thank you!!!

Personally, I think there is a lot of confusion between Player Agency, Character Agency, and what Monte Cook has termed "Narrative Control." Agency simply means the agent has the capability of making decisions that influence outcomes. Agency does not mean that the world suddenly becomes free from the constraints of "rules and [available] resources" in the sense given by Anthony Giddens in _The Constitution of Society._ Agency does not mean outcomes will always meet with expectations, in full accord with the intentions of the agent. I quite understand that people might feel a sense of _anomie_ or dis-empowerment in their daily lives, and may crave an escape where they can be the heroes who make definitive changes in the world, for the better. However, I have to use my free time to make up and run this game; and, I have no desire whatsoever to facilitate that kind of escapist wish fulfillment. I neither want to run, nor play in such a game; I want to play in a world that has substance, depth, and unreservedly holds fast to the stated/expected limits of being in that world. In that sense, I don't even give my own narrative preferences any deterministic control over outcomes; I simply focus on knowing what will, in all probability, occur if the actions of the players don't create some sort of interference, whether direct or indirect. Now, that said, I don't arbitrarily restrict either Player, or Character, Agency. I don't really make up adventures where the players must do A, then B, then C, and then defeat the BBEG to establish victory conditions at the terminus of a foregrounded story. I put the story in the background, it's what the NPCs, monster, environments, and everything else that is not directly under player control is doing. That background story is going to move from A, to B, to C, etc.; however, it is the decisions of the characters, within the game world, that are the unknown perturbations that may disrupt (or not) the flow of the narrative background. On the other hand, for example, if you need to find a key to open a magical chest with many physical and magical protections and wards, then you must find that key or find an alternative to opening the chest with the key. I'm not going to move the key around just for the purpose of putting it in the players' path(s); you either find it or you don't. Now, let's say that what is inside the chest is a means of making a nigh invincible foe vulnerable to attacks that are within the means of the characters. Whether you keep searching for the key, or choose to find an alternative means of opening the chest, it is always possible that the foe will attack before the players/characters have expended enough resources (in terms of money and time) to find the key or the alternative solution. That doesn't mean they've been denied agency; it only means that their choices didn't lead to their preferred outcome. Finally, I don't really mind leaving the door open on player control over aspects of the narrative. I will not usually interfere with minor insertions. For example, if you say your character is thirsty, and wants some water, and I have my NPC point your character toward a well, and describe it as having a bucket on a rope attached to a hand-wound winch, then I don't mind you saying that you reach for the ladle hanging from the side of the well after you raise a bucket full of water. On the other hand, I don't want you to declare that there is a disembodied hand in the bucket. Could there be one? Sure. Would it break the world, or the adventure, to have one there? No. Are we suddenly going to go on some narrative wild goose chase based on some random utterance, rather than any real desire to figure out a "disembodied hand in the well" mystery? Probably. So, what does work for me? I'll often do things like have a "rumors" table, where most of the entries relate to the what is known/knowable about the world; but, the last entry is often something like "one of the players overhears a a bit of folklore, a story, a song, an historical detail, etc. about the world. Have them tell the group about it." This gives them a chance to make up details about the world that can be used to direct future development; but, is also something that doesn't enter the situation as either binding on the narrative, or something to which an outright "no" must be given by the GM.

The "Quantum Ogre" scenario... Personally, I think its ok to do, but based on the specific scenario... for example, I use it for my plot devices, so that the players...no matter what choices they make...can find a clue that progresses the adventure to the next "scene".

Thanks, lots of takeaways for me to think on and be mindful of in my games.

The best way for a DM to keep the players engaged is to stop trying to tell a story. At best, the game is part of creating a story, not the story itself.

Good tips NPCs can be crucial to give the players motivations.

A cool thing you can do is take notes from your character's perspective, which can be helpful from a role-playing perspective. Example: Someone was playing a character that goes insane over the course of the story, so as time went on the notes got more sloppy and less detailed.

