Downtime | Running the Game

[@T1J]

the best is when your players say they want to do something that you planned to happen anyway

[@Tharrel]

This youtube world is so small. I watch you for your political insight, and here you are commenting about dnd :D

[@scottlewis9947]

It is the best

[@knightsilverthesoulsenjoyer]

@Mario Vicente Shut up, I've seen you here before.

[@andythedestro12]

Ayyy t1j! Happy to see you here too ☺️

[@mylesfrancisco814]

you probably dont give a damn but does anyone know of a way to log back into an instagram account..? I stupidly forgot my account password. I appreciate any assistance you can offer me!

[@postmodernguava9518]

"So, what did everyone do on their own adventures?" "I became a duke and got a cool new shield!" "I started a new elf civilization in the forest!" ... "I accidentally released an ancient evil when trying to release a different ancient evil."

[@drunkenhobgoblin417]

If I had a copper piece every time that happened...

[@WhatsUpGazpacho]

You release an ancient evil to make sure an ancient evil is released

[@drunkenhobgoblin417]

“Wait! Did you mean to release my husband!?! Looks around at ritual circle...”no my unholy Queen, er... yup. It was totally you I was looking to free...” “Totally you my queen...”

[@Yora21]

Lot's of people say Death Frost Doom most likely will destroy the campaign setting. I think it's actually a great setup to create great big campaigns that follow it.

[@FlyingDominion]

Now I want to watch a group intentionally release an ancient evil just so they can properly kill it. "Planar Binding, check. Walls of Force, check. Anti-teleportation, check. Dozens of counterspell casters as backup, check. Emergency wishes, check. Slim ready to go supernova chainsaw, check."

[@justinbell9558]

When Matt mentioned arcades: “Don’t cite the deep magic to me, witch! I was there when it was written!”

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

Man, I really hate that he probably needed to explain what an arcade was in this age.

[@richmcgee434]

When's the last time you saw a proper arcade, instead of something like Dave & Busters where the games are just part of the draw? Been well over two decades for me. When I was a kid the local malls all had one, and the top mall had three at one point. Entire generation of kids out there that never even thought of shoveling their quarters into a coin slot - instead of paying for online microtransactions. :)

[@fucnamesnow]

I see arcades all the time buuut I’m currently in Japan and their everywhere it’s pretty awesome.

[@lulubugs2752]

Still got one at the mall where I live

[@JetstreamGW]

@@bazzfromthebackground3696 I don't understand why you would have to explain arcades. They're all over the place. They're just not usually stand-alone. Main Event. Dave and Busters. Blazer Tag... And hell, sometimes they ARE stand-alone. www.yelp.com/biz/pinballz-arcade-austin

[@quinns4560]

"You did what?" Oh man, those are the best D&D moments. I love this game.

[@jakubcanis5076]

It was my first question as a DM when one of my player toss a magic item into a big magical bomb "mythallar " (it's not technically a bomb but a magic device made with raw magic.... players don't want to inspect it but only to destroy this thing. I was a little bit sad but I know that this thing should be fairly unstable) And then only made a nice description how they melt into a stream of magic. It was a nice end of campaing tho :D

[@Levyathyn]

"I teleported 600 miles away to a dragon covered snowy peak and met a dwarf tree centaur mage who's gonna help me raise an army."

[@brennanruiz1803]

That “You what.” was really relatable. I feel that way a lot when my players decide to do things.

[@Fatespinner]

My players have heard this from NPC's quite a bit.

[@StevangarCronox]

Sure is. *tired but a tiny bit amused sigh*

[@GuardianTactician]

Wizard: Did you steal the book from The Xanathar? Rogue: No, I stole the goldfish. Wizard: You WHAT?!

[@brennanruiz1803]

Thomas Eddy That’s a big yikes right there.

[@anthonynorman7545]

@@GuardianTactician someone is begging for death!

[@Roak199]

I know it's random, but I genuinely love watching your videos purely because of the constant smiling. You genuinely make everything feel like childlike wonder, and I can't tell you how much that is appreciated.

[@d-risky4994]

ObliviousMuse YESSS he is a magic man and I am going to become wealthy solely to pay Matt to DM for me ❤️

[@ricochet666]

I completely agree. He has very magnetic charisma

[@smirk-in-progress4800]

agreed!

[@LordVader1094]

DUUUDE YES you finally put into words what makes me enjoy every single one of his videos!

[@pallenda]

ObliviousMuse what a nice comment! :D

[@T1J]

i've been running storm king's thunder for a few months, and it's been like 75% downtime lol

[@UntoTheBreach24]

Storm King's Under a Lot of Pressure Right Now and is Taking Some Time for Himself

[@smokinyou4312]

About to start that soon as a player, any tips?

[@T1J]

@@smokinyou4312 As a player...hmm. I'd say ask a lot of questions (unless it pisses your DM off, don't ruin the game for them!). SKT has a lot of details that are not immediately obvious. So you want to squeeze out as much info as you can get. Another approach is to just engage with the world as a clueless observer and just marvel at the wild stuff that's going on. If you're cool with that approach, that might be better. But in my experience, players are usually pretty frustrated when they lack info.

