There are so many great tips for new players, we couldn't possibly cover them all here. What are your DOs and DON'Ts for new Dungeons and Dragons players? What's a piece of advice you wish someone had told you when you first started playing Dungeons and Dragons?
My tip to new spellcasters: be proactive. If you take a new spell and you plan on doing something awesome with it, ask your GM if she'll let you turn into a T. rex, or if she has house rules on what you can polymorph people into. That kind of thing.
My tip to new players: Make an observer character. I'd recommend a monk or a rogue, though a simple support caster like a cleric can work too, depending what you want to get into. But the goal here is to have a team oriented character but not a flashy one. You don't wanna overwhelm yourself in combat, but also remain effective. Rogues and monks are real easy to play. And they both give you built in reasons to be more reserved outside of combat and watch and observe. You'll get to see how the game is played, adjust to learning your own character's abilities, and not feel pressured to be the face of the party. And a cleric will let you dip your toes into casting without worrying about keeping track of a spell book, or being too weak to fight if enemies get close, or not knowing what to do if you run out of spell slots n such. Most of your spells are buffs/debuffs and heals so it's not going to be super easy to make a dud of a character that isn't effective. Everyone loves a cleric for buffs and heals. Everyone loves a rogue for finding and disarming traps and lock picking doors. And you don't have to worry about being disarmed as a monk or being caught without armor. So you have really easy ways to shine, without having to be an expert. These kinds of PCs starting out give you the time you need to feel comfortable with the game. 👍
If the DM doesn't grasp "natural language," then express the skill you want to check against. I had 3 charisma checks on my bard over a 4 month span. Two were in out-of-session Facebook chats and the last was an accidental intimidation when I was trying for persuasion and deception.
I really hope The Dungeon Dudes get to read this because this an awesome story. First a little background. I've been playing DnD since 1976. The group I am with now, I have DM:ed for 40 years. For a couple of reasons I felt the need to share this video with the group. I did this a few weeks ago. Everyone agreed it was great and despite the fact we've been playing for so long there were things to learn for everyone. Now to the story. One of my friends in the group works as a high level manager in one of Swedens largest and most renowned companies. He is in charge of, amongst other things, Leadership, to develop and educate branch managers. This time he held a lecture for 42 employees who are in a program to be branch managers. He played the entire "Seven Principles" video, stopped frequently and commented how this would be applicable to the branch managers in their daily work. It was a total success. He ended with saying two things. "Remember the most important thing, The Will Wheaton rule; Don't be a dick!" "These two guys, The Dungeon Dudes, are amongst the best leadership developers in the world. They just don't know it, yet."
No kidding. I've nervously given speeches about quality and business relationship management a couple of times, nothing fancy. But as I prepare for this years round of speeches, I cant escape the direct correlations between being a phenomenal DM and business principals. This video was solid gold on it's own as a D&D RUclips video. As insight into how to cooperate in a work environment, also phenominal.
Not to be a hater, I'm not, I love your videos, but having to do a video like this just means that your are trying to protect yourself from people who lack social skills and common sense. None of what you said at all was ground breaking or even outside of the obvious when talking about social interactions. Sure it has a D&D twist so the DM is the authority is a bit different, but the rest of it was just be respectful to your fellow players. If people haven't learned this by say 1st grade, they are in for some tough times in life. And if you encounter these people at your gaming table and they are disruptive...kick them the hell out and tell them why. The fact you had to do this video is a disgrace in my opinion (not to you, but to human beings everywhere)...and the fact that some "major company" thought this was a good thing to show to its leadership really means they hired the wrong people and their interview processes don't work. If you hired dicks, showing them a video telling them to not be dicks isn't going to work and if you didn't hire dicks telling them not to be dicks is moot. Identify the dicks and fire them...publicly, that will work far better then any feel good video.
When our group started playing D&D, it was new to all of us including the DM so we learned a lot as we went. One thing I thought would have helped us in the beginning was to know we could interact with the environment. As newbies, we thought we could only go in a linear pattern. We thought we had to role for everything (and I mean everything, lol). We didn't even speak to each other as characters for the first bit. We also all treated the beginning of the campaign like an Xbox game where fighting was the main way to level up. We got into way more fights than we needed to because we thought that's what we were supposed to do.
I always 'rest' my dice with the highest number on that type of die facing up. Not only does this teach my dice what is the proper side to have facing up (Like they ever learn..), but it's also real simple to see what each die is. "That'd a d12." Okay, I grab one of the dice that reads '12'. It's simple. Most people that start playing have 1 or 2 sets of dice, each set being a uniform color or marbling of colors, so they can't have 6 or 7 different color dice very easily.
I let my dice rest on one of their lower numbers, so that when I call on them to perform they can do it with full energy. But I think that's been leading to bad habits.
You can always trade dice with the other players, that way you should get a couple of different colours. And then, when you have learned, you can trade back, so you once again own the complete sparkly unicorn die set.
If there is a player sitting on the sidelines waiting for the narrative to introduce them so they can start playing, try to steer everyone in that direction. If the DM keeps hinting that the party should go meet someone at the local church, take the hint and don’t go on a two hour shopping spree. Also if you are the DM make it a priority to steer the narrative to that players introduction as soon as possible. There’s nothing worst then spending your entire afternoon waiting to play..
I have a DM at school that will do absolutely nothing to try to introduce new players. I spent 3 2 hour sessions doing nothing because she was hell bent on my character being introduced at a certain place even though it would make no difference in the plot of the campaign
8:11 Having another party member roll a nat 1 and shoot me in the back with a fear crossbow instead of her intended target and me failing my wisdom save, causing me to get frightened, was one of the best memories I have of playing DnD. Everyone at the table found it hilarious when my character was panicking like a madman because the cursed character(story stuff)accidentally shot him. Of course, in character that wasn't funny, but that also highlights the "in world" and "at table" attitudes, even if my character was angry afterwards, I was still just trying not to laugh.
I also feel like it’s important to ask people questions in character. Everyone wants to do their own backstory quest. Be that guy that lets someone tell their characters story.
Guys this is great and you know what this video can be applied to the workplace. You could rename it to 7 principles to being a great employee / co-worker. I love you dudes you always have great content and present it in a straight forward easy to understand format.
@@TraderTimmy how dare you inform the rest of RUclips about proper grammar at the expanse of him. There can be no value gained at the expanse of others. (Lol)
The seven principles: 0. 1:30 - Have fun! 1. Be respectful 2. Be focused 3. Be reliable 4. Be prepared 5. Be cooperative 6. Be constructive 7. Be descriptive
I don't normally comment on videos, but in this case I feel that you guys have hit the nail on the proverbial head. These views rarely and really need to be brought out of the shadows and discussed more often than not. You both covered this topic very eloquently, especially for new characters, and at the same time seasoned players who tend to quote "bully" the game or players without even realizing their doing it. This needs to be addressed more in out hobby and I thank you for covering this issue. Major Kudos guys!!
I love this sort of discussion. It's just good to see D&D reinforce healthy communication between friends and allow people to express themselves. I think D&D has great potential to strengthen relationships and help players grow as people. It kind of teaches you not to be a dick, if played correctly.
Having a table veto rule has helped my party a lot. It really curbs the occasional murderhobo impulse. If someone declares an action, if another player shouts “veto!”, and everyone at the table raises their hand if they agree. If half of the other players call veto, we have 60 seconds to agree on a new course of action that the player can be happy with. The second rule of the Table Veto is don’t spam table veto. The third is don’t try to get vetoed. This is especially helpful when I’ve played in shop games. The other rule that’s worked well for my DM is you put your hand on your head if you’re talking out of character. It feels pretty silly so we stay in character a lot more. And we always know who’s talking.
Big Win, fellas. Especially the part where you explain to the audience if one IS being offensive, just stop it. Ruining the game is an eyelash from roleplaying a jagoff PC.
Even though I know these principles, I reflect and catch myself committing party fouls in recent games. Even seasoned players should review what it means to be a top-notch player. I recently set a goal that I wanted to show excitement for the game, so I photoshopped a portrait of all our characters (pretty goofy, btw). I also made name tags for PC's with their pictures. Went over well. I did these things because I saw a video like this one and I set some goals.
