Episode 69. It's in the name of the game. Get Strongholds & Followers! shop.mcdmproductions.com The Five Room Dungeon www.roleplayingtips.com/rptn/... #RunningTheGame #MattColville
Dear Matt, There are a pair of little boys at my house who now eat, breath, sleep: monsters, character sheets, weapons, dungeons and beholders...half-orc barbarians, teams of fighting giraffes, and poison-clawed Tabaxi thieves - thanks to you, teaching their dad how to DM.
I just accepted a job in my hometown- Kansas City- and what I'm most anticipating is bringing D&D to my community, my preteen niece and nephew, and my mid-40s father and godfather. I grew up in the ghettos of KC and since coming to college, I now am a D&D fanatic and I can't wait to infect everyone around me with the same bug.
If I could add a heart to this comment, I would. Please understand that someone you never met and may never know, also feels that joy of passing on this hobby. :)
my immediate thought wasn't "oh he put his initials there", my immediate reaction was "he wrote 'egg' in his dungeon? good to know meme culture was around back in the 70s"
@@Humorless_Wokescold not just ww2. In the crypt of canterbury cathedral theres a pillar that has chiselled: "Iohn, 1493" and a bunch of other names over a span of a few centuries
I ran into Matt in Indianapolis on my way to work during Gen-Con. He was super cool and nice and asked me about my game. It totally made my day. Love this guy.
My favorite Trap: A pitfall that is being moved 10 feet forward by an illusory terrain spell. Players jump over the fake hole to end up jumping in the real hole that looks like terrain.
My favourite trap was a scary looking rock that looked like a giant spider. The players had a time limit and it was only there to slow them down. I was counting real time due to what they were tryimg to accomplish, and the spent 10 minutes debating how to deal with it before finding out that they could just walk past it
My favorite thing to tell someone when they are first getting into D&D as a GM is, "A more appropriate name for this game would be Structures & Opponents, but that doesn't sell as many books."
@@GoblinUrNuts if we are to believe Wikipedia, it is an Italian proverb, attributed to Voltaire, which he had included in his Dictionnaire philosophique in 1770: "Le meglio è l'inimico del bene".
Ah, outlines. I hate them. HATE THEM. And cannot live without them. I use outlines every day, for all of my gaming, writing and crafting. And I hate them all, even as I use them continuously. And the product is so much better for it. Listen to this man when he says build and outline, and play things kinda loosey-goosey, but know the outline.
Yes. Outlines are absolutely key. The cool thing is that as you get more experienced and better at improv, you get to start being lazy and ONLY prep the outline. That's all my notes look like these days: an outline and some links to monster stats. I get three hours of session a week out of about half of a page of a google doc.
Definitely gotta play it loosely because the players will have you scratching your head if you aren't open to their ideas and are trying to stick to a strict script.
Yeah my notes are generally just outlines of things I have planned. Which worked out well for me in my last session when the players went to the barracks to help out and ended up getting locked up instead.
Gonna be honest I have no idea how I got here I know nothing about dungeons and dragons other then it exists and there are alot of video games that take from it. Yet this was rather interesting.
@@darkdragonsoul99 hey friend! if you'd like to try it (and I heartily recommend it!) try to find a local game shop- many usually host a game or two a week and newbies are welcome. barring that, groups will form online all the time to just play over skype/discord and that can also be an incredible experience, even without irl friends
Never hurts to check out MeetUp.com for gaming groups. There's probably a group that plays near you. Or you could do some research and organize a group yourself!
"Don't let the perfect, be the enemy of the good." As a compulsive perfectionist with anxiety, I feel simultaneously attacked and inspired. Vicious Inspiration?
I'll be DMing my very first proper campaign in a couple of weeks. I'm excited, but nervous. Your videos have been fantastic, keep up the great work Matt
My first time dming, I made everything up on the spot. It was sort of an accident, I didn’t fully intend to dm like that, I had a plan for a dungeon crawl, but then the players started saying things about how they had goals. So I thought, “let’s go with that”. We ended up making an entire campaign, that lasted for 6 months, and the players fought and died, loved and lost, in order to find and complete there goals. At the end of it, they asked me, how did you create such an amazing story? And that’s when I told them, I didn’t. You all did. I just went along with it. Of course I didn’t give them all that they wanted, they failed, a lot. But it was fun, and entertaining. And it really forced me to be constantly thinking on my toes. Some how, some way, I made a cohesive story where almost everything fit perfectly. At least that’s what my players say. But yeah, I don’t recommend dming like this. I had nothing prepared so I constantly had to be making things up on the fly, and flipping to random pages in books for fights and such. Luckily I’m a nut for puzzles and riddles so I could throw those at them on a whim in order to buy myself some time to think. All in all though, I’ve never ran a game as fun as that. And I think I’m gonna do another campaign like that again. Let the players create the world, and I’ll just roll with it.
Dungeons, though seen as cliche, give players something that grand landscapes do not. Focus. Clear goals. Even if your campaign is a sweeping epic, the occasional bite sized dungeon style content is a nice pallet cleanser. Thanks Matt.
Dungeon is a generic word. Whenever the players need to enter a place, you've got yourself a dungeon. Even in a sweeping epic, at some point a conflict is gonna happen indoors
@@RashidMBey I feel like he's more of the Bill Nye of D&D. Getting excited about it, using metaphor, and encouraging us to experiment ourselves with the concepts he presents.
