Retool or Dump
I almost canceled my new Cyberpunk: Red campaign. Well…I thought about it. I was four sessions in and the game had not gelled. That is a red flag for me. I did some introspection and pondered what about it was not working for me. When I had a handle on what wasn’t working, I talked to my players....
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Gnomecast#173 – Welcome Back Walt
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/GC_173_Welcomebackwalt_final.mp3 The gnomes are happy to welcome back Walt to the gnome tree. Walt is one of the original gnomes and an RPG game designer with more writing credits than he can remember. From Cubicle 7s Victoriana to Green...
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The Gamer’s Bane: Scheduling
When I first started playing, I was just a teenager and it felt like there was never anything getting in the way of us gaming. We played every weekend and more than that during the summer. When I got to college it was pretty much the same, but I also had a license and a car and could drive myself...
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Gnomecast#172 – RPG A Day Conversation
Ang, Chris, and Senda get together to talk about some of the RPG a day questions from 2023. Baker...
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The Crusty Old Gnome: Back to Basic
I wanna go back and do it all over but I can’t go back, I know. — Eddie Money, “I Wanna Go Back” Can you make what’s old new again? Hi, all! It’s been seven years since this Original Gnome has...
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My experience with Forgery! (Why you should try it!)
All images were taken from the Forgery game Among the many indie games and zines that came out in Zine Month there was Forgery. This is a solo journaling experience that has you painting a cursed painting while creating a story, created by Banana Chan, and with a small team behind her. I’ve...
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Creating A Setting
There are quite a few world building articles (and podcasts) on Gnome Stew. Heck, I’ve even written one. However, that’s not the point of this article. I’m not going to talk about tectonic plates, rivers, mountains, trees, natural and political boundaries, and so on that make up...
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Gnomecast#171 – Shadow of the Weird Wizard Interview
JT sits down with the Demon Lord himself, Rob Schwalb from Schwalb Entertainment to talk about his newest game, Shadow of the Weird Wizard.
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Letting them Enjoy Their Power
In my most recent Cortex Prime game, Aux, one of the players was making a roll to repair an ancient, alien machine. A roll that, back at the start of the campaign over a year ago, was a bit of a daunting task, and one that could result in failures with unexpected consequences. The stakes were no...
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On Killing a Campaign: What To Learn From It And How To Do It
Last week, my year-and-a-half campaign I ran of Kids on Brooms was brought to an end. However, despite the campaign being over, the story was not. I decided to bring it to an end before we came to a conclusion to the story. We all probably have campaigns we were a part of that ended abruptly....
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Downtime Activities
The first time I came across phases of play in a Role Playing game was Mouseguard. It’s a game based on a comic book series about mice who adventure to help the mouse territories…it’s besides the point. The comics are great. If you want to know more, check it out here. It’s also based on an older...
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Gnomecast #170 – Session 0 Redux
http://misdirectedmark.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/GC_170_Session0Redux_Final.mp3 Session 0. We’re doing it again. Why? Because it’s important. Why is it important? Because it helps groups understand who the characters they’re playing are, why the characters are doing what they’re doing, places...
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Dragonbane Core Set Review
In addition to creating RPGs that leverage IP like Aliens and Blade Runner, Free League has also been translating and revamping RPGs previously known to the European market. The game we’re looking at today, Dragonbane, has a storied history. Drakar och Demoner came about in 1982, originally as a...
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Metagaming? Well, Actually…
Metagaming usually gets a bad rap. When people say “metagaming,” visions of know it all players who have read the Monster Manual cover to cover and memorized the stats, abilities, and weaknesses of every monster dance through our heads. Who wants to play with that person? Where is the fun in...
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The NPC Creator Checklist
I’m not a trained actor. I’ve never taken an acting class. I don’t even really have any talent for acting. But I love playing characters, and one of my favorite things as a GM is playing all the different NPCs that the players interact with. For instance, there are these intelligent Kobolds I use...
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Our Books for GMs
Through our partner Engine Publishing, we've published six system-neutral books for GMs, with over 28,000 copies sold. Available in print and PDF.
Focal PointThe Complete Game Master's Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions
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UnframedThe Art of Improvisation for Game Masters
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OdysseyThe Complete Game Master's Guide to Campaign Management
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Never UnpreparedThe Complete Game Master's Guide to Session Prep
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Masks1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game
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Eureka501 Adventure Plots to Inspire Game Masters
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Through Encoded Designs
Through our partnership in the G.E.M. collective, many of the Gnomes are affiliated with creating products through Encoded Designs. Available in print and PDF.
Misdirected Mark ProductionsGnomes on Podcasts, even a Gnome Only Podcast!
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Rockerboys and Vending MachinesDo you have what it takes to save Neon City in this 80s, neon, cyberpunk game?
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Character CacheArt by Matt Morrow, Characters By Encoded Gnomes
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Hydro Hacker OperativesGnome Phil Vecchione's Dungeon World Hack About Water Rights
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