Many Fail States | Running the Game

[@tjlemun]

"Indy's on a Solo adventure..." I see what you did there.

[@IceCavalier]

So you could say he was. . . Indy-pendent?

[@johnkelley7543]

@@IceCavalier Apparently you didn't get the joke. Perhaps you should Chew on it some more.

[@erichtolbert2094]

This has Han on too long

[@Ewinir]

@@erichtolbert2094 At least a Millennium.

[@mikeshmit8739]

Talon Thorne stop falcon around

[@93techie]

“It’s possible he’s rolling one of those old school d20s numbered 1-10 twice...” this has happened to me... can confirm, had a bad night until I realized that.

[@paulbigbee]

I loved that little callback to a certain moment during the Chain when O’D was pranked. Bwahahahaha!

[@dirus3142]

I have had this happen to me once.

[@ΘανοςΡουσόπουλος]

How do those even work? Is there no way to roll above a 10? Sorry I'm dumb I never used neither heard or seen one

[@93techie]

admiral ackbar the ones I used were numbered 0-9 not 1-10. It basically functions as a d10.

[@NoriMori1992]

@@93techie But then why not just have a d10?

[@diagnosisninja]

"They might give a good speech, but this is not someone you can convince to abandon his way of life and everything he believes in just because some annoying stranger said something clever".

[@RyeFields]

Look to The Master from Fallout. You can only convince him with both evidence of his failure and a good speech over a long and trap ridden dialogue to convince him to not change, but maybe give up. He's not sane, but maybe reasonable with enough evidence

[@enixxe]

Alright, but what if that speech was actually the ancient art of Talk no Jutsu?

[@diagnosisninja]

@@enixxe Then I hope they've spoken to each other before and have established the connection. I mean, I'd like some multiple degrees of success too.

[@tylerh2548]

Immunity to politics, interesting background feature

[@nickwilliams8302]

@@enixxe D&D has a way for the players to alter an NPCs mind. It's called magic. There are - in any non comedic RPGs - limits to what you can do by just using mundane Persuasion checks. Unless a player had some deep insight that allows them to address the reasons the NPC wants to do what they want to do, there are just going to be things they can't talk NPCs into no matter what they roll. So, you might be able to persuade a Red Dragon that the people of the local village are more valuable alive than dead. You can't persuade that same Red Dragon those villagers have an intrinsic worth as human beings (or Halfling beings or whatever). The. Red. Dragon. Does. Not. Care. About. That.

[@mikegould6590]

While DMing my daughters and their friend, they managed a series of 1s and 2s for saves and checks at a critical junction. They didn't die, but the warehouse they were investigating burned down, their possible evidence is lost, and they're on the run. Square one. Now they need to find new leads, be rid of their burned clothing evidence, and pursue the leads they did get. Drama.

[@LeonShuriken]

It's really wholesome to hear about parents playing dnd with their kids, it sounds cringy but really thinking about it I loved it when my dad played videogames with me, even though he hated it and wanted to watch sports it meant the world to me and vice versa when I played sports and went to games with him. what your doing is creating some real memories and I hope your adventures never end.

[@MultiDanak]

That sounds so fun! :D

[@fhuber7507]

The current group managed to mess up investigating the red brand in LMOP so bad, that the Red Brand abandoned their hideout at the edge of Phandalin, burning it as they left. GlassStaff has a different staff now... and is the newly elected mayor of Phandalin... and nobody is admitting to voting for him.

[@WhatsUpGazpacho]

Sounds excellent!

[@mcolville]

Jerry killed it with the video clips! I laughed several times at my own video! :D

[@mcolville]

Also holy shit I spent so much money on Dragon's Lair. First $.50 game!

[@jumpman83]

Killed it by pushing it into a pit, apparently!

[@johnkelley7543]

@@mcolville SO much money. What a frustrating "game" that was. Gorgeous and evil. I remember dumping so many tokens into it at Chuck-E-Cheese in the 80s.

[@Ewinir]

Just adored those clips. Illustrates the point perfectly; a game entirely made of pass/fail quick-time events.

[@InuyashaHanyu]

Praise Joko! ... I mean, Praise Jerry!

[@KomicAzee]

Risen from the deep, Matt arrives to deliver us deep knowledge from his travels to the far realms of existence. Truly a benevolent patron.

[@AeonVoom]

A true river to his people

[@josephmort4039]

Now I want to make a Warlock with "The Bearded Idiot" as his patron.

[@jordanbailey5823]

@@josephmort4039 blasphemy

[@TheAlwaysPrepared]

@@josephmort4039 That patron you talk about doesn`t hand out power easily, I heard. That power has to be earned the hard way, I heard. Good luck fool! :D

[@josephmort4039]

@@TheAlwaysPrepared Really? Because for four years he's been doing exactly that.

[@dryued6874]

Re: "Watch Raiders of the Lost Ark". April 1st is coming. I'm just saying.

[@zachariusd]

Yes

[@smirk-in-progress4800]

Love it!

[@heatseekerx51]

Man alive! Matt Colville's... alive.

[@nateshandy2070]

COLVILLE'S ALIVE!

[@relicraiding]

The most relevant statement I’ve heard in a while.. “D&D is not a war game.”

[@cleanseroftheworld]

D&D is surely a combat-focused game. But it's not a fighting game. I absolutely agree with matt

[@thenemeanbeard4576]

True haha oh and by the way buy my war game supplement for 5e

[@mcolville]

D&D is a monster-fighting game.

