#dnd #dungeonsanddragons #dm I am tired of DMing, but I am not tired of running games. My Discord Link: / discord Patreon Link: www.patreon.co... Twitter: / nofunallowed4
It's just complete nonsense that the players put anywhere near the ammount of work the DM puts in. If a player tried to make that claim to me I would assume they have no idea what goes into DMing.
I've felt just that over and over. It's the reason I'm slowly distancing myself from DM-centric games such as D&D or PF and moving towards game systems that put more emphasis on player collaboration. I'm a teacher in IRL, I don't want to be one in my hobby as well.
Being a (good) DM is A LOT of work. My friends who were high up the "corporate ladder" wanted me to DM D&D games for them. I asked them, why don't one of them DM instead. None of them wanted to do the work. Looking back, I should have been a DM for them, and run a long term D&D campaign for them. I became unemployed, and I could have really used their help in finding a job.
After trying to run an online West Marches campaigns, twice, I suffered severe DM burn out. I took a break reevaluated things, and decided to try being a paid DM. It has been a year now, the players are amazing and I look forward to my games!
It's great to see you back. I still reference your guides. They're great as a refresher. What I do to ease the burden is that one of the players is responsible for hosting. Another player is responsible for scheduling. Another player is responsible for handling the map/minis. I find delegating these responsibilities also make the players more engaged.
Wanted to come here And say that your one of my favorite dms for breakdowns on 5e modules! I’ve been a Dm since 1988 and your Curse of Strahd videos helped me run a very complex campaign in Barovia! Thankyou for what you do, and the content you make!
Just discovered your channel this week and you are easily in my top 3 favorite creators of content for people running the game. So easy to digest and understand. Glad to hear there will be more in the future!
Glad you made another video! I've watched your Curse of Strand and Wild Beyond the Witchlight videos sooooo many times prepping for running them. Keep up the good work!
Very happy to see you back, your campaign guides and walkthroughs are the most comprehensive and detailed I've found, and I enjoyed them all thoroughly!
Hey man, glad to see you around again! Wanted to thank you again for the games you ran last summer on the DC! After realising how much I enjoyed being a player, I had a discussion with my group and everyone agreed to sometimes run a oneshot 😁
Ran a homebrew game for 3 years and would use a bunch of your videos to help. To date, this has been the one that hits home the hardest. The last 6 months or so of the campaign I felt really burnt out and distancing to become a "referee" is what I wanted to do, but found myself just trying to wrap it up. When the campaign ended, I did want to start another campaign, but wanted it to have almost no homebrew so I could be more of a referee. I'm in the midst of a couple month break, but am ramping up to start CoS and am once again using your videos. Just want to thank you for the time you've put into all this.
As a DM (with a lot less experience), I too get tired of having to make sure it is fun for my players. I think part of what has attracted me to campaigns like the Deck/Book of Many Things is the sense that it takes a load of the DM, and you just run/referee what players pull from the deck. Less prep, and leaves the character stuff to them.
I’m so happy to see you back making videos! I was worried that you had quit. Keep up the great work. To answer your question, I feel like being a DM tends to be a let down, but not enough to cause me to quit. The expectations I have for an upcoming campaign aren’t ever fully met, but the overall experience my table has of the campaign at the end are positive. We make great memories along the way even if it falls short of what I was wanting out of the game. At the end of the day, all that really matters is that we all had a great time together. I hope that made sense. It’s pretty late as I write this.
Glad you are back! As a 30 year DM/GM I so appreciated your breakdown of Rime, it really helped me run my version several years ago. I’m going through some GM burnout right now and I’m in the middle of another campaign, so I’m definitely looking for a break too.
I swear...I'm no where as good as other dms but you have given me the courage and strength to keep going. I watch and repeat your videos to help me through my current campaign (witchlight)
"Everyone at the table puts in equal amounts of effort." Ha ha! That's really funny, actually! I don't know about you guys, but at my table everyone pretty much just has to show up and roll whatever dice I tell them to! 🤣Most of them don't even bring a pencil lol. They still show up though and everyone has fun, but yeah, I'm tired too. Good to see you again, Man! This is a good topic for Friday discussion.
You have been missed! Welcome back, I hope to see more of you. I’m a ‘Referee’ 80% player 20%, and understand the amount of time put in to make a great adventure for players, but… that’s where the fun is for me. Having just finished DMing Curse of Strahd over the past two years (made so much better thanks to your videos) the looks on my players faces after they finally killing Strahd was worth all the hours I spent working on it.
