Read it the exact same way and I honestly wasn't too surprised. Luke fills in an interesting role when playing, as he constantly comes up with shenanigans that everybody wants to work. (The whole oxventure does, actually, but I somehow think Luke's the most... chaotic when it comes to that? Idk.)
Definitely. Your goal as a player is NOT defeating the evil or finding a treasure; that might be the goal of your character, but not yours. The goal of the DM is not preventing your characters from achieving their goals; that might be the goal of the monsters he commands, but not his. DM and players have a common goal: To have a good time, maybe tell a beautiful, tragic or horrendous story along the way, and stock up on carbo-hydrates so we outlast the flimsy skinny humans when the great draught comes.
I think it's safe to say that he doesn't get really derailed very often simply because of how he operates. It's hard to get lost when your only instruction is "go north," you know?
@@gamehunter88 That's one of the only times the Oxventurers went so far away from the objective, and fixated on the wrong thing, Johnny couldn't redirect them. They often go wrong, but not THAT badly wrong
I would absolutely love to see a game with both Luke's character Dob and Ashley Johnson's character Yasha, then we could have the orphan killer and the widow maker together.
It's nerve-wracking the first time, always. Everything can go wrong. Your head is so busy constructing every possibility it constantly imagines worse-case scenarios.
All of the OxBox crew are great at improvisation, but Luke is on another level in my opinion. He's so, so good at building a narrative on the fly. He'd make a fantastic GM!
Luke raising his eyebrows in shock when Johnny says “someone says they want to back flip onto the roof” is hilarious to me given how many times Luke has said that exact thing 😝😝
Luke: "You've given me a lot to think about, I'm really excited to meet back here with the skeleton of my own Oxventure"... Cue 59 other skeletons (and a flaming skull) getting very upset at being left out...
Luke, the Derailer Supreme (looking at you Bad Chair Day), learning how to DM? I hope Johnny is in one of his parties just to get some playtime in rather than always being the DM :)
My first thought was dob disappears, which is why Luke is GMing, and the oxventurers run into rust on the harbor who is also looking for a missing friend. Either that or they follow dobs trail to the mythical lake of treasures.
Aww~! A spell or curse turns Dob into a baby, and the rest of the crew has to take care of him. Perhaps one of the plot points is they take him to Suzette, and along the way deal with the usual shenanigans, all the while keeping Dob safe. I imagine moment like in Hellboy 2 where he puts the baby on his tail, except with Prudence while she's agonizing blasting someone's flesh off.
Mandalorian style of Oxventure (minus Dob?) finding a baby/toddler (played by Johnny) and trying to finish their quest while keeping the child safe as it occasionally demonstrates the ease with which it "escapes" their sitter-skills.
With Dob's habit of adopting NPCs, Johnny has kinda played with them many times already. Rust, Robyn, Christopher. So I doubt it'd be hard him slotting in as player only for one session. He could easily return as one of the many adopted NPCs or something new and exciting and seeing the Oxventurers play with that new unknown would be brilliant. Definitely a fan of the Dob on Holiday excuse for his absence too.
Luke's choose your own adventures from show of the weekend told me he'd be a good DM a while ago. I'm excited to watch this whole thing, but trust me, early episode Luke, you got this
Unless everyone gets a splinter in their bum the second they sit on a bench in the starting tavern and die of septicemia. Or dysentery. Or even better: both.
Every DM needs a Luke, to practice their skill at improvising after their players utterly annihilate their carefully crafted campaign by, say, deciding to spy on a meeting that had already happened, or adopting an archaeologist, or forcing you to come up with a name for a one off guard, etc
Johnny is such an inspiring DM. Oxventure and the Break Quest club put me on the road to running a campaign for my brother and his friends, and Johnny’s DM videos have helped so much!
@@Yesterzine Since that involves people from two different channels, it might just be a scheduling thing. Oxboxtra work closely together, so Oxventures don't have that issue.
Luke's campaign as a DM would no doubt include bad puns, cats and the indiscriminate killing of various creatures, although you can be sure there will be NO FROST TROLLS!
And Luke is now the undisputed king of Blades in the Dark - the perfect and distinct partner to Johnny's running of the Oxventure D&D. And it all started here (via Werewolf)...well done sir.
My personal rule: a character death has to be weighty and make an impact. A character they invested time and work into isn't a throwaway. There is no "whoops. Alright, I'll make another one." As a DM it's important for me to respect my players and their feelings towards their characters. I don't like the "I design your fate and I can strike you down on a whim" mentality that some DMs have.
I had this problem earlier today. My group was fighting a beholder, and everyone was nearly dead, including the beholder. It was the end of the dungeon crawl, and just before the beholder died on its last turn it hit Aadrik my dwarven mage (who was on 2 health) with a disintegration ray. I was like, "oh, it's fine, his teammates will pick him up-wait, what's this about a fine pile of gray ash...?" Ohhh shit. Ummm. "Upon its death, the Beholder's eye rolls back into its head and in the back of its eye is a magical orb. Let's say it brings him back to one hp."
The way this video put it was that there is "save everyone. If they die they have to die in a very meaningful way" or "haha I control your entire fate". I don't think it's as clear cut as that. I do gauge how much of a challenge the opponent will be, but if one of the players actually die? Then they die, they got unlucky or careless or both. The others can quest to bring that character back ofc. But I don't think I should exempt anyone from death. But I DO see the point Johnny has with the OXventurers. They are public characters whom people draw fanart of and has tied to each of the players. It would require something of an extraordinary death for people to accept that that character is gone. So I don't judge you or Johnny for blunting blows, but I will still chime in and say there is a middle way, of death without being an egomaniac.
