Dungeon Masters with ADHD - this one's for you.
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- Опубликовано: 1 июн 2024
- I know this is a long video to specifically target at people who struggle with staying focused, but please believe me when I say that I cut a TON from this script to make it as short as it is 🥲 It's a big topic!!
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► SOURCES
ADDitude - www.additudemag.com/what-is-e...
Front. Psychiatry - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
PLOS One - pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28953946
J. Atten. Disord. - journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1...
Neuropsychology - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
BMC Psychiatry - bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.c...
▼ INDEX ▼
0:00 Intro
2:00 Power Word Prep
6:25 Join my Patreon!
7:10 Prestidigitaking Notes
10:30 Divine Focus
15:30 Speak with Friends
Music from Epidemic Sound
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Развлечения
![DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO - Fused Warriors Trailer [BUDOKAI TENKAICHI Series]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/84p4Lvyfyes/mqdefault.jpg)
With Dael, Ginny, and Jacob all being public about their ADHD I feel like I'm over here gathering infinity stones
honestly, it's just so nice we can all discuss it so openly! Hopefully new D&D players will feel way more confident 🥰
Also The Dungeon Dudes.
@@Alche_mist
the age of man is over
the age of the goblin has begun
@@GinnyDiBeing a DM and having ADHD in many ways is an asset--anytime you have between 4-8 people demanding your attention, hopping from one player to the next actually plays into many of the strengths ADHD provides, especially in combat where you need to turn up the intensity to make things go fast, and faster yet.
Also, ADHD wasn't always the problem that it is today, where people are expected to sit still for long periods at a time and stare at a computer and other desk related jobs. We have 200,000+ years of hard wiring in our brains, and only 150+ years or so to adjust to completely different working needs, since the industrial revolution.
The point is--having ADHD doesn't mean anything is wrong with you---it only means that it's more difficult to cope in a modern day context.
If you watch computer/console game streamers, you can add Call Me Kevin/Don't Call Me Kevin to the list.
I'm gonna be "That Guy" for just a moment and say almost every streamer like Kevin that I watch ( Josh from "Let's Game it Out",. Matt from "Real Civil Engineer", and so many others) all seem like people who need to talk to a doctor to get that official diagnosis.
Noobert, who does Rimworld streams/how-to vids is another one who's diagnosed. He's also autistic and you see his hyperfocus into Rimworld.
I think most ADHD DM's start on a whim, GET SUPER FIXATED, then realize you're in too deep
At least its the one fixation thats lasted 30 years for me. Now to get past social anxiety and play with people outside my group...
I created a world that was so in depth I had to share it… it died so quickly and now my partner has encouraged me to make it a dnd world and play duet with him because he dnd man and so now i have this world i have to build story in and I’m like “how do I do story when i just want magic world explore?????”…. I was creating a book about the properties of plants for one of the former players in my rp…. Dnd is so small scale and i don’t know how do….
I went from playing 0 dnd, to my first game, to DMing two weekly games while playing in 3 others in less than 2 years!
@@m0thernature730 start small, and just add to it, for fun or create a character to help flesh out your world with their life.
Had a massive plan with a an intense plot spending multiple planes of existence, only to then realize I would have to go in depth on all that 😂
ADHD? In your Dungeon Master? It's more likely than you think.
All the ADHD people I know are pretty creative people. DM'ing is the perfect creative outlet where you can let your mind run wild and it's kinda productive. At least I feel that way and the vast majority of people with ADHD that I know (at least know they have it) are DM's, most for that specfic reason.
From what I understand, (and I don't claim to be an expert) ADHD often goes undiagnosed even today.
@@jaspermooren5883Yeah, but the short attention span isn't fun. Holding on to short memory can be like grasping sand.
When this hits 314 likes, we all eat pie.
That was quite literally me, not knowing about ADHD, running a very chaotic campaign ... finding ADHD and the campaign I ran being one of the biggest indicators of it.
Holy Moly this isn't a guide for DMs. It's a guide for living a life😂❤
Totally! That's kind of how I scripted it; I used all the advice I've gathered over the years for dealing with ADHD in day-to-day life and applied it to the problems that Dungeons & Dragons presents for DMs.
@@GinnyDi Thank you for this great content! I was never diagnosed with ADHD but I observe so much relatable habits with ADHD-RUclipsrs and it helps to feel a bit less alien in this world. 😉🙏🏻🌈
They go well together😂. D&D has taught me a few ways to cope with adhd.
That’s true of like like half of Ginny’s videos lol
@@Sirfinchyyy Fascinating🧝🏻
It took me 5 tries to finish this video instead of being distracted by a notification on my phone or noise from the other room.
hahaha that's such a mood 😂
Dear God I feel called out right now lol
Came here to make the same comment. Except I'm still in the middle of the video and have to rewind again now
"Oooh, new Ginny video, sweet! Oops, what's this message about. Okay back on task - oh, ADHD content, nice I need that. Oh, I should send this to my fellow DM and player who is playing in my game in 30 minutes. Okay now I should watch the video. *gets distracted 10 times before finishing, having to rewind countless times*."
same. i'm around the middle now and i already had to go back three times becausei went after my roomba, made a toast, clipped a plant and will have to go back because i just wrote this comment. haha
“The Monsters Know What They’re Doing” book and blog by Keith Amman is very useful for prep
That whole book series is on the shelf in the background of my intro/outro! 🥰 Love Keith's work!
Agree. Great read and so insightful.
It's also really useful when making monsters of your own too.
SlyFlourish's book "Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master" is my go to prep method for DMing with ADHD
I had been playing for 5 years before trying DMing, and suddenly all of my player issued disappeared. I always found it hard to keep my mind on track, and when things did not involve my character, I would often zone out, and even more often miss important information because I was editing my notes and got too concentrated on it. :( lmao.
