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I have that bookbag, 10/10 would recommend

Fantastic video with a ton if useful advice. One request/suggestion though for making your content more accessible--if the background music could be tweaked just a hair lower in future videos? Your voice and the music are just close enough in volume that it's hard to understand at points. Not impossible, just takes a loooot of focus to differentiate here and there with an audio processing disorder. Like I said though, really useful info--especially liked the tables for npc names!

I tend towards using a DM screen as kind of a safety net as a new DM. I only really started like a month ago after a couple years of playing, and am kinda anxious in social situations, but when the screen is up and in front of me, it's like a mental thing that switches on and I'm ok with being in the spotlight and fumble my words less often. Fumbles still happens, but I'm only human

"ive been here.. the hole time!"

I tend towards no-screen, but the big thing I do is have index cards folded in half to be little tents, with the character's name on one side, and the name, ac, save, passives and any notes (ex: has alert feat, ignores lightning resist, etc) that are relevant. Then when we roll initiative, I just re-order the index cards based on initiative so everyone knows where we are in the order and once the enemy acts, I move the cards slightly to leave a gap for when they act.

I just switched to a homemade two-panel screen made of magnetic 9x12 dry erase lapboards. - Each PC gets a dedicated 3x1 magnetic label that has their AC, PP, DC, hit point max, and whether they have darkvision, with a big spot on the right to write initiative rolls. That way I can reorder the labels in initiative order AND have quick access to relevant stats. - I also write out monster stat blocks and spells on A5 paper (working on a good way to print them instead of handwriting!) so I can stick two pages of monsters on the main panel and a flippable list of spells on the side panel. - All the "DM screen-y" information I need is all on a Notion page I have up on my tablet or laptop on the side. - My dice tray is on another 9x12 magnetic dry erase lapboard, so I can use dry erase markers to write enemy HP. Still a few kinks to work out, but I'm pretty happy with the set-up so far!

Starting location…. The city center square with the royal crier announcing bounties for low level xyz

The most insane roll initiavtive ive ever seen was highrollers. in campaign aerois episode 159 at the 1:36 minute mark.

Ahhhh mark Holmes jump scare

I keep: -Notes -Passive Skills -Spell Saves -Minis -Books -Condition Rings -Dice -Phone for music -Battle Fields

In my big villain notes, I'll have 3 sections: doing well, doing poorly, and reactions. I put a short description for each ability (a few words), and the numbers & stats below all that.

I don't use DM screens as intended. They're more like a group reference card. The 'secret' stuff, like encounter notes, are kept in a folder or are part of the module and referenced as needed. Like you mentioned, 'connection is the reason to gather for games'. No phones or lap tops at our table either. If we're playing music, it's coming from the stereo. Maps are sketched on paper and battle is theater of the mind. It's as analog as possible at our table.

I've been meaning to make a half-height DM screen. I want a little space to have reference, hide notes, and make secret rolls, but I do not like having a big screen separating me from the rest of the table. Its so cumbersome to reach over a screen to draw a map or move a mini.

I don't use DM's screen for various reasons: 1) My table is too small, so it is kinda cumbersome. 2) I got all my notes on a One Note document, so the screen of my laptop kinda acts like a screen with infinite notes. 3) I let my players roll for "Defense" instead of me rolling monster's attack rolls, I barely roll dice during the game so I have nothing to hide.

I use a laptop and 2nd screen which doesn't leave room for the DM screen I got. I want to use it so bad but everything is too obscured or leaves me with no room left at my DM table.

I actually love these changes, Dragons all have generally the same silhouette even in some 3.5e material that I’ve looked through. These designs seem super cool, unique, & thematic for each dragons personality

I play online only for right now and i have an entire category on discord called 'DM Screen' and it has notes, basic info on characters, tidbits on my players BBEG, and etc. I'm running an Astral Sea adventure of the week type game so there's a lot of notes for future stuff.

For a handy extension of the full cover screen you can just store your DM in a packaging box from something big, like a fridge. When it's game time just knock on the outside so they know to start. And when the campaign ends you get to open up the box and enjoy a display of all the campaign notes scrawled across it as you feed and water them and transfer them to a fresh box for the next campaign.

I DM more than I am a player and when I do play I'm playing online with friends, but the idea of being a player at a physical table where my DM doesn't have a screen up sounds a lot like what the standard (and unmodded) Baldur's Gate 3 experience felt like before they allowed us to turn off secret rolls and knowing what DC we need to make for every roll. To be honest, I hated it - I don't ever want to know when my DM is taking notes of things I've said or done or letting me see an NPC's roll in a contest. That's added stress. lol

I use a universal GM screen: you can copy or build your own. You can use it for any game and you can even use whiteboard markers and magnets if needed 😊

Great advice. Playing on computer does help because you can just do Ctrl+F to find a specific table or number. But that also means you need to have access to it digitally...and some systems which require you to pay for that info make that more annoying.

I love being an online DM cuz I have the internet at my finger tips and I can just look up ruling. STILL GONNA WATCH THE VID THO TO SEE IF ANY ADVICE SEEMS USEFUL. Love the channel ❤

Gonna make loading screens for real life in addition to sessions now. XD

That ending is perfect. Makes me wish I still did physical sessions.