I feel like theres this idea that the players are too important to kill their character and I find that grinds my bones. What's the point of a game if there's no way to lose? What was the point of making a character with all these stats and abilities if no matter what I'm going to win any fight then I as a player have don't have agency at the table. you are just as shackled by the DM who always misses when you're at low health as the one who always rolls crits when it suits them. Either way is 100% bullshit and that I might as well as not shown up.
@@madmanwithaplan1826 I think one part of GMing, especially in systems other than D&D is that winning can be separate from not losing. Especially in social games or mysteries, you might have to blunt combat but the GM should still step up and let the players lose something from the obvious like being imprisoned as a sacrifice in order to bring back a long dead wizard (or any other generic end of world threat), have the enemy continue on forcing players to either divert time to handle them or risk a far worse but more dramatic fight later (which would fit a player death) or to have the opposition kill or kidnap someone the players care about, and thus create loss without have to kill a PC. I do agree that GM's kill, but I have blunted blows before, especially at low level (5 flying snakes at first level is surprisingly dangerous for 4 PCs)
@@Ghirahim3 That does still promote the thought of "Everything will work out in the end team, dw guys these goblins won't *actually* kill us" and I feel that does take a lot away from the excitement and daring. The thing you describe sounds like so much work for someone that decided they could go 1v10 against a pit of alligators. I never think characters are important, players make them important. But that crucial step of making them important can be stepped over if their choices are kept safe and harm minimized. An example from one of the later session I had while still DM'ing dnd: An evil Yuan-Ti abomination presents them an offer they can't refuse: Erasing the memories of the people present to a murder. They are currently level 4, I describe the strength of the monster and what he wants. The players decide to just fight him here and now. Against all odds, the last player lands the final blow. Now I would have 100% killed them if they had failed, they fucked around and found out, I don't find that cruel. It was a fight they picked out of a sense of morality, it would have had meaning in its own way because they fought for what they believed in, maybe not a sacrifice for a noble quest but still dying to uphold the good in the world.
This is inspiring, thank you for sharing DM secrets with us! It makes DMing seem a bit more approachable. My takeaways: - Keep crucial information and key story beats modular. EX: If the party needs information from the blacksmith but gets into talking with the carpenter, move the information to the carpenter and scrap the blacksmith. - Plan backwards. What is the big revelation? What information/action/encounters does the party need in order to get there? - Never have your party members roll for something you aren't prepared for them to fail. - If you don't tell players what their roll needs to beat, it's more exciting for them and you have more flexibility in the extent to which they succeed. - When to call checks and which checks to call is an important storytelling skill. - Hook players at the beginning with good story, then let them play. - It's ok to take some time to look things up, just be careful not to go on too long (~30 seconds. It's ok to take longer for important things that you need to get right, like a death saving throw. For things of less gravity, making something up might also work). - Johnny is a very clever, imaginative, and good DM, and I can't wait to see what adventures Luke dreams up.
Johnny mentoring a slightly nervous Luke in the art of running tabletops is such a wholesome content I never knew I needed. Luke would, nay WILL be a great DM!
It may be the wine talking, but the very premise of this video has me emotional: Luke trying out leading a werewolf game and loving it, and now Johnny taking him under his wing. The GROWTH :’)
Ofc Luke enjoys GMing Werewolf, rather than playing it. The level of stress he showed dealing with Andy and Jane where one of them was lying; twice! Oh man. Pls don't give up on playing though: it's so fun to watch stuff like that!
I would love to see a Luke-run game, his character work on Dob helped inspire me to work harder on my own characters and backstories with loose ties into the world of the game.
Yeah but Luke occasionally forgot Dob's backstory. I remember Orcward Encounter where Johnny refrenced the character's backstories and Luke didn't react so Johnny had to choose something else
Johnny's comment about "wiggle room" and keeping the DC behind the screen reminds me of the Assassins' Creed - "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."
You can almost hear Luke's facial reaction around 53:00 upon learning that the party basically has plot armor because the audience loves each character too much, lol
The Oxventure Guild is honestly my absolute favorite D&D online content/group. The quirky PCs and the personality/humor/exchanges of the players is what does it. I haven’t found anyone else(and I have looked a lot ) who comes close to the same quality of content
I'd love to hear how Johnny planned Hunter pressure compared to how it turned out. Dealing with how the Oxventurers derail the narrative seems like an acquired skill but Luke sounds up for the challenge, best have some NPC names and backstories sorted out beforehand, can they fit in a papoose, normal stuff...
To add to Johhny's comment of "if you can't find the rule in 30 seconds make it up" I'd add don't be afraid to say to your players "I don't know the actual ruling right now so I'm going to call it this way for this session and I'll look it up for next time so we can use the proper ruling going forward." I find my players appreciate the honesty and are much more accepting if I later have to change things because I've made an error.
And that was such an empowering phrase about anxiety. Anxiety is there to tell you what to worry about before you worry about it. So you can prepare. Brilliant point Johnny!
I think Rob from PS Access would also be an amazing DM. His descriptions of various video game worlds and characters are so good. Specially evident in his Friday features.
Dob's rabies from when he was a boy was cured by a form of curse. He occasionally shifts into Surname (Johnny's character). Surname came upon a bedridden, fevered Dob and rescued him by agreeing to some half-life pact and they live out the remainder of Dob's lifespan by randomly shifting into one or the other. Dob doesn't know. Waking up somewhere with no recollection of what happened the past few weeks is definitely on-brand for Dob.
Johnny is honestly the best, I think more table top gamers in general need to get his attitude to life in general, rules are important but the aren't the whole game and the DM isn't supposed to manipulate the characters like chess, it is a collaborative game. I love the way he sees DMing
Love Johnny hope when i get into DnD to find a DM that is as including as him and not afraid to bend the rules if it lets the game flow and fun for evryone.