[@lordbiscuitthetossable5352]

Matthew Colville and sometimes, the monsters just happen to be human(oid)! XD

[@marcusclaudius266]

@@lordbiscuitthetossable5352 Anyone who's read/watched/played the Witcher knows that humans are the real monsters. (also applicable to anyone who has read history/the news)

[@razbuten]

This is a great reminder that the game doesn't need to have a loser; it just needs interesting situations. I think for a lot of DMs, there is this sense that they are letting their players off easy by not killing their characters for failing, but really, that is just how the game should be played. Anyway, very excited to see the next one as I have been playing a lot of 1-on-1 DnD, and I am always down for more tips.

[@thomasblake5174]

Razbuten... in the wild?? Love your channel btw

[@Henbot]

Well it is gonna depend on DM. You can have a better experience with one not just trying to make you lose. A lot of people talked about how they had bad experience with DM who would like r4p3 the women characters a lot. For women players and male players

[@SilverionX]

My golden rule for TTRPGs: Everyone should strive to make sure that everyone, including the DM, is having as much fun as possible. You accomplish this with a good session zero, communication and respect.

[@sarezar]

This should had been like your second video of the series. Third at the latest. Best dnd advice on the whole of KZbin

[@andrewsmith9528]

Kostas Moschovas Yep. Your are absolutely correct! I could have used Matt’s info a long time ago.

[@chrisbovington9607]

10:37 I would add a fifth attitude: Hostile Skeptical Neutral Open Friendly Being open here means being unconvinced yet positively inclined toward adopting a friendly stance. It is that state of mind you find yourself in on your good days: You might greet a stranger warmly just because you feel good but you are not going to go much out of your way for them unless they win you over first. Even so, you are not tepid like Mr Neutral over there. He takes more convincing. Having open as a seperate attitude only makes sense if you think of being friendly as being already willing to help someone you like and/or trust.

[@hobbsgoblin7498]

Frightened would also be on, it gives some benefits of friendly but they may report you, attack if they think it's self defense, and avoid giving you exactly what you want if they can.

[@nilsjonsson4446]

I think this is too many. Here’s an example of a simple guard encounter with a successful roll moving one level of five. - A guard threatens you to leave the building. - I try to convince him to let us stay. “We need to see the medic and cure our dying friend”. (Roll - success) - He sees your companion’s condition and believes you. He’s still skeptical of your presence. - I tell him that we are good friends of the establishment. (Roll - success) - He believes you. He’s still not convinced that you should get to remain in the building. - “Please let us through. Our situation is dire.” (Hands the guard 10 gold pieces) (Roll - success) - “I might be able to help you out, but I’m unsure.” - (Crying) “Please, sir! Do you not have a brother of your own? Or a sister? A friend? We beg you!” (Roll - success) - “I’ll look the other way. Go ahead, but be quick. Good luck to your friend.” I’d be more inclined to have LESS steps when moving through them. Hostile -> Neutral -> Helpful. You can still make as much nuance as you like (they can be hostile and still harmless or passive, be neutral and still skeptical or open, helpful and still not your friend or willing to do something risky).

[@anthonynorman7545]

@@nilsjonsson4446 a successful roll and roleplay combination could raise more than 1 level?

[@Pluveus]

Also in that scenario, I think the guard would be skeptical at the beginning. Those five levels are actually in the rules for older editions. Hostile->Unfriendly->Neutral->Friendly->Helpful. You're some weirdos on the doorstep, the guard is unfriendly, but isn't openly attacking.

[@nilsjonsson4446]

In most places yes, but guards hostile towards intruders is nothing strange in RPGs. Hostile also doesn’t necessarily mean attacking. I’m all for nuance, but my point was that 4 steps is too much when moving one step at a time, as suggested in the video. That can be solved in numerous ways, including moving several steps at once.

[@Randomizer411]

Reminds me of having different DCs for skill checks. DC 15 to leap over the pit. DC 12 to miss and grab the ledge. DC 10 to fall into the pit but grasp a rock 10 feet down. DC 5 to plummet 30 feet and take a bunch of damage.

[@piemaniac9410]

Charles Krause enhanced success on a pit may be making it easier for other players to get over it, such as finding a plank to walk across or having a secure point for a rope to be tied to and climbed across

[@Arisorio]

@@Vedexent_ DC 20 you do a sweet flip!

[@nickwilliams8302]

@@piemaniac9410 You're kind of getting things backwards here. It's the player's job to declare the action (an intention and an approach). It's the DM's job to adjudicate it (success and consequences). If the player has stated that their character is taking a run-up and trying to jump the pit, there is no way that action can result in them building a makeshift bridge.

[@Scortch-lo3xy]

DC 1 to trip and hurt you're knee 10 ft away from the ledge you started on.

[@martinphillpot2010]

What happens if they fail the DC5 check and don't plummet 30 feet?

[@dangermunkdelta]

In this episode, Matt Colville recreates from scratch the Powered By The Apocalypse style of roleplaying game, including - Ask the players to describe their actions in fiction ("You can't roll dice to avoid playing") - Judge whether the player has fictional positioning ("When success is not possible") - If they do, tell them the stakes and ask them to roll ("It's going to take a lot of work, a lot of negotiation, to change that") - If they fail, make a GM Move, such as - Take away their stuff ("You see it tumble into the darkness"), - Reveal unwelcome information ("It's not a root, it's a vine") - Offer an opportunity, with or without cost ("You notice there's an old, dead root") - After every move, ask "What do you do?" ("What do you do?") Powered By The Apocalypse gaming is like D&D, but these best practices are instead encoded as rules in the game.