That dice colour is a great idea. I have one set but have them laid out in front of me in size order, left to right. Less obvious but helpful for me as a new player
This video is amazing and so well put together. I love the content Dungeon Dudes produces. I’ve learned so much and I’m constantly taking things I learned here and applying them to my own journey.
When playing a selfish character I would say reserve selfishness for the appropriate opportunities - ie pick-pocketing a valuable amulet when no-one is looking. Some have the instinct to act selfishly in every opportunity, which is not fun nor realistic.
In our last session we had been looking for this person for the entire time to get valuable information. When we finally found them we realized that they worshiped Tiamat and our barbarian immediately tried to run up and kill them before we could talk🙄🙄
We just started a game all newbies. I have experience as a DM but it’s been years. Was hoping that they would pick basic starting characters that I could easily understand. Well let’s just say someone went and picked a Warlock. I would love if you could do a video of the Warlock to help us both know how to run this character the way it deserves to be played.
Dungeon Dudes thank you guys keep up the great work I’ve learned a lot about 5th ed from you. You make it fun and entertaining to learn with just enough information to get going in the right direction
This is the video that made me subscribe to the channel. The way you address the "what my character would do" excuse is an excellent articulation of responsible play.
On the flip side of the table, if my players try to do stuff without describing stuff, I ask them what that looks like; Them; I with use my sneak skill Me; What does that look like?
Remember, its good for your party you're getting hit as then another PC isn't being hit. The old gunslinger saying "always bring some buddies to a gunfight even if they can't hit the broad side of a barn... at least then you're not the only one the vad guys will be shooting at."
Brilliant! My favourite video so far! Great breakdown of principles that can applied not only to D&D, but any time and place. 😊 '7 Principles'! Fantastic!
I don't have any major problems with any of my players, but a NICE "problem" to have is that my players keep inviting new people to play with us. A group of four players (three players and me as DM) has expanded to 8 plus me! So, I "have to" keep helping roll up new characters and this is actually helping us as a group understand the (to us) "new" 5e rules. THIS video is timely and helpful. Thanks for posting it.
One thing that helps is to simply play to a pause point, then break for a bit. Not only does this give the players a chance to socialize, eat, use the restroom, etc., but it also give the DM a chance to mentally prepare for the next run. In addition, it also gives the players a chance to fully absorb the information that's been presented.
On the "be on time" thing you mentioned, I take this to heart very seriously. If there's a conflict that comes up that I can't avoid, such as one of my choir concerts, a wedding or funeral, a family vacation, etc, I tell my group as soon as I find out about it, and then if it's a ways away I'll remind them a couple days before. The only reason I would ever bail out on the group is if me or one of my close family members had to take an emergency trip to the E.R. And if I'm not incapacitated during that time, I will shoot them a quick text telling them what's going on. If I am the one that's incapacitated, I'll ask one of my family members to do that for me. That way they don't have to be sitting there waiting for me to come. I try to plan ahead for traffic if I'm traveling outside my home neighborhood, and if an unusually long traffic jam happens that will give me a little buffer time, and if it's really bad then I'll tell them "hey, I am coming, I'll just be a bit late because of a traffic jam." That way they'll know that I'm not just blowing it off or forgetting until the last minute. Heck, even if the car won't start, if I have financial means to take public transportation or get a ride from someone else, I'll do that instead of just not coming.
DND Beyond play by post is good for that. I am going to be occupied tomorrow helping a friend of mine. Toward that end I created a post tonight with a spoiler that the DM will read but will make it harder for the other PC's to metagame since they should make their choices and moves without knowing what I will do as I am last in the initiative rotation on this go round. I used to run a large game and even with that number of people, I never had a complication with that. They were genuinely excited to be part of the game and would be johnny on the spot for it every week. We started off at low level and played all the way up until even the lowest character was above 20th level. It was a real true blast and it kept them out of trouble.
I'm the guy who read my spells and makes scenarios in my head for how to use em before I get em. Also I have nice spell cards so I can go full Yu-Gi-Oh style c:
I like the point on how you can argue and have a rough relationship with characters as long as it doesn't affect real life because me and my best friend have the two characters in our current game who disagree the most, while simultaneously probably being the closest IRL, it makes it more fun that way
Don't be afraid to re-flavor the fluff text to some aspects of your character, such as a chosen background. It's rare that a DM won't approve that as long as the features remain the same. Let's say you like all the features of the Folk Hero background, so you want to take it, but the text surrounding it doesn't fit your PC. Change it! Instead of saving a village in your past, you are a long standing pillar of the community. You come from a long line who have been there since the place was founded. You're well respected, almost as a birth right. Rename Folk Hero to Prodigal Son, and Bam! Now it fits your PC, the features stay the same, and you and the DM have new hooks. Nothing is out of balance or OP. Feel free to recolor different spells too. Make your fireballs bright purple if you want, as long as they're consistent. Feel free to give your leather armor green dye. Or put a family crest on the middle of your plate mail. As long as the mechanics stay the same, you can customize the look and feel of just about anything on your PC. Role playing doesn't just happen at the table.
21:12 i've been blessed with a group of friends who have never once tried to de-rail a plot and are always invested in what is happening. This must be insanely frustrating for DMs who put so much time into creating the world/story for the players and one of the players just goes "nah that sounds dumb".
So first time I noticed this but on a quick glance your logo looks like Dungeon Nudes because of how the sword crosses through the second D. Anyhow do with that information as you wish. I enjoy the videos, great information. Have a good day.
One of the most important things i learned while playing D&D is, that you as a player need to learn to give away control over the situation. Obviously for multiple reasons: 1. You're not the f***'n protagonist with "plot-armor" 2. You're not alone at the table and every player, including the DM, has a word to say/an action to take etc. 3. It will teach you to find fun in bad luck and chaotic situations For reference: We had a session where an attempted distraction ended with my Character making out with a female orc unvoluntarily, all of it happened due to bad dice rolls and it was probably one of the funniest moments we had up to that point in our campaign. Also we ended up not getting killed which was kinda strange considering the bad rolls that maneuvered us into that specific situation (overall the whole evening seemed to be jinxed, let's just say we had a lot of natural ones that day and natural twenties when they were rolled against us) needless to say my character was in quite a pinch and needed saving + emotional support afterwards. Furthermore he was NOT the Bard, i repeat NOT! the Bard. Sorry for bad english.
I find it ironic that the "my character would do this" excuse happened tonight and made a mess of my session, i get on youtube an hour later and i see this
"but that is what my character would do." Then stop making your characters insufferable, selfish, back-stabbing, arrogant, irrational, pricks. A character that is unpleasant to play with is a poorly made character. I am all for making in character decisions, but to all things there are of course limits.
Ok that is abnormal. Granted without hearing context I can't know whether the person is a dedicated role player or a dork-nozzle. I hope your next session goes smoother.
I have a rule. If someone makes an socially awkward, annoying, idiotic, random, thieving, disrespectful or even down right evil character..that is completly fine! as long as they go with the "I will not make enemies of my partners in crime!" That means they are allowed to be every single one of these things to NPC's that I create but not allowed to suddenly stab the guy that another PC was talking with because he was getting bored...that is not okay..instead go something like "My character gets bored and starts wondering off to see what kinds of books this Library have anyway!" In that case they are free to walk away and they can go on their phone for a little bit or space out while I get through the roleplaying with the other NPC. They don't have to listen to it since they aren't there anyway and then I can jump to them and tell them what they find and let them have their "turn". One of the best examples I have seen was when I was a player at a table. The Warlock had basically enslaved a goblin that we had kepts alive and we used him to track down some supposed gold storage in a nearby mountain pass since he apparently knew where there was one (Truth be told he was probably lying! but he was a great help in a few caves thanks to his darkvision!) Now the paladin fucking hated this! He found that creatur awful and didn't trust him one bit but choose to allow him around since the Warlock wanted him there..I personally loved him since he was funny as all hell but didn't really care much about him nor about gold. So later on in the campaign the Warlocks fall down the mountain and ends up dying..As we are sad about his passing the Palading suddenly grabs the Goblin and kills right then and there! I was dying from laughter. The player was a tiny bit upset for a second before he laughed as well because as the Paladin had promised to not attack it as long as he was keeping a watch on it and now he was dead so..well.. It fit his character really well and since the PC was dead it wasn't like it would make sense for his new character to suddenly get him as a pet/slave.
