I find that it's great for diagnosing where to put your attention. A lot of times, I think DMs start experiencing diminishing returns when they focus too heavily on one element, like homebrew mechanics or story lore, rather than paying attention to how all the elements of their game dynamically harmonize. For example, I found that my players became much more invested in my story lore when I paid attention to the technological resources they had available, which is a counterintuitive approach for many (dare I say most) DMs.
This is incredibly thorough, helpful and straightforward. I have considered these themes broadly as I craft my first session but the specificity and clarity this video offers is super helpful to get my thoughts more organized. Your approach really resonates with me, I imagine you’re an excellent dm and I hope you continue to make content about design and play. Thank you! 💛
You mentioned environmental/sensory input and one thing I’ve done that was fun and effective was bringing some of the in game objects or character attributes into the real world. For my session zeros, the prizes they won in the game were presented as physical gifts (a cool stein as a prize for the drinking contest for example. A fancy embroidered dice bag they won off someone in a dice gambling scenario etc) This is only practical in an in-person setting, but virtually an analog would be to encourage players to have a token or piece of clothing/costume that made them feel more in character. Not all players will like this but mine love it and so do I.
The elemental tetrad was always one of my favorite tools from that book. It’s kinda like having a compass to guide your path ;)
I find that it's great for diagnosing where to put your attention. A lot of times, I think DMs start experiencing diminishing returns when they focus too heavily on one element, like homebrew mechanics or story lore, rather than paying attention to how all the elements of their game dynamically harmonize. For example, I found that my players became much more invested in my story lore when I paid attention to the technological resources they had available, which is a counterintuitive approach for many (dare I say most) DMs.
This is incredibly thorough, helpful and straightforward. I have considered these themes broadly as I craft my first session but the specificity and clarity this video offers is super helpful to get my thoughts more organized. Your approach really resonates with me, I imagine you’re an excellent dm and I hope you continue to make content about design and play. Thank you! 💛
I'm so glad you got so much out of it. If you ever want a more specific topic covered or a question you want answered, please let me know.
You mentioned environmental/sensory input and one thing I’ve done that was fun and effective was bringing some of the in game objects or character attributes into the real world. For my session zeros, the prizes they won in the game were presented as physical gifts (a cool stein as a prize for the drinking contest for example. A fancy embroidered dice bag they won off someone in a dice gambling scenario etc) This is only practical in an in-person setting, but virtually an analog would be to encourage players to have a token or piece of clothing/costume that made them feel more in character. Not all players will like this but mine love it and so do I.
Yes, I've played with DMs that use a similar technique. For many players, it's very immersive and helps amplify their acting skills at the table.