Welcome back! I have been playing / running Role playing games for the past 40+ years. I've always put the action in the players hands with a rules light attitude. I love DMing because it gives me a creative outlet to craft an adventure and attempt to tie in certain aspects of the characters personal stories. My main goal is to challenge them but to also insure that the excitement and thrill of victory or defeat is a possibility. They are rewarded well for their efforts.
Great video: I feel like running a game as a referee actually lets me be a fan of the PCs; I can hope they succeed but if I’m warping the world around them so that they do succeed it’s no longer exciting
Great to have you back, putting a lot of work into the game im running and your tomb of annihilation guides have really helped me out with helping make the game fun
Great to see you back. Your WbtW series were so often on repeat that I practically reproduced them during the two runs after :) Regarding being tired of being DM, been there and realized it is mostly the DM unfriendly system that 5e is. Running WoD now and it is so much better and considering replacing my dungeon crawl one shots with Shadowdark or Deep Magic.
Welcome back my dude, also yeah I’ve been a little burnt out of DM’ing but recently a friend of mine let me play and I did a full campaign as a player. It was a great time and inspired me to keep playing and now my DM’ing is better than ever.
Hey! I just wanted to say thank you for all the hard work you put into your guides. I started DMing a few months ago and your guide for CoS has helped me so much. Ive even surprised a lot of the long time DMs in my group with all your suggestions. I was afraid of DMing for so long but you helped me get over my fear with your guides. TLDR: Thanks for being my DM Hero
I'm right there with you, man. Keeping adventures character driven but not character centered is the key. I try to have players build out the world for me by describing home towns, people and locales that their characters have interacted with, and using what they give me. Thanks for all the knowledge and guides you have shared. All your advice has helped me and my games. If my players knew about you, they would be thankful as well. You have a faithful viewer. Peace and love to you and yours!
DM exhaustion is real, for sure. It's important for each person at the table to find their comfort spot, and that includes the DM. Personally, I like to switch it up now and then by handing the reins over to someone else and just enjoying the game as a regular player. I've enjoyed all our games, both as a DM and as a player. While we've drifted apart in recent years, I'm glad to see you back and still enjoying the hobby.
i definelty go with a “refferee” style of play and each time i make a ruling that happens to favor my players they all clap their hands and say “good call, ref, good call.” ok but tbh i think the referee style is so much more fun and makes prep feel like an exciting creative outlet rather than a chore.
Just want to say your ToA guides were pivotal to running my own 18-months-long campaign that is finishing in the next few Saturdays (players are in level 6 of the Tomb right now). Can never thank you enough, bud. But I'm also completely burned out from 5e. It has rigid structures (like spells and conditions) and create expectations that tax the GM (like saving throws for 20 orcs in a single area spell). Every single time, WotC's game design decisions are to make it very easy and overtuned for players but very costly and laborious for the GM. Systems like Cypher or Ars Magica or even Year Zero titles (like Coriolis) inverts the equation and ask a lot more from players instead.
Good to see you again! And i hear you on this topic; i feel very similar!! It's one of the reasons i got so excited reading games like Fabula Ultima...where the worldbuilding is baked in as a collaborative effort. Havent tried it yet, but I'm definitely approaching my GMing a lot more casually these days. It's not worth the stress otherwise.
Welcome back Haven’t seen you for awhile As for DMing I think I worked too hard on the session prep too. I’m currently playing in a 5e game and a 3.5 game so I’m liking playing again
I have only been doing it for a year but just the fact that nobody really puts effort in remembering what's going on makes me nog want to put a lot of effort in. But I wanna play dnd rather than not at all. But nobody wants to give it a try. Even a one-shot is too intimidating. I do offer them to help but this is just it.. Btw.. What solo dnd modules and adventures do you suggest? Followed your whole COS series and loved it man!
thank you! and I feel you haha. i've simply been taking dnd modules and running them solo, for example ive done Tomb of Annihiliation and Horror on the Hill!
Currently running TOA, your video guides have saved me a great deal of headaches! Sometimes it gets rough for us DMs but without us what would our friends do 😂? Good to see you again man keep up the good work!