That bit about the "Why are we doing this?" can actually be a good idea for character exploration, if it's done in-character. Paladin: "Why are we doing this, again?" Sorcerer: "Well, we need to gather the artifacts and destroy them before the other guys can gather them and use them. Apparently, they can only be destroyed when they're all together, which I'm thinking will make it awfully convenient for the bad guys, especially since they know we've got them." Paladin: "No, I know why we're gathering the artifacts, I'm just wondering why we don't just throw them into a volcano or something for storage instead of walking into an obvious trap. Doesn't matter if they can't be destroyed by being chucked into a volcano, the whole 'being in a volcano' thing would make them impossible to get to." Cleric: "Uh... they summon Demons if left in one place for too long-" Warlock: "Last I checked, Demons aren't usually immune to lava. I'm on board with the volcano plan." Paladin: "Good. Now we just need to find a volcano." Fighter: "There's only one known volcano on this continent, and it's inhabited by an Ancient Red Dragon. I think going there would be a bad idea." Paladin: "... Well, then."
So much agreed with setting limits. Creating the illusion of a living world and creating an actual fully functional expansive world are on two entirely different scale of difficulty and tedium, and are only about equally useful. I find knowing what major events are happening outside the scope of game-play while having basically just the area the players are capable of exploring ready is more than enough, and hopefully one can get a sense ahead of time where your players are interested in exploring and plan readily. Having good players who aren't there to sabotage the game helps of course.
I convinced some friends to play dnd again. after a small intro adventure we moved into Cult of the Reptile God. They are loving it, and I appreciate all the info you are putting out there. In the Golden Grain inn the PCs immediately start asking too many questions about a specific halfing who disapeard, the Sorcerer ate the poisoned food, and passed out. When pressed even further the bartender says he should change the name to "The Cooked Goose" and half a dozen chairs slide back as men armed with knives and clubs rise to deal with the curious party. there is some tripping and fumbling, and the bard puts most of the room to sleep. Their apparent victory is stolen from them when the bartender grabs the unconcious sorcerer by the hair and puts a knife to his throat. When they finally escape one of my players said, that was the most intense combat he had ever been in.
This is so desperately true. Many new DMs try to emulate critical role when they want to introduce people to the game or to try their hand at DMing. However, a dungeon at the start not only is easier to run, but also helps new people get into it, because it introduces them to the game as a simple board game, with amazing depth and then you can slowly ease them into roleplaying.
My first game was a very simple and generic D&D adventure. Plot hook. Go to dungeon. Clear dungeon. Reward. We still talk about it to this day. Not because it was the best adventure ever written but because it was fun, and it was fun because it was simple for me to run.
This is by far the best advice I've ever heard for a new DM. I've been DMing weekly for 2 years now (one ongoing campaign) and by far the most enjoyable, intense and memorable sessions was the exploration of a dungeon I built (a mindflayer spaceship that took only 2 sessions to get through but almost wiped the party). An important distinction to me is that a dungeon doesn't have to be just rooms and corridors. It can be any situation in which the options the players have are limited. It is a way to railroad the players and make sure that your preparation is not wasted without ever having to say "no" to them. The feywild can be used quite creatively in this way for example. But by far the most important point Matt made is: it's fun to run dungeons! It's easier, far less stressful, requires less improvisation, and goes much more smoothly. It's the perfect way to get used to DMing. Thank you for this video Matt, and to any new DMs out there: dungeons are your friend.
I love old-style D&D. I've been playing for 30 years, and I still love just having some elves and dwarves and halflings exploring a dungeon, fighting monsters and finding treasure. It's always different and always exciting.
@Rex Ligini, I've met a lot of homosexuals, both men and women and even those in between, and they have been, for the most part, pretty fucking lit. Matthias Havras , it is a horrible coincidence, but it isn't a horrible video. I'd be interested in your take.
Matt you may never see this comment, but I want to thank you for saying that you don't have to think out the entire world; I needed to hear that. I've been DM'ing my first campaign with a group of friends who're all new to D&D. I've been so focussed on making my world believable, making all the npc/villain motivations make sense in a plot revolving around a murder mystery, working out the guilds, the taverns, the goals of a demon worshipping cult, of the nobles and the neighbouring kingdoms, of the thieves guild, of a group of assassins, the three main overarching vilains of the plot, world maps, city maps and so much more, that it has now been two years since the first session, and we're only about to do the fourth in a few days. It's gotten so bad that one of the group members started to DM his own campaign for all of us to fill up the hole I left. It's not that I've spent all that time on my campaign itself - I wish - but I've been stressing myself out about on working out every single detail so much that the work has become offputting and looking like a chore. Sometimes I forget that this is 'only' my first campaign as a DM, and that not everything has to be perfect. Honestly this has calmed my nerves quite a bit, so thank you for that.
"No adventure advertises how many sessions it will take." I just finished a homebrew adventure in which I stated up front at session 0 "This will be anywhere from 10 to 12 sessions, no more." It was the best adventure of our lives.
I particularly love one piece of advice form this video paraphrasing "sometimes a player starts building a world and never finishes, because the task he set himself up to is a impossible one" i've come to the point i had several adventures set in a single world, stuff i started writing when i first started as a players, enough to expend the next 2 years just expanding on it and yet i did not feel like i had even a fraction of the world built, i was completely burned out of world building, so we just started playing, right now doing a very sandbox style of game, and going to our 4th session that should close the first adventure, the one that brings that party together, and after that i will drop my players into a city with a lot of hooks and let them open to choice, now let me say that seeing people play knowing where in the world they are and what they want to do makes world building 10 times easier.
I think this is my favorite video. I believe this concept is the foundation of this whole hobby, and this video hits a lot of key points like how to not be overwhelmed, how to start, how to improve, and how to have fun.
My trick for making the beginning of an adventure portend to some element of the ending, is to just toss in a few random details in your descriptions. In the first sessions the players will pick up on something you didn't even think was important. Then all you have to do is spend some time working that element into the final sessions, building upon it. It is a cooperative game, so building onto the player's expectations and imagination is part of what makes it fun. Twist and turn their expectations once in a while to keep them on their toes makes it interesting.
