The fact that he not only rewarded the new player for casting Detect Thoughts but also rewarded the power gamer so he could see the value the new player brings
He’s a smart DM and would quickly shut that down. “You read his thoughts but he is more sizing up the battlefield than focusing on attacking one person in particular.” Etc
@@loswavy_1351 arent "exploits" a goods thing? Magic is at its best when yoused creativly and in a different way then intendet. Also if it ever gets to redicules the dm has many ways of shutting the power gamer down.
Every one of these characters could have been seen as a problem player and I love how you showed that their differences can be easily catered to so everyone has the fun they are looking for. It was beautiful.
OMG, I just realized that this is my current group! Except my players are real people other than my multipler personalities. I have the story teller, the power gamer, and the Picked it cause it sounds cool guy. The final guy who "hits stuff and does one-liners" is usually a support NPC (Me or when one of my kids want to play).
They’re only problem players because a lot of DMs just don’t want to deal with it. Whether they don’t want to deal with tying in backstory elements or they’re tired of the paladin never getting hit and doing 50+ damage in a turn
"easily" is debatable though It takes a lot of flexibility and understanding to actually make the game as enjoyable to everyone as possible, especially if you try to include yourself You have to know and acknowledge both PC's and player's motivations and be ready to throw away literal chunks of prepared stuff to maintain the rule of cool which might be different for different players But after all what's the point of being a DM if you can't make your players feel good, so yeah, this video shows a great example of everyone having fun at the dnd table
@@tr4ktr4k45 You're right that it's harder than it looks but the trap I think is focusing on all of those "have to's". The only thing you HAVE TO do is understand what experience your players are looking for and follow through. 100% takes experience, empathy and confidence but you'll only get better at it by failing and trying again.
I liked it when Jacob used his abilities to help Jacob, all while Jacob was building up the rest of the party in their own ways, truly an amazing D&D party
Maybe Jacob will come around and help out more, since he saw what a help Jacob was to him. Either way, Jacob runs a really good game and I hope he gives Jacob inspiration for being MVJ. Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob...
I like how not only do the players all play differently, but the DM is actually catering to the players's play styles in a sustainable way. He makes the new player feel cool for doing something creative, he gives the barbarian stuff to hit, and he gives a narrative moment to the Story Writer. All little things that don't overlap or make the game feel lopsided. Based.
Holy fuck. I was actually emotionally invested in this sketch. Kicking demons off the tower, allowing creative uses of spells, and everyone playing the game their own way, but still enjoying the game. Fuck, that’s my dream dude. I want to play in this game so badly…
I want so badly to be this DM, but unfortunately I hardly know how to play, so all of my sessions involve me either searching through books rapidly or giving up on that and just making something, ANYTHING up so that we can keep going also, I have horrible attention issues so... (I struggle to actually read the adventure I'm actively running, I have no clue where it's leading to)
Like i can make my tiny bard/rouge a beast using his small and malnutried form to his advantage along with q team attack with my dragon blood ranger/druid as they shoot their bows and go for the vital points
I wish I hadn't been constantly harassed and belittled by the groups I was in to the point where I started cheating just to avoid being randomly gubbed by them for their amusement.
Okay but DMs like myself (a pretty new DM) can learn a ton from the way he ran this. He allowed the random ideas of the wizard and barbarian to be effective, caused in-combat PC interaction, and fed into a player's backstory in the same encounter. Pretty awesome.
@@justv7536 Just DM'ed the start of a new campaign on Saturday! I'm having a lot of fun with it, and by all accounts, my players enjoyed it, too! Thanks for asking!
Best self-chemistry I’ve seen outside of Bistro Huddy, honestly. Everyone should go watch some Bistro Huddy though, in the genre of content where the creator plays everyone, it’s top tier.
This was such a wholesome video, thank you for not just making a "power gamers bad, story players good, new players make mistakes all the time" video I appreciate the point of inspiration
This is one of those sketches where it starts out and you think it's glorifying one type of player and making fun of everyone else, but it turns out it's really wholesome and it's making fun of everyone while glorifying them at the same time. Loved it.
Its almost like there's aren't bad "types of players" (from powergamer, to story driven and everything in between or beyond). The difference between a good or bad group is more whether folks are either... - Respectful players who enable and/or encourage other styles even if it isn't for them, or those who don't know how to do the former options but at least try not to get in the way or discourage others styles whilst trying to offer helpful advice without arguing... - and people who take everything personally, get mad and may be in need of some conversations as to why that is... (therapy is great, its not the be all and end all - but its pretty great)
@@pattycake520the first few fights should be steam rolls, in my opinion. It gives players a great push off into their new characters, and motivation to play them even more.
@@romanterry7215I actually prefer 1 tough combat to start, then an easier one. The players struggle to survive their first real encounter, but the next one feels like a breeze in comparison, helping them feel as if their camaraderie has grown in such a short time. Gives a very "hero" feel to my games, and my players have enjoyed 3 campaign starts with that pattern.
@@robertagren9360 it's not future sight, it's giving the player an incentive to be creative with spells, just let people have fun instead of being the arbiter of how people play a game
With all the time that I've spent playing d&d, players who don't quite understand the rules are an absolute treasure, The thinking of out of the box tactics can lead to some of the most epic wins.
This is good when the player is decisive and creative. Players who dont make an effort to understand the rules and take forever to decide what to do are terrible to play with
@@arandomuserwashere8895spell doesn't work that way but if u got a chill dm I could see that lowering its AC(easier to hit an off balance target) or knocking it prone or something
I love the Wizard casting seemingly nonsensical spells, but I also love the DM working with that to make an otherwise pointless action actually make a difference and work. That's quality DMing right there
sadly most dms are like 🤓🤓🤓🤓"Ummm trust me buddy, you don't want to do that" 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓 "yeah, you waste a spell slot and get no information, next turn" 🤓🤓🤓🤓
@@Cro1232crotrue. It's not like you can't stop it if the player is abusing it. Like I had a group of friends do the "bag of holding on a portable hole" thing. They were level 16 so I just said "ok, follow initiative, what do you want to do" On the next turn the BBEG planeshifted back.
Wasn't actually expecting this to be as wholesome as it ended up, but this is way better than whatever I was expecting. Something about that "oh man this is gonna be terrible" feeling coming to the slow realization of "wait this is actually awesome" is a feeling that can't be beat ngl
DM adjusted his style for each player. Gave the power gamer more of what he liked and made him feel like a badass. Gave the 'i dont really know rules/tactics' guy a homebrewed bonus for doing something offbeat like reading his thoughts. gave the 'i wanna hit stuff' guy stuff to hit. gave the story obsessed guy story beats to work with. the DM met each player with what they wanted and kept it all going instead of sulking on the forums. I think that's the real message here
@@Lowkey-NoPressure It wasn't just a homebrew bonus, it was a complete rework of the spell. First of all, Detect Thoughts does *not* read minds on the first round that you cast it. It just checks if there's a mind there or not. Second of all, a sentient demon is not gonna fail his will save against a level 4 wizard. I think there is a fine line between "have more rules leniency with new players to help them learn without getting discouraged" and "if you are *too* lenient with new players they will never actually learn the rules". Obviously DM'ing is subjective and different things work for different groups, but this is over the line for me.
@@tudornaconecinii3609 Wow, you really don't know what the spell does You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature-what is most on its mind in that moment. As an action, you can either shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts or attempt to probe deeper into the same creature’s mind. If you probe deeper, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, you gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that loom s large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). If it succeeds, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and unless you shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts, the creature can use its action on its turn to make an Intelligence check contested by your Intelligence check; if it succeeds, the spell ends. Incredible how you got all wrong, like didn't get anything right. dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:detect-thoughts
The integration of different play styles, a flexible DM who rewards good roleplay and creative decision-making, experimentation and innovation mixed with teamwork, excellent roleplay from the fighter and outside-the-box combat decisions form both the wizard AND the barbarian...like, somehow this video is the platonic ideal of what D&D should be???
