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 […]
Continue readingSimon 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 […]
Continue readingThe 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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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…
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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….
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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 […]
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Dozens of questions to build your own deep character questionnaire. All in handy list format covering many genres and life details. View the questions….
Continue readingA 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.
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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! […]
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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.
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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….
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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….
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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.
Continue readingA 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 […]
Continue readingParanoia: 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 […]
Continue readingA 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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When game master procrastination hits, I do what I call my First Move. Nail your first move, and prep instantly gets a lot easier.
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I got my first taste of sandbox adventure play in B2: Keep on the Borderlands. The PCs based themselves in The Keep and forayed into the Wild. A crazy hermit shared the location of several caves nearby, confirmed dangerous, rumoured with riches.As the party crested a hill, a horseshoe valley stretched before them, rings of caves […]
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