Creating memorable experiences from the middle of them
In the world of TTRPGs, there is no shortage of different IPs, formats, and variations in rules, even within the same property like Dungeons & Dragons. As a result, it's extraordinarily easy to find discussions about a given topic. Dadi, from Mystic Arts, offers a high quality contribution to world building in his video “8 Types of Ambushes to Start Your Adventure!” through advice focused around putting players immediately into an action sequence.
As someone focused on improving TTRPG experiences through experience, the value in a solid hook is immediately obvious. Looking at it through the lens of phenomenology, it focuses on the core elements of the theater of the mind in creating interaction that makes players want to come back consistently: feeling like they are contributing to something meaningful within the game world. “In the middle of things”, as Dadi points out, can mean showing the end of a previous adventure or even starting from an action sequence part way through another one. Movies and other media do this all the time, particularly action movies and stories focused on conflict. By extending this idea to social encounters (i.e. political traps), supernatural scenarios (i.e. liminal spaces), and ambushes that reshape/reframe the players' understanding, each possibility serves not as a gimmick but showcases the narrative sensibility through first hand experience. This demonstrates a structured of story logic and group psychology that is hard to simulate, focusing on why these moments resonate among players.
The core of the Mystic Arts formula is set around utilizing the director's point of view in order to better create narratives. Each new encounter is deliberate (or as deliberate as they can be among a group of players whose characters each have a screw loose). The references to structures in pop-culture and other media creates a reflective space that builds on the video essay format. There is never an overload of information. Instead, the focus on a steady, minimalist focus gives enough to get the audience's brain moving without focusing on details that may or may not matter to a given table. “Shock, and surprise create investment.” Deliberate formulas like this one are what gives Mystic Arts a clear tone and purpose that creates trust in the vision, especially as it is backed up by metaphors and creative stakes.
The comparisons to other titles within media like James Bond, Shane Black's (director of Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys, and Iron Man 3) hooks of violence, and the Han Solo charge are all examples of references that lend credibility to the point: ambushes can be used to change pace while creating intrigue. Each is applied in a way that extends storytelling in ways to manipulate a scenario for the audience. In a TTRPG, changes in scene tend to follow a familiar formula whereby a scenario reaches its natural conclusion and the players head off to the next setting. Flipping the script, so to speak, reflects a level of expertise in creating excitement where there otherwise wouldn't be any. Framing this in such a way as an interruption that subverts expectations is easy to utilize and reinforces itself within the ability to plan a session. The design advice is significant: focus on how the game is experienced and internalized by players.
The reason I am so drawn to Mystic Arts over other creators is likely due to the presentation itself. It's clear and expressive. The visuals are relatively sparse while always being utilized in an additive light. The pacing is steady and gives itself the chance to breathe. Which is all to say the presentation is deliberate and carefully constructed while not overstaying itself. From a comparative standpoint, this is a hobby where there is always something to say about something. Relying on minimalism and not overstaying a point makes the content much more digestible than its peers. The structure is easy to follow, and the rhythm between concept and application focuses the viewer's attention on the ideas themselves.
While not explicitly following any kind of phenomenological concern, it ends up inadvertently leaning heavily into it in its own right: it asks the GM to interpret how players inhabit their shared world. Once situated within it, how can we disrupt the natural flow of their experience to their benefit and alter how they perceive the world through the narrative. The reflective and experiential storytelling is exactly what we want to focus on – Mystic Arts demonstrates it phenomenally.
Sources
Mystic Arts. “8 Types of Ambushes to Start Your Adventure!” YouTube, 3 Oct. 2023, www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0ak8A4zhZc.
