NPC Name Tips and Resources
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0330 NPC Name Tips and Resources Group Lexicon Names are a primary game element. They provide a lexicon the group shares to help identify what you are talking about. Imagine the confusion if NPCs didn’t have names and you only referred to them indirectly: Who’s on first, What’s on […]
Continue readingInteresting Combats With Themed Skirmish Groups – Part 1
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0331 Click here to read Part 2: Interesting Combats With Themed Skirmish Groups. Interesting Combats With Themed Skirmish Groups – Part 1 Themed skirmish groups are a great way to make combats interesting. Players love it when they encounter new, unexpected, and unusual opponents. Choosing a special theme and […]
Continue readingInteresting Combats With Themed Skirmish Groups – Part 2
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0332 Click here to read Part 1: Interesting Combats With Themed Skirmish Groups. Interesting Combats With Themed Skirmish Groups – Part 2 Themed skirmish groups make combats interesting. Players enjoy challenging, unexpected, and unusual foes. As an added bonus, having a theme to design with makes planning and preparation […]
Continue readingCard-Based Tools For RPGs – Part 1
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0333 A Brief Word From Johnn Neverwinter Nights 2 Released Just got my copy of NWN2 and am mightily looking forward to playing it. While CRPGs won’t replace my addiction to pen-and-paper games, they sure can be a load of fun. They are also useful for getting story, NPC, […]
Continue readingCard-Based Tools For RPGs – Part 2
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0334 A Brief Word From Johnn Reader Request: Car Chase Tips This week’s issue wraps up a reader’s request for card-based RPG tools ideas and tips. Here’s a new reader tips request for you. I don’t have much experience GMing car chases, so I put it out to you […]
Continue readingGMing Car Chases
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0335 A Brief Word From Johnn Request For Feedback On GM/Player Surveys Today’s feature article is all about chases, and I think there’s a great range of advice that should appeal to many different GMing styles. We are on a bit of a roll helping readers with their tips requests. Thanks for […]
Continue reading10 Tips For Crafting Adventure-Based Holidays – Part 1
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0336 A Brief Word From Johnn Holiday Contest A new Roleplaying Tips contest is long overdue, so let’s get one going while we are on the topic of holidays with this week’s issue. As you’ll read, game world holidays can serve several GMing purposes, including world design, adventure inspiration, […]
Continue reading10 Tips For Crafting Adventure-Based Holidays – Part 2
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0337 A Brief Word From Johnn The Combat Pad – Thumb’s Up When I read Gen Con reports about the magnetic Combat Pad from Open Mind Games, I was keen to check it out. I contacted the company and they kindly sent me a review copy. You use the […]
Continue readingHow To Awesome-Up Your Players
From Jeff Rients Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0338 A Brief Word From Johnn Dog Dish Best Purchase In Awhile A couple of weeks ago I purchased a plastic double dog dish for two bucks to be my new dice corral, and it’s been my best game aid purchase in awhile! I put my dice in the […]
Continue readingGM Table: 222 Rumours
From Lord Skudley Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0339 A Brief Word From Johnn Last Issue Until 2007 The holiday season has arrived. I hope you keep safe, have a stress-free couple of weeks, and do lots of roleplaying. If you have no RPG plans, maybe you’d have time to call one or two friends and play […]
Continue reading10 Monstrous Tips
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0340 A Brief Word From Johnn Making Magic Items Interesting Supplemental Now Available Over the holidays, I posted Making Magic Items Interesting: Supplemental #22. It contains reader tips and articles about making that lowly +1 sword a roleplaying and campaign gold mine. Thanks to Matt Craft, Dave Schaefer, Karo Laakso, Shahed Sharif, […]
Continue readingIdea Seeds: A Campaign Design Method
From Mike Bourke Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0341 A Brief Word From Johnn Temple of Elemental Evil Waxes Strong Over the holidays and early this month my group had a chance to delve further into our Temple of Elemental Evil campaign. We even managed to claw our way out of real life for 14 hours one […]
Continue readingPlayer Survey Tips
From John Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0342 A Brief Word From Johnn Need Some Article Editing Help With some wonderful help from Steve B. I’m getting caught up on a few article submissions for the website. If you have editing skillz, enjoy editing, and have time left this month to edit an RPG article or […]
