Building Your Own Campaign Setting (with Matthew Mercer) │ Adventuring Academy

[@j0nhurry459]

I start with plate tectonics then go from there

[@stormbound]

@@defaultthedude absolutely rock solid

[@parrottarot995]

After that is the economy of of the upper south west of the plane of fire

[@fftere]

@@parrottarot995 That's essential btw, really sets the mood

[@MetPhD]

🤣

[@Gevaudan1471]

Me too. It's important for the map to make intuitive sense.

[@TerenceStigers]

"I wisely started with a map." - J.R.R. Tolkien

[@InnocentBlaze686]

I'm making a world rn, and it helps sooooo much! Basically, it helps you answer the question "Why do people do the things they do? because it provides the setting for why

[@heycharliemot]

He also started with a hole with a hobbit

[@SMunro]

Iron-town. It is little more than a small mining village sitting in the bottom of a crater in the desert. Families grow their own vegetables in the crater dirt irrigating what fresh food can be grown while they delve the cracks and fissures below the crater rim for any and all minerals they can get their hands on. The only trail out of town leads up the increasinly steep rise to the east until it reaches the mill. Here the winds that blow across the desert will slowly turn an ore crushing stone wheel reducing ores to a powder that can be sorted by their attraction to a lodestone. The powders are bagged in 40lb sacks and sold for 4gp each to passing merchants headed toward the Civilized world. The PCs were born in this village. They are members of one of the following families: Family Race PC class starting equipment 1. Cressbone dwarf Dwarves warhammer 2. Wutherin halfling Halflings small hammer 3. Greelish human Clerics, Fighters, Thieves pick, 50' rope 4. Doscar-Greelish Half-Elf Magicuser, (Half-)Elves lantern, dagger There is a tremor and the entrance to the mine collapses while you are filling a bucket with iron ore below the surface... your family members are struggling to dig you out but unless you find a new way to the surface you are going to die down here.

[@rubenricharte5933]

Well as much as I love the master of worldbuilding, he wrote novels. He wasn't designing a living world that his players were going to wreck havoc in xD

[@salsatheone]

And guessd what, most of that geography did not make sense and the story itself is more important than the map.

[@TiliaCordata]

Can you imagine knowing that the shittiness of your DMing made Matt Mercer who he is now?

[@chops1681]

Better tell them thank you

[@wenbluepirate3954]

Same shit happened to me. Shitty GM railroading so we PCs play his fanfic made me start GMing cuz that shit sucks.

[@Clinterus]

It's kind of the antithesis to Hitler being a failure in art and becoming a tyrannical despot.

[@matthewheade9788]

No lie, had a buddy whos campaign i loved, but the ending sucked soooooo bad a vowed never to do that to my players. So i get this sentiment

[@Steelrat1994]

@@matthewheade9788 ye, I feel this happens a lot. I started DMing before my first campaign has ended. But gosh its ending sucked. Basically out personal stories never went anywhere, none of the hooks I left in my backstory ever made any impact. Two of the characters backstories literally burned down with a couple of cities before they even had a chance of doing anything in there. I vowed that I would never disregard my own players in such a horrible way. Most of my setting is built around their characters. I have this crazy player who wanted to be 3 million old godlike dude who ruled the most advanced planet in the universe etc etc. Okay, let's do this, all we need is a reason for him to be lvl 1. The next campaign we went into with my old DM we had to argue and fight for ANYTHING we wanted. I wanted to make a magic domain cleric. "Nope, I don't think there are any fitting gods, screw you". I fucking google his damn warhammer fantasy battle setting and find myself fitting gods. I'm going to shower my players with all kinds of stuff they want and fuck it if it unbalances the game in some way, I'll handle it.

[@aduckwithayoutubechannel]

Brennan mentioning that the owl is nature’s slowest bird brings to mind an image of a penguin casually waddling past an owl flying at top speed.

[@FlexDRG]

Penguins fly in the water not the air. And they go quick underwater.

[@callumhearne6936]

Penguins also walk faster than people do, so theres that.

[@__Stitchy]

@@callumhearne6936 on slippery ice, maybe. There's no way a penguin can walk faster than me on grass or gravel.

[@jewelyJewels]

​@@__Stitchy You're on, motherfucker 🐧

[@onetruecaesar99]

I love this hahahahaha

[@StevoMoschna]

"People that can teleport get their mail delivered by the slowest bird in the world" Daily bird facts brought to you Brennan, once again

[@SophiaAphrodite]

They are also the dumbest one. But fly silently.

[@Razuberri]

Matthew Mercer becoming a DM b/c he thought “it has to be better than that” is a legendary origin story 😂

[@kindafan]

@Tad Cooper Edgy!

[@kindafan]

@Tad Cooper I thought it meant being a grumpy prick. So yeah you are pretty edgy.

[@kindafan]

@Tad Cooper lol you are the gift that keeps on edgelording!

[@onyxbones2525]

@Tad Cooper bro you good? you wanna talk?

[@tjthegreat7]

@Tad Cooper Go get laid bro you sound grumpy

[@itdano]

First rule of being a DM: No story ever survives first contact with the players.

[@tkreft2]

Yep. Definitely need to have contigencies and be flexible.

[@keyow2]

Unless it’s a flexible story, with base central requirements that can be sought out in different ways at different times, but remain constant.

[@adlanjashurkaev8263]

Amen

[@lazyvipurr4698]

It's all about how you present the avenues the players can take to begin the plot line you woven into the world you've created... if you do not have an interesting enough plot line to begin with no player will ever initiate it.

[@DanSolo41]

Con confirm. I had a "Quest-Giving version of an ATM" character planned to give the party a series of small quests. The first female player I've ever had in my group basically just swiped that all out of the way for a werewolf thread, just latching onto one small thing in one of those quests, and it was a case of "keep up or shut up" with her, in the best way. (she did heavily consider including "werewolf hunter" in her background, but it was already pretty eventful for 1st-level, so I figured what the hell, reward her for toning it back.) Players will fuck your plan up. And you'll love them for it. :)

[@nickwilliams8302]

The point Brennan makes with Harry Potter is sheer genius. Then Mercer bounced off it with the equally great observation that the logistics aren't for the players at all: they're for the DM.

[@DrZaius3141]

Also, I love it when people are capable of liking something yet still finding the things about it that don't work. These days, there's so much "I like x, x is perfect. If you say something bad about x, I will send you death threats!" Because yeah, stuff is complicated. I like Harry Potter but I can also say that some stuff about it is horrendously stupid, some stuff is great and J.K.Rowling is a fucking TERF and thus a horrible monster who negatively affects so many human lives.

[@Connor-dy6wq]

I think the point was that logistics are not always for the players. Not that they always aren't. I know some players that absolutely love when I have detailed logistics on the economy of a town or something similar.

[@akiratoro840]

When was that?

