The DM Screen | Running the Game

[@Runehammer1]

You have the eyes of ray bradbury, the brows of orson wells, and the beard of wolverine. For this I salute you

[@Thalassicus01]

And the speech patterns of Niel deGrasse Tyson.

[@JockoJonson17]

I thought he was Kevin Smith's cousin.

[@Jason-96]

lol, I was thinking Wolverine too!!!

[@micahmcelroy572]

Kinda getting the Mifune vibe beard-wise, but maybe that's because of the Rashomon clip.

[@wickedly1]

It's Hankerin' Fernail!!!

[@leons.kennedy2747]

Firefox crashed while loading this video so all I heard was Matt say "FUDGE!" loudly and then my browser closed. 10/10 video, Matt, would watch again.

[@lunaremerald2520]

Leon S. Kennedy then the how hell did you post this??

[@groofay]

Lunar Emerald probably after repairing Firefox.

[@robertjohnson462]

Leon S. Kennedy 😂😂 that's pretty good

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Leon S. Kennedy wow

[@radnuminous]

Hey the comments on the last episode, "Sociology of D&D" were locked for understandable and depressing reasons. But I really wanted to thank you for making it, so I thought I would just do it here. I am past 30 now and only recently have started very tentatively exploring playing D&D myself, even though I have bought all the core rulebooks since 3.5e when I was a teenager, and spent hours reading them and making up characters and scenarios etc. And even now, still I am only playing with my boyfriend because I just never have felt comfortable in "nerd culture" spaces despite like 90% of my interests being super traditional "nerd culture" interests. Your example of the hypothetical GM's "middle eastern friend" was so on point for me. I am white, so I haven't felt excluded because of my race/cultural background, but as a woman it is almost exactly the mode of exclusion I've experienced. Nobody really said I couldn't play or shouldn't play with them, there were just subtle ways of talking and certain assumptions made that made me feel -- exactly, as you say, unwelcome and sometimes actually uncomfortable. And I know lots of those guys, and like 'nerd culture' generally, didn't and don't think they're pushing women and people of colour away from their games/passions, or that their attitudes or behaviour are problematic. So, I hope, for those of them who are well-intentioned but misinformed, your example is a really useful trigger for them to re-evaluate. Anyway, thank you so much for making the video, and for the feeling and sincerity with which you delivered it. Especially the bit about really having to dislike a person before you want to make them feel unwelcome around you. It just all was really great, and it made me feel really, like ... validated and included. Gosh that sounds so corny... But, really, thank you so much. PS. Your 1950s bandstand presenter voice is a thing of both beauty and wonder.

[@AvivaSchwartz]

I totally agree with your comment, and literally came on here planning to write the same thing. As a woman i really appreciated the message!

[@pwykersotz]

I also wanted to leave a comment on the previous video. My first GM was openly gay, and that perspective was included in his world. So when I took over GM'ing, I never thought anything of it. I was confused by that paragraph at the start of 5e that boiled down to "be inclusive" because it seemed redundant to me, and a needless reminder that this is fantasy, that anything we want can be done. I don't tend to address sexuality at all in my games (I don't want to play that kind of game), and I like to change up gender roles from time to time to keep players on their toes. I also like to include lots of cultures, as it keeps things fresh and interesting to explore new places. But my group is largely the same as the one my first GM had, and there have been no opportunities to play with people who might take issue with western Fantasyland. That was a good breakdown of the topic, and a good reminder of the issues that can go into it, as well as making people feel excluded by default. Well done.

[@shade081]

It depresses me to think there was anything wrong with what he was saying as broadly the message I got was "Consider your players wants and perspectives when making your game and designing your setting". Which seems like pretty solid advice. Obviously you want a setting you as a dm enjoy as well but I tend to find there is a pretty big overlap in "stuff I enjoy in a game" and "stuff other people enjoy in a game". Seeing as how I've mainly played within the same group most of the time I've never come up against those kind of issues and feel quite lucky for it.

[@loth4015]

Reminder that white liberals are literally the only one with an outgroup bias. No other race has this.

[@loth4015]

@@shade081 Nope. He did not. He was very contradictory in the video. He said that rape freaked him out in DnD. - I bet, if his players were to rape another player for fun, he would be freaked out, even if the players have fun. Not everyone is going to be an ideological fanatic.

[@reincarN8ed]

I had to lie to my players just last night. The gnome ranger landed an ensnaring strike with disadvantage against a displacer beast, and the beast failed the saving throw to avoid being ensnared. And after I loudly and excitedly announced "you ensnare the displacer beast!" the player reminded me that large creatures have advantage against the save. So I rolled again and rolled a 20... At this point the party was already amped up because the beast already took out one player with a single hit, and restraining it was a huge turning point in the fight. So I just let them have it. According to the rules and the dice, the beast was free, but as the DM I thought it would kill the excitement in the room.

[@Madhattersinjeans]

Alternatively in this case you could have argued away the advantage against the save by stating the displacer beast isn't in a good position to use it's position/size to any real effect that would indicate any kind of advantage. When you roll a dice you gotta be prepared for the critical success or failure, at a key moment a reroll could spell doom for an encounter. When the situation calls for it, as the DM you can decide to take into account other features of the gameplay that might not be explicity covered by the rules in order to avoid stealing a players thunder. Or in other words, a kind of cheating that doesn't involve an outright lie. I'm not saying what you did was wrong because you clearly had a justification for it, but in future you're not always going to have the opportunity to fudge dice rolls when it's needed. So adding in reasons to give or take away advantage on a dice roll is a powerful tool you can use. And/or giving players inspiration dice as a reward for playing in character if you feel the party might need it.

[@aresgow8377]

What level were your players when they fought the displacer beast? also how many players? I've always though the displacer beast was a cool monster, and was wondering how it went for you and your players!

[@krim7]

You absolutely made the right call.

[@capwithoutacountry]

This is the way.

[@thenymphomancer5592]

Few games into my first DMing and it’s going great. All 5 of the players are now together and coordinated in the town and walking through the streets to head to one of many available quest leads. They are accosted and attacked by bandits and ruffians. After a few rounds of combat I say “as you complete your spell you see another of the redband bandits slink out of the alley beside you and start to charge forward…” I get a few stares and someone said “we didn’t know who they were yet” and we all laugh. I then say “he says as he walks forward ‘you picked the wrong day to mess with the redbands… and this is a cocky threat and not because the DM had a lapse of judgement” and we all had a laugh. Easy enough to retcon

[@jonnylee5000]

Matt, you brought up the "whole body DM screen," and though that does seem weird... Today, we play on Roll20 without Cameras, and it's sort of like the same thing. At times, I'm biting my lip to keep from laughing at the zany ideas the PCs have. I drop my head on my desk as they make horrible decisions... I can have these emotions without them knowing, so all they have to go on is my narration and the map. huh... odd. It all comes full Circle =D

[@Madhattersinjeans]

@OX XY Seems kinda mean

[@cussundriakneal9904]

Ignore the asshat from before, using a Fully Body DM screen seems weird at first, but it honestly is way more beneficial to the DM and making sure that they don't spoiler the players, and then the players can do whatever they want without knowing what they might be planning could potentially be incredibly stupid.

[@Seoulwanderer]

As a Roll20 DM, I agree. There are times that my players are discussing their plans that I just shut up and wait for them to come to a decision. I remember playing face to face, the players would always try to read me. So yeah, online tables have brought us full circle.

[@inomad1313]

Ive been told that I’m very difficult to read, so I don’t really worry about my players reading me. Besides, I know how to give off false tells. Not being able to read my players, that would be unnerving to me as a GM.

