Wouldn't work if... its been Satine Phoenix ALL ALONG! Also Mercer's deception is super high, he barely keeps the voices at bay, always check for illusions / disguises! GM TIPS!
G&S is as much marisha then it is matt and the others. seriously... i would not be surprised that the whole crew of CR would be there when they have nothing else to do.
Those are all Matt Mercer saying what, in fact Matt Mercer is such a good voice actor he is sitting in front of the camera and you are just imagining a female form to match the voice he is using.
Ultimus31 I hope that Geek and Sundry do a series a bit in by doing one shots with just the DMs who have done this series. Each one shot will be led by a different GM
I'm confused about her doing this though... Wasn't she a GM for three episodes on a podcast? That doesn't seem to be enough time to have all of her own tips and tricks.
Because clearly, GMs only exist on podcasts. It's not possible for her to have been playing this game since the 90s because, well, she wasn't on any podcasts back then...
I'll be GM for the first time this saturday. With a group of newbies that never played a pen&paper rpg before, at that. I don't know if that makes it easier or more difficult, lol. I'm so excited! Wish me luck :'D
Yup, the GM community is all about helping other GMs out. We know how much work goes into creating an encounter, rolling up treasures and even determining if that creature can use that long sword +2 against the players in it's treasure :)
You guys gonna have a great time. Having a Stars without number tomorrow as player and DnD on sunday as DM. Good times. Hope you have a great experience DMing.
Sitting these two next to each other, instead of across a table, makes this conversation seem so honest. Great video, great advice. Way to make the series your own Satine!
WOW that was a quick 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Really enjoyed it. Great tips Finding your style, practice, learn from running games, except feedback, and playing in games all good stuff. Excellent job Satine and Ivan. Finding your style is so important it allows a GM to play to their strengths and shore up the weak spots. -Nerdarchist Dave
As much as i'm in a highly platonic and heterosexual love for Matt, i like this new format. I played with a lot of girls and their view of the game was always fun and different, i think having another opinion on all those things will be great. The fact that it isnt just a copypasta of the ''old'' gm tips and that she actually add more things is also very cool. Loved her,loved their conversation, can't wait for the next one
Satine you beautiful gypsy princess! I tried so hard to be upset that Matt was gone but I couldn't. You honored Matt, gave good advice, and brought Ivan into it. Damn you and your gypsy magic! I'll go watch Maze Arcana now.
Satine has a very interesting cadence to her voice. It's simultaneously alluring and gently unsettling. Great new format for he show. Excited for the future!
I've been DMing for ten years and I LOVED all of these tips, it's true. Especially the feedback portion. Not only so you can adapt and become better but also so you can tailor your style to the specific players you're DMing for. I definitely have my "style" but depending on what the players want I switch it up. An example would be some players like to skip the minor details of playing (such as lifestyle expenses) to focus on the bigger picture. Other players want to be hyperrealistic and count all of those little nuances that the game provides. Feedback is CRUCIAL so, if you're DMing for more than one group, you can be sure you're providing what the players in that specific group are looking for so ALL of you can have fun =)
I recently DM'd for the first time. Players were two who play a main game alongside myself with a great DM (father-in-law) and my parents. My father played before when he was a youngster, but that was a long time ago, and my mother had never played before. In the end we had a great time, and I even ran into a slew of problems. Balance of the game was too hard even though I used to do so (I no longer like the books balance system lol) and the game went on longer than we wanted, and we had to finish it that night, or postpone for months and months which we didn't want to do. I created all the characters myself and they chose which they wanted based on a description. They all had a great time, loved my story, and my mother turned out to be one of the best in-character role-players of the group. I am definitely looking forward to playing with them again. :D
Also I ended up creating like, 2 NPCs off the top of my head, as well as a bunch of dialogue and even random items they ended up buying. Best part is they said they couldn't tell what I added in and what I prepared. Seamless... it was awesome.
While I didn't hate the conversation, I don't think it fit well into a "Tips" video. Would have been a good video for a "Behind the scenes" clip, but I feel like helpful tips were pretty sparse. Different strokes for different folks I suppose.
I've been playing or DMing since 1981. I've played under a LOT of DMs, but only a few good ones. I know that sounds harsh, but that's my experience. However, they taught me a lot in not only what to do, but what not to do. I also had a trial by fire in that I was thrust into tournament DMing after a last minute cancellation. That taught me a lot about dealing with unfamiliarity and about remaining calm under tense conditions. LARPing taught me to think on my feet and RP in the moment. Those two experiences taught me the Jillian Michaels adage: "get comfortable being uncomfortable." Two great DMs I've had taught me that there's no "right" way to do it, as one was "Obstructive" and the other was "Uplifting". Both, though, also were excellent in understanding a narrative. Even after all the DMing I've done, I still see them as my betters in the field. Hats off to you Paul and Lorne. So, based on all of that, I consider myself Experiencial/Narrative/Obstructive. I improv a lot, and can fall into voices/body language/accents easily, have an overall story in mind, but do it in a way that forces the players to think. Great video, and great start Satine. I look forward to future content.
Honestly I think Satine has done a wonderful job carrying the torch Matt passed her, and I love her outlook and how shes changed the format slightly. Can't wait to hear more from her.
