Improvisation
This episode I'm joined by Daniel, a.k.a @eos_rakonto, and we talk about the fine art of improvisation. Starting with the frankly embarrassing realisation on my part that almost everything that happens in a given game is improvised, we move on to discuss a number of tips for DMs on how to deal with the dynamic nature of play, and role playing on the fly. We end on ways to improve your own character role play at the table, especially for those that find it intimidating. Daniel is sincere, knowledgeable and insightful, and it was a pleasure to have him on the show.
- 01:25 - How improvisation is at the core of D&D
- 03:38 - Improvising NPCs - tips for maintaining role play
- 18:37 - Improvising encounters - dealing with the unpredictability of players
- 32:05 - Setting difficulty dynamically
- 38:43 - Order from improv - a purely improvised game
- 44:34 - Campfire talk - PC to PC RP
- 56:03 - Encouraging improvisational RP
Follow Daniel (@eos_rakonto) on:
- Twitter (https://twitter.com/eos_rakonto)
- Twitch (https://www.twitch.tv/eos_rakonto)
Follow me on:
- Twitter @Danilo_DnD (https://twitter.com/Danilo_DnD)
- Instagram thinking_critically_dnd (https://www.instagram.com/thinking_critically_dnd/)
- Facebook ThinkingCriticallyDnD (https://www.facebook.com/ThinkingCriticallyDnD)
References:
Intro Music: 'Local Forecast' by Kevin MacLeod
Intermission Music: 'Chill' by Kevin MacLeod
Outro Music: 'Local Forecast - Elevator' by Kevin MacLeod
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[Music]
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hello and welcome to thinking critically
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a d and d discussion a podcast where we
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deep dive single word concepts or ideas
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within the dungeons and dragons 5e
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framework my name is danilo and i like
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all kinds of games and the crunchy
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mechanics that make him tick you can
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find me on twitter facebook and
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instagram and i'd really appreciate a
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like or a follow and today i'm joined by
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daniel aka eos ricconto thank you ever
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so much daniel for joining us can you
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tell us a little bit about yourself
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pleasure's all mine i go by yo circanto
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in cyberspace surrounding d5e i run the
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channel eos riconto at twitch so
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twitch.tv slash ios or konto where
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we do dnd 5v streams so a couple of the
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campaigns in there i'm a player and then
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another one idm the campaign coaster for
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that channel
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but yeah that's uh that's who i am
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thanks for having me on the show that's
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all right it's a pleasure i'm always
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always happy to talk to
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everybody about their dnd experiences
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and they should be a very good one
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as the topic is improvisation
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so
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daniel what does the word improvisation
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mean to you
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improvisation like the definition
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obviously is just making it up on the fl
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making stuff up on the fly and figuring
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things out as you go
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i think within the context of tabletop
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rpgs when people talk about
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improvisation they're referring to like
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all kinds of things like from creating
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encounters on the fly to
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creating the world on the fly
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all the way down to just like standard
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table play of what do the various
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characters do
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i actually think like
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in general tabletop rpgs are when the
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actual act of playing them at the table
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is pretty much all improvisation
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um when you actually sit down at the
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table like what's going on at the table
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like it's it's pretty much pure
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improvisation like no amount of no
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amount of prep is like you can you can
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have plenty of prep ahead of time but
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the actual act of playing the game
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you're pretty much just improvising like
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you don't know exactly how care like as
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a dm you don't know exactly how
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characters are going to or what they're
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exactly what they're going to say unless
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you're reading from a script and
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not a lot of people do that so there's
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like there's an element of improv in
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like
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during every session like everything you
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do yeah yeah i seen i understand now
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yeah it's
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weird to think about it so many things
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in this stupid podcast
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sound like hyper obvious when i say them
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when i'm recording but in my head i'm
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like whoa i've had a huge realization in
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that
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and and this example is players are
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obviously
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improvising all the time now when you
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put it down like they sit at the table
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they don't know what's going to happen
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which sounds obvious but when you put it
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plainly like that i'm like oh god yeah
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literally 100 of their time
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is
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improvisation and either that's
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completely raw improv with like you know
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how does my character feel and
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what are they gonna say versus like kind
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of constrained within combat of okay
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well i can only do this but i still have
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to pick
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what i want to do within those rules
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and likewise with
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dm'ing as you said you can plan and prep
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and until the cows come home and have
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you know reams and
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thousands of words
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planned but as soon as the players say
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yeah but you know what's your favorite
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kind of dessert
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at the end you haven't even written that
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down
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suddenly the captain of the guard has to
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remember what his favorite dessert is
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exactly exactly and again
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you're back to
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improvising straight away so i've
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from my experience i've obviously got a
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few
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set piece npcs that are kind of critical
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to the story
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not quite skyrim plus i'm a critical
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that just fall unconscious but they're
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quite pivotal in the direction the
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players take and even you know those
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guys i've planned and prepped and
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had you know a couple of paragraphs here
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or there like introductory
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paragraphs is about as far as i can get
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before it's like okay after that i'm
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just gonna have to be
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making stuff up on the fly because you
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just can't plan as you said
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which is a little bit
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scary i have to say a little bit uh
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especially for those bigger npcs like i
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don't mind improvising for
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bill the potion shop owner because
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in the grand scheme of things he's
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kind of trivial and like it doesn't
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really matter if he messes up and says
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something stupid or yeah or yeah or puts
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his foot in it or
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or gets killed or whatever if you're
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playing if you're playing like
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the guide or the you know the good guy
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person that's the aid of that's trying
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to help him out if he says something
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that trips him up later or puts his fur
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in it or says something he shouldn't
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know
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you know that immediately gets the
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players being like oh how does he know
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that and that must mean that xyz and
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that must mean that he's a bad guy and
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then there's just a bead of sweat
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running down the forehead
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it's like oh no that's just uh
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oops my bad yeah yeah i know that i know
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that feeling really well too like i had
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a character uh a pretty pretty large
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presence in the in the world and i know
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some of my players are gonna listen to
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this so i don't want to uh spoil
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anything but like the character made
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contact with them and like in my head
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i'm like okay this is like a helper npc
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it's somebody who's going to help them
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along to figure stuff out and as soon as
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they get like this letter from them
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they're like this person knows
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they're out to get us
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like
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and at that point it's just like well i
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think the best you can do is just be
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like well that's what they're gonna
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think
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and i think
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when it comes to like uh prepping and
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creating those characters like he said
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the the large and important characters
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are the scariest characters to play
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because you're like worried about them
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not fulfilling the role that you want
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them to fulfill yeah that's that's
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that's it in a nutshell that's literally
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it that they have a role like a very
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clear vision in my head of
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this is the kind of character i want
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them to be you know stereotyping or
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tropey it doesn't matter but the moment
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you're in the spotlight it's so easy to
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be like
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you know drop in the filter words and
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say um and use your own kind of
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colloquialisms what this 400 year old
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beholder would never say
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hey that's cool ah [ __ ] no danalow says
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hey that's cool
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this beholder would never say that well
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i've just kind of undermined his whole
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insomnia
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i think that's where the players have to
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meet you halfway and you know appreciate
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that we're not all career
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improvisational actors
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so they kind of have to take some of
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those
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little misdemeanors with a pinch of salt
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and just kind of you know suspension of
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disbelief almost and just kind of brush
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them under the carpet and say you know
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what
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he's got a tough job
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so we'll let the beholder say hey that's
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rad this time
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i think a lot of players like most
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tables like unless you're running unless
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you're running a streamed game that
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you're treating very much like a
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production that you want to like for
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that do you want to show the world it's
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like
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it's it's important to let everybody at
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the table including the dm just sort of
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like relax
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and have fun while they're doing stuff
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and having when the beholder says okay
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cool and it's like
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some gift tables might
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they might internalize that into their
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like empty into the theater of their
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mind as the beholders that as the
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beholder says that but i think most
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people sort of like
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assume that they don't they turn off the
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the in character like reception for the
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for their theater when that kind of
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stuff happens but yeah one thing that's