I had my first ever game of D&D last Saturday night was so excited my mate who was DM brought his girlfriend who never played along also my girlfriend who never played myself and another friend. Well from the get go I knew the girls were going to be an issue ie getting distracted, chatting amongst themselves not game related while DM is trying to set the scene and then my girlfriend drank a little to much and just kind of blanked out half way into it. Also the DM’s girlfriend would start snickering at him whenever he would try to get into character made the whole thing a bit of a headache but after watching you guys I’ve got a list of things to go over wit all the players and DM before next game so thanks guys some very helpful tips
Love the part about natural language. Doing a one shot for some new players and this will be key. Describe what you want to do and then let the DM translate into rules. Perfect.
A helpful tip for wizards: Get a small notebook (whatever your taste and budget) and write your stats and spells in it. Not only does it help with reference, but it also helps with immersion, as you are literally referencing your spellbook.
I have a keychain on my dice box that sums up the idea that the DM is ultimate law of the land. It say, “My rules apply to everyone but me.” I always make sure that my players can see this when we play.
Every week I'm reminded why I subscribed. This is getting sent to my players immediately. Thanks gentlemen. I'm curious if you feel that using a meta narrative to be more descriptive is a faux pas. As a DM, I find that I will often use pop culture references to describe things to give my players a kind of shared understanding of an event or locale. My concern is that may take players out of the immersion of the game. Just curious if you had thoughts on that?
I (Kelly) do it all the time at the game I run. I’ll often use references to films, I find it helps the players know exactly what I mean. If something rips through someone’s chest you bet I’ll say “like in alien”. Any time someone surge on a shield it’s “like Legolas in the battle of helms deep” now I have an epic image in my head but replace Legolas with you and I’m loving it.
Dungeon Dudes I'm right there with you. I tend to use the image of Piccolo firing his special beam cannon and time freezing as it pierces someone wherever my mage uses scorching ray. Or last night I used the end of infinity war to describr a blight spell. Of course then one guy hadn't seen the movie....it was a whole thing. Great work, Kelly!
I feel like using a piece of notebook paper for characters is better than using the character sheet template. I know where everything is, have room for spell descriptions, and only list out skills I'm proficient in, to make finding them easier.
What’s funny one of the rules that my DM has is no phones at the table because two of the players were not paying attention and we had to stop to tell them to pay attention then they would ask what was happening in the story while on there phones
Here are some of my tips: - Bring a grab bag of random dice. You can get these for cheap. That way you have extra dice for yourself and the party that you don't have to be too concerned with losing and can freely share. It's a blast to be able to invite someone's guest to the game on the fly and have everything they need already. -Have a default action to fall back on during combat. Whether it's simply attacking the nearest or most troublesome foe, or using a healing/buff spell or item, have something you can immediately do if your epic plan for your turn suddenly changes due to the turn before yours. This keeps combat flowing. -If you end up the leader/face of your party, always involve the other members. Spread that spotlight around. Even if the other players are shy or new, you can focus on the abilities or spells they offer in your plans to accomplish goals and make them feel valuable even without a lot of RP dialogue back and forth.
The first two thirds of this is very much things that any adult should know when interacting with other adults. It's good advice but it's kinda sad that so many people don't understand things like "bailing on your friends without warning when you have plans sucks"
To ID dice quickly: players could always do this after using them, reset them with the highest number on top. So 4d would have 4 on top and 12d would have 12 on top, etc.
Embrace the rule of cool. As a player, readily accept a DM's ruling that favors the player or the situation over the RAW. If they're doing it for other players, they'll be doing it for you too. The DM is the one worrying about balance, not you. As a DM, embrace your players' actions when they want to get creative, do things rules don't specifically cover, or bend rules if they have good reasons to. Because as much as a player could rule lawyer you, you can end up doing the same to them if you're too by-the-book. Be flexible. Think of the RAW more as a GAS (Guidelines as Suggested). Most of the time you'll follow them, but every rule comes with exceptions. Any questions or major corrections about rulings should be done during breaks or outside of the sessions. Leave the game time to gaming.
Bribery? Show up with a nice bottle of wine for your DM. And just before the DM is about to crush your character, you say: “Oh hey, should I pop that bottle, pour you a glass? You know, take a moment of consideration before the next action?”
It would be helpful if you guys had a video about how to guid your brand new players towards knowing what to do.I think its hard for new players to drive their characters with knowing how to respond and roll play.
My DM actually did something really cool when I rolled one point of damage on my eldritch blast. I kind of laughed about it because high hit rolls with low damage rolls are, while kinda frustrating, a little amusing to me, but the DM made it so that even though the attack hit, the opponent had braced himself and only got knocked back slightly from the force damage. It was really cool, and honestly it made it more gratifying when I ended up getting the last hit on the guy (my DM said I blasted a hole through his head and everyone proceeded to make eldritch blast jokes lol). Getting botched rolls, while frustrating, and be fun and interesting if you let it be!
As a DM, I've had a ton of new players and my rule of thumb for dice that I tell them is "When in doubt, roll the d20, majority of the time you'll be correct."
5:11 OBJECTION if you’re playing close friends that you’ve been playing with a long time or are good friends with. Then go for it and give your friend some grief. It’s funny and everyone has a good time. But only if you’re good fiends. Don’t do that to a new player or someone you’re not best friends with. For instance me, my sister, and one of our other friends are always doing this to each other. It’s all in good fun and we all know that. That’s why i say only do that with Best Friends who know that you mean good and you’re just messing with them a little.
My thoughts on the (very well made) points in this video: Knowing your character sheet: I've written out my character sheets on paper to mirror the layout of the official ones. This way when a DM asks for my character sheet they can understand it easily and find what they want rather quickly. For knowing your dice: I line mine up in order on the table (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) so I can grab them really easily. Also knowing your spells and abilities helps, most of my characters only use 2 dice as well as the d20, so it's not always about managing all of them. Descriptions: There was one time where we found a dead dwarf and this was a setting where a previous NPC has hidden things in his shoes. The DM figured it would be hard to find things on this dwarf so the DC was 18 or 19. I figured it would be something fun to try so I said "I search his beard" and I just found the items. Descriptions of actions are really good, but I still feel the need to limit myself to my best skills.
21:14 can you add a card that gives a caveat that this is when that only player is looking to avoid a scenario and the rest are interested, not every hook is appropriate to every group. Yes that scenario can be appropriate, but there are times when the Player doesn’t even realize that the DM intended that to be a key event.
Honestly, I often find myself tempted to rules lawer. For example, my D.M. recently told us that barbarians were net alowed to were armor. I was really tempted to point out that 1) Barbarians have proficecy in light and medium armor. 2) Lots of fanticy barbarians were those horned helmets 3) Real life barbarians, actually did use arnor, if they could afford it, witch we certainly could. 4) Don't tell the players how to play their own characters. In the end though, It was a relitive's barbarian not mine, and she was fine with this ruling, even though she was constantly geting knoked unconscious.
In my last session my Barbarian was surrounded by dopplerats that we were fighting in a cellar, so he used his attack to hit a barrel of ale and used the flood to wash some of the rats away from him so he could help the warlock.
Loved the rule about censoring the table. It's one thing walking on eggshells irl... but even when roleplaying? People need to chill. _ My only rule is... dont be salty. Dice is dice. Accept a shitty roll and move on. And maybe find a way to turn it around! No one became a hero by just being handed things. It's about the hero's journey, and failing is a big part of it.
So, what do you as a dungeon master, if you have a wonderful narrative planned, with monsters and dungeons, gold aplenty, a magnificent story that allows the party to save the world, and the party decides to go south. You can't very well tell them to make up new characters. Do that and at least half the group will get up and walk away. You cannot PLAN the party's choices. And if you don't give them choices, that's a quick way to end the campaign.
