Lazy DM Kit 2013 - Tools of the Lazy Dungeon Master

[@SlyFlourish]

If you enjoyed this video please check out the Return of the Lazy Dungeon Master Overview Videos: kzbin.info/aero/PLb39x-29puapg3APswE8JXskxiUpLttgg For a more updated Lazy DM kit, please check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i5zRZJiimJlsqq8 Thanks for watching and please subscribe to the channel! Sorry about the purple blob...

[@rorydoconnor]

I bought and read "Return..." over Christmas with the goal of getting back into D&D. So many great tips that have eased the worry about GMing. I'll now have to dust of my Rory's Story Cubes collection! ;D

[@allenkhari3760]

i dont mean to be so off topic but does anyone know a way to log back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb forgot my account password. I appreciate any help you can offer me

[@keagandanny7235]

@Allen Khari Instablaster ;)

[@allenkhari3760]

@Keagan Danny i really appreciate your reply. I found the site thru google and im trying it out atm. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@allenkhari3760]

@Keagan Danny It did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thank you so much you saved my account :D

[@ChicoSmith333]

That spec on the camera is driving me nutts

[@KaraKuroness]

Nick Candy Yep. Same here. >

[@suddenlyconcrete7295]

Nick Candy I am not the only one

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

Nick Candy Thank you. I stopped the video two times thinking it was a spot on my surface pro 3 (the touch screen make the video stop when I tried to wipe it off). :)

[@waynezeller]

Nick Candy I wanted to reach around the back of my monitor with a glass cleaner to try to reach the camera lens. It's a very effective torture method against geeks.

[@misterchief5378]

That is how people with big eye floaters feel. I magin that thiing bothering you every single day for the rest of your life.

[@DontYouHateEmos]

for everyone saying this isn't lazy. It is. Totally. Only a truly lazy person would put so much work into NOT having to have a lot of work afterwards

[@Quikie93]

+Francisco Guerreiro not really, the less work that has to be done IN a game session the smoother and better the experience will be for everyone.

[@seanmadson8524]

+Francisco Guerreiro it's not lazy, it's a massive amount of preparation to streamline gameplay in the future, something a lazy person would never do

[@TheLayeredKing]

Depends on the kind of campaign you're running, and what kind of party you have. With my party I could put a ton of work into having everything prepared ahead of time, and they would still decide to go off somewhere I never expected and I would have to improvise an entire new area anyway. If you're running a strict campaign sure, but some players revel in freedom and having everything open.

[@seanmadson8524]

Electric Molasses True, though it still doesn't hurt to have some templates handy for you to throw things together a bit quicker, you don't want the players to lose interest waiting for you to figure out what comes next.

[@lucasmulzer2596]

​@@TheLayeredKing8

[@DeviousKitty2674]

"Oh I just dropped one... Eh, I'll grab another one from here" Truly a guide for the Lazy Dungeon Master.

[@silentdoe8369]

“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” ― Bill Gates

[@myrojyn]

and thus bad UI was born

[@justmonica9253]

This does NOT work in mathematics. You just end up avoiding big numbers. My friend often uses techniques he knows don't work in the question's context because his lazy head convinces him the longer way isn't worth it.

[@Dracopol]

Robert A. Heinlein wrote a story-in-a-story called "The Tale of the Man Who Was Too Lazy To Fail", where a 2,400-year-old man named Lazarus Long does a Scheherazade deal and tells stories in Heinlein's book, TIME ENOUGH FOR LOVE. Great military humour. He tries to explain silly 20th-century customs to people in the 43rd-century. Find that chapter!

[@danieljanecka9492]

That actually explains a shit ton.

[@CristiNeagu]

I like the idea of generating characters on the spot.

[@Aegis482]

Lazy DM is like: - You are in a lets say castle... I don't know ... Old castle. And in the first room there are some things... I don't know... spidery shits. - But! - Shut up and throw your dice...

[@TheCraftOMine]

+Aegis482 lol

[@joeofmacabre07]

XD

[@TheCraftOMine]

joeofmacabre07 Ok I just wanna say that I posted that comment over a year ago, and you reply at 3 in the morning. Just think about your priorities here.

