"No." | Running The Game

[@MegaAgamon]

Oh boy the lengths I have taken to stop my druids creating a drug cartel with druidcraft...

[@emanuelcamuglia5984]

god! i was having a drink and almost died from your comment

[@crystalheath6510]

Strangely this is also a problem I have had.

[@Madhattersinjeans]

Exactly, it's wildly out of character for any druid to do that.

[@TGCHighGuard]

@@Madhattersinjeans Depends on the Druid and how they were raised. A typical druid would probably never become a "drug dealer." It also depends on if the plants used to create potions also have properties that make them high, or drowsy. To be fair, if any class was to partake in any drugs, legal, or illegal, it would be druids...at least when it comes to the ones that are natural or not man-made.

[@123FireSnake]

@@Madhattersinjeans i mean not ANY druid, but most. As a paladin can fall from grace so can a druid become twisted and corrupted by the world and his experiences

[@vincesnetterton2515]

"Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government…"

[@chalor182]

Probably a decent basis for a system of demonslayer recruitment though lol

[@rinsley9873]

A man of culture

[@mbeacom21]

I'm 37!

[@BlueTressym]

As a Brit, I'm going with "It's better than the current one."

[@silkaverage]

@@BlueTressym As a fellow Brit, I concur

[@gregoryfloriolli9031]

The problem with joke characters is that there is no joke so funny that it will continue to be funny for an entire campaign.

[@Jessie_Helms]

Had a PC make a joke character but it was because his new character was going to be an on-paper NPC the party was realistically 1-1.5 sessions away from reaching. He was obsessed with killing Gnolls, and went with the party into a cave full of them. Long story short (and with no spillers for the module), only 1 Gnoll died, and he _disappeared_ (but didn’t die) before that happened. The drunken, 500-ish year old Halfling who was known through a lot of the area as an expert on Gnolls with a burning hatred of them disappeared after not killing a single Gnoll _in a Gnoll pack’s den._ That, IMO, is far funnier than any amount of Gnoll-related puns

[@stevenneiman1554]

When I'm making a character for a full-length campaign I'll generally keep it mostly serious. When I'm making a character for a one-shot or few-shot, I'll make joke PCs, overengineered horrors or munchkinism, or literally Solaire from Dark Souls.

[@oz_jones]

Comic relief > joke character

[@bstylesv1]

This guy gets it

[@DM_Dad]

There's definitely a difference between what I'll allow in a one shot vs a campaign for just that reason.

[@thegmoire8069]

"This elf is going to become THE elf, the one everyone thinks of." Yes! This articulates the issue I have with the "just make an exception" approach, but I haven't been able to articulate it before.

[@DougAdams]

Kind of like how Drizzt is what many people think of when they think of Drow.

[@TracinyaLachance]

SO many players do this too. It's like their imagination is too poor to be able to distinguish themselves without being the super special exception to everything.

[@charlybravo1354]

@@DougAdams exactely. Like because of one exception (some) people now think "Drow are not that bad. They are like us. To declare them as evil is to hard or even racist." While Drow are slave-taking aliens with daemonic blood, fey ancestry, cursed anatomy, racial superiority thinking and a society dominated by an evil goddess.

[@nickwilliams8302]

@@charlybravo1354 Well, in my world, they _used_ to be like that. Currently, they're in the process of getting kicked out of the Underdark by various groups of Aberrations and have pretty much abandoned worship of the Spider Queen due to her inability to stop this. Two of my players have Drow PCs. One's a Druid whose faction has taken up the Old Faith. Another is a Fighter who seeks to re-establish the worship of Eilistraee among the Drow refugees trying to build a life on the surface. But there's still _massive_ Anti-Drow prejudice in the surface world. Which my game is going to touch more on as the party becomes more socially prominent.

[@charlybravo1354]

@@nickwilliams8302 your world is your world. If circumstances in your world are different, the outcomes are different, too. But the outcomes are only valid for your world. Despite of this I am curious: How do you handle Corellon's curse and Wendonai's blood?

[@howtodrink]

I feel liberated by this! Say Yes to the No!

[@chillchill4953]

hey dude, love ur content, good to know u keep the d&d stuff fresh by visiting our lord and saviors channel, Matthew Colville.

[@ilushan1]

You love to see those crossovers

[@magpie1466]

Yes to the No! Here Here!

[@emrekulac3207]

@@chillchill4953 said best

[@hallowacko]

Hey Greg! Is this one of those things that applies to both GMs and Bartenders? In that the mainstream says "Always say yes," but really you should be able to say "No" for very good reasons? I'm reminded of a kind of dark story from Philosophy Tube's new video where a bartender should have stopped serving a self-destructive customer.

[@emilthorngenibsen1156]

Matt: "yes, but no funnier than it would be if they got hit in the face with a cream pie" Boss: "Great idea Matt, we should add cream pie!"

[@Mattocon757]

I sense someone has seen an Oxventure or 2?

[@danjason3876]

Yeah that was my first thought, "Oh yeah, cream pies. Do that too!"

[@emilthorngenibsen1156]

@@Mattocon757 no clue what it is? ☺

[@PhyreI3ird]

I feel like if he was working under Activision, that would've legit happened.

[@deworde]

That's fine, but you then recalibrate what the theme of the game is.

[@panwall1327]

A DM needs to learn 4 phrases: "Yes, and..." "Yes, but..." "No, but..." "No, because..." These are your tools. Use them wisely.

[@colinrodale]

and, used wisely as all the others, "No, trust me."

[@mcbunson]

Another one: "Convince me"

[@100nodog]

@@mcbunson I love that one, because OCCASIONALLY, it works, and just occasionally enough that my players don't think it means 'no' when I say it.

[@sadisrmaacy4341]

add "yes" and "no" to this list and you're golden.

[@oz_jones]

"Are you sure"

[@jamalcolmson]

Player: "My character [insert suicidal goal]." Me: "Your character, having access to knowledge you apparently lack, would know that such action would result in certain death. Do you still intend to do this?" Player: "Yes." Me: "You could just ask to make a new character you know."

[@j2dragon109]

I don't see the problem here

[@PhyreI3ird]

Sometimes it can be more interesting to have a character go out in a wild way, rather than just step aside for the new guy.

