4 Storytelling Tricks That Game Masters Should Use - Running RPGs
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- Опубліковано 26 лип 2024
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Storytelling isn't only telling the story, but how you tell it. Here's four quick storytelling hacks that Game Masters can use to immerse your players and add drama that will bring them back for more.
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#ttrpg #dnd
00:00 Intro
00:33 Use 3 Senses
02:43 Use Chandler's Law
03:44 A Word From Our Sponsor
05:06 Close on A Cliffhanger
07:59 Show The Monster Last
10:28 Outro - Ігри
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Seth skorkowsky can incogni hide my personal data from the ORCs!?
Chandler's law is highly underrated for RPGs.
If things are starting to hang, or go in circles, or even have the heroes going in the wrong direction? A guy busts in with a gun!
The energy is back and when they search the body they'll find that matchbook with the address to the warehouse where the cult is operating out of.
...
Or they won't and it's time to send another goon. With a gun. With a monster. Who might also have a gun.
And if all that fails, just send in a gun, with a gun.
"It's a monkey!" "He's got a gun!" **BANG**
It’s something I need to employ more when my players are having trouble making decisions.
I just did this last sesh and it was a big hit! Moved the next room's encounter to them when the party was taking too long discussing how to approach it.
This applies on both a small and large scale.
For my campaign, in addition to many quests and plot hooks and character arcs the party might pursue, there's a looming presence, a nearby empire and former regional superpower on the brink of collapse, its glory days long gone and its decline at breaking point.
This is my biggest "guy with the gun", the button saying "push in case of slow plot".
If the players ever finish every major quest or interesting plot beat within reasonable travel distance, and there's a danger of the main plot slowing down for a prolonged period of time, then I push my red button and have something BIG happen in this empire to drastically reshape the lands.
Whether it fractures into competing or breakaway states, or recovers and resurges in pursuit of new and terrible conquests, everyone's homelands (and any beloved NPCs therein) are going to be drastically affected by the shift in power, while adventuring jobs for competing agendas will soar and may force the party to pick sides or risk being seen to be doing so.
I really thought this video was going to end of a cliffhanger. Like Mike getting a phone call that abruptly cuts out.
Or it could just en...
I remember a campaign, I was a player in, where the story took a turn so my character phoned one of the other characters, and while the tone indicating the phone at the other end rang, our GM ended the session.
The campaign was paused for some months.
When we continued, our GM started by continuing the tone indicating the phone at the other end rang, and then the handle was lifted and our GM said: "Hello, this is Hanger. - Cliff Hanger.".
I was confused and said: "Oops! Wrong number. - Sorry.".
Then we had a good laugh.
Speaking of dramatic timing, I had I been any further in taking a sip when that image came up at "blowing your load" I might have genuinely done a spit take.
I'll get you next time.
I love how each of "the guys" have their own intervals between "have a great day" and "you know..." lines, like Jack usually has theses long pauses, sometimes even having a sip - and here we have a very quick transition, that (on purpose or not) highlights the difference between their characters.
"Show The Monster Last".
I prefer a more general wording, I call it:
"From frame to focus"
The idea is to describe the scene by starting with the surroundings and ending with where the group can take action.
I call it the "Sergio Leone's shot". In his movies Leone often switched between really wide shot to establish locations and extreme close-up to show the people.
It frustrates me if you bury the lead so the gm us waxing poetic of the dance of the shadows on the wall when there is a ghoul standing in full view. This is more of a TV technique than even a writer's trick, and it does not translate well because most games are not a visual media.
People do not tend to notice details in action sequences, so it becomes jarring.
Yeah i have at least one player that will explode on me, if i do this to often. And the rest stops listining if i do not brake it down to the absolute essentials😞. Of course i tend to describe for at least a minute if i have the chance. I have the feeling that players go more particular the longer they play.(24 years in our case)
@@Quasimodo-mq8tw sounds less like particular players. Purple prose in genre fiction novels is generally considered an bad, and the same ratio of people like it as the ones that actually like lore dumps. A minority of players actually want to think about what a werewolf smells like and it takes some people out if the action more if your description does not match their idea.
