Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code SETHSKOR at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/sethskor
Here’s 5 player traits that, while not terrible, drive me nuts.
*SUPPORT ME ON PATREON* (Tip Jar): https://www.patreon.com/SSkorkowsky
A heartfelt thank you to my 243 Patrons for their continued support in making this channel possible.
______
*CHECK OUT MY NOVELS*
If you want to support my channel, or just want to read an action-packed Urban Fantasy about modern-day monster hunters and their sentient weapons, check out my four-novel Valducan series. They feature gun fights, sword fights, car chases, monsters, and a smattering of horror. Audio book editions narrated by the badass R.C. Bray: https://amzn.to/3rehNnJ
I also write pulpy Sword & Sorcery thief adventures in my Tales of the Black Raven series. It’s 21 short stories packed with action, intrigue, and daring heroics. Audio editions read by R.C. Bray. https://amzn.to/3faj4cX
And if you want a kickass and dark revenge story about a modern-day sorceress hunting across the multiverse for lost Carcosa, my novel Ashes of Onyx is available in print, ebook, and audio book: https://amzn.to/3sfh1IA
If you enjoyed my stories, please leave a rating or review on Amazon, Audible, and/or Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4088554.Seth_Skorkowsky
__________
*MY PUBLISHED RPG ADVENTURES*
A Mother’s Love (Call of Cthulhu 7e). This collection of adventures won the 2020 Gold ENnie Award for Best Digital Adventure Book: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/299661/New-Tales-of-the-Miskatonic-Valley?affiliate_id=1017650
Mysteries on Arcturus Station (Mongoose Traveller 2e). This is two adventures. One is written by me, and the other is my update to J. Andrew Keith’s brilliant Murder on Arcturus Station: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/350034/Solomani-Adventure-1-Mysteries-on-Arcturus-Station?affiliate_id=1017650
And while I didn’t write it (Marc Miller has that distinction), I did greatly expand and update the classic Traveller adventure Death Station to Mongoose 2e, which is TOTALLY FREE: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/380659/Death-Station?affiliate_id=1017650
And while not an adventure, here’s Mythos Artifacts I wrote with Jon Hook of some neat magic artifacts for Call of Cthulhu: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/390047/Mythos-Artifacts?affiliate_id=1017650
__________
*GOT DICE?*
Check out the Q-Workshop Seth Skorkowsky RPG Icons Dice, a 10-die set that I designed with Q-Workshop: https://q-workshop.com/en/rpg-dice-sets/2046/rpg-icons-dice-set-seth-skorkowsky-copy?search_query=skorkowsky&results=10
For individuals of the 12-sided D6: https://q-workshop.com/en/search?controller=search&orderby=position&orderway=desc&search_query=seth&submit_search=
__________
*SHIRTS!*
Check out the Channel Store for some shirts: https://teespring.com/stores/seth-skorkowsky
__________
*FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER*
I mostly ramble about movies, tabletop roleplaying games, and random other things as they occur to me:
https://twitter.com/SSkorkowsky
__________
Guest Starring The Gang
As an Amazon, Humble Bundle, and DriveThru RPG Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases from those websites.
#ttrpg #dnd
00:00 Intro
01:18 Copper Thief
03:09 Word From Our Sponsor
04:30 Handout Bandit
07:02 Numbers Thrower
09:50 Conspiracy Theorist
12:18 Unqualified Expert
15:03 Closing
source
Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code SETHSKOR at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/sethskor
The "handout thief" is a problem I've never had. But I think it's for two reasons.
I don't provide handouts a whole lot, but when I do they're notable, such as a 20 page journal or table-sized map or framed photos. (Aside from my current game where there's been quite a few, but…)
The other reason is that I'm a bit of a "control freak" when it comes to game items, character sheets, handouts, etc. I am pretty reliably the most organized person at any table. And with my latest game I've taken a lesson from an older Seth video and provided folders for each of my players. The folders have some reference sheets, info on leveling (we're playing 1E "new" World of Darkness), basic faction info, and of course their character sheet. And any handouts they've obtained.
After each session I make sure to collect the folders (and the dice I've provided in a communal rolling tray everyone can reach, and the pencils) and will "redistribute" handouts as makes sense. One player character is essentially the "lorekeeper" … or academic who does the majority of researching. So it makes sense for him to have the bulk of handouts as he's pretty good about reviewing them and sharing the info. But if he should fail to make it to the game (luckily a non issue with my current group, they're very reliable) I have the handouts and can ensure they're available. And that makes sense to me, because as the Storyteller there is no game if I don't show up.
