The practical arts and methods applied to gamemastering.
28
votes
16answers
986 views
How do I get the PCs to visit scary places at night?
Sometimes when I design scenarios, I realize that my mental image of the adventure is only exciting because it takes place at night. When the players actually play through the adventure, they might ...
17
votes
7answers
371 views
Fantasy and magic in a primarily realistic setting
I'm running a game that's best described as "medieval fantasy," in the sense that we're actually trying to have the lives of people in the setting strongly resemble the historical Middle Ages. There ...
11
votes
8answers
496 views
GMing an unorthodox setting the players know NOTHING about
Just a while back, there has been a question concerning GMing a setting the players know better than the GM. Now, let me ask you sort of an inverse of that question. I.e. how to introduce and ...
15
votes
11answers
902 views
How do you keep the party on the map?
I'm running a fairly sandbox game, where the party can wander around easily from place to place. When the party visits areas I've prepared something for, they generally have a good time. When they ...
11
votes
8answers
443 views
How much plot guidance is too much?
I've played in many games that were extremely railroaded. There was basically only one feasible course of action and we, as players, were expected to take that route. (The GM would get very upset if ...
34
votes
6answers
833 views
GMing a setting when your players are more familiar with it than you
My players often ask me to GM games in specific settings we all like. Most of the time, they know FAR more than me about that setting. They will object to events I have happen or how I play an NPC, ...
23
votes
6answers
1k views
How to deal with players not taking things seriously?
As both a player and GM I play with my group of players (and close friends) on multiple occasions and they will often make fun of either my characters, NPC or a specific situation and won't stop ...
8
votes
5answers
1k views
Standard monster tactics for 4E D&D combat
In a similar vein to a question on tactics sources, I'm interested in knowing what are common tactics for monsters to use. The DMB and the MV mention monster groups, which are very useful, but I want ...
2
votes
4answers
281 views
How would society adjust if use of fire is reserved for the elite?
This is an extraction of one of the central questions arising from my original (overly broad) question.
In a society where the use of fire has been restricted, due to religious indoctrination, to the ...
11
votes
3answers
266 views
Are there tips on reconciling the playing differences in this group?
My Werewolf game is going along quite swimmingly to the point that the players will ask that I keep the server (We play using maptools) open so they can discuss the plotline for hours after each ...
4
votes
1answer
212 views
How can I represent the use of fire being misrepresented in a campaign?
This is an extraction of one of the central questions arising from my original (overly broad) question.
I would like to know how to best represent the concept that there is a god who is, through a ...
8
votes
2answers
208 views
How to make rituals a part of everyday life
I would like to know how to make it clear that little, non-magical rituals such as a blessing before eating, drawing water, harvesting grain, starting a fire and the like are a part of everyday life, ...
8
votes
5answers
437 views
Starting a campaign at higher level
It's been difficult for me to start a game at higher level than level 1-4 in Pathfinder.
At higher level, the scale of the game changes. In the beginning of level 1-4 you save a village or a clan ...
23
votes
4answers
730 views
How much to bend “the rules” about populating a world?
All right, I have a question about creating a world and populating it with appropriate monsters, etc.
I created a world a little while back, loosely based off of the world found in Michael ...
22
votes
5answers
547 views
How can I learn how to negotiate as an NPC?
I'm a new GM (the system is DND 4.0 but that's not relevant here). I've quickly found that I perform very poorly when I'm portraying a negotiation between the PCs and one or more NPCs. Even when they ...
11
votes
7answers
469 views
Could a “Fog of war” prop break a game in any way?
I'm going to run the Pathfinder's Beginners Box scripted adventure that has a dungeon map printed.
This is not only the first time GMing, it's my first time playing an RPG. All of the party are new ...
13
votes
2answers
310 views
How can I efficiently manage Ship to Ship Tactical Combat and Boarding?
I'm planning a campaign that will involve a fair amount of ship to ship combat and boarding. My group is accustomed to using a square grid battle mat, and I'm concerned about the mechanics of the ...
