Why "Ghibli-Inspired" Games Fall Short - Run D&D Like Hayao Miyazaki 

Back The Wandering Tavern before May 9th for some Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle goodness! www.kickstarter.com/projects/homieandthedude/the-wandering-tavern?ref=cswbid Thank you to Homie and the Dude for bringing such a passionate design staff together, this whole book just radiates love.

Calling it an Eldritch bargain is exactly how I describe being an author trying to watch movies. So often I end up just picking out all the twists and plots and go "Oh its gonna be that one again" instead of being surprised and just enjoying art lol.

This is just a film essay disguised as a TTRPG video.

I do not think an explanation of how to craft an artform detracts at all from my appreciation of it. Thank you for this.

His movies are the reason one of my best friends is alive; I stupidly once gifted him a carton of maverick cigarettes, as a thank you. Kinda odd, like the happiest unhappy you’ll ever meet.

When you said to just sit with you a moment, I was JUST about to scroll down and see the comments. But I didn’t, I just sat with my thoughts for that thirty seconds, and genuinely it let this video sink in. Brilliant final touch to an excellent video

_I'm not crying I'm not crying I'm not crying I'm not crying_ buddy you done did it again, thank u

I'm obsessed with your CRT TV and how you used it in this video. Really makes me think about how much I appreciate older forms of media. Not really related to the content of the video itself, it's just so cool to see it and get a glimpse into how your brain works!

I keep showing up for D&D, and I keep getting thought provoking videos about art, life, and living, and the transition between the two is seamless. Wonderful video.

I was expecting a single location, simply framed and snappily edited "TOP 10 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR CAMPAIGN FEEL LIKE A GHIBLI MOVIE" video, but this was extremely high quality. It's closer to a Folding Ideas or Hbomberguy video than anything other dm advice thing I've seen on this platform, you definitely deserve the sub :]

I think you found your niche. Very impressed by this. High preparation, high execution. Not many dnd creators put a lot of research into their videos, that could be the niche you fill

As someone who has lost grand parents and parents it will always be the quiet moments when you get the grief whiplash. They fade whilst we remain and the world turns but we can fondly remember them in dreams and whilst living

My dude, you are out here killing it. Loved this. You are taking your channel, writing and editing to new heights.

I don't know why I wasn't expecting a video about Ghibli to be heartwarming and beautiful, but I wasn't.

Holy cow I have never heard anyone put to words so exactly the thoughts that bubble on my head whenever this topic comes up. Thank you so much for making this!

This video was incredible. Perfectly paced and genuinely moving. It captured that Ghibli feel with precision. Your stuff is criminally underrated!

I just want you to know that the extraordinary effort you put in is noticed. This is fantastic. You deserve to be up there with the Ginny's and Bob's.

came here for a lesson, stayed for the raw emotion.

you captured it, that poeaceful, tranquil, nothingness, at the end. I sat with you, for that moment. Thank you

I just found this, and having watched it, I just want to say a sincere thank you. It really touched my heart, and spoke to me on a deeper level. ❤ Thank you for the inspiration.

This is the kind of content I want more of. Not quick hacks to put a shallow mask over D&D, but the real deep, defining fundamentals of what makes a thing unique. The thing being the atmosphere in Ghibli movies, in this case, but please make more videos like this one for other things!

I must say, this is stellar work. Splendidly identified aspects of the stories that they not only have in common, but also makes them stand out from others. And the translation into application is clear, inspiring, and inciting. And yet, this video is more, wrapped within heartfelt grief, and calm, and linger. Thank you, Skyler. You gave us quite the gift in this. We will let it grow.

Fantastic video. The thought of a world without Miyazaki saddens me deeply, and you talking about your great-grandmother reminded me of my own grandmother's death last year and the grief I felt over that.