[@SquashDog01]

dangermunkdelta this is the issue with D&D. You can see these glaring holes in its design (granted these holes are intentional). It doesn’t provide you with mechanics to do anything other than binary pass/fail. I’ve never understood the desire people have to hack D&D to do things that it fundamentally does not do. Rules matter, systems matter. If you find a system is fighting you more than it is helping you, go play a system that doesn’t.

[@alexwillis2381]

Someone should send Matt a copy of Dungeon World and Masks.

[@j0nasbs]

@@alexwillis2381 Matt played Dungeon World... kzbin.info/www/bejne/oHK5pJyNgLt1pas

[@bloodlustrous]

Well stated.

[@TessHKM]

@@Vedexent_ thealexandrian.net/wordpress/43568/roleplaying-games/game-structures-addendum-system-matters Very relevant post to the topic of systems matter. I really do think systems matter a lot - most people are just only exposed to one type of system that basically do all the same things equally well, so they mistakenly think system doesn't matter at all.

[@quasisummoningdark]

We start combat with an initiative roll, so maybe we should start negotiations with an insight check. On a good roll, players would learn the NPC's attitude toward them, their values, and what they could hope to achieve by negotiating. On a bad roll, some of that information would be missing or even wrong!

[@sarainy9775]

D&D kind of originally had this, with the Reaction Check. You rolled 2d6+Modifiers; 2 -- Immediate attack 3-5 -- Hostile, possible attack 6-8 -- Uncertain, monster confused 9-11 -- No attack, monster leaves or considers offers 12 -- Enthusiastic friendship Modifiers are things like Charisma Modifier, roleplay and the on-going narrative (Moldvay Basic has an example where the players name drop an NPC, and speak the hobgoblins native tongue to get +2).

[@zidahya]

I think it should be fairly obvious to the player when the other guy realy hates them. I mean the only reason someone do hate them but dont want them to know that is when is is up for something. And then they shouldn't just get an insight check. Also its kind of the players job to pay attention. So I would always have a player ask for a roll or at least assuming that is odd.

[@AdellRedwinters]

I love this idea

[@matthewgallaway3675]

That’s a cool thought

[@danielhueg769]

I really like this!

[@kevingriffith6011]

That actually reminds me of one of my favorite mechanics from Call of Cthulhu: Pushed Rolls. Basically in the event of a failed roll, the player can "push" the roll and reroll their result, but the consequences for failing a pushed roll are much higher than what you'd normally get out of a normal attempt. To give a few examples... A player wants to climb a wall, but fails their athletics check: "You make it several feet up the wall, but you've hit a snag: The only handhold you can see to continue your climb is just out of your reach, You'll have to jump for it." A player fails a stealth check while trying to hide from a patrolling enemy: "A twig snaps under your shoe and the guard seems like he heard it: If you retreat now, he won't spot you... or if you stay really still maybe he'll just pass you by..." I like working like this because it puts the decision into the player's hands rather than putting them into a position where there really only seems to be one option to move forward: If a player is just barely hanging onto the ledge, they really can't do anything else but try to pull themselves up... but if they have an option to turn back, that creates the "do i - don't i" conflict in the player that can be just as tense as the character being in immediate danger but only having one way forward.

[@garrettwilson4754]

I love the choice of Dragon's Lair for the animation of binary live/die. Classic

[@lashwrithe01]

YOU ARE ALIVE.

[@gaminggambeson6553]

@@Vedexent_ Bless you.

[@Zedrinbot]

Failing forward and fail states are some of my favorite house mechanics, even if they can be hard to implement. It's one thing that I like about Pathfinder 2, they have fail states for almost every check hard-coded in, and coach DMs how to make their own.

[@luccagiovani]

This is really interesting, would you be so kind to tell me what part of the pathfinder 2 rulesbook this is?. I would very much like to read them.

[@Zedrinbot]

@@luccagiovani Page 10 of the CRB. Basically, if you beat the DC, that's a success. If you beat it by 10 or more, that's a crit success. Failing by 10 or more is a crit fail. Getting a nat 20 also raises the success by one level (so if you *cannot* beat a DC even with a nat 20, getting a nat 20 might still bump you from a failure to a success.) Spells, effects, and a lot of skills have different failure states baked in. Like one spell might still slow a target a little bit if the target succeeds the save, while it might immobilize them on a failure, or completely restrain them on a crit fail. It helps show the general mindset that makes it a lot easier to have mixed successes or not-total-failure when players take actions.

[@stevenneiman9789]

I love how FATE builds this into the system. The section on skill rolls outright says that a normal failure means succeeding at a minor cost and a critical failure means you ask the player whether they succeed at a major cost or fail. Also, I'm so happy to see a new video at all. It's been a while, but it was worth the wait.

[@VechsDavion]

My first thought was to have a bunch of venomous spiders at the bottom of the pit, whose poison has nasty status effect riders. However, there's also treasure down there. Maybe a healing potion. Maybe a potion that could undo ONE instance of the spiders status effects. Are multiple party members effected? Did some fall? Are they split? Who gets the cure? What was that noise from above?

