Puzzel & Hazards Archives - Roleplaying Tips

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A Great Way To Design Hazards

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #882 You could slice-and-dice hazards a number of ways, pun intended. However, you might benefit by taking a step back and thinking about their game purpose and choosing them that way. Hazards have three cool combat and action scene effects: danger, senses, and movement. Add Danger Make encounters more lethal with hazards […]

Do Puzzles as Barriers Suck?

Hujambo Johnn! I received these great comments from RPT GM Jay about puzzles: I recently read something (I don’t think it was you, but I don’t remember 100%) giving a scathing take on using puzzles as barriers rather than the much simpler (and possibly more effective) lock-and-key. I had just made an abandoned wizard tower […]

Mungo’s Crystal Vault

Wizard of Adventure mungo9494 shared this idea on the RPT Discord about a secure vault to thwart his players: I made a bank security system for my players to heist and thought it might serve some use for y’all as well. Outside the city walls is a mine whose location is a well-kept secret. Peculiar […]

From Parchment to Potions: d12 DIY Prop Ideas

Physical, tangible, visceral props surprise and delight our players, and never fail to engage them. Here’s a fantastic example from Wizard of Adventure Carol: One of the coolest props ever was in a game my daughter is running. She gave my wizard a spell book that was locked with a code. Then she gave me […]

Turn Pit Traps from Pit Stops to Pit Tales

I have a sinking feeling that today’s tips might involve some puns. Don’t fall for them though! I’m going to drop a bunch of ideas to help change a classic trap from filler into great gameplay. No More Pit Bull I like pit traps. They work in any genre. They’re simple. Almost any foe can […]

A Game Of Clues

Clues My family LOVES hidden object games. We’ve got PC games and iPad games. I’ve got several cool hidden object books on my shelf. And for Christmas, my wife is getting a hidden object jigsaw puzzle. While I don’t use hidden object games as session props (though if I did, I’d make the PCs quest […]

Why Players Get Bored With Our GMing (But Might Be Afraid To Tell Us)

Why Players Get Bored With Our GMing (But Might Be Afraid To Tell Us) As a player who gets bored easily (thus I am a forever-GM :), here are three reasons based on my experiences why a GM can lose player attention and participation in a game. Hopefully these tips help keep your table engaged. […]

My Secret Ingredient For Making Great Puzzles

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1204 A Brief Word From Johnn Think too small and think too big. We’ve got a critter making a nest under our deck. We can’t see it because it’s found a good crack to inhabit. But we can hear it. It’s chewing something. Leaves maybe. Paper perhaps. The bones of some poor […]

A Village Name That’s a Funny Puzzle

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0705 Here’s a funny, simple puzzle for your game. My mom is reading a book called The Year of Marvellous Ways by Sarah Winman. In it there’s a place called Saint Ophere. Turns out the place was named because someone long ago misread a sign. The sign read: Stop here Stop here […]

Make Monster Parts Puzzles For Your Adventures

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1103 Over at my Campaign Community forum, Doug the Winter shares a great campaign war story. And in that story lies a fantastic tip: use monster parts as puzzle pieces. Here’s a snippet of his story: The Situation The group has been stuck in the feywild due to an ongoing feud with […]

Beat Dungeon Slumps With Dungeon Sumps

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1099 The first issue of 5 Room Dungeons Zine features underwater gameplay in a location you would not expect to have to swim or fight. Part of the reason I made this unusual environment the 5RD’s Feature Location is to challenge your players to master the underwater rules. When your group learns […]

30 Ways To Deliver Clever Clues

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1093 You know how you want to give players clues in clever ways in-game without just blurting them out? The opportunity is there. The need is there. But nothing comes to mind. Then the moment passes and you move on, a bit disappointed, sometimes frustrated. “If only I could have thought of […]

This Fantastic Keyword Puzzle

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1077 You stand before a door. Magic seals it tight. Runes begin to glow. They read: Door is closed Beneath this phrase, more runes appear: water – angry – open – window – soft I found this cool puzzle on Reddit. Here’s how it works. Characters can swap closed with a word […]

Player Challenge #05 Cypher Texts

Remember those cipher games where all the letters are scrambled and you have to decode the message?

Player Challenge #04 Think Sideways

Krug, Sala, Dunin, and Kailua all live in the same home. Krug and Sala head to the tavern. When they return, Dunin is lying dead on the floor in a puddle of water and glass.

Player Challenge #01 Keep ‘Em Separated

Here’s a fun way to challenge your players.Have one character perform the actions. Have another describe what actions to take.

Puzzles as Story

Today’s issue covers a Patron request for tips on puzzles. Faster Combat author Tony Medeiros treats us to a nice approach that integrates puzzle-building with storytelling. There’s also a random table of villain types to help inspire your plots at the end.

Focusing the Spotlight, Story Overlays, Magic Flags

From John Lewis Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0649 Focusing the Spotlight, Story Overlays, Magic Flags We RPG players live for those times when all eyes are on our character. Suddenly we are completely in the moment, feeling a rush of adrenalin and a powerful surge of excitement. We sense the other players’ concentrated attention on what’s […]

Rhyme Clues For Your Campaign

From Coyote O’Reilly Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0289 Rhyme Clues For Your Campaign I’m preparing a fantasy-horror Rolemaster game where the characters are stationed in a town full of strange events. For inspiration, I’ve looked to European folklore that arose from superstition and fear of the dark, and Tales from the Brothers Grimm. I’ve explained to […]