Assemble

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welcome thinkers to season three episode

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22 of thinking critically today's topic

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is assemble

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and if you're listening to this fresh

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hot off the presses the day it releases

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stop listening and head straight to

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twitch.tv

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thinking critically as i'll be slap bang

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in the middle of a 12-hour charity

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stream

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so please come over support the charity

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it'd be much appreciated and then you

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can always look back around to this

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episode later anyway on with the show

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[Music]

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[Applause]

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[Music]

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and today i'm joined by michael the dead

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aussie gamer thank you ever so much for

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joining us today michael can you tell us

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a little bit about yourself g'day yeah

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thanks for uh for having me on my name's

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michael i'm the dead aussie gamer i'm a

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professional entertainer and uh game

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master from western australia and i uh

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yeah i go about the internet uh lurking

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on people's channels uh finding a way to

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weasel myself into games and onto tables

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um and of course uh dealing out those

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sweet sweet d d rules uh for all the

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people online as well as some local

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youngsters here in australia yeah i

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consider myself to be both an

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entertainer and an ambassador for uh

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role playing uh showing people not just

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dungeons and dragons but like all manner

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of role play and the benefits it has for

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the those who play it amazing thank you

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so much

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and no one else would have been more

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qualified for today's topic of assemble

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so what does that mean to you in the dnd

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and wider ttrpg framework well what it

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means is that

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clearly a group of individuals are

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getting together in order to have a

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giant avengers end game scene where

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a bunch of people show up with d

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character sheets and you know just

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together in unison yell out murder hobos

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assemble

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and uh then ruin my day uh no um

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assemble is is such a such an

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interesting word assemble can mean so

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many different things um in this space

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it can talk about uh the way that we

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assemble our tables uh in terms of like

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who we decide to play with uh it can

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come down to uh

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who we assemble as a team when we create

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these characters who they are and how

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they interact with each other um or it

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could even mean like the assembly of our

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world and our space and the in the

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actual encounters that we face through

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these magical and imaginary tales

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the the way that things are put together

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you know being on a strong foundation or

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be it sort of done improvisationally is

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a huge topic i think for uh for the

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role-playing space and uh so so keen to

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explore all of these

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but yeah that's that's honestly what it

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means to me it's it's the

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the building blocks of of everything we

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do

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let's start them with trying to play the

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game i guess is a good place to start as

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any as in like say somebody says i want

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to start playing or you know a dm is is

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i want to put i want i'm getting a team

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together uh you know they they want to

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find players what kind of considerations

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have to be made then and i know there's

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obviously quite a lot of talk in the the

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space around

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playing with

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maybe not like-minded individuals but

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those who have a similar style to you so

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i've been interested to get your take on

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what considerations have to be made

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there and then also anything that you

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have around when you've you said you'd

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play with um the younger folk and get

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them in and bring other people into the

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spear and stuff and how does that you

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know because that's obviously quite a

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unique proposition as well compared to

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just me playing at home with my mates

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oh yeah i mean

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uh well let me start by uh by throwing

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an addendum here or even a slight

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correction is i do not think the best

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games come from people who play with

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like-minded people i think those are

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enjoyable and i definitely enjoy doing

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those as kind of like you know

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short-term or one-shot adventures but

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one thing i think that makes any good

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table good is diversity and versatility

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i've played on a large number of tables

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um my my actual schedule for the last

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maybe seven years so far has been 10 to

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15 games per week which obviously is

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part of my casual enjoyment versus my my

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actual professional commitments and

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stuff like that uh has allowed me to see

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just so many different types of tables

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put together i've seen tables that are

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just synergized instantly and and become

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close friends and i've seen people who

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have somehow made a group of people who

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borderline hate each other uh come

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together in order to uh to actually play

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and enjoy the game so the best games for

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me are the ones where you assemble

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people who are uh who would otherwise

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just not be in the same situation who

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would not be social

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socializing with each other outside of d

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because

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it's for me like a great unifier it's

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something that we find common grounds

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with with people with such drastically

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different opinions and creativities and

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you know sort of beliefs and it's it's

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great to be able to tap into these

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places when it comes to exploring and

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growing our own creativity it gives us

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more stuff to look at if you try to

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create something

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and somebody else comes up with the

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exact same idea then really all you're

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doing is just reverberating the same

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ideas you're never really growing or

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expanding and like i said for short-term

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games that's great but um you know if

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you really want to get to the meat and

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juicy bits of like a good role-playing

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table uh assembling a versatile group is

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always number one on my cards

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but to go back to the the point of the

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uh the question here which was um you

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know like what happens if you're trying

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to put together as a gm a brand new

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table

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so i always look at one simple rule

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who

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do you want to play with who do you

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enjoy spending time with

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um because as a gm

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you are under the most

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social pressure you are the person who

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is under uh the most strain and the most

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likely to receive like d d fatigue

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so in order to combat that the first

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step is building a foundation upon

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people who you just get excited to be

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around to just play with even if you

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don't play the game like you know if

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you've got that friend that shows up

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with donuts every week like you want to

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play be with that guy because that guy

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is just always friendly and happy and

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cheerful but he you know is just garbage

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at creativity and just plays wallflower

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characters invite that person because

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that person might enjoy games in a

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different way to you

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but you will gain the benefit of their

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joy spreading to you throughout the game

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so that's that's person number one is

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always the that fuel for yourself

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following that you want to look at

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people who are going to

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not only um be enjoyable to be around

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but also

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give you a

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a means of creativity right

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you know you might have somebody who is

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really into d d like so passionately

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into d you're getting messages every

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other night from them cool bring that

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guy along that's no worries he'll you

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know he'll keep you on your toes he'll

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he'll play around with the hype and the

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energy but then you've got another

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person who is kind of like really into

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the role playing really into the acting

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cool bring that person along bounce off

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and learn from their their acting

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experience and and and their ability to

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uh put these characters into like their

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role play paces and then you know like i

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said if you've got like tons of

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different people that you just simply

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want to hang out with keep going with

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that these are for me um where a new gm

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or a game that is very very much

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starting out that's where you need to

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begin with these are the people you want

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to invite

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well firstly thank you because you've

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inadvertently made me feel very good

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about myself because uh

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as i was saying just before we started

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recording my

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guys and you know all the players at my

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table are very mixed in terms of what

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you've just described basically so

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experience and the ways they engage and

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what they take from it and now i'm kind

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of having this introspection and

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i have to say that that must be one of

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the reasons why i find myself to having

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this discussion with you today and be

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and being confident enough to do a

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podcast like this is because i've had

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that experience of those mixed

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players and

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like you could have been reeling off you

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know my players actually did those

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archetypes you just went through there

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um in how uncanny they were but yeah one

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guy you know he

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he he keeps that's what they always say

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right as long as players you know they

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keep turning up for the games they're

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they're happy to that they want to be

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there right to try and beat some of that

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dm gm imposter syndrome oh absolutely oh

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sorry just just before we jump into that

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i was going to say uh one of the

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interesting things you said there um we

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are our harshest critics when it comes

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to being a gm and um another good thing

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about those versatile games is you will

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have people who are dissatisfied but

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ideally if you've got a great

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lineup of versatile people you'll have

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that other person who will be your rock

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who will turn around and always tell you

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that you've done a fantastic job that

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you you make the world out for them and

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stuff like that so that's where you'll

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find

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the longest games

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tend to be tables of those types of

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player builds so um it's great it's

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great that you've managed to uh to put

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together a really cool and versatile

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team

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yeah no i mean i'm not for i can't take

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any credit for that that's just how it's

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uh

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it's just how it turned out but yeah

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one guy as i said he he is

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quite passive in in terms of both

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mechanics and uh actually he's coming

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out of the show a little bit more but

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there was a period when he was quite

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passive in game as well uh so much so

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that a couple of other players were like

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why is even here and i said hey man if

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anything that's great for me because

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it's really lightweight i don't have to

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do any

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like it's nice to have that kind of

279
00:09:46,399 --> 00:09:50,240
player actually because it's very easy

280
00:09:48,160 --> 00:09:51,360
for me to run a game for him because

281
00:09:50,240 --> 00:09:53,120
it's so

282
00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,880
relaxed in a way

283
00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:57,760
and then i have all the way up i've got

284
00:09:54,880 --> 00:10:00,000
a guy who is very um

285
00:09:57,760 --> 00:10:01,920
let's just say wants to be very

286
00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:03,920
efficient and effective which is my

287
00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:06,480
roundabout way of saying broadly he's

288
00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,320
like a mid-maxer but uh

289
00:10:06,480 --> 00:10:10,320
the nice way of saying is he wants you

290
00:10:08,320 --> 00:10:11,440
know everything to be the most effective

291
00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:13,360
as possible

292
00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:16,480
uh and then everybody in between those

293
00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:18,560
two extremes i've got yeah players that

294
00:10:16,480 --> 00:10:20,640
uh really into the spice and the juice

295
00:10:18,560 --> 00:10:22,240
and then the controversy and then the

296
00:10:20,640 --> 00:10:23,680
the twists and turns and others who are

297
00:10:22,240 --> 00:10:26,720
there just to oh i've got this really

298
00:10:23,680 --> 00:10:28,320
good build i want to try and it's more

299
00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,560
video gamey for them and they want to

300
00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:31,760
try this new combinations of feats and

301
00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:33,680
abilities

302
00:10:31,760 --> 00:10:36,000
like bug bear with a reach with a pole

303
00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:37,040
arm to have 15 foot reach like that's a

304
00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:39,200
cool idea do you have do you have

305
00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:41,440
someone who has the uh the hero shuffle

306
00:10:39,200 --> 00:10:43,360
uh what's that oh the hero shuffle

307
00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:45,120
players they are um

308
00:10:43,360 --> 00:10:47,600
so if you remember those there's a song

309
00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:49,279
which was like every day i'm shuffling

310
00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,800
you know like yeah the player shows up

311
00:10:49,279 --> 00:10:52,480
every week with i've got a new character

312
00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:54,240
idea and i want to try and then it's

313
00:10:52,480 --> 00:10:56,560
like i want to try this character i want

314
00:10:54,240 --> 00:10:59,279
to try that character build um a few of

315
00:10:56,560 --> 00:11:00,399
my pathfinder players uh are our hero

316
00:10:59,279 --> 00:11:02,959
shufflers

317
00:11:00,399 --> 00:11:05,120
uh as and you know it's really funny too

318
00:11:02,959 --> 00:11:07,360
because i do embarrass them because one

319
00:11:05,120 --> 00:11:09,920
i find it very disruptive and i hate it

320
00:11:07,360 --> 00:11:11,760
uh and you know i'll let them do it but

321
00:11:09,920 --> 00:11:13,760
i'll make sure that they they feel my

322
00:11:11,760 --> 00:11:16,560
disdain for it by playing that song

323
00:11:13,760 --> 00:11:18,079
every time they they do it and they're

324
00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:19,920
just like yeah yeah you're whatever and

325
00:11:18,079 --> 00:11:21,040
i'm like yeah yeah you know you know

326
00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:23,839
what it is you have to listen to this

327
00:11:21,040 --> 00:11:26,720
song every time you do it

328
00:11:23,839 --> 00:11:28,720
i think if i if i allowed it then they

329
00:11:26,720 --> 00:11:30,480
they're certainly players that would in

330
00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:32,560
my game that would want to

331
00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:34,560
mix it up and stuff but i'm

332
00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:35,839
i mean it's hard enough trying to rejig

333
00:11:34,560 --> 00:11:37,040
the campaign if a couple of the

334
00:11:35,839 --> 00:11:38,800
characters die and i have to bring in

335
00:11:37,040 --> 00:11:40,560
new ones let alone you know that's like

336
00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:43,680
once a year that happens that alone once

337
00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:46,160
a week so no oh my god yeah no i i've

338
00:11:43,680 --> 00:11:47,920
had one who who literally did it every

339
00:11:46,160 --> 00:11:49,600
week until i went to them and said if

340
00:11:47,920 --> 00:11:51,760
you change your character again you're

341
00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:53,360
only using core rules

342
00:11:51,760 --> 00:11:54,800
that was that was literally my i was it

343
00:11:53,360 --> 00:11:57,600
was just so frustrating it was like i

344
00:11:54,800 --> 00:11:58,639
think every every week for four months

345
00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:00,720
maybe

346
00:11:58,639 --> 00:12:02,079
like i'm not even exaggerating every

347
00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:04,240
week for four months because the thing

348
00:12:02,079 --> 00:12:05,440
is is that they put characters they what

349
00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:08,800
they tend to do is they tend to put a

350
00:12:05,440 --> 00:12:10,320
lot of stock in their characters

351
00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:12,480
role-playing for them it's like it's

352
00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:14,800
like them buying buying a dead parrot

353
00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:17,040
from a store and then taking it home and

354
00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,800
going why is it not doing anything i

355
00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:20,079
clearly bought a parrot it was supposed

356
00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:21,760
to entertain me and it is not

357
00:12:20,079 --> 00:12:23,760
entertaining and then they go back and

358
00:12:21,760 --> 00:12:25,440
they buy another dead parrot you know

359
00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:27,120
you breathe life into your characters

360
00:12:25,440 --> 00:12:29,519
you don't build them and then expect

361
00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:31,920
them to entertain you you know like

362
00:12:29,519 --> 00:12:32,720
it's it's yeah it's very weird yeah i've

363
00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:35,200
never

364
00:12:32,720 --> 00:12:36,480
that's really interesting um i've never

365
00:12:35,200 --> 00:12:39,200
really thought of it like that before

366
00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:40,720
but absolutely i can i can see

367
00:12:39,200 --> 00:12:42,320
how people would you know would do that

368
00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:43,120
would have the

369
00:12:42,320 --> 00:12:45,600
they think it's going to be

370
00:12:43,120 --> 00:12:46,880
entertainment just because it exists

371
00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,800
just because it's the thing that they've

372
00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,639
put it's it's this

373
00:12:48,800 --> 00:12:51,440
lineage with this class that would be

374
00:12:50,639 --> 00:12:53,600
fun

375
00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:54,880
sit at the table but you the players

376
00:12:53,600 --> 00:12:56,480
have to make it

377
00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:58,399
fun it won't just otherwise it's just a

378
00:12:56,480 --> 00:13:00,720
static piece of paper on the table right

379
00:12:58,399 --> 00:13:03,600
yeah exactly exactly 100

380
00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,720
um okay that that's good i'm quite happy

381
00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,279
with that that's really interesting to

382
00:13:04,720 --> 00:13:08,959
think of to think of that yeah oh man

383
00:13:07,279 --> 00:13:11,200
like yeah look the thing is is that

384
00:13:08,959 --> 00:13:13,279
there are archetypes um

385
00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:14,880
of players now i don't mean to say that

386
00:13:13,279 --> 00:13:16,639
all d d players are the same you know

387
00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:18,160
you're not always going to find the same

388
00:13:16,639 --> 00:13:21,200
types of min max's you're always going

389
00:13:18,160 --> 00:13:22,399
to find uh the same types of like role

390
00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:24,800
players and stuff like that you'll

391
00:13:22,399 --> 00:13:26,720
always find a nice variety of things but

392
00:13:24,800 --> 00:13:28,560
each of the archetypes tend to follow

393
00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:30,399
particular rules