[@Bawinni]

i actually learned this from a game makers toolkit video! he was talking about devs letting players play past their mistakes, that there should be a failure spectrum, where failing something doesnt immediately doom you but just sets you back/makes it harder to achieve the thing next time

[@DragonEaterT]

GMT is a great place to learn about game design, which greatly applies to TTRPGs

[@candmlyons]

Reminds me of when the party's bard bungled a routine recon mission with a couple of bad rolls. As he faced a few dozen crossbow wielding guards he said "Wait! I can explain. I was sent by the king..." He rolled well on persuasion check so the guards chose to beat him unconscious and capture him rather than ventilate him. In some situations a success is only the lessening of an otherwise deadly situation.

[@sophiescott143]

The idea of failing meaning success at a cost is such a simple, obvious idea....but one that has literally never occurred to me. I've been running games for a decade. This is why I like you, Matt.

[@kly8105]

EXACTLY, D&D is cinematic not competitive, it can be both but it is always cinematic. That is why it lends itself to replays, why people look at other people's sessions and why there are even markets for it. Why Lodoss became an anime etc. IT'S INTERACTIVE BUT ITS MEANT TO BE ENTERTAINMENT AT ITS PUREST FORM, that is storytelling.

[@chum15rychum32]

Where have you been?! I've been jonesing for a "running the game" video! Finally, THANK YOU!

[@kancherito33]

watch his twitch streams. seriously interesting, plus there's modular synths

[@kajharvey2413]

Yes! New Matt Colville video! Always look forward to these

[@O4C209]

I wasn't sure/ couldn't believe this was a new video at first. Huzzah! Regarding rolling, I don't like pass/fail, I prefer range of outcome. Also, don't tell the players how they did, show through action. DM: Two guards walk down the hallway toward you. What do you do? Player: I hide behind the statue. DM: Roll a stealth. Rolls an 11. DM: As you hide behind the statue, the two guards walk by. The first guard stops and turns his head in your direction. The second guard asks "what's wrong?" "I thought I saw something." The first guard walks toward the statue you are hiding behind. After a long moment, the second guard says, "It's a statue". The first guard nods in agreement, and they continue on down the hall. What I like about this is it builds tension, but it also gives time for the player to decide to change their action. Perhaps the player says, "I attack the first guard." Then it could be a surprise attack for the player. This makes the player feel the uncertainty the character would in this situation.

[@justinclement7211]

Matt: "This isn't some guy who googled how to summon a demon and it's now lunch and he is the leader of a cult" Me *Penning my players next starfinder adventure* "or IS HE 😈"

[@mandodelorian4668]

Indeed! Just change it from "summon a demon and it's now lunch and he is the leader of a cult" to "summon a demon and he's now lunch and it is the leader of a cult"" and we find the truth of the matter.

[@zidahya]

Obviously he never watched Blood Ties. :)

[@docnevyn5814]

Matt- I appreciate the extra effort you took to include many different kill animations from Dragon's Lair

[@kurtisnimmert7555]

My favorite DND memory as a DM was when my friends rouge failed he way through infiltrating a orc camp. After about 15 rolls later he was tied up in a pit with a bunch of confused orcs starring at him. The whole party was in hysterics and the story lives on in our friend group to this day.

[@Belegor]

Really useful advice since I always struggled to imagine mundane challenges like locked doors or chasms interesting because I viewed them as binary but once you try to find ways to allow failing forward, perhaps with some lasting consequences like: your sword gets damaged in the process or you suffer exhaustion, take damage etc. makes those challenges fun and interesting. Great video definitely worth the wait! Also: “You can’t roll dice to avoid playing” 11:00

[@bhizzle64]

Even if it is impossible to succeed on a check, there can still be multiple failure states. In your example of trying to convince the main villain not to do evil plot and summon orcus. A low roll might give him a personal hatred of a particular pc and target them in the ensuing boss battle while a high roll with a good argument would have him think for a moment to determine his response. Even when failure is the only option. There are multiple types of failure.

[@ZarHakkar]

12:10 "No amount of talking is gonna get the big bad evil guy to change their plan." *Laughs in Fallout 1 Master ending*

[@oz_jones]

>implying The Master is evil

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

Speech in the Fallouts is pretty busted.

[@spacewolf5462]

Just wanted to say how much I appreciate all of these videos. You truly make the hobby better for everyone Matt.

[@CABerlitz]

It is really an important concept to grasp and also adds to the idea of many ways to solve a conflict, not just rolling once and that's the whole thing. P.S. missed more Matt videos as much as I love the boardgames' ones. But I feel much more motivated to a new session after this 1 on 1 videos

[@collin6691]

Id also consider the fail with cost approach. Ive been playing mouseguard a lot. When characters fail you either complicate the stituation, or let them succeed but they take conditions. I dont know how well it translate into dnd though

[@cleanseroftheworld]

He does talk about this in-video

[@TheArchsage74]

The entire video is about exactly this

[@geraldduncan1552]

I never knew I was living so long without something I needed until I had acquired it. Thank you, Matt.

[@christopherfers1569]

These videos have gotten more and more focued. Super engaging and full of wisdom. Thanks, Matt!

