Why does one failed roll ruin someone's session while another player shrugs it off? It's not resilience. It's psychology. Three frameworks explain what's actually happening when failure lands at your table. youtu.be/VkJ_TIU0js8

Your character feels hollow. The campaign is good. The GM is doing everything right. So what's wrong? Identity psychology has an answer. Three frameworks, one diagnosis: you might be playing the wrong character for who you actually are. youtu.be/rsuSfl-clyo

The monster isn't what frightens them. The corridor is. Five fields of research explain why the architecture gets to your players before any threat does. New video up now. youtu.be/PKvKQQuNcAI

That one player who's always in the middle of every scene? In this week's RPG PHD, Dr. Ben breaks down the psychology of Main Character Syndrome in TTRPGs. Six frameworks. One loop. And a step-by-step GM toolkit for designing your way out of it. youtu.be/qyPUL8Oyuko

Hey everyone, I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you. We hit 10,000 subscribers on the channel and I am humbled by it. None of this happens without all of you and so thanks to each and every one of you who made this possible. Sincerely, Dr. Ben

Why do engaged players stop engaging? New RPG PHD breaks down Self-Determination Theory and the three psychological needs your campaign is either meeting or destroying: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. youtu.be/JHgRQMnKEl0

Had a blast on the Creative Contraband podcast talking with Dani about authority in TTRPG spaces. Ever wonder why some players become murderhobos and others push back on every authority structure the GM sets up? Milgram might have an answer. open.spotify.com/episode/1feR...

Your passive player problem is a psychology problem. The Bystander Effect explains exactly why players disengage. New RPG PHD video: the research, the design audit, and the fix. youtu.be/rhMi6Ob52VI

Every published adventure has a dramatic skeleton buried underneath the description. Beat mapping is how you find it. youtu.be/is-HyQwrZVw

FBI hostage negotiation tactics applied to tabletop RPG social encounters. Six techniques, one framework, new video up. youtu.be/D5Bub6D9MdM

In this video we take theories of design, cognitive psychology, and visual rhetoric and apply them directly to character sheet design. youtu.be/lACXToo83dU

youtu.be/WQNJz3GO6lQ In this week's lecture, we're pulling from psychology, theatrical theory, and music cognition to build a complete framework for dramatic tension curves and rhythmic pacing.

My newest RPG PHD video explores operant conditioning as a lens for thinking about player engagement, reward architecture, feedback loops, and the behavioral psychology behind what keeps a table locked in. youtu.be/KJVIUJObJTw

Today we’re officially launching the RPG PHD Discord. A lot of you have been asking for a community space, so here it is. This is a place to talk tabletop RPGs, game mastering, design, theory, storytelling, and all the other ideas we explore on the channel. discord.gg/STFdne3PbU

What makes players obey authority in a tabletop RPG… and what makes them resist it? My newest RPG PHD video explores the Milgram experiments as a lens for thinking about authority, obedience, conformity, social pressure, and player agency in TTRPGs. youtu.be/UJ88XTulFic

youtu.be/vKPipUauewo New video is up on Schema Theory and TTRPGs. I’m digging into how players interpret clues, build expectations, misread situations, and learn how to read a campaign world over time and what GMs can do with that at the table.

youtu.be/IrsdWItTFnE In Waiting Kills Momentum, I explore how queuing theory can help us think about initiative, spotlight, pacing, downtime, and player engagement in tabletop RPGs.

It's always great when people that make games talk about making games. @talesfromelsewhere.bsky.social @rpg-phd.bsky.social youtu.be/aM7vJ0ZinNk?... #TTRPG