I received this request from a new GM: How do I as a DM keep track of time passage? Suppose the PCs are traveling to a lair and it’s a two-day walk. Should I have them set up camp? What should happen during the camp setup and through the night? How long should I track […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #1224 We just played session #09 of my Basilica campaign that’s half sandbox, half Temple of Elemental Evil. The party was bequeathed land as reward for escorting settlers safely to the area. As it turns out, the land is a swamp with ruins of an old moathouse on it. Girding loins and […]
Continue readingFrom Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1215 Brief Word From Johnn Thank you to everyone who sent along birthday wishes. I had a great day and got to spend extra time working on my campaign, which is always a treat! In Wizard of Adventure news: Watch this video on YouTube where I walk through the […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #1198 Big news to share with you this week. I have embarked on a grand adventure. Two adventures, really. The Great Resignation First, I’m going fuller-time with Roleplaying Tips! I’m thrilled but nervous and can’t wait to begin this new journey. I gave notice at my day job last week and I’ve […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #1197 A Brief Word From Johnn Do you allow players to change their characters during level-up or between games? I received a nice tip on the weekend about this from RPT GM Paul M: I offered to modify the ability scores of the barbarian in my friends and family game to more […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #0823 Roleplaying Tips reader Noel Caine shares this tip about using cards to organize his campaigns. Hi Johnn, You asked for any useful tips for DMs in running D&D games, so here’s one I devised about 30 years ago (I’ve been playing for about 34 years now). When it came to allocating […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #0820 Roleplaying Tips reader S.S. Asked me: I have recently bought both MyInfo and Campaign Logger. As I am starting the MyInfo course you have I was wondering if you were considering a blog post illustrating using the two of them together? MyInfo seems like it’ll be perfect for my world-building, and […]
Continue readingFrom Scot Newbury Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0266 A Guide to Session Notes Running an effective and enjoyable campaign requires a lot of organization. Many GMs have volumes of information about the campaign they’re running–maps, NPCs, histories, cultures, the list goes on. Unfortunately, all that information can be unwieldy when running a session, or even worse, […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #0240 A Brief Word From Johnn You Better Be Sitting Before You Click This Link This gamer has a projector set-up in his game room, and he beams his maps right onto the table! Wow. That is sweet. http://www.d20srd.org/extras/mapProjection.htm According to the projector owner, you can get the machines on eBay for […]
Continue readingRoleplaying Tips Newsletter #0239 A Brief Word From Johnn A Strange Week Hmph. Another busy week. I’ll be very brief this issue. ? Has anyone tried the new Heroscape board game? It looks intriguing to me:The Complete Guide to HeroScape Also, a friend let me know Ars Magica 5th Edition is coming out soon. Woohoo! […]
Continue readingFrom Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0225 A Brief Word From Johnn List Generation Project #2 And Contest List Project #1: Roleplaying Locations was very successful. Hopefully everyone got some use out of the ideas the Tips community generated. It’s time now for List Project #2–and there are prizes this time too! “Roleplaying Plots and […]
Continue readingFrom Johnn Four Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0001 I hate to admit it, but because of bad RPG mapping habits I game mastered a “yawner” last night. My number one goal for each and every session is to entertain, and players yawning is a sure sign I’ve missed my mark. While every game master has their […]
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