"Game Master" or "Game Moderator". This is the person who is in charge of running the game, including having final say over how actions are resolved. Also referred to as "Storyteller" (in White Wolf games), "Dungeon Master" (in D&D), and innumerable other names.
8
votes
3answers
210 views
How much does the Sponsor help someone using Sponsored Magic in Dresden?
So, the party is in a fight with one of the Knights of the Faerie Courts (Winter, in this case) and a couple of wildfae mercenaries. During the fight, the Knight
started casting some unseelie ...
8
votes
1answer
205 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 ...
8
votes
2answers
204 views
How do I create a sense of Impending Doom?
I've been reading up on the rules and I've noticed that if the player rolls multiple ones on their action I can choose to either award a PP for each 1 and add a d6 for each opportunity or I can choose ...
8
votes
3answers
167 views
Good source for a dark/weird dryad concept?
I'm working on an adventure that involves obtaining the wood from a dryad's tree, and would like to present the dryad as something other than the typical depiction. I have some ideas, but am curious ...
7
votes
5answers
264 views
Dealing with high player churn?
In my current D&D 4e game we have extremely high player churn. Any given night we may have between 2 and 5 players (out of 10 to 12) leave and or join (leaving often takes the form of simply not ...
7
votes
6answers
170 views
How do you keep the book keeping/game management work balanced between players?
For most games, the work required in running a game is, by default, distributed unevenly between a "master" and the "player characters".
In our group, many/most of the group members have had ...
7
votes
1answer
692 views
Are there any rules or guidelines for creating original magic items and rituals?
I am running a D&D 4E campaign, and I particular enjoy that a lot of the 'man-made' spells that the PCs encounter--when for example, raiding wizards' hideouts--can be described as "you can get a ...
6
votes
6answers
252 views
Should a group keep the same GM, or choose different GMs for every new campaign/system?
The title is mostly the question. Is it good to give everyone in the group the chance to be the GM, or should the best do the job always for best play experience?
6
votes
7answers
219 views
Need some recommendations for monster manuals
I run and play lots of indie-style games (Burning Wheel and Apocalypse World in particular). Perhaps the one thing they lack that I miss from my D&D days is the tomes full of monsters to excite ...
6
votes
2answers
119 views
How to Use Module Maps
I found a module I'd like to run. It includes some great maps. What's the best way to use them in a gaming session? They're too small to use as-is, so I'm wondering how other people use maps from ...
6
votes
6answers
444 views
Approaches to GM-less (or lessened GM reliance in) RPGs
A question about transitioning players to GM-less gaming already exists (and it's a good one). I, however, am looking for a more exhaustive description (thus CW) of approaches to GM-less gaming. As ...
6
votes
2answers
113 views
Methods for round-robin style DM'ing?
Round-robin storytelling has been around for a while, and something I have always been interested in experimenting with a variation of DM'ing where players take turns becoming the DM in the same ...
6
votes
1answer
96 views
Treasure tables with mixed groups
In reference to this Treasure tables in 3.5, how does the system expect a GM to handle groups with mixed treasure types?
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
208 views
What's the best practice for an Indie-LARP?
I'm starting a Sci-Fi LARP near where I live and so far only my close friends are going to attend,
What would be the best way to increase my player-base?
Also it'll be my first event that I've ...
5
votes
4answers
541 views
Should I announce to the players they are in a skill challenge?
I am completely new to DMing and I am considering including a skill challenge in my next game. Most of the players are new to 4e and one of them is new to D&D in general. Should I explain to them ...
5
votes
4answers
272 views
Building Campaigns to Characters' Strengths and Weaknesses
When I GM a game, I try to make sure that the skills the characters have can be used. If someone takes "Music", then I make sure there's a point in the campaign where someone needs to impress someone ...
5
votes
2answers
150 views
LFG: Looking for Guineapigs (aka players to test an encounter..or 4)
I'm setting up the end of my campaign and I have 4 "mini-boss" fights (& Final BOSS fight) that I'm trying to make extremely tough but also winnable. I don't want to just slaughter my PCs after ...
5
votes
2answers
137 views
Balance between planning and improvising [closed]
What is the ideal balance between planning out an entire session of playing, complete with music scoring and conversation detailing, and winging the entire thing?
As an example, I'll cite one of the ...
5
votes
1answer
91 views
Do I need both DMG1 and 2 to create adventures?
I'm working on my first custom campaign for my players (I have previously run modules out of books and Dragon magazine), and I am wondering if I should read both DMG1 and 2 or if it's possible to just ...
5
votes
1answer
124 views
What should I look out for, when scaling a late heroic published adventure for late paragon/early epic tier?
I will be including a level 9 published adventure in my campaign soon. The thing is, the four players will be somewhere between level 18 and 24 when they hit the dungeon.
