This Book Is So Good It Should Make WotC Embarrassed! | Interview with

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"So You Want To Be A Game Master" might be the best dungeon mastering advice book to be published ever. And rightly so. ‪@TheAlexandrian‬ has been a game designer and writer of some of the best TTRPG content and blogging since the early 2000s. Even I was greatly influenced by his earlier works. Join me as I talk to Justin about some of the novel ideas in his book, his thought process on game development, and what lead him to bring this book to bear.

[@simmonslucas]

If you bought "So You Want to Be a Game Master", "ICRPG Master Edition", and "The Lazy Dungeon Master", you would have the most complete set of GM practical advise, IMO. I haven't finished SYWTBAGM yet (it is outstanding so far), but the other two are outstanding as well!

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

Add extreme dungeon mastery

[@knghtbrd]

Tome of Adventure Design?

[@PressEnter42]

Don't forget "The Monsters Know What They're Doing"

[@cameronjs222]

I’ve got the GM guide in icrpg bookmarked, and regularly reference it. Some of the best advice out there.

[@adamdorris7104]

I've heard that is an awesome resource for ideas/tables, but does it have lots of advice also?@@knghtbrd

[@mariatsoukalas9826]

1. I love how excited you were for this entire interview 2. Saying YES as a DM? Yes please! The best gaming experiences I’ve ever had was with DM’s who were just as curious as their players were about what outcome might come to pass by saying “sure, you can do that. Roll a 20 sided die.” 😊

[@andrewlustfield6079]

Since the 90s, I've had a pretty similar attitude. "If you come up with an idea that makes sense, there's always going to be a chance of success in my game."

[@SerifSansSerif]

Yeah, nah. I'm not overly permissive. You do what you want for your table, but I feel like this book is more along the lines of a self help guide for a niche hobby and the rules of the hobby with the increased interest in the game have created this new grift. Not saying good things haven't developed from it, but God damn is there too much fluff. As a DM you should say yes AND no. Some works some doesn't. Some things need to fail to make things seem like there's a chance of failure and death is a possibility.

[@andrewlustfield6079]

@@SerifSansSerif You're absolutely right, there are times to say no. If I can't see something working that a player comes up with, that's a time for no. That said, I tend to agree with the author, when you say no with a conjunction, "but" or "and" it offers the party a way forward so the game doesn't just stop cold. Because in all honesty how interesting is reaching a dead end? Generally speaking, I'm more forgiving of advice books, videos etc., because I know the VAST majority of it is directed at newbies. And yes, to me much of it also seems like fluff, or in a lot of cases flat wrong headed. (I can't count how many times I think--if this is what you're after why aren't you playing Champions or Marvel Superheroes?" But you're not going to go into deep game philosophy in most cases. There's an art to running a game, and most folks don't have 30+ years of experience behind them. Now I can't speak from direct knowledge because I haven't purchased anything from WOTC since they took over D&D. I didn't like the feats system because it seemed to be inspired too much by anime and computer games. But from what I understand, WOTC isn't publishing simple to run modules for bare beginners like TSR did in the 1970s and 80s, where you had your basic set up and then the dungeon. The modules being published for 5e are tomes by comparison to the 10-30 page adventures we cut our teeth on.

[@colbyboucher6391]

The reason it can be hard to say yes sometimes is in the back of my head I think "they're gonna keep doing this, aren't they?" and I worry that it's gonna turn into something game-breaking somehow. It's usually a failure to understand the rules on the GM's part I think. For instance, when I ran D&D 5e and my party started making molotov cocktails I didn't actually know the rules for plain old fire, and I started worrying about how they could produce a ton of these things wherever they went. Wasn't until later that I realized it wouldn't be worth it (probably because WotC thought of that.)

