GMing Advice

Making Second Chances Cinematic: Introducing the Invocation Reroll

Posted by Jesse Edmond | Oct 17, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

The problem isn’t the mechanic. It’s the framing. Rerolls are inherently dramatic — a refusal to accept failure, a desperate second chance — but most games treat them as paperwork.

The solution is simple: give rerolls a ritual.

How to Steal a Story (to Use in Your Campaign)

Posted by Josh Storey | Oct 10, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

“Everything’s a reboot....

Making Weapons More Interesting

Posted by Drew Bassett | Oct 3, 2025 | Game Mastering, General, GMing Advice

Your weapons are more than just damage dice.

Basic Elements of NPCs

Posted by J.T. Evans | Sep 29, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

NPCs in your RPGs come in all shapes, sizes,...

What’s Your Pre-Game?

Posted by Phil Vecchione | Sep 26, 2025 | Game Mastering, General, GMing Advice

Every week, I run a game on Sunday evenings....

Post Game Debrief

Posted by Phil Vecchione | Aug 29, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Last month, I started a new way to manage the...

To GMPC or to Allied NPC?

Posted by Chris Sniezak | Aug 20, 2025 | Game Mastering, General, GMing Advice, Tools for GMs

Does the word GMPC even mean anything anymore?...

Handwavium

Posted by J.T. Evans | Aug 6, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Handwavium is a neat concept in fiction that can...

Manage Your Information

Posted by Phil Vecchione | Jul 28, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Over the past few months, I had been in a bit of...

Your PCs Are Superman: What Big Blue Can Teach Us About Level 20 Characters

Posted by Josh Storey | Jul 25, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

When your PCs reach the upper echelons of power, there is a fundamental shift in the kind of story you’re telling. So yes, if you want to send your PCs into dungeons, hunting for loot, or solving crimes, the characters are too powerful. The math does break. There aren’t any challenges. But that’s because at level 20, the question is no longer “will they succeed.” The question is “How will they succeed?” And also maybe a little, “Will they be able to live with themselves after?”

Starting a Fresh Group

Posted by J.T. Evans | Jul 11, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

When forming a new group to play RPGs with,...

Change with the Change

Posted by Phil Vecchione | Jun 27, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

During your tenure GMing, your life is going to...

Challenging The Tropes: What I Learned

Posted by Josh Storey | Jun 26, 2025 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Paragons of an honorable code, antisocial loners forced to socialize, and gremlins looking to set the world on fire. When I started the Challenging the Tropes series, I thought it would be a fun examination of character types. I didn’t realize just how much it would teach me about improving the ways I run games and tell stories.