19
votes
5answers
501 views
How to handle diverging expectations on “background density”?
Sorry, this is lengthy, but I want to put this into context.
After many years (try 15) of not GM'ing a group of my own, I recently made an attempt to return to the head of the table and shake off ...
43
votes
14answers
1k views
How can I help my PCs remember clues that they found?
I'm a new DM running my first adventure (it's D&D 4.0 but that's not relevant to my question). I've heard of the "three clue rule", that there should be at least three independent pointers to any ...
14
votes
0answers
175 views
How can a GM calm down the group when they're chatty? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When and how should I get the players to cut back on their out of character chatter?
Now and then the groups I play in or GM can get rather chatty. They're talking and ...
8
votes
1answer
218 views
How does monster hiding work when some players detect them and some don't?
In one of our battles in DnD Next, I had some bugbears hiding in trees trying to attack the players.
The bugbear rolled a 21 on its attempt to hide. Four of the players rolled less than 21 on their ...
25
votes
5answers
638 views
Dealing with people who turn up late for sessions
I run sessions every Monday evening at a pub in the centre of London, and most people come to play straight from work. Up until recently we were attempting to start at 7pm, but there were one or two ...
8
votes
3answers
260 views
So I'm finishing a campaign…what now?
The D&D campaign I mentioned in another question has been ongoing for 2 1/2 years and the next session is the last. While we're waiting for everyone to be available for said session, we're playing ...
17
votes
6answers
445 views
Difference between writing a one-off scenario and writing a quest for a campaign?
I want to get some of my friends into roleplaying by running a self-contained single-session game with them rather than an actual campaign opener (for lack of a better term, I'll refer to this sort of ...
10
votes
6answers
696 views
How do I pick monsters of appropriate CR for parties with superior armour?
As background, my low-level PCs managed to come into a "king's ransom's" worth of cash (due to poor planning on my part as DM, I'll admit) and now have purchased armour/enchantments that give them ...
13
votes
8answers
558 views
Non-magical encounter suggestions
I'm once again turning to the good folks at Stack Exchange for help regarding my non-magical campaign. I've written several encounters in which the PCs fight the main bad guys and their followers ...
11
votes
7answers
899 views
How can I deal with a “goof-ball” player in my WoD group?
I am a storyteller in a World of Darkness group, and I'm about to start designing a new scenario. However one of my players (let's call him Eric) is worrying me. Eric usually goes the goofball route ...
17
votes
9answers
545 views
What happens in adventure locations between adventures?
I'm running a sandbox with several adventure locations that have been visited, but not entirely cleared, and ones that have been left open for new residents to arrive.
I'm looking for a method for ...
19
votes
9answers
729 views
How can I create within-party intrigue without destroying group cohesion?
I am a novice GM playing with several more experienced D&D players (who happen to be good friends). I wanted to spice up the game for them and take advantage of their own intelligence/experience ...
12
votes
2answers
451 views
How do I help my players get more engaged in the story?
I play in a group where we routinely switch out GMs. When I GM I tend to prefer story-based games with lots of character building and descriptive role play. We tend to run Paizo's Adventure Paths ...
9
votes
4answers
140 views
How can I make sure I'm awarding the right amount of honor at the end of a session?
In the new version of Hackmaster, it suggests that you award -12 to +16 honor to each character over the course of a level. It suggests doing this by rating the character as per the 1-10 rating and ...
5
votes
4answers
248 views
World Development - A Fresh Start
If this is not the place for this type of question, redirect me - I am new here, and apologize in advance.
So. My group is looking for something new. Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 in my own setting is our ...
36
votes
8answers
2k views
How do I deal with PCs who use kidnap and torture as an investigative technique?
I'm running a game in a modern setting with emphasis on the paranormal (Conspiracy X). The player characters are part of a secret government organization and are tasked with investigating & ...
30
votes
15answers
1k views
How do I keep NPCs from just sounding the alarm?
