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Johnn Four

Author Archives: Johnn Four

RPT – 5 Room Dungeon Contest Entries

You can find all the entries posted to date at the 5 Room Dungeons web page. RPG Downloads File downloads related to various links frompast Roleplaying Tips issues. Supplemental Issues Supplemental Issue #22 – Making Magic Items Interesting Supplemental Issue #21 – RPG Advocacy Supplemental Issue #20 – Over-Resting PCs Supplemental Issue #19 – Not […]

RPT – The Handheld GM

By: Ross Winn As an early user of the notebook computer, in particular a Powerbook, and as an avid gamer I was immediately interested in the possibilities for Game Mastering opened by the notebook. The notebook allowed me to carry all of my notes all the time. It allowed me to roll dice infinitely. Most […]

RPT# – 5 Room Dungeon Contest Entries

RPT – Levitate And Fly: Going Over The Head Of A Medieval Campaign

Simon Woodside Introduction In the medieval world, it was taken for granted that traveling was a dangerous and chancy endeavour. Even in the twelfth century, the Europeans lacked basic navigational tools like the compass (to find north) and the clock (to measure longitude). Maps were often guesswork and many of the landforms they depicted are […]

RPT – Campaign Journal Example

The Redblade Crier #1 Campaign Journal This is an example of a campaign newsletter based on tips from RPT #159. Highlights of Session #1 – 08NOV99 Bill: Coldour Bob: Jacopo Barney: Skurt Biff: Butch Full attendance! Thank you. Only 1 character “death”. Jacopo’s heroism will not be forgotten..by two people, at the very least! The […]

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Roleplaying Games and Kids

Role-playing games and kids: How do you convince parents RPGs are fun and engaging? And, how can you run age-appropriate games? Read on for my tips…

Protected: How To Make Great NPCs In 10 Seconds

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A Guide to Crafting Weapons With Fantasy Materials

Your players might want to have their characters or NPCs craft customized weapons in your campaign. Here are a few ideas and sample rules you might consider….

Buildings, Establishments & Places You Can Find In Villages, Towns & Cities

Quick Links to Buildings & Places Sections Ceremonial, Commemorative, and Sacred Civic Important People Citizens Construction Death Education, Information, and Culture Entertainment and Recreation Fashion Finance Food, Drink, Intoxicants Government, Infrastructure, and Military Luxury Goods Medical Open Space Residences & Lodging Businesses, Retail, Crafts, Misc Craftsmen Weapons & Armour Guilds Services Mercantile Vendors And Peddlers […]

The Mother Of All Character Questionnaires

Dozens of questions to build your own deep character questionnaire. All in handy list format covering many genres and life details. View the questions….

Player Reward Cards

A bit of inspiration for you. RPT GM Richard Grilley created some cool player card props to reward his players with. Here’s how he did it.

Campaign Logger game master organization app for RPG

Campaign Logger Gets Images, List & More

We just posted a couple of updates to the Campaign Logger Web App. Images in Log Entries You can now embed external images into Log Entries.This is a huge feature you’ve been asking for.Host your images on a cloud drive, or reference any image on the internet. The notation to add an image into a […]

September Blog Carnival: Adventure Favourites

Thanks to of Dice & Dragons for hosting last month’s carnival on Celebrations. This month the theme is Adventure Favourites. I don’t know about you, but some adventures stick clearly in my mind years after GMing or playing them. Crazy moments, crushing defeats, and epic finales. I’ve even got a bucket list going of adventures […]

How To Think Like An Alien

To keep your adventures wondrous have players encounter strange communities who think completely different. This makes roleplay novel and interesting. It also creates a cool puzzle. As characters parley, your players will try to understand the behaviours of the NPCs, what they want, and why. That’s the key to the puzzle. GM the NPC behaviours […]

Ideas For Handling Experience Points

In a recent newsletter, I mused about using gold pieces from treasure as experience points. My inbox exploded. Dozens of you wrote in. Some of you were upset. I mean, ALL CAPS UPSET. And some of you were over the moon and loved the idea. First off, thank you so much for reading this newsletter! […]

How To Level Up Players With Reward Systems

We’ve mused how motivating yourself to be a better GM makes you happier. Those who pursue intrinsic goals are happier because they control more of their destiny. Now let’s talk about our players, who are probably a mixed bag of intrinsic and extrinsic interests.

Rewarding The Game Master – A Simple Framework

The games we play and the people who play them are complex. We cannot simply write a script and have the audience passively follow along, clapping when the applause sign lights up. We play an interactive game in a social environment. Everyone wants a role to play and the ability to affect outcomes. Player agency might come easy to you or not. For me, it’s on the difficult side….

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic: The Cause of Your Gaming Woes?

Here’s something key to understand about yourself and your players. People are motivated by some combination and degree of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Learn what these are for each person in your group to better tailor your game rewards. Rewards that fit, like the right key to the right lock, help your game become a satisfying campaign.

How To Stop Campaigns From Fizzling Out

An approach to creating stories with compelling hooks and logical arcs. Avoid campaigns fizzling because you can’t keep the players or yourself sufficiently engaged in the story.

How To Use Plotto For Plot Conflicts

The core of Plotto, as far as I’m concerned, is the list of 1,462 plot conflicts. However, I don’t use Plotto as it was originally intended for constructing a plot. Instead, I use a stripped-down approach that I find easier to adapt for RPG adventure creation.

The Elvis Hook For PCs

A cool idea from a friend: the GM has prepared a music festival in a town the PCs will travel to. And the festival is a gathering of cover bands who perform the famous PC bard’s best songs….

How to Create Cool Magic Item Backgrounds in 60 Seconds

Give your magic item a quick history. Then use the history to tie a whole bunch of things together that will make you look like a genius. To flesh out your item’s lore fast, follow these four simple steps.

RPT#215 – Ideas For Involving Fantasy Phenomena

A Brief Word From Johnn Game Of Thrones Is A Great Game I had the good fortune to finally play the Game of Thrones (GoT) board game. I had asked for reviews awhile back and they were mixed, so I held-off purchasing the game blind. Luckily, I got in on a game Saturday and it’s […]

RPT#213 – Paranoia: Shattering The Trust Part III: Minor In-Game Events

Paranoia: Shattering The Trust Part III: Minor In-Game Events By: Ross Shingledecker (~Acolyte) Click here to read the Paranoia: Shattering The Trust Part I Click here to read the Paranoia: Shattering The Trust Part II This group of tips refers to small things that will unnerve your players without radically altering your plot or campaign […]

RPT#164 – 9 Ways To Bring Town Guards To Life

A Brief Word From Johnn Last Week Of Contest March 15th is the last day for the Interesting Scenes contest. Unlimited entries are allowed with each scene representing one entry. To enter, send in a 1-2 sentence cool combat or roleplaying scene like these ones: “The PCs are fighting the bad guys inside a giant […]

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