This is advice aimed at a very specific player with a very specific type of game fired in a shot gun approach without qualification.
@@rynowatcher Okay, then. How would you describe a room and encounter?
Thanks for repping my channel with the shirt at the end! I’m humbled.
Also, great advice!
For one D&D campaign I implemented a way that the players could identify potions, each type of potion had a unique sent, taste, and color. Healing potions were blue and smell and tasted of almonds. It's the only one I remember and it's become a shorthand for healing potions at my table ever since.
The Raymond Chandler rule. Classic. As always, quality stuff. Professor DM
The key gag in "Kolchack; The Night Stalker" TV show (a perfect model for running Cthulu BTW) was that you didn't get a full reveal of the monster of the week until the last act; until then, you only got tiny glimpses, revealing it a bit at a time.
I couldn't agree more! Kolchak was also a perfect example of great writing. The tension in the scene of "The Zombie", when Kolchak is inside the hearse about to sew the zombie's lips shut is fantastic. That type of dread and tension is exactly what CoC scenes need.
They also show a good use of obstacles that can impede an investigation without combat.
@@joemcdavid9931 Swamp monster in Chicago underground tunnels just about made me wet my pants as a kid. when it comes to monsters less is more, leaving more to the imagination.
@@ILikeIcedCoffee Absolutely, everything from nosy neighbors, sceptical authorities, well meaning doctors to rival "investigators" (other reporters in Kolchak's case).
I keep hearing the three senses thing and I am trying my best but it's really easy to forget.
But it adds a lot. Even if you just do two.
And as Seth said:
You can add more later in the scene.
So if you are like me and forgot them and your players are bending down to a corpse or some such... don't be shy about dropping it on them there now that you remember.
Yes, it is a balance.
You'd like to give the PCs' senses full use. (Otherwise, the players' characters will be blind, deaf, numb, etc.)
But, on the other hand not be monologuing for too long. (#5 Learn When to Stop Talking.)
This is somewhat helpful at best; most people do not remember what the park smelled like when they walked through it unless there is something useful or notable about the smell and people tend to tune senses out if they are not novel.
This is a useful technique in novels because it says something about the character that they would notice or not notice things or the way they relate them. Ie, a desert nomad would take note of a half drank glass of water on the table because they notice the waste. This is less useful in a game because it portrays a character to the person they are playing. Stopping to smell the roses is a character choice and says something about the character that they would notice.
I personally get frustrated in games when I have to listen to purple prose to find out a troll is in the room as it buries the lead. Sure you can set a scene, but you focus on the important bits in action, which is usually sight and tight on the action.
3:15 Ohh, man! Easley's art is probably my favorite of the old D&D era. Hell, ALL eras. His color texturing added so much character. His undead were some of the best, too. I really miss the art style from the "Four Horsemen" of '80s TSR art (Easley, Caldwell, Elmore, and Parkinson). They nailed it. Most of the art from WotC editions just have less of a gritty look, more cartoonish, and the depicted scenes aren't as gripping since the characters depicted don't seem to be in dire peril as in the TSR oldies.
Been watching your videos for awhile now and I love your advice. These are videos I send to my friends who are starting up as GMs because its things I try to tell them about, but you do have a way of explaining things a bit better than I do. I appreciate your work
Thanks. It's not necessarily that I explain it better. Just different. Add in I can also add some visual aids and being a video it's impossible for them to interrupt and side-track me where I then forget to swing the conversation back to the point I was originally trying to make.
@@SSkorkowsky I really just appreciate how you do your videos. I even follow your reviews on games that I probably wouldn't play, but you've made them sound interesting and there things I enjoy about how they play. I, like you, moved away from D&D in the 90s and played so many other things. I still play but right now I'm running and playing in some PF2e campaigns which I feel they're doing some great stuff. If only they would move away from the level based growth...but still pretty good.