As a burn out GM myself after 80 sessions of CoS, I learned that I am more creative when collaborating with people. My group want to continue with 5e, I would have loved to try no GM mode co-op of Starforged. I would be happy if you cover more generic TTRPG topics, and the referee topic is interesting I would watch more videos on that topic.
I only play solo. It is the most fun way to explore systems and try new things all the time. I can craft the stories I want and the characters I want. The world is my oyster.
I started watching your videos during your break. loved your Rime series, and I am actually DM'ing my first game tomorrow. Thanks for all the inspiration.
Welcome back! Related to letting the players drive the game, I find it works best with active players, not so much with passive/shy players. Any advice on helping a passive player become more active? I've one such player who has told me they want to improve in this regard, but they are naturally more shy during a session. Any tips you might have for me (DM) to help encourage my shy player, either pre-session or during session, would be greatly appreciated!
i would tie their characters progress through their decisions. example being xp or level ups based on their decisions, new gear tailored toward them, etc etc. also having them write down what they want to accomplish in the next session and bringing that up could be good as well!
Great to see you again! I resonate with this topic a lot and I'm curious what are some examples of systems you've played that encourage player independence and have less reliance on a "DM"?
@@NoFunAllowed right, I just want to find a system that promotes the responsibility of everyone at the table, which I'm sure some are better at than others. So far, every system I've played requires a "DM" rather than a referee
Your guides to dragon heist and Tomb of Annihilation have been a huge help to me as a DM. It has prevented dm burnout for me in a lot of ways. Who helps the DM's DM? 😅
whoa! welcome back! running my ToA tonight and love to watch your guides as a refreasher (because reading puts me to sleep) Love being forever DM though lol
My most recent turning points was when one of my long-term players sat me down and told me to stop wasting my time designing games that I should only prepare as much as my players. He went further to say that even with all my effort my games are okay' but not good and that spending more time on session planning was worthless. I took it stride but ill be honest If I spent an hour or less a week to plan out a 4-6 hour session I wouldn't have a very interesting game. Ive been a DM since 2008, ive ran hundreds of games and did a stint of pro-dming while in college. Ive noticed that what I call the "new wave" of dnd players just do not give a crap about the DM. Only whether or not the DM was able to entertain them. Over the groups ive dm'd for just over the past three years seem to want to just play dnd for the novelty of it but don't get into actual roleplaying and look to me to supply all of the RP/interactions/backstory relevance. IDK I'm just frustrated.
@@NoFunAllowed I think they appreciate what im doing but im the only one who will run games. A couple have spoken up in the past but no one actually hosts games other than me XD Granted one of my other players did give me a one week break by running a one shot in the midst of my last campaign which was a complete homebrew world. Which was amazing and got me back on track. In my current campaign ive got 2 new players and so far they are doing great at the table, showing up each week, working on their characters. I'm normally just do damn afraid to voice my opinion as a DM to my group because I chose to put in the extra effort, story webbing, backstory integration, 3d scale battle maps with vertical terrain. I like doing all of these things but I really felt after that last comment that it was pointless?? Also thanks a ton for reaching out and responding. I googled DM burnout and your video was the first I saw!!
The idea of being a "referee" instead of GM is actually part of D&D's history. Ive been running Moldvay B/X (or Old School Essentials for the modern crowd) and the workload of creating a deep narrative is shifted instead to using simple details to build the world as they explore. Like they're holding a flashlight and I'm only describing what they point it at, if that makes sense. There's a great article called Gygax 76 which is based on an article the man himself wrote about building and running a campaign, stating from just one town and expanding outward as the players go, a great read
I wish I could be more of a referee, but my players are not proactive enough to drive the narrative on their own and they are real life friends that cannot simply be replaced with better players.
I made this same argument in a video and I was baffled at the hate I got in the comments. So many players have NO IDEA the hard work that goes into running a game.
ROAD. Hit the ROAD. Just saw the error. And I understand getting tired of being the primary creator of the story. I have 521 Adventure League sessions under my belt. Maybe another 40 5E sessions. Over 500 people, I quit counting when I hit 500. And lost count of the sessions before 5E. Ref is a good overall name when you do multiple systems.
I can't believe you've come back after all this time talking on a subject that has been bothering me for so long. I got sick of my DM making rulings all the time and homebrewing rules off the cuff depending on the situation. What's the point in having hundreds of dollars worth of rule books then ignoring them. It just makes DMing more difficult and robs the players of a fairly earned victory. If we TPK, we TPK. So be it, at least we died fairly, playing to fixed rules. I'm now running Strahd for my group and the last thing you'll hear me say is "I'll allow it." Either the rules allow it or they don't. If it's not in the rules, don't bother asking.
