but since a lot of people are trying to pick up this as a hobby and often times they don't have an experienced DM to help them with it, using a pre-built module is becoming very common, and that's a good thing! It's a great way to get your feet wet and you hands dirty until you understand not only the game and system itself, but the dynamic of your group (which affect game play a LOT more than we tend to give credit).
Anyway, I hope this helps someone out there and remember, there are TONs of people and resources at your disposal if you're ever feeling like things aren't going well.
This is why my stupid ass decided to create a homebrew setting from session 1 of dm'ing haha. I don't recommend (as the learning curve for making an enjoyable campaign is.... steep) but worth it if executed well (I suggest starting with a module, then homebrew if that takes your fancy). Currently have a campaign that complements my dm style really nicely so its ended well o/
I ran that Mines of Phandelver campaign as my first time DMing in 5E (used to DM AD&D way back, have run Rolemaster for about 30-35 years).
I found that I had to put WAY MORE time into prepping that pre-published adventure versus play time than anything I have done for my home-made content. What connects to where, who knows whom, what (knowing my players fairly well) holes need to be pre-filled with at least some information...
I find it a lot easier to DM what I write, because I know what is what, who is whom, and where things and people connect as I conceive them, not reading them as someone else is trying to convey it to me.
This was a great video, Ginny! I've been DMing for a couple years and yearn for those rare moments when my players tell me that they had a good time. Some are more vocal about it than others so I know it's not that they aren't having fun--they just don't voice it much.
I do acknowledge that when my players are roleplaying with each other it should, and often does, tell me they're into it. Getting to relax a moment while hearing them laugh or cry together is beautiful and proves they're enjoying the game--even if they don't tell me afterward. There are plenty of signs like this to pick up and collect throughout the game that proves the players are having fun.
However, I won't deny that hearing the phrases: "that was fun", "great session", "can't wait till next game" come out of their mouths is validating and makes the hard work feel even more worthwhile. =)
Did you ask Henry Crabgrass for consent before that reference was dropped?
Listen to the Misbehavin Maidens song CONsent
Lmao
@@markdurham5062 THAT WAS ACTUALLY SO GOOD
Sad part is a good number of players will never see this.... keep on trucking my fellow DM’s🤘🏽😁
I was constantly just saying "yup, yup, yup," to pretty much everything you said. Especially the second point about DMs not being the enemy. Had one bad apple who was super pissed that I used wearwolves in Curse of Strahd. He reasoned that werewolves can ruin characters with lycanthropy and went on a 10+ minute rant about how I want to ruin characters and player immersion. Christ, he wasn't even bitten the whole fight becuase the party's tank was doing a great job. That dude didn't last long at my table after that.
Actually, the Grim Hollow guide she's advertising has a great fix for that. They literally made an entire section dedicated to transformations into different things like litches and werewolves as a gameplay mechanic. It's really cool. I kinda hope one of my players wants to transform or is okay with it being a possibility to continue as their character if something like that happens to them so I can try the machanic out. Seriously, the book is amazingly helpful in so many ways.
I totally agree with you Scabbers. As much as we might joke about prepping an encounter to deliver a TPK, DMs want to help you build your characters and not tear them down or destroy them. For example, one of my player's was infected with wererat lycanthropy in the middle of Waterdeep: Dragon Heist. This led into an expansive side arc with a ton of character development and inter-party RP as the LG Aasimar Fighter began to turn evil and work against the party until she was found out. This completely altered the characters personality for a while, and while my player had fun with the change for a time it resulted in a beautiful moment where the party banded together to save her from the curse. I created an intricate little ritual that would remove the curse, and the party then had to run all over the city as they attempted to discover, interpret, and collect several specific components for said ritual. To this day it is one of the best arcs I have ever run, and it had nothing to do with the module as written but rather was simply dealing with the outcome of a bad roll.
@@mr.myself9779 I did something very similar. One of my players was infected with vampirism (due to a blood curse and some godly mumbo jumbo) so I kinda made up a chart that would determine what kind of vampire she would be with a con save. She rolled damn good and I ended up giving her a riff on a daywalker type thing. The problem was, anytime she saw blood she had the chance to go into a blood frenzy which led to her almost killing one of the party members. Eventually they had to travel to a city that was fanatically religious and saw any type of curse or transformation as heretical and would kill anything they knew about.