[@andrewlustfield6079]

@@colbyboucher6391 That's an understandable concern. While I don't know the specifics on 5e and how it handles this, in older editions there were encumbrance rules. There's only so much a character can carry. So you weren't going into a dungeon with 20 or 30 molotov cocktails--that's a lot of pint sized oil flasks to carry along with the rest of your equipment. For 1-3 pts of splash damage...the most I'd say a character could carry is 2-3 depending on their strength and what other equipment they were carrying. But something like molotov cocktails actually encourages planning ahead for problem solving. So instead of looking on my character sheet and abilities for answers, I'm thinking about---what can I get in town that will help on this dungeon crawl? It's similar to using bee's or sealing wax to plug your ears when encountering harpies and sirens or other sound related charms. Similar to the way Odysseus ordered his crew to do when sailed past the island where the sirens were, to keep from being charmed and sailing their ship into the rocks. Or having a piece of chalk for marking your way through a dungeon, so you can find your way back out again. Or, and, or and... It's related to another type of thinking that really used to be encouraged a lot, lateral thinking. That is looking at the situation and the environment that you as a DM has presented for answers to solve what problem the party is facing. That's nothing a DM should ever fear. Rather, delight in the ingenuity of your players---but just don't make it easy. They still should pay for each and every coin and magic item they get in blood.

[@michaelschlobohm8877]

Bought it. Devoured it. Simplified all the right things at the right times. AND showed how and when to add more skills as a DM grows. 100/100

[@theeyewizard8288]

"that's a really interesting observation about railroading that I never put together before" What???!!!

[@SuperCaleb283]

I've been reading the Alexandrian for several years now, took almost my whole first year of reading just to catch up to new posts. I was estatic to see him posting to KZbin and I'm so looking forward to reading through this book! Thank you for having him on, you two make a very interesting combo I'd like to see more of!

[@steambub]

I think The Monsters Know What They’re Doing series of books by Keith Ammann is the best resource for tactical GM advice.

[@TheAlexandrian]

Oh, man! I actually meant to mention those, but then I got distracted! Great recommendation!

[@tuomasronnberg5244]

I used to play monsters smart and thought it makes me a better GM, but I've since come around completely. Nowadays I use tougher enemies but play them badly, making tactical mistakes that the characters can exploit. It makes the players feel awesome for beating monsters that on the paper are above their level.

[@ryanpoulter6286]

@@tuomasronnberg5244 I've started doing the same...until they've had 3ish warnings that shit is about to hit the fan. (I mostly play PBTA games especially Ironsworn:Starforged) Then the [Insert local badasses] kick in the door, or dump a volley of torpedoes etc.

[@camohawk6703]

Thank you for recommending another book to read for me to use.

[@gmkgoat]

Keith's books are great not just for teaching how to run monsters in combat but reinforcing a fundamental concept of great GMing. Creating and running a world that makes sense. If your creatures don't behave like they should, they stop feeling like inhabitants in a world and start feeling like numbers on a paper.

[@TheMajorActual]

I have been D/GM'ing since 1978 (playing since 1977). The very best games I have either played in or DM'd for, were those where there was a general idea about what the party was supposed to do, but that would evolve unpredictably, and go in completely different directions...how Uganda ended up with the second largest carrier navy in the mid-1980's would take too long to recount here. If you want to excel as a GM, limit "closed" scenarios (where there is no time for real story development) to tournament play, and try to add substance and detail to "dungeon crawl" modules. Game worlds should not be rigid and static; that gets old, and fast. There are plenty of online tools out there to give you a leg up on creating at least an image of a wider world. Your goal as a GM should be to keep your players coming back, to expand and try to fulfill their PC's wants, needs and desires. Anyone can run a dungeon crawl. But the work involved in fleshing out your own world is _far_ more rewarding, for you and your players.

[@PatRiot-le7rd]

Great information shared in this video. But it begs the question: why can't WotC write usable adventures? If I'm paying a company for an adventure, why should I then need to get more content from creators like Mr. Alexander, or others, to be able to make the poorly written adventure playable? For all their failings, at least TSR's early modules were useable. You could go to the game store, pick up a module, and start playing it with your friends that same day. Now, you buy an adventure, go study it for days, go look for supplemental content, and study that for days, and finally manage to start playing it after hours of additional work. Bottom line is, guess who bought an early WotC adventure and then gave them a second try and bought a later one, and was disappointed and swore off bothering with them anymore? This guy. It's so much easier to just do it all from scratch than to try and renovate other people's rundown hovels of adventure books.