I'm tired of lackluster players. It sucks to put in all this work to craft a world, build terrain, paint minis, buy books etc and have players not take notes, role-play worth a damn or stay off their phones.
This is great until you get one of these rules lawyers who bargains down damage and b#itch and moan about when they lose. quantum ogres play works but i ran games like you are explaining and had players leave because they said it was a aimless adventure and they wanted simple task. So like your advice i will write may 3 plot points and have the players ask questions instead of racking my brain making settings,npcs, and random tables. The DM is a player too and shouldn't be doing all the heavy lifting.
For the "DM is a D&D term" part. Is it really? Sure, it started there. But most people will just use DM/GM for every game they play. We all know what it means and are used to it, why change it because we're now playing Cyberpunk?
Go play other games. The world is your oyster. D&d players have habits that seriously break my balls, especially the more min maxing they tend to be. Go play some Call of Cthulhu Traveller, etc...
It's just complete nonsense that the players put anywhere near the ammount of work the DM puts in. If a player tried to make that claim to me I would assume they have no idea what goes into DMing.
haha fair
You make the best 5e module guides. Glad you’re still making videos
thank you very much!
Agreed your WBTW guide is top notch. I used it to run my 2 year long homebrew WTBW game. Glad your still making vids. Good, sensible content.
@@NoFunAllowed You're CoS guide has helped me immensely. Is there some way I can contact for a donation as a thank you?
I've felt just that over and over. It's the reason I'm slowly distancing myself from DM-centric games such as D&D or PF and moving towards game systems that put more emphasis on player collaboration. I'm a teacher in IRL, I don't want to be one in my hobby as well.
being a DM is being a teacher, a mentor, a therapist, and so much more haha!
Being a (good) DM is A LOT of work. My friends who were high up the "corporate ladder" wanted me to DM D&D games for them. I asked them, why don't one of them DM instead. None of them wanted to do the work. Looking back, I should have been a DM for them, and run a long term D&D campaign for them. I became unemployed, and I could have really used their help in finding a job.
we live and we learn!
After trying to run an online West Marches campaigns, twice, I suffered severe DM burn out. I took a break reevaluated things, and decided to try being a paid DM. It has been a year now, the players are amazing and I look forward to my games!
a great step in a good direction!
It's great to see you back. I still reference your guides. They're great as a refresher.
What I do to ease the burden is that one of the players is responsible for hosting. Another player is responsible for scheduling. Another player is responsible for handling the map/minis. I find delegating these responsibilities also make the players more engaged.
every little bit goes a long way!
No fun allowed video! Can't wait to watch during lunch
haha cant wait to be watched........... wait that doesnt sound right haha
Always love your modules guides! Really glad that you’re back!!
thank you thank you!
OMGGG YEEE nice to see you back :D
this is such a mood sometimes
haha thank you!
Wanted to come here
And say that your one of my favorite dms for breakdowns on 5e modules!
I’ve been a Dm since 1988 and your Curse of Strahd videos helped me run a very complex campaign in Barovia! Thankyou for what you do, and the content you make!
thank you so much!
Just discovered your channel this week and you are easily in my top 3 favorite creators of content for people running the game. So easy to digest and understand. Glad to hear there will be more in the future!
thank you so much!
Glad you made another video! I've watched your Curse of Strand and Wild Beyond the Witchlight videos sooooo many times prepping for running them. Keep up the good work!
thank you so much!
Very happy to see you back, your campaign guides and walkthroughs are the most comprehensive and detailed I've found, and I enjoyed them all thoroughly!
thank you so much!
Hey man, glad to see you around again! Wanted to thank you again for the games you ran last summer on the DC! After realising how much I enjoyed being a player, I had a discussion with my group and everyone agreed to sometimes run a oneshot 😁
haha awesome stuff! everyone getting to experience the joy and misery od dming is great haha!
Great to have you back with new ideas! I hope the coming 2024 core books can make 5e feel fresh again.
I’m super happy you’re back. I started Running CoS 3 months ago and you helped me a lot :)
thank you and happy to help!