[@spencergorman366]

God imagine choosing to use Roll20. How young and naïve we were 3 years ago

[@johnnypanrike8505]

Man, your last video "The Sociology of D&D" was one of the best and most thoughtful D&D-videos I have watched. Comments on that video is turned off so I'm putting my comment here instead. I also intensely liked one of the preceding ones, "Why we play D&D", these videos together put your channel in the absolute top-tier of D&D channels on YT and that says a lot because there are a LOT of D&D channels on YT. It is also very inspiring to continuously see that you put all of your decades of experience in use in such a deeply humane and satisfying way which is expressed by your very genuine statement of "if you had fun, I had fun". You totally get it and you are helping other people also getting it!

[@angelalewis3645]

🙌🏻

[@michaelsiciliano7248]

It's pretty iffy to add a comment about a previous video rather than this one, but he actually turned off comments on "The Sociology of D&D" and he was right to do so. I can't imagine the shit-storm he must have stirred up with it. First things first, in that video he said sexual violence (rape) has no place in D&D. He is 100% right about that. Everything I type from he forward is a secondary point to this. Second thing...uh...second. He says specifically that Books are not D&D, and D&D is not books. He says that, but his earlier comments make it appear as if he doesn't really believe that. I think it's true. I think the two have things in common, but they are not the same thing. Third thing third. Books very often hold up a mirror to the reader. Not specifically of the reader (though that can happen), but of the very real world they live in. Books are meant to do just that. So, when a writer includes sexual violence in their books (as George R.R. Martin does in his A Song of Ice and Fire series) most likely they are doing it for realisms sake, to show the horrors of it, not to glorify it. Colville doesn't seem to understand this. That's OK. He can be wrong about that one thing. He's not perfect, no one is, and I don't expect him to be. But he's also not above criticism. That's my very specific criticism. I'm very late to the party, and I suspect no one will ever read this, but it had to be said.

[@jan_wh1tey]

I know these vids are super old and no one will probably see this, but i really want to say this. The video before this fucking slaps. Hearing Matt say those things with such conviction made me so, so happy. If you're reading this Matt, Thank You.

[@jan_wh1tey]

I just read the top comment which is saying the exact thing i just said but better. Small world

[@joaosol7234]

Hey Matt, I think it's really Sad You had to deactivate commentaries on the previous video, but I totally get it, so I'm using the space on this video to thank you for the previous one. It was one of the best and problably the most needed, thank you!

[@frigginsepone446]

Rare are the comments I agree to as much as I agree to this one. Thanks João Sol, well said!

[@keechpeach2863]

Hear hear! Hail Matt!

[@teers6258]

It’s sad that controversial opinions are brought up but only one side is entertained and then comments are turned off when people disagree

[@justinr5433]

@@teers6258 I have a hunch: what do you think diversity of identities brings to a setting, narrative etc.?

[@teers6258]

@@justinr5433 that’s a very complex question and response that it would take many paragraphs to work through. For instance, diversity or a different mindset on what is allowed at the table could make it not fun for one or more (e.g. running an Underdark campaign and having the drow use slaves). In that instance you cannot run that setting where all would enjoy - making the difference of opinions a problem. However, I welcome strategic differences and approaches to problem solving, which is where the true strength of diversity shines.

[@MsMoniqueWilson]

Really loving this series. I especially loved the previous one. I am a queer woman who started playing D&D at the beginning of covid. I am now 59 - so late to the game so to speak. Our DM has been playing for 30 years and he is fantastic. He suggested these videos when I said I might one day like to DM. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and insight and thanks for being inclusive.

[@liamflynn1120]

Hey man, I know you're probably never going to see this, as this series was posted a little while ago, but I just wanna say that episode #8 really made me think. I'm new to DnD as a player, and I was pretty sure that I wanted to DM, but now I'm 100% convinced that I should. Everyone should, or at least they should try. To facilitate that feeling, that feeling of inclusion amongst people you don't even necessarily consider your close friend is an incredible thing, and something sorely needed in the world today. So I just want to thank you. It was a very touching video.

[@btgcoolminer7044]

I'm a very new DM and and I totally agree

[@rubberbumm]

Good obversation Liam

[@inomad1313]

I’m in the process of putting together a campaign. My first full world creation. During that video I started thinking about some of the NPCs I have created. I thought about their descriptions. I will now be going back and altering some of those descriptions, because that is not the world I want to share with my friends and players. Please note, I have a mixed heritage from at least four different cultural backgrounds. I grew up with people from many different cultural backgrounds. I have worked with people from all over the world. I’ve been to every state in the union but two, Puerto Rico and I’ve been to or lived in 9 different countries. I know that basic pleasantries in at least 6 different languages (I’ve forgotten more than I remember in those languages). I have played characters from many different ethnic backgrounds and I’ve played both male and female characters in many different TTRPGs. And even I was falling into the Fantasy Land stereotype when creating my world. Fantasy Land is not going to be my world. I cannot say how grateful I am for episode 8 (video 9) in this series for changing the course of my world and my campaign.

[@Ahrimas]

Just want to echo the other replies, that 3 years after these videos went up, I'm watching them in preparation to DM for the 1st time. Some of the stuff in episode 8 I have never thought about and some I hope will NOT be relevant in the games I run. But it certainly made me think, and that will surely make our game better. So, thank you.

[@theillethedartisan7514]

Tom Letowski Goodluck on running the game! PS: you might be nervous but the players are supportive you will always get better.

[@701Charles]

Your hair has a 20 Charisma. Most impressive

[@Dorian_sapiens]

I don't know why this made me laugh so hard, because it's true!

[@fhuber7507]

DM: "Player 1, Roll perception" Player 1: "got a 20!" DM: "You notice some particularly nice looking flowers in the rocks appx 20 yards ahead on the left side of the road." Yes, I have players roll perception for random reasons. This way they never know if a failed perception was important.

[@craigharris7808]

Thanks for this tip, gonna use it when I start

[@filipp269]

Passive perception doesnt go in? Kinda lame when i belive the pcs have eyes ?

[@leshtricity]

random perception rolls are a hallmark of lazy DMs. if you can't describe it effectively why is it even in your campaign?

[@Reluxthelegend]

Now they are going to investigate the hell out of the flowers for rest of the session

[@inomad1313]

F Huber DM: *Rolls a die behind the screen.* Player on watch, roll perception. Player: I got a 14. DM: You hear the insects in the night go silent. A moment later they start up again. What are you doing? If they wake the party and do a search, they will get a later start the next day to allow for a full nights rest. If they insist on getting up early the magic users will not be able to renew their spells and every one will risk suffering from fatigue later in the day. DM: The remainder of your watches go uneventfully. A lower roll would result in an unnerving feeling of something not right. A nat 1 would result in them being certain that they heard movement or a voice from somewhere behind them. (Maybe it was someone rolling over or mumbling in their sleep.) A higher role would have revealed a rustling in the underbrush in an indeterminate direction and distance. A total of 20-24 would reveal the direction, but no the distance. A natural 20 or a total of 25 or higher would reveal the direction and approximate distance. A search in the darkness by anyone but a ranger would reveal nothing. A ranger would have a very high dc to find anything. Maybe it was an assassin or a spy. Maybe it was some vile creature scoping them out. Maybe it was just some random forest creature. Who knows? I find this to be a very effective method of adding tension to the game. I use it sparingly and usually when the players aren’t paying attention, have become too complacent or as a foreshadowing of something to come later. Or maybe I’m just fishing for ideas from the players on what they are expecting so that I can tailor the adventure to them. ;) The world may never know. And I’m not telling.

[@arigadatred5395]

This is an old series, but I just want to say that I really appreciate the previous episode, "The Sociology of D&D". I hope that, you being a man, a lot of guy nerds have found your voice easier to listen to and have considered inclusion in their games. Personally, I don't care if people mess up, just that they get better.

[@Acernis]

Thank you! You are the first GM I have heard talking about it who don't actually look down on fudging rolls where it would be appropriate.

[@mcolville]

+Akernis There's a lot of Adversarial DM culture we're still saddled with from the 70s and 80s and the Let The Dice Fall Where They May tradition is part of that. And that's cool! I have a lot of fondness for that style of play, but I've proven to myself sufficiently that you can foster that feeling of "this is real, Matt's not just making up answers, it's down to the dice" without letting the dice ruin the experience. It just takes practise.

