DMing Advice I DON'T Agree With

[@aattrpg3199]

My main piece of advice to new Dm"s/GM's is "You don't have to throw out content your players didn't encounter".

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Great advice! Anything can be moved around and re-used if you want to!

[@theyeetler]

and also make some content that doesn't have a specific plan to show up. i keep a list of random npc ideas on hand in case players go looking for people i didnt plan out

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Great idea!

[@gayflower900]

i like to plan what the party will find without planning where they’ll find it. you want them to go into the forest and fight a water wraith in the raging rapids, but they never go to the forest and explore the city instead? maybe the rain starts picking up, the rain gutters are clogged and the street starts flooding. now that’s your new river. you want them to find an incriminating letter hidden under the floorboards, but they don’t pay any attention to the floor and examine the desk instead? now the letter is on the desk, written in invisible ink

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Modular plot hooks and adventure ideas are always a good idea!

[@dragoknight589]

Improv relies a lot on “yes, and” - but for a game with rules, it helps to throw in the occasional “no, but” and “yes, but”

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Definitely! Great alternatives!

[@Boss-_]

Not just occasional, very often even, because people will come up with some stupid ideas that defeat the purpose of it being a game with rules to begin with. Just saying "no" is something people need to do more. Unless you wanna be really pedantic with "no, but..." "Can I whisper my spell to cast it stealthily?" -"No. BUT, you can retire your wizard and make a sorcerer and pick the Subtle Spell metamagic"

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

​@@Boss-_ damn, that's cold 😂

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

​@@Boss-_you could at least point them to the metamagic feat

[@chrisg8989]

Awesome video. This is my advice for New DMs. 1) Have a session 0. Find out what kind of game you and your players want to play. Then make it happen. 2) Don't expect the players to care about your Lore. If they ask questions, then elaborate on it, but don't monolog. 3) Plan 1 session at a time, let the players dictate the story. You can have an over arcing story laid out, but be prepared to change your plans. Nothing will stop your players from coming back faster than taking away their agency and limiting their choices. 4) Keep encounters fresh. Use different monsters, add environmental effects, throw in a timer or a puzzle. Some players don't care about a story, they want to play a Game. Making good encounters will keep them coming back. 5) This isn't critical role. What I mean by this is don't expect too much from your players and temper their expectations of you. DnD is a board game to play with your friends. Laugh, make jokes, eat snacks, your not on a TV show, this is real Life. You don't need to do voices, you don't have to have actor level performances or production quality mintures and battle maps. Do what's fun for you and your friends. The second it starts feeling like work or too much pressure, take a break. No DnD is better than bad DnD.

[@jjhill001]

1) Put your session 0 into a groupchat of some sort. People want to play and its awesome to be able to play that first session.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you enjoyed the video! And this is great advice, I especially think it’s important to not be too hard on yourself or your friends and just have fun! Thanks for sharing!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s a cool idea!

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

I'm a bit worried about balancing 3) and "if you want to play curse of strahd you have to agree to go to barovia." See, I'm building a campaign based on Ixalan from Magic the Gathering. Think "we're going to track down El Dorado, but it's on the same island as a bunch of other ancient ruins with their own fantasy goodies within." There's 4 big factions fighting over these treasures, especially the hidden golden city. Whether the party joins/works with a faction(s) or does their own thing, you're on the island and you've got a main goal and subgoals plotted along the way already. I feel like the rails are already laid, it's just about which tracks the players want to take with what obstacles lie in their way. So I've just been systematically building up a system, based on Breath of the Wild, where you can pretty much always spot two stand-out landmarks and those two landmarks split off into two more themselves. So the players always have options, but it's in service of making their way to the big treasures. But how much can I really add in service of letting the players just do what they want? 😅

[@jjhill001]

@@TheMightyBattleSquid I've found that players would rather fight an unbalanced monstrosity that almost TPKs or does TPK than a borning fight that they annihilate.

[@link99912]

Very balanced and well thought out opinions on all of these points. I generally lead more towards "no-bans" of official content and just try to adapt as a DM, but yeah, got to balance your own time/sanity/DMing with giving your players the freedom they want. Also for not tracking HP- I always track it, and my rule is generally that I will not fudge HP more than is possible by the listed hit dice. I.e, if a creature's HP is listed as 8d8+16, the max I will give it is 80 HP. But you should also just let your players one shot things and feel strong sometimes, if that's how the dice worked out. My personal bad experience with the HP fudging was an encounter with a beholder, where we dealt over 800 damage to it and it still wasn't down. At a point, we had wasted all of our big spells and abilities on it, and it was still standing. We knew that it was only supposed to have a few hundred HP according to the books (this was back in 4e), so once that illusion was broken, everyone was just waiting for the DM to decide the fight was over. It just really took me out of the moment, and made it feel like I had no agency in the fight.

[@AnotherDuck]

Yeah, that's the problem with fudging HP (and fudging rolls in general). The players can't ever know. If they do, they will lose all trust in the DM. I think fudging HP is okay for a hit more or less. If a character lands a super crit or something, and the boss has a couple HP remaining, just have that be the finishing blow. If the characters keep chipping for minor amounts of damage, you can maybe wait a little longer for a stronger attack even if the boss goes to zero, but only if the fight isn't already dragging on.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

800 HP??? That’s crazy, good example of why that can be so immersion-breaking! I like your hit dice rule too, thanks for giving your thoughts!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Yeah, little things like that (especially if they have no bearing on the outcome) are pretty harmless!