Thank you Matt--your enthusiasm about D&D gets me re-excited about playing and DMing! It can become monotonous to keep crafting stories every week, but this was a nice reminder about why I enjoy playing.
If you want to make a good dungeon add random encounters that you roll for. Have about half be nothing happens in the room. I did this and my players were on edge because I had usually rolled the affect of nothing at all and they were so on edge to see what happens next it made an awesome dungeon. I do it know and then I would recommend that every DM try this.
My mother-in-law was telling me today about a dungeon a friend created for them back in the 80's. Whenever the players moved with pace they could hear sounds coming from a distance. If they ran for long enough the sounds turned out to be a song playing. It turned out they were in the grooves of a giant record and were turning it as they moved. What an idea!
Matt returns with spectacular content! It never ceases to amaze me how simple yet profound your DM tips are. Keep up the good work, strongholds and followers and the stream alike sound stupendous and well worth the wait. Thank you!
I have a philosophy for dungeon building which is to start with how many factions exist within the dungeon and build a 5 room/area dungeon for each faction with a linear story. Then I criss cross the 5 room dungeons so they're no longer linear should you deviate from the designed path and then fill in the gaps to finish the dungeon off, usually finishing with patrol routes and cross faction interactions now that the dungeon has its rooms laid out.
Excellent Video. It is these informational videos with you asking the audience to consider ideas or concept that I enjoy the most. You keep reinvigorating my faith in playing the game.
Thank you so much, Matt. You have a neck for laying out your thoughts in a way that is easy and clear enough to follow. This may just instantly be one of my favourite videos of yours and I have a feeling that it's going to improve the experience at my table tremendously.
THIS is what Matt does SO WELL. My friends and I owe hundreds of hours of fun to his mighty powers of de-mystification. That first night, when I ran the Delian Tomb for my friends, I was hooked forever. Thanks Matt, a thousand times, thanks.
I think this is my new favorite of your videos, ive always loved designing and creating dungeons and this video was very helpful to reinvigorate my ideas
I remember, way back in '76...we lived for the dungeon! We stayed up late into the night, trying to get through one more room. The game has changed a lot.
I've been running Castle Amber in Pathfinder for a small group and the dinner table has been one of the highlights for me so far. Great video as always!
I love your videos. I can just hear your passion coming through my phone with every video about a game you really love. You sir are fantastic. Thank you for just sharing your brain with us.
Matt thank you. I've been having a bit of writers block for my last session before I leave on a religious mission for the next two years this really helped. I'm going to miss these videos they have helped me with more than just Dungeon Mastering. Keep up the good work I look forward to seeing what the channel is like when I get back.
This is a great video, I found your channel while preping my own campaign about 8 months back, I used your tomb dungeon (with some thematic modifications) as my first session and started playing with only the starting town and the dungeon made, and a very vague idea of the country the players a currently in. we are now 8 sessions in and still building my world, only ever a few steps a head of the current area but having lots of fun. If I would have waited to start it would have never happened. Thanks for the starting dungeon and this awesome advice.
Holy shit! The production value on this is awesome and I'm only a minute in. Always been a fan of your videos Matt but this is like a whole new level. Few things bring me more joy than seeing the creators you love gaining success and being able to make things the way they want.
I really just want to thank you for all the work you’ve put into your videos, I know I’m several years late to this one but I’ve been listening to as many as I can and learning as much as possible. I want to get into DM’ing now that I’ve been a player for several years and your insights and advice on running the game, characters, dungeons and everything else has been invaluable to me, so thank you so much.
I just ran the epic finale to my first ever campaign last night. I was so nervous I was literally sweating. It went awesome. And it all started by me watching your videos. Great as always. Thanks Matt!
It's taken a little while, but i've finally pressed that lovely sub button. Once again a great video, waylaying some concerns I have been having for the past few months about an adventure (leading into a grander campaign) that I've been DM'ing for a group of friends! Thanks again Matt
This is the best video you've ever released in my opinion. It also made me realize how few dungeons I've been using. I'm gonna go make one, thanks so much Matt!
I have been watching your videos since I started DMing in early 2017. Your videos are both interesting and informative and I have learned A LOT. But, as a classic over-preparer, I find this video to be the most helpful video I think you have ever produced. It has specific tips that can be applied not only to dungeon building, but also to writing, art and most work in general. I found this extremely motivating and I really appreciate your content.
I love the advice. But I also find my mind considering the perspective that EVERYthing is the dungeon, including those things outside of it. All based on encounters and choices. That a city can be viewed the same as a dungeon once my perspective is shifted, the myriad npcs in a city are a lot like that tapestry in the dungeon that didn't mean anything, while the more important npcs are like the lever that will change the pcs path depending on how they chose to interact with it. Shifting perspective takes the "over" out of overwhelmed. I really appreciate this video, thanks for puttying your many years of experience into it.
Matt Coleville, you always succeed in getting me out of my creative ruts. I cannot thank you enough for keeping me going all this time! You are a true Gem, you are truly rare! Thank you.
I've been powering through these Running the Game videos, and have gotten a LOT of great advice. But one of the best moments is the Syd Barrett reference. Purely amazing stuff Matt!
Amazing video and I will be honest Matthew Colville, I have been DMing for over a decade and this video literally got my creative juices flowing for dungeons and have in the time the video took came up with the premice for 3 new dungeons across the 2 campaigns I am currently running. Thank you so very much for this.
Matthew, I have to thank you for all of your invaluable knowledge you so brilliantly share with us aspiring DMs and players. This specific episode hit home hard for me personally. I tend to focus so much on worldbuilding, yet struggled (until now) to create meaningful dungeons. Your advice has inspired me and given me the tools to work on this issue, and thereby become a better DM. I thank you again for all the information you provide us.
