😊 Which DM style are you and which do you like the most? I'm definitely a mix of railroad and narrative, with a LOT of "laid-back" 🤣 my goal is to become more narrative this year!
I’m a semi laid back open world DM. I just try to have fun and make a game that they will enjoy. Hence the new character they made: Braticus the third. Plus I’m still new to DND
The most fun I’ve ever had as narrative/open world DM was the time that I tricked my DND group into believing that I created a massive fantasy universe. And had them play through an epic story of duty and betrayal, a prince lost to damnation. because none of them ever played Warcraft before
@@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015 I actually didn’t have to worry about that. See I inserted them into the existing story more or less. So they followed Arthas to northrend. And when he became the lich kings agent, they became his first death knights. Ultimately acting as an advance team for his return to lorderan I splice in some of the missions from Warcraft three the frozen throne They gathered up the cult of the damned, and they killed off a good portion of the silver hand to allow Arthas to get to Uther . They’re currently enjoying hunting Sylvanis. I figured, since these guys tend to be murder, hobos, that I would give them the opportunity to do so productively.
I had a player who wanted to try DMing, and before I continue they did AMAZING. They asked me, the forever DM, and one of my senior players to sit in on their campaign as some of the hired NPCs for the party. She was able to ask us questions through the form of other NPCs asking the hired party members, she planned something that got a bit derailed but was able to cope incredibly well because of her ability to take notes during our other campaigns. Now she's the DM at her school's group and still randomly texts me questions like "how would you make an encounter based around a pumpkin patch and a hoard of chickens?" Like... WHAT?! Super on board and after she ran the encounter we came up with for her school group, she modified it and ran it for us. Couldn't be more proud of the once socially awkward player now being one of the best I've worked with 💜
This is my same approach. The Pc's are on a 5 or 10 year time limit in the campaigns time and if whatever is happening happens... well its not world ending but it devistates humanity for many years to come and the pc's will end up living through the dark ages. Pretty much.
Probably narrative. I find too much structure can be frustrating or fun, but saying "the villain is going to do this in 10 days. You decide what to do" is freeing but also makes the story clear
Agreed, narrative is definitely my favorite. While "sand-box" sounds fun in concept it often results in my party being unsure what goal we want to make for ourselves and chase next. That's why narrative is so nice 🙂
@@majorillusion I play a sandbox-style campaign, where different factions work on different goals in the background, unless the players choose to interact/intervene. There is an overarching big event going on, which has influence on everything no matter where they choose to go, so the can't really ignore the overall campaign, which is also on a timer to keep things moving forward. You just need to time-restrict your players, give them 2-3 things to chase short-term and longterm and also ask them where they want to go what they want to do next session so you can prepare.
@@AbyssalDragon42you gotta write a story. Or else the players/viewers don’t know what happens when the Death Star get around the planet Yavin and has a clear shot.
@@Bobby3OOO they know what I want them to know. If they ever don't know anything they need to know I just fill them in on it anyways. But it's fun to be able to surprise the players with narrative twists and stuff. And the fact that I sometimes drop hints means that they are encouraged to theorize things. All of this stuff makes DND more fun.
I'm mostly a railroad type because that's what most of my players want, however I've definitely had the most fun when I ran a sandbox campaign. Versatility is key and it's not bad to ask your players what they'd prefer too! Always communicate with them to see what they'd like.
Same here, I have a story but I loop it around and pull random bullshit outta my ass to make it fun. The barrel goblin the party met, and one pc was friends with? Son of Cthulhu.
I'm the same, kind of. I'm definitely laid back, but one thing I do in my campaigns is to make 3 storylines. Depending on the characters' actions, I'll switch between them.
I'm watching JRWI: Riptide right now, and Grizzly's style of DMing is definitely narrative. Basically, the party is a pirate crew, so each island they visit has its own story arc for them to play out how they want to. Some of the stories are connected to the main overarching plot, but it's in the background of the story for each island. This is also great because they can have a guest PC show up on an island and play for just that story arc before leaving the party (either staying on said island or going off in their own ship).
This is how I prepare, in case anyone would like to know. First, I review what my players did during the last session. Then, I brainstorm cool scenes I'd like to occur, and I seamlessly incorporate them while improvising everything in between. It's also essential to have at least one prepared option for them if they don't follow your expectations. Furthermore, maintaining good communication with your players and asking them what they're most likely to want to do in the next session is important.
Honestly i prefer railroading dms that have just a bit loose, cus i love having a clear plot to follow instead of just having the dm try to herd cats as every one of the pc's just randomly scatter as everyone has different wants
My goal is to be somewhere between 1 and 3. I'll have a story I'm looking to guide the players through, but it'll mainly be in the form of "here is your end goal. Current routes I have planned for are these. If you want a different one... well, enjoy the improv for a night, and I'll put together the rest of it properly after that."
I think I would prefer trying to stay open with sandbox while also preparing multiple smaller narratives they can choose to follow. So that if they seem to be running out of things to do, the DM can just tip them towards another goal. Having a larger narrative they can follow in the process would also be cool, but scarcely limit it with time constraints, so they still feel fully open in choice.
In the voice of master Yoda “there is another” Wargamer DM. The DM who seems to perfectly know the tactics and strategies of every monster and their ability and how to optimize them
I'm definitely a #3 DM. I have a story happening. I put out plot hooks. The PCs can go wherever & do whatever they want, but events still progress on the world. So, if they decide to go to point B instead of point A first, events still progress at point A. They will encounter different things by going to point A later rather than earlier.
I am a narrative DM that places breadcrumbs for my players to follow the plot, and if they want to go away from that trail, I let them do it and improvise what happens.
Definitely Laid Back. I use rules as boundaries, and focus on the rule of cool, while letting the dice decide the “flavor text” of the actions. My goal is for each person to walk away feeling like they each had their own moment in the sun. So if that means a monster has to die early, or have more HP than normal, then so be it. It’s all done behind the screen, and all my players get a chance to describe an awesome action. I used to be very railroad, until I saw that none of us were really having any fun. So I changed my style completely, tried again, and we’ve been loving our sessions. I’ve got great players, who are really into their characters and involved in the plot. It’s awesome to see everyone having fun!