[@biocybernaught3512]

@@TheCraftOMine I'm commenting 2 years later just because :P

[@travisnukem1642]

@@biocybernaught3512 2 years later I'm keeping this comment chain going. Boom.

[@angelc.5602]

God that speck on the lens is driving me crazy xD

[@maximusspqr]

What did you expect from the Lazy Dungeon Master? ;)

[@negativeninja7465]

I KNOW RIGHT

[@mikeb6572]

More like "Tools of a Good Dungeon Master".

[@neji2401]

the idea of using a dice roll to determine the personality of an NPC is pure genius.

[@Sprite_of_Soot]

As Griff once said: "It takes a lot of effort to be this lazy"

[@AndrusPr8]

My tools: 1) Enemies cards: These are around 9 cm wide and 18 cm high. They are displayed vertically so i can hang more of these in my DM screen. They show the stats, traits/feats and weapons / armors. Plus, i can write on the back wether they have or not other loot beside its equipment. 2) Spell cards: Cards with simplified description of a spell effect, with spell components, duration, range, etc. Easy for player to track down the spell they have. 3) Magic item cards: I give away lots of magic items, not very powerful ones, but sometimes they come in handy. Because of the way these items works, you can have many of these, but only have a few ones active at the same time

[@abrown1301]

This was worth it for the story cubes alone! I'd never heard of those before, probably because I must live under a rock. Thank you!

[@JonsDDVlog]

This is a much more valuable video than most people will ever realize.

[@WASD20]

Great stuff. Thanks for sharing. I love those face cards. Just bought some for ROTRL.

[@Mikaeus_Un_Hallowed]

what kind were those?

[@negativeninja7465]

this gave me inspiration to dm again

[@danieljanecka9492]

This is extremely awesome. Is half the comments seriously about one unimportant dot and NOT about how amazing all this advice is?

[@barryallen1566]

Great video, long time DND player, going to be DMing my first game and really was looking to impress. These tools will certainly help me to be prepared. Thank you, will definitely check out your book.

[@devinmcguire3750]

This is EXTREMELY helpful to me. I tend to be juggling alot, and I'm still getting over that first time DM overwhelming feeling. I'll have to take up a lot of these tips, especially the note cards, amazing Idea thank you. Both I, and my players thank you.

[@1freethinkr388]

I got your kindle a couple of years ago and I have to say for any new or even for experienced DMs such as myself (since 78!) that your advice and information is TRULY priceless! Thanks for the great wit & wisdom Mike!

[@miroslavzima8856]

The dot steals the show attention!

[@Cidthulhu]

I gotta say, the suggestion of the face cards and the story cubes were exactly what I was looking for, when I didn't even know I was looking for them.

[@CesarIsaacPerez]

Awesome tips!!! I just bought the "Pathfinder Beginners Box" and this video has basically told me what I'm missing to get started once I finish learning the rules.

[@CritAcademy]

What a great video! Some great tips in here. I've used a similar technique like the face cards. Since I play Magic the gathering, i've separated out dozens of different humanoid cards for reference for my players. Absolutely a powerful tool. Especially for helping us to remember important NPCS. Well done!

[@TheShadowwalker007]

Any other alternative ideas to the face cards, as I think they are out of print now?

[@bilbobloodaxe6598]

The title says "lazy" but I actually find it rather helpful. If that makes me lazy, well, so be it. Great tips and ideas. Thank you.

[@DrDeepspace]

Posted 2013, still useful and relevant. Thanks Sly!

[@corchonga]

Thanks for your video. My group and I were navegating the hole internet looking for new homemade "widgets" and tricks for playing D&D. After seen tons of D&D sponsored videos, you appeared and show us at least two ideas we are going to use. Thanks a lot!

[@Nerdarchy]

You've got some great tips here. I love anything that makes my life easier as the DM. Liked, subbed, and sharing over on my Nerdarchy FB fanpage tomorrow 11-19 at 12 pm eastern time. We like to high light different RPG KZbinrs. -Nerdarchist Dave

[@GameMasterToolbox]

He has a lot of great stuff on his Sly Flourish blog. Too bad he does not feel comfortable on video.