@@redhex__1738 ye i like the idea of going in blind or give small clues beforehand but i think originaly the team work togheter on the adventure. And specialy on the oxtra they always at max health on adventures and spell check seems unlimited they throw heals often. So if i go in for it i think it be a bit difrent
@@redhex__1738 That's why I can't even with people who are like "Well AKSHUALLY there is no such thing as a crit roll for skill checks" I mean, shut up and let the players have fun. Does it mean they do something impossible? No. But the outcome for trying isn't going to be detrimental. RAW people need to remember the DM can alter any rule they want. So long as it is not in a way that is designed to make the players suffer, what does it matter if something is not exactly as it is written in the PHB.
Jørgen Ervik Johnny and the Oxventurers are the entire reason I play D&D. I watched the first one and decided then and there I needed this more in my life
Mr Luke, I'm so happy you're interested in DMing! I think your main concern about the rules is the biggest concern every new DM has, so you're not alone. I think it is definitely important to understand the rules as best you can, but you will never be able to memorize everything, so don't try. It's more important to know where you can look things up and the typical logic behind the rules in general. For example, there are rules in the DM's Guide on Extreme Cold, Heat, Hunger, Thirst, etc. These situations come up so rarely that it would be counter-productive for me to memorize them. But I know where they are so I can look them up when needed. I also know that they PROBABLY have something to do with Constitution or Constitution saving throws based on the logic of the game, so if a situation quickly came up and I didn't want to look it up right then, I likely know what check to have them make (like what Johnny was saying about knowing what to have the players roll), and then I can use brief moments of players talking to each other to look it up before they'd have to make another check if I wanted to get it right. As long as you understand the general logic of the game, if you have to make a call without the rules you'll get it right or close enough 98% of the time.
I'm going back through oxventures on their podcast, and Luke mentioned this DM session with Johnny. Admittedly, I never watched Dice Breaker when Johnny was here, but I regret taking so long to check it out. They have a lot of really wholesome takes. I used to play DnD in high school where the rules were law and everything had to be exactly by the book. I habe been kind of afraid of approaching DMing because I figured I would have to know the manuals in and out, forwards and backwards. It wasn't until I started listening to them DM for the Oxventures that I realized the fin rapport was what I wanted. I love the goofy feel of some guys just having fun. Because of his style, I started DMing myself and having so much fun. I love story telling and I love improving. This has been a delight to me. Coming back to this video four years after it was posted: it needed to be said! Thank you Johnny for reminding me that fun is an important role in DnD. I've made many great memories.
Luke has exactly the creative flair for storytelling, we see it all the time with Dob. The rules stuff will be things you pick up and get more comfortable with as time goes on. Can’t wait to see what greatnesses Luke comes up with. Remember at the end of the day, just have fun and tell a story with your friends.
I think one of the nicest things about this channel (and about Johnny if we're honest) is that games like D&D can be so intimidating but he makes it so accessible. Like there's just a calm when Johnny explains stuff like this. It's delightful and soothing. Also, love Luke's lefty claw writing.
As a long-time DM who still struggles with planning, I loved seeing Johnny's notes and realising I've basically been doing it right, except for overplanning bits that should have been left to the adventurers.
I've always loved, as a DM, having planned out an entire huge boss battle.. only to have the party not even leave town because suddenly it's 8h of dialogue and completely rebuilding a city to overcome the threat 😂
This is such a lovely concept...also quite intrigued to see if this is going to be a short series with other people .. seriously want to see this with lolies and ian as well if possible
@@DeathBringerBecky i am a bit confused here but what i understand here is that you are not a regular on dicebreaker channel...by lolies i meant Alexandra lolies ,she is one of the video producer on dicebreaker
Bless you Johnny for that Wallace & Gromit reference. Oh how I love those films. The originals of course! Particularly the one where they go to the moon.
Suggestion for Luke: Dob is sick so the others have to go somewhere to get a rare herb to heal him. Bonus: this could let Johnny join as a character who know where/what it is but the area is too dangerous to go alone.
I used to play with a DM who would throw just crazy stuff at us early. My character died probably ten campaigns in a row, but then got lucky and squeaked by, suddenly having some amazing loot. When I DM I usually am more about atmosphere than combat (kinda like Johnny said). I'll mess them up, but it's pretty rare to die in a game I'm running. I like both styles.
This is perfect! I’m currently in the middle of teaching myself to DM for a bunch of new players (quarantine induced virtual d&d) and the whole time I’ve wished there was a video of Johnny telling me how to pull it off. Thanks! ❤️ you can do this Luke!!
Luke, you say that you never see anyone worry about spell components in other campaigns, this is usually because having a spellcasting focus means you IGNORE material components AS LONG as they don’t have a gold cost. So they ain’t breaking rules to ignore them lol
This was so wholesome. Johnny's advice was really helpful, not only for someone who wants to DM D&D, but also kinda for story-writing in general? Can't wait to see Luke DM an Oxventure!
I love the idea of Luke DM-ing an Oxventure sometime soon. Get Johnny to come in as a temporary character for the session, either someone entirely new or maybe an imposter Dob the others slowly figure out over the course of the session or something.
I enjoyed Luke’s ultimate werewolf session,and love him in general in their oxventures,But Johnny is the man when it comes to DMing long may he continue to DM for them.
Honestly I'd wanted to dm dnd ever since I started watching the oxventure group and realized dnd didn't have to be as dark and brooding as I'd seen it depicted. But it wasn't until I watched this mini series that I actually felt like I could dm. Now I'm 3 sessions in to a campaign I've started with a few friends and were having a blast! You made being a dm really approachable and digestible, it also really helps that my players are amazing and incredibly easy to work with ☺️
That little peek behind the curtain was super interesting. Like I knew Johnny was planning his Adventures from behind but seeing how loose he keeps the information he writes down and his way of thinking was really really interesting to see.
