If you feel stumped, I suggest watching Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven (OG), and 13th Warrior to get an idea of how a party might get together. And how the drama / tension of fighting insurmountable odds can forge a party out of disparate individuals. Or for that matter, Krull, for the "Now we're an army!" moment. For modern games, Ghostbusters (the OG but either I guess). The first adventure sets the tone of play. It does not have to be stupendous or glorious, but setting the tone is good. And setting tone is easier than folks think.
I am so happy to see that you have started a UA-cam channel! Hearing Matt Colville talk about your sessions back in the day has been a fantastic lesson in the history of RPGs.... Can't wait to see the videos you upload! Much love
For me it’s this: Find a core concept. Something that you can drill down on. Then be willing to let it play out like ripples in water. Example: An idea for my world of Thöll. Campaign #4 “The Succubus Revolt.” It all started with one of my “Out of the Box Encounters” (series 1. “The Balance”) A Succubus in an Iron Jug balanced with a Sprite in an enormous glass bottle, suspended over an acid pool. My players were COMMITTED to saving both containers. (Not knowing about the Succubus) Long story short, they did. Drinks all ‘round. They then used that same Iron Jug to capture a Night Hag that had them stuck in certain deals. The Sorcerer did so (captured Hag) on the promise of “a non lethal interlude “ with the Succubus. She agreed. So I thought. Ripples in water... Why was Ophelia captured? Why did Versilliplex have her in a jug? This went unanswered for a long time. The players never asked. Then it occurred to me. Ophelia held information important in Hell. To her fellow Succubi. Because they were planning a revolt in Hell. And Versilliplex was her jailer But the Sorcerer broke that deal. Now two things will happen. Malcanthet based Teiflings will be allowed in Thöll. Devils will come to punish this Sorcerer and those of his line (the Teiflings). There will be a clampdown on brothels. Cults will rise. Witch trials. All in the aftermath of a land just post civil war. Eventually the players will have to chose sides. And since I play without alignments, I’ll bring the shades of morality to their breaking points. So what have I done here? Made a campaign based on a player action. A player choice. New DMs can do the same from scratch, just by asking “what if?”, and pondering if it’s possible and has depth. If it’s plausible and the players are into it, go for it.
Dustin Mackerman Matt and I discovered that word over a decade ago when working on a D&D supplement before his computer game days. A cool word for a very small village
i really like that Earth Dawn setting as you described it, sounds very much like the Fallout games to me for some reason and now i want to play/run a Fallout inspired D&D fantasy game where people return to the surface after it's been devastated by Demonic Invasion, exploring this now alien surface world, trying to rebuild what was destroyed and dealing with the aftermath of all of that.
Jim you're a goddamn treasure and I appreciate every moment of insight that you share. How do you feel about collaborative worldbuilding with the party? I'm thinking about using the game The Quiet Year to build a world together with the players but I'm worried that having them involved in building the world itself will remove the element of mystery. Do you think it's a good idea to build the world with the players so that it reflects the types of things they like, or build the world myself so that they get to explore the unknown? Thank you for being you, and for sharing yourself with us
For what it's worth, it kind of depends on your Players... Sometimes, there's a "personally beloved concept" that is simply dubious at best... or borders total lunacy. Otherwise, it's a matter of contributive power... AND you should keep in mind that YOU are the GM in this particular world. Just because Players invent something, or create a place, doesn't mean that you necessarily string it all together predictably, nor does it have to mean that you use it "unscathed"... Worldbuilding collaboratively can only lose the mystery if your Players are the only ones contributing anything to it. Players talk... and that means when one gets the idea and creates the thing, they'll all be sharing something about what it is... even in passing. Sometimes the response (or defense?) is to re-skin it completely... and sometimes it's to create several similar things, and just keep the adventure plot in an unpredictable pattern so they can't really tell if "this" is that Player-generated thing or not... You still have choices and controls... BUT it's been my experience, that lending some creative agency from time to time is generally more rewarding than self-defeating. ;o)
I've only ever used a module because Matt recommended it. I used one of the oldest and it was a heck of a lot of work to make it flow. However, I think I've become magnitudes better at chopping up material and using it in a style I can use. The module gave me a lot of cool puzzle ideas but the ecology, story and treasure was completely unusable and deficient. The biggest time sink was when I asked "why" something was there, I'd skim the whole module front to bottom and find nothing. The big advise that's thrown around by every D&D vet I've watched is to have those whys prepared in your mind so you can freely improv as well as give a strong sense of verisimilitude to your players. Knowing those whys keeps you from second guessing and running more confidently. The module took that away from me because I felt shackled to it. So the best advice I can give to someone starting a campaign by using a module is to only use as much as the module as you can store in your head. Most of the best stuff like maps, big bads, monsters, treasure, puzzles, etc will be stuff you've prepared ahead of time that you can keep on index cards - all you gotta do is remember it's there. Everything else can and should be your own. And if you need more inspiration, that's where stealing from other media or other modules can really strengthen your game.
