When a Player GMs Their Game Master - Running RPGs

[@aaronjones1666]

There is a blurry line in these videos between rpg advice and life advice and frankly, I love it

[@clukskin]

don't even play any table top and I still watch his videos

[@euansmith3699]

What is an RPG, but life with dice, and clearer rules, and obvious objectives... okay, so not much like life, then.

[@ChayComas]

I got the same impression

[@ryandornan8698]

It's one of the main reasons seth is the Yoda of rpg content.

[@euansmith3699]

@@ryandornan8698 Seth, the Yoda of RPG, is.

[@robertnett9793]

Seth in the first part: "Don't worry players - the regular GM won't screw you over - have fun." Seth in the second part: "GM's if one of you makes me a liar - I will come to your house and burn it to the ground like the vikings burned Lindisfarne."

[@oz_jones]

Seth in a later video: BOMBSHELL.

[@Paraboxify]

Is that a copy of Ashes of Onyx by renowned urban fantasy author S. Skorkowsky in the background?

[@SSkorkowsky]

Why, yes. Yes, it is. :-)

[@skirk248]

@@SSkorkowsky I've been thinking of picking it up. Worth a buy? I've good things about that Skorkowsky guy

[@therealGibralter]

@@skirk248 I've read a few of his books and honestly he is pretty good. You should pick him up.

[@patchbunny]

@@SSkorkowsky You should see if he'll autograph it for you. Makes it worth more!

[@AssassinLupus7]

Ooh. I actually didn't know Seth wrote any books. Any of them good as audiobooks?

[@DUNGEONCRAFT1]

This is up there with "The Story of Jeff." A perfect video. Well done, sir. Well done.

[@DapperestDave]

Jeff would have done it way better though

[@nooctip]

Relax players theres nothing to worry about. The Gm will cause no trouble. Pay no attention to the fact the dm portion of the video is four times longer. We're just discussing cookies:)

[@howdoilogin]

As a GM let me tell you - _remind me of the things I don't know._ If it's been four turns don't bring it up but if I say "Oh the electricity arcs through the air and strikes you and you're paralyzed" but you remember ten seconds later your Spinning Dance gives you +1 to Evasion, go ahead and retcon the hit. I gotta remember a thousand spell or move effects and every creature's status, even with notes on my screen I _can't_ be expected to remember everything.

[@James-hj5ov]

At 1:29, when he switched to black and white and said "seriously GM's..." I heard Seriously James". My name being James, I had a slight freak out moment and had to re-watch that section.

[@FeylordTAEKE]

Understandable. Seth has a disarming way about him. Ooops, dropped your sword lol.

[@Eric_The_Cleric]

Seriously James, you gotta be better. :p

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

Imagine being the guy who was lucky enough to grab the username "James".

[@cidlunius1076]

"Now your job is to not make me a liar." 👿 I died. 🤣

[@michimatsch5862]

Finding the voice is very important. One of my players actually tried to gm and went for my style which is very character-based. After I nudged him a few more times he wanted to give it another shot. I suggested he try out something more mechanic based like a dungeon crawl which I really hated. And he totally nailed it! He had the maps completely figured out and new what was where which I struggle with. He even had an awesome boss fights. It was this huge sandstone golem and I was kinda wondering if I wouldn’t overwhelm him: I asked if we could a dagger like a chisel and hit it with a weapon to cut off limbs. He went like...hmmm....yes-he needed a minute but then he pulled it of pretty well. I also loved doing role-playing as just one character and going really into getting the others roleplaying.

[@citycrusher9308]

Nicely done!

[@benvoliothefirst]

This is the golden rule of GMing: GM the way you'd like to GM. If you build it, they will come.

[@jeremyrichey4243]

Honestly, this is a great example of how sometimes different people are great at adding different flavors to a campaign. I love a good dungeon crawl, but when I've DM'ed, I'm usually more of a story DM. It's fun to swap seats once in a while and get a little variance in the game.

[@irkalla100]

That's an awesome anecdote. Thanks for sharing! GMing for others is fun and it's great to switch GMs in your group. Everyone likes different aspects of rping and seeing people play their strengths when GMing is just so much fun!

[@O-D-X]

This is one of the things I tell new GMs who have played with me before. My style is not really a good one for new GMs, so don't feel like if you are running the game differently that it will be bad. Be comfortable and it will be fun and generally always judge in favor of fun if you have an option. See I run my games as total sandbox improv. I have an idea of where I would like to see the game go, but if they go in a completely different direction, I just roll with it, create a new story on the fly, make up encounters on the spot. However, I can pull this off most of the time, because of 40 years of gaming experience as both a player and DM. This is a big thing to ask of someone new to DM'ing. I often suggest their first time running might be best using a pre-made adventure or if they have a specific idea in mind, to make sure they write down the most important details. This info is all relayed way before the run the session, during the session I am just a player, and make sure to create a character that will not create huge problems and will be willing to follow just about any story. I will only make a comment during the session if asked, and after the session will always lead with at least 3 points I liked about the session and more specifically about how they ran it. I have found this encourages the most out of my players, and has led to at least 3 of my players becoming what I would consider top tier GMs, even better than myself.

[@CrovanBlaze]

Seth is still filming with his players during COVID-19?! So irresponsible!

[@terrybeal2252]

Bwhua ha ha! 😈🐙

[@fairystail1]

ever noticed how you don't see them side by side? It's through webchat, they're sitting at different tables

[@euansmith3699]

I dunno, the footage is in black and white, so maybe he recorded some time ago ;)

[@mikej8382]

Maybe they bought a table big enough to stay six feet apart.

[@jayoungr]

I think they live together. They've all probably been quarantining in the same house.

[@tjuarez7092]

I legit ran my first game of Call of Cthulhu tonight & our groups' Main GM joined in last minute as a sub. It was my first time running a game for him & it was a system that none of us had ever played, but he was awesome. You could tell he was loving being a player. Exploring the world, but still giving the other player their time in the spotlight. I was nervous at first, but once we got going, I was so thankful that he had joined. Definitely going to run another game & who knows, I may become the Call of Cthulhu GM on my all D&D server. 🎉

[@FlimsyRanger]

Def made all these mistakes. DAMN MY ARROGANCE!!!

[@SSkorkowsky]

Me too. :-(

[@larspetterolsen]

I wish i could say I never did that. I can't.