[@Keltorreth]

I have and will continue to to fudge rolls when it makes sense from a story perspective. I've also done it when I've screwed up and made an encounter too hard.

[@F4R207]

For me as a Swedish RPGamer having grown up with the Nordic Roleplaying that baffles me that people look down on fudging. We're raised with the one rule that the GM is always right, not the system mechanics, not the setting material, not the dice results and if one wants to go so far to say that not even the players are right and that it's a trust in each other, that everyone is there to make everyone feel entertained, that drives and is at the root of the hobby. Dice can ruin that experience, system mechanics can put limitations on how a group want to experience the game and a setting and hinder the possibility of character concepts and story development.. None of that should dictate the experience. They are all but tools to use for entertainment as you (GM/group) see fit. A lot of times talking with different RPGamers online it seems that the element of trust in each other, that everyone is there to make sure everyone else, not just yourself, are entertained, seems lost, and I wonder what's the point then? People being held hostage by "it's the only game in town" and similar situations and that's just horrible. GM's job is to know the players, to get to know the players, to use that knowledge to manipulate them into having fun. Something that some time sgets lost is that the players should also try to make sure they are entertaining, to their fellow players and their GM. Trust in your group and roleplay situations in which they get opportunities to act and roleplay and further storylines. Course that hopefully come smore and more with experience. But I often, way to often see people mention how they have gotten stuck and forgotten what it's all about (mutual entertainment).

[@flannelpillowcase6475]

definitely agree with the sentiment. when i DM, i try to follow one major rule: try to make sure the players are having fun. i've noticed that the dice often have a "mind" of their own and occasionally roll for a very bad outcome that might cause mutter or uproar of a not having fun kind, and i like having the freedom to subtly alter things to go a route that i feel would be better for group morale. of course not saying at all that a game should be all sunshine and rainbows without any challenge or drama, just that sometimes incidents pop up that would royally fuck things up in a not funny or epic way and are better off just avoided. i had one person in my last group who had the worst luck at dice rolls and i really liked having the power to "balance" that out a bit to make playing a much more enjoyable experience for him, as opposed to him just making a character with shit stats, constantly failing at everything he tried to do, and as a result just giving up and leaving the game. situations like that are what DM fudging helps to fix. just my two cents.

[@philadams3829]

As a rule, I won't fudge a roll to a player's detriment, but if the Ogre rolls a 20 against the wizard, I reserve the right to change it to a "glancing blow" instead.

[@Aiglos78]

I just watched episode 8...again. Fucking bravo, sir. I've never watched a dnd video that made me say, "Hell YES! This isn't just dnd...this is how LIFE should be." I am a river to my people!

[@MorriganJade]

I want to thank you for previous video. It made me open my eyes to potential failures on my part, having ASD, to look in the best interest of other player's wishes and fantasies. It's always a struggle for me to socialize a lot, and I feel a strong improvement lately, but I would've definitely fall into that little trap if you didn't tell the viewers about it. :D

[@Kamehadouken]

There's no DM screens in the doodly-doo :(

[@Dhalgrim]

I've watched multitudes of long time DMs talking about running the game, but with every episode it becomes clearer that you are the perfect guy to talk to me about it on youtube^^ PS: Dooblidoo (did i spell that right?) might be my new favourite thing ever =)

[@mcolville]

+Dhalgrim I stole "Dooblidoo" from the vlogbrothers! They were a big inspiration to me in starting this channel. Glad you're getting a kick out of the series!

[@WillisPtheone]

+Matthew Colville Aww I was starting to enjoy the "Blah Blah." First time I heard you say it I was like "That is a Dooblidoo but I will accept blah blah as an alternitive!"

[@mcolville]

+Willis Pearson Man I don't even know why I said "Blahblah," it's CLEARLY a Dooblidoo!

[@Raisin_Girl]

+Matthew Colville Hank and John rock! You 3, Prince Ea, boogie2988 & Emergency Awesome are my favorite KZbinrs. Another great video Matthew.... still loving them and smiling every time I watch one.

[@FeeblePenguin]

+Matthew Colville Dooblydoo was invented by Wheezywaiter, I think haha

[@pistolpete8876]

I am 50 and haven't played since 1st edition. love this series. Thank you for the very well done videos with informative content. Excited to get back to playing.

[@mcolville]

Eventually I'll do a video about playing D&D online using a Virtual Tabletop. I have a lot of experience with Fantasy Grounds and in spite of it's ABSURDLY bad UI, I think it's great. The reason I bring it up is because one of the many amazing benefits of running D&D over FG is it gives the DM the power to, with a click of a button, roll, say, a History check for each member of the group and tell you the results without the players seeing. That lets the DM do some neat stuff. "Duncan, you remember hearing about...," without asking the players to roll. Does a lot to aid immersion. It also lets you roll Stealth and Perception for the players without alerting them to the results. Of course, Passive Perception is meant to handle this, but in my experience Passive Perception is typically too low to be useful.

[@kkplx]

ever play on roll20? it's the online platform I've played on for the past 3 years

[@TPBurrow]

+kkplx Yes I have used roll20 for the last 6 months, I love the light and shade effect, but my players hate it as they cannot see where they have been. I try to remind them that if they were in a real cave, they would not be able to see back where they came from then. I fully agree with fudging rolls when necessary, both in favour and out of favour of the PC's I have for years been reprimanded by other GMs for doing it. I do not abuse it, not make it obvious. However I think a GM has a duty to look after the narrative and without players that falls flat on its face.

[@kkplx]

+P Burrow the thing is, neither I nor my players enjoy fudged rolls - instead I give them tools to compensate for RNG in the form of action points

[@wwarpigg1]

+Matthew Colville Roll20 is FG without all the extra stuff to get in the way. Its a barebones kit that is there to just help us play DND instead of fiddling around with all the fluff that available in FG or tabletop simulator.

[@MyStarseedColoring]

+kkplx In my own personal DM experience, I HAVE to fudge many rolls to keep things challenging because two of my players have insanely good rolls (their average hit rolls are around 15 on the dice) and my average roll is a 5... meaning I generally miss 90% of the time with my enemies. So I'll generally fudge a few rolls to hit my characters a biit more often and make sure they feel like there's an actual chance they might get killed before they steamroll everything I put before them (I already have to adjust encounter levels 2-3 levels higher than their own just to make it more interesting and hard.) My players know I'll do this but could not tell you when, because I always give them a number. All I 'really' do is sometimes, when I roll a 5, I'll shift the dice to 13 instead... (hilariously, some times my shifted higher 'roll' is still not enough to hit them lol) There's two rolls that I never fudge though... and that's natural 1's and natural 20's.

[@samuelreyes5546]

There's lots and lots of comments about #8 and I hate to add to that, but I just had to say that video really touched me. It was beautiful and eye-opening too, as I'm about to narrate my very first campaign soon. I deeply thank you for this series and I admire you for the 8th one. Keep on going man, love your work!

[@brianhensley7153]

The new revised edition of the screen has listened to your advice as the tables are more useful now. Good advice btw

[@GenXBeholder]

I had a lot I wanted to say about your previous video but as comments are disabled, I wont, other than to say I thought it was a great message. I am really enjoying your series here and find it very informative and inspiring :)

[@kenricthomas5603]

GenXBeholder Seriously great message. I don't often comment, but I absolutely agree and must say so.

[@Madhattersinjeans]

I get why he disabled the comments though, totally understandable. KZbin is not a good place to talk about sensitive topics when there is just one person to moderate the comments.

[@federicojimenez2065]

Hey! This video is old and you probably won't see it but is there a reason that there is no longer any links to dm screens in the description?

