Engage players in your Campaign

[@falfires]

I love how the tabletop gaming community understands the concept of being inspired and amazed by the works of others, and using those works for the benefit of one's campaign and players, then call it stealing, while the ones we steal from are happy we do it and encourage this. It's a beautiful example of open-mindedness, cooperation, and sharing of talents that let us all run and play better games and be better gm's, players, and people overall.

[@Dyrnwyn]

I started out with AD&D 2e in Forgotten Realms, so that setting has enormous nostalgia for me. I prefer to put my D&D games there, but I tweak it, getting rid of the 15th level wizards in every city, diminishing the direct influence of the gods, basically bringing it back down to earth. There's such rich detail and lore, but I can do without the constant world-shattering cataclysms.

[@DocDoesGamingTV]

I always tell my players that they can ask me two questions about the world via text chat prior to each session and whatever I tell them their character is considered to know as well. My current players' characters are all from different nations, so I'm presenting the same locations/events in a different light (or even with a different name) sometimes. It's great to see them working with this knowledge, because not all of it has to be totally objectively true!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Nice

[@haveswordwilltravel]

I use the Forgotton Realms as my setting because the info on that place is so easily available. You can pretty much google every town and major character, so if my players get interested in the world, they don’t have to buy sone book or worse, borrow my own precious gaming books.

[@bhatfield1417]

I could listen for hours Jim Murphy

[@zinv08]

That start where he said the intro twice had me double back

[@lobstershoes9273]

Im not crazy, good

[@jimmurphy1591]

zinv08 oops, did the wrong edit, but it’s to funny to remove.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Lobster shoes you could still be crazy

[@lobstershoes9273]

Jim Murphy nooo, that voice is just my conscience. The others I’m not so sure about.

[@jimmurphy1591]

zinv08 every time you see a glitch, it means they changed the Matrix!

[@JoshuaMeehan]

we have been running our latest campgain with new players so I chose the setting of Skyrim from elder scrolls. all the players knew the setting and factions. they felt comfortable and continue to ask if they can quest for this thing or that from the world which has left me with plenty to work with. makes it very easy!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Joshua Meehan absolutely, good job!

[@kossowankenobi]

Every content producer (including the Matts) have expressed unanimously that they would love (and be honored) if you steal their stuff. Steal from the best. Let your imagination do the rest. Thanks, Jim.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Jason Kossowan yes, Game On!

[@ryanphgaara]

The passion this man is second to none! Natural story teller! Keep it up love your videos!

[@jimmurphy1591]

RyPhilip thank you!

[@Buliwith7]

Absolutely great! Without player engagement, the fun dies eventually and the game setting is lost on players. Without the players having fun and being immersed in the setting, I am not sure why DMs would want to continue running the game. Thanks for this lesson sensei.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Tim Giertych we agree, thank you 👊🏻😈👿👊🏻👁🤬✌️

[@kossowankenobi]

I know people that play more sandboxy games that are more interested in Monster-Bash-of-the-Week type play. They have plenty of fun without a deep context for the world, it's more about tactical situation of the day. Personally, I prefer to get sucked into a setting. Sure makes the story come to life.

[@pez5767]

Just catching up on all of your videos, Jim. It's criminal that you only have 13k subscribers. Such wonderful content. If you keep making them, I'll keep watching. Thank you for all the effort to share your knowledge with us. :)

[@jimmurphy1591]

Yes, I don’t have much of a following but a lot like the content and a few are big DM’s you would know. So it’s fun to be part of the process.

[@RachitModi]

Teach us more, sensei. We are here to drink your knowledge.