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

I've also been on the opposite of this. Where the DM made a big show of how much of a damage sponge this character is by giving it a ludicrous hp pool and resistances/immunities but then it turns into a slog and the DM just goes "okay, fight over. This is boring." Like, yeah, that's what happens when you stretch an encounter waaaaaaaaaaaay out for no reason. 😅

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Oof, hope that’s the only time you had a fight like that!

[@TomCantDance]

I tend to tell DM's to start with a pre-written module as the bones of an adventure so they can learn the rules and also practice homebrewing a bit. Even just changing the name of the starting town or swapping kobold minions out for goblins allows the DM to practice and hone some skills that are essential for running the game.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I like that you encourage them to customize it and make it their own, I think that’s great! I more just meant that, if someone is really more interested in doing homebrew, then they shouldn’t feel obligated to start with a module. Just keep things simple! But of course modules have helped lots of new DMs succeed!

[@TomCantDance]

@TheBardsCollegeYT absolutely! I think a lot of people worry about "doing D&D right", and for those people it's good to give them something to guide them. But I'm the same as you, the first I ran was completely homebrewed.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

It's definitely overwhelming when you first start out, so I could see how going through a module could help all the pieces click together for first-timers. Glad you've found a way to help people!

[@TomCantDance]

@@TheBardsCollegeYT It's always good to get others into the hobby that I've loved for decades now, which is why I'm so thankful for your videos too! Keep it up!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Thank you so much!

[@MemoristCed]

Good video, as always! Balancing "yes and" and "no, banned" is a downright art form to itself! (Nothing in particular to add or ask for now, just a comment for the algorithm.)

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Comments are always appreciated! And I agree, it can definitely take some trial and error to figure out what you’re cool letting slide, and what you really don’t want to allow. It’s a process!

[@salty-nick]

I appreciate the no music, friend!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

It’s in there, just much lower! Glad I could help, I really do try to take feedback to heart!

[@salty-nick]

@@TheBardsCollegeYT hah didn't catch it at all on my shitty speaker, should've tried on the headset like last time :) thank you!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

My laptop speaker is the same way! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@_grumpytoad]

Great video. As a long time DM, I appreciate you making this video. Solid advice that needs to be out there for DMs new and old.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Thank you so much, kind words like that really do mean a lot! I'm glad you enjoyed it, more to come!

[@sirelfinjedi]

I would have quit DMing 40 years ago if I'd had to run published adventures because I wanted to tell stories and world build. But now I love the shared experience they provide.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you’ve been able to find a nice balance!

[@GamingTreasureChest]

Very good points, you can’t say yes to everything so you can throw in no but. Prep work I always think comes down to what the DM is most comfortable with, some need everything written down so they know everything and some, like myself sometimes, barely write anything at all and work on the fly, so it really is a personal thing. Great video as always buddy

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you enjoyed the video! And that’s cool you can run so many things on the fly, I always need really solid notes to then jump off of. Maybe some day!

[@Nastara]

Great advice on prep. Thats pretty much how I learned to see it. It shouldn’t be minimum prep it’s minimum prep for you. And so in a way that doesn’t lock players in but makes you ready to play and adapt.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

100%, it all depends on what you’re comfortable with!

[@silvertheelf]

I love the “No Bans” rule for One-Shots. It’s great. I also love it for “One Piece” style campaigns where limits really don’t matter because it’s about being as absurd as possible. Do I like banning things? I hate banning things normally, but my Bronze Age setting wouldn’t be good if banning things wasn’t an option.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Totally agree on letting your players run wild in one-shots! But you’re right, certain settings just wouldn’t work if everything was allowed. Great point!

[@FacelessonaThrone]

Love this video and its nuance, I think all of these are great rebuttals to the advice given. My best personal best advice to new GM/DM’s is: Think it out during prep, maybe you don’t know what will happen if the evil priest isn’t discovered but why they are doing it, this way if they are or aren’t discovered in their evil plan you know why and how they will react to the players actions. More an addition to your great advice about prep.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think that's great advice! Basically thinking "what would happen here if the players did nothing?" Great way to make your villains feel like they have actual plans and aren't just set pieces for your players. Thanks for expanding on that point!

[@FacelessonaThrone]

@ thank you, exactly! I really should be thanking you for this great video; got a subscribe out of me, can’t wait to go through the back log!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

No need, I’m just glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the kind words, hope you like some of my older videos!

[@pizzatimebodyslam]

Totally agree with all this advice! Amazing video ❤

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you agree! Thanks for the kind words!