[@nickwilliams8302]

@@akiratoro840 Two years ago.

[@ResortPlaysMC]

I think he meant time in the video

[@robbiescott61]

I've spent 6 years developing a full pantheonic history in an 11 planet solar system with over 50 new races and then creating all the political dynamics on every single planet and between planets and documenting scientific discoveries, technological advancements, magical enhancements. All of that time, just to have no idea what to do when my players asked to hijack the trade ship they saw fly overhead in the flavor text intro :)

[@Jayman1clone]

Sounds like you've got a pirate campaign.

[@josefzalusky7307]

That is _incredible!_

[@thetoastedhydro9269]

Lol, just play Stellaris, then copy paste

[@miguelsuarez-solis5027]

Use that world building and write a series of novels in it

[@lutjemuller9753]

Well, in one of my very first excursions into the PnP world i bought a beginners adventure for me and my group, very basic stuff, the adventure started out with an old poor man who asks the heros to save his daughter. and my players decided that they dont work for free and wont help cause theres no money in it. 25 euros well spent on my part xD

[@GriffinheartPlays]

I'm a little kid in a Miyazaki movie: I'm invinvible! I'm a little kid in a Miyazaki game: I might face fates worse than death

[@slenderman6925]

I'm a little kid in a Miyazaki movie: I'll never die! I'm a little kid in a Miyazaki game: I'll never be allowed to die...

[@LtSprinkulz]

Hahaha.

[@cultistsash]

OP hasn't seen Grave of the Fireflies yet....

[@GriffinheartPlays]

@@cultistsash Nope not yet, but I'm planning to

[@personinaroom]

😊 på å åpne😮😮​@@slenderman6925

[@carllunden800]

If Brennan actually does ever guest on CR, he should be Sir John Doe, The Normal Knight, Defender of the Basic and Champion of the Plain

[@zaneearldufour]

Yyyyeeeeesssss

[@joe_krogan]

I'm Taking that character idea for myself tbh

[@dalexander4204l]

but, but, but Dead-Eye Cyban. . .

[@i-am-your-conscience]

I had a character like that once, I called him Blandor Lukewarm

[@pike7090]

Eldritch Knight fighter Brennan Lee Mulligan

[@davemckinney6555]

I have to tell someone; I just had a player tell me; "I will never complain about the way you DM." Very satisfying.

[@KitKatWiffleBallBat]

I hope to see your name on books one day, man. That's an author's name right there! *

[@cthulhufhtagn2483]

Then you're doing something right. Doesn't matter who you are, or who the player is, if they tell you that, you're doing something right.

[@strawberrylotlizard]

My first time DMing two players said they had fun and I had to excuse myself so I could happily tear up

[@trequor]

I tried that. It didnt take. So now I go mapless. If it aint a dungeon or a town, chances are that it aint getting a map.

[@smileguy1187]

"i hate you in the best way possible"-pc i loved that cause it showed i made them feel with my story telling.

[@eclectic_nerd]

"Prepping exactly as much as I need to know to make improvising the things I don't know easy" this is the best campaign building advice I've heard so far

[@animorte9790]

This, right here 100% The first thing I learned and absolutely my favorite thing of all time in learning to refine.

[@nephicus339]

And one I run with!

[@tackroachmicmoacka2348]

When Matt starts talking about people who wanted a creative outlet and were unable to produce art in conventional ways so turned to worldbuilding to still have something unique and magical is literally everything.

[@json_bourne3812]

Feels very "me" right now. I'm not able to output creatively in most of the traditional senses, but here I feel like I can make something work and click.

[@gorgit]

I mean, sure, but what do you mean by "... is literally everything." ? Isnt it, that nothing except everything is literally everything? Or do you mean "is everything to me" ? Sorry, Im really confused by that.

[@calcifieddirt4120]

i wanted to make a godamn animated serial as a kid, and this is honestly the close i can get at my current level. someday...

[@tackroachmicmoacka2348]

@@calcifieddirt4120 I believe in you man, for whatever that's worth

[@casadekrishna6959]

Something special about the purity that is the medium of the mind

[@verrucktish]

Was playing in a campaign and the DM didn't show one night, invented a world in 5 minutes for a one shot, the wizard opened a book and sent the whole party to that world.....2 years of gameplay later when we finished the "one shot", we finally made it back to the original campaign

[@thedarkbard]

Lol. Did you even remember much about the Original at that point?

[@verrucktish]

@@thedarkbard yes, picked up right where we left off

[@thedarkbard]

@@verrucktish wow. I could never without reading all of my notes.

[@verrucktish]

@@thedarkbard we got together for a refresh on the notes about 5 minutes before session

[@thedarkbard]

@@verrucktish ah.

[@BasementRuthie]

I've been playing my brother in law's homebrew E5 DnD for a year. He's had this world he's been imagining since high school, over the years he built maps and histories and lore and now we get to play in it. Our game is canon in his lore and also when he wants to flesh out a piece of history or a timepoint we play one-shots with other characters than our main ones. I love love love it and my brother in law is so happy that he gets to share his world with us.

[@fardareismai4495]

That's so amazing! I hope you'll be able to enjoy it for many more years

[@daveshif2514]

thats basically what my homebrew is like, each campaign sees the players adding and changing the setting i made so many years ago, and let me tell you it is awesome!!! nothing is better than getting your players to love your setting as mich as you and watch it grow, but i bet its pretty cool for them too lol, they have had characters become gods, race each other for that god hood, bought and waged war with armies, and changed the timelines and the planar realms to their own whims. aaand then i make a new campaign in that setting and i get to go mwahahaha as i make them deal with what they have given me

[@limern777]

That is the sweetest thing

[@Adam_Wilde]

Wanted to say I loved hearing this.

[@BasementRuthie]

@@Adam_Wilde You will be pleased to know we are still going strong a year later! We are using Discord at the moment but it's still fabulous. 😊

[@jaredphillips129]

The whole bit about “why is there a town here?” Explains sooooo much about where I grew up. A Small, Un assuming town was in the coastal plains of eastern North Carolina called Ayden. Here’s where the D&D element comes into play. The town was called “Ayden” because it was A Den of thieves. Tell me that shit doesn’t sound like R. A. Salvatore wrote it.

[@KCMMFB]

Municipality I grew up in is called Malilipot, which came from the word 'Lipod' w/c means cover, because the mountains we have block the lava flow everytime the nearby active volcano erupts.

[@RPG_Angie]

Love it. Writing it down. My future homebrew world might have a tiny town called Ayden in it.

