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Got Any Masterclass Ideas? (Patreon)

Published:
2021-09-11 21:15:37
Imported:
2026-06

Content

What subject(s) do you want me to do a masterclass on that I haven't covered? Suggestions should be DEEP--things I could talk about for 20-30 minutes. 

Comments

Jeff Hollis

1. Armor (absorptive vs AC) 2. The ever popular usage die 3. West Marches style campaign

Jeff Hollis

4. Roll high vs roll under d20 systems

Michael Butcher

How to run a megadungeon with UDT without the players getting lost or showing them too much of the map.

Karl

Could you do an expanded "show don't tell" lecture? How to describe what your world is like without having to spend time explaining out of "character."

Martin E. Voncannon

Expand further, if possible, character arcs. Further, develop plot threads. How to prioritize daggers (ideas/twists/turns the players toss your way) thrown at you (the DM).

Graham Kane

I’d love to see more on how you handle the PC’s interactions within a village/town/city in between adventures. Specifically for campaigns such as Keep on the Borderlands and Hommlett which use a nearby town as a home base.

JAM

How about more discussion on developing towns and home bases for characters especially with an emphasis on the NPCs required to make the town function. Another area is the tension between characters and NPCs like a thief vs the local constabulary, clerics vs magic users (I really like that tension), fighters vs pacifists. Developing the tension between the NPCs too, like various factions wanting town leadership and pitting them against the higher authorities of the land.

Ryan B

I know you've had a video on descriptions before but I'd like to see an in depth lesson on it. Of everything I do as a DM I still struggle with quick yet engaging environmental and NPC descriptions to set the scene and tone. In college I would ace all my scientific papers yet I never was great at creative writing. I've had a few years of theater with plays and improv yet that doesn't really help me set the scene up either. I'm in the process of creating a five senses table with adjectives on my DM screen to aid my improvisation.

samurguybri

Infusing some plot and story beats into a sandbox/hexcrawl or free form game.

samurguybri

Populating and assigning treasure to an OSR style dungeon where gold =xp

Eric Jeppesen

Adding elements to combat encounters that are not combat (attack rolls). Giving the PCs the ability to play their characters without limiting them to what’s on their character sheets.

BrianV

I second the idea of the other npc’s interactions at a keep/campaign hub. It would be interesting on your take on how the PC’s deal with the provisioner, pay master, guild house, and any potential reoccurring supportive characters (other than the witch, thief contact, and mentor). Thanks in advance!

The Byronic Ted

You once mentioned that you played for quite some time with just one other player. I would like to know more about this kind of one on one games. What is different, how to prepare for it, etc.

Paul Turner

When to award magic items so you don't break your game.

Steven

Maybe an on line live class once a month. "How to be the Best Damn Dungeon Master Ever, from A to Z ". I'd pay for that. We could also ask questions on the spot. Just like a real class.

Daniel Defazio
>>67683232

That's kind of what I do on the Live from Adhesive Tom''s show. Ask any question on there and I'll answer it.

Howard Kingston
>>67666554

Excellent.I did run Keep on the Borderlands many years ago with an experienced group They where in charge of the Keep (5 players) They had to PC's one Military and one Civilian (Castellan and Innkeeper) I ran it for 12 sessions each session was a month of the Keep there would be one keep event and a PC event or carrying on from the previous event! I used The DMG stronghold rules plus Dominon rules from the companion set it went well and is fondly remembered as 'The Soap Opera on The Borderlands' due to the twisting plots that occured!

Travis Sperry

I'd love to hear more about how you do magic. If spellcasters can cast multiple times a day, then how do you assign the number of spells they know? Specifically, at 1st level, a magic user has 1 1st level spell. When they advance to 2nd level, they have 2 1st level spells. In your game, do they just know one spell period at level 1 and 2 at 2nd level or how does the progression work. I like this idea a great deal, I'd just like to understand it more.

Travis Sperry

Do you have a specific campaign world? Or is each gaming group in a separate world? How detailed do you get?

Michael Butcher

How to turn classic literature into adventures and one shots. You've shown your takes on Frankenstein and Macbeth. I've tried turning Poe's Masque of the Red Death into a vampire/zombie yarn, though it needs work and I'm curious how your mind works with such things.

Joe Henson

Have you done an in depth video on "trimming the fat" from your games? I feel like too many new dms get overwhelmed too easily. I know the channel is pretty much dedicated to the matter but maybe the masterclass could be your one stop video for all the essential tips?

Jay

Master Class Idea’s – Dungeon Craft – A few Ideas – Some might have been already covered 1 – How to Run a Mystery RPG for Beginners 2 – How to Run a Survival Horror RPG for Beginners 3 – How to Run a 1930’s Era Setting for Beginners 4 – How to Run a Science Fiction RPG for Beginners 5 – How to Run a Renaissance RPG for Beginners 6 – How to Run a Pulp Setting RPG for Beginners 7 – How to Use Ritual Magic in your Fantasy RPGs 8 – Collaborative Story Telling vs A Game to conquer and Win 9 – How to Create Tension in your RPG Setting 10 – How to Run a Post-Apocalyptic RPG for Beginners 11 – Overbearing Players, Power Gamers, Game Snobs, & Rules Lawyers - How to Deal with Them 12 – How to Plan for a 3 Hour Session 13 – The 10 Fundamentals All New Players and Game Masters Should Know – or However Many? 14 – The Do’s and Don’ts of Tabletop RPGs 15 – Priorities in Tabletop RPGs – Game Mechanics, Rules, Player Collaboration, GM Setting or Conflict? 16 – Props in Tabletop RPGs – When, What, Why, and How to Make or Get Them 17 – Roleplaying in Tabletop RPGs – How important is it or can players just declare “I try to bribe the guard to let me pass?”