Recent I reassured a new dnd player that it was ok for them to be looking for the “rails” and such since it was their first campaign and they are under 10 sessions or so in. They had been lamenting not acting more in character and felt bad for it. We, the rest of the chat group, reassured them it was a perfectly valid way to play and is often what new players do before they find their footing with the game, so they shouldn’t beat themselves up about it too much. Of course, they still wanted to play their character more naturally so they did so the next time and had a lot more fun with that but they did say the pep talk made them feel better too. I’m glad they found their path to more fun at their table for all this however. So yeah, never stress too much about railroading. Sometimes the players are looking for those. It shouldn’t be the only way to play, but certainly it is one of the better ways to let newer players dip their toes into the game. Personally I like playing with a narrative dm and try to make my characters a mix of the themes the dm and other players are presenting and also play them as naturally to their psychology as possible (within reason, still need to make sure all players have their time to shine and be a good team player myself). I just very much enjoy a good story is all. I like playing one but also hearing one from the other players and the dm. It’s just fun for me! But that took a while for me to figure out myself.
Definitely a narrative GM here. But I also think that the narrative style also needs to depend on your players. Let them tell you what you want and then if you give them what they want. Everyone will have a blast. Speaking from someone has been a GM since the days of THAC0.
I love giving players a clear-cut goal and objective, “stop X from doing Y within Z days or else world explodes,” but I love giving them the freedom to do so however they please. I’ll always value a player’s agency (so long as it’s not actively detrimental to the game) but it’s nice giving them a sort of goal to reach. I’ve found it often leads to far more narratively satisfying moments than them doing whatever the hell they want with little story involvement
I am very much a narrative DM. The table I run and am creating a custom world for is a group of friends brought together to play because I wanted to play D&D but knew I would get a table together faster by running a table. Then I found out I had a natural knack for DMing and even my veteran players tell me I'm the DM whose campaigns they are the most invested in and enjoy! In the words of the late Bob Ross, "it was a happy little accident."
I DM two different campaigns in two different styles. My homebrew campaign is run as a sandbox campaign, with me dropping story leads but essentially leaving what actually happens up to the party. My other campaign (PotA module) is much more of a narrative campaign, with the party broadly following the story of the module, but how they approach things is fully up to them. I honestly love both styles for different reasons, and I'm glad I get to DM both.
One of the best mixes, I've found with various groups, is between railroad & narrative by setting up modular social/combat encounters. Meaning you make a list of stat-blocks & NPCs, but make sure each can slot into multiple roles. e.g. maybe they go to the blacksmith first & overhear X or the talk to the innkeeper first & overhear X. Second they go to another person & hear Y from them. The order of info will always be X-Y-Z... but the personalities delivering that info chance & so does the RP/checks needed. Same with encounters; 4 thugs to a good party become 4 guards to a rowdy party. Obviously gets more challenging at higher levels, more more specific enemy types (i.e. a vampire spawn is mechanically different from an elemental) but by then the party has usually decided while "track" they want to go down anyway. Not gonna be ideal for all groups, but works well for shorter 3-5hr games & with busy IRL schedules!
I am a mix between the narrative leaning towards sandbox and I am a layer back dm as well currently I am dm an homebrew campaign based around the stempunk style of artwork and mixing with warhammer 40k lore and so far my gourp loves it and I enjoy seeing them make their own stories to the end of the campaign now one tip I would give to any newer dm is make it fun for you and the players and also let your imagination take over sometimes it makes the game more interesting to all evolved
I took up DM'ing to create an openworld type game, so that is definitely me, but I also always include the rule "If it's fun, I'll allow it" because after all, that's the reason we play this game, to have fun!
I'm somewhere between 3 and 4 because I give a general skeleton to the world so the players have plenty to build off of, but I firmly believe that the random chaos is what makes dnd so fun, so I aspire to let them make the story truly theirs, with all of the funny moments
A mixture of narrative and railroad ist my favorite, giving controle to the players when I can and take it when I must. The best thing is when me and my players created an epic story together. It is by far the most work top Plan the railroad sections in a way the players are satisfied, but it is the most memorable top the most i've played with
I'm somewhere between Narative DM and Laid-Back DM. I try to stay mostly RAW but I will prioritize fun for the sake of the narrative. And a lot of my minor Encounters, and Adventures are often improvised during the sessions. But any important Plot points are more well thought out. One of my recent side adventures I ran was improvised on the spot because 2 of my 5 players had to be absent that day. So a gave those who could play a Hook to help the local City Guard capture a wanted Dwarven Mage that went crazy, and made a Golem of random Magical Scrolls and Items; called a Grisgol. That session even spawned one of our funniest moments in the campaign too. The door blocking the passage into the Dwarven Mage's workshop was a Door Mimic. Rather than killing, convincing, or tricking the Mimic they gave it an entire bottle of one of the strongest alcohols in my setting; called Desert's Bite (even a single shot was a DC 20 CON Save). They got the door so drunk that it literally fell off of its hinges. It was a beautiful session that day.
I am a new DM with totally new players (running LoMP) as well so I’d have to say my style currently leans more towards “rail-road”. With that being said, I have definitely added narrative and exploration beyond the minimal plot. Lastly, I have found out with every session that my players really like to take the rules and a flavor them or think of new similar things, and that’s really allowed me to embrace a bit of laid back home brewed chaos and fun.
I play in between a narrative and sandbox DM I usually have a large end goal laid out very early but there isn't a "story line" per say, this leaves my players to decide how to get to that goal and to decide if it is something they should strive to resolve as quickly as possible or if taking it slow is the best option. This play style also lets me continue campaigns long after the "Main Story" for quite a while to give time and rest between world destroying calamities because when I start a campaign I created a massive and detailed world for exploration.
I was a rail road dm, but I learned that players are chaos who usually give 0 Fs about story and just want to have fun, so I've shifted to the minimal prep, make it up as you go DM mixing an open world sandbox with lore fore those interested with the Fun DM who will let players decide week to week what sort of game they want... Also, saying yes to the most obserd stuff leads to some of the most fun. I have an episodic campaign going where a card is pulled from the Deck of Many Things at the end of each session, and that determines what will happen next.
