The practical arts and methods applied to gamemastering.
8
votes
3answers
654 views
How can I successfully run one-on-one adventures in D&D 4E?
It seems clear that 4E really wants the party to have at least four PCs, so that all four roles can be covered. The official rules give tips on what to do when you can only have three PCs, but when ...
12
votes
3answers
302 views
Ubiquity: Best method to excitingly adjudicate the effects of Persuasion (Con/Diplomacy)
In Pulp Adventure games using the Ubiquity Roleplaying System what is an effective method to add tension, and ensure consistency in applying results, when handling social interactions based on Con and ...
11
votes
6answers
530 views
Out-Of-Control Characters
As I review the suggestions the DMG (pg32) has I wonder what other suggestions that realistic.
I know that if a player is out of control (ie: killing masses for no reason) a DM would send Imperial ...
22
votes
5answers
614 views
GMing for [dis]abled players, specifically blind players?
What kind of measures should one take when running a game which includes a [dis]abled player (or players) such as a blind of deaf player? Are there any technologies or styles which are particularly ...
11
votes
3answers
1k views
New GM Advice - How to best use an Adventure Path
I'm new to tabletop RPGs (although I have been interested for a long time, just had difficulty finding like-minded companions, and the funds required to get some of the stuff).
When I was finally ...
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 ...
62
votes
19answers
2k views
How do you help players not focus on the rules?
Background - My Group's Gaming Style
When I GM, I run games loosely from a rules standpoint, and do not feel bound to adhere to what the rulebook says when it doesn't make sense in a given situation. ...
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 ...
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 ...
11
votes
2answers
233 views
Tasks for a split party
I'm running a 4th ed game, but I don't think that makes a difference in this case. Last session my party decided to split up for a couple tasks. The hybrid bard/rogue and the avenger (affectionately ...
14
votes
16answers
438 views
When GMing a game, how much should you prepare in advance?
Obviously you need to have some high level idea of what's going on in the world around the players, and where you are heading with the story, but in an ongoing game at some point players will be ...
12
votes
7answers
374 views
Role-playing within role-playing
Suppose that the PCs are actors that have to play roles in film, television, theatre. Or that they are some sort of spirits that process other people and make them do their bidding without letting ...
8
votes
2answers
284 views
What are your play experiences with The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men?
I'm going to run a session or two of The Secret Lives of Gingerbread Men for my wife and kids. We're all experienced roleplayers, but we haven't tried this system before. What kinds of adventures have ...
4
votes
6answers
467 views
Chuck Norris player character - can I keep true to the internet meme while still running a balanced game?
One of my group mates has been quite obsessed with creating a Chuck Norris inspired character. He's playing a martial arts heavy, assassin flavors of Rogue, in a DnD campaign, which works well enough ...
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!
11
votes
10answers
594 views
Are there good game mechanics/systems for a timetravel-heavy game/character?
What techniques(or systems) can be used to deal with a game (or even a single session) where time travel is a heavy part of the game?
For example, I have a player whose character concept has the ...
8
votes
7answers
354 views
What techniques are there for balancing power gamers with story gamers in D&D 4E?
In my current D&D 4E game, I have a fairly large number of players with differing preferences for play style. As they have progressed through levels, differences between the characters with ...
7
votes
3answers
310 views
As a GM, how do you deal with or manage Stirges?
As a GM, how do you deal with or manage Stirges? Equally, how do you make use of them? For them to be a relevant threat, do they have to be in such numbers that they become unmanageable?
12
votes
4answers
366 views
How do I create and effectively use silence?
People who have thought about public speaking or presentations usually know that silence is one of the most powerful tools in conversation, speaking and negotiation. Think about any memorable speech. ...
9
votes
5answers
301 views
How can I encourage my group to seek success, rather than entertaining failure?
Our weekly group has a tendency toward playing into escalating spirals of self destruction, regardless of the system or genre. Players will look for opportunities to fail, or to set up other player's ...
12
votes
3answers
10k views
Calculating and balancing challenge ratings
Are there standard rules for calculating CR of groups? For example, in my Pathfinder bestiary, a single Stirge is listed as CR 1/2, and a group of 2d4 (average 5) of them is listed as an average CR 4.
...
20
votes
5answers
616 views
As a GM, how do I keep Dungeons & Dragons more interesting for young players?
Currently, my group of players is my children, ages 7+ through 14+ (and several in between). They all are really excited about playing, but I am having great difficulty keeping them all interested ...
11
votes
4answers
621 views
How do I run a maze scenario without using a map?
Inspired by a question on another site, what's the best way to add a labyrinth to an adventure scenario without making the challenges contingent upon player skill at mapping or navigation?
I'd like ...
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 ...
10
votes
4answers
197 views
Introducing Guest-Stars in Ongoing Campaigns
I've got a situation I'm dealing with tonight and that I've dealt with before, but I've never had rpg.se to ask about it. So here goes:
Are there any tried-and-true methods for dealing with ...
16
votes
4answers
669 views
Designing puzzle-based mysteries
I'm currently watching the BBC series Sherlock. In this episode, the central mystery is fascinating: first, there are symbols scrawled on the wall; next, these turn out to be a cipher; then, the ...