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that's helped me when it comes to like
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portraying npcs that i want to like have
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impact in the game um
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because i figured this out mostly
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because uh one of my players told me
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they really liked the interaction with
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uh the certain npc i made they felt like
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they were um because this person was
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like so somebody who i played with for a
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long time back in high school we used to
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play d d and my friends
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in my friend's basement were all around
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the table with our group of friends so
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like we've got that history we've got
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the history together and he said like
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when he was interacting with this npc it
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felt kind of like me and him
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were chilling out and having having a
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good time
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like we always have whenever we hung out
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and um
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it sort of clicked in my mind it's like
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actually you know i kind of
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fashioned that npc to be like that like
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there's a little bit of me in that
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character and it actually made it really
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really easy to have the character sort
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of act naturally and flow with flow with
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the dialogue
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um in a very familiar way that spoke to
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the player
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maybe this is just for me but i think a
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lot of my npcs have a little bit
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of my biases within them i'm not a
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career
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actor i can't do that kind of
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00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:36,800
disassociation
266
00:09:34,240 --> 00:09:39,600
fully just yet so a lot of my npcs have
267
00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:41,519
a have a little layer of neuroses in
268
00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,519
there that they've inherited
269
00:09:41,519 --> 00:09:46,000
from me like a little layer of
270
00:09:43,519 --> 00:09:47,360
skepticism of sarcasm of suspicion you
271
00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:48,560
could be talking to
272
00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:52,480
like
273
00:09:48,560 --> 00:09:53,279
betty the 80 year old npc tavern owner
274
00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:54,480
or
275
00:09:53,279 --> 00:09:55,279
victor
276
00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:58,480
von
277
00:09:55,279 --> 00:10:01,040
vasselheim the 30 year old
278
00:09:58,480 --> 00:10:03,279
vampire lord and they'll both have a
279
00:10:01,040 --> 00:10:04,800
little bit of like
280
00:10:03,279 --> 00:10:05,120
well that wasn't a very clever thing to
281
00:10:04,800 --> 00:10:07,200
do
282
00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:09,279
[Laughter]
283
00:10:07,200 --> 00:10:12,160
you sound suspiciously like victor betty
284
00:10:09,279 --> 00:10:12,160
here what's up with that
285
00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:19,079
boom that's a new campaign i just spun
286
00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:19,079
out thin air
287
00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:24,880
kind of big picture big npc's that are
288
00:10:23,440 --> 00:10:27,200
maybe slightly more important than we
289
00:10:24,880 --> 00:10:28,560
talked about the pitfalls of
290
00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,519
you know letting something slip or
291
00:10:28,560 --> 00:10:30,640
saying something they wouldn't do i
292
00:10:29,519 --> 00:10:33,680
don't know if you have any tips or
293
00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:35,440
advice for how to maybe
294
00:10:33,680 --> 00:10:36,560
you know mitigate that i i imagine
295
00:10:35,440 --> 00:10:39,279
there's other people out there that have
296
00:10:36,560 --> 00:10:40,880
gotten that concern and you know it's a
297
00:10:39,279 --> 00:10:42,800
legitimate concern because it's happened
298
00:10:40,880 --> 00:10:43,839
to me enough times and i don't know if
299
00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:45,760
there's any
300
00:10:43,839 --> 00:10:47,360
thoughts or tips or any kind of prep we
301
00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,680
can do to
302
00:10:47,360 --> 00:10:51,519
to lessen that worry or at least lessen
303
00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:53,839
the impact it might have
304
00:10:51,519 --> 00:10:57,200
hmm well um
305
00:10:53,839 --> 00:10:59,519
so i i started gming and dming primarily
306
00:10:57,200 --> 00:11:00,959
through playing dungeon world which is a
307
00:10:59,519 --> 00:11:03,279
much more um
308
00:11:00,959 --> 00:11:06,079
it's a much more rules-like game
309
00:11:03,279 --> 00:11:09,440
and in dungeon world like npcs and
310
00:11:06,079 --> 00:11:12,480
monsters are like paper-thin um one or
311
00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:15,040
two actions by the players like can
312
00:11:12,480 --> 00:11:17,600
knock them out and that sort of taught
313
00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,040
me um going into like when i made the
314
00:11:17,600 --> 00:11:20,320
transition over to
315
00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:23,040
5e
316
00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,920
um when i look at an npc i think of it
317
00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:26,480
as
318
00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:28,959
expendable pretty much like i have to be
319
00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:29,920
ready for this thing this npc to just
320
00:11:28,959 --> 00:11:32,880
like
321
00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,480
it could they could go away at any time
322
00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:35,760
and sort of like
323
00:11:34,480 --> 00:11:38,720
build them in such a way that i'm
324
00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:41,519
prepared for that character to die
325
00:11:38,720 --> 00:11:44,560
especially a boss monster like i think
326
00:11:41,519 --> 00:11:47,600
some people get really um
327
00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:50,560
really caught up in uh making their
328
00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:53,040
villains or like the climactic showdown
329
00:11:50,560 --> 00:11:55,120
in the campaign with the bad guy that
330
00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,800
the players have been chasing forever
331
00:11:55,120 --> 00:11:59,120
they sort of like
332
00:11:56,800 --> 00:12:00,959
get really attached to
333
00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,720
that big bad like because they've
334
00:12:00,959 --> 00:12:04,160
probably had you probably have a story
335
00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,279
for it why does this character do all
336
00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:06,959
these evil things what's their
337
00:12:05,279 --> 00:12:08,959
motivation you've gotten to know them
338
00:12:06,959 --> 00:12:11,440
really badly and you sort of like sort
339
00:12:08,959 --> 00:12:14,160
of start to cherish them and really like
340
00:12:11,440 --> 00:12:15,760
they're kind of your character in a way
341
00:12:14,160 --> 00:12:17,760
it's like they're they are the character
342
00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:20,880
that you created that's been persist a
343
00:12:17,760 --> 00:12:22,320
persistent big factor in the throughout
344
00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:23,760
the entire campaign the same way the
345
00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:24,720
players have
346
00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:26,880
but
347
00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:29,279
when i look at like okay here's the
348
00:12:26,880 --> 00:12:32,480
final confrontation this guy is gonna
349
00:12:29,279 --> 00:12:36,320
die but i want to make this guy dying
350
00:12:32,480 --> 00:12:38,240
as tense and enjoyable as possible
351
00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:40,240
and i think that the when you're looking
352
00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:42,240
at making like the encounter for that
353
00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,680
final thing um
354
00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:46,560
you just want to make you you want to
355
00:12:43,680 --> 00:12:48,320
angle yourself to like think of
356
00:12:46,560 --> 00:12:50,720
showing him in the in their last throws
357
00:12:48,320 --> 00:12:52,800
and giving them a good a good way out
358
00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:52,800
an
359
00:12:53,120 --> 00:12:56,639
think of that final battle as your
360
00:12:54,560 --> 00:12:58,000
farewell to that character
361
00:12:56,639 --> 00:13:01,120
yeah that's a good way of playing it i
362
00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:03,360
found your final farewell in general
363
00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:04,839
non-enemy npcs
364
00:13:03,360 --> 00:13:07,839
don't make them too
365
00:13:04,839 --> 00:13:09,839
important be ready to kill them off for
366
00:13:07,839 --> 00:13:12,639
a plot hook or something make them
367
00:13:09,839 --> 00:13:14,800
endearing of course and like enjoy them
368
00:13:12,639 --> 00:13:16,880
but at the end of the day like the
369
00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,720
players are the main characters
370
00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:21,880
don't plan to have what any any
371
00:13:18,720 --> 00:13:23,440
character overshadow them or uh be so
372
00:13:21,880 --> 00:13:24,399
inexpendable
373
00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:26,639
that
374
00:13:24,399 --> 00:13:28,720
they can't just die
375
00:13:26,639 --> 00:13:30,720
if [ __ ] happens
376
00:13:28,720 --> 00:13:32,880
yeah and it also lessens their
377
00:13:30,720 --> 00:13:34,480
responsibility to make them this kind of
378
00:13:32,880 --> 00:13:37,200
flawless
379
00:13:34,480 --> 00:13:38,880
npc that only knows what they know and
380
00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,880
you don't have to act you know if they
381
00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:42,399
let slip a couple times then it's not as
382
00:13:40,880 --> 00:13:44,800
big a deal because
383
00:13:42,399 --> 00:13:47,600
they are fallible and as you said
384
00:13:44,800 --> 00:13:48,170
they might die so you just kind of
385
00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,320
move on
386
00:13:48,170 --> 00:13:55,040
[Laughter]
387
00:13:50,320 --> 00:13:57,680
i used for funnily enough a beholder mpc
388
00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:58,800
a voice modulator
389
00:13:57,680 --> 00:14:01,680
software
390
00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:03,519
a real-time one and i was thinking did
391
00:14:01,680 --> 00:14:05,199
that help me
392
00:14:03,519 --> 00:14:06,800
you know in the same way that kind of
393
00:14:05,199 --> 00:14:07,760
getting into character
394
00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:09,839
helps
395
00:14:07,760 --> 00:14:11,519
and i think it did i think
396
00:14:09,839 --> 00:14:12,880
because i had to keep toggling the voice
397
00:14:11,519 --> 00:14:14,480
on and off because the players would be
398
00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,680
like okay but what can i see in the room
399
00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:16,720
and then i have to obviously turn the
400
00:14:15,680 --> 00:14:18,160
voice off
401
00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:19,920
so it's just me talking and then turn it
402
00:14:18,160 --> 00:14:22,000
back on again i think that did help
403
00:14:19,920 --> 00:14:23,120
actually me as a dm
404
00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:25,360
it's that
405
00:14:23,120 --> 00:14:28,240
quite a hard boundary between okay i've
406
00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,199
clicked that button anything i say now
407
00:14:28,240 --> 00:14:31,440
is
408
00:14:29,199 --> 00:14:33,360
officially his voice
409
00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:35,680
and that helped from a mental
410
00:14:33,360 --> 00:14:36,880
perspective for me to say okay these
411
00:14:35,680 --> 00:14:39,360
next words that are coming out of your
412
00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:42,800
mouth until i click that button again
413
00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:44,959
are his voice and you need to be careful
414
00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:47,440
and you need to talk in his way and the
415
00:14:44,959 --> 00:14:49,199
words need to be said in his way so that
416
00:14:47,440 --> 00:14:50,880
helped me and it won't work for every
417
00:14:49,199 --> 00:14:53,120
npc but it might just be something you
418
00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:55,279
know a little mental trick that dms
419
00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,680
could do to just you know flag in their
420
00:14:55,279 --> 00:14:59,600
mind to say i am now talking as this
421
00:14:57,680 --> 00:15:02,000
person and i need to be really careful
422
00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:04,399
or more careful than just me chang as
423
00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:06,079
you and i are now so we say
424
00:15:04,399 --> 00:15:08,320
i think you hit on something that's
425
00:15:06,079 --> 00:15:10,480
actually really uh really good when it
426
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:14,000
comes to like thinking about the actual
427
00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:15,600
rping and portraying of the npc is that
428
00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:18,079
act of having to turn on the voice
429
00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:20,160
modulator it was sort of just like a
430
00:15:18,079 --> 00:15:21,839
switch in your head where it's like okay
431
00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:24,720
i am now this person
432
00:15:21,839 --> 00:15:26,160
and i think like npc's uh
433
00:15:24,720 --> 00:15:29,360
it's a good practice when you're
434
00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:31,920
portraying an npc to like sort of
435
00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:33,759
give yourself a mental switch for the
436
00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:35,519
character even if you're not physically
437
00:15:33,759 --> 00:15:39,199
hitting something um
438
00:15:35,519 --> 00:15:41,519
one thing that uh i know from like
439
00:15:39,199 --> 00:15:44,000
researching like acting stuff and try
440
00:15:41,519 --> 00:15:46,399
and like trying to do like sound effects
441
00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:48,560
and voices and stuff is to like um
442
00:15:46,399 --> 00:15:50,399
change your expression or your posture
443
00:15:48,560 --> 00:15:53,279
change yourself like physically some way
444
00:15:50,399 --> 00:15:55,199
like we we see we see like um
445
00:15:53,279 --> 00:15:58,000
obviously critical role super super
446
00:15:55,199 --> 00:15:59,759
popular um and you see you see matt
447
00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:01,519
mercer sort of hunch over and he like
448
00:15:59,759 --> 00:16:03,839
contorts his face when he's portraying a
449
00:16:01,519 --> 00:16:05,839
character and i think that's him doing
450
00:16:03,839 --> 00:16:06,959
that is sort of coming from his actor
451
00:16:05,839 --> 00:16:10,480
background
452
00:16:06,959 --> 00:16:12,639
and it's it's less of like i feel like
453
00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:16,959
it's almost less of putting on a show
454
00:16:12,639 --> 00:16:19,519
but more like him reminding himself
455
00:16:16,959 --> 00:16:21,759
to be that character when he does when
456
00:16:19,519 --> 00:16:22,560
he does like hunch over and contort his
457
00:16:21,759 --> 00:16:25,199
face
458
00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:28,160
um just a little change in posture or
459
00:16:25,199 --> 00:16:31,360
like expression can go a long way into
460
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:32,480
like really conveying a character i
461
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,959
think
462
00:16:32,480 --> 00:16:37,600
yeah all right now i completely agree
463
00:16:34,959 --> 00:16:39,120
that is a solid solid piece of advice
464
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:40,320
and i think you're absolutely right when
465
00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,560
you say
466
00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:44,399
it's probably only like 40 percent
467
00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:45,199
for our benefit
468
00:16:44,399 --> 00:16:48,240
and
469
00:16:45,199 --> 00:16:50,560
the other 60 is his switch to say okay
470
00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:53,120
i'm gonna hunch over and wrinkle up my
471
00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:54,959
face to portray this old hag or whatever
472
00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:56,399
and obviously he takes it to the extreme
473
00:16:54,959 --> 00:16:59,360
because that's his you know that's his
474
00:16:56,399 --> 00:17:01,680
career and that's his his profession but
475
00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,120
for us regular folk it doesn't obviously
476
00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:04,880
have to be that extreme even just you
477
00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:06,559
know i'm just gonna
478
00:17:04,880 --> 00:17:09,439
sit up in my chair a little bit to play
479
00:17:06,559 --> 00:17:12,079
the snooty elf and even that can be as
480
00:17:09,439 --> 00:17:14,720
you said all it takes to get that mental
481
00:17:12,079 --> 00:17:15,600
neuron to fire in a certain way okay now
482
00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:18,400
i'm
483
00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:20,720
i speak like this and hello and i'm yes
484
00:17:18,400 --> 00:17:22,959
i'm going to help you and then or just
485
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:25,679
just slouch down a little bit to be
486
00:17:22,959 --> 00:17:28,640
to be some kind of you know uh wild
487
00:17:25,679 --> 00:17:31,200
degenerate yeah yeah yeah kind of a kind
488
00:17:28,640 --> 00:17:32,960
of person so pop out your chest to you
489
00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:34,640
stand up straight like square your
490
00:17:32,960 --> 00:17:36,640
shoulders and puff out your chest to be
491
00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:39,039