I am a new DM and didnt really look into how to DM. Instead I mixed how I believed DMs should be with how I like to tell my stories, wether they were fanfiction or original. The narritive DM tag fits me SO MUCH cuz for my current campaign I have a straight storyline, actually 3 and which one the player will take will depend on how they behave and what they do. I have a clear narrative for them saving the world, for them helping the BBEG destroy it, or for them to take on a symbiosis with a world ending interdimensional disease. Also just cuz I like to talk about it, the first sessions with all members were 1 on 1 sessions, solo sessions as I call em, for them to form a backstory, expand on it and to make them comfortable for roleplaying in my world. Its working perfectly for all of em.
I'm starting out but I want to be a narrative dm because I'm easy going but also want the world to feel alive by allowing things to happen throughout the world even if players are not there
Me, my mom, and my uncle are all laid-back and narrative DMs. My mom does most of the DMing and she is realistic but also fun (for example you can try to throw something to the moon, but she will at best have it go as high as a red wood tree)
I intend to play out my first campaign like the 3rd option. I told the couple people somewhat how itll go with the fact I have a fully fleshed out story and world, but how they take it on is up to them. I'm pretty excited for it. I'm guna wait for one of their campaigns to end so we have the open day and take the spot after. Practice tell then
I'm a brand new DM but I'm trying to be somewhere between the Narrative and Fun DMs if we're looking at your 4 styles, although I think all of these are on a scale rather than choices of one or the other 🤣
I am all about fun- I've gotten compliments when I go into narrative campaigns, but I do have a more sandbox campaign to be more lighthearted and fun for newer players. My darker campaign is a high power one where the gods of that world are basically dying and the new gods have to be picked, while my one for new players is essentially about a dungeon beneath a tavern that's basically a city inside and infinitely expanding. I have a few details for a story worked out where it becomes progressively darker(I plan on the final boss of that one being the avatars of the Dead Three) but it's more focused on being fun for new players and let them get out of their shell
Definitely a Fun DM. That was the main goal I had for the campaign I ran. We finished it kinda quick and it was enjoyable. Granted due to how over powered everyone level grinded it was nearly impossible for them to NOT be done fast.
Haha I feel like I would still count that as you being a narrative DM since you are willing to be flexible, it's just that your players prefer to venture in a straight line 😂 that is surprising though
I'm definitely narrative. I love tight writing in stories, but I also don't want to step on my players' toes too much and prevent them from having or making their own fun.
I am a sandbox DM. It is what works best for my adhd life. I like taking the approach of just building a city with 5 or 6 different story hooks for the players to find while wandering my town. I find it is best when you let the party know your DM style and give them a few tips on how to spot a quest during session 0.
I'm a very laid-back DM with sandbox, currently. I change up most of my private rolls and choices to ensure the players are having fun, rather than squash them or herd them where they don't want to go.
I’ve got murder hobos so I just use a combat driven story with some role play, mainly they want to pile on as much damage and fight as much evil stuff they can find so I use the combat to further the story when I need to
I am all 4. I typically start a game railroadish. Do a mission and get to know the characters a bit before I open up an to a massive sandbox world with a focus of fun and exploration. Once I get a feel for the players I craft an over all plot using backstory and character goals.
I’d hope to be a narrative DM with a slight touch of laid back. I had an idea of a campaign that runs like a choose your own adventure book where each player character would have major choices or even group choices and those can affect the sort of path the story goes down. That probably just sounds like a regular narrative dm but I feel like I could show off a fun twist.
I'm in between 3 and 4. I always write a main narrative but my worlds are open sand box with the players choosing how to go about heading to their quests and preparing for them. Although I do like the aspect of fun and will fudge die rolls for the situations to stay exciting. I have a lot set up in prep, but i do a lot of improvisation which can cause the story to head in different directions, although usually somehow get back to the main quest line as written.
Running my first campaign, written by me, but loosely played. I assume I'd fall into the final 2 DM types, since I care much more about the story, but I want fun to be had.
I am a narrative dm with a slant towards fun DM. I set up a narrative and have specific plot points set up in different locations around the story whether it be just one city or an entire country then let the characters off after giving them a primer either they meet some DM in PC that tells them the story that sets off the campaign or with an exposition from an opening storyline.
Most DM’s I work with (myself included) are fun and story driven style. We love our stories and what we write but also want players to have fun. So yeah we will retcon rules and throw out rules just to have fun.
I am very much a narrative DM. Here's all the hot spots, here's the world, now tell me. The day is yours. What would you like to do? I'll remind you that there's still stuff happening in the background, if there's a time crunch going on it'll be relevant. But if you want to fuckoff and open a tavern? The world will still be there! And it'll affect your new tavern c:
The continual timeline for a game is one that I really enjoy but I know some DMs that are scared to use it cause they think their players might get mad if they miss something
I’m laid back, but my style is kind of like that theory of time travel, some points can be changed some are static, and no matter what you do you eventually end up at the story even if it takes a while.
If I ever finally craft an adventure I would strive to be a narrative/ laid back dm I have a whole idea about a campaign that allows either a new player or a dm played npc that unites the party and would work as a huge tanker so for a new player it would make it super fun as with a minimal understanding of characters or even basics of the game they would be destroying monsters and hopefully keeping the party together based around a mystery surrounding that player or if I have a party that does have a good exp base it can be a dm ran character that would be slightly nerfed in order to balance the party while still trying to keep the party together and giving the dm a chance to have some fun rping with the party
I think I'm more of a laid back DM. I improvise things a lot, and try to present players with situations that are really fun, or awesome and epic. I also present situations where they can play out their characters the way they imagine them to be, taking into account their backstories and personality traits.
A mix between the second and 4th dm would probably be the best, instead of or even ontop of a large story would be the players backstories and goals along with a DM who knows how to make it fun for everyone, that is my dream DnD campaign. Edit: Having relistened, maybe I'm more so explaining the 3rd type of DM than 2nd, altho I think a 5th type that narrates almost solely a story of the players choosing through their backstory and future goals they have in mind for their characters is worth mentioning. In which case my dream DM would be a mix between 3rd, 4th and my 5th type. For example the campaign goes like you have to powerup before you can truly stick your butts in the BBEG's plans and you power up through the players achieving their goals and getting closure on their backstories. Whilst finding tidbits of the main story as they go.
Deff narritive driven dm, i push them into a direction, but also want them too do what they want or what is important too them. More fun for everyone, and i love improving so its a win win most of the time.
