Gnome Stew

“Only make them roll when its interesting” is solid GMing advice, but it can be hard to figure out which rolls will be interesting. At least, it’s something I struggled with until just a few weeks ago. Here’s what I discovered about how knowing the stakes of the scene will help you know when to call for rolls from your players.

Shard Tabletop VTT Impressions

by Jared Rascher | Oct 7, 2024 | Reviews

If you give me the ability to customize something, whether its fonts, colors, formatting, whatever, I’m going to end up spending way too much time playing with those options. Even when I know this is the case, it doesn’t stop me. The best thing I can do is to find a tool that lets me spend all...

Earning Their Trust: The Rules

by Josh Storey | Oct 2, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

“I’m just following the rules” is often the GM’s version of “I’m just doing what my character would do.” The rules of your game are not objective or unbiased, so you can’t be either of those things when arbitrating RAW. In the latest installment of Earning Their Trust, we’ll look at how you can be unbiased yet fair and work with your players to create an unforgettable game.

Not All Rolls Are Created Equally

by Phil Vecchione | Sep 30, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

At my table, a few weeks ago, the characters were outside the lair of a nefarious being, preparing to breach and assault. Before they did, one of the players announced that they wanted their character to do a quick recon, a very prudent idea. I was just about to request a Sneak check when I paused...

Gnomecast 198 – How Do You Like Your Stakes?

by Poddy Gnomington | Sep 25, 2024 | Gnomecast

Join Ang, Josh and Carl Lehman as they talk about setting stakes for your games and how to keep your players and their characters invested and involved.

Adventure Design: Thematic Bosses

by J.T. Evans | Sep 18, 2024 | Game Making, Game Mastering, GMing Advice

While it’s sometimes fun to flip open a bestiary or monster manual to find a random monster to throw at the PCs, when you’re planning a boss for your party to face, it’s best to put some thought and care into the selection. You might even go so far as to make the boss of the...

Star Trek Adventures: The Roleplaying Game Second Edition Core Rulebook Review

by Jared Rascher | Sep 16, 2024 | Reviews

Seven years ago, the original edition of Star Trek Adventures was released. That was before so many major developments with the franchise. Multiple series debuted, new eras were visited, and the two corporate entities that split the rights to Star Trek between movies and television series...

Gnomecast 197 – Brand New Players

by Poddy Gnomington | Sep 11, 2024 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/GC_197_Brandnewplayers.mp3 Join Ang, Tomas and Walt as they talk about bringing brand new players into the hobbies. Tips, tricks, and things to keep in mind as you introduce the hobby to someone for the first time. LINKS: Magnolia: City of Marvels...

Earning Their Trust: Keeping Your Promises

by Josh Storey | Aug 30, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

A narrative promise is a commitment you make to your audience. When you’re running a TTRPG, there are two kinds of narrative promises: the ones you say out loud and the ones you don’t. They’re both tricky to keep, though, so let’s look at each category on its own.

Gnomecast 196 – Two GM Slip Ups

by Poddy Gnomington | Aug 28, 2024 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/GC_196_twoGMslipups_final2.mp3 Join Ang, Jared and Chris as they talk about two common slip ups GMs make while running our games and how to recover from them. LINKS: Dungeon Masters Audio Play THAC0 with Advantage Discord Undying Corruption...

Character Backgrounds: Set vs Emergent

by Phil Vecchione | Aug 23, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Recently, I was facilitating a Session Zero for our new campaign of Outgunned: World of Killers. We were making characters and the players were starting to work out their backgrounds. One of the characters has a Blood Debt (read: John Wick marker) and the player asked if they should come up with...

Adventure Design: Thematic Environments

by J.T. Evans | Aug 21, 2024 | Game Making, Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Way back in the first installment of this series, I talked about mood, tone, and theme. In the theme section of that post, I talked about story themes and how they can power the focus in your adventure. Today (and in the upcoming months), I’m going to talk about thematic environments,...

The One Ring: Moria – Through the Doors of Durin Review

by Jared Rascher | Aug 19, 2024 | General

A sprawling ruin of an ancient city that has been overrun by monsters, hiding the treasure of ages . . . that’s a description that fantasy role-players are very familiar with. One of the greatest inspirations for this narrative comes from Tolkien’s stories of Middle-earth, and the lost mines of...

Gnomecast 195 – Rob Heinsoo & the Overenthusiastic Fan

by Poddy Gnomington | Aug 14, 2024 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GC_Rob_Heinso_Final.mp3 Join Jared as he gets together with Rob Heinsoo. In between moments of being an excited and extremely enthusiastic fan, Jared talks to him about 13th Age and all things gaming! Links: 13th Age Kickstarter (still accepting...

Earning Their Trust: Listening

by Josh Storey | Aug 9, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Earning our players trust is one of the most important things we can do at our tables, but how do we do it? This series (probably) won’t help you fix that fight you just had with your significant other, but it can show you how to vibe with the people at your game table.

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