I once GM'd a game where we just used a d4: 1: Total failure 2: Failure 3: Success 4: Total Success The setting was inspired by Akira and a PS1 fighting game we were playing earlier that night. I don't know how, but I was able to just come up with all this story line off the cuff, and it was probably the best role playing experiences I ever had.
A very good friend and I once built a custom bike together from salvage. When I asked him “why salvage?”, he said back “the greatest limitation to creativity is the lack of limitations”. Odd, but true. Limitations allow for hyperfocus and the ability to calm those who get overwhelmed easily. Then, from those limitations, you can build as freely as you want, building new borders as you push the envelope slowly. I also encourage collaboration. When I wanted to start my last campaign, I told the players I had an idea for an island-hopping steampunk setting. Two players made two new races from scratch, and one used an established race but took it in a new direction. When they knew water would be a challenge, one built an aquatic race, one built a race that invents, and another focused on island to island trade. This worry about water and travelling it’s expanse meant they needed to adapt, and they did through creation. And I loved it. My youngest daughter is big on collaborative story, so although she started with little story at first, we built a family, island, culture, race, and economy collaborating. It was amazing. All because I told them their races had to deal with water or be trapped. My best friend made an amazing race with me called the Thullings, which were tentacle-haired aquatic “Teiflings” whose curse could be traced back to a Cthulhu like Kraken elder god. Restrictions sparked the story. Collaboration built it. And I’ll always treasure Jinx the Copper Gnome Barbarian mechanic, and Illandria the Thulling “Ceph” (Warlock) of this Elder Goddess. Awesome.
Mike Gould the Thullings remind me of the medusa (i think) pirate from the recent New World inspired Magic: the Gathering setting. Awesome idea to have "tieflings" tied to extraplanar forces that occupy the same place as devils but are, well, not devilish. I will definitely steal this thought process from your friend through your comment. Awesome stuff.
Great! I always try To pass the ball as much as I can, I don't want to be the DM who do a lots of monologue and then Boom, combat. I had a DM like these, it was not fun at all. I really like the in between fight where all the players are just role playing and getting more and more roots in the world I've built for them.
I hear you, Steevewes. It's easy, as a GM, to get lost in the rules, lore, etc. and forget that the PCs need to have voices as well. I, too, have played with sort of GM. BORING. I love my players who REALLY get into their characters' heads and determine WHO they are which hopefully will increase their roleplay and have discussions amongst themselves forgetting I'm even there!
THANK YOU for this! With the limitations I am a strong advocate for more limitations story and world-wise (especially because I play pathfinder), because I think there are so many options and it is so open that you will often face writers block or dm paralyses if you dont have a centered focus and narrative. As for rules they should be flexible and in the end rulings can drastically differ between who is interpreting them, but having rules to base everything on is still very nice. Again many thanks for posting this, it really helps to explain my thinking to my players.
It would be awesome if you can link to some of the things spoken of in the video in the description. like the roll for shoes, or dread, or anything else like that.
i would like to see her bring on a DM who is a rules lawyer. cause they are not all bad, for me if i succeed within the confines of the system it means more, and feels like i earned the victory/success. If my DM just says "cool it works" it feels fake. I would be interested to see that side of rpg's on here. The rules heavy dm who is not a dick.
I fucking love this series, thank you for continuing to host an amazing show Satine! Because of yours and Matt Mercer's work and dialogue I'm finally hosting my own games and couldn't be happier!
80s flashback. the game was called TWERPS (the world's easiset role-playing system). every character had one stat, and there was only one die to roll. there were several versions of the game, one for sci-fi, one for martial arts, etc., but it was all the same simple idea. i'm glad to see this "less is more" concept/style lives on. cuz, really, who needs 30 500-page rulebooks?
R_Panda they are great, use them for plot books or random quests, aids in creation of quests, and even enables you too improv on the fly with small details.
This reminds me of when my DM had to go get take out, and I just got into the DM seat and started making up an adventure where the other players where fighting against a stale pizza that wanted to kill them. I had them roll some dice, but I basically just made up the rules as I went along. 10 minute silly story with many laughs. XD
I'm going to role my percentile dice. The amount rolled is the percentage that I absolutely love the tips and adore Satine. HOLY COW! 1000% on a 100 percentile dice set! AMAZING!