DMing allows me to stay completely present in the game, since I constantly have to be prepping for the next thing, while also staying in the moment for the scene at hand. I LOVE it.
Me too!! Being a DM is my favorite... prepping for DMing is not always so easy but it's TOTALLY worth it 🥰
Another ADHDer here who wants to start DM-ing, and y’all are giving me hope that I can do well at it! 🩷
@@Hannah_Becton The worst that happens is you give it a go, and realize it's not for you - try running a one shot as your first try - your players will be understanding, if they're a good group of friends. The best that happens is they all beg you for an encore!
Yes I totally agree with that because I feel the same way since I DM. DMing is such a perfect way to really be so involved that I almost never lose focus. I can play multiple monsters the same time and know what they gonna do, but I can not even decide what my fighter is gonna do next turn
how many group listings local or online does one have to go through to find players with similar schedule availabilities?
Hitting thumbs up before watching the video because I know blue hair lady will talk to me like I'm 6 years old and make me a better DM either way.
I would also add 2 things
1) fatigue is horrid with ADHD and can make it harder to regulate or keep tabs on how your body is feeling, what emotions your experiencing, or cause your mind to race. I like to phrase it as my brain can’t decide not to make a decision, so taking note of when you tend to feel tired can help you not to schedule games during those periods and get a nap, lay down, or decompression time before you play.
2) Decision fatigue is a nightmare as our brain is still an organ and needs resources to run and time to rest, and like above we’re not always in tune with when our body is tired or over worked. As such, I like to do what’s called table fiat in place of gm fiat. We have 5-7 brains, so why are we only using 1 to run the game? That’s not optimal! Let your players come up with npc details on the fly, world build together instead of doing it all before the game, or let them decide what happens on a failure (and workshop it if its a stalling failure)
Great advice! Thanks for sharing these tips 🥰
I’m in the same boat and agree 100%
Table fiat sounds so cool! I love that idea!
nooo ginnyyy :( your closing thoughts made me emotional. I dmed a oneshot once over a year ago and it went fine enough but for some reason ive been too scared to try again. But maybe i will actually try again because i want to and i do deserve to do that :( you are so kind in your videos and so encouraging, and so welcoming and i appreciate it so much. You really brighten up the ttrpg scene
You totally deserve it!! and thank you for this lovely comment 💖
Keep at it and keep your mind open to figuring out how you as an individual DM can most enjoy DMing. It's so cool these days to have access to so many perspectives and styles of DMing and rpg systems, supplements, tools etc. The richness can be overwhelming but it can really pay off. I'm still figuring this stuff out for myself after over 30 years since I first ran games. I wish you a meaningful journey fellow traveler!
I cried when you said "sometimes we're not ready for a session, we're not gods." This really spoke to me
I feel like I'm never enough no matter how much detail I put into my games, and this video helped me realize how much my adhd affects my dming
I DIDN'T KNOW EMOTIONAL DYSREGULATION WAS AN ADHD THING OMG
That explains so much. That explains *so much.* Mostly about non-DMing related things though. Anyways I'm glad I'm not the only one who had to learn to shut the hell up during a session so my players can do things on their own for a bit. Even if the way I was subjected to that criticism was a discord dm from a player during a mid-session break lol. It's actually something that's helped me a lot with finding time to take notes though. If I feel like my players are doing RP or planning their next move and aren't involving an NPC it's usually when I try to take any important notes.
Yes! PC rp time is so precious to help with getting organized and just generally taking some time to rest 🙌
I recommend looking at Rejection sensitive dysphoria (RSD) also. I read about it about 7 years ago when I was taking one of my breaks at work. I wound up finding an empty room so I could cry in peace. It made so much of my life make so much more sense.
One thing I really recommend: Give minor minions distinctive features, it helps you AND your players distinguish between them and remember them, and makes the battle memorable. I still have a joke with some of my players about that one fancy hat that was a last addition to an enemy to set him apart from his companions. I have a list of features and cycle through them.
Great tip!! Thanks for sharing 🙏🥰
Love it haha
You had a silly hat guy too!?
I made a hostile NPC that would fight the players character for their hat if it was better than the one they're wearing. It was so silly and the table loved it. They started looking for great hats in order to force a rematch.
@@MichaelRainey that’s hilarious!
Girl.... you are creative AF! I'm not even two minutes into the video writing this. I really appreciate your creativity and candor. Great job!
I might get hyperfocused on her cosplay from time to time.
I loved two things with this week’s sponsor: 1. “Just like we rehearsed.” *Proceeds to constantly prompt lines* 😂 (was the prompting a part of the script? I hope it was!) and 2. “I’m on there of my own free will!”😂
I would love to see you make an appearance on ADHd20. They discuss the intersection between ADHD and TTRPGs. It's neurodicey!
Loved their recent video on Notion. I always enjoy seeing other people get super nerdy about note taking 😅
@@GinnyDi When I first got into D&D, one of your videos mentioned writing session notes journal entries from the perspective of your characters, which reeeeeally helped me up my note-taking game. Thanks for all your attention to neurospicy content lately! (Alison from ADHd20)
@@GinnyDithe whole reason I watch Thomas Frank
Yes to this, please!
Yes!! ADHD20 is brilliant. It's nice to have multiple episodes all on ADHD in TTRPGs, so you get whole episodes just on single symptoms and how they work with it. It's informative and validating. I actually can't believe no one ever thought to do a podcast on those two topics before-there are so many of us!
The moment you pulled out the ukelele was the moment I went "I'm in this picture and I don't like it." As always, right on the nose. Well done, Ginny!
Haha right? I have never felt so PERCIEVED in my life. Look, no, the session isn't ready, but I taught myself mini macrame and made you all friendship bracelets representing your character class? So...