[@luisaymerich9675]

Plot twist. A band of brigands led by a warrior named Abah Ting established a stronghold nearby. Although at first antagonistic to each other, the town and the brigands joined forces after learning the local lord, fed up by their activites, decided to eliminate the threat. The combined forces defeated the lord and secured control of the area thereafter called Ayden and Abah Ting. This led to the creation of the phrase "aiding and abetting". 😄

[@joshtrue6521]

Prescott was where a guy named Prescott owned all the ranch land, sold it off piece by piece, and they named it all after him later, which he disapproved of

[@goldencalf13]

There's a town in South Carolina called travelers rest Literally because originally it was the last good spot to stop before going over the Appalachian mountains. Now the only reason why people know about it is because it's close to a "big city"

[@stewartsanson68]

"Where is our sparkle mage?"... "I have terrible news." instantly subbed because of that one line, good stuff.

[@sketchyAnalogies]

I was laughing for a solid minute. Especially at the mention of theraimel (cannot spell the name). A hilarious reference to sophomore year.

[@zomBkilla100]

I get the feeling that Brennan sees Matt as an idol but Matt sees Brennan as an equal

[@GeeEmming]

Obviously and understandably xD

[@dorcat2867]

I mean we all feel that way, Matt is a legend in voice acting and rightfully so because he is an amazing voice actor, but ever since I started watching Critical Role, I got to see him on a more grounded level and now he’s just Matt to me now, although I’m a fan of his at heart because he’s been in so many of favourite series and video games like Jojo, Resident Evil and Overwatch

[@SingerSaraneth]

Their chemistry together is immaculate, it's so cool to see two people who really know their stuff talk about it

[@CM-jf1vx]

"Roll for the infection for that graze on your chin" "I-I just want to be an elf that makes sparkles..." "I know! it'll be hard to make sparkles when you've got gangrene!" I've heard this conversation far too many times.

[@ducdantalion2317]

What the fuck? I'm sorry what is the context of that ?

[@vishrutwatcheswhat]

@@ducdantalion2317 player vs DM expectation of the game

[@ducdantalion2317]

@@vishrutwatcheswhat the worst mindset.

[@diamondbowgamer3812]

24:06 That should help context.

[@kolosmenus]

Exactly what I'm experiencing right now. Our group of friends has played WFRP 2ed for a looong time, so stuff like this was perfectly fine in this grimdark world, but recently we've started trying out dnd 5e, me wanting to experience heroic fantasy, but our DM is still in the grimdark mindset. You want to heal a child's sprained wrist with Lay on Hands? That's at least 5hp. Darkvision doesn't see in complete darkness. You were attacked once during long rest? Guess it was interrupted. Stuff like that. I got frustrated enough with it that I decided to DM myself.

[@GunnarWahl]

I loved my Australian Dwarf "That's raught, I'm from way down unda', Way down unda the ground that is."

[@cholulahotsauce6166]

Gonna steal that so hard

[@GunnarWahl]

@@cholulahotsauce6166 please do, lol

[@MementoMorrigan]

And funnily enough, I’m playing a Drow with the same joke

[@Tmanowns]

@@MementoMorrigan yup, that's what I play my half drow as. An arachnophobic aussie.

[@helixstorm55]

ouch def not how we talk

[@natewasconfused3202]

Im really hoping for matt to guest in dimension 20, or Brennan to go on CR, or better yet both

[@umactually]

Mayyyybe someday 😉

[@activistvoorrechtenvankaas2810]

@@umactually ok so it's basically been confirmed

[@WhamBamBananaSlam]

@@activistvoorrechtenvankaas2810 Matt was announced to be in the Dimension 20 Side-quest series!

[@benmcdonald21]

Or either on Not Another DND Podcast!

[@lucasbecker1823]

Brennan please please go onto Critical Role!

[@t.b.cont.]

I don’t want to create a setting that feels like a world that breathes but one that coughs and wheezes in its final death throes

[@fungallittlefreak1434]

I am in love with the poetic phrasing of this oml

[@AspenBrightsoul]

Dark Souls.

[@timbo7123]

Disco

[@AuroraInbag]

Mork Borg could be a thing you like then. The apocalypse will happen, there's no way of stopping it. So what does the players do, in the final days.

[@Funstun-yk7oo]

The first Mad Max

[@rui5178]

I started my latest campaign with them being children and you guys IT IS MY FAVORITE THING I'VE EVER DOOOOOONE because they were locked into one area and I had plenty of time to flesh out the rest of the world until they aged up. And now that they've aged up they have such complex feelings about the world

[@cronsola1357]

Woaaaahh, that's super interesting, I've never heard of that being done in a campaign! Were the PC's all like, childhood friends for a bunch of sessions and then got time-skipped into adventuring age? Did they have any character abilities or were they just normal children until they aged up? What kind of plot did you have for that part of the campaign? I wanna know because I'm super interested in this concept and kinda wanna try it for a campaign I may be running soon...

[@SomeYouTubeTraveler]

​@@cronsola1357 It's fun to do! Difficult when involving short-lived and long-lived races, but for a bunch of short-lived (Humans, Orcs, Half-Elves, etc.), it works pretty well. For my own homebrew, I made each player make a level 1 character who was essentially "Level 0" with the following stats: -1 to each stat for each year of age under 18 (minimum = 4) From 0-12 years old: +0 Proficiency bonus, 1/3 movement speed, 1/4 base HP (minimum 1 after CON mod). No spellcasting or Bonus Actions. Base Disadvantage on every d20 roll. From 13-17 years old: +1 Proficiency bonus, 2/3 movement speed, 1/2 base HP (minimum 1 after CON mod). No leveled spellcasting, but known cantrips (including any racial) may each be cast once per short rest. Any damaging cantrips are capped at 1 damage. Disadvantage on any d20 roll made without proficiency.

[@ViridianForests]

@@SomeKZbinTraveler This sounds incredibly fun omg

[@DINOROAR2912]

We're currently playing what we call the "Child Campaign" which is a similar premise. We've been playing in the world for a few years and so had acquired a few "Legacy characters" essentially old PCs which survived their campaign and went on to become NPC in later on. We got to choose one of our legacies to be the parent of our current characters, we're playing from age 12 to adulthood and having a blast. Its very interesting to play currently level 9 children, we have reduced stats because we're children but I, a 14 year old Tabaxi Wizard can throw around 5th level spells, shits fun.

[@shaunhall960]

Nice!

[@GordyByGordy]

"I could have watched it a week earlier?!!?!" - Me sitting here in March 2020 a year later

[@matthewletexier]

Tell me, I forget, was March 2020 a happier time?

[@GordyByGordy]

@@matthewletexier No. Everyone’s already forgotten Australia was on fire. And now it looks like I have to quarantine for 2-4 weeks. Bummer. Wait... does 2020 get worse????

[@matthewletexier]

@@GordyByGordy wha...no....maybe....yeah

[@dr.hartino3418]

@@GordyByGordy Narrator - "It did."

[@The2ndnothing]

I was like, "Same." until I realized it isn't 2020 anymore.