Narrative and fun first. My group is slow to make up its mind sometimes, though… so I have to give them a narrative to follow, which can sometimes look like a railroad; but since they always have free will to do what they want (with real world consequences) it’s definitely not a railroad. I always have storylines to follow and sometimes they follow them and sometimes they don’t. As for rules, if a player makes a case for something and it breaks a rule I’ll consider it. If I’m like, “maybe…,” then I’ll roll a die publicly and let them know what their odds are. If they agree (they always agree) and let the dice decide. Some of the funnest situational moments are when these attempts are made.
I do very little planning except maybe a few homebrew things or world maps other than that I give my players the chance to explore and do what they want I improvise as I go
I've tried being a railroad dm, didn't like it, didn't like being a sandbox dm, and while I do like being a laid back dm, I do sometimes add some challenges, so I'd say the one with moderate choices while there is still a clear story
First time dming and it is a one piece themed campaign that I had to take over cause the dm couldn’t do it anymore. I am actually a narrative with a bit of laid-back. I start the next island adventure or ocean encounter with the only main point is that this is the rival or villain for my group, anything else is improv or sandbox. One of the bosses my group actually beat was by flooding their boss room with all the water rations and using a players spell! They woulda had a tough boss if they didn’t, but I love when they come up with clever ways to beat foes. My group seems to really like me as dm and enjoy it a ton as well! Maybe I can dm more often in the future.
I'm definitely a mix of Narative and Fun. Complete freedom can get boring so understanding when to direct the players back to the main plot is always a good idea. Also fun ALWAYS trumps rules.
I think my style is more focused on narratives. My players usually pick up on what I expect them to do and oblige. But I'm also perfectly okay with changing my plans or even bending the rules a little if it means my players can do something interesting.
I have my players describe what they want to do, then roll. In combat I have them roll damage and then accuracy. So the fighter threw a javelin into the hoard that the barbarian just ran into, it went through 2 guys and hit the barbarian, the barbarian threw it in anger in the direction the army was coming from and got max damage on the dice. But he rolled a 15. The ac was 16 on the soldiers. "The rule of cool" comes in bc of the high damage which means he threw it with more force. He killed 3 guys with it blowing a hole in their helmets.
I think the railroad dm is good for beginners but i think even better if a limited scope session. Eg. We had one story over 2 sessions where the entire story happened within one tavern and a secret mini dungeon basement. I think that's really awesome for a new dm because you don't force the players into a specific playstyle but there also isn't too much for the players to improv around. It let's you learn improv while also being able to prepare for the ideas the players may come up with
I will be first time DMing soon in a homebrew campaign. I want to keep it pretty much sandbox because from my experiences as a player it's awesome to do whatever you want and there's still a story unfolding. Also my players are all new to TTRPGs so I don't want to restrict them in the fun they can have. But since they're new to this I'll add a DMPC to balance things and maybe keep them involved in the little bit of plot I came up with
Probably a solid 50 50 split between narrative and laid back cause I usually run a storyline but they can do it however they want and go wherever they want and I don't do rules unless I absolutely have to
As a DM/Keeper i mostly use the Narrative style and depending on the people i work with either focus a bit more on one of the two sides, but scale it back if they players get into flow.
I am a narrative DM. I always begin with a plot in mind and loose story. However how my players work through that plot(if they don’t get sidetracked and we spin off into a story all their own lol) is entirely dependent upon the choices they make. If they do decide to abandon ship in favor of a different story that is also fine and I will begin to spin a story around the plot hook they have chosen. One of my players however is also a GM and he is a laid back one we have fun in both styles and agree that that’s what really matters. It’s nice to branch out and experience different styles of play from time to time.
I tried DMing 3x now and since I do one shots I'm definitely the railroad type. Although I would like to be a narrative type when I feel more confident.
I'm a pretty fresh with GM-ing and my style of choice is somewhere between laid-back and narrative. I love telling a cool story WITH my players, not just FOR them. The only thing truly stopping me from GM-ing that way is lack of experience.
I personally see myself, or aim towards Open World-Narrative DM. I 'prepare' possible situations/events that might happen sometime, somewhere with someone. Very open and dependant on what they do and want to do.
I have a story, but I always make it explicitly clear to my players that if they don't care for my story, they can go do something else I am not married to the story I made, and even when I have a story, it's just the most important parts, and each part has alot of variation to it so that I can support whatever choices my players make
😊 Which DM style are you and which do you like the most? I'm definitely a mix of railroad and narrative, with a LOT of "laid-back" 🤣 my goal is to become more narrative this year!
Don't tell my players but I'm laid-back they would have died like 10 times last session (I fudged some roles)
I’m a semi laid back open world DM. I just try to have fun and make a game that they will enjoy. Hence the new character they made: Braticus the third. Plus I’m still new to DND
Imma fun sand-box dm
I’m definitely 3
I would be 3/4 but I never get a group to play with being new qwq
The most fun I’ve ever had as narrative/open world DM was the time that I tricked my DND group into believing that I created a massive fantasy universe. And had them play through an epic story of duty and betrayal, a prince lost to damnation.
because none of them ever played Warcraft before
Hahaha brilliant
who was the one to take up Frostmourne? Was it Arthas, or did one of the players take it instead?
Also, what was your homebrew for Frostmourne's stats?
@@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015 maybe there wasn’t one 😂
@@thewonderfullymadejaraid7015 I actually didn’t have to worry about that. See I inserted them into the existing story more or less. So they followed Arthas to northrend. And when he became the lich kings agent, they became his first death knights. Ultimately acting as an advance team for his return to lorderan
I splice in some of the missions from Warcraft three the frozen throne
They gathered up the cult of the damned, and they killed off a good portion of the silver hand to allow Arthas to get to Uther .
They’re currently enjoying hunting Sylvanis.
I figured, since these guys tend to be murder, hobos, that I would give them the opportunity to do so productively.
I had a player who wanted to try DMing, and before I continue they did AMAZING. They asked me, the forever DM, and one of my senior players to sit in on their campaign as some of the hired NPCs for the party. She was able to ask us questions through the form of other NPCs asking the hired party members, she planned something that got a bit derailed but was able to cope incredibly well because of her ability to take notes during our other campaigns. Now she's the DM at her school's group and still randomly texts me questions like "how would you make an encounter based around a pumpkin patch and a hoard of chickens?" Like... WHAT?! Super on board and after she ran the encounter we came up with for her school group, she modified it and ran it for us.