[@cosmoreverb3977]

Yoo it's T1J! Was not expecting to see you here of all places.

[@isaiahsabo4728]

Insane crossover

[@SloganMotion]

12:48 "We may be almost done with this video!" *12 more minutes left*

[@fabiovalerio2958]

I was looking or this comment :D

[@piece1309]

Almost made it myself lol

[@anthonynorman7545]

+

[@Milkb0t]

*writes script for video* *at 12 minute mark say "we may almost be done with the video"*

[@jkhart]

So was the rest a side quest?! 😎

[@peasant_purple]

I see your old DM's Black Company reference. Edit: my suspicions are confirmed literally a minute later.

[@richmcgee434]

Yeah, I heard "Dominator" and immediately thought "great cats, the player hasn't read Black Company, has he?" Well, maybe he can join the Ten Who Were Taken, they have periodic openings for new members. :)

[@TheMikeLyons]

@@richmcgee434 It's really like the 37 Who Were Taken by this point. Doesn't have the same "snap" to it though.

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

First thing I thought of. It's been years since I read The Black Company so I'm glad I remembered the reference.

[@hangriat9376]

Matt Colville and Crew constantly talk about the Black Company

[@michaelhall-oc4nj]

My group speed ran Curse of Strahd and it took us a year.

[@georgedenny9446]

michael hall my friends an I did it in a semester, and honestly we could play it again and have an entirely different game. We rolled really luckily and happened into a lot of the key items

[@Belgand]

It's so bizarre to me that modern D&D has focused around these with no single adventures that can easily be used in any campaign or mixed in. They're simultaneously too long for adventures but also too short and overly focused on a singular narrative for a traditional years-long, open-ended campaign. I want to partly blame Paizo for the success of their adventure paths and the recent fixation on making everything published an expensive, lavish, full color hardcover. There's no longer a space for the classic black and white booklet modules or inexpensive softcover sourcebooks.

[@simulatedfish1995]

@@Belgand "The DMs guild disliked that"

[@ZetHololo]

The “Waterdeep heist “ adventure is not really a heist at all! If anything, it’s a downtime adventure that gives the players a project (their own tavern) and encourages them to align themselves with different city faction, each and every one of which present different ambitions and avenues to grow

[@jimmyhill5079]

That was a bummer. I had to build my own heist into it.

[@wrennthewizard144]

And it has Jarlaxle, who is my fovourite published villain

[@Alaplaya9]

Definitely a valid point. I think the difference between the "Tavern management minigame" and tables of sidequests in that adventure and the definition of downtime Matt used in this video is basically the personal touch, something that a published product just can't account for. But it's important to note that different adventures follow different narrative structures as well as different gameplay stuctures. It's not as homogeneous as Matt makes it out to be in the beginning.

[@Torvik40]

@@jimmyhill5079 I've not played or run Dragon Heist myself, but I've heard good things about the Alexandrian's remix, which makes it into an actual heist: thealexandrian.net/wordpress/41217/

[@jpventorim]

@@Torvik40 That remix is super famous and looks pretty good. I for instance couldn't implement it because it's super complex and I wouldn't have time. Now, about to finish the adventure with my own twists, I regret this decision. There's a point in the book that everything is just empty. Like they didn't bother to finish properly or whatever, it's really disapointing.

[@juansabalero2008]

Next book: "Downtime & B plots"

[@FelipeTuller]

I would totally buy that book!

[@anthonynorman7545]

King of Kickstarter get it done!

[@BossTripp1]

Yes, take my money

[@gideonwaithbraite]

I would totally get this!

[@goodsprotyousif6010]

My D&D campaign is heavily inspired by these videos, and it makes me happy to find I’m starting to get ahead of the curve. One player missed the last session when all the players got captured and jailed in a mine. Due to the plan they enacted to escape, they had to leave that player behind in the torture masters cell. The players kept apologising to me and wondering how to explain it it the player. I immediately told them to stop, and not even think about telling the player. The story isn’t over, it’s a story that happens without you, and if he lives or dies will depend on him, not you. You’ll also only know when we get to the next group session. He’ll either turn up with a new character or not. The tension and excitement for that game went from regret to super excitement.

[@Sevish]

Did he come back with a new character or not? :)

[@goodsprotyousif6010]

Sevish I got him in a solo session in which he escaped through his own methods in the madness running down a random corridor with 2 other prisoners. Then did a second session with 2 other friends joining for a one shot with them playing the other fleeing prisoners with their own desire to live/alignments. He did manage to get away in the end and was found through magics several months later. His original character concept was a bard who had lost his muse. Now he was trying to recall his escape through the delirium of pain, malnourishment and panic as a new play, staging his two escapies as 2 sides of his psyche rather than actual people. He’s now been asked to perform his smash hit in front of the king.

[@Sevish]

@@goodsprotyousif6010 that's amazing, thanks for sharing that

[@Humorless_Wokescold]

Listening to that "The Dominator" story just has me gobsmacked. No wonder everyone hates wizards lmao

[@RandyKnapp]

Go read The Black Company by Glen Cook!