[@DarthRadical]

@@larspetterolsen I can totally say that "I've never made any of those mistakes". I'm just lying when I say it.

[@AzureIV]

Next time you will do better.

[@benvoliothefirst]

@@AzureIV "Next time, Gadget! Nexxxxxxxt tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime"

[@MrLordmikel]

I will forever remember the time I did a short campaign for my group. I had to regular GMs in my group. During the time, I also lost my job and I moved, so that added a lot more stress to me, and I lost some of my notes. But day 1 and I was there. The two experienced GMs, "What is my motivation for playing in this campaign? I'm not feeling it, give me a better motivation." Corrected me on the rules, didn't like a judgement rule I made against one of them. It was just one thing after another. It was such a nightmare. They could have used this video back then.

[@timbuktu8069]

"I get Star Wars and nature documentaries confused a lot" Oh good! I thought I was the only one.

[@davidbrennan660]

I blame KK she has made the franchise so contemporary and relevant .

[@samprastherabbit]

This will be a day long remembered. It has seen the end of Attenborough; soon it will see the end of the penguin mating rituals.

[@DaDunge]

Reminds me of southpark who get star trek and the bible confused a lot.

[@Tony-dh7mz]

@@davidbrennan660 LOL

[@gagrin1565]

@@DaDunge Easily done. They both talk about the enlightenment of humanity but dwell on it's faults while appealing to the holy trinity for salvation.

[@VaSoapman]

Using the words "Next Time" in critique might as well be black magic. "Oh man I loved this part! I hope we get to do something that cool next time!" "This part was kinda disappointing, next time try this?" "That was awesome how you did this! I can't wait to see whats next!" Your goal is to encourage them to keep on going. No matter what the advice is, assuming that there will be more means that the chances of that happening go way up. That way, if they want to stop they have to actively say "I'm done." instead of just not doing anything.

[@girlbuu9403]

The dreaded counter spell "If there is a next time" is a hideous beast though.

[@skirk248]

Next time makes me so happy to hear when I somehow bumble my way behind the gm screen. It's the greatest thing out there

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

@@girlbuu9403 And that's D12 Emotional Damage, no save.

[@oz_jones]

@@girlbuu9403 just dont bombshell and you will be gravy

[@malcolmcampbell3912]

I have literally never seen any push back for running games for your GM. Oof. I'm glad I've been part of more supportive games.

[@chonious9705]

Right! Usually they are so happy to finally play that they don't care.

[@joshjames582]

I've always been happy to get a break and just get to play for once.

[@Mathadar]

You have no idea how happy I am to see players run a game for me. I was always GM, but now I actually play.

[@vidard9863]

Occasionally, very rarely, you get a GM who is just a control freak... But they generally don't make good GMs anyway.

[@malcolmcampbell3912]

@@vidard9863 Yeah I've played with a guy who backseat GM'd games. "Well that's not how that is SUPPOSED to work.." To which I'd have to break in, "GM's word is law!"

[@davrion]

I was set to run CoC for the 2nd time ever at a Con (maybe have run 5 times in total) last month, and I then offered to run it additional times once the Con switched to online mode (and some of my player events were cancelled). Wouldn't you know it, an industry publisher signed up for my event. A little nerve-wracking, lol. He basically followed your GM advice to a T, gave a good reaction at the end of the game and mentioned a thing or two as options in a particular encounter (which was useful since I was running the same event the next 2 days).

[@05thepoge]

When I was in high school and first learning D&D, I had a group that rotated who was the GM each session of the campaign. We didn't use modules but we kept the same characters and setting and whoever was GM that week was responsible for advancing the plot. It was sort of like writing a collaborative story where each person gets to write one paragraph before passing it off. It was surprisingly fun and the campaign just grew organically as each person pushed it in a new direction. We never really ran into problems with our group dynamics (beyond typical high school drama) but we did run into a major problem with power creep. One session the GM/player accidentally gave us a ridiculously large cash reward and everyone went on a shopping spree. No one wanted to say 'no' to another player so we all bought equipment that was way too powerful and never bothered to justify where we found the merchants who were selling it. At the end of the campaign we were so overpowered that the only worthy opponents we could find were doppelgangers of ourselves. Eventually, two of the players conspired to destroy the world and reset the game so we could start fresh. We tried a few other campaigns like it but they all died out after one or two sessions and we were never quite able to recapture the experience.

[@dungeonforcevids]

Strangely, we used to do the same thing of rotating DM's (mostly me and one other player) to give each other a chance to enjoy the version of the Realms we were building. It was *so* much fun, but like you say, power creep was inevitable. Eventually, I destroyed the world as part of my DM mini campaign (think 80s Crisis on Infinite Earths) and reset the continuity so we were all de powered and could pick up from before it all got out of hand (around level ten I think). Ah...those early campaigns before we learned restraint were just magic.

[@harjutapa]

0:18 - The look of pure JOY on Seth's face is so relatable for perrenial GMs. Also, 2:11 - "are you kidding?? I want to PLAAAAAAAAAY"

[@kingcole5977]

Player: I’m thinking about running a game. Forever GM: let me in... LET ME IN!!!

[@specterwolf4711]

Great video! The first time I ever ran a game was with my Uncle's DnD group. Plus, at the time I was only 18 or so years old and the others in the group were veterans. They all just sat there and played and only offered help when I asked them. It was a great experience and they only told me about what I could have done better after the sessions which we did when my Uncle was the DM before. I still appreciate the fact that they let me DM and we all had a great time. I attribute that experience as one of the reasons why I still play RPGs decades later. I have had my share of negative experiences as a DM and player that are usually my own fault but having those phenomenal experiences is kinda the reason I keep coming back to RPGs.

[@kevingriffith6011]

I've actually had to enlist the rest of my table in stopping me from just blurting out rulings without thinking about it (ADHD is a bit of a bitch). I tend to be the most familiar with the rules at the table, and my "solve the problem" reflex tends to be faster than the impulse to think if I'm stepping on people's toes. Basically, just having them tell me "Hey. Back off" is useful for breaking that habit, even though I've got a fair way to go before I'm really "over it".

[@lghtngblt]

I also have ADHD so I know all about that disconnect from brain to mouth.