Couldn't be more proud of the once socially awkward player now being one of the best I've worked with 💜
My approach: there is something happening in the world and if you don’t deal with it, eventually it will deal with you.
Love it!
This is my same approach. The Pc's are on a 5 or 10 year time limit in the campaigns time and if whatever is happening happens... well its not world ending but it devistates humanity for many years to come and the pc's will end up living through the dark ages. Pretty much.
Probably narrative. I find too much structure can be frustrating or fun, but saying "the villain is going to do this in 10 days. You decide what to do" is freeing but also makes the story clear
Agreed, narrative is definitely my favorite. While "sand-box" sounds fun in concept it often results in my party being unsure what goal we want to make for ourselves and chase next. That's why narrative is so nice 🙂
I might drop a hint, but saying something like that encourages metagaming and makes the game less immersive.
@@majorillusion I play a sandbox-style campaign, where different factions work on different goals in the background, unless the players choose to interact/intervene. There is an overarching big event going on, which has influence on everything no matter where they choose to go, so the can't really ignore the overall campaign, which is also on a timer to keep things moving forward. You just need to time-restrict your players, give them 2-3 things to chase short-term and longterm and also ask them where they want to go what they want to do next session so you can prepare.
@@AbyssalDragon42you gotta write a story. Or else the players/viewers don’t know what happens when the Death Star get around the planet Yavin and has a clear shot.
@@Bobby3OOO they know what I want them to know. If they ever don't know anything they need to know I just fill them in on it anyways.
But it's fun to be able to surprise the players with narrative twists and stuff. And the fact that I sometimes drop hints means that they are encouraged to theorize things. All of this stuff makes DND more fun.
I'm mostly a railroad type because that's what most of my players want, however I've definitely had the most fun when I ran a sandbox campaign. Versatility is key and it's not bad to ask your players what they'd prefer too! Always communicate with them to see what they'd like.
This comment explains how to be a great DM in one simple phrase "always communicate with them" 😊
I'm a mix between a laid-back and narrative
ayy same
Put this in my group chat and they said the same “3 with dashes of 4”
Same here, I have a story but I loop it around and pull random bullshit outta my ass to make it fun. The barrel goblin the party met, and one pc was friends with? Son of Cthulhu.
I'm the same, kind of. I'm definitely laid back, but one thing I do in my campaigns is to make 3 storylines. Depending on the characters' actions, I'll switch between them.
Same
I'm watching JRWI: Riptide right now, and Grizzly's style of DMing is definitely narrative. Basically, the party is a pirate crew, so each island they visit has its own story arc for them to play out how they want to. Some of the stories are connected to the main overarching plot, but it's in the background of the story for each island. This is also great because they can have a guest PC show up on an island and play for just that story arc before leaving the party (either staying on said island or going off in their own ship).
This is how I prepare, in case anyone would like to know. First, I review what my players did during the last session. Then, I brainstorm cool scenes I'd like to occur, and I seamlessly incorporate them while improvising everything in between. It's also essential to have at least one prepared option for them if they don't follow your expectations. Furthermore, maintaining good communication with your players and asking them what they're most likely to want to do in the next session is important.
Honestly i prefer railroading dms that have just a bit loose, cus i love having a clear plot to follow instead of just having the dm try to herd cats as every one of the pc's just randomly scatter as everyone has different wants
I'm personally a sandbox DM, but I love putting rules second/third because those sessions cause the best moments and most fun
My goal is to be somewhere between 1 and 3. I'll have a story I'm looking to guide the players through, but it'll mainly be in the form of "here is your end goal. Current routes I have planned for are these. If you want a different one... well, enjoy the improv for a night, and I'll put together the rest of it properly after that."
I think I would prefer trying to stay open with sandbox while also preparing multiple smaller narratives they can choose to follow. So that if they seem to be running out of things to do, the DM can just tip them towards another goal.
Having a larger narrative they can follow in the process would also be cool, but scarcely limit it with time constraints, so they still feel fully open in choice.
In the voice of master Yoda “there is another” Wargamer DM. The DM who seems to perfectly know the tactics and strategies of every monster and their ability and how to optimize them
Oh shit am I a narrative wargamer dm
I'm definitely a #3 DM. I have a story happening. I put out plot hooks. The PCs can go wherever & do whatever they want, but events still progress on the world. So, if they decide to go to point B instead of point A first, events still progress at point A. They will encounter different things by going to point A later rather than earlier.
I am a narrative DM that places breadcrumbs for my players to follow the plot, and if they want to go away from that trail, I let them do it and improvise what happens.
Definitely Laid Back. I use rules as boundaries, and focus on the rule of cool, while letting the dice decide the “flavor text” of the actions. My goal is for each person to walk away feeling like they each had their own moment in the sun. So if that means a monster has to die early, or have more HP than normal, then so be it. It’s all done behind the screen, and all my players get a chance to describe an awesome action.
I used to be very railroad, until I saw that none of us were really having any fun. So I changed my style completely, tried again, and we’ve been loving our sessions. I’ve got great players, who are really into their characters and involved in the plot. It’s awesome to see everyone having fun!
when i first started i was the first type but now i see myself as a the third and fourth type together
That is great! I'm trying to become a more full narrative DM with 4 mixed in but it's slow progress
Recent I reassured a new dnd player that it was ok for them to be looking for the “rails” and such since it was their first campaign and they are under 10 sessions or so in. They had been lamenting not acting more in character and felt bad for it. We, the rest of the chat group, reassured them it was a perfectly valid way to play and is often what new players do before they find their footing with the game, so they shouldn’t beat themselves up about it too much. Of course, they still wanted to play their character more naturally so they did so the next time and had a lot more fun with that but they did say the pep talk made them feel better too. I’m glad they found their path to more fun at their table for all this however. So yeah, never stress too much about railroading. Sometimes the players are looking for those. It shouldn’t be the only way to play, but certainly it is one of the better ways to let newer players dip their toes into the game.
Personally I like playing with a narrative dm and try to make my characters a mix of the themes the dm and other players are presenting and also play them as naturally to their psychology as possible (within reason, still need to make sure all players have their time to shine and be a good team player myself). I just very much enjoy a good story is all. I like playing one but also hearing one from the other players and the dm. It’s just fun for me! But that took a while for me to figure out myself.