394
00:13:28,560 --> 00:13:31,839
like if you wanna if you want and this

395
00:13:30,399 --> 00:13:34,079
goes to everyone in the podcast who is a

396
00:13:31,839 --> 00:13:35,440
gm who has a rules lawyer at the table

397
00:13:34,079 --> 00:13:36,480
or someone who really focuses on

398
00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:39,839
mechanics

399
00:13:36,480 --> 00:13:42,560
i want you to try something for me i

400
00:13:39,839 --> 00:13:44,480
want you to try building an encounter

401
00:13:42,560 --> 00:13:47,120
and the encounter can be anything you

402
00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:49,120
want for your campaign but have one

403
00:13:47,120 --> 00:13:50,800
simple truth

404
00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:53,440
have something

405
00:13:50,800 --> 00:13:55,040
be solved by like a riddle or a puzzle

406
00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:57,199
or by being smart like you know

407
00:13:55,040 --> 00:14:01,279
something that they would know right

408
00:13:57,199 --> 00:14:02,480
and then just have the npc

409
00:14:01,279 --> 00:14:05,279
be wrong

410
00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:08,639
but insistent that they're right

411
00:14:05,279 --> 00:14:11,920
there is no faster way to enrage a rules

412
00:14:08,639 --> 00:14:13,680
lawyer than to have an npc who you as a

413
00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:16,399
gm know is wrong

414
00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:18,079
but as an npc their mentality is it's

415
00:14:16,399 --> 00:14:19,440
absolutely wrong it's 100 percent like

416
00:14:18,079 --> 00:14:21,279
they look at the skeleton they just say

417
00:14:19,440 --> 00:14:22,720
oh no it's just the old lady it's like

418
00:14:21,279 --> 00:14:24,160
no it's not an old lady skeletons like

419
00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,000
no it's an old lady she comes through

420
00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,440
every day a skeleton is going through

421
00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:29,600
your town every day

422
00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:31,600
rubbish prove it

423
00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:33,600
okay cool i go and stab it's like you

424
00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:35,360
stab the old lady you know like really

425
00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:37,760
kind of lean into it and it just it gets

426
00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,760
them so angry because they because their

427
00:14:37,760 --> 00:14:42,160
mindset is very much like we need to

428
00:14:39,760 --> 00:14:44,480
explain this logically right we need you

429
00:14:42,160 --> 00:14:47,440
to understand why you're wrong and they

430
00:14:44,480 --> 00:14:49,120
will not budge until that npc

431
00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:51,680
understands that they're incorrect but

432
00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:52,720
if they're delusional or just

433
00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:53,920
not belligerent i wouldn't say

434
00:14:52,720 --> 00:14:55,920
belligerent don't make them belligerent

435
00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,519
right but if they just don't understand

436
00:14:55,920 --> 00:14:59,920
what you're saying

437
00:14:57,519 --> 00:15:01,680
it's it's it's a thing and it doesn't as

438
00:14:59,920 --> 00:15:03,120
i said it doesn't matter which person it

439
00:15:01,680 --> 00:15:04,880
is if you if you fall into the

440
00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:06,320
rules-layer archetype

441
00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:08,480
that is a trigger that is one of those

442
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:10,639
things and as a gm what you can do is

443
00:15:08,480 --> 00:15:12,959
when you assemble your table

444
00:15:10,639 --> 00:15:15,519
you can use those strategies in order to

445
00:15:12,959 --> 00:15:16,480
build what i like to call your social

446
00:15:15,519 --> 00:15:18,800
biome

447
00:15:16,480 --> 00:15:21,120
the social biome is where once you've

448
00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:22,880
put your players together you are on an

449
00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:25,839
adventure you're creating the story but

450
00:15:22,880 --> 00:15:27,199
the story is not just about um the

451
00:15:25,839 --> 00:15:29,519
journey that you take in your

452
00:15:27,199 --> 00:15:31,360
imagination but also the journey that

453
00:15:29,519 --> 00:15:33,519
the characters and the players have with

454
00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,839
that story so there are moments where

455
00:15:33,519 --> 00:15:38,000
you want to make the big bad guy

456
00:15:35,839 --> 00:15:39,519
a source of antagonization not just for

457
00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:43,040
your characters but for the players as

458
00:15:39,519 --> 00:15:45,040
well um you know and that might involve

459
00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:47,360
things like that you know like

460
00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:48,959
enchanting an entire village to believe

461
00:15:47,360 --> 00:15:51,519
that the lord is actually this really

462
00:15:48,959 --> 00:15:53,920
kind and benevolent person and having

463
00:15:51,519 --> 00:15:55,440
the whole town turn on the heroes

464
00:15:53,920 --> 00:15:56,639
because they've all been charmed by a

465
00:15:55,440 --> 00:15:58,800
charm spell

466
00:15:56,639 --> 00:16:00,480
one player being infuriated because they

467
00:15:58,800 --> 00:16:02,160
refuse to see reason but having another

468
00:16:00,480 --> 00:16:04,079
person be very empathetic and turning

469
00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:06,480
around saying no we have to help them

470
00:16:04,079 --> 00:16:08,880
creates in a great social biome for you

471
00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:11,279
to exist in for this game and as a gm

472
00:16:08,880 --> 00:16:13,920
you don't have to do jack you just sit

473
00:16:11,279 --> 00:16:16,399
back and you watch the players just

474
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:18,480
exist with these characters

475
00:16:16,399 --> 00:16:20,399
which yeah plays back again like i said

476
00:16:18,480 --> 00:16:22,560
one of the great foundations of

477
00:16:20,399 --> 00:16:24,560
assembling your perfect table that

478
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:27,120
versatility that different methods of

479
00:16:24,560 --> 00:16:29,600
handling situations and stuff like that

480
00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:31,120
um yeah absolutely beautiful to see that

481
00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:33,360
in play

482
00:16:31,120 --> 00:16:34,560
yeah i'm trying to i'm trying to um

483
00:16:33,360 --> 00:16:36,800
think if there's any examples of where

484
00:16:34,560 --> 00:16:38,959
that's happened i did have um

485
00:16:36,800 --> 00:16:42,079
what you just described there a

486
00:16:38,959 --> 00:16:43,839
they're in a village like proper classic

487
00:16:42,079 --> 00:16:44,880
typical medieval

488
00:16:43,839 --> 00:16:46,959
village

489
00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,959
down on its luck half the people have

490
00:16:46,959 --> 00:16:51,120
vacated the village blah blah

491
00:16:48,959 --> 00:16:52,480
people are going missing classic classic

492
00:16:51,120 --> 00:16:55,199
fantasy fare

493
00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:57,360
uh they go into a tavern the first one's

494
00:16:55,199 --> 00:16:59,440
called like the lame potato but the sign

495
00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:01,199
is hanging off on one hinge and the e is

496
00:16:59,440 --> 00:17:03,360
falling off and this that and the other

497
00:17:01,199 --> 00:17:04,880
and um the tavern owner in there long

498
00:17:03,360 --> 00:17:06,000
story short his wife has gone missing

499
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:07,839
and he is

500
00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:10,319
he's he is delusional and thinks that

501
00:17:07,839 --> 00:17:12,799
she's still with him and and cooking and

502
00:17:10,319 --> 00:17:14,480
so it's pretty sad i have to say but

503
00:17:12,799 --> 00:17:16,240
that was a very same situation where a

504
00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:19,199
couple of my players are like

505
00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:20,480
no dude she's she's gone and he said no

506
00:17:19,199 --> 00:17:23,199
no she'll be back she's just gone out to

507
00:17:20,480 --> 00:17:25,919
get some some you know bread and milk

508
00:17:23,199 --> 00:17:27,760
and bread and they were like no

509
00:17:25,919 --> 00:17:29,679
you know something's so suspicious here

510
00:17:27,760 --> 00:17:33,640
and i was just like now he's just

511
00:17:29,679 --> 00:17:33,640
he's just a poor bastard

512
00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:38,160
yeah that was really was absolutely

513
00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:39,679
triggering for them yeah oh yeah yeah

514
00:17:38,160 --> 00:17:42,160
yeah no absolutely and like i said it's

515
00:17:39,679 --> 00:17:43,840
not triggering in a bad way either and

516
00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,600
it's it's good for sometimes your

517
00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:48,000
players to see that the solution won't

518
00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:50,240
necessarily lie in the mechanics and

519
00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:52,480
that's what those moments kind of not

520
00:17:50,240 --> 00:17:54,640
just teach but they kind of go through

521
00:17:52,480 --> 00:17:56,240
so your rules lawyer who is very

522
00:17:54,640 --> 00:17:58,559
traditionally looking for answers

523
00:17:56,240 --> 00:18:00,000
through mechanics through still skill

524
00:17:58,559 --> 00:18:02,480
checks through rules and more

525
00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:04,880
specifically through explanation won't

526
00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:06,480
find the answer there it's found through

527
00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:08,240
the other side of things which that may

528
00:18:06,480 --> 00:18:09,840
not be a strength for that player um the

529
00:18:08,240 --> 00:18:12,559
empathy the

530
00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:14,640
ability to sit down and maybe talk to

531
00:18:12,559 --> 00:18:15,919
that man and say uh why don't you tell

532
00:18:14,640 --> 00:18:17,200
me a bit about your wife while we wait

533
00:18:15,919 --> 00:18:19,440
for her to come back

534
00:18:17,200 --> 00:18:21,280
and then having him sort of start evol

535
00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:23,200
you know sort of talking about his wife

536
00:18:21,280 --> 00:18:25,120
and you know some of like the way they

537
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:26,480
met and what happened and then

538
00:18:25,120 --> 00:18:28,320
eventually coming to the point of their

539
00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:30,799
death having this guy break down would

540
00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:32,720
be just such a such a gut-wrenching

541
00:18:30,799 --> 00:18:34,880
scene you know

542
00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:35,919
but it's um it's one of those things

543
00:18:34,880 --> 00:18:38,960
that

544
00:18:35,919 --> 00:18:41,360
it then values your empath player you

545
00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:42,880
know it values shows what they do so

546
00:18:41,360 --> 00:18:45,120
even if you have the character who says

547
00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:48,000
i'm going to make um you know sparkles

548
00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:50,240
mcsparkleface who is a bard and i'm also

549
00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,320
wearing a ha fork so i've got uh i you

550
00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:54,080
know i try my best with my my charisma

551
00:18:52,320 --> 00:18:55,760
but i've got like really crap stats in

552
00:18:54,080 --> 00:18:57,200
charisma and then the rules lawyer might

553
00:18:55,760 --> 00:18:59,280
turn around and be like

554
00:18:57,200 --> 00:19:00,160
what have you made and why is this a

555
00:18:59,280 --> 00:19:02,400
thing

556
00:19:00,160 --> 00:19:05,120
and you know what i'm looking at you

557
00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:06,880
know yeah what am i looking at here um

558
00:19:05,120 --> 00:19:08,320
you know suddenly becomes like well

559
00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:09,679
actually it has nothing to do with the

560
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,840
numbers on my sheet i'm actually a

561
00:19:09,679 --> 00:19:14,160
really good role player and i don't need

562
00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:17,120
to roll dice i just know how to

563
00:19:14,160 --> 00:19:18,640
be in the scene and um and help the

564
00:19:17,120 --> 00:19:20,720
situation

565
00:19:18,640 --> 00:19:23,200
along the way that it should go because

566
00:19:20,720 --> 00:19:25,760
i'm a good storyteller

567
00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:28,080
what we've just will you've brilliantly

568
00:19:25,760 --> 00:19:30,640
described their sounds on the face of it

569
00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:32,640
sounds like oh blimey that's that's

570
00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:34,480
tricky to understand and tricky to get

571
00:19:32,640 --> 00:19:35,840
and you know or now maybe i should go

572
00:19:34,480 --> 00:19:37,440
home and think about my characters and

573
00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:40,160
whatnot but the funny thing is is that

574
00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:41,760
it's it is actually pre-baked in

575
00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:43,120
different wording but all the way back

576
00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:45,120
i'm obviously i'm thinking about dnd

577
00:19:43,120 --> 00:19:47,840
here in my head but um all the way back

578
00:19:45,120 --> 00:19:50,559
when it's the dm makes you uh asks for

579
00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:53,039
you to roll and not the players asking

580
00:19:50,559 --> 00:19:55,520
to roll and that that is that is the

581
00:19:53,039 --> 00:19:57,120
distinction there to say the players you

582
00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,880
don't need to focus on that you just

583
00:19:57,120 --> 00:20:00,400
focus on playing the game

584
00:19:58,880 --> 00:20:02,240
and then those things that you just

585
00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,600
described just come come out naturally

586
00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:05,520
because they're not focused on which one

587
00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,799
of these 20 things on my sheet here

588
00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,480
should i

589
00:20:06,799 --> 00:20:09,760
roll 100 and you know what's really

590
00:20:08,480 --> 00:20:12,000
interesting when you say that i actually

591
00:20:09,760 --> 00:20:13,039
have a a house rule that i use wherever

592
00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,559
i can

593
00:20:13,039 --> 00:20:17,039
i you know obviously i don't use it when

594
00:20:14,559 --> 00:20:19,679
i'm performing online but um one of the

595
00:20:17,039 --> 00:20:20,480
things i say is that if you ask me for a

596
00:20:19,679 --> 00:20:22,559
role

597
00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:24,159
assume you fail

598
00:20:22,559 --> 00:20:26,559
that's a general rule of thumb if you

599
00:20:24,159 --> 00:20:28,480
ask me for a rule assume you fail don't

600
00:20:26,559 --> 00:20:30,640
tell me that you're intimidating someone

601
00:20:28,480 --> 00:20:32,640
tell me what you do show me what you do

602
00:20:30,640 --> 00:20:34,799
don't tell me uh i'm gonna make an

603
00:20:32,640 --> 00:20:36,559
athletics check to do blah

604
00:20:34,799 --> 00:20:38,240
jump across this thing and i'll tell you

605
00:20:36,559 --> 00:20:40,240
because sometimes in fact most of the

606
00:20:38,240 --> 00:20:42,640
time i won't even ask for a role i'm not

607
00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:45,200
gonna waste my brain power trying to

608
00:20:42,640 --> 00:20:48,000
figure out the dc of flicking a a

609
00:20:45,200 --> 00:20:49,600
freaking snot booger

610
00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:50,880
bullet across the room to hit the

611
00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:52,720
teacher in the face you know i'm not

612
00:20:50,880 --> 00:20:55,120
gonna waste my time with that i got way

613
00:20:52,720 --> 00:20:56,720
i got bigger things to worry about so um

614
00:20:55,120 --> 00:20:59,200
you know sometimes there won't even be

615
00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:00,400
one but having to wait for your check

616
00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:01,760
having for you to do the math to

617
00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:04,000
calculate it and then eventually tell me

618
00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:05,760
a number i didn't ask for uh i'm just

619
00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:08,640
like no no just be in the moment dude

620
00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:10,159
like be here be there be do do do do the

621
00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,360
thing and i'll let you know if you need

622
00:21:10,159 --> 00:21:12,720
to do something

623
00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:14,400
oh actually this is a really good story

624
00:21:12,720 --> 00:21:16,400
of that so i um

625
00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:19,600
one of the very first times i play

626
00:21:16,400 --> 00:21:21,440
uh d d very very first times i play d5e

627
00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:23,919
i was at a convention uh that i'd been

628
00:21:21,440 --> 00:21:25,520
invited to guest at and i was only just

629
00:21:23,919 --> 00:21:27,760
dipping my toe into fifth edition

630
00:21:25,520 --> 00:21:30,799
because i was one of those people who

631
00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:32,799
started with 3.5 and 3.0 uh evolved in