[@madmanwithaplan1826]

I have this exact same problem and one of my friends has different ideas about some rules and so i basically told them i know i have a big mouth and its fuckin reflex that things shoot out my mouth before my brain can think them through. so just tell me if its overstepping. theres somethings i will stand up for. last session we were attacked by rogues with fuckin mega poison and sneak attack and i had to stand up for the monk that being immune to poison means being immune to its effects its damage and the condition

[@davidgantenbein9362]

Kevin Griffith I have switched the table and started to ask the guy that knows the rules better whenever I‘m not 100% sure. Works very smoothly, but I also have a group that accepts when I tell them that I won’t use this or that rule and just make a different ruling.

[@originaluddite]

I'm a bit tired so I initially mis-read ADHD as AD&D...

[@Gnarlf]

@@originaluddite So did I. @Kevin Griffith Knowing your flaws is the best way to work on them. Good idea to pointing it out to your fellow players to improve yourself. 👍

[@blackdragontaichi]

after being a DM/GM for 37 years, I finally got to be a player for once! ..my brother-in-law ran a Cthulhu Scenario and I remember both me and my character being soo excited to have a go at 'the other side' I fear we may have frightened the dude! .. great fun and I thoroughly recommend any player to have a go at running any game and see 'the other side' and how rewarding it can be ... I've rolled six more characters just in case one of my gang want to be DM for the day.

[@patchbunny]

I am GMing a game for the first time with a bunch of friends, two of whom are very experienced GMs. From a player moving to a GM role, the biggest problem I have is I have no idea how many character classes work as I never played them, and balancing combats is tough. There's certainly more reading to do than I did as a player, but I ask them for advice and feedback between sessions and they've been really helpful. When you're all there to have fun, and not feed your own need to control, it's a much better game.

[@bigblue344]

D&D 5E (I assume you are playing that) is difficult to balance around and even the CR levels are just recommendations as some monsters can counter some classes while getting crushed by others. Just ask some help and it is better to make an encounter a little weaker then usual because the party could make mistakes, bad rolls and you can tweek a couple of things behind the screen.

[@ZeroNumerous]

Early on, regardless of your system, you're always better off using a single monster. Even in really unbalanced scenarios the monster is unlikely to win vs 4-5 players simply because they've got so many more attacks than the monster. This allows you to balance combat fairly easily by just having your flavor of goblins run in to do something and distracting the players.

[@fairystail1]

@@ZeroNumerous another tthing my GM did is have rolling waves of enemies. i.e after every third turn x amount of enemies show up. This is quite good because if they aren't too strong you can just have them stop a little bit early if the group is having trouble or combat gets boring

[@mathsalot8099]

Also, it's the player's job to know their class inside and out. As long as you trust the players not to cheat or intentionally do something they shouldn't, you dont have to know all the ins and outs of each class. You just have to know what your monster's abilities are, which is frankly much more streamlined. If you have a villain that's, say, a wizard, then know his class inside and out, but otherwise, trust your players and make them responsible for their own classes.

[@blameitonthebubble5294]

I know when I've run games with my GM as the player for the first time, I felt like I was taking an exam to see what I've learned.

[@billstephens396]

My uncle was my first GM for years and when I took the reins as a GM, I was so nervous to have him as a player. But, he loved being a player and was very supportive. Then, when he started a new campaign, he asked me if I would co-GM with him. It felt wonderful! We split duties, and I made maps and coat of arms for various locals. He ran the combats, like the pro he is, and I had a few notable NPCs the players fell in love with and kept coming back to. Now, I live across the US from him and miss those days of co-GMing.

[@MoragTong_]

The only time I allow a ruling to be "looked up/argued" during the game, is if it involves a player death. Otherwise...we discuss after the session.

[@NoESanity]

I use to agree, but I'm currently dming 4 diffrent editions. So now I have no problem with rules being looked up, because I dint want to make a 5e ruling during my pf game

[@davidbeppler3032]

I assign a rules lawyer. It is their job to look up rules. I know most of them and refuse to spend important time looking up things that just slow down the game. He looks them up and everyone learns them, I ignore it all and keep going. Next time the table informs me what the rule is and either I implement it, or I ignore it. If it is implemented, it will always be implemented. Another thing that is a home rule. Anything the players can do, the enemies can do. Example: casting deeper darkness on yourself (with the skills and feats to function without penalties) and then using it as a killing bubble. Yea, if you can do it, so can I. In a game a few years later they were in a fight with a nasty bugbear underboss that did the same trick. (instant fear).

[@Schlaym]

I'm not even in that exact kind of situation, but tomorrow we'll start a 3-day-marathon to advance our campaign that three of us took vacation days for. I was pretty stressed out about it, being the GM at all and not having a ton prepared, but you video made me remember that these are all my friends whom I've known for years and can even easily improvise for if necessary.

[@euansmith3699]

Day One: Total Party Kill Day Two: Session Zero All the best

[@gordashjuiyrtyder1659]

Hey seth, I remember you mention a cyberpunk campaign where players grew up from age 13-18? Would you ever consider giving us more insight into how that campaign went?

[@SSkorkowsky]

Eventually I might talk about it as a weird sort of War Story vid. It was a very weird campaign in that it all took place in a small 4x4 block area of Night City. That little piece outside the Combat Zone was their entire universe (except the one time they had to go one neighborhood over to do a deal, and another time when they had to go into Night City Proper to see a Johnny Silverhand concert at the stadium). I consider it the best campaign I've ever run.

[@cxk7127]

@@SSkorkowsky What? No Scott Brown? ;)

[@thenicktrickles1700]

@@SSkorkowsky sounds really cool

[@GoDamnWeird]

@@SSkorkowsky Stylin', Choomba!

[@thefool4407]

@@SSkorkowsky well I'm looking forward to that video

[@Arcboltkonrad13]

My fiance got me your "the Gang" t-shirt! Love it!

[@CharlesFreck]

1:00 that star wars nature documentary joke is way too good.

[@adammclauchlin7605]

As a DM of four years who played for the first time this year. An issue I’ve often found is knowing all of the ways the monsters function and things of that sort so it makes it quite difficult to not meta game that stuff and easier to tell when the DN is taking it easy on us.

[@Alexisdjr]

That is a skill acquired as a GM. Can't do anything about it.

[@dford4014]

Always a question for session 0, just how much lore is common knowledge.

[@stevef7067]

I'm a forever GM and this is an issue that comes up quite a bit (I'm assuming for many others as well). This is where "role-player" must try to overcome "roll-player".