At the start you assume the joke is going to be how the party members will conflict with each other, but instead it's how the DM is so skillfull that he nips every single conceivable thing that could go wrong completely in the bud and it's still both exhilarating and funny to watch.
I love how instead of making the video about the negative of different play style,you made it about the positive making the video inspiring and fresh That is why you are the best d&d skit creators ten leagues above everyone
The trick is to remember that you are all there to have fun. The DM was forgiving with the novice Wizard for using his magic intuitively and creatively, if not accurately. The Minmaxing Barbarian wanted to hit stuff, so the DM gave him an obvious, badass enemy to fight, had it come straight for him and gave him a bonus to his AC while encouraging teamwork. The role-player got his backstory addressed right from the start and had the unexpected twist of his fiancé being undead; which he obviously didn’t expect, but he was delighted to see how his story was evolving.
@@Living_Life242it was the Paladin that got the help and fought the main demon. The Barbarian got to fight the mooks and minons. And yeah, it is amazing when different playstyles mix, it just lands on the GM to be the oil that will grease the gears from grinding, figure out those playstyles, and keep it all smooth going.
Oh this is adorable! I absolutely love how the DM plays into the interests of all the players, and even rewards the new player for just trying even though they're clueless
I'm a strategist, my brother is a pure murderhobo, and my wife is just happy to be here. We're about to start a short campaign with my other brother as DM. Pray for us
You'll prob do fine as long as ya'll know what you're getting into. The big problem with having very different player-types at one table comes when there's expectations that aren't met, on many levels.
We came for the players... we stayed for the DM. 1) Strong start, kicking it off with something for the players to react to... and creating an opportunity for each player to start getting what they want. 2) Immediate tie-ins and dramatic twists for the Story Writer 3) Allowed for suboptimal or 'wrong' spell choices to still be helpful (so that the newbie playing wizard doesn't feel stupid) 4) Allowed the Power Gamer to feel powerful via High AC proving as effective and high damage taking out the big bad demon 5) Created a bunch of other enemies on a whim via portal so that the player who just wants to 'hit stuff' has lots of opportunities to hit stuff. Also, this video is a Master Class in how to recognize a video's core audience (those who want to learn about RPG Players' psychology), and still bring value to others outside that audience (those who want to be better DM's). Great job, Jacob!
Yeah, the thumbnail makes you think that it's a "grr, power gamers bad" so it's nice to see the more measured "everyone plays different, a good DM lets everyone shine in their own ways."
It's too wholesome to be real. We all know the hit stuff guy and the power gamer would be arguing over kills, the story writer would be talked over and ignored by the two arguing, and the don't know what to do guy would just be on his phone.
I think it depends on the players? There are 5 PCs in the game I play in, and we definitely have players with different styles. Yeah I’m more of a storyteller and role player, and my character builds aren’t totally optimized, but I get along great with the power gamer at the table. He doesn’t talk over me at all. And I like to play lawful characters while a lot of the players like *chaos.* We get silly joke builds, character focused builds, and power builds in play at the same time, and as PLAYERS we work to make sure we treat each other well.
The strategy is to hook them immediately so they won't start doing interrupting stuff because they're too bored. Give them drama! Writers loves drama about their pc in the game as long as they aren't totally fucked.
and the gamer gamers love it when their characters get a chance to feel powerful, so letting them get a +1 AC from the detect thoughts spell just makes them feel amazing, Being that I typically end up as that sort of player, I resonate with the potential issue of feeling the need to coach newbies into the most "optimal" choices, when honestly if they were a power gamer too, they would rather come up with those synergies by themselves because it gives them a sense of mastery, seriously this DM is just way better at the game than I am, props to Jacob and newbies don't know what they are doing, so they are usually happy so pong as something interesting and cool happens
Here we observe the single chaddest dungeon master on planet earth in his natural habitat: helping newcomers to the game gain an appreciation for it by bending the rules and having a psychic mind link with the roleplayer
Honestly, having both a 'Story Writer' and a 'Powergamer' at your table is ideal in my experience. It's important to think about the story reasons for things, but efficiency is equally important. When you combine the two of them you have the potential to achieve a perfectly balanced table.
Sadly, quite often the story writer gets bored during tough battles, and the powergamer gets bored when the story writer starts dialogues and digs lore. And it's quite hard for a DM to get every scene to suit the interests of both players. I have seen so many burned-out DMs for this very reason
@@cringeroll I think the key is to keep things moving during combat. I've been at a table where there was one person who took 7 minutes minimum with their turn and every combat turned into a slog because of it. It wasn't even because they were doing weird or interesting things, they were just slow. As long as things are moving, good or bad, it'll at least be entertaining one way or another.
@@cringeroll What matters most is how well those players gel as a unit, from what I've found. People can get very invested in their friends having a good time, even if they're not involved.
For one campaign, my character is a musclehead who has a problem with not saying what he's thinking. We also have a deliberate and plodding former herdsman, a ranger with religious identity crisis, and a spellcaster who sees conspiracies everywhere while demanding all the information. edit: almost forgot, the newest player who is simultaneously relearning the game system, while trying to absorb the world lore, and his character is a crafter thrown into a combat role.
@@BlahBlah-bp4lqmy experience with the story teller is much worse than with slow combat players. My group encountered what was essentially a huge self propelled mower. Our story teller spent 3½ hours trying to figure out how to "tame" the mower because he made an evil kobold artificer that was the perpetual failure as a super villain. ( Think Dufensmirch/ Megamind/Dick Dasterdly) everyone was trying to move everything along after hour 1 but that couldn't happen.
This single video is a masterclass in how a DM can hook a group into the narrative, incorporate their history and family members into the story and keep all players engaged regardless of their tactics. I bow to thee.
Honestly a DM that could manage so many wildly different personalities and skill levels and make something coherent and enjoyable all around would be incredibly impressive.
I thought I was a good DM (still do) but I have nothing - *NOTHING!* - on Jacob! Seriously, I would sign up for a workshop: "Jacob shows you how a proper DM does it"!
I came back to this video after my last Call of the Netherdeep session because the phrase "I love how you all play differently" just resonates so much with my group, we're all so different players/characters but still, even with completely independent strategies we still managed to support each other and win the race. Different play styles can be so fun at a table as long as everyone remembers that we're here to have fun.
The way the DM was played in this skit has given me a lot to think about. The battle was so hype and exciting and I’m inspired to bring that energy to my table next session!
Oh for real! I thought *I* was my players' biggest fan, even took pride in my enthusiasm. But, jaded Grognard that I am, I haven't been that "in the moment" in, like . . . Wow! Ever
I've been re-watching this video for 7 or 8 times now. I feel really nervous since I'm prepping for GM-ing a long game soon and somehow this video comforts me. Probably it's because the DM here finds means to entertain every single person around the table and keep them invested even with their different playstyles and it gives me courage to think that my campaign will also turn out just fine. At least, I hope so.
This isn't about different players. It's about a DM who notices, understands and responds to different players. And that is soooo much more interesting. Thanks for a wonderful illustration of great DMing.
Looks cool here, but in reality, the power gamer would have been upset by the detect thoughts and the enlarge, because he put a lot of work into min-maxing, just to be marginalized by rules fudging, the barbarian would be on his phone because the intro took too long (and would be mad at the power gamer for dealing more damage than him), the role player would be explaining to the GM why this was such a terrible twist, and how now his character has no motivation to continue, and the wizard would be upset that his spell didn't do damage like the power gamer, even though it was detect thoughts.