Lying Cat! Love the background

Thank you for the tips and tricks! I really enjoy the videos you guys are creating. I use a lot of things I've seen done in TV writing and just series in generell but never thought about writing it in six acts, i usually just go with 3. I will try with more acts!

You can also use ms word to to record your session for live transcriptions but I have yet to try it and can be used along with the rocket book for drawings and such

I use ROCKET BOOK for notes at the table. It’s a writable notebook that you can wipe clean for reusability. The app they have allows you to take good pics of your written notes so you can elaborate later in your digital notebook and you can crop and drop your doodles right into your notes. It feels like a good middle ground I can easily write with pen and still make it digital to make it wiser to cross reference. Also as a side note I use the top spiral notebooks since I’m left handed just fyi in case that helps anyone.

I love all Roll 4 Initiative videos!

I'm a teacher and a longtime RPG fan, and I think every player/designer should strongly consider safety tools in their games! I see a lot of comments, in good faith and bad, to the effect of "you don't need tools, they ruin the immersion/game balance, just get up and leave if you don't like something, just have a session 0, unpleasantness is part of the fun," etc. I have a response to some of the good faith objections! 1. "You don't need tools, just have a session 0." I agree that session 0 is a very good thing that everyone should have! But I don't think it's always enough to protect people from unpleasant experiences, and here's why: pluralistic ignorance. If you're in a group session, and the expectation is "speak up if you don't like something," then the offended player is very likely going to be in a spot where something is starting to be too much for them, but no one else is saying anything. They don't know what everyone is thinking, but have to assume that because they aren't saying anything, they're fine with it. That means that they now have to choose between squirming through it in silence, or interrupting what appears to be everyone else's fun time. Even if someone else is privately thinking the same thing, being the first person to object often carries a heavy social penalty. And I personally think it's a dick move to force someone into making that choice if I can very easily avoid it by officially building in and endorsing a tool for them to communicate their discomfort. I would absolutely us an X card or something similar, especially if you're working with teens or people who struggle with social awareness and relationship skills! Also, if the onus is on the offended player to leave, you are functionally saying "I'm gonna do whatever I want, whether or not it upsets you, and you can leave if you don't like that." And I just don't think that type of dynamic is going to lead to a fun game anyway. If I said "I'm gonna spin around in a circle while I pee everywhere, get out of the way if you don't want pee on you," I'm not sure anyone would call that reasonable. 2. "They ruin game balance/immersion." Yes, sometimes a safety tool will get in the way of the game design vision that the GM is working toward, or something that another player wants to do. Honestly, I think this happens WAY less often than people suggest it does. Most people are not conniving on how to use the X card to skip the whole game. Most people who want the tools are acting in good faith for honest reasons. But even when a safety tool throws off a game mechanic, I'm personally fine with that. I care more about good, prosocial relationships at my table than I do about game balance, that's just my priority. And if you don't, and you don't like the threat that safety tools bring to it, well this video isn't really for you then anyway, haha. And it's a bit weird to say that no one should use them at their table just because you don't like them. A bit like saying that peanut butter shouldn't exist because you don't like PBJs. And you know what else ruins immersion for me? Being forced to sit through something that really hits me wrong psychologically. Then I'm not thinking about the game, I'm thinking about trauma or something. 3. "Unpleasantness is part of the fun." I like roller coasters even though I'm afraid of heights. Notably, roller coasters have a LOT of safety tools in place to make sure I don't get hurt while experiencing something scary. If someone just dangled me over a pit without putting any safety tools in place, I would not have any fun with that. So yes, sometimes leaning into scary things is part of the fun. Sometimes it is not. If the X card enables one of my students to have more fun, then I want it in the game, no questions. Again, their mere existence in no way means that you have to use it yourself! And I think it's weird if you get mad that other people are having fun in a different way at a different table that doesn't affect you in any way. That's my 2 cents, maybe you're persuaded and maybe not! But I think it's important to engage with the topic honestly!

