Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #369 Four Common Pitfalls for New GMs From Kit Reshawn Although this article is aimed at people who want to get into GMing, the tips are something any GM should keep in mind. I have seen experienced GMs make these mistakes as well, it just happens to be more common in people […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #370 Random Encounter Tables From Charles Ciaffone Random encounters are an often overlooked tool for the game master. In my own gaming, I use them to set the mood of a region, to provide inspiration for side adventures, and to instill the sense that the campaign world is larger than the characters’ […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #371 Alternative Dungeon Environments From Garrison Sutton (with overwrought filler text added by Johnn Four) I’ve been experimenting with alternative adventure settings, and by that I mean dungeons that aren’t underground (I’m in the D&D world). Below are some ideas I’ve had, and I’m hoping Roleplaying Tips readers might write in with […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #372 5 Room Dungeons From Johnn Four The following tips originally appeared in Issue #156, and they are among my favorite. I thought it was time to feature them again with some edits, a new tip or two, and a contest. Why Do I Like 5 Room Dungeons? This format, or creation […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #373 Dungeon Themes and Tips Muddy Your Dungeons With Wilderness and Urban Styles From Mike Bourke, Australia Dungeon encounters are often balanced with party levels, while outside the dungeon a far more realistic distribution of monster levels encountered occurs. A synthesis of the two approaches is often preferable to either. A little […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #374 Personality-Driven Encounters From Mike Bourke Johnn’s article on Characterisation in Roleplaying Tips #363 [http://www.roleplayingtips.com/readissue.php?number=363] was pretty good, but I think there is more to be said on the subject, and several different ways of looking at the problem, some of which might be better-suited to some players and GMs. So, here’s […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #375 Why Do You Like Being A GM? Motivation and Inspiration for GMs From Johnn Four Here is an e-mail I received recently from a troubled GM: “I’ve been playing D&D for about a year now, DMing that group for 3/4 part of that period. Because we live a fair amount apart […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #376 Gaming Mobs Better Quick Tips For Making Mobs More Interesting From Johnn Four One of the daunting things my group faces in the current part of our campaign, now that they’ve entered the villain’s lair, is the vast hordes of underlings, also known as minions, flunkies, rank and file, or mobs. […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #377 Tricks And Treats For A Festive Halloween Game From Michael Erb Halloween and role-playing are a natural match. Arguably, trick or treating was most gamers’ first taste of role-playing. A change of clothes, some makeup or a mask, and suddenly, for an evening, you were someone else. A favorite comic book, […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #378 Tech Tools – Using Today’s Technology To Enhance Your Games From Christopher “frpdm” Cho I’m what you would call an old school gamer. I started back in the day with nothing more than a pad of graph paper, pencils, erasers, dice, and the red Basic Dungeons and Dragons rulebook. Everything was […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #379 Playing With Fire: Dodging GM Burnout From Mike Bourke In Roleplaying Tips issue #367, Johnn wrote: “…you’ve got to focus on having fun being creative while planning if you want to GM for long these days,” and solicited tips on how to do that. I started to jot a couple of […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #380 Preparing For Games Faster: 7 Tips Not feeling prepared for game sessions creates GM stress and is a top reason why game nights get cancelled. Some GMs dislike prep a lot, which causes procrastination and tension build-up as game day approaches. Other GMs spend too much time on the wrong things […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #381 PC Death And Your Campaign From Kate Manchester You’re running your campaign, and everything’s going great. At least it was, until one or more of the player characters dies. So, what now? Do you continue the campaign, or bring it to an end? If want to keep your campaign going despite […]
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I received an interesting tip request from RPT GM Kristen: What do you think about things like adding 50 HP because the baddies go down too quickly? One of my players actually said I should have done that rather than letting the encounter flop. A tricky situation. I refrain from doing this. I feel it […]
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RPT GM Kristen emailed me this worry: Hi Johnn, I used to fudge dice rolls. I’ve definitely changed my perspective on that from stuff you’ve said and other DMs that talk about this. I think what made me want to fudge things is that I’m afraid what I’ve made is too difficult for my players […]
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RPT Patron A. asked me this question last week: Tell me more about how you rate yourself fairly without demotivating yourself, I could use that. The context of this request is a Musing I published that talks about doing post-session assessments of your GMing. And A. wants to know how to do this without being […]
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It occurred to me I’ve never explained my fascination with NPC story roles. In this article just for you, awesome Roleplaying Tips Patrons, I’ll share their secret function in my campaigns. But before I can dig into that, I need to back up a couple steps and talk about how I think and run my […]
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At a previous job my employer would take daily attendance. Yup. It was like being back in grade school, and I think that’s what the employer thought of its employees too — unruly things that must be controlled. When I see GMs award XP for attendance, it hearkens me back to that old gig. The […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #382 Jail Break – Part I: Jail Design From Johnn Four Recently, I received this reader tip request: Hi Johnn, My PCs are about to land themselves in jail. I was wondering if anyone out there has run a good prison break, or similar. Could you put this out to all the […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #383 Jail Break Part II: Theme and Atmosphere From Johnn Four In part one, we crafted a prison’s design and general purpose, and fleshed out a few details. This week, in part two, we’ll add environmental details to help make your prison unique, fun to roleplay, and easy to GM. Create GM […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #384 Jail Break Part III: It’s All About The NPCs One element often overlooked in prison RPG game sessions is the NPCs. As with most adventures, NPCs are where the best gameplay lies, whether they are foes to defeat in combat, allies to make through diplomacy, or pawns to manoeuvre to achieve […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #385 Jail Break Part IV: Plotting and Encounter Tips From Johnn Four Escape Or Quest – What Kind Of Plot Are You Running? Before playing any prison adventure or encounter, first decide what plot you’re running. It’s a quick decision to make, and helps focus design and GMing. It’s important to be […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #386 Top Movies For Game Masters Here is the first draft of the Top Game Master Movies List, based on reader submissions and my own picks. Movies are not listed in any particular order. A quick check on IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes will get you ratings and movie information. Thanks to the […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #387 17 Ways To Fall In Love With GMing Again A whole new year lies before you. Will it be game-full or game-less? I say put your carpe diem pants on, my friend, take those old dice out of your pockets, and get rolling! Remember how it used to be? Wonderful days […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #388 10 Easy Ways To Think On Your Feet Better A reader recently told me this: “I never feel very proficient at running sessions – I am better at prepping them. I don’t think well on my feet – I tend to need time to consider things.” I don’t believe there is […]
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