[@benjamindavis2475]

I've homebrewed since day 1 and never regretted it. I think the magical element of ttrpgs is that players can improvise. And one major draw for potential gms is that they can exercise their creativity. Premade modules hamstring both of these benefits. I don't think ttrpgs are made to be played with premade modules. I just think of them as training wheels. But if you grew up playing runescape or wow and you already have an encyclopedic knowledge of medieval fantasy economies and worldbuilding then there's no reason you cant start a homebrew campaign from day 1. Plus it's free.

[@bonzwah1]

Just looked up Technoir based on this video. Wow, very cool ideas in the system. adjectives tags are, in particular, a really cool way to add structure to narrative.

[@sailorknightwing]

This sounds like a really good book. But when it comes to commissioning art typically when the art is finished and given the final approval the commissioner sends the final payment before delivery of the finished product, not the other way around. Too many commissioners take the art and don't send the final payment if it's not done in that order, essentially getting the work for half the price agreed upon so we request it done this way since we can prove the work is done but you can't prove the payment will come before the exchange.

[@toddpickens]

I have had original work stolen from me in exactly this way.

[@john-lenin]

> Never call for a roll unless failure would make the game more interesting.

[@TheFirstArcadianDnD]

I was there for the livestream and I'm sure I'll be hearing this on a loop for a week! Justin is one of the best repositories for DM knowledge in the world. I'd love to hear this two have another chat just to talk about random DM advice

[@Ignis696]

I say YES to re-naming the book Dungeon Master's Guide!

[@user-sp5cl9we4w]

Baron - you are an important voice for the TTRPG community. Great interview with another important community voice! Bravo!

[@TonyCrenshawsLatte]

Casual Friday Baron sighting!!

[@Blizzic]

I just finished reading this book a few days ago, and now, I find myself going back to it and going over certain sections, studying it like a textbook. It’s that essential.

[@craigsisco1894]

Seeing this awesome work and author making its way through all these people I trust (here, Dael Kingsmill, and Professor DM) is the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup of GM support!

[@dr.demento_]

Excellent interview! Reminds me of a Sean Evans (Hot Ones) interview; a few usual questions but mostly thoughtful, novel questions.

[@witchesbruise8792]

I'm so curious to hear the long story about how the Dungeon Turn procedure from 1974 D&D and how it creates interesting and emergent play. I'd love to hear what made it an "eye opening event" as he says!

[@BrianSmithPlanetEarthDiver]

Long time DM. Ordered the book and received from Amazon. Great read. Its a great refresh for any DM

[@Tusitala1967]

I just ordered this after watching Prof Dungeon Master's vid on the book. I'm a DM of 42 years, but I'm always looking to improve. I'll pass it on to my son after I finish it.

[@paulsavas2394]

Just ordered this book. Excellent interview. Thank you!

[@agilemonk6305]

I received the book on the day of release. As I pre-ordered. It’s a fantastic tome to read and engage your mind in for solid learnings. Liked it so much I bought the audiobook too.

[@TheImponderables]

Please tell me the title is a throw to Sierra's Quest For Glory....

[@Stuugie.]

No way. I have spent a lot of time reading the alexandrian's blog posts, he's one of the best sources I've seen on improving my DMing. It's great to see he's selling books now

[@donnieinman8049]

Just added this to my Christmas wish list I make for the kids to pick from. I make it easy for them to shop for me, plus I get things I really want. Can't wait to read it. Everything I've read/seen has been nothing but praise.

[@TE-hy7bj]

Great job with the interview!

[@gstaff1234]

This was a great interview. Terrific deep questions with depth of knowledge for any system

[@ThorneMD]

Fantastic Book (1/2 way through) Fantastic interview. Thank you both 🙏🏻 😎

[@cynistar742]

Excellent questions and answers. Thank you for promoting @TheAlexandrian he's been one of my favorite content creators since I entered the world of role playing games.