[@claytonbarham8755]

Kinda weird to be catching up on these older episodes, hear Matthew talking about wanting reach 5K subs someday, and looking down to see he currently has 413K :P This channel really has come a long way in 6 years :)

[@tommydude6735]

So I recently found this series, and I just want to compliment you. Even though you seem to focus ALOT on the official D&D 5e and such, this is great system agnostic advice. Which I appreciate being a pathfinder GM myself. Keep on rocking!

[@mcolville]

I have a hard time holding the idea of Pathfinder as a "different system" in my head, although I realize there are people who strongly do. If someone invited me to play D&D and busted out Pathfinder, it would be like busting out AD&D or 4E. Just another version of the game.

[@tommydude6735]

I feel the same way, but, if you did not know, there has been a wave of 5E specific content on youtube right now, and when I look up videos for mechanical content, it always goes back to 5E which might not tell me how splash weapons or action economy works in Pathfinder. But, on the other hands, advice videos that can work with almost ANY system is great. Which is why I'll keep watching your videos sir.

[@aett]

Just wanted to say that episode 8 was fantastic. Those horror stories about certain groups of players is exactly why I won't play with complete strangers through DND meetup sites, or even people at comic shops. (I tried the latter once, thinking it would be better than internet strangers, and my wife and I were sufficiently creeped out by some of the players, ending that plan permanently.) I've been trying over the years to put together a group with coworkers, but my office only has about a dozen people, so there's not a lot of volunteers. Going to be trying again with just two other players later this month, which is why I'm studying up on your videos!

[@johnnybigbones4955]

Keep it up mate! I had a dry spell that lasted years, and now I'm finding players again.

[@Nitrodino7875]

Why were you creeped out by the comic shop patrons?

[@TimidPsycho]

Thank you, Matthew Colville, for making all of these videos. Because of your help, I started DMing for my small group of three friends and I just got a compliment I won’t forget. One friend confided in us that he began to lose interest in d&d but my story reinvigorated his interest. I have only you to thank for being such an influence in my style of story telling as well as role play. You made my friends have fun. So I had fun. So I hope, in turn, you have fun learning this.

[@inomad1313]

“I sound like I’m at the bottom of a well”. pause. Say hi to Timmy for me. ;)

[@Starfox371]

This man is amazing - is there a Nobel prize for greatest DM ever?

[@Mrs_Homemaker]

Just found this series - love all of them so far, but especially #8. Thank you!

[@DeedeeDirt]

Samantha Bice same

[@samuelbeecroft3077]

@@DeedeeDirt y idiot Iris

[@jvpoe7298]

You are incredible :) I've run 3 sessions total as a DM, and my players will THANK you for all the improvements to come from your advice. Stay cool, Mr. Dooblidoo. Peace. Out.

[@tedwardrick]

Love this episode, I am new to DnD (a few months in) and my DM uses an iPad or laptop as a DM screen, gives him the access to all information he has on his devices, can even show us how a character or magic item looks like. I like the idea of the DM roll our perception check for us, because it's true that whenever he saids 'roll a dexterity check' or 'roll a perception check' we are all like 'uh oh, something's going on'

[@MichaelrDolan]

How do you find the difference between narrating how something looks vs. being shown? I really don't know if it's better to try to describe something and let the imagination paint the picture or just show a picture.

[@gabrielchilante5005]

a player on a friend's table ended up developing a hatred about hidden DM rolls since he was trying to find out if a cup of coffee was poisoned, the DM rolled a 1 behind the screen and said him it was tottaly poisoned. The PC was actualy a master in poisons and had a awesomely high bonus to the roll, so he was faithfull on his abilittys. It ends up that it was just a cup of coffee offered by a friendly elder, that was brutaly murdered for "trying to kill us". The player argued that he would never be confident on a roll like this ever again, even though he was prety good at it. (Brazilian here, sorry for any possible mistake)

[@MrKenpachi28]

From three years in the future, I want to thank you MC for Ep 8 (it is even more relevant as we near 2020 than it ever has been before), as well as these tips. I DM'd for a little under a year, then real life and our firstborn kinda put that on hold. Two years later now and I'm ready to jump back into it and this playlist is a wealth of knowledge, so thank you! PS lol@5k subscribers; a mere three years later and you're at a whopping 325k!

[@WriterDreamOfSweden]

I was born after you got started and now i'm using your videos to DM my first game in a week, that's kinda trippy to me

[@blakebrockhaus347]

Ling G do you mean you were born 3 years ago? or 30

[@matthewperkins5735]

From one Human Matthew to another, You are super helpful and you are truly an amazing person.

[@arackofhats5235]

seriously man, fantastic series it has helped me become such a better dungeon master and my players who we have played with me for a solid 3+ years, two of my players comment after our session last night "hey, man idk what you did but that session was amazing, probably the best we have had yet good job man!" i sent them the link to the playlist they are also gunna check it out thanks man

[@byrongsmith]

I've watched a number of these and appreciated them all. But it was episode 8 that made me a subscriber. I understand why comments were turned off, and grieve that that is necessary, but kudos to you for making that episode Matthew. I am loving this whole series. But that was special. Thank you.

[@leshtricity]

yeah I too love extremely generic d&d advice that panders to the lowest common denominator types with meaningless buzzwords like "inclusive" and the requisite condemnation of "western European white males." just so brave and bold I could almost cry!

[@katherinenash341]

A friend of mine bought a plastic, three-panel menu cover from a restaurant supply company, typed up his own pages to slide into the slots, and used that as his DM screen when he ran our campaign. It was very durable and the cover itself was less than $5!

[@Xeno_Solarus]

Katherine Nash Wow! That actually sounds like a great idea! I might try that, as I don't actually have a screen right now and it could be useful

[@panpolypuff]

I just had Session 0 with some co-workers this week, and am bingeing this playlist to get ready for the adventure in a week or two. I’ve gotten so many ideas from you, and am feeling empowered to give them a great experience. Thank you for this wonderful content!

[@fiskerawsome9680]

I almost cried at the end of episode 8. I fucking loved it

[@TheAtheistPerson]

I had some disagreements with it, nevertheless a good episode.

[@weaponizedlizardmen360]

whats to disagree? He hit everything pretty much on the nail.

[@ArvelDreth]

WeaponizedLizardMen The idea that your race governs your thought process.

[@weaponizedlizardmen360]

ArvelDreth what's wrong with that? If you choose to play a race then you should define your mindset to how that race plays. Of course you don't necessarily do that but if you are going to play your character as something they are not normally then you need to create a convincing backstory. You don't see to many elves crazy about mining in mountains and gaining gold or to many half orcs as calm and relaxed as a halfling. Sure they are out there but it's not common. But if someone does want to play someone like that then it is possible, just with the proper building blocks.

[@AshersAesera]

@WeaponizedLizardMen I would say that depends on the player and their DM's expectations of their players when creating their characters. Not every game's going to have a hardcore focus on the backstory. You're probably not going to have a full party of story driven players. Not every DM is going to place restrictions on their player's character creation, particularly when they're just starting to play a game together. Maybe that elf is hired help to guard the mines as there's been attacks by wild beast. Or maybe that stat bonus and racial skills of an elf are better for what the player had in mind. Or maybe the player just thinks playing an elf is fun for their first character!

[@ScaryWombat]

Passive perception is a lifesaver. It's put a stop to Pathfinder's plentiful "roll a perception check" calls in my old campaigns.

[@SmexKingOfTheOzone]

This comment is unrelated to this video. It is in regards to your previous video. The Sociology of D&D. I only wanted to say, I have been enjoying your videos and they've been extremely helpful in my journey of learning to DM. And after that video, I not only enjoy your videos but have a lot of respect for you. I can only imagine the immense amount of messages and comments you receive, and IF you see this.. Thank you for all of your help.

[@RyanHamiltonBaker]

This series is so stinking good. I'm getting so pumped to DM and this is filling in a lot of gaps in my understanding from the other side of the table.

