Author: John Arcadian

About The Author

John Arcadian

John Arcadian (he/him/they) is a freelance author, blogger, and art director in the tabletop gaming industry with many awards under his belt. He has given TEDx talks and academic presentations on the social aspects of gaming and writes gaming advice at the multiple ENnie award winning site https://gnomestew.com and rant the site from 2014 to 2019. He also creates books, interactive gaming content, websites, and provides art direction for various companies like Encoded Designs, Cubicle 7, Kobold Press, Darker Hue Studios, Engine Publishing, Third Eye Games, Monte Cook Games, and many others. You can find a nearly complete list of publications at https://www.johnarcadian.com

The Smell of a Good Wine, The Sound of a Crushing Bone

Posted by John Arcadian | Jun 18, 2008 | GMing Advice, Tools for GMs

One of the things that I love to do at the...

Game Balance or Catering to the Players?

Posted by John Arcadian | Jun 3, 2008 | GMing Advice

Almost as big as the debate over GMs fudging or...

Making Challenges That Players Love To Beat

Posted by John Arcadian | May 28, 2008 | GMing Advice

I talked a bit before about what inspires cool...

The Inspiration for Cool Gaming Moments

Posted by John Arcadian | May 23, 2008 | GMing Advice

For all the times that I have run a game, it is...

The Tools Of The Game

Posted by John Arcadian | May 15, 2008 | GMing Advice

The way a GM sets up their personal fortress of...

Illustrations vs. Descriptions: And the winner is . . .

Posted by John Arcadian | May 12, 2008 | GMing Advice

As I’ve started to run more and more...

It Came From The Stew Pot

Written by a team of veteran Gamers and Gamemasters, Gnome Stew is a widely read gaming blog with multiple awards, ennies, and thousands of articles. We’re dedicated to helping gamers have more fun at the gaming table.

What Are People Saying?

What are people saying?

“fantastic blog for game masters, dungeon masters, and rpg fans”

Wil Wheaton, Geek and Sundry

Our Products

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 Point
The Complete Game Master's Guide to Running Extraordinary Sessions
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Unframed
The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters
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Odyssey
The Complete Game Master's Guide to Campaign Management
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Never Unprepared
The Complete Game Master's Guide to Session Prep
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Masks
1,000 Memorable NPCs for Any Roleplaying Game
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Eureka
501 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.