Definitely a narrative GM here. But I also think that the narrative style also needs to depend on your players. Let them tell you what you want and then if you give them what they want. Everyone will have a blast.
Speaking from someone has been a GM since the days of THAC0.
I love giving players a clear-cut goal and objective, “stop X from doing Y within Z days or else world explodes,” but I love giving them the freedom to do so however they please. I’ll always value a player’s agency (so long as it’s not actively detrimental to the game) but it’s nice giving them a sort of goal to reach. I’ve found it often leads to far more narratively satisfying moments than them doing whatever the hell they want with little story involvement
I am very much a narrative DM. The table I run and am creating a custom world for is a group of friends brought together to play because I wanted to play D&D but knew I would get a table together faster by running a table. Then I found out I had a natural knack for DMing and even my veteran players tell me I'm the DM whose campaigns they are the most invested in and enjoy! In the words of the late Bob Ross, "it was a happy little accident."
Narrative DM for the win! You should totally make a poll about this!
Narrative DM here, but with a laid-back focus.
I DM two different campaigns in two different styles. My homebrew campaign is run as a sandbox campaign, with me dropping story leads but essentially leaving what actually happens up to the party. My other campaign (PotA module) is much more of a narrative campaign, with the party broadly following the story of the module, but how they approach things is fully up to them.
I honestly love both styles for different reasons, and I'm glad I get to DM both.
One of the best mixes, I've found with various groups, is between railroad & narrative by setting up modular social/combat encounters. Meaning you make a list of stat-blocks & NPCs, but make sure each can slot into multiple roles.
e.g. maybe they go to the blacksmith first & overhear X or the talk to the innkeeper first & overhear X. Second they go to another person & hear Y from them. The order of info will always be X-Y-Z... but the personalities delivering that info chance & so does the RP/checks needed. Same with encounters; 4 thugs to a good party become 4 guards to a rowdy party. Obviously gets more challenging at higher levels, more more specific enemy types (i.e. a vampire spawn is mechanically different from an elemental) but by then the party has usually decided while "track" they want to go down anyway.
Not gonna be ideal for all groups, but works well for shorter 3-5hr games & with busy IRL schedules!
I’m narrative with a sprinkle of laid-back when we need it 😉
I am a mix between the narrative leaning towards sandbox and I am a layer back dm as well currently I am dm an homebrew campaign based around the stempunk style of artwork and mixing with warhammer 40k lore and so far my gourp loves it and I enjoy seeing them make their own stories to the end of the campaign now one tip I would give to any newer dm is make it fun for you and the players and also let your imagination take over sometimes it makes the game more interesting to all evolved
I would say my favourite style would be narrative DM with a splash of laid-back.
I took up DM'ing to create an openworld type game, so that is definitely me, but I also always include the rule "If it's fun, I'll allow it" because after all, that's the reason we play this game, to have fun!
I'm somewhere between 3 and 4 because I give a general skeleton to the world so the players have plenty to build off of, but I firmly believe that the random chaos is what makes dnd so fun, so I aspire to let them make the story truly theirs, with all of the funny moments
Mixture of narrative and fun DM
I guess that makes me a Sandbox DM. But as long as it's funny and appropriate for the situation I'll allow it usually.
A mixture of narrative and railroad ist my favorite, giving controle to the players when I can and take it when I must.
The best thing is when me and my players created an epic story together. It is by far the most work top Plan the railroad sections in a way the players are satisfied, but it is the most memorable top the most i've played with
I'm somewhere between Narative DM and Laid-Back DM. I try to stay mostly RAW but I will prioritize fun for the sake of the narrative. And a lot of my minor Encounters, and Adventures are often improvised during the sessions. But any important Plot points are more well thought out.
One of my recent side adventures I ran was improvised on the spot because 2 of my 5 players had to be absent that day. So a gave those who could play a Hook to help the local City Guard capture a wanted Dwarven Mage that went crazy, and made a Golem of random Magical Scrolls and Items; called a Grisgol. That session even spawned one of our funniest moments in the campaign too. The door blocking the passage into the Dwarven Mage's workshop was a Door Mimic. Rather than killing, convincing, or tricking the Mimic they gave it an entire bottle of one of the strongest alcohols in my setting; called Desert's Bite (even a single shot was a DC 20 CON Save). They got the door so drunk that it literally fell off of its hinges. It was a beautiful session that day.
I am a new DM with totally new players (running LoMP) as well so I’d have to say my style currently leans more towards “rail-road”. With that being said, I have definitely added narrative and exploration beyond the minimal plot. Lastly, I have found out with every session that my players really like to take the rules and a flavor them or think of new similar things, and that’s really allowed me to embrace a bit of laid back home brewed chaos and fun.
I play in between a narrative and sandbox DM I usually have a large end goal laid out very early but there isn't a "story line" per say, this leaves my players to decide how to get to that goal and to decide if it is something they should strive to resolve as quickly as possible or if taking it slow is the best option. This play style also lets me continue campaigns long after the "Main Story" for quite a while to give time and rest between world destroying calamities because when I start a campaign I created a massive and detailed world for exploration.
I was a rail road dm, but I learned that players are chaos who usually give 0 Fs about story and just want to have fun, so I've shifted to the minimal prep, make it up as you go DM mixing an open world sandbox with lore fore those interested with the Fun DM who will let players decide week to week what sort of game they want... Also, saying yes to the most obserd stuff leads to some of the most fun. I have an episodic campaign going where a card is pulled from the Deck of Many Things at the end of each session, and that determines what will happen next.
I am a new DM and didnt really look into how to DM. Instead I mixed how I believed DMs should be with how I like to tell my stories, wether they were fanfiction or original.
The narritive DM tag fits me SO MUCH cuz for my current campaign I have a straight storyline, actually 3 and which one the player will take will depend on how they behave and what they do. I have a clear narrative for them saving the world, for them helping the BBEG destroy it, or for them to take on a symbiosis with a world ending interdimensional disease.
Also just cuz I like to talk about it, the first sessions with all members were 1 on 1 sessions, solo sessions as I call em, for them to form a backstory, expand on it and to make them comfortable for roleplaying in my world.
Its working perfectly for all of em.
