Here’s a way to instantly improve communication at your game table and keep your players more engaged than ever. There’s a common, often overlooked, communication habit that might be subtly sabotaging your sessions. In today’s tip, I’ll share a powerful, easy-to-implement way to eliminate choppy descriptions and ensure seamless interaction. Speaking in Ellipses… I’ve noticed […]
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Do you create a world calendar and campaign timeline? RPT GM Chris asks if this is common: Good day Johnn. I was working on my game world history a bit today, and found myself wondering if things I do are common among many other DMs? For instance, I always have a calendar for any world […]
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Over the last 50 years, I’ve amassed a collection of books useful for GMing that you probably won’t find in any game store. In this series, Johnn’s Bookshelf, I’ll be pulling these hidden gems off my shelves to share with you. The first book I want you to check out is small but packed with […]
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I was working on a campaign faction last night called The Choir and my wife gave me a gruesome idea. But the idea didn’t mesh with what I had in mind for The Choir, so I used it to homebrew a horrific monster instead. Choir Culture: Death, Music, and Bone Organs The Choir ruled as […]
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How much should you cover before and in the first session so new players feel ready and excited – but not buried under rules? Wizard of Adventure L asks: I’m looking for practical thoughts on how to run a Session 0 (or 0.5) that helps brand new players feel comfortable with the rules – without […]
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Do you ever feel overwhelmed by prep? Or struggle to balance world building with what’s urgently needed for next game? I used to fall into this GM pit trap a lot. Scrambling every game day while also stressing over my incomplete campaign plans and setting. The core issue often stems from mixing Session Prep and […]
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Check out this sweet dice tower I made on the weekend with my father-in-law: It just needs a couple coats of stain. Then the critical hits can begin rolling down upon my players’ heads like bard tears at an orc wedding. I’m learning woodworking, thus this is my “build a bird feeder” first project. While […]
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Big news from the Johnn Four household. Everyone is officially cancer free! My wife’s final radiation blast was yesterday. My mom also completed her radiation in January. To celebrate, I thought I’d offer three ideas for giving brittle parties extra healing options. Having played a few new RPGs in the last while, I’ve noticed some […]
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If you start with just one 5 Room Dungeon today, you’ll soon have a player-driven world brimming with factions, mysteries, and drama, all without burning out, herding cats, or skipping sessions due to lack of prep time. That’s not just theory. It’s exactly how I’m building my own new campaign, using the very system I […]
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The secret weapon I wish I’d had in my first dozen campaigns… GMing long-term campaigns is hard. I’ve started dozens over the years. Some crashed. Some fizzled. And a few became legends. What made the difference? How I started. Big worlds. Big plots. Big prep. Those campaigns buckled under their own weight. The best ones […]
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“People look at the rules set to see what they can do in the game.” That quote’s from a great email I received from Roleplaying Tips GM Steve S. And it’s often true. For example, lately I tried the Fallout and Dark Eye RPGs. And both times, when not my turn, I was scanning the […]
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Last week a field across the street burned. A copse of trees also caught fire. A farmer — Kevin, a friend from volleyball — hopped onto his tiller and started turning the soil up to slow the blaze down. And fire trucks were cycling at the nearest hydrant and making ranged attack rolls against the […]
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Classless systems can feel liberating at first. But then characters start to feel same-same. Wizard of Adventure SDavies nails why in this great comment he posted yesterday in CampaignCraft: From 5 Room Dungeon to Universe: I ran a many-year RuneQuest campaign, which is classless. I wasn’t careful and some characters ended up various shades of grey, […]
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Before I share today’s tip, a reminder for Wizards of Adventure that it’s the last Saturday of the month in a few days and that means it’s Zoom time! Hop onto a call with me this Saturday noon Mountain Time to get some help. Get tips, ideas, or feedback about your next encounter, monster tactics, […]
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This tip comes from Old Man Masha via the Roleplaying Tips Discord: Here’s a cool way to come up with interesting ideas for elements of your game. First, get a collection of 10 random words. I got: Then, randomly pair them up. I got: Now, each pair can be used as an inspiration! Check it […]
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A couple of quick announcements. First, I was on the Roleplay Rescue podcast recently with Tiny Prep co-author, Che Webster. It starts off with a question: What would you do if you had a new player to add to your existing roleplaying group? And the convo evolves from there. Here’s the link to listen. Second, […]
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ExileInParadise made a great comment to a series I’m writing about villains. The method he calls out creates immediate campaign drama with built-in adventure hooks and tactical inspiration for play. Each role can act independently or together, keeping your faction scenes spicy. Take it away Exile…. I really like Mike Pondsmith’s “Meta Characters” from Cyberpunk […]
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Wizard of Adventure Buck asks: Have you ever run or heard of someone running a Groundhog Day type game? Do you have ideas on how to do this? We know: Great question, Buck! I recently ran a Groundhog Day scenario for my Basilica campaign. For Basilica, I used Groundhog Day as a way to convert […]
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Guten morgen. A quick update for Wizards of Adventure: the recording of Saturday’s Q&A call is now available. Some of the things we discussed on the call: Wizards of Adventure: Watch, listen, and download the recording here. Or become a Wizard of Adventure today and also get access to exclusive tools, GM techniques, and GM […]
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A Brief Word From Johnn A quick note that Saturday is our monthly Q&A call on Zoom for Wizards of Adventure. Let me help you spruce up an encounter, tweak a plot, or solve a tricky campaign problem. Also, if you cannot make the call, hit reply with your question(s). We’ll address them on the […]
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I’m back. Thank you for the emails and well-wishes. I had some unscheduled downtime, but all is well. More news on that another time. Been thinking lately about villains. They’re actually the topic of a writing challenge I started a few days ago to get me back into rolling up some words. There are two […]
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On Saturday’s Q&A call, Wizard of Adventure Andy shared his latest Campaign Prospectus — a kind of elevator pitch for your campaign. I thought it was great, and he gave permission to share it out. Here is a PDF of his Campaign Prospectus. A couple quick thoughts about it: Clear Themes Andy’s set up instructions […]
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Under the Big Top: More Circus Ideas Last year, I wrote some tips on circuses: A Clown Cart Rolls Up and Disgorges Endless Foes. Roleplaying Tips GM Jeremy Brown sent me some great follow-on tips. But before I get into those, why do I like circuses? As a GM tool, we get these outcomes: There […]
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Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0110 A Guest Article By Jared Hunt To those on the outside, being the boss may seem like the best job around. Seen from the top, however, the sacrifices, responsibilities, and woes involved make being in charge a little less glamorous than it might appear. Here are just a few of the […]
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Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0050 Rewards: How To Help Your Players Develop Compelling Characters During Play These tips are all about helping your players develop interesting and unique characters during play. A player who really enjoys playing their character is almost always enthusiastic during play and has more fun at the game table. And feeling interested […]
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