[@nyaboron9239]

and because they're huge nerds

[@WhatsUpGazpacho]

Wizards are the moral philosophers of D&D. Everybody hates them

[@FlyingDominion]

@@WhatsUpGazpacho Is that a The Good Place reference?

[@goblinbastard603]

... Wizard good

[@trobot22]

Matt is so right, as a DM side quests are so fun. My favorite was after a lost battle with a necromancer, the one dead party member was brought back to life managed to escape using dimension door, stole a horse, then failed a bunch of stealth does an other dimension jumping off the horse to avoid the enemies into a barn then in a last stand burns the barn with a whole bunch of enemies still inside killing them all. This was an afternoon on facebook chat that won't forget, it was so cool

[@solsystem1342]

Yea, sometimes I don't think players realize how much of dming is plucking different ideas from the void until you get some that go well together.

[@BaDSPLeR]

Matt, the quality is through the roof. The little effects and cuts really add a load of flavour.

[@bmos02]

Improv: Yes, and DMing: Yes, but

[@JorisVDC]

Keep it at 'Yes and...' Players should describe what their character wants to do. So you say 'Yes and while you try to convince the king of giving the hand of his daughter to you, you realize that only nobility is able to marry nobility.' If the player rolled good enough, he gets away with complementing the king with the beauty of his daughter. When he fails miserably, he gets thrown in jail for suggesting that the princess is not worthy of a proper husband and should marry below her status.

[@eamartig]

Joris Vander Cammen Yes, but you have to roll a check to get away with that

[@Goose_BW]

@@eamartig you have to roll a check to not get your head removed from your shoulders

[@euansmith3699]

"... melted my friend, Dave's, war elephant." :D :D :D That was another great video. Thank you.

[@MeltUp3]

When I played as a teenager all our missions were player motivated. Someone wanted to build a coluseum but needed gold so we killed a dragon and sold it's skin. Someone wanted to be the advisor to a king so we planed to insert that character into the royal court and then killed the sitting advisor. Our DM never had to plan anything in advance.

[@LawsonPhoenix89]

As much as I've enjoyed learning about how to DM through this series, maybe the best gift this channel has given me was learning about the Black Company novels.

[@richmcgee434]

You can certainly do worse than read Cook's work. Don't skip Dread Empire either. In fact, don't skip anything. The man's never written a bad book, although some of the later BC books are a tad off on the pacing.

[@ACShotRun]

it's funny and impressive how easy it is to rewatch your videos every once in a while and find new things to be inspired by

[@XanothAvaeth]

Would love to see MCDM release modules with all those writers you're working with. Loved old modules way more than WotC's current releases (which are good).

[@danlangford9434]

I wholeheartedly agree! It was so nice back in the days of AD&D to have modules that you could link together and create your own style and pace of game play.

[@jkhart]

I completely agree. Sometimes you want a meal, not a full meal plan. And that is what the (wonderful and high quality) published hardcover adventures represent - a full meal plan.

[@Belgand]

@@jkhart It's like subscribing to get three meals a day for a month instead of being able to just buy a sandwich or a slice of pizza. There was a lot more flexibility in the past. It's a very negative development. Published adventures are great to incorporate into what you're doing on your own, but these utterly replace it.

[@zentark360]

"It shouldn't be about the DM's approval. It should be about the player's commitment.... Make the decision. We'll figure it out as we go." (My best takeaway from this. That statement announces a great DM. I believe that statement is the heart and soul of DND.)

[@archer111000]

Every single time Matt talks about his DM Brad, it makes me so happy. I want to thank that guy for contributing to Matt, and therefore all of us. Thank you Brad!

[@roboticus9518]

It couldn't be Matt Colville's most important video without him saying "the video is almost done" when there's still 50% remaining. By the way, I love this. When I DM I vastly prefer running the game for characters with their own goals than creating my own adventure from scratch. Yeah, there are villains and dangers in the world, but you will get so much more out of the game if you *want* something.

[@thehulkster9434]

Making stealth rolls while playing D&D at work - it's always tough to tell if your stealth is in game or IRL

[@justinleflar8695]

I have to say ive ingested over 57 videos of yours in 15 days, and damn sir, well done. Your presentation, commentary, insight, attitude, mannerisms, all top notch. Well done and as a DM, thank you.

[@cassandracole4589]

I don't know if it's the most important video he's done, but it's a favorite for me. It's a little validating to want that kind of pacing back. Makes me nostalgic.

[@asgerlakkenborg2435]

Having watched pretty much all 86 of your running the game videos, this probably *is* the most important one I've seen so far. I love the idea of downtime, but have often been frustrated with how to integrate it properly into my game sessions, under the mistaken assumption that basically everything significant in the campaign should happen during said sessions. From the bottom of my nerdy heart, thank you for making this video, because I think this has the potential to revolutionize my games.

[@violetsapphire952]

Yay, I just caught myself wishing Matt would post.