Man, this is just fantastic content. I was a little apprehensive at first not seeing matt mercer, but once again geek and sundry has surpassed my expectations. This was expertly made, the fact that it was almost a conversation between two seasoned GMs made it so much more organic and enjoyable to watch. Thanks for making such high-quality content guys, keep it up!
Amazing video. I'm not sure how much of the format/set change was Satine, but it feels like GM Tips is going to the next level. Keep up the good work in the weeks to come!
I like the different style of GMTips. It's a great reminder at the beginning that failure is a part of learning something. Not sure if there'd ever be time for this exercise but I'd love to see different GMs take on the same one-shot, to show Satine's point that each GM approaches a game differently.
Love what you've done with the show Satine! Keeping the core of the show while bringing in your own original and engaging ideas. Love that you are also bringing guests on the show since it bring us some fresh faces or new perspectives!
That was an excellent GM episode. Though I will miss Matt doing this, you are an phenomenal replacement and I adore your style of telling these just as much. It was also nice to have Ivan participate, my favourite part of this episode was that it was longer and went more in depth than usual, which I find especially enjoyable. Though I am an experienced GM it is always rewarding to have my horizon broadened by these kinds of videos :) Thank you very much for the episode.
For new GM's, this should be the first video in the playlist. While Matt's stuff is great for more experienced Gm's, this is a wonderful first step. Also, HI Ivan!
My campaigns tend to be heavily character focused. I originally tried running more plot-lined games, but two things brought me back off of it: I had to constantly keep nudging the players back into the line of the plot, and really, it was a lot more boring for me as a GM. Knowing where it's going, and how it ends robbed ME of the enjoyment. I know, a slightly weird point, but stick with me here. I thought of all the things I hated GMs pulling when I was a player: The obsessive hand-holder, the fudging, the balancers, and such. I routinely became less interested in every campaign once I realize there was only a single story being told, favoring the campaigns that allowed me as a player to shape the world itself. It gives drive when you have that sort of autonomy, rather constantly keep hitting invisible wall after invisible wall. So, I decided to test out my new theory, with a character focused campaign of Exalted. Instead of trying to keep my players on track, I simply had events going on, and the players could choose what they chased after. I did this with three different groups, keeping track of the choices for my own notes. It was interesting to watch, because even though they were all having the same set of starter events, not one time did the stories turn out even remotely close. All three groups, for instance, took up hunting bandits, a sort "Let's go beat some mooks" setup, rather than immediately jumping in. Group A went out and crushed the bandits in suitably epic fashion, with many interesting stunts being done. They kicked much ass, and collected the bounties, then followed some rumors about a potential lost manse. Group B went out and fought the bandits, but their tactics were completely different. They pain-stakingly hunted them, using various means of stealth, picking off small groups of the bandits leaving not trace, and no sound as they did so. They even got rid of tracks, so bandits would just disappear. They did this mental torture to such a level that everyone started to believe that the woods were haunted, and began leaving sacrifices and prayer strips to the forest god as tribute. For those not knowledgeable about Exalted, this led to an increase in the forest god's power, who in turn started playing up the haunted bit, using its powers to take out the "unclean souls" within it, just as the PCs had. This group, while they got the lost manse information as well, instead saw an opening with the forest god, and began doing tasks for various gods, trading for artifacts and the like. Group C saw the Eclipse whip up a fat Guild caravan bound for Nexus, and when the bandits came out to attack the caravan, the Eclipse used social charms to convince the bandits to join them, then bound the deal with this Eclipse caste power. She then whipped up an overland trading company, racking up resources, while they would use it as a cover to keep converting various bandits, barbarians, and such that they came across. Eventually, of course, they got significant enough that the Realm took notice in a bad way. In a plot-line game, it would've gone only one way, and that just gets boring for me as GM. I don't KNOW how my games will end, whether in victory or defeat. That's why I have heroes.
Sean McTiernan You would probably like Gming a rule set called Dungeon World. It gives the players and GM a lot of narrative control and can flip things around and makes you make up situations or complications on the fly. It's a lot of fun as the GM to do the mental gymnastics without a lot of the prep.
I really enjoyed this and I loved the conversation bit! I don't know if that'll be a regular thing, but I'm always down for more of that! Great first episode, Satine!
this was super insightful honestly, especially the bit about asking your players what they want to get out of the situation to start with, keep up the good work!!!
I would add a fifth category of GM: 'simulationist.' And I would define it thusly: A simulationist GM is not an uplifting GM because their goal is neither to reward and empower, or to focus on challenging, players. Their goal is to react logically to the players' actions and to make a world feel alive. They don't focus on crafting anything from the experiences or making a long, thought-out plot, just in portraying NPCs in a lifelike manner, making them interesting and giving them goals and motivations, then seeing what happens. Obviously, this sort of GM tends to gravitate toward sandbox style games.
I am a bit confused how that related to my comment, but good metaphor. I wholeheartedly agree. Well, sort of. I don't really believe in "story" in the sense of plot, but in the sense of what develops after the fact because of the PCs' actions and my making the world react in a believable and interesting way. I am very much my above-expounded simulationist GM, and I do not plan out plots, only motivations and actions of characters. And the occasional natural disaster, perhaps.