[@mitchellhorton9382]

You can always try and play systems you don't know that well.

[@adammclauchlin7605]

Mitchell Horton true, how would you advise asking a player-dm about running other systems?

[@wftghw]

In the black and white shots of your "new dm" you look a lot like the comedian/actor Rob Huebel and I love the energy 🤣

[@ramsien]

Something I've tried for first time GMs - take a system you already know and run a lower level module or even the 'sample adventure' from the book. Have your fellow players play characters wildly different than they usually play, and just have fun with a one-shot.

[@johnnysizemore5797]

Sadly, i've been the forever GM for way to long now. Help me, Seth Kenobi, to get one of my players intrested in running. Your my only hope....

[@edgytarian3332]

I find that every time I try to transition from Forever GM to a player I end up playing a conjurer, necromancer, driver, drone master, whatever the class or variant is that lets you puppet around several creatures because I am so used to playing multiple creatures at once. Subconsciously I just drift to the archetype one point/level at a time even if the original intent was to play as a chill support or literally anything else but mini GM. Is there a way to unbreak my brain?

[@paradocks23]

Play a fighter. Simple, hit hard and be a wall for your friends.

[@bigblue344]

I got a bit of the same problem although it is a way I always played my games before. I like classes where I can either control an aspect or be strategic with what I am going to do next. Basically be the mastermind behind the curtain while being number two.

[@Alexisdjr]

I feel you. I have a Binder with a cohort in one of my friend's campaigns. And just recently I got the power to summon creatures. At times I feel overwhelmed instead of relaxed and enjoying the game. I wouldn't suggest making a warrior, it's too plain since with your knowledge you'd feel tied down. I'd suggest something in between your typical fighter and caster. Or even a type of caster that is focused on battle control instead of summoning.

[@FeylordTAEKE]

I agree with Paradox. Pick a class and enjoy it. Warlock Eldritch Blast everything. Cleric heal everything. Barbarian yell and smash everything. Playing a true class character can truly open your eyes to a simpler existence than DMing ;)

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

I'm definitely the opposite: I want a break from that stress. I'll either do fighter/thief or bard - a mix of abilities for variety, and nothing too complicated.

[@TheEldritchGoth]

This video came out at the right time for our group. We’ve got two DMs, me and a good friend of mine that have a lot of rapport but never really get to play together. One of the guys in our party wanted to step up and take his shot though, and I gotta say I’m very proud of his enthusiasm. I sent this vid to him

[@imperialtutor8687]

I hate to put this Shia Labeuf meme here but it’s certainly the best advice I can give to a player who wants to try their hands on being a gm. “Just do it! “ Most of us started out as players that got our lessons from previous gms and experience. I think overcoming this mindset of comparing yourself to other Gms/players or whatever truly helps in getting better at it. I have only been a gm now for a few years now and after all it’s like driving a car. You just know how it works. The only thing I will admit to is that sticking exactly always 1000 percent to the rules of a game system is not exactly my forte. I don’t like rule lawyering it tends to bog down sessions hard.

[@cordingdesert9566]

I have this habit where I go indepth of my characters actions and describe everything.

[@rjsnyper8376]

I actively try to encourage all of my players to run something, whether it be a prewritten adventure, a one shot, or even a full fledged homebrew campaign. Honestly the best way to figure out dming is to jump in, you will learn more in the first session of dming than you would in months of reading through rulebooks. And who better to learn with than people with styles of play you are familiar with. As they learn dming they also will generally become better players, they'll become more proactive in their play, they'll learn how useful roleplaying can be, how to approach puzzles etc.

[@Argonnosi]

So, I have a trick that allows me to help out the newbie GMs in my group, and keep me from backseat GMing. I offer (not insist) to track initiative for them. When I run I commonly ask another player to track initiative, and it tends to rotate around the players, so no one in my regular groups takes offense to this idea. They know I'm doing it to offload some mental calculus and make sure that other players remain actively engaged. Seriously, by the way, offer an experience bonus to a rotating note taker and make them the initiative tracker. It works wonders for both engagement and helps out a lot. As these are notes direct from a player perspective they become public record, so you keep your own notes, duh, and they have theirs, which they all collaborate to make. Anyway, back to the idea. In combat a lot of rules get tied to initiative, so "Tristan is up and you said he was still poisoned" doesn't come off as being pushy. I'm doing my job as part of the group instead, taking some of the informational load off of the GM so that he or she can think more clearly and make decisions better.

[@Karajorma]

Speaking as someone who is a GM playing in someone else's campaign, I've been doing this myself and it is a great idea.

[@BobWorldBuilder]

The advice at the end about how to actually give advice is gold. I think there would be a lot more great gms in the world if the people they gamed with were more supportive when they started out

[@gamingmaster6377]

Hey man, gotta tell you, I love your videos, you know the timing of the jokes, you don't extend them too much, your videos are very creative and you usually speak clear, so I understand your words. Just letting you know, that your quality is high, and I love the little skits you do in black and white with the 4 characters

[@benvoliothefirst]

"Okay players, that's all, good luck!" ::sees there's 12 minutes of video left:: "Uh oh..." This might be your funniest video yet, Seth, and that's saying a lot!

[@davewire87]

This is perfectly timed because I’m taking over as GM for my regular gaming group next week with our old GM switching over to playing.

[@johnmickey5017]

As the forever GM, I found it so hard playing a character that I didn’t have time to screw it up! “Wait, I have to stay in THIS character? I need to act as part of a team? Good lord this is a lot of class abilities…”

[@JohnJohn-ri3cw]

I had my forever DM as a player in the first game I was DM. He was a great player in game, but afterwards he gave me some advice (really good advice) about how to make the game better. Then he kept bringing it up throughout the week without prompting. It was really discouraging and I ended up ending the campaign cause I didn't want to play with him anymore. I have started DMing again with a group of new players - which is really nice, none of them watch critical role :D I hope when I am more confident as DM I can invite my forever DM to the game again, but I need to find my voice first.

[@chrisanderson6950]

I think I've been lucky with the groups I'm in at the moment (currently in 3), most people in each groups takes their turn at running the game, and we all have our "specialty" games

[@TaberIV]

Loving the subtle statement of this T shirt lol

[@GreasyBeasty]

among the Nerds and Geeks, Covid-19 will forever be know as "the time of no conventions".

