Building engagement with your players in D&D

[@zachbowman296]

I really like that you're branching out beyond character builds. Great video

[@87392v]

This may be one of your most valuable videos; the potential of this video to fix entire campaigns overnight is staggering. The DMG should just start with a transcript of this video, pictures included.

[@katotheyounger1698]

In my first campaign ever, I made a halfling lore bard who sort of accidentally became a bard because he fell in love with a young woman he saw in the woods and wanted to impress her. Instead of telling her he was collecting mushrooms, he pretended he was looking for just the right piece of wood to make a lute with. She ended up giving him a special wood and he ended up a bard. The DM used the backstory to make the halfling bard's lute become magical, slowly, growing over time so that it was nearly what you might call exalted by the end of the campaign. I felt engaged and that the DM paid attention to all the PCs in similar ways. While it might seem like pointing out the obvious, I have played with DMs since then who never look past the module/session for ways to engage players. Excellent video!

[@Kai-K]

Sometimes the DM being able to take a step back and let the players take the reigns for a while without intervention can help build character dynamics. I recall a session where the party's characters had planned a Christmas celebration, but shortly before they confirmed they had been betrayed by a close ally. My DM was able to take a step back and give the players time for their characters to work through their emotions together. One of the most memorable moments in that whole campaign was after the DM hadn't said a word for 20 minutes and one of the characters tossed the betrayer's present in the fireplace we lit for Christmas. It was a climactic character moment a party member- coming to terms with the fact that someone they gave the benefit of the doubt on multiple occasions really had completely and utterly betrayed them. If the DM had kept trying to move the session along, as I'm sure they had a plan for the session, there's no way that moment would've found time to happen, and it's one of my most treasured moments from any campaign I've ever been in. So sometimes engaging your players is about building an environment where they can engage each other and then waiting for the Rube-Goldberg machine reach its logical conclusion. Unrelatedly there's one phrase I love as a rebuttal (in discussion, not play) to DMs saying something couldn't happen because of "something you don't know" or "something behind the scenes". That phrase is, "Nothing exists until you tell your players it does," and fairly rarely a follow-up of, "Even if you do tell them, it can still be removed from existence nearly as easily as it was brought into it"

[@deadtired1386]

I'm a newbie dm and i just found this video and i just want to say i'm going to be taking these points into account for my game and you brought up a lot of things i hadn't thought of before so thank you

[@NZDND]

Great advice well delivered. Let's all head off in this direction!

[@mateofantasma]

Your best video so far. You got great tips in there. Thanks for sharing!

[@goranfrka]

GREAT video ! I have GM who run 3-4 campaigns so far and i find your advice perfect for him to upgrade his game skills.He is good GM but needs few things to bring the game up to next level. GJ treantmonk

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

I really appreciate your discussion on the subject! Player engagement has always wurried me when starting a new campaign, this helped so much, thank you!💯😁

[@PanSak01]

My No. 9: The actual protagonists of the scenario are the PCs, NOT the NPCs.

[@fadeleaf845]

Pretty sure that Point 1 is already including that...

[@simonburling3762]

The willingness to be flexible is essential for players, this includes following the plot, but do not be stupid while following the plot.

[@KevShaw808]

Thank you so much for making this video. It's a great list to refer to when you're prepping for a game/campaign and it helps keep the focus on the players and the story. My group of seven years has been playing online for the last seven months due to social distancing. Are there any separate tips to improve engagement when your games are happening online? Has anyone else felt that it its harder to maintain engagement when the session takes place online?

[@elementzero3379]

Good video! There will be plenty of new builds arriving in a couple of months via Tasha's Cauldron. This was a perfect time to hit on some other facets of the game. 👍

[@gamehunter1537]

I was going to retire my character as I’m playing a very lawful neutral soldier in a party that is slowly going more chaotic as I was struggling to figure out an in game reason why my character would stay with the group, but the punishment for character death or retirement is so steep that I would lose four levels if I retired so yes, don’t punish players for death or retirement, it just makes people more disengaged or disinterested.