First of all awesome video! You did such a good explaining different storytelling techniques and didn't put anyone down for their style. Secondly you must be a witch, you have this genuine, sincere, fluid air about you. You are so fantastic!
Fantastic! At the interest of being burnt alive, found this more helpful than Matt Mercer's advice. Geek and Sundry, you might want to do something about the set spacing/camera angles. If they were any closer, one would be giving the other a lap dance.
I like to set the scene and offer a few clues through the narrative pointing out possible quest locations; and then let the players drive the story. Organically developing the story based on the player's actions. The only obstacles the player's see are those thats presence is demanded by lore or story. As long as you can keep the environment alive active you don't need to worry about moving the story along getting players back on track.
Ever since my first pathfinder session with my friends last week I've been obsessed with the rpg community. I love the passion and the commitment people have to these games and I can't wait to delve deeper!
What i love the most here is the human aspect of the games. i've seen a few videos that seemed to focus on the systems and concepts. This felt quite warm in contrast. Most enjoyable :)
This series has been great so far... JUST found a group ( haven't played for close to 2 decades.... ) and I am going to GM... I'm scared and excited at the same time.
that cooking example was a great example actually, I have a player that loves to cook, so he enjoys being put into situations where he can cook, and describing the ways he prepares the food
Hey Satine just wanna say great to see your show. Its a pleasure to see female insights into GMing. I am kinda noob male GM, desperate to learn as fast and much as possible to make great game sessions, and I think its important thing to learn from both male and female. I would love to see more female specific stuff, as I have a hard time to figure out, how to overcome my male preset. Not that i want to deny it, far away from that, but I think its a worthy skill being both. What may cause a female char drive insane or evil, besides the "being a witch", "being a carrying mother" and so forth... ? How do you handle meta gaming? I am looking forward to your upcoming episodes. Youre doing an amazing job! Thank you :)
while I find Matt as a god amongst voice actors... I thoroughly enjoyed this episode with Satine! she was super interesting, charming and obviously, she knows her stuff! very good beginning to this season!
Ive been GM'ing for a long time. A good narrative is like love. Don't hold onto it too tightly, or it will wither away. Playing with different people would be challenging at this point, I've become too used to the players I have. Good conversation, thanks
I really, really enjoyed this discussion, especially on the four types of storytellers y'all list. In most of my campaigns I am uplifting 80-90% of the time, but during climactic moments I tend towards obstruction. I root for their successes while they're developing their characters' story arcs and discovering new abilities, but when they're finally in the vampire's castle or the dragon's lair they'll need to earn their victories against a powerful foe.
And then I googled Satine Phoenix to check out her origins, since I saw her for the first time, and was really surprised :I Anyway, she seems like quite a nice DM.
Matt is awesome and his tips will be missed. Satine is awesome as well and she pretty much pointed out how I started out as a DM damn near a decade ago, Off to an amazing start with a new host.
I do accents but the bad part is when they revisit a character, I tend to forget which accent went to which NPC. The party: "didn't that bounty hunter have a Russian accent last time we talked to him?" Me: "Ughhhh....Vat are you talkingg abowt. I always talk like this. You crazy." The best reaction was my high hippy impression for when the Druid used Speak with Plants on a giant mushroom.
Excellent episode! Digging the new format. My initial reaction when Ivan explained the four categories was "but I'm all of those", glad I'm not the only one. :P My only gripe is that, despite the hella awesome bling, you can hear a little bit of clinking in the background during the first segment. But definitely looking forward to more episodes and god i need those earrings.
I like the new format of gm tips, love mr mercer but it's helpful as a newer GM to hear from a lot of different sources and can't wait for more satine or ivan or other GMs to give their take on GMing 🙂
I love Matt, he is on my 'who would you turn gay for' list. I feel horrible for saying this because I have learned so much from Matt but that was a really great breath of fresh air and I look forward to seeing and learning so much more in future episodes. p.s. If you can think of anything else Matt please come back and let us know.
My main goal in running a game is to tell a cool story, but to bring my friends' characters through it. I want to somewhat challenge them sometimes and I want a final fight that really makes them work hard, but the main point is to let all my friends experience a cool story that they get to help shape.