[@The_Custos]

The time of online sessions.

[@euansmith3699]

@@The_Custos Cue the Conan theme music, "Know then, oh prince, that between the banning of conventions and the rise of online play, there was a time best forgotten."

[@goolabbolshevish1t651]

My group still plays, we just wear masks and have an industrial sized dispenser of hand sanitizer. Granted most of us are people who live alone and in our 20s- early 30s.

[@fightingleaf]

Started a new campagn with friends where we all take turns running little one-shot-esque adventures, but I'm the only one with a working knowledge of the system (Big Eyes, Small Mouth 4th edition, highly reccommend with some tweaking). This means, though, that I sometimes fall into the trap of rules-lawyering when I'm not asked to... It's helpful sometimes, but I run the risk of hurting the experience sometimes (if I haven't already). Don't make my mistakes, people. Only speak up when they really need/want your help.

[@kalebrowland5891]

Thanks for the video. One of my players just asked if he could GM a small game, feels like this came out right as I needed it.

[@williamjohnston5315]

I really needed this! I'll admit I fucked this up in the past, even recently, and I this is something I really need to work on. I get so lost in the thick of being a DM, that I can be a real jerk at the table, especially when critiquing and back-seat DMing. I'll really work on this and this advice was a wake up call so I can start enjoying being a player and now grovel in the back of the DM screen.

[@jefo2405]

I was in a round with 7 people of whom 5 had their own books and most that they ever did was looking up all the rules and arguing about a lot of bs. We met twice and that was it. Never spoke to any of them again either. No loss there.

[@robwalker4452]

I so love these videos. All of 'em. I'm a full-time GM, I almost never get to be a player. Sitting on the other side of the screen makes me feel exposed and demoted, but if it's a game I don't know the rules to then it's much more enjoyable.

[@nerodcs3087]

oh yea....that moment when switchblades are drawn....we all have been there....wait what?!

[@DarthRadical]

Yeah, that's crazy! Everyone knows that people have all switched to butterfly knives by now.

[@GoDamnWeird]

Shot the GM at my first game of Cyberpunk 2020 with an airsoft pistol. It was prearranged, but not the point in the game that I'd do it...none of the other players knew what the hell just happened. It was an atmospheric, dress as your character session with mood lighting and other props. My own Cyberpunk game sessions aren't run like that...too much effort. Also prevents me from getting capped, gnome sane? XD

[@CRESELEG]

I mean I sat at a table where someone flew over the table a sledgehammer in hand at another play... it happens unfortunately. Also once had a DM ram another players car after a game.... yeah that was fun

[@wanderinghistorian]

That escalated quickly... In all seriousness I was at an open game at our FLGS once and this big guy got so mad he tried to stab my friend with a pencil. My friend, who might've weighed all of 100 lbs, stood up to him and call him a psycho for acting that way and told him to mind his manners, shut up, and play the game. The guy actually backed off. Ballziest thing I ever saw.

[@andrewlance3898]

Apparently Seth has played D&D in some shady places

[@shayulghul]

OMG, how…HOW…do you NOT have 1 million subscribers yet?!

[@gvendurst]

Well I just subscribed, so we're working on it ;)

[@khajiitinskyrim8874]

The first time I DMed was a one shot dungeon crawl, when I asked my usual DM what he thought about it he simply said how he liked the variety of different encounters I threw at the party, but he would like to have a story along with the dungeon. Every since then, I’ve gone out of my way to implement the players’ backstories and build the world around their characters.

[@kelceydane5874]

Look, we play games of make believe, suspension of disbelief is easy for me, but this is hard to wrap my head around.....I don't always have to run the game?!

[@Max3110]

took me like five years before someone ran a game in which I was a player

[@VTheTuber]

At our table we have a weird issue where everyone playing the game is also a dm of there own game where most of us are still players

[@jgr7487]

wow! the GM is called GM Seth! the plot thiccens!

[@Pabooney701]

Really loved the subtle editing and mid-monologue jests in this one. Advice was also good, as usual.

[@terrancat]

For feedback I think the compliment sandwich is a good start but also a high ratio of positive feedback to critiques. Maybe 4:1. Also enthusiasm for how much fun you had and their gm style.

[@jalzahn4404]

My players tell me I'm hilarious too... >_>_>_>

[@BlackPenzo]

I LOVE that Cthulhu 2020 shirt!

[@lghtngblt]

I love the skits you use to emphasize your points! They really help clear up any possible confusion and make for great examples that get your point across clearly. Plus they are fun to watch!

[@pallenda]

I agree so much! The first of Seth videos I watched I was a little confused and not sure if I liked the skits. Already from the second video I liked it. Now it's one of my favorite parts.

[@EHAmos]

His skits are honestly the main reason that I watch him over any other person on KZbin who talks about role playing

[@foxross]

Yes but what is Dweebles' real name?

[@spacedinosaur8733]

@@foxross Thank is not important...what is important is What happened to the Turtle with the tiny hat?

[@FeylordTAEKE]

I think my favourite parts of Seth's skits is the "stoner", who I definitely represent in my friend/player group. Yet I DM. So I am the Stoner Seth DM ;) This video was made for me! And I still feel confident that my players have a blast with my silly exploits. Seth and others have helped keep me confident, and I am super proud of my players building their way up to lvl 15. I have garnered a reputation as a friendly and creative DM, and I can't thank Seth enough for that. Again, I clearly have influences elsewhere, aka Matt Coville, but ffs Seth you are just so honest. Also you have that hankering for Cthulu mythos, which I thoroughly enjoy. Thanks for everything Seth.

[@Abysalss]

For the gm half, as another player in please for the love of god do not correct the gm when they are forgetting something in the players favor. For instance the +1 aim bonus thing that allows the enemy to have hit. Now for the passive perception one you did the right thing but the wrong way. What would be appropriate to do is ask the other player “hey don’t you have this thing that might help you?” Then you’re not making it about what the gm has or hasn’t forgotten but it’s you working together with your party. Like I had a friend who we spent one whole session just watching him have a big duel he was kinda outclassed for and I noticed a half dozen times where the gm forgot to add the additional damage bonus to the enemies attack and my friend just squeaked out a win with like 5 health even after the gm did a thing or two to intentionally give my friend a chance. I kept my mouth shut because I don’t wanna be the kid that asks a teacher If they’re gonna collect the homework that they’d forgotten about

[@frankmueller2781]

In the longest campaign I've been in (@12 years) there were three of us who took turns as GM. It usually worked out well.

