How to Dungeon Master (better) with one piece of paper D&D and TTRPGs
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- I used this approach to GMing to teach 1,000s of players how to play TTRPGs and D&D as a professional GM...and you can use it too for your family and home games.
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Its all about pace, engagement, and keeping things moving. So how do you do that? This is my answer.
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Let me know what you think in the comments below, how this worked for your group, and how I can help with future content.
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Of course, if you found this useful, please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing so we can help more people have better games.
You make a good point, about looking up. I can see where it is easy to worry about fulfilling my role as a GM and not focusing on being a part of the game. Thanks for making me think.
Glad I could help my friend. Please let me know if there are other topics you’d find helpful!
This video is Game Master gold! So many great tips and advice.
Wow this was very helpful, thank you!
@@Noob_DnD_Dad happy to help! I have several other videos up that can help GMs. I’d love to have you stick around.
Are there any other topics you’d find useful for me to cover?
Good job explaining all of this and I agree that less is more; also it’s a personal preference thing. I learned by going all into Obsidian and endless research only to come back to paper and pencil. Finding the right balance is a process and art.
I’m gonna check out more of your videos 😊
@@KekoaSkills thanks for being here! You may enjoy our community. Discord link on platform, link in bio. Center page, big red button about one scroll down.
Sandbox play in TTRPGS is not like Skyrim. Sandbox play is emergent cooperative storytelling. Characters must return to safety (town) by the end of the session, or suffer mechanical consequences (loss of loot, stats, hirelings, or even PCs). Players must decide what the next adventure will be before concluding the session. The structure allows the GM to prep what is useful in play.
I appreciate your comment and input. I think there is some validity here, and that also sandbox storytelling is for a very specific type of player (types we don’t see often with RPGC, our players tend to really enjoy cohesive narratives). I’ve found those players who enjoy sandbox games enjoy video games like Skyrim and WoW. So maybe that would have been a better way to phrase it. Thanks for being here.
@@RPGClub123 There is a lot of failure to define terms in this video, and I'm not sure I'll be able to untangle it. I'll keep the lede unburied: If your players enjoy "cohesive narratives", full of what you several times refer to as "plot", then it's only because they've never had a DM offer them the full TTRPG experience. @macoppy6571 is basically correct, although (to define terms) he/she seems to be describing specifically a West Marches type sandbox. If you. the DM, are imposing or structurally "guiding" to any developments or end-states that are non-diegetic or inorganic, you are selling filet mignon and providing chuck roast. You cannot act, as DM, like auteur or writer because you don't control all the elements--you don't control the PCs and you don't control the dice. In order to "provide a plot", you by definition must be ignoring or suborning the elements you don't control. A true definition of sandbox is that the DM pre-sets/creates the setting/environment and all its movers and shakers, then lets the PCs figure out how they want to interact with it. You don't have to stay a step ahead of them; just ask them what they want to do next session! Then prepare that, plus whatever surprises the "board-state" dictates. THE ABILITY TO DO *ANYTHING* WITHIN THE INTERNAL LOGIC OF THE SETTING IS LITERALLY THE DEFINING, UNIQUE FEATURE OF TTRPGS. I can't imagine that anyone who has experienced that freedom would prefer being led through a "cohesive narrative". Unless they are extremely passive consumers of entertainment with little personal initiative or sense of wonder and adventure. To all DMs: Give your players the filet mignon. To all Players: Don't settle for chuck roast.
It occurs to me to note that the "plot"-driven model CAN work for one-shots or limited-run short campaigns, sometimes very well. For an ongoing campaign, however, something more at the sandbox end of the spectrum is far superior.
Best piece of advice a player ever gave me was ‘just make a decision’, or in other words, keep the game moving and don’t let searching for rules or looking thru notes break the flow of the game (break player immersion)
@@age-of-adventure I should make an entire video just on this. So well said!
How do I run professionally?
This will help you. You can "go it alone" or consider working with a platform like RPGC (we wish you tons of success whichever path you choose!). Link on our website for more details with us, or just let us know how else we can help.
ruclips.net/video/Kg6n3I-eNy0/видео.html
@@RPGClub123 thx