[@gengar1187]

Rachit Modi PREACH

[@Huronzonor]

Exceptional video Jim. It took me a long time to come around to the idea of using worlds from works I like. I was always afraid either my players might think I was unoriginal or know way more about the world than I did and constantly correct me. I was very wrong. Currently running a game set on Azeroth and the smile my players get when I reference people or factions they know is just the best thing.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Jacob H great

[@RuiSaltao]

Been following you since your very first video. I love to hear you tell your stories, and you give great advice. But those stories, man, it's so engaging!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Rui Saltão thanks for hanging with me, don’t worry I have a ton of old stories

[@fitzmac8504]

Great advice , thanks for sharing Jim Murphy ! Keep up the great videos ! Slainte~

[@jeremyrice3719]

One of your best videos and that’s high praise.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Thanks

[@LegalKimchi]

I use Matt's map but renamed it Iber and renamed the nobles. I tinker to tailor it to my players and my interests. It completely worked. Over a year long campaign, my players almost know as much of the world as I do. It's fantastic.

[@alexradovan5650]

Great video! Another thing I've found helps players engage with the world is to involve them in its creation. Whether that be through Microscope or encouraging them to make up parts of the world for their backstory. Even saying something like "You approach the shipwreck, and see it is no ordinary wreck. In rusted letters on the hull jutting out of the ocean, you see the name of that legendary galleon..." allows players to fill in the gaps and feel engaged.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Alex Radovan good idea!

[@PhyreI3ird]

I remember playing a series of different systems and settings over the past few years and at one point when eventually another game fell apart we decided to just play in the elder scrolls setting and even though it only lasted 3-4 sessions or so, I think it was some of the most outright fun I had at the time, and pretty much solely due to my intense intimacy and familiarity with the setting. Really sucks that it didn't last but damn it was seriously fun. So yeah, definitely have to agree that familiarity with the setting goes a long way and i feel like for those making their own game worlds, they gotta think about how to engender that kind of familiarity in the players, otherwise it'll end up having this kinda white-noise/static quality to it when they try to think about the setting/world, let alone feel personally invested in it.

[@jimmurphy1591]

PhyreI3ird yes, it’s hard to keep it going

[@VideoGundam]

Thank you Jim, this really helped me put some of my frantic DMing thoughts together into a cogent package I could work with. You're a great listen as always.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Shane Carr thanks! 🐙

[@chrisg933]

Thanks Jim, I love your passion. I am currently running a campaign for friends based in Eberron and am loving it, but I am also in the process of setting up for an Adventures in Middle Earth campaign (I'm just waiting for the Adventurers lorebook. I am really looking forward to playing in Tolkien's dreams and the 5E compatible system looks awesome. Cheers mate, keep up the great work you do and enjoy your Buundaberg Ginger beer! :)

[@jimmurphy1591]

Chris G sounds great, have fun!

[@VerumAdPotentia]

"At all events, the next best thing to being witty one's self, is to be able to quote another's wit." ~ Christian Nestell Bovee

[@ethanbest9110]

I have been really wanting to run games where everyone at the table builds the world together through play. The world is only as real as the stories in it, after all. Also I am really excited about Twilight of Fae. I have been wanting to play in that world since the interview you did with Matt.

[@gengar1187]

Ethan Best keep the faith, the group will come

[@zenovkayos5811]

I wrote adventures within the world of azeroth It is indeed an amazing experience Duskwood became similar to Barovia but flavored like WOW We start in Stormwind or the village of goldshire Truly immersive

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Great vid'... Reminds me of "stealing" from Arthurian Legends... Avalon, Camelot, etc... Only, the devilish side (facetious ass, remember) of me had to go and twist things a bit. I had Merlin as a grand fraud, working with the "Black Knight" who was strong enough and all, but cursed with that inhuman voice, to avoid publicity and leadership... SO he found the hapless Arthur Pendragon, a scrawny fool who could talk a good game... Arthur would then "stand in" as the leadership role, letting the Black Knight hide out in the castle, catacombs, or wilderness from time to time... The "Black Knight could then show up for the "rougher side of enforcement" stuff... AND Merlin was around to maintain the various make-up requirements and occasionally a spectacular illusion to "trick the locals"... That sort of "long con" job... The Players (who were fans of spy-vs-spy and 007 and so forth) ate it UP! Sure, it trampled on some beloved heroes and created a few dilemmas, but the whole twisted tragedy was rife with sex, intrigue, sneaking around in the dark and night... While Merlin was busily "prestaging" like a stage-magician for some carnival half the time, and nothing like an omnipotent source of ultimate magic... I think we even decided he'd suckered a wayward Arab out of Excalibur some years earlier in a poker game or some such... BUT even with the lunacy, there was just enough "wiggle room" to see the parallels build for the legends... depending (of course) on which particular versions you read. ;o)

