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Currently Playing: What the Milgram Experiments Can Teach Us About Authority in TTRPGs

Dr. Ben discusses the Milgram experiments and authority for TTRPGs (Episode #167). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp Website https://rpgphd.com/ Discord https://discord.gg/STFdne3PbU RPG PHD swag!!! https://rpg-phd.myspreadshop.com Facebook https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089593636905 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rpg_phd/ Bluesky @rpg-phd.bsky.social Patreon https://www.patreon.com/user?u=87730462&view_as=patron Special thanks to Evelina for the thumbnail template, much appreciated!! 😊 How do authority, obedience, and resistance shape tabletop RPG play? In this RPG PHD video, Dr. Ben explores the Milgram experiments as a lens for understanding GM authority, player agency, social pressure, conformity, and moral choice in TTRPGs. Learn how authority figures, table dynamics, and scene framing influence player decisions, and how GMs can use those ideas to create richer roleplay, stronger story beats, and more meaningful choices in tabletop roleplaying games. tabletop rpg, ttrpg, rpg phd, dr ben, game master, gamemaster advice, dungeon master, dungeon master tips, ttrpg advice, rpg theory, tabletop game design, player agency, authority in rpgs, obedience and authority, milgram experiment, milgram obedience study, conformity psychology, social pressure, group dynamics, session design, narrative design, encounter design, gm tips, rpg storytelling, tabletop storytelling, roleplaying games, dungeons and dragons, dnd advice, running better rpgs, meaningful choices --------------------------------------------- 00:00 Introduction: Why Authority Matters at the Table 01:00 Brief Background: What the Milgram Experiments Explored 04:37 Authority as Framing: How Presentation Changes Meaning 08:09 Social Pressure at the Table 11:59 Incremental Escalation in Campaign Play 14:36 When Players Resist Authority 20:38 Authority and Moral Displacement 23:12 Using This Lens Intentionally 28:23 Applying the Milgram Lens at the Table: A Practical Guide for GMs 34:57 Quick GM Checklist 35:30 Thoughts? -------------------------------------------- Baumrind, Diana. “Some Thoughts on Ethics of Research: After Reading Milgram’s ‘Behavioral Study of Obedience.’” American Psychologist, vol. 19, no. 6, 1964, pp. 421–423. DOI: 10.1037/h0040128. Eldridge, Stephen. “Milgram Experiment.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 14 Mar. 2026, Britannica. Haslam, S. Alexander, and Stephen D. Reicher. “Contesting the ‘Nature’ of Conformity: What Milgram and Zimbardo’s Studies Really Show.” PLOS Biology, vol. 10, no. 11, 2012, e1001426. Milgram, Stanley. “Behavioral Study of Obedience.” Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, vol. 67, no. 4, 1963, pp. 371–378. Milgram, Stanley. Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View. Harper & Row, 1974. Perry, Gina. Behind the Shock Machine: The Untold Story of the Notorious Milgram Psychology Experiments. The New Press, 2013. Music and Sounds: https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/Erdns8jA3D/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/MRyCi54t7M/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/AQBpWzOsID/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe/ Music: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe/ Music: http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/bWHPOsoaql/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/uDAHxg3lIS/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/2dLRmfzdA5/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/jrNZjxJQqZ/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ/ https://www.epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/tracks/8c51eca6-dbb5-4925-b4ec-7ee51630322e