[@ATMOSK1234]

Me: I know your highest stat roll was a 12 but I won't let it be that easy for you to reroll.

[@mikeg8564]

Having a last stand, "I'll buy you as much time as I can" can be very satisfying for a player.

[@jkinney4678]

@@PhyreI3ird If they want to go out with a bang to finish off a character because they want a new one that's fine, talk to the DM so you can work together to set it up

[@MrLeviathan34]

"There is /almost/ always an exception" is a fun sentence

[@user__214]

You could just go with "there is always an exception," since the sentence covers itself. If you ever find a situation where there is no exception, that situation is one of the exceptions to the rule that there is always an exception.

[@MrZAPPER1000]

Always = false always

[@remifasomidore1046]

@@user__214 not exactly, because he would be saying that saying "there is always an exception" would be false. if he has redefined the word always to mean almost always then this would work, but he didn't

[@user__214]

@@remifasomidore1046 "There is always an exception" is a rule about rules. Meaning it is a rule that has something to say about itself. "There is always an exception," technically speaking, means that all rules, including this one, have scenarios under which they are false. That is what an exception is. Which means you will find rules that do not have exceptions, because the rule that tells us that all rules have exceptions has, itself, some exceptions.

[@user__214]

I **do** agree that if you try to do formal logic or mathematics using "rules" that have poorly defined exceptions (meaning they aren't very good rules), then you're going to run into problems. This whole thing is a bit tongue-in-cheek. But the point still stands that a "rule about rules" will by logical necessity cover itself, which has implications that may surprise people who aren't used to it.

[@matthewgallaway3675]

"If a paladin of exceptional purity- that's me" I don't know Matt, I've read your books.

[@sethb3090]

"It's the result of something my character did" Your character participated in a cutscene

[@ReddCrystal]

@@sethb3090 No, the player participated in a cutscene. The character listened to the call, crossed the lake, and accepted a great gift from a demigoddess of unknown power. Just because you're not rolling anything doesn't mean cool things can't happen.

[@Aesculathehyena]

My GM had a great way to handle "Your character wouldn't do that." He tended to ask us to explain our thinking, in character. And it's come up either way, sometimes it's fine, sometimes it's vetoed.

[@MinibitX]

I like that better than "is that really what your character would do?" (Which rings passive-aggressive to me) "Can you explain your characters thought process on this?" Is way better. If I criticize, i tend to use the stats to feed a little nudge to the player: "Okay, since you have 19 wisdom,you notice as you approach the captive that he's shaking, and his knuckles are white. He's keeping a poker face but you're pretty sure he's already as scared as he can be." "Pacifist" paladin: *changes his mind about the intimidation check*

[@Smashface_McBourbondick]

@@MinibitX I have to ask, why does the paladin have 19 wisdom, and why would they play as a striker class if they want to be a pacifist? Wouldn't it be better for them to play a class that gets features that aren't focused around beating people to death?

[@KalonOrdona2]

@@Smashface_McBourbondick sub-optimal stat-blocks tend to produce superior roleplay

[@williamcarter5098]

@@KalonOrdona2 not true

[@procrastinatinggamer]

@@Smashface_McBourbondick I think they just pulled details at random fir the sake of an example.

[@MWDFrancis]

“That is my nonsense” - my GM career encapsulated.

[@400KrispyKremes]

What's a GM? Are you a general manager somewhere?

[@davidm1926]

@@400KrispyKremes en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Role-playing_game#Tabletop

[@matthewmoran7118]

That needs to be a T-shirt

[@400KrispyKremes]

@@davidm1926 Oh Wait you were trying to tell me that I could "look up" what a "GM" is... You see only fucking morons call it a Game Master, it's fucking Dungeon Master. That's why even though they officially call them "GMs" Wizards of the Coast still sell the "Dungeon Master's" Guide book. Long story short, It's Dungeon Master not Game Master. What are we Captain Fuckin' N the Game Master? Hell even Mercer still calls himself a DM, and every real fan of D&D does too. So Again I ask: What's a GM? Are you the general manager of something? Did you mean DM? You know the thing that exists in D&D. The game is literally called >DUNGEONS< and Dragons.

[@TheRealKLT]

@@400KrispyKremes Lmao did you know other tabletop RPGs exist that don't have dungeons and aren't made by Wizards of the Coast? And that maybe @Michael was purposely speaking broadly because, unlike you, he's played a variety of games and doesn't wrap his entire identity on one specific property. Good lord, I love opinionated nobodies.

[@BenSchwartz00]

Your cream pie anecdote reminded me of something one of my friends liked to do in competitive debate back in school. Whenever someone argued that their policy would create jobs, he would ask them, “wouldn’t building a one-to-one scale model of the White House out of gold also create jobs?” Often left people speechless or floundering

[@BionicKing]

FYI, there's a name for this: Broken Window Fallacy. The fallacy states that we should reward children who smash windows, because in doing so they create jobs replacing all the broken windows.

[@vepristhorn8278]

This is great, I'm so tired of DMs on social media telling new DMs that they have to say yes to everything, that their world and lore are meaningless and that they have to change them to fit what ever character idea their characters come up with

[@AoWgoldsteel]

I find that congress more from players than dms

[@alalalala57]

So, almost nobody?

[@zionich]

Same people that convince us the "Customer is always right"

[@bathtubmafia2042]

As is true with most things: limitations breed creativity. Saying no isn't limiting your players, it's encouraging them to define their characters uniqueness in the world rather than their character sheet.

[@freddaniel5099]

This is an idea that should be developed into Matt's next video!

[@PersonMan1234]

Agreed. My artist wife does this for her dance students all the time, and they make better work because of it.

[@horserage]

Limitations, can, breed creativity.

[@HarryH256]

I'm The Dandy Highwayman. A swords bard who you're too scared to mention. I spend my gold on looking bold and grabbing your attention.

[@dahobdahob]

Di diddly qua qua

[@gma5607]

As a GM who fights very hard to preserve tone, I feel this.

[@drawfiend3104]

Just do what my GM did: give up all hope.