I'm starting out but I want to be a narrative dm because I'm easy going but also want the world to feel alive by allowing things to happen throughout the world even if players are not there
Me, my mom, and my uncle are all laid-back and narrative DMs. My mom does most of the DMing and she is realistic but also fun (for example you can try to throw something to the moon, but she will at best have it go as high as a red wood tree)
I intend to play out my first campaign like the 3rd option. I told the couple people somewhat how itll go with the fact I have a fully fleshed out story and world, but how they take it on is up to them. I'm pretty excited for it. I'm guna wait for one of their campaigns to end so we have the open day and take the spot after. Practice tell then
I'm a brand new DM but I'm trying to be somewhere between the Narrative and Fun DMs if we're looking at your 4 styles, although I think all of these are on a scale rather than choices of one or the other 🤣
I am all about fun- I've gotten compliments when I go into narrative campaigns, but I do have a more sandbox campaign to be more lighthearted and fun for newer players. My darker campaign is a high power one where the gods of that world are basically dying and the new gods have to be picked, while my one for new players is essentially about a dungeon beneath a tavern that's basically a city inside and infinitely expanding. I have a few details for a story worked out where it becomes progressively darker(I plan on the final boss of that one being the avatars of the Dead Three) but it's more focused on being fun for new players and let them get out of their shell
Definitely a Fun DM.
That was the main goal I had for the campaign I ran. We finished it kinda quick and it was enjoyable. Granted due to how over powered everyone level grinded it was nearly impossible for them to NOT be done fast.
I started as a narrative one, but my players are so laser focused on the main quest that it ended up with me being a railroad one. xD
Haha I feel like I would still count that as you being a narrative DM since you are willing to be flexible, it's just that your players prefer to venture in a straight line 😂 that is surprising though
@Major Illusion I keep hinting at other possible routes. Each character has a personal hook they could explore, but nop. I love them. xD
I'm definitely narrative. I love tight writing in stories, but I also don't want to step on my players' toes too much and prevent them from having or making their own fun.
I am a sandbox DM. It is what works best for my adhd life. I like taking the approach of just building a city with 5 or 6 different story hooks for the players to find while wandering my town.
I find it is best when you let the party know your DM style and give them a few tips on how to spot a quest during session 0.
Fun narrative for long term, Railroad/Rule of cool for one shots
I'm a very laid-back DM with sandbox, currently.
I change up most of my private rolls and choices to ensure the players are having fun, rather than squash them or herd them where they don't want to go.
I’ve got murder hobos so I just use a combat driven story with some role play, mainly they want to pile on as much damage and fight as much evil stuff they can find so I use the combat to further the story when I need to
I am all 4. I typically start a game railroadish. Do a mission and get to know the characters a bit before I open up an to a massive sandbox world with a focus of fun and exploration. Once I get a feel for the players I craft an over all plot using backstory and character goals.
I’d hope to be a narrative DM with a slight touch of laid back. I had an idea of a campaign that runs like a choose your own adventure book where each player character would have major choices or even group choices and those can affect the sort of path the story goes down. That probably just sounds like a regular narrative dm but I feel like I could show off a fun twist.
I'm usually a narrative DM, though sometimes I'm a laid back DM.
I’m kind of a narrative dm, except I only ever have a basic idea of my main story and tend to make a lot of the side plots up as I go along.
I’m the sandbox DM - makes planning hard but allows me to Taylor the party to the players as we go
I adapted my style from the glass cannons DM, Troy Lavali
I haven't heard of them. I'll need to check
I'm in between 3 and 4. I always write a main narrative but my worlds are open sand box with the players choosing how to go about heading to their quests and preparing for them. Although I do like the aspect of fun and will fudge die rolls for the situations to stay exciting.
I have a lot set up in prep, but i do a lot of improvisation which can cause the story to head in different directions, although usually somehow get back to the main quest line as written.
Narrative DM is what I fall under - and I've never considered what a proper name for such a DM style would be.
I uhhhh, was here for a entirely different sort of dungeon master, but this is still usefull. Cheers.
I’m between a narrative and laid back DM granted I’m still new but I like that godly lox zone I’m falling into
Running my first campaign, written by me, but loosely played. I assume I'd fall into the final 2 DM types, since I care much more about the story, but I want fun to be had.
I am a narrative dm with a slant towards fun DM. I set up a narrative and have specific plot points set up in different locations around the story whether it be just one city or an entire country then let the characters off after giving them a primer either they meet some DM in PC that tells them the story that sets off the campaign or with an exposition from an opening storyline.
Just learned I'm a narrative DM. Which I'm happy with. But I may do be a sandbox DM on day to just try it out.
I think I lean closest to sandbox, but there is still a narrative. I base my DM style on open world rpg's like Skyrim.
Most DM’s I work with (myself included) are fun and story driven style. We love our stories and what we write but also want players to have fun. So yeah we will retcon rules and throw out rules just to have fun.
I am very much a narrative DM. Here's all the hot spots, here's the world, now tell me. The day is yours. What would you like to do?
I'll remind you that there's still stuff happening in the background, if there's a time crunch going on it'll be relevant. But if you want to fuckoff and open a tavern? The world will still be there! And it'll affect your new tavern c:
Apparently RUclips thinks this comment is offensive. Somehow. I apologize Susan for stepping out of line and swearing.
The continual timeline for a game is one that I really enjoy but I know some DMs that are scared to use it cause they think their players might get mad if they miss something
I’m laid back, but my style is kind of like that theory of time travel, some points can be changed some are static, and no matter what you do you eventually end up at the story even if it takes a while.
I'm about to run my first one-shot ever and i think i'm gonna be something between type 3 and 4 :D narrative mixed with straight up fun
So im a laidback-open world-sandbox DM. I dig it.
If I ever finally craft an adventure I would strive to be a narrative/ laid back dm I have a whole idea about a campaign that allows either a new player or a dm played npc that unites the party and would work as a huge tanker so for a new player it would make it super fun as with a minimal understanding of characters or even basics of the game they would be destroying monsters and hopefully keeping the party together based around a mystery surrounding that player or if I have a party that does have a good exp base it can be a dm ran character that would be slightly nerfed in order to balance the party while still trying to keep the party together and giving the dm a chance to have some fun rping with the party
I am both narrative, but also sometimes we just try to have fun
I think I'm more of a laid back DM. I improvise things a lot, and try to present players with situations that are really fun, or awesome and epic. I also present situations where they can play out their characters the way they imagine them to be, taking into account their backstories and personality traits.