Ran a homebrew game for 3 years and would use a bunch of your videos to help. To date, this has been the one that hits home the hardest. The last 6 months or so of the campaign I felt really burnt out and distancing to become a "referee" is what I wanted to do, but found myself just trying to wrap it up. When the campaign ended, I did want to start another campaign, but wanted it to have almost no homebrew so I could be more of a referee.
I'm in the midst of a couple month break, but am ramping up to start CoS and am once again using your videos. Just want to thank you for the time you've put into all this.
heck yeah and thank you!
Big shout out. As a forever DM in a country where DnD is super limited I feel this sooooo much
haha we all suffer together!
As a DM (with a lot less experience), I too get tired of having to make sure it is fun for my players. I think part of what has attracted me to campaigns like the Deck/Book of Many Things is the sense that it takes a load of the DM, and you just run/referee what players pull from the deck. Less prep, and leaves the character stuff to them.
haha for sure!
I’m so happy to see you back making videos! I was worried that you had quit. Keep up the great work.
To answer your question, I feel like being a DM tends to be a let down, but not enough to cause me to quit. The expectations I have for an upcoming campaign aren’t ever fully met, but the overall experience my table has of the campaign at the end are positive. We make great memories along the way even if it falls short of what I was wanting out of the game. At the end of the day, all that really matters is that we all had a great time together. I hope that made sense. It’s pretty late as I write this.
haha wonderfully put!
Glad you are back! As a 30 year DM/GM I so appreciated your breakdown of Rime, it really helped me run my version several years ago. I’m going through some GM burnout right now and I’m in the middle of another campaign, so I’m definitely looking for a break too.
we all feel that
I swear...I'm no where as good as other dms but you have given me the courage and strength to keep going. I watch and repeat your videos to help me through my current campaign (witchlight)
haha thank you so much!
"Everyone at the table puts in equal amounts of effort." Ha ha! That's really funny, actually! I don't know about you guys, but at my table everyone pretty much just has to show up and roll whatever dice I tell them to! 🤣Most of them don't even bring a pencil lol. They still show up though and everyone has fun, but yeah, I'm tired too. Good to see you again, Man! This is a good topic for Friday discussion.
haha thank you!
You have been missed!
Welcome back, I hope to see more of you.
I’m a ‘Referee’ 80% player 20%, and understand the amount of time put in to make a great adventure for players, but… that’s where the fun is for me. Having just finished DMing Curse of Strahd over the past two years (made so much better thanks to your videos) the looks on my players faces after they finally killing Strahd was worth all the hours I spent working on it.
haha thank you and awesome stuff!
Welcome back! I have been playing / running Role playing games for the past 40+ years. I've always put the action in the players hands with a rules light attitude. I love DMing because it gives me a creative outlet to craft an adventure and attempt to tie in certain aspects of the characters personal stories. My main goal is to challenge them but to also insure that the excitement and thrill of victory or defeat is a possibility. They are rewarded well for their efforts.
right on!
Great video: I feel like running a game as a referee actually lets me be a fan of the PCs; I can hope they succeed but if I’m warping the world around them so that they do succeed it’s no longer exciting
for sure, i want to observe, not dictate!
Great to have you back, putting a lot of work into the game im running and your tomb of annihilation guides have really helped me out with helping make the game fun
thank you so much!
Great to see you back. Your WbtW series were so often on repeat that I practically reproduced them during the two runs after :) Regarding being tired of being DM, been there and realized it is mostly the DM unfriendly system that 5e is. Running WoD now and it is so much better and considering replacing my dungeon crawl one shots with Shadowdark or Deep Magic.
heck yeah!
Welcome back my dude, also yeah I’ve been a little burnt out of DM’ing but recently a friend of mine let me play and I did a full campaign as a player. It was a great time and inspired me to keep playing and now my DM’ing is better than ever.
heck yeah and good to be back thank you!
Hey! I just wanted to say thank you for all the hard work you put into your guides. I started DMing a few months ago and your guide for CoS has helped me so much. Ive even surprised a lot of the long time DMs in my group with all your suggestions. I was afraid of DMing for so long but you helped me get over my fear with your guides. TLDR: Thanks for being my DM Hero
thats awesome to hear and thank you!