[@theanimerican]

If there are certain rulings, house rules, or constant stops in play because certain gameplay things need to clarified, those need to be written down in an easy-to-reference handout. Stopping the game breaks engagement, and if a DM forgets previous rulings or house rules or is inconsistent, that could easily break a player's trust and confidence in the DM.

[@gumgum921]

To help with feed back and so the player and I know what has changed with their character I give a little survey after major events. It asks if their character has made any allies or enemies (and if any have changed), have they achieved any of their goals, do they have new goals, their favourite moment so far, and is there anything they want in the game (item, monster, environment, event, genre, etc). I find this helps them feel like they can be open since I'm asking rather than them having to approach me. When it comes to the table I love little props. Just little notes, letters, or write ups of dream encounters with their god seem to be talk of the table.

[@itspabbs]

Great video Chris! For #7 there is an easy rule: You can change anything about your character until 3rd level.

[@a.spirit8408]

Really great points in this and previous video. I just realised I don't give the PCs enough hard decisions. And my main campaign is lacking a thematic through line. Gonna use these points as reference between my sessions!

[@RedRedInc]

Hey man, love the videos! They have really helped me as a player. I've even started DMing and feeling a little unsure about it all. Thanks for making these videos, they help!

[@giannimaisano-torres1833]

Perfect timing! Right before my first time dungeon mastering

[@leodouskyron5671]

I loved this and hope more take the time to look at it. I have been DM and player and so much of what you are saying is right on. Some ideas - Sometimes let table talk add to your world One best way to build engagement quick is to open the world to the players. They get to add little important things to it. You say there are 3 gods but then one of them says “I bet that NPC scum bucket does not seem to be with the 3 maybe he is with a new god trying to horn in on the action”. Let that happen but let that player know in subtle ways that they have added this to the word but never let this be a problem they made for themselves. The bad guy should already be there. The Player that added it in some way rewarded. You can be upfront with it or try to hide it but I recommend being upfront. Some are okay with letting them hep say what they think the new god is and then let them see what other things happens as you change the idea ever so slightly. But do it with love and rarely and the effect will be great. -Let the game world need them OVERTLY. Have people and things in the world go up to the characters and demand to be helped - let them beg and plead or challenge. Lastly - Play the players as much as you play the game. I know this is a basic rule of gaming but you would be surprised how much we all forget it Listen to the table as you are making notes. Often a quiet table is not in the moment but an emotional one is. If you see people doing that thinking look then they are in it. And you know you got it when they are not talking about and angry not with “your” characters but with Insert Character name. (Last point AD&D - memories 💜)

[@emveeay]

Great stuff here!

[@jesselee4453]

:26 A young Treantmonk in his natural habitat, watch as he rolls a nat 20 resulting in a devastating dragon breath TPK.

[@taustyz5875]

Man, Young Treantmonk in 1986 looked pretty good

[@simonburling3762]

On asking for feedback only 2 dm's have asked me for feedback, I will give fair and hopefully good advice, but sometimes it doesn't work though.

[@nicholassmith3732]

Hi @Treantmonk. Love your videos. New to D&D and your videos have been extraordinarily helpful in learning how to build out a character concept. In my current (and only) campaign I decided to play a Shadow Sorcerer because of a character concept. I've been using your Wizard spell tier lists by level in order to help me decide which spells to pick. Choosing spells has been difficult for me because the Sorcerer vs. Wizard lists aren't identical and using a spell as a Sorcerer can change the value of the spell. For example, my character concept is extraordinarily socially geared and I'm not sure what spells to take for damage as a sorcerer. I'm wondering if you have any intention of making similar spell tier list videos for the Sorcerer class as you did for the Wizard? Thanks again!

[@TreantmonksTemple]

I actually did a complete shadow sorcerer build video. You can find it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ip2lpJicnt6Jp5I

[@nicholassmith3732]

@@TreantmonksTemple Thanks! I actually saw this as I was developing a character. However, it doesn't get into the subtleties of each spell and how it can be used with metamagic feats and each subclass. I noticed in your wizard spell series that you had many times that you did this. That's why I was encouraging a similar video series for Sorcerers. Thanks anyhow!

[@mattiadonnini91]

An off-topic question: tomorrow Baldur's Gate 3 will be out... it would be really amazing to see you play the game in live. Will you play it? Maybe on the "purple streaming platform"...