When I design adventures, I often come up with situations where the NPCs could realistically thwart the PCs quickly by sounding an alarm. This is especially common in science fiction settings, where ...
21
votes
7answers
2k views
How do I use Passive Perception to have some characters notice parts of the environment?
I'm new to DM'ing and have an issue I'm not sure how to deal with. The situation is this: It's pitch black outside and the PC is walking, with a lantern in hand, toward a building. A bird is ...
18
votes
8answers
480 views
What to do when your PCs skip an important part of the story line
In the earliest stage of my new duet campaign, I thought I had "rail-roaded" the PC into the first important encounter, one that leads to a major story line for the campaign. Specifically, the PC was ...
12
votes
3answers
343 views
How do I respectfully make use of non-Western accents?
I pretty much exclusively alter my voice to represent characters' speech in-game, both as player and GM. I have a pretty good handle on most of the numerous Western accents - probably due to the ...
39
votes
7answers
693 views
How can I quickly get a player back into a session after their character dies?
As a GM, what kind of techniques could I use to help a player re-join the gaming session after their character dies? I want to avoid any major interruptions to the flow of the adventure. I would also ...
14
votes
4answers
301 views
How do I signal a flashback?
I have several flashbacks planned that introduce the characters to a backstory that is too complex for a typical plot dump. The problem is that the flashbacks are triggered in the context of the ...
12
votes
4answers
375 views
How to succesfully make one quest naturally lead to the next?
My old GM used to make our quests highly modular and separated. While this had some advantages, it gave the feeling of running through a video game with discrete levels where we just popped from one ...
21
votes
9answers
2k views
Traps specifically for Smart characters
Does anyone have examples or suggestions on creating traps that are harder for Smart (High INT/WIS) characters?
Example: My NPC necromancer has set up his lair. In his arrogance he believes that ...
10
votes
2answers
475 views
How can characters with low Fighting and Shooting contribute in combat?
I've run a few rounds of Savage Worlds, and I like the quick character generation and minimal bookkeeping. I'm a little frustrated with a phenomenon which is hardly unique to the system: in combat, ...
8
votes
6answers
381 views
Giving Players the Game They Want
Currently I am running a game of Legend of the Five Rings, 4th Edition that is an extension of my 3rd Ed campaign. The current setting is a courtly endeavor, which dredges up certain problems. When ...
12
votes
4answers
305 views
How do DM's avoid burning out? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do I deal with GM burnout?
Currently I am the single DM of a smallish group of irregular players. Although I enjoy DM'ing, I'm beginning to burn out and really wish ...
12
votes
3answers
174 views
What kinds of player contributions work well and under what circumstances?
Introduction
In Amber diceless roleplaying game players get extra points for building their characters by committing to player contributions, such as: Writing a diary, writing game reports, drawing ...
12
votes
7answers
547 views
Dealing with a problem player not playing to their character aspects
A player in my Dresden Files game joined the group with a kick-in-the-door, "shoot-first-ask-questions-later"-style cop. The character had some fairly "meh" & a couple of potentially OK aspects. ...
35
votes
14answers
1k views
How to get out of a story deadlock
As with most of my questions, this is more of a general "how to handle a special situation" and not a plea to solve an existing problem.
What is the best way to handle story deadlocks (as in: The ...
38
votes
9answers
988 views
Running games for a constantly unreliable group
My RP club has been going on for many years, which has the unfortunate effect of us getting older. Many members of my club have started to acquire something called a 'real life'. I'm not entirely sure ...
13
votes
5answers
467 views
How can I cast what can't be cast?
I'm running a Pathfinder campaign with the Eberron 3.5 setting, and I'm often finding that I want my players to be able to use magic in a way that the rules don't allow.
For example, a party is in an ...
9
votes
3answers
196 views
Ending a Campaign Gracefully (With a Newbie In Tow)
My Shadowrunners have been going on a five (real-life) month streak of destruction and have gotten immensely powerful to the point where they are near gods, but also gotten incredibly shafted due to ...
