Not related to any one particular system of rules.
8
votes
3answers
357 views
Semi-random name generator
Does anyone know of a good online name generator that can be set up to create random names with culture-specific flavour? (Meaning, for example, names that sound like Russian, Norwegian etc etc.)
17
votes
8answers
380 views
What's a good method for making cultures differ?
Just read through a great question (on getting players to play in line with their characters' cultures) and it got me thinking:
What do you do to make the cultures in your setting differ?
Let's say ...
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 ...
12
votes
4answers
365 views
As a player, how can I help the GM when the game goes out of control?
I've seen numerous games go down the pan when certain players derail the plot, either making it PC vs GM, or making the game more about they're ludicrous choices. It might seem overly harsh turn of ...
10
votes
6answers
526 views
Anyone know of a good generic moral/alignment tracking system?
More specifically, system for tracking a characters morals/alignment, like Humanity in Vampire or darkside points in Star Wars. I'm looking for a system that's either designed to be generic, or could ...
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, ...
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
380 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 ...
9
votes
4answers
984 views
How do underground tunnels stay up? Is it possible to dig under a castle wall without magic to support the tunnel?
I'm considering running a quest where the players must deal with a large, powerful, and well organized underground Kobold tribe. They initially find the opening of a tunnel in the middle of a village ...
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 ...
13
votes
6answers
371 views
Finding time to play
How do people find time to play an RPG with friends, around work, study and partners? I've a preference for weekly play but I just can't find the time to dedicate to roleplaying anymore. And when I ...
24
votes
13answers
950 views
When would PCs choose to walk instead of ride?
I'm putting together an adventure where the PCs are on a time limit. As such, travel times become quite important and I want to make sure that I've understood the different means of travel beforehand.
...
18
votes
8answers
537 views
Inventory: How can you carry adequate equipment without bringing a caravan?
In our campaign, we try to stay somewhat realistic. Unfortunately, we always find ourselves in one of two situations:
Lacking equipment to survive in basic adventure circumstances.
Burdened by ...
8
votes
5answers
384 views
Cyberpunk chronicle… any ideas?
I want to run a Cyberpunk chronicle using a system that I designed, but have run out of ideas. I don't want to employ the clichés, like the AI who's gone sentient and want to merge his mind with ...
12
votes
2answers
350 views
Method for playing an online text-based RPG that doesn't require everyone to be online at once?
I am contemplating starting up a web-based text game for my D&D group to be played alongside our weekly sessions. The idea would be to play through events related to the main storyline, but not so ...
27
votes
4answers
482 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 ...
10
votes
4answers
372 views
Guide to writing an RPG - Examples inline or at the end?
I am writing a guide on how to write a free RPG on my blog. The guide has a series of techniques and tips from inspiration to playtest. I have been writing an RPG as I go along as an example of using ...
22
votes
5answers
474 views
How do I increase role-playing during combat?
Right now, the group that I GM for is very, very tactical combat focused. To some extent we may as well be playing a dungeon crawl boardgame for all the role-play we manage.
Now, in itself that's not ...
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 ...
10
votes
2answers
254 views
Atmosphere of alienation and horror — halloween game
It is Halloween soon and I am planing to run a horror game featuring zombies. Lots of zombies. In fact, hordes of zombies. The setting is akin to Walking Dead than Shawn of the Dead and set in the ...
17
votes
8answers
421 views
How do I create a sense of mystery about magic?
Magic in so many games is something mechanical and fully understood. Assuming I control the setting (and have a group of players willing to try new rules), how do I make magic something mysterious?
...
5
votes
3answers
182 views
Resources on undeads and their creation
I'm searching for resources on undeads in general and their creation, as I want to develop a new realm for my homebrew setting, in which necromancy and magical-alchemical research on undeads, ...
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 ...
28
votes
9answers
448 views
How do you track the PCs' reputation?
I'm currently planning a game with a significant amount of intrigue. I envision the players undertaking actions and adventures that will endear them to one group, and anger others. It occurs to me ...
20
votes
4answers
360 views
How to become better at descriptions of what your character is doing?
A (very) common GM question is "What is your character doing?"
How do you, as a player, describe effectively what you character is doing?
What techniques do you use to evoke wonder and spark ...
6
votes
2answers
99 views
How to handle miniatures on a forum-based game?
When running a web forum game of an RPG that requires miniatures (such as D&D 4e), what's the most elegant way to handle a combat grid?
In particular:
Players should be able to change the map ...
