Starting a new campaign tonight with the help of all the knowledge you passed on through your videos. Thanks for another great video.

@zachariaravenheart

6 жыл бұрын

I am starting a new one this Sunday. The knowledge gathered in this channel is helping me as well :D Especially this one. One of my players is playing a Minotaur with a backstory and a goal. This video is helpful for this type of thing

Great vid. Dont understand all the hate comments. All you do is help create a enjoyable narrative that gets the players involved with the game itself. Fantastic work

This really did help me. I have this campaign full of characters and stories I've been working on but the hard part is trying to incorporate my player's characters into it. I have so many ideas to work with now. Thank you

Thank you for this. Such vast knowledge on this channel. You’ve helped me develop me as a DM so thank you.

Another great set of tips. Thank you for this, my liege!

Great advice all around. I will have to use some of this in my next game.

Thanks Guy, this was fantastic advice. I've been building up my campaign around some central ideas but have also been trying to have an epic arc for each individual character throughout with of course fun bits of adventure here or there. It never occurred to me to try and involve that same theme into their own stories and having that be a major pull for the party to be together. I've always been concerned about the statement of, "I don't think this character fits with the group so I kind of want to reroll" or some such, some lack of cohesion other than a meta-gaming kind of stance to remain together. I think this will be utmost helpful and I will certainly implement it.

@Jake007123

6 жыл бұрын

I also think making the players stick together it's a little hard and "metagaming" sometimes. If you don't like the metagaming part, make a huge effort of putting the necessity of sticking together be clear. When you have some loose ends, people spying the party and so on, it becomes easier. In the meantime, I generally make sure everyone is needed if only because of their powers/skills, like the wizard having the proper knowledge lets him now there is a werewolf, but it's the bard with his bluffing who can pinpoint who is acting suspicious, the rogue who sneaks inside their houses searching for clues and the warrior who ultimately slash the creature with a silver sword, which was handed out by the local church thanks to the party's cleric, and so on...

Thank you this is a genuinely great help. :)

I need a part 2 for this video!

Oh nice was hoping for something on this topic from someone.

Last week in my campaign one of my pc's died, but his plot wasn't yet finished. Do you have any ideas on how to deal with dead pc's with unfinished stories. My current plan is that the party encounters this demon with which the dead pc had made a pact in his backstory. And the demon is now torturing the soul of said PC. The party doesnt know about that part of his backstory and in that way i'm hoping to give some closure to his character story even tho he is dead.

@PhoenixIsTrash

6 жыл бұрын

If the player who controls the PC is fine with it, have the demon bring back the PC as a thrall to fight, hinder or torture the party. This gives them motivation to deal with the story plot, as well as the possibility of resurrecting the pc if the player wants it

@fhuber7507

5 жыл бұрын

Dead character that isn't getting brought back by the party (can't afford it or its just not possible or they just don't care) His plot is done when he died if the DM doesn't incorporate it in the campaign. Maybe the plot was good and the DM thinks it fits well... maybe he doesn't.

@brandonduer2971

5 жыл бұрын

I manage player death by discussing with them before hand and letting them know that if they die they can come back as a ghost that follows the party, and makes rolls to communicate, and as they level they can posses things and eventually people as well gain basic ghost abilities, of course we have to balance it out in the cosmic side, so perhaps the are being pursued by something that wants to take their soul to the other side. This provides interesting encounters with the party and enhanced play giving that player a way to solve some problems that stump the party, but also give a creep factor so that the party doesn't always get the easy out, by the fact that the room gets cold and the smoke from a PCs pipe begins to scrall messages from the ghost Pc and con saves that determine who is able to stay calm enough to get the message

Very nicely done!

I remember the best revenge story I have ever played in - I was playing an old knight, and had finally earned myself a sturdy keep. In celebration, I decided to hold a tournament in my lands. I also had two illegitimate daughters, who I knew and loved. I offered the hand of my oldest daughter as the reward for winning the tournament. After the wedding, I went to find my younger daughter (well they were technically twins but) and I found her completely unresponsive in a room. After a short investigation, we came to the conclusion that she had been raped. Fuck I’m getting mad as I type. The perpetrator was an important noble heir to the family we were attempting to build an alliance with. I got MAD AF. My GM was caught off guard at how mad at was. I went outside, found this kid, murdered him, then left him to be eaten by the crows. I mustered my small army and was on my way to kill the rapists entire noble house when the campaign. I know the revenge isn’t that great but I was very emotionally manipulated and thought I should share. I never expected myself to be so attached to 2 NPCs who in game I had only met a few times.

@deanreaver3268

6 жыл бұрын

It's always so great to lose ones self to the game and live as the character.

