Self-Improvement Archives - Roleplaying Tips

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Solo RPG Suggestions

Do you play solo RPGs? That’s you, a game system, some dice – maybe, and a quill and parchment. If you quest for some sci-fi solo evenings, here are several recommendations from Wizard of Adventure @ExileInParadise based in response to a recent newsletter about asking the right questions to oracle in solo games. Exile’s a mod […]

My Heuristic For Better Descriptions

Today’s word of the day is indite, which is also today’s tip. So, here is how I indite better descriptions. Earlier this month I shared my 3-step description trick in a Tuesday Tutorial with Platinum Wizards of Adventure. I call these descriptions Lore Drops. They give us a robust mental framework we can apply to […]

Solo RPGs – How To Ask The Right Questions

Ack Ack Johnn! Before I give you today’s tip, I have exciting news. First draft of my new book on dungeon design is done! It’s called Logical Dungeon Design: Tactical Cartography. Here’s the cover: It’s about how to design dungeon maps and levels that respond to the players. Living Dungeons. This book is also about […]

Do You Speak in Ellipses? A Common GM Mistake (And How to Fix It)

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 […]

Dealing With GM Burnout: My #1 Tip

A Wizard of Adventure sent me this note about their current GMing burnout: I’ve totally lost the passion for it. Not sure why. Folks say take a break, and I’m doing that but I see no end to the draught. Burnout has been discussed several times in the newsletter as it’s a common affliction. GMs […]

How to Banish Negative Self-Talk

Today’s tips are outside my normal lane of RPGs. I prefer Roleplaying Tips leave the real world behind so we all can get together and help each other have more fun at every game. But in my GM coaching sessions, the topic of self-sabotage comes up from time to time. And one form of it, […]

Getting a New Group to Gel

A Wizard of Adventure asked me how to build group chemistry: How to start a game. I threw my whole plot and setting down the toilet, got new players, and three sessions in I have the new game clunkiness. How to engage new players, both in a new game and bringing into an existing game. […]

The Plus, Minus, Delta Method: A Easy Way to Improve Your GMing

I do three Evaluations after each session. Seems like a bit much, doesn’t it? But each has a specific job to do. And #1 is very fast. Let’s talk about #1 today, as I recommend you install it into your GMing practice right away because it is so effective. Right after a session I do […]

The Inversion Technique

I am back from vacation. Thanks for letting me escape and take some time off! We camped, ate too much junk food, and read a lot of books while my foot injury healed. This year I pawed through several world-building tomes, including Aria Worlds, the TSR World Builder’s Guide, Worlds Without Number, and Cartographer. I […]

Where to Focus for Greatest GMing Improvement?

A fellow game master asked me what area of the game he should work on that would have the biggest effect on his GMing. Great question. To score a bullseye you at least need to be aiming at the right dart board. The Wide World of GMing Skills We have a long list of GMing […]

Master the Table With One Essential Ingredient

This is the final part of a series on How to Make Encounters Fun. Read Part I, Part II, and Part III here. The final part of this series about making encounters fun is a bit fluffy, but critical. I received a nice compliment from one of my players recently about the energy I bring […]

Stopping The No-Game Blues

A Brief Word From Johnn How have you been doing? We just got back from a crazy camping trip. Mosquitoes, heavy winds, stuff breaking… I also earned a pulled neck muscle, so now I turn my whole body to look around. You could say I’m all-right now. 🙂 While I was killing bugs and cooking […]

3 Early Warning Signs You’re Suffering From GM Burnout

3 Early Warning Signs You’re Suffering From GM Burnout A GM replied to my recent Master of the 5 Room Dungeon email and said they’d lost the spark for GMing. I asked them for more details in case I can help, and am awaiting a reply. Meantime though, I’ve suffered from apathy and burnout several […]

Do This To Drastically Improve Communication With Players

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1168 When there’s good communication, it’s invisible. When there’s bad communication, everyone feels it. As an anti-social, only child introvert, I’ve always considered myself as having a low emotional quotient. I’m much more polite in writing. 🙂 At work I’ve been called direct due to my questions. Being direct is effective, in […]

3-Step GM PiXiE Kaizen

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1155 There’s a myth about game master time management. Or even about time management in general. Folks think it’s about time. But in my experience that’s not true. It’s about energy. Doing campaign prep for 15 minutes a day will get more prep done over the long haul than doing it once […]

Create Your Memory Dungeon

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0915 Create Your Memory Dungeon I recently read about a memorization technique called Memory Palace, also called Method of loci. It helps you memorize lists and facts. Dungeons are more my style than fancy palaces. So today let’s look at how this quick memory hack can help you prep faster and run […]

Drama People Versus Object People

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0800 Did you know I collect world views? Weird, I know. A world view is the lens through which a person sees. It’s how they interpret what they experience. For example, I found an article with accompanying infographic on how the wealthy view the world differently than people in poverty. One world […]

The Problem With Realism Is…

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #0730 Imagination. I remember a monster I built to guard a 5 Room Dungeon. It was a bit of a platypus. It spun webs and spit poison. It could climb. It could magically blink. It turned out quite effective and my players got snarky about it. They thought the monster was from […]

Play the Infinite Game

A small book that has made a big impression on my gaming is Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse. It’s a philosophy that analyses two types of games. Finite games, like Monopoly and Risk, have a clear start and end. Infinite games, like some campaign-style RPGs, do not have a definite ending. The […]

Don’t Beat Yourself Up

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1072 RPT Patron A. asked me this question last week: Tell me more about how you rate yourself fairly without demotivating yourself, I could use that. The context of this request is a Musing I published that talks about doing post-session assessments of your GMing. And A. wants to know how to […]

Who’s Fault Is It? Yours?

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1067 RPT GM Duane V. asked me this interesting question about the responsibility of the GM: Hi Johnn. I was reading your latest DM Tips and a question that has bugged me for a while popped into my mind. In politics, we blame the leader if things go badly; in sport, we […]

Three Dumb GM Habits I Need To Break

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1056 I have three dumb GMing habits I have to break. I’ve even written about these before. But it’s good to have a reminder because they creep back into my games over time. Maybe you have these habits too? My Precious I hold too much information back. Imagine trekking across dangerous lands, […]

The GM’s Ten Commandments: GM vs. Players

Roleplaying Tips Newsletter #1038 RPT GM Krys sent me this article on The GM’s Ten Commandments. While an old article from 1987, it still has some good advice. The first of Volny’s commandments made me stop and reflect: Do not consider the players as adversaries “If the players quickly neutralize or bypass these clever entrapments, […]

The Haunted Mansion Savage Experience – Intriguing GMing Tips Gleaned From A Con – Part 3

The third game I played at the recent IntrigueCon was the scariest.Haunted Mansion was a homebrew one-shot using the Savage Worlds (aff.) rules.

The Box You Put Them In Is A Trap

I had an interesting email chat with a Roleplaying Tips GM about a cheating player.

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