[@RusticShadow]

I just offered to run a one-shot for my group, and my GM's reaction was pretty much identical to GM-Seth's reaction in the opening skit.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Good luck on the game.

[@ChrisMoneymakerDHRG]

Good stuff. I have had 4 players give DMing a try. Only one of them gave it up after 2 sessions. The others have become successful DMs, each finding their own voice and world. They are great DMs.

[@dischargethegamecat4485]

Thats how I started....I was a dnd player, then I decided to go to be a GM/Keeper... i was worried at first but now it's all good :D

[@paradocks23]

My thing is that I occasionally respond to questions on reflex. I do my best to shut up and be encouraging after the game because every one of my players that runs games do genuinely good jobs.

[@samchafin4623]

Excellent advice! This stuff is not easy. Thank you, Seth. Thank you.

[@SSkorkowsky]

Thanks. Hopefully someone out there will find it useful.

[@lunatic0verlord10]

5:43 Okay, I think that one was a bit too much. The first one was okay, the second one would be passable if it was the last time, but that third one... Yeaaaaah, even I agree that it would've been better to keep it to yourself, this time...

[@Labroidas]

I think it's much more stressful to run for players who have never played, or haven't played in many years. I just constantly worry about giving them the right impression of the game, getting them hooked early on so they will want more. Nothing scares me more right now as a GM than to have new players think "wow this game is extremely boring, why do people play this."

[@Lurklen]

With you on rule call outs, with some exceptions. 1st is if another player is struggling, or forgetting something, I always speak up. Because I wish my players would help each other out more (not add up their dice for them or whatever, but remind the rogue they can use sneak attack, or that Scott has a hearing bonus) because players forget, and when I'm DMing I'm usually busy, and it's not that I don't want to answer questions, it's that if I'm doing that, everything else takes longer. I only ever speak to the DM if it means we're going to screw them over somehow, and I do it discreetly (leaning in and whispering, or during a break reminding them of something if I can't do the former). The 2nd is if you're playing Pathfinder. I'm sorry, but that game is crunchy enough, and there are so many crunchy rules that are inevitably going to slip the DM's mind, that I feel the players need to advocate for themselves, and be willing to push back a little on a ruling. It sucks to die, or have things go badly because your DM forgot knowledge checks don't (usually) require an action, or some other little dumb rule that screws you over. I don't rules lawyer in 5e, because no one needs to, it's very flexible, in something like Pathfinder, I find I have to, or half my shit doesn't work right. At the very least if the DM is going to make a ruling that doesn't follow the rules there has to be a discussion because it will affect how one of the billion little things on my sheet works.

[@MakCurrel]

I have never heard of this being a thing! In my world the ONLY difference between a player and GM. It's who runs the game.

[@hothe65]

I am a regular GM with 2 groups. I followed Seths advice. It worked like a dream in one group. The experience improved my GMing and was fun. The other group, oh dear., The GM was so bad I had to leave after session two. I was a bad player, I was so frustrated I almost took it out on the table. The GM ignored everything I did and was desperate just to ‘ tell us his planned story’. No point playing at all. In fact. ge even role played with himself, did not need us. Be careful with this, you forget how bad an inexperienced GM can be.

[@kevinuhart4970]

Love the video... the "shelter at home" has come out in this one in a most satisfying way.... no... seriously... I'm going stir crazy... I have been lucky enough to play some games back in 1st edition and I think the biggest problem I ever had at the transition is I find it difficult to help problem solve for fear of being thought as using my GM knowledge of things to overcome obstacles. But even so, I've always had a blast being able to foray into someone else's world for a few games...

[@cecilchesley7406]

Good advice. Wish I could convince him of it. He actively hates being a player

[@VashDNerada]

You are truly a good dude, and it shows in your thoughtfulness. I appreciate you Seth. Now get the F out I got a showing!

[@Alexisdjr]

I dont know... I find rule lawyers to be of great help when I don't remember a specific rule or when a situation arises where the rules aren't clear, or even nonexistant. When I find myself in such situations I also tend to discuss things with my players. I've also had really bad GMs that completly ignored the rules for their own convenience, changing a ruling from one week to the next, when the opposite situation arised. Others were just too lazy to even bother learning the rules and made these "homemade" rules that only they knew about, so that nobody could question him. These situations made the game quite frustrating, and either forced me to learn the rules so that they wouldn't cheat on me, although that would lead to long discussions instead, or just leave the game. When something is ruled in a way that screws your enjoyment of the game, it's really hard to keep your mouth shut. Your example of a convention is kind of different. It's a one-time thing, so there's no reason to say anything. Same thing with new groups of unknown people during the first few games. In my case, I must say, I have a regular group of players with whom we take turns to GM different games. Lots of fun every week.

[@schlockfather]

"When something is ruled in a way that screws your enjoyment of the game..." Me when I try to perform a flank or pincer maneuver in 5E only to learn that it's nonexistent and I'm not able to be more likely to hit the stationary guy I'm behind who is being drowned out by 5 other people from all sides.

[@Alexisdjr]

@@schlockfather Truly. That's why, with the help of the players I try to "Fix" the loopholes.

[@angelicasimmons6858]

I find there are 2 kinds of "Rules Lawyers". The first is the bad kind, the one who argues using the "rules" and their interpretation of the rules solely in an attempt to benefit from it. These ones will often argue for the rules to be interpreted in a way that benefits them and then next time it comes up, if it doesn't benefit them they will argue to basically switch to a different interpretation. Some of them will even argue the rules over very petty things just because they feel like it benefits them or gets them what they want. Sometimes they will do this for another player. The second kind, which I'm totally okay with, is the good rules lawyer. They know the game rules and just want to make sure we're all playing by them, have the same understanding of them, and that we're consistent. They usually have a deep love of the game in terms of both setting and mechanics. They'll remind other players about bonuses they have that they've forgotten and are often trying to be helpful to others with their understanding of the game.