[@jimmurphy1591]

gnarth d'arkanen love it

[@Fenizrael]

Hey Jim! Still loving it when your videos pop up on my feed. Keep up the great work! Some quick feedback: sometimes your editing has some gaps or repetition which can be a bit distracting - If you’re able to smooth out those bumps it will make your video quality that extra little bit better!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Fenizrael I’ll try to get better at it.

[@Fenizrael]

Practice makes perfect! Better upload more videos for your fans to watch!

[@daviddelille1443]

7:43 Matt Mercer has said that he will not read stuff you send him, because if he makes another book/adventure/campaign/setting in the future, there might be copyright issues.

[@jimmurphy1591]

David De Lille I love lawyers

[@GregoriousRP]

Your passion is inspiring Sir. Thank you

[@jimmurphy1591]

GregoriousRP thanks, Game On!

[@chloepechlaner7806]

I see a Jim Murphy video posted a few days before my first session as a DM? I watch and hit like

[@jimmurphy1591]

Chloe Pechlaner good luck

[@sudabdjadjgasdajdk3120]

I just finished my 6th session ever today, if you're watching Jim already Im sure the game will go well.

[@jaydenray2803]

DMing is hard but rewarding; keep it up.

[@jimmurphy1591]

All my best friends have come from gaming, and of mostly RPGs. It’s been a great four decades

[@ServantofGod88]

@Jim Murphy Any tips for running The Fantasy Trip in Middle Earth’s Third Age? I have the The One Ring, but really like the simplicity of TFT and want to run a gritty survival campaign with a fellowship.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Kyle Dresser TFT is pretty easy and LOTR is as detailed as you want to make. Gandalf the Grey likely 40 points. Make some mods as you feel is right. Easy in TFT

[@ServantofGod88]

Jim Murphy I assume his IQ and ST would be his highest stats!

[@jimmurphy1591]

Kyle Dresser yes

[@mikegould6590]

For me, it’s being passionate about the world you create. It’s being willing to start vague and use player input to create points of interest Thöll started like an old world map with a continent shape and a few words on it. No borders. No detail. And some points of interest with no reference The Scar Furies Twins Sea of Fire Star Lake That sort of thing Then start small and let the players ASK. What’s that?!? When they care, you care. When you care, they care.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Mike Gould it works and you are right. Matt has said the same thing. But if your not a veteran, with pro players it is better to have a setting they start out loving.

[@sicklesorcerer1242]

Excellent advice! From what I can tell, most good settings are based at least to some degree off of history and mythology. That said, if a dungeon master did want to build their own setting, what would you tell them?

[@jimmurphy1591]

Thanks

[@dragonkilling]

Where did you go Jim? I miss your videos.

[@jimmurphy1591]

T-Wiz still here, bad couple of weeks

[@BigCowProductions]

Often when I'm watching tv, I'll steal episode ideas and stuff for quests.

[@jimmurphy1591]

That’s the plan

[@jaydenray2803]

The best thing a DM can do is use other creative content to inspire the creation of their world.

[@jimmurphy1591]

JayDen Ray agreed

[@005Turk]

Thank you so much for the revelation

[@Odothuigon]

Of course you should "borrow," if only to save time. I have a full-time job for the gods' sakes! For a six episode mini-campaign, I once used a screenshot from a randomly generated Civilization V map.

