Hujambo Johnn! My thoughts on puzzles ended up being 1,817 words. So I’m splitting the article up into two parts with Part II coming to you on Friday. I received these great comments from RPT GM Jay about puzzles: I recently read something (I don’t think it was you, but I don’t remember 100%) giving […] The post Do Puzzles as Barriers Suck? – Part I appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

Sannu Johnn! I hope you had some great holidays. Mine were quiet, just how I like’em. Got some gaming in too! A couple of quick Wizard of Adventure updates first: Ok, on with today’s GMing tip! I was chatting with Roleplaying Tips Discord moderator and D&D 2E GM, Auke, and he says he uses a […] The post Level-Up Teamwork & Streamline Play with a Group Caller appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

Roleplaying Tips GM Thomas P. shares some great ideas below in response to my recent believable dungeon ecology tips.  (Note, I added the headings — those aren’t Thomas’s fault, haha.) Hi Johnn, I have been loving the deep dives you write and this one looking into creating believable dungeon ecologies. Your ideas about food chains […] The post Ideas for Dungeon Ecosystems and NPCs appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful New Year’s Eve. Mine was excellent — I had a great sleep. Getting old, lol. Got something a bit personal for you today about my GMing credo. I have, at the top of my Roleplaying Tips writing file, this line of text: I play the Infinite […] The post Mastering the Moment appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

Let me clear up some potential misconceptions about, and make some amendments to, my kill an NPC every session rule. For example, from the RPT Discord: Hey all, I have been working to bring a new npc each session and then to also kill off one npc per session as Johnn has suggested. I find […] The post Kill An NPC Every Session appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

There’s a great article in Dragon #243 about using charisma to determine personality. It supplied a small seven row table with examples. I love this idea. While definitions of charisma vary, it makes sense that it will affect an NPC’s personality, or at least, their surface personality. Further, tying a few personality traits to charisma […] The post Use Charisma as an NPC Personality Generator appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

I do three Evaluations after each session. Seems like a bit much, doesn’t it? But each has a specific job to do. And #1 is very fast. Let’s talk about #1 today, as I recommend you install it into your GMing practice right away because it is so effective. Right after a session I do […] The post The Plus, Minus, Delta Method: A Easy Way to Improve Your GMing appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

I recently sent out my #1 tip on how to beat GM burnout. Many replies came back advising to play for awhile to get a fresh perspective on the game. This is excellent advice! In fact, I did just that. Twice. It’s been a tricky year for me with a broken foot, several bouts of […] The post Another Fun Way to Get Passionate About GMing Again appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

Here’s a great adventure-building tip from @CasualOnesRay on the RPT Discord: Check the Beat Chart from Cyberpunk Red (well, all the Cyberpunks, really). Essentially, an adventure should have: You can typically reorganize those categories and add extra instances of Developments and Cliffhangers. They also tend to map nicely onto 5 Room Dungeons. To add to […] The post Building Better Adventures with Cyberpunk’s Beat Chart appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more

A Wizard of Adventure sent me this note about their current GMing burnout: I’ve totally lost the passion for it. Not sure why. Folks say take a break, and I’m doing that but I see no end to the draught. Burnout has been discussed several times in the newsletter as it’s a common affliction. GMs […] The post Dealing With GM Burnout: My #1 Tip appeared first on Roleplaying Tips ..read more