Josh, blink twice if you're okay
Oh, is that today's sponsor's name? I wouldn't know since he is definitely a stranger 🫣
@@GinnyDi Yeah I think it was! strange how he seems rather familiar 🤷🏽
Stars and Wishes actually sounds exactly like a legitimate feedback technique taught in my management degree called "medals and missions", which is essentially just what you said. It's a great way to make sure people don't feel like feedback is negative (especially when the "missions" or "wishes" are explained in a positive way, rather than solely negative. That can make the "medals" or "stars" feel hollow)
While I don’t have ADHD, I DO have depression and anxiety, and as someone who is frequently a DM, I also found this video extremely helpful as they can give me similar struggles when it comes to prepping. The note taking I have definitely found as something helpful for both DMing and playing for keep focused, with a written journal as a PC and a Word Doc with headings as a DM
I have bipolar, anxiety, and ADHD. I wasn't diagnosed with ADHD until I was an adult with fully medically stabilized bipolar and anxiety because mood disorders (such as bipolar and depression) paired with anxiety can mimic the effects of ADHD, so most of my previous doctors thought it was just that my mood and anxiety weren't fully controlled yet.
That's all to say: you may not have ADHD, but the depression and anxiety can look a whole lot like it sometimes.
@@lankira It's also worth noting that PTSD can also tie into this too.
As someone diagnosed with depression, then anxiety, then PTSD, and then autism, it's worth remembering that these diagnoses, along with bipolar and a whole host of other neurodevelopmental or psychological difficulties, are all in this big pocket of things that can affect your executive function in some really bizarre ways.
It's definitely worth bouncing around through advice for all of those conditions, because it may not be the condition you're diagnosed with, but you may find common coping strategies from those other diagnoses are relevant to your own struggles.
It's also worth stepping back from looking at a single diagnosis, to see whether other diagnoses might also be true for you. Comorbidity of conditions is a thing. As an example, autistic folks often have anxiety, depression, and sometimes PTSD as a result of trying to live in a neurotypical world as a neurodivergent person. I can't speak on ADHD in particular, as while I suspect I may also have ADHD, I haven't looked far enough down that particular rabbit hole to be sure I do, and don't want to speak over people with more knowledge and experience with ADHD.
@@KidarWolf This is all true too!
In addition to the conditions I mentioned in my earlier comment, I also have PTSD (I didn't think it was relevant at the time, but you're correct that it is). I find that a lot of strategies that work for folks with other mental health issues work for me as well because my comorbidities work together to look a lot like those things, even when I'm medicated and in therapy.
And, similarly to you but flipped around, I think I may be autistic based on lived experiences, but I haven't pursued a "formal" diagnosis yet.
Biochemistry is weird, the brain is a complex organ, and understanding what's going on even in your own brain is hard sometimes. At least we have some great resources and vocal advocates now compared to when I was first going through the mental healthcare system some 22 years ago as a teen.
That's awesome! It's so cool this video helped you too. Depression and anxiety co-occur with ADHD a lot so we know how you feel and welcome you as our own. :-) Neuro-dicey peeps need to stick together and encourage each other!
@@lankira Statistically, it is entirely probably that the both of us are both autistic and have ADHD, based on what the autistic and ADHD communities are able to observe. The two seem to have significant overlaps, and while historically various diagnostic criteria did not recognize the validity of having both conditions, these have since been changed to recognize that they may co-occur, and indeed, we may find, just as autistic diagnostic criteria now more accurately reflect a broader range of the population and has therefore increased the number of diagnoses, that being both autistic and having ADHD are far more common than was previously recognized by the psychology community at large.
I absolutely agree that we're lucky to have the resources and vocal advocates we do today. My PTSD and autism went undiagnosed for 20 years and 30 years respectively, and may not have, if I'd had access to the kinds of resources available to people today. Hopefully, that means fewer people will go through the heart-wrenching nightmare of everything being wrong, but not understanding why that late-diagnosed people like myself have experienced.
As a non-ADHD person (or not diagnosed) this sort of thing is still very helpful
As someone whos really undiagnosed and still figuring stuff out, this does help even if not for sure what symptoms someone has, seeing relatable m problems and potential solutions helps a lot!
Knowing you're not alone and beginning to realize these things are connected, basically realizing you're not a failed human being goes a long way. Good luck on your journey!
Thank you so much Ginny for making this!
Hearing you talk about emotional dysregulation was so important, it's something that does get skipped in a lot of ADHD talk, and it can leave you feeling like you're just overreacting to everything and are too "squishy" emotionally to be able to DM or... do anything where people rely on you, honestly. It's extremely validating to hear you talk about needing to take time to process, and a great reminder to give myself more grace.
Adding my "this thing worked for me, it might help you too" story to the pile. (Tl:dr: Notetaking, but let chaos reign. Number the pages later and keep an index at the start of what's on each.)
I tried so many different ways to organize notetaking so I could find everything, I ended up with dozens of categories, separate notebooks, colour coding..., but the problem I always had with it was that I would think of something that needed writing down (I'm a pen/paper notetaker, it helps my memory/absorption to have the physical objects) but I was working in a different "section" of my notes (for game prep or whatever) so I would either have to write it in the "wrong" place, or task switch, put it in the correct place, and risk losing track of what I was doing. Or I would get stuck trying to fit things in the right category, and end up losing track anyway.
In the end, the solution I found that worked for me was to... organize less? Sounds counterintuitive, but the magic moment for me was deciding to write ALL of my notes/game prep/random ideas/ little NPC details in the same giant exercise book, just all jumbled together, BUT, (and this is the key) as soon as I fill a page I number the page, and write a running "index" at the start of the book (leave the first couple of pages blank for this). So everything is numbered and I can skim the index and find that random plot idea later, even if I sandwiched it in between 2 dungeon floor plans and the shopkeeper's family tree going back 5 generations. I found it easiest to number as I went, and stop trying to categorize everything. And, weirdly, I often found that I remembered where stuff was in my book sometimes even without the index, because my brain remembered the context of, like, "oh, that's next to the monster stat block page near the middle, I remember writing it". Eventually you fill up the book, and start a new one, and put the filled one in a set place where it will live, so you can refer back to it if you need to.