[@charliehalliwell2238]

Remember: Always distrust statements that begin with "Always"

[@RotaAbyssian]

...wait

[@ondrasukdol6654]

I don't know why, but I feel like I can't trust you

[@kevinasher1347]

"Only a Sith deal in absolutes." At least "distrust" just means "make your own decision" and not "reject".

[@godofzombi]

Catch 22. Error.Error.Error.Error.Error.Error.Error.Error.Error.Error.Error.

[@pringles_mcgee]

i dont believe you smh

[@Alresu]

Seeing the title without any further context: "But I want to...."

[@nerdblender69]

"But sometimes I dooooooooo"

[@MrLex86]

"How 'bout I do anyway....."

[@ClokworkGremlin]

You can certainly try.

[@mathsalot8099]

"Yes, and..." Should be best friends with "No, however..."

[@thetimebinder]

This

[@matthewgallaway3675]

They're lovers

[@GeneBrodeJr]

Yeah....no.

[@ForTheGoldenOak]

Never clicked so fast in my life. THE RIVER IS FLOWING AGAIN!

[@knightofsvea604]

Does it split?! No.

[@janstutti980]

The content must flow!

[@cxfxcdude]

*Raucous cheering in Arabic*

[@ForTheGoldenOak]

@@cxfxcdude You made me seriously breath through my nose, take this like

[@tulicloure]

One of my favorite item-related stories from my games was one of those "players read item description and use a useless ability to do something really creative in the campaign. I'd given the PCs this ancient banner that would give them several bonuses on a charge and, as a little cosmetic bonus, it could change its colors and symbol to match whatever faction the wielder was thinking about. In short, I had this big NPC that was hiring the PCs for a job, but she was an undercover agent from another kingdom. As suspicions grew, one of the PCs started to question her about her allegiances and, in the middle of the conversation, threw her the banner. Immediately her secret was out, and that changed the entire direction of the campaign, as that revelation was supposed to come waaaay later.

[@orangoetan6145]

I've seen the 'making of' on twitch. All in one take, unbelievable! ;)

[@nevernerevarine8071]

Definitely didn't start reading the script *before* actually recording!

[@IHale-xn7op]

I was just wondering if he reads a prompt for these videos or goes off-head. Dude is really damn good at this. 20 minutes that flow smoothly and not a single slip of the tongue.

[@Gstrangeman96]

"Picking up a random magic item, then later reading the description in a moment of despair and using it to get out of trouble is peak DnD" Flashback to the Cupcake Gambit in Critical Role S2...

[@Dayllan]

It's always a fun hit of seratonin to get notified about running the game

[@killianb4042]

and they're at absolutely random intervals, so its like a skinner box for nerds

[@pablovenegas6233]

I was doing work, got a notification on my phone and I LITERALLY screamed like a happy nerd

[@landremon]

Nearly stop everything I do each time

[@Cody27]

MUH DOPAMINE

[@rafaelbrandao4059]

Yes, but not any more serotonin than if it had been O'D being hit in the face with a cream pie =P

[@jonheddleston8755]

Giving a reason for no is so important. I remember making a character for a friend's game, but every time I'd pitch an idea, I'd be told, "No that won't work. I can't tell you why though." After it fell apart because he wouldn't just say what he wanted, the reasons for my ideas being shot down were that he wanted me to play a very specific character/backstory, but wanted me to somehow read his mind and just come up with it myself. Yuck.

[@maestro0798]

I'm so glad you are still making these, its a treasure for all DMs to enjoy.

[@piRatCaptain]

You can "yes and..." a game into a slapstick Tom and Jerry ludicousness that no one has fun trying to one up and sustain. I agree that sometimes gruel makes you appreciate steak that much more.

[@AdellRedwinters]

I would love Feats being something you earned in the world. They aren't a part of 5e's main balance since they are optional rules already, so it would be cool to design feats specifically for players who gain them via actions in the world.

[@Calebgoblin]

Somehow watching the recording process increases the value of the finished product even more

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

I agree Sometimes the DM has to say “No”.

[@8-bitsarda747]

yeah, one of my characters wanted to use the Kuo toa to make an eldritch horror after they found a small town that had been torched by a shadow dragon. I told him that as important as it was for the DM to have players willing to go along with his craziness, it was just as important for the players to have a DM that willing to along with their craziness. And I was not willing to make new eldritch horrors, because that is not the direction I'm interested in going. It never has been

[@cxfxcdude]

I hope someday people realize that there are impossible things. And that i dont give two shits if you got a 22 on an intimidation check i didnt ask you to roll

[@Liamneedham29]

Its like making a Gnome character that is 7ft tall, covered in fur and growls and cackles like a hyena... its just not a Gnome.

[@oz_jones]

Nor a gnoblin. Hes a gnoll.

[@jxmxsc]

When I saw this come up, I exclaimed "No!" and, after a pause, muttered "I mean, yes."

[@ForTheGoldenOak]

How dare you make me laugh and read your comment alout?! Take this like and I hope you learned your lesson!

[@MrMaxBoivin]

"If you compare a 1st edition fighter to a 5th edition fighter" You know, that would be a good idea for a video series: "the history of D&, one fighter at a time".

[@iantusa9207]

I'm glad someone of more authority is saying this. It has a greater need to be said these days.

[@tuomasronnberg5244]

The GM is the final authority on what goes at their table. You don't need a KZbin personality to tell you what you can and cannot do in your game.

[@iantusa9207]

@@tuomasronnberg5244 I feel like explaining this to you is a waste of time. If you were correct, the problem wouldn't exist, I wouldn't have made the comment, he wouldn't have made the video, "No" wouldn't ever get argued and no one would have liked this comment. Although the argument from authority is often an argumentative fallacy, there's a reason those arguments are used. People listen to experts or who they deem an expert. More people than ever are now playing DnD and too many have problematic ideas and notions about how the game is played. If YOU don't see why this is needed you've either been very lucky, not played enough, not known enough players and games or are actually just a jerk who doesn't care if their players are having fun. I'll assume you're lucky.

[@craigbryant3191]

I like a magic sword as much as the next guy, but I will take a contrary view. I like a game best where the characters are defined by what they can do, not by what they have. One of the things I like best about 5th edition is that fighters come into their own. They are powerful because of the abilities they've cultivated over many adventures, not so much because of the magical baubles they have accumulated. Beowulf chose to face Grendel with no weapon in his hand. I love that a 5th Edition fighter can be awesome because he's awesome, not because he has a plus five sword.

