The practical arts and methods applied to gamemastering.
40
votes
6answers
878 views
How can I make my game more “noir” as a GM?
I ran a couple of Shadowrun games at Dexcon, my first time GMing at a con. It's not my first time running Shadowrun; I based the games off of a couple jobs my players did in a then-ongoing campaign. ...
11
votes
6answers
210 views
How can I add underworld intrigue to my Dresden Files game?
In D&D/Pathfinder/RIFTS/Shadowrun-type games I've played in the past, corrupt nobles/merchants, thieves' guilds, megacorps, ancient evils, and various religions with a flakey axe to grind were all ...
30
votes
9answers
682 views
How can I cut short a doomed fight?
Occasionally one of my PC's wanders off and gets himself into a battle he simply cannot win. I know the player wants to play out the battle to see if they can somehow pull it out, but it's boring for ...
7
votes
6answers
197 views
What are good techniques help remember the interrupts of DND 4e monsters?
For new and experienced 4e DM's alike, a recurring challenge is activating all of the appropriate interrupt powers on monster sheets. It gets really easy to miss something when solo monsters can have ...
10
votes
4answers
184 views
How do you handle the use of unrelated skills in the Dresden Files?
Back into the breach with our weekly Dresden Files game, and because of the lapse in time between sessions/people missing as much as anything else, I had some unique situations occur.
One of the ones ...
17
votes
5answers
412 views
How do I make a single combat in a day challenging and interesting?
4e is a game of resource attrition. I can't find the quote in DMG right now, but from memory and experience, it works best with about 3-5 combat encounters in an adventuring day. That way, some of the ...
12
votes
5answers
211 views
How to I create material (on the fly) to support plot changes?
In both pre-plotted adventures and more story-telling ones, a lot of situations occur where monsters/npcs/magical items/geography appear, which wasn't thought of beforehand. I.e. I do not have the ...
12
votes
8answers
309 views
How does one get players to explore more?
In a comment in my answer within What qualifies exploration gaming?
Javafueled commented:
It almost begs me to ask the question: How do I get players to explore more? :) – javafueled
In order ...
18
votes
5answers
283 views
How to fight the unseen, and still keep things interesting?
In a horror themed campaign with a lovecraftian feeling, a big part of the game is to be in a constant feeling of being threatened, but without any visual stimuli other than glimpses, or sounds ...
10
votes
1answer
534 views
Resources for 3D printable RPG props?
I would like to introduce more map-based props (figures, terrain, obstacles, etc.) into my game. In particular, I'd like to be able to use a 3D printer to make props specific to whatever encounters a ...
20
votes
10answers
721 views
How do I find and eliminate plot holes?
I'm still a pretty new GM. Even though I enjoy coming up with plots and writing the overarching story-line, when I tell my wife (who does not play) how the adventure should progress (the long-view, ...
28
votes
9answers
733 views
How can I more effectively use darkness in a dungeon?
In more than one of my D&D campaigns, I've found myself feeling disappointed at my inability to make the darkness of the dungeon matter.
Everyone has enough torches, and I'm not likely to be able ...
6
votes
4answers
426 views
Bringing a pre-made character to the table or not; pros and cons?
Sometimes a player will have a pre-made character and bring it along to the first gaming session. Other times they will make the character at the table. Sometimes you get a mixed bag. As both a player ...
22
votes
10answers
1k views
How to make magic items more interesting?
We all read about the little person finding a magical ring and the GM basing
his whole plot on that little ring. That was a cool example
of a MacGuffin.
Earthdawn has a system in which characters ...
24
votes
5answers
356 views
How many sessions is enough to judge a game fairly?
I want to introduce some new games to my group. But when I broach the topic like, "Howdja like to play Dogs in the Vineyard?" they balk - not at the prospect of trying something new, but at the ...
7
votes
4answers
231 views
How do I get my dresden files players involved in city creation?
I've tried to involve my players in city creation a few times through the course of the game, usually whenever they are about to finish up a story arc, but I usually all I get are just get a few ...
13
votes
12answers
711 views
Why would I hire you?
