The 7 Types of DM in D&D

here are the seven types of DM in Dungeons and Dragons or other tabletop games the Nick Fury the Nick Fury DM wants only one thing to build a team of superheroes they're gonna throw insane gear at the party magic swords legendary shields pet dragons whatever no build is off the table Nick Fury wants the players to feel epic but this isn't pure altruism oh no because in the Nick Fury DM's world everything is an Avengers level threat they want to run the PowerHouse Monsters the tarasque Tiamat demogorgon are all living and coming for you a normal peasants living in the Nick Fury DM's world would probably be traumatized because it seems like there is a world-ending threat every freaking week these DMS prioritize maximizing the power fantasy realism and mundane challenges take a backseat to excitement novelty and spectacle expect to level up quickly get all the again you could ever need to optimize your build and have plenty of targets to put it to use on the Nick Fury loves players who give over-the-top performances they love tense fights close calls and action-fueled drama they are maybe the most likely DM to nudge roles against the party's favor to crank up the tension they do want you to win they just want to see you sweat first Nick Fury's pair up very well with superheroes Min Max's and scientist type players the World Builder the World Builder DM is a creative Mastermind the enemies the story even the players themselves are just tiny cogs in a vast living sandbox this is a world that turns on its own if the players spend three months mastering the art of tap dance the villains aren't gonna wait around for them their plans will progress which means there's a ticking clock and player choices matter this rewards players who actively participate in world events around them urgency and initiative go a long way here you can't just hang around and wait for the final boss to come to you you have to go to them so the World Builder DM the players are agents of chaos they have everything else figured out the only element they can't control is player action in this sense players act as Rogue agents with the power to subvert the course of Destiny expect lots of political Intrigue and fleshed out NPCs with complex motivations goals and histories and warning these DMS are at high risk of entering an exposition Loop there is a real threat of you asking an NPC for directions and accidentally getting 20 minutes of backstory World Builder DMS love it when players take notes and come up with solutions to problems that can't be beaten with a sharp sword and a fireball they're great at incorporating character backstories into their world but they can also be the most restrictive type of DM if your build doesn't work in their Universe you might be told to make another one which can kinda suck but of course the best DMS will always work with you to find a way to make your character concept work in any world imaginable J.R.R Tolkien is the guy I think of when I imagine a World Builder DM the cool cousin the cool cousin DM is so named because they are like a cool older cousin they are chill as hell they literally don't care what happens as long as everyone is having fun you want to cast a spell as your bonus action and another spell as an action sure buddy go for it you want to rage to get advantage on an intimidation check sure buddy and Hell add a D6 for creativity rules as written is for nerds and people too up their own ass to let the players have fun at least according to the cool cousin DM rule of cool is a way of life they do minimal prep they roll with the punches and they're more focused on making each individual moment fun rather than creating an overarching balanced narrative they also have no idea how anyone could ever burn out as a DM this is the easiest job in the world right cool cousins usually run fun games where players have maximum agency they're also among the most likely to fudge roles in a player's favor or even just ignore rolling entirely and give them an automatic success expect lots of laughter lots of improvisation maybe a few plot holes and a relaxed gaming environment oh hey dude I haven't seen you in ages I've been playing Baldur's Gate three oh that's out oh it's out the next gen RPG game set in the DND Universe where you complain you can bang a bear what I mean you can romance to Druid who can be a bear oh but but it's an identity driven Adventure where your choices matter and impacts the relationships and world around you as you progress yeah yeah and about the bear you could basically play D and D build Crazy Combos and explore the fave roon as a solo player or hop online for multiplayer or couch Co-op and you can bang a bear I feel like you're focusing a lot on that one romance option it's best game ever well whatever makes you happy I guess Boulders Gate 3 is out now a story Rich party based RPG set in the D D Universe where your choices shape a tale of fellowship and betrayal survival and sacrifice turn based d d combat enhanced with new abilities unparalleled opportunities and beautiful storytelling integrated with gameplay romance action Bears JK Simmons it's all here it's from the creators of divinity original sin 2 and you don't need to have played the previous Baldur's Gate games to play this one it's a new story set a hundred years in the future Baldur's Gate 3 out now link below the boxer the boxer is the DM who runs games right out of the box to them d d is basically a board game like Monopoly you set up the maps The Monsters behave exactly as described in the stat