[@TechStrickland]

I borrowed Colville's Collabris but the Undead managed to overtook the mainland and a few hundred (maybe a thousand) survivors managed to flee... they came upon an island which we fleshed out using The Quiet Year ( buriedwithoutceremony.com/the-quiet-year ) and I've never had such player buy-in as I have with this setting!

[@MykeDiemart]

Buy, Borrow and Steal*. (steal ideas not products). I have spent way too much time world building when I cold have been adventure building.

[@wimplesaur]

Do any of us understand the world we live in? I don’t think so, but I don’t think it matters. We build the world as we live through it.

[@BlunderfulGuy]

I wrote up a whole wall of text about fantasy settings like Tékumel staying obscure because they are lacking in things that our culture has been steeped with for decades (even millennia) and (compared to the popular settings) abundant in things that our culture is unfamiliar or uncomfortable with or has intentionally rid itself of (from unpronounceable words to slavery and human sacrifice) leaving nothing for players to easily and happily engage with... but I lost it. So, instead of trying to type it all again I'll just leave it at that.

[@jimmurphy1591]

BlunderfulGuy you are so right. Me dimorphisis Alpha, Old Runequest, and Empire of the Petal Throne(Tekumel) are three of my favorite settings I ran that got no traction or in some cases were hated or players were insulted.

[@stevenwillis2362]

You really should have used the TSR Conan; one of my favorite systems!

[@jimmurphy1591]

steven willis I have it, never used it but looks good

[@TheNerdySimulation]

I tend to be the guy who doesn't run in pre-established settings, mostly because I have a player who is the type who will spend every second of his free time reading everything about that setting (especially if it is one that he likes) and I love to improvise details without reading all that stuff, so I very quickly end up terribly contradicting the setting and he has a hard time letting that go. He is very much a lore junkie and I couldn't care less about *knowing* most of the lore when I am creating adventures, NPCs, or encounters. I know that you could do the whole "this is MY version of [Insert Setting Name Here], not 100% the original version" but then I see no difference between that and just making my own setting and stealing the pre-made parts which I like. But, a great middle ground for this is allowing your players to add to the setting, and not leaving all the creation up to you as the GM! When your player is looking for a blacksmith, ask them "What race is the Blacksmith?" Some might chose Dwarf or Human and maybe you would have to, but what if they say Gnome? Okay, not too farfetched, Gnomes are Tinkerers. But what if they say Elf? What about Dragonborn? A non-Firebreathing Dragonborn? What if they say a Goblin or Firbolg? This is where you try your hardest as a GM to not say no too, going so far as to let them say something ridiculously overpowered such as "A God" and finding a way to twist it or make it fit. "Okay, so why was this god banished to the Material Plane without their powers?" or "What caused the God of Agriculture to recently start up their own Smithy?" (Because we all know that the player which say those sorts of things are likely just trying to get some weapon which levels mountains).

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

Might suggest that when a Player is interested in a "god" for a smith (or equivalent mundane role) that you re-assess exactly what constitutes a "god" in just that syllable. By just about every measure, a deity is an immortal representation of some "force" or "faction" or "facet" of nature or life... nothing more and nothing less. Now, there are (lots of) people who carry around some untold amounts of "psychological baggage" attachment to the terms "god" and "deity"... BUT that doesn't necessarily have to "make it so"... especially in just so many words and syllables. An immortal representation of blacksmithing could just as easily be some obvious weirdness that simply shapes metal. A silversmith even casts metal, so foundry-work isn't beyond the function of the "job title" either... AND with a fore-running knowledge of flux and chemical bonds, the immortal smith might well simply be an accomplish alchemist/artificer without so much as a glimmering need for a spark of arcane magic... at all. He (or she, which could be plenty fun) has simply been working metals for SO LONG that there is no requirements for powers or abilities, dark knowledge, or an incredible amount of physical prowess either... Simply a hot enough fire-pit to heat the uniquely engineered combo' (forge and foundry) and keep the "treatment ovens" at proper temperatures for their parts (and there's need for them too... in case you ever wanted to learn the work) but instead of some ridiculous enchantments... The resulting weapons can simply be so quality engineered, polished, and purely well crafted that they act (mechanically) as a +1 ish... BUT "Enchantment isn't my department." says the smith. "I am, after all, a smith." {like, duh...} Sometimes, it's healthy to "frustrate" an overtly creative Player... just a little bit. ;o)

