Players & Characters Archives

My Experiences With Milestone XP

A while ago I switched my campaigns to milestone XP. You can take this approach with non-D&D games too, if it’s not already baked in. And today I wanted to give you an update on how that’s going. Whether you realize it or not, the reward systems you use have heavy impact on player and […]

Let Players Relive Their Finest Moments

Hola %FIRSTNAME% Nick V. wrote in with this great tip about session pacing and letting players revel in their own glory: Studying for TV writing taught me a lot about narrative structure. I learned that balancing fast-paced, action-packed scenes with more relaxed, role or plot-oriented ones is critical in maintaining a good flow. The rhythm […]

Dealing With High Level Characters

My Demonplague campaign has been on hiatus over the summer. I’ve now resumed prepping Season III and am giving thought to how I’ll challenge the PCs, who are now at level 10. Here’s three ideas on how I can challenge the Hobos that might work in your campaign too. Add More NPCs High level is […]

Coming Home Empty Handed After A Raid

RPT GM K. asked me a question about rewards in sandbox games: Hi Johnn, I’ve been running an (in my opinion) fairly successful West Marches/Open Table game for several months now. I’ve accumulated a dedicated set of players and run at least one game per week, and so far it’s good fun for all involved, […]

Gesture, Voice & Salt — Helping Players Roleplay

Got this great question by email last week: Johnn, A lot of people at my table bring some pretty good game. I rarely roll with an accent unless there’s a good reason for it – but I have to admit it’s good for differentiating between when you’re in character vs out. Any ideas for how […]

How To GM Knowledge (Local)

Today we talk about playing at a different level than your players to make your adventures more challenging. We begin with RPT Platinum Patron Mark Aston asking a great question about players using a local knowledge type skill: Hi Johnn, I have never really got to grips with how to run the skill Knowledge (Local), […]

When Characters Overlap Too Much — Three Questions

I’ve got a character problem. Maybe you’ve experienced it too? The rogue in my Barbossa campaign is being subsumed by other PCs and the emerging campaign style: Monk and bard are also good at stealth. The rogue is a halfling. So is the bard. Last session there was no combat. So sneak attacks became null […]

Character Stories — How To Keep Players Highly Engaged

RPT GM Sebastian has seven players and asked me for tips on how to handle large groups. My article Handling Large Groups: Keeping Players Busy has good advice. But I have a different tip for you today. One not shared before. And this tip applies to every party size — especially large groups. We’ve covered […]

Roleplaying Tip: Distinguish Players From Characters

Roleplaying is tough. And sometimes players don’t separate themselves from their characters. This causes problems. RPT Patron Richard Grilley asks: Johnn, How do you help a game table to distinguish players from characters? It is great when the brawny footballer can do a high pitch voice with a twist of Scottish accent for his female […]

67 Questions To Make Your Players Roleplay More

Here’s a great technique to get your players roleplaying more. Have NPCs ask them questions. But not just any questions. Yes/No questions, for example, don’t get players talking or thinking much. Good NPC questions provide another boon: they give you ideas to steal for later use. While the players answer the NPC, you log their […]

Archive

My Experiences With Milestone XP

Let Players Relive Their Finest Moments

Dealing With High Level Characters

Coming Home Empty Handed After A Raid

Gesture, Voice & Salt — Helping Players Roleplay

How To GM Knowledge (Local)

When Characters Overlap Too Much — Three Questions

Character Stories — How To Keep Players Highly Engaged

Roleplaying Tip: Distinguish Players From Characters

67 Questions To Make Your Players Roleplay More

What If A PC Was A Living Spell?

When That Player Hogs The Game

How To Bring A Diverse Party Of PCs Together?

The Box You Put Them In Is A Trap

Player Challenge #07: RPG Bingo

Challenge High Level PCs With A Quick Reskin

Roleplaying Tip: Create Ties That Bind