I'm right there with you, man. Keeping adventures character driven but not character centered is the key. I try to have players build out the world for me by describing home towns, people and locales that their characters have interacted with, and using what they give me. Thanks for all the knowledge and guides you have shared. All your advice has helped me and my games. If my players knew about you, they would be thankful as well. You have a faithful viewer. Peace and love to you and yours!
thank you so very much!
Glad your back your module videos really help, would love to see one on the new phandelver book
thank you and good to be back!
DM exhaustion is real, for sure. It's important for each person at the table to find their comfort spot, and that includes the DM. Personally, I like to switch it up now and then by handing the reins over to someone else and just enjoying the game as a regular player. I've enjoyed all our games, both as a DM and as a player. While we've drifted apart in recent years, I'm glad to see you back and still enjoying the hobby.
haha heck yeah! my first dm and the one that trapped me into this hobby!
i definelty go with a “refferee” style of play and each time i make a ruling that happens to favor my players they all clap their hands and say “good call, ref, good call.”
ok but tbh i think the referee style is so much more fun and makes prep feel like an exciting creative outlet rather than a chore.
Was really starting to feel like I was alone in this approach. Thanks, man. It’s not just me.
haha we all in this together!
I've been running Tomb of the Nine Gods as a mini campaign to give my DM a nice little break. Your videos have helped me so much! Thank you!
thank you thank you!
Just want to say your ToA guides were pivotal to running my own 18-months-long campaign that is finishing in the next few Saturdays (players are in level 6 of the Tomb right now). Can never thank you enough, bud.
But I'm also completely burned out from 5e. It has rigid structures (like spells and conditions) and create expectations that tax the GM (like saving throws for 20 orcs in a single area spell). Every single time, WotC's game design decisions are to make it very easy and overtuned for players but very costly and laborious for the GM.
Systems like Cypher or Ars Magica or even Year Zero titles (like Coriolis) inverts the equation and ask a lot more from players instead.
thank you thank you!
Good to see you again! And i hear you on this topic; i feel very similar!! It's one of the reasons i got so excited reading games like Fabula Ultima...where the worldbuilding is baked in as a collaborative effort. Havent tried it yet, but I'm definitely approaching my GMing a lot more casually these days. It's not worth the stress otherwise.
haha for sure and thank you!
Welcome back
Haven’t seen you for awhile
As for DMing I think I worked too hard on the session prep too. I’m currently playing in a 5e game and a 3.5 game so I’m liking playing again
thank you! and thats great to hear!
Had to double take the thumbnail bc of your new look. welcome back NFA!
haha thank you!
I have only been doing it for a year but just the fact that nobody really puts effort in remembering what's going on makes me nog want to put a lot of effort in. But I wanna play dnd rather than not at all. But nobody wants to give it a try. Even a one-shot is too intimidating. I do offer them to help but this is just it..
Btw.. What solo dnd modules and adventures do you suggest?
Followed your whole COS series and loved it man!
thank you! and I feel you haha. i've simply been taking dnd modules and running them solo, for example ive done Tomb of Annihiliation and Horror on the Hill!
Currently running TOA, your video guides have saved me a great deal of headaches! Sometimes it gets rough for us DMs but without us what would our friends do 😂? Good to see you again man keep up the good work!
haha thank you!
As a burn out GM myself after 80 sessions of CoS, I learned that I am more creative when collaborating with people. My group want to continue with 5e, I would have loved to try no GM mode co-op of Starforged.
I would be happy if you cover more generic TTRPG topics, and the referee topic is interesting I would watch more videos on that topic.
i for sure will talk more about other things!
I only play solo. It is the most fun way to explore systems and try new things all the time. I can craft the stories I want and the characters I want. The world is my oyster.
haha for sure!
I started watching your videos during your break. loved your Rime series, and I am actually DM'ing my first game tomorrow. Thanks for all the inspiration.
thank you and good luck and have fun!
I watched your Wild Beyond the Witchlight chapter summaries a couple times. Would you consider doing the same for Vecna Eve of Ruin?
it is certainly on the list!
Welcome back! Related to letting the players drive the game, I find it works best with active players, not so much with passive/shy players. Any advice on helping a passive player become more active? I've one such player who has told me they want to improve in this regard, but they are naturally more shy during a session. Any tips you might have for me (DM) to help encourage my shy player, either pre-session or during session, would be greatly appreciated!
i would tie their characters progress through their decisions. example being xp or level ups based on their decisions, new gear tailored toward them, etc etc. also having them write down what they want to accomplish in the next session and bringing that up could be good as well!