Excellent presentation of the subject matter. The tone and flow of your delivery in this video was easy to follow and understand. I agree with the list and will likely recommend these videos as "tutorials" for my new groups from this point on. I also think this applies to some of your other videos as well. I'm taking notes (building a video "must have" list) and will be sure to promote your videos and the information as tools for everyone at my table (DM and players alike). Thanks for the solid video. I'll continue to follow and see where this lead. I'm curious to see if you broadcast your "own games" as well. Time to do a bit more research...………………..
Great list, some of this is what i am critizising d&d shows like critical role for. Ppl being unprepared, losing stuff(item descriptions for example), not taking notes, forgetting about quests/missions, not remembering(taking notes?) NPCs/confusing them...
Good video overall gentlemen. I disagree with two points. I think that, "This is what my character would do.", is a valid argument. Not every hero is a paragon of virtue, and not every villain is devoid of honour. I think that conflict helps character growth. If there is no reason to examine a character's world view they become 2 dimensional and stagnant. I agree that it is important to respect everyone at the table. That being said I think that it is bad advice to stop the game I the middle of action to talk about how uncomfortable something makes a player feel. Most tables I have played at only have a limited amount of time to play. If someone stopped play frequently they would be ejected from the game. After the game is a better time to talk about these things. And sometimes a few days later is best to let the situation breath.
Ultimately, it’s about respect. A player can't use their *character* as an excuse to behave badly to the other *players*, because the character doesn’t exist, and playing pretend shouldn't require us to suspend out disbelief so much that we forget basic human decency and consideration.
Dungeon Dudes I never said that someone should be disrespectful, cruel, or in anyway behave badly towards another player. What I said was that a character can have mannerism and motives that are contrary to another's character. That conflicts like that make characters a lot more interesting.
Alex Trollip no, it is not. I'm saying there is a difference between my character doing something that is in their character and being a dick to a fellow player. My current character lies and cheats the party out of loot a lot. He does it because he owes a life debt to another PC. My character isn't doing it to be mean, or for selfish reasons. He is stupid, clumsy, and gullible. To him it's the best way to show the PC he owes his gratitude. That is why I believe that, "my character would have done that." is a valid point. There are characters that do things because they believe that it is the right thing to do. As long as it's not done to target a player I think that it's fine. In the video they had stated that a player's feelings should trump a character's motives. If that is the case then what is the point of role playing? Where is the chance for character growth? I agree with the Dungeon Dudes that being respectful to your fellow players is extremely important. And to me part of that is respecting character choices of others, even when they don't make sense to me and upset me.
@@mindlasher but.. again.. you're saying what they did. Your Character, is doing things, that your character would do.. but you're doing it as your character. As long as you're doing it as your character and not affecting your real world relationship with the real people then that's okay. Though your last sentence is now different, if you are Intentionally doing something, as your character, that you know would upset someone. I dont understand why would you do that.
I had a game once where a player was literally playing one of those free to play RTS games on his laptop while we were playing. He would only step away when it was his turn in combat. Now that smartphones are a thing, this sort of behavior is increasingly common.
Just got back into Dungeons and Dragons about a month ago. Haven't played since the late 80's early 90's. Shortly after I discovered this channel. Just wanted to say you guys are great and thanks for all the time and energy you put into making these videos. You guys have really helped me rediscover what I loved about Dungeons and Dragons as a kid. I'm going to show this video to all my players this week. I'm hoping it will help with a couple teenagers we have in the group who can be quite disruptive at times. They're my girlfriends nephews and wanted to give them a fair chance before I bring the hammer down. As a whole I know the group including myself can benefit from all the principles. Thanks again guys.
Its like Rick always says "Don't think about it" just do things, the game requires you to be daring adventurers who arent constantly stopping to think about the consequences otherwise it'd be a fantasy farming simulator. Go be daring and ridiculous for in D&D the player never dies only the character.
Overall I tend to agree but specifically on the DL being the Arbiter of the rules,we all play this game together and if the rules are changing moment-to-moment it is a problem, if every call is handled differently and your class features chaoticly change it is a problem. I've left tables because of this and I've seen entire groups leave tables because of this.
Interesting thing here is that sometimes rules come into conflict when people emphasize one thing above another. Like including something in the game that people are uncomfortable with should be a problem with rule "be respectful", but the player bringing it in, might take your offense at that as a failure to "be constructive". it's good to establish some boundaries in session 0 because of that. sometimes it's not clear that someone has a problem with something being included in the game (like rape for example), because when playing D&D, you wouldn't assume that was a necessary part of the game anyway. Communication is key, I really like this video.
A lot of good points here. I'm kinda curious about your take on when a DM gets salty when the story doesn't their way. I recently played a game with a DM that planned this whole transition to build a character arc and it went awry. He started getting frustrated and pissy to the point where we had to stop the game and move to the game I was running. For me, this is very game breaking and makes other players and I not want to play his game. I get that it can be frustrating when something screws what you planned, but not at the expense of the joy in the story. Just curious if you two have dealt with this and how you did?
Every one of my failures are hilarious, cause I always roll a 1 on critical moments. We disguised ourselves as the enemy, infiltrated a fort, got our objective and managed to get out without blowing our cover. Then, outside the fort, I had to sneak up on someone that came with us and kill her. Rolled a 1 and ended up getting impaled by a sword that was in the fire. Or, we were in a tavern, so as the half-orc barbarian that I am, I approached a table of strong looking mercenaries and asked to arm wrestle them for a round of ale. I rolled a 20 against a very low dice from the master, so I ended up breaking the dude's arm. They got pissed and called their friend, who was like the mountain from game of thrones. We arm wrestled, and the results switched. The DM rolled high and I rolled a 1, so now he broke my arm lol. The barbarian laughed and congratulated the man for his strength. Then, we had a battle encounter with other people, and I was useless the entire time. I had disadvantage in every attack roll because of my broken arm, and I rolled fives and sixes every time. It was pretty funny.
There are so many great tips for new players, we couldn't possibly cover them all here. What are your DOs and DON'Ts for new Dungeons and Dragons players? What's a piece of advice you wish someone had told you when you first started playing Dungeons and Dragons?
Dungeon Dudes what is all your books behind you could you do a tour of where you guys record your videos that’d be cool. Big Fan
My tip to new spellcasters: be proactive. If you take a new spell and you plan on doing something awesome with it, ask your GM if she'll let you turn into a T. rex, or if she has house rules on what you can polymorph people into. That kind of thing.
My tip to new players: Make an observer character. I'd recommend a monk or a rogue, though a simple support caster like a cleric can work too, depending what you want to get into.
But the goal here is to have a team oriented character but not a flashy one. You don't wanna overwhelm yourself in combat, but also remain effective. Rogues and monks are real easy to play.
And they both give you built in reasons to be more reserved outside of combat and watch and observe. You'll get to see how the game is played, adjust to learning your own character's abilities, and not feel pressured to be the face of the party.
And a cleric will let you dip your toes into casting without worrying about keeping track of a spell book, or being too weak to fight if enemies get close, or not knowing what to do if you run out of spell slots n such. Most of your spells are buffs/debuffs and heals so it's not going to be super easy to make a dud of a character that isn't effective.
Everyone loves a cleric for buffs and heals. Everyone loves a rogue for finding and disarming traps and lock picking doors. And you don't have to worry about being disarmed as a monk or being caught without armor.
So you have really easy ways to shine, without having to be an expert. These kinds of PCs starting out give you the time you need to feel comfortable with the game. 👍
If the DM doesn't grasp "natural language," then express the skill you want to check against. I had 3 charisma checks on my bard over a 4 month span. Two were in out-of-session Facebook chats and the last was an accidental intimidation when I was trying for persuasion and deception.
Do play with me! :(
I really hope The Dungeon Dudes get to read this because this an awesome story.
First a little background.
I've been playing DnD since 1976. The group I am with now, I have DM:ed for 40 years. For a couple of reasons I felt the need to share this video with the group. I did this a few weeks ago. Everyone agreed it was great and despite the fact we've been playing for so long there were things to learn for everyone.
Now to the story.