block and the success or failure of the game is dependent on how well written that Adventure is many DMS start out as boxers while they develop the skills and confidence to divert from the page and improvise they are great at running one shots and other less sandbox themed games because those are a closed system and less likely to go off the rails so the boxer running a game is just like cooking a delicious meal follow the instructions done as a result boxers suffer the most from bad or lazy products from Publishers books that don't include many resources for the DM are almost useless to the boxer but luckily they know that there are thousands of amazing third-party options out there as well now boxer DMS might sound less creative or somehow worse than other DMS but that's not really fair it's more the case that they are happiest running adventures with minimum commitment and agency on their part if you just want to enjoy a one shot every now and then or experience a game as designed the boxer will deliver that experience in a reliable and fun way the minimalist the minimalist DM understands the infinite possibilities of the blank page there is no pen no paper no maps and possibly even no monster stat blocks this is the ultimate sandbox there are Limitless opportunities when the entire world is shaped by the player's imagination minimalists are Master improvisers able to switch up anything around the player's actions to suit the situation example the players want to look for a trapdoor to sneak out of an inn great idea they find one it just pops into existence and now the party are crawling through a dense dark tunnel and about to fight a giant spider minimalist games can be a little overwhelming for new players who want a little bit of structure but creative players love them because they understand that no structure means no limitation minimalist DMS are also bold decision makers how many people does that fireball hit on a map it's easy to see in the imagination it's not so clear so they need to have the confidence to make calls quickly and with authority to keep the game moving and of course the best part is the minimalist DM can game anywhere with anybody you just need a dice roller app and at least one other person it is the most skill intensive way to DM it is 100 free requires minimal prep and gives the most agency to the players some DMS hate the lack of defined edges but minimalist DMS will accept no alternative total freedom means total creative power the conductor step right up step right up jump on board the collector's Railroad and you'll be taken right where you need to go conductor DMS have a clear meticulous plan for the party they often work tirelessly planning out an event should they know the party will enjoy and so they see it as their job to make sure the party experience that conductors often get a bad rep online for removing player agency and yes a conductor who isn't ready to tolerate any player behavior that deviates from their plan is a very bad thing however flexible conductors prepare awesome events they know will happen at some point and they thread them naturally into the adventure when appropriate the party will always end up at the destination but the conductor will give them the agency to approach problems and choices in their own way video games like Mass Effect which feature dozens of player choices but always end up at the same big set pieces are a great example of the types of games conductors can run the architect the architect DM is fascinated by mechanical exploration DND has a ton of flaws but to the architect every problem is a vehicle for creativity they adore creating their own Homebrew and exploring others they will give of monsters crazy abilities they will give players crazy abilities what if you could multi-class between two different subclasses the architect will answer that question with a whole new rule system added into their games they are the most likely to accidentally break the game but big explosions and hard resets are just the price of science to The Architects the players just as much as the monsters are vehicles to explore a gaming system Architects DMS love players who get creative with their builds and will award it any way they can to push players further expect bonus Feats bizarre magic items and enhanced player options in character creation luckily architect DMS build on existing rules they don't tear them all down it is totally fine to play an ordinary Champion fighter in an architect DM's game you just might need to turn down their offer for a free magical jet pack if you want to keep things simple of course any DM can have a style that shifts across multiple categories depend ending on the game or even how they feel that day and there are a few more toxic types of DMS too but that probably wants to be its own video remember you can get this beautiful dice set for free by being an early backer to my Kickstarter ryoko's Guide to the Yokai Realm it's a colossal expansion to DND with over 27 New races and subclasses hundreds of magic items and spells and new rules systems including a gargantuan scale Kaiju Battle system bringing Mechanics for epic Attack on Titan God of War style combat the pre-launch page is now live link to that is right here and also down there also remember to like And subscribe check out other videos on the channel and yeah that's all I got see you next time

Channel: DnD Shorts

Views: 366,845

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Id: rewQzOpatZg

Length: 11min 33sec (693 seconds)

Published: Thu Aug 03 2023