the straw mork
492
00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:41,440
yeah yeah exactly i'm gonna you know i'm
493
00:17:39,039 --> 00:17:44,400
such a fool because as such golden
494
00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:45,520
advice for portraying npcs and
495
00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:47,919
yes it takes a little bit of
496
00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:49,840
improvisational skill to even get
497
00:17:47,919 --> 00:17:51,280
for npcs you make up on the fly which
498
00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,679
are tricky
499
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:55,840
but um yeah to even have them
500
00:17:53,679 --> 00:17:57,679
have some kind of posture but it you
501
00:17:55,840 --> 00:18:00,960
know you just do just do anything on the
502
00:17:57,679 --> 00:18:02,480
day and that can be their thing and
503
00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:03,840
you know if
504
00:18:02,480 --> 00:18:05,360
the characters have gone and spoken to
505
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,120
an npc you've had to make up on the spot
506
00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:09,840
and you as a dm are stuttering a little
507
00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:11,280
bit like i was just then to make up
508
00:18:09,840 --> 00:18:14,480
something they're going to say
509
00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:15,840
roll with that make that that npc's
510
00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:17,120
foy ball
511
00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:19,200
and then there you go you've got your
512
00:18:17,120 --> 00:18:20,640
trigger then you've got that
513
00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,240
yes uh
514
00:18:20,640 --> 00:18:24,160
players let me
515
00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:26,000
show you the way and then you've got
516
00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:27,200
he's got a gimmick there that can help
517
00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,400
you to
518
00:18:27,200 --> 00:18:29,840
lean into it and perhaps you were
519
00:18:28,400 --> 00:18:31,520
drinking at the time when they brought
520
00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:32,880
them up so make you know
521
00:18:31,520 --> 00:18:35,039
bring your glass into your hand and have
522
00:18:32,880 --> 00:18:37,440
that as your kind of mental trigger of
523
00:18:35,039 --> 00:18:38,559
okay this is this dude
524
00:18:37,440 --> 00:18:39,760
we've talked
525
00:18:38,559 --> 00:18:41,520
a lot about
526
00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:42,720
dm improvising
527
00:18:41,520 --> 00:18:44,240
npcs
528
00:18:42,720 --> 00:18:45,919
and i think we'll talk about player
529
00:18:44,240 --> 00:18:47,919
improvisation a bit later on so let's
530
00:18:45,919 --> 00:18:51,200
stick with dm so the time being
531
00:18:47,919 --> 00:18:53,120
the other side of things from a dm
532
00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:55,520
perspective is there's kind of three
533
00:18:53,120 --> 00:18:57,679
pillars in my head there's
534
00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,720
characters they have to make up
535
00:18:57,679 --> 00:19:00,400
there are
536
00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:02,720
encounters
537
00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:03,840
and then there's like the story
538
00:19:02,720 --> 00:19:06,400
so if we go through in that all we've
539
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:08,320
done kind of characters and npcs
540
00:19:06,400 --> 00:19:10,240
so about encounters
541
00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:11,440
and by that i don't mean just combat i
542
00:19:10,240 --> 00:19:13,760
mean
543
00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:15,360
trying to barter with the shopkeep
544
00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:17,520
have you got any you know anecdotes or
545
00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:20,960
any thoughts around kind of improvising
546
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:21,760
encounters and tips and tricks and stuff
547
00:19:20,960 --> 00:19:23,280
well
548
00:19:21,760 --> 00:19:25,280
when i was thinking about this i think
549
00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:26,720
in dungeons and dragons fifth edition
550
00:19:25,280 --> 00:19:29,600
not even fifth edition but dungeons and
551
00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:32,400
dragons being a more rules-heavy game
552
00:19:29,600 --> 00:19:35,440
battle encounters are probably the
553
00:19:32,400 --> 00:19:37,760
hardest thing to create on the fly to
554
00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:40,080
improvise like from the ground up if you
555
00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:42,000
like obviously once the encounter starts
556
00:19:40,080 --> 00:19:44,559
the entire thing is improvisation here's
557
00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:46,080
my pieces and i'm gonna think of what
558
00:19:44,559 --> 00:19:48,960
they're gonna do as
559
00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:50,960
it goes on but like uh if your players
560
00:19:48,960 --> 00:19:53,120
like wander off and
561
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:55,360
suddenly they're in a situation where
562
00:19:53,120 --> 00:19:57,520
that you weren't planning and combat has
563
00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:59,360
started and you hadn't counted on this
564
00:19:57,520 --> 00:20:00,880
and you didn't have an encounter built
565
00:19:59,360 --> 00:20:02,320
the skill that takes the improvising
566
00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:04,799
something like that is one of like the
567
00:20:02,320 --> 00:20:06,000
highest like uh most difficult things to
568
00:20:04,799 --> 00:20:08,320
do
569
00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:10,480
it comes down to a lot of
570
00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:13,039
the most i feel like the most common way
571
00:20:10,480 --> 00:20:15,600
to deal with that situation is to
572
00:20:13,039 --> 00:20:16,640
pull out a stat block for something and
573
00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:19,200
maybe
574
00:20:16,640 --> 00:20:21,360
re-flavor it to fit what you what you
575
00:20:19,200 --> 00:20:23,600
what's in the actual situation
576
00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:25,679
but even then like that requires like
577
00:20:23,600 --> 00:20:27,280
knowing which character which step back
578
00:20:25,679 --> 00:20:29,679
you're gonna pull off what creature it
579
00:20:27,280 --> 00:20:32,400
is and all that so it takes like i think
580
00:20:29,679 --> 00:20:34,720
as your knowledge of like
581
00:20:32,400 --> 00:20:37,039
the very stat blocks in the game and
582
00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:39,520
what creatures you can you can repurpose
583
00:20:37,039 --> 00:20:40,720
into what it becomes easier but i think
584
00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:42,480
that's definitely one of the hardest
585
00:20:40,720 --> 00:20:44,720
things
586
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:46,400
yeah i wouldn't even begin to i don't
587
00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:48,559
think i've ever had to and i don't
588
00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:50,480
particularly want to do that as you said
589
00:20:48,559 --> 00:20:51,679
because balancing account is difficult
590
00:20:50,480 --> 00:20:53,440
enough when you've got weeks of
591
00:20:51,679 --> 00:20:55,840
preparation let alone
592
00:20:53,440 --> 00:20:57,760
doing it on the fly i just couldn't even
593
00:20:55,840 --> 00:21:00,000
begin to see and yeah you know obviously
594
00:20:57,760 --> 00:21:02,960
i use indeed beyond for a lot of
595
00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:03,840
easy to access character sheets for stat
596
00:21:02,960 --> 00:21:05,520
blocks
597
00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:07,360
if i was having to
598
00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:09,760
rifle through a book that's just a
599
00:21:07,360 --> 00:21:11,120
complete non-starter that's almost at
600
00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:12,480
the point where i'd
601
00:21:11,120 --> 00:21:14,320
sacrifice
602
00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:16,480
realism in the game
603
00:21:14,320 --> 00:21:18,720
to just say you know what there's no
604
00:21:16,480 --> 00:21:21,280
bandits on this road because
605
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:22,559
if we have to make a combat up well
606
00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:25,679
we must have just stopped playing now
607
00:21:22,559 --> 00:21:27,280
because it's going to take me forever to
608
00:21:25,679 --> 00:21:29,440
to sort that out
609
00:21:27,280 --> 00:21:32,400
yeah actually like you mentioned d d
610
00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:34,640
beyond and d d beyond has their their uh
611
00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:36,960
their beta encounter builder has been
612
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:39,360
like my best my best help when it comes
613
00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:41,360
to uh having something having something
614
00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:43,120
ready to go on the fly and i think
615
00:21:41,360 --> 00:21:44,480
doing a little extra prep of like
616
00:21:43,120 --> 00:21:46,400
looking at where the characters are
617
00:21:44,480 --> 00:21:48,640
going where the characters are and then
618
00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:50,799
just popping onto dnd beyond and making
619
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:52,640
like three or four encounters that you
620
00:21:50,799 --> 00:21:55,200
can just pull out of your back pocket if
621
00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:58,960
you need to it goes a long way towards
622
00:21:55,200 --> 00:22:00,799
helping like being caught pants down
623
00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,640
without an encounter ready and with an
624
00:22:00,799 --> 00:22:04,880
encounter in front of you
625
00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:06,960
that you have to have yeah i think we're
626
00:22:04,880 --> 00:22:09,039
almost at a point where we're saying
627
00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:11,840
trying not to improvise fights like
628
00:22:09,039 --> 00:22:13,039
combat encounters yeah that's so tricky
629
00:22:11,840 --> 00:22:14,480
like i mean i'm sure there are people
630
00:22:13,039 --> 00:22:16,080
out there that can and
631
00:22:14,480 --> 00:22:18,640
as you said it probably scales with your
632
00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:21,679
abilities if you're a really good
633
00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:24,240
blagger and a mechanical improviser so
634
00:22:21,679 --> 00:22:26,400
by that i mean of health and ac and
635
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:29,520
stuff if you're confident to say
636
00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:32,799
build a stat block on the fly
637
00:22:29,520 --> 00:22:35,039
then go ahead so say they're in a bar
638
00:22:32,799 --> 00:22:36,400
and they fight and guards come in and
639
00:22:35,039 --> 00:22:38,640
they end up fighting the guards if
640
00:22:36,400 --> 00:22:42,000
you're confident enough to say all right
641
00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:44,480
guard ac 15 whatever to hit it's plus
642
00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:47,360
four they get two attacks per turn
643
00:22:44,480 --> 00:22:48,559
then then maybe you're in the realm of
644
00:22:47,360 --> 00:22:50,080
being i mean
645
00:22:48,559 --> 00:22:51,840
i kind of just did it then but i have no
646
00:22:50,080 --> 00:22:55,200
idea how balanced that would be
647
00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:57,200
that's that's complete wild west of just
648
00:22:55,200 --> 00:22:59,120
okay they're either gonna get
649
00:22:57,200 --> 00:23:00,400
stomped on or the players are gonna die
650
00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:01,919
and
651
00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:03,840
god knows which way that could swing in
652
00:23:01,919 --> 00:23:05,840
my game there's all kinds of things that
653
00:23:03,840 --> 00:23:08,320
can happen that happened when you were
654
00:23:05,840 --> 00:23:10,960
just pulling a stat block out so it's
655
00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:13,280
like it's it goes like even beyond i
656
00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:15,760
like as a person who likes to who enjoys
657
00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:18,080
liking counter building and making like
658
00:23:15,760 --> 00:23:20,000
enemy encounters that that have like
659
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:22,799
interesting mechanics and synergies
660
00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:24,720
going on within them then it's if you're
661
00:23:22,799 --> 00:23:26,880
trying like pulling something out like
662
00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:28,559
that out of nowhere is
663
00:23:26,880 --> 00:23:30,720
that much harder like to have an
664
00:23:28,559 --> 00:23:32,880
actually interesting encounter just come
665
00:23:30,720 --> 00:23:34,799
out of nowhere where it's not like
666
00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:38,000
you're not just like okay well here's
667
00:23:34,799 --> 00:23:39,280
some hp uh ac uh
668
00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,799
multi-attack
669
00:23:39,280 --> 00:23:44,080
long sword
670
00:23:40,799 --> 00:23:46,080
there yeah and there's five of them um
671
00:23:44,080 --> 00:23:46,960
oh god yeah keeping track of that it's
672
00:23:46,080 --> 00:23:48,159
gonna be
673
00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:51,440
a nightmare
674
00:23:48,159 --> 00:23:54,320
bni i also used well i used cobalt fight
675
00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:57,039
club to build my encounters pre-dnd
676
00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:59,039
beyond before they had their own
677
00:23:57,039 --> 00:24:00,559
encounter builder and then as soon as
678
00:23:59,039 --> 00:24:02,159
they released theirs
679
00:24:00,559 --> 00:24:05,120
i just moved to it just because it's the
680
00:24:02,159 --> 00:24:07,120
one stop shop and has the stat blocks
681
00:24:05,120 --> 00:24:09,200
built in to the encounter builder so
682
00:24:07,120 --> 00:24:12,240
that would be my recommendation also
683
00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:14,400
just because it it trivializes building
684
00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:15,360
an encounter as much as it can which is
685
00:24:14,400 --> 00:24:17,520
to say
686
00:24:15,360 --> 00:24:19,600
it's still quite arduous
687
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,440
yeah
688
00:24:19,600 --> 00:24:23,279
it makes the worst part about building
689
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:25,760
an encounter the easiest thing about it
690
00:24:23,279 --> 00:24:28,400
which is like using the built-in
691
00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:30,799
balancing system that's in the dms guide
692
00:24:28,400 --> 00:24:33,120
and doing all the calculations needed
693
00:24:30,799 --> 00:24:34,960
for that automatically yeah so it's like
694
00:24:33,120 --> 00:24:36,880
huge thing you just pull things out and
695
00:24:34,960 --> 00:24:39,440
you don't have to do too much map too
696
00:24:36,880 --> 00:24:41,360
much math to figure stuff out
697
00:24:39,440 --> 00:24:42,159
yeah indeed yeah
698
00:24:41,360 --> 00:24:43,520
so
699
00:24:42,159 --> 00:24:45,200
we talked about combat counters what
700
00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:48,080
about non-combat encounters so
701
00:24:45,200 --> 00:24:51,679
improvising as i said like
702
00:24:48,080 --> 00:24:54,400
i try and barter with the
703
00:24:51,679 --> 00:24:56,880
the bar keep or i want to
704
00:24:54,400 --> 00:24:58,799
bribe my way past the guards
705
00:24:56,880 --> 00:25:01,840
i suppose from an improvisation
706
00:24:58,799 --> 00:25:04,159
perspective that it's on the dm to say
707
00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:05,840
to have a kind of congruence response of
708
00:25:04,159 --> 00:25:07,520
those npcs
709
00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:09,679
and then also
710
00:25:07,520 --> 00:25:11,919
a mechanical idea of how difficult the
711
00:25:09,679 --> 00:25:14,320
dc's should be so
712
00:25:11,919 --> 00:25:16,000
i think it helps too and i need to you
713
00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:17,600
know i don't even practice what i preach
714
00:25:16,000 --> 00:25:20,320
really but um
715
00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:22,640
having a solid foundation for
716
00:25:20,320 --> 00:25:24,080
npcs so maybe like a cookie cutter for
717
00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:25,760
town guard
718
00:25:24,080 --> 00:25:27,360
so you're never kind of caught on the
719
00:25:25,760 --> 00:25:28,640
back foot if the players do try and
720
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:31,120
bribe
721
00:25:28,640 --> 00:25:34,240
pass them is probably a good
722
00:25:31,120 --> 00:25:38,000
tip so what most people say is you know
723
00:25:34,240 --> 00:25:39,919
npc should have you know a desire a flaw
724
00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,679
even even basic npcs should have one
725
00:25:39,919 --> 00:25:43,520
thing that they desire and it may be
726
00:25:41,679 --> 00:25:45,600
money it might be safety it might be
727
00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:48,400
something like that which is okay when
728
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:50,080
you're world building ahead of the game
729
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:51,360
but when the players go i'm gonna go
730
00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:53,600
into this place
731
00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:56,559
you haven't planned for and i want to do
732
00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:59,360
this it can be difficult to make up a
733
00:25:56,559 --> 00:26:01,279
one-word desire that is enjoyable you
734
00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:04,000
know anyone can save money but then
735
00:26:01,279 --> 00:26:07,279
suddenly you've got a town full of
736
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:08,640
ruthless capitalists
737
00:26:07,279 --> 00:26:10,480
which i mean
738
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:12,000
it sounds kind of cool sounds kind of
739
00:26:10,480 --> 00:26:13,600
dystopian to a certain extent but if
740
00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:15,039
that's not a theme you're going for and
741
00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:17,039
that's not how the town's been up until
742
00:26:15,039 --> 00:26:18,559
this point then it's a bit jarring i
743
00:26:17,039 --> 00:26:20,480
suppose so
744
00:26:18,559 --> 00:26:21,840
i guess what i'm getting at is one tip
745
00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:24,640
you can have for those kind of
746
00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:27,760
archetypal npcs the police the city
747
00:26:24,640 --> 00:26:30,080
guard that you know generic shopkeeper a
748
00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:32,000
you could have to a certain extent
749
00:26:30,080 --> 00:26:32,960
cookie cutter desires
750
00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,039
but
751
00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:36,960
you can't escape improvisation as we
752
00:26:35,039 --> 00:26:39,200
started the show with and you're gonna
753