One of my friends in the group works as a high level manager in one of Swedens largest and most renowned companies. He is in charge of, amongst other things, Leadership, to develop and educate branch managers. This time he held a lecture for 42 employees who are in a program to be branch managers.
He played the entire "Seven Principles" video, stopped frequently and commented how this would be applicable to the branch managers in their daily work.
It was a total success.
He ended with saying two things.
"Remember the most important thing, The Will Wheaton rule; Don't be a dick!"
"These two guys, The Dungeon Dudes, are amongst the best leadership developers in the world. They just don't know it, yet."
This is incredible. It totally made my day. Send my best to your friend and the branch managers!
@@DungeonDudes Absolutely!
No kidding. I've nervously given speeches about quality and business relationship management a couple of times, nothing fancy. But as I prepare for this years round of speeches, I cant escape the direct correlations between being a phenomenal DM and business principals.
This video was solid gold on it's own as a D&D RUclips video. As insight into how to cooperate in a work environment, also phenominal.
Not to be a hater, I'm not, I love your videos, but having to do a video like this just means that your are trying to protect yourself from people who lack social skills and common sense. None of what you said at all was ground breaking or even outside of the obvious when talking about social interactions. Sure it has a D&D twist so the DM is the authority is a bit different, but the rest of it was just be respectful to your fellow players. If people haven't learned this by say 1st grade, they are in for some tough times in life. And if you encounter these people at your gaming table and they are disruptive...kick them the hell out and tell them why. The fact you had to do this video is a disgrace in my opinion (not to you, but to human beings everywhere)...and the fact that some "major company" thought this was a good thing to show to its leadership really means they hired the wrong people and their interview processes don't work. If you hired dicks, showing them a video telling them to not be dicks isn't going to work and if you didn't hire dicks telling them not to be dicks is moot. Identify the dicks and fire them...publicly, that will work far better then any feel good video.
When our group started playing D&D, it was new to all of us including the DM so we learned a lot as we went. One thing I thought would have helped us in the beginning was to know we could interact with the environment. As newbies, we thought we could only go in a linear pattern. We thought we had to role for everything (and I mean everything, lol). We didn't even speak to each other as characters for the first bit. We also all treated the beginning of the campaign like an Xbox game where fighting was the main way to level up. We got into way more fights than we needed to because we thought that's what we were supposed to do.
I always 'rest' my dice with the highest number on that type of die facing up.
Not only does this teach my dice what is the proper side to have facing up (Like they ever learn..), but it's also real simple to see what each die is.
"That'd a d12." Okay, I grab one of the dice that reads '12'. It's simple.
Most people that start playing have 1 or 2 sets of dice, each set being a uniform color or marbling of colors, so they can't have 6 or 7 different color dice very easily.
This is a great idea. Just make sure your dice don't have a symbol for their highest value, like mine do.
Yeah, my dice never listen either. Like feral cat dice. I need to find some nice Golden Retriever dice.
I let my dice rest on one of their lower numbers, so that when I call on them to perform they can do it with full energy. But I think that's been leading to bad habits.
You can always trade dice with the other players, that way you should get a couple of different colours. And then, when you have learned, you can trade back, so you once again own the complete sparkly unicorn die set.
As long as you're not doing it on an oven rack ;p lol
If there is a player sitting on the sidelines waiting for the narrative to introduce them so they can start playing, try to steer everyone in that direction. If the DM keeps hinting that the party should go meet someone at the local church, take the hint and don’t go on a two hour shopping spree. Also if you are the DM make it a priority to steer the narrative to that players introduction as soon as possible. There’s nothing worst then spending your entire afternoon waiting to play..
I have a DM at school that will do absolutely nothing to try to introduce new players. I spent 3 2 hour sessions doing nothing because she was hell bent on my character being introduced at a certain place even though it would make no difference in the plot of the campaign
Had this literally happen to me in a Star Wars saga game
8:11 Having another party member roll a nat 1 and shoot me in the back with a fear crossbow instead of her intended target and me failing my wisdom save, causing me to get frightened, was one of the best memories I have of playing DnD. Everyone at the table found it hilarious when my character was panicking like a madman because the cursed character(story stuff)accidentally shot him. Of course, in character that wasn't funny, but that also highlights the "in world" and "at table" attitudes, even if my character was angry afterwards, I was still just trying not to laugh.
I also feel like it’s important to ask people questions in character. Everyone wants to do their own backstory quest. Be that guy that lets someone tell their characters story.
Guys this is great and you know what this video can be applied to the workplace. You could rename it to 7 principles to being a great employee / co-worker.
I love you dudes you always have great content and present it in a straight forward easy to understand format.
Sending this to my newer players immediately, and my veteran group soon after. Never hurts to remind people of these.
Having fun on the expense of someone else can be FINE, done right.
Having fun on the expense of someone else's fun, however, is not.
‘at the expense of’ 😀 Cheers
@@TraderTimmy how dare you inform the rest of RUclips about proper grammar at the expanse of him.
There can be no value gained at the expanse of others. (Lol)
This “game of thrones” reference is getting dropped a lot. I sense some personal salt 🧂lol. Love your vids 😊
"Because you want to watch Game of Thrones" ages the video quite a lot, considering how few people want to rewatch it after the final season.
Siobhán Mooney #facts lol
The seven principles:
0. 1:30 - Have fun!
1. Be respectful
2. Be focused
3. Be reliable
4. Be prepared
5. Be cooperative
6. Be constructive
7. Be descriptive
I don't normally comment on videos, but in this case I feel that you guys have hit the nail on the proverbial head. These views rarely and really need to be brought out of the shadows and discussed more often than not. You both covered this topic very eloquently, especially for new characters, and at the same time seasoned players who tend to quote "bully" the game or players without even realizing their doing it. This needs to be addressed more in out hobby and I thank you for covering this issue. Major Kudos guys!!
I love this sort of discussion. It's just good to see D&D reinforce healthy communication between friends and allow people to express themselves. I think D&D has great potential to strengthen relationships and help players grow as people. It kind of teaches you not to be a dick, if played correctly.
Having a table veto rule has helped my party a lot. It really curbs the occasional murderhobo impulse. If someone declares an action, if another player shouts “veto!”, and everyone at the table raises their hand if they agree. If half of the other players call veto, we have 60 seconds to agree on a new course of action that the player can be happy with.
The second rule of the Table Veto is don’t spam table veto. The third is don’t try to get vetoed.
This is especially helpful when I’ve played in shop games.
The other rule that’s worked well for my DM is you put your hand on your head if you’re talking out of character. It feels pretty silly so we stay in character a lot more. And we always know who’s talking.
Big Win, fellas. Especially the part where you explain to the audience if one IS being offensive, just stop it. Ruining the game is an eyelash from roleplaying a jagoff PC.
Passionate, intelligent, and engaging content always, chaps, but this was a stand out episode. Great stuff.
Even though I know these principles, I reflect and catch myself committing party fouls in recent games. Even seasoned players should review what it means to be a top-notch player. I recently set a goal that I wanted to show excitement for the game, so I photoshopped a portrait of all our characters (pretty goofy, btw). I also made name tags for PC's with their pictures. Went over well. I did these things because I saw a video like this one and I set some goals.
L
Love the video, guys! Subbed.
Thank you! Right back at you!
love the guys video bussed
That dice colour is a great idea. I have one set but have them laid out in front of me in size order, left to right. Less obvious but helpful for me as a new player
This video is amazing and so well put together. I love the content Dungeon Dudes produces. I’ve learned so much and I’m constantly taking things I learned here and applying them to my own journey.
When playing a selfish character I would say reserve selfishness for the appropriate opportunities - ie pick-pocketing a valuable amulet when no-one is looking.
Some have the instinct to act selfishly in every opportunity, which is not fun nor realistic.
"My character would do this" is no excuse. In real life people make decisions and do things against their better judgement.
In our last session we had been looking for this person for the entire time to get valuable information. When we finally found them we realized that they worshiped Tiamat and our barbarian immediately tried to run up and kill them before we could talk🙄🙄
Hey guys, binged like 70% of your videos in a week. Really appreciate your stuff. Doing Canada proud!