They ended up enlisting the help of an order of monster hunters sympathetic to the cause to help them preform a ritual to remove the blood curse from the character. It went surprisingly well and everyone survived but it was a great character moment for everyone involved. I'd have to say my favourite thing about it was the fact I made it so she couldn't eat anything other than meat, so the party would stick bread in her mouth to make her vomit constantly. It was amazing.
Dude, I feel you. A player joined midcampaign because someone else dropped out, and on his first day during a battle he was paralyzed by an effect that had saving throws every turn and he was paralyzed for two out of three turns the effect was active and he was so mad and chewed me out after that the game was supposed to revolve around making the PCs shine and I was purposefully trying to make him look bad and ruin his character. He did not come back even though I acted as the bigger person and apologized and said I'd work harder to make sure he had a fun next session. -_-
I absolutely love my players, and they genuinely seem to appreciate me. I still get anxiety before sessions. But still, if I were to list 10 things I would want my players to know, this would cover it. Well done!
The energy part is so true, as much as I love DMing it is so much more exhausting than being a player. When my players are smiling and having fun it all becomes worth it though.
Also, I really want players to come up with cool flavor for their spells and abilities. If they say they cast eldritch blast, that's kinda boring. If they say, I cast eldritch blast as needles and threads of magical energy leaps from my hand shooting into the gnoll, reflecting the creepiness of their patron.
I need my players to understand that the piss jokes are bad after the 10th time that session xD I swear they get nervous and say "uhhhhhhh I piss on it" every time
Or I lick it,
I mean my players did kill a water weird with this joke but yeah
@@onnayoung7699 that too!!!
Same with trying to seduce litterly every living thing. It's funny the first couple times but it gets old
it legitly worked on rune mage
I love our DM, he actually takes the time to listen to us and always is open for more info about our characters lore and back story so he can make it part of whatever arc we are busy with. He is just in it for fun and making us all have a great time so we all have that. Pure fun times are had and that is magical as far as I am concerned.
I recently DM’d for the first time last week in order to switch off with my party’s DM so they could get in some play time and can I just say it was so nice to see them getting so incredibly excited about roleplaying their PC (a tabaxi rogue/wizard) and I actually had a lot of fun taking a peek behind the screen for the first time. We have a fairly casual campaign going right now, not homebrew, we’re all baby players and this is our first time running/playing a ttrpg, but I’m super excited to maybe DM some other time down the road ☺️
I actually helped my forever dm by getting him in two games (one that I dm and one that my friend dose) he was so happy it was honestly like I had given him a puppy
As a DM and a player I can genuinely say that 95% is improvisation due to who I play with as they are like me in that we are like cats on catnip, we try and stay focused on the task and that usually lasts about the first 5 seconds of a game.
Currently our sessions are on Discord with headsets and DM screen sharing, partly due to the pandemic but also because being disabled I find it hard to get out any more these days, oh and two of my friends are living in Belgium, another two are down the road but weirdly it works out just as well as in person.
Thx Ginny! as a DM you hit so many points I constantly think about that my PCs may not realize. Thx for the encouragement!
This is a pretty good list. I'd add that taking notes and remembering how your character's abilities/spells work would be awesome too! Like, how to you not remember what was written on that map that I gave you, you LITERALLY have it in front of you!
This list really made me appreciate my current party. I have had all of these problems over the years but right now I don't, and it's magical.
This was really good. Great notes. I'm going to tell all my podcast listeners about this episode. If you play tabletop this list is essential.
In summary: being a DM is a ton of work. Don't be an asshat to your DM, everybody just wants to have fun. Also, Grim Hollow looks FREAKING AWESOME, thanks Ginny!!!!
I'm still a very new DM with a group of all new players but this video literally made me cry because it's so...validating? ^^ It's just really good hearing all the struggles of DMing acknowledged and hopefully made accessible to players. I haven't personally been in it long enough to agree with no. 10 yet, but everything else: Just YES! Thank you!