I'm designing a D&D 4E campaign (set in the Forgotten Realms) for my local gaming society, which may or may not spill out into bigger things, rpg.se has given me too many ideas!
I want the party ...
4
votes
3answers
300 views
Mitigating conflict in a 'mixed' nWoD game
The last (and only) time I ran a mixed game (containing Changeling, Mage and Vampire characters) for nWoD. I explained at length that nWoD started with a clean sheet and no one 'instinctively' hated ...
9
votes
4answers
187 views
How can a GM aid switching between the immersion and the meta level?
In recent adventures, I've often employed and supported using the meta level (i.e. thinking, joking and referencing about the game's contents with reference to our cultural context) for everyone's ...
13
votes
4answers
354 views
What if the GM knocks over the tower during a game of Dread?
In Dread, the status of the tower is pretty much the entire game. If it falls over accidentally, it really sort of ruins everything. Obviously the GM stays as far away from it as possible to avoid the ...
11
votes
5answers
477 views
What can be done to encourage players/character to use rituals more?
An on going issue I have is with my players is that they leave a very large amount of power untapped in the arsenal of things they can do, namely rituals.
As a DM I use them all the time, but the ...
15
votes
7answers
479 views
Techniques for skimming through travel (fast travel) without meta-teleportation
In most of my group's campaigns, we spend a lot of time traveling. Unfortunately, this leans one of two ways:
Uninteresting or distracting obstacles. If you want to spend time but keep it fresh, ...
21
votes
6answers
464 views
How can I close my sessions better?
A big principle of group practices (facilitation, meeting management, etc) is Opening and Closing. Opening is creating a comforting environment where people feel invited and welcome. Closing is about ...
15
votes
6answers
553 views
As an experienced GM, what pitfalls should I watch out for?
I've been GMing for 20 years and have recently started to question if I need a GM-makeover. We are still having fun but could the game be more fun if I shed some bad, and well ingrained habits? I ...
13
votes
5answers
306 views
How to handle lack of PC communication?
I've currently got a DFRPG group, and it's struggling a little bit. The main issue right now is that there's a good lack of communication between PC's. How can I encourage the players to communicate ...
8
votes
2answers
379 views
How do you run a political campaign?
Although it's a fair way off yet there's a decent chance that my campaign is heading towards becoming very political. I've considered running political games before, but it seems like it would ...
8
votes
3answers
120 views
How do I make players more comfortable in an unusual historical setting?
I run a lot of games/write systems set in specific historical/cultural contexts, because I like rpgs as a way to explore them and think they provide a great sense of place. However, I tend not to ...
16
votes
6answers
318 views
How do I help create story around the table without writing it?
I love RPGs. I think they can create some of the most fun and enjoyable stories, both from an out-of-game and in-game standpoint.
I also realize that "story" is the result of the game played by the ...
26
votes
26answers
1k views
Biggest GM pitfalls for new GMs? [closed]
What are the biggest/most common GM pitfalls (or mistakes) for new GMs?
One pitfall per answer, please!
50
votes
21answers
1k views
What approaches are there to lessen or eliminate reliance upon dice in an RPG?
Is it necessary to use dice all the time in a dice-based RPG system? In other words, are there occasions or means by which you speed up gameplay by either reducing the number of rolls or removing the ...
11
votes
6answers
202 views
Rebalancing Experience Point Totals?
Say that through legal game play some player characters have gained a lot more XP than others. Should the referee take steps to rebalance the player characters, or just let it go as it is part of the ...
7
votes
2answers
146 views
Good storylines to accompany adding another player to the game?
I just ran my first two sessions as GM and we are probably going to be adding a 4th player to the group soon (making 5 of us total). I'm trying to thing of a good premise for the party to meet the new ...
8
votes
2answers
441 views
How do I implement Social Combat into a D&D/D20/Pathfinder game?
One of the coolest parts of White-Wolf games, in my opinion, is that they usually offer the ability for Social Combat to be just as exciting as physical or mental combat.
How can I run Social Combat ...
20
votes
4answers
294 views
How do I construct an individual session as part of a larger campaign?