We just started a game all newbies. I have experience as a DM but it’s been years. Was hoping that they would pick basic starting characters that I could easily understand. Well let’s just say someone went and picked a Warlock. I would love if you could do a video of the Warlock to help us both know how to run this character the way it deserves to be played.
Our Warlock Guide is coming out next week I believe!
Dungeon Dudes thank you guys keep up the great work I’ve learned a lot about 5th ed from you. You make it fun and entertaining to learn with just enough information to get going in the right direction
How'd the campaign go?
It's so nice to see Liev Schreiber and Jonathan Frakes talking D&D.
This is the video that made me subscribe to the channel. The way you address the "what my character would do" excuse is an excellent articulation of responsible play.
On the flip side of the table, if my players try to do stuff without describing stuff, I ask them what that looks like;
Them; I with use my sneak skill
Me; What does that look like?
"Nothing, hopefully."
"I shall observe this room with intense scrutiny, leaving no hidden thing unseen."☺
wildside316 Only in the School of Divination
You are amazing!
Thank you so much for your effort!
I've really been inspired by you, soooo many times.
Thank you!!!!
MrJogaga I have the same feelings 110%
It's tough when players hog the spotlight and talk over other people, just because they're so damn excited and almost child-like in their enthusiasm.
I don't get too salty when I roll horrible or get my butt kicked. I think of it as... character development. No one is perfect.
lol, it builds character
Remember, its good for your party you're getting hit as then another PC isn't being hit. The old gunslinger saying "always bring some buddies to a gunfight even if they can't hit the broad side of a barn... at least then you're not the only one the vad guys will be shooting at."
Reading new spells and abilities OUT LOUD is such a great idea!!
Brilliant! My favourite video so far!
Great breakdown of principles that can applied not only to D&D, but any time and place. 😊
'7 Principles'! Fantastic!
I don't have any major problems with any of my players, but a NICE "problem" to have is that my players keep inviting new people to play with us. A group of four players (three players and me as DM) has expanded to 8 plus me! So, I "have to" keep helping roll up new characters and this is actually helping us as a group understand the (to us) "new" 5e rules.
THIS video is timely and helpful. Thanks for posting it.
One thing that helps is to simply play to a pause point, then break for a bit. Not only does this give the players a chance to socialize, eat, use the restroom, etc., but it also give the DM a chance to mentally prepare for the next run. In addition, it also gives the players a chance to fully absorb the information that's been presented.
On the "be on time" thing you mentioned, I take this to heart very seriously. If there's a conflict that comes up that I can't avoid, such as one of my choir concerts, a wedding or funeral, a family vacation, etc, I tell my group as soon as I find out about it, and then if it's a ways away I'll remind them a couple days before. The only reason I would ever bail out on the group is if me or one of my close family members had to take an emergency trip to the E.R. And if I'm not incapacitated during that time, I will shoot them a quick text telling them what's going on. If I am the one that's incapacitated, I'll ask one of my family members to do that for me. That way they don't have to be sitting there waiting for me to come. I try to plan ahead for traffic if I'm traveling outside my home neighborhood, and if an unusually long traffic jam happens that will give me a little buffer time, and if it's really bad then I'll tell them "hey, I am coming, I'll just be a bit late because of a traffic jam." That way they'll know that I'm not just blowing it off or forgetting until the last minute. Heck, even if the car won't start, if I have financial means to take public transportation or get a ride from someone else, I'll do that instead of just not coming.
DND Beyond play by post is good for that. I am going to be occupied tomorrow helping a friend of mine. Toward that end I created a post tonight with a spoiler that the DM will read but will make it harder for the other PC's to metagame since they should make their choices and moves without knowing what I will do as I am last in the initiative rotation on this go round. I used to run a large game and even with that number of people, I never had a complication with that. They were genuinely excited to be part of the game and would be johnny on the spot for it every week. We started off at low level and played all the way up until even the lowest character was above 20th level. It was a real true blast and it kept them out of trouble.
I'm the guy who read my spells and makes scenarios in my head for how to use em before I get em. Also I have nice spell cards so I can go full Yu-Gi-Oh style c:
I like the point on how you can argue and have a rough relationship with characters as long as it doesn't affect real life because me and my best friend have the two characters in our current game who disagree the most, while simultaneously probably being the closest IRL, it makes it more fun that way
Don't be afraid to re-flavor the fluff text to some aspects of your character, such as a chosen background. It's rare that a DM won't approve that as long as the features remain the same.
Let's say you like all the features of the Folk Hero background, so you want to take it, but the text surrounding it doesn't fit your PC.
Change it! Instead of saving a village in your past, you are a long standing pillar of the community. You come from a long line who have been there since the place was founded. You're well respected, almost as a birth right.
Rename Folk Hero to Prodigal Son, and Bam! Now it fits your PC, the features stay the same, and you and the DM have new hooks. Nothing is out of balance or OP.
Feel free to recolor different spells too. Make your fireballs bright purple if you want, as long as they're consistent. Feel free to give your leather armor green dye. Or put a family crest on the middle of your plate mail.
As long as the mechanics stay the same, you can customize the look and feel of just about anything on your PC. Role playing doesn't just happen at the table.
21:12 i've been blessed with a group of friends who have never once tried to de-rail a plot and are always invested in what is happening. This must be insanely frustrating for DMs who put so much time into creating the world/story for the players and one of the players just goes "nah that sounds dumb".
It happened to me last night. It was extremely frustrating, especially since the ambivalence came from alcohol.
So first time I noticed this but on a quick glance your logo looks like Dungeon Nudes because of how the sword crosses through the second D. Anyhow do with that information as you wish. I enjoy the videos, great information. Have a good day.
Thank you! Thought I was the only one who could see it
One of the most important things i learned while playing D&D is, that you as a player need to learn to give away control over the situation. Obviously for multiple reasons:
1. You're not the f***'n protagonist with "plot-armor"
2. You're not alone at the table and every player, including the DM, has a word to say/an action to take etc.
3. It will teach you to find fun in bad luck and chaotic situations
For reference: We had a session where an attempted distraction ended with my Character making out with a female orc unvoluntarily, all of it happened due to bad dice rolls and it was probably one of the funniest moments we had up to that point in our campaign. Also we ended up not getting killed which was kinda strange considering the bad rolls that maneuvered us into that specific situation (overall the whole evening seemed to be jinxed, let's just say we had a lot of natural ones that day and natural twenties when they were rolled against us) needless to say my character was in quite a pinch and needed saving + emotional support afterwards. Furthermore he was NOT the Bard, i repeat NOT! the Bard.
Sorry for bad english.
"If your a new player, and you find yourself picking up a d12 instead of a d20"... No... This defiantly wasn't me a few months ago...
I find it ironic that the "my character would do this" excuse happened tonight and made a mess of my session, i get on youtube an hour later and i see this
"but that is what my character would do." Then stop making your characters insufferable, selfish, back-stabbing, arrogant, irrational, pricks. A character that is unpleasant to play with is a poorly made character. I am all for making in character decisions, but to all things there are of course limits.
@@Talarue WELL SAID but here's the thing, the character was pre made by the DM
Ok that is abnormal. Granted without hearing context I can't know whether the person is a dedicated role player or a dork-nozzle. I hope your next session goes smoother.
I have a rule. If someone makes an socially awkward, annoying, idiotic, random, thieving, disrespectful or even down right evil character..that is completly fine! as long as they go with the "I will not make enemies of my partners in crime!"
That means they are allowed to be every single one of these things to NPC's that I create but not allowed to suddenly stab the guy that another PC was talking with because he was getting bored...that is not okay..instead go something like "My character gets bored and starts wondering off to see what kinds of books this Library have anyway!" In that case they are free to walk away and they can go on their phone for a little bit or space out while I get through the roleplaying with the other NPC. They don't have to listen to it since they aren't there anyway and then I can jump to them and tell them what they find and let them have their "turn".
One of the best examples I have seen was when I was a player at a table.
The Warlock had basically enslaved a goblin that we had kepts alive and we used him to track down some supposed gold storage in a nearby mountain pass since he apparently knew where there was one (Truth be told he was probably lying! but he was a great help in a few caves thanks to his darkvision!)