I write notes personally but our one group has note takers that share on google drive for everyone to read

Just switched to Notion two weeks ago and love it. For me it's the best yet. A little more robust than a google doc but not as overloaded as One Note. During the game I keep a note pad by my side then update my digital notes after the game session.

Thank you! I prefer note taking by hand, not pretty at all :p though useful (most of the time )

Thanks for the video. I'm coming from the 1980s classic Rolemaster 2nd Edition. I love the level of detail in that game. I tried D&D once and didn't like it. I'm looking for a system that has plenty of adventure books. I'm seriously considering Pathfinder 2e. Does 2e have a lot of adventure books? If I get the remastered books, are they backwards compatible with previous adventure modules? If there are adventure modules that belong to the first edition, can they be used with the second edition? Probably not. Any advice? Here is welcome. If anyone has played and enjoyed Rolemaster, I'd be very curious about your opinion of Pathfinder.

messy n laborious explanation...

5:33 where are you reading that devise a stratagem is useful outside of combat? First few words of the feature are “you assess a foe’s weaknesses in combat” The skill stratagem uses similar language talking about a bonus on your next check before the start of your next turn. It doesn’t mention combat but it does necessitate encounter mode. (And in my experience 99% of encounters are combats)

I'm unfamiliar with the six act structure, so I found this video super interesting. Thank you for sharing! (And sidenote: I love the shirt!)

I cannot recommend "zooming out" to end a session enough. I tend to use it fairly sparingly, usually to book-end an theme or a specific episode/chapter, maybe to hint at something important later, but whenever I do I can /see/ them lean forward and get invested because I usually keep everything so "in scene." Makes me feel like I opened a can of TTRPG gamer wet food.

Great video! I recently ran two games inspired by television. Once was a noir/detective game which was literally what if I ran the Rockford Files as a campaign and the other was a Flash Gordon inspired game borrowing the language from old movie serials. In both cases I did "research" watching episodes and trying to be aware of the pacing of the story and when to add the cliffhangers and looking at the structural. Both games were awesome and the players really enjoyed it. for the Sci-fi game I even wrote session recaps with a framing of a little girl listening to the campaign as a radio show. It was really fun and thinking of the game like a television series really helped me write and come up with scenarios.

Great video!

This is great advice. Making sessions episodic has not just the benefit of solid story structure, it allows for easier narration if a player and their PC has to miss a session.

An excellent video. Years ago I read Syd Field’s book on scriptwriting and took elements from for my games. Nowadays, I stick to the idea of the 3 Act structure pretty much all the time. I try to keep the idea of a 3 Acts for each session, as well as each campaign so I generally have an idea of where my games are going. (Generally; but not always…) I like to end with a cliffhanger if possible, as long as it isn’t forced. One thing that I have done, as a sort of cliffhanger, is a ‘post credit scene’; after everyone has packed away I might ask someone to quickly roll a dice and (no matter the result) say that you think that you have spotted evidence of someone following the party or there is a knock at the door and it turns out to be a known NPC that needs to talk to them; of course they have to wait until the next session to find out what they want.

I am a firm believer in recycling or borrowing tropes and stories from shows and movies, much of my homebrew has been inspired by these elements. The same goes for other media as well, borrowing from videogames and movies works just as well!

So, two things... 1. I absolutely have stolen from TV...Nothing...*NOTHING*...beats stealing idea's or whole episodes from the original "Scooby-Doo"! That show is the penultimate in RPG storytelling for any genre! ...hell, the reveal can be that the monster, IS a monster! There's just so much too it! 2. So, alittle more personal... Have you guys run games since havin' the baby? Because for my partner and I, we initially kinda worked around the baby's sleeping...but as they got older, it became more-and-more difficult to plan game sessions. And now that there's two...and they're 3 & 4... Iv lost all control of planing *ANY* games... How've you guys been doing?

