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Me & Michael: A Holiday Debate (Patreon)

Published:
2023-12-28 16:08:18
Imported:
2026-06
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Videos

Content

In this Patreon-exclusive video, I debate game philosophy with my son Michael. He is strange but lovable. This video is available to all patrons at all tiers as a special Holiday Thank-you. May all your rolls be 20s!

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Me & Michael DungeonCraft

Comments

Bagel-Man

Excited to watch PDM!

Bagel-Man

I’m kind of with Michael on this one. In terms of making a campaign I design a lot before play actually starts. I’m currently trying to make my own homebrew take on the classic TAGDQ campaign and I know it will be awhile before I get to dm that, but I also just find it fun to write stuff like that. However, I am by no means tied or locked into that. If the players decide they want to instead go to the isle of dread or take on the cult of the reptile god then I can pivot and come back to TAGDQ later on. All in all, I enjoy being a “Tolkien” styled world builder.

Sean Grimm

Well, it's pretty obvious who's not getting kissed on NYE. Great book btw, got a copy for me and my son.

guitaRN.246

Ahhh…parenting. 🤦🏻‍♂️ He’s kinda right though…some folks can learn through books and normal pedagogy. Some have to get their hands dirty. It’s a spectrum and people have a little of both. Michael is on the hands dirty side. And maybe, because he was born into RPG…it’s more woven and hardwired into his brain such that he has a level of intuition that he can’t really explain well…and doesn’t seem to want to…maybe he wants to keep it uncorrupted by intellect. 🤷🏻‍♂️ just spitballing here. Love the video…the banter. THE HAIR!!!🤣

Alexander Stanton

For me, I barely have time to play, so I don't have the spoons to plan every aspect of the game. I also am not a psychic, so I can't know what my players are thinking. The fun is seeing what players do. Also, I took the book recommendation and am enjoying Justin Alexander's book. Thanks.

James M Spahn

No video I've ever seen more endearingly captures the generation gap among gamers than this. Absolutely delightful.

NØKKEN_WAITS

That was great. A lot like my debates about game mastering (and ttrpg’s in general) with my little cousin. Happy holidays, prof!

Robyn Derme

PDM, you two sound like my 27-year-old son and I. He believes that he's wise beyond his years. And yet, my style lies between yours. I also like to have as much fleshed out as I can, to be intimately familiar with the area of the adventure and this lets me improvise at ease because no adventure survives first contact with the PCs.

Seth Bunton

Ah to be young. Happy Holidays Professor!

Jay

So, my style used to be much like Michaels several years ago and it evolved over time to become more flexible. Currently it is the totality of circumstances that dictates what style I use depending on the players, genre, and time I have to prepare for a game. These days I find it much easier to “Be Like Water” to quote PDM and Bruce Lee from a past video. Too much prep can be derailed if the players truly have agency, and you don’t railroad them down the storyline the GM wants them to follow. Depending on the players’ choices, several hours of preparation might be completely avoided or rendered useless and I think that might be one of the points PDM is trying to push here. However, I do appreciate how Michael admits how he didn’t take some things his dad warned him of seriously until he experienced them for himself. I know very few people with enough integrity to admit that they are sometimes incorrect. Many young people seem to go through this, and even I admit I did as well. Anyway, at the end of the day, there really is no wrong way to play or run the game. The point is to be entertained and provide entertainment for everyone at the table. Thanks for sharing this video. Hope you all had a happy holiday season and have good fortune in the new year to come.

SJBehindtheScreen

Great vid, thanks for sharing! A great DM knows that making mistakes are part of the journey.

Alfredo Alonso

Michael The Unwise, please, stop touching your face! This is a tough one, both of you are correct in what you say. Maybe if being a DM would be his profession, then he would gladly read the book in order to learn from others; until then trial and error. Happy holidays to everyone!

Ben McInnis

That video was great! My son and I have similar conversations, lol!

Scott Spears

I loved, loved, loved this video. Your son has the wonderful view that he has all the time in the world, which is kind of true, where you know your time is limited, so you focus your efforts on what you think will matter most. I equate it to when you learn to ride a bike. You are all arms and elbows flailing, just trying to maintain balance but as you get older (and wiser) you learn to focus on the basics and you glide along. You no longer have 20 ideas to solve a problem and you come up with two or three because you have discarded all the loser ideas. I have not laughed this hard in a long time after your son's comment about his mother and not knowing what she will do, with "She's a woman." On my god, no truer words have been spoken.

MrGunn

LOL and people wonder why I am always shouting at kids to get off of my lawn.🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for sharing this nugget.

Doug Bush

omg as a teacher this was one of the best yet! Loved it!

Joshua Owens

I have older teenagers and yes they know everything too. Also kudos to Michael for putting up with his dad. Well done, gentlemen!

Stephen Forshaw

Your son came across as really bright in earlier videos. Not so much in this one 😁

Steven Fader

I used to run games like your son when I was in my 20s and really enjoyed it and people liked my campaigns. Now I run things more like Professor DM, but mostly because I do not have time to prep too much. I too enjoy the writing aspect. When I have time I still like to have the framework for a campaign/setting and, if people don't like it, I don't find it wasted because I can reuse it in another game/session down the road. If I am playing with my regular group, I rarely have a failed game/campaign. Now I have a work game group with mostly accountants, scientists and lawyers and that group I have to plan 1 session at a time. I can't plan for anything they are doing. That being said I have the setting fleshed out, but the story is episodic in order to be flexible. Great video and happy holidays!

Norbert

Hahahaaaa, I like the way you two are clicking :) That's what I hope to have when my kids have grown up. Thank you.

Dustin Hitzing

haha this is great! My favorite part is having the wisdom to know that someone was right about a bunch of things in the past but not consider that they might be right about the thing they are currently proposing...

Graham Kane

Have to say Michael has a point in this one. There’s some stuff you just can’t learn from books and videos, you have to make your mistakes. Like the Professor said in one of his earlier videos, to become a good DM you have to run some really crappy games to get there.

Darrin

Ah the curse of parenthood. In all things they learn by experience for good or ill. Then they say you were right. 33 years of this and counting.

jnlsn family

"She's a woman!" LOL your son is based af. He gives me hope for the future.

Sinister Gaming

love it, I remember coming the conclusion that my parents might have known a thing or 2. Be glad he came to that so young. Very funny video. Hope you had a great holiday:) - Aaron

Charles Fout

1. It's sad that Michael has fallen for the fad of wanting to have a nose ring like a pig or bull. 2. It's hilarious that Michael can admit that women and men are different, and PDM can't seem to. 3. The young man's confidence in his own ignorance is great!

Nick Zema

Bro. You're allowed to learn from OTHER people's mistakes.

Lemonsaurus

A bit late to respond to this but I think Michael was trying to differentiate knowledge vs experience rather than wisdom and intelligence. Sometimes the best way to learn is through mistakes. I grant players bonus xp for rolling Nat 1s for this exact reason! Back to the knowledge vs experience, PDM mentions going to film school and art school but my experience (and that of my peers) in the field of computer programming is that actual work experience in the field is worth infinity more than a degree when it comes to trying to get hired. So he may not have argued his point that eloquently but I think he might be right!

Beardy B.

This made me laugh so much. Good on you for having a kid that has some clue and I'm hopeful he'll find the rest of them. The upshot of finding the workings of a woman's mind to be different than his, is that he has some ideas that people can have a different interior experience than he does. That is a positive thing. Hopefully you can explain to your "intelligent" child how IRL experience is tied to wisdom. Maybe let him know that discernment is a learned skill and that you increase it by passing awareness and humility checks. Joking aside, this was great, and your kid is alright.