[@Alexisdjr]

@@angelicasimmons6858 Agreed. I've met both kinds of rule lawyers. One of my Game Masters was of the first kind, changing the rules as he saw fit just so he could "win". Perhaps he did so unknowingly or without real bad intentions, but... It became a "GM vs player" kind of situation. It got toxic, and nowadays nobody wants to play with him although he has tried to change his ways. He was the reason I started to read a lot of rules and FAQs myself and try to become the second kind of rule lawyer, in which I wouldn't doubt to tell the master in case there was a rule in particular that would put my own character in a difficult situation. In the meantime another of the players would start recording the GM's rule interpretations for future reference if we ended in the same situation. For instance, reminding my master that my character was a gambling addict while we were doing something in a casino, haha

[@angelicasimmons6858]

@@Alexisdjr I have a player who's been my bestie for a long time, but he definitely falls into the bad rules lawyer type. He's GMed two games for our group early on and after those experiences we won't let him GM again because he truly did (and somewhat still does) suffer from the delusion that the game is a "Gm vs Players" scenario. He even once said that as the GM it was his job to kill the PCs. My husband and I didn't give up on him though and have worked on his issues. Turns out he learned to play rpgs with a group who had this toxic adversarial-ness as part and parcel and they didn't know any other way to play. He's mostly broken of it now but sometimes it pops it. But that old bad rules lawyer in him flares fiercely from time to time, but I've learned how to nip it in the bud. The other issues with him I can mostly manage, now if only I can get him to stop being a "for the lols" player.

[@Smothtiger]

Well I did GM a play once for my regular GM and group. That went well... The game went well enough, many laughed at the characters I created. Like the Tabaxi who spoke like a teen highschooler. About all of the players had their moment to shine. Though the GM had built a rather op Fallen Aasimar Pal 3/Blood Hunt 2. Took the evil alignment a bit too far also. Flayed a Weretiger trainer he killed, none I did could basically hurt his character and at the end, he killed his wifes character. Sort of, by the end of the session, became the end boss where all other player either abandoned him or tried using spells to call upon mobs from the dungeon that the party didn't kill. Was both a fun and annoying first time experience being a GM. Will be again sometime but likely in something else that isn't 5e. We play it enough as is and some change could be good for many.

[@mathemagicianTA]

Great video! Also loved the Dark Dungeons still in there. Are you ready to R.P.G?!

[@Nick-yz9fd]

They never tell you when you start gm'ing that eventually you're the only one who will ever run games and that you'll never get to play the game as a pc yourself. 😞. Let your gm play every now and then.

[@larspetterolsen]

Make the other players connected to the story and make them participate. As a gm you remember what others are good at, often better than they do themself. This is your chance to help put the spotlight in a good way on other players. Best of all? You don't need an npc to say it or remind the players out of game. Yes of course i messed up as a player. Still do sometimes. But in a group of 5, we're all gms. We all mess up sometimes

[@mkahvi]

OMFG, I am the bad GM who reminds people of rules. I know I should wait for them to Ask, so I don't break the flow, but AAAAA!!!

[@Vermbraunt]

Awesome video man

[@JessHart006]

That was not the player I expected to step up and GM.

[@RPGImaginings]

Great advice, as always Seth. It is the duty of any good Game Master to model in their playing what a great experience can be like for all.

[@jimbillyjenkims]

OOOOKAY, let me tell you my horror story! We started a discord/roll20 server with a guy who offered to DM 5e for us, me being the newest at the time. He ran several games for us and was a great DM. Eventually this guy Wookie joins up and starts playing with us. After a couple months, he offers to run a game so OG DM can play. Mind you, this is right after I ran my first game, too. Wookie's got some experience and a good story and all this, that and the other. He's got his ducks in a row and knows what he's doing is what I'm saying. Two, maybe three games in, OG DM shows up to the chat drunk and proceeds to get into a screaming match with Wookie over some stupid ruling or other, and would not stop until I kicked him from the server. Wookie never really got his spirit back and now only rarely DM's one shots for us.

[@WCPR]

Not sure why I didn't subscribe to this channel years ago.

[@expressionamidstcacophony390]

I was gonna say, "jesus those glasses are rose-tinted." Not long ago on one of those tabletop-help subreddits, I was talking to a guy who ran a solo adventure for his DM to build up his confidence, and his DM was a complete tool. Dodging plot hooks, whining about low rolls, random murderhobo behavior... yikes.

[@dantuga5412]

Hey Seth I have been watching your videos for over a year now and just wanted to say thanks for making these! They always help inform me and boost my confidence as a new DM. :D

[@cristiaolson7327]

I took over GMing our group a couple months ago, and really enjoy it. One of my players is our former GM; he actually prefers playing, and i think he was only doing it because no one else felt comfortable taking the role. I've asked him for advice a few times, especially when I first started, and he's been pretty sympathetic to "GM problems" (especially since he still runs games at home with his family). Glad I have a group of friends who can be cool about things; this video made me realize that I'm actually lucky.

[@FeylordTAEKE]

I love your honesty Seth. I've been growing as a DM for a year+ now, and I've always leaned on you for advice. I am proud in my flexibility as a DM, and I account a lot of that to you and other channels. "Don't be a dick" is some pretty simple advice to follow.

[@wolf1066]

The first Cyberpunk games I Refereed had two of my former GMs as players. Somewhat nerve-wracking, to say the least. Thankfully, they did not backseat drive and just let me find my own way. One of them was a brilliant player, forever coming up with awesome inventive responses to the challenges I set and taking the initiative in coming up with plans and goals for his characters.

[@MogofWar]