[@ResoluteRebel]

I picked up 2 copies, 1 for me and 1 for my son for Christmas…..great stuff…Thanks for sharing.

[@paulomtts]

I want both you and The Alexandrian to know that I've purchased the book because of this video!

[@steved1135]

I simply had to check this book out, given how much talk is circulating around about it. I've been playing D&D for 35+ years, and DMing most that time and well, this book is amazing.... Seriously people, just get it. Cases like these are rare.

[@captainnolan5062]

2011 is "back in the day" Wow! 2011 is recent history for me, but I suppose for you it is half a lifetime ago. Amazing how age gives one perspective.

[@geoffdewitt6845]

This is a great conversation, thanks!

[@c.c.germaine9960]

I studied Michael Chekhov in the acting academy. He is brilliant and changed the way I approached acting. The other side of the fence was Stanislavsky's "Method". I found Michael Chekhov much more accessible and far more forgiving on the instrument (the actor)😊😊

[@stephengilbert8166]

Cant wait for my copy to arrive in the post :-)

[@PirateRo333]

Saying yes is a fundamental aspect of good leaders. A good leader takes your problem or what you’re trying to accomplish and makes it theirs, working with you and others to achieve it. Playing a game where all you hear is no can be frustrating. We seek exploration, new experiences and collaborative storytelling like D&D both feed and leverage this. Fantastic game!

[@s3xedmanthunder192]

DM "you want to jump the chasm?" me "yes i want to know whats over there" DM "what is you intelligence? roll" me "ummm intelligence to jump the chasm?" DM "nope. you will fail that jump instantly but i need to know if your character is not thinking enough to just do it."

[@malkyus]

Great talk, guys. I'm still finishing it but I need to say: Technoir is great!!!!

[@MemphiStig]

This book looks fantastic. Big fan of his channel. Love the insight on L&L. And love that he's beating you know who.

[@hunterkarr5618]

This was a deeply satisfying intellectual conversation. Thank you 🙏

[@baronx1000]

Excellent interview with a wonderful creator!

[@IraRomfh]

Between this interview and Professor DMs review I bit the bullet and bought the book. Something else I can study while trying to find some friends that want to play.

[@R3ldi]

So mad I missed the humble bundle of this

[@Centinull]

Ordered a copy after watching this video. Looking forward to reading it.

[@MareduddapCynan]

I recently pick up this book from Audible.

[@MarkAnthonyHenderson]

I bought a copy. Enjoying it immensely.

[@RHampton]

Adding it to my substantial wish list.

[@leahwilton785]

I frequently work with children. The immediate impulse to say no it also something I notice with parenting/childcare. I'm not sure where it comes from but I have definitely felt that as a DM too

[@jaytomioka3137]

I totally grew up on Frank Mentzer’s red book 📕 becmi system too! Then just adapted AD&D elements a la carte.

[@andrewlustfield6079]

Just got my audio copy

[@joem1480]

Just picked this up on Audible

[@dinbabwa452]

Numenera!

[@FabioBittar]

I just got mine!

[@NemoOhd20]

"We played basic D&D and took the parts of AD&D we liked"... so true! Exactly the way we played too. Im sure we werent the only ones. Not having a robust "basic" edition is a terrible tactical mistake by Wizbros. Essentials Kit could be a B/X type system if they just tweeked a little.

[@jimmyhill5079]

Is there a way to purchase this in PDF?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

You can get it for a kindle app

[@israelmorales4249]

awesome!

[@scottwalker6947]

The wrong way. Player: I want to ask the King for troops to help stop the Goblins. GM: No. The Right way. Player: I want to try and convince the Seneschal of the importance of stopping the Goblins, and ask him to support our request of the King for troops. GM: Great! How do you see that happening?