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:42,400
need to flavor them at some point
754
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:44,480
you know on the night as it were um yeah
755
00:26:42,400 --> 00:26:47,200
yeah i think i think it can be really it
756
00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:49,679
can be really daunting to do um like
757
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:51,200
random random people but for me
758
00:26:49,679 --> 00:26:54,320
personally like uh
759
00:26:51,200 --> 00:26:56,480
if i'm going to portray a guard or a uh
760
00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:59,360
a guard or townsperson
761
00:26:56,480 --> 00:27:02,080
i think about pretty much
762
00:26:59,360 --> 00:27:03,600
how i would act in that situation
763
00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,480
because like
764
00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,200
small
765
00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:08,640
i call them small folk but like
766
00:27:06,200 --> 00:27:10,960
non-adventurers or non-exceptional
767
00:27:08,640 --> 00:27:13,840
characters in your setting are
768
00:27:10,960 --> 00:27:15,520
like the people we know
769
00:27:13,840 --> 00:27:17,840
day in and day out you know they're
770
00:27:15,520 --> 00:27:19,760
normal folks
771
00:27:17,840 --> 00:27:21,679
they might have their own
772
00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:23,200
things they're really interested in but
773
00:27:21,679 --> 00:27:26,320
at the same time
774
00:27:23,200 --> 00:27:28,399
at the same time how often do uh
775
00:27:26,320 --> 00:27:30,480
if a random stranger comes up to us on
776
00:27:28,399 --> 00:27:32,799
the on the street and starts talking to
777
00:27:30,480 --> 00:27:36,159
us and asking us for something uh how
778
00:27:32,799 --> 00:27:38,640
often do we start revealing our like
779
00:27:36,159 --> 00:27:40,559
dreams and aspirations and letting that
780
00:27:38,640 --> 00:27:43,039
dictate how we act and it's like most
781
00:27:40,559 --> 00:27:45,279
likely if they don't know you they're
782
00:27:43,039 --> 00:27:48,320
gonna be like closed off and just like
783
00:27:45,279 --> 00:27:50,559
give you as much information as like
784
00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:52,559
you're looking for um
785
00:27:50,559 --> 00:27:54,480
gold's a a good
786
00:27:52,559 --> 00:27:56,000
encourager because like literally
787
00:27:54,480 --> 00:27:58,240
everybody wants gold you don't have to
788
00:27:56,000 --> 00:28:00,240
be super greedy to like
789
00:27:58,240 --> 00:28:02,720
be okay with the handout of course if
790
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,480
you're a guard then it's like oh uh if i
791
00:28:02,720 --> 00:28:06,880
get caught doing this this that could
792
00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,320
compromise my job so you think about
793
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,360
it's like well if somebody was going to
794
00:28:08,320 --> 00:28:11,120
give me
795
00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:12,320
uh money
796
00:28:11,120 --> 00:28:13,360
personally
797
00:28:12,320 --> 00:28:15,039
to
798
00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,559
do this thing that i'm not supposed to
799
00:28:15,039 --> 00:28:19,200
do
800
00:28:16,559 --> 00:28:20,799
how much what how like how much would it
801
00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:21,600
take is like
802
00:28:20,799 --> 00:28:23,520
and
803
00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,559
their demeanor what they're asking for
804
00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,799
it's like
805
00:28:24,559 --> 00:28:28,960
and we're also like
806
00:28:26,799 --> 00:28:30,080
when i say like thinking about how i
807
00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,080
would act
808
00:28:30,080 --> 00:28:34,000
lots of times it's just like how am i
809
00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,880
feeling today
810
00:28:34,000 --> 00:28:36,640
because
811
00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,480
if these are real people in this world
812
00:28:36,640 --> 00:28:40,720
they're going to feel different one day
813
00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:42,880
to the next some days they might be more
814
00:28:40,720 --> 00:28:44,640
willing to be a little riskier and
815
00:28:42,880 --> 00:28:46,640
accept that bribe
816
00:28:44,640 --> 00:28:48,240
or some days uh the shopkeeper might
817
00:28:46,640 --> 00:28:50,480
feel be feeling he might be feeling a
818
00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,840
little generous and uh
819
00:28:50,480 --> 00:28:53,919
maybe something happened to put him in a
820
00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:55,679
good mood and so it's like yeah sure
821
00:28:53,919 --> 00:28:57,919
i'll take that
822
00:28:55,679 --> 00:28:59,840
yeah i'm just trying to think like now
823
00:28:57,919 --> 00:29:02,000
it's it's always i was just about to say
824
00:28:59,840 --> 00:29:04,720
you know dm's out there have fun with
825
00:29:02,000 --> 00:29:07,039
your you know your random npcs but i'm
826
00:29:04,720 --> 00:29:08,320
also really personally strong peer
827
00:29:07,039 --> 00:29:10,399
hypocrite because i'm also really
828
00:29:08,320 --> 00:29:13,039
personally strict on
829
00:29:10,399 --> 00:29:14,960
having a world that makes sense and
830
00:29:13,039 --> 00:29:16,960
exactly that you said earlier on
831
00:29:14,960 --> 00:29:18,799
an example from one of my games i think
832
00:29:16,960 --> 00:29:19,840
i've mentioned it previously and on the
833
00:29:18,799 --> 00:29:21,279
show is
834
00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:22,640
a player they're right the beginning of
835
00:29:21,279 --> 00:29:24,720
the campaign and they're trying to find
836
00:29:22,640 --> 00:29:26,799
out about a bandit problem typical
837
00:29:24,720 --> 00:29:28,880
fantasy trope and so they literally left
838
00:29:26,799 --> 00:29:29,919
the place where they got the quest in
839
00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:32,159
quotes
840
00:29:29,919 --> 00:29:34,559
and literally just questioning like
841
00:29:32,159 --> 00:29:37,760
interrogating people on the street what
842
00:29:34,559 --> 00:29:37,760
do you know about the bandit problem
843
00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:42,640
sorry who are you and why are you i'm
844
00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:44,399
just gonna go and buy some apples so
845
00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,360
what's what's happening here oh you use
846
00:29:44,399 --> 00:29:46,640
this
847
00:29:45,360 --> 00:29:49,039
okay sorry
848
00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:49,039
i guess
849
00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:52,960
so you know what it would you know it
850
00:29:51,039 --> 00:29:54,960
would have been easy to to spiral that
851
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:57,120
out into well actually i'm a band-aid
852
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:59,679
investigator i just you know happened to
853
00:29:57,120 --> 00:30:01,840
be the first person you speak to but i'm
854
00:29:59,679 --> 00:30:04,480
was kind of using that as a vehicle to
855
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:05,840
teach the players like this is a real
856
00:30:04,480 --> 00:30:07,520
world you're living in and it's
857
00:30:05,840 --> 00:30:09,760
populated with people who just don't
858
00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:11,360
care you don't know
859
00:30:09,760 --> 00:30:13,679
um i think he ended up asking about
860
00:30:11,360 --> 00:30:15,600
three or four before he finally got the
861
00:30:13,679 --> 00:30:16,640
message of okay
862
00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:18,480
literally just
863
00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:19,919
harassing people on the street probably
864
00:30:18,480 --> 00:30:21,600
isn't going to be the way
865
00:30:19,919 --> 00:30:23,679
of revealing
866
00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:25,600
the nuances of this geopolitical problem
867
00:30:23,679 --> 00:30:27,760
that's happening right now
868
00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:29,679
if any if anything like the most the
869
00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:31,679
most it would accomplish is getting like
870
00:30:29,679 --> 00:30:33,200
the guard down the street to like notice
871
00:30:31,679 --> 00:30:35,600
this person's going around harassing
872
00:30:33,200 --> 00:30:37,520
people and come over and be like oh
873
00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:39,039
what's going on here
874
00:30:37,520 --> 00:30:40,640
what are you doing just bothering
875
00:30:39,039 --> 00:30:42,159
everybody here bothering everybody
876
00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:43,919
around here
877
00:30:42,159 --> 00:30:46,000
and that that could lead that could lead
878
00:30:43,919 --> 00:30:47,760
to like the player actually telling the
879
00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,360
guard like why they're bothering people
880
00:30:47,760 --> 00:30:52,320
and like oh
881
00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:54,000
well the sergeant or whatever they might
882
00:30:52,320 --> 00:30:56,320
know something about that
883
00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,000
come take come walk come along with me
884
00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,720
it's like sometimes making a scene works
885
00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:03,360
out but yeah i like to keep in mind when
886
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:05,279
i'm when like random npcs like the the
887
00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:07,919
random npc walking down the street next
888
00:31:05,279 --> 00:31:09,600
to the adventure is way more is
889
00:31:07,919 --> 00:31:11,039
probably more concerned with where
890
00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:12,640
they're going than they are about the
891
00:31:11,039 --> 00:31:14,880
adventure
892
00:31:12,640 --> 00:31:16,960
i do like to especially in the big
893
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:19,360
cities and stuff obviously it's you know
894
00:31:16,960 --> 00:31:21,440
people are just going about their lives
895
00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:23,600
and i think he was asking a group of
896
00:31:21,440 --> 00:31:26,799
sailors and who were just you know
897
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:28,399
playing cards in some alleyway somewhere
898
00:31:26,799 --> 00:31:30,720
and they were like
899
00:31:28,399 --> 00:31:33,120
dude we're on holiday we're on break
900
00:31:30,720 --> 00:31:34,559
right now can you not talk to us you've
901
00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:35,840
ever seen any bandits man i don't even
902
00:31:34,559 --> 00:31:37,600
think about getting back on a ship let
903
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:38,720
alone any any bandits kind of thing can
904
00:31:37,600 --> 00:31:41,200
you
905
00:31:38,720 --> 00:31:42,880
you you know either up the ante or get
906
00:31:41,200 --> 00:31:44,640
out
907
00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:46,559
yeah they're pro they're more they're
908
00:31:44,640 --> 00:31:47,919
more concerned about not crossing paths
909
00:31:46,559 --> 00:31:48,960
with those bandits than knowing where
910
00:31:47,919 --> 00:31:51,039
they are
911
00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:53,440
probably the less they less they know
912
00:31:51,039 --> 00:31:58,120
the more they're happy they don't know
913
00:31:53,440 --> 00:32:01,450
yep ignorance is bliss as they say
914
00:31:58,120 --> 00:32:01,450
[Music]
915
00:32:06,240 --> 00:32:11,519
yeah it's it's tricky and
916
00:32:08,480 --> 00:32:12,640
the final piece of that puzzle is dc's
917
00:32:11,519 --> 00:32:14,240
as in
918
00:32:12,640 --> 00:32:15,600
you know okay well let me intimidate
919
00:32:14,240 --> 00:32:18,159
this person
920
00:32:15,600 --> 00:32:20,480
into telling me what i want to know
921
00:32:18,159 --> 00:32:23,039
which is a part of improvising it's
922
00:32:20,480 --> 00:32:25,600
probably a unique part of improvising to
923
00:32:23,039 --> 00:32:27,760
you know tabletop rpgs versus
924
00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:30,399
you know acting improvisation you never
925
00:32:27,760 --> 00:32:32,480
have to judge how difficult something is
926
00:32:30,399 --> 00:32:33,919
i suppose unless you equate it to a
927
00:32:32,480 --> 00:32:35,760
response the character you're portraying
928
00:32:33,919 --> 00:32:38,159
might give to a certain thing you know
929
00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:39,919
are they happy or sad or whatnot but
930
00:32:38,159 --> 00:32:43,279
from a purely mechanical perspective
931
00:32:39,919 --> 00:32:44,480
it's unique to table shop rpgs of
932
00:32:43,279 --> 00:32:45,919
okay the players are gonna roll
933
00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:48,720
intimidation
934
00:32:45,919 --> 00:32:50,880
how high do they have to roll for this
935
00:32:48,720 --> 00:32:52,399
information to come out and
936
00:32:50,880 --> 00:32:54,559
i don't have a silver bullet to that off
937
00:32:52,399 --> 00:32:56,880
the top of my head to help anybody or
938
00:32:54,559 --> 00:32:58,559
tips or tricks other than kind of an
939
00:32:56,880 --> 00:33:01,039
amalgamation of what we've said up until
940
00:32:58,559 --> 00:33:03,120
this point of you know npcs have a
941
00:33:01,039 --> 00:33:04,960
desire that they're going somewhere
942
00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:06,399
they're doing something
943
00:33:04,960 --> 00:33:07,600
and they are of
944
00:33:06,399 --> 00:33:08,559
a particular
945
00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:11,519
age
946
00:33:08,559 --> 00:33:12,799
and background and personality and
947
00:33:11,519 --> 00:33:16,000
that's
948
00:33:12,799 --> 00:33:18,640
use that to judge the dc it's it's a
949
00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:20,720
crappy answer but it's usually cool for
950
00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:22,159
me it's usually an instinctual kind of
951
00:33:20,720 --> 00:33:24,559
okay this is going to be a piece of cake
952
00:33:22,159 --> 00:33:27,200
because he's some scared street urchin
953
00:33:24,559 --> 00:33:29,279
who just stole an apple off a
954
00:33:27,200 --> 00:33:31,440
cart and doesn't wanna think he's gonna
955
00:33:29,279 --> 00:33:33,760
get lynched by the guards yeah
956
00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:35,519
versus the guard captain who's obviously
957
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:38,240
a battle-hardened
958
00:33:35,519 --> 00:33:39,919
career professional who doesn't take
959
00:33:38,240 --> 00:33:41,200
crap from anybody so
960
00:33:39,919 --> 00:33:44,399
i can't i can't say you know that should
961
00:33:41,200 --> 00:33:45,840
be a dc7 versus a dc17 but it's those
962
00:33:44,399 --> 00:33:46,799
kind of judgment calls that you get
963
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,880
better with
964
00:33:46,799 --> 00:33:50,640
experience
965
00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:52,880
my fallback is i don't remember if i
966
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:55,840
read this in the dm's guide or if i
967
00:33:52,880 --> 00:33:59,200
found it like somewhere else but um a
968
00:33:55,840 --> 00:34:02,640
dc10 is something a normal person could
969
00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:05,840
do fifty percent of the time uh dc15 is
970
00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:06,640
something a normal person could do if
971
00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:10,320
they
972
00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:11,119
were skilled or if they practiced kind
973
00:34:10,320 --> 00:34:13,359
of thing
974
00:34:11,119 --> 00:34:14,879
i usually fall back on on that sort of
975
00:34:13,359 --> 00:34:16,879
like comparison when i'm thinking about
976
00:34:14,879 --> 00:34:18,159
something it's like how easy would it be
977
00:34:16,879 --> 00:34:21,760
for a
978
00:34:18,159 --> 00:34:24,560
normal average person to accomplish this
979
00:34:21,760 --> 00:34:26,000
same task would it be like would they
980
00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:28,000
would they probably be
981
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,960
have a pretty good chance of doing it
982
00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:30,720
like
983
00:34:28,960 --> 00:34:33,440
if you're trying to persuade the guard
984
00:34:30,720 --> 00:34:35,760
to accept a bribe it's like how how much
985
00:34:33,440 --> 00:34:36,960
could just like average joe coming off
986
00:34:35,760 --> 00:34:39,119
the street
987
00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:41,440
how like how likely are they would they
988
00:34:39,119 --> 00:34:44,720
be to convince that guard to accept a
989
00:34:41,440 --> 00:34:46,240
bribe um probably not very likely they
990
00:34:44,720 --> 00:34:48,079
probably have to be a pretty good a
991
00:34:46,240 --> 00:34:48,960
pretty good talker depending on the
992
00:34:48,079 --> 00:34:50,960
guard
993
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:53,599
very good talker
994
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,800
the more high ranking or like or staunch
995
00:34:53,599 --> 00:34:56,800
the guard is
996
00:34:54,800 --> 00:34:59,599
that probably push it up toward the dc
997
00:34:56,800 --> 00:35:02,400
up towards 20 and but i think even a
998
00:34:59,599 --> 00:35:04,640
basic guard in that situation probably
999
00:35:02,400 --> 00:35:06,160
that's probably at least 15
1000
00:35:04,640 --> 00:35:07,520
even if it's a guard with questionable
1001
00:35:06,160 --> 00:35:09,280
morals because then they still have to
1002
00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:12,160
think about like what happens if i get
1003
00:35:09,280 --> 00:35:13,359
caught um that's a that's a good tip to
1004
00:35:12,160 --> 00:35:14,240
use
1005
00:35:13,359 --> 00:35:16,800
a
1006
00:35:14,240 --> 00:35:18,880
civilian as your baseline and then you
1007
00:35:16,800 --> 00:35:20,240
can just you know crank it up or down
1008
00:35:18,880 --> 00:35:21,200
from there and then you're almost kind
1009
00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:23,839
of
1010
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:25,359
party agnostic to that point so your
1011
00:35:23,839 --> 00:35:27,920
party could be level 20 so they could be
1012
00:35:25,359 --> 00:35:30,560
level one so the dc is still 15 because
1013
00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:34,240
that's how tricky it is to bribe a guard
1014
00:35:30,560 --> 00:35:37,119
mm-hmm yeah and i also i also think like
1015
00:35:34,240 --> 00:35:38,079
there's no i i rarely feel
1016
00:35:37,119 --> 00:35:41,280
like
1017
00:35:38,079 --> 00:35:44,240
a dc that's that's the visible by like
1018
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:47,359
not five is ever necessary i think
1019
00:35:44,240 --> 00:35:49,119
usually like a divisible by five uh a
1020
00:35:47,359 --> 00:35:52,320
point that's divisible by five it's
1021
00:35:49,119 --> 00:35:55,200
usually perfectly fine for nearly any
1022
00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:56,560
situation unless you like are a very
1023
00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,560
specific
1024
00:35:56,560 --> 00:36:01,680
unless you unless somehow you figure out
1025
00:35:58,560 --> 00:36:03,680
how it would specifically be less or if
1026
00:36:01,680 --> 00:36:05,520
it's sort of like well maybe if you're
1027
00:36:03,680 --> 00:36:07,119
like waffling on it
1028
00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:10,160
like maybe
1029
00:36:07,119 --> 00:36:11,599
maybe a normal person could do this but
1030
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:13,760
having a little bit of skill might help
1031
00:36:11,599 --> 00:36:15,119
then it's like okay dc 12.