This has to be the best channel I ever subscribed too. The way Matt talks and the tips he gives not only give me advice, but set my imagination off to design my own adventures and dungeons.
I watch so much videos about D&D, trying to improve my knowledge of the game and see other perspective. After some videos I feel like I learnt a little something, but after a Matt Colville videos it's like a HUGE discovery or tips !
Definitely one of Matt's best videos. And not just because he states so clearly and simply my own conclusions that I've finally reached after spending too long over thinking how to begin my own adventures !!
When you talk abou old way of playing D&D, it reminds me of the difference between The Elder Scrolls 1, and 5. In Arena, the challange was gettling xp, and loot in dungeons, and once in a while sell it in a city. Now, it is very story driven, and the point of playing it, is completly different.
I feel recently there's been a lot of videos not hugely relevant to my needs. I've drifted from you a little. This one was spot on. Exactly the encouragement i needed, thanks dad.
How interesting that you put out this video very shortly after the release of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage! Dungeon of the Mad Mage is a master class in designing a mega-dungeon. But mega-dungeons can be as overwhelming as building an entire world. Your videos make the big overwhelming things easier to digest and understand. That's why we love your videos. Thanks, Matt!
Thank you Matt, it may be simple, but this is excellent advice, the way you break it down. It helped me actually plot out and expand two of my game's grand dungeons at the same time!
Everyone, new or old to DMing, should watch this video. One of the best breakdowns of the process I've ever heard, and I've been playing (and DMing) for over 30 years. Thanks Matt!
I love this video, way back when I made my first campaign my players were sent down into a dungeon that connected them to other cities to send a message. It was 20 levels, about 10 rooms a level, and a large underground city my players could stumble on. I made it a few levels a week, and now whenever I introduce new players it is my go to, my signature. In other words, it is amazing to see Matt talking about them.
Next video: "The Dragon"
Followed shortly by "The And"
I think this would be a good video
Dungeons and exceedingly long explanations on why we are doing this again, also dragons.
Followed by "Dungeons and Dragons III: Tokyo Drift"
Would totally watch!
Dear Matt,
There are a pair of little boys at my house who now eat, breath, sleep: monsters, character sheets, weapons, dungeons and beholders...half-orc barbarians, teams of fighting giraffes, and poison-clawed Tabaxi thieves - thanks to you, teaching their dad how to DM.
I just accepted a job in my hometown- Kansas City- and what I'm most anticipating is bringing D&D to my community, my preteen niece and nephew, and my mid-40s father and godfather. I grew up in the ghettos of KC and since coming to college, I now am a D&D fanatic and I can't wait to infect everyone around me with the same bug.
If I could add a heart to this comment, I would. Please understand that someone you never met and may never know, also feels that joy of passing on this hobby. :)
They'll appreciate it, it definitely brings families together.
My father was my DM years ago now I'm his DM #FeelsGood
I can't wait for my boy to be old enough for D&D. Good job being a good Dad.
This brought me to tears, congrats on that. My dad and I connected over D&D and fifth edition in general.
I jacked up the volume thinking I wasn't hearing the audio at first and then "LOOKS GOOD DOESN'T IT" blew my brains out through my nose
my immediate thought wasn't "oh he put his initials there", my immediate reaction was "he wrote 'egg' in his dungeon? good to know meme culture was around back in the 70s"
Meme culture goes even further back. WWII era soldiers were scrawling "Kilroy was here!" across random buildings.
Julian Francisco In the Middle Ages, artists kept drawing snails around seemingly unrelated texts and painting for...memes !!
There are writings in Pompean shitters that declare friendship of dudes who were there
@@Humorless_Wokescold not just ww2. In the crypt of canterbury cathedral theres a pillar that has chiselled: "Iohn, 1493" and a bunch of other names over a span of a few centuries
friends@@disnagburnazog9552
"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good"
Matt dropping pearls of wisdom that apply both in and out of game yet again.
CritCrab hey I didn’t know you watched this channel p.
“Players never miss what you cut.”
“Starting is 80% of finishing.”
Serious wisdom!
How are you not verified yet?
I just came to type the exact same thing.
I ran into Matt in Indianapolis on my way to work during Gen-Con. He was super cool and nice and asked me about my game. It totally made my day. Love this guy.
Lucky!
😎 cool
My favorite Trap: A pitfall that is being moved 10 feet forward by an illusory terrain spell. Players jump over the fake hole to end up jumping in the real hole that looks like terrain.
I love it
My favourite trap was a scary looking rock that looked like a giant spider. The players had a time limit and it was only there to slow them down. I was counting real time due to what they were tryimg to accomplish, and the spent 10 minutes debating how to deal with it before finding out that they could just walk past it
That is so devious. I love it.
Oh that's just evil :0
And they said _hallucinatory terrain_ was a bad spell.
My favorite thing to tell someone when they are first getting into D&D as a GM is, "A more appropriate name for this game would be Structures & Opponents, but that doesn't sell as many books."
My players measure progress by how many NPC's they've killed
That’s rough.
Sounds like the NPCs of your world should start training to protect themselves against roving gangs of adventurers ;)
Mine do by how many companions they've collected
I haven't killed anyone in months!
@@dremoralorde5215 have you killed anyone new recently?
I've been saying for many, many years that 5 minutes of DM work can last the players 5 hours and 5 hours of DM work can last the players 5 minutes.
And the problem is knowing which prep will end up being the 5min vs. the 5h...
It's not even December yet and Colville is already giving us gifts.
#facts Jolly old Saint Matt rolling a nat 20 on sliding down the chimney.
He is a river to his people...
Roll for Santa
"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." 15:19 I'm going to save that quote, helps me deal with past depression and perfectionism!
