Over the course of my career as a GM, one of the most troublesome problems I’ve had to deal with is new players. The problem with these players is that they don’t quite understand what they can do in the realm of tabletop rpgs. They’re accustomed to the limits that other types of games place on them, even in open world sandbox games. Although video games have come a long way since their inception, they still can not match the infinite possibilities that the human mind can produce. Your new players will probably have experience with video games, so their mind has been taught to conform to the game’s limits. As a GM, it is your job to shake these preconceptions, and show your players the limitless possibilities that your game holds. Today we’ll be looking at how to do just that. [Read more…]
Designing Challenge Rolls
Slaying dragons and other beings is all well and fun, but sometimes your players want to take a step away from their job as murder hobos to do something less violent. Tabletop games include a lot of violence by their nature, but that’s not all they’re good for. An equally large part is the social aspect of the game. You know, the actual role playing. This can be handled by simply acting in character, so you could also add a challenge that doesn’t involve beheading someone. Well, most of the time at least. These challenges take the form of rolls. The success of these roles is determined by a character’s skill in all things, rather than skill in combat. [Read more…]
Responsibilities of a Game Master
So you’ve decided to take up the mantle of Game Master. This is a task not for the faint of heart. The road ahead is filled with peril and frustrations, but it is also filled with fun and joy. Becoming a GM means taking on a set of responsibilities. As a GM you’re expected to be a story teller, challenger, rules referee, and teacher all at the same time. Balancing all of this is daunting, but the rewards are well worth the trouble. [Read more…]
The Start of an Adventure: How to Begin your Campaign
First impressions are important. The feeling you get from a person the first time you meet them usually dictates how the relationship between you two plays out. The same can be said for players and their GM. The first game in a campaign should set the tone of the rest of the games. If the first impression that your players get from this game isn’t right, it could cause your players to shy away from the game altogether. So how do we avoid this and give them a great game straight out of the gate? To answer this, we must break down the essentials of a story’s beginning. [Read more…]
How to Stop a Murderhobo from Ruining Your Game
A good campaign leads to adventure. Adventure can lead to killing. But it doesn’t always have to. Some of your players may not realize this, which leads to them becoming a murderhobo. But what exactly is a murderhobo, and how do you keep them from derailing your game? [Read more…]
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