I like sandbox. I would love to populate a world with life, characters, items, and quests, and let the narrative occur naturally
A mix between the second and 4th dm would probably be the best, instead of or even ontop of a large story would be the players backstories and goals along with a DM who knows how to make it fun for everyone, that is my dream DnD campaign.
Edit: Having relistened, maybe I'm more so explaining the 3rd type of DM than 2nd, altho I think a 5th type that narrates almost solely a story of the players choosing through their backstory and future goals they have in mind for their characters is worth mentioning.
In which case my dream DM would be a mix between 3rd, 4th and my 5th type. For example the campaign goes like you have to powerup before you can truly stick your butts in the BBEG's plans and you power up through the players achieving their goals and getting closure on their backstories. Whilst finding tidbits of the main story as they go.
Deff narritive driven dm, i push them into a direction, but also want them too do what they want or what is important too them. More fun for everyone, and i love improving so its a win win most of the time.
I'm a pretty new DM and I think just because of that I'm falling under railroading but I do want to be more of a narrative DM
No problem with railroading, it's a great way to keep control of the adventure and learn the role of a DM 😊
Narrative and fun first. My group is slow to make up its mind sometimes, though… so I have to give them a narrative to follow, which can sometimes look like a railroad; but since they always have free will to do what they want (with real world consequences) it’s definitely not a railroad. I always have storylines to follow and sometimes they follow them and sometimes they don’t. As for rules, if a player makes a case for something and it breaks a rule I’ll consider it. If I’m like, “maybe…,” then I’ll roll a die publicly and let them know what their odds are. If they agree (they always agree) and let the dice decide. Some of the funnest situational moments are when these attempts are made.
Depends on the group. Sometimes I have to be all of them at the same time. But I tend to fall in the narrative DM category.
I do very little planning except maybe a few homebrew things or world maps other than that I give my players the chance to explore and do what they want I improvise as I go
I’m definitely a narrative DM who observes the “rule of cool.”
“We have Matt Mercer at home”
Matt Mercer at home:
🤣 If I could even have a 1/10 of his DM skill I would be happy
I've tried being a railroad dm, didn't like it, didn't like being a sandbox dm, and while I do like being a laid back dm, I do sometimes add some challenges, so I'd say the one with moderate choices while there is still a clear story
First time dming and it is a one piece themed campaign that I had to take over cause the dm couldn’t do it anymore. I am actually a narrative with a bit of laid-back. I start the next island adventure or ocean encounter with the only main point is that this is the rival or villain for my group, anything else is improv or sandbox. One of the bosses my group actually beat was by flooding their boss room with all the water rations and using a players spell! They woulda had a tough boss if they didn’t, but I love when they come up with clever ways to beat foes. My group seems to really like me as dm and enjoy it a ton as well! Maybe I can dm more often in the future.
I'm definitely a mix of Narative and Fun. Complete freedom can get boring so understanding when to direct the players back to the main plot is always a good idea.
Also fun ALWAYS trumps rules.
I feel like the railroad would be really good for a group who has never tried dnd before. A complete sandbox can be quite daunting
I think my style is more focused on narratives. My players usually pick up on what I expect them to do and oblige. But I'm also perfectly okay with changing my plans or even bending the rules a little if it means my players can do something interesting.
Narrative dm with the "rule of cool" according to my table.
I have my players describe what they want to do, then roll. In combat I have them roll damage and then accuracy.
So the fighter threw a javelin into the hoard that the barbarian just ran into, it went through 2 guys and hit the barbarian, the barbarian threw it in anger in the direction the army was coming from and got max damage on the dice. But he rolled a 15. The ac was 16 on the soldiers. "The rule of cool" comes in bc of the high damage which means he threw it with more force. He killed 3 guys with it blowing a hole in their helmets.
I think the railroad dm is good for beginners but i think even better if a limited scope session. Eg. We had one story over 2 sessions where the entire story happened within one tavern and a secret mini dungeon basement. I think that's really awesome for a new dm because you don't force the players into a specific playstyle but there also isn't too much for the players to improv around. It let's you learn improv while also being able to prepare for the ideas the players may come up with
I will be first time DMing soon in a homebrew campaign. I want to keep it pretty much sandbox because from my experiences as a player it's awesome to do whatever you want and there's still a story unfolding. Also my players are all new to TTRPGs so I don't want to restrict them in the fun they can have. But since they're new to this I'll add a DMPC to balance things and maybe keep them involved in the little bit of plot I came up with
Probably a solid 50 50 split between narrative and laid back cause I usually run a storyline but they can do it however they want and go wherever they want and I don't do rules unless I absolutely have to
I feel like I’m a mix between sandbox and narrative
As a DM/Keeper i mostly use the Narrative style and depending on the people i work with either focus a bit more on one of the two sides, but scale it back if they players get into flow.
I am a narrative DM. I always begin with a plot in mind and loose story. However how my players work through that plot(if they don’t get sidetracked and we spin off into a story all their own lol) is entirely dependent upon the choices they make. If they do decide to abandon ship in favor of a different story that is also fine and I will begin to spin a story around the plot hook they have chosen. One of my players however is also a GM and he is a laid back one we have fun in both styles and agree that that’s what really matters. It’s nice to branch out and experience different styles of play from time to time.
I tried DMing 3x now and since I do one shots I'm definitely the railroad type. Although I would like to be a narrative type when I feel more confident.
I'm a pretty fresh with GM-ing and my style of choice is somewhere between laid-back and narrative. I love telling a cool story WITH my players, not just FOR them.
The only thing truly stopping me from GM-ing that way is lack of experience.
I personally see myself, or aim towards Open World-Narrative DM. I 'prepare' possible situations/events that might happen sometime, somewhere with someone. Very open and dependant on what they do and want to do.
Imma Sandbox layedback
I have a story, but I always make it explicitly clear to my players that if they don't care for my story, they can go do something else
I am not married to the story I made, and even when I have a story, it's just the most important parts, and each part has alot of variation to it so that I can support whatever choices my players make
Out of these four, I'd say a combination of narrative and laid-back, with a higher percentage of the former.