"We're not done, but we've started. And starting is about 80% of finishing." 19:44
Matt with the great quotes today!
This is so funny, I literally wrote it down when he said it and added it to my wall :D
@@GoblinUrNuts if we are to believe Wikipedia, it is an Italian proverb, attributed to Voltaire, which he had included in his Dictionnaire philosophique in 1770: "Le meglio è l'inimico del bene".
Ah, outlines. I hate them. HATE THEM. And cannot live without them. I use outlines every day, for all of my gaming, writing and crafting. And I hate them all, even as I use them continuously. And the product is so much better for it. Listen to this man when he says build and outline, and play things kinda loosey-goosey, but know the outline.
Yes. Outlines are absolutely key. The cool thing is that as you get more experienced and better at improv, you get to start being lazy and ONLY prep the outline. That's all my notes look like these days: an outline and some links to monster stats. I get three hours of session a week out of about half of a page of a google doc.
Definitely gotta play it loosely because the players will have you scratching your head if you aren't open to their ideas and are trying to stick to a strict script.
Yeah my notes are generally just outlines of things I have planned. Which worked out well for me in my last session when the players went to the barracks to help out and ended up getting locked up instead.
MooseZybort I like that
Gonna be honest I have no idea how I got here I know nothing about dungeons and dragons other then it exists and there are alot of video games that take from it. Yet this was rather interesting.
Welcome to the boundless world of Dungeons and Dragons! Go tell your friends you're playing D&D this weekend!
@@mcolvilleain't got non that's how I ended up a gamer in the first place no one to play with but mario.
@@darkdragonsoul99 hey friend! if you'd like to try it (and I heartily recommend it!) try to find a local game shop- many usually host a game or two a week and newbies are welcome. barring that, groups will form online all the time to just play over skype/discord and that can also be an incredible experience, even without irl friends
This, this is literally how I got started with dungeons and dragons. Stumbling on Matt Colville randomly on UA-cam.
Never hurts to check out MeetUp.com for gaming groups. There's probably a group that plays near you. Or you could do some research and organize a group yourself!
"Don't let the perfect, be the enemy of the good."
As a compulsive perfectionist with anxiety, I feel simultaneously attacked and inspired. Vicious Inspiration?
I'll be DMing my very first proper campaign in a couple of weeks. I'm excited, but nervous. Your videos have been fantastic, keep up the great work Matt
I hope the best for your campaign, and if anything goes wrong just remember; the goal is to have fun!
@@Mukjus :]
Do not fear making mistakes. Half the time the players wont even know it.
good luck -- it's great fun -- from a 50yr old DM since 1986
If u really get stuck in something say "then You see..." And call for a 10min break
My first time dming, I made everything up on the spot.
It was sort of an accident, I didn’t fully intend to dm like that, I had a plan for a dungeon crawl, but then the players started saying things about how they had goals. So I thought, “let’s go with that”.
We ended up making an entire campaign, that lasted for 6 months, and the players fought and died, loved and lost, in order to find and complete there goals.
At the end of it, they asked me, how did you create such an amazing story? And that’s when I told them, I didn’t. You all did. I just went along with it.
Of course I didn’t give them all that they wanted, they failed, a lot. But it was fun, and entertaining. And it really forced me to be constantly thinking on my toes.
Some how, some way, I made a cohesive story where almost everything fit perfectly. At least that’s what my players say.
But yeah, I don’t recommend dming like this. I had nothing prepared so I constantly had to be making things up on the fly, and flipping to random pages in books for fights and such.
Luckily I’m a nut for puzzles and riddles so I could throw those at them on a whim in order to buy myself some time to think.
All in all though, I’ve never ran a game as fun as that. And I think I’m gonna do another campaign like that again.
Let the players create the world, and I’ll just roll with it.
"They don't know X isn't as cool as you wished it would be, they're just gonna be exited playing." - that hit my soul HARD.
Dungeons, though seen as cliche, give players something that grand landscapes do not.
Focus. Clear goals.
Even if your campaign is a sweeping epic, the occasional bite sized dungeon style content is a nice pallet cleanser.
Thanks Matt.
Dungeon is a generic word. Whenever the players need to enter a place, you've got yourself a dungeon. Even in a sweeping epic, at some point a conflict is gonna happen indoors
That intro made you the Bob Ross of D&D.
Pretty sure that's Will fridel, no?
Mike Garcia Shoot man, you’re right! Still, Matt sometimes has a calming voice like Bob however.
He felt like the Carl Sagan of D&D, patiently, kindly, and thoroughly explaining the fourth dimension to us.
@@RashidMBey I feel like he's more of the Bill Nye of D&D. Getting excited about it, using metaphor, and encouraging us to experiment ourselves with the concepts he presents.
@@WizbizMcBrix I love it! As long as he's the wiz who enchants us with enthusiasm, good-spirited counsel, and considerable humanity.
funny, he put his initials in his own dungeon.... what an easter E.G.G.
Andrew Carlson I caught that as well, definitely something I will have to incorporate into my campaigns
what dungeon was it?
Delicious Egg
"May I offer you an obscure reference in a dungeon's architecture in these uncertain times?"
The sound you made at 2:03 is too delightful
I hit your link like 15 times I didnt even notice it the first time I watched it ^~^
It's Victor Borge's phonetic punctuation!
N O I C E
I was looking for this comment! I couldnt agree more. Someone should make this into a gif.
It's always a good day when Matt uploads
Yep. Everything feels a little bit better when he puts up a new video. :)
"Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good."
Well I rolled a nat20 on sleight of hand so I'm sooo gonna steal that
Thank you Bugbear Daddy I have missed you
im going to make a bugbear dungeon lead bug the mighty bugbear Coville
Gods dammit, I can't unsee it
I didn't want to like that but I did
My latest "dungeon" was a mansion owned by a rich noble who was throwing a higher-class party. Lots of guards, eyes everywhere.