[@jekkabailey4928]

Hey! I Don't know if you still check comments, but thank you for making these videos! I wanted to comment on your last video, The sociology of DnD - but comments are disabled. I can understand why. I just want to thank you for making that video, and bringing attention to those sorts of things. I'm the DM in my local group (that is also mostly women,) so I don't have to worry about rape and things coming up in sessions, but I can only imagine how awful that must be for those that do experience it and don't want to. Overall your videos are awesome! You bring up a lot of little things I I have not thought about before, and overall I hope I can improve my quality of DMing. Thanks for being awesome!

[@malighos]

That's a bit sexist, to say women can't be as vile and awkward as dudes. I played in a game for a few sessions where the only female player played a female drow and her background was some edgy shit like : Sold as sex slave at about 12 and been used as a toy for years before killing her "master" but in the end she was enjoying it soo much that she was actively trying to fuck every male NPC / PC we met (even drugging some). But take it that's cool cuz women can't possibly have disgusting and uncomfortable fantasies. That's what annoyed me about that video. The presumption that if you are a white male playing D&D you are racist, sexist and make rape jokes while every minority/female is gonna be a saint in your game.

[@Xeno_Solarus]

Teodor I don't think that's exactly what he was saying (although I could be wrong, I was going stuff as I watched the video) but I totally agree with the points you made.

[@koekeritisVideos]

as a new DM, a new D&D player in fact, I have not yet used a DM screen, and I really like the openness of it all, my players also like seeing the DM as this guy with a book of notes in front of him and I like that there isn't this border between me and my players, but I have never played with a DM screen before, so I won't know actually what I prefer until I try that of course.

[@xxfireowlxx474]

If you want a good, cheap, DIY DM screen here are the steps on how i made mine: take a box and cut off the folding parts, i used a pretty big box but you can choose your size, then cut off 3 parts of the same size, then tape or paperclip papers on the box parts, and the. Tape all the sides together. You can decorate the side that the players see if you like!

[@squizzlor]

The Gamers Of The Apocalypse Fire Was really hoping, there were better option to be presented here. Thanks for the tip!

[@Glass5ystem]

There are dm screens on Amazon for only 11 bucks, one of the cheaper of d&d items on there.

[@diegoacosta8550]

I just used 2 long folders, and I stapled the printed pdf's on. Works pretty well.

[@Aelanna]

I use pieces of foam board.

[@richardboulanger3393]

Hiding in shadows is like Burt on Soap, HE knew he was invisible. Only, he wasn't.

[@bjornseine2342]

Incomming deck of many things! Really interested on how you handle that trainwreck...

[@kkplx]

judging by the video you don't. you don't handle the deck. :P

[@Aarongorn]

I would never DM without a screen. I don't want my maps and notes to be visible to the players. But I do make some of my rolls on the other side of it, where the players can see the outcome. Initiative rolls, for example. I usually roll to-hit rolls privately, because DMs need to have life-and-death control in some situations. But your cheat sheet idea could free me up to do more of it, since I'd be able to see at a glance who is in what condition. I am definitely adopting this idea. It's gold! "The Watchmaker keeps to his schemes..."

[@pedroprass106]

Yours is "When we last left our heroes" My table on roll20 is always playing "Sweet Home Alabama" and the players realize that the game started when i switch the music xD

[@stationhater]

These just get better every week. This channel has to be the greatest asset a DM could ever, ever find.

[@mstone1567]

"We'll have another episode talking about ______________ ." While editing . . . brings out notebook, writes, "must do episode about _____________".

[@GamesByJDK]

As a DM, I used a screen to "curate" as you say - mainly for attack and combat. I don't like killing off my PCs, but I do want them to be challenged. If I hide the dice role, the guy who wants to over-power his character suddenly is just as essential as the rest of the party. I can make his combat last slightly longer while speeding up the combat of weaker characters. Whereas if all dice rolls are visible, the weaker characters get no modifications at all, and may feel bored or useless.

[@eiragwen]

I love being reminded of crossovers between Nerdfighteria and Critters.

[@Alf_Alfgo]

At our table we roll things like hide, knowing, insight and some more of these rolls that give te PCs new information in a box that only the GM sees; It helps with metagaming and makes the expirence more easy to roleplay. For example if we are lost in a forest, we all roll our survival checks blindly and the GM whispers to us what each one thinks the right way is, and maybe everyone has a diferent way to go and it's all on roleplay terms to decide.

[@IrontMesdent]

Hey since the comments on the last episode were deactivated, I'm just going to comment here about it. I actually emphasizes the struggles in the world and see which of the struggles they care about. As an example, slavery is accepted in the world I created and even child slavery is accepted. One of my players felt very touched by this subject. I asked her if she preferred if I didn't mention it anymore in my games but she instead decided to change her background to make her character an ex-slave instead of an urchin. In fact, she is now some sort of a freedom fighter: She actually stole a slave kid form a slave merchant to try to liberate him... and it worked. The next mission I prepared is based on that completely unscripted act the party decided to do: They are going to escort ex-slaves and return them to their families. So instead of making everyone equal and there is no struggle, I put players in different situations than what they are used to be and give them an opportunity to change the status quo of the world in the game. They want to fight for the liberation of slaves, fine, I'll do missions about that so they feel they have an impact on the game. One of the player wants to be recognized as a person instead of a freak of nature? Fine too, I'll give them the opportunity to do so. To me, it's not about living in magic land where every one is equal, it's to create an unequal world where the PCs can change it for the better.

[@Madhattersinjeans]

You're a good DM. Incoprorating the player needs and desires into the game is exactly how it should be done and provided they know the risks/stakes it can be very rewarding to play out that fantasy.

[@ItsShatter]

I’m not a DM but I feel that as a player this helps me understand and respect what the DM does… and maybe help me not get my character killed..

[@jasonhart9896]

"jay and i are having a friendly rivalry.... i only have about 5000 subscribers but i'm catching up." 234,000 subscribers.

[@DunantheDefender]

There's a batter at the plate. It's currently 3 balls and 2 strikes. The pitcher pitches, the batter swings and misses. Everyone looks at the umpire. "Well, what was it? A ball or a strike?" "It ain't nuthin' until I call it." As a DM, I regard the dice the same way.

[@ashleygillespie-horne6429]

I know you disabled comments for episode 8, but I really wanted to say this: Thank you. I cut my teeth DMing one-shots for absolute beginners to D&D in a pub in Nottingham (the same Nottingham that's obsessed with 'Robin Hood') every other Monday. I never knew who my players were until they showed up on the night, so it was difficult to gauge what players wanted from D&D. In a long campaign, the trick would be to include a little bit of everything. I once ran a four-session campaign with each session representing one of the four cornerstones of D&D gameplay: Stealth/Strategy; Survival; Roleplay and Combat. But in a one-shot? I found the easiest was to try and go for something like your "Capitol" (Incidentally, I used Waterdeep for that. Faerun already has a huge, multicultural Port-City). Or I'd go the other way and describe 'Blackthorn'; a Hamlet that was just off the main trading route between Baldur's Gate and Tor Garon. It was founded by travellers and merchants, and the distinctly multicultural populace of it reflects that: An Apothecary run by an old Dwarven Couple who also make the Tavern's speciality "Dwarven Strongmead". The Humans who run the Tavern - "Wagons & Flagons"; a rest stop for travellers who can get a meal and an ale whilst their horses and carriages are tended to; it is run in partnership with the local Blacksmith; a wizened old Red Dragonborn whose scales were just turning brown/black at the edges, partly from age and partly from working in his Dragonfire Forge for so many years. He also performed sermons for anyone who cared to pray with him, as he was a Forge-Domain Cleric by class. I did once get accused of 'pandering to the SJWs' when my focus on multiculturalism was spotted in a game. I was initially going to just let it go and continue with the game, but when he tutted and muttered after I initially ignored him I figured this needed addressing. "How is this pandering?" I asked. When he told me he didn't like the 'unrealistic' idea of a hamlet having all these different people on it, I initially joked "...but you're okay with dragons, Tarrasques, Demons, Orcs and Tieflings and all those other totally realistic aspects of D&D, right?". I then explained: "Blackthorn is born of merchants and travellers; not everyone is Human. The Dwarven Couple were chosen as Dwarves because Dwarves live for 400 years or so, and they are perfectionists by nature, which lends itself extremely well to the study of alchemy: Time plus dedication = results. The Blacksmith is a Dragonborn because frankly many of us have loved the idea of swords forged in dragonfire, and yet the concept of that is sorely underrepresented in D&D. A Dragonborn Blacksmith is the only realistic way that can be a thing. The Humans running the Tavern isn't a token representation on their part; humans make up 80% of Faerun's demographic." I did not enjoy the rest of that game. An awkwardness descended onto the table after that and not only did it limit the fun the players were having, but I was of a mind to simply phone the rest of the game in and just be done with the session as quickly as possible. I'd change the demographic in my games to suit Nottingham locals, but I don't know who the next group is going to be. Chalking it up to it just being the nature of the beast.