Thank You very helpful ways just thinking about this.

Coordinate the backstory between DM and player character. As a player I supply a paragraph base outline of backstory. DM is able to fill in some blanks (name of town, some tidbits of history of the realm) then I can flesh it out and it WILL fit. I usually get some hints as to the first couple of adventures and the main campaign in this process. I like my players to do the same when I am DM.

I opened an interdimensional rift for love once... Never again.

I feel another (and situationally better) way to do this is how Apocalypse World suggests you do it: once you decide on your theme (or fundamental need as is the theme of AW), just ask your players, "what would inspire X in your character?" That way you don't need to add a curveball to the player's backstory, and if players are somewhat aware of what the theme is it also helps them work with you to incorporate that theme into their own actions, if such is your interest.

I need this!

This is exactly what I needed , thanks for making it. You earned a sub

That 3D dragon though.

One thing I always wondered regarding motivation: Does "they did it because they felt like doing it" count as motivation? On a whim, basicly? I never seem to see this, things basicly always have some kind of big reason, like the video says, be it revenge or something. Could it work if the villain just says "I did it because I was BORED!"?

@GreatGMLive

6 жыл бұрын

Why were they bored? The quick answer of - I felt like it - could be that they could care less, and are totally self-absorbed. So they do things because they're bored or think it will distract them from their world. It is a very psychopathic Chaotic Evil action for which there is no goal or reason. It is just sheer madness. So yes that could be a motivation. The crazy actions of Joker skipping from one random act to another is a good example. Though it is often proven Joker wanted attention - which is a form of love.

@Melvin7727

3 жыл бұрын

Superficially, it sounds like a possible motivation, but weak without further depth. It sounds like you're trying to look for the absence of the factor in order to subvert form. This is often done in anti-art. It's not always done with tremendous success. There are outliers that have mainstream success. But I think you have to kind of be a genius who understands form exceptionally well in order to start playing with it. Learn the rules, then break the rules. Look at Picasso's progression. But to be honest, I think most people will be a fan of traditional storytelling wherein there are motivations that are well reasoned. You say they are always big. Not necessarily. They just have to be solid and compelling. As far as the Joker, he's different because motivation his DOES exist, but it's a little more meta than usual. It is philosophical. He comes from a place of nihilism, specifically absurdism. His implied motivation is something like "hey, the world is all meaningless anyway right? It's all a big joke to me. I don't take any of it seriously. I could wallow and be sad... or I could put a smile on and laugh in the face of death. Why not get some kicks out of disturbing those people who place undue value on this meaningless existence? I'll ruffle some feathers and turn some heads if I plant a bomb here..." You can see how this is not a PERSONAL motivation. This is a philosophical one, collectively pulled from real-world nihilism as a CONCEPT, and distilled into a person. He is living, breathing, walking concept. One that everyone has felt at one point or another. You hit a low point, you go a little insane, you act irrationally. He is the embodiment of that. That's what makes him mythological. That goes hand in hand with super hero universes that so often use archetypes instead of characters. There aren't Walter Whites in superherodom. There are symbols, and they just act as people for the sake of telling the story.

YES! THEY *ARE* ALL INDIVIDUALS! *Drow, off-camera* "I'm not..."

I have some mixed feelings about this video. As i agree with your idea implanting a certain tone into the storry of the player characters, i think giving every single one the same motivator ( in this case revenge) seems to be a little bit to much. I´m not going to jump on bord the hate train some of the commenters here are riding, but i can slightly get their point. If my gm would try to implant implant a revenge story in my character that would be fantastic. But if i my fellow players would get the same element to play with (as long it is not a group concerning developement "Oh they blew up our starship - lets hunt these bastards down") i could imagine it kind of dull. "Oh, Fred and Susi got these revenge plothooks - i guess it´s my turn now."

just gave me an idea to make this story about a mage who wants to open a portal to some dangerous dimension, with demons or whatever, and the characters are sent to stop him, quest that in which they discover the mage actually wants revenge... against said demons... on their last invasion they massacrated his city, and being the lone survivor of said tragedy, he dedicated himself to find a way he could wipe them out, either entirely, or even better, give the few survivors the same sensation he had when they invaded. He believes he have the "weapon" (or magic, or whatever) now, hence why he seeks to open the portal... but will it really work? and is it even worth trying? well, it will be up to the players if they join him in his quest to slain the demonic scourge once and for all, or if they stop him from opening the portal at all.

