Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 6 hours ago
Dr. Ben discusses tension curves and rhythmic pacing in TTRPGs gamemastering (Episode #169). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp
Website rpgphd.com
Discord discord.gg/STFdne3PbU
RPG PHD swag!!! rpg-phd.myspreadshop.com
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Bluesky @rpg-phd.bsky.social
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Special thanks to Evelina for the thumbnail template, much appreciated!! 😊
In this video, Dr. Ben breaks down the theory and practice of dramatic tension curves and rhythmic pacing, giving you a practical framework to take intentional control of your session's narrative flow. Drawing on research from psychology, theatrical theory, music cognition, and narrative science, this is one of the most theoretically grounded GM craft videos on the channel.
dramatic tension, GM tips, dungeon master tips, TTRPG, tabletop RPG, game master, RPG PHD, Dr Ben, session pacing, narrative design, storytelling tips, D&D tips, dungeons and dragons, how to GM, GM craft, RPG theory, session zero, narrative flow, how to run TTRPGs, tabletop roleplaying, tension curve, session structure, RPG storytelling, game master guide, D&D dungeon master, how to tell better stories, tabletop game design, flow state, peak end rule, immersive storytelling, RPG education, GM advice, how to run D&D, tabletop RPG tips, session prep, RPG pacing, TTRPG theory, narrative pacing, dramatic structure, Freytag pyramid, emotional storytelling, RPG session design, game master tips and tricks, how to improve your sessions, TTRPG education, RPG content, tabletop gaming
---------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
00:49 What is the Tension Curve?
06:39 Two Killers of Narrative Flow
11:12 Rhythmic Pacing
20: 09 Designing Your Tension Map
27:14 Reading the Room
34:10 Limits of the Frameworks
37:50 Practical Guide
43:48 Thoughts?
--------------------------------------------
Works Cited
Barthes, Roland. S/Z. Translated by Richard Miller, Hill and Wang, 1974.
Cannon, Walter B. Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage. D. Appleton, 1915.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper and Row, 1990.
Freytag, Gustav. Technique of the Drama: An Exposition of Dramatic Composition and Art. Translated by Elias J. MacEwan, S.C. Griggs, 1894.
Huron, David. Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation. MIT Press, 2006.
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
Laws, Robin D. Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering. Steve Jackson Games, 2002.
Meyer, Leonard B. Emotion and Meaning in Music. University of Chicago Press, 1956.
Stanislavski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares. Translated by Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood, Theatre Arts Books, 1936.
Truffaut, François. Hitchcock. Simon and Schuster, 1967. (Source for the suspense versus surprise distinction attributed to Hitchcock in the script.)
Yerkes, Robert M., and John D. Dodson. "The Relation of Strength of Stimulus to Rapidity of Habit-Formation." Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, vol. 18, no. 5, 1908, pp. 459-482.
Fredrickson, Barbara L., and Daniel Kahneman. "Duration Neglect in Retrospective Evaluations of Affective Episodes." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 65, no. 1, 1993, pp. 45–55.
Kahneman, Daniel, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Charles A. Schreiber, and Donald A. Redelmeier. "When More Pain Is Preferred to Less: Adding a Better End." Psychological Science, vol. 4, no. 6, 1993.
Loewenstein, George. "The Psychology of Curiosity: A Review and Reinterpretation." Psychological Bulletin, vol. 116, no. 1, 1994, pp. 75–98.
Truffaut, François. Hitchcock. Rev. ed., Simon and Schuster, 1984.
Music and Sounds:
epidemicsound.com/track/Erdns8jA3D
epidemicsound.com/track/MRyCi54t7M
epidemicsound.com/track/AQBpWzOsID
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/bWHPOsoaql
epidemicsound.com/track/uDAHxg3lIS
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
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epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/tracks/8c51eca6-dbb5-4925-b4ec-7ee51630322e
Dr. Ben discusses tension curves and rhythmic pacing in TTRPGs gamemastering (Episode #169). #dnd #pathfinder #ttrpg #wfrp
Website rpgphd.com
Discord discord.gg/STFdne3PbU
RPG PHD swag!!! rpg-phd.myspreadshop.com
Facebook facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089593636905
Instagram instagram.com/rpg_phd
Bluesky @rpg-phd.bsky.social
Patreon patreon.com/user?u=87730462&view_as=patron
Special thanks to Evelina for the thumbnail template, much appreciated!! 😊
In this video, Dr. Ben breaks down the theory and practice of dramatic tension curves and rhythmic pacing, giving you a practical framework to take intentional control of your session's narrative flow. Drawing on research from psychology, theatrical theory, music cognition, and narrative science, this is one of the most theoretically grounded GM craft videos on the channel.