@@ethanwilliams1880 No, what would actually anger the power gamer is if the rules were fudged for everyone but him. This happens a LOT. Just because someone is an effective character doesn't mean they arent allowed to be creative anymore, and I've been in so many games where everything I do must be exactly RAW but no one else must abide by that same mindset. They tend to be dedicated to the game and understand the point of it is the rulings like that, and then get counted out instantly.
This is the kind of roleplay positivity we need in our lives. I know for a fact most DMs would throw a hissy fit over that one friend of mine who isn't very good at RP but knows how to pack a mechanical punch, but I'm personally a big fan. He keeps the more RP prone fellas at the table from dying, and I keep him in the game by giving him "easier" RP interactions that fit his fantasy more. If he's gonna be more engaged with the villain crossing swords with him rather than with the farmgirl explaining her sad backstory for the next quest, you bet your ass there's gonna be a lot more super-villains in the campaign.
I think you'd be surprised how much DMs differ! There are plenty of DMs who run "beer and pretzels" type games where actory roleplaying isn't a part of the game at all. They're just there to roll dice, kill monsters, kick in doors, and fill their inventories with treasure. Nothing wrong with that! This is what's so fantastic about the hobby to me. No matter what part of it you're into, there is a table somewhere surrounded by people who are just waiting to become some of your best friends.
@@cogspace And then you also get the groups where everyone has a good time tearing apart a system and figuring out just what nonsense they can get up to with it. For those familiar with Warhammer 40'000, I got an Only War character to the point that they could penetrate the front armour of a Leman Russ battle tank with a shot from a lasgun. It was funny.
I dont usually comment but i just had to say. This is lowkey some of the best DM advice I have seen even if it is not explicitly stated. the message may seem like different playstyles are fine and that's nice but it really shows how to be a good DM for YOUR specific table and players. As a optimizer and DM myself I tend to not enjoy games with the Barbarian or the Wizard type of players you showed, the murder hobo and the complete noob... and giving the players each what they want may seem obvious - Storyteller - give him plot hooks, that get him out of combat - Muder Hobo - give him goons to dominate when he isn't able to best a boss/enemy - Optimizer - give him buffs which reward his build but the new player ... I love what you demonstrated there. You know he doesn't know what he is doing, the experienced players know too, they know what he is doing is not just suboptimal it is bad. This leads to tension at the table, it isn't fun for the new player, it isn't fun for the experienced players. But the as the DM you can take their move and make into something that is effective and useful to the party bend the rules as need be so that 1 - the new players feels like they can do what they want and are helping and 2 - the experienced players are helped and do not feel like they are being griefed. All the while enthusiastically encouraging creativity, brillaint. The beauty of the solution being the game is not unbalanced because the new player is not by definition going to make the party too strong, I can see some cases where a player then tries to emulate your on the fly rules to take advantage of what you did in the moment to help the new player but those players are just assholes and the table is better with out them. all in all really good advice subtely presented.
What I Expected: A comical list of every type of player in existence, only some of which I would agree with What I Got: Four distinct play styles and a prime example of how the DM can go about catering to the needs of his players ... and a banger theme song too
I haven't played D&D in over 12 years, and this brought a genuine smile to my face. So many good memories. All players are spot on, and equally precious.
I find this video to almost show more of how a great DM manages to adapt their campaign and DM’ing style to fit different players’ needs AWESOME WORK!!!😄😄😄
I was doing a level 14 oneshot where my players had to fight a god, and I allowed homebrew with minimal oversite. A player showed up with an AC of 31. My god could only hit them on a 13 or higher. I have since been much more strict with what I allow at the table.
A DM being encouraging and adjusting to "Dave" (or any new player) is great. It encourages them to come back for more. Shows him that anything about your character can be made useful if your DM is willing to improv around for you.
Yup, I love the creativity of new players!!! All of my players have only had 2-5 sessions of dnd, and just last week, one of my players asked if they could use feather fall on a barrage of sling stones being thrown at the party. The answer was, of course, Absolutely!
For me, my players used a pairing of dissonant whispers and silvery barbs on a dragon boss to force it to fly away from the party into a tower which promptly collapsed on it and almost killed it despite the two 1st level spells on their own doing 3d6 damage. I love player creativity!
@@aldrinvendt8524 when I was playing a Trevor Belmont build (Human Fighter/Monster Slayer), I got a few casks of oil. I chose Celestial for my language and asked my DM if I could pray for a blessing. The idea was to make holy fire bombs. He let me roll for it. Nat 20. I did this whole prayer and he told me that I could feel like someone nodded at me. DM declared them blessed and I ended up using them on Strahd, failing horribly and dying in the process lol. But it was still lots of fun
Jacob made us believe he made a video about different kinds of D&D players but in reality he made a video about how to be a good DM. Like legit without ever explicitly saying anything about it this is a master class in good DMing. There's a lot of amazing videos that teach how to be a good DM (Colville, Mercer, Jacob himself, to name a few) that are insanely helpful in learning but this video in it's subtly *shows* you how to be a good DM Great job Jacob 👏 👍 God bless yall 🙏
I literally made a Warforged named "Brick" like a week before this video came out and hearing that the Warforged was also named Brick made my nervous system catch on fire
Wow, I thought this might be a comparative video but it actually became a beautiful tale of offering each player what they are looking for and focusing on fun. Thanks Jacob, this was truly a breath of fresh air and reminded me what’s important at the table!
Yo honestly, this is exactly how the first session should go. Take your players backstory and ambitions, and what they want to do and just smash it all into the first few sessions. Everybody feels great and wants to come back.
I loved the exitement about the big numbers and how the DM made teamwork possible in the interactions between the wizard guy and the paladin/artificer guy. The 21 AC moment was such a five high moment.
This was so insanely relatable that I got actually really invested in that encounter. I want a continuation of this story I need to see whats up with the dead fiance. I stan Brick
This was unexpectedly wholesome. It's refreshing to see all sorts of different types of players being able to come together and have a great time. Different playstyles don't always conflict; they can complement each other very nicely, too. Thanks for reminding us of that!
Honestly when I saw the 2 low effort characters I thought they were going to be joke players. I am so pleasantly surprised to see how they were engaged by the dm in the skit to actually get more involved, so everyone felt valid and had fun ^^ I wish I had a dm who did that.
It makes me so happy to see the DM go from encouraging the new barbarian to just do what he wants, to making sure the uncertain wizard can try messing around with the spells they want to, AND to the dm just getting genuinely excited with the min-maxer as he just cant get hit and rolls high,
Sorry it's probably a lot of work... but how about an entire campaign/series told in < 10minute skits like this? This was genuinely incredible, I feel way more invested in the 3 characters than I have for any DnD campaign I've ever watched online.
Cara ficou incrível isso, como pessoal comentou o jeito como inseriu e deu relevância pra cada "tipo" de player ficou perfeito, e o principal de tudo, achei muito emocionante a narração em geral
I’m obsessed with this video, I personally struggle with letting people make their own mistakes or play in a way different from me but this reminded me the merits of everyone playing their own way and made me so excited for this kind of group
As someone who played a game that featured Iron the Warforged with a 20+ AC, a paladin also with 20+ AC, Satan the barbarian, a wizard with no idea what he was doing, and a rogue with waaaaay too much backstory, this video makes me happy. Really shows the different motivations behind making characters and how to accommodate for them.
I love this. You think the video's going to be dunking on certain playstyles, but it's just a really wholesome example of how people with different playstyles can have fun in the same party together.
I love how all the different types of players are working in harmony! It seems awkward at first but it’s so great to see the DM have fun with each player
This video is so beautiful, for what i expected this might just be the best surprise I've ever gotten watching a yt video in my life, i absolutely loved this like mini-guide to how dnd can still be fun with tons of different playstyles working together
I thought this was gonna be a silly meme about the chaos that can ensue and the humour of having two very different players, but this was actually a fun demonstration on how to give multiple different players what they want in a DND game. Very cool Jacob 👍
I don't think that this was pointed out. But when the story writer put the 16 in to Perception the Dm rewards him with no check to see the pendent the shifty guy was wearing.