I have been a dungeon master for twenty years and I'm not kidding when I say this is the most informative video on DMing ever made.
great tricks, can't wait to try them with my players! 😁
Geez this is the fastest I've ever been on a new video. Just want to say love your work man!
also cliff hangers don't have to be danger, they can be just reaching a new location but not getting to explore it until next game, or even with holding a reward, like you don't get to see what's in the treasure chest until next session. both of these have been used before by me and my game masters and have worked great.
Dr Who taught me that sometimes they're just tripping over your own feet. :)
@@stm7810 I kinda prefer this to crowbarring in Sudden Danger, unless the game or scene already calls for it. I had a GM who would regularly throw in some surprise encounter to close on a cliffhanger, but it became clear after a few sessions that the whole point WAS the cliffhanger. Whatever he was throwing out there always ended up feeling like a nothing burger once the game restarted.
@@tigercrush2253 Yeah, each fight should feel like there's a reason why the player characters and the enemies would resort to this, beings with brains like to keep those brains inside their heads, and heroes usually aren't eager to mass murder.
I really appreciate your non-shouting voice and concise advice, with examples.
I have the day off work due to being home with two sick kids (ear infection and cold)
Thanks for making my day better with a new video
Is it the same crud you had a few weeks back? Hope they get better soon.
Thank you. They are doing much better today. It's more likely something they probably caught at summer daycare.
When I heard "show the monster last", I initially thought of a different rule in horror/suspense: don't show the monster until the end. If there's something ominous threatening the protagonists, often it's very effective to operate on hints or glimpses, never giving a full and clear look at the threat. They catch glimpses of its shadow or a passing blur, or happen upon its past victims. Only show the full monster near the end, and even then, think about how you frame it. The exact opposite of this is also an excellent technique, exemplified by Strahd in Ravenloft: show the monster right off. This isn't about coy hints, it's about demonstrating the full magnitude of the threat early and letting it sink in throughout the journey of trying to grapple with it.
I want more writing tips from seth
I swear this man taught me how to GM.
Fantastic video with some really good advice. Definitely be putting the 3 senses to use next time!
The shout-out to Glass Cannon's ability to always end on a cliffhanger is so apt-that's something I've been trying to work on myself after noticing it.
Troy is a great storyteller! I like Kelly from Dork Tales too but, Troy is still my fav
Seth you are my favorite d&d content creator. So glad you exist!!
GCP is really enjoyable, loved season 1 a lot and was really happy Seth joined for some one shots. The Seth episodes have become my some of my favorite episodes.
Seth was quiet on intimate encounters, but it was his first foray working with them. Seeing if you gel is always difficult. He seems more relaxed since. He likes skid best from my understanding, likely because skid is just a few years older than Seth or myself are and he has great great ref points...and seems like a great guy. I get frustrated a bit with show, but it's more pathfinder 2e/D&D 4e game mechanics I dislike. Players don't often stray from their box of character sheet things esp when it's not theatre of the mind. So with so much on foundry and a grid based wargame masquerading as an RPG it's harder to watch than other systems...but that is a person preference on my part.
Wake Up Babe, New Seth S. Video!!! 💪🏿💪🏿💪🏿
This is a bot comment right? All the posts seen with variations of this comment can't actually be real people's thoughts, surely! At least I hope not.
@@wbbartlettthe internet now is just bots talking to bots bro 🤖🤖
The Cliffhanger tip ties into another general tip for beginnings, which is start in medias res, in the midst of the action, always a great way for starting any session, even the first.
Really useful, and came at the perfect time xD i'm a newer gm and after running oneshots mainly i'm now starting my first homebrew campaign and planning the opening session to be run this weekend. Some really good things to think about here for sure!