[@Xplora213]

It’s a good comment but you can’t undo feats or special abilities. You can lose magic items. It’s something that can help balance a party or boost them to survive an extra tough encounter… and they go back to normal once it is gone. Artifacts aren’t supposed to be kept forever… your holy avenger plus 5 is an extra 3-5 levels of experience and Is unreasonably Powerful but at least the DM can get rid of it.

[@Kenuda]

@@Xplora213 I think if a DM has to take away artifacts from you, that you earned through your adventures, then the DM probably needs to look at the way they structure encounters and stories again. Artifacts actually are meant to be kept forever. They are absolutely not meant to be used once and then disappear into the aether.

[@Xplora213]

@@Kenuda I’m OSR. Artifacts are cursed, by definition. “Pure infinite power, itty bitty living living space”. Not supposed to stay around but give the campaign a boost once it has calmed down at higher levels. Your folding boat can stay, even your shield +4, but your eye of vecna should be gone ASAP. Note - Artifacts WANT To leave. Modern rules might have different ideas but they can go to hell along with orcus.

[@Kenuda]

@@Xplora213 I mean, if that's the case then you're not really talking about magic items. You're talking about ancient fonts of power that even the gods want to get their hands. Those are in a different weight class to the vast majority of magic items.

[@Kenuda]

@@Xplora213 And I still stick by my comment of "If the DM needs to take your stuff away then they should probably look back over their story and encounter structures." Special abilities, feats, and magic items shouldn't be something that you just take away. That'd just be punishing the player in that case.

[@balfizan]

Being comfortable with both saying no when yes might be easier and saying yes when no would be easier are both skills that help make both a great DM and a great person.

[@erc1971erc1971]

I would say this video was absolutely phenomenal, but that wouldn’t do service to just how much I enjoyed it. Hands-down your best video to date and did an excellent job of encapsulating how I feel about things

[@Kat-zw9kc]

This absolutely happened to me at my last game session. One of my players told me in a private message that he wanted to propose to the NPC he had been courting for the last several sessions. In Real-World Outside-the-game time, he had been courting for over a year. But in game time, inside the world calendar, they had known each other only 8 weeks. So when he told me he wanted to propose, I didn't say "NO," but I did ask "Are you sure? You've only known her 8 weeks in game. I'm okay if that's what you want to do, but I didn't get the sense your character was a 'whirlwind romance' kind of person." He agreed, and changed his mind to a less drastic decision. The power of No is hugely important.

[@GrimTEAM]

It's hard saying no! because the players are your friends, you love them, you want them to have a good time. But at the same time you have to have some foresight, some perspective about what the game is about. If everyone plays a serious character and you have only 1 or 2 meme players it ruins it for everyone and everyone has a bad time. So even tho is hard you should say no on ocassion, and usually follow it with an explanation as to why. I find that no player has ever complained about a time I said not after I explain them why. They kind of go "yeah that makes sense" and find other way to have fun. It's great. p.d: I love your videos Matt you were my inspiration to start dming some years ago.

[@sammayes948]

Anyone else get the “big brother” vibe from Matt? Like someone who knows what’s up and how to talk about this wonderful hobby?

[@Jayce_Alexander]

Matt Colville is watching you.

[@ericcontreras3966]

​@@Jayce_AlexanderI'm dead lol 😂

[@thomashead5485]

Wow, that was wonderful and altered my scope. 1) I finally understand the “No” in my friends campaign 2) I love the clarity of your reasoning 3) I can now say “No” as a DM and do it prudently. Thanks Matt, great talk.

[@matthewbolingbroke5414]

One of my favorite campaigns was much like your one friends, the party all had to be dwarves of certain cultures. Its turned into an epic saga, that sadly is on hold due to the pandemic, of horror and woe as the dwarves encounter horrible monstrosities and evil empires in the underground chambers and caverns their people once called home.

[@h8uall66]

OMG, thank you! I’ve been a DM for over 30 years and I’ve seen a lot of interesting philosophy on the subject, a lot of which I agree with. But being able to say “no” is so important. You were spot on about how it is the DMs job to preserve the tone of the campaign, and this is especially true of high concept campaigns. This is why I always write and distribute a “player’s guide” for any setting that I create/run. It’s so much easier to get all the players on the same page when you can point to a document and say “this is what we’re trying to achieve. Your character idea is creative and interesting but it is at odds with tone and theme of this campaign.”

[@alexrodriguez-jf9rp]

I think it’s easier as a player to say “I want to play this ancestry because it has this ability” because I have a book in front of me about abilities not a book about elf culture in Capitol

[@nekrial]

And that's why you talk to your GM, who will vet your ideas to mesh with their world. It's a cooperative game, you're not in it alone.

[@deujales6029]

Don't worry, we'll have that book as well someday.

[@darlhiatt8136]

Sure, but no matter how much work the developers did it's only of limited utility as they can't know your table. Why spend much time on elven culture in a core book when so many DMs will make their own?

[@adamkaris]

@@nekrial But there's a limit to how much most dms are willing to do that.

[@Arc115YT]

I agree mostly. The books are awful at describing the cultures of these races. If the issue of players picking races for ASI's and abilities bothers you as a DM, I'd say get the races they wanna play far ahead of time. Like, before Session 0 and a couple different races. Alternatively, coming up with a one or two sentence description such as; "The Dwarves are reclusive cannibals without honor. They murder, steal, and dominate as they please" can help give the players an idea of what being part of a race entails. Then flesh out the races your players pick if you haven't already.

[@floydwurst9948]

Thanks for the video! I like the idea of giving the chracters powers as a reward for in game choices. Instead of handing out magic items I gave "a power" to one of my players directly. I put a cursed dagger in the game as bait. The intended player (rouge) fell for it. Him slowly discoving that he is not really being followed by some weird undead goul but that he is cursed with hallucinations was one of the most exciting parts of the adventure for him. I also rewarded him less XP than the others and he thought that was part of the curse as well making it an important objective for him to get rid of it. And then came the reveal: One night the enemys caught up to the party and were about to ambush them. The rouge's pet looked at him and he heard something like a voice telling him about the approaching enemys. The curse had "awakend" his hidden magical potential and he was now able to "cast" the equivalent of "speak with animals". I was very happy how that turned out but in the future I will try to mek it less of a "plot point" and make it more about the characters choice. That's something I took away from this video.