[@12neef]

Warhammer 40k: wrath and glory does failing forward. I love it. It adds a lot to failed dice rolls not just you failed 😖. It also makes the game more interesting on how they fail forward. Like they’re jumping from rooftop to rooftop. You fail the check so you make it to the next rooftop but you fall through it, alerting the guards or whatever. I will continue to use that mentality in other games. Keep up the fantastic work. Really inspiring for RPGs.

[@Irishcream216]

Matt, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the love, thought, and care that goes into your videos. I'd like to think I speak for the majority when I say: you are a wonderful and helpful sage to us all. I'm a novice that's been DM'ING for a number of years but you have helped me run the kind of D&D I've always wanted to play. You rock!

[@joegaylord87]

You're basically describing what writers refer to as "try-fail cycles". Those are narrative beats that describe failed attempts from the hero that move toward (or away from) but don't achieve success or which achieve partial or flawed success and require further attempts. When people feel frustrated by books or movies with "Mary Sue" heroes who are too perfect and succeed at everything without trying, it's because there aren't enough try-fail cycles. Multiple fail states lets you build try-fail cycles into the stories you're writing together.

[@Everstudious]

This is something I needed to hear. Players avoiding playing via dice rolls and failing forwards or many fail states.

[@bunnyshooz]

I’m so excited for the 1-on-1 video coming up. I’ve done a little of that with my husband but it was soooo hard. It doesn’t help that we’re both fairly new to DnD and that he doesn’t feel like he can be creative. I know he’s got it in him, but that mental block - oof.

[@The13smartalec13]

Now I want to run a game where the "Bad Guy" is just some guy who recently Googled "How to Summon a Demon Lord"

[@JanPhilippEmanuelDaraio]

Incredibly enough, I am solo DMing for my Girlfriend (because 3 D&D Groups as a DM, 2 D&D Groups as a Player and one Vampire the Requiem Campaign with 20+ players as a DM is not enough -_-" ) and just yesterday (11th March 2020) I used these exact "drama building" artefacts to create more tension when her die didn't wanna know about rolling double digits. She had to sneak around a camp of Goblins in the Forest and kept rolling low, so I had more Goblins come out of their tents, then some went in the direction they heard the noise, then some others tried to flank her, then one was able to speak (broken) common and tried to lure her out until eventually she managed to succeed and fled the Goblin camp. It was an awesome moment and I can't recommend it enough to other DMs! Create drama! Failure that inevitably leads to death or to an unwinnable fight is not drama! =) Great Video, Matt! As always! ;)

[@blakeland79]

As a new DM I struggle with alternatives in the heat of the moment. Thinking this way has opened a whole new world to me. Not every roll is pass/fail. I love that. Extremely helpful video for me!

[@GR3YD0G]

The lighting is incredible in this vid! All the Colville goodness in super HD!

[@chalor182]

Man I'm so happy this got posted, I've missed my Colville Content ™️ lately

[@Jonathan-xf4ql]

I've been around for awhile and I've loved the series all this time. I recently started DMing for my mother, fiance, and a good friend (the rick & morty module), and have been able to mess around with them following this guideline. My fiance is really gullible and asked a goblin where the rest room is, and believed the answer without a second chance. So thank you! You've been such an inspiriration! (tried to not spoil anything about the module, outside of gobs exist).

[@kerik6380]

I've run one-on-one games for years, both as a player and DM, it's super fun and not even closely as difficult as might seem. And because it's just one player and not a whole party, we've used multiple fail states as a way of getting around not having people help you when you "fail", and it's just as Matt says; very dramatic and cinematic, and it's one of those things I've started using more in my group games too.

[@Warrior_Culture]

"some KZbin videos by a bearded idiot..." You're amazing Matt.

[@aaronteixeira1469]

There are two things I love most about this video. One, the core suggestion, offering dramatic circumstances for failure, didn't do this last night, but will this afternoon. Two, Matt talking about what he needs to do better at. This is what sets Running the Game apart from EVERYTHING else! Real learned experience at the table. Thank you! -Drak

[@litlclutch]

this is some of the most profound advice for DMs/GMs I've ever heard

[@RandallStephens397]

one of the biggest epiphanies I've had as a DM is "the players are supposed to win" It's not my job to defeat them, it's to provide goals to strive for and challenges to overcome

[@Fredreegz]

When I ran a homebrew campaign for new players, the first thing I had them do was traverse a pit, to help teach them about how to use ability scores, spells and equipment, and about working together. But I designed it with multiple outcomes taken into consideration. If a player decided to jump over it and rolled exactly the required number, they just about made it to the other side, but more of the path fell away, making it slightly harder for the players behind them.

[@FoxyUkeFox]

This can work in combat, too, regarding Save or Die abilities. This was addressed in Running the Game #27 - 4E's monster abilities tended to have multiple stages that got progressively worse if you continued to fail your saves. Another great use of this is 4E's diseases. Each stage, passing the save improves the condition by one stage and a fail worsens it by one stage.

[@davidhuther9965]

This video makes me so happy for three reasons: 1. I've just missed Running the Game, 2. I've loved this approach whenever I've seen it but I've never seen it presented so completely, and 3. I'm doing early prep for running a one-on-one game for my wife and that I have a feeling the upcoming video will be crazy helpful

[@kylekillgannon]

One of MCs greatest tools of education is turning literally any scenario in adventure films into a DND scenario and breaking it down roll by roll.

[@lapaludeumana]

I just can't stress eneough how much I appreciate your videos. People out there do not care about a thing, they just want to play for the sake of playing and it sucks, they show no love or passion for it.