[@CoryACC97]

25:00 "Wh-where is our sparkle Mage?" "I have terrible news" I keep coming back to watch this hilarious moment

[@maulino4036]

Same energy as "Have you seen my wife?" "I have bad news and a snack for you"

[@JolloFan619]

"Plans are useless. Planning is essential." - Scooby-Doo

[@CarpeNoctem727]

That is exactly how you play Blades in the Dark

[@loglorn]

every single DM: "how do i get more players? how do i get them to stay invested? Brennan, an intellectual: "I ran a campaign for 10 years and a campaign with 40 people"

[@jonasateo]

Brennan and Matt are DM gods essentially, so the vast majority of people comparing themselves to them will feel lacking - better to admire their work and take inspiration than try to be better.

[@bonzupippinpaddleoxacoppil484]

The power of almonds .

[@asherwoodrow7471]

@@bonzupippinpaddleoxacoppil484 this guy knows how brennen ascended^^^^^^^^^

[@a.pigeon]

@@bonzupippinpaddleoxacoppil484 Is it possible to learn this power?

[@justaghostinthesea]

@@a.pigeon This is brilliant

[@stefanorolando6674]

About accents, the basic idea, I think, is to make them realistic: assign accents based on the area NPCs live in, not on races or personality. For example, maybe you decide that the northern regions have an established Russian accent: then, if you put a male elf in there and decide he has lived there for 10 years, you know that he needs to have a bit of a Russian accent.

[@Thecodytree]

@Hokusai i think stefano is right, it only makes sense.

[@lonewaer]

@@Thecodytree It makes sense, and it's probably a very correct way to approach this, but I also agree with Hokusai. The two positions are not mutually exclusive. Anyone who has traveled a little bit, not much, just a little bit, knows for a fact that there are good and kind people everywhere, just like there are bad and shit people everywhere. Anyone who needs to promote that kind of "no we must fight stereotypes at all costs" mindset clearly hasn't traveled nearly enough. Sometimes, someone who has a southern accent is a proper shithead. I love Matt as a DM, but there is no doubt that the whole crew of CR is stuck way too deep in the left-wing identity politics, which are just as bad as the right-wing identity politics, not one bit better. They can't control it when it perks up, and it does perk up quite often, and it's annoying. It's a form of catering to their overwhelmingly progressive audience, and I understand it from a marketting standpoint, but you know it's religion at this point.

[@Thecodytree]

@@lonewaer fair enough

[@Ardorstorm]

@@lonewaer fr

[@Alex-cq1zr]

​ @lonewaer Left wing identity politics are basically "let's listen to what scientists have to say on this matter and not hate people because of their race. Also, let's not sweep under the rug the discrimination of the past." Gender identity? Science supports separation of gender and sex, as well as gender change. Homosexuality? Science doesn't see anything terrible and disgusting with it. Being non-white? Science has time and time again debunked racist claims about some racial groups (race in itself is quite a bad concept, but hey, it had a strong affect in the past, so lines drawn by it are still affecting society) are biologically superior to other racial groups. While some people think left wing positions are like religion, it just shows that those people think that objective thinking is a religion. Of course, left wing positions aren't always objective, but there is a reason why left wing positions are most popular in academic circles. Most aligned with facts and least bound by prejudices. Also, comparing right wing identity politics to left wing identity politics is just foolish. Right wing's stances are, quite often, just objectively evil. Like denying the strong lingering effects of past racism to uphold racial inequality without announcing that you want to uphold racial inequality. Or even better - wanting to make homosexuality illegal due to your religious feelings. (funny how right wing is all about "common sense" and "religious feelings". It's almost as if right wing has about zero care about facts and logic.) Of course, there are bad leftists and good right wingers, but it isn't hard to understand that left wing is just objectively better than right wing, unless you want only your rights to be protected. To be honest, i don't thing most right wingers operate on malice though. Just ignorance. That's why right wing hates education so much. Hard to push ignorant positions to knowledgeable people.

[@acrawford7955]

I reference this so much that I need timestamps: 00:00 - Introductions 01:08 - Personal history with homebrew and DnD 07:15 - What is the purpose of a setting/why homebrew 14:57 - Worldbuilding: Harry Potter as a great example 17:00 - Continuation of discussion about theme, tone, and mood 21:44 - Aligning campaign with player expectations 25:10 - Start of audience questions 25:33 - Utility of Alignment 33:19 - Stereotypical accents 39:11 - “Weak” character backgrounds 46:37 - What details to flesh out

[@tiredofeverything2771]

Thank you so so much

[@greninjathefrog]

Thank you for this, this helps me so much when my DMing gets rough; and this comment just makes things so much easier for me. *hat flourish and bow*

[@junfusionseven9431]

ty

[@arroniousiii1380]

Your amazing, thank you

[@66josephrichter]

Do you know if this interview has matt talking about using the strength check to an intimidation as a barbarian instead of charisma?

[@sadmageboi472]

Hearing that Matt was winging it through campaign 1 really makes me feel like i can do the things he does. it makes his style of DMing seem much more attainable. :)

[@beaug.2326]

Me emulating his game style of campaign 1 REALLY helped me develop my bullshitting skills for my own game and now knowing he was winging it, makes me feel sooo much better and really made me realize how possible it is to make a campaign work.

[@sadmageboi472]

@@beaug.2326 i can definitely say that a year later he still continues to amaze me. i however have definitely improved from it. the man is an inspiration and hes helped so many people into the community as opposed to the gatekeepers who say its "probably too hard for you to do." im glad your games have gone well! fair sailing to you!

[@Draeckon]

From what I understood, he was winging it early on, then started setting things out in advance after it became clear it wasn't just a one-shot anymore. You can see it in the later episodes too from the way he pulled the various plot threads and setting details he laid out in the past together. It's a treat to watch unfold now that I'm finally getting around to watching it (as of this comment, currently on episode 49).

[@SnarkyJohnny]

Listen to The Adventure Zone. It was how I got into dnd and it made it seems much less daunting. I didn’t know I didn’t have to be technically proficient to start dming. You just do it and try and have fun and hopefully your players will too.

[@MrLongshotbob]

1:30 Matt's history with D&D and motivations 25:33 First question, is alignment useful anymore? (Yes for noobs, no for vets) 32:27 Stereotypical voices (stay conscious, use a variety, Russians can be good and bad) 39:14 Tips on weak RPing PCs (Give in-game mechanical benefits, talk to your players about what they want, character creation sessions [session 0], start out small) 46:44 Overwhelmed during the worldbuilding (What will bring my PCs joy?, reskin old and/or unused work, 48:32 2 page description of each city max, "make sure the worldbuilding you're doing serves what you're trying to accomplish.", "Plans are useless, planning is essential.", ) I might add more but this is mostly for me anyway.

[@euthmyiviridian]

Thank you so much

[@gabejones8112]

You are the G.O.A.T

[@theburninator888]

thanks flando

[@jadeyu7197]

praise be your kind soul

[@crimsoncrawdad6123]

THANKS!