Luke is far and away my favourite of the outside xbox cast, he has such a creative improvisational sense of humour which is right up my street, he’s so charming
I really hope that Rust joins in Luke's Oxventure and Johnny gets some of his own shenanigans. This was just a great peek behind the curtain, thanks guys!
I misread the title at first and thought it's a video about how to DM a game when Luke's involved. Which I think also needs to be a tutorial.
I'd watch that as well.
Underrated comment
I thought the exact same xD
Read it the exact same way and I honestly wasn't too surprised.
Luke fills in an interesting role when playing, as he constantly comes up with shenanigans that everybody wants to work. (The whole oxventure does, actually, but I somehow think Luke's the most... chaotic when it comes to that? Idk.)
AKA How not to be Dobbed?
As an old dude who started playing D&D in the early '80s: If you are having fun as a group playing D&D, your group is playing D&D correctly.
As a teenager entering the game 2 years ago, the same saying still apply.
Underrated comment. It's so lovely to see people supporting new players and DM's
As someone who plays D&D and works in a hobby store, this is what I tell new players and new DMs. I also direct them to the Oxventure streams.
Definitely. Your goal as a player is NOT defeating the evil or finding a treasure; that might be the goal of your character, but not yours.
The goal of the DM is not preventing your characters from achieving their goals; that might be the goal of the monsters he commands, but not his.
DM and players have a common goal: To have a good time, maybe tell a beautiful, tragic or horrendous story along the way, and stock up on carbo-hydrates so we outlast the flimsy skinny humans when the great draught comes.
Ryvyl Oxventure is a brilliant example of people playing DnD and it’s definitely not Critical Role but it’s still awesome.
Now I just need a Johnny podcast where he talks about how the Oxventure was SUPPOSED to go, before it got completely derailed
What I took from this is that he puts the rails down as he goes along.
I think it's safe to say that he doesn't get really derailed very often simply because of how he operates. It's hard to get lost when your only instruction is "go north," you know?
That's not what he said about bad chair day lol
@@gamehunter88 That's one of the only times the Oxventurers went so far away from the objective, and fixated on the wrong thing, Johnny couldn't redirect them. They often go wrong, but not THAT badly wrong
There IS a video where Johnny does his detailing highlights 😆
Andy: What kind of treasure do we get?
Luke: What's your proficiency in swimming?
Ellen (comes back soaking wet and covered in gold jewelry): What?
Underrated comment.
🐙 Ah the benefits of being Octowen!
They found the lake
When I read this, I heard "what?" perfectly, in Ellen's, completely innocent and English accented voice.
I'd love to see Luke DM, with plot twists under his belt as great as "you were a penguin the whole time!"
Not just a Penguin a spooky milk Penguin
That will make him brilliant GM regardless of rules or setting.
Could I get a link to the video you guys are referencing please? 😊
@@tanjilhussain4019 I hope someone finds it for you because it was really great. I just spent about half an hour on it with no luck.
@@vazul666 I actually found it, it was the evil within 2 video haha. Sorry for making you waste 30 mins of your life 🤦🏻♂️
Alternative title: How to DM featuring The Orphan Killer
Technically it was the skeletons working under his orders. And he wasn’t aware
The little sisters slayer 🥺
hHAHAHAHAHA XD
I would absolutely love to see a game with both Luke's character Dob and Ashley Johnson's character Yasha, then we could have the orphan killer and the widow maker together.
True, Johnny did kill a lot of orphans
Honestly, Luke's werewolf gm'ing was so good that I'm surprised he's this nervous! Luke you can do it!
It's nerve-wracking the first time, always. Everything can go wrong. Your head is so busy constructing every possibility it constantly imagines worse-case scenarios.
If you watch him giving Ellen any of the choose-your-own-adventures on Oxtra, you can the seeds of a great GM are there, he's a fantastic storyteller
All of the OxBox crew are great at improvisation, but Luke is on another level in my opinion. He's so, so good at building a narrative on the fly. He'd make a fantastic GM!
@@VivaLaDnDLogs I've run ten or twelve sessions for my group - it's still really nerve wracking, and so far I've only done pre-written modules.
Luke is ridiculously lovely, bless him.
Luke raising his eyebrows in shock when Johnny says “someone says they want to back flip onto the roof” is hilarious to me given how many times Luke has said that exact thing 😝😝
He verbatim said that in the 2nd or 3rd oxventure
Luke: "You've given me a lot to think about, I'm really excited to meet back here with the skeleton of my own Oxventure"...
Cue 59 other skeletons (and a flaming skull) getting very upset at being left out...
Two simple rules for DMing:
1: Facilitate and have fun
2: Follow, change, or ignore any rule that gets in the way of Rule 1
Alternate title: How to wrangle 5 easily distracted, vengeful demigods.
*4 easily distracted vengeful demigods and corazon.
@@InnocentKhajiit Hey he can do magic. It's parlour trick magic that wouldn't impress children but still.
@@callumdonington2227 aw c'mon
@@callumdonington2227 I mean I love him, he's by far my favourite character but let's not kid ourselves as to the power differential.
@@callumdonington2227 He can't even see in the dark. Imagine that.
Luke, the Derailer Supreme (looking at you Bad Chair Day), learning how to DM? I hope Johnny is in one of his parties just to get some playtime in rather than always being the DM :)
I mean, you can sort of count Werewolf...
You misspelled revenge - it reads like 'playtime' now.