[@jimmurphy1591]

TheNerdySimulation not always bad, get him to DM or at least help you with all the town culture. Let him wrangle

[@TheNerdySimulation]

Jim Murphy I would let him GM but he actually already does for another group and so this is his consistent game where he doesn't have to GM. He has also claimed that I probably would like his games, which it isn't completely unlikely that he'd know, since he has been in all my campaigns (not oneshots though) since I started running games and has played with me a couple times. I'm basically the "forever GM" of my group and don't get to play often, though I'm sure somebody would probably run if I said "I need a break." I don't really get burn out because my imagination has a hard time resting even when I am not trying to write haha! I think he would really get good mileage out of running an Elder Scrolls game though (I think his players are into that game series as much as he is).

[@jimmurphy1591]

TheNerdySimulation I know that feeling, but keep trying. You get someone to DM and they will surprise you with how well that do. Everyone has at least one story.

[@Shalakor]

Jim, I think you may have misread their response. That one player already is a GM.

[@christianmichaels5162]

Pie-zoh, not Pah-zio. I know, I'm the asshole. Love your stuff, Jim! I love the personal stories you tell, especially when you get all dramatically quiet. Kind of like ASMR for me

[@jimmurphy1591]

Christian Michaels it’s ok, I appreciate the detail. Not all my oars are in the water so sometimes others need to help me straighten the boat.

[@andythedestro12]

Hey Jim, I would love to run in Matt's world but I feel like I don't have enough lore even having had read both of his books and followed all his links. Any suggestions for when I can get more stuff or should I just sit tight for the rest of his books?

[@jimmurphy1591]

Andrew Matsiev checks Matt’s old blogs, I think more info there. If not maybe he’ll get it out there soon. Since live stream is coming soon

[@andythedestro12]

Thanks Jim! Btw, do you know where the Gods in Matt's setting come from? He mentioned in one of his videos that none of his players have explored it and now I'm intrigued.

[@SweetPeteInTheBackSeat]

I recommend checking out Matt's collabris setting and even watching the full series of how it was created between him and twitch chat. It's a long series but introduced me to the setting well. I like the setting because there are a lot of forces set up in conflict to work with at higher levels. Just ran my first one shot in it last Saturday and really got to go in on my dwarven player's backstory because of some setting details.

[@jimmurphy1591]

Sweet Pete In The Back Seat I watched it, glad it’s being used

[@andythedestro12]

@@SweetPeteInTheBackSeat will do! Sounds like a lot of fun. :D

[@michaelminugh5357]

Just found the channel, watched a handful of videos, and basically it's just "Buy maps"?

[@jimmurphy1591]

Michael Minugh or make them, sorry to hear that’s all you get out of it. But thanks for letting me know. I’ll see if I can change it up.

[@VerumAdPotentia]

Wow! De-ja-vu!

[@jimmurphy1591]

VerumAdPotentia just a change in the Matrix

[@VerumAdPotentia]

;-P

[@badguy5]

was the double intro an intentional joke for "starting your campaign 2"?

[@jimmurphy1591]

badguy5 um 😐......err, ....yeees

[@thecurlylockes4069]

Woot, first!

[@chloepechlaner7806]

Damn! I liked first tho. I just made a long comment, rip