[@kaylaa2204]

Personally for notes I do an older school style of writing scenarios. So I’m not writing a plot I’m writing vaguely what’s happening and use that to anticipate how things should react to the players. So I’ll write like “here is a lizardfolk den, this room is a hatchery. The mothers will immediately attack if a player crosses the threshold.” And that’s it. Move on to the next area. Anything else they do I can anticipate what should happen from that context. I do agree with prepare the bare minimum. But in the sense that you shouldn’t prepare beyond what is necessary for the initial scenario. If you’re detailing a city leagues away before even asking what’s going on in the town the players actually are in, you’d be better off shifting priorities. Prepare the minimum necessary for your concept, not necessarily prepare the absolute minimum for play period.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think that’s a good balance to have! You can definitely go too far trying to plan out every scenario and every building in town. I probably need a little more than what you described to feel comfortable, that’s all down to personal preference! Thanks for sharing!

[@kaylaa2204]

@ Well that was just an example, I would definitely write more than that. I just mean to say you can just describe a point of interest and how it interacts with the players, then roll with it. I’d probably also have some context to it so it’s not just sitting in a white void and all. But yeah I like to go light with planning.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Gotcha, that makes sense!

[@hoc9745]

Cool Shirt! Hello from Croatia! And really helpful video

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Thanks, awesome to have you watching an ocean away! Big Luka Modric fan and always root for you all in the World Cup when the US inevitable drops out!

[@elijahlyons8164]

My advice for prep: your communication with your players is the foundation of what you need to have prepared. At the end of a session, ask the players what they plan to do next session. This is method leads to everyone having a fulfilling experience and it is found between a strict railroad and a completely open sandbox.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

This is a good tip, never hurts to just ask! Especially when they have multiple paths they could take next session

[@elijahlyons8164]

I even told my player a couple days ago that I would offer him an amazing weapon if he agreed to assassinate a town leader that the party just met. When this happens, everyone else will be surprised and excited and the player will have already had time to think about it, leading to the most fun and interesting gameplay.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s interesting, I don’t do it too often but bringing one of your players into the fold sometimes can create those crazy moments! I hope they enjoy it!

[@RolltoMissRPG]

Solid advice. Good clear explanation. I think there is scope to be *creative* with stat blocks on the fly. I don’t agree with fudging dice rolls though personally. I think it’s fun to introduce out in the open rolls for big moments and sharing in it like Brennan Lee Mulligans “Dice Tower of Death”.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I also love rolling in the open for big moments, always heightens the drama! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@marcushasopinions]

This is great advice, thank you!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@davidgolfspro]

When I first started to DM the common advice was a "Lazy DM approach". Which is very causal, and party dependent for driving the story and worldbulding. However I always found myself in constant stress during the sessions. It was only post campaign that I learned about "Architects & Gardeners", and retroactively realized all the old advice I got was Gardener focused. Since then I have embraced being an Architect worldbuilder and my games have ran soother, less stress, and more fun! Awesome video!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think I definitely fall in the “architect” mold as well, glad you’ve embraced the prep! I envy people who can spin out awesome, well-connected campaigns with very limited prep, but I also enjoy the worldbuilding and know that I wouldn’t enjoy my own games as much without putting in that work. Thanks for sharing, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@samchafin4623]

Solid advice. I roll out in the open, and don't use a screen or any of that stuff, so I don't really fudge things or change it on the fly - at least not without some fictional grounding for the players. Of course that's more about trust between players and GM, and making sure they know what's in my control, and what isn't. Doesn't mean it has to be that way for everybody.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I definitely respect that, and it really does build trust between you and your party! I think that’s awesome, thanks for sharing!

[@TheMightyBattleSquid]

7:12 I still remember one time I introduced my plasmoid, who was flavored as a bunch of magical waste gaining sentience, and the DM, upon hearing this, gasps then goes "I HAVE SOMETHING JUST FOR THIS!" and starts flipping through his notes to tie my character in. It was great, the excitement was contagious! 😂

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s awesome! What a fun moment, I’m glad you have such a great DM!

[@twothirdsanexplosive]

Ran my first game recently (tho not D&D)! I am with you on the prep. I wanted to do more but couldn't because life. Everyone had fun but I definitely wish I had more time to write things down. It would have been more comfortable for me to draw from notes that I fleshed out and solidified more in my head. Without it, everything worked but was very flat and all the NPCs and areas were same-same

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I’m sure it went even better than you think, congrats on running your first session! And now you have a better idea of what parts need to be fleshed out in the future, and what you didn’t need to prep as much. Good luck with future sessions, you got this!

[@spicyboi544]

One shots are underatted for figuring out what works well and what doesn't. By that i mean multiple one shots since again, nerfing rogue damage is the opposite of being a good dm. Correct they scored really well one combat encounter - that's how dice work and I assure you rogue's dmg is if anything lacking. What were we talking about...oh yeah basically try out the rules beforehand maybe.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

100% this! I learned a lot by using one-shots to try out new things and push boundaries. And if you hate it, it’s already over! Great advice!

[@Andre99328]

I agree with most of your advice. On banning things: I usually stick to the rules and let the players have it all if I have agreed to the class and race during the character creation phase. I am DMing on the World of Greyhawk and I won't allow every race, because they simply don't exist there or I find it not playable as a pc. On pre-written adventures: I would love to create it all on my own, but simply don't have the time; so I stick mistly to pre-generated adventures and connect them to a campaign.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think anytime you can avoid in-game banning by making expectations clear earlier, that’s the best way to go! And I’m glad you’re still finding time to play using modules, I’m definitely not against them just know they aren’t for everyone!