Funny coincidence, I also started DMing in sixth grade playing AD&D 2nd edition. But I actually DID understand the rules. And yes, I know that's one of the most complicated versions of D&D.
Gravity Dice rather high-end dice cost like 20$ for two die..Limitations are nice I agree, however in every rendition of gaming, I have played, and I started back in Chain-Mail, there can be found at least one sentence, that says something, to the effect that if any of the rules do not work, toss it. So limitations work and some do not, now nice to see you however I have to go get back to my Pathfinder game , 8 players every Friday with 2 alternate players on alternate weekends....Out.
I love learning about DnD stuff but this channel has lost the variety it used to have. It's not LARP and gm tips and that's about as much variety we get.
I once GM'd a game where we just used a d4:
1: Total failure
2: Failure
3: Success
4: Total Success
The setting was inspired by Akira and a PS1 fighting game we were playing earlier that night. I don't know how, but I was able to just come up with all this story line off the cuff, and it was probably the best role playing experiences I ever had.
Noah Pechal Nice.
the problem i see with that is that all players have equal strengths and weaknesses, discouraging introverts from participation
A very good friend and I once built a custom bike together from salvage. When I asked him “why salvage?”, he said back “the greatest limitation to creativity is the lack of limitations”. Odd, but true.
Limitations allow for hyperfocus and the ability to calm those who get overwhelmed easily.
Then, from those limitations, you can build as freely as you want, building new borders as you push the envelope slowly.
I also encourage collaboration. When I wanted to start my last campaign, I told the players I had an idea for an island-hopping steampunk setting.
Two players made two new races from scratch, and one used an established race but took it in a new direction.
When they knew water would be a challenge, one built an aquatic race, one built a race that invents, and another focused on island to island trade.
This worry about water and travelling it’s expanse meant they needed to adapt, and they did through creation.
And I loved it.
My youngest daughter is big on collaborative story, so although she started with little story at first, we built a family, island, culture, race, and economy collaborating.
It was amazing.
All because I told them their races had to deal with water or be trapped.
My best friend made an amazing race with me called the Thullings, which were tentacle-haired aquatic “Teiflings” whose curse could be traced back to a Cthulhu like Kraken elder god.
Restrictions sparked the story. Collaboration built it.
And I’ll always treasure Jinx the Copper Gnome Barbarian mechanic, and Illandria the Thulling “Ceph” (Warlock) of this Elder Goddess.
Awesome.
Mike Gould the Thullings remind me of the medusa (i think) pirate from the recent New World inspired Magic: the Gathering setting. Awesome idea to have "tieflings" tied to extraplanar forces that occupy the same place as devils but are, well, not devilish. I will definitely steal this thought process from your friend through your comment. Awesome stuff.
"i'm Building epic stories, for the bar after the game" Yes man!
Great! I always try To pass the ball as much as I can, I don't want to be the DM who do a lots of monologue and then Boom, combat. I had a DM like these, it was not fun at all. I really like the in between fight where all the players are just role playing and getting more and more roots in the world I've built for them.
I hear you, Steevewes. It's easy, as a GM, to get lost in the rules, lore, etc. and forget that the PCs need to have voices as well. I, too, have played with sort of GM. BORING. I love my players who REALLY get into their characters' heads and determine WHO they are which hopefully will increase their roleplay and have discussions amongst themselves forgetting I'm even there!
THANK YOU for this! With the limitations I am a strong advocate for more limitations story and world-wise (especially because I play pathfinder), because I think there are so many options and it is so open that you will often face writers block or dm paralyses if you dont have a centered focus and narrative. As for rules they should be flexible and in the end rulings can drastically differ between who is interpreting them, but having rules to base everything on is still very nice. Again many thanks for posting this, it really helps to explain my thinking to my players.