[@JP-mg5hy]

Other important bit: Sometimes remove problems on failure. It REALLY sets players on edge. Like for his ~9:00 example, if the player fails the stealth roll and the guard just starts walking away. Maybe you were just removing the guard because he was spooked or had to use the privy. But the players sometimes panic, which introduces tension even though you removed a problem.

[@emmiasilk9059]

As someone with a really low charisma score in real life, I struggle to be persuasive in the ways my characters tend to be, and that can be frustrating.

[@leviangel97]

Something that could be helpful is stating the points your character would use rather than trying to actually perform the dialogue yourself (reminding the group your character is much more persuasive than yourself)

[@mathsalot8099]

What's cool about D&D is that it can actually help improve your charisma in real life. Being a strong barbarian character won't make you stronger, but practicing social encounters in a role play setting can make you better at socializing.

[@chocolatebunnies6376]

If you’re like me, closemouthed and shy, a helpful exercise can be writing out things you wish your character would have said, things you imagine they might say at some point, and phrases they would typically use in many situations, and then practice saying them out loud. Not mainly as a way to memorize the words, but to become more comfortable speaking at all. I’ve been so taciturn, I one day realized just making sounds come out through my throat and mouth, across the tongue and past my lips, had become a real obstacle. (This method does include the bonus of getting to know the character a little better; and to write hypothetical dialogue, while a very different practice from improvising, does in time aid the improvisation by sneaking into your natural vocabulary, becoming a foundation of words and phrases to play with.)

[@jayteepodcast]

One of my homebrew rule of social combat is to place a d4 on the table and explain that 4 is a positive body language and 1 being angry or dismissive and change it depends on character reactions towards the Npc. This helps players have a understanding of the npc around them. Your right how many players keep asking questions until they tell them something and it kill to much time at the table.

[@laurelhill3505]

Matt, the lighting and camera focus for this episode are the best yet. Please continue to use it!

[@samuelG4815]

I rewatch your videos often and every time I learn something new and get better as a DM. Thanks

[@KG-jm1zl]

Hey Matt I'm on my 3rd session of first time running a 5e game. And I've been watching ur series for a long time and it's helped me feel like I've become a better GM/DM for my other games. So I've enjoyed the series and it's been a massive help

[@zionich]

Watching this one twice to let it sink in. Thank you for your informative videos.

[@captaincoffeetea5636]

What a lesson! Thanks Matt! I've already did this a copuple of times in my games, without thinking about it. Still there were moments, I decided things just don't work out. But I believe this advice is a huge benefit for future games. It's by far less frustrating and much more interesting for a player, to not just simply fail a task.

[@xaviercarmona4439]

I’m designing a mummy/monk lord dungeon based around the gods of Egyptian canopic jars, and it’s my first actual dungeon since their first mission almost 2 years ago. I’ve been designing traps and puzzles, yet I was worried about it STILL not being dynamic enough. So, thank you Matt, because this couldn’t have come at a better time!

[@JoshBCamp]

Really good video. This sort of tension building recently happened in a game I’m in. Like 3 of us failed our rolls in a row and it seemed life or death. I thought the DM was just going easy on us, but when we finally got out of that situation it was very dramatic and memorable. The screw ups made it one of my favorite moments as a new player. Watching this really changed how I view that situation and skill checks in general. I was thinking about them as quick time events where the wrong button press kills you, but really they just alter the course of events more often than not.

[@lightbornadventures]

This is amazing, it's all starting to click now. I absolutely love your videos Matt! Nothing but amazing content and value for both new and old school DMs. You have been very inspiring over the years. I am loving Arcadia and really appreciate all the time and effort put into each issue!

[@neokonline_]

'You succeed, but...' is just genious

[@totlyepic]

Easily one of the best RTG videos to date. You did a fantastic job of hitting several points regarding the philosophy of D&D while talking about the more micro-level topic.

[@bobrossw7583]

All good advice. I feel like I learned all of these concepts well by playing Blades in the Dark. There, the rules explicitly spell these concepts out, as opposed to DnD, where failing forward almost feels like a house rule, as does effectively communicating to your players the range of possible outcomes before a roll.

[@Scutifer_Mike]

Nice Matt. Thanks for putting to words something I want to do more consistently. Your videos are helping me and my players have more fun. Thanks so much.

[@thewearygm8431]

Matt colville has seriously been a BOON to my ability as a DM. ive been playing dnd for 8 years and since i found his channel and these videos a few years back my players have been having way more fun as hes helped me create more dynamic and interesting games. THANKS MATT!

[@NortonomousX]

I started running solo games for my dnd group and it is some of the best advice I've gotten. Thanks Matt!

[@korik1]

For anyone who likes this advice of failing forward I STRONGLY recommend you read a Powered By The Apocalypse game (such as Sage Latorra and Adam Koebel's Dungeon World) or a Forged In The Dark game (such as John Harper's Blades in the Dark). Both these engines are built on the idea of failing forward, and even if you don't run these games, there's a lot to learn from them!