[@arialance24]

Wow returning to this video after the "How long should an Adventure be?" video helped me get even more out of this video than I did when I first saw it. The point that we should run modules instead of big adventures is a good idea, and this video helps illustrate the cool things you can do with that style!

[@daverevisions2843]

This is easily one of my favorite aspects of running D&D just on play by post in Discord. Splitting the party, solo adventures, personal goals, all so much easier to do than at a table. Great video.

[@WayoftheFerret]

Not playing in person is like drinking La Croix instead of a soda; you understand everything it's supposed to be, but you notice everything it isn't.

[@sebbychou]

This really help me recontextualize what I've been missing since AD&D, a personal player-GM relationship that has eroded slowly over time. I miss running that stuff and have consistantly "failed" to bring it back except for the occasional really invested player.

[@WayoftheFerret]

the game isn't what it used to be, that's for sure.

[@adambirch6466]

Your old DM mining The Dominator right out of The Black Company is such a classic DM move.

[@braedenaldridge8452]

After watching this video my son and I ran a solo adventure with a sidekick character that was left back at town to wait for the party. We just ran on the fly, and I lead it to end up with the character just making it to the place where the main party is, as they were just captured, and a little boy from the family he saved knew where the bandits were taking his friends. It was the first time I saw my son totally get into the game and was so pumped at the end. As his main character is a old dwarf, but the sidekick is a human fighter close to his age. It was literally the most fun we have had the entire time.

[@LucaHMafra]

Damn, this video is insanely good. I find myself returning to it without fail from time to time to keep it fresh in my memory. Good job, Matt.

[@vitsavicky]

For the longest time I was trying to figure out how to get my old group together to play D&D. We have all moved all around the country and some even out of the country so getting together in one place is next to impossible. But with this it may actually be possible to get together for one weekend every couple of months to run a proper adventure and then spend all the time in between on individual "sidequests". Thank you! I will give this a shot!

[@tristancotton7222]

Wow, this video is so well polished. I live the increased level of production that you have acquired due to the Kickstarters and patreon. I also enjoyed your failing forward analogy with the rescue mission, which I think would be aided if you had narrative dice in your new sci-fi RPG. Tldr: nice video. Narrative dice are good.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

Lord of the Rings Online is my beyond-the-table itch scratcher. - - I have not used a pre-written module or setting since before Drizzt got his first book. - - I ran a downtime session for a friend's paladin as he was visiting me in the hospital. We had no books, no character sheets, and no dice, but it was fun, and has influenced the game at the table. - - Great video, and thank you. And yes, I learned something, and we all know that this... this is all we have. Peace to you.

[@PhilipAitken]

15:20 might be the best piece of d&d advice I've ever heard.

[@denialbane1845]

This video changed the course of my first full D&D game I dungeon mastered completely. I watched this, and when my players finished the first arc of my game, slaying goblins in the Scarlet forests of bekmear, saving the town from the hobgoblin cheiftan empowered by the higher level threat necroest, after they finished partying and drinking snd being given titles and gold, I let the heroes disperse. They all took their horses, and went off to do different things in my world. The wood elven ranger wanted to rebuild wood elven society, as his tribe had been burned down in his backstory, so he went to search for more wood elves, and the bard tagged along. The dragonborn barbarian had amassed a small unit of kobolds while fighting the goblins, who worshipped him like a God, and they believed that more of their kind were being held captive by a group of underdark dwarves, so he went to free them and add to his forces. The fighter had attained a fancy magic sword, the sword of blackened steel, during their adventures, and wanted to have it identified by a wizard. Since mages were hunted in my world, this would require a long hunt. The high elven wizard of the party tagged along with him, since he also wanted to find a high level wizard, as he had yet to meet another magic user outside of his elven home, and wanted to see what he could be taught. When the fighter and wizard searched for this high level wizard, they found him, were trained by him, the fighter even found a high level warrior he was with, so each PC had a high level mentor. Then, the kingdom of illustria found them too. The high level wizard escaped through a dimension door, the PC wizard pretended to betray the fighter, joining illustria temporarily, and the fighter was put in jail, along with his mentor. This led to a year long game, with the party reuniting, killing the king of illustria as he was about to execute the fighter, being chased down by the blood guard, narrowly escaping through the cities sewer system, with both mentors dying to the blood guard, and the players vowing revenge. Over the course of a year, characters achieved their goals, went across the seas to the continent of Obias, leveled up, some died, and new characters joined in their place. All slowly gaining the skills, the armies, the magic weapons, to seige illustria, slay the blood knights, and kill the queen, the last royalty of illustria. The players ended the game as kings and lords, Drajyre the ranger the chief of the wood elves of Autumnhold, Ajax the invincible, wielder of the sword of blackened steel, new king of illustria, to reforge the kingdom to ideals of good and justice, Huktuks the barbarian becoming war leader of Suminstrial, capital of Obias. All because of downtime, where the players decided what they wanted to do, instead of me deciding for them. I have you to thank for a fantastic game, for good stories, and for 5 friends I have grown much closer to, I have went through high school with, and who I now run new d&d games for, all of them brilliant players now, in their own ways. Thank you, for giving me the confidence to dungeon master, and evolve my participation in the hobby, discover my love of storytelling, and begin my own writing endeavors. You are a river to your people.