Now the paladin fucking hated this! He found that creatur awful and didn't trust him one bit but choose to allow him around since the Warlock wanted him there..I personally loved him since he was funny as all hell but didn't really care much about him nor about gold.
So later on in the campaign the Warlocks fall down the mountain and ends up dying..As we are sad about his passing the Palading suddenly grabs the Goblin and kills right then and there!
I was dying from laughter. The player was a tiny bit upset for a second before he laughed as well because as the Paladin had promised to not attack it as long as he was keeping a watch on it and now he was dead so..well..
It fit his character really well and since the PC was dead it wasn't like it would make sense for his new character to suddenly get him as a pet/slave.
@@Talarue Well it shouldn't happen again anyway for numerous reason
I had my first ever game of D&D last Saturday night was so excited my mate who was DM brought his girlfriend who never played along also my girlfriend who never played myself and another friend. Well from the get go I knew the girls were going to be an issue ie getting distracted, chatting amongst themselves not game related while DM is trying to set the scene and then my girlfriend drank a little to much and just kind of blanked out half way into it. Also the DM’s girlfriend would start snickering at him whenever he would try to get into character made the whole thing a bit of a headache but after watching you guys I’ve got a list of things to go over wit all the players and DM before next game so thanks guys some very helpful tips
Thank you for another awesome video. This one is great! I am sharing with my entire group!
Love the earlu summary of the 7 principles, really guides the video
Love the part about natural language. Doing a one shot for some new players and this will be key. Describe what you want to do and then let the DM translate into rules. Perfect.
Listening in my car cause I can't wait to watch this !
A helpful tip for wizards:
Get a small notebook (whatever your taste and budget) and write your stats and spells in it. Not only does it help with reference, but it also helps with immersion, as you are literally referencing your spellbook.
Really great video guys. I'm sharing this with my group!
So would these constitute the D&D “Beatitudes”? 😀
I have a keychain on my dice box that sums up the idea that the DM is ultimate law of the land. It say, “My rules apply to everyone but me.” I always make sure that my players can see this when we play.
Great tips! I really enjoyed this Dungeon Dudes! Thank you!
We game with one simple rule. Make a story that's fun for everyone!
Love seeing videos from you guys pop up on my feed. Another quality vid!
Another awesome one Dungeon Dudes--super job!
Dungeon Dudes, you do a great job! Well presented, entertaining, and informative, with well thought out points. Thanks!
Every week I'm reminded why I subscribed. This is getting sent to my players immediately. Thanks gentlemen.
I'm curious if you feel that using a meta narrative to be more descriptive is a faux pas. As a DM, I find that I will often use pop culture references to describe things to give my players a kind of shared understanding of an event or locale. My concern is that may take players out of the immersion of the game. Just curious if you had thoughts on that?
I (Kelly) do it all the time at the game I run. I’ll often use references to films, I find it helps the players know exactly what I mean. If something rips through someone’s chest you bet I’ll say “like in alien”. Any time someone surge on a shield it’s “like Legolas in the battle of helms deep” now I have an epic image in my head but replace Legolas with you and I’m loving it.
Dungeon Dudes I'm right there with you. I tend to use the image of Piccolo firing his special beam cannon and time freezing as it pierces someone wherever my mage uses scorching ray.
Or last night I used the end of infinity war to describr a blight spell. Of course then one guy hadn't seen the movie....it was a whole thing. Great work, Kelly!
I feel like using a piece of notebook paper for characters is better than using the character sheet template. I know where everything is, have room for spell descriptions, and only list out skills I'm proficient in, to make finding them easier.
What’s funny one of the rules that my DM has is no phones at the table because two of the players were not paying attention and we had to stop to tell them to pay attention then they would ask what was happening in the story while on there phones
Here are some of my tips:
- Bring a grab bag of random dice. You can get these for cheap. That way you have extra dice for yourself and the party that you don't have to be too concerned with losing and can freely share. It's a blast to be able to invite someone's guest to the game on the fly and have everything they need already.
-Have a default action to fall back on during combat. Whether it's simply attacking the nearest or most troublesome foe, or using a healing/buff spell or item, have something you can immediately do if your epic plan for your turn suddenly changes due to the turn before yours. This keeps combat flowing.
-If you end up the leader/face of your party, always involve the other members. Spread that spotlight around. Even if the other players are shy or new, you can focus on the abilities or spells they offer in your plans to accomplish goals and make them feel valuable even without a lot of RP dialogue back and forth.
The first two thirds of this is very much things that any adult should know when interacting with other adults. It's good advice but it's kinda sad that so many people don't understand things like "bailing on your friends without warning when you have plans sucks"
To ID dice quickly: players could always do this after using them, reset them with the highest number on top. So 4d would have 4 on top and 12d would have 12 on top, etc.
Embrace the rule of cool.
As a player, readily accept a DM's ruling that favors the player or the situation over the RAW. If they're doing it for other players, they'll be doing it for you too. The DM is the one worrying about balance, not you.
As a DM, embrace your players' actions when they want to get creative, do things rules don't specifically cover, or bend rules if they have good reasons to. Because as much as a player could rule lawyer you, you can end up doing the same to them if you're too by-the-book.
Be flexible. Think of the RAW more as a GAS (Guidelines as Suggested). Most of the time you'll follow them, but every rule comes with exceptions.
Any questions or major corrections about rulings should be done during breaks or outside of the sessions. Leave the game time to gaming.
Bribery?
Show up with a nice bottle of wine for your DM. And just before the DM is about to crush your character, you say:
“Oh hey, should I pop that bottle, pour you a glass? You know, take a moment of consideration before the next action?”
It would be helpful if you guys had a video about how to guid your brand new players towards knowing what to do.I think its hard for new players to drive their characters with knowing how to respond and roll play.
My DM actually did something really cool when I rolled one point of damage on my eldritch blast. I kind of laughed about it because high hit rolls with low damage rolls are, while kinda frustrating, a little amusing to me, but the DM made it so that even though the attack hit, the opponent had braced himself and only got knocked back slightly from the force damage. It was really cool, and honestly it made it more gratifying when I ended up getting the last hit on the guy (my DM said I blasted a hole through his head and everyone proceeded to make eldritch blast jokes lol). Getting botched rolls, while frustrating, and be fun and interesting if you let it be!
As a DM, I've had a ton of new players and my rule of thumb for dice that I tell them is "When in doubt, roll the d20, majority of the time you'll be correct."
Great video, well done guys.
Great advice!!!!
5:11 OBJECTION
if you’re playing close friends that you’ve been playing with a long time or are good friends with. Then go for it and give your friend some grief. It’s funny and everyone has a good time. But only if you’re good fiends. Don’t do that to a new player or someone you’re not best friends with.
For instance me, my sister, and one of our other friends are always doing this to each other. It’s all in good fun and we all know that. That’s why i say only do that with Best Friends who know that you mean good and you’re just messing with them a little.
My thoughts on the (very well made) points in this video:
Knowing your character sheet: I've written out my character sheets on paper to mirror the layout of the official ones. This way when a DM asks for my character sheet they can understand it easily and find what they want rather quickly.
For knowing your dice: I line mine up in order on the table (d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20) so I can grab them really easily. Also knowing your spells and abilities helps, most of my characters only use 2 dice as well as the d20, so it's not always about managing all of them.
Descriptions: There was one time where we found a dead dwarf and this was a setting where a previous NPC has hidden things in his shoes. The DM figured it would be hard to find things on this dwarf so the DC was 18 or 19. I figured it would be something fun to try so I said "I search his beard" and I just found the items. Descriptions of actions are really good, but I still feel the need to limit myself to my best skills.
Always bring snacks. #2 rule after have fun.
1. This was a really helpful video.
2. You have the same energy as the Ghost Chasers from Supernatural.
21:14 can you add a card that gives a caveat that this is when that only player is looking to avoid a scenario and the rest are interested, not every hook is appropriate to every group. Yes that scenario can be appropriate, but there are times when the Player doesn’t even realize that the DM intended that to be a key event.
*comments about how much a DM puts into the game*
Me: I wrote a single sentence and fell back onto world-building and idea theft
Have fun - help others to have fun - and don't be a dick! I love this advice!