As a Story Writer kind of player I really felt that "No!!! Oh that's actually SO cool. Oh my god. Hah ha ha!" I've played with other players that have been unnerved at how excited I've become at terrible things happening to my character. IT MAKES FOR A BETTER STORY.
@@greed94 My pathfinder gripplis summoner: "I left the swamp because my eidelons asked me too. And since I have hard time making friends anyway I said why not" One of my character has a bigger backstory but it was written with the DM. And the other one with a bigger on is just because it's the siblings of an other player, we needed to agree on stuff first.
@@cookie856 Ah, that makes sense. Doing a similar thing in my group, since we want it all to fit together. Right now I'm playing a Warforged, which are nearly nonexistent, but there happens to be one of the 13 great powers that dabble in alchemy and constructs and the like, so it fit in quite nicely. Also, the vampire in the party is now his undead patron because it's funny.
@@greed94 Yeah. What I do note down is the personality or quirks. Because like... Sure, I don't have a big backstory (most of the time) but I do want to make sense of my sheet anyway, especially since some of the system we play in are totally rolled. The peace paladin that want to kill everyone (because everyone death=No more opportunities for wars) and love food is a great exemple of me just doing that. (For some reason he's the team moral compass. Like, pardon me, he accepted to help cause the end of the world and he's a bad guy?) (Excluding the demon that just want to bring his family to him. The only reason he's not the moral compass is the player XD )
I. Freaking. Love this! This is such a masterful skit for this, and I think it goes to show there's a beauty in different play styles. I'm dming a campaign with point buy stats, and I've got one player with 20 DEX from the get go, and another with 20 AC who knows quite a bit about the game. But one other player was playing a Triton Druid, and they've produced two of my favorite plays so far. One was when they turned into a weasel using their Wild shape. They only have 1 HP and their bite only deals one damage, but that wasn't the main thing they used that for. They crawled *inside* of the enemy's tunic to distract and disorient him, *and* it gave another player who was a rogue their sneak attack bonus. All while said enemy struggled to get rid of the wild shaped weasel. But there was one opportunity I couldn't pass up. That Triton druid also tried using shape water against a few ooze enemies, but their reasoning was that they were trying to wash it away. It doesn't deal damage, but I would never have thought of that application. So I made it so that as the slimes struggled to hold themselves together, that was the time for the party to strike. Bonus to all of their attack rolls for the turn. I think those moments are beautiful, when creativity finds it's place in a campaign where different play styles are accommodated like this. So thanks for making this little skit, I think it's absolutely wonderful!
This video brought me genuine joy. This is why I got into D&D in the first place and just seeing you create different excitement for all the different player types is just so cool. Makes me really excited to play in my games again. Also I think we need more signing from you in future videos. You're musical abilities is a forgotten talent.
This is one of Jacob's best videos imo. Such a great take on how players with different play styles can collaborate without overshadowing one another. It just takes good communication and an adaptable DM. Love it!
Every day, Jacob grows ever closer to running an entire actual play campaign with just himself.
It is called "writing a book"
@@demogorghonI just silently look over at my collection of Overlord novels and Goblin Slayer novels... "Yup."
@@demogorghonExcept with live performance!
I would watch that 100% lol
Reminds me of Patrick Stewart's one man show of "A Christmas Carol"..... but way geekier!
This wasn't a video about how different people make characters. This was a video about being a great and adaptable DM.
The winner was everyone and the MVP was the DM.
@@pRahvi0 this DM is a total chad
This DM is god tier
Ikr, I wanna be like that one day
Can I grow up to be like Chad DM one day?
The fact that he not only rewarded the new player for casting Detect Thoughts but also rewarded the power gamer so he could see the value the new player brings
could sadly also be bad, if the power gamer tries to exploit that :/
@@loswavy_1351 Doesnt matter if they're having fun
He’s a smart DM and would quickly shut that down. “You read his thoughts but he is more sizing up the battlefield than focusing on attacking one person in particular.” Etc
@@loswavy_1351 arent "exploits" a goods thing? Magic is at its best when yoused creativly and in a different way then intendet. Also if it ever gets to redicules the dm has many ways of shutting the power gamer down.
so true
Every one of these characters could have been seen as a problem player and I love how you showed that their differences can be easily catered to so everyone has the fun they are looking for.
It was beautiful.
This should be pinned
OMG, I just realized that this is my current group! Except my players are real people other than my multipler personalities. I have the story teller, the power gamer, and the Picked it cause it sounds cool guy. The final guy who "hits stuff and does one-liners" is usually a support NPC (Me or when one of my kids want to play).
They’re only problem players because a lot of DMs just don’t want to deal with it. Whether they don’t want to deal with tying in backstory elements or they’re tired of the paladin never getting hit and doing 50+ damage in a turn
"easily" is debatable though
It takes a lot of flexibility and understanding to actually make the game as enjoyable to everyone as possible, especially if you try to include yourself
You have to know and acknowledge both PC's and player's motivations and be ready to throw away literal chunks of prepared stuff to maintain the rule of cool which might be different for different players
But after all what's the point of being a DM if you can't make your players feel good, so yeah, this video shows a great example of everyone having fun at the dnd table
@@tr4ktr4k45 You're right that it's harder than it looks but the trap I think is focusing on all of those "have to's".
The only thing you HAVE TO do is understand what experience your players are looking for and follow through. 100% takes experience, empathy and confidence but you'll only get better at it by failing and trying again.
I liked it when Jacob used his abilities to help Jacob, all while Jacob was building up the rest of the party in their own ways, truly an amazing D&D party
Except Jacob, he really dragged the rest down.
@@martianinvader3828 They should have invited Jacob instead of Jacob. Could have been a better fit :/
What a Gigachad!
J&J party*
Maybe Jacob will come around and help out more, since he saw what a help Jacob was to him. Either way, Jacob runs a really good game and I hope he gives Jacob inspiration for being MVJ.
Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob Jacob...
I like how not only do the players all play differently, but the DM is actually catering to the players's play styles in a sustainable way.
He makes the new player feel cool for doing something creative, he gives the barbarian stuff to hit, and he gives a narrative moment to the Story Writer.
All little things that don't overlap or make the game feel lopsided. Based.
Super based
As he gives the powergamer an occasion to be awesome
@@maxthepaladin2147 Yes, this. I wanted to say this but didn't know how to articulate it.
That's the kind of DM I aspire to be.
@@maxthepaladin2147 Literally, bro just did 55 damage on lvl 1 that's insane
Holy fuck. I was actually emotionally invested in this sketch. Kicking demons off the tower, allowing creative uses of spells, and everyone playing the game their own way, but still enjoying the game. Fuck, that’s my dream dude. I want to play in this game so badly…
Got a discord?
There's games like that out there. All it takes is trial and error to find the right group. Discord is a great place to start.
make your own, not that hard
I want so badly to be this DM, but unfortunately I hardly know how to play, so all of my sessions involve me either searching through books rapidly or giving up on that and just making something, ANYTHING up so that we can keep going
also, I have horrible attention issues so... (I struggle to actually read the adventure I'm actively running, I have no clue where it's leading to)
Like i can make my tiny bard/rouge a beast using his small and malnutried form to his advantage along with q team attack with my dragon blood ranger/druid as they shoot their bows and go for the vital points
"I love how you all play differently."
That moment was so genuine. Thank you for this, Jacob.
Goosebumps it was so real
teared up a bit
ikr it was wholesome
My game is all my family. It is such a gift to get to see them play different roles, while still being themselves!