I think this is because Johnny is running multiple campaigns. He has three and I imagine that is a bit rough
I mean the revenge is a given. As a DM myself, I do enjoy those moments where I get to be the troublemaker :P
@@cthulhufhtagn2483 Werewolf isn't an RPG, it's way less involved.
this would be a really good mini series, Johnny and Luke making a d&d campaign together and Luke coming back each episode to show what he came up with
Yes. Yaaaaaas!
My first thought was dob disappears, which is why Luke is GMing, and the oxventurers run into rust on the harbor who is also looking for a missing friend. Either that or they follow dobs trail to the mythical lake of treasures.
yes please
@@devinewolfe1906 Dob has clearly been turned into a baby, leaving Luke free to DM.
Aww~! A spell or curse turns Dob into a baby, and the rest of the crew has to take care of him. Perhaps one of the plot points is they take him to Suzette, and along the way deal with the usual shenanigans, all the while keeping Dob safe.
I imagine moment like in Hellboy 2 where he puts the baby on his tail, except with Prudence while she's agonizing blasting someone's flesh off.
Can we just take a moment to appreciate how relaxing Johnny's voice is when it's that calm
"Everyone is trying to think of the most efficient move"
*Thinking back to them trying to tie up the legs of the giant spider*
Yes, much efficiency
On which adventure did the fight a sider?
@@photoo848 Wild Wild Woods
It wasn't a spider it was a giant mechanical stag beetle.
To be fair, before that Egbert DID manage to get most of the enemies into a cone-shaped space.
"Cthulu is pleased and lunch is ruined."
Also, Merilwen is definitely a WOOD Elf.
"Little Baby Prudence"... Oh man... It's almost like Fate saw this video and said "OH YEAH"
When Luke asked the last question he did not want Johhny to answer. I just thought "When the DM smiles your in trouble!"
When Luke DMs for the OXventure (hopefully an adventure where everyone is babies), it would be nice if Johnny played as well.
Mandalorian style of Oxventure (minus Dob?) finding a baby/toddler (played by Johnny) and trying to finish their quest while keeping the child safe as it occasionally demonstrates the ease with which it "escapes" their sitter-skills.
With Dob's habit of adopting NPCs, Johnny has kinda played with them many times already. Rust, Robyn, Christopher. So I doubt it'd be hard him slotting in as player only for one session. He could easily return as one of the many adopted NPCs or something new and exciting and seeing the Oxventurers play with that new unknown would be brilliant. Definitely a fan of the Dob on Holiday excuse for his absence too.
I would love it if the rest of the players are in the dark, and spring it on them by Luke introducing himself as literally everyone else.
"Corazon has forced Dob to go back and pick up all the gold from in the various lakes."
@@tyrannicpuppy If they end up going with "one of them is a baby", frankly it would be the prefect way to bring Arthur Strangetide back.
Luke's choose your own adventures from show of the weekend told me he'd be a good DM a while ago. I'm excited to watch this whole thing, but trust me, early episode Luke, you got this
Unless everyone gets a splinter in their bum the second they sit on a bench in the starting tavern and die of septicemia. Or dysentery. Or even better: both.
I think Luke has definitely what it takes to be a great GM, he's absolutely brilliant
"It's good somebody misses Krillin."
You know who didn't miss Krillin? Frieza.
TOO SOON
Every DM needs a Luke, to practice their skill at improvising after their players utterly annihilate their carefully crafted campaign by, say, deciding to spy on a meeting that had already happened, or adopting an archaeologist, or forcing you to come up with a name for a one off guard, etc
We will never forget you, Christopher Englebert XVII
I feel like every DM was a luke
Johnny is such an inspiring DM. Oxventure and the Break Quest club put me on the road to running a campaign for my brother and his friends, and Johnny’s DM videos have helped so much!
I miss the break quest club. Cannot wait for the crossover
God I love the BreakQuest club!
I'm glad that I am not the only one who misses the Break Quest Club, I wouldn't mind seeing an OXventure, BQC, and Dungeon Breakers crossover.
Do we know if there's going to be more Break Quest.. it's been ages. Is it just a "we'd rather just do this in person" thing?
@@Yesterzine Since that involves people from two different channels, it might just be a scheduling thing. Oxboxtra work closely together, so Oxventures don't have that issue.
Honestly wouldn't mind just a series of chill training sessions/podcasts between you two.
Luke's campaign as a DM would no doubt include bad puns, cats and the indiscriminate killing of various creatures, although you can be sure there will be NO FROST TROLLS!
Or maybe it's the final boss?
Or as revenge making them the equivalent of a basic slime or rat?
Return a toddler frost troll to it's mother by carrying it up a mountain?
No, sorry, that's a Mario 64 level.
And Luke is now the undisputed king of Blades in the Dark - the perfect and distinct partner to Johnny's running of the Oxventure D&D. And it all started here (via Werewolf)...well done sir.
My personal rule: a character death has to be weighty and make an impact. A character they invested time and work into isn't a throwaway.
There is no "whoops. Alright, I'll make another one."
As a DM it's important for me to respect my players and their feelings towards their characters. I don't like the "I design your fate and I can strike you down on a whim" mentality that some DMs have.
I had this problem earlier today. My group was fighting a beholder, and everyone was nearly dead, including the beholder. It was the end of the dungeon crawl, and just before the beholder died on its last turn it hit Aadrik my dwarven mage (who was on 2 health) with a disintegration ray. I was like, "oh, it's fine, his teammates will pick him up-wait, what's this about a fine pile of gray ash...?" Ohhh shit. Ummm. "Upon its death, the Beholder's eye rolls back into its head and in the back of its eye is a magical orb. Let's say it brings him back to one hp."