[@leshtricity]

wow, you really showed that racist alt-right neo-nazi bigot! amazing! I just love how INCLUSIVE and PROGRESSIVE 5th edition is! W O W !

[@AlbertaGeek]

@@leshtricity Awww, did the little edgelord Peterson fanboi get triggered?

[@formula2233]

@@leshtricity You're subscribed to fox news. Im convinced your IQ is in the single digit range.

[@fishisyum]

Take a shot every time he says "doobly doo" lol In all seriousness though keep doing these man, easily makes the top 5 DND content channels on KZbin.

[@kstalia]

So, I just watched the previous video, and of course I get why the comments are disabled, but I did want to express myself about it. I'm a girl and I just started playing about half a year ago. So far I haven't encountered that at all, but when I started to get interested and looked info up, there were a lot of post about women worried about other people's behavior. There were forums looking for all female groups and some stories like those, at least where they felt uncomfortable. I feel lucky and also sad about the reality, but there are awesome people out there as well and it shouldn't discourage anyone to play. Some people are assholes, don't waste your time, just walk away and play with other people. That also a great thing about playing this game, meeting all sorts of people along the way. By the way, epic line at the end.

[@dhavaram8064]

I have run many D&D campaigns, and have one ongoing campaign that started in 1985. Over time, I developed the method of keeping the perception, stealth, and saving throw stats for each player behind the screen and then having the players roll perception checks, saving throws, stealth checks, etc. over the top of my DM screen. I also make rolls behind the screen periodically. I have them roll and I roll often enough that they never know when its a real check and when its a dummy check. This keeps them from wondering what they missed. If I don't tell them anything, or say something like "you don't notice anything unusual" they know that doesn't necessarily mean they missed something. It works for me and my players.

[@azdgariarada]

In response to episode #8, you're still playing to win. You're just winning at life.

[@SkullDixon]

"Behind the Screen" in the old school way is what its like to run/play games online. When its just a voice on the other end, it forces you as a GM to add more illustrative wording to your descriptions so that the players can imagine the gestures and posture that you would normally just act out at the table.

[@kickthesky]

I love the term doobly doo. I giggle every time I hear it!

[@tylerh2548]

I laughed so hard at the low key, matter of fact 15 second destruction of GRRM i had to fast forward one vid to comment. And I LIKE the guy's work.

[@Pixxeria]

It's the deck of many things!

[@Tbcw42]

The way my DM handle perception is he notes down what your perception is on a roll of 10 and unless you say you're specifically trying to look for something he checks everything against that passive number.

[@TornadoCreator]

I notice you disabled the comments on video #8 but I felt I had something interesting to contribute so I wanted to add this here, hope you don't mind. You discuss that there are certain fantasies that seem to show up that you find distasteful, certain themes and story elements, for example rape; and cite Game Of Thrones as an example. Well, I'm one of the GMs that includes these elements in my games. I include rape, torture, racism, sexism, class warfare, slavery, and extreme poverty. I have these things in my game because I feel it makes my game more enticing. I use them as narrative elements and have them act as a contrast to the glorious, heroics of the campaign. It makes the setting feel dark, foreboding, and serious in a way that dragon attacks and orc raids don't.... But how do I make sure that I don't upset or offend people. How can I be sure that someone who's been a victim of sexual violence but isn't open about this, doesn't feel excluded or feel they're reliving painful memories. How do I make sure someone from a minority ethnicity doesn't feel marginalised by a game setting with overt racism and slavery in it. Well, I ask them openly in my session zero to do something specific... the "traffic lights" list. I give each player a piece of paper and I say to them. I'm happy to run any tone of game, from whimsical fantasy to dark and foreboding. I'm happy to include extreme violence, gore, and sex; and make the game graphic is people want a horror aesthetic, or scale that back entirely if people want a more Tolkien like fantasy. Given that. I want everyone to make three lists of things. Green, Amber, and Red. The Green is for elements you'd actively like to explore. This can be anything from "Pirates" to "Good vs. Evil" or even something specific like "Roman Empire" or esoteric like "What it means to be kind", it can even be something mechanics based like "Fight Dragons", "Political espionage game" or "Traditional dungeon crawl". Whatever things you're excited to explore add to the green list. The Amber list is for things you're interested in but want to have handled tactfully. Like for example if you're happy for their to be sex in the game, but you'd prefer we "fade to black" and just ignore any details, put that in the Amber list. The important list is the Red list. This is where you put your hard limits. If you really don't want a setting that includes slavery, add it in here. If the tradition short drunk Scottish miner stereotype for Dwarfs annoys you and you'd hate to have to deal with them, put them here. If you have something that particularly upsets you or a phobia you don't want to deal with add it here. One player I know always adds 'Spiders' to this list, which is good because the Drow are a race that worship spiders, have giant spiders, and follow a spider-demon god; so if he plays they're either not in the setting or I change them. Anything can be added to the red list. Once the lists are made, I'll compile them together and give out a copy of the red list. This is the "hard limit". These things are not to be discussed or done at the game table. That way we all have a good time. I like my system, and as the GM, I also make my own list. I for example had my girlfriend have a miscarriage so I find the subject quite upsetting. I add things like "Miscarriage" to Amber, and "Horror Foetal Imagery", "Pregnant women in peril" to the Red column as it's bothers me. Certain video games like The Binding Of Issac are impossible for me to play due to the foetal body horror. I'm also physically disabled so I add, "PCs unable to cope with disabilities" as a Red as well. I'm happy for someone to play a one-legged person or a blind person, but they need to be overcoming their disabilities and be awesome in spite of them. It's too sombre to see a character being portrayed as helpless due to disabilities. This makes everyone closer I find, and for long campaigns it helps to ensure that we've got a game that will explore what we want, and avoid what will upset us all. Hopefully this was an interesting comment. Great series Matt. It's a shame you felt the need to disable comments on the other video but I can see it's a delicate issue. Hopefully you don't feel I overstepped the mark here.

[@Xeno_Solarus]

TornadoCreator You mentioned PCs overcoming their disabilities and being awesome despite them, well that reminded me of a character that I last played He's basically a swordsman from a desert country, but due to certain events, his right arm was severed, and he was right-handed. Despite this though, he ends up an extremely dextrous character, being able to wield his sword with great speed and precision, and ended up being one of the coolest swordsmen ever.

[@JagEterCoola]

Finding out that players change in some games due to the pressence of a woman geuninely disturbed me, and I don't get disturbed easily. My campaigns, much like yours, already feature all of this horrible stuff (And Its happened to a PC, at one point. What happened, I'll leave you to guess.) I have a player that's squicked the fuck out by things like eyeballs and fingernails and sinews, but sometimes, he'll have to bite the bullet because in a horror campaign (Many which I run. I ran a 2-player campaign called *The Devil's Keep*. I'm sure you can imagine what wondrous tortures happened there.) so maybe that's why I was affected so strongly. My mind just went 'What? No way...' and I started worrying that the female players in my campaigns feels that way. On the complete flipside, in a campaign I am in _right now_, run by an older woman with 2 other women as players, It seems to feature a lot more horrible stuff than most campaigns. I don't think It's a gender issue, just that some GMs sees It as a playground, and more diverse players just means more pieces.