I wish I hadn't been constantly harassed and belittled by the groups I was in to the point where I started cheating just to avoid being randomly gubbed by them for their amusement.
Okay but DMs like myself (a pretty new DM) can learn a ton from the way he ran this. He allowed the random ideas of the wizard and barbarian to be effective, caused in-combat PC interaction, and fed into a player's backstory in the same encounter. Pretty awesome.
Yo dude how's the DMing going? Gotten better?
@@justv7536 Just DM'ed the start of a new campaign on Saturday! I'm having a lot of fun with it, and by all accounts, my players enjoyed it, too! Thanks for asking!
Okay but actually can we just talk about the absolute chemistry this man has with himself 😂
He's a big ball of thermite and D&D was the magnesium that sparked him goin.
If ya cant get along with yourself than who can you?
Best self-chemistry I’ve seen outside of Bistro Huddy, honestly.
Everyone should go watch some Bistro Huddy though, in the genre of content where the creator plays everyone, it’s top tier.
@@thewolfstu But what lit the magnesium? 🤔
@@3nertia Bill
Props to the dm for compining all the characters work
But it's all him actually
@@formicus6717 wait really? damn, how did he do that?
that “power gamer” needs to step his game only 20 ac at 4th level ha I got an ac of 21 at level 1 also hi how is everyone doing?
@@alfiekelly932How’d you manage that? Unless you rolled absurdly well
@@justinbent9320 18 wisdom tortle monk so yes I did roll well
This was such a wholesome video, thank you for not just making a "power gamers bad, story players good, new players make mistakes all the time" video
I appreciate the point of inspiration
This is one of those sketches where it starts out and you think it's glorifying one type of player and making fun of everyone else, but it turns out it's really wholesome and it's making fun of everyone while glorifying them at the same time. Loved it.
Came to say the same thing! It became really wholesome!
Its almost like there's aren't bad "types of players" (from powergamer, to story driven and everything in between or beyond). The difference between a good or bad group is more whether folks are either...
- Respectful players who enable and/or encourage other styles even if it isn't for them, or those who don't know how to do the former options but at least try not to get in the way or discourage others styles whilst trying to offer helpful advice without arguing...
- and people who take everything personally, get mad and may be in need of some conversations as to why that is... (therapy is great, its not the be all and end all - but its pretty great)
I know right? This was... nice :)
Wholesome
@@bmuzza5897there definetly bad players, it's nit their style of gaming but the fact they are cad people
Damn this dm is accommodating the players so well to make them all happy......who else would want him as your dm...😢
Meeeeee
I would!
I appreciate how he helps all the players have fun. But they steamrolled that combat. Are they gonna do that for all the combats?
@@pattycake520the first few fights should be steam rolls, in my opinion. It gives players a great push off into their new characters, and motivation to play them even more.
@@romanterry7215I actually prefer 1 tough combat to start, then an easier one. The players struggle to survive their first real encounter, but the next one feels like a breeze in comparison, helping them feel as if their camaraderie has grown in such a short time. Gives a very "hero" feel to my games, and my players have enjoyed 3 campaign starts with that pattern.
The player reading the demon’s thoughts instead of attacking is so me 😂 I love this skit it’s so realistic and encouraging different styles of play
Future sight on level 1
@@robertagren9360 it's not future sight, it's giving the player an incentive to be creative with spells, just let people have fun instead of being the arbiter of how people play a game
With all the time that I've spent playing d&d, players who don't quite understand the rules are an absolute treasure, The thinking of out of the box tactics can lead to some of the most epic wins.
I couldn't agree more
I love the enlarge reduce idea, what if you made one leg massive and the other one tiny so he couldn't walk.
This is good when the player is decisive and creative. Players who dont make an effort to understand the rules and take forever to decide what to do are terrible to play with
@@arandomuserwashere8895spell doesn't work that way but if u got a chill dm I could see that lowering its AC(easier to hit an off balance target) or knocking it prone or something
Only if you have a chill DM that knows how to work with these type of players otherwise it's just gonna be sad
Can we give a round of applause for the dm sending minions to the barbarian who is out of range. Just... chef's kiss
Definitely gave the nod to that move
Jacob really went from mocking stereotypes of imperfection to loving the natural diversity and creativity of man. What a legend.
I love the Wizard casting seemingly nonsensical spells, but I also love the DM working with that to make an otherwise pointless action actually make a difference and work. That's quality DMing right there
Honestly, I think that's the true purpose of the more "senseless" spells.
sadly most dms are like 🤓🤓🤓🤓"Ummm trust me buddy, you don't want to do that" 🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓 "yeah, you waste a spell slot and get no information, next turn" 🤓🤓🤓🤓
@@Cro1232crotrue. It's not like you can't stop it if the player is abusing it.
Like I had a group of friends do the "bag of holding on a portable hole" thing.
They were level 16 so I just said "ok, follow initiative, what do you want to do"
On the next turn the BBEG planeshifted back.
THIIIIIIS THIS THIS THIS!!!
*player tries to do apparently nonsensical thing*
[Awesome DM] Okay yeah sure I'll make that work for you
Wasn't actually expecting this to be as wholesome as it ended up, but this is way better than whatever I was expecting. Something about that "oh man this is gonna be terrible" feeling coming to the slow realization of "wait this is actually awesome" is a feeling that can't be beat ngl
Also just want to clarify that by "terrible" i meant in terms of the characters getting along, not the skit itself. Your skits are always slam dunks
DM adjusted his style for each player. Gave the power gamer more of what he liked and made him feel like a badass. Gave the 'i dont really know rules/tactics' guy a homebrewed bonus for doing something offbeat like reading his thoughts. gave the 'i wanna hit stuff' guy stuff to hit. gave the story obsessed guy story beats to work with.
the DM met each player with what they wanted and kept it all going instead of sulking on the forums. I think that's the real message here
Prime example of 'just because everyone enjoys different elements of the game, doesn't mean you can't enjoy it together'.
@@Lowkey-NoPressure It wasn't just a homebrew bonus, it was a complete rework of the spell. First of all, Detect Thoughts does *not* read minds on the first round that you cast it. It just checks if there's a mind there or not. Second of all, a sentient demon is not gonna fail his will save against a level 4 wizard.
I think there is a fine line between "have more rules leniency with new players to help them learn without getting discouraged" and "if you are *too* lenient with new players they will never actually learn the rules". Obviously DM'ing is subjective and different things work for different groups, but this is over the line for me.
@@tudornaconecinii3609 Wow, you really don't know what the spell does
You initially learn the surface thoughts of the creature-what is most on its mind in that moment. As an action, you can either shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts or attempt to probe deeper into the same creature’s mind. If you probe deeper, the target must make a Wisdom saving throw. If it fails, you gain insight into its reasoning (if any), its emotional state, and something that loom s large in its mind (such as something it worries over, loves, or hates). If it succeeds, the spell ends. Either way, the target knows that you are probing into its mind, and unless you shift your attention to another creature’s thoughts, the creature can use its action on its turn to make an Intelligence check contested by your Intelligence check; if it succeeds, the spell ends.
Incredible how you got all wrong, like didn't get anything right.
dnd5e.wikidot.com/spell:detect-thoughts
The integration of different play styles, a flexible DM who rewards good roleplay and creative decision-making, experimentation and innovation mixed with teamwork, excellent roleplay from the fighter and outside-the-box combat decisions form both the wizard AND the barbarian...like, somehow this video is the platonic ideal of what D&D should be???
At the start you assume the joke is going to be how the party members will conflict with each other, but instead it's how the DM is so skillfull that he nips every single conceivable thing that could go wrong completely in the bud and it's still both exhilarating and funny to watch.