That's three GMS who are all, in their labels, Obstructionist GMS. Could we have some more tips for "Narrative Experiential" GMS like me? Here's my tip for all of the others of you: Great Story doesn't happen by accident, it happens when something the character cares about is threatened, and the player decides to either have his character let it go, or fights to save it. I build plots so that characters are aimed at that emotional climax. We wouldn't remember "No, I am your father" without Luke spending the first two movies with ObiWan and Yoda. It means a lot to Luke to have a father figure to guide him. So to give a PC that moment, I'd see what RP they're doing. What does their character care about? And then I'd build my plot to challenge their possession of that valued thing in some way. For example, I have a thief character, and the first thing she did in town was check in with the Guild, looking for jobs. I have two plot threads waiting for her. She's going to get an offer to betray her Guild for a new Thieves' Guild. If she picks one, no matter which one she supports, I have a "Scarface" plotline so that first she gets the money, then she gets the power, and then she gets to marry a prince! Hijinks ensue! If she decides to play the Guilds off each other, then I have her playing "Yojimbo," until she's destroyed both Guilds, or the remnants come after her and she needs to fake her own death to escape. Conversely, my plots for combat encounters are very light like "Green Dragon of appropriate powers over here in the swamp. Has map for Player X in the hoard, and some more of the arcane materials that Player Y is collecting." If the players are heavily armored in the swamp, the Dragon will use more wing attacks and tail attacks to knock them around. If the players are in lighter armor because of the swamp, then it'll be less about the thick Dragon Hide AC and more about how many HP a dragon has. I try to encourage the players to use destructive environments to help them and other force multipliers as much as possible. I want that players to come up with a plan (any plan), do the plan, and then I will have it go reasonably well and the players win the fight. What makes my fights epic isn't the challenge level of the monsters, it's the reason WHY my characters are fighting that makes it epic. Maybe killing this dragon will go easy, but they find signs that this dragon has a mate or friend out there who will be plotting revenge. In that case, this dragon death is now a set up for the next fight, where it will matter more to them. As an example, fighting Raishan the Green for Critical Role wasn't really about stopping her regeneration plot, it was about getting revenge for the City of Iman and the Fire Ashari. Killing the last henchman dragon who escaped wouldn't have mattered so much if it was the Black or the White that ran away. But Mercer made it _personal_ for most of Vox Machina to kill her, specifically her. My biggest rival for their Fantasy RPG time is Warcrack/Andromeda/other MMORPGs, and I can't Level Scale or Balance Tank/DPS/Heal or basically calculate numbers as well or as fast or as impartially as a computer can. What I can do better is personalize the game for my players, so they get something out of my game that is unique to them and what they bring to the table.
I love this style of GM Tips! It's refreshing to get multiple perspectives on a subject. And while Satine is no Matt Mercer, she is certainly, imo, more relatable and I love that. I'm excited to see the rest of this series 😁
I found this video super engaging. Mercer was great for GM tips, but I really enjoyed this episode with Satine. I'm very much looking forward to the next episode.
I walk away from this video with a feeling that I just sat and watched a first date rather than a Gm tips... Not a bad show. No complaints, except for maybe the flow of information was going in the wrong direction.
"I'm not Matt Mercer." hmm exactly what incognito Mercer would say.
Roll insight!
That'd be an investigation check for diiisgguuuiiiseee. Disadvantage since it's through the internet.
I was going for Insight against a lie
I hate mimics......
Wouldn't work if... its been Satine Phoenix ALL ALONG!
Also Mercer's deception is super high, he barely keeps the voices at bay, always check for illusions / disguises! GM TIPS!
Thank god she explained that she's not Matt, I was really wondering if Matt had switched shampoos or something for the first minute.
MaskofFayt I thought he just parted his hair differently.
MaskofFayt satine phoenix isnt his new shampoo?
What a magical comment :'D ty
Is it just me or one of the voices shouting "What?!" when she said she's not Matt Mercer is actually him...?
I hear the same thing, even more when your hear the background group say "yeah!". I'm sure I heard a woman voice too, Marisha Maybe?
Very high chance it is xD
G&S is as much marisha then it is matt and the others. seriously...
i would not be surprised that the whole crew of CR would be there when they have nothing else to do.
probably Denise
Those are all Matt Mercer saying what, in fact Matt Mercer is such a good voice actor he is sitting in front of the camera and you are just imagining a female form to match the voice he is using.
I love Satine, always seems like she's trying to cast a spell while she's talking with all the fluid hand movement
CthulhuOnCam
She definately looks like a sorceress. Matt's a half elf, so it's fitting that they put in another IRL D&D character
She's actually casting Charm Person on all of us. :)
Ultimus31 I hope that Geek and Sundry do a series a bit in by doing one shots with just the DMs who have done this series. Each one shot will be led by a different GM
I'm confused about her doing this though... Wasn't she a GM for three episodes on a podcast? That doesn't seem to be enough time to have all of her own tips and tricks.
Because clearly, GMs only exist on podcasts. It's not possible for her to have been playing this game since the 90s because, well, she wasn't on any podcasts back then...
I'll be GM for the first time this saturday. With a group of newbies that never played a pen&paper rpg before, at that. I don't know if that makes it easier or more difficult, lol. I'm so excited!
Wish me luck :'D
Yup, the GM community is all about helping other GMs out. We know how much work goes into creating an encounter, rolling up treasures and even determining if that creature can use that long sword +2 against the players in it's treasure :)
good luck!
You guys gonna have a great time. Having a Stars without number tomorrow as player and DnD on sunday as DM. Good times.
Hope you have a great experience DMing.
good luck
I was there not too long ago. don't get nervous
Have fun friend! I hope you have a great time!
The accessory game is strong with Satine
KineticFetus ear tassels too strong
I love the idea of bringing on guest GMs to make conversational style GM tips. Great start to season 2!!! Welcome Satine ❤️❤️❤️
Liam Morkham a7x ftw!
Sitting these two next to each other, instead of across a table, makes this conversation seem so honest. Great video, great advice. Way to make the series your own Satine!
Alternative title: Jangling jewelry ASMR with DnD talk in background.
Wait.... She isn't Matt?
Nope she isn't me.
Are you sure?