[@frudolipe142]

Welp, I'm totally stealing that lake enconter

[@MinibitX]

RIGHT?! i wish my players didn't follow this, but no I don't, cause i want them to run sometime 😂

[@KalonOrdona2]

Male Paladin vs. Nude Goddess "Ah I see you are a divine beauty. I, too, gain an implausibly high bonus to charisma." Being immune to charm effects sure gets you into some nice situations

[@jobobminer8843]

Especially the save vs magic or die part. To be clear, this was a high level dungeon and ressurection shouldn't be terribly hard to come by for a party high enough level to be encountering this.

[@Hynesight2020]

That example of the sword, Crusader, was epic. I DEARLY wish I had the time to read through the old adventures for gems like that.

[@JamesBrown-qb5ih]

GM's need to feel empowered to say no to player ideas that would obviously (to the character) not work. Great to see RTG again!

[@g.cas3]

Are we all just going to gloss over that amazing Amadeus reference? "Too many notes, Herr Mozart."

[@dminard1]

I don't always agree with what matt says but it always gives me the feeling that i should set aside some time to digest the advice and I always come away inspired

[@mr.pavone9719]

I created a homebrew set of RPG rules to play with my kids and I included a "Save VS. Common Sense" rule. If they wanted to do something stupid, useless or out of character, I had them save against common sense. If they made the roll I'd coach them in a more beneficial direction or give them some clue or whatever. I didn't give an answer, but I pointed them in the right direction. If they failed the save, well, they paid the consequences. They learned pretty quickly that doing reckless things and taking thoughtless action was never a good idea and it saved me from having to say "no" very often.

[@samcarter565]

This is legit the video I needed to explain why players can’t just ignore the stuff I took time to write up because my world is not generic D&D

[@oz_jones]

But mooom i wanna be a an aasimar/thiefling roguelock fighter mooom

[@sylvan5936]

That story of the paladin walking into the lake is straight up agreeing to an Archfey Pact of the Blade.

[@FridgeEating]

Yeah, whereas every Paladin should know that the optimal subclass for Warlock multiclass is the Hexblade.

[@_JamesB]

@@FridgeEating considering what video this comment is on I can't tell this is a joke or not

[@lagg1e]

@@FridgeEating But it's not a magical being of the Feywild, it's a rivergoddess. The only questions is how Lalibella's standing is in relation to the paladins god.

[@RulesandRulings]

Talking about the idea of Exceptions becoming the Rule reminds me of how most people completely misunderstand the idiom "The exception proves the rule." Prove in that context means 'test', the phrase literally means 'a rule isn't a rule if it has exceptions'... but gets used for the opposite intent.

[@kjj26k]

The hell is the context? That's literally the exact opposite of the definition of "prove"

[@RulesandRulings]

@@kjj26k It's fallen out of common usage, but still exists in terms like Proving Grounds.

[@garryame4008]

14:15 The story of Crusader (from Lalibela), in the module "Mines of Bloodstone".

[@oz_jones]

You are the MVP.

[@procrastinatinggamer]

Okay, I can empathise with Galadriel for that remark about magic because a similar conversation happens at work several times a month. I work at a first aid and medical supply shop and we’ll occasionally get someone come in asking for “Elastoplast”. We probably do have what they’re after but there’s a problem - Elastoplast is a brand name, not a dressing. Just saying you want Elastoplast tells me “okay you want one item out of the dozen I can think of off the top of my head that Elastoplast makes.” It’s like walking into a car dealership and saying “I want a Toyota.” Okay - do you want a ute, a sedan, a hatchback, what?

[@ardanblade641]

I think this summed up my deepest desires as a DM. Your video addresses every facet of how I wish I could run my games, maintaining the believability of the worlds I work so hard to craft, and the way I want people to gain power.

[@ZonkPJ]

Matt doing "brllrl" has made me laugh so loudly and suddenly the cat has jumped from the table :D

[@RickSeigmund01]

This. This is one of your best videos. I'm a "kid of the 80's" who grew up playing the game. I have been away from it for decades, but then, I had kids. Last year, I jumped back in head first, to introduce my kiddos. Protecting the fantasy and magic of whatever game you choose to create is a very good thing! Some lines are ok to draw, especially if they preserve the mystique of the world, and keeps everyone enjoying the process. Well done sir. Thanks much!

[@D_A_D_]

I really wish my DM had done this to another player recently. We've been playing Curse of Strahd and we were level 8, so nearing the end of the campaign. My DM is a fantastic DM and I would never wish for another one, but this has been bothering me. One of the other players says (for the second time) "Hey, do you mind if I invite another person?" Keep in mind we've got six players already. Right there I wish he had said no, because adding another character into the mesh when our characters had already become so embroiled in their interpersonal stories with each other was going to be a tough ask. But, he put the question to the group. Most of the people in the group are people pleasers so several yes's were had and I just had to keep quiet as I was the only one with an objection. Keep in mind I had been wanting to get the guy who introduced me to DnD involved in the game for a long time but had kept that to myself because I didn't want to pressure anyone into accepting another member to an already full group. So this guy joins, and is known for all of his characters being named after Bob Ross. Sure enough, his character is named Bob. He has an automaton named Ross. He's a Warforged Artificier. In Barovia. For those of you who aren't familiar with Barovia, it's a very dark and serious toned place. There is almost no magic in the setting, specifically magic items. Strahd has basically confiscated them. There isn't even a way to buy potions. But for some reason, this guy is a warforged artificer whose profession is creating and selling magic items in the main city. Now I have to look at this guy and in a very serious tone because someone just had a huge revelation about the death of their parents call him "Bob." Really sucks me out of the world. I really wish I had at least raised an objection about adding someone who I know wouldn't have taken it seriously, and I really wish my DM had said no to such an obviously tone breaking character.

