https://youtu.be/1EiDo4NU7gU

Welcome to the first DragonLance Saga, Dungeon Mastering 101 episode! It is Linaras, Fleurgreen the 21st, my name is Adam and today I am starting this new Dragonlance Gaming series all about Dungeon Mastering. Inspired by a Dragonlance Setting episode I released this past week. I received a comment asking if I could help the situation in the game that I was calling out, and this is the result of that comment. The Graphite Dragon shared some wonderful insight on the topic and what follows is a collection of our thoughts.

Don’t forget to like and subscribe to this channel, ring the bell, and you can support this channel by becoming a Patron on Patreon, a Member of this YouTube channel, and you can pick up Dragonlance Gaming materials, using my affiliate link. All links are in the description below.

Discussion

First and foremost we must accept personal responsibility for our actions and thoughts. We are independent, autonomous human animals with a myriad of chemical differences as well as cultural, social, religious and ethnic backgrounds. Our perceptions of issues, even among similar individuals, vary dramatically. No one group or tribe is a monolith. Understanding this fact should lead you to celebrate different perspectives and be able to tolerate them, even when you fervently disagree with them. Trying to stifle discussion in any forum is a tactic of weakness and control. 

The purpose of a Dungeons & Dragons role playing game is not to have dominant control, even when referring to the Dungeon Master. It’s about a shared experience that is guided by the Dungeon Master. It’s about playing and shaping a game for FUN. I understand that my philosophy on gaming may differ from yours, and I welcome you jumping in on live chat to share your thoughts. We can have a bit of a back and forth throughout the course of this episode.

If we can all agree to be responsible individuals that are getting together to have fun, I think we are starting from the best possible place. Let’s move on to discussing today’s topic of Player Awareness. Briefly first, I would like to share my personal experience with role playing gaming. 

I started playing role playing games with the Dungeons & Dragons Basic set. My brother, sister and myself would play it often. In middle school a couple friends introduced me to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. From there we bounced to Middle-Earth, Star Frontiers, Star Wars, GURPS,In Nomine, Vampire the Masquerade and Werewolf the Apocalypse. We even created our own role-playing game called Cross-Genetics, based on mutants ala Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. With more than 30 years of playing and Dungeon Mastering, I feel like I have a little to say on the subject. My most successful games were Star Wars Saga Edition, Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition Dragonlance Campaigns, and Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition games. By the time 4th edition came out I had wrapped my head around the importance of narrative and collaboration. Two essential elements of a good group dynamic in gaming.

I would like to begin the discussion by bringing up my five tips for every individual playing the game or running one:

1. Know Yourself As A Player

Let’s start first with a Player’s self awareness. A player should know their own hangups or triggers. Knowing yourself is the most important aspect of being a good player, as well as being a healthy adult.You should know what bothers you or sets you off. If you cannot control these emotions, you should remove yourself from the game. If during the course of the game,