I've been GMing/DMing on and off for years. I prefer playing. Mainly because when I run a game, I'm more a fly by the seat of your pants kind of dm, and it works sort of..
My problem is that, while I ...
27
votes
4answers
481 views
How do I keep a long-range plot cohesive and coherent?
I enjoy GMing but I much prefer to to have some sort of long running plot (or meta-plot) rather than having a series of unconnected unfortunate events afflict my PCs.
For example, I would love to ...
4
votes
5answers
465 views
What's a good text only adventure game to improve my storytelling for DMing?
I've been trying to think of good ways to improve my narration of scenes when I can't actually practice firsthand with my group. On idea I had was to find some old text-only adventure/RPG games and ...
5
votes
4answers
311 views
Where can I find/buy/get a detailed output NPC generator tool (digital or paper)?
As a part of my on-going quest to be a better GM, I am looking for a tool, paper based or digital, that can generate solid NPCs rapidly. These could be used as one shots but I am looking primarily ...
21
votes
6answers
665 views
What GM tasks can be delegated to players to speed up encounters?
My party's encounters (D&D4e - 13th level) take on average 3-4 hours. We chit chat a lot and are pretty easily distracted, and it's not a huge deal because we're all having fun. But lately we've ...
11
votes
6answers
215 views
How to introduce item descriptions
One of the things that I dislike when running a session is how a great majority of the items are bland - a short sword is a short sword, a bow is a bow, an arrow is an arrow.
After sitting on it for ...
12
votes
8answers
572 views
How valid is lying to players about the rolls they are making in The Dresden Files?
In last weeks Dresden Files game, the players followed the bad guy using a tracking spell, and found him in the projects at an apartment that they knew little about. Seeing his car, they decided to ...
6
votes
0answers
170 views
How do I effectively portray multiple characters in conversation? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do you handle verbal exchanges between NPCs without taking the PCs out of the spotlight?
You should be familiar with this set up: All the characters are at a party ...
32
votes
3answers
428 views
How do I build a sense of wonder in my games?
I guess this is part three of a series of questions, with part I being on building tension, and part II being on building comedy.
Greg Stafford has talked of his primary motivation as a gamemaster ...
24
votes
10answers
720 views
What are some sources for in game puzzles for players?
I love to spice up campaign settings (dungeons in particular) with logic, mechanic or word-based puzzles. Can you propose valid resources for this ?
23
votes
7answers
482 views
How to add a player who joined after the campaign started?
I started running a game, and then a friend of mine expressed interest in playing, so I invited him to join us. He created a character and came along to the next session. As the rest of the party was ...
9
votes
3answers
171 views
How can I import the natural suspense and tension from a game of Dread into a game of D&D?
In Dread the game naturally lends itself to suspenseful play. As the game progresses the tower gets more wobbly and tension builds naturally due to the game's mechanics. I'd like to somehow bring this ...
5
votes
2answers
240 views
Using Org-Mode for Player and DM Notes?
I love Org-Mode. So I obviously would like to use it for my notes for DMing and Playing. However before I get cracking, I was wandering if anyone has tried it, and any half decent custom set ups that ...
7
votes
2answers
300 views
Picking a lock with wind magic
In the book, one of the examples given for wind magic is that you can pick a lock with it. Now my question is, should using wind magic to pick a lock just be a minor use of magic and not require a ...
24
votes
8answers
1k views
What is some good advice for starting Paranoia with a new group?
My roleplaying group is talking about taking a break from our 4e D&D campaign for a bit, and doing some one-offs. We are planning on doing a few sessions with a GURPS game of some sort, and the ...
9
votes
1answer
132 views
Playing a pregame, how to keep sense of continuity in campaign
My players and I are currently playing a "pre-game" for a whole campaign I have written. I want the players to be aware of the "how did it get to be this way", so I make them play two games 4000 and ...
5
votes
4answers
217 views
How to avoid the feeling of railroading in my campaign pregame?
This question is related to my other question. Please see that one for campaign background, rather than me repeating it all here.
I don't want the players to feel "trapped" and forced into a ...