Aside from obviously scaling ...
5
votes
3answers
137 views
Scaling for battles when the number of players is unknown?
I play in a D&D 4e game at the local game shop where the number of players who shows up can vary from five to fifteen. Obviously a normal battle for fifteen characters would be overpowering for ...
5
votes
1answer
865 views
Practical use of Masterplan in first time DM
So, I have played D&D (and other RPG rules) off and on for a long time, and now have boys of an age that I could DM for them and have some good father/son/nerdy time. I have never DMed myself. I ...
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 ...
4
votes
3answers
929 views
Guides to running a Cyberpunk 2.0.2.0 Game
I've owned a copy of the 2nd edition of Cyberpunk (Cyberpunk 2020) for years now but never had the ability or gumption to run a game (same for gurps). Lately though I've been playing and DMing a lot ...
4
votes
2answers
172 views
As a GM, how do you establish the reality of your world? [closed]
Having a discussion with a friend about our views of GMing, I realized that we take very different approaches to what our worlds are.
My view is that when I GM, the world exists as-is before the ...
4
votes
2answers
176 views
Is there a tested spell-research like mod for D&D 4e?
I'm looking for a mod to D&D 4e which reintroduces spell-research in a balanced way. Are there any of them around, which have been play tested and seem to work without unbalancing things too far?
4
votes
2answers
121 views
In Ubiquity powered games, what number Style points keeps tension and heroic action in balance?
Characters in games using the Ubiquity Roleplaying System often begin play with fewer than 2 Style points. Methods of gaining them, and situations for using them are clearly defined in the various ...
4
votes
1answer
192 views
How to upgrade Pathfinder Beginner Box games and characters to Pathfinder Core Rules?
Similar to this question on Red box to 4e core rules upgrade, what problems are there overcome with or good ways to achieve moving games and characters from the Beginner Box rules to Pathfinder Core ...
4
votes
2answers
205 views
How to include equipment level in planning D20 Modern encounters?
Obviously equipment matters a lot in modern combat. A tank crew in a modern tank can almost always defeat men armed with only small arms. The d20 modern system does not take this into account when ...
3
votes
3answers
231 views
Tactics for Battle of Albridge
I'm currently thinking about the Battle of Albridge in my Reavers of Harkenwold campaign.
One of my players stated he wanted to have a big battle with the Rebellion troops against the Iron Circle. I ...
3
votes
2answers
979 views
How do beastmasters' companions work?
I am playing D&D for the first time, and working on being a GM at that. We had our first session today, and it was very fun and went very well. However, one of my players chose a beastmaster, and ...
3
votes
1answer
87 views
What should I use to represent the Stronghold point in my LARP?
My Sci-Fi Larp system is faction based, The team with the most territory at the end of the event (day/weekend) gains additional points towards character progression as well as in game Credits, this is ...
3
votes
1answer
177 views
What to buy to start out 4e D&D (DM and PC) (Complete Noob, no previous experience) [duplicate]
So we're a completely new group of people, none of us have experience, and I've been assigned DM, which I think is a good idea. But we don't know where to start, or what to buy to get started on our ...
3
votes
2answers
183 views
Average experience per encounter for a two person party?
I have been playing Dungeons and Dragons for a while now as a player. I've recently started up a new game that I am DMing. I am going to run the Kobold Hall adventure for starters. The problem I have ...
2
votes
3answers
705 views
What race/class combinations would you like to see in pregenerated characters? [closed]
I am running a one shot for the local gaming association and am making pre-generated level one characters for people to use.
So what Race/class combinations would work best in a group of ...
1
vote
8answers
343 views
Survivalist NPC build?
How can I best optimize an NPC so that instead of having perfect power attack or sneak attack, they're just really hard to kill? I can think of thief acrobat and perhaps exemplar or dungeon delver, ...
1
vote
2answers
123 views
Dungeons and Dragons 1 hour game advice [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Is it practical to run a weekly lunch-hour game of D&D with my coworkers?
Other than don't use the system what advice do you guys have for playing Dungeons and ...
0
votes
1answer
214 views
Free action/no action encounter power available to all players?
The DM I play with for encounters passes out these power cards that are either a free action or a non-action (can't remember) encounter power that lets you add to a skill check roll, add a damage die, ...
0
votes
0answers
163 views
Old School gamer attempting to get back into it…with some trepidation [closed]
I use to play D&D since Version 2, when it was banned at schools because it was thought to be devil worship, then later after a few people went a little nuts and used their "character personas" as ...
-2
votes
0answers
57 views
looking for skype gm over play per post [closed]
basically I am never able to go to a game stpre and want to learn the d20/modern/future/modern arcana stuff so that i can start writing my own stuff. just about to sign that contract that will allow ...