[@Calebgoblin]

I needed this topic! It's indubitably important! As always thank you so much for your content. I am a prolific game master due to your advice and encouragement!

[@Chrisprusse]

He's really discussing how the game gets better as the DM and players collaborate creatively and make bold choices. Not everyone is going to want to play a sandbox style game, or do Westmarches style side quests, but the whole group benefits when players work with the DM to make their character stories distinct parts of the action. It's more memorable and satisfying.

[@Boxvoko]

Matt Colville is one of two channels where I actually did "ring the bell" on KZbin, out of the 100 or so I'm subscribed to!

[@JackToSquareOne]

I have watched this video multiple times and it has changed the way my table runs in the best ways. My players request one on one play constantly now due to the implementation of Downtime both a mechanic I added and in the actual slow moments in our games. Thank you for the videos you've made and please keep making them. Your goal of making new GMs is working, from a DM who would have never tried D&D in a million years until watching your videos.

[@paullyons6846]

A somewhat related complaint I’ve had for a long time about D&D and the mega-adventure style of play is that the level progression happens really quickly in world. That is to say, I’ve seen campaigns go from level one to ten in just a few months of in-game time. Meaning that the PCs go from struggling with kobolds and goblins to fighting beholders and dragons in about the time it takes to do a semester of school. I feel like incorporating downtime and having a series of shorter adventures may help preserve credulity and prevent that super rapid rise in power. It would also give the PCs a chance to have a life of their own outside side of adventuring.

[@jkhart]

Paul Lyons completely agree!! I’ve noodled over this a lot. How would the status quo powers react? These new guys could easily be a threat, not because of alignment but because they are babes in the wood and naive about existing power dynamics among the major forces and factions. Exceptional Origin or Destiny? Not many others ever advance at this rate. So something is different, remarkable about the PCs, relative to other level NPCs. What is it? Other NPCs might think there is something to ‘get’ . But it all comes back to this exceptionally fast rise in power (and how the characters even know how to handle their new powers).

[@Ramperdos]

I've been running an urban city campaign and after quests there have been x weeks of downtime. My players have loved the fact that they can use their tools, contacts and guilds during these as much as they want.

[@becpuss]

This is how we play. We don't get to meet as a group very often so in the week and months in between, we have the choice to solo with the DM and develop our characters and explore their individual goals. I love it, it's the time I get to know my character best.

[@MN-cr5jh]

For anyone stoked about these concepts (open-ended downtime, character ambition, complex and variable failure states) I gotta HIGHLY recommend reading and playing Blades in the Dark

[@AzraelThanatos]

The big thing that hits me here is that the downtime rules and these are very different things with it. The downtime rules are intended to be something that's a basic thing and for how long it takes along with various other things of the sort. Selling, crafting, day to day running a business, and the like fit for downtime stuff. It's stuff that isn't an adventure, the things that aren't really going to be much in the way of drama or much else. Solo adventures are what seem to fit your take of things. It's an event there. It's something to actually do that isn't just a day to day thing. For example, giving downtime days might lead to some solo adventures in things (Look at the complications and other things for it), but at the same time, it might be something like the wizard scribing into their spellbook while the rogue decides to steal some things and the fighter might go on a short trip to visit an old mentor, the cleric spends some time in the local chapel, while the ranger tracks down some wolves to find a mate for his animal companion... All of it works with downtime days, the Wizard and the Cleric might just be passing the time with the occasional rolls (Arcana checks to understand the spellbook they're getting it from, the cleric might make religion checks for it), the others having their mini-adventures that are timed by how long their downtime is before they're supposed to meet up. Sure, having the Barbarian spending a good chunk of his gold on a drinking binge might hit both, a couple con saves that ended up failing might have them waking up to deal with some idiots trying to rob him when he passed out in the street, or they already did and he's trying to get his sword back without embarrassing himself about needing the help to find his pants. You might also have downtime for characters that miss an adventure or part of it, explaining it as them down something else before showing up (My character was putting the finishing touches on this new weapon or armor he'd been making, sorry, I'm late there) or even give them a solo adventure to explain that they were waylaid by a couple bandits along the way. Both are major things in the game, and it helps cover things like the time one character spent a week cooking in the inn along with another coming out of a blackout drunk period to find himself in a cistern that's slowly filling with water. It would be fun to play the escape from the water while it might get boring to cover the time doing a day job. Solo adventures should mean something to the player, even if it's just a good story, if it's not, well, a bit of downtime days tends to work better than forcing soap opera plot into things.

[@thomasrhoads4316]

What a nice birthday present, a Colville video!

[@thomasrhoads4316]

This is one of my favorite Colville videos ever. I do so much with my players in downtime and it really is true you get the most personal moments and developments in the 'side' stories.

[@MrSilvUr]

Happy birthday!

[@thomasrhoads4316]

@@MrSilvUr Thank you!