The GM definitely judges you when you GM over them... The way I ran one module with basically zero prep because DM said "You DM this." And I went "Sure." And they ended up running half the dungeon on a single initiative because I played the Goblins that wanted to live, so they they would run away when they were wounded... but then players would pursue them... into the next group of Goblins... This happened 4 times... they stacked 5 different encounters into one by pursuing retreating enemies... I didn't do this shit on purpose. It was the module that placed the goblin encounters where it did. Everybody thought I was some sort of psycho DM that was out to kill them. But I tossed these a-holes extra goodies, because they really had a rough go of facing 5 encounters as one big encounter, even though that was their own doing, So I telegraphed that some of the goblins had healing potions by having the second goblin that was retreating chug one while retreating... Hoping to get them to loot some healing potions and heal themselves rather than feckless chase the lone survivor into the next goblin band... they just chase the lone into the Goblin band. At this point I decide that dropping subtle hints that they don't need to just keep chasing these guys wasn't going to work so I just decide to have all the remaining encounters converge at this point. And since the fighter really deserves a +2 Longsword and Sheild upgrade, guess how I decide to adjust the Hobgoblin boss... Now don't worry too much, I nerfed the guy's Strength and Dexterity slightly so he didn't Get much a buff. And swapped his +1 Chainmail for a +2 Studded leather so it would have the same stats but be an upgrade for the Ranger. They didn't seem to believe me when the bracers of Armor that were on the Shaman were actually part of the module and not something I pulled out my ass to make the Shaman Harder... although really that +3 Armor Class were would do the wizard a lot better than the. I don't remember if it said in the module or I decided on the fly that the Shaman could sacrifice other gobbos to regain spell slots... So he'd spend goblins ro grab the dying but not dead downed goblins, provoking attacks of opportunity, bring them to the Shaman, the Shaman would coup de grace them and use the recovered spell slot to recuperate his healing spell. This might have pissed the players off, but coup de grace is a full round action and the gobbos running body snatching duty weren't on hand to stab the players but were subjecting themselves to attacks of opportunity. And as much as it pissed the players off every time that Shaman drew blood then healed another gobbo the next turn. Every turn he did that was a turn he wasn't swinging his mace or casting burning hands. Of course the players were smart and spent a round or two finishing off the downed wounded that were nearby so the Shaman was now doing his blood sacrifice thing on wounded gobbos that were still standing. They didn't seem to much appreciate that I was thinning the enemy ranks a bit and nerfing the enemy's action economy. Or that the Shaman was healing the boss... but if they didn't want the Shaman healing the Hobgoblin boss, maybe they didn't need to chase the wounded gobbo to the place that was in sight of both mobs.... Sure you could call me the Asshole DM for having the Gobbo run right to where he's be visible to both groups, but he moved at his run speed, he was running to where his buddies were, and his turn ended where his turn ended. The players chose to pursue. So the Shaman and the Boss being in the same encounter really was their own doing more than Mine... Had I had more time to prepare I would have altered layout of the module so the encounters wouldn't be all practically stacked right on top of each other. I would have used the dry erase map and spaced the premade segment out a bit more. The Designers were working within the constraints of a single 4 foot by 4 foot mapmat which is plenty of room for a Dungeon map but makes things cramped when the module puts multiple encounters in the main corridors while giving the place a shopping mall type open floorplan. In retrospect, it might have been intended as a stealth mission, because the Ranger could have stacked his favored enemy and favored terrain bonuses to scout the whole area undetected and see just where the Goblins were in relation to each other. They would have figured out then the best approach for taking the goblins down one group at a time or they might have been drawn to investigate the side rooms first. MOST of the content for this portion of the module was in the side rooms anyway. The few combat encounters they had in the side rooms were small and trivial. It was search checks and finding various clues. I retrospect I thin the designer of the module had intended a stealth mission. Something came up at home, so I had to leave early, but I turned the DM seat over to another friend as well as the notes I was frantically taking the whole time, ranging from me puzzling over where the friggin were supposed to be (As I was giving them as much information as the module was giving me, and I was on the verge of asspulling to get them the next clue ) And it also included all the on the fly alterations I made... like giving the goblins more healing potions,(but I only had the ones who already had healing potions drink any) Altering the gear and stats of the Hobgoblin boss so he'd be close to the same Challenge but offer better loot. When a goblin rolled a 1 in the first encounter and I decided he shat himself and lost his turn. I jotted down that a Pearl of Power and a Ring of Protection +2 were in turds. (Since multiple goblins rolled 1's at different points, and shitting themselves something to do other than accidently hit their buddies over the head,, which that also happened.) The players located the Pearl of Power, which I described as sticking out of the turd like a "piece of corn," but they were unwilling to dig through the goblin turds to find magic items... Even when I hinted at them with the description of piece scrolls and the occasional gemstone in the mix. Now they weren't going to fail the search check because it was only after a successful search check that I even gave them the first clue. The Cleric has detect magic casted... he knows there's more magic items in the turds.... he plucks the Pearl of Power uses or to recover a Cure Moderate Wounds spell and heals his friends up some more... But while he'll pluck an Item he could identify out of the turd, he drew the line at digging through shit for them so he missed out on the Ring of Protection +2. And when my other friend took over as DM and looked at the notes he turned and asked, "Why did you decided to put a Ring of Protection +2, a 2nd level Pearl of Power and a Scroll of Fireball into Goblin Turds?" Without missing a beat I responded with "They ate a wizard a few days ago." I go home. My friend finishes the session. Don't know how the rest of it went. I know I made some changes, but every change I made was in some way in the players' favor. And everything I did that added to the challenge, also increased the players' chances of survival. Giving the Hobgoblin boss slightly better equipment but slightly lower stats, Damage and attack bonus were the same but AC was 1 point higher... And 3 pieces of equipment were potential upgrades instead of just one. Played seemed to have fun, didn't ask me to DM again.

[@TheSmart-CasualGamer]

"I get Star Wars and Nature Documentaries mixed up." You mean Lions AREN'T from Geonosis?!

[@hisinfernalmajesty9177]

One day i realized that I don't like to be a player. It necessary and useful experience but I DON NOT LIKE IT. When U r a player U have only 1 character even if it is good and U like it its still 1 toy, and i want to play ass many toys I can get))) Been GM is U can have ALL the toys U want and even invent your own)))

[@scottsnelling5610]

Number 1 rule for rules lawyering: If a rule is different than you believe it should be, does it ruin large amounts of previous effort and choices you made, does it have long-lasting future implications, or does it only ruin something happening right now? If #1, mention it *briefly* at the moment, and then discuss with GM after the game. If #2, don't even bother mentioning it until after the session. If needed, minor ret-con can occur, and you and the GM can iron out the rule heading forward without disrupting play. If #3, it doesn't matter. Who cares that the GM doesn't think that your ability to Detect Secret Doors doesn't apply to a door with an illusion on it unless you make your saving throw against the illusion? It doesn't affect where you put your points at chargen (you've still detected plenty of secret doors!), and it doesn't affect anything major in the future. So don't argue, just roll with it. This golden rule came to mind as Seth was talking about the convention game. Why interrupt a game, especially at a convention doing a one-shot game, if the rule doesn't really impact the enjoyment of the game.

[@malonemalo]

Jokes on you. I started out as a DM because I was the only one in my group brave enough, and since then, I've only played a handful of times... ha hahaha MWAHAHAHAHha haha help.