She isn't matte'
nope definitely high gloss
Nah metallic
WOW that was a quick 15 minutes and 25 seconds. Really enjoyed it. Great tips Finding your style, practice, learn from running games, except feedback, and playing in games all good stuff. Excellent job Satine and Ivan.
Finding your style is so important it allows a GM to play to their strengths and shore up the weak spots.
-Nerdarchist Dave
I love this format. Also, thank you to G&S for keeping this on UA-cam!
As much as i'm in a highly platonic and heterosexual love for Matt, i like this new format. I played with a lot of girls and their view of the game was always fun and different, i think having another opinion on all those things will be great.
The fact that it isnt just a copypasta of the ''old'' gm tips and that she actually add more things is also very cool. Loved her,loved their conversation, can't wait for the next one
Holy crap that was amazing. Easily my favorite episode yet. Loved listening to Ivan and Satine share their thoughts and experiences together.
Satine you beautiful gypsy princess! I tried so hard to be upset that Matt was gone but I couldn't. You honored Matt, gave good advice, and brought Ivan into it. Damn you and your gypsy magic! I'll go watch Maze Arcana now.
i have like a guycrush on matt mercer
We all do. No exceptions.
Arthur Yagami This is basically fact.
grunxs Very True
Yeah I'm missing his DM tip.
"tips" ... I meant "tips"
who doesn't?
The chemistry between you two was intense, it felt like I was watching a sensual couple talking which threw me off
yeah also how I felt lol
Satine has a very interesting cadence to her voice. It's simultaneously alluring and gently unsettling.
Great new format for he show. Excited for the future!
I've been DMing for ten years and I LOVED all of these tips, it's true. Especially the feedback portion. Not only so you can adapt and become better but also so you can tailor your style to the specific players you're DMing for. I definitely have my "style" but depending on what the players want I switch it up. An example would be some players like to skip the minor details of playing (such as lifestyle expenses) to focus on the bigger picture. Other players want to be hyperrealistic and count all of those little nuances that the game provides. Feedback is CRUCIAL so, if you're DMing for more than one group, you can be sure you're providing what the players in that specific group are looking for so ALL of you can have fun =)
Ivan is a wizard and/or magical being. Sideburns looking good on someone? That's something you don't see everyday.
I recently DM'd for the first time. Players were two who play a main game alongside myself with a great DM (father-in-law) and my parents. My father played before when he was a youngster, but that was a long time ago, and my mother had never played before. In the end we had a great time, and I even ran into a slew of problems. Balance of the game was too hard even though I used to do so (I no longer like the books balance system lol) and the game went on longer than we wanted, and we had to finish it that night, or postpone for months and months which we didn't want to do. I created all the characters myself and they chose which they wanted based on a description. They all had a great time, loved my story, and my mother turned out to be one of the best in-character role-players of the group. I am definitely looking forward to playing with them again. :D
Also I ended up creating like, 2 NPCs off the top of my head, as well as a bunch of dialogue and even random items they ended up buying. Best part is they said they couldn't tell what I added in and what I prepared. Seamless... it was awesome.
Jabberdoodle well done!
While Matt will be missed, Satine is a doing great.
Campy H wait I thought that WAS Matt?
And she always will ...
Expectations were high and Satine delivered. She's great and breath of fresh air to this series. Keep it going girl!
Awesome way to start the new series. I love the conversational style. Great job!
While I didn't hate the conversation, I don't think it fit well into a "Tips" video. Would have been a good video for a "Behind the scenes" clip, but I feel like helpful tips were pretty sparse.
Different strokes for different folks I suppose.
Watching the chemistry between Satine and Ivan made this whole discussion more engaging. This was a real joy.
I've been playing or DMing since 1981. I've played under a LOT of DMs, but only a few good ones.
I know that sounds harsh, but that's my experience.
However, they taught me a lot in not only what to do, but what not to do.
I also had a trial by fire in that I was thrust into tournament DMing after a last minute cancellation. That taught me a lot about dealing with unfamiliarity and about remaining calm under tense conditions.
LARPing taught me to think on my feet and RP in the moment.
Those two experiences taught me the Jillian Michaels adage: "get comfortable being uncomfortable."
Two great DMs I've had taught me that there's no "right" way to do it, as one was "Obstructive" and the other was "Uplifting". Both, though, also were excellent in understanding a narrative. Even after all the DMing I've done, I still see them as my betters in the field. Hats off to you Paul and Lorne.
So, based on all of that, I consider myself Experiencial/Narrative/Obstructive.
I improv a lot, and can fall into voices/body language/accents easily, have an overall story in mind, but do it in a way that forces the players to think.
Great video, and great start Satine. I look forward to future content.
Did Matt get a haircut?
flyonwall81 it's just really good lighting and angles. The old set up wasn't able to bring out his true beauty.
No, he just looks different because he went heavy with the accessories this week.
No, Matt put on a belt of gender changing last episode...
There is something off with Matt's looks in this episode, can't put my finger on it, probably it is haircut.
Honestly I think Satine has done a wonderful job carrying the torch Matt passed her, and I love her outlook and how shes changed the format slightly. Can't wait to hear more from her.
Man, this is just fantastic content. I was a little apprehensive at first not seeing matt mercer, but once again geek and sundry has surpassed my expectations. This was expertly made, the fact that it was almost a conversation between two seasoned GMs made it so much more organic and enjoyable to watch. Thanks for making such high-quality content guys, keep it up!