I love how instead of making the video about the negative of different play style,you made it about the positive making the video inspiring and fresh
That is why you are the best d&d skit creators ten leagues above everyone
The trick is to remember that you are all there to have fun. The DM was forgiving with the novice Wizard for using his magic intuitively and creatively, if not accurately. The Minmaxing Barbarian wanted to hit stuff, so the DM gave him an obvious, badass enemy to fight, had it come straight for him and gave him a bonus to his AC while encouraging teamwork. The role-player got his backstory addressed right from the start and had the unexpected twist of his fiancé being undead; which he obviously didn’t expect, but he was delighted to see how his story was evolving.
@@Living_Life242it was the Paladin that got the help and fought the main demon. The Barbarian got to fight the mooks and minons.
And yeah, it is amazing when different playstyles mix, it just lands on the GM to be the oil that will grease the gears from grinding, figure out those playstyles, and keep it all smooth going.
Yeah this is also why I likes his Joke character video. It's nice seeing videos like these that have a happy ending.
Oh this is adorable! I absolutely love how the DM plays into the interests of all the players, and even rewards the new player for just trying even though they're clueless
I'm a strategist, my brother is a pure murderhobo, and my wife is just happy to be here. We're about to start a short campaign with my other brother as DM. Pray for us
I feel like this is going to be fun chaos.
no bc Im an atheist
@@zaynredwood
Science for them then
You'll prob do fine as long as ya'll know what you're getting into. The big problem with having very different player-types at one table comes when there's expectations that aren't met, on many levels.
@@sonicdml4175God and Science are not mutually exclusive.
We came for the players... we stayed for the DM.
1) Strong start, kicking it off with something for the players to react to... and creating an opportunity for each player to start getting what they want.
2) Immediate tie-ins and dramatic twists for the Story Writer
3) Allowed for suboptimal or 'wrong' spell choices to still be helpful (so that the newbie playing wizard doesn't feel stupid)
4) Allowed the Power Gamer to feel powerful via High AC proving as effective and high damage taking out the big bad demon
5) Created a bunch of other enemies on a whim via portal so that the player who just wants to 'hit stuff' has lots of opportunities to hit stuff.
Also, this video is a Master Class in how to recognize a video's core audience (those who want to learn about RPG Players' psychology), and still bring value to others outside that audience (those who want to be better DM's).
Great job, Jacob!
Yeah, the thumbnail makes you think that it's a "grr, power gamers bad" so it's nice to see the more measured "everyone plays different, a good DM lets everyone shine in their own ways."
It's too wholesome to be real. We all know the hit stuff guy and the power gamer would be arguing over kills, the story writer would be talked over and ignored by the two arguing, and the don't know what to do guy would just be on his phone.
It's sorta working with and directing that energy. I can honestly see it done with practice, but most tables aren't this spread? Maybe?
I think it depends on the players? There are 5 PCs in the game I play in, and we definitely have players with different styles. Yeah I’m more of a storyteller and role player, and my character builds aren’t totally optimized, but I get along great with the power gamer at the table. He doesn’t talk over me at all. And I like to play lawful characters while a lot of the players like *chaos.* We get silly joke builds, character focused builds, and power builds in play at the same time, and as PLAYERS we work to make sure we treat each other well.
And of course in your example, the story writer is the only one not doing something wrong.
Really wholesome. Thank you for illustrating the problem with power gamers 😂
@@DoggoDoesStuff1projection at its finest bro
Damn the twist of loving all the different styles was nice since it seemed like the story writer player was gonna clash with the others at the start.
The strategy is to hook them immediately so they won't start doing interrupting stuff because they're too bored.
Give them drama! Writers loves drama about their pc in the game as long as they aren't totally fucked.
and the gamer gamers love it when their characters get a chance to feel powerful, so letting them get a +1 AC from the detect thoughts spell just makes them feel amazing,
Being that I typically end up as that sort of player, I resonate with the potential issue of feeling the need to coach newbies into the most "optimal" choices, when honestly if they were a power gamer too, they would rather come up with those synergies by themselves because it gives them a sense of mastery,
seriously this DM is just way better at the game than I am, props to Jacob
and newbies don't know what they are doing, so they are usually happy so pong as something interesting and cool happens
Here we observe the single chaddest dungeon master on planet earth in his natural habitat: helping newcomers to the game gain an appreciation for it by bending the rules and having a psychic mind link with the roleplayer
And that psychic mind link’s name? Corpus Callosum
Im taking inspiration from that for my own dming
This is actually a great example to follow in running the game for players with different interests.
It's like a 4 hour critical role session condensed into 8 minutes. Wholesome.
Honestly, having both a 'Story Writer' and a 'Powergamer' at your table is ideal in my experience. It's important to think about the story reasons for things, but efficiency is equally important. When you combine the two of them you have the potential to achieve a perfectly balanced table.
Sadly, quite often the story writer gets bored during tough battles, and the powergamer gets bored when the story writer starts dialogues and digs lore. And it's quite hard for a DM to get every scene to suit the interests of both players. I have seen so many burned-out DMs for this very reason
@@cringeroll I think the key is to keep things moving during combat. I've been at a table where there was one person who took 7 minutes minimum with their turn and every combat turned into a slog because of it.
It wasn't even because they were doing weird or interesting things, they were just slow. As long as things are moving, good or bad, it'll at least be entertaining one way or another.
@@cringeroll What matters most is how well those players gel as a unit, from what I've found. People can get very invested in their friends having a good time, even if they're not involved.
For one campaign, my character is a musclehead who has a problem with not saying what he's thinking.
We also have a deliberate and plodding former herdsman, a ranger with religious identity crisis, and a spellcaster who sees conspiracies everywhere while demanding all the information.
edit: almost forgot, the newest player who is simultaneously relearning the game system, while trying to absorb the world lore, and his character is a crafter thrown into a combat role.
@@BlahBlah-bp4lqmy experience with the story teller is much worse than with slow combat players.
My group encountered what was essentially a huge self propelled mower. Our story teller spent 3½ hours trying to figure out how to "tame" the mower because he made an evil kobold artificer that was the perpetual failure as a super villain. ( Think Dufensmirch/ Megamind/Dick Dasterdly) everyone was trying to move everything along after hour 1 but that couldn't happen.
6:55 love the dm breaking the rules a smidge for the new guy to feel good about doing stuff
who cares about hard rules, this is improv..?
@@cewla3348 go away filthy creature, you dont even understand my intent and still send me this drivel.
This single video is a masterclass in how a DM can hook a group into the narrative, incorporate their history and family members into the story and keep all players engaged regardless of their tactics.
I bow to thee.
Honestly a DM that could manage so many wildly different personalities and skill levels and make something coherent and enjoyable all around would be incredibly impressive.
I thought I was a good DM (still do) but I have nothing - *NOTHING!* - on Jacob!
Seriously, I would sign up for a workshop: "Jacob shows you how a proper DM does it"!
@@JamesJoy-yc8vsI'm a little late but I'm pretty sure he has some videos up that are teaching you how to play
I came back to this video after my last Call of the Netherdeep session because the phrase "I love how you all play differently" just resonates so much with my group, we're all so different players/characters but still, even with completely independent strategies we still managed to support each other and win the race. Different play styles can be so fun at a table as long as everyone remembers that we're here to have fun.
The way the DM was played in this skit has given me a lot to think about. The battle was so hype and exciting and I’m inspired to bring that energy to my table next session!
It would give rule lawyers nightmares, but in the end of the day every decisions were SPOT ON
@@RundasSlash Jacob is the chad *rule of fun* lawyer.
@@wirelessmouse9579 As they say, the most important rule is that everyone has fun
Oh for real!
I thought *I* was my players' biggest fan, even took pride in my enthusiasm. But, jaded Grognard that I am, I haven't been that "in the moment" in, like . . . Wow!