[@ninjabastard666]

Don't invite precious snowflakes to play in your world, it just ruins it for rational people.

[@schlimanokobibi]

@@ninjabastard666 I'd consider you to be unrational based on that comment. A little compassion goes a long way. There's no need to label people 'special snowflakes' if they feel genuinely uncomfortable by situations in the game, even if you don't.

[@os_boy8745]

I realize that I am 2 years late to this party, but I wanted to say that running a "Session 0" in order to create a "traffic lights" list it a great idea and very reasonable .

[@haroldgarner7140]

Dear Matt, Thank you for all your DM running the game videos. I always relax listening to your musical tones and philosophical thoughts. Congrats on getting over 397k subscribers - you smashed your 5000 target. All the best.

[@FelipeToledoCine]

I couldn't comment in the previous video and I just wanted to say that I was in a really bad day and that video made me feel better, I think is because I could see the love that went into making it. Thank You !!

[@stylgen]

I ran my first game on a night my regular group wasn't all there and they said they loved it. Took a chance to make voices, describe attacks, the environment and the works. Result, they loved it. Thanks for these videos. Your thoughts on the game are right up my alley. Please keep up the great work!

[@toastghost9145]

Um, does episode 9 of this series exist? I enjoy every episode, and would hate to miss one, but I am unaware of its location. Thanks.

[@DavidShepheard]

I spent ages looking for episode 9 too.

[@mrvideosphere249]

Just got a reply from him today on twitter. The 9th episode is this one. He missed one in the numbering of them and he's gonna get around to fixing it. Relax, you didn't miss out on anything ;)

[@JJOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH]

Thanks for seeking this out and saving me some time.

[@skippyzc8608]

WHERES VIDEO NINE. IM ANGRY!!

[@auldcrow1461]

Sweet, I was well confused. spent the last few mins looking for it. Thanks man!

[@TaylorjAdams]

It bothers me fairly often that exhaustion isn't on that screen

[@mon339]

When I tell my players: "Roll perception", I usually keep in mind what I want them to see. If they fail, I later make either an encounter or they'll get caught by a trap or something of that sort. I'll never say stuff like: "Oh you guys failed? Well, too bad, you won't see that thing ever again."

[@samuelsilbory6672]

I love to up the tension by requiring players to roll perception for nothing. Or randomly roll and write something down. If they ask I just smile and say you don't notice anything.

[@Asuhhdude]

replying on this video about the sociology because comments are off, I am a 19 year old straight black male DM and i play with family, just wanted to inform you that one of the situation that my first campaign got into was that a player was trying to haggle a blacksmith for cheaper prices and i on the spot made the blacksmith gay which caused another male player to use charisma to woo such NPC into giving them a discount...heres to say times have definitely gotten better with dnd lol never occured to me how gender and stereotype norms can affect a story. love learning this!

[@mitchellquinn]

Running The Game #8 - best RPG video ever.

[@tp6498]

Our dm felt that one way of keeping us engaged as players was that we as an adventuring party had to be responsible for certain "explorers" tasks. Whenever our party would start a new adventure one of us would have to be the party scribe. He would be responsible for taking notes of anything we as a party felt was important or notable. Another party member would be the cartographer. This job would entail the drawing and diagramming, on graph paper, the dungeon or cave network we were exploring. This was accomplished based on the info the dm would volunteer to us about our surroundings and by his answers to our direct questions. Of course the dm would have the real map behind his screen to know exactly where we were within the dungeon, but all of our navigation and reckoning was based off of our map. Being the cartographer required asking a lot of questions and paying close attention to details. It was not uncommon for us to find ourselves in situations where we couldn't proceed because our map was "wrong". Some back tracking, question asking, erasing and re-mapping usually did the trick. This might seem tedious but it really made our group feel like we were on our own "out there" and our success or failure was in our own hands. It also made things seem more realistic. I mean, in a real adventure I would assume that a party would have an assigned scribe, map maker, journal keeper etc...Just my thoughts.

[@tophergrallison]

The doobly do. Are you a nerdfighter?

[@benmckee1122]

Last session my party was fighting a guard drake, and they had the captain of the guard with them. They'd taken the drake down to 1 HP, and it was looking like the gnome with flaming oil coated swords was about to finish it off (if he didn't set himself on fire). I rolled for the guard captain's attack behind my makeshift DMscreen, and he got a crit. I shrugged, and told the players that he had missed, letting the gnome half decapitate the drake, and seal the wound shut with his fiery sword, and it was awesome!

[@bareakon]

Comments were disabled on last video, but I want you to know that what you said in it meant a lot to me. Subbed.

[@bgarnreiter89]

Sir, I just want to say thank you. I ran my first game of DnD last night with some good friends, and to say I lifted a good chunk from your first video for the dungeon is an understatement! With that said, I intensely enjoyed the experience, it was not only an absolute blast, but three people who had never played before all agreed: They liked it infinitely more than they thought. That is all thanks to your wonderful videos, your wonderful spirit, and putting it out into the world. Thank you for being a river to your people!

[@garrettelliott5849]

If you’re a cheap steak like me then you can just make your own screen with a cardboard box.

[@ErdTirdMans]

This was an incredibly thought-provoking collection of DM tips and style decisions

[@witchfynder_finder]

Piggybacking off your conversation about the DM rolling for stealth and perception, I play with a DM who rolls all character's checks for finding and disarming traps. It takes away a temptation to metagame from us because we don't know that the rogue just rolled a 3, so there's no reason for, say, the wizard to step up and say "No, no, you must have missed something, let me try." Because the wizard wouldn't do that.

[@jaytilley8352]

My name is Jay. Whenever I need a lift, I go to the end of this episode and loop Matt telling me he loves me. It makes me feel a lot better. ;) I need to rip it to a ringtone.

[@jaytilley8352]

Oh, and I love you too, Matt. Heh

[@josephcarmelo9185]

Can you please do a video on how to deal with players who meta game too much?

[@flannelpillowcase6475]

not sure if it'll help at all, but i had an experience with a metagamer recently. what worked for me was i (and one of the other players) told him a few times during one session to stop metagaming everytime he did it. eventually, after him doing it consistently, i (as the DM) made him roll an extra save during a party madness saving throw as a "result" of his character being fed information from an unknown otherworldly source. he went along with it and got a madness as a result of it. at the end of the session, i called him out and asked him if he knew why i'd punished him, to which he replied "supposedly" metagaming. i told him straight out that he WAS metagaming and that he needed to stop, and cited a few examples of what he'd done earlier. after that, he stopped doing it and things went pretty well from then on. just tell the metagamer to stop, and after 3 (or w/e) strikes, punish them somehow (and incorporate it realistically into the game if that's your preference). if they get pissy about it, explain to them that they're making the game less enjoyable for everyone else, and if they don't stop it, you'll continue dishing out punishments or even ask them to leave the group. at that point it's up to them to decide whether to stop doing it, or just leave the game because they're too immature to stop being selfish. if you're a player and not a DM, i suggest talking to the DM about it. they should be capable of handling situations like this. hope that helps somewhat. sorry for the long answer :P

[@YukonHexsun]

If you homebrew a lot of your monsters (or modify them heavily), it's hard to metagame because they wont know what the hell they are. Another suggestion I read on Facebook that I think is really clever, and this is also about monsters, is to not give your monsters the exact same stats. It makes sense that, in a group of 10 orcs, a few would have lower or higher AC, different weapons, etc. Directly confronting the players is great, but setting up your game so that metagaming is genuinely difficult is not only great for experienced players who may have trouble pretending to not know something they know very well, but throws a wrench into the plans of people who meta constantly. Also, it sorta depends on what's "metagaming" to you. I don't see the issue with sharing actual health totals with the healer, because those numbers exist to stand in for what the characters can see; wounds, a slumping guard, even a limp, and just keeping track of who's been getting hit and how hard it looked like they got wailed on.