That bit about the "Why are we doing this?" can actually be a good idea for character exploration, if it's done in-character.
Paladin: "Why are we doing this, again?"
Sorcerer: "Well, we need to gather the artifacts and destroy them before the other guys can gather them and use them. Apparently, they can only be destroyed when they're all together, which I'm thinking will make it awfully convenient for the bad guys, especially since they know we've got them."
Paladin: "No, I know why we're gathering the artifacts, I'm just wondering why we don't just throw them into a volcano or something for storage instead of walking into an obvious trap. Doesn't matter if they can't be destroyed by being chucked into a volcano, the whole 'being in a volcano' thing would make them impossible to get to."
Cleric: "Uh... they summon Demons if left in one place for too long-"
Warlock: "Last I checked, Demons aren't usually immune to lava. I'm on board with the volcano plan."
Paladin: "Good. Now we just need to find a volcano."
Fighter: "There's only one known volcano on this continent, and it's inhabited by an Ancient Red Dragon. I think going there would be a bad idea."
Paladin: "... Well, then."
I used that dungeon as my first ever session. Almost a year later we've gone on wild adventures and it's amazing. Thank you Matthew.
So much agreed with setting limits. Creating the illusion of a living world and creating an actual fully functional expansive world are on two entirely different scale of difficulty and tedium, and are only about equally useful. I find knowing what major events are happening outside the scope of game-play while having basically just the area the players are capable of exploring ready is more than enough, and hopefully one can get a sense ahead of time where your players are interested in exploring and plan readily. Having good players who aren't there to sabotage the game helps of course.
I convinced some friends to play dnd again. after a small intro adventure we moved into Cult of the Reptile God. They are loving it, and I appreciate all the info you are putting out there. In the Golden Grain inn the PCs immediately start asking too many questions about a specific halfing who disapeard, the Sorcerer ate the poisoned food, and passed out. When pressed even further the bartender says he should change the name to "The Cooked Goose" and half a dozen chairs slide back as men armed with knives and clubs rise to deal with the curious party. there is some tripping and fumbling, and the bard puts most of the room to sleep. Their apparent victory is stolen from them when the bartender grabs the unconcious sorcerer by the hair and puts a knife to his throat. When they finally escape one of my players said, that was the most intense combat he had ever been in.
This is so desperately true. Many new DMs try to emulate critical role when they want to introduce people to the game or to try their hand at DMing. However, a dungeon at the start not only is easier to run, but also helps new people get into it, because it introduces them to the game as a simple board game, with amazing depth and then you can slowly ease them into roleplaying.
Ran the Death House intro to CoH for my friends and they loved it - great example of this
Acquisitions Inc is a very great example of how to run one shots, have fun with it, making with a dungeon
My first game was a very simple and generic D&D adventure. Plot hook. Go to dungeon. Clear dungeon. Reward. We still talk about it to this day. Not because it was the best adventure ever written but because it was fun, and it was fun because it was simple for me to run.
This is by far the best advice I've ever heard for a new DM. I've been DMing weekly for 2 years now (one ongoing campaign) and by far the most enjoyable, intense and memorable sessions was the exploration of a dungeon I built (a mindflayer spaceship that took only 2 sessions to get through but almost wiped the party).
An important distinction to me is that a dungeon doesn't have to be just rooms and corridors. It can be any situation in which the options the players have are limited. It is a way to railroad the players and make sure that your preparation is not wasted without ever having to say "no" to them. The feywild can be used quite creatively in this way for example.
But by far the most important point Matt made is: it's fun to run dungeons! It's easier, far less stressful, requires less improvisation, and goes much more smoothly. It's the perfect way to get used to DMing.
Thank you for this video Matt, and to any new DMs out there: dungeons are your friend.
One of my favorite dungeons I ran was “the temple of Tiscus” a temple to the bard god Tiscus. Each floor was themed by a music genre.
I love old-style D&D. I've been playing for 30 years, and I still love just having some elves and dwarves and halflings exploring a dungeon, fighting monsters and finding treasure. It's always different and always exciting.
This is horrible. It is 2:20 AM here in France. I HAVE to go to bed.
So I will. And I will watch this tomorrow. Have a nice evening / night everyone.
@Rex Ligini, I've met a lot of homosexuals, both men and women and even those in between, and they have been, for the most part, pretty fucking lit.
Matthias Havras , it is a horrible coincidence, but it isn't a horrible video. I'd be interested in your take.
It's worth it, I won't say any spoilers but you're in for a treat as usual.
Looks like the French lost again.
@Rex Ligini +1
Matt you may never see this comment, but I want to thank you for saying that you don't have to think out the entire world; I needed to hear that.
I've been DM'ing my first campaign with a group of friends who're all new to D&D. I've been so focussed on making my world believable, making all the npc/villain motivations make sense in a plot revolving around a murder mystery, working out the guilds, the taverns, the goals of a demon worshipping cult, of the nobles and the neighbouring kingdoms, of the thieves guild, of a group of assassins, the three main overarching vilains of the plot, world maps, city maps and so much more, that it has now been two years since the first session, and we're only about to do the fourth in a few days. It's gotten so bad that one of the group members started to DM his own campaign for all of us to fill up the hole I left.
It's not that I've spent all that time on my campaign itself - I wish - but I've been stressing myself out about on working out every single detail so much that the work has become offputting and looking like a chore.
Sometimes I forget that this is 'only' my first campaign as a DM, and that not everything has to be perfect.
Honestly this has calmed my nerves quite a bit, so thank you for that.