[@kaylaa2204]

If im new to the system, I will try to write my own adventures, but if I have no idea how to start and I find a module with a concept I like, I’ll do that, and that gives me ideas of what an adventure in that system can be like. I use it as a fallback. I do agree that GMing as a creative endeavor is the heart of the game. Something I’ve learned is you want to start with a strong concept. For D&D the dungeon and nearby settlement start is very strong, and in doing that it helps that you define what the dungeon is and what’s going on in the area. That helps give you something to work towards and inform your decisions. Otherwise I find I’m throwing shit at the wall waiting for something to stick.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Great points, I’m glad you’re able to use modules to help get your footing! And I tend to start any campaigns/one-shots in a similar way: City I’m familiar with, nearby dungeon. Just feels right!

[@nabra97]

One thing about "yes, and" I've heard is that even in actual improve, you don't have to accept every statement your partner gave as something present in the scene; you just need to acknowledge that their character said that. So, saying "I'd prefer it to be a cat, are you OK with that?" is a mistake (unless you imply that your character literally responds this way), but saying "Dude, it's not a dog, it's a cat! I'm telling you yet again, you need to go get these glasses!" is OK. In D&D terms, it's close to "you can certainly try". Of course, there are things you shouldn't just bring up without clarifying if everyone is OK with it, but I would assume the same rule is applicable to improve.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s fair, I’m not an improv expert by any means so that’s some cool insight! Thanks!

[@bagelmage]

Great video! I feel like there's a big stigma about banning things at the table--and I've run up against my players wanting to play something I hadn't intended to include in the campaign setting a few times. I'd add, in addition to communicating what to expect ahead of the game, that DM/GMs should also ask players why they want to play X, Y, or Z. Often, I've found that knowing the "why" can make it far easier to find a middle-ground where both you and your players are happy, rather than simply outlawing Elves, for example, and calling it a day.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think that’s awesome advice, sometimes re-flavoring or re-tooling can be more effective than banning! Thanks for your input!

[@Gargulord]

My feeling about modules is that I need to understand the exact same amount of information, but in homebrews I don't need to study, I get to create stuff instead

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s very fair, I think there are people who can wrap their minds around modules better than others but they’re not for everyone!

[@benneidl9336]

I totally agree on the prep advice. I am not a “minimum prep” guy. Lore and depth are my strengths, but improv isn’t. If my PCs are going into an abandoned mansion, I need to spend as much time as it takes to have some kind of answer ready on what is behind each door. Some weeks it might mean 1 hour of prep, others it might mean 6. I also would never endorse the “no monster hit points” idea. This is, after all, a game. Games have rules. I’ve had to make the occasional adjustment on the fly to rebalance, but going in with. “no tracking” mentality is crazy to me.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you like those points! I'm with you on "prep takes as long as prep needs," and honestly, once I get in a groove it's not that much of a hassle. Getting starting is often the hardest part!

[@RangerSierra11]

Great take!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Thank you! I’m glad you agree with them!

[@georgelaiacona111]

Great video. We'll have to disagree about Sneak Attack. It's terrible, but I don't ban it. Great advice. Liked and Subscribed.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you enjoyed the video and want to see more! I guess we’ll agree to disagree!

[@jordanwhite8718]

One thing that I think you should consider is having your first campaign be a mix of your own ideas and pre-written content. I actually find that that’s the easiest type of game to run. You have a skeleton of a plot with the module content, but you can add your own ideas as meet to the skeleton.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s a great idea, I’m all for taking a module and making it your own! That’s a good compromise!

[@LordZeebee]

The "only prep the bare minimum" advise is a relative thing. It doesn't say "only prep half a page and nothing more", just that you should be careful not to over-prep. Usually just prepping the bare minimum of what you in particular need is 99.9% of the time more than enough and protects you from DM burnout.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I’ve seen people online advocate for no or barely any note taking before, I think “bare-minimum” means different things to different people. But what you’re describing sounds like a great balance!

[@easiestcc6451]

I usually agree with the "Never Ban Anything" approach unless it relates to worldbuilding. For the sake of worldbuilding simplicity and some originality, I replaced every 5e race for the most part with homebrew bug races based on the setting of hollow knight (Tieflings and Aarakocra are the only exceptions because they have an important historical role in the setting). However, this means i'll have to ban every normal 5e race other than tieflings and Aarakocra from my setting, yet even those are required to pick a specific subrace in my setting (those being twilight tieflings and Phoenix aarakocra respectively) I thought this would help my world stand out from others and so far it has!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s awesome, sounds like a very cool campaign to play in! I’m glad it’s working well for you!

[@TyanFH]

I think a first time DM is going to benefit from a prewritten adventure. At least to read over so one can get an idea of how one is done. I have not to date, banned a spell or class. I have always found a way to let my players enjoy their spell or class and still make the game fun for all.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think it varies person to person. For me, watching/listening to actual plays, looking up advice on KZbin, and my knowledge of video games was enough. And I think sitting down to look over a pre-written adventure wouldn’t have resonated with me as well. But there’s no harm in it, and it absolutely can be helpful for newbies! I also don’t really ban official content, but I don’t think it should be villainized either. Not everyone can make everything fun, and if the DM is going to be bothered by it, the game will suffer. But I’m glad you’ve made it all work, sounds like a fun table to play at!