The way this video put it was that there is "save everyone. If they die they have to die in a very meaningful way" or "haha I control your entire fate". I don't think it's as clear cut as that. I do gauge how much of a challenge the opponent will be, but if one of the players actually die? Then they die, they got unlucky or careless or both. The others can quest to bring that character back ofc. But I don't think I should exempt anyone from death.
But I DO see the point Johnny has with the OXventurers. They are public characters whom people draw fanart of and has tied to each of the players. It would require something of an extraordinary death for people to accept that that character is gone. So I don't judge you or Johnny for blunting blows, but I will still chime in and say there is a middle way, of death without being an egomaniac.
I feel like theres this idea that the players are too important to kill their character and I find that grinds my bones. What's the point of a game if there's no way to lose? What was the point of making a character with all these stats and abilities if no matter what I'm going to win any fight then I as a player have don't have agency at the table. you are just as shackled by the DM who always misses when you're at low health as the one who always rolls crits when it suits them. Either way is 100% bullshit and that I might as well as not shown up.
@@madmanwithaplan1826 I think one part of GMing, especially in systems other than D&D is that winning can be separate from not losing. Especially in social games or mysteries, you might have to blunt combat but the GM should still step up and let the players lose something from the obvious like being imprisoned as a sacrifice in order to bring back a long dead wizard (or any other generic end of world threat), have the enemy continue on forcing players to either divert time to handle them or risk a far worse but more dramatic fight later (which would fit a player death) or to have the opposition kill or kidnap someone the players care about, and thus create loss without have to kill a PC. I do agree that GM's kill, but I have blunted blows before, especially at low level (5 flying snakes at first level is surprisingly dangerous for 4 PCs)
@@Ghirahim3 That does still promote the thought of "Everything will work out in the end team, dw guys these goblins won't *actually* kill us" and I feel that does take a lot away from the excitement and daring. The thing you describe sounds like so much work for someone that decided they could go 1v10 against a pit of alligators. I never think characters are important, players make them important. But that crucial step of making them important can be stepped over if their choices are kept safe and harm minimized.
An example from one of the later session I had while still DM'ing dnd:
An evil Yuan-Ti abomination presents them an offer they can't refuse: Erasing the memories of the people present to a murder. They are currently level 4, I describe the strength of the monster and what he wants. The players decide to just fight him here and now. Against all odds, the last player lands the final blow. Now I would have 100% killed them if they had failed, they fucked around and found out, I don't find that cruel. It was a fight they picked out of a sense of morality, it would have had meaning in its own way because they fought for what they believed in, maybe not a sacrifice for a noble quest but still dying to uphold the good in the world.
Oh, my god, give me that Luke Westaway one-shot, PLEASE!!!
This is inspiring, thank you for sharing DM secrets with us! It makes DMing seem a bit more approachable.
My takeaways:
- Keep crucial information and key story beats modular. EX: If the party needs information from the blacksmith but gets into talking with the carpenter, move the information to the carpenter and scrap the blacksmith.
- Plan backwards. What is the big revelation? What information/action/encounters does the party need in order to get there?
- Never have your party members roll for something you aren't prepared for them to fail.
- If you don't tell players what their roll needs to beat, it's more exciting for them and you have more flexibility in the extent to which they succeed.
- When to call checks and which checks to call is an important storytelling skill.
- Hook players at the beginning with good story, then let them play.
- It's ok to take some time to look things up, just be careful not to go on too long (~30 seconds. It's ok to take longer for important things that you need to get right, like a death saving throw. For things of less gravity, making something up might also work).
- Johnny is a very clever, imaginative, and good DM, and I can't wait to see what adventures Luke dreams up.
Johnny mentoring a slightly nervous Luke in the art of running tabletops is such a wholesome content I never knew I needed. Luke would, nay WILL be a great DM!
It may be the wine talking, but the very premise of this video has me emotional: Luke trying out leading a werewolf game and loving it, and now Johnny taking him under his wing. The GROWTH :’)
Ofc Luke enjoys GMing Werewolf, rather than playing it. The level of stress he showed dealing with Andy and Jane where one of them was lying; twice! Oh man. Pls don't give up on playing though: it's so fun to watch stuff like that!
I really like how Luke subverts expectations when storytelling. Especially when he does it midsentence. It always makes me laugh.
I would love to see a Luke-run game, his character work on Dob helped inspire me to work harder on my own characters and backstories with loose ties into the world of the game.
Yeah but Luke occasionally forgot Dob's backstory. I remember Orcward Encounter where Johnny refrenced the character's backstories and Luke didn't react so Johnny had to choose something else
When it comes to role playing, DO be a Dob.
@@Domitian81 Oh, he's not perfect, but that doesn't make what he created not inspiring
I hope this turns out well for Luke, he's got a good imagination and I reckon he could come up with a really good adventure to DM
Johnny and Luke: 46:55
Bob Ross: “No mistakes, just happy little accidents.”
Luke’s secret trick; if you to need to stall for time while you think, keep describing the violence and gore in extreme detail
Imagine if at the end of this Luke is responsible for the first Oxventurer death 😂
.... and probably his own lol
He's been playing the game with a "come and kill me if you dare" attitude for a while now.
This. This is the video I've been waiting for since the Spicy Rat Caper.
I love that his description of combat is “six seconds has passed in the *real* world”...
The "if you can't find the information in 30 seconds, make it up" rule is something I have used far too often but it is such a good one
I use it all the time at work 😂😂😂😂
@@tycol322 Hope you don't work at some goverment institution. Because that is how I feel everytime I go pick up some document
I saw the DM wheels turning, in Luke, once he started doing those Choose Your Own Adventure games with Ellen on SOTW-end. A lovely DM/GM he'll make.