[@InDisskyS131]

Seems you need to learn how to speak your mind at the correct time. Man up. Not saying it would have changed the DM’s decision but you really have nothing to complain about at this point.

[@skipfire00]

@@InDisskyS131 nothing like saying “man up” to immediately suck any kind of respect one may have for a person

[@DawnsRage]

I would like to tell people how I handle my tables progression. I use both XP and Milestones, XP is used as normal to gain levels and I do allow the Alt rule for feats, but I also use Milestones to indicate prominent character moments, campaign resolution, or major feats. Once you gain 3 milestones you gain a custom designed feat based on the actions you took to gain said milestones. It does end up in a very high power campaign (my magic items don't help either), but I find most of my players enjoy that hero fantasy and I still challenge them with custom monsters and often unique encounter mechanics and design.

[@oz_jones]

Thats cool!

[@The_Murder_Party]

very cool.

[@darrenpellichino2923]

thats really cool Dawn I'm glad I read your comment. I've made our game extremely challening with how powerful the enemies are along with their complex lairs and unique abilities. I'm glad to know that it's something others are doing. So far it seems balanced with the powerful items they have but I do sometimes worry that it may all just fall apart =). There are 6 pc's in the group which is like a small army.

[@jameshicks7254]

HELL YES! My man Matt Colville is BACK

[@conlon4332]

When I was making a Druid, I looked through the Player's Handbook and liked the ability modifiers for Hill Dwarfs, so I went to that section and read all about them, and as I did I came up with a whole backstory for my character, about how she didn't like the strict traditions of dwarven society, and wasn't any good at the manual labour all the other dwarfs expected her to do and be good at, like they are, so she isolated herself in the library, got to reading about nature, and all the amazing creatures, plants, and fungi out there, and eventually ran away to live out in the wild, guided by what she'd read in the books that told her what was edible et cetera, and as she lived out in nature discovered her powers. It might have started by liking the stats, but it quickly became an intrinsic part of her character.

[@LikeMadCops]

This might be my favorite video you've ever posted. Resonates within me. Deeply.

[@andykaufman7620]

When it comes to Organized Play, back in the day we had a GM's Guild of sorts where that group ran Conventions and held local games, so it operated similar to an RPGA, but was its own thing, and they used a concept like your character, based on level, can only have so many Hard items, and so many Soft items. A soft item was any item that was useable once or for a limited number of times, like a Potion, or Scroll, or perhaps Tea you brew but heals a low amount of healing but can brew up to 4 doses, like d4 healing, or other minor magic items. A Hard item would be anything that is a permanent item, like a +1 sword, or a Gem of Seeing, but since 5e items have changed the nature of Wands and other items with Charges so they never truly lose their charge, but rather recharge but limit how many charges they have during a Day, say 7 charges, but these are regained at a certain rate. That type of item would be a Hard item. We then got those items on Index cards that had to be signed by a GM of the Guild, but the main limiting factor is you can only have so many. Say you are 4th level and the limit was up to 2 hard Items and 4 soft items. Then a GM can reasonably allow all your items as long as they don't violate the count, but the GM is free to not allow a particular item if it proved problematic, and that simply means the Player character still owned it, but they left it at home or effectively didn't have access to it for that game. That is the power or Right of the GM to rule like that. Most GM's most likely won't do that, for any reasonable item. That is why a more general rule that states if an item is from the Common or Rare list it should not be questioned by the GM unless under circumstances where that item would be problematic for that particular game. Like a Ring of Dragon Control, in a game where you fight a Red Dragon and if that character brought that item in, there is really not a fight, it is that character going straight to the dragon, using the ring saying 'Fly away for 12 hours' and then the Player Characters loot all the treasure, No Fight happens, Game over, and the players walk out without any harm, stinking rich, and an Anti-Climatic end. That GM could then restrict that item for that game. The GM can say No to items.

[@benjaminfrost2780]

First and foremost, thank you for the video. As a DM sometimes its nice to be told you can say no. Crusader as you described it Matt...is not just a magic item. Not even older D&D. That is a massively powerful "legendary" as we would reference now or "artifact" item. Those are easily memorable with or without feats. The memories attached to items is something I keep alive in 5e by the way I make my homebrew magic items. It does require me to have to make my monsters to keep things balanced, challenging, and fun but its worth it.

[@ninodonlord]

Two other great example of races behaving differently in Tolkien that stuck out to me were 1) when Bilbo presents his poem in Rivendell and one of the elves listening says he can't tell the difference between Bilbo's and Aragorns parts, saying that mortals are sometimes difficult for them to tell apart, comparing it to sheep and shepherds who can surely tell the difference between different sheep. 2) sometime while the three hunters are in Fangorn Legolas compares his companions to children, saying that he felt old among them but now feels young in the company of such an old forest.

[@docopoper]

I've personally never been super enthused by magic items I find in the world. If I can make one, then that's awesome. It becomes like an extension of my character. Magic items I find just feel like things I've found. I really like feats. They also feel like expressions of who my character has become.

[@georgegrenvillethe7thpm176]

Thank you

[@mrmanwithchocolate]

I'm quite the opposite. If you give me a list of every possible magic item and just tell me to pick one, it feels superficial. I prefer that my character is mine, and as I wandered into your world via adventure with my compatriots, these magic items I picked up along the way are how I've been affected by your world.

[@docopoper]

@@mrmanwithchocolate That's very fair. And it sounds like Matt is the same as you.

[@mrmanwithchocolate]

docopoper Man, diplomacy in the KZbin comments. I'll say the new Artificer class had the right idea by limiting your options of magic item in the infusions, it certainly does feel pretty great when you work to make a magic item and gain its powers afterwards; so I think it'd be pretty easy to compromise our world views if the DM provided *limited* magic item formulas (Per RAW, it's how you craft them) and you chose which one to devote your efforts towards.

[@Goofygoobatron]

“Always” and “never”... only a Sith deals in absolutes.

[@chrisgreene5941]

Is that absolutely true?

[@quicksparta3955]

Ironic

[@zephid11]

What I've always found ironic with the "only the Sith deals in absolutes" quote, is the fact that the quote itself is an absolute. Disproving the argument that it's just the Sith that deals in absolutes.