One of my players started running a campaign, and while it was really really fun, now I'm jittering to get back behind the screen and keep creating too
This video just reinforced my love for my DM, because i kinda knew all of this already! Like, after every session, he asks us what we liked, what we didn't like, etc. and he varies the types of game we have every session to get a better feel of what works with us. I know for a fact he has bent the rules a little so our characters don't die in a stupid way. He gets to play with us because we decided to recruit an NPC character into our crew, so in every roleplaying parts, he gets to participate as that character. AND since it's covid, we're playing over video chat on Roll20, and he hand draws every single map and terrain. He even drew little icons of all our characters!! Ahhhh my DM is the best!
I'm planning on making and DMing a oneshot for the first time soon, so this couldn't have been more perfect timing! Thank you so much for the tips!
The note on DM hangover is so accurate for me. I honestly can't wait to play, but do feel very stressed sometimes after sessions. Going over and over again in my head whether it was a fun session or not. One time, after a super epic session, my party all told me that it was one of the best sessions they have ever played, and it honestly made me almost tear up. One little exercise I sometimes do and I find its great for myself and the group as a whole is to do a roundtable at the end and ask everyone what they "loved" and "What can be improved". I found this helped me understand what each of my players liked and also helped other players improve their tabletop etiquette and style of play.
All solid points!! I especially agree with wanting to play sometimes. I even would sometimes prefer a bunch of one shots periodically, so that I can play some of the dozens of characters that I've built before they get lost to time. XD
I use them as random NPCs so that they get to exist. I have this one war hero veteran guy who is a quest giver and comapnion NPC on the path to a small town in a little kingdom that leads my players to an adventure based around a false hydra infestation. It's gonna be epic when they get there.
@@axeltopaz5839 I have tried that, but I personally have found it a little dissatisfying compared to what the characters could be, and I'd prefer to not use them then to be left with a sour taste afterwards. That's just my personal opinion, and certainly not saying it's a bad move. :)
As a very VERY new DnD player, your videos have been so helpful in getting a grasp on the gist of the rules and character creation! I have my first session next week and I'm so excited!!
Re feedback: I've started using Stars and Wishes at the end of each session. It's a revelation! A great mechanism for feedback from everyone. And normalizing that feedback is amazing.
What is this stars and wishes concept you speak of?
@@mikeallen3901 It's essentially a "softer" version of roses & thorns (where you state 1 thing you liked and 1 thing you disliked). The DM gives 1 star to each player about what they liked about the session/what they did (vice versa with players) and the players wish for what they would want in the future.
@@NonnyStar88 This is so lovely!
@@annafantasia Yee! It's really good for new DMs imo but any DM can use it
@@NonnyStar88 We have everyone dole out 1 star and 1 wish. But yes the main idea is normalizing feedback in a positive and consistent way.
THIS video hit home for me as a DM of 3+ years. If I could offer any nugget I would push communication between player and DM. After every session I always encourage the players to share any thoughts they have - enjoyment or otherwise especially because of a constant back and forth of Improvising and prep! Improvising doesn’t have to hurt preparation but juggling everything and keeping track of everything can definitely feel like a chore as a DM and can take away from immersion which is a lot of what players want to have when they step into a session! Communication is a must for any relationship regardless of circumstance :)
I’ve a mind to share this with my current players ! Love the video.
I feel really represented by this, gonna send this to every of my players
Don't forget the passive aggressive message beforehand.
as a player, I pretty much treat the sessions like a school class (or how you're meant to act in a school class). I listen intently, try not to get visibly distracted, and have all my character stuff prepped beforehand. it bothers me so much when other players are just on their phones while the dm is talking. I also like to talk to them about campaign stuff outside of our sessions too. it's really cool to see how passionate they are about their worlds and plans :))
Holy crap, I felt #3 at a spiritual level...
Do not worry about your anxious tendencies. I know there is not much you can do about them, but mostly your players are there to enjoy what you run. Stay strong pal!
think about it like this, they keep showing up to your games right? They would not if they werent loving it.
Guys, the players didn't like the camping he was running and murdered him as a result.
I’m definitely sending this to my players in our group chat. Only one of them has officially gmed before, so I think this would be helpful for all of them to watch! Thank you, and great video!
Warning: long post ahead!
tl;dr: you as a DM are allowed to be frustrated if something you put work into doesn't work without beating yourself up about it. Just don't take it out on your players!
I just wanted to say thank you for one specific little thing you mentioned:
It's okay for the DM to want to have fun in a battle too! It's okay for them to want to have cool moments with the monster(s) and it's not automatically indicative of a "players vs DM"-mindest if a DM is a little bummed out because the party just steamrolled all the enemies.