Great to see you again! I resonate with this topic a lot and I'm curious what are some examples of systems you've played that encourage player independence and have less reliance on a "DM"?
its a tough think, because i feel the adventure, pace, tone, and feel of the game might affect player independence more than the game system!
@@NoFunAllowed right, I just want to find a system that promotes the responsibility of everyone at the table, which I'm sure some are better at than others. So far, every system I've played requires a "DM" rather than a referee
2:00 simply ask the group if they agree with the call.
Your guides to dragon heist and Tomb of Annihilation have been a huge help to me as a DM. It has prevented dm burnout for me in a lot of ways.
Who helps the DM's DM? 😅
haha the few other DMs haha
whoa! welcome back! running my ToA tonight and love to watch your guides as a refreasher (because reading puts me to sleep) Love being forever DM though lol
haha thank you!
My most recent turning points was when one of my long-term players sat me down and told me to stop wasting my time designing games that I should only prepare as much as my players. He went further to say that even with all my effort my games are okay' but not good and that spending more time on session planning was worthless. I took it stride but ill be honest If I spent an hour or less a week to plan out a 4-6 hour session I wouldn't have a very interesting game. Ive been a DM since 2008, ive ran hundreds of games and did a stint of pro-dming while in college. Ive noticed that what I call the "new wave" of dnd players just do not give a crap about the DM. Only whether or not the DM was able to entertain them. Over the groups ive dm'd for just over the past three years seem to want to just play dnd for the novelty of it but don't get into actual roleplaying and look to me to supply all of the RP/interactions/backstory relevance. IDK I'm just frustrated.
we need to get you some players that apreciate you!
@@NoFunAllowed I think they appreciate what im doing but im the only one who will run games. A couple have spoken up in the past but no one actually hosts games other than me XD Granted one of my other players did give me a one week break by running a one shot in the midst of my last campaign which was a complete homebrew world. Which was amazing and got me back on track. In my current campaign ive got 2 new players and so far they are doing great at the table, showing up each week, working on their characters. I'm normally just do damn afraid to voice my opinion as a DM to my group because I chose to put in the extra effort, story webbing, backstory integration, 3d scale battle maps with vertical terrain. I like doing all of these things but I really felt after that last comment that it was pointless?? Also thanks a ton for reaching out and responding. I googled DM burnout and your video was the first I saw!!
The idea of being a "referee" instead of GM is actually part of D&D's history. Ive been running Moldvay B/X (or Old School Essentials for the modern crowd) and the workload of creating a deep narrative is shifted instead to using simple details to build the world as they explore. Like they're holding a flashlight and I'm only describing what they point it at, if that makes sense.
There's a great article called Gygax 76 which is based on an article the man himself wrote about building and running a campaign, stating from just one town and expanding outward as the players go, a great read
ive used gygax 76 a few times as well!
DM'ing is both very satisfying some days and other days I want to quit.
haha true
I wish I could be more of a referee, but my players are not proactive enough to drive the narrative on their own and they are real life friends that cannot simply be replaced with better players.
Fun Fact: In Ye Olden Times of OG D&D, the Dungeon Master actually was called the referee.
haha i love me some og!
Is AI replacing DM's?
Leaves for a year
I am Tired of DMing
*Refuses to Elaborate Further*
i am the machine now
🤣😂🤣😂
Basically, yeah. Being a DM is, usually, like being in a toxic relationship.
haha so sad to say
I made this same argument in a video and I was baffled at the hate I got in the comments. So many players have NO IDEA the hard work that goes into running a game.
haha for sure. they need to step in the ring to learn the struggle!
Missed your videos lately! I hope you are doing well!
thank you so much!
glad to see your video this morning
thank you thank you!
thanks for what you are doing
thank you thank you!
He back! Great to see a new video!
thank you!
Glad you’re back no fun!!
thank you! glad to be back!
DMs put a lot more effort for sure and whoever says otherwise they should automatically become a DM for the table.
Haha then they'll learn the hard way!
I like to consider myself a simulationist. I try to create a world that seems as realistic as possible that makes sense. I’m done trying to be murcer
haha fair!
You go to say no, but you say yes instead
instead of the dm railroading the players, the players railroad the dm haha!
I love running games. But for now I feel like I do all the work and no one cares. I think I have a burnout.
we need to get you some players who care!