Most of the rules are so universal that, as a rule of thumb, you should not only apply them in a DnD session but generally as a human being in life...
Wise words ❤
New DM. Bout to run my first session. Didn’t need anything more than these videos.
Honestly, I often find myself tempted to rules lawer.
For example, my D.M. recently told us that barbarians were net alowed to were armor. I was really tempted to point out that
1) Barbarians have proficecy in light and medium armor.
2) Lots of fanticy barbarians were those horned helmets
3) Real life barbarians, actually did use arnor, if they could afford it, witch we certainly could.
4) Don't tell the players how to play their own characters.
In the end though, It was a relitive's barbarian not mine, and she was fine with this ruling, even though she was constantly geting knoked unconscious.
In my last session my Barbarian was surrounded by dopplerats that we were fighting in a cellar, so he used his attack to hit a barrel of ale and used the flood to wash some of the rats away from him so he could help the warlock.
PC Principles is legally distinct from the South Park character PC Principal.
Loved the rule about censoring the table. It's one thing walking on eggshells irl... but even when roleplaying? People need to chill.
_
My only rule is... dont be salty. Dice is dice. Accept a shitty roll and move on. And maybe find a way to turn it around!
No one became a hero by just being handed things. It's about the hero's journey, and failing is a big part of it.
So, what do you as a dungeon master, if you have a wonderful narrative planned, with monsters and dungeons, gold aplenty, a magnificent story that allows the party to save the world, and the party decides to go south. You can't very well tell them to make up new characters. Do that and at least half the group will get up and walk away. You cannot PLAN the party's choices. And if you don't give them choices, that's a quick way to end the campaign.
You literally could've just called this "7 principles of being an adult"
Great principles, but I think you missed the #1 principle - Bring pizza and energy drinks for all.
Some seriously fantastic advice here.
Great job Dudes!
Another fantastic video, Dudes! Great advice as always!
Excellent presentation of the subject matter. The tone and flow of your delivery in this video was easy to follow and understand. I agree with the list and will likely recommend these videos as "tutorials" for my new groups from this point on. I also think this applies to some of your other videos as well. I'm taking notes (building a video "must have" list) and will be sure to promote your videos and the information as tools for everyone at my table (DM and players alike). Thanks for the solid video. I'll continue to follow and see where this lead. I'm curious to see if you broadcast your "own games" as well. Time to do a bit more research...………………..
Thank you! You can watch us play in our Dungeons of Drakkenheim campaign! Episode 1 is here ruclips.net/video/MNcpxqT_WsM/видео.html
Great list, some of this is what i am critizising d&d shows like critical role for. Ppl being unprepared, losing stuff(item descriptions for example), not taking notes, forgetting about quests/missions, not remembering(taking notes?) NPCs/confusing them...
Good video overall gentlemen. I disagree with two points.
I think that, "This is what my character would do.", is a valid argument. Not every hero is a paragon of virtue, and not every villain is devoid of honour. I think that conflict helps character growth. If there is no reason to examine a character's world view they become 2 dimensional and stagnant.
I agree that it is important to respect everyone at the table.
That being said I think that it is bad advice to stop the game I the middle of action to talk about how uncomfortable something makes a player feel. Most tables I have played at only have a limited amount of time to play. If someone stopped play frequently they would be ejected from the game.
After the game is a better time to talk about these things. And sometimes a few days later is best to let the situation breath.
Ultimately, it’s about respect. A player can't use their *character* as an excuse to behave badly to the other *players*, because the character doesn’t exist, and playing pretend shouldn't require us to suspend out disbelief so much that we forget basic human decency and consideration.
Dungeon Dudes I never said that someone should be disrespectful, cruel, or in anyway behave badly towards another player. What I said was that a character can have mannerism and motives that are contrary to another's character. That conflicts like that make characters a lot more interesting.
@@mindlasher but your second comments is literally what they said in the video
Alex Trollip no, it is not. I'm saying there is a difference between my character doing something that is in their character and being a dick to a fellow player. My current character lies and cheats the party out of loot a lot. He does it because he owes a life debt to another PC. My character isn't doing it to be mean, or for selfish reasons. He is stupid, clumsy, and gullible. To him it's the best way to show the PC he owes his gratitude.
That is why I believe that, "my character would have done that." is a valid point.
There are characters that do things because they believe that it is the right thing to do.
As long as it's not done to target a player I think that it's fine.
In the video they had stated that a player's feelings should trump a character's motives. If that is the case then what is the point of role playing? Where is the chance for character growth?
I agree with the Dungeon Dudes that being respectful to your fellow players is extremely important. And to me part of that is respecting character choices of others, even when they don't make sense to me and upset me.
@@mindlasher but.. again.. you're saying what they did.
Your Character, is doing things, that your character would do.. but you're doing it as your character.
As long as you're doing it as your character and not affecting your real world relationship with the real people then that's okay.
Though your last sentence is now different, if you are Intentionally doing something, as your character, that you know would upset someone. I dont understand why would you do that.
I had a game once where a player was literally playing one of those free to play RTS games on his laptop while we were playing. He would only step away when it was his turn in combat. Now that smartphones are a thing, this sort of behavior is increasingly common.
We have a rule that our phones are only for checking game-related information. Otherwise put it away.
Just got back into Dungeons and Dragons about a month ago. Haven't played since the late 80's early 90's. Shortly after I discovered this channel. Just wanted to say you guys are great and thanks for all the time and energy you put into making these videos. You guys have really helped me rediscover what I loved about Dungeons and Dragons as a kid. I'm going to show this video to all my players this week. I'm hoping it will help with a couple teenagers we have in the group who can be quite disruptive at times. They're my girlfriends nephews and wanted to give them a fair chance before I bring the hammer down. As a whole I know the group including myself can benefit from all the principles. Thanks again guys.
Its like Rick always says "Don't think about it" just do things, the game requires you to be daring adventurers who arent constantly stopping to think about the consequences otherwise it'd be a fantasy farming simulator. Go be daring and ridiculous for in D&D the player never dies only the character.
Overall I tend to agree but specifically on the DL being the Arbiter of the rules,we all play this game together and if the rules are changing moment-to-moment it is a problem, if every call is handled differently and your class features chaoticly change it is a problem. I've left tables because of this and I've seen entire groups leave tables because of this.
Interesting thing here is that sometimes rules come into conflict when people emphasize one thing above another. Like including something in the game that people are uncomfortable with should be a problem with rule "be respectful", but the player bringing it in, might take your offense at that as a failure to "be constructive". it's good to establish some boundaries in session 0 because of that. sometimes it's not clear that someone has a problem with something being included in the game (like rape for example), because when playing D&D, you wouldn't assume that was a necessary part of the game anyway. Communication is key, I really like this video.
A lot of good points here. I'm kinda curious about your take on when a DM gets salty when the story doesn't their way. I recently played a game with a DM that planned this whole transition to build a character arc and it went awry. He started getting frustrated and pissy to the point where we had to stop the game and move to the game I was running. For me, this is very game breaking and makes other players and I not want to play his game. I get that it can be frustrating when something screws what you planned, but not at the expense of the joy in the story. Just curious if you two have dealt with this and how you did?
Every one of my failures are hilarious, cause I always roll a 1 on critical moments. We disguised ourselves as the enemy, infiltrated a fort, got our objective and managed to get out without blowing our cover. Then, outside the fort, I had to sneak up on someone that came with us and kill her. Rolled a 1 and ended up getting impaled by a sword that was in the fire.
Or, we were in a tavern, so as the half-orc barbarian that I am, I approached a table of strong looking mercenaries and asked to arm wrestle them for a round of ale. I rolled a 20 against a very low dice from the master, so I ended up breaking the dude's arm. They got pissed and called their friend, who was like the mountain from game of thrones. We arm wrestled, and the results switched. The DM rolled high and I rolled a 1, so now he broke my arm lol. The barbarian laughed and congratulated the man for his strength.
Then, we had a battle encounter with other people, and I was useless the entire time. I had disadvantage in every attack roll because of my broken arm, and I rolled fives and sixes every time. It was pretty funny.