Johnny's comment about "wiggle room" and keeping the DC behind the screen reminds me of the Assassins' Creed - "Nothing is true, everything is permitted."
You can almost hear Luke's facial reaction around 53:00 upon learning that the party basically has plot armor because the audience loves each character too much, lol
The Oxventure Guild is honestly my absolute favorite D&D online content/group. The quirky PCs and the personality/humor/exchanges of the players is what does it. I haven’t found anyone else(and I have looked a lot ) who comes close to the same quality of content
I'd love to hear how Johnny planned Hunter pressure compared to how it turned out. Dealing with how the Oxventurers derail the narrative seems like an acquired skill but Luke sounds up for the challenge, best have some NPC names and backstories sorted out beforehand, can they fit in a papoose, normal stuff...
Y'all remember when Dob tried to put together a meat pile of orphan mash in hopes of bringing them back to life?
Good times.
To add to Johhny's comment of "if you can't find the rule in 30 seconds make it up" I'd add don't be afraid to say to your players "I don't know the actual ruling right now so I'm going to call it this way for this session and I'll look it up for next time so we can use the proper ruling going forward." I find my players appreciate the honesty and are much more accepting if I later have to change things because I've made an error.
And that was such an empowering phrase about anxiety. Anxiety is there to tell you what to worry about before you worry about it. So you can prepare. Brilliant point Johnny!
This really was a _lovely_ collaboration with Outside Xtra's very own Luke Westaway. Absolutely lovely.
I think Rob from PS Access would also be an amazing DM. His descriptions of various video game worlds and characters are so good. Specially evident in his Friday features.
But he hates when people don't follow his plan. Can imagine him getting upset and quiet
@@redhex__1738 lol thats why i love rob haha.
I just imagine him causing players to die (if not tpks) because some one said something dumb.
Rob would definitely be a "Rocks fall. Everyone dies." kind of DM.
Is this a subtle way of having Johnny want as the player for an Oxventure campaign while Luke becomes a DM? 😱
Dob's rabies from when he was a boy was cured by a form of curse. He occasionally shifts into Surname (Johnny's character). Surname came upon a bedridden, fevered Dob and rescued him by agreeing to some half-life pact and they live out the remainder of Dob's lifespan by randomly shifting into one or the other. Dob doesn't know. Waking up somewhere with no recollection of what happened the past few weeks is definitely on-brand for Dob.
@@jackmacgillicutty8045 That's actually a great idea.
Johnny is honestly the best, I think more table top gamers in general need to get his attitude to life in general, rules are important but the aren't the whole game and the DM isn't supposed to manipulate the characters like chess, it is a collaborative game. I love the way he sees DMing
I 100% confident in Luke's GMing skills.
I can't wait to watch an adventure run by him.
Love Johnny hope when i get into DnD to find a DM that is as including as him and not afraid to bend the rules if it lets the game flow and fun for evryone.
Honor the rule of fun. RAW roles can get boring
@@redhex__1738 ye i like the idea of going in blind or give small clues beforehand but i think originaly the team work togheter on the adventure. And specialy on the oxtra they always at max health on adventures and spell check seems unlimited they throw heals often. So if i go in for it i think it be a bit difrent
@@redhex__1738 That's why I can't even with people who are like "Well AKSHUALLY there is no such thing as a crit roll for skill checks" I mean, shut up and let the players have fun. Does it mean they do something impossible? No. But the outcome for trying isn't going to be detrimental. RAW people need to remember the DM can alter any rule they want. So long as it is not in a way that is designed to make the players suffer, what does it matter if something is not exactly as it is written in the PHB.
Jørgen Ervik Johnny and the Oxventurers are the entire reason I play D&D. I watched the first one and decided then and there I needed this more in my life
RedValkyrie 84 same! Got straight on to make a character sheet after the spicy rat caper!
I want this to become a reacurring series where Luke and Johnny talk and Johnny shows us a peek behind the scenes !
Mr Luke, I'm so happy you're interested in DMing! I think your main concern about the rules is the biggest concern every new DM has, so you're not alone. I think it is definitely important to understand the rules as best you can, but you will never be able to memorize everything, so don't try. It's more important to know where you can look things up and the typical logic behind the rules in general. For example, there are rules in the DM's Guide on Extreme Cold, Heat, Hunger, Thirst, etc. These situations come up so rarely that it would be counter-productive for me to memorize them. But I know where they are so I can look them up when needed. I also know that they PROBABLY have something to do with Constitution or Constitution saving throws based on the logic of the game, so if a situation quickly came up and I didn't want to look it up right then, I likely know what check to have them make (like what Johnny was saying about knowing what to have the players roll), and then I can use brief moments of players talking to each other to look it up before they'd have to make another check if I wanted to get it right. As long as you understand the general logic of the game, if you have to make a call without the rules you'll get it right or close enough 98% of the time.
I'm going back through oxventures on their podcast, and Luke mentioned this DM session with Johnny. Admittedly, I never watched Dice Breaker when Johnny was here, but I regret taking so long to check it out. They have a lot of really wholesome takes.
I used to play DnD in high school where the rules were law and everything had to be exactly by the book. I habe been kind of afraid of approaching DMing because I figured I would have to know the manuals in and out, forwards and backwards. It wasn't until I started listening to them DM for the Oxventures that I realized the fin rapport was what I wanted. I love the goofy feel of some guys just having fun. Because of his style, I started DMing myself and having so much fun. I love story telling and I love improving. This has been a delight to me.
Coming back to this video four years after it was posted: it needed to be said! Thank you Johnny for reminding me that fun is an important role in DnD. I've made many great memories.