==-==-==-==-==-==-==
For the Number Thrower I usually only have that happen once with a player. Either I'll side-note what they tell me, then ask if they're done, or if there's other modifiers or such that need to be accounted for. I've never had to do this, but if I had someone like in the example, I might tell them, "I'm going with the first result you give me. If there's something you forgot, too bad. Either tell me a single result, or you don't get it all." But only for such an extreme example.
Also, for like the last decade I've mostly stuck with games that just don't have such things — or if they do, it's very uncommon. Games with massive hp pools (or whatever the system calls the relative trait) really aren't my thing. Either the system is deadly because of the exceedingly slim HP (Often under 10 total), or it's something like Fate where you still have very little "HP" (Stress) but it regenerates entirely after combat and only something like Consequences stick around (but you get about 3 total). So damage is always small numbers and if somehow it's a big number, I don't have to do any math, the thing you attacked is dead or taken out or disabled, etc.
But I totally recall D&D from 3 to 4 to 5 being bad about this sort of stuff. And various D&D-likes such as Pathfinder.
I avoided the " handout bandit" by giving the players a zippered plastic project folder to keep their notes and the handouts in. I'd keep the folder, give it to the players at the start of the session and take it back at the end of the session. We mostly play by vtt these days, so sticky fingers for handouts aren't such a problem now
Your advice on eliminating "that" from my writing has CHANGED MY LIFE, and I can't not notice it. Any more writing advice you can give?
*cough* You need new players. *cough* 😁
Wont lie.. i can be a copper thief.
Here's one: players who decide to open a business in-game and spend significant time managing said business.
In defense of the copper thief, as a copper thief… As a character who worships Waukeen, the goddess of wealth and trade, I use every copper towards starting businesses and increasing flow of coin in my campaign city, hiring managers from among those near penniless victims we rescue, taking only 25% of the profits, which goes back into building up the town..
Just discovered your channel and have been binge watching all your shows, thanks for all of your great work!
I know the one kind of player that drives me nuts are the players who try doing things like environmental destruction to the foes, like they'll go casting shatter on a statue next to a creature to cause it to crumble on them or knocking a tree onto a target. Not that those ideas are bad and I'm not opposed to creative thinking, but I'm not a RPG physicist and there's really no rules about how much damage a shattered statue will do and I really just don't bother with that especially since I just like to keep things simple
I just had vivid memories of gaming late into the night in my 20s and The Numbers Thrower being the sort of thing that let me know I was too tired to still be playing. Gaah.
Oh good gods, the number thrower… 😫
The bane of my existence when I'm GM'ing. I'm sooo bad with numbers and calculations (I still have to count on my fingers more often than I like).
My current players don't have a number thrower among them, and I feel so fortunate and happy every time we get through a session without me completely lose track of the numbers 😅
(The next number thrower I get will be a true nightmare after this bliss)
It's been a really long time since I've had to deal with a conspiracy theorist. It's usually an honest mistake with my players, where they misinterpret whatever clues they've been given.
I'm running a Ravenloft group currently, where one player is flat out refusing to kill the mummy lord in the temple basement, because he's convinced that THIS is the creature spoken of in the "prophecy". The in-game discussions they have over this are hilarious.
@11:19 & there's the cover up. Baseless accusations against the player w/ out providing a shred of evidence or any proof. Instead the GM dismisses the intuitive player's profound insight & labels them as irrational, nonsensical & crazy. This is pure projection by the GM, a deception finely crafted by the GM designed to gaslight the player. So typical. Potentially abusive IMHO. Notice Seth didn't show how the scenerio resolved itself? Thats extremely suspicious. He just showed that scripted bit @ the end which Im sure the player was coerced to say. I bet the brother from Chicago was a coconspirator. What are you hiding GM? The GM have a brother in Chicago? Hmm….We're watching you!
Hello Seth Skorkowsky! Internet here! We've go so many hot takes to present to you.
This video is not for us… it is for his players 😂
Your players are like Tony Soprano taking tye sconces, from a mortgage scam house, to sell them.
Good post! I love the concept of Credit Rating in Call of Cthulhu but not as a skill – it should be a status.
