by Chris Buono Chris polled members of the GMMastery Yahoo group for benign urban encounter ideas and then added a few of his own to come up with this awesome list you might find useful for your own campaigns. Editor Isaac and I added a few more as well. Thanks Chris, Telas, and GMMastery contributors! [...]
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Masks, the good, the bad, and the ugly
By Silveressa Today I have the opportunity to review Masks, a system neutral RPG supplement written by the authors of gnomestew.com. Overview Masks is perhaps best described as a “must have addition to any GM’s tool kit.” Contained within is 1000 NPCs, categorized by genre, skill set, trait, disposition towards party etc. (The book marking [...]
Drama Doubloons
by Lord Skudley Drama Doubloons {DD} will be awarded to any Character who commits a selfless act or brave deed that can only be called Heroic. Likewise Drama Doubloons can be offered to an evil aligned character that performs a particularly vile act. They can be used at the player’s discretion to perform amazing, often [...]
My Digital Campaign Toolbox
GnomeStew author DNAphil recently posted about what digital tools he uses to run his campaign. At the end he asked GMs what tools they use, and I thought I’d respond here in the newsletter. Four Tool Types You can divide tools into four categories based on how they’re used by GMs: Group management and organization [...]
Dungeon Master Tools – MyInfo Software
Dungeon Master Tool Review: How To Be On Top Of Your Game Without Breaking A Sweat Track your entire world, your whole campaign, and every adventure with MyInfo Software I’ve been using MyInfo as my dungeon master tool for notes and GM organization for years. I’ve tried other methods and other software, but MyInfo helps [...]
Reader Tips: Game World Management
We pick up where we left off in RPT#526, with more tips from readers about how to develop and manage game world details. A reader named Beleaguered in South Africa asked for help managing the details of his extensive game world. Here’s how GMs responded: From Blair Giles I recently started a new 4e D&D [...]
3 Ways To Make Your Life As GM Easier
By Darren Blair Let’s face it. No matter how hard we try there comes a point where reality bogs us down. Last-minute errands, phone tag, burn-out at work or school, and other issues make it harder for GMs to plan and run the game, and it saps player energy and brainpower. So, what’s a good [...]
Guide to PBP / PBEM
By Scott Sylvester With busy schedules these days there seems to be precious little time for the more mature and adult gamers to indulge in their teenage passions of gaming. Once upon a time, there were countless hours in the day that could be carelessly frittered away around the gaming table listening to your favorite [...]
Listen to these Great Recorded Game Sessions
In RPT#525, Carl made this reader tip request: What would be the best videos or audios of RPG sessions that a new DM should watch or listen to? Several great readers responded with their suggestions. Thanks! 1. Penny Arcade, I Hit It With My Axe Carl, I’m rather fond of the Penny Arcade podcasts. When [...]