Category: GMing Advice

Focusing Player Attention with Description

Posted by | Mar 22, 2024 | ,

As the GM, you are your players’ eyes, ears, and other senses. The choices you make when describing your game literally build the way they perceive their characters’ world, and their perceptions of the world will determine their actions. When they latch onto the wrong thing, be it the goblin barkeep instead of the mysterious figure in the corner or the stale corner of bread instead of the bloody murder weapon, nine times out of 10, it’s a failure of description.

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A series of antique mirrors in gold frames hung on a dark wall above a row of knickknacks sitting on a sideboard.

Make It About Them (Without Making It About Them)

Posted by | Feb 9, 2024 | , ,

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…

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It Came From The Stew Pot

Hey you. Yeah, you. Do you know about Gnomecast 21? Why isn’t it in the archives? What are they hiding? If you value your safety… don’t go searching for Gnomecast 21…

Gnomecast 21 poster with a beared gnome and the words "I survived Gnomecast #21

What Are People Saying?

What are people saying?

“Gnome Stew is like a one-stop shop for GMing tips. Written by a group of seasoned, passionate and friendly Game Masters, the Stew has rapidly become THE reference GMing blog of the RPG blogsphere. It’s regular, high quality content is backed by a strong sense of community based around a solid readership and friendly discussions with the authors.“

Philippe-Antoine Menard, Musings of the Chatty DM

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