Damn, this was perfectly timed - I am trying to DM for the first time soon and just stumbled on your channel. And now bam, this is exactly what I wanted, uploaded 18 minutes ago. This rocks, thank you

I don’t think villains HAVE to believe they are right or even be viewed as being mistaken or anything. Nor do they have to view themselves as good. WoD has a lot of good villain factions that are just evil. There’s no justifying a Nephandi. The light is gone. All there is - Is Entropy. They make great horror villains. As do Slashers from the Hunter: The Vigil line. Black Spiral Dancers are scary villains like the Nephandi as well. Only 1 group of Baali believe they are good and they are Infernalists that hunt other Infernalists. They also exist in the Tal’Mahe’Re so they are more misguided Anti-Heroes than Villains. Main Baali meanwhile are KOS because they are Infernalists causing chaos, suffering and empowering demons.

Despite them all being so different. I'd let them all raw dog me in a heart beat

ragnarok online (korean game, if I am not mistaken) had doglike kobolds. So, probably it is an east thing, not exclusive to Japan.

2:27 Ok you Arthas Menethil

The best actual play podcast in my opinion is Critical Hit by The Major Spoilers Network. Totally slept on, for real. This is absolutely the best group in actual play podcasting. Their D&D saga is absolutely epic (Rodrigo Lopez is an amazing GM) but they also play Cthulhu, Blades In The Dark, Urban Shadows, Pathfinder Weird Western, Starfinder, Fate Accelerated and more. They are an amazing group and I cannot stress how strongly I recommend Critical Hit by The Major Spoilers Network to anyone and everyone who even has a passing interest in great storytelling. Just my $0.02

I never cared for the idea of kobolds as "dragon-kin." In my campaigns, they were degenerate gnomes, thus the cultural enmity. ='[.]'=

The greatest kobolds though were "Tucker's Kobolds", introduced in Roger E Moore's column in Dragon Magazine.

I took a short (12 session) improv course and it definitely helped. However, I was also gratified that many of the other practised improvers told me I did well, which I fully accredit to having DM'd for years. I felt good about my skills, and I learned a bunch.

I watched k-dramas a few years back. One that I liked was I Am Married To A Nine-Tailed-Fox. In it a kobold (the main antagonist) was a sort of immortal tree spirit with a magic dagger, played by a tall handsome man of course.

Well, I tried covering the screen but then I couldn't stop imagining your jump cuts. See you in heck. 1:20 in and i'm out!!

Tom Lennon, millionaire, actor, adn cretor of Reno 911 and Balls of Fury, said the secret to comedy is to _raise the stakes._

In the Pool of Radiance games, the Kobolds looked like lizards are the battlefield. But everywhere graphic in the game made them look like furry creatures.

You mentioned the Germanic roots if the creatures, but in Japanese culture they have a similar Racoon-dog like spirit "Tanuki" which is mischievous, helpful, and friendly if not provoked. Looking very much like a dog.

Chris Perkins designed 5e didn't he? 5e has rules that streamline over the good stuff with lame stuff

perfect villain that think he is a Hero as an example is the older brother from Fable 3. The entire game you think he is the end all bad guy but he has reason for his horrific acts

Not arguing that Mercer's call was not the best way to handle the sentinel situation, but still want to add to the discussion by saying that realism does still exist in fantasy worlds. Realism, as a concept, is asking a person to consider if a scenario is possible within the laws of the world it's being presented in. It's a test of logic. Players can PASS this test if allowed the opportunity to provide a logical explanation, logical in this instance referring to the logic of the fantasy world. The problem with Matt's "refereeing" here is that he did not offer this test to Marisha in sincerity. As unfortunate as it is, it is a simple mistake. A GM can also make the call that there is no explanation they feel will pass this test, but honestly speaking, they should still offer it in the case that their players prove them wrong. There is nothing lost from taking a minute or two to say "explain this to me." Also, of course, it can be decided upon that while there is no perfect explanation, rule of cool and/or rule of funny sometimes allow for stupid things to work out anyway (this happens in Dimension 20 and especially with the Intrepid Heroes a lot because they're comedians). The most important judgement call to make is who you're playing your game with and how to communicate with them, nothing less, nothing more. Matt fudged on the communicating part.

I think most normies still think kobold are more like the warcraft version

Give your dog kobolds a heightened sense of smell instead of darkvision. Because dogs.

I have the entirety of 3.0 and 3.5 if you ever need anything for reference shoot me a DM

So... How did Firbolg go from Red-headed half giant to cow-faced hippie?

I've always thought of kobolds as "dragon-dogs" weirdly enough. That's what i try to describe if im trying to generate portraits for our private games. works out most of the time but i often have to shoop that little black nose 5e made them have. Its a feature i fell in love with and have always canonized. My players have made snoot-booping jokes repeatedly. lol

I have: the players handbook, tashas couldrion of everything, xanthars guide to everything, the dungeon masters guide, 8sets of dice, dm screen, condition rings, battle mat, pre made battle mat, giant dice, flight stands, dnd bag, + so much more

…So what's the "Big Problem"??