14
votes
0answers
355 views
How does a GM know they have done enough prep? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
When GMing a game, how much should you prepare in advance?
How do you, as a GM, keep from getting into an endless prep loop and to know when you have enough to run a ...
14
votes
6answers
367 views
How to implicate the players in the horror?
Good horror implicates the watcher/reader, at least in drama. There is always moment when the audience should cry out, "no, stop, don't!" but of course we don't because we're a well-behaved audience, ...
32
votes
14answers
988 views
How can GMs make their game worlds more inclusive?
Many published roleplaying settings reflect our own cultural biases, for example, by putting white people in the "core" of the setting with "exotic" (i.e., not white) cultures around the less-detailed ...
25
votes
9answers
653 views
How can GMs evoke the tone of danger in an RPG?
Forked from this question which focuses more on exploring signals of specific danger.
Here, my question is: how can a GM evoke the feeling of danger during a game? How can they create tension that ...
28
votes
7answers
767 views
How can DMs effectively telegraph specific dangers in D&D?
There are some play-styles of D&D in which the spectre of player-character death is considered a feature of the game rather than a bug. For my own reasons (which aren't the point of the question), ...
33
votes
6answers
736 views
What is a good way to become a better NPC/monster actor?
One of the biggest problems I have as Game Master, (going on 30+yrs) is in portraying NPC and Monsters in any RPG. Is there a good resource for becoming a better 'actor'?
Instead of just saying... ...
17
votes
7answers
399 views
What makes a good pitch for a new game?
What should make up a pitch about a new game to a prospective group of players? What does a good RPG pitch entail? What should go into the case for why a game should be played (and why that GM is the ...
11
votes
4answers
221 views
Building a sense of desperation
For a GUMSHOE game I want to build up the suspense through the more subtle, but very effective, buildup of a sense of desperation. This is a medical drama and the characters will be in quarantine. I’m ...
36
votes
13answers
752 views
How to communicate to the players that an encounter can be solved also through diplomacy?
When you play D&D, you are not supposed to chat with the enemy during encounters. The system is made for fighting. However, in some circumstances, it would be nice to make the players conscious ...
20
votes
10answers
336 views
Campaign is on hiatus. How do I keep it on life support?
My regular campaign has ground to a halt due to scheduling problems. At this point, we don't really know how long it will be until we play again. Everyone is still interested, at least for now. Is ...
39
votes
11answers
934 views
How do I deal with GM burnout?
There are groups that share the role of GM/DM/Storyteller/Ref, and there are those that don't. In either type there is always the threat of burnout - too much responsibility is put into the hands of a ...
3
votes
4answers
289 views
What props or other tools can I use to improve pacing?
For a game, gaslight fantasy meets weird west, I am looking for tangible props to establish the various pacing points (call them beats in Robin's newest fascination). I'm looking for a good idea that ...
13
votes
7answers
335 views
What major differences are there between convention DMing and home DMing?
I've been DMing for a while in 4th edition D&D, but I've only been DMing for Living Forgotten Realms and D&D Encounters. Now I'm thinking of starting to do some home games in various systems. ...
42
votes
22answers
1k views
How can a GM quickly create interesting, engaging NPCs?
What techniques do people have for coming up with interesting personalities and histories for non-player characters? I'm mostly interested in the GM side of things. I don't want to do a ton of prep. I ...
21
votes
14answers
816 views
How to deal effectively with a player unable to lose?
How do you effectively handle a player that overreacts to any loss of his character (level drain, death) ?
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 ...
24
votes
14answers
627 views
Story Arc vs. Player Creativity
I want to put the players in a challenging spot by putting them in a no win situation and having them captured and stripped of their equipment (assuming they might get it back as they make their ...
27
votes
14answers
328 views
How do I retain momentum in an irregular game?
For years I have had a regular weekly evening group but as we've all aged, it has become more difficult to meet. I tend to get the same players but we do not play every week. Long gaps mean that it is ...
52
votes
15answers
2k views
Total Party Kill - What do I do as a GM?
Your party has had a streak of bad luck and/or made a poor choice and are now staring down death. The rules were followed to the letter and loss is assured. How do you handle this as a GM?
Does ...
15
votes
4answers
294 views
GM Tips for a Rashomon style game
I want to run a Rashomon style session soon and I'm looking for solid advice, as well as lessons learned from your own experience doing so.
23
votes
19answers
1k views
What role-playing games have good gamemaster advice sections?
Which RPG's, in your experience, have good advice for gamemasters in their rulebooks, both for novice and experienced gamemasters?
Please keep in mind that this question is not about good games for ...
32
votes
9answers
1k views
What is 'railroading', and is it a bad thing?
What is 'railroading', and when is it generally considered to be something negative?
21
votes
10answers
247 views
Keeping a published module interesting when some players have already played.
When running a published adventure which some players have already played, such as a RPGA module, are there any suggestions for keeping it interesting for all involved ?
24
votes
11answers
758 views
How do I create a great fantasy villain?
In my early years of GMing it was simple enough to say that the badguys were evil and that was all the justification we needed. They are attacking the village because they are evil, they are stealing ...