Yes! Exactly this! All those hour-long GM advice videos and books are sure very useful, but these four "tricks" are exactly what makes a good narrative and scene in my opinion. Describing a scene, many GMs only describe what characters see, just like a scene on a screen watching a show or movie. Describing what they perceive with all their other senses injects so much life into what's actual happening, the difference is stunning. Same goes for the environment, especially with weather contributing to the atmosphere of a scene.
As an artist who writes and aspires to create manga I'm taking your advice to heart! Just imagining the sounds of thrashing coming over a hill of trees, the monster out of sight before it attacks, it's true scale revealed bit by bit, or giving the threatening villain a unique, normally pleasant smell and having the heroes feel it fill the room right before a chapter ends is really exciting to me. Thank you for the tips Seth!
Is that Mothership I spy on the shelf?!? A hint of a video to come? I've read that Warden's Operations Manual so many times recently just trying to soak in all the amazing ideas.
I enjoy all of Seth Skorkowsky videos 😊
Nice to see a mention of Raymond Chandler. He's one of my favourite authors, but every time I mention him people look at me like a Martian.
I had a professor tell me to read him
I think this happened because we moved away from reading books to ingesting material online. We're far more distracted. When I first started playing this game mentioning something like that would have probably had an enthusiastic response from every or certainly most, members of the group. Because we all read books. And we read specific genres so we were all familiar with the same sort of things.
Thank you, for all the thought and work that goes into these. I really appreciate.
Regarding the last one, I remember listening to a guy explaining that there are three things that distract us:
- *Threats* (a tiger coming to get you, etc)
- *Pleasure* (gratification, comfort, tasty food, etc)
- *Novelty* (new things, new concepts, shiny things, etc)
So that could be a useful guide to what should be described last, or possibly what should be introduced to keep the story interesting.
Hey boss, just came back to your channel after a bit of break and I’ve been binging everything I’ve missed as well as rewatching old favs. Love your stuff!
For cliff hangars, avoid the awful cheap ones from the old 'King of the Rocket Men' show....End of Session "The dragon breathes fire! You briefly feel a searing heat as you die! Your charred bones smoke and crackle in a dark, acridly stinking, shadowed stain that used to be your body."......Start of next session "Actually you dodged behind a rock and are fine, so anyway............"
Wow. That's... that's a cheap-ass move. Type of thing if I saw it on a TV show tells me they ditched their good writers and are operating with the D Squad
Cliff hangers are tough to do. Especially when you're already in full improv mode because players made/took an unexpected choice/path.
Agreed. The eternal question, should I just wrap it up at 8 because it's a fun place to leave it OR should I run it to the next logical break which could take till 11.
@@dutch6857If you're doing the latter, you're probably making me go through the motions until we get to the ending point you like and I don't like taking 2 or more extra hours on a session just for that. Let the ending be a two-parter so all of it can be enjoyed.
In my games I’ll often have my monsters be the first and only thing I describe in a room as my players enter it, then I’ll draw in the assets of the room. If my players then ask me questions about the room, I’ll describe it because that way I know they care and are listening. If they don’t ask, they’ll often say after the fight, “so what was in that room?” And then it becomes the focus. This imo reflects reality as if a threat is right in front of you, you’d have to actively try to notice anything but the threat because of people’s natural instinct to tunnel vision on hazards.
Thanks for the quick video. I use all of these tips for my play sessions and I can tell you it does make a huge difference just adding that extra sense or 2. I try and not use the same 3 senses every time, mixing it up a little just so I don't fall into a trope
Related to Chandler's Law: if you find yourself stuck and uninspired in your prep work and not sure what should happen next, have the man at the desk pull a gun out of a drawer and set it down on the table. That is to say, introduce some unexpected element that dramatically alters the situation and heightens the tension. That will get the gears churning again and help you come up with what will happen next.
Quality content!!!!
Thanks for your awesome stuff, Seth!