[@mathsalot8099]

@@zephid11 or proving that ObiWan is actually a Sith! O.O

[@alonsovillalobos3823]

Any Jedi is a potential Sith ;)

[@DarthHawthorne]

"Perhaps today is a good day to die... PREPARE FOR RAMMING SPEED!"

[@animistchannel2983]

"Mr. Worf, would you man your station..."

[@chalor182]

"I believe we could use some help at tactical"

[@rueagustin8499]

As a paladin main, I died when he revealed what the magic item from his game was.

[@EtherealDoomed]

Yes to everything about this video. I've always felt free to say "No" if I felt it was justified, but this was a great discussion of when and where to do so.

[@oOPPHOo]

5:00 I've had these arguments a lot recently on forums. What perfect timing "Can't you just make an exception so that _my_ druid does wear metal armor?" No. I can have you quest for "iron bark" armor that's mechanically as powerful as the armor you want, but you can't start with metal armor. You're going to be the representation of druids in this world to the party. The fact that you don't see them covered in metal is, at least in my setting, part of their visual identity.

[@docnevyn5814]

Do you have tortles in your world? They are an easy way to sidestep druids and metal armor.

[@oOPPHOo]

@@docnevyn5814 I do. It's worth noting that I've yet to run my own homebrew campaign (just a few oneshots, mini-campaigns and LMoP) so I've yet to have the argument with a player. Only had it online with forum posters. That said, I prefer my solution of "You can have a quest to sidestep the need for metal if you want a breast plate". Makes for a strong quest hook and doesn't force the player to be a race they might not wanna be. I just force them to wait a bit for the AC they want.

[@shanekayat3217]

@@oOPPHOo this goes for almost anything a player wants in game. You want a whip but it's not a starting weapon? Probably won't be at the first shop you come across, but I'll throw it in as a reward later on. The wizard wants certain spells as scrolls but won't write them into his own book while leveling? He can send the DM a wishlist and hope that some of it comes up. It is a bit tiring to just see player requests though, with no effort to turn it into a quest. Tell your DM what you want, and chances are they will light up with the promise of new quest hooks, and you might get what you requested.

[@OtepRalloma]

I watched how this sausage was made on Twitch, and watching the finished product now, it boggles me how well-edited this is. The cuts are barely even noticeable!

[@E-Lykos]

Same, isn't it cool.

[@Dungeon-Master-Chef]

I love the concept of "earned feats" and other character aspects. I've given them out as additional boons, but the concept of putting them behind a narrative is closer aligned to my preferred style.

[@Jessie_Helms]

My party’s wizard at level 3 survived like 7 rounds of combat against a level 12 Cleric/Druid/Ranger with access to 5th level spell slots and 2 Coldlight Walkers backing her up. For reference, the Druid _in wild shape_ and the Paladin both dropped by round 3, and the fighter was knocked out of commission (fell in a hole and only survived because of Relentless Endurance) in the round 2. He was knocked unconscious, healed, knocked down again, Nat20 death save, and knocked down a third time. He now has the Tough feat (or whichever one it is that increased your health and con). I’m tempted to give him some sort of fire related feat after he wiped out like 15 Gnolls with a single fireball which he only had because his Cloak of Useful Things rolled a fireball spell scroll. But idk, that feels a little much.

[@larmoth401]

When I was new to DM'ing I didn't know that you could say "No" to your players, I thought my job was to make what they wanted to happen happen and if what they wanted to happen didn't happen or if I tried to stop them then I was being a bad DM. Unfortunately I learned the hard way when I had a player who took advantage of that and decided that since they could do whatever they wanted, they would do whatever they felt like, regardless of what everyone else wanted or thought. This ruined everyone elses fun and I didn't think there was anything I could do about it, I'd sit and think "I don't want them doing this, but it's not my place to stop them" and I let it go way too far before I finally put my foot down and realised that being the DM isn't just being the storyteller and adjudicator of the ingame rules, you are also the moderator of what is and isn't allowed and if you let things go when they shouldn't then you're as much to blame as the person doing it.

[@tbs_Incorporated]

This is an excellent video. Much of your brilliance comes from finely articulating ideas and concepts that we utilize but do not explicitly express. Doing so makes our worlds richer and accessible to ourselves. For a moment, I felt the wonder of playing D&D again when I was young because you said these words. Thanks, Matt.

[@jonr4651]

Matt: “No.” Running the Game. 2020 me read: Not running the game.

[@leem4386]

the finale :0

[@WexMajor82]

You are lucky. I read: "No." RUINING the game.

[@nessesaryschoolthing]

"No Running the Game Allowed"

[@ohiograssman1564]

Everyone is too afraid of an Invisible enemy they can't see to live lol

[@Smg065]

Honestly sometimes I see 'Ruining the Game' instead from the corner of my eye, always confuses me.

[@tubebobwil]

"It's cute. But don't do it." A late friend of mine who had a 40-year career in advertising and illustration once told me his boss told him once and it stuck.

[@Victoevel]

Praised be, another video from Matt! Truly, a Christmas miracle!

[@fenthras9463]

I needed this. Sometimes you just need to tell your players "no". You're a player too, and if you have understanding players they will work with you.

[@fabledredeyes]

I saw JoCat's DMing video with that entire *"the DM must always accomodate even when the players are being extremely disruptive"* thoughtline. But then Matt posted this and rekindled my hope for humanity and the TTRPG community. Thank you again. Seriously. People _needed_ to hear this stuff.

[@josephsellers3650]

I agree. The “The Dm always has to say yes” ignores one important point for me................As the Dm, I should get to have fun too! I spend a lot of time preparing for the game and if the players go too far, I lose interest in running the game. I do try very hard to be accommodating cuz we all want to have fun, but if I can’t enjoy myself too then why am I there?

[@cchapa7470]

To expound on the what Matt said, one of my favorite lines is "Based on what You told Me about your character, they wouldn't do that." OR "... what's you're intelligence?" (waits for answer) "Based on that you character is smart enough to realize that that is a bad idea and WILL die horribly" (the example that came to mind was a level 1 rogue that thought it would be a good idea to try to pick pocket the king... who was 15 feet away on his throne... in a well lit throne room... surrounded by his King's guard.)