6
votes
3answers
234 views
How to play a Templar Knight
I am looking to create a character that is a member of a monastic order of Templar Knights. The game setting is a historical one set around the 1200s. Thus, I am looking at source material for ...
7
votes
3answers
394 views
Adapting literary works into RPG adventures
Beowulf is a classic tale which has been translated many times and has had many film adaptations. Seamus Heaney's new translation and Frederick Rebsame's translation
are good starts if you have not ...
18
votes
9answers
2k views
How can my character coerce uncooperative player characters?
Occasionally in games we find ourselves in a situation where the player characters might not want to co-operate even if their players do.
How do you handle the party coercing those characters into ...
14
votes
10answers
1k views
Glossary of Common RPG Terminology [closed]
This thread is a Community Wiki to define terminology specific to the world of RPGs which outsiders looking to come in may not be familiar with.
This question is for terms which are not unique to a ...
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 ...
7
votes
4answers
221 views
Recommendations for Arctic Campaign Sites/Settings
What are some books that people would recommend for quality material on an arctic / polar campaign setting / region / site?
System neutral, though specifically in the traditional D&D medieval / ...
8
votes
3answers
183 views
How can I resolve dangerous journeys without playing out every battle in detail?
Here's the situation: The PCs are investigating a mystery far from town, in the dangerous wilderness. Against my expectations, they decide to go back to town, recruit some help, and return to continue ...
14
votes
5answers
264 views
How to abstract a trial?
A session I am writing for my gaming group will take the characters through a murder trial. One of the players is the accused, and he and his companions will need to build a case and defend ...
12
votes
6answers
373 views
Regional Resource Management and Trade Rules
I've been looking at TSR's old Birthright setting lately, searching for an easy way to quantify trade between political entities. I'm thinking about ways for a city or region or planet to develop ...
8
votes
6answers
479 views
Looking for Urban Adventures (for a fantasy RPG)
I'm having a hard time finding inspiration for an Urban adventure set in a fantasy world. I have always run wilderness adventures or dungeon crawls.
The adventure I'm designing is based in a Port ...
15
votes
2answers
219 views
What are the consequences of letting players be characters from a work of fiction?
What are the consequences of letting players be characters from a book, movie, or other pre-existing work of fiction?
For example, how would I handle a campaign based on the X-Files where the PCs are ...
8
votes
4answers
338 views
What can I do to make playing a long D&D session more comfortable?
Right now, we play D&D every other Saturday and spend between eight and eleven hours playing in one sitting.
We usually take a break for food, but eat it at the gaming table (Our wives sometimes ...
6
votes
2answers
583 views
Polyhedral dice statistics program, spreadsheet, or document [closed]
Does anyone know of a program that does statistical analysis on dice rolls, or a document of tables for the same? I am looking mainly for statistics other than d6 (which are very common in most ...
11
votes
6answers
419 views
How to use social skills versus player characters
If the game system in use supports a mechanical modelling of social knack (like D&D's Bluff, Intimidate and Diplomacy skills), and the player who is subject of the social attack doesn't play his ...
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 ...
12
votes
6answers
260 views
Speed up campaign development
I'm making a campaign, and it's going fairly nicely. However, I found out that my group is able to meet this week, which I didn't expect. So instead of having 9 days to find time to prepare, I have 2 ...
12
votes
7answers
395 views
How to design an RP-balanced party?
How do you build a party so that they all have social roles? In some games, I often find that one character ends up dominating the social part of the campaign.
In our groups, we usually end up with ...
31
votes
8answers
700 views
How do I get better at narrating/storytelling as a GM?
Personally, I've always had difficulty telling coherent stories, even from my own experiences. My wife has even coined a term (jokingly) for the type of story I tell, one that either makes no sense, ...
14
votes
4answers
581 views
What are the literary influences of the D&D Bard?
Can anyone tell me what sources, in literature, film, etc. inspired the Bard class for Dungeons & Dragons? I'm familiar with the Celtic Bards of history and legend, but the modern D&D Bard ...
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 ...
11
votes
4answers
254 views
How do I signal that alternate tactical end states are possible?
Question inspired by "Redefining Combat" on Clan of the Gray Wolf:
It provides an excellent list inspired by army manuals of alternate tactical goals for a scenario:
Here are some tactical tasks ...
16
votes
5answers
380 views
Does anyone know a good system for building a city?
We're beginning a Geist game and we talked about how interesting it would be to build a city together as a group so we really felt like it was our home town.
I've heard Damnation City is good, but ...