632
00:21:30,799 --> 00:21:34,880
the pathfinder and then said forree get

633
00:21:32,799 --> 00:21:36,960
the behind me demon

634
00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:38,880
um and uh you know

635
00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:40,400
didn't really like 4e so i didn't even

636
00:21:38,880 --> 00:21:41,919
give 5e a chance but i went to a

637
00:21:40,400 --> 00:21:43,600
convention people then said hey you

638
00:21:41,919 --> 00:21:45,200
should try this so i was like okay fine

639
00:21:43,600 --> 00:21:48,720
so i tried to bard

640
00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:50,720
and uh i pl i based him off um a irish

641
00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:53,760
comedian by the name of dylan moran

642
00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:56,000
uh so it was basically you know dylan's

643
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:58,080
uh character from uh black books called

644
00:21:56,000 --> 00:22:01,840
bernie books yep uh who who was just

645
00:21:58,080 --> 00:22:04,480
this sarcastic uh bastard and one of the

646
00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:06,400
things i i did uh was you know instead

647
00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:08,559
whenever i used in sp uh you know

648
00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,240
inspiring performance uh instead of

649
00:22:08,559 --> 00:22:12,720
using body inspiration to like sort of

650
00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,159
you know like play a musical tune i'd uh

651
00:22:12,720 --> 00:22:15,679
just basically start insulting them it's

652
00:22:14,159 --> 00:22:17,280
like would you like me to get you a hand

653
00:22:15,679 --> 00:22:18,559
for your lad like maybe i can go back

654
00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,080
into town and see if a little girl can

655
00:22:18,559 --> 00:22:21,760
come lift that for you

656
00:22:20,080 --> 00:22:23,360
and uh you know

657
00:22:21,760 --> 00:22:27,480
and just they'd just be so angry they

658
00:22:23,360 --> 00:22:27,480
then roll the d6 and be like

659
00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:31,120
so you know and um and there was there

660
00:22:29,679 --> 00:22:33,919
was another moment where we went against

661
00:22:31,120 --> 00:22:36,000
like this super boss and uh this kobold

662
00:22:33,919 --> 00:22:38,720
leader was like you know we will now

663
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:42,159
raise the dragon army and then we will

664
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:44,240
bring tomb to all these surface dwellers

665
00:22:42,159 --> 00:22:45,200
and then you hear from the back like

666
00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:46,720
hey

667
00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,960
what's it like what's the pain like

668
00:22:46,720 --> 00:22:51,120
being a dragon's condom

669
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:51,120
and

670
00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:53,919
then

671
00:22:51,919 --> 00:22:55,679
i i was i cast vicious mockery and the

672
00:22:53,919 --> 00:22:59,039
gm literally turned to me and said no he

673
00:22:55,679 --> 00:23:02,240
fails like just he outright he just he

674
00:22:59,039 --> 00:23:04,080
doesn't make the save he sees it down

675
00:23:02,240 --> 00:23:05,280
and i loved that i loved the feeling of

676
00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:06,720
it i loved the fact that there was no

677
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,960
dice involved i loved the fact that i

678
00:23:06,720 --> 00:23:10,799
was rewarded for being creative in that

679
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:13,200
sense and i wanted to take that

680
00:23:10,799 --> 00:23:14,720
with me to other games so um

681
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,600
and the gm for that was uh was a guy

682
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,080
named

683
00:23:15,600 --> 00:23:20,240
sam i think or sean

684
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:22,320
i can't remember i feel terrible but yes

685
00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:25,039
uh so so if he's listening then then

686
00:23:22,320 --> 00:23:27,120
thank you for that uh because yeah you

687
00:23:25,039 --> 00:23:29,039
know it was um it was just wonderful to

688
00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:30,960
be able to to get yourself into a game

689
00:23:29,039 --> 00:23:32,720
like that

690
00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:34,640
oh amazing that's thank you for sharing

691
00:23:32,720 --> 00:23:37,039
that so that's a great story it's nice

692
00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:39,840
to see you know that propagation of

693
00:23:37,039 --> 00:23:41,520
of tips and advices now obviously bled

694
00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:42,960
into your games that is now on my

695
00:23:41,520 --> 00:23:44,559
podcast so that maybe other people can

696
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,679
can hear it and yeah yeah and then

697
00:23:44,559 --> 00:23:47,360
introduce it in their own put their own

698
00:23:45,679 --> 00:23:49,279
spin on it and stuff so that's i'm very

699
00:23:47,360 --> 00:23:52,159
happy to be part of that propagation

700
00:23:49,279 --> 00:23:53,039
chain now this is this is going to be a

701
00:23:52,159 --> 00:23:55,279
very

702
00:23:53,039 --> 00:23:57,520
pertinent question for you based on what

703
00:23:55,279 --> 00:23:59,840
you said earlier on about

704
00:23:57,520 --> 00:24:01,360
how many games you play in

705
00:23:59,840 --> 00:24:03,600
a given week

706
00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:06,159
now obviously everyone always complains

707
00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:07,919
about uh scheduling and one one piece of

708
00:24:06,159 --> 00:24:10,320
assembling at a table is getting

709
00:24:07,919 --> 00:24:12,340
everybody to be free at the same time

710
00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:13,760
quite an important piece i think

711
00:24:12,340 --> 00:24:14,799
[Laughter]

712
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:17,120
um

713
00:24:14,799 --> 00:24:18,559
have you fell foul of that at any point

714
00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:20,159
and if so

715
00:24:18,559 --> 00:24:21,679
you know what what was the outcome but

716
00:24:20,159 --> 00:24:23,440
also how do you do how do you deal with

717
00:24:21,679 --> 00:24:25,600
like these billion games you have every

718
00:24:23,440 --> 00:24:27,600
a different game every minute

719
00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:29,120
so so here's here's a fun fact for the

720
00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:31,120
podcasters listening i'm actually

721
00:24:29,120 --> 00:24:32,640
running a game right now

722
00:24:31,120 --> 00:24:35,120
believe me you mean literally as we're

723
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:36,640
recording not just yeah in this frame

724
00:24:35,120 --> 00:24:38,159
well actually no chances are while

725
00:24:36,640 --> 00:24:39,360
you're listening to this i'm probably

726
00:24:38,159 --> 00:24:41,840
running a game

727
00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:45,360
um but um but no right now as we are

728
00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:46,640
recording this uh i am on a break from a

729
00:24:45,360 --> 00:24:48,799
game that i'm running that i will be

730
00:24:46,640 --> 00:24:50,559
picking up after we record this podcast

731
00:24:48,799 --> 00:24:52,080
uh my players are sitting down to level

732
00:24:50,559 --> 00:24:54,480
up so i've bought a little bit of time

733
00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:56,640
to uh to come and do the podcast which i

734
00:24:54,480 --> 00:24:59,200
timed for today

735
00:24:56,640 --> 00:25:01,120
scheduling can be so tricky and it is

736
00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:03,200
something i have run afoul of many many

737
00:25:01,120 --> 00:25:05,919
many many times

738
00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:08,320
one of the things that helps is uh a

739
00:25:05,919 --> 00:25:09,840
it's my occupation so most of my games

740
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:12,159
are paid work so

741
00:25:09,840 --> 00:25:14,799
um looking at how my my per hour you

742
00:25:12,159 --> 00:25:16,720
know what i mean like it gives me value

743
00:25:14,799 --> 00:25:18,720
in in doing all of them

744
00:25:16,720 --> 00:25:20,640
that being said there are people who

745
00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:23,360
seek me out for my time

746
00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,799
and it's usually about doing

747
00:25:23,360 --> 00:25:26,799
those things that i have the most

748
00:25:24,799 --> 00:25:29,520
difficulty so

749
00:25:26,799 --> 00:25:32,159
let's see i've got

750
00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:34,080
two games on monday two games on tuesday

751
00:25:32,159 --> 00:25:36,320
one of which is fortnightly

752
00:25:34,080 --> 00:25:38,159
three games on wednesday

753
00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:40,159
one of which is fortnightly

754
00:25:38,159 --> 00:25:42,159
i've got

755
00:25:40,159 --> 00:25:43,760
two games on third on friday one of

756
00:25:42,159 --> 00:25:45,840
which is fortnightly

757
00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:48,480
three games on saturday

758
00:25:45,840 --> 00:25:50,080
and then one game fortnightly on sund no

759
00:25:48,480 --> 00:25:52,640
two games on sunday one of which is

760
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:54,080
fortnightly so that's every single week

761
00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:56,880
that is what my regular schedule is

762
00:25:54,080 --> 00:25:58,559
without my extras so

763
00:25:56,880 --> 00:26:00,080
when i say i run a foul of this what i

764
00:25:58,559 --> 00:26:01,520
mean is

765
00:26:00,080 --> 00:26:03,679
these games are all my professional

766
00:26:01,520 --> 00:26:05,520
games that i i play

767
00:26:03,679 --> 00:26:07,679
for work there's a certain level of

768
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:09,679
preparation that goes into them

769
00:26:07,679 --> 00:26:10,400
there's a minimum requirement for them

770
00:26:09,679 --> 00:26:12,720
but

771
00:26:10,400 --> 00:26:14,960
for the most part these things are stuff

772
00:26:12,720 --> 00:26:16,320
that i have taken the time to prep and

773
00:26:14,960 --> 00:26:18,240
be prepared for

774
00:26:16,320 --> 00:26:20,400
but if i want to do something like for

775
00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:22,000
myself like if i want to actually just

776
00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:23,120
sit down and play with some friends and

777
00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,039
stuff like that

778
00:26:23,120 --> 00:26:26,880
those are where it gets it gets harder

779
00:26:25,039 --> 00:26:29,279
because not only do i need to schedule

780
00:26:26,880 --> 00:26:30,880
for myself amongst the busyness of

781
00:26:29,279 --> 00:26:32,480
everything that i'm doing

782
00:26:30,880 --> 00:26:34,159
most of the friends and associates that

783
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:35,360
i have are also in this performance

784
00:26:34,159 --> 00:26:37,679
space where

785
00:26:35,360 --> 00:26:40,240
they are equally as busy doing this this

786
00:26:37,679 --> 00:26:41,919
whole sort of thing uh in fact um a

787
00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,600
couple of my friends have literally

788
00:26:41,919 --> 00:26:44,960
gotten to a point where the only way for

789
00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:47,039
me to actually

790
00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,600
game with them is to actually put on an

791
00:26:47,039 --> 00:26:51,200
event like uh like i'll be i'll find a p

792
00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:53,679
i'll find a sponsor get a paid event

793
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:56,159
going and then you know be like hey

794
00:26:53,679 --> 00:26:58,480
guess what this now has turned from a

795
00:26:56,159 --> 00:27:00,480
let's find some free time to uh let's do

796
00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:02,880
some work and get paid

797
00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,960
so that's how i got around it uh i don't

798
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:07,200
recommend it for everyone uh it's very

799
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:09,360
difficult and the money's not great but

800
00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:11,039
uh as soon as you uh as soon as you

801
00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:12,799
start paying your your performers to

802
00:27:11,039 --> 00:27:16,159
come and hang out with you schedules

803
00:27:12,799 --> 00:27:19,520
tend to tend to be a bit more flexible

804
00:27:16,159 --> 00:27:21,440
yeah i'd imagine say yeah

805
00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:23,520
yeah i think again this is a funny thing

806
00:27:21,440 --> 00:27:25,520
that i wanted to say is that i

807
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,480
a number of players in my game uh were

808
00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:28,559
new

809
00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:30,720
certainly uh some even you know don't

810
00:27:28,559 --> 00:27:33,200
play even video games or board games or

811
00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:35,919
any role-playing games they very much

812
00:27:33,200 --> 00:27:37,360
a new experience for them and i do have

813
00:27:35,919 --> 00:27:39,520
to remind them we've been going

814
00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:41,760
consistently with a couple of short

815
00:27:39,520 --> 00:27:42,799
breaks holidays and illnesses and so on

816
00:27:41,760 --> 00:27:44,799
and so on

817
00:27:42,799 --> 00:27:46,799
for almost three years at this point

818
00:27:44,799 --> 00:27:48,320
started weekly for the first 10 or so

819
00:27:46,799 --> 00:27:49,520
sessions and i pushed it out to

820
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,000
fortnightly

821
00:27:49,520 --> 00:27:54,320
and i have to remind them i'm like

822
00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:55,440
guys like we are exceptionally lucky

823
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:57,919
here

824
00:27:55,440 --> 00:28:00,159
at how routine and

825
00:27:57,919 --> 00:28:02,240
trivial it has been to set up this

826
00:28:00,159 --> 00:28:03,520
routine like you won't believe i mean

827
00:28:02,240 --> 00:28:05,200
obviously group chats with other games

828
00:28:03,520 --> 00:28:07,520
that i play in or used to playing and

829
00:28:05,200 --> 00:28:10,480
whatnot and just watching those

830
00:28:07,520 --> 00:28:12,000
fall over every other week because of

831
00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:13,679
issues or scheduling issues or people

832
00:28:12,000 --> 00:28:15,120
can't make it or oh this week we're

833
00:28:13,679 --> 00:28:16,960
moving house and this certainly i'm like

834
00:28:15,120 --> 00:28:18,880
guys you don't

835
00:28:16,960 --> 00:28:19,679
good luck finding another game like this

836
00:28:18,880 --> 00:28:21,919
like

837
00:28:19,679 --> 00:28:23,840
you you'll miss me when i'm gone

838
00:28:21,919 --> 00:28:26,640
oh yeah yeah no you look i

839
00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:28,559
like even even with um someone with my

840
00:28:26,640 --> 00:28:30,559
experience and my standing

841
00:28:28,559 --> 00:28:33,600
as a professional gm there are

842
00:28:30,559 --> 00:28:34,720
definitely uh weeks where um you sit

843
00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:36,559
there and

844
00:28:34,720 --> 00:28:38,080
uh you know you're like why uh why are

845
00:28:36,559 --> 00:28:40,480
there two or three players like

846
00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:42,720
consecutively missing my games or you

847
00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:44,960
know and and the tough bit is is that as

848
00:28:42,720 --> 00:28:46,720
a gm you always place that blame on

849
00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,480
yourself as well you never turn around

850
00:28:46,720 --> 00:28:50,320
you go oh they were just busy this week

851
00:28:48,480 --> 00:28:52,720
or oh they you know like something came

852
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:54,960
up it kind of always digs just that

853
00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:56,480
little tiny bit where it's like are you

854
00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:59,360
not having fun

855
00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:00,159
do you would i are you really

856
00:28:59,360 --> 00:29:01,760
so

857
00:29:00,159 --> 00:29:03,600
uninterested with what i'm doing that

858
00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,200
you'd much rather do other things every

859
00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:06,320
single time we're supposed to sit down

860
00:29:05,200 --> 00:29:09,440
for a game

861
00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:11,440
you know it it digs it does um

862
00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,480
but i want any gm who's listening to

863
00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:15,039
know that it

864
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:18,080
rarely is that case sometimes it is and

865
00:29:15,039 --> 00:29:19,120
if it is then shame on you gm uh but if

866
00:29:18,080 --> 00:29:20,799
it's not

867
00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:22,559
if if your players literally haven't sat