[@Nerdarchy]

Game Master Toolbox Bummer

[@GameMasterToolbox]

Nerdarchy I know he was in a video chat with PhDnD.

[@MastertheGamerpg]

I've owned all his books for a bit now and recommend them to new DMs all the time.

[@GameMasterToolbox]

Tabletop Gaming with Juce I think I am missing his epic book.

[@onetruetroy]

Great ideas. Props for the props. I love Rory's Story Cubes. Nothing about this is lazy. Thanks for making DMing smart and fun.

[@Dracopol]

In cons or demos, if I don't know the players before, I would draw an outline of the table on a piece of paper, write the player name on the outside of the outline in relation to where they are sitting from me, and the character name on the inside. This is key so I don't get confused about who's who (the 2 kinds of who's). I've got the Rory's Story Cubes but there are now the Gamemaster's Apprentice card-decks, two-sided 60-card decks split into many areas which print random dice-rolls, descriptive words, possible adventure hooks, and the contents of an NPC's pocket living OR dead. They come in different genres like fantasy, horror, steampunk, demon-hunter fantasy or science-fiction. These are idea-sparks but more tailored to gamers. They also have a rules-basis to play a GM-less game with them.

[@lwriker1304]

Wow! 7 years old. Still relevant, tho. I do much of the same: erasable pens, whiteboard, covered map, washable kids markers, lots of 3×5 cards...

[@SlyFlourish]

I've certainly learned a lot since then. Sad that this is my most popular video by that long.

[@mydmscreen7620]

The story cube idea is absolutely genius! Love it

[@100idb2]

I recently got your book and it is so helpful for a new DM. Thank you very much!

[@SlyFlourish]

I'm glad you like it! Sorry for the purple blob!

[@SprocketWalker]

I love the idea of tactile / high-quality, memorable handouts! Very nice!

[@scottanderson8167]

You did a good job. I have your blog on my blogroll and I think I’ve left comments there.

[@cruorek]

Hey, great video! It really helped me with my DMing. If it is ok, I will try to tell here some other suggestion, which I use. If you are not sure if sticky notes on NPC cards will hold over multiple sessions, you can buy card sleeve (usually clean, MTG format) and you can use normal note, just put it into the sleeve with NPC. Also, you can use more than one name cards, you can have one for every race (names can be from stories or PHB) divided into male/female. Also some small things that I found usefull as DM: - Hourglass (when players have only some time to do something, just use hourglass and use them as another element. After time is done and they didnt do anything, you will continue with some your stuff) - Remote candles (there is nothing better than playing horror story in bright light of candles and then you suddenly tell players something mysterious and change light of candles from normal yellow to dark red or something) - Multiple erasable tablets (every player should have one, if they want tell you, DM, something in secret instead of papers) - Precreate standart enemies (as thugs, or guards ... their stats and so on) - If you have problems to improvise, precreate some cards with NPC (you can use something like this www.reddit.com/r/BehindTheTables/comments/3zr0h4/npc_appearance_personality_faith_and_flaws/) - Lucky coin (if your players do something clever but risky and you dont know, if you want to create some obstacles or something, just get some coin. Let player toss it. One side is always unlucky, so they will know and they will get feeling of randomness - this is important if they think that you are, as DM, plotting against them) - Riddles, puzzle, etc (precreate some. If you come to place where you want create an obstacle, it will come handy) and so on, and so on Hope it helps :)

[@matta5498]

Tip: Use a cribbage board to track various things like HPs, Spell duration, etc.

[@warriorx3810]

Good video. also, A1, Slavepits of the Undercity and X1 Isle of Dread are two of my favorite modules....I still play them today

[@mikelimon8701]

another good idea i saw that matt mercer does is use color coded rings to put around miniatures to signify conditions

[@IiOnna222]

I like the story cubes idea! It's great!

[@PenSwordTheFirst]

You can cut out the initiative cards by using the player cards as initiative cards and simply cycling through them + adding an enemy card.