Ever
Jacob laughing at himself saying "Brick" was too genuine lmao
There isn't a better name than Brick
My sirens name is brick and she is the prettiest
@@AA-sw5pb 🤣
@@AA-sw5pb It reminds me of heavy from tf2 telling people to call him a pretty princess
@@El_chara It's a reference to Borderlands.
I've been re-watching this video for 7 or 8 times now. I feel really nervous since I'm prepping for GM-ing a long game soon and somehow this video comforts me.
Probably it's because the DM here finds means to entertain every single person around the table and keep them invested even with their different playstyles and it gives me courage to think that my campaign will also turn out just fine. At least, I hope so.
This isn't about different players. It's about a DM who notices, understands and responds to different players. And that is soooo much more interesting. Thanks for a wonderful illustration of great DMing.
As someone who loves to play Barbarian, god bless DMs who give me things to hit when the BBEG is out of range.
Some people just want to hit stuff.
Big bad evil guy?
Absolutely disgusting, keep your filthy offensive cultist insults to yourself
Can we just take a minute to appreciate that this DM is so fucking good?! He effortlessly adapted to every player's play style in seconds
4 different play styles all combined into an actually fun game, amazing.
Looks cool here, but in reality, the power gamer would have been upset by the detect thoughts and the enlarge, because he put a lot of work into min-maxing, just to be marginalized by rules fudging, the barbarian would be on his phone because the intro took too long (and would be mad at the power gamer for dealing more damage than him), the role player would be explaining to the GM why this was such a terrible twist, and how now his character has no motivation to continue, and the wizard would be upset that his spell didn't do damage like the power gamer, even though it was detect thoughts.
@@ethanwilliams1880
No, what would actually anger the power gamer is if the rules were fudged for everyone but him. This happens a LOT. Just because someone is an effective character doesn't mean they arent allowed to be creative anymore, and I've been in so many games where everything I do must be exactly RAW but no one else must abide by that same mindset. They tend to be dedicated to the game and understand the point of it is the rulings like that, and then get counted out instantly.
@@ethanwilliams1880doomer moments
This is the kind of roleplay positivity we need in our lives. I know for a fact most DMs would throw a hissy fit over that one friend of mine who isn't very good at RP but knows how to pack a mechanical punch, but I'm personally a big fan.
He keeps the more RP prone fellas at the table from dying, and I keep him in the game by giving him "easier" RP interactions that fit his fantasy more. If he's gonna be more engaged with the villain crossing swords with him rather than with the farmgirl explaining her sad backstory for the next quest, you bet your ass there's gonna be a lot more super-villains in the campaign.
I think you'd be surprised how much DMs differ! There are plenty of DMs who run "beer and pretzels" type games where actory roleplaying isn't a part of the game at all. They're just there to roll dice, kill monsters, kick in doors, and fill their inventories with treasure. Nothing wrong with that! This is what's so fantastic about the hobby to me. No matter what part of it you're into, there is a table somewhere surrounded by people who are just waiting to become some of your best friends.
@@cogspace And then you also get the groups where everyone has a good time tearing apart a system and figuring out just what nonsense they can get up to with it. For those familiar with Warhammer 40'000, I got an Only War character to the point that they could penetrate the front armour of a Leman Russ battle tank with a shot from a lasgun. It was funny.
@@AGrumpyPanda man brought a flashlight to a tank fight, and then melted the tank
I dont usually comment but i just had to say. This is lowkey some of the best DM advice I have seen even if it is not explicitly stated.
the message may seem like different playstyles are fine and that's nice but it really shows how to be a good DM for YOUR specific table and players.
As a optimizer and DM myself I tend to not enjoy games with the Barbarian or the Wizard type of players you showed, the murder hobo and the complete noob...
and giving the players each what they want may seem obvious
- Storyteller - give him plot hooks, that get him out of combat
- Muder Hobo - give him goons to dominate when he isn't able to best a boss/enemy
- Optimizer - give him buffs which reward his build
but the new player ... I love what you demonstrated there. You know he doesn't know what he is doing, the experienced players know too, they know what he is doing is not just suboptimal it is bad. This leads to tension at the table, it isn't fun for the new player, it isn't fun for the experienced players. But the as the DM you can take their move and make into something that is effective and useful to the party bend the rules as need be so that 1 - the new players feels like they can do what they want and are helping and 2 - the experienced players are helped and do not feel like they are being griefed.
All the while enthusiastically encouraging creativity, brillaint.
The beauty of the solution being the game is not unbalanced because the new player is not by definition going to make the party too strong, I can see some cases where a player then tries to emulate your on the fly rules to take advantage of what you did in the moment to help the new player but those players are just assholes and the table is better with out them.
all in all really good advice subtely presented.
"Was that a threat?"
"Yes"
"I kill him"
Is the most accurate sentance said on this channel
By a paladin too, fucking golden
What I Expected: A comical list of every type of player in existence, only some of which I would agree with
What I Got: Four distinct play styles and a prime example of how the DM can go about catering to the needs of his players
... and a banger theme song too
loved "...that rolled off the table!" automatic reroll. I've seen that maneuver before.
I haven't played D&D in over 12 years, and this brought a genuine smile to my face. So many good memories. All players are spot on, and equally precious.
I swear that 3rd attack against Brick was def a fudged roll from the dm to make player choices feel satisfying without derailing the story/combat much
I find this video to almost show more of how a great DM manages to adapt their campaign and DM’ing style to fit different players’ needs
AWESOME WORK!!!😄😄😄
The manic laughter before "I HIT STUFF" got me in stitches... well played jacob... well played
this is actually a really good example of how to meld very different types of players
I was doing a level 14 oneshot where my players had to fight a god, and I allowed homebrew with minimal oversite. A player showed up with an AC of 31. My god could only hit them on a 13 or higher. I have since been much more strict with what I allow at the table.
A DM being encouraging and adjusting to "Dave" (or any new player) is great. It encourages them to come back for more.
Shows him that anything about your character can be made useful if your DM is willing to improv around for you.
Yup, I love the creativity of new players!!! All of my players have only had 2-5 sessions of dnd, and just last week, one of my players asked if they could use feather fall on a barrage of sling stones being thrown at the party. The answer was, of course, Absolutely!
For me, my players used a pairing of dissonant whispers and silvery barbs on a dragon boss to force it to fly away from the party into a tower which promptly collapsed on it and almost killed it despite the two 1st level spells on their own doing 3d6 damage. I love player creativity!
@@aldrinvendt8524 when I was playing a Trevor Belmont build (Human Fighter/Monster Slayer), I got a few casks of oil. I chose Celestial for my language and asked my DM if I could pray for a blessing. The idea was to make holy fire bombs. He let me roll for it. Nat 20. I did this whole prayer and he told me that I could feel like someone nodded at me.
DM declared them blessed and I ended up using them on Strahd, failing horribly and dying in the process lol. But it was still lots of fun
Jacob made us believe he made a video about different kinds of D&D players but in reality he made a video about how to be a good DM.
Like legit without ever explicitly saying anything about it this is a master class in good DMing.
There's a lot of amazing videos that teach how to be a good DM (Colville, Mercer, Jacob himself, to name a few) that are insanely helpful in learning but this video in it's subtly *shows* you how to be a good DM
Great job Jacob 👏 👍
God bless yall 🙏
I think I learned more from this video about being a DM than from the how to guide videos.
I literally made a Warforged named "Brick" like a week before this video came out and hearing that the Warforged was also named Brick made my nervous system catch on fire
The fact that "it rolled off the table" was used in this script is PERFECT!
Wow, I thought this might be a comparative video but it actually became a beautiful tale of offering each player what they are looking for and focusing on fun. Thanks Jacob, this was truly a breath of fresh air and reminded me what’s important at the table!
This is also an example of amazing Yes And DMing. 10/10
I've had basically that story gamer conversation with myself on every character during its creation,
Yo honestly, this is exactly how the first session should go.