868
00:29:20,799 --> 00:29:24,880
there and told you no no i would

869
00:29:22,559 --> 00:29:26,399
literally rather be peeling paint off

870
00:29:24,880 --> 00:29:28,159
walls then be playing your game if your

871
00:29:26,399 --> 00:29:30,640
players don't sit down and tell you that

872
00:29:28,159 --> 00:29:32,799
then 90 of the time it's because

873
00:29:30,640 --> 00:29:34,320
like life happens you know like people

874
00:29:32,799 --> 00:29:35,840
have have things and commitments and

875
00:29:34,320 --> 00:29:36,799
responsibilities especially the older

876
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:38,640
you get

877
00:29:36,799 --> 00:29:42,399
and it has nothing to do with

878
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:44,159
your skill or your capabilities as a gm

879
00:29:42,399 --> 00:29:46,080
yeah yeah well that ties into what we're

880
00:29:44,159 --> 00:29:47,760
saying earlier on about uh you're your

881
00:29:46,080 --> 00:29:49,919
own worst critic and also if they if

882
00:29:47,760 --> 00:29:51,600
they do turn up then they they're having

883
00:29:49,919 --> 00:29:54,080
fun so it's more important that they

884
00:29:51,600 --> 00:29:55,360
come back after having a week or two off

885
00:29:54,080 --> 00:29:57,760
because it still means that you know

886
00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:59,760
that it was just life getting in the way

887
00:29:57,760 --> 00:30:01,360
as you said of course of course yeah we

888
00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:02,880
were just so

889
00:30:01,360 --> 00:30:04,559
i've said it before on progress and i

890
00:30:02,880 --> 00:30:06,080
said again it was just you know we were

891
00:30:04,559 --> 00:30:07,760
we were all colleagues at the time so

892
00:30:06,080 --> 00:30:09,279
it's like a piece of cake to a have

893
00:30:07,760 --> 00:30:11,440
everyone in the same room because we

894
00:30:09,279 --> 00:30:13,600
were being paid to be in the same room

895
00:30:11,440 --> 00:30:15,600
daily uh because we worked together

896
00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:16,640
uh so it's very easy to be like right

897
00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,559
when can you do it when can you do it

898
00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:20,399
when can you okay right that's that's

899
00:30:18,559 --> 00:30:22,000
the schedule set up and then once we had

900
00:30:20,399 --> 00:30:24,000
that locked in it was actually after

901
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:25,760
work so it's a piece of cake again to be

902
00:30:24,000 --> 00:30:26,640
like are you we're playing tonight plans

903
00:30:25,760 --> 00:30:28,720
not playing tonight we're playing

904
00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:30,240
tonight yep yep cool we'd like meerkats

905
00:30:28,720 --> 00:30:31,679
in the office you know it got to about 5

906
00:30:30,240 --> 00:30:33,039
p.m and we're all like sticking our

907
00:30:31,679 --> 00:30:34,720
heads up and being like yeah you ready

908
00:30:33,039 --> 00:30:35,520
to leave you ready to leave yeah cool

909
00:30:34,720 --> 00:30:37,200
right

910
00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,799
and then we'd all leave you know and go

911
00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:41,520
around the guy's house and play the game

912
00:30:38,799 --> 00:30:44,799
that evening so um awesome that was yeah

913
00:30:41,520 --> 00:30:46,640
very very very lucky and uh

914
00:30:44,799 --> 00:30:48,080
i've only been on my dm holiday now for

915
00:30:46,640 --> 00:30:50,480
one session

916
00:30:48,080 --> 00:30:52,000
equivalence worth so two or three weeks

917
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:53,520
and uh

918
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,799
i'm missing it a little bit which is

919
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:55,840
weird considering we haven't even hit

920
00:30:54,799 --> 00:30:57,360
christmas yet i'm not playing again

921
00:30:55,840 --> 00:30:58,799
until middle of january but it is like

922
00:30:57,360 --> 00:31:00,880
oh yeah i want to get i want to get guys

923
00:30:58,799 --> 00:31:02,480
i've got a because two characters have

924
00:31:00,880 --> 00:31:04,320
just died so the new year we're going

925
00:31:02,480 --> 00:31:07,279
into two new characters coming in that's

926
00:31:04,320 --> 00:31:09,470
cool so it's a very exciting time

927
00:31:07,279 --> 00:31:12,789
to go back at the table

928
00:31:09,470 --> 00:31:12,789
[Music]

929
00:31:15,340 --> 00:31:19,760
[Music]

930
00:31:18,559 --> 00:31:22,799
are these

931
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:25,279
games that you are running and playing

932
00:31:22,799 --> 00:31:26,720
in are they predominantly well this is

933
00:31:25,279 --> 00:31:28,159
obviously a bit of a weird question

934
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:30,559
considering the time we live in at the

935
00:31:28,159 --> 00:31:32,320
moment uh i presume they're all remote

936
00:31:30,559 --> 00:31:33,519
for the

937
00:31:32,320 --> 00:31:35,919
so

938
00:31:33,519 --> 00:31:38,640
so i live in western australia which uh

939
00:31:35,919 --> 00:31:41,200
when it came down to covid we are

940
00:31:38,640 --> 00:31:43,039
we did well a lot of what we did in

941
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:45,519
place during that period of time i think

942
00:31:43,039 --> 00:31:47,440
we only had like a five-week lockdown

943
00:31:45,519 --> 00:31:49,519
at the height of covid and then we had

944
00:31:47,440 --> 00:31:51,600
like a three-day lockdown between there

945
00:31:49,519 --> 00:31:52,480
and now and that was it that we've we've

946
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,159
been

947
00:31:52,480 --> 00:31:56,240
business as usual for quite some time

948
00:31:54,159 --> 00:31:59,279
there are obviously things in place here

949
00:31:56,240 --> 00:32:00,480
in wa like in case stuff happens but

950
00:31:59,279 --> 00:32:02,080
so

951
00:32:00,480 --> 00:32:03,360
because i've been in my job for like

952
00:32:02,080 --> 00:32:05,840
seven years

953
00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:07,919
most of my work used to be at my local

954
00:32:05,840 --> 00:32:10,559
government youth center i work as a

955
00:32:07,919 --> 00:32:12,159
local government worker as a gm for

956
00:32:10,559 --> 00:32:14,240
the the city

957
00:32:12,159 --> 00:32:15,679
and i'm running games for kids

958
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:17,919
introducing them to role-playing games

959
00:32:15,679 --> 00:32:19,760
which during my time there has been very

960
00:32:17,919 --> 00:32:21,919
much about building up their confidence

961
00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:24,240
helping them with self-esteem issues

962
00:32:21,919 --> 00:32:26,480
bridging communication gaps and even uh

963
00:32:24,240 --> 00:32:29,840
helping some kids who are on the

964
00:32:26,480 --> 00:32:32,240
spectrum um feel accepted in the hobby

965
00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:34,000
that you know most people you know may

966
00:32:32,240 --> 00:32:35,919
not necessarily accept or understand

967
00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:37,039
them and the special needs that they may

968
00:32:35,919 --> 00:32:40,000
require

969
00:32:37,039 --> 00:32:41,440
uh we've been all about that and

970
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:43,360
the great thing is it's been one of the

971
00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:45,200
most successful programs we've run and

972
00:32:43,360 --> 00:32:48,080
we've consecutively run it for for years

973
00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:49,919
now um when covert hit

974
00:32:48,080 --> 00:32:51,519
we went online straight away because

975
00:32:49,919 --> 00:32:53,519
thankfully i was already

976
00:32:51,519 --> 00:32:54,799
uh in the business uh of streaming and

977
00:32:53,519 --> 00:32:56,399
stuff like that so i was like cool i

978
00:32:54,799 --> 00:32:58,240
push a button we're online

979
00:32:56,399 --> 00:33:01,279
and we kept going so we barely missed a

980
00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:03,440
beat but now that we're again off the

981
00:33:01,279 --> 00:33:05,840
other side of that lockdown period

982
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:08,240
half of my games are in person again the

983
00:33:05,840 --> 00:33:09,519
game i'm playing today or tonight is uh

984
00:33:08,240 --> 00:33:11,600
is in person as well so i've got my

985
00:33:09,519 --> 00:33:12,559
mates uh in the next room eating all my

986
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,159
brownies

987
00:33:12,559 --> 00:33:15,760
um

988
00:33:14,159 --> 00:33:17,840
and um

989
00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:20,240
but for the rest of the most of my

990
00:33:17,840 --> 00:33:22,880
professional stuff is online so i have

991
00:33:20,240 --> 00:33:25,600
patreon games where uh people pay to be

992
00:33:22,880 --> 00:33:27,440
on one of my tables which i also stream

993
00:33:25,600 --> 00:33:29,120
um so you can catch those on my twitch

994
00:33:27,440 --> 00:33:30,880
channel but um but yeah those ones are

995
00:33:29,120 --> 00:33:32,880
all remotely and online

996
00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:35,120
then i also do special event ones which

997
00:33:32,880 --> 00:33:36,880
i do with people from all over the world

998
00:33:35,120 --> 00:33:39,120
uh celebrities who also do the online

999
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,440
streaming stuff and then we you know

1000
00:33:39,120 --> 00:33:43,200
again gather up to promote stuff and

1001
00:33:41,440 --> 00:33:44,399
broadcast it for for people to watch and

1002
00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:46,880
enjoy

1003
00:33:44,399 --> 00:33:49,519
i i wanted to say when you started that

1004
00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:51,600
with um ugm for the government

1005
00:33:49,519 --> 00:33:52,799
hey it sounds well sinister

1006
00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,640
oh yeah

1007
00:33:52,799 --> 00:33:56,080
yeah super dodgy

1008
00:33:54,640 --> 00:33:58,240
and b i was just thinking like you know

1009
00:33:56,080 --> 00:34:00,159
in the satanic panic can you imagine how

1010
00:33:58,240 --> 00:34:01,600
how freaked out like people would have

1011
00:34:00,159 --> 00:34:03,120
would have been we're like

1012
00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:04,320
i'm doing this for the government that's

1013
00:34:03,120 --> 00:34:05,760
like whoa

1014
00:34:04,320 --> 00:34:07,519
yeah you know you know what i still have

1015
00:34:05,760 --> 00:34:09,280
to try i still get sideways looks when i

1016
00:34:07,519 --> 00:34:10,560
have to explain to parents what i do

1017
00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:12,399
like you know when they come in with

1018
00:34:10,560 --> 00:34:13,839
their kids like um we had this we had

1019
00:34:12,399 --> 00:34:16,159
this lovely couple

1020
00:34:13,839 --> 00:34:18,480
a mom and her daughter came in because

1021
00:34:16,159 --> 00:34:21,599
my boss is trying to get more

1022
00:34:18,480 --> 00:34:23,919
uh young females into like role-playing

1023
00:34:21,599 --> 00:34:25,280
and dnd and when they uh when they when

1024
00:34:23,919 --> 00:34:27,599
they showed up it's like and this is

1025
00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:29,760
michael he's our dungeon master and i'm

1026
00:34:27,599 --> 00:34:30,960
like

1027
00:34:29,760 --> 00:34:34,480
you're not gonna give that with you're

1028
00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,480
not gonna give any context to that

1029
00:34:38,480 --> 00:34:42,000
so um so you know yeah it's it's it's

1030
00:34:40,960 --> 00:34:44,240
kind of one of those funny things

1031
00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:46,639
because either you know what a dm is

1032
00:34:44,240 --> 00:34:48,240
uh you assume what a dm is or you ask

1033
00:34:46,639 --> 00:34:49,040
what a dm is that's that's always the

1034
00:34:48,240 --> 00:34:50,960
case

1035
00:34:49,040 --> 00:34:53,839
um but the great thing there is is that

1036
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:55,839
my my value to the government is less

1037
00:34:53,839 --> 00:34:56,960
about well it is still about the d d

1038
00:34:55,839 --> 00:34:58,880
stuff right it's about you know

1039
00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:00,960
providing a service but uh more

1040
00:34:58,880 --> 00:35:02,560
importantly it's a nice bridge between

1041
00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:05,280
young people and adults who don't

1042
00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:07,200
understand gaming who don't understand

1043
00:35:05,280 --> 00:35:10,240
what people get out of it

1044
00:35:07,200 --> 00:35:11,359
because there's um such a strong need

1045
00:35:10,240 --> 00:35:14,160
and this goes to

1046
00:35:11,359 --> 00:35:16,720
goes back to our topic of assembly where

1047
00:35:14,160 --> 00:35:19,280
people need acceptance and getting

1048
00:35:16,720 --> 00:35:20,800
acceptance online is difficult because

1049
00:35:19,280 --> 00:35:22,720
when we're online we have a certain

1050
00:35:20,800 --> 00:35:25,040
level of anonymity there is a certain

1051
00:35:22,720 --> 00:35:27,520
level of natural disconnect

1052
00:35:25,040 --> 00:35:29,200
we have grown up in an age of technology

1053
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:31,440
where mass communication has led to the

1054
00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:33,599
fact that a lot of people will have

1055
00:35:31,440 --> 00:35:35,520
friends online that they have no idea

1056
00:35:33,599 --> 00:35:37,520
what their real name is

1057
00:35:35,520 --> 00:35:40,560
and that's an accepted truth in the

1058
00:35:37,520 --> 00:35:42,720
world as we see it right now whereas

1059
00:35:40,560 --> 00:35:44,160
the other side of that is that we are

1060
00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:46,560
learning less and less about how to

1061
00:35:44,160 --> 00:35:48,880
socialize in person how to actually

1062
00:35:46,560 --> 00:35:50,880
create these bonds and how to actually

1063
00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:53,920
uh learn how to do something quite as

1064
00:35:50,880 --> 00:35:54,960
simple as hi i like you can we be

1065
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:56,800
friends

1066
00:35:54,960 --> 00:35:59,680
right like you know and i hate to be

1067
00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:02,720
that old man who goes back in my day but

1068
00:35:59,680 --> 00:36:04,400
you know back in my day um i punched

1069
00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:06,400
someone to make friends with them and i

1070
00:36:04,400 --> 00:36:08,160
don't know why till this day like my

1071
00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:10,000
best friends i'm fairly sure i have

1072
00:36:08,160 --> 00:36:13,119
either hit with a piece of poly pipe or

1073
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:14,800
i have punched in the face um

1074
00:36:13,119 --> 00:36:16,640
and that's because i grew up in a very

1075
00:36:14,800 --> 00:36:19,440
rough part of australia but

1076
00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:21,760
you know it's gone from that to

1077
00:36:19,440 --> 00:36:24,160
uh hi

1078
00:36:21,760 --> 00:36:26,000
do you like eggplants uh you know like

1079
00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:27,200
i've got no you know like you've got no

1080
00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,960
way to you know like it's like how do

1081
00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:31,680
you communicate now and a lot of the

1082
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:33,359
young kids uh today are are very much

1083
00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:35,119
interested in learning how to

1084
00:36:33,359 --> 00:36:36,640
communicate with other people and

1085
00:36:35,119 --> 00:36:38,800
parents are interested in learning how

1086
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:40,240
to communicate with their young people

1087
00:36:38,800 --> 00:36:41,599
um like what are the things you can

1088
00:36:40,240 --> 00:36:43,119
approach them about what are the things

1089
00:36:41,599 --> 00:36:44,480
you need to just smile and nod and

1090
00:36:43,119 --> 00:36:46,960
listen to and what are the things that

1091
00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:50,400
you need to understand that when your uh