@marcelosilveira2276

6 жыл бұрын

by the way #GMingHint tell your players what kind of story you want to narrate BEFORE asking them to make the background. Actually, before you even ask if they want to play. "I'm creating a story about this and that of the following setting, the theme is X and the tone is Y, characters should have restriction Z for the story to work. Do you want to play?" also, take the chance to stablish where and when the games will happen before they join.

i've been devouring your content lately as a first time dm, and as much as i wish i had it before, (lmao) i'm trying to make the most of it for session 3!! (any party members of mine who may come snooping through this channel, you know who you are- avert thy eyes) i've got the problem of, i have important side quests for each character (a chaotic and branded heretical monk must meditate and use his technical knowledge of religion and prayer to reach his trapped goddess and free her, and so on and so forth for the others) but my "big bad" is a total facade right now: i have absolutely no idea the values, views, desires, motivations, anything that this mysterious faction possesses. i've only set a clue of (meets other party of npc's, edgy npc™ assassinates his party and tries to flee, our party tries to stop him and nearly dies before Saved By The Plot, edgy npc™ is restrained, commits suicide, and leaves a mysterious sigil burned into the ground). i promised a slow-burn, traditional "dnd" story that we can enjoy for months, but i have no idea what kind of sinister, dark, maleficent final struggle this story will culminate with!!

@Miranda-ph5dt

6 жыл бұрын

Michael Kimble wow, you've really given me a lot to think about!! thank you, i was mulling it over and i might go with the edgy npc and his mysterious sigil as a red herring: it will be the symbol of the most fearsome criminal gang in the country, and the party discover this and think "oh shit, big bad spotted, we obviously need to solve this criminal corruption in the capital!" but really they're being given quests and manipulated to help destroy this gang by an embittered Nemesis and his web of lackeys who will wait until the big gang is weakened and then throw a criminal coup and wreak havoc : )

@Miranda-ph5dt

6 жыл бұрын

Michael Kimble hello again mike! i was thinking about a plot of revenge: decades ago the Nemesis was once a part of the big city's big bad criminal gang, but on the side he was building up his own syndicate and a secret identity as one of the fiercest up-and-coming criminals in the city (but he bided his time in his original gang, both to hide his true power and identity). but the boss of this gang found out this lowly member is actually a huge threat to his assets, and so he sets him up at a murder scene on what should have been a simple burglary and tips off the police, landing our Nemesis with a cool 25 to life. he attempts to run his syndicate from the inside, but due to pressure from his former "gang" and the logistical difficulties, his territory and resources are overrun and correspondence from his secret syndicate stops coming in. and so his secret identity fades into urban legend, never being captured but never striking again (bc jail, lmao). upon release he's a changed man, embittered and old, with none of his former resources, connections, or opportunities. he swears revenge on the gang that ruined his life, though the task of taking down what is now the most fearsome gang in the country (in part due to them stealing his resources) is too difficult for an old and weakened criminal back at the bottom of the barrel. so he bides his time, setting out feelers for criminal opportunities while convincing the town he's a well-meaning ex-con who has turned over a new leaf and is devoted to aiding heroes of justice. the shady npc, having been a part of this current ultra-powerful gang, was a convenient way to get the players asking questions about what sort of criminals and corruption lies in the city, and when they start poking their noses around, ENTER THE NEMESIS as a long-term/mentor npc - "im a changed man, i regret my wasted youth, and if i were only young again i would be right out with you fighting this dastardly thugs..... but since i can't, here's Convenient Information to help you take them down!" so the party is genuinely fighting a source of crime and corruption, but what they don't know is that they're also destroying the nemesis's enemies for him, creating chaos and political instability in the underworld, and clearing his pathway back to the top where he can rain his rage down on criminals and adventurers alike! you're absolutely right about the whole assassination thing: why DID the shady npc kill his party? it had to happen to start this whole mystery, but what could he have gotten from killing a LG paladin, a CG kenku, and a neutral travelling orc woman? there's definitely opportunity there... thank you for your interest, this discussion is actually quite helpful in kicking my Plotting into high gear!!

@LightingInvoker

5 жыл бұрын

So what happened with your game? 😯

11:30 it's not justifiable to seek revenge against someone who is already taking revenge against you for attacking him out of the blue for dirt money.

No offense but your backgrounds are slowly becoming painful to watch due to the intensive blur you're applying. Could you consider toning that down or even stopping it altogether, thanks.

@GreatGMLive

6 жыл бұрын

They haven't changed since I started using the greenscreen. But I can try for sure.

@OtocinclusAffinis

6 жыл бұрын

Nikola Silvers looks like you have a perfect eyesight. I am nearsighted and that’s how I see everything without my glasses.