11:45 is the best advice I have heard in one of these vids, and it's something I'm really surprised I don't see more often when observing other DMs/GMs at work. Whenever I run a campaign in any game system, I will always pay close attention to the details of each individual character creation process and then integrate those details into the campaign in a really direct way. It is not hard to do, but so many GMs are just wargamers at heart and will never give more than lip service to the idea that the PCs are the stars of the show. Sure, PCs can die, and that may tempt you to fudge a bit more to avoid having that juicy plot twist you've been planning somehow go to waste, but that's the wrong way to look at it. It can be made into an interesting segue for the players regardless, if their former comrade's backstory ends up being an essential plot element. It can also invest that PC's death with more meaning--the players will appreciate it as it will reward the effort spent in creating a fully fleshed out character, which is a sunk cost at that point anyway. Stealing content from a module is not really any different--you're just dissolving someone else's work into your campaign. Doing it with PCs is really low-hanging fruit and basically always pays off.
An idea for a video (if you're looking for them) could be to do what I THOUGHT this video would be: Actually starting a campaign. What is the first session like? How is it different to do a hot start vs a slow burn? Do you prefer to have PCs already a team? Or meet somewhere and have to team up? Might be worth a video! (Especially since I'm starting a game later this month lol)
The way my players chose to approach the encounters I put in place were.... unexpected to say the least but there was a good amount of banter, it ended on an unexpectedly suspenseful cliffhanger and everyone said they were looking forward to the next session.
Yeah, players have a tendency to do something unexpected. The art, as GM, is to let the players play their characters! And enjoy being spectator to what the players come up with! It make being GM more entertaining, as the GM get a good amount of time (to relax) where the players run it all by them self!
Great video with great advice, as always Jim! A piece of advice that I wish I had when I first started (although making everything from scratch was pretty fun).
13th warrior, the classic inspiration for D&D. About the One Ring RPG, the game is great, really challenging and they have very different mechanics. It can help a lot to put some characteristics and flavours built into the characters upon creation.
While watching your videos I'm drawing small dungeons just in case I need something on the spot for my current campaign. Thanks to the murphy orc trap I changed one entire floor of the dungeon I'm doing right now, just to accommodate this tatic
I've done something similar in my campaign. I stole a chunk of it from Dark Souls, where dragons dominated the surface while humanoids hid below. Where mine differs from other settings is that I don't have planes, which is enough to distinguish it from everything else just on its own.
Matheus Cademartori Your players don’t know that! That’s the beauty of DMing. You can get away with so much stuff that would usually be considered derivative because your players don’t know any better.
I love using players backstories in my game. Especially when they have family, friends or a loved one because it makes it so easy to put a target on their backs. One of my favourite quotes from Mission Impossible is the embodiment of my games; "Let's not waste time chasing after him; let's make him come to us. Everyone has pressure points, Barnes. You find something that's personally important to someone and... you squeeze." If that doesn't cause drama then the PC is heartless :)
Careful... Background abuse is one of the main reason for why people making 'empty' backgrounds, amnesia, orphan, etc. Remember: Background have to be something POSITIVE for the players! And it is annoying when players refuse to make good backgrounds, due to too much "taking the background hostage" bad experience ...
I like linking to background in very subtle ways, just sprinkling in allusions to names of people or places associated with the background, etc. I leave it up to the players how they want to pursue these little hooks.