The hidden 5th tip is what I struggle most with hahaha. Thanks for the great video, Seth!
Great advice Seth!! Thanks for your videos brother!
Definitely love the writer / GM helper videos! Thanks for giving us something to chew on.
Even when one of your videos doesn't teach me something new, I am always excited to watch. You strike such an excellent balance between education and entertainment, and I've passed on so many of your videos to my players, or gamemasters, or even just friends who are writing a story of their own.
Thank you, Seth, for everything you do, and thanks to the rest of your players too!
Yes, i agree! The folks at Glass Cannon really are great at giving good cliffhangers! I learned from them to implement them into my games, it always works :D
This is a really great reminder to go over my own habits and behavior as a GM. I have been getting more relaxed and hopefully this will help be make things more focused for my players. Timing that cliff hanger is tough. but sometimes we do end on an embarrassing situation or joke.
I would like to add to the "Describe the monster last" point. I'd keep the room description functional, focusing on details that might be important to the coming encounter, and save a more in-depth description of the room for after the fight.
Essentially, tell them that there is a fireplace in the room before they fight the monster, and then after the battle subsides then you tell the party that there's an inscription on the mantle of the fireplace.
Depending on the game you're playing, combat can take a long time and it can be very difficult for the party to remember important details you gave them before the encounter. It makes sense, too, the characters don't have time to admire the finer details of the room while there's a monster barreling down at them, after all.
Great video Seth. Superb advice given with great brevity!
I can not thank you enough for these videos. They've helped me be a better Storyteller and have really upped my game. (Pun semi intended.)
Yayy!! New seth upload!!!
As someone used to fantasy games who's running Delta Green for the first time, this is very helpful!
Great vid! Love the deep knowledge!!!!
Awesome video, Seth!
It was concise and to the point, and very helpful.
Keep up the great work Seth!
I like how you mentioned the tip from the thumbnail last, well done sir.
Using more senses to describe a place/scene is great advice, which I sadly forget to follow way too often.
Closing on a cliffhanger however is something that isn't necessarily good, it really depends on the kind of game you're running and your players. It's a thin line between excitement for the next session and pissing people off because something was left unfinished.
I have always used the three senses rule without realizing it, however, I usually don't specify things, I will in the future. Also I like Chandler's Law, if the players don't want to come to the trouble, bring the trouble to them. This makes a lot of sense considering how much noise they must be making going through an area, adventurers by their very nature aren't very quiet that often, even if they are, there are creatures out their ready to tell on them. I also use cliffhangers whenever I can, it helps a lot, players always come back for more. Many time I have had players come to a session telling me they have been thinking about the situation all week long. Show the monster last was the best one, I kind of include it with the description I never really paid attention to placing it last, I will from now on, very good points Seth. Thanks for sharing.
Another great video, Seth! Thank you for the tips! ^^
I'm so happy and grateful you are still making content 🍻
Per your last point: Unless you WANT them to 'not notice' the room details because, for example, there's a trap you want them to run right past. ;)
This is a video I will watch numerous times. Thanks again Seth, this is an Ennie winner !
Great presentation, to the point, ans short!
For senses I try to begin with sound or smell first, then sight and touch or taste last as I think that is how we move from the frame to the focus. Sometimes I describe a truly potent scent as taste, like a room full of blood tasting metallic. And I am learning how to build the details to the focus, such as the threat, without getting wordy, slow or wall of texty!
I Love ALL Seth Skorkowsky videos!
Great tips for us lay-GM's, thank you!
Senses: already use sight and sound. Though can probably use more smell.
Guy with a gun: already in use, always fun
Cliffhangers: Interesting
Monster last: Funnily enough I seemingly tend to do that indirectly in that the monster usually enters the area just after the party in some way. In retrospect, that seems to be a thing of mine. huh.
Another top notch video, Seth. Thanks!