They have amazing chemistry, the video was an absolute treat to watch i really felt like i was watching ancient friends talk about a shared passion
Really digging this format. Sitting down and talking out ideas and concepts of GM'ing. Kudos dudes.
Amazing video. I'm not sure how much of the format/set change was Satine, but it feels like GM Tips is going to the next level. Keep up the good work in the weeks to come!
I absolutely love seeing other DMs describe their journeys and experiences. Great vid, many thanks :)
I like the different style of GMTips. It's a great reminder at the beginning that failure is a part of learning something. Not sure if there'd ever be time for this exercise but I'd love to see different GMs take on the same one-shot, to show Satine's point that each GM approaches a game differently.
Satine and Ivan should read EVERYTHING! I get so entranced by their voices.
Gotta say as one who just came back to D&D and binge watching this playlist... Satine Rules!! So looking forward to everything else she does.
Love what you've done with the show Satine! Keeping the core of the show while bringing in your own original and engaging ideas. Love that you are also bringing guests on the show since it bring us some fresh faces or new perspectives!
That was an excellent GM episode. Though I will miss Matt doing this, you are an phenomenal replacement and I adore your style of telling these just as much. It was also nice to have Ivan participate, my favourite part of this episode was that it was longer and went more in depth than usual, which I find especially enjoyable. Though I am an experienced GM it is always rewarding to have my horizon broadened by these kinds of videos :)
Thank you very much for the episode.
ok "voltroning" a legit good GM tip.
For new GM's, this should be the first video in the playlist. While Matt's stuff is great for more experienced Gm's, this is a wonderful first step.
Also, HI Ivan!
Satine
Is it just me or do Satine and Ivan have that look of 'janitor closet, 5 minutes, no pants' look for each other
Yes, shes got the magical 'come hither look/expression.' Either by design or fate... smokey eyes and alluring smile...
yeah that was like big time distracting like guys exactly what kind of role playing are we talking about here D:
It looked like that but the guy just seemed like a creep.
At first I was sad that Matt was taking a break but these segments have been great! Thanks so much guys.
I cried with lulz at the elephant in the room, reveal. Satine, you Rock!
Every time I see Ivan, I can't help but think "dang. Those are some awesome sideburns."
i have a story writing exam coming up so im using vids like these since GM's storytelling are really good.
But I thought last episode proved that she was female Matt Mercer.
My campaigns tend to be heavily character focused. I originally tried running more plot-lined games, but two things brought me back off of it: I had to constantly keep nudging the players back into the line of the plot, and really, it was a lot more boring for me as a GM. Knowing where it's going, and how it ends robbed ME of the enjoyment. I know, a slightly weird point, but stick with me here.
I thought of all the things I hated GMs pulling when I was a player: The obsessive hand-holder, the fudging, the balancers, and such. I routinely became less interested in every campaign once I realize there was only a single story being told, favoring the campaigns that allowed me as a player to shape the world itself. It gives drive when you have that sort of autonomy, rather constantly keep hitting invisible wall after invisible wall.
So, I decided to test out my new theory, with a character focused campaign of Exalted. Instead of trying to keep my players on track, I simply had events going on, and the players could choose what they chased after. I did this with three different groups, keeping track of the choices for my own notes. It was interesting to watch, because even though they were all having the same set of starter events, not one time did the stories turn out even remotely close. All three groups, for instance, took up hunting bandits, a sort "Let's go beat some mooks" setup, rather than immediately jumping in.
Group A went out and crushed the bandits in suitably epic fashion, with many interesting stunts being done. They kicked much ass, and collected the bounties, then followed some rumors about a potential lost manse.
Group B went out and fought the bandits, but their tactics were completely different. They pain-stakingly hunted them, using various means of stealth, picking off small groups of the bandits leaving not trace, and no sound as they did so. They even got rid of tracks, so bandits would just disappear. They did this mental torture to such a level that everyone started to believe that the woods were haunted, and began leaving sacrifices and prayer strips to the forest god as tribute. For those not knowledgeable about Exalted, this led to an increase in the forest god's power, who in turn started playing up the haunted bit, using its powers to take out the "unclean souls" within it, just as the PCs had. This group, while they got the lost manse information as well, instead saw an opening with the forest god, and began doing tasks for various gods, trading for artifacts and the like.
Group C saw the Eclipse whip up a fat Guild caravan bound for Nexus, and when the bandits came out to attack the caravan, the Eclipse used social charms to convince the bandits to join them, then bound the deal with this Eclipse caste power. She then whipped up an overland trading company, racking up resources, while they would use it as a cover to keep converting various bandits, barbarians, and such that they came across. Eventually, of course, they got significant enough that the Realm took notice in a bad way.
In a plot-line game, it would've gone only one way, and that just gets boring for me as GM. I don't KNOW how my games will end, whether in victory or defeat. That's why I have heroes.
Sean McTiernan You would probably like Gming a rule set called Dungeon World. It gives the players and GM a lot of narrative control and can flip things around and makes you make up situations or complications on the fly. It's a lot of fun as the GM to do the mental gymnastics without a lot of the prep.
The camera shifts seem a little pushed.