[@Sunwolfe]

Had my copy for little less than a week now, but I've got to say, though I've been grogin' for 45 years now and most of the advice not mind blowing for me (save the "default to yes"--THAT was provocative), there are all sorts of little gems tucked in there that even the most experienced of GMs will appreciate. I like how it contains a lot of advice and info in one handy tome, and as such it strikes me as a very helpful at home-shelf resource. Even as a TTRPG minimalist embracing "cinematic minimalism," and an avowed anti-WotC die-hard like me, I still recommend the book, especially for tactical players who could use a solid vector into adventure design and "theatre-of-the-mind."

[@arcols]

Justin!

[@Tilaton]

Is the Kindle version usable?

[@crallsfickle2994]

There are some tracking sheets for dungeons turns and stuff that don’t expand well on my kindle (haven’t tried on my computer. May be able to take them and print will from there), but other than that it’s great. The book refers to itself often and nearly always has a hyperlink so you can easily go back to what he’s referring to then hop back to the reading.

[@NemoOhd20]

Great video and great book. I pre-ordered it. Along with Justin's blog, it is some of the best GMing tips out there. Also on my list is Lazy DM/Sly Flourish's work and vids, Runehammer's ICRPG (so fantastic) and vids, and Professor DM. All are far more useful and I would purchase before the actual DMG without a doubt and all apply to almost any gaming system. Im not sure how many people at Wizbros actually play D&D. I suspect it is a small percentage and even smaller is the number that played before getting hired or would continue playing if they switched jobs and it wasn't required.

[@macoppy6571]

7:15 Tech Noir homework assignment

[@twistedturns65]

Have the physical and audio book

[@ryanpoulter6286]

I had to do kindle, living in remote Canada I would've been waiting till end of January.

[@twistedturns65]

@@ryanpoulter6286 Honestly, I'm half tempted to get Kindle as well. Digging e-reader stuff, but gotta support those dead trees!

[@BillNyeTheBountyGuy]

Fastest buy of the West. 😎

[@AceneDean]

Oh no! Technoir seems to be out of print. 😢

[@epicwin4913]

Good interview 👍 Me like 👍

[@FFFwithdp]

I love this book. It is worth the read if you are a DM.

[@BreakingRadOfficial]

Just bought this. Loving it so far buuut, I’m curious why Justin seems to have purposefully chosen to exclude Gygax and cite Arneson as the sole creator of D&D. It feels mean-spirted and rubs me the wrong way. I’m curious if anyone knows why Justin made this choice.

[@fufu1405]

WotC is dead as far as I'm concerned. Mike Sheas Lazy Dungeon Master is also miles better than what WotC has done for DMs. Their books layouts are actuall ass. Once I went into the OSR scene, my eyes were opened. All my 5e books looks like spaghetti now, I hate looking at them.

[@KAM1138a]

Perhaps there are too many people looking for other people to provide them answers and advice rather than learning thru experience. What happened to the “you only learn by making mistakes” crowd?

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

They aren't on KZbin leaving comments, but are out there doing.

[@KAM1138a]

@@DungeonMasterpiece Fair point. I won’t waste anymore time on your content.

[@KAM1138a]

@@DungeonMasterpiece Of course you dishonestly inserted a time element in order to avoid the point. As if people could constantly be playing. Thin-skinned.

[@DungeonMasterpiece]

@@KAM1138a nah I was just cracking a joke. The Internet sucks at sarcasm.

[@KAM1138a]

@@DungeonMasterpiece Ok best wishes.

[@alexsledge]

Working through the book, it's really good. If I have any complaint, it's a bit too D&D-centric, and when it breaks out of D&D, it's still pretty fantasy-centric.

[@Satori2046]

Great interview ! Gonna buy this book for sur. But not so sure about the title ? The WOTC bashing is getting a bit boring to be honest. But whatever, still a huge fan of your channel and content. Keep it up ! P.S : Just ordered the book :p

[@stormy7722]

DMs say NO because players willnever fail to exploit something. A DM sees this coming and tries to prevent the game from trivializing encounters etc. If just going off the rails is what your group wants, fill your boots. Some GMs want at least a semblance of "order".

[@VengerSatanis]

*CHA'ALT*

[@atlasdm]

I hate to see this guy getting so much attention. I ran into him once and he's a jerk irl. Such is the way of the internet I suppose.

