DnD Tricks DMs Use To Engage Their Players

Learn 4 different strategies the DM's of #criticalrole and #dimension20 use to pull their players in to the game and keep them coming back for more.

We take a look at Murph from Not Another D&D Podcast, Matthew Mercer, Brennan Lee Mulligan and Aabria Iyengar to see how they DM their Dungeons and Dragons games.

Apologies about the fact that some shots are not in focus.

0:00 - Dungeons And Dragons Tips
0:17 - Murph's Strategy from Naddpod
1:49 - Aabria's Narration Tip
2:57 - Brennan's Secret On Dimension 20
3:53 - Mercer's Critical Role Engagement Hack
5:30 - The trick they all use as Dungeon Masters.
6:50 - And one more thing...

[SplashMountain_EpicSave]

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.

[milanopiano]

For me, Brennan's biggest quality ("trick") is his "Yes, and..." attitude towards whatever the players ask of him. Whatever they come up with, he'll interact with it.

[Un_Popular_Opinions]

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

[ethanlivemere]

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

[nolanmartin]

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

[daisybeam]

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.

[havenomouth]

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

[reubencommons]

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

[mickeystix]

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.

[jordanoliver]

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

[lukenullspec]

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

[meganpopple]

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.

[saintmayhem]

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.

[TK_Brainslug]

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

[TarotVylan]

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

[oniminikui]

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).

[RuailleBuaille]

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!

[rcschmidt]

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

[Baphelon]

I'm very pleased to see that a lot of these tips are things I've already been doing, and recommending to my newer DM friends. I think my biggest one is knowing when to start/stop narrating. I have a newish DM friend that often finds himself monologuing for way too long, or leaving pauses for player interaction when there is no desire for it. Finding the pulse of when your party needs freedom vs when they need guidance and narration is tricky, but incredibly rewarding to master

[nobody]

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.