[@stevenneiman1554]

One related thing I've learned mostly from playing Blades in the Dark is that if you can't reasonably give the PCs another chance (Indy's consequences in the scene were decent enough but they all amounted to just second chances to accomplish the same goal of reaching the far side of the pit), the next best thing is often to have their failure create enough upheaval to the scenario that their objectives or options change. Like, if they fail to pick a lock maybe a guard rounds the corner and spots them. Sure, now they are (or are at least very close to) spotted and have the whole security team converging on their location, but this also presents new options. Maybe they can flash back and say they bribed this guard to help them. Maybe they kill the guard and they can take his keys. Maybe now that stealth has failed the Leech is just gonna take a demolition charge and blow the door off its hinges. Even if they can't think of any way to proceed, at least now they're in danger, and if you play it well enough they might feel relieved just to get out alive and uncaptured. Or maybe someone can somehow pin the blame on a rival faction and put their enemies at odds. Any of those options is going to be a hell of a lot more fun than staring at a locked door twiddling their thumbs because picking the lock was their only way forward.

[@xStahlx]

Wonderful advice, great for new dungeon masters as well as older DM's stuck in a rut. Thanks!

[@RandoFromMars]

Great video! Lots of good stuff here for DMs to implement in their games to create a better a experience. A note on the "Negotiating with the BBEG" part of the vid : Fallout 2 was a videogame that had an end boss that you could negotiate with and convince the error of their ways, but to do it you had to acquire hard to reach information/evidence to present to them and have high stats (roll well) when persuading him. So while yes, 90% of the time I agree with you in that regard (and 100% with the general principle that not everything can be done with a dice roll and not everything is possible), sometimes, if the players work with the game and shift their focus from "We must stop the bad guy" to "We must make the bad guy see the light", if they put in the work and they truly seem invested in that approach, then giving the opportunity to do the seemingly impossible, to make it within reach, not guaranteed, but just possible where previously it wasn't, can be pretty great. But yeah, if your players walk into the Death Cultist Pit and there and then decide to try and convince these guys that "Demons are, like, bad news man", well, that probably shouldn't work. :) But I understand what you're going for. Obviously there's an exception to everything, but this was just something cool I saw in a videogame that I thought was relevant (if just for the sake of being cool) and wanted to share.

[@fantasticthriftyfox]

Another solid video Matthew! Thanks again for your time and energy to make these videos and to share your thoughts. Whether you have been playing for years or new to the game you can always learn something new or have a nice refresher. Been playing since the 80's and I have always enjoyed using failing forward cinematic moments within my games. It really was super relevant and used more once I started playing The Old World of Darkness line of games through the 90's. Took my storytelling to another level.

[@stefanc4165]

I get a boost of serotonin every time Matt says "drama is tension and resolution."

[@SprocketTalker]

This is one of the most useful things to be reminded of as a DM, I'd really been letting this kind of thing fall by the wayside. Thanks!

[@MinecraftLovesSteve]

I recently ran a game of Blades in the Dark for my friday DnD group. As their DM, I'm always looking for ways to make things interesting and in Blades they use a mechanic called Clocks. These are used to count down the time until something happens. For example, they roll to open a door quietly while a guard is around the corner. They fail the roll. You tell the players you're starting a 4 tick clock for the guard discovers them. Now, every check they make can either take a tick off the clock or add onto it.

[@jaikthesnake6285]

I've started having the players tell me if they want to persuade/decieve/get info and then roll their charisma check first, then roleplay based on that. I've always hated when I make a super compelling and well thought out argument, and then roll a 1. It really kills my sense of belief and makes me not want to try

[@adamkaris]

Jaikthesnake If they make a super compelling and well thought out argument, don't make them roll. Just reward their roleplay by having the npc respond to the actual speech and not a roll. Or give a +X bonus to the roll, or advantage. But just skipping the roll is viable too

[@darkblue099]

@@adamkaris I think he's implying he's the player in that sense. The decision to roll isn't being made by him.

[@jaikthesnake6285]

@@darkblue099 Yes, I didn't like how it works when I was the player so I when I dm I treat it differently. The reason I don't just give them a free success for a good speech is because I want to give players the ability to flex their charisma score every now and then

[@darkblue099]

@@jaikthesnake6285 Eh, that's what combat is for :P

[@jaikthesnake6285]

@@darkblue099 I like to use all the scores both in and out of combat. Plus I want to give players who aren't very charismatic the chance to play a high-charisma character.

[@johnturner112]

I did this in a modified run of Against the Reptile Cult about 2 months ago. The players scaled the wall surrounding the temple and dropped onto the outbuilding roof. One PS failed stealth and one of the guards inside opened the door to look around, but they managed to keep quiet until the guard lost interest in coming out into the rain.

[@Dalenthas]

Blades in the Dark is great about this. "Failure" can mean you take damage, or your position gets worse, or some ticking clock ticks closer. You can often fail 3 or 4 times before the situation goes from fine to completely FUBAR. And you can often improve the situation again by getting a partial success, something Indy did several times in Matt's example. "Well, you didn't roll well enough to succeed, but you didn't roll badly enough for things to get worse either. Do you want to buy yourself more time or put yourself into a better position for your next roll?"

[@X.davidWilliams]

Thank you thank you,, I've missed these.

[@aldantefax]

Blue Rose actually has a different type of conceit where villains by default are "misunderstood" rather than "irredeemable", and coming to an understanding from the morally superior players is part of the fun of that game. I'd recommend checking it out (it got a new edition!) for inspiration on tinkering with this core assumption that some villains are truly beyond reason!

[@erezamir7218]

Matt encouraged me to run a single player session and we already made the character, now im just waiting for that next video!