William Smith

I would like to see the logistics of dungeon mastering. For example, the staging of minis for quick deployment, how you keep your notes handy, how to have the terrain ready but note take up table space, and tips on how to store stuff efficiently.

Ron F.

Verbal and Nonverbal Communication in Dungeon Mastering. You covered this briefly, but I feel like you could do a 20 minute video on accents, speech patterns, volume and tone of voice, sitting/standing positions, hand and arm gestures, eye contact, etc.

Thig

What do you look for when picking your campaigns, really this is directed at the conversions of modules you have covered? Once picked, what do you look for within a module to pick and flesh out. I know you have the Warhammer setting so it will be interesting to see how the setting you have chosen influences your choices. Also then there is the players, you have covered something similar in your early Caves of Carnage vids but it would be interesting to see how that may have driven your choices. It seems a lot has happened between the caves and Veiled Society and they are very different modules. How was that choice influenced by your players and their characters and styles and what did you have to do to shape what you wanted to run to bring all those elements together. Was there player input in what kind of modules they were interested in trying and was that due to you involving them? Picking a module, shaping it to the setting and your players/characters and tips for what to look for and what to discard or replace.

john seddon

We often use the movie analogy for helping us run an RPG but I think I have heard you say that theatre is perhaps a more helpful subject to model a game on. Has this idea got any legs?

DM

A class on teaching players to think out of the box and using tools, objects and the environment for the story to get going. Specially for new players.

Daniel Defazio
>>67700939

They can cast any spell they know unlimited times. They can learn as many spells as they can get their hands on by a) being taught by their patron wizard or b) finding it on a scroll. It costs 1-5hp to cast a spell. It's the Deathbringer rules, but a new, clearer edition comes out in October.

Daniel Defazio
>>67708132

I did Masque as a LARP with 30 guests. Each is a partygoer with a 2-3 goals PLUS they had to figure out riddles to avoid the Red Death. I'll talk about that on the Live Show next month.

Jonny Himes

How about a video on how to make the "dungeon crawl" style of play cinematic for young newbies (DMs and players). I.e., how to make mapping more simple, clear, and dramatic (my kids love this and fight over who gets to draw on the dry-erase matte), how to make the pre-dungeoneering chores of stocking up, repairing and healing and conferring with mentor NPCs etc. efficient yet fun; how to get young PCs used to approaching new rooms strategically (how to remind them to be stealthy, setting the marching order YET AGAIN, reminding them to get a weapon or spell ready or swap the crossbow for a shield before entering, etc.) without boring them. I have benefited from using your technique of doing "cuts" from one group of PCs to another, giving each a turn so they don't get bored. My kids like to split the party and started doing it instinctively when there was a T-intersection, yet they've been strategic about who goes together. I think using NPCs with accents has been one of the most immersive ways to give "reminders" to characters of things they would know, but that the players haven't figured out yet. More tips like that would help me not to be so boring as a DM.

Sean Grimm
>>67708132

Indeed! Fourthed! I've used "Fair Verona", going into the background of why two great houses became great enemies.

Joshua Slavin

Perhaps a collaboration between Professor DM, and several others that delve into each DM’s creative process “Inside the Actor’s Studio” style. Interview, standardized questionnaire, selected Q&A from the audience format can be entertaining and enlightening. Could easily be its own sub series in the Masterclass thread.

Jared Davis

How about “Good artists copy, great artists—and DMs—steal?” This would focus on drawing inspiration from established sources of fiction, history, mythology, and other subject areas, and then “making it your own” by adding something, taking something away, or some other change. For example, in our next session my players, the Dragonlance Heroes of the Lance, battle the Balrog at the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Except, the balrog is a balor, and the bridge is a sacred well in Thorbardin in front of Reorx’s temple, and instead of Gandalf we have Raistlin, and well, I’m sure you get my point. To the players, it’s a dangerous, unexpected twist. For me, it was easy game prep based on one of my favorite scenes in a book or movie with some simple modifications. Anyway, whether you use my idea or not, I look forward to your upcoming masterclasses and other videos. Happy gaming to you, Professor!

bran hester

You could do a piece on creating satisfying dungeons. Especially with the rule differences in 5e to old school could be a great class.

dadm4c

- Adding Black Powder to your game. Not too little, not too much. Dragon dung key ingredient possibly. - No Classes, how a DM can manage PC growth. What if I want a Bounty Hunter/Warlock/Desk Clerk. With or without levels. Expertise growth. Do you let players come up with Expertise with some guidance so PC's don't get too over powered.