Nerdarchy on How to Play D&D the Nerdarchy Way — Improv & Reactionary DMing
In this 16-minute video on Nerdarchy the YouTube channel Nerdarchists Dave and Ted share their way of running roleplaying games like Dungeons & Dragons. They give advice on being a Game Master (or Dungeon Master) their way.
The conversation begins with Dave and Ted illustrating the broad strokes of their DM style, which consists of three principles — improvisation, player agency and light combat. Working in tandem these three components make running games more fun, smooth and engaging for everyone involved. This method may not appeal to everyone, whose mileage may vary. This approach was developed over decades of experience playing RPGs with many, many people.
In the video Dave and Ted explain how they developed one of their three principles in particular. Any DM can relate to players doing unexpected things and taking their story in a direction that renders any prepared material moot. Improvisation is always part of the DM experience. With almost absolutely certainly players will do the unexpected and completely trash your prepared material, meaning improvisation is key to handling a game session. On a more practical level it’s not uncommon for time and real life concerns taking up time a DM might otherwise use to prepare. In lieu of cancelling D&D night, running a game session off the cuff and improvising the majority of situations might be the only solution. [NERDITOR’S NOTE: Published material is terrific for these times too. Start with a single encounter and see what emerges!]
The conversation then segues into tips, insights and resources to make improvisation smoother for DMs. They begin by addressing the elephant in the room — don’t all DMs improv? The discussion present a particular perspective on improvisation and then dives into how it happens in practice from both before a game session and during one. The video touches on finding your own comfort level of preparation and wraps up by addressing how this style may not be the best fit for all DMs. Two other upcoming videos on player agency and combat light adventures expand on these ideas and illustrate how the three components of this style work together.
Whatever your approach to D&D you might be interested in learning How to Play D&D for the Rest of Your Life for Free. You might also glean some insights into how this improvisational style became a foundation for the way Dave and Ted run D&D in another video about Why Nerdarchy Doesn’t Run Official D&D Adventures.
What’s your style as a Dungeon Master? Do you rely on improvisational skills or do you prefer to have a wealth of material prepared in advance of a game session? Share your methods in the comments here or at Nerdarchy the YouTube channel or with the community over at Facebook and until next time, stay nerdy!
Featured image — Before becoming mentor to the heroes from the 1980s D&D cartoon, Dungeon Master pursued a career as a stand up comic. True story.
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