[@maryanngoodhue4198]

Love when you post a new running the game video, wish these were once a week. Great tips, thank you!

[@whatbreaksthesilence8508]

That mental image you've given me of 'bad guys waiting for their turn' made me laugh

[@LucasPitcher13]

Another great video, Matt. One point of contention (as you point out at 11:11) is that because the roleplaying aspects for communication skills are handled very differently to other skill types, three exist many instances where a character is far better equipped, charismatically speaking, to handle a negotiation than the player. What to do then? They make a good roll, but are unable to recapitulate what their character would have said, or how it would be phrased to best effect. Of course, the exact opposite often occurs too...

[@taragnor]

Well I don't think it's necessarily important to go word by word, however, It's absolutely critical you know what exactly they're trying to accomplish. If you're bluffing a character, what lie are you telling? If you're intimidating them, what's the threat? And if you're making a bargain using persuasion, what is it that you're asking them to do and what are you offering in return? You need to know a lot of this stuff to properly adjudicate the action because social skills are so open-ended. In some cases the NPC may agree without a roll and other times success may be outright impossible.

[@Ghonosyphlaids]

Blades in the Dark does a great job of baking this type of thinking right in to the game mechanics. It's so much fun when you start exploring complications amd set backs

[@tenjin5586]

from all the great videos of advice (of you and other creators) i think this is the best one: it reminded me how to (and how to teach my new dm friends) how to improvise, often we think very narrow it works or it doesnt, and in a life threatening situation, it doesnt often means the end. realistic but stressfull and empty to play. but fail states it such a big part of the philosophy and of the core of improvisation. its not a NO but a This Then That, layers, Compliationg the board. a chess analogy; if you win you want to symplify, if you lose you want to complicate. DnD is the similair, if they lose complicate it for them, if they win then the simplification is a progression towards to final solution.

[@Jonas-nu7qw]

Once again Matt Colville looks into the soul of the game I run and gives me the advice I needed to hear most.

[@Kastle227]

Well done. Glad you are still doing this series.

[@TheWzard]

Matt I'm curious, have you played or seen Genesys? its narrative dice are pretty fun for determining failure or success states

[@mcolville]

I think that's the FFG system? I love it! I loved it from their Warhammer RPG. I almost could have talked about it in this video to show how combat doesn't have to be "roll and miss, next."

[@brianblather]

@Matt Roberts Update, it's all moved to imprint Edge Studios. So, no R.I.P.

[@chocolatebunnies6376]

Rhett Rebstock I’ve been tweaking 3.5 (starting to suspect it’ll end up beyond recognition), and I wasn’t familiar with narrative dice until I saw these comments, so I checked it out, and it helped me fill out some blanks I had on a modifier-d6 intended to replace/modify the auto-success/fail-mechanic. I’ll probably be stealing more from the narrative system as I keep tweaking. I’m glad you chose to comment.

[@pyra4eva]

This video definitely makes me feel a ton better with how I dm my games. I tend to have the conversation with new players to my group that you can't just roll and avoid having to be creative or avoid actually roleplaying in this roleplay game. I love videogames so I try to use that as an example so that people understand that there might not be the dialogue option you want for some NPCs, not every NPC is going to have useful stuff right now but be important later, or your PC just doesn't have the right amount of 'influence' to have this NPC as an ally. I go over that at session zero and I explain that I will only ever ask for a die roll if an NPC could go either way after an argument is made. The dice at this point is a tiny push in either direction but not the main decider. You can always continue your conversation or try again later unless you decided to say some horrible things that makes it where the NPC doesn't want to be bothered with you. I explain that being trigger happy and aggressive might make a relevant NPC later point out when you decided to beat someone to a bloody pulp so why would they help you. The telltale route of "they will remember this later" and in game, I tend to say "this NPC will remember that". I try to use videogame logic by telling them where they stand in any particular conversation or group of people. Almost like a verbal explanation of their 'renowned' score in any particular situation. On the other side of things, I reward PCs for choosing cool aesthetics like tattoos or scars. The big gritty bar patron that comes over to admire your scars and exchange battle stories could be the blacksmith that now gives you discounts and with further interactions becomes a huge ally later on. A cool tattoo could draw the eye of a guild master that heads a group of very resourceful people *wink wink nudge nudge*. I find that players use downtime better and want to accessorize their characters to help with their image, their status in a given group, and/or possibly catching people's eye. I also try to use these things where NPCs initiate conversation because I've had some shy/anxious players in the past that either are new to roleplaying in general or are shy/anxious around new people so this helps open the door for them. I've also had the conversation that not everything is pass and fail with skills because my job isn't to murder your character. I want them to succeed but they have to overcome the challenges. A lockpick roll that just barely fails might get the door open but oops giant padlock hits the floor and you have no idea who heard it. I put the multi-fail states into my game because I hate in videogames where you either get this one split second action right or game over and start from a point 20mins away. It just isn't fun for anyone and in D&D, that game over screen can be permanent for a character that everyone has grown attached to. I also have it where if someone is creative is their skill checks, the DC goes down and I tell them that they've made it easier for their character or tell them directly that the DC would go down if they did it that way. If it's very creative and I want it to succeed, I tell them that it succeeds because it's too awesome and I want it to succeed. I find it helps with creativity later on the game. In short, I really enjoyed this video and hope that my explanation of how I tend to do things helps someone else who might want to try it in their game.