That was a long ramble, point is, it's messy, it's not elegant, you will end up with lines in the index like "17-19 - list of names for fae realm spell components" and "20 - Villain monologue ideas" next to "21- sketch of Kobold stronghold" and you do need to keep up with the index or it all falls apart, but adding the new line whenever I added new information became second nature, even for my scatterbrained goblin self. It freed up a huge chunk of my prep time because I could just move through things in any order, without worrying where to put them.
prestidigitaking notes is one of the funniest things ive heard in a dnd video 😂😂
Yer a wizard, Ginny! The framing you give to life with ADHD is always so spot-on, and this video is no exception. Thank you, fellow neurodicey one!
3:08 Ginny Di apology video just dropped.
I went back in the vid to check, heard the sound and cracked up.
you killed me
I'm... 😢 sorry that I didn't prepare this week's session.
CRISPYYYYY STOP BRO
But it's a musical video, so it's appreciated ... singing with a ukelele backing ...
The toxic dungeon lightning rail?
I keep Suggesting to myself that I need to take notes during or immediately after the session, but I keep making the saving throw.
ADHD has really made me better at improv though and distilling my prep notes to what truly matters to me.
Give some player the task of a log/chronicle. It will at least create a log of their side.
That B-plot flower trinket crafting from 12:45 to 14:30 is impressive! I love how it helped my ADHD brain to have two stories playing at once, but also I can't help but wonder how difficult that was to pull off!
The Speak with Friends part hit home for me.
I ran a mythology based campaign a few months ago. I put my soul into it and thought I was doing a good job. But after every session my best friend would tell me she wasn't having fun. When I tried to address it and ask what I could do to make it a fun experience for her she'd say IDK. Basically real life stuff at the time made this campaign feel less special than the last campaign I'd run.
This ate away at me, every time. The rest of the party had a blast even after a problem player got replaced. But I still consider that campaign a failure because my best friend wasn't enjoying it.
Closest I got to a problem I could fix was with in game romances. She complained to me once how she's tried before in my session but whenever she flirts with a character they "just sound like you" and that takes her out of it. So I was determined to fix this. I thought for sure if I knew it was coming I could handle it better then when she starts hitting on random fish seller #1. I asked her to try flirting with the next NPC the party sees (the campaign was ending, there was only 1 npc before the boss). Turns out I couldn't do it, felt weird trying to flirt with my friend and took me out of the experience. So I fumbled it, and to make matters worse she got uncomfortable, feeling like I was trying to flirt with her. I wasn't, I just wanted the campaign to get better and this was the one addressable issue I could work on. Well, things continued to spiral from there, and as it stands now, things got uncomfortable to the point where the group is no more.
Talk to your friends people, and if things are getting real bad, that's all the more reason to talk with them before things end for good.
Such a big topic to cover. First off, I'm a DM with plenty of experience, but no performing chops whatsoever. Google 'getting into character' and 'de-roling'. You will find plenty of information on getting into and out of character. DM's usually do not inhabit a character long enough for the problems pros can have. However, I believe what you are describing is a similar problem in how to differentiate the Role from the Relationship with the player.
I solve this by body language, lack of eye contact with the player, and mixing in third person narration. It is really tough to look another person in the eye and express your long lost love, or whatever raw emotion, in character. We are made to connect with each other. Interpersonal intimate words have power. You can make the other person much more comfortable if you expressly avoid 'making the connection'.
Body language: stay in your personal space with arms and hands close to your body. This is usually easy to do since the DM is naturally removed.
Negative eye contact: look at the space in front of the subject player while speaking in character. Don't be weird like you are mentally categorizing their belly button lint. Let your gaze drift as normal, but avoid eye contact with the immediate player you are interacting with.
Third person narration: If things get emotionally heavy, awkward, or just need to collect your thoughts, break character and describe something. Think of book dialogue as an example. You don't need to be famous author quality so don't beat yourself up. Simple things like "She turns her head to look out the window to hide brimming tears" work just fine. Heck, a heavy sigh followed by a short action can do wonders: *sigh* "He takes a drink." Lastly, it really helps to have a consistent narrator voice so all the players pick up on it immediately; easy if you use your normal voice.
I could probably go on forever, but that is pretty good snapshot of the advice I have to offer. :)
Also please remember: not every friend is a good person to play dnd with. You can be friends with someone , but still have different preferences in narration style, gameplay or what you are comfortable with. I think pointyhat did a really good video on that lately.
what she said :), ADHD been running games in more TTRPG than I care to talk about for the last 30+ years.
As a fellow ADHDM, I love this!
I’ve been running campaign for years before I was diagnosed with ADHD. It’s a magical moment when I also realized DMing gave me all the stimulation I needed, and that reception for stimuation was (partly) what made me the fit for the job. Cheers and thanks for the spells!
I'm a DM with ADHD, and I feel very seen after watching this video. You know all of my tactics!! :)
I'm happy you're here to help with other wizards getting into DMing! Good luck out there everybody!
There's also the Necromantic spell "Create GM Lieutenant." This is where you find someone else who is cool with running, but you still get to write the worldbuilding stuff, some general sketches of adventures, and all the other stuff you enjoy doing, but someone else does the hard part- being "On" for a few hours to actually make the game a thing
My group has a designated Co-DM to help me remember things, when I read the rules wrong, or if another player needs help with something and I don't have the answer for them 😅
You want a caller, mapper, chronicler, quarter master and other player tasks.