[@MonsterPrincessLala]

Tbh going to school for writing absolutely killed my love for the craft and DND has helped me repair that relationship with writing and remember how you enjoy it

[@grayalmeida9622]

I love hearing Matt talk about his love of dwarves and traditional Scottish brogue *after* the creation of Dariax, who is such a strong personality without falling into that stereotype!

[@saygejohnson8094]

"If we want to be logistical about the entirety of Harry Potter, Hogwarts is the Illuminati." -Matthew Mercer

[@calenhoover1124]

Me: Iron Matt: Ok let me build an entire socioeconomic culture around that.

[@preacherjohn]

It's an easy start: just dial back history to somewhere around 700ish BC, throw the geography in a blender, name-swap stuff and ladle in fantasy races & beasties ;)

[@robertreyes8792]

Sounds like Tyranny the game

[@rebeccah6736]

9:45 Brennan: *says the word siggle* Matt: *war flashbacks*

[@emilysmith2965]

Sigil. But yeah for sure.

[@stevenrichardbarnett]

I cant wait for the first time the city of Sigil comes into the CR canon and someone comes at Matt with a "Um, actually, it's pronounced 'Sih-jill'", and Matt finally gets his redemption as the city is actually pronounced "Siggle."

[@cadman02]

@@stevenrichardbarnett a statue of the lady of pain was seen in the search for bob one shot. It was never named because everyone failed their arcana check but everyone knew who it was.

[@jlittlejohn97]

Best advice I've ever gotten about world building: focus on what you're a freak about. For example, in LotR Tolkein didn't reeeeally create a magic system. Magic does what the plot needs it to do. As a historian and a linguist, he cared most about building out the history and languages of the world. It shone because he did a good job, but also because he cared so much about it that you could feel it. There are a lot of practical considerations to make of course, but when in doubt, hyperfixate.

[@rex90pawprint]

My players were once exploring a town and I ran out of voices I could do, so the woodworker became Elmo because that was all I had left 😂

[@avivacrichton6922]

And now when those players hear Elmo IRL they will think of your woodworker. 😂

[@ssfbob456]

Matt: all their characters have really tragic backstories! Taliesin as Caduceus: Hey there, how are you all doin'?

[@CathrineMacNiel]

Thats a sad story... Sweet Wildmother, that's a lot of sad stories.

[@ThorsShadow]

Caduceus is losing his home and didn't know where his family was. I think that's pretty bad. I'm also sure we don't know everything about Caduceus' backstory.

[@ssfbob456]

@@ThorsShadow true, but none of that really bothered him

[@vishrutwatcheswhat]

@@ssfbob456 are you kidding me? He was sad af.

[@General_Pinkledink]

We dont really know everything about caduceus yet... he could have the worst of it, and just has a good mind set.

[@queefnugget2000]

Chemistry teacher: how familiar are you with chemistry? Me: I've seen Brennan and Matt Mercer in a room together. Chem teacher: *gasps and watches video*

[@andrewmartinez961]

Wait, this is literally me

[@karmacharma8526]

Matt has good chemistry with literally everyone

[@proutytyler1]

@@karmacharma8526 few can match his back, through, and Brennan shines. :D

[@darkartsdabbler2407]

Karma Charma he’s so handsome, and charming, and lovely...

[@karmacharma8526]

@@darkartsdabbler2407 that 100% true yes

[@koenmeier8553]

i genuinely love the rant at Harry Potter worldbuilding. coming from a fan

[@alexandersttk]

These 2 should do an entire video on it

[@bookworm3696]

Hogwarts and the wizarding world is very well built. The rest of the setting is just us.

[@CharroArgentino]

@@bookworm3696 it's definetly not well built at all, one of the most common criticism towards HP is that the world build is complete trash, is just a bunch of fantastical things mashed together because they sound inspiring for kids. Rowling's strenght is her characters, everything else is really bad.

[@joeyfromschool]

@@CharroArgentino no one is saying it makes sense, they’re saying it’s well built. Like they said in the video, the logistics are nonsense, but the vibe is entirely on point.

[@switters8679]

@@joeyfromschool thats.....thats the point.... Did you not read the comment, or are you just unable to grasp the concept because the language hurts your feelings? It seems like you may be falling prey to something I learned when I was much younger: Just because I enjoy something, does not mean it is built well. IE a movie can be objectively bad, and also entertaining.

[@DaveWatt22]

This reminds me of what I think GRR Martin said when asked how he writes a story in such a complex world with so many rules, factions, societies etc. He said that actually, once you've built a world with rules the story almost writes itself as everything proceeds logically according to those rules following an inciting event. He said it makes it much easier I think!

[@dsblocks]

yeah, by the looks of it the process does take a fair bit of time, though.

[@zuterwer1835]

@@dsblocks As someone trying to write a story / book / build a world, it does. And not only does it take time, it takes organization. A ton of noodely filing systems and programs and maps and stacks of paper. A lot of energy, and random ideas that don't fit but you want to make them fit and in the process you rui something else and then you want to go back to before you had that idea and it doesn't quite work. It is hell on earth, but when you're in that zone, it is the most beautiful thing.

[@abettermind]

That's 100% true. I make 5 important NPCs that want something badly, an environment, and reasons they are having a hard time getting what they want. INSERT PLAYERS: Things happen, goals change, and the story writes itself. Seriously, if you can make NPCs that want things that conflict eachother, give the players the ability to decide how to change things, and live with the repercussions of the players and NPCs actions, the game will run itself.

[@jamesrobin2857]

I wouldn't take his advice. Still hasn't finished a song of ice and fire.

[@darkrose1260]

I like the idea of a character who became a paladin only because they'd seen the evil inside themselves. Strict rules were the only way they could see to keep the "good" inside them safe.

[@nordicsweetroll]

I'm stealing this

[@tiph3802]

So, the Doctor.

[@TheCrazydude17]

I live for that Cockney/RP inversion of orcs and elves they did. Especially Cockney elves.

[@NorthWriter]

Jen: "Why are there never any Cockney goths?" Richmond: "They're too cheerful."

[@defaultthedude]

Oi! Gov! You wont to cach one of ese firebolls!?

[@beaug.2326]

@@NorthWriter is that a mother fucking IT reference???

[@NorthWriter]

@@beaug.2326 You bet it is!

[@jyothsnap3138]

Matt: "You might have a bad guy who has an Irish accent." Me: Having lucien visions

[@perrybarney6872]

Bruh yes

[@thfkmnIII]

Pretty racist tho

[@zac9933]

My favorite point made by Matt was when he said "This town sells a lot of iron." I feel like using such a simple jumping off point you can really build theme around that singular point without ever even needing to mention specifically that this town's main export is iron. But instead use it to define the inhabitants, the architecture, just the atmosphere/ ambiance of the town. One simple jumping off point to slingshot a whole idea.