1032
00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:16,240
12. yeah
1033
00:36:15,119 --> 00:36:18,320
yeah
1034
00:36:16,240 --> 00:36:19,200
yeah i think for the purposes of what
1035
00:36:18,320 --> 00:36:21,359
we're talking about which is
1036
00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:23,119
improvisation i think it's a real solid
1037
00:36:21,359 --> 00:36:25,839
bet just to say yeah as you said say
1038
00:36:23,119 --> 00:36:28,000
divisible by five and i think it's you
1039
00:36:25,839 --> 00:36:29,520
know it's easy medium hard yeah very
1040
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,359
hard impossible isn't it five ten
1041
00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:33,040
fifteen twenty twenty five kind of thing
1042
00:36:31,359 --> 00:36:34,880
and that's probably uh
1043
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:37,760
yeah specifically for improvisation's
1044
00:36:34,880 --> 00:36:40,800
sake just stick to that and as you said
1045
00:36:37,760 --> 00:36:43,200
maybe tweak it if it's a
1046
00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:44,000
a really ambiguous situation
1047
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:47,040
yeah
1048
00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:48,880
so i i like to use like passive skills
1049
00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:50,480
more than like the the book like
1050
00:36:48,880 --> 00:36:53,200
outlines like passive investigation
1051
00:36:50,480 --> 00:36:55,520
passive perception i look at like what
1052
00:36:53,200 --> 00:36:56,400
look at the players modifier add that to
1053
00:36:55,520 --> 00:36:59,040
10
1054
00:36:56,400 --> 00:37:00,480
and if there's like no stakes if there's
1055
00:36:59,040 --> 00:37:01,680
nothing that would happen if the player
1056
00:37:00,480 --> 00:37:05,119
would fail
1057
00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:08,160
and their 10 and 10 plus their modifier
1058
00:37:05,119 --> 00:37:10,640
would satisfy the dc i have in my head i
1059
00:37:08,160 --> 00:37:12,160
don't even want have them roll for it
1060
00:37:10,640 --> 00:37:15,040
because like if they can just keep
1061
00:37:12,160 --> 00:37:17,599
trying it and nothing would change and
1062
00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:18,880
their thing's good enough so like if
1063
00:37:17,599 --> 00:37:21,760
like um
1064
00:37:18,880 --> 00:37:23,599
for instance how in a improv with an npc
1065
00:37:21,760 --> 00:37:25,200
sort of situation like bartering you
1066
00:37:23,599 --> 00:37:26,720
know lots of merchants are probably
1067
00:37:25,200 --> 00:37:28,720
familiar with bartering and they're not
1068
00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:31,280
going to like just shut up as soon as
1069
00:37:28,720 --> 00:37:34,160
somebody tries to lowball them if the
1070
00:37:31,280 --> 00:37:34,960
player goes in and they're like i want
1071
00:37:34,160 --> 00:37:36,480
to
1072
00:37:34,960 --> 00:37:39,359
take this for
1073
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:40,960
ten percent less uh gold i wanna i'll
1074
00:37:39,359 --> 00:37:42,480
give you ten percent less gold for them
1075
00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:43,920
and then i look at like the characters
1076
00:37:42,480 --> 00:37:45,760
persuasion and they have like a plus
1077
00:37:43,920 --> 00:37:48,480
seven and persuasion and in my head i'm
1078
00:37:45,760 --> 00:37:51,119
like that was probably a dc 15. probably
1079
00:37:48,480 --> 00:37:52,960
like yeah no you drive a hard bargain
1080
00:37:51,119 --> 00:37:54,000
he'll give it to you for that much but
1081
00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:56,400
if like
1082
00:37:54,000 --> 00:37:59,119
they try to push it and
1083
00:37:56,400 --> 00:38:00,800
they might start to piss the npc off
1084
00:37:59,119 --> 00:38:03,040
then then you have them roll for it
1085
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:05,839
because if they fail then the npc just
1086
00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:10,000
like maybe increase the price
1087
00:38:05,839 --> 00:38:12,720
yeah yeah okay twice the price
1088
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:14,640
yeah some good advice there i do like
1089
00:38:12,720 --> 00:38:16,320
what you were saying there i need to
1090
00:38:14,640 --> 00:38:18,160
think about incorporating a lot of these
1091
00:38:16,320 --> 00:38:20,800
things into mine i fly by the seat of my
1092
00:38:18,160 --> 00:38:21,920
pants probably too much so uh i probably
1093
00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:24,320
should start to bring in a couple of
1094
00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:26,480
these more frameworky tools than just
1095
00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:28,079
download lying it
1096
00:38:26,480 --> 00:38:30,560
well all the time
1097
00:38:28,079 --> 00:38:32,400
i mean i i say these like as like rules
1098
00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:33,760
of thumb i have but like once you're
1099
00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:36,000
actually going like you're calling
1100
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:37,920
you're calling audibles on whether
1101
00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,599
they're applicable in the situation or
1102
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:42,800
not what's good things to keep in the
1103
00:38:39,599 --> 00:38:45,200
back in the back of my head
1104
00:38:42,800 --> 00:38:47,200
um what are your thoughts on
1105
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:50,480
a fully
1106
00:38:47,200 --> 00:38:53,599
random game a fully improvised game so i
1107
00:38:50,480 --> 00:38:56,880
read ages ago of a concept of
1108
00:38:53,599 --> 00:38:59,200
everything's random so like the
1109
00:38:56,880 --> 00:39:01,280
player character classes and races are
1110
00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:03,920
rolled and the story is just completely
1111
00:39:01,280 --> 00:39:06,240
improvised it becomes a completely like
1112
00:39:03,920 --> 00:39:08,160
improv comedy you know at that point
1113
00:39:06,240 --> 00:39:10,240
rather than a dnd game what are your
1114
00:39:08,160 --> 00:39:13,040
thoughts on that i think it's it's
1115
00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:15,440
it's cool it's fine i don't think it
1116
00:39:13,040 --> 00:39:18,480
would be very hard to carry any sort of
1117
00:39:15,440 --> 00:39:20,320
serious tones in the game like that
1118
00:39:18,480 --> 00:39:22,640
i think you're sort of like if you're
1119
00:39:20,320 --> 00:39:25,839
doing a fully random game
1120
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:28,800
like the only way it would
1121
00:39:25,839 --> 00:39:31,040
make narrative sense is if the
1122
00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,320
overarching game had a
1123
00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:33,599
a very
1124
00:39:32,320 --> 00:39:35,839
light-hearted
1125
00:39:33,599 --> 00:39:39,280
uh tone to it like
1126
00:39:35,839 --> 00:39:41,119
like wear a wear a purple worm just
1127
00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:43,599
coming out of a house
1128
00:39:41,119 --> 00:39:46,960
a tone where that that's not entirely
1129
00:39:43,599 --> 00:39:49,200
unexpected and doesn't break the world
1130
00:39:46,960 --> 00:39:51,680
kind of i think it's got to be like
1131
00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:54,400
goofy to a certain extent yes
1132
00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:57,760
human nature of making stuff up as it's
1133
00:39:54,400 --> 00:40:00,880
a bit silly i think
1134
00:39:57,760 --> 00:40:03,440
i think i think if you tried to put a uh
1135
00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:05,839
put like a serious tone and spin on a
1136
00:40:03,440 --> 00:40:08,240
completely random game
1137
00:40:05,839 --> 00:40:10,720
you would still end up with
1138
00:40:08,240 --> 00:40:13,760
comical situations just because of the
1139
00:40:10,720 --> 00:40:16,000
randomness so it sort of behooves you to
1140
00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:18,560
make the overall tone
1141
00:40:16,000 --> 00:40:20,960
a comedy like you said
1142
00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:22,880
i don't think like that that's sort of
1143
00:40:20,960 --> 00:40:24,640
like yeah that's sort of where i stand
1144
00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:27,359
on that it's um
1145
00:40:24,640 --> 00:40:28,960
it's if you if you match the tone to
1146
00:40:27,359 --> 00:40:31,280
suit the fact that everything is going
1147
00:40:28,960 --> 00:40:33,760
to be random it's like go for it
1148
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:35,760
that that would probably be fun i don't
1149
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:38,400
know if uh
1150
00:40:35,760 --> 00:40:41,119
many people would have the stamina to do
1151
00:40:38,400 --> 00:40:41,920
a long campaign in that manner
1152
00:40:41,119 --> 00:40:44,079
no
1153
00:40:41,920 --> 00:40:46,079
yeah so it's maybe maybe the kind of
1154
00:40:44,079 --> 00:40:48,720
thing you want to do either like a one
1155
00:40:46,079 --> 00:40:50,480
shot or like a handful of sessions but a
1156
00:40:48,720 --> 00:40:52,480
little palette cleanser yeah but you
1157
00:40:50,480 --> 00:40:54,960
don't want like you you shouldn't plan
1158
00:40:52,480 --> 00:40:56,160
to get up to like 100 sessions
1159
00:40:54,960 --> 00:40:58,640
of
1160
00:40:56,160 --> 00:40:59,839
pure random god no
1161
00:40:58,640 --> 00:41:01,680
no i can
1162
00:40:59,839 --> 00:41:03,119
that would be way too difficult i do i
1163
00:41:01,680 --> 00:41:04,079
do kind of want to try it though just to
1164
00:41:03,119 --> 00:41:07,119
kind of
1165
00:41:04,079 --> 00:41:08,640
test my improvisational dm chops as to
1166
00:41:07,119 --> 00:41:09,760
see how
1167
00:41:08,640 --> 00:41:11,119
you know what would come out the other
1168
00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:12,880
side it'd be quite interesting to be
1169
00:41:11,119 --> 00:41:15,040
like going in blank and coming out and
1170
00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:16,000
being like wow i never
1171
00:41:15,040 --> 00:41:18,000
thought
1172
00:41:16,000 --> 00:41:19,119
that would happen but it's i guess with
1173
00:41:18,000 --> 00:41:21,440
like any
1174
00:41:19,119 --> 00:41:23,359
improv you've kind of got to have
1175
00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:25,119
players who have at least comfortable
1176
00:41:23,359 --> 00:41:26,560
doing it because you know obviously
1177
00:41:25,119 --> 00:41:27,680
there's there are people that
1178
00:41:26,560 --> 00:41:29,280
aren't and there are people that
1179
00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,720
obviously come to the game for a
1180
00:41:29,280 --> 00:41:32,480
completely different experience but
1181
00:41:30,720 --> 00:41:34,960
you'd absolutely have to have players
1182
00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:37,280
and the dm will be comfortable doing it
1183
00:41:34,960 --> 00:41:38,960
and certainly capable to a certain
1184
00:41:37,280 --> 00:41:40,880
extent
1185
00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:43,359
you know anyone can improvise and then a
1186
00:41:40,880 --> 00:41:44,319
nuke goes off and everybody dies
1187
00:41:43,359 --> 00:41:45,680
great
1188
00:41:44,319 --> 00:41:47,359
cool that was fun but obviously the
1189
00:41:45,680 --> 00:41:50,160
intricacies of
1190
00:41:47,359 --> 00:41:52,319
yes but or yes and i think as they call
1191
00:41:50,160 --> 00:41:55,040
it isn't it like can you do this yes but
1192
00:41:52,319 --> 00:41:57,280
then and this other thing happens
1193
00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:59,280
to keep the story flowing is is
1194
00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:00,720
difficult but so it'll be it'll be
1195
00:41:59,280 --> 00:42:02,560
interesting to see and i think i'd like
1196
00:42:00,720 --> 00:42:03,599
to take part in one one day
1197
00:42:02,560 --> 00:42:04,319
of
1198
00:42:03,599 --> 00:42:06,480
just
1199
00:42:04,319 --> 00:42:08,480
yeah giving it silly but keeping it you
1200
00:42:06,480 --> 00:42:09,599
know still an interesting story is it
1201
00:42:08,480 --> 00:42:11,599
really
1202
00:42:09,599 --> 00:42:14,319
this is where the beauty lies
1203
00:42:11,599 --> 00:42:16,319
i think if anything i think um if
1204
00:42:14,319 --> 00:42:19,040
somebody wants to do like a truly random
1205
00:42:16,319 --> 00:42:21,200
game i will i would even suggest like
1206
00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:23,280
not using dungeons and dragons fifth
1207
00:42:21,200 --> 00:42:24,480
edition for it yes finding a different
1208
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:26,160
finding a different system because
1209
00:42:24,480 --> 00:42:28,400
dungeons dragons is
1210
00:42:26,160 --> 00:42:31,440
especially with the way monsters work uh
1211
00:42:28,400 --> 00:42:33,200
it's very much made for um not to be
1212
00:42:31,440 --> 00:42:35,599
completely random
1213
00:42:33,200 --> 00:42:37,440
like the dungeon world that i started
1214
00:42:35,599 --> 00:42:38,800
gming with that would be a good system
1215
00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:40,960
that's sort of like
1216
00:42:38,800 --> 00:42:43,359
dungeons and dragons like
1217
00:42:40,960 --> 00:42:45,680
but much more accommodating to having
1218
00:42:43,359 --> 00:42:47,520
random and completely improvised
1219
00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:49,680
situations
1220
00:42:47,520 --> 00:42:52,160
and i've seen a couple indie
1221
00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:54,880
tabletop rpgs that like
1222
00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:57,119
if the taglines for the tabletop rpg are
1223
00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:59,040
narrative focus narrative driven if
1224
00:42:57,119 --> 00:43:02,079