[@aattrpg3199]

This leads to my 2nd piece of advice to new GM's/DM's, if you are running a module, feel free to change it to suit your table.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Love that advice!

[@NQWG]

Whats the story behind the shirt haha?

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I love using Croatia in FIFA, am a big Luka Modric fan, and was really into their World Cup run back in 2018. So my brother bought me this shirt as a gift!

[@howirunit2033]

Great on every point.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Appreciate the kind words!

[@theyeetler]

oh absolutely! if the appeal to you is making up a homebrew for your players DO NOT run prewritten content because it defeats the whole purpose for you! great advice on keeping it simple

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Thank you so much, I’m glad you agree and enjoyed the video!

[@JScottGaribay]

Some great advice here - thank you! Great video. My only note is I don't think 'talk to your players' is good advice anymore. 1st - its been said, like a lot. 2nd - talking a lot about a thing can very much squeeze the joy out of it.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s fair, but I do try to approach these videos with the mindset of “somebody out there might not have heard it.” So I think it deserved repeating for that section, but I can also see why it feels like beating a dead horse! And you’re right, if you talk about every little thing that comes up and make it a big debate, that won’t be any fun. You gotta know when it’s worth a conversation! Thanks for your input!

[@sirelfinjedi]

Just discovered your channel. That was a great vid. I think any one-size-fits-all advice for dnd is gonna miss some of the time. If I'm running for a table of gritty simulationists, I probably shouldn't fudge roll or even stats. But if I'm running a casual game for newbs, I'm going to prioritize fun over verisimilitude.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad you enjoyed it! And thank you, I try to keep my takes balanced because you’re right, every DM and group are different!

[@Havainus]

Just like making up your monster's stats, I'm always on the edge for fudging dice rolls, because it means you're rolling in private. I like rolling in the open, but I also like giving my demilich the opportunity to cast its howl ability more than once per combat if my dicerolls are bad. And if I roll only certain rolls in private, they know I might fudge that roll in particular. It's that grey area inbetween letting the players fight the game and being able to secure a challenging but fun encounter, and I have no idea how to make it work lol.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

It’s a tough spot to be in! I almost always roll in private, but roll out in the open for really big moments. Maybe that could work for you? Good luck!

[@floofzykitty5072]

That comment about people for some reason thinking Sneak Attack is strong set me off a little XD. I play with a DM that thinks rogues are OP, even though they do less damage than a fighter with no subclass and that's ONLY if they get Sneak Attack every single turn 😂. He banned Swashbuckler rogue and says Steady Aim is too strong. Meanwhile I am significantly outdamaging the two rogues in the party just by casting AoE damage spells on my wizard, but the DM for some reason doesn't realise this because it's spread over three enemies. Oh, and I'm also disabling enemies at the same time with Web, Binding Ice and Hypnotic Pattern. I find that whenever DMs think XYZ is OP and try to nerf it, there is ABC you can use that flies under their radar. It's the DMs most focused on tweaking and balancing the game that miss the most obvious things.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think it’s just the fact that sneak attack is such a “flashy” move compared to other martial attacks, dealing more in go. But I agree, DnD isn’t perfectly balanced by any means but the folks who made it have a lot more game design experience than most DMs. A lot of the time just leaving things alone rules-wise is the way to go!

[@BurningMonkey]

"prepping boss fights for when your players are 10th level" awfully bold to think a group is going to play that long from 1st level. well, any group I have been in 🤓

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Not when I'm critting them all the time, anyway! Hopefully you can get there someday!

[@BurningMonkey]

@@TheBardsCollegeYT I see how you are... Roll in the open, but don't tell anyone that the dice tray is an electromagnet for crit roles!!! :D

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I would NEVER do such a thing! Just don’t look under the table when I roll!

[@007ohboy]

I'm just curious: Would you ban the following RAI builds/spells: I have a Bladesinger Monk that can move 120 ft with Haste, has a max AC of 33 without magical items, Evasion with high dex saves (hasted eith advantage on those) and can make 5 Attacks including 1 that is a Booming Blade attack? Would you ban my Devil Worshipping Sorlock that can make 12 attacks per round at max level? 8 Quicken Eldritch. Blasts + 4 Summoned Celestial (flavored as an Erinyes) attacks per round? Would you Ban Planar Binding where I can, for a 1000 gold, possibly trap an Outsider for up to a whole year? Its a similar example to Simulacrum. None of these builds or spells have ever been banned at the over half a dozen tables I've played. I've had zero issues porting my RAI characters into RAI games, and I never once saw the game grind to a halt of the challenges became too frivolous.

[@007ohboy]

I would say when it comes to Planar Binding, since you can bind multiple nonconcentration creatures/summons at once, is a spell where 2 adults or more need to sit down and discuss balance and what's fun. I preemptively made a deal with my GMs that I can only have one Planar Bound summon at one time with the party. I can have more bound creatures but I need to make up an IG excuse for why they can't be there.