It would be awesome if you can link to some of the things spoken of in the video in the description. like the roll for shoes, or dread, or anything else like that.
i would like to see her bring on a DM who is a rules lawyer. cause they are not all bad, for me if i succeed within the confines of the system it means more, and feels like i earned the victory/success. If my DM just says "cool it works" it feels fake. I would be interested to see that side of rpg's on here. The rules heavy dm who is not a dick.
Best GM Tips yet! Thank you Satine & Sax.
I fucking love this series, thank you for continuing to host an amazing show Satine! Because of yours and Matt Mercer's work and dialogue I'm finally hosting my own games and couldn't be happier!
80s flashback. the game was called TWERPS (the world's easiset role-playing system). every character had one stat, and there was only one die to roll. there were several versions of the game, one for sci-fi, one for martial arts, etc., but it was all the same simple idea. i'm glad to see this "less is more" concept/style lives on. cuz, really, who needs 30 500-page rulebooks?
This is a ton helpful. Thanks so much for the tips! :)
Honey Heist is such a fun game, i ran it for our 5E group and had so much fun! I wonder if Sax would allow Wil Wheaton to touch his lucky dice?
These videos are so great - I would love for you guys to do a topic of things to add to your DM prep like "Rory Story Cubes", such a great tool!!
BJ. Hall Have much experience with them yourself? Seems like a fun novelty but I'm afraid that they would out-stay their usefulness quickly.
R_Panda they are great, use them for plot books or random quests, aids in creation of quests, and even enables you too improv on the fly with small details.
Great episode! Totally going to play Honey Heist at Thanksgiving (Canadian) this weekend.
So happy to hear someone mention RIFTS. And I would love to try Tactical Waifu if you can go full anime.
This reminds me of when my DM had to go get take out, and I just got into the DM seat and started making up an adventure where the other players where fighting against a stale pizza that wanted to kill them. I had them roll some dice, but I basically just made up the rules as I went along. 10 minute silly story with many laughs. XD
This was fun!
My first ever D&D game will have me as a DM. Wish me luck, guys.
I'm going to role my percentile dice. The amount rolled is the percentage that I absolutely love the tips and adore Satine. HOLY COW! 1000% on a 100 percentile dice set! AMAZING!
Is there a link to that show on the twitch channel mentioned near the end?
go.twitch.tv/videos/147352763 (for subscribers only of corse)
Kinda reminds me of the game "Kobolds Ate My Baby" which is also a Beer and Pretzels style game.
So what are your opinions on the Fate/Fate Accelerated system? It seems like one Sax might enjoy from how he seemed in this video.
Yea, I was thinking to myself "Sooooo, basically the fate system?"
This vid wasn't quite what I expected, but give me food for thought regarding rules usage with my colleagues.
Query... does the Mobile Feat effect a character's mount?
Sasqmo No.
I don't suppose anyone can help me out by giving me a link to the twitch video he mentioned in her "favorite DM moment" question.
go.twitch.tv/videos/147352763 (for subscribers only of corse)
Christophe Alonso thank you very much.
"What are you expecting to see in the room?" LOVE IT!
10 six packs? wow @6:48 hehe
I died when I saw "tactical waifu"
Funny coincidence, I also started DMing in sixth grade playing AD&D 2nd edition. But I actually DID understand the rules. And yes, I know that's one of the most complicated versions of D&D.
Gravity Dice rather high-end dice cost like 20$ for two die..Limitations are nice I agree, however in every rendition of gaming, I have played, and I started back in Chain-Mail, there can be found at least one sentence, that says something, to the effect that if any of the rules do not work, toss it. So limitations work and some do not, now nice to see you however I have to go get back to my Pathfinder game , 8 players every Friday with 2 alternate players on alternate weekends....Out.
I'm more than happy to Colour between the Lines :D
I love learning about DnD stuff but this channel has lost the variety it used to have. It's not LARP and gm tips and that's about as much variety we get.
Well if last weeks video was anything to go by, This weeks game is about too be a fucking shit show.
I’m first, but nobody cares.
PhoenixFire42 True
very true
I would reply but it would show that I cared enough... oh crap.
Can she do a tip without some guest? Matt didn't seem to need any help doing them.