[@ThirteenStrings1]

Loved your book. I really took the advice in it to heart and it has made me a much better DM. I've also picked up Story Cubes and they are awesome. My wife loves them as well.

[@vassago42]

I use a similar idea to your 3x5 cards for the initiative tracker. I have printed cards in sleeves with the characters names and a bit of info, and i order them in their initiative order and cycle through them placing the top card on the bottom and cycling till the encounter is over. I also have a card for the DM's creature turn. I also have all npc's act on the same base initiative for simplicity instead if trying to track 4 or 5 sets of creatures separate inits throughout an encounter.

[@keytoafterlife]

This is truly a great guide....thank you for putting this together and sharing!

[@tilda6505]

Being lazy is not doing work you need to because it's inconvenient. Being smart is doing less work to ensure that things are more convenient, and/or to ensure that you don't have to do them. You are smart, not lazy and you have helped all your viewers become as smart as you by sharing this video with them. PS - Try to keep this comment on an even number of likes! (-:

[@FtrMgeThfClc]

I heart this video I actually have a 4' by 8' white board in my game room. I'll check out your book and the story cubes!

[@jaysjour]

I just read your book and am now realising that i watched your video even before that back in the day! :D

[@JBGarrison72]

Lol... Gonte has a little bit of Aspergher's... if i'd have been drinking coffee while hearing that, there'd have been a mess. :P

[@andrewenderfrost8161]

Sherlock Gonte

[@DungeonMasterJohnny]

awesome! I guess this answers my question of if you will make some new videos. Thanks for this man.

[@ThatBazard]

Love the idea of story dice. Didn't know you could get anything like that. Ordered some from Amazon almost as soon as I saw you use yours!

[@DragonicTerror]

I miss that A Module. The Slavers :D With the premade characters Ogre (Fighter human), Elwita (Dwarf Fighter), Eljayess (elf dual class if I recall?) Good stuff :)

[@Gabbzero]

You look like a really good DM, I'm going to have to use several of these ideas

[@LibraGamesUnlimited]

Good old "Isle of Dread", one of the first (if not THE first) module I've ever played.

[@Johnggernaut]

Just starting to DM Pathfinder and this was super helpful! :)

[@madismith1884]

Slyyyyyyyyy flourish, anyone else listening to drunks and dragons

[@JB-ym4up]

I encouraged my players to make things to flesh out the world, the better the work the more xp they got. some wrote history stories, one guy drew a beautiful map.

[@Chrono_Mitsurugi]

Dungeons and Dragons Dungeon Master. And you thought playing a character was consuming. This guy has to build a world to keep you entertained for a few hours every week.

[@jodigreco68]

GREAT VIDEO! I'm definately going to use some of your tips!

[@penjamin15franklin24]

great tips on creating NPC's (a topic with which I struggle). Thanks again

[@TwEEDleDEE5555]

I use the wonder file to hold all my books, pens, character sheets, etc it works pretty well

[@MP-wg8pd]

Cool, I liked this and bought your book as well.

[@bensrpgpile2]

Great stuff! Especially loved the story cube dice! Just ordered mine up - using your Amazon link off your home page of course ;)

[@AldousDurden]

Great ideas! Thanks for making this! I'm totally using these ideas.

[@ChitsandCats]

Nice. Thanks very much. I'll be DMing again soon, so this is much appreciated.

[@rebeccawhite5128]

Nice tips! But when my players go off in a direction I'm not expecting, I just move what I want them to run into over to where they are going!

[@JB-ym4up]

now that's lazy lol

[@ianw.5047]

Rebecca White thats how alot of people do it, i do it. But lets be honest that when they do something you dont want them to do you get mad at them.

[@BloodyBay]

Yes, it's the time-honored "Schrodinger's Plot" device. The party leaves the city by the North Gate? The beggar who gives them their next quest is at the North Gate. The party leaves by the West Gate? The beggar's at the West Gate. The party descends into the sewers and finds their way out of the city _that_ way? They happen across the beggar camped out in the sewers, cooking a rat and waiting to give them their quest. They open a _planar rift_ and leave the city via the Elemental Plane of Water? It turns out that the water elementals built a similar city, the heroes end up in it and the beggar turns into a lowly undine, panhandling the other elementals for spare change (and waiting at either the North Gate or the West Gate to give the party their quest). Would a city on the Plane of Water even _have_ sewers, now that I think about it? Anyway, moving the rails is simple stuff, and it works. Right? ;)

[@theDMsCraft]

Thanks for sharing your tips...great stuff!