@@elizabethunderwood8777 I don't so much have a designated Co-DM among my close friends I DM for IRL, but one of them is as much a system-head as I am, but with a better memory, so I often doublecheck rules with him if I'm not certain about them.
The emotional disregulation thing was something I’ve never come across and has really made me think, I’ve found that I tend to be at first overly cautious of using the wrong emotion and just shut all off for a while sometimes and this helps me understand why
Omg that comparison between ADHD and a wizard learning spells is literally the cutest 😭😭💙💜
I struggle a lot with ADD and have to put in a lot of mental effort not to feel like I've been dealt an unfair hand and give up entirely.
Wizards are my favourite class BECAUSE they evolve, warp and grow _with_ the game as it continues and they make a whole lot of things starting with nothing but ink and paper.
That link between those 2 really hit hard. Thank you Ginny.
The Lazy Dungeon Master’s checklist is a godsend
YES! Structure for prep for the win!
I was searching for a video like this yesterday and now theres one from my favorite dnd creator ❤️ thank you
I've done "walk with me" with players. if the player is doing a one on one with an NPC, and it's away from the party and not combat, we go for a walk. this keeps it away from the other players, and gets both of us away from the table. the player is free to tell the rest of the party as much or as little as they like.
I like that idea a lot. It's a good excuse to get up and move, and to encourage the other players to do the same. It can fill a dual function too - the player you're walking with and yourself can go get some nice snacks for the other players, while the other players can busy themselves with their own chill out time. Could be fun to hand the players staying behind a card game like Cards Against Humanity, or something similar, and recommend they play it as if they were their characters, it gives them a chance to learn more about how their characters think.
@@KidarWolf I had a group years ago that had a very hard time with player knowledge vs character knowledge..something would happen, their characters weren't there and had no way to know it but they were somehow reacting to it, even after reminders. so I started physically separating the group when they were not together. it had the side effect of the players doing anything they could to stay with the party.., which reduced my workload as a GM by a lot LOL.
Hey Ginny, love the video. So nice to bring light to how we can harness our mental disabilities into superpowers to really shape our games.
I have high functioning autism, and I am the GM of our group. People know I can learn a game quicksmart, no matter how complicated the game is.
I would say for the most part, routine and time is VERY important to us. I for one hate being late and unprepared. However, this can lead into situations where if a very different situation occurs in the game that I had not prepared for, I get very anxious. This is something I've had to learn in life in general, but it has helped me to recognise that sometimes, you can't prepare for everything. You have to expect the unexpected, and learn to roll with it. Over time, I've gotten more confident in handling situations that aren't prepared for.
I believe that learning about each other's neurodivergencies will help us to not only be more understanding, but help us to truly harness our abilities. These tips are great for any neurodivergent or even neurotypical persons!
Really love the creativity of this video, keep up the good work!
Yet another ADHDM here, I found the Sly Flourish lazy DM notion templates really helpful for session prep, to make sure I had encounters and such prepped. Plus i would then put notes on what happened in the same doc as soon as the session ended. Casting a couple of your spells with Mike's help 😅
First, thanks Ginny for all those great ideas about ADHD and leveraging the good parts/strengths and alleviating the common issues with typical challenges with being a GM for TTRPGs! As usual, amazing content! Keep it up! :)
I use game notes (written from the perspective of one of the PCs) in the games I've been running for the last few years. Everyone contributes (including me). We have a google doc with a specific section for those notes. One player writes notes from their PC's point of view about the session and everyone fills in the gaps, etc. at the end of the session and as the GM I'll often highlight some sections and add a comment to add context or details (without changing what the player wrote).
The reward for doing so is an inspiration use for the next session! :D Keeps everyone motivated and that extra inspiration use is fantastic for key RP moments, where a player has this internal struggle of "do I keep it for a later moment or use it for this one"!
It also helped a lot in really cool, key RP moments that had being built up for weeks or months where the PC would've failed a check/attack/save that would prevent them from doing something *really* cool in the story but that extra inspiration comes in handy to allow that to happen! Overall, a lovely endeavor that's been working super well for me (GM with ADHD) and my players! And now one of my games I've been running for ~4 years (with a few 2-3 months break every year for good measure, around holidays, trips, etc.) has a log of like 89 pages with just a few hundreds words shy of 40000! It is easily searchable and a great way also to quickly see how the PCs evolved since the notes are written from their perspective!
*edit*: I literally wrote this at like 10m20s in the video and a few seconds later you mentioned the inspiration idea! :P
6:26 Josh. Blink twice if you're in danger.
What do you mean? This isn't Josh. It's just a *totally unbiased* individual who looks a lot like him...
Okay, you got me.
This is great roleplay!
I mean... it is roleplay.... right? 😅🖖🏻
Felt like he should be holding a newspaper with the date clearly in view of the camera 😅
Thank you Ginny! I am an Adhd-haver currently prepping to DM a one-shot I have nearly finished writing. I love your content and really appreciate these tips! ❤
Hope the one-shot goes super well!! You got this 💪
I love this video. I was diagnosed when I was very little, so I had intervention from the beginning, but have had a hard time with ADHD in more recent years. Especially when I started playing dnd. Then I found you in 2021 with your video about note taking and have taken it to heart ever since. I love that you brought it back with even more specifics and advice for ADHD in general 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Thank you so much for this wonderful video! As someone who got diagnosed with ADHD basically at the same time as starting as a DM everything resonated with me.
I felt wonderfully represented, understood and learned new things ✨
Honestly, this is definitely one of my favorite videos ❤
I had to screenshot so much of the transcript because you called out my group SO HARD with this one!
Thank you so much for making this video!
I had a notification reminding me to check this one out in my email inbox, because of course it was there out of all places, lingering around for over a month before I finally remembered to do something about it, what, some 30 minutes ago during my lunch break.
