RPG Master Class

Currently Playing: Grotowski: Designing and Running RPGs by Subtraction

Dr. Ben discusses Grotowski acting theory for Design and Gamemastering. (Episode #153). #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!! 😊 What can Jerzy Grotowski’s Poor Theatre teach us about tabletop RPG design and Gamemastering? In this RPG PHD video, Dr. Ben explores how ideas like subtraction, presence, ritual, commitment, feedback, and constraint can sharpen play at the table. Expect a practical, theory-driven look at how removing friction, clarifying intention, and trusting structure can create more meaningful choices, stronger player commitment, and better tabletop roleplaying. jerzy grotowski, poor theatre, toward a poor theatre, grotowski, tabletop rpg, ttrpg, rpg phd, dr ben, game master advice, gamemastering, rpg design, tabletop game design, acting theory, theatre theory, performance theory, ritual in games, player agency, meaningful choice, rpg mechanics, rules design, gm tips, dungeon master advice, narrative design, game design theory, decision making in rpgs, reducing friction, presence in play, immersion in rpgs, tabletop storytelling, rpg theory --------------------------------------------- 00:00 Intro 01:04 Poor Theatre 08:02 The Instrument 13:02 Via Negativa 17:34 Ritual, Not Realism 21:10 The Total Act 24:92 GM Player Feedback Loop 26:44 Discipline Enables Freedom 29:06 Final Thoughts 30:24 Thoughts? --------------------------------------------- Grotowski, Jerzy. Towards a Poor Theatre. Edited by Eugenio Barba, Routledge, 1968. Barba, Eugenio. The Paper Canoe: A Guide to Theatre Anthropology. Routledge, 1995. Kumiega, Jennifer. The Theatre of Jerzy Grotowski. Methuen, 1987. Schechner, Richard. Performance Theory. Routledge, 1988. Wolford, Lisa, and Richard Schechner, editors. The Grotowski Sourcebook. Routledge, 1997. 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