Haha - Undermountain map had me laughing out loud - never got a look at it back in the day. Note that the new 5E Waterdeep content is rebooting it. www.amazon.com/Waterdeep-Dungeon-Mad-Mage-Adventure/dp/0786966262 I think there's huge value in giving people a tour of the legacy stuff that's out there. Thanks again for posting.
Do you have recommendations for modules like Undermountain? I've been in love with Red Hand of Doom from 3rd. I'm all about adapting into my current campaign too. Just looking for more content to digest!
Marshall Sonsteby you must be new to me. I don’t use modules. Sometimes read them, but I’m old school and write my own content. But lots of others can recommend
meat283 like Living Forgotten Realms or Living Greyhawk. Now Adventure League it a campaign that is run world wide that you can take you characters from place to place
Every once in a while, I love what I like to call a "Captive Menagerie." Where you can delve into a mysterious place and just have a fun time!
Genius. After seeing your videos, I started mastering my daughters (5 and 7) with my old d&d cyclopedia. You are an inspiring man.
Francesco L. Bellman thanks, Game On
If you feel stumped, I suggest watching Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven (OG), and 13th Warrior to get an idea of how a party might get together. And how the drama / tension of fighting insurmountable odds can forge a party out of disparate individuals. Or for that matter, Krull, for the "Now we're an army!" moment. For modern games, Ghostbusters (the OG but either I guess). The first adventure sets the tone of play. It does not have to be stupendous or glorious, but setting the tone is good. And setting tone is easier than folks think.
Sean Hillman three winners
Now I'm just thinking of what D&D character classes each of the Ghostbusters would be...
@@Shalakor Venkman=Bard.
Jim, I've played since '80 and the Holmes edition. Your channel is terrific--thanks for these great videos.
My pleasure
I am so happy to see that you have started a UA-cam channel! Hearing Matt Colville talk about your sessions back in the day has been a fantastic lesson in the history of RPGs.... Can't wait to see the videos you upload! Much love
Welcome aboard, I have done a few videos
Thank you for sharing your time with us Jim. Wish I could play a session with you good sir. 💯 Hope you and your family are doing well. #Legend
Taylor417 thank you, getting through the challenge
One of the best and I think important subjects. Always find this difficult. Love the video as always. Natural story teller. Keep it up
For me it’s this:
Find a core concept. Something that you can drill down on. Then be willing to let it play out like ripples in water.
Example:
An idea for my world of Thöll. Campaign #4
“The Succubus Revolt.”
It all started with one of my “Out of the Box Encounters” (series 1. “The Balance”)
A Succubus in an Iron Jug balanced with a Sprite in an enormous glass bottle, suspended over an acid pool.
My players were COMMITTED to saving both containers. (Not knowing about the Succubus)
Long story short, they did. Drinks all ‘round.
They then used that same Iron Jug to capture a Night Hag that had them stuck in certain deals.
The Sorcerer did so (captured Hag) on the promise of “a non lethal interlude “ with the Succubus. She agreed.
So I thought. Ripples in water...
Why was Ophelia captured?
Why did Versilliplex have her in a jug?
This went unanswered for a long time. The players never asked.
Then it occurred to me.
Ophelia held information important in Hell. To her fellow Succubi. Because they were planning a revolt in Hell. And Versilliplex was her jailer
But the Sorcerer broke that deal.
Now two things will happen.
Malcanthet based Teiflings will be allowed in Thöll.
Devils will come to punish this Sorcerer and those of his line (the Teiflings).
There will be a clampdown on brothels. Cults will rise. Witch trials. All in the aftermath of a land just post civil war.
Eventually the players will have to chose sides.
And since I play without alignments, I’ll bring the shades of morality to their breaking points.
So what have I done here? Made a campaign based on a player action. A player choice.
New DMs can do the same from scratch, just by asking “what if?”, and pondering if it’s possible and has depth.
If it’s plausible and the players are into it, go for it.
Months ago, I used the word "Thorpe" to describe the small collection of settlements that dot an area. They looked at me as if I was speaking Greek.