Take your players backstory and ambitions, and what they want to do and just smash it all into the first few sessions. Everybody feels great and wants to come back.
I loved the exitement about the big numbers and how the DM made teamwork possible in the interactions between the wizard guy and the paladin/artificer guy. The 21 AC moment was such a five high moment.
This is a great example of how we can respect other players play styles and how the DM should reward player ingenuity. Great video
I was expecting a clash between the players and what I got was the actual fun there should be in all campaigns
This was so insanely relatable that I got actually really invested in that encounter. I want a continuation of this story I need to see whats up with the dead fiance. I stan Brick
Honestly I loved the dynamic because of the fact that all players enjoyed it so much
This was unexpectedly wholesome. It's refreshing to see all sorts of different types of players being able to come together and have a great time. Different playstyles don't always conflict; they can complement each other very nicely, too. Thanks for reminding us of that!
Honestly when I saw the 2 low effort characters I thought they were going to be joke players. I am so pleasantly surprised to see how they were engaged by the dm in the skit to actually get more involved, so everyone felt valid and had fun ^^ I wish I had a dm who did that.
This is so sweet and wholesome, I love a DM that supports and encourages their players different playstyles!
2 billion AC and sprinting faster than sound
Just like Afrodite in those lowest rated DND homebrew.
Comfort: Does a bazzilion damage
@@thatboyakira4202the God of getting f*ked
It makes me so happy to see the DM go from encouraging the new barbarian to just do what he wants, to making sure the uncertain wizard can try messing around with the spells they want to, AND to the dm just getting genuinely excited with the min-maxer as he just cant get hit and rolls high,
I really love how this shows dnd really can cater to so many playstyles with the right group and DM 😊
Sorry it's probably a lot of work... but how about an entire campaign/series told in < 10minute skits like this? This was genuinely incredible, I feel way more invested in the 3 characters than I have for any DnD campaign I've ever watched online.
Ain’t there four? Which one didn’t strike yer fancy?
This'll scratch the itch, Homie: ua-cam.com/video/Fno7igahwdk/v-deo.html
"Was that a threat?"
"Yes."
"I kill him."
The delivery on that was hilarious.
Cara ficou incrível isso, como pessoal comentou o jeito como inseriu e deu relevância pra cada "tipo" de player ficou perfeito, e o principal de tudo, achei muito emocionante a narração em geral
6:24 the sheer, unadulterated *glee* when he gets to hit stuff is just so perfect
I’m obsessed with this video, I personally struggle with letting people make their own mistakes or play in a way different from me but this reminded me the merits of everyone playing their own way and made me so excited for this kind of group
sounds like you're awful to play with bud
Wow! The players had fun, the DM had fun, it was fantastic.
As someone who played a game that featured Iron the Warforged with a 20+ AC, a paladin also with 20+ AC, Satan the barbarian, a wizard with no idea what he was doing, and a rogue with waaaaay too much backstory, this video makes me happy. Really shows the different motivations behind making characters and how to accommodate for them.
I love this. You think the video's going to be dunking on certain playstyles, but it's just a really wholesome example of how people with different playstyles can have fun in the same party together.
this just feels like stellar DMing giving everyone what they want
The fact you used Eberron as the setting for the skit is great, all the details are spot on, love your work man.
I love how all the different types of players are working in harmony! It seems awkward at first but it’s so great to see the DM have fun with each player
This video is so beautiful, for what i expected this might just be the best surprise I've ever gotten watching a yt video in my life, i absolutely loved this like mini-guide to how dnd can still be fun with tons of different playstyles working together
I like how each different playstyle had a little something for each of them
I absolutely love the upbeat energy this man has with himself in this one, everyone is accidentally in synch and it just works out! I LOVE IT!!
Jokes of it being all the same person aside, the dm in this scenario is the guy everyone loves. Played to everyone interests and playstyle.
The dm mixing in everyone quirks and strats to make them all have an enjoyable game is something I strive for
I thought this was gonna be a silly meme about the chaos that can ensue and the humour of having two very different players, but this was actually a fun demonstration on how to give multiple different players what they want in a DND game. Very cool Jacob 👍
I don't think that this was pointed out. But when the story writer put the 16 in to Perception the Dm rewards him with no check to see the pendent the shifty guy was wearing.
As a Story Writer kind of player I really felt that "No!!! Oh that's actually SO cool. Oh my god. Hah ha ha!"
I've played with other players that have been unnerved at how excited I've become at terrible things happening to my character. IT MAKES FOR A BETTER STORY.
I don't write backstory but I react the same way to bad stuff so???
@@cookie856 Not even a little bit of backstory?
@@greed94
My pathfinder gripplis summoner: "I left the swamp because my eidelons asked me too. And since I have hard time making friends anyway I said why not"
One of my character has a bigger backstory but it was written with the DM. And the other one with a bigger on is just because it's the siblings of an other player, we needed to agree on stuff first.
@@cookie856 Ah, that makes sense. Doing a similar thing in my group, since we want it all to fit together. Right now I'm playing a Warforged, which are nearly nonexistent, but there happens to be one of the 13 great powers that dabble in alchemy and constructs and the like, so it fit in quite nicely.
Also, the vampire in the party is now his undead patron because it's funny.
@@greed94 Yeah. What I do note down is the personality or quirks.
Because like... Sure, I don't have a big backstory (most of the time) but I do want to make sense of my sheet anyway, especially since some of the system we play in are totally rolled.
The peace paladin that want to kill everyone (because everyone death=No more opportunities for wars) and love food is a great exemple of me just doing that.
(For some reason he's the team moral compass. Like, pardon me, he accepted to help cause the end of the world and he's a bad guy?)
(Excluding the demon that just want to bring his family to him. The only reason he's not the moral compass is the player XD )
I. Freaking. Love this!
This is such a masterful skit for this, and I think it goes to show there's a beauty in different play styles.
I'm dming a campaign with point buy stats, and I've got one player with 20 DEX from the get go, and another with 20 AC who knows quite a bit about the game. But one other player was playing a Triton Druid, and they've produced two of my favorite plays so far.
One was when they turned into a weasel using their Wild shape. They only have 1 HP and their bite only deals one damage, but that wasn't the main thing they used that for. They crawled *inside* of the enemy's tunic to distract and disorient him, *and* it gave another player who was a rogue their sneak attack bonus. All while said enemy struggled to get rid of the wild shaped weasel.
But there was one opportunity I couldn't pass up. That Triton druid also tried using shape water against a few ooze enemies, but their reasoning was that they were trying to wash it away. It doesn't deal damage, but I would never have thought of that application. So I made it so that as the slimes struggled to hold themselves together, that was the time for the party to strike. Bonus to all of their attack rolls for the turn.
I think those moments are beautiful, when creativity finds it's place in a campaign where different play styles are accommodated like this. So thanks for making this little skit, I think it's absolutely wonderful!
What an incredible DM. Figured out exactly what type of experience each player was looking for and made sure they got it.
This was beautiful. I was getting so hyped for a story I wasn't even a part of. I teared up at the end. Man this is exactly why I love D&D.
This video brought me genuine joy. This is why I got into D&D in the first place and just seeing you create different excitement for all the different player types is just so cool. Makes me really excited to play in my games again. Also I think we need more signing from you in future videos. You're musical abilities is a forgotten talent.
This is one of Jacob's best videos imo. Such a great take on how players with different play styles can collaborate without overshadowing one another. It just takes good communication and an adaptable DM. Love it!
This really illustrates how a good DM can take people with different priorities and even bad players and turn it into a good time.
I just love that he can play a whole table alone, it’s so entertaining
This campaign sounds like fun to party with lmao. I LOOOOVE when a dm can keep up with different playstyles.
This video should be "how a good DM adapts to their player's play styles."