How do I tell my players they can be more “experimental” without sounding judgmental /u/cullllllle DnD: Roll for Initiative!

After a long long long time of being a d&d shows fan (shoutout d20 and naddpod), I’ve started DMing a campaign for 2 great friends of mine, neither of which played for more than a session. So far we’ve had 3 session and it’s been really great, I really enjoy DMing, and they told me multiple time how much fun theyre having. But, and I’m asuming it’s partly because im used to watching professional actors and players, knowing them I feel like they could be having more fun if they were doing more shenanigens, bending the rules slightly (especially since theyre only 2 players), describing skill checks for advantages, or even just add additional flavor to their attacks (which they love doing for the finishing move). so far they’ve mostly followed what it says on the rulebook, and my hexblade warlock even said it feels unfair that im letting him cast eldritch blast in meelee without disatvantage, reflavoting it as a magical sword strike, but he enjoyed it nontheless.

so how do i tell them they can try more stuff like that if they want, without it sounding like im dissatisfied with how they play, or saying they aren’t creative because their solutions are usually more creative than the ones i planned.

to be clear, these are my friends, and i know the solution is to talk, im mostly asking how you would approach it, especially since they dont watch those shows so they have no refernce.

also, if you have any additional advice to a starting DM, and how i can balance 2 players better (for now i have a dumb NPC cleric with them for healing, but a lot of people told me thats bad)

After a long long long time of being a d&d shows fan (shoutout d20 and naddpod), I’ve started DMing a campaign for 2 great friends of mine, neither of which played for more than a session. So far we’ve had 3 session and it’s been really great, I really enjoy DMing, and they told me multiple time how much fun theyre having. But, and I’m asuming it’s partly because im used to watching professional actors and players, knowing them I feel like they could be having more fun if they were doing more shenanigens, bending the rules slightly (especially since theyre only 2 players), describing skill checks for advantages, or even just add additional flavor to their attacks (which they love doing for the finishing move). so far they’ve mostly followed what it says on the rulebook, and my hexblade warlock even said it feels unfair that im letting him cast eldritch blast in meelee without disatvantage, reflavoting it as a magical sword strike, but he enjoyed it nontheless.

so how do i tell them they can try more stuff like that if they want, without it sounding like im dissatisfied with how they play, or saying they aren’t creative because their solutions are usually more creative than the ones i planned.

to be clear, these are my friends, and i know the solution is to talk, im mostly asking how you would approach it, especially since they dont watch those shows so they have no refernce.

also, if you have any additional advice to a starting DM, and how i can balance 2 players better (for now i have a dumb NPC cleric with them for healing, but a lot of people told me thats bad)