that's in the if that's in there it's
1225
00:42:59,040 --> 00:43:04,319
probably pretty good for a brand a truly
1226
00:43:02,079 --> 00:43:06,800
random game because
1227
00:43:04,319 --> 00:43:09,119
rules light narrative driven those types
1228
00:43:06,800 --> 00:43:11,200
of rpgs are pretty good if you want to
1229
00:43:09,119 --> 00:43:12,400
just like be making stuff up on the fly
1230
00:43:11,200 --> 00:43:15,280
because that's kind of how they're what
1231
00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:17,280
they're built for to be honest um yeah
1232
00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:19,440
there is a lot of obviously framework
1233
00:43:17,280 --> 00:43:21,359
enough to make a podcast out of indian
1234
00:43:19,440 --> 00:43:23,839
d5e so um
1235
00:43:21,359 --> 00:43:25,200
yeah i can imagine that would be a
1236
00:43:23,839 --> 00:43:28,480
maybe at that level it would be more of
1237
00:43:25,200 --> 00:43:30,000
an impedance than a springboard to help
1238
00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:31,520
you have that kind of game so yeah
1239
00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:33,680
that's that's good i think i think i
1240
00:43:31,520 --> 00:43:36,319
think you could do it in d d5e you just
1241
00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:38,319
have to like be armed with some with
1242
00:43:36,319 --> 00:43:40,240
roll tables that's the that's the main
1243
00:43:38,319 --> 00:43:43,520
thing is just just be armed with roll
1244
00:43:40,240 --> 00:43:44,800
tables uh galore like if you want it to
1245
00:43:43,520 --> 00:43:46,400
be rent if you're going to be random
1246
00:43:44,800 --> 00:43:48,000
because like what are you going to do if
1247
00:43:46,400 --> 00:43:49,359
you want to come up with a monster
1248
00:43:48,000 --> 00:43:51,280
encounter and you're trying to be
1249
00:43:49,359 --> 00:43:53,839
completely random are you going to like
1250
00:43:51,280 --> 00:43:56,160
roll uh the number of monsters there are
1251
00:43:53,839 --> 00:43:59,040
in the in the monster manual yeah and
1252
00:43:56,160 --> 00:44:00,720
pick one at random yeah yeah
1253
00:43:59,040 --> 00:44:03,040
yeah i see like i was just thinking then
1254
00:44:00,720 --> 00:44:04,720
like you said roll tables you'd almost
1255
00:44:03,040 --> 00:44:05,680
have to is the dm say account well i
1256
00:44:04,720 --> 00:44:07,200
know there's going to be this many
1257
00:44:05,680 --> 00:44:09,280
players and i know that they're going to
1258
00:44:07,200 --> 00:44:12,240
be you know level 10 then you could just
1259
00:44:09,280 --> 00:44:14,640
build ahead of time 50 different
1260
00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:16,400
encounters that are scaled easy to hard
1261
00:44:14,640 --> 00:44:17,920
or whatever for that number of players
1262
00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:19,920
at that level but then
1263
00:44:17,920 --> 00:44:22,800
you're almost defeating the i don't know
1264
00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:24,720
it's a fine line there isn't it between
1265
00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:26,000
yeah it being random and improvised
1266
00:44:24,720 --> 00:44:27,839
versus well here's a whole bunch of
1267
00:44:26,000 --> 00:44:30,000
stuff i prepared earlier so
1268
00:44:27,839 --> 00:44:31,920
at what point does it stop becoming
1269
00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:32,720
improvised and
1270
00:44:31,920 --> 00:44:34,960
yeah
1271
00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:37,599
interesting interesting
1272
00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:39,599
so we've talked so far predominantly
1273
00:44:37,599 --> 00:44:40,319
from the dm's perspective which i think
1274
00:44:39,599 --> 00:44:41,680
is
1275
00:44:40,319 --> 00:44:43,359
fair because
1276
00:44:41,680 --> 00:44:46,079
the the bulk of
1277
00:44:43,359 --> 00:44:47,839
true blank slate improvisation is on the
1278
00:44:46,079 --> 00:44:49,760
dm the players always have their
1279
00:44:47,839 --> 00:44:52,079
characters to fall back on and have a
1280
00:44:49,760 --> 00:44:54,240
lot more experience in those characters
1281
00:44:52,079 --> 00:44:55,440
you know four hours a session of playing
1282
00:44:54,240 --> 00:44:57,280
that character
1283
00:44:55,440 --> 00:44:59,920
means they have a lot more time they've
1284
00:44:57,280 --> 00:45:02,720
put in the hours whereas you know the dm
1285
00:44:59,920 --> 00:45:04,720
playing a big nbc they might have 10
1286
00:45:02,720 --> 00:45:05,920
minutes here 10 minutes there half an
1287
00:45:04,720 --> 00:45:08,640
hour here
1288
00:45:05,920 --> 00:45:10,560
okay that's still less than an hour over
1289
00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:11,359
maybe a year-long campaign
1290
00:45:10,560 --> 00:45:12,480
so
1291
00:45:11,359 --> 00:45:14,319
it's a completely different
1292
00:45:12,480 --> 00:45:15,520
improvisation environment
1293
00:45:14,319 --> 00:45:18,400
yeah so
1294
00:45:15,520 --> 00:45:19,359
yeah let's let's move on to players
1295
00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:21,920
and
1296
00:45:19,359 --> 00:45:23,839
i do you play at all or do you slowly dm
1297
00:45:21,920 --> 00:45:25,839
i play yeah i
1298
00:45:23,839 --> 00:45:29,119
id i d um uh
1299
00:45:25,839 --> 00:45:32,000
my own campaign and my for my buddy
1300
00:45:29,119 --> 00:45:34,800
we also i also stream his games as well
1301
00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:37,440
i play in his games so
1302
00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:38,720
cool so you'll have some experience here
1303
00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:40,480
so
1304
00:45:38,720 --> 00:45:42,880
i was just thinking
1305
00:45:40,480 --> 00:45:44,880
i've called it in my notes campfire talk
1306
00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:47,119
and what i mean by that is
1307
00:45:44,880 --> 00:45:48,960
yeah player character is interacting
1308
00:45:47,119 --> 00:45:49,839
with each other yeah and i was thinking
1309
00:45:48,960 --> 00:45:51,040
that's
1310
00:45:49,839 --> 00:45:52,640
that is
1311
00:45:51,040 --> 00:45:54,160
outside of the weird wacky random game
1312
00:45:52,640 --> 00:45:56,319
we were just talking about
1313
00:45:54,160 --> 00:45:58,400
pcs talking to other pcs is about a
1314
00:45:56,319 --> 00:46:00,480
purest form of
1315
00:45:58,400 --> 00:46:02,560
improvisation as you can get because
1316
00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:04,880
it's it's the stakes are
1317
00:46:02,560 --> 00:46:07,040
typically relatively low there's no you
1318
00:46:04,880 --> 00:46:07,920
know dm hangovers of god this path you
1319
00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:09,920
know this
1320
00:46:07,920 --> 00:46:11,599
nbc has to never say this and has to
1321
00:46:09,920 --> 00:46:13,359
absolutely say that there's none of that
1322
00:46:11,599 --> 00:46:15,520
it's literally just pure kind of two
1323
00:46:13,359 --> 00:46:17,760
characters talking to each other
1324
00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:21,040
campfire talk is like
1325
00:46:17,760 --> 00:46:23,119
is tough because um
1326
00:46:21,040 --> 00:46:27,040
i i think you kept fire talk sort of
1327
00:46:23,119 --> 00:46:29,920
like branches out into just general like
1328
00:46:27,040 --> 00:46:31,520
inter-character role-playing in all that
1329
00:46:29,920 --> 00:46:33,040
you encounter like everywhere in the
1330
00:46:31,520 --> 00:46:35,280
game um
1331
00:46:33,040 --> 00:46:37,920
and i think that's that's
1332
00:46:35,280 --> 00:46:40,160
a lot of people starting out with d d
1333
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:42,880
and role-playing in general have a hard
1334
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:44,480
time with inter-character
1335
00:46:42,880 --> 00:46:46,079
role-playing
1336
00:46:44,480 --> 00:46:47,599
because um
1337
00:46:46,079 --> 00:46:48,800
when you start the game you're given the
1338
00:46:47,599 --> 00:46:52,000
sheet
1339
00:46:48,800 --> 00:46:54,720
and the met like the mental impression
1340
00:46:52,000 --> 00:46:56,720
of when you look at the sheet is like
1341
00:46:54,720 --> 00:46:58,319
this is my character
1342
00:46:56,720 --> 00:47:00,000
and it's like these are his this is
1343
00:46:58,319 --> 00:47:02,800
these are their stats
1344
00:47:00,000 --> 00:47:04,640
these are the magic abilities they have
1345
00:47:02,800 --> 00:47:07,520
these are the what how good they are
1346
00:47:04,640 --> 00:47:09,040
swinging a sword and then then like you
1347
00:47:07,520 --> 00:47:11,599
flip over it and then there's like a
1348
00:47:09,040 --> 00:47:12,880
little blurb about the background and
1349
00:47:11,599 --> 00:47:15,200
that's it
1350
00:47:12,880 --> 00:47:17,920
the earliest experience as a player has
1351
00:47:15,200 --> 00:47:18,720
with d that when they first sit down to
1352
00:47:17,920 --> 00:47:21,200
play
1353
00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:23,040
is mechanical stuff
1354
00:47:21,200 --> 00:47:25,200
so it's it's one of the one of the
1355
00:47:23,040 --> 00:47:28,160
hardest things for players to learn is
1356
00:47:25,200 --> 00:47:30,160
how to how to actually like be in
1357
00:47:28,160 --> 00:47:32,400
character and like
1358
00:47:30,160 --> 00:47:33,520
have a conversation between two
1359
00:47:32,400 --> 00:47:34,960
characters
1360
00:47:33,520 --> 00:47:36,960
and i think there's
1361
00:47:34,960 --> 00:47:39,839
that's having a conversation between two
1362
00:47:36,960 --> 00:47:42,319
characters is like a step up even from
1363
00:47:39,839 --> 00:47:44,400
like that's what my character would do
1364
00:47:42,319 --> 00:47:46,079
kind of things where like your character
1365
00:47:44,400 --> 00:47:48,319
decides what they're going to do like
1366
00:47:46,079 --> 00:47:50,640
i'm going to go find this thing like
1367
00:47:48,319 --> 00:47:52,800
sets an objective and goes and executes
1368
00:47:50,640 --> 00:47:56,480
that objective interacting with the game
1369
00:47:52,800 --> 00:47:59,760
world interacting with another character
1370
00:47:56,480 --> 00:48:02,640
is um even deeper level than that
1371
00:47:59,760 --> 00:48:04,839
if i were to make a tip for how to be
1372
00:48:02,640 --> 00:48:07,680
better with campfire talk and
1373
00:48:04,839 --> 00:48:09,359
inter-character conversations is to
1374
00:48:07,680 --> 00:48:11,760
relax and
1375
00:48:09,359 --> 00:48:13,119
not don't think about like what would my
1376
00:48:11,760 --> 00:48:15,359
character do
1377
00:48:13,119 --> 00:48:16,800
and just have a conversation with the
1378
00:48:15,359 --> 00:48:18,240
person
1379
00:48:16,800 --> 00:48:20,960
across the table
1380
00:48:18,240 --> 00:48:23,040
and just keeping in mind
1381
00:48:20,960 --> 00:48:26,480
what the character knows
1382
00:48:23,040 --> 00:48:29,359
be yourself and like sort of try to work
1383
00:48:26,480 --> 00:48:31,280
uh things about your character in there
1384
00:48:29,359 --> 00:48:32,800
it helps to have a character with a
1385
00:48:31,280 --> 00:48:34,880
quirk
1386
00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:36,000
with quirks that you can sort of like
1387
00:48:34,880 --> 00:48:38,559
play up
1388
00:48:36,000 --> 00:48:41,119
but it's it's definitely not necessary
1389
00:48:38,559 --> 00:48:44,319
in my opinion i don't think many people
1390
00:48:41,119 --> 00:48:46,720
expect you to put on oscar performance
1391
00:48:44,319 --> 00:48:48,640
of um
1392
00:48:46,720 --> 00:48:51,839
an oscar performance of your care of
1393
00:48:48,640 --> 00:48:53,359
being so convincingly your character
1394
00:48:51,839 --> 00:48:55,920
that um
1395
00:48:53,359 --> 00:48:58,240
like the the race is all doubt you know
1396
00:48:55,920 --> 00:49:01,200
you're you're at a table with friends
1397
00:48:58,240 --> 00:49:04,319
and just relax if you think about it
1398
00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:05,839
like um it'll sort of organically build
1399
00:49:04,319 --> 00:49:07,839
on itself
1400
00:49:05,839 --> 00:49:09,520
because like when when you start off the
1401
00:49:07,839 --> 00:49:10,319
game your characters don't know each
1402
00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:12,720
other
1403
00:49:10,319 --> 00:49:14,480
and they're not going to sit down by the
1404
00:49:12,720 --> 00:49:18,240
fire and just start
1405
00:49:14,480 --> 00:49:21,359
sharing their inner turmoils and caveats
1406
00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:22,240
about their dad when they were a child
1407
00:49:21,359 --> 00:49:24,319
yeah
1408
00:49:22,240 --> 00:49:26,480
they're going to like make small talk
1409
00:49:24,319 --> 00:49:28,640
and small talk is going to be awkward
1410
00:49:26,480 --> 00:49:30,640
it's like it's going to be so if you're
1411
00:49:28,640 --> 00:49:32,640
if your campfire talk and inner
1412
00:49:30,640 --> 00:49:35,680
character dialogue is awkward that's
1413
00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:38,000
fine it's normal it's natural if
1414
00:49:35,680 --> 00:49:39,359
anything it's more believable
1415
00:49:38,000 --> 00:49:40,960
um yeah
1416
00:49:39,359 --> 00:49:42,880
that's really nice
1417
00:49:40,960 --> 00:49:45,119
way there and i'm hoping that will make
1418
00:49:42,880 --> 00:49:46,720
some anxious players out there feel a
1419
00:49:45,119 --> 00:49:48,319
little bit more
1420
00:49:46,720 --> 00:49:52,800
comfortable with
1421
00:49:48,319 --> 00:49:55,200
that intimidating onus of god i am now
1422
00:49:52,800 --> 00:49:58,559
you know in the spotlight and
1423
00:49:55,200 --> 00:50:01,200
i now have to perform uh
1424
00:49:58,559 --> 00:50:01,200
i go to bed
1425
00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:06,559
which is like you get out of jail free
1426
00:50:04,480 --> 00:50:07,920
card but you can't always you know it's
1427
00:50:06,559 --> 00:50:09,920
gonna happen at some point and as you
1428
00:50:07,920 --> 00:50:10,800
said just kind of you know relax and
1429
00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:12,480
just
1430
00:50:10,800 --> 00:50:14,880