1092
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:53,520
10 year old child uh says that he

1093
00:36:50,400 --> 00:36:54,800
that you you murdered a bart keeper uh

1094
00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:57,280
that it doesn't mean that they're

1095
00:36:54,800 --> 00:36:59,599
turning into a sociopath you know like

1096
00:36:57,280 --> 00:37:03,040
you know uh so that's my that's my real

1097
00:36:59,599 --> 00:37:07,560
role is the nerd linguist as it were

1098
00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:07,560
and being able to the nerd whisperer

1099
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:14,720
uh an interface uh as they say uh i i do

1100
00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:17,920
it in a very not professional capacity

1101
00:37:14,720 --> 00:37:20,240
for my uh my sister's kids um i saw my

1102
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:22,560
two nephews 13 and uh

1103
00:37:20,240 --> 00:37:25,200
10. obviously they are very much

1104
00:37:22,560 --> 00:37:28,160
fortnight in minecraft generation

1105
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:29,359
and despite me being 20 years older than

1106
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,599
them

1107
00:37:29,359 --> 00:37:32,880
i am the closest they have in their in

1108
00:37:31,599 --> 00:37:34,000
that in their wider families obviously

1109
00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:36,079
they've got their mum and their dad my

1110
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,440
grandparents and their other uncle but i

1111
00:37:36,079 --> 00:37:40,240
am the closest they have in terms of

1112
00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:42,240
generation to understanding you know

1113
00:37:40,240 --> 00:37:43,359
if they start flossing they don't mean

1114
00:37:42,240 --> 00:37:45,760
they're going to go and do some dental

1115
00:37:43,359 --> 00:37:48,000
hygiene i know what they're going to go

1116
00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:48,000
and do

1117
00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:52,560
and like if they're talking about you

1118
00:37:49,760 --> 00:37:55,599
know chapter seven in in in fortnight is

1119
00:37:52,560 --> 00:37:58,240
dropped i'm like i have i don't play it

1120
00:37:55,599 --> 00:37:59,920
but i know what i this context of what

1121
00:37:58,240 --> 00:38:02,160
you're talking about makes sense to me

1122
00:37:59,920 --> 00:38:04,480
whereas both you know so i i'm kind of

1123
00:38:02,160 --> 00:38:05,599
that interface for him and his parents

1124
00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:08,400
to a certain extent because they are

1125
00:38:05,599 --> 00:38:09,839
like we're buying him this thing and i'm

1126
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,359
like yeah don't don't you probably don't

1127
00:38:09,839 --> 00:38:12,560
need to do that like

1128
00:38:11,359 --> 00:38:14,160
because

1129
00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:15,839
it's a waste of money or this that the

1130
00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:16,960
other oh yeah no and you know what's

1131
00:38:15,839 --> 00:38:18,560
really funny is you always you always

1132
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:20,960
come up with those kids that think that

1133
00:38:18,560 --> 00:38:23,119
that mum and dad they try to they know

1134
00:38:20,960 --> 00:38:24,720
so little and they try to try to

1135
00:38:23,119 --> 00:38:27,520
twist things around on them like i had

1136
00:38:24,720 --> 00:38:29,839
this kid who i who i dealt with who

1137
00:38:27,520 --> 00:38:32,880
convinced mom and dad to to fork out

1138
00:38:29,839 --> 00:38:34,079
like a three thousand dollar high tech

1139
00:38:32,880 --> 00:38:36,160
computer

1140
00:38:34,079 --> 00:38:38,560
for what was effectively a community

1141
00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:41,839
class a community course called like for

1142
00:38:38,560 --> 00:38:44,000
it yeah and it was like you know yeah no

1143
00:38:41,839 --> 00:38:45,920
you see the the level of like education

1144
00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:47,760
people get for that level you don't

1145
00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:51,520
require three thousand dollars to build

1146
00:38:47,760 --> 00:38:51,520
your own like custom gaming rig

1147
00:38:51,680 --> 00:38:55,599
you know yeah yeah but mom and dad are

1148
00:38:53,680 --> 00:38:58,320
like oh yes no he's he's into the

1149
00:38:55,599 --> 00:39:01,760
computer thing and uh and the internet

1150
00:38:58,320 --> 00:39:03,359
uh he needs this this this device and he

1151
00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,480
just gave us a budget and i was just

1152
00:39:03,359 --> 00:39:07,119
like

1153
00:39:04,480 --> 00:39:10,079
no no he's lying to you like you

1154
00:39:07,119 --> 00:39:11,440
absolutely do not need like a a geforce

1155
00:39:10,079 --> 00:39:14,320
12 series

1156
00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:16,000
graphics card to uh to do i t uh if

1157
00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:18,160
you've ever been to any office in

1158
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:21,119
australia you know that none of these

1159
00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:23,280
computers are

1160
00:39:21,119 --> 00:39:24,960
these these computers are you know like

1161
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:29,040
there are some of our computers where

1162
00:39:24,960 --> 00:39:31,680
the keys uh are still like make the ch

1163
00:39:29,040 --> 00:39:33,040
every time we type it right like there's

1164
00:39:31,680 --> 00:39:34,400
there's definitely uh there's definitely

1165
00:39:33,040 --> 00:39:35,680
something to be said about that but um

1166
00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:37,680
but yeah you know

1167
00:39:35,680 --> 00:39:39,599
i mean look i'm not one to oust you know

1168
00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:41,200
kids but i'm also one to like make sure

1169
00:39:39,599 --> 00:39:43,760
that there's there's there's kindness

1170
00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:45,040
between both gaps you know like yeah

1171
00:39:43,760 --> 00:39:47,520
you know because i also know that

1172
00:39:45,040 --> 00:39:50,000
parents tend to call me up and say uh

1173
00:39:47,520 --> 00:39:52,720
excuse me but my child appears to be

1174
00:39:50,000 --> 00:39:54,560
using far too much of this internet i

1175
00:39:52,720 --> 00:39:56,800
don't know what a fortnight is but he's

1176
00:39:54,560 --> 00:39:58,960
been playing it since till till five in

1177
00:39:56,800 --> 00:40:01,520
the morning and it's unacceptable i

1178
00:39:58,960 --> 00:40:03,200
think he might be a gaming addict and

1179
00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:07,680
it's like well no no he's not a gaming

1180
00:40:03,200 --> 00:40:11,119
addict um he is a victim of very clever

1181
00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:13,440
uh game formatting because between a

1182
00:40:11,119 --> 00:40:15,280
a session of fortnight between match one

1183
00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:16,800
and two you have the better part of a

1184
00:40:15,280 --> 00:40:18,560
minute to

1185
00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:20,480
come down from a dopamine rush in order

1186
00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:22,480
to have enough cognitive processing

1187
00:40:20,480 --> 00:40:24,400
power to be able to turn around and go i

1188
00:40:22,480 --> 00:40:25,680
am tired i want to go to bed

1189
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:27,119
but by the time you're in a game you're

1190
00:40:25,680 --> 00:40:29,200
like well i'm in a game and i don't want

1191
00:40:27,119 --> 00:40:30,720
to be punished by uh leaving the game

1192
00:40:29,200 --> 00:40:33,119
too early because their game actually

1193
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:35,680
will punish you for doing that and um

1194
00:40:33,119 --> 00:40:37,520
and i'm now in a in another game so uh

1195
00:40:35,680 --> 00:40:40,560
you know it's not their fault that

1196
00:40:37,520 --> 00:40:42,160
they're stuck in a loop until 5 am

1197
00:40:40,560 --> 00:40:43,760
what you could do is you could go and

1198
00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,359
say hey i'm going to play your game of

1199
00:40:43,760 --> 00:40:46,960
fortnight with you

1200
00:40:45,359 --> 00:40:48,880
we'll do one more match and then when

1201
00:40:46,960 --> 00:40:50,640
that match concludes be the one to turn

1202
00:40:48,880 --> 00:40:52,560
around and say hey

1203
00:40:50,640 --> 00:40:54,720
okay it's bedtime as we've said and

1204
00:40:52,560 --> 00:40:56,079
they're more likely to you know stop

1205
00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:57,920
playing not because they're you know not

1206
00:40:56,079 --> 00:40:59,839
addicted but just because

1207
00:40:57,920 --> 00:41:00,880
they have that that break that's

1208
00:40:59,839 --> 00:41:03,359
something that's going to going to pull

1209
00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:05,359
them aside unless of course you fall

1210
00:41:03,359 --> 00:41:07,680
into the other category and both you and

1211
00:41:05,359 --> 00:41:09,280
your child are now up till 5am

1212
00:41:07,680 --> 00:41:11,359
because that's always that's always a

1213
00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,640
possibility but then it's bonding time

1214
00:41:11,359 --> 00:41:14,960
and it's uh

1215
00:41:12,640 --> 00:41:17,280
it's about family time family time so

1216
00:41:14,960 --> 00:41:19,839
yeah no there's it's very dynamic uh

1217
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:21,359
this this this particular topic

1218
00:41:19,839 --> 00:41:22,960
for sure and this is what i love doing

1219
00:41:21,359 --> 00:41:25,440
doing the podcast because several

1220
00:41:22,960 --> 00:41:27,920
several several times i've i've you know

1221
00:41:25,440 --> 00:41:29,520
ostensibly the topic is something even

1222
00:41:27,920 --> 00:41:31,680
esoteric like you know abstract like

1223
00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:34,720
assemblers today but even even when it

1224
00:41:31,680 --> 00:41:36,960
isn't it's more concrete we get onto

1225
00:41:34,720 --> 00:41:39,200
useful advice and tips like this and i

1226
00:41:36,960 --> 00:41:41,280
can't think of another d d podcast i'm

1227
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:42,640
going to have a minor moment of self

1228
00:41:41,280 --> 00:41:43,920
patting myself on the back here but i

1229
00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:45,680
couldn't take off to my head of another

1230
00:41:43,920 --> 00:41:49,280
podcast that we we're talking about how

1231
00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:50,800
to deal with your kids

1232
00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,240
we started talking about it yeah well

1233
00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:53,359
well it's well the thing is is that

1234
00:41:52,240 --> 00:41:55,040
that's what assembly is all about

1235
00:41:53,359 --> 00:41:57,200
assembly is about bonding and as we were

1236
00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:58,880
saying one of the one of the three major

1237
00:41:57,200 --> 00:41:59,599
types of assembly for role-playing games

1238
00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:00,880
is

1239
00:41:59,599 --> 00:42:02,319
bringing people together and putting

1240
00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:04,079
people together whether that's for a

1241
00:42:02,319 --> 00:42:06,240
role-playing game or for community for

1242
00:42:04,079 --> 00:42:09,280
gaming in general right the the advice

1243
00:42:06,240 --> 00:42:10,640
still stands you know um yeah cause

1244
00:42:09,280 --> 00:42:12,240
because that's that's what it's all

1245
00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,599
about like

1246
00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:15,920
role-playing games are a type of

1247
00:42:13,599 --> 00:42:17,920
community that is just incredibly

1248
00:42:15,920 --> 00:42:20,160
welcoming i mean sure you'll have every

1249
00:42:17,920 --> 00:42:21,839
now and then the kind of gate guardians

1250
00:42:20,160 --> 00:42:24,000
who sit there and you know talk about

1251
00:42:21,839 --> 00:42:27,119
quote unquote real d

1252
00:42:24,000 --> 00:42:29,119
um but i find for every one of those i

1253
00:42:27,119 --> 00:42:31,440
find like a hundred different people who

1254
00:42:29,119 --> 00:42:32,720
are like please come and play with us

1255
00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:35,119
are you a gm

1256
00:42:32,720 --> 00:42:35,119
uh you know

1257
00:42:36,480 --> 00:42:39,599
yeah that's uh that's definitely

1258
00:42:37,920 --> 00:42:41,119
definitely the vibe from from the

1259
00:42:39,599 --> 00:42:42,240
community

1260
00:42:41,119 --> 00:42:45,520
for sure

1261
00:42:42,240 --> 00:42:46,480
so we talked a lot about out of game i

1262
00:42:45,520 --> 00:42:48,079
know you can't really make that

1263
00:42:46,480 --> 00:42:49,839
distinction there's clean cut as that

1264
00:42:48,079 --> 00:42:53,200
but let's say meta

1265
00:42:49,839 --> 00:42:54,960
s assembly if we talk in game a little

1266
00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:56,160
bit so and you should be very very good

1267
00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:57,280
on this topic

1268
00:42:56,160 --> 00:42:59,119
because

1269
00:42:57,280 --> 00:43:00,720
there's so many tropes around you know

1270
00:42:59,119 --> 00:43:03,520
starting in a tavern or one or getting

1271
00:43:00,720 --> 00:43:05,359
the pcs together or whatever it might be

1272
00:43:03,520 --> 00:43:08,000
of your system of choice there's likely

1273
00:43:05,359 --> 00:43:10,480
a trope if it's that open-ended

1274
00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:11,520
kind of home brewery thing uh rather

1275
00:43:10,480 --> 00:43:12,720
than say something like aliens or

1276
00:43:11,520 --> 00:43:14,960
something which is

1277
00:43:12,720 --> 00:43:16,319
you're already in a pre-packed

1278
00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:17,520
thing that you're doing yeah you're on a

1279
00:43:16,319 --> 00:43:19,839
ship something's come and get you you

1280
00:43:17,520 --> 00:43:21,839
know like yeah um so in terms of like

1281
00:43:19,839 --> 00:43:23,839
the former then that kind of open-ended

1282
00:43:21,839 --> 00:43:27,200
starting in the tavern quote-unquote

1283
00:43:23,839 --> 00:43:29,119
what have you got any tips on how to do

1284
00:43:27,200 --> 00:43:31,839
that is that a is that a big faux pas

1285
00:43:29,119 --> 00:43:33,280
for you or is that a no no no

1286
00:43:31,839 --> 00:43:36,079
okay so here here's a couple of things

1287
00:43:33,280 --> 00:43:38,000
let's start with um

1288
00:43:36,079 --> 00:43:40,640
let's start with building characters

1289
00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:42,480
assembling your character table now

1290
00:43:40,640 --> 00:43:45,599
here's one of the big rules that i have

1291
00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:47,680
is if the gm is responsible to

1292
00:43:45,599 --> 00:43:50,160
come up with at least a starting concept

1293
00:43:47,680 --> 00:43:51,680
for a game table i what i hate is

1294
00:43:50,160 --> 00:43:53,200
coming up to a game table as a gm and

1295
00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:54,480
saying we're playing d d what are we

1296
00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:55,839
doing huh

1297
00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:57,920
and then i'll figure it out you know

1298
00:43:55,839 --> 00:43:59,760
like for me that's that's nothing to get

1299
00:43:57,920 --> 00:44:01,760
excited about that's there's nothing for

1300
00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:03,200
me to build a character in like i don't

1301
00:44:01,760 --> 00:44:04,480
have a world i don't have a story i

1302
00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:07,040
don't have nothing

1303
00:44:04,480 --> 00:44:09,200
but what i uh what i always do when i am

1304
00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:10,960
a gm is i'll give people a hook or

1305
00:44:09,200 --> 00:44:14,079
something to really entice them or get

1306
00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:16,640
them excited and from there i require my