OMG!! The damage guy!! I have one of those😂
Pro tip: instead of subtracting, add up damage until it reaches the monster's hp.
6. I only play DnD 5e and everything has to be in a WotC book no 3rd party stuff.
9:49 Hey. I used to laugh at "Conspiracy Theorists" 🤣 Then I did research 🔎just to prove them wrong, and show how dumb 🤡 they were, BUT… The more I researched 🔎 the more I saw that they were correct 😱and that they missed a few things.
Seth's about to burn some bridges 😂
Great as usual! Numbers issue is sooo true ))
I'm not so much a copper thief but a material thief, if I'm looking for something and you place it in front of me, then it is leaving the dungeon with me.
Once playing a necromancer and mainly used the majority of my undead to haul loot. We ran into a room full of chains, and a brokem bridge. The chains were looted, I summoned a bridge, and there wasn't a single door left in the entire place since they were all metal.
I hope your players are cool with being called out on the internet. Nice Video.
I'm amazed one of these wasn't just Dweebles, with nothing to back it up, just and number 6; Dweebles. goodbye
"Unqualified experts" are trying to take over GMing the game.
BTW, apropos of nothing; I liked your yarn-festooned "Murder Wall", as some people call those conspiracy boards with the pictures connected by pins and red yarn (and it's ALWAYS red). I respect the detail of yours, after finding out they are hard to find as pre-made public domain images and building one from scratch for just a couple seconds of screen-time can be a daunting task. Kudos, wherever yours came from.
How do you get away with making videos about your long time group members? Do they take it out on you in person or what?
OH MY GOSH ! The number thrower gave me headache ! 😂
I've been the copper thief. It fit the character though. It was a goblin fighter/rogue "merchant" who was using all the stolen loot to arm the town militia pretty much everywhere we went.
The DM lost it when I piled dead orc bodies into the loot wagon because "waste not, want not" didn't make sense to him. When I explained that I was trying to make a local goblin tribe friendly, he started to get it.
Ah! There’s no such thing as a conspiracy theorist! Only people who know their Game are liars and want to find the truth, no matter the cost!
Small wonder Seth is maligning them! I wonder what he’s hiding…
Thanks Seth! Your videos are so authentic. Stay awesome!
I love all Seth Skorkowsky videos!
Conspiracy theorists are why I don't normally put red herrings into investigations. The players will already make their own.
Nice, great video. Thanks.
I had a conspiracy theorist in my group once, he was correct 50% of the time (no one in the party ever listened to his theories).
To clarify, 2/4 times his conspiracy theory was actually correct, and once it was even proven correct (once the players got in over their heads and their characters didn't make it).
I think the "make the player right instead of what you planned" advice is directed to when the players come up with a BETTER plot than you did, not when they just go out in left field and start wandering around randomly. I've done the first plenty of times, but I'd never do the second.
One player type that drives me crazy is the Meta-Speed-Runner, a player who will use meta-knowledge to identify any side-quests/plots and just rush past to the main objective, ignoring everything else. The meta knowledge can be from doing adventures before, reading about them, or using movies/games. Basically knowledge their character should not remotely possess. Showing no interest in adventuring and just wanna go A to B, and protesting OOC:ly if group doesn't bend to their will.
Isn't the Conspiracy Theorist a player education problem, wild theories are fine as long as the player knows the basics of how investigation works. Collect clues, don't confuse them with guesses, corroborating them with 2-3 other sources, falsify your own theories and so on. (Actually it would be a great player side companion to "How To Run A Mystery")
4:42 you note how the video is about player faults and not GMing faults- which has me thinking that it would be interesting to see a list video where you talk about your own biggest faults as a GM and how you both acknowledge and overcome them.
I think GMs can improve a lot by reflecting on their faults (which other videos of yours describe), but having a framework with specific examples of how you have overcome your own faults as a GM at certain times could be hugely insightful and helpful!
i think the advice to just go with the conspiracy theorist's idea is not to just accommodate any stupid notions, but to be able to roll with a story that might make more sense or is just cooler than what you had come up with yourself. you don't have to take the whole narrative, but even adapting simple connections can not only make the player feel smart for figuring something out, but also make your original plot feel more coherent to them (if it does make sense, of course).
You're not at all annoying and nothing you say is obviously stupid. I really appreciate that. Binge watching has been a pleasure. Thanks for all the videos. Cheers!