Dustin Mackerman Matt and I discovered that word over a decade ago when working on a D&D supplement before his computer game days. A cool word for a very small village
@@jimmurphy1591, I love that there is a designated term for something that is smaller than a hamlet.
i really like that Earth Dawn setting as you described it, sounds very much like the Fallout games to me for some reason and now i want to play/run a Fallout inspired D&D fantasy game where people return to the surface after it's been devastated by Demonic Invasion, exploring this now alien surface world, trying to rebuild what was destroyed and dealing with the aftermath of all of that.
Daredhnu sounds like fun
You’re an inspiration mate.
Thanks
Jim you're a goddamn treasure and I appreciate every moment of insight that you share. How do you feel about collaborative worldbuilding with the party? I'm thinking about using the game The Quiet Year to build a world together with the players but I'm worried that having them involved in building the world itself will remove the element of mystery. Do you think it's a good idea to build the world with the players so that it reflects the types of things they like, or build the world myself so that they get to explore the unknown? Thank you for being you, and for sharing yourself with us
For what it's worth, it kind of depends on your Players... Sometimes, there's a "personally beloved concept" that is simply dubious at best... or borders total lunacy.
Otherwise, it's a matter of contributive power... AND you should keep in mind that YOU are the GM in this particular world. Just because Players invent something, or create a place, doesn't mean that you necessarily string it all together predictably, nor does it have to mean that you use it "unscathed"...
Worldbuilding collaboratively can only lose the mystery if your Players are the only ones contributing anything to it. Players talk... and that means when one gets the idea and creates the thing, they'll all be sharing something about what it is... even in passing.
Sometimes the response (or defense?) is to re-skin it completely... and sometimes it's to create several similar things, and just keep the adventure plot in an unpredictable pattern so they can't really tell if "this" is that Player-generated thing or not...
You still have choices and controls... BUT it's been my experience, that lending some creative agency from time to time is generally more rewarding than self-defeating. ;o)
spike315 with experienced gamers I’m all for it
I've only ever used a module because Matt recommended it. I used one of the oldest and it was a heck of a lot of work to make it flow. However, I think I've become magnitudes better at chopping up material and using it in a style I can use. The module gave me a lot of cool puzzle ideas but the ecology, story and treasure was completely unusable and deficient. The biggest time sink was when I asked "why" something was there, I'd skim the whole module front to bottom and find nothing.
The big advise that's thrown around by every D&D vet I've watched is to have those whys prepared in your mind so you can freely improv as well as give a strong sense of verisimilitude to your players. Knowing those whys keeps you from second guessing and running more confidently. The module took that away from me because I felt shackled to it.
So the best advice I can give to someone starting a campaign by using a module is to only use as much as the module as you can store in your head. Most of the best stuff like maps, big bads, monsters, treasure, puzzles, etc will be stuff you've prepared ahead of time that you can keep on index cards - all you gotta do is remember it's there. Everything else can and should be your own. And if you need more inspiration, that's where stealing from other media or other modules can really strengthen your game.
11:45 is the best advice I have heard in one of these vids, and it's something I'm really surprised I don't see more often when observing other DMs/GMs at work. Whenever I run a campaign in any game system, I will always pay close attention to the details of each individual character creation process and then integrate those details into the campaign in a really direct way. It is not hard to do, but so many GMs are just wargamers at heart and will never give more than lip service to the idea that the PCs are the stars of the show.
Sure, PCs can die, and that may tempt you to fudge a bit more to avoid having that juicy plot twist you've been planning somehow go to waste, but that's the wrong way to look at it. It can be made into an interesting segue for the players regardless, if their former comrade's backstory ends up being an essential plot element. It can also invest that PC's death with more meaning--the players will appreciate it as it will reward the effort spent in creating a fully fleshed out character, which is a sunk cost at that point anyway.
Stealing content from a module is not really any different--you're just dissolving someone else's work into your campaign. Doing it with PCs is really low-hanging fruit and basically always pays off.
Sage McLaughlin thanks
An idea for a video (if you're looking for them) could be to do what I THOUGHT this video would be: Actually starting a campaign. What is the first session like? How is it different to do a hot start vs a slow burn? Do you prefer to have PCs already a team? Or meet somewhere and have to team up?
