Gnome Stew

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GC_237_New-Campaigns_final.mp3 Join Ang, along with Jared and guest Andy Jaksetic as they talk about starting new campaigns and everything we need in place before we can start to think about session zero. LINKS: Matinee Adventures Origins Game Fair...

Gnomecast 236 – Real Life Interruptions

by Poddy Gnomington | May 6, 2026 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/GC_236_Interupting-Life-final.mp3 Join Ang along with Josh and JT as they talk about how to navigate the curveballs life throws at us and gets in the way of us playing RPGs. It’s going to happen at some point or another, so let’s figure...

GM/Player Interactions, Part 1

by J.T. Evans | Apr 29, 2026 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice, Player Advice

The tabletop role playing experience is a collaborative one. That’s a well-established fact. To properly collaborate, everyone at the table needs to be aware of the interactions at the table. I’m not talking about what NPCs the PCs know or how the Big Bad Villain interacts with their...

Gnomecast 235 – Short Campaign Considerations

by Poddy Gnomington | Apr 22, 2026 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GC_235_short-campaign-considerations_final.mp3 Join Ang along with Jared and Tomas as they talk about short campaigns. They cover the major differences between a traditional long campaign with a short one, the reasons we might want to run one, and...

Gnomecast 234 – Positioning the Narrative

by Poddy Gnomington | Apr 8, 2026 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/GC_234_Fictional-Positioning_finals.mp3 Join Ang along with Chris and JT as they talk about Narrative Positioning! What even is that and what does it mean for our games? They dig in and have a conversation about it. LINKS: The Streets of Avalon...

Introducing Gnome Stew’s new AGI – Artificial Gnome Intelligence

by John Arcadian | Apr 1, 2026 | General

Never let it be said that Gnome Stew doesn’t keep up with the times. We’ve heard all this buzz about LLMs and CCCs and ROPs and whatever and we know that the future is AI. It’s one of the few rare advancements in technology that comes with no downsides and has no drama around it....

10 Year Retrospective

by J.T. Evans | Mar 30, 2026 | Game Mastering

10 Years Wow. I’ve been roaming these halls and avoiding the stew pot for 10 years now. Just wow. Rough Start I’ve been writing for Gnome Stew for ten years now. My first article dropped on March 28, 2016. It was an attempt to describe the differences between gaming, narrating, and...

Give ’em A Little Free Play

by Phil Vecchione | Mar 27, 2026 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

My Blades in the Dark campaign is due for some free play soon. After every four or five Scores, I do one whole session that is just free play. No scores. Every character gets their own mini-story for the evening. This is in contrast to where our score sessions are a self-contained story, where the...

Gnomecast 233 – Player Types: The Pros and Cons

by Poddy Gnomington | Mar 25, 2026 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GC_233_Player-Types-The-Pros-and-Cons.mp3 Join Ang along with Jared and friend of the show, Carl Lehman, as they talk about four different player types we often see at our tables. We go over the good and the bad they can bring to the table and offer...

Gnomecast 232 – The Art of the Con Game

by Poddy Gnomington | Mar 11, 2026 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/GC_232_Art-of-the-con-game_Final.mp3 Join Ang along with guests Jason Haskins and Mike Mistele as they talk about the components that make for a good convention one-shot! Links: Origins Game Fair Matinee...

Prep is Aspirational

by Phil Vecchione | Feb 27, 2026 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Last month, I talked about When Play Does Not Go To Prep, mostly about how deviations are normal and ways to adjust your story when it drifts from your prep. There is something that is underlying that previous article that I wanted to expand more about today. I want to talk more about the nature...

Gnomecast 231 – Running Published Adventures

by Poddy Gnomington | Feb 25, 2026 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GC_231_Running-Published-Adventures_final.mp3 Join Ang along with Josh and JT as they talk about the ins and outs of running published adventures! Whether it’s easier or harder and tips and tricks on how to make them work for you. Links:...

Flirting With the Homies

by Josh Storey | Feb 13, 2026 | GMing Advice

This Valentine’s Day, if you want to add a little romance to your games, you should be armed with the knowledge of what goes into creating a satisfying romance arc. The ingredients and…techniques…required to bring two (or more) characters to their…narrative climax. So sit down. It’s time we have The Talk.

Gnomecast 230 – The Points of Metacurrency

by Poddy Gnomington | Feb 11, 2026 | Gnomecast

https://polygamero.us/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GC_230-Metacurency_final.mp3 Join Ang along with Chris and Tomas as they talk about the finer points of metacurrencies. What are they, what design purpose do they serve, and why do our players love them? Links: Mutants & Masterminds 4th Edition...

Giants Deserve Better

by Drew Bassett | Feb 2, 2026 | Game Mastering, General, GMing Advice

In many TTRPGs, giants have become a simple, escalating challenge: bigger and bigger versions of essentially the same thing, to encounter in tactical fights as your characters progress. A scalable threat, with a side serving of elemental power.

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