As a person who defines their life by their ability to tell stories, I found the final moments of this video to effect me sincerely, being something I could sit with and hold to my heart. Of course, I'll take the information I learned and try to run a Ghibli inspired campaign. I'll share this video with my play group, my like-minded friends. But those final minutes are what I'll truly walk away appreciating. I tell myself that life is a story the universe tells itself to endure eternity. Creatives like Miyazaki and Toriyama are skilled in offering good stories to the stars. Public Legacy is not a measure I use to assess the quality of a tale, but rather the nature of the stories it inspires. That reverence for life, in all its aspects, that a good story leaves you with. I believe those minutes, that silence you offered, are precious remnants of that phenomenon. Cheers to you.

I think this might be my favorite video you've done. They get better every time and I love your takes on some of the same conversations my group and I are having. Keep up the good work 🙂

This is a stunningly wisdomatic video, with implications beyond roleplaying. I wanted to take the time to thank you for this creation. Very soul-enriching.

Bro wtf this is the first time a dnd related video got me sentimental. Thank you for putting love into what you do. Just realized I was not subscribed to your channel so I just did that.

Thank you for a much needed tearing up. I get where you were at in the process of making this towards the end.

at the end when you ask us to just sit with you a moment, I wanted nothing more than to just be there in that half-dead grass and to stare at the sky. I have no idea where that is (and won't ask you to divulge), but it looks similar at least to the place I grew up and spent the longest part of my life thus far, in a nostalgic way that pulled at me the first time the scene swapped to it. like you could pick it up and plop it down in my own hometown. it's a place I'm glad I'm gone from for various reasons, with my own griefs and pains associated - oddly fitting for how you phrased everything. the whole video is very good, and as someone who also is autistic with ADHD I understand the level of focus and study that can go into these things - so thanks for sharing it with us. I hadn't thought of Miyazaki's works in this explicit framework before, but I think it makes me appreciate them all the more. and thank you for sharing your vulnerability, too. I'm only a stranger on the internet commenting on a video the algorithm happened to toss at me, but these moments where people share a little of themself, their feelings and emotions, are important. they make for good stories. the video would still be good without it, but it would definitely be lacking something real (and Ghibli-esque) without it.

You have an outstanding perspective that I hope you and the people around you can celebrate forever. Thank you for sharing and for working hard.

Hey, I'm an artist who absolutely loves Hayao Miyazaki films.. you mafe me cry 🥰 thank you

I'll certainly take a look at The Wandering Tavern, but I also highly recommend you take a look at the Japanese TTRPG "Ryuutama" if you haven't already, because it encapsulates everything spoken about in this video. Thank you for putting so much of yourself into these videos.

This is one of the better presented story coaching videos I’ve seen- and you kept it engaging with your self reflection. Genuinely enjoyed the breakdown, looking forward to listening more! Thank you for sharing the research too!

Thank you for this video! At first I was afraid of learning the Ghibli secrets and losing the magic. Then I was really glad that I watched, because you gave some of the best RPG advice I've ever got. And, finally, I was touched. In a moment of my life when I really needed this connection and advice. Thank you! I'll be here for a while, if you don't mind.

This was absolutely amazing - made the choice to subscribe easy. Some great advice, and some confirmation that I'm doing some things right in my Ghibli-inspired homebrew. I'm going to save this vid and try to come back to it every so often in my planning. And your grandmother sounds like a blessing to have known.

There is a solo RPG called Artifact, but Mouse Hole Press. It is about the passage of time and comes with a soundtrack that you play in the dark between scenes to represent eras passing... It would fit well into this discussion.

I really enjoyed this. I liked how it was more than a tips video and bordered on a short essay. I don’t think we have enough of that in the scene, so good job, and thank you for doing so 💖

This is increrible, man! Congratulations! This is not a video about Dnd, is a cinematography experience about art!✨

Beautiful as always! I learn so much from your videos every time. Thank you for continuing to put in the time and effort for videos like these. You continue to grow and improve with each one and it shows!