Im so happy to be able to watch this. Huge fan of the series and the new host.
Wow. That story actually had me tearing up. That was really beautiful.
That Outro by Ivan was fire. For real, you had me there, unexpectedly and not quite by my own will, you had me there.
I'm not kidding, these two dropped Mandy before this conversation. There were too many positive vibes. I am serious.
I really enjoyed this and I loved the conversation bit! I don't know if that'll be a regular thing, but I'm always down for more of that! Great first episode, Satine!
Welcome, new GM tips team! Fun new format. I'm looking forward to seeing what else you have for us.
this was super insightful honestly, especially the bit about asking your players what they want to get out of the situation to start with, keep up the good work!!!
I would add a fifth category of GM: 'simulationist.' And I would define it thusly:
A simulationist GM is not an uplifting GM because their goal is neither to reward and empower, or to focus on challenging, players. Their goal is to react logically to the players' actions and to make a world feel alive. They don't focus on crafting anything from the experiences or making a long, thought-out plot, just in portraying NPCs in a lifelike manner, making them interesting and giving them goals and motivations, then seeing what happens. Obviously, this sort of GM tends to gravitate toward sandbox style games.
Sorry J.T. Seusoff I'm not sure how my comment got linked to yours. I tried to attach it to someone elses.
I am a bit confused how that related to my comment, but good metaphor.
I wholeheartedly agree. Well, sort of. I don't really believe in "story" in the sense of plot, but in the sense of what develops after the fact because of the PCs' actions and my making the world react in a believable and interesting way. I am very much my above-expounded simulationist GM, and I do not plan out plots, only motivations and actions of characters. And the occasional natural disaster, perhaps.
Yes please. Been loving the DM tips with Matt, but good on you for getting another person and another perspective in there.
I'm always skeptical when I see new hosts for shows I'm used to watching, but she did a fantastic job. :D
First of all awesome video! You did such a good explaining different storytelling techniques and didn't put anyone down for their style. Secondly you must be a witch, you have this genuine, sincere, fluid air about you. You are so fantastic!
A new host seems like the ideal opportunity to discuss differing GM styles, so the episode felt like a good start for a new run.
Wow, what a video! The moment that Ivan described was great!
Thanks for the tips!
Excellent conversation!
Fantastic! At the interest of being burnt alive, found this more helpful than Matt Mercer's advice.
Geek and Sundry, you might want to do something about the set spacing/camera angles. If they were any closer, one would be giving the other a lap dance.
I like to set the scene and offer a few clues through the narrative pointing out possible quest locations; and then let the players drive the story. Organically developing the story based on the player's actions. The only obstacles the player's see are those thats presence is demanded by lore or story. As long as you can keep the environment alive active you don't need to worry about moving the story along getting players back on track.
Ever since my first pathfinder session with my friends last week I've been obsessed with the rpg community. I love the passion and the commitment people have to these games and I can't wait to delve deeper!
I am just getting into GM ing.. its very daunting but this video certainly helped. Thanks!
What i love the most here is the human aspect of the games. i've seen a few videos that seemed to focus on the systems and concepts. This felt quite warm in contrast. Most enjoyable :)
Well played both Satine and Ivan! I enjoyed this episode very much! BRAVO! I very much look forward to the next one. 8-)
This series has been great so far... JUST found a group ( haven't played for close to 2 decades.... ) and I am going to GM... I'm scared and excited at the same time.
that cooking example was a great example actually, I have a player that loves to cook, so he enjoys being put into situations where he can cook, and describing the ways he prepares the food
Hey Satine just wanna say great to see your show. Its a pleasure to see female insights into GMing. I am kinda noob male GM, desperate to learn as fast and much as possible to make great game sessions, and I think its important thing to learn from both male and female.
I would love to see more female specific stuff, as I have a hard time to figure out, how to overcome my male preset. Not that i want to deny it, far away from that, but I think its a worthy skill being both.
What may cause a female char drive insane or evil, besides the "being a witch", "being a carrying mother" and so forth... ?
How do you handle meta gaming?
I am looking forward to your upcoming episodes.
Youre doing an amazing job! Thank you :)
love this series! Excited to see your next tips Satine!
loved this, great team up/ voltroning guys!
while I find Matt as a god amongst voice actors... I thoroughly enjoyed this episode with Satine! she was super interesting, charming and obviously, she knows her stuff! very good beginning to this season!
Nice job, like the new format! Welcome to GM tips, excited for more episodes :)
Ive been GM'ing for a long time. A good narrative is like love. Don't hold onto it too tightly, or it will wither away. Playing with different people would be challenging at this point, I've become too used to the players I have. Good conversation, thanks
I really, really enjoyed this discussion, especially on the four types of storytellers y'all list. In most of my campaigns I am uplifting 80-90% of the time, but during climactic moments I tend towards obstruction. I root for their successes while they're developing their characters' story arcs and discovering new abilities, but when they're finally in the vampire's castle or the dragon's lair they'll need to earn their victories against a powerful foe.
And then I googled Satine Phoenix to check out her origins, since I saw her for the first time, and was really surprised :I Anyway, she seems like quite a nice DM.
I like the new format!