[@ATinyWaffle]

Could you add an addendum for how to increase engagement as a player, rather than a DM? In my group of friends I am normally the one in the party having to initiate roleplay and interactions with each other and NPC's. For instance, when we go to a large city and people want to sell their loot, I will try to specifically start a conversation with a shopkeep and, for instance, ask if they have been having many other people selling wyvern claws like we are. Or maybe I'll sit down and try to have a heart to heart discussion with the cleric, thanking them for saving my life in the last battle. The problem is in our current campaign, my character was raised in a wild environment within a tribe and has very minimal social skills because of this. I still feel like I am still having to be the one to instigate interactions but I feel like I am not roleplaying the character that I was envisioning when I created her. Basically, my question boils down to this: How do you create player-player and player-NCP engagement as a player, and more specifically as a player whose character is introverted.

[@vaevictusasmadi84]

@Treantmonk: Is there any way to engage the combat fanatics? I play with so many people who only care about combat and don't give a hoot about storyline and roleplaying. I'm playing Curse of Strahd right now and I'm literally the only player interacting with the NPCs. I'm enjoying myself (I'm a bard), but it's exhausting. :(

[@TreantmonksTemple]

From the player side of the screen it's harder to get the other players involved for sure. Maybe try reaching out to the other players during the NPC interactions? CoS is especially strong for giving some non-combat interactions, it's a lot more fun if multiple players are involved in them.

[@goranfrka]

my group had 99% combat campaign , and it got boring really fast.

[@The_Gnome_Chomskee]

Oh. So the golden rule

[@quonomonna8126]

I went to Adventure League looking for people to play D&D AGAINST and what I got instead was people to play AGAINST and it is not very fun, I don't even roll when they go around the table to see if anyone saw the rogue discover and secretly steal a stash to keep to himself and not share

[@allenmcnight8576]

Not really relevant in AL any more, if it ever was. Everyone earns gold at the rate that their tier dictates. But I agree with your point, where ever that is allowed, it sure isn't fun.

[@quonomonna8126]

@@allenmcnight8576 thanks for replying, they are going to stick to the AL guidelines and whatever else was said was just "roleplaying" (apparently) and that we all get the same gold regardless of what rewards the NPCs promise us for finishing quests or what stash the rogue finds!

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

> Getting your players engaged in your campaign Get the characters engaged. Throw them into a lot of encounters with romantic atmospheres, long walks hand-in-hand, moonlit and candelit. Note this is not identical to the old "Whats New With Phil & Dixie" series on "Sex & D&D" though there could be some overlap. 4/5 viewers will take this comment seriously and write a pedantic comment & hit reply.

[@shanekayat3217]

Not sure why so much emphasis is placed on "engagement" when the ceremony spell skips straight to marriage, with a buff! Marriage > engagement

[@TheAdditionalPylons]

Don't fudge rolls. I've heard a lot about when it is/is not ok to do this. My experience is that its not ok. Understand that if you are making a roll, you and your players have to be ok with either success or failure. Be thoughtful enough to know when something must or must not occur, and that these situations should not be left to chance. DO NOT make something unlikely to occur with hope that it wont when you roll. If your player wants something ridiculous, or if something Toxic will might occur to your players on a particular roll, even if unlikely, DONT ROLL. if you are fudging rolls, its because a roll should have never been made. Simply say that to your player that he succeeds, or that he cant do something. Fudging rolls will hurt trust in the DM, even if players don't know you are doing it. Fudging rolls is just one indication of many other things in your campaign that need improvement and is a good litmus test to determine whether or not you are properly preparing for a session.

[@TreantmonksTemple]

I couldn't agree more

[@texteel]

I disagree with your second point. Most likely because of personal history, but DMs will just overuse it to cause drama, or worse, unnecessery drama. Had a GM who twisted the paladins oath, because he wanted to build a moment where the paladin would have had to choose between following an unjust oath, or betray his oath to serve justice. It was not fun, not engaging. It was forced and infuriating. GM pulling random stuff just to provoke a reaction. Do not do that. At all. It does the opposite of building trust

[@ruhuiding42]

First