4:45 "It's been a long time since I've incapacitated anyone"
Man i love their friendship, Johnny just looks so proud
Luke has exactly the creative flair for storytelling, we see it all the time with Dob. The rules stuff will be things you pick up and get more comfortable with as time goes on. Can’t wait to see what greatnesses Luke comes up with. Remember at the end of the day, just have fun and tell a story with your friends.
I think one of the nicest things about this channel (and about Johnny if we're honest) is that games like D&D can be so intimidating but he makes it so accessible. Like there's just a calm when Johnny explains stuff like this. It's delightful and soothing.
Also, love Luke's lefty claw writing.
This is so wholesome, the master passing on the torch to the apprentice.
If lukes create your own adventure quizzes are anything to go by, he'd be an amazing DM, those are damn near genius level comedy story telling
The fact that Johnny called Baby Prudence beforehand is AMAZING
the power of the potential for fanart made this possible XD
I've just realised, Luke is Johny's GM protoge
This is such a great idea to document both Johnny and Luke's process like this. Can't wait for more of these!
I love that this is basically a chat between two friends. It's so lovely.
As a long-time DM who still struggles with planning, I loved seeing Johnny's notes and realising I've basically been doing it right, except for overplanning bits that should have been left to the adventurers.
I've always loved, as a DM, having planned out an entire huge boss battle.. only to have the party not even leave town because suddenly it's 8h of dialogue and completely rebuilding a city to overcome the threat 😂
Having recently re-watched a couple of the Show Of The Weekend quizzes, the signs of Luke being excellent GM material goes back way before werewolf
Petition to call this mini series DM school
This is such a lovely concept...also quite intrigued to see if this is going to be a short series with other people .. seriously want to see this with lolies and ian as well if possible
Is lolies a really unfortunate misspelling, you do you actually want adult women that look like children?
@@DeathBringerBecky i am a bit confused here but what i understand here is that you are not a regular on dicebreaker channel...by lolies i meant Alexandra lolies ,she is one of the video producer on dicebreaker
Bless you Johnny for that Wallace & Gromit reference. Oh how I love those films. The originals of course! Particularly the one where they go to the moon.
Suggestion for Luke: Dob is sick so the others have to go somewhere to get a rare herb to heal him. Bonus: this could let Johnny join as a character who know where/what it is but the area is too dangerous to go alone.
A pair made in heaven. Also Luke would be a GREAT DM
I used to play with a DM who would throw just crazy stuff at us early. My character died probably ten campaigns in a row, but then got lucky and squeaked by, suddenly having some amazing loot. When I DM I usually am more about atmosphere than combat (kinda like Johnny said). I'll mess them up, but it's pretty rare to die in a game I'm running. I like both styles.
So good to be able to finally watch these. Hey Past Luke, Future Luke did staggeringly well.
This is perfect! I’m currently in the middle of teaching myself to DM for a bunch of new players (quarantine induced virtual d&d) and the whole time I’ve wished there was a video of Johnny telling me how to pull it off. Thanks! ❤️ you can do this Luke!!
Luke, you say that you never see anyone worry about spell components in other campaigns, this is usually because having a spellcasting focus means you IGNORE material components AS LONG as they don’t have a gold cost. So they ain’t breaking rules to ignore them lol
This was so wholesome. Johnny's advice was really helpful, not only for someone who wants to DM D&D, but also kinda for story-writing in general? Can't wait to see Luke DM an Oxventure!
You could make a seamless switch from Johnny to Luke during one a the livestreams. Suddenly Johnny becoming a player would be pretty tensious
Luke is training to be a DM! He seems nervous but has the spirit and imagination to be very good at it with practice
I love the idea of Luke DM-ing an Oxventure sometime soon. Get Johnny to come in as a temporary character for the session, either someone entirely new or maybe an imposter Dob the others slowly figure out over the course of the session or something.
I enjoyed Luke’s ultimate werewolf session,and love him in general in their oxventures,But Johnny is the man when it comes to DMing long may he continue to DM for them.
Honestly I'd wanted to dm dnd ever since I started watching the oxventure group and realized dnd didn't have to be as dark and brooding as I'd seen it depicted. But it wasn't until I watched this mini series that I actually felt like I could dm. Now I'm 3 sessions in to a campaign I've started with a few friends and were having a blast! You made being a dm really approachable and digestible, it also really helps that my players are amazing and incredibly easy to work with ☺️
6:40
Johnny: “Say, for example, someone says, “I wanna backflip onto the roof.”
Luke, having a flashback: @_@
My friend gave me this talk when I first started DMing, it makes the whole games seem totally different
That little peek behind the curtain was super interesting. Like I knew Johnny was planning his Adventures from behind but seeing how loose he keeps the information he writes down and his way of thinking was really really interesting to see.
Loved this video: Johnny’s wizened love for the game and Luke’s nervous enthusiasm. Genuinely cannot wait for a Luke DM’d session
Luke is far and away my favourite of the outside xbox cast, he has such a creative improvisational sense of humour which is right up my street, he’s so charming
Babies is perfect because it let's Johhny join as everyone's favorite archeologist that happens to be a baby!
This video just seems so nice and wholesome
Now I hope that Dob takes a week or so to catch up with his sister thus giving Johnny the opportunity to join the Oxventures for a Westaway one shot.
would love to see luke do a cyberpunk 2020 or red just something different for the usual oxventre
I agree that other systems need more love in general :)
can we expect to see DnD with luke Dming and johhny playing anytime soon? cause this would be great!
I really hope that Rust joins in Luke's Oxventure and Johnny gets some of his own shenanigans. This was just a great peek behind the curtain, thanks guys!
Oh damn! Luke dming an oxventure! I really wanna watch this, this will be so good
Love the lo fi hip hop. Loved luke in the oxventure and thought Johnny was great as a cameo character! More please!