I had a few combats in my time as a DM (I've started playing tabletop RPGs in about 2009 and have been DMing consistently every second week for the last 4-5 years now, so I do think I have at least a little bit of experience) where my players just absolutely annihilated the enemies because they basically only rolled critical hits and the enemies never hit. And yes, I am happy seeing my players cheer and have fun but I'd like to tell you that if you as the DM feel like that wasn't really fun for you personally you're not a bad DM!
It's just like if there's a TPK caused by just bad luck with the rolls. Not in the sense that you're emotionally attached to the enemies but because you put work into the preparation of that combat encounter. And if you're running a campaign that's not just dungeon crawling (not that that's a bad thing though!) a combat encounter should usually serve a story purpose. If the party just steamrolls the enemies that story purpose might not even occur.
And yes you can and should be able to deal with it, if one more or less important encounter doesn't happen or goes wrong but it's okay to not have fun while it's happening and it's okay to not have fun when you see something you put work into just gets dealt with in a minute.
What I'm trying to say, it's okay for you as a DM to not have fun if something just blows up in your face that you put work into, don't fall into this toxic mindset that as a DM you're not allowed to experience emotions outside of joy and always being in love with everything the players do. You're just another player after all and you're allowed to feel upset without beating yourself up about it. It only becomes a problem if you're taking your frustration out on your players. That a big no no! But being frustrated is not bad in itself!
This list feels pulled right out of my brain. Glad to know I'm not experiencing this alone, DMs! I've had conversations with my players about all ten things on this list. It's incredibly hard to encourage good roleplay, attendance, etc on top of all our other responsibilities. I hope this vid helps players help their DMs.
I've been running games for 25 years. This is a great list.
THANK YOU GINNY! I love when players take notes and remember details that I may have forgotten. Nothing makes me happier then a player somehow weaponizing a flavor detail I added to get the better of a villain 2 sessions later.
Hours of player on player roleplay is one of the greatest joys of life. t makes all the work worthwhile
100% agree. I'm not a DM but I can appreciate the amount of effort it takes to DM
DMing is like being the host of a big party, juggling between making sure the food is good, the drinks are stocked, there's music in the air, and everyone is having a good time. The best the players can do is initiate the dancing or keep conversation up and not keep the party silent.
I just wanna say that i really appreciate this video anxd the work you put into it. Like you, i play and DM and even as a DM, i am guilty of some of these problems as a player. So thanks for this.
I love how animated you are. I think that is the right word? You speak clearly, and you put different emphases into your voice at the right points so that even I, a scramble brained person who zones out easily even when I am trying to stay focused, was able to follow what you were saying. I liked the different facial expressions and your movements as well, it felt like I was having an in person conversation with you at some points. This was very enjoyable to watch!
Oh my god, yes. I cannot tell you how much work I put into being a DM and how burned-out I often feel. I run my game every week and I work hard all week every week to try and make sure it's all ready. Any time I take time for myself I feel like I should have used it to plan more, but if I didn't take any time for myself I would burn-out completely. To go through all of that work and have my players not pay attention to the game, or expect me to have known something or planned something that I didn't, or anything else like that is so frustrating. I tend to feel annoyed that my effort is not being appreciated, but at the same time I feel like I have to work even harder to keep it fun and I am fast approaching parts that I don't yet know what I want to do with. I like being in control of everything, but sometimes I just want to play and let someone else be the DM for a while. I fully understand everything said here. Thankfully, my players for the most part do understand what I'm going through and do their best to help me out by keeping notes and looking up things for me, and they mostly do pay attention. Usually the biggest problems I have are when things happen that I either didn't plan for at all or that take players out of the fun. I try not to do either of those things, but sometimes they happen as an unforeseen consequence of something cool I had planned.
As a DM off and on for 35 years, I think you nailed it pretty good. The more the players get into roll playing the better the game is going to go. A tip to help this is always to address players by their character names. The other thing is players keeping notes or keeping an in-character diary helps. D&D is a role-playing game after all so the more the players stay in character the better. As a side note, D&D is or can be a great teaching aid. Without exception, every student I have had the pleasure of DMing for has improved their grades in school.