What Matt Mercer Isn’t Telling You | 9 Dungeon Master Secrets | D&D

If only we knew the secrets of amazing dungeon masters, such as Matt Mercer, we'd all be able to run D&D games just as awesome, right? Today we REVEAL ALL 9 DM secrets that pro DMs won't tell you. ;D

Pay no attention to what follows. The Barbarian went crazy on the keyboard and there was no stopping him. Do YOU want to tell the Barbarian "no"?!?

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[MrPtrlix]

A big tip: Having incredible players makes the DM look better. Matt is a great DM, but his players elevate his prowess even more.

[JeremyLambright]

You forgot the last secret: Having great, enthusiastic players! I know when my players are really into the game, it makes me want to work that much harder at being a better DM for them.

[BoredTAK]

The ‘secret’ is that they’ve been building worlds since they were little kids. Everyone talks about how great they are but no one sees the work and time that they put into their games.

[dynestis]

*Shutting up and listening to my players talk* has yielded me with idea's for plot hooks and events which are FAR superior to anything I would ever have thought of myself.

[Jeppy_]

Another thing is often under looked, even from players that want the "Mercer experience" and DMs that feels insecure about their abilities, is "he's a wonderful DM, yes, but his players are amazing too, he's not the only one creating the story and they improve it too, not everything relies only on his abilities".

I have two players that really like being at the table but they are of the silent type, they enjoy how we play but I know that if a part of the story revolves around their characters it will have a difficult road because it will be more of a one side talk and not a two way. (e.g. one player stayed in silence the whole conversation with a NPC of his background, a very important one. I waited 15 second after each of my sentences to wait for a reply that never came).


So everyone remember, there is no grow in a sterile ground, play the game and improve yourself every time you're playing with others because that's the main way to be always better than before.

[Dominik-even]

One of the secrets, additional to all the things already mentioned, is to have awesome players that are committed to help telling the story as good as they can.

When people talk about the Matt Mercer effect my takeaway of CR is not to expect more from my DM. But a motivation to become a better player that does his best to make the game a fun experience for everyone.

[vinigmoura]

I recently finished the first campaign from Not Another D&D Podcast and just found out how AMAZING Bryan Murphy is as DM, just as good as Matt and Brenan.

[certb]

So I was speaking with my players. I had mentioned that I had a blast (which I did) and I had hoped they enjoyed it as much as I did.

Well one of my players said, unprompted, that they adored me as a GM. It was, by far, the nicest compliment I had ever received.

[murgel]

Many GMs I have known are really good and fun GMs but the absolute best ones, those whose games were the most fun to be in, were the ones who excelled in offering the players opportunities to do what the players liked best. I mean that the GMs gave clues the players picked up easily and could form into actions that they enjoyed.
Players want in a fun moment or a glorious action sequence or an escape by the with of a hair? The GM sees it and offers an opportunity.

[guamae]

#1 Preparation.
In interviews, Matt said he used to do one hour of prep per hour of gameplay... But when they started getting big streaming, it was closer to four hours of prep per hour of gameplay 😬😬😬

[anstrengthkobold]

I know this is mostly an ADHD problem but I genuinely find it much easier to just write an adventure then to read, interpret, take in and come to understand an adventure designed by someone else.

[ercerc]

One of your best videos, it is packed with excellent suggestions that all GM's should do in their games and prep.

[PanzerYeena]

I find that the most important part creating and running adventures and campaigns is player investment - and that's also a massive part of what makes Critical Role what it is. All the player characters have detailed yet open backstories that the players wrote and thus care about, which then gives Mercer the mateiral he needs to get them invested in the adventures he creates.

Having a random NPC appraoch the party and offer them X amount of gold if they go and slay the dragon who's been terorrizing nearby villages and travellers is an adventure hook, but it hardly icentivizes players to get invested into the adventure.
However, having an NPC from one player's backstory call upon their adventurer friend to help because their home village might be next to get attacked by that same dragon is far more engaging and personal for the player and character.

As a rule of thumb for new DMs, player's backstory should include:
- Who their character is
- What their character wants to achieve
- A place the character cares about (for me to burn)
- A few NPCs the character cares about (for me to stab)
- An antagonist (for them to maybe stab)


This can all fit on half a page in bulletpoints, it doesn't have to be a 5-page essay.

[RIVERSRPGChannel]

Yes preparation is key.
I’ve been DMing for over 30 years, and still spend hours prepping.
Death is inevitable in D&D.
Yes you need to know the rules, maybe not all of them off the top of your head.
Watching other’s videos on D&D helps too.
The three pillars are a must for a campaign.
You also have to know your table and prep for them.
Using backstories of the PCs in your campaign helps a lot too.

[blackmage]

It doesn't hurt to run a session by the seat of your pants once in a rare while just to keep your improvisation skills sharp. Not suggesting zero prep, only minimal prep. I recently did this myself by giving my players a list of optional side quests to choose from. I had a bare bones outline of key NPCs and their goals, but let my players' ideas on how to solve the quest guide me.
It was a very successful session, I think.

[trikon]

I really love your YouTube content because I feel like I learn something every video. Also, the Lair Magazine is saving my butt sometimes. :D You and your team are doing an awesome job!

[britneymenhir]

I'm a busy DM, single mom with autistic daughter (who discovered and fell in love with Rapappa the Rapper and dre3ssed up like him for Halloween- she is epic awesome!). I love writing my own campaigns. I make up for lacking prep by customizing the game to the players. They are always so thrilled with how much consideration I take for their story arcs and am open to static or developing PCs. I achieved this by studying how to write novels and short stories. I HIGHLY recommend studying character development and how to create a basic skeleton plot line to follow, leave out the flesh so you can LET THE PLAYERS WRITE THE STORY AROUND YOUR BASIC PLOT TRAJECTORY

[suddenenigma]

Today was a great example of good DMing. We had to do a bit of platforming. The DCs weren't high, but our rolls were terrible. We got about half way, frustrated at how bad this was going. Then I remembered we had just picked up two immovable rods. And with the help of Mage Hand, it got pretty easy. The DM gave us the clues, but let us figure out how to use them. Oh, and our guide on the way there was hilarious, singing a silly song as he cleared the way. And yes, the DM sang. It was horrible, yet highly entertaining.

[thebigclamp]

I would like to add some personal advice. I usually take the first few sessions where the PCs get to settle the party, roles and so on to test and pry into what they like and dislike. This allows you to try and focus on what the PCs preffer to do and generally makes better campaigns

[nomical]

The secret to Matt mercer is that he has amazing players. You will NEVER see someone criticizing Matt on a decision. If he makes a ruling and someone dies. They die. The players don’t intentionally try to railroad the game for the sake of fun.

Not saying that they take a unique approach to a problem but refuse to take ANY plot hooks and just want to sit in the tavern all day because it’s fun.