The tapestries comment is so true. A little flair often turns into a major plot point/hook that has to be weaved (haha) in on the fly.
Literally every time.
@@comradeshmoo Players are just paranoid detectives that think everything is a clue
"No adventure advertises how many sessions it will take."
I just finished a homebrew adventure in which I stated up front at session 0 "This will be anywhere from 10 to 12 sessions, no more."
It was the best adventure of our lives.
How many did it take?
@@oz_jones Probably 50 xD
"Starting is about 80% of Finishing" ...this right here is important life advice. Getting started often is the hardest thing.
I particularly love one piece of advice form this video paraphrasing "sometimes a player starts building a world and never finishes, because the task he set himself up to is a impossible one" i've come to the point i had several adventures set in a single world, stuff i started writing when i first started as a players, enough to expend the next 2 years just expanding on it and yet i did not feel like i had even a fraction of the world built, i was completely burned out of world building, so we just started playing, right now doing a very sandbox style of game, and going to our 4th session that should close the first adventure, the one that brings that party together, and after that i will drop my players into a city with a lot of hooks and let them open to choice, now let me say that seeing people play knowing where in the world they are and what they want to do makes world building 10 times easier.
I love how you make me excited about every aspect of the game. Every new video, I feel like I'm rediscovering D&D all over again.
I think this is my favorite video. I believe this concept is the foundation of this whole hobby, and this video hits a lot of key points like how to not be overwhelmed, how to start, how to improve, and how to have fun.
My trick for making the beginning of an adventure portend to some element of the ending, is to just toss in a few random details in your descriptions. In the first sessions the players will pick up on something you didn't even think was important. Then all you have to do is spend some time working that element into the final sessions, building upon it. It is a cooperative game, so building onto the player's expectations and imagination is part of what makes it fun. Twist and turn their expectations once in a while to keep them on their toes makes it interesting.
Thank you Matt--your enthusiasm about D&D gets me re-excited about playing and DMing! It can become monotonous to keep crafting stories every week, but this was a nice reminder about why I enjoy playing.
If you want to make a good dungeon add random encounters that you roll for. Have about half be nothing happens in the room. I did this and my players were on edge because I had usually rolled the affect of nothing at all and they were so on edge to see what happens next it made an awesome dungeon. I do it know and then I would recommend that every DM try this.
Out of so many great Running the Game videos this is my favorite. Watching it I feel both excited and relieved. Thank you!
My mother-in-law was telling me today about a dungeon a friend created for them back in the 80's. Whenever the players moved with pace they could hear sounds coming from a distance. If they ran for long enough the sounds turned out to be a song playing. It turned out they were in the grooves of a giant record and were turning it as they moved. What an idea!
Matt returns with spectacular content! It never ceases to amaze me how simple yet profound your DM tips are. Keep up the good work, strongholds and followers and the stream alike sound stupendous and well worth the wait. Thank you!
Love this. It's the kind of content that got me hooked to watching and listening to your wonderful "Tubes". Thanks, Mr Colville.
I have a philosophy for dungeon building which is to start with how many factions exist within the dungeon and build a 5 room/area dungeon for each faction with a linear story.
Then I criss cross the 5 room dungeons so they're no longer linear should you deviate from the designed path and then fill in the gaps to finish the dungeon off, usually finishing with patrol routes and cross faction interactions now that the dungeon has its rooms laid out.
Excellent Video.
It is these informational videos with you asking the audience to consider ideas or concept that I enjoy the most.
You keep reinvigorating my faith in playing the game.
Thanks again for another useful video Matt! It was nice to hear your updates on projects at the end too.
Thank you so much, Matt.
You have a neck for laying out your thoughts in a way that is easy and clear enough to follow. This may just instantly be one of my favourite videos of yours and I have a feeling that it's going to improve the experience at my table tremendously.
THIS is what Matt does SO WELL. My friends and I owe hundreds of hours of fun to his mighty powers of de-mystification. That first night, when I ran the Delian Tomb for my friends, I was hooked forever. Thanks Matt, a thousand times, thanks.
I think this is probably your best video yet! This is fantastic to a fairly new DM.
I think this is my new favorite of your videos, ive always loved designing and creating dungeons and this video was very helpful to reinvigorate my ideas
I remember, way back in '76...we lived for the dungeon! We stayed up late into the night, trying to get through one more room. The game has changed a lot.
I've been running Castle Amber in Pathfinder for a small group and the dinner table has been one of the highlights for me so far. Great video as always!
"Creativity needs boundaries." Truer words never spoken!🙏
This is amazing. Just getting back into running the game, and your videos have been more then insightful. Keep th em coming.
Literally was just pouring over making a dungeon for my group yesterday, and as usual, Matt knocks it out of the park. Bravo good sir.
Discovered the joy of dungeons recently when I whipped one up quickly to run for a one-shot. Really fun to put together and run; would recommend 😅👍
I love your videos. I can just hear your passion coming through my phone with every video about a game you really love. You sir are fantastic. Thank you for just sharing your brain with us.
Matt thank you. I've been having a bit of writers block for my last session before I leave on a religious mission for the next two years this really helped.
I'm going to miss these videos they have helped me with more than just Dungeon Mastering. Keep up the good work I look forward to seeing what the channel is like when I get back.
This is a great video, I found your channel while preping my own campaign about 8 months back, I used your tomb dungeon (with some thematic modifications) as my first session and started playing with only the starting town and the dungeon made, and a very vague idea of the country the players a currently in. we are now 8 sessions in and still building my world, only ever a few steps a head of the current area but having lots of fun. If I would have waited to start it would have never happened. Thanks for the starting dungeon and this awesome advice.