I was just listening to an episode of Modern Mythos where you and Jon were discussing these exact tips so I just had a serious case of déjà vu.
It occurs to me that the Dead Alewives nailed the three senses right from go. 🤔
"...You are now by yourself, standing in a Dark room. The pungent Stench of mildew emanates from the Wet dungeon walls."
There is a lot to be said about adding smells to your descriptions. Your players become much more invested. Absolutely wait until the end to show the monster! That was a staple of mine in Call of Cthulhu. Works every time!
This was a really great video.
Even though I knew most of this already, getting it refreshed is a good thing!
Especially with the skits and examples.
Thanks Seth 🙂
I love all Seth Skorkowsky videos.
Skorkowsky/GCN is one of my favorite superhero team ups. I'd kind of like to see you guys play traveler where everyone actually clamps down on the speculative trading etc that makes traveller so neat, but i still love when you guys work together.
I also kind of find myself showing the monster early cause it's top of the list for pertinent information and sometimes it blocks out important information that can bite them if they dont subsequently ask 😅.
Hey I'm a bot ^W NPC, and I'm here to give it to you from the audiences side of things: Great Video!
whoa, dave thaumavore shirt at the end. ' Love those guys. They even uploaded in the same day!
I try to not forget it's story telling. Clues are in the text. And now a bad example.
"That was a great match.", Davey said. "Yeah! I love sport.", said Lucy.
It had all the words and left no clue as to what they are talking about. That's what it is like when you just give one detail and get on with it.
Excited to see you on your next GCN role
Great stuff Seth!
I remember using tip one when describing the first scene of my favorite villain:
"As you walk by, you smell a stench you have never smelled before, not to this degree at least: it's similar the funk of decaying flesh, but at an intensity that you never even thought possible. In the distance, you hear the familiar screaming of Grung warriors in a battle."
After they go check
"The screaming has stopped a while ago, and the smell of death is now borderline unbearable. As you approach the source, the scene in front of you is ghastly: here and there, there are the mutilated corpses of the Grung warriors you heard a while ago, next to a tree, the last remaining member of the squad, with a look of pure terror in its eyes; at the center of the scene, a small cloaked figure, possibly a goblin, is sitting on the torso of one of the fallen frogmen, smoking one of its fingers"
Any time I see a new video from Seth it's always a good day.
You see a well-worn wooden table covered in crisp graph paper and crystalized dice, your friends hunched over - quietly sobbing. The GM stands up to reveal himself: Seth Skorkowsky!
I really enjoy these videos. Thank you.
This is great stuff! I will try to get as much of this as possible into tonight's session❤
Great video as always!
Not much to add. Excellent video as always. Only thing I can add is use your own voice and tone to add sense to the senses. Smells bad? Say with a sense of revulsion. Looks exquisite? Speak with an allure.
Ha ha on the Cyberpurr shirt as well! Will you be reviewing the Tabletop Edgerunner pack that Talsorian is releasing in a few weeks? I actually am curious what the gang will look like as a bunch of Anime loving CP2077 inspired newbies!
Or bitter old players playing an anime styled version of Cyberpunk.
Two days of Seth back to back? Is it my birthday? Looks like a pretty good week.
(Seth did a bit on Dungeon Craft's Tomb of Horror video yesterday, if you missed it)
As usual very useful advice. Another thing I use for some descriptions is camera framing and movement to make it more cinematic.
Great advice as always
I always do the monster last, flavour text. and it looks like THIS! Always works.
I used the laser cutter to make like a 1" coin with the 5 senses engraved on it. It's there as a visual reminder while I'm coming up with things on the fly
Its weird, I keep seeing people say "End your session on a cliffhanger", but personally, I have never seen a GM ending a session on a cliffhanger work, either as a GM or player. My experience is that if you give the players a situation, and they know what they want to do about it now, they're going to want to do something about it now, and not wait a week.