All the advice seemed sound, and I will be making some sort of a list for myself when I eventually remember to do it, but most of all I appreciated your words of kindness in the end. Daily life with ADHD can be a struggle, and remembering to extend even some mercy and empathy towards oneself can often slip one's mind, when the world around us keeps reminding us about all the ways in which we do not fit in. Adapting to norms can be taxing, and when the same hardships follow us to our spare time and roleplaying tables, it can feel outright unfair.
But as you pointed out, it is okay that our games might look different than the ones that our neurotypical friends run. In so many words, it is okay for us to be ourselves. Even if it might be difficult to remember it sometimes. Thank you for the reminder.
Wishing you all the best.
I like all your fancy classical tomes in the background of your wizard's study such as the work of the master wizard Douglas Adams.
Yaaas I was SO looking forward to see this video coming from you.🎉
Yay! Thank you! Hope you enjoyed it
@@GinnyDi Me and all of my P&P folks
Thanks Ginny! I was diagnosed with ADHD for the first time this year at the ripe young age of 41, and it’s been amazing having a framework to better understand why I am the way I am. That being said, I’m still learning how best to cope and deal with the way my brain works, and this video is a wealth of info and has already helped me prep my Sunday game in a much more efficient way. When I started this video I was in the midst of reading through the history of Calimshan instead of designing encounters, until you pointed out the hyperfocusing thing. I feel very seen, thank you!!!! (also, thanks for citing your sources!!!) Keep up the amazing work!
It's not every day that a twenty-something-minute D&D advice video on RUclips makes me feel so seen, or makes me feel so validated, or helps me understand myself better to such a (high) degree, OR gives me even one, let alone four, practical and immediately-usable pieces of game-running advice... but this video does all that and more. Thank you, Ginny, from the bottom of my heart to the top of my messy ADHD brain - thank you so much!
Advice that is not just useful for gaming but for most regular activities. These issues affect my work frequently. Hyper-focusing on things I prefer while the rest of the team believes other aspects are higher priority is a real issue. And working with different personalities while having difficulty regulating emotions generates so much stress.
I really like the stars and wishes system for feedback, not only because of focusing on solutions instead of problems, but also because the stars give a little dopamine reward that helps especially ADHD people. It also helps me as a player to mentally recap the session and think about what parts I liked or didnt like.
Also I recently learned that turning a book or series you liked into a dnd adventure can work really well and cuts down significantly on the worldbuilding and prep you need to do.
And dont feel ashamed to just tell your players "guys, I have no idea how to get you out of that situation alive, do you have any suggestions I can work with?"
0:52 can I just say what an amazing particle transition effect!! Wooow! 😮 Great editing!!!
This nearly made me cry, thank you. I don't know why I keep holding myself up to norms instead of taking a chance and trying to modify things to my needs.
Didn’t even finish the video before being compelled to comment. This is great advice for ALL DMs! And as noted by others, much of this works for life/time/work organization as well. AND presented well! Well done!
Just said this on an older Vid, but you remind me of my daughter and I am so thankful for your channel. Thank you for keeping the Story Alive.
I've only discovered I have ADHD recently (I'm in my 50s and been role-playing for 40+ years and I mostly GM). This helped me pin point a few realities for me and start to think through how I can manage it. Thank you.
oh shit, I've been saying all of this for a long time as to why I DM.
I've been running games for 25 years and only got medicated for it two years ago.
DMing is one of the only things I know I genuinely done well. There are still learning curves to systems mind you. I digress.
Thanks for the video, you have some solid suggestions here.
I'm gearing up for my first session as a DM and I had no idea that I was already using these coping mechanics until I saw your video. The last bit is incredibly helpful, and it makes me feel less alone in the fear that I'll make a mistake and my players won't call me out on it, and then the campaign ends after 4 sessions. I'm binging some of your videos to boost my confidence for my first session, your approach to DM'ing is easy to understand for a first time DM and it makes this whole process a lot more bearable
I wish I could send this to myself in the past! Thank you so much for taking the time to share these!
If you ever figure out how to send videos to your past self let me know how to do it. I would pay good money for that information.
I love that people are acknowledging adhd in DND. It is always wild to see how others cope with ADHD. I love your ideas and advice, and they are fantastic. They aren't what works for me, but as you said, we all cope with our adhd uniquely, and that's ok. My methods work great for me. But it's awesome that you made a resource for people who need a place to start.
Thank you so much for this video! It was very easy for me to stay focused on it :)
As someone who got diagnosed last year at 30 years old, this video informs me about a condition I've lived with my whole life but know nearly nothing about, so thank you for that as well!
I realise that me as a DM with ADHD am sometimes so focused on my own difficulties and stress, that I forget to try and make a session that would also work with players that have ADHD.
I wonder if, because my ADHD was never taken into account, I too don't take into account my ADHD and that of others. Maybe I internalised that it isn't "that big of a deal" and that I (and everybody else) should just "deal with it".
This is great psych education! It’s just applied to DnD, you can apply this to life. Love it!
So cool to hear someone I respect so much talking about this and sharing their experience, as I'm just "starting" to discover my ADHD
Thanks D I have terrible ADHD and I’m a Dm this was soooo helpful this has gotten my thought process in order on how and what to do when I run my next session
So glad to hear it was helpful. Hope your next session goes smoothly!! 🙏
Absolutely love all of this! I started doing Stars and Wishes after you mentioned them a while back! I also added 'Wonder', which is essentially a question they have about something in the story or if they want to get something clarified such as "Have we heard that NPCs name before?" or "I wonder when this villan is going to appear again?" This helps me keep everyone's notes on the same page (heheh) and shows me what plot hooks and details players are interested in. I've definitely expanded on some plots and NPCs that my Players shared using these tools and our campaign is going strong coming up on 2 years this summer!