I have been struggling to make dungeons for a while now, and just that tip to add something I like to it cleared my creative block. Thank you Matt. :)
Holy shit! The production value on this is awesome and I'm only a minute in. Always been a fan of your videos Matt but this is like a whole new level. Few things bring me more joy than seeing the creators you love gaining success and being able to make things the way they want.
This video itself is inspiring hundreds of dungeons. I love your content, bless you Mr Colville
I really just want to thank you for all the work you’ve put into your videos, I know I’m several years late to this one but I’ve been listening to as many as I can and learning as much as possible.
I want to get into DM’ing now that I’ve been a player for several years and your insights and advice on running the game, characters, dungeons and everything else has been invaluable to me, so thank you so much.
These videos are pure gold. Thanks for uploading them.
I just ran the epic finale to my first ever campaign last night. I was so nervous I was literally sweating. It went awesome. And it all started by me watching your videos. Great as always. Thanks Matt!
It's taken a little while, but i've finally pressed that lovely sub button. Once again a great video, waylaying some concerns I have been having for the past few months about an adventure (leading into a grander campaign) that I've been DM'ing for a group of friends! Thanks again Matt
This is the best video you've ever released in my opinion. It also made me realize how few dungeons I've been using. I'm gonna go make one, thanks so much Matt!
I have been watching your videos since I started DMing in early 2017. Your videos are both interesting and informative and I have learned A LOT. But, as a classic over-preparer, I find this video to be the most helpful video I think you have ever produced. It has specific tips that can be applied not only to dungeon building, but also to writing, art and most work in general.
I found this extremely motivating and I really appreciate your content.
He’s back!!! So excited for this video! And can’t wait for Strongholds & Followers!
I love the advice. But I also find my mind considering the perspective that EVERYthing is the dungeon, including those things outside of it. All based on encounters and choices. That a city can be viewed the same as a dungeon once my perspective is shifted, the myriad npcs in a city are a lot like that tapestry in the dungeon that didn't mean anything, while the more important npcs are like the lever that will change the pcs path depending on how they chose to interact with it.
Shifting perspective takes the "over" out of overwhelmed.
I really appreciate this video, thanks for puttying your many years of experience into it.
So tasty! Love that you're reinvigorating the dungeon side of d&d
I’m halfway through and this is one of my favorites.
This format. Yes please.
Matt Coleville, you always succeed in getting me out of my creative ruts. I cannot thank you enough for keeping me going all this time! You are a true Gem, you are truly rare! Thank you.
You've been a great help in getting me up to date with D&D. Great work, keep it up!
Brilliant. My favorite video. Easily your best. Amazing information. Exciting even. Can't wait to play tonight!
I've been powering through these Running the Game videos, and have gotten a LOT of great advice. But one of the best moments is the Syd Barrett reference. Purely amazing stuff Matt!
Amazing video and I will be honest Matthew Colville, I have been DMing for over a decade and this video literally got my creative juices flowing for dungeons and have in the time the video took came up with the premice for 3 new dungeons across the 2 campaigns I am currently running. Thank you so very much for this.
Matthew, I have to thank you for all of your invaluable knowledge you so brilliantly share with us aspiring DMs and players.
This specific episode hit home hard for me personally. I tend to focus so much on worldbuilding, yet struggled (until now) to create meaningful dungeons. Your advice has inspired me and given me the tools to work on this issue, and thereby become a better DM. I thank you again for all the information you provide us.
This has to be the best channel I ever subscribed too. The way Matt talks and the tips he gives not only give me advice, but set my imagination off to design my own adventures and dungeons.
This is one of the most concise videos you’ve made 👌 really helpful
I watch so much videos about D&D, trying to improve my knowledge of the game and see other perspective. After some videos I feel like I learnt a little something, but after a Matt Colville videos it's like a HUGE discovery or tips !
Man, I love your videos! Every time I watch them I get so inspired to create and play D&D.
Definitely one of Matt's best videos. And not just because he states so clearly and simply my own conclusions that I've finally reached after spending too long over thinking how to begin my own adventures !!
When you talk abou old way of playing D&D, it reminds me of the difference between The Elder Scrolls 1, and 5. In Arena, the challange was gettling xp, and loot in dungeons, and once in a while sell it in a city. Now, it is very story driven, and the point of playing it, is completly different.
I feel recently there's been a lot of videos not hugely relevant to my needs. I've drifted from you a little.
This one was spot on. Exactly the encouragement i needed, thanks dad.
Every video is filled with good advice and I try to use it all.
How interesting that you put out this video very shortly after the release of Waterdeep: Dungeon of the Mad Mage! Dungeon of the Mad Mage is a master class in designing a mega-dungeon. But mega-dungeons can be as overwhelming as building an entire world. Your videos make the big overwhelming things easier to digest and understand. That's why we love your videos. Thanks, Matt!
Great video!
Your videos have made it super easy for me to start my own campaign and get my creative juices flowing.
Thank you Matt, it may be simple, but this is excellent advice, the way you break it down. It helped me actually plot out and expand two of my game's grand dungeons at the same time!
It's a really funny coincidence that the Easter egg Gary included spelled EGG. (His first name was Ernest, everyone called him by his middle name).
Everyone, new or old to DMing, should watch this video. One of the best breakdowns of the process I've ever heard, and I've been playing (and DMing) for over 30 years. Thanks Matt!
Wow! I think this is probably the most densely packed, and excellent, 20 minutes of gaming advice ever produced!
im SO glad i fished around in my watch later playlist i forgot how helpful Matt’s videos are for making me latch onto D&D
I love this video, way back when I made my first campaign my players were sent down into a dungeon that connected them to other cities to send a message. It was 20 levels, about 10 rooms a level, and a large underground city my players could stumble on. I made it a few levels a week, and now whenever I introduce new players it is my go to, my signature. In other words, it is amazing to see Matt talking about them.