Continue readingMaintaining An Online Game
From Leslie Holm Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0343 A Brief Word From Johnn Would You Visit RoleplayingTips.com Forums? I’m on the fence about installing forums at http://www.roleplayingtips.com/ There are a few logistical challenges, such as finding moderators, but I think a place to discuss e-zine issues, chat about GMing, and posting tips would be great. There […]
Continue readingHoliday Adventures – Entries From The Holiday Contest
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0344 A Brief Word From Johnn Tips Request: Looking For Sound Effects Here’s a tip request I received about sound effects: I’ve always wanted to GM a game where I could play from my computer the street sounds of a bustling city, a horse’s hooves walking across cobble stone, the rustling of […]
Continue readingScenario and Campaign Arc Building Tips – Part 1
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0345 A Brief Word From Johnn MyInfo Requesting RPG Feature Requests The developer of MyInfo is right now crafting a roadmap for the next version of their organization software. They would like to know if you have any feature requests that would help you GM better or be a better-organized GM. For […]
Continue readingScenario and Campaign Arc Building Tips – Part 2
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0346 A Brief Word From Johnn Issue A Bit Early Due to the Family Day long weekend here in Alberta, this issue is out a bit early. Another Character Bites The Dust In our Temple of Elemental Evil campaign last night, another character perished at the hands of evil. It seems the […]
Continue readingUnusual Hiding Places
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0347 A Brief Word From Johnn Getting Things Done Last year I found a book called Getting Things Done. It’s turned out to be a gem and has helped me get on top of a lot of things at work and with roleplayingtips.com. While the book won’t do the work for you […]
Continue readingSneaky Tactics For Weak Monsters
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0348 A Brief Word From Johnn Got Tactics? Whew, a long issue this week dedicated to giving the weak critters of the world a fighting chance. Hopefully you’ll find a tactic or two you hadn’t thought of before – or have forgotten about – to use next session. Do you use clever […]
Continue readingManage NPC Guides Carefully
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0349 A Brief Word From Johnn New D&D Minis I made my Will save and didn’t purchase any of the new D&D minis last week. I have lots of minis right now, and my biggest problem is trying to track hit points per mini, not a lack of minis. I thought I […]
Continue reading7 Ways To Be A More Entertaining GM
Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0350 A Brief Word From Johnn 350! Roleplaying Tips Weekly started up over 7 years ago. Thanks for reading! Thanks also for all the great tips submissions, past, present, and future. We GMs thrive on improving our craft, and your tips, techniques, links, and advice help everyone enjoy our hobby to the […]
Continue readingHow To Craft And Use Superstitions To Enhance Your Game
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0351 A Brief Word From Johnn Superstitious Reader Request And Giveaway This week’s issue is all about creating and using superstitions in your games to enhance roleplaying and to serve as a world-building tool. If you like the idea of superstitions in your game, why don’t we post some […]
Continue readingKnow Your Players – Building Your Session Checklist – Part I
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0352 A Brief Word From Johnn Superstitions Contest – Two Weeks Left The quest for superstition ideas continues. A few entries have been sent in, and it would be great to see a few more. Up for grabs is five copies of Superstitions by Creative Mountain Games. I’ll add […]
Continue readingHow To Leave Your Players Hanging – 4 Cliffhanger Tips
From Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0353 A Brief Word From Johnn The Road A Good Book Just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy, and I quite enjoyed it. It’s short and brutal, and likely good inspiration for Cyberpunk and post-apocalyptic GMs. Cliffhangers Today’s article is in answer to a reader’s request for cliffhanger tips: […]
Continue readingHow To Work With Crummy Character Backgrounds 12 Options For Solving “X killed Y”
From David R. Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0354 A Brief Word From Johnn Please Take A Quick D&D Monster Product Survey If you have time to take a quick 6 question survey about a monster product I’m thinking of putting together for D&D, I’d much appreciate it. The survey is anonymous and gives you a chance […]
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