approach it as
1431
00:50:12,480 --> 00:50:17,280
a person would do i think
1432
00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:19,040
a lot of people get in their heads this
1433
00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:20,480
image and it's fair enough of their
1434
00:50:19,040 --> 00:50:21,280
character being
1435
00:50:20,480 --> 00:50:23,280
some
1436
00:50:21,280 --> 00:50:24,880
superhero right and they are to a
1437
00:50:23,280 --> 00:50:27,200
certain extent but
1438
00:50:24,880 --> 00:50:29,680
superman was still clark kent and still
1439
00:50:27,200 --> 00:50:32,000
you know went and did a day job right so
1440
00:50:29,680 --> 00:50:33,680
he still had to interact with people
1441
00:50:32,000 --> 00:50:35,680
normally
1442
00:50:33,680 --> 00:50:36,800
as do as do player characters right
1443
00:50:35,680 --> 00:50:39,599
they've still got to you know they can't
1444
00:50:36,800 --> 00:50:40,960
just go into the shop and fly around and
1445
00:50:39,599 --> 00:50:42,800
shoot lightning bolts from their hands
1446
00:50:40,960 --> 00:50:44,800
because that's still
1447
00:50:42,800 --> 00:50:46,319
not normal and you know and still you
1448
00:50:44,800 --> 00:50:47,599
know you want to talk about your
1449
00:50:46,319 --> 00:50:48,800
thoughts and your feelings and you've
1450
00:50:47,599 --> 00:50:50,319
still got to just say like hey what do
1451
00:50:48,800 --> 00:50:52,240
you want for dinner
1452
00:50:50,319 --> 00:50:54,480
because i'm getting hella tired of these
1453
00:50:52,240 --> 00:50:56,160
rations that we've had
1454
00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:59,119
and like picking
1455
00:50:56,160 --> 00:51:01,599
piggybacking on that analogy um like in
1456
00:50:59,119 --> 00:51:05,359
the justice league like superman and
1457
00:51:01,599 --> 00:51:08,319
batman had like a rapport they weren't
1458
00:51:05,359 --> 00:51:09,920
uh acting like superheroes to each other
1459
00:51:08,319 --> 00:51:12,240
like since they were both superheroes
1460
00:51:09,920 --> 00:51:13,200
they were acting like people to each
1461
00:51:12,240 --> 00:51:15,040
other
1462
00:51:13,200 --> 00:51:17,520
yeah that's that's that is a good
1463
00:51:15,040 --> 00:51:19,359
analogy yeah yeah i think i did some
1464
00:51:17,520 --> 00:51:21,280
conversations been some of my players
1465
00:51:19,359 --> 00:51:22,720
have been quite
1466
00:51:21,280 --> 00:51:24,559
stilted
1467
00:51:22,720 --> 00:51:26,559
and i think it's just taking them
1468
00:51:24,559 --> 00:51:28,400
that as you said that kind of learning
1469
00:51:26,559 --> 00:51:31,040
period of
1470
00:51:28,400 --> 00:51:32,800
in in character of getting to a stage so
1471
00:51:31,040 --> 00:51:34,800
they have that familiarity with each
1472
00:51:32,800 --> 00:51:37,680
other where they can just
1473
00:51:34,800 --> 00:51:39,440
chat and not be like
1474
00:51:37,680 --> 00:51:40,319
how are you going to react if i ask this
1475
00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:41,839
thing
1476
00:51:40,319 --> 00:51:43,280
they're still kind of slowly testing the
1477
00:51:41,839 --> 00:51:45,119
waters there of
1478
00:51:43,280 --> 00:51:48,160
so so we've got a
1479
00:51:45,119 --> 00:51:49,839
death cleric who is
1480
00:51:48,160 --> 00:51:51,359
has a lot more experience with the game
1481
00:51:49,839 --> 00:51:53,359
relative to the other players so he's
1482
00:51:51,359 --> 00:51:54,960
obviously a lot more familiar with that
1483
00:51:53,359 --> 00:51:56,240
kind of stuff that his death cleric is
1484
00:51:54,960 --> 00:51:58,960
very
1485
00:51:56,240 --> 00:52:00,319
uh obviously a death cleric
1486
00:51:58,960 --> 00:52:02,160
without putting too much of a finer
1487
00:52:00,319 --> 00:52:03,280
point on it they're not hiding that from
1488
00:52:02,160 --> 00:52:04,880
anybody
1489
00:52:03,280 --> 00:52:07,280
and so he's obviously very flashy he's
1490
00:52:04,880 --> 00:52:10,400
got like he's got like skull motifs and
1491
00:52:07,280 --> 00:52:10,400
carries a scythe like
1492
00:52:11,040 --> 00:52:14,800
there's no hiding that factor
1493
00:52:12,800 --> 00:52:16,559
he wears it quite proudly and it it's
1494
00:52:14,800 --> 00:52:18,800
his gimmick as you said
1495
00:52:16,559 --> 00:52:20,240
and leans into it quite heavily
1496
00:52:18,800 --> 00:52:23,760
we have another player who is a
1497
00:52:20,240 --> 00:52:26,480
completely new new player who is a
1498
00:52:23,760 --> 00:52:28,160
sorcerer the storm so there's you know
1499
00:52:26,480 --> 00:52:30,720
not quite
1500
00:52:28,160 --> 00:52:31,680
as clear a motif
1501
00:52:30,720 --> 00:52:33,760
there
1502
00:52:31,680 --> 00:52:35,200
even from you know an experienced player
1503
00:52:33,760 --> 00:52:37,119
you'd have to kind of
1504
00:52:35,200 --> 00:52:39,040
take some quite tenuous links to be like
1505
00:52:37,119 --> 00:52:40,960
oh well there's the storm cloud overhead
1506
00:52:39,040 --> 00:52:42,400
of you know something like that this was
1507
00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:45,520
on a bit of an uphill struggle as it is
1508
00:52:42,400 --> 00:52:47,119
anyway but in the one of the last
1509
00:52:45,520 --> 00:52:48,960
sessions of that
1510
00:52:47,119 --> 00:52:50,400
sorcerer who was a bit of a hermit for
1511
00:52:48,960 --> 00:52:51,359
you know 100 years and whatnot has
1512
00:52:50,400 --> 00:52:54,480
basically
1513
00:52:51,359 --> 00:52:56,160
seen the death cleric casting a ritual
1514
00:52:54,480 --> 00:52:59,920
spell for 10 minutes
1515
00:52:56,160 --> 00:53:02,079
so he's saying incantations he's praying
1516
00:52:59,920 --> 00:53:04,079
and the sorceress come over and said hey
1517
00:53:02,079 --> 00:53:06,400
can i look over your shoulder and just
1518
00:53:04,079 --> 00:53:08,640
kind of like watch what you do because
1519
00:53:06,400 --> 00:53:09,599
i'm trying to understand how this magic
1520
00:53:08,640 --> 00:53:12,839
stuff
1521
00:53:09,599 --> 00:53:14,480
works and you clearly know how it works
1522
00:53:12,839 --> 00:53:16,880
so
1523
00:53:14,480 --> 00:53:19,280
so that was a kind of quite a sweet
1524
00:53:16,880 --> 00:53:21,599
interaction there that had no
1525
00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:23,760
like i did not galvanize that as the dm
1526
00:53:21,599 --> 00:53:25,839
at all that was that's completely
1527
00:53:23,760 --> 00:53:26,559
on my players to which the cleric was
1528
00:53:25,839 --> 00:53:30,079
like
1529
00:53:26,559 --> 00:53:31,440
yeah i yeah i guess like but
1530
00:53:30,079 --> 00:53:33,520
let me know if you want to know more
1531
00:53:31,440 --> 00:53:36,800
because i'm always looking for people to
1532
00:53:33,520 --> 00:53:38,480
join our cause kind of thing
1533
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:40,240
so yeah that stuff
1534
00:53:38,480 --> 00:53:41,040
can happen i guess you know as players
1535
00:53:40,240 --> 00:53:43,680
just
1536
00:53:41,040 --> 00:53:46,319
as you said just be chill
1537
00:53:43,680 --> 00:53:47,359
just approach it as you would do and
1538
00:53:46,319 --> 00:53:49,599
i think
1539
00:53:47,359 --> 00:53:52,319
the stereotype or the trope of a lot of
1540
00:53:49,599 --> 00:53:53,839
players first characters are caricatures
1541
00:53:52,319 --> 00:53:56,000
of themselves
1542
00:53:53,839 --> 00:53:58,640
is true and a trope for a reason and
1543
00:53:56,000 --> 00:54:00,480
because it's that entry way into okay
1544
00:53:58,640 --> 00:54:02,319
but how would how would we talk about
1545
00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:03,920
this at this point and it's way way way
1546
00:54:02,319 --> 00:54:05,680
easier to just say well how would down
1547
00:54:03,920 --> 00:54:09,040
low talk about it at this point
1548
00:54:05,680 --> 00:54:11,119
so lean on that is what i would say
1549
00:54:09,040 --> 00:54:14,720
i also think like if it when it's the
1550
00:54:11,119 --> 00:54:16,079
first character having a quote-unquote a
1551
00:54:14,720 --> 00:54:19,599
like a dumb
1552
00:54:16,079 --> 00:54:22,079
like trope character is helpful
1553
00:54:19,599 --> 00:54:24,480
because it helps detach you from the
1554
00:54:22,079 --> 00:54:26,640
character's actions and it's more like
1555
00:54:24,480 --> 00:54:28,720
goofing off to play as the character
1556
00:54:26,640 --> 00:54:31,599
than it is like to try and like that
1557
00:54:28,720 --> 00:54:34,480
have that extra vulnerability of like
1558
00:54:31,599 --> 00:54:36,799
portraying yourself in a different world
1559
00:54:34,480 --> 00:54:40,319
yeah it's it's easier to be like sheldon
1560
00:54:36,799 --> 00:54:42,000
cooper from big bang than it is to be
1561
00:54:40,319 --> 00:54:44,160
someone serious from some serious show
1562
00:54:42,000 --> 00:54:46,720
that i'm not familiar with
1563
00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:48,400
yeah and and like i think uh sometimes
1564
00:54:46,720 --> 00:54:50,559
people get uh
1565
00:54:48,400 --> 00:54:52,960
you people people hate on tropey
1566
00:54:50,559 --> 00:54:54,880
characters sometimes but i think
1567
00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:58,480
actually like trophy characters they'd
1568
00:54:54,880 --> 00:55:00,160
never stay tropy because the campaign
1569
00:54:58,480 --> 00:55:01,359
goes on for a while and that character
1570
00:55:00,160 --> 00:55:03,040
is going to be in all kinds of
1571
00:55:01,359 --> 00:55:06,480
situations and they're not going to be
1572
00:55:03,040 --> 00:55:09,280
silly in all of those situations and as
1573
00:55:06,480 --> 00:55:11,440
uh the way your your character starts
1574
00:55:09,280 --> 00:55:15,280
doesn't define the depth they're going
1575
00:55:11,440 --> 00:55:17,200
to have like 30 sessions from now
1576
00:55:15,280 --> 00:55:18,799
so it's okay to be start out to have a
1577
00:55:17,200 --> 00:55:20,480
trope for your character when you're
1578
00:55:18,799 --> 00:55:22,960
starting out that's fine it's they're
1579
00:55:20,480 --> 00:55:25,760
going to develop as the game goes on and
1580
00:55:22,960 --> 00:55:27,680
they won't be as exclusively trophy
1581
00:55:25,760 --> 00:55:29,839
they'll probably still have those quirks
1582
00:55:27,680 --> 00:55:32,640
and that personality but there'll be
1583
00:55:29,839 --> 00:55:34,960
more going on up there than just
1584
00:55:32,640 --> 00:55:36,240
loud goblin hmm
1585
00:55:34,960 --> 00:55:38,319
that's a really good
1586
00:55:36,240 --> 00:55:39,520
i think sound by there of
1587
00:55:38,319 --> 00:55:42,160
the way you made your character at the
1588
00:55:39,520 --> 00:55:42,960
start doesn't define their potential
1589
00:55:42,160 --> 00:55:44,720
and
1590
00:55:42,960 --> 00:55:45,839
yeah keep all those doors open because
1591
00:55:44,720 --> 00:55:47,599
who knows what's going to happen during
1592
00:55:45,839 --> 00:55:48,640
the campaign and then
1593
00:55:47,599 --> 00:55:49,839
wow
1594
00:55:48,640 --> 00:55:51,520
it's just that real life right every
1595
00:55:49,839 --> 00:55:53,920
every experience you have shapes you and
1596
00:55:51,520 --> 00:55:55,920
colors you a little bit and you know use
1597
00:55:53,920 --> 00:55:58,400
what the dm gives you
1598
00:55:55,920 --> 00:55:59,839
session by session to shape and
1599
00:55:58,400 --> 00:56:02,240
color your character so you know how
1600
00:55:59,839 --> 00:56:03,520
they will react to certain situations
1601
00:56:02,240 --> 00:56:05,920
yeah
1602
00:56:03,520 --> 00:56:07,760
so i had a question for you in about
1603
00:56:05,920 --> 00:56:09,440
player improvisation but in your
1604
00:56:07,760 --> 00:56:10,559
capacity as a dm
1605
00:56:09,440 --> 00:56:13,280
so
1606
00:56:10,559 --> 00:56:15,359
do you have any thoughts on
1607
00:56:13,280 --> 00:56:17,599
you know as we alluded to earlier some
1608
00:56:15,359 --> 00:56:20,480
players maybe not being as comfortable
1609
00:56:17,599 --> 00:56:22,720
with improvising so for example you know
1610
00:56:20,480 --> 00:56:25,440
you might have one player go up to a
1611
00:56:22,720 --> 00:56:28,000
a shop and do the bartering and be like
1612
00:56:25,440 --> 00:56:28,720
ah no sir i won't take anything more
1613
00:56:28,000 --> 00:56:30,559
than
1614
00:56:28,720 --> 00:56:32,400
50 off and
1615
00:56:30,559 --> 00:56:33,680
you fool and doing all that and you
1616
00:56:32,400 --> 00:56:34,480
might have another player that's just
1617
00:56:33,680 --> 00:56:36,000
like
1618
00:56:34,480 --> 00:56:37,680
i want to buy this
1619
00:56:36,000 --> 00:56:39,920
and you know like
1620
00:56:37,680 --> 00:56:41,920
you'll try and instigate a conversation
1621
00:56:39,920 --> 00:56:43,520
like i can see you're an adventurer like
1622
00:56:41,920 --> 00:56:45,440
where have you been on your travels and
1623
00:56:43,520 --> 00:56:47,040
and why do you want that potion and
1624
00:56:45,440 --> 00:56:50,000
they're just like um
1625
00:56:47,040 --> 00:56:50,880
i just i just want that potion like how
1626
00:56:50,000 --> 00:56:52,559
do you
1627
00:56:50,880 --> 00:56:54,000
deal with deal with that sounds like you
1628
00:56:52,559 --> 00:56:55,839
could need to get rid of them but you
1629
00:56:54,000 --> 00:56:58,880
know how do you manage
1630
00:56:55,839 --> 00:57:01,760
how do you support them i suppose my my
1631
00:56:58,880 --> 00:57:04,720
usual my usual response is to
1632
00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:06,880
if i can tell that they're like not a
1633
00:57:04,720 --> 00:57:08,720
prioritizing rp
1634
00:57:06,880 --> 00:57:11,440
uh being in character
1635
00:57:08,720 --> 00:57:14,480
um just like every once in a while just
1636
00:57:11,440 --> 00:57:16,960
being like okay how do they do that
1637
00:57:14,480 --> 00:57:19,520
for instance for going to your your
1638
00:57:16,960 --> 00:57:21,920
example like i might say okay you walk
1639
00:57:19,520 --> 00:57:24,960
to the back of the shop say they're
1640
00:57:21,920 --> 00:57:26,799
there to get like 100 feet of rope i say
1641
00:57:24,960 --> 00:57:29,119
like okay you go you walk to the back of
1642
00:57:26,799 --> 00:57:31,040
the shop and you find a basket with a
1643
00:57:29,119 --> 00:57:33,520
bunch of rope on it and it has this
1644
00:57:31,040 --> 00:57:36,000
price on it and i just thought about
1645
