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i notice this how brennan won’t interrupt the playera to move along the story. if they’re laughing and having a good time he’ll let them run out of steam before continuing. so amazing

Protip - remember these are actors in these online videos, not everyday friends and family. Don't expect performances or instant brilliant creativity - even from you, the GM. Your home game is for fun, not for show.

Yo I legit got my players to just start chatting in character. The veteran at the table looked up at me after 30 minutes and gave me a look of sudden realisation that was just amazing to behold. That session was one of the most fun he’d ever had in game and I barely lifted a finger lol

Ah yes, my personal tricks:
- Talk less
- Smile more
- Don't let them know what you're against or what you're for

That final tip about "draw attention to the game, not yourself. your players are there to play, not to be entertained by you" hit actually

Abria: Roll a perception check.
Player: 3
Abria: What you don't see...
I stole this immediately.

Another thing Murph does so well in Naddpod as a theatre of the mind podcast to have incredibly dymanic battles is that there's frequently lots of movement involved, like encounters that take place while falling down a mountain, or jumping between cablecars. For boss battles, he also makes great use of mid-battle flashabcks. It makes for some incredibly cinematic encounters and is definitely a different experience.

My favorite moment when DMing is when the party is bouncing back and forth with a conversation between themselves and I'm just sitting there, listening. Watching...

... and taking notes for what to manipulate them with later.

The DM silence bit is definitely real. I have many times when I fall silent after exposition or setting up a scene, and players look at me waiting for me to essentially tell them what to do. What I have learned to circumvent that is to either outright ask "what do you do?" or simply end with an expression on my face that beckons them to provide a response. It's a simple physical trick, but it does wonders.

Out of the millions of ‘Tips’ and ‘you’re not DMing right’ videos infecting YouTube, this was actually, genuinely helpful to me. Thanks!

Another that I love about Matt is that he creates spicy NPCs that keep things exciting for everyone. For instance, Travis hates shopping, so Matt creates a kooky shopkeeper or a hidden nugget that brings energy to it that would make everyone surprised and excited for what strange thing comes next.

I love Aabrias "... and here is what you don't see"

I do a lot of Mercer's strategy. I'll let my players talk and sometimes they indirectly give me ideas to throw their way (not always bad).

Hey man I appreciate how you don't beat around the bush and go straight into the tips. Its awesome! Great video

nothing breaks me out of immersion more than a DM saying "The camera pans down"

what fucking camera

i am a barbarian with a big stick

Honorable mention: Monty from Dungeon Dudes is good with storytelling and flawless with the voices of multiple NPCs in a single conversation.

I think what makes people like Matthew and Brennan so good at what they do is they let DnD be what everyone imagines it to be when theyre told about it.

They arent telling a story, theyre propping the world and letting the players tell it.

Matt sets up his plots in a way where without the people he does his campaigns with it wouldnt be as good, his campaigns are always done with such imaginative creative people and its fantastic.

Brennan on the other hand (and what makes him easily, my favorite DM) doesnt have his players tell stories, he has them tell adventures and creates this wonderful dymanic relationship between DM and Player where he doesnt restrict them to the linear story because he wants to tell stories in a living world and lets his players go off track constantly for the dumbest stuff.

I tend to do most of these as a DM (I tend to get inspiration from actual play shows more often than I’d like to admit,) and if I had to choose one of these tips to prioritize it would definitely be Murph’s dynamic combats.

Before combat in an area starts I take a moment to set the scene to my players, letting them observe or interact with the environment for a moment before the combat starts. I am continuously surprised how much my players utilize mundane items, from trapping a quasit in a bakery’s oven, to pouring alcohol to help burn some giant insects in a tavern storage room.

Adding a time limit as a DM also makes more easy encounters a little more tense, causing players to take risks they normally wouldn’t.

Interesting video. I like Murph's way of just leaving things in the room for players to interact with. You're right, it's something to keep you engaged and trying to figure out if/how that might turn the tide of an otherwise potentially drawn-out combat.
Just noticed your wee countdown timer in the upper left corner - that's such a great idea!