1307
00:44:14,079 --> 00:44:18,319
players to have three different things

1308
00:44:16,640 --> 00:44:20,079
for every single

1309
00:44:18,319 --> 00:44:22,720
game that i play

1310
00:44:20,079 --> 00:44:23,920
the first is you must have a tangible

1311
00:44:22,720 --> 00:44:25,760
reason

1312
00:44:23,920 --> 00:44:28,240
to go on this adventure why is your

1313
00:44:25,760 --> 00:44:30,240
character uh like let's let let's make

1314
00:44:28,240 --> 00:44:33,359
one together give me a uh give me a

1315
00:44:30,240 --> 00:44:36,560
location get like a a a biome as it were

1316
00:44:33,359 --> 00:44:37,440
a location environment yadda yadda uh

1317
00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:39,119
let's

1318
00:44:37,440 --> 00:44:40,880
look like um snowy mountain in this

1319
00:44:39,119 --> 00:44:42,960
region then cool snowy mountainous

1320
00:44:40,880 --> 00:44:46,160
region uh give me a

1321
00:44:42,960 --> 00:44:47,440
um a npc can be good can be bad can be

1322
00:44:46,160 --> 00:44:49,200
evil anything

1323
00:44:47,440 --> 00:44:50,880
let's go with something like a like a

1324
00:44:49,200 --> 00:44:53,599
trapper you know like a woodsman trapper

1325
00:44:50,880 --> 00:44:56,079
kind of person who catches hairs all

1326
00:44:53,599 --> 00:44:58,079
right sweet now uh i want you to give me

1327
00:44:56,079 --> 00:45:02,000
one of these three choices

1328
00:44:58,079 --> 00:45:03,599
hold your ground run towards or run away

1329
00:45:02,000 --> 00:45:04,400
hold your ground

1330
00:45:03,599 --> 00:45:05,280
cool

1331
00:45:04,400 --> 00:45:07,040
so

1332
00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:09,440
hold your ground adventures are where

1333
00:45:07,040 --> 00:45:11,839
you are trying to maintain something

1334
00:45:09,440 --> 00:45:13,920
um or trying to keep the natural order

1335
00:45:11,839 --> 00:45:15,520
of of the environment around you against

1336
00:45:13,920 --> 00:45:16,960
something so for example if a troll is

1337
00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:18,319
trying to attack your village you're

1338
00:45:16,960 --> 00:45:20,160
defending the village against the troll

1339
00:45:18,319 --> 00:45:21,440
for example so using these three

1340
00:45:20,160 --> 00:45:22,960
elements what i would say is the hook

1341
00:45:21,440 --> 00:45:26,000
for this game is

1342
00:45:22,960 --> 00:45:29,200
that your town is in the snowy mountains

1343
00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:31,200
and you are part of the community here

1344
00:45:29,200 --> 00:45:34,160
there is a ranger who serves as the

1345
00:45:31,200 --> 00:45:37,040
town's burger meister or the uh the the

1346
00:45:34,160 --> 00:45:39,040
respective leader of the town uh and

1347
00:45:37,040 --> 00:45:40,560
they're the person who every season will

1348
00:45:39,040 --> 00:45:41,440
head down the mountain towards the major

1349
00:45:40,560 --> 00:45:44,560
city

1350
00:45:41,440 --> 00:45:46,720
and um gain some like sundry supplies

1351
00:45:44,560 --> 00:45:48,000
things that the town needs and escorted

1352
00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:50,880
back because of how treacherous the

1353
00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:53,040
mountain path is now unfortunately he

1354
00:45:50,880 --> 00:45:55,359
has not returned uh you don't know where

1355
00:45:53,040 --> 00:45:56,560
they are this has caused from uh caused

1356
00:45:55,359 --> 00:45:59,440
some issues

1357
00:45:56,560 --> 00:46:01,119
so a small group have been deployed to

1358
00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:03,440
go and try and find the whereabouts of

1359
00:46:01,119 --> 00:46:06,160
the wagon the needed supplies and bring

1360
00:46:03,440 --> 00:46:09,119
them back to the town so that you know

1361
00:46:06,160 --> 00:46:11,440
you can last through the harsh winter so

1362
00:46:09,119 --> 00:46:13,280
that's our story now my requirement for

1363
00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:14,640
you when you build your character would

1364
00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:16,400
be

1365
00:46:14,640 --> 00:46:18,240
your character must be invested in this

1366
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,440
story now this could be that maybe you

1367
00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:21,520
are making a character that's the

1368
00:46:19,440 --> 00:46:23,599
grandson of the burgermeister maybe

1369
00:46:21,520 --> 00:46:25,520
you're making a character who is uh you

1370
00:46:23,599 --> 00:46:27,680
know a baker who is in need of flour and

1371
00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:29,760
they're the town is simply out of flour

1372
00:46:27,680 --> 00:46:31,599
maybe you're one of the town guards and

1373
00:46:29,760 --> 00:46:33,280
you are simply the most qualified person

1374
00:46:31,599 --> 00:46:35,520
because the other gods have already gone

1375
00:46:33,280 --> 00:46:37,920
with the burger meister right

1376
00:46:35,520 --> 00:46:39,599
whatever the reason you can concoct for

1377
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:40,880
whatever build or whatever character

1378
00:46:39,599 --> 00:46:43,440
you're making

1379
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:44,480
you must be connected to the story

1380
00:46:43,440 --> 00:46:45,599
because what i don't want to do is i

1381
00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:48,720
don't want to get to the story and then

1382
00:46:45,599 --> 00:46:50,400
have to find a way to shoehorn your

1383
00:46:48,720 --> 00:46:52,880
person who is on a quest to find their

1384
00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:54,480
lost sibling who vanished in the deserts

1385
00:46:52,880 --> 00:46:56,800
of amandir

1386
00:46:54,480 --> 00:46:59,200
while exploring a pyramid right it's

1387
00:46:56,800 --> 00:47:01,200
like cool i have absolutely no idea why

1388
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:03,440
you're chasing after this burger meister

1389
00:47:01,200 --> 00:47:04,960
why you were in the snowy mountains why

1390
00:47:03,440 --> 00:47:06,960
you give two dams of if these people

1391
00:47:04,960 --> 00:47:09,440
survive you know that's not my role

1392
00:47:06,960 --> 00:47:10,960
right so that's number one number one

1393
00:47:09,440 --> 00:47:12,240
connect to the story

1394
00:47:10,960 --> 00:47:15,119
number two

1395
00:47:12,240 --> 00:47:18,640
you must have a valid reason to connect

1396
00:47:15,119 --> 00:47:20,640
with and expect the success of the party

1397
00:47:18,640 --> 00:47:23,280
that means to say even if you are an

1398
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:25,680
edge lord even if you're someone who you

1399
00:47:23,280 --> 00:47:26,800
know is uh is basically like hey my name

1400
00:47:25,680 --> 00:47:29,280
is uh

1401
00:47:26,800 --> 00:47:30,800
dark shadow moonlight

1402
00:47:29,280 --> 00:47:33,440
and uh

1403
00:47:30,800 --> 00:47:35,200
and my goal here is to steal as much as

1404
00:47:33,440 --> 00:47:37,280
i can from everyone

1405
00:47:35,200 --> 00:47:39,040
it's like cool very well dark shadow

1406
00:47:37,280 --> 00:47:40,559
moonlight why are you working with all

1407
00:47:39,040 --> 00:47:44,720
these other people

1408
00:47:40,559 --> 00:47:47,680
i i work alone nope try again

1409
00:47:44,720 --> 00:47:50,000
okay what if uh what if my character was

1410
00:47:47,680 --> 00:47:51,839
arrested for doing something so dark and

1411
00:47:50,000 --> 00:47:54,160
edgy and now i'm working through

1412
00:47:51,839 --> 00:47:56,160
community service with this other guy

1413
00:47:54,160 --> 00:47:59,040
who is actually the town like the town

1414
00:47:56,160 --> 00:48:00,559
guardsmen great perfect backstory you

1415
00:47:59,040 --> 00:48:02,240
are invested here you don't want to go

1416
00:48:00,559 --> 00:48:03,760
back to jail and in order to avoid going

1417
00:48:02,240 --> 00:48:04,960
back to jail you have to do what this

1418
00:48:03,760 --> 00:48:06,800
guy says

1419
00:48:04,960 --> 00:48:08,640
uh you can continue to be as edgy as

1420
00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:10,400
hell but as long as you continue doing

1421
00:48:08,640 --> 00:48:12,160
this you stay out of jail and you're not

1422
00:48:10,400 --> 00:48:13,839
on the run from the law and more

1423
00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:15,359
importantly you as a player know that

1424
00:48:13,839 --> 00:48:17,119
your character can keep playing the game

1425
00:48:15,359 --> 00:48:18,800
because if you choose to escape then

1426
00:48:17,119 --> 00:48:20,160
yeah i'll let you escape but the

1427
00:48:18,800 --> 00:48:22,480
character runs off and you come up with

1428
00:48:20,160 --> 00:48:24,400
a new character yes yeah

1429
00:48:22,480 --> 00:48:26,079
so that's the that's you know how you

1430
00:48:24,400 --> 00:48:28,480
connect to the story

1431
00:48:26,079 --> 00:48:30,800
uh the third and final one is

1432
00:48:28,480 --> 00:48:34,800
what is your personal motivation why are

1433
00:48:30,800 --> 00:48:37,920
you not an npc this one's very fluid and

1434
00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:39,200
this is for me as a gm my my um

1435
00:48:37,920 --> 00:48:41,680
inspiration

1436
00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:43,119
this can be those like you know yeah i'm

1437
00:48:41,680 --> 00:48:45,200
you know like yeah sure i was also

1438
00:48:43,119 --> 00:48:47,440
separated from my sister at birth i'm

1439
00:48:45,200 --> 00:48:49,119
trying to find my sister so i've decided

1440
00:48:47,440 --> 00:48:50,480
to journey away from the town in order

1441
00:48:49,119 --> 00:48:53,040
to look for her

1442
00:48:50,480 --> 00:48:54,640
you know what i mean so these are those

1443
00:48:53,040 --> 00:48:55,680
those stories that then get added in

1444
00:48:54,640 --> 00:48:57,920
order to

1445
00:48:55,680 --> 00:49:00,079
inspire me to then write back stories

1446
00:48:57,920 --> 00:49:02,480
and write these these features into my

1447
00:49:00,079 --> 00:49:04,079
adventure so when i assemble my table

1448
00:49:02,480 --> 00:49:05,359
when i put them all together these are

1449
00:49:04,079 --> 00:49:07,119
the things i look for these are the

1450
00:49:05,359 --> 00:49:09,359
things i expect from my players because

1451
00:49:07,119 --> 00:49:12,079
once all of those come in

1452
00:49:09,359 --> 00:49:15,599
you have very little work to do

1453
00:49:12,079 --> 00:49:17,280
to get them together and on the road

1454
00:49:15,599 --> 00:49:18,880
and yeah like some of them will create

1455
00:49:17,280 --> 00:49:19,839
their own connections to each other some

1456
00:49:18,880 --> 00:49:21,920
of them will

1457
00:49:19,839 --> 00:49:23,520
um will already be familiar with them

1458
00:49:21,920 --> 00:49:25,599
even if they're not friends they kind of

1459
00:49:23,520 --> 00:49:27,680
have a pre-built relationship

1460
00:49:25,599 --> 00:49:31,200
and it's just about exploring it

1461
00:49:27,680 --> 00:49:33,280
so that's how that prep work

1462
00:49:31,200 --> 00:49:34,960
helps with my assembly

1463
00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:38,000
from there on in

1464
00:49:34,960 --> 00:49:39,920
the location um the location doesn't

1465
00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:41,040
matter so much i know that there are

1466
00:49:39,920 --> 00:49:43,680
some people out there who turn around

1467
00:49:41,040 --> 00:49:45,440
and poo poo the idea of a tavern and i

1468
00:49:43,680 --> 00:49:47,599
want to say this to you and i want

1469
00:49:45,440 --> 00:49:49,920
anyone who who believes that taverns are

1470
00:49:47,599 --> 00:49:51,920
boring to lean in really close right

1471
00:49:49,920 --> 00:49:52,960
just just lean in close to your to your

1472
00:49:51,920 --> 00:49:56,480
headphones

1473
00:49:52,960 --> 00:49:58,400
listen very carefully you ready okay

1474
00:49:56,480 --> 00:50:01,040
the tavern is not boring

1475
00:49:58,400 --> 00:50:03,040
you're boring

1476
00:50:01,040 --> 00:50:04,800
taverns are some of the most amazing

1477
00:50:03,040 --> 00:50:07,839
places if you put your imagination and

1478
00:50:04,800 --> 00:50:09,520
minds to it i i i mean sure you can be

1479
00:50:07,839 --> 00:50:10,800
more creative and you can put yourself

1480
00:50:09,520 --> 00:50:12,240
somewhere else like you know there are

1481
00:50:10,800 --> 00:50:14,960
lots of places to find yourself the

1482
00:50:12,240 --> 00:50:17,119
guard post at a dock at a on a mountain

1483
00:50:14,960 --> 00:50:18,559
you know wow hunting elks or whatever

1484
00:50:17,119 --> 00:50:19,520
but there is nothing wrong with a good

1485
00:50:18,559 --> 00:50:21,280
tavern

1486
00:50:19,520 --> 00:50:23,839
a good tavern doesn't have to be made of

1487
00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:27,040
wood and have a bartender a a good

1488
00:50:23,839 --> 00:50:30,240
tavern could be a clockwork mechanism

1489
00:50:27,040 --> 00:50:32,640
built by warforgers that when you enter

1490
00:50:30,240 --> 00:50:35,280
will automatically drag you through a

1491
00:50:32,640 --> 00:50:37,359
buffet line before placing you onto a

1492
00:50:35,280 --> 00:50:39,040
seat with a professional number on it

1493
00:50:37,359 --> 00:50:42,720
where a tiny little

1494
00:50:39,040 --> 00:50:44,240
mechanical half-bodied robot pops up to

1495
00:50:42,720 --> 00:50:47,920
be your server

1496
00:50:44,240 --> 00:50:50,160
it can be a fungal forest where

1497
00:50:47,920 --> 00:50:51,599
fairies actually serve you drinks and

1498
00:50:50,160 --> 00:50:54,240
the like

1499
00:50:51,599 --> 00:50:56,319
where magic is used in all the meals and

1500
00:50:54,240 --> 00:50:58,720
all the dishes um you could find

1501
00:50:56,319 --> 00:51:01,040
yourself in a tavern that is kind of at

1502
00:50:58,720 --> 00:51:03,440
the bottom of a rusty old ship that has

1503
00:51:01,040 --> 00:51:06,160
been gutted and beached uh filled with

1504
00:51:03,440 --> 00:51:09,280
pirates and scallywags who are you know

1505
00:51:06,160 --> 00:51:11,119
rotten teeth and you know like it like

1506
00:51:09,280 --> 00:51:13,359
if your tavern is just

1507
00:51:11,119 --> 00:51:15,520
a place you put your place to start an

1508
00:51:13,359 --> 00:51:16,400
adventure then then yeah of course it's

1509
00:51:15,520 --> 00:51:17,680
going to be boring because you haven't

1510
00:51:16,400 --> 00:51:20,160
filled it with anything

1511
00:51:17,680 --> 00:51:23,200
colorful characters colorful decor

1512
00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:25,440
unique foods like i have a horror game

1513
00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:26,800
uh where a long time ago when i when i