[@Dorian_sapiens]

Happy birthday! 💐

[@MrSilvUr]

@@thomasrhoads4316 :-D

[@TheHonzoh]

You're right Matt, this has been the most influential and important of your videos for me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. This helped kindle my love for dm-ing as it gave me the missing link of my puzzle. The info you gave me in this video made it all come together. Thank you once more, for shining the light on the game i love so much.

[@zacharynemirovsky8358]

Matt at 12:47 - "We may be almost done with this video" The Video: Goes on for another 10 minutes. Classic Matt!

[@seangibbons4713]

We implemented personal ambitions downtime between sessions to engage people 1:1 away from the table, and it skyrocketed in popularity for our group. It provides so much anticipation for upcoming sessions, and something for the players to tell each other at the start of a session recap.

[@DMKen]

I know it's going to be a good day when Uncle Matt uploads a video.

[@dinodan5367]

I know this message will probably never get seen but this is probably the most impactful video from Matt. These ideas have promoted me to being a much better dm and I've shared this with so many new dms that wanted to start playing. The tools this gives you not only to helps develop individual stories for characters but it allows you to create/introduce new plots that players feel personally attached to or introduce lore that players will care about and use. In the years since I started doing downtime my games have been much more enjoyable for both my players and I. Thank you Matt.

[@mpmpmp2727]

When I'm DMing, I try to build the entire capaign around my character's motivations, so that every session, every story arc is as personal as Matt describes here. It isn't necessary for the group to separate for the characters to have interesting character arcs. Just let them all quest for whatever that one character wants! That's how I like to run d&d. (P.S: sorry about my english)

[@spacesandshark2418]

Absolutely, this is how I think everyone should DM. Oh, a vampire murdered your family and you now want revenge? Well guess what, now the campaign's big baddy is a vampire.

[@FerreusDeus]

Too few DMs do this. It's how I roll, too. My world, their story. 100% sandbox.

[@Lurklen]

Your english is good, I would not have known it was not your first language.

[@fungmunk5767]

@@spacesandshark2418 Mercer are you in there?

[@nuruisake]

I love the net because of the wealth of knowledge you gift. Even now, 3 ish years from when you dropped this video, I'm coming back to get inspired.

[@AraujoDaisuki]

Matt is like the Budha of tabletop rpgs. "Here's something I did, but you can do it whatever way it suits you"

[@ZakRoks487]

I'm a Dm, and my players do downtime sorta like the book says, where they buy property sometimes and run businesses (but ive homebred it a lot to make it a bit less like a mini game and more RP heavy) and do other stuff, including look up lore and pursue minor character goals (such as the warlock in my group trying to collect books about riches so he may learn how to become one) . But we've also done a few side quests, one of which was sort of an accident. We were between adventures and wrapping up the parties downtime, and the next plot line was going to deal heavily with a PC's backstory, but an hour before the session, he said he couldn't come because of family issues, and so at the last minute, I designed a side quest to free a druids land from a dragon in exchange for using her magic to grow the crops at the Paladin's farm. The Paladin actually ended up dying and being Revivified after the dragon battle, but for a one-off session that happened purely because a player couldn't make it, it was a very fun side quest and the players loved it! Sidequests are a very fun thing to break up the style of play, whether with one player or the whole party

[@xBlacksStarx]

There's a major factor you missed here: It's important for the players to INFORM the other players about their offtime adventures. Imagine if that Ghoul came back and told no one he saved her, she was just given to a temple to be healed and she had no idea how she got there. That's whats going on in my own campaign. A character goes off on their own adventures and refuses to tell anyone what they do. And it's really annoying.

[@danielfloresdevalgaz4576]

I mean, if you're the DM, can't you punish that activity or notify the other players regardless of her actions? If you're a fellow player, talk to the player and the DM about informing your party.

[@xBlacksStarx]

@@danielfloresdevalgaz4576 no this is a problem some dms think is ok. 'if this player doesn't want to share what they're doing that's their choice' but some players abuse this and never share anything and dms miss this.

[@danielfloresdevalgaz4576]

@@xBlacksStarx I mean I meant this specifically applying to you

[@xBlacksStarx]

@@danielfloresdevalgaz4576 I'm not the DM. I'm a player who's seeing another player do this and the DM thinks this is fine and it's maddening.

[@isupposethisismynmw640]

I don’t think that’s a problem, if it’s personal and they have no reason to tell the party they shouldn’t.

[@dustinpeterson5920]

Nothing encourages me to be a better DM more than Colville's videos. Thanks Matt.

[@danielbridges4762]

Your TIMING IS IMPECCABLE! LIterally my party is doing downtime tomorrow and I was looking for things for them to do!

[@beardalaxy]

Over the past few months I have watched every single Running the Game video and I've gotta' say, this stuff has helped my campaign and my first time DMing immensely. There are even some great nuggets of info in here regarding making video games which I do as well :) thanks for all your work Matt!

[@Lazy-Monkey]

That is something I really liked about the older editions of AD&D where characters could attract followers and establish strongholds and the like. It was a mechanic already in the game, which naturally led to incorporating such ideas into the games. A whole lot of my early games were with just two or three people including the DM. A whole lot of fun to be had.