I got diagnosed with ADHD over a year ago and it truly meant the world to me that a creator I admire so much shared her struggle with us AND is helping the community my making supportive videos like the ones you make. It sure helps with Imposter Syndrome and RSD to know that other creatives and DMs are in the same boat as me. From one ADHD wizard to another, thank you Ginny, and please take your day with advantage
There was this one DM who drew up 20 paper loading screens and stuck them over the DM screen whenever they needed to look something up. The papers would say "Now Loading..." and include increasingly obscure facts from the Player's Handbook.
Your explanation of Stars and Wishes made me realize that I was using it wrong in my games. I had been using Wishes to mean "things people wish were different about the game" rather than "things people want to see for the future." The former frames wishes as a much more negative thing. I was basically asking my players to LOOK for problems with my game, and provide suggestions for improvement. By contrast, the latter is more open-ended; it COULD refer to something the players want to change, or it could simply refer to something they're excited about in a coming session. In the future, I may try using this system again, but with this more open-ended framing. So, thank you for helping me understand this tool better!
The section on working memory was sooooo helpful - the advice, for sure, but also just hearing the problem articulated so clearly and compassionately. I'm pretty high-functioning in most areas, but I don't think I've ever felt as truly *disabled* as when I'm trying to keep track of combat rules and status effects and spell lists and tactics all at once. I definitely tend to beat myself up for running boring generic combat bc whatever my intentions going into the fight, once initiative order starts I'm fighting for my life just to keep track of the basics, let alone smart strategies or individual quirks. I don't always relate to ADHD advice online but this video really nailed it
Liked this video and liked being called a wizard! As an ADHDM (ADHD DM) myself, I'll definitely try out establishing a system or a checklist for D&D prep. I know I do not prep often enough.
Which is why in addition to these, one skill that I find useful is just...flying by the seat of your pants and making stuff up as you go. I have run entire sessions where my entire prep notes consisted of a single pink post-it with "goblin maybe water thing?" scrawled on it five minutes prior. Being forced to essentially improvise an entire session makes all my other sessions so much smoother because I get practice at responding to the characters' actions without any sort of reference. So in more planned sessions, when the characters come up with a brilliant/stupid plan that I didn't expect, I'm not worried. I know I can do this, and I have two illegible sticky notes - I'm twice as prepared!
Also, D&D acts as an ADHD hack in and of itself - inviting my friends over for D&D means I have to clean my house.
I completely expected excellent tips and coping mechanisms. I did not expect to feel so seen and to cry with joy. Being a forever DM in a large friend group of DnD players and fellow DMs and being the only one with ADHD made me feel lonely in a way I didn’t ever realize. Thanks Ginny!
Thank you for this Ginny, you make it easier not to give myself a hard time about my session planning struggles!
Thank you for you suggestions & explanations of a complex situation. It helps all of us understand & have empathy
You’re such a bright light for this! I love that people are getting more and more open about their adhd, but at the same time I absolutely loathe that nowadays the vast majority of people online (on TikTok in particular) talk about it as a series of fun quirks like “omg I talk so fast, gotta be adhd!” No, it’s an actual struggle, people!
I think it’s a similar situation with autism, but since I’m not autistic I don’t feel like I can be sure about that.
Anyway, videos like these are actual potions of healing for mending the psychic damage the Internet dealt us so thank you a lot ❤❤
You took some great notes during your 'what should I post in the coming year', cause this was one of my requests as well. My overworked add brain from today however, had just enough juice left to watch this awesome video in one sitting, but honestly, this was a lot to take in. I'm gonna need a few more viewings on this one. Which is NOT bad btw, just pointing that out. You did awesome - well worth the extra time. I get why I took you the time it did, all them effects! :D
Thank you! 💖
It was honestly so tough to get all the information I wanted to share in this video and it's still SO long. Makes me extra glad you found it helpful!
Loved these tips! And the framing for the conversation was both cute and awesome! Big fan!
I've been hearing a lot about players making flow charts for running their characters in combat, but haven't been able to find a step-by-step, template, or explanation with any real depth. As someone who DMs for a lot of new players, I would love a video on this!
This may be THE BEST video you have ever made. I am blown away by the production, script, research, concept, delivery, and relatability. Amazing work.
Hi Ginny! it was one of your videos that convinced me to try DMing a few years back, and this video reminded me that I am doing okay and it's okay to have the needs I have in order to run a good game. All these points are fantastic! I'll be sharing this video with my group.
On that last point where these tips can be used for any DM: I have found that accommodations for one actually benefit ALL. It really is magic, haha! At work, if I request visuals during a meeting so I can see a slide deck of whatever is being discussed, others will now have that resource too. At the table, if I need a break because I am feeling overwhelmed, others can now take a break to process stuff too. I try to frame accommodation requests as, 'these are the tools I need to be the best version of myself at this task/place/role."
Yep, this video was wonderful. Been DMing for 7-ish years and I’ll start betting myself up with thoughts like “your players deserve a DM who keeps tons of notes” or “you’d be way better off as a player since you can screw that up!” Every time I try to play, I wish I was DMing! My players all reassure me that our table is super fun, but it’s hard to accept that when you feel like you could do so much better if you could just FOCUS!! This video deserves some kind of medal.
Sometimes it’s comforting to know just how similar you are to other people. So many of the things you called out frustrate me on a daily basis, especially walking into a room and then MIND BLANK! Definitely gonna have to re-listen to this one.
This actually helped alleviate a good chunk of my anxiety around DMing. I've always thought that with my ADHD, DMing would be Way Too Much All At Once, and that I would never be able to keep up with everything needed to run a good game. Thanks for the supportive words and advice!