1514
00:51:25,440 --> 00:51:28,800
made it i made a tavern called the

1515
00:51:26,800 --> 00:51:32,559
tequila mockingbird

1516
00:51:28,800 --> 00:51:34,160
and it was a place where they served uh

1517
00:51:32,559 --> 00:51:36,400
vampire steaks

1518
00:51:34,160 --> 00:51:38,160
you know because it was just funny uh

1519
00:51:36,400 --> 00:51:39,680
and it was yeah just these bloody raw

1520
00:51:38,160 --> 00:51:42,640
steaks that were you know like kind of

1521
00:51:39,680 --> 00:51:44,160
served on on a bed of garlic um you know

1522
00:51:42,640 --> 00:51:45,839
and and there were just lots of little

1523
00:51:44,160 --> 00:51:48,079
little little cute things that was like

1524
00:51:45,839 --> 00:51:50,640
yeah this is a this is a like victorian

1525
00:51:48,079 --> 00:51:52,800
gothic horror themed place like there

1526
00:51:50,640 --> 00:51:54,559
was the jekyll and hyde potion as well

1527
00:51:52,800 --> 00:51:56,240
where uh the potion would come in like a

1528
00:51:54,559 --> 00:51:57,680
martini glass and you would like put a

1529
00:51:56,240 --> 00:51:59,440
couple of drops into it and it would

1530
00:51:57,680 --> 00:52:01,839
start smoking and then turn from like

1531
00:51:59,440 --> 00:52:03,040
this apple green to a vibrant red and

1532
00:52:01,839 --> 00:52:05,359
you would drink it it would be a health

1533
00:52:03,040 --> 00:52:08,559
potion right like

1534
00:52:05,359 --> 00:52:10,400
uh the bartender was a uh oh no the

1535
00:52:08,559 --> 00:52:12,559
bartender was a driver

1536
00:52:10,400 --> 00:52:15,200
who had sat behind the bench and

1537
00:52:12,559 --> 00:52:17,440
everyone thought it was a drow

1538
00:52:15,200 --> 00:52:19,200
like for the longest time and i think

1539
00:52:17,440 --> 00:52:21,760
the only time they figured it out was

1540
00:52:19,200 --> 00:52:23,040
when they

1541
00:52:21,760 --> 00:52:24,960
like they were being tracked by an

1542
00:52:23,040 --> 00:52:28,079
assassin the assassin followed them into

1543
00:52:24,960 --> 00:52:29,359
the tequila mockingbird um the assassin

1544
00:52:28,079 --> 00:52:31,280
originally wasn't going to do anything

1545
00:52:29,359 --> 00:52:33,119
but they figured out where he was

1546
00:52:31,280 --> 00:52:34,000
uh they attacked him and he attacked

1547
00:52:33,119 --> 00:52:35,599
back

1548
00:52:34,000 --> 00:52:37,440
and then all of a sudden the bartender

1549
00:52:35,599 --> 00:52:39,440
sort of crawled backwards from behind

1550
00:52:37,440 --> 00:52:42,400
his bar and up the wall and they were

1551
00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:44,000
and everyone was just like what the [ __ ]

1552
00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:45,280
and then he webbed up the uh the

1553
00:52:44,000 --> 00:52:47,200
assassin

1554
00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:48,559
uh and then yeah from there on it was

1555
00:52:47,200 --> 00:52:50,079
just like you know it was such a cool

1556
00:52:48,559 --> 00:52:53,599
moment too so

1557
00:52:50,079 --> 00:52:55,599
again like taverns and bars and pubs and

1558
00:52:53,599 --> 00:52:58,079
all of these things can just be such

1559
00:52:55,599 --> 00:53:01,119
creative places if you allow them to be

1560
00:52:58,079 --> 00:53:02,960
um what's more important is like how

1561
00:53:01,119 --> 00:53:04,400
you build that scene because that's

1562
00:53:02,960 --> 00:53:06,319
what's going to happen it's going to be

1563
00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:07,839
whatever you make out of it

1564
00:53:06,319 --> 00:53:09,920
i think i was going to say once once

1565
00:53:07,839 --> 00:53:11,680
you've got those three pieces in order

1566
00:53:09,920 --> 00:53:14,000
like you said for your characters the

1567
00:53:11,680 --> 00:53:15,920
starting point physically becomes kind

1568
00:53:14,000 --> 00:53:17,520
of moot in a way because it's the

1569
00:53:15,920 --> 00:53:19,200
important pieces are there so whatever

1570
00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:21,200
happens wherever they start it's the

1571
00:53:19,200 --> 00:53:23,280
adventure awaits exactly

1572
00:53:21,200 --> 00:53:24,880
yeah on inside the tavern on top of the

1573
00:53:23,280 --> 00:53:28,720
tavern because why not they're fixing

1574
00:53:24,880 --> 00:53:28,720
the roof who cares like who knows it's

1575
00:53:29,200 --> 00:53:32,880
whatever

1576
00:53:31,040 --> 00:53:34,160
i thought i was um

1577
00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:36,480
i'm planning to do a one-shot for a

1578
00:53:34,160 --> 00:53:38,720
couple of just three friends um in the

1579
00:53:36,480 --> 00:53:40,640
new year and we've kind of done a broad

1580
00:53:38,720 --> 00:53:42,559
session zero slash

1581
00:53:40,640 --> 00:53:43,839
this is what the game this is how you

1582
00:53:42,559 --> 00:53:45,839
play the game and how you make a

1583
00:53:43,839 --> 00:53:48,160
character and i think we're planning on

1584
00:53:45,839 --> 00:53:50,720
we were thinking planning on starting

1585
00:53:48,160 --> 00:53:52,960
at the end of a dungeon basically so

1586
00:53:50,720 --> 00:53:54,480
like we we joined two of them who had

1587
00:53:52,960 --> 00:53:55,680
already got to the end of a dungeon

1588
00:53:54,480 --> 00:53:57,119
one's like the older brother looking

1589
00:53:55,680 --> 00:53:58,640
after the younger one who's gone out

1590
00:53:57,119 --> 00:54:00,160
adventuring and the other one has come

1591
00:53:58,640 --> 00:54:01,599
to find them because they've taken too

1592
00:54:00,160 --> 00:54:03,280
long or whatnot so we were going to

1593
00:54:01,599 --> 00:54:05,599
start at the end of a dungeon and work

1594
00:54:03,280 --> 00:54:07,200
our way out um which i could have i

1595
00:54:05,599 --> 00:54:09,200
haven't i've done zero planning as you

1596
00:54:07,200 --> 00:54:10,400
can probably tell but i was in my head

1597
00:54:09,200 --> 00:54:11,359
thinking about that there's probably a

1598
00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:12,800
number of cool things that i could

1599
00:54:11,359 --> 00:54:13,599
probably work

1600
00:54:12,800 --> 00:54:15,280
in

1601
00:54:13,599 --> 00:54:16,880
to that environment of you know maybe

1602
00:54:15,280 --> 00:54:17,839
they their route they took in was broken

1603
00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:19,760
they have to take a different route out

1604
00:54:17,839 --> 00:54:20,720
which is full of like reverse traps like

1605
00:54:19,760 --> 00:54:22,000
the triggers are at the end of the

1606
00:54:20,720 --> 00:54:23,359
hallways and

1607
00:54:22,000 --> 00:54:25,280
and stuff because they're they're

1608
00:54:23,359 --> 00:54:28,400
leaving the dungeon and so on and so on

1609
00:54:25,280 --> 00:54:30,319
so um oh amazing again with that one i'd

1610
00:54:28,400 --> 00:54:32,079
inadvertently as i said i think i think

1611
00:54:30,319 --> 00:54:33,119
two are related and one's gone out

1612
00:54:32,079 --> 00:54:34,480
adventuring for some reason i can't

1613
00:54:33,119 --> 00:54:36,240
remember what it was but again it was a

1614
00:54:34,480 --> 00:54:38,799
couple of those checkboxes had been

1615
00:54:36,240 --> 00:54:40,720
checked already and which is why it's it

1616
00:54:38,799 --> 00:54:43,200
was kind of trivial to to come up with

1617
00:54:40,720 --> 00:54:44,960
this seemingly wacky idea but the point

1618
00:54:43,200 --> 00:54:46,640
being is that it isn't wacky because

1619
00:54:44,960 --> 00:54:48,400
it is what it is at that point you can

1620
00:54:46,640 --> 00:54:50,160
yeah exactly and it's not it's not that

1621
00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:51,200
it's not that the location is not

1622
00:54:50,160 --> 00:54:54,000
important

1623
00:54:51,200 --> 00:54:56,240
is that the location goes from having to

1624
00:54:54,000 --> 00:54:58,079
be somewhere for your adventure in order

1625
00:54:56,240 --> 00:54:59,760
to link everyone up like gathering

1626
00:54:58,079 --> 00:55:02,160
everyone because they're all answering a

1627
00:54:59,760 --> 00:55:04,079
wanted ad to meet the quest giver

1628
00:55:02,160 --> 00:55:06,319
to it doesn't matter where it goes

1629
00:55:04,079 --> 00:55:08,079
because you've built those foundations

1630
00:55:06,319 --> 00:55:09,520
of the back story the connection to the

1631
00:55:08,079 --> 00:55:11,040
party and the

1632
00:55:09,520 --> 00:55:13,440
self-motivation

1633
00:55:11,040 --> 00:55:15,520
that as a gm yeah you can put them

1634
00:55:13,440 --> 00:55:16,720
anywhere and in fact most of the time i

1635
00:55:15,520 --> 00:55:18,960
find that when i do that i'm more

1636
00:55:16,720 --> 00:55:20,480
inclined to split the party so that they

1637
00:55:18,960 --> 00:55:22,799
start in somewhere natural to their

1638
00:55:20,480 --> 00:55:24,880
characters and they simply drift towards

1639
00:55:22,799 --> 00:55:26,559
each other very naturally as well

1640
00:55:24,880 --> 00:55:28,079
and yeah sometimes that's a tavern

1641
00:55:26,559 --> 00:55:29,520
sometimes it's not so

1642
00:55:28,079 --> 00:55:31,520
yeah i'm definitely going to steal

1643
00:55:29,520 --> 00:55:33,119
tequila mockingbird i'm desperately

1644
00:55:31,520 --> 00:55:35,359
trying to find it you know a lot of

1645
00:55:33,119 --> 00:55:37,280
people have and i um

1646
00:55:35,359 --> 00:55:39,599
i've spoken about it a few times

1647
00:55:37,280 --> 00:55:41,760
um the tequila mockingbird has featured

1648
00:55:39,599 --> 00:55:43,760
as a donation

1649
00:55:41,760 --> 00:55:45,280
suggestion for a friend of mine's uh

1650
00:55:43,760 --> 00:55:47,440
stream as well so the tequila

1651
00:55:45,280 --> 00:55:49,280
mockingbird shows up in a few in a few

1652
00:55:47,440 --> 00:55:50,640
different streams here and there as i've

1653
00:55:49,280 --> 00:55:51,760
floated in chat and i've thrown out the

1654
00:55:50,640 --> 00:55:53,760
idea it's

1655
00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:55,520
a very cool name and i can't take full

1656
00:55:53,760 --> 00:55:57,359
credit for it uh it was actually one of

1657
00:55:55,520 --> 00:55:59,200
my young kids from the youth center who

1658
00:55:57,359 --> 00:56:01,200
actually uh who actually came up with

1659
00:55:59,200 --> 00:56:02,960
the idea and we were throwing around a

1660
00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:05,119
whole bunch of things like the the

1661
00:56:02,960 --> 00:56:07,440
original tavern owner was a dwarf called

1662
00:56:05,119 --> 00:56:10,000
jaeger uh his last and so everyone would

1663
00:56:07,440 --> 00:56:11,920
call him jagermeister yeah uh you know

1664
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:13,840
it was yeah it was yeah a lot of a lot

1665
00:56:11,920 --> 00:56:15,200
of fun little things there

1666
00:56:13,840 --> 00:56:18,480
[Music]

1667
00:56:15,200 --> 00:56:20,079
um we're coming towards time and i've i

1668
00:56:18,480 --> 00:56:21,440
mean my list is we've gone through about

1669
00:56:20,079 --> 00:56:22,880
30 of it but i don't know if there's

1670
00:56:21,440 --> 00:56:24,319
anything that um you really wanted to

1671
00:56:22,880 --> 00:56:27,040
discuss on this topic that we might not

1672
00:56:24,319 --> 00:56:28,960
have got around to yet um yeah i'll say

1673
00:56:27,040 --> 00:56:30,720
something very very brief about um

1674
00:56:28,960 --> 00:56:32,720
character composition

1675
00:56:30,720 --> 00:56:34,880
do not be afraid to

1676
00:56:32,720 --> 00:56:37,920
play your characters

1677
00:56:34,880 --> 00:56:39,599
with the non-ideal

1678
00:56:37,920 --> 00:56:42,960
party makeup right you do not need a

1679
00:56:39,599 --> 00:56:43,760
cleric a wizard a rogue and a fighter uh

1680
00:56:42,960 --> 00:56:46,240
you

1681
00:56:43,760 --> 00:56:48,640
do not need to even have four completely

1682
00:56:46,240 --> 00:56:50,480
different characters the thing is your

1683
00:56:48,640 --> 00:56:53,040
character is not defined by your sheet

1684
00:56:50,480 --> 00:56:54,559
i've played so many games in which i've

1685
00:56:53,040 --> 00:56:56,559
never touched a dice or even looked at

1686
00:56:54,559 --> 00:56:58,480
my sheet but the characters the

1687
00:56:56,559 --> 00:57:00,400
personality and the way that i was drove

1688
00:56:58,480 --> 00:57:01,520
my character drove me into whatever i

1689
00:57:00,400 --> 00:57:03,599
was

1690
00:57:01,520 --> 00:57:06,160
you could have two rogues who are

1691
00:57:03,599 --> 00:57:08,880
completely different but identical on

1692
00:57:06,160 --> 00:57:11,920
paper and it's not about what your

1693
00:57:08,880 --> 00:57:14,720
numbers are but what and how and why you

1694
00:57:11,920 --> 00:57:16,640
roll those dice in the first place um so

1695
00:57:14,720 --> 00:57:17,680
do remember that never be afraid to to

1696
00:57:16,640 --> 00:57:20,319
challenge

1697
00:57:17,680 --> 00:57:21,839
um what these characters are capable of

1698
00:57:20,319 --> 00:57:23,520
without having to sit there and sort of

1699
00:57:21,839 --> 00:57:25,280
go i ha oh well you know everywhere

1700
00:57:23,520 --> 00:57:26,880
we're playing this class so i can't play

1701
00:57:25,280 --> 00:57:28,319
a i can't play a cleric because we

1702
00:57:26,880 --> 00:57:29,520
already have one or i can't play a

1703
00:57:28,319 --> 00:57:32,240
paladin because we've already got a

1704
00:57:29,520 --> 00:57:35,520
fighter never never limit yourself that

1705
00:57:32,240 --> 00:57:38,079
way um but always make sure that um

1706
00:57:35,520 --> 00:57:39,839
that everyone is gonna have fun right

1707
00:57:38,079 --> 00:57:42,000
don't just make another don't just make

1708
00:57:39,839 --> 00:57:43,359
a character irrelevant to the other

1709
00:57:42,000 --> 00:57:44,640
person right like don't sort of look at

1710
00:57:43,359 --> 00:57:46,079
the other guy who's made a paladin and

1711
00:57:44,640 --> 00:57:48,240
go i'm gonna make the same paladin but

1712
00:57:46,079 --> 00:57:50,240
better you know

1713
00:57:48,240 --> 00:57:52,079
you know just be cool do your own thing

1714
00:57:50,240 --> 00:57:53,760
let them do their own thing and if you

1715
00:57:52,079 --> 00:57:55,200
find that you're doing the same thing

1716
00:57:53,760 --> 00:57:57,440
sit down and have a chat open up a

1717
00:57:55,200 --> 00:57:59,359
discussion and say hey i noticed that

1718
00:57:57,440 --> 00:58:00,880
your paladin of righteousness and light

1719
00:57:59,359 --> 00:58:02,559
is very similar to my paladin of

1720
00:58:00,880 --> 00:58:04,960
righteousness and light maybe there's a

1721
00:58:02,559 --> 00:58:07,280
way we can be different as personalities

1722
00:58:04,960 --> 00:58:10,079
but maybe be friends and have us be both

1723
00:58:07,280 --> 00:58:12,720
be paladins of light who are on a quest

1724
00:58:10,079 --> 00:58:15,680
united to uh act as like a you know

1725
00:58:12,720 --> 00:58:17,680
buddy cop combo to go and do justice you

1726
00:58:15,680 --> 00:58:19,440
know yeah like there are lots of

1727
00:58:17,680 --> 00:58:21,200
opportunities there that exist and yeah

1728
00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:23,920
just communication's the way to go about