The only right safety tool is no safety tools

* Fewer spells

I think the generic nature of the system is both it's greatest strength and it's greatest weakness. It is great, if you like experimenting with different settings without having to come up with new classes or powers. You can use it for any genre, be it murder mystery, space opera or post-apocalyptic survival. Other systems are usually tied to one setting or one genre at most. Cypher system is the Jack of all trades among TTRPGs, a system is functions in every genre, but unfortunately also doesn't excel at any. The character archetype are so generic, you can use them to turn any book or TV show into a roleplaying campaign, but on the flip side, you don't have specialized character options. As far as the campaign style goes, I think, it's best for campaigns that focus on dealing with issues in the here and now, not on planning ahead. Character progression does not involve the same increase in power as in systems like DnD. In Cypher system characters of different power levels like Gandalf and Frodo can still be in the same group without breaking the game, a thing that wouldn't work in DnD. This is also emphasized by abilities that use up XP and one-use cypher items. I think cyphers are most useful in campaigns with many puzzles. They could represent pieces of evidence in a murder mystery or key items to open a gate to a parallel universe.

Great vid! My buddy introduced me to Monte and Cypher last year. Mr Cook has just a myriad of settings to dive into. I liken it to a veritable Lego collection of different choices that can easily cross over. I do agree that the different Cyphers can be incompatible with certain characters. I think you can overcome that with a bit of flexibility as a GM.

I'm definitely buying the whole new Core series of books. But I'm buying the Pocket versions, as I'm getting low on space on my shelves.

For dyslectic people like me, would it be possible to get this book as a audio book?

Does anyone know if Inventor or Gunslinger will be reviewed?

How would this compare to GURPS or BRP?

Great review!! Love your PF reviews more than the ones from the dedicated Pathdinder YT reviewers -- who often get way into the weeds 😂 -- which I guess is good for some. But really liked your clean, straightforward look at the PF Player Core 2 Book. Some of those new ancestries look super cool!!

Barb did a fair bit to make Superstition usable. Otherwise a nice light overview.

What dose it offer to the Game master to make the game run faster and smoother make contented balanced the countless options of the players

I'm gonna be grabbing the pocket edition version of each, including Player Core 2. I love the Investigator and the Oracle, and I like how they've changed it. Plus, I love how they reimagined the Kobold, complete with a method to easily rebuild the pre-remaster Kobold using the dragonblood heritage right out of the box!

I am certainly going to pick it up. I'm running one PF2e game and playing in another. The class changes are the big reason for picking it up. I've seen players in the past be disappointed with their experience with Investigator, Alchemist, and Swashbuckler, so it's nice that those classes got a big upgrade. Especially the level 2 Investigator feat that lets you designate a "temporary lead" for combat. It makes the class much more playable.

Woohoo! PC2 is here!

I'm really looking forward to getting this book to fill out my remastered colleciton

Picking the book up as soon as it becomes available here.

w00t! I'm so ready for this book 😁

will pick it up soon when i switch to pf2. thanks^^

I love all Roll 4 Initiative Pathfinder 2e videos!

Fantastic concise review aimed at an audience who is new to the game or engages more casually. Always excited to see uploads from your channel, keep up the good work!

Thanks for this great review. I am starting a new Pathfinder 2e campaign (Seven Dooms for Sandpoint) soon and we'll be changing over to the remastered rulesets. After DMing 5e for 12 years, PF2e is relative new to me, so of course they change the rules as I'm learning. But so far, all of the updates I've seen have been pretty good. Videos like this help me to get a broad overview as I dive into the PF2e depths.

I like the pie eating contest :) But I didn't quite get the gag-system: Let's say a character eats 4 pies and fails the check. The character gains a gag. But did the character still successfully eat that 4 pies? Or are all pies of that round "removed" with that gag?