As a DM with ADHD I can relate to a lot of this. I will say that for prep I often will just wing it. I’ve gotten really good at improvisation. As for talking too much, I do the same, but it can often be a good thing as a DM. It’s important to take the time and give players space to speak, but being talkative allows you to take control of the game and really set the pace. Taking charge can be quite helpful when you have a table full of introverts where no one wants to take initiative IRL. Being talkative also most likely helped you a lot with growing your RUclips channel. It’s even more helpful for streaming if you ever wanted to try your hand at that. Also, I love how your boyfriend sounded like you were holding him hostage during the ad read.
As a Dm with ADHD and slightly autistic, this video helped me think a bunch.
Typically I, as a Dm, write nothing down ever. I do a session, see how people play it, then just think all week about the next!
Usually works out, but your advice helps a ton.
My ADHD is showing... I love your calendar ft. in this video.
In all seriousness, I had a random funny, magicless villager pop in my head one day. This led to a flood of creating outlines of a village, it's ecosystem, a magic filled academic town, a heavily bureaucratic capital, all wrapped in a playable narrative with great potential. Your video gave me the confidence to stick with it and try being a DM for the first time.
That sounds brilliant!! Some lucky players will really thank you for trying it out 🥰
Thank you so, soooo much for that video. I feel seen and understood, and that brings me the little help I needed to wrap up the preparation for my next session, after more than a year without DMing
You're amazing, keep it up !
omg the sponsor 🤣 done & done. so many good gags.
Sharing this video with my gaming group in 3-2-1 seconds.
Oh wow, this is the video I requested after seeing the "ADHD player" video, and it completely escaped my attention!
Very useful video Ginny, I found myself taking notes (in that special one place for notes of course..)
Thank you so much for the video. A huge help!! Awesome work!! ❤❤
Ginni - this was absolutely brilliant. The service you've done here is worth its weight in gold!
As someone with ADHD who recently started DMing it really made me realize that ADHD CAN BE a strength for DMing. In ADHD attention is strongly motivated by 5 things, which are boiled down to the acronym INCUP. Interest, Novelty, Challenge, Urgency, and Passion. You can routinely find multiple of these things as a DM. I love DND, so there is passion, I am interested in a world I am building, and that world everything I create is something new, so that is EXCITING, hence Novelty and intetest. Coming up with responses on the fly can be challenging and well, Urgency comes into play when you feel behind on what needs to be done for players. It helps me hyperfocus on creating things, and really helps flush out the whole story.
1. Power Word Prep: a) Think about the big picture of the game, considering setting size, session frequency or playing prewritten modules. b) Have a system, such of a prep checklist based on importance or alarms and timers for prep time. c) have a backup plan, such a reschedule, a oneshot or a boardgame, but make sure to comunicate it beforehand.
2. Prestidigi-Taking Notes: in one unchangable designated place. After the session. You can outsource it to a player scribe.
3. Divine Focus: Cogitive offloading using tools like an init. tracker or status rings. Simplify complex monsters. Go easy on yourself.
4. Talk With Friends: tackles emotional dysregulation. Systematize feedback with systems such as anonymous feedback, recurring session zeros or stars and wishes.
Thanks for another great video on the topic of roleplaying and ADHD. You touch on many important points that we struggle with, and you have some really good advice to overcome them.
One thing I would like to add is while we do have a diagnose that many undiagnosed people sometimes can relate to, we are also more like everyone else than we differ from them. Many things that are esential, regardless of ADHD, apply to us as well. Sadly the diagnose can make us forget that. One advice is to not jump into the deep end of a pool if you aren't a proficient swimmer. Before taking on something daunting it's good practicing first. Translated to roleplaying and DM'ing it means that while you may have ideas of a completely unique world and want people to play in it, it is most likely much wiser to start out with a smaller, written campagin like the ones in the getting-started-boxes for D&D, just like you pointed out in the begining of the video. I had a world thought out my self but found that when i put people in it, it took a lot more time and energy than i expected to create NPC's, towns, figure out what type of monsters the players would encounter etc. It quickly became overwhelming and I sadly had to put the campaign on pause. Then of course life in it self may not always offer you enough time to DM a long campaign. It is OK to put it on ice and work on it for a longer while, while enjoying playing when someone else is DM'ing.
While the topic of AI when it comes to D&D has been a bit of a controversy, I can really reccomend using it in your own campaign either as a DM or as a player. To get something from thought into a longer piece of text (or for us that such at drawing/sketching), ChatGPT or Microsoft Co-Pilot can be excelt tools for creating character art, creating a number of NPC's, or getting suggestions on towns, locations, names, and so on. It's one thing if companies start to use these tools to avoid paying real artists for their work, but in a private setting, I believe they can be quite useful.
Again, many thanks for this video. :)
One of the best things about people being open about ADHD is that people have so many coping mechanisms I’ve never heard of and they are sharing them all. There’s stuff in this video I can see working at work. Soooo cool! I have to cut down my meds and it’s leaving gaps in functioning that I need a lot of patches for.
Thank you for this video! It really did give me some information I needed as a new DM with ADHD. The hyperfocus is the part that always gets me, sometimes it works for me other times that one NPC wins and gets a golden script.
As a DM with ADHD, I actually find it weirdly comforting when my neurodivergent players put me in the position of Cat Herder. Yeah, the game gets side-tracked for a bit, but I am comfortably with my people who understand each other's struggles. It's like an episode of _Cheers_ for nerds. Great video!
Is it weird that my favourite part about the video are the references to the studies Ginny mentions?? That should be the gold standard.
"You are the guide leading players through a game that is supposed to be fun for them. I don't know about you, but that makes me very anxious! Doesn't it make you anxious?" It was at this point that I burst into tears. This is the most important video of yours I've seen as a long time watcher. Thank you so much for making me feel seen and validated!