[@007ohboy]

You know what extra Planar bound creatures are good for IG? Guarding the players base. It's especially flavorful when my Evil Divine Soul Sorlock can come home to his little secret cult Bastion in Waterdeep and he's greeted like a "boss" by acolytes and various bound 😈s all guarding him. Im like a mini BBEG who works with good characters to take out his BBEG rivals. 😂 I digress. As you can see I do love to have a few powerful characters that are following their "inspirations" (cool epic characters in lore like Tasha or Drizzt) but I also do not expect players or the DM to put up with me "breaking" the game. Who the heck wants to sit through a turn where a dude has a dozen bound 😈s taking their turns? Most the time, you just need to sit down and talk like adults. Most "optimized builds" are not unbreakable and have glaring weaknesses.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I mean, personally I don’t really ban things at my table, but would I begrudge someone who does? Not particularly. Though I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here: Having a discussion and deciding how best to move forward is always the best choice! That could involve banning certain things, but like you said, it might just take an adjustment! But I can understand that not every DM has the knowledge/comfort/game design skills to work around certain things. But I’m glad you’ve made it work at your table and are open to talking with your DM about things, I think that’s a sign you’re a good player to have!

[@007ohboy]

@@TheBardsCollegeYT I like playing with builds and concepts. I also have a Support character with very little offensive so its not always about building 100% optimized. I usually think of a concept and then optimize around that - like the "Pacifist" optimized Support/Healing Character I have. I like storytelling and game mechanics. I love telling stories with game mechanics as they are intended to work and handwave a bit if they don't quite match up perfectly with commonsense. No "peasant railguns" for sure. Lol But yes, I get it. Not everyone wants to learn that much darn programming. And it doesn't help when many RAI "rulings" are buried deep in hard to find interviews and Sage Advice.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad we can agree on the peasant railgun! I think the “story first” approach to mechanics is a good one, glad to see you’re so reasonable and able to work within whatever adventure everyone’s trying to have!

[@Zr0din]

Yeah, I like my over prep time. Those are events I use later.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I agree, it’s not wasted if it gets repurposed later!

[@shaclown7721]

I've been a GM for over 5 years by now, and i can safely say that prewritten modules really aren't always the way to go, especially for new GM's. Lost Mines of Phandelver is a fun one that's OK for newbies, as that's the one i've run multiple times when i started out. But Princes of the Apocalypse is an example of a real headache to run. Even with the experience i've gathered over the years, i still find it hard to run this mess of a module. Information is scattered all over the book, and while running the earliest part, you need information from 3 different chapters at the same time. Instead of less, i need MORE preptime and work for this module to work, compared to playing a homebrewed campaign..

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s a great point, even picking a good module can be tough at times! I’m glad you’ve found which work and which don’t for you!

[@ploepiplayer6150]

Like many other DMs I started on Lost Mines of Phandelver... but I quickly found how boring it was to run? I think pre-writtens are awesome but play a bit too much like a videogame to me

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

It’s definitely personal preference, I can see why some would live starting with Phandelver but it just wasn’t for me or you! Glad you realized quickly though and didn’t spend too much time running something you didn’t like!

[@ploepiplayer6150]

@TheBardsCollegeYT 🙏🙏 every dm is different and thats more beautiful than annoying

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Agreed!

[@gamemasters]

hahahah I too created some magic items to troll my players... only... to have them somehow figure out how to obtain them.. yeah.. that one backfired on me haha

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Can never underestimate the collective intelligence of a party who want to get back at you!

[@Odande]

I do not agree about not starting with a pre-written. I had multiple friends completely fall on their face when they try to do it completely Homebrew world. Those "campaigns" lasted one session each. Starting off with a module gives you an idea of how your Homebrew should go it won't overwhelm you with creating a literal entire universe I technically also started with Homebrew but I honestly wish I didn't. I've learned so much from playing the most popular 5e modules that I wish I did my Homebrew later so I could Implement the lessons I learned from the modules

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think it going to depend person by person. For those friends, it sounds like part of the problem was that they started too big: They tried to make an entire world and fleshed out setting before having the basics down. Maybe a module would’ve absolutely been better for them, but it could’ve also been a problem with simplicity. Still, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and I’m glad you’ve enjoyed the 5e modules!

[@kaylaa2204]

If you’re just making up stats for monsters and ending the fight whenever it’s gone on long enough, you’re not playing a game anymore. The stats mean nothing because you’ll end it when it’s convenient. Me personally if my players overcome something more easily than expected, that’s not a problem. Good for them, and good for me because that tells me I need to amp up the difficulty of encounters in the future. But I don’t like taking away their win because I failed to make a challenging encounter.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I agree, the stats make it so the players are fighting a monster, not fighting you. I think some adjustments are fine, but you have to give them their big wins!

[@007ohboy]

I dont like messing with official content either. It means something to me that I can go from one Forgotten Realms table to the next and the rules and monsters all act as they should in the novels and lore. It feels like a huge universe and not an isolated island. But that's my preference. I dont just run one table, I'm in a lot of Forgotten Realms tables and One Dragonlance. I like being able to talk to another DnD 5E 2024 player and we have very simular experiences whereas some of these heavily homebrewed rules and worlds can just seem alien when you try to tell your DnD buddies about them. Crit fumbles? The heck? You chopped off your own arm? Yeah...I can't relate to that. 😂 I would be like...."oh hells no!"