Wow, beautiful video. My first time seeing your stuff, but I'll be staying tuned! Thank you much. My partner and I have recently begun worldbuilding for TTRPG after being on and off players for a few years. To craft a story that offers meaning and connection as well as joyful and humorous escape can feel daunting. But I think the wheels are turning in the right direction after seeing this ❤

Yeah man... you are one of a kind. This spoke to me deeply, i've been having a confusing and uncertain moment of things going pretty much the way i wanted, some little ups and down and nothing more and the attention you call to the fact that I myself am the important part of the history i want to tell, to create, is heartwarming at the same measure it is terrifying. Gee... straigth to therapy after this. So much to say and no words around... just thank you. Really

This video was genuinely amazing. It made me tear up and gave me the perfect ghibli experience. Keep doing what you are doing because this is beautiful art

I was randomly recommended this video and I love it. Subscribed!

skyler this video is ART!!! you keep killing it every time, i'm utterly in awe!!!!

Never ran a D&D campaign. Always kinda wanted to. I think it's safe to say that if we ever ran one it would be a treasured memory for certain.

Your essay was really moving ❤ Something new to think about as an artist

Fantastic video, dude! I got chills at the end. Thank you for sharing!

Hooooly cow that ending was powerful, I genuinely started tearing up. That "Make good art" line really hit me. AMAZING video dude! I've never subscribed to someone new faster!

This gave me exactly what i needed today. I appreciate you

I absolutely love this, even with the constant mispronunciation of "Ghibli" ;)

Thank you for this video! I have been running almost 100 ghibli-inspired games on startplaying and nailing the vibe has always been the hardest part. Having it layed out more clearly will greatly help me in my game design.

Aside from just being a really helpful and concise resource for thinking about implementing the themes of Hayao Miyazaki's films in your TTRPGs, and aside-aside from being a very bittersweet, inspiring video about how to create art that resonates with people, this is just an excellently-put-together piece of media. The shot composition is beautiful, the use of musical cues and the editing in general are so precise and yet loose and fun. I'm planning a D&D campaign heavily inspired by the Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind manga, and I'll be returning to this video for inspiration in that process several times, I predict. I'll also have to make some time to check out your other vides as well. Bravo!

This is an incredible video. Thank you for your transparency and foresight. As an artist, as a human, your words resonate deeply. I wish you continued healing and success on this journey through our shared reality.

I've never seen one of your videos and the this up mostly as background filler while I did other things only to stop and watch the entire thing. This was fantastic.

I love your way of sharing your love of art, definitely subscribing to see more 😊

Great video, love the analysis! I love Ghibli movies and this was a really good breakdown on what it is about them that is fundamental to their spirit! The final section was really touching, too. Thanks for the great video.

My guy, this is a phenomenal video! I especially loved the section at the end where you discuss the emotional importance of stories. Despite the power of TTRPGs as a storytelling vehicle, this topic doesn't get talked about enough in TTRPG channels. Thank you for sharing this.

Great video. It is time for all of us to pick up the blocks and see who makes the next moving piece of art. Thank you for what you do.

Damn- you're videos are so dang good! Loved this. Thank you for making this haha i was genuinely taking notes throughout my entire viewing of this :,3 Sooo many good tips! And just a wonderful experience to watch. My own Ghibli inspired campaign will definately be filled with more heart after this

Dude, you are amazing. I'm so glad YT recommended me this video.

Thank you for making this

Sharing that quiet time in your back yard reminded me of the tractor tire I used to play in as a young child. There was sand in the middle of it, and spiders lived in the dark edges on the inside. So I liked playing with the sand, but also didn't like being close to spiders, and particularly not having them behind me! But it was still fun to play with, so I played there :)

Amazing video! Thank you!!!

This was a great video essay about some of the key tropes in Ghibli works - and its broadly applicable to a lot of different storytelling mediums, so thank you! The thing that still confuses me personally is why some folks want to try and tell these stories in D&D specifically when it seems so opposed to these styles of story! There are so many wonderful games and engines out there that could be used, or the opportunity to write your own. The answer I've come to is that these people, i assume including yourself, must really want the experience of D&D itself, and it would be rude of me to belittle other people's fun even if its no longer my cup of tea. Would love to hear individal answers to that question though.

