How To Deal With Stress And Anxiety In D&D

[@tonysladky8925]

Man, "Watch how *a bunch* of different GMs do it" is one of my favorite pieces of advice to give out. From the wealth of Actual Plays out there to games people are playing at the game store while you're buying dice or Magic cards to (if you're absurdly lucky) how your friends run their games (and don't limit yourself to watching D&D. People running other systems, or just the systems themselves may have figured out fixes to problems you're having or approaches to things you want to bring to D&D), you're bound to find all sorts of fun little bits to amalgamate into a style of GM-ing unique to and uniquely suited to you.
On my list of new GM advice, this is second only to "The GM gets a break whenever he or she needs it." No one has a good time if you're staring at your notes trying to figure out how to respond to the curveball your players just threw at you or if you're trying to rush through a scene or a fight so you can pee. Take a break when you need it, and come back ready to go again. Just don't abuse the privilege.

[@TheSwamper]

If I run a session and it goes well, I'm on top of the world. If I run a session and it goes poorly, I'm not going to sleep well that night.
So I only get stressed when DM'ing if things are going poorly.

[@EndLineGamer]

true words.

[@leonturner2598]

Same, that’s me all over!

[@jbowers56]

“Having a skeleton base to start with…” - finally, someone else who runs undead-only campaigns!

[@DOntTouCHmYPaNDa]

Do. Not. Support. Better help!!!!! 🙏

[@DOntTouCHmYPaNDa]

I’m not finishing your video in hopes that we stop this company

[@bluephoenixchicken3645]

No pls cancel your better help sponsorship. This is a horribly scummy scamy company, that sells people private date from their therapist. They also don’t require their therapist to be licensed.

[@billkeeler5858]

Ignore the haters, I think using clips of pro DMs and using their DM styles as an example for your topic is perfect. Keep up the great work!

[@PetersonRodrigues0]

Whoa, great timing! I'll start DMing a long campaign for the first time this week. This video will definitely help me!
Thanks!

[@CajinVaren]

Disliked for your sponsor, do NOT use Better help!

[@RodFunmuscle-we4ig]

Liked these videos, but blocking because of the betterhelp association. Genuinely hope it was worth it.

[@mcpizda403]

better help, better scam

[@chaqalaqalaqa]

Agreed. I tried them and they have unqualified or under qualified staff who give very unhelpful advice

[@DOntTouCHmYPaNDa]

We need to start protesting UA-camrs who use better help as a sponsor!!!

[@damiensteinrich9677]

It's so sad because the premise is awesome. Never tried them because I have seen too many messages like this.

[@luna1534]

Great video but please don't take better help sponsorships, there's a lot wrong with them as a service even including selling customer data that's shared in confidentiality with your therapist

[@yunahmayh]

So.. I#ve just been sent this by one of my players. :D
Thanks for the advice .. I am just so happy with my group and how communicative they are. You saying "players probably dont want to play at a table, where you the DM, are not having fun." hit hard :D

[@dadapotok]

what works for me:
1. other games. most of what i saw on osr, nsr and fkr scenes is more gm-friendly, or feels like that to me. overwhelmed by choice when looking for other game? start with other adventure instead. ask yourself, your friends and read what your fav adventure writers love.
2. i play more as player when I'm burning out as gm.

[@terrencethompson2941]

Great info! Played for years when I was younger and just got back into DMing and loving it as much as ever.

[@thebeatles9]

figruing out what your players ACTUALLY want vs what you THINK they want or what you FEEL they should want is the biggest de-stressor. Need an extra 15 minutes? Players don't care. Didn't paint that last mini? Players don't care. Need to take a 2 minute break to look something up? Players don't care. Players found a gamebreaking exploit early on? Give it to them then head to the tavern for the rest of the session.
Players will have fun even at a boring / bad game if you make it immersive and do what the players ACTUALLY enjoy. Figure that out and things go much easier.

[@michi444624]

first of all, nice beard :D second great videos, love watching them :) and third, pls, can you boost up the volume of your speech a little bit (like 20%)? I maxed it out and sometimes it's still quite hard to hear what you say (I'm watching your videos mostly in the office using just buit-in monitor speakers) :)

[@the_epipan]

Wow, until now I've realized that I'm apparently an introvert. I mean, I have never had the problem of shyness... I am very transparent and I have no problem starting to talk to complete strangers, even on the street or public transport, just because I heard that they were talking about a topic that I know (that's how I met 3 friends that I've been with for 6 years) and another friend was a employee at a store that I just started talking to and even ended up going to the store just to chat with him. I always thought I was quite extroverted, but it also happens to me that socializing is like maintaining a pose (I'm not talking about a mask, I'm still me but like I'm showing muscle, reinforcing some parts of my way of being in addition to being attentive to interpreting gestures and things of others). I think I get energy, enthusiasm, when I'm alone... it has often happened to me that after spending several hours with other people, especially if I'm being a GM, I come home and feel a great relief to finally be alone. I really enjoy reading and planning things... and then in a group I kind of discharge, I enjoy it but it's also something that makes me get a little tense and in particular GMing get me a bit stressed because of the responsibility of the plot/notes and the rules being apply well and let everyone have their moment of shine/enjoyment.
So what? I'm an introvert who learned to be an extrovert?

[@Dragowolf_Rising]

The introvert/extrovert thing is a scale and your position on it can shift.

[@DR.LingeringFrey]

I JUST started to discover/enjoy your channel and then find you have an immoral sponsor…

[@SaintsROB]

Stop advertising better help..its a scam but i see you dont care at all

[@DivergentStyles]

What if a player is actively trying to break the game by just constantly going for stuff that the player thinks you're not prepared for.. and is asking that question frequently, did you not expect me to do that? What to do with a player like that.

[@ren_kitsune]

I think you can take the player aside and tell them what you've noticed and explain them that not only you feel disrespected (granted you do put the effort of preparing 2-3 alternative smaller routes) but also they're pushing down a path that the other players will not enjoy.

[@AngelicBeatdown]

Listen guys we get the Better Help criticism but Bonus Action has got to put food on the table and I appreciate the video regardless! Support him and then he won’t need sponsors!

[@Callmezote]

There are plenty of ways to put food on the table, I highly doubt he HAD to take this exact sponsorship (over any other) or else he’ll go to bed hungry or the lights will go out. There is no excuse for taking this sponsorship because either; a) he did his research and decided to promote the company even though he knows they’re a scam, or b) he didn’t do his homework and then he’s guilty of promoting a company he knows nothing about. Both are bad and both result in him promoting scammers and abusers to his audience. I don’t think people should be allowed to make money doing that

[@mcpizda403]

@@AngelicBeatdown yea, i don’t really have anything against him for getting paid, I would probably do the same. There’s also a big chance that he’s just unaware of the better help’s “business model”, still commenting about it might just help someone not fall for the scam

[@vincepale]

I just recently got a smart watch. My HR 5 minutes before the game starts is INSANE, then as soon as we actually 'start' I'm in the zone, and it drops back to a good spot.
Also, Ignore haters. Get that Bag of Sponsorship.

[@CajinVaren]

He is shilling for an actual scam company, accusing people who are calling it out "haters" ony shows how stupid you are. Use your brain.