1729
00:58:21,200 --> 00:58:25,440
it one thing i love leveraging about

1730
00:58:23,920 --> 00:58:27,520
ttrpgs

1731
00:58:25,440 --> 00:58:29,280
is the differences from video games

1732
00:58:27,520 --> 00:58:32,160
which is where they spend a lot of my

1733
00:58:29,280 --> 00:58:33,520
time as well so i really love to lean in

1734
00:58:32,160 --> 00:58:35,040
to those things that make ttr videos

1735
00:58:33,520 --> 00:58:37,119
ttrpgs because you can't get them

1736
00:58:35,040 --> 00:58:38,480
anywhere else and one of those things is

1737
00:58:37,119 --> 00:58:41,280
not needing

1738
00:58:38,480 --> 00:58:44,079
uh a tank a healer and three dps like

1739
00:58:41,280 --> 00:58:46,400
you don't need that so i'm hugely

1740
00:58:44,079 --> 00:58:48,880
encouraged being like just play just be

1741
00:58:46,400 --> 00:58:51,359
five barbarians no one that will be so

1742
00:58:48,880 --> 00:58:53,359
rad like please be five barbarians that

1743
00:58:51,359 --> 00:58:55,200
would be sick

1744
00:58:53,359 --> 00:58:58,400
i i definitely we have a we have plans

1745
00:58:55,200 --> 00:58:59,839
for a uh a band of kobold bards called

1746
00:58:58,400 --> 00:59:02,319
dragon force

1747
00:58:59,839 --> 00:59:03,680
uh in in in the works

1748
00:59:02,319 --> 00:59:05,119
it's one of those games that we want to

1749
00:59:03,680 --> 00:59:06,480
play one day but but haven't gotten

1750
00:59:05,119 --> 00:59:08,640
around to

1751
00:59:06,480 --> 00:59:10,240
yeah i i again i

1752
00:59:08,640 --> 00:59:11,920
that sounds great and like um i think

1753
00:59:10,240 --> 00:59:14,640
i've banded around on the podcast before

1754
00:59:11,920 --> 00:59:16,960
like four totals that are different

1755
00:59:14,640 --> 00:59:19,040
ninja turtles yeah like it's it's a

1756
00:59:16,960 --> 00:59:20,480
classic and it would be so good and so

1757
00:59:19,040 --> 00:59:21,680
fun and that's what i always like to

1758
00:59:20,480 --> 00:59:22,960
tell people when they're like oh i can't

1759
00:59:21,680 --> 00:59:24,079
like you said i can't play a paradigm so

1760
00:59:22,960 --> 00:59:25,839
we've already got a paladin there [ __ ]

1761
00:59:24,079 --> 00:59:27,440
that man just

1762
00:59:25,839 --> 00:59:29,040
do what you want

1763
00:59:27,440 --> 00:59:30,400
yeah yep yep and you know what people

1764
00:59:29,040 --> 00:59:32,400
think that we're just being polite no no

1765
00:59:30,400 --> 00:59:34,000
we mean like yeah no just do what you

1766
00:59:32,400 --> 00:59:35,839
want like have fun

1767
00:59:34,000 --> 00:59:37,599
uh talk to the other player and and find

1768
00:59:35,839 --> 00:59:38,799
those differences and have have a great

1769
00:59:37,599 --> 00:59:40,720
time

1770
00:59:38,799 --> 00:59:41,920
one one final thing on that topic that i

1771
00:59:40,720 --> 00:59:44,160
did want to say and i know we're

1772
00:59:41,920 --> 00:59:46,559
reaching time but um in another game

1773
00:59:44,160 --> 00:59:48,160
that i i used to play in there was a guy

1774
00:59:46,559 --> 00:59:49,839
we ended up rolling characters for like

1775
00:59:48,160 --> 00:59:51,520
three different occasions and he was

1776
00:59:49,839 --> 00:59:53,599
always like i'll wait until everyone

1777
00:59:51,520 --> 00:59:55,760
else is picked and then i'll pick

1778
00:59:53,599 --> 00:59:57,440
you know i'll plug the gap that remains

1779
00:59:55,760 --> 00:59:59,040
and so many times we're like don't worry

1780
00:59:57,440 --> 01:00:00,480
about that if you don't want to play a

1781
00:59:59,040 --> 01:00:01,839
healer don't play a healer because

1782
01:00:00,480 --> 01:00:03,680
chances are nobody else is going to want

1783
01:00:01,839 --> 01:00:05,040
to play healer and you don't need one

1784
01:00:03,680 --> 01:00:06,880
anyway and he's like no no i'll wait

1785
01:00:05,040 --> 01:00:07,760
i'll wait but it happens so many times i

1786
01:00:06,880 --> 01:00:10,559
think it's

1787
01:00:07,760 --> 01:00:11,680
that that is the bit that he finds he he

1788
01:00:10,559 --> 01:00:13,280
enjoys

1789
01:00:11,680 --> 01:00:15,359
filling the niche that's required of a

1790
01:00:13,280 --> 01:00:17,839
party so there is there is a a slight

1791
01:00:15,359 --> 01:00:19,680
double edged to that discussion in that

1792
01:00:17,839 --> 01:00:22,000
sometimes if people are wanting to do

1793
01:00:19,680 --> 01:00:23,680
that i think it's because they enjoy

1794
01:00:22,000 --> 01:00:24,720
being that thing that everybody else

1795
01:00:23,680 --> 01:00:26,079
needs

1796
01:00:24,720 --> 01:00:28,640
so yeah that was that my only last

1797
01:00:26,079 --> 01:00:31,760
little comment on on that one

1798
01:00:28,640 --> 01:00:33,520
anyway thank you for that discussion uh

1799
01:00:31,760 --> 01:00:35,920
is there anything you would like to

1800
01:00:33,520 --> 01:00:39,359
promote oh uh well that's very

1801
01:00:35,920 --> 01:00:41,599
interesting uh so uh as i mentioned i am

1802
01:00:39,359 --> 01:00:43,200
i'm just all over the internet uh and so

1803
01:00:41,599 --> 01:00:44,640
anywhere you can find deadly gamer you

1804
01:00:43,200 --> 01:00:45,480
will find me i have my own twitch

1805
01:00:44,640 --> 01:00:47,760
channel at

1806
01:00:45,480 --> 01:00:50,000
twitch.tv where you'll find me running a

1807
01:00:47,760 --> 01:00:52,319
lot of my very very uh casual type of

1808
01:00:50,000 --> 01:00:53,920
games i also have a handful of

1809
01:00:52,319 --> 01:00:55,520
professional games that i have with a

1810
01:00:53,920 --> 01:00:57,359
lot of celebrities

1811
01:00:55,520 --> 01:00:58,880
i've done tons of games for conventions

1812
01:00:57,359 --> 01:01:01,040
online and things like that and i think

1813
01:00:58,880 --> 01:01:02,799
probably my most notable

1814
01:01:01,040 --> 01:01:04,400
appearances have been on the d d

1815
01:01:02,799 --> 01:01:06,960
official twitch channel

1816
01:01:04,400 --> 01:01:09,839
through two shows uh ghost of salt marsh

1817
01:01:06,960 --> 01:01:11,839
call of the kraken as well as uh descent

1818
01:01:09,839 --> 01:01:14,480
into avernus blood wars so i was

1819
01:01:11,839 --> 01:01:16,240
featured on both of those um

1820
01:01:14,480 --> 01:01:17,359
done a bunch of shows on how to be a

1821
01:01:16,240 --> 01:01:19,359
great gm

1822
01:01:17,359 --> 01:01:22,960
as well as

1823
01:01:19,359 --> 01:01:25,359
my biggest show to date actually uh is

1824
01:01:22,960 --> 01:01:28,559
on the dingo doodles channel where i

1825
01:01:25,359 --> 01:01:30,799
played with uh felix uh the dm4 for

1826
01:01:28,559 --> 01:01:33,040
dingo uh along with gothi and we did a

1827
01:01:30,799 --> 01:01:35,760
three-part promotional game for their

1828
01:01:33,040 --> 01:01:37,839
kickstarter for fool's gold uh which was

1829
01:01:35,760 --> 01:01:39,920
incredible so part one is on dingo

1830
01:01:37,839 --> 01:01:42,079
doodle's channel part two is on my

1831
01:01:39,920 --> 01:01:44,079
friend robert hartley gm's channel and

1832
01:01:42,079 --> 01:01:46,640
part three is on my channel as well so

1833
01:01:44,079 --> 01:01:48,960
you can check them out uh at uh yeah

1834
01:01:46,640 --> 01:01:50,880
those various places as well awesome so

1835
01:01:48,960 --> 01:01:52,079
uh all everything all those lovely

1836
01:01:50,880 --> 01:01:53,760
awesome links will be in the episode

1837
01:01:52,079 --> 01:01:56,400
description i would encourage you to

1838
01:01:53,760 --> 01:01:58,480
check out michael's stuff oh and and and

1839
01:01:56,400 --> 01:02:00,640
and there's definitely more google is

1840
01:01:58,480 --> 01:02:02,640
like your best friend like

1841
01:02:00,640 --> 01:02:05,039
i'm on wsd20

1842
01:02:02,640 --> 01:02:07,280
um you know i've i've done stuff for

1843
01:02:05,039 --> 01:02:09,520
like perception studios and this just

1844
01:02:07,280 --> 01:02:10,640
yeah everywhere dude everywhere well

1845
01:02:09,520 --> 01:02:12,240
then i won't put any links in because

1846
01:02:10,640 --> 01:02:14,079
you're just everywhere so there's no

1847
01:02:12,240 --> 01:02:15,520
yeah just just put dead aussie gamer

1848
01:02:14,079 --> 01:02:17,280
look him up

1849
01:02:15,520 --> 01:02:19,119
you know my goal in this career has

1850
01:02:17,280 --> 01:02:20,880
always been to be like man i know that

1851
01:02:19,119 --> 01:02:22,960
guy from somewhere like what the hell

1852
01:02:20,880 --> 01:02:25,599
like he's he's just in everything he's

1853
01:02:22,960 --> 01:02:27,520
everywhere oh well you are one step

1854
01:02:25,599 --> 01:02:29,520
closer towards that goal after today

1855
01:02:27,520 --> 01:02:31,440
here

1856
01:02:29,520 --> 01:02:33,359
i hope so

1857
01:02:31,440 --> 01:02:35,440
uh so all that's left today's thank you

1858
01:02:33,359 --> 01:02:37,760
ever so much that was uh super fantastic

1859
01:02:35,440 --> 01:02:39,520
uh super yeah eye opening in some places

1860
01:02:37,760 --> 01:02:41,760
so now i really do appreciate the the

1861
01:02:39,520 --> 01:02:44,000
discussion on again uh

1862
01:02:41,760 --> 01:02:46,240
on paper quite an abstract topic but uh

1863
01:02:44,000 --> 01:02:47,200
i think we did a damn good job at it oh

1864
01:02:46,240 --> 01:02:49,280
thank you for having me it was

1865
01:02:47,200 --> 01:02:51,760
absolutely a pleasure dude awesome thank

1866
01:02:49,280 --> 01:02:54,319
you to everybody for listening at home

1867
01:02:51,760 --> 01:02:55,680
as usual all my at least all my links

1868
01:02:54,319 --> 01:02:57,839
will be in the episode description still

1869
01:02:55,680 --> 01:02:59,200
so please go and check those out

1870
01:02:57,839 --> 01:03:00,240
feel free to click through on some of

1871
01:02:59,200 --> 01:03:02,480
those

1872
01:03:00,240 --> 01:03:05,119
uh but otherwise thank you all for

1873
01:03:02,480 --> 01:03:06,720
listening and good night

1874
01:03:05,119 --> 01:03:07,680
and now it's time for the patreon shout

1875
01:03:06,720 --> 01:03:10,880
outs

1876
01:03:07,680 --> 01:03:13,599
thank you to robert hartley dm for viva

1877
01:03:10,880 --> 01:03:16,640
la dirt league and writer on the d d

1878
01:03:13,599 --> 01:03:18,640
logic web series i would encourage

1879
01:03:16,640 --> 01:03:21,280
everybody to check him out at robert

1880
01:03:18,640 --> 01:03:23,520
hartley gm on twitter and twitch

1881
01:03:21,280 --> 01:03:25,920
thank you to optional rule a two time

1882
01:03:23,520 --> 01:03:28,720
guest of the show and a very insightful

1883
01:03:25,920 --> 01:03:30,000
and knowledgeable source of information

1884
01:03:28,720 --> 01:03:33,000
please check them out at

1885
01:03:30,000 --> 01:03:33,000
www.optionalrule.com

1886
01:03:33,440 --> 01:03:38,720
huge huge huge thank you to a great

1887
01:03:36,240 --> 01:03:41,200
friend of the show matthew perkins who's

1888
01:03:38,720 --> 01:03:43,520
out there making hilarious and

1889
01:03:41,200 --> 01:03:45,400
educational dungeons and dragons content

1890
01:03:43,520 --> 01:03:47,039
please go and check out his stuff at

1891
01:03:45,400 --> 01:03:49,520
matthewperkins.net where you can find

1892
01:03:47,039 --> 01:03:51,039
links to all of his socials and all of

1893
01:03:49,520 --> 01:03:52,720
his content including his own patreon

1894
01:03:51,039 --> 01:03:54,480
which i would very much encourage you to

1895
01:03:52,720 --> 01:03:57,359
check out

1896
01:03:54,480 --> 01:03:59,359
thank you to matt street at mpstreet88

1897
01:03:57,359 --> 01:04:00,640
on twitter for supporting the show

1898
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if you need support running your

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personal or business schedule head to

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virtualtimehustle.com or on instagram to

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make that difference between should do

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and done boss it better with support

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from cat who will help you get back that

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essential time you've been searching for

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if you would like to support what we do

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and get four shout outs a month head

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over to patreon.com thinking critically

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or you can just buy me a coffee at

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kofi.com thinking critically

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[Music]