00:57:33,520 --> 00:57:38,400
right now is like if i wanted to get the
1646
00:57:36,000 --> 00:57:40,640
player to rp a little bit in this
1647
00:57:38,400 --> 00:57:43,280
situation i might
1648
00:57:40,640 --> 00:57:46,079
put a price tag on the rope in the
1649
00:57:43,280 --> 00:57:49,680
basket that's like
1650
00:57:46,079 --> 00:57:52,079
like 150 percent the cost of a rope in
1651
00:57:49,680 --> 00:57:53,760
the player's handbook
1652
00:57:52,079 --> 00:57:56,640
and now there's that little incentive
1653
00:57:53,760 --> 00:57:58,400
for the player to like go up and try to
1654
00:57:56,640 --> 00:58:00,319
try to they're like i don't want to pay
1655
00:57:58,400 --> 00:58:02,240
a hundred i don't want to pay 150
1656
00:58:00,319 --> 00:58:04,079
percent of the cost
1657
00:58:02,240 --> 00:58:05,040
yeah but um
1658
00:58:04,079 --> 00:58:06,000
i think
1659
00:58:05,040 --> 00:58:08,799
my main
1660
00:58:06,000 --> 00:58:11,680
theory is just to like not put down the
1661
00:58:08,799 --> 00:58:13,520
hammer and be you have to just like
1662
00:58:11,680 --> 00:58:16,240
describe how your character does
1663
00:58:13,520 --> 00:58:18,799
everything but just like just give them
1664
00:58:16,240 --> 00:58:21,680
nudges every once in a while especially
1665
00:58:18,799 --> 00:58:23,280
if you're to sort of pull them into one
1666
00:58:21,680 --> 00:58:26,480
on one hand you're pulling them into the
1667
00:58:23,280 --> 00:58:28,559
narrative a little bit and getting the
1668
00:58:26,480 --> 00:58:29,359
influencing their theater of the mind
1669
00:58:28,559 --> 00:58:31,040
like
1670
00:58:29,359 --> 00:58:33,839
when you remind a player
1671
00:58:31,040 --> 00:58:35,760
how does your character do that you're
1672
00:58:33,839 --> 00:58:38,160
sort of putting their headspace back
1673
00:58:35,760 --> 00:58:40,400
into the world and they're like um i
1674
00:58:38,160 --> 00:58:41,760
guess even if they're just like uh i
1675
00:58:40,400 --> 00:58:42,720
yell it
1676
00:58:41,760 --> 00:58:44,559
at
1677
00:58:42,720 --> 00:58:46,960
so and so
1678
00:58:44,559 --> 00:58:49,520
then like that's still like if if
1679
00:58:46,960 --> 00:58:51,680
they're super standoffish with rp just
1680
00:58:49,520 --> 00:58:54,000
i'm saying i yell it at so and so that's
1681
00:58:51,680 --> 00:58:55,520
already like that's already just that
1682
00:58:54,000 --> 00:58:57,760
little bit more
1683
00:58:55,520 --> 00:58:59,200
in character in the world and just like
1684
00:58:57,760 --> 00:59:04,240
i guess another tip i would have for
1685
00:58:59,200 --> 00:59:07,520
that is to is to reward and celebrate um
1686
00:59:04,240 --> 00:59:08,400
rp yeah when a character does something
1687
00:59:07,520 --> 00:59:10,559
like
1688
00:59:08,400 --> 00:59:13,040
like even if a character is just like i
1689
00:59:10,559 --> 00:59:15,520
attack with my sword um
1690
00:59:13,040 --> 00:59:18,000
i look i love the
1691
00:59:15,520 --> 00:59:20,799
it's almost it's a meme at this point
1692
00:59:18,000 --> 00:59:23,520
but um because of how well known it is
1693
00:59:20,799 --> 00:59:26,799
when matt says how are you gonna do this
1694
00:59:23,520 --> 00:59:28,960
um that's a chance for the character to
1695
00:59:26,799 --> 00:59:31,359
uh what instead of just
1696
00:59:28,960 --> 00:59:34,160
okay they have no hp pick up the piece
1697
00:59:31,359 --> 00:59:34,880
to take it off the map next um
1698
00:59:34,160 --> 00:59:36,799
to
1699
00:59:34,880 --> 00:59:38,960
like give the character a chance to
1700
00:59:36,799 --> 00:59:41,839
shine like you like make them make them
1701
00:59:38,960 --> 00:59:43,440
be really cool and if and some people
1702
00:59:41,839 --> 00:59:45,839
aren't like good at coming up with
1703
00:59:43,440 --> 00:59:48,400
something and that at that point then
1704
00:59:45,839 --> 00:59:50,880
you sort of do it for you just like get
1705
00:59:48,400 --> 00:59:52,960
get whatever minimal input they give and
1706
00:59:50,880 --> 00:59:55,200
then you like embellish it yeah blow it
1707
00:59:52,960 --> 00:59:57,119
up and make them and try try to make
1708
00:59:55,200 --> 01:00:00,079
them feel really cool and
1709
00:59:57,119 --> 01:00:02,000
uh good about how they're doing things
1710
01:00:00,079 --> 01:00:03,119
in the theater of the mind
1711
01:00:02,000 --> 01:00:04,880
kind of thing
1712
01:00:03,119 --> 01:00:07,040
yeah some really really good points
1713
01:00:04,880 --> 01:00:09,200
there like i'm gonna go through them in
1714
01:00:07,040 --> 01:00:10,640
reverse order so the that how do you
1715
01:00:09,200 --> 01:00:12,640
want to do this is
1716
01:00:10,640 --> 01:00:13,839
like players always are asking me like
1717
01:00:12,640 --> 01:00:15,760
can i go for the eyes can i go and
1718
01:00:13,839 --> 01:00:17,359
hamstring so on and so on you can't do
1719
01:00:15,760 --> 01:00:19,040
that stuff normally within the rules is
1720
01:00:17,359 --> 01:00:21,280
written because it's you know breaks the
1721
01:00:19,040 --> 01:00:22,960
action economy and whatnot but
1722
01:00:21,280 --> 01:00:24,720
that how do you want to do this that's
1723
01:00:22,960 --> 01:00:26,720
the player's opportunity to do that
1724
01:00:24,720 --> 01:00:29,839
weird and wacky stuff that you can't you
1725
01:00:26,720 --> 01:00:32,960
know really do rules as written so just
1726
01:00:29,839 --> 01:00:34,480
go ham like do a backflip jump around
1727
01:00:32,960 --> 01:00:36,160
decapitate them
1728
01:00:34,480 --> 01:00:38,319
you know whatever you want to do use
1729
01:00:36,160 --> 01:00:40,000
that to really flavor your character
1730
01:00:38,319 --> 01:00:41,200
because that's that's your opportunity
1731
01:00:40,000 --> 01:00:44,240
to do so
1732
01:00:41,200 --> 01:00:48,160
we were fighting in a game before
1733
01:00:44,240 --> 01:00:49,920
lockdown and my barbarian paladin dps
1734
01:00:48,160 --> 01:00:51,520
machine got the killing blowing like a
1735
01:00:49,920 --> 01:00:53,520
mini boss that happened to be the father
1736
01:00:51,520 --> 01:00:55,119
of one of the player characters so i
1737
01:00:53,520 --> 01:00:57,680
basically said okay i'm not gonna
1738
01:00:55,119 --> 01:00:59,760
kill him because it's the the father of
1739
01:00:57,680 --> 01:01:01,680
the person and maybe they want to talk
1740
01:00:59,760 --> 01:01:02,880
to them so i was like dm instead of
1741
01:01:01,680 --> 01:01:04,160
like killing them can i just like you
1742
01:01:02,880 --> 01:01:06,000
know kick him in the back of the legs
1743
01:01:04,160 --> 01:01:07,359
and put my mace around his neck and just
1744
01:01:06,000 --> 01:01:09,839
kind of hold him
1745
01:01:07,359 --> 01:01:11,200
basically on his knees and say okay they
1746
01:01:09,839 --> 01:01:12,640
go other player character this is your
1747
01:01:11,200 --> 01:01:15,119
chance now to you know
1748
01:01:12,640 --> 01:01:16,960
reconcile with your father oh i can snap
1749
01:01:15,119 --> 01:01:18,480
his neck but i'm
1750
01:01:16,960 --> 01:01:19,520
it's it's up to you kind of thing so
1751
01:01:18,480 --> 01:01:20,720
yeah that's
1752
01:01:19,520 --> 01:01:22,160
use that how do you want to do this
1753
01:01:20,720 --> 01:01:23,680
isn't just
1754
01:01:22,160 --> 01:01:25,839
player characters
1755
01:01:23,680 --> 01:01:28,319
say something stupid it's
1756
01:01:25,839 --> 01:01:30,079
that is your like a golden opportunity
1757
01:01:28,319 --> 01:01:31,760
to flavor your character and to make
1758
01:01:30,079 --> 01:01:33,520
them stand out that's your that's your
1759
01:01:31,760 --> 01:01:35,440
moment in the spotlight to say okay
1760
01:01:33,520 --> 01:01:38,000
here's my badass time
1761
01:01:35,440 --> 01:01:40,559
yeah you can also bring out the way your
1762
01:01:38,000 --> 01:01:41,680
character is really well too because
1763
01:01:40,559 --> 01:01:43,280
like you know
1764
01:01:41,680 --> 01:01:45,200
more of
1765
01:01:43,280 --> 01:01:47,839
how you do it
1766
01:01:45,200 --> 01:01:49,680
is sort of how the the way you want the
1767
01:01:47,839 --> 01:01:51,359
k the player wants their character to
1768
01:01:49,680 --> 01:01:53,839
look like that's what that's what their
1769
01:01:51,359 --> 01:01:56,160
ideal character is
1770
01:01:53,839 --> 01:01:57,520
and going back to like uh you know
1771
01:01:56,160 --> 01:02:00,559
somebody says i want to shoot them in
1772
01:01:57,520 --> 01:02:01,440
the eyes kind of thing uh i usually just
1773
01:02:00,559 --> 01:02:04,319
like
1774
01:02:01,440 --> 01:02:07,760
be like okay you can try and let the
1775
01:02:04,319 --> 01:02:10,240
dice determine if they succeed like
1776
01:02:07,760 --> 01:02:12,000
um it's like if they roll okay they need
1777
01:02:10,240 --> 01:02:14,000
first they need to roll hit and like if
1778
01:02:12,000 --> 01:02:16,160
somebody wants to shoot them in the eye
1779
01:02:14,000 --> 01:02:18,559
they need to not only roll the hit but
1780
01:02:16,160 --> 01:02:20,559
also roll like pretty good damage if
1781
01:02:18,559 --> 01:02:23,680
they want to like [ __ ] them in some
1782
01:02:20,559 --> 01:02:24,960
way and like them shooting in the eye
1783
01:02:23,680 --> 01:02:27,200
shooting the thing in the eye doesn't
1784
01:02:24,960 --> 01:02:29,920
really need to uh
1785
01:02:27,200 --> 01:02:31,839
impact the mechanics at all it might
1786
01:02:29,920 --> 01:02:33,039
impact how you play
1787
01:02:31,839 --> 01:02:34,559
the thing
1788
01:02:33,039 --> 01:02:36,559
but it uh
1789
01:02:34,559 --> 01:02:39,280
it doesn't need to like impact the
1790
01:02:36,559 --> 01:02:41,839
mechanics of like what the stat block of
1791
01:02:39,280 --> 01:02:44,240
the creature at all but you can still
1792
01:02:41,839 --> 01:02:46,960
like say like you shoot the giant lizard
1793
01:02:44,240 --> 01:02:49,039
in the eye and like they roll
1794
01:02:46,960 --> 01:02:51,520
they say they critically hit and deal a
1795
01:02:49,039 --> 01:02:53,440
lot of damage absolutely you shot the
1796
01:02:51,520 --> 01:02:55,440
giant lizard in the eye
1797
01:02:53,440 --> 01:02:57,200
yeah for sure yeah and i really liked
1798
01:02:55,440 --> 01:02:59,440
your comment earlier on about
1799
01:02:57,200 --> 01:03:01,599
raising the price of an item kind of
1800
01:02:59,440 --> 01:03:03,200
forcing the hand of the player to have
1801
01:03:01,599 --> 01:03:04,799
to improvise a little bit there but the
1802
01:03:03,200 --> 01:03:05,440
reason why i like it so much is because
1803
01:03:04,799 --> 01:03:07,680
it
1804
01:03:05,440 --> 01:03:09,039
makes sense in game
1805
01:03:07,680 --> 01:03:10,880
like it's it's
1806
01:03:09,039 --> 01:03:13,119
no one would know that you're using that
1807
01:03:10,880 --> 01:03:14,799
as a tool in your dms toolkit to
1808
01:03:13,119 --> 01:03:16,799
encourage that player to improvise a
1809
01:03:14,799 --> 01:03:18,640
little bit because it's all
1810
01:03:16,799 --> 01:03:20,480
in game and you're kind of flying under
1811
01:03:18,640 --> 01:03:21,760
the radar there and you can totally just
1812
01:03:20,480 --> 01:03:23,280
like no that's just that that was just
1813
01:03:21,760 --> 01:03:25,039
that npc
1814
01:03:23,280 --> 01:03:26,319
whereas in you know behind you like yes
1815
01:03:25,039 --> 01:03:28,400
that guy's kind of coming out with
1816
01:03:26,319 --> 01:03:30,400
sheldon is you know improvising and
1817
01:03:28,400 --> 01:03:32,240
that's that's that's that's just lovely
1818
01:03:30,400 --> 01:03:33,440
that's just perfect
1819
01:03:32,240 --> 01:03:34,880
is it is there anything else you wanted
1820
01:03:33,440 --> 01:03:36,240
to talk about
1821
01:03:34,880 --> 01:03:39,200
um
1822
01:03:36,240 --> 01:03:41,839
i i've we've talked about a whole lot
1823
01:03:39,200 --> 01:03:42,880
we it's like it's d like we could we
1824
01:03:41,839 --> 01:03:44,400
could talk
1825
01:03:42,880 --> 01:03:46,720
forever
1826
01:03:44,400 --> 01:03:46,720
yep
1827
01:03:47,520 --> 01:03:52,400
but unfortunately we have a time limit
1828
01:03:49,599 --> 01:03:54,079
to a deity so um
1829
01:03:52,400 --> 01:03:56,480
in that case then is there anything else
1830
01:03:54,079 --> 01:03:59,760
you want to plug at all or promote if
1831
01:03:56,480 --> 01:04:02,160
you want to check out uh my games at idm
1832
01:03:59,760 --> 01:04:06,480
and my and my friends dms you can check
1833
01:04:02,160 --> 01:04:09,200
us out at twitch.tv slash eos riconto
1834
01:04:06,480 --> 01:04:11,039
pretty small right now but um
1835
01:04:09,200 --> 01:04:12,559
the the channel was originally just sort
1836
01:04:11,039 --> 01:04:14,640
of like a personal channel for me to
1837
01:04:12,559 --> 01:04:18,319
share with friends our
1838
01:04:14,640 --> 01:04:20,720
our games but 2021 i'm gonna try and put
1839
01:04:18,319 --> 01:04:23,680
more stuff together and maybe get some
1840
01:04:20,720 --> 01:04:25,119
more campaigns going and and once once
1841
01:04:23,680 --> 01:04:27,039
those plans are in motion i'll be
1842
01:04:25,119 --> 01:04:29,039
looking for some players and if people
1843
01:04:27,039 --> 01:04:30,960
are around and they're liking what i got
1844
01:04:29,039 --> 01:04:33,440
maybe awesome well if involved
1845
01:04:30,960 --> 01:04:34,960
defensively dming me at 2 am then uh
1846
01:04:33,440 --> 01:04:37,520
yeah
1847
01:04:34,960 --> 01:04:41,319
do you well i mean i could do it i don't
1848
01:04:37,520 --> 01:04:41,319
know if the rest of the players
1849
01:04:42,400 --> 01:04:44,720
um
1850
01:04:43,440 --> 01:04:46,559
yeah i'd recommend everybody to check
1851
01:04:44,720 --> 01:04:48,799
out daniel's stuff because clearly after
1852
01:04:46,559 --> 01:04:50,319
today he knows what he's talking about
1853
01:04:48,799 --> 01:04:52,960
so yeah thank you again for joining us
1854
01:04:50,319 --> 01:04:55,359
daniel thank you it's been a pleasure
1855
01:04:52,960 --> 01:04:58,880
yep lovely awesome um thank you all for
1856
01:04:55,359 --> 01:05:00,720
listening at home as usual any thoughts
1857
01:04:58,880 --> 01:05:03,680
questions tips tricks all that usual
1858
01:05:00,720 --> 01:05:06,160
stuff you can find me easiliest on
1859
01:05:03,680 --> 01:05:08,400
twitter at download underscore dnd
1860
01:05:06,160 --> 01:05:10,530
otherwise thank you all for listening
1861
01:05:08,400 --> 01:05:15,719
and good night
1862
01:05:10,530 --> 01:05:15,719
[Music]