[@Aelanna]

@@YukonHexsun I homebrew almost all my monsters. I treat the monster manuals as a guide, but individual monsters will vary widely, just like people in any group do. Some monsters are the same in name only. I had a player once who was one of those people who had literally memorized the monster manual, but it didn't help him any when my monsters weren't like the ones in the book.

[@stevengreen11]

I like the idea of bringing a dead NPC back. Maybe not even by a god. In the game Shadows of Mordor sometimes your opponent would return with vengeance, bearing scars where you thought you had ended their life.

[@WillisPtheone]

There is no need for the DM to roll for a player in order to keep information hidden. If your players do not say something along the lines of "I'd like to take a closer look" or "What do I see?/What does it look like?" they are not actively Perceiving. Active Perception and Passive Perception are designed for this reason. If you want to know if a player can see something, without cluing them in, consult their Passive Perception. For stealth just don't tell them if they succeed or fail. This preserves the feeling that the player is in control of their character while retaining the uncertainty of success. It also keeps with the mechanics of feats like Luck and other abilities that a player might have that can augment a roll. Think about how a player might use bardic inspiration on a stealth check if you won't tell them how high they rolled. While the player likely will not know if a enemy has spotted them they will likely be aware of how loud they are being and how low behind that wall they are. Just say something along the lines of "You duck behind that wall." or "You back up into the shadows." Say something that confirms that you know that they are in stealth and have the number you need to check against. Do not say "You are hidden." or "You successfully duck into the shadows." The game was designed with these things in mind. Please try to make use of them.

[@mcolville]

+Willis Pearson I think you'd discover, if your player rolls a 3 on their stealth check, they have a *pretty good idea* how well-hidden they are. :D And maybe that makes sense to you as the DM. It's how I run the game now. But if you want a more immersive game, where there's tension surrounding hiding ("was I seen? Can they see me?") just as there would be in the real world, you have the option of making those rolls behind the screen and telling your players "Well, you certainly think you're hidden!"

[@WillisPtheone]

+Matthew Colville Sorry if my first post sounded a bit abrasive it was not intended to be so. It was mostly just suggestions for how to get the same or similar results from the standard play. While I understand the value of immersion consider the fact that this kind of house rule literally takes the dice from the players hands and puts them into yours. If your players are ok with that fantastic. My opinion is that this kind of suspense and tension can be gained without house ruling. If a player rolls a 3 I would suspect that the action that would result would be quite obviously not sneaky. By hiding every sneak roll you are forcing every single time they sneak to be high tension and stress. The standard results in a nice balance of tension and skill sometimes you are on point and get it done sometimes you fall on your face but still other times you just don't know. I don't see how closer to realistic you can get. All in all how you want to play is up to you. As long as you are playing its all good in my book. There are times when you have to bend or even break the game to have the fun you want to have. Its just my opinion that you should try to get at that fun within the system before you start adding complexity. Have fun and game on!

[@WillisPtheone]

+Willis Pearson Was meaning to say this in the post above but I got carried away. I am enjoying this entire series a great deal. You and Matt Mercer's videos of DMing are some of the best on the net. Most other DMs like to make How I DM videos and call them How to DM videos. You provide many positions and never try to suggest there is only one way to play. With the advent of D&D's popularity on KZbin I have been waiting and crawling the site for good unbiased DM advice. Love your work and now your channel!

[@trashfire9641]

Willis Pearson Player tries to hide, player rolls a one. I wonder if the player *knows* he failed or not........😉

[@WillisPtheone]

There is a WALL of text below. In response to a post from 2 days before I responded about a post from almost a year ago. This is important for a DM to understand so please read on I know its long and gets a bit ranty but if you care about this situation you should read the whole thing. I await responses I would wonder if the character knew he failed or not and why or why not. Remember that 1 represents the action of sneaking that 1 is him being bad at sneaking. What does that mean to the character? That means stepping on creaky floorboards, knocking over a vase, or 101 other ways get noticed. He can still roll a 1 and succeed his check here (there is no critical fail or success on ability checks in 5e). What if the thing he is hiding from also rolls a 1 and has a -1 modifier. That is a situation that is interesting in a game. Explain that in game. The character steps on a creaky floorboard at the same time that the creature gets distracted by a rat making noises in another room or hundreds of other funny or interesting or suspenseful situations that you have just boiled down to you don't know why you got caught but back here I rolled a 1 for you. These actions take place they are not just numbers on dice. Every time you roll a die there is an action and that action reflects the result of the die. You are saying that a player/character that got a 1 on sneak would not know it was being loud and standing in plain view. Why was he spotted and would his character also know if he was being noticeable? On a 1 yes he would most likely know on a 15 sneak vs a 16 perception perhaps not but that is built into the difference of the roll. What if they get a 20 sneak but the creature gets a 21 perception. It has to reflect the action as it happens in game not just I got a 13 and you got a 14. Roleplay not Rollplay. If I fail to hit there is a reason why. If I fail to sneak there is a reason why. Those reasons are why the player knows the results of their actions. Should you hide the attack roll as well? Why not? I have players all the time uses success and fail on hits to find the AC of a creature. Well at some point in a fight you know how hard something is to hit. The excuse of immersion is frail. Why would the character not know? I can give thousands of situations where they would and can thank of only a few where they would not and those involve them barely failing the check. Do not make choices for the player because you think it feels better for them that way. Doing it only on stealth rolls can also bring in the issue of the thief feeling like he never gets to roll. You roll almost all his checks but not the barbarians. Why? Because the DM feels that you will like it better this way. This creates problems and solves nothing you can not force immersion and if D&D needs more immersion then I don't know what the word Roleplay means.

[@alecchristiaen4856]

y'know, being dm feels a bit like being Jim Moriarty in "the great game" of Sherlock. it is fun to create challenges and see how the players solve them. it feels like you put mice in a maze and observe how they find their way out. this sounds really petty towards players, but ultimately, that's what a dungeon master is: a challenger. at least in my opinion.

[@darksean99]

When talking about perception checks on if players should roll them or the DM. I've found a good compromise is to sprinkle in irrelevant perception checks throughout the campaign. Something like, player rolls a 19 "ok what do I see?" "a bird the in tree above you is making efforts to hide its nest" It helps bring the world to life, and keeps them guessing as to what perception checks are important, and what aren't. Not everything hiding from the players is going to be hostile.

[@taraweston6929]

Thanks for this and all your videos, I'm currently making the transition from player to DM and I've been working through your playlist of videos and find them incredibly inspiring and helpful.

[@longlei276]

binge watching.. where is episode 9?

[@DavidShepheard]

I was also wondering that. I don't think it exists.

[@goodmorningandwelcometo7324]

Perhaps a reserved slot for episode 8 part two? I'd really love to see that, the comments are disabled (perhaps for good reason) on it so I'll say that was a really helpful episode to me here.

[@iGrimsly]

He miscounted, so every episode from this one on should actually be one ep. back.

[@capwithoutacountry]

I will DEFINITELY be using the phrase "curating the experience" at work from now on 😂😂😂

[@stormchaser9738]

Ultimate DM screen, play over the internet.

[@bluejoy127]

I have a "cheat sheet" that I use though I don't have their saving throws listed. I make note of things like their AC, passive perception, passive stealth -5 (for when they aren't walking slow), the languages they each know, and any special passive abilities/feats like darkvision, mobile, or mage slayer. This helps me tremendously by reminding me of all things things and I don't have to yank my players back to reality by asking for such and such. It takes awhile to set up but it is so worth it.