Game Master's Journey

There are lots of GMs out there (including myself) who will tell you how you should run your game. Ultimately it's up to you to decide what works best for you and your game. Don't hesitate to blaze your own trail.

Ryan Chaddock joins me on the show today to discuss his 5e Kickstarter, Swans of Black, and the new OGL for D&D.

In this episode of the Primordia campaign actual play, we learn that sometimes the way to deal with undead is to insult and mock them. Things really start to go south, and then they go south some more.

Iorek earns the title Kill Stealer.

The PCs have leveled, so we start out with everyone describing their new abilities and spells. We also have a little bit of general 5e discussion, and then we get on with the adventure. Samson loses part of his soul. Oh well, he wasn’t using it.

This week I use your feedback to revisit the topics of encounter-based versus milestone xp and using random encounters in your game.

Iorek discovers a mysterious door, and things get real as the PCs face their toughest challenge yet.

Today I'm discussing three topics. First, I give my thoughts on awarding experience versus using a milestone method of advancement. I also talk about how I do "random" encounters. Finally I tackle the question, "Should the players always win?"

In this episode of my Primordia campaign, Raith and Azriel get naked, and we ponder whether we've gone astray from our hard core roots.

The PCs battle some scary and gross creatures in The Forgotten Tomb.

The adventures in Primordia continue. The PCs face a horde of zombies within the Forgotten Tomb.

Welcome to the fourth episode in my GM 101 series in which I answer the question, “How do I become a game master?” Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to discuss sandbox versus plot-driven adventures. I also talk about how to get your players invested in your story, and how to find good, quality players online.

The first adventure in Primordia continues, as the PCs enter the Forgotten Tomb.

We begin the first adventure in Primordia. The PCs leave the city of Elandria to investigate rumors of monsters near a Forgotten Tomb.

We continue our discussion of characters, including our fifth PC. We then start with the first scene of the campaign.

We introduce the characters and tell a little about their backgrounds. Dwayne as Iorek, a Tiefling Wild Magic Sorcerer; Nathan as Samson, a Human Order of the Immortal Psion; Steve as Raith, an Eladrin Bladesinger Fighther/Wizard; Kyle as Sprout, a Goliath Nature Cleric of Primordia; and Chrissy as Azriel, an Aasimar Great Old One Warlock.

Nathan and I discuss the psion/mystic class, which he is going to playtest. We talk about how psionics will work in Primordia, and how it will interact with magic. We also discuss his character, Samson, and the Order of the Butterfly. Nathan does a great job of coming up with new lore in the world to support an Order of the Immortal psion. 

Dungeon Master Chris from the Dungeon Master’s Block podcast joins me on the show today to discuss game mastering and worldbuilding.

Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to respond to your feedback and do my best to answer your questions about game mastering. These questions inculde: How do I control the pacing of my game? How do I make session notes that are easy to reference during play? How do I make published adventures not feel like a railroad? How do I make combat fast and interesting without feeling like a separate mini-game?

Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to answer the question, “How do I become a game master?” In the second of my series of GM 101 episodes, I respond to your feedback and do my best to answer your questions about game mastering. I discuss session zero, speeding up and slowing down combats, when to house rule (and when not to), worldbuilding and thinking on your feet.

Running a game requires a lot of creativity and thinking on your feet. So what do you do when you’re out of ideas? Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to share three resources that can help you out when your creative well has run dry. These products can be invaluable to you during your prep, and even during play.

For a show about game mastering, there are precious few episodes about how to BE a game master. That ends now. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to answer the question, “How do I become a game master?” In this first of my series of GM 101 episodes, I will do my best to share what I’ve learned in my over 20 years of experience as a game master.

John Marvin of Dread Unicorn Games joins me on the show today to discuss the art of game mastering. We discuss his recent series of blog post articles in which he unpacks the instant adventure format for designing and running adventures. We also talk about third party publishing in RPGs and John’s upcoming 13th Age supplement, Gods and Icons.

John Marvin of Dread Unicorn Games joins me on the show today to discuss the art of game mastering. We discuss his new adventure for Numenera, what he’s learned about running adventures from 13th Age organized play, and how to use montages and fronts to enhance your game.

One of the many things I love about D&D fifth edition is the ease with which you can create balanced encounters. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to create the first encounters in my new D&D campaign, and I take you along for the ride.

One of the many things I love about D&D fifth edition is the ease with which you can create balanced encounters. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to create the first encounters in my new D&D campaign, and I take you along for the ride.

One of the best parts of being a game master is creating your own world. The fifth edition of D&D has inspired me to finally take the plunge. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to discuss my new D&D world, Primordia. I’ll discuss the Adventurers’ Guild in my world, how the portals work, and my first city, Elandria.