[@kyledouglas1018]

Good DMs are at thier core, good active listeners. It's so nice to see two people have a conversation without one waiting for "their turn" to pitch thier opinion

[@bloodlily1203]

I've actually learned to make world maps starting with prevailing winds and latitude and longitude so I can establish the tropics and figure out where deserts and rainforests go relative to mountains and said winds. Turns out the geography class I took for the credit in my freshman year of college really paid off!

[@ncpolley]

Any beginning resources please?

[@PoorMustang]

@@ncpolley KZbin tutorials.

[@ncpolley]

@@PoorMustang so helpful wow.

[@PoorMustang]

@@ncpolley Sorry but yeah. There are like 3 guys that have great vids.

[@ncpolley]

@@PoorMustang Sorry for the snark. What guys are you thinking of? If you remember? I don't want to just go with what thumbnail looks good.

[@Vol7ar]

@20:45 Wow, that example of Matt talking about the town with an iron mine.... word for word that happened in the game I'm in a while ago (Campaign is at lvl 13 now). I, the party's criminal rogue, realized the value of the iron and made note of a miner who helped us out and gave us a map of the mine. He also happened to be skimming the iron for personal gain which is how we tracked him down with some criminal contact investigating. After we cleared the mine of baddies I then set up a deal between my thieve's guild(maritime smugglers and Laissez-faire capitalists) and the miner to smuggle his stolen iron and sell it on the black market so we could both make more money. So props to my DM.

[@MartinTraXAA]

"It's gonna be harder to make sparkles when your throat gets gangrene!"

[@petrevandermerwe60]

Afrikaans?! Matt Mercer knows about Afrikaans. He knows my home language, and likes it! Made my day.

[@matthewvandyk3733]

Petré van der Merwe same reaction i had

[@anfodao635]

He's done it a few times on the show too! Took me a bit to see that' the accent he was going for but it made me really happy too, I love the sound of Afrikaans and the accent in english too. I'd give a link and timestamp if I had a clue, just figured you'd think that was neat!

[@georgebotha6861]

Awe!

[@sneakyfred]

"if a book doesn't have a map of some kinda land in the front of it, odds of me enjoying that book = very low" - I resonate so much with this 😂

[@snaffu1]

This was such a joy to watch. I love these two dorks so damn much, and getting them in the same room to talk shop about DnD is just marvelous.

[@Sagittarian1202]

that third guy in the interview was such dead weight didn't contribute at all]

[@notbudoski]

lmao

[@emmaramirez4935]

dont talk abt alfonse like that!

[@ianbyrne465]

Yeah. There was no meat on anything he said!

[@jeremyfaille4365]

What the fuck i didnt even notice him in the background until now 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@nat1baby]

Have you got a bone to pick with him???

[@ElYurman]

This is exACTLY the advice I’ve been waiting for

[@rustydeandarby]

Have you never heard of the how to be a great GM videos?

[@lolbubs11111]

18:49 "It was raining all the time... four hours of shitty gray sunlight and twenty hours of night every day" Brennan has been to Seattle in the winter

[@Mediados]

Coming into acting and D&D is basically "Remember what you did as a kid? Yeah, keep doing that just professionally."

[@IMXLegedaryBard]

Matt Mercer talking about people wanting to create something that's your own really got to me. For years when I was in middle school and highschool I always wanted to create a world, writing a fantasy that could be enjoyed by other people, but I wasn't as literate as most people are and never felt really comfortable writing something. Like I could think of a whole world, come up with so many stories and scenarios, I would spend days and weeks just thinking of characters and backgrounds and lore of worlds and telling them to my friend and hearing them so you know that sounds really good. But I never really felt comfortable translating everything in my mind on paper or even on a computer. So discovering D&D has really allowed me to use it as an outlet to let out all the years of world building and just allow my friends to enjoy this world that I had thought of since 2007.

[@ashisalami5708]

A masterclass for DMs, thank you so much. I am actually currently writing a new campaign setting and the information here is invaluable. I also like how Matt slips into Pumat at 55:30

[@bearfamous_]

"What's the secret ingredient?" "Sadness"

[@mythomagic1771]

"Bad guy with an Irish accent" I see where you went with this

[@siobhan-rae]

i just clocked that.

[@addamsixx7915]

Connor McGregor

[@AntonoirJacques]

@@addamsixx7915 Molly was not just a song about an Irish girl selling cockles.

[@SteveJonesGamingGWO]

"Would you like kindly grab that sword and stab that kitten?"

[@thfkmnIII]

"Bad guy with an irish accent" is kinda racist

[@Eddrian32]

"I find it difficult to find the bridge to where my authorship begins and ends" YES, that's exactly my issue. I never run modules as is, it's just too constrictive and It's a pain because I'm always like "Oh no, did I miss something, wait how does this character fit in, etc." It doesn't help that for some reason WotC decided to write all their modules as books to read as opposed to actual campaigns.

[@emilysmith2965]

... How else would they look? It’s a lot of information, and it’s a narrative. Do you want that NOT to be a book? Genuinely curious here.

[@shaggyrogers1851]

@@emilysmith2965 i think they mean that the way the books are organized makes the campaigns feel very linear at least thats how modules feel to me

[@Dragon_Lair]

That's why I like Curse of Strahd. All it does is give the DM the locations, the characters, the motivations and a list of monsters the party may encounter. Everything after that is up to the party. There is no written story.

[@emilyredbird7497]

I feel that way as a player actually; it's too hard for me to ignore the fact that my choices don't matter, because it's all been planned ahead. I know that homebrew games work that way as well to some degree, but it's just not as apparent.

[@rich63113]

@@emilysmith2965 "and it’s a narrative" Yeah, that's the problem right there. It's a cooperative game, and the book is supposed to describe game setup - not tell a story. Most modules have no ability to handle any sort of actual player choice, so most choices don't matter. And WOTC has made it no secret that they sell more modules to players and people who'd like to play but don't than they do to DMs - so their goal is to make something fun to read, and not something that is easy to run.

[@quickattackfilms7923]

RIP to Matt’s first DM. Poor guy was probably just doing his best, loving critical role, he checked out this video, just looking to hear from his old friend Matt Mercer and bam. 2 minutes in and all his hopes were shattered.

[@icarrionmoth]

to be fair, critical role exists because of that guy

[@quickattackfilms7923]

@@icarrionmothlol True

[@marquisealexander1371]

Bracers of Matt Mercer: +20 DM skill checks + 2 Charisma + 10 Persuasion

[@ianbyrne465]

+15 Seduction

[@luke_of_astora]

It's a lot more than +2 charisma. Try +22

[@joshhwarriad]

You forget the +50 to performance.

[@oscarpines7927]

+10 to intimidation against targets who have done a McCree impression.