Solo play is the only way. Join us! One of us, one of us, one of us
I’ve been trying to get you on my channel to be interviewed/ chatted to about DMing. Let me know if I should keep pursuing you please
haha lets see if the schedules align!
I've RUN. I have RUN.
He's back!
haha i am!
Can you do a video on cultivating a group to play the game that you want instead of searching for the perfect group, which there is none.
Its on the list!
3:11 sir, what you seem to want is simply more expressive and bold players.
1:30 "being a dm means you need to know the rules"
Ahahahahahahaha! I have never had a DM who understands cover. I still have fun.
Also, rules are bs.
haha you ARE the rules!
you can't fix it if a player doesn't really want to be an adventurer
cant force a player to drink haha!
I wanna hear more about being a solo player
video about that coming soon!
Nice beard dude, glad you’re back 😊
i used to not like beards, but then......... it grew on me
😂😂
YES HES BACK
YES I'M HERE haha!
If your camera is any indication, you just need to focus. 😉
haha its an indication that im poor
If you don’t like my DMing style
Hit the roll jack and don’t come back.
Hit the roll jack and don’t come back.
Hit the roll jack and don’t come back.
haha exactly!
ROAD. Hit the ROAD. Just saw the error. And I understand getting tired of being the primary creator of the story.
I have 521 Adventure League sessions under my belt. Maybe another 40 5E sessions. Over 500 people, I quit counting when I hit 500. And lost count of the sessions before 5E. Ref is a good overall name when you do multiple systems.
I can't believe you've come back after all this time talking on a subject that has been bothering me for so long. I got sick of my DM making rulings all the time and homebrewing rules off the cuff depending on the situation. What's the point in having hundreds of dollars worth of rule books then ignoring them. It just makes DMing more difficult and robs the players of a fairly earned victory. If we TPK, we TPK. So be it, at least we died fairly, playing to fixed rules. I'm now running Strahd for my group and the last thing you'll hear me say is "I'll allow it." Either the rules allow it or they don't. If it's not in the rules, don't bother asking.
haha fair!
I'm tired of lackluster players. It sucks to put in all this work to craft a world, build terrain, paint minis, buy books etc and have players not take notes, role-play worth a damn or stay off their phones.
i say put out the energy people are willing to put in!
WOW YOU'RE BACK
haha it took a hot minute!
Nice man bun dude love that for ya
haha thank you!
This is great until you get one of these rules lawyers who bargains down damage and b#itch and moan about when they lose. quantum ogres play works but i ran games like you are explaining and had players leave because they said it was a aimless adventure and they wanted simple task. So like your advice i will write may 3 plot points and have the players ask questions instead of racking my brain making settings,npcs, and random tables. The DM is a player too and shouldn't be doing all the heavy lifting.
for sure!
I love being a DM
haha thats good! we need more DMs!
Welcome back!
thank you! good to be back!
Yeaaaaaaa NFA is back!
huzzah!
Where the heck have you been for a whole year? And where's the damn couch?
haha the couch is hidden behind the green bed sheet! and yadda yadda insert obligitory drama haha
AD&D!
i love me some old school!
Take a break. Hey, even you still want to run TTRPG. Maybe something less rules heavy like City of Mist?
haha for me its less about the rules, and more about the style and pace of adventures I want to run!
@@NoFunAllowed fair.
Well. You work hard, you run at your pace your comfortable with
Can't wait for AI DM's to be a thing.
just give it a year or two haha!
For the "DM is a D&D term" part. Is it really? Sure, it started there. But most people will just use DM/GM for every game they play. We all know what it means and are used to it, why change it because we're now playing Cyberpunk?
fun fact, "dungeon master" is actually trademarked haha!
Welcome back
thank you, good to be back!
Play UO Outlands ❤
Elite players are not passive! You are looking for elite players!
haha true
@@NoFunAllowed check out the Brosr and This is dundermoose. Great stuff about elite play.
Give RPGs a break and try Warhammer. Best thing I did in the hobby.
aint nobody can afford plastic crack in this economy haha
Your alive 😊😮
haha just barely, but still kicking!
Go play other games. The world is your oyster. D&d players have habits that seriously break my balls, especially the more min maxing they tend to be. Go play some Call of Cthulhu Traveller, etc...
haha i dig me some CoC!
@@NoFunAllowed best cure for DM tiredness : "roll sanity"