And I know you might be saying that's the point. No, I mean, they won't want to wait a week. They'll want to fix the situation right now, and you're trying to close the session, and they're saying hang on, let's deal with this, and you're like "No, the session's over". I have absolutely seen people get... Upset is probably not the right word, but certainly I've seen people not like it.
This is how I feel, too. I know people will say it's all subjective, and I'm not saying anyone is having fun wrong, but I prefer sessions ending coinciding with resting/pause beats for the characters after finishing a task or combat. The "cliffhanger" effect is still there from knowing you get to open that next dungeon door, have that powerful audience, or get off the transport at your characters new destination after that short rest. It doesn't have to be the GM sweating bullets and deciding an NPCs head explodes last thing or dramatically hanging up the call mid conversation. I feel like that concept is more closely related to TTRPGS consumed as a media than as a game.
Same. I feel like it's really hard to reinvigorate the energy and excitement of the moment.
If my party has a discord to discuss the game I always enjoy them losing their shit on a good cliffhanger.
I don't do it every session but ending right before a combat with an as yet unintroduced threat, or right as some treachory or wild discovery happens re-orients them immediately when the next session hits.
It's all "we were doing x, and y, and...oh shit that's right the portal in the floor opened up when you grabbed that book!"
It can cut down on the "eeeehhhhh did we explore this building yet?", "yeah that had the grain boxes but nothing interesting", "we could talk to the thieves guild lady?,"Nah the leader was missing or something so they dont want visitors", "well...I guess we could check one of the 3 other places" type starts where people immediately start getting on their phones because they've got nothing in front of them to latch onto.
It's not always that way, but I'd recommend throwing it in from time to time to mix up the session starts
I think a cliffhanger could work, if the cliffhanger is a new piece of information that recontextualizes things, and players need to think about what this means or what they even want to do now.
But I never even thought about how I end sessions personally, so I dont know.
How it's handled is going to depend on the group and how the sessions are set, but I absolutely think that it's better to leave the players with something interesting than to leave things settled. You want them excited to come back to the table. The games that I run have a fairly hard stop point that we need to keep to. If they're inches from completing a boss fight we might push it a couple minutes, but that's about all that we can manage. So while I'm not always quick enough on my feet to set it up, it's usually pretty easy to end a session with something fun or interesting about to happen. Ending on a cliffy also helps to get the next session going right away. Instead of dithering for half an hour about what they should do next they're focused on that immediate threat or the new clue about to blow the case wide open. The space for planning, shopping, or whatever can come in the middle of the session.
Great advice, as usual, Seth!
Have you considered making a video about "Methods to help GMs teach players a new game system"?
I was thinking about this subject recently because in discord someone mentioned that their mother-in-law was interested in trying out RPGs for the first time after hearing stories about their D&D game. However, what jumped out to me in the conversation was that they were looking into rule lite systems to run for their Mother-in-law because they thought it would be too overwhelming to teach their mother-in-law D&D for a one shot... Which made me wonder if some people teach new players how to play ttrpgs in the same way that one would teach someone to play a board game - teaching them all the rules first and then play the game... Which is a terrible way to teach someone to play a ttrpg, IMHO.
As long as people don't go nuts with the "describing in multiple senses" thing. I tried listening to Worlds Beyond Number and I got so exhausted by the GM running super long monologuing descriptions that always went way too hard on what everything smells like. I got to the point where every time he started talking, I would say "Gee, I wonder what it smells like..."
I guess that's probably as much a lack of Tip #5.
Great video! I’ve been trying to use “end on a cliffhanger” with my Pulp Cthulhu campaign.
But I need to know why backwards hat player wore t-shirts with the exact three punk rock band logos I have tattooed on my body? Are you spying on me????? For real. That’s a crazy coincidence.
Thanks for the tips!
Monster last totally rules. The moment the players see the monster, they focus and get tunnel vison.
Nice Seth, thanks. I miss your books about Black Raven 😞. Was great reading 👍.