[@CuriosityCore101]

I genuinely did not realize running a game for a single player was possible. This video completely blew my mind and incorporating this as a possibility in the campaign I'm planning will not only fit perfectly with what I already have planned but will help solve a problem I've been trying to work out for ages. (Also this just sounds insanely fun.) This is my favorite video yet!

[@jacobaudette543]

Self-directed player downtime is something I love about Invisible Sun. It comes baked into the game. Your players' progress toward (and away from) their individual goals is how they advance their characters. Also, there are pretty robust rules for running scenes in the games development mode away from the table between sessions.

[@turnt_barbarian]

I've been running a campaign for the last 3 years with friends. For the first 2 years we played short self contained quests that I'd occasionally pepper with details of my overarching plot. About a year ago I threw the culmination of these details at my party in a final session and then took a 3 month break from DMing. I've picked up again and we're back to playing regularly, only now they have one set goal, to correct the fallout from the big session before the break. In the 3 month break I found it hard to get players to participate in downtime. I had certain players try to learn new languages and one took the time to multiclass from fighter into paladin, but everyone else seemed happy to just pass a year in game keeping the status quo. I'll admit I was kind of disappointed, I thoughy they would be more invested. I'm planning on doing something similar soon, but with a new perspective from this video

[@roticet]

It prolly wasnt the fact that they weren't invested, they just werent interested in downtime because it didnt feel like it was part of the "grand adventure". Half of my group enjoys the downtime, others find it monotonous.

[@aliceconnors5842]

I think this relates to the way Brennan Lee Mulligan talks about running his home game, that if not all the players can turn up to the decided upon session everyone still plays, but they play with different characters, usually in another part of the world, so that you can flesh out more of your setting and have the players’ knowledge expand without extra exposition. I’ve always wanted to try it

[@SippinPsilocybin]

Matt at 12:47 : We may be almost done with the video

[@jfarrar19]

I mean, it is more than 50% of the video.

[@grimmlydead]

Loved the little animations in this video.

[@tamingdragons1313]

What a great video and the editing/effects are amazing! I love that "The Dominator" story worked out so well for your DM, I can only imagine the glee Brad felt, when Dave had to tell the group what he did xD Also, to be honest, I've actually never considered doing downtime stuff away from the table (which might stem from the fact that my groups tend to play long epics and downtime happens at the table) but I'll definitely have to keep it in mind for my next game!

[@DerrickUtz]

Matt, I cannot thank you enough for this series! I'm still in the early part of them but between this and Critical Roll you all have helped me get off to a great start with a game I am designing for my kids and their friend. I have used the basics of the D&D system and written the rest and created a new game world that is what I am hoping to be rich and intricate that encourages their imaginations. It's an environment/world that I have been thinking about for a long time but was really nervous about running it. Now, with all of this study, I feel like I am equipped to design the system, the play order and the wild, unique world and I can introduce them to the world of table top gaming. Its thrilling to be able to create this and bring my children into it with their imaginations to play, thank you for helping me with this! (they are 10 and 14 and their friend is 11 and her dad plays in my game too!)

[@TheADHDM]

This video just made something click. I think this might be the biggest lightbulb moment I've had in a decade of DMing.

[@malkavian2]

Still one of my favourite vids, come back to it often and it has had a massive effect on my campaign

[@griffenrobinette3944]

"You did what?" 😂😂😂 i laughed out loud

[@jordanenda6019]

This video solidifies a concept that has been in my mind but I have never been able to put to words.

[@ReconKeeper212]

Colville at 7 in the morning? Sounds great!

[@DM_Dad]

I did this for a group that includes my wife. She was the only one who really went beyond basic tasks and die rolling. But we went all out with hers. I was able to impart some useful info for the main campaign and develop characters and story beats she became really attached to. She can't wait for more.

[@thegiantmimir4664]

I've written extensive house rules supporting downtime activities. There are rules for 'off-screen' action which introduces unexpected catastrophes, strokes of luck, contacts, diseases, family etc. Players can take more risk for potentially greater reward. Some of the activities can be moved on-screen. There is a definite gap in 5E for supporting DMs and players to explore character richness through 'downtime' activities. Some characters can make 'solo albums' and they can be superb - and reflect well on the main game.

[@ehrenrohbock901]

My internal monologue: "Why does this sound so familiar?" "Oh yeah, Patreon!"

[@StayinFoxy]

Just found this video, but it explains an idea I've had for a couple months about running a game better than I ever could. I need to send this video to my players.

[@joegirard3681]

I love how much your group(s) borrow from Black Company.

[@virginiamooney4105]

I absolutely love between-session solo adventures. a few weeks ago, my DM and I texted a side quest over the course of a few days. my rogue absconded into the night by herself, talked to a dragon in a mural, picked up a contract to assassinate the Empress who is a vampire, almost drowned in a morgue, had a bath, staged a rescue mission, and got herself a girlfriend all before dawn. I. Love. Side Quests.