[@guybuckridge7326]

Great video. The funny thing is that in my group of old timers we have more fun stories about the mundane or minor magical items than we do big splashy ones. I.e. the time my character turned around a losing fight with a handful of skunk cheese. Or the time time our halfling chef dipped his ladle into a holy water font just as the big bad mummy lord burst into the church. "Soup's on MFer!" I couldn't tell you a single magic item I owned for either of those campaigns but there were many memorable deeds.

[@carsonm7292]

Big agree (with the main content; I have a very different take on feats and magic items). Between the two games I run I do this a lot more for one than the other because one game's setting is really carefully crafted while the other is not, but I'm fortunate enough to have players who understand this and will go along with not always getting what they want in order to preserve the core feel of the game. Good video.

[@orsolyafekete7485]

18:15 "Would you share a cupcake with me?"

[@cxfxcdude]

*Captain American voice* I get that reference

[@andrewmcmillan229]

And one from last week, "I reach into my pouch and dump out all 10 doses of my drugs"

[@StellaDallas88]

Matt, you are an amazing teacher. You are articulate and gripping. I wish I had a teacher like you in school!

[@jacobbishop577]

Heist confirmed! As soon as matt said that he was doing a heist spinoff, I immediately ran my own, and I'm so excited to see his take

[@8-bitsarda747]

On a similar note to what he was saying about giving magic items instead of choosing feats: I've taken to doing something similar, granting power that has a price. Here's just a couple examples of what I mean by that. Myle Teagallow, a retired spy, and one of the PCs in my group, discovered the Key of Knowledge, which later manifested as the Sword of Knowledge. The sword is a longsword +X where X equals your int. modifier, and the Key gives him proficiency on all Intelligence based rolls, unless he already has proficiency, then it gives him advantage. Already this is really good, and doesn't come at a price, but he later discovered that the sword was just the beginning of what this key could do. At a crucial moment, it transformed him, granting even more power. But soon after they learned that the Key of Knowledge was not the only one of it's kind. There were six in total (Might, Speed, Fortitude, Knowledge, Will, and Deceit), and they were used to seal away their creator, a Gigas who sought to kill the gods. And the more of their true power awakens, the weaker the Gigas' seal becomes. Adrex, a magically created, living super weapon, and another PC, found the Philosopher's Stone, the most powerful magic amplifier in existence. When used, the Stone either, treats all spells as if you used level 9 spell slot, or makes you not spend spell slots to cast. But little do they know, the Stone houses the soul of a Shadow Dragon who sought to surpass Tiamat and Bahamut, and has now become a Dracolich in his endeavors to do so. The more Adrex uses the Stone, the harder it becomes to resist the dragon taking control of his body. This resulted in him using it so much by the end of the campaign, that he could not resist the dragon taking over his body. He actually had a discussion with the dragon the night before the showdown with the BBEG, in which the dragon basically said that he could take over Adrex's body at any time now. However, Adrex managed to convince him to wait until after the BBEG was defeated.

[@U.Inferno]

I had an NPC once have a breakdown due to the circumstances of the game. One of my players thought it would be funny if they force-fed her a piece of sushi to get her to stop yelling. This was the first and only instance where I said No. No, I would not allow that to happen. That would detract from the scene, and be incredibly violating in general.

[@Gametastica]

I remember running a campaign a year or so ago just when u watched this video, and the big mystery of my setting was that all humans had vanished, instantly and at the same time, only a single family if humans were left, one of my players said they wanted to play a human, and I said "sure as long as you're from this one cruel family" when they said they'd prefer to be a traveller monk, because of this video, I said "no" and they went on to play a tiefling and it was there favourite character they've ever played, because he played a tiefling who was convinced they were human, it was clever and it wouldn't have happened if I didn't say no.

[@cautiousninja1994]

Thank you for giving me hope that the chain will return.

[@Paegis]

I think a lot of this comes down to talking with your players and establishing expectations early - on both ends. Also, that paladin story is awesome. Experiences and memories like that are definitely one of the best things you can take away from a game.

[@hp2xp425]

"Yes and..." doesn't mean that players need to be coddled.

[@WestOfEarth]

It's always reassuring as a DM to hear Matt describe some rule or method you've already implemented in games that he runs. It's like a bread crumb indicating your instincts for storytelling are on track.

[@TheLyricalCleric]

Matt: ramming ships is ahistorical Me, an Ancient Greek trireme: crying

[@aduboo29]

I think it's ahistorical in that it tends to feature in basically anything with ships, when ship ramming is from such a narrow slice of history.

[@rimanLip]

@@aduboo29 Ramming was used also in ww2 couple of u-boats get sink this way. Construction of most warships allow basicaly blow up bow of ship and stay afloat.

[@fireguardianx]

i thimk thats more for spaceships. also, triremes were made for ramming right?

[@mrmaat]

@@aduboo29 Not really. Naval ramming held prominence for over 500 years in the Mediterranean, and was used in the American Civil War and WW2. It’s in no way ahistorical: it’s use depends entirely in the environment and technology. While Matt is correct that ramming in space would be suicidal, ramming an oared ship was an optimal strategy for a long time.

[@rimanLip]

@@fireguardianx Yes, most of ancient warships was equiped for ramming. Speaking about spaceships and star trek : kzbin.info/www/bejne/mInUZJevqbFpkKMm2s

[@aldantefax]

Instead of trying to talk in absolutes or loaded agreements like "No, but" or "Yes, and", another tactic would be: "Why?" Seeking first to understand before arriving at the yes or no makes it a healthier conversation while still also being more selective about option choices. Good video!

[@JohnvanCapel]

Your example, of a player really only wanting to play an Elf for the racial bonus, is why I like the "Pick whichever stats you want for bonuses" rule in Tasha's Cauldron - because it invalidates that line of thinking. When you remove statistical advantages to playing a certain race, the only thing left is the roleplay.

[@CaptainArn]

It is so good to hear someone as esteemed and as absolutely TOP SHELF as Matt Colville, echo so identically, the feelings and thoughts within my own heart and mind about protecting the setting, and saying no and being fking stroppy at people who abuse mechanics and have no interest in narrative selection. It is the purest form of vindication I could ever hope to receive.