This is wonderful. And, thanks for the final piece of advice.

Beautiful and immensely helpful video friend. Thanks 🦋

This is it. This is what I've been looking for. Subbed.

From one ADHD Millennial to another, brilliant man you really captured it. First time seeing one of your videos and made a subscriber out of me real quick, looking forward to the next one!

As an autistic millenial English teacher, this video warms my heart

This was a wonderful video and I love the sentiment you’ve expressed here. Bravo. Some true insight.

Wonderful video my man.

wonderful video with beautiful thoughts. My condolences for your loss, much love and keep being awesome

You are the first people to have mentioned the Buena Vista influence on Ghibli films. Thank you so much for that. I feel like there has been such a heavy hand on the destruction of Sheeta and her heroism. When Pazu and Sheeta are on the train and avoid the pirates. After they escape from them, Pazu asks to shovel the coal. Sheeta responds, "No. Let me do it." The Buena Vista dub changed that line to have say, "Ooooooh, Pazu!" doting over him. The misogyny they implemented only to capitalize on Frozen for "girl power" is so gross and infuriating, considering when they released the "domestic" versions to the west and how there were plenty of amazing female characters and representation in the past. I think it would be amazing if there was a video/deep dive on the tacky wallpaper you quite rightly described it.

i love your vibe, aesthetic, and your critical analyisis. Its a travesty you only have 8k subs so far, you're destined for much more and i cant wait til it happens.

Thank you for these insights. I'm gearing up to run Break!!, and this is exactly what I needed to build the scaffolding for the more focused campaign I want to run with it. Truly awesome stuff. I'm really inspired by the way you've described Miyazaki's characterization of authority in particular. Regarding Ghiblification of places, I have always subscribed to the idea that the liveliness of a location can stem directly from its concept if it is sufficiently inspiring. I spend some of my prep imagining some of the background stuff that's going on and how the PCs might experience it. I prep characters who are inspired by the location, but who have their own unique ways of - and reasons for - being in it (that's a great way to set a hook, characterize a location, reveal conflicts within that location, and foil for the PCs all at the same time). The Wandering Tavern sounds like a wonderful product that I would definitely back if I played more 5e, but I also believe that the liquidity of a location that starts out as a strong concept with a handful of evocative descriptions and interesting NPCs is fully capable of getting there for those of us who are dedicated to homebrewing. Regarding that empty space, *I cannot stress enough* how useful the beginnings and endings of sessions are. I try to think of beginnings as points of convergence; the only moment in a given session that's guaranteed. I never put words to it before, but I often frame sessions in by describing something like a quiet ride on an empty train car or a moment of respite on an arduous journey. Use that predictability relentlessly as a GM. As for endings, it's about feel. When you're coming up on the end of your allotted time slot, start paying attention for a moment that deserves to hang there for a week (or whatever your interval is). This is also your opportunity to set up the best possible "beginning" next session. Additionally, you can use moments in the flow of the game where time "zooms out" ("it's going to take three days of travel to get there" type stuff) to include scenes that achieve this effect. Don't require your players to contribute or respond outwardly in these scenes; the feeling it invokes is the point, and being passive/inactive is part of that feeling. Just describe it, let it sit in the air for an extra 1.5 seconds, and then move on to the next thing. Think about it your game through the viewfinder and describe it that way to your players. It will pay off.

gonna thank you for this since it is an awesome video.

I just remembered Citizen Sleeper. Definitely a must play for anyone with an interest in RPG storytelling. I do have my issues with it, mostly the endings but the atmosphere that it weaves while you do your best to survive one day at a time is a feat for the books.

This is one of the best RU-vid videos I've ever seen. ❤🎉👍

Another lovely video. I've only watched a few SG movies. I can't say I am a devoted fan, but I can say they are movies that have stuck with me in ways that other movies have not. You've done a great job of boiling down the essence of what makes them work. Also, the end bit of your video hit quite hard. I am sorry for your loss, and thank you for once again sharing a very personal story so that we might all find some common ground and comfort on this very messy and impersonal Internet.