So...basically if your players don't have a twisted and messed up backstory, that *forces* them to act in a certain way, you will twist and mess it up until they don't have a choice, if they want to keep true to their character concept? That's manipulating and coercing, without the players themself having a say in their own backstory, because *you* desperately want it to be connected. I said it once and i'll say it again - a GM who is willing to corrupt the player's agenda to fit his own story is not a GM for the players, he is a GM for himself. The players are then merely his tools to entertain himself.

@quirkyauthor5378

6 жыл бұрын

paranidherc That is one way to look at it, but it wouldn’t be a proper story without putting characters through events that change them, even in small ways. Characters aren’t meant to stay the same throughout the game. Tabletop role playing is a collaborative game where both the player and the GM contribute elements to the game for the other to add to and make use of. In reference to what was actually said in the video, what you described as “manipulating and coercing” is what I believe to be using aspects of the character’s backstory as inspiration for plot hooks and potential character development. I didn’t hear it being said that he wanted to completely change the backstory that he was given; I believe he was just adding to what he was given to connect them thematically to the larger plot. It is just a matter of different perspectives, I suppose. 😊

@manicmania7046

6 жыл бұрын

I agree with this completely; I'd be pretty pissed off if my backstory i'd worked hard on was fiddled with to fit a story or a plot point. It's a bit like the GM is saying "no, your back story isn't interesting enough so i'll re-write it for you" To use the example in the vid, by all means if I have made a point of saying my creator was up to no good or there was some kind of mystery involving him then the GM using that and building on it is fine, but just shoe-horning it in is a no go for me. If your PC's have boring back stories then you should talk to them and help make some suggestions out of game rather than just rail-roading in game.

@Demadragon

6 жыл бұрын

"Knife theory" - you create your character and "knifes" to be stabbed, and you give this "knifes" to your GM to motivate your character. No one twists anybody and plot is moving forward with help oh this knifes - whatever this "knifes" actually are - greed, honor, family, patron and so one...

@EnduringFrost

6 жыл бұрын

manic mania I can sort of understand what you are saying, but at the same time, you are basically telling everyone that your backstory is your own. It's where you came from, but is completely out of the picture and can't be fiddled with or affected. A backstory that doesn't have an impact on the character or never has any relevancy is like me telling you about my life, but its never going to be useful or come into play with any meaning at any point. If that is your backstory idea, it might as well not even be your character's origin. If you write up a backstory and say, "Then I had to find my daughter and save her from the pirates, but they'll never kill her, they wear blue clothes, and when I confront them they will surrender and change their ways." That is the kind of thing you can do as a DM or writer, but as a player your biggest part is making choices with what you are given to tell your part of the story. The dice decide if that story ends in success or agony.

@manicmania7046

6 жыл бұрын

My back story is my own of course, and no, fundamental facts about it should not be changed at the whim of a DM - if I have spent time and effort on a back story it will absolutely inform the way I RP as that character, and absolutely come into play for example, I could create a war weary ex soldier who say, suffers from flashbacks and has a mysterious fear of bodies of water - the goal could be to find my former commander or living members of my former unit - does that back story sound like it needs the commander to actually become the big evil of the campaign and a huge revenge plot? No of course not. If the DM wants to imply through NPCs he creates along the way that I may have been involved in war atrocities - well that could make sense for the character and I can work with that but I would still be pissed off if that was thrown into live play without me having any say in it - a simple conversation pre game will do. Does that make sense? Please note I am NOT saying that I control what happens to that character in the world during the game, but I should absolutely have control over what HAS happened in the past and what drives my character to achieve whatever it is I want to achieve. The DM and the dice can throw the obstacles in the way of course but if they are relating to character traits or personality I ABSOLUTELY have to have creative control of that.

To be honest, DON'T. Players don't ahve to follow one linked sotry from beginnign to end. It makes things more difficult than they have to be and unecessarily forced

@Jake007123

6 жыл бұрын

I have DMed both sandbox and story driven games and I must say, a mix of both it's what works with me. Basically follow up a main story and give the players a lot of down time so they can do whatever they want from time to time. Nobody feels forced that way.

@gnarthdarkanen7464

6 жыл бұрын

Shaping the narrative of an adventure arc or campaign to segway some of the PC's backstory(ies) into the thing is NOTHING wrong... It should be a practiced relished and embraced by GM's of just about any system, to learn to develop those necessary and engaging narrative skills with which to entertain the Players as much as to motivate them to make choices... While it might be at least in part mischievously manipulative, there is more to it than just shoe-horning anyone. Keep that in mind before berating a GM. YOU the Player still (ultimately) has control over your PC's actions. Derailing the entire Party just for YOUR kicks is destructive and wasteful. It will get you invited to leave the game. ;o)