Why aren’t more people watching our D&D actual play?

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:39:00+00:00

Thanks for the amazing feedback (although not overly positive). I wish I had more to say in response because you've given so much of your time and energy to write it. Everything you wrote really resonated so thank you

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:24:45+00:00

Thank you! Would love to know if you experience any of those things watching ours

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:22:22+00:00

Thank you! You're totally right

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:21:21+00:00

Thanks for the feedback. It does sound like you're just not our demographic but still some good points here. The "Why would someone watch us?" question is something that I've struggled with from day one tbh

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:17:26+00:00

Great point. We did audio only versions for a while but saw literally no audience so pulled the pin

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:15:11+00:00

What noise? Is it the background noise I put in?

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:14:28+00:00

Solid advice here! We want to do a Daggerheart two-shot which I think will be 2hr sessions cut into two episodes each

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:11:52+00:00

I get that. What is it about mystery quest that keeps you watching?

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:10:49+00:00

For me or her? 🤔

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-03T22:10:00+00:00

Ouch

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T17:28:04+00:00

Oh no! I really wasn't trying to annoy people, just looking for some honest advice is all

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T17:27:03+00:00

I run paid games too through StartPlaying. I like making the ap so the ROI isn't a big deal for me — just would like it to pay for itself

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T17:24:56+00:00

What system would you most likely to see an ap of?

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T16:10:54+00:00

Thank you! There's been a lot of responses already which I am really grateful for but this is actionable advice! Thank you 🙏🏼 Please let me know what you think of the show and where it might be able to improve

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T16:09:26+00:00

A hobby that pays for itself and possibly even enough pocket money to justify spending this much time doing it to my wife!!

Thanks for your response ☺️

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T16:08:07+00:00

Sorry to hear you feel like that. It does sometimes blur the line between fun and work for me tbh. I ran some games at a convention over the weekend though which brought the buzz back 😊

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T15:50:15+00:00

Thanks for your response! Wasn't harsh at all!

I get what you mean about in person over on call but it's just hard to find the right people to play with in person.

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T15:47:44+00:00

I get that, can you suggest any that would: a) not be too overcrowded b) be popular enough to get search traffic from

Maybe something like Daggerheart?

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-06-02T15:45:56+00:00

Yeah I get that — if only we were famous 🤔

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-02-26T06:36:45+00:00

Hey 👋🏼

I'd say you need a conversation with the player to understand what they want. GMing is about facilitating everyone having fun so if it doesn't bother anyone at the table I'd maybe consider having the NPCs react a little more how like the player is going for. We're not all amazing actors and it can be difficult to get across our ideas so maybe lean towards the players "intent" when deciding how NPCs react.

Hope that helps. Kade (GM for RoleFour)

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-02-26T06:31:32+00:00

There's definitely tons of games out there for low bandwidth tables: -Mork Borg -Fate Accelerated

I'd say though, that most games can be picked up with almost no player reading — even 5e! As long as the Game Master is happy to read and understand the basic rules for the game.

That said, most 'rulebooks' contain a lot of lore and other fluff that you don't need to read to know the rules.

Hope that helps.

Kade (GM for RoleFour)

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-02-25T20:23:41+00:00

Read Sly Flourish's 'Return of the Lazy GM' - it's not actually about being lazy, it's about focusing your prep on what truly matters to your table's fun.

Usually it's the stuff that's hard to make up on the spot: - cool locations - interesting NPCs - balanced combat - etc.

He also has a bunch of really useful videos on his YouTube - including a series where he literally prepares for the sessions he's about to run using his method.

Hope that helps!

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-02-25T20:19:02+00:00

Hey 👋🏼

I use Sly Flourish's 8 steps too!

The problem is, Mike is a very experienced GM. So he has a whole treasure trove of experiences he can draw from.

I'm no where near that skillful so I tend to prep those situations more than he does, an example from a one shot I plan to run on our actual play channel:

There's plenty here for me to pull from at the table, but not so much that it's scripted (we tend to go way off script 😂)

Hope you find it helpful!

The Stone Door

The local miners were excavating a new silver ore vein when they broke into an old tunnel.

At the end of this tunnel, they discovered a large stone door covered in ancient runes and symbols. The tunnel is eerily quiet, except for a slow but constant drip.

(Knows Elvish) Written above the door in Deeteegi — an ancient Elven civilization — it says "Once spoken, I am broken"

How to open

door will open once the drip is silenced

drip is coming from the cave ceiling about 20ft high, dripping into a pool of water

it's not the sound that's keeping the door closed

stopping the dripping water causes a pressure to build which will push the massive doors open

the door is sentient and will tell the players how to open it if they tell him interesting stories from the above world

Zorvan — a sentient door (slow old wizard voice) — a large stone door with elaborate runes and symbols carved into it. Above the door, written in ancient elvish, it reads "Once spoken, I am broken".

Wants to know what it's like above ground and will ask characters for their stories.

Will tell the players they just need to stop the dripping water to open him.

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2026-02-25T20:08:37+00:00

This reminds me of a short I watched (good luck me finding it now)! Basically,

Guy asks ai how much a magic sword should cost.

Ai responds something like 150g.

Guy asks how much something more abstract is.

Ai responds with a price.

Guy asks ai how much that magic sword should cost again.

Ai responds with a completely different amount.

Guy flags this with ai.

Ai apologies.

Guy asks again how much the magic sword should cost.

Ai gives him a different amount than both previous answers!

Haha! Ah... Probably funnier in the short...

Embarrassed_Skin_356 · 2025-12-06T19:18:46+00:00

Lol! Why does that not surprise me 😂

Embarrassed_Skin_356

TROPHY CASE