One of the best parts of being a game master is creating your own world. The fifth edition of D&D has inspired me to finally take the plunge. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to discuss my new D&D world, Primordia. I’ve begun running a campaign in the world, so I’ll discuss the first session. I’ll also talk about why I think starting small with your worldbuilding is the way to go and some more about my deities.

Wizards of the Coast has recently released our first non-adventure supplement to D&D fifth edition, the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to discuss this supplement. I’ll tell you exactly what is (and isn’t) in this book and help you decide whether it’s for you.

I've finally chosen a name for my D&D world! I also discuss how cities work in the world, more about the night sky of Primordia, and how the planets and moons relate to the deities. I also talk about how the gods are perceived and how I tightened up my pantheon.

I get a lot of questions from listeners about worldbuilding and adventure and campaign design. There’s also been quite a bit of interest in my new Star Wars campaign. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to continue my discussion of my Edge of the Empire campaign. I talk about the characters the players created, and what I came up with for the first adventure.

Sometimes the best way to learn is by example. I’ve had quite a few requests from listeners to discuss my new Edge of the Empire campaign. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to do just that. In the first of a series of episodes about my new Edge of the Empire campaign, I discuss the inspirations, ideas and thoughts I had going into the campaign. Once I have a clear idea of what I want to accomplish, I’m ready for session zero with the players.

This week I really get under the hood of designing my own D&D setting. I ask myself some tough questions about if and why I want to build my own world and what exactly I want to accomplish with it, and I share the answers to those questions with you.

A good GM should always be prepared. No matter what your RPG of choice is, game preparation is very important. Preparation can make the difference between an excellent GM and a terrible one. Prep can also make the difference between feeling awesome during and after a session versus not so much. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to discuss game preparation with the aid of an excellent GM resource—Never Unprepared by Phil Vecchione.

Published RPG campaigns can be a great resource for GMs with busy lives. However my experiences with them has taught me that they have a lot of drawbacks. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to share my experiences with published campaigns and why I now feel they’re not for me. I also explore my other options in the search for that ever elusive “sweet spot”.

A very important aspect of our hobby that is sometimes overlooked is establishing and maintaining clear communication with your players. In every way from setting player expectations to resolving conflicts among the people at the table, communication is key. Today I set off again on the Obsidian Monolith to address a listener’s problems with power-gaming players and reflect on some insights I’ve gained from my own groups lately.

In the season three finale episode, I revisit some topics from the season with your feedback, including elegance in RPGs, 13th Age, and the Star Wars dice system. 

Mark Garringer returns to the show today with some tips on writing for a company like Paizo. He also shares what it’s like to MC the Pathfinder Special with 1200 players.

Mark Garringer returns to the show to discuss his experiences with Pathfinder Society as a Venture Captain. He also talks about writing monsters and scenarios for Paizo.

Mark Garringer joins me on the show today to discuss his experiences in the RPG hobby, including creating monsters and scenarios published for Pathfinder.

Kevin and Evan from the Loaded Dice podcast network join me to conclude our discussion of Star Wars Edge of the Empire. This is part three of a three part interview.

Kevin and Evan from the Loaded Dice podcast network join me to continue our discussion of Star Wars Edge of the Empire. This is part two of a three part interview.

Kevin and Evan from the Loaded Dice podcast network join me to discuss their Star Wars Edge of the Empire campaign, The Whiskey Rebellion. We have a lot of laughs, with some insights into the system and gaming in general along the way.

One of the most important tools in the GM’s toolbox is improvisation. Scott Kellogg returns to the show today to discuss how to use improvisation skills to improve the RPG experience for your entire group.

One of the most important tools in the GM’s toolbox is improvisation. Scott Kellogg joins me on the show today to discuss improvisation in roleplaying games.

I've gotten a lot of great listener feedback on recent topics, including the Star Wars RPG dice system, running political games, running sandbox games, and more. Tonight I'll go through the feedback on these topics and hit some of the highlights. I'll also tell you a little bit about the Edge of the Empire campaign I'm planning, and how I'm preparing for it very differently from other campaigns I've run in the past.

Today I’ll reopen some discussion on episodes 40 and 41 with some enlightening comments from listeners of the show. I'll share what listeners think about elegance in RPGs and the new Fantasy AGE RPG.

We talk a lot about being a Game Master on this show, appropriately enough. But how can we be better players? Look on any online gaming community and you’ll see there are far more players looking for a GM than the other way around. How can you be the kind of player GMs want at their tables?

Welcome to Game Master’s Journey Unplugged. Sit with me around the fire, as I discuss what I recently learned watching another GM run a game.

The more experience I gain with RPGs, the more I appreciate elegance in RPG systems. Not only do elegant mechanics make a game easy to learn, teach and grok, but it also helps everyone at the table keep their focus where it belongs—character and story. Today I look at a few systems, some more elegant than others, and try to tease out what works and why.