[@kaylaa2204]

@ it’s more about the principle for me, I find alot of beauty in no two tables being quite the same. And I will homebrew stuff, it’s the concept of changing stuff retroactively during play that puts me off

[@007ohboy]

@@kaylaa2204 Respect. Thanks for listening to my "feefees".

[@katelynslounge9736]

For prep what i learned is just prep events, major npcs, bulletpoints with information and loot NEVER EVER prep solutions thats the players job to figure out

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Problems, not solutions is great advice!

[@MrIdleknight]

My view with character gen is if everyone doesn't have access to the book, then its not available. Hate the idea of players getting buying extra books to get extra options (saw this a lot with 3rd Ed games). So state which books are available as part of session 0. I never touched pre written modules for years, but now with kids, work and other responsibilities, they do make my life a lot easier :-)

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s a solid rule, keeps everything fair! And I’m glad you can keep playing using modules, I think they’re awesome just not for everyone!

[@lucasterable]

Grazie, DM Caparezza!

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

If only I had musical talent!

[@Boss-_]

With the exception of 2, all of these are advice I'd give if I was making a sarcastic video where my goal was to give the worst advice possible. I don't know where you found them, but I easily believe you did, because I've seen and heard some terrible advice myself

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

You can find all sorts of opinions on Reddit! I think most of these do have good intentions, but personally there are better ways to achieve what they’re going for

[@jebporter2505]

I prep one session at a time.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Nothing wrong with that at all!

[@lucasterable]

Why is Silvery Barbs often picked as an example of OP spell, as if everybody uses it? It's not even in the PHB, it's from Strixhaven which nobody owns! 🤷‍♂

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think so many people play on DnD Beyond or use apps where you can have access to all the game’s content that using it is more common than you’d think!

[@007ohboy]

​@@TheBardsCollegeYT2024 DnD Beyond rules pretty much wiped it out. I'm sure you can still pick it up legacy but it's more glaring now. That's one thing I do love about DnD Beyond is that it sets the meta for what most players and DMs should expect. If you can build it on DnD Beyond using 2024 rules and official content, it flies at like 90% of tables online.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That’s fair, it is nice having those standards set out for folks!

[@007ohboy]

@@TheBardsCollegeYT I'll get off my RAI high horse. Just wanted to throw out my "feels". Subbed. And thanks for listening.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

You’re all good, I really do like getting different perspectives in the comments! Thanks for participating, hope to see your comments on more videos!

[@drakegrandx5914]

Comment for you know what (apparently saying it explicitly doesn't work anymore).

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Much appreciated!

[@mechanicat1934]

That advice about running a simple dungeon makes me think you've been doing this awhile. Grabbing some grid paper and making a quick dungeon with some goblins and a couple townsfolk with rumors used to be the standard starter pack. I feel like a lot of newer GMs put themselves in a rough spot by trying to do Lord of the Rings on their first outing and dang, I'd be stressed out too if that was the first thing I ever ran. That ties into the whole don't play modules first thing. Even the basic modules these days are more complicated then what we used to start with in the old AD&D/3e days (When I started). Written poorly too.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

What a great compliment, I probably haven’t been playing as long as you’d think, but I’ll take it! 100% agree, starting small and getting bigger as you go is always a great option!

[@wcamericanmade9828]

Heres the thing, i don't give a shit about encounter balance.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Fair enough!

[@DalfAxolotl]

banning is fair game imo I've had a ban on things for lore reasons for a while ...but my players aren't very receptive of bans and on the fly nerfs the talking advice is nice but it feels like I’m talking against a brick wall, any other advice? I’m not gonna remove them from the campaign or advice like that btw.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

That sucks they aren’t willing to hear you out, I think my advice depends on the situation. Are you in a shorter campaign? I’d let these things stand and then revisit banning them before you start a new one. They might be more receptive to the idea when they aren’t actively playing characters who benefit from them. If that’s not an option, you could try to find a compromise. Maybe a total ban/serious nerf is too much for them, but they’d be willing to make a small alteration? Lastly, you might just need to pick and choose your battles. Maybe they feel like you’re trying to change too much, and so they reflexively push back on everything? Let some small stuff go and focusing on just a couple things you want changed might work better. I hope that helps, good luck!

[@DalfAxolotl]

@ thank you for the advice I'll try my best! I do have one question that might sound a little silly but what would be considered a short campaign vs a long campaign?

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Not silly at all! I really just meant is this the sort of campaign you see going on for maybe a month or two more or potentially a year or longer? If only a few months, you might want to stick it out. Any longer, I’d try to address it!

[@DalfAxolotl]

@ well considering it's a level 3-18 campaign and they're level 7 right now... I'd rather change some stuff on the fly? especially as a dm with like one year of experience.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Yeah, I’d say it’s worth talking with them and trying to make changes if you have that long to go!