Have thought for a VERY long time, that I feel like Miyazaki should have made, at least once, his own D&D world & campaign adding some of his own special rules. I bet he could have made an AMAZING alternative rules supplement for us to use.

I sat down looking for advice on how to help breathe some Ghibili life into the game that I'm creating for my friends. I left crying (in a good way) and having all of my answers and none at all. And that was *exactly* what I needed. Thank you. Thank you for the stillness.

This is an incredible video, I'm coming to it a second time, and I love Hayao Miyazaki's story, and where he came from. He was a union organizer, he was intensely inspired by his mother, he had a very humble beginning of starting with a television series whose original author quite literally abandoned it. I'm very scared of the very real reality of Hayao's passing, because... he's inspired me to do near everything I do artistically. I'm not a DM, but I am a creative... and this video not only inspired me to make something, but also gave my inner child a reality check... thank you.❤

Epic video! This is such a cool analysis of Ghibli films and how to get that feel with D&D!✌️

What a lovely video! Watched while drawing :)

Amazing video thank you.

Hey there, I rarely leave comments on videos but this video is stunningly beautiful, and I'm sorry for your loss.

This is beautiful. Thank you. I wasn't expecting that in a video about tabletop roleplaying. I know so many artists who are despairing in the face of AI. Your conclusion is exactly the manifesto we need to keep going.

Mate, that end made me tear up. Thanks.

Love this, thanks 🎉

Here before ur channel gets bigger than mine

Thank you for this thoughtful breakdown of SG. It’s helpful. I met a crossroads in my game right now where they’re moving into a new territory and new quests. This is really helpful.😊 I haven’t forgotten to do the scene drawings. I just haven’t had time so I’ve been relying on the old fashion method of doing it but I will try it very soon.😊

I do like the point of authority vs childhood, definitely a key aspect of Ghibli. But in my worlds I leaned heavily into the Soft Magic system to create the Ghibli feeling. In my world the Faewild has a complete soft magic system, that I never inform my players about. At first they see it as NPCs all having prestidigitation, but if the Barbarian said (and really meant it) “I cast Fireball” he could. As long as it narratively fits they can do any magic healing teleportation etc. including non “5e spells” whatever magic they want to describe. As well as flexible travel through time and space in the material world, especially if you know what you’re doing or have a guide. On the other hand the Shadowfel is a Super Hard/Gritty Realism RPG system, permanent scars on taking damage, 1 spell slot per Long rest, maybe week long long rests and spell failure deeper into the Shadowfel. But in exchange time always and reliably stands still when you travel in it, so the party is tempted to use it to overcome long distance time crunch. Ghibli vs Darksouls.

This was a super cool video!

I’ve been grieving lately as well (two of my dogs, who I’ve had and loved since I was a little kid passed away from old age within the last few months) and with all the stress of coursework to do I haven’t had the chance to just sit down and accept everything. I’ve done my best to process what I can in order to function, but just sitting down? Letting myself understand that I exist in this present reality, difficult as it might often be? I’ve been putting that off for a month now, at least. Needless to say this video brought me to tears.

this is a wonderful little breakdown I'm totally going to put to use. if noones suggested this, i want to: id love to see this expanded into a series, breaking down the narrative fundamentals and quirks of a genre, creator or franchise to discuss how one would replicate its style in a tabletop campaign

Thank you so much for this video. a) I love that some youtube videos still have this vulnerability and sincereness that is missing on youtube. b) I have ideas for my worlds that don't necessarily try to be ghibli but do take inspiration from what you said. c) I need to be writing on my book... I'm gonna have some tea and get back to writing. Have an awesome day and stay awesome

THANK YOU!

So it goes. Condolences, and thank you for sharing.

THAT WAS AN AMAZING INTRO I LOVED IT

Beautifully said.