Game Mastering | Gnome Stew

Ingredients for a First Session of a Campaign

Posted by Phil Vecchione | Feb 23, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

My gaming group decided to end our most recent...

The Crusty Old Gnome: Midnight Refresh

Posted by Walt Ciechanowski | Feb 16, 2024 | Game Mastering, General

In the shadow of night, I see the full moon...

Make It About Them (Without Making It About Them)

Posted by Josh Storey | Feb 9, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice, Tools for GMs

Do you want to center your player characters’ backstories without making it seem like the whole world revolves around them? Do you want to create emotional bonds as strong as adamantine between not just the PCs and the NPCs but the players, too? Do you want to pull off an enemies-to-allies (or lovers if that’s your story of the game) arc without ham-fisting the heel-face turn? Well then, my friend, allow me to introduce you to a little trick in my toolbox…

Antagonist Goals

Posted by J.T. Evans | Feb 5, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Last month, I talked about giving your character...

Prep for the Future You

Posted by Phil Vecchione | Jan 26, 2024 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

Years ago when I was coding, I used to have this...

Min/Maxing Your GM Journey

Posted by Josh Storey | Jan 10, 2024 | Game Mastering, Tools for GMs

Leveling up isn’t just for PCs. Game masters can level up their GMing skills and abilities. To do that, we’re going to take a journey that begins with identifying our problem areas and ends with a plan to min/max the heck out of our GM-fu.

The Crusty Old Gnome: Agency for Game Masters

Posted by Walt Ciechanowski | Jan 8, 2024 | Game Mastering, General

You know in some way you’re a lot like me You’re...

Five GMing Things I learned in 2023

Posted by Phil Vecchione | Dec 29, 2023 | Game Mastering, General, GMing Advice

As the year winds to a close, I took some time...

On Dragons, Dungeons, and Dinner Parties

Posted by Josh Storey | Dec 22, 2023 | Game Mastering, GMing Advice

There are a lot of similarities between hosting a dinner party and running a TTRPG session. I’m not just talking about the fact that both usually involve a shared meal between friends. There are other subtle social aspects, and examining one can tell us a lot about the other.