[@Blasted2Oblivion]

-10 to non-suggestive names

[@zephyrstrife4668]

Funny enough, I actually started my homebrew setting with two ideas; A nearby hag that occasionally terrorizes a city and a pantheon of nine gods that everyone in the setting worships even though each god represents one of the nine different morality types. Good races still worship the Lawful Evil Moon Goddess of Conquest... or at least offer her shrines some of the choicest loot from raids and invasions because nobody wants to incur her wrath. Even evil races will still worship the lawful good god of the sun because he's also the god of Valor and honorable combat. Champions revere him for he is the one to watch over them in battle.

[@emilysmith2965]

Respect. Hags are incredible as villains, patrons, erstwhile allies... they’re fundamentally unsettling beings.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

I love the 20 minute alignment talk in this video. The common arguments against alignment always seem to boil down to the players and DM having conflicting and mutually exclusive definitions of good, evil, and lawful. And funnily enough they have no idea at all what chaotic means. From my experience it helps to boil the terms down to the simplest definitions. Good = selfless Evil = selfish Lawful = dogmatic Chaotic = shameless Neutral = pragmatic

[@benvoliothefirst]

I came from HeroQuest. I have an idea: Your alignment is whatever you play as. No need to codify it. As long as the players are forced to deal with the logical consequences of their actions.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

@@benvoliothefirst yeah it would be nice if that worked, but in practice all arguments about alignment boil down to two or more players at the table having conflicting definitions of these 4 arbitrary words. They either have diametrically opposed and mutual exclusive definitions of lawful, childish and cookie cutter deffinitions of good stolen from crappy Reagan era cartoons, no deffinitions whatsoever for chaotic, or even more narrow and childish deffinitions for evil. Yeah, if you want to give the snide useless answer then "play whatever you want." But that doesn't address the issues around alignment that actually spark conflict in play groups.

[@rolindahlquist3124]

One of the guys I played with thought if there were a LG character and they were on a quest and passed by a burning building with people screaming in it that the LG would pass right on by because he was on a quest and couldn't be bothered by anything else. That just doesn't sound right to me.

[@CitanulsPumpkin]

@@rolindahlquist3124 in my book any good character, many lawful or neutral caracters, and most chaotic characters would stop and help. Unless they were enchanted to be stoic and useless. Hell, most evil characters would stop and at least check out the show, or see if anyone or anything in the fire caught their eye. Some Chaotic Evil characters may even jump in to "help" save the people screaming if doing so amused them, aroused them, or profited them in some way.

[@rolindahlquist3124]

@@CitanulsPumpkin that's what I'm thinking too! Saving the burning building is more about the good/neutral/evil than the Lawful/chaotic side.

[@dio52]

Tip regarding the deep lore than you haven't fleshed out: prep enough of the surface material to sell the illusion of depth, then lock it away behind a quest or an NPC so that it can't be addressed that moment. Make the PCs return in a few days when the local expert returns or whatever. The session will end before that happens and you'll have time to work out the details before the next time you play.

[@thedps__bot6866]

These 2 are by far my favorite DM's for totally different reasons and it's great to see them talk like this

[@ValeriaCorvina]

39:13 I do D&D campaigns over Discord as well. To avoid that exact issue, I actually ran 2 session zeros before my campaign started. One to get character sheets and all the stat blocks out of the way (I have 2 brand new players, so they needed help with this) and another just to work on character backstories and tying them together. I also gave my players the "homework" assignment that they needed to send me their character backstories before the second SZ. I told them that they didn't need to be perfect, I just needed them to show they'd given some thought to it. I have 6 players in the campaign, and all six have unique and interesting backgrounds because I put in the effort to make sure everyone was ready and committed to enjoying themselves and helping each other to do the same.

[@bearbones7913]

Man that sounds so fun! Do you know of any dnd discord community that I could join?

[@catbear22]

I know im a little late to this party, but Im currently in 2 groups of the same homebrew campaign by the same DM. Originally I was in only one, but the DM came to me and said "Hey, someone bailed and i need a fourth player. Can you help me out?" The next 10 minutes was me quickly making a cleric and trying to think of why they were with the party. I left him more on the mysterious side and for the time being played him as a gospel preaching cleric that believed in the all power of his sacred deity. After session 1 the DM told me the voice i lent him gave off serial killer vibes. So I took that and I ran. "What would make a holy man get twisted?" "How would i explain the mystery he brought to the table and most importantly, "Why is he going to stay with the group?" I ended up going on a really dark and twisted backstory that gave me the chills just thinking about. Right now out of all the characters Ive ever had the pleasure of playing, that one is by far my favorite. And ive taken others on long journeys that ended with one becoming an immortal lich like being that eventually got his own tomb/dungeon.

[@Hex545]

The logo flashing is due to a dumb KZbin glitch that causes the first frame to flash throughout the video. I've seen it on a few channels I watch and it's usually fixed if they reprocess the video. Hopefully KZbin fixes it on their end soon

[@crystalthunderheart8895]

Me: has a country sounding character Pc: some situation about intelligence Me: you know I have a higher intelligence then you right? PC: *what!?*

[@ryanaiden]

Simply knowing that Matt made Tal'Dorei as he went along with it is the key bit of information that gives me the confidence I need to creatively explore and build worlds as a new DM. I struggled a lot to begin with because I would go way too much into the details and just start to feel overwhelmed. To think of it like world building improv (outside of RP) helps a lot!

[@Parthanaux]

These are some fucking brilliant humans. So much experience and real empathy. This community is brightened by their presence.

[@sentientbeans]

Well said

[@chrisbolducrowan5110]

I’ve played D&D since 1978. I hadn’t given critical role or Matt any mind, thinking it was likely a vapid or commercialized D&D. I finally gave in and watched CR and listened to MM and his style. Firstly, I love CR and MM and I are almost identical in how we approach the role of the DM and how we run our games.

[@bradhamilton1518]

I was literally just thinking, "Man, I really wish Matt Mercer could meet Brennen and just geek ou..." I'm ded.

[@MrKenpachi28]

literally the crossover we always wanted, and the one we deserved.

[@Arcyo]

Today I found out Matt Mercer believes that Hogwarts is the Illuminati. Tell me more.

[@H2OHydraulic]

Nobody: Matthew Mercer: Hogwarts is the Illuminati J.K Rowling: *pulls out phone and opens twitter* Imma end this man's career

[@Arcyo]

@@H2OHydraulic "He stole MY idea to randomly publish on social media, goddammit!"

[@OrchidPurple420]

I when and press tell me more

[@commandercaptain4664]

Does that mean the Illuminati elite take invisible poos in their sanctum?

[@jadeyu7197]

TELL ME MORE

[@catherineelmore2004]

I have watched this *so many times* … and I still laugh so hard at the entire section that starts with Matt’s “just wanting to be an elf that makes sparkles” through to Brennan saying “where is our sparkle mage? I have terrible news.” Seriously- RIP sparkle mage Fathenriel!