[@KAJlogic]

I've never played, but I am super interested in being a GM. I remember first time I EVER seen dnd; I was deployed over seas and my corpsman and a few of our com Marines were playing. As an infantry Marine I didn't get much downtime on deployment, but I was half sleeping half listening, and before long I started actually getting it. Crazy fucks playing DND on deployment, but I got it as their way of coping with everything. I never played then (no chance I would have the time). But, now that I am home I think I could use some DND...

[@ghosttraintittiebeaan4879]

hey, i hope u got into it~ cool story. ttrpgs are a respite from my own pain, being able to put myself into the foundations of a world is better than therapy

[@Dohlenblick]

This is my favourite video of this series so far. Also, the 1on1 with Gertz was probably the only P&P Stream I completely watched. The promise of chain solo-stories fills me with warm, toe-wiggly anticipation.

[@connorhennessey1316]

Arekaed... What is this Arekaed you speak off old sage! ;P

[@samsampier7147]

Darn kids with their arcades and vinyl records and moon boots.

[@cameronframent8976]

Hands down the best session of my group’s first campaign was when we bought a haunted tavern. About 50% real estate hijinks 20% mortgage negotiations 20% fighting ghosts 5% main plot and the rest straight bullsh**. At the end we had a tavern with rooms to rent and rooms for us, paid employees, and the soul of a ghost trapped in a tree in the dining room.

[@jordanwolfe607]

"We may be almost done with this video" 13 minutes into a 23 minute video :)

[@TheDelver]

It really took me four years to realize that this whole story was about the Black Company! I know it was said in the video, but it completely passed me by when I had not read the book.

[@grokka]

I got to try this out for the first time during a recent online campaign. It was very effective as a way to do downtime and give me a break. I did kind of a mix of some of the Xanathar's downtime mechanics, but also each player had things they wanted to do. So one found out she had a gate to hell in her head, another died and was brought back by his sword...though now touched by the spirit of a banshee, another delved into the crypt of a wizard and retrieved a piece of his rod and the final player, mostly just did research but even he had a field trip to the site of his teacher's death and found a link to what may have killed them. Doing it separately from the regular play session both lightened the load on me and gave each player time in the spotlight.

[@BrianKyleMcCord]

My group and I rotate DMs. Downtime is important. One of my friends runs a very epic scale game centered on a grand war and several different objects of power. Downtime in that game has led to a secondary character of one of the other players (who first came about in a one-shot) coming out of retirement to battle the bad guys because my character wanted to but couldn’t actively rebel. It also led to my first characters death, the full details of which are still not completely clear to the party. In the game I run, downtime led one character to realize that another was a serial killer while he was away on an adventure.

[@jneff39]

This. This right here is what my campaign needs. With scheduling conflicts and different player interests, this is what I need to try.

[@JirkaKunst]

12:46/23:11 "We may be almost done with this video, because I don't know what else to tell you (...)" Great joke, sir!

[@dropdeadinsanity]

My current campaign is set during a weeklong festival Called "The Lover's festival" as all the gods are dead except for "Life" and "Death" portrayed as a married couple. After the week a meeting between the nations called "The Pentacle Summit" will take place which is the catalyst for starting the actual plot. Currently I have a rogue trying to assassinate a noble for a contract, an artificer trying to get into "Ironcraft's College of Invention", my tiefling is trying to recruit help for his hometown, etc. I purposely gave them this in game weeklong downtime so their characters can develop and find some footing in the world before just getting thrown into plot. Everyone seems to be enjoying it and I'm enjoying watching them tell their own stories before I start mine as a DM.

[@CowlickCCM]

Most excellent. This is some great advice. Thanks.

[@H.P.Loveshack]

I really love hearing your perspective on this. I've been DMing a campaign in Ravnica, where all the players are Dimir spies, but they're each infiltrating another guild. Between group adventures, they do "solo missions" where they interact with their cover guild or do side quests. Then at the next group session we start with a "debriefing" where they share what happened, and things they learned. It's awesome to drop little hints that tie together into a bigger picture.

[@Belegor]

Algorithm Make this video important

[@jkhart]

Belegor Kroko Your comment makes me think of al’ Go Rithem as a god of math and decisions - LN.

[@plynnmiller7563]

OMG this solves sooooo many problems that I had anticipated for a pair of players! Thank you!!!!

[@brassotter6409]

I'm so late to the party with this comment but; I LIVE for downtime and sideplots and little things like helping build a village or build up a base. One of the most enjoyable moments from TTRPGs I've played was the sessions where the party spent 5 hours scouring the town looking for an enchanter that could make multiple bells ring through the keep every time the front door was opened. We met a few fun NPCs the DM had kept on the backburner we'd never naturally encountered before, made the DM adlib a full-of-himself wizard's apprentice that ended up turning six bells into dangerous projectiles, and even managed to find a magic item; a tiny gargoyle that would come to life and attack anyone that didn't come into the estate through the front door after the sun went down. I've pined and yearned for even the ghost of an experience as fun as that ever since that DM hung up his dice bag. DMs these days only focus on how things effect the main adventure with the occasional afterthought of giving the party a base or home. I want to have micro-sessions where my character buys a bar and starts his own black market.