How to PREP your next Dungeons and Dragons session 

Realizing this was honestly a game-changing moment for me when I was learning to DM - planning to do a video on improv soon actually.

Mate, that's very kind of you to say! Glad you're enjoying the content and the vibe of the channel, I appreciate that 👊

That's very nice of you to say! Glad you're enjoying the content and the chill vibes of the videos 🙏

Agreed and agreed. 😊

The accent just makes your voice even better. 🤩

2023 is your year then! My hope is that if I post longform consistently, the algorithm will gradually start pushing my longer videos to more of my subscribers. Glad you're enjoying the content!

@@TalesArcane I especially like the more specific breakdown of your prep time of social vs. Combat. I've been a forever DM for a long time and have lately realized my combats should be more dynamic with enemies and terrain instead of HP sponges. I'll definitely be trying that proportion of prep time.

Yeah, very true! The more the players have discussed in advance, the more focused the session usually is.

That's so good to hear! I often think of my content as being good for newcomers to the community, but it's great to know that it can also be a refresher for experienced DMs like yourself who are returning after a break. Good luck with all the games to come.

I'm pretty sure your were the first comment, or one of the first, on my last video too! Really appreciate the support mate, and I'm glad the video can be useful to you and your player.

@@TalesArcane Always on the lookout for your content. Love the advice and you deliver it with the gusto of a storyteller, so it's less of a classroom and more of a story around the campfire :)

That's what I like to hear! Glad the video gave you the boost to get started, hope the new campaign is your best yet 💪

@@TalesArcaneomg u responded lol didn’t expect that

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it. I'm trying to move away from heavily scripting my videos, which means there's a lot more room for fun ideas to develop in real-time, like that drunken crew thing 😁

I really appreciate the kind words, thank you! Battle maps are something I could talk about endlessly - I'm hoping to do a video later in January focusing on how I go about planning and building my maps. And yeah, I'm feeling a lot more confident with this unscripted approach - it's fun to just let the ideas flow!

Mate, thank you! That's really great to hear, glad you're enjoying the content, and the overall tone of the vids.

I felt the same starting out! Combat was especially stressful for me. But hopefully this video and the tips can help a bit - I've certainly found this approach really helpful for me. Prep should be part of the fun, if done right!

Thank you! Always appreciate the support and the comments. I'll keep the videos coming.

Ohhhh great idea for a video! Do you mind if I screenshot this comment so I can have it pop up at the start of a vid on this subject, since you gave me the topic idea?

@@TalesArcane Not at all go for it

Glad you found it helpful! Planning a lot more like it for this year 😄

That's great to hear, mate! Glad the video was helpful, and I hope the group enjoys many exciting games ahead.

Really appreciate the support, mate! Glad you liked the video. In terms of Inkarnate, the big thing for me was getting the hang of the layering system and the shadows system (both accessible through the Objects panel when placing objects). Being able to tweak what layer an item appears on and the intensity and direction of its shadow (and whether the shadow is cast on objects or on the layer texture) helped me add a lot of depth and lighting effects. The overlay Filters are also great - even just slapping on the Saturation filter will make a standard map look a lot cooler, because I think most Inkarnate assets are beautiful but a little washed out. Just keep practicing and playing with the tools, and after a month or so you'll be seeing good results!

Glad you liked it mate! Plenty more videos like this one on the way 😁

So I have the premium version of Inkarnate, which is (last time I checked) 4 dollars a month or 25 dollars a year. For that, you get access to all the Inkarnate assets. In terms of the asset packs I use within Inkarnate: for top-down visuals and normal combat maps I use Fantasy Battlemaps 2.0, for 3D illustrations (cities and towns, for example) I use Fantasy Regional HD, and then for world/region maps I use Parchment World. One thing that really helps is that I use Inkarnate's map filters, especially 'Saturation' and 'Gloom and Doom', and that makes the colors a lot more striking and vibrant. Hope that helps!

@@TalesArcane that's awesome thankyou

Heeeey you're too kind! Glad my voice adds something to the videos, and thank you for supporting the channel 😁

100%! That's why I also have a video about improv DMing - it's my favourite way to run the game.

All hail the RU-vid algorithm and its mysterious, unknowable ways!

Honestly, it's thanks to folk like yourself showing up and engaging with the content! Knowing that there are people watching and enjoying is a big motivator to up my game. Next big step for me is a better microphone, I think.

@@TalesArcane any chance we could get a video on how to encourage role play at our tables? I play with a group of guys who don't naturally want to role play, they play DnD like a dungeon crawler and don't necessarily role play with npcs beyond asking them what they need to do. Any tips for encouraging role play more generally?

Maybe the 4th pillar was the friends we made along the way.

@@TalesArcane 🤗