[@catherineelmore2004]

Excuse me- Thalmeriel! Thalmeriel the sparkle mage.

[@mtljin]

I played an Elven Monk Sailor, I told my DM that he used to be a Mercenary but took to the seas to escape his past. thats it. he made me a young elf stepping out into the world joining a merc band for gold and fame - but I ran out on my group when battling a basilisk. the monster eventually was defeated by another adventurers group but my friends are mad that were revived from petrification were mad at me for running away turning the mercs into recurring enemies who would occassionally pop up and attack us. it was so much more detailed than i was expecting but i loved it. it didnt take away from the main campaign but it was a great sub plot

[@delsin02ify]

Me: Infinity war was the most ambitious crossover ever CollegeHumor:

[@philosynfonie7307]

Wow, I got first interested in D&D because I watched Dimension 20: Fantasy High, and Critical Role convinced me to actually start DMing for a group of friends. Both shows mean so much to me and got me (are still getting me) through some hard times.

[@DJ2WYCE]

I'm the same way. I was never interested in D&D but I love Brennan and when I saw he was running Dimension 20 I decided to give it a shot. Best decision of my life lol. It was through Dimension 20 where I found out about NADDPOD and Critical Role. Now I'm playing in my first campaign at my local table top game store

[@autumn3540]

Bruh, check out NADDPOD, you won’t regret it

[@philosynfonie7307]

@@autumn3540 Already have, I am currently as far as the first LiveShow. Love the characters (Beverly is my boy, Hardwon is the BestestFriend™ and I would straight up (or not so straight) marry Moonshine Cybin)

[@hipsterbrigadier9428]

For me it was adventure zone that got me playing and dimension20 wanting me to DM, but I admire critical role even if it’s hard for me to keep up with

[@nofskiepatofskie]

not to be dramatic or anything but this podcast is changing my life,

[@michaelrucker6527]

Thank you both Matt and Brennan. As a dm who likes creating scenarios and slotting them into my campaigns. You both gave me a ton of insight for future ideas.

[@strawberey9933]

this video definitely helped me gain the confidence to start asking my friends if they wanted to play a campaign (our old group disbanded) & now we're about to start our first session tomorrow . plus , it also made me realize that i started playing with a homebrew game since our group just wanted to cause as much chaos & just do whatever (it's where we got our name , the PeaceBreakers) .

[@kingofeurobeat9332]

How did it go? 👀

[@corwyncorey3703]

The players will fuck your shit up: Mighty Nein steals a ship.. jumps ahead to the ocean campaign arc... Ok.. guess THIS is where we are going with this now...

[@karsonkammerzell6955]

DMing D&D for the first time and having never played as a Player. I can tell you now that my experience in public speaking and presentation classes have already paid off in planning my sessions. Biggest tip I pulled from my public speaking classes: notes not scripts. Do not write your lines, but only write your info. What this does is ease your anxiety and need to constantly glance at your notes as you try to read along. If you note only the info you're trying to get across you create a much more comfortable, fluid, natural sentence around it, and helps you maintain eye contact. :D

[@Reilly-Maresca]

28:40 “well theres no one like ‘Jeffery Dahmer, I don’t know, I think he’s just misunderstood’” How I wish that were the case.

[@hahmann]

I remember that the Boston marathon bomber legitimately had twitter fangirls that wanted to marry him. Oof!

[@oz_jones]

@@hahmann I mean, people on death row get surprisingly many of those too.

[@ParadoxEngineer]

Rule of Thumb: If you (the DM) sit back and the players go: alright time to do this objective, then you have succeeded. All you really need is a world that makes enough sense to the player so they can make decisions on their own. Then they can makes themselves part of the story.

[@Thurrak]

These two should just have a DMing podcast or something where they invite other DMs on to talk shop. It's so entertaining.

[@dingusispingus5987]

I personally like having dynamic alignment where your experience in the campaign change your person. I might have a character that is chaotic neutral at level one and cares about no one but he actually learns about himself along the way. He might find friends and lose some along the way.

[@crazytaru]

40:00 I’ve done the same! My players were not giving me any thing to work with backstory-wise, so I told them they could receive a magic item and potions of healing if they gave me 3-5 paragraphs about their characters. Every one of them did and the campaign was 100x better after that.

[@reeses7839]

While this is late, a new favorite way to do session 0s for RP heavy groups (as to avoid the sort of basic "Meet in a tavern/guild hall/some other random gathering area), have personal session 0s with each character so that each one has a particular personal motivation and reason to be in the area where the campaign is starting, rather than attempting to get them all in with the same plot hook. Personal plot hooks can be a really good way to get people who maybe are a little more timid come out of their shell, and veterans to have a lot to work with. Plus, it gives the player and the DM some time to really get a handle on their character, as well as people with connected backstories.

[@SaviourInBlack]

My two favorite celebrity nerds talking about nerd stuff, I could watch this all day. Also extremely helpful information for campaign building. This was epic!

[@matthewbarton1282]

I love how excited Brennan comes off on this interview, you can tell he's ready to teleport through time and space - he has so much energy

[@darkbro111]

Matthew's spot on why people like homebrew is fantastic. I've never had someone so clearly lay out why I run my own games in my own world for me before.

[@drakemeyers8746]

I love this talk. I wish more talks existed like this. It allows more individuals to understand the deeper aspects that need to be understood subliminally that comes out subconsciously and allows for greater play for the players.

[@wuzzy41123]

I kind of did a similar thing as to what Matt is talking about by using a mechanical incentive to get your players more invested in their characters. For the campaign I am currently running, I sat down with each of my players, one-on-one for many, many hours (spread out throughout months). I told them two things as we were making their character. 1. They won't have ideals, bonds, or flaws from the Player's Handbook. Instead, we will figure those out using their backstory and determining their personality and views of the world (politics, laws, factions, gods/religion, etc...). 2. The skill proficiencies that your character gets are based on their backstory, rather than a background from the Player's Handbook. It doesn't even have to be skill proficiencies. It can be a kit, tool, language, or weapon proficiency, a feat or a combination of several. At 1st level, your character will be a bit stronger than other 1st level characters that you are used to. However, they will be stronger in the way that your character would be. For example, one of my player's characters is a Human (Variant), Fighter that plans on going into Eldritch Knight. Due to their backstory, they got the Magic Initiate feat, and due to their genetics, they got the Keen Mind feat. I can't go too much into detail of their backstory as to why they got those specific feats in case any of my players read this. lol

[@CadetRedShirt]

i did a 3-day one-off where i made basically everything up on the fly and had to make a ton of notes as i went full Grommet-laying-train-tracks meme, I'm absolutely convinced that it's not about the planning but about communication with your players on what they want and what you want

[@throwscats]

49:40 This is such a cool description of how he creates things on the fly. Huge respect to DMs like him and Matthew Mercer.