Tools & Techniques Archives - Roleplaying Tips

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3 Quick Tips For Taking Session Notes

I asked Platinum Patron Michael what his worst GM skill is. Here’s his reply: My worst skill is being able to keep track of and incorporate all of the improvisation I do every session into the larger scope of my campaign. Mostly because I don’t write it down and I forget. This wasn’t always a […]

Deep World Building Using The Estates Method

A beloved RPG, Ars Magica, splits its setting into three estates: the Church, the Nobles, and the Commonfolk. Wizards are outcasts. Hunted, exiled, or slain for blasphemies and politics. Players run Magi in the Mythic Europe setting. Forced to hide and handle a delicate power balance between the three estates, play becomes strategic and deeper. […]

The Dangling Description Mystery Method Formula — The Secret Sauce To Riveting Descriptions

I was working on a new Faster Combat lesson about the Action Economy last weekend and a lightbulb went off. I know exactly what I want to deliver each time you and I describe something to our players. This applies to descriptions for encounters, NPCs, items, monsters, and locations. This applies to boxed text, bullet […]

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 […]

Campaign’s Pillars: How To Pacing Your Game’s Exciting Moments

Manage pace during sessions instead of scripting it. This lets you react to your game as it unfolds and is one less strict plan you must track. But, leaving pace to encounter-level decisions burdens you with yet another thing. Until you’ve made pacing a habit and can spot opportunities to switch energy up mid-session, it […]

d6 Ways To Spice Up Next Session

Next session, let’s mix it up. Let’s make things more fun for ourselves and our players using these d6 tables of dangers, goals, and plot twists for ideas.

Use This 10 Idea Checklist To Fix Your Pacing

How to manage your Session Pacing better with this cool “midpoint” checklist. Use this tool halfway through sessions to crank up table energy again.

5 Ways To Intensify Your Encounters

Awhile ago I ran an Encounter Intensify challenge. I asked RPT GMs to make one of their encounters more intense. Then they shared with me how they did it.

Use This Simple Technique To Improv Tricky Situations With Great Clarity

Here’s a cool tip from RPT GM Jim B about how to handle roleplay and skill challenges.

Help The Characters Get Into Trouble

Want to make life even more interesting for your players? Follow these three simple steps.

A Mad Lib For Random Festivals

Festivals create awesome backdrops for encounters. The crowds, the noise, the events…the chaos!

A Simple And Fun Way To Run Army Battles

Today, RPT game master Scott Brown shares with us a cool and simple system for running epic army battles as stories in your campaigns.

Example GM Move With Threats Using Lord of the Rings

Last week I discussed the idea of combining cool boardgame mechanics with adventure design to create 1-3 specialGM Moves for your 5 Room Dungeons.

Just Run With It

When the game gives you lemons, you serve up a lemon elemental.

When You Steal This Cheesy Idea You Won’t Believe What Happens Next

Use clickbait as irresistible adventure and encounter hooks.

How To Generate Ideas With Mini-Plots

Here’s a quick and cool plotting tip from fellow Roleplaying Tips GM Jason Brandt in response to my Plot Seeds Generator.

How To Use Plotto For Plot Conflicts

I like it when you let me know about cool tools that aren’t in the typical RPG section.

Obliteration of the Forgotten High Priest

Need a nice dungeon adventure outline in three seconds? Got one for ya.Generator Sage ELF has built an awesome (work-in-progress) Dungeon Adventure Generator using Campaign Logger’s newest features.

Let Players Gaze Into Your Sandbox

The Special Table will be kept secret.Special will contain surprises, clues, and mysteries.

Easy Peasy Wound Tracking In Combat

RPT GM Scott Barrie asked me about how I use knitting row counters to finish fights faster

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The Mother Of All Character Questionnaires

Use this list of questions to construct or add to your own character questionnaire. Character depth comes from player introspection. Prod your players to put a little thought into their PCs. This will pay you a lot of dividends as your campaigns progresses. You can use answers to design around character drives, roleplay off character details, and engage players beyond mere numbers.

How To Use Plotto For Plot Conflicts

The core of Plotto, as far as I’m concerned, is the list of 1,462 plot conflicts. However, I don’t use Plotto as it was originally intended for constructing a plot. Instead, I use a stripped-down approach that I find easier to adapt for RPG adventure creation.