Wow, that is a great beginning to a new set of GM Tips. Can't wait to see how this evolves.
the chemistry between the two of them, is electric haha @14:00
Matt is awesome and his tips will be missed. Satine is awesome as well and she pretty much pointed out how I started out as a DM damn near a decade ago,
Off to an amazing start with a new host.
I do accents but the bad part is when they revisit a character, I tend to forget which accent went to which NPC. The party:
"didn't that bounty hunter have a Russian accent last time we talked to him?" Me: "Ughhhh....Vat are you talkingg abowt. I always talk like this. You crazy."
The best reaction was my high hippy impression for when the Druid used Speak with Plants on a giant mushroom.
Thanks so much! Happy Easter
i really really really love this format!
Excellent episode! Digging the new format. My initial reaction when Ivan explained the four categories was "but I'm all of those", glad I'm not the only one. :P
My only gripe is that, despite the hella awesome bling, you can hear a little bit of clinking in the background during the first segment. But definitely looking forward to more episodes and god i need those earrings.
I appreciate the size and content of this video. Good stuff.
I like the new format of gm tips, love mr mercer but it's helpful as a newer GM to hear from a lot of different sources and can't wait for more satine or ivan or other GMs to give their take on GMing 🙂
I love Matt, he is on my 'who would you turn gay for' list. I feel horrible for saying this because I have learned so much from Matt but that was a really great breath of fresh air and I look forward to seeing and learning so much more in future episodes.
p.s. If you can think of anything else Matt please come back and let us know.
probably one of my favorite GM's Tips so far, and several things i hadn't considered until watching, thank you G&S, Satine, and Ivan! :)
My main goal in running a game is to tell a cool story, but to bring my friends' characters through it. I want to somewhat challenge them sometimes and I want a final fight that really makes them work hard, but the main point is to let all my friends experience a cool story that they get to help shape.
That's three GMS who are all, in their labels, Obstructionist GMS. Could we have some more tips for "Narrative Experiential" GMS like me? Here's my tip for all of the others of you:
Great Story doesn't happen by accident, it happens when something the character cares about is threatened, and the player decides to either have his character let it go, or fights to save it.
I build plots so that characters are aimed at that emotional climax. We wouldn't remember "No, I am your father" without Luke spending the first two movies with ObiWan and Yoda. It means a lot to Luke to have a father figure to guide him.
So to give a PC that moment, I'd see what RP they're doing. What does their character care about? And then I'd build my plot to challenge their possession of that valued thing in some way.
For example, I have a thief character, and the first thing she did in town was check in with the Guild, looking for jobs. I have two plot threads waiting for her. She's going to get an offer to betray her Guild for a new Thieves' Guild. If she picks one, no matter which one she supports, I have a "Scarface" plotline so that first she gets the money, then she gets the power, and then she gets to marry a prince! Hijinks ensue! If she decides to play the Guilds off each other, then I have her playing "Yojimbo," until she's destroyed both Guilds, or the remnants come after her and she needs to fake her own death to escape.
Conversely, my plots for combat encounters are very light like "Green Dragon of appropriate powers over here in the swamp. Has map for Player X in the hoard, and some more of the arcane materials that Player Y is collecting." If the players are heavily armored in the swamp, the Dragon will use more wing attacks and tail attacks to knock them around. If the players are in lighter armor because of the swamp, then it'll be less about the thick Dragon Hide AC and more about how many HP a dragon has. I try to encourage the players to use destructive environments to help them and other force multipliers as much as possible. I want that players to come up with a plan (any plan), do the plan, and then I will have it go reasonably well and the players win the fight. What makes my fights epic isn't the challenge level of the monsters, it's the reason WHY my characters are fighting that makes it epic. Maybe killing this dragon will go easy, but they find signs that this dragon has a mate or friend out there who will be plotting revenge. In that case, this dragon death is now a set up for the next fight, where it will matter more to them.
As an example, fighting Raishan the Green for Critical Role wasn't really about stopping her regeneration plot, it was about getting revenge for the City of Iman and the Fire Ashari. Killing the last henchman dragon who escaped wouldn't have mattered so much if it was the Black or the White that ran away. But Mercer made it _personal_ for most of Vox Machina to kill her, specifically her.
My biggest rival for their Fantasy RPG time is Warcrack/Andromeda/other MMORPGs, and I can't Level Scale or Balance Tank/DPS/Heal or basically calculate numbers as well or as fast or as impartially as a computer can. What I can do better is personalize the game for my players, so they get something out of my game that is unique to them and what they bring to the table.
I love this style of GM Tips! It's refreshing to get multiple perspectives on a subject. And while Satine is no Matt Mercer, she is certainly, imo, more relatable and I love that. I'm excited to see the rest of this series 😁
I love me some Mercer but I have to say that the conversational style of this episode makes for a much better video. More of this please!
I was skeptical about this going in, but I liked the discussion format.
I found this video super engaging. Mercer was great for GM tips, but I really enjoyed this episode with Satine. I'm very much looking forward to the next episode.
I walk away from this video with a feeling that I just sat and watched a first date rather than a Gm tips... Not a bad show. No complaints, except for maybe the flow of information was going in the wrong direction.
Wait... How would that work? Did you give them tips on how to DM?^^
The combination of tips and conversation is realy great, i love it. !
You nailed it Satine. Thanks for the effort.