[@majesticowlbear9168]

Any thoughts on this man writing an article arguing for the virtues of deadnaming trans folk or trying to claim Jennell Jaquays' ideas and legacy as his own?

[@xavierp7658]

Dude go away.

[@CryminerPlays]

Xandering is slandering

[@xavierp7658]

Cry more

[@angelsantana3001]

Just received my copy today. Looks great so far. Will be in my backpack for the next few days.

[@john-lenin]

If you’re a fighter, you should be able to do things that heroic fighters can do. If you’re a thief you should be able to do things that heroic thieves can. If you’re a magic user you should be able to do things that that heroic magic users can do. The only thing I would ask for is a fate role to see if there’s a one in 20 chance That fate intervenes to make things more interesting.

[@MeanderingMikesManCave]

SYWTBAGM ordered! When will Technoir print copies be back in stock? 👉💰 Take my money!

[@nobody342]

THere is so much mis-understanding about AD&D and the weapon speed thing is often one of the examples that is always brought up as we did not follow this rules. That is because nobody understands what AD&D was!! it was not the RPG, it was a Wargame that included the RPG! the Weapon speed chart was for if you were going to run a big battle, with troops wearing armor, and opposed by other troops wearing armor each with there individual weapons. Unless you wargame, it doesnt make sense. AD&D is both a wargame, and a RPG, and not only is it a wargame, but its the equivalent of a MMO. Once you see it, you cant unsee it. Look at the progression, from Chainmail, to D&D to Swords and Spells, to Ad&D! Once you understand it, then you will see that Gygax was correct when he said it was different the Basic as per Arneson. So I wargame in 15mm and have run a couple games ( dont get time to play to many) using 700+ miniatures on the table using the AD&D rule! its much simpler and easier, and possible to use those tables for armorclass adjustment in the wargame if you want! its not useful though in the RPG, and it was not meant for the RPG. theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=567312 description of a large battle using blend of AD&D rules and the Battlesystem rules. So as kids in the late 70, and 80's people bought basic, then AD&D and as you said, mostly played Basic style, used AD&D spell rules, magic items and anything else convienent from AD&D, later versions of Basic copy most of what was in AD&D but made it easier? not really, but Basic, AD&D and 2e are all essentiallly the same game. Oh and THACO, that everyone hated, it actually works on the large battle field also with low level troops and no magic weapons, easy simple, start adding all the extranious magic items that PC carry, and all the high levels, then its not so great! SO why did not body use the rules for wargaming? mostly because nobody had all the miniatures, and everyone was having fun dungeon delving! Did I say were were having fun? oh, yes!!!! I always wanted to be able to do Chainmail combat just to see, but never had the mini's and did I say everyone one was having fun dungeon delving! So why are people having so much difficulties being a DM? because they are playing rulesets that are not easy to DM for! Played a lot of different games, shadowrun, Starwars, TMNT, JamesBond, Tunnels and Trolls, but guess what, Basic and AD&D was the one that was easy to DM for, we borrowed a few things from 2nd ed. but there was not need to change to 3e, which made it so much more difficult for the DM, and I dont know who anybody DM's for 5e, ya any game is fun for the players, but not every game is fun for the DM! Best advice for anyone wanting to DM ( haven't read his book) buy (or download and have printed, drivethruRPG is a good source) either a OSR clone, Basic or 1e/2e AD&D, it probably doesnt matter which one you choose, buy from ebay, or download and print, Keep on the Borderlands, and run that, you will have a great time, and when your done (well slightly before your done) get some graph paper, draw a cave, and start your own little adventure, create a small town, a name, a innkeeper, and supply store and a place to sell everything is enough to get started. keep track of time, and determine distances/travel time from the town to where they are "adventuring", create a random encounter chart, and you're a DM! Oh by the way, Great website, and I assume the book is good also, may consider buying it!, I dont usually buy much anymore, but this book may be good!

[@Andrewc87563]

Alexandria.n. Stopped and ordered.