[@ihalloway]

there is some kind of dead fly flying on your screen lol

[@SpiritOfHugs]

+iHelloway I slapped my monitor. argh.

[@kadrimtubes]

Very nice! Thank you Mike!

[@MMODoubter]

Cool video. Some very good ideas.

[@TheWiddaC]

Ive never played dungeons and dragons because i dont know anyone whod want to play it but it looks so amazing Im gonna buy some of them story dice just to jump start my imagination when doodling and stuff lol Peace!!

[@1simo93521]

Look on the internet for local d&d / role play groups.

[@mahoneyadam20]

TheWiddaC go look at roll20.com its a online D&D game site where you can DM and also find people playing D&D it a great site

[@ian9895]

I am looking for the cards you showed, the face cards, and the only ones I found that applied (Urban Deck) was 1000 dollars.. I assume they are of high value.

[@MijMike]

Excellent help. There is a phone app for the story cubes I just purchased it on google play, worth getting if you ask me.

[@DMPeter]

"Slyflourish" videos from the past. hopefully more to come.

[@HelicopterShark]

So I think it's a bit of blue marker on your lens. It really shows how much work the KZbin image stabilisation is doing when using a hand held camera

[@DeepSpaceBeans]

I went to wet-erase for all my maps and never looked back. Lets me pack up sheets between sessions without having to erase it before-hand. Less smudging too. Just bring a package of wet-naps with you.

[@jessiekuppens7182]

Great tips! Thank you!

[@RIVERSRPGChannel]

Very cool Nice video Good information

[@danielzigger591]

I love ebberon. I wish it was for fifth edition. Good vid.

[@MattPetruzzelli]

Thanks for the video. Great ideas.

[@davidducker]

the facecards are pretty cool

[@Beginnerboxadventures]

Awesome tips!

[@patchfile]

Great tips, thank you.

[@timelessadventurer]

Awesome video!!!

[@lockes5hadow]

You don't seem lazy, just prepared. Nice video!

[@ricrebelo]

Mike I Bought your book, Job Well done

[@Ezlo01221]

make more videos, they're great

[@Basilisk4119]

Good vid Mike. Thanks.

[@thespider1481]

Oh I ran Slave Pits years ago. Probably before you were born. Everyone hated it.

[@stillborn007]

GREAT video!

[@Fishgodcult]

awesome! (just curious,what edition?) here are some tips that I can comeup with off the top of my head: 1. don't favor any player over another 2. make the story interesting, use description 3.THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS TO HAVE FUN....if you are being bogged down by a specific rule or something, DON"T USE IT 4. listen to your players 5. but don't let them gain control DMing/GMing is very fun and rewarding and can be, in my opinion more fun than playing, have fun with it, google is your friend

[@sarahcousins7267]

Thanks for making this video :) would love the book but its kindle only :(

[@X.davidWilliams]

Huzzah! Very useful sir. thank you thank you

[@Diego51592]

EXCELENT VIDEO!!!

[@guerrierosannita]

Hi, i'm about to start playing D&D with some friends, no one of us has experience in table RPGs, and i've been designated as the DM. The video is a great pool of ideas, do you have any other tips or suggestions to help a noob master?

[@Beginnerboxadventures]

BTW, your ebooks are great!

[@TheWandOfOrcus]

Chase the purple fly!

[@mattigus]

THE BUG ON THAT LENSE IS FREAKING ME OUT

[@pblackcrow]

Another idea, is to write down spells, psionics, super abilities, whatever...on reference card.

[@marendur]

I know all this stuff is cool, but when I'm DMing, I'm obsessed in designig every single aspect of the things the characters will find. Anyway, nice tools.

[@jimpyre5038]

Well done.