[@007ohboy]

You are cool but hard pass on banning stuff. I've played at least 15 tables and half of those were long term campaigns that ran into epic levels. We didn't break the game. As a GM theres nothing you can't do with infinite resources to give your players a challenge. Its been my experience the DMs who ban stuff either don't know the rules/didn't read the limitations of the spell or are not into the "hardwork" it takes to learn how your party fights. Silvery Barbs is not that big of a deal and uses resources. I play 3 Sorcerers and Im telling you right now, I'd rather save my 1 whole reaction for a Shield spell, Absorb Elements or Counterspell. I rarely if ever find a use for Silvery Barbs because my reaction is so precious to me. My DMs are good at anticipating our reactions and keeping us on our toes during trying fights. The Shield spell once again uses a reaction and opens you to other attacks like save or suck attacks. Simulacrum isn't so powerful when you can get a hold of it or cast Dispel with one of your low CR magic users. And it costs a lot of gold. There are VERY few things in 5E 2024 I would outright ban. I can't think of one. What I would respect is a GM who knows the popular tweaks to very popular and recognized issues. Why ban Conjure Elements when you can just tweak it. Instead of 2d8 per spell level, we do 1d8 every spell level which is simular so scale of a very similar spell, Spirit Shroud. Instead of banning the broken combo of a having a super fast Monk grapple creatures and drag them through spike growth until they die after taking massive amounts of damage, just limit the amount of distance one can be drug through a spike growth per round. I really can't think of any other completely insane stuff that doesn't have an easy counter. I know most the tricks and Optimized builds and they all can be wrecked by knowledgeable GMs.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I’m glad you’ve been able to learn so much and don’t have that need! But to be fair, a lot of people don’t have the time, experience or drive to learn how to deal with every scenario. I personally don’t use bans at my table often or at all, but I can still see why having difficult spells or combos would be a nightmare for a new DM. And honestly, if you’re spending the most time preparing the game for everyone, is it that crazy to ask your players not to run certain things to make it more fun for you? I respect your view on things and I’m truly glad you’ve been able to make it all work! But I don’t begrudge those who respectfully have those discussions with their players.

[@007ohboy]

@@TheBardsCollegeYT Hey, glad you're doing what you're doing. We need more people that look like me in the space and I'm glad you're doing well. I'm an old schooler that likes all the new changes 3.0-5E 2024 brought unlike many of my grognard cohorts. DnD started as a rules lite OS system and then decade by decade grew more codified. So many players have come to aspect that they can hop on a table, plug in their digital character sheet and have the DM boot up the game. This "gamey" (rules heavy) system that players like conflicts with some GMs who, as the book explicitly points out, can change or ignore the rules as they have been able to do every edition. And you rightly bring up the point that many GMs don't want to put in the time and energy it takes to learn the system to the point the are a "BG3 video game engine" essentially. While most of DnD is pretty easy to follow, there's a lot of things that aren't intuitive, or are intuitive to the developers but not the new GM. DnD 2014 RAI, If I cast See Invisibility and "see" a Invisible Creature, does that creature retain Advantage to hit me and Disadvantage to being hit by me? (Answer: Yes). 2024 rules, same situation, does the Invis creature retain Invis Condition? (NO). 5E is a great system once you dig through all the books and check Sages Advice. It isn't organized very well. I feel that complaint about not wanting to dig through hours of KZbin videos to learn how to play the game as a GM. Fair enough.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

It really does take a lot of learning and trial and error, but once you do, I think it’s a lot of fun to run! Really cool getting your perspective as someone who’s played a lot longer than I have!

[@RottenRogerDM]

Do not get on you tube and give advice you….. OOPS. NEVER MIND. Evil Grin. NEVER BAN anything is BS. I have seen I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off (the) shoulder of Orion I watched C-beams glitter … Um. Paladins getting a holy avenger at first level. Anything in the Dragon magazine being official. The Complete Book of Elves. 6d6 36 times. Prewritten Content is DM specific. Start Simple is good advice. Gee you should be on you tube and give advice. For people who just want to run a session, canned adventures are great. For those who find joy in the process, knock yourselves out. Yes and works in theatre class but not at the game table. Make up stats. NEVER. THAT IS CALLED FUDGING. The Only Fudge allow is chocolate. Prep various with the gamers, DM, the session, the weather, if the east wind blew from the west.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

Glad I’ve earned my spot on the platform! And you’re right about how much prep varies game to game, just have to find your own fit!

[@Tysto]

Not only should you be honest about dice rolls & hit points (altho fudging to avoid a fluke PC death is okay), but roll for random treasure. The old treasure type tables basically made adventures gambling (scaled to the monster's threat), & that's a lot of fun. Being gifted whatever the DM thinks you deserve is anticlimactic.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I think a balance of both is good: Treasure tables for some big hordes and finds, but also party/player-specific loot you know they’ll like and be able to use. But there’s no denying that rolling for loot is fun!

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

I ban certain races and books in my game. It’s how I want to run, I don’t ban a lot. I have never used a module except to steal ideas from it. I like “no but”. I bend rules as they are only guidelines. I use the stat blocks up to a point. One shoting the BBEG happens sometimes. I enjoy prepping but I’ve had to improv a lot too. I only prep one session at a time.

[@TheBardsCollegeYT]

I'm glad you know what you like and how you want to run your games! Half the battle is just figuring out what works for you and what doesn't!

[@Nastara]

Great advice on prep. Thats pretty much how I learned to see it. It shouldn’t be minimum prep it’s minimum prep for you. And so in a way that doesn’t lock players in but makes you ready to play and adapt.