Might be worth a video! (Especially since I'm starting a game later this month lol)
Nick Pierson I was planning on breaking down segments of a campaign so that would be the first.
Of course this video would be released right after I finished running my first session lol
How did it go? Did anyone give you any comments about it afterwards?
The way my players chose to approach the encounters I put in place were.... unexpected to say the least but there was a good amount of banter, it ended on an unexpectedly suspenseful cliffhanger and everyone said they were looking forward to the next session.
Yeah, players have a tendency to do something unexpected.
The art, as GM, is to let the players play their characters! And enjoy being spectator to what the players come up with!
It make being GM more entertaining, as the GM get a good amount of time (to relax) where the players run it all by them self!
Yeah, but now your second and third sessions are gonna be lit!
Great video with great advice, as always Jim! A piece of advice that I wish I had when I first started (although making everything from scratch was pretty fun).
I hope you make more painting vids! I like all your videos though :)
Nice one, Jim! Amazing levels of insight on your vids
13th warrior, the classic inspiration for D&D. About the One Ring RPG, the game is great, really challenging and they have very different mechanics. It can help a lot to put some characteristics and flavours built into the characters upon creation.
While watching your videos I'm drawing small dungeons just in case I need something on the spot for my current campaign. Thanks to the murphy orc trap I changed one entire floor of the dungeon I'm doing right now, just to accommodate this tatic
odiwalker love it
So sad to learn that my "humans live underground in this world" idea was already taken... Wonderful video as always, Jim!
make it anyway, yours will be different than what others came up with.
I've done something similar in my campaign. I stole a chunk of it from Dark Souls, where dragons dominated the surface while humanoids hid below. Where mine differs from other settings is that I don't have planes, which is enough to distinguish it from everything else just on its own.
Matheus Cademartori Your players don’t know that! That’s the beauty of DMing. You can get away with so much stuff that would usually be considered derivative because your players don’t know any better.
I love using players backstories in my game. Especially when they have family, friends or a loved one because it makes it so easy to put a target on their backs. One of my favourite quotes from Mission Impossible is the embodiment of my games;
"Let's not waste time chasing after him; let's make him come to us. Everyone has pressure points, Barnes. You find something that's personally important to someone and... you squeeze."
If that doesn't cause drama then the PC is heartless :)
Careful... Background abuse is one of the main reason for why people making 'empty' backgrounds, amnesia, orphan, etc.
Remember: Background have to be something POSITIVE for the players!
And it is annoying when players refuse to make good backgrounds, due to too much "taking the background hostage" bad experience ...
I like linking to background in very subtle ways, just sprinkling in allusions to names of people or places associated with the background, etc. I leave it up to the players how they want to pursue these little hooks.
Thanks for suggesting pathfinder! It's what I play and there really is alot available for 1st edition.
Undermountain, FTW!
I've been running UM since the 90s. It *is* huge!
And they are still in there?
No but seriously. Did they ever make it out?
Haha - Undermountain map had me laughing out loud - never got a look at it back in the day. Note that the new 5E Waterdeep content is rebooting it.
www.amazon.com/Waterdeep-Dungeon-Mad-Mage-Adventure/dp/0786966262
I think there's huge value in giving people a tour of the legacy stuff that's out there. Thanks again for posting.
I used to have that gazetteer :(
Do you have recommendations for modules like Undermountain? I've been in love with Red Hand of Doom from 3rd.
I'm all about adapting into my current campaign too. Just looking for more content to digest!
Marshall Sonsteby you must be new to me. I don’t use modules. Sometimes read them, but I’m old school and write my own content. But lots of others can recommend
@Jim Murphy please make a video describing the game you run 1 on 1 with your friend, LOTR in the 4th age, Moria with a dwarven party.
Hmm….
@@jimmurphy1591 pleeeeease I really want to hear that story
4:30 That First Level Map Damn......thats Huge and theirs 3 more???
Troommate there sure are
What do you mean when you say "Play the living games"? What are the living games?
meat283 like Living Forgotten Realms or Living Greyhawk. Now Adventure League it a campaign that is run world wide that you can take you characters from place to place
Creamistry
Mystara