dramatic tension, GM tips, dungeon master tips, TTRPG, tabletop RPG, game master, RPG PHD, Dr Ben, session pacing, narrative design, storytelling tips, D&D tips, dungeons and dragons, how to GM, GM craft, RPG theory, session zero, narrative flow, how to run TTRPGs, tabletop roleplaying, tension curve, session structure, RPG storytelling, game master guide, D&D dungeon master, how to tell better stories, tabletop game design, flow state, peak end rule, immersive storytelling, RPG education, GM advice, how to run D&D, tabletop RPG tips, session prep, RPG pacing, TTRPG theory, narrative pacing, dramatic structure, Freytag pyramid, emotional storytelling, RPG session design, game master tips and tricks, how to improve your sessions, TTRPG education, RPG content, tabletop gaming
---------------------------------------------
00:00 Intro
00:49 What is the Tension Curve?
06:39 Two Killers of Narrative Flow
11:12 Rhythmic Pacing
20: 09 Designing Your Tension Map
27:14 Reading the Room
34:10 Limits of the Frameworks
37:50 Practical Guide
43:48 Thoughts?
--------------------------------------------
Works Cited
Barthes, Roland. S/Z. Translated by Richard Miller, Hill and Wang, 1974.
Cannon, Walter B. Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage. D. Appleton, 1915.
Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. Harper and Row, 1990.
Freytag, Gustav. Technique of the Drama: An Exposition of Dramatic Composition and Art. Translated by Elias J. MacEwan, S.C. Griggs, 1894.
Huron, David. Sweet Anticipation: Music and the Psychology of Expectation. MIT Press, 2006.
Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
Laws, Robin D. Robin's Laws of Good Game Mastering. Steve Jackson Games, 2002.
Meyer, Leonard B. Emotion and Meaning in Music. University of Chicago Press, 1956.
Stanislavski, Constantin. An Actor Prepares. Translated by Elizabeth Reynolds Hapgood, Theatre Arts Books, 1936.
Truffaut, François. Hitchcock. Simon and Schuster, 1967. (Source for the suspense versus surprise distinction attributed to Hitchcock in the script.)
Yerkes, Robert M., and John D. Dodson. "The Relation of Strength of Stimulus to Rapidity of Habit-Formation." Journal of Comparative Neurology and Psychology, vol. 18, no. 5, 1908, pp. 459-482.
Fredrickson, Barbara L., and Daniel Kahneman. "Duration Neglect in Retrospective Evaluations of Affective Episodes." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 65, no. 1, 1993, pp. 45–55.
Kahneman, Daniel, Barbara L. Fredrickson, Charles A. Schreiber, and Donald A. Redelmeier. "When More Pain Is Preferred to Less: Adding a Better End." Psychological Science, vol. 4, no. 6, 1993.
Loewenstein, George. "The Psychology of Curiosity: A Review and Reinterpretation." Psychological Bulletin, vol. 116, no. 1, 1994, pp. 75–98.
Truffaut, François. Hitchcock. Rev. ed., Simon and Schuster, 1984.
Music and Sounds:
epidemicsound.com/track/Erdns8jA3D
epidemicsound.com/track/MRyCi54t7M
epidemicsound.com/track/AQBpWzOsID
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/track/yCvSWOBYUe
Music: creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0
epidemicsound.com/track/bWHPOsoaql
epidemicsound.com/track/uDAHxg3lIS
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/e3mQvva1kZ
epidemicsound.com/track/2dLRmfzdA5
epidemicsound.com/track/jrNZjxJQqZ
epidemicsound.com/track/c0X3Z8H8uZ
epidemicsound.com/sound-effects/tracks/8c51eca6-dbb5-4925-b4ec-7ee51630322e
